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01

Who: Prince Lotor
Broadcast: Yes
Action: Absolutely
When: Saturday, 18 August

[Broadcast - Video ]

[ He's aware of something wrong even before his eyes open.

Lotor's long form barely fits on the bed provided, so much so that when he wakes up with a snap, he bends the arched metal at the end of the frame with his boots. The room smells different, the air tinted with a strange sour quality that spoke neither of the familiar filters on Galra ships nor the more exquisite processes that the Castle of Lions boasted; and as his eyes adjust to the bright lights the architecture speaks of nothing he's seen before.

Strange.

He stands slowly, looking around the entirely empty wing. Good fortune or not, he seems to be the only person here - where ever here is. The last thing he remembers is returning to the Castle, Allura's hand in his, and then nothing.

Ah, there is a camera. He's being observed.

There is no point in secrecy now is there? Either someone was monitoring him or not, and he straightens his back as he addresses the camera.]

I give you credit, I have not been taking off guard like this in quite some time. Identify yourself.

[Action - S.S. Starstruck]

[ He had hardly been on the hospitality deck for a few hours before he finds himself appearing on the bridge of the S.S. Starstruck, face crinkled up in an unpleasant expression as a flurry of badly made confetti tangles in his hair and falls to his shoulders. In his hands rests a plate, and he looks down at it with a frown punctuated with a fang pressed into his bottom lip.

Ah, but he is not alone.

Across from him is one of his supposed 'new crewmates', and those eyebrows arch now, and he offers the plate out, the tone of his voice sardonic. ]

I do not imagine that you ordered this, did you?

[Private communication - Video: Allura]

[The shuttle seemed the most promising place to pick through the databanks the vessel held.

It was small; all exits and entrances visible, and it gave him the privacy of not having any of his new crew mates hovering over his shoulder. Lotor rests his chin in one hand, tapping his lips with a claw as his eyes scan through the crew logs of the fleet.

Ah, most of the paladins were here as well, crowded on one ship. And then Allura's name comes up, and he allows himself a small smile as he opens his communicator. Regaining contact with his allies was paramount... but this was personal. ]

I hate to sound pleased to find you here as well, but I will not deny that it's a relief to see a familiar face, princess.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ He immediately turns back to the controls of the ship. Figuring out the configuration of the programming and flight controls are surprisingly simple. Regardless of his experience, one does not simply just know how to interface and run alien technology without trial and error, and yet he finds the S.S. Iskaulit with hardly any effort, calculating the flight distance for the shuttle in a matter of seconds.

Perfect, his 'crew' should hardly miss him it's so close. ]

I am amenable to that location. When shall I expect you? Unsurprisingly my schedule is quite open as it is.

[ She had experienced something similar, thanks to her augmentation. The controls of the Tourist were not familiar at all, and yet she found herself taking to them easily. She pulls up something on her own screen, reading over the text carefully. ]

I can be over in varga. Is that acceptable?

More than acceptable, Princess.

[ And yes, he's smiling at her now, before he licks his lips and turns back to the door of the shuttle. Should he alert anyone to his leaving?

No. They would figure it out themselves he supposes. ]

I will see you there.

[ And off he goes! ]

[ Allura had not spent much time on the S.S. Iskaulit since her arrival, sticking mostly to her own ship, but there were a few places that she had wanted to visit, now with an excuse to. Glad with the return of her friends and now another ally, perhaps they could all work through this uncomfortable situation together. So she sends a message with a specific location on the ship to rendezvous.

The Community Gardens.

Well...as much of a garden as they can be. Her own idea might be a little skewed, what with growing up with the large and expansive gardens back on Atlea, back lit by rolling hills of green and magenta. Still, to see something living and green would be nice, even if the area is essentially a public, glorified green house. That is always the most difficult part of space travel.

Allura finds herself there first, perhaps from a slight advantage of familiarity. So she occupies herself with admiring some sort of bean plant sitting underneath a heat lamp. ]

[ Back when he was still with his generals, before their betrayal (not that he blamed them, had he not been more than certain that returning would mean his falling upon his father's sword he might have joined them after such a spectacular failure as his experiments had ended in), Ezor had often found him deep in thought and would accuse him of brooding in the most exhuberant manner possible; which without fail would draw him out of whatever plans or problems he had been considering to deal with the here and now.

It's a strange time to miss them, sitting here with his fingers laced and staring through the Auto-pilot's screen display ticking away the dobashes until he was reunited with the one person who had somehow wedged herself into the cavity of his chest and pushed out most reason and self-preservation that he's held in his 10,000 deca-phoebs of life.

He's certainly brooding now. The excitement of being reunited with Allura is tainted by the fact that the Paladins know about his colony, and seemed less than pleased by it. Perhaps they did not know the true extent of it, or perhaps...they suspected him. Suspected him on what he had done in the name of science and the future of the universe and yet had came to no fruition, and instead rotted on the vine of his hopes; sickening the whole of him.

He would have to tell her. Better him than the little one, so full of anger and spite. Despite her claims and loyalty to reason, the Paladin Pidge was just as lost to emotion and prejudice as the rest of them. Or Paladin Lance, who he was certain also held affections for the princess; though how deeply those affections ran could be taken into question. He had never trusted him, and would be more than eager to watch them be torn apart.

A tiny, niggling, part of him whines that he had done so much right, how could one wrong really destroy everything? He knows better though.

If he was not careful to tread lightly, Lotor was certain to lose her.

Allura.

It seems like no time at all before he is wandering the halls of the greenhouse (community garden was certainly an overstatement, but he supposes one makes due with what they have), and picks her out easily amongst the green of the plants. That funny feeling, affection beyond measure, squeezes at his organs and he lifts his voice in easy candor as he approaches. ]

Princess. I hope your journey found you well. I have to admit, this was not quite what I was expecting in terms of a garden.

[ He tucks the bean plant aside, ever so carefully, before motioning towards the seat beside her. ]

Might I?

[ It is hardly as impressive as any garden that he would be used to as well, she is sure, but Allura will allow herself this indulgence. Besides, she's in a good mood thanks to this turn of events. She will need to touch base with the rest of the Voltron team (and Ulaz, she realizes) and discuss the potential impact Lotor's presence might have. More so given the fact that he had helped design and build ships that could enter the quintessence field, to traverse into Oriande.

He might be able to figure out how to send them home.

She'll need to bring it up to Lotor first, of course, but she thinks it's a viable idea and he is a very easy man to work with. And...well.

No, she mustn't let herself get distracted by other things. Her duty is, first and foremost, to her team and to the mission. That's why this can't just be a personal call. (Right?)

That doesn't stop her from smiling as he approaches. She stands politely to greet him, laughing lightly at his appraisal of their surroundings. ]

Yes, it is a little underwhelming in comparison, but knowing that it was built solely by the desires of other...participants like us, it does have a certain charm.

[ As he motions to the seat, she nods, taking her own again as she knows that manners would dictate Lotor allow her to before him. ]

Please.

[ And once he does, ]

It's good to see you.

Functionality over conventional beauty has it's place.

[ He leans a little closer as she sits, affection tinting the general professional carriage of his voice. He remembers their kiss fondly, and had he not been taken away to this place so soon after he would have sought out more of that in the near future. The very near future.

But now they're in an entirely new environment, and Allura has been here far longer than he has...whatever time skip he has experienced he does not want to push his luck. But that does not stop him from gently taking her hand for a whole of a moment, running his thumb over her knuckles as his eyes crickle ever so slightly as he agrees with her. ]

And you Princess. Despite the circumstances, it is always a pleasure to be in your presence.

[ He returns his hand to his own lap, and turns his face away to study the construction of the ceiling of the room their in, the misting system has seen better days and seems mostly analog in nature. Nothing like the efficient Galran hydroponics. ]

I feel much more confident that a solution to this situation can be found with your partnership.

[ He's--

Oh.

She certainly doesn't mind the closeness or the touch--she has yet to deny him, hasn't she? Though Lotor has been the one to initiate most of them. No small part of her has considered the multiple missed opportunities or interruptions that they have had in the past, but she also realizes that should be far from her mind at the moment. They have much to discuss, but the way he holds her hand brings it all to the forefront of her consciousness.

So she doesn't hide her smile, though her hand feels a little lonely when he releases it. Her chest feels warm as she forces herself to look elsewhere, lest she look a little too pleased. ]

I'm glad that you think so. The timing of your arrival could not have been more perfect.

[ Looking away hadn't lasted long, but her expression is a little more serious when her gaze returns to his face. ]

The other Paladins are here as well. And despite this, I have not heard of any successful attempts or methods at escaping from this place.

I have spoken to several of them at my arrival.

[ His eyebrows crinkle ever so slightly, and he watches her closely as she returns her eyes to his. There is no hostility in her gaze, simply that warmth he caught from her when they were alone.

He can't imagine that she would be the only one who did not mention the colony after the animosity from the other paladins. ]

Though it seems that there has been some time slippage between us. Tell me, what was the last thing you remembered before arriving?

[ There is warmth--and trust. Lotor has shifted all her expectations and taught her more than a few things about the Galra and about herself. That's why her expression falters just a little at his question, but then settles.

Allura shakes her head. ]

Yes, it's...an interesting phenomenon.

[ Clearly, she is aware. ]

Lance had mentioned discrepancies when I arrived, and only a few quintants later they all returned back to their original timelines only to return from a much alter point.

[ There's a pause as she clasps her fingers together. To arrive in such a place and then have her friends and trusted allies taken away right after was not the best turn of events. ]

I'm still not sure what to make of all of it. It hasn't even been a full quintant since then.

[ It's been a busy 20 vargas. ]

The last thing I remember was our return from Oriande. One dobosh I was on the bridge of the Castle, and the next i awoke here.

It was a similar situation for me. We were in the hangar and then here.

[ Oriande. For certain there was no knowledge of his colony at that point, or else he would have been accosted earlier. Relief rushes over him, and it is all he can do not to show it on his face. Previously he had hoped that he would not have to explain the existence of the other colony (and his behavior in regards to it) until well after peace and prosperity had returned to the universe and his....malpractices could be leveled against all the other successes; but now here he was simply trying to think of a way to lessen the impact.

There had been a time when he would have laughed at the idea that he'd allow one person in his long life could hold so much weight against him that he would truly fear losing them. After everything he's experienced and lost already. ]

Space-time is a interesting complicated thing. I can imagine pulling through it could easily cause variance in our timelines.

[ Allura nods in agreement. This sort of thing is out of her area of expertise, but experience is forcing her to become familiar with the concept. Parallel universes and alternate timelines...an increasingly complicated web of variances. But she is glad to have someone around who catches on quickly.

She offers Lotor a small smile. ]

That is part of what I'm afraid of...how many splinters will cause new timelines to form?

[ She shakes her head. ]

I speak as if I have an understanding. But, the hanger? We must have only just returned as well. Perhaps you and I are not too far off from one another.

No, I think I am still at least a few quintants ahead of you. We had just completed our first test of the transreality ship.

[ He licks his lips, reaching for her hand again, and curls his around her delicate fingers. How does one go about bringing something like this up? ]

The ship performed admirably, and we were able to sample some quintessence from the rift. Though I suppose you wouldn't know much about it as when you are from. To put it simply, when I am, we may actually have a shot of uniting the universe under the same banner of unlimited energy and peace.

[ She doesn't resist, though she is unable to keep herself from glancing down to their hands. It isn't the first time he's reach out to her. She fights the heat rising to her cheeks and forces herself to focus on his face, and his words. She gives his fingers a gentle squeeze in return.

There's hope in her gaze and Allura's face brightens. ]

Lotor...that's magnificent news! It's everything that we've been hoping for.

Yes, everything and more.

[ He's sweating under all his layers, nervous to breach this subject. It had to be done. Sooner, rather than later, if he had any hope of recovering whatever affection she held for him.

She squeezes his hands and it's as though her finger are around his heart instead.]

Allura, I feel it necessary to confide in you something I have been keeping to myself. It is important, with Haggar here and safely removed from our universe and without her many spies to follow me...I feel this is the best time, before she can gather her wits and connections and make it too dangerous to speak of once more.

[ It should be a happy occasion, but Lotor's expression looks anything but. Her own face falls as he continues until the mention of Haggar straightens her out.

Right.

They must be vigilant. She assumes this must be something sensitive to the Galra Empire, something that would give Haggar leverage over them. ]

Of course. What is it?

I had hoped to tell you this once peace had been returned to the universe, but in this moment...now that I have the chance... I do not want to keep things from you. Allura.

[ His hands engulf hers, and he leans forward, tilting his head down to meet her eyes. ]

The destruction of Daibazaal occured long before my birth, as well as the destruction of Altea. I never saw either of my home planets. I shared with you the demise of the only place I really considered to be mine while we were in Oriande...the event behind my banishment. After the people I had sworn to protect were destroyed infront of me, I lost hope for a time. I knew Zarkon would never accept me as I was, and so I focused on the part of me I had been instructed to ignore.

[ It had been so easy to pass the event to her in Oriande, where everything seemed open and private between them. He hadn't expected to have to spill his heart out to her on a rapidly shrinking timeline.]

You are not the least Altean. Neither is Coran. Once I realized my life span was not that of a normal Altean or Galra, I realized that I had some what of a chance to correct at least part of the horrors my Father had commited. I started to seek out the last remaining Alteans in the universe. Those that had been off planet during the destruction of their home world. They had gone into hiding, Zarkon had placed a bounty on their heads that left them little choice. I located a planet beyond the Quantum Abyss that would keep them concealed and safe, and carefully secreted them away to it.

There are nearly a million strong now, Allura. It's not Altea, but they are safe and spared from the brutalities of the last 10,000 deca-phoebs.

[ This is clearly something very serious. Her gaze drops again to their hands before settling back on his face, searching for some hint before he speaks.

She knew something of his past, the hurt and betrayal put upon him by someone who ought to love him. For that, Allura has sympathy in spades. Touching on the subject again makes the mood more somber than she anticipated.

But...

She suddenly goes cold.

You are not the last Altean.

...What?

Neither is Coran.

What?

Everything after that seems to be coming at her in slow motion. She watches him with wide eyes, listening but processing the words at a different rate. Of course there were others. Of course. Alteans were the greatest explorers in the known universe. There would be thousands if not more off planet when Zarkon attacked.

Why hadn't she sought them out?

There isn't time to question her own lack of action. The more he speaks, the more she comes to and something very upsetting makes itself clear.

This happened long ago.

This entire time... ]

You...kept this from me?

[ Alteans. Her people.

Alive.

Alive. ]

You said nothing!?

[ Allura pulls her hands back. ]

All this time I've--I thought we were finally restoring bits and pieces left of Altea, but it's been here the whole time! It's people...that is more Altea than the planet itself!

I said nothing because I could not risk their safety. Haggar has had spies on my heels my entire life, I could not know who I could trust in relation to this incredible secret. Had she found the location of my colony, of those people, who not a single one has known the pain of war, they would have been killed as easily as the tide wipes away footprints in the sand. Please, Allura-

[ She pulls away from him and he follows, grasping her wrist, his voice furtive. ]

Even my own Generals, who I thought I could trust for all the stars in the sky betrayed me for Haggar. My lips had to remain sealed until the threat to them was gone. I am sorry I kept this from you, but I have been protecting this secret for thousands upon thousands of deca-phoebs. If I hadn't then there would be no secret to keep and our people would have been lost to the pages of history as just one more species to fall in the wake of Zarkon's expansion.

...

[ Allura doesn't pull away a second time, leveling a scrutinizing gaze on Lotor instead. It--upsets her quite a bit. How long she's felt so alone in the universe that she has been so desperately clinging to any remnants of her home. She fully expected Altea to die with her someday.

But...that is a selfish way of looking at it, isn't it? No matter how her blood may boil at the thought that her people have been so close and well and that she had done nothing for them this entire time---

...No. He has a point. They would have been destroyed by Zarkon or Haggar if given the chance.

She's quiet for a long moment scanning his face and, bit by bit, she deflates. ]

...Yes...

[ She relents, albeit with some difficulty. Allura has never been one to back down easily when roused. ]

I'm sorry...this is more than I could have ever hoped for.

[ She should sound excited. Instead, she worries her bottom lip and averts her gaze for a moment. ]

...Though I know it was really thousands of deca-phoebs, it had seemed just a matter of ticks from when Altea existed and my father was alive to a universe without Altea and without hope. I thought I had accepted that fact, but perhaps I was only fooling myself.

[ In an attempt to move on, to ease how out of place she had become. Allura shakes her head. ]

...But to weigh my comfort and peace of mind against the lives of millions-- [ Millions... ] --would be incredibly self-serving and unbefitting. You...you made the right decision.

[ The right decision.

He had hoped to always make the right decision, but that was not always the case when it came to the colony. Lotor lowers his eyes to their hands, his long fingers loosening around her wrist to cup them both in one palm. He folds the other over top of hers, wonders if he can leave it at that.

The right decision.

Revising history was the prize of the victor of war, not those who were still fighting them. ]

I wish I could have taken you there. It is as close of a planet to Altea as I could envision. But I had never stepped foot upon her shores...and most of the Alteans in my colony have not either. It's a strange feeling to watch the population grow, and the children that were born there become adults themselves and have their own children.

[ He hesitates. ]

Perhaps when we return, and it is safe to do so, I can.

[ She wonders at that, how that must be, to watch a people slowly come into themselves and remember who they are. To know that there are now Alteans who have never fallen victim to the destruction of Zarkon. That warms her heart against the ache of her not knowing, of his not telling. But he is right, she reminds herself. An Altean colony would be the first target as soon as it was discovered. In secret, it was safe.

As much as it pained her to be parted from her people, as it always has been. To think that when she was a child she imagined traveling the stars and seeing distant worlds as her father had, but now she just longs to be home.

To think that there might be a home, someday...

Her eyes feel a little watery despite herself and with her hands enclosed in his, there's nothing to wipe away at the wetness that begins to form at the edges.

She shakes her head. ]

It's really--...

[ She looks up immediately. ]

Could we?

[ Eyes wide and full of new hope. To see it for herself. Alteans! ]

I cannot believe--to think that...that would ever be--

[ Allura stops herself with an awkward laugh and shakes her head again. ]

I'm sorry, I'm still trying to accept this--...it's like it's too good to be true!

[ Lotor watches the emotions play over her face and tries to keep his own even, eyebrows furrowing slightly as he watches those tears well in her eyes. He uses one hand to gently wipe one away before it hits her cheek, letting it drip off the end of his claw before his hand curls into her shoulder softly. ]

Take your time, Allura. They are not going anywhere. Even with us here, they're continuing their lives, and repopulating the planet.

[ He runs through the phrasing of the second half of his admission several times, trying to think of the best way to avoid... the inevitable. It seems impossible to put it in a way that is truthful and will not hurt her. She is, after all, So very young in comparison to him. How could he expect to to react with anything but emotion? ]

I will take you there as soon as we are able.

[ It's a mixture of frustration and of happiness--frustration at herself for not considering to look elsewhere, having just accepted that everything Altea was no more but the Castle and the Lions, frustration at Lotor for keeping it from her, even if for the right reasons. And, of course, the strange but exciting reality that she now had before her. Her people.

The title of Princess suddenly had meaning again.

Another laugh as she catches her breath in her throat when he wipes the tear away. ]

I'm being silly, I know...it hasn't really settled yet. But...

[ Such a confusing swirl of thoughts and feelings in her mind and in her chest. She tries to concentrate on the good ones. Because this is good news. ]

Thank you. I'm looking forward to it immensely.

[ A smile wavers on his lips, and he sits back, staring at the ceiling for a moment before speaking again. ]

Do not thank me just yet. I...

[ He sighs, pressing his lips into a thin line as he looks back down at her. ]

I am sure you are more than aware of the cruelty of my father, the absence of my mother. Any kindness and goodness I have in me, I have had to learn on my own and then retain against extraordinary odds and in the face of many tribulations. This is not an attempt to bloat my ego Allura, I wish to.. simply have you understand what else I have to share with you.

I have always been called weak, a fool for my attachment to life, especially the ones that I am charged to care for. You mentioned how quick it seemed to you, the end of Altea and then the 10,000 deca-phoebs between now and then. I have had no such kindness in the years, each varga carved into my mind where I thought it not possible to fit any more. I have witnessed such horrors that you cannot imagine Princess, watched the death of trillions simply because my father was in a mood.

There were nights in which I woke up in a sweat thinking for certain my colony had been discovered, and would rush there in fear of finding the whole planet gone. Each time it turned out to be that they were fine to my great releif... and since I could only risk so long in their presence for their own safety, they began to even consider me more like a god than a man. It does make sense, as I do not age and I so rarely appeared to them, fearing that I would be followed... But as the population boomed, and those innocent smiling faces would greet me after decades witnessing the horrors beset upon the rest of the universe, I thought that possibly my weakness for these people was limiting my ability to do the greater good.

[ He takes a breath, shaking his head ever so slightly, eyes closed. ]

I put so much into trying to access the quintessence field without the powers granted by Oriande, and ran into nothing but failure. All around me trillions perished in bondage and even more as the witch drained whole planets for it's quintessence. I had no concept that you or the rest of the lions could have survived. After all with Zarkon's great power, how could you have remained hidden as you did? I had to consider all the options in front of me, even ones I felt went against my moral center....after all I had exhausted all others.

Edited 2018-09-11 01:43 (UTC)

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