Don't Ask About My Demons

Lotor Holds a Meeting

Lotor paced the lavish room that had been his place of residence since he was a small child. A large, neatly made bed with violet bedding sat against the far wall with a holographic fireplace to the leftmost wall. While having actual fires for anything other than cooking was deemed to be an unnecessary hazard, the heating systems in the bedchambers were made more anesthetically pleasing this way, a rare design choice for the practical Galra but not so foreign to the Altean's design. Lotor remembered the sleepless nights he used to spend curled up by that fire... the warmth that a parent should give, not a machine... he turned away from the hologram and continued pacing. He looked to the floor-to-ceiling windows on either side of his bed. The drapes were pulled back to reveal that the servants had set it to show the stars. Lotor paused for a moment before stepping closer to switch the setting to the familiar tanned rock of his old home planet. Home... Long gone now because of his father. He wrinkled his nose. Even the thought of the emperor caused Lotor to have a bad taste in his mouth and gave him the urge to spit, which he certainly would have done if his upbringing hadn't raised him better.

"Prince Lotor! Acza, requesting your audience!" The guard alerted him from the doorway.

Lotor stood with his back to the door, his hands clasped behind him. "I already told you that my generals are permitted to go wherever they please. They need not be announced. I know that they are perfectly capable of announcing themselves."

The guard bowed low, his armor clanking as he moved. "My apologies..."

Lotor looked down at him and nodded, his face showed no emotion.

"Lotor."

He turned to meet one of his four generals, Acza. He paused to return his attention to the guard who hadn't moved. "You're dismissed."

"Yes, Prince Lotor. Thank you, Prince Lotor... " the guard backed out of the room, bowing one last time before closing the door behind him.

Lotor sighed. "Are the others far behind?"

"They'll be here shortly. They had a few things they had to take care of first."

He nodded and gestured to a long table with cushioned chairs lining either side. "Please, sit."

Acza nodded before choosing a seat and taking in the grandeur of the room.

Lotor leaned his shoulder against the wall with his right leg crossed over his left and his arms crossed.

Acza's nails lightly tapped the tabletop rhythmically while they both waited for the others. What was keeping them?
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At long last, there was a knock at the door.

Lotor straightened up. "Enter."

His other three generals entered the room.

"It's about time..." Acza said quietly.

Ezor sat beside her with an apologetic smile. "So sorry about that! We didn't expect the mission to take nearly as long as it did!"

"You're here now and that's all that matters," Lotor interrupted. "Please, sit. Sit wherever you like." He settled down at the head of the table.

"So I hear that you've been sent to the front lines," Zethrid stated.

Lotor nodded. "I was assigned to retrieve the red paladin by any means necessary. However... no harm is to come to him. That was made perfectly clear..." He clasped his hands under his chin. "...not that it's much of a concern. I don't plan to harm the boy. I've heard of his skills... he'd be invaluable to our team."

"But we're supposed to hand him over to the emperor..." Ezor looked to him with her head cocked to the side.

Lotor nodded. "True... And he will be handed over... to the true emperor."

"I don't understand..." Zethrid knot her brows.

He smiled. "I'm still in line for the throne, you see."

"But that's only until the previous emperor dies or retires," Acza spoke up.

He pushed his chair back and stood up. His generals moved to stand but Lotor stopped them with a hand. They sat back down and watched as he crossed over to his writing desk, opening the drawer to retrieve a vial filled with a violet purple liquid. He returned to the table and sat down again.

"Tell me, do you know what this is?"

Acza was the first to pick it up, weighing it in her hand. "Light, same density as water... or close enough to it." She took a cautious whiff. It has neither an odor nor an aroma..." she handed it over.

Ezor switched it between her hands. "It seems familiar... I just don't know."

"Yeah... Zethrid spoke up before handing it over to Narti who inspected it through touch while her cat sniffed at it. "I know I've seen something like it before... " Zethrid continued. "I just don't know where or when..."

Lotor took the vial back. "I'm not surprised that you wouldn't know. This is soma, an elixir that will render the drinker submissive and obedient within minutes... it's a rather dangerous substance that's been used by the Galran empire for as long as I could remember to keep its people in line. The emperor decreed that it should be put into the food and drink of his soldiers... he's a paranoid man, after all. Betrayal is his worst fear." He held the vial up to the light.

"Is...is that why he ordered the execution of Thace and his family?" Ezor asked.

"Most likely... he's losing himself. Few can see it. Like an egg, his outer shell is cracking, leaving him vulnerable to the elements. Now is as good a time as any to take what is rightfully mine..."

"What about Voltron?" Zethrid cocked her head.

"That was my father's goal... once I achieve kinship with the red paladin, the others will follow suit. Why would I want the lions when I could have the pilots too?"

His generals nodded in agreement.

"The emperor's days are numbered. It's only a matter of time. After all, even the mightiest of beasts must fall... such is life..." he smiled, twirling the vile in his hand. "What do you say we throw a banquet for him? Celebrate the... emperor in all his glory, hm?"