The Missing Pilot

Chapter Ten

Three soldiers were standing in the command control center when a huffing and puffing Galran came rushing in. One of the Generals on the ship was calling the Emperor when it happened.

"Emperor Zarkon!" The entering Galran exclaimed, hands on his knees as he fought to catch his breath, ears tilted back. "There are two ships in the proximity of the fleet. We just caught them on the sensors."

One of the soldiers looked up when he heard that and looked over towards the screen, where the security footage was flicked onto screen.

It featured two ships — one a cream and white color and the other a stark shade of violet and black. The soldier's body tensed ever so slightly but hid it well under his armor, watching with the other soldiers he was standing by.

"What should we do with them, Emperor Zarkon?" The General asked with a stoic calmness and a deep, raspy tone.

The Emperor on screen, clad in full armor that covered every extremity, was silent for a few ticks, then spoke.

"Destroy them."

There was not a moment's hesitation as the General shouted, "Fire the ion beam! Get rid of those intruders," before the blast of the aforementioned weapon struck the two ships. The soldier held back a gasp as he watched the two ships disintegrate into particles, and whoever was inside showed no signs of being alive either.

The ships were completely destroyed within ticks.

"Problem solved, Emperor. We will be on the look out for more intruders, and we will continue our mission to gather the quintessence."

Emperor Zarkon nodded. "Vrepit sa, Tovar."

"Vrepit sa."

The call between the Emperor and the General ceased, and the General turned on his heel, marching down and starting to bark commands at the other foot soldiers, sending them off on chores, errands, and patrols. The last soldier stood in front of General Tovar, and with the severe height difference, the soldier had to crane his neck to see.

"You, soldier. Go back to the quarters you've been assigned to. We will call for you when the time comes."

The soldier nodded silently and marched off after calling a confident sounding "vrepit sa." Once the soldier was out of the room, doors safely closed behind him, he rushed down a couple of hallways and corridors with lightning-fast feet. His breathing picked up and his heart thudded inside of his chest. Once he was sure he was alone, the soldier removed his helmet and squatted down low, head in his hands for a minute before those same hands ran through long, raven-colored hair. The soldier fought back shaky breaths and prickling tears, making his eyes burn. The raven-haired soldier looked into his helmet and peered at his reflection, seeing the enlarged violet eyes that stared back at him, stricken with terror.

The soldier hit the realization of what just happened and fell to a sitting position, throwing his head back until he felt cold metal on his skull.

Keith just watched General Tovar annihilate an Altean pod and a Blade ship and whoever was inside.

—

A light blipping noise sounded throughout the lions as they traveled the cosmos. It was really all that echoed for a while. Conversation between the paladins were sparse for a majority of the ride so far, and it was a tense silence, filled with worry and irritation.

Finally, someone spoke.

"Why did he just leave like that?" Pidge asked, her voice taut with frustration. "Doesn't he know how dangerous it is to go off by himself?! He could be hurt right now, probably dying, and we wouldn't even know!"