shining like the stars

63

The figure was in a black pilot's jumpsuit and full helmet, but was distinctly un-Galra in build. Allura had placed herself between the intruder and the memory core, hands still held in front of her, posture loose and relaxed and ready to move as quickly as necessary. She watched as he swept the temple ruin with his pistol before returning it to center on Allura.

"Are you the paladin?" He spoke in the common language, easy and unaccented. Allura stood there and thought, I can disarm him in seven moves. Too many.

"I am not a paladin," she said, and held herself still. She didn't even twitch as he moved a step closer, head tilted as he regarded her. "The Green Paladin is already in their trial. You shall not interfere — and you are unwelcome here. I suggest that you leave before I take steps to remove you."

"You're Altean." He stopped just out of easy reach, but the grip on his weapon was loose.

There was no point in hiding it, if he knew of the paladins already. "I am Princess Allura," she said, and she heard the rapid intake of breath even under the helmet. The stranger dropped his arm, weapon now pointed at the floor.

"The princess," he said, a little awed. "You're supposed to be a myth." A moment's hesitation, and then the pistol came up again. "Maybe you are, maybe you aren't. I'm not in the business of taking risks." He gestured with his pistol for Allura to move aside, and she did not. "Move, Princess," he said irritably, and Allura's eyebrow twitched. There was something familiar about that tone of voice.

"I will not," she said. And then she stepped forward quickly, and he jerked back, yanking his arm in toward his side even as she reached for it, intent on disarming him. The struggle was quick; and Allura wrenched the weapon away. It fell to the stone floor and slid out of reach of both of them.

The interloper yelped as Allura slammed him into the ground with ease, and then pinned him on his front, arm wrenched painfully behind his back. "Ow, ow!"

"I did warn you," she said mildly, putting pressure on his wrenched arm. "Now, how did you hear of me? Talk now, or this will definitely get worse."

"The others talked about the princess who escaped," he squeaked, voice gone high with pain. "That she had the keys to the ultimate weapon, ahhhhh please don't break my arm-!"

"What others?" Allura asked, and he squirmed under her.

"The other Alteans!"

Allura froze in place, because it didn't process right the first time. He used that moment of confusion to his advantage and heaved, dislodging Allura and allowing him to roll away, cradling his wrenched arm to his chest as he sat up. "Other Alteans?" Allura repeated, sitting now on her knees on the floor of the temple. She raised her head to look at the stranger, sitting on the floor opposite her, and her eyes were already wet. "There were more survivors?"

"An entire colony." He was clearly watching her carefully. She covered her mouth with one hand and let a small sob escape, then wiped her eyes.

"Survivors," she said again, and laughed.

#

Shiro was all-too familiar with Galra prison ships. He recognized the curve of the corridors that led below, to the small, tight, permanent cells that he had spent so much time in. They bypassed most of those, though — and Shiro kept walking toward the areas above, past the training quarters, past the infirmary — and he stopped dead in his tracks when he felt Keith's hand brush his back.

It was a strange sensation that wicked up his spine, half of a shudder. He didn't bother to analyze it further. "Shiro, stop," Keith said unnecessarily. The corridor was empty, they'd barely passed anyone, but Keith had waited until even the cleaning drones had safely passed them by. He stepped past Shiro and Shiro stared at the top of his head. The way the deep violet ears emerged from that mess of long, dark hair didn't look like any of the Galra he'd had the pleasure of encountering on these ships... but they did remind him of some of the smaller aliens he'd been corralled with before matches; or even some he'd been made to fight against. Half-breeds.