(On the Hunt) Chapter 12

Pride: On the Hunt

Chapter 12

By the Sword

Takrekul was a very short trip from Alcieux. Not even Sven had heard of the planet before, and their database could provide only three pieces of information: Kulaphe, Type 3B, Neutral. Which meant the only things they would know going in were that the inhabitants were called Kulaphe, they were fully non-humanoid bipeds, and they would not give up whatever information they had easily. Not the most promising start, but the team was hardly in a position to pass up a lead. They'd been granted landing clearance at the northernmost of three small, crowded spaceports, and were greeted at the landing pad.

It turned out the Kulaphe looked a lot like kangaroos—kangaroos with silvery scales instead of fur, six ears, and no pouch, but kangaroos nonetheless. The one waiting for them was draped in elaborate copper chains and silk, and watched Keith walk down the boarding ramp with cloudy blue-green eyes.

"The deepest of welcomes to you, faraway creature." Its voice was resonant, almost hypnotic. "I am Cypha-su-anvirka, you may call me Ka. Consider me your liaison. Takrekul is not a forgiving place for the unwary."

…Well that was quite a start. Keith hesitated a moment, then pushed aside the unease. They had a job to do here. "Thank you for the welcome, Ka. I'm Keith Kogane, and we're here on the trail of a criminal and a legendary planet."

Ka's ears twitched slightly. "So you seek information."

"Yes, sir. We were told your libraries might be a good place to look."

The Kulaphe studied him for a moment, then hopped up the ramp and circled him, making a series of mildly judgmental-sounding clicks. "Were you told the price of entry?"

Here went nothing… he kept the slight wave of nervousness from his voice. "Not exactly. Only that we will need to earn it."

"Indeed you will. Knowledge is the most valuable of treasures, Keith Kogane. And valuable treasures are to be protected by the sword." Ka hopped back down the ramp. "You will be welcome to access our stores of knowledge, if your strength is sufficient."

…By the sword? Keith blinked. That doesn't sound as bad as it could've… though it didn't sound likely to be pleasant. "All right," he said after a moment, nodding slowly. "How do we accomplish this… proving of our strength?"

"I will guide you to the Fortress. You will bring all that you think you may require. And you will be tested by the Protector." His lowest set of ears swiveled a moment. "If you wish for more knowledge of what the test may entail, you may duel me for it. But you may prefer to save your strength."

Oh boy… looking at the Kulaphe's sharp claws and metallic scales, Keith decided that was probably good advice. "Let me gather my crew, then."

"Of course. Take what time you need to prepare; anything less would be a disservice."

He turned back towards the ship—less because he needed to than to escape Ka's unblinking stare for a moment—and hit the button on his commset. "All hands to the ramp. Come prepared for combat. Kleid, on your way, stop by our stateroom and grab my sword."

Acknowledgments came in quickly and with varying degrees of confusion. Sitting on his bed and checking over his datapad, Vince did not acknowledge. "…Why do we need our weapons?"

"To fight, usually." Pidge considered the order briefly before deciding to take his own sidearm—a light flechette pistol, the only firearm he'd actually managed to qualify with at the Academy. He'd gotten a cultural waiver for ranged combat thanks to his proficiency with throwing stars, but they were quite a bit harder to replace than needler ammunition.

Watching him strap on his holster next to his knife sheath, his roommate shook his head slightly. "We're here to do research. In a library."

Grin. "The other library said we'd have to prove ourselves, kir sa tye?"

…Oh god, he needs to not do that, it's terrifying. Sullen ninja was definitely better than smiling ninja. Sighing, Vince dug out his service pistol and followed him to the ramp.

The team's array of weaponry as they filed out of the ship was, to say the least, eclectic. Service rifles, standard issue sidearms, not so standard issue rifles and sidearms, knives of all sorts… and then there was Hunk, who'd come trotting out with an actual rocket launcher. Daniel eyed it with way too much interest. Jace didn't have any interesting weapons, but he had brought an extra medical kit, because he knew how these things went.

Flynn was the last out, stepping up to Keith and handing him his sword. "Raiden reporting."

"Thank you, Kleid." He accepted the sword, reverently running a hand along the sheath, and took a deep breath. "This is going to be interesting."

"I am in agreement, Keith Kogane," Ka said casually. "I am eager to see what happens." The band of hunters were a motley array, to be sure, but not unimpressive on the whole. Bowing his head again, he addressed the new arrivals. "Deepest greetings to you all. I am Ka, and I will lead you to the Fortress. Prepare yourselves, for the trek is not easy."

"All right, team. Lock down the ship and let's do this."

Leaving the spaceport was easy enough; they were loaded onto a curious sort of street-barge, which Ka drove with deft claws through the city outskirts. In only a few minutes they'd reached the trees. A lot of trees. Disembarking from the barge, they followed their guide on a rough path into the jungle.

Another few minutes, and the path began following alongside a river… of magma. Vince eyed it nervously, and wasn't sure whether to be less or more worried when he realized the river was artificial. At least to an extent. The banks had a ceramic sheen to them, and thin lines of pale blue coolant ran alongside them, creating a mist that seemed to be shielding the group from most of the convection.

Hunk gave a low whistle. "This place is hardcore…"

"No kidding."

"Fucking hardcore."

"I swear to fuck, if even one of these plants attacks us…"

Ka looked back at Jace and chucked. "It isn't the plants you need to worry about."

"What is it with the plants, Doc?" Cam asked.

"You'll never know. Ever. And you don't want to."

"The way you and the lieutenant go on about it? Yeah I do!"

"If you're super not lucky you'll find out," Hunk warned, "cuz we'll find more of 'em, and then you'll wish you hadn't."

"They're not gonna tell us," Daniel grumbled. "I've asked like five hundred times. Same answer every time. 'You don't wanna know,' like a couple of parrots."

Cam smirked and gave a sharp whistle in Terinian; Daniel glared daggers. So did Jace. "Polly want a cracker, motherfucker."

"…You understood me?"

Lance was glaring at Cam too, but for a whole different reason. "Would you stop calling me Lieutenant! It's Lance. Or McClain, if you must." He shook his head in exasperation.

Daniel eyed him. Don't do it, don't do it… "I still really like Lancey-pants." You did it. Next to him, Flynn nearly choked laughing.

Pulling out one of his Axels, the pilot twirled it around before pointing it in Daniel's direction and smirking. "Really?"

Now it was Keith's turn to glare. "Put it away, McClain."

"Saved by the Kogane, kid." He was still smirking as he holstered the gun. Daniel smirked too, but it faltered quickly. Guilt from the scene he'd made on Alcieux was still lurking; he'd been avoiding Lance as much as possible since, but he'd known he wouldn't be able to keep it up indefinitely. It was just a little awkward.

Mercifully, the discussion was silenced by a bridge rising up ahead of them. A bridge over the river of magma. It was covered in the coolant fog, with thick ceramic beams housing more coolant channels, and crossing it they felt little more than a slightly uncomfortable wave of warmth.

Beyond the bridge, the jungle opened up, revealing what could only be the source of the magma. The volcano wasn't large, as such things went, but it was still a volcano. At its base, a sort of open dome was visible; beyond that, a building that could have rivaled any Alliance fortification.

"Wow," Keith whispered as they approached. "Your planet is… quite amazing, Ka."

His middle ears flicked. "Deepest thanks, traveler. We have fought hard to come to peace with it."

Crossing over the threshold of the dome, most of the group froze. They were in a coliseum of sorts, or a parade ground. Rows of sleek turrets lined the walls, and bones littered the ground. "Um…"

"Oh boy."

"This is… interesting decor…"

"We're gonna need a bigger medkit."

What looked like a huge statue of a Kulaphe was sitting in the center of the coliseum, sheathes of chainmail draped over its scales, each arm bearing a double-bladed sword. Ka left them and hopped up to it, speaking in harsh syllables interspersed with high-pitched clicks.

The statue's eyes opened.

"…Well that's not worrisome at all," Flynn muttered.

"Nope, nah, not at all." Lance tightened his grip on his guns. Pidge drew his knife, quite certain this was the appropriate time for it; next to him, Vince stepped back and hid behind Hunk.

Hopping up to them, the definitely-not-a-statue studied each in turn with piercing gold eyes. "Welcome, challengers."

"Hello." Lance tried his most charming smile. Please don't kill us.

"Deepest greetings." She shook her scales out, ringing against her armor. "I am told you come seeking knowledge."

Keith met her gaze evenly. "We do."

"You must earn it. I am Toyle-marok-ci, the Protector. If you can best me, access to the Fortress and all its secrets will be yours."

Several uneasy glances passed through the group. 'Besting' the Hunk-sized lizard kangaroo probably wasn't the worst challenge they could have been given… but it was up there. Keith nodded slowly, drawing his sword and setting the sheath on the ground. "What are the rules of engagement?"

"I will match your strength. The battle must be fair. None of those," she gestured to the turrets, "will activate unless you wish to use those firearms." Almost immediately, Hunk set his rocket launcher down with an innocent grin.

Swallowing hard, the commander looked around at his team. "Do we all need to fight for the access? Or just one?"

The Protector looked them over again. "You are together. One unit, one entity. I will fight as many or as few of you as is your preference, and that will be sufficient for all to gain entry."

Flynn didn't like the question; he shot his boss a sidelong glance. He's about to do a Crystal Spur thing, isn't he. Keith looked back at him.

"The turrets?"

"I think they can be taken out with small arms fire," he offered. He had been anticipating the question. "But not fast enough."

Nodding, Keith took a step forward, and his second grimaced. Yes. Yes he is about to do a Crystal Spur thing.

"Very well. I accept your challenge." He saluted with his sword, murmuring in Japanese, "please don't fail me, Raiden…"

Flynn just gave him an exasperated look; he knew exactly what protesting would accomplish. Jace protested anyway. "Uh, ex-fucking-scuse me, boss, but there's a bunch of us here who can fight without guns." Pidge and Sven both nodded their agreement.

It was true and he knew it, but the Protector had said she would match their strength. Keeping the engagement as limited as possible seemed like the wisest choice… and he wasn't going to let anyone else take the risk. "Then if I fail, one of you can try." I won't fail. I can't fail.

"I will duel as many of you as required," the Protector agreed. "You may yield and depart at any time. Otherwise we fight until one of us is disarmed or dead." She hopped back a few paces and waited.

Keith paled slightly at that, though looking around at the bones littering the ground, the terms didn't seem half bad. He wondered how much time he would actually have to retreat if necessary… not that he meant to retreat. "Fair enough."

"Uh, even I know this is stupid," Daniel objected—not really expecting it to change anything, but feeling the need to get his input in for the record.

"Fucking idiot," Lance agreed, shaking his head.

Hunk eyed Flynn. "You're just gonna let him do this?"

"You think I can stop him?" All he could really do was let Kogane do his thing… and be ready to order the ninja in at the first sign of him being in over his head.

Keith ignored the votes of confidence as he stepped further into the arena and raised his sword. He knew this wasn't the brightest thing he'd ever done. But they'd all done some pretty ridiculous things in the name of necessity, hadn't they? "Ready."

In response, the Protector saluted with her own blades, then sprang forward in a powerful leap.

Sidestepping, Keith raised his sword to deflect as her blades arced towards him. He got the closer pair. The force of the block sent him spinning aside; he moved into the spin, circling around warily. Damn, she hits hard… sighting what seemed to be an opening, he moved in and attempted a disarming strike in between the two blades on her right arm.

Daniel pulled his datapad out; they were going to need pictures. "I should definitely get a free pass the next time I wanna do something stupid."

"No," Jace snorted, "you have to do something that isn't stupid now, to keep the universe in balance or some shit."

The Protector whipped around and lashed out with her tail. Eyes widening slightly, Keith leapt over it and hit the ground rolling, raising his sword to block another blade strike. Okay, so full contact! Got it.

One of her blades rattled in its mounting as he blocked it; she glanced at it for a moment before pushing down against him, trying to force him off his feet. Keith winced, shoving back. He couldn't hope to match her in a contest of raw strength, that was certain, but he could match her in precision. Slipping under her guard, he kicked at her stomach with all his strength, hearing the chainmail rattle as he vaulted away from the counterstrike.

Vince peeked out from behind Hunk just in time to see the boss charging, taking aim at the weakened blade. Then he retreated again—he didn't want to watch this after all.

As he rushed in, Keith couldn't help but notice the Protector was grinning. And as he stabbed at the blade mounting again, she reared up on her tail and kicked back.

Kuso! There was no time to dodge, so he twisted his sword, using the force of her kick as leverage on her own blades for an instant before he went flying backwards. He hit the ground hard, on his back, feeling a jolt of pain from a rock or a bit of bone beneath him. Can't stay here. Scrambling back to his feet, he took up a defensive stance as his opponent sprang at him.

"No one back home is ever gonna believe this," Lance whispered.

Flynn, who was unsettled for all the obvious reasons as well as one from back home—kangaroos were outright mythical creatures on Dathreil—eyed him doubtfully. "You think this is where they're going to draw the line?"

"…Good point."

It was clear the Protector was startled by how quickly her opponent had regained his feet. She didn't have time to alter her strike, and Keith blocked it easily. Pushing the brief advantage he threw a punch, aiming for one of the few places not armored by either scales or mail: her nose. To his surprise the punch connected solidly, sending her staggering back a few steps.

She was grinning again. That was worrisome. Then she crossed her arms and lunged, stabbing directly at his stomach.

No time to dodge. Not completely, anyway. Keith threw everything he had into his follow-through and managed to spin halfway out of her path, gasping as two of her blades grazed his side. He could feel the blood, but couldn't afford to think about it. Instead he completed his spin, taking one more slash at the blades he'd loosened earlier.

Again she didn't seem to have expected him to recover quite so quickly; it almost looked like she'd been anticipating an attack from somewhere else more than from him. With a sharp screech of metal, the mounting and double hilt shattered, sending the loosened blades in her right hand skittering across the ground.

Daniel was trying to get a decent shot of the battle, and was abruptly interrupted as Cam grabbed his arm. Hard. "Dude, it's okay, he'll be fine."

All he did was squeeze tighter. "He's hurt!"

"Ow! I'm about to be too if you don't chill." He awkwardly patted Cam's shoulder with his free hand. "It'll be okay, he can back out any time… and none of us are gonna let him die." What exactly they were going to do to prevent it if needed, he was admittedly unclear on, but someone had to have a plan.

Flynn did indeed have a plan, and his eyes narrowed as he saw blood trickling down to the ground. "Pidge, go help."

The ninja looked up at him and shook his head slightly. "I'm helping most by staying here, sir. He has an advantage. Watch how she moves, she's used to being surrounded. She'd rather be fighting more of us."

What? Frowning, he watched as Keith and the Protector briefly retreated from each other. Now that Pidge mentioned it… the Kulaphe sprang forward and took another powerful swipe with her tail, and her remaining blades swept through empty space. With another target or two, she'd be causing sheer chaos. He nodded slowly. "Belay that for now, then."

Keith jumped over this tail sweep too, striking at her other blades, but he didn't have much of an angle this time—he nearly disarmed himself, the impact shaking his sword's hilt. Panting with exertion more than pain as he landed, he fell back into a more defensive position and waited for her next move.

Instead of striking again, the Protector hopped around him, keeping her other blades shielded as she circled. He took a step back to keep her in front of him. Something about her calculating movements was worrying him… he kept his muscles coiled tight, ready to react in an instant. Without warning, she spun and swept her tail at him again.

Again, he jumped… and the Protector switched directions mid-spin, slamming her tail hard into his bleeding side.

"Commander!" Cam was digging his nails into Daniel's arm now.

"It's okay, dude!" Hopefully.

Jace looked ready to go running in himself; Pidge reached up and grabbed his arm to stop him from doing anything unhelpful. They were going to need their medic intact. Lance looked over at him too, trying for confidence. "He's got this, Jace." I think…

That was probably an overstatement. No, definitely an overstatement. But as he slammed hard to the dirt, Keith had no intention of staying down. Rolling back to his feet and away from her follow-up strike, he glared and rushed her. His sword arced towards her legs, and this time it was her turn to jump over an attack; he slammed a shoulder into her stomach in midair, then darted around her other side when she moved to react.

Her back was only to him for a second. That was all he needed. Ignoring the pain shooting through his side he leapt onto her back, bringing his sword to her throat. "Yield!"

She froze for a moment, adjusting to keep her balance with an Earthling on her back. Then she dropped to all fours, upper ears twitching. "Well done… but I do not yield, challenger. Disarmament or death!" Throwing herself into a forward roll, she dislodged him from her back and kicked him into the air. He felt her claws drive into his leg and his abdomen.

"Oh…"

"…Shit."

"Cevete."

If he'd been able to hear the gasps from his team, Keith certainly would have agreed with them. But it felt like he was in a fog. Everything around him seemed to be moving in slow motion as he flipped, watching the Protector regain her feet, swinging with all his might at her blades before she could shield them again.

For a moment, his sword met resistance, and he heard a short screech that sounded very far away. Then the fog faded and he collapsed on the ground in a heap. Kuso! Despite the wind being knocked out of him he struggled to his feet, feeling new pain shooting all along his leg—he'd come down with it awkwardly beneath him, not to mention the deep gash left by the Kulaphe's claws.

As he came up, he saw the Protector's blades hit the ground… with her left hand still holding them.

"Fucking fuck!"

"That's nasty."

"Holy fucking fuzzmuffins…"

"…I'm with giant donut dude, whatever the fuck he just said."

Vince opened his eyes and peeked out again, wondering what all the yelling was about. He immediately regretted it. The Protector was standing in the ring in a bit of a daze, staring at her severed hand as if wondering where it had come from. Then she turned to Keith, saluting with her good hand and shaking out her scales. "Disarmament it is, then. The victory is yours."

Keith was still in a daze too. He had all his weight on one leg, bracing for the battle to continue, her words only registering slowly. His adrenaline was still pumping. As Jace immediately broke ranks and ran up to him, he pointed his sword at him before realizing who he was actually seeing.

Jace slapped the flat of the blade away impatiently. "Don't stab your medic, it's bad for everyone's health. Sit down. Porra."

Sitting down sounded wonderful. Sinking to the ground, he finally let himself exhale. "Holy hell…"

"Hell? That's all you're going with here, Kogane?" The rest of the team came rushing up, and Jace started poking at the nasty wounds in his side. The disinfectant hurt worse than the blades had, and he hissed and flinched away.

"There are medical facilities within, if you would like a more sterile environment," the Protector offered.

Looking around at the dirt and bones, Jace nodded quickly. Being capable of working in these conditions didn't make them suck less. "Uh, fuck yes. Yes please. Let's do that." As he looked up at her bleeding stump, his medic instincts kicked in. "…Uh, I'm definitely not qualified on your species, but pretty sure I can still rig up a tourniquet for that if you need."

"I appreciate the thought, Earthling." With a light chuckle she closed her eyes, concentrating. After a moment a new hand burst free of the stump—the fingers and claws were little more than stubby vestiges, but still. "I will recover."

"…Que porra?"

"Dude…"

"Holy fuck."

The whole team gawked… except for Vince, who knew better than to just peek out without warning this time. "Can I open my eyes yet?"

Flynn eyed him, grinning slightly. "You're probably safe."

"You sure?" He cracked one eye open.

"Around here? Absolutely not." Vince laughed; it was a fair point.

Jace had decided he didn't want to think too much about Kulaphe regeneration abilities. Way outside his pay grade. "So yeah. Medical facilities! Brace yourself, boss, I'm gonna carry you."

"I can walk," the commander objected, standing. Or trying to. The second he put weight on his injured leg it gave out, sending him and his sword to the ground.

The medic rolled his eyes and slung him carefully over his shoulders. "Sure you can." Behind them, Pidge retrieved the fallen sword, looking at it with interest.

"Let the doc carry you, Commander. You're going to be alright." Cam spoke in his most confident tone, doing his best to pretend he hadn't bruised Daniel's arm during the duel.

"Yeah, he's pretty good at the carrying, boss," Lance seconded. "You're in solid hands."

No point arguing. "Just hurry up…"

Ka had watched the whole battle off to the side, and now he hopped up to them again. "Come." Beckoning for them to follow, he started for the stairway that led to the main structure. It was pristine—not a bone or rock or a single bit of dirt marring the dark stone. "Welcome to Andora-cha-engrizat… the Fortress of Ancient Tales."

*****

Patching their commander up had taken about half an hour, mostly because he was a horrible patient. Jace had finally gotten him in what he judged to be decent shape for traveling, but… "Boss, with the utmost fucking respect here, if you don't stop twitching and bitching I'm gonna let giant donut dude carry you."

"I'm trying." Keith grimaced, why was he always the one getting carried?

Eyeing the pair, Sven made the decision that he was never going to put himself in a situation where he had to be carried by Jace, or anyone, ever. It just never seemed to be enjoyable.

Pidge was walking beside Flynn and ignoring the argument, keeping an eye on their surroundings. Cam wasn't paying attention to their surroundings at all. He was much too preoccupied with their wounded commander… "Doc, I think his leg is bleeding again."

"It hasn't really stopped. If it isn't dripping on the floor it's fine." He said it like it was supposed to be reassuring. Cam was not reassured.

Lance looked around, then turned his attention to their new guide—Ka had left them with one of the librarians, what was his name? Shem, Shen… Shel, that was right. He'd said he would answer any questions. "I don't see any books?" They were in a library, there should be books.

"We have a few books," Shel answered matter-of-factly. "They are special artifacts, hardly things to be left out to be handled and damaged. We are nearly to the reading room… have you not used track-readers before?"

"Are they like datapads?" Lance waved his as an example, just in case Kulaphe didn't have them. Or called them track-readers.

"Not precisely. I will show you… here we are." A door labeled COMMON ENGLISH READING ROOM stood before them. Shel opened it, leading them into a small, cozy room. It was filled with squishy chairs that appeared to mostly be suited for Kulaphe, but then their guide hopped to one and flipped it over to reveal a much more humanoid-friendly configuration.

"This is cozy," Lance commented.

Shel chuckled. "We are a race that appreciates comfort. Battles not followed by rest and contemplation are battles that weren't worth fighting."

Flynn was pleasantly surprised by the room. It certainly wasn't what he'd expected after the circle of bones outside. Vince was surprised too, and a little disappointed when Shel flipped the chair; he'd wanted to try them the other way around, they looked really comfy that way.

Jace looked at the chairs for a moment before speaking. "Giant donut dude, pull a couple of those together for the boss, would you?"

"On it!" Hunk was thinking along Vince's lines, and pulled the chairs together without flipping them. The result was a comfy little kangaroo-chair nest; Cam helped Jace lower Keith into it, making sure they didn't jostle his injured leg.

Daniel plopped down into one of the humanoid side up chairs, pulled out his datapad, and began swiping through the photos he'd taken of the fight. There were also quite of few of Doc carrying Keith that needed to be sorted through. Vince saw what he was doing and moved to peer over his shoulder—he'd missed everything, since he was hiding behind Hunk with his eyes shut the entire time. Now that Keith was definitely okay, it should be safe to look. Daniel noticed and angled his datapad so that Vince could get a better view, marking a couple of photos here and there as he swiped.

Once they were situated, Shel clicked for attention. "Now, I will explain. The track-readers are on this shelf." He pulled one off to show them. It looked something like a wide tank tread made of thin glassy film; it fit very comfortably in his paw, though it didn't look like it would be unwieldy for human hands either. He hopped over to wall with a small keypad. "If you select a topic, the conveyor will bring you the appropriate crystals. You take a crystal and place it into the reader, as such." He demonstrated the process, letting them see the words as they appeared. "Then you scroll as such. Are you comfortable with the tool?"

"Seems easy enough." Lance gave him a winning smile.

"Thank you." Shel looked at Lance curiously, then barred a row of sharp teeth in an approximation of his smile. "I will leave you to your study. May you find something useful." He lowered his ears respectfully before hopping out.

"I'm unsure if that was hot or creepy," Lance muttered.

"That was kinda scarier than the Protector," Hunk agreed.

Keith shook his head, feeling reasonably settled and eager to get to work. "Okay. Let's get started, shall we?"

"Let's, please." Pidge grabbed a reader and a crystal. The system looked efficient and fascinating. Vince looked at one more picture before moving to get his own reader; they looked pretty cool. As the team moved to begin their research, they had to puzzle out the conveyor. The topic selection did not include 'Altea', or even 'legendary civilizations'… or in fact many normal-seeming topics at all. But there was one labeled 'Repositories of Ancient Fragments' which seemed… promising? They fetched some crystals from that one and got to work.

Most of them did, anyway. Daniel did not. Research had never been his forte, and the pictures were way more entertaining. He did however turn away from the rest of his very studious-looking teammates, to at least make it look like he was helping.

Vince noticed and snickered, dropping a reader next to him. "This might help your ruse."

Daniel gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks."

"The moms raised me to be helpful."

"They did a great job."

Lance eyed Daniel, perfectly well aware of what he was doing, but he shrugged it off. He still felt a bit awkward about the fight they'd had… and the more he thought about it the more baffled he felt. Sighing, he went back to researching.

Jace was next to Keith, one eye on him, the other on his reader. The boss had his datapad out, watching the others work, feeling weird about not helping… though he knew what would happen if he tried to get up. As if sensing his unease, Cam appeared next to him with two readers and a few crystals in hand. "Here, sir. Maybe it will help distract you."

"Thanks, Starr." Taking the offered tools Keith launched himself into the reading, and Cam finally looked away to do likewise.

Hunk was flopped in a kangaroo chair, hunting through his crystals. "This place ain't so bad." And it really wasn't… at least to start with.

A few hours later they were developing different opinions.

Lance sighed in annoyance. He was getting a headache; it felt like they'd been here forever, most of which he'd spent reading about bodies of water on ancient rocks. Sven was in a similar boat, he loved to read, but the fruitless search was starting to get to him. He'd been reading what was basically a large catalogue of ancient wars for quite awhile, largely because he had to keep re-reading sections after catching himself starting to skim without meaning to.

Finally scrolling down a bit more, he nearly jumped out of his skin in shock. There it was, staring right at him from the next paragraph. "Guys! This one mentions Altea!"

Vince nearly dropped his reader. "Really?"

"Huh?" Keith was startled and Lance jolted out of his seat, he had been falling asleep. Everyone was staring at Sven, waiting for an explanation or at least some more information.

"It's not much, just that they were participants in this war. It doesn't seem to say anything else, but it's SOMETHING."

"What war?"

"Who were the other participants?"

"Against who?"

"With who?"

Lance, Vince, Flynn, and Pidge all rattled off their questions at the same time. Sven had to take a moment to digest them all.

"It's called the War of the Infested. The Drules were involved. But this is only a summary, nothing else is mentioned."

"So we should look up the War of the Infested and see if we can find out more?" Vince asked.

Keith nodded, trying to keep some semblance of command despite being immobile. "I think that would be a good starting point."

"…I think one of the crystals I was looking at mentioned the war. Not Altea though." Flynn retrieved the crystal and began reading it over again.

Even Daniel, who had moved on from pictures to games, set his datapad down at the Altea mention. Briefly. Vince was already up and requesting crystals on the War of the Infested.

Flynn's crystal had been about early Drule encounters. "Got it. This says some very early Seventh Kingdom explorer ships picked up an extraplanar parasite and triggered a war between 'two coalitions of local powers.' It doesn't say who." He looked up. "But that confirms Altea is local, whatever exactly that means."

Vince had gone back to the conveyor and run searches for anything he could find about ancient wars. Now he distributed the crystals to the team, and they launched back into the research with a whole new enthusiasm. Even Jace was almost too invested in his reader to keep an eye on the boss… almost.

The enthusiasm was starting to fade after another hour. "I'm not finding anything else on Altea, at all," Lance announced as he finished with another crystal. "Seems like the war was pretty short and not all that interesting."

Daniel had only taken one crystal from Vince, and he was regretting it. Who could stay focused on all this… stuff? "Ugh, reading sucks."

Vince took a break from frowning at his crystal, which only seemed to mention the Drules, to frown at Daniel instead. "It won't kill you."

"You don't know that. I could read myself into a boredom coma."

"But we might find another reference to Altea!"

"The more of us who read the sooner we can leave," Keith added, and the gunner narrowed his eyes at both of them. Why did they have to be so logical?

"I've got one! Dude, I've never heard of any of these people…" Hunk shook his head before reading aloud. "'The Ondori banded with other nearby traders from Altea and Zyris to drive them away…' Any of that mean anything to anyone?"

"Zyris, I have mentions of the Zyris, none of which are fucking helpful," Lance muttered in frustration.

Pidge, though, snapped his head up in surprise. "…I've heard of the Zyris. They wiped themselves out five thousand years ago."

"And that is even less helpful."

"Haven't seen anything about any of 'em," Jace snorted, putting another crystal aside as he shared the fruits of his research… or lack thereof.

"Are the Ondori still around?" Vince asked, trying for a bright spot.

Keith sighed and held up his own reader. "No. They were taken over by the Drules. A long time ago."

"That seems to be the overall theme here…" Daniel motioned to his own reader. His one crystal was on Drule conquests of the Second Stellar Era, whatever that even meant, and it was long.

There was really only one word Lance could say to that. "Fuck."

"You uh… don't think Altea got waxed by the Drules, do you?" Hunk asked, a little nervous about the answer. They'd known that was a possibility, of course… but it was suddenly seeming like a much more likely one.

Vince frowned. "I hope not."

"Pretty sure if they had this Voltron we'd know about it, if that's what you're asking," Flynn mused.

"I mean it's possible, right?" Lance asked. "Drules renamed Voltron, whatever it is? Or destroyed it?"

"It's possible, but it's also possible that they didn't." Keith winced almost the instant he said it; that had been a lot of words to say absolutely nothing. Then again, the Doc had him on some pretty good painkillers.

"If the Drules had a Voltron and didn't use it in any of those sieges I had to write shitty essays about in the Academy, they're dumber than I thought." Jace looked through his next crystal; it wasn't very helpful.

"I'm sticking with the destroyed theory," Lance decided. Though even as he said it, something didn't feel right somehow… the memory of warmth raced through his fingers again.

"Maybe Altea beat back the Drules?" Daniel was going for optimistic, but he didn't sound all that confident.

"Maybe they did. Or maybe they're doin' the forever war thing like the Hydrans and Kolaliri, yeah? Holdin' out and we just haven't found 'em yet?" Hunk was going for optimistic too. He was a bit better at it; he'd had more experience.

Jace scowled. "We finally found them in an actual fucking book, or not-book, and it's just making it all MORE confusing."

"My head hurts," Lance muttered, rubbing his forehead.

"Mine does too," Daniel agreed. "Reading sucks." Sven was slightly horrified by the second half of his statement, but he was used to that feeling by now. He didn't comment.

Lance eyed him. "You're just not reading the right things, kid."

"Yeah?" Daniel sounded skeptical.

Hunk grinned. "When we get back to Earth we oughta introduce you to Comic Lady."

"Make sure she's sober," Keith warned.

"Ain't makin any promises…"

"Comics are the exception. They're awesome," Daniel admitted. He hadn't read many, but the ones he had were pretty cool.

"That's reading, kid." Lance smirked.

"Well, yeah, but it's… different." Daniel avoided the words they have pictures, figuring it wouldn't help his argument.

Lance made a decision. He did enjoy challenges. "Gonna find you a book you like."

At least he's not mad you. He should be mad you. "Whatever you say." Smiling, Daniel looked away and purposefully didn't call him 'Lancey-pants.' His smile disappeared a moment later, when he realized no one else would be able to appreciate the self control he'd just demonstrated.

Flynn finished going through the last of the crystals Vince had given him, and went back for another round, though he wasn't feeling too optimistic. Vince himself was slumped in his chair, frustrated with the lack of new information.

"Porra…" Jace's last crystal mentioned the War of the Infested… but didn't say a damn thing about it, except that it had existed.

Maybe they needed a new angle. "Okay. Do we have any idea where these other civilizations were located during this war?" Keith asked.

"Zyris was near Balto," Pidge offered. "All the way across from Earth, in the Outer Reaches." Keith typed that into his notes.

"Balto know anything about Altea?" Vince asked.

"Not that I ever heard of." Shrug. "I don't know about Ondari, but our maps might have it?"

Lance looked over at their navigator. "Sven, do they?"

"Do Baltan maps have Ondari on them?" Sven repeated, staring at him in disbelief. "How am I supposed to know that?"

"Baltan stellar cartography was integrated with the Alliance starmaps per section 8C-5 of the Alliance charter," Pidge offered helpfully; he'd meant the ship's maps to begin with, but it didn't seem worth making an issue of it.

Oh. Of course they would be; Sven shook his head slightly, he knew section 8C-5 by heart. The fleeting hint of hope had flustered them all. "I'll check the stellar database when we get back to the ship. It might be there, but I don't know offhand."

"And you call yourself the map guy, Viking." Lance smirked.

Sven narrowed his eyes at the taunt, positive he'd never called himself the 'map guy.' "Do I criticize your piloting skills?"

Lance blinked, puzzlement replacing the smirk. "Why would you?" Flynn snickered.

"Perhaps because they could use the criticism," Sven suggested, a small smirk on his own face. Daniel snorted.

"In what fucking way?"

"I'm sure he didn't appreciate the rift sickness," Keith offered.

"That has shit to do with my skills, Boss."

"Not that I want to defend him," Jace broke in as he gave up on his current crystal, "but he's right. Whether someone gets rift sickness is based on their biology, it has fuck-all to do with the pilot."

Sven ignored all of that in favor of defending his own map guy credentials. "The ride over here wasn't exactly smooth, and it had nothing to do with my chosen route." He'd picked the simplest route he could find, and yet…

"You can't appreciate some speed?" Lance shrugged. Daniel was trying really hard not to laugh, but wasn't succeeding one bit. His snickers set off Vince's giggling in a matter of moments, and Cam joined in not too long after.

Flynn eyed Lance, smirking a bit too. "A little constructive criticism won't kill you, flyboy."

Lance looked betrayed. "You were egging me on to be faster!" Now Hunk was giggling as well; Pidge just ignored everyone and continued reading.

"Yes, and you insulted my engines by saying they couldn't keep up."

"And you won the argument, why are you betraying me now?!"

"To avenge my couch covers…" Flynn replied under his breath. Even Lance had to laugh at that one.

With a heroic effort, in his own opinion, Daniel stopped laughing long enough to get his own dig in. "The only thing wrong with your piloting is that you fly like an old man."

"Old?" Lance demanded, officially very offended. "That's almost worse than having my piloting skills questioned."

"What? I'm not gonna lie to you and tell you that you don't fly like an old guy."

"Watch yourself, little dude," Hunk chuckled. "He'll throw you out as bait next time he's gotta thread a red-hot rock needle…"

Even Keith chuckled a little before trying to defuse things. "Okay, I don't think we're going to find anything else. We should get back to the ship." He tried to slide off the edge of his chairs and groaned, immediately regretting the exertion. His side only hurt when he moved… but damn, did it hurt.

Sven was smirking, oddly pleased with the scene he'd created. Jace caught sight of the smirk and grinned. "I'm so fucking proud of you right now, Viking…" Anything else he may have said was cut off when he noticed Keith trying to get free of his chairs. "Okay boss, stop moving."

"Just trying to make it easier…" That got him the medic's best glare.

Lance missed the entire exchange, he was still hung up on being called old. "Why did only two of you get to witness the asteroid field… OLD GUY."

"If you'd let me fly every once and awhile maybe I could show you how to not pilot like such a fossil," Daniel suggested. He got the occasional piloting shift, but he'd really like a few more.

"Fossil…?!"

"It's a metaphor. Those were around back in your day right?" Daniel's smirk grew into a full smile.

"Take a tip when you get one, kid." Lance shook his head. "I'm so setting up an asteroid simulator, and we'll see how cocky you are then."

"Bring it on, old man."

"Will you be selling tickets?" Flynn asked hopefully.

Both of them answered at once. "YES."

"Wouldn't want to miss me running circles around his little simulation," Daniel taunted.

Lance snorted. "Circles are a great way to get killed in an asteroid field."

"This time we sure as fuck won't forget the popcorn," Jace declared, and carefully lifted Keith over his shoulders as Cam put their readers away. "Let's get out of here."

Vince was still giggling madly; it seemed to offset the Altea disappointment so he didn't try and stop. Next to him, Pidge was shaking his head at the banter with a great deal of bemusement. He supposed this was funny, he just wasn't sure why. "Can we go? The Lieutenant's piloting is perfectly serviceable?"

Daniel just about died with laughter at Pidge's comment. Flynn choked. Hunk, Keith, Vince, and Jace all followed suit.

"SERVICEABLE?! FUCKING…"

Before that could go any further, Flynn grabbed Lance by the arm and turned him around. "That's ninja-speak for wonderful and flawless, don't worry, he's never called anything I've done serviceable…" As he spoke he was quite literally pushing Lance out the door, the pilot still muttering the words serviceable and old man under his breath. Though he was quite enjoying the Flynn manhandling.

Pidge looked after them, still confused; turning, he caught Vince's eye and shrugged. The other engineer matched his shrug, still giggling.

The team had left their weapons in the medical room with the Protector, figuring they were in good hands… well, a good hand, anyway. She was still there when they returned, soaking her newly-regenerated paw in a vat of medicinal fluid to speed its development. It was far from the first limb she'd ever lost. She looked up as the Earthlings entered; they seemed to be in high spirits. "Was your search successful?"

"A little." Sven answered, trying for optimism, as Vince deflated a bit at his side. "We have more information now than we did when we got here."

"Yes, we certainly found things." Flynn was not going to admit to the Hunk-sized kangaroo that none of it had helped much.

"Good." The Protector saluted them with her intact hand.

Cam poked Daniel, remembering something they probably should have remembered earlier. "Dude, the picture." His roommate looked confused for a moment before realization dawned on him.

"Oh yeah!" Pulling the wanted poster he'd drawn out of his pocket, he cautiously approached the scary—awesome, but still scary—alien. "Um, Miss…" Miss Kangaroo? No don't do that. He showed her the poster. "Miss Protector? Have you seen this man?"

The Protector tilted her head curiously, peering at the paper. "Hmm… no, I think not. He doesn't look like anyone I've killed recently."

"…Alright, thank you anyway." Daniel nodded, swallowing a little. That's good. It'd be fuckin weird if you did see him. Yeah, that was definitely the weird part of the exchange. Totally.

Hunk stared at her for a moment, then quickly began gathering up their weapons. Jace decided this was way closer than he really wanted to be to the scary lizard kangaroo lady, and began helping Hunk. Lance and Vince exchanged uneasy looks and decided they were very ready to go too.

How many people has she killed?

"I wish you success, though." The Protector removed her paw from the vat and approached Keith, lowering her ears and bowing her head. "It was an honor."

Keith grimaced. "I'm… sorry I had to take your, um, hand," he said a little sheepishly. "You're an excellent fighter."

The Protector chuckled. "Such wounds are part of the duty. Do not apologize for your accomplishments; be proud of your skill and your victory."

Well that was certainly… an outlook on the matter. But if it made her happy, who was he not to accept it? Keith nodded, saluting her once more, and the team departed from the library.

*****

The battle had been disastrous.

Pollux had an impressive warfleet, for a planet of its size and technology. It was something of a necessity. Before the Drules, they had regularly faced bandits and petty warlords, thinking the small backwater world would be easy pickings. But their defenses had been geared to stave off a greater threat, an ancient legend lurking in the dark…

Taking down a few raiders hadn't sounded like such a tall order. Taking them down alongside the mighty Ninth Kingdom, even less so. But the Drule ships had barely participated in the battle. They'd stayed back, allowing the Polluxian armada to charge into the teeth of the enemy alone.

Now the raiders were driven off, routed to the last shuttlecraft, and a full quarter of Pollux's fleet was disabled or outright destroyed. The death toll had been unconscionable. And the Drules had barely been scratched.

King Kova entered King Zarkon's throne room when his head held high, his sons trailing behind him. Avok was incensed and doing nothing to hide it. Bandor really wanted to be anywhere but here, but he put up his bravest front.

Zarkon seemed pleased to see them; he raised his wine goblet in greeting, motioning for servants to provide the Polluxians with drinks as well. "Ah, our honored allies finally arrive."

"Honored?" Avok spat. His father tried to silence him, but he ignored it and stepped forward. "What do you think you're playing at, using our people as your shields?"

The Drule king paused, looking more confused than offended as he set his wine glass down. "Your warriors were most impressive, Prince Avok. Surely no one has suggested otherwise."

"Yes, they were impressive. As your fleet stood back and watched them die!"

Zarkon studied them for a moment, keeping his puzzled affect up. He understood precisely what was going on here, but would afford their allies every opportunity to think better of it. "We gave you the honor of the vanguard, and your fleet was more than equal to the task. Surely you wouldn't have wanted our armada to steal your glory?"

That finally defused Avok, or at least stunned him enough that he couldn't respond immediately. His father took his arm and pushed him back. "Of course, Lord Zarkon, and we are grateful for the generous opportunity. We only wish we had been forewarned of the conditions of battle."

"Of course. What soldier wouldn't? But the reality of war rarely gives us what we want. Seeing how your forces adapted to the unexpected was valuable."

"Another test?" Avok had calmed a little, but he was still glaring daggers. "Just because we don't always have the luxury of knowing everything before a battle, what kind of strategy is it to further cripple your own side?"

"An understandable question." Avok's hostility and arrogance would need to be dealt with, no doubt. But Zarkon found Kova's obsequiousness much more irritating. The prince was sincere in his beliefs, and that could be worked with. Kova was just saying whatever he felt the moment needed. "Maybe you have a point. Maybe we made too many assumptions in the terms of this alliance…"

It had been a test, and the Polluxian king failed it spectacularly. "There is—there is no need to be hasty, my Lord, our warriors will learn what is required of them—"

"—Enough." Zarkon raised a hand for silence. "As our allies, your fleet will be treated as would any of our armadas. And we may not have made those expectations clear enough. Your ignorance can be forgiven… this time."

Kova swallowed, then regained his composure. "Of… of course, Lord Zarkon. We will do better."

"Our ignorance?" Avok scoffed. "A wise strategist learns the strengths of their forces and plays to them. Why aren't your commanders capable of that?"

That was quite enough. "Because you are now a part of the Ninth Kingdom, Prince Avok." He leaned forward, eyes narrowing. "Your sister is doing an admirable job of learning our ways. Perhaps you should follow her lead, rather than doing things that might compromise her position."

His tone had remained conversational, even affable. One allied monarch giving friendly advice to another. But nobody in the room missed the threat.

*****

Off to the side of the throne room, Lotor watched the proceedings with his lip curled. For once, he was in agreement with his father about something; Kova was hardly worth the title of King. He should do his planet a favor and place Avok on the throne, then retire somewhere out of sight. It would be the honorable choice. Once he and Romelle were wed, perhaps he'd be able to encourage it…

As his thoughts went to Romelle, he noticed her shifting uneasily at his side. "Calm, dear a'kuri. You are in no danger."

"I'm trying. I'm alright." She shook her head slightly, steadying herself. Then she gestured to the Polluxian delegation. "I don't understand why Father brought Bandor to be subjected to this."

Bandor? He blinked; he hadn't even noticed the young prince. No wonder, since he was all but cowering in his older brother's shadow. The expression on his face said he was trying to be brave and dignified, but his body language put the lie to it easily.

Romelle had a point. The boy didn't belong here. He should be with a governess yet, shouldn't he? Lotor wondered if he ought to offer Dayak's services, but quickly put that thought aside. King Kova might be useless, but Avok seemed to prove whatever royal child-rearing Pollux possessed was at least serviceable. Assuming the child were being raised, rather than hauled along to listen to his father's complaints…

Though perhaps there was something he could do to help. A way to strengthen the young prince, and likely irritate his father as a bonus. "Call him here."

She looked startled, but then nodded and hissed something in her own language. Bandor looked intensely grateful as he looked up and scurried over—Kova looked like he wanted to scold him, then saw who was calling and kept his mouth shut. The wisest decision he'd made all day, really.

Leaving the kings to their discussion, the prince led the two Polluxians into the corridors. Their destination lay only a few minutes away from the throne room… though it could hardly be more different.

The royal stables were chaotic. Certainly not Lotor's favorite place to spend time, though not the most unpleasant either. Soft shrieks and howls echoed around them, and Bandor's eyes seemed to be darting everywhere at once. Though he was uncomfortable with idle talk, one obvious and not-entirely-idle question came to mind. "Do you like animals, Prince Bandor?"

"I… think?" The young prince's Drakure was slow and abominably accented, but he was fluent enough. "I haven't seen many close up. Mostly Father's war horses." He stopped as a roaming moonhound darted up to him, yipped, and ran away. "I've never seen anything like this?"

Of course Pollux would have nothing comparable. He ought to have expected that. "This castle is fully self-sufficient; supply line disruptions were common in the early days of our empire. Most of the creatures here provide reagents for the witches and priests."

Bandor only half-heard the explanation. He wasn't trying to be rude, he'd just been distracted by a pen of tiny jewel-like amphibians hopping about. Romelle, on the other hand, was clinging to every word. She hadn't missed the earlier threat either. And truthfully, she wasn't sure where to be irritated or grateful for Lotor removing her from where her safety was being thrown about as a bargaining chip.

Soon enough, they reached an open pen filled with straw. A bizarre creature was roosting in the straw: it seemed like a seamless fusion of bird and lizard, with a beaked reptilian head, a ruff of dark feathers, leathery wings, and a long scaly tail that was curled around its clawed feet. As Lotor approached it jumped up and crowed excitedly.

"What… is that?" Romelle whispered.

"A calcatrix," he answered, reaching out and patting the creature's feathery crest. "Clever beasts, with a paralytic bite."

Bandor was staring at the calcatrix with wide eyes. "It's beautiful."

Smiling, Lotor led them through a door just beside the pen. "The castle's flock is raised primarily for their venom, but many nobles like to raise them as companions. It was never my calling, I fear." Romelle suppressed a startled glance at that. She'd never heard Prince Lotor admit so easily—or perhaps at all—to being unable to do something. "I still have some books on their care. So, little prince, my question to you." He turned to face Bandor. "Would you like one?"

The boy's eyes somehow widened even further. "I—really? I would…" Pause. "I… ought to ask Father."

Lotor waved that off. "He has more than enough occupying him, and he has no authority over what gifts I choose to bestow upon our allies." He studied Bandor carefully. "Calcatrix are not the easiest creatures to raise, but they are known for their intelligence and loyalty when well trained. I will give you one, if you promise me you will make each other strong."

Straightening, the young prince gave the most dignified salute that could be expected of him. "I promise!"

Motioning for them to wait, Lotor went forward and had a hushed discussion with one of the stable hands. Romelle glanced down at her brother. It felt like the responsible thing would be to admonish him, but he looked too excited… "You'll need to improve your reading of Drakure quickly," she cautioned finally.

"I know," he agreed, nodding quickly. "Lady Aldrys has been pushing it harder lately anyway. I'll do a good job, sis."

"Okay." She patted his head, then looked up again; Lotor was returning. He had a tiny ball of fluff cradled in his hands, pecking at his fingers. It could only be a calcatrix hatchling. Its eyes were closed and its beak was visibly dull, and even its wings and tail were covered with down.

Bandor gasped, successfully fighting down a very undignified squeal of excitement.

Chuckling, Lotor crouched before him and held the hatchling out carefully. "Your first task is simple. This is a newborn; its eyes will open in some five hours. You must ensure you are the first living thing it sees."

"I will!" Taking the hatchling equally carefully, Bandor patted its soft feathers, not quite certain at first what else to do with it. But it started nipping at his fingers, and in a matter of moments he seemed to have worked out a little game with it.

Lotor was still chuckling as he stood and stepped back, and Romelle studied him with some curiosity. The way he'd handled the creature was reminding her of something… the statue of Kistrial, the creature she'd been holding in her hands. From her book she'd quickly gathered that carrying something small and cute was a hallmark of the Goddess of Honor. Kistrial the Forbearing…

"A'kuri?"

She blinked, returning to the presence. "I… thank you, Prince Lotor." She gave him a genuine smile. "I think my brother will be much better for your gift."

"I expect him to be." He smiled back, kissing her cheek. "Why don't you catch up with him more, while I send someone to go and fetch those books."

"Of course." That did sound much more enjoyable than returning to the throne room. Returning to Bandor's side, she couldn't help a smile as the tiny calcatrix fluttered its wings. It was a good gift… from an honorable Drule who'd had no need at all to do such a thing.

Not for the first time, she wished she knew whether she wanted to love Lotor or hate him. And she wished he would settle on making one or the other easier for her.

*****

*We won't be posting a chapter next week, just a brief time-out for real life. We'll be back the week after!