Song of the Cosmos | Voltron

Chapter 20

    Zora woke up with a pounding headache. She groaned, blinking and trying to clear her head. She was sitting in a black room, staring up at someone whose face was concealed by a mask. "Who are you and what do you want?"

 "Information."

 Zora's yellow eyes darted around, "Where is Kiba?"

 "The Guard. He's alive, for now. As long as you cooperate."

 "That sounds like a threat." Zora had completely mastered a commanding tone, after years of listening to her father. It worked on soldiers, servants, most anyone she met, but not the cloaked figure in front of her. She was trying so desperately to not sound scared, but she still sounded like a scared child.

   "Kiba stabbed and nearly killed one of our men."

"If your referring to the man with the mask, then yes. Kiba stabbed him, at my command. So it's my fault."

  "Princess Zora, the soldier was sent to gather information from you. I am Antok, and I represent an organization known as The Blade of Marmora. We need to know what you did during your missing six months."

  Zora decided to tell the truth, since the cloaked figure had been honest with her. "I left with my bodyguard and handmaiden; our ship crashed into the Castle of the Paladins. We were with them for maybe a day, and then Galra attacked. Kiba and I gave ourselves up so they could escape. We spent the next 6 months going from Galra outpost to outpost. I wanted to know every soldier and captain under my fathers command."

 "What did you learn?"

"That my people are dying. That the Galra fighting force is nearly 60 percent  droids or robots instead of actual soldiers."

 "Yes, we're aware," Antok said. "And their aren't any Galra left that aren't soldiers. There aren't enough female galra and no Galra soldier is allowed to leave the fighting force and have a family. There was a sickness a few years ago that killed hundreds of Galra." His tone carried a note of sadness, as though he had first hand experience with it. 

  "I didn't know about the illness."

"You wouldn't. Emperor Zarkon would have kept it quiet on his warship."

 "How long has your organization been here?"

"Long enough."

"Then why haven't you done anything? Why haven't you helped any of the people who are suffering yet?" Zora asked angrily.

 "Because our organization would not exist if Zarkon was aware of our existence. We have studied you your entire life Princess Zora, deciding whether or not to reach out to you. We know you and your guard freed a Galra prisoner, and aided Voltron. So we would like you to join our ranks."

  This was a chance Zora had been waiting for, to fight to free the Empire. But if this group hadn't managed to stop Zarkon in all it's many years of existence, did she want to risk aiding them? 

 "I will. But I have conditions."

"Which are?"

"Kiba goes free."

"Alright."

"If you do manage to topple my father, you don't kill him. Imprison him, banish him, but he lives."

  Antok stiffened, hesitating before answering, "We will do what is necessary to save us all."

 That didn't sound like a, 'yes Zora I won't kill your father and the only family you have'. But Zora decided to let it go for now. 

 "What do you want me to do?"

 "Go back to your fathers warship, spy for us. Gather as much information as you can. I trust that's not too difficult?"

"I'll do it."