Scattered Stardust

Prisoners

Lotor paced his room nervously. His communicator had stopped working shortly after Zethrid had entered the market and had been unresponsive ever since. The ship was revving up for departure and he didn't even know if she had made it back! The sentries were still outside his door though. He didn't want to leave now to check her room. If they followed him and found out that she was missing...

He'd just have to wait until they had left and hope she had been able to return in time. 

Kova looked at Lotor curiously as he continued to pace. Seeming to sense his mood, the cat hopped off his bed and curled around his legs. Lotor stopped and took a deep breath.

This situation wasn't under his control. He had to calm down and wait for the pieces to settle. He reached down and scratched Kova's ears, trying to reassure himself. Zethrid was very capable. Surely she had been able to return to the ship in time. Her ship issued communicator would have prevented anyone from stopping her. 

And if she did get left behind then he would hijack a fighter and go back for her. 

He settled onto the floor, taking deep breaths. Kova climbed into his lap, purring happily. They sat like that until he felt the ship take off and heard the sentries wander away to other duties. 

Lotor stood, Kova climbing up to rest on his shoulder. He took a moment to compose himself before leaving the room. As far as the crew knew, nothing had happened. Best to keep it that way. 

He set off toward Zethrid's room taking calm measured steps. Nobody passed him. They were presumably all eating their evening meal after their day out. Despite his worry, Lotor couldn't help feeling a pang of bitterness. He might be exiled, but he was starting to feel like a prisoner. He quickly put the thought out of his head as he approached Zethrid's closed door. After taking a moment to make sure the surrounding area was empty, he knocked. 

The door slid open. Before he could say anything, one of Zethrid's large hands grabbed the front of his outfit and yanked him inside. He stumbled, confusion and relief surging through him in equal measure. 

"You're alright! What happened down-" he started, losing the sentence as he saw Zethrid's sheepish face. 

"Um... well I have good news and bad news," she laughed nervously, hands fidgeting. 

A sense of deep unease came over Lotor. 

"Let's hear the good news first," he prompted. 

"Well... I, uh, managed to find another Galra hybrid."

Lotor's eyes widened in surprise, but he waited for the inevitable bad news to follow. Zethrid hesitated to give it though, feet shuffling and ears twitching. 

"And? What's the bad news?"

"I kind of knocked her out and brought her here against her will," she blurted out  in a single breath.

"You did what?" he yelped. His eyes roved the dimly lit room, falling on a covered lump on her bed. He rushed over and lifted a corner of the thin blanket.  

Sure enough, an unfamiliar alien lay curled on the bed. She was tall and slender with smooth pink skin. Large blue and yellow markings arched across her forehead, which was topped with a long colorful tendril. He could see her Galra heritage through the pointed ears, clawed fingers and lanky body. Her eyes twitched fitfully beneath her lids. 

"I'm sorry okay!" Zethrid whispered. "I was lost and she said she'd show me the way back. Then the little klandersnite jumped me in the alley and tried to take my knife. I smelled the Galra in her and just... I panicked okay? But I found her and she's here, so that's gotta be good for something."

Lotor put the blanket back over the unconscious girl and pinched the bridge of his nose. 

"Zethrid... The whole point of recruiting hybrids was to earn their loyalty. Form a team of people who understood each other! Kidnapping is not the best way to go about that."

He heaved a deep sigh. 

"Well we're going to have to break it to the crew. The sentries are always sweeping the area so they're bound to see her eventually. I'm not sure how I'll explain this one."

At this, Zethrid's ears perked up.

"Oh yeah. There's something I forgot to tell you about this one."

A sly grin spread across her face.

"She can turn invisible."