Amongst The Stars

Chapter 6: Assignment

There had been a lot of chatter from the Empire regarding Voltron as of late. Naturally, Keith was familiar with the stories of the mighty weapon; 5 semi-sentient mechanical lions that came together using magic from a long dead ancient civilization to form a giant undefeatable robot. Voltron was awesome! Most people believed it to be nothing more than myth and legend; a story to inspire hope in the kits of the resistance, and the boogeyman for kits of the Empire.

Keith believed; his mother had always been insistent that Voltron was very real. Just like any other kit raised in the Blades, he had grownup hearing the stories of the legendary defender of the universe. Regris would gush about how amazing the Green Lion sounded and how it was clearly the best of the lions; Keith and Marra disagreed. Marra preferred the Yellow Lion saying it was the nicest and there was no 'best' lion but that it was her favourite. Once again, Keith disagreed.

In his opinion there was a clear and definite 'best' and it was the Red Lion. According to legend it was the fastest, most fearsome, and most agile of the lions plus it had to be earned. He loved a good challenge and the Red Lion was the ultimate test of one's ability and character. And who didn't love the colour red! Though he would concede that the Black Lion was also pretty cool, but it was a distant second.

Right now Keith was listening to Proxa as she rambled on about the Great Famine of the Dreskil Era and how Emperor Dresk had made the situation on Daibazaal disastrously worse by refusing to accept aid from the Alteans. Ultimately he had been assassinated, leading to the rise of his son Zarkon as Emperor. The newly minted Emperor Zarkon immediately strengthened their ties with Altea, accepting aid and offering military protection in exchange. The people of Altea had been strong, thriving, and powerful but no one had a greater military than the Galra of Daibazaal and Emperor Zarkon's offer was accepted with great enthusiasm. They had been allies for almost one hundred deca-phoebs before King Alfor the Wise (or King Alfor the Coward if you were in the Empire) forged the mighty warrior known as Voltron.

Keith had almost tuned her out completely until the words 'Black Lion of Voltron' registered. "Wait, you're saying that Emperor Zarkon was a Paladin?" The higher than necessary pitch of his voice betrayed his shock.

"Yes, according to the legends he was the original Paladin of the Black Lion of Voltron while Altea's King Alfor was the Paladin of the Red Lion, and Zarkon's second in command. They were old friends before the Emperor's betrayal and the subsequent destruction of Planet Altea."

It was common knowledge that Zarkon had lived an unnaturally long life, but for him to be over 10,000 deca-phoebs old was insanity! Keith stared at his tutor with an open jaw, unabashedly in shock.

"Ms. Proxa? How is Emperor Zarkon still alive and why does no one think that's weird?"

She chuckled at his naivety. "In the Empire we learn that our Emperor is a god-like being, immortal until he no longer serves with the best interest of the Galra in mind. Emperor Dresk was successfully assassinated because his denial of much needed aid in a time of desperation caused him to lose his immortality. His father, Emperor Renkon, had given up his immortality by choice, choosing to pass on into the land of our Ancestors as he no longer felt he was the best choice to lead in his old age. Emperor Zarkon perished in the destruction of Daibazaal, his hubris causing him to lose sight of what was best. Unfortunately, he was returned to life by unnatural means with the help of his witch. The people of the Empire believe that he still holds the favour of our Ancestors and that the Empire is in righteous hands. Unfortunately our people are blinded by propaganda, constantly being lied to and manipulated by a corrupt abomination who barely qualifies as Galra anymore."

Her tone grew darker, a venomous hate dripping from her words as she explained to him the power of the Emperors. He hoped the ancestors took no pity on Zarkon when the war ends. The monster deserved to suffer like he had made the universe suffer. A faint purr of agreement echoed in his mind and it jolted him back to reality. Shaking off the lingering presence, he tried to focus on what Proxa was saying. "The Emperors are just men, nothing more, but that doesn't stop the people from believing. The old stories become much more convincing when your Emperor sits on the throne for over 10,000 deca-phoebs." She took a deep breath and perked up her expression, moving on from the heavy topic.