There were no stars in the colony. Most of the people there hadn't seen a star in their life. It had been generations since anyone had been in the real world, and at some point it stopped being passed down.
But Keith wasn't like them. He had only arrived in the colony recently. Until then, he had been wandering around the galaxy with whatever crew would take him, shapeshifting to fit whatever form they had.
Lotor had found him in a pub. He had gotten slightly intoxicated (as he often did on the anniversary of his mother's death) and must not have realized he was showing his Altean marks.
Keith felt a tap on his shoulder. Standing there was a tall, handsome man with long white hair. Keith raised an eyebrow at him. "You need something?"
"I'm sorry for bothering you," The man said. He spoke with an... an Altean accent? Keith hadn't heard one of those in decapheobes. "But I was wondering if you might happen to be... Altean?"
Keith dropped his glass, not caring about the nunvil spilling onto his shoes. "No. I'm not Altean. Why do you ask?"
The man looked down at Keith's glass. "That was quite the adverse reaction. I'm sorry if I offended you. It's just that I myself am half Altean, and I-"
"You're Altean?" Keith asked. "But... you don't look it."
"Neither do you. It's your Altean marks that sold you out."
Keith reached up and felt his cheek. He willed away the marks. "Quiznack."
The man held up his hands in surrender. "No need to fret. But you are Altean, no?"
"I mean, yeah. I guess. Half Altean."
The man's face lit up. "You're a hybrid, then? How exciting! It's rare that I meet another hybrid, and I don't believe I've ever met another half Altean before."
Keith waved the bartender over and ordered another drink. Once it had arrived, he took a swig. "Species being wiped out sure doesn't help."
Lotor sat on the stool next to him. "That's not necessarily true."
Keith chugged his drink. "Bartender, could I get another nunvil?"
Keith felt Lotor watching him as he downed the beverage. "Celebrating something? Or are you perhaps drinking to forget?"
Keith shook his head. "Nothing worth celebrating. Tonight's just the anniversary of my mom's death."
"When my mother dies, I will certainly be celebrating. But you don't seem thrilled."
"That's because I'm not. She was great. She was Galra, so she helped me blend in with the others after Altea blew up. Then she died, so I ran away, and now I'm here."
Keith raised his hand to wave the bartender back over, but Lotor pushed it down.
"Hey! What gives?"
"What if I told you there was a place where Alteans lived in peace? Away from the war and the Empire."
"That'd be great, but until you make it happen somehow, I'm getting another nunvil."
Keith raised his other hand, but Lotor pushed it down, too. "It does exist, and I can take you there. But please, no more nunvil. You've had far too much, and that's only since I've gotten here."
"Keith," Keith heard Lotor call out. He turned to see Lotor walking around in his Altean form, "How are you enjoying the colony?"
Keith smiled, hoping to disguise his discontentment. He didn't want to seem ungrateful. He did enjoy the people and feeling of safety. It had been a long time since he had felt safe. "I love it. Thanks for asking."
Lotor didn't appear to believe him. "You don't seem to love it."
Keith dropped his facade. "How could you tell?"
Lotor sat down on the grass. "You seem morose. Your aura is one of utter disappointment."
Keith sat down next to him. "My aura? What, are you a wizard or something?"
Lotor smiled at the joke, but didn't say anything in response.
Keith sighed. "Yeah. I mean, it's great. Everyone's really nice. They're all excited to have a new neighbor or whatever, and I've been invited to a ton of clubs and activities. It's great."
"You don't sound convinced."
Keith didn't say anything for a moment. "It's just... everyone here is so happy. It's like they don't even miss the outside world. Lotor, they don't even know what stars look like."
Lotor frowned. "Well, the truth is, it seems that way because it's true. They don't miss the outside world. Most of them haven't ever left the colony to begin with. But if you miss the stars... I may be able to help you with that."
Before Keith knew it, he was laying with Lotor atop his ship on a nearby moon.
"The stars are also beautiful tonight," Lotor said.
"They sure are," Keith responded, not catching onto Lotor's hidden meaning.
Keith didn't even notice that Lotor's eyes were looking him far more often than not. He couldn't see Lotor's face light up whenever Keith got excited. He was too busy looking above, just him, Lotor, and the stars.
