Voltron: Legendary Defenders: Fugitives

PROLOGUE

Several Years Ago.

Admiral Lectir stood up as the lights came back on. He turned from the screen to the subject of their inquiry. He'd been silent throughout their interrogation, and now, even as they submitted the evidence to the Galaxy Garrison's Ethic Coalition, he still sat silent. The silence wasn't a problem - the evidence itself was damning enough. No, the problem was the man's insistence to maintain a smile throughout the whole thing. Like this was all some sort of joke to him. 

There were eight people in the room, including Admiral Lectir and the guilty party. Two guards, who were sworn to secrecy, stood at either side of the podium of the man in question. Three senior commanders of the Coalition sat on the other side of the room, facing the screen that was slowly raising into the ceiling. They'd act as the judge and jury. Then there was Admiral Kliv. Lectir didn't know what to think of Kliv or why the Admiral was even in the room, but he did know that whatever thoughts he did have for the man were likely above his pay grade. The man was a ghost, much like the man who stood at the podium. But while Kliv seemed to be at ease with his lack of a footprint, the man before them seemed less so. Still, no one knew the man's real name - they just called him Kai. 

Kai was a ghost, but he was a ghost that made mistakes, the most paramount of which being the subject of this inquiry. He'd likely gotten away with it, had he not been seen. He'd likely gotten away with many more in the past, but at least now, he'd be brought to justice. 

"Do you understand why you're here today, Kai?" Admiral Lectir questioned.

He didn't reply. He just kept smiling.

"Very well," Admiral Lectir turned back towards the Coalition commanders. "That was the last piece of evidence."

They nodded. Admiral Lectir knew that the decision had already been made by the way they were sitting. He just hoped it was the right one. Commanding officer Aiylah stood, slowly walking over to them. He could see Kliv seem to brighten a bit from where he stood in the corner, but wasn't sure what to think of it.

"We are sentencing you, Kai Smith, to six years in prison for the first degree murder of an unnamed refuge on the planet of Razoran. You also will be stripped of any and all duties as a senior officer..." Aiylah paused, looking towards Kliv now. "...Within any confines or any divisions of the Galaxy Garrison, and any other such affiliates."

Admiral Lectir froze. Kai's grin was still there, relaxed, cold. Like this whole thing was just some sort of game, one which he was winning Six years and stripped of service? That was a slap on the wrist for a man like Kai. He had no doubt that given the chance to walk freely outside of prison, Kai Smith would be back at work somewhere within the shady arms of the redacted organization Admiral Kliv seemed to represent. 

"This chamber is dismissed."

***

Admiral Lectir stopped Admiral Kliv as they exited the chamber. "What was that?"

Kliv shrugged. "The Coalition seems to be pleased with the sentence they handed down."

"The Coalition-" Lectir spluttered. "He just got away with murder. Of a civilian refugee on a planet being overrun by Galra-"

"Keep your voice down, Admiral Lectir. If I were you, I would be happy that I was privy to the workings of this chamber inquiry at all. We like to take care of the discipline of our own, and it has worked wonders for many years."

A chill ran down Lectir's spine. "What you mean to say is that had one of your men not come to me looking for immunity after having a change of heart, your "own" wouldn't even be in jail."

Kliv examined his cuff-links, suddenly taking an interest in them. "Exactly, Admiral Lectir."

"If the world knew-"

"But they don't, do they?" He let his arm fall, turning towards Lectir. "They don't even know about the Galra. And what they don't know, certainly won't kill them."

"Until it's knocking down their door."

"Well, that's why we're here, isn't it? To take care of what the Galaxy Garrison doesn't want to get it's hands dirty with. We take care of the scary aliens, you keep teaching your children how to fly exploration spacecraft, and everyone wins."

"Who even are you," Lectir hissed.

"A ghost, Admiral Lectir. One who sincerely hopes we do not meet again." He turned once more, heading back down the corridor. 

Once he had left, the door to the inquiry chamber opened again, with the guards pushing the still-smiling Kai Smith out into the corridor. Lectir held up his hand, and the guards stopped, each taking a hold of one of Kai's arms, but looking away respectfully. They were paid to turn a blind eye and keep their mouths shut, after all.

"I want you to know that I am going to do everything in my power to make sure you rot in that jail cell. To make sure you never see the light of day, just like you ensured that that girl wouldn't. I am going to spend the next six years uncovering every dirty little secret, pulling out every skeleton hidden in the closet, for both you and those who you work for."

Kai's smile grew, until suddenly he was chuckling, his head bowed as the sound echoed around the empty corridor. "And... what was that? Was that... supposed to scare me, Admiral Lectir? Should I be quaking in my orange jumpsuit, scared of the big bad Admiral who's gonna try to do the impossible?"

He managed to compose himself, returning to that cold smile. Lectir wanted nothing more than to slap it off his face. "Oh, because that's what that is, your little endeavor. You are hunting down ghosts, ghosts that even your precious Galaxy Garrison is hesitant to admit exist. These guards who are so lovingly taking me to my cell? They won't dare say a single thing. None of the Garrison will. Because if they have to publicly speak about me, and what happened here today, they'll have to admit there's aliens, and all the dangerous little revelations that will bring into light with it."

"So go ahead," he hissed. "Try to discredit me, or Admiral Kliv. Go ahead and try to find the organization I work for and who we really represent. Go. Ahead. I invite you - no, I implore you to uncover my skeletons. They'll be the last thing you ever see."

"I'm not scared of you, either, Kai."

"You should be," he hissed. "Because I'll be a free man soon enough. And the first thing I'll do is visit you and your brother. What was his name? Iverson, right?"

Lectir's face became stone-cold. "You'll never get out, you son of a-"

"Don't you get it? The only thing you accomplished today was exactly what we wanted. That trial was already decided before you even walked into the room. We have people everywhere. And we're always watching. That's why we're ghosts. We know your moves before you even know them yourselves."

Lectir slowly smiled. "If that were true, you wouldn't be in handcuffs right now. You wouldn't even have had to go through a trial. You would've gotten away with murder without anyone knowing."

"What can I say? I'm human. We make mistakes."

"This wasn't a 'mistake'. This was murder. And I wi-"

"Do you really think she was the first, Admiral Lectir. Do you think I haven't gotten away with countless others? Do you think that the organization I and Admiral Kliv represent haven't been around far longer than your silly little Garrison? Go back to teaching your children to fly."

He paused, leaning towards him until he could whisper in his ears. At first the guards pulled back, but stopped when Lectir nodded. "I'll tell you who I am, Lectir. Because the next time we meet, I'll be haunting you from the grave, and this world will be nothing but ashes. Mark my words. I am Daichi."

Lectir stayed silent. Arguing with him was like arguing with a brick wall. The man wasn't going to feel remorse, and he certainly wasn't going to give up any more information on who he worked for and what they were doing. He doubted that the name was even his real one. He'd just have to do the digging himself. He motioned towards the guards to take Kai - Daichi - whoever this man was away. As he turned to leave the building, he could hear Kai's voice calling after him.

"I'll see you in a few years, Lectir. Be sure to introduce me to your brother."