A/N: Good news everybody! I'll be staying in the Voltron fandom! -squeaky party horn- In a couple of weeks (or whenever Stayin' Alive is listed as complete) I will have an explanation of what happened on my profile. If you so desire for me to be serious for a few minutes...

This means Misadventures will continue on with its haphazard schedule. This chapter marks the end of this visit to the Nin-Zahar.

"Little knowledge remains of the Nin-Zahar's first planet. Grandfather, though he never saw it, said that our planet was like what other races would call a desert."
"Sand, as far as the seeing eye could see. There was the occasional mountain or boulder, but primarily sand. The Nin-Zahar don't eat, as you could probably guess, but we do absorb nutrients from the sands through our skin. We bred Nons, whose fluffy fur we used for clothes and weaving tents. It was a simple life."

"There aren't any stories from when the Galra came. Everyone just wished they could forget the Galra away…"

"For five generations, the Nin-Zahar worked in mines filled with a dangerous gas. Since we do not breathe like most races, the gas didn't kill us, and our sonar allowed us to 'see' without lights that could cause a spark to light the gas."

"The Nin-Zahar had relative freedom in the mines, since the Galra had few masks that made it safe for them to go below. But the mines were made of thick stone, and probes tracked their tunnels to prevent an escape tunnel from being dug."

"In the end, they escaped purely by accident. While expanding a tunnel, they broke into a large cavern. One of the Nin-Zahar dropped a pick just out of reach, on an unstable ledge. Knowing that if it fell, it could create a spark that would take out the whole tunnel, they all ran."

"The explosion was even bigger than any of them had guessed. They barely made it outside before the whole ground shook. The surface over the cavern collapsed in a massive sinkhole, and the surrounding tunnels were next."

"The whole camp was in chaos. The Nin-Zahar found a cargo ship and, somehow, launched it with the holo-screens that none of them could read. To say that they survived the flight was a miracle, would be an understatement. Still, when it came time to land on the first planet they came across, the ship was wrecked in these trees."

"The first quintants on the new planet was… difficult. By that generation, all they had known was the carved stone of the mines, which even the youngest slaves could navigate."

"Here, there were massive trees covering the whole surface. Explorations to the ground resulted in the scouting group getting lost for two quintants. Finally, they had to move on when the ship threatened to fall from the treetops."

"My grandfather told me stories about when the Nin-Zahar were learning about their new home. So many scouting trips went wrong before they started using vines to mark their explorations. They experienced rivers for the first time. Rivers are actually the main reason that they took to the trees."

"They eventually decided to pick a spot in the trees and stay there. They found some sections of the branches that were so tightly weaved, it was a solid platform. They made camp there, and learned to use broken branches and leaves to make walls and roofs when the weather got bad."

"All in all, this was a good planet for us. There were no Galra, few dangerous animals that are easily avoided by staying off the ground, and decent weather. Once they made up some rough huts, they felt better about their new home."

"By the time I was born, proper homes had been built and a territory had been established. I grew up on stories of the Nin-Zahar's first days here, while the stories of their slavery were allowed to fade."

"Galra hadn't been spotted since the Nin-Zahar escaped. We wanted to move on with our new lives. For a while, we were able to."

"Then, when Nantuck was five deco-phoebs old, a ship crashed near our village. We ran to investigate, and found a small fighter with one occupant. We rescued the pilot, who was unconscious, and brought him to the village."

"It was several quintants before the pilot awoke. We were all curious and a bit excited, but the stranger was… quite violent. He yelled and tried to hit us when we got close. From his angry shouts, we found out that he was something we had so willingly forgotten: a Galra."

"Those old enough to have heard the stories immediately fled. The rest were quick to follow, and we went to the treetops to figure out what to do next."

"Some wanted to just leave the village and make a home someplace else. Others wanted to stay and fight, though none of us knew how to. The strangest idea came from my granddaughter: Nina."

"Nina, who was a bit younger than Nantuck is now, suggested that we befriend the Galra. That way, we didn't have to leave or fight."

"Well, you can probably imagine how that went. Nina said no more about it, and we assumed that was the end of it."

"We eventually decided to check on the Galra and decide from there. He was as vicious as ever. Luckily, his wounds prevented him from coming after us. We spent the night on the treetops again, with some keeping watch in case the Galra came after us."

"Two quintants passed. All attempts to approach the Galra failed. Although he was obviously getting weaker, he refused to let any of us near. We all thought he would die."

"Then, on the morning of the third quintant, the hut that the Galra had been in was silent. When we finally dared to approach, we found that Nina was inside caring for the Galra!"

"He had become so bad, that he wasn't even aware of what was happening. Nina cared for him for two movements before he was finally coherent. And, not only had he recovered his health, his attitude had taken a turn for the better!"

"We soon learned that his name was Shar, and that he had been cut off from his fleet in battle. When he was well enough to leave, he requested to stay. Since he was so much better by that time, we all agreed."

"It was Shar who taught us how to tell the day from the night. He helped us explore the trees, since his long-distance sight was better than ours."

"Within a deca-pheob, Shar and Nina fell in love. They officially became mates, and everyone was happy for another deca-pheob."

"Nina was due to have their first child, when Shar got a message over his salvaged ship. There were Galra on a planet nearby, and they were charting the planets in the area. If they continued, we would be found."

"Shar quickly decided to go to the Galra. He would pretend that mapping that section was his job, and he had just been out of communication. It was risky, but he convinced us that it was our best shot of survival. We wouldn't be so lucky in finding another planet that we could live in peace."

"We weren't surprised to find that Nina wanted to go with Shar. With some discussion, Nina would go with our blessing. It wasn't so unusual for Galra to marry into another race, especially on solo missions like star charting."

"In less than a movement, they left. Nina's daughter was born in that time, and we were all upset for the family to leave. Shar promised they would return if at all possible, then they left."

"We… haven't seen them since."

Nemead fell silent then, head bowing. Coran, who had transferred to his bench at some point in the story, laid a hand on Nemead's.

"We haven't had visitors since then," Nantuck said.

"Thank you for telling us," Coran said, solemn in a way that Pidge rarely heard.

"Ah, the Nin-Zahar have spent enough time hidden away. It was time our story was told… I suppose you will soon move on? As you are fighting the Galra, I imagine you cannot stay long."

"How do you even know about Voltron?" Keith asked. "Voltron only returned a few pheobs ago."

"The story of Voltron was passed to the Nin-Zahar while in the slave mines. We never realized that Voltron had returned, but the name is familiar."

"I am afraid that we will have to move on soon," Coran said regretfully. "But we would like to return some time, if it is alright with you."

"We would love your company," Nemead said. He slowly stood and motioned for the others to do so as well. "Now, let us find your friends. The village spent all morning gathering fruit for a feast for you."

"You're all so kind," Coran said, walking at Nemead's side.

"Maybe we could find Nina, Shar, and their child," Pidge said to Nantuck and Keith as they trailed the older pair.

"I wish they would return. Nina was so kind, and Shar taught us so much. But… it has been fifteen deca-pheobs. If they haven't returned by now… we can only hope they are just staying away to protect us."

"We may still find them," Keith said. "How many Galra and Nin-Zahar couples could there be out there?"

"Not many," Nantuck admitted.

"We'll keep an eye out," Pidge said. The sound of Lance calling her name briefly caught her attention as they rejoined the majority of the villagers, then she turned back to Nantuck. "What was their daughter's name? We'll watch for her, too."

Pidge was pulled away by Lance as he began a second round of introductions of the young Nin-Zahar. Pidge heard Nantuck laugh in her head, then he said the child's name.

"Narti."