THE BLADE OF MARMORA

The Quintants had begun to blur together, each one no different than the last. They would wake up, eat some of the rations, do some stretches, then she would place Keith in the toy room with his new toys while she went to man the helm in the cockpit. With the pod on autopilot over night they wouldn't cover much distance and she would need to be in the pilot's seat to make up for it. The autopilot moved at a substantially sl ower speed given its reaction time being much slower than a live pilot. But it was still better than stopping for the night.

Keith had started to get restless, asking to go outside and wanting to run around. He had so much energy that he would just run the perimeter of the toy room for vargas at a time. It wasn't enough though, he really did need to get out of their pod and run his little heart out.

It was their last day though, any dobash now they would be coming into range of their escort and she was anxious to be done with flying. Pushing their transport pod as hard as she could, they rocketed across space faster than was necessary. Faster than what would be considered safe. But Krolia trusted her instincts and her own ability as a pilot, she knew what she could handle, and she knew she was more than capable of controlling this speed. So she pressed on.

"Transport Pod 7859 - Identify yourself." The 'official sounding' voice came over the coms.

"Transport Pod 7859 – This is Warrant Officer Krolia, of Commander Ranveig's fleet." Incase of any listening ears she would stick to her official Empire identifications, the Blade escort would know who she is. Better safe than sorry.

There was a long pause before the voice came back. "Identity approved. Welcome Krolia. You are cleared for landing." With that the voice cut out.

She guided the pod to the surface of the way station, landing with ease in a too large hangar. These stations were designed for refueling fleets, exchanging supplies, transporting prisoners, and any other use the Empire required of them. The larger ones had druid's on them, no one knew what they did there; it was all very hush hush. But this was a small, backwater station; one that they had managed to plant a Blade on. Said agent was now running the command of the station's docking, which allowed the Blade of Marmora to use this station safely. Being able to give false credentials and have them be accepted without question was infinitely beneficial to their cause. It allowed the Blade's to make longer trips into this region, allowed them to infiltrate Empire ships more easily, and allowed them access to the Empire's quintessence supplies.

Krolia's ship docked safely and two sentries came to shepherd her to the other ship. These sentries were being controlled by their operative on this station, meaning she was able to entrust them with the task of packing up and transporting Keith's belongings. Leaving anything she had not purchased at the SpaceMall behind, she took her kit in her arms and carried him to the Blade ship.

"Krolia." Their escort climbed out of the ship and came to greet her, both of them dressed in full Empire armour. "Your journey was without complications I presu - " He paused mid sentence, glancing down at the tiny bundle in her arms that was currently attempting to bury himself as close to her as possible. "- uh, what's that?"

"THAT is my son." She may have said it a little more aggressively than intended, but she wasn't taking it back now. She would double down if pressed.

For his part the Blade merely blinked at her, stunned, before mentally regrouping. "Kolivan did not inform me that we would transporting a kit or else I would have prepared the ship."

"Yes, well, I have not been able to contact Kolivan since my departure from Earth. This will certainly come as a surprise to him as well."

"And we all know how he just loves surprises." The Blade scoffed then straightened his back at her low warning growl. "Right, ok – uh – I'm Tebbit, I'll be escorting you back to the main base. The sentries have finished inspecting all of your belongings for bugs or trackers, but we should probably grab a bite to eat before we head out."

At his words Keith perked up, peering out from the safety of her arms to assess the man before them. And as she did the same she noted that 'man' might be a little too generous. Clearly he was young, perhaps just passed kit-hood himself, and it made her nervous to experience his piloting skills. Krolia resolved to potentially take over the controls once they reached the base, she would let him prove his worth and if his abilities came up wanting then she would guide them through the path to the base herself.

"Hi." Came a small voice, taking both herself and Tebbit by surprise.

"Hey there buddy. My name's Tebbit, what's yours?" Keith didn't immediately say anything, opting instead to stare the station building down with intense scrutiny, furrowing his little brow. The Blade uncomfortably turned to Krolia. "Does he not speak Galran?"

"He does, he's just being shy for some reason."

"Well, maybe we should move inside the station and grab something to eat from the cafeteria before we head out. Sound like a plan little man?"

"No." Keith was firm, adamant in his objection to the proposed plan. "It's scary in there."

"It's not scary in the station. There's food, and juice boxes, and cool chairs that bounce. Do you like to bounce?" Tebbit asked, clearly well trained with handling children – well, most children. He was about to meet his match.

"Yes. But I don't wanna go in there."

"Why not?"

"Cause it's scary!"

"Keith, honey, why do you think the station is scary? You were just fine on Commander Prorok's ship." She cut in, breaking up their disagreement.

"Because it makes my tummy feel funny and it's cold in there."

"How can you tell if it's cold if we don't go inside?" Tebbit was trying to use logic with her son, that wasn't going to get him anywhere she thought. Keith, a 3 year old, and incredibly stubborn 3 year old, could not be swayed with logic. Perhaps cups of berry puree, but certainly not logic.

"I can tell. My tummy can tell. Please mommy, I don't want to go in there. I don't like it." He had tears brimming in his little eyes and she couldn't understand why, but she knew she wouldn't force him to do anything that had him this upset.

"Ok Keith, you don't have to go inside."

"You neither! Mommy you and Tebbit stay here too, ok?" He wasn't asking, he was begging. His eyes pleading for her to stay with him, for both of them to stay with him, and not go where he was certain there was danger. The young Blade was clearly about to dismiss his request when the private Marmora line buzzed with a message.

"It's Ryvik, he said a druid just showed up at the station. We gotta get out of here immediately!" They both glanced down at Keith who buried himself deeper in her arms before they moved for the pod, dismissing the sentries in the process.

Once inside, Tebbit took the helm and initiated the launch sequence while Krolia took her scared kit into the back and sat with him, holding him tightly and rocking back and forth while purring to him. The further away from the base they got, the calmer Keith became. Krolia thought on this as he slept beside her, curled up against her leg and purring softly.

Back on Earth she and Kolt had brought him along to the Blue Lion's cave while they worked on repairing the fighter pod. He had wandered off and gotten himself lost in the process. They had panicked, as any parent would if their toddler was lost in a cave, and went off in search of him only to find the little bugger sound asleep, curled up against Blue's barrier. When they questioned him about it he had said 'the big blue kitty took him back'. She hadn't thought much of it at the time, thinking he had merely followed the glow of her luminescent barrier, but now she was seeing the memory in a different light.

He had been fine on Prorok's ship, and he had been fine at the SpaceMall, so it seemed his fear had nothing to do with the Empire. It also appeared to have nothing to do with meeting new Galra seeing as he had been so friendly to Sal and Sal Sr., which could only mean one thing; it was something about that station in particular that had him spooked. Going over the events of the day she realized with a start that it wasn't until the end that Keith had become uncomfortable. He had been fine when they first arrived, fine while she talked to Tebbit, and fine until he looked at the station building. She had felt him shiver, though it hadn't registered at the time. There were no druids in Prorok's fleet, that much she knew for certain, and there hadn't been any druids at the mall either.

She looked down at her sleeping kit. Keith possessing a sensitivity to quintessence would certainly explain the strange behaviour happening more than once. Immediately she wondered if the druid had been able to sense him as well - unlikely, she thought since they weren't being followed. This was something that she would need to look into further; perhaps with the resources of the Blade of Marmora she could test her theory. And if it proved correct, she would be certain to keep her little kit as far away from those poisonous creatures as possible. The very idea of Keith being corrupted in that way, turned into one of them, made her sick.

Running her claws lightly through his hair, she watched him sleep, his eyelids fluttering with whatever dream he was currently enjoying. Krolia smiled at him, laid a soft kiss to his pale forehead, and got up to join Tebbit in the cockpit.

They approached the path to the main base and a prompt appeared on their screens, the robot voice requesting verification. Both she and Tebbit provided their Blade ID's and Tebbit provided their ship ID.

"Permission Granted. Welcome Back, Tebbit. Welcome Back, Krolia."

They flew through the treacherous pass with only a few close calls, the last of which prompted her to take over the pilot's seat. Arriving at the main hangar, she guided the ship into a soft landing and killed the engines.

Tebbit exited immediately, but she went for Keith who had woken up and was calling for her. This time she chose not to carry him rather, she held his little hand and the two walked out of the ship together.

"- you've never landed a ship that smoothly! I was very impressed."

"Um sir? Krolia may have taken over halfway through the pass, she did the landing."

"I see. That certainly makes sense. Krolia is one of our best pilots and she -" The other Blade paused and stared at her. With his mask up it was impossible to read his expression, though she assumed it was either open-mouthed shock or brows furrowed in confusion. "Why do you have a kit with you?" so confusion then.

"Because he is my son." As if on queue, Keith excitedly waved with his free hand.

Their welcoming committee lowered his hood and let the mask dissolve, but she already knew who it was. Few people had Antok's stature and, combined with his tail, it was a distinct give away. He stared at Keith for a long while before adjusting his gaze to hers, none of them breaking the tension, until she felt the tiny hand slip from her own.

Looking down beside her she searched frantically for Keith, her concern drawing the attention of the other two Blades present. She scanned the hangar, looking for him in the shadows and against the walls but saw nothing. The panic started to grow, how was he this slippery?!

A sudden yelp of surprise from Antok had them all looking down at his long tail. The small kit was giggling as he held tightly, small arms wrapped fully around the swinging appendage. With his mask retracted, she could see the array of emotions that crossed his features, one after another as the massive Blade processed the sudden turn of events. Keith continued giggling away with each twitch of Antok's prehensile tail.

"It's been a long time since a kit this young has been on base. Kolvian know about this?" He tried to sound threatening but the effect was lost with the quirk of his lip as he dragged her troublesome kit along the ground. Keith had slid down the length of his tail, now holding on solely by the tip as Antok slowly moved him back and forth along on the hangar floor.

"No, I have not had a chance to speak with him as of yet." She watched for another moment before ending their game. "Keith, that's enough now. Leave Antok's tail alone."

He whined, a typical kit sound, but one she had not yet heard him make. "But Tok's tail is fun Mommy." He complained, refusing to let go. Tebbit smirked, letting out a stifled 'Tok? ' through his hand. Antok seemed to melt, the hulking beast of a man dropping to meet the toddler at eye level.

"Listen to Krolia, kit."

"Her name is Mommy." Keith scolded the adult male, speaking with the most matter-of-fact tone she had ever heard and it took all of her resolve not to snicker. The much younger male beside her didn't fair as well, doubling over in a fit of cackling laughter, which earned him a swift swat to the back of the head from the older's aforementioned tail. Keith giggled.

"You like that?" Antok probed, something devious hiding in his tone. Keith nodded enthusiastically and *wack* Tebbit took another blow to the back of the head, Keith doubling over in a fit of uncontrolled laughter. His tiny giggles echoed in the large, mostly empty hangar, and the more Tebbit protested the harder Keith laughed when Antok swatted him.

After a solid 5 dobashes the Blade of Marmora's second in command finally ceased his attack, a broad smile spread across his face. He hoisted Keith onto his shoulders and proceeded to exit the hangar.

"Krolia -"

"MOMMY" Keith interrupted, but the large Galra simply ignored him.

"- follow me to Kolivan's office. You have quite the budding little sadist here."

She hummed her agreement. "Yes, Keith can also be quite, 'slippery' when he desires."

"A fine Blade he will make!" Antok's voice bellowed as they stepped out of the hangar into the hall. Keith was laughing and waving down at her from his perch, proud of his new height advantage and excitedly greeting each Blade as they passed. Most didn't notice him, too involved in their conversations, tablets, or destination to register the unexpected kit atop Antok's shoulders. But those that did would stop in their tracks and stare up at the tiny boy for a moment before dissolving into whispers.

Kolivan's office overlooked the primary training deck and the main floor cafeteria as well as the visitor entrance; not that they got many visitors. She waited on the landing with Keith, Tebbit and Antok having entered first to deliver their reports. It was taking longer than expected, which meant they were either discussing the arrival of Keith on base, or the arrival of a Druid on the way station - or both. Faintly Krolia thought she heard the mention of Ryvik, but she couldn't be certain. After almost another varga, Tebbit stepped out.

"Our Leader will see you now." He addressed her, attempting to keep his voice as void of emotion as possible, something that was hard for young Blades. She gave a curt nod in reply, slipping past him into the office with Keith in tow.

"Krolia." His tone was passive and as unyielding as ever, though she could hear a slight clipped edge to it. She had been a Blade for a long time, and thus knew Kolivan better than almost anyone – save perhaps Antok.

"Leader." She again replied with a curt nod. Her tiny little shadow hid himself behind one of her legs, clutching tightly to the armour, and making himself as small as possible.

"I see the reports of your – additional personnel, are indeed accurate. The kit's home world is Terra?"

"Yes, Leader." Krolia maintained the composed, stoic demeanor expected of a Blade of her rank and caliber.

"And he – it is a he correct?"

"Yes, Leader." She may have felt the corner of her lips twitch slightly.

"And he is yours?"

"Yes, Leader." There was a long pause in which Kolivan's intensely scrutinizing gaze was cast over herself and Keith.

"Kit. Come forward." His detached tone had not changed and she knew Keith would be scared of him, but she also knew this was a test and she was not to intervene. "Kit." Kolivan had more patience than anyone she had ever met; he would make them wait as long as it took for Keith to step forward. And he would judge the boy accordingly.

The silence persisted, Kolivan not calling for him again but making very clear that their meeting would not proceed until his order was followed. Slowly, after a total of 2 very long dobashes, Keith stepped forward from his hiding place behind her.

"Kit, what is your name?" Keith blinked and stared at him in silence, and she was almost afraid they had reached another stand off when she heard his little voice.

"Keith."

"Do you know why you are here Keith?"

"Because the bad men tried to hurt my mommy and daddy."

"And who are these 'bad men'?" Keith shrugged, he didn't know who the Garrison was, he didn't know who the Empire was, he only knew they had been in danger. "What did these 'bad men' look like?"

"Like me." He voice was so small. "And daddy." Her heart ached in her chest.

"Do you know what they wanted?"

"Mommy." That answer surprised Kolivan. He clearly had been expecting Keith to mention the Blue Lion and for the first time in deca-phoebs she saw his reserve crack, a flicker of emotion, however brief, crossed behind his eyes.

"Antok, take the young kit to the medical ward for a checkup. Krolia, stay here, our conversation is not finished." She gave another curt nod and watched as her scared little boy was led out of room. Before the door closed she caught Antok lifting him back onto his broad shoulders and Keith gave a squeal of excitement. He was clearly nervous about having been separated from his mother, but seemed relatively comfortable with Antok. She still worried though.

"Your report of your findings on Terra." She nodded at the command and gave a brief, yet detailed, analysis of Earth and her experiences. Describing Humans, their technological advancements, their lack of external contact, and their inability to leave their own system as well more general information pertaining to the planet itself. She described the overall landscape and climate, the confirmed existence and location of the Blue Lion, and her departure. She also went into details about Prorok's fleet, her dealings with his Command, and the druid at the way station. Lastly, she described the series of events that lead to the birth of the first Human/Galra halfling (give or take a few of the more explicit details). After she had finished her full report they stood in silence, Kolivan taking his time to process the information.

"Your assignment with Commander Ranveig has not concluded. Since your cover is secure, you are expected to return to his fleet." This she had been expecting, dreading, but expecting. The knowledge that she would leave Keith, for the first time in his life, was a difficult pill to swallow. Sure, she had been planning on saying good-bye and returning to the Blades, but that would have been different; she would have been leaving him on Earth with his father. This meant leaving him on base, alone, with no one but the other Blades to raise him.

"Can you complete your mission, or are you emotionally compromised?" The implications of that simple question were well known. If she chose to remain here, to raise Keith herself on the base, she would no longer be cleared for active duty. She would become a trainer of new recruits, something she highly qualified for but found no passion in. Krolia was a field agent, her skills in espionage were legendary amongst the Blade and it had taken deca-phoebs to earn her current rank and position within Commander Ranveig's fleet. To throw that all way meant giving up one of their most important posts, something that would hurt their cause greatly. No, she needed to finish her mission, see it through to the end or until she was compromised. Either way, it meant missing this time with her son.

Krolia looked up at Kolivan, knowing what she needed to do but not being able to bring herself to say the words. She would miss him, she would think of him every day, but ultimately she was doing this for him. One day, when he completed his own trials and became a Blade, the field would be safer with the Intel she would be able to secure from this placement.

She shook her head slightly. "I am not compromised. I will continue my mission. How much time do I have?"

"Time enough to say good-bye. I will grant one quintant, be prepared for departure this time tomorrow." Krolia gave another curt nod of acknowledgment. "You are dismissed."

"Thank you, Leader." She turned to leave but his voice, softer now than before, pulled her back.

"Krolia, I know how hard this will be for you but we cannot risk losing your placement in the Empire. Like your brother, your positions are too valuable to jeopardize. I am sorry it has to be this way." She smiled at him; this was an exchange that only a handful of Blades would ever experience, a side of Kolivan few were permitted to see.

"I know my duty, I swore an oath when I became a Blade, an oath I intend to keep. Watch out for him Kolivan. Please."

"We have one other kit on base currently. Another young Halfling like Keith." His use of the term Halfling instead of half-breed made her smile, she knew her son's life would be far better here than it ever could be in the Empire. "He's a few deca-phoebs older, approximately age 5, but I am sure Keith and Regris will get along just fine."

She smiled at him once again before taking her leave. Krolia was determined to spend every moment she had left at base with her son. He wouldn't understand, he was far too young, but she hoped that one day he could forgive her.

Author's Note:

This is part 2 of a 5 part series that follows Keith being raised by the BOM and eventually becoming the Red Paladin of Voltron. The next piece in the series is called "Amongst The Stars" and is now published. If you have any suggestions, tips, or feedback I'd love to hear it!

- KarsKars