Allies?

[neverseenhimbefore]

Galran Emperor Lotor's sitting in a library. No, he still hasn't read everything Nexus has to offer, many very interesting and potentially beneficial to him, materials. His jaw set, he's looking at his PINPoint communicator intensely. A young man, whom some may recognise as Hiroki Shirogane, comes up to Lotor and makes to sit near him. Lotor gives Hiroki a scathing look.

"I've told you already," Lotor says. His hand goes to the hilt of his sword.

Heeding this lack of invitation, Shirogane doesn't sit down. Instead, he comes very close to Lotor, anyway, and whispers in his ear,

"You really don't want to? Think of it. All the secrets. All the knowledge. In your reach, right here. Or, are you, perhaps, afraid?"

Lotor smirks, and says, "You should be quiet now. What makes you think I need your help, in any way? And I won't be as merciful with you as I was with a friend of mine. Seeing as you are no friend of mine. Only a false ally, it's turned out."

"You mean Narti."

Lotor's eyes widen, and he asks, after almost gasping a little, "How do you know that name?"

"Lotor, please. I know everything. That's what I've been telling you all this morning."

"Fine. But you seem different."

"In what way?"

"Are you yourself?" Lotor asks.

"And would I be here, making this alliance, were I not?" the clone counters.

"Fair point. You may be right."

"I'm always right. So. You want it, don't you, Lotor?"

"Yes. Tell me everything. And we'll defeat the witch and get her Quintessence, together."

"Yeah! That's more like it. That's the Emperor Lotor I know," Hiroki says, smiling pleasantly.

Lotor smirks, and utters, "Indeed. And since you're my subject now, I'll show you mercy and, well, amnesty for your previous crimes as the witch's former puppet."

"Thank you," Shiro's clone replies, putting his hand on Lotor's shoulder, "I appreciate it."

"Who else is with us?" Lotor asks.

"Naturally," the clone answers, "Princess Allura and Antheans."

"Who are Antheans? I've never heard of them," Lotor says, puzzled. "And Allura's back in Nexus?" he asks, hopeful.

"Your new allies, Your Majesty. And indeed she is. She can't wait to see you again."

"Hm. I like the sound of it. However, those Antheans of yours, what are they good for?"

Lotor and the clone are in the library, still, and minding their manners, trying not to talk too loudly. However, as it is a library, feel free to scold them if they're disturbing you.

Or feel free to join the conversation if you get what they're talking about, or even if not.

Comments

[somekindofspaceuncle]

"If you want to stop Haggar," Lotor says, "my father's witch, I'll gladly help. What can I do? Tell me, Mantis, and I'll do it."

The Prince sheathes his sword and listens, carefully now.

Meanwhile, deep inside mind, almost in spirit, now, Hiroki tells Mantis, Okay. Okay. Fine. Mantis, please, help me. But first, if you CAN help, you must promise me that you'll help defend Ziggy Stardust. Promise me!

Then, something dark appears, there, deep inside, and tries to lodge itself between Hiroki and Mantis. It feels a bit like Honerva's presence feels, but not quite the same.

[somekindofspaceuncle]

"I..."

"I'm tired."

He doesn't think he has it in himself to make any kind of decision right now.

"I'm so tired. Just, you just make sure you're all safe, please."

[ginger_firebird]

"Stop complaining and help me." Really, Lotor, it's not that hard being a decent person. There's got to be some stupid reason for his hesitation, but Mantis isn't about to dig around enough to find out why the young man doesn't seem capable of doing anything.

I'll defend anyone you want me to, now try to take hold of my hands. She's strong, but she isn't a professional like I am." He envisions elephants raging. Bears and tigers ripping into things. The greatest forces of nature will tear into that added presence as he tries to get Hiroki free of it's grasp. And you. Remember my face and my name. I am Psycho Mantis and if I ever get my hands on you, your head will be mounted on a pike.

1/2

[neverseenhimbefore]

"It seems to me you're Haggar's enemy. Therefore I'll help," the Prince says.

"However, I'm not a trained Altean Alchemist. Could you tell what could I do? I wish to help."

2/2

[somekindofspaceuncle]

Meanwhile, inside Shiro's clone's mind, a strange dark creature Mantis encountered avoids elephants and tigers swiftly, then pushes Hiroki's mind away as he would surely only interfere, and then the dark creature, which looks like a wisp of darkness, suddenly changes its form.

It shifts, and all of a sudden, it looks and sounds just like Liquid Snake, and says,

He doesn't need you here. You know that.

[ginger_firebird]

"You know her. Think of something or someone she values more than anything else. Be as vivid in your mental image as you can. Especially useful if it's a person. I can turn it against her And what is this darkness in Hiroki's head? It's similar to the witch, but it's not her."

Seeing the image of Liquid presented before him, Mantis feels his anger bubble up in a dangerous way. He brings forth the image of a giant snake to coil around the imposter illusion and squeeze it thoroughly.

Nyoka ya Mpembe would be on my side. Leave or die. I can create just as easily as you.

He takes in a deep breath, and the image of the coiled snake grows larger, more consuming. If he pushes a little harder, he can break whatever that shadow is.

1/2

[neverseenhimbefore]

"The only I can think of is Emperor Zarkon. My father. She clinged to him and him her puppet."

"I can picture him if that'd help."

2/2

[somekindofspaceuncle]

In mind, meanwhile... The image of Liquid Snake dissipitates. The darkness is squashed, but apparently, it's multiplied before. There are several dark creatures around now, though they are some unformed dark swirly shapes for now, and clearly look they might retreat, for now.

In mind, Hiroki's nowhere to be seen, he must've been pushed deeper down.

[ginger_firebird]

"Give me his face. Every detail you can imagine will help."

Deep in the dark, Mantis feels desperation spark up, but it doesn't make him want to quit. He's almost there. Nothing will hurt him here. After another physical intake of breath, he conjures a new image: a massive whale made of fire rising and swimming around him. It's maw opens and aims for the creatures with the intention to swallow and destroy him. Maybe if he creates a light, Hiroki himself can find the way out.

"Come to the light. Find your courage and come back towards me."

1/2

[somekindofspaceuncle]

The mindspace. Hiroki appears, closer to Mantis now. It's really him. He wants - he wants to exist, he does, after all, he does--!! He thought it's fine if he doesn't, but he was lying to himself, he was, for Ziggy, but now--

The creatures meanwhile attack the whale.

Hiroki, meanwhile, turns to Mantis, with desperation and hope, and also, he pictures Ziggy, sends the image straight to Mantis so that there's no interception.

I thought it's fine, because I don't want to put him in danger, even if he wouldn't mind being in danger for me, but I-- I want to see him again! I want to see her again! One more time, please-- what I wouldn't give---!! Hiroki practically shouts in his mind.

And then he has to dodge when a Dark Entity attacks him.

2/2

[neverseenhimbefore]

And that's not the only thing Mantis gets now, because meanwhile, as per request, as Lotor decides to cooperate, if it's against the Witch, a memory with Zarkon in it flashes in Lotor's mind, for Mantis to see,

and Lotor tries to shield it, but at the same time, maybe some part of him tries not to, so with it, Mantis might also feel Lotor's pain of being deemed unworthy of acknowledgement by his own father, for many, many years, though consciously, Lotor does not plan for Mantis to feel it. It's not a part of a plan. Right now, consciously, Lotor just wants Mantis's help with defeating all that comes from Haggar.

I am pretty certain he's the only one the witch wants to see.

[ginger_firebird]

Mantis sends forth a second image, this time of a little boy with red hair and a gas mask not unlike the one Mantis wears. He holds a hand out to the dark entity trying to attack Hiroki and the being is quickly covered in flames. The gas mask boy pulls on Hiroki's shirt and pulls him closer towards Mantis.

The image surprises him, but not in a particularly shocking way. Sins of the father, troubles of the son. Of course it's a big familial drama. He's rapidly approaching the limit of what he can manage all at once, but the whale of fire dissipates and is replaced with a new image: several of the man Lotor recalled create a ring between Mantis and Hiroki and the entities.

"Hiroki, come here. Now. Don't leave my side. I know what's going on now. Haggar and Zarkon were married. Lotor is their son. They're all connected."

[hellomajortom]

"Rest." Tom tells the young man and starts toward his own house. He will feel safer that way. "When we get to the house you can come inside and rest with Ziggy. We still have the room you two shared when you came back to the Nexus."

[somekindofspaceuncle]

Hiroki nods and he's going to make his way over there slowly.

He throws Major Tom Jones a gratefull look. This whole family, they're all so good to him. And it makes him feel, anew, as if his (after)life matters to others, too. He's pretty sure that, subconsciously, the very first time he had felt that way, had been discovering feeling that way, had been way back when a year ago, with his Voltron family, too, only back then he didn't get that he was making a discovery, in his mind, because, well, one can't discover what one already knows, right? But there's a difference between knowing from 'data', so to speak, he knows now, and knowing for oneself. So, emotionally, he had been discovering 'family' back then. Love. He didn't know he was discovering, because he had all the memories of Shiro to lull him into the feeling that he already knew all that, but, yeah, that what had been happening, from the moment he's first (as he now knows) seen Keith and Keith's such palpable relief that he almost felt as if he could touch it, back then at first, relief at finding him alive in that Galra shuttle. Barely, but alive. Nowadays Hiroki knows that it was the first positive emotion towards himself that he had felt in his life.

And now, too. Some of the first times meeting Ziggy were a bit like that, if slightly less extreme. (Though with Ziggy, everything was extreme.) Now, too, Hiroki was discovering all those things for himself. And being a fool in the process, because honestly, nothing would stop Honerva from possessing Ziggy later? What utter idiocy, trying to negotiate with the witch... Hiroki decided to never do that again.

Whatever else's happened to him, it's not like he's unlucky, Hiroki realises. He's had the luck to land himself in two wonderful families, now. That's something! More than something.

"You do? That's good. I can't leave Ziggy, and I think it's best if he stays with you, too, so-- good."

Yes, he can't, won't leave Ziggy, no matter what. It's a good thing that the Major seems to accept that even now.

Hiroki nods.

"Good..."

He's really exhausted.

[somekindofspaceuncle]

I know, Hiroki, yes, real Hiroki, thinks, I know all that very well, since long ago. So what? You're not helping, Mantis. I love Voltron and I love Ziggy. Both as much. Nothing else matters to me. I know I'll stop existing, very soon. So, go away. Now.

[ginger_firebird]

Use it against her. A garbage mother with a son who took after everything she did wrong. The flame versions of Liquid condense into as accurate of an image of the man Lotor had shown him as possible. Mantis stands up in the mental space of Hiroki's head and grabs Hiroki as hard as he can by the shoulders. You keep giving up, so why are you standing here before me? Why do you know so much about your enemy? You want to live and you want to win, so own that. Show me how much you hate the witch. I can take that anger and make it a new strength.

[hellomajortom]

Tom drives and just allows the boys to sleep in the back if that is what they need. He can't imagine how tiring the encounter must have been. He has no problem driving the short distance in silence.

Pulling up he checks the back, and if necessary will carry Hiroki inside as well as Ziggy. Either way, his goal is to get them in an comfortable to rest.