The leader of the guards was the one the Council eventually sent to the Castle of Lions under a flag of truce.

The leader's name was Rayzor.

Coran met him in the front hall of the Castle of Lions.

The Princess and the Paladins observed this initial meeting from the relative safety of the control room. All of them had volunteered to accompany Coran, even Keith, but he had insisted on going alone.

"If he had brought someone with him, it would be a different situation," Coran had explained to them all. "But he came alone, and so it seems more diplomatic for only one of us to meet with him. And frankly, I'm the best choice."

Allura nodded reluctantly then. "Still, we'll be watching from the monitors," she said. "If anything goes wrong - anything at all - we'll come and get you out of there."

Coran smiled softly then, and he nodded back at her. "I appreciate the sentiment, Princess, but -"

"No." Allura said, and it wasn't so much a command as an absolute refusal of any considering other kind of action. "I will not lose you, Coran. I cannot."

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "You won't, Princess. I promise. This will be a brief meeting, of diplomacy only. I shall return safe and sound. You have my word as an Altean."

They had watched him leave then, all of them crowding around him as long as they could.

"I'll be fine," he reassured them. "Rayzor is only here to talk. I won't be gone for longer than a few minutes, at most. And you'll be able to see and hear everything - I'll be fine."

"You'd better be," Pidge growled. "Or I'm going to hack into their planet-wide electrical storm and have it fry his shuttle on its way back down to the surface."

None of the other Paladins had gainsaid her, not even Shiro. Coran had smiled encouragingly at them all as he left for the hall.

Now he stood in front of Rayzor, and he exchanged a brief nod of greeting with the leader of the guards.

"I am here to determine the answer to a simple question," Rayzor said. "Can we trust you?"

Coran nodded. Just once, but it was a gesture of absolute, iron-clad certainty.

"We'll need proof of your reliability," Rayzor said. "The Council has an - " he paused for an instant, as if searching for the right word - "an ancient device that allows two beings to see the truest nature of the other. Lies or false intentions cannot withstand it."

Coran nodded again. "I am familiar with it. I saw it used several times on diplomatic missions when I served under King Alfor."

Rayzor's eyebrows lifted into a surprised expression for an instant before he schooled them back into a rather cool and composed expression, but Coran smiled slightly to himself. Yes, by Rayzor's standards, it was an ancient device. A crystal that, when held by two people, allowed them to see the truth of one another's answers.

Coran remembered that it was not a process to be undertaken lightly. Seeing someone's deepest nature and intents were hard on one, even if both parties were benevolent. The sheer intensity of seeing someone's truest nature was…extreme. But then again, Coran knew that securing this alliance might make all the difference when fighting against Zarkon's empire.

"I am ready," Coran said. "Are you?"

Rayzor huffed out an impatient breath. He clearly didn't think much about this mystic way of 'seeing into the truest nature of things', but it if meant that he could get a clear and concise answer to his question, he'd take it.

And, Rayzor thought to himself, the Council had said it would accept whatever answer he brought back with him. So he might as well get this over with.

"Fine," he snarled to the Altean officer. Even if the man had been asleep for the last ten thousand years, he could tell Coran was no weakling. It something about the eyes.

Rayzor unharnessed the crystal from where he'd carried it on his back and held it out to Coran.

"Three questions each?"

Coran nodded, reached out, and placed a hand onto the spherical crystal. He had been prepared for the mental shock of the connection, but it still caused him to exclaim 'quiznak!' under his breath.

Rayzor bared his teeth at Coran in what could have been called a polite smile, but a smirk hid underneath it as well.

"Ready, Altean?" he asked, and Coran returned the smile, feeling his own face crease into a polite mask.

"Ready," he answered. The answers he would give would not only be spoken words. When he gave his answer, his thoughts, his emotions, and his deepest beliefs would echo in a mental image as well. Only Rayzor would be able to see that additional aspect to his words, through the connection from the crystal.

Rayzor went first. "Did you come to our planet in peace?"

"Yes," Coran answered. Then he asked, "Did you come to our ship intending any harm to us or our Paladins?"

"No."

They each spoke truth.

Rayzor asked his second question. "Are you - and those with you - truly dedicated to defeating the Galra Empire?"

"Yes." Coran answered again. Then he asked, "Will you help us fulfill our purpose?"

"Yes."

They each spoke truth.

Rayzor paused before he asked his last question. "What is the true nature of the Paladins of Voltron?"

Coran took a deep breath before answering. "Leadership. Loyalty. Intelligence. Trustworthiness. Sincerity."

Then he asked the final question. "Do your people swear to never harm the Paladins of Voltron - or their Altean allies?"

"Yes."

They each spoke truth.

Coran took his hand away from the glowing crystal. Rayzor restored the crystal to its place in the harness on his back.

Each of them had been prepared for the crystal's effects. But the mental connection had been an especially strong one, and they each knew the side effects in the near future would be severe.

Both of them had lost family to the Galra. Both had fears of failing to defend those they had sworn to protect.

The full side effects would take up to a full day to wear off, but for now, they had an alliance to discuss.

"Come," Coran said, turning and leading Rayzor towards one of the council rooms. "I will request the Princess to meet us, along with the Paladins."

Rayzor made a non-committal noise in the back of his throat, but he followed Coran. "I believe it would be best to keep this meeting brief," he said.

"Funny," Coran said. "I was about to suggest the same thing."

Rayzor felt a savage half-smile cross his mouth for an instant. "What a fair omen," he said. "Not even two minutes as allies and we're already getting on each other's nerves."

Coran shot him a look that was level, but said volumes all the same. "No one said alliances were always made out of mutual respect or friendship," he said. "And given what happened only a few days ago, consider yourself fortunate not to undergo my extreme displeasure."

Rayzor bared his teeth at Coran, but it wasn't an aggressive or threatening gesture, only one of mutual dislike and some annoyance. "Noted," he said, and then they had reached the council room where Allura and the Paladins were waiting.

Allura rose to her feet as Coran and Rayzor entered the room. Shiro and the others stayed seated. Lance was glaring at the - what the quiznak was the race called again? oh yeah, something like 'Proselyt' - and Hunk had a stiff and somewhat frigid expression locked into his normally friendly eyes. Pidge was typing away at a monitor, and as Rayzor entered the room, she raised his eyes, noted his position, and then pointedly returned to her complicated coding.

For his part, Keith raised an ironic hand in salute, his face intentionally impassive, and Shiro greeted Rayzor with a stiff nod as he sat down, his dark grey eyes hard and wary. Rayzor noted the way in which the Black Paladin was holding himself - not poised to attack, necessarily, but certainly ready to take immediate action if it was required.

Coran took his seat at the same time as Allura, and the meeting began.

It was indeed a brief meeting. The terms were simple and straightforward.

The Proselyt would supply the information on how to construct the planet-wide defenses that had been so effective at keeping the Galra at bay. The Paladins were given special permission to go to the planet's surface (when and if necessary), and Rayzor agreed to supply them each with a special shielding device to ensure their Lion's safety when passing through the barrier or when flying through the weaponized atmosphere.

"The Council, however, would see no reason to supply one of the devices to the Castle," Rayzor said. "I believe that they will consider granting five devices is an adequate show of faith."

Pidge snorted then, and Allura glanced over at her. "Nothing," Pidge said. "Sorry. Please continue."

Rayzor's eyes narrowed for an instant before he resumed. "The Council also will most likely demand that you destroy those devices if it the capture of a Lion or its pilot by the Galra is imminent. If that is not done, the safely of our planet - our people - will be at risk."

A muscle in Shiro's jaw twitched, but he exchanged a nod with Allura before she answered. "We understand."

Rayzor nodded once, briefly, and then rose from the table. "Then we have nothing further to discuss. I will bring the shielding devices to you within the next few days. Princess. Paladins."

They nodded back to him, swift, short movements that clearly conveyed their dislike and relief to be finished with the conversation.

Coran rose then, and together, he and Rayzor left the room. As they left, Rayzor heard the Blue Paladin get up from his chair and say something like "Well, thank God that's over," and then the shortest one was agreeing with him. "I've had wisdom teeth extraction that was more pleasant-"

But then they were out of earshot, and Rayzor turned his attention back to Coran.

"You...care for them," he said. Coran looked back at him, and although he said nothing, his eyes were hard and cold.

"Yes." the Altean answered. "Of course I do."

They walked in silence for a moment more. Then Rayzor said, "I'll admit - I didn't expect your - kind - to accept a - "

Coran stopped in the hall then, turned to face Razyor, and said, in a deadly calm and quiet voice, "-a Galra pilot?"

Rayzor felt the anger radiating off of Coran. "Well…Yes." He said, deciding it was better to answer briefly and honestly. "How-"

"Oh, it was easy, really," Coran said, cutting him off, and his voice was controlled fury itself. Rayzor could tell it was fury aimed directly at him. "We looked past the unimportant things and saw what really mattered."

Rayzor blinked at him. "You can't be serious."

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Coran asked, and he certainly did not. His eyes were smoldering fire, his face set and serious.

Rayzor felt his lips curl into a half-smirk then, but strangely enough, it wasn't a contemptuous one. Merely resigned.

"You puzzle me," he said.

"And you puzzle me," Coran said. Then he turned on his heel and resumed his pace down the hallway, and after a moment, Rayzor followed him once more.

"I am sorry about your brother," Coran said as they reached Rayzor's ship. He saw the Proselyt turn to face him, his already stiff posture going, if at all possible, even stiffer.

"Yes," Rayzor answered. "I'm sure you are-"

He paused for a moment, seeming to struggle against something bitter, but continued. "- but - thank you." He paused for another instant before continuing. "I am also sorry - for your loss. I wish that had not occurred."

"Thank you," Coran said.

They stood for a second, staring at each other.

Then, in a abrupt but genuine manner, Coran made a proper bow of goodbye. Rayzor returned it, stiffly, but at least it was returned.

As the shuttle left the airlock and returned to the planet beneath, Coran let out a breath of relief.

Well, thank the stars that was over.

But now at least they had a military ally against Zarkon.

That was something.

Of course, the side effects from the mental connection would be…unpleasant.

Coran sighed to himself as headed back to where the Princess and the Paladins waited for him.

He had a feeling he would see Sendak kill Rayzor's brother in his nightmares tonight. It was not a thought he relished.

His usual nightmares were bad enough.