So! This work! It's a follow-up/sequel to one of my previous stories, cosmic dust, and you probably should read that before reading this one, otherwise there's definitely going to be stuff that won't make sense. (I say, like cosmic dust isn't thirty-five chapters long, lol.) Anyways, I had planned to just write this as a straight oneshot, but as I wrote, I realized that splitting it up into two parts would make more sense, and so here I am with part one! Part two will be forthcoming, so stay tuned for that!

As always, thanks for reading, and until next time!

so a princess and a pirate walk into a black market auction

part one

"Allura, you need to see this."

Allura could only blink, having not quite expected Pidge to storm the bridge and shove her computing device right in her face. She was holding the screen so close that she could barely even make out what it was that she wanted her to see in the first place.

"Pidge, I don't think she can see anything with your laptop shoved into her face like that." Keith pointed out, barely even sparing them a glance. He likely didn't need to, to know what she was doing- they had been partners in (quite literal) crime for some time and shared a deep bond as the arms of Voltron.

"Oops." Pidge said, pulling her laptop away from her face. "Guess I just got a little overexcited."

"Did you find a lead on your father?" Shiro asked, glancing back towards them from his post at the front of the bridge. He had been adjusting to life on the Castle well, and there seemed to be no obvious ill effects from his time as Haggar's Champion- nothing that made him a danger, at any rate.

Unfortunately, there wasn't much she could do about nightmares.

It was just the three of them on the bridge at the moment- or four, now that Pidge had joined them. Lance wasn't one to spend his spare time on the bridge, and Coran had recruited both Matt and Hunk to help with general repairs. Now that the Castle was in frequent use, they kept finding new things to fix, which hardly came as much of a surprise- however well constructed, it was still over ten thousand years old. It was bound to have suffered a bit after centuries of neglect.

Thace had actually been here too, up until a few doboshes ago, when he had left to send his regular report to his superior in the Blade. Ulaz had briefly returned to the Castle a quintant or so after leaving to report back, but all he had been able to tell them was that he'd been given orders to tell Thace to stay. Whoever it was that was in charge of the Blade of Marmora, they didn't seem inclined to trust outsiders.

It was frustrating, but she knew there wasn't much she could do but wait. Ulaz was positive that with time, they would come around. Until then, they had other allies- Te-Osh and her band of rebels had proven instrumental in helping them acquire the supplies they needed, and kept them frequently informed of Galran activity.

"I wish." Pidge said. "But I did find something that might interest Allura- and maybe even help Keith."

That Keith did perk up at, though he tried not to make it too obvious. While it had only been a mere two movements since the paladins had been able to successfully form Voltron for the first time, but she'd spent those two movements going over what data they had on Keith until she'd memorized nearly every word of it. Unfortunately, not only was the data incomplete, there also simply wasn't much she could do. Her abilities as an alchemist were limited, and a half-hearted attempt might only make things worse than they already were.

She wished it were as simple as removing the tainted Balmeran crystal from his heart, but it was not. Haggar had truly done a number on him- not only was it so deeply fused with his heart that removal was impossible, it would likely kill him should she even try.

"So?" Allura asked. "What did you find?"

"I've been keeping tabs on the black market for awhile now, and I found something that looks almost Altean." Pidge told her. "I mean, I don't know if it would be useful or not, but I figured I should probably show you."

"Altean?" Allura asked, narrowing her eyes. "Show me."

Pidge nodded, holding the laptop a bit closer- though thankfully not in her face this time. Studying the image onscreen, Allura took a few ticks to place it- the image was grainy, and frankly not the best quality. It looked as if whoever had taken the picture didn't have permission to be there, and so they had done so in a hurry. Still, she did recognize the item in question.

"It's a memory orb."

"A memory what?" Keith asked.

"A memory orb." Allura repeated. "It was used on Altea to store vast quantities of information on various subjects."

"Like a book?" Shiro asked, making his way towards them.

"What is a book?" Allura asked.

"You know what, it doesn't matter." Pidge said. "Do you think you could use this memory orb thing to help Keith?"

"I can't say for certain one way or another." Allura frowned. "I'd have to know what was on it."

"Any chance you could find that out, Pidge?" Shiro asked, peeking at the screen himself.

Pidge just snorted. "Not likely. I don't even think these guys know what they're selling, other than the fact that its Altean."

"Can I see that?" Keith asked, getting up from his chair, pausing to crack the joints in his neck as he did so. It was to her understanding that was a human trait- she'd caught Lance and Pidge doing much the same with their fingers. It always sounded so unpleasant, a reminder of how alien her paladins still were to her.

Though she supposed to them, she was the alien.

"Sure." Pidge said, passing her laptop over to Keith. He scanned it carefully, the edges of his lips tugging downwards.

"Pidge, this isn't just a black market good." Keith said. "It's a black market auction good."

"Auction?" Allura blinked. "What do you mean, auction?"

"Did they not have auctions on Altea either?" Keith asked, his gaze briefly flicking her way. The bags underneath his eyes had gotten slightly less severe thanks to the device Coran had given him, but while it helped, there was still no true substitute for actual sleep.

"They did." Allura said, a tight frown on her face. She wasn't sure she liked the idea of a piece of her people's history being auctioned off to the highest bidder. "Only I can't imagine why anyone would want to auction off a memory orb, of all things. I was under the impression that barely anyone can even read Altean these days."

"Like I said, they probably don't know what it is." Pidge shrugged. "Altean goods are a rare commodity in the black market. They crop up every now and again in underground auctions like this one and always fetch a high price. Doesn't matter what they actually are."

Allura's frown only deepened. While part of her was glad that there were apparently pieces of her people's history that had survived the destruction of Altea, the thought that there were people out there who collected it disgusted her to no end. Her people deserved more than to be reduced to merely being a source of interesting relics from the past.

"How exactly do these black market auctions work?" Shiro asked. "I feel like I've heard of them before, but it's still pretty fuzzy in places."

Keith's gaze briefly flicked in Shiro's direction, a sympathetic look flashing through his eyes. Shiro's memories from his time as Haggar's Champion had proven useful in helping them steer clear of any Galra outposts until they managed to find their footing, but she knew how badly they haunted him. Even if he hadn't been in control of his actions, he'd still done terrible things in the name of the Galra Empire, and that wasn't something he could forgive himself for.

"Typically they hold them on private ships." Keith said. "Invitation only."

"You used a code to get into the black market when we went." Allura said. "Is it anything like that?"

Keith shook his head. "This is more of a fancy rich people thing."

"A fancy morally bankrupt rich people thing." Pidge said.

"Yeah?" Keith frowned, staring at her strangely. "That's what I said?"

Pidge just shrugged. "Fair enough."

"Back to the subject of the auction," Shiro began, "-how does one go about getting an invitation?"

Keith turned his gaze towards Shiro, his frown deepening. "You can't be thinking of going? We don't even know if it'll help."

Shiro just shrugged. "It can't hurt. Better to put it in Allura's hands than let some greedy collector have it."

"Well, yeah, but..." Keith trailed off, his lips twisting into a frown. "Not everyone there is exactly friendly to the rebels. Most of them make their money off the war."

Allura's expression darkened. "In that case, I would very much like to ensure the memory orb falls into the right hands."

"Yeah, I thought you would have been excited for another chance at piracy." Pidge said. "Nothing like robbing a sketchy black market auction ship to get back into the thick of things."

Shiro frowned in mild disapproval. "I don't know if we need to resort to piracy just yet, Pidge."

"Shiro's right." Allura said. "If this is an auction, all we need to do is outbid any other interested parties."

"And waste most of our GAC on one big ticket purchase?" Keith asked, arching a brow.

"Keith's got a point." Pidge said. "We've still got a bunch of stolen Galra goods we could sell for more, but we're both pretty hot right now. I'm not sure anyone's going to want to buy from us for awhile. We need to preserve the GAC we have for when we really need it."

Shiro just sighed. "I hate to admit it, but that is a good point. Still, I don't know if the paladins of Voltron should really be robbing ships, even if they are full of illegally gained goods. It's not exactly a great look."

"It doesn't have to be the paladins." Pidge said. "Keith and I can handle it."

"Actually," Allura interjected, "-I would like to go with you. If there's one Altean artifact, there may be more. I would like to ensure that none of them fall into the wrong hands."

"And I don't like the idea of the three of you going alone." Shiro added.

Pidge and Keith exchanged a glance, before the latter shrugged. "I mean... I guess that makes sense. But like I said, a lot of these people are pretty friendly to the Galra Empire. We shouldn't exactly expect a warm welcome."

Pidge just snorted. "Since when have we ever gotten a warm welcome?"

Keith just rolled his eyes, a curious behavioral tic that must have been leftover from when he looked more human. "You know what I mean. We're not exactly unrecognizable."

"In that case," Allura said, a slightly sly smile gracing her lips, "-we shall just have to disguise ourselves."

"Princess, are you sure about this?"

"I'm sure, Coran." Allura gave the man a smile. "I cannot simply stand by while a piece of our planet is sold off to the highest bidder. With any luck, it may even contain alchemical knowledge that we need to help Keith."

And bring her a little closer to her father, she couldn't help but think.

Coran just heaved a sigh, knowing better than to argue with her. "Promise me you'll at least be careful. This auction ship sounds like a dangerous place."

"I'll be just fine, Coran." Allura assured him. "And how dangerous can it be? Weapons aren't even allowed on the ship."

At least, according to what Pidge and Keith had told her, that was one of the rules. Although the pair seemed to deal almost exclusively in the more traditional black markets, as opposed to the auctions, they still knew a fair bit about the auction ships. Apparently they'd tossed around raiding one a few times before, but had decided against it- the normal smash and grab methods that they had perfected against Galra cruisers wouldn't necessarily translate as well to ships specifically designed to deter theft. They would have to think a bit more creatively if they were going to meet their objective.

Fortunately, thanks to Pidge, it didn't seem as if they would have any trouble in actually getting onboard. Not only had she been able to locate the flight path of the auction ship in question, as well as when and where said auction would actually take place, she had also been able to get into the ship's first layer of security- not enough to get any real information about the ship or the items up for auction, but more than enough to add their names to the guest list. Not their real names of course- Pidge had come up with aliases- but it would at least get their foot in the door.

(Although... she did have to question her choice in aliases. Akira was fine, but Fala? Who in the world was named Fala?)

From the sound of it, the auction was a masquerade type affair, which worked conveniently in their favor. She wouldn't even need to try and hide her Altean marks.

"Oh, you shouldn't underestimate these places." Coran wagged a finger. "A few existed in your father's day, and they were never good news."

"Well, if anything does go wrong, I'll have the Voltron paladins to come to my rescue." Allura said with a slight smile. "Besides, Keith will be with me."

It had taken considerable back and forth, but in the end, it was decided that the two of them would be the only ones to actually board the ship. Shiro's arm simply made him too recognizable, and Pidge's task could be done remotely. While it was true that getting past anything beyond the ship's first layer of security would require physically being on the ship, the real thing that mattered was having an access point- and in this case, her earrings would more than suffice. Using them, Pidge would be able to link into the auction ship's systems, get past security, and gather all the data they needed to make their mission a success.

There were other reasons of course, but in the end it had really come down to who would be best suited for an environment in which weapons were not allowed. She, of course, had her Altean strength. And despite Keith's habit of concealing knives nearly everywhere he could on his person, he was also quite strong, thanks in equal part to his Galran blood and Haggar's experimentation.

There was, of course, his ability to drain quintessence, but with any luck they wouldn't have to use it. She had been attempting to teach him how to better control it, but thus far they hadn't had much success. Fortunately, it would seem that his bond with the red lion helped keep it under control, making it unlikely to ever become a problem.

As for Hunk and Lance, they would be on standby in their lions, just in case things went significantly wrong. She didn't expect them to, however- it was hardly as if they were going into this without a plan.

So long as they stuck to it, everything should go just fine.

"Now," Allura said, turning towards her wardrobe with a slight frown, "-help me find something that doesn't scream Altean."

"Keith, I know I can't talk you out of this-"

"Then don't."

Keith winced, his reply coming out a lot more snappish than he'd intended. Glancing apologetically towards Shiro, he dialed it back a little. The last thing he wanted was to get into a fight with his brother so soon after they had been reunited.

"Sorry." He apologized. "But I can handle this."

"And I don't doubt you can." Shiro said, looking unbothered by his earlier sharp remark. "But you're my brother, and I worry about you."

"Thanks." Keith smiled, trying to pretend like his heart hadn't leaped at the statement. "But seriously. I've got this."

Shiro just huffed, reaching out to ruffle his hair with his still human hand. He just barely ducked out of the way in time, defending the top of his head with his hands. "Shiro! I didn't sit through twenty minutes of Lance complaining to have you mess up my hair!"

Shiro just snorted, but still withdrew his hand, holding them both up as if in surrender. "I'm just amazed you even let him touch it."

"Well, it was either Lance or Coran." Keith said, checking to make sure the braids Lance had twined into his hair hadn't been disturbed. "And I've seen Coran's interpretation of food. I'm not sure I want to find out firsthand what Altean hairstyles are like."

He still felt a little silly about it, but combined with a mask and some quick set, easy to wash out purple hair coloring, it would suffice as a disguise. He'd be acting as Allura's bodyguard- the hired help, in other words- so he doubted anyone would spare so much as a second glance at him. There were plenty of half-Galra who sold their services as mercenaries and bodyguards, he'd just get passed off as one of their number.

In any case, it was way easier than trying to pass him off as nobility.

"Solid point." Shiro said. "So, think you can handle around being a bunch of rich people?"

Keith made a face. "As long as I get to steal from them, I'll be just fine."

"I should probably scold you for that," Shiro shrugged, "- but I feel like the damage has already been done."

"Once a pirate, always a pirate." Keith grinned.

"I still can't believe you became a space pirate." Shiro pretended to scold, but his slight laugh gave him away. "How am I supposed to explain that to our parents?"

"You mean your parents." Keith said, a slight frown touching the edge of his lips. He'd always viewed Shiro as his brother, but he'd never quite known where he stood with his actual parents- he'd never gotten the chance to know them that well before he'd started living at the Garrison. He knew it was Shiro's idea for them to foster him in the first place, and that they'd agreed to it, but he'd never known if they actually viewed him as one of their own or not.

He guessed he might never know.

"Besides," Keith said, quickly changing the topic, "-I think you'll have your hands full just trying to explain your arm."

Shiro glanced down at it, balling his right hand into a fist. "Also a solid point."

Keith opened his mouth to ask how he was handling it, but didn't get the chance before the doors to the green lion's hangar opened, admitting Pidge and Matt. Quickly shutting his mouth, he ducked his head, looking away. It had been two weeks since Shiro had been freed from Haggar's clutches, but they still hadn't had a real talk about what either of them had suffered at her hands.

He just... wasn't ready for it.

"Are we interrupting something?" Matt asked, glancing between the two.

"No." Keith said quickly. "Are we ready to go?"

"As soon as Allura gets here, yeah." Pidge said, looking around with a slight frown. "Where is she?"

"Probably still getting ready." Keith shrugged.

"I'm sure she'll be here soon." Shiro said. "It probably takes her a little longer."

"I mean, she is a princess." Matt said with a shrug.

"What does being a princess have to do with anything?" Keith asked with a frown.

"Yes, Matt," Allura's voice chimed in from just beyond them, "-I would love to know the answer to that as well."

Matt flinched, whirling on his heel to face Allura. Just like she had on Earth, she'd used her chameleon-like ability to change the color of her hair, now a rich shade of brown and worn in a single braid. She wore a dress that kind of reminded him of the color of pine needles, and for a moment, his thoughts were elsewhere, back on the camping trip his dad had taken him on just before he'd started school. They'd gone to a forest campsite, and...

He shook the memory away. Even after all this time, thinking about his dad was still too painful for him. He'd never had the time to actually process the grief he felt over his death, too busy just trying to survive- when it wasn't an abusive foster home, it was the clutches of an evil space witch. He wondered what he'd think of him and the path he'd chosen to take.

He hoped he'd be proud of him becoming a paladin, at least.

Allura caught him looking. "Do you like it? I wore it to the bonding ceremony of Trigel's niece. We had to make a few quick adjustments to make it fit, but at the very least, it doesn't scream Altean."

"It's... fine?" Keith just shrugged. "I don't exactly know that much about fashion."

If Lance were here, he'd probably take the time to point out just how obvious that was. He was still sort of having trouble getting along with the blue paladin, despite his best efforts. It didn't keep them from working together, but he'd like a little something more from their working relationship than just barely tolerating each other. He didn't get it- he was getting along pretty well with Hunk, so why was he having such a tough time befriending Lance?

Then again, he had agreed to help them, but that might have just been for Allura's sake. He did spend the entire time whining about the fact that it wasn't him who was going with her.

"I'm just amazed you got Keith to part from that jacket." Pidge observed, glancing over towards Shiro. "He's had that thing since he crash landed on Earth."

"Hey," Keith frowned, shooting Pidge a look, "-I like that jacket."

"Paladins." Allura cleared her throat, before glancing towards Shiro. "I trust there were no issues in arranging things?"

"I got everything you requested ready for you in the green lion's cargo hold. Thace was more than happy to help." Shiro said, before glancing at Pidge. "Are you sure this will work?"

"I mean, it should." Pidge shrugged. "I've tested the cloaking dozens of times, so I don't see any reason why it shouldn't. And it's not like we have any ships lying around that scream rich intergalactic heiress. Sneaking them aboard the ship using the green lion is our best option."

"Shiro's just worried about his baby brother." Matt teased.

"I mean, it's kind of my job." Shiro shrugged.

Keith just snorted. He wasn't even going to say anything against it, not when he was this glad to be reunited with Shiro again after so long. And to think, he'd actually been afraid of what he would think of him now that he looked so Galra- he should have listened to Matt and Pidge, and realized that there had never been anything to worry about.

He'd never been happier to be wrong about something.

Pidge was clearly thinking the same thing, because she caught his eye, giving him a nudge. He just rolled his eyes, huffing slightly. Just because she was right, didn't give her the right to rub it in.

"In that case, we should make haste." Allura said. "We only have a small window of opportunity in which to get onboard, and I do not want to miss it."

"Just remember, if anything goes wrong, you have a direct link to me and Pidge, but be careful regardless." Shiro said. "And try not to attract attention."

Keith just grinned. "Since when have I ever attracted attention?"

Shiro just arched a brow, but decided- wisely- not to say anything in response.

"Nervous?"

Allura glanced over towards Keith, frowning slightly at his tone. "This is hardly my first time jumping out of a moving ship."

Keith just arched a brow, more amused than anything else. "Doesn't exactly sound like something your average princess does regularly."

"Well we can't all be space pirates." Allura said.

"Funny," a faint grin touched Keith's lips, "-because I'm pretty sure what we're about to do is the very definition of space piracy."

Allura just huffed, forced to admit he had a point. "All we need to do is go after whoever wins the bid on the memory orb and take it from them. I'd say that's more like a mugging than anything actually resembling piracy."

Still a crime, she supposed, but a lesser one. That orb belonged to the Altean people anyways- it was her right to restore it to them, even if that only amounted to her and Coran now.

"Eh," Keith shrugged, "-close enough."

In spite of herself, Allura let a faint smile tug at the edge of her lips. She wondered what her father would think if she saw her now- before she decided he would likely approve. He'd always been something of an eccentric, at times hardly acting like the king and diplomat he actually was, even well into his old age. According to both Coran and her mother, he'd been even wilder in his youth, but had mellowed out somewhat with age, especially once he had taken the throne.

She wished he was here. Mother, too. She missed them both dearly.

"Alright," Pidge's voice came over the coms, "-we're about to reach the drop point. Cloaking is active so they won't be able to see us, but all bets are off once you jump."

"Let's just hope the two of us are small enough that we pass for space debris." Keith remarked, grimacing at the thought of what would surely happen if they didn't.

Allura nodded, double checking her helmet to confirm that it was securely in place. It had been awhile since she had used one of the bulkier pressure suits they had in the Castle's stores- they weren't exactly comfortable, but they were perfect for wearing over almost any type of clothing. Plus, unlike the one she typically wore, these had jet packs installed- which thanks to Thace, had been given an extra boost, enough to ensure that they would be able to make it to their target without any issues.

Of course, that was only so long as they remained undetected.

"Let's hope."

Thankfully, she needn't have worried.

They made it onto the ship just fine, slipping into an unused corridor using the cracking tool that Thace had provided them with. Apparently the Blades used it to sneak aboard Galra cruisers, but it worked just fine on the very non-Galra ship. Although she hadn't gotten much of a chance to study the actual auction ship itself before they'd landed on it, she'd seen enough to tell that it was needlessly luxurious.

The inside of the ship only served to confirm that notion.

"Wow," Keith said, crinkling his nose, "-I hate it."

She had to concur. Much like the Castle, the walls of the auction ship were a stark white- but unlike the Castle, the trim was done in a much more ornate fashion, making use of a glistening golden metal that had to be worth a small fortune just on its own. The doors were adorned with intricate patterns of the same metal, and she was positive that there were real gemstones thrown into the mix as well.

And this was just an empty hallway. She couldn't even begin to imagine what the rest of the ship looked like.

"This is why I hate rich people." Keith muttered underneath his breath, and then, louder, "Pidge?"

"Just give me a few ticks." Pidge said. "And... okay. I'm in."

Removing her helmet, Allura let out a long breath. "Glad to hear it. Can you find us a place to store our suits?"

"First door on your left." Pidge said. "Looks like some kind of storage closet."

"Copy that." Keith said, tugging off his own helmet, already starting to shed the pressure suit. "Just glad to get this stupid thing off."

Allura cracked a smile, opening the door to the storage closet. It was strange to think there was a time when she had been wary of Keith. To be fair, it had mostly been due to the fact that his quintessence was so... odd, that she'd found it difficult to be fully comfortable in his presence, but now that she knew the reason for that, it had become much simpler. The reason was horrid, of course- but that was hardly Keith's fault, just as it was hardly Shiro's fault that Haggar had broken him and remade him into the Champion.

Neither of them had wanted it. It was done to them.

She paused to check and make sure that her hair and clothes had survived the trip, before she turned back towards Keith. He had less to worry about in terms of clothes- the hastily altered armor he wore was difficult to mess up, after all. It pained her to see any traces of its connection to Altea stripped from it, but she'd rather avoid exposing herself as Altean. Pidge and Keith were adamant that people here were no allies of the rebellion, and they would know best. She didn't want to risk putting them all in danger for her own selfish desires.

Which was, ultimately, what this all boiled down to.

"Ready?" Allura asked.

"As I'll ever be." Keith huffed. "Do you have the masks?"

"Right here." Allura said, producing them from one of her sleeves. Keith just arched a brow, before taking the less ornate one, though both were actually rather plain. Coran had designed them in a hurry, after all. They were both half masks, only meant to cover the upper half of their face, held in place by a single string.

"Well," Keith said, tugging it on over his head, "-let's get this over with."

"Not very enthusiastic, are you?" Allura asked. "I would have thought you would have been more excited."

Though whether she meant that as him being excited to have a chance to engage in piracy again, or over the prospect of retrieving something that might help undo the damage Haggar had done to him, she couldn't say. While she had gotten to know Keith a fair bit better, he wasn't always the easiest person to read. She'd yet to pick up the knack for it that both Pidge and Shiro possessed- but then again, she supposed they had also known him for quite some time. She, on the other hand, had only known him for little over a phoeb.

"I just don't like these kinds of places." Keith said with a frown.

Fair enough, she supposed. She'd seen Keith's childhood home in the desert, or at least, what remained of it. He likely hadn't grown up with much.

"Just follow my lead, and we will be just fine." Allura spared him a smile. "Besides, if all goes according to plan, you will get to," she paused, trying to recall the Earthling phrase Pidge had used, "-beat up at least one of them."

Keith snorted, finally cracking a smile. "Now that sounds like more fun."

Pidge's work, as always, proved flawless.

There were no complications getting into the actual auction hall- barely anyone spared them so much as a second glance. At most, Keith had been given a cursory check for weapons, but once it was established that he didn't have any on his person, they allowed them into the hall without any further fuss. Her earrings didn't even get so much as a single glance.

They still opted to take a seat in the back, towards the doors, just in case, but it didn't appear as if there would be any issues. It also had the added benefit of allowing them to see everyone in the hall. Both she and Keith did a quick scan of the crowd, mentally mapping out everyone's positions. Thankfully, the auction wasn't a silent one, which would mean they would be able to keep track of who won what. Granted, even if it were a silent auction, Pidge had a contingency plan for that, especially now that she was in control of the auction ship's systems.

Theoretically, they could have simply cut off the ship's engines and shut down the security, but she'd opted for a plan that was a little more... well, low key than that. With Pidge and Keith's reputations, it would be inevitable that Voltron would at least be somewhat associated with space piracy, but it wasn't exactly an image she wanted to actively encourage.

The paladins were supposed to be a symbol of hope, and unfortunately, that wasn't quite the image that space pirates manifested, even ones who stole exclusively from the Galra. Not that there was anything wrong with Keith and Pidge being former pirates. It was just... others might not see it that way.

But that was an issue for another time.

Turning her attention towards the stage, Allura set her lips in a thin line. The longer she spent here, the more she understood why Keith didn't like it. Everywhere she looked, there were ostentatious display of wealth- be it in the auction ship's decor, or in the very clothing and accessories the bidders wore. When compared to the state of the rest of the universe, the sight of this much visible wealth in one place made her stomach turn.

True, she liked sparkly things herself, and as a princess, she was accustomed to living a life of privilege- but the idea of making oneself richer while the rest of the universe suffered did not sit well with her.

"You okay?"

"Yes." Sparing Keith a glance, Allura merely frowned. "I just think I understand your disdain somewhat better now."

Keith didn't say anything to that, just turned back to the stage. She turned her gaze back towards it too, waiting with baited breath for the auction to finally begin.

Thankfully, it started quickly. She kept her attention on the stage, waiting for the memory orb to be brought out. Every now and again she raised the card she had been given, so that it didn't look suspicious that she was placing no bids, but she never seriously angled for anything. Some of the items on display churned her stomach- though they weren't Altean, she still recognized a few of them as being relics sacred to other cultures she'd known growing up, all of which had presumably been since conquered by the Galra.

And these people were just bidding on them like it was nothing.

She wished they could just take all of it and return them to their rightful people- but she knew reasonably that they couldn't- not yet. It only gave her more drive to ensure Voltron's success- she might not be a paladin, but as the only one who could fly the Castle, she could contribute in her own way. They would have to begin freeing planets and taking out Galra outposts sooner rather than later if this was the condition of the universe.

And these were just items. She couldn't imagine how many actual lives the Galra Empire's greed had stolen.

"Now, ladies and gentleman, we have something truly special for you all."

Allura felt herself tense. She didn't need Pidge's whispered comment that the memory orb was up on the auction block next- she could see that much for herself.

There it sat, carried out on a velvet pillow. She had seen them countless times, dealt with them countless times- there were even several in the Castle, though none of them contained the knowledge that she sought. She didn't understand why her father hadn't left her one- unless he had, and it had been stored with her cryopod instead of the Castle.

In that case, it might have very well fallen into the hands of the Empire.

She tried not to think about that, instead focusing on the task at hand. Her gaze scanned the auction hall, and she caught Keith doing very much the same- before they caught each others eye. He jerked his head to the left. She nodded, motioning towards the right with her own, and they each looked in their own self-selected direction, all while keeping an eye on the center row in which they sat. She didn't want to miss the winning bidder.

She listened to the auctioneer prattle on a bunch of nonsense about the memory orb, making it transparently clear he didn't know what it was. Then finally, the bidding began. Just like Pidge had said, it appeared that the orb's Altean origins made it a desired commodity, but the herd quickly thinned out until it was down to just two bidders- a blue-skinned woman with horns, and a rather square gentleman whose build was large enough that he didn't quite fit in his seat. They were both determined to obtain the orb, but in the end, the man simply had the more money.

"Guess that's our mark." Keith muttered underneath his breath, the edge of a smirk gracing his lips.

"So it would seem." Allura said, taking in the size of the man. He wouldn't be an easy opponent to defeat, but between the two of them, she was almost positive they could manage it. She had been well trained, and while Keith wasn't necessarily trained, he fought with all the ferocity one might expect from one of Galra lineage.

"Looks like there's only two or three more items to go." Pidge's whispered over the coms. "It should be over so-"

Pidge cut herself short, her breath audibly hitching in her throat. Before Allura even had the chance to inquire, the answer presented itself. By her side, she could feel Keith tense.

"We have another rare item on the auction block tonight, ladies and gentleman." The auctioneer announced. "The item in question comes from a remote, primitive planet at the edge of space- but don't let that fool you. The workmanship is not to be underestimated."

The item was small enough that a blown up image had to be used in order to properly show it to the would-be bidders. It was a simple gold band, etched with a pattern of stars and vines, a glittering green stone set in the center that she knew for a fact was called an emerald.

She knew, because she'd seen one just like it on Colleen Holt's ring finger. It was part of a matching pair. A wedding ring.

"That," Pidge said slowly, her voice caught somewhere between horror and fury, before settling on the latter, "-belongs to my father."