Chapter Text
“Being a hero doesn’t mean you’re invincible. It just means that you’re brave enough to stand up and do what’s needed.”
-Piper McLean in The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan
The members of the Castle were crowded in the training room, waiting their turns for the training floor. Shiro, Keith, and Lance battled on the floor while Pidge and Hunk stood by fiddling with their computers and electronic pads. Coran stood over the two of them, goading them into watching the fight, ‘to learn by observation’, but they were far too invested in their own banter to pay him or the training any mind. Allura stood next to her father, dutifully typing notes for their own strategy meetings later.
Dummy robots with shock blasters closed in on the three training Paladins. The Black and Red Paladins seemed to grasp the notion that this was a group activity, whereas Lance was trying to shoot as many as possible in the shortest amount of time.
A bolt screamed through the air. Shiro threw up his arm and the bolt rippled up his forearm and into his human skin. Allura saw the pain flash in his eyes, but she also saw the way his jaw locked and he his hands curl into fists. He did not make a sound. Allura clutched her electronic pad close to her chest. She thought of the amount of times she had sparred with these very droids, and how she had ran into her father’s waiting arms after one blow. Instead, Shiro pushed himself off the floor with his skin and bone hand and charged the droid.
Keith was faster. The droid had its scope trained on Shiro, and the glowing purple punch coming from him. Keith ducked under Shiro’s outstretched arm and ran his sword through the torso of the droid. Sparks and wires tumbled out as the light flickered out of its eyes. Keith was still in motion when he stabbed the robot, he had slid on his knees around the robot, ripping his sword free and in the process tearing open its side. The robot made a horrible shuttering noise as it collapsed.
Keith hopped up; there was a hint of a smirk on his face. Shiro did not thank him or even acknowledge what Keith had done for him. Instead, he only said: “Six,”. Without looking, Keith stabbed backwards and and skewered another droid.
“Thanks,” Keith said, and then he and Shiro fell back to back to take on the remaining robots.
Typical Black and Red Paladins. Allura thought, she looked to Coran to see if he might agree with her. Coran looked like he had seen a pair of ghosts. She dropped the thought and turned her attention back to the fight.
Not to be out done by Keith, Lance was putting on more of a show than usual. He was firing his rifle so fast, he gave himself no time to aim. Either he was more skilled than Allura thought, or he was favored by Gwynn because most of his bolts hit their target. The ones that didn’t, Lance would charge, dodging their shots and getting close enough to hit them with the butt of his rifle- stunning them before shooting again. Of course, with every shot Lance blurted a little quip as if to gloat at a soulless robot.
“How do you like that?”
“Should’ve tried harder!”
“KAPOW!”
His opponents never answered.
Shiro grabbed the last robot on the floor with his metal hand. He lifted it with enough force that its feet left the ground. The robot swung its blaster around without a clear target, Keith held his sword up, ready to parry a blast, and Lance trained his aim on the droid. The droid sent out a frenzied beep, but was not able to do anything else as Shiro crushed its neck like a tin can. The crack echoed through the training room. Shiro dropped the robot and it laid unmoving on he floor.
“Who’s next?” Shiro said.
The tempo of the mock-battle slowed as the Paladins looked around in vain for another droid to fight. Those who were still activated crawled towards the three Paladins, but in their sorry state they would not be doing much.
“All right!” Lance cried, hefting his rifle onto his shoulder. He flashed the widest grin, and if he was not completely infuriating Allura would have deemed him cute. “Let’s get some more out here! Bring ‘em on!”
“I admire your attitude, Blue Paladin, however we do not have enough dummies at full charge to go another round. Besides, the Green and Yellow Paladins need to try their hands at battle.” King Alfor said.
“I’d rather not,” Hunk whispered to Pidge, thinking no one could hear him. Pidge snickered.
“So, what are we supposed to do now?” Lance whined.
“Fight each other?” Coran suggested.
Lance’s lips curled as he shot a glance at Keith. “Care for a dual, Kogane?”
Keith scoffed. “Not in a million years.”
“I’ll fight you in a second, Lance.” Shiro sighed. He took up a boxer’s stance and quirked his eyebrows up at Keith. “For now, though,” Keith grinned and readjusted his grip on his sword.
Allura stepped forward right as Lance began to fiddle with the controls on his gun. “What we need is more power.” She said with enough conviction in her voice to make even Lance stop and look at her.
Hunk waved his hand and a screen appeared. He nudged Pidge with his elbow and showed him the screen. They had only been Paladins for barely two moon phases, yet they moved about the Castle like they had lived there their whole lives.
“With the solar panels, our power output matches all our current needs in the Castle, Princess.” Pidge said. “Granted, we do have down time on…stuff like this that requires large amounts of energy.”
Allura could not help the smile curling on her lip. “Yes. As a castle.” Across the training room, Coran’s eyes sparkled. His mustache twitched with his own smile.
Shiro blocked Keith’s sword, his metal arm glowing purple. “You say it like the Castle isn’t just a Castle.” Shiro said, still looking at Keith.
A stun blaster bolt fired from across the room. Shiro ducked and Keith threw up his sword. It absorbed the bolt and his sword crackled blue.
“Watch your back, Captain.” Lance chided Shiro.
“Dirty move, Lance.” Keith sneered.
Shiro waved him off. “Now that we are not trying to kill each other,” he said pointedly, “What are you talking about, Princess?”
Allura’s father had appeared to her in the early hours of the morning. He should have said: “We’ve done it! We got the engines up and running! Come see!”
Instead the hologram with her father’s voice said: “Allura, the Castle’s ship engines are back online. All that is required now is a power source.”
Allura had rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and pulled her robe tight around her. “Would you show them to me?” She had asked. She would ask it of her father. She would ask it of a hologram.
The hologram had processed her words. “It is not in my programming to deny you anything.”
That was her father.
“Care to enlighten them?” King Alfor asked, snapping Allura out of her day dream.
“O-of course.” Allura said. She turned to the Paladins and Coran. “It would be easier to show you. Follow me to the command room.”
King Alfor was waiting for them in the command room, schematics of the engines already floating in the center of the room for all to see. Pidge readjusted his glasses as soon as he laid eyes on the projection.
“This Castle has many forms of energy generation and storage, however some of the Castle’s actions drain stores faster than they can be replenished. Thus we need to find a suitable power source if we are to activate our engines.” King Alfor explained.
“What kind of source? And why does a Castle need ship engines?” Pidge asked.
King Alfor looked to Coran and the royal advisor stepped up, proud as punch. “Because the Castle is a ship.”
Hunk ran to the window and looked down at the structure. “There’s no way!” he breathed. “Then again, we do have magical, flying lions.” Allura smiled as the Paladins sucked in a breath and looked at each other.
The panoramic views of the command room were as beautiful as they always were. A thousand years or ten years it did not make a difference to Allura. Although the Altean civilization had long crumbled into ruin, the planet of Altea still remained. The sunset gleamed on the mountains Allura gazed at during her childhood, the grass waved in the wind, and the birds still sang. The world was still alive.
“Allow me to answer the Green Paladin’s question with a brief history lesson.” King Alfor said. “When the universe was created, it had everything that might ever be: all the chemicals, all the motion, all the heat, and all the power. Power lies in everything in the universe, living and nonliving. It will transfer from one being to the next, to the next in a never ending cycle. This thing that binds us together, this power, is referred to by Altean Alchemists as ‘quintessence’.”
Allura stiffened at the word. “All things have quintessence,” she added quickly, “some more than others.”
“How so?” Shiro asked.
“A blade of grass absorbs energy from the sun. An animal comes along and eats the grass, and thus takes its energy for itself.” Allura explained. “But a hundred blades of grass? Pressed down together under the extreme pressure of rock, heat, and time? That is far more powerful.”
“Alright, so we need to get a lot of coal for the ship to work.” Keith said.
“Or oil.” said Lance.
“Oh, no.” King Alfor said. “There’s no need for something so weak.”
“Then what can power the Castle-ship?” Pidge asked.
Coran’s eyes lit up. “A Balmera crystal.”
“A what?” Hunk asked.
“A crystal taken from the depths of a Balmera.” Allura said. “Like coal or oil, it is a byproduct of when a giant creature called a Balmera eats its meal of choice.”
“Meal of choice?” Keith asked.
“Stardust.” said King Alfor. He waved and a map of the star system flew in the middle of the Paladins with a bright dot at the edge. “Now there happens to be a Balmera in this very system. However, if this one is unsuitable, we can always find another or even track down a Weeblum.”
“A Weeblum?” Keith wondered aloud.
“Don’t ask.” Coran hissed. “Dangerous creatures.”
Keith shrank back.
“As you can imagine, stardust is a rare commodity. A Balmera is even rarer. Thus, Coran or I will go to assist you in an alchemical ceremony in order to ensure the Balmera’s health after crystal extraction.” Allura said. With a press of a button, the holographic map flew away.
Shiro stepped forward. “Will we all need to go?” he asked.
“No. The Yellow Lion will be sufficient enough as it has the most storage.” King Alfor said.
Hunk gulped and Shiro clapped him on the shoulder. “Looks like its time to leave the nest, Hunk.” he said.
“Now, go,” King Alfor said, “Help the Yellow Paladin prepare for his travels.”
The Paladins nodded, swarming Hunk wishing it was them going, but also wishing him luck. Coran dove into the fray telling Hunk all about the Balmera climate. The gaggle of all them whisked Hunk out the door towards the hangar.
“Allura,” King Alfor said, “Hold a moment.”
Allura bristled but stayed. She lowered her gaze. “I will do as you wish, father.”
“I am not your father, merely a recording.”
When the footsteps of of the Paladins and Coran were far in the distance, King Alfor walked around the table. “ ‘Either you or Coran will attend?’”
Allura folded her hands. “Yes.”
“Need I remind you, you are the alchemist here. You are Princess of Altea, trained not only by me, but also by the great Honerva.”
“Yes. But Coran knows the ceremony well. Trust me, he’s regaled me with tales of his many trips with you.”
“Forgive me for speaking ill, but Coran is unskilled.” King Alfor said.
“There ceremony is simple; more will power than anything.” Allura said.
King Alfor sighed. “I know what the Galra did to us, what they did to alchemy-“
“How they perverted it.”
“How they disgraced it.” Alfor said. “But to not use an effective tool as alchemy in the hands of one so skilled? In this battle? It is childish.” Allura’s hands curled into fists. “As your father, I order you to perform the ceremony at the Balmera. You. Not Coran.”
Allura stood from the table, her chair gating along the floor. “I’ll take orders from my father, not his projection.”