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Voltron Legendary Defenders: The White Paladin

        A year after the disappearance of the first team to land on Kerberos...

Six Unlikely People Unite

        "Galaxy Garrison Flight Log 5-11-14. Begin descent to Kerberos for rescue mission," Lance's voice bounced off the ships walls. 
        You didn't dare to peel your eyes away from your rescue gear. You forgot to count the PLSS (which is a fancy term for the backpack like gear worn on the space uniform.) It was your job as the Accessory Advisor (which is yet another fancy term for “additional hand”) to make sure all the equipment was assessable and supplies were ready to use. This was a test of your knowledge and reliability during the flight, and yet you completely forgot. Your heart sunk, noting the cameras all around you that were recording your every move. Everyone outside of the simulator knew of your mistake. 
        You began to feel your body heat up in embarrassment, averting your gaze away from the cameras. You could already hear the grumbles of disappointment from Commander Iverson. Gosh, you wish you hadn't gotten such a low score on the placement test. You knew you were capable to fly spacecrafts. That’s what you came to the Galaxy Garrison to do! However, you completely flunked the exam. You don't know if it was the nerves, or if the questions were too confusing, but the whole situation was a blur. You were in and out of the assessment before you realized you were starting. It was even more disheartening to inform your parents of the matter. That was like the cherry on top of the mountain of disappointment you felt for yourself. Now you're stuck as an extra, watching everyone do all the heavy lifting. 
        Your thoughts are interrupted by a sudden jolt in the simulator, your body tumbling forward. Your hand barely grasps the metal corner of your seat to steady yourself. The all-to-familiar tuff of brown locks caught your attention as he moved the simulator and it began to descend downwards.
        You threw a menacing glare the pilots way, "Lance!"
        To think, you were outsmarted and out talented by a cheeky, no good, Cuban boy. You couldn't believe it. His piloting skills were as bad as his pickup lines and you were the Accessory Advisor?
        "Aren't you forgetting something, _____?" He sang, the words followed by his signature grin. You knew he was implying that you aren't in your seat, or wearing your seatbelt.
        You suck in a sharp breath to calm your nerves before sliding into your seat begrudgingly.
        "Can you keep this thing straight?" A familiar baritone voice perks up from behind you.
        Hunk, the engineer of your crew, is hunched forward, grabbing his stomach. You knew those infamous signs were the cause of motion sickness. The natural color of his dusty brown skin was replaced by a porcelain white. This wasn't going to be good.
        "Relax, Hunk. I'm just getting a feel for the stick. It's not like I did this!"
        At the exact moment as Lance's last words slips from his lips, he presses the wheel of the ships stick forward, allowing the entire spacecraft to shake and lurch everyone towards the front of the spacecraft.
        "Lance!" The crew yelps in unison.
        "Or this!" Lance retorts, forcing the stick to the side, the ships movements following in pursuit. 
        You hear a soft gag from Hunk, his hands grasping your shoulder for support.
        "Ugh!" you pull away in fear of Hunk's last meal finding its way on your back. "Barf in the bag, the bag!" you exclaim.

        You point to a small compartment area where most of the medical equipment is stored. Even though it is your job to retrieve that bag for him, you didn't dare to. The safety for your well-being due to Lance's reckless driving (or should you say flying) is your first priority.
        Hunk's hand retreats from your shoulder, steading himself against the nearest wall. He flashes you an apologetic look before speaking weakly, "Okay... unless you want to wipe beef stroganoff out of all the little nooks and crannies in this thing, you'd better KNOCK IT OFF, MAN!"
        Before anyone could reply, the voice of Pidge, the crews Communications Specialist, pipes up, catching everyone's attention. He points at the monitor that activates where a small beeping sound can be heard.
        "We've picked up a distress beacon!" He calls.
        "All right, look alive, team! Pidge, track coordinates," Lance orders, gripping the steering wheel with a sense of new found determination.
        "Copy," Pidge retorts, his fingers typing away at the monitor. You couldn't help but watch everything go down - as usual.
        Within seconds, the simulator starts to rumble and the alarms abruptly awoke, piercing your sensitive eardrums with their screaming. Your mind insist this is Lance's doing. You quickly grip the edge of your seat as your heart drops to your stomach.
        "Knock it off, Lance, please!" Hunk begs. It seems as though the young man is always speaking on your behalf without even discussing it with you.
        "Oh, this one's on you, buddy. We've got a hydraulic stabilizer out," Lance admits, and you couldn't help but let out a weak moan in fear. The alarms are blaring, everyone's freaking out, you are totally going to fail this test. Your team always does.
        Hunk pulls up his monitor, and his dark hues dilate. "Oh no—" He chokes on his own vomit.
        "Remember, Hunk— the bag!" You barely breath out before unbuckling yourself from your seat and reaching for the medical supplies.
        Lance shakes his head, "Oh, no—Fix now, puke later!"
        "I lost contact. The shaking is interfering with our sensors." Pidge warns.
        You reach over and unlock the hatch to the medical equipment before grabbing a paper bag. "Eh, is there anything I can do?"
        "Uh, Unless you know how to fix the stabilizer!" Pidge retorted, looking down at you as you are scarcely steading yourself on your hands and knees. You didn't know how to do anything but fly a spacecraft. Why did you even bother to ask?
        Hunk unbuckles his seatbelt to go and fix the ships stabilizer. With the rumbling from the turbulence and Hunk's clumsiness, it wasn't a surprise that he tripped over you. The weight of his body collapses against your poor physique and a rush of blood crashes it’s way through your head. He completely knocks the wind out of you.
        "Come on, Hunk! _________ ! Get it together!" Lance ordered, his head snapping towards the two of you on the deck of the craft. At least that is what you thought he said, you don't know. By the end of the conversation, you were beginning to see stars and feel heat flashes colliding through your body in a series of waves.
        "Sorry..." Hunk chokes out, the weight of his body slowly lifting off you. You gasp for air. You didn't realize how important breathing was to you, and vowed to never take it for granted again. 
        Lance's monitor goes off before anyone says anything. His tense expression unfolded back into its self-assured state. "Oh, never mind, fellas. Thar she blows. Preparing for approach on visual."
        "I don't think that's advisable with our current mechanical and—," Pidges begins, glancing over at a sick Hunk and a helpless you slumped against the floor. "... gastrointestinal issues."

        You swiftly compose yourself and close the door to the equipment box before placing yourself back in your seat. 
        "Agreed," Hunk and you state in unison, Hunks weak voice is soon interrupted by a well-known gaging sound.
        "Stop worrying. This baby can take it. Can't you, champ?" Lance pats the simulator but the simulator rumbles violently in response. "Uh, see? She was—she was nodding. She was nodding." You would've laughed if you weren't failing a test right now. "Pidge, hail down to them and let them know their ride is here." 
        Pidge nods at Lance's command, unbuckling his seatbelt and reaching for the microphone. "Attention lunar vessel—,” a familiar rumble ripples through the body of the craft. "—Uwah!!!" The turbulence causes the boy to fall off his chair, and cash onto the deck of the ship.
        "What are you doing? Buckle your belt. And Hunk, stop that shaking! ________, give Hunk the barf bag already!" Lance commands once again.
        You didn't even realize it, but the paper bag was still within your grasp, but now slightly crumbled. The adrenaline and stress of the situation has, yet again, fogged your memory. You brush off the disappointment you felt for yourself before turning around and holding the bag out for Hunk.
        "I-I'm try—ah-ah o-oh no—!" Hunk rears his head, his face turning the same pearly white hue as he is about to puke.
        Like you said before, and you say once again, "In the bag, the bag!"

         You clench your teeth and grimace as you expect the weight of the throw up weigh down the bag, but nothing comes when you hear the gut-wrenching sound of Hunk vomiting. You had to muster all of your strength to peak out of one eye and notice Hunk's puke in the main gearbox. A groan escapes you.
        As if God himself could hear your cries for help, the rumbling of the ship stops. Instead, a faint sound of radio static engulfs the room as Pidge begins to speak in the microphone again. This time with a seatbelt on. 
        "Attention lunar vessel," Pidge begins, "this is Galaxy Garrison Rescue Craft One Victor Six Three Tango. Coming in for landing and extraction." The boy pauses, his eyes shifting to Lance, sarcasm lapped in his next words,  "...against crew recommendations."
        "Uh, no time for your mutinous comments now, Pidge. They're going under and we're going in." Lance replies. He dives the simulator towards the surface of Kerberos.
        The all to familiar rocky terrain clouds the view in the giant window of the ship. The purple and grey color become bigger and bigger until a giant rock morphs into view, blocking the way down to land. Fear grips your chest as your warning slips from your lips, "Look out for that overhang!"
        "No worries!" Lance calls back in a hurried tone, "My first year in flight school, you know what they called me? They called me 'The Tailor' because of how I thread the needle."
        "Shut up and watch the road!" Pidge snaps, his eyes widen in fear as Lance struggles to adjust the spacecraft to a higher altitude,. Before anyone knew it, the simulation strikes the overhang.
        "We lost a wing!" Hunk cries.
        "And a passing grade..." You whine, tilting your head back in displeasure. 
        "Oh, man..." Lance mumbles as the simulated flight soars down into the dark gravel and crashes into the ground. The room goes black.
        ___________________________________________
      ||..           SIMULATION FAILED       …||

        __________________________________________

        The lights flash back on, and the all too familiar door to the outside world creaks open. Iverson, a burly man with a bad eye, pokes his head inside the hatch as he spoke in an irritated tone, "Roll out, donkeys!"
         You turn around to check on Hunk, who's face is still pale from sickness but flushed red from embarrassment. You couldn't help but feel a speckle of hot blood rush through your body as well.
        "Nice work, Tailor," You hear Pidge groan from behind you as you exit the simulation.
        Commander Iverson had you and your team stand at attention in front of the whole class. From what you could see from the corner of your eye, you were the only one holding your gaze forward and yourself together, even though you felt you could fall into a puddle of mush any second now. Iverson stood close by you. You felt as though you could feel the utter disappointment radiate off of him.
        "Well let's see if we can't use this complete failure as a lesson for the rest of you students," His hand placed itself on your shoulder, and you swear he was about to break your collarbone. "Can anyone point out the mistakes these four so-called cadets made in the simulator?"

        A student rose their hand, Iverson nodding towards them to continue. "The engineer puked in the main gearbox!"
        "Yes, as everyone knows, vomit is not an approved lubricant for engine systems." His voice rose two notches higher. "What else?"
        "The Comm. Spec. removed his safety harness."
        "The Accessory Advisor didn't account all of the gear!" 
        A ping of guilt stung at your chest, and the whole world spins. After forcing yourself to hold your composure, your shoulders slump and you advert your gaze.
        "The pilot crashed!"
         "Correct! And worst of all, the whole jump, they're arguing with each other!" Since the beginning of the conversation, Iverson had his hand on your shoulder. He finally let you go. You figured it was a threatening gesture, but after his previous comment, you figured it was his way of showing how disappointed he was in you.
        "Heck," Commander Iverson continued, "if you're going to be this bad individually, you'd better at least be able to work as a team! Galaxy Garrison exists to turn young cadets like you into the next generation of elite astroexplorers, but these kind of mental mistakes are exactly what cost the lives of the men on the Kerberos Mission."
        "That's not true, sir!" Pidge cut in, his words dripping with poisonous honey. 
        "What did you say?!" Iverson towers over the young boy threateningly. 
        Lance clasps his hand over Pidges mouth, but Pidge continues though his voice muffled by the hand. "Sorry, sir!" Lance defends the younger male, "I-I-I think he may have hit his head when he fell out of his chair. But point taken."
        "I hope I don't need to remind you that the only reason your here is that the best pilot in your class had a discipline issue and flunked out." There's a long pause between Commander Iverson's words, tension brewing with each second passing. He hardly even glances your way. "Don't follow in his footsteps." He stands in front of your team a while longer before his speaks again,

"Next!"

        You and your team dejectedly watch as your classmates board the simulator.
        Your mind wonders to the person Commander Iverson was speaking about. You knew exactly who that was: Keith Kogane. He was infamous for his attitude problem, and, as Commander Iverson mentioned, was the top pilot in your class. Keyword: was. The week after your class took the placement exams, Keith dropped out, leaving Lance the best in his class. You never actually spoke to him because every time you saw him, he was arguing with Lance or getting kicked out of class by the teachers. You didn't even try to speak to him because you had your own reputation to uphold. Plus, if your parents found out you were hanging out with delinquents, they would've killed you.
        "Ugh! Alright, guys, I'm going to hit the showers. I have to wipe off Iverson's spit off my face," Lance admits, pulling you from your thoughts. "__________, Care to join?”

        You narrow your eyes at him, "In your dreams, McClain."

        "You always are," He smirks before Hunk interjects.
        "Yeah, can I get some help to the Head?" Hunk's palm rubbed his gurgling stomach, "I ain't feeling too good."
     Lance pats his friends back reassuringly, glancing at you for a moment before he sighs, "I gotcha, buddy."

        You watch as the duo scurried down the hallway in to the restrooms. You sucked in a deep breath to calm yourself, allowing the events that happened today to process in your mind. You were cut short when Pidge stepped into your view.
        "____________." 
        "What’s up?" You asked, looking down at the small boy. You never asked his age, but you could only assume he was a little younger than you due to his round face, and doe eyes.
        "What are your plans?" Pidge questioned.
        "Right now?"
        "For tonight."
        You rubbed the back of your neck in thought, finally realizing your plans consisted of nothing but terrible cafeteria dinner and some late night screen time. "Nothing too fancy. What were you thinking?"
        Pidge paused, thinking for a moment before speaking. You swear there was a shred of doubt behind his gaze.
        "I was wondering if you wanted to come to the rooftops with me—"
        Your brows raise in shock. Wait, is this a date? What is he implying?
        "Why are you looking at me like that?" Pidge questions.
        "Pidge, I mean— you're kind of, uh, well, I'm flattered but you're kind of too young for me—" You begin but Pidge interrupts you.
        "Wait, what are you talking— wait, wait, oh — what? No!" Pidge shakes his head, "No, ew, it's not like that. I mean," soft crimson specks cross his cheeks. He begins to pull at the sleeve of his shirt.
        For a moment, you smile at Pidge, thinking his mannerisms were cute but the pleasant thought was whisked away when you finally realize you made things awkward. You considered the consequences of your actions if you were caught past curfew. Then again, the worst thing has already happened to you— you're the Accessory Advisor. You're basically a drop out already, what's the worst that can happen?
        "I mean— sure. Tell me where you wanna meet, and we can go to the roof tops together," You admit with a forced smile in hopes to cover up your humiliating assumption.

 
        Wait, did Pidge say ew?

. . . 

        Later that night, Pidge suggested you two meet near the cafeteria and head to the rooftops together. Apart of you expected Pidge to wear something nice, considering you still thought he was asking you out on a date, so you wore a nice, pearl-colored shirt just in case, but a more casual warm jacket to cover it— in case you were completely wrong about the idea. You considered yourself a saint by sprucing yourself up, even if you didn't want to go on a date with him. It would've been awkward if he dressed up and you didn't. Luckily, when you met up with Pidge, he wore his usual civilian clothes. 
        "There you are," Pidge whispered, his tone of voice a little more agitated than usual.
        "What's wrong?" You questioned.
        "You're thirty seconds late. Time is of the essence. Also, why do you smell like vanilla? Did you do something with your hair?" Pidge leaned in to which you gently shoved him away, quickly pretending to brush off his idea. Wow, you were trying to be nice and now you look like the fool.
        Pidge didn't question you and reluctantly assigned you his telescope. "Be careful with her," He warned.
        "Her?" You inquire, but before he could answer, he scurried pass you and down the hallways. After sneaking around a couple guards and maneuvering your way through the maze known as the Garrisons halls, the two of you found a latter leading up to the roof.
     The flickering lights in the ceiling teased your already anxiety filled thoughts. On multiple occasions, the buzzing made you trick yourself into thinking it was the footsteps of some Garrison Guards. As the latter stood propped up against the wall, a very obvious square door sat atop of the latter. 
        "Keep an eye out!" Pidge commanded, "Oh, and hold this," Pidge shoved his special equipment into your arms and wrapped the headphones around your neck. The telescope he gave you before desperately tried to slip from your grasp.
        "Hey! Maybe I should be the one to open that— " You began but his little physique easily lifted the latch to your surprise, "Oh, nevermind then."
       After struggling to switch your grip to quietly unload the items and place them onto the roof, you found yourself plopping your exhausted physique on the ground, and released a breath you didn't realize you were holding.
        Finally getting situated, an awkward silence sat between the two of you.

        "Soooo..." your quiet voice dragged on, in case there was someone up on the roof. "What are we doing here, Pidge?" You watch as the young boy started to adjust his telescope and special equipment, and a spark of curiosity ignited in the back of your thoughts. He was so smart for such a young kid. However, your question lingered under the starry sky for a long moment before Pidge replied.
        "I'm looking for my family."

        What?
        

        He glances at you, a serious expression resting on his features. "My dad and brother were on the mission to Kerberos, and got lost. That's why I'm here. That's why I joined Galaxy Garrison. To find out what happened and how to get them back home."
        All the dots started to connect in your brain. That's why he got so upset over anyone mentioning the Kerberos mission. You desperately try to rack your brain of the missing individuals names. Martin Heart? Mason Hurt? Who was the other guy? You only briefly remember their faces because of their individual pictures which were hung upon a wall in the Garrison hallway in their honor. You didn't stress too much about it because you assumed Pidge would give you the details. 
        "How is that going?" You ask, pointing to the equipment, "what's that doing to help you?"
        "Here," Pidge said before adjusting himself close to you and offering a side of his headphones. A moment of silence washes over the two of you as you strain your ear to listen to the distant, eerie radio chatter. The sounds echoing like soft ghost whispers. You swear you heard actual words at some point, and you lean in to—

         "You come up here to rock out?"

        Pidge and you yelp as you both pull away from each other, looking to find Lance grinning from ear to ear between you two. 
        "Hey, where'd you get this stuff? It doesn't look like Garrison tech." Lance leans down close near you, still managing to cover his subtle movements up by observing Pidges equipment.
         "I built it." Pidge admits, a prideful smile grows on his features.
        Lance's head turns to you, his nose twitching as if smelling you like a dog on a hunt. He looks you up and down, his grin only getting wider, if that could even happen. He notes your nicely groomed hair and nicer shirt poking out from under your coat.  
        "Is that vanilla I smell?" Lance questions with a quirk of his brow. Your own knit together, trying to cover up your embarrassment with an expression of irritation.
        "I smelt of body odor after nervously sweating during your— whatever that reckless mess you call flying!" You growled, but Lance doesn't seem convinced.
        "Does wearing a nice shirt and styling your hair help stop the odor then?" He teased, glancing between you and Pidge. 
        Before you could respond, Hunk interrupts you.
        "You built all this?" Hunk tries to touch the equipment, but Pidge smacks his hand away.
         "Stop it! With this thing, I can scan all the way to the edge of the solar system."
         "That right? All the way to Kerberos?" Lance inquires.
        Pidge looks away but does not respond. 
        Your mind wonders back to what he told you. His brother and father were on the Kerberos mission; you couldn't imagine the pain he is feeling. It doesn't seem like he talked much about it either.
        "You go ballistic every time the instructors bring it up. What's your deal?" Lance pries, but no answer is given from Pidge. Lance gives up for a second, soon noting your quiet exterior, and he turns to you.
        "_________," he warns, "do you know something?"
        You knew, of course you knew. What you didn't know was whether you should tell Lance and Hunk what they wanted to hear, but it wasn't your place. Then again, Pidge very willingly admitted to you his reason. That meant he trusted you, though, you don't want to ruin that!
        "________," Lance warns again, much to your dismay.
        Hunk tries to sneakily touch the equipment again. You're so thankful for his perfect timing.
        "—Second warning, Hunk!" Pidge warns, "No, _______ doesn't know what you're talking about."
        The pounding in your head subsides.
        "Look, Pidge," Lance starts, "if we're going to bond as a team, we can't have any secrets."
        After a moment of silence, Pidge finally responds. "Fine," The boy adjusts his round glasses on the bridge of his nose before speaking, "The world as you know it is about to change. The Kerberos Mission wasn't lost because of some malfunction or crew mistake—"
        Pidge is interrupted by Hunk trying to touch his equipment again. "—Stop touching my equipment, Hunk!"
        Hunk groans but finally pulls back, plopping next to you to which you place a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
        After finally composing himself and calming his nerves, Pidge continues, "... So I've been scanning the system and picking up alien radio chatter."
        "Whoa, what? Aliens?!" You and Hunk gasp. You knew you heard something in the headphones!
        Pidge did not mention that before. Aliens? Real? No way!
        "OK, so you're insane. Got it," Lance clicks his tongue in reply.
         "I'm serious! They keep repeating one word: Voltron." Pidge lifted up a notebook that had scribbles and drawings of what Voltron was, or at least he thought what Voltron was. "And tonight, it's going crazier than I have ever heard it."
         "How crazy?" Lance questioned but your curiosities are put to a halt as the Galaxy Garrison building alarms go off. The screeching sounds of sirens thump against your aching eardrums and a familiar voice is heard through the intercom.
         "Attention, students," It's Commander Iverson, "This is not a drill. We are on lockdown! Security situation Zulu Niner. Repeat: All students are to remain in barracks until further notice."
        You glance around in a hurry, stumbling to your feet. As you help Hunk up, your eyes notice a fiery object in the sky.
        "Uh," you warn, "Guys," you point at the giant ball of purple hue falling close to earths surface. "Is that what Iverson is warning us about?"
         "What's going on?" Hunk leans into you, noticing the same ball falling from the upper region, "Is that a meteor?! ... A very, very big... meteor?"
        Pidge acts quickly by grabbing his binoculars and looking through them, "It's a ship!"
        Lance snatches the binoculars from the other boys grasp and looks at the object. "Holy crow! I can't believe what I'm seeing! That's not one of ours!"
        "No. It's one of theirs," Pidge muses before you realize what he meant by theirs. You didn't want to believe that aliens were real, or at least showing up while you’re alive. You’ve seen enough cliché alien movies to know that alien invasions were never good.
        "So wait, there really are aliens out there?!" Hunk and you share a mixed expression of fear and confusion before you both turn to Pidge. Hunk lets go of you as all four of you lean over the roof of the building watching as the space ship crashes, rocks and purple flames exploding with a bang. The Garrison sends out land rovers to the crash site.
        Pidge is the first to speak, "We've gotta see that ship!"
        "How?!" You questioned as your voice cracks in a panic, "There are guards everywhere, and who knows what could be inside that ship."
        "The guards are easy to get through, _______," Pidges admits, "And we don't know what's inside the ship until we do." Pidges states before getting up with Lance at his tail.
        "But that's my point!" You complain, "I don't want to be swallowed whole by a food-deprived alien. That wouldn't look so good on my tombstone!" You watched as Hunk is quickly pulled along by Lance. A groan escapes your lips, "Oh, this is the worst rooftop date I've ever had."
        The four of you make your way to a near by cliffside, which was a lot closer to the building that grabbed the alien and rolled them inside. You peer over Lance's shoulder, squinting your eyes in hopes of seeing what was occurring. Obviously you couldn't see without binoculars like Lance had, but it didn't hurt to try.
        "Whoa... What the heck is that thing?!" Lance muttered, obviously talking about the space craft, but after a moment of silence, he spoke again, "And who the heck is she?"
        "Lance!" You muttered, shoving his shoulder in irritation. You already knew who she was. Out of all the officers at the crash site, there was only one female. Her uniform fit her perfectly and definitely highlighted her best features. You agreed she was nice on the eyes, but goggling over a girl isn't on the agenda right now.
        Lance winces, "Ow! Ah, right, alien ship. Man, we'll never get past all those guards to get a look."
        Hunk took the binoculars from your leader before you could snatch them for yourself. He only looked at them briefly before adding his own input to the situation, "Aw, man. Yeah, we—yeah I guess there's nothing to do but head back to the barracks, right?"
        "Wait. They set up a camera in there and I grabbed its feed. Look!" Pidge points to the screen of his special equipment-type computer-thing on his lap. The static causes a malfunction in the scene and audio but quickly dissolves until the screen is completely clear. On the screen lied a well-built man, with a ragged attire, strapped to a table as the Garrison technicians examine him. 
        "Hey! What are you doing?" Cried the male, the technicians began tightening the retrains as the man continued to attempt to break free.
        "Calm down, Shiro. We just need to keep you quarantined until we run some tests on you," the same familiar voice of Iverson rises in the background.
        "You have to listen to me! They destroyed worlds! Aliens are coming!" Shiro retorted, a loud grunt grazing his clenched teeth as he fought against the restrains. 
         "That's Shiro! The pilot of the Kerberos Mission. That guy's my hero!" Lance awed.
        Takashi Shirogane. That's right, he was one of the guys plastered on the wall in the Garrison. He looked different from the picture. He originally had jet black hair but somehow his bangs were replaced with a white tuff of locks. Instead of his usual space uniform, he wore a beat up brown shirt which was covered in dirt and grime. If you had to guess, he looked as if he wore that for months on end. 
        Before you could watch anymore, you noticed a scarlet colored blur in the corner of your eye. Your hues flicker over to the distraction. You had to blink a couple times to make sure you weren’t dreaming. You notice a small figure in the distance, sneaking close to the crash site. You turned to snatch the binoculars from Lance, who was too busy awing over the captured Shiro, to notice your advances. You peered into the item. In your view was a red coat, and jet black hair that was styled into... a mullet? Wait, no, it couldn't be. What is Keith doing here?
        Without looking away from the figure, in fear of losing him, your fingers reached over to latch onto Lance’s jacket. "Guys.." you managed to mumble in a hushed tone.
        "Guess he's not dead in space after all,"
        "We have to get him out."
        "Ah, I hate to be the voice of reason here, always, but weren't we just watching on TV because there was no way to get past the guards?"
        "That was before we were properly motivated. We've just got to think. Could we tunnel in?"
        As Keith continues closer towards the building, you bump Lance with your elbow, your eyes still glued onto Keith's figure.
        "Guys..." You warned once again, now switching between gazing through the binoculars and staring at Keith in the midst of  shadows that cast across the land.
        "Maybe we could get some hazmat suits and sneak in like med techs."
        "Or we dress up like cooks, sneak into the commissary... little late-night snack."
        "... No. What we need is a distraction."
        "Guys!" You yelp, shoving the spyglasses into Lance's grasp. "Look!" You point to the red figure but before Lance saw him, it was too late. A loud explosion erupts through the night. It shook the ground you all sat on, and vibrated the nearby buildings. A screech escaped your lips along with your friends, and Lance jumped into your arms. You pause for a moment before you realize the explosion is a distraction from Keith's end. Lance wrapped his arm around your neck to which you threw an irritated stare at him. He flashed a teasing smile before you threw him off of you. The Cuban Boy eventually looks through the binoculars once again.
        "No way...!" Lance's throat becomes tight, "Oh, he is not going to beat us in there! That guy is always trying to one-up me!"
        "Who is it?" Hunk asks, eying Lance and you with curiosity.

        “Keith!” You stagger you your feet.

       “Are you sure?” Hunk questioned, glancing between Lance and you. 
        It was pure instinct. Before anyone got up to do anything, or thought about answering Hunk, you jump to your feet and hustled down the cliff you and your friends were on. Your friends called out to you but urge to help over came your senses. As you found your way to the crash site, you hid behind the door, expecting to see Keith right next to you at any moment. You peaked your head out to check to see how many technicians were really there before you considered to do anything.

        You had a couple options at this point: 1– knock them out. You don’t know much about fighting other than the basic self-defense classes you took before your entry into the program because one of your parents were very paranoid about you getting abducted or bullied. Then you took some classes at the Garrison, but they were just as basic of moves as your first class.

       Then you had a 2nd option— wait for Keith and the others to ambush the site and have a strength in numbers. That was the logical answer but after a couple more seconds of waiting, watching Shiro struggle in pain, you became impatient. 
         Commander Iverson was fives times bigger than you, but somehow with his back turned to you, it looked pretty easy to knock him out. With blood rushing to your head and the adrenaline kicking in, you sucked in a worried breath before ambushing the three men. 
        You grunt, shoving a foot behind Commander Iverson’s kneecap. The male fell to his knees with a thud before swirling around to see you.

        “________!?” His eyes widen as you suddenly smash a heel into his forehead. You stood there for a moment, realizing what you had done and who you had kicked before seeing the two other men notice you. One down— two more to go.

         Fear and anxiety bubbled in your chest, your survival instincts kicking in once again before you found yourself running at the second technician in the room and pinning him down in a football tackle. You don’t know how, but the man was completely knocked out by your actions. Wow, you didn’t realize how strong you really were. You glanced up to see Keith had taken the other technician, leaving no one but the three of you alone.

         Keith stares between you and the technician you tackled, probably trying to figure how either how you did that or how you got here before him.
       “______?” His dark orbs never peeled away from you.

     You flash a weak smile his way, “Hey, Keith,” You were surprised Keith remembered you— heck, or the fact he remembered your name. “How are yeah?” Before he could reply, Shiro stirred uncomfortably between you two on the table.
        You watch as Keith approaches the limp body. You join him, noting Shiro’s eyes were shut and his mouth slightly a gap. He was handsome for a guy who probably hadn't showered for a whole year and being abducted by aliens. Keith reaches over and cuts Shiro free from his bonds, attempting to carry the male out. 

      For the first time ever, relief washes over you as your attention is caught by three familiar figures appearing in the door way. "Nope. No you—No, no, no, no, no, no, no you don't. I'm saving Shiro." Lance reaches over and forces Shiro’s arm over his own.

      Keith stared at Lance the same way he looked at you. Now you didn’t feel so special. "Who are you?"

       "Who am I? Uh, the name's Lance," The other boy replied, obviously expecting Keith to know who he was. 

        Your mullet haired acquaintance silently looks at Lance without recognition.

         "... We were at the same class at the Garrison?" 

          "Really? ... Are you an engineer?"

          "No, I'm a pilot. We were, like, rivals. You know, Lance and Keith, neck-and-neck."

          “Oh wait, I remember you. You're a cargo pilot.”

           "Well, not anymore. I'm fighter class now thanks to you washing out."

           "Well, congratulations."

           Lance and Keith carry Shiro out together, everyone following in pursuit. You finally realize what you had done. There’s absolutely no way you’re getting out of this. You’re totally going to get kicked out of the Garrison once they find you. And once your parents are informed, they’re going to make sure you never see the light of day again. You’re horrendous thoughts are cut off as Hunk‘s prominent distressed tone mentions the Garrison returning to their area.

      "Oh, man, they're coming back and they do not look happy.” Hunk groaned, helping Shiro onto the hoverboard Keith had when he appeared at the building.

      “We gotta go,” you warn, noting the amount of Garrison guards slowly growing in numbers.

        “Uh, do you mind if we catch a ride with you?" Hunk asks, but before Keith could respond your friends were already gathered onto the vehicle. The weight of Hunk at the end of the automobile forces it to tip onto the ground. Your frame scarcely fits between Hunk and Pidge, your legs lifting off the ground in fear of them dragging along side of the vehicle. 

       "Is this thing going to be big enough for all of us?" Pidge leaned back into your chest, allowing room for him to hold onto Shiro.

      “No." Keith revs the motor before the bike rears it’s metal body back and off your friends went.

       Pidge’s grip loosens against Shiro’s chest, and as you peered over the young boys shoulder, you noticed his grip on the older man was slipping. “Why am I holding this guy?!" Pidge’s face grimaces as he struggles to hold onto the other figure.

       “I’ve got him,” you reassure, forcing Pidge to switch spots with you. You didn’t know how you did it, but you thanked God for Pidges small frame. It made maneuvering things a lot easier.

       "Hey, we did all fit!" Hunk smiles and you glance back at him, noting the smile was masking his worried tone.
       “Define ‘fit’, “ you tut, ignoring how compacted you are between Lance and Pidge.

     "Can't this thing go any faster?" Lance complains.

     Keith mutters, “We could toss out some non-essential weight.” 

     "Oh, right!” Lance glances around, his eyes wondering down to you, staying there for a second. Is he really contemplating throwing you off? 
     “Lance!” You barked, “Are you serious?”

      “What?” Lance is taken back from your harsh tone, “I’m trying to help.”

      “He was being sarcastic, idiot!” You retort, your nose scrunching up in aggravation.

      “OK, so that was an insult. Got it."

       "Big man, lean left!" You hear your dark mullet partner order to Hunk to which Hunk complies and the hovercraft turns, causing Garrison rovers to crash. You almost fell off, but luckily Pidge caught onto the hoodie of your coat.

       "Aw man! Mr. Harris just K.O Professor Montgomery!” Hunk started. You lean behind to check out the crash, but can’t see due to Hunk’s large frame. “No, no, he's fine." 

        "Big man, lean right!" Once again, Hunk complies and the hovercraft jumps one cliff to the next, causing another river to crash. You watched the horror of the crash unfold and much to your dismay, you knew once you were caught you were going to be kicked out. The shred of doubt crosses your mind as you realized you’d never find the courage to face your parents when they find out.

       "Guys? Is th-th-th-tha-tha—Is that a cliff up ahead?" Hunk pointed to the front of the automobile. You glance up to find yourself face to face with a cliff that cut off abruptly where a large ravine stood at the bottom. 

      “Ooooh no, no, no! No, no, no, no—!" Lance yelped.

       "Yup." Keith smirks and increases speed while everyone else screams.
      "What are you doing?! You're going to kill us all!" Lance yelps.

      Keith growled, "Shut up and trust me!”

        The vehicle rides off the cliff. Fear spreads through out your body as you all grip your seats tighter. You let out a scream. However, the red-jacket bandit safely avoids crashing into anything and continues flying into the desert, escaping the Garrison.

. . . 

        As the sunrise awakens past the vast dried, sultry landscape, it’s rays of light snake out against the morning sky. Your eyes water at the luminescent orbs that sting your vision. You finally realized how exhausted you were. 
      Keith had taken you and your friends to a shack in the middle of the desert. Inside lies a board covered up with a cloth that hid some scribbles of notes, diagrams and a map of the land under the fabric. You snuck a peek, briefly reading the notes as you and your friend’s patiently waited for Shiro and Keith’s private conversation to end. The notes mentioned some type of energy and pictures were plastered all around the board with a blue lion figure in the middle of the frame. What was that about?
        “Oh my god, there are aliens and we are gonna die. Doesn’t anyone feel even a shred of fear right now, or is it just me?” Hunk rambled on behind you as you examined the board.
        “What do you think they’re talking about?” Lance inquired as he gazed through the old, dusty window at the duo outside.

         The way his gaze is fixed on the pair of men outside, you’d think he was obsessed with them. You didn’t have to look hard to realize his apparent jealousy. Lance definitely wanted to talk to Shiro; Shiro was Lance's hero. You knew that because the Cuban boy constantly mentioned how cool Shiro was during your time together at the Garrison. It seemed strange how close Keith and the abducted man were. There was clearly history between them. A small smile played on your lips as the idea to tease Lance crosses your mind. 

        “It isn't hard to know what it is,” you finally let the cloth drop from your fingers and spun on your heel to face Lance, “They're definitely talking about you.”

          “Me?!” Lance suddenly turned red.

         “Mhm, Keith's probably mentioning to Shiro how much you suck at flying, and how you were no help during our escape,” you smirked, crossing your arms over your chest.

         “What?! Nuh-uh, I was so much help during our break out! Oh, I’ll show Keith what I’m made of—“ Lance was interrupted by your nonchalant attitude.

          “Lance, I’m kidding,” you walk over to him, “I bet you they’re saying nothing but nice things about you.” You place a reassuring hand on his shoulder but the rush of blood from the boys face doesn’t fade. You took mental note to never tease Lance after something so traumatic, such as the events that occurred a couple hours ago, again. It was hard to identify whether you were sarcastic or not anyways, many people have mentioned that to you. You are working on it.

         “That’s hard to believe,” Pidge mumbles under his breath but you quickly jab the boys rib cage to shut him up.

           Before unstoppable banter broke out between your friends, your team turns to the sound of a shack door creaking open and the appearance of Shiro and Keith scrambling inside. Both of their expressions were plastered with a disheartened look, but you didn't comment, allowing the duo to speak up first. Inside, Keith pulls off the sheet of fabric covering up the board. He shows everyone the map, diagrams, and notes you previously took a sneak peek of.
         Shiro's attention stays glued to the board as he spoke, "What have you been working on?"
         "I can't explain it, really," The male began, his gaze adverting to somewhere distance and a lost expression rested on his fair features.  "After getting booted from the Garrison, I was kind of… lost and... felt myself drawn out to this place. It's like something... some energy, was telling me to search."

        You think back to the distressingly, unreadable, chicken scratch hand-writing mentioning some type of energy and the fuzzy pictures of the ancient markings that looked like giant cats. All the information was now in front of you, clearly visible under the rays of sun peaking through the windows.
        "For what?" Shiro pries, his gaze finally peeling away form the board and landing on Keith.
        "Well, I didn't really know at the time... until I stumbled across this area. It's an outcropping of giant boulders with caves covered in these—"
        You didn't understand why, but you interrupted Keith. Whether it was the awe of the whole situation or because the dots were finally connecting, you finished his explanation. "—ancient markings. All about a blue lion, and they all share clues leading to an arrival happening last night."
        Keith stares at you for a second, dark brows knitting together. You couldn't read his expression. A string of guilt ran through you, and apart of you knew he didn't need to ask how you knew that. You were nosy, and you ratted yourself out. Keith's gaze peals away from your frame before speaking to Shiro again, "Then you showed up."
       A blanket of eerie silence settled around you. After a couple seconds, which felt like forever, Shiro finally spoke up. "I should... thank you all for getting me out. Lance, right?"

        Shiro reaches over towards Lance, and you notice your friend hesitate to interact with the prosthetic hand, but he eventually complies to the handshake. Shiro turns to you, and you muster your most genuine smile before reaching out and giving a formal, firm handshake. "_________," You begin, "It's nice to meet you, sir."
        Shiro nods in appreciation at your formal etiquette. "Thank you, __________. Let's leave the formalities behind us, though. You can call me Shiro." His eyes linger on you as if trying to secure an answer of approval to which you nodded in confirmation. During your time at the Galaxy Garrison, the teachings of greeting a Senior Officer were drilled into your brain. It was your automatic response to meeting one of the most famous Space Explorers of your time. You couldn't help it. Apart of you expected Shiro to snap at you if you didn't address him properly. One time you didn't say 'sir' to Commander Iverson, and the next thing you knew you were friendly with mother earth. Let's just say, doing pushups eventually became second nature to you.

        Shiro finally loosened his grasp and turned to your friends, Pidge and Hunk, "The nervous guy's Hunk." The small framed boy began, noticing Hunk's lack of interest in greeting due to his nerves being shot. "I'm Pidge. So, did anyone else from your crew make it out?"
        Your mind danced around the idea of Pidge looking for his family. Clearly his question was triggered by that, but does Shiro know?
        "I'm not sure," The broad shouldered man began,  "I remember the mission and being captured. After that, it's just bits and pieces."
        "Yeah, sorry to interrupt, but back to the aliens," Hunk included, his words lapped with anxiety and displeasure, "Where are they now? Are they coming? Are they coming for all of us? Like where are they at this very moment?"
         "I can't really put it together. I-I remember the word Voltron. It's some kind of weapon they're looking for, but I don't know why. Whatever it is, I think we need to find it before they do."
        You blinked at Shiro. We? When was there ever a we?

         Your heart started hammering in your chest as you began to process everything happening. From what you could gather, Voltron was some ancient artifact or alien weapon that you and your friends needed to find. Your eyes fluttered around the room— the gaggle of individuals you have before you didn't fit your perfect idea of what "Alien Conquerors" looked like. Your friends were in no shape or form to work together. At least you know you didn't successfully runaway from the Galaxy Garrison on love, support and teamwork.
        "Well," you finally spoke after shaking away your doubts, "Does anyone know where we start?"
         "Actually," Hunk responded with his distinctive bothered tone, "Last night, I was rummaging through Pidge's stuff," He picked up a familiar backpack you saw last night when Pidges was making your escape with him, "and I found this picture." The male flashed everyone a sweet picture of a boy, which was obviously Pidge, and a younger girl next to him. The girl held Pidge close, a small smile rested on her features. "Look it's his girlfriend."
        A grin grew upon your lips as you noticed how sweet the photo was. However, your smile faltered when you came to a predicament. Pidge has a girlfriend, and you thought he would ask you out? Apart of you felt embarrassed for even assuming Pidge would date you, but also relieved as the boy was too young for you. You wanted to let him down easy, but the idea of someone liking you still weighted on your mind. It was nice to have someone crushing on you. It was an ego booster.
        Pidge and Hunk began to bicker in the background. Hunk stole Pidges diary and such, much to Pidges dismay. He eventually spoke up and admitted what he originally wanted to mention, "And I noticed that the repeating series of numbers the aliens are searching for looks a lot like a Fraunhofer line."
        "Frown... who?" Keith inquired.
        "It's a number describing the emission spectrum of an element, only this element doesn't exist on Earth. I thought it might be this Voltron, and I think I can build a machine to look for it, kind of like a Voltron Geiger Counter."
        Lanced grinned, "Hunk, you big, gassy genius!"
        "It's pretty fascinating, really. Th-The wavelength looks like this," Hunk reaches into his back pocket to pulled out a folded piece of paper with a sheepish smile. The paper was speckled with black dots that all linked together like little mountains that you drew in art class as a kid.
        "Give me that." Keith snatched the piece of paper from Hunk's grasp, and held it against the pictures on the board. One of the pictures Keith matched the graph with was of the tall mountains in the desert. You wowed at the fact that he saw that right away, and silently congratulated yourself by noting how they looked like little mountains, too. It's not like you saw the picture straight away, but you saw mountains. You're pretty proud of yourself.
        Before you knew it, you found yourself and your friends standing in a dingy, tenebrous cave. In the midst of the shadows were the strange markings that formed the illustrations of a Blue Lion. They were the same ones from Keith's photos. The tips of your fingers traced the outline of one of the many pictures of this lion thing. The rough exterior of the rock walls ticked your skin under its touch, eventually your hand slid up the walls into an open palm before pressing in random parts of the rock. 
        You've seen many adventure movies. A lot of them had their protagonist find themselves lost in a cave and they almost always find a secret trap door in them. The secret traps usually meant immediate death. Any normal person wouldn't have assumed such an idea, but your current situation is far from normal.
        "What are these?" Shiro questioned, awing at the site before him. 
        "These are the lion carvings I was telling you about," Keith answered, "They're everywhere around here."
         You were too busy admiring the structure and fretting over the possibility of a non-existent lever that when the markings painted across the walls of the cave lit up with a soft hue of blue, you gasped, nearly stumbling over yourself.
        "Whoa... Whoa!" Lance stumbled back as well and the two of you bumped against each other.
        "Wait, did everyone see that? Am I crazy?" When you looked back at everyone, they seemed just as surprised as you.
        "No, no, no, no— " Hunk shook his head, "I'm not really feeling this place right now!"
        "They've never done that before," Keith responded.
        Within seconds, your worst fear comes to life as the ground beneath you shook, and caves in. You're quickly engulfed by darkness. The sapphire glow from the markings fades above you as you desperately try to reach out to grab something to stop your fall. All around you, your friends all share an alarmed yelp. Eventually, you collide to the ground. A liquid, which you could hope was water, sprinkled your perfectly nice shirt and tattered your hair as you landed with your friends. You let out a groan. Well, there's the trap "door" you were worried about.
        You grasp the back of your throbbing head before you heard Lance mumble, "They are everywhere."
        You opened your eyes to a giant, robotic lion sitting before you. It's claws were as tall as two Shiro's stacked on top of each other and its color scheme was a white and blue. Two yellow eyes peered down at you and your friends. Around it, stood an azure tinge shield to protect it's body. 
        Pidge stood up, "Is this it? Is this the Voltron?"
        "It... must be," Shiro added as he held a hand out to help you up and you welcome the offer.
        "This is what's been causing all this crazy energy out here." Keith is the first to approach the machine, his movements slow and cautious. The rest of the team are close behind. "Looks like there's a force around it."
        "Does anyone else get the feeling this is staring at them?" Lance asked. As he questioned the motives of the lion, he moved in a zig-zag line as if to test his theory.
        Even though, you too thought the lion was looking at you and your friends, you blamed the fall for your crazy idea. Your hand grazed the back of your head, the tender skin still feeble. You glanced at Lance from the corners of your eye, "Hmm, no."
        "Yeah. The eyes are totally following me," Lance confirmed before stopping next to Keith.
        Keith's body stood close to the shield, allowing his fingers to graze the surface. The shield doesn't react to his touch, but apart of you still worried if it was safe to touch it at all. "I wonder how we get through this." Keith spoke, examining every inch of the force field.
        You had seen enough sci-fi movies to know that usually force fields have a defense mechanism, and if they didn't, usually the things that force fields protect were dangerous. You were some-what right about the trap door, so your senses had to be some-what right about this. Knowing full well that the gut feeling you have of the giant, robotic lion was dangerous, you voiced your worries.
        "Be careful," You bit your bottom lip. "It might react poorly to threats."
        Keith simply glanced back at you, uninterested and unfazed before retracting from the shield.
        "Oh," Lance blew a raspberry your way, "Don't worry, ______. I am the epitome of vigilance. To soothe your worries away, shall I suggest knocking?" He flashed you one of his cheeky smiles before leaning close towards the shield.
        "Wait, no, Lance—" You began, but you were too late.
        Your friend quite literally knocks on the force field and, to your amazement, it reacts, dissipating and igniting the area around everyone in the same glow of blue hue like the carvings in the cave did. Within seconds, your mind flashes to a movie like scene where you see six giant lions flying through the sky, a burst of light fading behind them. They swirled together like a tornado and a flash of yellow blaze clouded your mind. Eventually, a giant, multi-colored robot uncovered itself from the background, appearing taller than anything you've seen before. A warm sensation bubbles in your chest as a comforting, protective aura resonated off the robot. Your mind flashed back to reality. 
        "Woah..." Everyone awed simultaneously. 
        "Uh, did everyone just see that?" Lance quirked an eyebrow. 
        "Voltron is a robot!" Hunk's voice cracked and he animatedly pumped his fist in the air, "Voltron is a huge, huge, awesome robot!"
       Pidge adjusted his glasses as he scanned the body of the lion again, "And this thing is only one part of it! I wonder where the rest of them are." 
        "Holy crow," you managed to mumble out, "I can't believe it."
        "This is what they're looking for," Shiro exclaimed before taking a step closer.
         Keith added, "Incredible."

        With one swift motion, the Blue Lion suddenly lowers its head and opens its mouth to allow your team inside. You stepped back, in hopes of creating some distance between the extraterrestrial weapon and you. Hunk and Pidge yelped, jumping behind you, and making your physique their own personal shield. You glanced back at them with a small scowl.
         Hunk is 2 times bigger than you, how could you even protect him? However, the thoughts of your friends irrational choices were disregarded as reality hits you. Your mind stirrers with questions.

        How is this thing alive? Is someone driving it? Is it activated by the shield? Is it a creature? Like, an actual living being?

         Your heart races, your blood rises and all you could do is helplessly watch Lance gleefully enters the Blue Lion. It was Keith that first made a move after Lance and into the entrance of the machine. The rest of you followed in pursuit. Eventually you found yourself nuzzled together in a small cock-pit with Lance at the wheel of the— lion?
        Inside, what appeared to be the head of the lion, was a control room, much like the simulated spacecraft your familiar with. The wheel was much the same as the normal spacecrafts on Earth. The control room itself had gear tinted with the same blue hue that brought you there. Before you, sat a humongous screen stretching out from all around you which faced the outside world. Apart of you really did feel as though you were swallowed whole by the lion. A shred of belief in that thought crossed your mind, but you brushed it off, knowing full well that couldn't be true. You knew of the basic human anatomy, and a normal lion's digestive system was similar to that of a person. Then again, you were in a alien warship. It's bound to be different.
        "OK guys," Hunk began, the same, understandably worried tone peaked in his voice, "I-I feel the need to point out, just so that we're all, y'know, aware: We are in some kind of futuristic alien cat head right now."
        Hunk must have some physic connection with you because he always seems to have the best timing, or is stating exactly how you felt. Only this time, you didn't wish to hear someone say what you thought out loud. It was scary, and you didn't need someone confirming your fears.
        "Thank you, Captain Obvious," Your words dripped with sarcasm as your orbs shoot daggers at Hunk, "Shall I report this to Commanding Officer Lance?" Your brows knit together, gesturing towards Lance at the helm of the lion, "Because I think he's a little pre-occupied— Oh, you know, very willingly flying this alien cat head right now."
        Hunk must've totally missed your sarcasm, or didn't care because he grabbed his stomach and a gurgle came from him, he leaned forwards, "Ugh, imagining what Lance did at the simulator triggers my motion sickness..."
        Before you could respond to Hunk, Lance spoke, "Whoa, did you guys just hear that?"
        "Hear what?" Keith questioned.
         You looked down at Lance, your brows rose in confusion. You were pretty sure everyone could hear you and Hunk bickering. "Oh, yeah, ignore that, that was Hunk—"
        "I-I think it's talking to me," Lance's ocean colored hues danced around the controls, clearly trying to figure out what buttons to press. "Hmm... Um..."
        Your friend's fingertips pressed swiftly against the controls, and in an instant, the machine shook. You grasped Lances seat to sturdy yourself as the lion stood up. You watched as the rocks outside seem to dissipate and fall when the machine allowed a low, ear-splitting roar that vibrated the whole cave. You hear Hunk and Pidge scream, but the roar of the creature blankets their cries but only adds to your growing fear.
        "OK. Got it," Lance grinned— wait, you knew that grin. Oh, holy crow! Uh oh.

        "Now let's try this." It was like déjà vu with the male because as the last words escaped your lips, your body was thrown to the side, colliding with Keith's. The way your pilot drove was just like the simulator, but worse. You didn't know what Lance made the spacecraft do, but you found yourself squeezing your eyes shut and your body smashing between Shiro and Keith. You really tried to sturdy yourself, but your head definitely collided into Keith's forehead at one point and your elbow may have found its way to stab Shiro's rib cage. In the midst of the whirling of the machine, you hear the cries of help from your friends, Hunk and Pidge.
        Your heart starts racing once again, and the warmth from your body rushes to your cheeks as your frame is thrown around like a dogs chew toy. You yelp as the lion swings into a somersault in the air and you crash into Shiro— for what? Like, the sixth time? Your bodies are forced against the back of the cock-pit as you are suddenly crushed between Keith and Shiro bodies. You try your best to push yourself away from them in fear of hurting them, or yourself. You felt as if you were stuck on the Merry Mixer at a carnival, where you're being forced by gravitational pull into the person next to you as you awkwardly try to avoid getting into their personal space.
         "YOU ARE. THE WORST. PILOT. EVER," Keith screams.
         Lance brushes away the pleas for help, "Isn't this awesome?!"
        "Make it stop! Make it stop!" Hunk begs as you could already see his face twist in a familiar sickly manner.
        Lance replies with a whine, "I'm not making it do anything. It's like it's on auto-pilot!"
        "Then take it off auto-pilot, please!" You beg as the lion finally settles down.
        You finally gather your senses and reach out to Lance's arm chair, but your hand only rested there for so long before you found yourself friendly with Shiro's arm. The prosthetic reaches over you and plants itself on the empty spot next to your hand. You glance down at the pair of palms next to each other before eying Shiro next to you. He let out a breath. Clearly, he was trying to steady you. You thanked the higher deities above for stopping the madness, but tried to hide your growing embarrassment. He definitely did that to avoid you hitting anyone else. Yikes. 
        Before you could thank Shiro, the blue lion rears back and shoots straight into the sky at lightening speed. Fortunately, Shiro's body was there to help you. You still attempted your best not to put all your weight on the guy. 
         "Where are you going?!" Keith yells over the roaring of the inner workings in the lion, and the cries from Hunk and Pidge.
         "I just said it's on autopilot! It says there's an alien ship approaching Earth. I think we're supposed to stop it." Lance retorts.
        Pidge leaned in close, "What did it say, exactly?!"
        "Well, it's not like it's saying words, more like feeding ideas into my brain. Kind of."
        "Great!" You glance up at the ceiling, "Now we are playing Pictionary with an alien warship."
        For a brief time again, the lion calms down, soaring through earths atmosphere and continuing through the exosphere. "Well, if this thing is the weapon they're coming for," Hunk started, "why don't we just, like—I don't know, give it to them? Maybe they'll leave us alone. Sorry, Lion, nothing personal."
        "You don't understand. These monsters spread like a plague throughout the galaxy," Shiro replies, "destroying everything in their path. There's no bargaining with them. They won't stop until everything is dead."
        Everyone stares at Hunk, "Oh... Nevermind, then."
        You understood where he came from. He was scared for his life. So were you. However, from what you know, these aliens took Shiro captive and took his arm off. You glanced to your right to find Shiro's arms still there. These alien's were bad news, but you let Hunk's comment go— knowing full well he didn't know what he was talking about.
        Not a moment later, a violet spark flashes before you, and a ship settles itself in your view. You already knew what it was. An alien warship. You didn't know what to expect. Apart of you expected a UFO, and the other half figured something different, but the size of the ship exceeded your expectations. You gulp.
         "Uh... Holy crow! Is that really an alien ship?!" Hunk breathed out as he wiped the sweat from his brow.
        You felt Shiro tense against your back, and a soft mumble escape from his lips, "They found me..." 
        Your heart immediately drops to your feet. 
        With everyone in awe, it wasn't hard to believe it took a couple seconds for everyone to gather themselves once the spacecraft in front of them started opening fire on you. Almost like lasers from a sci-fi movie, the shots were directed straight at your lion and it shook the machine.
        "We've got to get it out of here!" Pidge insisted.
        "Hang on!" Lance pushes forward on the stick and the lion flies around to avoid the lasers. "Ah! All right! OK, I think I know what to do!"
          "Be careful, man!" Pidge warns, "This isn't a simulator."
         "And we don't have the barf bag for Hunk," You add, worry and anxiety lapping your words.
        "Awh, Hunk's fine, aren't you buddy?" Lance peers behind him to find Hunk hunched over and skin speckled with white. He looks up at you with a sheepish grin, "He's fine, he's fine,"
        Lance uses the Blue Lion's mouth as a sudden cannon to blast the length of the warship. Your eyes go wide as your see Lance so easily handle the machine.
         "Let's try this," Lance, once again, rears the robotic lion down close to the side of the ship and you feel a rumble of movement wash through the core of the machine as Lance forces the claw of the Lion to tear a hole into the alien ship.

           Shiro cheered, "Nice job, Lance!"
      The robotic lion swerved around the opposing enemies ship and flew away, "OK, I think it's time to get these guys away from our planet.” 

       However, warship continued to pursue the Blue Lion.

       Hunk’s tone danced with worry, "Oh, no!"
      "They're gaining on us!" Pidge warned.

       "It's weird,” Lance began, dragging his words for a moment. 

        You tut in response, “Uh, Shiro fell from the sky—apparently captured by aliens. We are riding in a blue, robotic lion to which you have some weird, psychic connection with, and you think an alien ship is just weird?!” 

        “They're not trying to shoot us, _______!” Lance replies defensively, “Th-They're just chasing."
        "What do you mean?! They literally shot at us two seconds ago!" You exclaim.
        "Maybe it was a mistake," Keith replies.
        "Keith's right," Shiro says, "they don't want to damage the ship. We have the advantage." 
        "OK, seriously,” Hunk shook his head. “now we think having aliens follow us is good? I am not on board with this new direction, guys."

         The Lion’s speed quickens and jerks forward. You could feel the gravity or pull of some unknown force push you against the wall of the lion, but you stood your ground until it abruptly stopped. You watched in awe as your realized through the clear, open window that you weren’t near Earth anymore. You also got away from the Alien Warship.
         “Where are we?" Keith hovered over your shoulder, eyes widening at the sight before him.
         “Edge of the solar system,” Shiro inquires. 

         You didn’t realize it until the older male spoke, but the all to familiar object floated in your view. The perfectly sculpted grey and black moon perched itself at the edge of your Lions window and a soft glow from the sun and radiated against the surface of the alien lion ship. 

         You point to the round orb in front of you, “It’s Kerberos!”

        Apart of you expected the moon to be uglier looking, considering Earths moon was as such an eye-sore. However, it’s smooth surface and beautiful color complemented each other. You were in awe at the fact that you are seeing Kerberos in the flesh and blood. All those failed simulations, pictures and drawings from the astronomy books did the moon no justice in its beauty.
      "It takes months for our ships to get out this far. We got out here in five seconds." Pidge awes.
       With in seconds, a part of the stars warp together in a swift mush and open a hole in space. A soft color of a blue hue swirls in front of us as it finally forms into what you could assume was a black hole.
        “What is that?!" Hunk gulps.
        "Uh, this may seem crazy,” Lance admits in a hushed voice, “but I think the Lion wants us to go through there."
        “Where does it go?" Pidge inquires.
         Lance comments, "I-I don't know...”

        Black holes were consistently talked about in class. They are assumed to be region of spacetime where gravity is so strong that nothing—no particles or even electromagnetic radiation such as light—can escape from it. If one were to go near it, they would be sucked up and turned into nothing, and if one were to go into it— they would be ripped apart, limb by limb and parish. However it's all theoretical. But also it was clear that black holes are not your friend. Apart of you had a gut feeling that the black hole looked a little too light, and “good” to be a threat to you. For one, it wasn’t black. And two, the lion saved your team from the crazy aliens and has some weird connection with Lance so there’s a possibility it's on your side.

         “Shiro, you're the senior officer here. What should we do?" You ask. 
         Your senior officer pauses, considering his options, “Whatever's happening, the Lion knows more than we do. I say we trust it, but we're a team now. We should decide together."

        The team looks at each other in silence, a unspoken agreement is decided.
         "... All right,” the Cuban boy comments, “Guess we're all ditching class tomorrow."
         Putting the lion into gear, Lance presses forward at the helm and the lion is engulfed into the black hole. You gripped the Lance’s seat and closed your eyes expecting yourself to be torn apart limb from limb, but nothing happens. You peek open an eye and find yourself making eye contact with Keith, whom looks down at you funny. You flash a sheepish smile.

         The lion rumbled from the turbulence and shudders as it finally frees itself out of the space tunnel. You hear your team groan in response, and you look up and see yourself in a different part of the universe. From behind you, you catch a sudden grunt from your friend, Hunk, who turns in your direction. Oh no.

        He wraps an arm around your waist and vomits behind you. “So sorry—“ he mumbled through words. He vomits again. You suddenly feel sick from the sound and try your best to avoid the sight of the vomit, but place a free hand against Hunks hair, patting it reassuringly. 

           “So much for the bag,” Pidge smirks to which you mutter out in disgust, “I’m just surprised it took this long.”

          "I don't recognize any of these constellations,” Shiro interrupts, “We must be a long, long way from Earth."

          You look out to see a series of colorful planets ranging from dark yellows to light pink. Each planet dawned a theme where some were decked in clouds in their atmosphere and others with rocks reaching out from its core. One planet in particular caught your eye due to its strange familiarity with your home, Earth. The planet dawned the same brown and greens of your land, but a ring protected its crust with small clouds decorating it.
        "The Lion seems to want to go to this planet,” The Cuban boy spoke, “I think... I think it's going home."
       As the Blue Lion blasts towards the planet below, entering its atmosphere, the team huddles closer together from the intense turbulence. As you leaned into the center of the crowd, the heavy smell of leather and cologne tickled your nose. It wasn’t familiar, but you could only assume it was either Keith or Shiro due to how close they were to you.
        “Guys, personal space!” Lance retorted, “Hunk, your breath is killing me."
        "Um, is it just me or is anyone else having second thoughts about flying through a mysterious wormhole?” Your engineer inquired, the famous worry and anxious expression crossing his features, “Why are we listening to a robotic lion anyway?"

          “Oh, I don’t know, Hunk. Why don’t you ask The Tailor?” You remarked and placed a hand on Lance‘s shoulder to remind him of his famous name. 
         Lance peered up at you with a raised brow, a tone of irritation setting in his voice. “It got us away from that alien warship, didn't it?" 
        "I don't know if you noticed,” Keith commented, “but we're in an alien warship."
         Lance smirked at Keith, "Oh, are you scared?"
         "With you at the helm? Terrified."
         "All right, knock it off!“ Shiro commands, “No one's happy to be in this situation, but we're here now. If we want to get through this, we've got to do it together."
       Pidge finally spoke up, "So, what do we do?"
      "First, we find out where we're headed,” Shiro said, he motion to the pilot. “Lance?"
      "I don't know,” Lance replies, “I'm sorry. The Lion's not talking to me anymore. ... Wait! Wait, wait, wait! Shh! Listen. I think I hear something."
     A high-pitched squeal sounds off.
     "I'm hearing it, too,” Keith chimes in.
     Hunk paused before speaking,  "It's, uh—It's kind of a—a high-pitched squeal?”

     Lance smirks as the team all come to a realization for what the sound was. Everyone gags and plugs their nose at the incoming smell from Lance’s fart. Unfortunately, you got the idea a little too late and caught a whiff of the smell. You let out a gag and tears sprinkle your eyes. The scent is all too familiar. 

        “Lance! Come on!” Everyone grumbled, but you perked up with your comment in the spur of the moment. 

        “Ugh! Is that Mr. Keaton’s Tuesday Burritos?”
         Lance didn’t say anything to you other than stick his tongue out teasingly, "But seriously, there's a Castle up ahead."
         Through the lions vessel, a large building could be seen. From what you could tell, the main park of the castle appeared in the center and surrounded by machine looking parts that looked like colorful rocks. A tall, white colored bridge stretches out from the main entrance and as the lion brought you closer, a court yard could be seen near the main entrance. Everyone watches in awe as the they approach the castle and land.
         Everyone struggles to get out of the lion, but eventually you are able to feel the brick stone against your shoes. You almost fell to the ground in thanks but the vertigo from the whole trip was getting to you.

          “Whoa,” Keith breaths.

        You couldn’t agree more. Seeing the castle up close and personal compared to seeing it in the distance was astonishing. It was ten times bigger than it looked from afar. You also noted the fact that you were actually breathing in oxygen, and not dying from inhaling unfamiliar toxins. The planet you were on mimicked the features from Earth. It took you a moment to wrap your mind around the idea that you, and your friends, just found more life beyond Earth.

          “Holy crow!” You coo, “We are actually on an inhabitable planet with life!” You noticed the soft patches of grass peeking out from the ground. You couldn't wait to tell your parents about this. You glanced back at the lion that towered from behind you, eyes glowing a deep yellow hue. You’re going to tell your parents a lot more stuff than just the planet you found.
      Shiro interrupted your exciting moment with a hushed tone, “Keep your guard up."
      Pidge quirked a brow, "Something wrong?"
     “My crew was captured by aliens once. I'm not going to let it happen again."
      Before anyone could reply, the lion sat up in a swift motion, startling everyone.
      "Oh no! Oh no!” Hunk cries, jumping behind you, “I knew it was going to eat us! No!" 
     The machine drops its jaw and a low roar of the lion rumble the ground beneath your feet. In response, the doors of the castle forced itself open on command. You watch in awe as your mind wonders over to what hidden mechanisms helped the lion open the door. However, the thoughts were brushed away as you and your friends cautiously made your way into the depths of the castle. 
     "Oh, the door is open," Hunk peers over your shoulder at the beast, "Guess I was wrong about you."
        As your friends entered the castle, an eerie silence settles amongst them. You investigate the area of the vestibule and await anxiously as you expect some creature to jump out and attack you. However, nothing comes while your friends settle in a bit more, starting to investigate the area as well.
               "Hellooo?" Hunk voices echoes in the emptiness of the structure and everyone stares at him, startled. Hunk shrugs in response.

        Eventually everyone walks in the center of the room where a set of dimly lit stairs stand at the edge of it. The darkness engulfs the walkway and you find yourself staring into the abyss, anxiety bubbling in your chest once again. Your thoughts travelled back to the warship that tried to attack you and your friends, and you started to worry that maybe what you were going to find in the depths of the castle were worse than what was chasing you.
        "From the size of the Lion, I expected these steps to be bigger," Pidge comments.

         "Maybe they're for baby lions," You respond, expecting a subtle chuckle from Pidge, but he glances at you with a questionable expression.

        You bring your hands up defensively, but before you could explain yourself, a beam of light appears as the vestibule activates, and a small buzzing sound vibrates the room. Everyone gasps.
         A robotic woman's voice catches your attention, "Hold for identity scan."
        "Why are we here?" Shiro goes in front of your crew as if to protect them from the voice, "What do you want with us?"
        Pidge and Lance yelp as you notice beautiful, crystal-looking torches light up the pathway into the depths of the castle.
        "I guess we're going that way," Pidge announces to which everyone reluctantly agrees.
        As the team goes forward, more crystal torches ignite to lead them deeper inside the castle. The only sound one could hear were the patter of the teams footsteps and the agitating calls of Hunk's voice that echoes against the structures walls. As time went on, you found yourself in a strange chamber where a strangely shaped object projects off the ground. You find yourself ignoring it and scouting out the rest of the room for any other clues on what to do next.

        "Where are we?" Lance asked, his voice soft but cut sharply through the heavy silence in the room.
        Pidge answered, "It's some kind of control room."

        You began to wonder how Pidge got the idea of the room being a control room. There were no signs of any type of machinery unless the object stretching out of the ground had some buttons you didn't realize were on it. Even if there were, for all you could know, the area could be for bathing. As you turn to Pidge to question his theory, the console Pidge was looking at activates with a soft glow and two coffin-looking objects migrate up through the ground. A glowing light illuminates off from the center of the pods, and a figure can be seen through them. 

        Hunk gasps, "Are these guys... dead?"

        "Oh man," you muse, "Zombies. Alien Zombies."

        "Don't say that, _________!" Your burly friend whines, face turning instantly worried over your assumption.
        Before you could explain yourself, one of the pods open to reveal a woman awakening from a deep slumber. She wore a refined dress that dawned some pastel pink and blue tones and her eyes were a shimmering ocean hue. Her olive toned features displayed a distressed expression. One thing that stood out about her were her pointed ears that were all too similar to an elves. She was any geeks dream girl.

          Your eyes widen at the thought, Elves. Alien Elves. Add that to your list of things to tell your parents.
        "Father!" her elegant yet hoarse voice called out as Lance immediately caught her in his arms. He begins to blush at the sight of her but his flustered appearance disappears as he attempts to don a suave persona.

        "Hello." Lance, to what you could almost make out, purred.
        "Who are you?" The woman spoke in a rushed tone, "Where am I?"
        "I'm Lance. And you're right here in my arms."
         "Your," the woman's expression twisted into a confused state, "... ears"
         "... Yeah?"
        "They're hideous. What's wrong with them?"
        "Nothing's wrong with them! They heard exactly what you said about them!"

        As witty as Lance may be sometimes, you had an internal gut feeling about the whole situation, and could only assume his humor is going to receive negative feedback by the alien girl. This wasn't going to end well. As your gut feeling settled in your stomach, the young woman instantly grabs Lance by the ears and puts him in a restraining hold. Everyone gasps and backs away at the sight. Thar she blows.
        "Who are you?" The alien pressed, "Where is King Alfor? What are you doing in my Castle?"
         "A giant blue lion brought us here! That's all we know!" Lance pleads, his ear reddening from the grasp of the alien.
        "How do you have the Blue Lion?" The woman lets go of Lance's ear to which Lance's falls to his hands and knees. "What happened to its Paladin? What are you all doing here? Unless... How long has it been?"
        "We don't know what you're talking about," Shiro replies in a calm and steady voice, "Why don't you tell us who you are? Maybe we can help."
         "I am Princess Allura of Planet Altea. I've got to find out where we are and how long we've been asleep."

           Allura brushes pass Lance, and accesses a console by placing her hands on it; a electronic screen appears.
        Pidge muses, "Okay, that's how that works."
        The second sleep pod opens, revealing another figure, who stumbles out of the pod just like Allura had. The man wore a royal-like outfit that was tight against his body. His features dawned a well-taken care of mustache and copper locks that were slicked back to keep the stray hairs out of his face. He was tall, and broad shouldered, but an almost familiar protector vibe drew off from him. He gasps at the sight of Lance. 
        "E-Enemy combatants!" The man warns. He jumps towards Lance but the Cuban boy side-steps him so the red-headed man loses his balance. "Quizneck!" He mumbles, "You're lucky I have a case of the old Sleep Chamber Knees. Otherwise, I'd grab your head like this," He imitates his fighting moves, "...wrap you up like so and—One, two, three—" He snaps his fingers."—Sleepy time!"
         "Well, before you did that," Lance goes into a fighting stance before he imitates rudimentary karate, "I'd—Hoo! Ha! Hiyah!" Your shaggy haired friend stands back with a hand on his hip as if proud by his explanation. "—Like that."
 "Oh, Really?!" The unknown alien man replies, "Well how could you do that when I've already come at you with this?!" He bends down and pretends to strike repeatedly. "Ha, ha, ha, ha-ey!"
        "Man, these guys are good," Hunk mumbles from behind you.
        "It can't be..." A dumbfounded look spreads across Allura's features. 
        "What is it?" The old man questions.
        "We've been asleep for 10,000 years!" Allura steps back, tears sprinkling in her eyes as something suddenly occurs to her. "Planet Altea and all of the planets in our solar system have been destroyed. Coran, Father is gone. Our entire civilization..."
Allura becomes enraged. "Zarkon!"
        "Zarkon...?" Shiro drags on, a memory clearly dwelling in his thoughts.
        "He was the King of the Galra," Allura's words dripped with venom, "A vile creature and enemy to all free people."
        "I remember now... I was his prisoner." Shiro exclaims. 
         Allura stared at Shiro, dumbfounded. "He's still alive? Impossible!"

        The Princess was right. It's impossible that for a creature to live for 10,000 years. Not unless aliens aged differently than humans.  Then again, you rode a mystical lion robot into a completely separate solar system where elf dwellers live. At this point, you believed anything.

        Shiro shook his head, "I can't explain it, but it's true. He's searching for a super weapon called Voltron."
         "He's searching for it because he knows it's the only thing that can defeat him," The Princesses eyes narrow, "and that's exactly why we must find it before he does."
        In the Castle ship, Allura stands at the Sleep Chamber console with a plate of food goo floating nearby.
        " Princess, you must eat. It's been 10,000 years!" The man, which you later found out was named Coran, suggests to the Princess.
         "I'm not hungry," She replies.
        "Man, 10,000 years? That's like one thousand plus ten." Lance brings up his fingers as if to count.
         "That's times ten," Keith corrects.
        Lance sneers, "Whatever, dropout."

        As irritating as the consistent bickering was, you couldn't help but chuckle in response. You were simply glad you didn't have to constantly deal with Lance's shenanigan's alone.

        "Don't encourage him," A voice interrupted your laughter and your attention turned to the red jacket vigilant. His purple eyes glared daggers at you to which you simply tossed back.

         "Then, how about you don't do it either." So much for enjoying the show. You quirk a brow and mimic Keith's gesture.

        "What?" Keith hissed, "I wasn't—" The boy grunted in defeat, "Whatever."
        "I haven't eaten since breakfast and I'm starving," Hunk whines.
         Pidge flashes a nervous smile, "Yeah, but you've thrown up, like, five times."
        "Hmm.," Hunk thinks, "Good point." He begins eating the food goo, continuing to eat although clearly disgusted by it's taste.
        "I can't believe your civilization created such advanced technology 10,000 years ago," Shiro muses. "It must have been an incredible place."
         "Yes, it was..." Coran nods, "but now it is gone and we're the last Altean's alive."
        Allura mourns as Coran wraps his arms around her to comfort her. After a moment, she hears a squeak from her sleep pod and and is happy to find four Altean Mice peeking out.
        Allura smiles, "Looks like we're not the last, after all."
        The Castleship alarms blare. and a Galra warship appears on-screen.
         "A Galra battleship has set its tracker to us!" Coran yelps.
        The Princess hissed, "How did they find us?!"
        "I'm not sure, but I bet it's Keith's fault." Lance replied.

        Apart of you wanted to cheekily remind Lance that he was the one who flew everyone there, but brushed that thought away. Knowing full-well that sarcasm isn't a good resolution to this stressful situation right now.

        "Say whatever you've got to say to make yourself feel better," Keith began, his arms still crossed from your earlier bickering with him, "... after getting us stuck on the other side of a Wormhole!"
        "Ill stick you in a wormhole!" Lance peered into Keith's personal space, their noses pressing close together. Lance and Keith appear ready to fight, but luckily Shiro separates them.

        Your mind wondered back to the Garrison, and a certain feeling of nostalgia swelled in your chest due to their bickering. You wondered if Keith did remember Lance because it would be hard to not remember someone you had a fight with, or was who you constantly competed with. Maybe that was too long ago. Or, maybe Keith didn't didn't see Lance as his rival. In any case, after Keith left, it was you who took the next spot as Lance's competitor. Not like Lance saw you as such, but you saw him as your Keith. With far more attitude. 
        "Stow it, cadets!" The veteran astroexplorer braces for impact as he stretches his arms out to stop the teens from brawling. "This is no time to place blame, it's time to work as a team. How long before they arrive?"
        "At their speed? Oh, well, uh," Coran begins to count on his fingers, clearly doing very rough math in his head. "...carry the two... I'd say probably a couple of days?"
        "Good," The princess nodded, "Let them come! By the time they get here, you five will have reformed Voltron, and together, we will destroy Zarkon's empire!"
        Shiro interjects, "Princess, there are six of these Lions. How are we going to find the rest?"
        In the Castleship's Bridge with a Crystal above, Allura stands in the center.
        "King Alfor connected the Lions to Allura's life force. She alone is the key to the Lions' whereabouts," Coran stand behind Allura as she activates the computer, opening up a map of the entire universe. The hologram of the galaxy expands and presents many more, and unfamiliar constellations. You gap at the various stars and planets you've never seen before.
        "These," You heard your smallest guy friend begin, pointing at little numbers next to a spot on the hologram, "are coordinates. The Black Lion looks like it's in the same location as the Blue Lion."

        You lean over to see what the numbers looked like. It was foreign to you, almost like the numbers were written in another language. You weren't surprised at Pidge's observation skills, he always was the type to get things right. In attempt to see what Pidge saw, you squinted your eyes to check the numbers. Nope, you couldn't understand a single thing.
        "Look at your primitive synapses firing away in their little brain cage!" Coran chimed.
        "Very observant," The woman muses, "That's because the Black Lion is in the Castle."
        "To keep the Black Lion out of Zarkon's hands, King Alfor locked it in the Castle. It can only be freed if the other five Lions are present," Coran adds.

         Allura spoke up again, "As you have found, the Lions choose their pilots. It is a mystical bond and cannot be forced. The Quintessence of the pilot is mirrored in his Lion. Together, they form something greater than science can explain."

        Before you could question what Quintessence was and how a robot could choose the pilot, Allura flickers her wrist and a small hologram of the black lion floats to Shiro. "The Black Lion is the decisive head of Voltron. It will take a pilot who is a born leader and in control at all times, someone whose men will follow without hesitation. That is why, Shiro, you will pilot the Black Lion." Shiro stands there, amused and humbled by the position. Allura continues, "The Green Lion has an inquisitive personality and needs a pilot of intellect and daring. Pidge," The green lion hologram floats to Pidge, "you will pilot the Green Lion. The Blue Lion—"
        Before Allura could continue, she is interrupted by Lance"—Whope, hold up," His hand flies up to stop her, "let me guess: Takes the most handsome slash best pilot of the bunch?"

        You punch Lance's shoulder in response with an irritated expression crossing your features. Lance yelped at the impact but doesn't say anything to you, simply showing a pout on his lips. You swore you could see Keith's smirk in your peripheral vision. Allura ignored the scene, and continues, "The... Yellow Lion is caring and kind." Allura sends the hologram Yellow Lion towards Hunk, who points at himself questionably. "Its pilot is one who puts the needs of others above his own. His heart must be mighty. As the leg of Voltron, you will lift the team up and hold them together."

        For a moment, there is an eerie pause as Allura glances down at her palms. Her fingers closed together as if caging something in her grasp. She hesitated before she spoke, "The Red Lion is temperamental and the most difficult to master. It's faster and more agile than the others, but also more unstable. Its pilot needs to be someone who relies more on instincts than skill alone," Opening her palms, a small Red Lion flies towards Keith swiftly, stopping in front of him, "Keith, you will fly the Red Lion."

        "What? This guy?" Lance taunted, throwing a thumb in Keith's direction. 

        Allura sighed, "Unfortunately, I cannot locate the Red Lion's coordinates yet. There must be something wrong with the Castle. After 10,000 years, it... might need some work."
        Coran stands tall, "Don't worry, we'll find it soon. They don't call me The Coranic for nothing. It's because it sounds like "mechanic." So... Coranic, mechanic. It's not—It doesn't sound... exactly like it. It's similar."

        Coran reminded you of one of your uncles who travelled around the world and only came home during Christmas with kooky stories and weird gageites he won in a gamble. You always looked forward to the gifts and stories because the presents were always exotic and the stories were out-worldly. Coran acted just like your uncle: goofy, weird, and a bit of a nerd. Definitely a more comforting presence in a strange situation. Not really the scary alien type from those movies and Hollywood depictions.

               Unfortunately, it seemed as though Coranic's pun didn't cool things down between Lance and Keith, who continue to glare at one another.

        Allura brushes the bickering off and suddenly turns to you. A small white lion, similar to the other lions, escapes her palms and floats its way over to you. Your eyes widen as the lion swirls around you and lets a soft roar before floating in front of you once again.

        "The White Lion," Allura begins, "is harder to connect with. Their pilot must be someone who is patient but willing to learn and grow. Under dire circumstances, one can call upon the strength and wisdom of the white paladin to see what they must do. That is why, _______, you will protect the team as the body of Voltron."

        You're star-struck. You, the body of Voltron, and someone many can confide in? You can clearly recall just hours ago, you were teasing Lance about... well, what weren't you making fun of Lance for? You weren't really someone many would turn to for emotional support. Keith has never really spoken any words to you, Shiro quite literally had to help you hold yourself in place while in the blue lion, and it wasn't like you were close with Pidge either. Besides him admitting to you about his family, there wasn't really anything that made you and him best buds.

        Your thoughts are interrupted as the hologram Lions roar and charge together, forming Voltron.

        "Once all the Lions are united, you will form Voltron, the most powerful warrior ever known, the Defender of the Universe!"

        Did this elven lady really call y'all the Defender of the Universe? You and your gaggle of friends are not Defenders of any universe and the idea of that even being considered by anyone is ridiculous. You? A hero? The thought baffled you. Shiro is the hero-type, but you? A couple hours ago you failed a test. If you couldn't handle one measly test, how could you handle protecting the universe?

        "Wait," Hunk spoke, his voice wavering, "we're going to be in there and flying Lions. Got that part. How do Lions turn into legs? Also, is this going to be a long trip? Because I have to pee. Do you people pee?"

        Shiro cut in, "You know we don't have much time. Pidge and I will go after the Green Lion. Lance, you take Hunk and get the Yellow one. Keith, you and __________ will go get the White."

        Automatically, the two of you exchange a look. You couldn't tell what was behind those heated eyes, but it was something. He didn't seem too happy, but neither were you really. You could very easily take care of yourself, but the idea of someone reliable to help you go get the White Lion didn't seem too bad. You just wished it wasn't someone so grumpy.

        "What about the Red Lion? What if it's found?" Keith interjected, but before he could add more Allura chimed in.

        "Don't worry about that now. _________ will need back up; it's pretty dangerous if anyone goes alone," Allura continues, "In the meantime, I'll get this Castle's defenses ready. They'll be sorely needed."

        "I'll ready a pod a-and load in the coordinates so that you can reach the lions," Coran begin as he scurried over to a small computer near by.

        The teams set off. Lance and Hunk took the Blue Lion whereas the rest of the gang jumped in a flight pod. As you approached your flight pod with Keith, the both of you went to the pilots side, and reached for the pods lock, hands brushing. You both pull back, exchanging another look. As you met his eyes, shivers ran down your spine when you realized he wasn't backing down. You knew you were a good pilot, but you didn't want to fight Keith on this. Your eyes flickered down, hands raised in defense as you rounded to the passengers side. You considered saying some sly comment. However, he didn't seem to be in the mood for a banter session and you didn't want to push his buttons, or the ride would be too awkward. You needed to focus on finding your lion anyways.

        Static ran through the pods intercom and a voice of Coran rang throughout the small space, "We can only keep the Wormholes that lead to the other Lions open for two of your Earth hours, so you'll have to be quick about your work," As Coran spoke, a small swirl of motion could be seen in the window of the pod. The swish of motion gradually grew bigger and a blue hue glowed filled your view. "The good news is that according to my readings, all the planets are relatively peaceful. So, if you do get stuck, they could be relaxing places to live out the rest of your lives. Enjoy the trip!"

        Two hours? That felt like plenty of time at first, that was until you realize you didn't exactly know how to find your lion. And you suddenly felt rushed to do a task you didn't know how to do!

        "How would I know—" Your words were cut off as a shudder in the pod began, and took off into the wormhole. Your heart raced and breath quickened. The motions of the pod teleporting through the wormhole only lasted a second as you slowly peeked out of one eye, and noticed the planet you were on.

        Hills of white sand scattered throughout the surface of the planet. There wasn't a single source of life upon it. The sky was painted a terrible color of yellow hue that didn't complement the pearl color of sand on the ground. The sand reminded you of one of those tropical beaches with the teal-blue ocean of waves brushing the surface. You wish you had your phone on you to take a picture, but of course, out of all the times you forgot your phone, this was the time. 

        "We aren't here for sight seeing. We have a mission to complete," A stern voice perked from behind you, pulling you back into reality.

        You turn, noting the agitated expression on your companions face. Your face mimicked his soon after, "You're telling me you aren't surprised we are on another planet?"

        "I would be if I wasn't being chased by aliens," He didn't meet your gaze. You didn't need him to. You knew he was right. That still irritated you, though. "Now stop talking, and focus on looking for the lion."

        You kept your mouth shut, considering maybe doing what he told you to do and doing it quick to impress him. However, you didn't know where to start, or how to. You decided to gaze out the window, hoping to scout around for any obvious white, robotic lions. It may have felt stupid, but you didn't know where to start anyway. A minute or so passes, and the pod lands safely on the ground. With a sucked in breath, expecting the humidity of the desert sun graze your skin, you step out of the pod. However, you're surprisingly greeted with a cool breeze. Your feet sunk into the thick sand as you clumsily made your way around the pod to Keith.

        Keith mentioned that the Blue Lion had called out to him before so maybe it would work for him again.

        You look at him, awaiting his orders. He turns to you and crossed his arms with a scowl, "So?"

        Your brow quirked in response, "So..?"

        Your companion closed his eyes in frustration, "I'm not playing around, _______." He muttered to himself before he peered over at you.

        "Uh, and you think I am? I'm waiting for you to go. I'm following you."

        "What?" The boy face-palms, "I don't know where the lion is, only you do."

        "How would I know? Some fairy will come bouncing out of some cave and help us?"

        "Just like the lion called out to me and Lance, it will call out to you. I thought you got that by now."

        "Hey!" You scowled, "I'm sorry I'm a little over-whelmed with the idea that we are on another planet and associating ourselves with aliens. Our situation is far from normal, and I'm still processing it." Now you're probably going to be stuck on some dry planet with a jerkface.

        "Well then stop being over-whelmed and start being under-whelmed."

        "You're making it seem easy," you mutter under your breath. "How would I ...." You pause, your next words ignite a shiver down your spine, "communicate with it?"

        Keith looked at you for a moment, "I don't know."

        So much for his help. You turn away from him and suck in a breath to calm your nerves. Maybe Keith's right, you're too amped up to feel the presence of the lion.

        Calm down.

        It takes you a second to actually calm down, but nothing comes.

        "I can't feel anything."

        "Keep trying, then," Keith grumbled, looking at the pods timer, "we only have about an hour left."

        "An hour?" you gap, the nerves you conquered before are now bubbling up again in your chest. How were you going to find this thing in an hour?

        "Just shut up," Keith managed to grab your shoulders and shoved you forward, "and focus!"

        You managed to catch yourself after stumbling forward from the force, and tripped over your own feet. A rush of blood rose in your body, and an unfamiliar glow of power bubbled to the surface of your thoughts. A ping of intuition told you to go forward even more, somehow you felt the force want you underground. Keith must've noticed your moment of hesitation as you heard a faint call of your name from behind you.

        You glanced back at him, your vision suddenly blurring as the force beckoned to you from below.

        "It's in the ground," you stated to which Keith looked at you questionably, glancing down at the sand and then back up at you. You gulp, feeling the force tug at you even more. The feeling was energetic, and positive. It wasn't desperate but excited. A white flash of an image of a white lion in a dark, symbolic carved cave swirled in your thoughts. Somehow, the warm feeling was suddenly familiar and friendly. The anxiety that dwelled inside washed away as you began to impulsively wipe your feet against the sand, digging. You didn't know what it was, but you had felt it. You were standing on something. Whatever it was, it lead to the white lion. Your white lion.

        The feeling was spooky. Lance was right about it not saying words, but putting thoughts into your mind. After digging through the sand for a while, your finger tips suddenly brushed a tough surface. 

        "Keith, look!" You gap, watching the rock surface become bigger as your partner joins you in the digging. You both stood back and gaze at the concrete floor in awe as the ground was carved in symbols similar to the blue lions cave. Both of you stood in a circle that was carved into the ground, another shape of a faded print of something sat above it.

        "Okay..." Keith drags on, glancing over at you quizzingly. "How do we get in?" You met his gaze, thinking for a moment. Allowing the feeling of the lion again could give you a clue, so you waited. Nothing.

        "The thing isn't very talkative," You state, bringing your bruised fingertips into your view. However, you had an idea of how to get in. You placed your palm firmly against the faded print that sat above the circle and carved into the ground. A soft hue peeked through the cracks of the carvings as well as a crisp breeze. The tough surface creaked in anticipation, the rumbling of the surface drew open a door and a dark set of stairs peeked from below. 

        "Took you long enough," Keith commented which automatically forced you to give him a mean look before the two of you walk down the stairs.

        The smell of mildew and pine overwhelm you as the two of you cautiously walk down the stairs. It was dark; only the dim light from the outside gave you enough to see through the shadows. Apart of you still felt that warm, familial glow from before, but the cautious side of you expected the worse. Automatically, you felt Keith reach out and grab your arm.

        "We should stay close," He mutters to you, almost expecting something to jump out at you two. 

        You tense up in response, "Do you feel something?"

        "No, but we can never be too careful," He paused for a moment, the sounds of your steady breathing and faint water droplets echoing in the dark abyss. "Lead the way, ________ . "

        A few minutes passed as you weaved your way down the maze-like cave, the tint of the familial pull still lingering within you, allowing you to easily find your way around. The pull grew even stronger as you got closer to the lion. However, the endless darkness consuming you still put you on edge. Before you knew it, a light at the far end of the tunnel glows in your view. As you reached the end, a tall white lion sat purposefully in front of the two of you. A sheet of white surrounds it. The lion was snow white, with a trim of a light grey, and eyes of shimmering gold. The cave it sat in was covering in the same carvings as the last lion, telling a story of it's past.  

        "Whoa," The words slip from your lips as you stare up at the lion.

        "You can let go of me now," You hear Keith comment beside you, and you look over to find your hand still clinging onto his jacket. You must've grabbed onto his clothes before you found the lion. 

        You stare at your hand for a moment, extending your fingers dramatically when letting go, and fixed your gaze on his with a cocked brow, "Don't get any ideas."

        You make your way to the protective shield surrounding the lion as you hear Keith mutter, "I wasn't considering it."

        Ignoring him, you recall what Lance did to access the lion and softly brushed your fingers against the shield. It dissolved upon impact. 

        In reaction to your actions, the lion came to life. It stood up, roared and lowered it's mouth to allow you to access the controls. The same familial warmth grew inside your chest as you climbed your way inside into the lion. The controls were tinted in a soft grey and coated in a luminescent layer of white and the trim around the corridor was a color of clay. After examining the corridor you found your way into your seat. You expected it to not fit your figure, but upon laying your body down, you were welcomed with a soft purr of the lion and a cool leather spot - perfectly sculpted to fit your frame.

        When you took control of the wheel, a shred of doubt crossed your mind. You hadn't flown in a while, and a part of you expected the lions controls to look similar to that of a ship. Lance made flying his lion look so easy, but as you grasped the helm of your ship, you almost forgot the basic controls of piloting.

        "...Are you going to start flying or what?" Keith called up to you, expecting the pair of you to be gone by now. 

        "I.." You pause, desperately attempting to calm your growing anxiety and cultivate an excuse as to why you're sucking at life right now, "I'm... fine. Just overwhelmed, ya know."

        You glanced down at Keith through the window of your lion. He didn't seem convinced of your charade, but didn't care to press any further. 

        "Well, hurry it up," He yells up to you, "I'm heading back to the pod."

        You watch as your partner turns away from you and your lion. You gulp. You could only assume you only had a couple minutes left until you had to be back through the wormhole. And somehow, you felt your lion was connected with you, but wasn't going to help you at all. You were determined to figure it out on your own. Upon forcing yourself to recall the basic controls of piloting, and using your deductive reasoning, you pressed a couple buttons, but even as the buttons light up under your touch, nothing came after it.

        The anxiety grows worse. You feel your body heating up. "'Kay," you grumbled, "You can stop being so distant now and start giving me instructions."

        You considered if the lion had some sort of life to it, surely it would understand you. You continue talking to it, brushing off the embarrassment you felt talking to a robot.

        "Please?"

        No response.

        "With a cherry on top?"

        Once again, no response. 

        Your chest starts to feel tight as you began to wonder how much time you had left until the wormhole closed. 

        "I have to go! We have to go. If we don't, the wormhole will close and we will be stuck with each other for eternity. Are you okay with that? Do you want that?"

        Again, no response is given. Apart of you began to get frustrated. Wasn't this lion suppose to be some super friendly, sensitive personality that would glue the whole unit together or something like that. Allura's words echoed in the back of your mind, igniting a spark of realization through you.

        "Under dire circumstances," Allura's soft lullaby of words calmed your nerves, "one can call upon the strength and wisdom of them to see what they must do."

        "Listen," You suck in a deep breath through your clenched teeth as you let yourself become vulnerable, "I am new at this, and don't know what I'm doing. I need help. Can you show me what to do?"

        There was a long moment of silence. No response was given. You almost decided to give up, but a rush of familiar white light surged through the controls. A burst of pearl colored energy peeked through the trims of the lion. The room shook, and shuttered as the lion awoke from its deep slumber. The same comfortable feeling you got from when you were with Keith wrapped around you like a warm blanket. It roared to life, soon sky-rocketing off the ground and flying towards the wormhole. You noted how your hands were hardly gripping the helm to the lion, and recalled Lance commenting how his lion was on auto-pilot. You had a feeling that yours was, too. The sandy surface of the planet drifted by you at heightened speed. 

       You hoped the lion doesn't do a backflip like the Blue Lion did. You didn't know if you could control yourself from getting dizzy. The lions energy was overwhelming and surely the white lion could feel you. After flying back to the Castle of Lions, and landing in some sort of room where you saw the others lions settled at, you made it your mission to find Keith before you met up with everyone. 

          You looked around for a moment, but noticed that the pod that Coran sent you and Keith out with was already parked in it's usual spot. You assumed he was already in the vestibule with everyone.

          The door to the vestibule opens automatically as you enter. You note Keith standing by already, but before you could say anything to him, you hear the groans of Lance and Hunk as they enter the room right after you.

       Allura perks up, a sparkle in her eyes as she looks to the three of you, "You made it!"

      "Yeah, just barely," Lance replies, "That was a nightmare. I almost puked out there. I felt like Hunk!"

       Hunk frowns at Lance, "Think how I felt. I am Hunk."

      You hear Pidge giggle next to Shiro and they share a smile with each other, "Yeah... We had a tough time, too."

        You walk over to Keith where the two of you share a look. The exchange wasn't as friendly as Shiro's and Pidge's but behind Keith's annoyed expression, you sensed a shred of relief. 

        Shiro's commanding voice brought you back into the present, "Did we find the Red Lion yet?"

        "Allura just located it," Coran continued, stepping forward to gain everyone's attention, "There's a bit of good news and bad news. The good news is, the Red Lion's nearby. The bad news is, it's on board that Galra ship now orbiting Arus. But wait, good news again. We're Arus!"

         Realization strikes your team, "They're here already?" You inquire.

        "Yes," The red-head replies, almost obliviously naïve to the current situation or putting a façade on - who knew, "Guess my calculations were a bit off. Finger counting—I-It's more of an art than a science. Hmm?"

        Before anyone could say anything, a video transmission overtakes the Castle's screen, and a beast appears. His skin is covered in purple fur, and his ears are as big as his head. He looked like one of those desert foxes with the big ears and small body. In this case though, from the broad shoulders and body armor peering out from under the edges of the camera, his body was not small.

       "Princess Allura," The beast growls through the speakers, "this is Commander Sendak of the Galra Empire. I come on behalf of Emperor Zarkon, Lord of the Known Universe. I am here to confiscate the Lions. Turn them over to me, or I will destroy your planet."

       The transmission ends. Great, your team is being attacked by purple, furry, alien men.

       "All right, let's not panic," Shiro suggests.

      "Not panic?" Hunk gulps, "Th-The scary purple alien thing is driving his battleship toward us. We only have six Lions."

     Pidge interjects, "Technically, only five working Lions."

      Knowing full well that telling anyone, especially Hunk that, isn't good, you mumble at Pidge in an irritated tone, "Not helping, man." The young boy simply shrugs in response, knowing full well one shouldn't hide the truth. With Hunk freaking out, it was starting to make you freak out. 

     Hunk doesn't hear your comment either, "No, yeah, that's right. Thank you, Pidge. Five working Lions an-and a Castle that's, like, 10,000 years old."

     "A-Actually, it's 10,600 years old," Coran corrects, "You see, it was built by my grandfather—"

     Hunk places a hand against Coran's mouth to cut him off before speaking for himself, "Thanks, Coran. Thank you for that. See? Now is the perfect time to panic!"

      Realization hits Allura as she perks up from deep in her thoughts, "Wait! This Castle has a particle barrier we can activate."

    Lance smirks, "Girl, you've already activated my par—"

     "—Lance!"

     Coran takes a step forward to get everyone's attention, "The particle barrier won't hold Sendak's ion cannon forever. The Galra technology must have advanced since we fought them last."

    "Panic now?" Hunk replies.

      "No," you raised a hand to calm your partner down, desperately trying to manage your best poker-face,  "that can be done later, Hunk. We need to figure out a plan for the situation rather than a reaction to the situation!"

       "________ 's right," Shiro agreed, "we've got to figure out our plan of action, aaand... figure it out quickly."

       "I say we pop through a Wormhole and live to fight another day," Lance inquires.

        Hunk raises his hand in agreement, "I second that. Yes. I mean, we tried to find all the Lions, right? We gave it the old college try. Couldn't do it. We only have three. We can't form Voltron. I man, I guess we could form a... snake? Or a worm! To go through that hole, Lance, that you were talking about."

      Lance nodes, "Then, it's settled. Allura, you ride with me. One of you take the old guy."

      Coran seethes.

     Pidge interjects, "We can't just abandon Arus. The Galra will keep destroying planets and capturing prisoners until we stop them."

     "Okay," Hunk contemplates his options, "If we run, then maybe Sendak will follow us and leave this planet alone, like when we left Earth We form the snake-worm thingamajig and we—hisss out of here."

      You think back to your home planet, Earth. If the Galra get the lions, Earth and your family would be in danger. You didn't know the fancy technology your people had compared to Galra tech, but you could only assume Earth would get captured in a day. If staying was your only option to protect your family then you are going to do just that and fight. But you had to have a plan before you do so.

      You never considered yourself a battle strategist but you could probably muster up some half-assed plan to get you by. However, you also knew half-assed plans weren't going to save your family. This was serious. You thought back to your first encounters with the Galra ships, and how the lions fought. It seemed as though the lions were fairly strong on their own, but were more powerful all together. You could use that to your advantage. 

     "Lance was able to outrun the last Galra warship, and it was just one of the lions," You spoke, "if there's six working lions then we easily have the upper hand."

      "Five," Pidge corrects again.

     You glance over at Pidge in acknowledgement, "right, so either way, we can still take on their ship. Maybe we can be sneaky and trick them."

      "How would we do that?" Keith questions and as you glance at him, he almost looks to be testing you. Maybe you're just crazy.

      You're taken a back for a moment though and realized that maybe you're plan should be more thoroughly thought out before you say anything.

      "I... I don't know!" you admit, "but we have to stay."

      "Sendak could destroy the planet then come after us anyway," Keith adds, "_________ is right. Staying is our only option."

       Lance seethes, "Here's an option: shut your Quiznak."

      Keith growls, "I don't think you're using that word correctly."

      "What do you know, Mullet?"

        "We're staying."

        "Leaving!"

         "Staying!"

        Shiro cuts in between the boys, "Guys, stop! Princess Allura, these are your Lions. You've dealt with the Galra Empire before. You know what we're facing better than any of us. What do you think is the best course of action?"

        Allura looks taken aback. Her eyes widen in realization as if trying to whip up a plan in her head but looks down in defeat, "I... I-I don't know."

      "Perhaps your father can help," Coran replies.

       "My father?"

     Coran escorts the princess out of the room which leaves the rest of the gang alone together.

     A moment of silence falls upon your group as you all watch Allura and Coran exit the room. Your mind swirls with questions and you begin to try and gather some idea of what you could do to take down Sendak and his army.

     "Okay," You begin outload as everyone turns to you, "The six lions together create this giant Voltron robot that is super powerful. They know we have the blue and yellow lion, but not the white and green. We can use that to our advantage."

     "But how can we do that?" Keith questions, the same challenging look flickers in his gaze. He totally is testing you. But why?

      "I don't know," You admit, and think back to the conclusion you made before, "Maybe we can distract them with the lions they already know of, but I don't know how we can get the white and green lion pass them without their presence being known. With their advanced technology, I wouldn't doubt if they had a close eye on who is coming in and out of planet Arus." 

      "Blue has powers where he can shoot laser beams out of his mouth," Lance interjects, crossing his arms in thought. You highly doubt Lance was even listening or interjecting with important information, but your mind still wondered on something else.

       "Blue?" You question and Lance smirks in response. 

       "The blue lion," The boy replies as if that was already a known thing between you and him.

        "You already nicknamed your lion?" Keith scoffs, eying the Cuban boy with irritation.

        "What's wrong with that?!" Lance tutted but you easily cut him off as you continued the conversation that was apparent before.

        "The Lions appear far more agile than an average space ship, and if Blue has laser beams for a weapon, the others probably have some form of a weapon, too."

         "See, _________ gets it!" Lance smirks.

          "No, yeah, I think that's sweet, Lance," Hunk agrees with his friend.

         Pidge adjusts his glasses, "I could probably reconnect the wiring on the lions data base to make an invisible cloak for the lions."

          "Do we have time for that?" Hunk asks.

         "Assuming Altean technology is vastly different than Earth technology, I don't think so," Keith comments.

         You want to believe in Pidge's ability to fix something, but Keith was right. You could only assume you had a couple hours, or even minutes, until the Commander Sendak and his army will be there.

        You cross you arms in thought, "I mean, we could go in guns blazing, but I highly doubt that's a good idea."  

      "Whatever the case may be," Shiro came up from behind you and placed a reassuring hand on your shoulder, "I think you're onto something, _______. You should bring that up to the Princess."

       Before anyone could reply, Allura enters the room again, dawning a fitting pink armor, "You six Paladins were brought here for a reason. The Voltron Lions are meant to be piloted by you and you alone. We must fight and keep fighting until we defeat Zarkon. It is our destiny. Voltron is the universe's only hope. We are the universe's only hope."

      "We're with you, Princess," Shiro agrees before exchanging a reassuring smile with you. 

     Allura brings your group to a large room where suits of armor are displayed in a glass case. Each suit correlated with each paladin's color. You pin point your own color and admire the design of it. You notice how yours is next to Shiro's armor, and how it is similar in its design but where is black palate is, yours is a light grey. It is smaller in comparison to Shrio's suit, but that wasn't what you worried about the most. It was smaller in comparison to you.  

        "Your suits of armor," You hear Allura hum, but instantly after a couple of seconds you notice Hunk mosey on up to his suit of armor. He starts comparing his body with that of his suit, doubting he would fit it.

       "I think you are good, buddy," You smile to which he just furrows his brows in thought, still not believing it.

        "Princess," You hear Coran whisper from behind you, "are you sure about this? They aren't exactly the best and brightest the universe has to offer."

         You tilt your head to the side, in hopes of hearing Allura's answer. As you do, you make eye contact with Shiro who seemed to have over heard it as well. You flash a curious expression at him as you await Allura response.

         "No, but they're all we've got."

        You weren't hurt by Allura's words. If anything, you agreed with them. Just a couple of hours ago, you were doubting your groups abilities as Alien Conquers. However, here you were, getting ready for battle. Your mind still hadn't wrapped around the idea of you being in outer space still. It was shocking. However, your motivation through it all were your parents back on Earth, and your friends at the Garrison. If fighting these aliens helped you save them, you would do it in a heart beat.

       Shiro breaks eye contact with you to speak to the group, "it's time to suit up!"

       At first, you were nervous to put on the suit. It was nerve-wracking to think that you were preparing for battle. The suits didn't particularly look like the normal armor that you'd see in sci-fi or medieval movies. You didn't know if it could be considered an under suit or not, but once you fit into it, it was tight against your body. You thought it would be uncomfortable but it was the polar opposite. It was considerably breathable. As you and your team finish up putting on the suits of armor, Allura presents a small item. 

     "The Bayard is the traditional weapon of the Paladins of Voltron," She says, "It takes a distinct shape for each Paladin."

       A small box stirs up from the ground and opens to present, what Allura called them, Bayard's for each Paladin. Your white Bayard gleams under your gaze. You watch as each of your friends Bayard's become a weapon. Pidge's Bayard glows into a small, green grappling hook with a knife head.

      "Aw, you got a cute little Bayard," Lance coos but in response, Pidge strikes Lance and electricity runs through the head of the Bayard and slams into the blue paladin, electrocuting him.

      Pidge hums, "Yeah, it is pretty cute."

      You turn back to your Bayard as it instantly glows in response, similar to Pidges. The white glows stretches out and curves under your touch. The handle of your Bayard fits perfectly in your grasp and you watch as it forms into, what you could decipher, was a bow. A long blue beam forms from one end of the weapon to the other. 

      "Okay," you say aloud, "a bow. Now where are the..." Your bow hums softly as you examine where your arrows would come from. Your fingers decide to brush the bows string and pull back on it, where a laser, about 3 inches long, forms at the top of your pointer fingers knuckle.

       "Whoa," you mumble, slowly pulling back farther to see where the soft glow of the laser decide to grow in size to form a long rod. You quickly decide you shouldn't shoot, and slowly let your hand draw it back into its original spot and the laser subsites in response. You notice how everyone has long range weapons besides Keith, whos Bayard morphed into a katar. You took note of that, and wondered why yours didn't form into some sort of close range weaponry. Is it based off of body endurance? Allura mentioned how the Bayard takes a distinct shape off the paladins, but you wondered what part of the paladins.

        "Shiro," Allura pulled you from your thoughts, "I'm afraid your Bayard was lost with its Paladin."

       "I guess I'll just have to make do."

       You glance down where a latch for your Bayard sits, and place it on there as you spoke. "Wait, Shiro doesn't get a weapon?" You question, "How is he going to defend himself?"

       "It's fine, ______," Shiro reassures, "Like I said, I'll just have to make do."

        You found it kind of strange that Allura isn't providing him with a weapon. They're going off to war for goodness sake, and Shiro isn't carrying anything? That is a no Bueno. Shiro's words weren't reassuring, but you trust him. You considered the possibility of Shiro being ex military as well as an astroexplorer with super cool badass moves. Either way, you figured you should keep an eye on him while you're fighting. As everyone adjusts to their armor and their Bayard's, you all gather at, what Coran called it, the Bridge of the Castle of Lions.

      Allura stands in the center of the room where she touches the remote to control the screen to show the Galra Space Ship, "You'll need to retrieve the Red Lion from Sendak's ship."

       "That's a.. pretty big ship," Keith mutters, "How are we gonna know where the Red Lion is?"

        "Oh, it's not a matter of 'we'. It's a matter of 'you'." Pidge chimes in.

       "Pidge is right," Hunk adds, "Once we get you in, you'll be able to feel its presence and track it down."

       Lance nods, "Yeah. You know how you felt that crazy energy while we were in the desert?"

      "Yeah. You made fun of me for that," The red paladin replies.

      "And I'm proud of that," The Cuban boy smirks, "but turns out it's exactly like that mumbo-jumbo."

       "Just like the energy I felt on the planet the white lion was on," You turn to him, holding back the snarky response you wanted to shoot at him. He made fun of you for not knowing that. 

        "Exactly," The princess remains serious, "Keith, remember, the Red Lion is extremely temperamental. You'll have to earn its respect."

. . . .

          "All right. Here's our plan of attack," Shiro starts, "Like, ________ mentioned earlier, The Galra knows about the Blue and Yellow Lion, but they don't know we have the Green and White Lion too. Hunk, Lance, you'll act as a decoy by pretending to give yourselves up."

       You watch as Lance and Hunk approach the Galra warship with the Blue and Yellow Lion. Pidge and you fly to the underside of the warship with the your lions undetected. Luckily, according to Coran, your lions already have an invisible cloak implanted into them. Lucky you. Like the plan, you await as Lance sends the Galra a transmission.

     You hear the typing of buttons through your helmets intercom and listen in as Lance announces his "surrender". "Attention, Galra ship. Do not fire. We're surrendering our Lions." The soft beep through the intercom is your indication that the transmission ended.

       "Hope this works," You hear Lance mumble. 

        "Don't jinx it, Tailor," You whisper into the microphone and hear an irritated Lance mumble back, "I don't jinx things" or something like that.

          Although a little teasing lightened your mood, you were scared as hell. There were many things that could go wrong, and you didn't want to be there when it happened. You considered the worst case scenario - one of the team members is bad, and turns everyone in. The likely hood of that is impossible, though. You glance over at Keith who stands near by and the Shiro who is crouched across from you. Is it impossible, though?

         "Stay focused, guys," Shiro says before you begin to proceed with the plan. While Sendak is distracted, Keith, Pidge, Shiro and you sneak onto the ship in the Green and White Lion. Keith and Shiro will find the Red Lion while Pidge and you guard the exit. Hunk, Lance would find a way to take down the ion cannon.

        As your team docks the lions underneath the warship, Pidge cuts a hole into the warship's hull. You were nervous. You were holding your breath in as your team went to infiltrate the warship. Lance's voice cuts in through the intercoms. 

        "Pidge," he starts, "what's your ETA?"

        "We're in," He replies but is cut off as the ship begins to hum and shake. Static background dance in the distance as sounds of fighting on Lance and Hunk side of the intercom take over but are soon muffled and shut off.

        "Should we go in and help them?" You worry, but Shiro shook his head. 

         "They're fine. Let's focus on the task at hand."

        As your team enters inside the Galra warship, you glance around the Galra warship. It was dark and dimly lit. The walls were a charcoal type of grey and there were crystal like lights, similar to the torches at the castle. Instead of the torches being a light blue, it was a dark purple. It was childish, but you took a mental note to remember that blue means good and purple means bad. 

        Shiro stops in his tracks, eyes widening as he experiences some realization. "I've been here before," He breaths, "After I was taken by the Galra cruiser off Kerberos, they brought us here.

       Pidge shakes his head, "So, that means your other crewmembers, they might be held captive here. We... We've got to rescue them."

         You turn to find Pidge making pleading eyes with Shiro. You wondered why he was so intent on finding the crew members. It's not like - then it finally hit you. Pidge's words about his family echo in the back of your brain, "I'm looking for my family. My dad and brother were on the mission to Kerberos, and got lost." The dots were starting to connect.

        Pidge's father and brother were on the Kerberos mission, along with Shiro. Shiro got captured which means his crew did, too. Pidge joined the Garrison to find his family, Then the strangest thing dawned on you. The picture of the boy and girl in Pidge's bag. The boy in the picture looked oddly familiar to the kid who was on the Kerberos mission. You cursed yourself for making assumptions about Pidge having a girlfriend - that was Pidge's brother! The girl in the picture was Pidge. 

      "Pidge, we don't have time. We have to get the Red Lion and get back to Arus," Shiro retorts, placing a reassuring hand on his - uh, her, shoulder.

       "But we can't just leave prisoners here!" Pidge protests.

        "It's okay, Pidge," You cut in, "I can go with you. Shiro, you and Keith go find the red lion."

         You were still a little shaken from your discovery but you somehow were able to keep up your poker-face.

      "No, ____________. You should stay and watch the entrance, like the we planned." Shiro begins, "and Pidge, no one understands that more than me, but, in war, we have to make hard choices. Now, let's get moving."

       Before you could muster up some excuse, Pidge beats you to it, "No! Commander Holt is my father. He and my brother were the ones on the Kerberos Mission with you."

        "Commander Holt is your father?" Shiro's eyes widen in realization.

        "Yes. I've been searching everywhere for him and my brother," Pidge says, "And I'm not going to give up looking when I'm this close. I won't!"

       Suddenly, your leaders attitude changes, and he looks far more determined,  "I'm coming with you."

       Keith and you look at Shiro in awe, "What?"

      Shiro doesn't budge, "I remember where the prisoners are held. Keith, you go find the Red Lion."

      "By myself?" He questions.

      "You'll be fine," Shiro begins to reassure, glancing over at you, "___________ will be with you. Just remember, patience yields focus."

       You assumed you'd continue to guard your exit out of the ship, but sometimes things never go as planned. "I guess it's just you and me again, partner," You say but Keith just ignores you in response. 

       A door opens nearby which cues your gang to split up. As the four of you part ways, Keith and you pair up and run along the corridor. You noticed he was pretty fast and agile for someone that has been living out in a desert by himself. You were lucky you had always gone on those morning work outs in the Garrison. However, it seems as though your stamina has been running dry already because of the past events. Who knew saving the planet was so tiring? The two of you finally ended up at an intersecting corridor.

       "Great. Now, which way?" The red paladin grumbles.

        You think back to the situation where you were in Keith's position. You thought back to how you felt, and how overwhelmed you were. The way he handled it, didn't help you at all. You contemplated making fun of him to be petty. Maybe use his own words against himself. However, apart of you knew that isn't what you should do. Before you could say anything though, you hear footsteps of people coming your way.

        "We gotta go," You whisper and nudged Keith's arm to get him running in the opposite direction.

       You take note of the Galra Emblem in front of the two of you, making sure not to get lost before you run. You both continue to dash through the warship, but end up at the same Galra emblem as before.

      "You've got to be kidding me!" Your partner's voice is breathless from countless minutes of running.

        Finally, you considered, it was your time to help. You made sure your words came off as sweet as possible. "Just like the lion called out to me and Lance, it will call out to you."

         You watch as Keith calms down. You don't know if he considered your words, but he speaks lowly, "... 'Patience... yields focus...'" Keith calms himself and focuses inwardly, finally sensing the Red Lion.

      He closes his eyes for a moment, feeling the force of the Lion. He is silent and you could hear nothing but your heavy breathing from running. You clench your teeth to hold yourself back from distracting him, and before you could ask if he felt anything, he grins, "Gotcha!" He runs off to claim the Lion. 

     Within minutes, Keith seems far more confident where the lion is and continues to run at full speed. Your hot on his trial. Finally, the two of you turn a corner and find the Red Lion in a hangar. The lion is smaller than your own lion, but far more intimidatingly looking than he others. It dawns the same crimson red color as Keith's suit and a familiar force field surrounds it. 

      "Bingo," Keith grins and places his hand on the Lions force field, "Let's get out of here. Open up." However, nothing happens. He begins to speak to it again, "It's me. Keith. Your buddy. It's me! Keeeeeeeiiith, your—I. Am. Your. Paladin!"

       A smile grows on your face as realization hits you. You cross your arms smugly and watch as Keith turns to make eye contact with you. He mockingly asks, "What?"

     You cock a brow, "Seems like we are experiencing a bit of Déjà vu here, Mr. Kogane, don't you think?"

     He tuts at your response before turning to the lion and knocks on the force field, "Do you think you're funny or something?"

      Before you can reply, an alarm blares throughout the warship and you hear the foot steps of Galra sentries making their way towards the two of you. You reach down to grab your Bayard and ready your weapon to fight the Galra sentries as they suddenly appear around the corner, "I'll hold them off while you get the lion." The guards begin to fire their laser guns. You both are able to block the attacks with your armor's implanted holographic shields.

      You begin to press onwards as you are able to block the shots. You dismantle your shield and begin to take fire. You hit one, then two, and three of the guards. Although it lessened the fire aimed at you, there still stood a handful of sentries. You don't think only one of you can take them down.

    You ignore the desperate pleads of Keith as he attempts to contact his lion,  "I'm bonding with you! Hey! Come on! We're connected!"

      The Red Lion does not react.

     "Hurry up and bond with it, Mullet Brain, I can't hold them off much longer!" You begin to yell over the shooting and dive under a laser that almost hit you.

     Keith groans in response to your words, summoning his Bayard and turns to fight the sentries along side you. "You're not getting this lion!"

      You watch as Keith runs at the guards but your instantly caught off guard when your knocked back by a laser. Moments later, Keith is too. You lock eyes for a moment, awaiting Keith's plan and you notice him stare past you. With all the strength he could muster he pushes himself off the ground and runs towards you, reaching his hand out to you. You comply, grasping onto him. 

      "Hold on!" Your held close to his chest as he turns to a button that ends up activating the airlock doors. The suction of the air sends both the two of you, and the sentries into space. You shut your eyes in a panic and hold onto Keith as the force pulls you. It was quick, and soon only the sound of you and Keith's heavy breathing are heard through the intercoms. His grip is still tight on you as you both attempt to process the events.

      Before you could check on Keith, a humming sound of a machine is heard in the distance and in the corner of your eye you noticed a red splotch. The Red Lion roars and snatches the two of you up in its mouth as it accepts Keith as its Paladin. The two of you let go of each other and you settle into the lions cockpit, Keith at the helm.

     "Good kitty," your partner nods, "Let's roll."

    You and your team retreat back to The Castle of Lions, where the five claimed lions activate the door securing the Black Lion as Shiro stands before it. They all roar to show Shiro is the new Black Paladin. The whole team is relieved. Before anyone becomes too comfortable, The Castleship's alarms blare.

    "Oh, Quiznak!" You hear Coran curse through your helmet intercoms.

     You turn around, glancing at the alarms, "What's going on?"

     "Sendak is entering the Arusian atmosphere," Allura warns, "We need Voltron now!"

      As Shiro enters the Black Lion, the rest of the team launch from the Castleship and into the sky. The warship fires its cannon and blasts the Castleship; everyone is shaken from the blast, but survives.

     Hunk groans, "Man, those Galra guys repair things fast."

     "The barrier gets weaker with every blast," Corans says, "Once that shield goes down, the Castle will be defenseless."

      "I can give you cover with the Castle defenses for a while, but you have to form Voltron now or we'll all be destroyed!" Allura presses some buttons as another layer of a force field covers the castle.

      "Jeez," Hunk sighs, "no pressure."

     A second blast from the ion cannon hits, weakening the barrier.

      "Listen up, Team Voltron!" You hear Shiro announce through his helmets microphone, "The only way to succeed is to give it all you've got! This looks bad, but we can do this! Are you with me?"

      Everyone seem to have got the memo by not responding and you assume they all nodded silently like you did - well, instead of Hunk.

     "I'm nodding. Is everyone else nodding?"

    "Yes," You giggle as everyone moans in unison at Hunk obliviousness. 

     "Let's do this!" Shiro cheered as the lions run forward and exit the barrier under heavy fire from Galra fighter jets.

     "Uh, how?" Lance questions.

     "Good question," Shiro admits, "Does anyone have any ideas of how to form Voltron?"

"I don't see a "Combine Into Giant Robot" button anywhere on my dashboard," Hunk admits.

You glance at your dashboard yourself in attempt to see if there is some kind of button that you missed.

The Galra fighter jets bombard your team with attacks.

"This is insane! Can't they just cease fire for one minute so we can figure this out?" Pidge grumbles, "Is that too much to ask?" He loses his temper and attacks the fighter jets, destroying two. Keith fires the Red Lion's tail cannon to destroy two more.

"We've got to do something," Keith adds.

"Combine!" Hunk yells as he slams the Yellow Lion into the Red Lion, knocking it over. Keith grunts and yells at Hunk in response, "Okay, that didn't work."

Allura voice perks into everyone's headset, "Quickly, Paladins! Our energy levels are getting low!"

Shiro says, "Maybe if we fly in formation, we'll just combine. Take off on my cue. One, two, three, Voltron!"

Everyone ends up agreeing and the lions begin to take flight.

Keith yells, "Here we go!"

Lance adds, "Come on, come on!"

Shiro groans, "Nothing's happening."

Lance cuts him off, "Hey, w-wait, wait, wait! I feel something!"

"I do, too. I feel it," Hunk agrees, "It's like we're all being pulled in the same direction!"

"Uh, guys," Shiro hesitates, "I think I know why. Look up."

The Lions are caught in the Galra warship's tractor beam and are unable to escape.

"What the cheese?" You hear Lance's voice crack through the microphone.

Pidge followed after Lance's voice through the intercom, "Sendak's ship is sucking us in like a black hole!"

As your team is sucked up into the beam, you watch helplessly as the Galra warship blasts the Castle of Lions particle barrier, destroying it.

The words slip from your lips weakly, "Oh, no..."

"I-I don't care what you say, Shiro." Hunk pipes in,  "I'm panicking now!" 

Pidge cuts in, "It can't end here!"

"This is it!" Lance deflates.

Keith stays stoic as he speaks, "It's been an honor flying with you boys."

As your team begins to accept their fate, the strong voice of your leader cuts in, his words strained and fighting, "No! We can do this. We have to believe in ourselves. We can't give up. We are the universe's only hope. Everyone is relying on us. We can't fail! We won't fail! If we work together, we'll win together!"

Shiro's words stir up the well-needed confidence you all deserved and a sudden bubble of energy resonates through you. You soak in the glory for only a second before you realize your team are feeling it, too. The power of the lions bound their energy together and break away from the beam that held your team captive. You soar through the sky; your lions coming together to form Voltron. You hardly have time to recollect how you did it as your team work together by diverting the cannons blast with a single punch.

"I can't believe it!" The familiar tenor tones of Keith's voice rings in your ears with Pidge right after him, "We formed Voltron!"

Hunk's voice crack excitedly, "I'm a leg!"

Before you can reply with your own comment, Shiro cuts in with an order, "let's get that cannon!"

Your gaggle of misfits somehow work together under the force and power of Voltron and destroy the ship's with a cannon of your own. The battle is quick, and the enemy is easily taken down. The battle ships takes a couple blasts from Voltron, but soon disintegrates with only a part of the ship still floating in the air. You almost suggested to capture the ship, but before you could, the ship is absorbed into a pinkish wormhole and vanishes.  It took you a minute to realized how worked up you were over the fight as your team easily took it down.

Your team break apart from Voltron and fly down to the court yard where they meet the Princess and Coran. Allura smiles at your crew, "Good work, Paladins!"

"Thanks, pretty lady," Lance purrs but stands up straighter as you appear next to him. You take your helmet off, sweat dripping from your forehead and nudge your blue paladin friend in the side, "Guess there's more to you than what meets the eye, Mr. Tailor," You grin as Lance throws you a questionable look, "What does that mean? Are you making fun of me?"

You slap him in the back playfully, grinning wider at your cheeky comment, "Just take the compliment, man."

Before Lance could reply, Shiro cut in, "We did it."

"Heck yeah, we did," Keith beams.

"How did we do it?" Your leader questions.

"I was just, like, screaming the whole time," Hunk muses, "Maybe that did it."

You turn to Hunk with a giddy look on your face as your raise your fist towards him, "Either way, you were killer out there, Hunk!"

The burly man turns to you with a questionable gaze before he realized what you were doing and he turns sheepish, accepting the fist bump. He giggles, "Thanks, _________."

Besides you, Pidge appears dejected. You assumed that the mission didn't go as planned, and she didn't find her family. You watch as Shiro places a reassuring hand on the younger girls shoulder, "We're not going to stop searching until we find your brother and father," he says, "Wherever they are, I know they'd be proud of you."

Pidge simply smiles in response.

The sweet moment is short lived as Allura announces confidently, "We won the battle, but the war has only just begun. I'm afraid Zarkon will not stop until he gets these Lions."

"Good thing you Paladins know what you're doing," Coran adds, "because you're going to have to form Voltron again and again."

"Totally—" Hunk nods before he realizes what Coran meant with his last words, "Wait, what?"

"We barely survived forming Voltron this one time," Lance points out.

Coran nods in response, pointing towards the sky in a matter-of-fact meaning, "And you only had to fight one ship. Wait until you have to fight a whole fleet of them! It's not going to be easy being the Defenders of the Universe."

The Paladins appear surprised at the title; you all look up at your Lions.

"Defenders of the Universe, huh?" Your team-leader ponders, "that's got a nice ring to it."

Your eyes fluttered away from the lions and towards your team— the gaggle of individuals you have before you still didn't fit your perfect idea of what "Alien Conquerors" looked like because that is what the Galra are. You are Defenders of the Universe. Your friends were in no shape to work together, but they have protentional. At least now you know you successfully defeated a Galra Warship on some form of love, support and teamwork. 

Man, how in the world are you going to explain this to your parents?