Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Simulation Failed.

"Way to go, tailor." "Yeah, nice work, TAILOR."

The words flashed brightly as a red glow lit up the flight simulator's interior. I could already hear the oncoming criticisms from our classmates and Commander Iverson as we slowly piled out. I held back a wince at all the judgement in the stares being shot at our team, wrapping a hand around the strap of my first aid kit to ground me. As someone from the medical department at the Garrison, we weren't usually supposed to be mixed in with the pilots but a new curriculum change happened the summer before a friend and I had joined the Garrison.

"Roll out, donkeys!"

I sighed, already dreading what was coming. I could feel Commander Iverson's judgemental stare on us as he spoke, turning towards the other cadets. Judgement wasn't something I was new to, having faced it multiple times back home before I had left for the Garrison.

"Well, let's see if we can't use this complete failure of a lesson for the rest of you students. Can anyone point out the mistakes these four so-called cadets made in the simulator?" Commander Iverson spoke, his figure tall and, well, commanding as he looked over at the rest of the class. Several people raised their hands and voiced their observations.

"The engineer puked in the main gearbox!"

"Yes, as everyone knows, vomit is not an approved lubricant for the engine systems. What else?"

"The com-spec removed his safety harness,"

"The medic hesitated and didn't react fast enough,"

"The pilot crashed!"

"Correct," Iverson spoke curtly. "And worst of all, the whole jump, they we're arguing with each other! Heck, 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, or in your case, Reyes, field medical professionals," I held back a wince as my grip on my kit tightened while Iverson continued. "But these kinds of mental mistakes are exactly what cost the lives of the men on the Kerberos mission."

I bit the inside of my cheek at that, the memory of a kind face and wise teachings from one Takashi Shirogane flashing through my head along with a messy head of black hair and a fiery temperament. The man had come a bit later into your life, seemingly acting as your friend's guardian and mentor and becoming an older brother figure to both of you. He acted and felt more like family to me than the people who I had shared a home with prior to the Garrison.

"That's not true, sir!" My eyes snapped to Pidge as he snapped at Iverson, fists clenched at his sides. I figured the Kerberos mission was a sensitive topic with Pidge after the numerous times he seemed bothered by the mention of it. "What did you say?" Iverson's tone meant trouble, anyone could tell as almost the entire class shuddered and took a half step back.

Thankfully, Lance came to the rescue with a hand clasped over Pidge's mouth. "S-Sorry, sir. I think he hit his head when he fell out of his chair. But, point taken."

The commander seemed to have calmed down from his growing lividity, but he wasn't going to let Lance slip away without digging into him himself. "I hope I don't have to remind you that the only reason you're here is that the best pilot in your class had a discipline issue and flunked out."

I tensed, averting my eyes to the floor. It seemed he was done with Lance as he let him off with a, "Don't follow in his footsteps."

"Next!"

He called the next team up as we stepped away. I placed a hand on Lance's shoulder, noticing the look on his face from Iverson's words towards him. I gave him a small, reassuring smile which he returned with a small smile and a nod of gratitude.

---------

If there was one thing I enjoyed at the Garrison, it was the night sky that you could see clearly from the rooftop. It was a stark difference from the night sky back in Gotham, barely visible from the light pollution of the city. It was also quiet. A different quiet from the silence inside the cold halls of a place that was supposedly 'home'. The quiet where you could whisper to yourself all you wanted and the only person who could hear you would be yourself and the stars. A silent peace that gave a cold yet warm hug as I sat there, staring up at the starts as I took a break from making notes and drawings for my med classes.

The silence was broken with the creak of the door and I quickly turned, my heart dropping at the thought of being out past curfew. I was relieved when Pidge's figure registered in my mind and let out a sigh. "Oh hey, Pidge."

Pidge looked shocked that someone else was up here, most likely expecting to be alone in whatever he was planning to do. I shrugged in response, turning back to the dim screen of my tablet as I tapped the pen against my knee. I could hear the ruffling of clothes and a bag being opened, glancing over to watch Pidge unpack the peculiar tech that definitely didn't belong to the Garrison.

It was quiet again once he had gotten comfortable, Pidge fiddling with his tech and I gave up completely on my notes in favor of watching him and the tech. The tech was odd. Nothing I'd seen back home or around the Garrison and seemed to be scanning something. What? I wasn't sure.

"You guys come up here to rock out?"

I jumped, letting out a small yelp and snapping my head towards Lance so fast that I was sure I heard a crack. Pidge seemed equally as surprised, headphones falling to rest around his neck. "Lance, Hunk! A little heads up next time. I think I just grew another white hair when my soul nearly left my body." I exhaled deeply, a hand to my chest before gesturing to the few white hairs on my head that had developed from stress. I just treated them like they were highlights most of the time.

"Oh, Lance, Hunk. No, um, just looking at the stars." Pidge replied, looking up at the two. The Cuban male peeked at the tech, brows scrunching. "Where'd you get this stuff? It doesn't look like Garrison tech."

"I built it." The shorter male responded proudly, grinning smugly. "You built all of this?" Hunk asked as he creeped closer to the tech, a finger most likely about to poke at it before promptly getting smacked away by Pidge.

"Stop it!" he hissed before turning back to Lance. "With this thing, I can scan all the way to  the edge of the solar system." 

"That's pretty impressive, Pidge." I said, putting all of my things away into my bag as I found no use for them now and would probably not get any more work done. "Thanks, Kaia."

"That right? All the way to Kerberos?" Lance asked skeptically. Pidge's smile dropped and he looked away, clearly bothered by the mention of Pluto's moon. "You go ballistic every time the instructor's bring it up. What's your deal?" "Lance." I hissed as Lance asked while Hunk took to inspecting the little satellite dish on Pidge's tech.

"Second warning, Hunk!" the smaller male half-yelled as the bigger male groaned in disappointment. Lance then spoke up, "Look, Pidge, if we're going to bond as a team, we can't have any secrets."

"Fine. The world as you know it is about to change." Pidge said, tone as serious as the look on their face. I shifted a bit closer out of curiosity. "The Kerberos Mission wasn't lost because of some malfunction or crew mistake. Stop touching my equipment!" he yelled at Hunk who groaned in disappointment once again. "Maybe you can ask about it later, Hunk." I chuckled, patting the big guy on the shoulder before turning my attention back onto Pidge.

"So, I've been scanning the system and picking up alien radio chatter." My brows furrowed at that, a look of confusion on my face. While aliens weren't new, what with Superman and Martian Manhunter existing, it was still surprising to hear as they weren't exactly common visitors to the planet. 

"Whoa, what? Aliens?"

"Okay. So, you're insane. Got it." 

"Are you sure, Pidge?"

"I'm serious. They keep repeating one word, 'Voltron'." Pidge said seriously, turning to look at all three of us. He pulled up a notepad with a colorful sketch of what looked to be a robot with a sword? and the word Voltron above it. I took it into my hands to get a closer look as Pidge continued. "And tonight, it's going crazier than I have ever heard it."

"How crazy?"

Just then, the PA suddenly turned on. "Attention, students. This is not a drill. We are on lockdown! Security situation Zulu Niner." Iverson, spoke, voice coming from the PA system. "Repeat: all students are to remain in barracks until further notice."

"What's going on? Is that a meteor?" Hunk asked as he got up, pointing at a bright ball that seemed to be hurtling down towards Earth. I got up, slinging my messenger bag across my body. "A very, very big meteor?"

"It's a ship." Pidge said, looking through a pair of binoculars before yelping as Lance pulled them towards him. "Holy crow! I can't believe what I'm seeing! That's not one of ours." he said, lowering the binoculars from his face. "No, it's one of theirs. I said, my eyes trailing the falling ship as it got closer to the ground.

"So, wait. There are other aliens out there?" Hunk asked worriedly as we all watched as the ship crashed not too far from the Garrison. Not long after was the Garrison on their way to the crash site in numerous cars.

"We've got to see that ship!" "Hunk, Kaia, come on!" Pidge and Lance both ran towards the door as I quickly followed behind them, adjusting my pastel purple cardigan. "Oh, this is the worst team-building exercise ever."

--------

We found a hidden spot not too far from the tent the Garrison had set up. Pidge had set up his equipment again while Lance, Hunk and I scoped out the tent. "Whoa, what the heck is that thing?" Lance asked as he looked through the binoculars. "And who the heck is she?"

"Lance!" Pidge hissed, smacking the male. Lance yelped in pain as I shook my head. "Lance, focus." I mumbled, glancing at him for a brief moment before turning back to the situation on the ground. "Right, alien ship."

"Man, we'll never get past all of those guards to get a look." Lance lowered the binoculars as he complained. I took the binoculars from him,  assessing the situation myself while listening to my friends speak behind me. 

The Justice League or some other heroes must have been informed by now or will be informed once they get back to the Garrison. Hopefully, he won't respond first. I thought, lowering the binoculars from my eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I guess there's nothing to do but head back to the barracks, right?" Hunk said, beginning to walk away before Pidge spoke up.

"Wait. They set up a camera in there and I grabbed its feed. Look!" We all got closer to look at the feed on Pidge's screen. The sight wrought shock,  worry and confusion through us all. 

"Shiro?" I gasped quietly. He's alive? What happened to him?

"Hey! What are you doing?" He laid there and frantically struggled against the binds that had him strapped to the table. "Calm down, Shiro." Iverson's voice left the feed as he told the man to calm down while they ran some tests. Shiro didn't seem to calm down, only speaking up once more.

"You have to listen to me!" he demanded, the people inside the tent with him paying no attention to his words. "They destroy worlds! Aliens are coming!"

"That's Shiro! The pilot of the Kerberos Mission!" Lance exclaimed, pointing at the screen. "That guy's my hero!"

"Guess he's not dead in space after all," Hunk said. "He looks rough." I said.

"But where's the rest of his crew?" Pidge asked.

"Do you know how long you've been gone?" Iverson asked. "I don't know. Months? Years?" He's clearly disoriented and confused. Not to mention distressed. "Look, there's no time. Aliens are coming here for a weapon. They're probably on their way. They'll destroy us. We have to find Voltron."

"Voltron!" Pidge gasped as we all shared a look before turning back to the feed. "Sir, take a look at this." A man inside the tent uttered, inspecting the prosthetic arm Shiro had.

"Put him under until we know what that thing can do." Iverson order. My brows furrowed worriedly as Shiro got increasingly distressed and struggled harder against the binds. 

"They didn't ask about the rest of the crew."  Pidge said, raising a brow. "What are they doing? He's a legend. They're not even gonna listen to him?" Lance asked, indignant at their treatment of the man. "We have to get him out." Pidge said, a determined look on his face.

"Uh, I hate to be the voice of reason right now, but weren't we watching on TV because there was no way to get past the guards?" Hunk asked, to which I followed up with, "Normally, I'd agree with Hunk but if the Garrison won't listen to him now, will they even listen to him later? When it's too late and what he's said is true?" I glanced at the screen, an unconscious Shiro on display. The Garrison was ruthless, that's for sure.

"Kaia's right." Pidge nodded as he and Lance turned towards Hunk. "That was before we were properly motivated." Lance said, "We've just got to think. Could we tunnel in?"

"Tunnel? Got a convenient drill in there, Batman?" I raised a brow, voice laced in sarcasm. Immediately regretting it as memory of a tall, imposing figure clad in black with an indifferent look on his face flashed in my mind.

"Haha, very funny," Lance responded just as sarcastically before going silent as he brainstormed. "Maybe we could get hazmat suits and sneak in like med techs." Pidge offered. It wasn't a bad idea by any means but where would we even get unused hazmat suits without getting caught?

"Or we dress up like cooks, head back to the dorms, sneak into the commissary--little late night snack." I patted Hunk on the leg, understanding his want to return to the barracks but he was outnumbered on this one. "No, what we need is a distraction." I said, looking towards the tent.

As if on cue, loud booms echoed as explosions went off in the distance causing all of us to scream in surprise. I could feel Hunk gripping my arm as we watched the explosions in the distance. "Is that the aliens? Is that the aliens? Are they here? They got here so quick!" he asked worriedly, ducking behind me.

"No, those explosions were a distraction, for him." Pidge said, pointing at a figure on a bike quickly approaching the tent. "The Garrison's headed toward the blast and he's sneaking in from the other side."

"Clever." I mumbled, a bit impressed at the strategy. 

"No way!" Lance exclaimed as he looked through the binoculars, "Oh, he is not going to beat us there! That guy is always trying to one up me!"  he complained as he rushed down from where we were.

"Who is it?"

"Keith!"

"Keith? Are you sure?" I asked, quickly getting up along with Pidge and following after Lance. I could hear Hunk also asking Lance if he was sure as he followed after me while Pidge asked in confusion, not knowing who he was. "Oh, I'd recognize that mullet anywhere!"

My heart pounded in my ears as we hurried down. I hadn't heard anything about him since he left the Garrison. Memories of classes and lunches with the black-haired male flashed in my head. Has he been out here all this time? What has he been doing?

We quickly slid down from the ledge we were on. I stumbled a bit as we hit the ground, quickly catching up to Lance as he hurried into the room Shiro was in while Pidge and Hunk stayed in the doorway.

"Nope. No, you-- No, no, no. No, you don't. I'm saving Shiro." Lance interrupted as he took hold of Shiro's other arm. 

"Who are you?" the black-haired male asked confused.

So, it is Keith. I thought, taking note of the features that had changed slightly over the years but were still familiar. I quickly focused on Shiro, taking a step forward and addressing both men. "Be careful. He may be under sedatives, but any injuries he has could get worse." My voice had Keith turning towards me, our eyes meeting. I gave a small wave and nod, a nod which he returned as he seemed to recognize me before turning towards Lance as the Cuban male spoke.

"Who am I? Uh, the name's Lance." Keith didn't seem to recognize Lance, though. "We were in the same class at the Garrison."

"Really? Are you an engineer?" I snorted quietly, earning an offended look from Lance. While Lance considered Keith his rival, Keith hadn't even registered Lance in his head at all.

"No, I'm a pilot! We we're like rivals. You know, Lance and Keith, neck and neck." It seemed that clicked in Keith's head as the mullet head responded. "Oh wait, I remember you. You're a cargo pilot."

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

"Well, congratulations," Keith replied flatly before they proceeded with carrying Shiro out to Keith's hoverbike. I followed behind to make sure Shiro's condition stayed stable. I spotted Pidge and Hunk by the entrance, calling them over as we hurried to the hoverbike.

"Uh, do you mind if we catch a ride with you? "Hunk asked while getting onto the back of the bike with Pidge. I helped Lance position Shiro onto the bike before getting on, sitting in front of the unconscious male and behind Keith. I yelped as the bike tilted back from Hunk's weight, holding onto the seat.

"Is this thing going to be big enough for all of us?" Pidge asked, helping me hold Shiro up with a struggle.

"No." Keith exclaimed as before taking off. I bit back a yelp at the sudden take off, Shiro falling back onto Pidge who held onto him as best he could. "Lance, help Pidge!" I shouted over the wind, turning my head back towards the two as I helped position Shiro's legs onto either side of the bike.

"Why am I holding this guy?" "Hey, we did all fit." "Can't this thing go any faster?" Lance shouted, the Garrison cars slowly catching up to us with the distance shrinking every minute.

"We could toss out some non-essential weight."

"Oh, right!" Lance looked around, causing me to chuckle as he hadn't seemed to get that it was an insult before it dawned on him. "Okay, that was an insult. I get it."

"Big man, lean left!" Keith told Hunk, the hoverbike tilting as he did as instructed. My hands flew to Keith's jacket for stability, quickly apologizing but not letting go as I could hear the Garrison cars crash behind us with Hunk commentating on it. 

"Big man, lean right!" 

The hoverbike flew over a large rift in the ground, landing onto the other side a bit roughly. My grip on Keith's jacket tightened a scream got trapped in my throat. I looked up to see where Keith was headed, eyes widening at the sight of a cliff ahead.

"Guys, is that a cliff ahead?" Hunk stammered as I gulped.

"Oh no, no, no!"

"Yup," Keith replied smugly and sped up causing me to bury my face in the back of his jacket. We, with the exception of the driver, screamed as the hoverbike flew of the cliff.

"Putang ina*, Keith, I swear! If this kills us, I'll kill you!" I screamed, face buried in his back as I felt my stomach drop. I felt nauseous and found it hard to breathe for a moment as the air rushed around me. Suddenly, I felt the hoverbike tilt and fall slowly before coming to a stop. I took a deep breath, feeling lightheaded and pulled away.

When we had finally arrived at the destination, a lonely shack in the middle of the desert, it was probably around 1 am, almost 2. I dismounted the bike, shaking my head to get rid of the dizziness before turning to help with Shiro. I could hear everyone talking about the ride as we carried him inside, Keith smirking with pride.

Once inside, I helped lay Shiro down on the couch before kneeling next to it. I took off my bag and opened it, grabbing some medical equipment before setting it aside. Keith then left us to our own devices, taking that as a sign to get comfortable. I turned towards Lance, Hunk and Pidge. 

"You guys get some rest. I still need to look over Shiro and check his vitals. See if he needs patching up." I offered, turning to stick a pulse oximeter onto his normal finger before grabbing a temperature gun. They looked at me in doubt but I shook them off, reassuring them it was fine.

It had gone silent, save for Hunk's snoring. I glanced at them and the corners of my lips turned up at the sight of them all huddled together, finding the sight heartwarming. I turned back to Shiro as the temperature gun beeped, taking note of his normal temperature with relief. I continued, checking his eyes and ears and checking for any signs of injury before taking off the oximeter. I sighed with relief as Shiro's vitals were normal, save for a mild concussion but that wasn't anything to worry about and some weight loss, sitting back after putting everything away.

"How is he?" A voice quietly asked, causing me to jump at the sudden noise. I relaxed when I saw Keith standing there, two blankets in his hands  and brows furrowed in concern. I gave him a reassuring smile, standing up and grabbing one of the blankets to lay over Shiro.

"His vitals are all steady and normal. He has a mild concussion and looks like he lost some weight but that's about the worst of it. He needs some rest but overall, he's fine." I answered, stepping back and turning towards the mullet head.

Keith nodded, the both of us standing in silence for a bit before nudging the other blanket towards me. I took it, looking at it with a raised brow before looking at Keith who had turned away. "It gets really cold here at night." 

"Thanks." I huffed quietly, feeling a bit warmed at the gesture. A small smile grew on my face as I unfurled the blanket and wrapped it around myself. "So, um, how have you been?" I asked, looking at him. Keith looked a bit taken aback when I asked before cooling his expression. "Good. Uh, you?" Gods, this was awkward. I thought, shrugging. "Been better but doing fine." He nodded, the both of us falling into silence before he turned away again.

"Be sure to get some sleep. Good night." He said as he left the room. "Night, Keith." I uttered softly in return before joining Lance, Hunk and Pidge's huddle, leaning against Hunk's side as I settled next to Pidge and shifted to face the couch.

I closed my eyes, the warmth of my friends and the blanket comforting as I slowly drifted off. Despite the crazy situation we were certainly in, this warmth was much better than the coldness of a manor that stood over a city of darkness and a family that was nothing but a memory now.

Chapter Text

I woke up to the sound of the door opening and closing, slowly sitting up from my position against Hunk. I got up just as the others began waking up and folded the blanket up before placing it onto the now empty couch.

"Morning." I yawned, stretching my arms above my head. Lance, Hunk and Pidge responded just as groggy as I was. We all moved slowly, taking turns washing the sleep from our faces. I sat on the floor in front of Pidge's legs, letting out another yawn.

It was quiet again. A quiet I was familiar yet unfamiliar with. It was a quiet that told you that everyone was deep in thought or was still trying to wake up. A silence not deafening, not overwhelming, but simply there for the moment to let everyone hear themselves.

Shiro and Keith came back in a few minutes later, having finished talking outside. We all got up, turning to face the two who had entered.  Keith walled up to a sheet covering a wall and pulled it away to reveal a conspiracy board with pictures of lion carvings and red yarn connecting different points on the board along with messy handwriting and complex diagrams.

Shiro stared with interest. "What have you been working on?"

Keith shrugged and I got closer to get a better look at everything as he spoke. "I can't explain it really. After getting booted from the Garrison, I was kind of... lost and found myself drawn out to this place. It's like something... some energy was telling me to search."

Shiro raised a brow. "For what?"

He shrugged. "Well, I didn't really know at the time... until I stumbled across this area." Keith said as he pointed at a part of his board that had 'energy source' written inside two circles. "It's an outcropping of giant boulders with caves covered in these ancient markings." My eyes trailed towards the pictures of a cave and lion-esque carvings as he continued. "Each tells a slightly different story about a blue lion, but they all share clues leading to some event, some arrival happening last night. Then, you showed up."

My brows furrowed in thought, a hand to my chin in thought. While it was probably just a coincidence that it lines up, how could these ancient civilizations have known that something would happen last night? Not to mention the carvings. Animal carvings don't typically look like that. It's odd-

I was broken from my thoughts when Shiro spoke, turning towards us. "I should thank you all for getting me out. Lance, right?" He said, reaching out his prosthetic hand. Lance reached out, an uncertain look on his face before hesitantly shaking it. Shiro offered the same to Pidge and Hunk, Pidge shaking it enthusiastically and Hunk staring at him in awe. He then turned to me and I shook his hand with a small smile before pulling him into a hug. "I'm glad you're home, Shiro. Though, in one piece can be debated."

"Happy to be back, Kaia." he replied, patting my back before we both pulled away. I noticed Keith staring out of the corner of my eyes and looked at him, tilting my head in confusion. He shook his head, looking away. My brows furrowed at that before my attention was taken away by Pidge speaking.

"The nervous guy's Hunk. I'm Pidge. So, did anyone else from your crew make it out?" The younger cadet asked anxiously.

Shiro looked uncertain as he answered, "I'm not sure. I remember the mission and being captured. After that, it's just bits and pieces." 

"Sorry to interrupt, but back to the aliens," Hunk urged, "Where are they now? Are they coming? Are they coming for us? Where are they at this very moment?"

"I can't really put it together." Shiro replied. "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." My eyes widened at that, turning my head to look at Pidge who met my gaze with equal amounts of shock before we turned back to Shiro.

"Well, last night, I was rummaging through Pidge's stuff and I found this picture." Hunk said, looking far too innocent that it had me shaking my head as he rummaged through said stuff before pulling out a picture. "Look, it's his girlfriend!" 

Pidge snatched the picture from the larger boy. "Hey, gimme that! What were you doing in my stuff?"

"I was looking for a candy bar. But, then, I started reading his diary..."

"What?" Pidge shrieked, snatching the book away from Hunk as I sighed and spoke. "Hunk, that's an invasion of privacy."

"I noticed the repeating series of numbers the aliens are searching for looks a lot like a Fraunhofer line." Hunk continued, ignoring both Pidge's outrage and my words.

"Frown who?" Keith asked in confusion.

"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." Hunk explained, "I think I can build a machine to look for it, like a Voltron Geiger counter." 

"Hunk, you big gassy genius!" Lance looked impressed and I nodded in agreement. While the big guy could be a nervous wreck half the time, he was smart and this was one of those moments where it showed.

"It's pretty fascinating, really. The wave length looks like this." Hunk said, pulling out a graph that showed the wavelength he'd transcribed.

Keith's eyes narrowed as he looked at the paper. "Gimme that." He demanded, taking the paper from Hunk. He looked at it for a second before heading over the board, holding up the paper to a picture of a rock formation that eerily matched the wavelength. 

-----------------

"Okay, I admit it. This is super freaky." Lance said as we stood before the rock formation. 

"You can say that again." I agreed, looking around at the rocks towering above and around us. It was, indeed, super freaky that the wavelength matched the rock formation. I couldn't help but wonder just how coincidental this all was.

"I'm getting a reading." Hunk announced, looking down at the device in his hands.

He then began walking, Pidge following behind him with the rest of us not far behind. We walked until we reach a rocky over hang with a cave a not too far below. We entered the cave, looking at all the carvings in awe.

"What are these?" Shiro asked as we looked around.

"These are the lion carvings I was telling you about. They're everywhere around here." Keith replied.

I moved a bit closer to one of the carvings, taking in the odd details as my eyes trailed towards several other carvings that looked similar to it. I flinched taking a step back as the carvings started glowing, bathing the cavern in a blue hue. I turned to look at Lance who gasped in shock.

"Whoa. Whoa!"

"They've never done that before." Keith said, staring at the carving on shock.

I screamed as the ground beneath us collapsed and we all started falling. Our screams echoed as we slid down a muddy waterslide. I squinted and held a hand over my face as water splashed against us. I heard faint splashes ahead, a sign that the slide ended at some point. I screamed, crashing onto the ground as the slide stopped. The cold water seeped into my clothes, causing a shiver to run down my spin at the chill. I heard the other fall with a splash and slowly sat up, taking off my cardigan to wring some of the water out. "Is everyone okay?" I asked, looking around at the others who nodded. I sighed in relief before turning my head at the sound of Lance gasping.

"They are everywhere."

My eyes widened as I took in the image of a glowing blue dome. Within it, the lion depicted in the carvings sat.

----------

Once we were all mostly dry and I made sure everyone hadn't gotten injured in the fall, we all placed our focus onto the elephant in the room. Or, I guess, lion in this case.

"Is this it? Is this the Voltron?" Pidge asked as we got closer to it. 

"It must be." Shiro answered. I stared up at it in awe and confusion. It was amazing, but how long had it been down here? On Earth? How did none of the heroes notice anything odd? I paused at that, shaking my head and unknowingly earning an odd look from Keith next to me. The heroes don't usually travel or concern themselves with trouble far from their city and when they do, it's usually Justice League business or world-ending trouble.

"This is what's been causing all of this crazy energy out here." Keith said, getting closer. "looks like there's a forcefield around it." 

The closer we got, the bigger it seemed to get. It was most likely the size of a commercial office building. I shuffled a bit closer to Pidge as Lance started moving around, nearly bumping into me. "Does anyone else get the feeling this is staring at them?"

"No." Shiro replied and I looked at Lance with a raised brow. 

"Yeah, the eyes are totally following me." He said and walked closer. We eventually all got closer, stopping before the forcefield.

"I wonder how we get through this." Keith said, inspecting the forcefield.

"Maybe you just have to knock." Lance said, coming up to the barrier and knocking on it. Apparently, that seemed to have worked as the forcefield glowed before disappearing. An image suddenly flashed in my mind of six lions coming together to form a giant robot. One blue, one yellow, one green, one red, one purple and one black.

"Whoa..." Everyone let out.

"Uh, did everyone just see that?" Lance asked.

I nodded, still reeling from the shock and the vision.

"Voltron is a robot. Voltron is a huge, huge awesome robot!" Hunk exclaimed.

"Yeah, and this thing is only one part of it!" Pidge added. 

"I wonder where the rest of them are?" I wondered, staring up at the blue lion. 

"This is what they're looking for." Shiro said. 

"Incredible." Keith let out.

Just then, the lion began to lower it's head towards us. I could hear Pidge and Hunk screaming as I took a step back. It's mouth opened and a ramp fell, seemingly beckoning us to enter. Lance hummed and I immediately knew he was up to something. "Lance, no." I said sternly.

"Lance, yes." He said, chuckling as he ran into the lion and I sighed. We all followed behind him, looking around at the unfamiliar technology around us. I could hear Lance scream from what was probably the bridge and followed after Pidge and Hunk, who had gone in. "You okay, Lance?"

"Yep." He groaned before looking up curiously as everything lit up. "Uh? Huh."

"Whoa." Pidge, Hunk and I let out as the black screen suddenly lit up before showing the cavern the lion was in. 

"Okay, guys, I feel the need to point out, just so we're all, y'know, aware. We are in some kind of futuristic alien cat head right now." Hunk spoke a bit hesitantly. Lance then gasped, drawing our attention towards him.

"Whoa. Did you guys just hear that?" Lance asked, puzzled. 

"Hear what?" Keith asked, frowning. "I-I think it's talking to me." Lance said, taking a closer look at the console in front of him. My brows furrowed in concern at that. "Are you sure you didn't hit your head when we fell?" I asked.

"Hmm... Uh..." Lance hummed before pressing a few buttons on the console. I jumped as I felt the lion shake before letting out a load roar, grabbing the back of the seat. Before any of us knew it, the lion was now soaring through the air with Lance at the controls.

"You are the worst pilot ever!" Keith yelled.

"I'm going to kill you if we die, McClain!" I yelled, gripping onto the seat for dear life as we were tossed around the bridge. Pidge and Hunks screams rang in my ears as the lion didn't seem to show any signs of stopping or slowing down. I was starting to feel a bit dizzy and I gasped as I felt one of my hands slip from its hold, bracing myself for the impact as I felt myself tilt backwards. I  then felt a hand come up to my back, stopping me from falling. I quickly held back onto the chair, taking a moment to see who had helped me. 

"Thanks." I told him quietly, he nodded in return. I chose not to say anything about his hand that stayed on my back after that, closing my eyes and focusing on trying not to vomit from how dizzy I was. 

"Make it stop! Make it stop!" Hunk screamed, pleading with the man in the chair. "I'm not making it do anything. It's like it's on autopilot." Suddenly, I didn't know which was worse: Lance's piloting or the way this thing was flying on autopilot mode.

"Where are you going?" Keith asked with a strained voice as the lion took to the skies.

"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 explained, sounding as if that was the most normal thing to do. My eyes opened at that, staring down at him with a look of bewilderment. Was he crazy?

"What did it say exactly?" Pidge asked.

"It's not like it's saying words. It's more like feeding ideas into my brain, kind of." Lance explained as if that was obvious.

"And we're supposed to stop them when it's communicating like that?" I asked skeptically.

"Well, If this thing is what they're coming for, why don't we just, like,  I don't know, give it to them? Maybe they'll leave us alone. Or we could hand it over to the Justice League and let them figure it out. Sorry, lion. Nothing personal." Hunk suggested, the panic seeping into his voice.

"You don't understand. These monsters spread like a plague throughout the galaxy, destroying everything in their path. There's no bargaining with them. They won't stop until everything is dead." Shiro explained, a serious look on his face and evident in his tone. We all gave Hunk a look that made him go quiet. "Oh... Never mind then." He replied with a grimace.

The lion slowly steadied as we reached space, the stars floating around us. Suddenly, an alien ship appeared in front of us. It was dark, purple and very intimidating. We all gasped, staring at the large ship.

"Holy crow! Is that really an alien ship?"  Hunk  exclaimed. "Yep." I mumbled, my grip on the chair tightening at the sight.

The ship started shooting lasers at us and I bit the inside of my cheek. "We've gotta get out of here!" Pidge yelled as Lance quickly took the  handles into his hands. "Hang on!" He yelled as he pulled the lion's handles. The lion quickly pulled up, dodging the lasers with skillfully. Much more skillfully than Lance could from how he flew the simulator. It seemed that the lion was more in control than the pilot.

"All right. Okay. I think I know what to do." Lance calmly said, guiding the lion towards the ship. 

"Be careful, man. This isn't the simulator." Pidge warned. 

"Well, that's good. I always wreck the simulator." Lance replied, which didn't make me feel any better. How was that a good thing?!

Lance quickly moved the controls, sending a laser out towards the ship. Parts of the ship the laser had made contact with exploded. He did one more attack on the ship before flying us out of there.

"Nice job, Lance." Shiro said proudly.

"Okay, I think it's time to get these guys away from our planet." Lance said as we flew away from the ship.

"Oh, no!" "They're gaining on us." "And fast!"

"It's weird. They're not trying to shoot us. They're just chasing." Lance said. He was right. They weren't attacking us back even after we had attacked them.

"Okay, seriously, now we think having aliens follow us is good?" Hunk asked nervously. "I am not on board with this new direction, guys."

"Where are we? Keith asked, looking down at Lance.

"Edge of the solar system. There's Kerberos." Shiro said as said moon came into view.

"It travelled that distance, that fast?" I asked, in awe. 

"It takes months for our ships to get out this far. Maybe a bit shorter for any of the heroes, but we got out here in five seconds." Pidge said, voice shivering a bit.

Out of nowhere, a some kind of portal-like wormhole appeared. It looked like something out of fiction. "Whaaat is that?" Hunk yelped. "This may seem crazy, but I think the lion wants us to go through there." Lance said, hesitant. "Where does it even go?" I asked, gazing at the wormhole in worry.

"I-I don't know." Lance replied before addressing Shiro. "Shiro, you're the senior officer here. What should we do?" He asked, looking to Shiro for an answer.

The man clad in black was quiet for a second before looking at Lance. "Whatever is happening here, the lion knows more than we do. I say we trust it, but we're a team now. We should decide together." he said, slipping into the leadership role.

Shiro was right. Like it or not, we were all stuck in a giant lion together and were the only ones who had an idea of what was going on. We all looked at each other before looking at Lance in the chair, showing that we all agreed on one thing. "... All right. Guess we're ditching class tomorrow." 

The lion entered the wormhole, travelling at hyper speed. I groaned, one hand on the chair and the other unknowingly clutching Keith's arm as the lion shook before steadying as it exited from the portal. I quietly apologized, taking not of how hard I had most likely been digging my nails into Keith's arm from the indents on his jacket. "It's fine." He replied quietly, glancing at me before looking around. I looked at Hunk, grimacing as the poor guy grunted before puking onto the floor. I quickly rummaged through my bag before holding out a small bottle of water. "Here, some water. Unfortunately, I don't have anything that can help an upset stomach. I left that in my dorm. Drink slowly."

"So sorry. Thanks." He breathed, taking the water bottle from my hand and did as instructed. I nodded in return. I felt a bit sorry for Hunk, knowing and understanding how nauseating it must have been as I'd feel a bit dizzy myself whenever we had to go in the simulator. He had it worse than I did. Usually, I carried some medicine for that in my med kit that we were required to have for our classes, but I hadn't placed some into the bag I had now since I didn't think I'd need it. 

"I'm just surprised it took this long." Pidge said, adjusting his glasses.

"I don't recognize any of these constellations." Shiro said, looking at the stars around us. "We must be a long, long way from Earth."

"The lion seems to want to go to this planet. I think... I think it's going home." Lance said as the lion increased it's descent towards the planet.

"Guys, personal space. Hunk, your breathe is killing me." Lance complained before looking at me. "Kaia, you can stay in my personal space any day." I sighed smacking the back of his head lightly. I figured he'd take that opportunity to spit out something flirtatious.

"Lance, focus on landing us safely before I throw you out and see how well you land from this height. Bobo." I said, holding on tightly to the back of the chair as I glared at him. He merely grinned before turning back to the controls. I noticed Keith staring Lance down with a scowl on his face, raising a brow. He noticed and looked away, causing my face to scrunch up in confusion. I pushed Keith's odd behavior to the back of my mind and bit back a yelp as I bumped into the back of the chair, forgetting to keep my balance.

"Um, is it just me or is anyone else having second thoughts about flying through a mysterious wormhole? Why are we listening to a robotic lion anyway?" Hunk asked, sounding like he regretted every decision that led up to this point.

"It got us away from that alien warship, didn't it?" Lance looked at Hunk. Keith spoke up a second later. "I don't know if you've noticed, but we're in an alien warship."

"Oh, are you scared?" Lance taunted the man with the mullet.

"With you at the helm? Terrified." Keith replied, glaring at Lance. It seemed these two were ready to tear each other's throat out.

"Guys." I said, looking at both of them in exasperation.

"All right, knock it off." Shiro said sternly, gaining our attention. "No one's happy to be in this situation, but we're here now. If we wanna get through this, we've go to do it together."

"So, what do we do?" Pidge asked. 

Shiro was quiet for a second before he answered. "First, we find out where we're headed. Lance?" he said, looking at Lance for an answer.

"I... don' t know." the Cuban male replied before looking at us. "I'm sorry, the lion's not talking to me right now. Wait! Wait, wait, wait! Shhh! "Listen, I think I hear something." He said, making us all go silent as we  waited in anticipation.

"I'm hearing it too." Keith said quietly.

"It's, uh- It's kind of a-a high-pitched squeal." Hunk stuttered.

The smell hit me before the sound did and I quickly brought my hand up to my nose, face scrunched up in disgust. We all groaned, glaring at Lance in annoyance who looked far too happy with what he did. I retched, turning away. "Come on, Lance!"

"But seriously, there's a castle up ahead." Lance said, pulling our attention to the grand structure in front of us.

The lion landed in front of it's doors, all of us in awe at the sight. Our attention was pulled away as Shiro spoke, a serious edge to his voice. "Keep your guard up."

"Something wrong?" Pidge asked, turning to the older man.

"My crew was captured by aliens once. I'm not going to let that happen again." He replied. We all said nothing, but understood what he was saying. We left the lion, staying together as we headed down the ramp. Once our feet had all touched the ground, the lion suddenly got up.

"No! I knew it was going to eat us! No!" Hunk cried in fear as the lion roared.

We heard rumbling behind us and saw the door begin to open. The roar must have been some sort of identification or something. "Oh, the door is open." Hunk said, peeking out from behind Shiro before look towards the lion. "Guess I was wrong about you."

We all entered the castle, looking around at the architecture around us. Even in the dim light, it looked amazing. It resembled the alien castles you would see in a movie, but I'd say this one took the cake since it was real. Its awe didn't take away from the nervous feeling the silence gave me. It was a quiet. A quiet of the unknown and that made me nervous about what lay ahead. I shuffled a bit closer to Keith, who was the closest person next to me.

"I haven't been this nervous in a hot minute." I said quietly, glancing at Keith. I needed to fill this silence with something, to get my mind off of what might lay ahead. "Yeah, haven't seen you this nervous since your exams in your med classes back in first year." Keith, surprisingly, spoke up quietly as he glanced down at me. I was surprised he even remembered that or spoke. Though, I guess the image of me looking like I'd die if I stopped looking at my notes would be hard to forget. I nodded, a small smile on my face as I felt the nervousness alleviate a little.

"Hello?" Hunk suddenly called out loudly. I jumped, all of us turning to look at him. He shrugged as the silence continued.

"From the size of the lion, I expected these steps to be bigger." Pidge said, looking at the staircase in front of us.

"Maybe those stairs aren't for the lions." I said, my eyes trailing up the stairs. 

Suddenly, something lit up above us and we were engulfed in a blue light. "Hold for identity scan." a disembodied voice said as we looked around.

"Why are we here? What do you want with us?"  Shiro demanded as a blue light seemed to scan our bodies. The entire place soon lit up, a hallway at the top of the stairs slowly lighting up.

"I guess we're going that way." Pidge said.

We walked through the halls, the lights turning on as we headed further into the castle. It was a bit creepy, feeling like something would jump out at us at any minute. Hunk continued to call out, his voice echoing along the empty halls. We eventually came to a halt in a round room, two pods emerging from the ground as we stopped in the center of the room.

"Are these guys...dead?" Hunk asked from behind the  control panel. The first pod opened up, revealing a beautiful woman with brown skin and long silver hair. The only way you could tell she wasn't human was by her pointed ears and the markings under her eyes.

She gasped, calling out to her father as she fell forward. Lance rushed forward and caught her. I held back a smirk at the look on his face and the blush on his cheeks. "Hello." Lance immediately spat out a pick-up line.

"Who are you? Where am I?" She asked, looking around.

"I'm Lance. And you are right here in my arms." Lance said flirtatiously.

"Your ears..." The silver haired woman pointed out, causing Lance to look confused. "Yeah?"

"... They're hideous. What's wrong with them?" she said, staring at them in disgust. I could barely hold back a laugh at her words, looking away to hide my amusement.

"Nothing's wrong with them! They heard exactly what you said about them!" Lance exclaimed, letting go of her. 

I gasped as Lance suddenly screamed, taken down onto one knee as the girl pulled his ear and held his arm behind his back. "Who are you? Where is King Alfor? What are you doing in my castle?" she asked, looking down at Lance in suspicion.

"A giant blue lion brought us here. That's all we know." Lance replied, trying to calm the woman down. "How do you have the blue lion? What happened to it's paladin? What are you all doing here?" she asked, taking notice of the rest of us standing a few feet away, cautious and in shock. "Unless..."

"How long has it been?"

"We don't know what you're talking about. Why don't you tell us who you are? Maybe we can help." Shiro said, trying to calm the woman down as well.

"I am Princess Allura of planet Altea. I've got to find out where we are and how long we've been asleep." 

Chapter Text

Allura put her hands on the console, activating it and causing some screens to pop up. As she busied herself with the control panel, the other pod suddenly opened up. An older man with red hair and a moustache with pale skin and the same pointy ears and markings woke up, gasping before letting out a scream as he nearly fell to the floor. "Quiznak! You're lucky I have a case of the old 'sleep chamber knees'. Otherwise, I'd grab your head like this, wrap you up like so- one, two, three," he snapped his fingers, "Sleepy time!"

"Well, before you did that I'd-" Lance said before demonstrating what were probably some moves from self defense we learned or some form of martial arts? "Like that."

"Oh, really? How could you do that when I've already come at you with this?" The man said, demonstrating another odd move. It felt like we were watching a comedy skit. I felt secondhand embarrassment watching them, especially with the minimal but extensive knowledge I had gained before leaving Gotham.  Though, the ginger-haired man did remind me of Alfred. A more, um, eccentric version, sure, but he definitely reminded me of the old Wayne family butler in a way.

"Man, these guys are good." Hunk said quietly. Pidge and I gave him a look, wondering whether or not he was serious.

"It can't be." Allura gasped, gaining everyone's attention as she stared at the screen in shock. "What is it?" The man asked. "We've been asleep for 10,000 years." Allura said, desperation evident in her voice. "Planet Altea and all of the planets in our solar system have been destroyed. Coran, Father is gone. Our entire civilization..." she spoke, clearly devastated. I couldn't imagine losing everything I knew the way she had, but I did understood the fear she was most likely feeling at having to face something entirely new and unfamiliar on her own. It must be terrible to feel both that devastation and that fear at the same time.

"Zarkon..." she gasped, face scrunching up in anger as she seemed to remember something. "Zarkon?" Shiro reacted, eyes widening at the name. "He was the king of the Galra. A vile creature and enemy to all free people." Allura explained, hatred seeping into her voice.

"I remember now... I was his prisoner." Shiro revealed, the princess reacting in shock. "How is he still alive? Impossible!" It should be, I thought. Ten thousand years was no joke and if this Zarkon guy was still alive, he may have done some kind of biological modification to himself or something.

"I can't explain it, but it's true. He's searching for a super weapon called Voltron." Shiro explained as best he could using what he remembered, a nervous edge in his voice.

"He's searching for it because he knows it's the only thing that can defeat him, and that's exactly why we must find before he does." she said determinedly, looking at all of us as though she was appraising us.

----------

"Princess, you must eat. It's been 10,000 years." Coran advised. "Coran's right, Princess. While I don't know how your pods work, you need to eat something after being stuck in a sleep state for so long." I agreed. But she just shook her head and examined the files on the screen.

"Man, 10,000 years? That's like one thousand plus ten." Lance said, only for Keith to rebuke him. "That's times ten." Keith corrected, turning towards him. "Whatever, dropout." Lance hissed.

"I haven't eaten since breakfast and I'm starving." Hunk said, holding his stomach. "Yeah, but you've thrown up, like, five times." Pidge pointed out, causing me to huff in amusement. "Give Hunk a break, Pidge. It has been an eventful morning." I said, moving to stand next to the youngest member of our group as I gave up on convincing the princess to eat and left that to Coran. "Hmm, good point." Hunk said before digging into some weird green goop I could only assume was some kind of food.

"I can't believe your civilization created such advanced technology 10,000 years ago. It must have been an incredible place." Shiro said calmly, looking at Allura and Coran. "Yes, it was... but now it is gone and we're the last Alteans alive." Coran said sorrowfully, looking as though he were reminiscing of better times. Allura pulling the man into a hug as she cried softly, mourning her lost home and people. I turned towards t he pod Allura had come from, hearing the squeaking coming from it.

Allura seemed to have noticed it as well as she walked towards it before looking inside. "Looks like we're not the last ones, after all." She said, holding up some colorful and cute mice.

Suddenly, an alarm blared and we all turned towards the console. It's screen was red with some alien text on it. "A Galra battleship has set it's tracker to us!" Coran announced, looking at the feed of a Galra ship heading for the planet we were on. "How did they find us?" Allura cried out, holding the mice in her hands.

"I'm not sure, but I bet it's Keith's fault." Lance said, glaring at the mullet-head who glared back. I sighed, already sensing another fight coming. "Say whatever you've got to say to make yourself feel better. After getting us stuck on the other side of a wormhole!" Keith bit back, glaring at Lance.

"Lance, Keith, that's enough. Stop it." I said sternly, glaring at both of them as I took a step towards them "I'll stick you in a wormhole!" Lance growled as he ignored my words, getting in Keith's face. Both of them looked close to throwing fists before Shiro physically got between them.

"Stow it, cadets! This is no time to place blame. It's time to work as a team." He said, pushing the two apart. That seemed to do the trick as they both backed off. My eyes met Keith's and I shook my head in disappointment, turning towards Allura and Coran. 

"How long before they arrive?" Shiro asked, turning towards the two Alteans. "At their speed? Oh, well, carry the two... I'd say probably a couple days." Coran said, counting with his fingers. I raised a brow, doubtful but holding hope that that math was exact.

"Good. Let them come!" Allura said, a determined look on her face. "By the time they get here, you six will have reformed Voltron, and together, we will destroy Zarkon's empire!" she said, looking at all of us.

"Princess, there are six of these lions? How are we going to find the rest?" Shiro asked, a serious look on his face. We followed Allura and Coran as they led us out of the round room and to a bigger room. It had a huge window from where you could view the planet you were on and had a large crystal on the ceiling. Allura walked towards the center of the room and stood on a platform. A blue light shone onto Allura from the crystal above the platform. We all watched as Coran explained to us what was going on.

"King Alfor connected the lions to Allura's life force. She alone is the key to the lions' whereabouts." Coran explained as we watched Allura from a few feet away. "Whoa!" We all gasped as the room was filled with a holographic version of the universe. It was a beautiful sight.

"These are coordinates." Pidge said, catching on quickly. "The Black Lion looks like it's in the same location as the Blue Lion." he observed, a holographic image of both lions floating past him. "Look at your primitive synapses firing away in their little brain cage." Coran said, praising Pidge as he leaned towards him.

"Very observant. That's because the Black Lion is in the castle." Allura said, praising Pidge while also explaining. "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 added.

"As you have found, the lions choose their pilots. It is a mystical bond that cannot be forced. The quintessence of the pilot is mirrored in his lion. Together, they form something greater than science can explain." She explained. 

"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's whose men will follow without hesitation." She said as the holographic image of the Black Lion floated towards Shiro, coming to a stop in front of him. "That is why, Shiro, you will pilot the Black Lion." That definitely fit Shiro.

"The Green Lion has an inquisitive personality and needs a pilot of intellect and daring." Allura said as the image of the Green Lion stopped before Pidge. "Pidge, you will pilot the Green Lion." Fitting.

"The Blue Lion--" Allura began before getting interrupted by Lance. "Hold up, let me guess. Takes the most handsome-slash-best pilot of the bunch?" Lance spoke with confidence as he smirked at Allura. Allura, bless her, gave Lance a blank look before turning to Hunk, disregarding Lance's words.

"The Yellow Lion is caring and kind. It's pilot is one who puts the needs of others above his own. His heart must be mighty." She explained as the image of the Yellow Lion stopped in front of Hunk. "As the leg of Voltron, you will lift the team up and hold them together." Hunk grunted questioningly as he pointed at himself. That sounds like Hunk.

"The Red Lion is temperamental and the most difficult to master. It's faster and more agile than the others, but also more unstable." Allura spoke, the image of the Red Lion appearing in her hands before she sent it towards Keith. "It's pilot needs to be someone who relies more on instinct than skill alone. Keith, you will fly the Red Lion." Keith might be a hot head but if anyone can fly a lion like that, he can.

"What? This guy?" Lance asked, skepticism evident in his tone. "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." She said, a small smile on her face. "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." Coran said, twisting one end of his mustache. "It's not-- It doesn't sound... exactly like it. It's similar." I quietly chuckled at Coran's words before my attention was brought back to Allura as she addressed me.

"Finally, the Purple Lion is the heart of Voltron and is patient and full of wisdom. It may be the smallest of all the lions but it's power is not to be underestimated." She said, moving her hand and the image of the Purple Lion slowly came to a stop in front of me. "It's pilot must also hold equal patience and an open mind while being able to stand strong amongst pressure. Kaia, you shall pilot the Purple Lion." I cradled the small image in my hands before it roared and ran to join the other lions as they came together to form Voltron.

"Once all the lions are united, you will form Voltron, the most powerful warrior ever known, the Defender of the Universe." She said as we all stared in awe at the image of Voltron stood tall before disappearing.

"Awesome!" Hunk gasped.

"Oh..." Pidge mumbled.

"Wait. Okay, we're going to be in there and flying lions. Got that part." Hunk said as a thought struck me and I felt a pit in my stomach. I don't know how to pilot a ship, much more, a giant robot cat. 

"How do lions turn into legs? Is this going to be a long trip? I have to pee. Do you people pee?" Hunk asked a barrage of questions before Shiro interrupted.

"We don't have much time. Pidge and I will go after the Green Lion. Lance, you take Hunk and get the yellow." Shiro said, turning towards Lance before turning to Keith and I. "Keith, you and Kaia will go and get the Purple Lion." Keith and I nodded at Shiro, sharing a glance as we nodded at each other.

---------

Soon, we were all off to get the Yellow, Green and Purple Lions. Hunk and Lance took the Blue Lion while Pidge, Shiro, Keith and I took the pods. Keith was piloting the pod as he was the more skilled between the two of you and you had no experience at all. Which worried you as you had to pilot a giant purple lion once you found it. 

As I sat next to Keith, I couldn't help but wonder about what he was up to in the year after he was booted from the Garrison and why he hadn't reached out at all. I stayed quiet, knowing Keith most likely wouldn't want to talk about it, especially not when we were on an important task right now. As we flew through the wormhole and eventually through space, quiet consumed the inside of the pod. An awkward silence where both people didn't know if they should say something or not.

As we both quietly sat there, I slowly retreated into my thoughts. I had no idea how to pilot a ship which meant that even if we found the lion, I'd most likely be useless. The thought filled me with dread, memories of cold shoulders, excuses and blank stares causing a lump in my throat. I can't- I can't let that happen. I don't wanna be-

I was broken from my thoughts as Keith spoke up, glancing at me. "...You okay?" He asked. I blinked before nodding, hiding my growing anxiety behind a calm exterior. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking about what'll happen when we find the lion." I said, looking at the planet we were approaching. Keith nodded, looking at the planet as he flew us closer. "What do you think we'll find down here?" I asked as we entered the planet's atmosphere. "I don't know, but we should be careful. We don't know what's out here." Keith said, a serious look on his face.

We landed in a forest clearing and got out. I looked around, taking note of the environment that seemed similar to Earth. I took out the locator Coran had given us before we left. "This way. Coran said I should start being able to sense the Lion's energy once we got here." I said, looking down at the locator and began walking. I could hear Keith beside me as we walked through the trees, the electronic beeping of the locator filling the silence between us. 

"So... what were you doing after you left the Garrison? You went off grid. I couldn't contact you at all." I asked after a few moments of silence, glancing at him as we continued walking. Keith stayed quiet and I sighed quietly, hopping over a fallen log. 

"...After I left the Garrison, I found that shack in the desert." I was surprised when Keith spoke up a few seconds later, my head turning to look at him. "I cleaned it up and spent the next few months trying to find out whether Shiro was alive or not and putting that board together. It was hard to get any kind of signal and I... didn't want to contact or get contacted by anyone at the time." He said, looking straight ahead with his arms crossed as we walked.

I hummed, nodding in understanding. "What was the Garrison like after I left?" Keith asked, helping down a short ledge. "Not much changed. Commander Iverson was still hard on everyone. Griffin was still pretty annoying. I spent most of my time alone, honestly. Before I got put into Lance's team." I explained, looking up from the rapidly beeping locator as we stopped in an other clearing.

"It says it's close by, but I don't see anything." I said, handing him the locator. Keith looked down at the locator, looking around and holding up the locator in different directions. "No change. There must be something wrong. It is 10,000 years old." He said as I looked around.

It was quiet. A quiet where you could hear everything around you. The rustling of the grass and the leaves, the breeze passing by, the crunch of the grass under my feet. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath as I listened closely to the sounds. The quiet was a sort of peace, the peace of nature going through its familiar motions. As I got lost in the quiet, something tugged at me. Not physically, as I couldn't feel anything touching me, but spiritually?

I didn't know how to describe it but one strong tug was enough for me to snap my eyes open and move, pushing Keith away as the ground below my feet caved in. "Kaia!" I could hear Keith yell as I fell down. I grunted as I met the dirt, groaning as I slowly sat up. I slowly stood up, hissing as I felt a sting in my leg and looked down, spotting a gash going on my knee. I quickly sat down, grabbing some bandages and water from my bag. I quickly washed the wound with water before wrapping it up with the bandages. Thankfully, it wasn't deep. As I tied off the bandage, I could hear Keith calling down to me from above.

"Kaia, are you okay?" Keith asked from the opening of the hole, a worried look on his face. "I'm fine! Just a little bruised." I said, hoping he couldn't see my leg as I didn't want to ruin the mission because of my injury. Keith looked like he didn't believe me. "You're clearly hurt! I'm coming down!" He said, a serious look on his face. "Stop! I said I'm fine! I'm standing, aren't I?" I said, stopping him from climbing down.

Keith's face scrunched up in frustration, glaring down at me. "Just because you're standing, doesn't mean you aren't hurt, you idiot! You always do this-" He began before getting cut off as I yelled back up to him. "Wait, Keith, shut up for a sec!"

I felt the tugging sensation again, turning my head to find a tunnel. Something was telling me to go down it. I don't know why but it felt like something was calling me. "There's a tunnel down here! I think- I think the Lion might be down here. I'm going in." I said, beginning to walk into the tunnel, leaving no time for him to say anything as I walked into the dark tunnel. I laid a hand on the wall as I limped forward, purple markings on the walls glowing at my touch. I stumbled a bit over a rock, shaking it off as I kept going. I could see a purple glow faintly in the distance and the tugging sensation got stronger. I walked forward a bit more before I ended up in a small cavern. In the center, in all it's glory, was the Purple Lion sitting inside its forcefield.

I walked over to it, stopping just before the forcefield and held up a hand. I paused, my hand an inch away from the force field as doubt filled my mind. 

I pressed my hand against the barrier, watching it dissipate before the lion roared and lowered it head. It opened its jaw, waiting for me to take the first step. I gulped, walking into the Lion and entered the bridge. It looked similar in interior to the Blue Lion, the only difference was the color of the lights. I sat down in the chair, blinking in surprise as it moved forward towards the console. Everything lit up, purple screens popping up and the cavern interior now visible. I lifted my hands, hesitating as they hovered over the handles before taking hold.

The room was quiet. A sort of still quiet. I sighed, the anxiety creeping in the longer the Lion didn't respond. I took a deep breath before I spoke, hoping the Lion would answer or respond if I did. "I-I know I'm probably not the pilot you were waiting for. I'm not even a pilot. I'm a medic. You probably wanted someone who actually knew how to fly or was more skilled and prepared for this role...  but I'm not. I don't know if I ever will be, but that doesn't matter right now. I need you. We need you, the universe needs you. It needs Voltron." I spoke, voice shaking as I looked down at my lap.

Say something. Please. I can't let everyone down. Not like they did me. I thought anxiously, squeezing my eyes shut. The longer the silence went on, the more resigned I slowly became.

Maybe I really wasn't meant for this.

It was silent. A silence that seemed to stretch on forever. A quiet that held either contemplation or rejection lingering before I heard a loud roar in my mind, shaking me from my thoughts. It was as if the Lion was scolding me for thinking that way, comforting me, telling me I was meant to be here, that I was the pilot she chose for a reason. How I knew it was female? I have no idea but I didn't question it. My grip on the handles was much steadier and calmer as I felt a small boost in confidence from the Lion's reassurance. "Thanks, girl. Now, let's try and get out of here."

I now understood what Lance was talking about when he was flying the Blue Lion. Images flashing before my mind as I pushed the handles forward, the Lion helping me guide it out of the cavern and back to the surface. I landed the Lion in front of Keith, the Lion letting out a roar that shook the trees. 

I felt a grin grow on my lips at the smirk on Keith's face. I let him into the Lion, turning my head as his footsteps stopped just behind the chair. "Alright, let's head back to the pod and get out of here. Heads up, I have no idea how to fly this thing." I said, turning my head back around and adjusting my grip on the handles.

"What?" Keith exclaimed, staring down at me in shock. "I'm a medic, Keith. Not a fighter pilot." I huffed, turning to look at him. Keith looked like he was contemplating his life choices before he sighed, his grip on the chair tightening. "Shiro would have been better at this... Okay-" He grumbled and sighed before beginning to give me a lesson in basic flight for dummies.

-------

With his frustrated yet blunt input and my Lion helping guide me, we made it back to the castle in one piece with the pod secured in my Lion's claws. Despite the frustration and occasionally yelling on Keith's end as he instructed me, his straight-to-the-point approach was insightful. I still wasn't as good as the other but it was a start. We ran into Pidge and Shiro, who had returned a few seconds before we had. Both had questions about my knee but I shook them off, telling them it was fine and earning a sharp look from Keith.

We entered the bridge, waiting on Lance and Hunk to return. The two came in with a groan, looking very tired. Though, I couldn't talk since I probably looked like a mess. "You made it." Allura said happily as she turned to look at all of us. 

"Yeah, just barely. That was a nightmare. I almost puked out there. I felt like Hunk!" Lance said as he stretched out his arms. "Think how I felt. I am Hunk." Hunk added as he scratched his head. "Yeah. We also had a tough time, too." Pidge said, smirking at Shiro. I chuckled, shifting onto my not-injured leg. "It was pretty calm for us. Save for a tumble down a hole and an impromptu flight lesson." I smiled sheepishly, glancing at Keith who crossed his arms and looked away, clearly still bothered by what happened.

"Did we find the Red Lion yet?" Shiro asked, turning his attention towards Allura and Coran. "Allura just located it. There's a bit of good news and bad news." Coran said, stepping forward. "The good news is, the Red Lion's nearby. The bad news is, it's on board the Galra ship now orbiting Arus." He said, making us go quiet as he continued optimistically. "But wait, good news again, we're Arus!" That doesn't sound like good news to me.

 Suddenly the castle received a transmission and a screen popped up. On the transmission was a purple alien with cat ears, yellow eyes and a eye prosthetic on his right eye. "Princess Allura, this is Commander Sendak of the Galra Empire. I come on behalf of Emperor Zarkon, Lord of the Universe. I am here to confiscate the lions. Turn them over to me or I will destroy your planet." With that, the transmission cut off. We all stood is silence for a few seconds before Shiro spoke. 

"All right, let's not panic." Which didn't seem like it calmed Hunk down as the bigger guy spoke, panic seeping into his voice. "Not panic? The scary purple alien thing is driving his battleship towards us. We only have five lions-"

"Technically, only four working lions." Pidge corrected, which didn't seem to help Hunk's growing panic.

"-That's right. Thank you, Pidge." Hunk said, patting Pidge's shoulder as he walked past him. "Four working lions and a castle that's, like, 10,000 years old." Hunk continued, counting with his fingers. 

"Actually, it's 10,600 years old. You see, it was built by my grandfather-" Coran began before getting cut off by Hunk. "Thanks, Coran. Thank you for that. See? Now is the perfect time to panic!" He said, voice rising with panic at the end.

"Wait! This castle has a particle barrier we can activate." Allura spoke up. "Girl, you've already activated my par-" He began before getting cut off by Shiro and I.

"Lance!" Shiro and I warned, giving the guy a warning look.

"The particle barrier won't hold Sendak's ion cannon forever. The Galra technology must have advanced since we last fought them." Coran explained, a holographic version of the ship on screen.

"Panic now?" Hunk asked, turning his head to look at us. He was clearly on the verge of freaking out which made me feel sorry for the poor guy as I understood why. We weren't exactly equipped to fight purple aliens and we had no idea what these guys are capable off aside from the knowledge we had, which also wasn't good.

"No. We've just got to figure out our plan of action, and figure it out quickly." Shiro said.

"I say we pop through a wormhole and live to fight another day." Lance said. "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 four. We can't form Voltron." Hunk said, agreeing with Lance's suggestion. "I guess we could form a snake. Or a worm! To go through that hole, Lance, that you were talking about." Are they really suggesting we-

"Then, it's settled. Allura, you ride with me." Lance said, walking up to Allura. "One of you take the old guy." He said, gesturing to Coran.

My brows furrowed as my lips fell into a frown. "Lance, Hunk, I understand why you guys think leaving is the best idea, but we can't just leave Arus at the Galra's mercy!" I said, voice rising as I looked at both of them.

"Kaia's right. We can't just abandon Arus. The Galra will keep destroying planets and capturing prisoners until we stop them." Pidge said, agreeing with me.

"Okay, 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-- " Hunk hissed, moving his arms like a snake. "Out of here."

Keith tensed beside me, drawing our attention as he spoke. "Sendak could destroy the planet then come after us anyway. Staying is our only option." He said, a serious tone in his voice. 

"Here's an option: shut your quiznak." Judging by Allura and Coran's faces, he either wasn't using the word right or the word sounded really bad when put in that sentence.

"I don't think you're using that word correctly." Keith said. I sighed already feeling another argument coming along.

"What do you know, Mullet?" Lance retorted.

"We're staying!" Keith yelled back.

"Leaving!" 

"Staying!" Pidge yelled.

"Snake!" Hunk yelled.

"Guys..." I called out, a worried look on my face at the way they all glared at each other. If our team can't work even this out without yelling or butting heads, could we really form Voltron?

"Guys, stop!" Shiro yelled, making everyone separate and turn away from each other. I could only sigh, gripping the strap of my bag worriedly. "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?" Shiro asked, looking to Allura for an answer.

"I... I don't know." Allura answered uncertainly, looking down sadly. "Perhaps... your father can help." Coran said, turning towards Allura. The two soon left to consult Allura's father on what to do next, leaving the control room in a tense silence as everyone seemed to have taken a side on either staying or leaving. It was a quiet that would disappear when ignited with just a spark and could cause a blaze. My grip on the strap of my bag tightened as thoughts ran through my head. I could only hope that this didn't tear apart our team sooner rather than later.

Chapter Text

Allura returned in a bodysuit with her hair tied up into a bun. She looked more like a fighter than a princess with the determined look on her face. "You five paladins were brought here for a reason." She told us. "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." It felt as though a weight, a heavy important weight, yet Allura's encouragement helped make it feel like we could handle it.

"We're with you, Princess." Shiro said, all of us nodding along with him. I still wasn't sure if I w could do this, if I was mean to, but I wanted to help people and to let them know their cries were heard by us. 

Allura soon led us to a room where six pods stood, inside each pod stood similar looking suits. "Your suits of armor." Allura said as the room lit up. Each armor had a color specific to each paladin. We each headed towards the armor with the color of our Lion. "Huh." I mumbled, amazed at the armor that lay in the pod. Though the question of whether it would fit or not ran through my head as I stared at it.

"Boys, and girl, it's time to suit up!" Shiro stated excitedly. I nodded, beginning to change into the armor. It felt strange, the armor morphing to adapt to my body. The armor plates were a bit heavy, but with time, the slight weight would be nothing. It was definitely more comfortable than the suits Batman and his group wore. After we all had the armor on, I looked around at everyone. The armor had adapted perfectly to each of our bodies. Altean technology was amazing.

Allura then placed her hand over a stand at the side of the room, the panel moving away to reveal horseshoe-like things that were most likely color coded according to paladin. "The bayard is the traditional weapon of the Paladins of Voltron. It takes a distinct shape for each paladin." She explained as each bayard floated towards its respective paladin.

I took mine into my hands, watching as it glowed before transforming into a longbow with purple accents. I held up the bow and pulled the string back, watching a blue arrow materialize. I slowly let the string go back to its original position, watching the arrow disappear. I looked at the others, curious as to what their bayards were. Hunk had gotten a gatling gun, Keith had gotten a sword and shield, Lance got a rifle and Pidge had gotten a small knife, which Lance teased him for before he got electrocuted by Pidge's bayard. I chuckled, helping Lance up before turning towards Shiro, who didn't seem to have one.

"Shiro, I'm afraid your bayard was lost with its paladin." Allura sadly explained to the Black Paladin who took it in stride. "I guess I'll just have to make do." 

"You'll need to retrieve the Red Lion from Sendak's ship." Allura said as we all convened back at the main control room. A hologram of the ship on the screen in front of us.

"That's a pretty big ship. How are we gonna know where the Red Lion is?" Keith asked. "Well, it's not a matter of 'we'. It's a matter of 'you'." Pidge said. "Pidge is right. Once we get you in, you'll be able to feel it's presence and, like, track it down." Hunk added.

"Yeah, you know, like how you felt that crazy energy while we were in the desert." Lance said to which Keith replied. "Yeah. You made fun of me for that."

"And I'm proud of that, but turns out it's exactly like that mumbo jumbo." Lance said,  a satisfied tone in his voice at the memory. I nodded. "Just like how I found my Lion. You'll be able to sense your Lion once we get in, but you might not sense anything at first and you won't know how it'll tell you where it is so you'll need to be a little patient." I said, turning towards Keith.

"Keith, remember, the Red Lion is extremely temperamental. You'll have to earn it's respect." Allura said, reminding Keith, who nodded, of the Lion's nature. Shiro laid a hand on Keith's shoulder as he spoke. "All right. Here's our plan of attack."

---------

The plan was for Hunk and Lance to go in the Blue and Yellow as decoys, since the Galra know that we have them, and had to find out a way to take down the ion cannon. While they did that, Pidge, Shiro, Keith and I would sneak onto the ship in the Green Lion. Once aboard, Shiro and Keith would go look for the Red Lion while Pidge and I guarded the exit. At least, that was how the plan was supposed to go.

I landed next Keith, looking around at the Galran tech around us that bathed us in a purple light. Keith, Pidge, Shiro and I quickly snuck through the halls, peeking around corners to make sure there weren't any guards. I stopped behind Pidge, noticing Shiro freeze as he stared down a hallway. "Shiro?" I whispered, concerned. He groaned, panting and looking stricken. 

We all moved closer to him as he began speaking. "I've been here before." Shiro said, looking around. "After I was taken by the Galra cruiser off Kerberos, they brought us here." He explained.

"So, that means you other crew members, they might be held captive here." Pidge said, standing from his position crouched against the wall. "We... We've gotta rescue them."

"Pidge, we don't have time. We have to get the Red Lion and get back to Arus." Shiro disagreed, trying to reason with the younger paladin. "But we can't just leave prisoners here!" Pidge exclaimed as Shiro spoke. "Look, no one understands that more than me, but in war we have to make hard choices." Shiro said, trying to reason with Pidge again. "Now, let's get moving." Shiro had started heading out with Keith when Pidge spoke again.

"No!" He said, raising his voice. "Commander Holt is my father. He and my brother were the ones on the Kerberos Mission with you." Shiro looked just as shocked at the revelation as Keith and I were. A thought struck me, remember a memory of a conversation I had with Shiro once. 

It's common knowledge Commander Holt has two children. He wouldn't lie about having a third child and Matt seemed like the type to talk about both of his siblings. They weren't like them. I took a closer look at Pidge, brows furrowing. It's a stretch but maybe Pidge is actually...

"Yes. I've been searching everywhere for him and my brother. And I'm not going to give up looking when I'm this close. I won't!" Pidge said, turning to go down the hallway before Shiro spoke. "I'm coming with you."

"What?" Pidge asked. "I remember where the prisoners are held. Keith, Kaia, you go find the Red Lion." Shiro said, turning to look at Keith and I. "By ourselves?" The Red Paladin asked. 

"Minor change of plans. You'll be fine. Just remember. Patience yields focus." Shiro advised, giving Keith a reassuring smile. "So---Run!" Shiro yelled as a door opened and we split up, Keith and I down one way and Shiro and Pidge down the other.

Keith and I ran until we hit a part of the hall where it split in two. "Great. Now, which way?" I kept an eye behind us while Keith tried to figure out where to go. "Keith, incoming." I said, hearing footsteps approaching. Keith grabbed my hand, dragging me down one of the hallways. We ran through halls, getting more lost than we had before. "Keith, maybe we should-" I tried to say before getting dragged down another hallways as Keith began running again. "Keith, I'm telling you we should-" I tried to speak again, getting cut off as Keith turned down another hallway. We came to a stop at the same intersection as before, panting. 

Keith groaned in frustration, taking deep breaths. I turned towards Keith, brows scrunching in frustration. "Will you listen to me now?" I snapped, gaining Keith's attention. I sighed, calming down. "I was trying to tell you that we should stop for a moment so that you can try and sense your Lion rather than run around like headless chickens. Look, I know you want to find the Red Lion as soon as possible but we can't do that if you're dragging me around and wasting energy being lost." I said, placing a hand on Keith's shoulder. 

He stared at me for a few moments before nodding, closing his eyes as he took a deep breath. "Patience yields focus." I heard him whisper as I took my hand off his shoulder, letting him focus and to keep an eye for anyone coming. "Gotcha." I heard Keith say before he grabbed my hand again and began running back down the hallway. I followed him, letting him lead the way as I kept an eye out.

We soon found the Lion in one of the hangars. I stayed back a bit, letting Keith go up to the lion while I kept guard. I pulled the string of my bayard back, readying an arrow in case a fight started. "Bingo. Let's get out of here. Open up." I could hear Keith say, likely trying to get the forcefield to open.

"It's me, Keith. Your buddy." I turned around, watching Keith with a small smile as I tried not to laugh at his attempt of bonding with the Lion. "It's me! Keith, your- I am your paladin!" I saw a shot fly past me and turned around, quickly taking aim and letting an arrow fly towards one of the sentries. It missed by a few feet  and I cursed, moving backwards towards Keith, who had his shield up as I notched another arrow. 

"I'm bonding with you!" Keith yelled, turning his head to look at the Lion. "Hey! Come on! We're connected!" I ran behind Keith's shield, overwhelmed by the amount of shots being fired at us. I let another arrow fly, hitting one of the sentries in the shoulder before ducking back down behind the shield.

"You're not getting this lion!" Keith ran forward, bayard in hand as he slashed at the first sentry. I stood back, firing arrow after arrow at the sentries and watching a few land. I saw Keith fly back with a groan, moving in front of him to shoot arrows at the sentries. I managed to get rid of one but the other two continued to advance as I took aim. "Keith, remember what Allura said. You have to earn it's respect." I said, taking a few steps back as the sentries continued to approach. 

"Kaia, you might wanna hang on!" Keith said, the lower half of his visor appearing. I realized what his plan was as he slammed the button on the console, the lower half of my visor appearing as the hangar doors opened and the sentries fell out and into space. I felt Keith grab my hand as he held onto the console, grunting. I tried to help, hooking my bayard onto the console. "Keith!" I yelled, one his hands letting go of the console as a piece of debris hit it. I held onto his hand tightly, trying to keep us from flying into space. I screamed as we were launched into space, my bayard coming loose from a piece of debris hitting it as it flew out the hangar. 

I took deep breaths, looking around the whirling expanse of space as we spun around. I could feel myself growing dizzy, shutting my eyes. I felt something tug on my hand before I was pulled into someone's arms, a voice ringing through my helmet. "I've got you. I've got you." I heard Keith say,  breathing heavily. I heard Keith gasp and the roar of a lion. I opened my eyes, the red interior of the lion all around me. 

"You okay?" I looked at Keith and nodded, a small smile on my face. "Yeah. Yeah, thanks. That was clever. Risky, but clever." I said as I got up, realizing that I had been on his lap and moved to stand behind the chair. My face burning with embarrassment and my stomach feeling funny. Keith gave me a smirk before facing forward, taking hold of the handles. "Good kitty. Let's roll." He said, talking to the lion.

"You guys made it!" I could hear Hunk through the comms, followed by Pidge announcing that the Red Lion was out. I chuckled as Pidge called the Red Lion 'Kitty Rose'. "Let's get the heck out of here!" Lance chimed in. 

We all flew back to Arus. Keith let me out of the Red Lion and I hurried to the Purple Lion, directing it as best I could toward where the others were gathered. My control over the lion was still shaky, not used to them despite Keith's quick lesson when we went to retrieve her. 

The five lions' eyes glowed and the door to the Black Lion opened. It was the biggest of all the lions, with large red wings on it's back. It let out a might roar, the other lions following suit. "Sendak is entering the Arusian atmosphere. We need Voltron now!" Allura said with urgency over the comms. We all left the castle in our lions, landing on the ground below.

I groaned, tensing as the ion cannon hit the particle barrier. I could hear everyone else on the comms, groaning as we everything shook from the hit.

"Man, those Galra guys repair things fast!" I heard Hunk say over comms, letting out a sigh as the shaking stopped. "The barrier gets weaker with every blast. Once that shield goes down, the castle will be defenseless." Coran told us.

"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 pleaded, a sense of urgency in her voice. "Geez, no pressure." Hunk said. We groaned as the particle barrier took another hit.

"Listen up, Team Voltron! The only way to succeed is to give it all you've got!" Shiro said, determined. "This looks bad, but we can do this! Are you with me?" He said through the intercom. I nodded, encouraged by his speech. "I'm nodding. Is everyone else nodding?" I heard Hunk ask, causing me to chuckle.

"Yes." We all replied.

"Let's do this!" Shiro said as the Black Lion ran forward. The other lions followed and I gulped, trying to remember what Keith told me about the controls as I directed my lion forward. "Uh, how?" I heard Lance ask, my lion trailing behind the others a little.

"Good question. Does anyone have any ideas of how to form Voltron?" Shiro asked, sounding a bit stumped on how to form the large robot. "I don't see a 'combine into a giant robot' button anywhere on my dashboard." Hunk said as we ran forward to avoid the lasers being fired at us. 

"This is insane!" Pidge yelled over the intercom. "Can't they just cease fire for one minute so we can figure this out? Is that too much to ask?" She said, making her lion turn around to take the wing of one of the jet's into its mouth and flinging it back to collide with another jet.

"We've got to do something." Keith said, his voice raised in frustration as I clumsily directed my lion to dodge a laser.  My lion reflecting the clumsy motion as it nearly bumped into the Red Lion. "Sorry! Still not sure how the controls work." I apologized before yelping as Hunk collided with the Red Lion and causing it to crash into the Purple Lion. "Combine!" Hunk yelled. "Hey!" "Hunk!" Keith and I yelled as the Red and Purple Lions got back up.

"Okay, that didn't work." Hunk said, dejected. All three of our lions then ran as they got shot at. "Quickly, Paladins. Our energy levels are getting low!" Allura urged as another blast hit the castle. How are we supposed to form Voltron like this?  

"Maybe if we fly in formation, we'll just combine." Shiro suggested. At this point, any possibility of forming Voltron would be good. "It's worth a shot." I shrugged, following the others as we headed towards a cliff. "Take off on my cue!" Shiro yelled as the edge of the cliff got closer. "One, two, three, Voltron!" He yelled. We all jumped off the ledge and flew upwards in unison. 

"Here we go!"

"Come on, come on!"

"Hey, wait, wait, wait! I feel something!" Lance cheered, joined by Hunk. "I do too. I feel it. It's like we're all being pulled in the same direction!" Hunk said. "Uh, guys. I think I know why. Look up!" I said nervously, staring up at the ship. All of us had been caught in a tractor beam and were currently being pulled in towards the ship. "It's a tractor beam!" 

"What the cheese?"

"Sendak's ship is sucking us in like a black hole!" Pidge yelled over the intercom as we all looked up at the tractor beam. I gasped as another shot from the ion cannon hit the ship, the particle barrier disappearing. "C'mon, girl. We've gotta move, please." I mumbled, moving the controls with no luck. I could hear everyone over the intercom, Hunk screaming and the others voices laced in frustration.

"It can't end here!" 

"This is it!"

"It's been an honor flying with you guys."

"Oh no!"

I felt my breath quicken as panic and anxiety riddled my bones. No, it can't end here. Not after we've come this far. Memories of my childhood, of a life I left behind and everyone's words only frustrated me more as they sounded like they had resigned to our fate.

The world had suddenly gone quiet. It was the quiet of defeat, the quiet of failure. A quiet I would not accept.

"No." I said firmly, my grip on the handles tightening as I sat up. "I didn't run away from home, enter the Garrison, go on a late night rescue mission and find a giant purple lion only to stop here!" I said, my voice raising in frustration as I glared at the ship. "We were brought here for a reason! My job as a medic, and now as a paladin, is to help people. I'm not giving up. We've made it this far and we can still go further! So don't tell me that this is the end because it isn't!" I yelled, my frustration dripping from my voice.

"Kaia's right!" I heard Shiro speak over the intercom a few seconds later, drawing everyone's attention. "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 said, trying to encourage us and raise our spirits.

"Yeah!" The rest of us yelled in unison, the lions roaring alongside our resolve. This time, I felt a different kind of pull. As if the lions were being pulled together.  Each lion transformed before locking together. The Blue and Yellow Lions forming into legs and the Red and Green Lions forming into arms. The Purple Lion's head retracted into the body along with the legs, making way to allow the other five lions to connect to it. The Black Lion's legs retracted, it's paws locking onto the shoulders of the Purple Lion as the head of Voltron formed. My console had also changed, different color coded dials for each of the Lions lined the console along with a screen showing the status of each lion while it was a part of Voltron.

I exhaled deeply, staring in awe as I tried to process what had happened. We did it. We formed Voltron! A grin broke onto my face as I laughed,  breathless. "We did it." I said, smiling.

"I can't believe it!" Keith's surprised voice could be heard over the intercom. I could practically hear the grin on his face.

"We formed Voltron!" Pidge cheered.

"I'm a leg!" Hunk exclaimed.

"How are we doing this?" Lance asked.

"I don't know, but let's get that cannon!"  Shiro said, bringing us back to the situation at hand. The Red and Green Lions took hold of the cannon, letting us tear it off the ship and toss it away. We punched a hole into the ship with the Red Lion, firing a laser from its mouth and destroying the inside and part of the ship.  We flew up to a bigger part of the ship and kicked through the metal. We landed inside and fired a laser with the Green Lion, destroying more of the ship. We flew up and then turned back towards the ship, yelling as we rushed toward it. We flew through it, the ship exploding behind us as we landed on the ground. 

It must have been an incredible sight.

------

We returned to the castle, Allura and Coran coming to out to greet us. "Good work, Paladins!" Allura said, praising us as we all sighed. I checked up on Hunk, who sat on the ground, chuckling as he gave me a thumbs up which I returned. I took off my helmet, shaking my head and wiping the sweat from my chin. It was surprisingly hot under there. 

"Thanks, pretty lady." Lance said, thanking Allura.

"We did it." Shiro said as he got closer.

"Heck yeah, we did." Keith said as he took off his helmet. 

"That was both terrifying and amazing." I said, a tired smile on my face.

"How did we do it?" Hunk asked, getting up and taking his helmet off. "I was just, like, screaming the whole time. Maybe that did it."

Pidge, on the other hand, looked sad as they stood next to Hunk. They clearly hadn't found Commander Holt or their brother up there. Shiro went up to Pidge, reassuring them we'd find their father and brother. As Shiro went up to Pidge, Keith turned towards me. 

"Not bad flying back there. Could still use some work but you could be better than Lance." He said, a small smirk on his lips as I laughed. "Hearing that from the best pilot of the class about my poor, non-existent pilot skills, I'll take it. The stuff you told me really helped. Thanks, Keith." I said, looking up at him with a smile. He blinked before nodding with a hum, looking away and crossing his arms. I chuckled, looking towards Allura. I'll have to talk to Shiro about some flight lessons soon if I wanna get better and help the team more.

"We won the battle, but the war has only just begun. I'm afraid Zarkon will not stop until he gets these lions." Allura spoke, a serious tone in her voice. "Good thing you paladins know what you're doing because you're going to have to form Voltron again and again." I tilted my head, staring at Coran with a look that asked whether or not he was being serious.

"Totally. Wait, what?" Hunk said, taken aback as he heard Coran's words.

"We barely survived forming Voltron this one time." Lance said, leaning towards Coran.

"And you only had to fight one ship. Wait until you have to fight a whole fleet of them!" Coran exclaimed, stretching his arms out to emphasize. "It's not going to be easy being the Defenders of the Universe."

I blinked, my lips forming a thin line at Coran's words. Hearing it officially made it sound more real than it had before. I looked at everyone else and they seemed to reflect the same expression.

"Defenders of the Universe, huh?" Shiro said after a few seconds, turning to look at the lions. "That's got a nice ring to it." All of us turned to look at the lions, a resolve settling within us. It was definitely going to be a lot of work. But, with everyone here, being Defenders of the Universe might not be so bad.

Chapter Text

I groaned, sitting up and holding back a yawn as I stretched my arms. I groggily checked the tome with my tablet, wincing at the light before squinting. It must have been early. I got up and took a shower. I grabbed my tablet and headed for the infirmary, as I have dubbed it, to check on the prisoners Pidge and Shiro had rescued. While my medical knowledge as a student was limited, it was enough to let me give someone a check up or patch up any wounds. I entered the infirmary, pausing at the sight of Pidge asleep against one of the pods with Rover hovering by their head and a laptop in their lap. I shook my head with a small smile, shifting Pidge's position so that they were comfortable.

"Morning, Rover." I whispered to the small bot before moving around one by one around the pods to check on each of the recovering prisoners. I also took down notes, wanting to keep some information on the injuries and how the pod worked from my observations. I'll have to ask Coran and Allura on how the pods work exactly.

It took me a minute to notice how quiet it was, taking a seat next to Pidge to organize my notes. It's been a while since it had been this quiet. It was comforting. A quiet that said everyone could rest safely. The quiet of rest, of sleep, of leisure.

"A cup of Alfred's tea would be really goo right now." I mumbled to myself, staring down at my tablet as I read my notes. I don't know how long I had sat there, talking quietly to Rover as though the small bot could respond. I was only broken mid-conversation with the small bot when the alarms blared, causing me to jump up along with a freshly awoken Pidge.

"What's going on?" Pidge asked me in alarm to which I shrugged. "I don't know." I replied, just as alarmed. Just then, Allura's voice came from the intercom. "Everybody up! Zarkon's attacking! The Castle's about to be destroyed!"  She announced, causing me and Pidge to hurry out of the infirmary and to the bridge. "Go, go, go! We need Voltron now! Hurry! We can't survive much longer!"

Pidge and I entered the bridge just as the others had, entering to find Coran yelling dramatically about Allura having lost her head. I crossed my arms, standing quietly with the others as we watched. "Wait! What? Her severed head is trying to speak to me! What is it, Allura's head? What are your final words?"

"Coran-" Allura called out to the old man who continued to dramatically kneel on the floor. "Oh, yes, Princess, I'm listening." he said as Allura stared at him blankly.

"It's over." She said, the alarms deactivating as she turned towards us. 

"Oh, I know! If only Voltron had been formed!" Coran wailed before taking notice of us standing a few feet away. "Oh! Time!" 

"I guess this isn't an actual attack." Shiro said.

"And it's a good thing it wasn't because it took you... Coran?" She asked, turning towards the ginger haired Altean who held up a device. "Seventy-five degrees. Oh, sorry. No, this is a meat thermometer." He said after taking a closer look at the device. Why are you even carrying a meat thermometer?

"However, long it was, it was too long. You must always be ready to do battle with Zarkon. Look at you! Only Shiro is in uniform." I glanced at Shiro, silently wondering why he was in his armor in the first place before looking back at Allura. "Keith, Pidge, Kaia, Hunk, where are your bayards? And where is Lance?" As if on cue, Lance strolled in. He held a cup in his hands and looked like he had slept like a baby with how refreshed he looked. 

"Coran and I have been up for hours getting the castle back in order. We had to run tests on the alarms, and we decided to test you as well. Guess which one failed." Allura said, giving us a look I could only describe as frustrated disappointment. While I could understand Allura's reasons for testing us, we had just been on Earth the night prior and were now on a different planet and had to adjust.

"Hey!" Hunk yawned. "You got to sleep for 10,00 years, man. Monday night, I was on Earth. Now, I've flown through space, fought some evil alien named Zarkon, eaten goo in some weird castle. That's a lot to process in, uh..." he said, counting with his fingers before scratching his chin. "I don't know. What day is it?"

"It's the third quintant of the Spicolian movement. Hump day!" Coran replied cheerfully. "It's a lot to process." Hunk said, slouching.

"You must understand the stakes of our mission. Over the last 10,000 years, the castle picked up distress beacons from the following locations." She said, pressing a few buttons and a hologram of the universe filled the room. Slowly, dozens of planets turned red. Each indicating a distress beacon. "So, we have to assume that Zarkon has conquered almost the entire known universe."

With a swipe of her hand, the hologram spun before coming to a stop. "Earth is here. An attack on your planet is inevitable." She said. "Oh no." Hunk mumbled in response. "Exactly.  Our mission is to free those planets. Coran and I are getting the castle ready to leave Arus. During that time, you have to learn to form Voltron, so we can begin fighting Zarkon." She told us.

"The princess is right. Let's get to our lions and start training." Shiro agreed. 

"Wait! But, I wanna talk to the prisoners we rescued from the Galra ship." Pidge said. "Sorry, Pidge but, I don't think you can. They're still recovering and might be in the pods for a while." I explained, an apologetic smile on my face.

"Number Five is right, Number Six. I have you all ranked by height, okay?" Coran said, measuring Pidge's height as I raised a brow at that. "The prisoners need to remain in the cryo-replenishers until tomorrow." He explained. 

"That's right. Now, get to your lions." Allura dismissed us. We each went to an elevator in the room, stepping inside. The doors closed and the elevator began it's descent. I changed into my armor along the way, fully changed once the doors opened to reveal a long, corridor with a zipline. The lights bathed it in a purple hue. I grabbed the handles of the zipline and began my travel through the corridor. After the speedy travel using zipline and a hoverbike, I made it to my lion. I met up with the others on the bridge of the castle, landing my lion slowly. Now, we just had to wait on Hunk.

"Should someone go in after him?" Lance asked a few minutes later as we all stared at the castle, waiting for the Yellow Lion and it's paladin. The Yellow Lion left the castle a few seconds later, Hunk apologizing on the intercom and complaining about parking the lions closer to the bridge.

"All right, guys. Let's just fly in tight formation until we're totally in sync." Shiro said. Allura came onto the intercom, giving her own words of encouragement. "Feel the bond with your lions and your fellow pilots until five become one unit and you form Voltron!" Our lions flew forward together, all of us cheering.

"Yeah!" 

"Yeah!"

"Yay." We weakly cheered, becoming less and less excited the longer we flew and the longer we hadn't formed Voltron.

"Whoo. Am I the only one who's still pretending to be excited?" Hunk asked.

"Clearly, this isn't working. Let's set down for a bit." Shiro said.

"Maybe we should be building Voltron from the ground up." Keith suggested.

"What do you mean?" I asked, curious as to what he was suggesting.

"I mean, let's try literally building Voltron, like, stacking on top of each other." Keith elaborated. It wasn't a bad idea.

"Like a cheerleader pyramid?" Lance asked, most likely trying to taunt or tease Keith.

"You got a better idea?" Keith directed at Lance, who went quiet.

"It's worth a try." Shiro said, sounding a bit more optimistic.

We landed onto the ground and began executing Keith's idea. The Green and Blue Lions stood under the Red and Purple Lions, which were under the Black Lion, which was under the Yellow Lion. All in all, it didn't look right. "I don't think this is the right order." I chimed, a confused look on my face.

"Hunk, what are you doing?" Shiro asked, sounding unamused.

"What do you mean?" Hunk asked cluelessly.

"You're supposed to be the leg over there." Shiro replied.

"What? No. No, no, no." Hunk denied, "I'm pretty sure that when we did it last time, I was the head. Right?"

"You yelled 'I'm a leg!'." Lance exclaimed.

"Yeah, well, I was yelling a lot of things." Hunk rebutted. "Shiro's the head." Keith argued.

"All the time?"

"Yes, Hunk. All the time." I said, remembering how Voltron had looked fully formed.

"Are you sure?"

"Let's just try it my way for now." Shiro interrupted to which Hunk reluctantly agreed.

We corrected the position of our lions this time. The Blue and Yellow Lion stood under the Red and Green Lions respectively while The Purple Lion stood on both the Red and Green Lions back. Soon, the Black Lion joined the us, standing on top with it's legs on either side of my lion. "Feel the bonds with your lions. Now, channel your energy into forming Voltron." Shiro told us as we all went quiet.

I closed my eyes, trying to clear my mind as I tried to feel for my bond with my lion. It seemed we had stayed like that for a few minutes until Shiro had spoken up. "Is everyone bonding and focusing?" He asked, causing me to sigh quietly as I sat back against the chair. It was so easy before. What happened?

"Why was this so much easier before?" Lance asked, unknowingly voicing my thoughts.

"Maybe it had something to do with the situation we were in yesterday?" I added, rolling my shoulder.

I could hear Shiro sigh over the intercom, sounding a bit tired. "Let's take a break." Shiro suggested before getting interrupted by Allura coming onto the intercom. "Sorry to interrupt, but I may be able to help. Yesterday, you weren't able to form Voltron until you were in the heat of battle."  We all chimed in agreement, hoping Allura's suggestion could help.

"Perfect. Because I need to run a diagnostic test on all of the castle's defenses. This should help." She said excitedly. I screamed as a laser from the castle landed next to my lion, causing a small explosion of dust and knocking my lion to the side a little as I quickly took control to regain some steady footing. I could hear everyone else screaming as we dodged the onslaught of lasers raining down on us.

"Allura, what are you doing?" I could hear Keith ask in panic. Allura's cheerful voice was a stark contrast. "Running a diagnostic test on the castle defenses and inspiring you! I believe in you, Paladins! Let fear be your guide. Form Voltron!" She cheered, trying to encourage us. 

"Diyos ko*! Allura, this is crazy!" I yelled, panic evident as I clumsily maneuvered my lion trying to dodge the lasers. Was she trying to help us or kill us?

"Forget this! I'm heading back to the castle!" Lance exclaimed, the Blue Lion turning back and heading for the castle. That was when I noticed something, quickly turning on my intercom. "Wait! Lance, they activated-" I heard Lance groan on the other end, finishing guiltily. "-the particle barrier." I finished, groaning as my lion was knocked back a few paces by a laser shooting the ground near me.

"Please, stop! Please! Have mercy on us!" Hunk begged. "You think Zarkon is going to have mercy on you? He's probably on his way right now to destroy us all!" Allura replied without missing a beat, pressing a button before the intercom to the castle closed and she disappeared.

I could hear everyone screaming through the intercom, panic lacing our voices as we maneuvered and dodged the lasers. I took a deep breath, groaning as my lion was knocked back again. I'd take Bruce's training over this insanity any day.

-------

A few minutes later, the lasers stopped and the particle barrier disappeared, letting us quickly enter the castle. We collapsed on the couches in the common area, tired. I rest my head against Keith's knee, seated on the floor next to one of his legs as I closed my eyes. I felt dizzy, my lion getting constantly knocked around made me feel nauseous once I was back on stable ground.

I heard the door open and opened my eyes, spotting Allura and Coran entering. They hadn't seemed to notice us, holding a device in their hands. "You did it! You formed Voltron!" Allura excitedly spoke, finally taking notice of our exhausted forms. I didn't have the energy to tell her that we hadn't, but it seemed someone else did. 

"No. The shooting stopped and the particle barrier shut down, so we just flew in." Keith said, crossing his arms across his chest.

"What?"

"Oh, right. Sorry, Princess. I had to turn off the Castle defenses to test the fire suppressors." Coran said, looking apologetic and guilty. Shiro soon came in through the other door, sounding like a disappointed parent as he stood at the front of the room. "What are you guys doing in here? We're not taking a break."

"Shiro's right. You should be training." Allura said, agreeing.

"We've been training. When are we going back to Earth?" Hunk complained, a tired look on his face.

"I'm not going back until I find my family." Pidge said, leaning forward.

"Guys," Shiro called, grabbing our attention. "There won't be an Earth if we don't figure out how to fight Zarkon."

"How are we going to fight?" Lance asked, sitting up. "Kaia can barely pilot her lion and we can't even figure out how to form Voltron."

"Lance!" I exclaimed, feeling embarrassed and a little ashamed. Lance looked apologetic as he turned towards me. I shook my head, showing it was fine. While I knew I wasn't the best pilot or even a good pilot, I didn't like the fact that I couldn't do it to be pointed out. It made me feel ashamed for not being as good as the others were, for not being good enough. It was a familiar feeling, but I knew I was trying as hard as I could with what I had.

"Well, I'm not surprised." Coran chimed, drawing our attention. "You know, the original paladins fought hundreds of battles together, side by side. They were like a pack of yalmors linked at the ears." What was a yalmor? 

"Wow. Yeah, that's definitely not us." Lance said, looking disgruntled as he lay back down.

"During the last attack, your survival instincts forced you to work as a team, but that will only get you so far." Coran said, a look of concern on his face. "You'll have to become a real team to have any chance at forming Voltron and then beating Zarkon next time. You should try working out on the training deck." He advised.

"There's a training deck?" Hunk asked.

Coran soon led us to the training deck, a large room with a viewing deck on the other side of the room a few meters off the ground. We stood in the center as Coran spoke through the intercom. "Two, two, one, two. Okay, listen up, guys." He said from inside the viewing deck. "The paladin code demands you put your own members safety above your own. A swarm of drones is about to attack." Coran announced suddenly.

"Ano*?" I let out incredulously.

Several parts of the floor opened up into holes, drones flying out from them and circling us. I stood cautiously between Keith and Pidge, my shield activating as I kept an eye on the circling drones. We all stood in a circle, watching the drones circle us as we held our shields up. The drones began shooting at us.

"Pidge!" I yelled as they fell down a hole with a scream, having been shot by one of the lasers when Hunk had ducked. "Protect your teammates or no one will be there to protect you!" Coran said as we held up our shields. Hunk went down next, leaving Keith, Lance Shiro and I. We backed up into each other as the drones continued to shoot at us, standing back to back.

"Time to increase intensity." Coran announced, the speed of the drones increasing along with their shooting speed. Of course, now had to be the perfect time for Lance and Keith to begin arguing.

"You keeping up over there, Keith?"

"Just concentrate on keeping me safe."

Lance scoffed. "Me? I own this drill. You're the one who needs to concentrate." 

"Boys! Less arguing, more blocking." I said, blocking a shot to Shiro's back. I heard Lance scream before Keith screamed, watching Keith fall into the hole before Lance followed second. I stood back to back with Shiro, trying to block any shots to his back and sides as he did the same. A few seconds later, I felt a shot hit my side and I fell down with a scream as a hole opened under my feet. I groaned, landing in a room with the others. Shiro landed near me not long after. I sighed, laying back on the ground.

Coran moved us onto the next activity, an invisible maze. One of us would guide someone else down in the maze. The person in the viewing deck could see the walls of the maze so it was their job to guide the person in the maze and the person in the maze had to trust that the directions were clear. Coran started off with Lance and Keith, Keith giving directions and Lance being in the maze.

I saw Shiro turn towards me as we stood by with the others, opening his mouth to speak. "Lance mentioned earlier that you were having trouble piloting your lion? I have a feeling it doesn't have anything to do with the bond between you and your lion."

I grimaced, knowing it would be brought up eventually. "Yeah, I... uh, I didn't take the flight class they offered at the Garrison. Took navigation instead." I admitted, looking away in shame. The Garrison, with the addition of a medical course, also allowed for the medical course to take an extra curricular in navigation, flight or communications. I was going to choose the flight class but Keith had left the Garrison not long before they let us enroll and I didn't know anyone there,  so I opted for navigation.

Shiro only smiled in understanding. "Well, it isn't too late to start now. It'll take a while before either of us have to go into the maze so how about I give you a quick flight lesson while we wait?" He offered, causing me to look back at him with wide eyes. 

"A-Are you sure? You don't have to, Shiro. I can figure it out on my own."  Probably. I said, knowing I'd need help but felt awkward once Shiro offered. With Keith, he just went into it. It was awkward but his directions were direct and left little time to feel awkward.  With Shiro, he was definitely more of a mentor than Keith was.

"Kaia, it's fine." He said, laying a hand on my shoulder. "It'll be harder if you try to learn on your own and it's more dangerous." He advised. I relented, nodding. He turned to Coran, telling him what we were going to do before leaving. I could faintly hear Lance yelling at Keith from below as we left, chuckling quietly.

Shiro was a great teacher. He started with the very basics, pointing out where everything was and what each control did, allowing me to move it on my own to see what it did. He gave me instructions on how to make the lion move in specific directions and how to get it off the ground, waiting patiently as I followed them nervously. He didn't yell when I made a mistake, gently correcting it when I stopped too suddenly or moved too quickly.

Eventually, we got called back in to do the maze and Shiro helped me lead the lion back into the castle. Overall, the first lesson went well and Shiro promised to help me learn when he could. 

------

Once we all had a turn guiding and being guided, we all got in our lions and left the castle to fly a few feet off the ground according to Coran's instructions. Shiro's quick lesson earlier helped, letting me feel a bit more secure in piloting my lion.

"You'll never be able to form Voltron unless each of you has a strong bond with his or her lion." Coran advised over the intercom.

"No problem. Me and Blue are best buds for life, for real." Lance replied confidently.

"Perfect! Then you won't have any issues with this exercise. Everyone, put your lions into a nose dive!" Coran said and I felt a small sense of dread at what was to come. I gulped, carefully directing my lion into a nose dive as best I could with the limited knowledge I had. "This is an expert level drill that you really shouldn't attempt until you've been flying for years, but uh,  we're in a bit of a rush, so here we go. Activating training helmets!"

I yelped as my visor went dark and my vision went dark.

"Coran, what's happening? I can't see!" I heard Lance yell over the intercom. Coran continued, unfazed. "You must learn to see through your lions' eyes. The goal is to pull up right before you crash into the ground. Feel what the lion feels!"

My grip on the handles tightened, feeling my stomach churn nervously. I heard Hunk whimper over the intercom, most likely backing off. "Mine feels scared!"

"You still going, Keith?" Lance asked, taunting Keith.

"You know it. You?" Keith replied.

"Going? I'm speeding up!" 

"Oh, yeah?"

"Are you two really competing right now?" I exclaimed anxiously, feeling my palms sweat. I went unheard, the two focused on their impromptu competition.

"Must be getting close." 

"Must be."

"You getting scared?" Lance asked, taunting Keith once again.

"I'm not scared!" Keith yelled, taking the bait.

There was a faint crash a few seconds later along with their groans over the intercom, a sign they both had lost. Pidge spoke up, nervousness in their voice. "What was that noise? Did they crash?" I heard them ask before I heard the Green Lion also pull back, leaving only Shiro and I once again. I pulled back not long after Pidge did, landing my lion safely on a cliff nearby. Shiro seemed to be the only one going, and by Coran's cheering over the intercom, the man had successfully pulled the exercise off.

------

We were back in the training room and sat in a circle with our eyes closed, a device placed onto our heads as Coran instructed from the side. "Now, the most important part of paladin training is being able to meld your minds and focus on one thing: Voltron. Everything else has to fade away. This technique will be essential every time you form Voltron. So, relax and open your mind. No walls, no secrets between paladins."

I took a deep breath, an image coming up to the surface of my mind unwillingly. It was of the grand staircase in Wayne Manor, but more specifically, the family portrait at the top of the stairs. A family portrait I wasn't in. I quickly replaced the image with an image of the Garrison rooftop at night. I felt nervous opening my mind up to the others, not ready to share secrets I hadn't shared with anyone. Not even Keith.

"Come on, everyone, clear everything. Now, focus on forming your lion." 

I peeked into the others' minds. Keith was thinking of the shack in the desert, Lance of his family, Hunk of food and Shiro of Kerberos mission rocket. I slowly cleared my head, trying to form Purple. It worked, the memory morphing into her form.

"Bring your lions together and form Voltron."  

The others were doing the same, the images in their minds turning into their lions. The lions slowly came together, all except for one. Pidge hadn't formed the Green Lion yet, the image Hunk had found in their bag on their mind. I took a closer look at the image, taking note of the similarities between Pidge and the girl in the photo. The similarities only confirmed my suspicions about Pidge's true identity, but I'd leave that for later and focused on keeping my lion's form and bringing her and the other lions together.

"Keep your minds open, work together. Good!" Coran chimed as we slowly brought the lions together. "Keep focusing! Only one to go!"

Pidge was still having trouble forming her lion, the image of her and, most likely, Matt Holt flickering in her mind. "Pidge, stop thinking of your girlfriend!" Keith said, opening his eyes.

"I wasn't! Hunk was rooting around in my head!" Pidge said, looking upset as she opened her eyes.

"I-I thought we were open. You can look in my head hole." Hunk replied, a confused look on his face.

"Everyone has to be able to look in everyone's head holes! Clear your minds!" Coran chided from above.

It went quiet again as everyone focused on opening and clearing their minds. The Yellow Lion rejoined the other lions, but the Green Lion's image flickered. 

"Pidge!" Lance cried out, causing the younger paladin to snap and throw the device off their head. I opened my eyes, looking at Pidge.

"I'm done with this! Look, I don't like everyone grubbing around in my head!" She exclaimed, frustrated.

"Oh, come on, Pidge, we're starting to get the hang of this." Shiro said, trying to placate her. "I'm just... I'm just tired, okay?" Pidge said, a sad and tired look on her face. I frowned, taking note of how Pidge's voice sounded. "Okay. Let's take a break." Shiro announced, allowing us to take off the device. I saw Pidge step away from the circle and got up, walking towards her as she stood near the side of the room. 

"Hey, Pidge." I called out gently, moving to stand next to her. "You okay?" I asked, scanning her expression. She nodded, sighing. "Fine. Just..." She said, trailing off.

I stayed quiet for a moment, not knowing what to say. "I didn't like everyone looking in my head, either." I admitted softly, glancing at her as I leaned back against the wall. "There are some memories and secrets I don't want anyone to find out about until I felt like I was ready." I softly told her, not wanting the others to overhear.

"I can tell you're worried about your family and I admire your dedication to finding them, Pidge, but whatever you're doing is going to take a toll on you." I said, my brows furrowed in concern over the younger paladin. " Just know, you can always come to me if you need someone to talk to outside of all the testosterone here. I'll listen." I finished, a small smile on my face. Pidge looked deep in thought before nodding, a small smile on their face as well. "Thanks, Kaia. I'll... I'll keep that in mind."

Pidge's worry and desperation to find her family was good. It showed how much she loved them and how much they meant to her, but it would take a toll on her physically and mentally if she got too absorbed in trying to find them and would cause her search to take longer if she wasn't in good form and health. I nodded, feeling a bit relieved and happy that I was able to offer an open ear since nobody did when I needed one.

Pidge and I rejoined the others, Keith giving me a questioning look as I sat back down next to him. I merely shrugged, taking the water Coran offered. I tilted my head, looking at it curiously before taking a sip. "You have been working hard. Maybe it's time to relax a little." Coran said as he handed one of the packs to Keith.

Allura soon entered, looking frustrated that we weren't training. "What are you doing lying around? You're supposed to be training!" She said, her irritation visible on her face.

"Just resting a bit. You know, you can't push too hard." Coran replied. At least he understood that we had our limits.

"What do you mean 'can't push too hard'?" Allura exclaimed, anger palpable. "Get up, you lazy lumps! It's time you faced the gladiator!"

I got up, stretching my arms above my head. "She's starting remind me a little of Iverson and I don't like it." I mumbled to Keith before we scattered around the room, bayards in hand. I took my stance, fingers pulling back the string of my bow and getting ready for what was to come.

"In order to defeat the gladiator, five paladins must fight as one." Coran advised as the gladiator dropped from the ceiling. I quickly stepped back, taking careful aim as it ran at Hunk. I couldn't rush in since my bayard wasn't made to be a weapon for close combat, so I'd have to offer cover or keep my distance.

The gladiator swept its staff under Hunk's feet, making the big guy fall before shocking Hunk with the end of its spear. Hunk let out a scream before the gladiator moved on, finding a new target in Pidge who ran up to it while slashing her bayard. I sent an arrow towards it, watching it dodge both my arrow while blocking and parrying Pidge's attacks with its staff. I notched another arrow, taking another shot at it. It dodged, continuing to swing at Pidge before she too was down for the count.

Lance and I shot at it, my shots coming much slower compared to his due to the difference in weapon and our varying tactics. It seemed Lance's shot drew its attention as it ran at Lance, swinging. Lance blocked with his gun, getting pushed back as the gladiator continued its attacks. I moved back while Shiro and Keith moved forward, most likely aiming to surround it. Lance was soon taken out with a hit to the head. I winced, letting an arrow fly at the gladiator.

The gladiator now focused on Keith who swung his baya, blocking with its staff before turning around to finish Lance off with another hit to the head and a poke to the gut. It then spun around with Lance on the end of its spear, the blue and red paladins colliding and getting knocked to the ground.

I seemed to have drawn its focus now as it ran at me, spinning and swinging its staff. I dodged as best I could, my footsteps a bit clumsy as I blocked its staff with my shield. Come on, you didn't live with caped crusaders for nothing. I thought, blocking a hit before it saw an opening. I yelped as its staff hit my side, sending me skidding across the floor. I groaned and slowly got up, taking its focus on Shiro as time to watch its movements. Shiro looked... scared, almost. Like he'd remembered something that made him stop. Thankfully, Keith had gotten up and blocked the hit from the staff, the two at a standstill. "Shiro, are you okay?" Keith asked, turning his head slightly to look at Shiro which gave the gladiator time to sweep Keith off his feet before sending him flying into Shiro. Both men flew back, landing in a heap. The gladiator stood tall in the chaos, seemingly finished with its job. Now!

I took a deep breath, gripping my bayard tightly before sneaking up behind the gladiator. I jumped onto its back, slipping my bayard around its neck while my legs tried to keep its arms to its side. It flailed, trying to throw me off and succeeded, sending me to the ground. I groaned, quickly rolling out of the way as it tried to hit me with its staff. I used the slight delay it had standing up due to the weight of the staff to get myself up, quickly pressing my foot onto the end of the staff. I swung my bayard as hard as I could at its head, making it let go of the staff and sending it stumbling back. I held up my bayard, pulling the string before letting the arrow fly into its chest. I shot it two more times to be sure. It was silent, the only sounds I could hear was my own heavy breathing and my knees hitting the floor as my legs gave out.

"The combat simulator was set to a level fit for an Altean child! Kaia may have been able to beat it, but just barely." Allura said, walking into the room with an angry look on her face. "You're not even close to working as a team, let alone ready to face Zarkon!" She spoke sternly, her irritation palpable.

She soon left, letting us gain our bearings and get up. Keith walked up to me, holding a hand out. I took it, slowly getting up. "You okay?" He asked, his hand tightening around mine and watching me grab his shoulder as I pulled myself off the ground. My legs felt a bit shaky and my side ached as I stood, holding my breath as I tried to stabilize myself. "Yeah, yeah. It was just... a lot." I sighed, letting go of Keith once I stood properly. Keith looked unconvinced but nodded. I closed my eyes, rubbing the side the gladiator had hit. I can't believe that was set to the level of a child.

------

We all sat in the dining room, paladins on one side and Alteans on the other. I sat between Keith and Pidge, green goo and another alien dish laid in front of us all. "Ahoy, young paladins!" Coran cheerfully greeted from the other side of the table. I really wondered where he got his energy from. I've whipped up a big batch of focusing food. After this meal, you'll be forming Voltron six times in one movement and twice on the astral conflux!"

"Smells great, Coran. Thanks." Shiro said politely. I picked up my spoon and knife, an odd combo but I paid it no mind. What I did pay attention to was the look on Coran's face when I had glanced at him. He whipped out a remote, pressing a button that caused our wrists to be linked together via a handcuff. I sighed tiredly, having thought it would just be a peaceful meal.

"Hold the phone!" Lance exclaimed, turning to Coran.

"I saw a lot of solid individual performances today, but you're still struggling to work as a team." He said sternly. "So, welcome to the final bonding exercise of the day."

I tugged lightly on my left and right hand, watching Keith and Pidge's hands move closer to me. "Coran, I want you to think about what you're doing." Hunk said, a serious tone in his voice. Nobody got between Hunk and food. Believe me, someone tried and it didn't end well.

"This one's a classic. You get to feed each other, like a pack of yalmors!" Coran said, unbothered. Again, what the hell was a yalmor? I thought, feeling sweat drop down my cheek.

We struggled to eat, the goo finding its place on our laps or on the ground rather than our mouths. Our frustration rising with every struggle. I felt a tug on my left hand, Keith most likely trying to feed himself. I relaxed my arm, making it easier for Keith to scoop the good up to his mouth. I turned to Pidge, tugging lightly on the cuffs connecting to our wrists to gain her attention. She turned, a confused look on her face.

"Try to relax your other arm." I calmly suggested, holding up our connected wrists. It seemed she got the message as her left hand went limp. I nodded, taking that time to scoop some of the goo into my mouth. I felt a tug on my other wrist, glancing at Keith whose hand had landed in Lance's goo. Well, this is only going downhill.

"Oh, nice. You defiled my food goo!" Lance said, annoyed.

"It's your fault! This is ridiculous!" Keith argued, equally as annoyed.

"Do you Earthlings ever stop complaining?" Allura snapped, irritated.

"Can't you just give us a break? Everyone's been working really hard today." Shiro said, trying to vouch for us.

I felt a tug on my hand as Keith stood up, drawing our attention. "Yeah! We're not some prisoners for you to toy with, like... like..." He began, trailing off as he tried to find the right word.

"Like a bunch of toy prisoners!" Lance finished.

"Yes! Thank you, Lance!" Keith thanked Lance, surprising me. Hold on, were they getting along?

"You do not yell at the Princess!" Coran yelled back, defending Allura.

"Well, yelling seems to be the only way to make you guys listen to us." I snarked, my patience running thin.

"And the princess of what? We're the only ones here and she's no princess of ours!" Pidge joined in, voice raising. I flinched as a ball of food goo hit Pidge in the head, turning to look at Allura in shock.

"Go loose, Pidge!" Keith yelled as Pidge stood up, grabbing a plate of goo and shoving it in Coran and Allura's direction. "Oh, it's on!" Hunk yelled, joining in after Coran had flung goo at all of us. Soon enough, everyone was standing and throwing the food goo everywhere. I threw a handful of goo at Allura, silently cheering in my head. My celebration was short lived as Coran threw a large plate of goo at me. I braced myself for the attack, shutting my eyes. A second later, the goo hit something, but it wasn't me. I opened my eyes, staring up into Keith's. He had blocked the hit with his back, standing frozen. I blinked in surprise, not expecting him to do that.

It made my heart stutter and I felt a bit uneased by the feeling in my stomach, feeling warm from the gesture. "Thanks." I mumbled, averting my gaze before grabbing a nearby bowl, holding up a hand as a sign to wait. I peeked over his shoulder, seeing Coran distracted by the others. I gave Keith a look, one he mirrored once he seemed to understand my plan. I nodded, Keith moving out of the way once I gave the signal. I swung my arm, letting the plate of goo fly at the two Alteans.

I laughed at the look on their faces, beginning to feel more relaxed. It had been a tiring day and everyone seemed to be unwinding and becoming more carefree the longer the fight went on. The food goo fight ended a few minutes later. Allura collapsed into her chair and I chuckled breathlessly, looking around at everyone else. We all looked at each other, letting out a laugh.

"Enough! Do you see what you're doing?" Allura spoke up, causing us to turn towards her. "You're finally working together as one!" She said happily, a big smile on her face.

"Hey, she's right!" Keith said, turning to Lance who looked like he was thinking.

"I actually don't hate you right now." Lance replied happily.

"You guys thinking what I'm thinking?" Hunk asked.

"Let's go form Voltron!" Shiro said excitedly.

"Yeah!" We cheered, save for Hunk who joined in a second later. "Actually I was thinking desert. But, yeah! Let's do it!" I yelped as we lost balance. "Maybe we should get cleaned up first." I chuckled, holding up my cuffed wrists that were still connected to Keith's and Pidge's.

Once we all got uncuffed and cleaned up, we got into our lions and soared out the castle. We flew together, same as we did earlier. This time, it felt different. More hopeful, more exciting, and more confident. "Everyone ready to do this?" Shiro asked confidently.

"Roger that!"

"It's on!"

"Yes, sir!"

"I was born ready!"

"Ready when you are, Shiro!" I replied, feeling more confident than I had earlier.

"Then let's go!" Shiro said. "Yeah!" we all cheered. We would form Voltron this time. Something in me knew we would. Our Lions roared loudly before beginning to change shape and lock together. Like it had when we first formed Voltron, it felt as though we were being pulled together. Being brought together to form one being. I mentally cheered, watching my console transform into the console from when we first formed Voltron, dials and all. Finally, we had formed Voltron. I sighed happily, feeling giddy at the success.

-------

"Man, that was cool!" Lance excitedly said, punching the air. We were back in the common area, the air buzzing with happiness and excitement after our success in forming the legendary robot. "I'm so charged up, I don't know if I'm going to be able to sleep tonight."

"Not me. When my head hits the pillow, it's going to be lights out." Keith said next to me, looking quite relaxed. "I don't even think I can make it to my room. I might just fall asleep here." I said with a smile, feeling tired but happy. Lance then turned towards me. "I left my teddy bear back home. Maybe you could come and help me sleep... huh?" He said, looking at me with puppy dog eyes. I snorted, picking some lint from my cardigan and throwing it at him. "Sorry, Lance, no can do. But, maybe Coran can help you if you ask him nicely." I snickered, watching Lance pause to picture it before his face contorted in disgust. "Ew!"

I heard Keith chuckle next to me. "Maybe he'll even let you cuddle him." Pidge joined in, snickering. Lance let out a noise of disgust, pleading for us to stop. I laughed, giving Pidge a thumbs up for her comment.

"I just want you to know," Hunk spoke up, moving from his spot next to Pidge to sit between Keith and Lance. "That I just realized when we we're in Voltron, we're brothers and sisters, man." He said, pulling Keith and Lance into a hug. "You know? Like, we're totally connected. No secrets, no barriers, no nothing. Brothers and sisters, all the way. I love you guys." Hunks words made my lips fall into a small smile. They were warm and emotional.

"G-forces mess with your head a little bit?" Keith said, as Hunk loosened up on the hug. "Yeah, maybe a little. I don't know. It's been a tough few days." Hunk said, scratching the back of his head and letting go of the two boys. Everyone began getting up and leaving. All except for Pidge. "You going to bed, Pidge?" Shiro asked, making me turn towards the younger teen.

"In a minute." Pidge replied. "Good work today. We're really coming together." Shiro told Pidge before leaving with the others. "Don't stay up too late, Pidge." I advised before I left. I walked with the others to the wing our rooms were in, splitting up with a 'Good night' as we headed to our rooms. Keith and I walked together, our rooms in the same direction. The walk was quiet, but it wasn't awkward. It was calm. It looked like Keith wanted to say something, but we had reached my room sooner than I thought, the door opening as I stopped in front of it. "Have a good one, Keith. Good night." I said, nodding my head with a smile.

Keith opened his mouth before closing it, looking like he wanted to say something but deciding not to. "Yeah, you too. Good night, Kaia." He said, returning the smile. I stepped into my room, the door closing behind me. I shrugged off my cardigan and hung it up by my bed, quickly changing into some pajamas Allura kindly gave me before getting under the covers. I stared at the ceiling, my eyes drooping as the minutes passed. Hunk's words popped up in my head. "Brothers and sisters, huh?" I mumbled sleepily, closing my eyes. "I like that." I slowly fell asleep, one thought left in my head before I fell asleep. What was Keith about to say just now?

Chapter Text

Alfred had taken care of Kaia as best he could in place of her father. Kaia came into his life and Wayne Manor at 9 years old, different from Master Dick and Master Jason. A bright child, full of hope yet she held an intelligence and understanding rare in children her age.  He spent birthdays with he in the kitchen, attended school events and watched as she grew from a small child to an intelligent young woman. In a way, he was grateful that she didn't partake in vigilantism, finding comfort in the small aspect of normalcy she offered amongst all the blood and bruises. 

But he was saddened whenever he saw the blank look on her face whenever Bruce or the others spared little to no attention to her efforts. The sad frown when promises were broken. He witnessed a blazing fire die down into flickering candlelight with every dismissal and forgotten birthday. He witnessed a person turning into a ghost. He had been the one to attend her high-school graduation and helped her pack as she wanted to continue her education outside of Gotham, sending her off with a smile onto her journey through adulthood. He had tried to convince her to go to a school within Gotham or nearby, but she had been adamant and agreed to contact him when he could. 

When she had first contacted him, it was on her first night in her new school. A private school, she said. He had found it odd that she didn't use her personal phone to call, but she reassured him that there was just a signal problem in the area that was still being fixed. The next time they had talked, she had told him that phones weren't allowed and that she couldn't contact him unless it was an emergency. He found it odd as well but could only understand. Perhaps the school was very strict and wanted it's students to focus solely on studies. The oddities were pushed to the back of his mind as he had become occupied once again with taking care of the  others.

A year had passed unknowingly without any contact from Kaia and Alfred was greatly worried, wondering about the wellbeing of the child he had practically raised himself. Alfred had decided that he would be the one to contact her this time, calling her personal phone. All he got was a ringtone and an automated message. "The number you have dialed is out of coverage area. Please try your call later." The automated voice told him. He ended the call not too alarmed. Perhaps she was busy with class.

He tried again a few hours later after lunch, receiving the same automated message. He grew a bit worried, but decided to try again a few hours later before dinner. He got the same automated message. He was now very worried. He went up to his room and pulled out a pamphlet for a school. The note held the number of the school Kaia had enrolled. He dialed the number and the automated message was different this time.

"The number you have dialed is not a valid number." This confused him. He was sure that it as the right number. Kaia had reassured him it was. He tried again, alarm and dread filling him as the same automated message spoke through the phone. "Oh dear..." He mumbled, brows slightly furrowed in worry as he stared down at the pamphlet and phone is his hands.

She had given him a fake number. He wondered to himself. Why? What would be her reasons for doing so? 

Alfred came up blank, unsure of the reasons behind Kaia's actions. He quickly looked up the name of the school she had given him. 

Nothing. 

The school she had told him of didn't exist. 

Alfred was now significantly worried. If the school Kaia had told him of did not exist and neither did the phone number, then where was she? Why had she lied to him? Was she safe? Was she even alive?

The old butler knew he couldn't find her alone. Doing so would take only lengthen the time she was missing for and hinder progress in gaining her whereabouts. He knew who he had to go to. Kaia may not have liked getting them involved, but they were the only people who could find her. Alfred walked through the halls, pamphlet and phone clutched in hand. He stopped before two doors and knocked before entering the quiet office. He stared at the dark figure sitting at the desk, face calm with a hint of worry showing.

"Master Bruce," the figure looked up, eyes landing on Alfred as the old man continued. "There is something you must know. It is about Master Kaia."

--------------

We all walked into the dining room, happy and energized after our training session. "Great job training today, guys. We're really getting the hang of Voltron. And Kaia, your piloting is getting better. Keep it up." Shiro said as we walked through the door. I nodded, yawning and stretched my arms above my head, letting out a sigh as I lowered them to my side. Shiro had woken me up early in the morning so we that we could get in another flight lesson before training began.

"Seriously, how far do you think my lion kicked that broken alien ship? Must have been like a mile!" Lance said, a smug smile on his face. Lance, with his great smarts, had kicked a broken ship we had found and caused us to lose balance. I hummed doubtfully, walking towards my seat at the table. Pidge would have joined us, but she had gone to check on the rescued prisoners as they would be leaving the pods sometime today. I had offered to go with her, but she declined. 

"Yeah, that'll come in handy when the Galra challenges Voltron to a soccer match." Keith sarcastically replied.  "Hey, I did something cool, and you can't handle it. I get it." Lance challenged, looking at Keith with a smirk. "Your kick ruined our balance. We fell." the red armor clad paladin replied as he began to walk to the table, glaring back at Lance.

Lance frowned, walking towards the table as he spoke. "That falling part was Hunk's fault." "Hey!" Hunk exclaimed, offended. "Okay, enough. Let's all sit down and eat, alright guys?" I spoke up, taking off my helmet and looking at both of them with a small smile. Keith looked like he still had something to say but decided to keep quiet. Just then, Coran came in. 

"Hello, guys! How was the Voltron workout?" Coran asked, walking in with a covered plate. "We're getting there. Are you and Allura almost done fixing the castle so we can leave this planet?" Shiro replied, asking about the status of the castle. "I feel like we're sitting ducks here on Arus." He wasn't wrong. With us stuck on Arus and unable to go anywhere yet, we would be an easy target for the Galra since they knew where we were.

"Just about." Coran answered, walking up to Shiro with the plate. "In the meantime, to get your minds off those duck seats you're worried about, I made you guys an authentic ancient paladin lunch!" I stared curiously at the plate, wondering what was under the cover before groaning in disgust as Coran lifted the cover and revealed an odd dark green dish. The others seemed just as disgusted as I was. "What is that?" I asked, staring at it in curiosity and disgust.

"Coran, you just got me hooked on that good and now you're switching it up?" Hunk asked, sounding desperate.

"This is packed with nutrients." Coran said. Hunk leaned towards the dish, sniffing it. "Oh, it smells disgusting!" Hunk yelled in distaste. If Hunk was saying it, then it was definitely disgusting. "I know! That's how you know it's healthy!" Coran continued, unbothered by our reactions. "Coran, we're on a planet now with fresh herbs, spices and whatever this things is. A tuber?" Hunk said, holding up a plant of some kind. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to head back to the kitchen and spice things up." Hunk said, retreating to the kitchen as Lance and Keith took their seats.

"Where's Pidge?" Shiro asked. " Oh, right. Sorry, I meant to tell you. He went to check on the prisoners we rescued from the Galra ship. I think they were waking up sometime today?" I explained, keeping Pidge's true identity a secret. "That's right! They'll be waking soon in the infirmary." Coran added, taking a bite from the odd dish on the table. Shiro stood, probably going to go look for the green paladin when Coran stopped him. "Open the hatch. Food lion coming in!" The ginger-haired Altean said, holding a fork with par of the dish on the end up to Shiro while imitating an airplane noise. "No. Just...no." Shiro firmly replied, stepping around Coran and leaving.

While I knew we couldn't pick and choose what to eat in the situation, I was sure getting tired of the weird Altean cuisine served.  The green goo was fine. It wasn't that bad and after eating it more than two times, it was manageable. But  this? this was disgusting. I usually kept an open mind about these things but I couldn't help thinking of the food back on Earth.

"I'm starting to miss Earth food. Even the food they served at the Garrison." I sighed, leaning on my hand. "Me too." Keith agreed, still looking a bit disgusted and a little nauseous. I kind of miss Alfred's cooking too. I thought, missing the old butler's food. A small part of me felt guilty, having lied about where I was going to the old man who was like a grandfather to me. I was soon distracted from my guilty thoughts by Hunk's entrance. 

My eyes widened as Hunk placed some food onto the table, the dishes still alien but looking much better than the ancient dish Coran brought out. "Hunk, these look amazing! You're amazing!" I said, staring in awe. Hunk smiled adorably, looking sheepish but delightful.  Why the hell was this guy an engineer and not a chef? I thought, beginning to dig in along with Lance and Keith. I ate much slower than the other two, chuckling at how eagerly they were eating. "Guys, slow down. You're gonna choke."

Allura soon joined us. "They like the paladin lunch." She said as she stood next to Coran, who looked a little upset. "I don't wanna talk about it." He said, pouting. I chuckled before turning to Keith who was choking. I pat his back, a slightly disappointed look on my face. "I told you to slow down. Are you okay?" I asked, handing him some water while patting his back lightly. "Yeah," Keith rasped, clearing his throat. "Yeah. Thanks." He said, nodding gratefully before going back to eating. He was eating enthusiastically but much slower this time, having kept my words in mind.

Suddenly, the room shone red and the alarm blared. Allura activated a screen, showing the camera feed from outside the castle. In the feed, we could see a small figure hiding behind a rock.

"What is that?" Keith asked. 

"I don't know what it is. Maybe it's a local Arusian." She said,

"He's approaching the castle." She said, the Arusian on the feed running from rock to rock while waving its weapon and hiding behind the rocks as he got closer to the castle.

"Aw!" Hunk said.

"It's kind of cute." I said.

"Doesn't look too dangerous." Lance added.

"You never know." Keith said, bringing out his bayard.

"Keith, put that away." I  scolded him, pushing his arm down. While I understood his caution, the little alien didn't seem like it meant any harm. 

"No. Alteans believe in peace first. Let's go welcome them." Allura said, telling Keith off before turning away to head outside.

"That's adorable." Hunk said, following after the two Alteans.

"Hey, maybe we can knit him a little sweater!" Lance suggested, following after them.

I began to follow behind them, turning my head to look back at Keith. "Keith, it'll be fine. Let's go find out what he wants." I said, nodding my head to the screen. Keith didn't say anything for a few seconds before hurrying past me, still skeptical. "Fine, but I'm not taking any chances." I nodded, hurrying after him.

We all hurried down. We stepped out of the castle, the creature running away into the bushes as the gates opened. We approached the bush slowly and Allura greeted him. "Greetings,  we know you're there. No harm will come to you." She spoke in a friendly tone. The creature leapt out of the bushes, tense as he held up his sword.

"You don't need to be afraid. We aren't here to hurt you." I said, keeping my voice soft. It turned towards me, pointing its sword in my direction. I meant to take a step closer to talk to it when I felt someone grab my arm and tug me back as Keith pushed me behind him and stepped in front of us all. "Wait, he could be dangerous. Drop your weapon!" The ebony haired paladin said, holding his bayard up. 

"No one takes Klaizap's weapon!" the little creature, Klaizap, replied.

"Keith." I called out, placing a hand on his arm. He gave me a look, clearly still on high alert. I returned the look with a stern one of my own, brows furrowed and lips in a thin line.

"Keith, put that away!" Allura told him off sternly before turning back to the Arusian in front of us.  Keith backed off, lowering his bayard and stepping back to stand next to me. I gave him a  small smile, lightly patting his arm. "Please, kind sir, accept my humblest apologies." Allura said, the friendly tone back in her voice.

"I am Klaizap, bravest of our warriors. Our village is over Gazrel Hill. I come seeking answers as to why the Lion Goddess is angered with her followers." Klaizap explained, now less tense once he seemed to see we meant no harm.

"Followers?"

"Lion Goddess?"

I glanced at Allura. She certainly fit the title of 'Lion Goddess' with the Lions being hers and connected to her lifeforce.  "The one the ancients spoke of." Klaizap said, pointing to a mural of someone with a lion head and Arusians bowing to it. "What makes you think she's angered?" I asked, tilting my head a little in curiosity.

"Destruction is everywhere. In the past few suns, fire has rained from the heavens and a giant has danced the sky." The little creature explain, using his arms to gesture as he spoke.

"I think he's talking about Voltron." Hunk whispered. "Yeah, I got that." Lance replied flatly.

I shook my head, filled with amusement at how Klaizap described the past few days from his people's perspective. "You haven't angered the Lion Goddess." I said, crouching down to seem less threatening. 

"How can you be certain?" Klaizap asked, looking doubtful.

I smiled, pointing towards Allura. "Because she is Allura and this is her castle." I answered. Klaizap gasped, immediately kowtowing to Allura. "Lion Goddess!" I stepped back to my place next to Keith, letting Allura handle this.

"Please, bravest warrior, take us to your village so that we may meet our neighbors." Allura said, her royal training most likely kicking in by the way she spoke. "What about our mission to get off this planet and fight Zarkon?" Keith spoke up, brows furrowed. I glanced at him, silently telling him to stop but ultimately, holding no effect. 

"Part of the paladins' mission is to spread peace and diplomacy. Arus has been our host for 10,000 years. These people deserve our thanks." Allura explained. I guess as paladins, we were most likely going to be harbingers of peace and dealing with diplomatic things alongside battling Zarkon. Not to mention, if I was in Allura and Coran's position, it would only be polite to thank the people of the planet who let me stay for such a long period of time.

When we went in to grab the lions, I made a pit stop in the infirmary to check on the prisoners. I told Pidge and Shiro about the Arusian and us going to the village as I gave each prisoner a quick check up, the two reassuring me they could handle everything here while I went with the others. I reluctantly agreed and joined the others as we headed to the village. While I would have liked to check on the prisoners more thoroughly, I knew I could trust Shiro and Pidge to help take care of them. I still left them with some instructions on what to do, though. Just to be sure.

The village was quaint and small, with huts made of stone. The Arusians in the village began to gather, festive and lively music dancing in the air. They swarmed us, welcoming us with big smiles. It was all very cute. I noticed the tense look on Keith's face, nudging him. I sighed as he didn't budge and turned to watch an Arusian with a cape and a big horn step forward.

"Oh, Lion Goddess." The Arusian began. "I, King of the Arusians, formally beg your forgiveness. Please have mercy on us and accept our traditional Dance of Apology as atonement for our wrongdoings." The King clapped and a female Arusian came forward. "Commence Dance of Apology!" The King commanded, the Arusians cheering as the female Arusian began dancing to the music. The Arusians seemed like the religious or superstitious type, judging by the way they spoke. Nothing wrong with that, but I was getting the suspiscious feeling somethign was going to happen.

"Please, there's no need for this." Allura spoke politely, looking a little overwhelmed by the Arusians' actions. "Moontow, halt!" The king commanded and the music stopped along with the dancer. I was a bit impressed with how well she kept her balance as the king spoke again. "The Goddess has refused the apology. Start the sacrificial fire." The sacrificial what?

I blinked in shock as an Arusian lit a pile of wood with a torch, the pile bursting into flames as Arusians screamed. "We must throw ourselves in." The king said and I looked at Allura them with a shocked look. "Allura?" I whispered, a bit worried for the little creatures. "No! No sacrifices!" Allura yelled, trying to stop them. "So, we may proceed with the dance?" The king asked, turning back to Allura while two Arusians had begun lowering one into the pyre. "That's a better alternative." Allura almost sighed in relief as she spoke. I actually sighed in relief, processing the fact that I had almost witnessed an actual sacrificial ritual. The king seemed satisfied, clapping twice and the dancer began dancing again.

Now that you had thought about it, the little dance reminded you of Cass when she did ballet. While the difference in skill and grace was evident, some of the moves reminded you of the ballet moves Cass seemed to execute perfectly. I looked away from the dance, choosing to look at what the other Arusians were doing with a blank look on my face. Cass never did like it when I watched her dance.  I could feel eyes on me, but I paid them no mind, consumed by my thoughts. 

I had zoned back in when the dance had ended, clapping softly. "Please, please rise." Allura said. "Thank you for that, but I am not a great being worthy of your worship. I accidentally put you all in danger. It is I who should be apologizing to you." This caused the Arusians to look up at her, confused. "I am Princess Allura and these are the Voltron Paladins. Although we originally cam from different worlds... and have very, very, very different traditions, we wish to live alongside you as friends."

"But the mighty robotic angelic... has it not come to destroy us because of our immoral ways?" the king asked.

"Voltron? No. In fact, that mighty robot is here to protect you. Let it be known that Voltron will protect every innocent being throughout the universe!" Allura announced and the Arusians cheered happily, starting to surround us. I pet one of their heads, a small smile on my face. I felt something tug on my hands and watched as some female Arusians led me under a tree and seated me down before beginning to play with my hair, braiding parts of it and weaving flowers into my hair. I felt a little bit like Rapunzel, the thought making me huff in amusement. I thanked them once they finished, lightly touching one of the flowers in my hair before sitting back against the tree.

I watched the others bond with the other Arusians. I watched as an Arusian leapt at Keith, hugging the paladin. I chuckled, watching Keith's put-out face. "I don't usually hug strangers, but, uh... Man, you are cuddly." I heard Keith say as he pat the Arusian on the head, noticing they weren't too far away from where I was seated. "Thank you." The Arusian spoke in a deep voice, causing me to burst out laughing.  I laughed harder at the look on Keith's face and he turned towards me, realizing I had seen what happened. He joined me under the tree once the Arusian let go, leaning against the trunk. "Lance is never going to let you live that down if he knew." I giggled, looking up from my spot by his feet. "Don't." Keith groaned, making me chuckle and I nudged his leg. "I'm kidding. I wouldn't let Lance torture you like that." I leaned back against the tree, closing my eyes and enjoying the peace. 

It was silent between us for a moment before Keith spoke up, "Your hair looks nice." He said, causing me to open my eyes and look at him. His eyes were staring at the flowers in my hair and I nodded. "Oh, thanks. The Arusians did it." I replied, brushing my fingers against one of the flowers. "It looks good on you." He said softly, sounding a bit nervous. I blinked, feeling my cheeks warm from his compliment. "Uh, t-thanks." I said a few seconds later, looking away bashfully. I felt my heart stutter and my stomach flutter from his compliment. While I had been complimented before, something about it was different when it came from Keith, who didn't dish out compliments easily.

Just then, the intercom buzzed on and Shiro's voice rang through. "Team, come in! We need backup! Hello?" Shiro's voice sounded urgent causing me to immediately become concerned and stand up from my seated position under the tree. Keith looked at me, a questioning look on his face. "Shiro?" Allura asked into the intercom. "Where is everyone?" Shiro asked.

"What's going on?" I could hear Keith ask Shiro, making me turn toward him as I waited for Shiro's answer on the intercom. Suddenly, the ground began rumbling and shaking. I looked around, trying to find what was causing the rumbling before spotting something falling towards Arus. "What is that?" I asked worriedly.

"Oh, no! We've gotta get to our Lions!" Keith shouted in alarm, staring up at the sky. I quickly moved, helping Allura usher the Arusians to a safe place. I hooked a hand around the back of Hunk's collar with a sigh, stopping him from running with the Arusians. I handed Hunk off to Keith, who pulled the Yellow Paladin in the opposite direction. "Not you!" I heard Keith say as he pulled Hunk away. "Allura, I need to get to my Lion." I told her, looking at the princess worriedly. While I wanted to stay and help her, I had to get to my lion and help the others protect the Arusians. It was your job as a Paladin of Voltron. "Go! The Paladins need you!" Allura said, nodding. "Stay safe." I nodded back, turning to hurry after the others.

"Hey girl." I greeted the Purple Lion as I got in the chair, grabbing the handles. "Another lovely day for a battle, huh?" I asked, my lion growling in response. "Hope you can back me up. This battle might be tough one." I said, my lion purring as if telling me I could trust her and that I could depend on her. "I know." I moved her into a standing position as I spoke softly. "Let's go." 

My Lion roared loudly, taking off to join the others. I followed the direction of the crash, following the others to the faint sounds of an explosion in the distance. As I got closer, I could see a robot the size of Voltron swinging its arm around. On the ground were the Black and Green Lions. Shiro and Pidge had gotten there first, or were they there already? 

The robot raised its arm, getting ready to strike before lasers shot at it. "Lay down some covering fire so they can get out of there!" Keith said, shooting a laser from his lion's mouth. "I'm on it!" Lance replied, shooting lasers from his lion's tail. "Check this out! Battle-lion butthead!" Hunk shouted, his lion headbutting the robot in the back. "Shiro, Pidge, you guys okay?" I asked as their lions got up.

"Still alive for now." Shiro replied. We joined the others in the air, staring down at the robot below as it slowly got up from Hunk's headbutt. "Are the Galra behind this?" I heard Hunk ask, puzzled and scared. "I think so, but I've never seen anything like it." Shiro answered just as confused. "So what's the plan? Shoot at it with everything we've got? Take out its weapons? Call it names?" Lance asked, suggesting options. "If we want to take this monster down, there's only one way to do it. Form Voltron!" All of our lions roared, coming together to form Voltron.

"Remember, we are one unit, fighting with one goal." Shiro said as we stared down the robot that began charging its hand. I watched the robot with furrowed brows, observing it's movements as we ran forward. We flew around the energy ball as it threw it at us, Keith yelling as we tried to punch the robot with the Red Lion. Pidge yelled, the Green Lion going to uppercut the robot and sending it stumbling back. It had a heavier set build and was most likely slower, something I took note of. 

We all yelled as Voltron leapt and went to slam its arms down on the robot. The robot blocked us with its arm, its other arm calling the energy ball back and slamming into Voltron's back. "Huh?" We let out, watching the robot raise its arm. The ball followed its movement, rising into the air. Okay, now that was a problem. I thought, watching the robot control the ball's movement. "I thought Voltron was the most powerful weapon in the universe!" Keith exclaimed as we used the rockets to moved out of the way. "Yeah, so how is this monster kicking our butts?" Hunk asked, slightly panicked.

We dodged the ball, watching it fly past before looking back at the robot. We hadn't noticed that the robot had gotten close and shouldered Voltron in the chest, all of us groaning as we were sent flying back. I screamed, the hit shaking my lion the worst. It made me dizzy and it was hard to breathe for a moment. "Kaia, you okay?" I heard Shiro ask in concern. "Fine!" I called back shakily through the intercom, taking a deep breath. I then noticed we had landed near the Arusian village. "Guys, the village!" I shouted in worry, calling it to their attention. "Oh no! The village! We've got to protect those people!" Shiro said as we got back up.

The robot flung the energy ball at us and we blocked it, grunting as it knocked us back. We used our rockets to stop us from crashing into the village below and up into the sky. "That was close!" Shiro sighed in relief before we began leading the robot away from the Arusian village. "We got him away from the Arusians, but we can't take him down!" Pidge exclaimed, slightly panicked. I closed my eyes, trying to gather my thoughts. Okay, what do we know about it? It's heavier set, slower than us and can control an energy ball that comes from its right hand. The energy ball is another problem we have to deal with. The energy is fast and both of those things hit hard. We can't focus on one or we get hit with the other. There has to be something-

"I got it! I'm gonna power-kick that orb thing." Lance declared, breaking me from my thoughts. "What? Lance, no!" I said, remembering what happened when Lance had done the kick earlier.

"No! The last time you did a kick, we fell!" Keith added, trying to stop Lance.

"Stop living in the past!" Lance replied as we tried to kick the robot. As expected, we fell as the energy ball slammed us in the face. "Shiro, you okay?" I asked in concern. "I'm fine. Pidge, fire lasers now!" Shiro said as we got up, only for us to be shocked as instead of lasers, the two wings on Voltron's back came together to form a shield. We groaned as the robot knocked us back, followed by the ball slamming into us a few seconds later. We got back up, turning to face the robot. 

"Every time we focus on that orb, we're blindsided by the monster, and every time we focus on the monster, the orb hits us!" Hunk stated, his voice raising in panic and unknowingly voicing my earlier thoughts. "It's slower but if we can't figure out a way to stop that orb or deal with the monster first, we're never going to beat it!" I added, slight panic seeping into my voice. "What do we do?" Lance asked before being interrupted by Hunk as the orb cam at us. "Orb!" He shouted, the orb slamming into us and sending us onto the ground. 

"Shiro, we gotta move! Shiro, are you there? Shiro!" Keith called out to Shiro, who had gone silent. 

"That sound..." Shiro spoke up a few seconds later, sounding as if he remembered something. "I recognize this monster from my time in Zarkon's prison. I know how to beat him!"

We moved out of the way as the monster rushed towards us, the monster running into the ground as we moved away.  "Listen, there's a sound when the orb returns to the base of the weapon, and every third time, the orb needs to charge up. That's this monster's weakest point. That's when we strike." Shiro explained.

"Okay so what do we do in the meantime?" Hunk asked. "Defense!" Shiro replied as the monster launched the orb again. "Pidge, we need that shield." he said as the wings formed the shield again. I then heard my lion growl in my head, my eyes falling onto the dials on the console. If Shiro knows how to beat this thing, then I trust him to lead us through this. The orb slammed into the shield, pushing us back a little. "That's one. Two more to go!" 

The monster swung its arm, the orb circling around and flying back towards us. We grunted as we were pushed back again. "We can't take much more!" Hunk yelled. "The shield's about to give!" I yelled, looking at one of the status bars that was blinking red. Just one more hit. "Last one! Everyone brace for impact!" Shiro shouted as the orb flew at us again and slammed into the shield. The shield broke apart as the orb returned to its base. "Now!" Shiro yelled.

Keith fired a laser with the Red Lion, hitting the robot in the chest. The robot fell, only to get back up once the dust cleared. "It didn't work!" Pidge gasped. All of us stared at the robot, shocked and a bit worried. "So, now what?" Hunk asked, panic evident in his voice. Our groans filled the intercom as began to attack again. "When I attacked him before, I had a sword!" Shiro told us. "Orb! Orb!" Hunk yelled in panic, the orb slamming into us a second later.

"Where are we going to get a sword out here?" I asked, worriedly looking at the status bars on the screen that had diminished with every hit. "Wait a second, guys! I think my lion's telling me what to do." Keith spoke up, sounding hesitant and unsure. "Whatever it is, hurry up and do it! He's about to fire his third shot!" Lance yelled, warning us of the incoming orb.

I groaned as the orb slammed into us and sent us flying, crashing into the ground. I could hear the robot approaching, its footsteps getting closer. C'mon Keith. I thought, waiting in anticipation and worry as I watched the robot leap into the air. I heard Keith yelling and, not a second later, the Red and Green Lion came together. A sword forming as the two withdrew from each other. Keith slashed the robot with the sword the Red Lion held. The robot fell to its knees before exploding, making me sigh in relief as I slumped back in my chair.

"Yeah!" 

"We did it!"

"How did you do that?" Hunk asked Keith. "Whoa." Keith gasped then chuckled before thanking his lion.

------

We disassembled Voltron and headed back to the castle. We met up in the pod hangar after changing out of our armor to send off the prisoners now that they had fully recovered, save for Pidge who had gone outside. She didn't look too good, looking like she needed some time to herself at the moment. "Good luck out there." Lance said, wishing them well on their travels.

"Thank you all for everything." The alien bowed its head in gratitude, raising it as he continued to speak. "We never dreamed we'd see our families again. But you gave us hope. You gave the universe hope." 

I felt the corners of my lips tilt up, coming into a small smile at their words. We watched them leave with a smile. I silently prayed for that they'd reach their families safely. Allura then announced that we would be having a party with the Arusians as a celebration for our victory. I chuckled, watching everyone's excited faces. Little did we know, the party would only mark the beginning...

...of the fall of the Castle of Lions.

Chapter Text

We all retreated to our rooms to unwind and get ready for the party tonight. I had taken that time to undo the braids and remove the flowers the Arusians had put in my hair, putting the flowers away into an empty jar I found in the bathroom. I was brushing my hair when I heard a knock on the door. I got up and opened the door, finding Pidge standing there. "Hey Pidge, what's up?" I asked. Pidge looked like she was contemplating something as she spoke. "Kaia, you said I could come to you if I needed to talk to someone, right?" She asked, sounding unsure. I nodded, stepping aside to let her in before closing the door. "Have a seat." I said, gesturing to my bed. Pidge took a seat and I joined her, both of us sitting in silence for a moments. It was a quiet of uncertainty. I could tell Pidge was having trouble trying to find what to say so I spoke up first. 

"Take your time and take a deep breath. Gather your thoughts." I said, a small smile on my face. Pidge glanced at me before taking a deep breath, closing her eyes as she seemed to be gathering her thoughts for a moment. "Okay... I finished decrypting the data Shiro and I found in the Galra ship before the monster destroyed it and I found information about where my family might be or were."  Pidge said, causing my smile to grow. "Pidge, that's great!" I then noticed the look on her face, the mood becoming more somber. "But, that's not what you want to talk about, is it?" I asked softly, frowning. 

"I'm planning to leave. Tonight" My eyes widened at that, Pidge was going to leave? "Pidge..." I mumbled, staring at her sadly. "I can't just leave them when they might be in trouble or are still Zarkon's prisoners. The prisoners didn't know anything but this data might be my chance at finding them and I can't just pass it up." She explained, looking away. I frowned. "Pidge, you have no idea if your family is still where the data says they are. What if you're walking blindly into danger? Isn't it safer if you stay? You know we'd help in a heartbeat."

"I know but, I can't just leave them, Kaia. I need to know where they are and if they're safe." Pidge shakily spoke, looking pained. While I didn't understand fully what Pidge was feeling, I knew this was important to her. It was probably the whole reason she agreed to be a paladin to begin with. For a chance at finding her family. 

"...I wasn't saying you should, Pidge. Like you said, you've been looking for them for so long. I get it, but you can't forget the danger. You're my friend and I want to help any way I can. If you've really made up your mind and need to do this, then you have my support." I calmly spoke. It would be difficult without Pidge to pilot the Green Lion, but if she really needs to do this, then I wouldn't stop her. Pidge glanced at me before sitting back down, an uncertain look on her face. "Do you hate me for wanting to do this? Do you think the team will hate me once I tell them?" The younger paladin asked me quietly, sounding small. I instinctively pulled her into a side hug, rubbing her arm.

"No. No,  I don't think they will. I don't." I replied, looking down at her. "You aren't? Are you sure? Aren't you mad at me?" she asked in reply, doubtful of my answer. "No, I'm not mad. A bit upset but not mad. And yes, the others would be upset too. But, they wouldn't hate you. We never could." I said, making her pull away to look at me. "Some of us may be more confused and upset than others, but they'll understand eventually. Just be sure that this is what you want to do." I said, looking into her eyes with a reassuring smile. Pidge didn't speak for a few minutes, looking down at her lap. I then felt arms wrap around me, Pidge pulling me into a hug. "Thanks, Kaia." Pidge mumbled and I returned the hug, nodding. Pidge soon left to go get her things ready, leaving me in the quiet of my room. I sighed, burying my face into my hands. The others aren't gonna like this.

-------------

The party commenced a few hours later, the Arusians gathered in the ballroom. They were putting on a play of the fight with the robot earlier, the King of the Arusians doing the narrating. "The monster fell from the sky! It was an epic battle, but Voltron was victorious!" The group of Arusians portraying Voltron fell, making the king quickly correct them and they got back up while the Arusians playing the robot fell. The Arusians cheered and I clapped quietly. The others were scattered amongst the crowd and Shiro was off somewhere. Where? I had no idea.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for that... wonderful production. It saddens me that we must leave tomorrow, but we must continue our battle with Zarkon and spread peace throughout the universe." Allura said as she stepped forward before presenting the Arusian leader with a transmitter. "Your Highness, please accept this gift. This will allow you to contact us anytime you need help." She explained as the Arusian king took the transmitter from her hands. "Arus will now be the first planet in the Voltron Alliance."

The Arusians cheered and I spotted Keith, Lance and Hunk. I moved towards them, catching the end of what Hunk was saying. "Like, a team cheer that we do." Hunk said, making me tilt my head in curiosity. Lance hummed, liking the idea. "Mm-hmm. Yeah, okay. How about uh..." Lance began, thinking of a good cheer. "I say 'Vol' and you say 'Tron'. Vol!" Lance said, waiting for a response. "Uh...Voltron?" Keith hesitantly replied, a look of confusion on his face. Cute. I thought, immediately backtracking and shaking my head as my cheeks warmed. Keith is by no means unattractive but that thought just came out of nowhere!

"No! No, no, no. The cheer includes the instructions." Lance told him before trying again. "I say 'Vol' and you say..." he said, waiting for Keith to continue. "Vol-tron?" Keith replied, looking just as lost as before. I giggled, shaking my head. "We'll work on it." Lance replied flatly before taking a sip from his cup. "Uh, Lance, you okay?" I asked, watching the blue paladin seem to shiver and looking like he just drank something disgusting before approaching Coran. I turned back to Keith and Hunk, shrugging and engaging in some small talk with them.

We turned towards Lance as we heard him retch, looking at him curiously as he stood like a statue. I looked around, my eyes meeting Allura's as the Altean princess stood at the top of the stairs and talked to the mice. I smiled, waving to which she responded with a smile and a thumbs up. I returned the gesture with a confused smile before turning back to Hunk and Keith. What was that about?

I took finger food from a floating tray, watching Keith take a sip of the drink being served. I vaguely heard Coran explain it to Lance. I think it was called some kind of 'nectar from the gods'? I jumped back as Keith spat the drink out at Hunk, looking shocked and disgusted. Hunk turned around and looked back screaming, the food he was holding covering his eyes. I laughed, feeling relaxed. The atmosphere in the room was warm and joyful, everyone having a good time.

I was talking to a few Arusians when Lance walked past me and up the stairs, sniffling. I frowned, excusing myself and following after him. I found him in the control room, sitting at the front of the room. I lightly tapped his shoulder before moving to stand next to him, ignoring his flinch as I looked at the blackened windows. "You aren't usually one to skip out on a party, Lance. What's wrong?" I asked, glancing at him. I'd known Lance since first year but had never really gotten to know him until we got put on the same team. All I knew was that he was a cheerful guy and while his energy tired me sometimes along with his flirtatious comments, he was surprisingly someone who's presence I felt comfortable with. Maybe because he had reminded me of Dick. Maybe because he was just so enthusiastic. I didn't really know but, the more I got to know Lance, the more I grew to respect and become fond of him as a friend.

"What? Pssh, I'm fine. Go back and enjoy the party." Lance said, shrugging it off with a smile I could tell was forced. I sat next to him, ignoring his words. "You clearly aren't, Lance. And, I'm not leaving until you tell me to or you talk to me." I said firmly, my face softening into a worried look. "So, tell me. What's wrong?"

Lance went quiet, the smile falling from his face and a wistful look on his face as he rest his chin on his knees. "It's just...I miss Earth. I miss my family. I mean, I've felt homesick while I was at the Garrison, but I guess now that we're so far away... I guess it just hit more than usual. Then everyone, besides Hunk, doesn't seem to miss anything on Earth. It makes me feel like I'm weak or being stupid. I know we're supposed to be brave paladins and Defenders of the Universe or whatever but, honestly, I just wanna go home. I miss my mom's cooking, my siblings' teasing, my niece and and my nephew's laughs. I miss my mom, my dad, my brothers, my sisters, my niece and nephew. I miss them so much." He explained, voice shivering as he spoke with a defeated expression and looked as if he were holding back tears. I stayed silent. I probably wasn't the best person Lance could talk to about this, but I was the only person here.. 

"You aren't stupid or weak, Lance." I spoke softly, staring down at my feet. "None of what you feel is stupid. You miss when everything was less complicated, more simple. I don't really understand how you feel, but I understand why. You love your family and the memories you have with them, memories of simple things make you feel homesick." I said, quietly contemplating something. Lance let out a deep sigh. I looked down at the floor, hesitating before opening my mouth to speak.

"Wanna know something?" I asked, fiddling with my fingers nervously. Lance looked at me with a curious glance. "I used to hate hearing you talk about your family." I admitted guiltily, making Lance look at me in shock. "What? Why?" He exclaimed, confused and a bit sad.

"I've never really told anyone else besides Keith this, but my relationship with my family... it's complicated. They don't really like me, I guess. Or, it's more, I wasn't worth their time." I spoke quietly, picking at the black material of the gloves. "I don't really have a lot of fond memories with them so when you'd talk about your family, I'd get so... jealous and angry that I'd wished you'd shut up and stop rubbing it in my face how great your family was. Wished and wondered why my family and I couldn't have the kind of bond you have with your family." I explained.

"Kaia..." Lance mumbled. "Eventually, I realized it was kind of stupid and when we became friends, I slowly got over it once we really began bonding and I got to really know you. So, I can understand why you miss your family. They sound amazing." I chuckled sadly. Lance fell silent and we sat there, the guy probably taking in the information I gave him. "You're feelings aren't stupid either, Kaia. Your family are just jerks. Besides, you've got us now." Lance said, pulling me into a hug. It was warm and comforting. You could feel how much he missed his family and how much he appreciated that I felt I could entrust that information with him. 

"I know. Thanks, and you can come to me anytime you wanna talk or hangout if you ever feel lonely." I mumbled as I hugged him back, trying to convey the same appreciation and comfort. If Lance's family gave hugs as warm as this, then it was no wonder he was homesick. "I know. Thanks, Kaia." Lance mumbled, pulling away.

"Let's head back before everyone wonders where we are." I said, helping him up. We walked past Rover, the little bot just entering the room. "Oh. Hey Rover." Lance greeted the small bot as we walked past it. I paused, brows furrowing as I realized something and turned around to look at the small robot. "Aren't you supposed to be with Pidge?" I quietly asked, Lance turning around just as I finished speaking and seemingly realizing something was off too. A bad feeling filled my gut as I heard the little robot beeping. I gasped as I was pulled and shoved away by Lance who shouted just as Rover exploded. "Get down!!" 

A loud explosion rang through the room and suddenly, everything went black for a moment as my head hit the ground.

------------

It took me a few seconds, my ears ringing and my head aching as I blearily looked around. The room was dark, filled with smoke and the crystal was broken. I gasped and coughed, shakily getting up and rushing to the figure lying on the ground not too far away from me. I ignored the pain that sprung from my right ankle as I got up. "Lance!"

I fell to my knees, carefully turning him over. I checked his pulse, feeling a bit relieved that it was there. Faint, but there. "Lance! Lance!" I worriedly yelled, resting his head on my lap. My head hurt too much and I felt a bit sick but, I was too panicked and worried to focus on myself when Lance was in a worse condition than I was.

"Lance?! Kaia?! Are you here?" I recognized Shiro's voice, hearing multiple footsteps enter the room. "Shiro? We're over here!" I yelled with a shivering voice. I was trying to stay calm but Lance's condition worried me too much. He protected me from the explosion which meant he had taken the brunt of it. He had several bruises, most likely had a concussion and several open cuts and bruises. 

The footsteps got closer and Keith's figure emerged from the smoke with a worried look on his face. "Kaia, you okay?" He asked, kneeling down. "I-I'm fine but, Lance is..." I looked down at Lance unconscious on my lap with a worried look.  Shiro followed behind him along with the others, all of them sporting a worried look. Shiro knelt down and took Lance from me, holding him carefully. Keith helped me up, letting me use him as support as I slowly got up. "Shit!" I gasped as my vision spun and pain sprung from my ankle, the aching in my head increasing.  

Keith took notice, supporting my weight against him as he wrapped my arm around his shoulder and another around my waist. "Kaia! You clearly aren't okay. Where are you hurt?" He said, looking me over worriedly. Keith's voice made my head hurt more, but I disregarded that. "I'm fine. Just a headache... " I coughed, turning towards Shiro. Keith didn't look convinced and hovered worriedly as he let me go when I shakily regained my footing, placing more weight on my uninjured foot.

"What happened?" Shiro asked, looking towards me. "It was an explosion. Lance and I were talking and we we're heading out when Rover came in, but something was off... Lance saved me." I explained, my eyes getting teary. "We have to get Lance to the infirmary!" Pidge raised her voice, looking ready to run out immediately. "Without the crystal, the castle has no power." Allura stopped Pidge, her voice filled with sorrow. I felt my heart sink. What were we going to do? Lance needed the pod now!

Just then, the Arusian King ran in.  "Lion warriors, our village is under attack! We need help!" He yelled, clearly panicked. We all looked at each other horrified. I had a bad feeling about what was happening. It was too coincidental. "Lets get to the lions!" Keith yelled, ready to help them. "You can't." Allura stopped him, looking crushed. "They're sealed in their hangars. There's no way to get them out. We're defenseless." No...

"Will you not help us?" The King looked concerned. This was a disaster. We had no lions, Lance was hurt and there was just so much going on. It made my already aching head hurt more as I tried to think. "We'll help you. We just..." Keith tried to reply, getting cut off as Lance let out a groan. "This is bad." Hunk mumbled. I looked around at everyone's devastated faces. I took deep breaths, a wave of dizziness hit me.

"We have to get a new crystal to get the castle working again. But, to get a new crystal, we need a ship." Coran explained, speaking up. "The pod I was loading, we can use that! I left the bay door open." Pidge exclaimed. It seemed we were now getting somewhere. "I can use the scanner in the pod to see if there's a Balmera nearby. Hunk, you come with me. I'll need someone big to help my carry the crystal." Coran said, beginning to move.

"A Balmera?" Hunk asked in confusion.

"It's where the crystals come from. I'll tell you about it on the way!"  Coran said as he, Hunk and Pidge hurried back to the pod hangar. "I'll go see what's happening at the Arusian village." Keith said, making me turn towards him. "I'll go with you, Keith. I brought this on the poor Arusians." Allura told him, looking determined to help. 

"I'll tend to Lance and stand watch over the castle." Shiro said as  I moved towards Shiro. "I'll stay with Shiro and help him take care of Lance." I said, ignoring the pain in my foot. Keith gave me one last look as he and Allura began to run out of the room, as if trying to tell me to stay safe. I nodded, silently telling him to do the same before he turned and ran. 

I turned back to Shiro, kneeling down to take a closer look at Lance's condition now that my vision wasn't swimming. "I'm the medic. I'm supposed to save you, idiot." I mumbled sorrowfully, brushing some hair from his face. "Don't worry, Kaia." Shiro said, noticing I was struggling at the moment. Shiro took a deep breath, then got up with Lance slung over his shoulder like a sack. "Let's go." Shiro said and began walking out of the room. I followed after him, my ankle aching with every step. I winced, Looking down at it. It was, hopefully, probably sprained, but I pushed the pain to the back of my mind.

I felt useless. I was the one with medical knowledge, the supposed medic of the team, so why couldn't I help Lance now? Why did I have to be so useless now? Why couldn't I have done more? I should have been smarter, more aware that something was off and acted quicker. 

"You've done all you can. He'll be okay." Shiro spoke as if he could read my thoughts. His entire demeanor was calm, contrasting my anxious one. He stood like a lighthouse on the cliffs. Strong and tall, leading ships calmly through a storm with it's light. Maybe that was why he was the leader. I then noticed something glowing in the distance. Shiro seemed to have noticed to as he stopped, causing me to stop as well.

"Sendak." Shiro almost hissed as the Galra commander approached the castle. What the hell? He's still alive? The sentries behind him were wheeling something into the castle, the glow I had seen coming from his prosthetic arm. I shivered, the energy surrounding him feeling vile. The closer they got, the more I could see what they were wheeling in. It was a huge purple crystal, the energy it gave off feeling just as vile. It was then I realized something. The explosion was a distraction.  I was about to tell Shiro when he moved to the side.

Shiro set Lance down gently on the side of the hallway. "Stay with Lance. Keep him safe." Shiro instructed, a serious look on his face. I nodded, taking out my bayard and staying close to Lance as Shiro approached the entrance to face Sendak. My head hurt and and my right foot sparked with pain whenever I put too much pressure on it, but I couldn't let my guard down. Why did it have to be now of all times for my mind to be cloudy and my thoughts to be muddy?

I watched Shiro stop at the entrance, staring Sendak down. "Stand down." Sendak commanded. "No. You're not getting in." Shiro said defiantly, his prosthetic arm glowing. I watched anxiously  as Sendak's arm shot towards Shiro, latching onto the paladin's prosthetic before the arm retracted with Shiro in its grip. Shiro screamed, landing at Sendak's feet with a groan before throwing himself out of the way as the arm slammed down. Shiro ran toward Sendak with a yell, slashing his glowing at the Galra who blocked with his prosthetic. The two continued to battle, arms clashing. Sendak's new arm may have been strong but Shiro was quick, the difference helping him dodge greatly. However, luck and energy could only last so long . 

"I see you've spent some time with the druids. They do love their experiments." Sendak spoke as their fists collided. "Too bad you didn't get the latest model." the Galran commander bragged before Shiro was sent flying back towards us. "Shiro!" I gasped, watching as Shiro got up just in time to dodge Sendak's arm. I squeezed my eyes shut, covering Lance with my body as dust and rubble were sent flying from the impact. I coughed, waving dust away.

I froze, hearing footsteps in the dust and activated my bayard. I positioned myself in front of Lance pulled the string, carefully watching the cloud of dust for any danger. I saw silhouettes and moved, letting the string go and watching the arrow fly at an approaching Galra sentry. "Stay back." I growled, aiming another arrow. The Galra with the sentries smirked before the some of the sentries ran towards me. I dodged, trying to create some distance and quickly aiming arrows at the sentries. I managed to take a few out but I was eventually overwhelmed as the other Galra had joined the battle. 

I dodged and blocked hits with my bayard, my movements slow due to my ankle and my head. I was also trying to make sure Lance was safe. The Galra noticed I was distracted and moved quickly, sweeping a leg at my feet and sending me crashing to the ground. The crash made my head ache as a wave of dizziness hit me and my bayard was thrown off to the side after I let it go in my fall, black spots dancing in my vision for a moment. I was about to get back up when he stepped on my hurt ankle, making me to scream in pain. The Galra stood over me, gun aimed at my head and Lance was thrown down next to me by a sentry who aimed a gun at his head. My eyes fell onto Shiro's figure which was stuck in a standstill with Sendak. 

"Let him go or your friends won't make it!" The Galra I had fought with said as he pressed the gun to my head. Shiro turned his head to look at us and paused. I shook my head, eyes widening as I saw Sendak move. He had taken that moment to attack Shiro. "Shiro, look out!" I screamed, before I felt something hit me in the back of my head and my vision went dark as I fell unconscious. The last thing I saw before everything turned black was Shiro's figure laying near us, unconscious.

"Voltron is ours." Sendak declared, smirking victoriously. 

Unaware of eyes watching from the balcony above and a short figure clad in white, black and green sneaking away.

Chapter Text

I quietly groaned, blinking away the dark spots in my vision. I could feel my right ankle aching, trying to move my foot and stopping when a sharp pain travelled from the area. I looked around, taking in my surroundings. I was in the control room, the room still dark. I spotted Shiro unconscious next to me with Lance on his other side. I heard noises in front of us and turned my head, watching Sendak and the sentries hooking the purple crystal into the castle. Thankfully, they had their backs towards us, so I could quietly watch them. The room was soon bathed in a purple light as the crystal powered the castle. Galran symbols popped up on the console and screens showing the lions in their bays appeared.

"The lions are all in their bays." I heard Sendak say before ordering his crew to activate the particle barrier and begin the launch sequence. My eyes widened, panic and dread flowing through me. Oh no, this is bad, very bad.

I silently cursed. I couldn't do anything right now, outnumbered and hurt. "Make contact with Emperor Zarkon." I closed my eyes and pretended to be unconscious as a screen appeared, trying to keep calm. "Sendak" I quietly gulped as I heard Zarkon speak, addressing his commander. "My mission is complete. I've captured the Altean castle, along with all of the Voltron lions. I am currently preparing for launch and will be delivering them all to you shortly." Sendak reported, his tone victorious and smug. "This news is most pleasing. You have done your duty. Vrepit Sa!" Zarkon said as Sendak repeated the words before the transmission closed.

"Haxus, ready the castle for takeoff." Sendak ordered Haxus and I felt a pit in my stomach. I had to do something, but what could I do when they outnumbered me one to a dozen and Shiro and Lance were hurt? I felt so useless and weak, squeezing my eyes shut as I held back my tears and could only hope everyone else would find a way in and stop Sendak. Damn it. Guys, please hurry.

I listened anxiously as Sendak and Haxus got the castle ready to launch, resisting to give myself away as they started the launch. I felt a lump in my throat, feeling the castle shake as it began to take off. A minute later, the ship stopped. "The main engine just shorted out!" I heard Haxus report in alarm and felt a spark of hope. "We have a saboteur. Find him and take him out." Sendak growled.

I felt both relieved and worried, wondering who the saboteur was. I heard footsteps come over and drag me into a kneeling position, hands cuffing my hands behind me back. I peeked my eyes open a little, watching Shiro get put in the same kneeling position with his hands cuffed behind him as well. Lance was left alone. They probably didn't deem him much of a threat given his state. I closed my eyes again. Everyone else was doing their part to try and stop Sendak, I had to do mine. Be patient, Kaia. Wait and listen. Strike when an opening arrives. In the meantime, keep Shiro and Lance safe.

"Haxus! I want whoever's in this ship terminated!" Sendak ordered, angered.

"Commander Sendak." Haxus called, "I've received a transmission generating from somewhere inside." He said and I could Allura's voice could be heard on the transmission.

"There's not much time before they get the ship running again. You must shut off the particle barrier so we can get in" "You got it. Tell me what to do." Pidge replied, making me hold my breath. Pidge was still in the castle. The realization filling me with hope and worry for her safety now that Sendak and Haxus knew. I hadn't know Pidge until we met when the teams were being announced. Keith had left the Garrison by then and I had been assigned to Lance's team. My first impression of Pidge was that she was young, like a few-years-younger young, and distant. We did bond as a team later, but there was always some sort of distance between Pidge and the team. It didn't affect how we worked in the simulator (which was an entire other thing to unpack), but the distance Pidge kept made it hard to really know her. One thing I did know was that Pidge cares a lot about the people she cares about and was capable of anything with her intelligence. She could get us out of this. I know it

"She's telling the intruder to how to take down our defenses." Haxus said, turning to his commander. "Yes, but she's also giving away his location. Find that room. Kill the paladin." Sendak ordered and I heard the sentries walk out of the room, making let out the breath I was holding. That diminished the number of people in the room by a lot. Good.

"Repair the engine. Emperor Zarkon has commanded us to bring him Voltron. This ship will rise before day's end." Sendak ordered and I heard Haxus leave the room. I bit the inside of my cheek in anticipation. I couldn't be hasty. Haxus may have left, but Sendak was an entire threat on his own. It wasn't time yet. I could hear the bridge turn back on, Sendak asking Haxus to report in a few minutes later.

"Haxus is gone, and you're next!" Pidge's voice came from the intercom, laced with anger and determination.

"You've slowed me down, but this ship is mine! You will turn yourself over immediately!" Sendak said, frustrated his plans we're failing. "Never!" Pidge replied defiantly. "Well, then, maybe your leader can convince you!" I could hear the smirk in Sendak's voice, his footsteps getting closer before hearing them stop behind Shiro. Not yet. "What do you want?" I heard Shiro ask, peeking my eyes open to glance at him.

"Your friend wanted to hear from you." Sendak said, moving closer to Shiro. Not yet. "Shiro? Pidge asked over the intercom. I could see Sendak raising his prosthetic hand as Shiro spoke to Pidge, sounding as if he was pleading. "Pidge? Pidge, don't listen to-" Shiro was cut off by his own scream as Sendak brought his hand down, sending an electrical shock through him. "No!" I heard Pidge yell and I took that moment to strike, taking Sendak's focus on Shiro as an opportunity to shove him away from our leader. Shiro slumped over, breathing heavily as he looked at me. "Kaia, no..."

"Kaia?" Pidge's voice rang, shocked.

Sendak growled before his arm came rushing towards me, glowing with electricity. I dodged, watching it fly towards me as I stepped to the side. I knew there would be delay when the arm would come back so I used that time to run up to him. I propelled myself towards him with the jetpack and turned it off as I got closer, using the momentum to send a kick to his chest. Sendak looked surprised, stumbling back. I winced as my ankle throbbed in pain. Sendak growled and swung his hand at me. I dodged, moving a second late and getting flung to the side as his metal hand hit my side. I yelped in pain as my back hit the wall, groaning as I hit the ground. I quickly tried to sit up, my vision spinning as my head ached. My muscles and my ankle ached with pain and I heard footsteps approach me just as I managed to get myself into a sitting position.

I soon found myself dangling from Sendak's hand, the hand wrapped around my neck and slowly squeezing. I struggled, trying to break free but it was no use. I gasped, my throat getting restricted as he tightened his grasp. I didn't know whether he was going to crush my windpipe but I hid how much the thought scared me. "Such foolish bravado but, ultimately, useless. The druid are going to enjoy experimenting on you." I could see Sendak smirk in satisfaction through my blurring vision as he walked back towards Shiro. Shiro's screams rang in my ears as Sendak sent another electrical shock through him again with his prosthetic hand. I could feel my grasp on my consciousness beginning to slip, dark spots dancing in my vision as I gasped for air.

"You can make it stop. Turn yourself in. Their suffering is in your hands."

"Pidge... no..." I choked out with the last of my energy, feeling Sendak's hand tighten again before I slipped out of consciousness.

When I woke up again, I could vaguely make out the figure hovering above me. Everything in me ached as I slowly recognized the blurry blob of black and red. "She's coming to! Kaia! Are you okay?!" Keith asked worriedly. I blinked, glancing around. I could barely see Sendak's figure in the blue dome in the middle of the room with my blurry vision. I looked back towards Keith, the worried expression on his face making me feel sad. I tried to get up, to show I was fine but Keith held me down, making me realize I was resting in his lap. "Stay down. Don't move." Keith told me firmly and I relented, my body and head aching too much.

I felt my eyelids grow heavy, blinking slowly. "Hey, Keith..." My voice sounded rough and it hurt a little to talk. "I'm just gonna... take a nap, okay?" I mumbled, trying to keep my eyes open despite the exhaustion. Keith looked panicked for a moment due to my words before realizing I was being serious, sighing and placing a hand gently on my head. "Get some rest. I'll- We'll be here when you wake up." he said softly, making me give the smallest of nods before I slipped back into unconsciousness.

---------

"Alfred?"  I called out, sitting at the dining table. A cake sat in front of me, candles not lit. The dining room was quiet, my person being the only one in the room along with the old Wayne butler.

I remembered this. It was my 13th birthday. My birthday since I came to live in Wayne manor. I had been hoping they could attend this moment of my life. My first step into my teens. Unfortunately, I set my hopes too high again.

"I'm sorry, Master Kaia, but it seems Master Bruce is busy. So is Master Dick. Master Jason and Master Tim refused to come." Alfred spoke regretfully. "Oh." I mumbled, looking down at the cake blankly. Of course. What was I thinking?

Alfred looked at me sadly before lighting the candles. "It seems it shall just be you and I as always, Master Kaia." He said, a small smile on his face as if he were hoping I'd cheer up. "Yeah, guess so." I smiled as best I could, blowing out the candles. I didn't wish for anything that night, knowing they would go unheard once again within the cold halls of the manor.

"Happy Birthday to me."

---------

I hadn't thought of that moment in so long, the memory only one of many. When the memory ended, it was quiet. A calm quiet. A quiet I hadn't felt in so long. I felt comfortable and serene, the feeling wrapping around me like a blanket. I slowly opened my eyes, hearing a hissing sound before I felt myself fall forward. I felt hands catch me, a familiar looking jacket meeting my vision. "Thanks." I mumbled, turning to Keith with a small smile on my face as I stood up. "How are you feeling?" I turned towards Allura as she asked delightfully. "Much better. These pods are a wonder, Allura." I replied.

"We're so glad you're okay."

"Yeah, you scared us." I turned towards Pidge and Hunk as they came up to me, pulling me into a hug. I chuckled, patting their backs before pulling away and turning towards Shiro who approached with a stern look on his face. "What you did was very reckless, Kaia. Taking on Sendak like that on your own while you were hurt was very stupid." Shiro spoke strictly, making me shrink a little and ready myself for a scolding. "What the hell were you thinking?" Shiro asked as he pulled me into a hug.

"I'm sorry. I thought you and Lance were more important than me." I timidly spoke as I hugged him back. Shiro pulled away, looking at me incredulously. "What are you talking about?" He asked, frowning. "I couldn't do anything when Lance got hurt and I could barely do anything when Sendak attacked. I was practically useless and I wanted to do something to help so..." I trailed off, fiddling with my fingers.

I felt Shiro lay a hand on my shoulder and I looked at him as he spoke. "Kaia, you aren't useless. Like I told you, you did all you could. You couldn't control the situation. It's good to put others first, but never forget about yourself. You fought well, but you really worried us back there." He said, speaking like a parent reprimanding a child. I nodded, looking away guiltily. "I'm sorry, Shiro, everyone. I'll keep try to keep that in mind." Everyone looked satisfied with my words, smiling at me. I couldn't help but wonder a little how long it would last before I pulled what I did again.

I left shortly to get changed out of the pod suit and returned with my bag slung across my shoulder, standing around Lance's pod. We were now waiting for Lance to wake up. "I can't tell if he looks healthy or not." Hunk said as we crowded around the front of Lance's pod. "I think he's breathing weird." Pidge spoke with her nose pressed against the glass. "Oh, come on!" Keith tried to tap the glass but was stopped by Allura. "Not yet! A few more ticks." She said. I chuckled, wondering if they were acting like this when I was in the pod. "How much better do you think he's gonna get in a few more ticks?" Keith asked, making me tilt my head curiously. "What is a tick exactly?" I asked, standing off to the side but close enough to be near them.

"You know, a time slice." Allura answered, leaving me just as confused as before. "Like a second?" Shiro asked in confusion. "What is a 'second'?" Allura asked and Pidge reached into her pocket to pull out a device and show her. "Like this." the younger paladin said, holding up a timer. "I'm not sure. I think ticks are bigger." Allura said, taking a close look at the timer before turning to Coran who stood at the console. "Coran, do you have a ticker?" She asked and Coran turned around, presenting a device that was probably an Altean timer. "I think ticks are a little slower." Hunk said as he and Pidge took a closer look at the device, Allura not far behind.

"I can't tell. We have to start them at the same time." Pidge said as she and Coran restarted the clocks and began comparing the different time measurements. I moved closer, getting curious myself about difference. I stood next to Keith, looking at both clocks curiously. "Yes! I think we're winning." Hunk said, making me look at him in confusion. "Winning what? The intergalactic time-measuring competition?" Keith asked sarcastically. "Yes." Hunk replied.

We watched the clocks for a few more seconds before a voice made me jump. "You guys having a clock party?" Lance asked, making us all turn towards him. "Aw! Lance, you just ruined it." Hunk said before doing a doubletake. "Hey, Lance!" He said, pulling the guy into a hug happily. "What happened?" Lance asked, looking tired. "We can tell you all about it after Kaia takes your vitals and we get you something to eat. Are you able to walk?" Allura said, placing a hand on Lance's back. "Talking? Easting? Are you asking me out on a date?" Lance asked, making Allura and Hunk sigh.

"Yep, he's okay" Pidge said, looking tired of Lance's antics.

"Classic." Keith said, crossing his arms across his chest.

"At least we know his head's screwed on right. Now, let's check the rest of your vitals." I chuckled, stepping towards him and holding up a temperature gun. I had to explain to Allura and Coran what my medical equipment was while we were waiting and it was pretty fun trying to explain how everything worked.

Once I had taken Lance's vitals and made sure he was okay, we all headed to the dining room. I was also forced to sit and eat along with Lance by everyone else as they filled us in on the rest of what happened, even when I told them I wasn't that hungry. I scooped some goo into my mouth, petting one of the mice gently with my other hand. "They'd be Sendak's prisoner right now, if it not for Pidge." Allura said, standing next to Lance's chair.

"Well, you wouldn't have survived the explosion if Hunk and Coran hadn't gotten a new crystal." Pidge said from my right, reminding me that I had to thank Lance for saving me. "Thanks for saving me, Lance. I owe you one." I said, giving him a grateful nod. "Hey, no problem. We're a team, remember?" Lance said, making me nod again before he turned to the others. "And, thanks, everybody. Sounds like the mice did more than you, though." he said, looking at Keith who sat on the table to my left. 

"I punched Sendak!" Keith said, voice raising by end. "Yeah, after I emerged from a coma and shot his arm off" Lance replied. "Sounds like the mice really did do more than you, Keith." I joked, holding back a laugh at the look Keith shot me. "We had a bonding moment. I cradled you in my arms!" Keith said, voice breaking a little as he held up his arms. I laughed, nudging my elbow lightly against Keith's side. "Sorry, but I couldn't resist." I apologized, looking up at him with a grin. Keith crossed his arms and looked away, making me chuckle.

"So what happened to Sendak?" Lance asked. "He's frozen in a cryo-pod. We're keeping him here in the castle." Allura explained and I frowned. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" I asked in concern. Knowing Sendak was still in the castle after everything that happened made me feel a little uneasy. While he may be in a cryopod, there's no telling what will happen if he managed to get out. "He's too dangerous to be set free." Allura declared before continuing. "Besides, we might be able to get some information about Zarkon from him."

I nodded. It made sense in a way, gaining information from Sendak who worked closely with Zarkon was an opportunity we couldn't pass up. But, I couldn't shake the possible danger he still posed. "So, what's the plan now?" Lance asked curiously. "We have to get back to the Balmera and save Shay and her people." Hunk said with a sense of urgency. "Wow! You are really hung up on this lady." Lance said. "No, it's not like that. Guys, when you see how Zarkon has treated these people and destroyed their home-" Hunk said with a grave tone. "They've been under his thumb for so long, they don't know what it is to be free. It's up to us to set this right. This is what being a paladin is all about. It's time to man up." I felt a smile grow on my face. It was nice to see Hunk be so passionate about helping the Balmerans and the Balmera.

"Then, let's get moving. Time to go defend the universe." Shiro said, moving from his spot leaning against the back of Lance's chair. We all moved to follow him before Pidge spoke up. "Wait, I have something to say first. I need to come clean." She spoke with a serious tone in her voice, all of us turning to look at her. "I'm afraid this may change the way you all think about me. Just so there are no secrets between us anymore, I can't 'man up'."

"I'm a girl. I mean, I can 'man up' because that's just a figure of speech. I don't actually have to be a man to 'man up'. I just have to be tough. But, I'm saying is-" Pidge seemed on the verge of rambling before Lance interrupted her with a shocked look on his face. "Wha..? You're a girl? How?" Lance asked, voice raising in shock. 

"I've known for some time, but I'm glad you've shared it with everyone." Allura said.

"Oh, I figured." "Oh, yeah, me too." "It took a bit, but I figured it out eventually." Hunk, Keith and I added. I felt proud of Pidge for being courageous enough to tell us about this. It made me think about telling everyone my own secret.

"Wait, we were supposed to think you were a boy?"  Coran asked in confusion.

"Pidge, owning who you are is going to make you a better paladin." Shiro said, making Pidge sigh in relief and I to contemplate more about telling everyone. "It's good to get that off my chest. Now, let's go launch this castle-ship!" Pidge said excitedly and Lance gaped in shock. "Wait, what? Pidge is a girl and the Castle is a ship? How long have I been out?" He asked, raising a hand to his head.

Well, better now than never. I watched everyone begin to leave and gulped, nervously speaking up. "Um, I have something to tell everyone, too." I nervously spoke up, resisting the urge to run as everyone turned to look at me. I didn't know how they'd react to this news and if they would even take me seriously. "I-uh..." I stuttered, feeling more nervous the longer they stared. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. "Kaia, take a deep breath and take your time. Gather your thoughts. Like you told me." Pidge said with a smile, repeating the words I had uttered when she came to me before the party.

I paused, nodding. I took a deep breath and slowly pulled my thoughts together. "Okay, uh, Pidge sharing her secret made me think. I haven't been entirely honest with you all, but I hope this doesn't change anything and you guys still think of me as just... me." I began, feeling my stomach churn as I turned the ID card around to show them. "Reyes was my mother's last name. I used it when I enrolled into the Garrison. My real name is Kaia Wayne. I'm Bruce Wayne's daughter." I nervously reached into my bag and grabbed my old Gotham Prep ID, nervously holding out the ID card, trying to show them I wasn't lying.

It was quiet for a moment and it made me even more anxious. Were they mad? Would they believe me? Would they think I was a liar? Would they kick me out? These thoughts swam anxiously through my head as the silence went on. The silence was broken as the part of the team that was from Earth exclaimed in shock and I felt the ID get taken from my hands.

"You're Bruce Wayne's kid? As in one of the richest guys in the world? THAT Bruce Wayne?" I heard Hunk ask frantically. I nodded, staring at their shocked faces with wide eyes.

"Holy smokes, I'm friends with Bruce Wayne's kid!" I heard Lance exclaim as he looked at the ID in shock with everyone.

"Who is this 'Bruce Wayne'? Why is it so shocking that Kaia is his child?" Allura asked, looking very confused.

"He's a really famous figure back on Earth. He's a billionaire philanthropist and his children are equally just as famous." Pidge explained, adjusting her glasses. "Everyone knows about him and his children." She continued.

"Yeah. But, I guess, not all of them." Keith said, giving me a look, like he was slowly piecing something together. He was one of the only people who fully knew my problems with my family and I knew he would figure it out soon after I told everyone but, I wasn't ready to tell them about my relationship with my family in detail.

"Why haven't we heard anything about you?" Shiro asked, looking just as confused as everyone else. I shuffled on my feet, trying to figure out how to say it.

"It's a little complicated but, we... don't really get along very well. There's still a lot I'm not telling you guys. Not because I don't trust you! I do!" I said, shaking my head frantically. "I just... don't feel ready to lay everything out on the table just yet." I said, rubbing my arm nervously. Everyone looked at each other before smiling.

"We're gonna be stuck together as a team for a while. We can wait." Pidge said, shrugging.

"Gives us time to process the whole, y'know, being Bruce Wayne's kid thing." Hunk added, looking as though he was still trying to take in the information.

"Yeah, and it doesn't change anything." Lance said with a smile.

"You're still the Kaia we know who cares more about others than she does herself." Keith said, a small smile on his face. 

"We're happy to know you trust us enough to tell us." Allura said with smile.

"Telling us this doesn't change anything, Kaia. You're still a part of this team and our friend." Shiro said, an understanding smile on his face. I returned the smile, relaxing. I felt happy they understood and relieved that they hadn't reacted negatively. I felt a bit lighter after telling them. I know Lance and Keith know some details but they weren't the whole picture. The team would know more some day. When I was ready. "Thanks, guys. I really will tell you more some day, promise. Now, let's go get this ship in the air."

We all left the dining room and met back in the control room, dressed in our armor. We moved around to our spots, Allura stepping onto the platform in the center. I stood between Keith and Lance, my chair rising from a door that opened in the ground. I sat down, watching a screen appear in front of me. Allura and Coran commenced the launch sequence, the ship shaking as it rose into space and away from Arus. 

-----------

"So, when we get there, what do you think? Do we just roll up and start blasting?" Hunk asked as he paced. Once the ship had steadied we were able to leave our seats and gather on the steps near the entrance of the control room. "or do we just land and have some kind of public address system, like, 'Attention, Galra, this is Voltron. Turn yourself in'?" He continued, hands on his hips. He noticed we hadn't said anything and deflated a little. "No. Blasting right?"

"Hunk, calm down. And yes, blasting." Keith said, gesturing for the big guy to calm down. 

"it's our first big rescue mission. He's excited." Shiro said

"Excited to see his new girlfriend." Pidge teased, tilting her head back to look at Hunk. 

"She's not my girlfriend!" Hunk exclaimed before turning his nose up. "She's just a rock that I met and I admire very much."

"Sounds like someone has a crush." I teased, chuckling. Hunk was about to reply when the alarms blared, making us look towards Coran who stood at the front console.

"What is it? Are we being attacked?" Shiro asked. "No, it seems to be a distress beacon." Coran replied, looking at the screen. "It's coming from a nearby moon. Apparently a ship lost power." Allura added.

"I wonder who it is." Pidge said, a hand to her chin.

"Whoever it is will have to wait. Shay has first priority. We can check back on them when we're done." Hunk said. "The Paladin's code states that we must help all those in need." Allura stopped Hunk, the big guy crossing his arms in response.

"Wow! This is so cool. It's like we're space cops on patrol." Lance said, getting up from his spot. "Coran, do we have a siren we can turn on?" He asked excitedly.

"Uh, no, but we could record you making a siren noise and broadcast that to them." Coran replied. "Perfect!" Lance said before imitating the sound of a siren. Shiro shut him up immediately with a hand over his mouth. "No, not doing that." Shiro said, hand covering Lance's mouth. We approached the moon the distress beacon was coming from, Allura announcing our arrival as the ship landed. "Attention, damaged craft, this is Princess Allura. We are coming to assist you."

We went down to meet the passengers of the damaged craft, Coran staying behind to clear the systems of the Galra crystal's corruption. Allura stepped out first, us following behind her as an alien with purple skin spoke. "You don't know how glad we are to see some friendly faces." He said in relief. "Most folks don't want to get tangled up with anyone who's on the run from the Galra."

"So, you guys are fighting the Galra?" Keith asked as we approached. "Well, I don't think Zarkon is exactly quaking in his boots at the three of us, but we do what we can. I'm Rolo. This is Nyma, and our cyber-unit, Beezer." Rolo said, introducing the two members of his crew.

Lance and Pidge moved, Lance immediately flirting with Nyma and Pidge admiring Beezer. I shook my head in amused exasperation before turning to Rolo as Shiro spoke to him. "Was your ship damaged in a fight?" Shiro asked. "Yeah, we've really been through it with the Galra. Parts are hard to come by. Luckily, we were able to limp to this moon about a week ago? If you didn't pick up our distress signal, I--" Rolo spoke, a serious look on his face.

"We're happy to help. I am Princess Allura of Altea, and from now on, you won't be alone fighting the Galra." Allura spoke, introducing herself before introducing us. "You'll have the Paladins of Voltron by your side." She stated proudly. I could tell Rolo wasn't exactly convinced as he glanced at Lance and Pidge. 

"I don't think they've heard of us." Shiro stated.

"It has been ten thousand years." Keith added.

"Maybe it's more of a tall tale now?" I shrugged, adjusting the strap of my bag.

"Voltron? Five big robots that combine into this big robot... guy?" Lance asked with accompanying gestures.

"Sounds impressive. I'd love to see it. Or, him. Them."  Rolo said befre Hunk interrupted. "Why don't we get to work on your ship? I'm sure we all have places to be." Hunk said,  a bit of an impatient tone in his voice. "Sure." Rolo replied and opened up the engine of their ship. 

"Pretty much our flaxum assembly is shot. I don't know what kind of extra parts you carry in this rig of yours. I've never seen anything like it." Rolo said, looking up at the castle. I don't know why, but something about him felt fishy. Maybe I was just being paranoid, but he seems to be a bit too open with strangers after fighting off the Galra.

"I'm sure we can get you back up and running. Give Hunk a list of what you need. You can also give Kaia a list of any medical supplies you might be missing." Allura said, turning to Hunk and I. "Coran can show you two where to find everything." She advised and Hunk and I agreed, though his mood wasn't as high as before. "We'll go with you. Don't want you to have to carry all that yourself. Come on, guys." He said, calling his crew as he began to walk towards the ship before Hunk stopped him. "Uh, I don't think so. You can just wait out here."

"Hunk, don't be rude." Allura scolded him. "Yeah, mind your manners. There are ladies present." Lance added, turning to Nyma with finger guns. I could agree that the way Hunk might have said it was rude, but letting strangers into the castle so easily after what happened with Sendak didn't sound like a good idea. 

"Oh, I'm sorry but does anyone remember the last time we let our defenses down? Someone kind of set off a bomb. Remember, Lance? You were almost killed." Hunk snapped, frowning. It seemed Shiro agreed with him as well, stepping forward. "Hunk's right. Sorry, but we have to be cautious."

"Hey, I don't take it personal. That's how it is out here. You've got to look out for your own. You're doing a good job, big man." Rolo said as he held out a list Beezer had printed. Hunk and I entered the castle and handed the list over to Coran who showed where the parts and the medical supplies were. "Hunk, I know you want to hurry and help Shay and the Balmera.  We all do and we want to help them as well, but you didn't have to sound so rude earlier." I said as I placed some medical supplies into a box Coran gave me. Hunk's behavior worried me. I get that he was anxious to go help the Balmera and it's people, but this behavior coming from Hunk was a bit new and it confused and frustrated me a little, wanting to understand his reasons for his attitude towards Rolo. Hunk groaned, loading another part into the box on the cart Coran had also given us.

"Talk to me. What's wrong?" I demanded as Hunk placed another part into the box. "It's not just about that. There's something fishy about about Rolo and his crew. I don't trust them and that robot. " Hunk said, voice laced with frustration. "You aren't the only one. I didn't really know if I was being paranoid, but something about them did seemed odd to me." I said, closing up the box of medical supplies and placing it onto the cart. "Right? Like, who lets random strangers help fix up their ship when they don't know if we're actually here to help or not? Not to mention, when they're outnumbered. Maybe they're just desperate, maybe I'm crazy, but that guy looked way too relaxed for someone on stranded on a moon with strangers. If that isn't suspicious, then I don't know what is." Hunk spread out his arms as he explained his reasons. He then took a deep breath, calming down a little. "I know I might be wrong, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see." He said and I placed a hand on his back, noting the defeated look on his face.

We wheeled out the cart, Hunk pulling the handle while I pushed from the other side. It was a bit heavy, Hunk straining a bit as he pulled the cart. "Well, I hope there are some parts in here that'll fit." He said, dropping the handle with a sigh. I stood up, stretching my arms above my head before taking my helmet off. "You know, to get your ship moving?" Hunk added.

"Great, Thanks!" Rolo replied and my brows furrowed. Hunk was right. He was way too relaxed. Why wasn't he moving immediately to get their ship fixed now that he had the parts?

"... and has his minions do the work, depending on who's closest. This is the territory of a real nasty bugger named Sendak." Rolo seemed to be explaining to the others. "Oh, we've met." Keith said and I shivered, remembering the vile Galran who was stuffed in a cryo-pod inside the Castle. "How far are we from the center?" Shiro asked. "We're way out on the fringes." Rolo said before Hunk spoke up. "Hey, sorry to interrupt, but I think you guys are kind of keeping Rolo from working. it's just that we're kind of in a hurry. A hero names Shay saved my life and I swore I would return to do the same for her and her people. You understand." Hunk interrupted. "Sure. Sorry." Rolo said, getting up and patting Hunk on the shoulder as he moved towards the cart.

I moved towards them gathered around a fire, taking a seat next to Keith. "You okay?" I heard him ask quietly and turned my head to look at him. "Yeah, why do you ask?" I replied just as quietly, tilting my head a little. "Nothing. You just had this look on your face, like you were thinking about something." Keith said and I blinked, wondering if my suspicion was that obvious. "Hunk just told me something that had me thinking." I explained, shrugging. "What did he say?" Keith asked, curious. "It was probably nothing, but doesn't Rolo seem a little odd? I get staying calm in dire situations, but he shouldn't be this relaxed. Maybe we're reading this wrong, but Hunk and I don't trust him." I said, turning my head to look at said alien that was rummaging through the cart.

"Hey, bud! Sorry, but do you think you could hunt down a length of a thermal pipe about yay long?" Rolo asked, using his hands to show the measurement. Hunk groaned and walked away to go find the pipe. Shiro approached Rolo to ask about any other rebels or resistances and Allura and Keith followed behind him. I stayed behind, sitting on the crate as I stared at the fire. I spotted Lance and Nyma heading into the castle from the corner of my eyes, humming in confusion before shaking it off as Lance trying to impress the beautiful alien. I slowly retreated into my thoughts, my thoughts trailing from suspicions about Rolo to the memory the pod had brought up from the recesses of my mind. Why did that memory come up from the many others I had?

Suddenly, I heard a faint boom and looked up, spotting the Blue Lion leaving. My brows furrowed and I picked up my helmet, trying to get in contact with Lance. "Lance, where are you going with the Blue Lion?" I asked in confusion once the intercom went through. "Nyma and I are just going on a little ride in Blue. I can't disappoint the lady, after all." Lance replied, sounding like he was flirting with Nyma and I sighed. "Lance, you guys have to come back. Who knows what could happen? Besides, I think their ship is almost fixed." I spoke sternly, glancing at Hunk and Rolo who were working on the ship. "We'll be back in a few minutes. Don't worry. We'll see you later." Lance replied before the intercom shut off. I groaned, pulling my helmet off and running a hand down my face.

I left the campfire, moving to stand next to Keith as Rolo shut the door to the ship's engine. "I think this thing is just about ready for a test flight. Beezer, come co-pilot for me. Be back in a tick." Rolo said, walking into the ship with Beezer close behind. His hurried demeanor made me brows furrow, staring after him with narrowed eyes. I know he must probably be excited to test out their ship but that hurry didn't seem like the hurry of excitement. I shut my eyes, arms covering my face as dust was blown around by the ship taking off. We watched them take off and I couldn't help but feel like that was a bad idea.

We sat around on the crates, waiting for Lance and Rolo to return. "How many ticks have they been gone?" Pidge asked from her spot on a large crate. "I don't know. I hope they didn't break down again." Allura replied. "I'm getting kind of worried. It's been a while since Lance and the Blue Lion left and they aren't back yet." I spoke, a bit worried with how long it had been since the Blue Lion and it's paladin had left. "Something ain't right." Hunk spoke up, still sounding suspicious of them. 

A few minutes passed and suddenly, Lance's voice came through the intercom. "Guys? Hello? A little help?" We hear him call out in a panic. "Lance? Lance! Are you all right? What's going on?" Shiro asked in concern as we all put our helmets on. "Well, I'm kind of chained to a tree." Lance replied. "I knew it!" Hunk exclaimed. "And I think Nyma and Rolo just stole the Blue Lion." Lance added hesitantly, making me groan and bury my face in my hands in exasperation. I told him something would happen.

"I knew it!" Hunk exclaimed, voice rising. "Where are they?" Shiro asked. "Uh, space?" Lance sounded unsure as he replied. "Uh, Kaia and I never trusted those guys right from the beginning!" Hunk spoke and we quickly got back to the castle to get our lions,  Hunk continuing on his tirade.

"At first, it was a feeling in my gut, but when I was replacing that thermal pipe, the pipe was cracked but none of the hardware around it was damaged."

"Okay, we get it!" Keith replied but Hunk kept going. "If the thermal pipe is cracked then, obviously, hello, the entire assembly should be totally roasted."

"Okay! We get it." Keith replied, sounding a bit done with Hunk's rambling. "We should've had to replace the entire undercarriage of that reactor. So, right then, I was, like, positive. Foul play." Hunk continued before we stopped him. "Okay, we get it!" The others exclaimed in annoyance and I chuckled quietly.

We left the castle and hurried after Rolo. it wasn't long before we spotted their ship and they seemed to have noticed us too as the ship sped up, flying into an asteroid belt. We tried to follow them, but the density of the asteroid belt made it difficult for us. Well, most of us.

"Keith, you're the only one who could possibly fly through this. We need you, buddy. Get in there and flush him out." Shiro spoke. 

"You got it! See you on the other side." Keith replied. The rest of us flew along the asteroids belt while Keith dove in, weaving and maneuvering through the mess of rocks. Keith's flying reminded me of how, despite Iverson's comments on his behavior, Keith was undeniably one of the best pilots the Garrison had and one of the best pilots I knew. We kept watch of Rolo and Nyma's ship as we flew along the outside. They shot at him as he caught up to them, but he dodged them all and began firing back. They tried to dodge, Keith almost crashing into an asteroid before skillfully saving himself and launched a blade, taking out their blasters. Keith shot one final laser as they tried to get away, taking out one of their rockets and they were sent spinning. The Red lion landed onto the rood of the ship, digging its claws in and stabilizing it.

Keith cheered, chuckling.  "Good job, Keith." Shiro said as we all regrouped on the other side. "Yeah, you were great." I said. 

"Hey, Lance. I got your lion back." Keith told Lance over the intercom.

"Thank you, Keith. Now, can you come and unchain me?" Lance asked, sounding relieved.

 "What's that? I, uh... You're cutting out. I can't... I can't hear you." Keith replied, taking the opportunity to tease Lance.

"Oh, come on! I thought we  we're getting along! Keith? Buddy? My man?" Lance whined and I couldn't help but think he deserved it a little. I chuckled, hopping onto the intercom. "I'll go get him. We'll meet you guys back at the moon." I told them, rolling my eyes in amusement before flying off to go get Lance.

I spotted Lance, landing my lion nearby and hopping out with a smug look on my face. Lance groaned, resting his head against the tree. "I know, I know. You told me so." He said, embarrassed.

"I told you so." I repeated with a nod, chuckling before activating my bayard and shooting the chains off. Lance got up, rubbing his wrists and I handed him his helmet. "I'm sorry I didn't listen to you." Lance guiltily spoke and I patted him on the back as we walked toward my lion. "It's fine. As long as you learned your lesson." I told him with a reassuring smile. "I'm never living this down, aren't I?" Lance asked as we headed into my lion and I shook my head. "Nope." I told him with a smug smile and I flew us back to the others.

We eventually left the three bounty hunters on the moon, leaving to continue on our way to save the Balmera and it's people. I looked at them one last time before we left. They looked like they were really regretting what they'd done. I understood why they did what they did, especially in a world where survival was the priority and the pain of losing everything was always looming. I could only hope that they'd take that regret and turn it into helping others. 

Chapter Text

We were now approaching the Balmera, the space around us glowing with a yellow hue. "We'll be arriving at the Balmera soon." Allura announced as the Balmera came in sight. "Liberating these Balmerans from Zarkon's grasp will not be easy." She explained as we stared at the creature. "So, what's the plan? We go in there and just-- pow, pow, pow!" Lance asked, making shooting sounds while doing weird poses. "And free the prisoners?" 

"What was that noise?" Keith asked Lance, side-eyeing the guy. "Laser guns." Lance replied and I raised a brow. "No, Lance, I think you mean--" Hunk imitated lasers firing while moving his arms like they were the blasters. "Pow!" The big guy finished. "That sounds like fireworks." Lance gave Hunk a judging look. 

"Technically, they're more like ba-choo, ba-choo, ba-choo!" Pidge said, imitating firing a gun with her hands. "I thought they sounded more like pew, pew, pew!" I said, making a finger gun. "Okay, enough with the bad sound effects." Shiro said. "Besides, it's more like-- blam! blam! blam!" He continued, doing shooting poses and I stared at him in confusion. That sounded more like getting punched rather than a laser. 

"What?"

"You're crazy."

"No way."

"Wrong."

"Uh..."

"Paladins, focus." Allura firmly spoke, looking a bit annoyed with our antics. "Besides, we can't just shoot at the Galra. This Balmera, it's, like, alive. And from what we've seen, it doesn't look very good." Hunk added, looking at the infrared image of the Balmera on screen. "Yes, it's an atrocity what the Galra have been doing to this grand best. Stealing its crystals, its very life force without ever performing the energy rejuvenation ceremony to heal it." Coran spoke and the image of the Balmera's surface made me both anger and sadnness. It looked horrible. 

"After seeing Shay's people enslaved, it made me how bad Zarkon really is. And we're the only ones who can stop him." Hunk said with a serious tone in his voice. "Okay, so we can't go into the tunnels guns blazing. Plan B. We figure out how to draw the Galra up to the surface and battle them out there." Shiro told us. It wasn't a bad plan, but how would we draw them out?

"I know. If we attack all of this big mining stuff on the surface, the Galra troops will have to come out and defend it. Then we beat them up, head down to the tunnels, Voltron saves the day." Hunk explained. 

"How will we know how many are left in the tunnels?" Keith asked. "We can track the Galra and the Balmerans using Biothermal Life Indicator Point Technology." Allura answered, showing a small device on screen. "Oh, BLIP tech!" Pidge exclaimed excitedly as she took a closer look at the device. "It's an acronym." Pidge added slowly, noticing Allura's confused stare. "One of you will need to fly around the Balmera and drop sensors into the shafts one each side. Then we'll be able to see where the Galra and Balmerans are. There are already sensors built into your suits." Allura explained as she pulled up a map of the Balmera's tunnel system.

"I can do it. I just modified the Green Lion with the invisibility maze's cloaking ability. I should be able to fly around unnoticed." Pidge said, proud of herself.

"That's their main power generator. If you take that down, it will severely weaken their defenses." Coran said, pulling up an image of said generator. "We'll stay in cloud cover and give tactical support. With the Castle's defenses weakened from Sendak's crystal, we won't be of much help to you." Allura added. It was starting to sound like we had a solid plan in place.

"I'll take out the power generator. Keith, Lance, Hunk, Kaia, you take out these big mining rigs around the area." Shiro said, making Hunk cheer. "Yeah! Okay, let's do this! Let's go kick some alien butt!" Hunk said excitedly. The ship began its descent into the Balmera's atmosphere and we got into our lions, getting ready to head down.

"You think the Balmerans will have a parade for us after we've freed everybody?" Lance asked over the intercom. 

"It's not about the glory Lance. It's about freeing prisoners from Zarkon." Keith said, hopping onto the intercom. 

"No, I know. I know. But still. When they--" Lance was interrupted as our lions shot forward and out of the castle. The Galra began shooting at us as we broke the clouds. We flew towards the generator, dodging lasers as we did. "This is it. Get your heads in the game. Remember, the Balmera is a living creature. Make sure you pinpoint only the Galea installations and not its surface." Shiro told us firmly as we split up to do out parts.

"Alright, girl, let's do this." I told my lion, who roared in response as we flew after the others.

Keith, Lance, Hunk and I flew towards the mining rigs, dodging lasers. Lance and I fired lasers from our lions' tail and Hunk made his lion body slam against the pillar, destroying the turrets. Keith took down the large turret, melting a hole through it with his lion's laser. "Whoa! Did you guys just  see that? I got fire power!" He told us excitedly. "Hey! I want that!" Lance pouted.

"It's falling!" I called out, watching the turret split in half and begin to fall over. "Oh no!" I heard Keith gasp. Hunk flew under the turret, using his lion to try and stop it form falling onto the Balmera. "Hey, we can't let this thing hurt the Balmera." Hunk grunted, struggling to hold it up. "I think my lion know what to do!" Lance said, flying over to help Hunk. His lion shot a laser, freezing the turret before it could fall.

"Aw, snap! These rays are super cool, just like me!" Lance excitedly cheered. 

"Great job, team!" Shiro cheered, making me smile proudly. We did good.

We stood on the ice, looking down at the ground below. After a moment of waiting, we noticed there weren't any soldiers coming to the surface, making us confused. "Where are all the troops? They're not coming to the surface." Keith asked in confusion.

"Yeah, I remember seeing a lot of Galra guys down in the mines." Hunk added.

"We've located a hangar full of Galra fighters just below the surface. Someone has to take those out before they can launch." Allura told us and my brow furrowed. It was definitely a trap.

"They're luring us down, but we have no choice. Keith,  Lance, you guys hit the hangar. Hunk, Kaia, head to the prison to rescue Shay and the other Balmerans. Pidge and I will track down the Galra soldiers." Shiro told us and we leapt forward to do our task.

"Yes, sir."   "Ten four."  "On it."   "Got it."   "Let's do this!"

Hunk and I entered one of the tunnels, travelling through them in our hoverbikes. "Allura, Coran, what's our location?" Hunk asked as we drove through the tunnel. "All these tunnels look the same." I added, looking around. "I can't remember where the prison is." Hunk told them.

"You're on the right path. Turn right at the next tunnel." Coran instructed and we turned right  once we reach another tunnel. "Once you get there, you'll have to disable the energy doors. Be careful. It looks like it's heavily guarded." he advised. We quickly arrived in front of the prison, Galra sentries shooting at us upon our entry. We drifted to a stop, jumping out and taking cover behind our bikes. I activated my bayard, pulling back the string and standing up. I took aim at the guards on the left and fired, piercing their chests. Hunk followed suit, shooting at the guards on the right. Soon, the guards were quickly taken care of and Hunk and I stepped away from our bikes.

"That was way too easy." He commented, suspicious of the situation. "I definitely don't have a good feeling about this." He added and I nodded in agreement, carefully watching the alcoves. "It's too quiet. I thought Coran said this place was heavily guarded." I told him. It was odd how little guards there were. Something definitely isn't right.

Hunk used one of the guards hands to open the doors and we ran through cautiously. I followed behind Hunk, letting him lead the way since he knew where to go. We reached one of the cells and I stood back, keeping an eye out for any guards while Hunk unlocked the door. "Hunk, you have returned." A Balmeran said in relief as they looked at the Yellow Paladin.

"I promised I'd be back. We're here to help. Where's Shay?" Hunk said, approaching them. I turned as another Balmeran spoke, his tone frustrated. "Our life may not have been perfect, but our family was whole. Your arrival has left us imprisoned and torn apart. As soon as your attack started, they took her away to the core of the Balmera. For all we know, she could be gone for good." The Balmeran said. His words were fueled by anger and hurt, but the way he was talking made me feel frustrated on Hunk's behalf.

"Hey," I spoke calmly despite the hint of frustration in my tone, stepping forward. "Hunk came back to help you, didn't he? He promised to free you and he's here to keep that promise. Are you saying living in fear, under Zarkon's tyranny, and doing as the Galra say would have been better? Even if there was a small chance for change? Your family would have been torn apart, regardless of Hunk's involvement or not, because that's what the Galra do. They tear people and families apart in their wake.  The Galra are already tearing apart your home! You have a chance to try and change that, to be free, and you aren't taking it?" I told him, trying to reason with the male Balmeran who didn't respond, glaring angrily at us.

Suddenly, Allura's voice came over the intercom. "Paladins, are you there? The Galra troops are moving down the tunnels. It looks like they're going down toward the center." She informed us.

"They must be headed to the core. That's where they're holding Shay." Hunks aid, beginning to run off. "At least, Hunk is trying to do something." With that, I left and ran after Hunk. I caught up to him, the both us getting into our speeders and heading towards the core. We stopped and got out as the tunnel got narrower, going on foot deeper into the tunnel.

As we walked through the tunnels, everything began to shake and the Balmera groaned, clearly in pain. "Whoa!" I gasped, stumbling a bit before catching myself with the wall of the tunnel. The shaking soon stopped and Hunk and I shared worried looks. "The Balmera is dying. We've gotta hurry!" I told him and we hurried down the tunnel. Hunk and I ran through the tunnel to the center, Hunk as he ran while I silently followed behind.

We reached the center and spotted a Balmeran hanging by their wrists. That must have been Shay. Hunk and I hurried down, Hunk moving to help Shay while I looked around. There weren't any guards anywhere, not a sign or a clue and it was quiet. Too quiet. Why would they leave a prisoner here unguarded? "Unless..." I mumbled, gasping in realization. 

"Where are the Galra? If this is an ambush, they should be waiting for us." Shiro said as he entered from another door, Pidge entering not long after he did from another tunnel. "Guys, stop the door from closing! It's a trap!" I yelled desperately as I turned to Lance and Keith, who had just entered but it was too late. All of the doors shut before anyone could do anything, trapping us inside.

"Whatever it is, keep your guard up." Shiro said as he and Pidge joined us on the ground. "The Galra, they gained knowledge that you would return to the Balmera." Shay explained once she could speak again. "How?" Pidge asked.

"I know not. But they set this trap for you. I was the bait." Shay looked down sadly, making us look at each other in confusion. "Who could have possibly known that we were heading here to save Shay?" Shiro asked. "Rolo! Those liars must have told Zarkon." Hunk said, brows furrowed. 

"We have to figure out how to get out of here." Shiro stated. 

"Wait! We have a giant Castle ship hovering in the sky. Allura, can you please come get us?" Lance said, speaking into the intercom.

"How do you expect her to do that, genius?" Keith asked and I tuned them out to think. I bit my finger, looking around in thought. "We're quite occupied at the moment. We're completely surrounded by Galra ships and we're taking heavy fire! Paladins, you need to get out of there as soon as you can!" I hear Allura say over the intercom, making me bite down on my finger harder.

Okay, we're stuck in an underground room and the doors are locked. The ship is being attacked so we have to hurry. We could try prying the door open or short-circuiting it but that might take some time and it might not work. We could dig, but with what? And how would we do that without hurting the Balmera?

I was broken from my thoughts when Keith gently tugged my finger from between my teeth with a scolding look and pulling my hand down to my side, wrapping my fingers around one of his. I blinked, taking a bit to understand what he was doing before gently squeezing his finger with a small grateful smile that he returned with a reassuring one. I pushed aside the warmth in my face and the butterflies in my stomach, planning to unpack that later. 

"Get it together, guys." Shiro told us firmly before talking to Allura. "Allura, we'll get there as soon as we can."

"Perhaps my people can help us get out." Shay said, placing her hand onto the Balmera's core. "This is how we communicate. The Balmera senses our vibrations and sends a message to those in the tunnels." She explained, making my hum in interest. It was worth a shot. "Are you sure someone will be able to hear your... hand from all the way down here?" Keith asked, a bit skeptical and I tugged on his hand. I knew he wasn't trying to be rude, but he could have worded it a little better. He gave me a look, not understanding why I was giving him a blank look.

"The Balmera will deliver the message." Shay said, unbothered by Keith's question. We all stared in awe as the spot Shay's hand was on glowed. It was mesmerizing. Allura's voice suddenly came onto the intercom, her voice holding a certain urgency. "Paladins, do you copy? There's a battle cruiser locked onto us. If it fires its ion cannon, I don't know if we can survive." She told us, making me squeeze Keith's finger is worry.

"We're trying, Allura. Shay's pressing her hand against a wall, which apparently sends vibrations to the other rock people, who vibrate back or something? Hand talking? I guess the answer to your question is, 'Yes, we copy'." Lance replied, trying to explain what Shay was doing as best he could.

"Shay, are you sure the Balmera is sending your message?" Shiro asked. Shay didn't give a response, but not long after, one of the doors was crushed and forced open. When the dust cleared, Shay's people walked through the doorway. They had come to help. "Rax!"

"We must make haste. We know a shortcut through the tunnels." Rax said and we hurried up the stairs. "Allura, stand by. We're on our way up." Shiro told Allura as we left the room and went back into the tunnels. I had let go of Keith's hand as we spilt up to make it back to our speeders, hurrying through the tunnels along with Hunk to get to our lions before they were taken. I could see the Galra beginning to take off with our lions and sped up. I managed to make it to my lion in time, her letting out a roar as we soared out of the tunnel.

"Guys, did everyone make it to the lions in time?" I heard Shiro ask over the intercom. 

"Come on, Shiro. Who do you think you're dealing with, a bunch of amateurs?" Lance said amused before yelping as his lion ran into a pillar. "I think you spoke too soon, tailor." I chuckled. 

"Do you really want me to answer that?" Shiro asked, a hint of laughter in his voice as Lance replied with a sulking 'No'.

"Let's go!" Shiro said and we flew into the fleet. Keith, Pidge, Lance and I fired lasers from our lions mouth cannons, Hunk rammed into the ships and Shiro used his lion's new jaw-blade to cut the ships in half. More ships came down and Keith and Lance teamed up, firing their lions' new heat and ice lasers together. Keith's melted the ship while Lance's froze them. Hunk flew forward, flinging ships away, not noticing ships above him. "Hunk, watch out!" Pidge said, her lion moving to cover Hunk's. "Got you covered!" Shiro said as he sliced the ships in half. "Phew, thanks, guys!"

I took down a few more ships, evading the lasers and sending some of my own back. Thanks to Shiro's light lessons, I was starting to get the hang of piloting my lion and was slowly getting better at it. I still wasn't the best, but now, I could hold my own with minimal worry about crashing into someone.

"Paladins, I need you immediately! Five more ticks and we're finished!" Allura spoke desperately into the intercom. "Okay, team. let's form Voltron!" Shiro said and we all yelled in unison. The Lions flew in unison and began to transform, locking together as we were pulled us together. Eventually, we had formed Voltron and were now racing to save Allura and Coran.

We yelled in unison, pushing the ship to move its trajectory away from the castle. We moved away as the castle soon fired a large blast, piercing the Galra cruiser and causing it to explode along with the rest of the ships.

We all cheered, celebrating the victory. We landed back onto the Balmera, sighing in relief.

"Mission accomplished." Keith said in relief.

"And just in the nick of time. The Castle's defenses are battered and will need to fully recharge." Allura told us. I stretched my arms above my head, just about to relax when the alarms suddenly blared. I looked up, watching something enter the atmosphere. "There's an unknown object incoming! It's about to crash into the Balmera!" Coran informed us as we watched it crash not too far away.

"What the heck is that?" Lance asked in shock.

"Trouble." Shiro replied with a grave voice.

----------

The halls of Wayne Manor were quiet, something that wasn't unusual to its occupants. However, there was something about the silence that seemed off. As though something was missing. As though something had left.

Bruce was a man of many things. By day, he was philanthropist, billionaire and playboy, Bruce Wayne, owner of Wayne Enterprises. By night, he was the caped crusader, Batman, the Dark Knight. He's accomplished many things in his life, achieved many feats and faced and beaten many foes. He's done all that, but why did he feel this sense of failure?

It wasn't until Alfred had come to him wanting to speak to him about something that he had realized why. "Master Bruce, there is something you must know. It is in regard to Master Kaia." He spoke with a tone that spoke the importance of it's topic.

It took Bruce a few minutes to remember who Kaia was, feeling guilty for forgetting the eldest of his biological children. The image that came to his mind when he finally remembered her was of a 10 year old holding a flyer. He couldn't even correctly remember her face or voice. But last he had seen her, she was healthy.

"I'm sure she's fine, Alfred." Bruce said, not looking up from his paperwork as he seemed sure that the girl was alright. He hadn't heard from her in a while but he took that as off timings and her generally being a quiet child. "She's probably just playing somewhere around the manor."

It was silent for a few seconds before the old butler spoke up, tone holding disappointment and confusion. "Master Bruce, Master Kaia has not lived in the manor for the past year." Alfred stated, making Bruce pause and look up in shock.

"What?" Bruce asked, making Alfred give him a disappointed stare and it made Bruce even feel more guilty. How did he not know or realize one of his children had left? And someone so young too. "But she's 10. How could she just run away with no one noticing?"

Alfred looked sad and disappointed, closing his eyes for a moment. "I believe I should show you something, Master Bruce. Do follow me." He spoke, turning to leave the room. Bruce quickly followed, leaving behind the paperwork. The walk was quiet, leaving Bruce to his thoughts.

When was the last time he had talked to her? Like, actually had a meaningful, long conversation with her? Was she even there during events and galas? at family holidays and birthdays?

Alfred led him through multiple halls until he reached a part of the wing he thought was unused. The scent of bleach and air freshener spoke differently as the old butler opened a room. He took in the sight of a shelf that held a dozen books and pictures, a neatly made bed and the open closet that held boxes. The shelves also held a few trinkets that seemed untouched yet clean, as though someone was taking care of them. Bruce had a sneaking suspicion about who's room this was as he moved towards the shelf, certificates of school events with Kaia's name on display.

Alfred didn't say anything as Bruce took in the room in it's entirety, how small it was, how far away it was from their rooms, how clean it was, and how it was noticeable that someone had not occupied the room in a long time. "Alfred, why isn't she in the family wing?" Bruce asked, picking out an album and turning to look at the butler who stood by the desk. Was this why he hadn't noticed her ever leaving from a room there? Because she didn't even have a room there?

"I had offered to prepare a room for her, but she refused." Alfred explained, staring at the album in Bruce's hands.  Bruce opened the album, greeted by a picture of a woman and a familiar looking child smiling as they sat on some stairs. The picture had jogged Bruce's memory a little and he felt even more guilt as as he had finally managed to put a name to a face. He flipped through the album, pictures of school events, class pictures and in each one, Kaia only seemed to grow and look older and older. It made him wonder exactly how old she was now as he stared down at the graduation picture in the last page, Alfred standing next to her as she held up her high school diploma. With each picture, his guilt and regret grew.  She wasn't even in the family portrait.

How much of his child's life had he missed?

"Alfred," Bruce quietly spoke, "how old is Kaia?" he hesitantly asked and the butler gave him a sad look. "She is currently 18, Master Bruce." He answered and Bruce felt cold. 18? She was as old as Tim now and he hadn't even noticed?

Suddenly, Alfred's words earlier came to mind and he looked at the butler with a certain urgency. "You said she hadn't lived here in the past year. Alfred, where is she?" He asked, holding the album tightly in his hands. "I'm afraid I can't answer that, sir." Alfred spoke with regret audible in his voice. It made Bruce freeze and his grip on the album tighten.

"What do you mean 'You can't answer that', Alfred?" Bruce asked in disbelief. Alfred seemed to be the only one that had been in contact and had been a constant in Kaia's life when he... when he wasn't.

"I am unable to contact her or locate her whereabouts." Alfred said, holding out a pamphlet for a school. "The number doesn't appear to exist and the school she had told me she attended cannot be found anywhere. It appears the number and school were a fabrication she made." He explained, letting Bruce take the note into his free hand.

A fake number and a non-existent school? It didn't make sense. Why would Kaia give Alfred these? Maybe she didn't want to be found? But that didn't make sense. She was family and she clearly loved the old man. 

Was she threatened? It was a possibility. A horrid possibility that made Bruce feel cold with a mix of worry, guilt and regret.

Worry for his daughter's well-being,

Guilt for forgetting her,

And regret for not being there for her like he was for his other children.

He had to find her. They had to find her.

"Alfred, call everyone to the Batcave for a meeting. Tell them its important they be here." Bruce spoke as he got up, tone and expression serious as he left the room with the album in his hands. "Of course, Master Bruce." Alfred said as he followed after him, just as serious.

It was time for a family meeting.

Chapter Text

"Oh no!" Pidge exclaimed.

"Please tell me there's not a giant monster in there. Pleas etell me its empty! Or full of space candy. One of those two. Either one is fine." Hunk spoke in fear.

"Yeah, I don't think it's a piñata, Hunk." Lance spoke.

"If it's the same kind of monster that attacked us on Arus, we already know how to beat it." Keith spoke with a hint of confidence, the Red and Green lion activating the sword and shield respectively as we prepared to face whatever was inside that giant pod.

"I doubt the Galra would use the same trick twice, Keith." I spoke, pulling up some feed of the crash site.

"Hold you ground!" Shiro told us as the pod opened and revealed another robot monster. It looked different compared to the one we had fought on Arus with long arms and red metal instead of purple. It's head moved, the eyes coming together. It seemed to have locked on to us, the laser in its chest beginning to warm up before firing. We blocked with the shield, getting pushed back by the laser.

"It's not candy!" Hunk exclaimed in panic.

"And it's not the same monster!" Lance added.

We spun out of the way, moving out of the laser's trajectory. "We need to draw its fire away from the Balmera's surface." Shiro shouted as we moved towards the monster. It leapt into the air before firing another laser at us. We blocked it with the shield, groaning as the laser hit. We used the rockets on the Yellow and Blue lion to move around, dodging the laser before we flew towards it and slashed with the sword. It dodged, ducking under the sword before firing a laser with one of its eyes. The laser hit and we were almost sent onto our back before we got saved our hides using the rockets. We flew into the air and away from it, dodging the lasers it fired.

We landed and blocked just in time as it fired a laser at us. I turned the Green lion's dial, sending more energy to the shield. I could see each of the status bars beginning to lower and turn red, making me worry. "We can't hold out!" Lance exclaimed.

"I've sent more energy to the shield but it's still draining fast!" I told them, watching the status bars blink red and lower the longer we took the laser.

"My lion is weakening! If the shield sustains structural damage, we're done for!" Pidge exclaimed.

"Pidge is right!" Keith exclaimed, making Lance retort sarcastically. "Oh, Pidge is right. I'm the one that said 'We can't hold out!'."

"Lance, watch your footing!" Keith yelled as the Blue lion slipped and we fell back with a groan, the shield dismantling.

"Okay, Team Voltron, disband!" Shiro yelled and we disbanded, flying in different directions. " Everyone, evasive maneuvers. It can't shoot us all at once." He told us and as if it heard us, the monster spread it's arms out, revealing lasers lining them before firing. "Are you kidding me?" I exclaimed, dodging one laser after another.

"Okay. It can do that too." Shiro said as we all dodged the lasers.

Okay, Kaia, what do we know? Its faster than the previous one, has a laser on it's chest- I narrowly dodged more lasers. -and has more on its arm. It can fire multiple at once and we have to stop it from hurting the Balmera further. There's gotta be a weak spot.

I narrowed my eyes, carefully taking in the appearance of the monster and trying to find a weak spot. The monster continued to fire its laser before being interrupted by a laser fired from the castle. Allura and Coran had joined the fight. The monster fired a laser at the castle with its eye, the laser hitting the particle barrier.

"Keith, try to draw its fire! I'm coming in from above!" Shiro told the red paladin.

"Roger!" Keith replied, flying towards the monster and firing the heat laser at it. It did no damage but it did draw its attention, making it direct its lasers at the Red Lion as Shiro came down from above. He was about to fire a laser at it when it turned and fired a laser at him, forcing him to dodge. "We need to find its blind spot!" Lance exclaimed as we dodged another laser.

"I don't think that thing has a blind spot. It has a thousand eyes." Pidge said.

"Laser eyes! Laser eyes!" Hunk yelled in panic as he dodged the lasers fired at him.

"What do we do? Fighting this thing is like fighting an entire fleet at once!" Pidge said,

"It might not have a blind spot, but it definitely isn't perfect. We just need to find out what its weakness is and take advantage of that." I spoke, dodging a laser.

"I think we've got to aim for those laser eyes and take them out." Keith suggested.

"We'll cover you from up here!" Allura told us, the castle beginning to fire lasers at the monster. The monster retaliated, firing back with all of its lasers.

"We're taking heavy fire up here! We're in trouble!" Allura exclaimed.

"Princess, pull back! Get out of it's range, now!" Shiro told her to which she declined, stating she wouldn't abandon us. "You're not abandoning us. We're about to pull back anyway." He replied.

"We are?" Hunk asked in confusion.

"We can't hold out. We have to." Shiro answered before addressing the rest of us. "Lions, to the mine shafts! It's the only place the monster can't get us." he told us.

"Got it!" I replied and directed my lion to a nearby mineshaft with Lance and Pidge, diving down before a laser could land a hit. This was horrible. Not only was the Balmera still dying, we can't even get close to that thing without it firing a laser. What was that laser made out of anyway? I wondered as I stepped out of my lion, hand covering the lower part of my face.

I gasped as the ground suddenly shook, the sound of pained moans filling my ears as the mineshaft around me shook. I then heard Hunk's voice over the intercom. "Did you guys feel that over there?" He asked, voice laced in worry.

"Yeah, we feel it." Lance replied as we looked around. "It's that sound again. What is that?" Pidge asked as the ground continued to shake, dust and debris falling. "It must be the Balmera. I think it's getting worse." I spoke worriedly, looking up at the entrance of the mineshaft.

"Coran, Allura, are you there?" I heard Shiro ask the two Alteans over the intercom.

"Shiro, we're here." Allura replied.

"The Balmera-" Shiro began before Coran interrupted him. "We already know. Our scanners are showing the life energy draining from the Balmera." Coran told us and Pidge pulled up an image of the Balmera. It didn't look good.

"How does that happen?" Pidge asked.

"Removing crystals from a Balmera is like removing a vital part of the mighty beast. The Balmera needs time to regenerate itself to be healthy, but the Galra's greed may have cost this noble Balmera its life." Coran explained. It made sense. The Balmera was a living being. Just like any living creature, when critically injured or sick, the Balmera needs time to rest and allow its immune system, in a sense, to work on recovery.

"So what's going to happen?" Hunk asked in concern.

"Its core will collapse, destabilizing the entire skeletal structure. Anything or anyone remaining on the Balmera at that point will be crushed into dust." Coran explained. My eyes widened in alarm.

"How long before its core collapses?" Shiro asked.

"Probably a matter of hours. The might organism willingly gives itself to all, but not all return its kindess." Coran told us. So if we didn't take care of the monster or get off the Balmera in a few hours, we'd become space dust? That definitely didn't sound good.

"Then our time is short. We'll evacuate the planet. We need to get all the Balmerans to the Castle of Lions before the planet implodes." Allura spoke up with a serious tone.

"Okay, that sounds like a good plan, but how on earth are you do you plan on landing the castle with that monster- thingy on the surface?" Hunk asked, bringing up a good point. How would we get the Balmerans safely to the castle with the monster firing lasers everywhere.

"Coran, is there any way to get a thorough scan of that thing?" I asked, hoping the castle had some kind of x-ray or scanner that can help get information on the monster.

"Afraid not, Kaia. Why do you ask?" Coran replied. "I was hoping it would help find a weak point or something on the beast we could exploit or get some intel on what that thing is made of, but it looks like we'll have to think of something else." I crossed my arms, shrugging.

"You'll need a distraction." Pidge stated.

"We'll engage the beast in our lions. With it distracted, Allura and Coran will land the castle and load all of its citizens." Shiro said before Lance jumped in, face close to the screen.

"Or we could load Balmerans into our lions a few at a time and shuffle them to the ship. No engaging ferocious laser-eye guy. How long would that take?" The Cuban male suggested, making me shake my head.

"Days? Weeks?" Can replied, sounding skeptical of Lance's plan.

"It's good in theory, Lance, but we'd have to make multiple trips and I don't think we have that much time. Plus, we'd be risking the Balmerans if the monster started firing lasers at us." I told him, patting his shoulder.

"Kaia's right. We only have hours." Keith spoke, leaning in from the side of Shiro's screen.

"Look, we don't need to beat this thing. We just need to bait it away from the ship. Provoke and evade." Shiro told us.

"Okay, here's the thing. I'm worried we're going to be really, really good at the provoking part and then really bad at the evading part." Hunk's words made me wince. I'd definitely be in trouble with my amateur piloting. "But if this is what it takes to save Shay and everyone on the planet, then I'm in." Hunk finished, sounding more determined.

"Can you contact the other Balmerans?" I heard Keith ask, talking to Shay and her family. Shay sounded worried as she pondered on what the other Balmerans would say. It made sense. The Balmera was all they knew, even when the Galra had taken it over. It was their home, their life revolved around it and leaving it would likely sound ridiculous and awful to the other Balmerans. They'd probably rather die with the Balmera than abandon it but that wasn't to say that they wouldn't be open to it. They did value family and if they valued family, then they'd go anywhere together. As long as they had each other. It made my heart twist a little bitterly at the thought.

"It's the only option. I'm coming down." Allura said, breaking me from my thoughts. Coran tried to stop her but she was determined. "Someone has to be there to lead these people out." She told Coran and I couldn't help but admire her bravery.

"You're coming down? That thing will spot your pod and blow it to pieces." Pidge told her.

"Coran and Pidge are right, Allura. It's too risky." I added, brows furrowed in worry.

"Let me worry about that. You just focus on keeping the creature distracted." Allura told us and we couldn't do anything but agree. We got back into our lions and left the mineshafts. Shiro, Hunk and Keith fired lasers at it before flying away, drawing its attention. The creature flew after them, firing lasers from its eyes. It reminded me of Superman a little, in an 'I wouldn't want to be them right now' sense.

"Okay, we've provoked. Time to evade!" Hunk shouted, the Yellow lion moving out of the way as the creature fired a laser at it.

"Princess, we've lured the monster away. It's time." Shiro told Allura.

"I'll contact you all when I'm on the ground." Allura told us before the sound of a pod launching filled the intercom and the rushing of air.

"Is that Allura?" Lance exclaimed, making us turn to look at a dot flying towards the ground.

"Yup." I spoke before noticing the monster's eye turn.

"We've got to protect the princess!" Hunk yelled and I pushed the handles, making my lion fly in Allura's direction. "You guys distract it while I help Allura get to the ground safely!" I told them, trying to get to Allura as fast as I could.

Hunk got in the way of an incoming laser, his lion taking the hit. It distracted it enough to let Shiro leap onto its back before leaping off, Lance freezing its head. It gave me enough time to fly next to Allura, my lion hiding her away from the monster's sight.

I pulled the handles back as Allura entered the mineshaft, my lion brushing the ground before flying steadily. "She's in!" I announced, flying back towards the others to help. I dodged a few lasers, firing a laser back before moving away.

"Hurry! I don't know how long we can hold this thing off." Shiro told Allura after she told us she had reached the ground with an urgent tone.

"Castle of Lions, coming in!" Coran came onto the intercom after a few minutes. "Paladins, how are you holding up?"

"I think we've got him pretty distracted. Are the Balmerans in position?" Keith replied, his lion dodging a few lasers.

"They're making their way to the top." Allura answered.

We all flew away from the monster as it fired laser after laser at us, the hits landing on the Balmera below instead. "Every hit weakens the Balmera. Have you evacuated yet? What's happening?" Hunk asked Allura, voice sounding urgent.

"The Balmerans are trapped. Just keep distracting the beast!" Coran replied.

"Uh, do you want us to distract it by dying? Because that's what's going to happen!" Hunk said sarcastically in exchange.

"Guys, remember when I said we didn't have to beat it?" Shiro's words made me feel dread, knowing what he might say next. "We might have to beat it." Yep, there it was. I sighed, beginning to get frustrated. Things would be easier if we found a pattern to its attack but that thing doesn't seem to have one aside from all laser, go!

We kept our distance and dodged the lasers, trying and failing to damage the robot in return. "What the hell do they make these things out of?" I grumbled, dodging a laser.

"Guys, this isn't working. We'll never take this beast down in our lions." Keith spoke up, slight desperation in his voice.

"Well, forming Voltron didn't work, either." Pidge replied.

"Not without some way to shoot all those laser eyes at once." Lance added.

"Guys! Guys, something's happening here!" Hunk exclaimed, sounding a bit weirded out. "I-I think there's a way to take down all those laser eyes at once." He told us.

"Well, what is it?" Pidge asked, dodging another laser.

"Do you remember how Voltron formed that sword with Keith's bayard?" Hunk asked.

"Yeah, why?" I replied, holding my breath as I narrowly dodged another laser.

"I think my lion's telling me I can do the same thing with my bayard." Hunk finished.

"Are you sure?" Keith asked, sounding a bit doubtful.

"Let's find out. Form thingy!" Hunk exclaimed yet nothing happened. "It didn't work!"

"Because we didn't form Voltron yet." Shiro exclaimed. "Oh, right. Yeah, I know." Hunk replied, making me chuckle. "Got a bit too excited there, bud." I told him with a small smile on my face.

"Guys, whatever we're planning, let's hurry up and do it." Pidge said, dodging another laser fired at her.

I then noticed its head turn and followed its line of sight, gasping in horror. "Guys, its noticed them!" I warned, the monster beginning to move.

"We've got to defend the castle! Everyone, follow me. Form Voltron!" Shiro yelled and we flew upwards in unison, feeling the same magnetic pull as our lions transformed and locked together to form Voltron.

We landed in front of the castle, a cannon materializing on one of Voltron's shoulders. the monster spread its arms, beginning to charge up an attack. I spotted a lever on my dashboard, the cannon image above it. The creature fired, a large green beam firing at us. We fired back, the two lasers colliding. I grunted, pushing the cannon's lever to divert more energy towards it, but it was no use. "It's not enough!" Shiro shouted, voice sounding strained as we tried to push back against the laser with our own.

"We'll have to try something else!" Hunk yelled, shuffling his lion back a little. The creature's laser was directed to the sky, missing the castle by a hair. The creature charge up another attack and we moved out of the way, the creature's attention now focused on us as we dodged and evaded.

Suddenly, a screen showing the laser-eyes on the creature being locked on popped up, Hunk's voice accompanying it. "Are you guys seeing this?" He asked.

"Roger that!"

"Let's see what this thing can do. Engage!" Shiro spoke and the cannon materialized again. I pushed the lever up as we fired, watching as several lasers hit the targeted eyes of the creature. It fell to its knees, arms sparking with electricity.

"Whoa..." I gasped, watching in awe as a blue light spread across the Balmera from under the castle. It was beautiful. It only lasted a short while, the light fading. We put our focus back on the monster, the creature getting back up with a snarl as it began charging the laser on its chest and fired. We quickly moved out of the way. It was definitely much better dealing with only one laser as we rushed towards it and the Red lion punched it in the chest, breaking the laser and sending it back a few feet. I sighed in relief, slumping back in my chair. We did it. I patted the arm of chair, a silent 'Nice work' sitting in my head directed at my lion. Her purr echoed in my head, commending us all for a job well done.

We disbanded and quickly flew over to Allura and the Balmerans, landing by the castle and rushing out of our lions. We had just reached Allura and Shay when the ground began to shake and we gasped in horror, watching the monster get back up. It began charging its chest laser and I instinctively grabbed Keith's hand anxiously, his hand squeezing back as he pushed me behind him.

Just then, the ground began to sprout crystals at the creature's feet, slowly rising to engulf the creature. A crystal burst from its chest, the monster letting out one last snarl before it was fully encased in the Balmera's crystals.

"No way." Hunk gasped as we stared at the encased monster.

"The Balmera just saved us." Coran told Allura.

"Look at the crystals." Allura spoke happily as we turned to look at the ground. Crystals of all shapes and sizes were beginning to grow from it. We had finally done it. We saved the Balmera.

"Oh, who's a good Balmera? You are. Who ate the big monster? You did." I heard Hunk speaking, all of us turning to watch him scratch the Balmera as though he was giving a dog a belly rub. I chuckled, finding the display amusing yet sweet. "Yes, you did. Yes, you did."

"Dude, what are you doing?" Keith asked, watching Hunk in confusion. "What? It's alive, and it wuvs my scwatches!" Hunk replied, unbothered. I chuckled before noticing my hand still in Keith's. It seemed Keith noticed two as we looked down at our intertwined hands then at each other before pulling away. I turned away, hiding my warm face. My face felt warmer as I met Pidge's teasing smirk and shook my head, praying to whatever higher being there was that she would forget about it.

--------

We had all spent some time celebrating with the Balmerans, dancing, eating and drinking. I watched Lance and Pidge dance, sitting quietly off to the side as I watched everyone have fun. I could see Shiro and Keith having a drink as they talked. My eyes eventually fell on Keith. It was nice to see him smiling and laughing. I rarely saw him laugh and smile during our time at the Garrison, so it was a nice sight.

I eventually moved further away, looking for a spot to enjoy the sunrise. I sat on a ledge, looking up at the night sky in thought. An irrational part of me spoke, asking about what I would do once he or the others decided that I wasn't worth it. When the team would think like them and I'd be pushed away into the shadows again. I knew they wouldn't do that but I couldn't help the thought lingering in my head.

Suddenly, I started thinking about my feelings for Keith to distract myself from my doubts and what these feelings might mean for our friendship. Honestly, it scared me a little. I didn't want to lose Keith, as a friend or as something more if it ever got that far. I didn't even know if what I felt for him was real or just me mistaking being happy he was back in my life again. I quietly groaned, burying my face into my knees. I hate this. Why are feelings so hard?

I heard footsteps come towards me before the sound of someone sitting down made me look to my side. There Keith sat, eyes on the horizon and I turned to look as well. It was silent for a moment, the both of us sitting there in a calm silence.

"The Waynes..." I heard Keith begin and felt a bit nervous despite anticipating the topic coming up eventually. "...they're the ones you told me about, aren't they? Your family?" Keith finally asked and I sighed, nodding.

"Yep. That's them. Y'know, I still find it funny sometimes. The contrast between how they treated me and how the media sees them. Maybe there was something wrong with me I wasn't aware of." I replied, a mirthless smile on my face. A bitter feeling sprouted inside my chest, memories of a childhood spent mostly alone inside cold halls running through my head. The silence returned, still calm yet holding a tension that wasn't there before.

"There is nothing wrong with you." Keith spoke firmly, breaking the silence and I turned to look at him. He was already looking at me, a firm yet comforting expression on his face "They're the ones who have something wrong with them. You're better than them, inside and out. You're a great paladin, a good person and an even greater friend." He spoke, a small sincere smile on his face. I couldn't help but notice the small hints of purple in his eyes.

I stared at him for a moment, quietly taking in his words. "I- Thanks, Keith." I said softly, pulling him into a hug which he returned a second later. Even if I would doubt his words in the future and I know I would, I still appreciated them. "If things get too much, you can come talk to me. You don't have to deal with it alone." He told me and I didn't respond. I could hear him sigh a moment later, feeling the air brush my ear. I knew I could rely on Keith, I had for a year, but there were just some things I felt I could handle alone.

"You should head back. I'm gonna stay back here for a bit." I told him, pulling away. Keith looked reluctant but I insisted, shooing him away and back to the party. I took a deep breath and turned to look at the horizon, thoughts less in disarray. Keith's words helped, but I already knew I wasn't like them. Not in bond and not in secrets, for they held many while I held few. Yet, I couldn't help but care about them. Deep down, I was still the poor girl who cared about her family more than they did her, even when she wished she didn't and wished she could just forget it all.

I watched the sun slowly rise over the horizon, standing up. I wasn't afraid of help. I knew what my limits were but I didn't want to burden anyone with my problems when they were dealing with their own problems. It was nice to have the team to rely on, but I could handle my own problems and feelings by myself. I always have and I probably always will.

The warmth of the sun mixed with the cold breeze brushed my skin as I turned, moving to head back and join the others as I pushed my negative thoughts and the confusion about my feelings for Keith to the back of my mind to deal with later.

Chapter Text

"I still don't think this is a good idea." I mumbled nervously before yawning, standing as far away from the cryo-pod as I watched Coran hook it up. While I could understand that getting information on Zarkon was important, I still felt uneasy about Sendak still being inside the castle along with the weird purple crystal. Yes, it was still here. Pidge had been analyzing it shortly before she came down after Coran had called her.

"Okay, guys, Sendak's almost all hooked up." Coran said, moving towards a control panel. "But, look, I have to warn you, this technology was used to keep Altean's memories alive, not to interrogate prisoners." He warned us.

"Coran, we understand this isn't what the technology was meant for, but if we can extract Sendak's memories, we may gain valuable intelligence on Zarkon's troop locations." Shiro said.

"Yeah, and then we can just be like, 'Knock, knock.' 'Who's there?' 'The avenging fury of Voltron, son!" Lance added, making me shake my head in amusement.

"Fascinating. So, how exactly does this work?" Pidge asked, face pressed against the glass.

"As the memories are extracted, they're rewritten bit by bit on individual molecules of the micro-storage strands." Coran explained, making me tilt my head in curiosity. Could it work on people with amnesia or people with repressed memories?

"When I go, I want all the stuff in my brain stored in a giant ship." Lance spoke as though he was seeing the image in his head. 

"The amount of information in your brain could be stored in a paper airplane." Keith said bluntly.

"Oh yeah? Well, the amount of information you have, Keith, could be..." Lance paused, an annoyed look on his face.

"Yeah?" Keith asked, glancing at Lance.

"Uh... it's less than what I have!" Lance replied. "Oh, good one, Lance!" Hunk cheered. I held back a laugh, finding the satisfied look on Lance's face contrasting the unamused look on Keith's hilarious while Shiro looked quite frankly done with their antics.

"This is how you incorporated King Alfor's memories into the Castle of Lions?" I heard Pidge ask Coran. 

"Precisely, but it's never been attempted before on an unwilling participant." Coran replied as Pidge kept peeking over his shoulder. He soon closed the panel and our attention was drawn to the container next to the pod as it activated, white light filtering into it.

"Uh, is this what's supposed to be happening?" Hunk asked, hesitantly.

"Let's give it some time." Shiro told him as we all stared at the container. 

I don't know how long we had been standing in the containment room for, but it seemed that as more time passed, the more we slowly became bored and frustrated. Hunk had even fallen asleep while standing, which was a feat in and of itself. I jumped as Hunk fell back, sighing when he didn't seem hurt. Eventually, we all got too tired to stand aside form Pidge, Coran and Shiro. I sat back against an empty pod, Keith leaning against it as well while Hunk and Lance sat on the floor near Pidge. Shiro stood stiffly in front of Sendak's pod, making me wonder if he was as tired as us or not. The room was quiet, making me feel drowsy as I rest my head against pod behind me.

"Well, I can't wait around anymore. I'm going to hit the training deck." Keith broke the silence, leaving the room shortly after.

The room was quiet again as a few minutes passed and I dozed off for a few minutes before jumping as someone spoke. "Okay, if anyone needs me, I'll be in the lab. Maybe I can pull " Pidge broke the silence this time, getting up and leaving.

"I think I'm gonna go take a nap. Wake me up if anything happens." I yawned, getting up after a few minutes and left the containment room to head to my room. I had no idea how much time had passed by the time I had woken up again. I sat up, grabbing my bag and emptying it  before reorganizing everything inside. It was quiet, save for the low hum of the air from the vent. The quiet of stillness, as though there was something lurking. Waiting.

I placed some bandages into my bag followed by my pill case and the different ointments before noticing that the room felt warmer than before. The air conditioning in the castle wasn't very cold but you could usually tell it was on. I got up and approached the vent in my room, putting my hand up to check the wind. My eyes widened in shock as I didn't feel any air against the palm of my hand, but instead moving away from it. 

I mentally cursed and hurried to the door, the door opening an inch before slamming shut. "What the hell?" I exclaimed, trying to pull the door open but it wouldn't budge. It was locked.  Why is it locked? And what the hell is going on? 

I could hear the hum of the vent getting louder, the wind most likely leaving the room faster. Shit! I thought, beginning to feel anxious as I pounded my hands against the door. "Help! Anybody! Help!" I screamed, banging my hands against the door. There was no response on the other side, making me turn to look around the room. There had to be a way out or some way to get the door open.

The vent was too small compared to the rest of the vents in the castle so I couldn't get out there. I headed to my nightstand, looking through the drawer before silently cursing as I slammed it shut. I had left my bayard with my armor after we had gotten back to castle and changed. It slowly getting harder to breather as the air left the room, my breathing beginning to grow heavier. I glanced at the vent brows furrowing in thought before looking down at my cardigan.

I shrugged it off and quickly moved over to my vent, grabbing some medical tape as I got up on my bed to reach the vent. I draped it flat against the vent and used the tape to hold it in place before getting off my bed. I stumbled a bit, taking a deep breath. It isn't the best solution, but it should slow it down a bit. 

I tugged on the door again, trying to pull it open but ultimately giving up as it wouldn't budge. It just had to be a sliding door.  I thought, trying to slow down my heavy breathing to reserve the limited air I had left. I banged my fists against the door, screaming for help yet yielding no response once again. I was beginning to feel lightheaded and the panic was slowly setting in as I rummaged through my bag after dragging it to the floor. I set it aside when I found nothing, the thud of my cardigan falling onto my bed. Tangina! I cursed, taking deep breaths as I banged my fists against the door. "Help! Anyone! Guys!" I yelled as loud as I could.

My vision blurred and I saw flashes of Sendak's vile smirk as I gasped, trying to get some oxygen into my lungs. I continued to hit the door with my fists, slowly falling to my knees the dizzier I got. I weakly banged my fist against the door. Was this how I was going to die? Locked in what is practically a vacuum chamber? I thought sadly, desperately gasping for air. 

I closed my eyes, the dizziness getting too much as I leaned against the door. It was quiet again, save for the sound of my heavy breathing growing weaker and weaker. Suddenly, I heard faint commotion from down the hall, the sounds of screaming and faint footsteps reaching my ears. I opened my eyes weakly, taking in one big gulp of whatever air was left in the room. "Guys, help!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, mustering my leftover strength to slam my hands against door.

The screaming and footsteps slowly faded, making me lose hope. "No..." I whispered, finding it harder to keep myself up as I lay on the ground by the door. I weakly gasped for air as black spots invaded my sight, my vision getting blurrier by the minute. Someone... help...  I desperately pleaded in my head, my eyelids drooping. Mama... The last things I heard before passing out was the sound of someone yelling my name in panic and metal scraping against metal.

--------

I gasped, coughing and trying to get as much air into my lungs as I turned over onto my side. "Kaia? Kaia! Kaia, breathe. We've got you." I heard Keith speak as I blinked, slowly adjusting to the bright lights of the hallway. Keith and Lance were hovering over me as I lay on the ground, both looking at me worriedly and I slowly sat up with Keith's help. "We're so glad you're okay! What happened? Keith turned and ran back after we heard a scream and then, we found you passed out in your room after Keith pried the door open with his bayard." Lance asked, him and Keith helping me to my feet. I took a deep breath. It felt good to have some air in my lungs again.

"I don't know. I was just reorganizing my bag after a nap when I noticed my room get a bit warmer and then, my room suddenly turned into a vacuum chamber and I couldn't open the door." I explained as best I could, shaking my head. Lance looked at Keith and I in panic. " That's it! This has gone on long enough! I'm telling you the castle is trying to kill us! We've gotta find Coran and the others!" Lance yelled and we all hurried to Pidge's lab. It looked as though Keith had something he wanted to talk to me about but pushed it aside as the urgency of the situation came first. Luckily, we had managed to bumped into Coran on the way and brought him up to speed with what was going on but he didn't seem to believe us. 

"How can you guys be taking a nap while this castle is trying to kill us?" Lance angrily asked as we walked into Pidge's lab, finding the lab a mess and Pidge and Hunk in a heap on the floor.

"Taking a nap? We've been floating around in zero g! You know how scary that is?" Hunk asked as I walked over to them to help them up. "Are you guys okay?" I asked, helping Pidge up.

"Yeah, we're fine, for the most part." Pidge replied, cracking her back.

"That's not scary! That's fun! I almost got launched into space!" Lance replied, voice raising with panic.

"Well, I got attacked by killer food, and that's the most horrifying thing you can imagine! The stuff of nightmares! It'll haunt me to my grave!" Hunk argued and I sighed, feeling my irritation beginning to rise along with a headache from all the yelling.

"Well, I had a robot trying to kill me!" Keith joined in and I snapped, glaring at all of them.

"Enough! I almost died from asphyxiation! But, you don't see me trying to compare who had it worst." I yelled, glaring angrily at all three of them. The three looked away and I sighed, rubbing my temples. "Look, we've all had some crazy stuff happen to us and clearly something is wrong. We need to figure out what and how to fix it." I spoke calmly. Everyone, save for Coran, nodded in agreement.

"I don't care what you say, Coran. This castle has gone apples and bananas!" Lance turned to Coran, frustration evident in his voice and face.

"Perhaps the infection from Sendak's Galra crystal is worse than we thought." Coran told us, making us turn towards the crystal sitting not too far away.

"I knew it was a bad idea to keep that thing here. I told you." I groaned, burying my face in my hands.

"Well, let's get rid of it." Hunk suggested.

"It's too late. When Sendak plugged it into the ship, it corrupted the entire system." Coran explained.

"Sendak?" Keith spoke in thought before his tone became more serious. "Wait. Has anyone seen Shiro?" He asked.

I shook my head, eyes widening in realization. "He must still be in the containment room. We have to find him before something bad happens." I said in worry and we all began to head back down to the containment room. When we got there, Shiro was  leaning against an empty container with a hand to his head and a pained expression on his face.

"Shiro, are you okay?" Pidge asked as we worriedly hurried over to him. "Does your head hurt? Did something happen?" I asked worriedly, looking him over in concern.

"Where's Sendak?" Keith asked.

"I...I had to get him out of here. I was hearing his voice. He... He can't be trusted on this ship." Shiro spoke in a panic making me step closer to him and place a hand on his back to try and ground him.

"Shiro, you need to calm down. You're panicking. Follow me." I spoke softly, gesturing for him to breath along with me as I took deep breaths in and out. He followed, his demeanor becoming less panicked and he gave me a grateful smile. I returned it with a nod, letting my hand return to my side as we looked towards Lance, who began to speak in frustration.

"It is the ship! I got stuck in a cryo-pod, then, in an airlock. Keith got attacked by a robot, Kaia nearly got asphyxiated by her own room, and Hunk and Pidge got attacked by food. It's been a weird morning." the Cuban male ranted before the sound of a computer beeping went off and we turned towards the door as a red screen popped up above it.

"What? How is it possible?" Coran asked in shock, making me feel worried once again.

"What is it?" Keith asked, turning to Coran.

"The ship is starting to wormhole jump!" Coran exclaimed.

"But isn't Allura supposed to be resting?" I asked in concern, having told the princess to get some rest after the ceremony on the Balmera exhausted her.

"Yes, I made sure she did. Something must be wrong. We have to get to the bridge." Coran replied and we all hurried out of the containment room and to the bridge. 

We found Allura standing on the platform, staring ahead as the ship went through the wormhole. "Allura, what's going on?" Shiro asked as we stared worriedly at her.

"We're going to Altea. We're going home. my father is taking us." She spoke airily, sounding as though she was half asleep or in a trance.

We rushed towards Allura, the barrier around her pushing Shiro back as King Alfor appeared on the large screens around the room. 

"Uh..." Hunk stuttered.

"Allura, wake up!" Shiro shouted, yet Allura didn't respond.

"The crystal must have corrupted King Alfor's artificial intelligence. It's taking over!" Coran said, voice laced with worry.

"it must be what's keeping Allura under a trance or a hallucination." I spoke, watching King Alfor appear next to Allura on the platform as the ship left the wormhole. Where we had ended up was anything but good.

"We're heading  straight for a star and it's about to explode!" Pidge exclaimed as we stared up in shock and dread at the dying star in front of us.

"Allura, you have to snap out of it!" I yelled as Allura turned to King Alfor, speaking of seeing Altea.

"Allura! Allura, wake up! What you're seeing isn't real!" Coran yelled, a hand pressed against the barrier as he tried to get through to Allura.

"The juniberries. The most exquisite flower of all." Allura spoke, picking up, what to her, must be a juniberry. To us, she was only picking up air. It made me feel a bit sad for her. She must miss her home more than we thought and probably wished to go back to a time of happiness.

"Allura, please! You've got to listen to me!" Coran yelled desperately and it seemed to work for a moment as Allura questioned whether what she was seeing, experiencing, was real. He was beginning to get through to her. King Alfor's hologram tried to make her think otherwise, but I had hope Coran could get through to her.

"But where is the fragrance of the sweet juniberries?" Coran asked and that question seemed to have snapped Allura out of it as she stared at the dying star in shock. "That's not Altea." She spoke in realization.

"When that star goes supernova, it will destroy the entire system. Allura, you must reset the course and get us out of here!" Pidge told her with urgency.

Allura hurried over to the controls on the platform, placing her hands over them before letting out a scream as she was shocked and pushed out of the barrier. Thankfully, Shiro caught her before she could fall. I hurried over, carefully looking over her hands in worry in case she was burned by the electrical shock.

"Father, please. I beg you to turn this ship around. If we don't do it soon, we will all perish!" Allura pleaded as King Alfor's hologram took over her place on the platform.

"I know. That is my intention." King Alfor replied, making Allura exclaim in shock and hurt. "What? Why?"

"Don't you see, my dear daughter? Zarkon can never be defeated. He's been ruling for ten thousand years." The hologram spoke somberly.

"But we must continue to fight!" Allura argued.

"Fight for what?" King Alfor argued back. "It is all over for Altea. You don't have to live a lifetime of war. You can be with me and the rest of your people"

"Father, please! The paladins and I can still fight Zarkon! Somewhere in there, you must want that to happen." Allura exclaimed, desperately pleading with what was left of her father.

The hologram glitched, Alfor looking less somber and more sad as he spoke to Allura. "Allura, my A.I. has been corrupted. You must disconnect my power source." King Alfor pleaded, glitching back to the corrupted version of him.

"I remember. I'll see you soon, Father." Allura spoke softly, seemingly finding some sort of resolve and turned towards us with a serious look on her face. "I've got to get into the A. I chamber to disconnect my father's power source manually."

"But that means losing King Alfor forever!" Coran told her but Allura seemed to have made up her mind, determined to follow through with her father's final wish.

"Paladins, get to your lions! I need you to slow the Castle's descent into the star." Allura spoke, beginning to hurry to out the bridge.

"I can try to override the system to open the hangars." Coran said, hurrying over to a control panel and we hurried out of the bridge after Allura to get to our hangars. Time was of the essence and if we didn't act quickly, we'd be toast. Literally.

We left the castle and flew to the front of the ship, turning our rockets on full power as we tried to slow the castle down. It was getting hotter by the minute as the castle slowly descended towards the star, us getting pushed down with it.

"Paladins, get to your hangars. We're getting out of here." Allura said, appearing over the intercom as she called us back to the castle.

We hurried back inside the castle and Allura activated a wormhole. We flew through just in time as the star went supernova behind us. We were gathered back at the bridge, trying to comfort Allura.

"I'm so sorry about your father, Princess." Shiro said, giving the princess a look of sympathy.

"We all are." Hunk added softly.

Allura gave us a small smile, speaking. "Thank you. But that was not my father." She spoke, her expression falling into a serious look as she stood up. "The real King Alfor was a great man and a great father. He may not be here with us anymore, but his dream lives on through all of us and his legacy is Voltron."

---------

I stared at my door, standing as still as a statue in the empty hallway. After we had all calmed down and helped clean up the castle while Pidge and Coran worked to wipe the rest of the castle's system free of the infection, we had a hearty dinner and decided to get some rest early. I felt hesitant and honestly, a little paranoid. I didn't feel like staying in my room nor did I really want to after everything that had occurred earlier, but I didn't want to worry anyone.

I had no idea how long I had been standing there and staring at my door, time escaping my mind as I was consumed by my thoughts. It wasn't until I felt someone tap my shoulder that I was snapped back to reality, jumping and turning around to see who tapped me. "Oh, Lance." I sighed, calming down from the brief scare. Lance stood there, in blue pajamas and Blue Lion slippers and all, hand still raised from when he tapped me to get my attention and a confused and concerned look on his face.

"You scared the heck out of me when I went out to go grab some water. You were staring down your door like it insulted you or something. Is something wrong?" He asked, brows furrowed slightly in concern.

I shook my head. "No, it's- it's nothing. I'm probably going to sound crazy." I said, a bit hesitant to tell him about my paranoia.

"Kaia, you were standing like a statue. C'mon, spill." Lance placed his hands on his hips, giving me a look that told me he wasn't going anywhere till I told him. I sighed and nodded. 

"Fine, but don't laugh." I told him, wrapping my arms around myself. "I'm still freaked out about what happened this morning. I could have died if you guys hadn't helped me. Call me paranoid, but I don't think I can sleep in my room at all tonight after that." I said, glancing at my door.

"You don't sound crazy. I get it." Lance nodded in understanding. "I don't think I'm going to be going near the pods or the airlock any time soon." He shivered, most likely remembering his experience earlier this morning with both. I nodded, understanding his own reluctance.

Lance hummed in thought and I raised a brow, wondering what he was cooking up in that brain of his. "Hey, why don't we have a sleepover? That way we can keep an eye on each other's backs in case anything happens again." He suggested with a snap of his fingers, an excited smile growing on his face.

I hummed, blinking. "That's a great idea, Lance. Should we get everyone else in on this?" I replied, feeling a small smile growing on my face. 

"Yeah! It can be like a team Voltron bonding thing, too. Okay so..." Lance nodded and with that, Lance and I got to work. I would go grab Keith, Shiro and Coran while he went to grab Pidge, Hunk and Allura. Then, we'd all meet up in the common area and get the sleepover started.

Getting Keith, Shiro and Coran was a quick yet slightly nervous ordeal since I didn't want to bother them if they were already asleep. Thankfully, they hadn't yet or were about to and were more than happy to join the sleepover, Shiro and Coran's enthusiasm more visible compared to Keith's.

By the time we got to the common room, Pidge, Lance and Allura were already there setting up their sleeping spots with girls on one side and the guys on the other. The yellow blanket next to Lance was probably Hunk's yet the big guy was nowhere to be seen, most likely preparing some light snacks for us to have. The rest of us began getting settled. I laid my pillow and blanket down next to Pidge's, which was next to Allura's. Keith laid his stuff down next to Lance, followed by Shiro next to Keith and then followed by Coran next to Shiro.

"Aw man, this is gonna be the best sleepover ever!" Hunk spoke as he walked in and sat down, holding a plate of assorted small food that he placed in the middle of the circle we had began to form. 

"This sleepover idea is wonderful, but what exactly is a  'sleepover' and what happens at one?" Allura asked, a small smile on her face as she picked up one of the snacks Hunk had made off the plate.

"Oh, sleepover's are great. You grab some friends or relatives and sleep at someone's house, but there's more to it than that. You guys can play games and stuff, talk or watch something all night." Lance explained.

"Yeah, and sometimes, there's some really good food mixed in." Hunk added, taking a bite of the snack in his hand with a satisfied smile.

"It's basically an excuse to stay up late and have fun without going out." Pidge joined in, leaning back against the couch.

I nodded quietly, agreeing with them. While I had never been to one, I had heard of them from my classmates back at Gotham Prep who had and from the times I had overheard Steph or Tim talking about it. I envied them sometimes, being able to experience something like that.

"Alright, let's get this Team Voltron sleepover started!" Lance cheered and with that, the sleepover commenced.

We decided to start the night off with a few games which shortly devolved into chaos. Honestly, should we expect any less with our group? 

We started with a game of go fish, Coran having found a deck of Altean cards that we could use. The sprightly man tried to explain something about the cards but I had barely paid attention. Lance and Keith got competitive during every game which was chaos in and off itself, but when you dragged everyone else in, that chaos multiplied. Hunk tried being sneaky a few times, trying and failing to peak at everyone else's cards. Allura was both very confused and a little frustrated with how the game after a long losing streak. Soon enough, most people were frustrated, yelling or laughing in triumph.

Then we moved onto charades after explaining the game rules to Allura and Coran. We split into two teams. Allura, Coran, Shiro and I on one team with the others on the other team. The game, again, devolved into chaos and hilarity. Shiro acted a bit stiffly, which sparked some confusion before we eventually got it or ran out of time. Lance, Keith, Pidge and Hunk would break the silence when it was their turn to act because we would either guess wrong multiple times or complain about not understanding what they were doing. Allura, albeit confused, did pretty well and even joined in on the yelling. Coran, when acting, was very confusing yet moved with spirit. Overall, the game was both hilarious and loud. Very loud.

Eventually, we all calmed down and began just talking and relaxing. We talked about a lot of things. The different flora and fauna on Earth and Altea, their similarities and what life was like on both planets. Coran even began telling stories of his adventures with Allura's father with little reenactments, the tales both entertaining and interesting. The stories of Allura's father soon moved onto stories of our own parents, sharing stories and memories with our families. Well, everyone else did while I listened quietly from the couch as I braided Allura's hair.

"So," Lance began, making me look towards him. "What was it like, living with the Waynes?" He asked, making everyone turn towards me as I blinked.

"What are the galas like? Was there lots of food? How'd you end up living with them anyways?" Hunk asked, looking very curious.

"You told us you didn't get along with them. Why?" Pidge asked, looking a bit curious as well.

I sat there awkwardly for a few moments, unsure as to how to answer them. It seemed Keith and Shiro picked up on my nervousness, Keith speaking up. "Guys, maybe we shouldn't-"

"It's fine. I can tell you guys a little bit." I shook my head as I interrupted him before turning towards the others, fiddling nervously with the end of my sleeves. These questions were bound to come up at one point and I felt fine sharing some of my experiences with them. "It's not that we don't get along. It's that...well, I guess, it's that we can't not get along if they don't even talk to me. I started living with them when I was 9 after my mom passed. Bruce was too busy so Alfred, our family butler, took care of me most of the time. I was left on my own most of the time. I tried to spend time with some of them and I did manage to, but it didn't last very long." I explained, watching everyone, save for Keith who already knew, look at me with pitying sadness. Lance seemed to have a realization, likely linking our conversation in the bridge during the Arusian party and my words now.

"I left shortly after graduation to join the Garrison under my mother's maiden name. I wanted to get away from Gotham and my family. I didn't want to be regarded as 'Bruce Wayne's forgotten daughter' or a Wayne after all of the neglect. I wanted to live the rest of my life without everyone gossiping about my place in the family or comparing me to my siblings and wanted to distance myself from my family as much as possible." I finished, pulling small bits of lint off my pajama top nervously.

"Kaia, I'm sorry you had gone through that. It must have been so lonely." Allura spoke softly, gently placing her hand over mine.

"It was. There were times I wondered what it would be like to have that kind of relationship with my family that others had for years before I left." I replied with a small, sad smile. "But, it's okay. I've learnt not to let that get to me and I'm already experiencing what I never could staying in Gotham. I'm here in space, with all of you. You guys have let me experience what I never could with my family and I'm more than happy and grateful for that." I continued, a genuine smile gracing my lips.

Everyone looked both touched and emotional from my words, Lance and Hunk looking the most with their teary eyes. Lance sniffled and wiped his eyes, puffing out his chest slightly. " Your family are a bunch of quiznaks! You're awesome and it's their loss!" He declared.

"Yeah! We're your family now, Kaia! You don't have to worry about any of that anymore!" Hunk added, voice shaking as he sniffled.

"You're one of us. Always. Besides, someone has to keep us from dying of sickness." Pidge spoke, a rare moment of softness in her voice.

"Indeed! You are a valued member of the team, number five." Coran chimed in, offering a warm smile.

Keith met my eyes and nodded, a small reassuring smile on his face.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to look at Shiro. "We've all had our struggles and being able to persevere through them is a great thing. But facing them alone is tough. You aren't alone anymore. We face them together now, as a team and as a family." He spoke, giving my shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

A warm feeling washed over me and I felt my eyes water as a lump formed in my throat. I felt something I hadn't felt since my mom passed, a comforting and welcoming feeling. "Thanks, guys." I choked, clearing my throat. "That means a lot."

We moved onto lighter topics, replacing the somber and emotional atmosphere with one of camaraderie that we had all come to share. As the night wore on, yawns replaced laughter and we all decided that it was time to turn in for the night. One by one, the others began to drift off. Hunk first with a snore, followed by Lance and then Pidge, who was curled up under her blanket. Shiro lay on his back, features visibly relaxing and Keith slept on his side. Allura and Coran both fell asleep, softly snoring from their spots.

I stared at the ceiling, the sense of paranoia from earlier replaced with comfort and belonging . I looked around at everyone else, my makeshift family, all asleep in their own spots yet remaining somewhat huddled together in the dark common room. It was quiet, but it wasn't overwhelming or cold. It was warm and welcoming. I lay back down with a small smile, tugging the blanket to my chin as I turned on my side and closed my eyes as sleep slowly took me into its embrace. For the first time in a long time, the little voice in my head that whispered doubts was silent and I truly felt like I belonged and was truly part of something. Maybe the quiet wasn't so bad when you have people with you.

Chapter Text

We stood around Pidge's chair as she translated and went through the data we had managed to gather from Sendak's memories in order to find whatever information we could that would help against Zarkon. I watched the letters on the screen shifted and changed along with electronic beeping, Allura speaking up as we watched Pidge do her thing.

"Somewhere inside Sendak's memories we should be able to find the inside information that gives us the key to take down Zarkon." She said, gaining a look from Coran.

"I don't think your father would approve of searching through an enemy's memories like this." He voiced, looking slightly doubtful.

"I know, but we have to do everything we can to defeat Zarkon." Allura replied.

We were in a war and if I learned anything from my time in Gotham and against Sendak, then the Galra weren't above stooping lower than the pits of Hell to try and destroy us.

"Once we learn all his weaknesses, we can drive up to his front door and challenge him to fight." Lance spoke with confidence, punching his other hand. "Winner gets the universe."

We all stared at him for a moment, silently wondering about whether he was serious or not. "Anything good yet, Pidge?" Shiro asked, looking back towards the youngest Paladin as she sat hunched in her chair.

"We were only able to salvage bits and pieces." She replied.

Keith sighed, uncrossing his arms. "We need something to work with. Right now, we don't even have a decent map of the empire." He said, lowering his arms to his sides.

"Who needs a map?" Lance retorted, crossing his arms. "After 10,000 years of conquering, I could probably fire my bayard at any random point in space and hit a Galra ship."

"If we could just find troop locations or supply routes, small targets we could hit-and-run, then we could start to free planets one by one." Shiro spoke, only to get interrupted by Lance.

"Boring. I want the big kaboom." He complained, doing a goofy pose.

"Zarkon's been building his empire for 10,000 years. We're not going to tear it down overnight with six inexperienced pilots and one support ship." Shiro stated, a serious look on his face. "Hitting him where he lives would be a huge mistake."

"Shiro's right. Taking Zarkon head on would be a death sentence wrapped in a nuclear bomb. Slowly cutting off their supplies, freeing planets and gaining allies and information would be better for us in the long run." I said, sitting on the arm of Pidge's chair.

"Okay, I've cross-referenced Sendak's memories with the info I got from the downed ship back on Arus." Pidge spoke up, gaining our attention. "Most of it was a garbled mess, but one thing kept repeating, something called a 'Universal Station'."

"Universal station? Like some kind of station that controls the entire universe?" Hunk asked in confusion as he peeked at the screen.

"Well, we are translating it from Galra so it could also be 'Galactic Hub'." Pidge said, going back to work as she pushed Hunk's head aside.

"Or 'Space Base'!" Lance exclaimed, making us all look at him. He seemed to notice we weren't laughing at his joke, voicing his confusion at our lack of reaction.

"I'm pulling up the location of your Universal Hub Station Base on our screens now." Coran said, walking over to a console and showing us an image of three planets .

I blinked in confusion, squinting as I carefully looked. Where?  I wondered as we all stared at the screen.

"So, where is it?" Lance seemed to voice everyone's thoughts as we stared at the image on the screen.

"I don't know. Our long-range sensors are unable to find anything at those coordinates." Coran replied.

"Maybe he remembered it wrong." Keith spoke in doubt.

"Or maybe we just stumbled across a top-secret base in Sendak's memories." Pidge spoke, pose similar to that of a villain sitting at a desk.

"Sendak is a monster, but even I can admit he's one of Zarkon's commanders for a reason. The base must be hidden somewhere here and whatever's going on in there must be important if they're keeping it top-secret." I spoke, brows furrowing in thought.

"Only one way to find out. Let's go take a look." Allura spoke, a determined look on her face.

-------

We stopped close to the three planets we had seen in the coordinates and I gently shook Hunk awake, helping him up as he rolled out of his chair.

"We should be close enough to get a good scan, but far enough away to avoid being noticed." Allura spoke as I moved to stand next to Keith after making sure Hunk was okay, watching as we slowly moved around a beige planet.

"There it is." Shiro spoke up as something came into view.

There, built into an asteroid, was the Universal Space Hub. It was hidden between the two planets, a way to conceal it without anyone noticing unless they looked hard enough or stumbled upon it. It made me wonder much more about what they could possibly be hiding to keep such a base hidden away this thoroughly.

"It appears the gravitation between the two planets warps the electron emission system enough to keep the planet off the deep space scanners." Coran explained to us.

"So, you can only see it if you really know where to look." Pidge spoke with a hand to her chin in thought.

"This place must handle shipments from all over the Galra Empire." Shiro spoke.

"If this is some big airport where airplanes come and go, why is it hidden?" Pidge asked.

"Because they're either hiding it from enemies or hiding something going on inside. I'm betting on the latter." I voiced my thoughts, crossing my arms across my chest.

"There must be more to this than we're seeing." Shiro nodded, agreeing with my statement.

"Then, we'd better go down there to take a look. We'll need to enter here. The central control building." Allura spoke, zooming in on said building yet her words made me pause.

Wait. We? 

My brows furrowed in concern, sharing a look with Keith that only confirmed we both heard the same thing as we turned to look at Allura.

"I'm sorry, Princess, did you say 'we'?" Keith asked, voicing our shock and confusion.

"I'm going with you. I've travelled through Galra transportation hubs many times with my father before the war began. I know more about them than any of you." Allura spoke with a tone that told us she wasn't backing down.

"Princess, I'd rather you stay here." Coran spoke, a worried look on his face.

"I'm a part of this fight against Zarkon as much as any of you. I'm going. Does anyone have a problem with that?" Allura said, her tone held a finality in her decision and was challenging us to try and change her mind.

Everyone awkwardly went quiet, not knowing what to say to change her mind or not wanting to. I sighed, knowing that she wasn't going to change her mind.

"Fine. Suit up." Shiro shrugged, making Coran scream. We all looked at Shiro in shock and confusion and I couldn't help but get a bad feeling that something was going to happen.

We all got suited up and got into the Green Lion as it was the only lion currently equipped for stealth with the cloaking function it had. "We'll go in, low, fast and hopefully undetected." Shiro said as he carefully explained the plan to us.

We would go around the darkest side of the nearest planet closest to the ship and Pidge activated the cloaking device on her Lion. Coran would flood their sensors with a radiation burst to buy us time and to let us get out of sight. We made it onto the asteroid, the Green Lion landing close to a ledge that overlooked the central control building.

We snuck inside, getting to the control room. Shiro snuck up behind the guard at the main control panel, gaining his attention before punching him in the face. The guard fell onto the floor below, knocked out.

I moved, quickly shooting an arrow at one of the sentry's heads and taking it out while Lance and Hunk took care of the other two. I stood on the left side of the room while Keith took the right, checking to see if there were any guards or sentry bots approaching.

"How's it look out there?" I heard Shiro ask Keith who gave an all clear before asking me the same question.

"Nothing here either." I replied, crouching down next to Pidge as Lance took my spot as look out.

"This shouldn't take too long." Hunk stated, making me silently hope it wouldn't due to the bad feeling I got that seemed to linger.

"We'll have all the information we need in a few minutes. Hunk and I have made some improvements since the last time I tried to download Galra info. We should get a nice clean translation immediately." Pidge told us, getting to work. "Hunk had a great idea about how to do it."

"Yeah, yeah. Do you guys remember when we studied algorithms at the Garrison and Mr. York told us that joke about the ghost learning symbolic logic and innumerably infinite sets?" Hunk asked, making me shake my head slowly. My classes were, obviously, completely different compared to theirs due to the difference in our courses.

"Boring!" Lance called out, yet Hunk continued undeterred.

"Right, yeah, totally, it was boring. Anyway the joke goes--" Hunk was interrupted by a groan from Lance who was then interrupted by Keith.

"Hey, guys, sorry to interrupt but I think we got company." The red paladin spoke, making us look up as a shadow slowly engulfed the control room. We hid under the consoles, watching the ship land.

"Think we should get out of here?" Shiro asked as we all huddled around Pidge.

"We just need a few more seconds." She replied, typing away.

"Stay low. We need this intel." Shiro told her before the computer beeped and we all gasped quietly as a transmission came through. We watched from our hiding spots under the consoles and away from sight as a Galra stepped into frame.

He made a confused sound, most likely confused about the emptiness of the control room and I bit my cheek in nervousness.

"He's still looking. I think he's waiting for a signal or something." Lance whispered, making me look around before my eyes landed on the sentry next to me. I tapped Hunk and pointed at the sentry once he looked at me. He seemed to understand my plan as he grabbed the sentry.

"I got it." He whispered as he crawled out and made the sentry stand. I crawled out as well, helping stabilize the sentry from the front while Hunk held it up from behind.

Hunk made it move a little, puppeteering it to seem as though it was signing what it was saying. Apparently, the Galra bought it as the sound of the transmission closing hit my ears and I sighed in relief, letting go of the sentry.

"Nice job, Hunk, and that was some quick thinking, Kaia." Lance told us as Hunk held up the sentry's hand for a high-five, making me smile and bow my head a little as Hunk thanked him.

"Okay, download complete." Pidge announced, drawing our attention.

"What's it say?" Keith asked as we all peeked at the screen.

"Nothing. This place doesn't have any useful information. Just a schedule of the ships coming in and out." She replied, making me raise a hand to my chin in thought. It was odd.

"Well, I guess this mission was a bust." Lance shrugged.

"Let's get back to the castle." Shiro told us before getting interrupted by Allura.

"Hold on. Pidge, do you know where that ship is headed?" She asked.

"Um, it's scheduled to be here for about half an hour, then head off to Central Command." Pidge answered and Allura stood, looking at the ship.

"That's where they have the information we need, and I'm going to sneak aboard that ship to get it for us." Allura said, a determined look on her face and the bad feeling earlier I had returned.

"What? No way!" Lance protested.

"How are you going to get in?" Keith asked as most of us, save for Pidge, stood up and turned to Allura.

"I'm going to walk right through the front." Allura took off her helmet and before our eyes, her form began to change. Her skin turned purple and she grew several heads taller. We all gasped in awe, staring at Allura in shock.

"How the heck did you do that?" Hunk asked, raising a brow.

"The Alteans are chameleon-like people who can blend in with the local populations. It's the ability that's made us great explorers and diplomats throughout our history." Allura explained.

"So, can you turn into, like, a balloon?" Lance asked.

"How many different colors can you be at once?" Pidge joined followed by Hunk.

"Aren't you afraid you'll rip your pants?" The big guy asked.

"No, just one at a time and I will need a change of costume." Allura answered their questions all at once. She looked at the unconscious guard on the ground, eyeing his uniform. "I can use his uniform as a disguise."

"No offense, Allura, but I don't think that's a very safe plan going in alone." I spoke, brows furrowed in worry. The bad feeling didn't go away, only lingering as I watched Shiro speak.

"I agree. I can't let you go in there alone." Shiro stopped her, making her turn towards him with a slightly offended expression.

"Excuse me? I do not need your permission and this is the only way." She replied and we all turned to look at Shiro.

"It's too dangerous. I'm going in with you." He stated.

"You are going to stick out like a Choferiak's nose." Allura retorted but Shiro wouldn't give.

"You're going to need that nose, Princess. Shiro's hand is made from Galra tech. It's the only thing we have that will allow us to interface with their systems and gather intel." Pidge spoke as she walked up to Shiro and raised his prosthetic hand. "I can monitor the download remotely from here.

"Fine, you can come." Allura relented.

"Uh, you guys better hurry up if you want to get on and off before the ship leaves for Zarkon central." Hunk told them.

"How are you going to get Shiro on board?" Keith asked.

"I still don't think it was a good idea." I mumbled, watching Allura approach the ship from the windows in the control room with Shiro hidden in a crate she pushed. I couldn't understand why I had this bad feeling, but it made me anxious about what it meant.

"They're in." Lance announced. 

"What do you think they have in all those giant containers?" Keith asked, looking down at the large containers that were filled with something yellow.

"Well, I suspect that it's sporks." Hunk replied, making me raise a brow as Lance and Keith gave Hunk a look. "What? This is an advanced race we're talking about here. Surely, they've learned that it's foolish to have fork and spoons when one tool will efficiently do the job." He replied, noticing the look they were giving him. I chuckled, shaking my head before my eyes were drawn back to the glowing containers.

"I don't think sporks are supposed to glow like that and the Galra don't seem like fans of anything glow-in-the-dark." I replied, brows furrowing in thought.

"Maybe this guy will tell us." Pidge spoke, drawing our attention as she asked a sentry we had hooked up to her computer. "What is coming in and out of the station?"

It seemed that the sentry could tell it was being interrogated and shut down, making Pidge smirk at the challenge. "Not talking, eh?" She said before beginning to furiously type on her laptop.

"Whoa. Check out this guy." Keith gasped and we turned back around to look at what he saw. Down below, in front of the two containers, stood someone in a hood. "Kaia, you might have been onto something about this place. Whatever's happening here that requires the base to be kept secret must have something to do with that scary dude."

"I'm going to go check it out." He stated, making us look at him as he turned and began to walk to the door. 

"What? Hold on, Keith. It's risky. What if you get caught?" I spoke, grabbing his hand to stop him. He paused and turned to look at me.

"Yeah. How about we just lay low and you don't blow our cover?" Lance asked from behind me and I gave Keith a worried look. Keith ignored Lance and returned my look with a look that told me he was still going to go and I sighed, letting go of his hand. 

"I'm going with you." I declared, making Keith blink and open his mouth to protest before I stopped him. "If you're going to check it out, then you should have someone to watch your back in case anything happens. Besides, I'm curious about what's in those things too."

Keith clenched and unclenched his fists, taking a deep breathe before sighing and nodding his head. "Alright, but stay close." He spoke and we headed out of the control room with Lance trying to persuade us to turn back before the door closed.

I stuck close to Keith as we silently watched the hooded person walk towards the base with the containers in tow. We followed behind them from above, watching as the doors opened and they entered with the containers. The doors began to close and we flew in just moments before they shut. Keith took my hand as we moved to hide behind a pillar, watching from the shadows.

"Where do you think they're going?" I whispered as we followed after them once they turned a corner.

"I don't know." Keith replied, gripping my hand tighter.

We followed them, running into a few sentries and quickly taking them out as quietly as we could. We slowly snuck towards a large room that had a yellow glow. We quietly gasped, hiding by the door as we took in the sight of several similar looking containers filled with yellow substance we had seen earlier.

We watched as a container was lowered down a conveyor belt and towards the top of a large in the center of the room. The container began to drain the substance into the orb, the substance spiraling and slowly filling it up.

I tapped Keith, pointing towards the hooded figure who stood opposite to the conveyor belt. They held up their arms and purple lightning shot out towards the orb, the yellow turning into purple before slowly dripping into a container at the bottom.

I shared a shocked and concerned glance with Keith and we both turned back to watch the strange process that was happening. Whatever was going on raised alarms in my head and only made the bad feeling I had earlier spike, my stomach churning nervously as my hold on Keith's hand tightened.

"Coran, you need to see this." I heard Keith whisper as he showed Coran what was going on while I kept an eye on the mysterious figure. The way they controlled that lightning or whatever it was made me worry about the danger that posed.

"I've never seen anything like it?" I heard Coran say, hopping onto the intercom to ask my own question.

"What is that?" I heard Pidge ask. 

"The material is quintessence, the substance with the highest known energy per unit volume in the universe." I heard a robotic voice reply. Pidge must've gotten the robot to work. The information shocked me. That was quintessence?

"What? Impossible." Coran gasped.

"Raw quintessence material is transported here from throughout the galaxy and refined into standardized Galra fuel requirements." They were using quintessence as fuel? What else could they be using it for?

"Did you guys hear that?" Pidge asked.

"I can't believe it! They've found a new way to acquire quintessence!" Coran exclaimed.

"Pidge, can you get the robot to tell us how they're extracting quintessence or what this refining process is? Or at least, get any intel on that." I quietly asked and Pidge hummed in agreement.

"Guys, I'm going to steal some of this quint-whatever." Keith said quietly, making me snap my head towards him and tug on his arm lightly.

"Are you crazy? You could get caught within seconds. That guy could kill you." I hissed worriedly as Keith turned to look at me.

"Just stay here where its safe and keep watch. I'll be quick." He told me, squeezing my hand to reassure me before letting go and heading back through where we came to get to the bottom of the room. "Be careful, Keith." I quietly called out as he turned the corner. I sighed and looked back towards the room, showing the others a visual from my spot while keeping watch.

I felt my breath hitch as the figure lowered his hands, the orb now empty. I saw him turn his head and quietly gasp, watching him disappear in the blink of an eye. "Keith! Come in!" I quickly spoke into the intercom, standing.

"What is it?"

"The guy! He's gone!" I spoke in shock, looking around the room.

I heard Keith grunt and a thud below, moving from my hiding spot to see what was going on. The hooded figure had found Keith and sent him flying back. I quickly activate my bayard as he bent down to pick up the purple glowing container, shooting and grazing his hand with an arrow. I fired another arrow to distance the figure from the container, watching Keith slowly get up from the corner of my eye. 

"Okay, plan B!" Keith shouted as he activated his bayard and rushed towards the figure with a yell. I watched as the figure managed to grab the container and place it back onto a moving cart before disappearing as Keith slashed at them. They reappeared and Keith rushed at them, slashing his bayard. The figure disappeared again, appearing on a ledge above and directing lightning at Keith who dodged.

I quickly fired two arrows, tearing pieces of their cloak and successfully drawing their attention. A little too successfully as they disappeared before reappearing at my side and sending my back a few paces. I managed to stop myself from falling off the ledge with my jetpack and dodged a bolt of lighting directed at me, notching another arrow and firing it at the figure. They disappeared, dodging the arrow and appearing on the other side of the ledge.

Keith yelled as he flew up behind them, slashing at the figure who blocked it. I ran up behind them, swinging my bayard towards their head to knock them out or disorient them. They managed to block it, one hand blocking Keith's attack while the other blocked mine. I watched as they turned their head towards Keith and the red paladin was sent flying back into some of the containers with some lightning.

"Keith!" I yelled as he crashed into some of the containers before yelping as I was sent flying back as well. My back collided with the ground as I was thrown off the ledge, whimpering in pain as I shakily tried to get up. What the hell was that guy?

"Pidge, we need an extraction now. Hurry!" I heard Keith yell over the intercom as I shakily got to my feet. I quickly hid behind a pillar and watched as the figure was distracted with Keith, who flew around the room with his jetpack before falling onto the conveyor belt. I watched the figure appear on the conveyor belt, getting ready to shoot lightning at Keith and fired two arrows again. One of the arrows managed to land in its shoulder and its shot missed, hitting the container behind Keith.

The room began to shake and the ceiling collapsed, revealing the Green Lion once some of the dust settled.

"Get in! We've got to get Shiro and Allura!" Pidge stated and I flew up to where Keith was. I turned to look back at the figure, hoping to see a body but they were gone. I heard Keith growl under his breath and tugged on his arm, both of us getting into the Green Lion's mouth.

"You okay?" Keith asked and I nodded.

"You?" I asked, turning towards Keith and looking him over before my eyes widened at the sight of his hand. "What happened to your hand?" I asked, gently holding it in mine as I took a closer look. His glove was gone and his hand was covered in purple splotches which were most likely burns.

"It happened when I crashed into those containers. I think its from that lightning that guy shot at us." He spoke and I pulled a roll of bandages from my pocket, ready to wrap his hand before Keith stopped me.

"Wait." He mumbled and we watched in shock and confusion as the yellow quintessence on his hand slowly disappeared and the wounds healed, leaving his hand spotless and scar-free. I let go of his hand as he turned it over, revealing that the other side had been healed as well. We looked at each other with the same wide eyed look, both questioning what just happened.

"Does your hand still hurt?" I asked and Keith shook his head, making my brows furrow in confusion. How was that possible?

"We'll figure it  out later. Right now, we gotta focus on getting Shiro and Allura." Keith told me and I nodded. We made our way to the bridge, standing behind Pidge's chair with Lance and Hunk. We waited silently in anticipation, watching carefully for any sign of the two. "There!" I pointed at a pod that left the large ship just as it left. We approached the pod and waited for Shiro to reach the bridge.

We turned at the sound of the doors opening, revealing Shiro and the look on his face as well as the fact that Allura wasn't with him didn't bode well. "Shiro?" I called out softly and worriedly, noticing the defeated look on his face.

"Where's Allura?" Keith asked, peeking behind the man for a sight of the Altean yet there was none and the doors closed behind him. If Allura wasn't with him, then that must mean...

"Shiro?" Lance called out.

"...She sacrificed herself to save me." Shiro spoke quietly, voice shaking slightly.

"So, she's still on that ship?" Pidge asked in concern.

"The ship that's headed to Zarkon's Central Command?" Hunk asked.

"The place that's way too dangerous for us to attack?" Keith followed.

Shiro tensed, looking towards him yet addressing us all. "It doesn't matter how dangerous it is. We can't let Zarkon get Allura."

"But you said going there would be a huge mistake. You said for us to attack that place head-on would be the dumbest possible thing we could ever do." Hunk stated in concern.

"I know, but now we don't have a choice." Shiro spoke and I couldn't help but worry for what was to come. 

--------

Everyone was curious, the same question running through their heads. What did Bruce all call them to the Batcave for that was so important? It wasn't weird for Bruce to call for family meetings as they occasionally had family dinners every once in a while. Something about this one, though, felt different.

"Good. You all made it." Bruce and Alfred entered, gaining everyone's attention. Dick spoke first, leaning against the railing. "Bruce, what's going on? Why'd you call us all here?" He asked, taking note of the expression on his adoptive father's face. Bruce's face was laced with a hidden tension that was uncharacteristic of the man.

"Yeah, B, what's so important that we all have to be here for it?" Jason asked, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. His voice held impatience that wasn't unfamiliar to everyone in the room.

Bruce took a seat in his chair at the bat-computer, wringing his hands together and leaning forward slightly. "When was the last time any of you saw Kaia?" He asked, his posture tense as he gazed at each of their faces.

A wave of uncomfortable silence washed over the Batcave as everyone looked as though they were mentally sifting through recent memories, pondering the question. Dick silently wondered, when was the last time he had seen Kaia? He drew a blank and that made him feel terrible. How could he forget what his younger sibling looked like?

The last time Jason had seen Kaia was after he had returned from the dead. Her young face filled with fear he now recognized as a reaction to his volatile state and the punch he had delivered to her cheek, began to fill him with regret and guilt. He knew he was a less than amicable person during that time in his second life, but he was changing. The question was: how long had it been since then?

Tim, Damian, Steph and Cass, the four people who still lived inside the manor also drew blank. Tim had always known Kaia was a quiet person and they rarely ran into each other, only recounting one time they had in the kitchen and it was brief. Damian found it oddly disconcerting that he had not seen his blood sister in months, much less spoken to her, readily assuming she had simply orchestrated her schedule to conveniently avoid their company. Steph and Cass, both spending some of the least time with her along with Barbara, couldn't recall any moment they had seen her past their initial meeting which had been extremely awkward.

Alfred shook his head in disappointment, already aware they would have little to no answer.

Bruce broke the silence, closing his eyes as his own regret and guilt filled him. "Kaia isn't in the manor. She left." Everyone was stunned silent, looking between each other and Bruce

 Dick broke the silence first, chuckling nervously. "Bruce, come on. I'm sure she's just in her room, taking a nap or something. You know how quiet she is." Dick felt some cold sweat  and dread as he began to leave the cave to prove Bruce wrong and to deny the feeling that he knew those words were true. "I'll go check and bring her down." With that, Dick rushed off. The atmosphere in the cave was tense as the minutes passed.

Dick soon returned, looking panicked and pale. "He's right. She's gone."

And that was when all hell broke loose.

"What do you mean she's gone?"

"How do you lose someone when you stay here all the time?!"

"Do you know where she is? Where she could have gone?"

"Hmph. So, the elusive one finally decided to cease her… lurking. It is hardly surprising that none of you noticed. Your observational skills are clearly deteriorating." Damian spoke, crossing his arms. His words were sharp, yet his eyes spoke differently. "Father, instead of this pointless interrogation, direct us to analyze her last known movements. Time is being wasted on your collective incompetence."

Everyone voiced their disagreement with Damian's comment about their deteriorating skills as detectives while voicing agreement to Damian's suggestion of finding her immediately. Bruce sighed, a weary sound that spoke volumes of his internal turmoil, pressing his forehead against his wringed hands. "I can't."

"What the hell do you mean 'You can't'?" Jason barked, his earlier impatience escalating into raw frustration. He was frustrated with himself for forgetting about Kaia and pushing her aside, neglecting her and allowing her to fade into obscurity.

"I can't give you her last movement because we don't have them. There are no clues as to her last location. The information she gave Alfred before she left was forged." Bruce spoke, feeling his regret and guilt consume him. The weight of his failure pressed down on him. He had been so focused on ensuring the well-being of his other children, so consumed by their individual struggles, that he had inadvertently failed one of them. 

"Forged?" Dick repeated, his voice laced with disbelief. "What do you mean forged?"

Alfred stepped forward, his usual calm demeanor clouded with concern. "I'm afraid it is true, Master Dick. Master Kaia informed me she would be attending a school outside Gotham, even showing me a pamphlet that held the school's contact information. However, upon further inspection, I discovered that the pamphlet was carefully fabricated. The school never existed." He sighed, brows furrowing.

A new wave of shock washed over them. They hadn't expected Kaia to be able to meticulously mislead Alfred or Bruce, heck any of them, about her departure.

"So, she didn't want us to know where she was going," Tim murmured, his analytical mind already piecing together the implications. "That means she likely didn't want us to follow."

Jason ran a hand through his hair, his jaw tight. "Doesn't matter what she wanted. She's family. And if she's gone without a word, something's not right."

Dick straightened up, the initial shock giving way to a familiar sense of determination. "Bruce, Alfred, with all due respect, whether she wanted us to know or not doesn't matter now. She's gone, and we have no idea why or where. We need to find her."

Stephanie nodded firmly, her usual lightheartedness replaced by a serious resolve. "He's right. We can't just sit here and do nothing."

Cassandra simply stepped forward, her gaze fixed on Bruce, a silent but powerful affirmation of their collective sentiment.

"They're right, Bruce. We need to look for her." Barbara spoke, pushing her wheelchair forward a little with determination and resolve in her eyes.

Even Damian, after a moment of internal conflict, offered a curt nod. "Despite my... initial harsh reservations and treatment, she is still a member of this household. We are going to locate her."

Bruce looked at each of them, his gaze lingering on their determined faces. He saw the worry in Dick's eyes, the simmering protectiveness in Jason's, the focused concern in Tim's, the quiet resolve in the girls, and even the begrudging but undeniable commitment in Damian's expression. A flicker of something akin to hope sparked within his chest, pushing back the heavy weight of his guilt. He had failed to see her, but perhaps, together, they could find her.

He let out a long breath, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly. "You're right," he conceded, his voice firm. "Regardless of her intentions, we will find her. Barbara, begin cross-referencing any known associates, any unusual online activity, anything at all that might give us a lead. Dick, Jason, Stephanie, Cassandra, start canvassing her known haunts, however few they may be. Tim, I want you to delve into any security footage from the last time she was here, see if you can spot anything out of the ordinary. Alfred, prepare some snacks. This will be a long search and we'll need all the energy we can get. Damian," Bruce met his youngest son's gaze, "your… unique perspective might be valuable here. Focus on anything that seemed deliberately hidden or overlooked."

A unified murmur of agreement filled the Batcave. The initial shock and confusion had solidified into a shared purpose. They were the Bat-Family, and one of their own was missing. They would search, tirelessly and relentlessly, until Kaia was found. Even if she didn't want to be.

Chapter Text

We headed back to the castle, hurrying to the bridge as fast as we could. Shiro took off his helmet as we walked through the door and I felt guilt at the sight of Coran, knowing he would be devastated once he learned of what happened. "Pidge, scan the download from the ship. Find out where Zarkon's central command is." He said urgently and Pidge hurried over to her chair to begin the task.

"What happened? Where's Allura?" Coran asked worriedly as he ran up to us. I rubbed my arm, trying to channel my anxious energy away. I could tell everyone was tense due to the situation and I could only wonder how this could go.

"They captured her. She sacrificed herself to save me and the information. I didn't have a choice." Shiro told him, voice thick with regret.

"How is that possible?" Coran exclaimed, upset. 

"Coran, I'm sorry things didn't go as planned, but we can't focus on what went wrong. We've got to figure out how to make it right. Pidge, anything?" Shiro told Coran before turning to Pidge, who was looking through the data.

"Guys, look at this." She called us over and tapped the screen in front of her and diagrams of Zarkon's central command ship were displayed on one of the bigger screens in front of us.  It was huge and imposing, most likely constructed to hold most of Zarkon's main fleet, the druids, main departments and the tyrant himself.

"Look at the size of it!" Coran gasped.

"I think we should go in right away. Every minute we waste gives Zarkon time to prepare for us." Pidge suggested.

"I agree. We form Voltron, fly in, fly out, dust off our hands and walk away." Lance said, arms crossed and posture tense despite how he tried to act carefree.

"Um, do you guys not remember the Balmera? We could barely take out one fleet. But this... a base this size could hold a thousand fleets!" Hunk said, a worried look on his face.

"Not to mention, they have those robotic beasts that we barely managed to beat. Who knows if they have more of them hidden away in there." I added.

"Or maybe we shouldn't go on this mission at all. Think about it. We'll be delivering the universe's only hope to the universe's biggest enemy." Keith's words made me look towards him in shock, feelings of anger, hurt and disappointment mixing. He made sense. We were practically delivering Voltron on a silver platter if we went. But, even then, Allura is part of our team and for Keith to even suggest that hurt. The thought that he would say these words if any of us were in Allura's place only hurt more.

"The hell, Keith?" I asked, an upset expression on my face. Keith looked away from me, hiding his face.

"Keith, that's cold, even for you." Hunk spoke, looking at Keith with as much disappointment and surprise as everyone else. "What if it was one of us? What if it was me? What if it was Kaia? You wouldn't leave me or Kaia, would you?" Hunk continued, only met with silence. "Would you?"

Keith turned his head back, brows furrowed. "I'm not saying I like the idea. I'm just thinking like a paladin." He spoke, trying and failing to defend himself.

"No, you're thinking of yourself because you're too scared to do what's right!" Lance spoke, sounding frustrated and more upset than before.

"Okay, we're all upset because we lost Allura." Pidge spoke, trying to calm the situation down but I could only sense the tension rising.

"No, Shiro lost Allura!" Coran snapped, clearly upset and mad at the Black Paladin.

"Okay, that's enough!" I spoke, raising my voice.

"We can't just sit here and bicker like this." Hunk added and I nodded. "Hunk's right. Arguing amongst ourselves won't do us any good in trying to get Allura back. Coran, I know you're upset." I spoke, addressing the old man. "You have every right to be, but the situation was out Shiro's hands. I'm sure he'd switch places with Allura in a heartbeat if he could but unfortunately, what's happened has happened and we're doing all we can to fix it." With that, I turned to look at Keith.

"Keith, what you said may have been logical but it was cruel. I understand your rationale, but Allura is a part of this team and we aren't going to leave her at Zarkon's mercy. If you're worried about Zarkon getting Voltron, then we'll just have to plan quickly with the time we have to make sure he doesn't and that we save Allura successfully." I finished, looking around at everyone. 

"..You're right. I-I'm sorry." Keith nodded, quietly apologizing.

Shiro sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. "Let's focus. How are we going to get Allura?" He asked and we began to plan our rescue mission. I sat in my chair, looking at the diagram of the large ship on my screen and rotating it around to get a full visual of it. 

"Anything?" Shiro asked, looking at Lance's screen.

"There's just no way in. They'll have us tracked from every direction." Lance replied and I sighed, rubbing my eyes. There has to be something we can come up with.

"There's got to be something. Keep looking." Shiro told Lance before walking back to Coran and I focused back on my screen, knowing that their conversation was just between them. I zoomed in, marking the location of any hangars I could see that held the fighter jets. There were too many of them to possibly deal with at once and Hunk was right when he mentioned the thousands of fleets this thing could hold. We'd be overwhelmed and overpowered immediately.

 "Everyone, eyes front." Shiro called and we all turned to look at the screen. It seemed he and Coran had figured something out. "We've got a plan to get Allura. We're going to jump to the heart of the enemy, unseen and undetected."

I blinked, raising a brow. "How?"

"I thought we needed Allura to open up a wormhole." Pidge said.

"It's true that Allura powers the castle's ability to travel through wormholes. However, I think we have enough of her residual essence stored in the system to make one jump." Coran told us before turning to look at the screen. "We'll hide the castle here, inside one of these giant gas planets in Zarkon's command system. The gas is so dense, we'll be hidden." He said, showing us the gas planet we'd be using as a cover.

"From there, we'll use the Castle to scan for Allura on Zarkon's ship and attack before Zarkon knows what hit him." Shiro added.

"There's only one hiccup. We have enough energy to wormhole in, but without Allura, we won't have enough energy to wormhole out." Coran warned.

"It doesn't matter. We're not leaving without her." Shiro said, resolve dancing in his eyes.

--------

We travelled into the gas planet's atmosphere via wormhole, colors of red and purple dancing around us. "I'm detecting Allura's energy signature. From this distance, the signal's pretty weak, but she's somewhere in Zarkon's main ship."

"Give us a starting point." Keith said.

"Once we get closer, we'll be able to narrow down the location where the Princess is being held." Coran explained, typing away on the console as Shiro spoke.

"Okay, guys, this is it. Voltron is going to come in fast and without warning. We'll smash our way into Zarkon's ship and grab the Princess. Before they know what hit them, we'll have the Princess and be on our way." He said, reviewing the plan. The plan was simple, for the most part, yet I couldn't help but feel like something was going to go wrong.

We quickly got into our lions and formed Voltron, soaring away from the gas planet and towards Zarkon's main ship. It seemed we got their attention successfully as the Galra seemed to activate a barrier that engulfed the entire central command. 

"What is that?" Hunk exclaimed in confusion as we watched the barrier slowly shut.

"I don't know, but I hope once we get the Princess, we can find a way out of here." Pidge replied as we slowly approached the main ship. "They're gonna fire!" She told us as the various ships around the main ship began firing their cannons at us.

Keith and Pidge punched their respective lions into one of the ships we had landed on. "Form sword!" Shiro shouted and the sword materialized, blade inside the ship. The Red and Green Lion grasped it with both hands as we flew forward, dragging the sword along and cutting the ship. The ship exploded behind us as we flew away and struck another ship. I diverted energy to the rockets, increasing its power as we pushed the ship into another one and flew through it to strike another one, flying through it as all three ships exploded behind us.

"More trouble, straight ahead!" Lance said as a row of ships began firing at us. 

"Form shoulder cannon!"

The shoulder cannon materialized and I diverted energy to it, the cannon firing its ribbon like lasers which hit all of the ships. We summoned the sword again as the cannon dematerialized and we continued on, flying through the wreckage and towards the main ship with the sword in hand.

"There's Zarkon's ship!" Shiro told us as we began to approach it.

Suddenly, a searing pain rushed through me and a scream was ripped from my throat. The sword disappeared and I could hear everyone's screams through the intercom, groaning in pain. "What's going on?" Hunk asked, voice laced with panic and confusion. 

"We lost the sword. Something's malfunctioning!" Keith spoke, sounding strained.

"What's happening?" Coran asked through the intercom in worry.

"Somebody do something! Voltron's frozen up!" Lance exclaimed, hopping onto the intercom.

"Something's trying to pull our lions apart!" I yelled, feeling something trying to pull our lions apart as I clenched the handles tightly. What was going on? I wondered fearfully and anxiously.

"Shiro!" Keith called out.

"I can't hold it!" Shiro grunted. 

We all screamed in pain, the force getting too much and our lions separated with a groan. I took a deep breath, righting my lion. "You okay, girl?" I quietly asked, my grip on the handles tightening. My lion growled, sounding pained but overall, fine. I sighed in relief before hopping onto the intercom. "Guys, come in. Are you okay?" I thought back to the bad feeling I had earlier, my stomach churning anxiously. What was that?

"Yeah, but what just happened? Something tore us apart!" Hunk responded first, shocked and confused.

"Just fine and I don't know, but we've got bigger problems right now. Look!" Lance spoke and my eyes widened at the sight of the many ships beginning to approach us.

"Why do I get the feeling these guys knew we were coming?" Keith asked and I gulped, watching the red trail of several fighters leaving the hangars in dread. We rushed forward, attacking ships as we went. I shot both my lion's mouth and and tail lasers at ships, dodging shots and fighters as I went. I groaned, dodging a close call with a laser after destroying a fighter. We were slowly getting overwhelmed, the ships  and the lasers seemingly never-ending.

"There's no end to these guys!" Hunk exclaimed.

A ship was about to fire another shot when it was suddenly shot down the middle. "Coran!" I exclaimed, watching the castle approach with its particle barrier up and firing a laser at the fleet. 

"Coran attack! I've waited 10,000 years for this!" Coran's words made me chuckle in relief as the others cheered.

We continued our attack, now aided by Coran from the castle. The numbers however were still weighed in the Galra's favor and I couldn't help but feel the pressure build as I flew and weaved through fighters and large ships while attacking. We might have the castle's help, but we're still outnumbered. If only we had a way to attack most of them at once without Voltron. I heard my Lion growl, an idea popping into my head.

"Are you sure, girl?" I asked, looking down at my console. My lion's roar echoed in my head, reassuring me and I nodded. "Alright then. Let's do this." I flew through the ships, dodging shots and trying to draw as many fighter jets as possible. 

"Guys, my lion's got a plan. Just focus on the larger ships and leave the jets to me!" I told her, swerving around a laser shot towards my lion. I directed my lion to a relatively empty area a few ways away, stopping and letting the fighter jets surround me. I closed my eyes, waiting for the signal. I could see the jets surrounding me despite my closed eyes, the training we had done coming into play.

I could hear the others worry and confusion over the intercom, ignoring them and focusing on my Lion's voice. I watched as some of the fighters began to approach and my lion roared loudly, making me snap my eyes open and pulled the handles back. I watched as two horns appeared on both sides of my lion's jaw, a spark of purple lightning appearing between the horns. The spark grew larger, forming a crackling ball of lightning. I yelled, pushing the handles forward. My lion roared and turned her head to the sky, the ball of lightning breaking apart and striking each of the fighter jets around me with lightning. I quickly flew away as the fighters exploded, cheering. "Nice one, girl." I thanked my lion and I turned back to the battle, zapping groups of fighters and sides of ships with lightning.

I saw Keith rush past me, firing lasers from his lion's mouth as he slowly approached the main ship. I then noticed the Black Lion hadn't moved, staying immobile as it slowly drifted towards the ship. "Keith, I think something's wrong with the Black Lion." I worriedly pointed out after destroying a few fighter jets.

"Shiro's in trouble! I'm going in!" I heard Keith say after a few minutes and watched as he rushed towards Shiro. 

"Gotcha! We'll handle things here!" I replied, firing a laser along the side of one of the larger ships. I fired lightning at some cannons, allowing the others to approach and attack with more ease.

"What do we do now, guys? Our plan isn't really working out as... well, planned!" Hunk asked in worry as we continued to attack the ships. 

"I'm going for the Black Lion. You guys get the Princess, now!" Shiro said as he hopped onto the intercom.

"I've identified Allura's exact location. Uploading the coordinates to you, now." Coran told us and I watched as the coordinates popped up on my screen. "In the meantime, I'll provide covering fire from out here, all alone, against an entire fleet. So, yeah, do you mind hurrying?"

"My jetpack's damaged. I'll need to go through the ship!" Shiro informed us.

"You guys get the Princess without me." Keith suddenly spoke over the intercom.

"What?" I exclaimed in shock.

"We've gotta stick together! What are you doing?" Lance asked, just as shocked and confused.

"Whatever I can." With that, I could only watch as Keith flew towards the Black Lion and pushed it away. The Black Lion spun around as it floated away with Keith flying after it. 

I soon heard Keith gasp. "Whoa! Who is that?" He asked, voice laced in surprise.

I heard Coran gasp as well, is sounding more fearful and concerned. "It's Zarkon! Keith, get out of there, now! Zarkon's too powerful!" the old Altean warned, making worry rush through me. Keith was facing Zarkon?

"What?" I mumbled in worry and fear.

"This is my chance to put an end to the Galra Empire! I have to take it!"

"Keith, don't!" "Keith, don't be stupid!" Coran and I yelled, receiving no response. I bit the inside of my cheek, conflicted between helping Keith or getting the Princess. I groaned and contacted the others, dodging a laser.

"Alright, guys, looks like we're doing rescue and recovery!" I told them, firing and destroying a cannon with a concentrated blast of lightning. I watched as Hunk approached Allura's coordinates, floating in front of it.

"This is it! The Princess is in this part of the ship!" Hunk told us.

"How do we get in?" Lance asked.

"Maybe I can try hacking one of their cargo bays." Pidge suggested.

"There's not enough time for that!" I exclaimed.

"Do you guys have a better idea?" Pidge asked.

"Actually, yes. I do." Hunk replied, sounding proud of whatever idea he had. I watched as Hunk rammed his Lion's head into the side of the ship and chuckled in disbelief. "Well, that's one way to do it. Hunk, we'll leave getting Allura to you! Lance, Pidge, let's cover his butt!" I told them, the three giving affirmative replies.

I shot at a few ships, stopping them from shooting the Yellow Lion and destroying them in the process. "Hunk, do you have the Princess?" I heard Lance asked.

"Yeah, I got her, but there's a change of plans." He told us, also telling us that they were going to go help Shiro.

Keith had been quiet for a while now and it worried and scared me. "Guys, I'm going to go help Keith. Can you guys handle things here?" I asked Pidge and Lance, torn between staying to help them or Keith.

"Puh-lease. Who do you take us for? We've got this. Go." Lance said, shooting at a ship.

"We'll be fine, Kaia. Go help Keith." Pidge added.

"Alright. Coran, get me a visual." I told Coran, flying away from Pidge and Lance. I shot and shocked fighters and ships as I went, a screen popping up on my console showing the Red Lion and a figure fiercely engaged in a battle. That was Zarkon?

I watched in shock as Zarkon attacked, his attack destroying part of his rings around his ship. He fought with disregard for his ship or his people, only focused on defeating the enemy before him and that worried me as I knew how stubborn of a person Keith could be.

I hopped onto the channel Keith and Coran were on, trying to dissuade Keith from continuing to battle Zarkon while destroying ships that shot at me and left me no opening to approach the battle.

"Keith, get out of there! " Coran yelled in desperation. 

"Keith, this is crazy! You have to stop!" I pleaded, just as desperate and worried.

It seemed he ignored our words, his lion's jaw-blade appearing as he got into a stand-off with Zarkon.

"Keith, listen to us! You don't know what you're dealing with! He's too powerful!"

"Keith, stop being so stubborn and get out!"

"It's imperative you don't engage the-" 

"Keith, please! You're going to get yourself -"

Keith's end of the intercom cut out as he turned his communicator off, leaving Coran and I in shock. I felt my frustration at Keith's stubbornness beginning to rise along with worry. 

"He did not just do that. I swear-" I grumbled, firing lightning at several fighter jets. It gave me an opening to fly towards Keith and Zarkon, Keith dodging and weaving around Zarkon's sword-whip as he rushed towards him. Zarkon managed to catch the Red Lion by its hind legs, flinging Keith onto the ship and causing a dent where he landed.

I fired a laser, gaining both of their attentions but  my shot missed due to Zarkon dodging. "Kaia? No, what are you doing?" I heard Keith ask in surprise and I fired another shot at Zarkon.

"Saving your hide." I grunted, firing lightning at the Galran tyrant. I dodged continuously as Zarkon continued to swing his sword-whip, trying my best to attack and dodge at the same time. I managed to catch the whip with my lion's mouth, using that opportunity to land in front of the Red Lion. I grunted as Zarkon tugged on the whip, digging my lions claws into the metal of the ship to hold my ground.

Zarkon tugged harder on the whip, my lion jolting and nearly sliding forward had I not dug her claws deeper into the metal. I grunted, making my lion move her head and fling Zarkon away using his whip. Zarkon flew back a few feet and I moved to quickly help Keith and his lion get up, only to be knocked away as something his my side. I groaned, my lion getting flung away from the ship as the attack hit. The hit sending me and my lion spinning away from Keith before I steadied her. I shook my head, taking a deep breath to lessen the nausea.

I gasped, watching Zarkon rush at Keith and felt a pit in my stomach. I flew forwards, trying to get to Keith as fast as I could before Zarkon did. Zarkon, however, was much faster than I and was only a few feet away from the Red Lion.

"No!" I heard Keith grunt lowly, taking deep breaths before yelling as his lion stood up. I watched in awe as a large cannon appeared on the back of his lion, firing a powerful laser that pushed Zarkon back and pierced part of the rings around the main ship. 

"Whoa!" Keith and I gasped in unison, shocked at the firepower the cannon had

"Let's go while we have the chance." I told Keith and we began flying away from the ship and to the castle when Is aw his lion stop. I stopped and saw him look around, watching Keith suddenly fire a shot at the ship. Zarkon's voice echoed yet we couldn't see him.

"You fight like a Galra soldier." I heard Zarkon tell Keith yet I couldn't see where he had gone and neither did Keith. "But not for long!" Zarkon said, his bayard turning into a battle axe before he swung it down onto the Red Lion. "Keith!" I yelled worriedly, watching his lion crash onto the ship harshly. I was about fly towards them when a voice came onto my communicator.

"Kaia, head back to the others. I'll go get Keith." Shiro told me and I hesitated before agreeing, flying towards the ship. I watched from the visual Coran gave me once I reached my hangar as Shiro swooped in and fired a laser at Zarkon, sending the tyrant flying back and into the metal of the ship before grabbing Keith. 

I closed that screen once the two made it to Shiro's hangar. I sat in my lion anxiously, the atmosphere tense as I waited for us to wormhole out of here.

"All right, Paladins, time to get out of here!" Allura told us, yet nothing was happening.

"Hello? What's going on? I don't see a wormhole." Hunk said.

"The Galra barrier is jamming our ability to create one!" Coran told us and I felt my heart drop. 

How were we going to get out of here now? 

I worriedly thought as the fleet slowly began to surround us.

"They have us completely surrounded!" Coran exclaimed in panic.

I had almost thought we were done for when something happened. I watched in confusion as the barrier suddenly flickered before disappearing. "The barrier... It's disappeared?" I exclaimed in surprise and shock.

"What just happened?" Pidge asked, just as confused and shock.

"Who cares? Wormhole!" Hunk exclaimed and a wormhole appeared in front of us.

The color of the wormhole changed just as we entered, going from a peaceful blue to a raging red.

"Coran, what's happening?" Shiro asked.

"The integrity of the wormhole has been compromised. It's breaking down!" Coran told us, making me worry even more.

"What does that mean?" Lance asked.

""It means we have no control over where we're headed!"

I groaned as my lion shook, screaming as my lion was sucked out of the hangar. I watched as the others disappeared through the side of the wormhole, the castle growing further before disappearing as I fell out of the wormhole. I grunted as my lion spun through space, the blurry colors of space melding together making me feel nauseous. My lion shook, the screens telling me I had entered a planet's atmosphere as alarms blared. I screamed as my lion landed roughly onto the ground, getting flung from my seat at the impact and colliding harshly with the wall. My head hit the wall hard despite the protection from my helmet and I lost consciousness immediately.

Chapter Text

I groaned, rubbing my head as I slowly sat up. It took me a minute to remember what had happened, the events flashing through my head.

Rescuing Allura.

The short battle against Zarkon.

Everyone getting separated in the wormhole.

I gasped and quickly got up, stumbling a bit as a wave of dizziness came and went. I approached my console and pressed a few buttons.

Nothing.

I sighed as I realized my lion was offline. "Get some rest, girl." I mumbled, gently patting the console. I moved through my lion, using the little knowledge I gained from spending time around Pidge and Hunk to inspect some parts of it and grab my bag before heading outside.

I cautiously hopped out of my lion's head, looking around. Everything looked normal, save for the strange little critters running about but they didn't seem to be dangerous.

I hopped onto the intercom, trying to get into contact with anyone else from the team. "Guys, come in. Do you read me?" I spoke, only to be greeted with static. After a few seconds, I turned it off in disappointment when static was all I could hear.

I activated the recording feature on my helmet, taking silent notes of my surroundings as I walked through the forest. The trees were as tall as skyscrapers and looked a bit weird yet familiar at the same time. The leaves were a beautiful cerulean blue and the trunks were a muted shade of violet. It honestly looked like something out of a children's show.

I walked further into the forest, keeping note of where my lion was as I ventured through the forest. It was peaceful, oddly enough, and very quiet. However, despite how peaceful the early morning was, it seemed like there was a subtle tension in the air. It made me uneasy.

I kept walking, eventually breaking through the trees and onto a clearing. "Whoa..." I quietly gasped, looking around at the village I had found myself in. There were both houses on the ground and in the trees. Each house seemed like something straight out of Pixie Hollow... if Pixie Hollow was a ghost town.

It looked abandoned. Some of the houses were badly damaged and others looked like they had fallen from their perch on the trees surrounding the clearing, the destruction telling a story I didn't want to know about.

I gulped, cautiously walking further into the abandoned village. Walking closer to the center of the village where a large broken crystal sat, I inspected the damage. Some of the edges were charred and it looked as if something must have ran into it, something big that had firepower on it. "Wouldn't want to meet whatever caused this." I mumbled, looking around.

But it looks like fate had other ideas as the ground suddenly began shaking. What the hell, I thought as the sounds of something big stomping its way towards the village got closer. The trees west of the village were rustling and birds were flying away from them in a hurry.

I felt someone grab my arm and was quickly rushed into one of the more intact houses, the door shutting behind us. I quickly got into a defensive stance when my arm was let go, opening my mouth to question the stranger when they slapped a hand over my mouth.

Now that I could get a better view of the stranger, or rather, child, they looked human. The only indicator that they weren't was the blue color of their skin and the insect-like wings on their back. She held up a finger to their lips in a shushing motion. I nodded and she lowered her hand as the stomping stopped in front of the house we were hiding in and a loud roar shook the air. The child and I didn't move, my heart racing as a large foot landed in front of the window.

I felt a tug on my hand and turned to look at the child, who gestured for me to follow her. I followed as quietly as possible, watching as she opened a trapdoor hidden in the floor and jumped down. Hesitantly, I jumped down into the darkness.

I landed in a crouch, finding myself in a cavern lit up by lanterns that held glowing crystals. The crystals cast a soft glow on the walls, giving the narrow tunnel an ethereal feeling. I straightened, the sounds of the stomping creature now muffled by layers of earth and stone above us. The child glanced back at me, her small hand wrapping firmly around mine. She tugged on my hand, a silent gesture to tell me to follow her. I listened and we began our trek through the tunnel.

We walked in silence for a while, the child leading me through the twisting and branching tunnel. She navigated it with ease, wings occasionally twitching behind her. I found myself watching her closely, wondering how someone so small could be so calm in all this chaos.

Eventually, she broke the silence.

"Was that you?" she asked, voice soft, echoing faintly against the crystal-lit walls. "Inside the thing that crashed from the sky?"

I blinked, caught off guard. "You mean... the Purple Lion?"

She nodded, her large eyes wide with something between awe and worry.

"Yeah," I said, offering a small smile. "That was me."

She stopped, looking up at me more intently. "Are you a protector?"

The question hit me harder than I expected. I was a Paladin of Voltron. I had accepted that title and the responsibility and dangers that came with it. Yet, there were moments where I wasn't even sure I deserved that title, that I wasn't doing enough. That it would all end through either an early death or the team deeming me a burden and I'd return to the shadows again. But I nodded anyway. "I try to be."

She seemed to accept that. Then her wings fluttered slightly, and she tugged my hand again, a new urgency in her voice. "Then you can help us."

"Help you how?" I asked, following as the tunnel widened into what looked like a larger underground path.

She hesitated before answering. "We've been hiding. Ever since the metal monster came. They wrecked the village. Hurt people. The elders made us go underground, but we're running out of food. Medicine too."

I felt my heart tighten at her words. Metal monster. There was only one race I knew of who would make a robotic beast: the Galra.

The child glanced at me as we kept walking. "Will you talk to our elder? Maybe... maybe you'll know what to do."

Even alone, without the rest of the team, I couldn't turn her down. I gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Yeah. I'll help. Take me to them."

She smiled-a small, fragile thing, but it lit her entire face-and turned, leading me deeper into the tunnels.

After several more minutes of weaving through the underground paths, the tunnel finally opened up into a wide cavern bustling with quiet activity. Villagers of varying skin colors with moth-like wings and small creatures moved silently between makeshift shelters and communal fires. Despite the hardship, they looked at the child with warmth-and then at me with a mix of curiosity and wariness.

The child let go of my hand and ran ahead. "Elder Rana! I brought someone! She said she can help!"

I stood at the mouth of the cavern as an older woman emerged from a cluster of villagers. Her wings were translucent and worn, and her face carried lines of both age and sorrow. But her eyes were sharp.

"Our ancestors once spoke of a powerful being who protected the stars and their children," she studied me for a moment, then nodded slowly. "You are one of them."

"Yes," I said, realizing she was talking about Voltron. "I'm Kaia. A Paladin of Voltron."

A soft murmur rippled through the cavern. Elder Rana stepped forward.

"If that is true," she said, voice low but strong, "then you are the first hope we've had in a long time."

I looked around, at the villagers and animals watching me with cautious optimism. I placed a hand over the strap of my bag, nervously gripping it.

My lion was down. I was separated from the team. I didn't even know what planet I was on.

But these people needed help.

"I'll do everything I can," I said. "But, I'll need to know more about your situation."

Elder Rana nodded, gesturing for me to follow along. I fell into step behind her with the cat-like creature next to me, the villagers returning to their tasks but casting wary glances as we passed. "I assume Eira has told you some of our troubles."

That must be the little girl's name. I nodded, gripping the strap of my bag.

The elder's gaze drifted to the ceiling, as though she could see beyond the stone and soil. "We were once a proud people, living under the open sky and in the trees, soaring through the air freely. But that was before the beast came."

"The beast... that thing stomping around?" I frowned.

"Yes. A beast forged in steel, flesh and fury," she said grimly. "It came from the stars—silent, relentless. We thought it a weapon left from a forgotten war. It destroyed our outer dwellings. Many of our warriors tried to fight it, but none could best it. We retreated here, into the old caverns. Safer. Hidden."

My grip on my bag tightened, the pieces clicking together in my mind. "So you've been trapped ever since."

"Better to live in the shadows than die in the light," the elder replied. But her voice lowered, tinged with fatigue. "Yet the shadows bring their own cost. We were not meant to live beneath the earth for so long. Our wings have grown weaker. The young ones struggle to fly. Our bodies... they tire faster. We've grown sick."

I blinked. Now that I looked more closely, I could see it in the villagers. The sunken eyes, the way some of them moved as though carrying invisible weight. A few coughed and I saw a child supporting their mother as she took a moment to catch her breath. My chest tightened.

"Our medicine was never meant to last this long," Elder Rana continued, her voice quieter now. "We've rationed it carefully, but even the most careful hands can only stretch so much. It's nearly gone. And when it goes..." She shook her head.

A hollow ache bloomed in my chest. These people were fading, slowly, quietly, right beneath the surface of the world.

"One came from beyond the stars—a warrior not of our kind. He fought the beast. Fiercely. Foolishly."

Her voice caught, and I felt my pulse quicken. "What happened to him?"

She gestured for me to follow.

We turned into another corridor, narrower, lit by faintly glowing crystals embedded in the stone. The air here was heavier here, weighed down by something I couldn't name. As we stepped through an arch into a modest medical chamber, the sight that greeted me felt like a cold slap to the face.

"What the hell?" I whispered to myself.

A leather jacket, jet black hair and a blue shirt with a strikingly familiar logo on it entered my vision as I looked down at the person unconscious on their medical bed.

What was Superboy doing here?

"Do you know him, young Paladin?" Elder Rana asked, probably noticing my reaction and I stiffly nodded.

"Yeah," I muttered, "I do."

I had only met Conner Kent once and it was brief. He had gone into the kitchen to grab a drink and I had been there preparing a bowl of sliced fruit for myself. I left before he could even utter a word, nearly bumping into Tim on my way up the stairs as I retreated to my room.

Just seeing Conner again tugged at something I didn't want to name. Something I thought I'd let go a long time ago. That heavy ache of never being heard and never being seen. Of being in a house full of people I thought I could call family and never quite mattering to any of them. I'd left Gotham, left that, for a reason. I thought joining the Garrison meant I was past all of it.

He looked so much worse now. His jacket was torn in places, the usual solid stance of his shoulders gone, replaced by the slack of unconsciousness and his breathing was slow and labored. Worryingly so.

"You said he tried to fight that robot before right?" I asked, glancing at the elder, who nodded solemnly.

"Yes. He was kind enough to have come to our aid. The beast, however, was still too strong for him." My brows furrowed in thought.

Kryptonians were usually resilient to most anything, the same mostly applies to part-Kryptonians as well. The only known way to weaken them would be....

"But that wouldn't be possible...right?" I whispered to myself as the thought struck me. It was a possibility, a really weird one at that, but it made the most sense with how sick Conner was and how the beast was able to defeat him.

"Can you help him, young Paladin?" The elder asked, looking at me with both concern and hope. Hope for a way to help her people, hope for a better tomorrow.

I didn't answer right away.

I looked at him-really looked at him-and my gut clenched. I wanted to help. That was who I was now, right? A medic. A protector. Not just the forgotten kid in Wayne Manor's shadows.

But looking at Conner, all those years of being overlooked came roaring back. The sting of absence. The echo of empty halls and colder stares. I'd built myself up from within those shadows. I wasn't sure I wanted to be in its presence again, especially not for someone who reminded me so painfully of it.

But this was my life now. My call.

Conner was in pain. He needed help. I was a medic. I had a duty and I'd rather be stabbed through by Damian's sword than not do it.

Finally, I nodded. "Yeah, I can help him, but it's not going to be easy." I spoke. "You guys brought him underground immediately when he was defeated, right?"

"Yes, that is correct. We thought it unsafe to stay on the surface longer than necessary."

There was only one way to restore a Kryptonian's strength, but it was risky. It was through direct exposure to sunlight. But if that robot returned...

"I'll need to take him outside and up to an elevated point directly hit by the sun," I turned to the elder.

Elder Rana's expression shifted from hopeful to concerned. "But, young Paladin, the beast-"

"I know," I said quickly, "but it's the best chance we've got."

She wavered for a moment, clearly torn, before giving a slow nod. "Very well. Then we shall aid you in your endeavor."

At that, I shook my head. "I'm sorry, but I can't let you or your people help. It's too dangerous," I said, soft but firm. "I can handle it. If something goes wrong, I don't want anyone else getting hurt."

The elder studied her for a long, quiet moment. The look on Elder Rana's face was hesitant and reluctant. Then finally, she bowed her head.

"As you wish, young Paladin. May your courage be the shield that protects you both."

I turned back toward Conner, lips forming into a thin line.

I looked away and squared my shoulders.

Time to make a plan.

--------

After a short rest and helping the Velustrans where I could, the walk through the tunnels back to the surface was a challenge. It wasn't steep, but the way was long. Adding in a heavy, unconscious Kryptonian and it pretty much felt like a steep hike. It felt weird not having my bag with me, having left it and the creature behind with Elder Rana after distributing what medicine I could to their sick and wounded.

I examined one of the crystals Elder Rana had given me, a glowing red one. She had told me that while they were not of the same kind as those on the Balmera, they still served a great purpose to her people. She explained that different crystals had different attributes like the red one in my hand was a fire crystal that could be used to generate heat and create fire or an explosion when struck.

The crystals, aside from being pretty, were fascinating with how the Velustrans integrated them into what little tech they were able to salvage before they retreated into the tunnels. It made me wonder for a moment about whether I could do the same thing with my bayard somehow.

I was broken from my thoughts as I stumbled a little, quickly regaining my balance. My back strained slightly under Conner's weight, his body heavier than it looked.

Diyos ko, ang bigat niya. What the hell is he eating out here?, I thought with a huff as I placed the red crystal back with other multicolored crystals in the pouch that hung from my belt. He was slung over my shoulder with as much care as I could manage without compromising my balance on the narrow path that led out of the caverns.

The tunnel occasionally shook but my mind was elsewhere.

Of all the people I could have  ran  into in space, Conner Kent was not on my list.

I hadn't even spoken to him the one time we'd crossed paths at the manor. I'd left before he could say anything. He probably didn't even remember. It shouldn't still bother me. But in some way, it did. That quiet little ache from the reminder of a childhood filled with being forgotten.

Conner groaned, and I paused on a flatter portion of the climb, adjusting his position gently. His head lolled to the side. His eyelids fluttered groggily.

"...Wha...?" he mumbled, voice rough like gravel and breath shallow.

"You're okay," I said, voice low, trying to sound steady. "We're in the caverns. I'm bringing you to the surface."

His brow furrowed faintly. "Surface...?"

"Yeah." I nodded, "That's the plan. We need to get you exposed to the sunlight. You've got kryptonite sickness, but I don't think I need to tell you that." I glanced at him for a brief moment before continuing to walk down the tunnel. He probably wouldn't remember most of this conversation, judging by how out of it he still seemed to be.

"Thought... I was fighting..." He coughed, tried to lift his head, and I instinctively steadied him as he began leaning to one side. "Robot?"

"Its, uh, It's still out there," I replied, a little uncertain. "You, uh... didn't win. I'm working on that part."

Conner's eyes cracked open just a sliver. Bloodshot. Unfocused. But he was looking at her now.

He blinked slowly. "Who... are you?"

I hesitated. My mouth opened, then closed. I didn't really know what to say. "Kaia," I said after a moment of silence.

His brow wrinkled. "Don't... know a Kaia..."

"Yeah. I figured."

"Wayne...?" he slurred faintly.

The word made her pause for a moment, saying nothing as Conner's head dipped again, unconscious once more, breath rattling against my shoulder. I stood still for a moment in the quiet hush of the tunnel and the moment seemed to stretch as I stared ahead at the faint light that came from the opening at the end of the tunnel.

"I'm not one of them," I whispered, more to myself than anything. "I never was."

And this wasn't about them anyway...I think. Helping Conner was just... something I needed to do

One step forward. Then another. Until the grass brushed my boots and a passing breeze made me shudder.

--------

Sneaking around with an unconscious person was probably on the top of my lists of things to never do again. Not only was it hard to sneak around corners quickly, but his foot would get caught on said corners. Luckily, we managed to make it to one of the trees that had some stairs. They led up to a few treehouses, the highest one was the goal since it was the one exposed to the most sunlight above the ground.

I took a deep breath, glancing down at the ground below. I was only a quarter of the way up and that made me worried as I turned my gaze towards the sky. This would be a lot quicker with my Lion.

Wait a minute!

I shifted Conner a little, slipping his arm across my shoulder while slipping my own arm around his waist. "Hold on," I mumbled to myself as I crouched a little. I activated my jetpack and used it to propel us up to the balcony of one of the treehouses. My grip on Conner tightened as I stumbled a bit when we landed, regaining my balance a second later.

I should have done this from the beginning. I sighed and kept going, hopping from balcony to balcony with the help of my jetpack. I had made it about halfway up the tree when everything quickly went south.

I had just landed onto a balcony when everything began to shake. I kneeled, listening to the sounds of something stomping towards the clearing begin to get closer. I watched as the trees by the end of the village fell as they were pushed aside by the thing approaching.

My eyes widened as two large tentacles hooked around the trees closest to the village entrance, watching in fear and dread as an amalgamation of flesh and machine emerge. It looked like something straight out of a horror film. It's top half was was flesh, looking eerily like an octopus or a squid save for the metal plate on its head that ended between its head. It's bottom half was mostly machine with a few pieces of flesh peeking out between the metal. It's eyes weren't eyes, but rather scopes that moved around. It's beak opened and it let out an ear piercing screech, a pit of dread forming in my stomach.

What the hell?! 

I moved quickly, flying up to every other balcony as the robotic beast stomped through the village. I glanced at it, flinching as its eyes locked onto Conner and I. It let out a screech and I watched as it charged a laser from the center of its head- where the plate was- and quickly dodging and landing on the balcony of a nearby tree. I gulped, watching as its laser shot a hole into the tree I had been on a few seconds ago.

"The hell?!" I exclaimed, clumsily landing on another balcony as the creature shot another laser from its mouth. 

It isn't recharging its shots?!

I cursed silently as I decided to just fly up the rest of the way, tightening my grip on Conner. I could only hope it would be slightly easier to dodge its shots this way with Conner's added weight anyways. I dodged another laser, nearly bumping into the tree next to me as I used Conner's weight to dodge it faster.

I dodged the lasers, utilizing Conner's weight to help with dodging it quicker but it was still close call after close call. 

How many lasers can this thing fire in one go?!

I glanced at the creature, swerving to dodge the tentacle it launched our way. I bumped into the tree, my grip on Conner slipping a bit and I quickly corrected it as best I could as the robot kept attacking us.

It charged up another round of lasers, letting out a screech as it fired one above us. I stopped, just short of the laser. I panicked as the robot quickly fired another laser directly at us. I spotted a nearby roof and used all my strength to throw Conner onto it, before dodging the laser by a hair. I gasped as I began to fall, looking back at my jetpack and cursing as it malfunctioned.

As the air rushed around me, only one thought rang through my head:

Was this really how I was going to die?

I guess this is what people meant when they say they see their life flash before their eyes when they're about to die. Flashes of the team, my time at the Garrison and my life back at Wayne Manor ran through my head.

Maybe Damian was right when he said I'd die alone.

The bitter thought frustrated me.

No. Not like this. Not without a fight. Not when I still have something to prove.

I twisted in the air, looking around for any way to save myself. I spotted the roof of a treehouse a few feet below me and angled my body as best I could to reach that roof. I grunted as I painfully slammed into the roof, sliding down before managing to grab the edge of the roof. I took deep breaths as I hung there, staring down at the ground for a moment before trying to pull myself up. 

I heard another screech from the creature, drawing my attention towards it. It launched its tentacle in my direction and I felt the sudden urge to let go, the same feeling I had felt when I was looking for Purple urging me to. I gulped as I let go, letting myself freefall before the sight of my Lion's open jaws consumed my vision.

"Good to have you back, girl." I whispered breathlessly as I sat in my chair, pushing the handles forward and firing a laser back at the robot. I swerved around a tentacle, firing a laser at the robot and flying around it to draw it away from the village. 

The last thing I needed was for that thing to bring down the entire village. Not with Conner still out of commission on one of the rooftops.

I continued to dodge and attack, firing laser after laser at the robot. My attacks seemed ineffective as it mostly shook them off, continuing to launch attack after attack at us. My brows furrowed as I watched its movements stutter for a moment, the momentary pause in its movements and its headplate opening confusing me before it recovered and began charging another round of lasers.

I dodged an incoming laser, only to scream as I was slammed into the ground by one of its tentacles. I groaned as it continued to slam its tentacle down on Purple, giving us no time to get up.

I watched as it began to charge up a large shot, the robot holding Purple down as it got ready to fire. I tried to get Purple to move, struggling under the weight of the heavy limb. 

BOOM!

The sound of an explosion drew my eyes towards the robot as another explosion went off, the robot screeching as it was pushed back. I quickly got Purple up and moved, watching as something shot past and exploded as it made contact with the robot. 

"Young Paladin!" I heard Elder Rana's voice call out and turned, eyes widening in shock at the sight of her and her people airborne as they shot at the creature. Dozens of Velustrans shot at the creature with makeshift blasters powered by their crystals and lobbed crystal explosives at it.

"Elder Rana!" I exclaimed, feeling a bit of panic. "What are you all doing?! You're going to get hurt! You guys aren't strong enough!" I yelled in worry. The Velustrans continued to attack as my thoughts slowly spiraled.

This was all my fault. I couldn't deal with the monster on my own and forced them to fight. They're all going to get hurt or die because of me. Because I couldn't be a good Paladin. Because I couldn't handle this on my own.

I snapped out of my thoughts as Elder Rana turned to face my lion, "You are right. We are weak with illness and our strength is not great, but neither is yours, young paladin!" She replied, a stern yet understanding look on her face, "I can tell you carry a heavy weight inside you. I have seen many of that weight within my people many times, but it does not mean you have to fight this battle alone. This is not only your battle, it is ours too. You are not alone in this battle, Kaia."

The sound of the creature falling back met my ears, its shriek faint in my ears as I processed her words. 

That's right.

 I can't believe I forgot.

A lump formed in my throat as I felt some weight lift from my shoulders.

I wasn't alone. The team flashed in my head along with the Velustrans. Not anymore.

A sharp tentacle cracked across the air, snapping me back to the fight as it swiped toward Elder Rana and a few Velustrans. Without thinking, I surged forward, firing a concentrated blast at its base. The tentacle recoiled with a metallic shriek.

I opened the comms, my voice ringing from the speaker to the Velustrans. "Elder Rana! Conner is still on one of the rooftops. I can't move him while this thing's targeting us."

There was a short pause as Elder Rana avoided a laser fired her way. "Understood, Young Paladin. We will dispatch some of our own capable of doing so. The sunlight shall heal him, yes?"

"Yes, but you'll need to get him above the trees, as high as your people can. I'll help keep the creature distracted while your people get him up there."

"We will see it is done." She replied with a calm determination. "May our ancestors guide us." She then turned towards her people, "My fellow Velustrans! Some of you, with me, we must aid our fallen comrade. The rest of you, aid the young Paladin!" She yelled, her people yelling in response.

I angled Purple into a sharp dive, narrowly avoiding another laser blast as I watched a small squad of Velustrans peeled off from the formation with Elder Rana and speed toward the tree where Conner lay.

I placed my focus back onto the creature, carefully watching its movements while dodging the attacks it sent our way. "Everyone! After each round, its movements stutter and the headplate opens for a few seconds. That's our window! But we need to be quick. I'll keep drawing it's fire to force more openings."

"We understand. We shall strike when the moment arises."

I took a deep breath, the flight lessons Shiro and Keith had given me coming to the front of my mind. I shot it between the eyes, watching its gaze focus on my lion. "Come and get me, you overgrown piece of calamari!" I yelled, watching the creature direct its shots towards me. 

I directed Purple to dodge the onslaught of lasers, shooting it to keep its attention on me while the Velustrans got into position. Come on! Come on! I thought as I dodged another laser, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. The second its movements stuttered, I perched Purple onto a branch and quickly began charging an electric shock.

"NOW!" I yelled as it's headplate opened and fired the electric shock, my lion letting out a loud roar as the Velustrans fired and threw explosives. The beast let out a deafening screech, its movements stopping as it slowly fell to the ground. There was a tense silence as we waited for a few moments, cautiously waiting for the robot to get back up.

When it didn't, I slumped into my chair with a loud sigh of relief as the cheers from the Velustrans echoed faintly in my ears. "Nice work, girl." I mumbled, looking up at the ceiling. My lion growled in response, her pride in me conveyed through the sound.

I landed my lion on the ground, exhaling as my hands trembled slightly from the adrenaline slowly leaving my body. The dust settled around the fallen machine, its metallic body sparking in random places.

For the first time since I had landed on this planet, I felt a hint of peace and relief. The fight was over. The Velustrans were safe.

Then a loud beeping broke through the Velustran's cheers and my heart dropped.

A screen popped up on my dashboard, flashing red. My lion let out a low growl of warning, the growl reflecting my dread I felt as I stared at the blinking red eyes of the robot. "It's gonna blow," I whispered, feeling the pressure weigh on me again as panic arose. "No, no, no- Everyone, get away now! It's going to blow!"

I snapped into motion. The massive beast wasn't as big as the ones the team and I had fought on Arus and on the Balmera, but it was still too big to leave here. If it exploded, the blast would level everything within 10 miles and there wouldn't be enough time for everyone to get away.

"Come on, girl. We have to get it out of here!" I gripped the controls tightly.

My lion lunged forward and grabbed one of the tentacles with her jaws and taking off into the sky. It was a struggle to pull the robot into the sky, my lion straining from the weight that dragged us down as she climbed slowly. 

"Just a bit more, girl!" I grit my teeth as alarms blared in my ears, the countdown ticking closer to detonation.

We weren't going to make it. The weight was too much. My lion's thrusters sputtered as we struggled to gain altitude. 

Just as the faintest hints of despair began to appear, a blur of blue, black and red suddenly streaked past my lion.

"Need a hand?" Conner's voice crackled into my lion through the comm, a teasing smile clear in his tone even through the static.

"Superboy!" I exclaimed in relief.

He looked better than he did before, no longer pale and his strength restored. He flew under the robot, pushing it from underneath while I pulled it up. "Let's go!" I nodded quickly. 

Together, we lifted the robot carcass higher and higher, the sky slowly darkening as the higher we went until the planet could be visible from my window. My lion's thrusters roared at full power as we got further from the planet, the lack of gravity aiding in hurrying the process.

The beeping began to hurry and I grunted, throwing the robot further away from the planet. I moved my lion quickly, grabbing Conner into her jaws and flying behind a nearby asteroid as the robot exploded. The sky lit up from the explosion, the shockwave shaking my lion for a few moments before the light and the shaking stopped.

I slumped in my seat, chest heaving as I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. "Nice timing." I spoke, glancing at Conner as he floated outside my lion.

"Couldn't let you have all the fun." Conner chuckled.

I looked towards the area where the robot had exploded and squinted as something glinted. "What's up?" I heard Conner ask in confusion as I flew towards the remains from the robot, leaving my chair and hopping out of my lion to take a closer look.

I picked up a small shard floating by, bringing it closer to my eyes. Its glow was muted yet you could still tell it was green. "What did you find?" I heard Conner ask, the sound of him coming closer reaching my ears. "Stay back," I told him urgently.

"Why? What is that?"

My lips formed a thin line as I turned my head to look at him. "I think... I think this is Kryptonite."

His eyes widened in shock, flitting from the shard between my fingers to me. "Are you sure?"

I shook my head, pocketing the small shard. "Not entirely, but it's better to be safe than sorry. I can get a proper scan on it when I get back to my team." I told him.

He stayed silent for a moment, watching me carefully as I secured the shard inside a small containment pouch on my belt. The faint green glow dimmed once it was sealed, but I could still sense the tension radiating from him.

"You knew what it was right away," Conner said, his voice quieter now, almost thoughtful. "Most people wouldn't have recognized Kryptonite that fast. Or known to keep it away from me."

I glanced up at him, unsure where he was going with this.

"And earlier... that whole fight, the way you handled your lion, the tactics... you're not just some random human in space, are you?" He stepped a little closer, genuine curiosity flickering in his eyes. "Who are you?"

"I'm Kaia Reyes. I'm the Purple Paladin of Voltron. It's nice to meet you, Superboy... or should I say Conner Kent?"

----------

To say the Velustrans were happy would be an understatement. They were ecstatic, relieved and overjoyed at being able to live on the surface and return to the life they had before. They immediately went back into the caverns to gather their things and bring them back up to the surface. It would take a while for the homes to be rebuilt, but the Velustrans were as resilient as their strongest crystals.

Conner and I offered to help, the half-kryptonian carrying the heavier stuff while I hauled boxes and barrels to place in my lion to carry to the village. He had offered to help carry my load, but I refused. The walk back to the entrance of the tunnel was quiet, an awkward sort of silence settling over us as we walked.

"So, uh," Conner spoke first, breaking the silence. "What's a human doing all the way out here?"

I glanced at him, adjusting my grip on the crate in my hands. "It's, uh, it's a long story." I said, gaze falling onto the cover of the box in my hands.

"Care to share with the class?" Conner asked and I bit the inside of my cheek. 

I was reluctant to tell him, conflicted. He was Conner Kent, Superboy. As a person, I knew he wasn't anything like Tim or the others, but I couldn't help but think of his friendship and relation with the brainiac so much that it was hard to see past that.

He seemed to take notice of my hesitation and shrugged, "You don't have to tell me if you don't wanna, but I'm sure its a pretty crazy story if you're this far from Earth."

I couldn't help the small twitch at the corners of my lips, a small smile on my face. "Kind of." I shrugged as we left the cavern and walked up to my lion. I set the box down once we were inside, helping Conner position the stuff he was carrying. I pulled off my helmet, letting a quiet sigh as I set it aside. I should seriously check if this thing had a cooling system or not because of how warm it would get under there.

"Hey, quick question,"

I hummed absent-mindedly, pushing a crate up against the wall.

"Have we met before?" Conner asked, raising a brow curiously. "Now that I've got a better look at your face, I feel like I've seen you somewhere."

I paused, caught off guard.  I felt my palms sweat and shook my head. "No, I don't think so." I replied, hiding my growing nervousness. "Maybe some of the Kryptonite shards from earlier got in your eyes somehow."

The half-Kryptonian shook his head, "No, no. I'm serious. I swear I've seen you before." he spoke, brows furrowing in thought.

I sighed, giving him a tired look, "And I'm telling you we haven't, so let's just move on-"

"You! You're that girl!" Conner exclaimed and I felt my pulse spike, "When I visited Wayne Manor, there was a girl in the kitchen. That was you!"

I stared down at the crate in front of me, unsure of how to respond.

"That was you, wasn't it?" he pressed and I heard him take a step towards me. I said nothing, my grip in the edge of the crate tightening. "Come on! I'm right, aren't I?"

"That's why you know my real identity," Conner said, more certain now. "I thought you looked a bit like Bruce, but I wasn't sure. Taking a closer look now, you do kind of look like him. You're a Wayne. You're one of his kids."

One  of his kids.

His  kids.

Like hell I was.

I clenched my jaw as I tried to stay calm, biting the inside of my cheek. The words rang through my mind like a bell's toll, a turbulent mix of emotions festering in me.

He kept going. "How did you even get out here? Do they even know you're out here? I asked Tim about you after you ran and he was super vague. Said it wasn't important. Said it wasn't my business. And I don't think I've heard anyone else talk about you. It's like you don't even exist. Why-why would they-?"

"Enough, Kent." I snapped as I slammed my fist onto the crate, whirling around to face him. The words came out louder than I meant, sharper too. "No, they don't know. I don't even think they fucking care." 

He looked taken aback, but I couldn't stop now. The dam had cracked.

"You wanna know why? Why no one's heard about me? Why they don't talk about me? Why I don't seem to exist? It's because it's easier for everyone if I just stayed quiet and stayed out of the way," My nails dug into my hand through the gloves, fists tightening.

"I'm the one who doesn't get introduced. The one who doesn't show up in family photos. The one who gets called a 'family friend' when someone asks, if they even think to ask. I wasn't part of the legacy, any legacy. I was just... there. A speck of dust in a house full of legends."

"Kaia..." he started, voice softer, but I pushed on.

"Do you have any idea what it's like growing up in that place? With Bruce's indifference and being stuck in the others' shadows? I didn't ask for the name, or the constant reminder that I'd never be enough to belong. I was the mistake they couldn't quite sweep under the rug, so they shoved me in a corner and hoped I'd stay quiet."

I took a shaky breath, my voice lowering now, but trembling. "So yeah, I'm a Wayne. Congrats. Winner, winner, chicken dinner." I raised my hands, sarcasm dripping from my voice before it took a more serious tone. "But it doesn't mean what you think it means. And it doesn't change the fact that right now, I have more important things to do than rehash a last name that's done nothing but haunt me."

He stood there, stunned, and I hated the look on his face-pity, maybe. Or worse, understanding.

I turned away again, biting the inside of my cheek as I slowly calmed down. I felt more tired than bitter at this point. "Let's just get this stuff to the village."

Conner didn't say anything for a moment. Just stood there, the silence stretching between us like a fault line. Then I heard his voice-soft, careful.

"I didn't mean to hit a nerve," he said quietly. "I just... I know what it feels like. To be the outsider."

I didn't turn around. I didn't want to see his expression.

"I mean, I'm not exactly anyone's poster child," he continued softly. "I was made in a lab, Kaia. Half Clark Kent, half Lex Luthor. Grown in a tube. For a long time, I figured no one could ever really accept me. I was just some experiment. I was made to be a weapon."

His voice wavered just slightly, enough that I knew this wasn't a rehearsed speech. This was real.

"I spent so long thinking no one would ever really accept me because how could they? I'm not him. I'm a copy. And for a long time, I thought that was all I'd ever be. A weapon. A clone. Something people had to keep an eye on."

I turned my head slightly, just enough to see him out of the corner of my eye.

"But they did," I murmured, my voice flat with exhaustion. "Clark took you in and, sure, it wasn't a smooth ride, but he welcomed you eventually. The Titans gave you a place. The League trusts you. Hell, my father trusts you more than me and I'm his daughter by blood. He probably trusts the Joker more than me."

He opened his mouth, but I cut him off, the flood of bitterness rising again.

"You were made for something. Someone made you with a purpose, no matter how evil or good it was. I was made because Bruce Wayne had a bad one night stand. To him, I was a mistake before I ever took my first breath. And the only time I'm willingly remembered died the second I stepped into Wayne Manor."

My hands shook slightly as I clenched my fists. "You were wanted eventually. I've spent years breathing the same air as my father, as my brothers and sisters and I might as well be invisible."

Silence followed. My chest ached from the weight of finally saying it.

I turned and walked toward my Lion's bridge, trying to outrun how raw I suddenly felt. She was the only one who really listened. I could hear his footsteps behind me, careful but insistent. "Kaia, wait."

I didn't stop, wanting to get away. I wanted to hide away, too ashamed and guilty to face him.

But he didn't stop. He kept going. "You're right," he said. "I was welcomed. But it doesn't erase the damage."

I kept walking. But I listened.

"I still feel like I don't belong. Like I'm just renting space in this life. Like if I mess up, they'll remember what I really am." His voice lowered. "I've had to prove every day that I won't turn into Luthor's weapon until they accepted me. And even now... there's always this voice saying I don't deserve any of it, that they're just waiting for me to fuck up."

The bridge doors hissed open. His footsteps stopped just behind me.

"I know the 'outsider in your family' thing," he said quietly. "Clark wasn't exactly all that happy at first when he had to take me in."

I placed my hand on the cold metal of the doorway. She rumbled beneath my fingers, presence steady and grounding.

"You said I was wanted," he added. "Maybe I fought to be wanted. Maybe you gave up along the way but even then, you've fought and are still fighting, just to exist. To be seen."

I closed my eyes, feeling the cracks forming again.

"You don't know what it's like," I muttered. "To watch your own father smile at everyone but you. To see everyone sitting at  the same table and feeling like an outsider. An outsider in your own family, your own home."

"Maybe," Conner said gently. "But I know what feeling like an outsider is like and what it's like to look in the mirror sometimes and wonder if you're doing enough, if you are enough. If you should've existed at all."

That one landed deeper than I wanted to admit.

 I took a step forward but hesitated-just a second. Just long enough to glance at him.Conner didn't try to stop me. He just stood there, watching. 

 I silently stepped inside, the doors closing behind me and I was engulfed in silence as I sat in my chair. I could see where he was coming from and I hated how much I wanted to believe him. How much I understood him on some level.

--------

Once we had moved everything from the caverns to the village, the Velustran's celebration was in full swing. While most would be concerned about the damage they had to repair and would begin working on it immediately, the Velustrans were the few who found that a party before all the hard labor would begin was a necessary thing. 

Alien music echoed through the village, lights made of crystals strung up and dancing in the air like fireflies. Joy crackled like static in the air, infectious and bright.

I sat off to the side to think, watching everyone enjoy themselves with a small smile. I talked with Elder Rana, Eira and a few other Velustrians as the party went on, the joyful atmosphere making me feel lighter. Yet, a weight still hung on to me as the faint whispers of my conversation with Conner echoed in my head.

"Hey," Conner said softly as he sat next to me, eyes trained on the dancing Velustrians.

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak first as the shame from how I spoke to him earlier rose back up.

"I, uh..." He scratched the back of his neck. "Wanted to say sorry. For earlier. I really didn't mean to hit a nerve."

I glanced at him, wringing my hands together nervously.

He continued, eyes on the distant celebration. "You were right. I don't know what your life is like. I just... when I heard what you said, I guess I saw a version of myself I'm still trying to come to terms with and help after all these years. So I pushed. And I shouldn't have."

His voice cracked a little on the last word.

"I can't fix what you've been through. But I do hope you find somewhere... or someone... who makes you feel like you belong. Really belong."

My memories with the team was brought to the front of my mind. The laughs, the bickering, the battles fought together so far. Pidge's brains, Hunk's food and compassion, Lance's confidence and humor, Shiro's steadfast presence, Allura's passion that ran through us all, Coran's quirkiness and Keith's determination that either ran like smoldering embers or a roaring blaze. They all brought a warmth to my chest.

"Looks like you do," Conner retorted with a small smile of his own. I then realized the small smile that had unknowingly grown on my own face.

"Yeah," I said finally, my voice soft. I sighed, an apologetic look on my face, "I was awful to you. You didn't deserve that. I'm sorry."

He shrugged. "I've been hit by harder and worse things."

That pulled a small breath of laughter from me.

"I think part of me was just... scared," I admitted, arms crossing like they might hold me together. "Because you're Tim's friend and at the time, I thought you'd act the same way he and everyone else did towards me. And Tim was always the smart one, the perfect successor to Bruce Wayne's legacy, someone I could never find even ground with. Seeing you, it brought back everything I thought I hadn't cared about and let go of years ago and I was scared of having to deal with it all after thinking I was fine for so long. It felt like I was back in Wayne Manor again, where it'd only be a matter of time before I got pushed aside or forgotten." My voice dipped, quieter. "Even though I knew you weren't like that. Not from what I've seen. But the fear was still there."

He didn't interrupt. Just listened.

"And then you said all those things, and I realized that maybe you did understand. At least a little. And I didn't know what to do with that so I lashed out. Guess I never really moved past it all like I thought."

We sat in silence for a few moments, the music from the square drifting gently around us.

"I'm not great at... this. I mean, usually I am. So I've been told. But for some reason, this is kinda..." I said, wincing a little.

"-Awkward?" He smiled a little. I nodded in response, "Yeah, I get it. And, hey, don't stress it. It's fine. I think you needed to get that stuff out." I looked at him skeptically, wondering if he was sure about that, to which he chuckled. "Look, you've realized you haven't really moved on from all the shit you've gone through even thought you left. Actually moving past that stuff and working on it isn't an easy road but it's a great first step to actually moving on."

"Thanks." I let a small smile grow on my lips. I rocked back an forth for a bit before turning to Conner. "Still wanna know how I got into space?"

"You're really going to tell me?" He looked surprised and I nodded, finding that this would be a good step in the right direction. Maybe I didn't have to completely shut out everything related to my past.

Conner turned towards me, an eager glint in his eyes as I took a deep breath. "So, it all started one night on the Garrison rooftop...." I began, getting into how Pidge, Lance, Hunk and I met and helped Keith saved Shiro that night, how we found the Blue Lion, how we found Allura and Coran. I told him about the Galra and their tyranny and how we all got separated when something went wrong with the wormhole. "....Then, I crashed here, found the Velustrans and you and, well, you know the rest." I finished with a shrug.

"Wow! Thats- Holy shit, that's a lot." He laughed, then a thoughtful look washed over his face. "Hey, if the Galra are such a problem, why hasn't the Green Lantern Corps done something about them? Why haven't we heard of them? Or Voltron, for that matter?"

My brows furrowed, a hand rising to my chin in thought. "Space is like the ocean. We haven't discovered most of it. Not to mention, we're still getting used to the idea of aliens living amongst us, uh, no offense. The galaxy's sadly teeming with conflict the League and the Green Lantern Corps have no idea about. The Galra may have reached Earth's sector but their presence probably didn't linger long enough for it to become a concern and maybe they've just been good at avoiding the Green Lantern Corps or are interfering with distress signals to them."

"That's probably the case," Conner nodded before a teasing smile grew on his lips, making me look at him suspicion. "What?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"You're definitely Bruce's kid. You've got the same look Tim has when he's thinking. Jon tells me Damian has that look too."

I rolled my eyes and gave him a light shove. "Very funny, Kent," I said, my voice flat but not unfriendly.

He grinned wider, clearly amused. "Wow. That even sounded like Damian. Same deadpan delivery and everything, especially on the last name."

"Shut up, Conner."

He laughed. "And now you sound just like Tim."

I eventually gave in, laughing along with him. We soon spent the rest of the party talking to some of the Velustrans, grabbing snacks, enjoying the festivities and throwing harmless jabs back and forth whenever the opportunity came up.

By the time the sun had started setting, the Velustrans had decided to call it a day. The village once again filled with a quiet peace as they began to settle down, sitting around on barrels and crates as they talked. Conner and I did the same, joining Elder Rana and some of the adult Velustrans as they gathered around a makeshift table made from a barrel.

"Thank you again for helping me and my people reclaim what has been lost." She said, looking at both Conner and I. "Both of your efforts have ensured that my people will be able to soar freely once more."

"It's our job and even if it was a tough battle," I replied, looking around at all the relaxed smiles on the Velustrans faces, "the results are worth it."

"Couldn't have said it better myself." Conner added, raising a glass.

I then remembered something, removing the pouch tied to my belt. "I should probably give this back to you." I said, holding it out to Elder Rana. Elder Rana looked at it for a second before shaking her head and gently pushing it back towards me.

"Keep it, young Kaia. As a gift of thanks from us." She told me with a warm smile. I hesitated for a moment, unsure before nodding in gratitude.

"Thank you, Elder Rana. I'll be sure to use them wisely." I promised, tying the pouch back onto my belt.

Conner groaned, resting his elbow on my shoulder and leaning against me. "Aww, why do you get a bunch of cool crystals?" He joking whined, making me chuckle as I shoved him off. 

"I think I deserve it. I did do most of the work." I teased, hiding my snort at the indignant 'Oi!' Conner made behind my cup as I took a sip while the Velustrans we sat with laughed. Their fruit juice definitely tasted better than the Nunvill. 

Elder Rana chuckled, amused. "Worry not, young Conner. We are preparing a few crystals for you as well. This is the least we could give you both. Though I wish we could give you something  equal to your efforts." 

"Don't worry, Elder Rana. It's a great gift. Thank you." Conner said and I nodded in agreement. The crystals were a wonderful gift with their unique capabilities and potential.

The elderly woman raised her glass, I, Conner and the other Velustrans raising them in tow with a smile. 

"So what's your next course of action? Head back into space?" I asked, turning to look at Conner, who shook his head.

"Nah, think I'm gonna stick around. They might need some help rebuilding." He glanced around, raising his cup to his lips. "Might as well put that super-strength to use. Can't let you take all the credit, after all." His words made me shove him with my hand a bit harder than before, the two of us sharing a short laugh.

A few minutes passed and the familiar sound of the wormhole reached my ears. Standing up, I looked towards the sky and a grin broke out on my face at the sight of the Green and Red Lions descending. My eyes stayed glued to the two lions as I ran to meet them just outside of the village, my heart racing.

The two lions landed next to mine and I rushed over. Red's hatch opened first, Keith's face and red armor registering in my mind as he ran towards me. 

"Kaia!"

I barely had time to brace myself before he nearly tackled me in a hug, arms wrapping tight around my shoulders. I reciprocated the hug, arms wrapping around him in return.

"Glad to see you're okay," he breathed as he pulled away slightly, hands holding my lower arms gently. His eyes seemed to be scanning the minor bruises and scratches on my face.

"I'm fine, just a little scratched up. Good to see you guys are okay too," I replied, looking up at him before looking towards Pidge, who had just left the Green Lion. I waved at Pidge as she ran up to me and pulled me into a hug, making Keith let go. I chuckled, returning the hug. "I'm guessing you were the one who figured out how to find us all?" I mused as we pulled away.

"Did you expect any less?" Pidge replied, grinning proudly.

"I'm guessing I was found last?" I asked.

"Yeah, we had a bit of trouble tracking your lion, but Pidge got it down eventually." Keith's eyes scanned my face, searching for any hint of a lie or injury. "You sure you're alright?"

I looked back at Keith, my grin falling into a small one.

"Not really. Found out something that's made me rethink a few things," I said truthfully as I looked at both of them. "But I'm definitely doing better than I was before."

---------

I told Keith and Pidge a summary of what had happened as I brought them to the village, introducing both of them to Elder Rana. Pidge, as I had suspected, was immediately interested in their tech and how it worked while Keith stood by me as we talked to Elder Rana about her plans after.

"Repairing our village will be long and arduous, but my people would not have lived as long as we did underground if we were anything but resilient." She told us.

I held out a communicator towards her. "Here. You can use this to contact Voltron in case something happens again." I told her as she took it from me. "We'll be there to help."

"Thank you, young Kaia. We will be sure to keep this safe."

"Welcome to the Voltron Alliance." I replied with a smile, one Elder Rana returned.

Conner stood a few steps away, hands in his jacket pockets. A thought then struck me as I looked at him and I turned towards Keith. "Do you have a spare communicator?" I asked, making Keith look confused.

"Uh, yeah. Why?" He asked, raising a brow as he held it out to me. I took it from him and headed over in Conner's direction.

"Hey, looks like your team found you." He said with a smile as he noticed me approaching. "Guess you're heading out soon, huh?"

"Yeah, but I wanted to give you this first."

I held out the communicator. "Here," I said. "It's a communicator. You can use that to contact Voltron if you ever need help. Or if you need me to save your butt again."

He let out a short laugh, turning the device over in his hands. "You're sure about this?"

I lightly shoved his shoulder with my fist. "Of course I'm sure. Voltron's always looking for allies. And I trust you. So?" I flashed him a small grin. "What do you say, Superboy? Want to join the Voltron Alliance?"

"I'd be honored, Lady Paladin." He bowed mockingly, making my roll my eyes as he stood back up with a soft smile. "I'll try not to make you regret that."

"I'll hold you to it," I said with a smirk. Then, after a pause, added, "Thanks. For... well, listening to me and for letting me vent a little. I think I really needed that."

Conner shrugged like it was no big deal, but his voice was gentle. "It was nothing. And for what it's worth? I think you're more than the name you're running from. You've gotten this far without it and you're doing great. Just remember to take some time to really think about that unaddressed childhood trauma and how it makes you feel instead of brushing it off and pushing it aside."

"Yeah. I will. Thanks, Conner," I said quietly, feeling a bit lighter.

He nudged me with his elbow. "Anytime. Now go before your friends send someone to drag you back. That guy in red has been glaring at me the entire time."

I blinked, "Who? Keith?" I asked, looking over my shoulder at the mullethead. Our eyes met and he looked away, turning towards Pidge as she met back up with him. I raised a brow then shook my head with a small, fond smile. "Don't worry. That's just how he is. He always looks kinda grumpy, but really, he's got a good heart."

Conner let out a low whistle from beside me and I turned my head towards him, confused at the smirk on his face. "Sure. Totally not reading into that smile and look on your face."

"What look?" I stared at him, more confused than before.

"Oh, you know," he gave me a smug grin, arms crossed, "That little fond smile and that soft look in your eyes when you were talking about him."

"I did not have that look."

"Oh, come on," he laughed, "I've seen that expression enough times on people to know that that is not the same fond look someone has when they talk about someone who is definitely just their friend."

I felt my cheeks burn at his words, glaring at him.

"Don't give me that look. You know I'm right." His smug look soon faded into a gentle one as he noticed me fiddling with my fingers. "Kaia?"

"I just...," I sighed, crossing my arms. "I don't even know what I'm feeling okay? Maybe it's because I hadn't seen any sign of him after he left the Garrison and we're just now reconnecting or maybe I actually like him that way. I don't know, but Keith's... Keith. He's one of the friends I've had the longest. He's my closest friend. He's been a constant ever since I met him. I don't wanna mess that up- I mean, what if it makes things weird? What if I misread everything and he doesn't feel the same and suddenly it's awkward every time we talk or fight side by side? I'd rather keep him as a friend than lose him that way."

 "Hey," he said gently. "I get it. It's scary. But you know, feelings don't exactly come with a safety manual. Sometimes you've gotta risk a little awkward to find out if it's something more. And if he's really your friend, you two will figure it out."

I stared at him, biting my lip. "...That's easy for you to say."

He chuckled, patting my shoulder. "Hey, I'm not saying it's not scary. I'm just saying you're allowed to feel what you feel. Don't beat yourself up for having a crush. And who knows? Maybe he likes you back and he's just as scared to ruin things too."

I exhaled, my heart doing a small, nervous flip. "...You really think so?"

Conner grinned, bumping my shoulder. "Kaia. Would a guy giving me obvious glares from a distance really not have some kind of feelings for you? Trust me. You're probably not the only one worried about ruining a good thing."

I gave him a weak glare, half embarrassed, half grateful. "You're annoying, you know that?"

"Yeah," he said with a proud grin. "But I'm the good kind of annoying." He then paused, a thoughtful look in his eyes. "That kryptonite shard. You still have it, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah, its safely inside my bag back in my lion. Why?"

"I wasn't the only one who noticed there was something off about it. You noticed too, right?"

"Yeah, it definitely looked off. " I nodded once more, the conversation taking a more serious turn. "Why?" 

"Well, when I fought that thing the first time, I dodged one of the lasers it was firing, I barely felt the side effects I'd usually get when faced with regular kryptonite when it passed by and when I got close to it. I didn't even think it was kryptonite. But when I got hit, the side effects were definitely much stronger than the one's a regular kryptonite gives me and Supes when we're exposed to it for too long." he explained, making my brows furrow in thought.

"Maybe it's a new variant or somebody tampered with it. Probably the Galra." I suggested, taking note of the lack of side effects unless he got hit with it directly. "I'll try to get a proper reading on it's radioactivity and composition and see if it really was tampered with. I'll get back to you through the communicator when I've got the results."

Conner nodded in appreciation. "Thanks. That stuff could be a real threat if Lex or somebody worse got a hold of it." I nodded in agreement. That would definitely be bad. 

I stepped back as Keith called out from next to Pidge, the two watching, "Kaia! You ready to go?"

"Yep! On my way!" I shouted back.

Conner lifted a hand. "Guess this is goodbye?"

"For now." I gave him a small wave. "Don't be an idiot, Con."

"No promises."

I laughed and turned, jogging up to Keith and Pidge. With one last glance back at the Velustrans and Conner, I waved goodbye with a smile. They returned it, shouting their own farewells as we slowly walked back towards our lions. I guess, it wasn't truly a goodbye.

Just a see you later.

--------

Our lions rose into the air, flying up in formation towards the wormhole. Pidge's voice was the only thing I could hear on the comms, her excitement about what she'd observed and learned about the Velustrans tech despite the short time she spent there evident as she rambled. I hadn't realized how much I had kind of missed Pidge's rambling while also kind of hoping she would slow down a bit.

"Wait, wait-" Pidge spoke, pausing in her rambling as she sounded like she realized something. "Was that Superboy you were talking to?"

Keith's voice came onto the comms, laced with shock. "That was Superboy, wasn't it?"

I let out a breathless laugh, settling back in my seat as we entered the wormhole.

"Uh, there were a few things I forgot to tell you guys about. I'll tell you everything once we're back at the Castle and with the others," I said with a smile.

Chapter Text

We all stood around Shiro's pod, the air filled with worry as we watched him. I bit the inside of my cheek as I worriedly looked back and forth between the console screen and Shiro lying fitfully in the pod. I had learned of Shiro's condition once Pidge, Keith, and I met back up with the others when we returned to the castle. When I entered the medbay shortly after getting back, I immediately got to work helping Coran with the wound on Shiro's side before placing him in the pod.

The wound on his side was the most worrisome injury among the several smaller ones he had. It held a purple tint, and for a moment, I thought some poison had seeped into it until Keith explained that the wound on his side was from Zarkon's witch, Haggar. That didn't lessen the worry I felt about the side effect, but it did answer the question about its odd color.

Shiro looked like he was having a nightmare, his face taut and his brows furrowed deeply. Hunk turned towards Coran, Allura, and me as we all stood by the console; the others sat on the stairs or stood by the pod. I had asked Coran if it was possible to connect my tablet to the pods or if there was a program to let it function similarly to the medbay console. Currently, I monitor Shiro's vitals on the console with some help and guidance from Allura, along with Coran, who had kindly decided to start working on the medbay update for my tablet. At the same time, we waited, even though I had told him it could wait.

"Is he okay?" Hunk asked worriedly.

"Sometimes, the healing process can cause involuntary brain wave reactions," Allura answered, which made me wonder for a moment about the possible side effects the pods could have.

Hunk turned back to Shiro, raising a hand to his chin. "He looks like he's having a bad dream."

"He just got blasted by a space witch and mauled by giant lizards. What dream could be worse than that?" Keith spoke, voice low as he looked at Shiro.

"Shiro's brain is showing spikes in activity, probably from his nightmare, but he's recovering smoothly."  I spoke softly, looking over all of them one by one before stopping at Keith,  "He'll be okay." I gave them all a reassuring smile. Everyone nodded, and I turned back to the screen after returning the nod.

It wouldn't be until half an hour later that Shiro began waking up. "He's waking up!" I said as Coran took over the console while I went to join the others by the pod. Hunk and Keith caught Shiro as he stumbled out of the pod, and I immediately moved to take his vitals. Thankfully, everything was normal.

"Thank goodness. How are you feeling, Shiro?" Allura asked, joining us as Hunk, let Shiro use him as support while he got his bearings.

"Better than I did before." He told her, his face holding a serious look. The words that came next immediately drew our full attention. "I remembered something from my time in Zarkon's prison."

---------

We moved over to Pidge's lab after Shiro had some food and explained everything. Apparently, A Galran had helped Shiro escape, and the coordinates to their headquarters were hidden in his prosthetic arm. Pidge was currently working to find said coordinates, but with no luck.

"I'm not finding any coordinates in here. Are you sure this wasn't just a dream?" Pidge asked, turning away from her laptop and towards Shiro.

"I'm positive. Someone helped me escape." Shiro spoke, a serious look on his face.

"And he was Galra?" Allura asked, sounding apprehensive and doubtful. 

"Yes."

"You know you cannot trust them." She added. I couldn't disagree with her apprehensive behavior. The Galra hadn't exactly been the most friendly, and while the idea of a Galra fighting against their own empire for the same causes we were was a welcome one, there was still the risk that this was all a hoax.

Shiro wasn't backing down, however. "Your father must have trusted them once," he turned to Allura, "Zarkon was the original Black Paladin, wasn't he?"

I looked at Allura in shock. Zarkon had been a Paladin? Not just any Paladin, the Black Paladin?

"That was a long time ago," Allura replied, looking away for a moment.

"Wait, what?" Lance asked in disbelief.

Suddenly, a few things began to make sense. Why Voltron froze up and split apart when we had gotten close to Zarkon's main ship, and why the Black Lion had been unresponsive. And those few things that made sense also sent a chill down my spine. 

If Zarkon was once the Black Paladin, and the Black Lion didn't move when we got close enough, did that mean that he and Black still had a connection? How strong was it? Was the Black Lion just confused, or was his connection with Zarkon that strong despite the many years that have passed? What would it mean for us if that happened again and we were face-to-face with him as Voltron?

"Didn't you see how he stole the Black Lion right out from Shiro? Or that he could do all that cool stuff with his bayard? Shiro's bayard? You know, the black one?" Keith spoke up, breaking me from my thoughts as he turned towards Lance.

"Why didn't you tell us the truth about Zarkon?" Shiro asked, a bit upset that the information had been kept a secret for this long.

"I wanted to protect you from the dark history of the paladins so that you would have a chance to bond with your lions on your own," Allura spoke, clearly ashamed. 

"Allura, by keeping that information from us, would it have changed anything that has happened so far?" I asked gently despite how upset I felt that she had kept this from us, even if by a little. She may have been trying to protect us, but that doesn't excuse the fact that she kept important knowledge from us, even if she meant well, when we were supposed to be a team. We were all rightfully upset, but getting mad at her and making her feel worse about it wouldn't do anything.

She turned her head to look at me, "I still believe that it would have," she said before turning back to Shiro, "Besides, you are the Black Paladin now, not Zarkon," she spoke, pointing her words at him.

"Yeah, well, the Black Lion may have a different take on the matter," Shiro replied after a moment, looking away.

Pidge suddenly spoke up, drawing our attention. "Wait a second. I think I see it now. Some repeating numbers in all this Galra code. Let me extract it." She frantically typed on her laptop, and a second later, something popped up. "They are coordinates! They lead here: the Thaldycon system."

"Then, that's where we're headed," Shiro spoke immediately, getting up from his seat after disconnecting his arm from the wires.

"Shiro, are you sure we can trust this?" Keith asked, voice tense as he continued. "I mean, after all the Galra have done to you. They- They took your arm."

"It's worth the risk. Someone helped me escape. If we can locate some allies in our fight against Zarkon, especially ones from his own side, we might find a way to take him down." Shiro reasoned, disregarding Keith's doubts.

We all turned towards Allura, waiting for her response. "We can check the location, but I do not like this. The Galra are not to be trusted." She spoke, giving in yet still suspicious of the entire thing.

We all headed up to the bridge after that and got into position as Allura stepped onto the platform. The atmosphere in the room was tense. Both Shiro and Allura were right in what they were saying. We needed more allies, but we also needed to be careful. No matter if these rebels were Galra or not.

Clusters of crystals floating about greeted us as we left the wormhole. They were beautiful, reminding me of the crystals the Velusrans had gifted me and Conner, yet something felt off for some reason.

"Well, this is it. No sign of any activity at all, living or otherwise." Coran announced as we floated just outside the crystal field. 

"Can we get in there to take a closer look?" Shiro asked.

Coran shook his head, "I don't want to bring the Castle any closer. Those xanthorium chunks contain highly unstable nitrate salts. Even bumping one of them can blow us straight to Wozblay."

I really need to ask Coran about the things he says. I still have no idea what a Yalmor is.

"Are you sure this is right?" Shiro asked Coran once more.

"These are the coordinates Number Six gave me," Coran replied.

"Hey! My decryption is solid." Pidge exclaimed, a bit offended by their doubt of her skills.

"Pidge's work is usually spot on." I backed Pidge up, knowing that the programs she developed were usually pretty good and functioned well. 

Shiro mumbled something to himself that we couldn't catch. Allura soon spoke up, still very cautious and very suspicious. "We should get out of here," she suggested, "We've checked it out, but now, it's time to move on."

"No," Shiro replied, "There must be something more to this. I can feel it. I think we should wait."

We all decided to listen to Shiro and wait. I leaned back in my chair as I looked out at the crystals in thought. Something still felt off. Shiro may be right when he said there might be something missing from all this. But, what?

Suddenly, the alarms began to blare and we all sat up in attention. "There's an intruder in the Castle!" Coran exclaimed, turning towards us. A screen popped up in front of Allura as she spoke, "How could someone sneak aboard the ship? I knew coming here was a mistake!" she angrily spoke as she pulled up the feed for the security cameras, searching for the intruder. 

"There he is! Level five." She told us, and we immediately got up.

"Everyone, suit up."

------------

After we all got into our armor, we split up to look for the intruder once we got to the fifth level of the Castle. I ran through the halls, bayard activated with an arrow notched in case I ran into the intruder. 

"I got him," Lance announced through the comm. I changed direction, moving towards Lance's location.

"Keep eyes on him, Lance. We're all headed toward you." Shiro told him. 

"Hold it right there!" I heard Lance exclaim, the sound of him shooting the intruder audible in the background.

"Careful, he's faster than an angry klanmuirl!" Coran exclaimed. My brows furrowed in confusion as I turned a corner. "But he can jump like a sprightly globinheffer!" A what?

"Coran, you're not helping!" Lance complained.

"Somebody's mad as a wet chuper." He added, before exclaiming once more. "Coming your way, Number Six!" He announced. I quickly pulled up Pidge's direction and began running over there. I paused to catch my breath for a few moments before continuing to run. 

"I got him!" I heard Pidge announce before the comms were filled with the sound of her screaming. "I don't got him!"

"He's dragging Pidge away!" Lance exclaimed.

"Come back here!" 

"Huh?"

"Hunk, behind you!" I shouted as I turned the corner and saw the intruder run past him with Pidge getting dragged by her bayard. Hunk turned and began to fire, nearly hitting Pidge in the process.

"Hunk!"

"Huh? Sorry!" He said, quickly stopping.

"Oh, Hunk failed the team, guys."

"Hey!"

Hunk after them as I took a quick moment to think. I couldn't fire an arrow while moving without risking hitting Pidge, and we couldn't attack with him moving about and possible escape routes everywhere. I began running towards Keith's location, hoping to cut the intruder off. 

I turned a corner just as the intruder turned the corner and shot an arrow towards him. He dodged, and I fired another one, being careful not to hit Pidge by accident. He's agile, I'll give him that. I thought as I fired another arrow at him as he began to get closer.

"Kaia manages to cut him off! Will she be the victor?"

I moved forward immediately, swinging my bow at him. They dodged, and I swung again. He parried my bow with his sword. I took a small step back and quickly aimed a kick at his head. He dodged it, and I shifted, spinning around as I aimed a kick to his side. He caught my leg and spun me around, letting go and throwing me into the wall. I groaned, slowly getting up with a hand on my aching back and watching as the intruder turned around another corner with Pidge trailing behind him.

"And she is not! All right, it's up to Keith now."

"Copy that. I'm ready." Keith replied.

"Ooh, this is exciting! He's got a sword. One young paladin, one seemingly indestructible foe..." 

Honestly, what was this commentary?  I thought with a wry smile, feeling sweat drop from my brow. I began running over to Keith's location. I spotted them going down the corridor and sped up, notching an arrow into my bow as I ran after them. As I managed to catch up to them, I could see Keith swinging his sword and the intruder dodging each swing swiftly.

"Swing and a miss!" 

"Oh, another swing and a miss!"

"He can't hit him! He's too fast!"

I shared a look with Pidge and Keith, nodding and falling back a bit as I readied another arrow and took a deep breath. I watched as Pidge dug her heels into the ground while I fired an arrow past his shoulder and into the pillar next to him, making the intruder pause while Keith went in to strike. He used his jetpack as he jumped and pushed off a nearby pillar, swinging his sword. I watched as Keith and the intruder got locked in a standstill, the intruder blocking Keith's sword with one of his own.

In one swift movement, the intruder quickly disarmed Keith. "He knocked his bayard out of his hands! It's on the ground!" Coran announced as Keith got into a fighting stance. "Pidge! Keith, look out!" I moved too late as Pidge was flung into Keith, and the two came to a landing in a heap a few feet away from me. "Are you guys okay?" I asked worriedly. Keith handed Pidge over to me as he quickly got up and rushed back towards the intruder.

"You okay, Pidge?" I asked as I helped her sit up. "Yeah, a bit dizzy, but I'm fine," Pidge replied, and I nodded, standing up and moving to help Keith. I activated my bayard, moving as quietly as possible. Keith was flung into Lance and Hunk, both of whom had just turned the corner. I raised my bow and swung it towards his head. He managed to grab a hold of my bayard mid-swing and sent me off balance with a sweep of his leg before shoving me back in Pidge's direction.

Pidge helped me up, and we watched in tense silence as Shiro and the intruder were at a standstill, Shiro's arm poised at their neck while their sword was pointed at Shiro's head. The intruder soon lowered their sword, taking a step back. They pulled their hood down, and the mask they wore disappeared, revealing the identity of the intruder we had been chasing all this time.

"Ulaz?" Shiro gasped. 

That was Ulaz?

I thought as we all stared at the Galran standing in front of Shiro in silence. The silence was quickly broken as Ulaz was shoved into the wall by a furious Allura. "Who are you?" She demanded angrily, a hand pinning Ulaz to the wall by his chest.

Shiro immediately stepped forward, trying to calm the situation down. "Stop! It's him!" He said, turning his head to look at Ulaz, "This is the Galra who set me free." 

"You've come."

--------

We stood before a handcuffed Ulaz in the lounge area. Allura, still suspicious and tense, had thought it necessary to do so. It was understandable. He had broken into the Castle without any of us knowing and could have done who knows what. But there was also the fact that he had helped Shiro escape to consider.

"I don't think this is necessary," Shiro spoke up.

"I will not have some quiznak-ing Galra soldier on the bridge of my ship!" Allura replied.

"If I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead already," Ulaz said. That sounds like something Damian would say when he first showed up . The thought made me sigh quietly and pinch the bridge of my nose tiredly.

"Well, that's not going to make her trust you," I murmured to myself, crossing my arms.

Allura seemed to share the sentiment, albeit more frustrated, in contrast to my exasperation. "Are your Galra threats supposed to win my trust?"

"I'm not trying to win your trust. I'm trying to win a war." Ulaz replied, directing his gaze towards Shiro, "And, because of Shiro, we are closer than we've ever been. Our gamble on you paid off better than we could have ever imagined."

"When you released me, you also mentioned that there were others working with you," Shiro said.

"Yes. We are called the Blade of Marmora."

"Uh, others? Are they here?" Hunk spoke up, nervously.

"Hunk, can you try not to act so scared around the chained-up prisoner? It makes us seem a little lame." Lance retorted, and I nudged him with my elbow, shaking my head with a small smile. 

"I am alone on this base," Ulaz spoke up, making me raise a brow.

"What is this base you're talking about?" Allura asked. "Shiro's coordinates just led us to this wasteland."

"The base is hidden." He said. "Now that I know it is Shiro that has come, you are welcome to our outpost."

"Where is it?" I asked, a bit curious as to how and where the base was hidden.

"It lies dead ahead."

"Behind all the xanthorium crystals?" Pidge asked, brows furrowing.

"No. Right in front of it, in a hidden pocket of space-time." They were able to fold space and time and create a pocket? How?

"Coran, are you hearing this?" Allura asked over the comms.

"I am picking up on some kind of anomaly on the screen. I suppose it could be a cloaked base." Coran replied after a few seconds.

"Just fly straight for the center of the xanthorium cluster. You will see." Ulaz advised, yet Allura was still apprehensive.

"You think you're going to get me to destroy our ship just because you say so?" she asked.

"Allura, he knows more than we do right now. I'm not saying we should trust him immediately, but if we want answers, then maybe we should listen to him." I suggested. Allura's apprehension wasn't unreasonable, considering how we met Ulaz, but we weren't going to get anywhere without his help. Allura looked back at me, a frown on her face, before her posture relaxed a little. She still looked a bit apprehensive, but at least she had calmed down a little.

"I still think this is a bad idea." She said, averting her gaze. "We came out here to find some answers. Are we going to turn back now?" Shiro spoke up, trying to reason with her.

"You know I trust both of you, Shiro and Kaia, but this doesn't feel right," Keith said, looking towards Shiro before looking at me. Lance then spoke up, "And you know I hate to agree with Keith, but it's a big fat ditto for me." 

"Galra could have implanted fake memories of your escape in your head," Pidge said. Her doubts were somewhat plausible. The Galra had access to advanced tech and magic. They could have done so without Shiro knowing.

"Oh, come on, that would be so evil, which, of course, they are. But they'd have to come up with some molecular-level storage unit, which his hand does have. But, to be linked up to memory, it would need a direct pathway to his brain, which... yeah." Hunk tried to reason, only to end up contradicting himself along the way.

"Ulaz freed me. Without him, we wouldn't be here." Shiro said, trying to reason with everyone. He was right. If Ulaz hadn't freed Shiro, he wouldn't have set off the domino effect that would lead us to where we are now.

It was quiet for a moment as we all mulled over this. Then Allura sighed. "Fine. Slow and steady, Coran. Head for the xanthorium cluster," she said, agreeing.

"Thank you, Princess." Shiro sighed in relief, a small smile on his face.

"Yes, Princess. Beginning approach." Coran replied, and we waited in tense silence for either good or bad news. I really hoped listening to Ulaz was the right move. "Impact imminent in five, four, three, two..." Coran spoke, counting down, "Well, that's something."

The perplexed tone in Coran's voice had us all, except for Ulaz, sharing looks of curiosity. "What is it?" Allura asked.

"Pulling it up on the screens." We all turned towards the screen in the lounge room at Coran's words. The sight was an amazing wonder to behold. Multicolored streaks and stars flew past as we travelled through the unknown tunnel.

"Amazing. They're folding space." Pidge gasped, staring at the screen in shock and awe.

"It's like a space taco. Or a space calzone. Or a space-time soup dumpling, and we're the soup. Hey, is there a cafeteria on this thing?" Hunk's words made me chuckle. It was very much a Hunk thing to think of food at a time like this. "Now you're making me crave some dumplings and a taco, Hunk," I said, a small smile on my face.

 The sounds of the ship leaving the tunnel drew my attention back towards the screen. There, on the screen, was the base we had been looking for. 

"Welcome to the Blade of Marmora Communications Base Thaldycon." Ulaz then spoke up, making me turn towards him. "Now, if you'll free me, I need to send a message to the leadership." He said, getting up with ease, despite the restraints. "They need to know I've made contact with Voltron."

"Go with him and keep an eye on him," Allura told Shiro, turning towards the Black Paladin. "I'm staying here."

"Ooh! Can we go?" Hunk chimed.

"I want to see how they make the space pocket!" Pidge added excitedly.

"Me too. I'd like to see that too." I chimed in, stepping forward.

"You guys go ahead." Lance spoke up with a confident smile, "I'll hang back and protect the princess."

"Ugh..." Allura groaned in exasperation, looking unamused by Lance's attempt at impressing her. After deciding that we'd be taking the Red Lion, Shiro and Ulaz walked out of the room first. Keith, Pidge, and Hunk followed behind, the two excitedly talking about what they might see on the base while Keith looked deep in thought.

I chuckled, shaking my head in amusement as we began heading to the Red Lion's hangar. As we walked, I slowly retreated into my thoughts. 

Folding space... I never thought that'd be possible without magic. Then again, I didn't think I'd ever go to space or become a tyranny-fighting Power Ranger. I wonder... if the space-tech could hide a rebel base, could it hide a planet?

-----------------

We left the Castle and headed towards the Blade of Marmora's base, Keith at the helm. "So, how are you guys able to fold space?" I asked, glancing at Ulaz from my place next to Hunk.

Ulaz soon began explaining, pointing towards one end of the base, "This is the gravity generator that creates the space-time fold that hides the station. It was created by a reclusive genius engineer named Slav. His technology allows the Blade of Marmora to remain hidden while we work to take down the Galra Empire. Zarkon would do anything to get his hands on this technology." Those last words definitely didn't leave a pleasant feeling.

"There are Galra out there that aren't loyal to Zarkon?" Keith asked, steering Red towards the base.

"We thought expanding the Galra Empire would bring stability." Ulaz replied with a solemn look, "We learned too late, a tyrant doesn't seek stability, only power." We all fell silent after that.

Red landed in the hangar, and we all walked into the base. Ulaz led us to the bridge, where he walked up towards a console. I took a moment to look around.

The place held the same Galran architecture prominent in all the Galran ships we'd seen, purple lights running along the walls and the floor. I saw Keith standing by a window and walked towards him, staring out at the mix of blues and purples the space outside held. 

He had that same look he had when we had left the lounge, one that told me he was thinking a lot about something. "Hey, you okay?" I asked in concern, keeping my voice low as my gaze returned to the scenery outside.

"Yeah, just... thinking." He replied, voice low. I nodded, unconvinced but not pushing further. My attention was drawn by Ulaz as he began speaking.

"With our members working on the inside, planning coordinated attacks with Voltron, we may finally have a chance." He said, standing at the console on the other end of the room with Hunk, Pidge, and Shiro. Keith and I joined them, looking up at the screen.

"So, you have agents working within Zarkon's ranks?" Hunk asked, brows furrowed. 

Ulaz turned towards him, a serious look on his face. "How do you think you got away from Zarkon in that last fight? Do you think those shields around Zarkon's command center went down on their own? We've got people risking their lives in this war, just like you."

"If you have people on the inside, can they tell me where my family is? They were taken at the same time Shiro was." Pidge asked, a hint of hope evident in her concerned expression.

"I knew others from Earth were captured. I never saw them, but I have some records of Galra prisoners here. I can transmit them to your ship." Ulaz answered, turning back to the console to do just that.

I didn't think about it before, but had other people from Earth aside from Shiro and the Holt men been captured before? My brows furrowed at the thought. The idea didn't bode well, especially with what little information we had.

"What's that weapon you carry?" Keith asked, voice a bit low. I looked toward him, a seed of worry planted in me at the tone in his voice and the look on his face. He sounded curious, yet there was a hidden undertone to it.

"It's a ceremonial blade that each member of our order carries," Ulaz explained, showing Keith the blade.

"Hmm, nice." The Red Paladin shrugged, effectively coming off as nonchalant. However, it couldn't fool me, and it didn't fool Shiro either, as I saw the man glance at Keith then at me with hidden concern and confusion. I returned the glance, equally as concerned and confused about Keith's false nonchalance.

Suddenly, an alarm sounded, and our attention was drawn towards the screen as a feed of the xanthorium field appeared. Something was approaching the crystal field.  "Oh no!"

Dread filled me at Ulaz's next words. "You were tracked!"

"What? Us?" Pidge asked, eyes wide with shock.

How the hell were they able to track us?  I worriedly wondered.

"If Zarkon knows we're here, it's because you ratted us out," Keith said as we watched the ship quickly approaching. The ship suddenly flipped forward, the top flying off, revealing a giant robotic head with arms. 

"It's another one of Zarkon's robot beast ro-beasts!" Hunk exclaimed.

"We have to get back to the ship," Shiro said, an urgent tone in his voice.

"Shiro, wait!" Ulaz called out just as we were about to move, a hard drive in his hand. "These are instructions on how to reach the Blade of Marmora headquarters. Before you go there, find out how Zarkon is tracking you. If you lead him there, our entire underground network, everything we've spent centuries building, will be lost."

Shiro nodded, a serious look on his face as he took the hard drive from Ulaz. We moved quickly, rushing back into Red and back to the Castle. 

"I knew he could not be trusted!" Allura exclaimed in frustration over the comms.

"It wasn't him," Shiro replied, defending Ulaz, who stayed back on the base.

"How can you be sure?" Allura fired back. 

"Allura, we can all discuss this later. Right now, we have a bigger problem to deal with." I spoke up, my grip on the back of Keith's chair tightening slightly as I pointed out the more urgent problem of the ro-beast.

"What should we do?" Coran asked.

"Why can't we hide here in the space clam and wait for it to go away?" Hunk suggested.

"Everyone, get to your lions, but don't launch. Wait to see what this thing does." Shiro ordered. "I don't want to risk fighting it if we don't have to."

 We landed back on the ship, and the rest of us quickly left Red to head to our respective lions.

I ran towards Purple's hangar, her head lowering as I got closer and allowing me to rush into the cockpit. "Sorry, girl. No time to talk today." I said, hopping into my seat.

The silence was tense as we watched the ro-beast approach the crystal field. "We should be safe as long as we're hidden in the space pocket," Pidge said.

"Uh, guys," I called out nervously as the ro-beast began opening its mouth. Its mouth began to glow as some of the xanthorium clusters began getting drawn towards it.

"It's drawing in the xanthorium clusters." Coran's perplexed voice came through the comms as we watched more clusters get drawn in.

It closed its mouth a minute later before opening it once more and firing a beam, several xanthorium clusters exploding as they were hit. The ro-beast seemed to pause before moving closer to the xanthorium field. 

"He's looking for us., I spoke, biting the inside of my cheek nervously as the ro-beast moved closer to the field and the space pocket with every second.

"I think he knows we're here." Hunk uttered.

"Hold."

The ro-beast began to charge its laser again and fired, this time piercing through into the space pocket and missing the Castle by a hair.

"Direct hit! He definitely knows we're here!" Coran exclaimed as more lasers pierced the space pocket. 

"Get the particle barrier up!" Allura commanded, and Coran put the particle barrier up just in time to protect the Castle from some of the lasers that managed to land directly.

The ro-beast began drawing in xanthroium clusters once more. 

"He's readying another attack!" Coran exclaimed.

"He's pulling us in as well!" Allura exclaimed. "Paladins, I think it's time to launch!"

"Form Voltron!" Shiro shouted, and we left our hangars to form Voltron. I blinked in surprise as I looked down at my console. The dials had changed into levers with the faces of each lion above it and diagrams of the shield and sword next to them, with dials underneath. On my left side was a diagram showing Voltron's current energy levels and the status of each lion. I shook my head and took a deep breath. You can be confused later. Focus on the ro-beast.

We immediately flew out of the pocket, punching the ro-beast as hard as we could and shifting its aim away from the Castle. Suddenly, the gravity generator shut down, and the space pocket hiding the Castle disappeared.

"We're exposed!" Allura exclaimed as the Castle and the Blade of Marmora base were no longer hidden. "The space fold has been lowered!"

"Huh?" I spotted something darting past us from the corner of my eye.

"Well, there goes Ulaz." Coran quipped as Ulaz darted past us and the Castle.

"I knew we should never trust a Galra," Allura growled.

We continued to punch the ro-beast, pushing it back and further away from where the Castle was. "Let's light this thing up. Fire lasers!" Shiro exclaimed. I pushed two of the levers on my console as the Green and Red Lions fired three lasers at the beast. 

We managed to hit him, and it looked like it worked. However, he recovered quickly and began using his tractor beam to draw in more of the xanthorium clusters.  "He's pulling in more ammo!" Pidge exclaimed as the ro-beast began charging its laser.

"Move! Move! Move!" Hunk yelled as the ro-beast fired the laser in our direction. I clenched my teeth, tightening my grip on the handles as we were knocked away by an explosion. 

"Kaia, Lance, Hunk! Give me full reverse boosters!" Shiro commanded as we were headed towards a xanthorium cluster at a fast pace. I pushed the levers under the Blue and Yellow Lion, diverting energy towards the two as Lance and Hunk activated the boosters. We had managed to save ourselves from crashing into the cluster, but we were soon caught in the ro-beast's tractor beam.

"We're caught in the tractor beam!" I yelled, feeling a bit anxious now that he had managed to catch us.

We tried to fly away, but our attempt was thwarted as we got knocked back by two of the clusters being drawn in. "This thing wants to eat us like we're a space taco!" Hunk yelled.

We flipped around, the Yellow and Blue Lions landing on either side of the ro-beast's gaping maw and pushing back against it as it caught the Red and Green Lions. We tried to pull back, but the force of the tractor beam and its grip on Red and Green were too strong.

"Can't get free!" Shiro grunted.

"I'll make him back off!" Keith declared as he stabbed Red's jaw blade into the ro-beast's mouth. It shrieked, its mouth closing, and we quickly moved away once it let go. "We've got to keep some distance between us and that ro-beast!" Shiro exclaimed. "Kaia, what can you tell us about it so far?"

"It's a bit slow, but its compact size and strength help it make up for that. It's probably using the clusters to fuel its laser. The biggest threat we have is the tractor beam and the laser. We can't get too close or we risk getting pulled in, but we also can't risk getting caught in it. Its mouth is probably both its strongest and weakest point. If we can break it, we have a chance. However..." I trailed off, my brain rushing to come up with a way we could beat it.

"We run the risk of getting too close, which we can't do without it catching us like it did before." Shiro finished grimly. 

We flew away from it as fast as we could, and it began firing lasers at us. My grip on Purple's handles tightened as we were knocked around by the explosions caused by the lasers it fired. We flew up to avoid getting knocked around by another explosion and quickly evaded its tractor beam.

"It's trying to pull us in again!" Hunk exclaimed as we narrowly avoided getting pulled in. 

We soon got caught by the ro-beast, and I pushed up the Blue and Yellow Lion's levers as Hunk and Lance were forced to go into full reverse again. "It's not working!" I exclaimed worriedly as we continued to get dragged towards the beast.

"I'm burning thrusters at full capacity, and it's not making any difference, even with the boost from Kaia!" Lance yelled.

The distance between us and the ro-beast slowly decreased as we continued to get pulled in. I could feel my palms sweat underneath my gloves, my heart racing anxiously as we were only a few meters away from the ro-beast's gaping mouth.

Suddenly, a laser shot past us and hit the ro-beast. The explosion forced us and the ro-beast apart, giving us the chance to breathe. I took a deep breath, eyes drawn towards the direction the laser came from,

"Is everyone alright?" Allura asked as the Castle flew up to us. 

"Alive? Yes. Alright? No." Lance replied.

"Allura, Coran, are you okay?" I asked worriedly as the screen seemed to shake and she nearly lost her balance. I looked outside and saw that xanthorium crystals were slamming against the castle's particle barrier as the ro-beast switched his target to the castle.

"It's going for the castle!" Keith exclaimed.

"We need some way to stop its tractor beam!" Pidge added.

"I've got an idea!" Shiro chimed in, "Pidge, form shield! Kaia, re-enforce it!"

"Gotcha!" I nodded, turning the dial next to the shield diagram as Pidge activated the shield.

"Use the shield to block the beam!" Shiro commanded as we flew towards the ro-beast. We jammed the shield between its jaws before punching the ro-beast away. It rolled a bit as it was sent flying back a bit.

"We've stopped the beam. Now what?" Keith asked.

"Now, we go on the offensive," Shiro replied.

"The xanthorium clusters!" Pidge exclaimed, "We can use them!"

I pushed the levers for the Blue and Yellow Lion as we shoved the ro-beast towards one of the larger xanthorium clusters. We watched it fly back towards the xanthorium crystals, calling back the shield just as it collided with the large cluster and exploded. I sighed, a small smile growing on my face. We had done it.

Or so we thought.

I zoomed in on the explosion, squinting through the brightness before gasping. "Pidge, shield!" I yelled, reinforcing it a second before a laser collided with it. I screamed, holding on tightly to the handles. I could hear everyone's scream through the comms as the force of the laser pushed us back.

A beeping noise came from my right, a glance showing me the shield flashing red and its energy draining slowly. "The shield's about to break!" I exclaimed in alarm.

"The shield can't hold this much power!" Pidge added before we were sent flying back, the shield slipping from our grip.

We spun around, regaining our balance before getting caught in the tractor beam.

"We might not be strong enough to beat this thing!" Hunk exclaimed as we tried to pull away from the tractor beam.

"Hang on!"

"Ulaz?" Shiro asked.

The base was flying towards us, Ulaz at the helm as it sped in our direction. "I'm going to take it down from the inside," he said, shocking us all.

"Ulaz, no! Let us handle this!" Shiro fought back.

He's going to do it . I thought sadly, watching as he piloted the base in line with the tractor beam.

"Voltron is too valuable. The universe needs you." Ulaz replied, resignation and conviction in his voice. 

I raised a hand to cover my mouth in shock as the base disappeared into the ro-beast's jaws, a lump in my throat as we watched Ulaz sacrifice himself. All to give us a chance, to give the universe a chance.

We didn't get the chance to process Ulaz's sacrifice as the ro-beast rushed at us once more. We all gasped in shock, getting into a defensive stance.

"Get ready!" Shiro shouted.

We braced ourselves as the ro-beast rushed at us. Suddenly, it stopped and twitched a few times, cracks appearing all over its body. Its jaw opened and closed, the cracks glowing as the ro-beast seemed to shrink.

"Ulaz opened up the space pocket from inside!" Pidge exclaimed as the ro-beast shrank and folded into itself. "It's falling in on itself!"

The ro-beast disappeared before a bright flash appeared for a few seconds, dissipating and revealing a hole in the field of xanthorium clusters.

"He did it," Hunk said, relief seeping into his voice.

"Ulaz saved us," Keith added. 

"He's... gone," Shiro spoke softly.

---------------

We had returned to the ship, tired and weary from the battle, the room silent as we all processed what had happened. I watched Shiro walk out of the bridge, concerned with how quiet he'd been since we got back and the slight slump of his shoulders. I followed him quietly as he headed for the observation deck.

Ulaz's death was sudden, and, despite only having known him for the short time we did, his sacrifice had left a mark on us all in some way. I didn't fully trust him, but I could tell he cared about the well-being of the universe as much as we did. Enough to put his life on the line for it.

I quietly entered the observation deck. Shiro stood at the end of the room, arms crossed as he quietly stared out the window. I walked towards him, moving to stand next to him. "He was a brave and noble soul. He could have left us and saved himself, but instead, he fought back." I spoke softly, uncertainly, yet gently breaking the silence.

"As long as we're alive and Voltron stands, he won't be forgotten. This just shows that we need to stop Zarkon so that no one else dies." I felt Shiro place his hand on my shoulder, understanding the silent gratitude in the action as we stared out at the floating clusters outside the window.

I heard soft footsteps making their way into the room, and I turned my head to spot Keith standing a few feet behind us. The sight of him reminded me of the look he had earlier and the tone in his voice when he was asking Ulaz about the blade he carried. I would have to ask about that later.

"Sorry, we doubted Ulaz, Shiro. He saved all our lives." His voice was soft and low as he spoke, tone apologetic. 

Shiro's brows furrowed slightly as he spoke, voice soft. "I still have so many questions."

It was silent for a moment after that before Keith spoke once more. "Do you think Zarkon is really tracking us?" he asked, brows furrowed. 

Speaking of Zarkon...  

I glanced at Shiro, brows furrowed in thought, "Shiro, do you think Zarkon-" I was interrupted by the sound of the door opening as Allura entered.

"We cannot know for sure." She said, "Only Ulaz knew our whereabouts." Her words made my brows furrow. Even if Ulaz and his intentions were suspicious, his actions during the battle spoke for themselves. I guess Allura still has doubts.

I glanced between Allura and Shiro, a bit concerned that this would lead to an argument.  I sighed, shaking my head.

"You don't really think Ulaz gave us up?" Shiro asked, a slightly frustrated look on his face as he turned to look at the princess. "After he sacrificed himself?"

"Yeah! Maybe Zarkon found out about this place on his own. He's probably been searching for the Blade of Marmora." Keith chimed in, also frustrated with Allura's doubts.

"Allura, he couldn't have sold us out," I spoke up, calmer but just as upset. "After everything that's happened, it wouldn't make any sense. Besides, Zarkon could have found some other way to track us."

"It's clear the loss of Ulaz has caused you great concern, but, regardless of how Zarkon located us, we cannot stay here any longer," Allura said, brows furrowed. "It isn't safe."

"We should meet up with the rest of Ulaz's group, finish what we started," Keith suggested.

"No," Shiro replied, a serious look on his face. "We're not going to the headquarters until we figure out how Zarkon found us. We can't risk losing the only allies we have in this war."

We left it at that and went back to our rooms to get some rest. I glanced at Keith for a brief moment as he walked next to me, unsure of how to question the slight shift in his behavior earlier.

I wanted to ask, but at the same time, Keith's fake nonchalance told me he didn't want to talk about it further. At least, not until he'd figured whatever it was out.

"Hey, Keith," I spoke hesitantly, gently trying to gain his attention. He turned towards me, raising a brow. "Earlier, on the base, you seemed a little..." I trailed off, not sure if I really should pry.

"What?" He asked, his shoulders giving the tiniest twitch. It made me pause and rethink. I shook my head, "Never mind. It's nothing." I spoke, a small smile on my face.

He gave me a perplexed look before nodding. The look on his face told me he didn't believe me, but I shook my head once more. We eventually reached my room and I opened the door, turning to tell him 'Good night'. I paused, finding him already looking at me with a conflicted look on his face, the same one he had when he was second-guessing what he was going to say. 

"Keith?" I asked, a bit concerned.

He sighed, his eyes meeting mine. "Look, I know you and Shiro could tell something was up, and I don't know if I can tell you what's going on with me right now. Ulaz brought up questions I thought I had answers to already, and I'm just really... confused." Keith spoke, averting his gaze and raising a hand to rub the back of his neck.

He's nervous . I thought, watching Keith sigh again before meeting my eyes.

"I promise I'm fine, so don't worry. I just... have some things I need to figure out." He gave me a small smile, slightly reassuring yet also unsure. 

I stared at him silently for a moment before nodding, "Okay." I replied softly, staring at him for a few more seconds before looking away. I didn't believe Keith was truly alright, but I trusted he'd figure his thing out or go to someone if he finally wanted to talk about it.

 I saw Keith take a step towards me from the corner of my eye before I felt arms wrap around me. I returned the gesture, wrapping my own arms around his waist. We didn't say a word, but it didn't feel like we needed to. Keith's gratitude was evident in the way his arms tightened slightly around me. My arms tightened around him in response, silently telling him I was here if he wanted to talk about it.

We pulled away, said our good nights, and I entered my room. Chasing after Ulaz, Zarkon somehow being able to track us, the fight against the ro-beast, Ulaz's sacrifice, and Keith's hidden troubles. Everything seemed to come one after the other, and it barely gave us all time to breathe. Flopping onto my bed with a deep sigh, I felt what leftover energy I had left slowly drain away. 

Despite this, one thought seemed to keep sleep out of arm's reach as I tossed and turned.

If Zarkon was the Black Paladin and we found our Lions by sensing and connecting with them, then is he still connected and able to sense the Black Lion?

===========

Richard 'Dick' Grayson. The first Robin, Batman's sidekick, Nightwing. He'd been called many things before and gained many a title. The title he probably took the most pride in? Being the best older sibling he could be for his younger siblings.

Now? He wasn't so sure if that title was still true.

Not when he'd slowly pushed one of his siblings away, the first younger sibling he had, and neglected her, even if unintentional.

Dick could still remember the day he met Kaia, even if the rest of his memories of her were now a blur. He was curious about a child that resulted from one of Bruce's rare lapses in judgment. The first thought he had when he saw her was that she was small. 

Of course, any kid would probably be small in comparison to him and Bruce, but in his eyes back then, she was small for her age.

The Kaia then had been shy, incredibly so, timid, and a bit sensitive, standing close to Alfred as if he was something she could hide herself behind like a shield. Alfred had to introduce her and explain the situation himself when Dick approached them. He could understand why she acted the way she did. She had just lost her mother and now had to live with strangers. She was probably scared and a bit overwhelmed with everything going on.

He knew what that felt like. He had been in her situation before. Alone, thrust into the unfamiliar and overwhelmed. It took him a bit to get used to everything after Bruce had taken him in. 

He was also happy to get a younger sibling, being raised as an only child and all. Maybe the halls of Wayne Manor wouldn't be as quiet as they were now.

He'd reached out first, that he remembered, and he could faintly remember her smile whenever she saw him. He tried to spend as much time with her as he could, but with his busy schedule, his role as leader of the Titans, and his job as Nightwing, she and the promises he made were slowly pushed to the back of his mind.

Eventually, she had faded into obscurity without him realizing, while she had slowly pulled away, one broken promise at a time.

The guilt hit him hard and weighed down his heart heavily when he realized what he'd done. He'd prided himself on being the older sibling everyone could rely on, on being there for them when others weren't or Bruce couldn't, and he'd failed miserably when it came to Kaia.

He didn't notice when she'd started pulling away. He didn't notice when she'd stopped coming up to him. He didn't notice or feel concern when the messages he'd get from her stopped. He'd forgotten about her. He'd forgotten about his younger sister.

He'd felt this sort of guilt before. When Jason had died, he thought he'd failed him as a brother and blamed Bruce for what happened. Then Jason came back, and the brotherly relationship between them after everything calmed down was being mended, despite how rough it was back then.

At least, he had the chance to repair his relationship with Jason. He wasn't so sure he could do that with Kaia, and it made him feel sick.

Dick stood from his seat on Kaia’s bed. He’d spent his time between searches there, going through the pictures and albums she had put away. How tall was Kaia now? He thought as he stared down at her graduation picture. Judging by her height in comparison to Alfred at the time, she was probably only an inch or two taller than Damian was.

She had grown up.

Without them, without Bruce.

Without him. And he hadn't even noticed.

He looked at one of the framed pictures on her shelf, the few that had managed to be taken with him and Kaia in them. It was one of the few taken during her birthday after she'd gotten to the manor. Dick's lips formed a thin line as his brows furrowed. He hoped she didn't hate him, that he could still mend the bond between them even after all these years.

No. He thought, shaking his head. He could still fix it. He could still be the older brother she needed. If he could mend his relationships with Jason and Bruce, then he could fix things with her. 

He picked up the framed picture and pulled its picture from the frame, pocketing it as he left her room. He’d find her and make it up to her somehow. They’d get to fulfill all those promises he’d broken. Kaia would forgive him.

She had to.