Chapter Text
Beyond the glass, the sky was on fire.
A blur of formless colours raced by the Red Lion's cockpit while all sound was obscured by the thrusters' deafening roar. Keith resisted the urge to immediately close his eyes again in pure terror, hands closed so tightly around the controls that his knuckles were white. He needed to regain control, to slow the beast's descent - but how? He didn't have the experience - to pilot the lion, to understand the intricacies that were involved in her control.
To run into battles he wasn't prepared for.
He gritted his teeth in frustration, a helpless anger tightening his throat. He had been so stupid, throwing all other concerns aside in his quest to pursue Zarkon and destroy him for everything he had done. For ripping Pidge's family away, for causing Shiro such irreparable physical and mental harm, for being the reason Keith and his fellow paladins had been torn from their original, ordinary lives and dropped on a planet millions of light years away, to fight a battle they weren't ready for.
Not that his life had been all that ordinary any more, not since the disaster of the Kerberos mission.
He flinched back as a vibrant bloom of flame enveloped the Red Lion's head; they had burst through the atmosphere and were descending at rapid speed. Which planet they were headed towards, he had no idea, and he could do nothing at this point but hope.
The moment they had entered the wormhole after racing away from Zarkon's control ship, he had known something was wrong. The ferocious crackling of the lightning that had followed them through the portal had been deafening on all sides, drowning out Coran's panicked cry. He didn't need to tell them that the wormhole had been compromised, that the lions had been separated from the Altean castle-ship and they were spiralling out of control. Keith had a feeling that unanimously, they had all immediately understood everything had gone horribly wrong.
His lion was partially damaged from Zarkon's attacks, but the alarm was no longer blaring, and the warning messages had reduced themselves to a flashing exclamation mark on the screen before him. He had to ignore it, for now. He had no knowledge of how to repair the lion - would it repair itself? - and in the meantime his top priority was to ensure his own survival. Beyond that, everything was out of his control, and the thought caused a cold splinter of fear to dig its way into his core. He had worked alone for so long, in his ferocious self-driven determination to solve the mystery of Kerberos. But that had been back at home, in a shack in the desert, peering at maps and satellite tracking and online records. Not hurtling through the atmosphere of an unknown planet with no idea what lay before him.
He straightened in his seat, gripping the controls tightly as his gaze swept the landscape below. Dark clouds broken by the flickering glow of violent storms zig-zagged across an ocean the colour of slate. A small landmass sat further to the north - if it was the north. He was at the point where he could barely tell which way was up any more. The ground looked stony and barren; whether it was habitable was up for debate. He might not even be able to breathe within this atmosphere, and worrying about the friendliness of this mystery planet's inhabitants was a whole other story.
Realising that he was headed directly for the planet's vast ocean, Keith pulled rapidly at the controls and with a roar the lion tilted backwards, the engines reaching a painful pitch. He cast a quick glance towards the multitude of screens on what he had come to describe as the dashboard, but the compass and other locational data were spinning wildly out of control. He'd have to rely solely on his instincts - something he was used to, but never like this.
Even when fighting Zarkon, he had known the other paladins were behind him - busy with their own struggles, but there. Not on another planet, in another galaxy, another universe. His hands shook on the controls. He wouldn't even be here if Shiro hadn't swept in and wrenched the Red Lion to safety while Zarkon had been preparing a final strike - and likewise, Shiro would never have been pulled from the depths of the Galra ship without the efforts of Allura and Hunk. Without even realising how closely they had all been drawn together, the paladins and their Altean companions had become inseparable. They were reliant upon each other, and now, torn apart so violently, they were vulnerable. Exactly as Haggar had wanted.
The naked fear of what could have happened to his companions, where they could have ended up, was overwhelming. It took all the self-control he had not to simply let go of the lion's controls, curl into a ball and cry. The possible situations the Alteans and the other paladins had ended up in were, quite literally, limitless. They might already be dead. He could fight tooth and nail to return to Arus, only to find it abandoned with only rolling hills and an empty sky to greet him. No castle, no Allura or Coran. No wide grin from Hunk or eager hugs from Pidge. No theatrical display of false rivalry from Lance or a relieved half-smile from Shiro. Damn, he even missed the space mice. How pathetic was that?
"Calm down. Calm down," he muttered to himself, taking several deep breaths while his gaze remained locked on the rocky island far below. One thing at a time. Trying to think of everything, to comprehend the fact that the people he had become closest to may no longer be alive, was more than he could take. He had a family, he realised with a jolt. The thought was so alien to him that it had barely crossed his mind - he hadn't allowed himself to consider it. But no. That tiny, timid, hopeful part of his heart was right. He had a family. And he might have lost them all over again.
The Red Lion let out a rumbling growl, and he allowed the sound to wash over him. A noise that may have been downright frightening to others had the opposite effect on Keith; slowly, steadily, he began to relax. He wasn't alone. He had his lion. They would be OK.
"Let's do this," he said quietly, and pushed the controls forward. The lion roared, the sound mirrored by its powerful thrusters, and they raced in a wide curve toward the island below.
Keith's gaze darted across the landscape as they came in closer, his hand hovering above the control panel. It was always difficult to walk that thin line between being wary and becoming downright jumpy when descending into a potentially hostile environment. He didn't know how Shiro did it, least of all with the trauma he'd been put through at the hands of the Galra. Keith was surprised he didn't instinctively shoot anyone who got within a ten-metre radius.
As the darkened clouds parted, a structure came into view below, and Keith drew in a sharp breath. A chaotic tangle of curves and sharp edges, forged in metallic black like a slick of oil shaped into solid form... This was a Galra settlement. There was no doubt about it. He looked to the north, and saw vibrant violet light spilling from windows high up in a control tower, the spiked symbol at its very top. The same blinding glow that had permeated the walls of the enormous control ship the paladins had only just escaped from, the same harsh light that had enveloped the Balmera and burned across the surface of Shiro's mechanical arm. Of all the places he could have ended up. Keith didn't know if he wanted to scream and throw things, or roll up and cry. Again.
"Land. Find safety. Find a way out of here." He repeated the list to himself several times, partly to commit it to memory but mostly because focusing on the repetition kept his thoughts from spiralling off into imaginary situations that were beyond his control. He wrenched on the controls and the lion turned in a broad arc, away from the Galra settlement and into the wilderness. In the back of his mind was a lingering concern that this planet's inhabitants had already spotted him. Hadn't Zarkon detected the presence of the paladins when they approached his command ship? Either way, it was too late to worry about it. He couldn't have worked out what kind of place he had ended up in without landing.
Keith flew low, several miles from the structure which stood out like an inky blot on the rocky landscape. When he finally deemed it to be relatively safe, he brought the lion in behind a cluster of jagged boulders. The ground shook as they touched down, the beast's claws immediately digging into the earth. Keith was suddenly extremely glad he had ended up piloting the Red Lion. This would have been made a whole lot more difficult if he had had to find a suitable hiding place for the broad bulk of the Yellow Lion or, even worse, the Black Lion's enormous frame. He wondered if Hunk and Shiro were doing exactly that right now, desperately trying to reach safety from life-threatening situations - then he firmly put a lid on those thoughts and pushed them to the back of his mind. Not now. He needed to ensure he remained alive first. He would be no use to anyone if he died here.
"So, what do we do now?" he asked his lion, sinking back into his seat as he studied the stony landscape before him. Apart from the Galra settlement, there was very little of interest in sight. He had been hoping another structure might make an appearance as he came in closer to land, a settlement that was distinctly non-Galra and perfectly harmless. A place where the inhabitants didn't want him dead, and might even be able to give him instructions to return to Arus. No, that wasn't going to happen. And neither was an answer from his lion. He gave a humourless smile and shook his head. The robotic beast could only assist him in combat, which was far better than nothing, but it wouldn't help him in his quest to find out where on earth - or rather, where in the universe - he had ended up.
With the navigational controls out, he was stuck in limbo - he couldn't start to figure out where he was going until he discovered where he was in the first place. He'd give his right arm for one of those handy holographic maps the Castle of Lions possessed in its control chamber. Immediately he grimaced. Perhaps best not to use that turn of phrase in front of Shiro.
With the lion unable to assist him in the most urgent task, he needed to search outside - and he wasn't looking forward to it. Keith looked toward the tightly-grouped tangle of Galra buildings and exhaled slowly. If only he possessed Allura's chameleon-like ability to change her appearance to suit her environment. If she hadn't given herself up to force Shiro to safety, their plan would have worked perfectly. In terms of her disguise, they had managed to sneak in without a hiccup. Not to mention that Allura was a fantastic leader. So too was Shiro, and Pidge was smart enough to figure her way out of any situation. Hunk was steadily learning to cope with high-pressure situations, Coran had enough knowledge under that goofy facade to work out a route to safety from most eventualities, and Lance... well. It was difficult to know if Lance knew what he was doing most of the time, let alone anyone else. Perhaps he wouldn't be much use here, but simply to have some company would be worth putting up with his nonsensical babbling about the latest 'hot alien babe' he'd encountered. Maybe.
Sitting around here wishing the rest of the paladins would magically appear to assist him wasn't helping anyone. With another sigh Keith lowered the lion so her head was resting on the rough ground and opened up the mouth. The metallic shapes of the cockpit drew back to allow in a broad view of the heavy clouds above and the sharp acidic tang of the landscape beyond. The only sound was the rush of air from the vents and whirr of hydraulics; the place itself was uncomfortably silent.
Keith stepped out of his seat and with one last glance back within the lion, headed outside and onto the hard earth. He paused for a moment, ready to leap back inside in an instant at the realisation that he couldn't breathe on this planet and was about to collapse. But no - everything seemed to be fine. His red-and-white uniform stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the dull browns and purples of the surrounding area, immediately marking him out as a Voltron paladin, but it couldn't be helped. He wasn't about to take it off and leave himself vulnerable to attack. Whether or not he looked like a paladin was irrelevant when a Galra was close enough to cave his head in.
For now, his only option was to approach the settlement ahead and find some way to work out where he was. He just needed the bare-bones information to understand vaguely what part of the universe he had ended up in, before heading back to his lion and striking out in (hopefully) the right direction to find the castle, or Arus, or perhaps even Earth. He knew now that he could never return to his home planet without knowing what had happened to his companions, but the urge to just see those familiar grassy landscapes and mountains and a moon he actually recognised was, for a moment, so overwhelming it almost took his breath away. He pushed the feeling back down, like he had everything else, and activated the Red Lion's particle barrier before he started to walk toward the dark shape on the horizon.
"Halt!"
Keith froze.
"Put your hands up and turn around."
Every curse word he knew ran through his head in quick succession. How had he not heard a thing? He had been so wrapped up in his own frightened thoughts - and to think he believed he had his emotions all neatly compartmentalised. What a joke.
Either way, the Galra had another think coming if they believed he was about to lie down and let them take him without a fight. Keith reached down to grip the hilt of his bayard and swung round to strike, the weapon blazing into life with a crackle of electricity. The Galra leapt back in surprise before Keith's swing reached him, then he stopped, and stared. Keith stopped too, momentarily stunned, the sword humming eagerly beside him. He had expected to have his head cleaved off in an instant. Why had the alien not attacked him?
There was a pause, then the Galra burst out laughing. The sound echoed from the metallic shapes of the Red Lion, from the wall of jagged grey rocks to their right. Keith stepped back, drawing the blade back into a 'ready' position. He was damned if he was going to let this smug creature made a mockery of him.
"That's a good one." The Galra bent over, slapping his knee in great mirth. "You've earned yourself a drink, my friend."
Keith felt one of his eyebrows slowly rise toward his hairline. Had this guy completely lost his mind? Whatever. He didn't care. He would cut him down - put all those hours of training to good use - and head to the settlement to find his way out of this damn place.
"Honestly thought you were a paladin," the alien wheezed, finally managing to straighten up again. "You almost gave me a heart attack zooming down in that red thing. I guess Haggar's plan worked. Would have been nice if you'd got the paladin as well, could have got some nice information from him, but hey - I suppose it's not a huge deal if you threw him out in the middle of the wormhole. Wonder where he ended up!" This last thought was apparently a source of great amusement and he doubled over again.
Keith continued to stand in utter bemusement, then slowly, a plan began to form in the back of his mind. For whatever reason, this creature believed they were one and the same. Perhaps, considering he had offered him a drink, he had already had a little too much himself. Did the Galra drink alcohol? Did they possess any sort of intoxicating substances? He had no idea. Maybe his eyesight wasn't very good, or there was something in the atmosphere of the planet that had addled his mind. But then, why would the Galra be here at all? None of it made sense - but if this alien, for whatever reason, genuinely believed Keith was one of his own kind, he would take advantage of it.
"Yes. I did throw the paladin out," he managed to force out, then realised he sounded about as enthusiastic as if he was reading out train times. Acting had never been his strong point - in fact, neither was displaying any emotions at all, even if they were genuine. He attempted a grin; it felt ridiculous. "Wish you'd been there to see it! Made for a good laugh."
"I bet it did." The man finally recovered himself and straightened up, casting a glance toward the Red Lion sitting still and silent above them. "We better get this thing inside. How come you didn't fly it straight into the hangar?"
"Well, if I'd just come zooming in without warning you'd have shot it out of the sky," Keith replied, then dared to add in what he hoped was a derisive tone, "Are you stupid?"
"Oh. Yes. Good point. I mean, no, I'm not stupid." The Galra nodded furiously, and Keith was immediately glad he had encountered what appeared to be a low-ranking soldier. Perhaps the alien thought Keith was of a much higher station. Well, he could probably take advantage of that.
"I'm not familiar with this... control post." He waved a hand vaguely in the direction of the structure in the distance. He hoped that was the right term, but he wasn't corrected, so he assumed it was. "I need you to give me coordinates to search out the Castle of Lions."
"Immediately?" It was difficult to tell with that dark helmet across half his face, but the Galra soldier looked confused. "Aren't you going to speak with the commanding officer here first?"
"I don't need to. I'm here on Emperor Zarkon's direct orders." Referring to that monster by his title made him want to grit his teeth, but he resisted the urge. "I need to pursue the castle immediately. I'm going to infiltrate their midst - that's why I'm disguised. Whatever you think, I wasn't trying to play some sort of stupid practical joke."
"Of course not, sir." The alien attempted to look abashed.
"Of course, since I was in the wormhole as well, I also got thrown out to an unspecified location, and it happened to be here," Keith continued, relieved to see that the other man appeared convinced. "I just need you to give me the correct coordinates, then I can go after the castle and capture the rest of the lions. Then Voltron will be ours."
"Yes!" the soldier exclaimed excitedly, making Keith jump. "Finally! I'll take you there right now." He began to walk toward the distant structure, casting eager glances back toward the Red Lion as he went. "This is so exciting. You'll probably get a promotion for this. I wonder if I'll get a promotion for helping you...?"
Keith tuned out as the alien descended into nonsensical mumbling, following close at his heels across the rough ground. Whatever crazy reason the soldier had for believing Keith was Galra, he hoped his luck continued - because once he was inside the inky-black walls of that compound, there would be no fellow paladins to run in and save him.