Voltron Rewrite Episode Eleven - The Coalition Strikes Back
Prince Lotor walks carefully, as if on eggshells, into the planning room of his father. Zarkon has his back to Lotor, staring at a display showing a holographic sequence of a teleduv opening, and lines of energy coursing out. A readout of numerical calculations are projected alongside.
  Lotor waits for his father to speak. Zarkon says nothing. Lotorâs hands clench and unclench, as he continues to wait. Zarkon just keeps staring at projection, watching the numbers change as the calculations continue.
  Finally, after what seems like an eternity, Zarkon speaks.
  âYou failed.â The voice sounds neither angry nor surprised.
  â...yes.â Lotor says, forcing the word out.
  Neither says anything for several long moments.
  â...your mother took the teleduv to a secondary location for some preliminary tests. You will go to her.â
  â...for what purpose?â
  âTo be out of the way.â
  Lotor flinches. â...and...my punishment?â
  Zarkon finally turns around to face Lotor.
  âThere is nothing I think I can do, that is worse than the dishonor you have laid upon yourself. You know what a failure you are. Do I have to hammer in what is already clear to see?â
  Lotorâs eyes bore into the floor, tightening his fists so hard the knuckles go white.
âLeave me. Do not return until you have something of value to offer.â
With a jaw clenched so tight the words can barely be heard, Lotor says:
â...yes father.â
With that, he leaves.
***
  Pidge gazes intently at a display showing frequency readings. She sits inside a laboratory in the Garrison base, at a computer terminal. She types a few keys on the board and more frequencies appear, overlaying on top of the existing ones. Her expression grows harder.
  The door slides open, and Keith walks in.
  âHey, Pidge. You wanted to show me something?â
  âTake a look.â She nods to the screen.
  Keith walks over, and looks down at the display.
  âSo uh...you wanna tell me what Iâm looking at right now?â
  She sighs. âWhen we first got back to Earth, I had them tune the astro spectrometers to look for quintessence, and other unique energy signatures.â
  âAnd lemme guess: You picked up some?â
  âYou could say that. Iâm getting some crazy readings all over the place. Been using my spare time trying to locate the epicenter, which I finally did. Check it out.â
  A map of celestial bodies appears on the display.
  âThis,â she says, pointing to a highlighted spot, âis the source of these energy readouts. And this,â she points to another spot, âis the Quantum Abyss. Just a couple of lightyears away. Iâm betting thatâs not a coincidence.â
  âMe either.â Keith says, eyes narrowing. âIt's got to be Zarkon.â
  âSo...what do we do?â
  âFor now, just keep an eye on things. Let me know if anything changes. Iâm going to ask the Blades and the Warlords if they know, or can find anything about this.â
  âRoger that.â Pidge says, returning the display to the readouts. âOh and Keith?â
  âYeah?â
  âWhatever this is...it's big. These readings...I canât even begin to describe how scary they are. Whatever Zarkon and the other Dark Paladins are planning...we have to do everything possible to stop it.â
  âWe will.â Keith says confidently.
  âHow can you be so sure? We sure got beaten last time.â
  âBecause weâre the Paladins of Voltron. Thatâs why.â
  Pidge nods, seeming to accept this answer. With that Keith leaves her to her work.
***
  Lance walks inside an open hanger, towards Hunk, whoâs back is to him. The big man is talking to a group of cadets that surround him. Lance smiles as he approaches, hearing his friendâs words.
  â-rookie mistake. I used to make it all the time. Those gyroscopic stabilizers can get a little wonky once you get past three Gâs. Talk to your engineer about it, they should be able to adjust the compensators, to make that a little-â
  âThere he is!â Lance calls out, for the whole hangar to hear. âThe man, the myth, the legend: Hunk Garrett!â
  Hunk cringes, but the cadets seem all the more excited.
  âDonât you think youâre exaggerating a little bitâŚ?â Hunk says, as Lance walks up to throw an arm over his friendâs shoulders.
  âNot even a little! Ya know this guy always talks about how scared he is? Turns out heâs a real heroic one. Totally called it.â
  âCome on, I was the last one to even get in the fight.â
  âYep. Real thematic entrance, too. Iâm proud of you buddy.â
  The Cadets start to clamor, asking questions and swarming them. Hunk, however, cuts them off with a wave of his hand.
  âAlright, alright. Cool down guys. We arenât going anywhere. You all on the other hand, are due for flight drills if Iâm not mistaken? Iâd get to your fighters before your drill sergeant starts to wonder whatâs taking so long.â
  The cadets get a wave of panicked looks, and quickly disperse, calling out farewells as they run.
  âAmazing.â Lance says shaking his head. âJust hold one of your eyes shut and you really would just be the spitting image of Iverson.â
  âOh stop it.â Hunk says shrugging off Lance. âI was just running their tests on the Yellow Lion, and after seeing Voltron firsthand they wanted to ask me stuff.â
  âUh huh. So in other words, youâve become their beloved hero-pilot.â Lance sighs exaggeratedly. âMan, how come no one ever notices how heroic I am?â
  âWell Iâm sure before long theyâll all be singing the praises of âLance the Sharpshooter.â
  âGuess weâll just have to seeâŚâ Lance grumbles. A slight quirk of his lips indicates that he is not as downcast as he pretends.
  Hunk chuckles.
  âWhatâs so funny?â
  âNothing. Just glad Iâm right where Iâm supposed to be.â
  Suddenly a wide grin grows on Lanceâs face. âNot yet ya arenât.â
  âWhat do you mean?â
  âWell buddy, I think it's time we both got some well deserved R&R. Whatcha say we sneak out of this place before another alien invasion or something happens, and go hit the town? Yaknow, for old timeâs sake.â
  âThat does sound like it could be fun.â Hunk admits.
  âGreat! Now letâs just make sure Keith doesnât-â
  Both of their communicators squak to life, with the sound of Keithâs voice.
  âAll Paladins, gather in the usual meeting room. Follow up on the attack, and discussing where to move from here on. Attendance is non-negotiable.â
  They both sigh.
  âWell heâs sure got ordering people around down.â Lance says.
***
  The five Paladins of Voltron, Shiro, Coran, Matt and Sam Holt, Admiral Sanda, and all the other various leaders of both Coalition and Garrison sides sit in the large meeting room.
  Admiral Sand sighs long and hard, before standing up to speak.
  âThe council has agreed to support the Coalition in their efforts to stop Zarkon and the Galra forces he controls-â
  Before she can continue the room erupts into a cheer. She gives an annoyed look, though a slight tug at the corner of her mouth seems to tell a different story.
  â-this means that we will supply the Coalition with all our resources.â She goes on once the cheers die down.âMost important of these, is our own military forces which, when necessary, will join the Coalition in deep space, and assist in the fighting.This includes the Atlas mecha, and all the currently battle-worth starfighters we possess. That is all.â Sanda sits back down.
  âOh come on Sanda, it's okay to get excited!â Matt says with a smirk. âThis means we can finally officially work together again! I know youâve missed my sense of humor.â
  âWith how much time you spent hanging around base, one could be convinced you never left.â Sanda sniffs. The comment however, is lacking it's usual bite. Though reserved, she does seem pleased.
  âThank you, Sanda. Really.â Shiro says. âDelays aside, I know you fought hard for this. We all owe you for this.â
  âPay me back by finishing this war quick. Oh and try not to bang up the Atlas any more than you already have. Speaking of, how are the repairs coming along?â
  âJust about finished, actually.â Sam Holt replies. âWhile the arm came off, the actual damage was relatively minimal. Plus Coran showed us how to implement some Altean technology that expedite the repair work. Should even make upgrades easier, too.â
  âAh yes, modular construction.â Coran says, massaging his mustache.âVery helpful in building the Castle. Interestingly enough a version of the same tech was instrumental in Voltronâs-â
  âIâll leave the details to the engineers.â Sanda cuts in. âAs long as it's back to being battle ready. I donât want us to be caught with our pants down, again.â
  Keith clears his throat. All eyes turn on him.
  âOn the subject of battles...I think we should probably discuss what weâre doing next. Moving forward with the war, I mean.â
  âIâm all ears. Youâre in command here now.â Sanda says simply.
  Keith looks taken aback by that, but recovers quickly.
  âRight. So, Iâve been thinking lately that weâve been fighting a little too defensively. So far weâve just waited for our opponents to show up first, then deal with the aftermath. But weâll never win like that. I think it's time we attacked, and put them on the defensive.â
  âA good decision.â Sanda nods approvingly. âBut my question would be, where? As far as I understood it, you were not aware of your...our, enemyâs precise whereabouts.â
  âThatâs not...exactly true.â Keith says carefully. âWe know that at the very least theyâve taken over the Altean Colony in the Quantum Abyss. The Blades have confirmed as much. They also verified that a lot of enemy galra activity is centering around there, so it's a safe bet that theyâre using the colony, or a place very nearby as their headquarters.â
  âSo we attack this âQuantum Abyss,â then? Cut the head off the snake, as it were?â Sanda asks.
  âTempting as that is, we donât really have enough info to make that kind of attack, yet. We have no idea what kind of defenses they have, how they have their forces situated, or any of that. The Blades, unfortunately, havenât been able to get close enough to get a read on the place.â
  âDo you have an alternative suggestion then?â
  Keith nods. âOver the past few days, Pidge has been monitoring some suspicious energy readings coming from an area not far from the Abyss. Just recently I was informed by the Blades that there is, in fact, a large compound there, with a significant amount of security guarding it. We think they might be testing some kind of new weapon.â
  âWhatever this thing is, itâs a big deal. I can tell that from the readings alone. Weâve got to figure out what theyâre doing there, and stop it if we can.â Pidge explains.
  âI assume you have a plan?â Sanda asks.
  âSo far, the idea is we launch a good portion of our forces to attack this thing. Weâll have a ton of ships, Atlas, and a few Lions, but not Voltron. The reason for this, is because the attack is just a distraction. While our forces are attacking outside, one of the Paladins is going to sneak in, hack their computer and take every scrap of data on whatâs going on in there, then evac. Then weâll pull out, before reinforcements can arrive.â
  âWait a minute.â Lance cuts in. âHack in? That means the one going in will beâŚâ
  âMe.â Pidge says, as if it were obvious. âIâve got the computer skills, plus Green already has cloaking abilities, so getting in should be easy. Iâm going to be the one sneaking in.â
  â...alone?â Lance asks, looking confused.
  âWell yeah, thatâs the idea. We donât exactly want them to find out the real reason weâre there.â
  âWhy donât we send in some of those Marmoran Blade guys, too? Theyâre all space ninja-ey.â
  Pidge sighs. âThe more people we send in the more likely it is weâll get noticed. As good as the Blades are, adding more people will just make sneaking harder. Besides, theyâ
  âIf...you say so.â Lance says, uncertainly.
  We can discuss the finer details later.â  Keith cuts in. âBut, right now this seems to be the right move. Weâll deal a blow to our enemy, and gain some much needed intel, in one move. Any more questions?â
  There are none.
  âAlright, then. Letâs get ready for battle everyone.â
***
  Prince Lotor, inside the Dark Red Lion, flies towards a massive space station. It is built in a gigantic, flat, ring shape. At the center of the ring, is the teleduv, with six robeasts hovering over it.
  Lotor pulls into the stationâs hangar bay, and lands his Lion. He steps outside, and is met by Raimon, standing there, in his usual maroon armor.
  âRaimon.â Lotor nods.
  The other man nods back, ever so slightly.
  âI suppose this is where Zarkon is sending all those he wishes to punish. Though, I should hope I never do something to earn as much ire from him as you.â
  Raimon does not reply.
  Lotor sighs. âEver the quiet one, my friend. Very well, take me to my mother.â
  âYes sir.â
***
  Lotor and Raimon step inside a room, where the far wall is one long viewport. The viewport is built into the inside of the stationâs ring, giving it a clear view of the teleduv and the robeasts hovering over it. Honvera stands in front of the port, looking out, unmoving.
  âMother.â Lotor greets.
  âSon.â She replies. âHow did it go with your father?â
  âHe didnât throw anything at me, so I suppose thatâs something. Just told me to get out of his way, and stay like that. Almost makes me more worried, that he didnât do something worse.â
  Honvera pauses before replying. â...I see. Well that aside, your timing is impeccable. Come, we are about to start the next test.â
  Lotor walks over to stand next to his mother. âHow goes your mad plan to open the quintessence field with the teleduv?â
  âSo far the readings have been promising. By using the robeasts, and by extension, the altean pilots, we can more easily control the rate of quintessence draw.â
Violet lighting begins to crackle along the teleduvâs surface, then begins to arc out to connect with the robeasts.
  â...does it hurt the pilots?â Lotor asks after a moment.
  âYes. I suppose it does.â Honvera says unconcerned. âI believe it only takes a few hours to recover, however. No oneâs died yet, so it shouldnât be a resource concern.â
  Lotor winces, but his mother doesnât seem to notice. The crackling grows more intense. A glyph appears at the center of the teleduv.
  â...what is the purpose of todayâs test?â He eventually asks.
  âIâm trying to solve a rather interesting conundrum.â
  âInteresting how?â
  âAfter the first few tests, the outputs suddenly changed. It appears as though there is some kind of block in the quintessence field. Like a large stone obstructing a stream. Quintessence still pours out, but not nearly as much as we should be getting.â
  âWhat could be causing that?â
  âMy best hypothesis, is that there is something physical stuck in the quintessence field, and due to the nature of reality, it is trying to slip out every time we open the teleduv.â
  âSomething physicalâŚâ Lotor muses. â...could they have tried to make another-â
  âMistress! Something is coming through!â A voice crackles over comms.
  Honvera narrows her eyes. âExpand the portal, and run stabilization. I donât want it-â
  There is an explosion of violet light, sending several of the robeasts flying. The violet lightning grows more erratic, striking out at the station itself, causing the whole facility to shudder.
âShut it down!â Lotor calls out.
âIt does not appear to be responding.â Honvera replies, fingers flying across a holographic keypad.
The crackling grows more intense. Lotor grabs his motherâs arm and makes as if to run for it.
Then, all at once, the energy crackles to nothing, an all is dark. Honvera tests the comms.
âReport.â She says.
  âDamage was minimal, mistress. Just a power surge from all the quintessence. Weâll have things back up and running soon.â
  âThe pilots?â Lotor asks.
  âTwo dead. Rest are in critical condition. Reeling them in now.â The operator replies.
  Lotorâs eye twitches at that.
  âPrioritize getting me a visual.â Honvera says. âI want to see what we just dragged into the physical universe.â
  After a few moments, lights from the station come on, illuminating the thing in the center of the teleduv.
  A mecha of dark armor, with a long segmented tail, hangs limply in space.
  âWhatâŚâ Lotor says carefully. â...is that?â
***
  Lance runs through a crowd of Coalition and Garrison personnel. They are standing in a crowd around Keith and the other Paladins.
  â...the Atlas is going to be flanked by Garrison fighters. Now remember, as good as you guys think you are, youâre still at a technological disadvantage, so donât take unnecessary risksâŚâ
  âSure cutting it close huh?â Hunk whispers.
  âJust psyching myself up, before the battle, as usual.â
  Hunk gives him an odd look.
  âWhat? Do you not do that?â
  âI usually just pretend we arenât actually fighting until the last minute. That way I donât have time to think about how terrifying it really is.â Hunk shrugs.
â...Meanwhile our Galran allies will attack from another angle. Finally us Paladins in the Lions will attack from a third angle. This should convince them we really mean business. Meanwhile Pidge will be commencing her operation. ONce this begins, Lance and Hunk will board the ship as well, but in less covert fashion...â
âHe means awesomely.â Lance whispers.
âI think he means make a bunch of noise.â Hunk corrects.
âThis, hopefully, will keep them for looking for other intruders, by giving them a false lead. After that, it's just a matter of waiting for Pidge to get the dataâŚâ
Lance shoots a look over at Pidge, but she doesnât seem to notice.
â...destroy as much as you can on the way out. And, Iâll say this again, but no unnecessary risks. The more people we lose today, the fewer we have to fight Zarkon tomorrow. Thatâs all. To your posts.â
The group disperses, to head for their respective ships. Lance however, instead of heading to his own Lion, walks over to Pidge.
âSo, going in there all commando style, gonna steal the glory from the rest of us, eh?
âGloryâs got nothing to do with it. It's just the logical move.â Pidge shrugs.
âRiiight.â He smirks. âI think you just decided video games arenât enough you gotta beat me at being a hero, right?â
âOh sure, weâre all just trying to beat you Lance, but youâre just too hard to one up. Really we all feel inadequate with you around.â She rolls her eyes exaggeratedly.
Lance chuckles. âGlad someone recognizes meâŚâ his expression suddenly get serious. âBut uh...be careful.â
âWhereâs this coming from?â
âIt's just...these guys are dangerous. Really dangerous.â He glances down at his hand, as if expecting it to star shaking. â I wouldnât wantâŚâ He shakes his head, and his smile reappears â...I wouldnât want to have to come rescue you. Itâd be really embarrassing for you.â
Pidge snorts. âYeah, sure.â She moves to enter her Lion, then hesitates. âIâll...try to look out.â
Lance nods. âGood luck, then.â
Then, he turns around, and heads over to his own Lion. Pidge watches him go. After a moment she shakes her head, and steps inside the Green Lion.
***
  Prince Lotor watches, as the strange mecha is laid down inside a hanger on the station. Workers using laser-torches make vain attempts at opening the hull.
  âWhere do you think it came from?â Lotor asks.
  âI do not know.â Raimon replies.
  âBest guess then.â
  âI have no guesses.â
  Lotor narrows his eyes at the other Paladin. âMy father really did a number on you didnât he?â
  Raimon remains silent. Lotor sighs.
  âWherever it came from, hopefully what's left of the pilot or onboard computer will tell us more.â
  âWhat is that?â A voice suddenly says.
  Lotor and Raimon turn to see Sendak approaching.
  âSendak.â Lotor smiles. âWhat brings you around here?â
  âRoutine inspection of the contingent I left here. I heard something of note had been found butâŚâ He gazes up at the mecha. â...this is something.â
  âIt is, isnât it.â Lotor muses. âI must say I like the color choiceâŚâ
  âHold a tick.â Sendak says, as his communicator beings pinging. âThis is Sendak, report.â
  âSir! Enemy activity detected!â
  Lotor perks up, with interest.
âNumerous enemy ships on a course towards our location.â The office goes on.âIt seems they are approaching the compound in force. Â Lions have been spotted but no Voltron as of yet.
  Sednak furrows his brow. âETA?â
  âJust under a varga.â
  âUnderstood. Launch defenses, and prepare for assault.â
  âI will be in my Lion. I suggest you do the same. Perhaps a good performance here could...improve your situation.â Sendak says carefully.
  Lotor hesitates. â...no. Donât get in your Lion.
  Sendak quirks his head looking confused. â...forgive me, Prince Lotor, but you are not currently in command here.â
  âFine. Take it as a suggestion, then. I donât think we should go out. At least not yet. If we wait to show ourselves, weâll get a better hand on what their goal here is. More than that, weâll be able to upset their rhythm. They launched a surprise attack on this station. Seems only fitting we should return the favor.â
  Sendak stares at Lotor for several long moments, before finally nodding. âYour words are wise, Prince. Let us try this planâŚâ
***
  The forces of the Voltron Coalition open fire on the ring-shaped space station. Defense turrets and galra cruisers return fire. Swarms of fighters on both sides pour over the battlefield. Four of the Lions of Voltron tear through the battle. Energy-fire from all sides turns the whole scene into a lightshow.
Pidge ignores all this, engaging her Lionâs cloaking ability and disappearing from sight. She guides Green in a careful trajectory, weaving around and out of the way of all the other ships, friendly or enemy.
She makes it all the way to the stationâs surface without incident, touching down on the dark metal.
âOn the surface, gonna see about getting inside, now.â She reports.
âRoger that. Lance, Hunk, time to move.â Keith orders
âYou got it!â Lance yells over the comms. âGonna hit these guys so hard they crawl back to Zarkon and tell âem stories of âLance, the Greatest Paladin that ever lived!ââ
Pidge smiles and shakes her head.
The Red and Yellow Lions tear their way through the battlefield, aiming for a hangar bay that fighters are streaming out of.
Pidge picks her way long the surface of the station, still unnoticed. She comes upon a hatch built into the top of the station.
âFound the maintenance hatch.â She reports, inserting a wire from her wrist into a side-panel. âJust making sure they donât notice me enteringâŚâ The hatch pops open. Pidge slips inside, and the hatch closes after, shrouding her in darkness. There is a hiss as the compartment fills with air. â...Iâm in.â
***
  Lance and Hunk glide their Lions inside the hangar bay, mouth beams blasting all the way. Dozens of enemy fighters are destroyed, and galra sentries go flying.
  After a few more rounds of shooting, they both land.
  Lance dashes out of his Lion, rifle at the ready. âWe just made our entrance. And with a lot of style, too.â
  âGood work, now go make some noise.â Keith says.
  Lance and Hunk share a look and nod. Hunk hefts his bayard cannon, and opens fire on a door at the end of the room. After a few shots, it crumples, and falls to the floor. They dash through, to find a squad of sentries running up to meet them.
  âWell buddy guess itâs just you and me against the world.â Lance says, taking aim.
  âMore like against the universe.â Hunk corrects.
  âI guess so. Thinking about running away, yet?â
  Hunk blasts apart a pair of sentries before they can get shots off. âNot a chance.â
  âI thought so.â Lance smiles.
***
  Pidge sneaks down a long corridor. She stops just before an intersection of hallways. Across the gap, on the next wall over there is an access panel. She starts to move across, glancing around the corner, before jumping back into cover.
  A pair of sentries walk down a parallel hallway. She waits several moments before peeking around the corner again. Nothing. She runs across and plugs into the panel. She types on a holographic pad for several moments before a light turns green, and her wrist projects a virtual image of the stationâs inner layout. She zooms in on one location.
  âCentral servers. Got ya.â Pidge smirks, unplugging from the panel.
  She resumes her creeping down the hallway.
***
  Lotor watches the battle being waged outside. The Black and Blue Lions still tear their way through fighters and cruisers. On the other side, Atlas is wreaking havok on the stationâs defenses. Yet another feed shows Hunk and Lance shooting their way through the inside of the station.
  âTell my mother and Raimon to fly out and engage the Lions outside.â Lotor says. âI assume you should be able to handle those two making a mess inside?â
  âDo not insult me Lotor.â Sendak scoffs. âBut even still, where will you be?â
  âIâm going to go confirm a hunch.â Lotor says, walking out of the command room. âIf Iâm wrong it's galran ale on me for you and all the men.â
  âVery well, sir.â Sendak says a slight smile touching his lips. âHappy hunting.â
  âAnd you.â
***
  Keith and Allura fly in a tight pair, keeping the fighters off each other, and blasting lines through the enemy fighters.
  âTwo more on your six!â Keith warns.
  Allura fires the Blue Lionâs tail laser, taking out one. Keith finishes off the other.
  âThanks!â
  âDonât thank me just yet. We got trouble.â
  Sure enough, the Dark Blue and Green Lions fly out from the station, opening fire. Keith and Allura dive into evasive maneuvers, narrowly dodging the blasts.
  âLet me take the Blue one. We have unfinished business.â Allura says narrowing her eyes.
  âCareful.â He warns, letting out a blast that is aimed at the Green Lion, but is evaded. âThese guys are no joke.â
  âIâm well aware.â Allura says, dodging a blast. She fires her sonic cannon, to stun the other Lion. She follows up with a mouth beam, but despite the previous blast, her opponent is still able to move enough to make the shot only grazing.
  The other Lion then replies, by firing with his own mouth blast, forcing Allura to dodge into his second shot from his tail.
  Allura shakes off the hit, and punches her Lion back into motion, facing off against the Dark Blue Lion.
***
  Pidge creeps up to a corner, around which is a short hallway, ending in a door guarded by two sentries. She notes these on her map. Biting her lip, she dismisses the map, and pulls out her bayard. She takes a deep breath, then dashes around the corner.
  The sentries notice immediately, raising their weapons to fire. Pidge is faster. She fires her bayard, it's blade taking the first in the chest. She reels in the line at the same time, dragging herself and the sentry towards each other. An energy shot from the other one flies over her head, narrowly missing. Pidge kicks off the first sentry, leaving it a broken mess on the floor, and freeing her bayard to stab at the second. It's weapon cleaves in two. The sentinel tries for a punch at Pidgeâs head, but she slips under it and drives her bayardâs blade upwards. The sentinelâs head shears off, and it collapses.
  Pidge admires her handywork, giving a self satisfied smile. Hacking through the door takes only a moment, and she steps into the room beyond.
  Long columns, from floor to ceiling, with blinking lights fill the room. The central and thickest columb is the one Pidge moves for. She immediately sets to work on the terminal built into the side of it.
  âGuys, Iâm in the server room now. Should only be a few minutes now.â She says, fingers typing quickly.
  âG-â there is the sound of an explosion over the comms. âGood work!â Keith manages to get out. âJust make it quick, these guys are putting up a fight!â
  âWill do.â Pidge pulls a drive out from inside her armor, and inserts it into the server. âGonna copy everything I can down. Until thenâŚâ She opens one of the files on the terminal display. â...letâs see if we canât take a peek as what you guys have been up toâŚâ
  Pidge opens another file, scanning it before closing it and opening another. She does this for several minutes, before finding one file that is different. When she opens this one, her eyes immediately widen with shock. She nearly falls as she stumbles back from surprise.
  Sincline. Lying in a hanger, held in the very same station she stands inside.
  âI take it that you recognize that machine.â A voice says from behind.
  Pidge whirls around, throwing up her bayard.
  Standing barely two dozen feet away, is Prince Lotor.
  âWhen did youâŚ?â Pidge says with confusion.
  âOh, I was here from the start. Just, waiting for you to show up.â Lotor explains causally. âTo be honest, my first thought was that youâd go after the power. But, thatâd be too well guarded, with too man redundancies. After I thought about it for a moment, I knew that youâd have to actually be here for information.â
  Pidgeâs eyes flicker to the drive, still slotted into the server.
  âTell me little one. That mecha there, do you know where itâs from? Iâm betting you do. If you tell me outright I promise to make sure my mother doesnât torture you too badly. I might even let you live after that, though perhaps that would not be much of a mercy. My mother does do nasty work when it suits her-â
  Pidge dives, snatching the drive free and rolling across the floor. Lotor summons his bayard, cracking against the spot she just vacated. The energy whip slashes a glowing tear in the column, having missed Pidge by inches. Lotor cracks the whip again, and Pidge only barely dives behind another column in time.
  âPrepare to disengage!âShe yells over the comms. âI was discovered, evacing with as much data as I could get!â Then, as an afterthought, she adds. âKeith, Allura, blow a hole in the hangar on the third quadrant, and see whatâs inside. Youâll understand when you see.â
  âRoger that.â Keith replies.
  âWait, discovered?â Lance asks. âYou need help evacing?â
  âNegative! Evac with Hunk as planned!â Pidge is forced to dive again, as Lotorâs whip slices the column she was hiding behind in half.
She makes for the door, sprinting as fast as she can. Lotorâs whip slashes across the floor in front of her, cutting off her exit. She spins, bringing her bayard up and firing at Lotor. He smiles, shifting his bayard into itâs curved sword form, and knocks the green blade aside. Then he launches himself at Pidge, blade swinging. She tries to dodge, but the blade connects.
Pidge cries out as her helmet is knocked from her head, and she tumbles across the floor. Â
  âWhat was that? Pidge? Pidge!â A suppressed voice says from her helmet lying several feet away.
Pidge looks up, fear in her eyes, as the towering Lotor approaches.
  â...you realize, of course, that I cannot let you leave with that data.â He explains, twirling his sword experimentally. âNot that I was ever going to let you leave anywayâŚâ
***
  âPidge? Pidge!â Lance repeats over the comms. âPick up, quiznak it!â
No response. He shoots Hunk a worried look. He opens his mouth as if to speak, but is cut off when a door ahead of them is blown out of the wall. Sendak steps through, staring them down. Hunk and Lance raise their weapons, but no one yet fires yet.
  âAt last,â Sendak says. âI get to test myself against the Paladins of this realm. It is one things to fight in Lions, or Voltron itself. But thereâs nothing quite like beating a man with your hands.â Sendak clenches his large robot hand into a fist, as if for emphasis.
  âWe should evac.â Hunk says.
  Lance nods slowly. His gaze shifts away from Sendak, past him, deeper into the stationâs bowles. Hunk notices this. He takes a breath, and turns back to Sendak.
  âGo.â
  âWhat?â Lance asks with confusion.
  âIâll keep this guy busy. Go find Pidge. Make sure sheâs all right. And if sheâs not, get her out of here in once piece.â
  Lance hesitates only a moment before nodding. â...okay.â
  Sendak laughs. âThat assumes I will let you do such a thing.â
  âGo!â Hunk repeats,
  Lance does, dashing down the hall, towards the doorway Sendak blocks. Sendak throws out his fist, hurling the metal hand right for Lance. It is blasted off course by a shot from Hunkâs cannon. Hunk fires the next shot at Sendak himself. Sendak activates his bayard in shield mode, blocking Hunkâs blasts. Lance dashes past Sendak, not even giving the galra a second glance.
  Sendak turns to throw his arm at Lanceâs back. His shot his thrown off balance when something slams into his shield, pushing him back. Sendak looks up to see Hunk, standing there with a large hammer having replaced his cannon.
  âIâm not going to let you stop my friend.â Hunk says, hefting the hammer.
  âInterestingâŚâ Sendak says, pacing back and forth. â...and do you really think youâre strong enough? Can you can defeat me with what pitiful power you have? Youâd be better off running. At least youâd live a little longer.â
  Hunk sighes. âYou know, not so long ago, I mightâve taken you up on that. But hereâs the thing: I realized that bad guys like you donât just go away. Someoneâs gotta step in your way. Someoneâs got to stop you. And today, thatâs me. No one else is gonna do it, so Iâll have to. To answer your question, I donât know if Iâm strong enough. Letâs find out.â Hunk raises the hammer to his shoulder.
  Sendak grins hungrily. âYes...show me your strengthâŚâ He turns his bayard into an axe. The two Paladins of the Yellow Lions charge each other.
***
 Lance dashes for a group of galra guards. He shoots the first two sentinels down before they can even react. His third shot misses, but the following one lands, taking another sentinel in the head. The fourth and final guardâs shot glances off Lanceâs energy shield, as he crashes into the guard. They tumble and Lance comes up on top. He shifts his bayard into a sword, and holds it to the guardâs neck.
 âOh, a living one, not just a bot. Good.â Lance says, noticing the flesh of the guardâs mouth and chin from the gap in the helmetâs chin. He presses his sword against its throat, making the guard swallow in fear.
In a very cold voice Lance says: âTell me where the server room is, and youâll get to keep your head where it is.â
*** Â Â
  Keith and Allura spins their Lions around, avoiding fire from the enemy Lions, while letting out blasts of their own. They try disengaging from the fight, but the Dark Lions give them no opportunity to escape.
  âDangit, we canât shake these guys!â Keith calls out.
  âWhat about that part of the station Pidge told us to find?â Allura asks.
  Keith looks out at the enemy Lions, as if deciding what to do. He moves to intercept the Dark Blue Lion, which is gunning for Allura. The Dark Green Lion fires a crackling Violet shot from its mouth to stop Keith. He evades easily, but oddly the bolt of energy, once past him, loops back around to strike Keithâs Lion in the back.
 Meanwhile, Allura fires three quick shots in succession, all of which are deftly avoided by her enemy. The Dark Blue LIon blasts Allura, sending her flying back.
  The two Dark Lions are moving in, about to strike on their weakened foes. Before they get a chance, the Atlas flies in blasting both sending them tumbling backwards.
âNeed a hand?â Shiroâs voice asks.
âSure can!â Keith replies. âJust hold them as long as you can.â
âRoger that.â Shiro says raising both of the Atlasâ fists.
He flies up to meet the now charging Dark Lions, while Keith and Allura slip away, to further down the station.
***
  Pidge dodges out of the way of Prince Lotorâs latest attack. He chases after her, wicked sword in hand, an even wicked her smile on his face. It is all Pidge can do to avoid getting her head taken off. Her armor already features many scores, where the blade has grazed her. Panic is in her eyes.
  She keeps glancing back at the doorway, searching for a path to escape. She makes as if to duck around to the side of Lotor, then jumps back to dash around the other side.
  Lotor sees through this, and puts a kick into Pidgeâs gut that throws her halfway across the room. He back slams into the side of a server column. Pidge seethes with pain. Despite this, she manages to push herself up, and takes aim with her bayard. She fires at the open doorway, the green tethered blade sailing for freedom.
  Lotor knocks the blade off course with his sword, then with his free hand grabs hold of the tether, and yanks hard. Pidge is dragged across the floor, sliding to a stop just in front of Lotor. He smiles down at her.  Â
  Pidge tries to scramble back up to her feet. Lotor slams a foot down into her chest, holding her there. The blow makes her cough and gasp for air.
  âFinally.â Lotor sighs. âYou Paladins of this reality are so slippery. Just when we think weâve got a hold on you, you manage to worm yourselves away. Pathetic.â
  While he is talking Pidge tries to drive the tip of her bayard into Lotorâs leg. Before she can he slams his other foot down onto her arm, pinning it.
  âDo you know how much trouble you lot have cause me?â He sneers. âHow many of my atleans I sacrificed, by sending them on futile attacks? How much of my fatherâs ire I earned with the failure at your hands? It's worse that you arenât even very competent. You;re just children, playing at an adultâs game. We should have finished you off when we had the chance.â
  âThese...these children are gonna kick your ass!â Pidge glares up with defiance.
  âI donât think so.â Lotor says, lifting his sword.
  He drives the blade down into Pidgeâs shoulder. She screams. Blood starts to pool where the blade enters her suit. Pidge tries to squirm, but Lotor presses his foot down harder on her chest, making her gag. He leans down, so their faces are only about a foot away.
 âYou shouldnât have come here alone. Maybe then youâd have stood a chance. Probably not, though. But to your credit, at least the only screams youâll hear, when my mother questions you, will be your own.â
  Pidge, with tears in her eyes, looks up with absolute terror at Lotor.
  Suddenly, there is the sound of an energy rifle being fired.
Lotor leaps back, pulling his sword free as he does. A bolt of blue energy blasts into the column, where Lotorâs head had been just a moment prior.
  âDonât. You. Touch. HER!â
  Lance stands in the doorway, rifle held in his grip, fury in his eyes.
  â...Lance.â Pidge says with shock. She winces throwing a hand over the bloody wound on her shoulder. âL-Lance get out of here! Heâll kill you!â
Lotor smiles. âYour friend knows what sheâs talking about. Go on then. Abandon her. Leave her to-â
Lance fires again, aiming for the Princeâs skull. Lotor blocks the shot with the edge of his sword. â...I was really hoping youâd do that.â
Lotor charges. Lance fires two more shots, both blocked by Lotorâs blade. Cursing, Lance lowers his rifle, and shifts it into a sword. Then, letting out a battle-cry, he meets Lotorâs charge.
Blades clash, throwing up sparks in their wake. Lance pushes the offense, throwing rage-fueled blow after rage-fueled blow. Lotor blocks, deflects and dodges each of the strikes. Lance continues to hammer down on Lotor, but the Prince moves like water, with none of the blows coming close to hitting.
âYou really donât know how to use that thing do you?â Lotor asks, amusement written on his face.
âShut up!â Lance barks, swinging to take Lotorâs head off, but meeting only air.
Lotor deflectâs Lanceâs next strike, an overextended thrust, and slams a fist into the boyâs ribs in reply. Lotor then steps forward, and lands a slice on Lanceâs wrist. Lance retreats back, clutching his arm. He looks down to see his bracelet, the one Pidge made, in two broken pieces on the floor. He looks back up at Lotor, not masking the utter rage in his gaze, and raises his sword again, Â
  âLance stop!â Pidge cries out, struggling to sit up. âYou canât beat him! Heâs been fighting with that sword longer than weâve been alive!â
  âYou think I donât know that!?â He retorts. âBut like hell Iâm going to use that as an excuse to leave you!â
  Pidge can only stare, unable to muster a reply.
  Growling, Lance charges at Lotor again. This time, the Prince does no playing around. Every strike Lance throws Lotor counters with one of his own. Lance thrust forward. Lotor parries, and lands a hit on his Lanceâs arm. Lance swings overhead. Lotor blocks, and slams a foot into Lanceâs chest. Lance tries a wild trio of blows, Lotor deflects each of them, before slicing into Lanceâs side. Lance steps back, wincing from the shallow, but painful wounds.
  Lotor pounces, unleashing an onslaught of sword strikes at Lanceâs guard. Lance is barely able to defend, only partially blocking most of the strikes, and earning multiple scores along his armor, and some biting into the skin below. Lance is forced to retreat backwards, as Lotorâs flurry does not let up.
âIs this really all you can do!?â Lotor demands, sharp teeth revealed in a grin. âIs this all that this realityâs Paladins can offer!?â
  Lotor smashes Lanceâs sword to the side, and drives his own blade into Lanceâs leg. Lance cries out, stumbling back into a column. He brings his sword back up, in a weak guard. Lotor chuckles and shakes his head. The Prince raises his sword and motions for Lance to come forward.
  âCome on. Face your end like a man. I only need one of you.â
Narrowing his eyes Lance moves forward. He nearly stumbles, from the leg wound, as he strikes out.
âPathetic.â Lotor knocks the blow aside.
Gritting his teeth, Lance strikes again.
âWeak.â Lotor uses a lazy backhand to fling Lanceâs strike off course.
Yelling, Lance launches himself forward, for one more swing.
Lotor moves to sidestep the blow. âHonestly, you really are-â
Pidge fires her bayard along the floor, tether blocking Lotorâs feet.
Lotor stumbles, and for a moment his guard opens. Lanceâs sword swings forward, slicing across one of Lotorâs eyes.
The Prince howls with back, stumbling back. He falls to his back, clutching his wounded eye, fury filling the other.
âLetâs go!â Pidge yells, running over to Lance. He stumbles, but she supports him as they dash for the exit.
Lotor lashes out, shifting his sword to a whip, but he just misses them, as they slip out the door.
âWeâve...gotta get out of hereâŚâ Lance says, wincing as he forced to run on his bad leg.
âThis way!â Pidge say guiding them down a side hallway. She leads them to a large panel on the lower half of the wall. âBlast it.â
Lance complies, raising his bayard, shifting it to a rifle and firing. It blows apart the panel, showing a small vent beyond.
âService tunnel. Short cut.â She explains in a tired voice. Lance nods weakly.
Clutching to each other, they leap down.
***
  Keith and Allura blow apart the blast door holding the hanger close. They guide their Lions inside.
  âNow what could be so important that...oh.â Keith says, seeing what lies in the hangar.
  âIt...it canât beâŚâ Allura gasps.
  Sincline sits in the hangar. Galra workers scatter at the presence of the Lions, leaving the mecha behind.
  âLotor. Our Lotor. They...they freed him. Why? How?â Allura asks.
  âDunno, and at the moment, donât care. Come on.â Keith flies his Lion up to Sincline.
  âWhat are you doing?"
  âTaking him with us. Friend or foe, we canât let Zarkon use Lotor for whatever heâs got planned. Get the other arm.â Keith says, locking his Lionâs mouth around one of the mechaâs arms.
  Allura hesitates for a long moment, staring at the Dark metal of Lotorâs mecha. â...youâre right.â She finally says. âWe canât leave him.â
  She moves her Lion over to grab onto Sinclineâs other arm, and together they haul the mecha out of the hangar.
***
  Lance and Pidge move down the hallway, each keeping the other from stumbling and falling.
  â...sorry about that bracelet you made for my hand. I broke it.â Lance laughs hollowly.
  âI donât care about that idiot!â Pidge scolds. âYou almost just got yourself killed! Whatâd you do that for!?â
  âYouâre one to talk.â He scoffs. âAnd here I thought you said youâd be perfectly fine by yourself.â
  âIâm serious!â She elbows him in the ribs. Both of them wince. âSorry.â She apologizes.
  âIt's fine. Whatâs a little more pain, on top of the rest?â
  Pidge gets a sick look. â...I mean it, though. Why did do that. Come rescue me?â
  âWhy wouldnât I?â
  âThatâs not an answer. We had the mission. I told you guys you should all get out.  But then, not only did you come after me, but you tried to fight Lotor! With a sword! How insane do you have to be to do that!?â
  âOh come on, Pidge. As if Iâd leave another Paladin behind.â
  âAnd thatâs just it?â Pidge scoffs. âYouâd be and idiot and try to save any one of us in that situation? Itâd be the exact same, and youâd do the same dumb thing?â
  Lance seems to think about it. Pidge studies him as he ponders.
  â...no.â He says finally. âI mean, yeah Iâd still try to save them if it were Hunk or Allura or Keith. Thatâs just the kind of guy I am. But, no, it wouldnât be the same.â
  âWh...what do you mean?â
  âI mean, that when I saw you sitting there, blood on your armor, Lotor standing over you, I lost it. I just...I couldnât stand the idea that Iâd lose you.â
  Pidge looks up, eyes widening.
He goes on:âIn that moment, no one, not Lotor, not an army of galra soldiers, not even Zarkon himself wouldnât have stopped me from trying to save you. You are the one person I canât lose no matter what.â Â He looks down at her, as if having realized something for the first time.
For a moment, they just stand there staring at each other. Â Then, they both blush and avert their gazes. Pidge gaze flickers back to Lance, studying him one more time. She sighs.
â...dang you Matt.â
âHuh?â Lance asks.
âNothing.â Pidge shakes her head. âI just...know something, now.â
***
  Several minutes later, Lance and Pidge shamble past the scene of Hunk and Sendakâs fight. The two combatants slam powerful blows against each other, both looking beaten and weary. Despite this, Sendak is smiling.
  âSo you do have power! And here I thought there were no worth adversaries in this reality!â
  âWell...sorry to cut things short thenâŚâ Hunk backs away to his retreating friends.
  âIt's not over yet!â Sendak sneers. He pulls back his fist to strike, and throws it towards Hunk, and the other retreating Paladins.
  Hunk stands directly in front of it, and shifts his bayard into a shield. The fist bounces off. Sendak doesnât even look mad, as Hunk slams the door shut and destroys the panel
  âWhat happened to you guys!?â Hunk asks as the run.
  âLotor.â Pidge winces. âHe was waiting.â
  âIâŚâ Lance cringes as he steps too hard with his bad leg. â...had to come in and save the say, as usual.â
  Hunk eyes them warily but doesnât question them further. He runs inside Yellow, while Lance and Pidge stumble into Red.
  âDrop me off at Green.â Pidge says.
  âCan you fly like you are?â He asks, nodding to her shoulder.
  âIâll...be fine.â She says, covering the wound.
  Reluctantly, Lance nods, and pulls the Blue Lion out of the hangar bay. He dodges the odd fighter as he brings Lion around the station, to where Pidge directs.
  Pidge hits a button on her wrist and the Green Lion appears. She moves to leave the Blue Lion, then stops. Then, she spins around and hugs Lance from the back of his chair.
â...thank you, Lance. For saving me.â She whispers.
  Lance blushes and lets out a strangled cough. âYou uh...you saved me too. So, really I think weâre even.â
  âI...guess so.â
  Then, before either of the can say anything more, Pidge pulls back, and turns to leave.  She jumps out of one Lion, and into the other.
  Back inside her own Lion, Pidge immediately winces as she tries to move the throttle with her bad arm. âGonna be a fun ride homeâŚâ She opens her other hand, and allows a slight smile. She still holds the drive.
  âKeith...I got it. Mission was a success.â
  Then, gritting her teeth, she pushes the Lion into motion.
  She rejoins the rest of the now retreating Coalition forces. There is still some exchanging of fire, but the Coalition breaks away, and one by one, jump out of sight.
***
  Prince Lotor watches them go. His right eye now shut, with a deep cut running through it. Sendak, Raimon and Honvera are also in the room, watching the display.
  âZarkon will not be pleased.â Sendak notes.
  Honervaâs eye twitches ever so slightly at this comment.
  âNo...he wont.â Lotor turns around, facing the others. âWhich is why I wonât be here when he arrives.â
  âRunning, Prince?â Sendak asks. âThat is...unlike you.â
  âNot running.â Lotor shakes is head. âBut Iâm not going back to him empty handed, either.â
  âWhat then?â Honvera asks.
  âI think...Iâll have to go after them myself.â Lotor says, as if coming to a decision. âWe know where they are now, and I think Iâve begun to understand how they think. Itâll take a subtler touch. I donât think Iâll manage it alone. They seem to work well together...â He rubs his new scar, absently. â...Raimon?â
  â...yes?â The armored man replies.
  âWill you come with me?â
  The man does not reply.
  âSendak is occupied with the armies. My mother is occupied elsewhere. It's just you and me. The two ones Zarkon hasnât deemed fit more much else.â
  Still, Raimon remains silent.
âOh come on. I know youâve got your dedication to Zarkon, but he hasnât give you orders yet. If he hasnât given you orders you canât defy him, right?â
  Raimon gives the barest of nods.
  âThen come with me. The two of us, we can show Zarkon why he needs us, what we bring to the table. We might even deliver the critical blow to our enemy in the process. What do you say, old friend?â
  Raimon seems to hesitate, as if torn. After a long pause he finally says in a quiet voice: â...I will join you.â
  âGood.â Lotor says, narrowing his good eye. âLetâs go hunting.â









