#vhix

"You are supposed to put complete trust in the person guiding you through the maze," Shiro replied, watching as Caleb almost runs himself into a glass wall. 

"Why Cake, though?" 

"Dude, I'm about as happy as you are." Cake held both his hands in front of his mouth, anxiously watching Caleb walk through the maze. "Take a left. No, wait! Right! Right!" 

"Ugh, Cake," Caleb groaned, carefully making his way through the maze. May Allura be with him. 

Outside the Coeus, it wasn't any better. 

"No, no, what are you doing?" Keith exclaimed, slamming his hand on the main console.

"I'm piloting my Lion!" Kova shouted. Her screen showed Kova inside the Black Lion's head, sitting at the console. 

"Are you a newbie? How do you miss that?" 

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Kova threw her hands up in the air. "Are you in the Lion?" Kova had been flying while Keith was backseat driving. At one point, while Kova was flying around, she rolled her eyes at one of Keith's remarks about her piloting skills when she almost collided with a rock structure. She managed to not collide with it, but it did send Keith on a tirade. 

"I'm doing what I can with a war machine." Kova's voice was hard, her eyes fierce. 

"Exactly!" Keith exclaimed. "Why are you driving it like a car?"

"I'm the best pilot! Who do you think you are?" 

"Oh, sure," Keith scoffed. "You're probably a good pilot, but that's because of your dad!" 

"At least I have one!" Kova turned off the transmission before Keith could continue. Kova was breathing heavily, still fuming. "How do I even share genetics with you?" 

Hm, I wonder, Kova. I wonder... 

A transmission was sent to the Black Lion hub. She steeled herself for another argument with Keith when a different Kogane's face appeared on the screen. Kenny, to his credit, was looking away when Kova's face morphed from a sneer to shock to relaxed in her seat. 

"Hey, Ken," Kova greeted. Kenny looked up at the screen and looked down at the material in his hands.

"Kova, what were you thinking when you took the navigational system from Keith's cruiser?"

"What do you mean?" Kova sat back in her chair and crossed her arms. 

"Like, how are we going to upload the data?"

"Oh, that." Kova looked forward to the rocky surface of the planet the Coeus had landed on. "I was thinking it could be connected to the navigational port on the bridge."

"Well, duh." Kenny rolled his eyes. "How exactly?"

"Well, if you could route the navigational system to the navigational port on the Coeus, maybe we could find a way to upload the data to my console." 

"Huh, but wouldn't that mean rewiring the entire system?"

"Well, not exactly because we would be—" Loud stomps, and bangs from Kenny's side of the screen echoed on Kova's end. Before he could be seen on camera, Kova heard Keith's voice. 

"She's such a hard-headed piece of work!" He began his tirade. "Who does she think she is? She's in way over her head! That girl isn't a leader! She's an overgrown brat!" 

Kenny glanced between his father, who was erupting in anger, pacing back and forth in front of the engine room door, and his sister, who was mocking the man's words. 

"Uh, talk to you later, bye!" Kenny said quickly, shutting off the transmission to deal with one hot-headed family member. 

Kova sat in silence. Shutting her eyes, she let the silence overwhelm her senses. There was nothing. Just her and her Lion, surrounded by blazing stars, suffocating darkness, and foreign rock. With the silence, the thoughts she refused to voice came out. In a torrent of uneasy thoughts, the thoughts came fast and unrelenting. What would happen if they didn't act? Should she hand herself over to Yorak and Vhix to keep her team safe? What if the crew of the Achlys is gone? What if Keith never recognizes his daughter? What if Kova led her team to their doom? What if they never returned to Earth? 

"Let's activate some training simulations." She opened her eyes and reached out to the controls of the Lion. "I can't be thinking like that." Before the training could commence, a blast created a crater not two feet away from Kova and the Black Lion. 

Kova took the controls and flew into the sky, hoping to lead whatever was attacking the Lion away from the Coeus. It wouldn't be able to take another blow. 

"Jax to Coeus, I require assistance," Kova called. "Repeat, Jax to Coeus, I require assistance."

"Griffin to Jax, assistance on the way!" Liz replied, running to the transport bay with Allie following behind. They were in the med bay practicing hand-to-hand combat when the call came in. Blue and Green left the bay, firing at the cruiser attacking the Black Lion. 

"Smythe, take left! I got right!" Griffin ordered, swerving right. Blue flew left, where Allie was getting ready with her bayard. Inserting her bayard into the slot inside the cockpit, a large cannon formed on the Blue Lion's back. It powered up, firing a sonic boom at the cruiser, momentarily distracting it. Green came up from behind and fired a few blasts from its mouth, knocking the cruiser to the rocky surface. 

The girls thought that was that. One cruiser down and Blue activated a special ability. 

Awesome, right? 

Well, wouldn't you know? Three more cruisers appeared, firing away at the three Lions. All three Lions turned tail and flew away to regroup. Hiding behind the rock structure the Black Lion almost ran into earlier, Kova made the plea. 

"Black to Coeus, we require all Lions." Kova's voice echoed all over the ship, stopping Caleb's overheating and Cake's anxious nail-biting. It also stopped Keith's rant and distracted Kenny from falling asleep. "Repeat, we require all Lions." Just like that, the spell was broken. Cake deactivated the simulation and ran out to his Lion. Caleb, grateful that his torture had come to an end, did the same. By the time Red and Yellow had left the hangar, Shiro and Keith were on the bridge, watching the teens. Kenny and Shiro activated the particle barrier around the Coeus before Kenny ran towards the bridge. 

The cruisers fired mercilessly at the three Lions, who were doing their best to evade the attacks. Red appeared from behind and fired at the middle cruiser, damaging one of its boosters. Yellow plowed into the biggest of the three cruisers and flew to Blue and Green's side. 

"Alright, team," Kova said, facing the last cruiser. From left to right, the cruiser was faced with Blue, Red, Black, Green, and Yellow. All Lions of Voltron. 

Watching from a distance, Captain Scars-a-lot—oh, er, I meant Captain Seklok, smiled creepily. Darrar, the young Altean man who had been the Captain's second-in-command, was watching in fear. 

"Captain, they have all the Lions." Darrar's voice shook, looking between the Captain and the unfolding scene. 

"What of it, Darrar?" Seklok said, slowly turning his head so his scars could give the scary effect he was hoping for. 

"If they form Voltron, we'll never be able to escape!" 

"If they form Voltron, Darrar." Seklok turned back to the scene, the creepy smile never leaving his disfigured features. "If." 

Out of the corner of her eye, Allie thought it was just a reflection of light from the console. On a second glance, however, Allie saw this wasn't true. 

"Duck!" Allie yelled over the transmission feed. Like a wave, the Lions landed with resounding thuds on the ground below. Kova was going to ask why when a bright purple energy beam flew only a few meters from above the Black Lion's massive head. "Battleship to our right!" Allie reported. 

"Form Voltron!" Kova said over the comms, launching the Black Lion into the sky. Red and Green followed close behind. Blue and Yellow followed Red and Green. A transformation sequence later, Voltron stood in all its glory. 

"No way!" Kenny happily exclaimed from the Coeus. "They did it!" 

"Eh, could be a fluke," Keith said, crossing his arms. "This is the first time they've done it, right?"

"You're just angry cause it isn't you in there." 

"Ken, shut up." 

"If you want me to shut up, then you can—"

"Enough, you two." Shiro sighed, pressing his earpiece. "Kova, how are you doing?"  

"We are—" Kova began. 

"So freaking cool!" Caleb finished. 

"Sure, that too." 

"You formed Voltron. You are one unit with one goal in mind. One unit, one goal." 

"Affirmative," Kova said, turning her attention to the small cruiser. "Ready team? Let's go!"

The teens guided their individual controls, piloting Voltron towards the battleship. The cruiser fired at Voltron's head, stopping it in its tracks. With a turn of its head, the cruiser tried to retreat. Voltron was faster. With a push on the controls from Caleb, Red fired a blast from its mouth to hit the cruiser. The cruiser easily evaded the blast, firing again. Caleb inserted his bayard into the port and turned, forming the legendary Voltron sword. With a swift movement, Voltron swung the sword and turned away as it passed through the cruiser like soft butter. The cruiser was sliced in half, exploding into pieces with the crew trapped inside.

Seklok and Darrar looked on with shock and fear. Then Voltron turned its head to face them. Seklok barked orders to retreat, to cease fire on Voltron. However, another energy blast was fired from the cannon on the ship. Voltron dodged the attack swiftly. Activating the boosters, Voltron flew towards the enemy battleship. As it was flying backward, trying to avoid Voltron's wrath, a massive sword cut the cannon's barrel, damaging it. 

Voltron held the ship by the cannon, making sure that everyone on the bridge could see Voltron's firm, cold eyes. With a throw that would make a professional pitcher blush, Voltron watched as the ship became a distant star. 

Every teen looked on in smug victory, finally realizing they had fought a baddie with Voltron and won. Shiro smiled softly, Kenny cheered by fist-pumping the air, and Keith still had his arms crossed. 

"Great job, team!" Shiro congratulated. Kova sighed among all the cheering of her teammates. 

"That. Was. Awesome!" 

"This was way cooler than training!"

"You said it Cake!"

"Quiznak, that was fun!" 

"That was such a rush!" Kova was the last to speak, having varying forms of agreement from the other teens. Voltron turned to face the Coeus and the particle barrier that surrounds it. 

"So cool!" Kenny yelled, jumping out of his seat.

"Uh, Dad?" Kova asked, holding the controls. 

"What's up, Kova?" 

"How do we deactivate Voltron?" 

I'm not going to bore you too much, but for the teens to deactivate from Voltron took as long as it took the Coeus's particle barrier to do the same. Literal. Hours. 

—————

"They did what?" Yorak yelled, slamming his fist into the metal armrest. Seklok flinched at the noise but didn't move from his spot in front of the Emperor's throne. 

Yorak's throne room had sky-high ceilings that opened to the dark sky above. Alcoves lined the walls, providing light. Well-armoured and well-trained guards lined the doors, holding Darrar back. Another two stood nearby to hold Seklok if he chose to run. Many in his place have tried, but none have escaped their punishment. The dark metal and stone throne sat in the middle of a large platform, with a tall back that bore the Fire insignia. Seklok kneeled before the staircase leading to the throne. 

"Answer me!" Yorak's voice echoed on the metal walls. Seklok could only wince some more. This could be Seklok's last few minutes, and they were spent with fear striking his heart. 

"They formed Voltron, my liege," Seklok further bowed his head. Darrar was behind him, clasping his hands. 

Vhix stood next to Yorak's throne, the only person in the universe who could meet his wrath and live. The only being who could save him. Stars, help me, Seklok prayed. 

"You previously reported the Coeus had not recovered all five Lions." Vhix was cold, unfazed, uncaring. Seklok was doomed. "You lied."

"We believed they hadn't—"

"I'm not finished!" Seklok met Vhix's cold stare and looked to the floor again. "You cost the Fire three cruisers, twenty-seven soldiers, and an energy cannon because of your incompetence." Seklok trembled in fear with every fault Vhix pointed out. "Can you plead your case?" 

"N-No, sir."

"Do you accept fault for the destruction caused by Voltron?"

"Yes, sire." 

"Are you ready to accept your punishment?" Seklok looked up to see Yorak stand from his throne, and slowly descend the staircase. He was pulling something from underneath his cape. He couldn't say anything, only stand in protest. The soldiers were quicker, holding the Galra down. 

"No! Please! I didn't know! I'm sorry! Please don't kill me!" Seklok pleaded. Yorak smiled at the pathetic man in front of him. 

"Kill you?" Yorak laughed. "Why kill you when you can live out your punishment in the colonies?"

"W-what?" Seklok's yellow eyes filled with tears, falling down his purple cheeks to the fluffy sideburns on either side of his face. "The colonies? But I'm a purebred." Yorak pulled out a small dagger from his belt, holding it to Seklok's face. 

"The colonies are for the trainees, and the useless." Yorak held the knife at eye-level with Seklok. "Which one do you think you are?" Seklok's eyes widened, looking at the knife. 

Darrar tried to look away, but the soldiers holding him back brought him in front, holding his head to stare at the carnage. Seklok's screams echoed around the chamber, unrelenting. They seemed to last an eternity. 

At last, Yorak stood to full height again, kicking Seklok to the ground after the soldiers had let go. The once-proud man whimpered at the impact. Where his bright yellow eyes once were, there was nothing in their place. Holes in his face disfigured the man severely. 

Yorak smiled, grabbing a cloth from his belt to clean off the blood on his blade. "Put him on the first ship out to the colonies. They can deal with him there." Yorak turned away to walk up to his throne was the two soldiers that held Seklok down dragged him away. Darrar watched in horror with tears running past the Altean markings on his cheeks. 

"Bring him forward," Vhix ordered, and the soldier that held Darrar in place shoved him forward and pushed him down to his knees. "Darrar Bexen. Altean half-breed." Vhix reported to Yorak, now sitting on his throne comfortably. The anger present before was gone, without a trace. 

"Darrar Bexxen." Yorak crossed his legs, resting an ankle to an opposite knee. "What does the last name sound familiar?" 

"Family is in the Gamma colony, originating from the halfbreed colony on Altea."

"Ah, that's right." Yorak turned his head to the petrified young man. "You have quite a few siblings, don't you?"

"Y-yes, my liege." Darrar's voice shook with every word. 

"It would be absolutely terrible if something were to happen to them, wouldn't it?" Darrar looked up in shock. No, he wouldn't. Right? They're kids!

"They're loyal soldiers, my liege! They've done no wrong!" Darrar said. Yorak smiled at the man's boldness. His sense of family. 

"I'm aware." Yorak waved his threat off. "I'm only speaking in hypotheticals." 

"You saw what happened to your predecessor." Vhix turned to face the scared man. "Don't fail us." 

"Y-Yes, my liege and lord. Of course." Footsteps approached Darrar, and his heart couldn't take it. It skipped a beat at every other step. 

"Report for command at daybreak tomorrow. You'll be leading a surveillance team after the Paladins. Only surveillance." Vhix stood above the young man, holding a screen with all relevant information. Darrar didn't say a word. Instead, he took the screen and allowed himself to be escorted out by the guards. He counted his lucky stars he could walk away without losing his sight. Yorak dismissed the guards, leaving him alone with Vhix. 

"I'm still against the whole idea." Vhix pushed his hair back, sighing. "We've known Darrar was compromised for phoebs. Why give him a command?" 

"If we figure out how far the coup goes, we can destroy it before they spread the message to the other colonies." Yorak stood, stretching his arms. "Besides, it is quite fun to watch him think we do not know." 

"What if he gives the information to Kyla?"