Chapter Text
"Okay, according to the intel, the facility is located here." as the image of the said place appears in the screen, it has some distance from the airfield because of its surrounding. "It is hidden between the mountain ranges." Coran points out.
"So, what's different on this mining colony?" Hunk asked, looking at the place with dislike. Him and his teammates are on the bridge, discussing about the intel the Blades have sent to them. Apparently, they are near the said star system and the Blades need them to take on this urgent mission.
"It's not the mining colony, it's what they found in it. From what Kolivan sent us, they found something that can open rifts." Allura stated.
"What?"
"You mean, something like Voltron or the trans-dimensional comet?" Pidge asked.
"Or it could be the ship Lotor made from that comet." Keith points out.
"Unfortunately, it's not. From one of the Blade's observation, the item is small and can be fit in a hand." the princess explains, as she moves the screens with her hand and shows them the image of the item. It is a slightly off shot, but the image of the Druid, a pair of Galra sentries and a black box with purple highlights on a metal table, can still be seen.
"Oh great, it's portable." Lance stated dryly.
"It is a top priority delivery mission and this... thing will be sent directly to Zarkon's witch." She said the last words with great disdain.
"Alright, we need to prevent that... item, on being delivered to her." Shiro stated and looks at Coran and Allura. "What does the item looks like?"
"I have no idea." The older Altean said with a shrug. "The only thing that is mentioned in the intel, that it is stored in that kind of box." as he zooms in on the box.
"Whoa wait, we have no idea what the item, which can open to another reality, looks like?" Lance asked.
"It seems that they could not get a clear shot of the item."
"What if we, you know, use the similar method when we were looking for the comet Lotor stole?" The Yellow Paladin suggested. "I mean, if this item can open rifts to another reality, then it can give off a similar output like Lotor's comet ship."
"Good idea, set the equipment up and get ready. We can't let Zarkon get that item." Shiro stated with hint of authority in his voice.
"Roger that."
"Whoo! We're going on a heist!" Lance said with excitement on the prospect of becoming phantom thieves in this mission, and stealing some goods from the Empire.
"Lance, we're not going to steal." Keith points out dryly as he looks at the Blue Paladin, as they walk to their access way while Hunk goes off to retrieve the said tracker. "We're only going to take that... rift-making item, before Zarkon's witch gets a hand on it."
"Pffft...! Isn't that the same as stealing?" The Blue Paladin counters back with a question, as he enters his access way. "Besides, I think it's about time the empire takes a taste of their own medicine." then the door closes and the platform descends.
The Red Paladin sighs and then looks at Shiro, who's working with Coran on setting the ships defences and to assist the team thru the comms. "Shiro?"
"What is it, Keith?" The man asked as he looks at him.
"Have you tried connecting with the Black Lion?"
There was a short pause as the former pilot looks away from the boy and answers. "No."
"Did you even try to-"
"You better hurry up, we can't dilly-dally and we can't have that item be delivered."
"But-!"
"Keith!" The Red Paladin tenses and automatically shuts his mouth. Unknown to them, Coran also tenses on the sudden loud voice and looks at the two. "We been over this. And right now, we need to prevent Zarkon from getting that item." Shiro berates him as the boy looks at the floor with an uneasy look.
"... Yes sir." Keith replies dejectedly and stands on his platform, pushing a feeling of ache away to focus on the mission.
:::^*^:::
The click of the armoured heels echoes on the palace floor, soldiers salutes with respect as she walks by. She then stops in front of the door and knocks on it. "Your Majesty?"
"Come in."
Gaining permission, she enters the room... there the captain of the royal guard sees the queen, by the window side instead of working. The queen's blue eyes turns to see her and smile. "Hey there, Lynn."
"Hey to you too, Star." the captain replies back with a smile, before looking at the queen's office table. She notices stacks of papers on both sides and moves to check on them, pick a few on one stack. "Are you done with the paper works?"
"Ugh... don't remind me, I'm on break time."
"At least, you're done with half of them." the captain noted with a light smile. "If I remember your first year as the queen... correction, before you're even crowned queen, you're always playing hooky and skipping out to town or going to adventures in another dimension."
"And we all enjoyed it, you also like that sandwich from that dimension too." as the queen tucks her long, blonde hair behind her ear.
Lynn tenses, dropping the paper back on the table and looks at the queen. "I'll admit that the sandwich was good, but once is enough for me. We, humans, make our own sandwiches, we do not hunt or steal those from monsters in another dimension! Okay?!" But Star just laughs out loud, and she just crosses her arms and pouts.
Lynn Meriweather is a Knight-Captain in the Mewni Army, she is also known as the Healing Cutlass and one of the queen's close friends. At the beginning, she was not a magic user nor a swordsman, but a college student taking a computer-programming degree. And then she met Star and Marco, when the queen was curious about the tertiary level of Earth's education and enrolled in the same college she was going to. She even got Star as her roommate.
For the first month, she mostly ignored her even when the blonde girl tried to befriend her, but that changes when magic and monsters got involved. Poor Lynn was in mixed of shock and denial, as she kept asking if she was a victim of a prank show, like Punk'd or Just for Laughs.
It was a strong, magical first impression, but not a great one.
Since then, she, Star, Marco and a few others they met, became friends and a close-knit group.
Laughter slowly stops as a smile forms on the queen's face, but is has hints of sorrow in it. "It's been... 16 years, has it?" the queen noted as she looks out of the window. The captain's eyes widens before softening and then sighs sadly, as she moves to stand next to her friend and looks out of the window as well. "You know, I was planning on making you as my baby boy's royal guard babysitter."
"Yeah, I would have accepted the position... but I'm not going to teach your kid on how to snap necks." She dryly points out. She remembers meeting Star's former royal guard babysitter and learnt that he is the reason for the queen's combat prowess... And she once questioned Moon on why she let such man teach her kid a brutal fighting style.
"I miss them."
"Yeah, I miss them too."
"I wonder what my son be like...?"
"Well... he'll probably be a free-spirited child, loves having fun, making a lot of friends and making people happy or better... just like his own mom."
"What will he get from his dad?"
"Hmmm... probably his looks." that earns her a look for her queen. "Hey, you can't deny that your husband got looks and the abs, plus you have a thing for Latinos." causing the queen to blush when she remembers her husband's six pack abs and her friend is giggling. "Hee... yeah, but if there's something he would inherit from Marco, is his kindness and that he cares for others."
"Yeah... I agree with you on that."
There is a pause and both women are looks out of the window, watching the sun sets on the horizon. Things have changed in the kingdom, like the buildings are looking more modern, new selection of careers and efficient ways to farm corn.
Yeah, these people still love their corn.
"Welp... you better finish those paper works, otherwise you'll get a talk with your mom about deadlines and things." Lynn said as she walks back to the table, while taking out a scroll from her pouch and placing it on one side of the table. The queen just sighs and makes her way back to her seat, picking up her pen and a paper from the stack. "You know, despite the stress from work, you still look like in your twenties." she noted.
Star smiles again and looks at her friend. "Magic." she answered in a sing-song tone.
"And that is still not fair!"
Laughter fills the room again.
:::^*^:::
The mission didn't went off with a good start, even if they got a Blade agent with them as a guide.
First, Hunk's tracing device could not detect the said rift-opening item, which means they have to locate the said box the hard way. Second, is that there are a lot of similar looking boxes in the storage area and Pidge has to hack into a nearby console to check the archives. Which will take time and they can't stay in a Garla facility for a long time.
And third... Lance is missing.
As the Green Paladin downloads the list and Keith and the Blade agent stands guard, Hunk and Allura goes looking for their missing teammate.
"Ugh... Hey Javistha, can you check and translate this?" The Green Paladin said, looking at the list and shows it to Galra rebel agent. As the Blade helps with the translation, the other set of Paladins returns with no luck on finding their teammate.
"Nope, I don't see Lance anywhere." the Yellow Paladin said.
"Where do you this he went to?" Allura asked. "Because this is not a good place to go around walking on your own.
With an angry huff, Keith decides to call their missing teammate thru comms. "Lance, come in, where the heck are you?"
He waits for an answer and got them when their missing teammate replies. "Geez! Don't do that!" the Blue Paladin hissed thru the comms. "And for your information, I'm tailing a freaking Druid right now."
"Wait, why are you tailing a Druid?" Keith asked with a hint of confusion in his tone.
"He's following a Druid?!" the Yellow Paladin nearly screeched out loud, as his face forms into a mix of shock and concern.
"Why would he follow a Druid?" The Pink Paladin asked, as she is also concern for the Blue Paladin and yet confused on his action.
"Cause this guy is carrying a box, that looks like our target box and it could contain the rift-opening thingamajig." Lance points out.
"The Druid also have one of those boxes?" There is a pause between the team as they look at one another. "Lance, where are you now? I'm going over there with Javistha." The Red Paladin said in a commanding tone,
"I'm an access way, far from you guys. I think this guy is going to the air base."
"Right, keep following the Druid and be careful." he then turns to the rest of the team. "It'll take too long to look in each boxes, so just take these boxes and we'll check them on the castle ship."
"Are you sure that's a good idea? What if there's something dangerous in these boxes? Plus that Druid has it, isn't that kinda obvious?" Hunk points out.
"We're not sure if the Druid have it, it could be a trap they set up for us." Keith explains as he activates his bayard and activates his comms. "Coran, do you have any room where we can open the box safely and contain the contents?"
"Well... Oh! I remember that room! It's in the Stasis Bay and I think it's an interrogation room, of sorts...?" Coran replied, mentally wondering the function of the room and where is it located in the Stasis Bay.
"What's the situation, Keith?" Shiro asked.
"We could not pinpoint the item, but where bringing in boxes and check it there one by one."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?"
"It will take time to check every boxes, plus Lance is in trouble."
"... Right, bring the boxes here, locate Lance and get out of that planet, pronto."
"Yes sir."
"Follow me." Javistha said as he opens another door, while his teammates pile the boxes into a cart. "I know a shortcut to the air base."
Nodding at the Blade agent, the two quickly makes their way to where Lance and the Druid is.