Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Christopher “Chip” Stoker had been left in awe. Hardly a couple months ago, the Galra had taken over Earth, looking for something they referred to as the blue lion. He didn’t know what that was until one day new ships entered Earth’s atmosphere, looking like some sort of feline creatures. Even more impressive, as they flew in formation, they were covered in a sort of glow. Then the lions shifted and came together, forming the robotic hero, Voltron.

Had it not been for Voltron and their pilots, who knew how much longer the Galra would have occupied Earth. But their came to their aid. And more than that, all five of the pilots were of Earth; it was unnerving that one was half-Galra, but clearly he was not like the ones that tried to conquer the rocky and water-filled planet.

This left Chip in awe. He was truly amazed by them. So when he was given the opportunity to join a team known as Vehicle Force, chosen for his skills and intellect, he refused to give up that chance. He joined in a heartbeat and found himself transferred over to the Garrison base in Arizona, United States where the others were joining together as ships resembling Earth-like vehicles were being created, designed to survey planets, learn about them, and even defend others.

When Voltron and their pilots came to Earth to protect them, they were also given intelligence, means to work on new ships to protect Earth even further. Even means to, should they aid Voltron in the war, protect others. It wasn’t just data brought to them; other alien lives found their way to Earth, helping out and even seeking refuge on the fairly isolated planet. This was the first time, as far as he knew, that Chip met aliens. Four of them even ended up on the same team.

Cinda. Krik. Wolo. And Tangor.

They were just four of the fifteen man team with the mission to learn about the universe more and help out in the fight against Zarkon, the Galran Emperor and ruler of the known universe. They had a long way to go, but they were ready to train and work together, even as they took off from Earth in a newly designed ship, equipped with room for all fifteen ships for the Vehicle Force and a decently sized crew.

Chip stood at one of the windows, looking out at the expanse of space. He always dreamed of joining a mission one day, hopefully going out beyond their solar system. It wasn’t too out of reach prior to knowing of Voltron; a year or so prior, though the mission failed, Commander Sam Holt, Senior Officer Matt Holt, and their pilot, Takashi Shirogane made it all the way to Kerberos, one of Pluto’s moons. He figured by the end of his training, before any of them knew of Voltron and were introduced to this new technology, he could make it past there.

But there he was. Chip was in a new sort of training and much further than any human had willingly been. It was amazing.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

Chip looked up to see Professor Colleen Gunderson. She was a botanist and personally selected for the crew by several others, even those higher up and still at the Garrison bases. Well respected. Strong willed. Clever. And apparently the mother of one of the pilots of Voltron. They planned to be on several planets and who better to understand plant life than one of the most skilled botanists there was?

“The view from Earth and photos taken by other astronauts and satellites do it no justice.” Chip commented. “It’s really amazing. And to think… a kid like me can be a part of this.”

“You may be a kid, but to me, every member of the team is a kid.” Colleen chuckled. “Besides, you’re all around the same ages as Voltron’s paladins. You and my child have a lot in common, too, being the youngest members of the two teams.” Chip blinked, curious about that. “Pidge is only fifteen, too. And don’t get me wrong, I’m worried, but… they look after each other in the Castle of Lions. So I guess I worry a little less. Plus, Pidge is a bit of a spitfire and stands strong.”

“He and I are the same age?” Chip asked. To both be so young, it was amazing. “You must be really proud of him, too, right?”

Colleen was silent for a moment before smiling. “Very much so.” she finally responded. “He’s found himself in trouble a few times but… he’s held on and done his best. And he may be smaller than the others and younger, but he’s intelligent and uses that to help him out.”

Chip felt even more inspired. On the news, he had briefly seen the pilots, paladins according to Colleen, but the green one wasn’t seen. Thinking back, he assumed that was Pidge and that he had gone to visit with his mother. “I hope we can meet some day; I mean, meeting Voltron’s team would be amazing, but to just meet Pidge in general...”

“I think you two would get along well.” Colleen assured. “You’re so much alike.” She smiled fondly. “You remind me so much of my little Pidge.”

“Colleen, a word please?” Colleen and Chip looked over to see Commander James Hawkins.

“Maybe he’s found a map to a lost treasure on some island or even planet.” Colleen told Chip, making him snicker at that story reference.

“I heard that.” Hawkins responded.

Colleen chuckled before going over to the commander, walking with him and talking about whatever he wanted to talk about it. Chip, on the other hand, turned his attention back to the space around them as they traveled.

“And what did Admiral Newely have to say? Surely this is about him and what he thinks he knows.” Colleen stated as she walked off with Hawkins.

“Goodness, it’s a wonder our superiors put up with you; you don’t respond to them with much respect for their authority.”

“Sure I do. I called him Admiral, didn’t I?” Colleen smirked. “Anyway, what’s this about?”

“Well, you were right, he did have something to say.” Hawkins informed. “Since the others are still training, we’re not yet instructed to fully enter battle against the Galra; he had been in contact with the others back on Earth and they are in agreement with this. They need to adjust and learn to work with each other and understand their ships and fighting before we can progress and help liberate planets.”

Colleen nodded. “That’s fair.” she admitted. She looked to where some of the others were sitting, drinking nutrient rich water packs and talking. Someone must have said something amusing since they started laughing. What was most heartwarming about them together and chatting and laughing was that not everyone in that group was human; seeing that humans could accept other races and act like they had been friends all their lives, it made Colleen smile. “They’re still kids. They need to train and be prepared… or they’ll be sent to battle without knowing what to do.”

Hawkins observed Colleen for a moment. “You’ve got a kid yourself.” he reminded. “And on Voltron’s team. Why you didn’t correct Chip in your kid being your daughter, not your son-”

“It’s more amusing like that, and Pidge never cared if someone misgendered her. As long as they didn’t eat the last peanut butter cookie, she was fine.” Hawkins snorted at that. “But yes. Perhaps it’s my motherly instinct kicking in when it comes to the team here.” She let out a sigh. “You know, Pidge wanted me to join her and the others in the Castle of Lions.”

“But you didn’t...”

“Indeed. I had already been requested to work here on the Explorer.” she continued. “And I told that to Pidge. She was worried for me… She was worried we’d be trying to take off too soon; it hadn’t been that long since our planet was conquered and then liberated, and then we met other races from the universe.”

“Perhaps we did move quickly, but sometimes we need to move quickly in order to learn.” Hawkins responded.

Colleen nodded. “That’s true.” she commented. “Hopefully these kids are the type to learn to run before they actually walk.” Her attention was then turned to some of the boys playing cards and then one of them got angry, thinking another was cheating. Hutch, a young man with a temper, and his friend, Marvin, playful and often making jokes. They were commonly sparring; this wasn’t exactly a spar, but Hutch decided to pick a fight with Marvin in his frustration. Some of the others seemed amused.

“Oi!” Colleen called to them, getting everyone to stop and either stand up or stand straight, depending on their positions before her call. “Enough with that brawling, especially here. You want to let off some steam, do it fairly on the training deck. Otherwise, if you keep it up here, I’m grounding both of you. And that applies to everyone else who decides to fight or egg others on.”

“Yes, ma’am!” the others responded, even members of the crew in the area.

“Ultimate mom energy.” Hawkins snickered a bit. “But come now, they were only roughhousing. Kids will be kids, after all.”

“Keep that up, I’m grounding you, too.” she deadpanned.

“Yes, ma’am.” Hawkins gulped. He definitely stood by his comment of Colleen’s mom energy. She didn’t need the authority of a commander or even an admiral to get results; she had the authority of a mother who kept others in line.

Pidge had gone after the Galra named Haxus. She was left without her robotic partner, a stolen Galran drone she reprogrammed and named Rover, since Haxus deliberately destroyed it. The drone had been trying to throw him off, giving Pidge as many openings as possible to attack. He had enough and crushed it with ease; to be expected of Galran strength. She had one final dash, ramming into him with the bladed point of her formed bayard.

She slammed it into him, tearing the softer and mostly-protective parts of his armor; she assumed it was a bodysuit, much like what she and the other paladins wore. Protective. Soft. Easy to move in. Snug and perfect to wear while in space. And she managed to tear through it, cutting into the Galran’s abdomen. Haxus had hollered, pain filling him since she even gave him a shock for good measure. He then fell over the edge, but not before trying to pull Pidge with him.

Victory or death.

Death was inevitable, but he hoped for victory in dragging the paladin down with him.

Pidge wasn’t going down that easily, though.

She managed to use her bayard as a grappling hook, snagging onto the control console in the engine room. As she hung there, she looked down, Haxus shouting as he fell until he fully disappeared into the shadows. Even as he fell further and further, even disappearing, she swore she still saw those eyes.

Eyes of a man who didn’t really want to die.

Katie “Pidge” Gunderson sat up, her breaths deep as her lungs cried out for air. Once she managed to ease out her breathing more, she looked around. She was back in her room within the castle. Since stopping on Earth and helping out there, she was able to get more of her stuff from home, personalizing the area more. Posters of mermaids, nebulae, and illustrated planets, some plush toys, photographs, technology projects, everything that made it feel like home.

“I’m here… I’m here...” she mumbled. “I’m alive… I survived. I did what I had to so I could survive...” So why did that night still haunt her?

“Pidge, can you meet us on the bridge?” Allura’s voice came through the comm.

“Yeah, give me a moment; I just woke up.” Pidge responded. She got up and looked around. She found a shirt and shorts, giving them a sniff. They smelled clean enough. Shrugging, she put them on.

As much as Pidge wished Colleen joined them in the Castle of Lions instead of the mission she was offered, she was a little grateful she didn’t. Colleen would have constantly reminded Pidge to clean her room. She could honestly imagine the conversation.

“But Mom! I have to fight the Galra!”

“The Galra can wait, you have a room to clean, young lady.”

“This is the matter of the universe’s safety!”

“And your own safety and cleanliness in your room doesn’t matter?”

The thought made her chuckle, helping her to push the memory of Haxus out of her head. She could imagine a Galran commander even chiming in, demanding to fight them all.

“We are here to fight Voltron! But there are only four lions...”

“Well you’re going to have to wait, the fifth paladin is cleaning her room.”

“But we want to fight now!”

“Don’t make me come over there and put you over my knee. Don’t think I won’t.”

Pidge snorted more. Hell hath no fury like a mother with an attitude. She hoped the crew she was working with could survive her. Hell, she almost felt sorry for any Galra or other troublemakers and bad guys if they got on her bad side.

Pushing the thoughts aside, feeling a bit better after her nightmare, Pidge, left her room and went to the bridge. There, they were discussing some information that they had gotten from Sendak’s memories when he was still their prisoner.

Before they went to Earth to defend it, the castle had been corrupted from Sendak’s crystal. They had a few ordeals to handle, including nearly losing their lives due to a star going supernova. During all of this, Shiro had an anxiety attack, panicked when he thought Sendak would continue being a threat. He jettisoned him into space. Talk about the ultimate yeet.

While Sendak was still their prisoner, though, they tried to get his memories. Coran pointed out that it may not work, or at least as well, since unlike with Alfor, the Galran commander was not a willing participant, even if he was put in stasis. Though it wasn’t the best, they did get some and with Keith being Galran and knowing the Galran language well, he was able to translate the data.

“So what are the odds that we can find out about Zarkon’s weaknesses through Sendak’s memories?” Lance asked.

“Not likely.” Keith responded from his station, getting the information translated. “Hopefully, if anything, we can get troop locations and supply routes.” He finished his task. “Pidge, I’m sending this to your data along with some Blade intel. Can you cross reference them with what you got from Sendak’s ship?”

“Copy that.” Pidge confirmed, sitting down to do her job.

“Wait… so you want to go after the small stuff? C’mon, man, this is a thousand year old d-bag.” Lance reminded. “We need to hit the big stuff with loud booms and take him down.”

“Lance, you said it yourself. He’s been at this for a thousand years.” Shiro pointed out. “Keith’s idea is better. While it will help to also take back other planets, we also need to disrupt the trade routes so they can’t resupply the conquered locations, making it easier to take them down.” He nodded toward Keith. “We need to take it one step at a time, especially with five inexperienced pilots.”

“You still count as inexperienced?” Hunk asked. “I mean, you’ve been training longer...”

“By Earth standards.” Shiro admitted. “But Voltron’s as new to me as it is to you guys. We’re still training and adjusting. And honestly? Attacking Zarkon head on now would be a fatal mistake.”

“Hey guys,” Pidge got their attention, “I think I found something.” The group went to her station. “We may need more translating with this garbled mess-”

“I’ll get to it when we have downtime.” Keith interjected.

“-but I found something interesting.”

“Good interesting or the bad kind?” Lance asked.

“That’s up for debate.” Pidge shrugged her shoulders. “Anyway, I found something that kept repeating itself. It seems to be called a universal station.”

“So… a station that controls the entire universe?” Hunk inquired.

“Not exactly.” Pidge shook her head. “In short, it’s a galactic hub. Or a depot where ships dock. I can’t tell if it’s for supplies, refueling, getting data and missions, but… well...”

“So it’s a space base. Got it.” Lance nodded. “Where is it?”

Coran went to his station where Pidge sent him the coordinates. “Bringing it up now but...” The image showed nothing. “Hmm… it would appear that our sensors aren’t picking up anything at those coordinates.”

“Did Sendak remember it wrong?” Hunk asked.

“That’s not likely.” Keith pointed out. “Sendak isn’t one to just recall information wrong.”

“It could be a secret base.” Pidge added. “Keith, do you think that’s likely? Depending on its uses, especially if it’s to relay certain supplies, they would want to keep it hidden and from immediate detection, right?”

“That’s good thinking, Pidge.” Keith nodded. “That’s probably what it is.”

“Well, one way to find out for certain.” Allura confirmed. “Coran, take us close enough to those coordinates that we’ll remain undetected but hopefully look in closer.”

“Right away, Princess.” Cora nodded and directed the castle-ship, flying it in and towards the location. After a few moments, the got into position and did another scan. “Here we go.” he commented. He brought up the image of two planets. Between them appeared to be a moon of sorts with a base built into it. “Well, that explains why we couldn’t find it earlier. The planets that revolve around each other create a gravitational distortion, warping the electron emission spectrum enough to keep the base off of deep space scanners.”

“So unless you knew exactly where to look, you wouldn’t find it. Clever.” Pidge smirked, amazed by that.

“Pidge, let’s be impressed by their methods and technology another time.” Shiro reminded. “Hmm… it looks like it’s in a good position to handle shipments from all over the empire.”

“That may not be likely.” Keith spoke up. “It’s hidden, so it wouldn’t be like some average human equivalent to an airport.” He looked to be in thought. “They must handle some pretty important stuff…”

“I agree.” The princess nodded. “And we need to go in and check it out further.” She pointed to an area on the scan. “Here. It appears to be the central control building; if we go in there, we can perhaps collect data.”

“Um… what? Princess, I think I heard the wrong pronoun.” Lance’s brows were knitted with worry. “Did I hear right? You just said we? As in you, too?”

“Yeah, I think I heard that, too.” Hunk nodded.

“Of course, I plan on going with you guys.” Allura pointed out as though it were that simple. “Keep in mind, I’ve traveled through the Galra transportation hubs many times with my father.”

“Yeah, but that was a thousand years ago. You know… before the war?” Keith reminded.

“Regardless, I know plenty about them.” Allura stated. “Arguably, I may know more than even you, Keith.”

Keith did wish to argue, but Allura had a point. He wasn’t much older than Hunk and Lance; it was only a month prior to meeting the humans that he passed his final tests and was allowed on a mission. Even then, his superiors made sure his mission was simple. Or at least up until the blue lion was captured and brought onto the ship he was acting as a spy on. “That’s fair...”

“No, no, not fair!” Coran chimed in. “Princess, please reconsider. It’s much too dangerous for you to go out there.” He looked worried for the young woman he looked after. His princess. His friend. The child of his best friend. In a sense, she was like his own child, too. “I would rest easier if you remained her in the castle...”

“If I cannot step up and be at the sides of the paladins, then what sort of princess and ally am I?” Allura inquired. “Remember, this is my fight against Zarkon, too. I must do my part to help. Now then, does anyone else have any complaints about this?”

Coran looked around worriedly. Hunk looked away, Lance averted his gaze as he whistled, Keith did his best to not look at the Altean adviser, and Shiro looked to be in worrisome thought. Pidge, though… “Pidge?”

“Why not?” Pidge shrugged her shoulders. “I’d rather go in with more cards in my deck than not enough and a losing hand. No offense to Keith, but I think having two people with some knowledge on hubs like this is better than one with not enough.”

“Very well then.” Shiro spoke up. “Princess, suit up and get ready.” Coran let out a yelp at that response, not at all pleased. “We’ll want to go in low, fast, and undetected. If we come around here,” he motioned around one of the planets, “we should be able to keep them from spotting us. Throw in the cloaking Pidge added to the green lion...”

“It’ll only last about thirty seconds, but that should be fine.” Pidge stated.

As much as Coran didn’t want them to go in, especially with the princess, he surely wasn’t going to send them unprepared. “I think I can help a bit. Using a radiation burst, which should appear as cosmic interference for them and not make them raise the alarms, you should have a dobosh or two-”

“In Earth terms, Coran?” Lance interjected.

“-oh, right, a minute or two without them being able to pick up on your energy signatures as you go in.” Coran finished up. “Getting out, though… it may be a little trickier...”

“We’ll manage.” Shiro commented. “Anyway, team, let’s suit up.”

Chapter Text

Had Pidge been there, she would have told them I told you so. But she wasn’t on board of the Explorer, she was with her team and the Castle of Lions. If she were there, she would have been in her right. It was definitely too soon to take off for the stars. No one was fully prepared, not even the Vehicle Force team.

They had been attacked around a rocky, mostly uninhabited planet, forced to land, if one could even call it that. It was rough and damaged much of the ship; the Galra firing upon them didn’t help, either. The attack was brutal and unrelenting, the Galra commander not letting up. The weapons systems on the ship were losing power and damaged; the smaller ships the fifteen-man team were supposed to pilot were either trapped in their hangers or drained of power. There was no way to actually perform a counter attack.

Capture or even death was inevitable.

At least for some. Colleen refused to let the fifteen-man team get captured or killed. “The dust hasn’t settled and the Galra haven’t landed yet. You need to get out of here and take cover.”

“We’re not leaving you behind.” Hutch pointed out. “We’re standing and fighting at your side!”

Before Colleen could pull the ultimate mom card on him, Hawkins went full commander. “This is an order, cadet!” he hissed. “You and the others are to seek refuge and hide. There is no point in everyone getting captured.” He let out a sigh. “You need to try and contact the Garrison or even Voltron, tell them what happened.” He looked to the leaders of the three teams, the group split into three teams of five. “Krik, Cliff, Aki, you three are in charge. But remember, even with you as the leaders, a team listens to everyone.”

“Yes, sir.” the three confirmed. They checked their surroundings. They had to act quick. Keeping the group together and using the dust as their cover, they sped off, Rocky even picking up Chip since being the youngest and smallest, he wasn’t always the fastest and he didn’t want his ally and friend getting caught up and hurt.

Not too far, the downed Explorer still in view, they found an outcropping, hiding out in there. It was out of the way; if they were to be found, the Galra would really have to look.

“The dust is settling… and the battleship is landing...” Modoch, best described as a gentle giant and a member of the land team, was at the opening of their hiding place, watching closely.

“Dammit… we shouldn’t have run off...” Hutch grumbled. Part of it could have been his hotheadedness and eagerness to fight, part of it was definitely him not wanting to run away and wanting to stand and fight, protecting the others.

“You heard the commander,” Krik spoke softly, twitching his blue ears a bit in concern, “we need to not be captured; with that, we can relay a message back to the others… maybe something can be done to help them...” He understood Hutch’s frustration, though. Even he didn’t want to just leave the remainder of the crew there to be captured or killed. It was like fleeing his planet all over again. All he could hope for, though, was that they would be captured and just sent to work camps; killed right then and there was a horrible thing that could happen, but it was better than being sent to the arenas.

“Hush… one’s coming this way.” Aki whispered. He watched from near Modoch, getting the other to duck down more as a Galran soldier stepped closer to their location. Turning their head in the wrong direction, the soldier would probably spot their hiding spot and possibly even them. He put a hand on his small sidearm, a handheld blaster. He would hate to get caught up in a larger fight and to alert more Galrans, but if he had to…

Then the soldier looked over, spotting them. Aki held his breath. Then he watched as the soldier gently moved, putting their hand up to their mouth, index finger up. A sign to be silent; it wasn’t just a human gesture.

“Ryl! Did you find any others?” another called from further away. The commander of that Galran battleship.

“No, sir. No sign of anyone.” the other responded. “If there are others, they probably fled before we arrived.”

“Very well. Return to the ship.” the commander ordered.

“Yes, sir.” Ryl nodded before casting one last glance at Aki, giving a gentle, almost unseen, nod. They then went back towards the ships and where the remaining crew of the Explorer were being gathered and detained. Once Ryl was back over with the other Galrans and sentries, Aki let out the breath he held.

“That was… close...” Ginger squeaked out, nervousness in her voice. “But… that one…”

“Ssh… wait until they left the planet...” Aki ordered. He shifted his position, watching where the other members of the crew were, forced to their knees, their hands bound behind their backs. He wanted to go out there, he wanted to help them, but he knew in their present condition, especially without the use of their ships, there was nothing any of them could do.

He was left to watch as the remaining crew was brought aboard the battleship. Moments later, it took off and left the planet, leaving the group of fifteen teenagers and young adults with a badly damaged carrier ship and who knew how bad their smaller ships were.

“We’re clear.” Aki stepped out into the open.

“Our best option is to evaluate the damages and see what we can do.” Cliff informed. “The Explorer flying again is out of the question, the attack and impromptu landing did a lot of damage, but our ships...”

“We’ll figure it out.” Aki assured. “Let’s get to work, team.”

Chip, being perhaps the brightest mind on the team, even among the Explorer crew, checked the systems, figuring out power and if they could get their ships running again. It was the least he could do, especially after nearly getting sick when he saw some of the crew members that remained. Dead. Either killed in the initial attack or when the others were taken. Some of the team took to burying them, giving them that respect since they couldn’t be taken home to Earth.

“How’s it looking, Chip?” Rocky inquired.

“There’s a lot of damage… but I should be able to get the emergency power generator online.” Chip responded. “There’s a problem, though… some of our ships were damaged in the crash… it’s gonna take a lot of TLC to get them up and running… and our generator won’t be enough to get the others charged, not even to properly functioning levels. I mean, I can try setting up the solar panels and getting them wired and set up to the generator, but even then, the energy will still only go so far. It could take weeks to get some of the ships properly working so we can try to get to another location or contact the Garrison.”

“Okay, Chip, buddy, breathe.” Rocky reminded. “You’re speaking way too quickly. I get you’re nervous, but try to breathe.” Chip nodded, taking in some deep breaths. Once the smaller member was settled enough, the larger male looked up and out of where they were to Aki, the leader of the air team listening in. “It’s gonna be a long wait. Our best option is after we get things running, try to contact the Voltron team. Their princess has that wormhole she uses, right? It’d help in us getting back to Earth to get the ships repaired...”

“We’ll keep that option in mind, until then, you two see what you can do about the power. We’ll check supplies and work on getting the panels up and the ships out of their bays.” Aki informed. “And Chip.” Chip looked up. “Take it easy.”

“Yes, sir.” Chip nodded as he resumed his work. He found it hard to focus, but he knew for the team, he had to do his best. Everyone was reeling from the attack and the team being killed or taken, but it hit him hard. He was worried for the crew, especially Colleen. Gentle. Kind. Strong willed. When he first joined the team, he saw her as a sort of mother figure.

“It’ll work out… I’m sure.” Rocky spoke softly, hoping to reassure his friend and teammate. “Now then, let’s get to work. The sooner this is up and running, the sooner we can contact backup. And even hopefully get a group sent to find and rescue Commander Hawking, Professor Gunderson, and the others.”

That was the reminder Chip needed. “Yeah.” This time he was more determined to work and get their systems back online. “Okay, we may need to rewire a few things, but… I think we can manage.”

Pidge had run the calculations prior to their mission. There was always the potential of something going horribly wrong at any given moment. However, despite every calculation and idea she could come up with, she could not say she foresaw the events. From Allura being captured to the team fleeing through a wormhole that started to destabilize after it was hit with some sort of attack that most likely was not from Zarkon’s weapons but some other strange force. Worse yet, Pidge found herself unable to correct her lion’s trajectory as she broke through the atmosphere, the paladin hurtling right for a planet and what looked like a ravine of sorts.

“Whoa! Hey! C’mon, girl, come back to me… c’mon!” Pidge called out, trying to gain control of the lion. Green, though, was down, showing no sign of having power. “Brace!” She braced herself as the lion crashed, ramming into the sides of the ravine, bouncing back and forth on her way down like a pachinko or pinball machine. She finally stopped falling when the lion crashed into a ledge. “All accounted for?”

Squeaking. Pidge looked to see the four Altean mice with her, holding onto the paladin as though their little lives depended on it. When Allura was captured, they were worried; Pidge didn’t need to understand them like the princess could to know that. She had offered to take them with her.

“Okay… you guys are fine. Hmm...” Pidge checked the green lion’s vitals. “No significant damage, but she’s down on power… she’s not coming online anytime soon...” One of the mice, the pink one named Chuchule, squeaked up at her as she climbed onto her shoulder. “Whatever hit us, it hit hard and drained Green.” She then checked with her comm on her helmet. It was still functional. “Team, do you copy? Shiro? Allura? Hunk?” No response. “We fell through the sides of the wormhole… maybe they were launched into other parts of the universe. I hope they’re okay.”

Pidge was pulled from her concern when she heard a low creaking noise echo. “Please tell me that was your stomach, Platt.” She looked down to the larger of the mice, the predominantly yellow mouse poking his stomach before shaking his head. “Okay… so… we’ve either got a creature out here or...” Another creaking noise as the lion tipped, the generator in the lion that made it so Pidge didn’t feel the change of orientation as much offline, so she noticed the tipping motion. “Oh dear...”

Pidge stared. She knew this was not a good thing. There was no telling how far down they would fall. While the green lion would survive, the lions were sturdy buggers, she and the mice would perhaps have more problems, especially with the protective measures being offline. It pained her to abandon her lion to get herself and the mice out of there, but she felt a small push, as though Green herself was telling her to go, to be safe.

“We need to hurry.” Pidge mumbled as she carefully got up, making sure not to move too abruptly. While she didn’t weigh much, especially compared to a mechanical lion-ship, she didn’t want the wrong step to send the lion over the edge. She went to the hold in the lion, checking provisions. Spending plenty of time working on her ship, she learned to keep it stocked with snacks and water so she wouldn’t have to worry; after saving Earth and reuniting with her mother, Colleen helped to make sure she had plenty of her favourite snacks, including peanut butter and peanut butter cookies. She got some things into a sling bag she put on, making sure it wasn’t in the way of her jet pack.

“Okay, guys, hop in.” She pulled open a smaller compartment and the mice jumped in, seeking refuge in the bag. “Now then… let’s get out and evaluate the situation, huh?” She got to where she needed to be, using entrance at the top of the green lion’s head. Stepping out, she could see how bad her situation was. Canyon walls, made unstable by her crash, surrounded her. Her exit? No matter if she went straight up, went back or forward along the canyon, she had couple hundred feet to go up. At least she had the jetpack and even her bayard to use as a grappling hook.

“Okay, this isn’t… too bad. I can do this.” she commented. Of course, she wondered if she spoke too soon. The lion started tipping more as the ledge beneath it started to break more. “Quiznak. Time to move.” Pidge was quick to run off, heading to the tail end of the lion and jumping up, using her jet pack to get her higher. The gravity on that planet was much like Earth, so she was certain she would be relying on it the most. To ensure she could get to the next ledge, she used her bayard, firing it off and getting it to embed itself into the rocky surface.

She dared to steal a glance, looking down as the lion fell over with the crumbling ledge it was on, falling down further into the deep canyon, crashing along the walls as it did so. That was where things turned for the young paladin. The crashing sent tremors through the destabilizing canyon walls, making them break apart more.

“Oh, you’ve gotta be f-” She didn’t finish that statement as she got herself moving, dodging falling rocks and using her bayard and jet pack to climb up the side. At times she dared to do what she called video game moves by jumping onto some of the falling pieces, bouncing off of them and onto another when ledges weren’t available. Not that she wanted to jinx herself, but she felt she was doing well until she reached the end, grabbing hold of a ledge.

“Phew… that was close.” she said, looking down at the rocks that fell, burying her lion… wherever it was down there. She then felt the ledge she held onto break some. Before she could activate her jet pack or bayard, a set of hands quickly grabbed onto hers, holding her in place. Looking up, Pidge almost swore she saw Hunk, but she realized this guy wasn’t him. Just as big, though, and with just as gentle of a smile. “Nice catch.”

Chapter Text

“Nice catch.”

“I’d say so.” the other, Modoch, commented as he scooted back, pulling Pidge up as he did so.

“Nice landing, Paladin.” Aki chuckled. The team had seen the lion come in and crash, a few members heading over just in case the paladin needed assistance. As they saw the lion come in, they were quickly able to identify it as the green lion of Voltron; knowing that, they were able to relax a small bit.

“I think I did well.” Pidge grinned. She looked back as she heard more rocks fall away and down into the ravine. “Okay. I’ve had better landings.” Modoch stood up before offering his hand again, helping her to her feet. “Thanks for helping out.” She then checked her bag, seeing the four mice there. “You guys okay?” They nodded before climbing out, sitting on the bag instead, though the smallest, Chulatt, went to her shoulder. “You know, of all the people to meet in space, I’m most surprised to see other humans.”

“We’re just as surprised to see a pilot of Voltron.” another member, Shannon, responded; some of the crew assumed that that was his last name or nickname, but it was the name he went by. “Though the others...”

“We got separated during a wormhole jump.” Pidge commented. “It was a doozy.”

“Well, you can tell about it when we get back to… base.” Pidge picked up on Aki’s hesitation. She wasn’t sure she liked the sounds of things. “We’ll figure out how to get the green lion out later. Hopefully we can.”

“If I’m lucky? She’ll find a way to get out of there once her power is restored.” Pidge commented. “The lions are unique in how they act, even seeming to have minds of their own, so...” She shrugged her shoulders. She then started on the trek back to the downed Explorer. “You said base but in a hesitant way. I’m guessing you guys aren’t in a much better situation than I am, huh? I’m gonna take a guess and say you guys also crashed.”

“He’s good.” Shannon commented, impressed that Pidge could tell so much by a simple hesitation.

“You’re partly right.” Aki admitted. “We were attacked by the Galra.” Pidge muttered a few profanities that caught the others by surprise. “And our ship was taken down. Some… didn’t make it. Most of the crew was captured, though...”

Pidge nearly froze. She had a bad feeling about this. “One of the crew members… she… she wouldn’t happen to be Colleen Gunderson, would she? A professor and botanist?” She was worried. She knew her mother had been offered a job on a ship and would be taking off; she feared it would be too soon.

Aki’s brows were knitted together. He and the others were very much aware of the fact that Colleen’s child was a paladin of Voltron; they just didn’t realize that that child was a daughter, not a son. “She was part of the crew...” he admitted, getting that sinking feeling in his heart. He didn’t know how to deliver the bad news that the paladin’s mother was taken prisoner.

“She wasn’t one of the ones who died, right?” Pidge inquired, reaching up and taking Aki’s arm.

Looking down, Aki didn’t think he was looking at a kid who, had she lived a non-Garrison, non-paladin, rather normal life on Earth, would be old enough to learn to drive, trying to pass biology, all that fun stuff. Instead, he thought Pidge looked much younger, like a twelve year old; he often got the same feeling hitting him when Chip would give certain looks. It broke his heart, but there was one saving grace and that was knowing for certain that Colleen wasn’t one of the crew members they buried. “No. She was one of the ones captured.”

While being captured by the Galra was bad, the green paladin couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. “Then that means it’s possible to find and rescue her. And the others who were captured.” she stated. Though she added the others, her mother was her main focus. “I mean, Shiro survived a year, give or take, as a prisoner. I don’t plan on making them wait a year, but my point is, he survived. The others may, too. There’s a chance.”

The others couldn’t help but smile. Pidge had a point and it was one they had lingered onto when the ship went down and the crew was taken. With this reminder, Aki nodded. “You’re right. But first? We need to get off this planet.” He looked ahead to where the Explorer was.

Pidge stared. The ship was badly damaged. “Porca troia.” she gasped out.

“Um...” Aki blinked.

“I’ve heard the professor say that when we were first attacked… I don’t think it’s good.” Shannon clarified, almost amused.

“Okay… good news is… the ship is shelter. Bad news is I can see from here that she is not going to fly anymore. That’s just a whole new level of hurt...”

“Harsh… but accurate.” Aki admitted. “We’re still trying to get the solar panels and generator to function properly, had to go the night with power surges, but...”

“I can help out with that, see what I can do.” Pidge assured.

“Then let’s head down.”

Aki led Pidge to the Explorer. There, names were exchanged and Pidge got to meet the team that her mother was to work with. It was almost overwhelming to meet these fifteen individuals, but she did well enough and was certain she would remember them. She picked up with ease that the others referred to her as a boy, but she didn’t care; Pidge never really cared about if people saw her as a boy or girl.

Once things were done, Pidge decided to actually take her helmet off, realizing it was still on while the others weren’t wearing their helmets. Her hair fluffed out; she was thankful that the helmet didn’t pin her hair down so much and cause sweat buildup to get stuck in the strands and it could just return to its messy state when removed. With that, she pulled out the glasses she liked to wear. The thing about Pidge and her glasses, she never actually needed them. When she was little, she found her grandfather’s glasses in the attic and put them on, liking the feel of them but finding she couldn’t see. So she changed the lenses to fake ones and simply wore them like that, enjoying them. From there, she kept with wearing them whenever possible.

“Oh goodness.” Lisa, one of the few girls on the Vehicle Force team, giggled, hand covering her mouth some. “Chip does the exact same thing, too. And he doesn’t even need his glasses anymore.”

“I may not need them, but I do like them. Plus, I look good with them.” As he spoke, he shifted his glasses some, smiling brightly.

“That was my theory, too.” Pidge chuckled.

Wolo was looking back and forth between the two glasses wearing teens. “Okay, is it just me or do they look alike?” he asked.

“Alike?” Chip asked. “I don’t know… I mean… maybe?”

“The hair’s a different shade, but the face...” Pidge was perplexed.

“They do look like they could be related.” Ginger commented.

“Anyway,” Aki spoke up, “we can go over Chip having a Voltron doppelganger later.” That comment amused the others, Pidge included. “We still have work to do. Pidge, Chip’s been working with trying to get the generator functioning properly. Hopefully you two can figure something out?”

“Show me what we’re up against, I’m sure we can handle it.” Pidge assured.

“Right. Follow me.”

Chip led Pidge to the engine room, showing her the work he had started. “I’m a bit stumped in some areas… I think the generator was damaged, so it’s not holding up a charge like it should despite the connection to the solar panels.”

Pidge examined the generator. “Okay, let’s run a scan and see how it goes.” she said, using the tech on her armor to get her the information on the generator, even getting a holographic workings of its internal mechanisms formed. Seeing how easily Pidge brought up the data, Chip was amazed.

“Whoa! With that sort of detail… what kind of tech is that?!” Chip exclaimed.

“Altean tech. For being a thousand years old, it’s pretty cool.” Pidge commented. “And there’s so much more than what the armor is capable of. There are special drones that scan the biorhythms of lifeforms so we can have a basic idea of where the enemy is lurking on planets so we’re not going in as blindly as we would, the invisible maze which Lance hates with a passion, hologram programs to help with the study of different languages. The Alteans have cool stuff.”

“That’s so amazing.” Chip was excited to see this. He then looked at the hologram, checking it over. “Hmm, it looks like there was some damage inside.” he commented. “We’ll need to take it apart to get those gears and wires put back into place.”

“Not quite.” Pidge assured. “Chulatt is the smallest, so he should be able to get in there and help out.” She reached up, letting Chulatt jump onto her hand so she could put him on the generator. “Okay, Chu, let’s see what needs to...” Both glasses wearing teens looked down when Platt squeaked out a bit and pointed to himself. “Platt, I don’t think you’re going to fit. You’ve had way too many peanut butter cookies since you’ve met Mom.”

Platt squeaked again and found an opening. He went to squeeze through, his bottom half stuck and his feet kicking in distress. Plachu, the lean mouse with a bit of a glare to rival Keith’s, smacked his forehead with his paw. He and Chuchule went to pull on Platt’s legs, hoping to get him free.

“Told you.” Pidge sighed. She helped to get Platt out of there before putting him on top of her bag. “Okay, let’s try this again.” She went over what needed to be fixed before sending Chulatt on in.

“Can he uh… really do it?” Chip asked.

“They may be mice, but they’re pretty bright.” Pidge assured. She looked to see Chulatt emerge from the generator, the mouse a bit dirty. “We’ll get you cleaned up soon, Chu, don’t you worry.” She picked him up before scanning the generator again. “The inside looks good.”

“Yeah, but I don’t know if it’ll be enough to keep power for the uh… I guess base now AND charge some of the other ships.” Chip pointed out. “Some of them are still functional thankfully, but they’re definitely drained… they don’t have enough juice to send an SOS to even the nearest moon.”

“Hmm… we might be able to rewire a few things. It’s actually kinda basic… though we need to be careful.”

“Careful? Why?”

“Well, last time I tinkered with something like this, I kinda blew the power grid in my neighbourhood and it took them eight hours to get it back online.” Chip stared at Pidge, a mix of amazement and concern on his face. “Yeah, Mom regretted showing me some old movie where a mad scientist tried to build a death ray since I was inspired.”

“You know, as frightening as this kinda is… the professor was right. We will get along.”

Chapter Text

Pidge and Chip found themselves enjoying working together, able to figure things out so they could get the best power storage possible and even recycle excess energy back into the systems so nothing was wasted. Some of the others would check in on them now and then, making sure they were okay, especially since they were children, Chip felt close to Colleen and Pidge was Colleen’s child and they had that loss to cope with, and simply to make sure things were coming along. In the end, the Vehicle Force team found that not only do they look alike and love the same style of glasses despite not needing them, they were dangerously brilliant.

“Looks like you two really got things going with this.” Cliff stated, checking on the duo as they finished up.

“What’d you expect?” Pidge smirked. “You’ve got the top two cadets of the Garrison working together.”

“Wait… top two?” Cliff was stunned.

“When we all were first selected for this team and Commander Hawkins suggested we get to know each other, I did mention being the top cadet with my scores and that only one other person matched those scores.” Chip stated. He motioned to Pidge. “Turns out that cadet was Pidge. And it turns out we were both put through the tests three times to prove we weren’t cheating.”

“Looks like Chip and I have so much more in common than a like for glasses and looking a bit alike.” Pidge snickered a bit at that.

“As long as you don’t have the same appetite for peanut butter that he does...” Cliff watched the duo and their guilty smiles. “Seriously? Okay, coincidences just turned to creepy.” He shook his head. “Anyway, with the power running, we were able to get the galley going. So, no snacking, should be about a… well… Cinda said varga...”

“That’s approximately an hour, a bit more, I think. But it’s the best comparison.” Pidge clarified. “Trust me, when you’re stuck in a sixteen-hundred year old castle and two Alteans and a kitty rebel,” that comment made Chip snort with laughter, “you learn to adapt to a relatively universal way of telling time. That and Coran gave us a lesson after we kinda got too excited over comparing a timer on my tablet and Coran’s ticker.”

“I’ll try to remember that; thankfully the others are patient with us and remind us when needed.” Cliff commented. “Anyway, come up soon.” He turned to leave, smacking his face into a low hanging beam.”

“Watch your head, Cliff.” Chip chimed. He and Pidge had matching mischievous grins when he glared back at them.

“Great, there’s two of them now. Two gremlins… just what we need.” Cliff shook his head and ducked down before getting out of the engine room.

Once Cliff left, Pidge and Chip couldn’t help but laugh, definitely amused by things. They were amazed at how much they had in common, not only in looks but little bits of their lives, glasses, intellect, even a love of peanut butter. After a moment, they decided to head up, Chip showing Pidge the way to the common room that doubled as an eating area.

“Whoa, this is your commissary and common room?” Pidge asked, looking around. Though the ship was damaged, that area did well to stay in tact. Some of the damage done to it was minor. “It’s so cool looking!”

“Cool?” Chip snorted a bit. “It’s just a simple thing, much like you’d find at at least the North American branches of the Garrison campuses.”

“After dealing with the fancy looks of the Castle of Lions, I am just happy to see something so simple and casual looking.” Pidge admitted. “I prefer this over the dining hall. Not that I eat there often. I usually hole myself up in my room or the lab to eat.” She paused a moment to think it over. “Or rather… Shiro or Hunk either bring me food or they drag me to the kitchen. Literally. Sometimes Shiro will literally drag me; Hunk just picks me up and carries me over his shoulder.”

“Well, you should definitely sit down to eat today.” Lisa said gently as she walked up behind the duo. “It’s not good to skip meals, you know.”

“Depending on who’s cooking… it’s preferable.” Pidge deadpanned, hanging her head some. Hunk’s cooking was wonderful. Coran’s? Well, it was an acquired taste. The only ones who seemed to fully appreciate it were Shiro and Allura, though Shiro did draw the line at some dishes.

“Well, hopefully tonight’s supper will be good.” Lisa hoped that was the case. “You two go ahead and sit down and wait while we finish up.”

Pidge sat down at one of the tables and booths, letting the mice go and sit on the table. She looked around and smiled. It was like an old style diner in part of the room with the booths and tables and then the counter and stools. A little further it was open with some benches, the best place to sit and chat or enjoy the view with the observation windows there. The windows were cracked, probably from the attack or crash, but they would hold up for the time being.

She definitely liked the feel of things. Relaxed. Simple. She liked the castle, yes, but sometimes it felt strange to be there. It seemed so fancy to her, she found it easier being in only a few different rooms that were set up to her liking.

Sitting there and enjoying herself, Pidge couldn’t help but let her mind wander towards the Voltron team. She didn’t know if they were okay or where any of them wound up. She hoped they were fine and should could find a way to contact them.

“Pidge? You okay?” Chip asked.

“Yeah, just… worried.” Pidge responded.

“Your mom?”

Pidge sighed. She was worried about her, too, that was for certain. “Her. And my team.”

“Hmm?”

“We got separated.” Pidge commented. “I didn’t go over what happened in detail yet.”

“You mentioned a wormhole jump and it being a doozy.” Aki stated as he walked in, sitting over at the bar counter. Some of the others were walking in, stretching and trying to relax; everyone was busy with some task or another.

“It was!” Pidge nearly exclaimed. “All because we had a video game moment of the princess being captured.” Well, that was one way to start a story and most of the Earthlings already were figuring out what game (or games) Pidge was referencing. “Thankfully it wasn’t a damsel in distress sort of thing… Allura’s actually pretty badass and probably wouldn’t just be all oh woe is me, I was captured. Okay, to start, we were checking out this universal hub… it was like a secret Galra airport and they transported some pretty shady stuff that had both Keith and Coran worried. Well, we sneaked in and tried to find information to use against the empire. It was a bit of a bust, the control room we were in didn’t have that. But Allura was sure that one of the ships heading for Zarkon’s command would.”

“Allura decided to sneak on board by using some really cool colour and size shifting ability Alteans apparently have. She stole a soldier’s armor; he couldn’t complain since Shiro punched him with his robotic arm pretty hard, so he was unconscious. But Shiro didn’t want Allura going alone and he didn’t want to risk Keith being found out, either. So… he went with her. Of course, he would stick out, so we put him in a crate and Allura carried him on board. They sneaked in, got the data, but they were found out. I’m not entirely sure how, but I think it was something I didn’t calculate and it was probably his prosthetic and him using it to activate the Galra tech to download intel; they probably sensed it through that.”

“Okay, so while I missed some of the details and had to listen to Shiro’s recap afterwards, I could be off a bit. Apparently they tried to escape but it was a rough route in trying to get to the escape pods. Allura apparently threw Shiro into the pod and held the doors shut so they couldn’t be ambushed, making him leave without her. So she pretty much gave herself up so he could return to the team.” Pidge continued speaking, hardly taking a breath as she went on. “Well, we couldn’t leave it at that. We had to rescue her. I mean, Keith didn’t recommend it, she was being taken to Zarkon’s command center, but… in the end, we were still in agreement. We couldn’t leave her there. So, thanks to some of Allura’s energy still being in the castle, Coran was able to activate a wormhole.”

“With the wormhole open, we went in to try and get the drop of Zarkon and his main fleet. We used a gas giant in the area to hide our presence. But we were still expected. I mean, they had Allura, there was no way a surprise attack would happen. But we tried. And we didn’t die, so that’s a bonus. Anyway, we went in, Shiro had some issues with the black lion, Keith had to save his butt, Hunk rammed into Zarkon’s ship and got in so he could find Allura; Lance and I had to protect his butt… or rather the yellow lion that was sticking partially out of the massive ship.”

“Anyway, something happened and Shiro was sent out of his lion. I dunno what that was about, but Allura and Hunk had to save him since he got stuck in the castle. Long story short-”

“It’s a bit late for that.” Shannon deadpanned while Marvin snorted at the comment.

“-we all were back in our lions and Allura was back in the castle. But a barrier that was formed kept Allura from opening a wormhole. It somehow came down; Keith speculated it was one of his group members’ doing. With that, Allura got the wormhole open and we got the hell out of Dodge. But… we got attacked by some hit that didn’t seem like it came from an actual weapon. I dunno what it was, but it destabilized the wormhole. Big time. And we, our lions, were flung out and through the sides. Good news is, it didn’t seem destructive fully, but it sapped a lot of power from Green. Er, my lion, sometimes we just call them by their colours. Or at least Lance, Keith, and I do; Keith sometimes calls Red Kitty instead.”

Pidge waved it off. “But we got separated. I couldn’t figure out where I was with Green’s radars and sensors down since she had no power. I can only assume I got booted out pretty far. And there’s no telling where the others went or how they’re doing.” she finished up. “And that is pretty much my day in a mechanical green nutshell.”

“Okay, first off, deep breaths, Pidge, I don’t think you were breathing much during that explanation.” Cliff reminded. “Second… that is… quite an active day.”

“Yeah, and it’s just one day in our lives.” Pidge commented. “From day one, it’s been a bumpy ride… especially with Lance as the paladin of the blue lion. How he got one of the top pilot positions when training...”

“Anyway, how about we settle down for some supper, hmm?” Lisa chimed, getting everyone’s attention. “Then we can share more stories.”

Allura was worried; she wasn’t the only one concerned, but she was visibly pacing back and forth while on the bridge. The others were found already. Shiro had been injured both on Zarkon’s ship and on the planet he and Keith crashed on, but he had since then recovered thanks to a healing pod. The others were fine, their only issues being their concern for their missing friend and paladin.

“What if she’s not okay?” Allura asked. “What if she crashed and was badly hurt? What if she was captured by the Galra?”

“Then I’d actually feel sorry for them.” Shiro commented, the others giving him a strange look. “Pidge is feisty and probably the smartest person on Earth-”

“Next to some other guy who got the same top score she did when testing to get into the Garrison.” Lance interjected.

“-irrelevant at the moment. Anyway, Pidge isn’t going to make them capturing her an easy feat.” Shiro offered a reassuring smile. “She’s fairly resourceful. Remember, she defended the castle on her own until you and Keith got in. She can handle herself until we find her.”

Allura nodded. “I hope that’s the case.” she mumbled. “I just wish we could find her… I haven’t even been able to pick up on the green lion...”

“We were all powered down when we crashed in the end.” Keith pointed out, his fuzzy, cat-like ears twitching a bit. “Maybe the green lion is still powered down.”

“But Pidge would find a way to power her back up.” Hunk reminded.

“I don’t know the reason but… maybe she can’t.” Keith wasn’t entirely sure and at that point was just spitballing, but he did his best to try and keep the others hopeful. “I’m sure she’s fine. And I’m with Shiro. If by chance she was captured… well… she’d be able to find her way out of it. She was, after all, plotting her way out when I went to get you guys out of that cell when we met.”

“There was no stopping her.” Lance hummed, amused by the memory of Pidge plotting their escape the moment they were captured. Hell, knowing her, she was already plotting it the moment the Galra first pursued them.

Allura found herself smiling a bit. As worried as everyone was, it eased her heart some to know that the boys were so sure Pidge would be fine until they were able to locate her. She may have been the youngest and smallest member of the team, but Pidge often proved to be tougher than expected; that paired with her intelligence made her dangerous but also one of the safest members of the team.

Mentally praying to any of the Altean ancestors, the princess resumed her search, hoping to track the green lion and locate their missing friend. Who knew, maybe Pidge would even find them first.

Being in some parts of the Explorer, sometimes it was easy to forget how much of it was actually damaged. Pidge stood in a room within one of the sections that held the crews’ quarters. The room was important to her for it belonged to her mother. She went over and picked up one of the personal items that had been knocked down and broken during the attack and crash. A photograph in a cracked frame.

Pidge examined the photo, knowing it all too well. It was the day she started her life at the Garrison. She had just cut her hair, deciding that keeping it shorter would be easier, and donned her uniform. A neighbour took the photo for her as she stood with her mother, Colleen wearing her uniform since she worked at the Garrison. When that photo was taken, she never expected she would find herself in whole new galaxies and so far from home, flying a semi-sentient, somewhat magical, mechanical green lion.

“Pidge?” Chip poked his head into the room. In his arms, he held a bundle of fabric. “I had a feeling you’d be in here.” He went to where the paladin was, looking past her shoulder to see the photograph. “I’m sorry she was taken...”

“I’m happier knowing she was taken and not just killed on sight.” Pidge responded. “No disrespect to those who lost their lives but...” She let out a low sigh. “I hope she’s doing okay...”

“We’ll get her back.” Chip held the fabric in one arm as he put his other hand on Pidge’s shoulder. Pidge smiled. Sure, those words from anyone would be nice, but from Chip, they seemed more important. “Um… anyway,” Chip held up the fabric some, “I got some pajamas out. Er… they’re my extra pair. We’re about the same size so they would fit you better than any of the others’.” He shifted a bit. “I figured it’d be more comfortable to sleep in these than your uniform.”

Pidge smiled softly. She then accepted the clothes. “Thanks.” she said. “It’s a little strange wearing pajamas that aren’t green, but I appreciate it. And I’ve learned… as comfortable as the under armor is… it’s not easy sleeping in it unless I’m dead tired and just pass out.”

Though Chip assumed Pidge was a boy, too, he let her get changed on her own, minding the paladin’s privacy. He, too, got changed, donning an identical pair. Seeing each other, they couldn’t help but laugh. They really did look alike, especially when they wore the same clothes. With that, they decided to return to the common area and kitchen, hoping to find a pre-bedtime snack and even see the reactions of the others.

“Okay, that should not be allowed!” Aki exclaimed, seeing the duo. “If it weren’t for the fact that Pidge’s hair is longer and lighter, you two would look practically identical!”

“Settle down, Aki, I think they look adorable like that.” Lisa patted the young man’s shoulder. “But he is right, you two are nearly identical.”

“They really are.” Marvin nodded in agreement. “This can’t just be coincidence, right? I mean, they have got to be related.”

“Related?” Hutch scowled a bit. “You got rocks in yer brain? Wouldn’t they know each other then?”

“Probably not.” Chip said, putting his hand up some. “Remember, I’m adopted. So…”

“Same here.” Pidge did the same gesture with the opposite hand.

Hearing them, the others definitely watched in stunned silence for a moment. With that spoken, even the duo looked to each other, as though contemplating the same thing.

“Hmm… we didn’t talk this part over, did we?” Chip inquired. “You know, I’m going to take a shot in the dark with this one. When’s your birthday?”

“Assuming the data was correct, April third. And I’m fifteen.” Pidge responded.

“Oh boy...” Chip had a bit of a nervous smile.

“Um… isn’t that also… Chip’s birthday and age?” Rocky inquired.

“Wait… so they could be identical twins then?!” Aki stared in shock.

“I don’t think they’d be identical twins; their hair colour differ a bit.” Cliff reminded. “But… twins…”

“They’re just one DNA test away from finding out; maybe when we get back into contact with the Garrison, you two can do that.” Ginger suggested. “But if that’s the case, wow! What are the odds you’d end up on an alien planet and discover you have a twin? And nearly identical, too.”

“I dunno about the odds, but it is actually impossible for us to be considered identical twins, and I don’t mean our hair. Twins, it’s highly probable at this point. Identical… nope. Impossible.” Pidge commented. The others seemed confused. “He has a the XY chromosomes. I’m double X.” Silence. Then came the shock.

“Wait!? You’re a girl!” Aki was definitely loud that evening. “And we’ve been calling you a boy the entire time!”

“Even the professor didn’t call you a girl...” Chip stared at Pidge. “What?”

“It’s not like I’m picky. Yes, I’m a girl. I accept and acknowledge that. But I’m not gonna get tilted over people using different pronouns for me.” Pidge shrugged her shoulders. “Anyway, now if no one minds, I’m going to find a snack then go to bed. I’ve lost track of how many days I’ve been awake.”

After getting their snacks, thankful for Pidge’s stash of peanut butter cookies in her bag and the fact that Platt didn’t eat them all, the possible twins turned in to sleep. Some of the others, especially after finding out that Pidge was a girl, didn’t fully approve, but a few told them to hush up and let them share a room. Pidge and Chip were close and they found it comforting and practically perfect to stay near each other. It felt like further proof they were related and they just desired staying together. As they fell asleep, Pidge hoped this comfort would protect her from her nightmares.

Chapter Text

“ We’re under attack!”

“Get those ship airborne! Get to battle stations!”

“Chip!”

“Pidge!”

Krik sat up suddenly, hand to his chest. He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. “That was… nng...” He opened them and looked around his room. “This isn’t good...” Sighing, he checked the timer near his bed. He had another half varga before he was to take his shift. Though Pidge and Chip got the power running and better than before, not all systems were online. The sensors and radars were iffy so some of the others were taking shifts, standing guard at night while the others rested.

When Pidge found out about that, Aki dared to tell her not to worry about it and that little kids need to sleep. She apparently hadn’t slept in days and was still ready to pick a fight with him; Rocky had to pick her up and hold on tight, lest they would need to locate the first aid kit for Aki’s sake. Krik knew Chip could be feisty at times, but Pidge probably had him beat. In the end, she gave in and went to bed.

Krik hoped she could sleep well; Chip, too. If his dream was accurate, then they would be expecting trouble and he was worried that either of them were going to get hurt. They needed to be well rested and the top of their game; hopefully with that, trouble could be avoided.

Deciding to forgo that extra half varga of sleep, Krik decided to get out of bed and put on his uniform again. He decided that if he was needed, he could take his shift early; a few extra doboshes wouldn’t hurt. He left his room and headed out of the Explorer, going towards the bow. When he got there, he saw Aki sitting on some rocks, keeping watch. Then the black haired man yawned.

“It seems that the children aren’t the only ones who need sleep.” Krik teased a bit.

“Huh? What?” Aki looked over. “Oh, Krik. Up early?”

“Hmm.” Krik nodded as he went over and sat beside the air team’s leader. “I had… a bad feeling.”

Aki watched Krik for a moment. “Like the one you got before we were first attacked?” he inquired. Before the Galra showed up and attacked the Explorer, Krik got that funny feeling. Some of the others referred to it as a sixth sense or psychic intuition; the human didn’t fully understand it, but he made a mental note to not ignore it when his fellow leader got those feelings.

“Yeah.” Krik nodded. “And then some. I guess some would call it a premonition, but it wasn’t full. So I don’t know what will happen… or when. Only that we may be expecting trouble soon.” He bit his lip. “And… I’m worried further. I feel like something bad could happen to Pidge or Chip. Maybe both.”

Aki watched his comrade, worry showing in his eyes. “We’ll do what we can to prevent this possibility becoming a reality.” he stated. “I mean, isn’t that the thing with future seeing? Seeing it and then preventing it?”

“Sometimes it’s inevitable that it happens… but we can try.” Krik agreed. He watched as Aki yawned again. “You can aid us better if you get proper sleep. You head on in, I’ll take my shift early.”

“Huh? Are you sure?” Aki scowled a bit, not wanting to make his ally and even friend, though they hadn’t known each other long, work too hard,

“I’m certain. After all, if trouble is to come, we all need to be in top condition.” Krik reminded. “Go on.”

Aki nodded. “Thanks.” he said. “And, though you don’t need me telling you, keep your senses open. Those feelings you get, when we learn to listen to them, are pretty helpful.”

Krik nodded once more. He then watched as Aki returned to the Explorer before turning his attention back to his surroundings, especially the sky. He couldn’t shake that feeling and it nagged at him. He hoped, though, that they could prevent any tragedy from happening.

Eyes lacking pupils stared at her. Even without the pupils, she could see the fear in those golden eyes. And as he grew smaller the further he fell, somehow she could still see those fear filled eyes. He didn’t want to die despite proudly shouting “victory or death”. In the end, he feared death.

So did she. And she hung there. She looked back up at her bayard to see it slip. It came loose and she fell from the console and down the turbine.

Pidge sat up, covering her mouth to keep from shouting. She felt her heart beat fast, barely able to tell when one beat ended and the next began. She felt the sweat upon her skin and the tears fall down her face. She then looked over to Chip, seeing him curled up in the bed, one of the pillows under his head and Chuchule and Platt curled up at the back of his neck.

A small squeak caught her attention. She shifted to look at her pillow, seeing Chulatt and Plachu there, the two pulled from their sleeping when she suddenly stirred. She lowered her hand from her mouth and offered them a smile. “Sorry if I woke you.” she whispered, not wanting to disturb her could-be brother. She then got up and picked up her blanket, the two having separate ones so they could curl up as desired. Plachu squeaked at Pidge.

“I’m just going on a walk, clear my head.” she assured in a soft tone. “You two go back to sleep.” Unsure, the mice looked to each other. They then looked to Pidge as she left the room, the door shutting behind her.

Pidge went out into the hall. It was dimly lit, making it easier for others to see if they needed to leave their rooms at night. She then walked along, passing through the commissary. There, a few of the men were sitting around, talking; Cliff was the one who noticed her.

“Hmm? Pidge, you’re up pretty late.” Cliff pointed out. “Everything okay?” He looked concerned since she was there with her blanket wrapped around her.

“Mm, just fine. Got a little restless.” Pidge commented, doing her best to smile. “Thought I’d go out for a walk before heading back to bed.”

“If you need someone to go with you. Or want-”

“Er, no, it’s fine.” Pidge waved it off, interrupting Cliff. “I won’t be going far. Just around the base, maybe get some fresh air.”

Cliff didn’t seem to approve, but he didn’t press. “Okay. If you go outside, try not to stray too far. We have the perimeter to try and ensure everyone’s safety.”

“Got’cha.” Pidge nodded as she walked off, letting out a sigh of relief once in the next hall. She didn’t feel like having anyone walking with her; it gave the chance for them to be nosy in trying to find out why she was restless. She didn’t want to talk about her conflict with Haxus and how it still haunted her.

Pidge went outside and pulled the blanket closer. She looked up at the starry sky and one of the planetoids that could be seen from their current location. She liked these sort of views, keeping a mental log of the different views they had from various planets; so far, Arus, the first they were on and where they met Allura and Coran, was the most Earth-like, especially with just one visible moon.

She walked out further, letting her bare feet move across the rocky surface. She didn’t pay much mind of where she was going until she heard another voice.

“It seems like I’m not the only one struggling to sleep.” Pidge looked up to see where Krik was sitting.

“I may not be used to sleeping for long periods of time.” she muttered, shrugging her shoulders.

“Hmm.” Krik grunted. He then motioned to next to him. “Well, might as well enjoy the time out here, hmm? It’s a nice night.”

Pidge sighed, but she went over, sitting near the bluish-skinned alien. She tucked her knees up to her chest as she let her blanket just sit on her shoulders. She then looked up at the stars. “I practically live in space now… but I never tire of looking at the stars.”

“Me too.” Krik admitted, turning his attention upwards. “And while sometimes the view seems identical everywhere, it’s still beautiful.”

Pidge was silent for a moment before eyeing Krik. Bluish skin, a deeper blue, maybe with slight purple undertones, hair, his ears almost looking webbed. On top of that was a strange gem seeming to be encased in silver on his forehead. He wasn’t the strangest alien she met, but he was another example of how unique and different the universe was. “Was the view like this on your planet?” she asked.

Krik looked down, startled by Pidge’s sudden question. He then offered a soft, almost sad, smile. “No. I don’t recall my planet much, but Mira’s view was different.” he said. “Lights would dance across the sky, the further from the equator you would go, the more vibrant and beautiful they were. They were so bright, you could hardly see the stars. I was told they were caused by the natural disturbance in the magnetosphere.”

“Auroras.” Krik’s ears twitched a bit. “We get the same thing on Earth. We call them auroras. Auroras are the common name, but we also call them aurora polaris, aurora borealis, and aurora austrailis.”

“I wasn’t on Earth long enough to see them.”

“They’re typically at higher latitude regions. Depending on where you landed, the odds of seeing them were astronomically slim.”

“Noted.” Krik nodded.

Pidge shifted a bit when they went silent. As much as she liked peace, quiet, and silence, sitting next to someone and being silent got a little awkward. She wanted to ask about his planet, Mira apparently, but she didn’t want to pry; she hated when people pried too much in her life and she didn’t want to be a hypocrite in that regard.

“You’re not comfortable here.” Krik observed, taking a mental note of Pidge’s shifting. “Because of me?”

“Pssh, no.” Pidge scoffed a bit. “Meeting someone who isn’t human doesn’t bother me one bit. In fact, I like meeting other races. There’s so much to learn. Culture. Food. Technology. Especially technology. I like learning about that the most. It makes sense to me and I work best with it. Learning about it and working with computers, I do better with that stuff than I do other people. Though I guess the silence between us is weird. I don’t like awkward silences. It’s so… suffocating. Not as suffocating as large gatherings and I’m expected to be there. Those bother me the most. I’d rather hole myself away in the ship bay or my lab, just… working on other stuff. There’s a lot to work on in the castle and I think I’m doing well in understanding Altean technology. Though Coran scolds me now and then since some of what I come up with is potentially destructive. But nothing blew up yet. Mostly. The kitchen incident was far from my fault; the castle’s old and was glitching because of a corrupt crystal Commander Fluffy-butt decided to plug in when he tried to take over. Shiro ended up jettisoning him into space. I hope the jerk stays there.”

Krik chuckled a bit. “Goodness, you sure can say a lot in seemingly just one breath.” he commented. “You seem to definitely hate the silence, so you opted to just keep talking.” Pidge blushed a bit, realizing he had a point. She was notorious for rambling when she was nervous; Shiro often called her out on it and had to remind her to breathe. “If you don’t mind my asking, what actually drew you out here?”

Pidge grumbled. She didn’t want to be asked that. With Krik seeming to read her fairly well, she didn’t think she could ramble her way out of it. Instead, showing she didn’t want to answer, she curled in more on herself.

“You’re bothered by something.” Krik commented. He pulled one leg up, propping his arm up on his knee. “I know how that is. I woke up sooner than anticipated because something bothered me.” He looked back up to the stars. “Typically, Mirans tend to be in touch with their senses, detecting trouble more easily than most. Some of us have even stronger senses. And a few even have premonitions.”

“Like… seeing the future?”

“Mm-hmm. Sometimes it’s not always clear, though.” Krik looked back over.

“This is sounding like you’re one of the ones who has premonitions.” Pidge commented. “And I guess you saw something that troubled you.”

“I did. It wasn’t clear but… there’s bound to be trouble. And if we’re not careful, someone may get hurt.” Krik admitted. “And I’m worried that it may be you or Chip. Or both.”

Pidge watched Krik for a moment, almost startled. She then settled her head down on her arms again. “Then we need to be on our toes. Be cautious.” she said. “But… this is also war. People get hurt. People… people die. It doesn’t matter what side you fight on… it’s still a war.”

Krik’s eyes went soft. There it was. The clue to what troubled Pidge. Though fifteen, by Miran standards, she would be considered a child and from what he could tell, the same applied to humans. He figured that Pidge was exposed to death. But it had to be deeper than that, right? Seeing someone die was traumatizing, but… It clicked. Pidge was a paladin. A warrior. And she had been in battle since the Galra first started conquering Earth.

“You don’t need to tell me the details.” he said. “But you did nothing wrong, I’m sure of it. A child should never be thrown into war like this, but… you probably did what you could to survive.” He let out a sigh. He had barely been fighting; before getting to Earth, he had been a refugee, living on a specialized transport ship, the people there looking for a safe place to be. “As hard as these feelings and premonitions can be, I can seek comfort in knowing that the future is not set, it is always changing like a river. But the past… it’s more solid than stone. It can’t be changed.” He dared to reach over and ruffle Pidge’s hair a bit. “But you can still hopefully learn from it. Grow from it.”

Pidge didn’t respond yet; that was fine. “You may not feel that way now, but talking about it with someone could help you. You have your team to turn to when you reunite with them. And you have Chip.” Even if they weren’t related, like everyone was thinking with all the similarities, those two forged a quick bond. He then offered a smile. “And you have us, too. We may be a bit… dysfunctional, but from what I can tell, the others are good friends.”

Pidge smiled a small bit. While she initially didn’t want company, to talk to someone, or to listen to anyone, she was glad she went outside for some fresh air and talked a bit with Krik. “Thanks.” she said. “I don’t think I’m… ready to talk about it but… I think this all made me feel a bit better.” She stood up. “I’m gonna head back in and head to bed.”

“Considering you apparently haven’t slept in quintants? I think that’s a good idea.” Krik mused.

Pidge chuckled a bit. “Be careful out here. And hopefully what you felt and saw can be prevented.” She dipped her head a bit before heading back inside, returning to the room she was sharing with Chip. She got back into bed, doing her best not to disturb anyone, though Chip did stir and roll over.

“Pidge? You okay?” he asked, his voice laden with sleep. “You were up a while… I noticed when I got up for a moment.”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Pidge assured. “Just needed some fresh air.”

“Okay.” Chip yawned a bit before pulling his blanket around him more. “Good night...”

“Night.” Pidge smiled softly. Krik was right, she had plenty of people she could talk to. Perhaps one day, hopefully soon, she would feel comfortable opening up to someone about what was bothering her.

Chapter Text

“Okay, priority charging is go.” Pidge commented, sitting in the command station of the ship, working with what was still available and what she could repair. “Battlements are online and functional… at least the ones not destroyed. I’ve got the first of the ships fit for flying on priority charge. Majourity of lights are turned off so power can be focused where it needs to be.”

“Shouldn’t we focus on getting all the available ships charged?” Cliff inquired.

“Well, considering we don’t know if and when we’ll be attacked, keep in mind that the green lion is still on this planet and a battleship passing by could pick up on its elemental signature, it’s better to have a few ships functioning and able to take flight with enough charge than no ships available.” Pidge explained. “We don’t even know if we’ll be attacked today, but in my experience, we should always be ready for an attack at any given moment.”

“She makes a valid point.” Krik pointed out.

“Considering that the Galra came out of nowhere one day on Earth… I actually agree.” Aki stated. “Though only getting four charging….”

“There are six more to charge, then five of the ships are down and in need of repair.” Pidge said. “We can’t be picky. Hopefully all ten available ships will be ready when needed, but for now… beggars really shouldn’t be choosers.”

“Hopefully it’ll be enough.” Cliff stated. “Too bad we can’t get your ship out…”

“Hmm.” Pidge simply grunted. She then looked when they were all called from the level below them, informing them that food was ready. Finished with their tasks, they went down to the commissary, joining the others to eat.

As Pidge sat around with the rest of the team, she found herself smiling and enjoying their company. While some would think of her as anti-social, she was mainly socially awkward, she actually could find joy being with others when the events were casual. Being with the others, it reminded her of her team back at the Castle of Lions. She wondered if they would get along. Sure, the others would get along with the humans and Alteans, but Keith was Galran. The others, she worried, would be bitter about that, even if he was half human.

“Pidge? What’s on your mind?” Chip asked, holding a spoon out for Platt to eat off of, the mouse enjoying the breakfast.

“Thinking of the teams.” Pidge commented. “How well everyone here would get along with my team.”

Chip blinked. He then looked a little downcast. “I had heard one of the members was Galran...”

“Yeah, that’s where I’m worried.” Pidge admitted, though she didn’t entirely look worried; she still smiled a bit about the situation. “But Keith’s a good person. Got a bit of a temper but… well, so did some of the commanders back at the Garrison.”

“Keith… not that I know a thing about Galran names...”

“He’s half human.” Pidge informed. “Got a nice dad, too. I got to meet him while we were on Earth for a bit before we had to depart. He was so happy to see Keith again; apparently it’s been like ten years since he last saw him.”

“I guess we gotta learn to look past the Galran and see him as human?”

“Look past everything and see him for who he is.” Pidge corrected her could-be twin. “We’re more than what is seen on the outside. Like me. I’m small. Easily mistaken for a boy. But I’m beyond that. I’m quick, clever, and eager to learn. Admittedly, I can have a temper and Shiro says I’m one of the most stubborn people he’s met, and he’s met my mother,” Chip snorted a bit, “but I’m not just what is seen. There’s more to me than meets the eye. Same for Keith.”

Chip smiled, nodding. “Hey Pidge… do you think… other Galra can be good?”

“I’ve not met any other good ones other than Keith, but I have no doubts.” Pidge assured. “According to Keith, he’s part of a whole network of Galra who are fighting the war, too. They apparently do it more stealthily, hiding among the ranks with the empire, collecting information and trying to bring Zarkon down from the inside.” By this point, the others stopped to listen to Pidge, taking in what she was explaining.

“I think I mentioned it a bit yesterday,” Pidge continued, “but we were trapped by a barrier that kept Allura from opening a wormhole. However, it came down in the nick of time.”

“Oh yeah, you mentioned that a member of Keith’s group probably doing it.” Chip added.

“Yup, that’s right. I mean, we don’t know for certain, but Keith was sure of it and I trust him on that.” Pidge confirmed. She then looked to the others, aware of them paying attention. “I know it’s gonna be tricky, even Allura struggled at first, but when you guys meet the team, I think you all should give Keith a chance.” While the others weren’t sure how they felt about Voltron having a Galran on the team, they knew they had to try and accept this.

“We should try, that’s for certain.” Lisa stated. “Besides, we’ve been helped before by a Galran. That one the other day didn’t report us, they lied to their commanding officer. So that’s a good sign that there are definitely Galra on our side.”

“Hopefully things go well when we finally meet the team.” Cliff added.

“Huh!? Again!?” Hutch stared in disbelief as he looked at the cards Pidge laid down. “Okay! No person is that lucky! You’ve gotta be cheating!”

“Wow, you lost this game. Weren’t you the one who even taught the rest of us?” Marvin teased.

“Oh, shut up, you!” Hutch snapped.

“Wow, Pidge! How are you so good at this?” Ginger asked, amused and impressed.

“Well, it’s not exactly cheating, but some would beg to differ.” Pidge smirked. “I’ve already memorized the deck you’re using.” Eyes were on her. “The deck you’re using has some wear to it, I’d guess you’ve been using it for some years now. Each crease and wear, though, is unique and playing several rounds, I was able to memorize everything about them. With that and counting cards?” She smirked as she pointed to the cards still in Hutch’s hand. “Three of spades. Three of hearts. Queen of diamonds. Joker. Two of cloves. Two of hearts. And four of spades.”

Those sitting behind Hutch, seeing his hand, were in shock. She was exactly right as to which card was which. Their expressions were enough for the green paladin to know she was right on the dot.

“Man, you’re gonna need a new deck if you wanna beat her.” Marvin snickered.

“At least until she starts counting the cards and finding new patterns to follow.” Wolo reminded, getting the others to start laughing.

Krik was amused, especially at how well Pidge played Hutch. She was definitely clever, that was for sure. His amusement died, though, when he got a strange feeling. He wasn’t the only one. Cinda, the other Miran on the team, also reacted.

“Krik...” Cinda whispered, placing her hand on his arm.

“Hmm?” Aki looked over to the two, noticing the change in behaviour. “Cinda, Krik, is something the matter?”

“It’s that’s feeling...” Krik responded.

Pidge looked over before getting up. Not even deciding to go around the furniture, she startled some of the others, especially Hutch, by jumping onto the table, then right over her opponent in playing a card game, and onto the back of his booth. Without missing a beat, she ran off, grabbing her helmet off the table close to the door. As Pidge sped through the hall and got outside, she put her helmet on and set up the scanner on her HUD, checking around.

“Pidge! Hold up!” Chip called, running after the paladin. He was joined by some of the others, though Aki, Cliff, Ginger, and Tangor went to their ships, preparing to launch, hoping they could with what power they managed to get. They waited, though, for someone to give the sign that they needed to set out.

Pidge used her scanner. While not as powerful as the castle or the lions themselves, she could stick pick up on more. “We’ve got incoming.” she said. “Aki, do you copy?”

“Here. Ready to launch?” Aki inquired.

“We’ve got about two minutes until we have unwanted company. Hold until I say; we don’t know if they’re scouting or not.”

“Copy that.”

“Krik, your ship is down; I want you at main command and keep track of our cannons and set the next two ships to charge.”

“Two?” Krik was stunned.

“It’ll get the most charge with just two on instead of four. And have the remaining power shut from the ship except to main control at minimal, charging ships, and the cannons.” Pidge may not have been a leader, but she was quick to plan things out. “The rest of you, you’re either controlling a cannon or at an inner area of the ship. A battleship fires its ion cannon, the innermost areas are going to protect you, especially towards the bottom and nearer the ground.”

“Right, everyone to their battle stations.” Krik ordered. No one had complaints. With a limited amount of the Explorer’s weapons available, some who weren’t needed right away for their ships were there, ready to try and defend themselves. “Pidge, what about you?”

“My scanner’s the most functional one we have. And I can watch and make sure of what the Galra are doing; if we can evade a battle, that’s best, but if they pick a fight with us first...” Pidge looked out towards where her lion was in the ravine. “Plus, if Green activates herself and returns to me...”

“Stay safe… and stay covered.” Krik stated, putting a hand on Pidge’s shoulder. He then went in, pushing Chip along despite him wanting to stay with Pidge.

Pidge held her position, keeping an eye on her HUD and counting down the time. It didn’t take much longer for the battleship to show up. Just one, but one was problematic enough, especially with their limited means.

“Pidge...”

“Hold your position, Aki.” Pidge ordered. She observed the ship. Then came the sentry-piloted fighters. When the first of them shot towards the Explorer, she knew it was time. “Launch! Krik! Transfer power!”

“Copy that.” Krik responded.

“Ten-four!” Aki replied. “Go time!”

Barely a few seconds passed before Pidge saw the ships in the air. “You’ll want to focus on the smaller fighters. Those on the weapons systems, focus on the battleship. And be cautious of that ion cannon, it’s got a particle barrier around it.”

“A what now?” Zandee inquired.

“It’s like a force-field when compared to a game. And a pain to take down.” Pidge explained. “Wait… you guys seriously launched from Earth without considering particle barriers?”

“We’ll discuss that later, for now, we’ve got a fight to deal with.” Cliff reminded.

Pidge watched from her position, keeping an eye on things. Her idea of the fighter ships going after the enemy fighters while the Explorer’s weapons systems would handle the battleship was going well. At least until one cannon was destroyed and another malfunctioned.

“Shit! It ain’t firing!” Hutch snapped.

“Quiznak.” Pidge hissed. “Krik, cut power to Hutch’s cannon; I’m gonna check it out.”

“Wait… out there? Pidge, that’s not advised.” Krik informed.

“Yeah, well, it needs to be checked; if I can repair it, I will.” Pidge ran out and climbed along the side of the explorer, getting up to where the malfunctioning cannon was. “Okay, let’s see what we’ve got here.” She got it open, checking inside. “Good news is, it’s just jammed. Bad news is, I don’t have the right tools on hand.”

“I’m on it. I’ll be out in a sec.” Chip chimed. It sounded like Krik tried to stop him over the comm and after their talk the previous night, Pidge kind of hoped he could stop the younger male, but she wasn’t being picky. They needed all the help they could get.

“Krik, you copy? If we’re at forty percent with the ships, launch them and get the next ones charged.” Pidge stated, getting him to focus on that. They could use all the help out there that they could get.

“Right.”

Pidge nodded. She then looked when she heard Chip call for her as he climbed up, wearing his full uniform, even his helmet. “Let’s make this quick; we haven’t time to waste.”

“Copy that.” Chip stated, opening the tool box. He and Pidge checked the mechanisms and got it opened up more. They found what was causing the jamming and fixed it up. “Got it!”

“Krik, put it back online!” Pidge and Chip got away from it in time for the cannon to function once more and start firing, Hutch sounding rather excited as he fired upon the Galra battleship.

“Good work, you two. Modoch and Shannon launched already.” Krik responded. “Now get back inside.”

“Copy that.” Pidge confirmed. She then noticed a Galra fighter come in too close and start shooting. Had it not been for the red fighter jet-styled ship, it would have gotten them.

“Nice save, Ginger!” Chip called, knowing who piloted that one.

“Happy to help, now hurry up.” Chip and Pidge didn’t need to be told again as they scurried down the ladders on the ship.

Chapter Text

Krik couldn’t shake the feeling that he had. He knew this was the moment. It had to be. If they weren’t careful, Pidge or Chip could get severely hurt. Killed even. They both could. “Lisa, I need you up here now.” he commanded. It didn’t take long for Lisa to join him. “I need you here and keeping check on things. When the next ships reach forty percent, have their pilots launch and then get the next two charging.”

“What about you?” she asked, worried.

“Making sure the worst doesn’t happen.” was his only response as the Miran ran off, heading through the ship to get to where Pidge and Chip were, hoping they would get inside soon.

Outside, Pidge and Chip made their way down. Once on the ground, they ran for the entrance to the ship, not wanting to waste time. There was a problem, though. Fighter ships were much faster than humans on the ground. One of which picked up the two on the sensor and went for them, firing before they were even locked on.

“Get down!” Pidge knew they couldn’t make it inside in time, so she did what she thought was best; she tackled Chip to the ground and covered him as much as possible.

It was during this that luck was on their side. Further away and in the ravine, the green lion came back online and burst from her confinement. She flew over and covered the two humans, protecting them as the fighter ship smashed right into her side, unable to pull up in time to avoid the crash.

“Huh?” Chip looked up, seeing the green lion. He knew the Voltron lions were big, but he didn’t expect something that big protecting them. “The lion… it… it came...”

“Yeah. They do that when we need them.” Pidge smiled up at the lion, hand on her side.

“Chip! Pidge!” Krik ran out to the two, worried for their safety.

“We’re fine!” Chip assured.

“We need to get in now.” Krik stated. “Pidge?” His eyes widened. He could see the blood seeping past the paladin’s hand.

“It’s nothing to worry about, I was only grazed.” Pidge stated. “You two head in. I’m taking flight.”

“What?” Krik was stunned.

“We need all the help we can get. And as a Paladin of Voltron, I’m not turning my back on you guys.” Pidge smiled, determination in her gaze. She then looked to the lion, Green lowering her head and opening her mouth. “Time to show these Galra not to mess with us.” She ran off, heading for the lion and getting inside. She checked the sensors and made sure Krik and Chip got back inside. “Okay… let’s do this.”

Pidge pulled her hand from her wound, wincing. She told Krik that she was only grazed, but the energy projectile hit her far worse, having gone through her. She didn’t know how long she could hold out, but she knew she at least had to help in the battle, lest the others would be taken down. Looking at her hand, she saw her blood, but at first it didn’t look red to her. Her mind flashed, making her see the blue hue of Haxus’ blood.

“No… I don’t have time for that.” she mumbled. Pushing the thought aside, she she gritted her teeth and took the controls. Then she was off, flying through the air. “Okay, guys, change of plans.” she said into the comm. “Base weapons, keep the fighters off our tails as much as possible. Fighter pilots, we’re going to attack the battleship.”

“Copy that!” the others confirmed, changing tasks.

“So what do we do, hit the underside of it?” Aki inquired.

“That’s not too bad of an idea. Shannon, Ginger, Tangor, Modoch, you guys get the bottom areas of the ship. Find a weak spot, hit it repeatedly.” That team confirmed the task. “Aki, Cliff, we’ll handle up top. Hopefully base team caused enough damage for us to work with.”

They went right into action, hoping for the best. There was a problem, though; the battleship was charging up its ion cannon.

“Base team! Take cover! They’re gonna fire at you!” Pidge ordered. Not even a minute later, the ion cannon fired, hitting the Explorer and wiping out the cannons that had been functional.

“Team! Guys! Do you copy?!” Aki inquired. “Krik? Lisa? Chip?”

“We copy. We’re fine.” Krik reported. “But we can’t provide anymore ground support. The generator was hit and the ships aren’t charging anymore… there’s not enough power in them.”

“Then we’ll have to make do with what we’ve got.” Pidge stated. And so far, her best was not doing all that great. She felt light headed and struggled to concentrate. She pushed her helmet off and rubbed her eyes. “C’mon… focus… focus...”

“Pidge? You okay?” Ginger asked.

“Yeah… fine.” She was lying through her teeth. She then went at the battleship again, trying to run the jaw blade along its hull. When she heard Ginger cry out and saw the fighter jet go down, she saw other Galran fighter ships move in, aiming to take her out. “Not on my watch!” she called, veering Green away and down to the ground. She landed over Ginger, Green looking like a mother lion protecting her cub. The laser from the lion’s mouth shot down the other ships. “Ginger? Ginger, do you copy?”

“I’m fine, but the jet’s not gonna fly again.” the pilot admitted.

“And we’re not going to be flying much longer; power’s being depleted at an exceptional rate.” Shannon reported. “At this rate, we’re going to need a miracle.”

“How about a pride of mechanical lions?” Lance’s voice was heard over the comms.

“Wait… who…?” Cliff started to asked.

They then noticed four more lions fly in, taking out battleships. Pidge smiled, relieved. “Modoch, Shannon, cover for Ginger so she can get back to the ship.”

“Copy that.”

“On it.”

When their ships were near, Pidge took off, joining the other lions in flight. “Sorry it took so long, Pidge; we struggled to track your lion.” Shiro admitted.

“She was kinda buried.” Pidge responded, trying her best to not sound tired. She was struggling to hold onto consciousness; she knew she was losing too much blood.

“So, who are your new friends?” Hunk asked.

“Later, Hunk; let’s form Voltron and deal with these guys.” Shiro reminded. “Fighter ships available, try to take down the Galra fighter ships; we’ll take on the battleship.”

“Got it.” Aki responded.

“Okay! Let’s form Voltron!”

Pidge felt the sensation of the lions flying formation, coming together to form the mechanized robot. She didn’t know how they pulled it off in her condition, but she was glad they did.

Chip watched from the ground, still inside the ship. As much as he was in awe of seeing the other lions show up and then form Voltron, he was still worried. Pidge may have said that the shot only grazed her, but he didn’t know if she was being honest or not; even then, a flesh wound could still be bad.

“C’mon Pidge… you can do this...” he mumbled softly. He looked back when Krik placed a hand on his shoulder. Just as the smaller male was, the Miran was concerned for Pidge’s safety and condition.

Krik couldn’t shake the feeling he had. He knew they weren’t in the clear yet. Even as Voltron formed their sword and struck the ship, taking out its ion cannon, that feeling lingered. He hoped Pidge really was okay.

The others watched as Voltron attacked the ship, removing the ion canon and then running their sword across the port side of the ship. They were relentless in their actions. Before too long, the ship was destroyed, sent falling into the planet, past the ravine Pidge had crashed in the other day. With the battleship down, the remaining fighter ships were easier to take down, clearing the skies completely.

The others were cheering, glad to see Voltron’s success. Krik thought the feeling would go away, but it didn’t. He then watched as Voltron split, the lions once again separate. Cheering stopped as the green lion came down crashing instead of landing.

“Pidge!” Chip cried out, running ahead and towards the ship. He didn’t pay any mind to Krik, Cinda, and Lisa following after, he didn’t even pay attention to the paladins talking on the comms, trying to get Pidge’s attention and then one of them, Shiro, calling for Allura and Coran to land the castle. He had to get to Pidge.

As Chip neared the lion, he saw it move, shifting to lift its head as it remained on its stomach. He hoped this meant Pidge was okay, but he didn’t think that was the case. Then the lion opened its mouth, as though to welcome him in. Or perhaps beg him to help the paladin?

He ran inside, quickly getting to the cockpit. He stopped when he saw Pidge slumped forward, not moving at all. “Pidge!” He went to her side, moving her back into the seat more. Her face hit hard against one of the controls and left her nose bloodied. More than that, the wound she sustained was still bleeding. “No...”

“Chip? Pidge!” Krik ran in, eyes wide. “We need to get her medical attention.”

“Do you guys copy? What’s Pidge’s status?” Shiro asked.

“It’s not good; she’s got a wound on her abdomen, close to the side; it’s still bleeding.” Krik reported. “She must have sustained it when a fighter ship shot at her.” He then moved in, careful to pick Pidge up, cradling her in his arms. If he didn’t think she was small before, in general and during the previous night with how she curled up with her blanket while they were talking, then he definitely thought it then. Limp. Unmoving. Wheezing.

“The castle is landing; we need to get her to the infirmary there.” Shiro reported.

“Right.” Krik confirmed. Not waiting for any responses from Chip, he ran out of the ship and past Cinda and Lisa, both alarmed when they saw Pidge’s condition. He saw the castle finish landing near the Explorer, the front doors opening up. Nearby, the other lions landed, too. Shiro, the black paladin, ran over.

“This way, we need to get her inside.” he ordered Krik before taking the lead. He would have taken Pidge on his own, but he didn’t want to jostle her too much by switching who carried her. “Coran! We’re heading down to the infirmary. We need a healing pod, stat!” he called into the comm. He continued leading the way, reaching over now and then to pull off parts of Pidge’s armor, tossing them aside until she was only left in her bodysuit.

Krik saw Coran in the room he was led to, the man standing out with his orange hair and matching mustache. He held Pidge close, not even caring about her blood getting on his uniform.

“Bring her here.” Coran ordered and Krik obliged. “We’ll need to forgo prep.” He carefully took Pidge and put her in a pod. He got it closed up and input some information. After a few short seconds, she relaxed more, the healing process starting.

“Do you now how long she will be in there?” Shiro asked. The question was on Krik’s mind, but he couldn’t bring himself to speak.

“A couple of quintants at least.” Coran responded. “She lost a lot of blood. Plus her nose was broken.” Krik expected that to be from when she crashed and probably smashed her face into the controls; he figured that happened since it was bloodied. “And a couple of her ribs broke again.” Again? That caught Krik’s attention. “Hmm? Oh, Princess!”

Princess? Krik turned his attention to the door to see Allura, the Altean watching silently.

“She’ll recover, though.” Allura stated softly as she walked in. She then looked to Krik. “There are others outside; the remaining paladins are with them.”

“My team. Yeah.” Krik nodded. “Um… I’m Krik...”

“Allura, Princess of Altea.” Allura dipped her head. She saw the blood on the front of the Miran’s uniform. “Thank you for bringing her in. I wished this didn’t happen this way, but...” She shook her head.

“Um… I… I should let the others know she’ll be fine.” Krik commented, turning away a bit.

“No, I will.” Allura informed. “You should get cleaned up.” She offered a sad but thankful smile before walking out of the infirmary. After giving Pidge one last look, Shiro followed her.

“C’mon, let’s get you cleaned up.” Coran offered.

Krik didn’t respond right away, instead he approached the pod Pidge was resting in. “We did all we could… and we still almost lost someone. We almost lost Pidge despite our precaution…” He put his hand up on the front of the pod, watching the small human closely.

Coran’s eyes, weathered with age and wisdom, were soft and compassionate as he watched Krik. “Unfortunately,” he said, “this is war. It truly is no place for anyone, especially a child, but it is the reality we face. Even Pidge knows that.” He stepped up towards Krik, resting a hand on the Miran’s shoulder. “I don’t know the circumstances of her getting injured, but knowing her, I’m sure she weighed just about every option possible in however much time she had to do something.” He did his best to offer a smile. “And we should be thankful. She’s still alive and able to recover.”

“I suppose you’re right.” Krik nodded.

“Now then, she won’t be out for a while yet, so there isn’t much we can do just sitting in here.” Coran managed to get Krik turned away. “Let’s get you cleaned up and then reunited with the others, hmm? According to our scanners, you’ve got quite a group with you.”

Chapter Text

Chip sat on the ground at the green lion’s paws, the mice sitting with him. The Altean princess, Allura, had come out and explained to the others that Pidge would be fine, but she would be in a healing pod for a couple of days so she could properly recover. As good of news as it was, he was still worried and doing his best to not cry.

“Chip?” Lisa went over to Chip, sitting beside him. “It’s going to be okay now.”

“But… what if we weren’t fast enough? What if they didn’t show up?” Chip finally broke down. “We just met. We could be siblings. We bonded. And she could have died!” He didn’t resist when Lisa pulled him into a hug, doing her best to comfort him. “It was my fault, wasn’t it? If I hadn’t gone out there… she ended up trying to protect me...”

“The Galra were shooting all they could; regardless if you were there or not, since she decided to fix the cannon...” Lisa sighed. “It’s not your fault. And I’m sure she’ll confirm that when she wakes up.” She looked over when Krik rejoined the group, going to Cliff and Aki, the three talking with the princess. “They’re probably going to work out our situation. And I’m certain that we’ll get to stay with them and wait for Pidge to recover.”

“I hope so...” Chip sniffled a bit. He only smiled a bit when Chulatt went up to his shoulder, reaching up to gently rest his paws on the teen’s cheek. “Thanks, guys.” he told them, smiling softly. “You, too, Lisa. Thank you.”

“I’m always here for you.” Lisa assured, giving her friend and comrade a gentle squeeze. “Let’s sit here for now, help you catch your breath. Then when the princess is done talking with Cliff, Krik, and Aki, we can ask her if you can go visit Pidge, see where she is and her progress.”

“I’d like that...” Chip nodded, leaning in against Lisa. Attacked by the Galra, members of the crew, the motherly Colleen included, being killed or captured, attacked again, and Pidge nearly dying? Chip knew they were entering a war zone the moment they left Earth, but he did not expect so much in a short amount of time since leaving home.

While Chip and Lisa waited together, the three leaders of the Vehicle Force team were talking with Allura, informing her of their situation. As she listened, the princess was downcast, worried for those captured; despite that, she was also thankful for the team of fifteen members managing to survive and that no one was hurt in this last attack. Yes, Pidge had been badly injured, but she would survive and was the only one hurt. In the end, as bad as it was, there was still good things coming for the others.

“Princess,” Coran spoke up, “I think I may know the best way to help them.”

“Oh? What’s that, Coran?”

“Well, I’ve been wanting to check in on the Olkari, see how they’ve been faring with this war.” Coran explained. “With their engineering capabilities, they would be able to help repair the ships. And probably even help get them back on their feet with a new carrier ship.”

“The Olkari?” Aki asked.

“I’ve not met any, but I have heard of them from others.” Krik commented. “They’re some of the most technologically advanced of the species in the universe and apparently have a magical-like ability to work with their tech, making it seamless.”

“Indeed.” Coran nodded. “And no offense to the plannings of the those back on Earth, but the Olkari would be able to make your ships much stronger.”

“Given our luck in things, I’m not taking offense to it and if possible, I’d definitely appreciate their help.” Aki admitted. “And yours, too.”

Allura offered a smile. “For now, you and your teams should rest. With the Castle of Lions, you’re safe. We’ll work on moving supplies tomorrow so you don’t leave anything important behind. We won’t depart from here until Pidge is out of the pod.”

“Thanks.” Aki dipped his head a bit in respect to the princess. “Hopefully we won’t be much of an intrusion.” He rubbed the back of his head as he looked up at the castle-ship. “It’s really impressive looking. I’m actually a bit overwhelmed.”

“Don’t piss yourself in your excitement.” Cliff teased, making Aki blush in embarrassment.

“Hey! I don’t know what the others told you, but I’ve never done that!” Aki snapped. His frustration simmered, or at least was diverted, when he spotted the red paladin pull his helmet off as he talked with Shiro and Lance. Galra. He hadn’t seen many in person, but he was made aware that some Galra were fur covered; Keith’s small, stubby tail sticking out from his bodysuit and his ears told him that he was probably that sort. Seeing Keith and knowing he was a paladin, he felt a sort of anger build up. He did his best to keep it in, though, thinking of Pidge talking about the team and how everyone on the team accepted Keith for who he was.

Allura noticed Aki’s gaze. She then gently put her hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay.” she said. “He’s not like the ones who harmed your planet. Or harmed your teams and crew.” She offered a gentle smile. “I admit, it even took me a moment to adjust, but seeing how he is with the others, I pushed aside my prejudice and focused on the character we see, not the blood in his veins.”

“Yeah, Pidge talked about that this morning, too.” Aki stated. “I guess… I’m still bitter. With our planet having been attacked… some of us even losing family...”

“Just take your time, but also try to keep yourself in check. The paladins… they’re close and protective of one another.” Allura couldn’t help but chuckle a bit. “Pidge went off on me when she felt I was being too hard on Keith. It helped me change my views, though.”

“She’s a bit of a spitfire.” Cliff mused. “To even get after a princess...”

“That’s Pidge for you. When she’s got an opinion, she’ll give it whether you want it or not.” Coran chimed in.

“Anyway, perhaps it would be a good idea for Coran to show you all around. We wouldn’t want you getting lost in the castle.” Allura suggested. “Not that it’s done most of the paladins any good. Four out of five of them still get lost.”

“That’s because it’s too freaking big and has all these halls!” Lance called, having been close enough and picked up on what Allura said.

“It’s not that hard to understand, Lance.” the princess huffed.

“You shouldn’t give them a hard time for getting lost, Princess.” Coran stated. “After all, you got turned around and lost your way just a movement ago.” Allura’s face turned red in embarrassment; while they felt bad for it, some of the others couldn’t help but chuckle in response. “To no surprise, though, Pidge is the one who has the castle memorized, even the ventilation system.” The Altean adviser messed with his mustache some as he looked proud of Pidge’s ability to memorize the layout of the castle. “Anyway, we should get this tour started and then settle in. And rooms set up.”

Allura watched Coran lead most of the Vehicle Force team into the castle. Her attention then went to where Chip was still with Lisa, the younger male still upset and working on calming down and the Earthling woman sitting with him, comforting him. She observed Chip, seeing the same thing the others had; even to the Altean, he looked so much like Pidge.

“Allura, should we go talk to him?” Shiro asked, approaching the princess again.

“You guys go with Coran, help out as much as possible.” Allura said. “I’ll go talk with him.” Sure that the boys went, Allura walked over to Chip and Lisa, settling down on her knees in front of them. “You seem upset.” she told him.

When Chip didn’t respond, didn’t even lift his head, Lisa decided to speak up. “He and Pidge hit it off very well.” she said. “Seeing them side by side, talking, even working, you would think they were friends since they were toddlers.” She looked down at Chip, sadness in her eyes. She was tempted to bring up the high probability of them being siblings, twins even, but she held back.

Allura nodded. She then looked to the mice the squeaked up at her, the group catching her up on what went on. Though Lisa didn’t say it, the mice told her that everyone was suspecting that the glasses-wearing duo was related. “I know it’s hard, seeing someone you care for in that condition,” she said, gently reaching out and putting her hand on Chip’s cheek; the action prompted him to look up at her, “but she’s fine now. Pidge is safe and recovering.”

“But all of this… she got hurt. She told me to get down… she covered me, and...”

“That’s how the paladins are.” Allura admitted. “They protect others. I only wished them to be paladins and fly the lions. But they go much further, looking out for others. And she clearly didn’t want you hurt.”

“See, Chip? Even the princess knows this.” Lisa stated, hands on her friend’s shoulders. “Things will be fine.”

“Until next time.” Chip mumbled. “This is war, after all...”

“Indeed, that is true.” Allura sighed. “As much as I wish it wasn’t the case, it sadly. But we work hard and we work as a team, keeping each other safe as we work to protect the universe and stop Zarkon’s reign.” She looked a little downcast, but she managed to keep her smile. “And we’re prepared. When the paladins, or anyone, is hurt, we do what we can to help them. And with the healing pods, we can do so much to help them when they do get hurt.”

Chip nodded. “That’s good. I’m glad that Pidge and the others can be helped when hurt.” It still upset him, seeing Pidge like that and all of the blood, but he was thankful she would be fine. “Is… can I...” He bit his lip. He didn’t quite know how to ask about seeing Pidge.

“Would it be okay for Pidge to have visitors?” Lisa asked.

“She won’t know we’re there, but of course.” Allura stood up and offered her hands to help the other two up. She then picked up the remaining three mice, Chulatt content in snuggling in against Chip. “I’ll lead you there. We’ll worry about the tour of the castle later.” She then led the way inside, amused by Lisa’s awe in the structure.

“It’s so beautiful!” she exclaimed. “The builder of this place was truly a genius and an artist.”

“There was some extra help, but Coran’s grandfather was the primary designing and creator of the Castle of Lions.” Allura explained. “Let’s see, given our time in stasis, it’s about sixteen-hundred deca… er… years old.” She smiled. “He did a wonderful job building it. I sadly didn’t get to meet him, but it felt like I already did with the stories Coran would tell me.”

“Sixteen-hundred?” Lisa was shocked. “I had heard a rumour, though, that you two have been in stasis for a thousand years.”

“Indeed we have.” Allura nodded. “It was quite a shock to realize we’ve been asleep that long, only to wake up to four Earthlings and a Galran. Imagine my surprise. Though… perhaps not as surprising. I was alarmed by them suddenly there with Lance right in front of me. My first reaction was to grab him by the ear and twist one of his arms behind him.”

“Oh goodness, he must have been startled.” Lisa giggled. “But being in stasis for so long… and the castle six centuries older than that...”

Allura tipped her head to the side. Then she recalled finding out that Earthlings didn’t have as long of a lifespan as Alteans. She didn’t know how to answer that and was thankful they reached the infirmary. “Here we are.” she said. “Like I said, Pidge won’t know we’re here. The pod, which can also act for stasis if needed, has her sealed inside, helping with her cellular reproduction so she can heal safely.” She led them inside the room and watched as Chip approached the pod.

Chip stood there, staring up at Pidge. His brows were knitted with worry, but he was relieved she was okay. “She won’t be in there long, right?”

“A couple of quintants.” Allura stated. “But that’s to ensure she’s okay and fully healed. It won’t be long, really.” Chip sighed. He backed up and sat down on the floor, watching Pidge. Allura went over, kneeling behind him and putting a hand on his shoulder. “You can come here whenever to see her. But remember to get some rest and food.”

“Okay.” Chip nodded.

“For now, I’ll take… um...”

“My name’s Lisa.”

“I’ll take Lisa to the rest of the group. Will you be fine here?”

“Yeah.”

Allura nodded and got up. She smiled when the mice decided to stay with Chip, keeping him company for the time being. “We’ll check in on your from time to time.”

Chapter Text

“Hmm, it shouldn’t be too hard to repair this.” Hunk said. It was later in the day and they had started getting some of the vehicles moved to the castle, especially the ones in tact. In the castle, Hunk and Coran got them set up so they could charge better. “The damages, while bad, aren’t beyond my skill.”

“I thought we were gonna wait to see the Olkari to get these fixed up?” Lance asked as he was chilling out on a crate.

“Well, yeah, for most and to help improve upon them, but for now, this is one I can work on.” Hunk was at Ginger’s fighter ship, Ginger and Cinda both leaning over his shoulders as he knelt beside it. “It’d be good having them functional. If needed, these on hand can still help a bit. Especially against the Galra fighter ships.”

“Wow, so I can probably fly it again soon?” Ginger asked, her eyes wide with admiration. “You’re so skilled, Hunk.”

“You studied to be an engineer, right?” Cinda inquired. “I bet you can fix anything!”

“Well, I mean, I’d probably struggle a bit with the Altean tech, I’m not like Pidge who adapts so quickly, but… um… Yeah, I’m pretty good at fixing things up.” Hunk chuckled, a little embarrassed at the attention he was being shown. “And it wasn’t just studying at the Garrison. My dad raised me in the shop, showing me from a young age in how to fix all sorts of machines. Of course, when he wasn’t teaching me that, my mom was teaching me how to cook.” He thought a bit. “Hmm. That reminds me. I should start planning on cooking. Wow, finally my ability in making what seems like too much food will come in handy.”

“A mechanic and a cook? Oh, those are perfect qualities.” Ginger sighed.

Lance’s eyes went wide. Hunk truly was the ladies man, he realized. He tried flirting earlier, but the two girls dismissed him. Hunk was just being his usual self and they were fawning over him. Relaxing, he knew he shouldn’t get bitter over that. What was not to love about the big guy? Friendly. Sweet. Caring. Brave when he needed to be. A loyal friend. And his skills? Perfect. Yup, relaxing more and watching Hunk work, the two girls observing closely, he didn’t blame them for being so enamored.

“You know,” Cinda looked over to Lance, “I was surprised. I thought all of you Earthlings attended the Galaxy Garrison. How come you didn’t know each other?”

“Huh?” Lance sat up. “Oh, right. That’s because there are many bases all over Earth. A good number of them are also teaching facilities for younger cadets like us, so we all weren’t on the same campuses pretty much.”

“So… not everyone was trained at one facility?” Cinda was stunned. “Hmm. I see.”

“Yeah, I came from the base in Pennsylvania. It was quite a surprise being selected for the Vehicle Force team and flown all the way out to Arizona.” Ginger stated. “But there are definitely a lot of bases around the planet. Some of us, though already knew each other. At least by name.”

“Yeah, I don’t recognize anyone from where Hunk and I attended.” Lance added.

“I see.” Cinda nodded. “So… does that mean Pidge was part of the Garrison with you? I guess you knew from the start she was a girl then.” She chuckled a bit. “We all thought she was a boy; didn’t help that she didn’t correct us.”

Hunk and Lance both looked embarrassed. “Um… actually, no. We didn’t know.” Hunk admitted. “Not until she told us. The only ones who knew were the mice and the princess.”

“She only knew because the mice told her and the mice only knew because they’re close with Pidge.” Lance pointed out.

“Really?” Ginger asked. “So we were all in the same boat with that one.”

Talking with the girls and Lance, Hunk continued to work on Ginger’s ship, getting the repairs started. After some time, though, he decided it was best that he went and got food fixed up.

“Thank you for working on my fighter ship.” Ginger cooed, planting a kiss on Hunk’s cheek.

“Perhaps if there’s time after you finish with Ginger’s, we can check on my ship.” Cinda added, kissing his other cheek. They then went off, going to find the rest of their team.

As Hunk and Lance walked to the kitchen, Lance smirked. “So. Now I see why you got the nickname Hunk.” He gently elbowed his friend. “First Shay, now Ginger and Cinda? Oh ho, you are the ladies’ man.”

“What? No, they’re just nice and happy I was wanting to work on the ships. And Shay’s also really kind.” Hunk mumbled, blushing in embarrassment. “There’s nothing going on. And that isn’t why I earned my nickname. My cousins gave it to me for reasons that I won’t be disclosing.”

“Mm-hmm, yeah, sure.” Lance smirked.

“It is! And there’s nothing going on with me and the girls! I mean, I literally just met them. And I wasn’t expecting them to kiss my cheeks.”

“Dude.” Lance’s grin was wide. “You can totally dish out the teasing, but you don’t like the taste of being teased! Ha!” He then patted his friend’s back when he saw him pout. “Okay, okay, I’ll stop teasing you. But have it known I think it’s kinda cute. I mean, who wouldn’t like you? You’re handsome, but more than that, you’re kind, caring, a good cook, a crafty guy, you’re just perfect.”

Hunk chuckled a bit, embarrassed but also appreciative of the praise. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure when God made me, he broke the mould. Both of them.” He patted his stomach at that comment, making Lance snicker.

“Good thing, that just means there’s more of you to appreciate.” Lance assured. “Now then, let’s get you to the kitchen so you can impress the others with your awesome cooking skills.”

“Pidge preferred our commissary over this?” Lisa looked amazed as she took in the appearance of the dining room. “It’s so beautiful!” She spun around a bit, nearly bumping into Tangor as she did so. “How wonderful!”

“It can really make someone feel like royalty, huh?” Aki chuckled.

“I dunno, the first time we ate in here, we had a food fight.” Lance commented. “Not very royal, or even noble, sounding, huh?” Aki and Lisa both looked at the blue paladin in shock. “And guess what. Allura was the one who started it.”

“I did not!” Allura snapped.

“You were the first to fling the food goo and that glob smacked Pidge right in the face with it.” Keith chimed in. Allura pursed her lips at Keith pointing out that fact. She would have argued that Pidge provoked her, but she refrained.

“You know… I’ve never met royalty until now and… wow.” Aki chuckled a bit. “I didn’t expect to meet a princess who starts food fights.”

“It was for a good reason.” Allura proclaimed as she went to sit at the head of the table. She motioned for the others to sit, not minding where exactly they sat. “The paladins were struggling to form Voltron during training. They needed to work as a team and think and act together. After a strenuous day of training, I finally got them in the right direction with a food fight, playing the enemy and getting them to team up against me.”

“Well, it’s one way to go about things.” Cliff mused.

Before sitting down, Aki looked around. “Huh? Where’s Chip?” he asked, taking note that he wasn’t there.

“He may still be in the infirmary.” Lisa pointed out. “I’ll go get him.”

“No, dear, you go ahead and sit.” Coran said. “I’ll go and check on him and lead him here.” He left the others in the dining room and headed over to the infirmary. The day was long and the boy had been sitting there for almost as long as Pidge had been in the pod.

When he reached the infirmary, he looked in. As Lisa speculated, he was still there. Seeing him, Coran was able to take in the boy’s appearance. At first glance, especially with the glasses, he thought he was looking at Pidge, but then he realized the hair was darker and not as long or messy. Then he noticed that Chip was talking. To himself? No, to Pidge. Even though Pidge would not register him speaking to her, he still spoke to the paladin. Seeing this, Coran’s eyes were soft, understanding how the younger male felt.

“Maybe we’ll get to work together more after this. We can find Professor Gunderson. Maybe even get those DNA tests done.” Chip said. He let out a sigh. “But this war… I hope we’re able to end it. I mean, it won’t just end and everything is good in one night, but… if we find a way to defeat Zarkon, then there’s a chance.” He looked up in alarm when he heard a small noise from Pidge’s pod. Looking at her, she looked as though she was in pain, fidgeting some. “Pidge?” His eyes widened as he stood up. “Oh no!” He turned to go to the door, ready to call for help, but stopped when he saw Coran. “Something’s wrong.”

Coran went to the main console in the room and checked the data. “Good news, she’s doing fine.” he informed.

“But she looks like she’s hurting.”

“Not physically. It could be mental.” Coran explained. “Sometimes the healing process can cause involuntary brain waves. In a sense, I suppose you could say she’s dreaming.”

Chip relaxed a bit, relieved to know she wasn’t physically in pain and was still healing, but he was concerned since she was mentally struggling. Something bothered her and he didn’t know what or how to help. “It must be a bad dream…”

“Indeed.” Coran sighed. “Hopefully it’ll pass soon.”

“I hope so, too.”

Coran watched Chip for a moment. He had the same downcast look Pidge got at times. He then thought of what he heard the boy say. Maybe even get those DNA tests done. He couldn’t think of any other reason other than to find out about species or familial connections and he figured, with how alike they looked, that they probably talked about checking their DNA for familial reasons. “You know, when I look at you, I feel like I’m looking at Number Five. Ah, that’s what I call Pidge since she’s the smallest.” The Altean hummed a bit in amusement. “And it’s more than the glasses. The expressions you make, they mirror each other well. I see the same sadness in your eyes that I had seen in Pidge’s before. And I bet you would have the same light and fierceness, too, during the right circumstances.” He offered a smile. “I don’t know how things are done on Earth or what you two were speculating beforehand, but if you would like your DNAs checked and compared, we can easily do that. With our technology and means, results would be back in a matter of vargas. Pidge is already in our systems, we had each paladin added so that healing would be easier when needed, and it would only take a small swab inside your mouth to compare the DNA.”

“Huh?”

“You were talking to Pidge there. Mentioning getting a DNA test.” Coran responded. “I’m just assuming this, but it sounds like you two want to find out if you’re related.”

Chip nodded. “Not only do we look alike, but a lot of our mannerisms seem similar. On top of that, we’re the same age, have the same birthday, and we were both adopted.” He let out a soft sigh. “I mean, if we’re not related, that’s fine, but we think we are. We’re thinking we could be twins.” He smiled a bit and shifted his glasses some. “I guess that’s why we clicked so easily. Maybe something in us calling out for the other.”

“Well, we can easily test that here and now. Check the results later.”

“Um… can we… wait on the results?” Chip fidgeted some. “I want to find out with Pidge…”

“I can do that without conflict.” Coran assured. “Now, shall we do the swap then head to the dining hall? The others are probably wondering where we are now and worried about you.”

“I don’t think I’m hungry...”

Coran twitched his upper lip some to wiggle his mustache. Pidge pulled the same line before, especially when something was on her mind. It took him from the time Lance had been in the pod a while back, even she spent a few vargas in one with some injuries she sustained, to after they helped the Balmera to try and get her to eat something. “Now, young man, we’re not playing this game. I’ve already struggled with Pidge and if I have to, I will pick you up and carry you to the dining hall to eat, too.” he commented. “I’m not asking you to eat a bunch of food. But a bit to put something in your stomach, lest you regret it later.”

Chip was startled at first, but then he smiled sheepishly. So Coran dealt with that with Pidge before. It was actually amusing. “Okay. Maybe a bit. And water.”

“Good.” Coran gave a determined nod. “Now then, let’s do this swab then get ourselves back with the others. Hunk’s prepared quite a variety. Afterwards, if you’d like, I can help you find your way back here. Or take you to a room to rest.” With the plan made, the Altean set to do the different tasks, taking an oral swab from Chip and putting it in the system, then on to get them both fed.

Chapter Text

It had been a couple of days. Resting, recuperating, and getting supplies, belongings, and the other ships moved over, the others were busy. During that time, Pidge rested, Chip frequently being found in the infirmary, keeping watch or falling asleep there. When it was time for Pidge to wake up, for Pidge’s comfort, both Alteans suggested that only a few people be in the room.

So, Shiro, Lance, Keith, Allura, and Chip were with Coran as he checked the data on the pod. The others were elsewhere in the castle, doing their own thing so as to not be in the way; Hunk went to the kitchen to prepare some of Pidge’s favourite snacks. When the pod opened up, Pidge stumbled out, Shiro quick to catch hold of her.

“Pidge?” Shiro asked. “Pidge, how do you feel?” No response. “Hey now, it’s okay. C’mon, say something for us.”

“I want peanut butter cookies.” Pidge grumbled, squinting some at the lights. She then looked to see Chip there, her could-be twin looking hopeful. She pushed away from Shiro and went over to the male. Then she hugged him. “Good. Meeting you wasn’t some strange fever dream.”

“Nope, not a dream.” Chip assured, smiling brightly as he hugged the paladin in return. “We definitely met.”

If any of Team Voltron had a doubt that those two looked alike, seeing them hug, happy to see each other again, pushed aside every denial. It was sweet seeing them together like that, seeing their happiness. Thinking of how Pidge practically dismissed Shiro just to see Chip amused them, too.

“You know, Pidge,” Keith started to say, Lance giving him a look as though to ask why he would start ruining the moment, “I think Hunk made some peanut butter cookies.” Hearing that, the duo looked over, eyes wide and with excitement.

“Ooh, I think Chip likes peanut butter as much as Pidge.” Lance snickered, relieved that Keith didn’t exactly ruin the moment.

“How about you get changed first, Pidge, then you can head to the kitchen.” Allura suggested. “I’ll go let the others know you’re doing much better. Though afterwards, you may want to see them, too. They were all worried.”

“We all were.” Shiro said.

“I’m sorry to worry you guys.” Pidge admitted. “But… I did what I thought was right and I’m not sorry about that.” She smiled at Chip. “Now then, time to find some clothes and get those cookies. And locate my glasses.”

“And try to grab something that doesn’t smell less funky than the rest. Pick something actually clean.” Keith rubbed his nose. “Should’ve asked Dad to join the crew. He’d have kept a better eye on you and made sure your room was clean and your clothes were washed.”

Pidge couldn’t help but chuckle and wave it off. She then went to get changed, even showing Chip to her room. She figured that night, they would share a room again. They had no problem with it when they were on the Explorer, the castle would be no different for them.

Once to her room, Chip waited outside so Pidge could change. As he waited, they talked through the door. “Hey Pidge, do you recall anything? I mean from while you were in the pod.”

“Huh? Why? Did something happen?”

“Well… I mean, lots of stuff happened in the castle, but I mean… like about yourself while you were in there.”

“About myself?”

“Like… any dreaming?” Chip sighed. “While you were resting, you seemed to be in a fit, something upsetting you.” Both were silent for a few seconds. “It seemed like you were having a bad dream. It really had me worried. I didn’t know if you remembered it or not.” Nothing. No response. “Pidge?” She didn’t say anything. “Pidge? You okay?” He bit his lip. “I’m gonna come in, okay?” He hoped she was dressed, either still in her under armor or in a new set of clothing. He then slipped into her room, seeing her there in a pair of shorts and a sleeveless undershirt; judging by the dried stain on the front, it was under her under armor. She sat there on her bed, eyes looking distant. “Pidge?” He went over and sat next to the green paladin.

“A nightmare is one word for it...” Pidge mumbled. “But I remember it. Vividly. It always haunts me. I can’t even get a break in the pod...”

“Pidge, what’s wrong?” Chip was genuinely worried for the paladin. “Maybe it’s something we can fix?”

Fix. Pidge didn’t know. She then recalled Krik telling her that there was a possibility of feeling better if she talked about it with someone. “It can’t be fixed like a computer…” she mumbled. “And some parts… shouldn’t be fixed.” She felt Chip put his arms around her shoulders. “The night before we were supposed to leave Arus, the first planet we were on and where we met Coran and Allura, the castle was almost taken. Lance was almost killed...”

“I had taken a drone from the Galra when we infiltrated Sendak’s ship. I reprogrammed it and it was like a little buddy. Even called him Rover.” Pidge smiled a bit at that happier part of the memory. “It turned out Sendak was still alive; I mean, we destroyed his ship, but we didn’t check for any escape pods or the remains. Then one day… he and another soldier with him took over. And they used another drone, disguised it as Rover, and got it to slip right in and blow up the castle’s power crystal; that’s where Lance almost died. Hunk and Coran left to get a new crystal, Keith and Allura went to check on the Arusian village that was believed to be attacked, Shiro was tending to Lance and then got captured… and I… I was doing my best to sabotage Sendak and Haxus...”

“I ended up fighting Haxus. He… he crushed and destroyed Rover. And I… I...” Pidge shuddered and squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn’t help but imagine his blue coloured blood staining her hands as she plunged her bayard into his gut. “I ended up stabbing him with my weapon.” She finally got it out, almost shouting it as the tears fell down her face. “I know I was trying to survive, if I did nothing then I’d have been the one who ended up at the bottom of the turbine and dead, but taking his life… stabbing him like that and getting him to fall over the edge...”

Chip’s eyes were soft. The then hugged Pidge more. He didn’t think there were any words that existed to make her feel better, but he wanted to try. “It must have been hard… I’m sorry you had to endure this.” And alone. He felt like she never told anyone and he was the first. “But you survived. And because you survived, we were able to meet. We were able to meet each other.”

“I hate how this hurts… I hate how killing him made me feel…”

“Good. Don’t let the desire to kill consume you.” Chip reminded. “You’re not a killer. Even though he almost killed your friend, probably would have killed you, it’s okay to still feel guilty. And that guilt hopefully means you’re still a good person and not giving into the lust for blood.” He rocked a bit, hoping the sensation would ease Pidge’s stress. “War… it really is hard. I barely joined the battle and already can see this.” Already felt it. The pain he felt when he saw some members of the Explorer’s crew killed and the others captured. And then seeing Pidge hurt? Nearing death? It made his heart ache so much. “But that’s why we’re fighting. To make it better one day. And we need to do our best to survive so we can help others.”

Pidge nodded. Though she was still crying, she felt like some sort of weight was lifted. Krik was right; it did help to make her feel better. She then snuggled into Chip’s hug, just wanting the comfort. A part of her wished her mom was there, too, hugging her and making her feel better, but she was content with Chip.

They sat there longer, waiting for Pidge to settle down. It took several minutes until a very concerned Shiro knocked on the door. Realizing the time, Pidge pushed Chip out so she could finish getting changed.

“Ugh! I hate eating in the dining room! It’s too fancy!” Pidge whined. After having snacks, which wasn’t very healthy since the duo only ate peanut butter cookies, Pidge and Chip spent much of the day helping out around the castle, making sure supplies were moved over, even putting Colleens stuff in a box and finding an area for it in the paladin’s room for safe keeping, and helping Hunk with repairs on Ginger’s ship and getting started on Cinda’s. Pidge even showed Chip inside the green lion, proud to give him the tour and intriguing him with the wonderful designs and tech. Later on, though, it was time for supper and neither teen could get out of it.

“Pidge, you can’t always hole yourself up in that disaster zone you call a lab.” Hunk commented as he helped to set the table. “Besides, we take off tomorrow morning. It’s a good time to sit around at the table, chat and enjoy supper together, and even celebrate a wonderful recovery.”

“Why? The pod did most of the work.” Pidge pointed out. “Coran did some work, too, assuming he was the one who set up the data so the pod knew how to heal me.”

“Is she always like this?” Krik inquired.

“From my understanding? Yup.” Keith deadpanned.

“Pidge, if you keep this up and don’t behave, then I will make sure you get no dessert tonight.” Allura chimed in.

“Hey! I just recovered! That’s just mean!” Pidge whined.

“Then behave and enjoy sitting in here for a meal.”

Pidge glared at the princess some before sighing. “Fine. But I’m sitting at an end. I hate being crowded.” she said. “And there better be dessert.”

“She seems set on dessert.” Wolo pointed out as he sat down next to Lance. “She must have… what do you call it? Sweet tooth? Ginger said Chip has one, too.”

“Yeah, that sums Pidge up.” Lance chuckled. “Every chance she got, she had something sweet. Usually cookies or cake. She hated the pockets of our uniforms back at the Garrison, they weren’t large enough to sneak snacks into class.” That response got a mix of reactions, mainly chuckling or agreements, especially from those who liked snacking in classes, too.

The others were all gathered and seated. Though the dining room always seemed too formal for the youngest paladin, she found it wasn’t too bad with everyone there, chatting with one another. While she didn’t like large groups, it still felt nice, making her think a bit of their breaks back at the Garrison. Calm. Social. Laughter and talking filling the area. It really was nice and casual.

After probably ten minutes, Allura stood up, the mere motion getting everyone’s attention. “A movement ago, I never would have expected this. To fully join up with another team and working together like this.” she said. “But here we are now. Yes, we have faced hardships and tragedies, but we are overcoming them together and working alongside one another to help out as much as possible.” She smiled at the group. Twenty teens and young adults, most being human, a handful being of different galactic heritages. It truly made her happy, thinking of what her father would have wanted. Had Alfor been there to witness it, he would have been proud to see them all come together.

“Now that all members are rested and have recovered, tomorrow we will set off. Due to circumstances, it will be ill advised to use the teludav and create a wormhole, so it will take us time to get to Olkarion, our destination.” Allura continued. “But along the way, we can bond more, get to know one another as well as help other planets in need.” No one seemed to disagree with that. One way or another and in different degrees of severity, everyone had been affected by the Galra, some even displaced from their home planets. They all were determined to play their part in ending the war.

“So here’s to us.” Allura raised her glass. “Allies. Friends.” The others did their same. “And even family.” Glasses down and snickering showing up, everyone had a feeling they knew where Allura was going with this. “Coran had finished with the tests. And I’m happy to announce to you, especially you, Pidge, Chip, you two are indeed siblings. Twins even according to Coran’s findings.”

“Yes!” Pidge and Chip cheered in unison before hugging. They already had their ideas that they were, but hearing the confirmation, they were definitely excited.

“Too bad there’s probably no way to tell who is the older twin and who is the younger one.” Lisa giggled a bit. “Just try not to argue about it.” That got the others snickering.

“No need to argue, clearly I’m the older one.” They said it at the same time before stopping and looking over to each other.

“Okay, what’s your reason for believing you’re the older twin?” Pidge asked.

“Because I’m taller.”

“Okay, solid reasoning, but also, screw you.” That response got the Earthlings to laugh, Chip included; the non-humans, Keith included due to his lack of Earth understanding and behaviours of Earthlings, were confused but deduced it was a human thing.

“Then what’s your reasoning?”

“Easy. I’m me.”

“That’s not….”

“No, no, she’s got a point there.” Lance chuckled a bit. “Trust me, I know twins.”

“Oh really? How?” Chip inquired.

“Because, I’m also a twin.” Lance smiled. “And sadly the baby twin. Rachel’s ten minutes older than me.”

“Whoa, seriously?” Pidge asked. “Wow. What are the odds that we’ve got two sets of twins on the same team?”

“Probably the same as us meeting each other on another planet and finding out we’re twins.” Chip stated.

“Man, I wished I thought to make a bet on this.” Hutch commented.

“Why? We were all thinking the same thing about them.” Marvin pointed out.

Pidge snickered a bit. Indeed, they all had been; no use in betting with those odds. She then continued supper, enjoying things more. So much good was going on. Sure, she had been shot and spent a while in the pod to heal and she had nightmares about Haxus, but it felt like everything would be fine. She felt at ease, happy, and ready to have fun. And they didn’t even need a food fight.

Chapter Text

They were banned from wearing identical pajama sets. But that was fine, Chip was content in his blue and whites while Pidge was pleased to be back in her green set. Lance had teased them and said just to spite the others, he should make them a matching set of green lion onesies. In all honesty, they hoped for that; it sounded cute and fun.

They laid down, happy to share the bed and thankful they were both small enough to stay together. Lance informed them that it wasn’t uncommon for twins to want to be near; it took him and Rachel until they were fourteen to willingly sleep in their own beds and until he got accepted into the Garrison and went to live on campus to sleep in separate rooms. It amused the blue paladin that they were eager to be close, even before they actually knew. “From the womb to the tomb, every moment they get, you’ll probably find them together,” was his comment.

“How do you feel?” Chip asked. He looked to see the mice snuggle between them, content in staying with the duo. “Like… from earlier?”

“Surprisingly, I feel like I’m in good spirits. I think dining with the others and getting confirmation helped.” Pidge said. “And talking with you.” She smiled softly. “I already knew I had that weight on me, Krik even suggested talking about it, but actually doing so and it lifting… I feel great.”

“I’m glad everything is going well.” Chip nodded. “And soon, we’ll be heading on our way to Olkarion. I can’t wait to see how the castle flies. Too bad we aren’t using a wormhole, though; I’d like to see that, too.” He then observed his sister closely. “Something else is on your mind. I can tell by your eyes.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Thankfully it’s not bad.” Pidge commented. “When Hunk, Lance, and I met Shiro, he called me Matt. Some of my teachers even called me that on accident in the beginning, a few even startled to see me.”

“Matt? You mean like Matt Holt?” Chip inquired. “He was one of the members of the Kerberos team. He and his father accompanied Shiro.”

“Oh yeah. I remember hearing about that. I didn’t watch the news… Mom was sad. I think she and Commander Holt knew each other according to her old yearbooks.” Pidge thought back to it. She never researched much, she had other things she was working on, so she never saw the photos of the team. She only knew Shiro because Lance idolized him. “But when Shiro saw me, he thought I was Matt. He said I looked just like him, especially my eyes.”

“Well, considering that we’re both adopted and I don’t know anything about my birth family-”

“Same here.”

“-maybe that means we have an older brother? But I wonder why we were separated.” Chip looked perplexed. “I mean, it’d have been nice to know of each other sooner, but… it wasn’t all bad. I liked my family. They raised me well and we were happy.”

“Yeah, same here. Mom was single, but she did a wonderful job taking care of me.” Pidge nodded in agreement. “And we still met in the end. I hope Matt’s okay out there, his dad, too. Maybe one day we’ll find them… and we’ll know more. Maybe find out if it’s a coincidence… or if we really defeated the odds and have another sibling that’s out here.” She did her best to stifle the oncoming yawn. “I think it’s time for bed. So much has happened.”

“I agree.” Chip nodded. “Good night… sister.”

“Good night, brother.”

Brother. Sister. Those words felt so natural even if they hadn’t met until recently. With that happiness in them, they snuggled in against their pillows and let sleep claim them. For the first time for either twin, sleep came easy, as though the presence of the other made things better.

“You know, I have siblings back on Earth.”

“What? I thought you were an only child.”

Shiro was sitting in a cell with Matt, the two having been separated from Commander Samuel Holt. He was sent to some work camp while the younger men were sent to the arena. It was frightening, neither of them wanted to fight and, more than that, die for the entertainment of the cruel and bloodthirsty Galra. They had recently arrived, but they weren’t yet desired to be thrown in, so they were locked up for the time being.

“Well, yes and no.” Matt explained. “Dad adopted me when I was about seven after my parents died in an accident.”

“I… I didn’t know. I’m so...”

“Don’t worry about it, accidents happen.” Matt stated. “And I was thankful to be adopted. I just wish I knew where my siblings ended up. All I know was that they were expecting twins; ultrasounds showed to be one boy and one girl.”

“You didn’t get the chance to speak up?”

“Couldn’t. I was in a coma for about a month. The accident was pretty bad. When I came to finally and was able to communicate again, I had asked about my family. I found out my parents died, but my siblings survived. They were… already adopted, though. The records were sealed...”

“Damn...”

“I know… but they were alive at least.” Matt smiled. “So one day, when we get out of here, I’m gonna find dad, we’ll go home, then I’m gonna find my siblings. I don’t know how yet, but I will.” He chuckled a bit. “Man, I don’t even know their names. But I’ll find them. I know I will.”

Shiro smiled as he leaned against the wall. When he first met Pidge after she, Lance, and Hunk had been captured with the blue lion and then thrown into his cell during a prison transport, he was so sure he had found one of Matt’s siblings. Pidge looked too much like his friend to not be one of them. At first he assumed Pidge was the brother, at least until she came out as a girl. And then Chip? They looked alike. Chip looked less like Matt than Pidge did, it was the fact that his hair was darker, but his eyes were the same. All three had the same honey-brown eyes full of wonder and seeking knowledge.

Then came the results. They were indeed twins. There was no doubt in Shiro’s mind that those two were the siblings Matt wanted to find. “Heh, it’s not every day you go out into space, find out your best friend has twin siblings he never met, then meet those siblings and they find out they’re related, too.” He closed his eyes, thinking of Matt. Oh how happy his friend would be to find out his siblings found each other and were close. He would probably freak out because they were out in the war and ready to fight, but he was bound to be proud of them, too.

“I’ll do my part, Matt. I’ll do what I can to help protect them so we can find you and you can meet them.” he said softly. He pushed himself away from the wall and walked down the hall of one of the private quarters corridors. Most of those in the castle-ship had turned in to sleep, but some remained awake, hanging out in one of the lounges or killing time on the training deck; he was certain Keith was on the training deck. He then passed by Pidge’s room; he supposed he would call it Pidge and Chip’s room since those two were adamant on sharing the space to sleep. Shiro honestly wondered if he would feel that way, too, if he found out he had a twin.

He listened. There was no actual sound other than Pidge mumbling. He worried if she was having a nightmare, war could really do that to someone, so he dared to open the door and peek in. Then he heard her.

“What? A ninety eight on my test? How is that possible?” she muttered. “But I showed all my worked.”

Shiro did everything in his power to not laugh. Of all the nightmares Pidge could have with being a soldier in the thousand year long war, he was glad a school related one was what she had. But really? A ninety eight was a bad score to her? Shiro recalled counting his blessings if he got that in some classes when he was a cadet. He then watched as Chuchule sat up, making him notice that the four mice were there. Chuchule climbed onto Pidge and poked her face, making the paladin grumble a bit before relaxing. With a nod, the pink mouse went back to her previous spot and curled in against Pidge’s chest and arm.

Shiro nearly chuckled. It was amusing and cute. He then leaned against the door frame, observing the twins as they slept. He had been teased before about being the space dad since he kept the paladins, who were all younger than he was, in line; thinking of that, he felt even more like a dad in watching the youngest members of either team.

Shiro stood there for a while, keeping an eye on the two. Calm. Happy. Seeing them at peace, one would almost think there wasn’t a war going on, led by the biggest jerk in the universe who has been conquering much of it in the past thousand years. At least they were able to find some tranquility in an otherwise cruel universe.

I know it’s wishful thinking, but I hope they can continue to have some peace and able to be together often. He thought to himself. Children shouldn’t have to fight in a war, but here they are. Staying strong and now having something more to fight. He let out a sigh. And I hope you’re staying strong, too, Matt. They found each other… now all that’s left is to find you. Yes, we need to find your dad and Pidge’s mom, but… for now, I want to focus on uniting the siblings.

He smiled as he continued watching them. He didn’t want to look away, almost feeling if he did, something would happen. Strange parental instincts? Perhaps more along the lines of feeling like a big brother. But he knew he couldn’t watch them forever. So, he went over and pulled the blanket up over them some. “Good night, you two. Rest well.” he whispered. “One day we’ll find Matt and get you three back together like you should be.”

Chapter Text

“Wow. The castle really did wonders in charging the other ships.” Chip said. They had taken off and were on their way to Olkarion. The ships that weren’t damaged were fully charged, ready to launch if needed in combat. As they traveled, Chip sat in the yellow lion’s hanger where Hunk and Pidge were working on Cinda’s ship; they were in the hanger since with fifteen ships, they needed more room than just the vehicle bay for everything, so the lion hangers were a big help in that regard. Repairs had been fully complete with Gingers, so they moved onto the next one. It would help in the long run, they hoped, and it kept them busy. “By the way, Pidge, didn’t you train for communications back at the Garrison? How are you good with mechanical work, too?”

“Because I studied up on it plenty during study sessions.” Pidge stated. “Hunk had the materials and we would study together, so I memorized it. Plus, it’s good to build up an arsenal of skills.”

“Pidge was notorious for reading up on all of our materials.” Hunk pointed out. “Even the flight manuals that Lance had to study.” He then looked over to Chip. “What about you? What did you study for?”

“I was studying as a pilot.” Chip stated. “All of us who came from the Garrison for the team were training as pilots; that’s how they selected us.” He then rubbed his head. “Though I think my original testing scores and the others knowing Pidge was a paladin helped my case, otherwise I’d have not been considered given my age. Everyone’s at least eighteen, so...” He chuckled nervously at that.

“Even Krik, Cinda, Tangor, and Wolo all studied up or even had experience in flight. And their intellect and experience in other areas helped in them getting chosen, too, after they ended up on Earth.” he continued. He smiled brightly. “I’m glad they did. It’s nice having diversity on the team. We’re the Galaxy Garrison, after all, not the Earth Garrison.”

“Even we’re a pretty diverse team.” Pidge said. “A Galran, two Alteans, us humans, and whatever Lance qualifies as.” That remark made the others snort in laughter. They knew he was human, there was no doubt about it, but she couldn’t resist teasing her fellow paladin. “Oh, and the mice. They’re part of the team, too; they help out a lot.”

“Yeah, if not for them, there’d be a bit more trouble for us, huh?” Hunk asked. “After all, if it weren’t for them, then I don’t think even the particle barrier would have gone up in that first battle.”

“Yeah, Allura said they pushed the barrier crystals back into place since she and Coran couldn’t get to them.” Pidge confirmed. “And they helped to deactivate the barrier, too, when Sendak used it to lock Allura and Keith out.”

“You guys have definitely dealt with a lot.” Chip pointed out. “There’s still a lot to catch up on, especially from the time you guys became the paladins to when we all got to meet.” He then jumped when the alarms went off.

“Paladins! Incoming attack! To your lions now!” Allura called over the intercoms.

“Story time’s gonna have to wait!” Pidge called out, dashing off. “Chip! If you go to the bridge, you can use my station to help out with monitoring things!”

“Copy that!” Chip responded. He watched Hunk run over to the yellow lion before taking off for the bridge. After Pidge woke up and before supper the previous night, he was shown all over the castle by her, even her station on the bridge. He knew where to go and sit, bringing up the computers. Allura, at her own position on the bridge, nodded to him.

Pidge was in the green lion and launched right into battle. Along with all five lions, the Vehicle Force team with running ships joined in, ready to help. She was appreciative of that, sometimes the Galra fighter jets were pains in the rear to deal with. And with three battleships in their path and attacking? They could use all the help they could get.

“Okay, team,” Shiro said, taking charge as he usually did, “vehicle team, you guys handle the fighters. Stay out of the line those ion cannons; your ships won’t be able to handle it.” The statement wasn’t to put them down, but rather as a fact and to keep them safe. “Lion team, let’s focus on those battleships.”

“Should we form Voltron?” Lance suggested.

“It may take longer, but we need to try without.” Shiro stated. He had a point. They had moments where the team had been separated or worse and they would have more in the future. They needed to be able to fight without Voltron, too.

“We’ll back you up from the castle, too.” Allura informed.

“Copy that. Keith, Lance, you two take the battleship on the right. Hunk, Pidge, the left. Vehicle team, keep those fighters off our tails.” Shiro ordered as he went for the battleship in the middle.

All pilots in the field confirmed the orders and went right on it. It appeared to go smoothly at first, but there was a problem. Each team had their own temperamental member that usually acted before thinking. For the teams, it was Keith and Aki.

“Dammit, Aki, stay clear! I could have hit you!” Keith snarled.

“Why don’t you be more observant then! I’m trying to do my job!” Aki snapped.

“And what’s that? Disobeying orders and attacking where you shouldn’t? There wasn’t even a fighter over here!”

“Mind your own task and I’ll mind mine!”

“That’s enough, you two. You need to focus and do your jobs!” Shiro ordered both of them.

“I am doing my job!” Keith actually raised his voice at Shiro. “He’s the one who’s just flying right in without thinking!”

Pidge pursed her lips a bit. “But… Keith, didn’t you do that, too, when we nearly got owned back when we actually went to Zarkon’s main fleet to find Allura?”

“Pot, meet kettle.” Lance chimed.

“This and that are two different situations! Shiro was in trouble!” Keith was defensive on the matter.

Pidge rolled her eyes. Sure, they were different, but their point still stood. Regardless, they did their best. Until Aki’s ship was momentarily downed, a few fighters setting rapid fire upon him. And in front of an ion cannon that was nearly charged.

“Aki! You need to get out of there!” Ginger called out.

“I can’t! My ship’s not budging!” Aki reported.

“Oh quiznak...” Pidge noticed the cannon ready to fire at him. His ship, she knew, would not withstand that attack. She charged her lion forward, covering Aki’s ship with her own; if she had time, she would have moved his ship out of the way, but the attack came too quickly.

The force of the cannon was enough to push the green lion into Aki’s jet, pushing them closer to the castle. It was also enough to cause some damages to the lion and, in relation, to Pidge. She let out a pained cry, the energy of the attack surging through her.

“Pidge!” She couldn’t register who all called out to her, but she was sure a good few did. It was the last thing she heard before falling forward in the cockpit.

“Pidge? Pidge, do you copy?” Keith called, his ears twitching in his helmet. No response. He was sure Pidge wasn’t dead, the ion cannon wasn’t that powerful and the lion couldn’t be that damaged, right? But she was definitely not responding. He deduced she was unconscious. And, to him, it was Aki’s fault.

If it were not for one of the vehicle team’s leaders, she wouldn’t have been put in that condition. She wouldn’t have had to save his sorry rear when he was being reckless. He felt the growl in his throat as the frustration rose.

He then darted the red lion towards Pidge and Aki. He had to move Pidge closer to the castle and keep Aki from flying off the handle again. When he got over to them, he got his lion to bite into part of Aki’s ship; it wouldn’t harm Aki, but it was definitely going to ground the ship until either Hunk and Pidge or the Olkari could repair it. He then pushed the lion’s flank against the green lion, getting it and its paladin closer to the castle.

“What the hell? Keith! You’re damaging my ship!” Aki pointed out as though the Galran didn’t know.

“Good, then maybe you won’t get anyone else hurt!” Keith reminded.

“What?!”

Keith didn’t need to see the other pilot’s face to know he was upset; his tone was enough to convey that message. “Just stay put and don’t get in the way!” If anyone saw the resident Galran, they would say he looked like a feral cat hissing.

“Keith! That was unca-” Shiro started to chastise the red paladin, but the continuing battle cut him off, especially when the castle’s barrier was struck.

“Paladins, Vehicle team, please, we need you all to get along! We’re down a paladin and a fighter, we can’t risk being taken down because you can’t work as a team!” Allura ordered.

“Copy that...” Keith grumbled, going back into battle.

Chip bit his lip. Things were not going well. Pidge was down and not responding, Coran trying to contact her when possible. He hoped things were okay, that she was just unconscious. But he was still worried. And then with Aki. He didn’t know what to think. Aki shouldn’t have been flying off the handle, doing his own thing, but he was still worried for him. And Keith attacking Aki a bit, keeping him grounded, it wasn’t the right move, but he understood the red paladin’s reasoning.

They were all doing their best to fight this battle, but it was hard being a team when some members didn’t seem to quite get along.

Doing his best, though, Chip had to push his thoughts aside. They were still in battle and he couldn’t risk getting anyone hurt because he wasn’t paying attention. “Oh no… Princess! Three more ships are down. Tangor, Modoch, and Shannon.”

“Quiznak.” Allura grumbled. She grunted when the castle was hit by a blast. “And our particle barrier won’t last forever...” She looked up at the battle before them. “Paladins, if possible, get downed ships closer to the castle where they’ll be safe.”

“Ten-four, I’m on it!” Hunk responded, the yellow lion zooming past.

“One battleship has been downed.” Krik reported from the black paladin’s station. “Two remain.”

“Pidge? Pidge, do you copy?” Coran called out for the umpteenth time. “We need you back out there. Voltron is needed.” The others were worried when Pidge wasn’t responding. Then she grumbled.

“I’m here… I’m fine. Got a headache… but I’m fine.” Pidge grumbled.

“Pidge, are you capable to still fly?” Shiro inquired over the comms. “And can the green lion fly?”

“Yeah, we’re both good to go.”

“Then it’s time we form Voltron!”

That was what the others needed to hear. From his current station, Chip watched in awe as the lions flew in formation and were pulled together, their lions contorting slightly to come together as the legendary hero, Voltron. And in the nick of time, too, since an ion cannon on one of the ships was ready to fire. The attack was diverted from the castle and Voltron went in to attack, ripping the cannon off first.

Voltron formed their blade and ran it through the first of the remaining ships. They then went for the second one. During this time, the six remaining fighter ships focused on the smaller Galran fighter ships, keeping them from attacking the castle’s weakening barrier and off of Voltron’s back.

Working together then, they were able to clear out the battle.

“Good work, team!” Allura praised both the paladins and vehicle pilots. “Let’s get you all back inside and checked on.”

Chapter Text

“Well, the good news is, your nose isn’t broken.” Coran declared, checking on Pidge. “The bad news is… well… was it always that crooked?”

“WHAT!?” Pidge practically shrieked as she brought her hands up, touching her sore nose. Then the adviser started chuckling. “That… that was a joke. Coran, you stinker!” She found that she couldn’t help but still grin.

“And a good one at that.” Chip couldn’t help but laugh. “Anyway, Pidge, are you sure you’re okay? You were hit the hardest out there...”

“I’m fine, I swear it.” Pidge commented. “Besides, I wasn’t the only one hit.”

“Yes, but the others only had downed ships and were hit by fighters, not an ion cannon; you actually got hurt out there.” Coran reminded. “Now, hold still, this medicated patch will help with the swelling and reduce the bruising to none or minimal.” He grabbed a small bandage-like patch from the medical supplies, surprising Pidge. Of all the medical advancements they had there, she didn’t expect something so simple like that, even if it did help with swelling. He then put it on her nose, causing the paladin to whimper. “That should help quite a bit. If your nose goes numb, that’s nothing to worry about. That’s just the medicine helping with the swelling.”

“Huh. Better than Mom slapping a bag of frozen peas on my face.” Pidge commented. She saw the Altean raise an eyebrow. “Er, it’s an old human folk remedy for getting hit.”

“I see. You Earthlings are rather… different.” Coran smiled. “But it’s wonderful learning about the differences in how our species do things.” He then looked up when he saw Krik enter the infirmary. “Well, she’s all patched up. We may have had a fright for Pidge’s safety, but now we just have a reason to wear full visors in ships.” he informed before the Sea Team leader could ask.

“Considering that I took an ion cannon in the… side,” Pidge’s slight hesitation showed the others she was probably going to use an obscene term instead, “I’m doing pretty darn good.” She pulled her glasses out from her armor; Chip looked Pidge over, seeming to seek out where her pockets were. “I’ve been hit harder, so we needn’t worry.” The three in the room with her and their stares said that they were definitely worried about her after a comment like that.

“Pidge… I’m really hoping that that harder was the last incident and we have nothing worse...” Chip sighed, genuinely worried for his sister.

“Anyway, we should get back to the others, let them know that you’re okay.” Coran suggested, patting Pidge’s back and prompting her to hop off the examination table; it sunk into the floor once she was on her feet.

“They were all worried, that’s for certain.” Krik pointed out. “We all were.”

Pidge smiled. “Then let’s go show them that nothing’s taking me down that easily.” she declared, walking off to the door and going ahead of the others. She wondered where the others were, not thinking to ask Krik, but she found she didn’t need any guidance. Not with a very angry human shouting.

“You bastard!”

Pidge rounded the corner with the others, seeing Cliff holding Aki back, Hunk literally bear-hugging Keith and keeping him away, while Shiro was in the middle, trying to be the mediator. “Is it too late to hop into a pod?” the green paladin deadpanned, wanting to avoid the drama of two hotheaded young men.

“Okay, that’s enough, you two.” Shiro told Keith and Aki both, looking back and forth between them.

“Enough? He could have killed me out there!” Aki snapped.

“I knew what I was doing!” Keith hissed. “Unlike you! You were just going around, not thinking of anything and almost got yourself killed! Had it not been for Pidge jumping in the way, you’d be obliterated!” His pupils, which were visible compared to the ones of the other Galrans the paladins had met before, narrowed, showing his agitation. “You could have gotten Pidge killed!”

Next to Pidge, Chip tensed up. That was already on his mind and hearing Keith, it pushed it further into his mind. He could have lost his sister because of Aki’s recklessness.

“We needed to fight the battle!”

“You won’t be fighting battles if you get yourself and the team killed!”

“What would you know of team? You’re just a Galra!”

“Aki, that’s enough.” Cliff tugged his fellow team leader back. “We don’t need to fight.”

“Yeah, well, that’s all Galra seem to enjoy.” Aki bit out.

Keith actually hissed a bit, but he didn’t pull away from Hunk. Hunk was strong, but with his genetics, Keith was actually stronger. But he didn’t break Hunk’s grip; he didn’t want to accidentally harm his teammate and friend.

“Okay, Aki, go cool off.” Shiro ordered, moving and shoving him more into Cliff. “Keith, with me. Now.” He went over and took Keith’s arm and pulled him away from Hunk. He walked off, heading away from the group.

Aki huffed a bit and looked away. He was still bitter about Keith. Looking away, he saw Pidge there. “Pidge...” he said softly. He looked startled when Chip moved to stand in front of her, a glare settled in his eyes. “Huh? Why do you look so angry?”

“Because! Keith was right. You were reckless out there.” Chip pointed out. “You could’ve gotten someone else killed. Or yourself.” He let out a sigh. “Shiro gave orders, and they were good ones, too. But you decided to just fly off the handle… we’ve not been in this war long and we’re just getting started… if you’re not careful...” He was visibly upset. “And what Keith said… if it weren’t for Pidge, we’d have lost you. But with your recklessness, you put Pidge’s life on the line, too.” He crossed his arms and turned away. “So of course I’m angry!”

“C’mon, buddy… I… I didn’t mean anything bad by it but...” Aki looked around nervously. No one else seemed angry, but he could tell that they agreed with Keith; Chip pointing things out again helped in realizing how right the Galra was, even if his actions seemed to be extreme. “I mean… what Keith did… er...” He sighed. He knew he couldn’t blame it all on Keith, too.

“Aki,” Pidge said, making him jolt, “just because Keith is a Galra doesn’t mean he doesn’t care about his team. He’s hot headed but… so are you. What you both did was reckless and wrong and you need to own up to it.” She actually smiled and it didn’t look bitter or menacing. “You need to remember, we may be separate teams, but we’re also one team, fighting for the same cause. And if we keep acting like this, bickering in battle and not following orders, especially good ones like what Shiro gave, then we’re not gonna be able to help out in this war. You’re a team leader, Aki, you need to set an example.”

Aki sighed. Pidge had a point. Now that he calmed down, he could definitely see reason. He still hated what Keith did, but he understood why he did. “I’m sorry. Everyone. I… I shouldn’t have done that… and it could have ended badly.” He nodded. “I’m sorry.”

Pidge smiled. She then looked at Chip. “And you, you shouldn’t be so angry. You keep that up, it’s gonna make things harder in the team, too.” she stated.

“Huh?” Chip looked to Pidge. “What do...”

“You. Got. Mad. You’re like a toddler pouting.” Pidge teased a bit, making the others chuckle. “Remember, we’re in war. We’re gonna get hurt but… we just need to keep trying. And in the end, I’m doing fine. So. Make up with Aki. And Aki, when Shiro’s done with Keith, you make up with him, too.”

Chip rubbed the back of his head. “Sorry for getting angry. I was just… worried.”

“It’s okay, kiddo.” Aki ruffled Chip’s hair. “I understand why. You discovered you have a twin sister, you’re obsessed with keeping her safe.”

“Heh, the only one who needs to be kept safe is whoever gets in her way.” Lance chimed in, making the others laugh.

“And… I’m sorry that I risked her life.” Aki looked to Pidge. “Risked your life.”

“You were an idiot, yeah, but I made the choice to protect you myself.” Pidge stated. “However...” She called forth her bayard and them jammed it into Aki’s side, electrocuting him.

“Yow!” Aki jumped away. “What the hell!?”

“Yeah, she does that.” Hunk stated. “She got Lance the first day.”

“She may be small, but she’s definitely the dangerous one.” Lance commented. Pidge held up her bayard and he yelped, hiding behind Hunk to keep from being zapped. This got the others chuckling in response.

“Keith, you have the potential to be a leader. A really good one.” Shiro spoke in a calm tone. “You can’t keep flying off the handle and losing your temper.”

“But he-”

“Keith… I get it. Aki was being reckless.” Shiro interrupted the Galra. “But so were you. You may not see it right away, but you two aren’t that different.” He offered a bit of a smile. “And I understand why you reacted as you did. Pidge went unresponsive.”

“We could have lost her.” Keith’s ears went down. “We almost lost her before… I don’t want to lose the team…”

Shiro’s gaze was soft as he put a hand on the red paladin’s shoulder. “We are in war, Keith. You know this better than any of us.” Indeed, the Galran was raised with this being his reality. He was taught and trained for the day he would fight against it, getting the news of teammates and loved ones dying on their missions. “Any one of us could get hurt. Any one of us could die out there.”

“No one is going to die, not if I have any say in it!” Keith snapped, his ears back in agitation. They then went down. “I’m sorry but… I’m going to make sure nothing happens. Not to Pidge or Lance. And definitely not to you...”

Shiro sighed. “This is because of that planet, isn’t it?” he asked. “Keith, I wouldn’t make that request lightly. You have the potential… and I may not always be here. You need to work on that temper and recklessness.” He offered a smile. “Remember. Patience yields focus.”

Keith couldn’t help but smile. That saying got him through a lot. “I guess I should be patient with Aki...” he mumbled. “I just wish he wouldn’t pull the Galra card on me… it’s not like I chose to be this...”

“He’ll learn to accept you for who you are. And it’ll be easier if you don’t attack his ship anymore.” Shiro reminded. “And no more fighting.”

“Actually… about that...” Keith’s ears twitched. He then went off, returning to the others. Confused, Shiro followed after, ready to intervene if needed.

“Er… um… Keith...” Aki looked nervous. “About… all this...”

“We can talk afterwards. For now, I have a proposition.” Keith informed. “You and I both still have plenty of pent up energy and even rage in us. We can’t risk fighting each other on the battlefield… so how about we make it fair. You and me on the training deck. Just sparring, working out that energy.”

“That’s your idea!?” Shiro yelped.

“I swear those two are cut from the same cloth.” Cliff sighed.

“You’re on!” Aki was excited for that.

“Back on Mira, we’d say that they flow with the same current.” Krik informed.

“Well, we might as well get this done and over with.” Allura mused. “But after that, we need to get some work done in the castle. Areas and healing pods to clean, repairs to be made...”

“And Pidge, since you were the last one to use the pods, you’ll clean them with me.” Coran informed.

Pidge jolted. She then got a mischievous grin and slid over to Hutch. “Care to make a bet, Hutch?”

“Huh? With what? Earth money means nothing out here. And my wallet’s empty anyway.” Hutch responded.

“We bet chores. And we’re betting on Keith and Aki’s brawl.”

Hutch smirked. “Yeah, I’ll do that. If Aki wins, you do whatever chores I’m being saddled with.”

“And if Keith wins, you do mine.” Pidge smirked. She already knew how this was going to end. Aki may have had a lot of energy in him, but Keith had a natural advantage with his genetics and Aki not yet knowing the Galran’s tactics or physically fighting one in hand-to-hand combat. This was an easy win and she knew it.

“Um… should somebody...” Hunk mumbled.

“Nope, just leave it.” Lance stated. “Better him than me anyway.”

Chapter Text

“Dammit… damn it all… how can Aki lose...” Hutch leaned against a wall, looking utterly defeated. Nearby, Pidge was grinning, proud to get out of chores.

“Yeah…” Hunk let out a sigh. “It’s best not to take any bets against Pidge. We weren’t allowed to gamble with money back at the Garrison, but she always got out of different chores or earned sweets through her ability to bet and knowing who or where to bet upon.”

Aki looked over at Hutch. “Man, he’s more upset about this than I am.” he mused, chuckling some. He then looked to Keith, smiling. “But I’m glad we got to fight a bit. And without causing trouble for the others.”

“Most of them apparently.” Keith pointed out, Hutch still down about losing the bet. He then held out his hand. “So. Can we start again? And hopefully not have a repeat?”

Aki saw Keith’s hand, even with the glove, was clawed. But it was still offered in kindness, the red paladin wanting a truce. He then accepted it, grasping part of Keith’s arm as the Galran did the same. “Yeah, sounds good. Anything to avoid Pidge tazing me again.” Keith snickered at that remark. “But seriously, that actually hurts.”

“I’ve not personally been shocked by her, but Pidge is definitely not a force to underestimate.” Keith stated. “Did she ever tell you the story how she fought Hunk, Lance, Shiro, and me because of these mind controlling spores? And kicked all our tails and beat us?”

Aki had to do a double take. “Okay, seriously?”

“Story time will have to wait, boys.” Allura declared. “We’ve got some work to do in the castle.”

“Meanwhile, I’m gonna do damage reports on the other ships.” Pidge commented.

“Hmm, I don’t need to start cooking yet, so if there’s nothing else for me to do, I can help with that.” Hunk suggested.

“Very well. Since Pidge bet her way out of chores.” Coran declared. “That means Hutch, you’re with me.” Hutch made an audible noise of dismay. “Now, now, it’s not that bad. We got the corrupted energy from the Galran crystal out of the system, so you shouldn’t accidentally get trapped inside like Lance did before.”

“Wait… what?” Hutch’s eyes went wide.

“And another story to add to the list to tell.” Lance hummed.

Pidge went to the main vehicle bay where the ships from the last battle were stationed, even the damaged ones. She looked them over. “Well, we should be able to handle these. At least for now until we get help from the Olkari.”

“Surprisingly, Aki’s ship is the least damaged.” Chip pointed out.

“That’s because, though not the best action taken, Keith did know what he was doing.” Hunk informed. “Hmm, I think we should be able to get it up and running. Hopefully in doing so, we won’t have a repeat circumstance.”

“Hopefully.” Pidge nodded. She then got right in it, working on the ship with Hunk. While she focused on wiring, getting things back in order, Hunk worked on mending the metal and fixing the gears. Chip helped both of them, getting needed tools or lending an extra set of hands when needed.

As they worked, the others would come and go, checking in on the three. It impressed them at how quick they were able to work, getting Aki’s ship nearly complete before Hunk had to depart to cook.

“Doesn’t anyone else cook here?” Chip asked.

“Coran does, but Pidge is so picky, it’s best I cook.” Hunk stated. “And I don’t mind. I love cooking! To be honest, I’d rather cook than be a warrior in this war. But I can do both for the time being.” He smiled brightly, proud of his skills in cooking. “And if I don’t cook, Pidge refuses to eat. She won’t even eat the food-goo unless I tweak it some to her liking and she definitely won’t touch Coran’s cooking. Not that it’s bad but...”

“My cooking is quite the cultural experience.” Coran declared as he entered the room. “I’m still taking offense to how you guys turned down my preparation of that paladin lunch I did before.”

“Coran… maybe we should add more Earth recipes to your cultural experience.” Hunk mumbled.

“None of you even tried it!” the Altean nearly whined.

“Considering what it looked like?” Pidge sighed. “I’m sure I’d have tried it if I were blind. But...” She shrugged. “I’ll stick with Hunk’s cooking for now. Or my cookies if Platt and Chip don’t eat them all.”

“Hey! You ate more than me!” Chip yelped.

“Anyway,” Hunk got up, “I better get started. Care to learn some recipes with me, Coran?”

“I may take you up on that offer in a bit.” Coran nodded. “For now, Pidge, I need your assistance with something.”

“Huh?” Pidge looked dumbstruck. “Oh c’mon, I got out of pod cleaning fair and square.” She waved to Hunk as he left, the yellow paladin looking back and waving in return. “Don’t tell me that Hutch bailed.”

“No, he did his task, even dragged Marvin in to help.” Coran declared. “No, what I need is help from someone as petite as you. We took some hits, even with the barrier, and the castle needs some help with some wiring. But alas, this castle’s sixteen hundred deca-pheobs in age and I’m not as small as I used to be. And we don’t have the full crew we used to have, even in terms of engineers who worked under Pop-pop Wimbleton.”

Pidge sighed. “Curse my diminutive stature...”

“Ah, perhaps I can interest you in something in return?” Coran had a wry smile pushing up on his mustache. He procured a black cube with a glowing green line going around it. Seeing it, the twins were both up and looking it over. When it levitated above the Altean’s hand, Chip looked like he was trying to understand the object while Pidge got excited.

“What is it?” Chip asked.

“It’s a floating cube, of course.” Coran chuckled. “It was given to me by an Olkari many deca-pheobs ago.” He smiled. “And check this out. My name is Coran and I’m a gorgeous man!”

“My name is Coran and I’m a gorgeous man!” the cube repeated him.

“That’s so cool!” Pidge squealed. She went to snatch it, but Coran was quick, pulling it away. “Huh?”

“If you want it, you’ll need to do this task for me.” Coran informed.

Pidge bit her lip. Was it worth it? Hell yeah it was! “Okay! Let’s do this!”

Coran smiled brightly. “Good!” he declared. He then led Pidge elsewhere, Chip unsurprisingly following after them. He opened a small door in the floor. “A ways down there, there’s a control panel. There are a few things that need to be tweaked with. I mean, it’s not dire, but putting it off can be bad in the long run.”

“Okay. This should be easy.” Pidge said, sitting down and then sliding in. Carefully, she climbed down.

“I’m surprised she agreed to this so easily.” Chip commented.

“I met her mother briefly while we were on Earth.” Coran informed. “Colleen gave me some valuable information, even in how to get Pidge to do chores and help out. She has a weakness for sweets and technology. Plus, a part of her would enjoy this anyway, she’s always trying to learn more about the ship. Of course, I’m happy to teach her.”

“Okay, Coran! Found it!” Pidge called back up. “And the panel is off.” Down in the shaft, Pidge was looking at the lights, wires, and knobs. “Good news is, nothing is written in Altean. I’ve yet to learn it and I don’t have the translator running yet. Bad news is, there’s nothing actually written and I don’t have a manual.”

“Well, it’s simple. The spelkuns need to be tightened, the plaxors need to be loosened, and the rugalclams need to be aligned.” Coran informed.

Chip looked at the Altean, an evident WTF look etched onto his face. “What the hell?” he asked, stunned by that.

“What? You don’t know what a plaxor is and how it differs from blaxums and smalters?”

“That’s just...”

Pidge was still in the shaft, examining the wires and knobs in the system. She then nodded and started tweaking with them. “Okay! That should be it!”

Coran brought up his work tablet and checked the data. “Bravo, Number Five! That’s brilliant work!”

Pidge let out a pleased squeak. “This beautiful technology. Coran! Your grandfather and the engineers who helped him were true geniuses! The streamline beauty! The frictionless perfection. The mathematical elegance! It’s the best thing ever!” She climbed her way back up and pulled herself out. “This ship never ceases to amaze me!”

“I’m glad to know you’re impressed by it on a technological level.” Coran smiled brightly. He then handed over the cube. “And as promised. Here you go.”

“Yes!” Pidge exclaimed, happily accepting the small object. She traced her fingers over its surface, her eyes glistening with wonder. “Oh! I can’t wait to work on this and understand it more!” she exclaimed. “You, my little friend, are going to be fun to work with.”

Chapter Text

“Huh? Are we under attack?” Aki ran to the bridge with Cliff and Krik; some of the others weren’t far behind. An alarm went off in the castle, alerting them.

“Not quite.” Coran assured. “But it could mean a potential battle. We picked up a distress signal.” He brought up the data. “Here. Planet Zaiwei. They’ve been conquered in the last few deca-pheobs it looks like.”

“Then let’s go in and get rid of those empire bastards!” Aki declared.

“Not so fast, Aki.” Shiro commented. “We can’t just charge headfirst and without a plan.” He looked to the Altean adviser. “Coran, what can the sensors pick up on?”

“Looks like they have a ground base established.” Coran started compiling the details. “There will definitely be fighters there. And we’ve picked up on one battleship. It’s on the ground now, but it’s bound to take flight when we arrive.”

“Pidge, Hunk, how are the ships?” Shiro inquired.

“We got Aki and Tangor’s ships up and running; Modoch and Shannon are still grounded.” Hunk responded.

“Okay, that means we’ve got eight fighters on our side. Plus the castle.” Shiro nodded. “Okay, team, we’re going to try this without Voltron. And hopefully we won’t have a repeat performance of last time.” His gaze settled on Aki and Keith, the two looking a little nervous and guilty. “Vehicle team, you’ll handle the fighters. Keep them off our tails and try to keep them away from settlements.” He went to the holographic map brought up. “This surrounding area looks like a town. Try to keep them from it. Turn them back or turn them to scrap. Pidge, Keith, you two are quick, agile, and aggressive. Handle the battleship. Go for its weak points and try to keep it from firing its ion cannon. Hunk, Lance, you two are with me. We’ll go in and take down that base and any ground cannons it has.”

“And of us in the castle?” Allura asked, ready to help.

“You’ve got the castle’s weapons systems. Fire at any fighters or even the battleship if possible. Try not to land until we’re clear.” Shiro ordered, the princess nodding in response. “Okay, let’s gear up and get started. Remember your tasks. And Vehicle team, try to be careful out there. If you’re worried that your ship won’t make it, ground it or get it back to the castle.” He looked to see the determined gazes in the team’s eyes, even those who would be working in the castle. “Let’s get ready and go to our ships. Coran, get us closer, then we’ll launch.”

“Right. On it.” Coran declared, getting the castle moved closer.

“Pidge, be careful out there.” Chip called after his sister as he sat down at the green paladin’s station.

“Of course.” Pidge nodded and went to the transport, heading down to the rider and going to the lion. Once in, she readied herself for Shiro’s command. She then looked when Keith’s face came up on the screen.

“We should focus on the ion cannon first.” he informed. “If not, that thing is going to be the bane of our existence.”

“Considering there’s two of us and we know our lions better now, that shouldn’t be too hard.” Pidge declared. “After that, going for the underside of the hull or their front viewing range would be best. But we shouldn’t destroy it too much; they may have prisoners on board.”

“Copy that.” Keith confirmed.

“Okay, team,” Shiro spoke up over their comms, “it’s time to launch! Let’s go!”

Pidge wasted no time in launching from her hanger. Once out, she quickly pinpointed the battleship. “Going in.” She saw the red lion speed past, reaching the battleship first and start attacking the ion cannon, hoping to take down the particle barrier surrounding it; she wasn’t surprised, Red was much faster than Green. She joined in the match, adding to the attacks.

“Particle barriers are tricky. And these guys have definitely improved in the past thousand years.” Keith admitted. “It may take a moment, Shiro.”

“Do what you can, Keith.” Shiro responded.

“What are the odds that Pidge can hack into it?” Lance suggested.

Pidge jolted. Of course! “Lance, you’re a genius!”

“A genius? Does genius mean something else to humans?” Keith inquired.

“Hey!” Lance whined.

“Lance, don’t start fighting with Keith and focus on our task here; we’ve got a base to take down.” Shiro went into dad mode on them, getting the fight stopped before it could start.

“Lance has a point, though; I may be able to hack into the system.” Pidge commented.

“No offense, but that’s a Galra ship you’re talking about.” Cliff pointed out. “How do you plan on hacking into it?”

“I’ve been working with that sort of thing early on and I did manage to hack into Shiro’s arm before and a sentry, as well as get into data terminals. It may take me a few moments, but I should be able to create a virus to bring down the barrier just long enough for Keith and I to take out the cannon.” Pidge got up with the lion still flying. “Okay, Green, hopefully you can pilot yourself so I can do this.” She grabbed her computer that she had in there, having set one up inside the lion using some of the Altean technology; she never knew when she would need it. She then sat down in her usual spot, keeping an eye on both her task with Keith as well as work on her hacking.

“Wait, is she actually multitasking?” Zandee inquired.

“She’s just that skilled.” Keith responded. “Though we may need a bit more assistance to keep those fighters off our tails.”

“Copy that. We’re working with the castle’s drones for that.” came Krik’s confirmation as small drones, a black, a blue, and a red one, came in, firing at the fighters that tried to go after Keith and Pidge.

“Okay, okay, let’s do this. C’mon, we need to get in. We need the advantage.” Pidge mumbled to herself. She occasionally looked up, checking on things before flying elsewhere around the battleship and then working on her computer again. “You can do it, Pidge. You can do it. I mean, you’ve hacked into the Garrison before an-”

“What was that!?” Chip yelped.

“I mean, it was one time and just to see if I could. I already got reprimanded.” Pidge admitted. “Mom was both proud and pissed off.” She then worked with her computer more. “Okay, it’d be easier if I was inside, but I think I got this. Three. Two. One.” She looked up. She saw the particle barrier around the cannon go bright before fizzling out. “Success!”

“Good work, Pidge! Time to take it out and get that ship down!” Keith exclaimed. Using the fire ability that the red lion had, Keith attacked the cannon; Pidge joined in, using the laser in her lion’s mouth. Several hits, the cannon was inoperable. Then it was time to take it down, getting it grounded.

As they planned, they didn’t fully damage the ship; if there were prisoners, they didn’t want to risk severely harming or, worse, killing them. They got the ship forced to the ground.

“Ship is downed, Shiro; we don’t know the status of potential prisoners, though.” Keith pointed out. “Permission to go in?”

“Take Pidge with you; watch each others’ backs and be on guard.” Shiro reminded.

“Copy that.” Keith confirmed.

Chip worried that going into the battleship was a bad idea, but he had to stand firm and believe Pidge and Keith would be fine. Instead, he kept an eye on the data, keeping tabs with the others. As he did, he found that without Keith and Aki butting heads and sticking to orders, they weren’t having any actual problems. Though the fighters were running low on power.

“Rocky, Zandee, you two are low on power.” he reminded. “You need to get back to the castle.”

“Ah, dammit!” Rocky grumbled, not liking that. “Fine. Sorry, guys, you’re on your own.”

“Don’t worry about it, we’ve got this handled!” Aki assured.

Chip waited until they were back in. “Princess, they’ve docked.” he reported.

“Good.” Allura nodded. “The numbers out here are already thinning. Shiro, what’s the status?”

“We’re nearly cleared here.” Shiro responded. “Hunk, can you get that battlement?”

“Ten-four.” the yellow paladin chimed.

“Pidge, Keith, how is your end going?”

“We’re fine, Shiro. Hostiles are taken down. Seven prisoners safely recovered.” Keith informed. “As soon as the battle is clear, we can get them back to the castle to be checked on.”

Allura smiled. She was glad to see them working as a team, able to follow orders and handle the situation at hand. She had no doubts that soon the people of Zaiwei would be safe.

“The base is taken down.” Shiro reported.

“And the skies are clear!” Aki added.

Allura smiled. “Good work everyone!” she praised.

“Heh, that was easy work!” Lance chuckled.

“Huh?” Krik checked the systems at the station he sat in. “Princess, something’s entering the Zaiweiin atmosphere!”

“What?” Allura looked over in shock. “Shiro, do you copy? We have incoming!”

“Pidge, Keith, tell the prisoners to take shelter for now! You need to get to the lions now!” Shiro ordered.

“Lance! I swear you jinxed us with that comment!” Pidge called into the comm. She and Keith just had the prisoners hunker down and wait as they returned to their lions.

“It’s not like I meant to!” Lance pointed out. “Man, I swear the universe just likes to prove me wrong.”

“Well you keep making it too easy!” Pidge looked to see something come in and crash near the base. “Oh quiznak...” The object looked something akin to a coffin and definitely wasn’t the first of them that the paladins had seen. Then came out an enormous monster with massive jaws, not just on its face but also its hands as well as what appeared to be blue, mechanized components on parts of it.

“Holy crow!” Aki yelped. “What the hell is that thing!?”

“It’s one of those robot beast things.” Hunk exclaimed. “Robeast!”

“Shiro, now may be a good time for Voltron.” Keith suggested.

“Right. Vehicle team, keep clear of any attacks, but try to shoot it from long range. Lion team, let’s form Voltron!”

They wasted no time. They got so far already, they couldn’t risk things falling apart. And a robeast? It seemed to always call for some good ol’ Voltron action. They came together as Voltron, the timing perfect since the robeast prepared itself for battle.

“Okay, that robeast has massive jaws. Three of them, man!” Lance pointed out. “What do we do?”

“Aim for those mouths. They may be weak points!” Shiro instructed.

Voltron lurched forward, aiming to hit the robeast. But its armored form proved to be tough, blocking the attacks and snapping at Voltron. When the vehicle team tried to shoot at it, it aimed attacks in return, but only seeming to try and physically hit or bite at the fighters that were thankfully more agile and could get out of range quickly.

“This thing doesn’t appear to have any long distance attacks, but in comparison to a video game, it’s defense is pretty high.” Pidge commented. “And its bites have a considerable amount of force; if it gets anyone of the vehicle team...” It was game over for them, but she wasn’t physically going to say it.

“Hey guys, there’s something on its back. They look like they’re glowing and connected to hoses.” Chip pointed out.

“Can you run a scan from there?” Shiro requested.

“Already on it.” Chip worked with the data, running what scans he could while Voltron continued their fight, trying to keep the robeast back and from the settlement nearby and from attacking the castle and vehicle team. “It looks like some sort of energy source and those hoses are transporting it to different parts of the body.”

“Just a tick… ah!” Coran had examined the data. “It’s quintessence.”

“Quintessence?” Hunk inquired. “You mean like that stuff Keith found at the space base?”

“Exactly that.” Coran confirmed.

“Okay, someone’s gonna need to give us the update on this quin...whatever later.” Aki pointed out. “So how do we do this? If this thing is juiced up...”

“Hmm… we may be able to cut the hoses. There’d be low pressure and less quintessence powering it.” Pidge suggested.

Voltron moved around the robeast, trying to attack its back where the main hoses were connected. Despite its hulking size, it moved around just as easily, blocking those attacks. They tried a few more times, but the robeast was deliberately keeping them from its back.

“This thing really doesn’t want us at its back.” Lance stated.

“All the more reason to go for it.” Keith added.

“Yeah, but how?” Hunk inquired.

“I may have an idea, but it’s risky.” Chip chimed in.

“No harm in at least hearing it out.” Shiro admitted.

“As Voltron, you guys can try and hold that robeast in place. The vehicle team’s weapons systems may be strong enough to break those hoses.”

Shiro was silent, contemplating the idea. It was risky, that was true. If they couldn’t hold onto the monster, lost their grip, or it turned out that it had another attack up its figurative sleeve, then it could cost lives. Before he could answer, though, Aki spoke up.

“It’s dangerous, but it’s a good idea.” he responded. “And if it means taking down this monster before it hurts anyone...”

“Okay then,” Shiro confirmed, “but the moment it looks like we can’t keep our grip or it has a different trick, you guys get out of here.”

“Copy that!”

With their plan, Voltron went in and grabbed hold of the monster. It wasn’t too hard, the creature was eager to snap at them, trying to bite on. Of course, that was good; that meant it was distracted with the paladins so the vehicle pilots were able to come in behind it, firing at its back and hitting the hose. Noticing, the robeast screeched and attempted to pull away, but Voltron’s grip was strong. At least for the time being.

Inside the castle, Allura was looking proud. They were working as a team. No issues on their part. And more than that, the plan was actually working. “Good work, team!” she proclaimed. “That thing will be losing power soon!”

“Yeah, but I think we’re losing our grip!” Hunk whined.

“Vehicle team, pull back!” Shiro ordered. They wasted no time just as the robeast got away. It screeched at them once more, but Voltron wasn’t finished. “Okay, time to end this! Form sword!”

Voltron drew their sword and started attacking the robeast. Without the extra quintessence fueling it, it hardly stood a chance. It tried to attack back, but from a distance the vehicle team shot at it. They kept their distance, not wanting to get struck; Shiro was thankful for that.

After a few more hits with the sword, Voltron finally cut through the creature. With the robotic monster defeated, it exploded. The team had a successful mission.

“Good work everyone!” Allura told them. She looked to see those in their vehicles fly a victory lap around the castle. “Now, let’s find a place to land and check on the others.”

“And maybe take a little break. We’re near a beach!” Lance sang out.

Allura chuckled and rolled her eyes. “We’ll see.” she said.

Chapter Text

“It’s no Varadero Beach, but man! This place is beautiful!” Lance exclaimed.

“It reminds me of some of the beaches on Sala, including my home town.” Tangor commented.

There was a perk to being in the Castle of Lions. One way or another, there was always something the others could use. In this case, it was swimsuits. Deciding to take a small rest to keep an eye on Zaiwei as well as let the prisoners rest up in the cryopods and make sure the Zaiweiins were fine, Allura allowed the team to wind down and have fun on the beach and swim in the ocean. All scans and word from the locals showed it to be safe, so the team was eager. It was good for morale and even bonding.

“Sala… oh yeah, that’s your planet, huh?” Lance asked. “Where even is that?”

“Where? In the same galaxy your planet is.” Tangor stated. “Sala, which is where Wolo and I come from, is in the, I think you guys call it the Milky Way Galaxy.”

“Same for Krik’s and my planet, Mira.” Cinda pointed out.

“Huh?!” Lance looked back at Cinda. “The same galaxy!? But there’s only like… eight planets. Nine? Was Pluto added again?” He looked confused.

“Galaxy, Lance, not solar system.” Pidge commented, getting Lance’s attention. She had at first opposed to wearing a swimsuit saying she would prefer sitting in her usual clothes and under and umbrella, but the others convinced her and even picked out a green two-piece set for her. She was especially against it, but she still donned it, even showing a scar on her abdomen and back. Her wound from being shot. The healing pod may have done wonders in helping her recover, but she still maintained a scar.

Lance looked over and his jaw dropped. He knew Pidge was a girl, even if he was late in finding out. But before then, he never actually looked at her other than a friend. He never flirted with her, he never asked any silly questions about theoretical dating, he never fantasized a life with her. But there she was. Adorable. Behind him, Cinda and Hunk were giggling.

“Our solar system is one of many within the galaxy. While data isn’t the easiest to ascertain, especially given the tech that we on Earth had been exposed to up until recently, it is believed we’re about twenty five thousand lightyears from the galaxy’s center, which has nothing to do with the universe’s center because there’s no way of knowing how big the universe is or where its center is.” Pidge explained. “Which would explain why Sendak called Zarkon Lord of the known universe, so...” She shrugged her shoulders. “From my understanding and research courtesy of the castle’s data and what our newfound friends could tell me, Sala and Mira are from different but neighbouring solar systems on the opposite side of the galaxy’s center and about forty thousand lightyears from that point give or take since it’s not like we can actually get a giant galactic measuring tape to figure this out.”

“Um...” Lance gaped a bit. He didn’t know if it was the sudden amount of information he was given or Pidge’s cuteness that had him fumbling for the right words.

“Okay, think of the galaxy as a city.” Pidge explained, thinking Lance just wasn’t absorbing the knowledge. That was fine, not everyone took in data the same way. “We’re just different neighbourhoods. Sala and Mira are in two neighbouring sections of the same city and we’re on the other side of the city in a different neighbourhood. See?”

“Oh! Um… yeah, I think I get it.” Lance nodded, finally able to speak. “That actually helps a lot.” It helped him to understand the galaxy and where their homes were in it, but it sure didn’t help his situation in looking at Pidge.

“Hey Lance,” Keith called when Pidge looked away to call to her brother, “if you’re done gawking, can we get to playing? You’ve got the ball still.”

“Huh?” Lance looked down, remembering that he indeed had a ball that Coran found in the castle. “Oh! Right. Yeah!” He bopped it over to the Galran who hit it, sending it over to Shiro. Lance then took one more look at Pidge, seeing her go over to Chip. He didn’t know why it took so long to notice, but he finally saw a side of Pidge that he didn’t think he was actually attracted to until then. Cute. Smart. Energetic. Passionate. Adventurous. And with his previous record of flirting with other girls, he didn’t think she would take notice of him.

“C’mon, Lance! Aren’t you gonna play?” Hunk called.

“Um, yeah, sure.” Lance confirmed.

Pidge went to Chip, accepting the sunscreen from him. She then tossed it over to Aki who had been checking his skin. “Here, you need to cover yourself. You won’t want any sunburns.”

“How is it that you are so prepared?” Aki asked, accepting the container. He then applied a generous amount to his skin, or at least where he could reach. Pidge decided to assist him by getting his back for him.

“I have pale skin. I planned ahead. And after our stop on Earth, I was able to stock up on more. You can never be too prepared for this and allergies.” the paladin explained. “Though don’t be fooled by it saying water resistant. I don’t know about you, but I unfortunately sweat through this stuff. So I should probably reapply it frequently.”

“Curse my pale skin...” Aki sighed.

“Pale or not, everyone should have some, but...” Pidge sighed. “That’s up to them.” Once Aki was done with the sunscreen, Pidge and Chip got themselves covered. “Okay! Time to enjoy this little break. Time to enjoy the ocean.”

“Wait… what?” Aki looked down. “Can you swim?”

“Huh?” Pidge was confused. “What made you think I couldn’t swim!?”

“Well, you were against even having fun; you were about ready to just mess with your computer the entire time.” Aki pointed out.

“Dude. I can swim. I just...” Pidge grumbled a bit. “Never mind. I’m dressed in this swimsuit, we’re here, it’s time to unwind.” She then pointed dramatically at some cliffs. “And I know the greatest point to jump from into the water!” Some of the other boys noticed it with her, looking unsure.

“Er… ain’t that a bit high?” Hutch asked.

“One way to find out.” Pidge grinned brightly. She ran over to where Coran had set up an umbrella and lounge chair; next to him was a bag Pidge had. She went through it and pulled out the Olkari cube he gave her.

“Oh? Shying away from the water?” Coran asked.

“Nope, but I need this little guy to help me out so I can find out how high that cliff is and how deep the water is.” Pidge informed.

“Ah, well, have fun.” the Altean responded, sitting down. “I remember when I would jump off cliffs and into waters. Was a lot of fun. Except for on Olkarion. The waters are not safe to swim in, you know. It’s a wonder I kept my legs in tact after that incident.” He chortled at that. “But that’s a story for another time. You kids go and have fun.”

“Thanks!” Pidge have the brightest grin as she ran off and past some of the others. “Let’s do this!”

“Should… should we be afraid of this enthusiasm?” Cliff questioned. He looked to Allura and Lisa as the two sat near Coran’s chair, probably to relax and talk.

“Lance and Hunk are better to answer that since they know her more.” Allura stated. “But I’m sure things will be fine.”

“Are you boys gonna join or what?” Pidge called, waving them over. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid of heights!”

The boys looked back at Allura. “Goodness, she really does prove to be adventurous and daring.” the princess snickered. “Good luck.”

“I think… the saying is supposed to be have fun.” Marvin commented.

“Well, might as well do this. Prove to her we’re not afraid.” Hutch grinned brightly before running after Pidge.

Pidge got up to the cliffs. She then used the Olkari cube, activating it and sending it down. “We should be able to get data and determine if this is actually safe to do.” she explained. Would safe, or rather the lack of safety, even stop her, though? When the cube returned, she grinned brightly. “Hell yeah! Thirty feet to drop, another twenty feet of water with no jagged areas? We’re good to go boys!”

“Thirty feet?” Cliff asked. “You know, I’ve seen some of battle now… I’ve got siblings, too. But somehow this? Um… are you sure?”

“Hmm?” Chip looked over to see his sister backing up. “Pidge?” he asked. Then she darted towards the edge of the cliff, launching herself off. “PIDGE!?” He was stunned at Pidge’s decision to jump, no hesitation to be found. He ran to the edge and got on his knees, looking over.

“Whoo-hoo-hoo!” Pidge called out as she went down. The others joined Chip in leaning over the edge, watching as she plummeted into the water. They waited, hoping she was okay. When she popped back up, she let out a cheer. “Still alive!”

“It’s still early...” Cliff mumbled.

“Oh, she’s okay.” Aki let out a sigh of relief.

“Holy crow, that… that...” Chip stammered. “She’s going to give me a heart attack...”

“So… uh…” Marvin looked to the others. “Are we going to let her show us up or...” He chuckled nervously. “I mean, I like swimming and jumping off the diving board, but...”

“It’s just jumping off and into the ocean. It’s not so scary.” Cliff pointed out.

“Then why are you guys holding back?” Krik inquired.

“Oi, you’re holding back, too.” Aki reminded.

“Yeah, yeah.” Hutch nodded in agreement. “Plus, if we die from this drop, it’d be the most bullshit way to die after all this.”

“Hutch, watch your language around kids.” Cliff reprimanded.

“Chip’s fifteen, he’s old enough to handle that and Pidge is all the way down there.” Hutch grumbled.

Krik watched where Pidge was for a moment longer before nodding, his mind set. He backed up, deciding to get a running start like Pidge did. “Here I go!” He ran off, jumping from the cliff. When he hit the water and bobbed back up, he shook his head, sending droplets flinging. “Okay, that was fun.”

“C’mon, guys! It’s not that bad!” Pidge called up. It took a moment, but one after the next, the others jumped down, even Chip who was the most nervous. “Jeez, you guys are pilots who joined a war and you’re afraid to jump off a tiny cliff?”

“That wasn’t tiny! That’s practically three stories!” Chip yelped. “Besides, we knew what we were getting ourselves into. And as Hutch said, if this killed us, it’d be the most bullshit way to die after everything we’ve been through so far.”

“Chip!” Cliff got after the teen.

“Great, another Shiro.” Pidge rolled her eyes before smirking. She then splashed the blonde. “C’mon, Cliff, lighten up a bit. Besides, if he’s anything like me, I bet Chip’s said much worse.”

The others got to enjoy their break. As hoped, it was good for them. They were able to relax, especially Coran who enjoyed his nap, they got to play around, act like the teens and young adults they were, and for a moment it was almost as if the war didn’t exist. They even got to talk with the locals and experience some of the cuisines; Hunk, Rocky, and Tangor were especially fond of that.

After their day and night over, it was time to bid the people of Zaiwei farewell. After everything was finished, they took off, resuming their mission to get to Olkarion. As they left, Pidge was in the observatory, watching the stars.

“Pidge?” Chip asked. He sat down behind her, pushing his back to his twin’s. “You okay?”

“Mm-hmm.” Pidge nodded. “It was fun being on Zaiwei. I know we’re in a war, but being able to rest a moment like that.” She smiled.

“And we were actually able to work together as a team before that.” Chip stated. “And took down one of those… what was it? Robeast?”

“That’s what Hunk decided to call it; it’s a good name to call it.” Pidge stated. “Man, that was probably our easiest one. Our first one, we were still getting the hang of Voltron on Arus and the second one had all these lasers and kept shooting us.” She smiled. “But this one… we actually did it. We worked as a team.”

“I think we definitely stand a chance in ending this war and Zarkon’s control.”

“Yeah. Maybe when we defeat Zarkon, we can return to Zaiwei; I’d like another beach party to relax a bit before going back out there.”

“Going back out there?”

“Just because Zarkon will be gone doesn’t mean things will change overnight.” Pidge turned around to face her twin; Chip did the same. “We have a thousand years of conquering to turn back.”

“True. Looks like we have our work cut out for us.”

“But we’ll be able to handle it.” The twins looked over to see Shiro standing in the doorway. He had been there for a few moments, listening to the twins and feeling soft and warm in seeing them interact. “We’re finally acting like a team. Together, we can handle just about anything thrown at us.” He then motioned for them to follow. “C’mon, Hunk’s trying out a new recipe and he’d like you to try. Since Pidge is the pickiest eater-”

“Am not.”

“-he especially needs her input.” He got the twins to join him and walk with him to the kitchen. He smiled as he talked with them, listening to their conversations. They had so much hope in ending the war. The youngest members of either team and some tough fighters. He hoped they would get to see the end of the war. And find and meet their older brother. Of course, they also had Colleen to find, too. And the rest of the Explorer crew.

“Shiro?” The twins looked back, worried. “Something on your mind?”

“Hmm, a few things, but nothing for you two to worry about.” Shiro assured. “Now let’s get going.”

Chapter Text

“You were totally staring at her, man.” Hunk reminded Lance as they walked through one of the halls in the castle. “Right, Cinda?”

“With the face he made, I’m surprised some bug didn’t fly into his open mouth.” she responded.

“C’mon guys, knock it off.” Lance grumbled. “Besides, it wasn’t that ba-” He nearly stumbled into Pidge and Chip when he rounded the corner, the two quickly parting and Lance tripping, falling between them.

“Oh, sorry, Lance, didn’t mean to let you fall.” Pidge moved to help him up. “Didn’t hear anyone coming down the halls.”

“Probably because you and Chip were caught up in your own conversations.” Cinda mused, making the twins chuckle.

Lance stared a Pidge for a moment. “Oh, um, Pidge...” he stammered a bit.

“Hmm?” Pidge grunted.

Before Lance could fumble in forming words, Coran’s voice came on over the castle’s comm system. “Pidge, we came across some peculiar… um...”

“Hyper-resilient, bio-luminescent spores.” Allura chimed in.

“Quite a mouthful, don’t you think?”

“Well it’s what they are.”

“Coran, Allura, can we get to it?” Pidge crossed her arms, looking a little annoyed with their bantering.

“Right, we came across these spores and collected some samples. The pulsing hardly seemed normal so we sent a containment unit to your lab to be investigated.” Coran explained.

“Okay, I’ll head there in just a moment.” Pidge responded. She then looked to Lance. “Looks like duty calls. Better go check out what they found. If you hear angry shouting and swear words in Italian, then you’ll know it’s bad. But before that, you started to say something. Did you need something.”

“Um… No, just… being my usual self, you know?” He chuckled nervously. “Um, good luck. Not that you need luck. You’re smart. You can figure things out. Bye!” He then ran off.

“That was...” Pidge looked perplexed.

“Weird?” Chip finished.

“Definitely.”

“Heh, you two have no idea.” Hunk smirked a bit, looking ready to tease Lance over this. “Anyway, have fun with your spores.”

“Hopefully I’m not allergic.” Pidge sighed.

“Do our antihistamines even work on allergies in space and other planets?” Chip questioned. Pidge grunted as she shrugged her shoulders. Unsure, the twins just went off, heading to the green lion’s hanger, which often acted Pidge’s lab, so they could work on what Coran and Allura found.

When Pidge and Chip were gone, Hunk and Cinda were quick to find Lance around the corner. “Now, I don’t know much on Earthlings, but something tells me that that isn’t how one usually shows they have a crush.”

“She probably thinks I’m an idiot for doing that.” Lance groaned, hiding his face.

“She probably already thinks you are one in some regards, what with your horrible record of flirting and it often backfiring on you.” Hunk pointed out. “Nope. She just thinks your action was weird.”

“UGH!”

“But dude, really, I’m certain you actually have a crush on her.” Hunk smiled. “Flirting with others is one thing, you have all the confidence in the world. But this? Pidge makes you nervous now.”

“No other girl made him nervous?” Cinda questioned.

“Not like this.” Hunk snickered a bit. “Anyway, Lance, hopefully you can at least get yourself in order. We still need to work as a team out there; we don’t need your nervous crushing causing problems, okay?” He nudged his friend. “Just… take it easy. Work on your feelings, figure out how you feel about her, and talk with her more.”

“Yeah… just… gotta work things out.” Lance sighed. “Just… can’t let this mess up things with us as the paladins...”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Cinda assured.

Pidge and Chip spent a few hours working with the collected spores. As Allura and Coran figured, the bio-luminescent pulsing of the spores indeed didn’t seem normal. It was as if it were programmed. But everyone knew you couldn’t program plants and spores. Right?

After their work, though, some of the others were called in to hear of their findings.

“Oh hey! I recognize this experiment!” Hunk declared. “But question… why did we need to get electricity from a potato?”

“Huh? What?” Chip was confused.

“That’s not what this is, Hunk.” Pidge chuckled. “But we figured out the sporse code.” She and Chip snickered at that little nickname. “See, Coran and Allura were right, the pulsing of these spores weren’t natural. In fact, they were programmed into them and at a pattern.”

“We had to run them through a variety of code-breaking sequences, trying to figure out what ones on the castle’s files would work.” Chip explained. “We eventually saw some similarities and ran it through a homemade virtual Turing machine.”

“Well, a tweaked up one, that is.” Pidge pointed out. “Considering the fact that there have been several advancements since Alan Turing invented it in 1936, we definitely had to make changes. But honestly, him inventing it in the first place was amazing. Turing truly was a shining light in the world of science in an era of-”

“Pidge, before we all start getting white hair.” Keith interrupted. At that comment, Shiro reached up and tugged on the white poof of hair.

“Oh, right, anyway, we got the code cracked.” Pidge snapped back into the work. “Let’s see. Yeah, here. It says under attack, Galra, send help. And it gave us coordinates.”

“Any idea where they lead to?” Cliff inquired.

“We already ran that through the castle’s database.” Chip responded. He then brought up a map on another computer Pidge had set up using the Altean tech on board. “It’s here.” He zoomed in. “According to the data… that’s Olkarion.”

“Oh dear.” Coran sighed. “I was worried about this...”

“Like any other planet, Olkarion needs our help.” Shiro stated. “Coran, can you get us close enough to avoid detection? We can run scans and find out where the Olkari are and how bad the damage is.”

“Hey now, we’re not done yet.” Pidge stated. “We know exactly where on Olkarion the signal came from; they really went into detail with their SOS message, certain the enemy won’t locate them through it. And honestly? Their coding process was amazing for that.”

“Before she starts into another ramble, it came from around this region.” Chip showed a densely forested region of the planet.

“We’ll still want to scan, see the damages, but that’s good to know.” Allura declared. “Coran.”

“I’ll make our heading; we’re actually pretty close, too, so it won’t take long.” He then went up to the bridge, getting the castle moved. Once in range to take scans of the planet but also be away from the invading Galra, he brought up images of the city outside the forests. “Oh dear, as I feared. They’ve really taken over the cities.” He looked upset for the Olkari, worried about their safety. “I can’t get a closer scan, but if I didn’t know any better, I’d say they’ve been enslaved. Zarkon’s empire would greatly desire their skills.”

“Yeah, but some must have escaped if they’re sending messages through spores from the forest.” Keith pointed out.

“That’s right.” Allura nodded.

“Okay, so we just need to go down there, kick Galran ass, no offense Keith-”

“No problem, we’re the same species, but those guys are real assholes.” Keith commented.

“Watch your language, both of you.” Cliff reminded.

“-and help the Olkari out, free their planet.” Aki turned around and started to run off, ready to go to his ship. Shiro, though, grabbed him by the back of his clothes, yanking him back. “Whoa! Hey! What?” He looked to see the black paladin.

“Easy there.” Shiro stated. “They sent the signal from the forest. We need to go there and assess the situation first.” He let go of Aki. “And you’re not going down yet.”

“WHAT!?” Aki was stunned.

“I want the vehicle team with functioning ships to remain here for now. We may need backup and you guys need to be able to launch from here to provide.” Shiro informed. “Lion team will go down first, find the forest Olkari, and figure things out first.”

“Do… all vehicle team members need to remain?” Chip asked. He looked hopeful. “I… kinda wanna go, too.” He looked hopeful. To make matters worse for Shiro, he and Pidge stood together, making their brown eyes look wide as they gave the kicked puppy look.

“Ten seconds until he caves.” Lance whispered.

“Five seconds.” Keith responded.

Somewhere between there and Shiro caved. “Okay, since you don’t have a functioning ship, you can join in.” he stated. “But you need to be cautious and stay close.”

“Yes!” the twins cheered, giving each other a high five.

“Okay, guys, let’s all suit up and get ready.” Shiro ordered.

It wasn’t just Chip who joined. Cinda and Wolo, since their ships were still down and Allura assured them that the castle would be fine, joined the group, flying down to Olkarion in the green lion with Pidge and Chip.

“Wow, these forests really are beautiful.” Wolo commented. “Though the trees are much bigger here, they remind me of my home back on Sala.”

“I just hope my allergy medicine works here.” Chip chuckled a bit.

“I like this place. It’s so nice and peaceful.” Keith said over the comms.

“What? Plan on retiring to here or something?” Lance teased.

“Hmm, that’s not a bad idea one day.” Keith sounded astonished by Lance’s joking, but he did seem to consider it.

“Um, guys? I think we’re being attacked.” Hunk pointed out.

“Huh?” Cinda looked out of the window of the green lion, seeing arrows fly up. “They look like… arrows?”

“Well, whatever they are, Red’s hit and is going down on his own.” Keith stated.

“Yeah, Blue, too.”

The lions were all pulled down, forced to land. Though forced, it didn’t feel aggressive. They weren’t yanked down or pulled like in a tractor beam, but rather it was as if the lions were compelled.

“Huh? Are those… wooden mech-suits?” Hunk asked, paying attention to those on the ground, wielding basic looking weapons and standing on guard.

“They might be the Olkari!” Cinda exclaimed.

Pidge smiled and got up. She then ran off and grabbed the spore in its containment unit. She got out of the lion through the top hatch. “Hey! We found your distress signal.”

One Olkari on the ground in particular pulled her hood down from her outfit. She smiled up at the lions. “Oh, praise Lubos. It’s Voltron who has answered our call.” she said. The others cheered around her. She watched as the paladins and three members of the vehicle team stepped out and joined them. “I am pleased to know you have found our signal and responded. “My name is Ryner. I… I suppose you could say that I am momentarily the leader in this time of need.”

Shiro gave quick introductions, making sure they were on a name basis. “We were originally coming here to check on you and request assistance. But it turns out we’re needed instead.” he commented as Ryner led them to their settlement. “Of course, we’ll be happy to help you.” He then looked in awe when he saw the forested city. “Whoa.”

“Ooooh!” Pidge let out an ecstatic squeal as she looked around. She then ran over to where an Olkari was working with some twigs, arranging them to look like a sort of winged bug. She then activated it, making it fly off. “So cool!”

“Yup, that’s Pidge for ya.” Shiro sighed, getting Ryner to chuckle some. “How long have you guys been here?”

“Many deca-phoebs. For so long, the Galra remained… impartial to us, though they would come at times. Some time back, though, one decided to finally conquer us.” Ryner explained. “Normally we would have fought them off, but this time… they succeeded against us. They had taken our king, Lubos, prisoner. We couldn’t fight without risking his safety… so as many of us as possible had escaped to here.” Despite the tragedy, she looked to her people with a proud smile. “Despite our exile, we were never discouraged. We came to adapt, changing with our surroundings. Our technology changed and developed to suit our surroundings.”

“This is really amazing, Ryner.” Pidge stated, looking around more. “To go from precision machinery in your cities to working with sticks and vines, that’s so cool.”

“You guys really are the most technologically advanced people there are.” Chip commented, checking on something with Pidge.

“Well, nature’s designs are more superior than any we can come up with on our own.” Ryner informed.

“Hmm, I dunno, I think I’d take my computer over sticks any day.” Pidge admitted.

“Which is surprising considering your mom works with plants.” Chip pointed out.

“We can talk about tech and computers later.” Shiro stated. “For now, we need to come up with a plan in getting rid of the Galra.”

“It won’t be that easy.” Ryner stated. “With King Lubos as their hostage...”

“Then we need to rescue him.” Shiro pointed out as though it was obvious and easy.

“Hmm...” Ryner was unsure, but it was a start to planning. “Come. You need to see what you’re dealing with.” She led them to another section in the forest. “Here we are.”

“Um… where exactly?” Keith asked.

“The armory.” Ryner stated. “We’ll be using our tree-mechs to get to the edge of the forest.” She looked over to see an Olkari girl activate another plant, causing a blaster of sorts to form around her arm. She then took aim and fired at a target, destroying it.

“Talk about flower power.” Lance let out an impressed whistle.

“Okay, I kinda want one of those.” Keith smirked a bit, intrigued by the plant-made blaster.

“We won’t be using those, but...” Ryner went to a plant and put her hand over it, causing it to open up. Inside, there were several headpieces. She picked one up and put it on her head before approaching a tree. “This, is what we’re using.” She focused for a small moment before a massive ball dropped. Then it opened up, showing to be a mech-suit. “See?” She went over and got inside, looking to see how amazed the others were. “Using those headpieces and these trees, you can each have one. However, to do so, you need to understand how to operate it. You see, the with these connecting the neural pathways, the nanocellulose is able to respond to our own electrical impulses.”

“Um… come again?” Lance questioned as he put on one of the headpieces. He looked to Hunk who actually licked the one he picked up.

“It makes my tongue itchy.” Hunk commented.

“Okay, I get that that’s your interface but...” Chip looked confused. “How do you send the commands?”

“I would think that it would be in binary.” Pidge suggested. “It’s the most common form of language whether we realize it or not.”

“That’s exactly it!” Ryner confirmed, looking proud of the twins. She then watched, pleased to see them both connect and able to get those mech-suits. “Wonderful work you two!”

“I think mine is just a tree.” Lance sighed.

“Nothing working over here.” Cinda admitted.

“Looks like you two have a deep connection with nature.” Ryner informed.

“Do we?” Chip looked to Pidge who shrugged in response.

“Well, Pidge is our resident tech expert and she and Chip both adapt to new technologies very quickly.” Shiro informed. “Those two were the ones who figured out your spore signal.”

Ryner nodded. “That explains a lot.” she mused. “Like the Olkari, you understand that at the deepest levels, we are all the same. You and me, your friends, these trees, even metal and the stars. We’re all made up of the same cosmic dust, all arranged by the laws of mathematics.”

“So… we should start gardening?” the twins asked in unison.

“It means you two will be giving your friends a ride.” the Olkari leader chuckled.

Chapter Text

“As you can see, their headquarters are nearly impenetrable.” Ryner pointed out. “The only access point would be there on the roof. There’s an opening at the top that leads all the way down to the courtyard.”

“That’s a long drop.” Keith commented.

“Afraid you won’t land on your feet?” Lance teased.

“That’s cats who land on their feet, not Galra.”

“You look like a giant cat, man.”

“That’s enough, you two.” Shiro chastised them. “Okay. So we know where our opening is.”

“Yes, but getting up there without being detected is the hard part.” Ryner reminded.

“Don’t worry, I think Pidge has us covered in that department.”

Cinda, riding with Wolo and Chip, looked to the city. She was paying attention to the different structures and how they looked. Seeing them, a massive looking cube caught her attention. “Huh? What’s that? It doesn’t match the other buildings.”

“Oh? Huh, it looks like the cube Coran gave me.” Pidge fished out the cube from her armor, some of the others questioning where she was able to keep it. “See?”

“Yes, I recall those. As children, we would play with those.” Ryner stated. “But one of that size?” She looked out to the massive cube. “Only King Lubos would be able to come up with that. Oh dear… they must be forcing him to reveal his designs and construct it as a weapon. And worse? If I didn’t know any better, I’d say it’s almost finished...”

“Then we need to act fast. Let’s regroup back with the lions.” Shiro instructed. Shiro’s plan was simple and, hopefully, effective. Using the green lion’s capability to cloak itself, courtesy of Pidge’s tinkering with the invisible maze on the castle’s training deck and reverse engineering that; she had tried applying it to the other lions, but they wouldn’t take for whatever reason. Using Pidge’s lion and going invisible, she was able to drop a small piece of tech to help them find any Olkari biorhythms and locate King Lubos. Then she dropped the paladins down, the group using their jet packs to safely descend into the courtyard.

Had they been caught and had to simply fight their ways out, no one would have been surprised and, if anything, they would have been mostly prepared. What no one was prepared for, though, was finding out that Lubos had been living in the lap of luxury, treated well while his people were enslaved. And insult to injury? He was helping the Galra, giving them his ideas and designs. He claimed that they forced him, but judging by how everything else looked, he wasn’t forced all that much.

“Oh no,” Shiro looked to see the cube already operational and leaving the ground. “Vehicle team, be on standby. A new weapon is airborne and we don’t know how to properly approach it in a fight; if fighter ships are detected, then launch and keep them off our backs!”

“Copy that, Shiro.” Aki responded.

“Paladins, to your lions! Let’s form Voltron!” Shiro instructed.

And they did. They used their shield to block whatever attack it would eventually use and stood their ground. Using one of their laser attacks, the cube was hit. Or at least they wished it was hit effectively. Instead, it absorbed their attack.

“Okay, that’s not right.” Pidge commented. “It just absorbed the attack!” They then had to dodge when it was fired back at them. “Whoa! Chip! Did you catch that?”

“Copy that, Pidge.” Chip, Wolo, and Cinda were on the ground with the Olkari; some Olkari went in to help take back their city; the three from the vehicle team, though, stood by, keeping an eye on things. Pidge left her computer with Chip, having him help with checking data. “It’s like with the cube Coran gave you, but instead of a voice, its echo is in the form of an attack.”

“Then we need to hit it harder.” Shiro commented. “Hunk, use the blaster!”

“Wait, no, it’s just gonna send it back at us!”

“Ten-four!” Hunk ignored Pidge’s comment and went with Shiro’s order. But as the green paladin anticipated, it sent the attack back.

“Whoa! It threw that back at us, too!” Lance yelped.

“Do you idiots ever listen?” Pidge exclaimed. “The thing is learning our attacks and using them against us.”

“Then how do we defeat this thing?” Keith inquired.

“What if we cut through it?” Lance suggested. “And go right through its thinking point… place… center?”

“I don’t know, I’ve been studying the one Coran gave me and it-”

“We need to give it a try. Form sword!” Shiro ordered, interrupting Pidge. If he could see her, he would be met with the harshest scowl from her than he had ever seen. As Voltron, though, they sliced through it. But there was a problem. “It’s still operational. Re-engage!” They went at the cube again. In the end, they had four smaller but equally dangerous, if not more so due to there being more, cubes. “We can’t fight them like this, guys; back into lions!”

Voltron split up into their five lions, but that didn’t make things any easier. Any attack they gave, the cubes just gave them back. And as much as the vehicle team wished to join and assist them, Shiro ordered them to stand back, that they were more likely to be taken down in their present ships. As much as the team hated to stand by like that, they complied, not wanting to endanger themselves and get the paladins hurt by that.

Pidge was going around, evading attacks. However, one cube managed to hit her, sending her lion crashing into the forest. Over the comms, she could barely hear the others calling out for her, trying to get her to respond.

On the ground, Chip watched in horror as Pidge went down. “Pidge!” he called into the comms.

“The green lion is in trouble. We need to make sure she and her paladin are okay!” Ryner ordered a team. She had the others join her as they went to where the lion had crashed, the green mechanical beast not even moving.

“Pidge? Pidge, do you copy?” Chip asked. He was worried. She wasn’t responding. He didn’t want this to be a repeat of the past. He didn’t want her to end up back in that healing pod. He didn’t want her to be nearly dead. Or worse…

Ryner stepped up to the lion and focused. “Physically, both are fine.” she stated. “But they’re weakened. Their bond… isn’t yet strong enough.”

“Their bond?” Chip asked.

“Yes. The lions and Voltron are special and bond with their paladins.” Ryner informed. “And their bond...” She looked down at Chip before gently taking his hand. “Like you. You hold a special bond with her, deeper than any connection any of us can have with all that surrounds us.” She put it over the lion’s muzzle. “Feel the energy and connect to her. Help her to strengthen her connection to her lion.”

Chip nodded and focused. Like with the tree to get the tree mech, he did his best to call out to Pidge, get through the lion and to her. “Pidge? Pidge, can you hear me?”

Inside the lion, Pidge grumbled. She was really hating getting attacked and crashing, but it came with the territory of fighting in a war. “Yeah, I hear ya loud an-wait… what?” She looked around when she realized that Chip’s voice wasn’t coming in through the comm. “How am I hearing you? Are you still outside?!”

“Ryner figured I could get through to you.” Chip chuckled a bit. “Anyway… we need to get you and Green back up. The Olkari are helping her to heal physically, but you need to help her spirit.”

“Help? But how?”

“Your bond with her. You need to make it stronger.”

“But… I thought our bond...” Pidge took hold of the controls and pulled them. Nothing. “C’mon Green...”

“You can do it, Pidge, I know you can.” Chip assured. “Remember what Ryner taught us? We’re connected. Not just you and me, but to the lion. The trees. The other paladins. The vehicle team. Whole planets. We’re all made of the same energy. The same essence.”

“We’re… the… same.” Pidge closed her eyes and focused. She thought of all around her. All she knew. All she didn’t know. Every little thing was made up of the same starting points that the universe formed upon. And thinking of that, she started connecting the points. She smiled at the thought and opened her eyes again. As she did, the golden glow of Green’s eyes came to life as the lion moved. “Time to defend Olkarion.”

Pidge launched from the ground, the others cheering as she returned to battle. The others were stunned to see how quickly she was moving and going around.

“Glad to have you back in the game, Pidge.” Lance stated.

“If this is a game, I’m not having fun...” Hunk whined.

“Well, how about I change things up and level the playing field?” Pidge suggested. The shield on the lion’s back disappeared and was replaced with a canon of sorts. She then fired it at one cube. It seemed to process her attack and tried to return fire, but instead of another attack, vines burst out of it and wrapped themselves around it, rendering it useless and making it fall to the ground. “Hell yeah! Come on in, boys, plenty to go around.” She shot at the three others, the same results being shown.

“Okay, of all the ways to be saved, I did not expect vines.” Hunk mused.

“Awesome work, Pidge!” Keith praised.

“Team, do you copy?” Allura said. “The Galra are also retreating. I’m going to launch the Vehicle team and have them do a sweep. Once clear, we’ll be able to land.”

“Copy that, Princess.” Shiro confirmed.

Pidge sat up on the green lion’s head, Chip sitting next to her. From their position, they could see the gas giant that Olkarion revolved around. They sat close, taking in the view.

“Thanks for helping out back there, Chip.” Pidge said. “I don’t think I’d have been able to bond without your help or Ryner’s teachings.”

“You’d have figured it out, I’m sure.” Chip assured. He leaned against his sister. “But I’m glad I was able to help. And that you were okay.”

“Hey you two, coming down yet?” The twins moved to look over, seeing Shiro below. They climbed down and joined him.

“So, what’s the plan from here?” Pidge asked.

“We’re staying for a few days, helping the Olkari get back on their feet and helping to set up part of the city.” Shiro informed as he walked with them back to where the castle was settled. “After that, though, we’re heading back out. Though the vehicle team will remain here as their ships are fixed up and improved upon.” He looked to Chip. “It’ll also be a good time for more training as a team, especially since Ryner wants Olkarion to be opened up as a refugee location.”

“A refugee location?” Pidge asked.

“Mm-hmm.” Shiro stopped and motioned around them. “This section of the city. It’ll be built upon and fixed up so refugees can some here. And during their training to get the hang of things again, the vehicle team will also be acting as a defense for the planet.” He smiled. “We’re making progress. It’s slow going, but we’re really doing it. And in time, we’ll find Professor Gunderson.” He reached out and ruffled the twins’ hair, making them chuckle.

“And when we find Mom, we can tell her about us.” Pidge stated. “I bet she’ll happily adopt you. Make sure the family sticks together.”

“You really think so?” Chip inquired, his eyes glistening with hope. “I’d like that. I’d like for her to accept me.”

Chapter Text

Shiro let out a sigh. They had been working on Olkarion for a couple of days, he knew they needed to contact the Garrison, catch them up with everything going on, the proposed plan for the vehicle team, and get things into motion.

“Okay, communications established.” Pidge commented from her station. “Connected in three. Two. One.”

Shiro looked up to see the screen as it showed static. Then it was clear, showing a man with glasses sitting there. “Adam.” he simply said.

“Takashi! I didn’t expect a call from you.” Everyone called Shiro by that usual nickname, but only Adam seemed to call him by his actual first time. “Finally have a break from babysitting?”

“I wish it was a social call, but perhaps later I can transfer it to my room.” Shiro smiled softly at his fiance. They had broken up before the Kerberos mission, Shiro wanting to go on it but Adam not wanting him to. Then Adam was left thinking Shiro was dead and the guilt of how they ended things. When Shiro came back in Voltron, Adam was both ticked off and relieved. During their short break on Earth, they reconnected and came to terms with what happened between them, wanting to try again. Adam had been given an opportunity to travel with them, and part of him wanted to, but with his skills, he remained on Earth, helping out there.

“Um… guys?” Pidge cleared her throat, making Chip, who was sitting on the arm of her chair, snicker.

“Oh, right. We needed to get in touch with Admiral Sanda and the rest of the Garrison Council.” Shiro informed. “We need to give a full report.”

“Copy that. I’ll send in the message and then get you transferred when they’re ready.” Adam worked on the computer from his end. “I’ve noticed that the vehicle force team is with you...”

“That’s what our conversation will be about.” Shiro informed.

“Admiral Sanda is ready.” Adam nodded. “I’ll talk with you another time, Takashi. Transferring.”

Shiro watched as the screen shifted and they were looking at a room with high ranking members of the Galaxy Garrison inside. One of which was Admiral Sanda. Strong willed. Determined to protect Earth. Never backing down. “Admiral.”

“It’s about time you contacted us. Previous reports did not give much, only on that you had found the vehicle team and the remaining crew of the Explorer have either been killed or captured.” Sanda reminded. “I’m hoping there is a reason for the delay.”

“There is.” Shiro confirmed. “As a full team and for the good of the universe, we have come up with a plan of our own.” He let that sink in. When the admiral nodded, he continued. “The ships designed for the Explorer, though helpful, are not fully prepared for this war. And frankly, the team could use more training, too. But on Olkarion, our current location, they can get the ships improved upon and train more.”

“The Olkari have agreed to help out with the ships. And in turn, with their training, the vehicle team will be helping to defend the planet until more defenses are functional and the team is ready to enter the battle.” he continued.

“Hmm.” Sanda seemed to think it over. “And you three? You are the captains of your individual teams. Have you agreed upon this as well?”

Aki looked to Krik and Cliff, the two nodding in agreement. “Yes. Our decision, not just among us three but also within the whole team, we have agreed to this.” he said. “We want to do our part to help out. And in getting aid from the Olkari and training here, we will be able to do more for the universe. For those in need, including our missing crew members.”

Sanda let out a sigh before nodding. “Very well. Unfortunately, though, we will not be able to provide more assistance. The location is too far and we’re still trying to get our own defenses fully established so that Earth will be safe for the current inhabitants and future refugees.”

“We will be able to handle things, so you needn’t worry much.” Ryner was with them. She was the leader of the Olkari, the others continuing to follow her, so it was no surprise that she was in on the meeting. “And there are most likely other rebels out there, so more allies are probably to be met. You worry about keeping your planet safe. We’ll make sure that the team will be ready.”

Sanda smiled and nodded. “Very well. And Aki, Clif, Krik,” the three young men straightened at that, even putting their hands up to their heads in a salute, “try to keep us informed more. And good luck.”

“Yes, ma’am.” the three leaders responded in sync.

Pidge looked out at the water, seeing some forest and cliffs on the other side. She stood on a platform, the area one of the landing pads for ships that would one day arrive with refugees. It was a good day, so much happening. But it was also sad.

“Pidge?” Chip approached her. He smiled when he saw the mice with her; they may have been Allura’s mice, but they really liked the green paladin. “Shiro says you’ll be launching soon.”

“I know we’re needed out there… and I know we haven’t known each other long but...” Pidge looked over. “It breaks my heart to part ways.”

“It won’t be forever.” Chip assured her. “We’ll get stronger and be ready. Then we’ll help you guys out in taking back the universe for all people.” He pulled Pidge into a hug, chuckling when Platt went over to sit on his shoulder. “We’ll see each other before you know it. And we’ll find… we’ll find Mom.” Hearing Chip call Colleen mom too, it made Pidge smile. “And we’ll find Matt, figure out if he’s our brother or not.” He pulled back some. “Things will continue to get better, I just know it.”

“Yeah, same here.” Pidge nodded in agreement. She then looked over to see the castle as the others prepared to launch. When she and Chip pulled part more, they let their hands linger, the two giving the other a firm shake. “We’re a team. And I’m certain if we all continue working together, nothing can stop us and our goal for peace.”

“Pidge! C’mon! We need to get going!” Shiro called.

“Okay!” Pidge responded. She walked back with Chip, joining the others. They did their farewells, hugging, shaking hands, and joking around. In a short amount of time, the two teams truly did grow close. And then it was time to take off.

“Pidge?” Lance asked. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” Pidge nodded. “I’m doing great. And I look forward to being able to fight alongside the vehicle team again.” She went to the bridge and watched as they launched. Though she was sure Chip couldn’t see her from there, she waved down at the others as they departed.

On the planet and with the others, Chip waved. He didn’t think Pidge could see him waving, but he liked to think she was doing the same. He then looked over when Aki put a hand on his shoulder.

“We’ll see them again soon.” Aki declared. “After all, we’re part of the same team. We’re all defenders of the universe.”

Chip smiled and nodded. “Yeah.” he said. “Before long, we’ll be helping out more.”

“But first,” Ryner got their attention, “you’ll need help getting your ships in proper order.” She smiled. “And I think I have some ideas I’d like to look into to help make you even more effective.”

“We’ll gladly accept that help.” Aki nodded.

Chip smiled. He then looked off to the sky again, the castle-ship already gone. We’ll meet again soon, sister. And we’ll fight together and protect people together. He thought before turning away, walking off with the others so they could get more work done for the refugee city, their ships, and the planet’s defenses.