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Chapter Text

The sounds of a breathing machine, the gentle beeping of a heart monitor, the bright lights of a nearly white room combined with sunlight from a window- a hospital, something you knew all too well but something… Something was wrong. You should’ve died by now after that massive highway pile-up, you remembered being wheeled into the ambulance, then the emergency doors then…

“Look, she’s waking up!” A soft voice said as your vision and hearing started to stabilize.

As you woke up fully, you realized your body felt smaller and lighter. As you groan, you can hear your voice being more high-pitched, more likely belonging to that of a small child.

“How do you feel, honey? My name is Dr. Sylva” A female doctor asked as you turned your head to your left. Your face showed your confusion and it was easy to make out. “I know this may be all confusing for you, for a little girl to be in a coma for nearly a year…”

What? A coma? Little girl? But, you were just a few days past 18 years old! Why were they referring to a little girl?

Stay calm. Calm. Feign ignorance and get some answers.

“What…? What happened,” you asked as you struggled to sit up. A nurse helped you drink a glass of water too.

“I know this may be hard to believe, and we can give you some time to-”

“No,” you replied firmly, “please, I want to know… I can’t remember much right now.”

Doctor Sylva relented, looking to her nurse aide for guidance, which was reassuring now. With a deep sigh, the doctor sat in front of you on a stool, placing a hand on your shoulder.

“A year ago, you and your parents were involved in a nasty car accident and… Your mommy and daddy… They didn’t make it.” It wasn't surprising that you didn’t feel much at this news as your parents bailed on you long ago, but a searing burn in your heart made tears form and fall from your face. Sniveling, you hastily wiped them away.

“So… Now what?”

“We’ll have to keep you here for several months to monitor and help you regain your basic and daily functions. You were asleep for quite a while, so we’ll help you get right back to your old self.” She smiled.

“I… I want some time alone.” You said firmly. After a few more checks and removing a couple of machines from the room, you could finally look at yourself in the full-body mirror that hung on the bathroom door facing you. Your face… Your body- everything was back to how it was when you were 13 years old!

Reaching for the remote, you turn on the TV and set it to a news channel.

“And we now return to the youngest exploration pilot in Garrison history, Takashi Shirogane!” The anchorwoman smiled as a headshot uniform picture of Shiro appeared on the screen. “Right now, he is being considered a quality candidate for the Kerberos Expedition that is slated to happen in 5 years. With news from…”

The anchor woman's voice faded out of your ears as you focused on the picture. He was missing the scar along the bridge of his nose and the little fluff of white hair, but that’s definitely him. It’s Shiro, but he’s probably only 20 in the photo. From what you remember in the wiki, Shiro would be 25 when he gets captured on the Kerberos moon by the Galra, along with Matt Holt and his father, Captain Samuel Holt. It would then begin the chain of events of the main plot of Voltron: Legendary Defender after the Blade of Marmora would help Shiro escape.

“Five years…” You muttered softly. The time was set; you have only 5 years until the Kerberos mission fails and Voltron begins.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The past 6 months have been difficult, to say the least. Relearning everything from scratch as if you were a baby! Writing, walking, brushing, dressing yourself, regaining muscle mass. It was humiliating and brutal. But Dr. Sylva and the team of nurses eventually became part of the support system you lean on and it’s been somewhat easier thanks to their encouragement.

But today was special, today was the last round of trials to ensure that you were deemed fit enough to take care of yourself as well as the last of the physical trials. And you passed with flying colors, Dr. Sylva and the nurses you’ve become so close with giving you a great round of applause.

“You did amazing, sweetheart!” Dr. Sylva smiled as she scribbled down the last of her notes. “Congratulations, you’ve made a full recovery.” Again, the nurses erupted into applause and cheers, resulting in you smiling like an idiot.

“Now, would you like a little something as a job well done?” She asked as a wheelchair was brought into the physical training room as well as a duffle bag of your belongings.

“A notebook.”

“A notebook? But dear, you have a holopad for your note-taking,” she asked in a confused voice.

Over the six months, they also aided you in (re)integrating yourself with the technology. It was vastly different from your original world, all glass screens and holograms, but it was still considered rudimentary within the eyes of this reality.

“Yes! Maybe something the size of your hand will be perfect! It’ll be something I can always keep with me, something that I won’t have to worry about being hacked, stolen, or damaged. I want to keep something with me in case I were to lose my memories, and I don’t want that because I’ll forget you and everyone else who helped me in the hospital…” Your voice was solemn because that was the truth, at least half of it anyway.

The other reason was that you can keep a little secret journal to keep a record of all the things that have and will happen. Maybe, with a bit of luck and good planning, you can avoid the deaths of thousands more and maybe even prevent the death of Lotor, even though he doesn’t deserve it. But if you were to stop Lotor, then Team Voltron wouldn’t have to face Honnerva and keep the universe intact without losing Allura as well.

“Alright,” Dr. Sylva smiled, “I’ll go get you a nice, sturdy notebook for you to carry. Head to the bathroom and you can meet Ms. Tina at the hospital front so she can take you to the orphanage.”

As well as physical training, you were introduced to Ms. Tina who runs a nice orphanage. You were able to visit the orphanage a couple of times and low and behold; Keith.

He was there.

Befriend him, and help save Shiro and the others, and it’s a one-way trip to the Castle of Lions, Allura, Coran, and a future in Team Voltron.

Slipping into a bathroom, you quickly did your business and pulled up the sleeve of your new long-sleeved jacket, the inside of your wrist bearing a birthmark in the shape of the symbol the Blade of Marmora carries.

This isn’t a coincidence.

Whoever this girl- you now- was or is, you wanted to know how and why. Keith was only a part of that plan to get to the Blade’s headquarters and speak with Kolivan directly.

“Ok… Here we go.” You stepped out towards your future.

Chapter Text

You’d parked your purple hover bike next to Keith’s as he fished something out of the back. It was a set of explosives and a remote detonator.

“You plant these about 300 meters from where they’ve set up their base. Once that’s done, I’ll have Shiro and we can get out of there.” You take the explosives and detonator from him.

“I just don’t understand why you also wanted to bring your bike. The three of us could’ve easily fit on mine.” You chuckled at his response, pulling the mask up and setting your goggles over your face.

You’d changed your clothes slightly to go undetected. A black, long-sleeved compression shirt with fingerless gloves- spares that you got from Keith, a dark purple crop hoodie, black baggy cargo pants with white accents, and dark purple and black boots. Your utility belt held your personal and very private notebook that you always carried with you on your right, a couple of basic field first-aid items in the back pouch, and a communicator that you had with Keith on your left. Finally, resting on your thigh was a retractable spear that you made yourself with a lot of trial and error.

“I have a gut feeling.” You revved up your bike. “And I’m never wrong. Things are going to get much more interesting after tonight.” You sped off to set the explosives as he prepared to rush to save Shiro.

After digging some shallow holes in the ground, you ran back to your bike in the shadows of some rock formations and set off the explosives. Once you heard the oncoming buggies, you quickly revved your hoverbike and headed to the tent. Keith and Lance were hauling Shiro out followed by Hunk and Lance.

“The explosives won’t keep them long. Let’s go!” You shouted. Keith put the barely conscious Shiro on his bike with Lance behind him. Pidge and Hunk got on your bike and the two of you sped off with the Garrison high on your tails.

“Wait, aren’t you that girl from the med department who left?!” Pidge asked after you’d taken off. The loud engines had to make her shout to be heard.

“Talk later, escape first!” You responded, falling in line behind Keith’s bike.

“Can’t these things go any faster?!” Lance exclaimed.

“We could toss some non-essential weight!” Keith retorted.

“Oh right!” As Lance looked around, his face fell sullen as he realized he was the butt of the joke. “Oh, haha, very funny.” He snipped in a sarcastic tone. Keith veered left towards the cliff point.

“Hunk, lean left!” You shouted. As he did, both you and Keith sped up.

“Is that a cliff?!” Hunk exclaimed.

“Yup,” Keith grinned as the both of you sped up. The hoverbikes flew off the cliff, causing the Garrison buggies to stop before they did the same. As you were all falling, Lance, Hunk, and Pidge were all screaming the way down. You both pulled up at the right time to prevent hitting the ground, with you having to pull up sooner given Hunk’s added weight.

After successfully getting away from the Garrison and making it back to the cabin, Keith and Lance hauled Shiro inside, settling him down on the couch. You grabbed the first aid kit out of the kitchen and pulled a stool next to Shiro to tend to his injuries.

“Most of these are surface level, but considering he crash-landed on a ship, he’s gonna have a concussion, and maybe memory problems too,” you said. “It could just be a gamble since no one’s seen or heard from him for a while.”

The next morning, after everyone was somewhat rested in the small cabin, Shiro and Keith came inside and revealed the map both he and you had been working on.

“What have you two been working on?” Shiro asked as they all stared at the corkboard.

“Can’t explain it, really,” Keith answered. “After getting booted from the Garrison, I was kinda lost, then she found me and took me to this place. When I arrived here, there was something like… Some energy was telling me to search.”

“And you are?” Shiro asked, turning to you. You held out your hand to him.

“Just call me Y/N.” He nodded and shook your hand, taking notice that you were unfazed by his robotic prosthetic. “Keith and I… We met as kids and grew up together. After time passed, I was taken into a family and we drifted apart. It’s only been about a year since we reconnected with each other and have been living out here since then.”

“She’s been the one to keep me in check, so to speak. Y/N is a brilliant chemist, scientist, and field medic, the best in her class in the Garrison before she was also booted out,” Keith noted. You sighed and rolled your eyes at his comment. You wanted to keep that fact to yourself, honestly.

“Keith puts too much flattery into my skills,” you sighed and crossed your arms. “I was top of the class, but I wasn’t exactly social other than being known to have a slight temper. Not as bad as his though.”

“Hey!” Keith retorted.

“Oh yeah! I heard about you! The hot-headed healer! At least according to what I heard.” Hunk paused for a moment. “Wait, you were also kicked out? How?”

“I kinda came to blows with students more than once. I’ve got a temper that’s a little difficult to keep in check, but ever since I’ve been out here with Keith, it’s been somewhat subdued. Like he said, we keep each other in check.”

“Keith never mentioned he had friends, to begin with. You sure he didn’t just pay you to pretend?” Lance asked as he raised a brow and slowly inched closer to you. “You look way too pretty to be friends with Keith.” Your face fell flat as you answered him sharply, pushing him away.

“No, he didn’t pay me anything.”

“Back to the topic; what were you searching for?” Shiro asked.

“I didn’t know at the time until we stumbled across this area…” Keith placed his hand on the large circles of the map.

“Strange energy readings are there, but we don’t have the tech to pinpoint exactly where it is,” you commented.

“It’s an outcropping of giant boulders with caves covered in these ancient markings. Each tells a slightly different story about a blue lion, but they all share clues leading to some event, some arrival happening last night.”

“And then you showed up,” you said, looking at Shiro. The three of you looked at Hunk, Pidge, and Lance.

“I should thank you all for getting me out. Lance, right?” Shiro held out his arm for Lance to shake. While it was obvious Lance was hesitant as well as questions, he still smiled and shook the pilot firmly by the hand- er, robotic arm.

“The nervous guy’s Hunk. I’m Pidge,” she said, introducing herself and Hunk who looked extremely tired, scared, and nervous.

You looked at the map as Pidge asked about her family and Hunk grew worried about the aliens. You knew exactly where to go to find the blue lion, but with Lance being the lion’s new paladin, you had to hold that information to yourself if you still wanted the timeline to move accordingly.

After recollecting all major events to the best of your ability, giving the Lions their original paladins first was a huge that needed to stay the same as well as several other points. You knew from your original world that messing with the timeline too much could cause unpredictable and random events to happen.

The only things you wanted to prevent as best as possible was the enslavement of Earth, preventing Lotor from accessing the hole in space to a field of quintessence and therefore preventing the manipulation and enslavement of what was left of the Altean people. Of course that would mean finding an alternative energy source for the Garrison’s ATLAS, but you’d only worry about that if you were able to successfully save Lotor.

Soon enough, Hunk and Pidge led the way to the blue lion with a tracker that Hunk had built. Eventually, they came to a cave with more markings. As soon as Lance touched one, the ground beneath everyone crumbled, resulting in a waterslide and harsh landing in front of the blue lion.

Like everyone else, you were also astounded by its sheer size. It looks much bigger to you than it did on the show. Now all left was to hang on for the ride Lance was about to take everyone. Which shouldn’t be too hard. Hopefully.

“Does anyone else get the feeling this is staring at them?” Lance asked as he moved back and forth before you, looking at the blue lion. “Yeah, the eyes are totally following me.”

“I wonder how we get through this,” Keith asked.

“Maybe you just have to knock?” Lance said, knocking twice on the force field. Once it went down, the carvings in the ground shone brightly, the cave rumbling with intensity as everyone, including yourself, stared up the the mechanical beast. A vision befell everyone, showing the five Voltron lions becoming one. Becoming Voltron.

“Woah,” everyone said collectively.

“Uh, did everyone just see that?” Lance asked after a few moments of silence.

“Voltron is a robot. A huge, huge awesome robot!” Hunk cried happily.

“And this thing is just one part of it!” Pidge added with just as much enthusiasm. “I wonder where the rest of them are.”

The blue lion lowered its head, the mouth opening directly in front of Lance. With a grin, Lance ran into the lion’s mouth and sat in the cockpit. You and the others followed behind him, opting to stand in a place that offered as much stability as possible since the next hour was probably going to get a little wild.

“Woah. Did you guys just hear that?” Lance asked.

As he and the others talked, you figured the blue lion was starting to create a bond with Lance, feeding information into his mind. After pressing a few buttons, the blue lion let out a roar, burst out of the cave, and started flying around, resulting in everyone holding their ground and yelling.

“You are the worst pilot ever!” Keith screamed. You held onto his arm tighter so you weren’t flung back by g-force. Man, this thing was a lot faster than you anticipated!

You looked out the window, seeing the Galaxy Garrison base.

“Where are you going?!” Keith exclaimed

“I just said it’s on autopilot! It says there’s an alien ship approaching Earth. I think we’re supposed to stop it.” Lance hollered happily as he took off into Earth’s atmosphere.

“What did it say exactly?” Pidge asked as she became annoyed with how vague Lance was being.

“It’s not like it’s saying words. It’s more like feeding ideas into my brain. Kind of.”

“If this is the weapon they’re looking for, why don’t we just give it to them? Maybe they’ll leave us alone?” Hunk asked with nervous enthusiasm.

“You don’t understand,” Shiro started. “These monsters spread like a plague throughout the galaxy, destroying everything in their path. There’s no bargaining with them. They won’t stop until everything is dead.”

“Oh,” Hunk murmured as everyone gave him the evil eye. “Never mind then.”

A huge Galra cruiser appeared in front of the lion, everyone giving blank stares while you only looked on with genuine fear and nervousness. You were aware of the power, the sheer mass, and size of the Galra, but not to this extent. Everything’s become so much more now, so personal and up-close since you somehow came to this world. And then it hit you.

You could actually die here and leave so many things unanswered.

But that wasn’t going to happen. Not while you’re breathing.

After getting the Galra cruiser’s attention, Lance piloted to the edge of the solar system. To the Kerberos moon.

“It takes months for our ships to get out this far!” Pidge exclaimed as she and everyone looked out the window. “We got out here in five seconds.”

All of a sudden a wormhole opened up in front of the lion.

“What is that?” Hunk asked.

“Uh, this is gonna sound crazy, but I think the lion wants us to go through there!" Lance answered. He seemed unsure, then looked to Shiro. “Shiro, you’re the senior officer here. What should we do?”

“Whatever’s happening, the lion knows more than we do,” he answered. “I say we trust it. But we’re a team now. We should decide together.” As everyone looked around at each other in agreement, Lance sighed and gripped the control handles a little tighter.

“All right. Guess we’re all ditching class tomorrow,” Lance said as he propelled the lion to full thrust into the wormhole. After coming out the other side to planet Arus, the blue lion began its descent.

“The lion seems to be wanting to go to this planet,” Lance said. “I think… I think it’s going home.”

Chapter Text

After arriving on Arus, and an embarrassing show from Lance with the crude fart joke, the blue lion landed in front of the castle.

“Be on your guard,” Shiro noted. “My crew was captured by aliens once. I’m not going to let it happen again.”

After disembarking, the blue lion let out a roar that woke the castle, opening the doors. There was a scan and the castle lit up to the med bay. While everyone was looking at how magnificent the castle was, Keith noticed you were intently looking in your notebook.

“Hey,” he slowed down behind the group to walk beside you. You quickly shut and put away your notebook. “Noticed you’re not surprised by all of this.”

“Well, it’s not as surprising as Shiro showing up in an alien ship after having escaped from a dangerous race and had his arm replaced with a robotic prosthetic,” you stated matter-of-factually.

“Oh, right,” Keith relented as they entered the med bay.

“Where are we?” Lance asked. Pidge stood in front of the central controls.

“It’s some kind of control room,” Pidge commented as she walked to the center console with a curious expression.

The center console flashed on and two pods rose from the ground. Allura and Coran.

“Are these guys… Dead?” Hunk asked nervously. The pods flashed as Allura was the first to be unfrozen then quickly brought Lance to his knees, to which you held back a laugh.

“Who are you? Where is King Alfor? What are you doing in my castle?” Allura exclaimed.

“A giant blue lion brought us here! That’s all we know!” Lance exclaimed in pain. Allura eventually released her hold on him.

After a few more moments, Allura used the control panel and unfroze Coran. After a “scuffle” with Lance, she reveals they’ve been asleep for ten thousand years. Planet Altea, their entire solar system- Zarkon has destroyed all those planets.

“He was the king of the Galra. A vile creature and enemy to all free people.”

“I remember now…” Shiro started. “I was his prisoner.” It brought shock to Allura and Coran’s faces.

As they discussed more, making their to the bridge, it should be confirmed by now that Haggar must’ve detected Allura’s awakening and Sendak should be on the way. As the group walked, you felt a sense of bright energy, like something warm coursing through you, and the source was coming from Allura. Was this how Haggar sensed Allura’s Altean energy?

If you could feel this, just what has the Blade of Marmora been doing to this girl before you inhabited her body?

An alarm brought you out of your thoughts, the screen showing that a Galra battle cruiser was approaching.

“A galra battleship has set its tracker to us!” Coran exclaimed.

“How did they find us?” Allura asked in worry.

“I’m not sure, but I’m sure it’s Keith’s fault,” Lance chided. You couldn’t help but smirk at the thought. Sure Keith was half Galra, but it wasn’t like he possessed magic. But you couldn’t tell them that, you couldn’t tell anyone anything about what was to come, not until the first battle against Zarkon had happened.

“Say whatever you’ve gotta say to make yourself feel better. After getting us stuck on the other side of a wormhole!” Keith remarked sarcastically.

“I’ll stick you in a wormhole!” Lance retorted, getting close and personal with Keith’s face.

“Hey! Knock it off you knuckleheads, this isn’t a time to fight!” You shouted, stepping between the two.

“Y/N is right, this is no time to place blame- we have to work as a team!” Shiro added as he came up to the two, giving both a harsh glare. He turned back to the princess. “How long before they arrive?”

“At their speed? Oh, I’d say… Probably a couple of days,” Coran said.

“I’ll bet they’re getting here sooner than that,” you chided as you crossed your arms.

“Let them come!” Allura declared. “By the time they've arrived, you five will have reformed Voltron, and together, we will destroy Zarkon’s empire!”

You were well aware that Allura wasn’t referencing you, but the others. You’d come along with Keith based on your planned events, but you knew you would do enough to limit casualties in the war, on both sides if you planned well enough. For now, playing support by ear was enough. But you had a feeling these next few days were going to be hell, especially if Sendak was arriving.

Arriving on the bridge, Allura stood under the giant crystal to sense the rest of the lions through her life force. Something that had to be explained to the others.

“To keep the Black Lion out of Zarkon’s hands, King Alfor locked it in the castle. It can only be freed if the other four lions are present,” Coran explained. You surmised that King Alfore must’ve done something to the lion or the castle to block out Zarkon’s long-range connection to the Black lion.

“As you have found, the lions choose their pilots. It is a mystical bond and cannot be forced,” Allura said as she explained how the lions chose their paladins. “The quintessence of the pilot is mirrored in his lion. Together, they form something greater than science can explain.” As she finished, she moved her had to move the map.

“The Black Lion is the decisive head of Voltron. It will take a pilot who is a born leader, and in control at all times, someone whose men will follow without hesitation.” The image of the black lion stopped in front of Shiro. “That is why, Shiro, you will pilot the Black Lion.”

She moved her hand again, the image of the Green Lion stopping in front of Pidge.

“The Green Lion had an inquisitive personality and needs a pilot of intellect and daring. Pidge, you will pilot the Green Lion.”

You had to cover your mouth as Lance tried to make some quippy flirtatious note in front of Allura, something about being handsome. Allura simply groaned and rolled her eyes as she moved onto the Yellow Lion.

“The Yellow Lion is caring and kind. Its pilot puts the needs of others above his own. His heart must be mighty” The image of the Yellow Lion stops in front of Hunk. “Hunk, as the leg of Voltron, you will lift the team, and hold them together.” Hunk pointed at himself questioningly.

“The Red Lion is temperamental, and the most difficult to master,” Allura said as the Red Lion’s image appeared between her hands.

“It’s faster and more agile than the others, but also more unstable. Its pilot needs to be someone who relies more on instinct than skill alone. Keith, you will fly the Red Lion. Unfortunately, I cannot locate the lion’s coordinates yet. After ten thousand years, the castle might need some work.”

Allura gave you a pitiful glace but you paid no mind to it. This is something you expected after all. Patience is a virtue, and you need all the time in the world to figure out just what exactly the Blade of Marmora was planning with you.

“Once all the lions are united, you will form Voltron, the most powerful warrior ever known; the Defender of the Universe.”

“We don’t have much time, Pidge and I will go after the Green Lion,” Shiro said. “Lance, you take Hunk and get the yellow one. Keith, you and Y/N stay here. If you locate the Red Lion, go get it.”

“It’s not like the Red Lion fell off the face of the earth. Maybe the Galra have it,” you noted. Everyone gave you concerned looks. “Hey, I’m just saying! That Galra cruiser ship almost found the Blue Lion and took it if we didn’t show up, so that must mean they should’ve picked up the energy signature from somewhere or something already.”

“Realistically, that is an option,” Coran agreed, albeit hesitantly. Reluctantly, Allura agreed as well.

Allura stayed on the bridge, Coran, Shiro, and Pidge headed to the pods while Lance, Hunk, yourself, and Keith headed to the Blue Lion’s bay.

“Are-are you sure I’m supposed to pilot the Yellow Lion?” Hunk asked as he pocketed the device with the coordinates. “What about Y/N? She’s much braver than I am. She could pilot the yellow lion and-”

“Hunk, no,” you said, stopping him mid-sentence. “You heard the princess- the lion is mirrored in their lion. A mystical bond that cannot be forced- did you forget that already?” You chided. The Blue Lion was already waiting and ready for them.

“Hunk, let’s go,” Lance called. You placed a hand on his shoulder, giving a reassuring smile.

“Trust me, you’ll soon realize why you’re such an important part of this team.”

“How can you be so sure? Don’t think I haven’t noticed you’re not as phased as the rest of us are at all this!” Hunk protested. You withdrew your hand.

“I’ve got a gut feeling. Trust me,” you winked as he reluctantly got into the Blue Lion’s mouth.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

After a bit of time, Shiro, Pidge, Hunk, and Lance set off to their respective destinations. Allura powered up the castle, opening wormholes for them.

“We can only keep the wormholes for two of your earth hours, so you’ll have to be quick,” Coran noted. “The good news is, according to these readings, both planets are relatively peaceful. So if you get stuck, they could be relaxing places to live out the rest of your lives. Enjoy the trip!”

The others started giving voices of worry and protest as they started traveling through the wormholes.

As soon as they went through, Coran started working on the castle and you left the bridge. Keith approached you with a worried look on his face as he studied you.

“Don’t tell me you’re getting homesick already,” you chuckled softly as you noticed he was staring at your face.

“Seeing the Blue Lion didn’t phase you as much as the others and I, neither did this castle, the fact that we were chased by an alien warship nor the fact that Allura and Coran have been alive before recorded human history!” You sighed as he stood in front of you, arms crossed in almost a scolding fashion. “Not to mention what you said to Hunk. You sounded so sure.”

“First off, it’s not like I didn’t expect this after the carvings we found and then the giant Blue Lion,” you chuckled. “Second, it’s just a gut feeling, Keith.” His eyes narrowed at your very vague response.

“Your gut feelings are surprisingly accurate.”

“Hey, what can I say?” You shrugged. “It got us this far, didn’t it?” You placed your hands behind your head as you walked off. “I’m gonna go explore the castle. Be back in two hours.”

As you left the bridge, after roaming through a few corridors, you ran into Allura.

“Oh, princess, didn’t see you there.” Allura gave a small chuckle of embarrassment and waved it off.

“It’s nothing. Coran and I are running around trying to get the castle in order,” she smiled. “We haven’t formally met. As the only two women on the team, I find that we should get along just fine. And please, call me Allura.” You let out a small chuckle, not at what she said, but about how wrong she was about there only being two women as Pidge was a woman. But you couldn’t reveal that, she had to do it on her own.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Allura,” you smiled as you shook her hand. As you made contact with her, you could mildly feel some sort of tingling sensation going up your arm, as if two magnets were opposing each other. You pulled your hand away.

“I apologize that I couldn’t give you a more important role on Voltron as there are only five lions,” she said regrettably. You shook her head in jest.

“No, it’s ok. Keith is more of a pilot than I ever was. I studied field medicine and chemistry back on earth, and he’s the more instinctual type. He is a better fit to be a pilot of Voltron,” you smiled, hiding your bittersweetness. “Besides, I can help heal minor injuries so that the use of your healing pods won’t take as long. At least that’s my running theory. You need all the help you can get in this war against the Galra. I’m more than happy to provide my services.”

“That’s good to know. Thank you, Y/N,” Allura smiled.

Chapter Text

As each of the members returned to the Castle, you also returned to the bridge. Hunk and Lance stretched their aching bodies since they had run into trouble while getting the Yellow Lion due to the mining colony that the Galra set up.

“Did we find the Red Lion yet?” Shiro asked.

“Allura just located it. There’s a bit of good news and bad news. The good news is, that the Red Lion is nearby. The bad news is, it’s onboard that Galra ship now orbiting Arus.” Coran’s eyes flashed in realization. “Wait, good news again- we’re Arus!”

“They’re here already?!” Shiro exclaimed. As Coran was stammering, the screen flashed and Sendak soon appeared. Your fists clenched tightly, the first hurdle of your plan was here.

“Princess Allura, this is Commander Sendak of the Galra Empire. I come on behalf of Emperor Zarkon, Lord of the known Universe,” he declared. “I am here to confiscate the lions. Turn them over to me, or I will destroy your planet.”

After Hunk was done freaking out and Allura and Coran assessed potential defensive and offensive systems, plans were shared with the team.

“I say we pop through a wormhole and live to fight another day,” Lance suggested. Hunk, of course, agreed.

“We can’t just abandon Arus!” Pidge protested. “The Galra will keep destroying planets and capturing prisoners until we stop them.”

“Ok, then maybe if we run, Sendak will follow us and leave this planet alone like when we left Earth,” Hunk countered.

“But that general there wasn’t Sendak. I have a feeling that if the cruiser from the other day that chased the Blue Lion was Sendak, all of Earth would be enslaved!” You shouted. Keith agreed.

“He could destroy Arus and come after us either way- staying is our only option.”

“Here’s an option: shut your quiznak,” Lance said as Allura and Coran’s faces went pale.

“I don’t think you’re using that word correctly.”

“What do you know, mullet?” Lance shouted in insult. You quickly stood in front of Keith.

“We’re staying!” You shouted.

“Leaving!” Lance retorted.

“Staying!” Pidge chimed.

“Snake!” Hunk shouted.

“Everyone! Stop!” Shiro shouted. “Princess Allura, these are your lions. You’ve dealt with the Galra Empire before. You know what we’re facing better than any of us. What do you think the the best course of action?”

“I… I don’t know…” She stammered with fear and uncertainty in her voice.

“Perhaps your father can help,” Coran said as Allura gave him a curious glance. They walked off the bridge and towards King Alfor’s artificial intelligence.

“Why the heck do you want to stay here, Y/N? You don’t have to pilot a lion like the rest of us,” Hunk noted. The others remained silent, but you could feel the anger radiating off Keith. You quickly cut him off just as he was about to say something.

“I’m aware of that, but don’t I still have a right to be here too?” You declared, your anger and annoyance rising. Who knew trying to change fate would be this difficult?

“I may not have been chosen by a lion like the rest of you, but I know some help is better than none. I’d rather help you against the Galra Empire and help the rest of you get home, to your families, or would you like to never see Earth again?”

“Hey, cool it,” Keith placed a hand on your shoulder. “You’re taking it too far.” You shrugged off his shoulder, crossing your arms.

“Regardless, we’re all in this together. We need to work together as a team, whether out in the field or playing by ear,” Shiro said. The doors to the bridge opened and Allura came out in a suit with her hair up, looking much more determined than before.

“You paladins were brought here for a reason,” Allura stated. “The Voltron Lions are meant to be piloted by you and you alone. We must fight and keep fighting until we defeat Zarkon. It is our destiny. Voltron is the universe’s only hope. We are the universe’s only hope.”

“We’re with you, Allura,” you stood firm.

Allura brought everyone to the armory. As everyone suited up in their armor, Allura pulled you aside.

“Since you are currently not a pilot but still an integral part of this team, I’ve prepared a separate suit for you. It is similar to mine with violet accents instead of pink. I hope it will be to your liking.”

“Thank you, it will be more than enough, Allura,” you smiled. After everyone was suited, they headed to the center of the room where Allura unlocked the bayards. They started hovering and moving towards their respective paladins.

“The bayard is the traditional weapon of the Paladins of Voltron. It takes a distinct shape for each paladin.” She turned to Shiro.

“Shiro, I’m afraid your bayard was lost with its paladin.” You knew it wasn’t lost, it was with Zarkon. But you kept that to yourself for now.

“I guess I’ll just have to make do,” he gave an understanding smile. They headed back to the main bridge to form a plan. The castle brought up a general picture of Sendak’s battle cruiser.

“You’ll need to retrieve the Red Lion from Sendak’s ship,” Allura stated at the beginning of the plan.

“That’s a pretty big ship,” you murmured.

“How are we gonna know where the Red Lion is?” Keith asked.

“It’s not a matter of we, it’s a matter of you,” Pidge corrected.

“Pidge is right. Once we get you in, you can feel its presence and track it down!” Hunk smiled.

“Yeah!” Lance agreed. “You know how you felt that crazy energy while we were in the desert on Earth? It’s exactly like that mumbo-jumbo.”

“Keith, remember, the Red Lion is extremely temperamental. You’ll have to earn its respect," Allura reminded him.

Shiro placed a hand on Keith’s shoulder, signifying his confidence as he turned to the others to explain the plan.

“The Galra empire knows about the Blue and Yellow Lions, but they don’t know we have the Green Lion, too. Hunk, Lance; you’ll act as a decoy by pretending to give yourselves up; find some way to take down that ion cannon. While Sendak is distracted, Keith, Pidge, Y/N, and I will sneak onto the ship in the Green Lion. Keith and I will find the Red Lion while Pidge and Y/N guard our exit.” The others nodded in agreement with the plan.

“Any questions?”

Chapter Text

Once fitted with a jetpack, you grabbed your spear, attaching it to your thigh, and headed into the Green Lion with Shiro, Keith, and Pidge while Lance and Hunk left the castle first to draw Sendak’s attention. As soon as Hunk and Lance were within sight of Sendak’s ship, Pidge piloted the Green Lion to the entry point near the ship's rear, using her bayard to make an opening.

Once inside, the four of you headed into the halls of the ship and Shiro seems to have remembered something.

“I’ve been here before.” He looked down the hall the four of you were currently standing in. “After I was taken by the Galra cruiser off Kerberos, they brought us here.”

“Then, that means the rest of your crew is here! We-We gotta go save them!” Pidge declared.

“Pidge, we don’t have the time for that. What we’re doing is already dangerous enough as it is and we can’t just let Hunk and Lance fend off Sendak’s forces forever!” You protested. “We need to get the Red Lion and get back to Arus.”

“But we can’t just leave prisoners here!” She said angrily at you.

“Look, no one understands that more than me, but in war we have to make hard choices,” Shiro said firmly, turning his back to keep going. “Let’s get moving.”

“No!” She protested, her face falling with anger and sadness. “Commander Holt is my father. He and my brother were the ones on the Kerberos Mission with you.”

Keith and Shiro’s eyes widened and you could tell that Shiro saw Pidge as Katie, Commander Holt’s daughter. Of course, you knew that, but Keith was already catching onto you, so you had to play the dumb card.

“Commander Holt is your father?” Shiro asked.

“Yes. I’ve been searching everywhere for him and my brother and I’m not going to give up when I’m this close. I won’t!” Pidge protested.

“Pidge, they might not even be on Sendak’s ship!” You hissed. “If anything, they’re probably somewhere closer to a much larger and bigger part of the Galra empire, say, I dunno, in the middle of Zarkon’s base?!” You snipped with sarcasm which she didn’t take too well as the two of you started glaring at each other.

“Hey, cool it,” Keith warned as he noticed your rising temper, pulling you back by your shoulder. You took a deep breath and muttered a small apology.

“Sorry…”

“I’m coming with you,” Shiro said as he stepped towards Pidge.

“What?” Keith asked, confused.

“I remember where the prisoners are held.” Shiro turned to you and Keith. “The two of you, go find the Red Lion.”

“What does that mean?”

“Minor change of plans. You’ll be fine, just remember: patience yields focus so-” The doors on the other side of the hallway opened as you all heard sentries coming this way. “Run.”

Shiro took off with Pidge while you followed Keith’s heels. He stopped in the middle of a fork in the halls and veered left when he heard the oncoming sentry footsteps to the right. However, turn after turn, each one looked the same and exactly the wrong path that eventually led you back to where you started.

“Agh!” He groaned. “ You gotta be kidding me!” You place a hand on his shoulder, like what he does for you when your temper starts to flare up.

“Keith, patience yields focus,” you said, reminding him of Shiro’s words. He took a few breaths in and nodded.

“You’re right, you're right.” He closed his eyes, taking deep breaths. “Patience yields focus…” After a few brief moments, he opened his eyes and turned around with a triumphant smirk on his face.

“Gotcha.” You both started running down the correct hallway now.

As Keith started running down the hallway, you checked the Earth clock on a hologram that appeared off your wrist. Shiro and Pidge should’ve made it to the prisoner cell and freed the aliens, which should be on their way to the Castle soon.

After turning a few more hallways, you and Keith eventually entered a rear cargo bay where the Red Lion was being held. Running right up to it, Keith put his hand on the forcefield.

“Let’s get out of here. Open up,” he said. There was silence and he creased his eyebrows in confusion.

“It’s me, Keith. Your buddy.” Still no response.

“It’s me! Keith I- I am your paladin!” He said slowly. You couldn't help but stifle a laugh as he glared at you out of the corner of his eye. Suddenly, sentries started firing at you and Keith threw up his shield to protect you both.

“I’m bonding with you!” He shouted again at the Red Lion. “Hey! Come on! We’re connected!”

Giving up, he drew his bayard and you activated your spear and charged to fight the sentries.

“You’re not getting this lion!” He shouted, cutting a few of them down.

Where you lacked in strength, you made up for speed, easily piercing several of the sentries through the chest. One caught you off guard, using its blaster to tase you. You let out a scream and fell to the ground, the sentries pointing their blasters at you.

Keith was knocked to the ground near the control panel of the cargo doors and got an idea. He looked at you and you activated your helmet before he slammed on the hatch’s button, causing the alarm to activate and the doors opened beneath the two of you. However, you failed to latch onto something and were flung out with the cargo and sentries.

You were panting heavily as your body spun throughout space, not knowing which way was back to Sendak’s ship, the Green Lion or the Castle. All of a sudden, you hear a roar and the Red Lion catching you in its mouth, depositing you into the cargo bay of the lion.

“Hey, you good?” A voice from the front said. Groggily, you got up and made your way to the cockpit with a smile on your face.

“Keith, nice catch,” you sighed as you eased up. He glanced back at you over your shoulder as he piloted the Red Lion back to Arus after meeting back up with Pidge and Shiro in the Green Lion.

“You guys made it!” Hunk exclaimed over the coms as he saw the Green and Red Lions fly over him.

“Red Lion is secure!” You announced happily.

“Let’s get the heck outta here!” Lance said as he and Hunk followed suit.

“I hope I stopped that cannon, I could barely make a dent in it,” Hunk commented.

You all returned to the castle, Keith offloading you from the Red Lion and Pidge offloading Shiro from the Green after putting the prisoners rescued from Sendak’s ship into the cryo-replenishers to heal.

Using the Castle’s PA system, Allura guided the others to the Black Lion’s bay door, while you and Shiro took the alternate hallways to it. While walking, Shiro had been looking at you the entire time, with something weighing heavily on his mind.

“I really should say something, that I don’t think-”

“No, I deserve to be here as much as any of you do,” you said as you cut Shiro off. “I may not be Altaean, or a pilot to a Voltron Lion, but I can still be of use. I’m not going back to Earth, Shiro.” A moment of silence stood between you two as Shiro seemed to study your stone-cold and fearless expression.

“You’re hiding something.” That made you pause for a moment as you sighed. “That’s what I wanted to say. Everything that has happened, on Earth especially- the way you and Keith seem to just connect doesn’t sit well with me. I know him well enough.”

“I can’t tell you anything right now, it would ruin everything we’d be trying to save: the universe,” you gave him a determined expression. “When you’ve become one with your lion in every way, I’ll tell you then, but until such a time happens, we keep moving forward.”

“Y/N-”

“Shiro,” you instantly shot back. “I promise you, when the time is right, when certain things have passed, I will tell you. Just trust me, please,” you pleaded.

“And Keith?” He said. “That’s what I was going to ask; what about Keith?” Your face fell sullen at his question.

While you did see Keith initially as a tool to get you closer to team Voltron and your ultimate goals, he’d become more than just a character you liked within a show. Everything was personal and real because you were now real in this universe. Now your responsibility was to minimize the damage the future could cause.

That is what you have determined you were brought here for and it is what you will fight for.

“He will know in due time as well, everyone will…” You walked forward. “Come on, your lion is waiting for you, leader.”

Chapter Text

After the team defeated Sendak’s ship by successfully forming Voltron for the first time, morning rose on a new dawn. You’d already begun your morning routine, changing into the suit that Allura gave you and holstering your spear to your thigh.

After making some notes in your notebook with the invisible ink pen, you firmly shut the book and hid it away so that even the mice couldn’t find it. You didn’t need them to sell you out to Allura. You glanced at the alarm clock on your vanity. 6:59 am.

“Three… Two… One…” The alarms blared, and Allura’s voice came over the speakers. You ran out of your room, following the others as they stumbled out of their rooms one by one. Eventually, Coran’s overdramatic voice also came over the speakers as you all filtered in through the bridge’s doors. Lance was nowhere to be found.

“Coran, it’s over,” Allura sighed as she saw the five of you standing there. Coran let out fake tears.

“Oh yes, if only Voltron had been formed!” He quickly stood up, tossing the device in his hands. “O-Oh! Time!”

“So I guess this isn’t an actual attack,” Shiro noted as the alarm stopped and the screens went black.

“And it’s a good thing it wasn’t because it took you- Coran?”

“75 degrees!” He paused and looked at the device in his hands again. “Ah, no, sorry- this is a meat thermometer!” He laughed.

“However long it was, it was too long,” Allura chided. “You must always be ready to do battle with Zarkon. Look at you! Only Shiro and Y/N are in uniform! Keith, Pidge, Hunk- where are your bayards? And where is Lance?”

At that moment, the bridge’s doors opened to reveal Lance, freshly woken up with a clean face in all blue pajamas and Blue Lion slippers with what you could only assume was juice in his hands.

“Good morning, everybody. What’s going on?” He yawned as he walked in.

“Coran and I have been up for hours getting the Castle back in order. We had to run a test on the alarms, so we decided to test you as well. Guess which one failed.” She glared at Lance.

As the conversation continued, you figured this was the training filler episode, and then afterward, the monster that Shiro fought in the gladiator ring would show up as their first official test.

As Allura sent everyone off to their Lions, you left the bridge and headed to the training deck. It was big, for sure, and the perfect place for you to do some solo training before the others came inside after Allura ran her “diagnostic test” by using the paladins as targets to try and bait them into forming Voltron through combat.

“Uhm… Combat level one?” You announced. There was a beep as an android with a staff powered up. You were nervous, remembering that when Allura set the android on the Paladins, she put it to a level “fit for an Altean child.” You took a battle stance, unhooking your spear and turning it on. It was still a work in progress but it would have to do for now.

The android charged for you, swiftly unleashing a series of piercing attacks you barely dodged and parried with your spear. It was fast; no wonder Keith almost died when the castle went haywire.

Well, as you guessed, things will go haywire in a couple of days after the Arusian appears, probably soon.

You barely kept up with the mech as most of the sparing you performed with Keith was close-ranged or hand-to-hand combat. Time to try offensive.

Pressing a button on your spear, you activated the spearhead as it sparked with electricity and clashed with the android. You used it as a pole vault as you landed a couple of kicks to its main body, which was quickly followed up by jamming the spearhead into the torso, the android fizzling out as you finished.

“Ok, so that’s how that works,” you panted softly as you took a deep breath. All of a sudden, your spear started to fizzle and sputter before finally popping out. You dropped it quickly to avoid the sparks flying onto you and covered your face so it would reach your eyes. After it settled down, you groaned softly as you saw the buttons around the middle of the spear start to smoke.

“No, no! Damn it… Sendak will be here soon…” You murmured as you picked it up, trying to think of a way to fix this.

Then it dawned on you- Sendak’s ship! You figured with his downed ship, there ought to be some tech from the destroyed sentries and the litany of artillery in the ruins and you’d probably need to go now.

Rushing out of the training room, you left your broken weapon in your room, grabbed a backpack and your helmet, and headed to find Coran, who was checking on the prisoners in the med bay.

“Coran, is there a spare hoverbike or speeder I can use?” You asked.

“Yes, a speeder! But I don’t know what this “hoverbike” you speak of is.”

“Ah- never mind. I need to borrow it. Where is it?”

“Come! I’ll show you!” He smiled as he led you.

After taking off in the direction of where Sendak’s ship landed, you see the lions heading in after the particle barrier was taken down. Half the day was over, you didn’t have much time before the first ro-beast would come crashing down on the ship’s ruins.

After parking the speeder just outside the ruined ship, you scanned what you could and had it analyzed for patterns matching weaponry. It seemed some were still intact so you headed through the back half of the ship that was buried into the ground. It was dark, so you activated the headlight on your helmet and walked your way through.

“If I didn’t know I was in a different universe, I would think this place was haunted by dead Galra soldiers or something,” you mumbled as you pried open some doors. With a smile, you saw several weapons, a few still intact as well as sentry parts!

“Maybe I should’ve brought a bigger bag. Oh well.” You started digging through some of the tech. Your helmet was a great help to identify which pieces were still usable. You also siphoned off a few energy cores that powered the sentries. You hoped that all this would be enough to rebuild and improve your spear. Trial and error since you didn’t exactly understand the mechanics of everything, but you’ll make it work! Asking Pidge wouldn’t be such a bad idea either since this was technically a modification project.

With a near-exploding bag, you left the rubble and headed back to the speeder as the sun started going down. Leaving the bag in your closet and dressing in more casual clothing, you walked into the dining hall when Coran had chained all the Paladins together. You couldn’t help but laugh.

“What is this?” You smiled as you sat down in front of your plate of goo.

“Y/N! You’re just in time to witness the final bonding exercise of the day.”

“And what exactly is it?” You grinned, glancing at Keith who gave you a scowl of annoyance in return.

“This one’s a classic. You get to feed each other, like a pack of yalmore!” He seemed happy about that.

You smiled and ate your food as the paladins struggled to try and feed, or at least eat, while they were chained together like this. All the while, you felt a subtle twinge, a dark pressure in your body. It could be Haggar, preparing the beast to attack the paladins, but how could you feel it? Before Coran could inquire why your face was frozen, staring at the paladin food he made, some of the food was thrown at Pidge by Allura. You gasped softly as you stared at them. Here we go…

“Go loose, Pidge!” Keith shouted as he and Pidge picked up a plate and threw it at Coran and Allura, coating them in it. You were just barely able to hide behind your chair before the wave of goo made its way over. Now it’s on.

“Hey, what the heck!?” You shouted. Hunk fired some food at the three of you out of his mouth, coating you.

Picking up a spoon and plate, you joined Coran and Allura in attacking the Paladins. Defense, attack, and parry; you all fought with fervor. By the time it was over, there was food goo everywhere, everyone was exhausted.

“Enough!” Allura exclaimed, causing the room to fall silent. “Don’t you see what you’re doing? You’re finally working together as one!” She smiled happily.

“Hey, she’s right!” Keith smiled as he turned to Lance.

“I actually don’t hate you right now,” the blue paladin responded.

“You guys thinking what I’m thinking right now?” Hunk asked with a grin on his face.

“Let’s go form Voltron!” Shiro exclaimed.

“I was actually thinking of food, but- Yeah! Let’s go form Voltron!” Hunk smiled.

After a bit of cleaning, the paladins formed Voltron. You timed it in your head, the whole process taking about 3 minutes. Guess the whole transformation sequence was necessary after all. You thought it was instantaneous in some bright flash of light or something.

Either way, it’ll begin soon.

Chapter Text

As the paladins came back one by one after some training, Pidge, and Shiro headed off to the infirmary area while Hunk made a proper meal for everyone with Coran in toe due to the fact he wanted a retry on the last “paladin lunch”. Lance waited in the dining hall while Keith headed to the rooms, knocking on your door.

“Hey, we’re back from training.” You gasped and quickly put your book under a pillow just before he walked in. “What’s up?”

“Keith, hey,” you greeted. “You guys eat?”

“Hunk is making us some actual food as opposed to whatever… Thing, Coran wants us to try this time,” He shuddered in disgust a little. “What’re you up to?”

“My spear,” you sighed as you gestured to the array of parts in front of you. It was littered with all sorts of tech you pulled off the gala ship as well as some tools. “I’m trying to fix it with technology and stuff I pulled from Sendak’s crashed ship since it blew while I was in the training hall. Hopefully, with this Galra tech, it’ll be an improvement at least.” You pulled your goggles down from your forehead and continued working, the goggles allowing you to zoom in and analyze some pieces.

“I was able to get some help from Pidge last night since all this tech stuff confuses me.” You heard Keith chuckle as he sat in front of you, looking at a discarded sentry part.

“You’re able to handle human anatomy, science, and chemistry, but not engineering? You’re confusing, you know that?”

“Hey, I’m not a tech whiz!” You retorted softly. “To me, chemistry feels more like an art than a science, and as for the anatomy, who else was gonna heal after all those fights back at the Garrison?” You chuckled and he smiled at you.

“Take a break, I’m sure you’ve been working all morning like we have.” You took a deep sigh, rubbing your eyes as you looked at your half-completed spear.

“Thanks, but I’m gonna go check in with Pidge and the prisoners, and see if they can tell us anything about the Galra Empire.” You plugged your spear into your computer to run some diagnostic tests while you were out.

As you passed the red paladin, he couldn’t help but worry about you. You’ve been pushing yourself hard since day one back at the Garrison, both physically and intellectually. And now, adding on the task of trying to defeat a universe-conquering alien race, he was worried about your mind's state.

After Keith headed into the dining hall, his mind filled with questions, you ran into Shiro and Pidge.

“Hey, did the prisoners wake up?” You asked them, obviously knowing the answer.

“Yes, but that’s not important right now. You’ve been to Sendak’s destroyed ship; does it work?” Pidge asked.

“No, there’s no power. I only went there for parts and Galra tech to fix my spear. Why?”

“We want to see if we can access a prisoner’s log from the destroyed ship to find my brother since he was separated from Shiro.”

“Shiro’s hand should be able to power the main console.” You checked your watch. “We need to do this now.”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

You rode in the Black Lion with Shiro after having entered the coordinates to Sendak’s ship from the speeder you borrowed. You noticed Shiro turned off his coms.

“What’s with the sense of urgency? We could’ve waited for the others to come back from the Arusian village.” You grit your teeth a little.

“Shiro, I understand you don’t like that I’m hiding secrets, but they’re secrets I have to keep for what I have planned to succeed.”

“So you can’t even tell me what’s going to happen next.” You wanted to just jump out of the Black Lion right now and allow the Ro-Beast to crush him, but that’s beside the point

“Fine.” You checked your watch again. “Something is going to crash into Sendak’s downed ship. I want to do this now instead of in the next 15 minutes so that Pidge can get more info off his ship instead of just half.”

You, Shiro, and Pidge all made it inside the rubble of the crashed ship, taking them to where the main bridge would’ve been. Shiro powered his hand, placing it on the console. Just as you remembered, it powered up and Pidge started downloading the intel.

“You’ve got ten minutes, Pidge.” You pulled up a hologram scanner from your gauntlet as you scanned the atmosphere above you. Zooming out, you did a pinpoint guess of where the Ro-Beast is. After five minutes passed, the Ro-Beast pod appeared and you saw that she had at least 75% percent of the intel, more than 50%.

“We need to go!” You shouted, pointing up at the sky as you ran to them.

“No, I am not leaving without this information!” Pidge said adamantly.

“Too bad! I wasn’t asking.” You took a broken pipe and shoved Shiro’s robotic hand away from the controls, smashing the console. Shiro picked up Pidge over your shoulder after seeing the Ro-Beast pod was getting closer, treating her like a potato sack as you quickly flew out of the ship with Shiro on your tail.

“No, Y/N, my father-”

“Run!” Shiro shouted as the pod started to get closer. As it crashed into the ruined ship, the Green and Black lions protected the three of you from the incoming debris while you and Shiro protected Pidge.

“Our lions just saved us,” Shiro said as the dust settled.

“I didn’t know they could do that,” Pidge added as she turned to the Ro-Beast pod. “Uhm, guys…”

The giant pod opened to reveal the gladiator Ro-Beast, it was activated as soon as the antenna went up.

“Pidge, get in your lion! Y/N, take my speeder and head back to the castle, we’ll cover for you,” Shiro said. You quickly got in the speeder, heading back to the castle as the ground shook with the battle. You see the orb land in a mountain as you look outside the window, chunks of rocks flying towards you, cutting it too close.

After you made it back to the castle, you checked in with Allura and Coran who were at the village just as the Paladins defeated the Ro-Beast. Now it was time to tackle a new problem.

Sendak.

Chapter Text

The party with the Arusians had already begun, but you were still holed up in your room putting the final pieces of your spear together. It’s gone through many trials in the few days since defeating the robeast as you’ve been sparring with the androids in the training hall non-stop. After putting the power core in, you ran another diagnostic test and the spear was successfully powered!

“Yes!” You exclaimed happily, pressing a button to compact the spear again. You attached it to your thigh and headed out to the party. After seeing Pidge with her backpack walking to the pods, you realize that the attack is going to happen just after she preps one to go.

You headed outside just as you saw the cloaked drone headed towards the crystal in the bridge. As much as you hated what was going to happen next, it was the only way to make Pidge stay and make her realize she was meant for this team, a canon event that was irreversible lest it have unforeseen consequences.

A canon event was what you decided to call unavoidable or significant turning events in the story, which were many. Before you could call an event “canon”, you went through every possible alternative scenario as well as the future consequences changing the event might have on the future either directly or indirectly with the paladins.

Thankfully the only thing that connected the paladins to earth was Sendak, and since that failed, you’d need to be prepared to face him as well as Admiral Sanda’s eventual double-crossing. But that was about five years from now, already including the battle between Voltron and Prince Lotor’s Sincline mech in the rips in space.

Shiro was with Allura, Hunk, and Keith in the main hall where the Arusians were.

“I see Pidge is trying to leave to find his father and brother,” you noted. Shiro gave you a wary glance.
“Come on, I know you don’t take me for a fool, Shiro. The fact that he has a backpack and is heading towards the pods right after decrypting the data and from what the prisoners said? It’s not that hard to deduce.” He held his tongue as if you were right, but the look he gave you said otherwise.

“Your observation and timing skills are something else, Y/N. Intuitive, I might add.” Allura complimented. A loud boom shook the castle, the Arusians running and screaming as the power went offline. Everyone quickly ran to the bridge, Pidge joining you all along the way.

“The crystal!” Allura exclaimed. “Lance!”

As the dust cleared, you saw Lance on the ground, the several wounds and deep cuts along his body, especially along his face, were bleeding as some crystal shards were embedded in his skin. Shiro checked up on Coran who was in better shape thanks to Lance using his body as a shield.

You took a step back as you couldn’t tear your eyes away from Lance’s unconscious and battered body. Everything went out of focus and the conversations around you faded until there was only ringing in your ears. It was then you realized the stark difference between reality and an animated series.

Censorship.

Voltron is considered a kid’s show after all, so the drastic difference from the show’s scrapes, burns, and bruises don’t apply to what would otherwise be a real world.

This was all real.

You were in this universe now and real-life rules apply.

Lance was bleeding right in front of you, but this was different from the Garrison’s field training. Everything was so different it-

“Y/N, hey! Snap out of it!” Keith shook you back to reality. “Get a grip! We need your help right now!”

You realize your breathing has become erratic, your body trembling. Everyone was looking at you out of concern and pleading for you to aid Lance.

“R-Right, sorry.” You quickly shook your head, slapping your cheeks a couple of times to calm yourself down as you quickly slid next to Lance. You took out the small medkit you carried on hand, slipped on some gloves, and got to work. You took out a small flashlight, peeling back his eyelids carefully as you shone them over his eyes to get a pupillary response.

“Pupils are equal and reactive. He’s breathing, but unconscious, and his pulse is rapid but that’s normal. The head laceration looks superficial; I don’t think it’ll leave a scar.”

You quickly analyzed Lance’s condition as you started removing the crystal shards from his face and neck with tweezers. You then cleaned and disinfected his wounds, wrapping them in bandages to prevent further infection.

“The crystal shards don’t seem to have nicked any major arteries, thankfully. His armor protected his body from most of the damage, so I don’t think I’ll have to worry about internal bleeding, but I’m worried he might have a nasty concussion and possibly ruptured eardrums because he wasn’t wearing his helmet. But we still have to get him to the infirmary for him to properly heal.”

“Don’t you have anything stronger that’ll stabilize his condition further?” Hunk asked worriedly as he helped Coran stand.

“There’s only so much I can carry to the field without it interfering with my combat or mobility skills. Everything else I have is in my room, and with the castle out of power-”

“It’s essentially locked away,” Shiro finished. The King of the Arusians ran into the bridge as you wrapped Lance’s forehead and neck, securing gauze on the worst of places.

“Lion warriors! Our village is under attack! We need help!”

“Let’s get to the lions,” Keith declared.

“You can’t,” Allura countered. “They’re sealed in the hangars. There’s no way to get them out. We’re defenseless.”

“Will you not help us?” The king asked in a nervous and frightened tone as he looked at everyone.

As the others came up with a plan, you quickly checked on Coran who was being held up with Hunk’s assistance. After making sure he was ok, he ran off with Hunk after Pidge said she had prepared a pod before the power shut off so they could go get a crystal from a Balmera.

“I’ll go see what’s happening in the Arusian village,” Keith said and Allura went to go with him.

“Y/N will tend to Lance and we’ll stand watch over the castle,” Shiro said as he picked up Lance bridal style.

“Allura, wait!” You ran up to her, getting as close as you needed to whisper. “Allow the mice to help you, the coms with Pidge aren’t a secret.”

“What?” She looked at you with confusion and was about to ask a follow-up question when Keith called out to her. She took off.

Following Shiro, you both headed to the front gates of the castle. The both of you stopped as you saw Sendak, his right hand and a few sentries approach the castle with their crystal. Shiro put Lance down as the two of you rushed outside.

“Stand aside,” Sendak declared.

“No, you’re not getting in,” Shiro said as he powered up his hand. You drew your spear, activating it to its full length with the tip becoming electrified. You saw his right hand, Haxus, draw his sword. Looks like you would have to face him. And this wouldn’t be pretty.

“Yes, I am.” Shiro and Sendak started fighting and you made your move as well.

You rushed towards Haxus at full speed, gripping your spear tightly. You quickly made some jabs at him, hoping to catch him off balance but to no avail. He either dodged them or parried them away with his blade, then sent a swift roundhouse kick knocking you back a few feet. You barely had the chance to stand up when he lunged an attack on you, forcing you to block it with your spear.

You felt the sweat roll from your forehead as the muscles in your arms strained, shaking to hold the defensive position as you were still down on one knee.

“Breaking a sweat already?” Haxus mocked as you grit your teeth. You quickly swung your spear, the bottom end hitting the side of his knee to throw him off and the electrified spearhead to his side to send a shock through him. You quickly gave distance between the two of you as you heard a loud boom from behind you, seeing Shiro knocked back from Sendak’s massive robotic arm.

“Shiro!” You shouted. The hum of a blade bore behind you as you quickly turned.

“Never take your eye off your opponent!” Haxus shouted. You tried to quickly skid back and held your spear up to block his attack, but he hit lower as he thrust his blade, causing it to cut your suit and leaving a gash on your side.

You gasped and clutched your left side, seeing and feeling the warm blood trickle out of you. It stung to say the damn least.

Haxus was swift, sending another blow to you and causing you to slide against the castle floor right next to Lance. You stood and held your spear up again as you heard the fight between Shiro and Sendak rage on behind you.

“Tch, stubborn aren’t you?” Haxus said in annoyance as you reached into your small med-pack.

“What? Don’t tell me you’re gonna give up already?” You grinned cheekily as you bit down on a quick-acting painkiller.

You and Haxus continued the fight, but the sudden injury slowed your movements even with the painkiller. Haxus used that to his advantage, sending another kick but right on the wound as you slammed into the wall, dropping your spear. Your ears ring and your head spun as he gripped you by the back of your suit, throwing you in front of Shiro. He was in a locked position against Sendak, their respective robotic arms pulsating with energy as they were pointed at one another’s throats. The sentries dropped Lance’s unconscious body next to yours as Haxus held the blade of his sword to your throat.

“Surrender or your friends won’t make it!” He shouted at Shiro. He turned to look at you with a concerned expression. At that moment, Sendak knocked him out cold, his body sliding towards you and Lance. You glare at Sendak as he lets out a triumphant grin.

“Voltron is ours.”

Two sentries dragged Shiro and Lance’s unconscious bodies while you were made to walk, the tip of Haxus’ blade pointed at your back. You glanced up at the upper balcony, seeing Pidge flee with Rover the drone in her arms. Everything was happening as it should, and right now, Allura and Keith must’ve realized the attack on the Arusian village was a ruse to thin the castle defenses.

You just needed to wait now.

Chapter Text

You, Shiro, and Lance were fitted with handcuffs and shoved into the bridge with Lance and Shiro’s bodies landing on either side of you with a thump. The sentries placed the crystal on the bridge and connected the power cords.

“Power up the castle,” Sendak said as Haxus went to the front control panel to activate the power. The castle came alive with an eerie purple color as the security footage of the lions appeared on the screen.

“The lions are all in their bays,” Sendak smiled. “Raise particle barrier. Begin launch sequence.”

Haxus activated the barrier, knowing Keith and Allura would be trapped outside. You just hoped she’d take her words to heart and stay off the coms and use the mice instead as you didn’t want to see Pidge get hurt in front of you.

“Make contact with Emperor Zarkon.” Haxus opened a communication line and Zarkon’s face appeared on the screen. You swallowed your nervousness. He certainly was intimidating even on screen…

“Sendak.”

“My mission is complete. I’ve captured the Altean castle along with all of the Voltron Lions. I am currently preparing for launch and will be delivering them all to you shortly,” Sendak reported.

“This news is most pleasing. You have done your duty. Vrepit Sa!”

“Vrepit Sa,” Sendak held his right fist to his chest as he responded as the call disconnected. “Haxus, ready the castle for takeoff!”

“Yes, commander.”

Your body was starting to get colder, or hotter? You couldn’t tell from your vision becoming blurry. The painkillers helped you stay awake at least, but you can’t tell how much time has passed and you can barely hear your surroundings, but you were able to hear a few things.

“We have a saboteur. Find him and take him out,” Sendak said.

Seems like they’ve found Pidge.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

You guessed another few hours pass by and you hear some shuffling beside you. The sentries quickly took notice of Shiro and he was able to regain consciousness and get to his knees. You nodded behind you, intending that there were guards other than the two Galra soldiers in front of you.

“Haxus, I want whoever’s in this ship found and terminated!” Sendak shouted.

“Commander Sendak, I’ve tapped into a transmission that’s generating from somewhere inside,” Haxus responded as you hear Allura and Pidge’s voices in conversation through the speakers in the bridge.

“Find that room. Kill the paladin!” Sendak ordered as the sentries headed off. “Emperor Zarkon has commanded us to bring him Voltron. This ship will rise before day’s end.”

“Pidge…” Shiro groaned weakly. He glanced at you, seeing the blood making a small puddle beneath your kneeling form. “Y/N, you’re-”

“I’m aware, Shiro…” You whispered. “Haxus’ doing I’m afraid. The painkiller I took earlier is what’s been keeping me from passing out from sheer pain this whole time.”

“Where are Allura and Keith?”

“Still stuck outside the particle barrier. Allura was trying to talk Pidge through how to shut off the barrier, but Sendak already tapped into the transmission and sent sentries her way. Haxus is trying to reboot the main generator so they can bring the castle and the lions to Zarkon. But it won’t work since Pidge will override the generator and kill Haxus.”

Before Shiro could ask what you meant, there was a soft rumbling beneath you followed by some static.

“Haxus, report in,” Sendak ordered from the ship controls.

“Haxus is gone, and you’re next!” Pidge’s voice shouts through the coms.

“You slowed me down, but this ship is mine!” Sendak said as he walked over to you and Shiro. “You will turn yourself over to me immediately!”

“Never!”

“Well then maybe your leader can convince you.” Sendak charged his robotic arm with electricity as the black paladin glared at the Galra commander.

“What do you want?”

“Your friend wanted to hear from you,” Sendak grinned as he brought his hand closer to Shiro’s chest. As it made contact, hundreds of volts of electricity shot through Shiro, making him scream. You turned to the console, taking in as much air as your body would allow.

“Pidge, don’t listen to him!” You shouted as Shiro screamed as he was electrified again.

“You can make it stop. Turn yourself in. His suffering is in your hands.” Sendak leered, his arm poised to electrocute the black paladin again.

“In your dreams, you dirtwipe!” You took out a scalpel you had in your field med kit, brought your arms out from behind you by bringing it forward under your legs, and hurled it at the main control panel. You had aimed and hit the bottom part where the wires were.

Luckily it was just deep enough to cut some wires, causing the panel’s power to fizzle out. You grinned in triumph but it didn’t last long as Sendak kicked you, causing your body to be slammed into the stairs leading to the central controls. Your consciousness hung on by a thread as your body rolled down the few steps, your back lying on the ground.

“What a pest. Do you think that will stop me?!” Sendak spat.

“Y/N!” Shiro exclaimed. He screamed as he was shocked again, his body slumped.

“I’m surprised you managed to escape the prisons and your little friend still has the strength to make a move like that,” Sendak said. Oh great, a villain monologue. Just what you needed.

“Perhaps it would be worth the trip to your planet to see if the rest of your kind have your spirit. Of course, they will all end up broken, just like you. Now that we have Voltron, every planet, every race, all share the same fate.”

Not long after his little speech, you hear a deactivating hum from outside the castle. Allura must’ve used the mice to deactivate the particle barrier. Almost time…

Sendak looked outside to the main bridge to see Pidge’s hologram and started to run after it. Pidge herself ran into the bridge, kneeling in front of Shiro who was also barely conscious at this point. Your body was in too much pain to warn Pidge that Sendak knew about the hologram trick.

“Shiro, Y/N, wake up. It’s me Pidge- AH!” She was grabbed by Sendak’s mechanical arm, suspended in the air as he started to slowly tighten his grip on her body.

“You thought your little hologram trick would work with me?” He questioned angrily. The sound of running footsteps approached as Allura and Keith came into the bridge, Pidge activating his bayard to a sword. You see Lance start to regain consciousness, his bayard turning into a blaster in his hand as he aimed at Sendak.

“Stand back!” Sendak threatened as he held up Pidge in front of them. A blaster shot rang out as it hit Sendak, causing him to drop Pidge.

Lance fainted as Shiro got up and ran towards him. Keith was able to land some blows before being thrown, allowing Pidge to use her bayard to disconnect the energy line from Sendak’s shoulder to the rest of his arm. Allura ran past them, using some of the controls.

“No!” Sendak exclaimed as he continued to attack. Even with Pidge’s bayard shocking him, he was still able to stand, blocking Keith’s sword. You quickly stood up, crouching down behind Sendak as you gave Keith a knowing nod. Just as Allura activated the barrier around the central controls, Keith kicked him in, trapping Sendak with the Galra crystal.

Soon, Pidge cut the handcuffs off you and Shiro as Keith went to help Lance up. You let out a small chuckle as you can feel the pain start to burn like fire again. The painkillers are wearing off…

“Y/N are you- Y/N!” Keith exclaimed as he rushed to catch you so you wouldn’t hit the ground as you fainted from the pain and blood loss. The worried voice around you started to fade as you blacked out.

Chapter Text

It was dark, you could feel your body; weightless as it went through nothingness. You opened your eyes, seeing two opposing forces, dark magic, and light blue energy. It was as if Komar magic and Altean essence clashing against one another.

You opened your eyes fully now, as both energies were absorbed into your body, causing pain from inside your heart. You clutched it as your body fell to an invisible ground, a reflection appearing on your face.

A mix of yellow and purple iris colors appeared in your reflection, your chair changed to a light lavender color and small v-shaped sharp Altean markings appeared on your face in a similar color.

You gasped, touching your reflection in worry and curiosity. Your left wrist burned as you reeled back from your reflection. As you held it up, it was the Blade of Marmora birthmark symbol.

It seems whatever was happening to you was growing more volatile, time wasn’t on your side.

Answers were definitely needed.

- - Third POV - -
Allura, Coran, and the other paladins were in the infirmary watching time tick by as they waited for you and Lance to heal fully. Some, like Keith, were getting impatient.

“I can’t tell if they look healthy or not…” Hunk said as he and the others looked closely at the pods.

“I think Lance is breathing weirdly,” Pidge guessed as she pressed her face against the glass of Lance’s pod.

“Oh, come on!” Keith groaned as he was about to tap on your pod. Allura gently slapped his hand away.

“Not yet! Just a few more ticks.”

“How much better do you think they’ll get in a few more ticks?” Keith whined. Your pod beeped, the heart rate going up as your eyebrows furrowed.

“Is she ok?” Shiro asked.

“Sometimes the healing pods can cause involuntary brainwaves,” Coran answered.

“Anyway, what exactly is a tick?” Pidge asked.

“You know, a time slice,” Allura said.

“Like a second?” Shiro asked this time.

“What is a “second”?” Allura answered with a question of her own. Pidge dug through her pockets, producing a human clock and holding it up to Allura.

“Hmm, I’m not sure. I think ticks are bigger. Coran, do you have a ticker?”

“Right here, Princess!” Coran said as he held it up.

“I think ticks are a little slower,” Hunk guessed as he focused on the ticker.

“I can’t tell,” Pidge said as she looked between the two time-measuring devices. “We have to start them at the same time.”

“Okay. Ready, go!” Coran said as they started at the same time. Everyone gathered around to watch.

“Yes! I think we’re winning!” Hunk exclaimed as they watched a… Whatever it was.

“Winning what? The intergalactic time-measuring competition?” Keith chided. Lance’s pod opened up, but no one noticed.

“Yes.”

“You guys having a clock party?” Lance asked groggily as he interrupted and startled the group.

“Aw, Lance, you just ruined it,” Hunk grumbled then realized as he hugged his now conscious friend. “Hey, Lance!”

“What happened?” He asked, still groggy.

“We can tell you all about it while you get something to eat. Are you able to walk?” Allura asked as she and some others left the infirmary. Keith looked at your pod, wondering why you haven’t woken up either…

“She’ll wake up when she’s fully healed,” Shiro reassured Keith, putting a hand on the red paladin’s shoulder.

“You didn’t see her, Shiro. She-”

“Is a strong individual,” Shiro interrupted. “And you didn’t see her either, how she fought Sendak’s right hand head-on, even after getting that major wound. She still had the strength to fling a knife at the console precisely enough to cut the coms for Pidge so she didn’t have to hear Sendak torturing me.”

“I know, you told me I just… I don’t know what I’d do without my best friend…” He said solemnly, looking at your pod.

“It’s ok. We’ll be notified when her pod is done healing, so let’s go join the others for now.”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A day passes, and in that time, a small group of bandits tries to cash in on the Voltron Lion reward set out by a galra general, attempting to steal the Blue Lion but failing. You woke up in a shocked state, breathing heavily and nearly attacking Shiro when Keith stepped in between the two of you.

“Y/N, Y/N! Hey, calm down! It’s me!” He shouted, stepping between the two of you. You regained your composure, looking around.

“Keith… Shiro…” You were in the infirmary. “How long..?”

“At least a day longer than Lance was, but I’d like to think that it was thanks to your fieldwork that he recovered so quickly,” Shiro complimented you with a smile. You nodded at the comment.

“And Sendak?” You knew the answer, but you needed to be sure.

“Frozen in a pod on the ship. We think we can get some information out of him.”

“Right now you need something to eat. Come on, I’ll help you get to your room so you can change out of that suit thingy.” Keith looped an arm over his shoulder as you all walked out of the infirmary and to the rooms.

“So, what happened while I was out?”

“Long story short, Lance’s lion almost got stolen because he was distracted by a girl. And Pidge is a girl.” You let out a small chuckle.

“Yeah, he’d totally fall for that, and you didn’t think I thought Pidge was a guy, did you?.”

After getting something to eat and changing into your casual clothes for the time being, you joined the others on the bridge as they were planning, or at least trying to, on different ways to free the Balmera and its people from the Empire’s thumb.

“It’s an atrocity what the Galra have been doing to this grand beast,” Coran stated solemnly as images and scans pulled up. One of the slowly dying Balmera’s heat signature, another of the surface being turned into a mining colony, and an ancient-looking drawing of a rejuvenation ceremony.

“Stealing its crystals- its very life force, without ever performing the energy rejuvenation ceremonies to heal it.”

“After seeing Shay’s people enslaved, it made me realize how bad Zarkon really is. And we’re the only ones who can stop him!” Hunk declared, his heart full of confidence.

Good, Hunk was now fully onboard in being a paladin of Voltron. Seems getting stabbed in the side and being in a coma for 48 hours wasn’t a total waste. Canon events were moving as they should.

“Okay, so we can’t go into the tunnels with guns blazing. Plan B; we figure out how to draw the Galra up to the surface and battle them out there.”

“Wait, I know!” Hunk lit up with an idea. “If we attack all this big mining stuff on the surface, the Galra troops will have to come out to defend it! Then we beat them up, and head down to the tunnels; Voltron saves the day!”

“But how will we know how many are left in the tunnels?” Keith asked.

“We can track the Galra and the Balmerans using Biothermal Life Indicator Point Technology,” Allura answered as she pulled up a hologram of the pod device.

“One of you will need to fly around the Balmera and drop sensors into the shafts on each side. Then we’ll be able to see where the Galra and the Balmerans are. There are already sensors built into your suits.”

“I can do it,” Pidge offered happily. “I just modified the Green Lion with the invisible maze’s cloaking ability. I should be able to fly around unnoticed.”

“This is their main power generator,” Coran exclaimed, pulling up an image from the Balmera’s surface. “If you take that down, it will severely weaken their defenses!”

“We’ll stay in cloud cover and give tactical support. With the Castle’s defenses weakened from Sendak’s crystal, we won’t be of much help to you,” Allura noted.

“I’ll take out the power generator,” Shiro said as he made a plan. “Keith, Lance, Hunk; you take out the big mining rigs around the area.”

“Wait,” you interrupted. “If the Galra were so brazen to send out a bounty for even one of the Voltron lions, who’s to say they won’t change up their tactics again?”

“Meaning?” Hunk asked.

“It could just end up being a huge trap. The Galra know Voltron will do anything to liberate a planet and they’ll use innocents to lure you just as they did on the Arusian planet. They’d be more than willing to sacrifice a few sentries, installations, even soldiers if it means one step closer to capturing the Lions.”

“That’s just a risk we’ll have to take and deal with it when the time comes,” Shiro answered.

“Alright, yeah! Let’s go kick some alien butt!” Hunk shouted as the paladins all headed to their bays. After they left, you turned to Allura and Coran.

“Raise the particle barrier just in case. I don’t like the feeling I’m getting.” You left the bridge to change into your repaired suit.

After changing into your suit, you took a seat in Keith’s chair, bringing up a hologram. It seemed Hunk had just freed Shay’s family and was headed to the core of the Balmera along with the rest of the paladins.

A loud boom hit the outside of the barrier as you quickly pulled up the image feed.

“Galra ships!” You shouted, trying to pull up weapons systems but were unable to. “Basic weapons still don't work!”

“Paladins, we’re taking heavy fire. We need you now!” Allura exclaimed as the castle shook.

After Shay and the Balmerans helped free the paladins from the core, they made it to the lions and quickly took down the Galra ships. They formed Voltron and distracted the Galra cruiser. With some quick redirecting and rerouting with Coran’s help, you were able to divert power to the Castle’s ion cannon.

“Allura, the ion canon is charged and locked onto target,” you said. “Enough for one blast.”

“Fire!” A large beam of energy fired from the ship’s bow, cutting right through the Galra cruiser. It exploded, also causing the nearby ships to explode as well.

“We did it!” Hunk exclaimed. A bogey appeared on your radar and quickly shared it with the paladins.

“Don’t hold your breath just yet, incoming!” You exclaimed as the robeast pod landed on the Balmera’s surface. This was going to be a long fight.

Chapter Text

As Voltron was fighting the many-eyed robeast, you used the scanners to take a 3D image and remembered the details of this fight enough to warn them.

“This robeast has a 360 view of all of you.” You pulled up the scans of its arms. “There are also laser beams that can shoot out from multiple directions from its arms. Even if you break into your lions, it can still fire in any direction.”

“Then how do we beat it?” Pidge asked as Voltron took another blast from the robeast.

“Try aiming for its laser eyes and take them out?” You shrugged. There wasn’t much they could do until Hunk unlocked the shoulder cannon.

“Alright, it’s worth a shot. Disband!” Shiro exclaimed as they moved individually.

“We’ll cover you from up here!” Allura said as you aimed the castle’s offensive at the robeast. Gaining its attention, it started attacking the castle, causing the whole place to shake.

“Princess, the particle barrier still isn’t at full strength after that Galra cruiser’s attack! We’ve lost the spectral generator! Going to reserve!” Coran exclaimed from the monitors at the front. “There’s a fire in VIN bay three. Suppressors on! Suppressors out!”

“Princess, the ship is being torn apart!” Coran exclaimed.

“Allura, we must pull back and get out of its range!” You exclaimed, several warnings appearing on your screens.

“No, we won’t abandon them!” She protested.

“Princess, you’re not abandoning us. We’re about to pull back anyways,” Shiro responded over the comms.

“We are?” Hunk asked.

“We can’t hold out. We have to. Lions, to the mineshafts! It’s the only place the monster can’t get us.”

“Copy!” The paladins replied. Allura steered the ship away from the surface of the planet.

“We’re headed into orbit!” She proclaimed.

Listening in on the paladin’s conversations, you pulled up a scan of the Balmera and put it on the main screen.

“Allura, Coran, Y/N; do you copy?” Shiro asked.

“Shiro, we’re here,” Allura responded.

“The Balmera-”

“We already know,” you replied, the scans of the creature looking less than good.

“Our scanners are showing the life energy draining from the Balmera…” Coran added sadly as he explained how the Balmera was dying.

“We need to try and evacuate the planet or they’ll be crushed to nothing along with it,” you suggested. Allura agreed.

“We need to get all the Balmerans to the Castle of Lions before the planet implodes.”

“It sounds like a good plan, but how on earth do you plan on landing the Castle with that monster thing on the surface?” Hunk asked as a video feed of him and Shiro appeared on the screen. A similar feed of Lance and Pidge appeared next to them.

“You guys have to distract it and buy us enough time to get all the Balmerans onboard,” you answered as you closed your hologram. “When it’s distracted, we’ll land the castle and load all the citizens.”

“What if we shuttle the Balmerans to the castle through our lions and not engage the laser-eye guy? How long would that take?” Lance interrupted.

“Days? Weeks?” Coran answered nervously.

“We only have hours!” Keith reminded everyone.

“We don’t need to engage it, just bait it away from the ship. Provoke and evade,” Shiro replied.

“It’s the only option. I’m coming down.”

“Princess, no! It’s too dangerous!” Coran exclaimed.

“Someone has to be there to lead these people out.”

“I’m coming with you,” you replied. “There could still be Galra sentries down there unaccounted for. I can help them surface level while you go to the tunnels to make direct contact with them, Allura.”

“You’re coming down? That thing will spot the pod and blow it to pieces!” Pidge interjected.

“Let us worry about that, just focus on keeping the creature distracted,” Allura said as the two of you ran off to the personal vehicles.

“You don’t have to do this.”

“Allura, time is of the essence. I’d rather not fight about this now.” You slipped on your helmet and went into a launch chamber.

“Princess, Y/N, we’ve lured the monster away. It’s time,” Shiro said over the coms.

“We’ll contact you all after we’re on the ground,” you reply as you press the launch sequence to start. You slipped your hands into the slots and were jetted out, following Allura and heading to the tunnels.

“Allura, I’ll stay on top. Go down to the tunnels and convince the Balmerans to come up!” You shouted to her as you diverted your path to the top of the tunnel. The lasers from the many-eyed robeast cut somewhat close to you, making you feel the heat of it through your suit just as the lion diverted its attention back onto them.

“I’m on the ground,” you announced.

“Copy, same here,” Allura replied.

You dismounted your pod, scanning the Balmera’s surface and pressing the “Mute” button for the coms on your helmet. Touching down on the surface of the planet, you felt a warm energy from the ground. Touching it, a faint blue glow appeared around your hand.

“No way…” You gasped. But this is only an ability Alteans like Allura would have! Your dream… The opposing energies- Is it a clash of Altean and dark energy? Just what has the Blade of Marmora done?

Soon after Allura’s speech was over, the Balmerans started to come up to you on the surface. You unmuted your com.

“Coran! Pin my location and land the castle here!” Allura exclaimed.

“Copy, I’ve got your signal and I’m landing the castle now! Paladins, how are you holding up?”

“We’ve got it pretty distracted. Are the Balmerans in position?” Keith responded.

“They’re just starting to come up to the surface!” you replied, as Shay’s family was the first to come to the surface.

The ground rumbled as the castle came into view, landing just outside the tunnel. The jets on the ship slowly powered down as the dust settled on the surface. Coran stood in the pod that came from the castle.

“Bring them out! Hurry, now!” He exclaimed as you guided the first few to him. Allura, Shay’s family, and a couple of other groups made it up just as the surface of the Balmera shook in an earthquake, causing large boulders and the ladders leading to the surface to fall.

“No!” Allura exclaimed.

“We have to go! It’s on the verge of collapsing!” Coran shouted.

“They’re all trapped!” You replied.

“What can be done? Time is short,” Rax asked as the surface of the Balmera shook again.

“Every hit weakens the Balmera. Have you evacuated yet? What’s happening?” Hunk asked over the coms as he and the paladins continued distracting the robeast.

“The Balmerans are trapped. Just keep distracting that beast!” Coran replied.

“We can’t give up!” Allura declared. A shimmering sound came from the bottom of the ship, drawing attention towards it.

“The Balmera!” Shay exclaimed. “The ground beneath your mightly ship appears healed. Its essence thrives! But how?”

“The Castle!” Alura replied.

“Not just the castle, but you, as well,” Shay’s grandmother said as she pointed to you and Allura. While Allura seemed shocked at the blue glow at your feet, Coran didn’t seem to notice it quickly as he was too focused on the princess.

“It’s true. Your Altean energy combined with the ship’s crystal has revitalized this part of the Balmera!” Coran exclaimed happily.

“That’s it! Maybe we can perform the ceremony you spoke about,” Allura said as she stood. “We can save the Balmera.”

“What ceremony?” Rax asked.

“In the days of old, when Alteans were given the gift of crystals from a Balmera, we would repay its sacrifice by performing a ceremony,” Coran began to explain. “A sacred Altean would re-infuse the Balmera with quintessence. In this way, we had a symbiotic relationship.”

“The Galra have only been taking, it’s time to give back,” you nodded. Coran also seemed to take notice of the blue glow but before he could question you, the Balmera whined as the ground shook.

“I can connect with the crystal in the bridge and use the Castle’s power as an amplifier.” Coran dismissed you for the time being and headed towards Allura, a look of worry etched onto his face.

“When your father performed the ceremony, it was on a much smaller scale!” Coran pleaded. “I beg you. To heal an entire planet- it could cast more energy than you possess. You may not… Live through it.”

“No, Coran, it’s ok,” you interjected, taking a few steps towards them. “If anyone can do this, it’s Allura. Trust your princess.” You gave a curt nod to her and she returned it.

“I’ll head up to the bridge of the castle to monitor the paladins and the robeast, as well as the ship's levels and Allura’s vitals through her suit.” You headed up into the castle through the pod.

Once on the bridge, you stepped up to the central control panel and pulled up monitors and scanners. You pulled up the scans that would monitor both the Balmera and Allura’s vitals, monitor feeds that kept watch from a distance as the paladins continued to fight the many-eyed robeast, and finally a monitor of the ships power levels as you powered up the bridge crystal.

“Allura, everything’s ready! Paladins, you’re going to have to keep the robeast at bay while we do this. Allura cannot be interrupted if we wish to save the Balmera and I cannot assist you in battle while the ceremony is happening!” You announced.

“Read you loud and clear!” Hunk responded as he and the other Paladins formed Voltron. With that signal, you pressed a few more buttons, increasing the bridge crystal’s power a little.

“Allura, whenever you and the Balmerans are ready.”

“Okay, do it now,” Coran said as you released the crystal’s power to Allura.

Outside, a bright flash of light skimmed by the castle, causing the bridge to shake. You held your footing as you made sure the crystal was still sending energy to Allura. She touched down to the ground, the entire surface of the Balmera shining a brilliant blue as she healed its surface. You could feel the energy radiating even from the bridge.

“Amazing…” You gasped in awe. A loud rumbling outside caught your attention just as you cut the crystal’s power when the ceremony was finished. The robeast was down, but not out. It at least bought you some time. You quickly rushed to the pod that lowered you to the ground level. You rushed out, seeing Shay holding Allura and Coran by her side.

“Quickly,” Coran urged you as you pressed your fingers against her neck and wrists.

“She’s ok, just weak, and will need some serious rest for the next couple of weeks,” you sighed in relief. She opened her eyes weakly.

“Did it work?”

“Yes,” Rax responded as he pressed his hand to the ground. “The Balmera lives. It thanks you.” He smiled.

A humming sound resonated as the robeast stood on its feet, its central blaster charging as it aimed at the castle. As soon as it took a step towards the castle, the Balmera whined as it grew a large crystal around the robeast, trapping it inside.

“No way,” Hunk gasped as everyone stared at it in awe, including you.

“The Balmera just saved us!” Coran exclaimed happily. Allura looked at the ground and smiled as she was helped up by Shay.

“Look at the crystals!” As you all looked down, small crystals along the surface started forming, and the sun shining off them resembled something like stars.

As everyone reveled in the revitalization of the Balmera, you looked up at the looming creature encased in the crystal. Shay’s grandmother took notice and approached you, taking your hand.

“Come child.”

“Ah- wait, uh,” you stammered out as the elder Balmeran dragged you away. You looked at Keith, who was wondering where you were going. He was about to follow you when you shook your head at him, giving a reassuring smile.

Shay’s grandma walked behind the castle, out of view from the others, and went behind a small mound of rocks with a cluster of crystals forming.

“Madam, what’s going-”

“You possess the gift as well, but you are not Altean. How can this be?” She asked in an almost scolding manner. You sighed, figuring you should divulge your secret to her in the hope of learning to control whatever lay inside you. At least a part of it- something is better than nothing.

“I don’t know who I am, exactly. The reason I am with the paladins is to find out who, or what I am, but I… Something inside me demands to be let free, two things in fact…” You sat on your knees in front of her. “Since leaving Earth, I’ve done all I can to prevent what injuries and losses I could to my friends and teammates, but with these looming enemies…” She raised a hand as you were silenced.

“Finding out who you are and what you are are two different things. Who you are comes from here.” She took your hand, placing it over your heart. “No amount of “what” can come from that. Allow yourself to feel this energy, connect with it.”

She placed your hand on the small cluster of crystals, the gems glowing with warm energy. You allowed it to flow through your body, feeling the warm sensation flow through you as the small cluster rose from the dirt. Soon, it was excavated enough for Say’s grandmother to take it and place it in your hands.

“A reminder that there is more to you than there is to what you came from, child,” she smiled sweetly. You smiled warmly, clutching the crystal to your chest as you rose to your feet and bowed.

Chapter Text

Everyone, except Allura because she was on bedrest orders, had gathered in the containment room, standing in front of Sendak who was frozen in a cryo pod. Coran attached some devices to the front of it that connected to the collection chamber.

“Okay guys, Sendak’s almost all hooked up. But, look, I have to warn you, this technology was used to keep Altean memories alive, not to interrogate prisoners,” Coran noted to the team.

“Coran, we understand this isn’t what the technology was meant for, but if we can extract Sendak’s memories, we may gain valuable intelligence on Zarkon’s troop locations,” Shiro said.

“Fascinating!” Pidge exclaimed in awe. She pressed her face against the memory container as Coran was finishing the last few steps. “So, how exactly does this work?”

“As the memories are extracted, they’re written bit by bit on individual molecules of the micro-storage strands,” Coran answered.

“So this how King Alfor’s memory is in the Castle?” You asked, taking a step towards Sendak. You knew about the devices, but seeing them up close and how they work is entirely different. You were on the same page with Pidge- this technology was fascinating.

“Precisely, but it’s never been attempted before on an unwilling participant.”

Coran finished setting up the memory storage and stepped back as it powered and started working, but nothing was happening.

“Is this what’s supposed to be happening?” Hunk asked as everyone stared at the empty storage tank.

“He’s not exactly willing,” you reminded everyone.

“Let’s give it some time,” Shiro said.

As you all waited, one by one, everyone started to leave, the last ones being Coran taking Lance with him to help clean and fix the ship after the fight with the robeast and performing the rejuvenation ceremony.

“Y/N, you should go too. I’m sure you have better things to do than wait around,” Shiro noted as he still saw you leaning against the wall opposite Sendak’s pod.

“No, I want answers too, so waiting around with you doesn’t seem like such a bad idea.” You slid down the wall, allowing you to sit down as you took your notebook out.

The real reason you wanted to wait around with Shiro was to hopefully prevent him from sending Sendak out into space. If you were able to prevent that, you’d be able to prevent him from enslaving Earth to such a terrible degree in the long run! Of course that meant allowing King Alfore’s corrupted AI to run rampant throughout the castle, but you knew that Allura would make the right choice in the end and the castle would only have minimal damage to it.

As you sat down and wrote in your notebook’s first few pages with regular ink, Shiro turned to you.

“I always notice you writing in that.”

“It’s my journal,” you answered. “When I was a child, I was in a car crash that turned me into an orphan and I couldn’t remember who I was. So to prevent that from happening, I’ve always written in a journal. This one is relatively new containing information about the adventures that’ve happened so far. All the different planets, how we met Allura and Coran, how we found the Blue Lion, etc. Plus if we ever need to look back, there can always be something to learn.”

“I’m sure you losing your memory isn’t going to happen in space,” he chuckled softly.

“Hey, we’re in a space war. Anything can happen!” You grinned in response. “So Keith told me you two met when he was a kid?”

“Yeah. And you?”

“I met Keith when he came into the same orphanage as me. Then we were separated for a while because I got adopted, reconnected back at the Garrison, and the rest is history,” you let a solemn smile spread on your face. “Keith is beyond amazing. Nothing but respect for him even though he can get pretty reckless at times.”

“You’re one to talk,” Shiro raised a brow and you can’t help but agree with him.

“You could say we balance each other out.” You closed your notebook, putting the pen away as you attached it securely to your belt.

Shiro now knew about the notebook of events that already happened, but the notebook that contained all the information about the future was safely hidden in your room in an area even the mice couldn’t peek into. Furthermore, you wrote those events in invisible ink that can only be revealed in blacklight that you’ve also hidden. Primitive, sure, but no one would guess something so simple in such an advanced time.

“Sendak has all the answers we need. We just need him to give it to us,” Shiro said as he leaned against the glass. He slammed his arm against the glass angrily.

“You’re a broken soldier! You can’t hold out forever!” The container hummed as the first few bits of memory seeped into the container.

“Seems he’s awake,” you noted. You carefully approached Shiro and pulled him away from the glass. “Careful, hit it too hard and you might just wake him up,” you half-joked.

Shiro took a deep breath and crossed his arms again, staring at Sendak as he started spewing questions at him as the next few hours passed. The container slowly started to fill with memories. You heard Shiro gasp and turn to Sendak.

“Shiro…?” It’s started.

He went wide-eyed at Sendak, his face growing pale, sweat rolling down his face. He was going insane, thinking that Sendak was somehow in his head. Fuck, fuck, FUCK!

“Shiro, hey!” You slapped his metal arm. “Hey! You’re hallucinating!”

“You-You don’t…?” He stammered, taking a deep breath as you took him back a few steps and turned him away from Sendak’s pod. You saw his eyes had shrunk, darting from side to side as his whole body was tense and shivering from fear.

“Shiro, when was the last time you properly slept…?” You asked worriedly.

“I… I dunno. A day, maybe two?” He panted softly, sweat and exhaustion evident on his face. You brought him against the wall, gently allowing him to sit down.

“Get some rest, even if it’s just for a little while. I’ll continue asking him questions and extracting information.” Shiro held onto your arm.

“No, no, I can’t. He might…”

“Sendak can’t do anything. He may have been a strong soldier, but the cryo pod is keeping him in this semi-conscious state. Besides, I’ve got a few questions of my own for the guy who nearly killed me too…” You seethed as you glared at Sendak.

You approached Sendak’s pod, placing a hand on the glass, and curling it into a fist.

“I know how the Galra enslaved the universe, I know how you take your pride and joy in enslaving other planets, you sadistic shit. You’ll be stuck here, in this little pod; powerless as you watch as we take down your precious empire and rulers. I won’t let you enslave another innocent being… I only wish I could be the one to take your life.” Sadly, the honor would go to Keith with the help of Shiro after the liberation of Earth.

You take a deep breath, as your psyche plays tricks on you, but you know it isn’t real.

“The Galra Empire- I’ll ensure that no one else gets hurt…” You hear a soft shuffling sound as Shiro stands, mumbling to himself.

“Stop it!” Shiro shouted as he charged for Sendak, his robotic arm reeling back.

“Shiro!” You shouted, standing between him and Sendak. Shiro’s eyes were unfocused, and blurry as he charged for Sendak. You had to do something, otherwise, all you’ve risked might be for nothing!

“I’m sorry…” You grit your teeth, reaching deep inside your core towards the dark energy. You moved swiftly, using his and your momentum to throw Shiro over your shoulder and pin him to the ground.

“Y/N, what’re you- GAH!” He shouted in surprise as you pressed your hand against his back, pulling out just enough of his energy to make his movements sluggish. You can feel his strength revitalizing your own body as the dark purple energy pulses from your hand. No wonder Zarkon praises quintessence so much.

Chapter Text

The sound of running footsteps grabs your attention as you quickly stand, and everyone runs into the room. Allura wasn’t present, which means King Alfor’s corrupted AI must’ve tricked her by this point.

“Shiro, Y/N, are you- Shiro!” Pidge exclaimed as she ran to his side. Keith slammed you against the wall, his eyes glaring daggers at you.

“What did you do?!”

“What I had to!” You shoved Keith off you. “Shiro was hallucinating on the account he hadn’t had any sleep for several days. He was going insane, thinking Sendak was somehow talking to him in his mind. I just did enough damage so that he’ll be sluggish.”

“Damage? What damage?” Lance exclaimed. Before you could retort, an alarm blared, and Sendak’s pod was ejected from the castle. You tried to get to it, to stop it, but it happened in the blink of an eye. His pod was gone as soon as you touched the glass.

“NO!” You shouted in fury, punching the wall enough to leave a dent and abrasions along your knuckles. Keith went from angry to worried as he saw you hit the wall with such force. The alarms blared once more, showing the castle was getting ready for a wormhole jump.

“The ship is starting a wormhole jump!” Coran exclaimed.

“Haul Shiro with us if you have to. We need to stop King Alfor!” You shouted as you took off running to the bridge. Hunk and Keith carried Shiro to the bridge as you all entered, seeing Allura in the central controls with a smile on her face.

“Allura!” You exclaimed. “Stop the ship, it’s a trick! The castle-”

“Is going to Altea. We’re going home!” She smiled as she looked back at everyone. “My father is taking us.”

You, Pidge, Lance, and Coran charged for the princess as she steered the ship. The central barrier activated, giving you a thorough shock that knocked you off your feet.

“Stay away from my daughter!” King Alfor’s corrupted AI exclaimed as his face appeared on the monitors.

“The crystal must’ve corrupted King Alfor’s artificial intelligence. It’s taking over!” Coran shouted. The wormhole ended, and the destination was a star ready to explode.

“We’re headed straight for a star, and it’s about to explode!” Pidge shouted.

“But all Allura sees is Altea,” you noted. Coran ran up to the barrier, slamming his hands on it.

“Allura! Allura, wake up! What you’re seeing isn’t real!” You couldn’t hear what Allura was saying, your ears still ringing from the shock. Seems you’ve injured your shoulder due to the forcefield’s blowback.

“That flower you’re touching is real,” King Alfor said.

“But where is the fragrance of the sweet junierries?” Coran shouted. As soon as Allura realized it wasn’t real, she was kicked out of the central controls, King Alfor’s AI taking over as he continued to head for the star. Lance caught her before she fell to the ground.

“Father, please, I beg you to turn this ship around! If we don’t do it soon, we will all perish!” Allura pleaded as she pressed against the forcefield.

“I know. That is my intention.”

“What? Why?!”

The next few moments were King Alfor’s AI fighting its corrupted self, continuing to try to persuade Allura to give up. Eventually, she sent the paladins to their hangars to slow the castle’s descent into the star. You and Coran worked to try and get the engines shut off temporarily while Allura ran to disconnect and destroy her father’s AI. You can see the worry on Coran’s face.

“Don’t worry. She’s strong, she knows moving forward is better than moving to the past. Believe in your princess, Coran.” He gave you a nod in response.

A few minutes later, the central barrier and the hologram of King Alfor fizzled out. Coran looked on solemnly.

“She did it…”

The alarms blared, scanning the star and seeing it as an immediate sign of danger. Allura ran back to the central controls as you opened a frequency to the paladins.

“Get in the hangars, we’re leaving!”

As soon as everyone was inside, Allura quickly opened a wormhole and passed right through it just as the star exploded. After you were all safely from danger, everyone gathered again on the bridge to give their condolences to the princess.

After ensuring she was okay, Coran escorted her back to her chambers. You gave her a quick check-up and headed off to the containment room. Keith followed you and saw you stop and stand where Sendak’s pod was ejected from. The dent in the wall was still there.

Guess it wasn’t just his imagination.

“Y/N, it-”

“I’m sorry for doing what I did to Shiro,” you sighed. “If I’d known it wouldn’t have mattered anyway, I wouldn’t have done it in the first place… Sendak still got ejected from the ship and I…” Keith placed a hand on your shoulder, pulling you into a tight hug.

“It’s ok, we’ll get him next time.” You hugged him tightly in return.

But you don’t know what’s coming… You thought to yourself, holding him tightly.

Chapter Text

The next few days go by, and you’ve been mostly avoiding Shiro out of everyone after what happened when the castle became corrupted. You can tell everyone has questions about what you did to Shiro that made him so sluggish, especially Coran and Allura, based on what they saw on the Balmera, but you've been avoiding everyone, even Keith.

You were freaked out, to say the least. The past couple of weeks confirmed things for you, but more questions remain. The energies inside you were that of Altean magic and the dark energy the Komar and Haggar use, and they were at war with each other inside of you. The only thing you know is that it definitely contributed to your short fuse.

You’re all too aware of what would happen when one is thrown out of balance with the other. Everything needs balance, but that didn’t explain how or why Sendak’s pod still got shot out to space despite you stopping Shiro from doing it himself. You asked Coran, and he said it was maybe from the corruption left by Sendak’s Galra crystal, but there was so much leftover damage that he couldn’t come up with a definitive answer, just theories that led to your further frustration, stress, and worry.

“One thing at a time, one thing at a time…” You sighed, rubbing the sides of your forehead. You took out what you’ve called your “timeline” journal, the one with the invisible ink, and sat down on your bed. You changed the lightbulb in your lamp to the backlight one and shined it on your journal, revealing the invisible ink.

You turned to the pages containing the events of the Castle’s corruption, making a note that Sendak’s pod was still ejected from the castle despite your interference with Shiro. If the Voltron timeline was still going to follow its original course no matter what, you needed to at least find a way to minimize as much damage and casualties as you could, although keeping Sendak in the castle was part of that. That means the enslavement of Earth must be a canon event.

“There must be some sort of limit as to how much I can interfere with…” You murmured, taking a separate journal called “Plans” that was also in invisible ink. You were about to open it when you heard some beeps at your door. You quickly turned off the blacklight and hid both notebooks under your pillow temporarily as Pidge walked in.

“Pidge! What brings you by?” You played it cool.

“You asked me to take a look at your spear a while back. I’ve got some free time while trying to work on a program that translates Galra to English,” she smiled. You got off your bed, putting your purple crop hoodie on as you got your spear from the hook hanging next to it.

“Anything else?” You asked as you handed it to her.

“Yeah, come with me. I’ve got some stuff I wanna run by you first beforehand.”

She led you through the castle but passed the Green Lion’s hangar. You suddenly got a bad feeling as she led you to the large lounge area. There in the seats, Shiro was standing in the middle. You narrowed your eyes and turned to leave, but Pidge pressed the door controls and locked it from the outside.

“What- Pidge!” You shouted, slamming on the doors and pressing the controls, but to no avail.

“Sorry! I had to make sure you didn’t have a means of escape, but I’ll still take a look at your spear!” Pidge exclaimed as you could hear her retreating footsteps. You grumbled as you glanced behind you at Shiro, still standing in the same position with his arms crossed.

“So, why’d you put Pidge of all people up to this?”

“You’re close to Keith and would’ve known instantly that it was a trap. Hunk is soft-hearted and wouldn’t want to trick you, Coran is working on the castle, Allura is resting, and Lance is… Well, it just wouldn’t work with Lance,” Shiro explained, counting off everyone with his fingers. You stood in front of him, arms crossed in front of your chest defensively.

“Then what’s so important that you needed to trap me in here with you?”

“You’ve been avoiding me, and everyone else, ever since the Castle became corrupted,” he stated matter-of-factually. Your lips thinned as you averted his gaze.

“Whatever you did to me, I know it wasn’t out of malice. Yes, you were right in saying that I hadn’t slept for a couple of days after rescuing the Balmerans; I’ll admit that much.”

“Hallucinating is a symptom of severe stress combined with sleep deprivation,” you answered. “Even if the Castle was trying to kill everyone, it was all in your head, making you think Sendak could still do something.”

“It wasn’t any sort of fast-acting sleeping drug, so what was it?”

You sighed and considered weighing your options. By this point in the timeline, they’d be going to the Galra’s Universal Station, where he and Allura would be captured, resulting in them having to go directly to Zarkon’s base to rescue Allura. You intended to swap Allura’s place with you, but ever since Sendak was booted from the ship, you were unsure of everything you knew.

Knowing the future doesn’t mean it’ll happen, especially if your interference changes something.

“Shiro, I don’t know much myself,” you groaned in slight annoyance.

What’s more, ever since Sendak was ejected, you’ve been having restless nights, always waking up from nightmares. Half of them could be explained because you had a near-death experience from fighting Haxus and getting beaten within an inch of your life thanks to Sendak.

“As you know, I’m an orphan, and whenever I took a DNA test to try and find out who my parents were or what my heritage was, the results came back different. As in non-human… No one else knows, not even Keith.” You sighed. “The mark I showed you is the only clue I have to find out who I am. After the trip to the Balmera, I’m starting to wonder if anything in trying matters in the end?”

“But that’s just a birthmark, isn’t it? Why risk your life over speculation?”

“Risking my life is one thing, finding answers is another!” You retorted. “If there is even a chance I was going to find something outside of Earth that could explain why, then I’d take the chance rather than going insane, always questioning who or-or what I am!”

“But even then, it doesn’t explain how you knew certain things were going to play out,” Shiro retorted. “I’ve talked with Keith because he came up to me, worried about yo u since you have been ignoring everyone. Your “gut instincts” are more than what meets the eye. They’re too accurate- you are too accurate.”

“I am not a child to be scolded by their father, or older sibling- damn it, Shiro, I am a grown woman!” You shouted angrily, feeling the heat rising as you practically snarled at Shiro. “You may not like how I’m going about things, black paladin, but believe me when I say I know more than you’d ever hope to imagine!”

He went quiet, arms at his sides as his fists were clenched and eyes narrowing at you.

“You asked me to trust you, but trust goes both ways. If you know something, something I don’t, it would be better to tell me rather than allow it to blow up in your face later on.”

“You aren’t ready to know yet. Not everything.” You turned and started heading out the door. You looked at the security camera. “Either someone opens these doors, or I find a way to smash them to pieces.” A few beeps sounded on the other side, and the doors slid open, revealing Keith. He looked angry, too.

“Y/N-”

“I’m not in the mood to deal with you either, Keith.” You shoved past him, heading to the training hall to let your frustration out on the bots.

Chapter Text

The following morning, everyone gathered around Pidge as she worked on decoding Sendak’s memories that they still had before he was ejected from the ship, and the information she got from the ship on Arus. She mentioned a “Universal Station,” to which Coran pulled it up on the screens, but nothing was there.

Allura quickly set a course for the area, and after many hours, they finally got close enough to see the hidden base, and you changed into your battle attire, your spear strapped to your upper left arm. True to her word, Pidge did take a look at your spear and added a few features you wanted, such as being able to recall it thanks to the bracelet you wore on your right hand. If things were going to go the way you thought, you left all your journals locked away in your room in a hidden compartment.

“Looks like it takes care of all the Empire’s shipments,” you said.

“If this is some big airport where shipments come and go, why is it hidden?” Pidge inquired.

“There must be more to this than we’re seeing,” Shiro assumed.

“Then we’d better go down there to take a look,” Allura noted as she pulled up the image of the central control building. “We’ll need to enter here.”

“All the information we need is there; maps of trade routes, supply lines, prisons, maybe even troop placements!” You exclaimed.

“Who needs a map?” Lance groaned. “After 10,000 years of conquering, I’m pretty sure I can fire my bayard into any point in space and hit a Galra ship.”

“At least a supply route would give us definite positions of larger areas if we read the shipment statements, Lance.” You rolled your eyes.

“I’m sorry, did you say 'we’?” Keith asked as he looked between you and Allura. You both smiled at each other and nodded.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

After some debate, you eventually came along with everyone else while Coran stayed with the ship, much to Keith’s disappointment, staring. After making it into the central control hub, the paladins quickly took care of the sentries and soldiers guarding the area. Pidge plugged in Shiro’s arm and started the download, but there was nothing but a schedule of the ships coming in and out of the station.

“Pidge, do you know where that ship is headed?” Allura asked as she pointed to the one that landed five minutes ago. After some digging, she came up with an answer.

“It will be here for an hour, then head off to Central Command.”

“That ship has the info we need,” you declared. Start phase one; get on the ship with Shiro and Allura.

“And I’m going to get it for us,” Allura finished.

“What? How are you going to get in?” Keith asked. Allura took off her helmet.

“I’m going to walk right through the front.” She grew in size, her skin color changing to purple as she became a Galra.

“The Alteans are a chameleon-like people, able to blend in with the local populations. It’s the ability that’s made us great explorers and diplomats throughout our history.”

“I can’t let you go in there alone,” Shiro protested. “It’s too dangerous- I’m going in with you.”

“You will stick out like a Choferiak’s nose!” Allura retorted. Pidge held up his hand.

“You’re going to need that nose, princess. Shiro’s hand is compatible with Galra tech, and I can monitor the download remotely from here.”

“You forget Shiro was also a prisoner of the Galra- the only reason he has a robotic arm is because he was experimented on while he was held captive,” you chimed in. “I’m sure they’ve placed some sort of prisoner ID on his hand that their systems will be able to trace, and you’ll BOTH be captured.”

“Got any other ideas then?” Lance asked. You opened your spear, the electricity sparking at the tip with purple energy.

“My spear is made of pure Galra technology from the parts I picked up on Arus from Sendak’s downed ship. And since Pidge was able to upgrade and modify my spear, I’m sure she can still track the download from the control station. But because of Shiro’s experience as a prisoner, he’s the best chance we have at reaching a room that will connect us to the intel we need quickly and without being seen.”

“Fine, you can come,” Allura conceded, as did Shiro. Phase two: get the intel from the ship.

“Don’t do anything stupid, be careful and think rationally.” You walked up to Keith and hugged him tightly, knowing this may be the last time you see him before leaving with Shiro and Allura.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

After a few minutes, both you and Shiro were squished into a large box with some sentry parts as Allura made her way into the ship. After getting in, you and Allura followed Shiro as he led the two of you throughout the area and into the room. He took care of the two sentries before turning to you.

“Hurry, we only have a few minutes before the next patrol comes by. Allura, watch the door.”

You opened the panel of the main controls to your spear, then opened a panel near the ground and used a wire to connect it to the communications monitor.

“Starting download,” Pidge said over the coms after generating the access code. The download and translation of the information began, but an error appeared on the screen, pausing it.

“Pidge, there’s a problem,” Shiro said.

“Hang on, I’m trying to find a workaround,” she responded.

Footsteps outside the door faltered as a Galra soldier turned. Allura was distracting him, but you didn’t know how long she could keep him occupied. He eventually walked away, but you knew he would be back.

“Almost done, Pidge,” you noted. As soon as it was finished, she gave you the go-ahead to disconnect. As soon as you did, the guard outside the door hit the alarm, alerting the sign of intruders.

“What?” You gasped, activating your spear fully, but Shiro stopped you.

“It contains all the information on the ship, we can’t get it damaged.” You retracted your spear. Looks like you’ll need to give it to him just before he’s thrown into the pods. Start phase three; get Shiro and Allura safely into the pod, leaving you behind.

Allura rushed to the door, breaking it and slamming it into the Galra soldier outside, knocking him out. You took the gun from the soldier as a team of sentries started running towards the three of you, firing their weapons. You shot down the soldiers in front of you, running as you followed Shiro.

“Pidge, I need an extraction! Hurry!” Keith shouted over the coms.

He must’ve found out the quintessence source and is fighting off that druid.

“Pidge, fire up the Green Lion! We’re coming in hot!” Shiro exclaimed as two other sentries blocked your path. You fired and shot both of them down. Allura picked up one of the robots, throwing it at the group approaching you from behind before continuing to make your way to the escape pods. Almost time.

“Secure hatches. All personnel take positions for departure,” the ship’s intercoms boomed.

“Formulating navigation. All crew, assume secure hyper-speed positions.”

“Hurry!” Allura panted as she ditched the helmet. “We can’t leave once the ship goes into hyper-speed!”

Entering the bay of the escape pods, Shiro pressed the button to close the door, but, as expected, it didn’t close all the way through as sentries started pushing their way inside. Allura used her strength to hold the doors together as Shiro started the launch for the escape pod. You shot the incoming sentries through the crack, but they kept coming!

“It’s taking off! Get in the pod!” Allura shouted as Shiro came to start welding the door together with his arm.

“We’re not leaving you!” Shiro exclaimed. You continued to shoot until the weapon ran out of charge. The pod’s doors started to close. You took your compacted spear out of its holster and turned Shiro around, handing it to him.

“You want me to trust you? Then I trust that you’ll take this safely to the others.” You shoved it in his hands just as Allura picked up Shiro and threw him into the pods.

“Y/N, you must leave as well!” Allura exclaimed as she reached for you next.

You looked at her solemnly as your hands charged up with energy. Quickly running behind her, your hand thrummed as you gave the princess an apologetic look. At least with the armor protecting her, you know she won’t get severely hurt by this.

“I’m sorry, Princess, but they need you more than they need me…” Her eyes widened slightly as you addressed her by her title and not her name.

You blasted Allura with all the energy you could muster, her body slamming into the back of the escape pod next to Shiro.

“No…!” Allura exclaimed weakly as Shiro looked out the window at you.

Don’t come back for me, you mouthed, giving him a reassuring smile as you turned to the sentries and continued to fight them with magic as the pod was ejected from the ship just seconds before it entered hyper-speed.

Third POV
As Shiro and Allura exited the pod after being loaded onto the Green Lion, their faces were filled with exhaustion, sadness, and regret. The others looked behind them, expecting you to come out as well, but nothing happened.

“Where’s Y/N?” Keith asked. Silence.

“Guys…?” Lance asked as they hadn’t spoken for several moments. Shiro opened his hand, revealing your compacted spear.

“She sacrificed herself to save us…” Allura said as Shiro handed the item to Pidge.

“So she’s still on that ship?” Pidge asked.

“The ship that’s headed to Zarkon’s Central Command?” Hunk followed.

“The place that’s way too dangerous for us to attack?” Lance finished.

“It doesn’t matter how dangerous it is. We cannot let Zarkon get Y/N!” Allura exclaimed.

“But you said going there would be a huge mistake…” Hunk reminded him as he turned to Shiro. “You said for us to attack that place head-on would be the dumbest possible thing we could ever do!”

“I know, but now we don’t have a choice…” Shiro said as Pidge piloted the Green Lion back to the Castle.

“But… I don’t understand why or how she could do something like this- it isn’t like her!” Keith exclaimed.

“Magic,” Allura stated. “I don’t know how a human has such capabilities, but she used magic to blast me into the pod with Shiro after apologizing… I think- I think she knew this would happen.”

“But how?” Pidge asked as she docked in the castle. Keith’s eyes widened as he remembered, and he turned to Shiro, but the Black Paladin already knew what he was going to say.

“Yesterday, I had Pidge bring Y/N to the lounge area to confront her about what happened with Sendak when the Castle became corrupted. She revealed to me that whenever she did a DNA test, the results came back mostly as non-human. Whatever part of her that is, she must’ve honed it after we freed the Balmera.”

“Is that why Shay’s grandma pulled her aside?” Hunk asked.

“I don’t know, but we’re going to rescue her!” Allura declared.

Chapter Text

Everyone rushed back to the ship’s bridge. Allura ditched the Galra armor, having changed into a fresh suit, and stood at the central controls as the paladin’s chairs opened up. Keith had a sour expression filled with hate and regret.

“Pidge, scan the download from the ship,” Shiro said as he removed his helmet. “Find out where Zarkon’s central command is.”

“On it.” She transferred the information from the spear to the Castle and started scouring the information.

“What happened?” Coran asked. “Where’s Y/N?”

“They captured her. She sacrificed herself to save us and the information- we didn’t have a choice,” Allura answered as she opened up some things on the holograms.

“What? How could that happen!”

“Look, I’m sorry things didn’t go as planned, but we can’t focus on what went wrong. We gotta figure out how to make it right!” He turned to Pidge. “Pidge, anything?”

“Look at this!” She said, pressing a button that allowed Zarkon’s huge ship to come on screen.

“Look at the size of it!” Coran gasped as he and everyone else became nervous from the schematics alone.

“I think we should go in right away. Every minute we waste gives Zarkon time to prepare for us.”

“I agree,” Lance chimed in. “We form Voltron, fly in, fly out, dust off our hands, and walk away.”

“Uhh, do you guys not remember what happened on the Balmera?” Hunk asked nervously. “We could barely take out one fleet, but this- a base this size could hold a thousand fleets!” As Keith thought about it more, he came to the sad conclusion after taking into account the last words that Shiro relayed to them.

“Or maybe we shouldn’t go on this mission at all,” he argued. “Think about it- we’ll be delivering the universe’s only hope to the universe’s biggest enemy.” Everyone stared at him because he was your closest friend.

“Keith, that’s cold, even for you…” Hunk chimed in. “What if it was one of us? What if it were me? Or- Or Allura! You wouldn’t leave us, would you? I mean, isn’t Y/N your best friend? You’re being very confusing right now.”

“I’m not saying I like the idea, I’m just thinking like a paladin.”

“No, you’re thinking of yourself because you’re too scared to do what’s right!” Lance shot back angrily.

“Ok, we’re all upset because we lost Y/N!” Pidge shouted as she tried to rectify the animosity in the air.

“No, Shiro lost Y/N!” Keith shouted, allowing his anger to get the better of him.

“Okay!” Hunk yelled over everyone. “This isn’t helping- we can’t just sit here and bicker like this!” Keith took a deep breath and calmed down.

“But I think Y/N would agree with me… She isn’t stupid, she knew the risks.”

“No,” Allura stepped in. “She knew this would happen; she knew the mission would fail, and instead of me being captured, she forcibly traded places with me.”

“We have no time to think about that now, we have to figure out how we can get into Zarkon’s base as quickly as we can and get her out,” Shiro said as the rest of the paladins took their seats.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

As the ship pulled up to port at Zarkon’s main base, you knew you had to steel yourself in preparation. As your cell door opened, Haggar and two of her druids appeared. You were placed in handcuffs and taken to Zarkon’s main throne room.

Large and pretentious, it seems, but I suppose this is what you get for having ruled at least 2/3rds of the known universe for 10,000 years… You thought to yourself as you walked across the catwalk.

“If it isn’t Mr. Big and Bad himself,” you chided. “For having been in space for only two months, your reputation certainly precedes you, Emperor Zarkon!” You were suddenly zapped with volts of electricity by the two druids behind you, bringing you to your knees. You let out a weak chuckle, staring up and glaring at Zarkon.

You knew this evil version of Honnerva and Zarkon was only the result of an unknown entity and the quintessence field, but the principle was essentially the same. Honnerva was hungry for power and knowledge, and Zarkon deceived the paladins of old to revive his wife.

“Voltron is going to destroy the Galra Empire and defeat you, whether you like it or not.”

“No, it will only make me more powerful. King Alfor knew that as well as I. That’s why he led me to believe he destroyed it all those years ago,” Zarkon said as he barely spared a downward glance at you.

Of course, the ever-infamous villain monologue.

“But now, the Princess of Altea and the new paladins will come for you, and they will deliver Voltron to me, and, with it, the key to unimaginable power!”

You gritted your teeth as you glared daggers at him.

“Death comes for all, and you are certainly no exception.” You also glanced at Haggar, knowing her fate as well, should you stop her from destroying alternate realities in the future.

Chapter Text

Thank you, everyone, for 100 Kudos!

Myself and this fic couldn't have made it without you guys, and I know it'll only get better from here. Thank you. I truly appreciate everyone.

Onto the spoilers, plans, and potential ideas for future chapters/seasons.
**Up until now, everything up until the first episode of season 3 has been written.**
Everything after that point will be mostly ideas. I will leave it up to your imagination as to whether or not ideas and plans for season 3 are going to happen. I might make several changes according to the story.

*CONFIRMED*
Season 2:
- More magic and exploration of Y/N's magic
- Blade of Marmora
- Team Confrontation
- Trying new things, but at what expense?
- Changing and testing fate
- Worried Keith, or developing feelings Keith?
- Fighting with Allura
- Suspicion of the origins of the body you now inhabit
- Olkarion and King Lubos
- Character development and Lieutenants
- Big fight against Zarkon and the Empire
- Changing fate again
- More magic after the fact

Seasons 3, 4, 5, and 6 are pretty short in terms of episodes. For some seasons, there's a time skip within the universe. For example, there's a predicted three-month gap between seasons 2 and 3. I do my best to accurately try and research and find the time skips. If you wish to help with this endeavor, I don't mind, but make sure you give me some evidence, please!

*IN PLANNING*
These are all ideas and random tidbits that I've come up with so far. It has been neither confirmed nor scrapped. They may not be in order.
Season 3:
- Ghost Blades
- The giant teludav
- True insight
- The alternate dimension talk with Slav
- Anomaly
- Meteorite Piece

Season 4:
- Mistrust
- Suspicion
- A New Leader
- Shiro

Season 5:
- A New Empire
- Imperial Ball
- Sudden Empress
- An Attempt
- Fighting Fate
- White Lion's Revelation

Season 6:
- A White Vision
- Avoidance or Acceptance?
- Gray Area
- Inside the Lion
- True Clairvoyance

Season 7:
- Three Years
- New Outlook
- Dark and Extreme
- Sendak's Return
- Garrison History
- Fake Out

Season 8:
- Justice
- Can Fate be Altered?
- Speech of Truth
- Your Desired Outcome (pt 1 & 2)
- A Talk
- Dimensional Rifts
- A New Lion
- A Forgotten Fate

Again, these are just concept ideas in my head. Some of them may be scrapped or put in other chapters. They may not be in order.

Again, thank you, everyone, for the support you've shown me and the series thus far. It makes my heart sing that people are enjoying my works! Let's get to 500 Kudos next!

Let the adventure continue!

Chapter Text

As the paladins were coming up with ways to infiltrate Zarkon’s base, Keith headed off to your room to try and find some sort of reasoning as to why you sacrificed yourself, and told Shiro not to come back. Though he doubted he’d find any answers as to why, you always found ways to prove him wrong.

This time was no different.

Taped to the mirror of your vanity was a note with Keith’s name on it. He opened it and started reading it.

Keith, by the time you’ve seen this, things will probably have gone according to plan. Instead of Allura, I’ve allowed myself to be captured in her place, and you all have the information from the ship headed to Zarkon’s central command. What I am about to say next is important, so pay attention for once:
Shiro is right; it’s stupid to go straight into Zarkon’s main base
Allura knows why, and it has something to do with the Black Lion
Don’t come back for me
Don’t be stupid for once and think with your head
You know I’m right
Patience yields focus, so be patient
Allow the Team to grow stronger, not just with Voltron and the Lions, but between everyone too.

After reading the note, he tried scanning it for some hidden message, fine print, or a clue that only he would know, but there was nothing. Sure, he had a million questions running through his head, such as how you acquired this information before even leaving on the mission.

He stormed back onto the bridge, his expression angry, but before he entered, he looked at the crumpled note again.

“Patience yields focus…” He took a deep breath and headed inside. Shiro was explaining the plan to everyone after Allura noted the dense gas planet they could hide in.

He just hoped he made the right choice in choosing to ignore your note.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

As you were sitting in your cell, knowing Haggar may come for you and torture you since you fought the sentries with magic, an alarm rang out through the ship. There was a loud rumbling, and your prison cell shook.

“No, no, no!” You exclaimed, looking out the window. You saw Voltron attacking the Galra ships and blasting them to pieces. Either Keith found your note and ignored it, or he decided to hide it from the others and come after you anyway. You knew they would most likely come for you, but you still tried to stop them anyway.

“Stupid idiots!” You exclaimed. A loud boom was heard outside your cell, the alarms going off. The door outside your cell was blasted open as Hunk stood there, the Yellow Lion’s head sticking in through the wall of the ship.

“Hunk!” You exclaimed as you stood. He blasted your restraints off your wrist as you stood.

“We’re going to get you out of here!”

“I can’t believe you guys brought Voltron to Zarkon’s central command. Weren’t Allura and Shiro against it?!” You exclaimed angrily. You reconnected your helmet to the Castle’s coms, hearing Shiro struggling. He was fighting against Haggar.

“Urgh, forget this- I’ll scold you all later!” You shouted, running out of the cell with Hunk following behind.

“Hunk, did you get Y/N?” Lance asked over the comms.

“Yeah, I got her, but there’s a slight change of plans,” he said as he ran after you.

As you ran down to the fighter hangar bays, a large blast rocked the ship. Keith.

“Where’s Keith?!” You exclaimed, knowing he probably shut off his coms.

“Ahh, he’s fighting Zarkon!” Hunk said as you kept running. You entered the fighter bay and saw Shiro fighting against several mirages of Haggar, a giant purple wound on his right side.

“HEY!” You shouted, charging for Haggar as your hand hummed with magic. You blasted a dark beam of energy at her, causing Haggar to shield herself and deflect the blast as it destroyed several of the Galra fighter ships in the bay.

“We need to leave!” You shouted as you helped Hunk haul Shiro back to the Yellow Lion. After Hunk dropped off you and Shiro inside the Black Lion, Shiro saved Keith from being attacked by Zarkon and hauled the Red Lion back onto the Castle.

Just as the solar barrier around Zarkon’s central command was lowered by a member of the Blade of Marmora, Allura quickly made a wormhole to escape.

As expected, the wormhole was compromised by Haggar, sending the lions flying out of the hangars and out into random points in space through the temporal rift. You were trying to treat Shiro’s wound as the Red and Black Lions were also thrown out of the ship, causing you to hold onto the pilot’s seat, but of course, the force of everything caused you to crash hard into the ground as soon as you landed.

You felt a pop in your left shoulder and screamed as it became dislocated, and you blacked out from the landing.

Chapter Text

Your body was shaken awake after who knows how long, you thought you were a prisoner again, and you almost attacked Shiro.

“Hey, hey! It’s me, it’s me,” Shiro panted as he clutched his right side. You groaned, your forehead having a cut and a few drops of blood leaking down your face. You wiped it off and hissed at the pain in your left shoulder.

“We’ll be stranded for a while, so you’ll probably be needing these.” Shiro reached into a cockpit compartment, removing a utility belt with basic field medical supplies and your compacted spear. The emergency medical field belts for each team member were your idea, especially for these situations.

And the Galra took your previous belt when they captured you, so thank goodness you left your notebooks back at the castle. You took it with a tight smile on your lips that quickly faded as you noticed the burning sensation shooting through your left arm yet again.

“Your arm is dislocated,” Shiro noted after making sure every other part of you was ok.

“I know…” You groaned, reaching for the small pack of medical supplies on the back of your belt. You removed your gloves, folding them together into a thick layer.

“You need to pop my shoulder back into place, Shiro.”

“What?” He asked in shock.

“Put my arm back in its socket so I can tend to you, and then we can try and find Keith.” You put the folded gloves between your teeth so you wouldn’t bite your tongue. Shiro firmly gripped your left arm.

“Okay then… One, two-” He thrust it back into place as you screamed into your impromptu gag, the searing pain shooting through your arm as tears welled in your eyes. It’s not as painful as before, but at least you can work on Shiro now.

You let the gloves fall out of your mouth as you quickly got out some alcohol wipes, surgical tape, and unfolded some trauma dressings.

“I don’t have thick enough sutures to hold your wounds closed. I’ll at least clean it and dress it so it won’t get infected while we’re stranded,” you explained, gently wiping the edges clean of blood and dirt. “Since I don’t know how bad the wound is under all this magic, or what Haggar did to you, I don’t want to risk anything by trying to cauterize the wound closed.”

“I told you not to come back for me. Don’t you ever listen?” You grumbled after moments of silence. You finished taping the dressing in its place, using half a roll of bandages to wrap around his waist to keep the pad there, then put the remainder back into the kit. It should hold since you’d be the one to fight the giant lizards, and Shiro would be trapped in a cave.

“Couldn’t exactly hear you over the escape pod launching,” he chuckled, trying to make humor in this kind of situation. Your face was kept in a stern look as you tossed your used latex gloves aside.

“There are no painkillers in this kit, so you’re gonna have to tough it out until we’re found,” you noted, but didn’t exactly feel all that bad.

“We couldn’t just leave you in Zarkon’s hands,” Shiro protested as you helped him stand. “From what I gather, it’ll be worse for us if they have you because you apparently can predict what most others can’t.” You put your helmet on and avoided eye contact.

“We- you should stay in the Black Lion while I try to find Keith. You’re seriously wounded, Shiro. What I did was just a temporary patch until we can get you back in the castle and into an infirmary pod. I don’t want to aggravate your wound further.”

“You’re not going alone,” he groaned weakly.

“Technically, between the two of us, I’ve had more medical field training and expertise, so I’m the doctor here, and the doctor’s orders are that you stay in the Black Lion!” You glared. He glared right back at you.

“Look, whether you like it or not, I am the leader of this team and I have a responsibility for you all. So I am going with you whether you like it or not, understand?” You glared at him, the two of you having a staring competition for a few moments before you sighed in frustration, knowing nothing would change his mind.

“Fine, but don’t blame me if your wound becomes exacerbated as a result of strenuous activity.”

You helped Shiro out of the hatch atop the Black Lion’s head.

“Keith, are you there? Keith?” Shiro said over the coms in the helmets. All that came back was static, and Shiro’s voice was choppy and filled with static even though he was right next to you.

“We’re probably too far for a connection after that crash… If the lions aren’t responding, I doubt our equipment will work.” You noted. Shiro nodded in agreement as he looked up.

“We gotta get to higher ground.”

Climbing up the ravine, one of Shiro’s arms around your shoulder as you helped him walk on his right side, there was a transmission coming through. It was slightly broken, but it started to clear up.

“Shiro! Shiro, Y/N, are you there? Answer me!” Keith’s broken voice asked over the radio.

“Keith!” You replied as you stopped to allow Shiro to rest for a moment. “Keith, we hear you! Hello?”

“Shiro! Y/N! It’s Keith!” He said again. Guess he wasn’t getting it until it finally got a connection.

“Keith! Keith, we’re here, we’re ok,” you responded as you allowed Shiro to sit for a moment. You wanted to keep going, to put distance between you and the giant lizard monsters on this planet, but Shiro also needed to rest…

“Glad you guys made it,” Keith said, a smile in his voice as he continued running towards the Black Lion’s signal.

“It takes more than a glowing alien wound, a fall from the upper atmosphere, and crashing into a hard pan surface, at what I’m guessing is about 25 meters per second squared, to get rid of us,” Shiro noted sarcastically. “How are you?”

“Not good,” Keith panted. “My lion’s busted. Wait, what wound?”

“Shiro was attacked by Haggar and sustained a wound. I treated it the best I could, but I couldn’t do much else other than prevent an infection. The others will find us and we’ll put Shiro in the infirmary,” you said before Shiro could reply. You heard nearby growling, gritting your teeth in annoyance more than anything. Giant lizard creatures were crawling all over the Black Lion, and Shiro seemed to notice that, too.

“On second thought, you better hurry,” Shiro whispered as you quickly helped him up to keep moving.

Resuming the walk up the cliffside to get to the surface, you used your helmet to scan for the Red Lion’s signal. After locking onto it, you started heading that way in hopes of meeting Keith before the giant lizard-like creatures did.

“Guys, what happened?” Keith asked.

“There are several giant lizard-like creatures,” Shiro answered softly.

Behind you, another creature appeared. You saw a little cave opening, and both of you slid down the rocky side and ran towards it just as a creature ran towards you. You quickly shoved Shiro inside and charged your hand with energy, blasting around the entrance of the cave as the rocks fell.

“Y/N!” Shiro shouted as the entrance was blocked.

“Shiro? Shiro, what happened?!” Keith asked in a panic.

“Y/N just sealed me in a cave and is going to fight those huge creatures alone!” He answered, trying to break the rock as he activated his robotic hand.

Three of the creatures were circling you while the fourth ran to get to Shiro, banging its head against the rocks. Based on their skin and their physique, your spear won’t do anything, but it’ll still help, but then you’d be without a weapon.

“Let’s try this…” You charged your hands with dark energy this time, channeling it through your spear. The black electricity got the fourth creature’s attention as you got a direct hit to its body.

“Hey! Lizard brains! I’m over this way!” As it ran towards you, you used your spear to vault over it, just barely missing it. You barely managed to land on your feet. Two creatures ran to flank you, and you used the planet’s gravity and your spear to vault yourself into the air again to gain a bit of height and channeled the dark electricity through your spear, taking out an eye from one of the creatures.

You can hear Shiro and Keith talking to one another over the comms, but you were too focused on the battle to hear them. Another of the creatures slipped away and started digging at the tunnel Shiro was in. In your moment of distraction, you were thrown into the wall after getting a harsh tail whip to the chest.

You were pretty sure you broke a couple of ribs since this space suit wasn’t as protective as the Paladin’s armor. Your vision was blurring in and out of clarity and haze as you couldn’t muster enough energy to stave off the creatures as they dug Shiro out from the hiding spot and then threw him right to you.

“I have a visual on the Black Lion!” You hear Keith exclaim.

Shiro, seeing you barely conscious, stood to fight despite the searing pain of the magical wound. Just as the creature was about to strike a fatal blow, the Black Lion jumped down. It swiped at the lizard-like creatures, standing over you and Shiro as it let out a roar, scaring them off. After ensuring the creatures were gone, Keith quickly opened the mouth of the Black Lion and made his way to you.

“Come on, we’ll head to Red.”

You stood up, helping Shiro to his feet as well, and you both staggered into the lion’s mouth, and it took off.

“Shiro, please… Don’t tell Keith about what we talked about, not until you’ve bonded with your lion in every way possible,” you reminded him, feeling the pain in your ribs become a stabbing sensation with every inhale you take as the adrenaline in your body dies off.

“I trust you, Y/N. But please, you don’t have to carry your burdens alone; that’s what a team does,” he said, reassuringly smiling despite his pain.

“Good… To… Know…” You gained, your body thudding against the metal as Shiro dropped to one knee in alarm.

“Urgh… Damn it…” You coughed out some blood, hearing Shiro’s fading voice calling for you as you lost consciousness.

Again.

Chapter Text

Third POV
After Shiro had woken up and told everyone about the Galra who helped him escape, Allura revealed that Zarkon was the original Black Paladin. Keith grits his teeth, remembering your note. Once again, you were right, even before Allura revealed this fact to everyone, but he still didn’t know how you knew this, as the only other person who knew about this information was Coran.

Heading back to the infirmary, Keith stood in front of your pod again. This was starting to become too common an occurrence; he kept seeing you constantly injured and recovering, only to get yourself hurt again. Whether that be on purpose or by accident, he doesn’t know anymore. Shiro walked into the infirmary after Pidge pulled the coordinates off his arm to examine them more.

“You doing alright?” He asked, standing next to Keith in front of your sleeping form.

“In one piece at least,” he sighed softly as he glanced at your pod. “I dunno if I can say the same for her though…” Shiro gave Keith a sympathetic look, patting the red paladin’s shoulder as he allowed some moments of silence.

“Keith, did Y/N always have these gut feelings? How could she guess whether something would go wrong or right?”

“Not at first, I guess,” Keith answered as he sat on the steps. Shiro joined him. “As kids, after I lost my dad, I was closed off, but she made an effort to get close to me before she was adopted. When I saw her at the Garrison again, she’d become a brilliant medic and, like me, a hot-head with a temper. I honestly wasn’t surprised she got kicked out of the Garrison barely six months after I did!” Keith laughed at the memory.

“Her ‘gut feelings’ started getting way more frequent and accurate after we found those first few carvings of the Blue Lion. I thought it was just because the cavings already predicted ‘an arrival’, your arrival, then found the Blue Lion the following day. And since we’ve been out here, I’ve… I’ve noticed things.”

“Noticed what?” Shiro asked.

“She didn’t seem as scared or in awe when we came to the castle, when we first met Coran and Allura, even when Sendak showed up,” Keith said. “And a few days ago, once we got back from that failed Universal Station mission, I found this taped to her vanity mirror in her room.” Keith reached into his jacket, procuring the note that had his name on it, passing it to Shiro. As he read it, the Black Paladin’s eyes widened.

“When did you say she wrote this?”

“I would assume just before we headed out on that mission, but I don’t know how she could’ve known about Zarkon being the original Black Paladin, or how the intel mission could’ve failed. It didn’t seem like speculation; it seemed more like a fact to her.”

“And why didn’t you tell anyone?” Shiro asked, his voice taking a turn to one of scolding. “Maybe things would’ve turned out differently if you had shown us this, if Allura had told us that Zarkon was the original Black Paladin sooner.”

“No, I don’t think it would’ve mattered because I was going to save my best friend, with or without your guys’ help,” Keith said firmly. Shiro sighed softly as he knew Keith would go through with it.

“Is that why you confronted her after asking Pidge to trap her? You knew this as well?”

“It’s been confirmed now that I’ve seen this and what she can do,” Shiro answered as he handed the note back to Keith.

“What do you mean by that?” As Shiro was about to answer, you groaned in the cryo-replenisher pod, your eyebrows furrowing and sweat appearing on your face. Shiro stood he looking concerned.

“Is she okay? It looks like she’s having a bad dream.”

“Yeah,” Keith replied as he also stood. “Allura says the healing process can cause involuntary brain waves. I’m guessing that’s what brought back your memory of that Galra soldier saving you.”

Shiro looked at you, seeing you struggle like there was some sort of internal battle happening within you. Had had the feeling you were. Based on the two types of energies he’d seen you emit in battle- one similar to Haggar and the other similar to Allura’s Altean energy- he couldn’t help but become worried you were tearing from the inside out.

The pod beeped a few times as it opened. You exhaled as your eyes fluttered open. No pain, you were in that stupid thin suit for recovery, and Shiro and Keith were standing in front of you when the last thing you remembered was passing out in the mouth of the Black Lion.

“Hey,” you smiled softly at them.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

After changing back into your casual clothing, you sat in the dining hall eating a bowl of green food goo and writing in the journal titled “Journey” of all the events that have happened. This one was written in normal ink as opposed to your two other secret journals, titled “Timeline” and “Plans”. The doors to the dining hall opened up, and everyone came in. Even Coran and Allura. The air around everyone was tense. You swallowed the food goo in your mouth as well as any lingering nervousness, closing your notebook.

“Hey, guys?” You asked curiously. “What’re you all doing here?” Everyone looked at each other, and Keith stepped forward.

“You have some serious explaining to do.” He reached into his jacket pocket and procured the note, slamming it on the table.

You narrowed your eyes, but this sort of outcome wasn’t one you were surprised by. At this point, you assumed that everyone at some point or another has witnessed you exhibit abilities and skills that aren’t exactly normal by human standards. Lance still seemed kind of clueless, but that’s just how Lance is. You stood and took the note, glancing at everyone one by one.

“So I guess you decided to tell everyone? Or at the very least, that everyone has seen this note by now.” You looked at Shiro. Pidge stepped forward, adjusting her glasses.

“They were all just similar non-human abilities we’ve all witnessed from you. Such as your innate ability of foresight.”

“Foresight, huh?” You murmured, folding the note. You held it up in front of you slightly, staring at it as if this warning you decided to give was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

“Well, I won’t deny that, but the magic is relatively new.” You ignited a black fire at your fingertips, the piece of paper turning to ash instantly, and then nothing.

“I’ve learned more about it since the mission at the Balmera. It’s what I used to drain enough energy out of Shiro so he wouldn’t eject Sendak from the castle, but the castle itself did it anyway.”

“But that energy isn’t Altean!” Coran protested.

“You’re right, it isn’t. It’s closer to what Haggar uses. In Earth terms, it’s called dark or black magic, forbidden magic essentially. I don’t know how I acquired these abilities, but I’ll know more when we meet the faction of Galra that helped Shiro escape.” You stated matter-of-factly. That part was true as you were aware that the Blade of Marmora were still Galra, and that they would do whatever it takes to defeat the Empire, even if it meant some secret, underhanded tactics.

“What do you mean by that? You Galra or something?” Lance asked, obviously taking it as a joke, but no one else saw it that way.

“It’s not out of the realm of impossibility. I’m gonna get answers, and it’ll start with the organization that freed Shiro.”

Everyone stared at you in shock, but Keith had a look of betrayal on his face. You two were close, thick as thieves, as some would say, and the fact that you kept Keith in the dark was devastating to him at the very least because it showed that you didn’t trust him fully. It was also on Allura and Coran’s faces, too. You knew they wouldn’t trust you as much now, considering this fact.

“I still don’t think that there are Galra who oppose Zarkon; they are not to be trusted!” Allura stated firmly.

“I know when I say there are Galra who oppose Zarkon, it’s true. Without them helping Shiro escape, by now I know for a fact that the Galra Empire would’ve acquired Voltron and none of us would exist, or at the very least be free.”

You walked and stood in front of Allura, holding your wrists out to her.

“If you don’t trust me, then lock me up. Send me back to Earth if it’ll make you feel better, Princess,” you ended with a bitter tone in your voice.

“What?” Lance asked in shock.

“Wait, that’s crazy talk! You’re crazy!” Hunk exclaimed. Shiro stood in front of you as Keith’s face morphed into one of shock and guilt rather than anger.

“Enough. In-fighting isn’t going to make things better!”

“But how did you know all those things were going to happen? The foresight?” Pidge asked. You couldn’t just say you were from another reality, having been transferred into this random body! That their suffering was just a form of entertainment.

“Dreams. But they’re not consistent, and they come at random. They’re blurry, and there’s a chance I could interpret them incorrectly. I’ve been lucky thus far as to not,” you answered, hoping that would satisfy them. But if the castle was already in the Thaldycon system, that means Ulaz should be boarding soon.

“How long have you known you weren’t human? How long have you known that all of this, what has happened so far?” Keith asked as the other grew silent. The million-dollar question.
“How long?!”

“Ever since I stepped foot into the house in the desert…” Everyone could see the look of hurt on Keith’s face. You two were best friends, but what you just said, does that mean your entire friendship was based on lies and manipulation?

You can tell even Keith was thinking if that was true…

And it broke your heart.

You’ve come to love these characters, these people you’ve been in this adventure or not. It didn’t matter to you anymore that they were nothing more than your favorite animated series; you wanted to give them a better outcome in the end, one that wouldn’t risk having to lose so many people, and Allura, in the end.

“If you’re done interrogating me and you aren’t going to lock me up or send me back to Earth, we should be prepared to welcome Shiro’s rescuer.” You shoved past them after gathering your notebook and activating your spear. You had to suck it up right now as there were more important things to worry about.

Chapter Text

After Ulaz was put into restraints and sat in the lounge area in the castle as everyone was gathered there.

“I don’t think this is necessary…” Shiro protested against the restraints on Ulaz.

“I will not have some quiznack-ing Galra soldier on the bridge of my ship!” Allura exclaimed.

“If I wanted to kill you, you’d be dead already,” Ulaz noted.

“The death threats are not helping your case here,” you chided, crossing your arms.

“Are your Galra threats supposed to win my trust?!” Allura was getting angrier.

“I’m not trying to win your trust- I’m trying to win a war. And, because of Shiro, we are closer than we’ve ever been,” Ulaz noted with a happy tone in his voice, though you couldn’t tell. “Our gamble on you paid off better than we could have ever imagined!”

“When you released me, you also mentioned that others were working with you,” Shiro asked.

“Yes,” Ulax nodded slightly. “We are called the Blade of Marmora.”

“And the others are in your hidden little area?” You asked, not remembering 100% if there was anyone else with Ulaz at the communications base.

“I am alone on this base.”

“And what is this base you’re talking about?” Allura asked. “Shiro’s coordinates just led us to this wasteland!”

“The base is hidden. And now that I know it is Shiro who has come, you are welcome to our outpost. It lies dead ahead.”

“Behind all the xanthorium clusters?” Pidge asked.

“No. Right in front of it, in a hidden pocket of space-time,” Ulaz answered.

“Coran, are you hearing this?” Allura exclaimed, knowing the coms were on between the lounge area and the bridge.

“I am picking up some kind of anomaly on the screen,” Coran replied over the speaker. “I suppose it could be a cloaked base.”

“Just fly straight for the center of the xanthorium cluster. You will see.” Allura glared at Ulaz. It’s no surprise to anyone that she thought that this was nothing but a trick.

“You think you’re going to get me to destroy our ship just because you say so?!”

“We came out here to find some answers. Are we going to turn back now?” Shiro asked, a pleading look on his face.

“You know I trust you, Shiro, but this doesn’t feel right,” Keith noted. Everyone voiced their opinions one by one. At this rate, you’ll most likely leave the base when it’s right in front of them!

“Ulaz freed Shiro. I said it in the dining hall, and I’ll say it again; if the Blade of Marmora hadn’t decided to free Shiro and send him hurling back to Earth, all of the known universe would be run by the Galra!” You shouted. “Without him and his organization’s interference, I’d say we’d all either be Zarkon’s slaves or six feet in the ground…”

Everyone fell silent at your words. Though you could see they were fighting with themselves at your words, considering the confrontation they had with you in the morning, they still couldn’t trust that you were some sort of oracle, or non-human at the very least. But they knew one thing: inside intel was more valuable in war than anything.

“Fine,” Allura conceded. “Slow and steady, Coran. Head for the xanthorium cluster.”

After making it inside the space-time fold, proving to everyone that what Ulaz said was true, you knew this may very well mark only the beginning of your troubles.

“Welcome to the Blade of Marmora’s Communications Base Thaldycon,” Ulaz said, standing up. “Now, if you’ll free me, I need to send a message to the leadership. They need to know I’ve made contact with Voltron.”

“Go with him and keep an eye on him. I’m staying in the castle,” Allura said as she turned to the others. She only spared you a glance before turning away. Same reaction she’ll have once she learns Keith is also Galra, but that won’t be for a while.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

You changed into your repaired space suit before heading with Shiro, Keith, Pidge, Hunk, and Ulaz. You all boarded the Red Lion and headed into the base. As they approached the base, Ulaz explained how the Blade hid the base.

“There are Galra who aren’t loyal to Zarkon,” you reminded, not just everyone, but also yourself. You were relieved that not much seemed to have changed so far. But what might happen next might drastically alter the course of things.

“We thought expanding the Galra Empire would bring stability. We learned too late; a tyrant doesn’t seek stability- only power,” Ulaz explained as Keith parked the Red Lion, and you all headed inside.

“With our members working on the inside, planning coordinated attacks with Voltron, we may finally have a chance.” You overheard the conversation as you looked at the space-time pocket generator that kept the place hidden.

“So, you have agents working within Zarkon’s ranks?” Hunk asked.

“How do you think you got away from Zarkon in that last fight?” Ulax answered with a question of his own. “Do you think those shields around Zarkon’s command center went down on their own? We’ve got people risking their lives in this war, just like you!”

“If you have people on the inside, can they tell me where my family is?” Pidge asked in desperation. “They were taken at the same time Shiro was.”

“I knew others from Earth were captured, but I never saw them. However, I have some records of prisoners here that I can transmit to your ship.”

“What’s that weapon you carry?” Keith asked. You turned and rejoined the group in their discussion as you figured the next robeast would be close by soon. You needed to show Ulaz the marking on your wrist before he died by destroying the robeast from the inside with the space-time technology. Otherwise, you’d have to save him. Somehow.

“This is a ceremonial blade that each member of our order carries,” Ulaz said as he held out his blade for Keith to see. You noticed Keith was looking at the making on the blade, the one you know his knife has as well. The alarms went off, and the screen showed a ro-beast pod approaching.

It’s here.

Chapter Text

“It’s another one of Zarkon’s ro-beasts!” Hunk exclaimed.

“We have to get back to the ship!” Shiro exclaimed.

“Shiro, wait.” Ulaz showed you and him the hard drive. “These are instructions on how to reach the Blade of Marmora headquarters. Before you go there, find out how Zarkon is tracking you. If you lead him there, our entire underground network, everything we’ve spent centuries building, will be lost!”

Ulaz handed you the hard drive as you all rushed back to the Red Lion to head back into the castle. The others quickly mounted their lions as you headed to the castle bridge. This one will be tricky since it was defeated when Ulaz activated the space-time fold device, leading to his death. But you still had to ask him some questions about how you acquired these abilities and how it's all tied in with the Blade of Marmora.

Wait, that’s it!

“Why can’t we hide here in the space clam and wait for it to disappear?” Hunk asked.

“You can’t,” you said as you looked at the robeast as it emerged from the pod.

“Oh, what? Another one of your prophetic dreams?” Lance chided sarcastically. You rolled your eyes and glared at him.

“Yes, actually. If the castle picked up the interference easily, I have no doubt this thing will too.”

“Don’t launch, we’ll see what this thing does,” Shiro noted. “I don’t wanna risk fighting it if we don’t have to.”

You disregarded Shiro’s words and stood next to Coran, putting up the shield. As you did, the robeast fired straight into the space-time pocket and landed a hit on the particle barrier.

“It definitely knows we’re here!” Coran exclaimed. The robeast was readying another attack, its large tractor beam pulling in the castle! The paladins launched and formed Voltron to engage with the robeast. After diverting the shot, the space-time fold was lowered, and the generator flew past the castle.

“There goes Ulaz,” Coran noted. Allura glared at the fleeing craft.

“I knew we should never trust a Galra!” Allura scoffed.

As Voltron fought the robeast, the tractor beam kept trying to pull them in as they were also damaged by the highly unstable xanthorium clusters. Allura blasted the robeast with the Castle’s ion cannon, but the robeast turned its attention to you now. You sat in Pidge’s chair, scanning for the Ulaz and the space-time fold device, and as you expected, he was coming back. You needed to hope your plan would work, otherwise you’d die with the robeast too.

“We might not be strong enough to beat this thing!” Hunk exclaimed. That was your cue. You quickly grabbed your helmet and ran off the ship’s bridge.

“Y/N, where are you going?” Coran exclaimed as Allura also saw you run off. You open your coms to the universal channel as you hear Ulaz’s transmissions coming in, too.

“I’m going to take it down from the inside!” He proclaimed, the space-pocket device was zooming towards the ro-beast’s mouth.

“Come on, come on…” You quickly head to the personal pod, starting the launch sequence and sliding your helmet on.

“Ulaz no!” Shiro shouted in protest. “Let us handle this.”

“Voltron is too valuable. The universe needs you.”

Launch.

“Y/N! What’re you doing?!” Coran shouted again as the monitors in the castle and Voltron saw you launching at full speed towards the robeast who had just swallowed the space-time fold device with Ulaz inside it. You just needed to reach him just after he activated the generator.

“Y/N!” You hear Keith exclaim.

“Ulaz opened up the space pocket from inside! It’s falling in on itself!” Pidge shouted as the robeast convulsed.

You drown out the voices, taking deep breaths as you force the two energies inside your body to connect. You just needed enough power for a teleport.

Thinking back to Haggar, you pulled the necessary quintessence from the space around you. It was just like chemistry, gathering the necessary ingredients to achieve a desired result, and those ingredients are the basics of the table of elements, which were everywhere. You thought back to how the space pocket was formed through the manipulation of the surrounding area.

Apply it. Shift and manipulate your position within space quickly and without pause.

One shot. You have one shot at this.

In a bright flash of violet light, you were gone, and only the small personal pod remained as it hovered in space as the robeast exploded.

Everyone was in shock as they thought you were folded in with the robeast. First Ulaz, now you?

“Where? Where did she go?!” Keith exclaimed in worry, his voice on the verge of tears. As he desperately started scanning for your heat signature.

Allura and Coran were about to give a report from the scanners when a flash of violet light blinded the bridge of the castle as you and Ulaz teleported onto the bridge, hitting the wall with a hard thud. You braced Ulaz against the impact, resulting in his much larger frame crashing against yours, your ribs probably becoming fractured again.

“By the ancients!” Coran exclaimed as he and Allura quickly ran over to you and an unconscious Ulaz.

“Y/N!” Coran exclaimed as he helped you sit up. You hissed as you held your ribs.

“Don’t… I had to,” you groaned softly. Your energy was nearly drained. As an inexperienced magic user, it was expected, but you didn’t think it would hurt this badly. It was risky, but you had to do it. If you couldn’t change the canon events, at the very least, you could minimize the total casualties in this war. Ulaz could prove useful in the future, too.

“Coran? Allura? What just happened?” Lance asked as the lions disbanded and came back to the castle.

“It’s Y/N,” Allura said as she stood at the controls. “She just saved Ulaz.”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

After everyone changed out of their armor, and against Allura’s protests towards the Blade of Marmora member, you and Ulaz were put into the cryo-replenisher chambers to heal your wounds. Shiro and Keith stood in front of the pods, their minds reeling, but Keith was more angry than anything, annoyed, and worried.

“She tells me not to do anything stupid, yet here she is doing stuff we don’t even know the half of,” Keith folded his arms a little tighter in anger. “I thought we were close…”

“There are things we all keep in secret. Even when she told us about all this, I have no doubt in my mind she knew we might see her differently, not because she can use magic, but because she may be part Galra,” Shiro said, worried for his junior. But he was also worried about you. For someone so young, you were too wise beyond your years, with more skill and knowledge that even rivaled his younger self.

“Shiro, Keith, can you come to the bridge?” Allura requested from the speakers.

When they got there, Pidge was analyzing some footage that the castle had just before you teleported. Coran had a screen in his hands giving him live updates about the progress the pods were making in healing the damage you and Ulaz sustained.

“What’s going on?”

“Initially, I thought Y/N was brought into the space-time fold just before the robeast exploded, but take a look.” She played the footage, your body emitting a soft violet glow just before it flashed, and you were gone.

“I’m still confused,” Lance sighed. Pidge rewound the footage.

“Ok, then what about this…?” She put on a spectrum emission filter and played it again. The surrounding particles were drawn into your body just before it flashed, and then nothing.

“The best I can explain it is that she drew in the surrounding energy to give herself a boost to perform that teleport into the device, then made it back to the ship in one miraculous piece with Ulaz. I thought teleportation was impossible without a wormhole.”

“It isn’t,” Shiro chimed in. “When we went to Zarkon’s command center, I fought a witch and she could teleport at will, but not with a brilliant flash of violet light, more like a dark cloud or fog.”

“Great,” Lance chided with annoyance. “A space witch- just what we needed.”

“I still don’t like this…” Allura sighed as she started flying out of the xanthroium system.

“Ulaz would’ve died if not for Y/N- doesn’t that say something that there really is a group of Galra out there who aren’t loyal to Zarkon?” Hunk questioned.

“Then we should meet up with the rest of Ulaz’s group and finish what he started!” Keith suggested strongly.

“No,” Shiro opposed, “we’re not going to the headquarters until we know how Zarkon found us. We can’t risk losing the only allies we have in this war.”

“Then do you think Y/N may know how he’s tracking us?” Everyone looked at Hunk. “Well, I just thought, since she might have a better handle on her abilities, considering she teleported into the about-to-collapse robeast and back into the bridge, maybe she can do her dream predictions at will? Just… Just a thought.”

“Regardless, we will have to wait for her to heal up. Again,” Keith chided with a hint of bitterness in his voice.

“It might be a while,” Coran sighed. “According to the scans from the pods, Y/N sustained more injuries than Ulaz after they both crashed into the castle bridge. And with Y/N’s previous injuries, they’ll need more time to heal and stabilize. Her energy levels took the biggest hit, most likely due to the teleportation.”

“If it’s the same as Allura powering the teludav multiple times, then it makes sense,” Pidge concluded.

“If I’m being honest, it feels like Y/N keeps getting hurt more than we are, and we’re Voltron!” Lance noted as everyone’s faces fell sullen. Allura did too.

She’s been less than friendly ever since you revealed the fact that you could be part Galra, but after hearing this, maybe not all Galra were as bad as she thought. It was an internal war, fighting within her as she considered you as family.

Chapter Text

A few days pass, and Ulaz is the first to exit the cryo pods. Keith and Shiro help him regain his strength in the dining hall, giving him something to eat and drink. Of course, they have some questions for him, but Ulaz has more questions for you, so they tell him everything they know.

“I see. A human who can use magic, you say? With the symbol of the Blade of Marmora etched into her wrist?” Ulaz asked once Shiro and Keith were finished with their explanation.

“Yes, we were honestly hoping that you knew something about this,” Keith said.

“I am afraid I do not. For those of us working inside Zarkon’s ranks, it is not easy to get daily updates on the Blade’s activities, and we do not know everything if we are caught and interrogated. It is a safety measure. And I do not have the clearance within the Blade to know everything.”

“So the only ones who may know more would be your superiors at your headquarters,” Shiro summarized, and Ulaz nodded in agreement.

“Has she exhibited these abilities before?”

“No, but I think she’s always had them even before we left Earth,” Keith answered. “Before, her gut feelings used to be about a 50/50 chance, but after we found the carvings of the Blue Lion, and especially after Shiro’s arrival back to Earth, they've become nearly 100% accurate. As we’ve said, she’s told us that these predictions or visions come to her at random times in vague dreams.”

“Then you should not press further for answers,” Ulaz suggested. “The very reason she may be hiding these things from you is for your own protection. Knowing too much is just as dangerous as knowing too little.

“But if she shares them with the team, we can come up with better ways to solve these problems!”

“Voltron, as well as you paladins, are too valuable to the universe. I can tell she understood that well when she suddenly appeared on the ship.”

“But no one’s lives are expendable,” Shiro said in concern.

“And yet that is the harsh reality we face in times of war.”

They were interrupted when Hunk ran into the dining hall, his face filled with confusion and worry.

“Guys, you have to come see this!”

Everyone, including Ulaz, ran into the infirmary, where you had just woken up moments beforehand. You were confused about why everyone was staring at you with shock and awe.

“Guys, it’s not like I’m dead, cut it out.”

“Have you looked at yourself?!” Lance exclaimed, gesturing towards you.

“I just woke up, so not exactly, smart guy,” you answered with sarcasm. Coran opened up a screen on the infirmary’s control panel and beckoned you over. As you stood in front of it, your eyes went wide as you gasped.

You looked different, a mix of Altean and Galra! At least you kept your original skin tone and ear shape.

Your hair had changed to light violet, and Altean markings matched your hair color, which rested just beneath the outer corners of your eyes. They were similar to Coran and Allura’s but had sharper ends. Your eye color had changed to a light amber color. If Lotor were here, everyone would assume that you were his long-lost sister and princess of the Empire, maybe they would think that when they would eventually see him, but that wasn’t the problem right now.

“How did this happen?!” You exclaimed, touching your new Altean markings to make sure this was real.

“We don’t know, your scans show that you’ve recovered perfectly in the pod; otherwise, I’d have been alerted,” Coran noted.

“I think it may be a result of the sudden mass of magic I used?” You also saw Ulaz in the room, who was just as surprised as everyone else.

You remembered forcing the two opposing energies inside you to fuse as you drew in the necessary quintessence to give you the strength and boost you needed to get Ulaz in and out within the single second before he collapsed with the robeast. Maybe this is a side effect…?

“You look like Coran and Allura,” Keith gasped. You looked between the two Alteans and back at yourself, and your face fell sullen.

“Yeah, I guess I do,” you remarked with some disdain.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Allura asked in an offended tone.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Your Highness, but the last time we were on speaking terms was before there was a chance I could be Galra!” You shouted, “And I know for a fact if I didn’t say anything about it now, you’d look at me like I’m some sort of long-lost Altean who had their abilities active for too long!” Your fingers faintly sparked with dark purple energy, and your emotions started to fly off the handle.

“Enough!” Shiro exclaimed, stepping between you two. “Save that energy for the real enemy.”

“I understand that, but I can’t take the look of guilt and heartbreak on Allura’s face,” you scowled. “No matter what or who I really am, I’m certainly no Altean.” You spared a glance at Ulaz and left the infirmary, heading to your room to change into your clothes since your combat suit was damaged yet again.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Afterward, as you headed to the dining hall, Ulaz stood in your path.

“I’ve been meaning to speak with you,” he noted.

“Me too,” you nodded. You beckoned him down the hall and to your room. You locked the door and sat on the bed while Ulaz pulled the chair from your desk to sit before you.

“I’ll go first.” You pulled up your left sleeve to show him the mark of the Blade on the inside of your wrist. “This isn’t a normal birthmark- too exact.”

“I do not know what it means or how you have that, but the leadership will know.”

“And they’re at your headquarters, which I can’t get to because Zarkon is tracking the team through the Black Lion.” Ulaz’s eyes widened in surprise, and you sighed, having let that information slip.

“I can’t tell them that because it’s ultimately up to the team, Shiro especially, to find out this information independently. I fear changing and advancing events too early could cause the original flow of time to disrupt and bring unfortunate things I cannot predict.”

“Then you know how this war will end,” Ulaz stated as fact, rather than speculation.

“I do, but I can’t divulge that information to you, Ulaz. The fact that I have such powerful abilities already puts me at a great risk, so if the Galra were to find out I know how the war, how everything will play out-”

“You would essentially be handing them a certain victory,” he finished in your stead. You nodded.

“So what do you propose?”

“I’m sure you know that technically speaking, you aren’t supposed to be alive. However, since I saved you, I am going to the Blade of Marmora’s headquarters myself. I want answers, and I’m sure the Blade could use someone useful in return,” you answered with confidence that masked your nervousness.

In all truth, whoever this person was before you slipped into their body was a complete mystery. It wasn’t even one of the pilot cadets from back on Earth either. It did look nearly identical to your original body back from your dimension before you somehow transmigrated, aside from the now mixed of Altean and Galra features. This is proof that alternate dimensions exist, but why would something so similar to the Voldtron universe exist?

“And what of your team? Your friends?” Ulaz asked. “They will find you upset that you have gone.”

“My friends… They’ll be fine without me, and they need to know they don’t have to rely on me and my knowledge of the near or far future to bring peace and justice to the world. As for Allura, especially… Now that it’s revealed I’m a mix of human, Altean, and Galra, she needs to sort things out. It’s essentially giving them space.”

“I understand,” Ulaz nodded.

“I made a copy of the instructions on how to reach the Blade’s headquarters from the chip you gave. I have to make a stop before I head over there myself. The others won’t be coming with me until they figure out how to weaken the connection between the Black Lion and Zarkon.”

“Then I wish you well.” Ulaz patted you on the shoulder. Afterward, you escorted him to the pods, ensuring that the tracker that connected the Altean pod to the castle was destroyed, and he took off to the Blade’s headquarters.

Time to head to Olkarion.

Chapter Text

After a few weeks floating in space, the glowing space spores were finally discovered and decoded by Pidge, leading the team to finally head to Olkarion. With some hope, you could ask Ryner what she made of you, something that isn’t natural, that was created as a type of weapon, as best you can put it.

A human experiment.

Much like Haggar was doing with the Ro-Beasts, but it wasn’t just a mix of magic and machine, which was essentially Alchemy in a way. This was worse, at least it seemed that way to you. You took out a blank sheet of paper from a spare notebook and began writing a short but to-the-point letter for later.

The plan was simple.

While Voltron fights the Galra’s Olkari cube after freeing King Lubos, you’d use the opportunity to take one of the Castle’s pods, disable the tracking systems that connected it to the Castle, and head to the Blade’s headquarters for answers. Hopefully, by then, Ulaz will have explained everything to Kolivan, and gaining entry will be easier. While you weren’t a pilot, the tips and lessons from Keith when he taught you how to use a hoverbike should suffice. Just don’t stray from the path.

Just as you finished the note, locked away your journals, and packed the necessary items so you could make a quick getaway, the Castle was approaching Olkarion. You put on your suit and grabbed your utility belt and spear before heading to the bridge, as Coran pulled up images of the main city.

“The signal came from Olkarion, home to the Olkari,” he started, “a proud class of engineers, builders of vast cities that coil change the shape at the whim of their creators.”

“They had a seemingly magical ability to manipulate solid metal,” Allura added. “With just a wave of their hands, they could build a computer inside a block of steel.”

“So, when do we get to see the city?” Pidge asked in excitement.

“Actually, Pidge, the distress signal isn’t coming from the city. It’s coming from… The forest?” The princess answered. Coran and Allura parked the Castle on a nearby moon. You boarded the Black Lion with Shiro and the team headed down.

“Why doesn’t anyone ever send a distress signal from a cool place?” Pidge sighed as the Lions flew past the city and over the mountains to the forest. “I hate the outdoors. Nothing but sunburn and poison oak.”

“I like it out here, it’s quiet,” Keith smiled. You couldn’t help but agree, but that didn’t last long as the Olkari from the forest shot the Lions with special arrows. After the arrows pierced each of the Lions, they all started drifting down towards the ground.

“What was that?” Hunk asked after the short barrage of arrows had happened.

“Uh, are we being attacked?” Keith asked, also confused.

“I don’t know, but something’s pulling down my lion to the surface,” Shiro responded. The Lions came to a clearing in the woods, armed with wooden mech suits and various weapons of plant designs, waiting for their arrival.

“It’s the Olkari. They probably haven’t seen Voltron, so they thought it was some sort of spy or threat from the Galra,” you explained as the lion’s controls came back once they touched the ground.

“We found your distress signal!” Pidge announced, opening the Green Lion’s head hatch as she held up a contained spore.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

After dismounting the Lions, the team followed Ryner as she gave a tour of the base of the Olkari who escaped into the forests.

“When the Galra attacked, only a few of us escaped the cities. We were forced to flee into the forest.”

“How long have you lived like this?” Shiro asked. Everyone came to the platform, looking over the vast forest civilization. Pidge looked especially impressed as Ryner continued the tour.

“Many decafeebes. But as you can see, our people are resilient. We never stopped evolving; Instead, we adapted our skills to the environment.”

“Coran was right, Ryner,” Pidge smiled as a dragonfly machine made of wood, sticks, and leaves flew past her. “You really are the most incredible engineers in the universe. To be able to switch from working with precision machinery to a bunch of sticks!”

“Nature’s designs are superior to any that we could devise,” Ryner answered.

As Ryner spoke, you had a thought. Nature, on any planet and in any universe, was indeed more complex. So much so, humans had to dumb it down to things like formulas, math, science, and the like just to try and make sense of it all. That being said, it wouldn’t hurt to try and make use of nature to balance out the two energies inside you.

“You two can talk science later. Let’s assemble Voltron and get rid of these Galra invaders,” Shiro stated.

“I’m afraid it’s not that simple,” Ryner interrupted. “The Galra have our leader, Lubos. If you attack, who knows what they’ll do to him?”

“Then we’ll just have to rescue him first.”

Eventually, Ryner took everyone deeper into the forest, where several large wooden pods hung from giant trees. The armory.

“Ryner, where are we?” Keith asked.

“This is the armory,” she answered. Everyone looked around, seeing the Olkari arm themselves with blasters made from flowers. She touched one of the trees, an energy path leading to one of the large wooden pods. It dropped to the ground with a resounding thud that shook the ground as it opened and unfurled itself to reveal a wooden mech suit.

“Cool!” Pidge exclaimed with sparkling eyes.

“Uhm, can I have one?” Keith asked with bewildered eyes.

“Of course, you can each have one.” Ryner waved her hand over a large, dark teal flower pod that opened to reveal the headbands that allowed you all to interface with the forest tech. She hands them out to everyone and explains the connection process.

“Now, the key to operating it is understanding that the nanocellulose responds to the electrical impulses from the neural pathways connected through this.”

“That’s your interface?” Pidge asked as she put on the headband.

“Of course, all commands need to come as binary-coded messages.”

“So, like this.” Pidge put her hand on a tree and closed her eyes as she sent signals to the pod. It dropped out of the tree and opened to her.

“Yes! Excellent!” Ryner smiled.

“I think mine is just a tree,” Lance commented as the others tried as well.

“You must have a very deep connection with nature,” Ryner noted to Pidge.

“Not really,” the green paladin shrugged in response. “My allergies and pale skin don’t mix with outdoor living.”

“Pidge is our resident tech expert,” Shiro corrects.

Putting on the headband, you placed your hand on the tree. While you didn’t understand technology or biology that much, you understood that every living thing has some sort of blood variant that flows through them as the nervous system does. For trees, the roots that dig into the soil supply the necessary nutrients and blood, the branches and stems act like the nervous system, and the leaves catch the necessary sunlight needed to grow. Nature was no different from the human body and vice versa.

With a startling thud, a wooden mech pod dropped behind you, opening up as your mouth fell agape. The others turned to you as well.

“You as well, Y/N,” Ryner adds.

“Y/N is our local field medic and chemist,” Shiro noted, leaving out the magic and foresight bit.

“Like the Olkari, you understand that, at the deepest level, trees, metal, you, me; we’re all made up of the same cosmic dust, all arranged by the laws of mathematics,” Ryner smiles.

“Does this mean I should start gardening?” Pidge asked with a sarcasm laced in her voice.

“It means you’re going to give your friends a ride,” Ryner chuckled.

Chapter Text

Hunk and Lance went in Pidge’s pod, Shiro with Ryner, and you with Keith. The ride out of the forest and to the outskirts of the central city was at least half an hour long.

Awkward to say the least.

“Keith, for what it’s worth, I’m sorry I lied to you…” You said, breaking the awkward silence. You did feel bad for having to lie to him exceedingly. Aside from him being your favorite character, he also grew to be your best friend. It must hurt even more for him.

“Does that mean you’re staying? Are you going to start telling the truth?” He refused to look at you. Your grip on the handles didn’t go unnoticed by him, though, resulting in a disappointed sigh from the red paladin.

“You’re leaving, aren’t you?”

“Yes… Soon, I can’t stay with you guys forever; you know that.” You focused on the road, following Pidge’s pod.

“My powers are growing unstable, there are questions I want answers to that aren’t going to come from Voltron, and you cannot rely on my ability to predict the future. I need some sort of guidance, anything on how to steer myself in the right direction.”

“And you can’t do all that by staying with the team?” He sounded sad. You placed a hand on his.

“We’ll see each other again, Keith. You can’t stay out of trouble for long.” He chuckled, squeezing your hand.

“Yeah, I guess you do have a point.”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Reaching the highest cliff in the forest, it overlooked the city, where the giant Olkari Galra cube was nearly complete. You parked to the left of Ryner’s pod, and Pidge was on the right as Ryner shared scans, explaining the plan.

“Their headquarters are impenetrable from the ground, but there is one way in: a small opening in the roof. It goes all the way down to an open courtyard.” Ryner opened a shared image of the tower and the open roof at the top of it.

“That’s quite a drop,” Keith noted as he looked at the scans.

“But there you will have total access to the building. The hard part will be getting onto the roof undetected.”

“That won’t be a problem,” Shiro answered. You shared scans of the nearly finished Glara Olkari Cube.

“Hey, take a look at this.”

“What is that? Is that part of the building?” Hunk asked.

“My Lubos!” Ryner exclaimed as she looked at it. “It can’t be!”

“It looks like the cube Coran gave me!” Pidge held up the small Olkari cube to the monitor.

“I haven’t seen one of those in many decafeebs. We used to play with them as children. But this... Only King Lubos could have designed one that size!” She swallowed her nervousness, looking at the giant, weaponized cube.

“Why would he do that?” Keith asked.

“They must have forced him to reveal his designs and reconstruct it as a weapon. From the looks of it, I’d say it’s almost finished.”

“I hate to break the morale here, but we’re talking about a king- basically a political head,” you interjected.

“This isn’t Earth, Y/N.” Keith understood your general lack of trust in the words of people, especially politicians and figureheads.

“What do you mean by that?” Lance asked.

“On Earth, I had a certain… Adversity to those in high positions of power because of their apparent inability to tell the truth. For example, they were going to lock Shiro up and test him for who knows how long, keep him hidden from the public eye, until when? The Galra would have invaded Earth, too?” You hissed. “I don’t doubt that King Lubos is as intelligent as Ryner claims, but I don’t doubt he’ll try to save his own skin at a cost that’s too high.”

“You cannot be this pessimistic, right?” Lance asked with some concern.

“We’re talking about a crazy, advanced alien race here! Surely they’re smarter than that, right?” Hunk chimed in.

“Be that as it may, we’re all mortals, we can all die. Even someone as smart as the Olkari fears the Galra Empire.” You gripped the handles of the controls. “He sold out his people to save his hide.”

“Be that as it may, he’s still someone we need to rescue so that, at the very least, the Olkari might have justice. We can at least give them that, right?” Keith asked. You resigned with a sigh.

“Fine.”

“Ok, we need to act fast. Everyone back to base- I have a plan,” Shiro declared. You all sped back into the forest, parking near the Green Lion. You and Pidge handed your headpieces to Ryner and gathered around Shiro as the sun was starting to set.

“First, we’ll need to get to the top of that tower. Since the Green Lion has stealth capabilities, Pidge, you’re the drop ship. You’ll take Keith, Y/N, Hunk, Lance, and me to the roof, then drop back to a safe position. After the drop, we’ll use a sensor to scan the building for any Olkari biorhythms. We’ll get King Lubos out, Pidge will pick us up, and then we can deal with the Galra that’s taken the citizens hostage. Any questions?”

Everyone was good and understood the plan.

“Good. Then we leave in an hour.”

Chapter Text

The Olkari fitted you with a better jetpack and improved your spear as you put your helmet on. You and the paladins filed into the Green Lion, and Pidge took off, using the cloaking to hide the Green Lion. It stopped over the tower opening, and you all went through the drop, activating your jetpacks halfway down the tower.

Shiro placed the BLIP pod down, sending the scans to the Green Lion. Pidge sent a route to where King Lubos was held as you all ran there, with you and Keith flanking the team to make sure you weren’t followed.

You all crouched behind the door, hearing King Lubos crying and sobbing. Making sure everyone was ready, Shiro opened the door as everyone snuck in to reveal that Lubos was crying as he watched a drama, stuffing his face with food. You rolled your eyes, standing up and striding in as Shiro gave everyone a confused look, and then looked at you as you silently approached King Lubos from behind.

The Olkari citizen that was serving Lubos, La-Sai, looked at you with surprise, and you put a finger over your mouth, telling him to keep quiet. You point to the others, urging him to go with them.

“What’s she doing?” Hunk whispered.

“Hopefully nothing crazy,” Keith answered.

“Hey, you’re Lubos, right?” You announced as he turned.

“Yes? Who are you? The jesters I requested?” He asked, wiping his tears away. You glared at the fat, arrogant king, raising your spear as you turned his chair around.

“Y/N!” Shiro exclaimed. You slammed your spear into his chair, inches away from his head.

“Woah! Where did that come from?!” Lance exclaimed.

“Hands up! Do not alert the Galra Commander and the sentries, or I’ll give you a fitting Earth punishment for those who betray their people- the death sentence with your chopped-off head on a pike!” You gave him a death glare, threatening to activate the spear’s electricity as it hummed with energy. Lubos nervously swallowed, raising his hands as you forced him out of the chair.

Pidge freed La-Sai from his restraints and headed up the tower to the rendezvous point. You all got in the Green Lion and headed back to the forest.

“We don’t have much time before they figure out Lubos is gone. We need to get back and form Voltron for a surprise attack,” Shiro noted as he turned to you. “Y/N, did you have another dream?”

“No, but if it’s built like the echo cube Coran gave you and weaponized, it might echo attacks.” You answered, looking at Pidge. “Listen to Pidge.”

After the Green Lion rejoined the others, everyone disembarked, and you threw Lubos down on the ground in front of everyone. He was terrified but unharmed, and everyone could see it.

“What’s going on?” Ryner asked.

“While your countrymen starved, King Lubos was well taken care of by the Galra,” Shiro explained. “He willingly helped them build that cube, willingly helped enslave his own people-”

“That’s a lie!” Lubos shouted. “They wanted to fight the Galra, but they are too powerful! The Galra could destroy us! Are you going to trust the words of a primate over your own king?!”

“Did he just call us primates?!” Lance exclaimed angrily.

“This one can attest to our words.” You beckoned La-Sai over.

“What the Black Paladin is saying is true. He betrayed our people. I refuse to live your lie!” He exclaimed.

“After that cube was constructed and built to completion, the Galra would have no use for you. They’d either toss you with the rest of your people as slaves or kill you on the spot.” You declared.

“How would you know anything?!” Lubos shouted. You stabbed the ground next to him, your spearhead inches from him, yet again.

“Because it’s the Galra we’re talking about.”

“I know you’re devastated, but it’s time to be strong and use your Olkari spirit to fight alongside Voltron and take back your planet!” Shiro spoke. Ryner’s face steeled in confidence as she nodded, her face quickly turning to a scowl as she faced the now-former king.

“Lubos, how could you?” She seethed. Lubos stammered like a child, trying to come up with an excuse.

“I… I was only trying to-”

“Enough!” Ryner shouted, turning to the others. “We must free our people!” The crowd cheered in response and started to prepare for battle. Lubos was taken away to be locked up, and you went to find Ryner.

“Ryner, I have a favor to ask you, separate from Voltron and the mission. I only ask for your discretion.”

“What is it?” She asked. You opened up your hands, one shining the blue energy and the other with dark purple.

“These two energies are at war with each other, tearing me up from the inside out. It’s getting worse, too... It’s tied to my emotions. I’m scared I’m going to hurt someone…” You say worriedly, closing your hands. Ryner thought for a moment.

“Remember what I said before? You, me, the Olkari- we’re all made of the same cosmic dust. Your power is no different.”

“But this is different- it’s something I have no experience with. I don’t understand it!” You exclaimed.

“You weren’t always a field medic or chemist, were you? You needed to study and learn, to understand it. I think you must use your spirit to understand these powers inside you and learn how to work with them, not against them...” She folded your hands together, giving a reassuring smile. You did the same, and she headed off to prepare for battle as Keith approached you.

“I will see you again, right?” He asked sadly.

“We’ll meet again, I promise.” You hugged him tightly. “Don’t be stupid while I’m away.”

“You’re taking all the stupid with you.” He hugged you tightly in return. Keith flew you back to the castle and then went to fight the cube with the others.

You ran into your room, leaving a note on your vanity table as you took your bag and your chip containing a copy of the instructions to the Blade of Marmora HQ. You changed out of the space suit and into your civilian clothes, grabbing your backpack and supplies. You double-checked your notebooks, making sure they were still there and hidden away before heading to the pod ships.

On the way to the hangar, you ran into Allura, who was busy helping Coran repair the ship still. She looked confused.

“Y/N, where are you going? The mission isn’t over already, is it?” You turned away from her.

“Allura, I need to leave the team.”

“What?!” She exclaimed with worry, approaching you. “What’s going on? Are you alright? If this is about our fight, then I-” You hugged her, putting your spear in her hand.

“Everything will be ok. We’ll meet again when the time is right.” You gave her a heavy smile, running to the pods. After disabling the tracking system in one of them, you opened the bay doors and flew out. As you pass the planet, four bright green flashes of light shine as explosions boom from the city. The Cube was destroyed, and the Olkari took back the city, resulting in the Galra fleeing.

“Good job, Pidge.” You smiled, taking off. You entered the coordinates to the Blade’s HQ.

“My turn for some character development.”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The Castle of Lions, after leaving planet Olkari, before Team Voltron heads to the Space Mall
Third POV
After the Red Lion saves Keith and Allura from an entire galaxy away, the Team gathers on the bridge to discuss the new information regarding both the Lions and you.

“The fact that the Red Lion came to help Keith from so far away is a vital piece of information. We now have proof that a lion and a Paladin can, in fact, connect over a far greater distance than we realized. Which means we finally know how Zarkon is tracking us. It’s through the Black Lion.”

“Do you think Y/N knew?” Lance asked. Allura and Keith tensed at the question, already knowing the answer.

“With the chaos between Zarkon chasing us to save the Taujeers, we haven't had much rest. I haven’t seen Y/N since Olkarion.” Hunk noted.

“Is she sick with some sort of virus, holed up in her room? Is there an Earth virus that can keep people incapacitated for days on end?” Coran asked. Allura stepped forward, but Keith stopped her.

“I have some information to share, but I haven’t been able to tell you since everything’s been so hectic.” Keith looked at his teammates, stopping and making eye contact with Shiro.

“Y/N has been long gone for a while now, since the battle at Olkarion. I took her back to the Castle just before we took down the cube and retook the city.” Shocked gasps came from Lance, Hunk, Pidge, and Coran, with Shiro being speechless, his eyebrows raising.

“Now way- how could she leave?!” Lance exclaimed. Allura stepped forward, taking something out of her pocket. It was a note in her handwriting and her spear.

“I didn’t believe it either… After we got away from Zarkon, I went into her room. Her suit and this was all I found…”

“We’ll meet again.” Pidge reads the note.

“So… She’s really gone?” Hunk asked sadly.

“Not forever, she made that promise,” Keith answered. “She didn’t want us relying on her ability of foresight, and she wanted to get answers for herself. As much as it hurt seeing her go, it’s something only she can do.”

“Let’s hope she’ll be alright then,” Shiro finished. “In the meantime, we need to head to that swap meet that Coran talked about to get the scaultrite lenses and fix the teludav.”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

You were startled awake by the sound of alarms in the pod as it approached the blue star between the two black holes. Immediately, you stopped just outside the gravity fields, opening a hailing frequency. After a few moments, a robotic voice with corresponding text appeared on your monitor.

“Identify yourself.”

“My name is Y/N, ally to team Voltron. I saved the Blade known as Ulaz from death at the now-destroyed Communications Base Thaldycon. I sent him your way a month ago to receive me. I come seeking answers as I bear the mark of the Blade of Marmora.” You pulled up your sleeve, showing the mark on your wrist to the camera. A few moments pass.

“You may enter. Come unarmed.” You received another transmission of instructions on how to enter. You had an hour before the window closed. You just hoped the pod would hold up until you got there.

Chapter Text

You scrambled out of the pod, barely having enough time to grab your backpack before it burst into flames. It was barely able to handle the blue star’s heat before imploding after crash landing on the asteroid.

“Fuck, that was close…” You stood up, dusting yourself off. As you walked around the top of the asteroid a little bit until a hatch opened. Two members escorted you to the main hall where Kolivan stood with Antok to his left, and the other, you can only hope that Ulaz, to his right. The Blade’s emblem shone above Kolivan’s head.

“I’m Y/N, an ally of Voltron. I came because of this.” You pulled up your sleeve. “I’m sure your scouts have already told you of my capture in Zarkon’s own home. You know I have magic and abilities that aren’t supposed to be normal for a human.”

“What has been told has been scarce, hearsay.”

“Fine, then let me prove it to you.” You thought back, playing back in your mind about the Blade members that could be active before Prince Lotor’s arrival.

“I know your name is Kolivan, the leader of the Blade of Marmora, and Antok is your second. The blades you carry are made of luxite, and I know it was Thace who took down the solar barrier when Voltron came to rescue me at Zarkon’s command center!” Murmurs throughout the hall rang amongst some of the members. Kolivan silences them with a raise of his hand.

“Follow me.” You followed Kolivan as Antok, and the other flanked behind you. You went into what looked like a meeting room with Kolivan at the head of the table. You sat to his left, the other two members at his right. On the outside, you steeled yourself, but on the inside, you were freaking out.

“We have a few questions for you,” Kolivan stated.

“I assume as much.”

“Firstly, you claimed to be human, but you look more Altean than anything.”

“I didn’t always look like this. Ulaz knows I looked more human before I used my power to save him, and now I look like this.” You gestured to the Altean markings at the corners of your eyes and hair, the most notable changes. “And the reason I came on my own is because the symbol of the Blade is etched into my wrist. It’s not any birthmark, it’s too distinct.”

You pulled up your sleeve, showing the mark that was on your inner left wrist to the three Blades. They all took a good look at it before Kolivan ultimately sighed.

“You’re right, but this isn’t my doing; it was the previous leader of the Blade.” You weren’t aware there wasn’t one as it was never mentioned in the show, but with an organization running nearly as long as the Galra Empire’s been alive, it makes sense in real-world terms.

“I’ve found the plans only recently, but the previous leader of the Blade wanted to create a genetic weapon that could help in the fight against the Galra. After much searching, it was concluded that the planet Earth in the Solar System would be the most habitable and give enough time for the experiment to come to fruition since it was so far away from Zarkon.”

“So then what happened afterward?” You asked. “If I was supposed to be some all-powerful weapon, someone should’ve kept an eye on me, right?”

“According to the plans, you did have a guard, but they betrayed the Blade and were executed. After that, many of the records were destroyed, but they couldn’t find the experiment because the aforementioned guard had moved you somewhere else. Eventually, the Blade moved on, and now we’re here.”

“And what about Krolia? Was she there just to guard the Blue Lion?” Kolivan let out a small, shocked gasp. Not many people knew that information aside from himself and his lieutenants.

“You really are an oracle, aren’t you?” You pursed your lips together since you revealed information regarding the past. It was revealed later in the show that Krolia landed on Earth to protect the Blue Lion after Keith’s father saved her.

“I don’t know everything about the past or the future. It comes to be in dreams that I interpret. I’ve been lucky thus far as to not be wrong, but I’m afraid the more I change events, something unexpected might happen…” The last part was a true statement, which is why you’ve been scared to alter major events thus far, and with the first major battle against Zarkon and the Galra Empire coming up, you needed to test this theory to see if it was possible to change Lotor’s fate.

“Then do you know what is going to happen in the future?” Kolivan asked. You raised three fingers.

“I have some conditions first.” You said firmly. Kolivan was skeptical as he weighed his options for a moment.

“Very well.”

“First, I’d like to become a member of the Blade of Marmora. You will train me and grant me a luxite blade when you think I’m ready. I want no special treatment, so treat me like a normal member. Two, I need an adequate and sturdy space to practice my power and learn to control it in time.” You were about to finish when Kolivan raised his hand to pause you for a moment.

“What do you mean by ‘in time’?” Kolivan asked.

“There will be a big battle against Zarkon soon. I can’t give an exact timeline, but it will be shortly after Team Voltron comes to the Blade’s HQ.” You answered. “I need to make sure I’m ready as well since I fully intend on joining this battle.”

“Then your last condition?”

“The third, I want a daily update on the Castle of Lion’s locations as well as all information regarding Team Voltron. That is all.” It didn’t take long for them to soak in the information before someone spoke in protest against one of the conditions.

“You are a valuable asset now with your ability to interpret the future- you’d really think we’d let any harm come to you? Much less send you out on missions?” Antok asked. He sounded angry.

“If I strengthen my body and mental state, it will help me control my power, which could result in clearer visions. Isn’t that a good thing? And I said I’d be joining in this big battle against Zarkon that will be happening soon, so training me isn’t a bad idea. And it’s not like I’m totally helpless to begin with!” A resigned sigh came from Antok.

“Either way, it will go without question that I will tell you the information you need to know as soon as it becomes available.”

“You should be able to tell us all the information.” The Blade beside Antok said. It didn’t sound like Ulaz.

“There are events I’ve deemed canon, or necessary. They are major events that cannot be removed, altered, etc., lest they have some sort of catastrophic result in the future, which I cannot predict or prevent. No one wants that.” You answered firmly. You turned back to Kolivan, hiding your nerves.

“Well? Will you accept my conditions?”

“Very well, we’ll agree to your terms,” Kolivan said, shaking your hand. “Antok will supervise your training schedule, reporting it all to me. He will assign two members of his retune to keep an eye on Voltron’s movements. In addition, whenever you receive a vision, you must report it.”

“Yes, I promise.” You firmly shook his hand.

After the meeting concluded, you were shown to a small dormitory-like room. It had a twin XL bed with basic sheets, a wardrobe with extra training suits, a small desk and chair with a digital clock, and a small attached bathroom. Inside the bathroom was a shower stall, sink, a couple of shelves, and a mirror. You hung your backpack on the back of the chair, unpacking the extra clothes you’d brought and the small framed photo of you and Keith. You put it on your desk as a knock on your door sounded. Opening it, you smiled. It was Ulaz!

“Ulaz! Nice to see you again.” Ulaz seemed to reciprocate the feeling as he gave a small smile.

“It is good to see you are well, Y/N.” He stepped to the side. There was a box there on a hovering trolley cart. “These are for you.”

After bringing the box inside, there were some necessities. Toiletries, shower stuff, extra sheets, bedding, and some cleaning supplies. The weirdest thing was that they even had some familiar-looking feminine hygiene products you’d see on Earth!

“Where’d you get these from?” You asked, pulling out a box of pads.

“We are not entirely clueless about Earth,” Ulaz noted. “We know that, despite your appearance, you are still a human female. As such, these are products to help you. If anything is missing, you can put in a request for basic items.”

“That’s nice to know.” You smiled. At least you didn’t have to worry about that! “I mean no offense, but how did you end up as my teacher?”

“Since I returned to the Blade, I was punished for divulging the headquarters’ information to Voltron. After you met with our leader, I was the one to train you. It was not a punishment, but more like a duty. Since I have met you before and have verified the predictions you have divulged to me, I have a general idea of your limitations of strength and magic. Though I may not be able to assist you on the latter matters.”

“Don’t worry about that. But I am sorry, you got punished because of me.” You gave an apologetic smile.

“No need for it. It is in the past.” He gently shook his head. “It is not my duty to train you as your teacher. I will train you and teach you in the ways of the Blade of Marmora. I will give you a tour of the headquarters, and you can turn in for the night.”

“And tomorrow?” You were too nervous to ask this question.

“Tomorrow, we begin your training.”