Chapter Text
DEAR KATIE,
How long has it been since we last spoke?
I'm not very good at writing letters, but it shouldn't matter too much, since you seem to be just as bad as replying to them. Or even seeing them at all.
I'm sorry for not writing. Hah. I'm not expecting an apology from you in return, for ignoring me all those years. Am I being rude? Take it, then. Take me in all my rude, horrible glory. It's who I really am.
Things have changed since you left. Not back at home, though. For me. I can't remember the details... I just remember you. You, and you abandoning me, and me clutching your hand and pleading for you to stay like a desperate wounded dog. I don't recall a moment where I was ever as pathetic as that, but still I feel embarrassed for myself.
I'm stuck on this stupid planet. It's dry and barren, red and dusty... eurgh. I hate it. I hate the weird creatures roaming around here. I hate the vastness of it all. I hate how lonely it is here. Only reason why I'm still sane is because of these letters I've been writing. I used to send some up in batches through balloons. You told me wherever you were, you'd find some way to keep in touch.
Where are you now? How impossibly out of reach are you, that you can't receive any of my letters?
It's pointless writing this one. I know the balloons don't do anything. I know even if you saw them, you'd ignore every letter until I gave up.
What have I done to make you so angry? All I remember is you screaming at me, storming off... where'd you go? Where did I go?
Every night, I pray to Kamadeva that you are somewhere out there, still alive and very much not angry at me. Then I remember who I'd much rather be worshipping. The only person I can think of that is kind, empathetic, could do anything if she wished and is real and present.
You.
How ironic, to pray to the very thing you wish to acknowledge you, that never will. But then I suppose that is what we want with all our gods, right?
I feel like I'm dying here. Alone, with nobody to take my outstretched hand, to take it and reassure me that yes, everything will be alright, and all I have to do is close my eyes.
I don't want to die.
If I do, could you at least return to bury me? Even if you don't, I'll be happy alive (or, rather, dead) knowing you tried to look for me.
Because in truth, I never stopped looking for you.
A STRANGER,
DAYITA TYAGI
OR JUST DIZZY TO YOU.
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IN THE BACK OF THE SHIP, DAYITA TYAGI, NOW FOURTEEN AND WIRY, SPRAWLED ACROSS A CRATE, HER PEN SCRATCHING FURIOUSLY AGAINST A SCRAP OF PAPER. Her dark curly hair was barely contained by a fraying pink ribbon. Her hazel eyes were fixed on the latest letter, half-finished, the pen hovering over the page. Beside her, Millen whirred while recharging, her body hovering an inch off the floor. The robot's screen blinked as she sorted through a pile of Dayita's letters, organizing them by date. Each one was addressed the same way.
"Milly," she said, glancing at the robot and pausing to chew on the end of her pen, "read the last one again."
Millen flickered, and her synthesized voice, bubbly but slightly tinny, recited, "Dear Katie, these letters are getting shorter and shorter. Voga says we've crossed 1,237 timelines. None of them are right. I keep dreaming of Earth, and you're there, laughing at me. Mocking or not, I can't tell. I think it's a memory, but it's fading. – Dayita, or just Dizzy to you."
Dayita's throat tightened. "Dizzy," she murmured. The nickname felt like a key to a locked door, but she didn't know where the door was. She tucked the letter into her jacket, with some of her favourite ones she carried like talismans. The rest were in cardboard boxes somewhere on the ship. She nodded, satisfied "Good. That's good."
She glanced around. The ship wasn't much to look at. Dull gray interior, a cramped cockpit, and a cargo hold stuffed with crates that Voga swore were just 'deliveries'. Dayita didn't ask questions about the crates anymore. She'd learned that Voga didn't give answers easily. That didn't stop her from being curious, though. She'd tried to wheedle answers from Millen, but the robot was under strict programming that no information about its master should be leaked aside from the bare medical minimum. Sucked for her, then.
"You're writing so much today!" Millen chirped. "What's the occasion?"
Dayita paused, before shrugging. "None. If I stop writing, I'll forget why I'm here. I'll forget her."
Now, a year later, they were no closer to finding her. Dayita wrote letter after letter, and Voga scanned every multiversal radio signal, every stray transmission, every whisper of a name that might lead them to Katie. But the multiverse was vast, and hope was a fragile thing. The only things she had run into were enemies. The first thing she learnt while on the ChronoCargo was that it happened to be, coincidentally, an enemy of many. They once had to shoot lasers at sleek, dark fleets like their own all while Dayita was fighting the urge to hurl as the ship spun at speeds she thought were impossible to drive at.
"Ah, I can't wait until you two reunite!" Millen spun in a delighted circle, her thrusters leaving a faint trail of blue light and tangling herself in the wires connected to her. "Oh! Oh! Do you think Voga's found her yet?"
"I don't know," Dayita murmured. "He's been looking for a year. If he hasn't found her yet..."
"Dayita," Voga's voice crackled over the ship's intercom flatly. "Come to the cockpit."
She sighed. "C'mon, Millen," she said, unplugging Millen from her charging port. "Let's see what he's got."
────────
THE COCKPIT WAS CRAMPED. Inside, it was dim, lit only by the pale glow of screens and the flickering pulse of a wormhole generator embedded in the console. Voga sat motionless in the pilot's seat, his void-like eyes scanning readouts. No joy, no frustration, no trace of anything human. Just nothing. Dayita had learned to get used to it. Voga didn't turn as she entered, his focus fixed on a holographic display projecting a web of timelines. Each thread pulsed faintly, a map of realities they'd searched, or would search, if Voga's calculations were correct. Millen rolled in behind her.
"Another signal?" Dayita asked, leaning against the back of Voga's chair and looking over his shoulder.
"No," Voga said. "There have been no new signals in the last three cycles."
Dayita's shoulders slumped. "'No'. For the billionth time, 'no'. When will it ever be 'yes'?"
He didn't react, didn't even blink. He never felt disappointment—or anything else. Dayita's request was just another task to complete.
She stared at the timeline map, frustration bubbling up. "We're missing something. I know we are. Katie's out there, I can feel it. But..." She froze, a memory flickering at the edge of her mind. Then it was gone, like a star winking out.
"Wait. Voga, stop scanning for Katie Holt. Search for Pidge," she said, her voice trembling with excitement. "That's what I called her. Katie was Pidge, and I was Dizzy. Try that."
Voga's fingers moved across the console, inputting the new query. The timeline map shimmered, threads realigning as the ChronoCargo's systems sifted through countless realities.
Then, a crackle broke through the speakers. It was a man's voice, rough and tired. "We've split up from Pidge and the others. Keith, can you—"
Dayita's heart leapt. She grabbed Voga's shoulder, ignoring his slight flinch. "That's it! That's her! Pidge! You found her!"
Voga adjusted the signal, and the voice grew clearer. "Pidge, Lance, anyone, come in? Red Lion's..."
Dayita's excitement faltered. "That's... not Katie." She leaned closer to the console. "Who is that?"
Voga's fingers stilled. "Doesn't matter. We're not getting involved." He reached for the controls to shut off the signal, but Dayita smacked his hand away.
"If this guy knows Pidge, he's our best shot," she said sternly. "Track the signal, Voga. Please."
Voga's black eyes flicked to her. "Confirmation is required. The signal originates from Timeline 47-B, Sector 9. Probability of error is 23%."
"I don't care about probabilities!" Dayita said, grinning so wide it hurt. "Set a course, Voga. We're going to find her."
He didn't argue. He never did.
────────
"PATIENCE YIELDS FOCUS."
At least, that was what Keith Kogane told himself to keep himself from freaking out on the massive canyon separating him from getting to Shiro quicker. Because without the Red Lion, all he could do was stare at it. He couldn't jump that far, even with his suit on. Red was stranded somewhere, completely out of it and refusing to function. Shiro was somewhere on this dry planet they'd been sent to when they split from the rest of Voltron during the broken down wormhole. And from the sound of it, he didn't seem to be in any position to be getting up and running any time soon.
Turning around, he walked away from the canyon, hearing Shiro's voice sound from his helmet. "That really stayed with you, didn't it?"
"You've given me some good advice," he admitted, walking back and stomping on what he hoped was a geyser. A jet of steaming water shot up, sending a spray of hot water that barely grazed his face. "If it wasn't for you, my life would have been a lot different."
"Yeah." Even though it was shaky, Keith could discern the sarcasm in Shiro's voice. "You wouldn't have crashed a flying lion on an alien planet and be stuck with little hope of rescue. So, you're welcome."
He heard Shiro begin to cough and he said hurriedly, "Stay with me, Shiro—"
A hiss cut him off, and he froze, thinking it was one of those beasts Shiro had been talking about earlier. But beasts didn't sound like a big hunk of metal settling on the barren land behind him.
He whirled around, pulling his bayard out with a 'shing' and holding it out in sword form. He looked up at the sky, where a wormhole was closing, then at the ship in front of him.
His heart stuttered.
It was old. It was rundown. But it was also unmistakable. No amount of sloppy paint jobs and cheery logos that stood stark against the grey metal of the ship could disguise it. He would recognise that sleek structure anywhere, the glowing purple lines that ran along it.
It was a Galra ship.
Stabilisers groaned as they clunked to the ground and stood the ship up, something inside the ship creaking ominously. He shuffled back. How had they managed to locate them? As far as he knew, Red Lion was out of commission, so they couldn't have picked up on its signals that it was broadcasting to find the others.
Shit. Shit. Shit. He had taken on the Galra before. But one on probably a hundred, with just his bayard? That was a different story.
"Shiro," he spoke carefully, backing away, "there's a Galran ship here."
"What?" Shiro sounded mortified. "How is that possible? We don't even know where we are, how do they—"
The doors to the hatch slid open, letting out a noise like a rhino yawning after a long slumber. A girl wrestled with the doors before yanking them open, pulling on a weird face mask that seemed to double as a breathing machine. It was made of pure black metal, and she fiddled with a knob on the side of the face mask, letting out a muffled sigh and stepping onto the sandy terrain.
She was a pink nightmare. She looked to be Pidge's age, he assumed. From what wasn't covered, Keith could see a girl with curly black hair that looked clean at best, but definitely wasn't in its best state; to at least retain some semblance of prettiness (only objective, of course—Keith had no say in whether a girl was pretty to him or not) she tied half her hair up with a pink silky ribbon. It sort of matched with the rest of her outfit, just more... rougher. She had a short black and pink frilly plaid skirt paired with baby pink leg warmers and black heeled Mary Janes that weren't suited for this ground, but she seemed to be doing just fine walking around in them. She also had a white tank top on with a small logo in the corner. From afar, Keith couldn't read it, and half of it was obscured by the fur-lined black leather jacket she was wearing that was lined with white and light pink. He doubted the logo was of much importance, even if it also appeared on her jacket. Perhaps this girl just bought her clothes from the same company, though he wondered what company was 'Chrono'-something.
He wasn't focussing on any of that. He was focussed on the small, pink crescent moon face marks underneath her eyes, and the same coloured marks on her cheeks that vaguely represented tiger stripes.
She seemed excited. She had a bounce in her step as she approached, even though from her hands she swung a threatening looking gun. Behind her, something trilled, then rolling behind her, a child-sized robot balancing a stack of boxes in its 'arms' followed her. The girl made a small noise of realisation and took the boxes from it, which made Keith confused. It was just a robot.
The girl then proceeded to trip over a rock. The robot made a metallic gasping noise and proceeded to, in what he assumed was non-sentient rage, shoot lasers at it from an imbedded laser gun within its chest at the rock the girl tripped over, obliterating it to pieces.
"Thank you, Milly!" the girl said cheerfully, managing to somewhat pat the robot, Milly, on the head.
"No problem, Dayita!" Milly answered happily, wheeling along. It (or she, rather) stopped. "Is that Katie?" she asked, pointing at Keith.
Dayita's smile dropped upon seeing him. Her excitement wilted, leaving her to shuffle awkwardly backwards. "No. No, that is not Katie."
Milly looked at Keith, then up at Dayita, then decided Keith was to be her new mortal enemy. "Automatic command entered; WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH—"
Her voice sounded like cranked up bass speakers. Keith was glad when Dayita pressed a button on her back that cut her off mid-sentence.
He turned on his communication device on his helment, broadcasting a message to the other girl in the hopes that her face mask thing had a communicating device too. "Identify yourselves," he demanded. He wasn't hostile. Yet.
"I'm Dayita," she said cautiously, scrutinising him. This wasn't Katie. Katie didn't have a sword, or a red spacesuit, or... well, a mullet. "Dayita Tyagi. This is Millen. She's a robot."
"I can see that," he deadpanned. "Is there anybody else with you?"
Dayita looked behind her. "Um... only one more person. Voga, hurry on out!"
A boy his age shouldered his way out of the ship, and Keith decided if any one of them was Galran, this guy would be the most liable suspect. He was an alien, that much was clear from the way he needed no helmet to breathe, though after a long time in space it was hard to tell if other species were aliens or if humans were themselves. He decided that it was based on viewpoint.
He was admittedly handsome, in the rugged sort of way, or perhaps like those childish crushes Keith used to have on young shop owners back on Earth. He looked sick and tired of whatever was bothering him. Probably work, becaues he was donning a worn work uniform with the same logo as Dayita's, under which he had bandages covering his arms, hands and fingers. He looked like those old-fashioned milkmen in black and white photos from decades ago. What didn't help with that comparison was the fact he had no colour on him, aside from the colourful wide-brimmed hat he wore. His skin was a dark gray, devoid of warmth or variation. His eyes were flat, no visible pupils or irises or sclerae to be seen apart from the pitch black that made them up. It was impossible to read any emotion or intent. His hair was long and silky, running down his back to his waist like dark murky water. He must've been strong, but only for endurance. He appeared numbed to it all the way all nine to five workers did. He had a stoic look on his face; his pursed lips were tight and expressionless and they rarely moved beyond the bare minimum needed to speak. "Package for Katie."
"Voga," Dayita said lowly, "Katie isn't here."
Voga blinked slowly, trying to process it like an old computer. Finally he said, "But they said her name."
"Who's Ka—" Keith started to ask, but paused, as if something had occurred to him.
"Katie Holt," Dayita explained before he could say anything. "My... my best friend. I've been looking for her for a year. I don't know where she is. Her nickname was Pidge. I... do you know—"
"I'm not Pidge," answered Keith quickly, although he didn't need to state that again. "I'm Keith Kogane, Paladin of Voltron, pilot of the Red Lion."
Dayita's eyes widened. "Voltron?" she echoed, unfamiliar with the name.
Keith's brow furrowed. "Yeah. And you're flying a Galra ship."
"Galra? What's that?"
Before Dayita could respond, Voga took several steps back, suddenly seeming off in his behaviour. "I'll leave you to deal with this. Alone." Then, with a tiny miniscule shift in his demeanor that showed he was nervous, he hurriedly retreated back inside the ship.
"What?! Voga!" exclaimed Dayita.
"I don't have time for this," muttered Keith. "Get your accomplice back outside!"
Convincing Voga to leave the ship took longer than it should. Keith stood outside impatiently, tapping his foot. He didn't know what anchored him here, what kept him waiting, but he didn't want to leave until Voga did.
Finally, the boy shuffled back outside, pushed by Dayita and Milly. Still, when the girls (girls? Or girl and robot?) went over back to Keith, Voga stayed by the ship, his hand hovering near the hatch. "That ship," Keith repeated in case they weren't listening the first time. "It's Galra." He addressed this to the boy in charge, which he assumed was Voga.
Voga kept his eyes fixed on the ground. "It is a delivery vessel," he said finally. "My company. ChronoCargo."
Keith's grip on his sword tightened. "ChronoCargo?" He looked at the painted logo on the side of the ship, a stylised hourglass, poorly done. "I didn't think you'd attack so soon after our raid. But the Galra's full of surprises."
Dayita frowned and stepped in between them to defend him. "What the heck is a Galra?"
"How can you have been in space and not heard of the Galra? What about Zarkon?"
Milly beeped. The words 'INFO' appeared on her face. "Dayita Tyagi has been identified with a type of amnesia. No known cure is detected. Scanning database for potential cures—"
"Thank you," Dayita interrupted, patting Milly's head. Keith was utterly confused. "She said it for me. I don't remember anything from my past. Only bits and pieces, but it's hardly enough. I'm trying to find my way back to Earth."
"... Earth?" Keith's eyebrows furrowed together, looking the girl over, namely the marks on her face. "What do you mean, Earth?"
"My home planet. Earth."
He was sure this girl wasn't from Earth. She had the same markings as Allura did, but that wasn't his business to discuss. If they ever found their way back to the Castle of Lions, they would deal with this. Only if it came to that, though. He doubted they would even bring her with them.
"Keith?" Shiro's voice said from his speakers. "What's going on?"
Keith frowned deeply. "I'm doing an interrogation."
"With the Galra?"
"They're not Galran," answered Keith. "But they have one of their fleet. Which begs the question; why do you have this ship?"
Voga just stared at him, before quietly mumbling (and he wasn't sure if he was supposed to hear), "You really do look familiar."
Keith paused, then raised his sword. "I've never met you. State your purpose and why you're flying around in a ship full of Galra tech."
Voga stiffened, his expression unreadable. "We are not Galra," he said, his voice colder than usual. "This ship is... repurposed."
Keith pointed his sword at Voga. "You're setting off every alarm in my head. Why does your ship look like it came straight out of Zarkon's fleet? Repurposed doesn't make sense unless you've been in contact with them."
Voga's jaw tightened, but he didn't answer. Milly, however, piped up. "Oh, that's just because Master's super sneaky! He borrowed it from the Galra to escape his planet! Right, Master?"
"Millen," Voga warned tiredly.
Keith's eyes narrowed further. "Escaped? Or defected?"
"This is what I was afraid of." Voga sighed. "Dayita, I am not staying here."
"What?" Dayita whirled around, utterly confused. She hated being left in the dark. Literally and metaphorically. "Because some guy's interrogating us?! He knows Katie!"
It wounded Keith's ego a little, hearing this girl refer to her as 'some guy'. If Lance had been here, he'd freak.
Voga shook his head. "He is not some guy. He is a paladin of Voltron."
"Who's Voltron? Never heard of it." Ouch.
Voga paused, unsure of how to explain it. "By name, they are the legendary defenders of the universe. If you'd see them in action, you would understand."
"Then if they're defenders," protested Dayita, "there's no reason to be scared of him."
Voga narrowed his eyes, looking at Keith carefully. At last, he muttered, "They do not defend me."
Keith's nose wrinkled up, perplexed. "What was that?"
"You do not defend me," Voga repeated firmer. "You attack me. Every time I come in your vicinity, you have unleashed barrages upon my ship. I say nothing to you. I do nothing to you. I simply slip away somehow unharmed. But still, because you 'find' me hostile, I am unable to roam universes in peace without gaining the attention of Voltron and having to escape their gunfire time and time again."
Keith's gaze softened slightly, but his suspicion remained. "Voltron doesn't attack innocent people. We help people. That doesn't sound like us."
Voga lowered his voice. "In every universe, Voltron goes after me. I will not take the risk." He turned toward the ship, but Dayita grabbed his arm.
"Wait! Please, Voga. He knows Pidge. We need him."
"Who knows what they will do to me when the rest of them are together? There are too many probabilities where I will be attacked once again."
Dayita scrunched her face up the way she always did when she was thinking. Then, she spun around on her heel and pointed her blaster gun at Keith.
"Wh—what the?!" he spluttered, raising his own sword. But the girl didn't seem to be in a good stance to attack. It was simply a threat.
"You will not harm Voga," she said lowly, "or me, or Milly. When we find Pidge with you—because it's clear you know her—you and the rest of your team will make no move to hurt us. You will tolerate us, and then you will explain why you have been going after ChronoCargo."
Keith scowled. He suspected that was a matter of explanation from Voga, who still hadn't moved away from the ship and whom he'd never seen before. But he slowly nodded in agreement with her terms. He'd be keeping an eye on that alien. In record time, she lowered her blaster, her face creasing up in what he assumed was a smile under the mask.
"Good! Now let's—oh." She stared at the canyon that was in front of them. "That's why you've just been standing here?"
"No I haven't," defended Keith.
"Lie detected," Milly chimed in. "He has been standing her for approximately thirty-seven minutes and fifty seconds. Fifty-one. Fifty-two."
Dayita snorted. "Well, first things first: we've gotta get you over this canyon. Want a ride?"
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THE INSIDE OF THE 'CHRONOCARGO' SHIP WAS COLD. Keith was glad the air conditioning was on. Outside, it had been sweltering heat. He yanked off his helmet, brushing out the hair sticking to his forehead. He stepped inside, his sword still in hand, his eyes scanning the interior. He was expecting a trap, but there was none. Voga led the other three into the cockpit, where they sat themselves on crates and Voga took the wheel. Keith's gaze lingered on him, who moved the controls swiftly.
"Keith! Keith!" Keith froze, hearing the noise from his helmet.
He put it back on, answering, "Hang on. I'm on my way with the people with the Galra ship."
He heard a pause; a scuffle; and then, "Good, because these guys just started digging."
Keith's expression turned grim.
Dayita lifted her head at that comment, and asked, "What's up?"
"We need to get there quick," he answered as the ship shuddered awake and starting moving.
Dayita frowned in worry but said nothing of it. She crossed her legs, looking around the interior of the ship. Now that she had heard of it, she was searching for whatever made this ship look like it had Galra engineering. "You mentioned the Galra earlier. Who are they? And who's Zarkon?"
Keith let out a long sigh. Where to start? "... the Galra... well, you'd rather be asking about the Galra Empire made up of the Galra species. They're a type of alien. The Galra Empire is a massive intergalactic empire. They colonise lots of planets and want to conquer the rest of the universe."
"Universe? Only one?"
"... I'm assuming all of them, if there's more than one," murmured Keith in confusion. "Anyways, we believe they're conquering these planets to harvest their quintessence, the highest type of energy, basically life itself."
Voga murmured something. Keith glanced over. "What?"
"I did not say anything," Voga answered, even though he was a terrible liar.
Keith raised an eyebrow. "Sure you didn't." He looked back at Dayita. "Emperor Zarkon is their leader. We tried to bring him down and the empire, but we had to escape in a wormhole before things got too bad. But something went wrong in the wormhole, and our team split up."
Dayita nodded, but he could tell she didn't understand a word he was saying. "Your team, is that Voltron?"
Keith nodded. "We're the Paladins of Voltron, to be exact. The legendary defender. We have five lions that when we form together make this giant mecha robot and we, you know, fight bad guys and stuff."
Dayita slowly nodded. "How come I've never heard of you?"
"Ask your host."
Voga shrugged. "I assumed she knew."
"I have amnesia and you think I'd know?" asked Dayita incredulously.
"Who's Shiro?" asked Milly, stopping an argument from ensuing.
Keith's eyebrows furrowed together. "The leader of Voltron. He pilots the Black Lion—that's the head, basically. He's stranded and injured somewhere in a cave, and I think there's beasts under there trying to get him."
Dayita inhaled sharply. "That's horrible." She looked at the viewscreen of their surroundings. Still nothing notable. "Voga, hurry up!"
"If you see such a problem, then perhaps you can pilot this ship, Dayita."
The girl rolled her eyes and turned back to Keith. "I owe you an explanation too, since you were so confused about us being Galra or not. This is Nyvoga's delivery service company: ChronoCargo."
"ChronoCargo?" Now that he thought about it, he could remember Coran mentioning a company that allegedly delivered packages and letters to wherever you were in space, and how some of his packages came from this very service. But Keith had never seen it in person until now.
"He's an astroexplorer and he delivers packages across the metaverse. He's like space's Santa Claus." It was meant to be a joke, but nobody laughed. Dayita sighed. "Anyway, I've know him for a year. He rescued me when I was floating around in space and about to die. Don't ask. I'll explain another time. I joined his service and I work for him as a mini-apprentice sometimes, even though he's seventeen."
"He's seventeen?" said Keith in disbelief. "I thought he was thirty!"
"Oh, yeah, I thought that too, but that's only because he's so detached. That's Voga for you. Milly told me he was born like that, but he never explains how whenever I ask." She shrugged. "Must be sensitive. He's doing me a favour. He's helping me find Pidge and deliver these letters I've been writing to her and sending to nowhere."
She fiddled with her fingers. "That's why I came to this planet. We heard radio signals mentioning her name, and I thought she'd be here, but I found... you." Dayita clenched her fists. "I don't even know why I need to find her. I just... feel it."
Keith, sitting across from her, frowned. "You said you don't remember anything? Not even how you ended up in space?"
Dayita shook her head. "Just bits and pieces. Katie's name. Her nickname. These letters I keep writing. It's like... I'm supposed to find her."
Keith's expression softened, and he tried for a smile. "Pidge is the Paladin of the Green Lion. Her whole thing is intelligence. She's a genius. If anyone can figure out who you are, it's her."
Dayita smiled back. "In all honesty? I just want my best friend back."
Keith faltered. Pidge had never mentioned her. You'd think that if she had a best friend, she'd be gushing about her all the time. But Keith didn't even know this girl's name until now. He nodded slowly. "We'll find Pidge and the others. And then you guys will reunite."
He looked at Voga. The boy looked deep in thought, not tearing his eyes away from his screen. "How are you seventeen and you've already got a delivery service going on?"
Voga paused and murmured, "It's what the circumstances came to."
"What circumstances?" He frowned. "Are these the circumstances that led to you driving a Galra ship?"
Voga's fingers stilled on the controls before moving once more. "Yes. But—"
"Tell me what happened."
Dayita knew Voga kept things simple all the time. He despised long explanations (or came close to despising, because he never really had an opinion on anything) which was most likely why he was thinking of how to answer for a moment or two. "I hijacked a Galra ship. I used it to escape."
"Escape where? The Galra? What were you doing with the Galra? And while we're at it, what's a delivery ship doing out here?"
Voga only answered the last question. "Delivering. Does that happen to be the lion you speak of?" He quickly changed the subject. Keith stood and made his way over. Sure enough, it was.
He laughed in relief and pulled his helmet on. "Shiro! I have a visual on the Black Lion!"
Except the only thing he could hear on the other end was yelling and grunting, the sounds of people (or things) fighting. He listened to it for a moment more, wondering if he got something wrong, but it was unmistakable. "Shiro, what happened?"
No response.
He yanked his helmet off. "We need to get down there, stat. Stop the ship."
"Yes, sir," answered Voga, so seriously Keith had a hard time understanding if he was joking or not by calling him 'sir'.
The ChronoCargo ship descended, its ramp lowering so everybody could get off. Dayita fixed on her face mask and Keith pulled his helmet on. Before Voga left, though, he opened a drawer underneath the control desk and pulled out a touch-screen tablet. Milly squeaked. "Oooh, Master's getting the tablet!"
Keith frowned, fixing the calibrations on his helmet. "What's he gonna do? Take pictures?"
"This tablet has no camera," Voga answered, getting up and going to the hatch.
"It was sarcasm."
"Then perhaps your sarcasm should not be so literal."
"Sarcasm is meant—ugh, I'm not debating irony with you."
They got off the ship and ran down to the Black Lion. Keith and Voga had it easy. Keith activated his jet pack and flew down; Voga turned out to be a really good jumper and climber, even while one-handed. Dayita had to carry Milly plus her gun, so it was much more difficult. "I'm getting a jetpack if we get out of this alive," she grumbled.
Once they'd reached the ground, Keith started running to the clearing. His eyes narrowed and widened in quick succession once he saw what was happening.
Voga walked over next to him. His hand that wasn't holding the tablet clenched itself into a fist. "That's your leader?" he asked. Down below, who they assumed was Shiro, a man with black hair and a tuft of white in the front clad in a black and white spacesuit, was being chased by the beasts, backing away near one of the cave walls. He tilted his head to one side, putting a hand on his hip. "He has gotten weaker."
"Why are you saying that as if you know how he fights?" defended Keith, glaring at Voga. The other boy just hummed, then looked behind him.
Keith looked too and thought of something. The Black Lion laid deactivated and slumped against piled up boulders, but if this was going to work...
He flew over to the lion, settling in front of it and walking up to the mouth while the others watched. "I know I'm not Shiro, but he's in trouble! We need to help him!" He put a hand on its metal snout like it would help convincing it to listen.
Dayita and Voga watched as Shiro was cornered against a wall, running off just before one of the creatures rammed its head into where he would've been. Just seconds later, however, one of their tails slammed into his stomach, tossing him into a heap on the ground while circling him. He moved so he was kneeling, clutching his side like it was paining him. They could see from where they were watching, his hand—no, entire arm—pulsing with purple energy.
Voga lifted his tablet and started typing something on it. "I am not going to continue watching idly."
"You're just a delivery boy," argued Dayita. "What are you gonna do?" She knew she couldn't convince him not to go down there, and Keith was still behind them focussing on who knows what with the lion, so she held her blaster out for him to take. "If you're doing something stupid, take this before you get your head bitten off by those things!"
Voga inspected it with a glance, and yet he shook his head. "I do not need a gun."
Grrrrrowlll...
Their heads snapped to where the sudden sound came from. Behind them, Keith was gone, but the Black Lion's eyes glowed. It growled once more, pawed the ground and Dayita decided it would be a very wise decision to duck.
The lion leaped over her heads just as Dayita followed through with that thought, slamming into the ground below and swatting one of the beasts that was charging at Shiro away like it was an insect.
A few more came running at Shiro, but the mecha lion smacked them away with its tail, whirling around and getting rid of a few more, narrowly skimming Shiro's head. The last one standing was left cowering as the lion roared, so lifelike, and then the beast bolted away.
Everyone was silent. Then, Millen squealed as best as a robot could. "That was so-o-oooo awesome!"
"See? Told you you didn't need to do anything stupid," Dayita said, a smile on her face as she picked up Milly to climb down.
Voga seemed reluctant. "I do not think it is safe to descend."
"Come on!" Dayita called over her shoulder, already halfway down. "If anything comes, that Black Lion will scare them off!"
Voga stood there, hands on his tablet. This time, however, he gripped it a little more firmly than he was supposed to. It was like the tablet could easily... become a threat. He at last nodded and followed her.
Except when they were walking over to the others (and Voga trailing awkwardly behind), they heard something.
A low growl.
Dayita froze as a massive creature emerged from the shadows. Same as the rest, except more... mad. "Mama beast," she murmured quietly, before it roared and lunged at Shiro, who barely dodged.
"Stay back!" he shouted, but Dayita was already moving, hefting her blaster up to charge up an energy shot.
The shot never came.
Because Voga stepped forward, his tablet morphing in his hands. The screen folded and twisted, transforming into a metallic staff, with a crystal glowing spearhead sticking out of the top. Then he snapped into action. He moved like a machine, striking the beast with blows that Dayita winced at. The creature roared, stumbling back, but Voga didn't stop. He fought like he intended to kill, and yet he didn't.
Dayita watched, stunned. She'd never seen Voga fight before. She had always assumed he was the no-action sort of boy, the delivery guy that kept to the sidelines. And yet this told her otherwise. This had her doubting whether she knew her friend that well.
Finally, the beast collapsed, only managing to slink away weakly back into the cave she emerged from. Voga closed his staff and it stretched back into a tablet. He didn't look at Dayita or anyone else, his face as blank as ever.
Shiro stared at him as the Black Lion powered down and it opened its mouth to let Keith stumble out. "Where did you learn to fight like that?"
Voga didn't answer. Milly opted to reply for him. "He's just super strong!"
Shiro was stunned. "You were... you're..."
Keith's eyes narrowed. "That wasn't just strength. That was Galra training."
Dayita's stomach twisted. "Training? Voga has never left his ship to do any training. What are you saying?"
"I'm saying your friend fights like a Galra soldier," Keith said, his voice hard. "And that ship of yours? Zarkon's tech? In every universe you've been to, Voltron attacked you? Maybe there's a reason for that. Maybe it's not just the fact it looks like we're fighting another Galra ship. Maybe you're not being entirely truthful of how you started your delivery service."
Voga's hand tightened on his tablet, but he said nothing. Dayita stepped between them, her heart pounding. "Stop it. Voga's not Galra. He's from Destera, wherever that is; that's what Milly told me. He's not one of them."
Keith's gaze didn't waver. "Then why does he fight like one?"
Dayita opened her mouth to argue, but no words came. She looked at Voga, searching for answers, but he gave nothing away. He simply kept his eyes fixed on the ground.
It was Shiro that left them reeling with what he said next. "I know you. This is a trick, isn't it? You're with the Galra. You work for them." He got to his feet unsteadily.
Voga blinked. "I'm sorry. There must be a mistake. I'm the, er, delivery guy—"
"No," Shiro stopped him, getting into an offensive stance and raising his metal hand as it started to glow defensively. "We've met before. You remember me. That's why you won't look me in the eye."
"Unless you've ordered from ChronoCargo, I believe not."
Voga looked from Shiro to Keith, then to Dayita, then back again, racking his brain to try and remember him. And then it seemed to hit him.
"I do not associate myself with the name 'Nyvoga the Gladiator' anymore," he said dryly.
... what?
Shiro's eyes hardened. "Nyvoga the Gladiator," he repeated, disbelieving. "You were in the Galra Empire's arena when I was captured. You were the gladiator, the famed one. You injured duelers so bad they were unable to return to the ring. People were always betting on you, and you almost always won."
"You two fought against each other?" Keith asked cautiously, raising his bayard.
Shiro nodded, clutching his wounded abdomen. "Yeah, we did. Several times, actually. He was a monster in there. I was lucky he never landed one of his worse blows on me."
Voga didn't even try to sound interested. But Dayita doubted he could. "He was a good fighter, this one. I see my duels have strengthened you. Yes, very nice muscle. Very good. I have done what I've needed to do, so I will take my leave. Come, Millen."
A frowning face appeared on Milly's screen. "Nooo, Master! I wanna stay with Dayita! I wanna see Pidge!" To prove it, she gave Dayita one of her special robot hugs. "She's my only friend!"
"She knows Pidge?" Shiro asked Keith lowly. "Pidge never mentioned this girl."
Keith shrugged. "I'm not the person you should be asking."
Dayita turned to Voga, her mind in turmoil. She'd just learned that her mini-mentor used to fight people in a 'Galra' arena, that the reason why Voltron had been going after ChronoCargo in every universe was because his ship looked like a Galra soldier's. And for all she could know, he could've been one. "You can't just leave. Now I've got a billion questions, and you need to solve them!"
Voga drummed his fingers on the tablet. "You wanted to deliver your letters to Pidge. Now that you have found two members of Voltron, they will find your Pidge and you can give her your letters."
"Letters?" echoed Shiro. He shook his head. "We're not letting a Galra soldier get away so easily."
"I am not a Galra soldier."
"Then what was that about you being The Gladiator?"
"I was forced into that role."
"Aren't you forgetting something?" demanded Dayita.
She was intending for him to realise that he needed to explain everything to her and the rest of Voltron. Which was why she was thoroughly annoyed when he said, "Oh, yes. Payment."
She punched his soldier. "I'm not paying you anything."
"Your letters are back in the ship."
"I'll get those, but no! You have to explain everything."
"I have explained most of it already. What I cannot explain is being kept a secret for the greater good of my safety and the universe's safety." He waved Milly over, who made a sad sound and wheeled over unwillingly. He turned and started walking away.
Dayita's face fell. This couldn't just be goodbye. Voga had saved her. He'd done her so many favours. He saved her from space. He travelled across the universe to find Pidge for her. He taught her the basics of how to work for ChronoCargo.
And he had been lying to her face this entire time.
Anger bubbled up within her. No way this could be goodbye. She was not letting him leave without solving the mystery that was... well, him. He seemed way too eager (in Voga's own way of seeming eager) to leave Dayita and wrap up this delivery. "Get your ass back here!"
Milly gasped tinnily. "Ohhhh, Dayita just swore..."
Voga seemed to understand she was mad even with his lack of emotional empathy, because he turned his head over his shoulder slightly. Dayita scowled at him. "You're gonna come back here, and you're gonna stay with us and keep talking until Pidge and her friends get here to save these guys, or so help me God, I will use this gun to keep you down."
Voga was silent. Dayita was beginning to wonder if she had to follow through with her threat when he sighed, turned around and simply raised his arms in surrender.
"Okay."
────────
"START FROM THE BEGINNING," ordered Dayita once Voga had started up a fire at a safe place with the lions powered down behind them. Voga had moved his delivery ship next to them, and he had unloaded the packages with Dayita's letters, so she now leaned against the boxes.
Milly was uncharacteristically silent, choosing to sit next to Shiro as the sun descended below the horizon.
It was hard to tell where Voga was looking, but with his head bowed, she assumed that he wasn't making eye contact. "You remember how I told you the secret."
"Secret?" asked Keith, settling against a rock. "What secret?"
But Dayita knew. People have killed to try and learn it. Time travelling. She still didn't know how he could do it when nobody else could, but that wasn't a question she could ask in front of the Paladins of Voltron. If they were that involved with the Galra, who knew who could let a word of it slip? "I promise I won't say a word of it, if that's what you're worrying about."
It was useless to say that. Voga never worried. "That is not the problem. I am certain you will not breathe a word of it. But it is vital you understand how important it is, and the fact that since I am the only person to know of it, that I am a target."
"Target for... the Galra?" she guessed. Voga nodded.
"It is part of the reason why they imprisoned me." Imprisoned? That was a new one, especially to Shiro, whose face shifted into one of shock. "I was taken from my planet, Destera, instead of the person that taught me how to... well, you know." Dayita was frowning now. She had been under the assumption that he had figured out how to time travel himself, but to hear that somebody else knew? Voga continued. "I was a good enough capture. They believe that my mentor has passed, and that I am now the only living beholder of said secret."
"Could you tell us what it is now?" snarked Keith.
Dayita shook her head. "It's a big secret. Nobody else can know about it. It's too risky."
Voga nodded in agreement. "It would endanger the metaverse entirely." He went on to say, "As a prisoner, I was originally made to do work. It was... gruesome. I would rather not speak of it in detail. But they said my able-bodiedness exceeded their expectations, and that I was capable of much more. So they put me in the ring. And I was dubbed The Gladiator."
Shiro slowly nodded along. "You didn't want to be The Gladiator. I get it now. And when you escaped—"
"—I stole a Galra ship," Voga finished. "I repainted it, took on a new alias, and left to a place far away."
Dayita was stunned. "You mean to tell me you weren't really a delivery guy? You were pretending to deliver cargo so you wouldn't be stopped and searched?"
Voga hummed. "That is correct. When I rescued you, however, you were under the impression that I really was a delivery service. I had to drop you off somewhere, so I set to finding Pidge."
Dayita's fists clenched on top of the box she was resting her elbows on. "And the crates? They weren't just deliveries?"
Voga shook his head. "They were stolen food rations from Galra factions. Stolen everything, in fact. Weapons, maps, data... another reason why I am wanted. There are also forged delivery receipts in there, which Milly gives to sentries searching my ship."
"That's why you always lock yourself in your office whenever they stop by?" Dayita asked.
Voga nodded. Shiro was quiet, but Keith said, "With those resources, you could easily start a rebellion."
The other boy lifted his head and contemplated it. "No," he finally decided. "I must admit, I did all of this in regards to my own safety. I am only one boy. I could hardly begin a rebellion. I would not be able to decide where to start. It is hard enough trying to escape Zarkon's soldiers' watch unnoticed. I would not be able to lead or organise such a campaign alone."
"Not alone," said Dayita, starting to believe it was a good idea. "I know your secret can be used for more than just escaping sentries. You have potential. Why don't you use it?"
"Because he can't," Shiro suddenly cut in, making everybody turn to him. "He can't express his own emotions. He doesn't even have any. He isn't able to think for himself, and he couldn't even beging to try and attempt a large-scale operation like that. It's orders that are driving him." He looked at Voga. "Isn't it? That's why you didn't protest when they made you fight all those people. That's why you're so apathetic. And that's why you have your robot."
Millen looked at Shiro, a sad face on her screen. Shiro shook his head. "She's there to remind you about the things you need to do. Otherwise you do nothing. And that's why you didn't hurt me back there. Because nobody was ordering you to."
Voga's hands stilled. "That is not the only reason she is here. I do not do nothing without her. And if that is what you assume, you should see the rest of my race."
Everybody went quiet. This was the first time he had ever mentioned anything about his species. Dayita tried to recall ever seeing anybody like him. She came up with nothing. She opened her mouth, but Shiro beat her to it. "Thanks. All of you. You came in clutch back there." He seemed to understand Voga wasn't the kind to talk about his past.
Voga said nothing, but Dayita beamed. "Not a problem. You always save people. We're glad to help Volton."
"Vol-tron," corrected Keith.
"Same thing."
Keith shook his head. Voga glanced at Shiro's side. "How is your wound?"
Shiro, despite the bleak circumstances, let out a laugh. "My wound's great. It's getting bigger all the time." When he noted nobody was laughing, he murmured, "Just trying to lighten the mood."
"Your wound will get infected if nobody comes," Voga stated without softening his words. "Then you will die."
"Voga!" Dayita chided. "He'll be fine, Pidge will come and they'll be safe." But she was starting to doubt that. What if they had come here for nothing?
Keith nodded along. "Just hang in there. When Allura and Coran find us, they'll fix you right up."
Shiro didn't seem to thrilled at having to wait any longer. He tipped his head back against the boulder, letting out a weary sigh. "Keith?" he whispered weakly. Dayita had the feeling she was about to hear something she shouldn't have to be listening to, so she turned away and pretended to be tuning them out. "If I don't make it out of here... I want you to lead Voltron."
Lead Voltron. The prospect sounded daunting. Keith had told her they protected the whole metaverse. An older man like Shiro could tackle the job of leading the defenders of the metaverse just find, but Keith was just a teenager, only a few years older than her. The thought of Shiro dying here didn't sound good either. Keith looked pained, and he shook his head, shifting into a better sitting position. "Stop talking like that. You're gonna make it," he said with conviction that didn't match the look on his face.
The corners of Shiro's lips twitched up into an almost smile.
Suddenly, from above them, blue light shone down. Unfiltered, gleaming electric blue light, sheening with an energy that nearly burned the corneas off Dayita's eyes.
The sky seemed to split in two as a wormhole cut through it. Out of it flew a lion, similar in size and shape to Keith's, only green.
Green.
"Oh my gosh, it's a lion!" said Millen in awe.
Dayita could hardly believe it as she stood. "Katie..." Then, a smile broke out across her face, wide and unapologetic. "Katie!"
Dayita launched herself at Voga as soon as he stood, giving him a tight hug. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou! Thank you so much!"
Voga just grunted, standing stiffly until Dayita pulled away and began running up to the lion that was landing. She sprinted across, her boots kicking up dust. The Green Lion landed with a thud. Its jaws opened to reveal a figure in a green and white spacesuit like the other Paladins'.
Katie stepped out. She was exactly like Dayita had remembered, only a little different. Her long chestnut hair had been cut short and kept tousled, and she looked much more boyish than in Dayita's memories. She chalked it up to her amnesia. And in any case, she didn't care how she looked. She cared that she was here.
"Katie!" Dayita's voice broke as she launched herself forward, tackling Pidge in a hug that nearly knocked them both over. Her arms wrapped tightly around her. "I found you! Gosh, you look so different! I've been looking for you for years! I wrote you all these letters, and I thought—I thought you'd never—"
Pidge stiffened, her hands hovering awkwardly, not reciprocating the hug before gently pushing Dayita back. "I'm sorry, hold on..." Her eyes scanned Dayita's face with confusion. "How—how do you know my name?"
Dayita froze. "It's me, Dayita. Dizzy. That's what you called me. And I called you Pidge, right? We... we were friends. Best friends. I've been writing to you, trying to find you. You never wrote back, but I knew you were out there. And I was right! You're here. You're..." Her voice trailed off, seeing the look in Pidge's eyes. "... here."
Pidge's brow furrowed. "Dayita? Like... Dayita Tyagi? From The Galaxy Garrison Junior Cadets' Elementary School?"
"Yes!" Dayita's voice cracked with relief. "You remember! I knew you would! I've been out here, lost, and all I could remember was you. I wrote you letters to keep myself sane, and—"
"Wait." Pidge held up a hand, her eyes narrowing. "Dayita Tyagi went missing when she was seven. We weren't even that close. We were only classmates. The whole Garrison set out a search party for you when they heard a junior was missing, but you haven't come back in years. Your parents were devastated. And you were definitely not..." She trailed off, staring at Dayita's face.
Dayita frowned, touching her cheek. "Not what?"
Pidge's brow furrowed, sympathetic and uneasy. That wasn't what she was supposed to look like. She should've been happy. Friends were happy when they saw each other. That was how it worked. Right? Weren't they friends? The memories were so vivid. Summer and laughter and bone-deep pain. But she was starting to doubt herself.
Pidge slowly shook her head. "I'm really sorry. We have to get you back to Earth, but you don't exactly look... human." She looked up at Dayita. "Are you sure you're remembering me right?"
"Yes! I'm—I'm human! Like you? Except... except your face marks are gone. And your ears look a little round." Alarm was starting to rise up in Dayita's chest. She stumbled back. This was Pidge. This was Katie, the only one she'd found that she fully recognised. But then she was starting to notice things about her she didn't recognise.
(The real Katie wouldn't have been this kind.)
Keith stepped forward. "I was hoping Allura would come and sort this out. Nice seeing you, Pidge." The two nodded at each other before focussing back on the spiralling Dayita. "You're Altean."
"Al-what?" replied Dayita quietly. She was getting frustrated. She had been searching for Pidge for a year, and the one time she found her, she wasn't remembering her. "I think I know what I am, thanks. I come from Earth. Earth."
"Only Alteans have those markings and ears," Keith countered, remembering what Allura had told him. "You're from Altea. The planet. But it was destroyed."
Dayita's face fell. "Earth hasn't been destroyed."
"Earth hasn't. But Altea has."
"I just told you, I've never heard of Altea! I'm human! I'm from Earth! I swear, I'm not..." She shook her head, turning back to Pidge. "Please, you're the only human I can remember! There has to be a reason for that, right?"
Pidge pursed her lips. "Maybe. There's not exactly a kind of science to figure out why a person remembers something. Psychoscience, maybe. I remember you. That's... I believe you. Most of what you're saying at least. I know you aren't lying. But you don't look like me. Or Keith. Or Shiro, for that matter. Keith is right. You're Altean."
Dayita's hand flew to her ears, which were slightly pointed, though she'd never thought much of it. Her heart pounded. "No, that's not right. I'm human. I'm from Earth. I went to school with you!"
Pidge shook her head, and it sounded like she was patronising her. "Dayita, we were seven. You disappeared after a field trip to the Galaxy Garrison. Everyone thought you were gone. And I hate to say it, but... but everybody forgot about you."
Dayita staggered back. "But I remembered you longer than that. I really did! You were my best friend. I woke up in space when I was thirteen, and you were the only thing I could hold onto!"
Pidge's expression softened, but there was still a distance in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Dayita. I don't... I don't remember it like that. That wasn't how it happened. Maybe you're experiencing temporal displacement. Usually it only applies to time travel, but that's a speculative science, so maybe it could do with how your memories are working. I don't even know how you ended up in space all by yourself! And much less how you survived without dying." Her eyes flicked to Dayita's arms. Permanent hexagonal scars were etched in them.
Temporal displacement...
Dayita turned to Voga, who was helping Shiro up. She saw the expression on Milly's face change. "What's wrong?"
She shook her head, tears spilling over before she could quickly wipe them away with the back of her hand. "I—I don't know. I just thought she'd know me."
Pidge didn't know what to do, so she stepped forward, her hand on Dayita's shoulder. "Hey, we'll figure this out. Maybe there's a reason you look Altean. Being out in space for years could do that to you. Maybe the Castle's archives have something on extraterrestial atmosphere biology changes, or maybe even spatial anomalies."
Keith took Shiro from Voga while he nodded. "I think she's been exposed to quintessence," he said, though while sniffling, Dayita didn't know what quintessence even was. "We need to get Shiro to a healing pod."
Pidge's eyes widened upon seeing the state of her leader. "Shiro's hurt? The castle's on the other side of this wormhole. We've gotta get him there quick. I think Green can fit three other people on her. Can't you, girl?" She patted the Green Lion's snout, and it rumbled in acknowledgement.
As they headed back to the ship, Dayita glanced at Voga. Milly was waving at her. "Bye bye, Dayita! We'll miss you! You were my favourite friend! And you were my only friend, but you were a really good one, so I hope the rest of my friends are like you!"
Dayita thought she might tear up again, and she walked over, giving Milly a hug. "You'll stay safe, won't you?"
A beaming smiling face appeared on Milly's pixelated screen. "So long as Master is with me!"
Dayita looked over at Voga. "You're not coming with us?"
His gaze was fixed on the horizon. "We cannot. The Galra tracks stolen ships. Remaining in one area risks detection."
Dayita's heart sank further. Voga then fully turned to her, sticking his hand out. "You have found your Katie Holt. My delivery is complete. On the house, because you were a very good employee. It was a pleasure to have you on our crew."
Dayita looked at the outstretched hand, then threw her arms around him again instead, her face pressed against his chest. "You saved me. You didn't have to, but you did. Thank you. Being onboard the ChronoCargo was an honour."
Voga was unaccustomed to touch, but he didn't pull away. "You gave me purpose," he said simply. Milly joined the hug.
Keith watched from a distance, his jaw tight. He stepped forward, his voice low. "Voga, you sure you have to go? We could use someone like you. The Galra is a problem for all of us. And we weren't joking when we were saying it was possible for you to start a rebellion."
Voga met Keith's gaze. Keith's hand twitched, as if he wanted to reach out, but he didn't. The other boy considered it, then said, "It would be in everyone's best interest if I stayed independent." Then he tipped his hat at Keith and retreated, leading Milly away even as she was still waving.
Dayita watched them go, clutching her hands to her chest. Pidge placed a hand on her shoulder, her voice gentle. "Come on. We have to find Hunk and Lance. We'll figure out who you are, Dayita. I PROMISE."