Chapter Text
Well, that had been a disaster.
Lance dropped his uniform carelessly onto the dorm floor. Hunk was carefully positioning his favourite headband, humming some happy tune Lance didn’t recognise.
It was his, what, fifth simulator and he still hadn’t crashed one?
A so-called cadet, indeed.
Lance blamed the simulator. It was so off. Not at all like real space. He’d thrive in real space. He figured, anyway.
“Hey, don’t beat yourself up about the simulation,” Hunk said, as if reading Lance’s thoughts.
“Huh, me?” Lance spluttered. “Nah! No way!”
“It was partially me and Pidge, anyway,” said Hunk. “If Pidge hadn’t been yelling at you, and I hadn’t puked in the-“
“Iverson has it rigged,” decided Lance dismissively, shooting Hunk a comforting smile. “Hey! I know what will cheer all three of us up!”
“Oh no,” said Hunk.
Lance pulled on his favourite jacket (a gift from his older brother Luis who’d gone off to college in some fancy place like Harvard a couple of years ago) and allowed a wide grin to form.
“Come on, Hunk, live a little!” he insisted.
“Yes, um, last time I lived a little we almost got expelled,” said Hunk.
“Pfft, irrelevant,” Lance scoffed. “I know this great pizza joint, just on the outside of town- we can be back before midnight!”
As if on cue, the intercom crackled to life. “Light’s out in five! Everyone back to their dorms.”
“Come on, Hunk,” said Lance, already half out the door. “You know you like pizza.”
“I know I like pizza,” he moaned in defeat.
Lance glanced around the corner and slipped out cautiously. Hunk followed him hesitantly.
“We should not be doing this,” Hunk said nervously.
“Relax,” said Lance. “Look, Iverson said we needed to bond, didn’t he? This is bonding! A night on the town, pizza, girls. Let’s get Pidge.”
“I’m just, okay, well, for the record, just right here,” said Hunk, “this is a bad idea.”
“You know, for someone in a space exploration program, you really don’t have a sense of adventure,” said Lance.
Hunk scoffed. “All of your little adventures end with me in the principal’s office!”
“Hide,” Lance hissed, pulling his friend around a corner. “There!”
“Oh, man,” groaned Hunk as they climbed into (luckily empty) trashcans. Lance listened carefully as the guards made their rounds. When he was content they were gone, he smoothly pushed the lid over his head and hopped out.
Hunk’s can fell over. Lance gave Hunk an annoyed look and he smiled sheepishly.
“I’m fine,” he said.
Lance sighed. “Alright, then, come on.”
Pidge’s dorm was right around this corner- he used to room with someone, but the kid had flunked out and Pidge had hated him, so it wasn’t a big deal. He seemed pleased to room alone.
Probably so he could sneak out like he was doing now.
“Where is he going?” Lance hissed, narrowing his eyes.
“Well, guess Pidge is out, shame, let’s go back to the dorm,” said Hunk, turning around. Lance grabbed his friend’s collar and pulled him back.
“Let’s follow him,” said Lance.
Hunk groaned.
They followed Pidge all the way to the roof of the school. The boy had set up what looked to Lance to be some sort of radio, complete with a headset. He leaned behind him and lifted the headphones.
“You come out here to rock out?” he asked slyly.
“Waah!” exclaimed Pidge, jumping into defensive position. Lance laughed. “Oh, Lance. Hunk. I’m, uh, just looking at the stars.”
“With this stuff?” Lance said. “Man, this doesn’t look like Garrison tech. Where’d you get it?”
“I built it,” said Pidge proudly.
“Woah, you built all of this?” said Hunk. He reached out to start poking at it, but Pidge hit him away.
“Stop it!” he exclaimed. “Anyway, with this thing, I can scan all the way to the edge of the solar system.”
“Really?” said Lance. “All the way to… Kerberos?”
Pidge blushed and looked away.
“What’s up with you and Kerberos?” Lance asked. “Every time someone brings it up, you go ballistic!”
Pidge hit Hunk’s hand away again. “Second warning, Hunk!”
Hunk chuckled sheepishly.
“Look, Pidge,” said Lance seriously. “If we’re going to bond as a team, we can’t have any secrets.”
“Fine,” huffed Pidge. “The world as you know it is about to change. The Kerberos mission wasn’t lost because of craft malfunction or pilot error. It- stop touching my stuff!”
Hunk pulled away, grumbling.
“Anyway, I’ve been scanning the system,” Pidge said. “And I’ve been picking up alien radio chatter.”
“Woah, woah,” said Hunk. “Aliens.”
“Alright, so you’ve lost it,” said Lance. “Got it.”
“I’m serious! They keep repeating this one word. Voltron,” said Pidge. Lance sat up straighter.
“Voltron?” he repeated.
Pidge nodded. “And tonight it’s going crazier than I’ve ever heard it.”
That was not a good sign, just based on Lance’s sci-fi movie experience.
“How crazy?” he asked hesitantly.
As if to answer, the loudspeaker buzzed to life. “Attention, students. This is not a drill. We are on lockdown! Security situation Zulu Niner. Repeat: all students are to remain in barracks until further notice.”
“Zulu Niner?” Lance mumbled, racking his brain. “Hey, isn’t that for-“
“Is that a meteor?” said Hunk in alarm. “Please tell me that’s a meteor!”
“It’s a ship!” said Pidge.
“I can’t believe I’m seeing this,” breathed Lance. “That is not one of ours!”
“No,” said Pidge. “It’s one of theirs.”
“W-wait, there are really aliens out there?” said Hunk in alarm. “Like, beep-boop take me to your leader?”
“Come on, Hunk,” Lance said. “That’s stereotypical.”
“We’ve got to see that ship!” decided Pidge.
Lance hopped up after him. “C’mon, Hunk!”
“Oh,” moaned Hunk, “this is the worst team-building exercise ever!”
The three of them snuck as carefully as they could out of the Garrison. It wasn’t as difficult as Lance had expected, and soon they were running across the desert.
“Get down!” hissed Pidge, ducking behind a rock. Hunk and Lance followed his lead.
“Woah,” said Lance. “What the heck is that thing?”
“Alien ship,” squeaked Hunk.
Something about the ship gave Lance a bad feeling, and it may have been the fact that it was an alien ship and had an all-around evil feeling around it.
“Okay, so, alien ship,” said Lance. “How are we going to get past all those guards?”
“Aw, man, yeah,” said Hunk. “Welp, guess there’s nothing to do but head back to the barracks. Ah, well-“
“Wait!” said Pidge. “There’s a camera in there. I just grabbed its feed. Look!”
Lance leaned over his shoulder to peer at his screen. His eyes narrowed. A man, a human, was strapped down to a table. His arm was metal, a prosthetic, and he had a scar across his nose and a tuft of white hair.
People were talking to the man, but Lance was busy inspecting him to listen.
“That’s Takeshi Shirogane!” Lance realised. “The pilot of the Kerberos mission! That man is my hero!”
“Guess he isn’t dead in space after all,” said Hunk.
“Where’s the rest of his crew?” asked Pidge anxiously.
“Do you know how long you’ve been gone?” Iverson asked Shiro.
“I don’t know. Months, years? Look, there’s no time,” insisted Shiro. “Aliens are coming here for a weapon. They’re probably on their way. They’ll destroy us. We have to find Voltron!”
“Voltron!” repeated Pidge.
“Sir,” said one of the men, “look. His arm- it’s been replaced with some sort of cyborg prosthetic.”
“Put him under until we know what it can do,” order Iverson.
“What?” Lance whispered.
“No. No, no, no,” said Shiro, struggling to escape. “Don’t put me under! We don’t have time- let me go!”
He was too late and passed out moments later. Lance scowled. So Iverson wasn’t taking him seriously- this was kind of a big deal. If aliens were coming for a weapon… well, someone had to get it before they did.
“They didn’t even ask about D- the rest of the crew!” said Pidge.
“What are they doing?” Lance hissed. “Shiro’s a legend- they won’t even listen to him?”
“We have to get him out,” said Pidge.
“And find this Voltron,” added Lance.
“Uh, guys, I hate to be the voice of reason here, as always,” said Hunk, “but we were watching it here because we can’t get in there.”
“That was before we were properly motivated,” said Lance. “We have to think. Maybe we could… tunnel in?”
“Maybe we could get some hazmat suits and sneak in,” said Pidge. “Pass ourselves up as med techs.”
“Ooor,” said Hunk, “we could dress up like cooks, head back to the dorms, and sneak into the kitchen for a late night snack?”
“Hunk, this is serious,” Lance said. “What we need is a distraction.”
As if on cue, there was an explosion in the distance.
Well, that was convenient.
“It’s the evil aliens!” yelped Hunk. “They’re here- oh, they got here so quick!”
“No, those are a distraction,” realised Pidge. “For that guy! The Garrison is headed to the blast, and he’s sneaking in from the other side!”
Lance peered where she was pointing and scowled.
“No way!” he said. “He is not going to beat us in there. Always trying to one up me, the jerk!”
“Wha- who is it?” said Hunk.
“Keith, that’s who!” said Lance. “Oh, man, I’d recognise that mullet anywhere!”
He hopped up and started running down the hillside. Hunk and Pidge stayed close behind him.
“Who’s Keith?” asked Pidge.
“He’s my rival,” Lance said. “Well, sort of. I mean, it’s really his fault we’re rivals and all. Woah!”
He skidded to a stop outside the alien ship and hesitated.
Alarms blaring- what is going on?- why were they-
“Lance? What’s the matter?” asked Pidge.
“Um, aliens?” suggested Hunk. “Evil aliens? Coming for us all?”
“No, no,” said Lance, shaking off his strange thoughts. “I just- let’s go rescue Shiro!”
By the time they reached Shiro, Keith was already helping him up.
“Hey- nope, no,” said Lance. “No, you don’t. I’m saving Shiro!”
He walked over and helped Keith support Shiro. Keith gave him a blank look. “Uh, who are you?”
“Who- who am I?” squeaked Lance, insulted. “Lance! It’s Lance! We were in the same class at the Garrison? Remember?”
“Oh, uh, you’re an… engineer?” he guessed.
“Wha- no!” said Lance. “I’m a pilot! We were- we were rivals. You know, Lance and Keith, neck and neck!”
“Oh, yeah,” said Keith. Lance nodded smugly. “You’re a cargo pilot.”
Lance deflated. “Not anymore. I’m fighter class now, thanks to your little stunt.”
“Oh,” said Keith. “Well, congratulations.”
We helped Shiro, barely conscious, out of the ship and to Keith’s hover-bike. Hunk and Pidge also began climbing on.
“Um, guys?” said Hunk. “They’re coming back and they do not look happy. We have to go. Mind giving us a lift?”
Keith jumped on as well, and Lance followed, glancing worriedly at the approaching Garrison officials.
“Will this thing be able to hold all of us?” said Pidge in alarm.
“No,” Keith replied bluntly.
“It’s gonna have to,” Lance said. “Go!”
Keith took off. The Garrison officials followed them. Lance winced.
“Can’t we go faster?” he asked.
“Maybe if we got rid of some nonessential weight,” Keith bit back.
“Huh, maybe,” said Lance, glancing around. He paused and scowled at Keith. “Ha ha, very funny.”
“Big guy, lean left!” said Keith.
“Huh, me?” said Hunk, before leaning to the left. The hover-bike turned, leaving the Garrison officials to crash behind us. “Oh, man, Mr. Harris just totally wiped out Professor Montgomery- no, wait, he’s fine.”
“Lean right!” said Keith.
“Um, hate to break it to you,” said Hunk, “but I think there’s a cliff up ahead.”
“Oh, no,” said Lance.
“Oh, yes,” said Keith.
With that, Keith took them over the cliff. Lance decided that the kid had no right to take all of them to their deaths without their permission.
But they didn’t end up dying, and instead lost the Garrison officials. Lance glanced back, then grinned.
“Okay, that was more awesome than I thought it’d be,” he admitted.
“I think I’m going to puke,” said Hunk.
Pidge leaned away from him in disgust.
“Where are we going?” he asked.
Keith didn’t look back. “Home.”