Wednesday, May 19, 2021

(From Ashes) Chapter 17

Pride: From Ashes
            Chapter 17
            Bring to Light

Keith made his way back to the castle through the tunnel; he was, in fact, delighted that Black had allowed it. Trying to navigate that washout in the trail again? Hard pass. If they could secure this planet and fix that mess, he might be up for going that way again sometime… but that was far in the future yet.

The tunnel was giving him enough trouble as it was. His thoughts churned as he walked, and whenever his eyes decided to glow he stumbled a bit. It felt like it was taking a long time to get back—having to stop and wait out the glowing didn't help—but then, maybe that was a good thing. He had lots to think about.

Although, maybe he wouldn't have minded some help with that…

"I will assist you as much as I can, Stormsoul. Discuss these thoughts with me."

Keith hesitated. It seemed strange to discuss matters of command with a voice in his head, but maybe the leader of the lions would have some insights. "All right." Sigh. "Just not even sure where to begin."

"I find that starting at the beginning tends to help."

Pause. "Was that… a joke?"

"No. Just a point of fact."

"Right." Shaking his head, he moved on through the tunnel. "So, my team and I were sent on a mission to find this Voltron, which we're pretty much convinced is actually you lions."

"A belief with some merit."

Even when he wasn't technically being asked a question, he couldn't give a straight answer. Keith snorted and continued. "And we all know we've given up on returning Voltron to the Alliance. We can't do that without compromising the safety of this planet, and that would be unacceptable."

"Indeed. And without honor."

"Exactly." He kept replaying the briefing in his head. It felt almost like another lifetime ago, yet his memories were clear. "And if we weren't able to recover Voltron ourselves, our orders were to do whatever was necessary to deny it to the Galra."

Black growled softly. "You have a particular understanding of that command."

Nod. "That's a euphemism for destroying it, which obviously we aren't about to do either."

"Indeed. There has been far too much destruction on this world as it is." The lion was silent for a few moments. "The only manner of denial your Alliance recognizes is destruction? How unimaginative."

"Military bureaucracy isn't exactly known for its imagination." Sigh. "Though it's not usually wise to point that out to your superiors."

"Just because one outranks someone else, does not make them superior."

Keith blinked, then grinned slightly. "I'm not about to disagree with you there." He stopped as his eyes glowed again, leaning against the wall of the tunnel. "But they still have authority. Power. We know our original mission can't be completed, but it's not our place to just change our orders. We're going to be in a lot of trouble when they find out, and I just… I have to be ready to protect my team."

"What kind of trouble do you anticipate?"

"They might court martial us for dereliction of duty. They'd demand we return to Earth for it, and might well try to come get us."

Purr. "It would be most short-sighted of them to demand such a thing."

Wasn't that the truth. "Most of us don't have much back there; I think that's why a lot of us chose this. Bonding, I mean. But some of us do, and being fugitives from the Alliance and the Drules could become a liability awfully fast anyway. There has to be something…" He smacked the rock wall behind him. "I just can't seem to see anything else, and I feel like I should be able to think outside the box. We're a f—we're a damn Explorer Team!"

He swore Black's answering purr almost sounded like a laugh. "Perhaps you should consider again whether your mission has failed."

Imagination. Right. Keith could feel it, and not only in Black Lion's knowing growl. He was missing something. Something obvious.

We deny Voltron to the Galra, at any cost.

Destruction isn't the only manner of denial…

"…Are you suggesting we hide you again once the Drules are defeated?" He shook his head. "We can't just do that to you. Not with how long you've been locked away. And who knows how long Arus will need protecting?"

"No," Black agreed, then growled thoughtfully again. "What is a bond, Stormsoul?"

Blink. "What?"

"A bond. We did not ask that you fly us, nor partner with us—though we sought both of those things. We call our pilots to bond. Such a thing is neither lightly undertaken, nor easily changed."

Wasn't that what had prompted all of this? "We aren't taking it lightly. That's why—"

He was cut off by a growl. "As ever, your first thoughts are to your own obligations." Black sounded half chiding, half affectionate. "But understand, Stormsoul: your bonding to us did not merely commit you to this planet. It committed us to you."

"It committed you to…" Keith's eyes widened as it hit him, and the lion purred in satisfaction. Thinking it over again, he grinned, and then it turned into an outright laugh. At any cost, by any means necessary. High Command certainly wouldn't appreciate that loophole…

Colonel Hawkins just might.

It was somewhere to start, at least. And somewhere to start was all he could ask without the rest of his team, wasn't it?

He shoved off the wall and continued on, still chuckling, until finally reaching the chamber with the shuttles. Another glow washed out his vision—much more disorienting in the larger space—and he staggered to a stop. "That is… well, I can see why everyone else was complaining." As it faded, he began walking again, finding the stairs back to the castle proper. He remembered someone mentioning wandering into the crypts when they had just been exploring, so hopefully it wouldn't be too hard to find…

"Feel for it, Stormsoul."

He nodded at the words and closed his eyes, feeling something faint in the distance. Opening his eyes, he started to follow the sensation, something like a trail of static. Stepping through a broken doorway and down a ramp, he was immediately certain he was in the right place; the static seemed stronger, and the hallway seemed creepier.

Why would the key be in the crypts? Had it been somewhere else, moved here for safekeeping? Considering all that had happened, he wouldn't put it past the Arusians to have done just that… he continued to follow the corridor, noting the many doorways lining it on either side. None of them felt correct until…

There.

A stone door stood in front of him, and he tried pushing it open. Somehow he hadn't expected that to work, and it didn't… but a prickling of lightning down the back of his neck caught his attention. Glancing around, he saw a heavy latch cleverly disguised as a candle fixture, and carefully pushed it open.

The door slid soundlessly aside.

He startled slightly, and sucked in a sharp breath upon seeing the first sarcophagus. "Well, I'm on the right track…"

Keith walked slowly, trying to disturb even as little of the dust as possible. Finally, he started to feel the static fading again, and stepped back to where it had been strongest; he was looking at a fairly unadorned chamber with a relatively simple stone casket. There were no obvious places to have hidden a key in here, except…

There was no mistaking it; the pull he felt was coming from the coffin itself. "You have got to be kidding me."

Black Lion remained silent. Wonderful.

Stepping further into the chamber, he saw an inscription on the casket. That didn't help him one bit, of course. Even if he could read Arusian, what good did he expect it to have done him? What's it going to say, 'feel free to open if the planet is in danger'? No. This was up to him… entirely up to him, if Black's silence was anything to go by.

The burdens of honor…

Whoever's tomb this was, it was important. To the Arusians, clearly. To him, because he could feel the key waiting inside. Did he just lift the lid and take it? No. The thought was frankly repulsive. But was he supposed to not take it, when Arus needed the lions? That would not do, either. If he found someone to ask permission and was refused, where did that leave them?

To open or not to open. That is the question.

He had to make a decision here. He knew it. Did he simply have to set aside his own discomfort? But Black had made it clear his own feelings were not to be ignored. This had to be a test. The worst kind of test, where he didn't know the rules.

To buy a few more moments—and maybe just as important, to hopefully still the churning in his own guts—he slowly knelt at what he felt was the foot of the casket.

"May those who have passed hear our prayers and our hopes," he murmured. He could almost feel the cold rain again; it had been years since he'd spoken these words. Not since his parents… "May they find comfort in their rest and liberation from all suffering. May they hear the words of honor and respect from those who follow, and watch over the future without struggle or sorrow. Thus may all spirits know peace."

The quiet prayer finished whispering over the stones, and he exhaled slowly. He felt like that had been right, somehow, and he did feel a bit better for it. But it hadn't given him any answers. What did he do here?

*****

The silence of the underground tombs was usually absolute—even when she broke it herself, Allura wasn't accustomed to hearing someone else do so. It was glaringly clear when it happened. And she'd been about to start talking to Tanner again when she heard exactly that.

Footsteps? Yes. No question. She held her breath, listening as the faint sounds ended somewhere nearby. Very near—she heard what could only be movement in her father's chamber, a muted voice murmuring words that were lost in the echoes. Calm, even gentle, but a sign of an intruder was anything but calming.

Dovayat pol. Was this why Black Lion had sent her to watch over the pendant? Had a thief come to raid her father's tomb? Glancing around Tanner's chamber, she found a large rock that had been knocked loose from a wall in the attacks. Gripping it tightly, she started to move around the wall. A friendly visitor was not out of the question here. But if it was some foe come to steal what was rightfully her family's, she wouldn't hesitate.

At first she didn't see anyone. Then, as her own footsteps rang over the stones, a familiar voice. "Who's there?"

"Oh…" She dropped her makeshift weapon, breathing a sigh of relief. "It's you." Not that one of the Earthlings being here made much sense, but she felt pretty certain she wouldn't need to crack him over the head with a rock.

That certainty doubled as he stood up from where he'd been kneeling behind the tomb, and his eyes glowed a brilliant electric blue.

Keith winced at the glow, though if anything she'd smiled briefly when she saw it. "Princess."

"I heard someone in my father's tomb," she explained. Her tone was understandably wary. "What are you doing here?"

"Black Lion sent me for the key. It led me here…" He winced again as he looked at the enameled stone. Not just any important Arusian rested here, of course. "I… hope it's alright that I said a prayer for whoever was here. I didn't know it was your father." He swallowed hard, and nearly bit back the next words, but Black's admonitions echoed in his mind. "I… I know what it's like, losing your parents much too soon. I'm sorry."

"Is that what you were saying?" Perhaps it hadn't been the echoes preventing her from understanding an alien prayer; the tone made sense now. Resting a hand on one of the intricate carvings, she nodded to him. "The words seemed nice… I thank you for them, and I know that he would as well."

Keith swallowed again through a throat that was very dry. "You're welcome."

"Now…" He was here for a reason. They mustn't lose sight of that. "What is this about a key?"

Nod. "The others had to collect a key for their lion after they bonded. Black's is…" He was doing a lot of wincing in this conversation, but who could blame him? "…It's inside of this coffin."

"Mmm…" Allura frowned. "I know the items that were buried with my father, nothing that seemed like a key was among them. Unless…" Her eyes widened, and she tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I wonder."

It felt like the memory was foggy, somehow, but as she concentrated it all began to rush back. Trying to open the pendant, the stabbing pain she'd felt, Black Lion's insisting that she stop. That something was yet missing.

He said the time was not right. But this must be the time.

He hadn't sent her here to guard the pendant at all, had he?

Watching her expression, Keith could practically see her mind racing. But he felt like he needed to say more as well. To be a leader, but also to show respect… honor. He took a deep breath. "Princess, I absolutely hate to ask this. But I know the key is inside of here, I can feel it. And I know he is your father and this is a taboo thing, but…" For crying out loud, Kogane, don't try to talk her out of it! He straightened, looking more confident than he felt. "…I must ask permission to retrieve this key from your father's casket. To save your planet and your people."

Yes. If it were that simple, he'd have had her permission in an instant. But it wasn't her permission he needed. She'd left the pendant there for safekeeping for a reason, after all.

"We must ask him," she said softly, kneeling before the sarcophagus and clasping her hands together. "And if we are lucky, he will give us his blessing."

"Ask him?" Keith echoed in a whisper. "You mean… a ghost?" He wasn't actually sure if his question broke through her concentration, and he hoped not, because he regretted it immediately. When in Rome… he went back to his knees next to her and folded his hands in the same manner, barely daring to breathe.

"Oh father, we call on you to ask a favor," Allura murmured. To call to the dead intentionally was always a bit tenuous, but she had to believe he would answer. He'd given his life for this. "Please, give us your blessing, that we may open your coffin and retrieve that which we need. Give us your word or your sign, so that the Great Lions may truly return."

Though he didn't understand a word of what Allura was saying, Keith listened carefully, watching as she lifted her hands a bit higher. She lifted her face to look at some point above the tomb, and he startled a little—something was happening. The marks on her cheeks seemed to be flickering, and the blue sparks in her eyes glowed the same way as when she'd healed Daniel.

What he couldn't see was the bluish-white fog gathering above the coffin, coalescing into the shape of a man, his features sharpening until finally becoming clear as the fallen High King of Arus.

"I hear you, my dear daughter." It was different than when he'd appeared in the shelters. King Alfor was properly at rest now; his voice resonated through her, the weight of the grave lending it force. But it couldn't hide the warmth as he looked her over. "And I know what you seek."

Allura's vision blurred with tears. There was so much she wished she could say, but so little time—her people depended on her putting them first. "Do we have your blessing?" Next to her, Keith startled slightly, but did everything he could to hide it.

"Indeed you do." Alfor nodded. "He may take the pendant and what lies hidden within, and only that. Then I must return to my rest."

Allura let out a long sigh of relief. "Thank you, Father."

"No. I should be thanking you. You have done your very best under the most trying of circumstances, and proven more than equal to the task." He smiled for a moment, then became serious again. "Now, you must complete that task."

Watching the light fade, Allura swallowed hard, then turned to Keith. "My father has given us his blessing." She wiped a last stubborn tear from her eye. "Retrieve what it is that you need."

Keith lowered his clasped hands and looked back at her, nodding. Then he looked at the coffin itself and hesitated. "Is there… any other special thing we have to do first? Or can it just be opened?"

He'd been asking about cultural practices, he thought; especially in a civilization where people apparently spoke to ghosts, further ritual might be called for. The princess nodded as if she'd anticipated his question, but instead of anything ceremonial she walked over to the near wall. What had looked to be decorative stone symbols made a slight click as she pressed on them. "Once I activate these, the top should be able to be lifted," she explained.

Oh. Of course there would be some form of… security? As she pressed the last spot, Keith heard a slight hiss, and the lid of the coffin rose up about an inch. He could see traces of a locking system in the gap, crudely but cleverly fashioned. Even in hiding, the Arusians had made certain their king would rest undisturbed.

Until now. But it had to be done. As Allura returned to the sarcophagus, they carefully opened the lid.

The body was wrapped in fabric, with a burial mask that reminded Keith a little bit of ancient mummies on Earth. But everything about the pattern and design of it was distinctly alien. He could feel the waves of static emanating from within, and swallowed hard. There. A slender chain around the fallen king's neck was drawing his attention, and it couldn't be coincidence.

"Gomen nasai," he whispered to the body; blessing or not it felt necessary. Then he reached in and unfastened the clasp of the chain, drawing a large, circular pendant out from beneath the mummy's head. It was black with complex silver inlay, and didn't look anything like the keys the others had retrieved. But he could feel it…

His eyes went to the side of the pendant. There was a crack. He swallowed hard, sliding his nails until the opening, and the two halves of the pendant popped apart easily.

A metal disc with Black Lion's symbol fell into his hand.

This is it.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," he whispered to the body. "My team and I will do everything in our power to save your planet, I promise." He looked back to Allura, who was staring at the key in wonder. "I think we can close the casket now, Princess."

"Yes…" She shook off the awe and her cheeks burned slightly. "Yes." She whispered one last prayer, one in the old tongue, as they gently closed the lid. "Thank you once again, Father."

Keith waited for her to face him again. "Thank you, Princess."

"You're welcome." She smiled, excitement in her eyes. "I look forward to seeing Black and all the lions awake… what more needs to be done?"

He started to ask Black about that, but heard a low growl and realized he didn't need to. Of course he knew the next step—it was the easiest part of this entire process.

"We need to go find the team."

*****

Finding the team wasn't going to be difficult at all. They were already looking for him—or technically they'd been heading to wait for him in the tunnels, until Coran intercepted them at the front doors. And he had not been expecting to see the entire band of offworlders on the move. It seemed significant.

Upon Hunk's explanation that their commander had bonded to a lion, the old knight had decided to accompany the group. He was really just along for the ride on this matter anyway—nothing about the lions and their awakening was within his control. At all. He'd accepted that, mostly.

Still, this could surely be interesting.

Their paths crossed in one of the ground level corridors, one that led both to the crypts and the tunnels hidden far below. "Oh hey! Speak of the devil," Hunk said with a grin as they rounded the corner and saw Keith and Allura approaching.

Then he watched the boss's eyes warily, because what he'd just said might have been literal.

As if on cue, Keith's eyes did glow, an electric blue-white that briefly illuminated the hallway. Black purred loudly in his mind as they did so—clearly the lion was still very present, he'd just been content to let Keith deal with everything in the tomb on his own. Well, probably fair.

As the glow faded, Romelle and Vince sighed with relief and Daniel pouted a little. "Aw man, that's so boring."

"Something anticlimactic, for once."

"What the fuck color is that?" Lance asked blankly.

Hunk didn't actually seem to find it weird at all. That or he was just taking it to heart that they may as well get used to the weird—but he'd seen that exact glow before, too. "That's 'stuck your finger in a capacitor' color."

"I believe the proper name is cyan?" Keith suggested, shaking his head. He could guess why Daniel was disappointed. "Not sure it's all that important."

"It doesn't seem like the most relevant detail," Pidge agreed.

Looking between the offworlders, Allura was certain she was missing something, but couldn't help a small giggle anyway. Watching them interact was always entertaining. She looked at Coran, who seemed equally confused, and gave him a quick smile.

"We were hoping for something creepier, boss. But yeah, that's not the important part." Lance was smirking ear to ear. "The important part is that you've bonded, huh? To a lion ship."

Keith met the pilot's smirk with amusement. "Yes. And he's impressive."

"And ready to fly?"

Now he chuckled outright. "Soon, Lance. Soon." He wanted to at least talk to the team a little bit first.

"Why does that sound like it'll be later than I want?"

Probably because it's been later than you want since yesterday. Sven shrugged. "Because patience isn't your strong suit."

"Fuck patience!"

"Patience is stupid," Daniel agreed.

Hunk had gotten so sick of hearing about patience lately that he almost found himself agreeing with them. Almost. "We gotta make sure the things actually work, bro."

"Well that's all the more reason to fly them!"

Sven eyed him. Is it, though? Something about the idea of launching now was bothering him, something that had nothing to do with his not being a pilot. It was just on the edge of his thoughts…

Pidge sighed. "I hate to point this out, but we don't have any diagnostic equipment. That only leaves so many ways to test the functionality of the lions."

"Pidge does make a valid point."

"Right! So flying!"

Allura found herself just barely keeping her giddiness contained; she was with Lance on this, personally. Though she could also understand the concerns the others raised. "My father did his best to ensure the Great Lions were kept in good condition." She wondered if his monitoring equipment would help them—though she wasn't actually sure any of that was still working. It was much more delicate.

Something akin to impatience was stirring in Coran's mind, too. He was wary, yes—not unexcited, but wary. But they had also given these strangers great allowances, and to have them hesitate now was frustrating. "Is there any reason not to at least make the attempt?"

Most of them exchanged slight shrugs; Sven's eyes widened. He suddenly realized what had been bothering him. "Um, actually yes, I think we need to hold off for a moment."

"Hold off?!"

"What is it?"

The navigator side-eyed Lance; his outbursts about flying were going to pale in comparison to what came next. "It's just that moving the lions around might…" He shook his head. There was probably a good way to put this, but of course his diplomatic skill was choosing the worst possible moment to fail him.

Fortunately, Pidge picked it up. "…Draw attention. Mijtairra."

Oh. Keith flinched. They were right, and explaining that was going to mean… "Right." You knew this was coming, Kogane. "But I don't think we have a choice." The Drules were the immediate threat here—they could worry about potential problems once the concrete ones were dealt with.

"True, but maybe we should at least give our hosts some proper warning?"

"Viking is right." Lance had picked up on what was happening and was glowering for about a billion reasons.

Allura and Coran exchanged confused looks.

"Warning?"

"What is it you're saying, exactly?"

Fuck it. Sven took a half-step away from Lance. "The Galra might start sniffing around if anything Voltron-related starts surfacing."

"And FUCK THEM!"

"…Oh boy."

"Galra?" Allura looked to Romelle, who'd clutched her jacket tighter and stepped a little behind Sven at the words. The Earthling gave her a reassuring smile—wait, the Earthlinghad he just said Voltron? Had Romelle told them that, or…?

"The Galra are fucking bastards," Lance muttered loudly, and Daniel elbowed him. "Ow… I'm right!" He was, but Daniel elbowed him again anyway. Just because it was fun.

Lance returned the elbow with interest, and the gunner hissed irritably. "When we're not listening to a super serious conversation that's also semi-entertaining because of how much Keith is squirming, it is so on."

Keith was indeed squirming a bit. This is on me now. He felt Black Lion's presence, the team arrayed in the hallway, and took a deep breath as he looked to the Arusians. "We weren't exactly forthcoming when we first arrived here." Coran didn't look even slightly surprised to hear that. "I think we were all a bit mistrustful of each other, given the circumstances. We didn't know if you were… collaborators with the Drules, at first. We'd seen on Korrinoth how effectively they convert people to their ways."

The princess nodded slowly. "Go on."

"What I told you before is true—we are Alliance soldiers, an Explorer Team. We can go where front line soldiers can't, react more quickly to unpredictable circumstances… and carry out missions that can be swept under the rug and denied if need be."

Coran's eyes narrowed as Allura's widened; the princess felt her stomach turning a bit. She was not prepared to believe—she wouldn't and couldn't believe—that the offworlders would prove untrustworthy after all. But the words couldn't help but fill her with the first hints of dread.

"The Galra are an alien… empire, we think. What we know is they behave like pirates and brutes. They've been raiding the Alliance for a long time, and Command recently learned that they were searching for some legendary weapon. We were sent to find it first." He took a deep breath. "The Search, as they call it, is for something called Voltron."

"And Voltron was hidden on this planet to keep it from the Galra," Romelle said quietly. She still looked nervous, but her voice didn't waver. "My ancestors left Arus because of it. And neither my people's stories nor yours seem to know precisely how the lions and Voltron are connected, but it's unquestionable that they are."

Keith nodded, then drew a long breath. "Obviously, knowing what we know now… the mission to retrieve Voltron for the Alliance can only end in failure."

Coran's eyes had narrowed so much it was a wonder he could see at all. "So." His tone dripped with reproach and no small touch of sarcasm. "Let me see if I have this correct. You came here, specifically, and took advantage of our good will and trust, with the intent of stealing the lions from us."

"Fuck no we…" Lance paused. Much as he wanted to deny it, they certainly had come here with the intent of grabbing the lions and going. "…uh, maybe?"

Pidge would've elbowed him for that, if he'd been in range. But he wasn't and Daniel seemed to have it covered, so he snorted and turned to Coran instead. "No? The information we had when we arrived was that the Drules held the planet." He was certain there had been some yelling about that, in fact. "Perhaps you'll understand we thought it best to steal it from them."

The old advisor managed a small nod, but his look of suspicion didn't fade. Their commander had said something to that effect. And Coran had known he was still hiding something then, but not something this significant. "I understand. But perhaps you can understand how deceiving us about your original intentions makes everything you say suspect." He pinched the bridge of his nose; he was suddenly finding himself much more in tune with Lady Hys than he would've liked.

"Suspect? We aren't taking anything from you." Lance's eyes flashed, mirroring his indignant tone. "We're trying to help."

"Are you?" Coran scoffed. "Or are you simply not taking anything now, because you've bonded to magical robots that prevent it?"

"Dude." Hunk sounded less indignant than exasperated. "You know the bonding was voluntary, yeah?"

"My team is telling the truth." Keith was glad to have their support; now he had to match it. "We couldn't let the Drules get their hands on Voltron—you've seen what they do, you know better than anyone that nobody in the galaxy needs that. How could we have known you'd retaken the planet?"

"And yet, if I'm understanding correctly, those original intentions only changed once you realized the lions were not mere weapons."

Was that true? Pidge wasn't even sure that was true. Everything had seemed to happen at once after they'd landed here. But even if it was… "So we changed our objectives when we learned the circumstances were different, and that makes us not trustworthy? That's a bit illogical, kir sa tye?"

"Lying about what brought you here to begin with is what makes you not trustworthy!"

Keith took a moment to gather his thoughts. It was true that they'd initially feared Drule collaboration. But it was also true that since that early meeting, they'd been keeping the mission to themselves because they knew the Arusians wouldn't like it. He couldn't really argue the point Coran was making.

Romelle, though, stepped forward. "And would you have trusted them if they'd told you the truth of their mission from the start?" Arusians were supposed to be like that, she'd thought. Trusting, naive. But perhaps they'd been hardened by war after all… in all of the wrong ways. "Or would you have reacted like this, and denied them the chance to help save you?" It earned her appreciative looks from the others—and even a fleeting smile from Pidge, to her shock.

Though his expression softened slightly, Coran's tone remained doubtful. "You have a point. But the facts are what they are now. How do you expect us to trust any of you from now on?"

"Coran, that's enough."

More than a few of the team jumped at the voice; it had been easy to almost forget Allura was there. She'd been carefully listening to the arguments—there was merit on both sides. More importantly though, she'd been watching. Feeling. The frustration and sincerity of the offworlders was palpable—yet she had promised, and owed it to her people, to judge them on more than her own feelings. Her intuition would inform, not dictate, her decisions.

"Princess…?"

"I am still willing to trust," she said firmly, looking over the soldiers who may yet save her world. "But not blindly. What proof can you offer us that your words are true? That your goal now is to protect Arus, rather than taking our lions from us?"

The team exchanged glances, waiting to see who would field that. Proof? How did they prove a negative? What did they really have, besides more promises that the Arusians weren't inclined to believe?

Well, and a lot of cursing, but Lance was pretty sure that wouldn't help.

Finally Keith nodded, drawing a deep breath. He had wanted time to discuss this with the others… but he couldn't always have what he wanted. And he felt Black's purr of approval as he met Allura's gaze.

"Because our missions aren't mutually exclusive," he said evenly. "Our orders, if we couldn't bring Voltron to the Alliance, were to deny it to the Galra by any means necessary." His eyes flared with lightning. "We accepted these bonds—tying ourselves to the lions, and the lions to us. We have denied Voltron to the Galra."

One of Coran's eyebrows shot up—not least because it was clear none of the others had ever heard that before. Or at least, the commander's words earned startled looks from his own people. Allura noticed that as well, and yet there was truth to what he said… she met his eyes, searching them for a long moment, then studying each of the others in turn.

When she reached Hunk, she found him looking away, a thoughtful frown on his face. Faith. He was supposed to be the Paladin of Faith, wasn't he? But he had no idea how to convince others to have faith, unless… sensing her watching him, he looked up and spoke quietly. "Do you trust the lions? Cuz all of this was their idea… and you didn't know what brought us here at first, but they did."

That was certainly not going to convince Coran… but it wasn't his decision. And Allura was much more reassured. Hunk was right, after all. "The Great Lions have put their faith in you," she murmured, almost reverently.

Sven nodded slowly. "We made this choice, and we made it willingly." Purity.

"We will not fail you," Pidge agreed fiercely, "and we sure as the hells won't betray you." Loyalty.

"We knew we had to help protect this place." Lance's eyes flashed again. "As soon as we saw what they'd done." Justice.

Keith swept his gaze over his team, then took a step towards Allura and met her eyes. "We promised," he said, his voice soft, but its strength like a thunderclap. "And no matter what, we won't back down from our word." Honor.

Nodding, Allura stepped forward as well, resting a hand lightly on Keith's chest. She could feel it—his heartbeat like a rolling storm, the energy of the lions and the others flowing through and around him, the elements crackling through the corridor in a way that nearly had physical presence. "I believe in the lions," she whispered, "and the lions believe in you. I will trust you not to betray us… and trust that we can weather whatever storm awakening the lions may bring." She looked back to Coran, who nodded his acceptance of her decision, then backed away again. "What will you do now?"

Well, his hopes to discuss his latest realization with his team had pretty much been preempted. There was only one thing left, wasn't there?

Keith raised his hand and gave a brief salute. "Princess Allura, we respectfully request permission to launch the Great Lions."

A wide smile broke over her face. "Yes. Please."

"You heard the lady!" Lance crowed, jostling Daniel a little and getting hissed at by several salalizards. He shot the kid and his sidekicks a wink before looking around at the others. "She said please!"

At least half the team responded to that with fond eyerolls, but nobody was going to object now. Keith shook his head affectionately, then grinned. "That she did. Alright, team; let's kick the tires and light the fires!"

"It's about fucking time!"

With a round of answering nods, the five lion pilots sprinted for the tunnels.

Looking after them, Allura tried to puzzle out that last order, looking at Daniel and Vince for help. "Such interesting phrases…"

The two Earthlings exchanged small grins of their own. "Pretty sure you're gonna learn plenty of colloquial Common here soon, Your Highness."

"Totally. All kinds."

"You'll become accustomed to it, at least," Romelle agreed with a wry smile.

"Oh dear…" Allura tilted her head, but decided it could wait. Priorities. She didn't have to hide her excitement anymore, and she wasn't going to.

Waving for them to follow, she ran in the other direction. They couldn't see the sky from down here.

*****

It hadn't taken much time for Hunk to stop running; the tunnel was long. He probably should've known that, he knew how far Yellow Lion's den was from the castle, more or less… if these lions were expected to launch in any sort of hurry, they really would need the shuttles fixed sooner rather than later.

First things first. It was not time to be thinking about awesome shuttles. And really, Hunk was the first to acknowledge that the lions were surely a million times more interesting. It just felt weird to think of an ancient elemental robot that talked to him in his brain as something that ought to be poked at with tools.

"I appreciate that sentiment," Yellow chuckled in his mind. "But I do not remember it being any less agreeable than mortals find your healers."

Hunk raised an eyebrow. "Dude, I dunno about Arusians, but there's a whole lot of humans who'll do whatever it takes to not get poked at by a doctor."

"Hmm. I recall the healers being well-honored. Although I think… those memories were elsewhere…"

Even though he didn't really expect an answer, the obvious question about that had to be asked. "Altea?"

Yellow only gave a low growl of frustration. "Much has been lost. Come—it is time to regain a part of it!"

When he put it that way, it sounded more fun. Hunk stepped into the den, circling the lion and finding its huge jaws open, awaiting him. He looked over the hull quickly—there was a lot of dust and sand, but no hint of serious damage. That was a good sign at least. "Okay, Yella Fella." He cracked a grin and vaulted over the lion's fangs, through the hatch and into the cockpit. "Let's rock this thing, yeah?"

Dropping into the front seat, he located a slot that looked key-shaped and set the silvery disc into it. There was a sharp click, and a purring rumble that seemed to ripple through the hull, and he felt as much as heard Yellow's roar as the ancient lion rose to his feet.

Holy fuzzmuffins, is this—this is actually gonna work!?

It was probably too soon to be quite that certain, especially since he still didn't know what the hell he was doing. Taking a deep breath, he looked down to start trying to puzzle out the controls.

And he froze.

Reflected in the main screen, he could see his eyes glowing solidly yellow. Bright as ever. Yet his vision was only tinted faintly gold, not completely washed out like before. And as he set his hands on the control sticks, he was instinctively aware of their purpose—physical functions on the left, targeting on the right, the throttle and propulsion switches beneath his thumbs…

Nothing he'd ever even studied had a setup like this. And yet. "Uh, Yellow?"

"The bonds serve many functions, Earthwarder. You are my pilot, but we are partners—and I know what my instruments do."

"You what?" He looked around at the other readouts, testing the concept. Sure enough, he could read the status lights—all clear—even though intellectually he could see they weren't even in a language he recognized. "You couldn't have just said that before?!"

Yellow hesitated a moment. "I was not certain. The keys…" Another low, slightly confused growl. "All is not as it was when I last had mortal paws on my controls."

Nodding slowly, Hunk decided to accept that—like he really had a choice. "Well, we know now." He smirked. "And knowing is half the battle!"

With a bit more confidence than was probably warranted, he flipped the throttle up, and Yellow Lion charged towards the daylight.

*****

Sven had wasted no time climbing into Blue's cockpit; he expected to need as much time as he could get. There was a dark underwater tunnel to traverse between the den and the lake, after all. But apparently he hadn't needed to worry—the passage wasn't nearly as long as he'd expected. And the golden glow of the lion's eyes cut brilliantly through the darkness, very much like the blue glow of his own eyes seemed to metaphorically illuminate the controls.

Brings a whole new meaning to the saying 'light in your eyes.' He chuckled despite himself.

"You are doing well, Icehunter."

"Thank you." Sven loosened his viselike grip on the controls as they flew… swam? Could giant robot cat ships swim? Or was it just flying underwater? Those questions took over in the forefront of his mind; his concentration was only lost for a moment, but evidently that was enough to cause problems.

Blue's shoulder scraped across the opening of her cave, and Sven was jostled back to the task at hand with a wince.

"My apologies."

"Accepted. But I believe there are more important activities than debating vocabulary."

"Very little is more important than vocabulary." Refocused on his other important activity, Sven smiled. Blue moved wonderfully through the open water; this might actually be kind of fun.

"Ah yes. I should expect as much, from someone raised in a culture where spoon size is of the highest importance."

Snort. "You are not as funny as you think you are."

"As much as I would love to inform you of how wrong you are, we should join our Pride."

Sven pushed up on the controls, and Blue Lion began swimming towards the surface. This was definitely going to be fun.

*****

Green's hollow was loud when Pidge stepped into it, the winds whistling outside as though they knew what was about to happen. Which felt like an absurd thought—but at this point would he put anything past the lions? No, he would not.

"That may be wise, Windseeker. Are you ready?"

"Ready as I'm going to be," he muttered, and vaulted over her jaw to find the hatch.

The cockpit looked very much like a cockpit, he noted. An alien one, but recognizable. But something about it felt deeply familiar, in a way he couldn't explain but felt oddly reassured by, and things he couldn't explain didn't tend to do that. With a quiet nod, he produced his key as his vision took on a green cast.

The familiarity became that much more pronounced. "De chyle…" Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

"You see?" Green purred in his mind. "What now do you imagine yourself to be?"

"Might want to save the told-you-so stuff until we get out of here," he retorted, gripping the control sticks and easing them forward. With a growl of triumph, Green Lion rose to her feet and sprang forward—and clipped the edge of the den's exit with a clang as she tore through the vines. "Salys sa kye—I did not do that on purpose!"

"I know, and I have had far worse," she chuckled. "To the winds with us!"

That sounded wonderful. There was nothing to crash into there. But more than that, he could feel his lion yearning for flight, and it was infectious. Maybe the winds really were calling…

With a small grin, Pidge brought up the thrusters, and Green leapt through the leaves into the sky.

*****

Lance hadn't run so fast for so long since he was an excited kid, and because of it he had to stop to catch his breath just before reaching Red's jaws. He felt the lion chuckling in his head; for a few moments he glared on principle, before the awe of the gigantic robot beast in front of him overwhelmed him. Again. Finally getting his breath back, he put his hand into his pocket and pulled out the key.

"Are you ready, Firestriker?"

He'd been ready. "Always."

"Then enter…"

Lance ran again, inside the lion's mouth and up to the cockpit. As he slid behind the controls his vision went red, and it turned the alien console into something more familiar. "Whoa…"

He took in the controls, smirking at the things he'd gotten right and excited about the things he didn't quite understand. What he was sure of was that they spoke of flight capabilities no standard-issue Alliance ship could dream about. He flipped the key through his fingers, staring at its slot for a moment, then dropped it into place with a click.

And Red Lion lurched to life with a roar.

Lance grabbed the controls, knowing and feeling what to do as if he'd been doing it forever. He brought up the engines and Red jumped straight out of the volcano with speed like he'd never felt before. Then he was in the air, the blue Arusian sky all around him, feeling almost like they were floating… were they? The lion seemed to be hovering effortlessly.

With a grin, he tested the throttle, and Red shot up much too high and too fast for him to fully even grasp.

He was not complaining.

For a few minutes he put the controls through their paces, learning their sensitivity and responsiveness, flying higher and higher and grinning like mad. Then something tugged at his mind, a sense of direction—flipping Red around, he saw the castle in the distance.

Grin. "Let's go make an entrance."

*****

Keith slowed from his jog as he entered the cavern and saw the huge lion before him. Waiting. The feeling of static permeating the den was thicker than before; a sign that even the lion was excited about this?

"Indeed. It has been far too long since I took to the open skies. Come, Stormsoul, the others await us."

He nodded and moved to the lion's jaw, curious and excited himself. He hadn't even gone inside to look around before leaving to retrieve the key. Opening the hatch, he looked around briefly; the layout was so different from anything he'd piloted before. He sank into the pilot's seat, finding a slot that could only be for the key, and Black Lion roared to life.

Eyes wide, he watched a few loose chips of stone dance over the den's floor in response. From the vibrations rippling through the hull alone, he could tell this lion was powerful. He glimpsed his eyes glowing in a monitor, and frowned in slight confusion as he studied the readout displayed there—wait. If he could understand what he was reading…

Quickly he glanced around at the consoles, and grinned as he realized. He could understand what he was seeing, and more importantly, all of the lion's systems were declaring themselves in order.

For a moment he simply breathed in, taking in everything around him. They'd never anticipated anything remotely like this.

But here they were…

"Why do you hesitate?"

He chuckled. Maybe Black was impatient, too. "I'm just appreciating the moment." He placed his hands on the controls, focusing himself. "Alright. Let's see how this goes."

Rising from his crouch, Black began to run forward, around the bend in the cavern towards the wide opening at the top of the peak. Flashes of lightning illuminated the mouth of the den as he approached, as though waiting to welcome them at last.

And finally, the Black Lion launched into the storms of Thunder Ridge with a roar.

*****

Larmina was… confused, to put it mildly. One moment she, Hanso, and Allendar had been bringing their roli haul into the castle. The next, they'd nearly been run over by Aunt Allura, two Earthlings, one Polluxian, and a bemused royal advisor bringing up the rear.

"Larmina, come on! Hanso and Allendar, isn't it?—you too!"

Well, one didn't exactly say no to the Crown Princess, even when she was being weird. So they'd followed her to the parade balcony, helping Hanso a bit on the stairs, and… well, it was a little anticlimactic so far.

"Your Highness?" Allendar finally ventured to whisper. "With all respect, um… what are we doing here?"

"Wait for it," she answered with a grin, eyes shining.

He looked at Larmina, who just shrugged. "Auntie doing Auntie things," she whispered.

A minute later, a roar sounded from the southeast. Hanso spun around and immediately felt silly, finding himself just staring at the castle walls. Vince had jumped too, and they exchanged slightly chagrined looks as Allura leaned closer to the railing. Daniel was calming his salalizards down, while Coran and Romelle both looked to the sky—and as they did, another roar echoed from the mountains to the north.

Larmina had frozen in place. That sound…

A different sound was faintly audible now. The shifting of gears and mechanical joints that hadn't moved in centuries, but now were rapidly working off the rust.

Armor gleaming in the sunlight, the Yellow Lion charged into view.

"Dovoyat—"

"What in the five hells?"

"Holy fuck."

"Holy fuzzmuffins."

Vince stared at the lion as it turned to face the balcony, and felt the earth seeming to tremble beneath his feet—even though he was standing on solid stone. He looked at his hands, expecting to see sparks, but there was nothing.

Nope!

Racing in from the lake, the Blue Lion came around the other side of the castle. Romelle gasped softly at the sight of it, feeling an icy chill shoot over her skin. Was this what her people had fled to reject, passed down as something that could bring only sorrow?

But it's… beautiful.

Appearing from a forest that had once stretched nearly to the castle, the Green Lion dropped to the ground next to Yellow. Larmina gripped the balcony despite herself, staring as a faint breeze stirred around her. She remembered the sound—the voice within the trees—and somehow she knew.

We are not yet ready…

A scream of engines from the sky, and the Red Lion broke through the clouds, landing at Blue's side with a flourish. Daniel felt the rush of heat again, and knew instantly it wasn't from the salalizards in his arms. What was it? He may not know, but he couldn't stop staring as the pyro-cat roared.

Okay, that's fucking awesome.

Allura looked to the north, to the storms that once again raged over Thunder Ridge. She was the first to see it: the electric-blue crackle of energy, the shadowy form moving through the clouds. And then the Lion of Storms emerged, static still crackling around it, and she could have sworn she felt that same static in her own fingertips. All she could do as the lion approached was stare, silently transfixed.

Even I couldn't begin to imagine…

The Black Lion landed at the center of the group, staring up at the balcony with blazing golden eyes. And for the second time that day, Allura's vision was cloaked by a blur of tears.

This is real… after everything, all of our struggles and loss… the Great Lions have returned to us.

*****

Graktag was nervous, and it was all he could do not to fidget in his ceremonial armor. It wasn't every day that the Grand Admiral of the Ninth Kingdom summoned a mere cruiser captain into his presence. Indeed, he'd technically summoned the entire cruiser; they had not intended to actually come back to Korrinoth. He'd assumed they would just pick up some nearby reinforcements and return.

Perhaps he should have anticipated that the command structure would take these fugitives personally. No matter now.

"Second Captain Graktag," a voice boomed from the doorway, and he took a moment to steel himself before entering. "Come in."

The office was large, but not spacious, filled with tactical consoles and projectors. A place where work was done, with no need to impress subordinates—though impressed Graktag was. Grand Admiral Daibazaal himself was seated behind a wooden desk inlaid with bone; next to him was another soldier, one with well-worn armor and an eyepatch.

"Have a seat, Captain." Daibazaal nodded to the grizzled soldier. "This is Admiral Yurak, of the Anduslin's Fist."

Graktag immediately gave his crispest salute. "It is the greatest of honors, Admiral." He knew the name. The Anduslin's Fist was the flagship of the Ninth Kingdom's entire operation of conquest; its armada served as the reserve force for the assault fleets. Some might have thought that a less glorious position than the front lines, but he knew better. Only the finest warriors—and most critically, those who knew they had nothing to prove—were granted the honor of being the final contingency plan.

Yurak returned the salute wordlessly, and Graktag sat. He had no idea if this was a good sign or not.

Daibazaal steepled his fingers. "We've both read your report." It had been sent under heavy encryption via a jumpgate; orders to report in person had followed within hours. "You were wise to not engage the Earthlings yourselves. But I notice the omission of why you were in Arus' orbit to begin with."

Oh. He sighed; he should've anticipated that, too. "Governor Tarlok was an old acquaintance of mine, enough that he felt free to ask for favors from time to time." Lying would be no help here. "He'd requested extraction from the planet to make a sensitive report. There wasn't a word about him being in danger; I assumed he just didn't want his guards hearing him whine about living conditions. It wouldn't have been the first time."

Neither admiral seemed to find that surprising. "Politicians," Yurak muttered. "Pity he may not have lived to suffer his shame."

"Indeed. Very well. The fugitives are the more pressing matter, and we have already lost much time." Daibazaal shook his head. He didn't like this lack of information. "We have no way of knowing which of the lower-level overseers might remain. They'll be of little help, in any case. A few household guards to keep pacified sheep in line would be no match for whatever force could overpower Tarlok's own garrison."

Graktag tilted his head in confusion. Why was he being included in this discussion? He was nobody. But since he was here, he felt the need to offer some kind of suggestion. "Could the Earthlings have claimed the castle themselves?"

"Possible, but highly unlikely. What good would a crumbling structure like that do them? They did not defeat the Demonspine—let alone escape the slave dungeons—by being fools."

Oh. He nodded his understanding. "I see."

"We will assume the best case first: the humans are simply stranded there." Daibazaal pulled up a map of the planet, with icons representing the damage the invasion had done. "The Arusians may indeed have deposed Governor Tarlok, whether or not they had aid. But if they had returned their spaceport to service, I question why a spacecraft would be sitting next to the castle." Indeed, he felt certain the Arusians had done no such thing. Retaking the castle was a feat, no doubt—but the images in Graktag's report had shown it still damaged. The idea that they might have rebuilt their obliterated spaceport, even in small part, was ludicrous.

Of course, after all that had happened of late, he wasn't going to write anything off completely.

Yurak nodded his agreement. "Not to mention the Second Captain here arriving and departing undetected." Frown. "Assuming you were undetected, of course."

"Yes. We cannot be sure." Graktag hesitated. "May I ask what happens if the best case scenario proves false?"

"You may indeed," Daibazaal said, smiling broadly. "Because you will be part of it, either way. You left a surveillance drone for them, did you not?"

He swallowed. "Yes, Lord Admiral."

"Then it is simple enough. For locating these most hated enemies of the Ninth Kingdom, your vessel has been honored with a transfer to the Anduslin's Fist armada. You will hunt the Earthlings down, wherever they may be; they cannot hide from us anymore. And once they are dealt with, you will burn Arus to cinders for its insolence."

As his subordinates took in those orders, Daibazaal looked to his main console screen. He'd written up a report for his brother… but Zarkon had enough to worry about right now. It was as he'd told him before; this was a military matter, and the specifics of the hunt needn't concern him. Better to surprise him with success than potentially disappoint him with failure if something went wrong.

He closed the report without sending it.



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