Becoming Human (A Voltron Fanfic)

At Odds

The Castle of Lions was a welcomed sight as Nova's ravager drew closer. They were located on Olkarion, for once, and not somewhere out in space. She smiled to herself, eager to see her friends and fill them in on what she and the others had accomplished. The door of the Castle opened and she flew into the hangar bay, landing her vehicle with a soft kachnk. As she exited, she was greeted by Allura, Pidge, and, surprisingly, Lance.

"Welcome back," Allura smiled.

"How did your mission go?" Pidge asked.

"It went well," Nova replied. "Everything is taken care of. How have things been here?"

"Could be better," said Lance, arms crossed.

Nova felt the tension rise between the three of them. "Is everything okay?"

"Hunk is making some food, so why don't we all catch up over a meal?"

The fact that they all seemed hesitant to immediately fill in her on what was happening made Nova nervous. As they walked through the Castle, they passed by the bridge where Nova saw Shiro and a tall Galra, whom she guessed to be Lotor, having a serious conversation.

"Lotor is here?" Nova spoke when they were well past the bridge.

"Yeah," responded Lance, irritated.

They reached the dining area and everyone took a seat just as Hunk brought out trays of food. Nova ate out of politeness, since her body did not require food, thus she didn't have an appetite.

"So, Nova, what did you find out about the Galra using the star plans?" Pidge asked after a few moments of tense silence.

"We found out a lot more was going on than we initially thought..." Nova started, filling them in on everything they had found out, how the bases were destroyed, and how they had semi-replicated her.

"Another Nova?" Lance scoffed, "Isn't one bad enough?"

Nova shot him a glare from across the table. "Well you do not need to worry, Lance, because she is..." she trailed off, the memory of Vega's lifeless body making it's way to the front of her mind.

"She is--?" Pidge urged, "Taken care of? Defeated?"

"...Dead," Nova finished quietly, not looking up from her plate. The four others exchanged confused looks at the change in Nova's demeanor.

"That's a good thing?" Hunk said slowly, not sure how to respond. "She won't pose a threat to us anymore."

"It is. Why would feel bad about taking out the enemy?" Lance added.

"Have you ever killed anyone Lance?!" Nova shouted at the blue paladin. Her hands were clenched on her knees, trying to stop herself from shaking. No one responded.

"Nova, she wasn't human," Allura said calmly.

"You weren't there, Allura!" Nova snapped. "You did not have the connection with her that I did. The only difference between her and I, was this!" she jabbed a finger at the metal piece in her chest that glowed softly. She leaned back in her chair, trying to calm down. They didn't deserve to be yelled at like that, they didn't understand. After several moments of silence, Nova took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. Why don't you guys fill me on what is going on with Shiro and Lotor."

"The Kral Zera," said Pidge. Nova just stared at her, not understanding. "While you were gone, Lotor killed Zarkon, for good this time. Now the Galra must decide who will take the throne."

"Lotor was Zarkon's son, shouldn't he take the throne by right?" Nova asked.

Pidge shook her head. "I don't think Galra politics and rules of ascension are like ours."