Voltron: Legacy

Chapter 4

When we got there, the Yellow lion was just exiting the wormhole. It was a bit shorter and wider than the others, mirroring the short, curvy girl who walked out of it to meet us.
“Hello.”
“Hi. You’re Linnea, right?”
She nodded. She was already in her armor, I noticed, yellow and white, matching the bayard in her hand. It had manifested for her as some kind of wicked-looking barbed flail thing, which she was twirling from hand to hand nervously.
“Well, welcome to Earth. I’m Karah, and this is Jason, and Leilah.”
Jason waved hi. Leilah, on the other hand, looked slightly dumbstruck. When she got her voice back from wherever it had gone, she flashed a dazzling smile at Linnea.
“Very pleased to meet you, Linnea. That’s a beautiful name, too.”
Linnea smiled right back. “Thank you! Which one of you is the Black paladin?”
“That’s me.”
Linnea looked a little surprised. “Oh. Are you an unilu?”
I sighed. I always, always get that question.
“No, I’m not. I’m a navican. Similar bodies, but I’m not going to cheat and haggle you out of everything but your socks.”
“That’s a relief, especially since I think I forgot to wear socks today. Oh, great, I also forgot to give you all your care packages!”
“Wait, your parents weren’t joking about that?” I asked.
She shook her head.
“Mum and Dad would never joke about something like that. They’re serious about showing when they care for someone.”
We were interrupted by the Red lion landing in front of us. It looked more like the Blue lion than any of the others, but it had its own vibe. Lean, quick, and very dangerous, almost like some kind of snake more than a cat.
Which was fitting, considering the young woman who stepped out of it. Xaroc was still in her Blade of Marmora uniform, with her sword strapped across her back and her braid coiled up in a knot at the base of her neck. Her eyes were solid dull yellow, like a lot of galra I knew, which was unnerving because you could never tell exactly where they were looking. She crossed her arms and looked the four of us up and down. I expected her to say something snarky, but instead she strode over and shook my hand.
“Hey, Karah. I’ve got your armor and bayard, special delivery from Keith.”
“Thanks.” I said. “I think Jason’s got his too, so that just leaves Leilah. Lance said he’d ship Leilah’s armor and your bayard over to us as fast as he could.”
Xaroc nodded. “Good. I can use my blade for now, but I’m excited to get my hands on one of those bayard things. I mean, imagine the damage I could do with one of those babies!”
“They’re mostly meant for helping people.” I pointed out.
“I know, I know. I wonder if they’re expecting us to do boring diplomatic stuff, too. I mean, I like pretty clothes, but all the manners crap? It’s damn hard.”
“Have to agree with you there.” I muttered. “Jason, have you got your armor?”
He nodded. “Katie helped me find it. I haven’t tried out the bayard yet.”
“Well, no time like the present.”
“I’ll go grab it.”
He dashed off. Xaroc watched him go, one hand propped on her hip.
“So he’s the only guy on the team, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, that’s a relief. Boys get on my nerves.”
I shook my head. “Jason isn’t the get-on-your-nerves kind, really. He’s pretty quiet.”
“Until you get him started on some new scientific discovery or weird old movie or whatever.” Leilah added wryly. “Then he can get obnoxious.”
“I don’t know, I think he’s kind of sweet.” Linnea said.
Leilah laughed, tossing her head. “I’m pretty sure the only genuinely sweet person on this team is you, Linnea.”
“Thanks.”
The half-altean girl was blushing a little even before Xaroc leaned over and stage-whispered, “I think she’s flirting with you.”
“What? Really?”
I shrugged.
“Probably. Leilah flirts with just about anything that’s got a face and two legs.”
“Hey!!” Leilah snapped. “I do not! I have very high standards for who I flirt with.”
That was enough to make the rest of us snort. Leilah pointedly ignored that and said, “Anyway, shouldn’t Karah try on her armor?”
“Yeah.” I said. “I hope it’ll fit with the extra arms.”
Xaroc led me into the Red lion’s cargo hold and rummaged through the small stack of boxes inside until she found the armor.
“I’ll go chaperone the lovebirds while you change, okay?”
I grinned. I kind of liked this girl in spite of myself.
“Sounds good.”
It didn’t take much time to get the armor on. I was surprised by how well it fit, with an extra pair of sleeves that seemed to appear out of nowhere and plating that molded around my short legs like a second skin. But the real surprise came from my bayard.
The instant I picked it up, it flashed with purplish light and split into a pair of long, gracefully curved swords that felt comfortably heavy in my hands. They looked a bit like the kind of sword humans called katanas. I tried a few simple moves, although not knowing a lot about sword fighting, I probably looked ridiculous. I’d have to get Xaroc to give me sword fighting lessons. Which would be epically embarrassing, but I didn’t want to have a weapon I couldn’t use.