To Build A Home

Chapter 1- The Start Of It All

   There is no other way to describe a situation like the one at hand than sheer dumb luck. Just under one Earth year ago, a high ranking Blade operative had been sent undercover on a scouting trip. One enforced by Emperor Zarkon. Their goal; to find the five lions of Voltron.

***

   The Red Lion, forming Voltron's right arm, had been found on a deadly, lifeless, magma filled planet. Sentries preformed multiple scans, ran through numerous tests, and had done extensive research until one small bit of information was found. The energy signature— or energy source as Earth's inhabitants seem to prefer to call it. Though it was a small amount of knowledge, it was enough to send thousands of scouts out to all corners of the known universe.
   Each were looking for a match. A signature identical to the one of the Red Lion. A simple task. Fly to your designated Galaxy, use the close range scanners, and find a lion.
   Krolia, the blade member stated before, was on her own mission. One assigned to her by her commanding operative, Kolivan. If a lion was found, they were to obtain visual confirmation, take out the rest of their scouting crew and report back to the blades.
   Unfortunately, the planet on which the Blue lion was found was already inhabited by other beings. These beings, however, were strange, primitive creatures compared to the Galra.
   In an attempt to destroy the other scout in her party to keep the lion from the Galra Empire, Krolia's ship became severely damaged. She tried her best to steady the ship, but the controls were unresponsive. She inevitably crashed into the surface of the planet.
Everything around the ship was blurred due to its increasing acceleration, but it's pilot managed to make out rocky hills. That's all they were able to see before it all went black.
   The Galran had blacked out just before the crash, and was only awoken by a clashing noise from outside of her spacecraft. The sound of metal on metal.
   Ever so slowly, she forced her eyes open, focusing on the source of the sound.
   A dim, yellow-blue light spilled into the cockpit of the ship, illuminating her surroundings.
   A shadow appeared between her and the outside world.
   No, not a shadow.
   A figure.
   A living being.
   The creature had said something she didn't quite understand, something she didn't catch. Her ears had been ringing for some time now, but she had only just noticed it when what she assumed was the creature's mouth moved yet no sound came out.
   Despite her best efforts, she could barely keep her head up, much less her eyes open. Countless questions ran through her mind. Who was this being? Were they here to help her? Kill her? Did they know of the Blue Lion?
   Suddenly, there was a loud creaking sound as the hull of the ship was broken by the being on the outside.
   Her eyelids grew heavy, she might just as well pass out again, but something pulled her back. She felt herself become weightless. Something lifted her up and out of the damaged and cluttered cockpit.
   The creature began speaking again. This time she heard it. This time she understood it.
   "You're going to be alright." The voice said.
   How strange. How odd. The two species had never before interacted yet they could understand one another. Or at least she could understand him.
   Krolia was unsure of how much time had passed between hearing the voice of the other being until opening her eyes again. A shiver of panic rushed over her and she sat right up, breathing heavily.
   "Whoa... Easy now...." The same voice came from her right. It was a calm tone. One similar to the one used during her rescue.
   As she blinked the exhaustion from her eyes, she looked around at her surroundings. She appeared to be in a bed, the soft, fabric sheets gently pulled over her. The location was unknown, but the bed was in a small room with two large windows to her right. To her left, a shelving complex with a black box on top. A camera? Was she being recorded? Watched? Her eyes traveled from corner to corner until her gaze was fixed on the other being. "Who are you?! Where am I??" She ordered.
The creature to her right made no effort of protest and answered her questions. "My name," he said slowly, pointing to himself, "is Steven Kogane. You're on Earth. That's what we call this planet."
"But who?!" She repeated the question, emphasizing the 'who', wanting more information. "Who are you with?! Galra?!"
"I'm not sure what else you want me to tell you, Ma'am..." the creature replied honestly. "If it's my species you want, I am human. I never head of this 'galra' before."
There was silence between them. A deathly silence, one that could drive one mad.
"Maybe," the creature cautiously began, "you could tell me who you are. Name an' all..."
"No!" Krolia snapped, narrowing her eyes, telling the human she would do no such thing. "I do not trust you. And you do not trust me. I will give no information."
"Well... Maybe you could answer one question." He held out a knife out to her, but kept it out of her reach. "Why would a species like yours use knives and not something more advanced?"
Krolia immediately panicked. Her blade was with this human creature. Not with her. That was her identity. Her mission had been compromised. "Give it here!" She ordered reaching for the blade. As she thought, the being holding the blade stepped back. She tried again, reaching her hand out again, but pulled it back as a shot if pain pulsed through her side. Her hands went immediately to her side.
"When I pulled you out of the wreckage, you had a rather large piece of metal protruding from your side." He explained, placing the knife down on the ledge below the window. "I did my best to patch ya' up but without knowing your biology, all I could do were some stitches."
The Galran slowly removed her hands from her side, noticing a thick, white clothe had been taped down over the wound.
"Is it bleedin'?" The earthling asked compassionately. "You might've opened it with the sudden movement."
"It'd be your fault!" She hissed.
"Ma'am, please. I don't want to hurt ya'. I want to help."
Krolia sighed, motioning for the creature to check on the status of the wound. Never once saying a word.
Carefully, he sat next to her and slowly removed the gauze patch.
She grimaced in pain, feeling her skin peel apart near the wound. Then a trickle of hot liquid slowly made it's way down her side.
"I'm going to need to redo these..." he informed her. "I'll help you downstairs to the bathroom. I'd rather do it there than here."
Not wanting to refuse a better look at this place, she agreed.
Steven, he said his name was, helped her to stand and led her down to the main floor. The stairs faced a wall across the open floor. A door to the right, leading to the outside world, and another to the left. A room closed off to the rest of the house behind it. Next to the room, there was an area with multiple appliances, a kitchen maybe. If front of this 'kitchen', was a small circular table and a chair. Between that and the main door, a large brick structure with a small hole by the floor, as well as another black box, one identical to the one upstairs, and a long piece of furniture. All of this was so strange to her. Not to mention the lack of doors and walls for each room.
The human took her to the back of the place, opening the door to reveal a bathroom. He helped her onto the counter near the sink and pulled out a white box.
"Let me know if I hurt ya'." He took out a thin metal object and some string like material.
After removing the gauze patch, he wetted a clothe with water, dabbing it on the wound to clean it. Since he was unable to use any real medicine, a wash with water would have to do.
Taking the needle, he threaded it and began stitching the wound back together.
The whole process took a while, but it was most definitely worth it. After the wound had been stitched back up, Steven gently placed another gauze patch over it, keeping it in place with the medical adhesive tape.
Krolia gently pulled the loose shirt she was wearing down over the wound, and took a deep breath.
"That feels better, right?" Steven asked her.
Lowering her gaze, she mumbled something she hoped she wouldn't regret. "Krolia..."
"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that..." he apologized, looking to the alien for her to repeat what she had said.
"Krolia." She repeated. "My name is Krolia."
"Krolia?" The human thought for a moment and smiled. "Thank you, Krolia for telling me your name."
She only nodded in response.
"Would you like something to eat, Krolia?" He asked, adding her name at the end to be more polite.
"To... eat...?"
"Yeah. Eat." He mimicked the action with his hands and mouth. "Food. Sustenance."
"I know what eating is." She muttered. "It's just..." Krolia looked to him with somewhat kind eyes, ones gentler than before. "No one has ever asked that before."
"Well, there's a first for everything, Krolia." Steven smiled at her kindly, helping her off the counter and seated her at the table near the presumed kitchen. "Tell ya' what. I make you food and in return you answer a few questions."
"No. I'd rather starve."
"I'll give you your knife." He added, holding up her luxite blade and placing it on the counter.
Krolia thought long and hard about this offer. "Only if you answer as well...."
"Deal."