Voltron: Universal Protector | Book 3

Chapter 2: Storming The Palace | Part 1

For the past three and a half weeks we've been planning and discussing how to take down the Quintessence Disintegrator. But in mine and Amethyst's free time we've been analyzing my strange Altean powers. She says they're different from other Alteans and asked if I had been to Oriande II but I don't remember going there. She spoke of a White Lion, that's the only part I recognized. I was only getting more confused by things we discussed, but Amethyst thinks she knows someone who could help.

"Where are we going?" I said as we stepped into the elevator. 

"You'll see," she says with a smirk as the elevator closed and we started going down. "You said you'll do anything to figure out your powers."

I crossed my arms and pursed my lips. "Amethyst, what're we doing?" I questioned.

"We're going to see an old friend." She said with a grin. The elevator opened and she started her walk towards the brig.

"Are you serious? Heather? She tried to steal Blue from me!" I say in anger.

"Did Jade not tell you she apologized?" She asks me. 

I shook my head. It's not like that makes things better though. I thought. 

"Renn, come on please. If you want to know what's going on with your powers you need to talk to Heather, her powers are unique too," Amethyst says as she opens Heather's cell. We step in and she's sitting on her bed. "Hi Heather, we wanted to speak to you about something that has been troubling Renn."

"Can I just say, I'm sorry, if that helps anything. I'm really sorry, I just missed piloting Blue so much." Heather explains.

"I understand that, we'll talk about that later, right now I need to know why my Altean powers are so weird like yours." I tell her. 

She looks up at me hysterically. "What? Pshh, ha, what do you mean weird?" She laughs.

"I can see quintessence at will, and identify a person by their unique quintessence," I explain as her hysterical gaze sharpens to a confused look. "I also have telekinetic and telepathic powers, just like you displayed when you tried to kill me a while back."

"Hmmm, I've never been able to see quintessence like you have, I do have the telekinesis and telepathy though," She says getting up from her bed. "I always learned things from Lance and he took me to Oriande II, no one else from my paladin lineup was Altean. Tarshel was Balmeran, Quace is human and Brisia is half-Galra and half-human."

"What about Devon, the Black Paladin?" I questioned crossing my arms.

"Nobody is sure what he was. He was human but could shapeshift and camouflage, like Alteans, but he wasn't Altean, he didn't even know what he was." She told us.

"Oh, hmm, well anyway, I've never been to Oriande II, so I don't know what's wrong with me still." I said leaving the room. I felt misplaced, even Heather didn't have all the strange powers I had, this made no sense.

"Is there anything I can do for you since you tried to help?" Amethyst asked nicely.

"Let me work with you guys again. . .oh, and I want some. . .mac and cheese." Heather says crossing her arms and smirking.

Amethyst hit a button on her wrist brace, turning on her coms. "Brisia, if you're in the kitchen can you prepare some mac and cheese, Heather will be up to eat it in a tick," She said and then turned it off with a big grin. "You're forgiven, welcome back to the team. Now get dressed and head up to the kitchen." Amethyst walked out of the brig and found Renn waiting back at the elevator.

"Marae just contacted me, we have a mission." I say with great urgency. We rushed into the elevator and began going up. We rushed to the bridge to see a holo-map being brought up.

"You're just in time," Marae says as she zooms in on a planet, "since Zafaria isn't around the known galaxy, King Koara and Haro had a palace built here on the red moon of Tuar. It orbits the jungle planet Q'aro. That palace is the only thing out that close to the Zafarian HQ, close enough to warn it of our arrival since we will have to make two hyperspace jumps. We need to storm the palace. Paladins to your lions!" And at that we rushed to our lions. I leaped into my paladin's chair and grabbed the control handles. Black roared to life and we rushed out of the Black Lion's hangar to be met with a mix of Falcon's Claw and Galra ships. Most were loaded with troop carriers and starfighters.

"I'm excited to pilot Red for the first time in battle." Aurora says as we all cram our lions into a hangar on the Galra capital ship. We waited a moment to make sure every ship was here and then jumped to hyper-speed. I looked out into the fast passing stars and counted the ships we had with us. We had a large fleet of six Galra cruisers and seven OTFC frigates, cruisers and short-freighters, which were basically old Galtean ships. Jade told me that Galtean ships weren't being manufactured since the Altean Alliance is split into two factions, the Galra, the Olkari, and the Balmerans and the Alteans, Puigians, and Humans. The Altean faction took on core galaxy threats while the Galra faction took on more dangerous, outer galaxy threats. 

"I'm glad you are, but battles aren't always fun, Aurora, keep that in mind." Brisia tells her. We had barely had time to conversate though, we were to Tuar in no time. We jumped out of hyperspace and there were no cruisers waiting for us, they didn't suspect an attack. You'd think it would be heavily guarded since Haro and his generals are staying here, I guess not. We rushed out of our hangars and fighters escorted us into the moon's upper atmosphere. 

"Paladins, we're detecting multiple energy masses coming from the forests around you." Unai says as we approached the palace. Turrets rose from the red-orange leafed trees surrounding the palace.

One fired at me, but I shuffled out of the way before the beam could hit me. "Do you think the fighters can handle this, or should we form Voltron?" I asked Unai and Marae. They looked at each other and nodded.

"The fighter's can handle it, you need to get inside that palace and take it down," Marae says, "we have incoming Zafarian craft up here, but we have thirteen ships, we'll be fine, go and hurry. No pressure though!" The screen cut off and I blasted a turret's base, making it fall in on itself. 

"Alright guys, find a safe place to land and we'll go inside." I say landing near the front of the palace. 

"Copy that, Renn," Quace replies as Blue landed next to Black. I hopped down from Black's mouth and met Quace at the bottom. We were on kind of good terms now, I need to let things go and except him as a part of the team now, it's necessary. There were Zafarian soldiers waiting for us at the palace doors. "Woah, those doors are huge."

"Agree, now lets knock them down!" I shouted with a smirk. There was about eight soldiers. I formed my whip and Quace formed his Altean battle axe. We charged at them, dicing and slicing through them easily. I wrapped my whip around two, holding them still as Quace sliced right through them. He knocked three over to me, I cut through two and kicked down the other, knocking it's head off. Sparks flew from the soldiers when we finished with them, a few wires were hanging out too. "This was two easy, I think the generals are trying to lead us into another trap. Harper, Brisia, and Aurora showed up just in time for us to enter the palace.

"Let's break down the doors!" Harper yells running for the doors. She formed her staff and out came the hidden blade. She started prying the door open. Aurora took out her Galra blade and helped Harper.

Aurora looked to the far right of the doors. "There's a small control beacon, it's activated by remote only," Energy shot down Aurora's arm, making her bayard. She held it tight and focused. A red and white bow was formed with energy arrows. She didn't look surprised, aiming the arrow and firing at the control beacon. The beacon exploded on impact and the doors opened. "I missed archery."

"You've done archery before?" Harper questions her as we walked inside.

Aurora smiled at the bow and watched it disappear into energy. "Yeah, I did it all the time when I was little. A bow with energy arrows, that naturally replenish arrows when they're used is like my dream, you'll never run out of arrows."

"Oh, sounds cool." Harper says.

"Yeah, it really is. . ."

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