For The Stars

Chapter 12: Isolating the Variable

"It's me. It's been me all along." The princess stared down at the pillars her hands were currently sitting atop. The slight tremble in her grip was barely noticeable but he still managed to catch it. "That's how they found us on Planet Arus." Her fears made sense; Keith had to admit that it did explain a lot. But as Mr. Holt used to say: "Correlation does not imply causation." And he had just as many reasons her theory could be wrong.

"It doesn't matter, princess. We're in this together and we're gunna get out together." Shiro announced before Keith could say anything.

The plan was simple enough: form Voltron, lure the Emperor's Central Command away from the Castle of Lions, let Allura get into open space, then wormhole away. The biggest problem was the state of the Teludav. According to Coran, each scaultrite lens-stone would need to take the equivalent of five beams. It was incredibly risky, but it was their only shot.

Keith raced to his lion and Red opened her mighty jaws before he even had to ask. "Good Kitty" He purred, taking his place in the pilot seat and flying out to meet the others. Shiro was the first, followed by Keith with Pidge and Lance immediately behind him, and finally Hunk a tic or two after that. They flew out from the relative safety of the eye and into the raging storm surrounding them.

"Alright team, Form Voltron!" Shiro commanded and the legendary robot took shape.

Together, as Voltron, they dodged debris and evaded the Empire fighter pods. Flying further and further into the storm to lead them away from the Castle. Shiro called for their shields from Pidge, extra power to the thrusters from Lance and Hunk, and their sword from Keith. They sliced their way through the various projectiles and eventually blasted free of the storm entirely. Inside the chaos, Red's sensors had been going wild but once they were clear of the super cell below them, it was peaceful inside the lion.

That peace lasted all of 3 tics before Emperor Zarkon tried to take control of the Black Lion once again. He had a feeling this would happen and, when Shiro ordered them to fall back, it was already too late. He should have spoken up sooner, he should have voiced his concern about Black back on the bridge, but he didn't and now they had to fight against the hate-fueled presence of the corrupted Emperor.

Keith tried to focus, tired to offer his support to Shiro and urge Black to resist, but it was no use. He sat back in Red, Help me connect to your brother, he begged her and the resulting purr pulled him deep into a trance.

Everything was fire. He stood amongst the flames and watched as they licked across his body. He could feel their heat surrounding him, a comforting and empowering warmth. The smell of smoke and embers hung in the astral plane and Keith lifted his right arm, watching as the flames swirled in the wake of his movement to wrap around the appendage like a caress. The heat of the fire burned inside him, he could feel it fueling his very being and it felt familiar. He'd had this fire with him since the day he was born, Red had always been there, he just hadn't known it was her. And now, in this place, she surrounded him inside and out. Her flames, his fire, their shared passion; together creating the inferno that blazed unquenchably around him. But it wasn't Red he was here to see.

Turning, he felt the cool sensation as it whispered past his face. Blue. She too was familiar; he'd spent his youngest years in her protective shadow. The smell of salt and something fresh yet crisp found its way to the foreground of his mind, chasing away the heated smoke of the embers. Cold waves lapped at his ankles and he could see the water swirling around his feet. A shiver snaked up his back and Keith missed the fire, he missed the passion of Red. Blue was a calming essence, not the rush of adrenaline and desire he was used to, but instead a cool breath of fresh air and a loving understanding. Red pushed him to be better than he was, she urged him to test his limits and break through barriers. But Blue felt like she was trying to hold his hand, guide him to the right path, and her very presence made him feel like she had his back. Is this what Lance felt? No wonder he was so fond of his Lion. It was nice, it was comforting, but it wasn't what Keith wanted. He didn't want his hand held, he wanted to driven to excellence. Red's responding purr immediately pulled him back to her blaze.