Dark Pasts, Bright Futures [Keith X OC] BOOK 1

Chapter 43: The Journey Within

"How long have we been out here?" Lance grunted, Pidge didn't detect any star systems of planets nearby and there was no way they could communicate with any planet or whoever could be close.
"Going on four movements," Romelle sighed exhausted.
"Ugh. And how long will it take for us to get to earth?" Lance asked.
"I thought Pidge said something about ten billion decapheebs," Romelle said. Maisey could already picture Lance's freaked out facial expression.
"I said one and a half earth years," Pidge said.
"Oh," Romelle chuckled embarresed.
"That's fine Romelle, counting mistakes happen all the time," Avrigg said to comfort her.
Maisey quirked a brow at Avrigg, who just blushed and turned away. Yep, she liked Romelle.
"Woah, wait, that is a big discrepency between ten billion decapheebs and one and a half earth years, which one is it?" Hunk asked worried.
"IT IS ONE AND A HALF EARTH YEARS!" Pidge snapped. That was the first time Pidge actually made Maisey jolt, she never thought of the green paladin to be, scary sometimes, untill now.
"Look, we knew this wasn't going to be an easy or quick voyage, but replacing the Castle of lions is our top priority," Shiro said stern.
"We just have to stay sharp and maintain discipline," Keith said, "we knew when we started this journey we would be low on power, we didn't plan on going through the galactic void, but we'll get through it."
"Don't worry guys, we'll run into something eventually that will turn this trip around," Lance said.
"Probably something that will try to kill us," Maisey sighed.
"Yeah, why does everything always want to kill us?" Hunk asked.
"Because we're so killable?" Maisey questioned as she scratched her head.
"Is that even a word?" Hunk asked Maisey.
"How am I supposed to know? I'm not a dictionary," Maisey sighed as she layed back in her seat.

They floathed around for a couple more hours until they reached a very dark part of space, Maisey found this type of darkness quite depressing, which reminded her of grieving her mother and sister because that was a very dark period in her past. She pushed it aside, she had her sister back, everything was allright.
"Hey Pidge, why is it so dark out here?" Lance asked.
"I can't be sure but my theory is that this area is surrounded by some kind of nebula that blocks the light," Pidge said.
"Oh, yeah, must be a patch of that dark matter I've been hearing about," Lance said, understanding.. in his own way.
"That isn't what dark matter is," Pidge sighed in exhaustment.
"Altough, when it's this dark it doesn't matter, right, guys?" Hunk joked, "this is why no one rides with me anymore isn't it?"
"Guys, I think I might have an idea on how to recharge the lions," Shiro said.
"And you're just now telling us this?" Lance asked.
"Well, I'm sorry Lance," Shiro began sarcastic and blunt, "I guess having my consciousness transplanted from the infinity of voltron's inner quintessence into the dead body of an evil clone of myself has left me a little out of sorts these past few weeks."
Maisey and Avrigg shared a shocked look with each other.
"Oh.. Yeah.." Lance said.
"What is it Shiro?" Keith asked ending the awkward silence.
"It is hard to explain but remember when we were fighting Zarkon and we were hit with that beam that drained all our quintessence?" Shiro asked.
"Yes, you were all completely incapacitated," Allura said.
"That's right," Shiro said, "but we managed to regenerate enough power to keep fighting."
"Yeah, we recharged voltron ourselves," Keith said.
"Exactly. And I think that's how it's supposed to work, since I dissappeard, you've been relying on the castle's crystal to keep the lions charged, but if you were a team of fully-realised Paladins you wouldn't need that," Shiro explained.
"I.. I can't help but feel that it is my fault," Allura said, "you were able to recharge voltron before, but since I joined.."
"It's no one's fault," Shiro said.
"It isn't your fault Allura, so what we haven't recharged voltron since you joined? But you are the reason we defeated Lotor and kept our sanity, if anyone would be able to help us recharge voltron.. it's you," Maisey told Allura.
"Thank you, Maisey," Allura said grateful, "that is very kind of you."
"And also being a paladin of voltron takes training, you just haven't been able to focus yet and work together as a team," Shiro said.
"Well, we've got time now," Pidge said.
"That's right," Lance said, "we've been down before and we always come back."
"I'm glad you're here Shiro. After all you went through how did you find the strength to be the leader of voltron?" Keith asked.
"I had help," Shiro said, "that's why there are six of you, to lift each other up."
"I bet Keith wants to lift Maisey up," Lance whispered, "just in a different way of lifting up."
"I heard that," Keith grunted angered. Maisey just sat there, grateful that no one besides Avrigg could see how red her face was.. at least until....
"I bet she wants that too," Avrigg joked with an evil smirk on her face. Maisey's jaw dropped as she pushed Avrigg away, her face as red as a tomato.
"WILL YOU TWO SHUT THE HELL UP?" Maisey shouted ashamed.
"Oh, these jokes will never get old," Hunk laughed.
"Shiro, what should we do?" Maisey asked desperate to change the subject.
"Maybe we should fly in formation?" Keith asked, just as eager ad Maisey to change the subject.
"What's that?" Pidge asked.
"You know, when you line up and.." Keith began to explain.
"No, no, no, no, what's that?" She asked, "my scanners aren't picking anything up."
Some sort of white nebula surrounded them, shaking the lions hard, it felt like being trapped in a thundercloud.
"What the quiznak is this?" Lance asked as they tried to fly through it.
"Whatever it is, we gotta move," Keith grunted.
There was no way through it like this.
"Break high," Keith said.
They flew up, finally out of the crazy nebula storm back into the darkness, but then it came back and hit them again. How was this happening? A white light hit them hard and when she opened her eyes her lion was completely out.
"Is everyone allright?" Keith groaned, "Maisey?"
"I'm allright," she said, "are you?"
"Just fine," Keith answered.
"I'm here," Pidge groaned.
"Still alive," Lance said.
"That was crazy," Hunk said to only thud his head against the ceiling.
"I'm fine," Allura said.
When she turned around to see if Avrigg was okay, she was shocked by what she saw.
"Avrigg?" She asked as she drifted towards her sister. Avrigg appeard to be.. frozen. She looked like a statue.
Maisey frowned, was this some kind of bad joke? She softly slapped her sister's cheek, expecting an angry reaction from her, but she did nothing, she didn't even blink when she slapped her.
"Shiro appears to be frozen, but his vitals are strong," Pidge said.
"Avrigg is frozen too, she didn't respond when I slapped her," Maisey said casually.
"You slapped your sister?" Hunk asked, "you know what? Nevermind. You two just keep on surprising me."
"Same here," Keith said.
"Romelle is frozen too, what is happening?" Lance asked.
"Coran is also frozen, our paladin armor must have protected us," Allura said.
"Then why is Shiro frozen?" Maisey asked, "he's wearing his paladin armor."
It remained silent for a while until Pidge broke the silence.
"Maybe it's because of the helmets? He isn't wearing his helmet and we are," Pidge said.
"So, let's summon this.. we're all alone in space, no power, no one to call for help, nothing within several thousand of light years," Hunk said afraid.
"What do we do?" Lance asked.
"Pidge, is there any way we could get the power back on?" Keith asked.
"I don't know, but it could take a while and I don't know if you've noticed but we're all drifting into different directions after that blast," Pidge said.
"So if we don't get the power back on we could lose each other?" Hunk asked.
"The power will have to wait," Keith said, "our top priority is tethering the lions together."
"I think I might have an idea on how we could do it," Allura said.
"How? With some magical powers you've learned at Oriande?" Lance asked her.
"No, I have left over zip line in my hull," Allura said.
"Oh."
"We're getting out of our lions to do this?" Hunk asked, "we don't even know what that pulse was."
"I agree with Hunk, what if it comes back and we're out there zipping lions together?" Maisey asked.
"It's the only way to stay together, Allura grab the zip line," Keith said, "let's get moving."
They all went out of their lions to help zip them together. They reached the yellow lion when the pulse came back.
She held onto Keith tightly, but couldn't hold it much longer. Hunk them bumped into them, causing Keith and Maisey to take Allura and Lance with them, Pidge had already fallen. They twirled around, it left her disorientated, she grabbed onto Pidge and once they got stable the lions were gone.
Maisey freaked out.
"Where are the lions?" She asked breathing heavy, "we can't be out here, the lions.. and the others.. there is nobody who can help us.. how are we going to find our way back? Oh, no... we're gonna die out here aren't we? I.. I don't like this.. I want to... I want to go home."
"Maisey, Maisey," Keith said trying to calm her down, "Maisey, calm down, we're all fine.. everything will be allright okay? Just breathe."
Maisey breathed and managed to calm down, but still being surrounded by nothing but galactic void scared her a lot.
"Does anyone have any supplies?" Keith asked.. but nobody had any supplies with them.
"No food. No water," Hunk said.
"Our suits will give us enough moisture to keep us hydrated for a little while," Keith said, "we just need to hang tight, we have each other."