"Zarkon!" Allura exclaimed. "He's here!"
Shiro said, "We need to think fast. Princess, get us a wormhole. Coran, get us away from the Galra fleets. Paladins, stay on the bridge. We shouldn't form Voltron unless there's no other option but to fight." the paladins rushed to their seats, Violet standing behind Allura's spot. Lance, Keith and Violet began piloting small drones to shoot at the Galra fighters attacking them.
"Lance, fighter incoming!" Violet warned.
"I see it!" Lance replied, making to shoot at it. However, Keith's drone got to it first. "Wha - Keith!"
"You were too slow. Sorry," Keith said, not sounding sorry at all.
Lance rammed into his drone is retaliation. "Who's slow now?"
"Why, you..."
The boys began engrossed in an all-out drone war. "Focus, Keith, Lance!" Violet snapped, ducking to catch a fighter on her ten. "Fight the Galra, not each other!" She elbowed her way in between the two drones. Grumbling, Lance and Keith separated.
"Violet's right," said Shiro. "You're stronger together. Pidge, Hunk, what's our status on the defense systems?"
"Low. Eleven? Twelve? I'm not sure. I'm so tired I can barely see!" Hunk replied.
"I know our energy is depleted, but we need to fend off Zarkon's army."
Keith asked, "Which will be when?"
"Never if you keep missing the fighters like you're doing now," Violet grumbled, swooping to hit another fighter. Keith glared at her.
"Oh, it's on."
"I've already taken down two while you both were bickering," Lance boasted, shooting at another fighter. "That's three. Eat my dust."
"Oh yeah? I'm on five," Violet shot back.
"That's six for me," Keith said. "I'm winning."
"Not for long!" Lance cut off the red paladin, obliterating a fighter before he could get to it.
"I'm on eight," Violet informed them, smirking. "Just try to keep up, boys. I'd like to have to actually try here."
Coran interrupted, "We're still not far away enough! If we wormhole now, Zarkon can just follow us through!"
"Time for plan B, then," said Shiro.
"Plan B? Shouldn't this be, like, plan M?" Violet pointed out.
Lance's eyebrows shot up. "Is there a plan Z?"
"Yes," said Shiro, "But you die in plan Z."
Keith smirked. "I like plan Z."
Allura's eyes widened. "I know what to do!" She added a strong burst of speed to the castle's thrusters.
"Princess? What's happening?" Pidge cried as she was jolted from her seat.
"I'm going to use this moon to our advantage," Allura replied, bringing the castle closer to said moon. "The gravity generated by it will draw us away from Zarkon." Lance, Keith and Violet paused as they cleared the fighter's range.
With a jerk that had everyone half-falling from their seats, the castle was sucked towrads the moon - and away from the Galra. "We're far enough away!" Coran shouted. Allura gritted her teeth, opening the wormhole and flying the castle through it.
As the castle flew through the wormhole, though, it started to die out. "How come there are still alarms sounding?" asked Lance. "They're starting to hurt my ears."
"Yeah," added Keith. "We escaped from Zarkon. What's wrong?"
Coran pulled up a screen and gasped. "The lens of the teludav are cracked! We won't be able to hold the wormhole for long!" As he spoke, the wormhole opened and the castle exited it.
They were in a solar system that looked like the place where ice went to die. "Cool," Violet breathed. "What is this place? Coran, what's the status?"
"Let me see," Coran answered. "We didn't end up where we intended, but there's a significant distance between us and Zarkon."
Lance saw Allura, who'd collapsed. "Allura!" They all ran over. "You look exhausted," Lance said, brows furrowing in concern.
Allura shook her head to clear it, sitting up. "It's fine. I'm fine."
"You've got to stop draining all your energy like this," Coran said, and began to exit the bridge. "I'll go take a closer look at the teludAAAAH!" Coran cut off with a shriek as he skidded on the floor, sliding all the way to the far wall and crashing into it.
"Coran! you good, man?" Hunk asked.
"Yes, I'm great, thank you. I bet there was just a wee puddle right there. Someone please clean that!" he ordered, pointing to a puddle at his feet. Coran stepped out of it, only for another to form.
"I think ... you're sweating, Coran," Allura said, sounding amused. "You could have gotten the slipperies."
"What? Ha, not possible, no thank you," Coran denied quickly. "The slipperies are for old people. I'm anything but old."
Violet raised an eyebrow. "Coran, you're over a thousand years old."
"Not by choice!"
"What do the slipperies do?" asked Lance.
"It's an Altean sickness that is usually for older people," the princess explained. Violet watched her closely - as she talked, she seemed to get stronger, chin lifting. She cast a thoughtful look to Lance, who'd been the one to prompt her. Maybe for once in his life, Lance knows what he's doing. "It lasts five days at most, but it makes your pores produce an abnormal amount of sweat."
"Ick," Pidge muttered, Violet voicing her agreement.
"Ick is right! It's disgusting, so I'm fortunate that I don't have the slipperies!" said Coran.
"You shouldn't be embarrassed, Coran. Plenty of Alteans get the slipperies."
"Maybe if I did have it I'd be embarrassed. But I don't! So I'm not!" Coran shouted. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go check the teludav lens and get the castle back up and running." He attempted to walk away and ended up sliding across the room with a holler.
"...okay, then," Shiro said. "Now that Zarkon's out of our hair, we can focus on other things. Pidge, can you find the coordinates Ulaz gave us to that rebel group, the Blade of Marmora?"
"Yeah, lemme check the - oh, wrong thingy." Pidge groaned. "I'm too tired for this. I can'tthink straight."
"Same," Lance added.
Violet grinned. "You don't think straight ninety percent of the time," she said.
Lance squawked in outrage. Coran then appeared on the screen, saying, "Hi there, everyone! I took a closer look at the teludav." He wiped off the sweat forming on his forehead. "There's good news and bad news. The good news is, we're not dead. The bad news is, we're going to be. many of the teludav's lenses are chipped, which means that wormholing will be next to impossible until I can repair the lense-stones." He paused to wipe off more sweat. "Also, I'll have to convert more of the ship's energy to make up for the fuel we lost."
"So it'll take ... an hour? Two?" asked Violet.
Coran shook his head. "It will be at least a quintant."
Shiro conceded, "Okay. We'll take some time off and rest while Coran fixes the teludav. Tomorrow, we'll get back to work."
-
Violet walked into the pool room with her swim bag and blinked.
She rubbed her eyes. Was she dreaming? Why was the pool upside down?
Violet groaned. "Stupid Alteans!" she yelled. "Stupid Altean pools!"
The doors opened, and Lance and Keith walked in. They were wearing trunks for swimming; Violet herself had borrowed a tankini and white cover-up from Allura.
"Vi," Lance said, "You're Altean. You just called yourself stu - gah! Why is the pool on the ceiling?"
Violet threw up her hands. "I don't know. Because ancient Alteans are weird and take pleasure in not letting their poor descendants go for a swim." She crossed her arms, glaring at the upside-down pool.
"But how are we supposed to swim?" Lance whined. "I had to spend three awkward minutes riding an elevator with Keith for nothing!"
Violet perked up. "You did what now? Tell me more."
"No," they both said simultaneously.
Violet smirked. "Well, I might as well stay here, even if I can't swim." She grabbed her book from her bag and plopped down on the nearest chair, which was, thankfully, on the floor, and began reading.
"What is it?" Keith asked, looking at the title. "Avatar: The Last Airbender. That sounds ... interesting."
Violet rolled her eyes. "I love that you're at least trying to be polite. But at least try it before you judge it. You do read, right?"
"Um..."
"Keith Kogane! Do not tell me you decided to go on a long-time trip to space and didn't bring any books!" Violet said, slapping her book shut. "Lance! You read, right?"
He scratched the back of his neck. "Back at the Garrison, sure. And it's not our fault we didn't bring any books. The castle does have a library."
"I'm disappointed in both of you," Violet snapped. "Very disappointed. You should've - wait. Wait wait wait wait. Did you say library?"
"Yeah, we passed it on our way here," said Keith. "Didn't you know?"
"I - I've been on a ship for weeks with one book to read and you're telling me there's a library?" Violet shouted. "I have to go!" She leapt from her seat, and dashed toward the elevator. Lance shrugged and walked in beside her, Keith following suit.
"Vi, you're wearing a bathing suit," Lance said as the elevator began to rise. "A really cute one, but still, a bathing suit."
"I don't care! Can't this thing go faster?" Violet demanded, poking the sides.
There was a rumble, and the elevator stopped. Violet blinked. "I just jinxed it, didn't I."
"Yep."
Violet groaned. After a few minutes of sitting and waiting for it to move again, she cut a hole in the ceiling of the elevator with her knives. "Alright, there should be a vent or something farther up the shaft. I don't suppose either of you can fly?"
Lance's face was a mix of confusion, exasperation and total doneness. "Take a guess, Vi."
"Yes?"
He glared at her. "Take another guess."
"...Yes?"
At the boys' expressions, she sighed dramatically. "Come on. I have secret heritage and memory gaps and awesome fighting skills and you're telling me you're all just normal humans? Not likely."
"Violet," said Keith. "We can't fly."
"Fine." She drew a length of rope from her pool bag and tied it into a lasso, handing it off to Lance. Then, she grabbed one of her biggest blades and aimed, then threw it at the wall five or so feet above Keith's head.
It pierced the wall, thankfully holding firm. Violet mentally made a note to thank Pidge again for her amazing knife-upgrading skills. "If I can climb up there," she mused, "And stick another dagger into the wall, it can serve as a handhold..." She frowned down at herself. "Do either of you guys have a jacket or something?"
"Unlike you, Vi," Lance said, "We don't have everything in our pool bags. Why did you think to bring a lasso to swim?"
"You have to always be prepared," Violet shot back. "Like I said before. When Allura pretended Zarkon was attacking and you showed up in a bathrobe and face mask."
If Lance had longer hair, he would've flipped it. "Those lion slippers were excellent for running. I would've been faster than all of you. Besides, I need to moisturize my skin, or it'll get dry."
Violet rubbed her temples. "I can't even - ugh. Just wait here." She tied her cover-up around her waist and grabbed the rope, giving it a few experimental tugs before beginning to climb. She made it to the dagger with minimal effort, though the blade wobbled to support her. Violet stabbed another knife into the wall, then, hanging from it with one hand, undid the rope from the first blade. It was tricky to untie the knot with one hand, but she managed it. Violet called down to Lance and Keith, "I don't suppose either of you are willing to stand on each other's heads?"
Their faces gave her her answer.
"Vi, wait. There's a vent next to your head," Keith said. Violet twisted herself around and looked up; sure enough, there was a vent a foot or two above her. She gauged the distance and sighed. This was going to make her sore later.
Violet reached into her pool bag, cursing herself that she'd decided against bringing her handgun. She peered into the bag. What was heavy enough? She needed something with enough weight to push open the grate on the cover of the vent, and there was only one thing.
Violet pulled out her copy of Avatar: The Last Airbender remorsefully. "You're sacrificing yourself for a noble cause," she told the book. "Please forgive me."
Violet hurled it at the vent. The book slammed into the grate, pushing it open. Violet winced at the clang, watching sadly as the book plummeted away.
"Violet! You just threw your book at the wall!" Lance yelped.
"I'm aware!" Violet shouted back, feeling tears threaten to sting her eyes. "Tell it I'm sorry!"
Lance's brow furrowed. "Vi, it's great how close we are, but talking to inanimate objects is where I draw the line," he muttered.
Keith groaned. "Vi says she's sorry," he told the book. "There. Happy?" He peered up at her. "Are you crying?"
"It was my favorite book!" Violet cried.
"Just jump!" Lance shouted.
Pouting, Violet bent her knees, let out a breath, and leapt.
Bringing her feet up, she flipped, using the dagger in the wall as leverage to bring herself up higher. Violet spun in midair, her hands reaching, reaching, reaching.
They found the lip of the vent's opening and held. Violet let out a breath as she dangled in the air and hauled herself into the vent, collapsing against the wall.
Lance and Keith were waiting, gaping, far below. "Here," Violet called, tossing them the rope. She activated the magnets on her blade, unsticking it from the wall as Lance climbed up the rope first, jumping to reach the end. Violet stretched it down further, and helped him clamber into the vent and start going down it. Keith went next, climbing ungracefully.
Violet reached out her hand, and he grasped her wrist. She pulled him up and brought up the rope, tucking it back into her pool bag.
"You can't walk around with a book, lasso, and two daggers all the time," Keith said as he leaned against the side of the vent, catching his breath. "Why did you bring all that to the pool?"
"Are you looking for honesty or sass?"
"Truth."
Violet blew out a breath. "The night I was taken from Earth, I woke up to a loud noise outside our house. My father was already awake, and I saw him run outside, so I followed him. I was wearing my nightgown and flip-flops. The Galra knocked my father down and dragged me onto their ship. I kicked their ankles and punched their chests and shrieked into their ears. And it did nothing." She closed her eyes. "I've regretted that day my entire life - how vulnerable I felt. Defenseless. Unable to stop what was happening. It's kind of a phobia, I guess. Things in space happen without warning, like now." She shrugged. "That's why I always bring weapons, and books with me. Because I hate being caught off guard, because it means I'll be helpless, if only for a second."
Keith was quiet for a second before he said, "I grew up without knowing my parents; my father died when I was young, and my mom left before that. So I was alone." His gaze fell. "I didn't mind it much at first, but because of that I've never trusted easily. I find it easier to rely on myself rather than others.
"Sometimes, though, relying on other people is better. Now, when we're all a team, you don't have to do everything yourself. We'll be there to guard and defend you so you never have to. It's hard at first, but it's worth it. Trust me."
Violet blinked. Could she? She'd never admit it, but she hadn't slept well since her capture. Which made sense, considering the only nights she remembered were the cold ones in her cell a couple months before she escaped and found the lions - the only thoughts of her past that brought her comfort were ones of Veronica and her father. But even at the castle, she woke up at every noise. It was because the last time she'd woken up and gone outside, she'd been ripped from her family and taken away.
It would be nice to be able to sleep peacefully with the knowledge that there were other people beside her that would wake first. That she could rely on her teammates to defend her when she couldn't. It would definitely be hard, trusting them. But she wanted to. If only to give herself a break, and to see Keith grin at her when he saved her, that familiar light coming back into his dark eyes.
"I'll try," she said. "I promise. But I can't say I'll be able to do it."
Keith smiled. "You're Violet Evelyn Idalia. You've flipped off an eight-inch knife into a vent two feet above your head with a ten-pound bag in a swimsuit. I think this will be no problem."
Violet hid her smile by looking down at her pool bag. "It's not ten pounds," she muttered. "I only brought one stick of dynamite today."
"Yo!" Lance shouted. His head appeared at a dip in the vent. "If you two are done socializing, I found the lounge. I'm getting out of these stupid vents, grabbing a piña colada from the cafeteria, and finding Coran so I can passive-aggressively complain to him about Altean's twisted ideas of swimming. Are you coming or not?"
Violet turned to Keith. He shrugged. "Coming," she answered, sliding down the vent towards Lance. "But after, I'm finding the library and getting books." It lifted her spirits just to think about it.
She emerged from the lounge with Keith. They were headed to the cafeteria for beverages when alarms started blaring red.
The three of them exchanged looks and raced for the bridge. Allura and Shiro were standing at the center, their faces shocked. "What's wrong?" Violet demanded. Hunk and Pidge emerged behind her.
Allura brought up a screen that showed Galra fleets surrounding them. "Zarkon," the princess exclaimed. "We're hundreds of solar systems away. How could he have found us?"
"Zarkon?" Hunk exclaimed, eyes fearful. "That's freaky. I'm freaking out. Are you guys freaking out?"
Violet shrugged. "Not really," she said. "I've already lived longer than I expected."
"That's not reassuring, Violet!" Hunk shouted anxiously.
"Particle barrier activated!" Allura said. "Coran, where are you?"
"Here, princess!" A screen opened to reveal Coran at the teludav room, slipping and sliding around. "Now I'm here! Now I'm-"
"Zarkon found us again!" Allura said, cutting him off. "Is the teludav repaired?"
Coran answered, "I'm afraid not. With the scaultrite lenses fractured, wormholing won't be easy. The teludav won't have enough fuel."
"We'll make it work," Allura replied. "We have to find a way to escape."
"Do we?" said Violet, her eyes narrowing in challenge. "We could stay and fight back. Voltron could take on Zarkon."
"His fleet is too big!"
"Zarkon could find us even if we did manage to wormhole again," Keith pointed out. "Our best chance is to fight him."
"The princess is right," Shiro decided. "Zarkon's army is too powerful, even for Voltron."
Coran reported, "Engines are on full blast. Still trying to fix the tel-" he screamed as he slipped and fell. "Everyone, I think that there's a chance I might have the slipperies. I apologize for shouting. Pidge, I could use some help down here."
"On it," said Pidge, rushing out of the control room.
"Violet, Lance, Keith, return fire," ordered Shiro. "We can't let the fighters get near the ship."
"It would be my pleasure," Violet said, activating her drone and starting to fire. "Lance, there's one on your ten."
"Thanks," Lance responded, getting it. "Three are assembling to your right. They might make a synchronized attack."
Violet started to fire at the three fighters Lance had pointed out, but had to swivel to get a fighter Keith missed.
"Tha - look out!" Keith shouted, aiming his drone at the three fighters that were now going for her. Violet turned and cursed, firing at them. Keith took down the first, and the second she pinned before destroying, but the third -
A blast pushed her drone back. Lance had shot the last fighter that was coming for her. Violet blinked in surprise and caught Keith's eye from his seat, remembering what he'd said. Huh.
"I'm at five, Mullet," Lance shouted from his spot. "You?"
"That was my sixth," Keith shot back, exploding a fighter.
"Boys, please," Violet said. "Watch and learn." She paused, letting four fighters assemble in front of her, and shot up, flying over their heads. The drone was small, but it was fast. Violet swept behind the four fighters and fired two shots, hitting perfectly. The first drone's wing exploded, taking out the other three.
Lance spluttered, "That - that still only counts as one!"
"I'll count it as one if you get this stupid fighter off my tail," Violet replied as she spun her drone, trying to lose the fighter.
"I got it." Lance moved towards the fighter, but his drone lost power and stopped. "Wait, nevermind. I don't got it."
"I can get it," Keith said, aiming for the fighter as well, but his drone died too, along with Violet's. "Huh. What's happening?"
"We're converting the energy from systems that aren't essential to get fuel for the wormhole," Pidge explained, appearing next to Coran.
"I'm pretty sure blasting fighters to bits is essential," Violet argued.
"Not if we want to make it out of here in one piece," Coran replied. "Alright, Pidge, hit it! We should have enough power to make a little wormhole."
"Will it hold?" Pidge asked.
Coran gulped. "We'll see."
The wormhole opened, Allura exerting all her strength to fly the castle into it. Violet held her breath as the wormhole closed behind them.
"Oh, stars! The teludav lenses are cracking!" Coran yelped. "We're going to exit the wormhole!" He paused. "I just said 'stars,' didn't I? Violet must be growing on me."
"Zarkon was able to find us again," said Allura. "It's as if he knows where we are. He could've planted some tracker to follow us. Someone who was in long-term exposure to the Galra could've been unwittingly implanted with a ... chip of some sort." Her gaze flashed to Violet's, who frowned. The Galra couldn't be tracking her. She was certain she hadn't been in her prison cell for seven years; she'd been traveling the galaxy, working for them. But she didn't think they'd stick some kind of tracker to her. It wasn't like them, and she would've found it by now.
The castle exited the wormhole with a shudder. "Well, there's no guarantee. We need to assume that Zarkon could arrive any second," said Shiro. "We've got to be sharp and foc-"
Hunk started to snore.
Shiro frowned. "Sharp and-"
Hunk snored louder. Violet stifled a laugh.
Shiro's brows furrowed in determination. "We've got to be sharp and fo-"
Hunk produced a snore that was roughly the sound of an ambulance siren, causing everyone to dissolve into laughter, and Shiro stopped trying.
Hunk would not be daunted. He continued snoring, so much so that a giant mucus bubble formed. Violet, disgusted, grabbed one of her knives and poked the snore bubble gingerly. It exploded, causing Hunk to shoot bolt upright, shouting. Violet grimaced, wiping off her blade before tucking it away.
"Whoa! Whoa, what happened? What did we do? Why is everyone looking at me?" Hunk said, whipping his head around wildly.
"You woke yourself up snoring," Keith retorted. "Actually, Vi woke you up. In the most disgusting manner possible."
"Oh, I can be much more gross than that," Violet said, winking.
Shiro looked like he was reconsidering his life choices. Honestly, Violet couldn't blame him. Who would want to volunteer to fly a metal rainbow lion with five teenagers? Especially when one was Lance? And another was Keith? And her? They were probably the least controllable bunch possible. Violet wondered how Shiro hadn't lost his mind.
"How's it going, Coran? Are you making any progress?" Shiro asked, rubbing his temples.
Coran responded cheerfully, "Somewhat. I've mastered my case of the slipperies! I can walk around without slipping now, while also shining the floors!" He did a pirouette for emphasis.
"Any progress on the teludav?" Violet asked dryly.
"Unfortunately, no," Coran replied. "The wormholes rendered the teludav's stones almost completely broken. We won't be able to make another jump until I can adjust the lenses to make up for the damage."
"Guys, look at this," Pidge interjected, presenting a screen she'd pulled up on her scanners. "It looks like there's a metal storm in front of us. If we can go though it and hide in its eye. Zarkon won't be able to track us because of the interference form the storm."
"We've got nothing to lose," Shiro said, and they flew into the hurricane.
"Pidge, you're a genius," Allura said happily. "We're free of any scan, radar, tracker or other gadget! Zarkon will never find us he-"
"Don't say it!" Violet shouted.
Allura paused, startled. "I beg your pardon?"
"Because Zarkon will find us," Violet retorted. "It's dancing with the devil. Haven't you heard of karma? Irony?" Alura's confused expression made her groan in annoyance. "Gah, freaking ancient Alteans. The point is, don't say it."
"Princess, Vi's right," Hunk added. "If you say something like that, the opposite will immediately happen."
Allura scowled. "That's improbable. And I can say whatever I like, Violet. Besides, there is no way Zaron could find us right now."
Suddenly, alarms blared throughout the castle, flashing Allura's stricken face in red. "It can't be!" She gasped, then seemed to realize Violet was crossing her arms at her.
Allura sheepishly faced Violet, who was tapping her foot. "Why, hello, Violetta. Didn't see you there."
"Anything you want to say to me, princess?" Violet said.
Allura looked down. "It occurs to me that you ... may have been accurate ... in your prediction of events." Each word seemed to take a massive effort.
Violet grinned. "We'll work on it. And never call me Violetta again."
"How did he find us?" Hunk exclaimed, eyes filled with fear.
"I don't have the slightest clue, but it couldn't've been with any normal means of tracking," Pidge answered, browns furrowed. "The only possibility would be if ... Zarkon was tailing one of us."
Silence fell throughout the room, and everyone exchanged glances.
Allura narrowed her eyes at Violet. "I don't think it's Hunk, Lance, Pidge or Keith, because they've never come into contact with any Galra before," she announced. "Coran and I have high energy levels that could be tracked because we're ancient Alteans, but we've already invented protocols to erase that. Shiro was captured by the Galra, but it appears his arm was used by rebel groups, not them. And we've already scanned it." She frowned at Violet. "But you've been a prisoner of the Galra for seven years. They could have experimented on you while you were in the dungeons."
Violet felt her gaze harden. "What exactly are you saying, princess?"
"No matter who's being tracked, we got into this together," Shiro interjected. "We're getting out of it together, too."
"And how would we do that? We're surrounded by storm on all sides," Hunk pointed out.
Shiro answered, "There's only one thing strong enough to withstand the storm." He faced the paladins, eyes set in determination. "Voltron."
"What! Shiro, are you crazy?" Lance squawked.
"Yeah, right!" Hunk stammered. Yeah, why would we do that?"
"It's not the best option, but it's the only one," said Shiro. "We can use Voltron as bait to divert Zarkon's focus from the Castle of Lions. It'll buy time for Allura and Coran."
"To do what?" Allura asked.
"To wormhole away. I know that you said fixing the teludav was next to impossible, Coran, but you'll have to do it."
"Of course," Violet muttered, "Because when has anything been easy for us?"
Shiro ordered, "Okay, team, let's get Voltron in the battle!" The lions formed Voltron and flew into the storm to face Zarkon's fleet. They diverted the Galra's attention from the castle, giving it time to escape the storm. Suddenly, Shiro cried out, the black lion faltering.
"Zarkon - he's in my head. Trying to take over my lion," Shiro panted. "I'm fighting him for control."
Violet said, "I may be able to help. Tell me if this works." She could feel the lions as Voltron, the bright light that flickered at the edge of her vision. She centered in on the head of Voltron, the leader, Shiro and the black lion's entwined spirits. But there was another, greater force pushing it, worming its way through them. Drawing in a breath, Violet shoved, casting away Zarkon's power. Then turned on the black lion.
What the literal hell? Shiro's your paladin! Why would you let Zarkon try to take control of you?
The black lion couldn't speak, but she felt its uneasiness. Shiro was born to be the black paladin, but true leaders were never born.
They were made.
"He's gone," Shiro said, sounding relieved. "Vi, what did you do?"
"I just..." Violet pushed down the questions in her head. Was Shiro the right paladin? Of course he was. He had to be. She'd never bow to someone like Zarkon. "I can feel like lions. I can feel all of you connected to them. I just pushed his force away."
"Whatever it is, it worked," said Shiro. "Lions, get back to the castle. We need to wormhole now."
"Unfortunately, Shiro, we can't!" Coran said as the lions disbanded and went to the castle. "I managed to scrape together enough fuel, but the teludav lenses are still fractured. I'd have to replace them, but to do that I'd need more scaultrite, which we don't have."
"Hold on," said Pidge. "Scaultrite? I know that word. I think ... I think we do have it." Her eyes lit up. "That's it! Hunk was baking disgusting cookies and scaultrite was one of the ingredients!"
"They weren't that disgusting," Hunk grumbled.
"Er, Hunk ... scaultrite is an ore found in a Weblum's stomach intestines," Allura said. "It's not for cooking."
"Can we use them to wormhole?" Violet demanded.
Coran and the other paladins dashed over to the cafeteria. Coran examined the flat, clear blue cookies that looked like they could crack your teeth in two. "By the ancients! These do have scaultrite in them. We can replace them with the cracked lenses with the teludav!" He paused. "But without magnetism, they won't be able to hold themselves in place. We'll need people to do it manually..."
That was how Violet found herself hanging from the ceiling holding a cookie between her toes inside the teludav. The other paladins were in much less graceful positions then hers, and Violet had a good laugh watching Lance try and fail at holding them in place.
"Alright, Vi, we're switching places! I can't hold this!" Lance cried as he fell onto his face for a third time. "Hanging from the ceiling is easy."
Violet rolled her eyes. "Fine." She flipped onto the floor, then slid into the splits with a cookie on either hand.
Kieth muttered, "Show-off," from where he was sitting with his feet propped against the wall. Violet stuck her tongue out at him as Lance took her place dangling from the ceiling.
"Alright, done! Don't move, because if you do you'll die," Coran instructed, putting the last cookie in Shiro's hand.
"I moved a little! I thnik I moved a little!" Lance yelled.
"You're probably fine," said Coran. "I'm going to go power up the teludav!"
Hunk asked, "Coran, wait! Is this dangerous?"
"If I'm honest," said Coran, "I've never done anything more dangerous in my life, and I've ridden a yalmor with a sinus infection. But life is short, so let's do this! Good luck, paladins and Violet! If you all don't have any last words, I'll go now. Bye!"
There was a beat of silence. "I don't know about you all," Violet said, "But I've found I don't really like it when Coran is honest."
"They're ready!" Coran shouted.
"Lance, stop screaming!" Keith shouted.
"Pidge, I used your toothbrush to clean the goo I got on my shoe a week ago!" Hunk shouted.
"WHAT?" Pidge shouted.
There was a hum as the teludav powered, but the beam wasn't generating. "Coran, why haven't we wormholed? Zarkon's right here!" Allura shouted.
"The lenses don't have any starlight dust! They're not reflecting!" Coran replied. "I've got to shine them up somehow..." he wiped sweat off his brow, then blinked at his hand. "Stars, that's it! Allura, start the wormhole in ten ticks!" He rushed back into the teludav generator, rubbing his hands together and swiping them over the cookies Shiro was holding.
"Um, Coran, what are you doing?" Violet asked, worried for the man's mental state.
Coran shouted, "Everybody stay still! I'm going to shine up these lenses - lucky you, I have the slipperies!" He covered more cookies in his sweat, effectively making them shimmer and shine. Violet cringed as he rubbed his hands on the scaultrite cookies she was holding by her ankles.
The castle began to wormhole; Coran leapt forward, shining the last cookie with his face, just as the castle powered. Allura flew them through the wormhole, leaving Zarkon behind.
The paladins all collapsed from their undignified poses, lying heaped on the floor. "Thank god," Hunk exclaimed.
"I never want to do yoga for the rest of my life," Keith grunted, pulling himself to his feet.
Violet rolled her shoulders. "That was pretty refreshing, actually. I liked it."
"Oh, shut up, Vi," Lance said. "No one wants to hear about your awesome contortionist flexibility when we have none."
"How are you so flexible?" Allura asked, entering the room. "I doubt many people could match you in speed and agility, Violet." It was said as a compliment, but her words were suspicious.
"Thank you, Allura," Violet said sharply. The tension between the two was palpable.
Shiro cleared his throat. "Well, right now we're all exhausted. Let's get some rest. We'll reconvene tomorrow."