The group was gathered in the bridge when an alarm went off. Violet frowned - she hated the blaring - and turned to Coran, whose face was pale.
"What's wrong?" Hunk asked. "you guys look like you saw someone rise form the dead."
"That's somewhat accurate," Coran replied. "This is a call for help."
"That's nothing new," said Keith.
"Right. But it's a call for help from an Altean signal."
Violet sucked in a breath. "You mean - Alteans sent that distress code? We're not the only ones left?" Her feet moved of their own accord, rushing to the control panel. "Get the coordinates. We have to find them."
Keith said, "Hold up. What if it's bait? Just because it's an Altean signal doesn't mean Alteans used it."
Violet whipped around, about to snap at him that they had to find the ship, had to rescue it, but Allura said for her, "The call came from an Altean vessel, Keith. We've got to know who sent it."
Keith didn't look happy, but he conceded. Violet paced around the ship as Allura wormholed it to the coordinates. Alteans. This opened so many new doors - maybe there could be a secret army, or a chance of an alliance, or-
Violet refused to give the thought hope, in fear she'd jinx it.
"That looks like a research vessel. My father used them for exploring the far reaches of the universe," Allura said as they exited the wormhole. A ship was stuck in what looked like a bright black hole, half of it protruding.
Coran informed them, "The ship's mainframe says it was sent for scientific discovery. But I don't see any other records. Strange."
"So how did it get inside that wormhole?" Lance questioned.
Hunk asked, "That is a wormhole, right?"
"If so, I haven't seen any other wormhole like it," Coran replied.
"There's huge levels of essence coming from it, and quintessence readings are off the chart in the center, where the vessel is," Pidge reported.
Violet turned to the paladins. "What is someone is trapped aboard it? We have to help them."
"Vi, we don't know what the wormhole is capable of," said Keith. "We could be destroyed."
"Not Voltron," Violet shot back. "It's the most powerful weapon in the universe. Voltron could take it."
"Violet is right," said Allura. "Voltron should be able to withstand the force of the wormhole. It is our responsibility as paladins to aid anyone in there in need of assistance."
"I still have a hunch this is some kind of elaborate setup," Keith replied, brows furrowed.
"Even if it is, aren't we relying on 'should be?'" Hunk asked. "We don't know for sure that Voltron can take this."
"You don't understand!" Violet snapped. "We have to go in. There could be Alteans inside there. My-" She paused before she could say the words. My mother could be in there. "I'm going," she finished, lifting her chin defiantly. "With or without Voltron."
"Cool your jets, Vi," said Lance. "We'll go."
Violet relaxed slightly. "Good."
The paladins went to their lions, forming Voltron. They approached the black hole.
"Okay, let's be cautious," Keith instructed. "Pidge, what are we looking at here?"
Pidge replied, "It's a really big wormhole."
Keith blinked. "Isn't there anything ... techy you want to say?"
"There's nothing to say," said Pidge. "I've never seen anything like this before."
"I'll do a bio check," volunteered Hunk. He got back a beep. "Huh. There aren't any life sources on the vessel."
Violet's heart sank. "But who made the distress call?"
"Probably someone on the other side of the ship," said Allura. "We must go through the wormhole to find them."
"Are you referring to the almost certainly dangerous, explosive sparkly wormhole?" asked Lance.
"Sounds safe," Violet said cheerfully. "Let's go."
"Watch Voltron's energy levels, Pidge. Everybody else, get ready to back out if things get heated," Keith ordered, moving Voltron towards the black hole.
Voltron inched forward into the white mass of energy. Violet gasped as it was enveloped. Voltron appeared on the other side, but Coran was gone - along with the rest of the space they were in.
Hunk detected multiple biorhythms aboard the ship, oddly. The only choice was to enter the spacecraft and find the Alteans.
Violet let the hope she'd been cultivating grow. Could her mother be one of the Alteans on the ship?
Violet and the others snuck onto the ship, entering an abandoned chamber. "Can we get a message to broadcast over the speakers?" suggested Violet. "Some kind of announcement that we're here?"
"Uh, guys?" asked Hunk.
"No," Allura replied, cutting over him. "We don't have access to the ship's mainframe. It seems to be broken anyways."
"Could we power it?" Violet prompted. "Because we're Alteans?"
"Guys," Hunk said, louder. "You really need to-"
"You shouldn't," Keith interrupted. "Both of you. We don't know what kind of ship this is, or who's on it. We shouldn't engage."
"Guys!" Hunk yelled. "The biorhythms are getting really close to us!"
"What?!" Violet yelped, frantically smoothing down her hair. "Why didn't you say so sooner?"
Before Hunk could answer, the doors banged open, and people entered the room. Violet gasped as she saw their faces - Alteans.
The woman who looked to be in charge had raspberry-colored hair, her gaze fierce as she scoured the group. Her eyes fell on Allura, and they widened in surprise. "Your Majesty!"
Allura looked around, confused. "I - I beg your pardon?"
The woman dropped to one knee. "Are you Allura, former Empress of Altea?"
"It's just Princess Allura," Allura replied. "Stand, please."
"My name is General Hira," the woman said, rising. "How can you be alive? You were killed over ten thousand years before. All the same, we are honored to be in your pre-" She finally saw Violet, and she stepped back in shock. Hira recovered, her face contorting in anger, and shouted, "It's her! Guards!"
The people behind her in armor rushed for Violet. "What is the meaning of this?" Allura demanded. "We come here to help you!"
Violet drew her blades as the guards circled her. "I apologize, Empress," Hira said, "But this is the Scythe."
Violet snorted so hard she almost dropped her dagger. "Excuse me?"
Hira turned her angry gaze on Violet. "Thanks to Empress Allura's work, Zarkon's reign ended before it could begin. But some Galra still gathered their armies. They bided their time, growing stronger, until they had enough power to begin attacking Altea. They were aided by one of our own - an Altean."
Violet's smirk slipped off her face. She had a feeling where this was going.
"With the Altean's knowledge, they were able to target the palace, slaughtering anyone in their way. The betrayer snuck into the castle and killed Empress Allura herself. We call her the Scythe, for the quick, unyielding blow she dealt upon us. It was only a life-saving invention that halted the Galra long enough for us to drive them out."
Violet's daggers hung limp at her sides, forgotten. "You're saying I still fought for the Galra?" she asked softly. "That I - that I killed Allura?"
"That can't be right," Pidge exclaimed. "Guys, I think this is an alternate reality. We must have passed through it when we entered the black hole."
"Wherever you came from, we still cannot allow the Scythe on our ship," Hira said, voice cold. "Iraj, take her away. You know what to do."
A man with teal markings and glasses nodded, stepping towards Violet. The fight had gone out of her; she didn't protest as the guards grabbed her roughly by the shoulders.
"Violet stays with us," Keith protested, stepping in front of her. "This isn't the same person who betrayed you. She's part of the team."
"She will not be hurt," Iraj said mildly. He smiled. "We won't put her in a cell or harm her. Empress, surely you understand why we cannot let the Scythe roam free aboard our ship."
Still looking startled, Allura stammered, "I - of course. Violet, will you...?"
"No," Keith snapped. "I won't let you."
"Keith." Violet put a hand on his shoulder. "It's fine. I'll be okay."
Thousands of conflicted emotions raged across his face. "Promise me," Keith said softly. "Promise me you'll be okay."
"I promise."
Begrudgingly, he let her pass. Violet refused to look back as the guards led her away. She followed Iraj to a room, where he stood at some kind of panel. "Please, sit," he said, still smiling that odd smile. "You are welcome here."
Violet frowned. "Do you ... is there anyone else on this ship?"
He shook his head. "Only our scientific discovery unit. Why? Do you remember someone?"
"No," Violet said quickly, her heart deflating. She blew out a breath. "Would you mind telling me more about - about who I was in your world? I'd like to know as much as I can."
"Of course." Violet tried not to shiver. Stars, his voice was creepy. "Empress Allura was one of the greatest leaders of our time. Not only did she defeat Zarkon, she invented the hoktril, our civilization's most advanced technological achievement. She created it shortly before her death. It was the sole reason the Alteans survived the battle."
"The ... hoktril?" Violet sounded the word out on her tongue. "Only a bit weird. I cannot imagine Allura saying that, though. What does it do?"
"You will find out soon," Iraj said pleasantly. "The hoktril saps the will of its host. They have no intent to fight, or do anything beyond what we tell them. We can control them. Using the hoktril, Alteans were able to use it on the Galra. We now use it to spread peace and stability throughout the universe."
"Go back to the 'saps the will' part, please," Violet said. "It - it takes away their free will? They become slaves?"
"Oh, no. Slaves can rise up and fight," Iraj corrected, beaming. "Hosts of the hoktril have no will do to so. their lives are preserved without conflict."
"You're taking their minds," Violet said, appalled. Her voice rose. "You're not spreading peace - you're spreading corruption. I have to warn Allura!"
She spun on her heel to race from the room, but the guards stopped her. "I'm afraid you cannot do that," Iraj said calmly. "Restrain her."
Violet drew her throwing stars. "Try me, old man."
The guards attacked, but she was ready. Violet tossed two of her stars, aiming for the first's eyes; she spun before she could see if they'd hit, ducking under it's legs and stabbing the second in the chest.
It let out a choked gurgle, grabbing her by the arms. Violet wrenched herself free, but not before she lost precious seconds; she whirled, instinct bringing her longest blade up as the third guard brought its gun down.
There was a blast, and Violet cried out as a shot from one's gun grazed her side. Her grip faltered, and the guard pushed her away. Violet regained her balance, preparing to spring for them-
And felt something cold at the back of her neck.
Violet stopped.
There was ice rushing through her brain, slowly frosting over every thought. She stopped, spine stiffening, daggers slipping and dropping onto the ground. Iraj stepped out from behind her, smiling. There was something attached to the back of her neck - Violet tried to reach for it, but she couldn't move her arms. She couldn't speak.
"You didn't have to struggle," Iraj said, irritation flashing on his face as he poked at the two guard's unmoving forms on the ground. The last, with her stars still protruding from its eyes, was stumbling around incoherently. "Hira should have gotten the empress to do her work for her by now. She always was a master manipulator." He smiled gleefully at Violet's unblinking form. "Soon, with an ancient Altean to power our ship, we will be able to fly back to Altea. With the legendary Scythe, now a servant to us - if will be a message of peace to everyone. And a warning to all the pesky rebels that have been poking our sides for too long."
Violet was screaming internally. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think - the ice was marching down her veins, clouding over every part of her body. She felt the broken fragments of her mind begin to freeze over, encasing her in a wall of stone-
Iraj snapped his fingers, and she moved. Violet had no control over her body; she walked without thinking. He was controlling her. She fought wildly, trying to break out of the thing he'd put her in, but it was too late.
"Ah, there we go," Iraj said as a hum started up through the ship. Lights began to turn on, bathing the room in blue. They walked back to the room where Violet had exited ten minutes ago. Keith and the others were standing where they'd been before, but Allura was at the controls - she'd powered the ship. Violet tried to speak, to get a word out, but it was impossible.
Keith jumped to his feet when he saw her. "Vi? What - what did you do to her?" He rounded angrily on Iraj.
"Do not be mad, Keith," Violet said, except it wasn't her voice and she wasn't the one moving her mouth. "I'm much better than I was before." She felt her lips curl into a smile.
"What have you done to Violet?" Allura demanded Hira.
"I do not know what you're talking about," Hira said smoothly.
"Her pupils are white," Lance retorted. "Look at her. Vi, what's wrong?"
"General Iraj fixed me," Violet said brightly. "I am in debt to him."
Keith's gaze caught on the guards. "What happened to this one?" he asked. "You left with three. Now you have one with Violet's throwing stars in its eyes. She fought you. What did you do?"
"I think we've tolerated you long enough," said Hira. "You all have conspired with the Scythe." She turned to Allura. "Empress, come with us. You can go back to Altea. Leave these betrayers behind."
For a second, Violet thought Allura would agree. But she lifted her chin. "These are my friends," she said. "Even Violet. I am not your Empress."
Hira's lip curled. "Oh, I'm aware. But it is fine - with our ship powered, we no longer need you. Guards!"
More guards swarmed into the room. The paladins took on battle stances, activating their bayards. "Do not do this," Violet said, looking at Keith. "There is no need to fight. I must return to Altea. Let me go."
His eyes narrowed. "Never."
Violet felt her face twist in fury, though it wasn't hers. "Then you will die with your friends."
The guards attacked, firing at the paladins. Allura engaged Hira, while Hunk, Pidge and Lance fought off the guards. With horror, Violet found herself striding towards Keith. Her hands slid over her dagger's shafts. Which shall be the one to plunge into his heart?
Run, she screamed at him. Keith, please, please run.
He did no such thing. Violet drew her blades and charged. Keith dodged her first attack, nimbly avoiding the second blow to his unguarded side. They began to fight, without the easy way of yesterday. Violet felt sick. She was going to kill him.
The ice in her veins slowly creeped into her blood, sliding towards her heart. Violet poured every ounce of defiance into stopping it, preventing it from covering her entirely. She could only watch as she swiped at Keith, her blades coming within an inch of his face. He went for her side, and feinted, catching her off guard. He grabbed her shoulders and slammed her into the nearest wall. Violet cried out as the thing at the base of her neck was crushed. The ice turned into fire, writhing and choking her.
Violet gasped. She could speak, could move, she had control of herself again. "Keith," she gritted out.
He paused. "Vi?"
And then she was gone, and she couldn't move again as she leapt at him. Keith staggered back, barely managing to get out of the way in time as he blade passed a hair's breadth by his throat.
She fought viciously for control, beating back the fire in her blood with everything she had. Violet drove Keith back, aiming for his chest, and jerked her hand away before it could land the blow. She dropped the dagger, forcing her hands open.
"You're still here," Keith said, relief evident in his voice. "Fight it, Vi."
"You don't understand," she replied, drawing another blade. "I don't need to. I am so much better off now than I was with you."
He flinched, and she sprang, knocking Keith against the wall. Her knife pressed into his chest, and Violet wrenched control back to herself, stopping the blade.
"You promised," Keith said. Something in his voice cracking open. "You promised you'd be okay."
She felt tears rise, and then stop - stop, as the fire in her veins moved again, speeding towards her heart. "I am okay, Keith," she said. "I'm more than okay."
Keith's eyes were full of pain. "No, you're not."
He kicked her in the stomach. Violet stumbled back, caught off guard, her dagger falling from his chest, and Keith jumped.
He leapt over her head, Violet watching, frozen in wonder. Keith landed behind her, the movement flawless, and used his bayard to cut off the hoktril attached to her neck.
The fire in her veins shrieked, recoiling. Violet cried out, knees buckling, as her mind tried to reorient itself, to push out the flames, and the-
With a final shove, Violet forced the fire and ice from her head, and with it came the memories.
They filled the gaps in her mind, storming through her, and Violet remembered.
She remembered his face, the first one she'd laid eyes on after being taken from Veronica.
She remembered how at first, when she'd screamed and thrown things and demanded to be taken back to her family, he'd waited patiently before explaining to her that her family had left her, and that she had to leave them behind in that composed, always-patient way of his.
She remembered how at first, she'd agreed to spend time with him if only to try to aggravate him and see him flustered. How she was able to do so easily, and she lorded it over him at every chance.
She remembered the first time she agreed to go outside with him, if only to taste the air again. How they were attacked by someone, and he saved her - how that act earned her trust. How later on, she'd realized he'd planned it up in the first place.
She remembered how after that, they'd become allies - not yet friends, until the day he'd opened up to her about his parents, his lineage, and she hadn't balked. Hadn't run, like everyone else.
She remembered how they were a team, conquering the world together. How they were unstoppable, and how great it felt to be fighting with him.
She remembered how that all stopped when they'd burned a village, and she'd realized there were people in there, innocent people. That was when the doubt crept into her mind, when she began to look more closely at what he did.
She remembered Acxa - her silvery laugh, the way the two of them would stay up until the sun rose and talk, like sisters. How, when Violet began to doubt her loyalty to him, Acxa's only grew.
She remembered how she felt when she uncovered his lies - he was the one who'd taken her from earth, not a Galra cruiser that would've put her in their slave camps. He wasn't her savior; he was her capturer. She'd felt betrayed, and furious at herself for believing him, but most of all, sad. Sad that he wasn't who she wanted him to be; sad that what she'd thought they'd had together wasn't real.
She remembered Ezor and Zethrid - how she'd been friendly with them at first, but their passion for evil had been overwhelming. How when she revealed the brunt of what they did, the lives they destroyed, they hadn't flinched. How they had slowly turned on her, until they were nothing more than rivals vying for his approval.
She remembered Narti and Kova. They'd never exchanged more than a few words, and Kova hated her with a fiery loathing only evil cats could have. She remembered how Narti had never approached her, never sparred with her; how Kova had interacted with her more than the female.
She remembered how she left, and how the Galra had found her immediately. How only his protection had kept her safe. And then his face, the last thing she saw before everything went blank. His face.
Lotor.
Violet snapped back to the present with a hoarse cry, her brain feeling like it had been sucked out through her ears, turned to jello, played with, and then inserted back into her head. She was on her knees - it seemed only a few seconds had passed since Keith had broken the hoktril Iraj had stuck to her.
Had stuck to her. Blinding rage coursed through Violet, and she stood, legs wobbling. It looked like they'd won - the bodies of the guards were strewn about the floor, and Allura had Hira on the ground. Iraj was cowering by the door. The paladins had just ended the battle; Keith was standing next to her, his gaze wary. "Vi?"
"It's me," she said. "I - I'm so sorry." With a jolt, she remembered what she'd done. She tried to kill Keith. Tried to stab his heart with her knives.
Keith caught her shoulders, his grip light but firm. "Don't be." He had a shallow cut on his arm - had she done that? "Just ... tell me you're okay."
She met his eyes. "I'm okay. For real this time." Keith nodded, releasing her. Violet felt the back of her neck. There was an imprint on her skin where the hoktril had been - it didn't hurt, but it might scar.
Violet rounded on Iraj. "I'm going to shove your stupid fist down your stupid throat so far you won't be able to make your stupid smile," she growled, starting towards him, but Lance caught her arm. He looked wary.
"It's over, Vi. We need to get out of here."
Violet looked around. "Fine. What happened while I was being a mind-controlled zombie slave?"
"Hira told me that I could power the ship," Allura spoke up. "I did, and then they turned on us." She looked queasy. "It is my fault all of this happened. I trusted Hira immediately. I can't believe I was so gullible!"
"Allura, it's not your fault," Violet assured her. "We all rushed into this headlong. Guys, I'm sorry - I was the one who insisted we come here in the first place." She sighed. "I thought there was a chance my mother would be on the ship, but ... she wasn't."
Keith didn't seem surprised. Violet wondered if he'd guessed - if he knew her that well. "I understand. Let's get back to the lions."
The team left the room, going back to their lions. Violet rode with Keith as Voltron flew back through the black hole, emerging on the other side to a frantic Coran. "Thanks the stars!" he exclaimed when he saw them. "You're back! Paladins, are you okay? What happened?"
"We're good, Coran," Keith replied. "And boy, do we have a story to tell you."
"Starting with mine," Violet added. "When Keith cut off the hoktril, my memories came back." Her gaze fell. "All of them."
They returned to the castle, where Violet sat in the lounge.
"When I was ten, I was captured by the Galra. I thought it was a warlord, like Sendak, who was going to kill me. However, the ship I was held in was broken into. A Galra rescued me, and let me aboard his ship. His name was Lotor."
There was a collective gasp. "I demanded to go back to earth," Violet continued. "I threw things at him. Once I actually managed to nail him in the head with a lamp. But he was ... persuasive. He convinced me that I'd been abandoned, that this was my life. Eventually, I came to trust him, and joined him.
"Lotor was the one who trained me. He gave me my mask, my weapons, and fought with me. i think ... I think I got 'stars' from him. He said it a lot and I caught on."
Pidge blinked. "So using 'stars' as an expression really is a Galra thing."
"He told me we were liberating the planets we hit." Violet shook her head. "We were destroying them. Lotor told me there wasn't a difference. He said there was no good and bad, that there was only power, but that he didn't want it."
Lance snorted. "That's a lie."
"I believed it, though," Violet said quietly. "I ate it all up. He said the towns we wiped out were innocent, but that they were cruel, bad people, and that they were calculated sacrifices made so that other planets, like Earth, could be safe. We were friends - he told me about how he grew up, and I told him about Veronica and my life on Earth. For a while, everything was perfect. I began to recruit others - half-breeds like me, that Lotor saw potential in. The first, Acxa, was very close to me. But everything he'd given me was a veneer, and once I ripped it away, I was horrified."
Violet paused. "Everything after that is a blur. I confronted him; I told him I was going to leave. I think that was when he took my memories. Wiped away all the ones I had of him. One of the generals, Narti - she comes from a race that has the power to steal memories. She was utterly devoted to Lotor - she would have done it if he'd asked." Her fists clenched. "He passed me off as a prisoner. He left me. But I escaped - I don't think he planned that. And I met you all, and now..." she trailed off, unable to finish. Would they hate her? Probably. Violet hesitantly glanced up.
She was taken aback by the affection in their eyes. "Vi," Keith said, "We don't blame you for working with Lotor."
Allura chimed in, "We've already accepted that you've done bad things in the past. This doesn't change anything."
"You're one of us now," Lance finished. "Besides. If you messed up Lotor's perfect hair when you hit him with the lamp, you're more than forgiven."
For the first time in what felt like days, Violet grinned.
-
Dreams of Acxa and Lotor's face chased Violet from sleep. She used to have nightmares back at home, so she was used to it - strange visions of flashing lights behind her eyes and small, clipped fragments of a woman with short, dark hair and golden eyes. Violet gave up on sleep and began sharpening her blades. She'd gotten an actual metal rod to use as opposed to another blade, but it was loud, and it was the middle of the night.
Violet was about to leave her room and flop aimlessly about the castle when she felt her mind darken. And then she heard the black lion, repeating one word, over and over again in her head:
Shiro.
Violet sprinted from her room and down the halls to the hangar. Keith was already there, deactivating the barrier around his lion. He turned when he heard her enter. "Vi, it's-"
"I know," she said. "We have to go now."
Keith nodded, and they entered the black lion, taking off under the cover of the night. "Blacky, give us coordinates," Violet commanded. "Show us. Where is he?"
In response, a blinking red dot appeared on Keith's screen. He pushed the thrusters forward at a faster pace, and they hurled through the galaxy.
"Do you think it's him?" Keith asked quietly after a beat of silence.
"It has to be." Violet didn't know what this would mean for the team, but they were getting their leader back. "The black lion can feel him."
They reached the coordinates - a single Galra fighter was drifting, alone. A man was slumped in the cockpit, with long hair and ragged clothes. Violet almost didn't recognize him.
"He's alive," she said to Keith, her voice catching. "Knocked out, but - it's Shiro."
She heard him release a long breath. "Okay. Bring him in."
She flew Shiro to the black lion, its jaws opening with ease. Barely five seconds later, Keith emerged from his seat, rushing over to Shiro. "I can't believe it."
There was a crackle, and Allura's voice came over their headsets. "Keith, Vi, come in. What are you doing? It's the middle of the night! You went off in the black lion without any warning! Alone!"
Violet simply said, "Wake everyone up, Allura. We found Shiro."