The castle arrived at the Va'Kar quadrant, where they'd tracked Lotor to. However, it was a different Galra cruiser that they found, not Lotor's ship.
"He's definitely there, though," murmured Pidge. "Whatever Lotor is doing on that ship, it's not good."
Though she felt sick just to say it, Violet said, "Then we should check it out. This is our chance to stop Lotor before he can do anything worse than he already has."
Both Shiro and Keith spoke at the same time. "Alright, everybody," Shiro said, while Keith said, "Here's what we'll do." They both paused for an awkward moment before Keith stepped back. "You take this one, Shiro."
"Are you positive he should?" Violet asked, frowning. "No offense, Shiro, but Keith has experience with Lotor. He might be the best leader for this mission."
Keith said, "He should. I'll help you guys from the castle; Shiro can take Blacky."
With the mission set out, the paladins went to their hangars. However, Shiro didn't fly from the castle like the rest of them. "You good, Shiro? Where's the black lion?" asked Lance.
"You might have to be the leader for this, Keith," replied Shiro.
"What? Why? What happened?"
Violet couldn't detect any jealousy or irritation in Shiro's voice as he said, "Blacky shut me out. You must still be its paladin."
"I knew it!" Violet shouted. "I mean, you're a great leader, Shiro. You'll still be really instrumental at the castle."
"Yes, you always do seem to be right about everything, Vi," Keith said dryly. "Hold on. I'll be there in a second."
Soon, the black lion joined the others. "It's vital to find out what Lotor is up to on this mission," Shiro instructed. "You'll have to be stealthy. Be quiet and-"
There was a loud crash as Lance smacked into a rock pillar, causing it to burst apart. "Got it, Shiro. Quiet. Anything else?"
Shiro sighed. "Just ... be careful."
The group snuck aboard the cruiser. Violet began to feel heavy. The feeling worsened as they roamed the ship. It didn't hurt her, but it was strange and intense. She felt her breaths coming in quicker gasps.
Noticing, Keith asked, "Vi, are you good?"
"Not really," she replied. "I'm feeling something."
Lance grinned. "You mean your Altean senses are tingling?"
Violet had the urge to smack him upside the head. "More like crushing me. It's coming from that direction." She pointed to a path.
"I don't like saying this, but maybe you should go back," Keith said, concerned.
Violet rounded on him. "I'm fine. I won't slow you down."
He shook his head. "That's not what I meant. Vi, you just got your memories back in a storm, and before that you were turned into a mindless slave after entering a different reality. I don't want you to get hurt on this mission because you pushed yourself too hard."
"I have to do this, Keith," Violet replied, her voice intense. "Lotor is my problem. I have a score to settle with him, and I'm not going to just sit back and watch you all try to face him alone." She straightened. "And I'm not sick, or pushing myself too hard. I know my limits."
Keith sighed. "Alright." He looked at the group. "We're going straight towards the thing triggering Violet's tingly Altean senses, aren't we?"
"No doubt," said Lance.
Keith grinned. "Then what are we waiting for?"
-
The thing that tingled Violet's Altean senses was a rock.
It looked like a normal ore, except that the power radiating from it almost made Violet fall to her knees. The intensity rolling off it in waves was like something pressing down on her heart.
"Allura, can you tell us what we're seeing?" Kieth asked. "Pidge, do your thing. Vi-"
"I'm good," she replied firmly. "It's ... odd, but I'll manage."
Pidge was scanning the ore on her wristband. "This is stranger than anything I've seen before," she breathed. "The quintessence levels alone - there's only one possibility. It's Voltron."
"Um," said Hunk, "I think you're confusing this comet with the five rainbow lions we left a couple miles away. You see, this is a creepy chunk of space rock that makes Vi's Altean senses tingle, whereas Voltron is the giant guy we form to defeat evil."
Pidge batted him away. "I know. I mean that this ore is part of the same material that created Voltron."
"Isn't that impossible?" Lance asked. "Voltron was built, like, thousands of years ago by King Alfor. Lotor can't be that old, can he?" He tapped his chin. "How does he still look so pristine and perfect all the time? I wonder if he's using some kind of moisturizer. Do you think Lotor would let me borrow it?"
"No, he'd kill you," Violet told him. "Lotor caught me trying to steal his hair gel once and refused to talk to me for a week."
"Guys, focus," said Shiro. "Princess, can you explain this?"
"Voltron was built from a comet that crashed on Altea," Allura responded, sounding troubled. "It's possible Lotor could have found another."
"Wait," Coran said. "Look, something's happening to the cruiser." There was a gasp. "There's part of the teludav being loaded from it!"
Violet said, "But Lotor can't make wormholes if he doesn't have an Alt-" she and Allura gasped at the same time. "This is bad," Violet announced. "This is really, really bad."
"What?" Keith demanded.
Allura answered in a desolate voice, "The witch working for Zarkon - the one that made the komar - she was Altean. She could be secretly one of us, another survivor. With her to power the teludav, and the ore, Lotor could build a new Voltron. One he could use to conquer the universe."
"Does anybody else feel like they're freaking out?" Hunk asked.
"I do. I am definitely freaking out," Lance confirmed.
"That's why I was feeling so weird," said Violet. "The energy in this ore - it's compressing. Stifling. A bit like Voltron - except that makes me feel lighter, not ... heavy. Though I don't know why you wouldn't feel it too, Allura."
Keith activated his bayard. "If the comet is here, Lotor has to be close. We should find him and take him out."
"We cannot allow Lotor to take that ore," said Shiro. "You have to stop him. You need to form Voltron!"
"If we take down Lotor, it won't matter if he has the comet," Kieth argued. "I say we put a stop to his scheming. Permanantly."
"This is too important. Lotor can easily slip away from you. The ore can't."
"I want to get rid of Lotor as much as you, Keith, but Shiro's right," Violet said. "If Lotor gets this, the universe is doomed."
Keith blew out a breath. "Fine. We'll get back to the lions. Shiro, if you get an open shot at the teludav, blast it apart."
The group abandoned all sense of stealth, running back the way they came. "Paladins, wait," Shiro said suddenly. "The teludav is being loaded onto a cargo ship. You might be able to get to it and attack it before it takes off. I'm sending you the location."
"We're on it," Keith replied. They changed course, aiming for a large door. Keith sliced the panel with his sword, and the doors opened.
Violet skidded to a stop when she saw who was there. The teludav was there, being loaded onto a cargo ship by Narti, Kova perched on her shoulder. Behind her stood Acxa, Zethrid and Ezor.
Narti's head whipped towards them. Being blind, Lotor's general saw through her companion, Kova's, eyes. Acxa turned, saw them, and went white, eyes locked on her former friend. For a good second everyone just stood there, gaping at each other.
Then Zethrid grinned. "If it isn't little Violetta," she said. "Switching sides yet again? It's a good thing you're not dead - now I can kill you myself." She leapt into the air, bringing her fist down. Violet jumped out of the way as Zethrid punched the ground so hard smoke rose into the air.
"Get the teludav!" Violet ordered the paladins. "These are Lotor's generals. Don't-"
Zethrid shot out of the cloud of dust, straight for Violet. She ducked again, drawing her blades. Ezor launched herself at Keith, her long legs and agile body sailing through the air, Narti taking on Pidge and Hunk. Violet circled Zethrid, waiting for the general to attack.
"Have you managed to gain Lotor's approval yet now that I've left?" She taunted Zethrid. "He always knew you weren't good enough." With a roar, Zethrid lunged for her; Violet sidestepped, her daggers slashing down. Zethrid knocked the blade away and charged again, but Violet knew her too well. She'd always beaten Zethrid when they sparred.
Violet jumped into the air, relying on her grace and speed to combat the general's strength. She threw her stars in midair, causing Zethrid to stumble back, holding her arm out to defend herself. Smoothly, Violet grabbed her arm, using it as momentum to slide under Zethrid's legs, popping up and stabbing her in the leg before she could turn around.
Zethrid roared, more out of fury than of pain. Knowing the weapon wouldn't halt her for long, Violet quickly scanned the rest of the battle.
Mistake. Zethrid, despite the blade sticking out of her thigh, jumped for Violet, eyes alight with rage. Before the general could attack Violet, though, Keith leapt at her from behind, raising his sword. Zethrid had little choice but to meet him in combat, growling angrily.
Violet blew out a breath, then made to run over to Hunk and Pidge, who were fighting Narti. The click of a gun stopped her in her tracks. Violet turned around slowly, holding up her hands.
Acxa was pointing the barrel of a blaster at her chest. "I told you not to come back."
"When have I ever listened?"
The general's face didn't change. "C'mon, Acxa," Violet said placatingly. "I'm not going to fight you. But I need to help my friends."
Her knuckles whitened on the holster at the words friends. "You didn't have to leave, Violet. But most of all, you didn't have to come back. I let you go because I thought you would go home to your family and leave it all behind. But this? You could never step down. Not even for your own life."
"We both know I would've died if I stayed," Violet said quietly. "Don't pretend that I would've been fine. Don't pretend that what we did was right, Acxa."
"It was for the good of the empire."
"It wasn't for the good of anyone else," Violet snapped. "Lotor lied to me, Acxa. He tricked and he deceived and he lied. To all of us."
"Not to you," Acxa hissed. "Never to you. He - he cared for you, Violet. You're the only person he's ever felt that way about before. And you did too."
Violet felt defiance rise in her. "I never felt anything for that monster!" She snarled. "He is evil, Acxa." She sighed, the breath whooshing out of her. "But you're not. That's why I know you won't fire that gun."
Acxa's gaze wavered. "I will," she whispered, but it was a broken plea. "I swear I will."
Violet smiled sadly at her. "It's okay that you can't," she responded. "Acxa, if you ever need somewhere to go, I'll always be there. Even if you do manage to pull the trigger."
Shaking, Acxa's arm lowered.
And with a roar, Zethrid tackled Violet, hurling her away. She skidded across the room, landing directly under the teludav.
Violet blinked up at its smooth underbelly, stunned, her spine pressing into the floor. She looked to the side in time to see Kova, Narti's cat, leap up onto the panel holding the teludav in place and press on one of the buttons with her paw.
With a screech, the gears keeping the teludav in place stopped, and it collapsed on top of Violet. She had just enough time to think I'm about to be killed by a cat before the teludav slammed into her and everything went white.
-
The gun slipped form Acxa's hands, her face pale with terror. "VIOLET!" Keith yelled, skidding towards the teludav. He frantically scanned for some way to lift it up, to get it off of Violet-
Someone pushed him aside. Keith almost lashed out before he recognized the white hair. Allura. The princess placed her hands under the teludav, her face set with grim determination.
Allura - with unbound strength from her Altean blood.
She hefted the teludav above her head as if it weighed as much as a book, revealing Violet's slumped form under it. Keith brought her out of its shadow and Allura let go, the teludav crashing back onto the ground.
She wasn't moving - she had brought up her arms when it fell, and her hands were now dangling limply at her sides. Her limbs were twisted at odd angles, bones broken beyond repair. Lotor's generals were all surprised, frozen; the paladin's faces were contorted in horror. Keith felt like his insides were covered in ice that was slowly creeping through his blood, the cold sting a welcome pain.
Acxa looked like she was about to vomit, but she picked up her gun. "Let's go," she ordered the other generals.
"But we could finish them now," Zethrid argued. "They're vulnerable-"
"Zethrid," Acxa said, "Let's go." her voice was cold, withdrawn.
Glaring, Zethrid retreated, Ezor and Narti following. Acxa cast one last look at Violet's still form and left as well, leaving the broken teludav and the broken paladins behind.
-
Keith wasn't talking. "We need to get her back to the castle," Lance said, voice frantic. "Or a cryo-pod. Something. Anything."
"It's too late," Allura replied softly. "There's nothing we can do to help her. Either she survives now or..." she trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.
A beat of silence filled with enough misery to dampen the air. And then-
Violet's heartbeat, weak but steady, echoed through the room.
Lance heard it first. He let out a shuddering breath, glad he'd been able to keep the tears in. Allura was crying, and Hunk looked awfully close. The princess's head snapped up, and met his eyes. Lance smiled. Vi had done it again.
Keith was shaking; Lance put his hand on his shoulder. Listen.
The paladin blinked in surprise, lifted his head from Violet's prone body.
She did it, he thought. I don't know why we're still surprised. Of course Vi did the impossible. When has she ever not?
"She's still alive," Allura managed to say, her voice thick. "Vi-" she cut herself off. Keith had never heard her call Violet Vi before.
Gently, he slid his arms under her shoulders and lifted her broken body bridal-style. "Shiro, we're going back to our lions. Be ready to pick us up. The battle's over."
No one argued. They got to their lions, Keith setting Violet down next to his seat.
She'd wake up. She had to.
If she didn't ... Keith didn't let himself think past that. The teludav's weight should've killed her, but she was Violet, so of course she hadn't died. But ... without access to a cryo-pod and Altean magic, she might.
And it would be his fault.
The words seemed to ring in his head as Keith and the other lions made their way back to the ship: His fault. His fault. His fault.
Over and over and over.