Back on the bridge, Elle and Keith had just returned to The Castle of Lions and was watching Allura try and locate the Red Lion. Hunk and Lance had just come in, both looking a little roughed up. Allura welcomed the two back, only to get a short complaint of how difficult their task was.
"Yeah, we had a rough time too," Pidge said, sharing a look with Shiro.
Elle looked over at Keith and they too shared a look. Elle smiled, remembering Keith's bad luck with snow.
"Did we find the Red Lion yet?" Shiro asked the two Alteans. Coran stepped up and explained the situation to the paladins.
"The good news is the Red Lion is nearby. The bad news is, it's on board that Galra ship orbiting Arus."
"They're here already?" Shiro asked Coran.
"Yes," Coran said sheepishly, "Finger counting. It's more of an art than a science." Coran said. As if on cue, the screen began wavering. An image of a purple alien with fur began to speak.
"Princess Allura, this is Commander Sendak of the Galra Empire," he identified himself. Elle squinted her eyes at the image, maybe the Alteans just happened to have the most human-like physical appearance. "I am here to confiscate the lions. Turn them over to me or I will destroy your planet." Sendak commanded. The image of Sendak faded to black and was replaced by the landscape of Arus.
Everyone stood in shock until Shiro broke the silence, only to be replaced by Hunk's panicked words. He worried about having only four lions against a whole battleship.
"Wait!" Allura interrupted, "This castle has a particle barrier that we can activate."
"Girl, you've already activated my-"
"Lance!" Shiro said, cutting his words short while Lance received a quick smack on the back of the head from Elle.
The plans for the next course of action were split about three ways. Lance and Hunk wanting to flee, Pidge and Keith wanting to stay and fight, and Elle and Shiro trying to figure out what to do. When the argument between Keith and Lance escalated, Shiro intervened and turned toPrincess Allura's counsel.
"What do you think is the best course of action?" Shiro asked.
"I-I don't know," the Princess stammered.
"Perhaps your father can help," Coran suggested. He then took Allura away to a room that stored the artificial intelligence of her father, leaving the paladins to themselves for a short while. The silence that filled the room was thick. There was simply a lot to take in. One moment, Elle is relaxing on the rooftop of the Galaxy Garrison and the next she's suddenly a paladin of Voltron. Well, technically she's not a literal part of Voltron that it combines with but still, she was on the team.
Not long after, Allura returned clad in a pink and blue armor set and with a determined look on her face. "You paladins were brought here for a reason. The Voltron Lions are meant to be piloted by you and you alone. We must fight and keep fighting until we defeat Zarkon." Allura announced. Having her father's wisdom must have created a new spark within her. "Voltron is the universe's only hope. We are the universe's only hope," she emphasized. Elle didn't know how, but the tension in the air seemingly disappeared and was replaced with determination and a sense of power.
"We're with you, Princess," Shiro announced. Allura smiled and lead the paladins to a room storing armor in pods similar to the pod they found the Princess in, each color-coded to the same colors as the pilot's lion.
Elle reached into the pod and suited up. In the spots that were color coded was simply grey for Elle instead of white, perhaps just a design choice. She chuckled at the thought of calling herself the 'Grey Paladin' as a joke since her armor didn't match her lion. Once everyone was suited up Allura placed a hand on a box that contained something that looked like boomerangs with a handle.
"The Bayard is the traditional weapon of the Paladins of Voltron," Allura explained as the bayards floated towards its respective paladins. Elle took hold of hers with both hands and suddenly it took shape of two twin pistols. She pretended to take aim with it and was satisfied with the natural feel it took to wield it.
Back on the bridge, Allura showed a diagram of the incoming Galra battleship, boiling down the game plan with the paladins. Keith was to search for the red lion with Shiro, Pidge, and Elle while Hunk and Lance distracted the Galra by pretending to surrender their lions.
While Elle and Pidge discreetly flew their lions out of the Galra ship's sight, Hunk and Lance hailed the battleship's attention. They made it without being noticed and cut a hole into the side of the ship to sneak it. Pidge updated the Blue and Yellow Paladins of their position as they secured the area.
The quartet snuck around the halls of the ship, trying to avoid as many enemies as they can. It was when they turned their fifth corner was when Shiro had suddenly sounded like he was in pain. Elle peeked over her shoulder in concern, Shiro being a prisoner of the Galra probably left some trauma in his head. As Shiro was recounting his experience from being captured by the Galra, Pidge realized the other crew members of the Kerberos mission may still be onboard.
"We've-we've got to rescue them," Pidge insisted to Shiro.
Shiro shook his head. "We don't have the time. We have to get the Red Lion and back to Arus." Shiro said, wanting to stay with the plan.
"But we can't just leave the prisoners here!" Pidge argued. The Green Paladin had a point. It didn't sit well with her to leave the prisoners without trying.
"Look, no one understands that more than me," Shiro said gently to Pidge, "But in war, we have to make hard choices. Now, let's get moving."
Pidge wasn't having it. "No!" Pidge yelled at Shiro. "Commander Holt is my father. He and my brother were the ones on the Kerberos Mission with you," Pidge explained. Shiro had a twinge of guilt in his eyes and Pidge's were burning with determination.
Elle quickly decided to intervene. "What if we split up?" Elle asked, "What if Pidge and I go look for the other crew members while you and Keith try finding the Red Lion?"
Shiro gave Elle an acknowledging look. "That's a good idea but I'm going with Pidge. I remember where the prisoners are held and we'll be able to get around quicker," he said siding himself with Pidge. "And Keith," he said before taking off, "Remember: Patience yields focus." The sound of a door opening cut his pep-talk short. "Run!"
The group split up in opposite directions. Pidge and Shiro moving in one direction and Keith and Elle moving in the other. Elle followed Keith's sprint, staying aware of her Bayard in case of an enemy. Keith had hit a fork in the road while trying to find the Lion. Footsteps approached and the two snuck away swiftly in the other direction. Each new turn had led to Keith growing a little more ansty to find the Lion. As if to taunt him, he found he had led himself and Elle to the same spot where they originally split up from Pidge and Shiro.
Keith stopped and took a breath. Elle could hear him quote Shiro's advice and ponder. She took out her Bayard and watched what may be coming from behind. Elle could hear Keith shift and run past her. "Got him," he said leading the way. Elle followed suit with her guns drawn.
Keith had opened a door that leads to a hangar where a giant red forcefield had encased the Red Lion. Keith, satisfied with himself ran up to the Red Lion and was ready for it to accept him as its paladin.
"It's me. Keith. Your buddy," he said as he tried talking to it. "It's me!" he yelled at the lion. It seemed he might take a while with this so Elle brought up her shield and held a gun in her left hand, watching for Galra. "I am your paladin!" Keith yelled at the lion. Shots rained down on the two and Elle provided cover.
"You want to try something other than yelling at it?" Elle asked as she took aim to the heads of the sentries.
"I'm bonding with you!" Keith yelled at the lion as he pulled up his own shield. "We're connected!" More sentries filled the room and Elle couldn't let their numbers increase so she withdrew her shield and fired with both her guns. After taking she took a blow, Keith drew his own sword and shield and attacked the sentries in place of Elle. "You're not getting this lion!" he yelled, only to get hit by a laser himself.
Keith was knocked to Elle's side where she had switched back to firing from behind a shield. Keith looked at her, the control panel, and the enemies. Making a swift decision, he took hold of Elle and smashed the button which opened the main hangar door. The sudden change of pressure forced the sentries out and Keith used all his might to hold on to the control panel and Elle.
"What the ever living quiznak?" Elle yelled as she adjusted her grip on the boy. Keith tried to pull her closer to the control panel so she could press the button and close the doors again, only to get hit by a piece of rubble twice. His grip had failed him and both him and Elle were floating into the depth of space.
All Elle could hear was both her and Keith's panicked breaths gasping for air. Her eyes looked around in panic trying to find a spot get a good grip on Keith as they spun wildly out of control into space only to to see a giant red robotic lion barreling in the direction of her and Keith. The lion closed its jaws around Elle and Keith and the two laid in the jaws, catching their breath.
"I am so sorry about that," Keith said reaching out to help Elle up. She accepted his offer.
"I'll forgive you," she said standing up, "But next time you want to possibly blast us into space, give me, and possibly someone flying a ship a warning," She ushered Keith in the direction of the pilot's seat and watched as the interior come to life as the chair pushed him forward.
"Good Kitty," he said grabbing the handles, "Let's roll." Keith flew in the direction to where they had entered the ship to drop Elle off to her lion. At the same time, Pidge and Shiro were returning from the rescue mission. The four flew back in the direction of Arus, hailing Hunk and Lance, to finally free the Black Lion.