"Soooooooooo? Are we just gunna sit here and wait or did you wanna do something? We could play Killbot Phantasm." Lance was lying on the floor in Red's hangar, his feet propped up against one of the Lion's massive paws. Keith, who was sitting cross-legged beside him, merely rolled his eyes but didn't otherwise acknowledge the boy's question.
Before leaving for the weblum, Keith managed to find some alone time to speak with Pidge and Matt. Captain Olia had given them a list of names, descriptions, and identifying information of the rebels they were to retrieve but Keith knew both Holts well enough to know they would scan each location's records in search of a very particular prisoner. He hoped for their sake they were successful, though there was a very real possibility that they might not find the person they were looking for.
Pidge had gotten angry, shutting him out for even suggesting such a thing. Matt had been much more pragmatic, but ultimately he too was Human and refused to believe they wouldn't find Sam. Keith felt for them, he really did. He remembered a time when he'd been optimistic about retrieving lost Blades, but that was a long time ago and he'd since learned not to build false hope. Still, Sam had been a close friend of his dad and someone who had always been nice to Keith, so he'd offered a plea to the stars and his ancestors asking them to watch over the man.
"Dude, all this waiting sucks! I'm bored." Lance whined and Keith was about to respond with something sassy and witty and clever but the opening of the hangar doors cut him off.
Looking up from the Paladin he'd been scowling at, Keith's eyes locked with those of his mother. She had a hungry energy radiating off her and a wild look flashed across her eyes. Keith quirked a brow and rose to his feet with a slight groan; he'd been sitting still for far too long.
"Keith, Blue Paladin, follow me." Krolia ordered, not slowing for a moment. She powered past him to the small round elevator that linked the Red Lion's hangar with the main bridge, beckoning the two boys to join her. With his interest thoroughly peeked; Keith eagerly rushed to her side while Lance sauntering over to the other. It was a small space for three people and the tight quarters became even less comfortable when the Blue Paladin began grumbling about 'having a name dammit'. Keith snorted and shot the other a look; Krolia ignored him as though she were alone in the tiny lift.
When the doors slid open, she hurried out; her movements never seeming rushed, only purposeful. Allura turned in alarm to greet the rapidly approaching Blade and Krolia strode past her, moving to stand beside Coran and demanding an immediate link to Kolivan. He complied.
"Krolia." Kolivan's stern face filled the centermost screen of the bridge. The two Paladins moved quietly closer, Lance stopping beside the Princess while Keith carried on to his mother's side.
"Leader." She addressed curtly. "I have extracted important information from our captive. Information that will turn the tides of this war."
"I am listening."
"General Acxa was captured inside a weblum by the Red and Blue Paladins and is currently in the Castle's healing pods as she proved to be far less cooperative than necessary ... initially."
"How confident do you feel in the validity of the information acquired?"
"I would stake my life and reputation on it." Kolivan hummed thoughtfully at that, nodding once for her to proceed. "While stationed under Commander Ranveig, I was part of a team to intercept a vile of highly concentrated quintessence. It was unlike anything the Empire had ever sent our way. We ran countless tests with the substance and Commander Ranveig ordered the druid on base to begin a series of experiments to create his super weapon."
"Yes, you have mentioned this in previous reports." Krolia nodded to his interruption.
"I have. The beast that was created proved unstoppable. We kept it sealed away until Keith and I released it on Commander Trugg and her forces. It will have decimated them before we ever left the atmosphere." She looked over her shoulder to Allura, then back to Coran. "What I have to say next concerns the Altean's and I ask that you do not interrupt – no matter how tempted you may be." She leveled her gaze with the Princess who frowned in return, pulling her brows in displeasure, but agreed to remain silent. "Right, during my interrogation of the prisoner, General Acxa delivered several wild and bizarre claims. I believed her to be mocking me until the mention of a unique form of quintessence, one more powerful and pure than anything the universe had ever seen. If it had not been for my work under Commander Ranveig, I would have discounted this as just another lie."
Krolia squared her shoulders, a sideways glance flickering over to Allura before immediately returning to the screens in front of her. "General Acxa has revealed the location of Prince Lotor, his plans, and where the vile came from. I believe we should send a small group of Blade's to investigate these claims. Normally, I would suggest sending the Princess in this unique case; however she is needed with the rest of Voltron for their attack on Central Command."
"Areed, but why suggest Princess Allura? What is it that you found?"
"There is a planet located inside the quantum abyss that holds a colony created by Prince Lotor himself. The Prince had been ordered by Emperor Zarkon to hunt down and eliminate any survivors who had been off planet at the time of Altea's destruction. Instead, he brought them to the remote and well-hidden colony where they have lived in secret for 10,000 deca-phoebs. He used this time to search for any born with 'the mark of the chosen' and harnessed the gifted, siphoning their quintessence and leaving behind empty husks to rot. The vile we intercepted - I believe it to be one of these."
Allura gave a loud and dramatic gasp, Coran stared in silent shock, and Kolivan lost himself to his thoughts as he dissected this new information. Several very tense dobashes went by before he finally replied. "We are ready for our missions, and the battle to take back the Empire will commence in two quintants. This changes nothing. I will spare one fleet of operatives and pods for your side quest, no more. You may select those you feel best suited for this mission; I trust your judgment. In the meantime, provide any thing regarding the Prince to Antok, he is in charge of the assassination and will need all the intel he can get. The Prince's defeat is paramount if we wish to set the Empire in a new direction."
"Yes, Leader. Am I required to return to base?"
"No, you may deliver your report to Antok from the Castle of Lions. In the meantime, we are proceeding with the plans for the Kral Zera. Our selected operative has been informed of his role and has graciously accepted. After Voltron's defeat of the Emperor, he will be in your care to ensure his safe arrival on planet Feyiv for the ceremony."
"Yes, Leader." The line was severed and Allura nearly tackled Krolia, questions flying from her at a rapid-fire rate. The seasoned Blade merely stared in return until she had finished, took a deep breath, and replied in a rather condescending tone. "Once you have gathered yourself Princess, you may begin again."
Keith snorted and received a sharp glare from Allura before her attention was refocused on his mother. He rolled his eyes but was genuinely curious about her discovery and therefore chose not to speak up.
"An entire planet filled with surviving Alteans? I must be the one to go."
"No, you mustn't." Krolia responded rather curtly.
"My people need me." Allura pressed.
"The Universe needs you." Krolia insisted. She pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation, letting out a heavy sigh. "Princess, I know how you must be feeling, but you need to understand the importance of defeating the Emperor and the role you play in our plans. Plans that you helped form. You're position with Voltron is vital to the mission and without you we cannot proceed. It is imperative that you remain with the Castle of Lions to defeat Emperor Zarkon. Our operatives, ones specifically chosen for this assignment, will secure the potential colony and will be waiting for you when the mission is completed. In the meantime, do not lose your focus; we must all be prepared for the monumental task before us. Can I trust you to keep a level head?"
"You Galra are so cold." Allura whispered under her breath and Krolia gave no reaction what so ever. Squaring her shoulders and straightening her back, Allura poised herself, drawing on her upbringing to look every bit the royal and diplomat she was. "I will not allow myself to be distracted. Zarkon must be dealt with once and for all. My only request is that I be included in choosing the Blades selected to visit the colony. I wish to send a message along with them for any Alteans that live there."
"That sounds reasonable. I'm certain your request can be accommodated."
"It is my hope that once we have defeated Zarkon, we can rebuild the once great coalition my father, King Alfor, began. Being able to include actual Alteans would be more than I thought possible. These people, my people, have been mistreated and abused by Prince Lotor and I will not stand for it."
"Believe me, Princess, the Prince will suffer a fate worse than death." Keith heard Lance gulp beside him and watched horror cross the delicate face of Allura as Krolia took great pleasure in the knowledge of what Antok had planned. He felt himself smiling; the Prince had done terrible things, committed atrocities. He had subjugated entire species, using them for power, learning their ways so that he could exploit them; all under the guise of a peacekeeper. He was just as evil as his corrupted father; more so if you took into account his lies and the way he presented himself. A savior, a guardian angel – more like the devil in disguise. He deserved everything that was coming to him.
"Perhaps, we should continue with the preparations?" Coran cut in. The man had been uncharacteristically quiet and Keith studied him, taking in his nervous state. He was clearly just as eager as Allura to find this colony and save their fellow Alteans from the clutches of Prince Lotor, but he also seemed more wary of the information.
Allura and Krolia delegated what needed to be done, Coran taking on the brunt of the responsibility. Keith watched closely, the older man never seemed to complain though he rarely received thanks for the work he did. The Red Paladin made a mental note to thank him for all that he had contributed when this battle was over. Voltron wouldn't be Voltron without Coran.
"Uh Keith? Buddy?" Lance interrupted his thought process with an exaggerated hand wave directly in front of his face. "You okay man? You've got this lovey-dovey look and you're making googly eyes at Coran. It's weird dude."
He stared blankly at the Blue Paladin, processing his description of what must be a very fond expression on his face and burst out laughing. He explained his thought process, the unwavering dedication of the Altean man, and his desire to express gratitude. Lance was all over it, whole-heartedly agreeing and dragging Keith from the bridge by his wrist as he chased after the mustachioed ginger to scream their thanks at him. Keith rolled his eyes but surrendered to his fate.
A knock on his door took Keith by surprise. Placing the soft cloth he'd been using to polish his blade down onto the bed beside him, he stowed the now shiny weapon at his back. With a groan, he rose from the bed and crossed the room to open the door revealing a distressed Allura. Without a word, Keith turned back to his bed, leaving the door open for her.
"I heard something interesting from 4 little friends of mine regarding you." She said as the door closed behind her.
"I knew I should have eaten those damn mice." Keith muttered under his breath, and the Princess gasped.
"You will do no such thing!" Collecting herself, she sat on the bed beside him silently and waited until Keith was uncomfortable enough to finally turn to address her. Allura smiled. "I wanted to thank you. I know we haven't always gotten along and I know things were difficult for a while, but I wanted to say that you have a good soul. Coran is positively beaming in the engine room. I sometimes forget how lucky I am to have him here. Thank you, Keith."
"For what? Thanking Coran? Uh – you're welcome I guess." He shrugged, uncomfortable with how close she was sitting, with the emotional intimacy of the conversation, and with the attention in general.
"And for asking Hunk to prepare meals for me while I was on your base."
Keith paled. "He told you about that?"
"I thanked him and he insisted the thanks was to be given to you."
"Is this what you came in here for? Cause you can go now." He stood up and moved away from the bed, the Princess' chuckling behind him.
"There was more. I also wanted to discuss taking on Zarkon's witch. Krolia and Antok have confirmed that this Haggar will also need to be defeated or she may try to take back control."
Keith nodded along, everything she was saying was right; the witch needed to go. But who was going to take that on? "She's powerful – more powerful that you can imagine and she'll have her minions surrounding her. To take her out, we'll have to get close, very close, close enough that the Lion's won't be able to protect us."
"Us?" She asked, quirking a brow.
"Do you think I'm stupid? I know you came here to say that you're going to take her on. I'm sure you think you have a good reason 'blah blah blah duty blah blah blah Altean Alchemy blah blah blah need to feel useful' or whatever." He crossed his arms and she snickered at his high-pitched rendition of her voice.
"I do Not sound like that." Any force in her words was canceled out by the underlying chuckle.
"You kinda do." He replied. "Seriously, you can't take her on alone, she'll have her Druids backing her up and you'll be outnumbered and out matched."
"And what do you suggest?"
"Alright guys, listen up." Shiro commanded control of the room. Everyone was gathered on the Castle's bridge; all 5 Paladins, the two Alteans, Krolia, Regris, Marra, and everybody's favourite rebel; Matt. Pozzi had joined Coran on his expedition to Olkarion with Slav and had chosen to stay behind. Keith couldn't be happier, though both were still present for the debriefing via com link.
Their Black Paladin was standing in the center of the bridge, a holographic model of the massive teludav hovering over his head. His hands were on his hips and he stood tall, speaking clearly, and earning the respect of everyone present. "I'll use the Black Lion to lure Zarkon's fleet to our current location and make sure he's within the teludav's area of effect. Keeping the teludav hidden behind the space-fold until the last possible second is essential. We can count on you right, Slav?" He turned to face the screen and the strange but brilliant engineer nodded his assent.
"Absolutely, I'll be fine. I'm not sure about the gravity generator though."
"What? What was that last thing?" Hunk cut in nervously.
"Hiding a ship is one thing, but I've never had to build a gravity generator for something this large before. I know it'll work, but I'm not really sure for how long."
"Well, that's a risk we're going to have to take." Shiro spoke with finality; they had to have faith in their plan if there was any hope of succeeding. "Once Zarkon's ship is in position, Krolia and Regris will coordinate with Thace. Together they'll take down Zarkon's security system and upload the virus which will infect Central's systems, preventing them from using hyper drive or any of their weapons. "
Pidge adjusted their glasses, a devilish gleam in their eyes. "And then, he'll be a sitting duflax." Literally only Keith laughed, the Humans not knowing what a duflax is, and the others not understanding the Earth specific idiom.
"Crickets." Lance whispered to Hunk, earning himself a death glare from the gremlin.
"What? A duflax is an Altean creature with a beak and webbed feet." They explained defiantly. "Space duck." The grouchy Green Paladin crossed their arms over their chest with a huff.
"Jokes dead, Pidge." Lance dismissed with a flippant arm wave.
"You're dead." They muttered under their breath in return. Keith snickered but jumped back in surprise as Coran leapt across the bridge, taking over the debriefing.
"We'll wormhole Zarkon 500 million bliks away!"
"Uh, what's a blik?" Hunk asked and Keith mumbled an unenthusiastic 'light year' in response. "Ohhh. So like, a light deca-phoeb?" The big guy compared and Keith stared blankly at him, pulling his brows together in confusion.
"Well, yeah, but who's going to say that. Just say blik." Keith rolled his eyes and re focused on the meeting, urging Coran to continue.
"He'll be in the Yggiz Galaxy before he knows what hit him!"
Keith sat in the Red Lion, waiting for the signal from Krolia that gave the go ahead for the wormhole to be activated. He watched in nervous silence, from inside Red's hangar, as Shiro followed the battle plans and cleared a path for the Blade pod holding his mother and Regris. He hadn't had a chance to speak with either of the two Holts privately after they'd returned from their prison crawl. He'd been busy with Allura, and they'd been making modifications to the Blade pods. They added a cloaking device, and Krolia was at the helm, meaning he shouldn't be this worried but he couldn't help it. They still hadn't received a check-in from Thace, and now both his mother and uncle would be on Central command, not to mention is best friend.
Keith gave his head a shake, he needed to focus, he needed to be ready the moment Central lost power but something was going wrong; he could feel it. His gut was screaming at him that this was taking longer than it should have. He heard Antok's voice over the coms confirming that the Blade of Marmora had reached Lotor's fleet and were preparing to board. Kolivan wished them luck in one breath then asked Allura for a report with the next. Business as usual. Keith had been on missions before, and with Voltron he'd seen more battle than ever. But never had a single mission risked so much if it failed.
If the Blade's failed he would lose Tok and Zavin and even Plak and Ulaz who had been brought in for the mission. Zavin and Plak were each in the top tier of fighters and pilots that the Blade had to offer and the assassination of Prince Lotor was an all hands on deck mission.
If Voltron failed he would lose his two oldest friends Reg and Marra, as well as his Uncle Thace, and his mother. Not to mention the Paladins! Keith didn't know what he would do if this mission failed and he lost any of them. There was no way he could ever return to Earth without Shiro, or Lance, or Hunk, or Pidge, or even Matt.
He gripped at the controls of his Lion and focused his energy on Krolia, feeling her quintessence, trying desperately to gauge the progress of their mission. There was a vague sense of urgency before everything was overshadowed by darkness. A twisted, angry, hate fueled presence took over and became all he could sense. Quiznak! He cursed under his breath.
"Mom?" Keith opened up the com line and hailed Krolia. "You need to hurry up. The witch is tracking you and she's getting close!"
"Noted. Thank's for the heads up, sweetie." He heard Reg snicker in the background, mumbling 'sweetie' before being smacked. Keith smiled, but it didn't last long, the swirling in his gut was getting stronger.
Another few dobashes went by before Shiro started getting anxious, "I can't hold them by myself much longer." He complained over the coms and Pidge responded immediately. He saw a streak of green fly across his screen, followed by yellow and finally blue as the other Paladins jumped into the fray. Keith didn't need to be told twice (or even once apparently since no one had actually asked for help), he flew Red out of her hangar taking down 3 pods before he'd even made it to Shiro's side.
They fought together as a team, coming to each other's aid when needed and taking out the biggest threats they could handle in a bid to offer an escape route for the Blade pod. Which they still hadn't heard from. Keith tried not to think about it, tried not to let his mind run over every possible scenario where NO! – he wasn't going to fixate, he wasn't Slav.
Giving his head a shake, he moved Red to backup Hunk who had 5 pods on his tail, then Lance who found himself pinned between Central Command and an approaching cruiser. Every so often Black would zip by him, or a pod would erupt with vines, or Yellow would smash head first into something, or a sudden jet of ice from Blue would set off his proximity alarm. Keith pulled out his fire power on a pod and whipped Red around to hit another that had been trying to sneak up on him.
Finally, they heard from Krolia. "We found Thace. The Empire switched out the codes and we're trying a work-around."
"What are you doing? Will it still work?" Shiro asked cautiously.
This time it was Regris who replied. "I'm using the main power to overload the system." And Keith froze.
"You're turning the room into a bomb?" he heard his voice as if from afar, the words whispered into the com.
"Essentially - it's the only way." Regris answered and Keith nodded.
"Come back in one piece." Was all he said before the link disconnected. The other Paladin's didn't dare comment and he was thankful for their silence.
The battle surged on, wave after wave of pods and cruisers flowing from Central's hangars to take down the Paladins. Allura ordered them to focus on Central itself as the command ship was reaching the outer edge of the teludav's reach. They redoubled their efforts, forcing the massive base back into the center of their target area. Slav whimpered over the coms about the gravity generator's power levels, Krolia messaged to say they were running from the control room, Shiro ordered them to watch for the small bay doors opening so they could protect the pod, all the while blast after blast rang out around them. It was chaos.
"The gravity generator just lost power!" Slav panicked over the coms. "Now there's no reality where we all get out alive!" He panicked as they were exposed. The massive teludav glowed brightly with its distinctly Altean light and design, completely open to attack. The sudden appearance of the Castle Ship caught the attention of the Empire and Keith watched as ion cannon after ion cannon changed its direction, taking aim at their exposed ship. He called to Allura, urging her to activate the Castle's particle barrier and directing the other Paladins to take out the cannons. Lance had sassed him, asking when Red had become the head of Voltron but Shiro shut him up and ordered everyone to follow Keith's command. The Red Paladin focused his rail gun on the cruisers, painfully aware of his limited shots, and tried to line up as many targets as possible. He begged the Ancestors to forgive him and let it rip, watching as he carved a line of destruction through the Empire's fleet.
"We cannot wait any longer; I'm powering the teludav now."Allura announced and Keith opened the line to his mother once again. He shouted into the coms for an update and received nothing in return, shouting again with more urgency only to be met with continued silence. His heart started to race, panic setting in, a mission had never gone this far off course. He only hoped the assassination of the Prince was going better.
The tics felt like vargas before a familiar voice echoed through his coms. "The suits were damaged in the blast. We could not respond until inside the pod. Central's systems are down and Regris successfully uploaded the virus. We are launching in 3 tics." Thace's voice ushered in a flood of relief and he heard Shiro give the command to 'cover them' as the Paladins moved into position. A rush of energy engulfed him as it hummed across his lion, Allura's power encircling them, and the teludav roared to life. The Blade pod shot out of Central Command, rocketing across the distance at a record speed and he couldn't tell if Krolia or Thace had taken the role of pilot. Keith watched them dock in the Castle's main hangar, sealing the hangar door as the wormhole enveloped them all.
"It's not over yet!" Shiro announced. Keith looked around himself, taking in the dark form of Central Command, the scattering pods, and the destruction that floated aimlessly about. Catching the Emperor was supposed to be the easy part; now they had to kill him. He heard Shiro over the coms again, commanding the Paladins to prepare for phase two. "Everyone, form Voltron!"
They exited the wormhole to a fleet of rebel ships and a small collection of Blade pods. It was truly impressive how many had pledged themselves to assist Voltron. The first thing he heard was Shiro once again. Their Black Paladin instructing them to act fast as the massive base would be 'offline' for only 20 more dobashes.
"The Blade of Marmora's schematics show four targets we need to hit: the weapons systems, the engines, the bridge, and the shield generators. Now, let's put an end to Zarkon ONCE AND FOR ALL!" Shiro gave the order and received a round of cheers from the other Paladins, Keith included. They were so close, so close to everything his organization had worked so hard for thousands of deca-phoebs to achieve. The end was within grasp and all he had to do was take out this one obstacle. The Emperor was the last piece, the last target, and the be-all-end-all of their plans. If they failed here, it didn't matter whether the Prince died, they would never get an opportunity like this again and the Empire would wipe out the rebel forces. Voltron's allies would be decimated. The universe would be lost.
Okay, dark. He thought to himself, shaking his head again and trying his absolute damnedest to focus. "Form sword!" he heard Shiro command and Keith obliged, happy for the distraction from his thoughts. They charged at the massive base, dragging their sword across the hull and causing a series of small, localized explosions. "Hit the engine systems." Came over the coms from Black and their sword grew in size before they slammed it into one of the marked locations. With each pre assigned target hit, their on-screen maps adjusted, showing the remaining targets as directed by Kolivan.
The resulting explosion was massive, and sent a shockwave across the underside of Central that sent Voltron flying backwards. They used their new found distance to unleash a series of blasts across the protruding arms of the base, weakening them in the process. The rebel fighters moved in, targeting the weakened arms and distracting the pods that launched to defend their home. Shiro ordered Green's mouth laser and Voltron carved a path of destruction near their next target before calling for their sword once again and heading for the second set of engines.
"Good job, guys! Now, let's target the bridge." Shiro commanded once again as yet another catastrophic explosion went off in their wake. They almost made it, they had been so close, but a building of dark energy below had Keith's head spinning. He let out a pathetic whine he hadn't made since he was a very small kit and his gut screamed at him, louder this time than ever before.
"What is that?" Lance asked over the coms and Keith forced himself to open his eyes, forced himself to sit up straight in the pilot's seat, and forced himself not to panic as he saw the darkness Haggar was building.
The blast hit them before they could even react and Keith nearly vomited. The komar drained their quintessence, lending it directly to the witch and her power grew. This was it; this would be the end of them if they didn't manage to break her hold. He focused his rapidly dwindling energy on her iron grip, willing the flow of quintessence to stop. He felt his strength slowly return as the komar's effects on him weakened, but he knew that he was the only one. Keith pushed back as his strength returned, blocking her connection to the other's one at a time; first Shiro, then Lance, followed by Pidge, and finally Hunk. Her connection was severed and he fell back into his seat, exhausted.
"Paladins! Shiro! Can you hear me?" he heard Allura call over the coms.
"Keith? KEITH!" his mother's voice joined through the Blade line.
"Yes, Princess. We're alive." Shiro responded, weak and barely holding onto consciousness.
"Oh, thank the ancients! Is Voltron operational?" Coran sounded worried, and for good reason; none of their lions had any power. Keith could hear the other's answering so he turned his attention to Krolia, responding to her concern and assuring her that they were all fine ... ish.
Just then, a large door opened on the underside of Central Command and a massive form emerged. It felt tainted; the energy it gave off was dark and twisted. Once again, it was Lance who noticed before the others and it was Lance who drew attention to the hulking mass. Keith heard Pidge gasp and Hunk whimper, but the most terrifying sound of all was the pained gasp that escaped Shiro followed by a whispered "It's Zarkon." Keith stared at the corrupted Emperor as he approached. They were the sitting duflaxes now, their lions were dead, they barely had any energy left, and the sheer power emanating off the mech in front of them was dizzying. Keith felt his mouth go dry, genuinely afraid for his life.
It was Allura's voice that pulled him back from the brink, her words that echoed in his mind and gave him the strength he needed. "Listen to me. You are true Paladins now. Connect with your lions, reach out to each other! FIGHT! This cannot end now!" He felt her words resonate. The Castle of Lions flew past them and let out a powerful blast directly at the Emperor's armour, but he was fast; his suit's wings flying into place to block the attack and reflect it across his own ship. The Castle's weapon ripped across the base, showing the power that Allura was capable of harnessing as it left destruction in its wake. But it was futile; the suit adjusted the trajectory of the beam and caused it to connect with itself, resulting in a truly horrifying scream escaping Allura as her own power was turned against her. Shiro called out the Princess' name in alarm and Keith watched as an explosion on the bridge severed their connection to the Castle of Lions.
He felt the pain from each of the others as it surged through the Paladin bonds, amplifying his own. It couldn't end like this; they couldn't lose to the Emperor, not now – not ever! Shiro's calm voice came over the coms, pulling their focus and uniting them once again. "Everybody, listen, we have to fight. We have to channel all our energy, visualize five becoming one. We have to focus everything we have into moving Voltron. We are the last thing standing in the way of Zarkon's total universal domination. I'm not giving up that fight. Are you Hunk?"
"No." Hunk's voice was resolute and Keith could feel the stability of earth ground them all as if they were planted firmly on the ground instead of drifting in space. Yellow roared to life.
"Pidge?"
"NEVER!" They cried out in response and a rush of energy flowed through them, he could feel the electric pulse of Green as she roared and their minds buzzed with ideas.
"Lance?"
"Let's go down swingin'." Lance was cocky but determined, and Blue fed off it. She roared loudly and her calm, cool waters washed over them, enveloping Keith in a sense of protection and trust.
"Keith?" It was his turn and he was ready. This was a fight he'd been waiting for.
"I'm all in." He replied and Red's thunderous roar sent a blast of fiery energy soaring through their bonds. His drive, his will to fight, his Galran blood lust mixing with her fire to power the others and put the pulse back into Voltron.
"Then let's get Voltron back in this battle!" Shiro commanded and they immediately responded. Keith calling their sword as they braced for the impending attack while the Emperor approached.
His armour was powerful, but so were they. Voltron fought with everything they had, pulling on the experience from each of the robeasts Haggar had sent, each of their past battles. Green supplied them with suggested tactics, Blue calmed their nerves, Red fueled their attacks, Yellow held their bonds, and Black led the charge. Together they could do this, together they could anything. He could feel it, the truth of that sentiment ringing clearly through Keith's mind. Together was the key.
The rebels swarmed the komar, preventing the witch from attacking them with it again. Keith pulled his coms and tried to contact Krolia but received nothing. The Castle was still dark and unresponsive so he contacted one of the Blade pods, watching as it changed direction and turned back from the fight to head for their downed ship. Keith alerted the other Paladins of his actions and felt their relief, someone was going after the rest of their team, someone was going to make sure they were alright.
It didn't take long before Emperor Zarkon doubled down and shot out one powerful weapon after the next and Keith's stomach dropped – it was just like the last time he'd taken him on; he was using the black bayard. A particularly powerful blast ripped from the weapon in his hands and tore them all apart, setting the five lions to drift in different directions.
"You should have fled like your predecessors." The Emperor's rumbly voice echoed through their coms, the bayard and his weakened connection with the Black lion granting him access. "Now, the time of the Voltron Paladins is finished."
A darkness crashed into him again and Keith felt it in his gut; something was very very wrong. "Shiro?" He called to silence. "SHIRO?" still nothing, the Black Lion drifted aimless and silent through space as the battle raged behind them. "Somethings wrong with Shiro. Guys, we can't let Emperor Zarkon get the Black Lion." He moved Red into position, a protective stance between the two leaders; one he respected and one he despised.
They fought a losing battle. They were sorely out matched and it was becoming painfully clear until – something magnificent happened. He felt the rush as soon as it happened, Shiro and Black merged consciousness, binding the Paladin and the Lion on a completely new level. The ephemeral wings of Black opened, letting Shiro phase right through the heart of their enemy.
"Whoa ... what did you do?" Lance asked with reverence.
Shiro gasped a few times, struggling to regain his composure. "I've got Zarkon's bayard." He sounded astonished, speaking with barely more than a whisper.
"You mean you've got your bayard!" Keith urged and Shiro let out a chuckle.
"Ya, I guess you're right." He pulled himself together, back into leader mode and doled out his order to form Voltron, which the team responded to immediately. This time they had the all five bayards and the Emperor had no weapon aside from his suit.
The battle raged, and their enemy evaded everything they threw at him. From the corner of his eyes Keith watched the power return to Central Command, he watched the fleet of fighter pods launch and engage the rebels and Blades in battle once again. He watched as the Castle came back online, and he watched a massive explosion take out the komar. Things were looking up and with one last charge Voltron plunged its sword through the Emperor's suit. He felt those powerful claws grab onto their head, and the surge of tainted quintessence as it poured into Black. Then, out of nowhere, the Black bayard was activated and their sword suddenly burst with energy, tearing through the armour and obliterating the one inside.
A powerful shockwave was released, shaking Voltron to its very core and threatening to pull them apart yet again. Keith pushed back, he could feel a darkness latching onto them, latching onto Black, and he pushed with every fiber of his being. Grunting, he called for assistance. "Guys, I need your help! Focus on me! He's trying to tear us apart!" The responding surge fueled him, it gave him the burst he needed to meld with his lion, becoming one with Red and calling out to Black.
He stood in a vast sea of stars spreading in all directions into infinity. Beneath him was a glowing blue lioness, wrapped protectively around Lance, as waves lapped at their feet. To the left of Lance was a mass of glowing yellow that lay flat against solid rock, the only sign of Hunk being a single arm poking out of the lion's main. He looked back up and to his left taking note of Pidge sitting between the legs of a glowing green lioness, vines weaving around them as they talked. Keith smiled and felt it falter the moment he looked up. Black was lying on his side, purple main splayed around him as Shiro fought to push a larger being away. Zarkon!
Red's fire ignited around him and Keith willed it to Shiro's aid. The flames danced and jumped between them, wrapping themselves around the Black Paladin protectively and lending him the power he needed to take control of the fight. The Emperor was forced back, stumbling closer to Pidge and Green roared, vines shooting up to tangle around his legs. He slashed at them but Blue sent a tidal wave to knock him off balance and he crashed hard onto the unforgiving rock Yellow provided. Finally Black roared back to life and pounced on his former Paladin, the force of which sent Keith flying back to reality.
"WHOA!! You guys feel that? My lion just went nuts!" Lance proclaimed over their coms to the assent of both Pidge and Hunk. Keith chuckled and he heard a heavy sigh come from Shiro.
"Alright guys, we need to end this." He took another deep breath, still trying to collect himself. "Let's disband into our lions. Lance? Hunk? Follow my lead and we'll get rid of these fighters. Pidge? See if you can shut down Central Command again. And Keith? You already have your orders from Allura. Let's go team!"
They disbanded after that, each heading off to their assigned task. Keith flew Red straight for the now destroyed komar, landing on the remains of the outcropping. Exiting the lion he waited for the personal transporter to arrive and when it did, both he and Allura charged after the witch. Finding her wasn't the hard part; Allura could sense her energy, confirming once and for all that Haggar was Altean. It was beating her that was going to be hard.
They caught up to her outside the throne room. A hangar door was open and she was assisting some pods with their return of the Emperor's mech suit. Keith directed Lance to intercept them over the coms and watched with glee as the Blue Lion made a 180 degree turn, rushing towards them at full speed. Seeing Blue's mouth open and the laser charge for attack, he jumped in front of the Princess and pulled up his energy shield as a precaution. The blast connected with the floating armour, obliterating the remnants, and the witch shrieked in rage. She vanished in an instant, reappearing directly in front of Keith and zapping his shield with her lightning. He was thrown back as it flickered and went out.
Allura leapt around him, pulling out a staff from behind her back and lunging into an attack of her own. She met the witch blow for blow, super charging her staff's ability by enhancing it with her alchemy. Haggar howled in rage as she shot burst after burst after burst of black and purple lightning, the ferocity of her attacks increasing as she lost control of herself.
One of the five druids moved to attack and Keith drew his blade, the luxite being his best bet against their magic. It wasn't really magic, he knew that, but it was the best way to describe the levels at which these creatures could manipulate quintessence. Since luxite repelled any quintessence other than its own it made for the perfect weapon to take them down. Blade in hand, Keith lunged at the beast, feeling the luxite awaken at his touch and extend into a full sword just before making contact with its shoulder. The Druid screamed and awful sound that made the hair on his neck curl. He spun around, swiping out with the blade again but this time the foul creature was expecting it and knew to fear the luxite. It vanished, reappearing at his left to zap him and send Keith flying across the room.
Distantly he was aware that three of the Druids had gone back to retrieving the mech suit, but he could feel the truth that the Emperor was dead. They'd already won that fight and Haggar knew it; that's why she was so angry. She shouted hateful things at Allura, but the Princess just let them roll off her and it only seemed to anger the witch more.
A blast of lightning soared past his head and Keith ducked at the last possible moment, his gut urging him to roll to the left, then the right, then jump to his feet and kick. His foot connected with it for a brief tic before it vanished, reappearing behind him once again. Keith let out a huff and spun around to face it. Dobashes went by and he felt like he was making no progress, worse was that the three Druids had succeeded in salvaging the mech suit, and Allura was losing ground to the witch who had gained the assistance of the 5th Druid. Closing his eyes he focused on feeling where his Druid was, sensing their sickening quintessence and then he plunged his blade. It struck true and the foul creature sputtered in and out of existence as it tried to apparate away, the luxite holding it in place. He felt the moment it collapsed and Keith pulled back his sword, turning to check in on the Princess.
She wasn't doing well, taking on two opponents at once was running her ability to properly form attacks and he could see her energy levels draining. She needed help. Haggar pinned her with a powerful blast and the druid charged up for its attack. Keith could only watch on in horror; too far away to intervene.
With all his might he focused on Allura, focused on the need to protect her and a strange sensation took over his body. It tingled under his skin and he felt a power he had never felt before as if opening a pathway he'd always known existed but never knew how to access. The energy surged through his veins and he knew what to do, all those records he'd read in the Castle's archives had prepared him for exactly this. Closing his eyes he shifted his energy to where he felt Allura's distinct quintessence and in a flash of bright red and gold light he was there; standing beside her and catching the black lightning.
The lightning connected with him, but this time it did no damage. He felt the darkness wrap around his outstretched arms and he circled them in a wide arch over his head before redirecting them back to the Druid. The energy shot out, changing from an electric black and purple to a vibrant gold and red as it left his body. The Druid screamed a horrid sound, exploding rather dramatically as golden sparks rained down from the space they had inhabited moments ago.
Haggar hissed at him, an unnatural sound as her Altean vocal cords tried to replicate a Galran warning. He hissed back, if only to show her how it was done, and lunged forward. Allura surged with him and together they moved in tandem as they overwhelmed their powerful enemy. She shot at them with everything in her arsenal but it wasn't enough, Allura's alchemy was just as powerful as hers and she had an answer for everything the witch threw her way. Finally the old hag vanished in a flurry of fireworks as Allura captured and released a particularly powerful blast of her own dark lightning, sending it back to her in an explosive display. Keith was impressed; he stared at the Princess in awe for an entire tic before remembering about the other three Druids.
They had opened up the mech suit and removed the disfigured remains of the former Emperor, placing him in a coffin of sorts. Except it was no coffin. This contraption was connected to vats of pure quintessence and as they sealed the case, they began the ritual to infuse his body with it. Keith panicked; this could potentially restore him to life if done quickly enough. He informed Allura of the danger and rushed towards them, blade drawn.
As he approached a blast of powerful lightning sent him smashing into one of the vats, shattering it in the process and soaking Keith in the quintessence. The pure energy seeped into his body and he felt the pulse of it as his senses heightened. A maniacal laugh rang in his head and all around him, spinning rapidly he searched for the source and found her; Haggar. She was hovering slightly above the ground behind him, hands out stretched, and charging for an attack. In the corner of his eyes Keith saw Allura as she fought against the three Druids, keeping them away from the vats and preventing them from performing their ritual. Only one more varga and it would be too late to revive the fallen Emperor and no matter what they tried, Zarkon would remain dead.
A blast collided with his chest and Keith groaned from the pain. Haggar's power was different from the Druids; he could feel that she was using a tainted and twisted version of alchemy. He felt his body rise into the air and then, like a child's doll, he was tossed across the large room once again. With a pained moan he pushed himself to his feet, trying to focus his vision now that his visor screen had been cracked. He couldn't see a thing; the fracture pattern distorted his view and blocked important information, so he yanked the damn thing off. His head was now totally exposed but at least he could see.
He scanned the room, not seeing the witch but noticing that Allura was down to two opponents instead of three. He moved to assist her but felt his leg being held firmly in place. Looking down he saw a tendril of black magic that had wrapped its way around his ankle and slowly began snaking its way up his leg. He pulled his blade and swiped at it but another tendril grabbed his wrist and held his arm back. Not to worry, Keith had trained himself to be ambidextrous, so he switch the blade into his other hand and – felt it immediately be locked down by yet another tendril. He tried to kick his free leg but it too was seized and a fifth found its way around his throat while a sixth wrapped around his waist and a seventh tried to pierce his heart. He blocked it, putting up as many barricades as possible with his own quintessence manipulation and tried to focus on replicating his jump from earlier.
But it was fruitless, the witch had him locked down and she suddenly appeared before him, her face mere inches from his own. "You could be my most powerful Druid." She croaked. "Let me train you and together we can unleash the abundant potential within." He spat into her open mouth and she shrieked, recoiling in disgust. "Filthy half-breed!" She cried back. "I'LL MAKE YOU REGRET THIS!" Her power surged around her, building strength with each breath and he felt that fear settle back in his gut, suddenly very aware of his own mortality. She built up her charge and took her aim but the blast never came. Allura had ambushed her, jamming her staff into the witch's back and causing her magic to explode upwards instead of at him. The tendrils that bound him disappeared with her release and he wasted no time in swiping at her core with his blade.
She screamed a blood curdling scream as the luxite cut through her cloak and drew away dripping. Allura's staff slammed down beside him, the witch narrowly avoiding another direct him. Keith ran for the coffin case, Allura panting behind him, and drove his luxite blade through the cover. Another scream sounded and an enraged Haggar shot yet another powerful blast of lightning their way. Allura rolled to the right, Keith rolled to the left – directly into the pool of spilled quintessence. He stood up, wiping the glowing purple liquid off of himself as best he could before searing pain erupted across his face. The witch had appeared in front of him, cupping his whole head in her hateful hands and forcing a surge of power directly onto his skin. It erupted across his flesh, burning and tingling as it radiated from each cheek, meeting behind his neck, then down his spine as it followed the path of the quintessence running down his back and soaking his underarmour.
This time it was Keith who screamed and he felt the shock of Allura's staff as it connected with the witch. He also felt the life draining from her as she continued to fight beyond her capabilities. The Druids were dead, the Emperor was dead, and she was about to join them. He pushed through the blinding pain to level his bayard with her chest, unable to reach his blade that had been knocked to the floor. He willed the weapon to form his sword and it did as he commanded, the red and white tip plunging itself through her chest.
The pain on his skin waned as the source of its power quickly vanished, collapsing into a heap on the throne room floor. Keith wasn't far behind her, landing with a thud as his legs finally gave out.