~~~~Saoirse~~~~
I stood next to Allura with Romelle as we watched the doctors take care of the Altean we found in the white mech wreckage. She was extremely weak and most of her energy was drained.
It was as if all of her energy was forcibly sucked out of her. Just feeling such a low energy from a single person was sickening. She had been here for a couple of weeks, and the girl still didn't wake up. During that time, I was training with my mother and Lellal, learning to hear the stars.
It worked most of the time, but they seemed afraid. Like, something terrible was going to happen, or something has already happened in the universe. I just hoped that we wouldn't be too late to stop it.
We would be launching on the Atlas to go back into space to free the rest of the oppressed planets in the universe tomorrow. Hopefully, we would find what was making the stars so afraid and stop it.
"You know," Romelle said breaking the silence between the three of us, "back on the colony, Luca and I didn't always get along. But despite that, I always respected Luca. She had an inner strength that many did not and a desire to be a part of something greater than herself."
"If she was so desperate to believe in, it may have made her susceptible to being manipulated." Allura said.
"Yeah, but by who?" I asked, "There are things about the universe we still don't know."
"What about your training to hear the stars? Haven't they told you anything?" Allura asked. I shook my head.
"Not really. I only get specific feelings, and for some reason, the stars are afraid. Afraid of what is what I'm trying to figure out." I said.
"Just keep trying, Saoirse. I'm sure you'll find an answer." Romelle said confidently. I smiled at her, nodding with determination.
I said my goodbyes and went down the halls to find the others, so that I could at least wind down from all the stress of being an Admiral.
I mean, I can handle stress, but it was the fact that everyone in the Garrison began treating me strangely. I suppose I would have to get used to everyone addressing me as Admiral Shirogane. But I was glad my friends treated me the same.
I went down the halls, looking for the rest of my friends. I went down to the kitchen and dining hall, when I heard a sudden shout.
"What!?" A voice shouted, "Keith and Allura? No, it should be Lance and Allura!"
"Ooh, a love triangle. I like where you're taking this." I heard Hunk say.
I walked to the entrance to the dining room and saw Hunk and Lance talking. Lance was standing up, his hands slammed against the table as he quickly calmed down and sat back down in his seat.
"Hey, guys, is something wrong?" I asked, walking up to their table.
"Saoirse, hey. How's it going?" Lance said, his tone a little sad and down.
"I'm okay. I heard Lance shout and came to see what was wrong? So, tell me what's happening." I said.
"It's nothing, I just have a few things on my mind." Lance answered.
Hunk's eyes widened,"Wait, wait, wait, that's right. You said you were gonna ask Allura on a date." He said surprising me.
"A date with Allura? You're finally asking her? I knew you two would make an amazing couple!" I said, happy that Lance was going to ask her. I could tell that he really loved Allura, not just for her looks, but for her personality. And I could tell that Allura was warming up to him as well. I didn't need powers to tell me that.
"You asked her, didn't you? Oh, and she said no." Hunk said, "Oh, oh no. Here I am rubbing your face in it."
"She didn't say no. I..." Lance said, looking down at his cup, "Well, I never asked her."
"You chickened out?" Hunk asked.
"I was going to ask her, but she's been spending, like, every day in the med bay. Maybe-- Maybe this just isn't the right time."
"No, Lance. What? It's the only time."
"Hunk is right, Lance." I said, "After tomorrow, we'll be back in space fighting the Galra. We don't know what'll happen while we're out there. If you don't ask Allura today, then you might not have this chance ever again. Better to do it now then never."
"Yeah, what Saoirse. You're asking her today, and that is final, young man." Hunk said in an almost fatherly tone.
Lance still looked uncertain, but I could tell that he knew it was his last chance.
I placed my hand on his shoulder, making him look at me with his uncertain expression.
"You can fight hordes of Galra, but you're afraid of asking a girl on a date?" I chuckled, "Come on, Lance. If you don't ask her now, then how are you supposed to tell her how you feel?"
Lance gave me a small smile, but in his eyes I could tell he was still a little nervous and uncertain. However, I know he can do it. After all, I know how it feels to confess long term feelings to then one you love.
~~~~Keith~~~~
We were called to the conference room for one last briefing before launching tomorrow. Saoirse, Shiro and Veronica stood at the front of the conference room, ready to go over the last minute details about the launch.
I just couldn't stop staring at Saoirse. Now that she was Admiral, she had a lot of pressure on her shoulders, and soon, we would be going back to the fighting and battles in space.
Looking at her now, seeing how professional she looks in the Admiral uniform, she had become so much stronger than she was before. I smiled, seeing her stand proudly in front of the people in the room. I really fell hard for a strong woman.
"Everyone, welcome to our final briefing here on Earth." Shiro said, "It's been several months since we began to rebuild, and tomorrow we launch and continue our liberation efforts across all planets still under Galra rule. Commander Holt, what's the latest from your team?"
"We've comfirmed that there's still no Galra activity within several galaxies of the Milky Way. It appears Earth was Sendak's only target." Commander Holt explained.
"Where are we with Earth's defenses?" Saoirse asked.
"I've finished my check-in with all the Garrison facilities around the globe. All defenses are up and running. Earth has everything in place to keep itself safe." I explained.
"Great. And Atlas preparations?" Shiro asked.
"Repairs to the IGF-Atlas were completed early last week and it has since passed every test protocol we've put it through." Veronica stated.
"Good. Any updates on the Altean pilot?"
"She's stable, but still unresponsive." Saoirse informed.
"But she could wake any day now." Allura added, "Perhaps if we had a little more time, we could find out who sent her."
"There's no way to know when or if she'll regain consciousness." I said, "We can't wait any longer. We need to get back out there and end this war before the Galra can reorganize."
"Keith's right." Shiro said, "We'll be in constant communication with Earth. When the Altean wakes up, we'll know. I have one more item to discuss. It's our last night on Earth anf we've got a lot of hard work ahead of us. We may not be back home for years. So I'm ordering you..." he smiled, "to take some time for yourselves. Be with the ones you love. You've earned it."
Shiro dismissed us and we all went our separate ways. I saw Saoirse walking out the room with another commander talking about final preparations.
I wanted to ask her out tonight, but she was always surrounded by Garrison members. I never got a more than ten minutes alone with her, and mostly that was when her family and other Garrison members were nearby.
Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around and saw Shiro smiling behind me.
"I'll take care of the commander. Go on and ask her. She needs a little relaxation time today before the launch." He said. I should've been surprised, but seeing as Shiro was her older brother, I guess it was expected that he knew my plans.
"Thanks, Shiro." I said. The two of us walked over to Saoirse and the commander.
"Commander Rivens." Shiro said, catching the commander's and Saoirse's attention, "I'd like to talk to you about the communication systems."
"Of course, Captain Shirogane." The commander said then turned back to Saoirse, "Please excuse me, Admiral Shirogane."
"Of course, no problem." Saoirse replied.
Shiro and the commander walked down the halls to discuss the topic, while I was left with Saoirse.
"Hey, Saoirse." I said, grabbing her attention and her hand. Her cheeks turned bright red, since we haven't held hands in a long time. And now that we knew about our feelings towards each other, I suppose it was a little shocking for me to do something like this so suddenly.
"What's the matter, Keith?" She asked. I looked down at our interlocked hands and felt my face heat up, turning as red as the Red Lion.
"Um.... I was wondering.... if you had nothing to do tonight, maybe we could go out somewhere. On a date." I said, stuttering a lot through my words.
Her eyes widened, surprised by my question, but she smiled and hugged me tightly.
"I would love to, Keith." She said, then pulled away from me. I smiled, happy to hear her say yes.
"Great, meet me at seven, right at the Garrison entrance." I said, quickly giving her a peck on her forehead and then walking away, my face burning and a huge smile om my face.
~~~~Saoirse~~~~
I walked away from the conference room, heading to my living quarters where my family was waiting for me. My face was still burning from the conversation Keith and I had.
He asked me out on a date! My first date! It was so exciting! I walked to the door of my small living quarters, opening the door and seeing my mother and little sister inside, sitting on the couch while mom read a book to Nalira.
Nalira, hearing the door open, looked up and smiled upon seeing me.
"Siri!" She shouted, jumping out of mom's lap and running to me. I knelt down and grabbed her, lifting her up into the air and spinning her around.
"How was the meeting, dear?" Mom asked, setting the book down and standing up to walk over to me.
I held Nalira in one arm and used my free arm to close the door behind me.
"It was fine, just a few finalizations on the launch plan." I said, "Where's Dad, Lellal and Reilo?"
"They went out for a little while. Something about discovering the different races of aliens that have now settled here." Mom answered.
"Siri, are you okay? Your face is bright red." Nalira pointed out. I gasped and felt my burning cheeks and smiled.
"Well, actually, Keith just asked me out on a date tonight." I said. Nalira and mom smiled, laughing as they hugged.
"Honey, I'm so happy for you." Mom said, "I get to see my oldest daughter go on her first date with a nice boy. Oh, my! We need to find something suitable for you to wear."
"Yeah, yeah! Mama said the mall thingy is open! Let's go! Let's go!" Nalira said excitedly.
I waved my free hand in the air, dismissing the offer to shop. I never really was one to go clothes shopping unless necessary.
"We don't really need to do that. I can just go in my normal causal clothes." I said.
"Nonesense!" Mom shouted, "No daughter of mine is going to go on her first date dressed so casually. We are going to to the mall and finding you the perfect outfit for your date and that is final. Now get dressed and be ready to go!"
I didn't know my mom for long, but I knew not to say no to her. I put Nalira down and went to the bathroom to get changed into my casual clothes. As soon as I was dressed, mom grabbed me, Nalira and a purse she found a month ago before dragging us out of the Garrison and down to the once wrecked mall.
It had gone through several changes over the past few months. Multiple small businesses were open, selling all sorts of goods from all over the universe. It was actually a smaller more wrecked version of the space mall me and the others went to.
"Come on, now. We need to go before all the good dresses are gone." Mom said, grabbing my wrist and pulling me along through the mall.
We went to a small store and looked at every single piece of clothing. Mom found things that were a little too fancy.
"What about this one?" Mom said pulling out a sparkly dress that hugged in the right places, but it was too much for a casual date. Especially my first one.
"I like this one!" Nalira said, grabbing a frilly blue dress. Although it was cute, it was more of something she would wear.
After about an hour of looking through that one store, we left and walked along to find other stores with good clothes.
"Saoirse!" A voice shouted behind us. The three of us turned around and saw Pidge, Allura, Romelle, Nadia Rizavi and Ina Leifsdottir. All of them were holding several bags and boxes in their arms, the merchandise shaking as they ran over to us. I was a little confused about Pidge's jumpsuit, but I didn't dare question it. To each their own sense of style.
"I didn't expect to see you here, Admiral." Rizavi said.
"You don't have to call me that, you know. Just call me Saoirse." I said, embarrassed to be called Admiral outside the Garrison.
"Sorry, force of habit." Rizavi apologized.
"So, why are you here anyway?" Pidge asked, "You don't take me for a shopper person."
"Siri has a date with the red emo boy!" Nalira shouted.
"Nalira, that's not nice." Mom scolded.
"Wait, you and Keith? On a date? That's almost as weird as Lance and Allura going out on a date." Pidge said.
I smiled, "So Lance asked you today after all. I knew he could do it."
Allura blushed and looked away, "I suppose you're here to find proper attire as well?" She asked me.
"Yeah. Mom insisted I wear something special for my first date." I said.
"Of course you should!" Mom exclaimed, "This is your first date. It has to be special. When your father asked out on a date, I wore my best clothes to a small walk around the lake. It was absolutely marvelous and romantic." She clasped her hands and her eyes sparkled while explaining her first date with my father.
"I simply want you to feel the same spark on your first date that I did. It's a feeling you will never want to forget or let go."
Romelle smiled, "Then come with us. We're on our way to another store, we'd be happy to help you find clothes as well, Saoirse."
I smiled back at her, "That would be great. Let's face it, my mom and little sister have no sense in fashion." I muttered that last part.
"I heard that, Saoirse." My mom said lowly. A shiver ran up my spine. It was something I would never get used to.
We walked around for about another hour, finding clothes, looking at jewelry, but nothing suited me or Allura for a date.
Suddenly, Rizavi stopped us in front of a beat up and partially destroyed clothes store.
"Oh, I've got a good feeling about this place." She said, turning to face me and Allura, "Allura, Saoirse, leave this to us. Ladies, divide and conquer!"
We went inside and immediately started searching. Not even ten minutes later, my mom, Leifsdottir and Rizavi pushed us into the changing rooms with a set of clothes for us to try on.
We quickly got changed and came out wearing their picks for us.
Allura was dressed in some kind of green and yellow track suit with a matching headband.
I was dressed in a tight and curvy black dress that went to the floor. Let's just say that neither of them were good in our books.
Leifsdottir and my sister pushed another set of clothes into our arms and forced us back into the changing stalls.
When we came back out, Allura was dressed in a white and white business suit with wide shoulder pads. I came out wearing a puffy, bright pink dress with way too many ribbons and bows.
We went back in again, this time, Romelle picked Allura's outfit, which was just a bunch of random pieces of clothing mashed together. I got a simple red dress, which was nice, but it just didn't feel right to me.
Pidge came back with two outfits, one for each of us. Mine was a silver jumpsuit that matched Allura's pink one. Everyone, including us, disagreed on the choice.
I sighed, taking the last outfit and heading back into the stall. It was something I picked this time. Something that really said that it belonged to me. I put it on, slipped on the strapless heels to match and opened the curtain just as Allura came out as well.
I turned to see what she had picked and she looked beautiful. It was simple pale pink dress with a belt and matching heels. It was simple, but beautiful. It truly was Allura.
"Allura, you look amazing." I said.
She turned towards me as well as the rest of the shopping group. Their jaws dropped to the floor, as it was the first time most of them had seen me in a dress. I did wear Teshirian robes when my human form, but they haven't seen me in my Teshirian form very much so I wasn't too surprised.
It was a simple outfit really. A knee length off-the-shoulder white dress with silver lining the hems. Nothing fancy, but it felt right to wear.
"I think we've done it." Rizavi said.
"You look so pretty, Siri!" Nalira complimented. I smiled and went back into the stall to change back to my normal clothes.
Once Allura and I were done changing, we looked around for small trinkets. A bit of jewelry searching later and we were ready to check out.
We quickly went to the counter to check out, placing all the clothes on the counter.
"Well, hello there. Is this everything?" An Unilu asked from behind the counter.
"Yep. Mission complete." Rizavi said.
The Unilu picked up the clothes and examined them.
"Let's see what we have we got?" He said as he punched in the prices, "Two decorative tarps with casing, on foot carrier and its mirror match times two, and some miniature chain binding. That'll be one phoeb of servitude from your small friend there."
"What? A year?" Rizavi asked, shocked by the time of servitude.
"A month. I got this." Pidge said as she pushed back her hair and leaned over the counter, "How about you give us all of this and I give you an autograph from a world-famous Paladin of Voltron."
The Unilu was not taken, "No! Price just went up to three phoebs."
Pidge jumped back and whimpered softly.
"Unlius, terrible pirates." I heard mom mutter under breath.
"I could give you a royal decree of service from the Crown Princess of Alte..." But Allura stopped when she realized what she was offering.
"Oh, right, I, um..." she said, remembering that Altea was gone. It had to hard on her. She didn't even wear her tiara anymore.
"I cam bake you a deca-phoebs' worth of blomfruit pies." Romelle offered, "I just need blomfruits. You wouldn't happen to sell any would you?"
"Shipping will cost you ten pheobs of servitude alone." The unilu said.
"Perhaps this was a bad idea." Allura said.
"Yeah, no dress is worth a payment of servitude." I added, "Let's just go."
We turned around to leave, when the unliu suddenly gasped.
"Wait!" He shouted, "I'll give you a friendly deal. You can have this, for Killbot Phantasm 26: Revengifiance."
Pidge and Rizavi both looked shocked. When we turned around, I noticed a small case in Pidge's sack. It was a video game. I had heard about it, but I never has time to actually play it.
"No deal!" Rizavi said, "What could you possibly need it for?"
"I've been looking to get my claws on that game for deca-phoebs. I'm a huge KPB fan." The unliu said.
"Mm. Sorry. No can do. I've waited three years to get to the end of this game." Rizavi argued, but Pidge took the game and handed it to the Unilu.
"Fine, you can have it." She said sadly, "We don't have any time to play it anyway."
The Unilu took the game and when Pidge turned around, Allura and I hugged her tightly.
"Thank you, Pidge." We said. After all that, Allura and I went to prepare for our dates.
A quarter to seven, I had finished brushing my hair and styling it. I pulled strips of my hair from the side and pulled them back, securing them on the back of my head.
I took one last look in the mirror, brushing a few extra strands of hair out of my face and smiling at my reflection.
"Saoirse, you're gonna be late for your date!" I heard Lellal call out.
I came out of the restroom and smiled as my family stood in the living room area of the room. They all smiled at me.
"You look great, Saoirse." Reilo complimented.
"Have a good time, Saoirse. You deserve it." Dad said. I thanked them and went to the entrance, seeing Keith waiting for me.
~~~~Keith~~~~
I stood at the entrance of the Garrison, waiting for Saoirse to come and meet for the date. I was planning on taking her to one of the only restaurants open in the area and then maybe for a ride on the hoverbike. It's been a while since we did that together.
I tugged on my black tie. I wanted to look nice, so I dig out my dad's old suit. It fit me well actually. It may have been simple, but it was nice. A white dress shirt with a black jacket and matching pants and tie. Classy, yet nice.
"Keith!" I heard a voice call out to me. I turned around and saw Saoirse walking towards me. My brain stopped functioning when I saw her. Her dress was amazing and looked so good on her and her beauty was so radiant.
I couldn't believe I found someone like her to love with everything I had.
"Sorry to keep you waiting." She said, "You look nice. I never thought I'd see you dressed up so formally."
I chuckled, "Thanks, it's a bit strange to wear something like this, but I wanted tk look nice for our first date. You look gorgeous, Saoirse." My comment made her blush and I smiled. I loved seeing her like this.
I gently took her hand, "Come on, I got us a spot at a nearby place to eat. We should hurry if we want to get there on time."
"Y-yeah. Okay." She stuttered. We got on my hoverbike and rode to the spot. It wasn't much, but it was nice. The entire restaurant was set outside underneath the stars, and it was lit by fairy lights created by some of the alien workers.
We ate and talked, laughed and joked. We just had fun, just when we were kids. The journey had changed us a lot, but I was happy to see that the confident and amazing girl I grew up hadn't changed a bit.
When we were done, I took her hand and dragged her to the hoverbike.
"Come on, let's go for a night ride." I said. Saoirse happily jumped onto the bike and wrapped her arms around my waist as I sped off into the desert.
I sped off as fast as I could, Saoirse laughing the entire time as we rode off into the night. We jumped over a few cliffs, turned and twisted along the untouched desert and she even took a spin at driving it.
I had never laughed so much and so hard in my life than this moment. Just being with Saoirse was amazing. Just being able to laugh with her is the best. She was the light that guided me out of the darkness and despair of guilt and pain. If she wasn't here with me, I don't know what would happen.
After riding for a couple of hours, we went back to the garrison but stopped by a nearby park where I remembered my dad taking us to play.
"This place..." Saoirse said as we walked dowm the stone paths, seeing the bare trees above us, "This place used to be a wonderful place. Now look at it. So lifeless."
I grabbed her hand again, "Don't worry. We won't let the Galra do this to any other planet ever again." I said determined.
Saoirse rested her head against my shoulder, when all of a sudden, a bright light erupted from the trees. In that flash of light, the trees suddenly burst back to life, the leaves glowing and the sky becoming brighter with their glow.
Saoirse and I smiled seeing the trees come back to life. It was amazing to see something once dead be brought back to life and even more beautiful than before.
"Allura..." Saoirse whispered, "This is Allura's energy. I guess she and Lance are nearby."
I chuckled, "Saoirse..." she looked up at me. I turned her around to face me and without warning, I kissed her.
She didn't pull away, but leaned into the kiss, wrapping her arms around my neck and shoulders while my arms snaked around her waist.
It was just as passionate and warm as our first kiss on Teshiria. Being together like this filled me with so much happiness and joy that I wished it would never leave me. I hoped it would never leave me.
After a minute or two, we pulled apart and just stared into each other's eyes.
"I may not be the best at everything." I said, "I'm stubborn, a little anti social, hot-headed and have a huge temper, but I'm glad you came into my life, Saoirse. Without you, I don't know where I would've been or what I would've become."
Saoirse smiled and pulled me closer, resting her head on my chest as I hugged her.
"Nothing makes me happier than just being by your side Keith." She said, "I'll always be here for you just as you were always there for me. That's a promise."
I rested my head on top of hers, just enjoying the warmth she gave me. When all of a sudden, we heard soothing beeping close by. We pulled apart and saw Beezer rolling in front of us, his ears sliding back and forth.
"I think he wants to take a picture." Saoirse giggled. I smiled and stood still for a picture, Saoirse's arm interlocked with mine as the picture was taken.
Beezer printed out the picture and handed it to me. A memento of our first date. I had never really seen myself smile like that, or see Saoirse so happy.
"Keith, before we go back, there's somewhere I want to visit." Saoirse said. Confused, I followed her to a familiar place.
The cemetery.
I was confused as to why she wanted to come here, but then I followed her to my father's grave.
She knelt down on the ground and smiled as she stared at the gravestone.
"Hi, Mr. Kogane. It's me, Saoirse." She said, "It's been a long time since I came to visit, but I just wanted to say a few things before we flew off into space." She took a deep breath and began to speak again.
"Your son, Keith, he's grown up to be an amazing young man, and I couldn't be happier with the life I have. I can't thank you enough for taking me in when I was hurt, and raising me for all that time. If it wasn't for you and your son, I don't know what would've happened. Now, I'm going to do whatever it takes to save the universe, just like your son and the others. You don't have to worry about us, you can rest in peace knowing that we will do our best to fight for the freedom of the universe. Rest well, I promise to come back to visit again someday when everything dies back down."
I was moved by her words to my father. I had a feeling that dad was smiling down on us.
Saoirse stood back up, I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her back towards my chest. She placed her hand over mine.
"Thanks for those words to dad, Saoirse. I'm sure he appreciated it." I said.
We stayed there in front my dad's grave for a few more minutes, before leaving to go back to the Garrison. As we went back to our rooms, I couldn't stop thinking about the smile she gave me while we were in the park. The laughter she had when we rode across the desert. And feeling of warmth and happiness she instilled in me.
She was my light, and she would never be put out.
~~~~Saoirse~~~~
I was happy. Even though we were leaving today, I was filled with so much happiness from last night.
I stood in front of the mirror in my brand new uniform. It was still an Admiral uniform, but the Garrison colors were changed to match my Paladin colors.
I ran out of the room to find the others and get ready for the launch. When I found them they were all dressed in brand new uniforms to match their paladin colors.
Today was a brand new day, the start of a new adventure and the change we all needed to bring about peace and unity of the universe.
However, from the night before, I had a strange dream. A dream that made me scared of what could happen in space.
Was it really coming?
The time the White Lion of Oriande told me about was almost here?
Is the beginning of this adventure, really the beginning of the end?