#igf coeus

[annoyinglyjovialbird]

Voltron: Next Generation

Brittle Relations: II

Word Count: 2855

A/N: Allura, give me the power to overcome my procrastination and the ability to spell words correctly the first time.

The Coeus appeared on the other side of the wormhole with the beauty and grace of ocean liners. Its splendor, even in ruin, could rival its sister ship, the Atlas. Its beauty could not, however, make the trip enjoyable for its crew onboard. While the Coeus remained intact, many of the teens in the bridge were having a hard time staying intact. Many of them were green, holding their stomachs or covering their mouths with their hands to hold down their lunch. Cake gagged, trying in vain to stop his lunch from coming back up. As he gagged, it made Liz begin to do so. Kova took deep breaths, calming her stomach. Caleb and Allie were matching shades of green, gripping their consoles to control themselves. 

"We are NEVER traveling through a wormhole after lunch again." Kova had shut her eyes in hopes of calming her stomach. And will. With various forms of agreement from the others and a retch from Cake's direction, the teens fled to their rooms. Kenny watched the entire scene unfold from the comfort of the engine room with a plate of sliced fruit in front of him. He scoffed as they fled, shaking his head as he took a bite of one of the slices. It turned into mush in his mouth, but at least it wasn't moldy. 

"Please, I implore you, I must speak to the half-Galra," Darrar's voice shook as he spoke to Shiro through the glass of his makeshift prison.

"Like I've said before, whatever you need to say to them, you can say to me." Shiro was firm, with arms at his side. Darrar still wore his dark armor, while Shiro wore his Colonel Jacket. Darrar's violet hair had been held back by a scrap of fabric in an updo, messy after days onboard. The poor man looked defeated and desperate, begging with his dim eyes. Shiro's stone cold expression softened slightly as he turned to look at something off to his side. As Darrar noticed Shiro's wavering expression, he tried to look at whatever it was. The edges and corners of the glass obscured the being too much for the Galtean to really see them.

"Who is there?" Darrar pleaded, banging on the glass. "Please, summon the half-Galra!"

"Enough!" Shiro said over the pleading, silencing Darrar. He sighed. "Enough." Without another word, Shiro walked away from Darrar, who slammed the glass as he realized he was being left alone again. His shouts were met with withering silence as the steps grew silent. Darrar collapsed on the ground, tears brimming his eyes as the realization hit him like the cold metal floor.

He was as good as dead. Yorak won the war without even trying.

Far away, a voice alerted the crew of a landing, but Darrar could only hear the blood rushing in his ears and the almost silent hum of the Coeus. As Darrar closed his eyes to attempt to sleep, screams echoed in his mind. His fellow cadets when they began training for running away. His mother when he and his brothers were torn away from her. Seklok's when he displeased the Emperor and left for dead. As the screams overtook him, he was shaken violently. His whimpers became screams as he tried to fight off whatever was dragging him away. 

Kova held on to Darrar's shoulders as his screams stopped and his eyes opened. His shaking never stopped. Neither did his tears. The poor man was tortured enough. Behind Kova, Allie clutched the first-aid kit with tight fists. They heard the screaming and ran towards the observation bay. As Darrar sat up, Kova dragged him towards the closest wall. Sitting on the floor, Allie and Kova calmed the man down. Both Allie and Darrar seemed to process the other's Altean markings at the same time. 

"It's okay," Kova whispered under her breath. "It'll be okay." Kova slipped a bracelet on Darrar's wrist, activating the magnetic field. Even if they were on the same side, Darrar still wore enemy colors.

"Who are you?" Darrar asked Kova, then turning to Allie. "Where's the Colonel?" Allie didn't meet his eyes, unpacking the first-aid kit. Kova met his eyes after triple-checking the magnetic field had been activated on his bracelet.

"I'm Kovalia Shirogane, Paladin of the Black Lion. This is Allie, Paladin of the Blue Lion." Darrar's eyes widened, but Kova wasn't done. "I understand your name is Darrar, and you've been wanting to speak to me."

"Yes, of course. I—" Darrar tried to stand up, but his wrist kept him down. As he looked, a bracelet connected to the floor kept him down.

"I'm sorry, but it's a security measure." Darrar nodded his head, sitting back down. He looked up to meet Kova's eyes again. "We came to ask you about the colonies."

"Of course." Darrar nodded again. "Where are we?"

"We have just landed on Senfama. The Colonel decided it was best to join an expedition." 

"Expedition?"

"I cannot answer what it is."

"Is it because I'm a member of the Fire?" Kova nodded her head.

"I am going to remove your armor piece by piece. Are you feeling any sensitivity or pain in any particular area?"

I'll spare you the details. It took two hours as Darrar flinched and twitched as the armor was removed, and Allie had to make sure he didn't have any injuries. Then when Darrar wore only his bodysuit, the girls put Keith's old poncho over Darrar's head to remove the bodysuit. The time was halved. Regardless, it took too long. With even more spare fabric, they made the baggiest pair of pants in the universe, using a long strip from the back of the poncho as a belt. 

When they were done checking for injuries, they began their questions. What is the status of the Galtean colonies? Where are they? How long have the colonies been under Yorak's reign? What did he want with so many Galteans? How long had he been involved in the war?  On and on the interrogation went, until they had covered topics twice. Allie left to grab a bottle of water while Kova kept watch.

"I can help you get your Lion back," Darrar said after a few minutes of silence. Kova shook her head, taking something out of her pocket. It was a small black box with the Fire insignia on its side.

"You've been tracked." Kova handed Darrar the box. He looked stunned, confused even, to see the small box. "A similar tracker was found in the mecha we encountered."

"He knew," Darrar whispered under his breath. He handed the box to Kova, who put it back in her pocket. "He knew."

"Who?" Kova asked. "Yorak?" Darrar didn't say a word. Kova would have turned off the tracker, but she didn't have her tools on her. Allie came back and held a closed fist in front of Darrar. He held his hand open to see two little pills in his palm.

"They should help you sleep so you can heal a little faster," Allie explained, taking Kova's place so the latter could stand and dust herself off. "The water is for you." Darrar took the pills after a moment of hesitation, and had big gulps of water. "When you awake, alert us. Have a good rest, Darrar." Allie stood, following Kova to the door, letting it shut behind them. They dimmed the lights in Darrar's room and deactivated the bracelet. Hopefully, his commanders would find him before Yorak did.

"Coeus to crew, call in." Kova had walked to the bridge, turned on the screen, and began sorting the camera angles. "Sec."

"Here."

"Griffin."

"Here."

"Garrett."

"Here."

"Kogane."

"Here."

"Colonel and older Kogane."

"Double here." As the boxes lit up with every person calling in, Allie had typed in their names as the boxes lit up. When the Coeus landed on Senfama, the crew left in pairs. Caleb and Liz were in charge of water. Kenny and Cake were undergoing repairs to the ship and the satellite. Shiro and Keith had to search the planet for lifeforms and food. Allie and Kova stayed behind to watch over Darrar, and make some minor research. Why isn't Keith on the screen too? Kova was too lazy to connect Keith's suit to the Coeus's software.

"Did you deactivate the tracker?" Shiro asked.

"Yes, sir. I also saved the universe and found my Lion."

"Kova."

"I haven't gotten to it yet." Kova rolled her eyes, and looked for her tools. "We just got back."

"Sending map of Senfama to crew," Allie announced, and every camera on screen had looked down at their screens. "Senfama is a jungle. There should be a large body of water ahead."

"On it," Liz confirmed, jumping forward with Caleb on her heels. An alert came online, before the power was cut short.

"Hey, uh, Kova?" Kenny asked. "Is there any way to return to the Balmera and get more crystals?"

"Power source isn't holding up well, is it?" 

"Nope." Kova fiddled with the tracker she found on Darrar, hoping an idea would come to mind.

"Random question, Ken." Kova looked up at the screen. "What did you do with the extra solar cells?"

"Solar what?" Keith asked, but he was ignored.

"How do you know about the missing solar cells?"

"Long story. Where are they?"

"I, uh, brought them onto the ship. Why?"

"Kenneth, I need you to think, okay?" Kova had leaned forward to rest her forearms on the railing around her console. "If wired correctly, solar cells can be made into..." Kova trailed off on purpose to let Kenny come with the answer. 

"Solar panels!" Kenny and Cake exclaimed at the same time.

"I'll send the materials up." Kova nodded her head, and finally managed to deactivate the tracker. "Allie, cover me." Kova walked down to the engine room, leaving Allie alone on the bridge. Using the Paladin Tracker, or the Teenager Tracker, Allie watched as Liz and Caleb creeped closer to the water source and Shiro and Keith inched further from the Coeus. That's when the entire ship went dark.

"Kenny?" Allie's voice shook as she looked around. "Guys, this isn't funny!" Not even the hum of the ship answered her. With only the sunlight streaming in from the large windows, Allie walked up the stairs to the door. Before she could even leave the bridge, she heard Kova's voice. 

"Get back in the bridge!" Kova yelled, and Allie listened. She and Kova were the only ones still wearing their normal clothes, so when Allie fell down the stairs to her seat, it hurt. Kova kicked, sending a figure cloaked in dark colors into the console. The figure went to punch Kova, but she side-stepped, Allie froze when she saw a flash of purple on the front armor piece of the dark figure. "Allie, your bayard!" Quick as can be, Allie summoned her bow, pulling the string back so the quintessence arrow could form. Now if they could stay still. Kova took a blow to her abdomen, collapsing on the ground. When the figure tried to pin her, Kova pulled the figure's leg out from under them. With a quick turn, Kova straddled the figure's hips from behind, holding their arm with one hand and used the other to push their shoulder to the floor.

"Are you alright?" Allie asked, limping up the steps.

"Fine." Kova gritted her teeth as the figure began resisting. "Do you know how long it's gonna take to replace all those wires? This ship is hard enough to maintain!" Kova began to rant. "Allie, help me pull their helmet off." Allie's eyes widened as she held the string taut, reminding Kova of the arrow. Kova nodded towards the door, so Allie aimed in the dark and fired the arrow. The ding could be heard around the world. As the bayard detransformed, the figure tried again in vain stand up, but Kova was faster. With their arm still in Kova's grasp, Kova reached around her back to grab the knife in its sheath. Allie had grabbed the matching pair of Darrar's bracelet from Kova's pocket and put it around the figure's right wrist, as it was the only one touching the ground. Letting go and standing up from the figure, Kova activated the magnet. As the figure stared at the bracelet holding them down, Kova pushed them against the console with the knife point at their neck.

"Deactivate your helmet or I rip it off," Kova growled, sneering at the figure and their dark outfit. The figure didn't move, so Allie pulled the helmet off their head. While Allie didn't recognize the Galra woman, Kova did. Her expression darkened while the Galra woman's softened.

"Kyla," The woman said. She got the knife point even closer to her neck and Kova's angry eyes.

"Call me that again and you lose your head." Kova stood after her threat, deactivated and collected the bracelet, and stood in front of the door. "Allie, this is Krolia, one of the Galra representatives."

"I'm not just that."

"You're right about that." Kova crossed her arms. "She's the reason a half-human and half-Galra exist in the first place."

"Oh, please." Krolia stood, rubbing her wrists. "You make it sound so bad." Kova scoffed in response.

"What are you doing here?" Kova reached behind her to sheath the knife. "I don't get the point." Allie silently died as the pun set in, but Krolia moved past it. 

"I saw your declaration. Pretty impressive how far the family goes."

"We aren't family."

"I beg to differ, Kovalia." Krolia crossed her arms, too, leaning against the console. "Headstrong, advanced, and prefers using a sharp instrument."

"Get off the ship."

"I came for my recruit. Where is he?"

"I'm shocked you didn't see him as you cut the power to the entire ship." Kova stepped aside from the door. "Darrar, get your butt over here!" Footsteps became louder as they approached the bridge. Darrar had dressed himself in his Fire armor since there were no spares onboard. At least he had the decency to look sheepish at being caught.

"Daibazaal sides with Voltron," Krolia said as she passed the angry teen. "It's wonderful to see you again."

"Wish I could say the same." Kova blocked the hall leading to the transport bay, leaving only the side door as the only way out. "May we never encounter the other again." The door opened, and Darrar jumped out first. Krolia's eyes softened, hoping to appeal to the teen. Kova wasn't having it, watching as Krolia jumped out. Stomping over, Kova slammed the door shut, and marched herself to the cut power lines. Allie followed her, since the bridge was scary to be in alone.

"Why didn't you say anything about Keith?" Allie asked after Kova began her tedious work.

"What about Keith?" Kova continued working, connecting wires with electrical tape.

"There is only one half-human and half-Galra hybrid that reached an age to reproduce." Allie began her thought process. "That hybrid sired three children, and you have confirmed the status of all three second-generation hybrids. The first-born is a maniacal genius, the second-born is a plant genius, and the youngest, which is you, is a—"

"A wannabe genius," Kova said, slamming the door closed. As the door secured itself, the power slowly came on, with the lights turning on the brightest they go before returning to their pre-sliced state. "How did you figure out Kenny was the middle child?" Allie shrugged as they went into the bridge.

"Yorak has called you his sister many times before, and you've never denied it. He seems much older than Kenny, and you've never denied Kenny as your sibling, either." Kova chuckled as she approached the console and reactivated all systems.

"Sec to Coeus, do you hear me?"

"Coeus to Sec, we're all clear." Various sighs of relief and cheers came from the team as they continued their errands.

"Keith is your father, and Krolia is Keith's mother." Allie had made it to her chair, where she began checking her injuries. "You met your grandmother," Allie looked up. "And you didn't seem too happy to see her."

"I'm not." Kova muted the Coeus to properly look Allie in the eye. "She had a chance to change what had happened and she didn't." Kova shrugged, and unmuted the Coeus. Allie looked on as Kova smiled at Caleb's screen because he was one misstep away from falling into the water. While his suit may be waterproof, it wasn't float-proof."

By the end of the first day on Senfama, the teens celebrated finding edible food on a planet. That's a first. An alert came on while they celebrated, and Kova opened it. She expected it to be a systems alert, since they still haven't cleaned the Coeus's filters, or even an electrical failure (only Allie and Kova know what happened with Krolia and Darrar). Whatever it was, it should be fixed soon.

She was wrong and she alerted the team of such.

It was a weblum alert, and it was headed for Pidge's location.

[ao3feed-voltronlegendarydefender]

Voltron: Next Generation

read it on the AO3 at Voltron: Next Generation

by annoyinglyjovialbird

Thirty years after the end of the war, there was peace in the universe at last.

Of course, nothing is that simple.

After an accidental launch into space, Shiro faces a threat he never wanted involvement in. Now, he isn't on the frontlines. His kids are.

Kovalia "Kova" Shirogane has a long-hidden secret, undefined goals, and top rank at the Garrison.

Caleb Shirogane has been Kova's second-in-command for years, always one step behind his sister's quick mind.

Eliza "Liz" Griffin never wanted to go to the Garrison, but the cute pilot she was teamed up with was enough to stay.

Allura "Allie" Smythe is the newest member of Kova's trio, a soft-spoken Altean who is somehow afraid of everything.

Issako "Cake" Garrett grew up on Earth under the care of his grandparents after his dad disappeared seven years ago.

Kenneth "Kenny" Holt is under scrutiny for causing the accidental launch of long-forgotten spacecraft, the IGF-Coeus.

When a new threat arises, will the teens face their destiny head-on? Or will they be too busy yelling at Kenny?

Find out in Voltron: Next Generation!

Words: 2686, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Voltron: Legendary Defender

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Multi

Characters: Lance (Voltron), Hunk (Voltron), Shiro (Voltron), Curtis (Voltron), James Griffin (Voltron), Pidge | Katie Holt, Pidge | Katie Holt's Family, Keith (Voltron), Original Child Character(s), Original Altean Character(s), Original Galran Character(s), Allura (Voltron), Voltron Lions

Relationships: Curtis/Shiro (Voltron), Hunk/Shay (Voltron)

read it on the AO3 at Voltron: Next Generation

[annoyinglyjovialbird]

Voltron: Next Generation

Brittle Relations: I

Word Count: 2815

The days on the Coeus stretched into a heavy monotonous cycle. The team would wake up and perform daily duties: Liz and Allie would check on Keith, who was recovering, Cake busied himself with meals, Caleb and Kenny worked together in the engine room, and Shiro and Kova reviewed plans and caught up with Curtis on Earth. When the Coeus was attacked, only one or two Lions were dispatched if the threat was more serious. Otherwise, they stayed on board and let the Coeus do all the hard work. After that was done, they would return to normal duties and only saw each other during meals and briefings. 

Liz, Cake, and Allie could see the wear and tear on the Shirogane clan, but they said nothing. Cake and Liz worked with Kova and Caleb long enough to know they weren't the types to back down, even if they were tired. It tugged at Allie's heartstrings to see the pair with the dark circles under their eyes, that intensity in their eyes was just...gone. Upon cleaning the bridge, Allie heard a strange noise coming from a vent. On closer inspection, Allie found the bottle the teens used during their game. It felt like a lifetime ago when the biggest worry was Keith piloting the ship. Allie finished her cleaning and ran out of the bridge to find Liz and Cake with the bottle in hand. Together, they spawned an idea. 

A few days later, Kova was found on the bridge, typing away at her console. Maybe she was updating the info board. Maybe she was writing fanfiction about a life that wasn't completely screwed up. Maybe she was writing a poem about peaches to make herself feel better since it is her favorite fruit. Whatever it was, the teens didn't care. They saw Kova standing alone, looking more stressed out than she had been the entire trip, so they struck. 

"Hey, Cap," Cake said, slowly approaching the older teen. Kova gave Cake a small glance before returning her attention to the console. "Cap, listen, we-" 

"I'm busy, Cake." Kova's voice was cold. 

"Okay, okay." Cake backed away with hands raised in fake surrender. Allie, who stood at the doorway, rolled her eyes and all but shoved the bottle into Cake's hands while he tried to give it back. Liz turned the corner, deadpanning at the scene with Kenny and Caleb on her heels. With Liz's help, Cake walked back into the bridge exasperated. With a sigh, he puffed up his chest and marched (like, seriously marched) to Kova's console. 

"You wanna play a game?" He asked loudly, thrusting the bottle into Kova's imaginary bubble. Allie inched herself into the room next to Cake so she could be in Kova's line of sight. Kova met Cake's eyes then stared at the bottle in his hands, and back again into his eyes with furrowed eyebrows. With every second Kova continued to stare, Cake's heart continued dropping lower into his stomach until he was sure it couldn't go any further. Then Kova smiled. His heart shot back up into his chest as Kova gestured to the floor with her head. The others followed until they sat in a circle in the middle of the floor. Liz and Cake explained the game to Kenny, who nodded along. 

Kova was the last person that spun the bottle when they played last time, therefore, it was still Kova's turn. Allie needed to think about her question, so it was either Kenny or Caleb who had to ask. Caleb went ahead, lazily turning his head. 

"What's scarier: a weblum or a nine-month-old who is just starting to crawl?" Kova let out a dry laugh, looking around the room. She was wearing her lavender sweater, so when she started rolling up her sleeves, the others looked on. 

"Caleb, the answer is so obvious that I'm shocked you even had to ask." Kova rolled her left sleeve up until it was around her elbow. "The answer is obviously-" Kova held up her now bare arm to show off the pink starburst scar on the back of her hand to the middle of her forearm, where the pink faded into Kova's natural tan. "The baby." 

"The baby?" The other members of their team asked incredulously. 

"What baby did that to you?"

"Wasn't that caused by burns on the Fire ship?"

"It was a human infant, right?" Kova's tiredness seemed to fade as the questions were being asked, replaced by amusement at their shock. 

"Yes, it was a human baby, no, it wasn't caused by burns on the Fire ship, and it was Cy."

"Cyrus did that to you?" It was Kenny's turn to look incredulous. Caleb looked pleased with himself as Kova was the one to answer everyone's questions. 

"Crawling humans are scarier than you think." 

"You weren't scary when you were crawling."

"Then you don't remember what happened to Stephen the Hawk." Kenny stared at Kova absolutely confused until his eyes widened. 

"What happened to Stephen the Hawk?" Liz asked, leaning forward so her elbow was perched on her knee and her hand supported her chin. 

"Stephen Hawkling had a beautiful life, staying with Kenny since he was about two years old until his unfortunate demise ten years later." 

"What happened to the plush, Kova?" Caleb said, staring at the side of her head. She rolled her eyes and continued. 

"I accidentally crawled over a cord, toppling a lamp that was turned on, and it burned Stephen's head and back. Ken never let me forget it." Kova stared at Kenny pointedly. To his credit, Kenny looked shocked hearing about Stephen Hawkling's demise again, but he seemed to remember the vaguest details, like how big the hole was. 

Allie wrung her fingers as she looked around the circle of friends. "It's my turn, right?" She asked, much too quiet to barely be heard over the hum of the ship. Even so, Cake heard her and nodded. "What's the most sentimental thing you kept from your youth?" 

"Wow, okay Allie," Liz said. Cake gave a low whistle and a smile. Kova smiled, too, and straightened up. Her arm went to her back, pulling something out. Tied to the back of Kova's pants, a matching black sheath held a small blade about the size of Kova's lower back. As Kova brought the blade forward, she pulled down her rolled-up sleeve. 

"I kept Keith's knife." Kova held the small blade in her open palms. "I never had the courage to get rid of it, and I rarely use it. Besides the family picture and a blanket, I didn't keep much from the Kogane household." 

"Does he know you have it?" Liz asked. Kova shook her head, reaching behind her to sheath it. "Kenny's turn." The teens turned their heads to stare at him. Kenny opened his mouth when a beeping went off. Liz and Allie checked their makeshift pagers, seeing an alert for Keith, and excused themselves. Cake stretched his arms out, then stood up to go to the kitchen, since it was almost dinnertime. Caleb asked if he could help, to which Cake nodded his head. 

"Well, I need to get back to the engine room," Kenny said, standing up. 

"I'll join you." Kova jumped to her feet, dusting herself off. "I don't have anything better to do." Kenny nodded and made his way to the engine room with Kova right behind him. When they got down there, the room felt warmer than before, and the pair got to work on lowering the temperature, not saying a word to each other. Eventually, they figured out the heat was coming from an exhaust vent and it was facing the wrong direction. The two ran diagnostics on the entire ship, and when it came back as clear, they stood facing the other. 

Kenny stared at Kova then down to his hands as she redid some cables, organizing them in their compartments. Kova noticed Kenny's mood darkening and finished quickly. 

"Hey," She said. "You okay?" Kenny gave a small nod, still staring at his hands. He had turned around to rest his butt on the console panel. Kova found an engine box covering to sit on across from Kenny. "You didn't get to ask me anything while we were in there. What was it?"

"It was nothing," Kenny muttered. He laced his fingers together so they were holding each other. 

"Kenny." Kova continued, crossing her arms so they rested comfortably on her thighs. 

"Everyone at the Garrison wants to be you." Kenny's voice was firm, making Kova flinch. "It doesn't matter what life. You're the Jax, near-perfect at everything you try, no matter what it is. Engineering, programming, even communications." Kenny looked up at Kova with those blue-gray eyes that sent Kova back. "You're just like him, y' know." 

"That's not true."

"Isn't it?" Kenny looked angry. "You're both half-Galra, you're both the perfect soldiers, you're both the best of the best, and-and," Kenny shouted then grew quieter as his sentence trailed off. "And I never saw you guys again. You both left, one way or the other." 

"You're just as talented."

"You're just saying that." Kenny looked down. "I've been a Holt my entire life, and I still can't be on your level." 

"Just 'cause you think you're not good at tech doesn't mean you're not good at other things!"

"Like what?" Kenny met Kova's eyes. They were flicking back and forth in their socket as Kova searched through her memory for something, anything to make Kenny feel better. 

"Remember that spider plant you used to have in your room?" 

"It was plastic."

"No, it wasn't." Kova shook her head. "Pidge switched yours out with the one in the living room because yours looked better." Kenny stared at her. "And! And remember that hybrid flower you made?" 

"The juniberry hybrids?" 

"Yeah! Colleen took them! The Altean soil is the only place they'll grow, so they were grown there." 

"You're joking."

"I'm not!" Kova's eyes lit up as she saw Kenny's dark mood disappear. "You can ask Allie about them! She worked in the inner courts!"

"What about me and the inner courts?" Speak of the devil. 

"Allie, can you tell Kenny about the juniberry hybrids?" Kova scooted forward so that Allie was in full view. Allie stepped forward, her lips pursed and eyebrows furrowed. 

"They're hybrids between Earthen flowers and juniberries. What else can I say?" Kova nodded her head, gesturing to Kenny. "They can only grow on Altea, and because of their rarity, they reside in the Royal Gardens." 

"That's only an acre or so, isn't it?" Kenny crossed his arms as Kova looked to a confused Allie and rolled her eyes. 

"It was expanded a couple of years ago because the formula was being repeated on so many flowers." 

"I love juniholts," Allie remarked. Kenny all but jumped out of his skin at the mention of the playful name he gave one of the hybrid flowers. 

"What do they look like?" Kenny demanded, scaring Allie. She looked to Kova for help, to which the older girl put a comforting hand on her back. 

"They're about my height, covered in green foliage, and they bloom pretty pink juniberries from bottom to top." Allie described, retreating further into Kova's bubble until she was in between Kova's legs and Kova's hands were messing with the braids on Allie's head. 

"That's the hollyhock hybrid." Kenny was astounded. His heart was about to burst out of his chest. "They're seriously called juniholts?" Both girls nodded. 

"There's a lot more, but that's my favorite one." Allie and Kenny stood in silence while Kova sat, unbraiding and rebraiding Allie's hair. Kenny had a hand over his mouth as the information sunk in. His hybrids survived. On Altea. He fathered an entirely new species of hybrid flowers because he didn't want to do his programming homework. Like she read his mind, Kova smirked. 

"Seems you have Colleen's green thumb." Kova looked up from her work. "Sounds like a pretty good deal to me." She continued to sift through Allie's now curly hair to attempt a new hairstyle on the girl. In the end, Allie wound up with six small braids pinned to the back of her head over the rest of her hair in a modified half-up and half-down. That's when Allie remembered why she went down there, to begin with. Dinner was ready. 

The next morning, the teens were bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in their places on the bridge for their daily briefing. Keith was still on bed rest but will be fine. The Coeus is approximately two wormhole jumps away from Pidge's location based on current capabilities. Food was beginning to run low, so they would have to land somewhere to harvest food and water. The filters needed cleaning and the Coeus needed minor repairs, too, so they would need to land anyway. The prisoner had given more information about himself and the place he came from. While he described the area he grew up in as 'the colonies', it was enough for Allie to figure out what he meant. 

"Allura, this better not be-" Romelle began to say as her face appeared onscreen. 

"Can I have access to the Galtean colonies?" Allie immediately asked. 

"Allura, unless you-"

"Romelle, what is the status of the Galtean colonies?" Allie looked annoyed and determined. An odd mix. Romelle sighed with exasperation, typing away at something off-screen. Her violet eyes went wide as she searched for something she clearly was not found. 

"There is no status on the colonies," Romelle said, standing from her chair to call for guards. "Go to the last known location of the colonies!" 

"Romelle!" Allie shouted to get the woman's attention. 

"Right!" Romelle sat down in her chair again and typed something up again. On Kova's console, Romelle sent a full folder of information on the colonies. "Do make good use of it. I will alert you if we find them." While Romelle disappeared, the folder and its contents appeared. Allie hurried up the stairs to Kova's console as Kova stepped back. All the documents were labeled and written in Altean, and unfortunately, the teens don't learn languages at the Garrison. 

"What was the name of the prisoner?" Allie asked Shiro, who was standing on the floor. 

"He said his name was Darrar," Shiro replied, turning to look at the screen. Allie typed the name into a search engine under a subfolder. Fifteen different individuals popped up on the search, only about half of them with pictures because they were grown. Thankfully, Shiro was able to point out the prisoner. However, Darrar was much younger in the picture. Only a teenager since the pictures were time-stamped. 

"I didn't even know Galtean colonies existed!" Cake exclaimed, staring at the folder. "You think that Yorak has been recruiting from the colonies?"

"He's half-Galra," Kova said, crossing her arms. "It makes sense he'd go after other half-Galra." 

"Stupid question over here." Liz raised her hand as she spoke. "What's a Galtean colony?" 

"Galteans are an uncommon hybrid of Galra, the people of Daibazaal, and Alteans, the people of Altea. The colonies, however, are a consolation gift between Daibazaal and Altea to foster peace between the two," Allie explained, showing a map of the colonies' last location. "There were four colony groups. Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Sirius. Darrar is from the Gamma colony." 

"The colonies are designed to move and interlock if the need arises. They aren't attached to anything, just themselves." Kova explained even further. 

"A moving colony?" Liz looked from Kova and Allie to the map on screen again. "How do you even keep track of it?" 

"There are supposed to be satellites constantly supervising them, with monthly updates." 

"Supposed to?"

"Darrar has to tell us where the colonies are!" Allie ignored Liz's question. "Yorak is pure evil!"

"I'll try my best, but Allie, I doubt he knows." Shiro sighed, meeting the young girl's eyes. "Kova, what's the closest planet so we can make a landing?" Allie stepped away from the console and returned to her chair as Kova closed the Altean folders and opened a map. 

"Senfama is the closest to us," Kova reported, and Shiro nodded his head.

"Set a course for Senfama," Shiro said, climbing that stairs. As he approached the door, he paused and turned to stare at the teens, who seemed more upbeat than they had in weeks. "Are you guys okay?" Shiro asked with a half-smile. The teens looked at each other than at him, just as curious. 

"Never better."

"I feel fine."

"I think I'm okay. Am I okay?"

"You're fine, Cake." 

"Yeah, we're good." Kova arched an eyebrow. "Are you?" Shiro laughed and walked out the door. The teens stayed on the bridge until it was time for lunch, then prepared themselves for a wormhole jump.

[annoyinglyjovialbird]

Voltron: Next Generation

Impending Difficulties: I

Word Count: 2812

AN: Don’t hate me too much. XD

It had only been a few hours, but Kenny's brain couldn't seem to process anything but the encounter from before. 

It had been years. 

His grandfather never spoke about either of Kenny's siblings, never mentioned them, or even what had happened to them. During the launch of the failed mission, the one Kenny's parents never came back from, he found it weird that he didn't see his sister. His parents asked him about it but he could only shrug. He hadn't seen her in three years at that point. It was her birthday, but Kenny suspected they didn't know. 

Every memory Kenny had stored away in his brain was being taken out and being sorted through again. Unfortunately, the reason for the resorting came up empty when Kenny couldn't find what he needed. 

He couldn't remember his sister's face. 

Allie, who had been wandering the ship and the only one awake, passed by the bridge. Seeing Kenny leaned over, she thought nothing of it. This was the fifth time she passed the bridge, and Kenny still hadn't moved. On the sixth pass, Allie had two large cups. One of them had a tea bag string over the rim, the other did not. Both drinks were steaming and brown, albeit two different shades. 

With careful steps, Allie placed the cup with the teabag on the console desk in front of Kenny and walked away without another word. The pager on her belt made a sound, and Allie walked towards the observation room. 

In Kenny's mind, a brightness came over his memories. 

Laughter rang out in the juniberry fields on Uncle Lance's farm, chasing a dwarf around. Black hair in pigtails and a dress covered in red poppies. Tripping over something in the fields, Kenny landed face-first in the juniberries. Instead of complaining and standing up, he rolled over in the fields and stared at the never-ending blue sky. The dwarf he had been chasing toddled towards him with the biggest smile on her face. Letting a small giggle, she smacked her hand on Kenny's forehead. He laughed at the smack, staring at her face. It was blurry. He couldn't see anything past that big smile. 

"Klance!" A delighted squeal came from her mouth and she once again toddled forward. 

"Kenny, you okay?" Uncle Lance asked, bending over the fallen boy. His arms went to the little girl's waist and she was pulled higher and higher. Her squeals didn't seem to stop. 

"Yeah, I'm okay." Kenny used a hand to shield himself from the glaring sun to stare at his uncle and the little girl. She had turned her head away from Kenny, staring at something behind them. 

"Good." Lance readjusted the girl, who turned her focus to the man who had moved her from her perch on Lance's hip. "Ahora te paras o te paro!" In a flash, Kenny had stood, running towards Uncle Lance's house where the other farmhands (or cousins who needed something to do in the summer) were heading. Looking back at fields he'd left, Kenny saw the little girl had laid her head on Uncle Lance's shoulder, turning away again. 

In another memory, Kenny was sitting at a dinner table. The book work in front of him was unreadable, but he was counting his lucky stars that he wouldn't be doing whatever his brother was doing at the head of the table. The boy at the head had dark hair, wearing a red jacket with a green stripe around the middle. In front of him was an array of wires and connectors with a light bulb and two switches. One of the papers in front of Kenny was the answer sheet to his brother's problem. 

"Hey, Ky." The boy had looked up and said. Turning to a doorway that led to bedrooms, the little girl from before was rubbing her eyes. Her hair was a little longer but still styled in pigtails. Her jammies were a vibrant shade of seafoam, a gift from Uncle Lance. "Did we wake you up?" Without saying a word, the girl approached the boy, and he pulled her into his lap. She stared at the circuit board with bright, curious eyes. She noticed something off to the side and grabbed it. Attaching it to connectors in between the switches, she pointed at the switch to her right. Complying, the boy flipped the switch, and the light bulb lit. His face said it all. He had no idea what he was doing wrong. 

"Ky, what did you do?" By this point, the girl had covered her addition with her hands to keep it out of view of the boy. When she went to point, Kenny saw what it was. With a flourish, she held her hands up and almost smacked the older boy in the face.

"You were missing a power source," Kenny said for the girl, who had let her arms fall to her side and looked up at the boy. He had started rubbing his head, staring at the battery. Kenny remembered he was taking a double course load, something no one had done without losing sleep or sanity. 

"Kyla!" Kenny's mom came around the corner. Her brown hair was pulled into a ponytail and her eyes matched the girl. The green long-sleeved shirt and the oversized gray coat was a signature for her, along with the transition lenses over her eyes. "Leave your brothers alone!"

"Mom, stop." The boy sighed, leaning back in the chair. The little girl, Kyla, had bowed her head and her eyes became glassy. 

"She's a kid! What can she do?"

"C'mon, Ky." Kenny stood, walking towards the now upset little girl. "Don't listen to Pidge, she's just upset," He said much quieter, lifting the little girl. Her arms wrapped around Kenny's neck and her head leaned into his shoulder. Taking her back to her room, Kenny pulled aside the dark gray comforter covered in white stars and the white sheet underneath covered in gray astronauts. The little girl hung on for dear life as she sat on the bed. Unwrapping her arms from his neck, Kenny looked into her eyes, which had dimmed. Reluctantly, she laid her head down on the pillows and fell asleep.

A hand on his shoulder startled the poor man. Returning to reality, his eyes took in the sight of the bridge. Following the hand on his shoulder, he met a pair of jarringly familiar brown eyes. Even if they weren't as bright nor as curious as they once were, they matched his mom's eyes. 

"Kenny," Kova repeated, trying to get the young man's attention. He stared at her like she was the object he had been looking for his entire life. Pulling a tissue from the box Allie had brought by earlier, she patted Kenny's tear-stained cheeks. 

"Will he be alright?" Allie asked, arms crossed. After checking on Keith, she had passed by a few more times. When she found Kenny crying, she left a tissue box and ran for Kova's room. 

"Kenneth? You have to breathe." Kova said to the young man instead. He was taking shuddering breaths, just roaming over Kova's face. 

"Kyla?" He whispered under his breath. Kova met his eyes with shock, then defensiveness, finally with acceptance. She didn't nod, nor did she shake her head. 

"C'mon, Ken." Pulling on Kenny's hands, Kova stood. "Let's get you to bed." Kova walked Kenny to the door, with Allie following close behind with the box. 

——————————————————

In the morning, Kova was determined to let the others know, with or without the Colonel's approval. Speaking of the Colonel, he had thought long and hard about Kova's words. Shiro knew Kova was serious. She didn't fight orders unless she deemed it necessary for a specific reason. 

She fought patrol officers when they tried to restrain students to Garrison grounds. 

She fought her commanding officer when Caleb and her groups teamed up for training purposes. 

She even fought Curtis when he tried to stop the pair from taking little Cyrus to the McClain's farm when he and Shiro were on vacation. 

In every event, Kova won the fight. She was smart, strong, and dealt with any consequences that would come. 

Other students tried using Kova as a scapegoat and immediately realized why she had permission to leave Garrison grounds. They didn't appreciate the unpaid work on McClain's farm as much as Kova did. 

The commanding officer purposely gave the teams the hardest jobs on school grounds to make the others leave. They stayed intact until the last quarter when Jazz transferred to a more traditional school setting and Allie became her replacement. 

With the last one, while Kova had to be the one to bathe Cyrus after falling butt-first into a mound of freshly scooped cow droppings, she didn't complain. 

Kova sat through breakfast without a word to anyone, eating from the small bag of assorted nuts and dried fruit she snuck onboard. Cake and Liz exchanged nervous looks, while Allie stared at Kenny nibbling on an Arusian fruit. 

At least it wasn't whatever beverage the Arusians packed for them. 

When finished, Kova stood and walked towards the bridge. Without saying a word, the others followed. They were in their respective seats while Kenny sat in his corner as they stared at the slowly changing sky. 

Shiro walked into the bridge, descended the staircase, and went right up to the window. Kova stared at the back of his head, daring him to try to tell her no. 

Turning around, his eyes met hers. A tense minute. 

Cake nervously looked from Shiro to Kova and back again. Caleb was tense, ready to hold someone back. Liz followed this sentiment with her bayard in hand. Allie had a first aid kit under her console if a fight did break out. Kenny was lost, staring ahead. 

Shiro broke the stare with a sigh. Looking up again, he said, "Tell them." 

Opening a program on her console, Shiro walked forward so he wasn't covering the screen. On-screen, three folders appeared with different titles. 

The first read 'ACHLYS MISSION'. The second read 'FIRE REVIVAL'. The third was simply 'KHKH'. 

Typing away at her console, the first folder opened. Documents, pictures, and a video file fell into order on the screen. Clicking on a particular picture, Shiro looked away.

The ACHLYS was standing tall and proud, most notably intact. In front of it stood five people. From left to right, a woman with medium-length brown hair pulled into a braid. She had an arm around the waist of the man to her left, who was a full head taller than her with a scar on his right cheek and black hair tied into a ponytail. A gloved hand was on the shoulder of the Colonel, who had a hand tucked into his pants pocket. The man on the other side of the Colonel had tan skin and cropped brown hair. The last man also had cropped hair, black in color, and was much darker than the man next to him. Four of the five people in the picture wore matching orange, gray, and white suits. The men to the Colonel's left had helmets in their hands, while the ones to his right didn't. 

"Pictured left to right: Katie Holt, Keith Kogane, Colonel Takashi Shirogane, Lance McClain, and Hunk Garrett." Liz read aloud, squinting to read the caption. Kova opened a document file and it appeared beside the picture. In big bold letters, the word 'CLASSIFIED' was stamped onto the page. The top read 'INCIDENT REPORT & DISAPPEARANCE OF ACHLYS CREW'.

"I was right." Cake turned in his seat to stare at Kova. "You did know what happened." 

"We weren't supposed to say anything," Caleb replied instead. 

"The ACHLYS was ambushed," Shiro said, staring at the picture. "According to evidence collected, the crew escaped in pods, but never made contact."

"What evidence?" Shiro stayed silent. "I thought we were learning everything, so why—"

"Lance was the only one of the four that returned to Earth. His pod was used to locate the others, but it was unsuccessful. It was too dangerous to continue."

"But we found Keith! He's alive, right?" Cake turned his attention to Liz and Allie. Both girls were staring at the small devices in their hands. Something of Liz's creation used to monitor Keith's monitor. If there was a too high spike, a too low valley, or a change in anything, it would alert them both. 

Keith had been unresponsive and stable since he had been brought on. 

"My dad could still be—"

"Cake," Kova said. Her voice was firm, staring straight ahead. "The ACHLYS was ambushed by the Fire after an initial recon by Keith and Pidge." Cake became quiet, turning to the screen. 

Closing the file, Kova opened the second folder. Possibly even more documents came from the folder, many of them with the same 'CLASSIFIED' stamped onto them. 

Opening a picture file, it showed a crazed timeline of events leading up to the ambush Kova mentioned. Kova was adding onto it. 

At the top of the chain was a Galra with huge fluffy purple ears that seemed to curve like horns. A robotic eye replaced their left eye while their right eye was entirely yellow. Under his picture, the nametag read 'SENDAK: DECEASED; FORMER'. A red line pointed down towards a second Galra. Or Altean. You couldn't really tell. The being in the picture had an almost gray skin tone with yellow sclera and dark irises and pupils. Their ears were pointed, a long chain earring running from the tip to the lobe. Below, their name tag read 'RALAN: ALIVE; CURRENT'. There was no line connecting Ralan to anyone else on the board. 

Taking footage from her helmet cam, Kova changed a few details. Adding a picture of Yorak to the board and connecting a line from Ralan to Yorak, Kova changed the nametags. The 'CURRENT' changed to 'FORMER' and Yorak received an 'ALIVE; CURRENT'. 

"Chain of command," Caleb said. Allie had turned around to look at him with a question in her eyes. She turned back around, studying Ralan's face. 

"Ralan?" Allie whispered to herself, seemingly trying to find the memory of this man. "Was he a general or a guard?"

"Allie," Shiro turned. "Do you have something to add?" Allie stared at the Colonel. 

"It may be in your best interest to contact the Emperor of Altea concerning Ralan." It was all she was able to say before twin pagers went off. Allie stood and raced towards the observation bay. 

When Allie left, Shiro began to push down his feelings and started explaining more in depth what the mission against the Fire was about. Liz and Cake would interject here and there, saying the Coeus and Voltron should fight when instigated. Shiro reminded them that while Kova can be as reckless as she wanted, they weren't to go against the Colonel's direct orders. 

The Fire's revival began a few decades ago, staying mostly unknown until the recon mission. Yorak's concerned parents, Keith and Pidge, had gone after him because they had reason to believe he was working with an organization that threatened the peace in the universe. The recon mission Keith and Pidge were on took a full calendar year to complete. They had reported a small organization, but it was well armed. On a vote, all former members of the original legendary defender would be suited up to go. Keith and Pidge ran their own organizations, Lance occasionally served as ambassador to Altea but traded often with Alteans, and Hunk had relinquished most control of his culinary empire to head chefs in individual restaurants. The last former member, Shiro, had been offered the Headmaster position at the Garrison, and he didn't turn it down. The ACHLYS was completed in two years after Keith and Pidge returned, and the launch was televised all over the country. It had been months after the mission had launched, and there were routine communications between the ACHLYS and the Garrison, now under Shiro's command. One day, the communications stopped. 

There was no response. Not even static. Just silence. Nothing. 

Then, on the one year anniversary of the launch, two students reported and assisted a pilot from an escape pod bearing the silent ship's name. The pilot inside was Lance and the students were Kova and Caleb on their way to the green for lunch when they spotted the incoming ship. Neither said a word. 

Before Kova could open the last file, everyone on the Coeus had slammed into the nearest object to their right. For Liz and Cake, it was the floor and Kova's pedestal. For Kenny, it was pressing further into a wall. And for everyone else, they had shoulders pressed sharply to the walls. Liz paged for Allie and the crew of the Coeus began defending their ship.

[annoyinglyjovialbird]

Voltron: Next Generation

Nuclear Decisions: II

Word Count: 2787

Darrar sat in the middle of the floor inside his makeshift cell. As soon as he was given full command of Seklok's former ship, he used the tracking device in the mecha to find the massive ship that housed the Voltron Lions and their Paladins. 

Speaking of the Paladins of Voltron, they were sitting in their chairs on the bridge. Three of them looked uncomfortable, one looked furious, and the last one looked confused. Shiro took in their expressions, wondering what had happened while he and Keith dealt with their new prisoner. You know what? Maybe he didn't want to know why Kova's eyes glinted. 

"Team," Shiro began, three Paladins already half out of their seats. "We have a prisoner." They sat back down, readjusted themselves, and paid more attention. 

"They want to speak with the half-Galra onboard." Keith stood next to Shiro with a hand on his hip. "Something about recruiting." Kova's eyes flared, her mouth curling in a sneer. 

"Eject him," Kova growled. Eyes turned to Kova who simply gripped her arms harder. She had her arms crossed like an angry school teacher.

"There has to be a reason he's here," Shiro said, trying to keep the peace.

"If there's a reason, why should we give him the benefit of the doubt?" Kova's gleamed dangerously. "He snuck onto our ship, where Keith was being held." Keith's eyes widened at the statement but agreed nonetheless. "Yorak's after me. Eject him." Kova ended with resounding finality. 

"We can't just eject someone without a good reason, right?" Caleb turned from his sister to his dad. Shiro didn't say anything, seeming to agree with Kova. "Dad, you can't be serious!" 

"We have to think ahead," Shiro said, turning around to look out the window to the inky black space outside. 

"This person," Kova began. "Could reveal Voltron to the entire universe. Why is it fair to keep him here longer than necessary, where he could confirm suspicions." Kova stepped around her console to stand in front of the railing around her station. "We either eject him or kill him, and last I checked, we are /against/ killing people." 

"Hey!" Kenny exclaimed. "Why are you looking at me?"

"Reasons." 

"Whatever his reason is, maybe we should hear him out first," Keith said, half-turning towards Shiro. 

"Hear him—" Kova's eyes widened at the blasphemous suggestion. She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "He's looking for half-Galra, right? Chances are he's half-Galra, too."

"We can't boldly make that accusation, Kova."

"I can boldly make that accusation! I'm half-Galra!" Kova looked up, eyes losing their sharpness. "If the entire universe discovered Voltron returned, it'll be a bad end for all of us."

"Are you sure you aren't exaggerating anything? Maybe we should keep him. Yorak might want him back." Caleb turned around in his chair to stare at the back of Shiro's head, in hopes of having his voice heard. 

"Have you met Yorak?" Kova glanced between Caleb and Shiro's turned heads. "He's insane. He'll do whatever it takes to get what he wants, and he currently wants me. We should let him go." 

"Uh," Liz shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Don't we get a say in this?" 

"No." All formerly speaking parties said at the same time. Liz reclined in her seat, meeting eyes with Kenny. He touched the side of his forehead with his fingers, keeping his hand flat. He also rolled his eyes while pointing at the arguing party. Liz smiled gratefully, nodding her head. 

"We were advised to keep Voltron a secret. We should continue to do that." Kova ended with a serious note. 

"Very well." Shiro turned around again, facing the teens. "We should cross-reference with the Altean database and touch base with Coran."

"If Earth was so out-of-touch with the rest of the Galactic Coalition, what do you think the chances are they'll help us?"

"I, uh, I actually, uh, um," Allie stammered. 

"Allie?"

"Sorry." She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. "It's just that, I, uh..." Her words died on her tongue as she noticed that every pair of eyes in the room were now fixated on her and whatever she had to say. She looked like a deer caught in headlights, or whatever the Altean equivalent was. 

"Allie?" Kova tried to get her attention. "Allie." The young girl began to shake. "Allura." Kova's deep commanding voice finally got the young girl's attention, making eye contact with the young girl. "Look at me. Just me." Allie's breath evened out the longer her eyes met Kova's. "What about Altea?" Allie sighed, nodding her head, looking determined. 

"I have authorized clearance over the Altean records." Allie seemed to sit taller in her chair. "I wasn't just trained by Altean medics, I was also trained by bookkeepers, advisors, and everyone else who had a position of power over Altean life." She turned in her chair to face Shiro, Keith, and everyone else. "I just need a name." 

"Are you sure?" Shiro asked, glancing at Keith. 

"Yes." Allie sounded confident, nodding her head.

"Alright then." Kova stood to her full height, placing her hands on her hips. "Let's go, team."

"Kova." Shiro tried to stop her, but she ignored him. 

"Allie, you can use my console," Kova called out, watching the other teens file out of the bridge. Caleb joined Kenny on the long trek down to the engine room. Liz and Cake marched themselves to their rooms. Shiro, while hesitant, walked out as well with Keith on his heels. They would go back to the observation rooms in the med bay to interrogate their prisoner further. Kova was the last to leave, watching as Allie stood from her chair and climbed the staircase, slowly morphing. By the top of the stairs, Kova was now having to look up at the newly tall Altean. Kova was level with Allie's shoulder, but that didn't deter her. With a hand on her shoulder, the fear that had begun to brew inside Allie had seemingly dissipated momentarily. With a smile and a nod, Kova left the young girl alone on the bridge, closing the door behind her. The bridge door didn't close all the way, however, but Allie was oblivious to this. 

Her thin fingers hovered over the console's keyboard, wondering whether she should continue or not. Chances were her login didn't work anymore, and she would have to contact Altean directly. With that thought in mind, Allie set to work with an ease that scared her. She had typed the call code so many times before. Why was she afraid she couldn't remember it? 

The screen in front of the window appeared with three white dots on its Altean blue screen. The call connected just as Allie composed herself. 

"I truly hope you are calling to apologize." An older woman with blonde hair pinned back in a high bun with a braid crowning her head, sharp purple eyes, and pale green markings pointedly said. She was looking down at a screen in her hands, pressing something. Allie took a breath to calm her nerves as the woman continued. She had looked up to glare directly at the screen. "Otherwise, I'm hanging up." 

"Please don't, Romelle," Allie pleaded. Romelle put down the screen she had been holding and positioned herself to completely face Allie. 

"Allura," Romelle began, lacing her fingers together in front of her. "What do you want?" 

"I would like to formally request reinstatement of my access to Altean records."

"Really?" Allie had been bowing her head. At Romelle's reply, she looked up to see an eyebrow raised on Romelle's bored face. "I would rather you apologize."

"For what exactly?" Allie asked, confused. Even Kova outside the door could hear her confusion. She also jumped when Romelle slammed both her hands onto the table. 

"Are you playing coy with me, Allura?" Romelle's eyes lit with anger, while Allie tried her best to not shake in fear. "For denying your title!"

"Denying my—" Allie repeated as realization dawned on her. "What title is there for me to deny?" 

"Allura." Romelle's tone softened, as though she were explaining something to a child. To be fair, she was, but I think Allie is old enough to think for herself. "You are named after the greatest hero known to Altea. You should be carrying her mantle, her title, her very name, with honor and grace."

"Isn't it more honorable and graceful to let those close to her mourn than announce an heir?"

"What are you talking about?" 

"Her friends joined together to celebrate her memory." Allie looked down to her hands again. "Announcing an heir to the Altean throne on that specific day seems disrespectful."

"Allura, your father served alongside her for a great many years. You were named after a person of strength."

"So were a thousand others." 

"You are the daughter of the Emperor. The only daughter of the Emperor. No one else will ever have that honor."

"I know all that." Allie snapped. "I still don't understand what I have to apologize for." 

"For denying your title when you left Altea." Allie's jaw slackened. She couldn't have been redder. 

"Is that it?" Allie slammed her hands on the console, making Romelle jump slightly. "You're the one that recommended me to the Garrison! You're the one you told me to keep a low profile! That's why I dismissed the royal guard! That's why I didn't go around school announcing 'I'm Princess of Altea! Bow to me, peasants!' Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds?" 

"Why, I never!" 

"Never what, Romelle?" Allura glared at the older woman. "Never suggested the Princess remain a secret until she has learned some valuable skills, then become offended when she isn't announced on Remembrance Day? Never instructed the guards to disguise themselves, then grew angry when they weren't ornate enough? Never announced the name Allura when asked what my name should be, then wondered why a thousand others were the same name?" Allie was close to panting as she listed off everything in anger. "Because you did it, Romelle. You did it all. So it's not my fault when I say that I don't want to rule people that don't know about my very existence! Not when I'm lost in a sea of a thousand strong." Her voice softened as her rant came to an end. Her anger left her with every word until it all left her body. Only the humming of the Coeus's engines remained, a constant rhythm through the silence. Romelle's violet eyes widened at Allie's outburst, so still that Allie thought the connection had cut out. Romelle moved to compose herself, with hardened eyes. 

"No." She said. Blood rushed through Allie's ears as Romelle said that one word. "I will not reinstate your access. If you need something, you call me. Understood?" Allie wanted to yell and kick and scream at the unfairness, but she didn't. She gave a slight nod, which Romelle pursed her lips at. "Goodbye, Allura." The screen turned off, letting the distant humming take over. The star-studded darkness swallowed Allie whole, to which she gritted her teeth at. A hand on her shoulder cleared the darkness, flling her with fear. The fear quickly turned to dread when she turned to follow the hand to its owner. 

"You okay?" Kova's usually sharp amber eyes had softened, looking genuinely worried. Allie had shrunk down to her original height. Well, the original height that Kova had met her in. Allie was shaking, small hands balled into fists at her sides. At Kova's question, Allie's bright blue eyes welled up with tears, falling down her cheeks. Kova managed to lift her other arm so that Allie could hook her arms around Kova's waist, resting her head on the older teen's shoulder. Kova wrapped her arms around the young girl's shoulders, rubbing her back as she sobbed into her shoulder. Kova whispered in Allie's ear, but she heard none of it. She continued sobbing until there were no more tears to shed, and allowed Kova to lead her back to her room. 

———————

"What do you wish to do?" Vhix asked, looking from the front window to Yorak. Yorak's features were shadowed ominously, with fingers laced in front of his mouth. 

"Create a distraction." Yorak lowered his hands, staring at the huge white and orange battleship. "Draw her out." Vhix made a round-up symbol, getting the attention of the lower ranking soldiers, who set themselves to work. 

"Anything else?" Vhix asked. Yorak quietly eyed every structure on the Coeus until he found an odd-looking piece. A dingy satellite that seemed to be made of scraps was attached onto the outer surface of the Coeus, almost completely out-of-sight. Almost. "Yorak?"

"Fire on the satellite." Yorak turned, voice echoing in the command chamber. Soldiers immediately got to work, readying weapons. "Fire on the ones who come out until the Black Lion intervenes." Yorak strode forward towards the different officers, each of them doing all but physically pinning themselves to the wall as Yorak passed their desks. Shivers ran down their spines, but they said nothing, briefly stilling their movements. Vhix followed, curious as to what Yorak had planned. 

"Ready the cannon," Vhix ordered. "Aim for the satellite." Vhix got an answer quickly. Target was locked. "Fire." A small blast was fired from the wide array of weapons the ship had access to, but it was enough to destroy the small satellite on the Coeus. They waited for a few minutes, then a few minutes turned into twenty-five. Movement was spotted on the outer surface of the Coeus. The person wore Paladin armor, but it wasn't the color Yorak wanted. The Paladin was red. Caleb was close enough. It would motivate Kyla to react faster. 

"Fire on the Paladin." An onslaught of blasts was released from the ship onto the Coeus. Caleb barely had time to duck and hide when the shots began to ricochet off the metallic surface and onto his face. "Intercept his call." 

"Sec to Coeus, I need assistance!" Caleb said over his ear piece, his pleas being heard by not only the Coeus, but also Yorak's crew. "Sec to Coeus!" 

"Jax to Sec, incoming assistance." Yorak smiled creepily as Kyla's voice responded to Caleb's plea. Sure enough, the Black Lion emerged from the massive ship, roaring away. Along with it came the other three Lions dragging a fourth along with them. 

"Griffin to Sec, where are you located?" Another female voice came over the transmission. Before Caleb could answer, another blast landed next to him. His scream echoed over the transmission. He was safe, relatively speaking. His armor protected him from any sort of debris. The shockwaves hurt like quiznack, though. 

"Hold!" Kyla called out. Another blast came from Yorak's ship. "I said hold!" 

"Let's listen to her, shall we?" Yorak said, much too pleased with himself. The Black Lion had flown to a stop in front of Yorak's ship. "Hello, Kyla." 

"What do you want?" Her voice was cold, hard, and angry. Yorak smiled again. 

"I want you to listen to me." Yorak leaned forward, imagining Kyla was doing the same. "Join me or watch your precious team be destroyed."

"You wouldn't."

"Oh really?" The cannon mounted on the front of the ship lit up with purple energy, aimed directly at the Coeus. The Black Lion stood firm in its path, but it wouldn't be a match. "Your choice, Kyla. Join me, or die." She sat in silence in the cockpit. No words were exchanged, none of the Lions made a move. The Green Lion was perched on the Coeus, shielding Caleb and the satellite from further destruction. Blue held Red by a long tether, with Yellow directly above them. 

"Fine." Kyla sounded defeated, but defiant. Perfect. "Don't hurt them." 

"Of course, Kyla." The communication cut off as the orders were given to open the hatch. The Black Lion was pulled in by a traction beam, disabling the energy inside the Lion. As the Black Lion was being brought into the transport bay of the Yorak's ship, the rest of the crew of the Coeus could only look on in silence. 

Almost giddy, Yorak went down to the transport bay to meet his new comrade. Kyla wore her black and white Paladin armor with violet cuffs around her wrists. She wasn't fighting the soldiers who grabbed her roughly by the arms. 

"Well, then." Yorak shooed off the guards, taking their place on Kyla's arms. "Now we can have our little party."

"Little?"

"Yes." Yorak shoved Kyla forward to the other side of the ship, where the huge telecommunications happened. "We're going to announce the Fire's return to the entire universe."

[annoyinglyjovialbird]

Voltron: Next Generation

Eventful Days: III

Word Count: 2937

Caleb had turned around to lift his hands in mock surrender. There was no way for him to see what had happened. 

Two soldiers, dressed in identical gray armor with purple insignias on the front chest plate, had taken Caleb by surprise. One of them knocked the butt of their weapon into Caleb's back, holding him down at gunpoint. The other had charged towards Kova, still sitting in the cruiser. With a boost from her jet pack, Kova had jumped away from the soldier chasing her. Unfortunately, she couldn't see inside the screen of the helmet, but they could see her. The crew onboard the Galra ship took quick pictures to send to their Emperor. 

While Captain Scars-a-lot had said he would get the girl, he never specified which. He had only assumed. Even now, he wasn't sure that she was the girl. 

"Captain," A voice from the doorway said. The Captain turned, already growling at the wormling who would have to grovel at his feet for interrupting him, but the threats quickly died on his tongue. The broad-shouldered man strode to the helm where the live feed of the soldiers' helmet cams was rolling. 

"My Emperor." The Captain bowed his head, placing a closed hand over his heart. "I was not aware of your presence." 

"If your men are incapable of handling her," The Emperor said, staring at the wincing Captain. "I will not hold it against you." The Captain's eyes opened in surprise, expecting a threat. 

"She is but a little girl." The 'little girl' had come out of her initial shock and summoned a shield, pushing the soldier away from her. With a backflip and an assist from her jet pack, she had landed just behind the other soldier and beat them away from the young man they were holding down. With both soldiers barely standing and the boy out of commission for a while, the girl summoned her bayard. It formed into a long, curved sword. 

"That 'little girl' is Paladin of the Black Lion," The Emperor crossed his hands behind his back. "Her skills in combat are almost unrivaled, by human or otherwise."

"Who could rival her?"

"The young man your soldiers beat to the ground." The Emperor's smile, the only thing not covered by a dark shadow, had grown across his face. "And he's only there because he was caught by surprise."

Back on the space rock, Kova was shielding Caleb from above while glaring at the pair of Fire soldiers. Caleb, on the other hand, was trying to blink away the double vision. Groggily, Caleb lifted his head, taking out his bayard in return. Balancing it precariously on his knee, Caleb aimed and fired. He didn't know which of the three small soldiers he had hit, but he hit one of them. 

"Jax to Coeus, I need assistance." Caleb fired another shot, missing the smaller soldier by a few inches. "Repeat, Jax to Coeus, I need assistance."

"Coeus to Jax, we hear you." Activating her helmet cam to show the bridge what she was seeing, Caleb fired one more time. He had hit the smaller soldier directly in the chest plate, sending them back with a scream. The taller one of the two, the one that had come after Kova, hadn't been deterred by this. Instead, he sped up. Kova's shield had blocked the soldier from attacking her head-on, but it took away protection from Caleb. As the tall soldier landed in a crouch, he grabbed Caleb's leg and pulled. With almost no effort, Caleb had been thrown to the other side of the cliff. Kova honestly didn't want to stab someone today, but if she had to. The sword in her hand glinted dangerously, much to the soldier's dismay. With bold, almost clean strokes, Kova lowered her shield, grabbed the handle of the bayard, and swung at the soldier. He jumped away, thinking he had jumped away just in time, evading Kova's erratic swings. He took one last jump backward before getting his head knocked on by a rock in Caleb's hand. Turning around, Caleb and Kova were back to back as the smaller soldier ran around them in circles, pushing them further from the edge. 

"Locate the Galra ship." Kova was panting. 

"Liz."

"On it." Liz had busily been typing away codes for each of the cameras on the outside of the Coeus. There was nothing but deep, dark, and lonely space around them. "I don't see anything, Colonel."

"Keep trying." Shiro had summoned the other teens and Kenny into the bridge when Kova's plea came through. "Hang in there. Remember your summer training sessions."

"This isn't desert sand being thrown in our faces, Dad," Caleb muttered. "It's space rock dust that refuses to fall completely." 

"Oh, hello there," Kova said, her bayard morphing again. It changed into a sharpshooter rifle, similar to the one Uncle Lance had taught her to use a few years back. Aiming, Kova found the body of the smaller soldier and fired. The soldier fell to the ground as Kova's bayard returned to its original form. "On the count of three, jump out. Ready?" Caleb nodded his head behind her and steeled himself. 

"One?"

"Two."

"Three!" The pair shouted at the same time, jumping out of the dust cloud. Kova was apprehensive, searching around the hole for anyone else. She had noticed the soldiers were gone, but it didn't put her at ease. 

"Gah!" Caleb's voice. Directly behind her. Turning around, Kova could only glare. 

Caleb was held in a chokehold with his hands pressed into his back by someone else. The man had dark brown eyes and dark hair that bordered on black. The man's pale arms were exposed in a sleeveless gray vest and tight dark gray pants tucked into calf-length boots. As he turned up to stare the girl, he made sure Kova saw the sharp fangs in the man's exposed smile. Switching hands on her bayard, Kova held it up as it morphed again. It elongated vertically to form a longbow. Pulling the string back, an arrow made of purple quintessence had formed. 

The teens onboard the Coeus were on the edges of their seats, hoping the audio wasn't as bad in quality as the video. Neither Shiro nor Kenny could make out the face of the strange man holding Caleb captive. 

"What do you want?" Kova growled, glaring at the man with intensity. Liz glanced at Shiro before looking back. Kova knew this guy?

"Oh, come on now," The man said much too casually for Kova's taste. "I'm just seeing what I was replaced with. No need to throw a fuss."

"Let. Him. Go. I won't ask again."

"I'm sure." The man's smile never wavered, even when the quintessence arrow created a dent in the wall just behind his head. Kova pulled back the string, another arrow forming. 

"That was your only warning." 

"You're no fun, Ky." The man grabbed both of Caleb's cheeks and turned this face towards his own. "Tell me the truth, is she always like this?" Caleb didn't respond. With an exasperated sigh, the man turned to meet Kova's glare. "I have every intention of letting him go."

"Then do it."

"I will." The man shifted on his foot. "As soon as you answer a burning question of mine."

"No."

"Then say goodbye to your so-called brother."

"You wouldn't dare." Kova aimed at the man's head. Caleb knew Kova's aim was good, but that was on Earth. How good would quintessence arrows hit him in zero gravity? The man froze behind Caleb, studying Kova's movements. 

"How about a proposition?"

"No."

"Oh, come on, Ky. You'll like it."

"Stop calling me that."

"You can ask me your question first if you'd like." The man's toothy grin returned, watching Kova try not to have a brain aneurysm. She stood unwavering for a few minutes, thinking carefully. "She always did this," the man whispered to the teen in his clutches. "Think so hard, her brain explodes from the pressure."

"If you are who I think you are," Kova started her question and the man perked up. "Are you the leader of the Fire?" 

"Aww, I knew your question would be carefully worded like that." The man, who had been resting his head on Caleb's shoulder stood to his full height, showing off two long scars on his cheeks. "I am who you think I am, and I am Emperor Yorak of the Fire." 

On the Coeus, Shiro slammed his fist onto the face of the console at the helm, making everyone jump. Kenny was startled, but he couldn't tear his eyes from the screen. Soon enough, every teens' eyes returned to the screen. To Kova's encounter. 

Kova was shaking her head, wrinkling her nose. Yorak, as they had come to find out, was tilting his head to the side, almost as though he was trying to figure out what Kova was doing. Caleb tried shaking himself free from Yorak's grasp, but it was instead tightened. 

"Little Ky doesn't know what to do now that her greatest fear was confirmed," Yorak said mockingly. 

"Stop calling me that!" Kova all but shouted. "What's your question?"

"Finally." Yorak overdramatically sighed and rolled his eyes. "My question is simple, Kyla." Kova sneered, almost near tempted to fire again. 

"Kova, don't," Caleb whispered, hoping he could hear her. 

"Yes, Kyla, listen to your so-called brother." Kova stayed silent, trying to press down her anger. "Tell me, Kyla. Have you forgiven our dear old parents and me for leaving you behind and alone?"

Kova thought she was prepared for the question. She thought she could handle it, but knowing Kenny was onboard and listening made it harder. 

Pulling back the string harder and letting it go, the arrow flew towards Yorak's stupid smiling face as he let go and pushed Caleb forward. Beaming himself up, he wasn't around to see Kova's internal and soon physical struggle as she collapsed onto her knees. 

Yorak had arrived in his private chambers as the Captain looked on. The quintessence arrow hit its mark, leaving a small slice on Yorak's right cheek. 

"My Lord!" The Captain had been watching the entire exchange. "I'll have soldiers deployed immediately! The girl should have answered your question!"

"There's no need, Seklok," Yorak said, wiping the blood from his cheek. "This was answer enough." 

"But my Lord—"

"Are you questioning me?" Yorak had turned to look down on the Captain, who had bowed his head. 

"No, milord." They stood there for a few seconds. Seklok, or Captain Scars-a-lot, whichever you prefer, was afraid the Emperor would punish him for disobeying orders. 

"Leave me be."

"Yes sir." Quicker than space mice afraid of the light, Yorak was alone. At least he had the satisfaction of breaking her down. 

The Lions had returned to the Coeus, and all Kova wanted to do was sleep. She was walking with a limp because unbeknownst to her, Caleb hadn't properly set up his weapon. The pushback had fallen entirely on Kova's knee, which the initial adrenaline had numbed. 

"Kova, Caleb." Shiro's stern voice came from down the hallway. "In my quarters. Now." 

Following Shiro, the door closed behind them. The room they had walked into was a room the teens had just passed by since it was in the way of the bedroom. Set up like his office back home, Shiro stood behind the console that stood in for his desk and laid his hands on it. Staring at the teens, he was trying to find a point to start his tirade. 

Outside the closed doors, the other teens had their ears pressed into the crack, hoping to pick up on some sort of conversation. Allie thought it was strange, but she joined right in. Kenny hadn't moved from the chair in the bridge, staring ahead blankly and no one wanted to bother him while he was lost in thought. 

"Where do I even begin?" Shiro began. There were no chairs, so the teens were forced to stand. Kova had her head bowed while Caleb was staring at a spot in the wall. "You can't just decide that you can pick and leave without informing me first. I had to find out from Ken. What would've happened if I hadn't responded to your call in time?" 

"Dad, can we—" Caleb tried to say.

"I don't ask for much. Just to be informed is enough, but then this bombshell happens." Shiro turned to Kova's bowed head. "How are you going to explain this one away? It's one thing to disobey my orders, but it's another if you don't deny what he said."

Kova mumbled something under her breath, leaving Caleb wide-eyed. Turning her head up a little, Shiro could see Kova's eyes were closed. 

"What was that?" Shiro fed into the anger she was trying to control. 

"Open the classified trio," Kova said, opening her eyes. Caleb could swear that you could've heard a pin drop if there was one. 

"No." Shiro's voice was a warning. 

"I told you before, this team won't fight against an enemy they know nothing about."

"Why do you need the files opened? What's your evidence?"

"What more evidence do you need?" Kova scoffed. "Keith is alive after all these years, Yorak is Emperor of the Fire, and this marks our third Fire attack." Kova's voice grew louder with every word, with more power than the last. 

"Those files are classified for a reason!" 

"And the team should've been informed from the start!" 

"Opening the trio will expose too many loose threads."

"And opening only one will lead to forcibly opening the others!"

"Kova, I'm not opening any of the case files."

"He called me out by birth name. Did you let me stare at his picture for fun?" 

"Kova."

"Opening the trio will do us more good than harm. We'll know what we're looking for."

"You were allowed to look at the files because you're my kids."

"Oh, so not because I'm part of the problem?"

"You aren't part of the problem."

"Then authorize. The opening. Of the files." Even limping, Kova didn't lose her attitude. Shiro didn't appreciate it as much. 

"I'm your dad. This is for your safety, Kova."

"It's a good thing I'm not even your kid then!" Caleb clapped a hand over his mouth watching as hurt filled Shiro's eyes. Kova had looked away from his eyes, knowing she'd break otherwise. She was breathing hard. The teens outside had looks of shock on their faces. No one said a word for a good minute. The constant hum of the ship filled the void, but it wasn't enough. It wasn't enough to drown out the voices of the past. 

"Kova," Shiro began. 

"Open the case files," Kova muttered, refusing to meet Shiro's eyes. "Cake needs to know what happened to his dad." She looked up to meet Shiro's eyes, fighting back tears. "Kenny needs to know what his brother got into." At the mention of Kenny, Shiro shook himself out of his stupor. 

"I am not authorizing the release of the trio."

"Give the team the full authorization," Kova's threat began. Her fists were balled at her sides. "Or officially expel me from the Garrison." 

Outside the doors, Cake and Liz audibly gasped under their breath. Allie was shocked too but confused at the reactions of the others. Liz, who had been listening from above Cake's head, pushed herself away from the door. Cake met her eyes and nodded her understanding. An unspoken agreement between the engineers. With a deep breath, Liz calmed her thoughts and returned her ear to the door. 

"One way or the other, I'm telling them." Kova hadn't moved. Neither had Caleb, who was frozen in place at Kova's ultimatum. Shiro's eyes widened briefly before he sighed and broke his gaze from Kova. 

"To your rooms. We'll reconvene in the morning." Shiro watched as the teens walked towards the door and left. 

Liz, Cake, and Allie had ducked to either side of the doorframe, hoping the Colonel wouldn't see them. Kova and Caleb marched past them without a word, nor any sort of acknowledgment they were there. Kova looked angrier than any of them had ever seen her. In a rash attempt for some sort of information, Liz grabbed Caleb's arm before the pair entered their respective rooms. Caleb's baby blues met Liz's brown ones and she visibly became more flustered. 

"I'm sorry, Cap, I just, uh," Liz looked on in a wide-eyed stare. A shake of her head and the words came more smoothly. "We had a few questions." Caleb sighed, leaning on the doorframe outside his room. Kova had already gone inside. 

"Is her threat real?" Cake asked, and Caleb's shoulders sagged. He nodded, resting his head on the wall. 

"Will those files help us defeat the Fire?" Liz asked. Caleb nodded again. Allie knew it was her turn, but she couldn't think of a good question. Not when Caleb looked exhausted. 

"Will the opening of the files delay our arrival at the space mall?" She asked. Caleb could only stare at her, lifting his head. He smiled and let a small laugh escape. He shook his head. Pushing himself off the wall, he waved at the other teens and walked into his room. Allie, Cake, and Liz stood in the hallway. When they left, Allie insisted on taking the first shift. Between her and Liz, they should be able to care for Keith until he wakes up from this coma, taking a few hour shifts. 

If he ever wakes up.

[annoyinglyjovialbird]

Voltron: Next Generation

Wavering Objectives: I

Word Count: 3283

A/N: Longer cause I can!

It had been a few days since Kova's great escapade, but the effects still lingered. 

Yorak and Vhix were studying the holoscreen recording of the event. She was smart, quick on her feet. Vhix stared at the recordings in a begrudging impress. Yorak was supporting himself on the table, bowing his head and glaring at a still of Kova's face. 

"Well, Kyla sure has grown up, hasn't she?" Vhix muttered. Yorak's hand tightened into a ball. With a thunderous blow, Yorak pounded his fist into the table, shaking the screen and disabling it. 

"Kyla is still the same spineless girl she was before." Yorak stood at full height, cradling his fist. "We can break her. Rebuild her. Make her fight for us." Yorak had turned to look out the small porthole-sized window behind him. The stars flickered past the slow-moving ship. The rainbow clouds of dust glowed in the distance, much too far to reach. 

"And how do you intend to do that?" Vhix asked, crossing his arms across his chest and leaned on the edge of the table. "Her moral compass was determined by the ones who raised her, and that wasn't you."

"Ezrid," Yorak growled. "Don't tell me things I already know." Yorak turned to glare at the man behind him. Vhix looked unimpressed, only uncrossing his arms at Yorak's turn. 

"Well, Junior," Vhix said. Yorak sneered at the name. "Entertain me. How are you going to break someone who isn't here to break?"

"In due time, Vhix." Yorak flexed his hand, wincing at the pain that shot up his arm. "When we return to the outpost, I'll tell you."

"Until then?" 

"Track her down. Double the ransom. We need her back."

———————

The crew of the Coeus was gathered on the bridge, hoping to hear all about the amazing escape. Kova, for her credit, stood in the middle of the floor in full view of everyone's eyes as they looked her over. She was wearing only a black t-shirt, black pants, and combat boots. Her hair was held back in a loose ponytail, her eyes downcast. 

Rolling her head around, she met everyone's eyes and sighed. 

"Let's just get this over with." She muttered. Stiffening her shoulders and holding herself steady, Kova's eyes brightened. "Who's first?" A barrage of questions came her way, and if there was a way to physically be blown away by the questions or the volume at which they were being asked, Kova would. "Time out, time out!" 

"What happened? What did you do?"

"I called for a timeout, Griffin!"

"Don't care!" Liz held her face in her hands in a glamor pose. "How did you escape?" Kova rolled her eyes and rested her hand on her hip. 

"I made an elephant toothpaste trap, escaped through a hole in the sewer, and was blown out through the back door." A few awkward blinks came Kova's way, and she stared back. "Seriously, that's what happened! Ugh, anyway. Who's next?"

"Are you physically okay?" Cake asked next. Kova nodded. 

"Besides a wrist sprain from holding on to the door, I'm fine."

"Then why are your arm and leg wrapped?" Kova really hoped Cake wouldn't ask. Her body language said as much. Kova's leg had been scratched from her jump into the emergency toilet that she hadn't noticed, the small scratch on her hands climbing out of the emergency toilet later on, and the wrist sprain didn't and shouldn't warrant an arm sling and Kova's left arm and right leg to be completely wrapped in gauze and tape. 

"I wish I could tell you, Cake." Kova looked to the quiet side of the room. "Next?" 

"Did you recover any pertinent information?" Allie asked. 

"Not much. I'm sorry. They took me to a closet across from the Emperor's room. The second-in-command told me I should be grateful for not being in a crowded prison cell." 

"They were treating you well?" 

"I know! I was shocked too. It seemed like I was their main priority. They tried feeding several times. I even dunked a soldier's head in a toilet, but they let me go. I wasn't punished." Allie sat back in her chair, pondering. "Who's next?"

"How were we able to track you?" Shiro was supporting himself on the banister around Kova's station. 

Kova's eyebrows lifted at her father, who stood firm. She shrugged and turned to face the windows to the dark space outside. She stooped down to lift a small panel on the floor and inserted a small chip. The screen came to life, showing a unique code, color-coded to show the differences. Kenny and Cake marveled at the sight, geeking out at the individual codes. Everyone else was trying to understand what it was. 

"These are the individual tracking codes on the suits. When I was going through the suits and updating, upgrading, or even unlocking several different components, I also inserted a tracking code." 

"Into the armor or the bodysuits?" Cake asked, tuning into the conversation. 

"Both," Kova said, turning to face him. "I managed to have the codes be separate from each other unless combined together."

"Meaning?" Keith asked. He had been quiet throughout the whole conversation. At least he was interested in something. 

"Meaning that the bodysuits will emit a tracking code unless attached to the armor. Then, the bodysuits disable their code when their pairing code is in position."

"So, wait. The code Cap knew is—" Liz started again, being cut off by Kova. 

"The code to the Black Paladin bodysuit." Kova's right hand found itself a home on her hip as she stared at everyone's awed stares. If reversed, you'd be impressed, too, she chided herself. "I kept all the code on a small password-protected chip in case of plagiarism. I hoped to integrate it with the modern suits after test runs."

"So, wait." Caleb held a finger in the air. "Our suits are tracking code experiments." Kova raised her eyebrows again, giving Caleb a flat stare. Allie, although not visible to Caleb, also gave a flat stare. 

"Caleb," Kova pinched the bridge of her nose. "You. Were. There." Caleb crossed his arms and pouted. "Are you going to ask a question, now, or are you going to keep pouting?"

"What is your relationship with the Fire?" Keith demanded, turning all eyes to him. 

"What are you talking about?" Kova asked. Her heart was racing. Did he know? Did Keith recognize her? 

"You're half-Galra, aren't you?" Darn. 

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?" 

"Whose side are you on?" Keith had descended the staircase to stand in front of Kova. He was taller than she was, but she didn't move. She met his stare. "The Fire's or the galaxy's?" 

"Stand down, soldier." Kova's eyes flared at the accusation. "I'm on the side that takes down the Fire, not the other way around." 

"Then why haven't you done anything against them?"

"What are we supposed to do? We're kids!" 

"So was I, and I defeated the Fire! Give me a real excuse!" 

"Alright, alright, enough!" Shiro intervened. "We can discuss more later. Kova, go put ice on your wounds. Keith, go rest in your bunk. Everyone else, continue normal duties." To a chorus of 'yes sirs' and huffs from fighting parties, the crew did exactly what they were told to do. 

Later that night, and in the middle of the night, the crew had a rude awakening. One minute, the Coeus is stable. Drifting through space without much interference from the space around it. The next, it went nyoom to the right. With thunderous crashes, every teen had fallen out of bed. Kenny, who positioned his bed in a small alcove, hadn't been affected. Until the ship took a hard left to reposition itself. Then he raced to the bridge. 

The paladins raced in, in varying degrees of sleepwear. Together, they scanned the windows, searching for warnings or blasts. Instead, they found Keith. He was wearing the clothes Shiro had gotten him from the space mall: A plain black t-shirt, a gray vest Shiro had stolen back from Kova, matching gray cargo pants, and boots. Red ribbons were tied around his calves to keep the pants from billowing. 

Keith only stared at the teens, holding the console. It seemed to the teens he didn't expect the teens' response time to be so fast. Clearly, he didn't know how often they've been attacked. 

From left to right, the teens wore their Lions' colors well. Allie wore a light blue long-sleeved smocked waist dress with matching blue pants and white slippers. Caleb wore a bold red shirt with a plaid breast pocket and black and white plaid pants with black socks. Kova wore solid purple sweatpants and long-sleeved tunic with fitted wrists and ankles and barefoot. Liz wore a white tank-top with bright green shorts underneath. covered by a green robe and white socks. Cake wore a long green and yellow tunic similar to the ones his mother wore on the Balmera. They all had varying degrees of bed head, from Allie's bent pigtails to Kova's tri-pronged hair and everything in between. 

"It's the middle of the night!" Liz exclaimed. Cake and Allie were quick to follow her anger but did nothing to stop Keith. "Kova! Kova?" Liz tried to rally the stunned teen and noticed a vein protruding from the girl's forehead. 

"DAAAAD!" Kova's voice started small, growing in volume as she stood to full height. "DAD!" She leaned her head out the doorway. "DAD! Control your, uh, whatever!" 

"Get into positions," Caleb ordered, sighing tiredly. The teens complied, watching. "He's probably still strapped into the bed." 

"What a shame. I don't care." Kova turned to glare at the man in her place. "Get away from my console." Keith didn't budge. She repeated it. His eyes hardened as she got closer. 

"I have to get back to Earth!" Keith shouted, pulling a hand away from the console. The Coeus once again went nyoom but the teens were semi-prepared this time. "I have to get back to my family!"

"We have a larger mission at hand!" Kova argued, lunging at his hand. Keith moved away from her grasp, turning the ship right-side up. "Sorry to say, but I think your family can wait!"

"You don't understand!" The Coeus tilted to the left. 

"Try me!" Rightside up. 

"You're a kid! What do you know?" Coeus went almost flat to its right. 

"More than you, apparently!" Rightside up again. 

"Enough!" Shiro yelled, interrupting the two. Kova took Keith's distraction to pull him forward and flip him onto his back. "Kova!" She stood at attention, directly in front of the console. "What's going on?" Keith was quick to stand up. He opened his mouth to explain, but Kova beat him to it. 

"We awoke to the Coeus changing direction. While aware of your sleeping circumstances, we attempted to resolve this on our own."

"Kova." 

"Fine." She sighed. "I tried to solve this on my own. But he started it!" She pointed a menacing finger at Keith. He pointed one back. 

"She doesn't understand what happened!"

"He almost killed us!"

"No, I didn't!" 

"Stop it! Enough, you two!" Shiro stood in between them. "Kova, be more understanding of others around you." She glowered as Keith beamed. "And Keith, you're new to this dynamic, but Kova's in charge until I take command." Now it was Kova's turn to beam while Keith scowled. "Kova."

"On it." She turned to her team, ready for orders. "Liz, pull up cameras. Cake, redirect our course. I uploaded some data into the Coeus's hard drive. Allie, can you decode for Kenny? It's Altean. Caleb, get me a hot chocolate."

"No." He spun in his chair, typing away at his console to check on weapons systems. Kova shrugged at her dad, who gave his head shake of disapproval. She didn't mind much. 

"Keith, there's a chair in the corner." Kova pointed at the chair in its long-forgotten corner. Of course, he didn't listen. Luckily for the teens, there was an all-clear. The teens climbed up the stairs, all hoping to reacquaint themselves with their sheets and pillows. 

The Coeus, once again, went nyoom, taking a hard hit from the left. The teens slammed into the nearest walls. 

"Oh, I'm never going to sleep tonight," Kova muttered with her head bowed. She stood, taking command. "All right, everyone, get to stations!" Keith had a first-class seat to the efficiency the team dealt with the threat. Unfortunately, now they were all too wired to go to bed. Keith wasn't pulling his stunt again tonight. 

They're kids! What do they know!

Kova was typing away at her console. The low light on the bridge had darkened her features, making her look more tired than she was. For once, the look matched the feeling. All the attacking and the running and the plotting were starting to take their toll. The universe didn't have to know about Voltron just yet, but having to break the news to the Coalition might be the end of her. Or her career. Or both. 

"You ask her!" 

"No, you!" 

"Why do I have to do it?" 

"She's your pilot!"

"This was your idea!" The hushed, hurried argument between Cake and Liz was entertaining at best, annoying at worst. There was no reason for them to be up here. They knew Kova was more than capable to handle the bridge duties by herself. 

"Hey, uh, Cap?" Cake inched himself closer to Kova at her console. He glanced at Liz, who motioned him to continue, and he smiled awkwardly at Kova's head. 

"What's up, Cake?" She replied, still not looking up. 

"We, uh, um," Cake cleared his throat. "We want to play a game up here if that's alright." 

"I won't interfere. Go for it." Cake rolled his eyes and Liz smacked her forehead.

"We want you to play with us." Kova's fingers stilled over the keyboard and she looked up. Slowly she turned her head to Cake, who began to sweat bullets. They stood there for a few seconds as the message was being processed in Kova's brain. She half-smiled and agreed. Cake, blown away that it worked, was dragged to the floor by the hand by Liz, who held an empty bottle. 

"Guys, she said yes!" Liz cried excitedly, and Caleb and Allie soon appeared. All the teens sat down in a circle on the floor of the bridge and placed the bottle in the middle of the group. 

"I think we're too young to play spin the bottle," Kova said. 

"We're not," Liz said, spinning the bottle. "It's kind of like truth-or-dare, twenty questions, and spin the bottle rolled into one." The bottle slowly came to a stop in front of Cake, who had finally come out his daze. 

"Whoever the bottle lands on has to answer every question the other members of the group ask them truthfully." Cake explained further. 

"And it's your turn." Kova pointed out. Cake smiled sheepishly and turned to the person on his right. This was Liz. 

"Lady Eliza, what do you wish to ask me?" Cake said in a fake posh accent. Caleb stifled a laugh and Allie covered her mouth. Kova smiled at the ridiculousness. 

"Why thank you, sir," Liz replied with a matching accent. "Lord of Cakes, I wish to know your real age." 

"My word, Lady Eliza, know you nothing of proper manners." Caleb couldn't hold his laughter in anymore. At Caleb's laughter, Allie laughed too. Kova giggled, which was enough to boost both Liz and Cake's egos. 

"For real, though," Liz said, dropping the accent. "What is your real age? I know Balmerans probably age slower than humans do." 

"I'm still your age." Cake answered. "It's human genetics. I live longer than a human but tragically short for a Balmeran. I don't think about it too much." 

"Does that—" Liz started. A finger twice the size of her own pressed against her lips, and Cake looked away dramatically. 

"Lady Eliza, please! Only one question!" The three other teens erupted in laughter again and one by one asked Cake their questions. 

"What's the story behind your nickname?" Allie was the last to ask, and Cake scoffed at her question.

"Easy." Cake rested his hands in his lap. "I was trying to help my dad in the kitchen. He was working on a huge cake order at the time, and I thought I could sift or mix or pipe frosting or something. I wanted to feel useful. I tripped and caught myself on the counter and dropped a sheet cake Dad had been saving for his overworked pastry chefs. I wound up returning to the Balmera with some proper embarrassment from Talia, who sent pictures of me around the Garrison. I was famous as the 'Cake Kid' before I even got there." 

"I thought you were told the story before," Liz mentioned, and Allie shrugged. 

"I wanted to hear it again." Allie rested her hands on her knees. "Who's next?" Liz leaned forward to spin the bottle again. Round and round it went. It slowly came to a stop in front of Kova. 

"Can I start?" Cake asked excitedly. Allie nodded.

"Who's Kyla?" Liz butted in instead. Cake pouted, but accepted it and turned to Kova. Kova had wide eyes, a look of fear etched into her face. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. May Allura forgive her.

"Kyla is my real name," Kova answered, her hand reaching out to rub the back of her neck. "Kyla Hannah Kogane." 

"Ha!" Cake exclaimed, earning everyone's stare. Well, everyone except Liz. "You owe me 20 GAC!" Cake turned his head to read the room and muttered an apology. 

  "Who's next?" Kova asked. Cake's eyes lit up, but Kova ignored him and looked to the other side to stare at Caleb. "How about you?"

"Nope. Look at Cake." Caleb answered. Kova said something about Caleb being no fun and turned to Cake. 

"If Keith and Pidge are your parents, and you knew they were your parents, why do you never call them mom and dad?" Cake asked his perfect question. Kova lifted her knees to rest her chin in the crook of her knees. 

"Keith and Pidge weren't the perfect parents everyone imagined they were." Kova started, looking off into the distance. "Oh, sure. They had their shining moments, but those were always with my brothers. It was never with me. I can't remember ever calling them mom and dad. TJ always called them by their first names, and Kenny always called them mom and dad when I wasn't in the room. When I left the Kogane home, I took a family picture with me. I stared at it every once in a while. I never had an issue because they weren't parents."

"Th-that's s-s-so sad!" Cake sniffled, tears and boogers coming out of his eyes and nose. The other teens distanced themselves from Cake, equally disgusted. 

"Ugh, Cake! You asked the question!" 

"I didn't think it would be such a sad answer!" Cake sniffled again. 

"Ew." Kova shook her head. "Allie, you're next.

"Alright. Um," She began. She wouldn't finish. 

The Coeus took another blast from the left, earning a quick response from the team. The bottle, disturbed from its resting place, rolled itself to the outermost wall and falling into a vent. The Coeus survived by making a wormhole jump about a week's worth of travel, but barely. In the morning, Kova, Kenny, and Cake would have to suit up and make repairs. Calling it a night, the teens left the bridge and slept in their bunks, leaving the bottle forgotten and left behind.

[annoyinglyjovialbird]

Voltron: Next Generation

Dangerous Clashes: III

Word Count: 3245

AN: A little longer chapter today since its my birthday. Thanks!

Whether it was smart or dumb, the guards delivered the armor to Kova's makeshift cell. She spent a few minutes looking it over, then started working. The bodysuit was like a second skin, completely different than the street clothes she wore before.

The tech on the suit was older than anything she had ever seen, but that was the privilege of attending the intergalactic hub on Earth. We mean the Garrison if you're lost.

She was attempting to use a paperclip as a pair of pliers on the location tracker when the door reopened. Ezrid, or Vhix, stood in the doorframe. Kova spared him a glance before returning to her work. 

"Are you not going to say anything?" Vhix asked, crossing his arms behind his back. 

"Should I?" Kova glanced at him again, noting the scowl that crossed his face. 

"You should be grateful for everything we've given you." He hissed. "Most prisoners rot in the cells below, never seeing their home planets again."

"Ooh, how scary." Kova mocked him. "I should be grateful for being put in a janitor's closet. That's rich."

"What are you doing to the suit?" Vhix asked, noticing her position. He was about to cross the boundary. He was about to trigger the explosion before she was ready. 

"NO!" She yelled. "Stay away from me!" Vhix stepped back, shocked at being yelled at. "I don't want you anywhere near me!" Vhix found his voice, fixing his dark blue cape.

"Aren't you overreacting, Kyla?" He smiled, talking in the tone you would talk to most children with. She stood up from her place on the floor to at least be eye-level with him. 

"I'm not the one our parents chased across the galaxy." She cocked her head. "Am I overreacting?" Vhix had no words. He only looked on with wide eyes. Almost like he didn't know what her parents had done. Without another word the door closed, leaving Kova alone once again. 

She had to finish the suit.

Right. Now. 

——————

"Cake, cover me!" Caleb yelled over the intercoms. 

"You got it!" Cake yelled back, moving his controls. The Coeus had taken another hit. This time, there was a small platoon of ships striking. The Red and Yellow Lions were deployed, against Shiro's orders. The Lions were taking heavy hits, but at least there was no attention at the Coeus. 

The Red Lion was zipping past the cruisers, all their shots missing. The Red Lion was fighting its pilot, but Caleb was having none of it. The Yellow Lion, as the densest lion material-wise, was ramming into the cruisers head-on. 

Liz and Kenny were readying the Coeus for defense, while Allie cowered in a corner. She would have to come out eventually, but for now, she was staying put. 

The Yellow Lion zoomed past the cruisers, either ramming itself through them or leaving them alone for later pickings. 

A communication link request was sent to the Coeus, which Liz immediately refused without looking at it. She glanced at Allie, who was covering her pointy ears with her hands, hoping to silence the gunfire. 

"Can you guys stop playing and knock them out already?" Liz yelled over the intercom to the boys, who weren't quick to respond. The Red Lion was drawing fire towards the enemy ships while Cake used their distraction and fear to ram them down. In the end, all but one of the ships were destroyed. 

Seeing the last cruiser fly away, the Red and Yellow lions released a deafening roar and returned to the Coeus. The Coeus had activated their particle barrier and it would be up for the next few hours until it deactivated itself. 

"Now that that's taken care of," Caleb said. The screen on the bridge appeared, showing the paladins inside their respective lions. "What's next?" 

"We're going to have to double-check every point we travel to if we're going to make another jump."

"Ugh, seriously?" Cake complained. "That will take way longer than whatever we were doing before!" 

"Well, its the only thing we've got right now." Liz was at the head of the bridge, Kova's place, typing away. Kova's console, as it turned out, was the only console with complete access to all files and consoles onboard. 

"Griffin's right," Caleb spoke, leading the Red Lion to fly underneath the Coeus. "If we want to avoid another encounter like that, we're going to have to be more careful."

"But that will take ages!" Cake groaned, rolling his eyes. 

"It's better than not doing anything," Caleb said. 

"Right, 'cause we're still looking for Kova while trying to keep the Coeus intact." Neither Liz nor Caleb were amused by Cake's comment. "Easy enough."

"Speaking of Kova, Griffin, how are we doing?" 

"The tracking is still activated, and it shows we're about one full jump away from reaching her." Liz looked away from the camera and console for a minute, staring at something off-screen. She turned back with a sigh. "I have to take care of something now, but all systems are stable and shield will deactivate in a few hours. Until then, just hang on tight." The connection between the Coeus and the Red and Yellow Paladins was cut, and Cake and Caleb were now left alone with only each other to talk to. 

Where do we even begin with these two? Cake and Caleb were on different teams since they started as cadets at the Garrison. Kova and Caleb had similar leadership tactics, but they weren't on the same level. Caleb was maybe a few months behind Kova's level of understanding. At nine years old, she repaired a major issue on the Achlys. An issue the top engineers couldn't figure out. Kova was the only thing Caleb and Cake had in common. Beyond that, there was nothing. Cake was half-Balmeran. Caleb was completely human. Cake was raised by his biological parents. Caleb was adopted by the Shiroganes at three years old. Cake lived on Earth after ten years old. Caleb hadn't even been to space. 

"This might seem like a weird question, and you don't have to answer," Cake began. Caleb raised an eyebrow. "But didn't Keith have a dog?"

"I, uh, don't know, actually," Caleb said. "Dad and Uncle Lance used to stories, but I don't know if they ever mentioned pets."

"Really? I could've sworn my dad mentioned a dog."

"Huh." Caleb sat back in his chair. If there was a dog, why wasn't it ever mentioned again? "Maybe we could ask Keith about it."

"Maybe." Cake agreed. "Hey, uh, where are you?" 

"Under." /Please say it/, Caleb thought. Kova always switched her words and Cyrus copied her. No one did it. 

"Under /where/?" Caleb erupted in laughter, while Cake looked around confused. /Then/ he realized the joke. 

"Ha ha, okay, very funny, Caleb." Cake said sarcastically. 

Onboard the Coeus, Keith and Shiro were sequestered away in Shiro's office. While Caleb and Cake disobeyed orders, Shiro was getting Keith up to speed on everything they had been doing. 

"The Fire of Purification was terminated as a threat years ago." Shiro had activated a holoscreen, showing the progression board the team had been working on. They were at the beginning of the current threats when Keith spoke. "I killed Sendak!" 

"I know." Shiro took a seat across the desk from Keith. "It seems that some of their former members resurfaced with a vengeance, and began recruiting."

"The Fire of Purification wanted to wipe out every species in the universe if it meant conserving the Galra." 

"And that mission changed with the times." Shiro leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. "The Fire we're fighting today was led by a half-Galra and is currently being led by a different one."

"The one that might've taken your daughter." Shiro's eyes widened a little, shock written on his face. As quickly as it came, it left. 

"Yes. Her status is the reason for the bounty on her head."

"She's half-Galra?"

"Yes, but that's not the only thing." Shiro turned off the holoscreen progression and removed it from his desk. Taking out the tablet Kova had given him when they began this crazy journey, Shiro logged into the Garrison's database. "The students have given her the nickname 'Jax'." Shiro turned the tablet to show Keith the screen. A picture of Kova was on it. Her eyes were like steel, and her features were cut from stone. Her uniform jacket was crisp, and her hair was pulled away from her face in a bun. That was all that could be seen. Shiro turned the screen away from Keith and swiped to view the next picture. It was Kova's log. Her entire school history was there for the men to see. 

"Why do they call her that?" 

"Her teachers would call her a jack of all trades, then it became Jack. To be fair, most instructors thought she was a boy when they heard about her capabilities. Eventually, the student body would call Jack, then Jax. It stuck."

"Teachers? Instructors? Like, she had multiple people teaching her?" Keith was astounded. Even he didn't require that much instruction, and he was considered the best pilot of his generation. 

"Programming, engineering, piloting, was offered private instruction with Commander Holt but declined, and still had time to spend with Lance and our family. Before we left Earth, she was being scouted as an instructor by other schools." 

"With someone like that," Keith began. 

"She could win wars if she stood on the front lines." Shiro finished Keith's sentence. "Caleb is capable of it, too, but he isn't as hyper detailed as Kova." 

"So the Fire wants your daughter, Kova, on their side?"

"More than anything." Keith sat back in his chair, staring into the void. Shiro turned off and put away the tablet while Keith contemplated everything. 

"What are we waiting for, then?" Keith said, standing from his chair. A hand rested on his hip with an iconic smile on his face. "Let's get her back." 

—————

"C'mon, c'mon!" Kova muttered under her breath. "Change color, you stupid light!" She stood on the dirty mattress in the furthest corner of the room. The garbage bag that held her street clothes was propped against the wall closest to the emergency toilet. The dark gray armor fit Kova almost perfectly, but if she wasn't careful, there could be an opening. Her hair was tied in a braided bun at the back of her head, her helmet screen open. She was trying to change the color of the insignia on her chest plate, but for whatever reason, it didn't. The top of the insignia was blue and the bottom was the original purple.

The sewer was emptying, and her window of opportunity was going with it. Let's all say it now: NO ONE CARES ABOUT THE COLOR OF YOUR STUPID LIGHT!

Heavy footsteps rang through the room. The metal grate was horrible like that. The steps became heavier, the metal groaned louder, and Kova's heart raced faster as they approached her room. 

"Screw this!" She finally exclaimed, throwing the paperclip aside, grabbed her plastic bag, and stood at the mouth of the gaping hole. The footsteps had stopped just outside her door. Indistinguishable words were being exchanged between the guards and the newcomer, but Kova wouldn't be around to see it. First went the bag, making a disgusting brown splash on the sewer walls. It was carried only a few feet from the weak current before coming to a standstill. Activating her helmet screen to completely cover her face, Kova took a deep breath. 

May Allura give her strength. 

She jumped feet first into the hole. The brown, maybe green liquid splashed under her feet, but there was no time to consider what it could or couldn't be. As soon as her boots made contact with the bottom of the pipe, Kova ran, grabbing the plastic bag on the way. 

In her now empty room, the door opened to reveal the maniac himself with his second-in-command in tow. 

"Where is she?" Yorak asked, staring at the empty room.

"Let me see," Vhix said, pushing past Yorak into the room. His step into the room triggered the boxes of yeast the guards had brought Kova to fall into the buckets of peroxide and dish soap at their feet. As the yeast fell into the buckets, the white foam quickly overfilled the buckets, spilling onto the floor. The metal grate didn't allow the foam to stay very long, but the results were worth it. Vhix was quickly overwhelmed by the foam, slipping on the metal grate. Yorak was fuming, his expression dark. He turned his stone-cold eyes to the guard at his right. The guard, for what it's worth, was rusting their armor at the glare. 

"Search the ship," Yorak growled, whipping his head to meet the stare of the second guard. "If she isn't found, it's your lives." Vhix had somehow stood and walked away from the foam. Thankfully for him, yeast doesn't stain. The guards ran down the hallways like their lives depended on it, because they did. 

"I told you we should have kept her in a prison cell," Vhix muttered, trailing foam. Yorak sighed, staring at the mess Kova had caused. 

"If we did, she would've discovered our plans before she was ready." Yorak stalked away from the room, heading for the bridge. Vhix strode after him, still trailing foam. 

"She isn't going to switch sides so easily." Vhix shook his shoulders, then aggressively shook his cape. "She's been taught to be a paragon of power."

"As am I." Yorak turned to meet Vhix's eyes. Vhix was one of few to meet the stone-cold gaze of the Emperor and not shake in fear. The others were either dead or changed. 

Down below, Kova ran, drifted, and jumped over pipes, large lumps of something, and tight corners. She simply followed the current. Kova's sloshed steps grew faster as voices grew louder overhead. The desire to live was starting to become her. Out of some misfortune, there was no exit to the sewer. At least, no exit she could use. The water escape through a small vent at the bottom of a wall. 

Kova looked up at the metal grate, searching for a means of escape. Another hole was torn into the metal grate directly above the sewer. Another emergency toilet. Tossing her bag through the hole, Kova jumped to grab hold of the edge. The sharp, torn metal pierced her skin through the bodysuit, but it did not break. 

She was in yet another janitor's closet, but it was worth it. If the map on the wall is correct, she's about ten feet from the closest exit.

Activating the helmet's shade, Kova walked straight for the doors that led to her freedom. The door opened up, four armed soldiers running past her without a glance in her direction. Quick as can be, she slipped through the doors. 

The room was a loading bay, stocked with wooden crates and small cruisers. If she could hotwire one, it would make her escape all the better. 

"Hey! You!" A voice yelled from above Kova's head. It didn't sound like either Yorak or Vhix, so at least she was safe. "What are you doing here? This ward is restricted to—" Kova turned to face the man yelling at her. He noticed the blue on Kova's insignia. The light is pretty hard to miss. The man yelling at her stared at the faceless armored soldier with surprise, then anger. "Hey! I found the runaway!" 

With a salute, Kova booked it to the doors. The man, completely caught off-guard, panicked, climbed the railing, and jumped to the floor twenty feet below. He didn't chase after her. At least, not immediately. 

Three armor-clad soldiers marched in, holding their weapons up. Kova had made it to the wall on the other, the door that should lead outside. One of the soldiers had fired on her, hitting the door three feet from Kova's head. She ignored it, searching for the control switch. It required a password to open it. Another blast was fired, only inches from her face. 

Kova turned to see the firing squad. They wouldn't kill her. Of course, they wouldn't. That's a death wish waiting to happen. Yorak and Vhix still want her alive. 

One of the soldiers aimed at the wall next to Kova, hoping to ricochet a blast to knock her out without completely damaging her. The soldier's stance wavered, the gun along with it. Kova held her hands up in surrender, but the soldiers made no moves to apprehend her. Not until they were sure they wouldn't be attacked. The soldier's finger was prepared to pull the trigger. It wouldn't take much, just a little push. 

The entire ship took a blow, and everyone took a fall. Kova held onto the frame of the door closest to the control panel. She connected her armpiece to the control panel, uploaded her code, and the door opened. As the oxygen was being sucked into the nothingness of space, some of the lighter boxes were being thrown out as well. Kova hoped it was food so they could slow down their pursuit. As the suction pulled everything, Kova braced herself and threw herself out into the nothingness. 

Curled into a small ball, she spun until she wasn't sure which way was up and down. Is there even an up and down in space? Kova had been pulled so far away from the ship, she could see what had caused the blast. 

The Coeus had come to the rescue, firing heavy blasts to the side of the enemy ship. A particle barrier had been activated, glowing orange. Two figures were dancing in front of the barrier. It took Kova a tick to realize they weren't just any figures. It was the Lions. 

Red sped past the entire length of the enemy ship, firing on the windows of their bridge. Yellow was clawing the side Red had left unscathed. Escape pods began to leave the ship, and Red noticed. It took after them, preparing to fire again when a small blast hit their snout. Red turned its head to look for the culprit. 

Kova fired again. She was so glad the arm piece had a laser, or she would have been a goner. 

Red was hit again between the eyes. Forgetting its original prey, it flew towards the source of the blasts. 

As Red got closer, Kova hung onto her bag for dear life. She was floating into nothingness. She didn't want to be like Keith! Lost for ten years until the new generation of Voltron came to find her. They haven't even formed Voltron!

Red stopped before Kova, staring at her figure. What was wrong? Didn't he recognize her? Then she remembered she still had the shade on. Deactivating it, she stared at Red again. Red opened its mouth, and Kova floated into it. The depressurization left Kova lying on the bottom of Red's mouth staring at the top of it. Eventually, she stood and joined Caleb in the pilot seat. He was updating the Coeus on the mission. 

Kova placed a hand on his shoulder, to which Caleb lay his own over it. They shared a look, and Caleb turned Red around to return to the Coeus. Kova slept in Red's cockpit until the barrier deactivated a few hours later. 

[annoyinglyjovialbird]

Voltron: Next Generation

Dangerous Clashes: II

Word Count: 2804

Kenny woke up to someone shaking him. He reluctantly awoke, still groggy. His dad was at his bedside, staring at him. 

"Hey, Ken." Keith was saying. "C'mon, time to wake up. We have to go."

"What?" The teen groaned. 

"It's time to go." 

"We can't wait five more minutes?" Keith shook his head and walked to the door.

"Get up and pack up. You'll be staying with the Holts."

"What about Kyla?" He asked, but Keith had already walked out the door.

With a groan, he pushed back the gray and white plaid comforter and grabbed his suitcase and backpack. His closet was filled with oranges, browns, reds, and greens. Kenny grabbed a white t-shirt, a brown jacket, and blue jeans. He looked under the bed for his sneakers, then remembered they were by the front door. With a suitcase and backpack in hand, Kenny walked down the familiar hallway. Pictures lined the walls, mostly of Keith and Katie's adventures and accomplishments. Kenny passed the family picture taken years ago without looking at it. Why did his parents think a mullet was a great idea?

Kenny missed the wood-paneled walls. He even missed the mismatched yellow chair. 

"Kyla!" Pidge yelled from the kitchen. "Why are you still wearing pajamas? Are you even packed?" Kenny dropped his suitcase and backpack by the front door and walked past the living room to the nearest counter. Kyla looked so small in her seafoam green pajamas, clutching the small lilac blanket over her shoulders. Kyla had her head bent, staring at the hardwood floor. She slept with that blanket like it was a stuffed animal. Whether the short woman saw or not didn't matter when tears began to fall to the floor. 

"Stop it." Kenny stepped forward, picking up the little girl. One stern look was all Kenny gave his mother. When he entered the hallway, he dropped his voice. "Don't pay attention to Pidge. She's just cranky." 

They entered Kyla's room. He remembered they used to argue about the wall color. The paint can read "Night Sky Navy" but Kyla insisted it was dark purple. Whatever. 

Setting the little girl down, Kenny kneeled on the floor in front of her. 

"Pidge and Keith are going to go away for awhile. You need to be packed and ready to live at your new home until they come back, okay?" Kyla cocked her head, shrugged, and nodded. "Cool. Now, where's your suitcase?" She pointed at a black suitcase in the back of her closet. He grabbed it and set it on the bed beside her. "Now, what should we put in here?" 

For the next few minutes, Kyla directed Kenny on her shirts, pants, underwear, and socks' locations. They chose a purple long-sleeved shirt with ruffles at the sleeves, two pink t-shirts, two pairs of brown plaid shorts, a pair of black pants, and four pairs of socks. Her underwear should last her a week without washes, but hopefully, their parents weren't that cruel. 

Only a few items were missing. Extra pajamas, swimsuit, fancy dresses, maybe some overalls, and a random object she could take in the suitcase. Her big smile returned, and her amber eyes were bright. Besides her seafoam onesie, Kyla insisted her gray onesie be put inside too, along with the matching slippers. Kenny complied, also grabbing a pair of black mary janes and pink sneakers in the process. The swimsuit was packed at the bottom of a junk drawer, but they managed to grab it. It was designed to look like a Voltron Paladin suit. He had a matching two-piece. His was green, while Kyla's was black. She didn't wear it often, though. 

"Okay, Kyla! Time for fancy dresses!" Kenny said in a funny voice, making the little girl laugh. He pulled a closet door aside and saw most of the clothes were hanging on the upper rack, much too far off the ground for little Kyla. "Which fancy dress, little Ky?" Kenny looked through the rack, studying the reds and greens on almost every dress. He got to a black sequined dress when Kyla told him to stop. If he remembered right, this was a gift from the Shiroganes. Or Grandma. Maybe he didn't remember right. 

"This is the one with the ribbons, right?" He called. 

"Yeah!"

"Okay. Where are the ribbons?"

"In the box."

"What box?"

"That box!" He turned and saw Kyla pointing at the wooden chest on her dresser. A dresser she also couldn't reach alone. 

"That's a rainbow of color. Okay, Ky. What colors am I grabbing?"

"Hmm, blue, red, and purple!"

"Purple?"

"Purple!"

"Okay!" Kenny grabbed the colors and returned to Kyla and the suitcase. "Ooh, I almost forgot the overalls. While I grab those, do you wanna grab your special object?"

"What's a special object?" He kneeled in front of her again.

"It's anything you want that can fit in your bag. It can be a toy, or a picture of the family, or even your blankie." Kyla wrapped the thin blanket around her shoulders tightly, eyes narrowing defiantly. She was daring him to take her blankie away. "Okay, okay! Maybe not the blankie, but do you get what I mean?" She nodded, and he stood up to grab the overalls from the closet. Whatever she grabbed, he didn't see. She had hidden it in the piles of clothes inside the suitcase already. He didn't ask any questions, especially since there was no time to ask them. Keith and Pidge were starting to yell and honk the horn. Kenny sat on the bed and Kyla wrapped her arms around his neck. They piggy-backed to the living room, where Kova asked to be put down. With her suitcase in one hand, and Kova holding the other, Kenny walked out the front door for the last time. 

That wasn't the last time Kenny saw Kyla, though. She fell asleep in the car on the way to the Holt's house. It was still pretty early in the morning. When he got out of the car, Kenny got a long, tearful goodbye from his parents on his grandparents' doorstep. They wished him well and promised he would be the first to visit when they returned. Kyla woke up in the car alone, shivering. Her blankie had fallen off. She looked out the windows to figure out where she was. Kenny saw Kyla's bright eyes staring at the scene sadly. She pressed a hand into the glass, and Kenny lifted his hand in return. His parents didn't see, and his grandparents didn't seem to notice. As they drove off, Kenny could only wish Kyla the best wherever she went. 

———————

"Do you have any real questions for us or are you just going to keep accusing us?"

"Griffin!" Shiro scolded. 

"Sorry, Colonel." She sat up in her chair. 

"This is just," Keith trailed off. They had moved the extra chair to the floor below. Keith was sitting in front of the crew, rubbing his face with a hand. 

"It's a lot, I know. But you've been asleep for a long time, and we should catch you up on current events." Shiro stepped away from the head console, descended the stairs, and approached Keith. His head was bent, trying to process everything. 

"You're telling me I had been asleep for ten years?" Keith looked up at the teens, all staring at him with varying degrees of boredom. 

"Almost eleven," Caleb mentioned, crossing his arms and reclining in his chair. Shiro shot him a look but said nothing. The teens sat and watched Keith's brain trying to catch up to the present while anxiously waiting for news about the teleduv. 

"How did the mission go? Did everyone get back to Earth okay?" 

"Griffin, as his doctor, tell me if you agree." Caleb stood up to lean on his console. "All relevant members of the crew are aware of the ACHLYS mission and its aftermath, correct? I don't see the need to pain the man anymore with the knowledge until he has completely understood the current threat." 

"Nice Kova impression."

"Shut up."

"Caleb is right." Shiro turned to Keith. "We'll tell you what we're up against, but we aren't going to tell you what happened to the crew of the ACHLYS." Shiro turned to the crew of the Coeus, ready to brief them. 

"They're dead," Keith whispered. "They're all dead, aren't they?" 

"Keith," Shiro began. 

"Tell me." Keith looked up to meet Shiro's eyes. Tears pricked the corners of his eyes, his heartbreak clear on his face. It was his fault they had been ambushed. It was his fault that the mission failed. His friends died because he couldn't see two feet in front of him. Allie had stood up from her seat with a box of tissues in her hand. Taking one from the box, she dabbed the tears falling from Keith's eyes. When his gaze met hers, her body tightened. With a breath, she relaxed. 

"They are not dead." The young girl said quietly. "We believe they are like you were. Asleep, in stasis." She moved to the other eye, Keith watching her every move. "We don't want to tell you what happened because we're afraid you'll attack us in your grief." She placed the tissue box in Keith's hands and walked away, heels clicking on every step.

"They're fine?"

"More than likely." Shiro was standing beside Keith again, holding the man's shoulder. Keith held a dazed look.

"Kenny to crew, prepare for a wormhole jump. Repeat, prepare for a wormhole jump." The speakers were deafening, louder than necessary.

Allie hopped back to her seat, Caleb sat down, and Shiro dragged Keith's chair to the corner under Allie's console. Each of the teens was strapped into their colorful chairs, holding on for dear life. Shiro, on the other hand, held tight but remained standing.

A bright blue rift appeared in front of the Coeus, thrusters ceasing fire as it floated through. The teens braced themselves as the Coeus rocked harshly from the force inside the wormhole. The Coeus emerged intact on the other side of the rift, the wormhole closing behind it. Thrusters came back online, power returned to normal. Liz pulled up the charts and coordinates on her console. 

"Please don't tell me we jumped two feet again." Cake groaned, turning his chair to look at Liz. 

"I'm checking, calm down." She looked at the charts, pinpointing their last location and where Kova currently was. She pulled it up to the larger screen and she shrieked in delight. 

"We moved the equivalent of four days' travel!" The teens cheered, Kenny included in the engine room, while Shiro looked at the teens proudly. Keith came out of his daze to stare at the cheering teens, smiling sadly. He and Shiro met eyes, seemingly having met the same conclusion. The teens were just like them when they were younger. When they were paladins of Voltron a lifetime ago. 

——————

"What's wrong, mutt? Afraid to get your overrated hands dirty?" Kova shouted at the guard as they stood in front of her tiny room. The guards snarled and growled at her, but they seemed to remain stoic. "Figured. You like to act so high and mighty, but you know you're one of a million in the universe. Act like it." 

"Enough!" A loud voice on the other side yelled, and Kova smiled. Finally. The door opened and the guard stalked in as others tried to stop him. "I'll show you what a mutt can do." He snarled and pounced. Kova was quicker, though. She side-stepped, using the force of his jump against him by pushing his head towards the dirty mattress. Kova had him by the scruff despite the size difference. 

"Ooh, so scary." Kova mocked the guard, angering him. Another growl and he had thrown Kova off of him. She landed with a crash, cleaning supplies landing on the floor below. She was crouched when the guard pounced towards her again. She jumped onto his back as he fell into a small pothole that was used as an emergency toilet. It was currently backed up, making the room smell horrible."Thanks for using your head as a stopper. The smell was starting to seriously give me a headache." She smacked the back of the guard's head as she stood up. His flailing body had obscured her view from the door. 

"Kyla!" A voice shouted. Kova turned to glare at the person. It wasn't Yorak. The young man had been built like a bodybuilder, wearing a silver shoulder-piece to keep his navy blue cape in check. Unlike Yorak, this man had more alien characteristics. His skin was orange, his hair was a matching blue to his cape, and his eyes had yellow sclera with a dark iris and pupil. Kova remembered him.

"Ezrid, nice to see you again," Kova said, earning a glare of annoyance from the tall man. He glanced at the guard stuck in the emergency toilet and met Kova's eyes again. 

"That is not my name." He said slowly. "I am Commander Vhix, second-in-command to Emperor Yorak."

"Ooh, so proper." Kova leaned against the wall, crossing her arms. "How long did it take you to come up with that?"

"You dare mock me?"

"Sorry if Vhix doesn't strike as much fear in my heart as believing you were eaten by a shark in our backyard pool."

"You remember that?"

"Why wouldn't I? I'm still afraid of sharks."

"Nevermind. Stop pestering the guards." 

"No." 

"You dare disobey a direct order from your superior?" 

"You wouldn't be able to beat me. And besides, I needed the armor."

"Why would you possibly need armor for?" 

"Where do I start? I'm on an intergalactic spaceship heading who-knows-where after being kidnapped by a maniac. I want to be prepared for anything."

"If you wanted armor, you could have asked."

"Asked who? Your undertrained mutts?" In a swift move, Vhix had Kova by the throat, holding her against the wall. 

"Seems you need to remember you're a mutt, too," Vhix growled in Kova's ear. "If I hear about you tormenting the guards again, you will be punished harshly. Understood?" He didn't wait for a reply. Instead, he dropped her and walked out the door. Kova gasped for breath, rubbing her neck. Two more guards had come in to remove the first guard by bending back the metal of the emergency toilet. He was freed, gagging the entire way out of the room. The door closed behind them, leaving the emergency toilet bigger than before. 

At least Kova would have what she needed to get out. The cleaning supplies that had fallen to the floor were garbage bags, disinfectants with long gone labels, and hydrogen peroxide. She needed the garbage bags more than the peroxide, but it still helped. Stripping down to her bodysuit, which she wore underneath her street clothes, she stuffed her clothes into a plastic bag. Stashing it in the inner corner of the corner, out of sight from the door, she set herself to work. Pouring a few bottles into a large bucket, she kept a close eye on the door and a keen ear to others walking about.

Everything was ready. She just needed yeast. Who better to ask than the ever polite half-Galra guards outside her door? She knocked on the door, and they banged on it in response. She knocked again, and they groaned, annoyed. Kova didn't blame them. She'd do the same. The door opened. The guard held a shield in front of them, separating the two. It didn't separate the smells, though. The guard groaned, covering their nose. 

"Can I get a box of yeast? It helps with eliminating odors." The guard nodded, closing the door and rushing off to grab it. 

As a disclaimer, kids, don't use yeast to eliminate smells in your bathroom. Baking soda helps eliminate odors from the bathroom, and when mixed correctly with peroxide, can create a whitening paste. Hydrogen peroxide, dish soap, and yeast mixed together will form a chemical compound made foam. The guards here don't have to know yeast doesn't get rid of the poopy smell. 

Kova is counting on this. The guard returned, pinching their nose again at the smell. Kova thanked them, even if it went unacknowledged. She got to work setting her trap with a broom and a bucket, positioned carefully. Her escape would be in a few hours when the emergency toilet was emptied.

Hopefully, the Coeus was close enough to reach her. Otherwise, Kova was a sitting duck, and she didn't want to be a duck.

[annoyinglyjovialbird]

Voltron: Next Generation

Dangerous Clashes: I

Word Count: 2203

The crew of the Coeus lounged in their chairs around a round table. Laughing and eating their food, Cake was recounting the incident that earned him the nickname.

"I had frosting coming out of my nose for weeks afterward!" Everyone laughed. Caleb looked off to the direction Kova had headed to use the bathroom. It had been a few minutes and she still hadn't returned. 

"Hey, where's Kova?" He asked the group.  

"She's probably trying to figure out the girl and boy bathrooms," Kenny said dismissively. Caleb shook his head, leaning back into his chair and crossing his arms. 

"Kova has been reviewing common words and symbols in alien languages since we started at the Garrison as senior cadets. The first ones she learned were the symbols for the bathroom."

"Then maybe something didn't sit well with her stomach." Kenny was enjoying a specialty from Garrett & Sons. Cake said it was his father's favorite burger. 

"I don't know. She's always back by now." Caleb looked away again, hoping she would prove him wrong. She didn't show in the crowd. "What did you make of Keith's request?" He turned to look at his Dad. 

"I found a few things in his size. Hope he likes them better than the poncho." 

Caleb nodded, not saying much. He looked out at the crowd again. Still no Kova. 

"Dad, track the bracelet." Caleb looked stern. 

"Caleb, Kova is probably fine."

"She would be back by now."

"It was like Kenny said, something probably didn't agree with her stomach. You're worrying over nothing."

"Something feels wrong. Track the bracelet." 

Shiro sighed, opening a screen on his metallic arm. The screen showed two sets of dots. One set was yellow. The other was green. The missing set was red. 

"I broke the connection between Kenny and Kova's bracelets. Unless they're connected, I can't find her." Shiro said. He shrugged and tried to return to his meal. Caleb had other plans. 

"Liz, use the BLIP." 

"What? Why?"

"Just do it."

"But the Colonel says she's probably fine. There's also a ton of people here. The BLIP won't track individuals."

"I'll give you the specs to narrow the search. Use the BLIP."

"Caleb, if you won't calm down, we're going back to the ship." 

"Okay, let's go." Caleb stood up from his chair, picking up his tray and throwing his garbage away. He waited by the exit to the food court. 

"Now look at what you did," Kenny said, mouth still stuffed. The crew stood, following Caleb to the Coeus. One by one, the teens made their way to the bridge. Liz pulled up the BLIP system while Allie checked on Keith. 

"Did you see anything suspicious?" Caleb asked the older man. Keith didn't say anything in response. 

"Cake, can you pull up camera feed over the past few hours?" 

"Sure thing." The screen at the front of the Coeus appeared, splitting into four screens. Two at the back of the ship, and two at the front. 

In the front camera on the left, the one closest to the space mall, Kova was seen being walked to a small ship by two individuals about a head and a half taller than her. As the flew past the Coeus, the camera on the right caught them. They were heading towards a ship in the distance. The dark battleship bore a familiar purple insignia, but not one of the former ships. This one had the current symbol for the Fire in blazing purple on the side of the ship, as well as the entire face of the tower. 

"Liz, type search, then enter BLKPLDNBS into the bar that should pop up." She followed his directions. When she went to look at him, Caleb was already out of sight, getting ready for flight on his console. "Send those coordinates to Kova's console. The colonel should be able to take care of the rest."

"Wait, what's going on?" Keith asked, but the crew ignored him as they prepared to follow the Fire's ship. "Hey, don't ignore me!"

"Ken, show Keith back to his room and get into position in the engine room," Shiro ordered as he took his place at Kova's console. He took the coordinates, applied them to a map, and began flying towards Yorak.

———————

Kova was placed into handcuffs. The two aliens that had dragged her onboard were rough. Much rougher than what they needed to be. She was complying. It wasn't like she was going to stab them. 

They led her to a door. It didn't open. Side-eying the aliens, they were just about to poop themselves. This was probably their first time even /seeing/ the Emperor, much less /talked/ to him. Opening it, Kova was pushed through the open doorway. The room was about eleven feet long by eight feet wide. The ceiling sat nine feet above Kova's head. Draped curtains were covering the last wall of the room, enveloping the room in darkness. From a door off to the side, Yorak stood tall. Eyes scanning the room as they met with the pair that had captured her. 

"Kyla." His smile grew wider. He was dressed more like an Emperor this time. Dressed in dark gray and black armor with the Fire insignia in the middle of his chest plate, a dark gray and purple lined cape fell around his shoulders. His dark hair hadn't been combed, but his marks looked darker. Just as she was studying him, Yorak was studying her. 

"Civilian clothes." Yorak went from her clothes to the pair that had captured her. "When I was informed you had captured the one I wanted, I asked if she was wearing armor. You said yes." With slow steps, Yorak's smile never changed, but it seemed to grow darker as he approached the men. "You dare lie to your Emperor?" The pair began to violently shake their heads and sank to their knees. Kova stayed standing, being pulled by the shoulder to just behind Yorak's cape. "Don't look, little Kyla. It will be a little messy." The screams of the pair echoed on the walls, and Kova could only sit and listen. Shutting her eyes wouldn't do anything, so she stared at the floor. Their screams lasted only a few seconds, but they were being put on a loop inside Kova's brain. Yorak turned to Kova, bending over to study the cuffs on her hands. 

"What do you want with me?" Kova asked. She refused to meet Yorak's eyes. 

"You'll see soon enough." He turned to the guards and ordered them to take her to a room close to his. The guards complied, dragging her to the door the Emperor emerged from. She turned back, only a quick glance. The pair that took her were lying motionless on the floor.  The darkness of the room spared her from anything else. 

Yorak's guards tossed her into the most overrated supply closet known to the universe. It was about half the size of the room before and directly across from the ostentatious door that housed the Emperor's sleeping quarters. They uncuffed her and closed the door behind them. Kova stood in the middle of the room, hands balled into fists. Tears pricked her amber eyes, but none fell. When it was clear no one would come through the door, she saw the dirty cot on the floor and studied the shelves. They were all filled with various liquids and cleaning supplies. The top shelf held toilet paper, and a map of the entire ship. 

/Thank you for keeping me in a supply closet/, she thought. The map included a bright red X over her spot and several lines that led to different exits. Score! 

Footsteps on the metal floor alerted Kova to someone moving. She took a few steps to the middle of the floor and pretended to stare at the dirty bed. The door opened behind her, and she turned to sneer at the armor-clad soldiers. 

"Pure or mixed?" She asked them. Two of them snarled at the question. The others stared her down but did nothing. A tray of food was placed before her, and the door closed again.

The dingy tray held a bowl filled with green goo and the cup held dark water. There was no way Kova was eating whatever that was. She kicked the tray at the door, hoping the ringing echoed in the hallway. With quiet steps, she returned to studying the map. 

——————

Caleb was typing away at systems reports, checking over the weapons systems, and was trying to figure out how much power would go into powering more than one system. Kova's location was several days away from the Coeus. Kenny, Liz, and Cake were giving it their all to repair the teleduv with the lenses, but it would still take some time. The Black Lion had been stationary in the bay. 

"You know, it doesn't do anyone any good if you exhaust yourself." Shiro appeared behind Caleb, making the teen jump. With a sigh, Caleb returned to his console. 

"I'm not exhausting myself," He muttered. "I'm just reviewing systems." 

"Caleb, your sister will be fine." Caleb froze. His hands curled into fists on the desk. 

"You didn't see how she reacted to Yorak." Caleb turned to Shiro. "It was like she saw a ghost." 

"That is understandable, given her history with the Fire."

"That's another thing!" The teen stood from his chair and descended the stairs to the floor. "There's no accurate intel on the Fire since the recon mission and the underestimated numbers!" 

"That was no one's fault."

"Kova is on a ship going who-knows-where. Yorak might try to get Kova on his side." 

"And if he doesn't? Yorak could've changed as Kova did over the years." Shiro stared at the teen, who was leaning his head on the glass. 

"How are the engineers doing on the teleduv?" He asked quietly. 

"They should be done soon."

"Good." Caleb pushed himself from the glass and headed towards the doorway. "I'm going to bed." 

Shiro was left alone on the bridge. He was worried, too. Kova was his family, too. Shiro knew better than anyone, though, that if anyone could survive the Fire intact, it would be Kova. 

Down in the engine room, Liz was pushing a wrench. The bolt wouldn't loosen. Cake approached her from behind, and she sighed. Moving aside, Cake rolled his sleeves and gripped the wrench in one hand. One quick push and the wrench moved. Liz hated it when it happened. A yelp from the other side of the room had Liz moving. 

"Kenny?" She called. 

"Here!" He groaned. He was trapped under a metal box. Who knows how he got stuck under there, but at least it didn't seem to crush him. She crouched down and lifted a corner of the box. It must've been made from aluminum because it was so light. At least she was stronger than Kenny. 

"What did you do?" 

"I was checking air pressure." He rolled onto his stomach and crawled away from the box. "It's good."

"I figured." She put the box down as carefully as she could and patted Kenny's head. "Cake and I were replacing some of the lenses and metal panel in the teleduv." 

"Cool." Kenny's voice was muffled, but the thumbs-up he gave was enough.

"Do you want me to grab a wheelchair and take you back to your room?" She asked with a smile. Kenny's head shot up and whipped to glare at her. 

"I dare you to grab the chair." 

"Okay, grandpa." 

"Your dad is older than me!" 

"So?"

"Guys, are you done?" Cake yelled. 

"Almost!" Liz yelled back. She turned to Kenny again. "If you have to, go to your room and rest. Otherwise, stop being such a grandpa and help us." She all but skipped away from the man, now fuming. He stood up, grumbling the entire time about inconsiderate and know-it-all teenagers. Liz rolled her eyes and followed the sound of Cake's voice. He was messing with the code on the screen used to run diagnostics. The code kept giving error codes and didn't allow for changes. 

"Oh, that's why." Liz crossed her arms and looked at the code. She wasn't a programmer. The strings of code were close to unreadable. 

"Are you entering it right?" Kenny asked, lightly pushing Cake aside to enter the code himself. Another error code appeared on the screen. If even Kenny couldn't do it, then who could?

"Kova could," Liz said a little too loud. She had answered her own question, but it was the question the others had on their mind. Kenny glowered. "Sorry, but it's true."

"Rumor says she helped fix the Achlys," Cake said. 

"Really? Was it an engineering or programming issue?"

"Engineering. A small magnetic field was frying the servers."

"Will you stop talking about Captain Perfect?" Kenny shouted. His voice echoed on the walls, silencing the two. 

"C'mon Cake. It's almost dinnertime." Liz and Cake left Kenny alone. His head was pounding. If Kova was Kenny's lost little sister, then why was he still jealous of her? She deserved to be where she was at. Especially after the abrupt goodbye.

[annoyinglyjovialbird]

Voltron: Next Generation

First Encounters: II

Word Count: 2702

AN: Sorry for late update. Again. 

The room fell silent. The others stared at Allie without moving. Did she say something wrong?

"Allie, are you sure?" Shiro was frozen in the doorway. 

"It's faint if that's what you mean." She may not understand all of Earth's customs, but freezing at the mention of a lion's roar wasn't normal. "I don't understand what's going on." Shiro made a signal for the teens to follow him to the bridge.

"Allie, can you figure out where the lion is?" Shiro asked, pulling a map on the huge screen. 

The teens still stood, not comfortable in sitting in decades-old seats. Allura knows what's been in them. Allie stepped forward to the map, it's new Altean blue hue matching her eyes. 

"That's the Balmera?" Allie stared at the image on the screen, entranced with the living planet. 

"Allie?" 

"Apologies," Allie shook her head. "I must be exhausted." With quick steps and her head low, Allie walked up the staircase and to her room. No one followed her. 

One by one, each of the teens began retreating to their rooms. Shiro stayed put, lost in deep thought. It had been thirty years since the last time he was on a mission, much less space. He had settled into domestic life. Well, as domestic as life could get as Colonel and Headmaster of the Galaxy Garrison. 

Liz and Cake entered the bridge and made beelines for the rough-looking chairs. Slowly but surely, they removed the gaudy material that was stitched onto the chair. Eventually, every chair was bare. 

Pulling up cameras, Kenny and the teens were stitching fabric together, laughing and enjoying their time. Shiro decided to walk down to check on them, not seeing the dark gray spaceship flying past the window. 

"What's going on here?" Shiro asked, knocking on the frame. With three pairs of eyes on him, Shiro walked over to the stove, where the strange concoction Cake made earlier sat in a pan. 

"We're taking some of the old sheets and making seat covers," Liz was the first to speak. 

"How far are we from the Balmera?" Cake asked, making Shiro look over his shoulder as he dug for a plate. 

"Shouldn't be far." The plates were surprisingly unbroken but covered in a layer of dust. "It would be faster if we had an operating teludav." Washing a plate and serving himself a piece, Shiro sat down next to the teens. Even sitting, he towered over them. The closest to him in size was likely Cake, but he was still shorter. The slouching probably didn't help any. 

Kenny's blank expression made Shiro want to laugh. The grandson and youngest son of the Garrison's most renowned engineers hadn't thought to check. Excusing himself, Kenny rushed down to the engine room, leaving Shiro, Liz, and Cake. 

"Can Cap build a satellite?" Cake asked, and Shiro stopped his chewing in response. 

"Kova?" A nod. "Has she done it before?" Another nod. "Yes." Taking another bite of the food mixture, Shiro considered his next words. "The first one didn't go well, but the others after it wound up going well." 

"There should be a debris nebula around here if Cap wants to go digging." 

"Can we go?" Another voice at the doorway made them all look up from their tasks. It was Kova, who had changed into black pants, combat boots, and a black t-shirt with a lavender sweater on top. Her intense brown eyes met Shiro's dark brown ones. 

"Only if Cake and Kenny join you." Shiro ate another spoonful while Kova nodded her head. She walked back up the hall, heading to her room to change. Before she made it to the mouth of the hallway, however, she was violently thrown against a wall. The alarms on board were flashing red, sirens wailing. "Kova!" Shiro rushed towards the collapsed girl, who was holding her head in her hands. 

"I'm fine, let's go!" She yelled over the sirens, stumbling towards the bridge. 

Allie was thrown out of bed at the impact, Caleb almost impaled himself, and Kenny was currently holding onto the handlebars at the screen in the engine room. Now he knew why they were there. 

Kova still held her head while she stood at the helm, the throbbing never quite subsiding. Caleb and Liz were quick to get to the screens on the sub-floor below her. Allie and Cake followed them in, with Allie's arms firmly around Cake's neck. She was so light, she was afraid she would be on the other side of the side at another impact like that. With the screens closest to Kova already taken, Allie sat below Caleb while Cake sat below Liz. 

"Liz, show me outside feed! Caleb, run diagnostics on running artillery." The large screen appeared at the front before the mysterious ship from before zoomed past again. "Allie, get me a communication link. Cake, help Kenny from here." On Kova's screen at the front, a panicked Kenny was moving around different icons and screens. 

"We have a cannon and small missile blasters!" Caleb had to yell over the noise, the sirens still going off. "Liz, help me!" 

"On it!" The feed showed the tiny aircraft was only the tip of the iceberg. A larger ship stood was out of view of the Coeus's windows, but not out of view of the cameras all over the ship. It wasn't quite as large as the Coeus, but the blast it struck against the Coeus was strong enough to tip it. 

"Communications are down!" Allie yelled, staring at her screen. "How behind was this stupid ship?" Kova couldn't agree more. 

"Ballistas online, cannon is down," Caleb reported. He turned around to look at Kova, whose throbbing head was giving her a rougher time than it should. "Allie, help Kova. Firing ballistas." The sirens shut off but the bridge didn't change from its ominous red hue. The spaceship zoomed past the window again, catching Kova's eyes. 

"Cake, is there a cloak for the windows?" 

"Uh, yeah! Activating it now." The inner windows darkened a shade, but the outer windows were as dark as the space around them. Another blast sent Allie off her feet, landing in Caleb's lap. 

"I'm fine!" Kova yelled, irritation taking over. "Do what you've been told!" Cake and Kenny were busily opening up and closing different channels and screens. The Coeus had taken substantial damage, a few panels flying off. A strike landed on the smaller ship, leaving everyone still. 

A face appeared on the large screen. The mysterious alien was cloaked head to toe in black fabric. It looked like a burka, but for aliens. 

"You are trespassing on Fire territory. Leave now or suffer the consequences." The alien said. Caleb and Kova gave each other a look, turning around to look at their dad. Shiro was in the doorway, staring at the face on the screen. The alien repeated his message, holding a weapon in his hands for emphasis. 

"The Fire?" Liz asked, looking up to Shiro, who was now behind Kova. 

"The Fire of Purification." Shiro stared at the image, moving past Kova, and opening a channel on the helm. "We are headed towards Balmera X-95-Vox. Allow us entry." The eyes of the alien narrowed at the voice. He stood unflinchingly as the larger ship passed in front of the Coeus. 

"To pass through, an individual must be onboard with confirmed half-breed status." Allie, Kova, and Cake made faces, Caleb and Liz looked on in confusion, and Shiro had to make the call. 

"Officer Kovalia Shirogane, second-generation half-galra," Kova said as loudly as she could from behind Shiro's towering frame. 

The alien's eyes went wide, but he had what he wanted. Shutting off the communication link, the ship began to sail away. The throbbing pain inside Kova's skull began to subside a little, while Caleb and Shiro stared at the teen. 

"We aren't officers." Caleb had turned around in his chair to stare at his dad and sister. 

"Yet." Kova was rubbing small circles into her scalp as she moved around Shiro. Shiro knew the situation was bad, but he didn't realize how bad it became. 

"Uh, Colonel Shirogane?" Liz asked, also turning around in her chair. "What's the Fire of Purification?" Shiro met his teens' eyes with a look that said, 'Don't tell your Pops I did this', before descending the staircase. 

"The Fire of Purification was a group dedicated to bringing order and power to purebred Galras." Shiro stood in front of the teens, their seats arranged like an auditorium. "Over the past decade, it has changed from purifying the world of everyone except purebred Galras to an unknown objective. The Garrison has been tracking the movements of the Fire, so it’s nothing to concern you guys with." Liz still looked uneasy, while Caleb's flat stare said nothing. He and Kova thought Shiro was going to reveal the Fire's mission, but I guess not. 

"Debris pile." Kova pointed out the window, already gone before Shiro could call after her. Cake was up the stairs and gone before Shiro could warn him. Allie looked around, eyes darting back and forth. 

"I hear the lion again." Allie left the bridge, leaving Liz and Caleb alone on the ship. 

They both stared at Caleb’s dad, who just shrugged and took Kenny's chair. He still had the earpiece Kova gave him earlier, watching the window as the ship slowed to a halt, and the three teens, now in their Volton outfits, jump onto the nearest pieces of debris. 

Kova was over the moon (bad pun intended), on the verge of going supernova (also horribly intended), and just simply overjoyed at going on her first spacewalk. Allie was looking around the debris for something specific, while Cake was moving smoothly through the debris. 

"Hey Cap, what are we looking for?" Cake asked, watching Allie dig. 

"We're looking for large sheets of metal, wires, and maybe even some decent siblings if we're lucky." Kova began to dig through the debris nebula while Caleb looked on. A faint 'fight me' could be heard from Shiro's earpiece, but Kova didn't seem to mind. 

"We need to repair the ship too, right?" 

"Right. There should be enough to cover both." Slowly but surely, the larger pieces of metal Kova and Cake seemed to find on the nebula made themselves at home in the bay, while Allie was busily looking for something. They had collected almost every piece they needed when they realized Allie was gone. 

"Allie, call in." Silence. "Allie, call in." Caleb and Liz, who found a stash of chocolate chip cookies, leaned forward in their seats. They had been busy playing connect the dots with the stars. "Allura, this isn't funny. Call in." Ooh, we're onto full name. It's serious now. 

"I found something." Her quiet voice didn't seem distressed, but she didn't seem completely okay. Kova and Cake made quick work of the last few pieces and followed Allie's tracker. A huge piece of orange metal was the only thing between the pair and Allie. "It's a lion." With a quick jump, Kova was over the piece of metal. Cake followed behind her. 

In front of them, Allie was on a meteor, but she looked tiny compared to the huge blue, silver, and black lion robot in front of her. It was collapsed on itself, hidden under larger pieces of debris. Much of it was orange, gray, and white. 

"No way." Kova's voice didn't give Shiro, Liz, and Caleb any idea of what the trio was seeing, the debris nebula too dense to see them. "Hey, Caleb? How did the colors go?"

"The Black Lion was as dark as space, the Red Lion was red like fire, the Green Lion was green like trees, the Yellow Lion was yellow like sand, and the Blue Lion was blue like water." Caleb had to shut his eyes to remember the way the teachers taught them the colors of Voltron, as well as their elements. When they were younger, Kova and Caleb used to refer the lions by numbers 1 through 5. It made the '#1 Space Dad' mug that much funnier to them and no one had to know they knew former pilots.

"Allie found number five." Caleb sat up in his chair, dumbfounded. Shiro and Liz looked at him to explain, but Kova did that for them. "She found Blue." 

With steady steps, more steady than either had ever seen her, Allie walked towards the splayed out Blue Lion. Entering its open mouth, Allie made quick work of the empty warship. The head was empty other than the chair and controls in front of it. She sat down in the chair, admiring the leather work for staying together for as long as it did. With her hands on the controls, Allie closed her eyes. 

It felt like a cosmic joke when holo screens appeared over the eyes, standing up to let out a huge roar. 

Kova and Cake watched it all, holding onto each other to keep each other balanced on the thin piece. A video appeared on the screen in front of Allie, and she almost wanted to walk out of the lion to yell at the universe. 

"There's footage of their separation." 

"So, we could potentially be the new paladins." Kova was craning her neck to above the weird lip over her line of sight to look into the lion's yellow eyes. Cake was dashing back to the Coeus as fast as he could go in zero gravity. 

"Potentially." 

"Can we talk about that after I get home?" Cake yelled over the comms, making everyone listening flinch. "I wanna see my mom!" 

"Let's get you in the bay, Allie."

"Uh, actually," Allie stopped Kova in her tracks. "Can I try to get used to Blue? Using the controls and all." Kova was staring so intensely into the Blue Lion's yellow eyes, Allie thought Kova could see her. 

"Allie, you arrived at the Garrison yesterday." Allie sunk into her seat. "Until you're cleared on training, you aren't driving the lion." 

"But—"

"Nope, let's go." Kova had the last word, walking back to the ship. Glumly, Allie motioned Blue to follow. Blue fit comfortably in the bay, surprising for the tall creature. 

Making a beeline for the bridge, Allie gave Kova the video footage Blue was trying to show her. It was the last moments of the lions on Earth, with a younger version of the paladins the teens have come to recognize and know. 

As the lions turned around and shot into space, they exited the Milky Way. They traveled light years until Blue was trapped in the trash nebula. On the screen, a map appeared showing the coordinates of the other lions. 

The Yellow Lion, unsurprisingly to Cake, was on his home Balmera. 

"All for finding the lions?" Kova said, catching everyone's attention. "Say 'I'." With a hand raised over their heads, Kova, Allie, Caleb, and Liz stared into Cake. 

"I just wanna go home and find my sister and hug my mom." Cake moaned, raising a hand for a unanimous decision. 

"C'mon, you can help me repair the ship." 

It took a few days, but the Coeus had new panels protecting its inner workings. Kova hadn't been able to weld in so long due to pilot training, it was refreshing. Caleb had taken to training Allie in the training arena, who was responding in kind. Most of it was reflex from too much time on Altea with pushy guards, but it was beginning to make sense to her. Cake was running low on ingredients to mix, and Liz had finished the seat covers. More often than not, they could be found either in the engine room with Kenny or on the sidelines with Caleb. Shiro agreed to take them to the space mall if they figured out what they wanted to get. 

Of course, he had to figure out how he was getting any sort of currency (seriously, who plans like that?) but he didn't voice it. As long as they stayed on track, everyone was safe and sound until they reached the Balmera.

Of course, no one expected the peaceful Balmerans to attack.

[annoyinglyjovialbird]

Voltron: Next Generation

Impending Difficulties: II

Word Count: 2929

Liz was in the observation bay, watching over Keith and his condition. A blast from the right sent Liz flying to the nearest wall. Keith, on the other hand, was strapped firmly into bed and his bed was stationary. With a growl, Liz stomped towards the bridge.

"Why. Do. They. Keep. Attacking. Us." Liz said with every stomp, yelling at the others. Shiro didn't want others knowing Voltron was in the bay, leaving the teen next to defenseless. Cake and Kova understood Liz's annoyance best. They were on near-daily trips outside to repair the Coeus's exterior. They were starting to run low. 

"Can I get cameras?" Kova asked. Liz rolled her eyes and brought up the camera feed from her console. While not as large as the previous attackers, it bore a striking difference. A Zaiforge cannon. 

"Oh, c'mon!" Liz threw up her hands. "I thought those were discontinued and destroyed after the war!"

"I did, too." Kova glared at the image. 

"Are you sure? Or is it another thing you're hiding from us?" Despite the comment, Kova remained level. Somewhere in between the chaos, Kova had suited up. 

"I'm heading out! Caleb, you're in charge!" She yelled as she ran towards the bay. Shiro was standing in the doorway, arms crossed and firm. Kova slid in between Shiro's legs, ramming her legs into the wall, but she had little difficulty outrunning Shiro. The Black Lion emerged from the bay, flew under the belly of the Coeus to surprise the Galra ship from behind. 

Shiro said nothing, watching as Kova dealt with the ship. The Coeus continued blasting, and the Galra ship retaliated. The Black Lion dug its claws into the Galra ship without much trouble. Leaving claw marks in its wake, the Black Lion stalked its way to the cannon, beginning to glow purple. A slice across the bridge between the ship and the cannon had made the cannon implode on itself. Those onboard cowered as the Lion flew away, batting the ship around with a giant paw. As soon as the ship stopped spinning violently, they fled the scene. With a sigh, Kova returned to the Coeus. She didn't say anything as she passed Shiro on her way to her room. She knew she was grounded and didn't need Shiro to say it. 

The other four sat in the bridge. Between the late-night attacks, the surplus of information bleeding from their ears to the floor, and trying to fight without forming Voltron is starting to wear on the teens. They sat in complete silence, Liz and Allie watching their pagers carefully. 

"Permission for a review of relevant information?" Cake asked, breaking the silence. He was looking at Caleb as best he could from his perch. 

"Granted." Caleb nodded, pushing a button on his console. "All staff, please report to the bridge." Caleb had the evilest smirk on his face as he said those words, trying to copy Kova's tone. 

Shiro and Kenny walked in at the same time. Kova walked in a few seconds after with a smirk on her face. She was re-braiding her hair. 

"What's this about?" Shiro asked. 

"Review of relevant information requested by Cake and approved by me." Caleb had turned off his console as Kova approached her own. She didn't reopen the files. Instead, she opened a document that contained most of the overlapping information and the chain of command. 

"The Fire is the revival of a resistance group formed during the War of the Universe. Formerly led by Commander Sendak of the Galra fleet, it was believed the group had died along with their leader. Almost ten years ago, it was discovered Ralan had taken over the Fire's operations after continuous reports of missing teenagers and people were brought before the Garrison council. All missing were of half-Galra status, leading to a recon mission led by Captain Keith Kogane from the Blade of Marmora and Katie 'Pidge' Holt, one of the founders of the Legendary Defender Program at the Garrison. Their reports were seriously underestimated from the real numbers, and when it was time for the real mission, the crew became overwhelmed and fled before it was destroyed. The only clue to the ambush came from Lance McClain, owner of McClain Farms, who had crash-landed on Earth on the first anniversary of the flight. Until recently, it was believed Ralan was in charge of the large numbers, and it was suspected that the missing half-Galra had joined the Fire."

"That's a bold assumption," Liz said. Kova had been placing all the information on the board for everyone to see, going over everything. "Why are they assumed to have joined the Fire?"

"Reasons," Kova, Cake, and Allie all said at the same time. 

"The Fire began as a group reinforcing the belief that the Galra were better than everyone else. The assumption isn't unreasonable, especially since Ralan was half-Galra."

"Ralan's successor is half-Galra, too." Caleb chimed in. This seemed to satisfy Liz, as she turned back to the screen. "The current Galra leaders should be aware of the situation, correct?" He looked to Kova, who had looked to Shiro. Shiro was staring at the screen, refusing to meet the teens' eyes. 

"Do the Galra representatives know about the half-Galra disappearances?" Kova was now glaring. 

"There have been no status updates to or from the Galra representatives," Shiro replied. Kova was about to explode.

"If the Galra weren't informed, then what about the others in the Coalition?!" Allie's outburst gained everyone's attention. "The Altean Emperor would be the first to know about Ralan's background! There's an entire village filled with half-breeds from all over the galaxy! Their entire lives and livelihoods were in danger then, and still are in danger now, but trying to keep this yourself has just-just, uh," Allie noticed the eyes on her, her tirade coming to an end. Such a small girl, such strong opinions. "I'm going to get my, uh, med bag." She slinked to the door and scurried away. 

"That was," Caleb began. 

"Unexpected." Kova nodded. "Nonetheless, she's right. If Daibaazaal wasn't informed, then it's safe to assume the other planets in the Coalition weren't either. Anyway, without Allie here, we can't continue. Meeting adjourned."

"Aww, but I wanted to ask my question!" Liz complained. The pager lit up and made a sound. Staring at it, Liz turned to the others. "I think he's waking up."

————————————

"D-do I have to?" Allie was clutching the handle of her med bag tightly. 

"You're the one with relevant medical training onboard." Kova was walking beside the girl. "I'm on the other side of the door if anything happens."

"What if he becomes belligerent?"

"I'm shocked you know the word." Kova sighed as they became closer to the observation bay. "As I said, I'm on the other side of the door." Allie nodded and stared at the door between her and her patient. 

"He killed a man!" Allie protested again. Kova put an arm around Allie's shoulders, bringing a blush to the girl's face. 

"So have I," Kova whispered into Allie's ear, making the girl's face beet red. Smiling at her reaction, Kova kept her arm around her shoulders. "He's out of practice. I'm not. He'll be down in a tick." Kova's confidence reassured the younger girl. She nodded, gathering her courage, and the door opened. 

During the earlier encounter, the straps that had been used to keep Keith in bed had tightened. The spike Allie and Liz saw, upon closer inspection, was caused by a strap cutting across an exposed patch of skin of his arm. While expected he would feel pain, the teens were better safe than sorry to unstrap Keith. 

Allie whimpered as the door closed behind her, trying to take deep breaths to calm herself. Before she could treat him, she had to unstrap him. 

"He's unconscious," she whispered to herself. "He's not dangerous at all." Approaching Keith's bedside, Allie made quick work of the strap buckles. The two over his torso fell unceremoniously, Allie catching the buckles before they could hit the floor. She began rolling them up just in case of further use. 

Caleb appeared beside Kova. Kova had her arms crossed while Caleb had a hand on his hip. They both stared at the girl and the unconscious man in the hospital bed. 

"Do you think he'll wake up?" Caleb asked. 

"Depends on who you ask." Kova rolled her neck. "The soldier knows it could go either way, the pilot wants to learn all his tricks, and the kid doesn't have anything nice to say."

Caleb scoffed. "When does she ever?"

"I want him to wake up for Dad's sake, but I also want him to lose his memory. I want to start over with him."

"Dad and Pops would understand if you chose them." 

"They made the choice ten years ago. It's done."

A loud clang on the tile distracted the teens from their conversation. Allie had dropped the buckle and straps that went over his legs. A loud curse left her mouth as she picked it up from the floor. Now set aside, all that was left to do was care for Keith's injuries. Taking a closer look at the two-inch smear across his right bicep, Allie figured a cleaning and disinfecting should bring the cut closer to an inch. Pulling her bag closer to her, she looked up at the man's face. One glance. It was all it took. From facing the ceiling one second to turning his head and glaring at the young Altean. 

Rightfully terrifying, Allie screamed. Her arms went over her head as Keith ripped the sheets away from his body. 

"Allie!" Kova yelled. Caleb ran off to grab Shiro, who was likely sulking in his office on the other side of the ship. 

Keith, by the looks of it, was trying to regain his senses. A foot out of bed and he lost his balance. Kova ran, or slid, to the girl grabbing her by the arms and pushing her back. Realizing it was Kova and not an insane maniac, Allie followed Kova's movements. With the med bag in hand, the door slammed in between Kova and Allie. Allie stood in shock at the events, jumping at Liz's touch. She was looking the younger girl over for injuries. Finding none, Liz led Allie to the window. 

"Keith," Kova said. She had dressed in her armor so the retired soldier couldn't grab onto anything. He didn't seem to appreciate it. Keith's pupils and irises had turned into dark slits across the width of his now glowing yellow sclera. His teeth were bared at the teen. They circled each other, neither attacking. 

"He, uh, he isn't really going to attack her, is he?" Allie asked, looking to Liz. 

"He isn't in any condition to fight. Kova would know this." Liz could offer. 

The pair were circling each other, Keith's steps becoming steadier with every step. He unleashed a snarl, lunging towards Kova. With a handspring and a roll, Kova had managed to get away from his hands. Keith, once again, didn't seem to appreciate this. A guttural growl escaped him and he lunged again. Kova could only outrun for so long, especially when he was in this state. Kova was on the furthest wall from the door. Keith, on the other side of the bed, began to climb over it towards the teen. 

"Keith Kogane," Kova tried reasoning again because that worked so well the first time. "I don't want to hurt you." A laugh escaped him, shaking him. His body tensed. Caleb had just arrived with Shiro in tow. Waving to her, Caleb signaled to the door. Kova saw this, looking for anything to escape the predator in front of her. 

Thank Allura for hanging lights. 

As Keith dove forward, Kova jumped onto his back and grabbed the light, using it to swing across the room. She landed in a crouch behind Shiro, who had been pushed into the doorframe. Keith unleashed another snarl, every intention to run after the girl. He was met with a silver and blue arm holding him back. Following it upwards, Keith's heavy breaths slowed. 

"Keith," A voice above him said. "You're my brother. I love you." Keith met the voice's eyes. With a blink, pinkish tones returned to his skin, his eyes returned to a blue-gray that matched Kenny's. 

"Shiro?" Keith's eyes were wide, holding the tall man at arm's length. Shiro smiled at the astonishment in Keith's eyes. The men stood there, staring at each other before embracing each other. The pair stood in silence, no one having the nerve to interrupt them. At least, no one but Kova. She stood up from her crouch, grabbing Allie by her upper arm and all but dragged her to the open doorway. 

Kova appeared behind Shiro, holding fast to Allie. "As tender as the moment is, he's still bleeding out. Minor injury, but an injury nonetheless." This broke the spell between the two. Keith stared at the Altean, who looked petrified, then to the teen wearing paladin armor. Shiro's paladin armor. 

"Who are you?" Keith asked. Kova ignored him, grabbing his shoulders and pushing him towards the bed, which now met the wall closest to the doorway. Keith repeated his question. Kova once again ignored him, motioning for Allie to come closer. As Allie got closer, Keith grabbed a hold of the girl's wrist. Allie screamed, dropping her med bag. Shiro kept the others from intruding, looking between Kova and Keith. "I'm not letting her anywhere near me until you tell me who you are and where I am!"

"I'm the pilot of the Black Lion, and you are safe." Kova stood firm, maintaining eye contact with Keith. 

"Be." Keith squeezed Allie's wrist, exciting a yelp. "More." His eyes flared, as did Kova's. "Specific."

"Officer Kova Shirogane, current pilot of the Black Lion. You are currently onboard the IGF Coeus. We are en route to the space mall to look for parts to repair our teleduv." She crossed her arms. "You currently have a cut on your right arm that must be treated by one of our onboard medics while we prepare a cabin and clothes for you." Keith squeezed Allie's wrist again, holding her in an iron grip. 

"You're lying. Shiro doesn't have a kid."

"You've been out a long time." Kova took a step forward, ready to cut someone's arm if she had to. "What do you know about the family?" Keith said nothing. "Until our medics deem you in safe physical condition, you are not to leave the med bay. Until then, you are to only communicate with myself, the Colonel, or one of the medics. Now let go." 

"Why should I take orders from a kid?" Keith complied with the command. Allie was rubbing her wrist, hoping a bruise wouldn't appear. She still looked to Kova for her answer. 

"You're not taking orders from a kid." Kova had backed up, starting to walk away. "You're taking orders from the leader of Voltron." This seemed to anger Keith. 

"I'm pilot of the Black Lion!" He stood, yelling after the girl. She turned her head, the glint of eyes revealing her intentions. 

"You were." She walked out the door, holding her head up high. "Clear out. Prepare to run drills in the morning." Everyone except for Shiro and Allie left the med bay observation room, heading different places. Cake worked with Kenny for a few hours. Liz had gone to the kitchen to prepare something for Keith. Caleb followed Kova to the bridge. She typed away at her console, looking for the connection to Earth. The screen appeared as Caleb closed the door. 

"Hey, guys!" Curtis said much too cheerfully. "Guess what today is?" Kova and Caleb stared at Curtis with matching skeptical looks. 

"Is it Taco Tuesday?" Caleb asked. 

"No, it's clearly Mystery Monday," Kova replied, inciting a laugh from both. Curtis had gone off-screen. He called someone in the next room. Kova and Caleb had descended the stairs to the bridge floor. Curtis returned with a small boy, not much older than five or six. 

"Kova!" He yelled. "Caleb!" 

"Why am I always second?" Caleb muttered, but the smile never left. 

"Hey, Cy!" Kova said, hoping the young boy didn't hear Caleb's comment. He didn't seem to. Instead, he stared at Kova's outfit with excitement in his eyes. 

"Woah! You're part of Voltron?!" Even from light-years away, Kova could see the stars in Cyrus's eyes.

"Hey, I am too!" Caleb protested. A gasp escaped Cy. 

"My big sister and my big brother is part of Voltron?" The little boy's excitement only seemed to grow. "What colors?"

"Black." Kova pointed to herself. 

"And red." Caleb pointed to himself. If it were possible, the boy's excitement only grew. 

"I'm gonna tell everyone that my big brother and my big sister are Voltron!" Cy spread his hands wide, emphasizing his point. Such a sweet boy, such a long way to go. 

"Were you guys going to tell me something?" Curtis asked, smoothing Cyrus's wild dark hair. 

"Our guest woke up," Kova said, watching Curtis's eyes widen. He nodded an understanding. "We can tell the rest whenever we wake up."

"Kova, Kova! Wait!" Cyrus exclaimed. 

"What's wrong, Cy?"

"Are you going to come back? Papa says you're in space." 

"Of course we're going to come back."

"Do you promise?" Kova didn't make promises she wasn't sure about. Caleb looked at Kova, who had a tender smile on her face. 

"I promise, Cy."

[annoyinglyjovialbird]

Voltron: Next Generation

Charging Ahead: I

Word Count: 2773

AN: When you’re not feeling like you in hot weather, remember no one can do what you can do, boo. <3

Even if Allie and Cake piloted the Blue and Yellow Lions, it didn't stop Allie from trying to hide in the ship.

Running after her, Caleb grabbed the collar of the small girl, who yelped. Cake was running towards Yellow, taking off after the source of the blasts. Allie was trying to find the confidence she had earlier; it was gone. Rest in peace, confidence. Caleb was staring in the direction of the blasts. Allie noticed his face was as unreadable as Kova's earlier. 

"Allie!" Speak of the devil. "Get in the Lion!" 

Kova was at the helm of the Coeus, looking over the arsenal at her disposal. There wasn't much she could do by herself, but a shield around the Coeus should be enough. With a timer set, Kova ran out of the bridge, grabbing her armor on her way. She couldn't hear Allie's muttering, but she figured it was whimpers of fear. With the suit almost entirely on, Kova had made it to the functioning MFE. 

"I can't!" Allie's voice was tightening up. She stared at the white blasts where Yellow chased the blasts. 

"Then follow my lead!" A jet engine had Caleb and Allie both looking to the sky. The white and orange aircraft was flying around Blue's head. "C'mon! Caleb, get inside!" Allie didn't know how he heard Kova, but he let go of Allie's collar and took off for the elevator. "Allie! Let's go!" Allie shook her head, closing up. She looked like a turtle. 

"I can't." Her voice was so quiet. 

"Blue chose you for a reason." Kova's inner Shiro came out. "If Blue didn't think you could do this, it wouldn't have chosen you." Allie's shoulders lowered from her pointy ears and blue markings. Her breathing seemed to slow and normalize when another blast sounded off, louder than before. Kova stopped her circling to see Yellow on the ground, down from a blast. The Coeus blocked their view, but they both knew that if they didn't get out there, Cake was going down. The Balmera would suffer, too. The groaning and shaking of the Balmera threw Allie off balance. The fall seemed to snap her out of it, running towards the Lion. Jumping into her seat, Allie powered up the Lion. 

Her Lion. 

Kova did exactly what she promised to do; she led Allie. With two Lions and an MFE, the threat was done for. Of course, they didn't expect the ship to be familiar. Allie and Cake only tested speed, not powers. Kova, on the other hand, had been cleared to pilot an MFE in the past. 

I guess there was no better time to relearn than the present, Kova thought as she fired a few blasts from the MFE. She succeeded in getting the annoyed attention of the pilot of the ship. She didn't, unfortunately, expect them to ignore the MFE as a whole. 

The black and gray battleship was half the size of the Coeus, strange purple insignias lighting it up. It looked ominous, and Kova had the feeling she had it before. At least something similar. Then she remembered. 

"I see an active Galra battleship." She said, hoping someone on board the Coeus could hear her. Caleb was alone on the bridge, his dad taking a well-deserved nap and he checked in with Griffin, who was hunkered down with the Balmerans. Caleb didn't want to wake up their dad, who was having a hard time already. 

"Kova, that's not funny." Caleb could feel the shivers of Kova's withering glare. "They aren't chasing you?" 

"I'm doing a classic Saturday morning and they still won't stop shooting at the Lions." Caleb's face fell at the mention of Saturday mornings. Shiro used to get them up at the crack of dawn and have them run drills before they started on simulations. It stopped when they were in the Garrison. Then it was the whole school. 

"Do you have a visual of the enemy pilot or a weak spot?" Caleb was pulling up camera feed and settings of the ship. 

"I have visual of the pilot," Kova said. "They look annoyed." 

"Everyone would eventually," Caleb muttered under his breath. A camera showed a view of the battleship, but no view of the pilot. "Aim and fire on the pilot."

"Affirmative." With a full 180-degree turn, Kova fired at the pilot ship. Another battleship appeared on the other side of the Galra ship, opening fire. With the annoying MFE and larger Balmeran piloted ship, the Galra ship was surrounded. 

Inside, the armor-clad soldiers ran towards the escape pods. Others were running from the bridge to the lookout. With rough movements, many of them were shoved to the ground and stampeded on from the fear of others. A young man was one of these, arms over his head. When the first rough wave passed, he limped towards the bridge. 

"Captain!" The young man yelled, focusing on the stiff man standing. "We must evacuate or surrender! The crew is abandoning ship!" The tall man stood still. His eyes followed the MFE that had been targeting them since he ordered the crew to focus on the Lions. 

"Go if you must." The tall man turned to look down on the newcomer. His eyes glinted onto the bright red markings on the smaller man's cheeks. "I don't expect much from Altean half-breeds." The young man gulped, holding his arm as though he had been struck. The Captain turned around.

"Sir, we must evacuate or surrender." He repeated, trying to stand at full height. "Our cargo won't make it to base otherwise." 

"Then load them into the escape pods." Captain gritted. "If you care so much about the cargo, then take responsibility for it." 

"Sir!" The Captain turned to face the half-Altean again. His glare was enough to turn a man to stone.

"Remind your brothers and sisters they are not to leave the ship without the cargo if they wish to return to the Empire." The Captain leaned so far into the younger man's space, the young man was afraid he was going to die. "Or they'll have to face the wrath of the Emperor." 

The Captain had a horrible array of scars down one side of his face, blinding him in one eye. The other eye was glowing bright yellow, wrinkles, and scar tissue surrounding the edges of it. 

The young man backed away a few steps from the older Galra, turning and running out the hatch door. With a snarl in the direction of the yellow-bellied man, he turned around to face the fight outside the windows. 

Another blast from the MFE fighter struck the panes, much closer than previous attempts. The sound of scraping metal, then a blur of blue had the Captain admitting defeat. With a groan, the Galra ship backed away from the fight. As one last attempt, the MFE fighter shot one last time. It struck dead-on, cracking the panes on the front of the bridge. The Captain didn't flinch, staring at the pilot inside the fighter jet. They made no other movements, seeming to glare at him. He knew the pilot couldn't see him. 

"I'll be back, little pilot." He muttered to himself. "Then we'll see how strong you are." 

Kova, Allie, Cake, and Caleb stared at the Galra ship as it floated away. Four long scratches ran the length of the ship, and the passengers seemed to be completely unaware. Allie had surprisingly given the scratches while Cake distracted the pilot. Kova was feeling uneasy, but the uneasiness was replaced by irritation. Blue and Yellow turned towards the Balmera, intent on spending time on the ground. 

Twin blasts struck the behinds of the lions, causing them to turn around. The impact wasn't enough to propel them to the ground, but it was enough to have them look. 

"Figure out your powers," Kova said. "Racing makes you comfortable in the seat, not prep you for anything else."

"Yes, Cap." Cake replied, floating towards her. "C'mon Allie. Let's look for junk for target practice." Allie wanted to argue, but Kova sounded right. Moving Blue towards Yellow, she saw Kova fly back towards the Coeus. 

"Is she always like that?" Allie asked. Cake nodded, then realized Allie couldn't see him nodding. 

"Yeah, but you gotta understand her background and training." 

"Her background and training involve being rude?" 

"It's hard to explain, Allie." Cake stared out into the stars and dark space around it. "We all got along well 'cause most of our parents were former pilots and we got to joke about their insane expectations."

"I thought your father was a cook."

"He was, but that wasn't what he was known for to begin with." 

"He was a Paladin first." Allie's voice became softer when she remembered their earlier discussions. "So was Colonel Shirogane." 

"Yeah," Cake had a sad smile on his face. "Griffin's dad was a former pilot of the MFE fighters. One of Arthur's parents used to work with Caleb and Kova's pops." 

"You all had some sort of connection to the original war." Her voice was a near whisper. 

"Hey, that looks like a good piece." Cake focused on a large scrap of floating metal floating by. It was so bent, it would have been more of an effort to flatten it with the ball-peen hammer than just use the smaller pieces they had found earlier. 

Onboard the Coeus, Kova was standing against the doorway of the bay. She was so tired, and of what? The constant reminders? The walls around her? The constant attacks? Her mind was going a hundred miles an hour and it didn't stop. She looked at the control pad in the doorway and started digging into the pack that was biting into her thigh. Taking out a pair of pliers, she set to work on the control pad. 

The light behind the screen didn't seem so dim when Kova was finished with it. Heading to her room, Kova removed piece by piece of her armor, stripping down to only the body morph suit. Leaving it on, Kova collapsed into the bed under her. Then, she had a better idea. 

Shiro was still drowsy, barely able to register what had happened, but the half-coherent argument happening around his torso was happening, whether he wanted it or not. Kova and Caleb were slapping each other's arms away, muttering to the other. Whether they heard each other or not, it woke up the father they were arguing on. Kova lay on Shiro's right side, her arm wrapped around his chest. Caleb lay on the left side, with an arm around Shiro's waist. 

With a pull, Shiro lifted Kova to his shoulder, while Caleb was held fast. With both teens settled in, Shiro closed his eyes again with a smile on his lips.

"We have to what?" Cake was out of his seat, outraged at the order. "We just got here!"

"Cake, I'm not asking." Shiro was standing tall at the front of the bridge. Kova was leaning on the banister in front of the helm, Caleb and Liz were sitting in their chairs. The seat covers were drying in front of an exhaust vent. Allie was sitting in her chair with her chin on her bent knees. Kenny was standing off to the side on the floor, leaning on a wall. 

"But we can't leave!" Cake was adamant about staying.

"Why are you fighting this?" 

"There has to be a reason those ships are coming here!"

"Yeah." Shiro deadpanned. "Us."

"Cake, sit down." Kova sighed. "All for leaving the Balmera, raise a hand." Shiro watched Kova, Caleb, Liz, Allie, and Kenny raise a hand in the air. Shiro mentally shrugged and raised his hand. "All opposed, raise a hand." Cake's hand was lonely in the air. 

"Six to one, Issako." Cake slumped into his seat at Shiro's words. He sat there for a few minutes, wallowing. As he stood, the force of the ship moving again had him falling back into his seat. He didn't get to say goodbye. 

Shay, Rax, and Talia stared at the Coeus from a distance. Shay put a comforting hand on her daughter's shoulder. 

"They did what was needed." 

"I know that," Talia tore her eyes away from the ship to look into her mother's eyes. "But he couldn't say goodbye?"

"I doubt it was his choice." Shay was still staring at the ship in the distance. The Coeus, slowly but surely, rose above the tallest ridges of the Balmera, until they were nothing more than a speck of white in the Balmeran sky. 

Onboard the Coeus, the crew continued life as normal, given the circumstances. Kova occupied the bridge, Liz enlisted Allie to help with the seat covers, and Caleb wandered around the ship. Cake stared at Kova, who was working as normally as she could. The small pouch of Balmeran crystals combined could power an entire city for years before replacing them, but Kova used only two crystals as a power source. Kenny eyed the pouch but didn't make a move to touch it. Instead, he helped Kova put the final pieces together. 

He sat there for hours, completely spaced out (as spaced out as you could get in space). A few snaps in his face snapped him out of it (Allura help me), staring at Kenny. The man was in Cake's face, his hair looking shaggier than it had the entire trip. His mouth was moving but Cake's brain couldn't register the sounds. 

"What was that?" 

"Do you want to help us with the satellite?" Kenny asked again. Besides trying to get Cake's attention for the last five minutes, he had to endure a few electrical sparks, much to Kova's amusement. 

Cake stared past Kenny to Kova. She was crouched over a semi-circle made of random pieces of metal welded together, wearing her armor. It was about a Kova long, maybe a few inches to spare. If it wasn't for the hole in the middle, it would make a perfect bathtub for Kova. Maybe a pool. 

"Sure." Cake stood, ignoring the stiffness he felt. "What do you need me to do?"

Kenny explained the plan as the trio traveled to the bay. Since Kenny was the only one without a spacesuit, he would monitor the situation from the outside because he was the senior member. The boys ignored Kova's scoff and eye roll. Cake would use the Yellow Lion to make sure Kova didn't conveniently float away, and Kova would secure the satellite to the Coeus. 

It nearly didn't go according to plan, with Kova nearly floating away because Kenny insisted on making the tether and the knots. He used a slip knot and thought Yellow Lion's teeth were a good hold. He got a stern scolding when Kova and Cake returned, but the mission was accomplished. At least one was at this point. 

"Pull up the map of the coordinates," Kova said as she entered the bridge. Her hair was in a messy braid, strands falling around her face and the middle of her forehead. Pushing them back, she looked up at the screen. Caleb had returned to the bridge, doing what he was told. 

"Which Lion are we aiming for next?" Caleb asked, typing the coordinates into a special search engine the Garrison created. Of course, it hasn't been updated in years, but whatever, it works well enough. 

"Whichever is closest to us and far away from the Balmera." Kova's brown eyes stared at the screen in front of her, watching the locations of the other three Lions appear. The red and green dots on the screen hovered much closer to the other than the previous two had been.

"It looks like the Green and Red Lions are in the Kart-Kar," Caleb said, trying to read the star system. "Whatever, they're in that-" He projected the star system with its name. "System." 

"Karthulian System." Kenny, Shiro, and Kova said at the same time. The younger trio stared at the older man, who had seemingly appeared out of thin air. Cake stared at Caleb, patting his shoulder. Caleb understood, nodding his head. 

"The Karthulian System were training grounds for the former Paladins."

"The ones before you, right?" Kova was staring at Shiro, who nodded. 

"Red must be on Yendailian and Green must be on Griezian Sur, if I remember right." Shiro had a hand on his hip and another under his chin, thinking. "Where's the Black Lion?" Shiro turned to Caleb, who had projected the planet instead. Shiro's nostalgic smile had confirmed it was the same. The Black Lion was on Arus.

[annoyinglyjovialbird]

Voltron: Next Generation

Impending Difficulties: III

Word Count: 3032

AN: Sorry about the delay! I rewrote the whole chapter today and almost ran out of time!

The neutral glow that illuminated the Coeus was steady. Non-changing. The crew was in various locations throughout the ship. Then, like a switch, the glow turned from neutral white to red. As quickly as they could, every teen packed the essentials. Keith, Kova, Caleb, and Shiro were in the transport bay with the Lions, suited up and ready to go. One by one, the teens marched in. In Kova's hand, a timer slowly counted down. First came Griffin, then Cake. They stood in silence for almost a minute when Allie ran in, panting for breath. 

"Sorry, I tried," she said through pants. Griffin thought that was it. She thought this was their punishment. At the three-minute mark, Caleb and Kova still hadn't said a word. They only stared at the timer, which was now counting negative time. 

"Are we done?" Griffin asked, earning her a look from Kova and an eyebrow raise from Caleb. Then, they heard it. Jingles. Metal scraping against each other. From the entrance of the transport bay, Kenny emerged. He had found or hung onto Allie's large backpack from the beginning. The comically large bag was filled to the brim. Kenny was leaning on the door frame, his small body straining every non-existent muscle to hold up the large bag. He still managed to form the line beside the three other teens, and Kova finally stopped the timer. 

"The team fails the evacuation procedure." At least Kova was as blunt as always. 

"It's Allie's fault, right?" Griffin asked. Allie's eyes went wide.

"No." It was Caleb's turn. "Allie made it within the appropriate time. She would've likely been first to board her Lion, so she checked on Kenny." At his name, the man stood upright. Kova approached him and showed the man her screen. It was -2:19. 

"Kenneth, evacuation is carry-on only. Not the entire workshop." 

"It is essential!" At his words, Kova poked a side of the bag. As it tipped off to the side, Kenny went along with it. 

"If it's the money, I can understand." Kova began.

"But if it's random and easily replaceable parts from Allura knows where then I don't." Caleb finished.  

"What would you know, Ladybug?" Kenny snarkily asked. Caleb didn't take this lightly. His bayard was in his hand in a heartbeat and taking a step towards Kenny and his humongous bag. Thankfully Kova was there to hold him back. 

"While we're gathered here, I have the honor to formally introduce Keith Kogane to the crew of the IGF Coeus," Kova said in a monotone voice. With one hand, she was holding Caleb's collar and in the other, she was staring at her phone. The screen was running the ship's diagnostics, but she could've been looking at pictures of Cyrus if anyone cared. 

Kenny turned around to stare at the man. At some point, the teens found leftover fabric from Caleb's chair cover that hadn't been defaced by black spots. Cutting a hole in the middle of the roughly circular fabric, Keith wore it like a poncho. It covered most of his body, still clad in his bodysuit, and unbearably thin. Liz and Allie found a spare brush for him to borrow, prepared his meals, and tended to the bruising and sores all over his body. 

Even with all of that, it was still him. It was clearly him. It was his dad. 

"Mr. Kogane—"

"Kova." 

"Keith, I would like to formally introduce you to the crew of the IGF Coeus." Two stomps on the ground and the teens stood at attention. Kenny stared at them and followed, legs spread to better support the bag. "From left to right in order of entry, Cake Garrett, Eliza Griffin, Allura Smythe, and Kenneth Holt."

"Kogane." Kenny corrected. 

"Kenneth Kogane." Kova turned to Keith, who was staring at the young man. Turning to stare at the two, Kova noticed they shared the same nose. Weird how genetics play out. 

"What, this, no, it can't be." Keith was stammering. He couldn't find the words. "The last time I saw Ken was—"

"Almost ten years ago." Kenny dropped the bag. Allie and Liz dove behind Cake. 

"No, you were sixteen. There's no way." Keith seemed adamant. This wasn't his youngest son. "Junior was twenty, and Ezrid was eighteen."

"Dad." 

"No, there's no way." 

"Everyone's dismissed. Continue regular duties." Kova ordered. The other teens nodded and walked back to their rooms to drop off their backpacks. Kova dragged Caleb to the training deck below. Shiro grabbed a hold of Keith and Kenny's shoulders and led them to the bridge, where he could explain what had happened. They were in there for about half an hour before they emerged. 

The teens were in the cafeteria, eating away at the Arusian and Balmeran food. At least, the still edible parts of it. Cake wondered aloud about the restaurant in the mall. It used to be called 'Vrepit Sal's', but when it was taken over by Cake's dad, it became 'Garrett & Sons'. 

"I thought you were the only son?" Allie asked. Cake's eyes went wide. 

"If Dad's still alive, I'll be sure to introduce him to Talia." 

"Can you guys stop talking about good food?" Liz complained, rubbing her temples. "I'm getting sick of the fruits."

"Your dad created his culinary empire with a play-on-words of the Galaxy Garrison?" Caleb asked. A nod from Cake. Caleb was going to make a quip, but Keith’s fist beat him to it. 

"You aren't Hunk's son," Keith growled. 

"Sure, and I'm Altean." Liz smiled, propping her chin into her hand. 

‘Oh, uh, Varkon' requests telecommunication. 

"Let's go change, guys!" Liz said, standing from the table. The other four followed her out, leaving Keith alone to stare after them. 

———————

"Thanks again for the parking space!" Shiro said. 

"Oh, it's no problem at all!" Varkon was amicable. "Especially for a former member of Voltron!" The kids waved their thanks from a distance and walked into the mall. It hadn't changed much, besides the blatant Voltron merch everywhere. Kova and Caleb walked away from the group for a minute to stare into a shop window. On display were plush versions of the Voltron Lions, as well as an action figure Voltron.

"Heh, don't these sell for cheaper on Earth?"

"Dude, I have four of them hiding in the closet." 

"What?" Caleb stared at Kova. "No way! I've been in there so many times and I've never seen anything!"

"What were you doing in my closet?"

"What?" 

"Can you two come back here?" Shiro's voice came over the earpieces. The teens took their time, interrogating and deflecting each other. Shiro was handing a colored bracelet to Kenny when they started running. 

"NO!"

"DON'T PUT—" Kova began. Shiro saw their approach and slipped two last bracelets onto their wrists. From his arm, the bracelets became activated. Kova's right arm was pulled to Kenny's left, cutting across his body. Caleb's left arm also flew to Liz's right, but there was no cutting across bodies. Instead, Liz became flustered at being close to a boy, much less her captain. Cake and Allie were pulling at each other's arms, seeing how it wouldn't budge, and turned to Shiro for an explanation. The Shirogane teens had a bone to pick, though. 

"You can't do this!"

"We're not little kids!"

“How old do you think we are?"

"You could've said something instead of resorting to the cuffs!"

Shiro clapped to gain their attention. Or to silence them. Whichever you prefer. 

"The last time Paladins of Voltron were in the space mall, one was nearly arrested and detained by mall security, another was used as slave labor because he couldn't pay, and the other two stole coins out of a fountain to buy a game system and a cow." As Shiro was recounting his tale, the teens and Kenny quieted down. "The bracelets worked well for you two." He was staring at his kids. "They should work well with the other members of your crew." A growl escaped Kova's throat as she picked up the bag with the money from the Arusians inside. Shiro took it from her hands, handing her a handful of coins. At least she was wearing a sweater with pockets. Allie and Caleb received handfuls of coins too, stashing them away. Allie had a small purse that matched her white and blue outfit and Caleb was wearing his ladybug sweater.  

"As long as we all have our earpieces in, we should be fine in case of an attack," Kova said, looking around. "Head to your respective areas, and try not to let the stares bother you too much." 

"Food court for lunch?" Cake asked, to everyone's head nods. With that, they all left for their respective corners. 

"What were those things?" Keith asked. Liz and Allie pleaded with Keith, then Shiro for Keith to stay onboard. They weren't sure if Keith could handle being exposed to a large crowd so soon after his discovery. Shiro agreed with their reasoning while Keith fought them on it. When it came out of Shiro's mouth, for some magical reason, Keith accepted it. His request was to get him some 'real clothes'. 

"When Kova and Caleb were younger, they were impossible to keep track of," Shiro began his story. "So Curtis and Matt butted their heads to find a solution."

"And the bracelet cuffs were the answer?"

"Matt and Curtis didn't figure it out until Kova and Caleb were playing with fake handcuffs. Somehow, they got ahold of real cuffs and were stuck until the cop they took them from came back from a two-day vacation. We were almost sad to see them go."

"How old were they?"

"Eh, nine. Maybe ten. They were young but I remember Caleb talking, and that didn't happen until he was eight." 

"As touching as the story is, can you not talk about it when we can't control channels?" Kova said. Shiro could hear the others either laughing or snickering. 

"Yeah, okay." Shiro laughed.  

Kenny and Kova were the first to arrive at their location. The shop was filled wall to ceiling with scaultrite lenses. They were somewhat organized. Oh sure, they were in barely distinguishable piles but at least they were organized by size. Did size even matter with lenses?

Even at the jingle at the front of the store, no one came from the backroom to the front counter. Kenny and Kova looked at each other and shrugged, looking at the various sizes. They settled on thirty-six 8" lenses. They had the money for double, maybe triple the price, but they stopped counting when they got to the price of thirty-six. An alien finally appeared from the back room at the sound of voices. 

"Oh, hello!" The alien greeted. They looked generally sweet, with light blue skin and dark almond-shaped eyes. "Sorry about that! The bell sounds for everyone within a two-foot radius of the door. How can I help you today?" 

"Yeah, can we get thirty-six of the 8" lenses, please?" Kenny asked. The worker nodded her head and stepped around the counter to grab them. Kova was lost in her mind, trying to figure out the problem with the bell. 

"Anything else for you today?" The alien asked. Kenny shook his head and looked to Kova. The two stared at the girl until she finally noticed. She apologized and asked if the worker had a pair of pliers she could borrow. While confused, the worker complied. Dragging Kenny along wasn't fun for Kova, but she did it. The bell rang through the store again and the pair stepped back. Kenny, with careful steps, approached the door. He was three feet away. Then two. Finally one foot in front of the door. The bell didn't go off until Kenny was directly in front of it. The worker gasped. 

"How did you do that?" 

"The sensor range was too wide. I made it shorter." Kova explained and shrugged. 

"How can I ever repay you?" The worker said. Kova started to say there was no need, but it was too late. The worker remembered they were there for the lenses. They wrapped the lenses up neatly and pushed them over the counter to them. 

"No, it's really alright!" Kova tried saying, but the alien was hearing none of it. "Seriously, it was nothing!"

"Please, take it! Thanks to you, I don't have to listen to that stupid bell anymore!" 

"You really don't have to!" 

"Hold on! Just one minute!" Kenny shouted, getting the arguing pair's attention. "We're going to pay you." The worker opened their mouth to protest. "Ah, ah, ah, no. No. We're going to pay you. You can repay us by taking down a certain poster from around the mall." 

"You saw them, too?" Kova asked. Kenny nodded. The worker nodded at the request. They were seriously excited about the bell not going off anymore. 

"Anything! What poster?" The worker asked. Kenny pulled out his phone and showed the worker the ransom poster of Kova. The worker looked from the screen to Kova and back again. "You got yourself a deal." Kenny and the worker shook on it. As Kenny and Kova turned to leave with their lenses, Kova turned to look at the worker. 

"If you ever want something from the food court, say Jax sent you. Many of them won't ask questions about it, even double the size of your meal." The worker yelled one last thank you as Kenny and Kova left the store. 

On the other side of the space mall, Allie and Cake were enjoying the simple delights of finding snacks. Allie was looking at low-calorie and low-fat snacks to give to Keith and Cake was staring at the crackers with drool coming from his mouth. In the end, they got about three-quarters of the list of snacks down. The other fourth was food for Keith. Or Kova. They couldn't tell anymore. 

About thirty feet away, Liz and Caleb were simply window-shopping, not really liking everything they came across. When Liz spotted Allie, she dragged Caleb along to Allie's side. It was almost lunchtime, so they were heading through the heart of the mall to get to the food court. 

"Oh, Allura! That would look wonderful on you!" A girl exclaimed, making the four slow down. 

"Oh great," Allie said quietly. She kept her head low. 

"So, I uh, guess that Allura is a pretty popular name on Altea," Liz said. 

"Yes, it is. The most popular for girls." 

"What's the second most popular name?" Liz asked. Allie turned her head to face the girl and gave a dry smile before dropping it. 

"June," Allie said, staring down at the list in her hands again. 

"Those girls are Altean." Liz pointed out. 

"Yep."

"Do you know them?" 

"Unfortunately." 

A loud dramatic gasp came from the trio of girls in front of a high-end store. At least, it looked high-end. And Altean. 

"Allie? Is that you?" One of the girls almost yelled in the mall. Allie froze in her tracks and looked up as the trio approached. The girl in the middle had curly purple hair and fair skin with matching purple Altean markings. Her cronies on either side had a short blonde bob and black pixie cut hair with rose pink and lime green markings. Allie looked petrified but stood her ground. That was when the girl in the middle saw Allie's hand. It was entwined with Cake's to hide the fact they were essentially handcuffed. 

"Allie, darling, I'm not sure if you know, but you're Altean." The middle Altean began to say condescendingly. As if Allie were a little girl. "He's a half-breed. You don't know what he would do to you if you made him angry." Cake's expression was the definition of 'Wanna find out?', but he said nothing. 

"Hey, why don't you leave her alone?" Liz spoke. The middle girl looked surprised to see Caleb and Liz standing there. No matter, though. 

"Allie is one of my good friends. Isn't that right, darling?" Allie didn't say anything. 

"Seriously, can you stop? Your comments are so wrong."

"In what way?" The girl feigned ignorance. 

"Seriously? You talk about our friend like he isn't even here and you're belittling another person in front of her friends." Liz thought this was simple. The girl had other ideas. 

"Sorry, I don't speak human. Can you speak slower?" 

"Sorry, I don't speak—" 

"Hey!" Kova yelled. Her voice was only about ten feet behind them, but the yell came through just fine through the earpieces. 

"Jax?" The girl now looked petrified, and Allie stood a little straighter. 

"Star!" Kova said like she was greeting an old friend. "Are you bothering one of the members of my crew?"

"No, not at all. I was just remarking to Allie how her relationship could potentially be viewed on Altea. You know how strict families can be." Kova took a few steps closer to the girl. Kenny stayed behind her, letting her take center stage. 

"Do you remember what I said to you last time?" Kova smiled sweetly. "Mess with other people's lives again, and you're done." The girl gulped, grabbed her cronies by their arms, and stalked off without another word. "Food court, anyone?" 

At last, they arrived. They sat at a round table and enjoyed the food. Cake was glad to see Garrett & Sons still stood as the prime location to grab a quality meal. Allie was thankful for Liz and Kova's interruption with Allura. Shiro was disappointed with Caleb since he revealed that he found the store that was giving free cows with every purchase. 

Kova needed to use the restroom, and Shiro removed the link between her and Kenny's bracelets. She never made it. A tall figure pressed the barrel of a weapon into her lower back while another grabbed her shoulders. She went along with it, not wanting to incite a panic. The figures led her to the loading bay and into a small ship. Still, Kova didn't fight. She followed them. It wasn't until she saw the massive ship did she realize what was happening.

Yorak had found her.

[annoyinglyjovialbird]

Voltron: Next Generation

Unexpected Mission: III

Word Count: 2738

When the hatch door closed behind Allie, there was a long beat of silence. Caleb was frozen on his way to the bay. Liz and Cake were frozen in place heading to the engine room. Allie was staring at the door with wide eyes, knuckles white on the straps of her huge backpack. Kova was looking between her dad and the closed door. Shiro kept his face neutral. At least, he tried to. Inside, he was panicking as much as the kids. In a mesh of voices, the teens’ voices began to overlap with the same level of concern and panic. 

“Kova?”

“What happened?”

“What was that?”

“Kova!” 

“Are we trapped?”

“Don’t ignore me!” 

“I’m sorry!”

“Who’s apologizing?”

“Are we ever going to see the sunlight again?”

“Stop being dramatic!”

Shiro was astounded Kova still hadn’t said a word. She was standing still, watching the door. At least, that’s what he thought she was staring at. Slowly, Kova crouched to the floor, wiping her gloved hand over the floor. It was covered in a thick layer of dust and dirt. Pointing her weapon to the door Shiro stood by, Kova’s eyes followed a set of shoe prints that led to the bridge, shoe prints much too small to be Shiro’s and too large to be any of the teens. 

“Be on guard. There’s someone else on board.” Kova’s words stopped the onslaught of questions and comments. “Griffin and Garrett, keep exploring the engine room. When cleared, join Caleb to explore the bays. No one is to go anywhere alone. All clear?”

“Clear.” Three voices said unanimously. Allie, still in front of Kova, simply nodded her head, too afraid to speak. 

“Give Dad the screen.” Caleb’s voice crackled over the earpieces. 

“I’m giving Dad the screen,” Kova muttered a response, taking an orange-tinted screen from who knows where. Shiro couldn’t figure it out, but he still took the screen from Kova's hands. 

As Liz moved, the ship came more into view. Most of the battleships were built similarly, and the Coeus was no different. He recognized the cafeteria and dining room, the infirmary, and the sleeping quarters. Even on an orange screen, the teens were still visible. 

Kova must have been working on this for months, Shiro thought. Allie, who was getting coaxed into walking by Kova, was represented by a blue dot, while Kova was represented by a black dot. Caleb, who was represented by a red dot, was still on the screen, likely waiting for Liz and Cake, represented by a green and yellow dot, who were headed towards the engine room. Reaching the entrance to the engine room, the pair stood still. 

"About to enter the engine room, Cap." Cake's voice crackled too. Kova would have to fix it later. 

"Continue ahead and keep your guards up." She ordered, returning her attention to the bridge. Allie began moving again, dragging her feet. 

"What makes you think there's someone else on board?" Shiro finally asked, close enough to talk to Kova without anyone else overhearing. With a glance at her dad, Kova opened a screen on her arm. She was opening a private channel, labeling it 'Family'. Only Shiro and Caleb would have access to it. With a little movement from her hand, Kova told her dad to repeat. Shiro repeated his question, perking Caleb up. 

"Besides the shoe prints?" Kova asked, and Caleb laughed. "It looked like someone tried to get into the bridge before us, but weren't able to get past something." Kova pointed to a spot on the wall. It was cleaner than the rest of the wall, the imprint of a body etched onto it. "When was the Coeus built?" Shiro shrugged his shoulders, earning him a flat look from his daughter. 

"Did Dad shrug his shoulders?" Caleb asked in the silence.

"Yeah," Kova responded flatly. 

"Before my time." Shiro nodded his head to the bridge of the ship, and Kova braced herself to be pushed back. With slow steps, Kova walked through the doorway without resistance. Shiro walked through next, looking around the screens and deck, all dark and covered by once-white sheets. Allie stood in the hallway, afraid of the door closing on her again. 

Closing the private channel and opening the main, Kova stared at Allie. With a few gestures, Allie began to shake her head. 

"Allie, I don't think the door will close behind you this time." Allie still shook her head. "It'll be okay." With calm, patient words, Allie started moving. With eyes screwed shut, she gave her best impression of a turtle hiding in its shell. The hatch didn’t close behind Allie, much to everyone’s relief. 

In steady movements, Kova descended stairs that led to the floor. The Coeus boasted large floor to ceiling windows for an almost 180-degree view of outside the ship. Looking up, she could see the pattern of the screens. Five people were needed to run the ship, but there was one person who was in charge. The Captain of the ship, the person who had sworn to go down with it. Shiro stood at the helm, eyes glossed over. Kova and Caleb were worried something like this would happen. He retired after getting married, but he was invited back to become Colonel of the Galaxy Garrison. He accepted, only because it was easier for Kova and Caleb to get in. They were nine at the time. 

"K-Kova." A small voice squeaked over the comms. Shiro looked behind him at the voice, where Allie was staring at the grate under Shiro's feet. 

"What is it?" Kova asked, climbing the stairs two at a time. "Oh." 

Stepping away from the helm, Shiro could barely see what the two were staring at. Maybe it was an alien thing. Pulling the grate up, it became a little clearer what the girls spotted. Underneath the grate was a series of cables, running power to and from the engine rooms. One of the cables had a large tear in the rubber, too clean-cut to be an accident. Flashing bright red, an indicator was attached to the cable. 

"What is that?" Allie asked, bending over to look over Allie's shoulder. She seemed to have calmed down, even if it was only physically. 

"Looks a power indicator. They weren't used that often, and aren't normally left inside." Kova was on her knees above the open grate. "Most engineers used them to test energy flow, and send signals when there isn't any so the engineers could fix the issue." With her head up, Shiro could see the gears in Kova's head moving. 

"Could it be the cause of malfunctions?"

"Only if the machinery held a signature code." Kova looked up to Shiro, who had raised an eyebrow. "To check for a signature, it would take looking into every piece of code in every individual machine affected by the malfunction. The signature in the indicator would try to alert its creator, its assigned engineer." Shiro could see Kova's eyes flick back and forth in the amount of the work. "It would take weeks, even if I were to train a team to help me look. Maybe I could create a software that would look for me, but that would require—" 

The ship lurched forward, sending Allie flying into Kova's arms and Shiro holding onto the helm. 

"Kova!" Caleb's voice shouted over the comms. 

"Uh, Cap, we found the intruder!" Griffin's voice came in pants. "But they did something to the ship!" The trio had wide eyes and frozen in place. Kova was the first to unfreeze. Roughly grabbing Allie, she pushed the girl off and dove for the grate. 

"Allie, I need electrical tape, pliers, and a screwdriver or a hammer." Allie took off the backpack, digging through it to pull out a small roll of tape, a pair of needle-nose pliers, and a small ball-peen hammer. "Alright, hold this." 

With clear, almost rushed instructions, Kova talked Allie through. With the pliers, Kova held the cut ends of wires out for Allie to tape as close together as possible. Together, they managed to also tape the main rubber cable closed. The indicator was now a stark yellow instead of its former flashing red. With a quick tap of the hammer, the light and the signal it was emitting were broken. The ship still lurched forward. Caleb was running towards Liz and Cake. 

A scream echoed over the comms, and it wasn't Allie's. 

"Griffin!" Kova and Caleb shouted at the same time. 

"The thrusters were turned on!" With a horrified look on her face, Shiro opened another program on the screen Kova had given him. Shiro was lowering the particle barrier over the Garrison. "Cap, we're taking off." 

"Allie, try not to scream," Kova ordered before they were flung off-balance again. "Griffin, use the BLIP."

"The what?" Liz could barely hear anything over the sound of the roaring engines. 

"The BLIP! It's in your suit!" Looking down at her screen, Liz could see it was true. Taking a quick scan of the area, while she couldn't see Cake anymore, or the shadowy figure they were chasing, she could see an exhaust vent. If she couldn't pursue, she could try to fix the situation. 

"Cake is still chasing the perp, but I'm gonna try to deactivate the engines."

"No!" Three voices shouted at the same time. It was Caleb, Shiro, and Kova. "If you shut off the engines, it could collapse the cage." 

"So I should, what? Let it launch?"

"Yes." Shiro had never sounded more serious. "Launching gives us a better chance of survival." Even if they couldn't see her, Griffin nodded her head, and busied herself. She couldn't stop the engines if she tried as she looked at a countdown sequence. 

"Okay. We got a minute to launch." Another cry from Griffin had Kova concerned but had Caleb worried. "I'm okay! Exhaust vents are filtered inside. I'll open them up. O2 supply is stable, and the energy source is solid." Liz was Caleb's engineer. 

The ship lurched. 

"Why does it keep doing that?" Cake's breathless voice came over the comms. 

Kova and Liz brought up the same screen. Kova had hacked into the Garrison cameras months ago. Liz was viewing the cameras on the ship, broadcasting to the bridge. The light scared Allie but intrigued her all the same. The camera was showing the dust gathering and blowing in every direction as Liz redirected the exhaust. No one wanted to find the IGF-Coeus. 

"Opening hatch doors." A disembodied female voice said, barely audible over the blood rushing through Caleb's ears. They were getting launched into space.

"IGF-Coeus secured." Another disembodied voice, male this time, said over the intercom. Desert sand fell onto the Coeus as it rose closer to the sky. Liz watched as the countdown became thirty seconds. The further up the Coeus went, the closer the sky seemed to seem. 

"Put the school in lockdown. We aren't going to make it without hurting them." Kova looked over the awed faces of junior and senior cadets in orange coats and the horrified expressions of the junior and senior officers. Among the orange and gray, Kova could spot Arthur's face, who was still wearing his plaid pajama pants. Shiro did what was asked of him, the officers shooing the cadets inside. All of them except for Arthur, who looked up at the Coeus. Kova didn't know when she had shared her screen with Caleb, but Caleb was staring at the same screen. 

"I hope he knows we never planned this." Caleb tried to reassure his sister.

"I hope so too." Kova was reassuring her brother. 

With a final lurch of the thrusters, everyone on board the Coeus either flew into the nearest wall or fell onto the floor. Either way, the Coeus took off. 

A full minute had passed when the Coeus had finally stopped, an eerie calm after the storm. 

"Allie, don't scream," Kova repeated. Allie had clawed her hands into the back of a poor chair, eyes as wide as saucers. 

"I'm trying not to." Her voice was tight and quiet. Kova didn't blame her. 

"Call in. Griffin." 

"Here." Liz was barely standing, using two convenient handlebars to hold her. 

"Garrett." 

"Here." He had an armored arm around a person's neck. "I caught the dude." 

"Good. Allie's here. Caleb."

"Here." He was panting, rubbing his head from his violent introduction to the wall. "Barely alive, but here."

"Dad." Kova turned around to find him clutching the helm of the Coeus, staring at nothing. His eyes were wide, glossed over. Seeing something that wasn't there. "Crap. Caleb, it's happening again." Caleb was running for the bridge in a heartbeat, ducking and maneuvering around electrical sparks and collapsed ceiling tiles. It had been years since Shiro was last on a mission, much less a battleship, but the experience took its toll. 

"Allie, stay away." Caleb was in the doorway of the ship, who saw Allie standing behind a chair. 

With slow steps, the teens approached the hunched Shiro. In an instant, his robotic arm had swung towards Caleb, who dodged it with ease. His other arm tried to land a hit on Kova, who ducked and swung a kick to Shiro's abdomen. Kova was crouched when Shiro collapsed, doubled over in pain. With arms tight around him, the teens braced themselves for more punches and kicks. With deep breaths, Shiro looked at the teens, who had their eyes screwed shut. At some point, they had taken off their helmets. With arms around their waists, Shiro held both teens. 

"You left it behind."

"You didn't expect to come back."

"It wasn't your fault."

"Most of them are dead now."

"You have something they don't."

"They can't take us away." When Shiro started having flashbacks, at least in front of them, they started telling him everything they had learned from their brave father. Everything they heard from Curtis, Uncle Lance, even Matt, all were the same things they would parrot back. Shiro fought, and he won, one way or the other. He had won. The teens in front of him, kids raised and trained by him and Curtis were enough proof of that. 

Reaching for Shiro's earpiece, she began to make orders to the others. Telling them to come to the bridge when they figured out how to turn on the holo screens on the bridge. Shiro could barely hear it, finding Caleb's shoulder. Even without the helmet, Shiro still saw the paladin who wore the same suit. Although tense, Shiro could see Allie's namesake, standing tall and proud. Even sitting still, Shiro could hear the crashing of metal and the bright flashing lights from blasts. Whether they were given or received, it was up to Shiro's memory. 

"Okay, let's try getting you up." Kova walked over again, wrapping her arms around Shiro's torso while Caleb wrapped an arm around his shoulders. With careful and steady steps, Shiro was sat down in an empty chair in the corner of the bridge. 

The teens were picking up their helmets from the floor when the holo screens came to life. In blazing orange, the screens were being booted up, a larger screen on the window appearing. Cake was staring at them, wondering whether they could see them or not. He had found a security camera blocked off with tape. Unwrapping it had reactivated it. 

"I can see you, Cake." Kova's voice came over his comms. 

"Look at who I caught." He said with a big smile, stepping back a few steps. Kova had never been so done than that moment. 

"Seriously, Kenneth?!" Kova all but shouted, making him cringe. That seemed to make Allie relax. Finally looking at the screen, she looked at the young man they called Kenneth. He had shoulder-length brown hair, with gray-blue eyes framed by round-framed glasses. His face was set into a pout, his hands on Cake's forearms. He had been trying to get away, but Cake was too strong for the noodle. 

Kova pinched the bridge of her nose, eyes shut. "Allie, find the zip-ties. Cake, don't let go. Liz, tell me where we are." The screen changed, Cake taking his time by taking down all the tape around the cameras on his way to the bridge. Allie was doing what she was told, taking out a bunch of zip-ties wrapped by a yellow rubber band. Liz pulled up a screen. Shiro had seen too many of those, recognizing where they were. 

"We're in the middle of nowhere, space," Liz reported flatly. Oh, Kova was going to murder Kenny.