A/N: Just a little scene from Golion that popped into my head and wouldn't leave me alone. I may expand on it later; let me know what you think!

Second note: It occurred to me that not everyone knows Golion, and a list of names wouldn't be out of place.

Akira Kogane/Chief Keith

Takashi/Quiet Sven

Isamu Kurogane/Moody Lance

Raible Coran

Fala-hime Allura

Tsuyoshi Seidou/Hothead Hunk

Hiroshi Suzuishi/Chibi Pidge

Hys Nanny

Akira Kogane's arms screamed from the strain of controlling Golion during the fight, his ribs ached from being slammed against his controls, and he could still see the robeast's electricity dancing over his skin. More than that, he was exhausted and heartsick, the death of Earth playing over and over again in his mind. The images wouldn't let him sleep, badly as he needed it, and he found himself wandering the castle. Before he knew it, he was outside and up the hill, standing at Shirogane's grave. Slowly, with a care for his bruises, Kogane sank to his knees, running his fingers over the kanji characters of his best friend's name. "It's all gone, Quiet," he said softly. "Everything, everyone we ever knew. All gone." He bowed his head, letting his tears flow unchecked. "Fala-hime asked us to think of Altea as our home now, but it just isn't the same."

He flashed back to their lives on Earth, remembering meeting the others for the first time at the Fuji Space School. Moody in his leather jacket, sulking off to the side; Hothead talking reassuringly to a wide-eyed Chibi, who was so much younger than the rest of them. Then Quiet, older and already a student, had come in and taken charge. Over time, the five of them had become close friends, even getting to know each other's families. Kurogane's little brothers had barraged them with questions; Shirogane's sister had peeked around doorways at them, giggling shyly. In three years of training, they had almost become a family.

Then came the graduation exercise. Akira's fists clenched and his heart lurched as he remembered. Six months they'd spent in space, testing their flight and navigation skills. At last they had completed all their tests and started home, happily discussing the parties their families had planned. . . only to come into atmosphere and find Earth in ruins. They had been captured by the Galran forces before they could even think to look for their families, but had always nurtured the hope of going back to find them. Even when Shirogane died and was buried on Altea, it was understood that they would take him back to Earth one day. That dream had shattered when they returned to Earth that morning, only to realize the world was dead. The last hope had evaporated when they flew over their homes and saw them destroyed, walked into the Fuji School and saw skeletal remains everywhere.

From a distance, Kurogane watched as Kogane curled into a ball, clearly sobbing. Not for the first time, he cursed the war that had ravaged Earth, the war with Galra they'd been drawn into, and the stuffy aristocrats in Castle Gradam that seemed determined to rub their noses in their refugee status. He sighed and walked the rest of the way to Shirogane's grave, careful to make enough noise to alert Kogane to his presence. "Thought I saw you out here," he said quietly, kneeling beside Akira. "Talk to me, Chief."

"How much more do we have to lose?" Akira asked, wiping at his eyes. "Our families, our homes. . .our whole world. And what do we get in return?"

"I wish I knew," Kurogane sighed, settling into a seated position. "I'd say let's leave, to hell with Fala, Golion, and Altea, but. . . . "

"We don't have anywhere else to go," Kogane whispered, suddenly glad Moody had found him, and not one of the others. Even with Kurogane he didn't let his guard down completely, but he didn't have to. Kurogane could read him like no other ever could. "I have to talk to Raible tomorrow. He needs to understand. We were chosen to fly Golion; we chose to serve Altea and Fala. That doesn't mean we stopped being human, or having our own thoughts and desires."

Moody nodded. "Do you want me there with you?"

Akira started to say no, but reconsidered. He was still furious with the strategist, and if he lost control of that anger, Kurogane was the only one on the team with a hope of stopping him. "You probably should," he finally sighed. "I might kill him otherwise."

"Not so sure that wouldn't be a bad thing." The other man shifted his position, leaning back on his hands and looking out at the stars. "Chief, what's going on with Fala-hime? All that stuff Raible and Hys said, Raible trying to shoot us down, and she just stood there. I don't expect a woman to be very aggressive, but. . . I would have thought, after all we've been through, all we've done for her and Altea, that she would have said something!"

"You're too hard on her, Moody," Kogane countered softly. "She is just a woman, after all, and little more than a child, at that. Be glad she found the strength of will to follow us to Earth when we needed her most." He stretched slowly, wincing as the motion pulled at his sore ribs. "Ne, there is nothing to be done. We promised to fight, and we will, if it costs us our lives. We owe it to Shirogane's memory."

Kurogane got to his feet, and offered a hand to his captain. "Yes, I suppose you're right. Come on, we should sleep to be ready for Raible tomorrow." The two of them walked back into Castle Gradam, determined to make the most of what fate had dealt them.