Hello and welcome to the first installment of a small AU Shayllura drabble collection, starring Allura as an archaeologist. I hope you guys love Voltron: Legendary Defender as much as I do!
Disclaimer: I do not on Voltron: Legendary Defender.
The small Altaean craft touched down on the barren planet, much to the excitement of its crew. A latch clicked and the expedition team cautiously exited, whooping with glee when their feet brushed the surface of one of the last known Balmeras. This mission would go down in history; the group planned to record the size and structure of the famous Balmeran crystals and collect evidence of the ancient Altaean harvesting ritual.
Leading the crew was a young up-and-coming archaeologist named Allura. She effectively took control of the group, leading them toward a long-abandoned mine shaft. The ship's scanners had reported the presence of crystals within it. After rappelling to the bottom of the pit, Allura assigned a pair of members to each quadrant of the mine, instructing them to contact her at the base if they found something of note. Though more anxious than her compatriots, she nonetheless maintained her composure, only cracking a small smile when the team had been successfully dispatched.
After what seemed like only a few ticks, Allura's communicator chirped. One of the senior expedition members, Coran, and his partner had located what they believed to be a crystal. Informing him to await her arrival, she swiftly exited the makeshift control room and hurried towards the coordinates he had given her. Allura's ancestors had been among the Altaeans to complete the harvesting ritual. Her captains back home had placed her in command because they believed her genetic material held the key to studying the crystals. As such, the crew was under strict orders not to touch any crystals they found without Allura present.
She found the duo waiting for her at the mouth of a subsidiary tunnel. Coran gestured into the depths of the passage, prompting her to lead the way. Allura ran ahead of him, eager to see a Balmeran crystal for the first time in generations. She heard Coran cry out, panicked that she had left them so far behind, but Allura spotted the glow of the crystal and wasn't willing to stop. She whirled to face him, ready to prompt him to hurry, when the cavern began to rumble. Before Allura's eyes, the area between her and her crewmates was covered by rock as the ceiling caved in. It was almost as if the cave could feel her anticipation and wanted to halt her progress.
It felt that way because the Balmera could feel her, Allura realized. She had made a critical mistake by forgetting that the Balmera, the very ground beneath her feet, was a living organism. Her communicator beeped, and she instructed the hyperventilating Coran to begin excavating the tunnel and take control of the expedition temporarily after reassuring him she was unharmed. Allura then refocused on the glow of what she knew to be a crystal and strode toward it.
She froze when she heard voices emanating from the passage up ahead. From her location, the conversation was garbled and unintelligible, but she could tell that the speakers were fast approaching her. Shadows glided along the wall, and they didn't resemble any species Allura recognized. By the time she had run through her extensive knowledge of the system's races, the creatures had spotted her. They had yellow eyes and larger frames than any Altaean.
"Halt," one said, "Why have you come to the Balmera? We have already repelled the Galra crystal thieves and you will share their fate if that is why you have come."
Allura struggled to voice her scattered thoughts. There was a race that inhabited Balmeras? Galra had come here? It certainly explained the Balmera's desolation. "I am Allura of Altaea," she said, slowly shifting to match their size and complexion, "I have come only to study the Balmera's crystals, which hold significance to my people's culture."
The Balmerans' heads swung as they looked at each other, doubt evident in their features. The leader spoke up, "Even if you speak the truth and do not wish to take crystals from the Balmera, you must come with us now. No being who knows of our existence can leave the Balmera. Not after the war with the Galra." His eyes had hardened into golden shards, and at a gesture his fellows began to advance.
Allura nodded slowly and raised her hands in surrender. When the rock-like people drew close, she whipped around and ran desperately, hoping they didn't have blasters. She had almost reached the cave-in when a circle of stone rose from the floor to trap her. Allura sagged against the wall of her prison, defeated. If these creatures could call on the planet to help them, she didn't have a chance of escaping. The walls retracted, revealing a circle of Balmerans, each pointing a spear at her. She didn't fight back when the leader cuffed her and slung her over his shoulder. She made no effort to memorize the path the squadron took as they carried her away from her crew and research. She responded only with a nod when the leader, Rax, promised that she would come to no harm as he tossed her into a holding cell.
Allura finally reacted when she heard quarreling outside her cell door. Her neck strained with effort to move closer to the tense conversation, but Rax had not unshackled her, and she merely fell on her face. The noise stopped, and the door slid open. Warm hands lifted her off the ground, and honey-colored eyes appraised her.
"I apologize for my brother's behavior," the Balmeran said, "You've been treated like a prisoner, but I know you can teach us much about the galaxy outside the Balmera. Here you are, Allura of Altaea." The Balmeran offered her a bowl of broth and a substance that appeared to be similar to a green dish served on Altaea, then gently removed Allura's cuffs and massaged her wrists and ankles. "I'm Shay." Rapid knocking filled the room; Shay turned to the door and glared. "I must make haste, Rax is not known for his patience. Goodbye, Allura."
Shay left and the door locked behind her, leaving Allura to think about her predicament. Her mind jumped back to Shay, to Shay's freely given kindness and strangely charming voice.