((Decided to write my very own AU fic! Why I have decided to torture myself like this I do not know but here we go… I'd like you to imagine the scenery/technology like that in old 80's sci-fi movies like Blade Runner and Fifth Element if you will! And enjoy~))

Chapter One

Space Pirates. It wasn't a term he particularly favoured but Takashi Shirogane supposed it was probably the best way to describe himself and his crew. The four of them had been cruising the galaxy, taking jobs where and when they could for very little pay, for almost three years. He and Adam – his navigator and closest friend – had been a team a little longer but had created their own crew and 'commandeered' their own ship just three years ago. It wasn't a very glamorous life but Shiro, as he was known to his friends, wouldn't change it for the world. He enjoyed the spontaneity, the idea that they could go anywhere and do anything (as long as they didn't get caught) whenever they felt the urge.

The rest of the crew had pretty much the same mindset; Adam liked to decide his own fate and, although he could be somewhat of a mother hen at times, enjoyed the freedom of his life. Hunk, the chef and engineer, loved the fact that he was his own boss. Sure, Shiro was the captain and his word was final but ultimately Hunk was in charge of his very own kitchen, something he would never have been able to afford back on Earth. Lance was the newest member of the crew; he had been stranded on a barter planet the previous year when pirates – not Shiro and company this time – had stolen his ship. He was half-Altaen, a peaceful race with good morals and ideals and he had gained his position on the ship in exchange for his weapons knowledge. Apparently not every Altaen was so peace-driven and laid back. They were an odd bunch but a group Shiro thought of as family and one he would protect with his life.

Business had been slow the past few weeks. The last job they'd taken had been for an arms dealer and it hadn't gone as smoothly as planned. Thankfully the crew had managed to get away from the fierce Martians with only a few cuts and scrapes but the job had remained unfinished and therefore unpaid. Things were starting to look a little desperate, Hunk had declared that they were on their final week of rations and if they didn't find a job or steal some food soon, they were going to be in big trouble.

"Something on your mind, Takashi?"

Adam ran a slender finger down the nape of Shiro's neck, making the white-haired man shiver a little. The display of affection wasn't unusual between the two and it was something they didn't even realise they were doing half the time, spiking rumours amongst the rest of the crew. Oblivious to these rumours, however, the old friends remained set in their ways and Shiro turned in his chair at the control panel to look up at his navigator.

"Food..." Shiro stared out at the blackness of space beyond the viewing window trying not to imagine the debris as hamburgers and fruit.

Adam leaned an elbow on his captain's left shoulder, his mousy hair falling from his ponytail a little, tickling Shiro's cheek, "Yeah, we really need a job."

"Maybe we could just eat Lance," Shiro half-joked as Adam plonked himself down in the chair beside him and started to clean his round spectacles.

"I don't think he'd be very tasty."

"True."

With a groan, Shiro rolled his right shoulder a little, the mechanism making a metallic crunching sound where the prosthetic met his joint. He'd lost the arm five years ago when he'd been trying to steal another space craft. The craft had been unknowingly occupied by three Bellumins, huge alien creatures bred for war that stood at around ten feet tall. Suffice to say the Bellumins were not happy with a human trying to take their ship and Shiro ended up held down as one of them tore his arm clean off. It was only afterwards that he had found out that had been an act of kindness on their part – take an arm and spare a life was their motto, apparently. Now he lived with a mechanical prosthetic arm built by Hunk from spare parts he'd found on the ship. Sure, it did its job and was actually pretty strong but the chef hadn't factored in comfort when he'd engineered it.

"Arm giving you trouble again?" Adam asked as his hand hovered over the metal appendage. He'd found out that touching Shiro's right side wasn't a good idea after he'd first lost the arm, when the captain fell into an almost hysterical panic at the slightest brush against that side. The crew now knew to only approach him on his left side.

"I'm fine," Shiro lied.

Before Adam could retort, a pulsing red light lit up on the control panel and Shiro pressed it. A holographic display shimmered in front of them, revealing a rather distraught-looking older gentleman with glasses and a beard. He was wearing an EDP uniform (Earth Defence Program), a force created on Earth to protect the planet from otherworldly invasions. From the look of him he was human and from the sound of his distressed voice, he was in need of help.

"This is the Voltron, how can we help?" Shiro asked, trying his best not to sound too desperate.

The man looked off screen for a moment and then back to Shiro, "My name is Sam Holt. My daughter, Katie, was taken during the night by… something."

Adam shivered at the word as the man continued.

"We've tracked her location to a planet out of our jurisdiction. A planet called Tante," again, he looked off to the side as though making sure no one was watching, "The EDP says they can't go there due to a treaty with the surrounding planets but I know my Katie is there. Please, can you help me?"

Shiro looked at Adam and muted the comms, "What do you think?"

"It's a little further than we've gone before but we can handle it."

"And if the EDP find out? We'd be locked up forever for breaking a treaty."

Adam smiled and shrugged, "It's up to you, captain. But I sure am hungry!"

Shiro returned the smile and unmuted the comms, "We'd be willing to accept the job, sir, depending on the payment."

"Yes, thank you! Anything you want, it's yours! Just bring my daughter home safe!" Mr Holt wiped a tear from his eye and an image of a teenage girl wearing large round glasses blinked onto the screen, "This is Katie. She's sixteen."

"Don't worry, sir," Adam smiled, more warmly this time, "We'll bring her back."

"And I'll give you extra if you can find the culprit that took her!" Mr Holt looked a little more determined, even angry as he said this and Shiro could practically see the money signs flashing in Adam's glasses.

He clicked a button and the screen disappeared. With another push of a button, Shiro's voice echoed through the ship,

"Get yourselves ready, guys, we've got a job to do!"

At the sound of Shiro's voice coming through the static of the speakers on the ship, Hunk heaved a sigh of relief. He'd been trying to ration out the food for the next few days but his heart hadn't been in it, if he was being honest. The thought of eating smaller portions definitely wasn't something that thrilled him. Scratching idly at the old scar on his neck, Hunk scooped up some of the space goo he'd been putting into plastic containers and chomped down on it, smiling briefly at the familiar taste. It wasn't exactly five star dining but it was tasty nonetheless and the rest of the crew never complained.

"A new job means we can eat now, right?" Lance perched himself on the end of the metal table in the kitchen area and held out an empty bowl towards Hunk.

"I guess so, yeah," Hunk replied as he spooned some goo into the waiting bowl.

"I wonder where we're heading," Lance spoke through a full mouth, "Maybe there'll be some ladies who need rescuing! I call dibs!"

Hunk just rolled his eyes as the ship accelerated and sat back as they headed away from Earth, towards the unknown region of the galaxy.