Prologue: Runaway daughter
Author's note: I've seen a lot of Gem AUs for Voltron, but they're usually ones where all of the characters are Gems themselves, but I thought it might be interesting if the Gem race just existed in the Voltron universe without being combined with the characters, maybe even as an opposing force to the Galra. I've already made a story with that sort of idea called 'Broken Programming', where the Galra created the Gems only to have the Gems turn on them, but this story won't be in the same setting as the Gems aren't going to be a creation of the Galra for story reasons. I've also seen some 'secret alien Lance' AUs in the fandom as well which I enjoy, so I've decided to combine these ideas into a story.
The Lapis Lazuli in this story and other Gem who share character names are not the same one as from Steven Universe, to avoid confusion, her shorted name will be Lazuli instead of Lapis.
Lapis Lazuli gripped her bayard tightly as she shot at the incoming enemy, her quintessence-fuelled arrows piercing straight through their armour, delivering a shot that would permanently incapacitate them but not kill them, she was too well trained to let that happen. Behind her, a Blue Pearl, her Pearl, helped as many people load into the Blue Lion as could fit while Lazuli stood guard. Elsewhere on the battlefield, Lazuli spotted the other Gems who followed her lead, herding the remaining people onto ships to escape the oncoming destruction, while others protected them like Lazuli was doing.
"How are we doing?" Lazuli asked into the com in her helmet.
"We're almost there." Came the reply. "Everyone in the city is almost on the ships."
"Some of us are already full, we need to lift off now, otherwise we might not be able to." Came another voice.
"Negative, Peridot." Lazuli commanded as she shot down another soldier. "If you lift off now, you'll just get shot down by fighter ships, we stand a better chance making a brake through their forces as one, with my Lion's weapons."
"Then get on you Lion and let's get out of here." Peridot said, desperation clear in her voice.
A distant rumble gave clue as to the cause of her worry.
"We haven't got everyone onto ships yet." Another Gem, Carnelian, argued through the coms. "They'll perish if we leave them."
"We'll all perish, including those already on the ships, if we don't leave now. My probes say he's coming." Peridot stressed.
"No being left behind, that's one of the first things Zarkon taught me." Lazuli managed to keep her voice steady.
"May I remind you, that Zarkon is the cause of all this!" Peridot yelled.
"Citrine?" Lapis asked through the coms.
"Just a few more left, then we can take off." The Gem replied.
"Just a few more ticks then, we can manage that." Lazuli said confidently.
"I don't think we have a few more ticks." The voice of her Pearl said through the coms gravely.
Lazuli looked over to her Pearl, who was standing at the entrance to her Lion, but Pearl wasn't looking at her, she was looking at something behind her. So, Lazuli swung around to face whatever threat her Pearl saw.
If Lazuli had a heart, it would have stopped when she saw the imposing figure striding through the dust and smoke of the battlefield towards her, giving no mind to the chaos going on around him, and the multiple failed attempts on his life that were staved off by his soldiers that followed him.
"Not one step closer, traitor!" Lazuli commanded, voice full of rage.
Lazuli put her hand to her Gem on her thigh and pulled out an arrow, this one much different to the ones her bayard produced automatically, and notched it in her bow, aiming it directly at Zarkon.
"Traitor?" Zarkon asked as if they weren't in the middle of a battle. "You're the one pointing your weapon at your leader."
"You're not my leader anymore." Lazuli hissed. "Not after you turned on us, went against the Paladin's code, something you taught me back when I thought it meant something to you. Not after what you did to the others."
"I gave then their chance, but they wasted it and so suffered the consequences." Zarkon replied without remorse.
"Is that what you've come to do to me, then?" Lazuli asked, struggling to keep her voice even. "I've already wasted my 'chance' after all."
"You are my daughter, Lazuli, we do not have to fight." Zarkon told her.
"Do not call me that!" Lazuli cried, tears falling from her eyes unbidden. "You've lost the right to call me that. You're not that man I thought worthy of that name! I wonder if you ever were."
"I will not fight you, daughter." Zarkon insisted. "But I will not let you get in my way either. Turn over your Lion!" He took a step towards her.
"Stay back!" Lazuli demanded, drawing the string of her bow tight and stepping back. "I will use this." Her voice shook.
"If you think you can, then do it, prove your worth." Zarkon said, continuing to move forward.
Lazuli aimed right at Zarkon's head, a sure kill shot, and she never missed. But her hands shook and kept tight hold of the arrow, not letting it fly towards the one who taught her the meaning of the word father and then became it.
"Lazuli! What are you waiting for? Shoot him! He'll shatter you!" A voice yelled at her, similar statements echoing it.
But Lazuli only continued to walk backwards, closer and closer to her Lion, instead of firing her arrow at Zarkon, even though he was giving her a clear shot
Then, another voice came. "Everyone's on the ships! Let's get out of here!"
This snapped Lapis to life. She still couldn't find the will to kill Zarkon, but she had to do something. So, the quickly switched her aim to right at his feet and let the arrow fly, it impacted against the ground in front of Zarkon and ground flew everywhere.
With Zarkon distracted, Lazuli quickly turned around and ran the rest of the way back to the Blue Lion, running into the cramped cockpit and grabbing hold of the controls.
"Okay, let's get out of here!" Lazuli commanded the Gems at the helm of the other ships.
"Aye, aye, captain!" Citrine replied jovially.
"About time." Peridot said in relief.
With a roar, the Blue Lion took to the skies, the other ships following it in a V-formation. From the falling dust, Zarkon watched the blue lion fly with a frown.
"So be it." He said.
It took considerable force to break through the blockade the Galra had set around the planet, many of the ships were heavily damaged in the process, but they eventually got through. But the Galra were still on their tails.
"King Alfor, this is Lapis Lazuli, do you read." Lazuli spoke into her helmet.
"I am here, Blue Paladin." King Alfor replied tiredly. "You-"
"We need a wormhole back to Altea right away." Lazuli felt bad for interrupting the king, but she was running on high emotions and it was urgent. "We've got Galra on our tail and many injured."
"I'm afraid I can't do that, Lazuli." The king replied.
Lazuli's eyes widened, the king almost never addressed her informally, even at her insistence.
"What do you mean?" Lazuli asked.
"Altea..." The king paused. "Altea has fallen."
"What?" Lazuli cried. "Why did you not call on me?"
"It was already too late." Alfor informed her. "Without the other Paladins, Voltron would be useless against Zarkon."
"My crew could be stand-ins for the other Paladins, we can still form Voltron." Lazuli insisted.
Her Gems wouldn't be as good as the real Paladin, but it was better in nothing in her eyes.
"No, we cannot beat Zarkon." King Alfor told her. "And if we continue to fight with the Lions, they will only fall into Zarkon's hands. I have already sent the other Lions away, and as you king, I order you to take the Blue Lion somewhere safe."
"What part of 'Galra on our tail' don't you understand." Lazuli's training stopped her from falling into hysterics.
"The Blue Lion has its own teluduv, it will take you to safety." Alfor reminded her.
"But that would mean-"
"You have your orders, protect the Blue Lion at all costs."
Communication then cut out.
"Are you really going to leave them behind?" Pearl asked Lazuli.
Lazuli looked at her, and then at the other aliens stuffed into the cockpit with her, who looked back at her with worry, having overheard the conversation.
Lazuli closed her eyes, calming herself.
"No." She said with determination, opening her eyes. "No being left behind." She changed her com signal back to the other ships. "Peridot, it's a no go on the wormhole. We need another way to outrun these Galra."
"I'll see what I can do." Peridot replied.
Lazuli sighed as the Blue Lion and the other ships finally touched down on a planet, thanks to Peridot's quick thinking, they had escaped the Galra for the moment. But Lazuli knew Zarkon, and knew their safety on this planet was only temporary.
Lazuli opened up the Blue Lion and everyone inside filed out, including herself, the aliens she had rescue ran out to meet the other aliens as they ran out of their own ships. Lazuli's Gems walked out of the ships and went over to her.
"So, what are we going to do?" Citrine asked.
"Altea has fallen and I've been ordered to take the Blue Lion out of Zarkon's reach." Lazuli explained to them. "King Alfor's already sent away the other Lions."
"What? But Volton is the best way to defeat Zarkon!" Exclaimed Carnelian.
"The other lions don't have pilots anymore." Peridot reminded the larger Gem. "Uh, sorry." She said to Lazuli.
"It's alright." Lazuli told her. "I don't know why the king sent the Lions away rather than finding new pilots, but what's done is done, Voltron can no longer be formed."
"What are you going to do with your Lion?" Pearl asked.
"Without the other Lions, she won't stand much of a chance against the Galra, who will be looking for her. I guess I'll have no choice but to follow orders and hide her away." Lazuli said sadly.
"And what of you?" Asked, the usually silent, Onyx.
"I'm not going to stop fighting, Lion or no Lion." Lazuli promised. "But, even without my Lion, Zarkon's going to be after me, and anyone helping me." She warned.
"I'm with you, no matter the consequences, I always have been." Blue Pearl told her.
"We've been through so much together, we're not going to run while you face Zarkon." Citrine said.
"There isn't nothing Zarkon can do that the Diamonds wouldn't already do to us." Carnelian said with a shrug. "So, what's the point in being scared?"
Howlite nodded in agreement.
"I'm more likely to be shattered on my own anyway, so I'll stay with the team." Peridot said.
Lazuli sighed. "Thank you." She said.
"So, what's the plan?" Citrine asked again.
"First, I'll need to make the Blue Lion be spotted on purpose to lead the Galra away from finding this planet, then I'll need to hide it on a planet far out of the Galra's reach." Lazuli formulated.
"Already on it." Peridot said, bringing out her star maps.
"Good." Lazuli said. "We can work out what to do next once the Lion is hidden."
"I think I've found a place." Peridot said after a while of searching. "It's far away and right smack in the middle of a dead zone."
"Perfect." Lazuli said. "Let's go."
Lazuli and her crew made their way back towards the Blue Lion.
"Wait! Blue Paladin!" A voice called out.
Lazuli and her crew turned around to see the king of the aliens they had rescued rushing towards them.
"I cannot thank all of you enough for what you have done for my people." The king said. "But please, take these gifts as a token of our gratitude, and know that will always have a place with us."
Another of the aliens came forward and presented each of the Gems with necklaces carved with incredible detail.
"Thank you." Lazuli said with a bow. "We must leave now. I with you luck with rebuilding your new home."
"And I hope you find safety." The king said in return.
The Gems filed into the small passenger area in the body of the Blue Lion while Lazuli settled into the cockpit, pushing the controls and taking off.
Lazuli sighed as she placed her helmet into the tube with the rest of her armour and closed the tube, sealing it away for when it was needed again, leaving her in the clothes her projected form provided her. She then went into the cockpit of her lion one final time and placed her bayard into a small compartment. She then left her Lion, who closed its mouth and sat up once she exited, and she heard a whine inside her mind.
"I know girl." Lazuli looked up at her Lion. "I don't want this either. But I can't let him get his hands on you."
The Blue Lion gave a final whine before going silent and putting up its particle barrier.
With that done, Lazuli turned to the body of water that was next to her Lion, with a wave of her hands, it formed into stairs that she used to climb out of the cave she had hidden her Lion in. Her team stood outside waiting for her.
"Howlite." Lazuli said to the Gem.
Howlite nodded and waved her arms, and there was a rumble inside the caves as the path to the Blue Lion was sealed.
Lazuli sighed before turning to her crew. "How is progress going on our new home and the teleport pad?" She asked.
"It's slow." Peridot answered. "We don't have the usual resources, but I'm confident we can do it. Speaking of which, I need some help gathering some things."
"Let's go." Carnelian said, following after Peridot.
Howlite and Citrine followed suit.
Lazuli decided to hang back and look over the scenery, sitting on the ledge of a cliff.
It had been a couple of quintants since they had arrived on the backwater planet where they were to hide the Blue Lion, which the Gems had also decided to make their new home planet, considering Altea was gone. Sentient life here was primitive, the natives having only just learnt to master the making of metals into weapons and lived in small communities, their forms of communication very simple. They were afraid of the Gems when they first arrived, but quickly accepted them when the Gems presented them with gifts, Citrine had joked that perhaps the natives view them as Gods, considering they descended from the stars in a giant lion of metal.
"Are you alright, Lazuli?" Blue Pearl asked, sitting beside her.
"I'm fine." Was Lazuli's automatic reply.
"Okay. Now, how about you tell me how you're really feeling?" Blue Pearl said patiently.
"I-"
"I was literally created for you, Lazuli, I know you. There's no way that you're 'fine' after everything that's happened." Blue Pearl interrupted.
Lazuli sighed in defeat.
"Everything's happened so fast that I haven't really given myself time to fully come to terms with what's happened." She admitted. "Zarkon betrayed us, the other Paladins are gone, the Lions scattered, Altea has fallen, and we're left hiding out on some planet in the middle of a dead zone."
"Well, things are going to be slow here for a while. So, you'll have time to catch up with everything. Anything you want to talk about now?" Blue Pearl asked.
"It's just, I'm still having a hard time believing that Zarkon did all this, I feel like this is all some punishment from the Diamonds for abandoning them for the Paladins." Lazuli explained to her Pearl. "Zarkon took me from them and taught me that there was more to life than just serving my Diamond, opened my eyes to things I never thought possible, and protected me when my Diamond sent Onyx and the others to 'rescue' me. And when I was chosen to be the Blue Paladin, he looked at me like he was the proudest being in the universe. I can't believe that he, and the Zarkon that killed my teammates and slaughtered so many innocence for no reason, could possibly be the same person."
Blue Pearl rubbed Lazuli's back as she looked out into the distance.
"There were signs." Blue Pearl admitted. "The way he just took you, when I finally found you again I was afraid he had shattered you. And you can't tell me that Onyx and the others wouldn't have ended up shattered if you hadn't got in the way and managed to get them to join you."
Lazuli reluctantly nodded her head.
"I guess you're right, and the rest of us were just too blind to notice the signs until it was too late." She said.
The two Gems sat there in silence and were eventually joined by the rest of their crew.
"Zarkon's going to go after the Diamonds." Lazuli mused. "They are going to be the biggest force opposing him."
"If we're lucky, they'll wipe each other out." Citrine said.
"And what if one side does win?" Carnelian asked.
"With no bias, we should hope that Diamonds triumph over Galra." Peridot answered. "We may take over planets, but we do so in the name of expanding our race, the Galra seem to do it for senseless destruction."
"Lesser of two evils." Howlite agreed.
"No matter which, when the teleport pad is working at we can reach into space again, we'll be back to defending the universe, even if I'm not a Paladin anymore." Lazuli said.
The others nodded in agreement.
"How long do you think it'll take? Citrine asked.
Lazuli shrugged. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
Lazuli just knew that she'd fight to stop Zarkon, even if it took the next 10,000 years.
Author's note: If anyone's confused with what's going on. Zarkon taught Lazuli that there was more to life than serving the Diamonds and taught her own to be her own Gem, teaching her other things as well including the meaning of the word father, which Lazuli eventually came to call him by. Lazuli then became the Blue Paladin. As a high-ranking Gem, Lazuli had a Pearl specially made for her, and when she turned against Blue Diamond, her Pearl followed her out of loyalty, Blue Diamond then sent a group of Gems to retrieve her but Lazuli managed to convert them into her way of thinking. Those Gems them became Lazuli's own little crew that join Voltron in protecting planets. Then Zarkon turned on the Paladins, killing all but Lazuli. And a 'dead zone' is basically slang I made up for an area of a galaxy where no life has managed to evolve.