Lance frowned in deep thought as he stared at the smoking mechanical wreck that was his lion. The teen had changed into their Earth clothes, as he had no idea whether or not the planet was friendly towards voltron or the Galra.

The blue paladin surveyed the area, sitting atop his lion.
Light blue luminescent leaves littered the newly created clearing where he crashlanded, and the swaying violet-barked palms with their glowy leaves freaked out Lance.
They provided little coverage along the black-sanded coast, the reflections of the blue lion dancing on silver waves, a dull white dwarf sun barely illuminating the almost desolate landscape.

Lance squinted through the protective barrier Blue emitted, and, upon hearing a familiar sound, he yelled.
"Shit! The Galra-"

He fell backwards as the shocks from missiles rocked the lion's shield.

He hoped the pilots of the Galra could hear him.
"Wait! Please, Stop!" He cried, waving his arms.
Get in the robot, Lance "said" Blue weakly, and her human hurried to the cockpit, stepping into his seat gingerly.

Blue projected Lance's face into her barrier, and Lance repeated his plea, adding,
"I'll come out, unarmed, I swear! But only if you leave my lion alone!"

The Mecha lion growled loudly, both at her pilot and the Galra.
He sent out a thought towards the lion: to stay safe while he's gone.

Blue snorted in Lance's head.

The ships stopped firing, and Lance could see more swarming towards him.
"Awwwww Quiznak"

Lance walks out of the barrier, greeted by multiple guns pointed at his face.

He straightens his back as he raises his arms, struggling to come near the sizable height of the Galra troops.
Two lower their weapons to pat him down. Once they were satisfied, one put cuffs on the paladin, who noted that cuff style had not changed in several thousand years.

Not that it helps me in any way, Lance grumbles to himself, None of us found out how these things work

He's led to a Carrier, and is forced into his knees besides the Captain's seat. Two live soldiers keep their guns to his head as the Captain took their seat. Lance noted the more feminine lower features of the Galra, and bemoaned that lower-ranked officers kept on helmets.
He made an attempt as casual conversation with the Captain-

"So- uhhhhhhh, where are you guys taking me? I hope it's not the execution block, but I wouldn't mind if it was someone as pretty as you-"

One of the guards smacked Lance with the gun, and the human yelped.

"Shut your filthy mouth, paladin!" The guard growled "How dare you speak to the Captain that way!"

The other spoke, laughter in their tone;

"I can't believe you're the same species as the champion, let alone a member of Voltron! The crowd may like you in the arena"

Lance balked.
He had seen just how much being in that place had cost Shiro- a limb, his crew, and his memory.
Lance had lost one of those already, and definitely was not ready to lose anything else.
While he was thinking about his future, the Captain had already taken off, skimming across the silver waves, and Lance was partly relieved that they had not yet left this planet behind.

The ship had arrived at the base in which it belonged, and the paladin Lance was transported under heavy guard to the biggest building in the area- The Officer's Above Ground Bunker.
Lance was swept quickly through the bustling office spaces, and led to the universal communications tower/massive Laser turret.

He tries to flirt with the female Galra, but is adamantly ignored.

The Captain that he came into base with is furiously gesturing, explaining the encounter with the paladin to her unbelieving superiors, begging them to put her on a direct line with Zarkon himself.
Once they relented, the Captain saluted the screen as Zarkon appeared, a massive frown on his purple, scarred face.

"Vrepit sa!"
The Captain quickly told her tale, and the frown lessened on the emperor's face as she dragged Lance in front of her, and the human only managed "You look nothing like Sendak!" Before he was interrupted by Zarkon.

"Where is your ship, Blue paladin?"

Lance started.
"It crashed on a beach near here- Miss Captain here tore me away from my dear Blue-"

Zarkon growled, startling Lance Into silence.
"I cannot believe she accepted a pilot like you-"

Lance grew enraged.
"How dare you! I am a perfectly good pilot- and what about you?! The red lion didn't chose you or any of your men, and I'm sure that they're not so hot themselves at piloting!"

The Captain glanced between Lance and Zarkon with Fear- who would dare argue with Him of all people?
"Why-" Snarled Zarkon "are you such a fool? The Black lion chose me, no one person could pilot two lions at once-"

Lance gaped
"You were a Paladin?!"

The Galran Emperor sighed, putting an armoured fist under his chin, a low rumble emanating from him.
"The princess really told you nothing about the previous paladins?"

Lance thought back to Allura- what had she told them about their predecessors?
"She told us how close their relationships were, how well they worked together... I don't think she knew more- it sounds like she was told these stories second-hand, and never learned any details about any of the paladins."

Zarkon looked thoughtful at this (at least Lance thought so).
"Paladin."

"Yes?"

"I will have you stay in this captain's quarters. You will fight in the arena when I command."

"And if I don't feel like it?"

Zarkon glared daggers at the human.
"You will live a cell, and fight at gunpoint"

Lance gulped.
"And my Lion?"

"She will be repaired."

"And my friends?"

"Their lives will depend on your success in the arena, as well as how well you follow my orders"
Lance reeled- the lives of his team? Zarkon had them in custody? Then-

"Yes, sir" said Lance dejectedly.
The lives of his friends depended on him to stay in the emperor's favor. Besides, he was outgunned, outmanned, outnumbered and his lion needed to be fixed.

Zarkon logged out, and the captain glared at the blue paladin.
"Why do you have to stay in my quarters?"

Lance shrugged, too shaken to smirk.
"Emperor's orders."

The Captain led the still-cuffed Lance out of the building, no longer trailed by droids.

As she twisted and turned through the labyrinth of pink and purple, Lance struggled to keep up.
The Galra all were at least 7ft tall, and this captain wasn't short by their standards. Lance had thought the Gales were cat-like, but the figure of Zarkon had confused him.

Why does he look so different?

Well, Lance reasoned, it's been 10,000 years. It takes approximately 15,000 years to evolve into a different species, so there must have been some changes in the physical departments, especially if the Galra had only started interplanetary expansion after he came to power.
Lance felt sweat drip down his nose as he rushed after the Captain. No way was he gonna let her best him in anything! He had to show her (at least) that.. that what? He deserved to be a paladin? The lion has already chosen him. He had nothing to prove to Galra.

Though I do need to keep Zarkon happy, Lance thought as the Captain finally slowed down. She looked back at him, sneering when she saw the exhaustion and relief on his face.

Lance examined his new home;
It was a huge, Byzantium colored, cake-like building, with a glowing brink pink stripe around its top circumference, a triangular bit of pink poking into the metal above.
The doorway was exactly like those within Galra ships, except that the handprint reader next to the door also had an eye-scanner.

The nearby 13-story tall, excessively pointy triangle of gleaming plum-colored steel, which had a single, enormous window glowing a fierce and vivid magenta, intimidated Lance, which he supposed was the point.

The captain had herself identified, and entered, Lance glanced around, noting that there was only one entrance/exit. There was also no elevator. He groaned at the prospect of having to up and down these giant-ass steps. Since he was smaller than most Galra, he needed to be careful climbing these outsize stairs. The Captain Growled and Lance realized something:

"Yo, Cap'n- What's your name? What should I call you?"

She growled-

"You may simply call me Captain Karzak- and no shortenings or nicknames, either."

Lance shrugged, trying not to snigger at the name

"Sure, whatever- Cap'n Karzak" What's with all those 'Z's', any way?

As they climbed ever-higher, Lance realized how hungry he was- When was the last time he ate?

I think- A little while before we made it to Allura's rescue? So maybe a day, Less even- Oh, how he missed his friends already- It hasn't even been 24 hours? What did Galra eat?

Captain Karzak turned, and Lance hadn't even realized he had spoken aloud when she answered:

"Fruits, mostly- The giant Centipede meat from Home is a rarity but a favorite. What do you eat? Can't have you fainting in the arena, now can we? I'll be killed if you keeled over."

Lance thought back-

"Oh you wouldn't believe the kind of stuff I had back on Earth-"

And as he rambled on, reminiscing about his beloved home, the Captain continued climbing, listening closely- if she didn't know what something was she would ask him later, when they were- ah!

She had reached the 5th highest floor, and placed her hand on the identifier, and took off her helmet for the eye-scanner.

Lance did not know what to expect(except for a rather fuzzy memory of Sendak in a cryopod), but a dark-purple pixie-length undercut and fluffy violet ears was not it. She had the same unnerving pupil-less eyes as Zarkon, but they were a vivid yellow color.

The space was minimalist, but airy; purple light filtered through the slits circling the wall like a massive ouroboros, illuminating a round, open room.

Karzak went over to the fridge-looking thing, and pulled out two`purple, hand-sized spheres with yellow stripes, and handed one to Lance.

She tapped a holo-screen next to the fridge, and the shapes indented in the floor rose to produce a table and three chairs. Lance clambered onto a chair, and rested his elbows on the table, checking out the apartment as he bit into the odd fruit.

Karzak placed her helmet on the low wall separating the place in two, and took off her chest armour, placing it near the odd plant, and then sat down across Lance, curiously glancing at the way he ate the fruit. Lance stopped chewing, swallowed, and asked

"What?"

"The way you eat is weird- you're wasting the juice…"

"What?"

She bit into the fruit, and it started to shrink and shrivel.

Lance gaped-

"What- are you guys vampires? Do you drink blood, too?"

Karzak laughed, like she had heard that somewhere before, in a widely different setting.

"Only some of us can drink blood, and I don't like the taste, so no need to worry."

Lance breathed with a sigh of relief, and continued to munch up the fruit.

"Unless- some people collect blood samples, so the arena people might ask for some"

The Blue Paladin almost choked on his alien food, but then calmed himself down to ask a question he was wondering since his fate was announced.

"What's the piont of sending me into the arena?"

The Captain put down her fruit, and leaned back.

"Probably to shut down any brewing rebellions, by showcasing Zarkon's power: If a paladin can't stand a chance in his arena, then how can you" she pointed at him, "and your friends defeat Zarkon?"

Lance sighed, shoulders sagging, and he felt his eyes water. He thought of home, of the seaside, of his family that he left behind.

"I- I never wanted to be a paladin- I only happened upon my lion by accident, I-"

He looked down, willing himself not to cry, "I miss Home"

Sullen silence permeated the wide, empty space.

A light beep came from the direction of the door, and Karzak got up, walking quickly.

She returned with a neatly folded bundle, placing it in front of Lance.

"You'll need to change into this. I'll undo your cuffs once you are inside the lavatory. Feel free to take your time, and… please don't try to escape?"

Lance took the bundle, spirits sinking further.

"I'm outnumbered anyway-is this my paladin suit? Will I get armor? Or is that cheating?"

"You'll get one piece"

Lance craned his head up to his new audience, their cheers a muffled roar of sounds he'd never heard before. As he was prodded into the arena, he felt exposed in his Altean under-suit. The Galra had only allowed him one piece of armor, and, not wanting the bulkiness of the chest plate, he chose the left forearm piece. This was because, he thought when he slid on the plating, he would need the shield it provided in the arena.

He waved his unburdened arm, smiling. His well-being, he knew, now rested in the hands of these couple-thousand strangers, and( if they liked him) he would probably fare better amidst their cheers.

Lance glanced down at his handcuffs, wincing as the laser-force field activated in a fuchsia glow behind him.

He turned to the guards behind the newly formed wall, motioning his head toward the cuffs, raising his hands to eye-level

"I know I'm awesome, but this a tad unfair, no?"

The cuffs promptly deactivated, and Lance was caught mid-whoop as his right cuff lit up again, and he was dragged a good several feet, a glowing pink light-rope connecting him to the clear center of the ring.

"Now this-" Lance frowned, tugging at the line, "-is definitely a bit too much"