I loved the original versions as a child, but never quite liked Sven leaving. With this delightful reboot, my brain was tickled with ideas for a spin-off featuring Shiro. This is my attempt, with elements borrowed from all over, OCs, story and Haven universe are mine.

Shiro groaned, certain he was being ripped to shreds with what felt like an ice-pick pinging the center of his brain to whatever was jabbing through his cybernetic arm. Laying on a mattress. Someone nearby was speaking in a language he didn't understand.

He wasn't in his lion, or in a healing chamber? He was hearing strange voices, speaking a language he'd never heard before? Where was he?

Shiro blinked open his eyes.

Through a glowing, he could just make out how he was not alone. The two beings standing nearby were either giants, or he was laying on a floor. There was one kneeling beside him. All three were wearing hoods and masks, hiding all identifiable features. He quickly realized nothing attached him to the bed or pinned him down. He was free to writhe in his pain. Or, he could fight these aliens off him and escape!

Shiro swung his arm up to knock the being nearest him away and also to give him leverage to spring to his feet to attack the other two.

At least, that's what he meant to do, but he was watery. He mostly flopped and groaned some more, but a little louder. Moving had not been his brightest idea. The two beings stepped closer to loom over him, but retreated back, upon hearing calm spoken words from the kneeling figure.

"Where am I," Shiro's voice was hoarse. "Who are you? Are you with Zarkon?"

The figure beside him answered, "My name is Kimi. I am a healer. We are not with Zarkon. We are on a ship bound for an area where I, and my people, hail from. May I ask your name?"

"Where are we going? Who are you? I wasn't alone! Where are my people? I need to get to my crew!"

Kimi first spoke to the two others in the language Shiro didn't understand, to which they both quieted and left the small room, one to stand guard at the door; then she continued her conversation with the man she was healing.

"When we brought you on board, you were alone. Very much alone. With a multitude of Empire ships near to surrounding you, and us. I don't know where your people are, as you are only the third of your kind I've ever seen and I'm not the best with star-maps. I don't know where your group, your crew, you came with is, either."

"Third of my ki – who else? Who else do you have! Where are you taking me? How did you find me floating in space?"

"My crew found you drifting in space. We were wrapping up our part of the mission, your mission. We took advantage of the power-down you induced to raise a little havoc of our own. Your battle with Zarkon was witnessed by a few on this ship, I was otherwise engaged. I heard it was most impressive, though. Then we saw your team take your lion back to your ship without you. They didn't see you had been ejected some fathoms from your craft."

"That's how you found me? Drifting? Ejected? How was I ejected? Was anyone else ejected? What do you mean? Where is the ship with my lion," Shiro watched warily as a hooded and masked figure entered the room with a well laden tray, leave it near the healer, then leave again. "What is on that tray?"

"Food and water. You are going to be very thirsty and hungry when I'm through with you, but you won't have all your strength back. So, we bring the victuals to you until your strength returns. Your battle with Zarkon ended with Voltron splitting apart. A few on this ship swore they witnessed something shoot out of the formation during the split up. Then the black lion was towed back to the carrier ship by two lions, who followed the other two lions onto the ship. We don't know where the ship with the lions worm-holed to. You were near enough on our direction for trajectory, so we investigated, and found you. That was two days ago. As to the others of your species, in Haven we are harboring an adult male and his male offspring. Several months ago, one of our raiding missions to a slave outpost resulted in us learning of a another sentient species sharing the universe with us. Yours. Haven is what we call our little corner of the universe. Are you willing to tell me your name?"

"Takashi Shirogane."

"Takashi Shirogane. I have heard that your people call your planet of origin, Earth. Your kind call yourselves humans, and, as a species, you are relatively new to space exploration. From that arm, I'd say you've been a subject for the druids' experiments as well as a contender in the Galra's special gladiator arena games. It's mostly that arm what's giving me some issue. My gift doesn't translate to technology very easily. The father and son both go by the name Holt. They say they are missing a pilot. Would that be you?"

"Yes. I was first captured by the Galra with Commander Holt and his son. We were separated soon after." He decided this shrouded being was female.

"They are going to be thrilled to see you. At this time, your Holts have joined a team of our scientists on a routine study mission. They are on the other side of Haven. They should be returning to the inner systems within a couple of weeks."

"Why was I knocked from my lion?"

"I've no idea. I suspect that during your battle, there was a wound to Voltron that Zarkon, or that witch's weapon, inflicted that was too big. From my perspective, the damage delved deeper than you were capable of containing while remaining part of Voltron, on top of the damage you personally received. That appears part of what is giving me trouble. Much of this remaining damage is not really yours, yet you are containing it."

"I'm... what?"

"You are containing, well, holding a mass of energy that isn't really yours. It's not connected to you like a normal injury would be. You're holding on to it, well, the technology in your arm is holding on to it. Would you mind if I mind-link you? You do have innate telepathic ability I should be able to tap into, that might give me some leverage."

Shiro wasn't certain what the person meant, but he was willing to try anything to be free from this pain. He grunted his agreement to whatever she suggested.

"Relax your mind. Imagine opening your hand as though to grasp a friend's hand..."

He felt a slight pressure against his mind. It was less invasive than the headband link he'd become used to. He was aware she was definitely female.

Shiro was suddenly within himself and very aware of the black inkiness engulfing him, he was on the edge of panicking when the most brilliant light dimpled the black... tearing it and finally burst through the inky, sticky pitch, rending that darker than dark shroud to tufts and devouring it all until there was only the light. Then it got really bright. Blinding. And then there was only him. Laying on his back, on the floor of some ship. His arm was surprisingly lighter in an odd kind of way.

The female sat back on her rump and slumped over her lap. After a few breaths she lifted her head to look at the man, "That's better, isn't it."

Shiro agreed.

Kimi helped Shiro sit up, propping him against the wall and held a water flask for him to drink. He chugged through three. She asked for more water to be brought. She handed him the bowl of food and kept him company while he ate. He was slow with it, almost too shaky to shovel the stew into his mouth.

He noted the tiny room they were occupying had the mattress he was sitting on, with a blanket folded at the foot. His helmet and shell were in a corner. She pointed out the toilet component that pulled out of the wall and told him to let her know if he required privacy. To him it had the appearance of a prison cell.

"This is my cabin. We don't have much in the way of luxury comforts on Guild ships. You'll have to hold out until we dock in Haven for fancy trimmings. We'll be passing through the border shortly, then another day and some hours to reach the inner galaxies."

"Inner galaxies?"

"Yes. Haven is an area, not a specific place. What we've managed to reclaim from the Empire, we also work hard to keep it hidden and off radar."

"Are you Galra?"

"No."

"What is the Guild?"

Shiro finished his meal and let his arms rest by his side. Kimi took the bowl from him, put it on the tray and handed the tray to the guard outside the door.

"A renegade faction associated with Haven."

"And you fight the Galra?"

"We, and Haven's armed forces, are resisting the Empire. A great many Galra associate with the Empire. We resist them that do."

"What does the Guild do?"

"Haven mostly engages in rescuing, and granting refuge to those who have lost their homes. Also the occasional skirmish to disrupt mining or slave operations is an especially useful distraction. The Guild works with the Haven teams at times."

"At other times?"

"That's classified. Welcome to Haven," Kimi swept back her cowl and let her mask drop as she stood up to stretch. Then she bent down, grabbed a wad of folded cloth that had been brought with the food and extra water, tossed the cloth onto the mattress in front of Shiro,saying, "Let's get you out of that skin, so you can relax, too." Then she turned and opened a small closet to hang her robe. "I'll knock," she slipped out of the room.

Shiro stared at the woman's back as she hung her robe and left. Then he blinked and looked about the small room, again. He looked down the wad of cloth she had tossed in front of him. He picked at it. It was a shirt and bottoms made of a soft material. He sighed and began to peel off his suit.

He was just tying the drawstring of the pants when he heard a knock.

"Yeah," he pulled on the shirt. The clothes were a good fit, only a little long.

The door opened, "Can you eat again?"

"Yeah," he was a bit surprised at his appetite. He'd just eaten, but his stomach clenched with hunger.

"You look steady enough on your feet. Think you can handle the galley?"

Shiro turned to face her. She had changed also, and her braid was now loose down her back.

"I think so," he agreed.

Kimi nodded, "Good, I'm hungry," and beckoned him to follow her out of her cabin.

He followed her through a sizable room that appeared to be for common recreation. There were a few groups of three or more, sitting in tight circles around various games. Others were milling about, either chatting comfortably or huddled, wrapped with blankets and staring about in shock and confusion. Roughly fifty head, Shiro noted. None were in uniform, but it wasn't difficult to tell who had been.

The galley boasted three long tables, occupied with another mix of crew and non. Shiro was getting the impression at least part of the Guild's mission had been to take advantage of the power outage to free any prisoners from Zarkon's ship. The murmur of chatting eased as Kimi led Shiro into the kitchen.

"Kimi," a burly male rose from one of the tables, "sit! I'll bring you a bowl."

"Thank you, Booley," Kimi gestured for Shiro to take a seat, then sat opposite him.

As through the common area, Shiro felt eyes flickering over him and glanced around himself. He had seen most of these species before, during his time as a gladiator and while on board Allura's ship. There were a couple of species among the crew new to his eyes besides the healer.

He gave a curt nod to anyone he made eye contact with. Their wariness kept him on edge.

"Who'd we bring on board, Kimi," Booley set steamy bowls of the stew in front of each of them, and held out spoons.

"Takashi Shirogane is the name he gave me," she announced. "He's not heard of the Guild."

Shiro had turned his attention to the food set in front of him, and the exchange between Kimi and this Booley fellow. Her announcement leveled the palpable tension in the room. The chatting and noshing hummed, again.

"Should I know of the Guild?"

"No matter. You will soon enough," Kimi shrugged. "It's a long story. Let's eat, first."

His eyes slid down the table again, "Was Haven, or the Guild, once allied with the Alteans?"

"The subject is not suitable for all present company," Kimi replied. She spooned stew into her mouth.

Shiro looked at her, trying to get some kind of read. She was almost unnervingly calm.

She regarded him right back. Otherwise, they were ignored. Seemingly.

"What company am I in?"

"At the moment, we're all rather tired, hungry and really just want our own beds, so we're a little cranky, too."

"You're not happy we just defeated the Empire?"

Shiro was surprised at the scoffs and chuckles this query brought.

"Oh, youngling! That was just the beginning," Kimi assured him, a half grin quirking her cheek. She dived back into her food.

"He doesn't know the half of it," someone at another table said.

A huge shoutout of 'Thank you' to Yemi Hikari for all your assistance with Canon, editing and structure.