Determination

VOLTRON AU

Summary: A darkish AU where Voltron was formed under far more… unusual circumstances. Galra!Keith, Altean!Lance, Olkari!Pidge&Matt, and Balmeran!Hunk

A/N: Enjoy a longer chapter~! :3

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Word Count: ~3900 words

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Chapter 2: Returning to Your Roots (or alternatively: We Mean You No Harm! We Only Want Your Lion!)

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When Mattikeer awoke, it was to a pounding headache that threatened to split his head in two. His body ached and pain sliced through his retinas when he tried to open his eyes to take stock of his situation. Unintentionally, he let out a quiet groan.

"MATT?"

S-stop screaming… Be quiet… please…

"... MaTt? ArE... AwAkE? ... MaTt?"

Mattikeer clenched his eyes despite the pain it brought him and attempted to roll away from the voice, only to be restricted by something at his sides. Warmth briefly enveloped his cheeks for several seconds before disappearing. He shuddered at the lack of warmth; now that he realized it, he was freezing. He groaned and struggled to sit up.

The small change in position sent his head spinning and before he knew it, his consciousness had been devoured by black.

"MaTt?"

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Shiro watched as his friend groaned in discomfort before stilling. It took a few moments to notice the subtle rise and fall of the Olkari's chest. Once Shiro's knew the boy was still alive, he let his eyes wander over his face, searching for anything different from the last time they were together in their cell.

Mattikeer's skin flushed a sickly yellow and his eyes were sunk deep into their sockets. The leaf-like antennae atop his head were wilted and browning, only serving to accent the lackluster maroon gems set into his forehead. His friend seemed brittle and so very breakable as if one gust of wind would snap his twig-like body in two.

Reluctantly, Shiro removed his gaze from the Olkari resting between his legs (the escape pod had a distinct lack of resting spots, so Shiro volunteered to be a pillow). His eyes instead traveled to the Galra sitting cross-legged several feet away. His brow furrowed as he contemplated the enigma that was the Blade of Marmora.

"What do you want?" The Galra growled, ears twitching and sharp eyes boring holes into Shiro.

He hesitated before replying. "What is your name? I'm Shiro."

The Galra grunted. "I know your name, human." The alien then turned his head away and tucked his ears back, sighing. "I… I am Keittek, son of no one."

"No one…" Shiro echoed, contemplative."Well… uh…" he trailed off, unsure how to continue.

Keittek growled at the obvious confusion in the human's voice. "I am an outcast of my species: a half-breed. My… parents… were killed a few weeks into my birth for mixing their blood… And upon execution, you are hence forgotten by the empire. Therefore, in the eyes of the all Galra, I am the son of no one. I am also forbidden to be the father of anyone." The Galra—no, Keittek—refused to meet Shiro's eyes as he spoke, ears pinned to his head and eyes downcast.

Shiro could tell that the subject had been very painful for Keittek to disclose, and instead of silence, he said, "Well, in my culture, I was known as a... bastard child: someone who is born from parents who are not... promised to each other." Shiro released a long breath, pausing before continuing. The Galra had revealed something about his less accepted origins, and he only felt is polite to reveal his own secret considering the subject. "It used to be a very controversial topic on our planet nearly two hundred years ago, but now... I'm not sure how it's viewed exactly."

"... Blood purity is not practiced on Earth?" Shiro now had Keittek's full attention and when he glanced at the Galra, he nearly laughed. Keittek stared at him with large almond eyes, ears perked and expression anxious... yet also hopeful. Shiro was very tempted to pat his head, but resisted for fear of scaring off one of his rescuers.

"Well... In the 1800's and 1900's—oh, about 4000 years after the first hint of an actual society on Earth"—here, he had to answer Keittek's curious inquires into why they only started counting years two thousand years after forming as a species (which the answer was that we had yet to invent numbers)—"humanity had a huge problem with the mixing of blood. As humans, we took a long time to colonize our planet, and so, after thousands of years, we had separated into several different races—subtypes in our human genome would be the easiest way to explain it—that were slightly different in genetic makeup so as to survive in their different environments."

He stopped Keittek before the inquisitive Galra could ask about their planet. The teen was cute and all, but he was speaking to answer the first question, not thirty-three of them.

"Anyway, humanity began to discover technology that allowed them to traverse the planet easier and quicker than before. Due to this, different races were able to intermingle. Since we had separated so long ago, the discovery that there were other races incited fear and a sense of racism—the belief that one race is superior to the other. During this time, the "white" race, or otherwise known as the Caucasians, were the most technologically advanced and therefore believed themselves so far above any other race they came across that they were even willing to use them as slaves."

"Wait, slaves aren't part of the natural order on Earth?"

Shiro sighed. "At one time, yes, but we have since abolished any kind of slavery. Let me get back to my point, please, Keittek?" At the Galra's reluctant nod, he continued. "Slavery ran dormant in several areas of the world, and slaves typically consisted of the race known as the 'blacks' or Africans. Because of racism and slavery, the 'whites' became disgusted at the thought of any romantic or sexual relations between the two, and any found to be born of interracial origins were ostracized and hated. And this didn't just happen with the 'blacks', but it also happened with the Native Americans and Asians.

"This treatment became mush less severe as the years went by and slavery was abolished. It took a very long time, but eventually, we as a human race had become so intermingled and diverse that the idea of blood purity and racism faded. Of course, there is still a gap between social classes—between those who are poor and those who are rich—but I'm not sure if the Galra had social classes, so I won't go into that can of worms. It only leads to the controversial topic of politics... Anyway... Keittek, what's the Galra Empire like?"

Keittek perked at the thought of sharing his own history with the human.

"Well... we don't have... social classes... and I'm not quite sure about how it is for Galras who have taken up places elsewhere, but all Galra employed as sentries or otherwise stationed on ships are given basic necessities and are not allowed to keep personal items on their person. Unless you are in a position of extreme power and authority—and even then it is looked down upon—personal items are considered a mockery of the Galra principles." Keittek took a deep breath before reciting something from memory: "'All Galra are expected to obey orders and support the empire. All Galra are to be prudent, vicious, and most of all, unwanting. A Galra who has ideas is an enemy to the empire.'"

Shiro blinked at the information the Galra was giving him. "Huh... It's pretty strict isn't it."

Keittek huffed. "Yes, it is very strict. It is even harsher for a Galra of my status." The teen visibly deflated and his ears flicked backward once again. Shiro sighed in sympathy. "I did not like it," he eventually continued, "being ridiculed and thought a burden. So, when the Blade of Marmora scouted me, I was hesitant... Who would want a half-breed for an organization that relies on its members' secrecy? I was taught from a young age that I was worthless and only good for sentry-level duties, that I would never be promoted to commander rank or anywhere close for that matter. My parents were unloyal to the empire, and that level of insubordination had to have run through my blood, they said."

Keittek ran a hand through his fluffy, black locks. "It took a while for them to convince me, but luckily for them, I was far too scared to speak about the scouting—of them and of the empire. When they did recruit me... for once, I felt like I found somewhere to belong..." He laughed harshly. "This was my first mission as one of their members, and I barely scraped by... I'm pathetic."

Shiro narrowed his eyes and ordered the Galra to look at him. "Listen to me, Keittek. You saved my life back there. You saved Matt's. Look at him: he is seriously sick and I'm not even sure we will know how to help him. He may be dying, but by completing your mission, you at least scored him several more days than he had before. And for that, I can do nothing but thank you, and I certainly do not view you as worthless. So please, don't underestimate yourself."

The Galra's fur flushed an alarming shade of purple, and Shiro questioned whether those were tear tracks beginning on the teen's cheeks. Keittek's shoulder's rolled forward and his head dropped to his chest, therefore removing his eyes from Shiro's. "... I... uhm.. just... I..." He seemed to choke on his own words for a moment before he muttered, "Thank you..."

Shiro smiled. "No, thank you."

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The next time Mattikeer awoke, he felt much better than before. His head still pounded fiercely and his body still ached, but now he could move his head and open his eyes without the same level of slicing pain or disorientation. Cracking open one hazel eye, Mattikeer glanced around as much as he dared, and even then he only skimmed his surroundings, his eyes still bleary and unfocused.

In the far corner ahead of him, a dark shape slumped against a white wall, figure tall and lanky. Amidst the black he could clearly identify, the being also had hints of purple and didn't that make his heartbeat jump. He nearly froze completely before he realized that the figure was clearly asleep by the soft snores. After a moment, he tore his gaze away to stare upwards, where he could clearly hear the distinct breathing of his (previous) cellmate, Shiro.

"Shiro..."

Mattikeer watched as the older man startled awake before glancing at him. "Hey, Matt," Shiro whispered back.

"Hey, Matt," Shiro whispered back. "You're finally cohesive. That's great!"

"H-How long have I been out?" It felt like forever since he had seen the scarred human, and in some part of him, he hoped he hadn't been a burden.

Shiro hummed a bit, glancing around. "It's hard to tell since we are in space, but I'd say about fourteen, maybe fifteen hours. Keittek said we should be arriving at Earth soon." He smiled brightly. "In fact, if you look out the escape pod, you can see our sun! It's really beautiful..."

Mattikeer's brain reeled with the new information. "Keittek? Earth? Escape pod? What are you talking about, Shiro?" His mind searched for answers before grinding to a halt, and he couldn't help the bubble of hope that surfaced in his stomach. "... Wait, you mean... w-we've escaped? For real?"

Shiro's brown eyes glittered and he nodded, a smile stretching his lips. "Yes, Matt. We are on our way to Earth right now."

"But... But how did we escape."

"Ah..." Shiro's smile tugged downwards and he glanced over to the other person on the ship—the Galra, the Olkami realized. "I... had some help."

Realization dawned on Mattikeer and he spluttered as if he had been hit full on with water. "From the Galra?!" The idea was so foreign and wrong to Mattikeer and it made his skin prickle. "Shiro! You can't ever trust them! Look what they have done to us for the last year. What they have done to all they have enslaved! I can't believe you would bare your necks to them and risk us both!"

"I didn't exactly have much of a choice, Matt!" Shiro hissed. "You... you were dying, I was desperate. The Galra were shit to us, I know, but the Galra have also been shit to Keittek and hundreds of other Galra. Ulas and Keittek risked their lives to save us, and without them, we'd likely still be rotting in those cells, and I'd be losing the little sanity I had left in those colosseum battles... And you'd soon be dead. Matt... I had little choice. It was between rolling over and dying or chasing after even the slightest hope of freedom. I chose hope."

Mattikeer didn't speak after that, the stubborn part of him boiling in anger, but the other part doused in cold guilt. Of course, Shiro was thinking not only of himself but of Mattikeer, too.

Shiro sighed, all his righteous anger draining out of him. "... Just... give him a chance."

"... Okay…"

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Keittek's ears twitched slightly as he listened to the breathing of the other two passengers. Although his posture was relaxed and his breathing slow and deep, he was not asleep. Instead, he reviewed all the information he had learned about Earth.

Contrary to Galra belief, the humans were not a race of barely above savage beings. Yes, they were much younger than the Galra (Shiro had explained the theory of evolution and how the human had technically evolved into its current form over one hundred thousand years ago), and they were physically weaker than the Galra, but Keith truly believed that the humans were superior in every way that counted.

Sixteen hours had passed since they escaped from the Galra, and no pursuit came. Instead of worrying, though, they swapped information about their cultures. While the Galra were strong and militaristic, the humans were creative and idealistic. The Galra had rules to keep them bound and loyal, and the Humans had rules to keep oder and peace. The Galra dominated while the Humans helped. Well, at least the "Americans" did, even if they were extremely naive and overconfident because of their hard-won freedom that set the Earth standard. Galra sneered at anyone different and non-Galra, while the Humans had evolved to a level that they embraced differences.

Whoever his father had betrayed the empire for, Keittek hoped it was a human. He liked to think that if he had led a different life, he could have been born on Earth, and had been human. Well, maybe not completely human. Maybe a little Galra.

Keittek let out a soft sigh and opened his eyes to stare at his two companions.

"We should be arriving in about half-an-hour," he said, glancing out the only window to stare at the Sol System's sun. "Anything could happen when we land, so we need to be alert. I suggest that you two get up and ready yourselves."

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Apparently, Galra escape pods were not built to withstand entering a planet's atmosphere. It made little sense that Galra had escape pods anyway when they had a large variety of other craft that were far more... convenient. Either way, the three were thankful they were able to escape at all.

As it was, the inhabitants of the pod were sent tumbling as they breached the Earth's atmosphere, and the pod itself rattled and pitched side to side. Shiro grasped Matt tightly to keep the weak Olkari from hurting himself and braced himself against the pod door, stomach roiling uncomfortably from the perilous descent.

He grunted as the pod rattled violently. "At this rate, we're going to crash!"

"I am aware, but the pod is without any sort of pilot control. We are at its mercy," Keittek grunted as well from his position next to the human.

Shit.

The pod began to heat up considerably as it gained speed by the second, and Shiro cursed once again when he had to jerk his flesh arm away from the pod walls less he was burned. Instead, he held Matt with his flesh arm and braced himself with the cursed Galra-tech arm.

At least this thing has some use, Shiro thought as the pod hurtled towards Earth.

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Their arrival was heralded by a far echoing explosion and summoned droves of authorities, their flashing lights coagulating into one big blur of blue and red. Tension stretched across the mass of people as they scanned the warped wreckage for any sign of life. Smoke billowed from its still red-hot surface and prevented many from getting too close.

"...wh... -nd... -n't se... -re you... -iro...?"

Murmurs rippled among the people as they were quickly backed up from the craft at the whispers of words within. Authorities swarmed the hunk of metal with guns at the ready. Several moments passed before anything happened, but when it did, it was big.

The whoosh of a door was the only warning they had before three figures stumbled out of the smoke.

A scream of "Aliens!" could be heard among the quickly panicking crowd as the figures were revealed. Propped upon the shoulders of a large, purple beast were two more creatures: a green, cliche-alien-esque being, and a human. The carried beings were unconscious, and the purple beast stumbled under their weight.

At the sight of the beast, people scattered towards their vehicles and the authorities aimed their guns.

"You've got to be shitting me," the beast hissed.

Startled, one of the authorities released the trigger on their gun. A hot beam of blue light pierced the beast's shoulder, and everyone flinched at the low growl it released.

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Okay, he took back the wish of being human. These people were assholes.

Keittek ducked as a laser shot over his head while he ran, stumbling a bit under the weight of his two companions. His shoulder ached and burned as it stretched, releasing more blood from the exertion, drenching his front in maroon. His eyesight blurred from the pain and blood loss.

With his strong legs, he kept several meters ahead of his pursuers despite his oncoming weakness. He turned his head slightly once he realized that the beams were coming with less frequency, but did not slow to do so. The humans were standing in a huddle, their guns pointed to the ground and conversing among themselves. Several gestured in Keittek's direction but none of them continued their pursuit.

What were the doing? Were they really just going to let them go after all-!

Keittek's thought process was cut short as his next footstep hit open air. With his center of balance shifted forward from his baggage, he had little choice but to let his velocity carry him forward. He turned his head back as he lurched forward, eyes widening at the sharp drop that awaited him.

Fuck. Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck... FUCK!

In order to prevent as much damage as possible to him or his companions, he was forced to release them to his sides and hit the slope shoulder first. The world spun as he forced himself into a roll and he grunted each time a sharp rock dug into his skin. The slope seemingly lasted forever before he hit horizontal ground. His roll still lasted for several more seconds because of his acceleration, but eventually he stumbled to a stop and collapsed on the ground, heaving for breath.

The slope stretched above him for several hundred feet, a foreboding tower of red clay and slate topped by the angels of death dressed in black, the dark glass obscuring their eyes.

Keittek gasped for breath as he scrambled to his feet, cursing under his breath. He quickly scanned the bottom of the treacherous slope for his comrades, his neck fur prickling at the staring of his possible executioners. A growl rumbled in his throat at the thought. He didn't risk his life then to die now. He may no longer have a mission, but he still had a purpose: stay alive and keep Shiro safe. Once he spotted the Olkari and Shiro, he dashed towards them before instinct screamed at him to dodge. Dirt showered the area he just was, and he cursed loudly.

The four meters to his comrades were littered with ditches and melted clay by the time he got to them and scooped them onto his shoulders. He shot a glare at the humans at the top of the slope before dashing to the right-the direction with the least damage. He let adrenaline carry him forward, dulling his pain and sharpening his focus. His companions stressed his already battered body and not for the last time, he cursed the human's persistence.

"... unh..." The Olkari on his left shoulder twitched and let out a quiet groan. Keittek's eyes flashed to Mattikeer and he jostled his shoulder on purpose, a plan quickly forming in his head as he spot a cave.

"C'mon, c'mon, Mattikeer. Kinda need your techno-plant wiz right now…. C'mon!"

Keittek cursed fluently as the cave came closer and the Olkari had yet to do anything but twitch or groan.

Okay, scrap that.

Keittek heaved the two beings on his shoulders before crouching and sliding into the cave. Once inside, he tossed Shiro and Mattikeer on the hard ground.

"Get up! No longer is it the time to be unconscious! We got some humans on our tails and you two are the only ones I can trust right now on this killer planet!"

"... Kei... Keittek?" came the hoarse whisper of Shiro. "What... what happened? Ugh... did you get the license plate of the craft that hit me?"

"Yes! ... no... shit. Shiro. We are in a load of bull right now. We landed on Earth but now we're being chased by some of your fellow humans." The ground rumbled and several shards of rock and dust fell from the ceiling. "We need to move, now!" The surrounding area shook violently, dislodging a large stalactite. Keittek snatched Shiro and Mattikeer and rolled out of the way of the sharp rock. Keittek shoved the Olkari into Shiro's arms and gestured further into the cave. "Now!"

The dazed human stumbled backwards before correcting his balance, only to lose it again as the cave shifted and knocked both of them off their feet. A growling rumble echoed within his ears. With little but instinct guiding him, the Galra shoved the two into the darker parts of the cave and shuffled after them as fast as possible. He had just gotten to his two companions when a resounding crack sounded behind him and they were washed in darkness.

"Fuck."

This time it wasn't Keittek cursing.

Fuck was right. A large boulder had been rolled down the slope and it now blocked their only known entrance or exit.

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A/N: Hello my lovely shadows! Since I got this chapter done earlier than expected, I decided to update on Friday instead of Saturday/Sunday. I have been working on this chapter during my free time this last week, so I hope you enjoyed!

Also, thank you so much to the people who have reviewed, favorited, and followed. 290 views, 13 favorites, 20 follows, and 5 reviews have been garnered by Determination of the Few since its posting last Saturday. I am humbled that so many people have shown an interest in this teen's writing, and I hope I don't disappoint you in the future!

See you next Saturday~!

_-*Doodling Shadows*-_