Chapter 9: Monarch
The emptiness that had consumed her these past few days was gone. Instead she was at war with herself: righteous anger, crippling sadness, and fiery determination fought for dominance. Nervous energy bubbled inside her, and she could hardly keep herself from bouncing up and down on her toes.
One varga—one hour—wasn't much time to formulate an extensive plan, but they did what they could in the time they had.
They all stood in Green's hangar, suited up for battle, going over the plan one last time. She had one hand resting on her lion, ready to just climb into the cockpit and go.
Shiro's arms were crossed, and she could tell he was anxious by the way he drummed his fingers on his bicep. "Katie, this isn't safe."
"Dude," Hunk deadpanned. "You realize there's nothing you can do to stop her, right?"
Shiro sighed. "I just don't like the idea of you going in there alone."
"I won't be alone," Pidge reminded him. "Lance'll be there too."
"Still—"
"And I'll have Keith for backup," she continued. "Not to mention the freaking Green Lion." She looked at him for a moment, then reached out to wrap her arms around him. "I know you feel responsible, or whatever," she mumbled into his chest. "Because you know me. Because you know my family. And I appreciate that. But for once, can you just let me be the reckless irresponsible teenager I am?"
He laughed once, letting out a whoosh of air, as he pulled her in closer. "Just…promise me you'll be careful."
"I will," she told him, pulling back to look him in the eyes. "I promise." Her smile started to fade. "I'm not letting this mission fail. I'm not leaving him again."
"You won't have to," Lance told her. "This'll be a piece of cake. Get in, blow some stuff up, and get out."
"And there's still Vallen to worry about," Allura added anxiously. "We haven't been able to establish contact with the prison whatsoever. Who knows what's going on down there."
"Hunk and I will take care of that," Shiro assured her.
"Is there even a prison camp there?" Hunk wondered. "Or was that all just a ruse to lure us out here?"
"I guess we'll just have to find out," Shiro replied with a shrug. "Either way, it'll keep them occupied so the rest of you can do what you need to do on his ship."
"Matt said it was a trap," Keith said softly. "What do you think Reggar has planned for this?"
"Well, he's definitely not going to keep his word," Lance said, rolling his eyes. "As if he'd actually let them go."
"Surrender isn't an option anyway."
"So we'll do what we do best and improvise," Pidge said impatiently. "Can we go now?"
Shiro sighed, rubbing his face in resignation. "I feel like I'm raising a bunch of children," he muttered. Then, louder, and more clearly, "Go ahead, Pidge. Good luck."
Pidge cheered, grabbing Lance by the hand to pull him into the Green Lion with her. "Alright, sidekick, let's get going!"
"Sidekick?!"
Ignoring Lance's indignant sputtering, she settled into her chair in the cockpit. "Hold on tight," she called. "Here we go!"
With that, the Green Lion shot out of its hangar, flying through the stars towards the imposingly large Galra warship that hung before them.
"Okay, Lance, you're gonna have to move fast. I don't know how many sentries will be in there, but hopefully most of them will leave with me. You'll have to take out the rest of them and patch into the internal systems. All you have to do is open a hatch in the wall and scan the systems with your gauntlet. Then Coran will be able to hack in and mess with everything so Keith can get on board."
"Got it."
"Good." She tapped at her console, fiddling with a few settings. "You should get to the back room. They might try to access the video feed and we don't want them knowing that you're with me."
He nodded, tearing his eyes from the warship. "Good luck."
"You too."
Alone in the cockpit of her lion, she felt the adrenaline rush start to set in. "Alright. Time to kick some ass."
She took a deep breath, then switched her comms to an open frequency. "Attention Galra vessel, this is the Green Paladin. Don't shoot; I'm surrendering my lion. If you could open the hangar doors, that'd be appreciated."
Her transmission was answered without a word; the hangar doors before her merely opened, revealing the purple-lit interior. Then they did one step better: activated a tractor beam.
They pulled her into the hangar, but she still maintained enough control to manage her own landing. She guided her lion to a stop, making sure to leave plenty of room beside her for Keith.
"This is it," she told herself, watching through the viewscreens as dozens of sentries filed into the bay. Sensing her lion's anxiety, she placed a hand on the dashboard. "Alright, girl, remember: shields up as soon as I get out. And I promise: I'll let you know if things go wrong and I need a rescue." Her lion rumbled, still uneasy but content with her promise. Pidge smiled. "And be nice to Lance," she chastised.
Green grumbled grudgingly, and Pidge could've sworn she rolled her eyes. No promises.
Despite everything, Pidge laughed.
She stood up to leave the cockpit, heading towards the exit ramp in Green's mouth.
"Lance," she called, "get ready."
Green lowered her head and opened her mouth, allowing Pidge to step out.
She was greeted by not just sentries, but soldiers as well. The soldiers appeared to be unarmed,
but she knew from experience (namely, her fight against Haxus) that they carried swords. Not to mention the sentries—she counted at least two dozen of them, all aiming their blasters at her. She kept her hands up as she walked down the ramp towards them, eyeing them warily.
"Well, hi, there," she said jauntily. "Any of you guys know where I can find Commander Reggar? I'm here to return his call."
She was taken down a series of hallways. Two sentries walked in front of her, and two behind her. The procession was led by a single officer.
She still wore her helmet, and they hadn't bound her hands.
Though she'd turned down the volume of the comms, she was able to hear the rest of her team as they set each step of their plan in motion.
("Coran, are you getting this?"
"Yes, just need to—ah! Got it! All ready for you, Keith."
"On it.")
She tuned it out, focusing on her surrounding as she was marched towards a set of imposing doors set into the wall.
The soldier put his hand to the scanner and the doors opened. He stepped forward, leaving Pidge and the sentries in the hall. Through the doorway, Pidge could see the imposing frame of Commander Reggar. At the side of the room, nearly out of her field of vision, she could make out a few other figures against the wall. She craned her neck to get a better look, then froze as she took them in. Dad and Matt.
The soldier who had entered before her stood at attention before Reggar and saluted. "Sir, we have the Green Paladin."
Matt started.
Commander Reggar turned, looking past the soldier and into the hall. He smiled. "Perfect. Bring them in."
The sentries behind her prodded her forwards, and she stepped towards the doorway.
They're here, she told her lion. Tell the rest of the team. I found them. They're here.
They hadn't expected this. They'd assumed Reggar would have them stuck in a cell somewhere. While this certainly cleared up one issue for them, it still threw a wrench in their plans. They'd have to speed things up.
She could hear the voices from the rest of her team over the comm link as their own lions passed on the information.
"Hold tight, Pidge." Even with the volume turned low, Keith's voice still rang clear. "I'm on my way."
Walking into the room, she made quick eye contact first with Matt, and then with her father. She took a deep breath as she focused her attention back towards the Galra commander. It'll be fine, she reminded herself. Just keep him talking.
"You are dismissed, Blazak," Reggar intoned, never once taking his eyes off Pidge.
The officer who had lead Pidge bowed. "Vrepit sa." He exited the bridge, and she was left alone with Reggar.
She held her head high. "Commander Reggar," she greeted, meeting his gaze.
"Paladin."
She took a moment to assess the situation. There was Reggar, of course, standing before her in his full imposing glory. But he was the only officer in the room. The only other Galra there were the sentries: four of them surrounding her, and two by her dad and Matt. Six total. She smirked. This was nothing.
"Alright," she said, locking eyes with Reggar. "You wanted a surrender? I'm here."
Across the room, Matt stepped towards her, only to have his path blocked by sentries. "Katie, don't—"
"I can handle this, Matt," she told him, sparing him a brief glance.
"Katie." Her father's voice was calm but firm, reproachful yet warm, somehow managing to convey a dozen emotions in just a single word.
Pidge squeezed her eyes shut, refusing to let herself cry in front of Reggar. "Please," she whispered. "I know what I'm doing."
"By all means," Reggar intoned, his tone dripping in amusement, "let the paladin handle this."
"Stop," she told him, and he turned back to face her. "Your fight is with me. Not them. I told you, I'm here to negotiate surrender."
His lip curled in disgust. "And yet you bring me but one lion," he replied evenly. "I believe my terms were for the surrender of Voltron. And one lion is not Voltron."
"Well four lions isn't Voltron either," she retorted. "They can't form Voltron without me, which is good news for you." She folded her hands behind her back, blinking up at him innocently. "I'm just here to discuss the terms of surrender in more explicit terms. Your earlier transmission seemed to be…cut short."
His yellow eyes flashed dangerously. "You forget your place. You're not the one in charge of this situation. You're on your own here. There's nothing you can do against me."
Her lion paced anxiously in her mind, and Pidge felt the waves of worry emanating from her. It's okay, Pidge hastened to assure her. Don't worry. I've got this.
"I'm only one paladin," Pidge reminded him. "There are four others, running around somewhere. They could be back on our ship, or flying around in their lions. Could be worlds away. Could be somewhere else on this very ship." She shrugged, nonchalantly. "Who knows?"
He glowered, stepping towards her menacingly. "Don't play games with me, Paladin."
She shrunk back instinctively, but held her ground. "I'm just making sure all the cards are on the table."
A second set of doors, on the opposite end of the bridge, slid open and a soldier, though not the one that had led Pidge there earlier, stepped through. "Sir, we have an issue."
Reggar's eyes narrowed as he turned towards the intruder. "What happened?"
"It seems the Black and Yellow Lions have opened fire."
"What?!"
"They're attacking our ground forces on Vallen. They…they appear to be attempting to liberate the prison."
With a snarl, Reggar whirled back on Pidge. She didn't flinch, just stood there impassively, a small smile on her face. "I can guarantee you that whatever you throw at them, they'll be able to take care of it."
"Arkul," the commander yelled, turning back to the soldier. "Attack them with our full arsenal. Don't let them get away."
"Vrepit sa, sir."
The soldier left. Out of the corner of her eye, Pidge saw Matt and their father exchange a curious glance.
"You come here to speak of surrender," Reggar snarled. "And yet even now your lions attack our forces on the planet Vallen."
"That's beyond my control," she answered cooly. "The Black and Yellow Lions don't answer to me."
"This is a waste of my time," he snapped. "You're useless to me!"
Green pushed herself to the forefront of Pidge's mind, nearly roaring, Do you need me to come now? But the paladin merely sent her reassuring thoughts: Hold.
She didn't realize that she'd said it out loud until she saw how Reggar was staring at her, his brow furrowed. "Your helmet," he realized.
She froze. "What?"
"You're communicating with the other Paladins."
She breathed, urging herself to stay calm. "You seem to be forgetting that I have a psychic bond with a giant magic robot cat," she deadpanned. "I don't need a helmet to communicate with them."
"Then you won't object to taking it off." When she didn't answer, he grinned and turned towards the sentries standing by her. "Remove their helmet," he instructed.
A sentry reached towards her, and she smacked its arm away. "I can remove my own helmet," she snapped.
In one deliberate motion, Pidge pulled it off her head, letting her hair fall into place as she stared Reggar down.
The commander started to smile, taking in her appearance, then glancing over towards Matt. "Well," he mused. "I think that answers a few questions."
She let her helmet fall to the floor, clenching her fists and glaring fiercely at Reggar. "Let. My family. Go."
"I think the stakes are rising for you," was his response. "Don't forget which of us is in charge here. You're in over your head, Paladin."
"Psychic bond with a Voltron lion," she reminded him. "You lay one finger on me and she starts blasting her way in here to get me."
Reggar hummed, seemingly unconcerned. "That may be true. But can you say the same for them?" He waved a hand towards the wall where her brother and father waited.
In response, she drew her bayard, holding it unactivated in her hand. She wanted nothing more than to activate it and unleash hell, but with so many added variables hanging in the air….
Come on, Keith, where are you?
"You wish to fight, Paladin?" Reggar said, his voice deathly quiet. "Then I will oblige." He drew a weapon, a cylinder of metal, and a glowing purple blade burst to life. Pidge grimaced, reminded of her fight back on the castle with Haxus; he'd had a sword just like this one.
"Katie," her father spoke again. A hush fell over the room. But Reggar didn't interrupt him, and so Sam Holt continued. "Katherine Holt. If you have a way off of this ship, then you get out of here."
Pidge broke, letting out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. But she didn't turn to him—keeping her eyes locked on Reggar and his sword. "I…I can't."
"That's an order, Cadet."
She winced. He was using his commander voice, which he only ever did when he was upset. "You can't ask me to do that, Dad."
Beside him, Matt was just as tense, straining at his bonds. "Katie, you need to leave."
"No!" she shouted, her fists clenching. She squeezed her eyes shut, fighting back the tears that she could feel were moments from spilling over. "I'm not leaving you again!" Her voice cracked. "I just got you back," she rasped. "I…I can't lose you again."
Reggar watched her, his face impassive as he leisurely swung his glowing blade. "Well, Paladin?"
Pidge took a deep breath, steeling her nerves, and met his monochrome yellow eyes.
She activated her bayard.
Reggar didn't make a move to attack her himself; instead he merely directed his attention towards the four sentries that guarded her. "Open fire."
"KATIE!"
She was a whirl of motion.
She dropped to the floor, letting the blasts from one hit one that had been behind her. She came up on the other side of the first, slashing it cleanly in half. Swiping with her bayard, she cut off the head of the third and sent its body crashing into the fourth, causing them both to clatter to the floor.
Then Reggar was there, slashing at her vehemently. She blocked his swipes against the tip of her bayard, but barely.
Back on Serva, the prison warden hadn't been too hard to fight. A bit overweight, out of shape, not used to battle—Pidge had been able to take him down with hardly any effort.
Reggar was entirely different.
He had his sword, and he clearly knew how to use it.
Within a few hits, he'd disarmed her. Her bayard fell out of her hands, clattering uselessly to the ground and spinning out of reach.
Before she could make a move towards it, Reggar lunged. In an instant, the tip of the blade was pointed mere inches from her throat. She froze, her heartbeat pounding in her ears as a tense silence gripped the room.
Commander Reggar grimaced, glaring down at her. "You're not leaving this ship alive."
AN:
Good thing that cliffhanger got resolved amiright
Sorry for the delay, guys! I was having laptop problems, and then I had to leave the house for a while. I only just got to a place where I have wi-fi so I can upload.
Another annoyingly short chapter; my apologies. I did some…extensive editing last night.
I was going over stuff last night (with the help of my wonderful beta Seifert) and we decided that this chapter should really be split in two. It got…very long.
So congrats guys, you get to suffer through another week and another cliffhanger.
Most of this chapter (and, subsequently, the next chapter as well) was written in a single late night haze.
I was up till like 2 or 3am writing, with 'Lionhearted' by Porter Robinson playing pretty much on repeat, haha.
Almost wanted to make 'Lionhearted' the chapter title for this, but that would have broken my name theme.
And then I was up till 5am last night editing this chapter (and parts of the next one too...)
I do my best work late at night. It's like "oh, the super critical part of my brain has gone to sleep! Finally, I can write without second guessing every other word!"
A huge thank you to everyone who's continued to read this fic! You guys mean so much to me 3 And your comments absolutely warm my heart.
See you next week!
~Brigit
