Keith had been pushing Black to his limit. His wings ached, and his body was just finished. The Sincline ships had stung, and fighting them without Voltron had been just that side of impossible.

It had been... Hours now. Vargas. Whatever, he still wasn't good with space time.

Not that it mattered. Shiro was... not Shiro. But they had caused it. Something was brutally wrong.

Without his proper thruster, he couldn't catch the Altean pod, just stay consistently behind it. "Just a little longer, Black." He muttered, still pushing the Lion faster.

Black groaned, but kept going. They were exhausted, but they were determined. For Black's Paladin, and Keith's brother.

Keith could feel the hopelessness that was starting to crash on him. He had lost his rival, his partner, his friend. Nearly 5 quintants now. He had spent so much time away from them, to him anyway, and when he came back... he was dead.

First Lance, now Shiro.

Nearly a quintant passed, of Keith uselessly trying to get a message through to Shiro, and of the older Paladin ignoring them.

Then there was a sharp 'beep' noise from behind him, which Keith ignored. He had one focus, to get to Shiro.

Black though, seemed confused. Like he hadn't felt that in a very long time.

"What, what is it?" Keith asked him softly.

'Logs received.' A screen read. Then, some jumbled, ever-changing coordinates.

Keith sighed. "...Ignore them. We've got other things, Black." He muttered, pushing him faster.

They were still moving. Shiro was relentless.

Keith was exhausted, and Black felt bothered. Bothered by those logs. There were 7, received. One was corrupted slightly, and they gave no information on who they were from.

Black growled at him. They wanted rest, Black wanted to recover as his core was drained, and Shiro was. Not. Stopping.

Probably just Pidge. Talking to Green. Or Hunk and Yellow. Maybe even... He thought about them being Shiro's logs. From when he had piloted Black. "...Ok." He muttered softly, pressing the button, hearing a recording snap to life from behind him. "I'll play them."

There was silence for a bit longer as Black processed them and got ready to play them.

"Uh, Log 1?"

Keith could hear the air go out of his lungs, feeling like he had just been punched in the stomach, like a gunshot had just hit him in the chest and there wasn't enough air in the ship.

"Uh, so, if you get this, uh, I'm alive!"

Black was slammed onto autopilot as Keith spun around, too shocked to be bothered by taking his eyes off Shiro's pod.

"Yay..."

Lance was on the screen. Lance was on the screen. Lance was alive.

The recording Lance wiped a hand over his face, clearly intending to clean off the green-tinged dust, but it just smeared it. "Well, I uh, had to fight these weird things last night." Lance glanced up, those blue eyes meeting Keith's through the screen. "I probably look like hammered crap." Lance chuckled, then coughed, thick and heavy and painful but alive. When he was done, Lance sat back, sighing heavily, like he was too exhausted to even think.

Leaning forward and leaving his chin in his hand, Lance propped his elbow on the table in front of the camera and glanced away from the camera, toward the cockpit.

It was nearly five minutes before he spoke again.

"I'm going to try to get some sleep." He murmured. "...Maybe my next log'll be better."

A hand came toward the screen, and the log stopped.

Keith couldn't breathe. His eyes felt wet.

He was staring at Lance. Proof he was alive.

"...Black. They're alive." He whispered, sitting back in the pilot's seat as Black brought the screen over so Keith could see it as they followed Shiro.

Lance was turned away from the recorder when it turned on. "Log two, Paladin Lance of Earth, former pilot of the Blue Lion, current pilot of the Red."

Then he laughed. "Alright, well, so," Lance faced the camera. "that was ridiculous. But it works, yay. If like, this ends up broadcasting to someone's space phone, they'll know who I am." He shrugged.

Rotating his chair and standing up, Lance's hand reached toward the bottom of the recorder and pulled it slightly so it was pointing at the pilot's seat. "So, uh..." His voice got a little fainter as he went back to the pilot's seat. "I got the name of the planet, but also some weird-ass message that tells me I've got a poor connection."

After tapping out a few keys, he pointed to the blinking blue dot on the holographic screen. "This is-" His voice cracked, and he bent over coughing for a while. "Ok. Ow." He muttered, rubbing his forehead again, then his chest as he stood up. "Ok, so, this is where I am." He tapped the blue point, then dropped his arm.

For a moment, he seemed frozen, staring at some point of the screen.

"The planet's called 'Rinnal'. It's got... a bit more gravity than Earth does?" The shrug was noncommittal. "And the atmosphere is thinner. But it's got more... Oxygen concentration." He pulled up the page on Rinnal. "Yeah, it's like, 50%." "Isn't Earth like, only 20%? I have no idea."

Then he turned around to look at the camera again. "So, yeah. Rinnal. When I figure out uh, any like..." He glanced out the window. "...Landmarks, I'll tell you."

He walked over with an odd limp on his side, pushing the camera back. "Signing off!" He gave a mock salute before turning it off.

Keith was focusing on Shiro's pod, trying to get a message to the other Lions. "Guys. Lance is alive." He whispered, voice breaking. "He's leaving logs. He's..."

Keith turned off the communicator. He couldn't speak.

"Log five. Lance McClain of Earth, Voltron Red Paladin." Lance's voice was distant, not close to the recorder at all. He had his back mostly turned to the recorder. "So, about... two movements ago, maybe three, actually..." He began, before he considered that. "Ok, let's say two and a half movements ago, I landed on a planet called Dirmon. I uh..." He grabbed a white bottle, and poured it on something hidden by his body.

"I helped them destroy a Galra base. It was good. That planet's officially frrr..."

The screen went fizzy, unable to finish until it came back to Lance, bent over and breathing hard. Some part of an... animal, seemed to be in the corner of the screen. "O-ok... So... I learned what Sector Space was." He said with a sigh, wiping his hands clean a few towels. "Essentially, it's a chunk of space where nothing quite goes what it should be." He walked over to what should've been the recording seat, and almost fell into it. Keith noticed something weird about his mouth, but he . "Oh Dios it's good to be off my fff..."

'Connection lost, log incomplete.'

Keith pressed the next one. He had to know. Lance had to be alive, even as he followed Shiro and tried to reach the other Paladins.

"...Log... Twelve."

Keith's heart jumped to his throat when he saw Lance's slumped form, arms crossed over his head.

Silence, just Lance's breathing. His breathing sounded better. He must've been a little healthier. Had he found Coalition members?

"...I've been in the middle of butt-fuck nowhere for two months!" Lance shouted into the table, arms unwrapping to slam furious fists either side of his head.

Slowly, he pulled his arms back up around his head, coughing slightly. "...Well, it's officially been..." He shrugged, a listless action. "...Four. Five months. In Sector Space. I've got enough food for another two weeks of travel, out here. We're heading... for a planet. That might have life. It has organic material. According to the Pylons." He sighed, finally pulling up his head to rest on his folded arms. His eyes were focused elsewhere, staring off into nowhere. He didn't say anything for a while. He just breathed, silent.

Keith's thoughts were racing through the silence, so many questions. Was Lance alright? Was he still alive?

"...I miss you guys." He muttered, burying his face in his hands again. He didn't say anything else.

Keith wondered if he would've gone crazy without wolf and Krolia on that whale.

This log, wasn't started like the others. It was clearly a long time between log 12, and this one.

Lance didn't even seem to know he was being recorded, head perking slightly at the log starting, but making no noise other than that. His clothes looked a little different. A little... more worn.

He looked more worn too.

Turning back, Lance put his finger on a holographic map, like nothing Keith had ever seen. "Maybe a little..." Lance drew a line from a midpoint in the bottom half of a strange red oval on the screen, surrounding an empty part of space. "Here we go. So, then I should adjust my course, but..." Lance ran a hand through his too-long hair, groaning in frustration. He sounded older.

Lance seemed to be at a dilemma. Navigating was hard work, and navigating without a proper point of location...

All Lance had was a large red blob.

"...Red, let's adjust uh... Just aim us like..." He paused, seemed to consider something. "Um, let's go, about... Maybe another three degrees south? No, make it... Ugh, wave off the south thing..." He muttered.

Red growled.

"Yeah yeah." Lance agreed. "...Hold on, uh..." Zooming the map in, Lance rubbed his face and glanced out the window. "Red, that meteor right there," Lance pointed to something. "that one look a little like uh... Does it have silicone and iron in it? Oh, and some... uranium and quartz?"

A pause.

Then Lance redrew a line from the red thing to a planet. "Red, tune the course like," He put a hand on the stick, pulling it out and to the side himself in an effortless motion. "That. Just like that. Can you hold that girl?"

Red made a purr noise, as her thrusters roared to life.

Lance chuckled, and sat down.

'No movement. Skipping.'

The recording skipped a few vargas before Lance stood up. "Hey babe, can you like, dim the lights for a few minutes?" He questioned Red, putting a hand on his hip and leaning back slightly. His spine made a set of loud crackles.

The internal lights slowly slid to something soft and dim, as Lance walked over to the shelf-bed. When Lance simply flopped on his side, not even covering himself with the blanket, Keith's concern grew.

Has he been sleeping on that metal slab for all this time?

Lance finally pulled up his legs and put on the blanket, cuddling the thin pillow.

A few moments later, he flipped over.

And then again.

He spent some time staring at the ceiling, before flipping over again, eyes shut.

Every few moments, the tape would skip, then Lance would shift.

As he got up, abandoning the sleep idea, Lance touched his hair. Keith suddenly noticed how dry it was, how frazzled he looked. Lance's hand dropped over his cheek, feeling his skin, and Keith realized that he looked... Exhausted. Dirty. Worn.

Lance sat in Red's pilot seat, slumping a little and rubbing his forehead.

"Red can you... keep the lights low?" Lance requested, with his hands on the shift sticks. "Let's... Yeah."

'No further movement. Log end.'

Keith's chest felt tight. Lance, beauty parlour Lance with his perfect skin and flawless hair and beauty sleep looked so tired.

"Log, um... 20." Lance ran a hand over his face, then back into his hair. It looked... Shorter. Sharper. Like a blended undercut.

"Lance McClain, Voltron... Red Paladin." He took a slow breath in through his nose, like he was trying to get his head settled "I've been in the empty part of Sector Space for a little over a movement."

"Still moving, though, and I think uh, I should hit a life supporting planet here within..." Pausing and turning over to the map nearby, Lance seemed to assess something. "The next movement." He shrugged. "I really don't have an exact, because of like, everything? But the next couple doboshes, providing we keep at this rate."

He leaned on one arm for a moment, staring off into space. "Not much has been going on. Warlain was ok. Gave me a weird stick and some sparring." He shrugged. "When I next land on the uh, next planet I'll see what I can do about like, getting some practice in." Lance sighed. "For sniping."

He got up, padded to the back storage box, pulled out two food packs and tore one open. He placed one on something offscreen. Then he went back to the recorder and sat down. "Also, food rations in the Lions? Suck."

Red growled.

"Oh yeah, sure, they'll keep me alive, but whatever!" He leaned back to yell up at her. "They taste like blended sweat socks!"

She must've replied.

"Just because I can't find us planets with half-decent food does not mean I can't- Literally bite me, Red!" Lance called.

Then he seemed to remember something.

"Oh, uh, Pidge! If you see this, you remember that talk we had once about the African Rift Valley and what happened if it spread deep enough into the planet?" Lance grinned. "Warlain's like that! I took a few pictures, you'll love it. It's... I kinda wish they were nicer people."

Lance's face fell, body straightening. He looked so much older with his face pensive and slightly downcast, arms crossed over each other on the desk.

He opened his eyes, studying his arms. "...They were nice, actually. I wish they let me help. Signing off."

If Lance could survive in Sector Space, bruised, injured and torn up, then Shiro was still there.

Black swirled around the large rock, identifying Shiro's pod as they tracked his footprints. Determined, Keith landed.

Lance is alive. Lance is alive. He thought as he followed Shiro's prints. Shiro is too. Shiro has to be.

The building in the rock was so Galra it hurt. Keith could take the elevator without problem, using his own Galra blood for it to activate.

Glancing up at the strange machinery around, Keith searched for his brother. When Shiro didn't reveal himself, Keith walked to one of the pods and put a hand on it, curious.

His whole world felt like it fell in, when he found himself staring at Shiro.

And another one. Dozens of them.

"...Hello, Keith."

And just like that. It began.

Keith woke up, in Black's jaws. Safe.

It was silent, aside from his own breathing, and then...

"You saved us."

Shiro's.

Keith got up, got into Black's seat, and focused.

...Alright. Black... Thanks. Let's go. He thought, taking control of the huge Lion.

And they started again.

When they were far enough away, Keith opened a call.

"Hailing the Castle of Lions!" Keith said, eyes hard. Allura picked up immediately. "This is Keith."

"You're alright! Where have you been?" Allura said rapid-fire. "Did you get Shiro?"

"I got him, but not the Shiro we know. The Shiro that took Lotor was a clone." Keith explained grimly. Allura looked both regretful, and semi-horrified.

"Where is the real Shiro?" Allura asked.

"It's complicated." Keith said. "...And tell everyone to check their Lions when we get a free moment." He informed.

"What? Why?"

"...Lance is alive."

"What?" Allura gasped, breathlessly.

"I received logs, from him. Not many, but... He's alive." He reassured. "...At least, I hope. But right now, you need to focus on Lotor. I've picked up the Sincline ships on my scanners." He sent them the map. "It looks like Lotor's headed back to your position. Right where you are."

"He needs to get back into the quintessence field..." Allura scowled.

"I'm on my way to you now, but without a wormhole, it's going to take me a while." Keith growled, pushing Black faster against pained muscles. "You'll have to hold off Lotor without me."

"We'll do our best." Allura reassured.

And then they turned off the comms.

"...Shiro, if you're here, I could use your help." Keith murmured. "I need to get to the team before Lotor."

Black growled, and fired them faster.

When Pidge heard Lance's voice in the Green Lion, she cried. She cried as much as she had when she had learned her father was dead.

Just like then though, she dried her eyes and focused. Lance too, was depending on them. Wherever he was.

She wouldn't abandon her team again.

Hunk also broke down into tears.

His best friend was alive. His best friend was working, his best friend was...

God, where was Lance? Where was Sector Space?

That wasn't... it wasn't that it wasn't important. It was just that Lotor was coming. If they didn't stop him... there would be no home for Lance to come to.

Allura smiled. So wide, so bright, when she heard him. Even facing the grim reality of destroying the inter reality gate, she was so happy.

Lance was alive. The flirty Lance, the team glue, their person to talk to...

He was there.

Her smile lasted, inside at least, even as they destroyed the gate.

"Lotor will be here any second. What's the plan?" Pidge asked.

They would wait vargas.