Cat of a Different Color

Part 3: Beauty and the Beast

The team begins their journey to free the universe from Zarkon's rule. First up, a Balmeran named Shay...

Oh, along with her people and the Balmera they live on.

When Hunk and Pua stumbled into the pod bay, Coran was already inside a pod, tapping at the controls while Pidge and Chip hung over the side.

"Where did you go?" Pidge asked as they walked up.

"Had to pick up something," Hunk said, gesturing towards Pua as he climbing up into the pod.

The three were surprised to see the armor the lion was wearing. "Where did you get that?" Pidge asked, hopping down to circle Pua, looking over the armor. It technically looked like the armor Coran had given Merla and Ryou when they'd raided Sendak's ship for the Red Lion, but it was painted like Hunk's armor, only with the yellow portions switched with the white on the chest and hind legs. His shoulders were also painted red and the lower portion of the helmet yellow.

"Lance. He made armor for all of them. Something about sidekicks, I think. I figured if Pua was coming with us without the Yellow Lion, he should have some protection."

"Where's Chip's?"

"I don't know. Lance just gave me Pua's once it was finished. We were going to try it on him later, but… this happened."

"Aha!" Coran exclaimed and the four turned to him. "It's our first bit of luck. There's a source not too far. We won't need a wormhole to get there, thankfully."

Pua huffed and climbed into the Pod behind Coran and Hunk.

Pidge stared at the armor for another moment before refocusing. She climbed back up the pod to point at the screen in front of Hunk. "I made some modifications to the shuttle. The first change is a cloaking device that I reverse-engineered from the invisible walls on the training deck. The second is a tank of booster fuel that I mounted on the fuel line."

"Using that during flight would turn the whole pod into a bomb!" Coran shouted.

Hunk and Pua each shot the girl a look, whimpering.

Pidge gave them a nervous grin. "Okay. Maybe you shouldn't use that modification after all."

~Not your brightest moment,~ Chip sighed.

Hunk turned to Coran and asked, "We ready to hit it?"

"Right. Let's go."

Pidge and Chip stepped back as Coran started the engines. The windshield formed as the the pod lifted up.

"Good luck," Pidge called and gave Hunk a thumbs up, which he returned.

The pod shot out of the bay and up into the sky. As they left the atmosphere, Hunk began tapping his fingers against his cuisses.

"So," he hummed. "How far are we going?"

"Oh, not far. As I said, we don't even need a wormhole."

"Yeah, but exactly how far? How long is this trip going to be?"

"Oh, I'd say about a varga, maybe two."

"A varga?"

"Fifty-five doboshes."

"Uh…"

~An hour,~ Pua huffed. He tried to scratch his neck and frowned when he couldn't feel anything through the armor.

"Can I get that in English?"

"Een-ga-lish? Is that your language?"

"Yeah… What are you speaking?"

"Cavni Altean, an offshoot of Royal Altean."

"Well it sounds like English."

"That would be the translation system. A wonder of Olkari diplomatic technology. It can translate any spoken language loaded into the system, allowing you to hear my words in your language."

"That's amazing! But wait, how do you have English loaded in the system?"

"No idea. Perhaps someone visited Earth and cataloged the language. It's a universal system, so anyone could have added it before you arrived at the castle."

"Wait, so aliens have seriously visited Earth? Like, in real life? The crazy foil people are right?"

"Foil people?" Coran asked while Pua gave a chuffing laugh.

"Nevermind. It's nothing," Hunk muttered. "So a varga?"

"Oh, yes, well… a varga should be little longer than one of your Earth hours."

"So we're stuck in here for somewhere between one to two hours?"

"Yes."

Hunk groaned and slid down slightly in the chair. Pua growled in agreement. "You wouldn't happen to have road trip games or something in here?"

"Road trip games?"

"Wonderful."

"... -nk… -un-... Hunk!"

"Huh, what?" Hunk asked, jerking up.

"We're almost there. I thought you'd want to be awake."

Hunk hummed and looked out the window. As the pod flew up to a large yellow-green orb, he asked, "Is this the Balmera planet with the crystals?"

"It's not a planet. Balmera are ancient animals. Petrified, but still alive. Their bodies naturally create the crystals that help power many Altean ships." Coran hit a button and a display came up, fist showing the outline of a Balmera, then a picture of a glittering landscape. "I often accompanied my grandfather to visit these majestic creatures when he was building the Castle of Lions. I'll never forget the first time I saw the sparkling surface of a Balmera. You're in for quite a treat!"

The display fell away just as the pod slipped below the clouds. The two were met with the sight of not the glittering crystals from the photo, but barren rock and giant chasms interspersed with hulking machines boasting the typical purple lights of Galra technology.

"Oh, no. This is horrifying. The Galra have turned this into a mining colony! They're completely destroying it! They have no regard for the poor creature!"

An alarm started blaring as a Galra ship appeared on the radar.

~What time is it?~ Pua yawned, sitting up from where he had curled up behind the pilots' chairs.

"Uh-oh. We've been spotted."

Pua sat up straight as a voice announced over the enemy ship's intercoms, "Hailing unidentified craft. State your ship ID, entry code, and landing destination."

"Oh, no. What do we do?"

~Does this thing have weapons?~

"Just stay calm." Coran turned on their own system and replied, "We don't really need to land. Uh, we're just looking around, if that's okay."

"Unidentified craft, land immediately and prepare to be boarded."

"Okay. Thank you. See you down below."

Coran slammed on the reverse and they shot backwards. Hunk screamed as they went into a spin and Pua scrambled to brace himself so he wouldn't be thrown about.

Coran swerved around laser fire before diving down a mine shaft as he shouted, "Not done yet. Hang on!"

Hunk's screams slowly lost energy as their nosedive just kept going. Finally he stopped and looked at Coran. "How deep is this thing?" Suddenly the light from the pod caught a web of girders. "Oh, no, no, no!" Hunk shouted as Coran tried to fly around them, but one of the wings hit a metal beam. Thankfully they were only a few feet off the ground. The crash was jarring, but they weren't injured.

~Is this what it feels like to be in a crash? That was terrible!~ Pua groaned rolling onto his feet.

Hunk pulled his helmet off and was turning to look at Pua when he spotted something.

"Coran, what lives at the bottom of these mines?" he asked.

The Altean turned to follow his gaze, but instead got a faceful of yellow armor as Pua shoved forward to see what his paladin was looking at. He stood up and he saw two figures standing in the gloom of a cave. The trio jumped out of the pod and Hunk summoned his bayard.

~Stay back,~ Pua growled as the figures started to approach. He unsheathed his claws and the armor reacted in turn.

"Okay, don't come any closer!" Hunk whimpered, raising his energy cannon at the figures. "I don't know how to use this very well."

The figures finally stepped into the light, revealing themselves to be bipedal creatures with reptilian skin and rock-like horns.

"Wait a minute. You're not Galra."

"Nor are you," the smaller said.

A buzzing came from above and the group looked up to see a ship floating down into the cavern.

The smaller one gasped as the larger said, "A patrol! Shay, we must take leave from these ones, now." They turned away and set their hand on the shoulder of the smaller one, Shay.

"Wait, please!" Coran called out, making them pause. "We need your help. If the Galra find us, they'll kill us."

"Or torture us," Hunk added.

"Or keep us as some sort of creepy pet to play with how they please."

~Are you feeling alright?~ Pua huffed, sending the Altean a look.

"Not our problem, Hairy Lip," the larger said. "Galra see us near you and they kill both you and us. Shay, exeunt!"

"No!" Shay objected. "These many years only Galra have been seen here. I will not turn my back on the skylings."

"Vex!" the larger hissed before running over to the pod. They went to one side and Shay to the other. "Grab a side."

The trio quickly helped grab hold of the pod, Coran next to the larger and Hunk next to Shay with Pua going around back to push.

"In here. Hurry!" the larger called as they dragged, pushed, and carried the pod until it was far enough inside the cave that the ship wouldn't see them.

Hunk put away his bayard and turned to the strangers. "Thanks for saving us. I'm Hunk."

"Shay. And this one, my brother Rax. How did you fall to us?"

"Well, we came looking for something. And you guys might be the right people to help us find it."

The ship made another pass by the cave and Rax said, "Not here."

Hunk glanced at Coran and then nodded. Shay and Rax led the three through the caves until they reached what seemed to be a communal area. More of the strange aliens - Balmerans? - looked up at them and Shay went over to explain.

An elderly Balmeran came up to them with a smile and offered them bowls of soup before gesturing towards some rocks near a fire.

"Thank you," Coran said.

Hunk nodded, taking two bowls and setting one down for Pua. Hunk sat down as the others all came to sit around the fire. He smelled the soup and smiled, "Thanks for the delicious soup. Are these potatoes in here?"

"Grandma's special dish for special visitors," Shay said. "Cave-root for the skin. Cave bugs for the soul."

Hunk gagged and Pua snorted. First plants now bugs? He missed Earth food.

"Oh!" Coran said, looking just as thrilled as the Earthlings. "Thank you for the bugs."

The elderly Balmeran smiled and poured some more soup into his bowl.

"O-okay, I think that's too many."

"So, how many of you are down here?" Hunk asked.

An older Balmeran spoke up. "There are thousands here on Balmera. We work and live in these mines."

"We harvest crystals for Zarkon," Shay added.

Hunk and Pua both growled the emperor's name. "That's so… sad that he's enslaved an entire planet."

"Zarkon may rule, but we still have family. That's where true happiness comes from," the older Balmeran said.

Rax snorted and stood. "Galra would tear our family asunder if they found these ones. Everyone comes to Balmera and takes, but gives nothing in return."

"In the past, those who took the Balmera's crystals would replenish her with energy," Shay explained. "It was an equal exchange. But the Galra only take. It is no wonder we can feel her suffering." She placed her hand on the ground and it glowed. A whale like moan came from around them.

Hunk frowned and looked around at the family. "I'm sorry that we put everyone in this situation, but the faster we get the crystal and get out, the faster everyone is out of danger."

"We're looking for a battleship-class crystal," Coran requested.

The older Balmeran shook his head. "Battleship-class crystal? Those are most rare. Galra soldiers guard them ceaselessly until their harvest. Your quest is in vain."

"There is one, found only weeks ago. It is almost excavated."

"Quiet!" Rax hissed at his sister. "Even if they could steal the crystal from the Galra, battle patrols wait to take down their ship. These ones have no chance of getting out of here alive, with crystal or without."

Hunk turned to Coran. "Okay, so this crystal we need is basically the hardest thing in the universe to get."

Coran hummed. "Well I don't know about the hardest. There is the scaultrite mineral found only in the stomachs of giant weblums. Collecting that stuff's no picnic."

Pua frowned as a foreboding feeling briefly filled him.

"Uh, but, yes, this seems very difficult."

"You may stay here until Balmera gives another crystal," Shay offered. "One that is hidden from Galra eyes."

"We don't have that kind of time. I got an injured friend who needs to get into a magic healing machine, stat."

"Hunk, you fix the pod," Coran urged. "I'm going to do some reconnaissance and see if I can come up with another plan."

Hunk nodded and finished his soup.

Pua sent the food a glare but did the same before standing up. ~I think I'll have a look around too,~ he growled softly, nudging his paladin before following Coran.

"Don't wander too much, Pua," Hunk called.

Pua followed their scents back to the Pod. He shrunk into his housecat form and was surprised when the armor did the same. ~Right, Altean tech,~ he chuckled. He started exploring the caves around the pod, keeping an eye out for any Galra, but the sentinels he saw only seemed to patrol the areas near crystals, which were quite a ways from the pod. When Pua eventually returned, Hunk was working on it as Shay watched.

"A child's tale," Shay was saying.

"It's real. I'm one of the paladins, and Voltron is going to defeat Zarkon."

"You are?"

"Stop filling this one's head with your shadow show!" Rax barked. "The cavern is our home. This will never change. Come."

Shay sent Hunk an apologetic look before following her brother.

Pua saw Hunk frown and came up to wrap around his legs, purring.

Hunk knelt down to scratch under his chin. "There you are. Where have you been?" He blinked, then his eyes widened. "Did you armor shrink with you?"

~Yup,~ Pua chuffed. He shifted back into a lion, his armor growing with him.

"Well that's… convenient." Hunk turned back to the pod. Pua watched him work for a few moments before he shut the compartment. "Finished. Now we just need the crystal. Do you know where Coran went?"

Pua ducked his head.

"Maybe he went back to Shay's," Hunk hummed and the two headed down the tunnel. When they got there, Coran was standing with Shay and Rax.

"Is your ship repaired that you may depart our presence?" Rax snapped as they walked up.

"Uh, are you saying that you want us to leave?"

"Yes."

"Well, it's working, but we can't leave without the crystal." Hunk turned to Coran. "You come up with any ideas how to get it?"

"Actually, yes."

Pua snorted as as Hunk scrambled to keep his feet with Coran on his shoulders. ~This is never going to work,~ he called quietly, weaving around stalagmites as a house cat.

"I can't believe I'm the legs again. I'm the one who took down the guard. I should get to be the head."

"Shh! Legs don't talk." Hunk and Coran approached a pair of sentinels guarding a crystal and Coran said, "Oh, hello, gentlemen, shift's over. Boss needs you back at the guard shack."

The sentinels looked at each other before one said, "Verify identification code."

Coran stuck out one of the robotic arms they'd taken from the sentinel they'd destroyed earlier - the wrong one Pua noted - and waved it about. "Right. I didn't want to have to do this, but I'm going to have to pull rank. You guys are in big trouble, right? So, hand over those blasters and ID badges."

The sentinels pointed their guns at the two. "Verify identification code or be destroyed."

"Okay, okay. I've got it right… here!" Coran threw aside the robot pieces and the cloth they'd wrapped around themselves to reveal Hunk aiming his bayard at the sentinels. Coran pointed at the boy as he fired on the sentinels, taking them down.

Coran jumped off Hunk's shoulders and ran up to the crystal. He placed his hands on it and it began to glow.

"What are you doing? We got to hurry!"

"I'm not just going to pry this out of here like some Galra monster. The Balmera is a sacred being. You have to communicate with it. Let your life forces connect. This is the way it was done in our time."

"Whoa. You really know your Balmeras."

Pua's ears twitched and he turned. ~Hunk!~

The crystal stop glowing and the rock holding it up crumbled away. Coren jumped forwards to catch it when it began to tip over and he grunted under the strain. He suddenly flinched and his head slowly turned to Hunk. "I think I'm broken."

Hunk sighed, then froze at the sound of laser guns charging up. "Huh?"

Pua ducked down behind a stalagmite while his paladin turned to see a group of sentinels behind him, guns at the ready.

Coran stumbled towards them as he slurred, "Okay, guys! All right, I hate to do this. Blasters and badges. Come on. Give them up."

He fainted.

Hunk gave the group a nervous smile and held up his hands.

Pua watched as the two were apprehended and dragged away. He couldn't take all those guards on his own. Even if he could buy Hunk enough time to get his bayard again, they were both built for strength, not speed. They wouldn't be able to get away with Coran in tow. They needed help.

An idea occurred and Pua shot off after sending Hunk one last look. There was no one in Shay's home when he reached it, but he managed to track the girl's scent to where she and a few other unfamiliar Balmerans were being herded about. Pua was trying to figure out how to approach the girl when the sentinels did his job for him and separated the girl from the others. He wasn't close enough to hear what they said to her, but she headed off on her own.

He followed her until he was sure they were out of the sentinels' view.

~Shay,~ he called, slipping out of the shadows and to her side.

The Balmeran jumped and looked down at him. "You are Hunk's friend. I heard he was captured. Is that why you are small?"

~He was,~ Pua whined, then looked up at her with wide eyes. ~I need your help.~

She stared down at him in confusion.

He slipped ahead of her and sat in front of her, making her stop.

She tilted her head to the side. "You are… asking for my help?"

~Yes,~ he purred, walking over to nuzzle her.

Shay glanced around. "I can help. Follow."