Title: Trinity

Chapter: 11

Summary: Pidge, Hunk, and Lance set out on a routine mission…who thinks that is going to end well?

Rated: T

Author's note: Set during season one - between Crystal Venom and Collection and Extraction

Pidge and Hunk were asleep when the door swung open and Lance was thrown in like a broken doll. His head connected hard with the cold floor and his body flopped bonelessly. Hunk scrambled over to him checking for a pulse. He found one beating all too fast against his fingers. The back of his shirt was burnt and there were burns on his shoulder blades, his hips, wrists and Pidge reported the bottom of his feet and ankles.

The only water they had left was Lance's portion to drink and they didn't have any way to bandage the wounds on his back, but they tried to get the others. Hunk tore strips from his pants and wrapped his wrists and ankles. Pidge ripped a strip from the bottom of her shirt and wrapped his feet.

He came to with a start as Hunk was tying off the bandage on his left wrist.

"Lance?" Pidge scooted up hear his head. "Can you hear me?"

"Yeah, PidgeyMcPigeon, how's the leg doing?" Lance asked turning his head her direction.

"My leg is the same. You're looking a little worse for the wear."

"You gotta be straight with me Pidge. Is my hair standing on end?" Lance smiled at her. It was what he did. He did not deal with the fact that he had never been in so much pain before in his entire life. He did not deal with the fact that he had really thought the General was going to kill him that last time. No. He made jokes and played the clown. It was his job, his role. Now if Pidge would fall into her role he would be fine.

"No stupid. You put so much hair product in it how could it possibly stand up." She grinned back at him and he felt himself relax. If they could do this, if they could be themselves then they could get out of this.

"Hey, I wish I could tell you I made you supper, but you'll have to deal with the gruel. Do you want your water separate or mixed in?" Hunk offered.

"In, please, waters down the taste a little." That wasn't the reason and they all knew it. Lance managed to get his food down and they bundled up against the cold in their corner. Lance didn't have the strength to move himself so Hunk drug him over.

"Seems like the temperature is back up some?" Lance asked huffing slightly from the pain of moving.

"Yeah, there isn't frost on the walls anymore. Maybe they realized we don't do well in cold storage." Hunk offered.

Lance snorted, "I think it's just part of their games. Did we find anything new today?"

They discussed the halls they had each been down. The room Pidge went to was to the left and then right and seemed to go further into the ship or base based on the noises around her. It was just louder in that area.

Lance had also gone to the left, but hadn't turned and just kept going down the long hall until the room was on the left. He told them he hadn't run into anyone else and it was quite. Hunk had gone to the right past the Hasran cells and then turned right again into the room. He had heard voices yelling and screaming from the room, but didn't know what it was exactly.

They agreed that Pidge's work timing seemed to be the easiest to predict and if possible would be the time to make their move. Maybe when the slave turtle brought their food, though they didn't want him to get punished because of them. There was still a lot more they needed to know before they made a break for it. Getting out of the cell would do them no good if they just got caught again.

They fell asleep leaning on each other. Pidge's hand clutched Lances' fingers, Lance buried his face in Hunk's shoulder, and Hunk wrapped his arm around Pidge's side.

Some four vargas later the two usual guards showed up for Pidge. She had more trouble getting up today, but the guards allowed Hunk to help her. Lance had tried to get up too, but Pidge waved him off with a frown. He needed more sleep and she could handle this with Hunk's help.

Lance's right calf had started cramping shortly after Pidge left and it took nearly fifteen dobashes for Hunk to work the knot out of his muscle. He made a mental note to get more water into Lance's soup tonight, the abuse was taking it's toll on him and dehydration would only make it worse. He had finally soothed Lance back to sleep when the door opened.

Malak himself along with two guards stood in the hall.

"I see. You are the Paladin's protector aren't you? Come out now." The guards pointed their weapons at Hunk. He stood, gently resting Lance's head back in the blankets. He made his way to the door. One of the guards put down his weapon and grabbed a pair of leg irons. The other guard put his weapon in Hunk's face while the irons were attached.

"Follow me." Malak walked to the right and led Hunk past the Hasran cells. They went past the room he had been in before and turned right at another main hallway. Hunk looked to the left and the hallway ended in a large door. Hanger, his mind hoped, but he had no way to know for sure. The hall he was led down was broad and there were many doors off of it. He passed one that was open and he could see a group of Galra soldiers inside. The sounds of screaming echoed out of another one. They turned into another door to the right, This one led through a row of single cells. They were all filled with prisoners or slaves, one to a cell. He was placed in the last cell.

Malak grinned at him through the bars.

"Yesterday you learned the consequence of not following orders. Today, I will test your strength in battle. You will fight in our arena. While our arena is not as large or as vaunted as the one in Zarkon's ship we have trained many a warrior to send to the larger arena's. Though we have never trained one who held such a reputation as the Champion. I have always wondered if it was his species that made him so successful or just him. Now I will have the chance to find out."

"I won't fight." Hunk stated.

"You will, or I will have the small one with the leg wound killed. She is of no consequence and I can easily have her replaced in the assembly room." Malak didn't even pause, he must have anticipated Hunk's refusal.

"If you lose your fight, you will likely die. If you win your fight I will provide you with a healing salve. It will likely be of benefit after your fight. Today you will be fighting five droids. You will enter the arena with no weapons or shields." Malak hummed as he looked Hunk over. "I'm not sure if I am looking forward more to training you or seeing you die. It will amuse me to find out which."

Hunk glared at Malak as he walked away. He really hated that guy.

Pidge found herself seated next to Kay again. The older Hasran smiled at her when she sat down. When they started work and the main guy had left, she whispered to Pidge.

"My granddaughter was much better this morning. I can not repay you."

"Maybe you can." Pidge whispered back. "Do you know where we are? I was taken from a ship into a room. I don't even know if I'm a ship or a planet."

"A moon." Kay answered. "It's a moon of the seventh planet in our system. It is a military base. There is a Hasran mining colony on the planet below. Our colony has been trading with them for over a 100 decopheebs."

Pidge nodded taking in the knowledge.

"The colony provided them with metal ore and they provided us with space vessels that were better, faster than ours." Kay sighed and looked regretful. "The leadership overlooked who the Galra were because they had received so much from the alliance. They were wrong to do so."

"It wouldn't be the first time in history that happened," Pidge muttered, filing away the knowledge for any future dealing with the Hasrans.

"When the General here heard that there was a Paladin of Voltron coming to trade with our primary planet he came under the guise of negotiations. He brought two battle cruisers. They destroyed two farming camps and took fifty children from a government sponsored school. He knew many of the government officials sent their own children and grandchildren to our school."

Kay's breath hitched and her fingers slowed over the shield device. "I tried to stop them, but it was useless. They held us on a ship and forced the officials to set the trap for you. Once you were captured they landed and released half of the children but even that was a trick, he used it as a way to gather a crowd and was able to grab over 200 more of our people from the city. He declared himself the ruler of our planet and colonies. I think General Zantier has visions of being greater than a general of a small out of the way military base."

"You know a lot for a slave?" Pidge was distrustful of getting so much for what seemed like a small thing.

"I was the headmistress of the school. My son, was the Vice Governor of our planet."

Pidge finished the shield device in front of her and swapped it to Kay, "Pretend to keep working on that." She begin piecing together the one that Kay had started. Pulling off the pieces that were wrong and sticking them under the rope holding her pants up when no one was looking. She was even cautious not to let Kay see. She wasn't ready to wholesale trust her, it seemed a little too good to be true after everything else.