Keith had never been to planet Sweden before.
But he's surely heard about it.
Kiree voice is over the comms of the ship, guiding them on where to land. He directs them to the emergency hangar where he'd escaped from. It's still open, as they had no time to close it on their exit.
Shiro lands them smoothly.
Hunk had been sick twice on the way there, but Pidge had figured out the location of the first aid and rations. She had Keith get the anti-nausea medication, being the only one equipped to read the language on the labels. Hunk was grateful for the pouch of juice that contained the medicine.
"Alright, everyone. Sound off. Pidge?"
"Pidge Holt, sounding off."
"Hunk Garette?"
"Hunk Garette, here and accounted for."
"Lance McClain?"
"That's 'Sharpshooter' to you." Lance made finger guns and clicked his tongue.
"Lance McClain?" Shiro was not impressed.
"Ugh, you military guys. Lance McClain, sounding off."
Shiro's voice softens by measures. "Keith Shirogane?" He says with the same awe and subtle giddiness that explodes in Keith every time he's called it.
"Keith Shirogane, sounding off."
They hear Allura through the communication systems in their helmets. She warns them to keep to the forests as much as possible, as it will boost Hunk, Lance, and Pidge's elements.
Keith smirks at hearing Lance grumble something. The man was regarding the princess with such adoration, Keith figured Lance didn't like her pointing his weakness.
"Most of these trees are burnt. There must have been a fire." Keith recoils as he touches a blackened lead, which crumbles beneath his fingers.
Lance stares hard at Keith.
They keep moving.
The base is a few hours deep into the forest. It borders the city and the protected lands. With their target in sight, they take a break to dip into their rations.
"Man, I am parched." Pidge accepts a juice pouch and slurps it with gusto.
"Here you go, Keith. You look flushed. Don't overdo it ok?" Shiro lays a pouch gently on Keith's lap. He's crouched on feet and at eye-level. He reaches his flesh-and-blood hand out to Keith's forehead, whom wants to swat it away, remark that he doesn't need coddling, but they're in company, and he does feel a bit whoozy.
"Man, ok, listen. I know they're the bad guys but check out that base. How they built that in the span of a week or two is an engineering marvel. I wonder if I we could get the schema-"
"Hunk." Pidge hisses. "Focus. We're here to get data on what happened to my da- to this planet."
Shiro warns them to keep it down or they'll be caught.
"Ok so here's the plan. Keith, you're gonna stay with Hunk and Pidge to keep watch, and clear out any sentries or soldiers in the way. Lance and I will patrol the outside of the tech rooms to keep you safe while you're in there. Remember, we don't know what level of security or importance this base has, so we have to be careful."
"But Shiro-"
"No 'but's, Keith."
He grits his teeth but accepts the orders.
The base is a large, metal encampment build in layers. The innermost layer houses the energy supply, second from that is the tech, where the computers and communications are. There's two layers out from that which house the sentries and guards. Allura's team is able to scan into it by a device Pidge placed down. There doesn't appear to be live Galra, and the gaps in he sentries provides a full three minutes of clearance for them to navigate from section to section.
They move quickly to their areas.
Keith is reluctant to part from Shiro, but he knows there isn't time enough to argue.
He moves first into the room, his blade drawn and at full length. Head whips side to side and, finding nothing, he waves the other two in.
Pidge takes her laptop out of her backpack and calls Keith over to read the script on the control panel. He locates for her the connection jack and she tugs it from its spot inside the base's computer and links it to her own. With fast fingers on her keyboard, she types and it echoes around the room.
"And, download is a go." She hits one last key and then sets the laptop down to watch the images loading through the screen.
Hunk is fixated on all of the cords that run up from the ground, to the ceiling, and into the power room.
Keith waits by the door, arms folded over his chest, blade pointing downward.
"Hey uh, Keith. About earlier. Y'know, with Lance? Well. For my people, the men are the ones who do the cooking. Food is kind of a big deal for us, too. So, it's actually honorable to be able to feed people. And I'm not sure if you've noticed yet but, in America, mainland America that is, women do the cooking. It's sort of thought of as..."
Hunk pauses, seeming to test out the words in his head before speaking.
"Demure? Anything considered female is really.. not recieved well either. So well, what I'm trying to say is. I get what it's like, being male and. Anyways, congratulations. I'm happy for you and your baby. It doesn't change who you are just because you can get pregnant."
Pidge's eyes and attention are on the screen.
"Thanks, Hunk." Keith smiles soft.
Keith hears a curse from outside the door and a screeching sound rattles through his head. His blade slips from his hands so he can raise them to cover his ears. He hisses.
Hunk and Pidge turn to him with confusion set in brow.
"Don't you hear that?" Keith is yelling to get his voice to carry over the noise.
They share a look and say something to each other, but he can't hear them. Keith figures they can't hear it.
The air of the door opening behind him lets him know they've called in the other two.
Keith knows he's screaming by now, the piercing sound causing pressure in his eardrums.
Hunk and Pidge rush over to the control panel and pull out every plug. Everything except the lights, which must be on a back-up generator, dies down.
The ringing lingers in his ears. He hears their voices as if through cotton.
All he hears is "sentries" and "Shiro... Keith."
His senses all cut out.