A/N: Happy Easter everyone! Shoutout to Runereader of the Nightwings! Thanks for the review!

**I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender

Scarlett didn't know how long she had been sitting in front of a screen, her fingers flying across a keyboard and stringing together line after line of intricate coding. Thanks to the intel of the several Blade of Marmora spies, she'd acquired plenty of knowledge concerning the set ups of the various systems used by the empire. She incorporated layers upon layers of barrier protocols and adjustments for as many countermeasures as she could. This virus had to be perfect. It had to be so complex and deeply layered so that it was powerful enough to not only completely shut down the entirety of the Galra command ship's systems (including all the armies of sentries and warships) but it had to keep them offline for a very long while as well. With their defenses down like this, it was the only way Voltron would be able to take down Zarkon's empire for good.

Finally, it was finished. The completed virus – imbued with all her hatred towards Zarkon and the Galra empire and her desire for vengeance for Ulaz's death – was a violent cesspool of deeply complicated and malevolent code. It was like a living labyrinth, carefully webbed together with millions of twists and turns and steps to take. It was any hacker's dream or worst nightmare depending on if they were on the receiving end or not. She was sure it would make a wonderfully beautiful mess out of Zarkon's systems.

Scarlett laughed giddily, a shrill if not mildly manic sound, and sat back in satisfaction. "Yes! Perfect!" she grinned just as the door to the room she'd been working in opened. A stream of light poured into the darkness and her giggles were cut short as she squinted at her interrupter. It was Coran.

"Scarlett! You've been holed up in here for nearly two days!" he scolded. "Didn't I tell you to take a break? Please tell me you've at least slept and eaten something."

"It's okay, Coran," she promised and she dismissively gestured to a few empty packs of junk food and water littered around her desk before pointing to her screen. "I did it! I finished the virus."

His eyes brightened at the news. "Really? Fantastic!" he exclaimed. "We'll transfer it to the Castle's systems immediately."

"How's the teludav building going?"

"It's almost done. And the princess and the paladins are on their way here as we speak."

When their team arrived on Olkarion, they hurried to meet them. Scarlett was relieved to see everyone back in one piece, and as they relayed their adventures, including an unexpected battle with a thought-to-be-dead robeast on the Balmera, she was silently grateful for how simple and easy her respective task had been.

While the Olkari went to work incorporating the Balmeran crystal and scaultrite into the teludav, Scarlett reluctantly assisted Slav in the construction of a new gravity generator. Due to his micro-managing and nit-picky nature and paranoia, it took three times longer than it should have to make it. By the end of it all, Scarlett was ready to pull her antennae out and strangle him with them.

When she was finally able to return to her room on the Castle, exhausted but satisfied nonetheless, it was well into the night. With everyone asleep, the halls of the majestic Altean ship were dim and quiet; not even a single space mouse was stirring. But as Scarlett passed the observation deck, she noticed that the door was left wide open. When she peeked inside, she was surprised to see Mari sitting there on the floor all by herself. She was wrapped up in a blanket, knees hugged to her chest and head resting on top of them as she gazed out the window at the star-filled sky.

"Can't sleep?" Scarlett whispered, entering the room.

Mari looked over her shoulder and a tiny smile graced her features. "Yeah," she said, just as quietly. "Did you finish the generator?"

"Mhm. Nearly killed Slav in process, but we finally managed to get it done." She sat down next to the human, their shoulders just barely touching. They were quiet as they took in the twinkling scenery outside.

"Olkarion really is a neat place," she said, breaking the silence. "It definitely lives up to all of Pidge's hype."

Mari nodded in agreement. "I'm glad I finally got to visit, if only for a little while."

There was more silence as they took in the view.

"You nervous about the plan?" she finally asked.

"A little bit," Scarlett admitted. "But I trust the paladins. You guys worked hard, I think we're well prepared for what comes next."

Mari's face seemed to fall. "Everything's really falling into place then," she said in a sort of sad finality. "Tomorrow, this whole war will be over."

"As long as everything goes according to plan, yeah."

"Then…then what, exactly?" Mari wondered. "What happens after that?"

"The universe won't need Voltron anymore."

"So what? We just go home and return to our normal lives?"

Scarlett sighed. She'd never experienced a sense of normality. To her, there was no such thing as a peaceful and normal lifestyle. And with her planet wiped out and Ulaz gone, she didn't have anywhere to return to. She didn't even know where Immea was or if the Blade of Marmora would continue operating after the war. She supposed she could stay with Allura and Coran for a while, help the universe recover from Zarkon's millennia of tyranny. And maybe she could travel to Earth someday, if she was permitted.

"You could do that," she said, casting the older girl a curious glance. "But you sound like you don't want to."

Mari didn't respond for a long moment. Her head tilted down so that she was looking at her slippers instead of the stars. "I don't want to leave," she confessed, her voice so soft Scarlett could hardly hear it. "There's so much I still want to explore. And I'm still owed more flight lesson. I want to fly and hang out with you and Allura and the others. But I feel like – like I don't have any real purpose in staying here. I'm not a paladin or a diplomat. I can't pilot a lion or fly the Castle or make genius inventions to help everyone. I knew going in that I wouldn't be able to do as much as the others, but I kept telling myself that I was needed here. But right now, when everything's ending, I just…I feel so useless."

Her eyes were watery but she wasn't crying. Still, seeing Mari so lost and self-conscious when she was usually so guarded and sassy and indifferent made Scarlett's heart ache.

"You know what I did in the weblum?" she continued, an angry bitterness seeping into her tone. "I helped gather and bag the scaultrite, but that was it. And then I gave some of it to a Galra soldier. What I've done is nothing compared to Hunk risking his life for us, or the others breaking into a high tech prison, or you single-handedly creating a virus to shut down Zarkon's whole ship. I couldn't even kill that monster on the Balmera the first time around. I shot its head off and it still revived."

Scarlett netted her fingers together as she tried to find the right words to console her. "True, you probably shouldn't have given them that scaultrite. Allura was pretty mad about that," she ventured slowly, breaking it down bit by bit. "But you were just repaying their help. And you had good intentions in mind. You were just keeping yourself, Keith, and the rest of the scaultrite safe. Besides, we're trying to keep a more open mind about the Galra, right? We should help people in need, and you doing that is a testament to your kindness.

"And while you aren't a paladin or a magical Altean or a mega-cool super genius like me, you're still an amazing fighter. You're stubborn, determined, and you help keep the team together and you put the guys in their place. And that robeast on the Balmera? Well, no one expects you to be able to kill a monster created by Haggar herself all on your own. Even Voltron has trouble fighting them. I guess my point is – " Scarlett turned to face the Earthling girl. "– we all have things that only we can do that others can't. And sometimes, we just have to sit back and accept that."

Mari sniffled and stared at the Utearen, absorbing her words. "When did you get so wise?" she finally asked.

"I've always been this smart," Scarlett gloated, sitting up straighter. "I'm brimming with wisdom, in fact. You just haven't cared to notice."

"Sorry, you just act like a silly fourteen-year old all the time. It's hard to remember you're actually a genius."

Scarlett pouted and Mari grinned. At least she was smiling again. "Yeah? Well, don't you forget it," she huffed. She stared out the window again before continuing. "If you're still set on being a pilot, you could always go back home and finish your training. I'm sure your parents will be more than willing to let you once they see that Shiro's alive and well. Or if you really don't want to leave space yet, you can just stay out here with me for a while. I get the feeling there'll still be a lot of clean up to do once the Galra empire falls…I could build you a ship and we could fly around exploring and helping people who've been affected by the war."

Mari's eyes widened and they seemed to sparkle as brightly as the stars. "You'd build me a ship?" she repeated. "Seriously?"

Scarlett nodded. "Yep. With the right materials, I could totally do it." She'd never designed a ship before, but the idea was intriguing and she'd given it some thought in the past. "Would be about the size of a fighter, but it would be endlessly fueled by a Balmeran crystal. It would be slick, fast, and pack a punch in terms of endurance and firepower. It'd be perfect for someone like you to handle."

A rush of excitement crossed over Mari's face. She couldn't seem to stop smiling at the thought of such an alluring hypothetical ship. And it'd be all hers too. "Would you really make it for me?" she asked, a hint of doubt in her voice.

Now even Scarlett was starting to feel excited about it. Mental images of possible designs began to formulate in her head, but she quickly tucked them away for now. She didn't want to get either of their hopes up yet. "If we live through tomorrow and can safely return to Olkarion, I'll do it," she decided. "But you can't rush me. And you have to become a proper pilot by the time it's done. I'm not handing over a complex machine to someone who's untrained."

"Deal!" Mari exclaimed, and without warning, she pulled Scarlett into a warm embrace. "I'm holding you to your word." The physical contact made it hard for her to keep herself inside her own head, but she couldn't help it when a few images of Mari's memories trickled into her mind. They were all of events from the weblum: the rescue of the Galra pilot, the collection of the scaultrite, Keith's furious look of betrayal when she handed a bag of it to the Galra and how he had a cold attitude towards her throughout the rest of the day. An unsettling, heavy sensation of emptiness gnawed at Scarlett's insides, but whether these were Mari's feelings or her own, she couldn't tell. She pulled away before she could see anymore.

"You're a tight hugger," she wheezed and Mari chuckled. "You feeling a bit better?"

The human girl nodded. "I think so," she said. Her eyes were still glimmering with newfound eagerness. "Thank you, Scarlett."

Scarlett shrugged. No one in this world is useless. It was something Ulaz had always said to her, especially when Blades were sent off on dangerous missions and never returned. He himself had demonstrated this long ago when he'd taken her in: she who initially couldn't provide anything to the stiff and secretive Blade of Marmora until Ulaz nurtured her and gave her the chance for her mind, body, and abilities to grow and develop. And now here she was, using her skills to fight evil and help her friends. Everyone has their own parts to play; they just have to be given enough time and have enough patience to find their purpose.

She diverted her gaze back to the stars. They seemed dim now in comparison. "You're welcome, Mari."

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