Summary: Kagome, a sweet and caring girl who was destined to fall into the past at the young age of 15, is now a cadet at the Galaxy Garrison. Without warning, she's swept up in a new adventure with a new team. Her docile nature is shed away and is replaced by a trained warrior. Inherently strong and a formidable force to be reckoned with, she's not what her appearance makes her out to be.
Pairing: [Endgame] Kagome x Keith; lots of minor shipping, though.
Disclaimer: I do not own either series. Each belongs to their rightful owners.
Chapter Ten
With the rest of the Paladins and Allura having left the Bridge already, that left Kagome and Coran behind. The others hadn't heard her question, and they all seemed oblivious to the prior words the corrupted AI of King Alfor had said in the aftermath of the entire situation. They probably assumed it to be nothing more than disjointed words caused by the corrupted crystal.
Kagome turned from the exit everyone else had taken, her eyes landing on Coran as he waited for her to come join him. She stepped up to him, stopping short a few paces.
"Before we start, there's something I'd like to show you, Kagome," Coran said once she'd settled her attention on him. Kagome gave a curious hum, but she still nodded a second later.
"Okay," she said. "What is it?"
"Come with me," Coran said as he motioned for her to fall in step with him, and she did. It was silent as they left the Bridge and went to a place none of the others seemed to have gone. They walked for a few long minutes before he finally came to a halt outside a closed door. She caught a flash of hesitation as it raced across his features, but before she could say anything, that glimpse was gone and he'd opened the door. When he turned to motion for her to follow, Kagome pushed herself to move, and she stepped into the dusty room right after him.
The light came on, and Kagome automatically let her gaze flitter across the room, taking in the full scenery it had. The decor was minimalistic, a small table against the back wall with only two chairs on opposite sides, both pushed back up to the table after they'd last been occupied. A couple of books resided on the table, the text on the covers written in a language unfamiliar to her. Despite that, she was able to tell it was Altean.
"Pardon the dust," Coran said after a few seconds of silence. Kagome turned back to him, watching as he turned to face her. "This room has been closed since it happened," he said then, downcasting his gaze as he sighed. "Since her death, I should say."
Kagome glanced around her, unease mounting when a faint pang of recollection raced through her. This room… it felt so familiar. She hid the unease that realization brought well, keeping her expression calm as she nodded in understanding. "What is this room?" she asked.
Coran smiled. "Azilu would often hide away in here when she wanted to tune out the others," he said with a light chuckle. "No one but she knew of its existence. Well, not until Trigel stumbled upon it with her inside," he said, and Kagome could spot the faint sheen of moisture in his eyes. "Oh, King Alfor would search high and low for her, only for her to pop up behind him and scare him any chance she got. I-It was quite funny, you see-" Coran said, continuing to ramble. Kagome smiled and nodded, listening as he spoke. Though it seemed so random of a memory, she didn't have the heart to ask him to stop- especially when it seemed so fond to him. "Oh," he said, shaking his head, "seems I've gone off on a tangent, haven't I?"
Kagome smiled. "No, no, it's okay," she said, her voice reassuringly gentle. "I don't mind a single bit, Coran." Stars above knew that she had countless good memories of people no longer beside her, and she understood, probably better than anyone, how nice it felt to relive those special memories with another person you cared for, even if they might not have known them. "I-It's nice to share the past with the present," she said softly. "Those who aren't remembered eventually fade away, so it's always important to remember the ones you cared for every moment you can."
Coran remained silent after she stopped speaking, and she started to worry she might've said something weird. Before she could ask if he was okay, he met her gaze with a tearful smile. She realized then that he was barely holding himself together, and she took a step towards him. She rested a palm on his arm and offered him a gentle, comforting smile.
He reached up and patted the hand that now rested on his arm, and he chuckled warmly. A second passed, and he glanced at the table behind them. "Well, why don't we sit down?"
Kagome smiled and nodded. "Sure, that sounds great."
The pair settled down at the table, Kagome on one side and Coran on the other. Once they were seated, Kagome noticed Coran was tapping softly on the table. In the silence around them, she reached for the book closest and lifted the cover, gazing curiously at the text inside. She gently ran her other hand over the surface of the first page, tracing unfamiliar symbols with her fingers.
"So," she began, looking for something to say to fill the sudden silence between them. She let the book close again as she glanced back up at Coran. "You said Azilu made this room her personal hideout until Trigel found out?" she asked, and he nodded to confirm her words. "Who was Trigel?"
"Lady Trigel of the Dalterion Belt," he said. "She was the Green Lion's original Paladin." Kagome nodded as she absorbed that information. "She, according to Azilu, caught her when she snuck away," he said with a chuckle. "After that, it became their hideout away from the others. No one knew what they'd talk about while in here. No one ever found out, either."
Kagome smiled. It felt a little weird to be in here. She closed her eyes, hiding a sigh as she did so. Any sign of life that had once been in here was gone- deteriorated away due to the many, many years that had gone by without anyone so much as coming near the room. Still, she could envision that figure she knew from the glimpses of memories she'd been exposed to. She'd sit here, in the same spot she was in, reading or napping away in the solitude. Then when the second figure- one she didn't know how she looked- came to join her, it swapped from that comfortable solitude to a different type of comfort- the peace that came with confiding in a friend away from everyone else.
This had been a safe space for Azilu.
It was where she could detach from her strength and just be who she was on the inside.
"Azilu was very close to King Alfor." Coran began to speak again, and Kagome turned her head instantly to look back at him. "They grew up together, and, as such, they'd been friends since the earliest days of their childhood." He paused for a moment and smiled. "Even from a young age, Azilu was considered skilled and powerful in alchemic magic. To many, she was truly a prodigy at it, and, because of that, many people anticipated- expected, even- great things out of her." His expression shifted some as he sighed. "Being as young as she was, that sort of pressure on her shoulders weighed her down quite a bit. With King Alfor, she didn't have to worry about all of that, no," he said, "all she had to worry about during those moments were being a friend and enjoying the time she spent free from those expectations."
Kagome was silent as she let that information ingrain itself into her mind. Coran paused for a moment as if to collect his thoughts, and he glanced down at the table, looking away from her for a moment.
"Azilu grew up in the care of her older brother, Ciyras. Believe me when I say, Ciyras utterly adored her. She was his entire world and he'd do just about anything he could for her. Their parents died when she was still young, and she often always claimed to have very few memories of them." He paused and sighed. "Ciyras… as much as he loved her, he, just like many others, expected great things for her future. As she grew older, those beliefs of his put a slight wedge between them. They reconciled eventually, but there was a long period of time where she distanced herself from him."
Kagome glanced down at her hands with a somber nod of her head. Hearing those words left a pang of pain within her chest. She understood why she had the habit of hiding away in this room. From such a young age, she was seen as strong. This was the only place she could let that facade fall and let her vulnerabilities show. She didn't have to worry about amounting to everyone's ideal view of her and her prowess. She could merely exist in her own confines. She could allow those sides she harbored to slip free, no matter how short it lasted, without fear of people scolding her and telling her she should be more- that she would be more.
Kagome lifted a hand and rested it on her chest, her brows furrowed slightly.
It was as if she could feel what Azilu had felt, and she was able to recognize the feeling well.
The fear of letting down the people you care for. The weight of a burden you never chose. The desire to be free and to be able to allow the true colors within your heart to show. The yearning to be able to choose your own destiny.
She understood it all.
Her heart broke for Azilu, it truly did. She wasn't some great savior or warrior to be hailed as something more. She was just a simple Altean woman who was unlucky enough to be born with the powers she had. She never chose it. She did what she could with the cards she had been dealt, holding back everything that might make her seem less, even at the risk of her own emotional and mental well-being.
She rose to be the image she was told to be, what she was believed to be, but even then… nothing turned out right. She lived her life appeasing the image everyone else believed, abiding by it and concealing everything else deep inside her. Death freed her from it, but what kind of freedom was that?
"..." she was silent, feeling Coran's gaze lingering on her. To her surprise, she felt something wet slide down the sides of her face. When she raised a hand to feel it, she was shocked to realize she had started crying. She finally realized her vision had blurred, and she lifted her other hand to wipe the other side of her face. Without warning, more tears fell to replace the first ones. They seemed to fall without end, and her heart clenched in suffering agony.
"K-Kagome?" Coran's voice was flooded with surprise as she heard his chair scrape the floor as he pushed it back some. He stood up and came to stand at her side, kneeling a second later with a hand resting comfortingly on her shoulder. "Oh dear…" he trailed off, thoughtful worry in his tone as he patted her shoulder. "I'm sorry that this has upset you so much." That hadn't been his intention, but he had failed to recall just how warm-hearted Kagome was. Of course, something like this would hurt her so...
"I-It's not that," she sniffled, lowering her hands to her lap as her tears kept falling. There was no point in trying to wipe them away when more just kept coming. "I-I don't know why I'm crying, really," she said. "I can… I just…" She shook her head, tightening her grip on her clothes as she pulled back into herself. "I know how awful she must've felt." She watched her knuckles turn white as her grip remained stiff and tight, a dull ache starting in her fingers. Still, she didn't let her grip go slack. It was all she could do to keep from breaking apart as if she were nothing more than a fragile ornament broken one too many times already. "I…- I've told you guys about my past," she said, her tone nothing more than a whisper. Coran nodded. "I understand, all too well, the way Azilu felt during her days. It's such an awful feeling…"
Coran offered her a gentle smile as he slowly rose to stand beside her. "Kagome, look at me," he said. After a few seconds, she eventually rose her gaze enough to meet his stare. "You've endured more than others can imagine, and now you're still suffering through much more. I'll never doubt that you know just how Azilu felt," he said. "However, I want you to know that she was content. She found peace in helping people, just as you have. She was warm, compassionate, and a friend to everyone." He sighed and patted her shoulder a few more times. "What I know is that she'd never want someone crying for her like this. She was happiest when everyone around her was happy. She found peace when she saw others living so happily."
"I…-"
"She believed that death wouldn't be her end," he said softly. "She was confident that it'd only be her beginning. It was an ending to one book, but a beginning to a brand new story to be told." He glanced at the books on the table, smiling softly as he did. "And I… I'd rather choose to believe she was right. After all," he said, glancing back at Kagome with that same smile on his face, "she often was."
A smile came to rest on her face as she absorbed his words. It sounded so hopeful, and it made her heart feel warm at the thought. Yes, she knew, Azilu had been right. An end is always a new beginning. She nodded, her eyes slipping closed as a peaceful expression took over her face. "She was right," she said after a few seconds. Coran hummed curiously upon hearing her gentle response.
Her eyes slowly opened to meet his own, but she didn't say much else. She met his curiosity with a smile and a gentle shake of her head as if to tell him, without speaking, not to mind her words. He obliged, his eyes taking on a slight twinkle as he nodded.
"So, would you like to hear more?" he asked, and she nodded readily.
"I'd like to hear as much as you feel like sharing with me," she said before she paused. Kagome was silent for a brief moment and her smile shifted into a joyous one. "Let's remember her together."
Coran smiled in response to her gentle words, a mix of happy and fond emotions in his eyes. "I couldn't have said it better if I tried."
Night had fallen, and everyone had retired to their rooms for the night with the agreement to meet up first thing tomorrow to go over what they might've gotten from Sendak's memories.
Kagome was silent as she laid on her bed, her gaze fixed on the ceiling above her. Her conversation with Coran was still weighing heavily in her mind, making it hard for her to get some rest, no matter how tired she felt. Her expression contorted into an unreadable one as she rolled over onto her side, sinking her fingers into the pillow her head rested on as a shadow loomed over her face.
She didn't know if she was cut out for all of this again. It was too late to make that decision, she knew that, but she couldn't shake that feeling. Tears stung in her eyes but she held them at bay as if her life depended on it. She could be strong when she had to be. She could fight when others depended on it. She could protect anyone she had to until she met her demise.
She could do all that and more, and very easily, but, deep down, all she wanted was to go home. This… This was nothing like her Feudal Days. During those days, she could always run home to the safety of her mother's arms when it got to be too much. She couldn't do that here.
"I… I don't know if I'm cut out for another war…" she whispered in the silence of her room. Those words were meant for no one else to hear. Those words were spoken out loud just so she wouldn't have to keep them buried inside as she felt like she was drowning in everything.
Of course, she'd fight. She'd fight against whoever she had to. She'd do all she could to ensure her teammates would live to see another day. She wouldn't ever dare leave them to handle this fate all on their own.
She'd fight to be sure they never had to learn how to always be ready for another fight the next day. She'd fight so that one day, her newfound friends might be able to find peace and quiet. She'd be strong for as long as she could, no matter the sacrifices she had to make.
She was used to the feeling of always being ready for a fight. The jewel was forever with her, and she'd never be free from its hold for as far as she knew. It might've once fallen into a dormant state before all of this, but now that meant nothing at all. It was a problem all over again, and she, once again, had to forever keep her guard up in order to keep it safe.
She pushed herself up into a seated position as that thought loomed in her head, her vision blurred from scathing tears.
She hated this feeling.
She hated being so afraid. She hated how powerless it made her feel. No matter how strong she was, the fear continued to eat at her.
Naraku was a demon that forever lurked in her darkest, deepest memories. She'd told her friends about him and what he'd done, but they had no genuine idea how bad he'd actually been. They had no way to know just how malicious he…-
Her expression shifted as she pushed herself onto her knees, gazing down at her legs tucked beneath her. She shook her head, stifling a weak, humorless laugh.
"Sesshoumaru would be so ashamed if he could hear my thoughts right now…" she mumbled to herself, her voice as weak as her laugh had been. She really didn't sound like the girl who'd learned to surpass him in his tutelage. She no longer sounded like the girl he'd trained and passed his knowledge onto.
If anything, she was starting to sound like that girl she'd been when she first got yanked into the past by Mistress Centipede.
He'd give her utter hell if he could hear her now, she knew it. Inuyasha just might join up with his agreement, for the first time ever for the half-brothers.
"It has to be the lack of sleep talking," she mumbled to herself, pinning her thoughts on her sleep-addled brain. She nodded, as if answering and agreeing with herself.
Yes, it had to be.
She'd done this all before, and she could do it again. She was strong, and fear had no place inside her heart.
She had to be the strong one here. There was no other option. The rest needed someone who was able to help them get through this, and she'd be that person even if it brought her to her demise.
She brushed those thoughts from her mind and settled back down, closing her eyes as her head rested on her pillow. Sleep seemed to evade her, but maybe she'd be lucky before the night was up.
She was awoken the following morning by Kirara nudging her cheek with her nose. Kagome moved sluggishly, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from her eyes with a curious hum.
Though she wasn't quite sure when, she must've fallen asleep at some point. She felt a bit better, at least. A knock on her door startled her, and she glanced up towards it as she recognized the aura. She was quiet for a moment before softly calling out, "come in" to the figure on the other side.
Her door opened, revealing Shiro standing just outside it. He glanced in, offering her a smile as he did. She returned it out of habit, burying everything else deep inside her so it wouldn't surface back up any time soon. If he saw through her smile or not, he gave no indication either way.
"What are you doing here?" she asked as she got up from her bed, lifting a hand and combing through her messy hair. She'd neglected to put it up last night, and her rest showed in it. Kirara bounded towards him and leaped up onto his shoulder without hesitation.
"I wanted to ask how you were feeling," he said, and Kagome blinked in confusion. Shiro's smile shifted some as he looked her over. "I figured you might have an easier time answering if it's just us."
Kagome stifled a laugh at his dry tone. "If you're worried about me, don't be," she said as she worked on combing out her hair. "I'm pretty tough for someone so little, you know."
"I know you are," he responded, and her smile grew a fraction. "I just want to be sure. You don't need to push yourself if you need some more rest. We all understand, if that's the case."
Kagome turned her back to him and slipped her shirt off. She was comfortable in his presence enough to strip from her outer layer in front of him. He didn't respond any as she discarded it. Her long hair hid most of her turned figure, anyway. "I appreciate the gesture, but I promise I'm fine," she said. She moved, and a section of her hair shifted to expose a long scar along her back. He caught sight of it. He made no move to mention it, but he couldn't help but wonder how she'd gotten it.
Had it been old, or was it recently gained during the explosion?
She turned, moving her arms up to obstruct her chest from view. As she did, he could spot a glimpse of an odd-looking, starburst-shaped scar on her hip- where the jewel she wore had been torn from her. She met his gaze. Her blue eyes were guarded, yet they were still the same kind ones he knew.
"Tell me," she began as she looked up at him. "Tell me just what you see when you look at me."
Her words stunned him. Or maybe it was her tone that did it. There was something more to it. Her eyes shone a bit stronger than usual, and it almost look like she was close to tears, if not for the gentle smile and warm radiance shining in blue depths.
"Kagome?"
"Do you see someone who's afraid? Lost and vulnerable?" She ignored his confusion, glancing down at the floor between them. She felt her heart screaming at her to stop and to tell him to just brush her prior statement off, but she ignored it. "Or could it be you see someone who's scars tell a story?" Her brows furrowed, a frustrated expression contorting her face, hidden by the shroud of her bangs. "Please, I need to know."
She needed to know. What did others see when they saw her? She no longer felt like herself. It was like she was slipping away, and it was painful. She didn't want to be scared. She couldn't be scared.
She needed to be strong.
She needed to be-
"I don't see any of that," he finally said something. "All I see in front of me is you, Kagome." Her eyes widened, but she hid her surprise as a small smile bloomed on her face. His response sounded so… so comforting. It was reassuring. He smiled at her. "I know you well enough to know that you can't be defined so easily, and I like you that way."
She was silent for a moment as his words sank in. She tightened the grip she had on her arms and sigh as she shifted her weight on her feet. His answer made her feel better, oddly enough. It might not have been what she'd expected to hear- or what she necessarily wanted to be told, but it'd made her feel at ease all the same. "... thank you," she finally managed to say. She felt his aura brighten at her gentle response.
Kagome turned away from him before either of them said anything else as she returned her focus to getting dressed to go meet up with the others. "You go ahead," she said. "I'll join as soon as I'm ready."
"I… Right," Shiro said. She could sense in his aura that there was more that he wished to say, but he held it back. She felt the worried smile he glanced at her with, but she paid it no mind. Before he left, she glanced over his shoulder, a kind, reassuring smile in place.
"Really, I'm fine," she said, her tone soft and almost fragile.
She'd endure and persevere.
She joined up with the rest, a genial smile on her face like she so often wore. Just like that, she seemed to be back to her normal self on the outside, her smile giving no indication of her heavy heart.
She'd neglected to put her hair up yet again, letting her long locks cascade freely against the back of her armor.
She'd been the last to show up, and she realized why Shiro had come to get her. Kagome came to a halt with the rest, an apologetic gleam in her eyes.
"Sorry to keep everyone waiting," she said. "It seems I'm still on the mend energy-wise," she added.
Allura glanced at her with a smile. "I'm glad you were able to join us, anyway," she responded. "Somewhere inside Sendak's memories should be the inside information we will be able to use to take down Zarkon's forces," she said, glancing over her shoulder. "We all should be here when going through this."
Kagome nodded. "Well, let's get to it then."
The computer's beeping was background noise to the group surrounding it.
"I don't think your father would exactly approve of going through the memories of an enemy," Coran said. Allura downcast her gaze with a nod.
"I… I know," she said, her tone strained. "We have to do everything it takes to take down Zarkon," she said. "Even through means such as these…"
Lance nodded, setting his hands on his hips. "As soon as we learn his weaknesses, we'll be able to march up to him and challenge him to a fight. Boom! Winner gets the universe."
Kagome glanced at him, reaching and patting his shoulder. "I'm not sure if that's how things will go down." It wouldn't be that easy.
Shiro looked away from them, turning his focus to Pidge, who was going over the things being displayed on the computer. "Is there anything useful yet, Pidge?"
She looked up at him. "Well, we only have bits and pieces."
"We need something to work with, at least," Keith said. "Right now we don't even have a decent map of the universe."
Lance peered around Kagome to glance at him. "Please, we don't need a map," he said. "I could fire my bayard at any random point and I'd hit a Galra ship."
Shiro folded his arms over his chest, a thoughtful gleam flashing through his eyes. "If we could manage to find troop locations or supply routes. Small targets we could hit and run, then we could start to free planets one at a time. Not much, but it'd be a start, at least."
"That's boring," Lance sighed. "I want the big kaboom."
Shiro shook his head. "Zarkon's been building his empire for ten-thousand years," he said. "There's no way we'll be able to take it down overnight with a bunch of inexperienced pilots and a single support ship. It'd be a huge mistake to hit him where he lives right off the bat."
Kagome nodded, a thoughtful hum coming from her. "Shiro's right," she said, her resolute tone calling attention to her. "We don't have anywhere near enough allies to go up against an entire army on our own right now." She closed her eyes, thinking carefully. "We're up against someone much bigger than us, and we have to use strategy to end up on top."
"I've cross-referenced Sendak's memories with that info I got from the downed ship from back on Arus," Pidge said. "A lot of it is a garbled mess, but the phrase 'Universal Station' is mentioned a bunch of times."
"Universal Station?" Hunk repeated the words, his brows furrowing. "Like a station that controls the whole universe?"
Pidge shrugged. "Well, we're translating from Galra. It could also be 'Galactic Hub.'"
"Or 'Space Base!'" Lance exclaimed, and the rest only glanced at him with a mix of expressions. A few seconds passed and he folded his arms back over his chest. "What?"
He was ignored as Coran began to mess around with the controls. "I'm pulling up the location of your Universal Hub Station Base on our screens now," he said, his title for it a jumble of everyone else's.
Lance peered up at the screens, tilting his head to the side. "So, where it is at?"
"I'm not sure," Coran responded. "Our long-range sensors aren't able to detect anything at the coordinates we have."
"You think he might've remembered it wrong?" Keith asked.
"Maybe, maybe not," Kagome responded. She recalled Sendak well, but she wished she didn't. "For such a proud warrior, I doubt that'd be the case for Sendak."
"We might've just found the location for a top-secret base hidden in Sendak's memories," Pidge said.
Allura set her hands on her hips, thin brows arched. "Well, there's only one way to know for sure," she said. "We're going to take a look for ourselves."
With nothing else to do but wait, Kagome settled down in a seated position. There was no telling how long it might take to reach the coordinates they were off to. Kirara came over and joined her, settling down on her lap and curling up into a ball to doze off in the meantime.
000
"Alright, we should be close enough that we can get a good scan, but still far enough away to avoid being spotted," Allura said. Her voice called the rest's attention to her, and they all reformed into a group from their scattered positions.
On the screen, they were able to see the location in question.
"It appears the gravitation between the two planets it's stationed between warps the electron emission spectrum enough to prevent the planet it's constructed on from appearing on deep space scanners," Coran said.
"So, the only way to find it is to know where you need to look in the first place," Pidge said.
"This place must handle shipments from all over the Galra Empire," Shiro said, and Pidge glanced over her shoulder to look at him.
"If this is one big airport where a bunch of shipments are dealt with, how come it's so out of the way and hidden? You figure they'd go an easier route for that," she said, her confusion seeping into her tone.
Shiro nodded. "There has to be more than what we can see," he said.
Allura gave a sound of agreement. "Then, we'd better go down and take a look." She zoomed in on one part of the station. "We'll have to enter through this point," she said. "The central control building."
Kagome glanced at Allura at hearing her words, and, for a moment she caught Keith's stare as they shared a confused look. He looked towards her.
"I'm sorry, Princess, did you say 'we'?"
Allura looked at him and nodded. "Of course I'm going with you," she said, her tone firm and resolute. "I traveled through Galra transportation hubs many times with my father long before the war began. I know more about them than any of you."
Coran and Shiro moved to join with the rest. An uneasy look was present on Coran's face as he looked towards Allura.
"Princess, I'd much rather you remain here," Coran said. Allura frowned, her expression one of determination.
"I'm a part of the fight against Zarkon just as much as any of you," she said. "I'm going. Does anyone have a problem with my decision?" she asked, swapping her gaze to look at the rest.
"I- I… Uh…"
No one was able to meet her challenge as Coran tried to stutter out a response, a reason for her not to go.
"Well, your determination is hard to ignore," Kagome said. "It's admirable, if I do say so myself."
"Okay, if you're sure," Shiro said, shrugging and ignoring the way Coran was looking at him. "Suit up then."
His compliance startled most everyone else, save for Allura and Kagome. Allura smiled when he gave the okay, while Coran froze up. The rest looked at him, confusion written clearly on their faces, and Kagome hid her sigh by glancing away from the group.
"We'll go in low, fast, and preferably undetected," Shiro said. "We'll go in the Green Lion, and use the dark side of the nearest planet to prevent them from getting a visual on us. Thanks to Pidge's modifications on the Green Lion, we'll have thirty seconds of cloaking to our advantage."
"I'll flood their short-range sensors with a radiation burst," Coran said, reluctantly relenting to Allura's presence on their mission. "It should be enough to buy you an extra minute, while they assume it's just cosmic interference. After that, it's up to you all to be out of sight."
With their plan mapped out, they got a move on. They all piled into the Green Lion and their plan kicked into motion. In no time at all, they were able to catch sight of the Galra soldier standing guard.
"Interference clearing up in three, two, one," he said before he yawned.
Kagome sized up the singular guard. The only other figures present were the two sentries on the lower level. "I'll take the guard down first," she said. "Lance, Hunk, you two use your bayards and take down the two sentries."
She wasn't met with resistance and she made her way up behind the guard's turned back. Her steps were silent, her presence undetected as she came to a halt a foot or two behind him. She stood back at her full height and reached out to gently tap at his arm. "Excuse me," she said.
Her voice caught his attention, and he turned automatically. "Huh?!" A startled noise was forced from his throat at the sight of her behind him. He wasn't able to say much else before she spun and brought her foot down on the side of his head, knocking him down onto the lower level, and out-cold, in the process.
As soon as he hit the metal floor, the sentries turned, and Lance and Hunk jumped into action. The sentries were shot and taken down as suddenly as the guard had been.
The rest came to join her, gathering at the computer.
"Alright, Shiro," Pidge said, sitting down in front of her own computer. Shiro offered his metal arm to her, and she connected the computer to his arm in order to gain access to the information stored there. As she did, Lance moved the sentries out of the way.
"How's it look out there?" Shiro asked Keith, who was surveying the area outside of where they'd hidden away in.
"Coast's clear," Keith responded. He glanced at Kagome, who was right beside him. "Nothing off to your senses, right?"
Kagome shook her head. "This place has a weird aura in general," she said, a slight frown appearing on her face as she turned to meet his stare. "Outside of that, nothing seems off to me," she said with a sigh. "We should be good if we keep this quick."
Hunk hooked up the other cords to the Galra computer. "This shouldn't take too long, at least," he said. Pidge nodded.
"We should have all we need in just a few minutes," she said.
Kagome nodded. "Good. The less time we spend here, the better."
Pidge began to tap away at her computer as she did what she needed to do to download the stored information. "Hunk and I made some improvements to this since the last time I tried to download Galra info," she said. "This time, we should be able to get a clear, concise translation. Hunk had a great idea on how to do it."
"Yeah, yeah." Hunk sat down on one of the deactivated sentries. "You guys remember when we studied algorithms at the Garrison, and Mr. York told us that joke about the ghost learning symbolic logic and innumerably infinite sets?"
Kagome glanced over her shoulder to look at him as he spoke, only to turn entirely a second later to lean against the place she stood against.
"Boooring," Lance grumbled.
"Right, totally, it was boring," Hunk responded, his tone going flat for a moment before he continued anyway. "So, the joke goes…-"
Lance tossed his head back with a groan. At the same time, a heavy shadow began to cross over where they were at.
"Guys, sorry to interrupt, but I think we got company," Keith's voice caused the rest to glance up to spot what was causing the shadow- a Galra ship coming in for a landing. At once, everyone ducked down out of the way and huddled together. "Think we should get out of here?"
"Not yet," Pidge said. "We're almost done getting the information. We only need a few more seconds."
"We stay low," Shiro said. "We can't pass up on getting this intel."
Before anything else could be said or done, the Galra computer started to beep.
"Get down!" Keith hissed, gripping Kagome's arm and tugging her alongside him, as the rest dove out of the screen's view. Seconds later, a figure appeared on screen, and he let out a confused noise at the lack of another person present.
They remained still, but there seemed to be no change.
"He's still looking," Lance whispered, being the one furthest away and able to get a clear view at the screen without being spotted himself. "He must be waiting for a signal or something."
"I'm on it," Hunk said. Without being detected, he crawled across the floor to one of the sentries laying on the ground. Carefully, he maneuvered it into a standing position, using his body to brace it from behind as he held it up directly in front of the computer. He made its hands move like a puppet, making it wave its hand a bit stiffly. Either way, the figure on screen returned it, and, soon enough, he disconnected, seemingly satisfied with Hunk's actions.
"Way to go, Hunk," Lance said as everyone was able to move again. Hunk turned to face him, and, using the sentry's broken-off arm, he high-fived Lance.
"Thanks."
They regrouped at the computers, huddling up as Pidge finished the download.
"Okay, the download's done," Pidge said.
"So what's it say?" Keith asked.
"Nothing," Pidge responded as she scanned through the newly gathered information. "This place doesn't have any useful information. It's just a schedule of ships set to come in and out."
"Guess this was a bust," Lance sighed, folding his arms over his chest.
Shiro moved to stand up. "We should get back to the castle now."
Before anyone else could move, Allura got Pidge's attention. "Wait a moment. Pidge, do you know where that ship is headed?" she asked, nodding at the ship that'd landed not long ago.
"Uhh.." Pidge glanced back at her computer, looking for the information Allura had asked. "Looks like it's scheduled to be here for about half an hour. After that, it's gonna be heading off to Central Command."
Allura nodded, a determined light entering her eyes. "That's where we'll get the information we need," she said as she looked at the rest. "I'm going to sneak aboard the ship and get it for us."
Her statement caused the rest to turn and look at her.
"Huh? No way!" Lance said.
"By yourself?" Kagome questioned. "That doesn't sound like the best of ideas, Allura."
"How do you even plan to get in?" Keith asked. Allura smiled and looked at him.
"I plan to go through the front," she said as she removed her helmet. Her response caused the rest to look at her with disbelief. She didn't say much else as she closed her eyes. A second later, her appearance began to shift, her body growing taller and her skin shifting to a light lavender color.
Silence fell over the rest as Allura opened her eyes to meet their surprised stares.
"H-How the heck did you do that?" Hunk asked, and Allura happily explained.
"Alteans are a chameleon-like people who are able to morph their appearances to blend in with local populations," she explained. "It's that ability that made us great explorers and diplomats throughout our history."
"Woah, so can you turn into something like a balloon?" Lance asked, but before she could answer, Pidge nudged him to the side.
"Can you be several colors at the same time?" Pidge asked.
"Aren't you afraid you might rip your pants?" Hunk asked, jumping on the question train.
Allura looked at each one before finally answering. "No, only one at a time, and I will need a change of costume," she said, glancing over to the out-cold guard. "I can use his uniform as a disguise."
Before she could move towards him, Shiro shook his head. "I can't let you go in there on your own," he said. Allura turned to face him, a frown on her face.
"Excuse me?" Allura challenged. "I do not need your permission."
"It's too dangerous," Shiro responded, not relenting. "If you're going to go, then I'm coming with you."
"You will stick out like a Choferiak's nose," Allura argued.
"You're gonna need him to tag along with you," Pidge said. "Shiro's hand is made from Galra tech, and it's the only thing we have that is able to interface with their systems and get the intel. I'll be able to monitor the download remotely from here."
Allura looked at him for a few silent seconds before she sighed, giving in and relenting. "Fine, you can come with me."
"If you're going, then you guys might wanna hurry up before that ship leaves for Zarkon central," Hunk said. "We're running out of time."
"How is Shiro supposed to get on board?" Keith asked.
000
It didn't take them long to come up with a plan, and soon enough, Allura and Shiro were on their way to board the ship. The rest gathered and surveyed the ground below to make sure everything went as planned and Shiro wasn't detected in his hiding place in the box of sentry parts Allura was pushing aboard the ship.
Once they were on board, Lance sighed.
"Alright, looks like they made it in easily enough."
"Now hopefully they can manage the rest on their own in time," Kagome said.
Her attention drifted to the canisters of yellow, glowing material, eying it with unease sparking inside her. They'd just been carried off the ship Allura and Shiro had boarded. If felt… strange.
"What do you think they have in those giant containers?" Keith asked, and Kagome glanced at him.
"Not sure," she said. "They give off a weird aura, though.
Pidge glanced at the sentry she had across from her. "Maybe this guy will tell us," she said. She messed around with it for a moment before asking, "what's coming in and out of this station?"
"Interrogation detected: Initializing lockdown."
At the response she got, Pidge went back to messing with it. "Not talking, huh?"
Kagome glanced back out over the wall they were at, her gaze landing on an unfamiliar figure. They didn't look like the rest, dressed in a long robe that trailed on the ground at their feet. His appearance wasn't the only unsettling thing about him, but the aura surrounding him too.
Something about it put her on edge.
"Whatever's happening here that requires the base be kept a secret must have something to do with that guy," Keith said. Hunk and Lance glanced at who he was talking about. As they did, Keith stood up and turned to head for the door. "I'm going to go check it out."
Kagome turned as he began to walk away, moving automatically to follow after him. "I'll come with you, Keith," she said. She got a weird feeling about the strange figure, and she didn't like it. "It's better if we don't go off on our own in unfamiliar territory, anyway."
Keith didn't try to argue against her coming. He nodded and relented easily, pausing just long enough for her to catch up with him. "Sure."
Lance turned to face them both, a mild gare on his face. "Or, how about you not go off and blow our cover?" he suggested, only to get no response from the other man. Kagome glanced over her shoulder and smiled reassuringly.
"You guys stay low. We'll be fine," she said, but she made no move to return with the rest.
C.R: I'll be continuing this story on this account. I'm really excited about what's to come with this story. I can't wait for the first time Kagome's face-to-face with Zarkon, and I'm also really excited for Lotor to be introduced. There's just a lot that I'm personally excited to get to, so I have no intention of stopping this story. I'm also hoping to update more frequently than the last updates have been.
I'm also in the process of making a playlist for Azilu and Kagome (Separate ones) for their characters in this story, as something fun and extra. Song suggestions you might think fit are welcome. If I think they fit, I'll probably add them. Just as something to give me a little extra motivation and inspiration for this story.
Anyway, that's it for now! Thank you all for reading, and I hope you all enjoyed! Hopefully I managed to catch all the errors before posting, but if not sorry.
Please remember to Review&Favorite&Follow, thank you!
Bye for now~