Chapter nineteen: Recon!
"The next thing I knew I was alone again." Shiro explained to the team. "Left inside, what looked like some kind of shuttle pod; but it wasn't like a regular Galra pod. The controls were slightly different and the difference of the panels were very minor."
"So.. how'd you get to the base?" Keith asked, still lost as to where this was going.
"Well that's how it happened.." Shiro ventured once more...
Ears ringing, head thumping, pressure weighing on his chest. Pushing himself up to all fours, he looked up to his right. A large orb-shaped light stood embedded in the wall, a strange design decorating the wall around it. Glancing up to his left, he saw another wall that looked to be split down the middle; and the unique design of it indicated a possible reason for its creation. Pushing one knee up he stood, wobbling just a bit from the lightness it gave off. His side stung, and he instinctively brought a hand to it.. but then he realized that the scale in which his pain had once been on.. wasn't what it was now. It was lower than he remembered. 'What had changed? And what could be sustaining this phenomenon even as he stood here?' All he knew was that, now, he could see a door on the left hand wall.. and standing in front of it,… confirmed this observation when the wall split and slid aside. Shiro strode into the small cockpit and sat down. The panels lit up immediately, as if it had been waiting for him this whole time. The strange characters that flashed across the screens looked Galra.. but the overall appearance of the controls did not. The shuttle's thrusters activated at his command and the wayward course was set, when he took the handles. These handles however were not like Voltron's.. and certainly not like the Galra's, but they seemed slightly familiar in a way. Just the same, he felt the ship jostle ever so slightly and he maintained his steady hands to try and keep it straight. The snowstorm that was brewing blew against the small craft, beginning to make his injuries hurt again; though still not nearly as bad as before. Jetting into the wind, it aided in his escape from the planet; as he glided through its current, then on up out of the planet's atmosphere. Now drenched in the darkness of open space, he could think only of finding Voltron.. and hopefully… the team with it. 'But if they rescued me..' He thought. 'They should still be together… right?' He released a heavy breath and closed his eyes for a moment. That moment of silence was suddenly ended, however, when the ship suddenly jolted. And the Black Paladin had to leap into action immediately, instantly knowing the reason for this sudden motion. The attack from above came more, and another hard blast knocked him off balance and Shiro almost lost his grip on the controls and spun out. But somehow, the pain he felt.. was STILL not to the extent he'd previously been struggling with. The ship trembled with another hard attack 'Who is it that's attacking me?' His mind wondered, but his gut had a feeling of who. Before he could truly confirm it, though, one final blast(larger that any before it) rattled the ship; and suddenly he realized that he was in free fall. His eyes shot up to the screen and he could see the looming pile of earth and rock, which would soon welcome him in a harsh event, which he could see coming even before his eyes saw the screen. And all he could do in the moment, was pull up on the handles as hard as he could manage and clench his eyes closed; bracing for what was to come next.
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Whiplash evident, he straightened his back to sit up again. All that he saw outside ship's 'windshield' was rubble and darkness. 'Whoever shot me down will likely be here soon.' His mind figured. Standing up, he hadn't gotten two steps when the pain of his injuries suddenly returned in a heavy wave, that faded back to out as quickly as it had come. Shiro clutched his mid-section, as a sickening feeling came over him as the pain did; and once it was gone again, he felt fine once more. 'Whatever this is… it's wearing off.' He thought. Then proceeded on toward the back of the ship.
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Activating a couple codes on the screen, and holding the small duffle bag in hand, he took off for the hatch in the roof of the cargo hold. Hurriedly pulling himself up out of the hatch, he sprinted as fast as he wounded body would allow(which was proving much easier than it had been before). Sliding under a rocky overhang, just barely his size; he covered his head with both arms and braced for what was coming…
BANG!!!!! The pod went up and the flames synged the Galra ships stalking him from above, destroying the nearest ones. Galra managed to make it to the ground to inspect the remainder of the destroyed shuttle, and Shiro hardly dared himself to breathe; even despite the distance between him and them. But then suddenly the ground under him slightly jerked and began to raise his upper body, to the point that he realized he was sliding backwards. Turning onto his back, he realized he was sliding down a wider space than the rocks had led him to believe.. and now he appeared to be on a short slide that spit him out in a small dark room. His eyes took their time to adjust... but once they had, he began to realize what he'd just stumbled upon. A small ametuer computer lay ingrained in the wall on the left. And on the opposite wall, there lay a flat wall decorated with signs and symbols; images and short scripts. All tied together within a central point on the map-like board that was pinned before him. A hint of unknown familiarity rang true for this display… but he couldn't quite pinpoint the memory in his mind at this time. The continuity of this masterpiece of intel told him one thing for certain…
"This is a spy facility for the rebels." Shiro breathed aloud, but who it was who ran it… he couldn't quite know. Looking around he found a small satchel, spilled over on the floor next to the computer on the right side. Slowly crossing the dirt floor, he bent down to pick it up. When he did something fell out and floated lightly down to the floor; hitting the ground face down from what he could see. Stooping down once more, he picked up the small sheet of, what could be a form of paper; and turned it over to see the two familiar smiling faces, which he recognized in a split second. Hurriedly sifting through the satchel, he fumbled around with the assorted objects inside. His eyes flashed when his hand found what he was searching for; and he withdrew his hand to see it. Setting the satchel aside again, he sat down at the computer and tapped at the panel that popped up for him. The encryption was no match for him… only because of the 'insider information' that only he possessed in the moment. Plugging in the object in, he found, to his relief, that it was empty. Taking out the Galra device he'd had with him this whole time, he held it in his calm fingers tenuously; pondering a thought that came to mind at the sight of it. He decided against it and put it back in his side-pocket; placing the other device in with it. Activating the transponder to the code given to him, the small screen lit up and showed a small pulsing dot that indicated the closeness of the one he sought after. Shiro instinctively glanced back over his right shoulder, as if knowing there was something there; and sure enough.. there stood a box. Approaching it, he removed the lid and set it aside; leaning it against the wall in which the box was set against. Strangely enough; there he found a heap of soft, leathery material. Taking them up out of the box, he found some that surprisingly fit him. Pulling the sheets of deep brown, or umber, over his shoulders; he secured them in place with the straps that held them together. Attaching a smaller one to his waist, he pulled the hood and mask over his head and face; and set his helmet inside the box wrapping it in the remaining material. Syncing his gauntlet to the computer, he locked the location in for his return. And opened the exit hatch to climb the rope ladder out into forest once again. Peeking out cautiously, he found that the coast was clear, so he proceeded to slip on out; immediately closing the hatch behind him. Peering over the edge of the rocks, he had to drop down again right away due to the Galra crews still bustling about the damaged ship. Creeping away in the opposite direction, he made his way through the silence of the forested area. As he walked, he suddenly recalled something in flashes… that soon became a running memory, like playing an old movie off the side of a barn or at an outdoor theater. A memory he hadn't recalled to exist until now…
Light flashed and soon he stood in an abyss of space-like stars painted with shades of blue, pink and purple. Suddenly, through this calm display, a certain point straight ahead of him melted into a bright light, that burst forth as a sharp blade; it's wielder aiming in his direction quite clearly. In order to defend himself, he raised his glowing Galra hand to it and swung; deflecting the blade to send his attacker plunging right on past him. A massive crash landed this intruder, masking them from view in a cloud of space dust that concealed his identity.. until it cleared. The deep red color and characteristic markings on his armor, and the large, muscular figure gave him away completely. And that's when the battle began…
The memory now came in aftershocks, and he could see the Paladins putting up a huge fight against Zarkon on his behalf; even going so far as to free him of the Galra Emperor's influence and leaving him to his own devices… which was, of course, not by choice. Trees and earth remained his surroundings, as his thoughts continued to wander; though his years of experience and training kept a close attentiveness about his demeanor. The docile beast of a forest suddenly cleared away, dropping into a pool of rock; which he found took on a more distinctive shape. A purplish glow hinted from small specks throughout the scooped out land. The gargantuan fingers of the massive planet pointed the way toward the openness of space, just an atmosphere away from swallowing it in its midnight influence. Gazing up, he instantly noticed the Galra barricade surrounding the planet. 'Must've been how they found me so quickly.' He guessed thoughtfully. His chest lurched, as another wave of pain from his wounds washed over him. Looking at the transponder code, as the pain passed once more, he noted that it still showed his desired location.
"He's in there." He had to say aloud, keeping his tone low, as if someone were to hear. Creeping over the edge, he slowly surfed his way down the steep incline; keeping himself hidden by the ridge's shadow behind him. Getting to a point where rock and earth became metal, he felt the panel with the computerized components of his Galra hand finding that it was just a panel. Then Shiro's eyes flashed a recognition and immediately made the change. Pulling back his sleeve he activated his gauntlet and began the scan. The result showed where he was, and the blip that signified his friend.. 'he's close!' His mind gasped.
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The panel fell to the floor with a not-so-silent clang, and Shiro dropped through the hole it created.
"Hurry up!" He heard a deep voice call. And he darted down the hall to his left, slipping around the corner just as a group of Galra turned a corner just beyond where he'd been standing. "We need to escort the prisoner to the brig immediately, so we can get back to more fitting jobs." The overly proud lieutenant barked, maintaining his heading at the front of the group. Shiro barely caught sight of them from his peripheral vision around the corner behind him. But the prisoner at the center of the group, cloaked and shackled, he could recognize immediately; even despite the time that had passed since their last encounter. Listening for when they were gone, he ran back out to gaze in the direction he'd heard them leave in; contemplating what to do next. 'I can't do this by myself.' He thought. 'I need backup..' He snapped his head to the right, where he'd just been hiding and dashed away down the hall in front of him. Weaving through the defenses, which was mostly made up of sentries and drones, until he made it to one of the minor control rooms. Approaching the main computer, which was somehow unattended, and gazed up at the screen. Catching the sound of footsteps behind him, he whipped around to thrust his right hand up to his opposite shoulder, and slice down one of the sentries attempting to taking him by surprise. Adjusting his footing, he sliced the opposite direction(still in a downward motion), to destroy the second one; watching both fall in a heap at his feet. Arriving at the control panel once more, he tapped away at it; searching through files and programs.. until he found the access point he needed. Pressing one more button, the screen sucked away the one that displayed his face and a screen on the panel lit up. Hesitantly pressing his Galra hand to it, he found that nothing happened. '*sigh* I'm finally free.' He thought, closing his eyes in relief. More screens popped up and he sifted through them some more. One in particular caught his attention.. and his eyes lightened. Pressing his hand to the panel again, the transfer was completed. Moving on to the true target information, he soon found what he was looking for; suddenly developing a strange feeling. Glancing to his left, he noticed the grooves in the paneling and knew what they were. Prying it open, he took out one of the delivery drones that lay waiting for him; bringing it over to the computer. Reaching into his side-pockets under the folds of his cloak, he took out a cable with two strange connectors. Taking out the device from the satchel, he plugged one end of the cable into the computer and plugged the device into the other. 'Commence the download.' He thought to himself as the bar appeared to steadily fill itself to a hundred percent.
"Hey you!!" Shiro whipped around, as two generic Galra soldiers made their way into the room; having spotted him on their way by. Dropping to the floor on one knee to avoid a punch sent his way, he grabbed the drone and ran; the cable coming loose from the computer and now dangling from his arm. One of the soldiers got a hold of it as he retreated and touched a taser-like device to it sending a shock down the cable. Shiro turned his body toward the Galra, while still keeping the same momentum, as the shock hit him through the cable. Shiro hit the wall now behind him, as the cable came loose from his arm; then scrambled up as the two soldiers plunged toward him in a unified punch. Shiro sprinted down the corridor as fast as he could possibly manage; his side beginning to stab at him from the inside out and vice versa, if you could believe that was possible. Weaving through the maze of hallways proved more difficult this time, as he was now avoiding the whole base on thin ice the whole way. Returning to the same access point, he shot his bayard up to it to pull himself out; holding the drone securely in his other hand. And when reaching the top he shot the bayard down to pick up the panel that he'd cut out to get in and partially welded it back into place with his hand.. just as the Galra came charging through looking for him.
Hello everyone!! A new chapter, yay!! Normally I have ended some of my most recent fanfics at twenty chapters(one ending up surpassing that by one chapter!). But guess what… the end is not here yet!!! And probably won't be for a while. I think this one is gonna run the longest of any fic I've ever done. But I hope it still remains a great story for you guys!! Enjoy!! Thx!!!