Chapter Twenty-Seven:
"Oh, look at how beautiful she is!" Shay said wistfully, her hands clasped together and her eyes even brighter as she gazed out the window at the Queen Mother Balmera.
"She is definitely much healthier than our Balmera was when Voltron came." Rax said in agreement.
"She is much stronger and older," Coran said. "If my estimations are correct, the Balmera you hail from is one of the Queen's younger offspring."
"So, what's the plan?" Tali asked, leaning against the back of Shiro's seat, looking over his shoulder. Pidge bit their lip and turned away, eyes burning a bit. They couldn't let this bother them, distract them. This mission was too important.
"Divide and conquer, mostly." Shiro said. "Pidge will take the Green Lion down first and drop BLIP tech and our drones into the mines so that we can find the Balmerans and get a better idea of what's going on down there. Lance, Keith, I want you two at the ready in case Pidge needs back-up. Then, we'll split into two groups: one to go take down the Galra center of command and the other to protect and rally the Balmerans, letting them know we're here to help. So, Pidge, Keith, Lance and I will take on the command center while Hunk and Allura lead everyone else to the Balmerans. Sound good?"
"Sounds like a plan." Lance said. "One Voltron special with a side of freed Balmera, coming right up!"
Pidge stood up and went over to the entry to Green's hanger, looking over their shoulder.
"Be back in a few ticks."
Once they were down in the hanger and in Green's cockpit, they waited until Coran gave the okay. Activating Green's invisibility, Pidge and Green flew out of the hanger and towards the surface. Immediately, they saw something unusual. Or, perhaps, the lack of something.
"As far as my sensors can tell, the surface isn't heavily fortified." They said, tapping a few buttons. "Sending visuals."
"Hmm, that is very peculiar." Coran said.
"Good peculiar or bad peculiar?" Keith asked from Red's cockpit, also studying the images Pidge had sent.
"Not sure." Coran said. "All of the planets the Galra have control have at least one fortification visible from orbit. But there aren't even any indicators of weapons, but I believe the increase of foliage is aiding the Galra in that regard."
"Pidge, be careful." Shiro said.
"I've got it Shiro," Pidge said. "I'm dropping the last of the BLIP tech now and heading back."
As they flew back to the Castle, they listened to the evaluations of the BLIP tech.
"Huh, the mines are mostly empty." Hunk said.
"These areas look as if they have been worked on recently," Rax observed. "But there is no one there."
"Not even in the living quarters area." Shay said, sounding confused.
"It looks like this here is the Galra's base," Coran said. "And that is where most of the beings on the planet are at the moment."
"Is there something special going on there?" Lani asked.
"Perhaps. Hunk, can you guide the drones towards that area?" Allura requested.
"On it." Hunk said.
"Okay, so if all of those little dots are individual people, either Galra or Balmerans," Shinji said. "What exactly is that big dot?"
Pidge entered the hanger just as Hunk got the drone in position.
"Oh no…" Coran said, eyes widening when he saw what is happening. "This is not good…"
"What is that?" Lance asked as they watched… something underneath the rocks under the surface of the Balmera as it moved and squirmed. Balmerans and Galra drones stood back at a distance, scaffolding built up around it from which they could watch, or, perhaps more accurately, the Galra drones could easily target both the Balmerans and the moving thing.
"The Queen Mother is pregnant," Coran said.
"And that's the baby moving, then?" Lani said.
"Why is this a bad thing, Coran?" Shiro asked, immediately getting up to come around to Coran's side to see exactly what the older Altean was seeing.
"Because it appears that the Queen Mother is close to labor, perhaps already in the beginning stages." Coran said grimly. "That is why the Balmerans are nearby… To assist the labor… Those dirty rotten quiznakers, building their base practically on top of the Queen's reproductive system…"
"That's why the Balmerans don't like outsiders." Hunk said with realization. "Because if the Balmerans rebel, if they do anything wrong, if anyone the Galra don't approve of gets on the planet, the Galra will hurt the Balmera and her baby, or her chances of having a baby…"
"And if the infant is harmed, so is the Queen Mother." Rax said, fists clenching at his sides. "If the infant dies within the Queen, it will begin to fossilize too soon. Not only will that destroy any chances of the Queen being able to reproduce again, but it will also kill her."
"But if the Queen Mother dies, then the Balmera basically falls apart. No crystals, no base. What do the Galra get out of running the risk of a dead Balmera?" Keith asked.
"With luck, enough time to harvest the heart of both Mother and infant." Coran said. "The most powerful and rarest of Balmeran crystals."
"This changes the plan entirely." Shiro said with a frown. "We've got to draw out the Galra, protect the Balmerans and the baby."
"Our original plan can still work, with some modifications." Allura said. "Or, at least, our original divide and conquer scheme. The Yellow Lion is best suited to protect the baby from fallen debris, as her shields are the strongest. Shay, Rax and myself can assist the Balmerans if Shinji, Tali and Lani will cover our backs."
"We'll need to get you all down there first in case our attempts to draw out the Galra result in them turning on the Balmerans." Shiro said. "Pidge, how fast can you modify Yellow for invisibility?"
"I don't know," Pidge admitted. "Yellow's extra bulky in order to take harder hits compared to the other Lions. More space to cover. Plus, Green's the only one who has a fast response time to modifications. But I may be able to get Yellow invisible for only a few minutes."
"Get on it," Shiro said. "We don't know how much time we'll have."
"I'm going to need Hunk," Pidge said.
"Like I'm going to let you do modifications on my baby girl without me." Hunk said with a slight scoff. He turned his back to Pidge and said, "Hop on."
Pidge got a small running start then jumped onto Hunk's back, who then ran with Pidge on his back to the entrance to Yellow's hanger.
"Lance, Keith, help me and Coran figure out a plan of attack." Shiro said.
Both teens nodded and were at Shiro's side instantly.
About an hour later, the team was ready to go.
"They don't have but a few fighters from the looks of it." Shiro explained as they reconvened for the last minute battle plan. "Like Marth, they're predominately reliant on ships coming in."
"The forestation is too thick and grows too fast for hanger construction," Coran added. "Therefore, they only have one."
"So, Keith and I are going to take on the fighters. Pidge, I want you to go down in the Green Lion along with the Yellow Lion and get a start on making a game plan for taking out the drones down below. While Keith and I distract the fighters, Lance and Blue will sneak around to the entrance of the hanger and seal it off, then meet up with Pidge to take on the drones."
"Should we be expecting sniper fire?" Hunk asked, glancing at Lance.
"Only if things do not go according to plan." Lance said. "So, tentative yes."
"Let's suit up." Shiro said.
Ten minutes later, Lani was in the cockpit of the Yellow Lion along with Hunk and the two Balmeran teens, waiting for Keith and Shiro to engage battle with the fighters. Shiro took the shot on the hanger and within ticks, the fighters flooded out, no doubt thinking that they had stood a chance against only two Lions of Voltron.
"Activating invisibility," Hunk said, pressing a button.
"Right behind you," Pidge said over the comms. Yellow's invisibility gave out the moment the Lion entered the cavern, Pidge deactivating Green's invisibility as they flew in behind Yellow.
"Should we be concerned that these tunnels are big enough to accommodate the Lions?" Allura asked from Green's cockpit.
"It appears to be natural erosion," Rax said, studying the tunnels as they made their way through. "But, also very sudden."
"What do you mean?" Lani asked with a frown.
"The ground shows different variations of exposure to having been walked on or equipment moved." Rax explained. "The Balmera expanded this area not too long ago."
"Definitely a sign the Queen is close to delivery." Coran said over the comms. "Expanding the tunnel networks is an indicator to the Balmerans that the Queen will need their assistance, and is making it easier for them to migrate towards where they are needed. They will recede in about a decade post-partum."
"How long does a Queen Mother's labor usually last?" Tali asked.
"A full seven diurnal cycles, at the very least." Coran said.
"Any other indicators to tell how far along the Balmera is, labor or otherwise?" Hunk asked.
"There may be some ground tremors centralized around the infant," Coran said. "They are much weaker, however."
The Lions stopped inside the large cavern, where thousands of wide-eyed Balmerans were staring at them. Surprisingly, all of the guard drones were gone.
Pidge parked the Green Lion and Hunk stopped Yellow just long enough to unload his passengers.
"Greetings!" Shay called. "We mean you, your Balmera and the infant no harm! We are here to help!"
"Offworlder, you know not of what you speak." Said an adult male Balmeran. Meanwhile, a small child tugged on his tunic, pointing at the Lions.
"Papa, it's like from Grandpa's stories!" The child said with fascination.
"These Lions make up part of Voltron, and we are here to free you from the Galra and ensure that the Queen Mother has a safe delivery." Allura said, stepping forward. "Please, allow the Yellow Paladin to guide the Yellow Lion over to—"
"You can help the Queen?" Asked a young, Balmeran female, stepping forward.
"We can and will do anything within our power," Allura confirmed with a nod.
The Balmerans all exchanged glances and the adult male—who seemed to have some sort of authority position—closed his eyes and sighed.
"Please, if you can… We do not have much time." He said.
"Much time?" Tali repeated. "What's wrong?"
"We tried to stop them," Said the young woman, pressing the heel of her hand to her face. "But they would not listen… They would continue on for the glory of the Emperor…"
"They wanted to create a new series of tunnels. The mining equipment got too close to the Queen's reproduction system…" Said an elderly male, shaking his head. "It is currently obstructing the infant's birth route. If the infant cannot get out, it will die."
"And so will the Queen." Allura said with a grimace. "Coran, are you hearing this?"
"I am indeed," Coran said grimly. "Number Five, can you see if you can get any visuals?"
"On it," Pidge said. She turned to the Balmerans. "Can someone lead me there?"
One nodded and stepped forward, gesturing to head towards a certain tunnel.
"I'll come with you," Tali said, joining Pidge and the Balmeran.
Allura watched the two leave, then said to the remaining Balmerans,
"The Yellow Paladin is going to position the Yellow Lion over the infant. The Yellow Lion has thick armor that will protect the infant from any falling debris."
Allura then gave Hunk a thumbs-up, and while he moved Yellow, she said into her comms,
"Lance, status report?"
"Well, Princess, I'm in the hanger control booth, but it looks like Keith and Shiro are currently facing everything they've got aircraft-wise." Lance said, looking out at the empty hanger. "And I'm not picking up on any drones down here with us… Allura, I think something's wrong here…"
Allura took a deep breath. She had a twisting feeling in her gut that told her the same thing.
It appeared that there was a full retreat…
The Galra were expecting the Queen Balmera to die. And they knew it would be a violent death that they would wait out, in order to get the payout: the heart of the Queen and that of its unborn child.
"Stand by, Lance." Allura said. "Shiro, Keith, report."
"Scanners are picking up on more fighter craft coming from off-planet." Shiro said. "There's still a few fighters we haven't taken down. Back-up requested."
"I'll send Lance," Allura said, knowing Lance could hear the conversation. "Lance?"
"Copy that," Lance said. "Blue and I are on the way."
"I am going to try and keep Hunk and Pidge down here for as long as possible," Allura said. "If need be, I'll take the Green Lion and assist you."
"Roger that." Shiro said.
Allura nodded, though made a note in the back of her head to someday learn who this 'Roger' person was…
Meanwhile, Pidge carefully surrounded the piece of mining equipment.
"Coran, are you getting these visuals?" They asked.
"Sure am, Number Five." Coran said grimly. "This is quite a delicate situation we have here… Not only because of the equipment, but because of how exposed this area is, specifically for birth."
"Right, okay, I'm not going to think about the implications of what that means concerning where I am currently standing." Tali said, looking up at the large gap above them, where she could see laser fire, actual fire, and ice being shot into the air.
"I'm going to try and find a place to land the Castle and bring some equipment down," Coran said. "Hang on tightly."
"Can do," Pidge said. Pidge sighed as they examined the equipment again, and glancing down at the ground from where they stood on the scaffolding. They stretched their hand out against the Balmera and said, "Don't worry. We're going to take care of you and your baby. You're in luck, our Yellow Paladin is both our team medic and team engineer. Between him, me, Coran and Tali, we'll get this taken care of in no time."
There was a glow that came in the space between Pidge's hand and the Balmera.
"Whoa." Tali said. "What was that?"
"Energy transfer." Pidge said. "Allura and Keith are better at it. Altean magic and Galran quintessence. But the rest of us have been figuring it out a bit; we've gotten a lot stronger as a result of the bond with our Lions."
"Again, whoa." Tali said. She took a step forward to look at the piece of equipment in the Balmera wall. "Okay, so, usually, if this was a non-fossilized being who bled, we couldn't just get it out without there being a lot of bleeding. But it looks like that the Balmera kind of closed up around it? So if we just pulled it out, we'd hurt the Balmera."
"Right…" Pidge said. They hesitated, then said, "Um, Tali? I, uh… I need to tell you something."
"Uh, okay?" Tali said, looking up, confused.
Pidge bit their lip, then said,
"Um, last night, I might have accidentally overheard you talking with Shiro."
"Oh?" Tali said, eyes widening. "Oh… So you heard…"
"Yeah," Pidge said. "And, I just wanted to let you know, I'm happy for you and I'll support you two."
"Really?" Tali said, visibly relaxing, a small smile starting to grow on her face. "That's actually quite a relief. You were the one I was most concerned about, to be honest… So, having your support… Thank you, for that."
"You're welcome," Pidge said, trying to swallow down their feelings and broken heart. "But, you know I'm obliged to give a shovel talk, right? You hurt him, I hurt you and that sort of thing?"
Tali laughed.
"Yeah, but I promise, you have nothing to worry about. After all this… I just want to get my arms around him and not let go, you know?"
Pidge glanced back at the equipment, kneeling down so Tali couldn't see their face and their teary eyes.
"Yeah," Pidge whispered. "I want that, too."
"Pidge? Tali?"
Pidge stood up again and went over to the edge of the scaffolding, waving at their friends who were arriving.
"Up here," They called. "Coran's on his way with more tools and stuff. He's trying to find a way to land the Castle."
Within moments, Hunk, Lani, Shinji, Shay, Rax, Allura, and a young female Balmeran who introduced herself as Ala were all standing around the equipment.
"Could we dismantle the machine?" Rax asked as Hunk conducted his own examination, occasionally humming to himself in thought.
"I think so," Hunk said. "But that can only get us so far. In theory, it should work in reverse the same way it goes forward. With an energy transfer, how fast could she heal after we took this out?"
"The Queen's ability to heal weakens near delivery, in order to store up energy necessary for the birthing process." Ala explained. "A lot of energy would be required to aid the Queen in healing."
Immediately, both Pidge and Hunk turned and pointed at Allura, saying,
"No!"
Allura frowned.
"I said nothing…" She said.
"And yet we knew exactly what you were thinking. And no. You nearly killed yourself last time you did a huge energy transfer ceremony." Pidge said.
"And from the sounds of it, you might actually succeed in the killing-yourself-thing this time." Hunk added.
"I third that negative," Coran said over the comms.
Allura sighed but nodded.
"Alright," She said. "If we remove the equipment, but leave the damage, what are the repercussions?"
"The Queen will not be able to heal the injury until after the birth," Ala said. "And, left exposed for too long, it could cause this section to crumble, leading to the inability to give birth again."
"So, what can we do?" Shinji asked. "We can't leave it in, but we'd cause just as much damage taking it out."
"Not like there's a band-aid or something we can put over it," Lani said with a frown.
Hunk suddenly snapped his fingers with a grin and said,
"Lance."
"Lance?" Everyone repeated, giving him an odd look.
"Hunk, can you elaborate?" Allura asked.
"Okay, so, when the Castle's first Balmera crystal got blown up by not-Rover, some of the shards from the crystal embedded into the skin of Lance's lower back, where there wasn't any armor." Hunk said. "We didn't know it until he was already in the healing pod, though, because our armor under-suits seals up so quickly, and because there wasn't any bleeding there since the shards were a pressure. So, when he was in the healing pod, since the shards were still there, his skin didn't quite grow back together right. The pod kind of fused his skin and the shards together during the healing process, to the point that we can see the shards, but what we see isn't the entire bit of crystal, because skin regrew over the shards to some extent, covering the edges. So if we get a crystal or something to fit in the hole we're about to make, then once the Queen has more energy to heal, the crystal will just fuse in as part of that healing."
"Coran, opinions?" Allura asked.
"It would work, especially as the crystal is very natural…" Coran said after a few seconds of consideration. "But we'd need to make sure we can fill any gaps the crystal can't. I've got just the thing, be down in two shakes of a mortians tail."
"But can we even get a crystal at this time?" Shay asked, looking at Ala, who contemplated.
"Perhaps…" She said. "There were some that have not yet been mined. My people and I can harvest them and bring them. Certainly one or more can be used."
"Alright, then we have a plan." Allura said with a nod.
Suddenly, everything around them began to shake.
"Uh, please tell me that was the baby Balmera that did that." Lani said. "Coran said that the baby could make the ground shake."
"No, that was not the infant," Ala said with a frown, rushing to the ladder.
"I will go with her," Rax said, following Ala. "I will inform the others about the need for the crystals."
"Shiro, Lance, Keith, what's going on?" Allura asked over the comm. "We're experiencing unnatural ground tremors down here."
"Sorry, Princess, but they back-up crew has got some heavy firepower." Shiro said. "We're going to draw their fire away from the surface."
"We're going to have to get to work, and fast." Hunk said, beginning to pull tools out of the kit he had brought with him from the Yellow Lion. "This thing usually can only be operated by a Galra, and since Keith's busy, we're going to need to hotwire it."
"Awesome," Tali said, grinning. "Haven't hotwired anything in years…"
"Garrison shenanigans?" Pidge asked as they opened up the panel exposing a mess of wires.
"Ah, you know me so well," Tali said.
"What can I do?" Shay asked.
"Can you tell the Queen that we're doing everything we can to help, and that I'm sorry because I know this is going to hurt, but it's the only way," Hunk said.
Shay nodded and pressed her hands to the walls.
"I've got the Castle landed, but I'm going to need an extra hand or two," Coran said over the comms.
"Shinji, come with me," Allura instructed. Shinji nodded and followed Allura down.
"What can I do?" Lani asked.
"Keep an eye out for Coran, Allura and Shinji, or Rax and Ala and the other Balmerans with the crystal," Hunk said before turning back to the hotwiring project.
"Oh… 'kay." Lani said, struggling hard not to feel hurt and useless as she retreated to the edge of the scaffolding.
She tried to swallow her pride. After all, wasn't she who told Shiro from the very beginning that she had no skills to contribute whatsoever?
She was useless for missions. Everyone else seemed to have something to do, something to contribute, even Shinji, despite how infrequently he was spotted throughout a day on board the ship.
And she was… What? A blogger? A cook? An expert look-out?
She glanced out of the corner of her eye as Shay pressed her forehead to the rock wall, both hands palm-flat against it, glowing.
Lani liked Shay, but the feelings of inferiority compared to the young Balmeran female were coming back stronger than ever at that moment.
"Alright, I think this thing is ready to run," Pidge said, sitting back on their haunches as Hunk quickly checked the connection, resulting in the engine humming. Hunk just as quickly cut it off.
"Let's wait until we've got the crystal and Coran's sealant." He said.
Lani straightened as she saw the two Alteans and Shinji enter the cavern. She waved at them, getting a little closer to the edge.
And that's when the ground began to shake again.
Her eyes went wide as she felt herself losing balance, teetering towards the edge, and the long fall that awaited her.
She vaguely remembered screaming.
She vaguely remembered hearing Hunk shout her name.
She vaguely remembered a hand grabbing her wrist, something pressing against her body in mid-air, wrapping around her.
She didn't remember closing her eyes, but it must have happened close to impact.
What she vividly remembered was her knees and palms aching from where she landed and rolled on the stone floor.
What she vividly remembered was a yellow-and-white, armor-encased arm wrapped tightly around her waist.
What she vividly remembered was the sound of Hunk's labored breathing in her ear, mixing with the sound of her heartbeat.
What she vividly remembered was the heart-breaking way Pidge screamed, "HUNK!", their voice cracking mid-way.
What she vividly remembered was the horrified expressions on Allura, Shinji and Coran's faces as they pulled her out of Hunk's embrace.
What she vividly remembered was shaking as she continued to kneel on the floor for a second, taking a deep breath before turning around. Shinji kneeling beside her, asking her if she was hurt, but she couldn't respond, couldn't think.
What she vividly remembered was the conversation happening behind her.
"Hunk? Hunk! Open your eyes, please!" Allura begged.
"'Llura? What's wrong?"
"Don't move!" Coran ordered, his voice stern in a way that Lani thought she'd never hear. But there was concern and fear there, too…
"Why not? Oh… That's why…"
She vividly remembered feeling her blood run cold, terrified of what was happening, what she would see when she turned around.
And she looked anyway.
She had to clasp a hand to her mouth to keep from letting out a horrified scream.
There was a long, thin piece of scrap metal that had been near the bottom of the scaffolding, discarded like junk. What it's former purpose was, she had no idea.
But now, none of that mattered.
Because that piece of metal was sticking out behind Hunk, from just under the chest plate of his armor.