Chapter Thirty-Eight:
"So what do we need to know about Nabat-Al?" Shiro asked.
"First and foremost, all weapons—including the Lions and bayards—need to remain in the Castle," Coran explained. "And it'd be better to arrive out of armor. The citizens of Nabat-Al, especially the priests of Nabat, are non-confrontational and even seeing armor or an unsheathed blade would be enough for them to turn us away."
"So there's no weapons on this planet at all?" Hunk asked, frowning. "How have they avoided Galra rule then?"
"Primarily for two reasons: the conquest of Nabat-Al would be considered too easy of a victory for any military commander, Zarkon included," Caelum said. "Given the lack of weapons and the easy-going nature of the Nabatians, a child could successfully lead the conquest. And not necessarily a Galra child, either. A fledgling officer would be ridiculed for an easy victory—not a productive way to earn a name for yourself in the Galra Empire—and more senior officers would believe taking over this planet beneath them. The second reason is that taking control of the planet is useless. There is only one crop that grows universally on the planet, which is all that the Nabatians eat, so there is no guarantee that planting new crops would be successful."
"Alright, so no weapons, no Lions, no armor, but quite a bit of concern that we could still be walking into a trap," Pidge said.
"'Fraid that's a risk we'll have to take," Coran said. Suddenly, he grinned though and said, "And why we'll have to be extra sneaky."
"You have something in mind, then?" Shiro asked.
"Hiding in plain sight, of course, with some exceptionally clever weaponry that doesn't take on the appearance of weaponry." Coran said
"Lethal accessorizing, right on," Tali said, rubbing her hands together eagerly.
"How much faith are we putting into these guys having the answers we need?" Shinji asked, frowning slightly as he folded his arms over his chest. "And how do they get the answers we need?"
"The priests of Nabat burn leaves from their main crop in the Temple of Truth that present them visions," Allura explained, tapping a button to show a picture of said leaves. "It is said that their highest ranking priests use pipes to smoke from the leaves to directly gain prophecies. They are apparently quite vivid."
The humans exchanged glances, all evidentially thinking the same thing, about how the leaves were in a, uh, familiar shape to them.
"So… They're stoners?" Lani asked hesitantly.
"No?" Allura said, looking confused. "Stones have nothing to do with it."
"This is going to be like going to the shady McDonalds in town again, isn't it?" Lance said with a sigh.
"You mean the shady McDonalds that Garrison students are forbidden to go to on free days?" Tali asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Yeah, that one. Pidge and I snuck out and went there once, to see if it was as bad as the upperclassmen said, and we were actually kind of disappointed," Lance admitted with a shrug.
"The only thing exciting about it was that there was an actual working McFlurry machine." Pidge added.
"Wait, for real? I thought that a working McFlurry machine was akin to a unicorn or something." Shinji exclaimed.
"Hey, that McDonalds isn't that bad," Keith argued. "I worked there after I got kicked out of the Garrison—" Here Shiro sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as Tali shook her head, both muttering 'of course you did'. "—and I'm the reason the McFlurry machine actually worked, by the way, so you're welcome." Suddenly, he frowned. "Oh. I never submitted my income taxes."
"I think it's way too late to worry about that, bud," Hunk told him.
"What is a McFlurry?" Caelum asked, confused. "And what are income taxes?"
"Never mind," Shiro said. "Coran, if we're not going to wear our armor, what should we wear?"
Coran suddenly grinned. "Oh, I was hoping someone would ask that question."
()()()()()()()()()()()
"You know what, I'm not surprised." Lani said ten minutes later as she picked up a tie-dye dress in shades of pinks and purples. "But this is cute so I'm definitely not going to complain."
There was a lot of floral, tie-dye, fringe, quirky headbands, and bell-bottoms, but everyone managed to find something that suited them, even if they did look like they were about to attend Woodstock.
"Far out, man, far out…" Lance said as he added a pair of lightly-tinted sunglasses to complete his ensemble.
"Whoa," Pidge said, adjusting their hair in front of the mirror. "I look like my great-great-great-great-grandmother in the old photo albums at my Nana's."
Coran brought out the weapons, disguised as bracelets and necklaces, hair pins and things that fit into hidden holsters under pant legs and skirts, or into hollow heels of shoes. So while there was no outward appearance of weapons, the team was most certainly leaving armed to the teeth.
Allura and Coran led the way as they were greeted by the Nabat Semusy—the head of the Nabat priests.
"Greetings, Honored Semusy," Allura said, bowing slightly. "We are—"
"We are well aware who you are," The Nabat Semusy interrupted. "And why you are here."
"You… you foresaw us coming?" Tali asked hesitantly.
"No, we have made some logical deductions since you announced your impending arrival," The Nabat Semusy said. "Voltron has returned and seek to dismantle the Galra Empire. However, the Alteans in your party know that asking for help from the citizens of Nabat-Al would be fruitless, but that we can direct you towards your destiny and future allies. However," At this, he looked at Allura again. "You will have to prove yourselves worthy of our knowledge. Many have come here with the goal of seeking their fortune, or adding glory to their name. The Galra among them. Not all have had the best of intentions from our gifts. So, before we soothsay for you, each and every member of your party must pass a trial in order to know your hearts and whether you truly mean to transform the universe for the better or worse."
"What exactly does this trial involve?" Shiro asked cautiously.
"You will all enter the Temple of Truth, and must speak one truth about yourself that you keep hidden, or a truth only you know. Those who speak the truth will be able to leave. And those who don't—or do not reveal a truth that the Temple deems worthy—will be trapped within forever."
"Oh. Great. Just reveal our deepest darkest secrets or be trapped forever. No big deal." Hunk said. "This is par for the course for us."
Allura turned to the team and asked, "Does everyone feel comfortable with this? If not, we can leave."
Everyone was silent, contemplating.
"I'm in," Lance said.
"Same," Hunk said.
Keith and Pidge nodded their affirmations.
"Extreme version of Truth or Dare? Count me in," Tali said.
"Me too!" Lani said.
"Let's just get it over with," Shinji added.
"The terms are agreeable," Caelum said solemnly, though he already knew the secret he was going to tell, one that had been gnawing at his heart since before they left the Altean colony.
Allura looked at Shiro, who nodded and turned to the Nabat Semusy, saying,
"Take us to the Temple."
()()()()()()()()()()()()
"So, should we take the lack of comfortable seating to be a metaphor about how the truth is hard and uncomfortable, or is it just as a motivation to get it over with and get out?" Lani asked as the team sat around a small fire-pit in the center of the Temple of Truth. According to the Nabat Semusy, each truth would give the coals in the fire enough spark to become a full roaring fire. But any attempts to lie or not tell the whole truth would douse it.
"I think it's just a lack of forethought, actually, which may or may not be irony," Shiro said. He glanced around at everyone. "So. Who wants to be the first victim here?"
"I volunteer as tribute," Hunk said, raising his hand. "Mostly because I don't think mine is too bad, just a little embarrassing so that's why I've never told anyone before." He took a deep breath and said, "I never told anyone how I got into the Garrison. Like, seriously the only people who know how I got in are my mom, my sisters, and the recruiter."
"You got in by being a quiznaking engineering genius, duh," Pidge said.
"No, see, I never actually applied. Nor did any of my teachers send anything in," Hunk said. "So, at the end of eighth grade we all had to go through finals and stuff? But Lea won an award at her school on the big island, and it was right in the middle of the finals, but my mom wanted me and Lulu to be there for the ceremony and we were going to stay with some family for a few days in Hilo, so she arranged for me to take my finals at different times. The problem was, the only final that couldn't be rescheduled was the one for gym class."
"Oh, yeah, wasn't Coach Evans' wife, like, nine months pregnant at the time?" Lani said. "He always had his phone in his hand for the last two months just waiting to get a call from her."
"Right, and my class was the last final he was supposed to administer, but he called up a friend who taught gym at another middle school in Hilo and asked if I could join in. He said yes, it'd be no big deal, the standards for passing would be the same. Which is all well in good except for one problem," Hunk said. "Which is, I got lost. Very, very, very lost.
"See, what I didn't know at the time was that, at the same time the students who actually went to the school were in the gym, the football field was currently being used for the fitness test for kids applying for the Garrison from all the islands. And the lady at the office, who only knew I was in eighth grade and coming from another island, sent me towards the football field."
"Oh no," Lance said, laughing slightly. "How the heck did you get through the registration and stuff?"
"Yeah, they do everything but fingerprint and blood-type you when you go to one of those things," Keith added.
"I'm still not sure," Hunk admitted. "They thought I was a last minute thing or something, and called up the lady at the office who sent me there in the first place who vouched that I was supposed to be there.
"Now, I had no idea what the gym class final was supposed to be like, so all I saw was big walls to scale and long distances to run, and I'm freaking out. Because I start thinking 'what if I fail?' And, worse, 'what if I fail and I have to repeat the whole eighth grade? Oh no, what if I fail and I have to repeat all of middle school!'. And because no one wants to repeat all of middle school, I was really, really freaking out. And I guess to some extent that panic turned into adrenaline because as soon as the whistle blew I was running and running fast. Because the entire time I was thinking about how much I wanted to go to high school and never wanted to be in sixth grade again. And, actually, I don't even really remember that much about the course itself, I just totally blacked out until the end.
"About that time, the teacher who was supposed to be giving me the gym final shows up with my mom, both totally frantic because I didn't show up where I was supposed to be and they had no idea where I was. That's when the recruiters realized that there had definitely been a mix-up and I really wasn't supposed to be there. But the lady was really nice and told the teacher that I had definitely earned extra credit because there were older cadets at the Garrison that couldn't go through the course as fast as I had. And that should have been the end of that until she decided to investigate me a bit more and found my grades and awards from robotics and science fairs and my testing scores and stuff. Then they reached out to me. And it was too good of an offer to let pass, so I said yes."
"So let me get this straight," Shiro said, struggling hard not to laugh but had a wide grin on his face. "You got into the Garrison, became a Paladin of Voltron, savior of the universe… all because you were afraid of having to go through middle school again?"
"Uh, yeah, pretty much," Hunk said, laughing. "Galra are easy. Sixth grade?" He shuddered.
"Mood," Tali said, nodding. "Big, big mood."
"Yeah, but now we have the problem of Hunk having the best and having gone first," Pidge said. "None of us can even begin to compete."
"No, but it has diffused the tension considerably," Allura said. "Which has two benefits. One is that we can accomplish this task easier and, well," She gestured to the fire-pit, which was starting to smolder.
"We're off to a good start, then," Keith commented. As he was eager to get to his turn—for ulterior motives—he added, "I'll go next."
"Alright, what big bad secrets are you hiding, Mr. Emo?" Lance asked.
Oh, he was glad you asked, Lance.
"I had a crush on Shiro, and that's actually how I figured out I was gay."
In response, the fire-pit flared slightly, illuminating Shiro's face, stricken with confusion, guilt and a bit of horror.
"You—Wait, what?" Shiro said, voice devoid of emotion, but his eyes screaming 'Error 404: File Cannot Be Found'.
"Yep, totally did. Over it now, by the way." Keith informed him, sending a glance towards Pidge who glared at him, totally realizing where he was going with this.
"Matt's going to be owing me money for the rest of his life at this rate," Tali laughed.
"Dude!" Lance exclaimed, grinning widely and laughing. "I figured out I was bi because of my crush on Shiro!"
Keith laughed at this and the fire-pit again flared, and the two bumped fists.
"And now you're dating each other, what are the odds?" Lani said.
"We should do more in-depth research and see what happens to other people who have had past crushes on Shiro, see how their love-lives turned out." Hunk said, completely innocently and completely missing Pidge's enraged expression and their internal debate about whether or not to throw a shoe at him.
Shiro bowed his head slightly. "I am so sorry…"
"Wait, is that a rejection 'I am so sorry' or is that a 'I was totally blind, I am so sorry'?" Shinji asked, looking slightly amused.
"Both. Sorry." Shiro said, his cheeks red. "Really."
"What, you would have let us down easy or something?" Lance teased. "Nah, man, we're cool. Don't worry about it."
"Well, three down, eight to go," Lani said. She looked down at her toes, wiggling them slightly to have the silver rings twinkle in the faint glow of the fire. "I'll go next. My whole life, I wanted to go on adventures and see the world—see what other people's worlds are like. And I got the opportunity. And I love it, I'm enjoying myself, I'm happy. But at the same time, I'm not. Things aren't going like I thought they would, and maybe that's because nothing will ever live up to my imagination. But maybe it's because now I'm even more unsure of what I want and need in my life. Yes, I want to keep going on adventures. But at the same time, I want to go home and just stay there forever. Go back to what I thought was a monotonous life. And it's kind of scary not knowing and just going with the flow. It's not easy. And… I guess I just needed to say it. Get it out in the open and over with rather than just trapping myself in my own thoughts."
The fire pit sparked and began to glow a bit brighter
"You are in no way, shape, or form alone with those concerns," Allura said.
"Yeah, I think we're all in that boat, in one way or another," Lance added.
Lani looked relieved and smiled.
"I think doubting yourself and your choices every now and then is better than simply assuming that every decision you make is the right one, so long as it doesn't negatively affect you," Tali said, a harshness in her tone as she stared at the fire. "I've never told anyone the truth about why my grandparents raised me. I tell everyone who asks that my mom lives somewhere else. That she's helping people and it was too hard for her to take care of me as a single mom so my grandparents stepped in. That she's successful and loves me and that we talk a lot. But the last time I saw her was at my grandfather's funeral, and before that I hadn't seen her since I was eleven. The truth is… I don't think she cares about me. Or anyone except herself. I was in her way. I was an inconvenience while she was pregnant because she couldn't go out with her friends, and I was an inconvenience after I was born because she didn't want to find a babysitter and couldn't bring people home with a baby.
"So she just dumped me with my grandparents. And she just goes on about her life without giving any of us a thought unless she wants something. And then she actually got her act together and made something of herself as a model in New York City, and all that time she kept saying 'When I make it big, Tali, you'll come live with me'. But then she made it big and then it was 'Maybe after the end of the school year' or 'I have to go to Paris or Milan or whatever for a shoot, so sometime after that' or something. She wanted me to go out to see her after I got selected for the Kerberos mission, wanted to show me off and make a spectacle of me and her. Like 'Look at this genius I gave birth to, isn't that amazing?'. And then she got angry and told me I was ungrateful and an idiot and so much more when I turned down Commander Holt's offer. And I want to love her but I can't. Because she's just this total stranger to me. So that's the truth. I've been lying about my mom to others, and to myself that she actually cares for me. And that I've been letting her take way too much control of my life. I'm done with that now. I'm done dealing with toxic people. Done making excuses."
The fire pit practically spat fire with the ferocity of her statement before dying back down, the embers starting to crackle.
"I understand completely," Caelum said softly in the quiet that followed. "I have never heard that term you used, toxic people… But it is so apt. My grandfather… He was toxic, and I didn't know. Didn't realize. Was too blind, was too naive, too ready to defend him. I thought that was what I had to do, as his grandson, as his only relative. But no more." He took a deep breath. "My grandfather sent us to Mitalin for a reason. And that reason was to have Keith be poisoned with the Tealuhum tea. He told me so, after we got back. Made a special request to Minister Uluio to have the tea served. And I am sorry. Sorry that he has brought so much pain, sorry that he was selfish, sorry that he was ignorant and arrogant. Sorry for everything. But this is the truth. And this is my truth: I am not my grandfather. I never will be my grandfather." He lifted his gaze to Allura. "I meant what I said back at the colony. I am completely loyal to Princess Allura and the Paladins of Voltron."
The fire pit grew brighter, flames starting to flicker.
"Thank you for your honesty," Allura said softly. "Though, I worry that your faith may be misplaced. I… my truth is that my father hadn't sacrificed his life, sacrificed everything, so that I could live. He would know what to do better than I could in any situation. He should be the one to lead the Paladins, to guide us through this war. And I… I wish I had died in his place. That he was here instead of me."
The fire-pit made the tears that fell down her face glint.
Coran put a hand on her shoulder. "Allura… Your father's sacrifice was not in vain. But he would not have been able to lead as you have. Your father knew what he was doing. He had full faith in you… and he died how he wanted. He died in battle. The truth is, King Alfor was already dying, long before Zarkon destroyed Altea, long before he started his grab for power."
Everyone stared at him in shock.
"What?" Allura whispered. "What do you mean?"
Coran sighed. "You don't remember your grandmother, Queen Allea, do you?"
"She died when I was four, I wasn't even able to sit up on my own yet," Allura pointed out.
"Yes. And she died very young. Devastatingly young," Coran said. "She was very ill. The illness that took her life was one that was genetic, had taken her father's life as well. She had known about the disease since your father was a child, and it grew progressively worse over the years. Before your parents were married, she ordered that your father and mother's genetics be tested for the disease. The doctors found the same disease in your father, and he had known for weeks that he had begun the same long, painful journey when Altea was attacked. But the doctors found something else: your mother's genetics, when mixed with your father's, meant that you would not suffer the same fate as your father, grandmother, great-grandfather, and many more before you. The doctors even tested you at birth to confirm."
"Why… why did he never tell me?" Allura asked.
"He planned to. Wanted to ensure that you would be able to rule after he was gone. His passing just came too soon for his plans to be put into action. And… after you were born, when you were very small, I believe he was certain that you would be fine. Because you'd have your mother. And, then, well… Your father was just never the same after she passed. And he wanted to spare you the same worries and fears that he experienced about his mother growing up. He wanted to be able to enjoy that time with you, for you to be able to freely enjoy the time you had together. I know that does not make his loss any easier, but you needed to know." Coran said.
The fire pit glowed brighter, flames rising but still not roaring.
"You're not alone, Allura," Shiro said calmly, staring at the fire-pit. "I think… Sometimes I think that the Black Lion made a mistake. That she chose the wrong person to be her Paladin. I think about it a lot more than I'd like to."
The flames flickered.
"If you doubt the Lion's decision that much, then why don't you just, I don't know, decline, or quit or whatever?" Shinji asked. "It'd be much easier for you. You went through so much, you shouldn't have to keep fighting."
Shiro raised his gaze to his brother, saying softly, "That's why I don't stop. Because I do know what people are going through under Zarkon's regime. I have to fight because so many others can't. I don't doubt being a Paladin. I just doubt being the Black Paladin."
But you don't have to be, Shinji thought irritably. You could have just come home…
"Like anyone else would be better," Pidge said, resting their hand on his knee. "You're a great leader. You know what you're doing, and none of it comes from anything you could have learned at the Garrison. It's all innate."
"Yeah man," Hunk said. "We don't doubt you, so don't doubt yourself."
Shinji grit his teeth, glaring over at Pidge. They were part of the reason Shiro was in this mess, in this Paladin nonsense.
Pidge, and their father and brother…
Eyes blazing, he met Pidge's gaze, speaking clearly over the fire-pit. "Pidge, my truth is for you." He declared, anger and glee simultaneously rising in him as their expression clouded in confusion. "You might think that I regret my actions back at the Garrison. But you are wrong. I don't regret them. I'd do them again, even knowing what I do now. Especially knowing what I do now. Because I think things would have been different, and for the better."
He watched as Pidge's eyes went wide with surprise, then their lip curled with anger. Around them, Shiro, Caelum, Tali and Lani looked confused while everyone else exchanged startled and panicked glances as the fire flared.
Pidge stood up, allowing them some height to glare down at Shinji as they snapped, "Then my truth is for you, Shinji. The only thing I regret is who I put my trust in. I will not make the same mistake twice."
The fire flared once more before turning into a full, roaring fire in front of their eyes. The doors to the Temple of Truth opened, and Pidge stormed out.
"I'll, uh, follow Pidge," Hunk said, jerking a thumb in Pidge's direction.
"You're a braver man than I am, buddy," Lance told him.
Shinji wordlessly followed as well, no doubt heading towards the Castle.
Shiro sat, stunned as he watched them leave, mulling over both Shinji and Pidge's words.
He didn't know that they had known each other before all this. Or if he did, he had forgotten. No, what Shinji said, something happened between the two of them at the Garrison, while he was gone to Kerberos and prisoner of the Galra.
Was it possible… was it possible that Pidge and Shinji had dated during that time?
"I think we should get our answer and go," Allura said softly as she got to her feet.
The truth may set one free.
But what else did it unleash at the same time?
So... I wrote an original novel back in 2017, and now I've uploaded it to Swoon Reads, where manuscripts that are read, rated, and reviewed are considered for traditional publication. The title is Bibliophile by Cate Collins. I hope you check it out!