The next morning, Allura and Coran tested the alarms and castle defences.
"Zarkon is attacking, we need Voltron, Paladins!" Allura called through the speakers.
Nova walked onto the bridge, wearing her armour, which consisted of violet metal suit covering from her bust, down to her silver metal booted feet, and a silver chainmail like undershirt that covered her arms to her violet gloved hands.
Four out of five paladins were also on the bridge, but Shiro was the only one suited up and ready for action.
"Where's Lance?" She asked.
Just as the words left her lips, the lift doors opened to reveal the said guy walking in wearing his Blue Lion pjs, including Blue Lion slippers.
Nova rolled her eyes.
"What's the emergency?" Lance yawned.
"Luckily for you it was only a drill, Allura and Coran were testing the castle defences and decided to test you too." She looked over the five.
"And guess which one failed." Allura tapped her foot.
"Only one of you is actually suited up and ready to go." She folded her arms. "The rest of you don't even have your bayards, and don't get me started on you." She glared at the blue paladin.
"Nova, cool down." Allura patted the younger Altean's shoulder. "She's right."
"No offence but… you've had ten thousand years sleep and for us… on Monday I suddenly left my home planet, then battled an evil alien and ate weird food goo in a weird castle… it's a lot to process in… ahh… I don't even know what day we're on…" Hunk groaned.
"It's the third quintant of the spicolian movement… hump day!" Coran piped up.
Allura sighed and stood under the crystal and used her magic to create a map of the universe. "Over the last ten thousand years, the castle has received distress signals from these points in the universe, we can only assume Zarkon has taken over most of the known universe." She moved the map around. "Earth is here and no doubt he will target it."
"Oh no…" Hunk breathed.
"Exactly, it is our mission to free those planets, Coran, Nova and I are preparing the castle to leave Arus."
"Within that time, we need you to learn to form Voltron." Nova injected.
"They're right, team, let's get to our lions and start training." Shiro commanded.
"But I wanna question the prisoners we rescued from the Galra ship…" Pidge looked to Shiro.
"Negative number five… I've ranked you by height, okay?" Coran chuckled.
"That's rude, Coran." Nova sighed. "But he's right, they need to remain in the cryo-replenishers until tomorrow."
"That's right, now get to your Lions!" Allura ordered.
Nova sighed watching the Paladins try over and over to form Voltron.
The Lions were stacked on top of each other in order of the way Voltron forms. Only thing was, Hunk decided he wanted to be the head.
Nova giggled. "They're adorable."
"In order to form Voltron, they need to connect with their lions and each other." Coran piped up.
Nova smirked. "Maybe they need more motivation. I think it's time to run a diagnostic test on the Castle's defences." She walked away and down to one of the bunkers where sat a white fighter jet.
"Paladins, maybe this will knock your heads together, I'm testing out the Castle canons… and sending out a fighter." Allura announced.
"What?!" Lance exclaimed, dodging the first fire.
"There!" Pidge exclaimed.
Nova flew around the paladins and fired, aiming for the Lions' feet. "Last time you formed Voltron you were under a lot of pressure from the Galra. Think of me as one of their fighters." She fired at them. "You're being shot at from all angles, you have to connect with each other and rely on one and other to have your back. Once you connect… forming Voltron should be as natural as breathing."
Keith huffed and shot a laser towards her and missed. "I had direct lock on! How did I miss?!"
"As if the Lions would actually let you make them hurt her." Allura laughed.
"Good aim red. If I'd been anyone else, I would've been toast."
"C'mon paladins, let's try again." Shiro ordered.
"Remember to listen to your Lions." Nova added.
"Princess! Get into the Lion with me!" Shiro yelled.
Nova paused. "Why? And what have I said about calling me Princess?!"
"Because you were in here the last time!"
"That's true." Hunk added.
"Me being in the Lion has nothing to do with this. You are the paladins." She sighed, rubbing her eye. "Ughhh… Allura, I need to fall back and return to the Castle." She said.
"What's wrong?!" Worry filled the Princess' voice.
"I dunno… my eye…"
"Come back!" Allura ordered.
"Sorry boys." Nova flew back to the castle. "Just keep trying!"
"What do you think is wrong?" Hunk asked.
"You heard her. Lets try again!" Shiro said.
About an hour later, Nova walked into the common room to find four of the paladins sat on the sofa. "Oh, great, so you formed Voltron?"
"No… the castle defences let up and we flew in. We need a break." Keith deadpanned.
Nova sighed.
Allura came in behind her and glared at Coran.
"Sorry I had to lower them to test out the fire suppressors." He scratched the back of his neck.
Nova pressed her palm to her eye.
"Nova, you should really let me check that." Allura cupped Nova's face with her hands and turned her so she could have a good look. "What does it feel like?"
"It… feels like it's glitching. Sharp pains and dizzy vision." Nova mumbles.
"Well it does look red, and not really focusing." Allura let her go.
Nova sat down. "Well it's not like there's anyone to fix it. Maybe I should just get it out somehow, rather be blind than this."
Pidge stood up. "Let me have a look." She moved to sit beside Nova. "I mean it's some sort of digital device, right? Maybe I could do something to help."
Nova shrugged. "Go ahead." She faced Pidge.
"Okay, sorry if the light hurts." Pidge scanned her eye with a device built into her armour.
Nova blinked a few times, seeing dots.
"It appears that every part of your eye is natural apart from the device." Pidge scrolled through the information. "Maybe it's just outdated, you were asleep for ten thousand years, maybe something interfered with it whilst you were asleep. Looks like an easy fix, but it will be uncomfortable." She stood up. "Give me some time to come up with something."
Nova nodded. "Thank you."
"That's great Pidge!" Allura clapped her hands together.
Shiro walked in. "We shouldn't be taking a break! We need to be training!"
"We've been training! When are we going back to Earth?" Hunk moaned.
"There won't be an Earth unless we stop Zarkon."
"Shiro's right, maybe you should do that later, Pidge." Nova said.
Pidge frowned at her.
"My eye isn't the most important thing here, what's more important is that you guys form Voltron."
"Nova…" Allura breathed. "Forming Voltron is important, but I dunno what I'd do if something goes wrong with your eye and you go blind. You need to get this fixed as soon as possible. Please, Pidge." She looked to the green paladin. "Fix it."
Pidge nodded once and went to her Lion's bunker where she'd made a makeshift laboratory.
Nova stared at her hands.
"Don't worry, if anyone can fix this, it's him." Lance patted Nova's shoulder.
Him? Nova frowned a little.
Shiro sighed.
"The last paladins fought thousands of battles side by side as a team. They were like a pack of yalmors linked at the ears."
Lance looked to Coran. "Yeah… that's definitely not us."
"During the last attack… your survival instincts kicked in and forced you to work as a team." Nova stated, leaning back against the backrest and closing her eyes. "But that will only get you so far. You have to become a real team to have any chance of forming Voltron at will."
"I know, you should try working out on the training deck once Pidge comes back." Coran said.
Half an hour later, Pidge found Nova at the bridge. "Nova, I think I've got something that will work, just to warn you it's not gonna be pretty."
Nova frowned at the device in the smallest paladin's hands. "Is it safe?"
"Should be, you'll need to lay back for this."
Allura walked over. "I'll be here." She assured her cousin.
Nova nodded and sat in one of the chairs and reclined it right back.
"Are you ready?" Pidge asked.
Nova took a deep breath. "As much as I'll ever be."
"Okay, don't move, this will keep your eye open." Pidge put an oval shaped device over her eye that forced the eyelids to stay open. "This might get hot and sting a bit."
Allura took Nova's hand and gave it a squeeze.
Pidge linked the device with her arm. "Okay, updating the software now."
Nova gave a hiss, trying to bite back a scream.
Keith walked in to see Nova laying in one of the chairs, clutching Allura's hand for dear life, whilst Pidge worked. "What's happening?"
"Almost done." Pidge assured.
"You're doing well, Nova." Allura soothed. She hated seeing her in pain. It was an emotion that Nova rarely showed to anybody.
Keith walked up to them. "She looks like she's in agony."
"Yeah well, so would you be if there was about two dozen lasers shooting into your eye." Pidge deadpanned. "I'd say she's doing well considering." She pressed a button and the device holding Nova's eye open seemed to power down. "Okay, that should do it." Pidge removed the device.
Nova squeezed her eyes shut and sat forward.
Allura crouched down. "Here…" She covered the eye with her hand and used her magic to ease the pain. "How is it?" She asked standing straight.
Nova blinked a few times and looked around. "Amazing…" She breathed. "It's even better than it was before… I can see in so much more detail." She looked to Pidge and gave a big smile. "Thank you so much!"
Both Pidge and Keith stared at her, a bit awestruck by her dazzling smile.
Pidge cleared her throat. "You're welcome… it was an honour to work with, it gave me so much more insight into biometrics." She grinned. "It's one of the most beautiful things I'd ever seen… from a scientists' point of view anyway."
Nova felt her cheeks heat up. "Thanks… I think." She stood up.
"Maybe you should rest before moving around too much." Pidge suggested.
"Nah… I should be alright, I need to get back to… whoa!" She lost her footing and fell forward.
"Hey!" Keith caught her before she hit the ground.
She looked up and met his eyes, blushing roses.
"You were saying?" He smirked.
Allura giggled. "Nice catch."
"Yeah… um… sorry." She straightened up and brushed past him. "Get the others ready, training starts in five, meet on the training deck." She added before heading towards the deck herself.
Keith looked to Allura. "Will she be alright?"
Allura laughed. "From what I've just seen, she's perfectly Nova. I don't want her overexerting herself though. So, don't give her a hard time on the training deck."
Keith nodded and went to get ready.
"Pidge."
She looked to the Princess.
"Thanks again. I dunno if Nova could handle not being able to see."
"No problem. It was cool to look into the Altean technology too, so win win." Pidge followed Keith.
On the training deck, Nova stood with Coran on the upper balcony. "Right, a paladin's moto is to protect your teammates above yourself. These drones are gonna attack you. It's up to you to have each other's back." She added.
Coran pushed a button to release the drones.
After a number of tests on the training deck, it was clear that it was going nowhere.
"Your meal is served, packed with nutrients to build up your strength." Coran said as the paladins sat down for lunch.
"Thanks Coran, looks good." Shiro made to spoon some into his mouth when suddenly his wrist was stuck to Hunks.
"What the?" Lance complained.
"This is your final team building exercise of the day, you work together and feed each other."
Nova walked in, slurping a cup of noodles to be met by a food fight breaking out. She looked to see the paladins all joined together by the wrists, throwing food goo at Coran and Allura.
She dodged a couple of projectiles as she finished her food.
"Nova!"
She looked to Allura.
"Help!" She threw some more food goo at the paladins.
Nova sighed, discarding her empty cup. She picked up a plate.
"Oooh what you gonna do Princess?" Keith smirked.
She gritted her teeth. "What have I said about calling me that?!" She launched her assault, easily dodging the counter attacks.
"Nova is our prime target! We need to get at least a little bit of goo on her!" Lance laughed.
Nova summoned her staff and twirled it in her hand, creating a shield… and occasionally using it like a baseball bat.
By the end everyone was warn out. Nova slumped onto a chair next to Allura.
"You… are fast." Lance huffed.
Nova smirked. "Maybe so… but… you worked as a team to try and hit me." She looked to Allura. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
Allura had a huge smile plastered on her face. "You guys were finally able to work as one."
Shiro stood up. "They're right… I think we're ready! Lets go and form Voltron."
"Yeah!" They all tried to move at the same time, forgetting that they were connected and fell over.
Once freed, Shiro looked to Nova. "Are you joining us?" He held out his bionic hand.
"Wouldn't miss it." She took it and they ran for the Black Lion.
They were successful in forming Voltron.
"I knew you guys could do it!" Nova exclaimed.
"Yes! Thanks to you guys." Hunk called through the intercoms.
"Well… mainly Pidge and Keith for pissing the two ladies off, creating a situation where we had to fight for our lives." Lance laughed.
Once in the common room everyone collapsed onto the sofa.
"This has gotten me so pumped! I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight." Lance grinned.
"Not me, as soon as I hit the pillow, I'll be out like a light." Keith injected.
"Me too. You paladins have worn me out." Nova yawned.
"You know what!" Hunk squeezed in between Lance and Keith. "When we were inside Voltron, I realised that we're brothers!" He hugged them both. "I love you guys!"
Keith looked to him weirdly. "G-force mess with your head a little bit?"
Hunk let go of them. "I dunno… maybe. It's been tough these last few days."
"Well… that's ultimately what Voltron is, it brings people together like a family." Nova said.
Pidge sat beside her. "Is your eye still working okay?"
Nova nodded. "All of its functions are going smoothly too. It used to put real strain on the natural parts of it but now it feels easy."
"Well, tell me if anything feels off about it." She added.
"Yes, doc!" Nova saluted.
Keith looked to her. "What functions?"
She met his gaze. "I can scan, send and receive data to and from the Castle, I can see far distances, aim and see in the dark with it."
"Whoa!" Hunk went wide eyed.
"If I was gonna get it fitted anyway, it might as well be useful."
Pidge looked like a fangirl. "Its one of the coolest things ever."
"Bionic eyes aren't uncommon." Nova deadpanned.
"Maybe but I bet none of them actually resemble an eye. It's so pretty!" Pidge gushed.
Nova felt the heat rushing to her ears. "I feel like your new favourite science project."
Pidge laughed. "Maybe."
Nova stood and stretched. "I'm gonna go to bed." She made her way out and towards the sleeping bay.
"I think we all should." Shiro headed out too.
Everyone agreed.
