-The franchises here do not belong to me-
-Hello everyone, sorry for the delay, but I've been a bit busy and I also did this chapter slowly. I promise you that the next chapters after this will come soon, I assure you-
Peace.
-By the way, I'm recruiting a couple of beta readers. So send me a message in case you are interested in it-
The Castle of Lions parked in the huge docking bay was quiet and full of somber. The Paladins and Crystal Gems may have been reunited after a battle that scattered them across the universe, but they lost someone in the process. A dear friend, who is irreplaceable. When Peridot gave the rest of the Gems the terrible news, Pearl literally collapsed with a terrible, hysterical cry.
for the ivory gem: Garnet was like a sister to her, when they met for the first time, the fusion showed total confusion and fear to know what was the reason for her to exist but it was Rose who solved her existential crisis; since then both gems were great combat companions and best friends in the post-rebellion times. Her stoicism and her calm in tense situations were fundamental roles for Rose on her deathbed to choose her as the next candidate to be the leader of the Crystal Gems and Pearl more than agreed.
She has lost so much; her friends from the war, Rose, and now Garnet; the only other Gem who understood her and helped her through these losses. Both Rose and Garnet were like mothers to Amethyst; Garnet continued that role for the Earth-born Gem long after Rose left them, now… all Amethyst feels is that same pain again.
Bismuth was worse than her friends, although she was very hurt and showed deep sadness, her composure for her friend fallen from hers. She and Garnet were like bread and garlic when it came to team fighting, they showed a little game of teasing each other in moments of calm and always respecting their laid-back demeanor. But now that she was gone and she felt a deep pain to realize that he could never apologize to her for the strong argument they had before facing the Galra.
For Peridot, Garnet showed the once proud Homeworld loyalist the concept of love and comradery; something Gems of her type never have the chance to experience in their existence; opening the tiny green Gem's eyes to things she thought were impossible for her to comprehend. As for Connie, Garnet gave the young teenaged girl confidence in herself; the courage to not be afraid of the person she wanted to be. Aside from Pearl and Steven, the Fusion served as emotional support, and let Connie open-up about things she believed her parents wouldn't understand.
However, out of all of them, Steven was devastated the most. The young Half-Gem never knew his mother, and so, Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl took on the responsibility of raising him along with his dad. Amethyst served as the irresponsible yet caring big sister. Pearl served as the kind, yet overly protective mother. However, Garnet… all she wanted to do was make Steven happy; give him a past he could look back at with fondness, a present he would enjoy living in, and a future he couldn't wait to look forward to. Now… all of that was in question.
Anger, betrayal, sadness; various emotions swirled inside all the Paladins and Gems. At the time that Vident Guren revealed to the rest of the Voltron Force that the reason Zarkon was able to take control of the Black Lion during his attack was that he had the Black Bayard and was her hers former Paladin hers. What made this revelation even more painful was that after some understandable anger and pressuring from Keith. If everyone had known in advance, he would have put measures against Zarkon's control over the lion and Garnet's death would never have happened.
She was totally shocked, embarrassed, and lamented. The people everyone onboard placed so much trust in her had been hiding this from them since the beginning. She explained that Lance and Coran wanted to tell the others the truth from the beginning, but she begged them not to. For the first time in 10,000 years; those who were worthy of piloting the Lions of Voltron had been discovered a new hope for the universe.
The Princess did not want to deceive any of them, but she was afraid that if they knew the Black Paladins darkest secret… then that hope would be lost.
How stupid was she to think that this dark stain in the history of the paladins would pass without a problem, but again the universe proved how cruel is it, taking away an individual totally important to her friends and allies.
This did not help, all it did was sew further distrust; up to the point where Keith lost his temper with Allura and nearly started a fight with Lance. Fortunately, his father Thace stopped him and told him that the older members of the Sword of Marmora knew of this secret and the reason for keeping it from their younger members was because they wanted to preserve Zarkon's legacy as a kind and gentle man before of his fall, he did not want his son to feel the same weight that his leaders carried.
While Shiro and the others thanked the princess for telling the truth in the meeting with the Eldar and the Imperium; mistrust was still in the air, and it would take time before any form of trust could be regained.
After concluding this clarification meeting, Pidge and Peridot left the castle towards one of the buildings in which Matt and the others were staying, Keith stormed off while his father followed him, Amethyst and Connie left with deep regret and Shiro was the last to leave as he gave Allura a pitying look.
The Castle of the Lions had to be evicted due to the massive damage it suffered on the outside and inside, which required many people to repair it. One of the Exarchs was kind enough to offer Princess Allura hundreds of Sain-hamm's best engineers to repair her, but the process would take days so all of them will have to stay at Craftworld until the castle is fully operational. It would have been comical to see Coran rant on the talent of the Eldar engineers, but the bitter taste he left behind when they almost disappeared into the warp prevented him from commenting on it, but he made it clear that he himself would be the process supervisor, which the Exarch accepted without any discussion.
All were offered places to stay while the castle repairs were in progress. The paladins were housed together with their crew in one of the residential buildings with the best amenities the Eldar could accept.
"Hey... where did my brother go?" Pidge asked Luna. She and Lana were doing maintenance on her weapons at a work table that the young blonde "requested."
"Lynn told us that one of the Tech-Priests came here and took him to give her missing arm a new prosthesis at Leni's request." Lana explained to her as she cleaned the empty magazines of a laser pistol.
"Wait? Did he go with the Adeptus Mecanicus without me!?" Pidge asked with a hint of jealousy and anger in his tone. "Urgh! When I see it I'm going to-! Where are they!?"
"He beats me, they could be on the other side of the Sain-hamm as far as I care." Luna shrugged as she sorted her shotgun shells.
Pidge snorted in annoyance and left the room to walk down the long corridor to go to Lynn's room and ask her-
She stopped when she saw one of the Astartes walking in front of her, it was a librarian of the Blood Ravens from what they had informed her, the first time she saw them she felt totally excited: genetically enhanced transhuman warriors to face the greatest adversities alongside high-tech weapons. She was surprised and intimidated to have one near her.
Her appearance could be considered gambling if it weren't for the ugly burn scar that started on her forehead and went down over her left cheek, her left eye was replaced by a pretty lens almost similar to the one she was wearing. Sendak.
The Librarian stopped when he noticed the presence of the young green paladin, his stony face fixed on the nervous expression on the mortal's face.
"Can I help you with something?" The Psychic Astarte asked with his voice echoing off the walls.
Pidge flinched slightly at the volume of her voice, but pulled himself together quickly and sighed to calm her nerves. "Y-greetings, my name is Katie Holt and I am the champion of the green lion."
"Chief Librarian Deacon Obs of the 7th Company of the Blood Ravens." The Librarian now known as Deacon introduced himself with a nod. "I could see the fascinating curiosity you were feeling for me."
"Do I really seem so obvious?" Pidge closed his eyes shamefully with a thick bead of sweat falling.
"There is no reason to be ashamed. We have always powerfully drawn the attention of mortals, and I do not blame them for it. " Deacon expressed, making a dismissive gesture with his huge glove.
"Well. I have been looking for my brother, but I have just been informed that a member of his Adeptus Mecanicus took him away to provide a prosthesis for his missing arm. "
"And you have no guide to where his ship is docked, do you?" Deacon asked and then received the assent of the young woman. "I see, I can take you there."
"Really? I mean: I could wait for it! " Pidge claimed spreading her arms in surrender. "I do not want to interrupt any business that you, Mr. Astarte, are conducting now."
"Nonsense, you must always watch over your brothers, whether they are blood or not." Deacon reformulated. Then his massive body did a 180 turn. "Follow me so I can take you to your brother."
"I really don't want to be a bother to you." Pidge said politely.
"I insist."
Pidge couldn't refute that, so they both walked to a new destination to search for his brother. Katie could actually take advantage of this to look around the Eldar Homeworld and satisfy her hunger for curiosity.
"I would like to ask: what is different about you Space Marines from ordinary people." Pidge asked as she and the Librarian stepped into something resembling an elevator.
Captain Deacon managed a small smile and the first topic that came to mind was the concept of the gene seed.
Pearl was sitting on a bench, gazing at the beautiful garden in front of her. There were incredible flowers and plants to behold: trees with silver leaves that glowed in an amalgam of beautiful colors, huge-stemmed flowers with huge petals, and the grass that sparkled as if there were little gems within it. All of them were well maintained and flowed freely with the artificial air of Saim-Hamm.
She witnessed these kinds of beauties millennia ago in her service on Homeworld, she and the gem she had served went to an Exodite world to make contact with the local Eldar on a diplomatic mission. She saw the natural wonders that these organic fascinating as well as the culture of these individuals.
The history of the Empire from her and the remnants of the fallen galactic empire were mostly tense and filled with constant silent threats from the seers and members of the Homeworld military high command. They gave them a nickname "Hyg'sir" which meant "Hollow mind" Beings without the ability to transcend or adapt to the new and with a mind empty of any independentist thought.
I wish Rose and Garnet were here to see this ...
Garnet ...
The current leader of the Crystal Gems's gaze crinkled in depression, her hands circling her forearms as Saim-Hamm's air blew once more, shaking the leaves from the trees.
"You want me to what!?" Pearl asked, completely incredulous at her friend's question.
"I want that if I ever perish, you would be the leader of the Crystal Gems." Garnet simply reformulated with his fingers pinking the hairs of the little feline that was in his lap.
It was night at the house in Beach City. The two Gems that stayed behind to protect the earth while Steven, Amethyst, Connie, and Peridot fought to save the universe from the Galra. The two of them had returned from a difficult corrupted gem hunt as they weren't counted on the help of the others.
The two of them returned home safe and sound, and the first thing Garnet did was feed the kittens he had rescued on a rainy night. Pearl gathered the firewood out of the hunt to the cauldron next to the living room; When the fire gave off enough heat, they both sat in the relaxing atmosphere.
"I don't understand where you are coming from with this." Pearl said confused.
"Pearl." Garnet mentioned her name in a tone that encompassed seriousness. "Both you and Sapphire know the kinds of things in stars."
"I know that, but Voltron is the most powerful weapon in the universe, they will be more than sure." Pearl made a dismissive gesture to allay the concerns of the merger.
"Don't hold on to that. The universe out there is voracious and unforgiving. Do not forget the kind of horrors that inhabit. " Garnet refuted by bowing slightly to her friend.
Pearl froze before releasing a soft exhale. "You're right, I'm afraid of all the things that Steven and Connie witness. We have explained to Amethyst what kind of hostilities there are in the universe and Peridot may know more. Steven is just a child, sweet and charismatic just like his mother. "
"Up there they are going to tear it to pieces." Garnet muttered as his gaze traveled to the window into the sea of stars. "It's because if for some reason something happened to me and I died, you would take care of this team."
"But I'm not like you or Rose!" Pearl said dejectedly. "I do not possess the charisma of our former leader and I do not possess enough strength. I'm just a pearl, I'm so useless on my own and I need someone to tell me what to do. "
"Pearl! During the thousand years of rebellion you have proven to be more than just a pearl. You have a strength of which you should be proud; I know you did all those things since you were very loyal to Rose, but she is no longer here, she is one with hers, her son and I need you to be strong not for her, not for me, not for Steven. " Garnet at this moment took the hand of a troubled Pearl who did not know what to say or how to react. "Promise me, Pearl."
"I-I-I…" Pearl tried to rephrase a suitable word, but it turned out to be useless as the look she was giving Garnet calmed her. "I promise."
Garnet's response was an honest smile. Thank you, Pearl. For real."
"Ehem!" A female voice sounded, bursting the thought bubble of Pearl who had been startled in surprise. The gem turned to meet the inquisitive gaze of the seer.
"O-Oh! Sorry, I haven't noticed. " Pearl quickly gets up from the bench to adjust her hair and reach out to her. "Nice to meet you, my name is-"
"You are the renegade maid." Guren cut off the thin gem's salute in a monotonous, almost bored voice.
The gem is surprised at the rapid relief by the Eldar woman who walks towards one of her flowers, completely passing her.
"How do you know-?" Pearl tried to ask but Guren gave her a gaze that silenced her, she could feel the power and knowledge in her eyes.
"Although it may surprise you, the Hyg'syr came to this Craftworld with hostile intentions for the sole purpose of declaring their absolute supremacy over all organic life forms or for fulfilling the will of their' Radiant '." Guren said the moment her gaze went to the petals of a flower. "It goes without saying that we completely humiliated their armies. Always when they fled in terror, they left their ornaments and toys behind. "
"You mean the-"
"To the maids, the pearls." Guren cut off blankly with emphasis. "An existence to which they only dedicate themselves to serve as toys for their superiors. Their very existence was so pathetic that we destroyed them without hesitation. "
Pearl swallowed inwardly horrified at the things the Eldar woman was saying.
"But you ..." Guren emphasized when he confronted her. "You broke the cycle of existence, something you were born for. You are a phenomenon, a very particular Hgy'syr who fought a little brotherly dispute of which many lives were unnecessarily destroyed, if you know what I am referring to. "
If Pearl had another skin tone, she would pale at the things she was saying.
"I don't know what she's talking about." Pearl said clearly with her arms straight and her chin up. "Excuse me if my tone of voice has offended you but I do not want you to cloud the thousand years of struggle that I have endured to be myself."
The Eldar woman let out what appears to be a sigh of defeat and turned to leave.
"Would it even be called a fight for your freedom? Pathetic. I see that there is still something of your kind in your being. " Guren disdainfully declared pink shoulders with the gem and go straight to the exit. Not if before stopping and looking at her over her shoulder. "Are you ever going to cancel their last order and tell them?"
Pearl's mouth fell open in horror and she immediately covered it with both of her hands and looked for the seer to ask. No, demand how it was that she knew.
But there was no one there.
She left. Just as the seer appeared, she disappeared without a trace. Leaving with him a shocked and terrified Pearl. She removed her hands from her mouth but they were trembling like a dry leaf.
... They couldn't know, they should never know. If they only knew, everything they fought for… everything they lost…
"As my last order: I want us to never talk about this again, never look back. No one has to know."
She was forced to remove that thought of her from her memory, the cold that she felt in her body was something abnormal and she immediately left the garden, and she did not want to be here.
"...This sucks..." Amethyst's muffled voice rang out with her face pressed against her pillow.
"And you know what the worst is..." Peridot began with her head resting on the pillow with a tired look. "That all this could be avoided."
The two gems were lying on the large bed they shared, neither had the strength to move a muscle since they left the castle when Allura told them the truth about the black paladin. The depression was so heavy in the room that it seemed to devour all sound.
"I don't know what I'm going to do..." Amethyst sobbed, pressing his face closer to the pillow. "There is nothing we can do… without Garnet. I felt totally sure of myself thanks to her... "
"Me too." Peridot turned her body to be at the side of her purple friend of hers, then with a smile she began to caress her hair. "Don't forget that we are the dwarf squad."
"Peri..." Amethyst murmured, pulling her face out of the pillow to see the green gem with watery eyes. "Why is this universe so screwed up...? What has Garnet done to deserve such a fate? She was my best friend. Since I first emerged, she only had rocks and dust for company until the girls came for me; Garnet was the first to get me grounded."
"You are asking a technique that is just discovering how to be her own gem." Peridot replied sadly. No one has ever told me about this, about… things like the warp, the Eldar, the Human Empire, the Galra, nothing. "
The two gems stared for a brief moment.
"Do you think we can trust Allura again after everything that happened?" Peridot this time asked the purple gem.
"I don't know… I'm still very upset that she kept this from us. But Rose has ever kept secrets from us, I can understand why she did too." Amethyst said understandingly. "The three of them had spoken great things about Voltron, I suppose they did not want his pride to be tarnished."
"That could well be logical. I could never imagine that my leader to whom I devoted all my devotion was a mad villain or things like that." Peridot said making some gestures with her arms.
The doors flew open, scaring away the two gems who saw that she was a fearful Connie who seemed to have run miles.
"Has anyone seen Steven!?" The young human asked alarmingly. "He is not in his room!"
"WHAT!?" "What!?" Both gems exclaimed and stumbled out of bed.
"I-I-I wanted to get her something to eat, she hasn't done it since they told her Garnet left. But when I got to the room he was staying in, it wasn't there." Connie fought for her to be understood as she was totally nervous.
"Connie, you have to calm down." Peridot held the shoulders of the young woman who was breathing heavily. "Now, did you ask someone where Steven could be?"
"I do not know. I asked the staff here, but some Eldar did not understand my language and others did not know where he has gone." Connie responded by looking around outside the room.
"This is not good." Peridot clasped her palms, looking at both gems. "You have to contact the others to ask where he could have gone. This place is huge and it could be anywhere. "
Steven was wandering with a downcast gaze through the crowded streets of Saim-Hamm where large crowds of people came and went in an orderly fashion on the clean roads. Most of the local Eldar were completely unaware of his existence while others who enumerated children, youth and adults gave them curious, resentful or even disgusted looks.
The half gem ignored them completely, he did not have enough energy to raise his eyes when he could be asking a thousand questions about how a race of space elves came to proliferate in such a hostile and indifferent galaxy.
A cold breeze shook the spine of Steven who was clinging to the coat that Pearl had brought him after he returned to the castle with Garnet.
Steven looked up to see the infinite stars reflected in the colossal dome of the Craftworld; each celestial body was moving at a super slow speed before the gigantic moving ship. Garnet taught him that each star represented a world or a solar system, there were infinite possibilities in each place. He wondered: How such a beautiful sight could harbor something violent and terrifying within it.
Steven has always been a pacifist, no matter where they looked at him. He has always been a good boy who always wanted to solve by peaceful and normal means even making people try to be honest with others; He abhorred all kinds of violence and disturbance, being a Gem crystal meant protecting all life without expecting anything in return.
Something collided with his shoulder causing him to almost fall to the ground. A young Eldar shouted a thing or two at him in a language that he couldn't understand but he could understand what he was trying to say to him. The young man stood up quickly and watched as the Eldar with that he collided left.
He didn't even apologize...
Steven immediately remembered the shape of that six-armed fellow in the castle when it was invaded by the Dark Eldar. He felt utter disgust: sadism, indifference and the enormous urge to make others suffer just because they can, brought him a feeling that he had never expressed in his life.
Wrath.
Stevonnie took a couple of steps back after an exchange of blows with the Haemonculi. At his feet were the back guards of the Drukhari, badly wounded but alive. It was costly for them to beat them as they were so skilled and Steven stubbornly did not wish to repeat that mental breakdown when he inadvertently murdered that Mandrake.
"Oh...? Do you still want to continue? " The Haemonculus named Skard asked amusingly as the forked tongue licked the blade of his sickle without his cherry-colored eyes leaving Stevonnie's tired, sore form.
The alchemist Drukhari launched himself with his six armed arms and ruthlessly attacked and the human fusion had no choice but to get on the defensive again. With his sword and shield he blocked and evaded every attack which seemed to have no end. He couldn't find any opening in his posture and the bastard was laughing with insane glee.
A powerful blow unbalanced his posture and the mutated Eldar took advantage of it by making a cut to cut off his head but Stevonnie was quick to react and dodge just inches from his skin, however he made a small but long cut on his right cheek .
Human fusion backed away to keep his distance and Skard sat up with a smirk that reminded Steven of a certain person who irritated him too much at home.
"You were lucky, I touch you the blade that I had not dipped in my special poison." Skard spoke up as he brought out the bloody tip of his moon sickle and stuck out his serpentine tongue and licked it with a lust that left the fusion in utter disgust. "Mhmm… I can taste the innocence in you. You will see: no one can meet mestizos in a universe in constant war, some are unique and unrepeatable, especially knowing your double descendants. "
Stevonnie blinked but Steven could tell where this was coming from.
"That a Hyg'sir could give birth to an insignificant Mon'keigh is a majestic feat for creation considering that it is physically impossible." The Haemonculis snorted as if he had remembered a joke. "Pft! Imagining how it happened makes me feel nauseous, even for someone in my field of work. Hufufuf ..."
Stevonnie tensed at the Haemonculi with her sword grip tightening on. The anger she was having towards this man increased with each passing second.
As if she was reading her mind, the Drukhari smiled darkly. "You might be wondering: ..." She paused to adopt a gesture and a dramatic pose. "Why…? Why do you do this to us!? We haven't done anything wrong to you! PFFT-AHAHAHAHAHAHA! You young Mon'keighs are so inexperienced at masking your feelings, but since I am somewhat generous to you… I'll tell you why I'm doing this… but first I want to show you something. "
The Haemonculi moved one of his arms and put it inside his outfit and from there he took out something that erased all the color on Stevonnie's face.
Ears… of children.
There was a wide variety of infant ears attached by rope giving it the appearance of a necklace; the ears were well ordered in age, gender and color, there was even a pair of newborn ears at the end of the macabre thing.
He instinctively covered his mouth with his hands, his breakfast threatening to escape from his throat as tears threatened to spill from his eyes. Skard's smile widened abnormally, giving his slim face a terrifying look.
"You like it? This is a little hobby of mine… I usually make necklaces like these for my friends with the slave children in Commonrragh." Skard spoke as if this was friendly talk. "I will answer your question: I do it because it is fun, there is nothing more fun than listening to the pitiful and pathetic cries of that garbage, watching them writhe in agony and die in the most sadistic and pathetic way for our entertainment. It is fair to them for having brought Chaos into the universe. Do not you believe it?"
She didn't know it, but Stevonnie wasn't listening to the Haemonculi monologue, as a fierce feeling suspended some of her senses, her blood was boiling as her tears fell freely with an almost imperceptible trail of steam flowing in. her face. The blood inside him boiled every second and with the wine a burning sensation.
Stevonnie looked at Haemonculi that he had stopped smiling when his skin took on a bright pink hue.
Then he roared and the whole world went up in flames.
Steven was startled when he felt a hand on his shoulder, the young man looked up to see a unique sight.
He was an Eldar with a masculine aspect and one very tall in it, what's more, his height could well exceed anyone since he had more than eight feet, his skin was white and he had loose golden hair which shone with the reflections of artificial lights, his eyes were crystal blue that seemed to glow with some knowledge and he had strong features that made him look handsome, not counting the fact that he was a bit more muscular than his peers.
His clothing was somewhat curious since it was nothing like what people here wore, he wore what appeared to be a regal dark blue long-sleeved uniform with white buttons on the left side of his chest while on the right side there were a few medals, he wore black leather pants with boots of the same color.
Next to him was a large lynx-like cat whose thick fur was turquoise with some darker in color, his eyes were intense yellow, giving Steven a kind of judgment look.
The look of the man that Steven was giving him was deep and severe that he could pierce the soul of a boy. Steven was immediately intimidated by the pressure this male Eldar was putting on him.
"…You're lost?" The man's voice was soft and straight that soothed the young half-Gem's heart.
"I..." Steven searched for an answer but looking to the sides and being aware that in the beginning he had chosen a path at random. "Maybe... it is."
"Then why did you come here?" The Eldar asked, letting go of Steven's shoulder.
"... just wanted to clear my mind a bit." Steven responded submissively.
"I see." The man dropped to one knee to look closer at the young man. "But you didn't have to do it alone, and this place doesn't seem like the right place. Do you have relatives with you to accompany you? "
"Yes, but I don't think it would be good to see them now ..." Steven replied with a blank and defeated look.
"Something happened?" The blond Eldar asked. Just Steven's silence combined with a downcast look was the answer he needed. "I understand, my apologies for that."
"There is no need to apologize." Steven replied politely, however his mood remained the same.
"Where are my manners? My name is Aegidius." The man introduced himself and his hand pointed to the Gyrinx beside him. "This furry one here is my friend Sicarius."
"Steven Universe." The young half-gem introduced himself and his attention shifted to the Gyrinx. "I also have a pet as your friend, but he is a lion, not a lynx."
"Sicarius is a Gyrinx, he doesn't like to be compared to other animals or to be called a pet." Aegidius said as he stroked the head of the big cat which had an annoyed look.
"Oh I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend him at all." Steven apologized to the big cat who looked away dismissively.
"Okay, noting that you are a human and that your reaction to Sicarius is non-existent." Aegidius rephrased analytically. Then he gathered himself to his feet and gave Steven a meaningful look. "Would you like to accompany me? If you don't want to go back to your caregivers now, we might as well meet each other on a little walk."
Steven's eyes widened in surprise at the blond Eldar's proposal. "Do you… really want to do that? I don't want to cause any inconvenience or for other people to look at you weird as they have done to me..."
"I don't care what other people think." Aegidius added with a stronger and straighter voice. "I am free to take my own path." Then out of nowhere he made a small but friendly smile. "I insist."
Steven could not replicate that, nor did he want to get lost in this immense place so he nodded and both together with the space cat advanced together. Unbeknownst to the young human, he was being followed by a pair of looking warriors and a Harlequin disguised as civilians.
"Oh... that's if I wasn't expecting it." The Harlequin said to himself.
"In the name of Isha: what is that filthy half-blood doing here?" One of the looking warriors spoke without hiding his high contempt for the individual they had seen with young Mon'keigh.
"That doesn't matter, the seer has to know about this immediately." Another of the warriors declared.
While both warriors were debating their future actions, Cegorach's Rose Harlequin stared expectantly at the path the two individuals took with a knowing smile. "This is getting more and more interesting every second."
-0-
"That is totally amazing!" Pidge said in total admiration. "I find it difficult to understand how a Space Marine can acquire memories of other organisms just by eating their meat. It's… impossible, like the fact that they can secrete corrosive acid through their saliva without damaging the rest of their body. "
"The gene seed has been shown by many to be like the rise of genetic science throughout the universe." Librarian Obs explained with a hint of pride. "We thank the Emperor and the Primarchs every day for making us who we are: angels of death and noble space warriors."
Both humans were in the docking bay of one of the Adeptus Mecanicus ships in which Matthew was supposed to be with the Tech-Priests. On her way, the young green paladin had listened with full attention to the Librarian's explanation of the history and concept of the Astarte gene seed as well as the 19 genetic implants that comprise it. To say that she was impressed was an understatement: the fact that a human can perform such feats because of it must surely be a miracle of genetic science.
"I would like to ask: is it possible for women to become Space Marines?" Pidge asked.
The head librarian's face wrinkled for a second but he gave a sensible answer. "No, the gene seed is unstable for the female gender to accept it in its system, it could end up killing the host; the Primarchs were all male and their seed is only compatible with the male gender, furthermore: it would not be very well seen in the Imperium."
"His... explanation is understandable." Pidge said analytically as the two walked inside the ship. "Biology is not my thing. Although my mother is a good scientist before everything related to that science. "
The Librarian and the Paladin entered a double door and Pidge saw something that genuinely took her by surprise. In front of them was a hunched Tech-Priest whose face was completely plated with metal and other cybernetic cables, the only place that was not modified was his left eye which seemed to be empty of all light and soul. Above him was a Servo Skull which he "glanced at" at Pidge before continuing on his way.
"I can see well the Empire's obsession with skulls..." Pidge muttered with slight fear that then turned into a shudder when she saw the flying skull look back at her as if he had heard her and didn't like it at all that it was pointed out that shape way.
She immediately left to follow the Librarian who had left her behind. After passing a few corridors, rooms and corridors they finally reached her destination.
In another of the workshops she could see her brother lying on a stretcher connected to a workbench which had various implements and tools that the adolescent did not know about the use of her (and she did not want to know either); next to Matt was a very young looking Mecanius woman whose face was clean of cybernetic enhancements which was very strange knowing what organization she belonged to. Her hair was short and curly whose color resembled Pearl with almost pale green eyes and her hood was tied in two ponytails.
Penny Polendina
Member of the Adeptus Mecanicus of the forge world Hellium.
The Tech-Priestess had her hands working on a silver-colored robotic arm-shaped implant which she was fitting into what used to be the young adult's stump, but was now a series of wires connected to small nodes grafted onto the stump.
It didn't take an expert to know that Matthew wasn't having a good time with the immense sensation of pain even if his stump was numb from the quick anesthesia. Pidge tried to reach her brother but Deacon's huge gauntlet stopped her.
"No. It is a grave offense to interrupt the work of an Adeptus Mecanicus Tech-Priest." Pidge heard the voice of the Chief Librarian in her mind. A quick glance confirmed that the Astarte was looking at her meaningfully. "Fear not, the reputation of the Priestess Polendina is very affable in our chapter."
Matt let out another short chain of silent curses as another painful sensation hit his stump as the girl brought the prosthesis close to the grafted wires and they magnetically attached to his arm, then snapped onto it. Matt couldn't bear it and gasped when he felt a rapid shock to his nervous system which began his work on accepting his new prosthesis as part of him.
"Shit! It hurt!" Matt tried to lift his torso but Polendina's strong hand kept him in his place.
"She has to calm down, her nervous system is working on linking her arm as a new part of her being. Her ailment will end shortly." Polendina spoke in a soft voice that completely belied her strength. "You're lucky the X6-20 from my hive city Atlantis fits you." (1)
"And that's good because...?" Matt asked quickly with a bit of sweat running down his forehead.
"Because it is the best prosthesis that our trade can offer our soldiers." Techno Priestess Penny pointed positively. "Not only will you be able to move it in a totally natural way, but it also has several passive and defensive defense modules giving the user a large number of advantages."
After a few painful minutes of waiting, Matt could finally feel the pain leaving his arm as well as the rest of his body until it was just a tingle. Polendina immediately removed her hand from Holt's chest and took a step back as she gave him a small smile. "Alright, her new arm must already be linked to her nervous system. Now try to move it carefully. "
Ignoring Polendina's instructions; Matthew lifted his torso and slowly watched his new prosthesis rise and slowly extend forward with a mental instruction. The older Holt widened his eyes in amazement and happiness as his new arm did various stretching and bending movements just like his old arm. Not only that, his entire wrist made several 360-degree turns.
He felt so natural!
Matt couldn't keep a laugh from escaping his lips. This was… strange but at the same time sensational, not that he could feel the flesh but certainly he could feel some sensations on his stump.
The female Tech-Priest meanwhile stared at the young man's reactions with a friendly smile on her face.
A snort came from behind her causing them both to look the other way to see Katie with her hands covering her mouth to unsuccessfully hide the huge smile she wore. She warmed his heart to see her dear brother be hers as she was before.
Well almost…
Matthew chuckled this time at the reaction of his younger sister. "H-hi."
It was at this moment that Pidge threw herself into his brother in a crushing embrace that caught him off guard. Polendina immediately became concerned not for the well-being of the two brothers but for the prosthesis itself in the face of the abrupt act. Deacon wore an impassive face to the public act of affection, but not for the wrong reason.
"Congratulations on your new arm." Pidge said using a hint of mockery in his tone. "But seriously: never give me that scare again."
Matt blinked a few times before a small, honest smile grew on his face as he wrapped his arms around his little sister's torso.
On the other hand, the Librarian sidled up to the young servant of the Omnisiah who was evaluating the scene analytically.
"Greetings, Mrs. Polendina." Deacon greeted telepathically in a polite tone as the aforementioned returned his gaze. "It seems that fate has reunited her with our chapter again."
"The pleasure is me, Chief Librarian Deacon Obs of the 7th Company." The young Tech-Priestess greeted him with a flat face. "How has Mr. Seiras been lately?" (2)
"He has been very good. Right now he is in the Omnis Arcanum, instructing the next generation of Astarte Librarians to confront the Orks and the Hrud in the Aurelian sector. Not much more than a decade has been promoted to Epistolary."
"I am very pleased to hear that news." Polendina gave a little nod.
They both fell silent to watch the two Holts doing a deep and analytical inspection of the new bionic prosthesis, talking about the solidity of metal as the components used for its creation.
"If you wouldn't mind: could you explain to me why they were mined from the fortress world of Remnant?" Deacon frowned slightly in confusion. "I don't think we are in such need of his help. Has something serious happened? "
"No way, Chief Librarian. Remnant has voluntarily sent his resources in support of the 667th Cadian regiment and his chapter " Deacon saw the logic in this. The Remnants and the Cadians have maintained a close relationship of trust and mutual respect during the M42's subsequent years. Whenever a Cadian regiment was deployed on the battlefield they would always have the Remnants to support them at all times.
And let there be no mention of those highly skilled Huntsmen in the ranks of the fortress-world regiments.
Their being here is something that piqued the Chief Librarian's curiosity.
-0-
"So what are we going to do now?" Shiro crossed her arms as he gave Thace a contemplative look.
After leaving Keith in his room to give him space to think about things. The black paladin went to the tower infirmary to assess Ulaz's condition and have a little chat with Thace. It happens that the wounded Marmorian was stable and regained consciousness a couple of hours ago. "Eldar technology is something" Those were his thoughts.
"…I'm not sure." The leader of Voltron widened his eyes at the unexpected response of his friend's father.
"Wh-? What you mean that you're not sure?"
"Don't get the wrong idea, Shiro." Thace declared with her back leaning against the cold walls of Ulaz's room. "The sword always has a plan depending on what scenario it is set on. Unfortunately, we are in one of the most defended Eldar Craftworlds in the universe. I highly doubt that we can even think of sending a message to our colleagues. "
"The Eldar must have some grudge against them as we are speaking." Shiro argued reluctantly.
"Actually, it is surprising to us that we are still alive..." Ulaz spoke as softly as possible, drawing the attention of the two individuals. "Since the fall of Altea and the disappearance of Voltron. Zarkon was too resentful for Alfor's last act in snatching the lions from his hands ... "
"And consequently, Zarkon directed his attention to the Eldar of every Craftworld and Exodite world. He threatened every seer to show him the location of the lions. " Thace followed Ulaz's explanation as to the history between his people and the Eldar after the rise of the Galra empire. "But despite his close relationships, Alfor would not put his creations in the hands of his cousins. Zarkon didn't buy it and sent a crossroads to put an end to his species once and for all. "
They called her: Black Cinder. He started after the construction of the Komar was completed, and later used the Eldar as test subjects." Ulaz looked down in embarrassment.
"You know, in the past, we never thought we would be able to match the Eldar when it comes to technology. But the Druids did the unthinkable in creating that weapon abomination." Thace made a dramatic gesture without intention. "All those lives… literally vanished. Those cursed wizards have created a weapon capable of sucking up all life energy leaving nothing but a hollow form of what it once was. "
"And then... all that energy is transferred to the Castle of Doom... as Quintessence." Ulaz finished.
"Impossible..." Shiro muttered with utter shock, and not in good sense.
"Trust me, Shiro. I have seen a planet so full of life turned into nothing more than a barren and empty wasteland. Such a thing would humiliate the Tyranids ten times." Thace denied several times as if remembering would be a curse. "In the end it was stopped by the forces of Guilleman and The Imperium before it caused further destruction throughout the galaxy. No matter how long it takes or even if our lives are turned off, Zarkon has to be stopped and the Komar must be destroyed at any cost. "
"Which we will not achieve without Voltron." Shiro's metal fist was clenched tighter to the point that a slight screech could be heard. "And not with the help of our allies, either. Even if Voltron faced Zarkon a thousand times alone, a thousand times we would lose as he has full knowledge of how he operates as well as his advantages and disadvantages, not to mention the absolute control of the black lion. "
Silence was Shiro's entire response as the two Galra stared at the leader of the paladins for him to continue.
"All we need to do is convince Seer Guren and Lord Angelos to help us, strengthen my bond with my lion, and come up with a foolproof plan to disable the Komar, destroy The Castle of Doom, and put an end to Zarkon at once for all."
"What about your team? Right now they have lost trust between themselves and each other. Some of them do not have the willpower necessary to face the evils that plague every corner of the universe." Ulaz rephrased that ended with a sudden fit of coughing. "...They only had one casualty... and now they think they are the most useless garbage."
"...That casualty had a strong emotional bond with everyone in the castle." Shiro sadly clarified after remembering how he had failed a great leader, one who could well be a better champion than him. "But I'm not going to give up and neither will the others; I have faith that all of them will be able to resolve their conflicts at their own pace so that we can return to what we always were: a team."
Takashi was silent for the two Marmoran to assimilate every word he had said with the weight of his heart and it was logical in the simple sense. They couldn't give up just now that they have a chance to get it right. While the two Galra have never had the opportunity to get to know fusion better, they knew how to understand the emotional value.
"I still have hope in Keith that never stopped once he became the red paladin." Thace clenched his fists with a distant look. "I am confident that my son will be able to overcome this adversity not only as a member of the sword of Marmora, but as the red paladin that fate had chosen, I will also have hope that the other paladins can overcome this and continue their mission of defeat Zarkon. "
Shiro let a small smile grow on his lips. It was just words, but if you had the heart and soul to feel them, all your doubts will disappear.
Back to the Adeptus Mecanicus personal ship. Leni was walking through the long corridors which could be seen various types of servants doing maintenance and some other Skitarii soldiers, but she ignored them thanks to the fact that she had her attention focused on the new and improved prosthetic arm that she had.
And praise the machine god, she felt very natural to be just a prosthetic made of metal and circuitry. Her weight, flexibility, and control made her old arm more than trash in comparison (not trying to offend the Omnissiah's servants who might as well be listening to her thoughts)
Her thoughts were cut off when someone bumped into her good elbow.
"Look where you're going!" A mature female voice yelled at him, Leni was about to apologize when he saw a face very familiar to her.
"Commissar Elizabeth?" Leni asked confused as well as surprised.
Elizabeth widened her eyes in disbelief, as if she herself did not expect the presence of the sniper who was in her care.
"Leni, what are you doing here?" She asked trying to keep the surprise out of her tone of voice as she stood up firmly.
"Oh! She was just getting an update from the tech-priests. " Leni argued calmly, showing her superior the new cybernetic prosthesis. "By the way: where have you been? Inquisitor Vail was looking for her. "
Elizabeth's eyes widened, visibly flinching. "W-well, she was just looking for a certain Tech-Priest to…" Elizabeth quickly looked around for a fallible excuse when her sight drifted from her to a distant servant whose back was hunched. "That I can get chemotherapy, exactly!"
"Chemotherapy? Does he have any ailment? " Leni asked with some concern in her tone.
"Recently. Fighting those Xenos without a doubt left some very evil in my body that only the servants of the machine god can fix. " Elizabeth said imitating a pained face.
"That's terrible!" Leni gasped in absolute horror. She couldn't forgive herself for the fact that her admirable superior was in that state without any of her friends being aware of her. "It is so brave of him to endure such torment for so long!"
"Y-yes ... I decided to ignore it so that we could maintain the dignity of our troop in the face of those filthy Xenos that had us sheltered." Elizabeth looked away, feigning embarrassment and revulsion. Thoughts of her wandered the first night they were in the castle, she had shamefully been sleeping like a rock indifferent to the danger that was around her as the damn bed was too comfortable for her liking.
"You really are admirable, Commissar Elizabeth." Leni expressed, bringing her fingers together in a sentence. "Praise the Emperor and Primarchs loyal to him for taking me in his wing, it is a unique quality coming from the HERO OF THE EMPIRE himself!"
Elizabeth couldn't bear it and made a face of utter discomfort. She was deeply uncomfortable being pointed out that way; She never did anything useful in the fulfillment of her duty on the battlefield and her own arrogance and desire to live up to her surname, she was brought without honors, in service of paperwork on a planet. ice cream forever.
She did not deserve the credit or respect of these young imperial guards at all.
"Oh! It seems I finally found you, Elizabeth. "
Cain stiffened suddenly, his eyes wide with utter fear and staring straight ahead at that fearsome voice that he has wanted to avoid for so long since he found out that 'she' was here.
"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shiiiiiiiitttttt… "
"Come on, Liz." A condescending voice called back to her causing her hair to stand on end. "Turn around ... and look at me."
"No, do not do it. You will lose all your dignity if you dare to even turn around. " Elizabeth gulped visibly.
"Are you going to ignore me, Commissar?" The old female voice asked in an almost mocking tone. "I know very well that you are similar to your grandfather, Elizabeth."
A flash of fury passed over her mind at the mention of that. Leni was absolutely confused of the situation that she was orchestrating on these walls. There was no way… he had to face her now as her options were completely exhausted.
With a long inhale and exhale, Elizabeth quickly turned around to confront the only father figure left to her.
In front of her, the Lady Inquisitor Amberly Vail stood with her arms resting on her hips, her figure had changed a bit and her face showed more wrinkles than she remembered, her hair was trimmed and the golden glow that held it dimmed. in an almost platinum gray. Yet she could see that same straight, steady look on her features.
Next to him was another commissioner. She was a woman who appeared to be in her mid-twenties, her face was neat and clean of all imperfections, her snow-white hair was tied into a ponytail and her blue eyes were like two stalagmites frost. His dress did not meet the common color pattern of any other member of the Commissariat: instead of being black with fine red lines, it was snowy white like the frozen colonies of the Imperium with some blue lines, he wore a variety of medals between them there was the Aquila and the emblem of the regiment to which it belongs and the emblem of a spear in the middle of two circles (a rotating nut and a circular lock).
Winter Schnne
Commissar-Specialist of 22nd Remnant Millenian Hunters regiment.
"Good morning, Lady Inquisitor." Elizabeth asked the Emperor to give her strength in these next few hours while she gave a firm greeting. "I seriously apologize for not responding to her call."
"Enough, girl. You are only humiliating yourself. " The inquisitor crossed out sharply as she edged closer to the blonde political officer until she was face to face. "It has been a long time since our last meeting."
"Of course, her lordship" It was a not very polite reply but she was not reproached for it.
Amberly tilted her head towards the young soldier who was literally sweating bullets, trying his best not to be the center of attention. "And who is the lady that is with you?"
Leni plunged her lips into her mouth, her eyes darting down in fear of making eye contact with the inquiring lady. Vail's escort frowned and steadily faced the sniper Valhallan.
"Name, world of origin and regiment number, guard." Commissioner Winter ordered in a clear and authoritative voice. "The Inquisitor is ordering you."
"L-L-Leni B-Bontanelly, Agro-World Karnaus II. 1216th of the Artic troops of Valhalla Regiment. Fourth battalion." Leni answered very nervous but nevertheless with enough clarity and firmness not to look ridiculous in front of her superiors.
"Oh, don't worry, Commissar-Specialits Schnne." Amberly waved goodbye to her companion. "You don't have to be too rough with the guards. His reactions are more than logical. "
"He's right, my apologies to his honor." Winter bowed slightly apologetically.
"Okay, now that I've finally found you. We can catch up on a few things that have had me 'somewhat' intrigued in recent months." Amberly said condescendingly, wrapping her palm around Elizabeth's shoulder which made her flinch a little. "Winter, find Chief Librarian Obs and tell him that he has a private audience with Lord Angelos."
"Yes, Inquisitor!" Winter gave a quick salute and immediately turned to run her superior's errand.
"Guard." Amberly called out to Leni who gave a little jump when approached. "You can retire, from this moment I will take care of its commissioner."
"Y-Yes, Lady Inquisitor. Have a good day. " Leni said goodbye with a quick salute and walked quickly away.
When the hatch closed, leaving the two women alone in the long corridor.
"Your honor of hers, if this is about-" Elizabeth was immediately cut off by a light slap on the side of the back of her neck that knocked her hat off.
"Oh shut up, brat!" Amberly said haughtily, abandoning her professional stance to something more fatherly. "I told you to drop the formalities when the two of us are alone. How have you been? Don't you have any ailment? Have those nasty Xenos fed you well? Why have you not answered the letters that I have sent you this last century? "
Elizabeth sputtered cheekily at being treated like that. "You think that I 14 years old, Grandma!? I have been fighting for my life and those of my troop during this humiliating journey! I didn't have time to even give you a call with those bloody Xenos swarming in my entire field of vision to send you a postcard! "
"Ugh! I swear, you look a lot like your grandfather acting that way. " Amberly crossed her arms disapprovingly.
"Are we going to get into that topic again? I already told you that I have already passed that chapter in my life." Elizabeth ranted when she picked up her hat bitterly.
"Yeah, yeah. But let's not forget those campaign jokes that you exercised or took control of. "
Elizabeth couldn't deny that, much to her eternal chagrin.
"So, will you just stand there or are we going to a more comfortable place so we can talk?" Vail asked with a certain degree of impatience in her tone. "I may be a few thousand years old but I'm still a bloody old woman."
"Ok, you don't have to complain so much." Elizabeth argued grumpily. "Lead the way, will you?"
The old inquisitor turned to one direction and Elizabeth reluctantly followed her.
Steven couldn't help but admire in awe the immense fountain of water that stood in one of the vast vital fields of the Eldar mega city. It was a unique experience for the young hybrid to visit a place that to label it beautiful would be a massive understatement.
Colorful plants that he had never seen in his life, huge and beautiful trees with gray bark whose crimson leaves fell periodically creating mountains of leaves which were the favorite attraction of some children who dived inside creating explosions of leaves, in some In places of the vast park, the grass changed color spectrum as majestic animals roamed in search of food.
Aegidius really nailed it by finding such a beautiful and relaxing place for both of them. The two along with their animal companion Sicarius walked through the soft glowing grass, absorbing the relaxing atmosphere of the sprawling place.
"An incredible place, isn't it?" Aegidius's voice sounded condescending and he caught Steven completely off guard. "You human infants are so easy to amaze, a blessing and a curse."
"Oh, I'm so sorry to seem so obvious." Steven apologized again for the young Eldar's growing annoyance.
"You really should stop apologizing a lot." Aegidius said. "Take a compliment for what it is. Although I think others like you would not compare it to one. "
"Sorry if this has caused a lot of annoyance." Steven spoke, this time in an amused tone. "But the place I grew up in was too peaceful and the people in my home were very friendly, I guess I have picked up some hobbies at home."
"Hmm ... I see, you are one of those who never got to know 'the light of the human Emperor'" Aegidius finished theatrically. "It would not take a psychic to know that your world was never threatened by some wild species or suffered the touch of the great enemy."
"You are right." The young hybrid replied bitterly. "After the horrible things I have witnessed, I am truly afraid that my home world is in danger.""
"The danger is always as far as the eye can see, the best alternative is to be prepared for it." Aegidius said almost philosophically.
"Are you a kind of soldier?" Steven asked causing the Eldar to give him a meaningful look. "I don't mean to be rude to point it out, but because of your dress I might as well consider you as one."
"Oh! You mean this uniform? " Aegidius asked spreading his arms to emphasize his clothing. "Nerd. This is just a gift from my father, let's say he is not part of a common Craftworld or Exodite world. Although… yes, I am just a kind of soldier, but right now I am off duty. "
"Okay." Steven nodded, the two of them finally reaching what may well have been their original destination. A simple wooden bench.
The two sat simultaneously while the Gyrinx just lazily lay down on the grass. The trio stared at the distant landscape of which was the mega city of Sain-Hamm.
"You know, I really want to thank you." Steven looked at the young space elf with new eyes. "During these last minutes, you have made me forget what has been ailing me."
"Thank me because? For taking you to this place? " Aegidius reached into the pocket that was in his jacket and took out what might well look like a box of cigars, took one out, raised it to his lips and out of nowhere a small flare enveloped the end. "I just came here to smoke."
Steven looked at it like it was the strangest thing.
Aegidius let out an annoyed breath. "I have spent most of my life being raised both ways, by two different cultures. My parents' duty to their people kept them fully occupied and they were hardly ever there for me; I was only in the care of their subordinates and I have… acquired some customs from both of them. " He paused to inhale some of the said cigar. "It's not that I hate or despise them, I love my parents. But his subordinates were the ones who raised me. "
"I ... I think we're in the same boat." Steven said. "I have also been raised by my mother's friends ... she died ... so that I could exist." He paused when his face fell into depression. "I have recently lost someone important to me, one to whom I have always kept all my affection."
"I understand you ..." Aegidios exhaled smoke into his lungs with a distant look. "I have also lost people important to me, they also have a huge responsibility on their shoulders. It took time, but I could understand the reason why these sacrifices had to be made. "
"How can you live like that?" The young man muttered in an almost cracked voice. "How can all these people live knowing that one day they might just disappear forever?"
"Because everyone knows that this is the universe they live in." The Eldar took a long drag on his cigar and blew a long cloud of smoke from his mouth. "However, they still hope that they will be able to overcome any adversity, some Craftworlds and Exodite worlds (if they still remain) are still struggling to find salvation."
"The Galra..."
"Zarkon destroyed Biel-Tan." Aegidius mentioned darkly. "It was something shocking ... That that demon born of the warp did the unthinkable ... it was in that same instant that we realized how far that monster is going to go to conquer everything."
Steven was silent with a look of shock and embarrassment.
"There is no reason to be ashamed of it. Many others also tried to stop him but failed. " Aegidius affirmed decisively. "Neither had a clue what they were really dealing with."
"B-But we are supposed to be the defenders of the universe!" Steven screamed, hitting the railing of the chair, dented it at a horrible angle. Tears of bitterness and helplessness welled up. "Voltron is supposed to be invincible! We have fought the Galras so many times, sometimes we were against the wall but we managed to overcome them! " Steven sucked in a breath as he wiped his tears away with his arm. "I don't like killing, I absolutely abhor such actions. They are not what I represent, and neither is my mother… but, if I stand idly by, it would mean leaving a lot of people to a fatal fate and I don't want that either. "
Aegidius was silent as he let his companion vent. Sicarius had his gaze fixed on Steven whose mettle was unfazed by the young hybrid's helpless state.
Steven was without a doubt born in the wrong universe. This universe is by far a ruthless and unforgiving place that would destroy every taint of innocence from this young human child.
"Garnet was very important to me." Steven said softly, putting her face between his bent knees. "She was always sure of herself, every action she took was accurate and without any margin of error, she was a great leader for the girls, and, although she was most of the time cold and distant, it was to show everyone how determined and determined that it was in the face of any adversity. " I take a shaky breath with a dull look. "I can bet she came back for Shiro knowing full well that she would never come back, she sacrificed herself to keep the hope of the universe."
An act worthy of eternal admiration. Those were Aegidius's thoughts. He had known the Hyg'syr for a long time and it made him sick to his stomach with disgust: a group of megalomaniacs, so arrogant in search of true perfection that they deeply despised organic entities to the point that they carried out massive genocidal crusades against them. To proclaim their absolute supremacy, it was a point in their favor and the other species with great military power that the Hyg'syr were insufferably self-confident and profoundly ignorant of the combat capabilities of their opponents.
And their leaders were without a doubt the worst.
But what this Garnet did was undoubtedly a selfless act of courage and courage, even if his species was immune to the ravages of time, he decided to throw all that eternity out the window to keep hope alive in the universe by saving the black paladin. .
"So," Aegidius finally spoke, drawing the boy's attention. "Don't let her sacrifice be in vain. You are a good human child. But you must understand that things like death will always be around the corner and lurking in every corner of the stars. It is even in the decisions we make, each action generates a reaction for which we must be prepared at any time; Sometimes we make decisions that could well mean the damnation of countless souls or the destruction of entire worlds, or how many lives have to be sacrificed to achieve victory or salvation. There are too many unknowns, but after four thousand years of experience there is only one thing guaranteed: every sacrifice cannot be wasted. Those who performed such an act should be honored and taken full advantage of, you say that a loved one of yours sacrificed himself to save your leader, so don't let his death affect you so that you can live and fight for him. "
Steven was speechless.
The young hybrid looked at the Eldar with various emotions in his head; those that stood out the most were admiration and amazement.
"It's going to be hard, I never said that losing someone you love can be overcome. And that is why you should not hold on to those you have lost, but to the people who are still here. " Aegidius declared, giving Steven an intense look. "Make yourself this promise."
Steven blinked after what seemed like forever. Aegidius's encouraging words caused Steven's heart to slightly warm. The young man understood every word he heard and gave the Eldar a meaningful nod.
"Thanks, Aegidius." Steven said with a small smile of appreciation. "I needed that."
In the docking bay, Shiro sat on a railing as he gazed at the black lion parked beside him, as imposing as he was, his immense size exceeding several Eldar ships and vessels as well as some of the Empire that were stationed. The look he had in his eyes was distant.
"It must be difficult for you to feel that burden on your shoulder too, right?" Shiro spoke to the lion about him in an understanding tone. Then his face took on a more decisive look. "I'm going to beat him. I swear, I will have complete control of you and we will defeat it. "
There may have been no verbal response but he could feel the ship's aura conscious of him rose with his in response mode which allowed him to give a nod.
I hear a door open and from there Allura appeared who was only wearing her dress.
"Did you call me, Shiro?" Allura asked clearly, keeping her back straight and steady.
"Yes." Shiro nodded and turned her torso to face her. "I just wanted to know how you were."
"Oh I see." Allura blinked, a little surprised at how anticlimactic the situation was. Her face fell a little. "I guess I feel good."
"You suppose?"
"I am still mentally exhausted." Allura let out a defeated sigh. "Coran is still undergoing repairs which are going great, and Lance is training his marksmanship along with the aspect warriors." She said she almost monotonously.
Shiro stared at the princess impassively, then leaned her back against the railing and slid down to sit on the floor. Allura was confused at such an action but then she saw Shiro pat the ground next to her, indicating for the princess to sit next to him. She blinked and internally shrugged as she approached the black paladin and sat next to him with her knees crossed..
After a brief silence, Shiro looked at the almost downcast face of the princess and saw that it was time to put an end to it. "... Allura, you may feel like the worst garbage in the universe right now, but knowing that you're not the only one who feels that way."
"Hmp, you speak as if unconsciously sending Garnet to a tragic end is mundane." Allura made a bitter snort with a mocking fake face.
"We both share the blame. We were both supposed to take care of each other, but Haggar showed up with backup and had to screw it all up. " Shiro said retaining some of his tone but not preventing guilt from consuming him. "I did what she could there, but that witch hurt me and she left Garnet no choice but to sacrifice herself to save me."
"I still can't understand why you don't hate me like the rest of the others ..." Allura said bitterly, hiding half of her face in her knees.
Shiro gave him a brief glance before letting out a sigh. "Seven years ago, when I was on my instructor shift, they had taken out a prototype of a jet which the Garrison was going to take out for a test flight. There was a young woman named Xiang-Gi, a cadet transferred from the Chinese headquarters after passing a rigorous examination; she was energetic and imperative, always looking for new challenges. We had known each other for a long time to such an extent that we even forged a working relationship." Shiro took time to remember these events. She "She was a talented woman, she carried goals and ambitions with her; she would take any risk to reach new limits. After many recommendations from me in the high command of the Garrison. Xiang was chosen as a volunteer to do the test flight and I was left in charge as her supervisor. "
Allura was silent, also noticing how her face fell in shame and sadness.
"It has been a disaster. There was bad weather in the test and there were several technical errors without adjusting when the launch was made, Xiang tried to maintain control but it was precisely that a lightning strike hit the left wing of the ship, seriously damaging it, not only that, but also the The electromagnetic pulse completely chilled the auxiliary systems and jammed the mechanisms of the pilot's seat. I did everything I could to calm Xiang, I could see and hear the panic in his voice as well as his rapid breathing, I have never felt so much fear in my life. "
"So what happened next?" Allura asked, wanting to know where this tragic story ended.
"It so happens that Xiang-Gi was able to escape the jet about 80 meters from the sky after aggressively forcing the jammed injector, but the parachute did not deploy well, leaving it to free fall to the ground. It was a true miracle that she was still alive but the impact has caused a terrible neck fracture which completely paralyzed her body. They didn't let me see it for a week but when I had the opportunity to see it, it was an image that will never leave me. What was once a passionate and intrepid pilot, became a cocoon of absolute misery, she was emotionally broken and it was all my fault, I recommended her to pilot that jet, I allowed her to get on that thing being aware of the setbacks . " Shiro expressed and after taking a long breath he gave the Altean princess a look. "But you know what surprised me the most: it was that despite the fact that she will never be able to move a single muscle because of me, I don't blame myself or reject myself for anything in the world. I was very confused at first but she told me once: 'things happen because they have to happen and we should not feel guilty about the consequences, they only serve to improve ourselves' "
Allura fell silent as she took in the story Shiro shared with her and reflected on it.
After a minute's silence, Allura said. "So… you mean I should-"
Her sentence was cut off as a flash of multicolored light appeared in front of her and Shiro causing both of them to cover their eyes, upon discovering them they saw that it was the Sable Gray Knight which showed an absolutely serious look.
"There is no time for explanations, both of you must come with me to meet the seer and Master Angelos." I speak loud and clear about Sable.
"What's going on? What is this about?" Allura asked aloud a little intimidated as she stood up along with the black paladin.
"A small fleet of Galra battlecruisers have been sighted near the Imperial Blockade Secundus, which is near Saim-Hamm, a message reached us that The Castle of Doom was also spotted far away from the skirmish." The Astarte explained quickly approaching the two. "The Eldar and the Harlequins are gathering the remaining paladins as well as their allies to discuss our next action."
Allura and Shiro widened their eyes in surprise and fear at the knowledge of Zarkon Avenue and before either of them spoke or did anything, the Gray Knight enveloped them both in Warp energy and they disappeared from the place.
1: As many of you will know, the kingdom of Atlas and the same Voltron Atlas share the same name so I had to make a modification to avoid confusion.
2: It was a bit of Spam when recommending that you read a Warhammer Fanfic called "The Wayward Son" by Angelus Titanicus. It is a good story which should be read with discretion because it is rated M.