Chapter 30
~With Hunk~
As those three made their way to the control room Hunk was on his way to save his uh.. Friend. "Allura, Coran what's my location? All these tunnels look the same. I can't remember where the prison is." Hunk asked them.
You're on the right path. Turn right at the next turn. Once you get there, you'll have to disable the energy doors. Be Careful. It looks like it's heavily guarded.* Coran directed him.
~With Lance, Keith and Kiara ~
"No, no. It's over here." Lance says taking the lead. She nodded stepping aside. "I know what I'm doing." Keith snaps back at both of them. Keeping their voices low.. "Stop barking and hurry up." Kiara hissed at the two as Keith cut an opening with his bayard.
In the room the guard looks up only to have Lance jump down with the ceiling crushing him. "Keep an eye out for those guards," he says. "Sure, what about the one you just crushed?" Kiara asked jumping down next followed by Keith.
"Well, just keep a look you two I'll see what I can find to shut the hanger doors." Lance said looking at the computer. Keith went left and Kiara right. She drew the sword Coran and Allura gave her.
"Uh... hmm. Nope. Maybe, uh.." Kiara walked back over. "Having trouble Lance?" she asked him. "How does this thing work?" he asked. Kiara looked it over. Lance presses random buttons. She sighed. "Okay, so that's not cutting it." she mumbled. Finally Lances admits he has no clue what he's doing. "It's all Galra gibberish." Lance says.
"Let me see." Keith says joining them. Keith looked it over before putting his hand on the well hand. Then the sound on the hanger closing rang out. "Whoa! How did you do that?" Lance asked him. Kiara felt the color drain from her face. 'It couldn't be.' she thought looking at the Red Paladin. Shiro did nearly the same thing but he had a cyber Galra arm. "I just put my hand on the handprint." Keith explained.
"Hey, Kia are you alright?" Lance asked looking back over to the silent girl. She looked white as a ghost. Both boys looked at her. "Huh?,.." she snapped out of her trance. "Y-yeah peachy. I'll go keep watching you two finish up here." Kiara said walking off leaving them to their ordeals.
~With Hunk~
From following Coran's directions he saw the door and guardian was Galra troops. They began firing at Hunk as he came to a stop. Jumping out he ducked behind his ride and summoned his bayard. The huge gun was now in his hands. He fired and knocked them down, destroying them. "That was way too easy. I definity don't have a good feeling about this." he puts his bayard away. Putting his hand to the handprint he disarmed the engry door. Then he entered.
Checking making sure no one told him he hurried to the cell and putting his hand to it he disarmed the cell. The Balmera in it looked up to see Hunk. "Hunk, you have returned." Shay's father said. "I promised I'd be back. We're here to help where's Shay?" he asked him. Noticing one of the Balmerans was missing.
"Our life may not have been perfect but our family was whole. Your arrival has left us imprisoned and torn apart. As soon as your attack started, they took her away to the core of the Balmera. For all we know, she could be gone for good." Rax said, causing Hunk to stare wide-eyed.
~With Kiara, Lance & Keith~
Then Allura's voice rang in her earcom. *Paladins are you there? The Galra troops are moving down the tunnels. It looks like they're going toward the center.*
They must be heading to the core. That's where they're holding Shay.* Hunk spoke up next.
They're drawing us into an ambush, but we don't have a choice if we want to save Shay. We have to follow.* *Lance, Kiara and Keith, get to the core. I think we are going to need everyone together to get through this firefight.* Shiro said.
"Copy that. We're on our way." They closed the last door. Lance dashed off. "Hurry up Keith!" Kiara said as Lance ran past. "Coming." he slashed the panel and ran out she followed right behind them.
As they neared their vehicles. "Kiara you're with me." Lance grabbed her hand and pulled her to his blue vehicle. "Hey! You better not try anything." she snapped at him as he climbed in having to shit on her lap. "Yes ma'am." he said ass he shot him a death glare. "Come let's get going." Keith said. With that they took off.
~With Pidge~
Pidge came to a stop as the tunnels narrowed. *You're in an area where the tunnels are too narrow for your speeder. "Yeah. Proceeding on foot." Pidge replied back. As she walked a shadow grew closer to her duck back as it got closer. "There's someone there." Pidge said.
Looking into it.* Allura replied back. Pidge summoned her bayard and rushed. *Stop those are Balmerans.* Pidge froze as three Balmeran appeared in front of her. Pidge signed but before she could speak the Balmera groaned and shook. They took off running one managed to fall as the shaken worsen Pidge flew toward the Balmeran grabbing them just as the rocks fell. "Don't worry." Pidge said to them.
~With Kiara, Lance & Keith~
Hey, team, be careful. The Balmera is very unstable.* It didn't take the three long to run into a problem. Galra blocked their way. As they saw them they fired. A hand yanked her down. Kiara glared at Keith before she ran her hand over the wall. "They must stop." Her voice quivered her eye shoned with sorrow. The two boys looked over at her then she fixed them with cool stare. "Their shooting is destroying the Balmera." Kiara said looking past Keith at the troops. "We have to do something." Keith said. As they avoided the lasers.
The Balmera groan as the lasers it. Lance ducked as a few stayed their way. "Well we can't shoot back. It'll just make it worse." Lance said. Kiara looked up and smiled carefully as the Galra fired. "Maybe you can." she said. They two fixed their eyes on her again. "This is crazy. But one of them should draw their attention and the rest of us sneak up and take them out." she said as the groaning and cries of the Balmera rang out.
Keith and Kiara climbed up the ladder. Below she facepalmed as she heard Lance taunting them. Nodding they leapt. Kiara brought her sword down cutting first one in half before spinning swiftly and striking down the last one with Keith. Lance stood up dismissing his shield. He gave a thumbs up.
Kiara sighed before walking ahead a few paces. "Hey are you ok?" Keith asked her, as he and Lance walked up. Keith looked over to her laying hand on her. Lance glanced her way too.
"We need to hurry. I don't think the Balmera will live through this if we don't drive them out." she said breaking her trance and looking at the two concerned Paladins. Then nodding they three took off running to the center.
-line break-
As for Hunk he was running, and screaming. As he exited the cave he stopped because the path ended. Stairs in front of him. "Shay! You're alive!" Hunk yelled happily. She was tied up with a mask over her face. She began shaking her head. Hunk fired causing her to drop. Using his jet-pack he flew to catch her.
"Where are the Galra? If this is an ambush, they should be here waiting for us." Shiro said as he joined them. Pidge was next to come into the room. Kiara jumped and spun pulling her sword out. Her eyes traveled around trying to find who was doing this. "Not an ambush. More like a trap." Lance said. Kiara narrowed her eyes. "Son Of ARIES!" she shouted. Letting her grip tighten on her weapon.
"Whatever it is, keep your guard up." Keith said as they made their way to Hunk and Shay. Kiara nodded. Cleanly still pissed.
"The Galra, they gaining knowledge that you would return to Balmera."
"How?"
"I know not. But they set this trap just for you. I was the bait." Shay said.
Kiara felt bad for her. She scanned the place with her eyes checking every inch she could see. Looking for a way out. "Who could have possibly known that were heading here to save Shay?" Shiro asked. "Rolo. those liars must have told Zarkon." Hunk said.
"We have to figure out how to get out of here." Shiro said. "Wait we have a giant Castle Ship hovering in the sky. Allua, can you please come and get us?" Lance asked. "How do you expect her to do that, genius?" Keith asked him. "I don't know maybe they have teleporters or something."
We're quite occupied at the moment.* Allura said to them. *We're completely surrounded by Galra ships and we're taking heavy fire.*
"Those Bloody Cowards!" Kiara growed her eye began blazing. "Kiara calm down, getting mad won't help." Shiro said to her. She growled and crossed her arms. "I know." she grumbled a bit with a hint of annoyance. *Paladins you need to get out of there as soon as you can.*
"This is it! We're going to die here. I can say bye to that parade." Lance said. Everyone who was not Shay gave him ticked off looks. Kiara walked over and hit him over the head. Shaking her hand in pain.
"Hey moron, snap out of it, we're not going to DIE. Not here, not now." she snapped her eyes glared at him. He nodded while whining it hurt. Kiara rolled her eyes. But Shay just gave a confused look over a ticked one everyone was shooting at Lance.
"Get it together, guys. Allura, we'll get there as soon as we can." Shiro spoke up. "Perhaps my people can help us get out. This is how we communicate. The Balmerma senses our vibration and sends a message to those in the tunnels." she said her hand resting on an orange object.
"Are you sure someone will be able to hear your.. a hand all the way down here?" Keith asked her. "The Balmera will deliver the message." Shay said then closed her eyes. Then right under her palm it glowed. The cries of the Balmera rang out.
~With Shay's Family~
A group of Balmera were walking through. As they stopped. Rax put his hand to the ground. His hand glowed. "It's a message from Shay," he said. "She's alive!" her father said. "The Paladins of Voltron went to the core of the Balmeratosave Shay... now they are all trapped." Rax replayed the information. "Then we are all doomed." he father said.
"This is all my fault. I conspired against them, and because of my actions Shay was imprisoned. The big yellow one was right. If we ever hope to be free, we must take action." Rax said passion in what he was saying.
"But how can we rise up against our Galra overload?" he asked his son. "What choice do we have? They have stolen all of the crystals from our Balmera. Our lives are worthless to them now." Rax pointed out. "But Balmerans have never fought." his father said. "You taught me that without family, we have nothing. The Galra have taken Shay. How can we do nothing while the paladins sacrifice everything to save us? We must do our part!"
~Everyone else~
Paladins, do you copy? There's a battle cruiser locked onto us. If it fires with hit's ion cannon, I don't know if we can survive.*
"We're trying Allura. Shay is pressing her hand against a wall, which apparently sends vibrations to the other rock people, who vibrate back or something. Hand talking? I guess the answer to your question is, Yes we copy." Kiara watched him from the corner of her eye. 'He was hopeless sometimes.' she thought.
"Shay, are you sure the Balmera is sending your message?" Shiro asked her. Kiara could tell everyone was getting anxious. A calmer presence washed over her. Shutting her eyes letting the emstion flow into her and out. "I understand." she whispered back.
Then one of the doors began to glow and shake. Everyone turned to watch as it broke. Walking out was. "Rax!" Shay yelled out to her family. "We must make haste. We know a shortcut through the tunnels." he said. Everyone ran to their ecuers. "Allura stands by. We're on our way up." Shiro said and followed after the others.
-line break-
Paladins hurry they are taking the lion!* Shiro made it to the Black Lion. It didn't take long for everyone to get their lions airborne. "Did everyone make their lions?" Shiro asked them.
"Come on Shiro. Who are you dealing with, a bunch of amateurs?" The Lions broke away from Lance. He yelps as he runs into something. Kiara let out a sigh. "Idiot." she said as she looked ahead hand on the chair of the Red Lion. "Do you want me to answer that?" Shiro asked him with a smirk. "No." Lance groaned clearly embraced. "Let's go!" They took off back to the Castle Ship.
