**I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender (duh)
When Hunk and Keith returned, it was with James and Veronica, but without Hunk's family. They were trapped within one of Sendak's work camps, unreachable as they and countless other civilians were forced to build some sort of unknown weapon for the Galra warlord. Hunk came back with red and swollen eyes, but they were burning with an inextinguishable fury, his resolve set in rescuing them.
Meanwhile, Pidge and Allura had learned a lot from their review of Sendak's memories. And although Coran and Scarlett couldn't come up with a way to successfully power the Atlas given the lack of resources on hand, they did manage to add the remnants of the faunatonium fuel to the MFEs. They would all reconverge with the admiral and her team first thing in the morning to share what they had learned and form their next plan of action.
But before that, Shiro would be getting a new right arm. Using one of the prosthetic limbs Sam had designed for the Garrison soldiers, Allura had infused it with Altean alchemy. If the surgery went well, he'd gain a versatile hand that functioned similarly to Sendak's own arm prosthetic.
No one got much sleep that night as they mulled over the problems of tomorrow. Yet despite their worries, they rose and faced the day before the crack of dawn, waiting outside the operation room to provide their leader with moral support as Sam and the crew of doctors worked.
"Ugh, I can't look," Scarlett murmured as they stood in front of the viewing window. Her hands were pressed over her eyes, but she was still peeking through the cracks between her fingers.
"Don't worry. My dad knows what he's doing," Pidge assured her. She was standing closest to the window, her nose pressed against the glass as she observed the surgery in nervous fascination. The other paladins, Coran, Romelle, Mari, Mai, and Taiki Shirogane hovered behind her, tired and quiet as they restlessly awaited the completion of the procedure.
Finally, after several hours, the operation was finished. Now they just needed to see if the arm worked.
"How are you feeling, Shiro?" Sam asked as the anesthesia wore off.
Shiro blinked, regaining focus of his surroundings. "...Good," he said after a moment. "I'm good."
"I'm happy to tell you we've successfully attached your new prosthetic arm. We just need to power it on and make any final adjustments," Sam informed him as one of the doctors carefully placed the arm on the table next to Shiro. "We've outfitted it with the most powerful energy source Earth has to offer. It's the closest we could get to mimicking a Balmera crystal's energy. It should generate enough power to operate most of it. The remaining power will be drawn from your body's own electromagnetic field."
The others watched with bated breath as Sam powered on the robotic limb. It hovered off the table, smoothly rotating as the fingers flexed with ease. Shiro lifted it closer to him, a small smile forming as he made a fist. But the relief on his face lasted all of two seconds as the heart monitors started to rapidly chirp and the prosthetic began to writhe uncontrollably. Pain contorted his features and he screamed, making everyone in the hall jump in alarm.
"He's crashing! We have to shut it down!" Sam ordered, spurring his colleagues into action.
The doctors tried to grab the arm, but it threw them off with so much force, they were sent sprawling. Shiro thrashed and shrieked, his body convulsing and arching off the operation table before his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he passed out. Mai let out a choked gasp, her hands held close to her heart, and Taiki paled, both of them powerless and unable to do anything to help their son. Like a thing possessed, the arm continued to twitch and jerk, smacking the doctors around like ragdolls.
"Curse Earth technology! Why does it have to suck so much?" Scarlett squeaked, still watching between her fingers. "If only we just had a sliver of…Allura, your tiara! The gem is glowing!" she exclaimed, drawing their attention to the princess. "Please tell me it's a Balmeran crystal."
Allura took off her crown, nodding as she removed the triangular blue stone. An idea formed behind her sparkling eyes as she asked, "Will one this small work?"
"It's perfect!" Scarlett assured her.
Without wasting another moment, Allura handed her golden tiara to Coran and sprinted into the operation room. She snatched the wild arm from the air and wrestled it to the floor, pinning it beneath her and preventing it from hurting anyone else.
"Sam, we need to remove the power source!" she instructed.
Sam was by her side in an instant. He slid back a hatch near the wrist and removed the battery, leaving just enough room for Allura to place her crystal. The arm glowed blue and went limp as it adjusted to the more suitable power of the alien gem. The din from the monitors died down and the arm slowly rose off the floor before returning to the table next to Shiro. With the chaos subdued, the others ran into the room, lingering by his side as he stirred.
Shiro's eyes cracked open. "What – What happened?" he groaned, taking in all of their worried expressions. "I feel strange…" He experimentally lifted his new arm once more, flexing the robotic fingers and curling them into a fist. Another smile graced his features when the prosthetic followed his command, this time without the backlash. "I feel great."
Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief. With one problem out of the way, it was time to face the next challenge of the day: their second debriefing meeting with the admiral.
Pidge and Allura led their second round of discussion.
"We've learned so much from Sendak's memories," Pidge began, cutting right to the chase. "We discovered his methods for taking over planets like Earth."
"Sendak constructs armaments at key strategic points around planets. This gives him the ability to control enormous swaths of territory," Allura explained, her golden tiara having been returned to her head as she faced the group of frowning military folk. "He uses the armaments as deterrents to prevent any uprisings and to control the conquered population."
A map of the continents popped up on the display behind them. "Based on data from Commander Holt's micro-satellites, cross-referenced with resistance intel, we've ascertained that Sendak built six massive structures on Earth," Veronica pitched in, highlighting the six points on screen. She brought up an image of one of the structures as she added, "We never knew what they were being used for until now."
Hunk frowned as he stared at the dark cylindrical facility on screen. "They're the weapons?" he asked, and she nodded in confirmation. "What's stopping us from blowing them up?"
"We simply don't have enough firepower to do the job," Admiral Sanda answered, her scowl unwavering as always. "And even if we did, there's a good chance those facilities contain civilians. We can't just go in blind."
"Admiral Sanda's right," Shiro agreed. "That's why we should infiltrate a base and gather intelligence first."
"The nearest base is fifty-two klicks south of our position," Veronica provided.
"What's the terrain like?" he asked.
"The region around what we'll call 'Base One' is a complex urban environment," she said, pulling up the area on the big screen for them to see. "Our route will take us through highly patrolled areas. It'll be hard to keep proper surveillance of our surroundings due to all the structural damage."
"Then I suggest we form two teams," Shiro decided. "A ground unit that will attempt to infiltrate Base One and get eyes on whatever's inside, and a sniper team that observes from a higher position, covering the ground unit and providing some visibility."
Pidge, Keith, Kosmo, Allura, and James made up the ground team, while the sniper team consisted of Hunk, Lance, Veronica, and Kinkade, one of the MFE pilots. They set out under the cover of night, leaving the others on standby in the Garrison. Hours dragged by before Sam received Pidge's data, downloaded and transferred to the Garrison's systems from Sendak's Base One. When the two units returned, everyone gathered in the conference room once again to discuss their newly acquired information.
"Sendak has built Zaiforge cannons," Pidge reported, displaying their blueprints on screen. "Our intel indicates the cannons were just completed. They could launch at any time."
"What exactly is a Zaiforge cannon?" Iverson asked, leaning forward in his chair to get a better look at the Galra weapon.
"Planet killers," Keith said grimly, and Mari's frown deepened as she recalled their usage during the Naxzela battle. "If these cannons launch and are fully charged, Sendak will be able to destroy Earth in seconds."
"So, what do we do?" Rizavi chimed in, placing her hands on her hips.
"Ideally, we attack all six bases at once, allowing them no time to stage a counterattack," Keith replied.
Admiral Sanda sat back in her seat, her hands folded on the table in front of her. "That's not possible."
"If we had our lions, it could be," he insisted. "We'll have to find another way to retrieve them since the ship we rode in on crashed."
"Your lions are orbiting another planet," she sharply reminded him. "There's no way to get you to them. Plus there are only five lions."
"The MFEs would need to attack the sixth cannon," Shiro said, quick to back up his team.
"With the faunatonium added, the MFEs should have enough power to get to the sixth base and back," Coran pitched in.
"That's great and all, but Admiral Sanda has a point," Pidge intervened. "We can't get to our lions."
The Voltron side of the table groaned, and the room went silent as they searched for an alternative option.
"You don't need to go to them. They'll come to you," Shiro suddenly said, drawing everyone's gaze as he stood. "As Paladins of Voltron, you can connect with your lions. They will come."
"From Saturn?" Hunk asked, doubtful.
"From anywhere," he clarified. "You've been training for this since the very beginning. Each of you has forged a bond with your lion. Tap into it."
"Our lions did come to us when we were lost in space," Lance noted hesitantly.
"And Red saved my life numerous times," Keith added, casting the Red Paladin a small smile.
"Yes, it's possible," Allura agreed, warming up to the idea. "So we'll call the lions to meet us here."
"We'll need the element of surprise," Pidge pointed out. "The lions will have to rendezvous with us at the bases."
"Yeah, that will really catch the Galra off guard. I mean, assuming our lions respond to our calls." Hunk's brow furrowed with concern as he wondered, "What if they don't come?"
"They'll come," Shiro said, sounding more certain of it than anything. "And when they do, you will strike and destroy all six cannons simultaneously before they can be launched. And when the job's done, you can form Voltron and finish off Sendak and the rest of his forces."
The four MFE pilots standing on the other side of the room grinned, taken with the plan. "We can transport four of you to the Galra bases before heading out to the sixth cannon," James volunteered, nodding to his team.
"I'll bring Lance to Base One," Veronica chimed in. "It's the closest, so I can do it by ground."
Shiro glanced at Admiral Sanda, waiting for her to argue. When she said nothing, he took it as the all clear to go ahead with this course of action. "It's settled, then," he decided. "While Veronica drops Lance at Base One, the MFEs will each fly a paladin out to a base. The paladins should reach the drop zones at exactly the same time the lions arrive. Then the MFEs will head to the sixth base. We'll launch a coordinated attack on all six locations at once."
The next morning, the Garrison was abuzz with activity as the plan to liberate Earth from the Galra went underway. Officers swarmed the central control room where Shiro would be overseeing and leading the mission. Engineers examined and charged the MFEs one last time, preparing them for liftoff. Senior and junior cadets not involved in the mission held down the rest of the fort, continuing their training and watching over the refugees, while medics waited on standby. As the paladins readied for departure, Mari stood in the underground hangars, watching as they bid their farewells to their families and friends.
"This time tomorrow, you'll be back with your mom and dad," she said, offering Hunk whatever comfort she could without his family there. "Stay safe, okay?"
The nervous worry in his gaze faded a bit as he cracked a grin. He hugged her and she returned the embrace as he said, "I will. Thank you."
When they separated, Sam and Colleen were wrapping up their goodbyes with Pidge, and Coran and Romelle with Allura. Shiro and Kosmo were lingering near Keith, and as she approached, Shiro smiled. He patted the paladin's shoulder, casting him one last encouraging look before turning to Mari.
"I'll be in the control room," he said, promptly excusing himself. "Meet us there when you're done."
She nodded before he headed for the elevator. When she turned to Keith again, he was fondly petting Kosmo.
"Take care of him while I'm gone?" he asked.
"Of course." She paused before adding, "Good luck. Lead Voltron to victory."
"Thanks," he said, granting her a small smile of his own. "I promise we won't disappear on you again."
The anxious knot in Mari's stomach grew and she scowled at him. "Don't make promises you might not be able to keep."
The mirth in his expression flickered. "I mean it," he said in all seriousness. "We're all gonna come out of this alive. Together."
She didn't say anything. She just crossed her arms over her chest as she stared at him, prompting him to continue.
"I thought about it a lot since I left the team," he began, slowly and carefully. "What you mean to me, and how I feel about you. And I think I'm ready to give you an answer."
Mari's racing heart nearly leapt into her throat. She dug her nails into her palms and pressed her lips into a thin line, an odd heat rising to her cheeks. She hadn't expected him to say that all of a sudden. She hadn't even expected him to remember their conversation from three years ago when he'd left to join the Blade of Marmora. She wasn't sure if she was ready to hear his answer now, right before he was going off to fight.
She shook her head, already preparing to deny him. "Keith…I…"
"It doesn't have to be now. It can be after we take down Sendak," he stopped her, refusing to let her finish. He reached for his belt, rummaging inside one the pouches. "I promise I won't die, as long as you promise to hear me out after this."
Producing a ring attached to a cord, he held it out to her. She blinked in surprise, the sight of the familiar piece of jewelry and all it signified tugging at her heartstrings. She thought for sure it had been lost forever.
She swallowed thickly. "Where – How did you get that?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
"We found it on Vurelle," Keith answered, plain and simple. He briefly slipped off his glove, showing her his own band, proving the one on the cord to be hers. "I couldn't find the right time to return it until now."
This whole time, he'd been holding onto it for her. And this whole time, he'd been wearing his. For the past three years, she'd been so ready to give up on him. On the rest of the paladins. On Voltron. But in the two years he had traveled through the Quantum Abyss, he had never once forgotten about her. He hadn't broken their first promise. He still wanted to try for her. And although it filled her with an aching fear and uncertainty for the future, she still wanted to try for him.
Mari regarded the Quintessence Ring for a second longer. Then she hesitantly took it. "Okay," she said, quiet but sure. She removed it from the cord and slid it on, the ring fitting perfectly on her finger. "It's a promise then."
A second passed and then two. Then the thin bands carved around the centers of the two rings began to glow the steady and soft blue of pure quintessence. Keith's soft smile returned and he stared at his for a long moment before tugging his glove on again, hiding it from sight.
"God, just kiss already," James muttered, interrupting their moment as he watched them from beside his MFE.
"You're just jelly you don't have a partner yet," Rizavi teased from inside her open cockpit, and Pidge grinned as she hopped into the empty seat behind her.
Keith scowled, but ignored them. He began to hold out a hand to Mari for a handshake, but then thought better of it. Then to both of their surprises, she closed the distance between them, wrapping her arms around him. It took him a stunned second before he returned the embrace, unafraid to hold her closer.
"I'll see you later," Mari said, her voice thin and muffled as she spoke into his shoulder. "Stay safe."
Keith hummed in affirmation. "See you later," he murmured. "I promise."
**Check out my tumblr to see some cool art: pufftheninja