**I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender (duh)
Mari could see it in their eyes when the two Galra realized a group of strangers were blocking the only way out. Their steps faltered, their fear increasing tenfold as panic struck. They were trapped on both fronts, the threat of being mauled and eaten alive right on their heels, and a force of four armed and potentially hostile alien beings standing right in front of them. Which were they to risk facing? Which fight would they be more guaranteed to come out alive from?
Their moment of indecision cost them. The Aalampho closed the distance between them, swiping at them. The duo yelped, moving to dive out of the way, but the beast was too quick. Its claws raked across the leg of the Galra that had been in the rear, the one that had been a tad bit slower than his companion. He shrieked, blood dripping down his calf as he fell to his knees. His friend struggled to gather him in her arms, desperately trying to lift him up and drag him away, but it was too late. The vicious creature was upon them, rearing up on four of its six legs and preparing to rip them to shreds.
Acxa was the first to react. She released a flurry of shots on the beast, each brilliant beam making its mark and scorching its white fur. The Aalampho howled and stumbled back from its prey, startled by the sudden attack. It sniffed the air, searching for the source of gunfire, but it was never given the chance to pinpoint her location. She unleashed another torrent of firepower, forcing the screeching animal to back up and drawing it away from the pair. Veronica was by her side in an instant, aiding her in its suppression as she expertly landed blow after blow.
With the beast distracted, Mari and James rushed to move the two kids to safety. Upon closer inspection, it was evident that they were not full-blooded Galra. While they both had yellow sclera and bluish-purple irises, the boy's skin was a light blue and the girl's a brownish-gray. Two stubby gray horns poked out from his mess of white hair, and a set of fuzzy, floppy ears adorned the sides of her head. Her nose was deep brown and button-like, similar to a canine's, and it twitched nervously every so often. They wore thick cloaks and the garb of soldiers, but they couldn't have been any older than twelve, maybe thirteen.
The boy's face was already beaded with sweat, his breathing ragged and his eyes screwed shut in pain as he clutched his injured leg. His friend hugged him in her arms, terror flooding her eyes as the two humans approached.
"Stay back!" she growled as James reached for them. Despite the bite it held, her voice was shaking like a leaf in the wind.
"It's okay, we won't hurt you," Mari gently tried to assure her. "We're here to help."
The girl's wary expression cracked at the words, as if she had never been offered such a thing before. Tears pricked in the corners of her eyes and her lower lip quivered. She sniffled and didn't argue as James helped her move her companion away from the Aalampho and the two women fighting it. They laid him down against the wall near the door and Mari began to inspect his wound, scanning it with her gauntlet's systems to assess the damage. Thankfully, no bones were broken. But the gashes were deep and would need stitches, if not a healing pod. For now, she had to stop the bleeding.
Quickly pulling out the gauze and antiseptic she kept in her belt pouches, she went to work tending to his leg the best she could. She, Scarlett, Mitsubishi, Treble, and Acxa had all had their fair share of injuries during their three-year journey together. Without healing pods or doctors readily available, they'd had to perform first aid on themselves on most occasions. They'd learned the basics of cleaning and covering their wounds, but all of them were far from being experts in the medical field. Setting bones, performing any kind of surgery, and properly administering stitches were, of course, well out of their skill range. Wrapping the young boy's leg as tight as she dared, Mari silently promised her work was only temporary until one of the Atlas' medics could take a look at it.
Meanwhile, Acxa and Veronica were having no luck in taking down the Aalampho. Blaster smoke filled the room, and the creature writhed and snarled in confusion at the acrid smell. But no matter how much they shot at it, it wouldn't fall over dead.
"How do we kill this thing?" Veronica called out over the incessant din of their blasters. "Does it have a weak spot?"
"Its flesh is too thick. Pistol shots won't kill it from this distance," Acxa said. She threw James a pointed look over her shoulder. "Shoot a condensed beam at its head. Aim right above its nose."
"On it!" James affirmed, his rifle whining and beginning to glow faintly as he charged the attack.
He pulled the trigger and the blinding beam soared through the air, landing squarely above the Aalampho's sniveling snout. Its rumbling growls were abruptly cut off, a deep and bubbling hole blown right between where its eyes would have been. Its thrashing movements ceased and it crashed to the floor, dead.
The immediate threat gone, Veronica let out a deep breath and lowered her gun. "Should've done that earlier," she murmured.
Acxa glared coolly at the fallen creature before returning her blaster to its holster. She turned to the two Galra youths, watching as Mari tended to the boy's wound. All the while, he laid stiff as a board, his eyes now cracked open and staring at the ceiling, too afraid to look at any of the strangers. His friend was just as quiet, kneeling next to his head with her hands folded tightly in her lap. When Mari finally finished and had put away her supplies, Acxa approached, looming over them. The girl flinched in the shadow of the older woman, but her lips pressed into a stubborn line, biting back her fright in the face of another Galra.
"Who are you people?" she demanded, eyes narrowed and her voice thin and cracking.
"We're with the Voltron Coalition," Mari said, slowly, carefully.
The boy twitched and the girl's frown deepened at the mention of it. "Voltron?" she repeated, the word rolling off her tongue with disdain. "Why are people from the coalition helping us?"
"We've been traveling across the universe freeing Galra territories," Mari explained. "We came to Thoh to ask the people here to join our cause."
Uncertainty filled the boy's gaze as he mulled over her claim. "You…even want the Galra to join the coalition?" he croaked.
"Yes," she said, trying for what she hoped was a friendly smile. "Everyone deserves peace, the Galra included."
The duo was quiet for a long moment. They hesitantly looked at Acxa, as if expecting her to provide some sort of guidance. When she didn't, Veronica stepped forward, kneeling to be at eye level with them.
"We all live in the same universe. We might as well get along, right?" She beamed, exuding a friendly warmth and kindness. But they didn't reply, prompting her to continue, "I'm Veronica. This is Mari, James, and Acxa. What are your names?"
The girl squirmed, internally debating whether or not to reveal such precious information. "...Penibrae," she muttered, tugging at one of her floppy ears.
"Zucksar," the boy mumbled, struggling to maintain eye contact with any one of the four adults.
"Are there any more of you here?" Acxa asked. Her tone was even enough, but it still made the pair jump to attention. Another hesitant bout of silence passed before Penibrae mustered up the courage to answer her.
"What if there are? What will you do with them?" she asked, a wary scowl pulling at her lips. "Kill them?"
"No." Acxa paused, regarding the children. The irritation that had been set into her expression since they'd landed had all but disappeared, replaced with a controlled, melancholic sympathy. "I was trained here a long time ago. I'm a half-breed, just like you. I will make sure you all leave here alive."
Zucksar's eyes widened and Penibrae blinked at her. They exchanged nervous frowns, a silent conversation passing between them.
"Okay," Penibrae finally decided. She pushed herself onto her feet, standing at her full height with her hands curled into fists at her sides. "We'll take you back to our camp."
Acxa carried Zucksar on her back while Penibrae led the way through the remains of the academy, leaving Mari, Veronica, and James on look-out duty in case there were any more strange and hostile creatures lingering about. Exhausted, Zucksar tentatively rested his head against Acxa's shoulder, making her stiffen involuntarily, but she made no move to shrug him off. Her initial fear gone, Penibrae marched with confidence in front of them, navigating the winding halls with ease despite the dim lighting.
"More and more Aalamphos have been wandering inside. I've never seen one that big before," she commented. "We've managed to patch up some of the openings leading outside, but we ran out of material."
Veronica frowned as she watched the young girl absentmindedly trace her fingers along a charred gash in the wall. "How long have you two been here?" she asked.
"Four decaphoebs," Penibrae said, nimbly hopping over the detached head of a sentry.
"Four years," Mari translated when James and Veronica threw her confused looks.
"Four years? You started training to be a soldier as a child?" Veronica realized, unable to hide her shock.
"The Galra Empire accepted cadets of any age, but sometimes the younger the better," Acxa stated bitterly. "It takes years to mold a perfect soldier, especially when they're already an adult. It's easier to start their training young. Makes them easier to control."
"That's terrible." Veronica glared hard at the floor, her anger flaring. Zucksar lifted his head to cast her a sad look.
"We didn't get to train for long," he admitted, quiet and shy. "After Emperor Lotor disappeared, we were attacked."
"Warlord Sendak stole all our supplies," Penibrae chimed in. "Cruisers, sentries, blasters, provisions. Everything."
Mari's blood boiled at the mention of him. Earth's invasion, Vurelle's near destruction, and now Thoh's robbery. How many more people and places had Sendak ravaged before coming to the Milky Way? What atrocities hadn't he committed? She was glad he'd fallen to Keith's blade during their battle for Earth, unable to hurt anyone else ever again.
"That quiznaking bastard…" she murmured and Zucksar hummed in agreement.
"He recruited our instructors and the older cadets to join his army," Penibrae continued. Her voice became hollow as she added, "Anyone who resisted was killed."
"But you and your friends were left behind?" James concluded, and she nodded.
"The junior cadets were too young and inexperienced." She pulled at her ears again, pouting as her clawed fingers ran over their velvety fur. "And half-breeds are a stain on the Galra bloodline. Of course he left us here."
"Can add 'abandoning children to the elements' to the list of his monstrosities," James muttered more to himself than the others.
"How have you survived on your own for this long?" Veronica asked, concern swirling behind her eyes.
"It's been hard. We've lost a lot of our own…" Penibrae confessed, the skip in her step diminishing, and Zucksar wilted in Acxa's hold. Taking notice, the young girl quickly pushed her ears out of her face and pumped a fist in the air. "But! It's gotten easier lately!" she said, throwing an encouraging grin his way. "Our new leader came here a couple phoebs ago. She's super cool. And she's a half-breed. She used to be a student here, just like us."
She glanced pointedly at Acxa, excited to share this bit of information with the alumni. But Acxa's resting scowl didn't waver, her gaze remaining fixed on the path ahead as she quietly listened to their conversation.
"She brought a fighter ship and we've been using it to scavenge supplies. She has to go to other places to recharge it though," Zucksar mumbled through his disappointment. "We still can't figure out how to restore the power here."
"That doesn't matter. Once she finds us a safe place to live, we're getting off this freezing-cold rock of a planet," Penibrae promised him.
They rounded several more corners before they stopped in front of a closed metal door. Wrapping her knuckles against it, Penibrae knocked out a quick little rhythm, a secret passcode of sorts. A beat of silence and then two passed before the bolts slid back and the door gradually creaked open. A purple, partially feathered head peeked through the crack, staring at Penibrae through glinting yellow eyes.
"Password?" she asked, her beak clicking together expectantly.
"For the millionth time, Beani. We don't have a password," Penibrae huffed.
A teasing grin spread out across Beani's face. "I know. But I want one."
Penibrae glared at her, a low growl rumbling in her throat. "We don't have time for this. Zucksar is injured. Just open the door already."
The playful nature drained from Beani's eyes. "Quiznak. I was only kidding," she muttered. She moved to pull back the door, but suddenly stopped as she noticed the strangers standing behind her friend. Her smile dropped and her breath caught in her throat as suspicion took over. "Wait! Peni, who are they?"
"Members of the Voltron Coalition."
Beani's face twisted in disgust. "What are they doing here? And why are you with them?"
"They saved us from an Aalampho that snuck in," Zucksar piped up. "They want to help us."
"Why would Voltron want to help us?"
"They accept half-breeds. She's a trusted one of their group." Penibrae pointed to Acxa, making the ex-general stiffen. Her frown deepened and she couldn't bring herself to look at the child hiding behind the door. Beani didn't seem to notice though, shuffling uneasily from foot to foot as she took in the adults standing before her.
"Come on now, Beani," Penibrae sighed, her impatience peaking. "We don't have all day here. Let us in."
Beani clacked her beak together, indignant but caving. "Fine. If we get killed, I'm blaming you," she grumbled, and she pulled open the entrance, permitting them to enter.
The room was large and dimly lit, the only source of light the blazing orange fire on the floor in the center. Bunk beds were lined up along both sides of the space, with trunks sitting at their feet and a few metal lockers pressed up against the far wall. A handful of young Galra, both half-breed and full-blooded and ranging from ten to their early teenage years, were wrapped up in blankets and huddling together near the warmth of the fire. They were watching as the oldest and tallest member of their group sat hunched over a small, fuzzy gray creature, skinning it with a makeshift blade.
Once everyone had stepped inside and Beani had quickly shut and bolted the door, their leader looked up, an impish smirk on her lips, only for it to fall in less than a second. The eye that wasn't covered by an eyepatch widened in horror, her jaw dropping as she gawked at the intruders.
Acxa looked almost just as shocked to see her. She nearly dropped Zucksar, and he had to wrap his arms around her neck to stop himself from sliding off her back. It took an instant for her guard to shoot back up, and she regarded the woman through narrowed eyes blazing with anger and distrust.
"Ezor," she growled. "What are you doing here?"
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