**I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender (duh)

Ezor was frozen where she sat, a deer in the headlights as she tried to process Acxa's unexpected appearance.

"Acxa…I…" She blinked, her quivering voice trailing off. Then like a light switch being flicked on, she shook off her shock, her eyes narrowing and her grip on her knife tightening. "What are you doing here?" she snarled, pointing it at her accusingly. "If you're here to hide too, get lost! We were here first." Then slowly, a challenging smirk pulled at the corners of her lips. "Or did you come here just to kill me?"

Acxa bristled. "Don't be ridiculous," she snapped, but there was no missing how her hand twitched for the pistol on her hip.

Veronica tilted her head, curiously glancing back and forth between the women. "Wait. You two know each other?"

"They were in the same unit at the academy," Mari frowned, shifting to high alert in case Ezor suddenly tried something. "She was one of Lotor's generals too."

"Huh. Small world," James muttered. "…Small universe."

The Galra youngsters of the room were unfazed by the building tensions between the two groups. Instead, they gaped at Acxa and Ezor, their eyes sparkling with awe.

"You were generals of Emperor Lotor?" one of them gasped. "Wow!"

"That's amazing!"

"So quiznaking cool!"

"Hardly," Acxa ground out. "Ezor is a warlord now. Who tried to kill us the last time we met."

Ezor tsked. "Says the uppity hardass who tried to blow me up," she spat back. She pointed to her eyepatch, unamused. "By the way, thanks for this. I really loooove being half-blind."

Acxa ignored her complaint. "Why have you been helping these children?" she demanded. "Are you and Zethrid that desperate for recruits?"

"Ha! Like we'd trust a bunch of scrawny kits to join our ranks," she scoffed, but there wasn't any condescension in her voice. She ruffled the furry purple head of the child next to her, her hardened expression softening a tad as she looked at him. "No. Zethrid and I…aren't together anymore. I left her. And the whole warlord thing."

"Ewww! You're getting Ilumpi fur on me!" he squealed, desperately covering his head. She grinned and he stuck his tongue out at her, scooting away before she could get any more of the gray fuzzies that were stuck to her hand caught in his hair.

"I don't believe you," Acxa said, her gaze locked on her former comrade.

Ezor rolled her eye. "You really think I'd be here freezing my butt off if I didn't?" She waved her hand carelessly in the air, gesturing to their little camp, her knife glinting dully in the firelight as she moved. "I came back to this stupid hellhole because it's the one place I know she'd never look for me. She hates it here even more than I do."

Mari raised a doubtful brow at her. "You're hiding from her? Why?"

Ezor's arms fell into her lap. She glared into the flames, her mouth pressed into a thin line. Her eyes shone with an unspoken grief, an unshakable pain and sadness. Still, she didn't answer Mari, hesitant to share such personal information about her relationships with a stranger. With someone who was once her enemy.

Acxa stared at Ezor, hard and even. "After what you and Zethrid have done, a part of me is tempted to ignore you and just leave you here." She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, inhaling and exhaling deeply before she spoke again. "But I won't. Our mission is to help the people here, including you. Will you let us?"

The Galra youngsters watched their leader, waiting with bated breath for her response. Ezor looked up at Acxa, her gaze lingering on Penibrae and the injured Zucksar still clinging to Acxa's back. After a long moment, she let out a heavy huff.

"Fine," she relented. She tossed her knife onto the floor in front of the Ilumpi carcass she had been skinning. "Sit down."

Penibrae immediately sat cross-legged amongst her friends while Beani inched closer to the fire to preen her ruffled feathers. Acxa gingerly laid Zucksar down on the closest bed and draped several blankets over him. She sat at the foot of it while Mari, Veronica, and James continued to stand at the ready.

Ezor brushed the fur from her fingers. Her expression was tight as she began. "After you and the paladins escaped, Zethrid and I made it to the escape pods with the rest of our crew. We were seriously hurt, but we survived. Barely. Once we recovered, we hijacked another cruiser. We had a ship and our fleet back. We were alive to see another day. I was fine where we were. I just wanted to move on with our lives."

She paused, grimacing at the memories and what came next. "But Zethrid didn't. She was angry, more than I'd ever seen her before. She kept going on and on about tracking down you and the paladins again. She never talked about anything else. It was starting to get…scary."

Ezor stopped again, biting her lower lip as it quivered. She bitterly shook her head, trying to muster up the courage to keep going. "I started to realize why you'd left us, Acxa. I thought it was fun at first, but now…I'm just tired," she admitted, quiet and sounding incredibly small. "I'm tired of all the fighting. I'm tired of being angry all the time. I just…I want it to stop. I want Zethrid to be happy – I want to be happy. But I can't if I'm with her as she is now. She wouldn't listen to me and she won't let go. I couldn't take it anymore…so I left. I stole a fighter ship and I came here."

She sniffled and blinked the tears away. She forced a strained smile as she looked at the youngsters surrounding her, putting on a happy face for them. "I didn't expect it to be rundown and full of helpless brats though," she said. "They are so annoying. I have to teach them everything."

Zucksar shifted on the bed, sulking. "We're not completely helpless…"

"You're lying prone and can't walk, Zuck," she drawled dryly. "You're not exactly making a solid case for yourself."

He brought a blanket up to cover his mouth and nose, hiding his embarrassed flush. "It was the Aalampho's fault…" he mumbled, and her eyes widened at the mention of the beast.

"The Voltron people saved us from an attack while we were in the kitchen looking for more knives to cut up the Ilumpi," Penibrae chimed in, glancing pointedly at the half-skinned, fuzzy gray creature that had been discarded.

Ezor's frown returned. She regarded Acxa and the others, skeptical. "There. I've told you why I'm here. Now it's your turn," she prompted. "What's the Voltron Coalition doing on this nowhere planet?"

The remaining hostility in Acxa's eyes diminished as she finished mulling over Ezor's tale. "The paladins and coalition leaders have returned to free the universe from Galra control," she briefly explained.

"So you're here to arrest us?" an older Galra teen tentatively piped up. "To kill us?"

The other kids shifted uncomfortably, fear etched deep into their features.

"No. We want you to join the coalition," Mari quickly assured them. "Our goal is to establish peace and stability for everyone, not punishment and oppression."

"Now that we're here, you don't have to stay on Thoh, either," Veronica pitched in. "You can come with us."

"What? We can't have a bunch of kids running around on the Atlas," James protested.

"It's safer than staying here. We at least have to get them off this big ice ball," she insisted.

"We can take you guys to Vurelle," Mari suggested. "It's warm and the Vurelleans love everyone, especially kids."

Beani's eyes glittered with delighted interest. "It's warm there?" she gasped, and Mari nodded.

"Yep. It's sunny, there's sand and an oasis, and there's a big castle for you to explore," she said. "There's no snow or Aalamphos at all."

The youngsters visibly brightened at the sound of it all. They exchanged giddy grins, relief and newfound hope making their hunched shoulders relax.

"But! But what about Sendak?" Penibrae exclaimed, unable to shake off all her worries that easily. "What if he finds out we survived and he comes to finish us off?"

"Sendak is dead," Mari said, and she couldn't help but feel a sort of triumphant vengeance as she delivered the news. "The Fire of Purification is no more. He won't be bothering you again."

The children and even Ezor stared at her in surprise. "How can you be sure?" Penibrae asked, squinting at her in suspicion as if she were searching for visible signs of a lie.

"I saw him die with my own eyes. The Black Paladin himself finished him off," Mari said, honest and true. "He's a strong and cool Galra half-breed, just like all of you."

Zucksar drew the blankets away from his face. "The Black Paladin…is like us?"

"But paladins and Galra are enemies," another older teen spoke up. "He can't be both."

"Why not? Voltron doesn't discriminate," Veronica said, her smile gentle as she took in the young group. "The paladins are friends with the Blade of Marmora and they're Galra. They're friends with Acxa. They're friends with all the Galra commanders and warlords who have joined the coalition so far."

The youngsters squirmed in their seats, unsure if they could believe her. "Would they really want to be our friends?" Penibrae murmured, pulling on her soft ears once again.

Mari nodded, more sure of it than ever. "You're always more than what people say you are. What matters is how you treat others and yourself. With a little patience, kindness, and understanding, I think anyone can be friends if they just give each other a chance."

The kids exchanged nervous looks, but couldn't find the words to refute her. After a moment, a few managed to smile, taking a liking to this new way of thinking. They murmured amongst one another in half-hearted agreement.

"You're surprisingly good with kids," James mused.

"I think you're overestimating my abilities," she admitted, suddenly sheepish. "I'm basically just repeating my therapist's words."

"There's nothing wrong with that. It's good advice," Veronica said, granting her an encouraging grin. "It means you've seriously taken their words to heart."

Ezor loudly cleared her throat, drawing their attention back to her. "Thanks for the sappy speeches and all, but I think I'll take my chances here," she said, sounding bored and unimpressed with the humans. "Say what you want, but I don't think your precious paladins would actually want me joining their cause."

"They won't reject you. They aren't like that," Acxa promised her. "Anyone can change, Ezor. We're giving you a second chance."

"You don't get it, Acxa," Ezor snapped, her frustration rising. "I can't leave here. If I do, Zethrid will find me. I know she will. You know how stubborn she is."

"She won't find you if you're with us," Mari pressed, trying to get her to see reason. "The coalition's battleship of operations is well fortified and always on the move. We can travel lightyears in seconds with the teludav technology. Besides, we have the lions. There's no way Zethrid would go up against Voltron on her own, right?"

"I…I don't know." Ezor sighed, slouching forward. She grit her teeth as she stared into the fire, dejected and restless and hesitant as unspoken fears swirled. Fear of rejection. Fear of being found. Fear of the unknown. It was all there, dancing amongst the flames reflected in her eye.

Standing from the bed, Acxa carefully moved to sit next to her old teammate. Ezor didn't even flinch as their shoulders nearly touched.

"I know you're scared," Acxa said, her gaze full of understanding as she looked at her. "But you can't live here forever. The building is open to the elements. You're without power and a sufficient source of supplies. You have children with you. If you're not all eventually mauled by an Aalampho, you'll end up starving or freezing to death."

Ezor didn't respond. They were both quiet for a long moment, watching the flickering tongues of fire lick the frigid air.

"Please, Ezor." Acxa's tone was impossibly gentle. "Staying here, in this hellish place where we all began, will not help you let go of the rage of our past. Come with us. We can find happiness and freedom with the coalition, I know we can. We can finally, truly, move on."

Ezor shifted, her resolve to stay cracking. She pulled her attention away from the fire and looked back at Acxa, her eyes wide and bright with a wavering desperation. The Galra youngsters watched her, hopeful and silently begging their leader to say yes to joining them.

"I guess…it won't hurt to give it a try," she muttered. She pouted, struggling to remain reluctant, but it didn't last long as Acxa smiled, relieved by her decision. The corners of Ezor's lips quirked up, comforted by her reaction. She hummed and promptly kicked the Ilumpi carcass into the fire before glancing at the three humans. "I'm sick of eating bony little meals everyday anyway. Your ship better have some decent food."

Veronica beamed and James cracked a grin. Mari nodded, her mouth already watering just thinking about the food Hunk had taught the Atlas' chefs to make. "Trust me. We do."

The youngsters cheered and clapped their hands together, their excitement overflowing. Food and safety and adventure was on their horizon. It was time to leave the cold and harsh world that was Thoh and experience the universe beyond the dull walls of the Galra military academy.

"Alright, runts. Pack your things," Ezor ordered them, rising to her feet. "We're getting out of here."

After informing Shiro of their situation on the ground and getting his permission to bring Ezor and the other Galra younglings aboard the Atlas, Mari contacted Immea and the other three MFE pilots to regroup for departure. Packed and ready to go, they navigated their way back through the academy and waited for the other half of their team in the hangar where they had entered. When they finally arrived, they were covered in splotches of drying blue liquid from head to toe.

"Whoa." Veronica blinked, eyes wide with surprise as they approached. "What happened to you guys?"

"We were attacked by an unknown creature," Leifsdottir stated flatly.

"I thought we were gonna die," Rizavi groaned, but her eyes were bright with gleeful fervor. "Immea did this whole circus act and jumped on top of it to stab it in the head! There was blood spraying everywhere!"

She grinned from ear to ear and Kinkade grimaced at the memory. The Galra children stared at the Blade in awe, eyeing the weapon in her hand that had vanquished the beast. Immea placed a hand on her hip, unfazed by their reactions.

"It was just an Aalampho. An adolescent one at that," she said, sounding irritated, as if she had already explained this to the three humans once before. She flicked her sword, cleaning it of the last of the animal's blood before it glowed and reverted back to a dagger. "Nothing a luxite blade couldn't cut through."

James looked just as starstruck as the kids. "Wow," he breathed.

With everyone together, they began to crawl out of the hangar. The pilots and Veronica stepped out into the snowy winds of Thoh first, followed by the youngsters and Ezor and Acxa. Immea and Mari brought up the rear, making sure everyone made it outside.

"Are you sure bringing them is a good idea?" Immea murmured, watching as Penibrae dawdled by Ezor's side while she carried Zucksar through the exit. "I don't mind the brats, but the red one is still dangerous. You do remember what she and the burly one did to us on Hutt, right?"

Mari sighed. "I know. But Acxa changed for the better. I think Ezor has too." She paused, watching as Acxa trailed close behind her old friend and followed her out into the cold. "Besides, she seems to trust Ezor. And I trust Acxa's judgment."

Immea tsked, no doubt hiding a scowl beneath her mask. "Well, I still don't trust her. Not when her companion's still out there doing who-knows-what with her pirate crew," she said, gaze locked onto the back of Ezor's head. "Who's to say she won't stab us in the back if a better opportunity arises?"

"I don't think she will. We all want the same thing: peace and security," Mari tried to assure her. "We'll be keeping an eye on her though, if that makes you feel any better."

Immea huffed, neither pleased or displeased with this information. She sheathed her blade and leapt through the hole, leaving Mari as the last to step out. They loaded their new companions into the four MFEs and the Kintsugi and took off, leaving the harsh and unforgiving surface of Thoh behind them in favor of the warmth and safety of the Atlas.

Upon landing in the hangars, Immea, Kinkade, Rizavi, and Leifsdottir were sent to the decontamination chamber to rid themselves of the Aalampho blood. The doctors and nurses whisked away Zucksar and the other Galra younglings to perform check-ups and provide any other necessary medical attention. Ezor insisted on joining them so they wouldn't have to face a bunch of strange coalition doctors alone, and Acxa, Mari, James, and Veronica were forced to follow her. They hovered at the edges of the exam room, watching as the medics draped a heated blanket over each child's shoulders before having them sit on the bench for their vitals to be scanned. When Shiro and Coran finally arrived, they were wrapping up their inspections, leaving the kids to huddle together near Ezor and warily regard the team of doctors.

"Hey. Welcome back," Shiro greeted the returned ground team, and Veronica and James immediately stood at attention. He turned to Ezor, some of the relief receding in his gaze as he nodded to her. "Ezor."

She gave him a brief wave in reply, nervous in the presence of the former paladin. Coran glanced down at the children gathered around her.

"Ahh so these are all the Galra cadets you brought back," he mused. "Quite the young group."

"How are they?" Shiro asked, addressing their medical team.

"They're suffering from mild hypothermia and they're malnourished and underweight for their respective age groups. We'll have to regulate their meals for the next few weeks," Aaren reported, looking over the notes on his tablet. "The one with the leg injury needs about an hour in the healing pod. But other than that, there's nothing else seriously wrong with them."

Veronica relaxed her stance with the news. "That's good to hear."

Shiro smiled at the kids, unbothered by how each one was staring at him through guarded eyes. "Hello there. I'm Shiro, the captain of this ship," he said, his voice friendly and warm and exuding an honest kindness. "And this is Coran, our helmsman."

"Pleasure," he hummed. "Welcome aboard the IGF-Atlas."

The children shifted, the tension gradually leaving their shoulders as their walls started to lower. They began to whisper fervently amongst themselves, unable to hide their wonder.

"It's an Altean…"

"Cool scar!"

"I like his arm."

"When can we see Voltron?"

"Voltron is a little busy at the moment," Shiro admitted, and several of the kids scowled. "But you'll get to see it soon, I promise."

"We've prepared cabins and clothes for all of you in the meantime," Coran chimed in, smoothly diverting their attention away from the topic of the currently absent legendary hero. "Let's get you something warm to eat and I'll take you to them."

Their faces lit up, stomachs rumbling and mouths already starting to water. With one of the older teens pushing Zucksar in a wheelchair, the entire group eagerly followed Coran out the door, leaving their leader with the captain. The moment they were gone, Ezor turned to Shiro.

"So. Where are the paladins?" she asked, not missing a beat.

"They're on a separate mission right now," he answered, a worried frown quick to replace his smile. "They're trying to track down Honerva."

Ezor's eye widened. "The old hag's still around?"

"Unfortunately," Mari muttered.

"She sent a robeast to destroy Earth months ago," Shiro elaborated. "We think there are more out there attacking coalition planets."

Ezor shifted uneasily from foot to foot, fear creeping at the edges of her expression. "So…how long are they going to be gone?"

"We're not sure yet. It's been several days since they left." He paused, taking note of her evident distress, before continuing, "The Atlas is more than capable of fighting and hiding from enemy cruisers. Our team of engineers are constantly monitoring and updating our systems to maintain the tightest security while we're out here. Trust me, Zethrid won't be able to find you with us."

Ezor stared at him for a long moment, mulling over his words. She hesitantly nodded and averted her gaze to the tips of her boots, her lips pressed into a thin line.

Shiro's features softened, his gentle warmth returning. "We're glad to have you joining the Voltron Coalition," he said, kind and sure.

Although she didn't seem convinced, she managed a tiny grin in return.

A/N: I don't know about you guys, but I thought Ezor's return in the canon series was way too under-explained. Obviously it was implied that she had a change of heart like Acxa, but still...she just appeared on the Atlas so abruptly. Loved writing these chapters to give her some more backstory/explanation as to how she joined the coalition.

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