This chapter is dedicated to all those who died for freedom everywhere.
The day of Pidge's funeral dawned bright and beautiful.
Everyone gathered at the crest of the hill chosen to be Pidge's final resting place. A few years ago, Nanny had decided they all looked like a bunch of ruffians, and had dress uniforms designed for the Voltron Force. They consisted of black pants and charcoal jackets, piped in their individual Lion colors for the men, and a dark grey dress, edged in navy blue for Allura.
They stood in small groups surrounding the bier.
Hunk had one hand wrapped around Sereti's shoulders, tears streaming down his face.
Lance stood with Dorma and Zarana. The little girl stood quietly, one hand clutching tightly to her fathers. Hazar stood with them.
Hans, Troi, and Dreana stood together, off to one side. Dreana held one of Han's hands, her blue eyes filled with unshed tears. Hans eyed Troi's pale features surreptitiously, ready to support his friend if needed.
Sven had surprised everyone by showing up the night before, and he stood near Hans and the others.
Jeff stood with Chip and the members of the Vehicle Force who were able to attended. Kim had chosen to say by Cliff's side, since he was still in Sick-bay, along with Edward Montgomery.
Admiral Harrison, Brenda and Cassandra stood on either side of Annie. The young woman was pale and composed, but her green eyes were bright with tears.
Allura stood behind Coran, who was sitting in a chair near the front of Pidge's casket. She had one hand on his shoulder and he patted it absently. Aria stood near her mother, but she kept sending questioning glances up at her father.
Keith stood near his wife and family, with them, yet apart from them. His dark jacket made his pale features stand out. He stood rock still, the one eye not covered by the eye patch, closed in grief, fists clenched at his sides.
The minister finally finished speaking and stepped aside. Keith paused a moment, then took a deep breath and walked over to the head of the casket. He pulled a note card out of his pocket and stared at it for a minute, before crumbling it in his hand. Lance watched him with concern.
Finally, Keith looked up and started to speak. "I had a speech prepared for today. But to those of us here, we all knew Pidge wasn't the speech type." There were a few chuckles. "I first met Pidge when he was a child. I was being sent on what I thought was a wild-goose chase, looking for a tiny planet, thousands of light years away, to activate a robot known only to legend. And some Commander, in his infinite wisdom, decided I needed this thirteen year old kid along." There were a few more chuckles as Keith glanced up at the Admiral.
"Well, we found the planet, by crash landing on it." Another glance, this time at Lance who shrugged. "And it so happened that it was ruled by a stubborn Princess." He smiled at Allura, who blushed. "Another member of our illustrious party, while on the lookout for the kitchen, stumbled across an old, forgotten tunnel." Now Hunk blushed. "Food forgotten, we had found Voltron. Or parts of him anyway. We set about trying to get him back together. It was Pidge who figured out we needed Keys. Our resident Swede found the first and soon after we had the other three. We were still missing the Black Lion. Before we could search more, Zarkon attacked. I commanded Pidge to say with the Princess and her advisor while the older, more experienced members of our Team led the attack." He paused a moment. "We were shot down almost instantly." Keith smiled sheepishly as everyone laughed.
"It was Pidge who unlocked our controls, and fed us oxygen from the computers in the Castle Control Room. Soon we awoke and managed to send Zarkon packing. Shortly thereafter, we found the Black Lion and his Key, and the rest is history."
"Over the next few years, Pidge became an invaluable member of my Team. I watched him grow from a timid child, to a self-assured young man. The small things he did to make life easier, went largely unnoticed by many of us. I couldn't image a world when Pidge wouldn't be there, helping develop a new early detection system, adding to the Lion's capabilities, fixing a child's doll…" Keith closed his eyes and swallowed audibly. When he spoke again, his voice was tight with grief. "Then, a week ago, that world came crashing down. A mad-man targeted me and my family and Pidge got caught in the crossfire. If he hadn't stepped up to help, it would have been my death we'd be mourning here today, not his."
The tears flowed freely down Allura's face as she tightened her grip on Coran's shoulder. Dreana turned into Hans's arms and he held her close. Hunk didn't bother to hide the tears streaming down his cheeks.
"Pidge…" Keith's voice broke. "Pidge Yvontil was more than just a Teammate. He was a brother," He looked at Chip, Hunk and Allura. "A son," He nodded in Coran's direction. "And a friend." He met the others solemn gazes. Keith stepped forward and placed his hand on Pidge's casket. The pale green marble was cool under his touch. "Dala sista restille halagrash." He said in crisp, clear Baltoian. "Sleep Well."