**I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender (duh)
Hearts raced with rising anticipation as Voltron zipped towards Earth. Towards safety. Towards friends and family who had been separated from them for far too long. After four long and uncertain years fighting for their lives and the lives of countless other inhabitants of the universe, they were finally, finally, back home.
"I'll see if I can get a message out to my dad," Pidge said, rushing to set up a call. "Dad, it's me, Pidge. Do you copy? We're back in Earth's solar system and heading home now."
The comm line crackled with static before Sam's voice barely broke through the noise, choppy and muffled. "To any beings who receive this message…Planet Earth has been…"
"Dad, you're okay!" she exclaimed, relieved to hear him. "How's Mom? Is Matt with you?"
"Most of the citizens…" More static swallowed up his reply.
"Hold on, let me try to get a clear signal," Pidge said, instantly working to better hear him.
"...have been captured."
"What? Who's captured?" she asked, her joy quickly fading to confusion. "Dad, what are you saying?"
Finally, Sam's voice cleared over their comms. "...Those of us remaining are making our last stand," he was explaining. "If you get this message, please get word to Voltron. We need help."
"What's he talking about?" Scarlett wondered.
"I…I don't know," Pidge murmured.
Suddenly, a live image of Earth popped up on their screens. Dozens and dozens of Galra cruisers were hovering in the atmosphere, stationed over the planet. "Guys…are you seeing this?" Keith asked, horrified.
"Oh no…" Allura whispered.
"The Galra have invaded Earth," Lance said, his voice thin.
"To any beings who receive this message, Planet Earth has been overrun by the Galra," Sam was continuing to relay. "Most of the citizens have been captured. Those of us remaining are making our last stand. If you get this message, please get word to Voltron. We need help."
"It's not a reply. It's a distress signal," Hunk realized and his hands trembled as his grip tightened on the Yellow Lion's controls.
"Dad…" Pidge sounded so small. So scared. Whatever happiness they'd been feeling just moments ago had all but disappeared, replaced with an overwhelming dread. They hadn't escaped the war. They'd come home only to find it waiting for them.
"This has to be the Fire of Purification," Scarlett said, her voice grim as she inspected the enemy cruisers on screen. "No other warlord's fleet has gotten this big."
Mari's hands curled into fists at her sides. Panic and rage swirled beneath the surface as memories of Vurelle's merciless destruction flashed across her memories. All the exploding ships. All the lives lost. The rubble of their base crushing her like a bug. "Sendak…First Vurelle and now…" Her voice faltered, her heart thumping wildly against her ribcage as her eyes pricked with furious tears. "That bastard!"
"He must've come here right after attacking us," Scarlett concluded. "He's still looking for the lions."
"We're not gonna let him have them," Keith promised, careful to keep calm in the face of their new predicament. "Pidge, try to contact your dad again. Let him know Voltron is on its way."
"On it!" she confirmed just as they surged ahead, making a beeline to their captured planet. "Dad, please respond. Voltron is coming. Hold on!"
Her request was met with more thick static. "Are we too late?" Hunk fretted, and everyone waited with bated breath, praying for a response.
Finally, there was an answer. "Katie?" It was Sam. "Katie, is that you?"
"Dad!" Pidge cried out, and the others sagged in relief. "It's me. I'm here."
"Katie, I'm so glad to hear your voice." He sounded rushed as he asked, "Where are you?"
"We're within the solar system. We're heading to Earth now," she reported.
"Wait! You must stop!"
"What?" Keith asked, confused by the order. "Say again."
"Stop," Sam repeated firmly. "Sendak has invaded the planet. He's taken over Earth.
If he finds out that Voltron is here, he'll threaten the people of Earth in exchange for the lions."
Keith hesitated. "Reverse thrusters!"
"Copy that," Hunk said, yanking back on his controls. "Hold tight!"
Mari clung to the back of his chair as Voltron was brought to an abrupt halt. No sooner did they stop, they were greeted by a handful of Galra fighters. The scout ships immediately began to fire, chasing them through the air.
"Paladins, we blocked that patrol's transmission," Sam relayed. "You're clear."
"Roger that," Lance affirmed. "Let's take 'em out!"
Fueled by newfound anger, he mercilessly cut down their attackers with a stream of blue blasts from the Red Lion. In a matter of seconds, only one ship remained. It wisely began to flee, but it was no match for Voltron's speed. Lance prepared to fire, ready to blow it to bits.
"Wait! Don't destroy that ship," Pidge quickly stopped him. "We might need it."
"Really? For what?" he asked.
"I've got an idea."
"Okay, if you say so," he relented.
Voltron closed the distance between them and the fighter. Instead of smashing it to smithereens, the Red Lion grabbed it.
"What now?" he wondered.
"We can't fly our lions to Earth without being spotted, so we'll keep them here on this moon in Saturn's rings," Pidge said, bringing up their new destination on their screens. "It should keep them hidden from Sendak's radars. We'll use this fighter to fly in another way."
Voltron disbanded, reverting back to five individual lions as they headed for Saturn. They landed on the moon hidden within the giant rings, gray and dusty and bland compared to the countless planets bursting with life in the older regions of the universe. Hopping out of the lions, they chucked the disabled Galra sentry out of the cockpit and loaded into the fighter ship. It was cramped and uncomfortable having nine bodies and one wolf shoved behind the pilot's seat, but they would have to live with it. With Keith at the helm, they departed and began to make their way back towards Earth.
"I hope the mice and Kaltenecker aren't too frightened without us," Allura worried as Saturn quickly disappeared behind them.
"They'll be fine," Lance gently tried to assure her. Then glancing at Scarlett, he said, "You look like you're gonna be sick, though."
"Please, don't throw up," Hunk begged. "If you throw up, I'm gonna throw up."
"Oh, come on. My flying isn't that bad," Keith muttered.
"Yeah, it's lightyears better than Lance's was when we first came out here," Pidge agreed.
"Hey…" he pouted. "I've improved."
"Will you all shush!" Scarlett hissed as she clutched her head. Smushed between them, she had curled up into a ball against the wall, Zyron sitting quietly on her shoulder. "It's bad enough I'm forced to listen to all your chaotic thoughts. I don't need to hear your nervous blabbering too!"
Everyone instantly zipped their lips. As they drew ever closer to home and the enemy fleet that guarded it, Mari struggled to control her frantic breathing. Her thoughts spiraled as she wondered if there was anything she could've done to stop Sendak from coming to Earth. She feared the damage he had inflicted upon their homes. She wondered just how many lives he had taken while he had restlessly waited for Voltron to show up to rescue their people. How many of their friends and family members were still alive, if any at all?
Sensing her rising distress, Kosmo softly whimpered as he placed his head in her lap, bringing her back to the present. She had to breathe. She couldn't lose herself now. Just breathe and stay focused. Deep breath in, slow exhale out. Beside her, Shiro silently placed his hand on one of her own and gave her fingers a gentle squeeze, but whether it was for his sake or her own, she couldn't tell. His face was pale, his jaw set and his mouth pressed into a thin and grim line as the first of the Galra cruisers came into view.
And then, there it was – Earth. Vast blue oceans, green and brown landscapes, swirling white clouds and all. Everyone held their breath as Keith casually entered enemy airspace, gliding between the cruisers and edging closer to home. The ship began to rumble and grow hotter as they began their rapid descent.
"Hang on!" Keith warned them. "We're entering Earth's atmosphere."
"This is weird," Hunk said, smiling nervously. "This is almost exactly how we left Earth, crammed in the cockpit of the Blue Lion."
The ship lurched and they all winced at the rough movement.
"We're overweight. I'm losing altitude," Keith alerted them. "Brace for impact!"
Outside, dusty brown canyons came into view as the ground rushed up to meet them. The group in the back clung to each other for dear life as the fighter quaked and whined under the strain of their dangerous drop. They collided with the ground with a jarring amount of force, throwing them all forward. A flurry of screams and curses filled the cockpit as the ship's bottom grated against the rock, rattling them around like pinballs. Then after several panic-filled moments, the ship finally skidded to a screeching halt, the lights flickering and going out as its systems died. A tense silence filled the air before everyone let out a shaky gasp of relief.
"Is everyone okay?" Keith asked, turning around in the pilot's seat to inspect his team.
"We're good," Pidge squeaked, and Scarlett groaned as they detangled their limbs from one another.
"Oh no." Hunk made a wet gagging noise, his face looking green around the edges. "I think I really am gonna puke this time."
"Outside! Outside!" Lance shrilled, already shoving the Yellow Paladin towards the exit.
One hurling session later, everyone removed their helmets and breathed in Earth's air. It was warm and dry in their desert surroundings, the skies a bleak and dull blue above them. As they moved away from what remained of the smoking fighter ship, they crested a hill and surveyed the valley below. The crumbling gray ruins of a city laid before them, quiet and unnaturally devoid of life.
"Hey, I know this place. I've been here," Hunk frowned. "This is Plaht City. It's about half an hour from the Garrison."
"Whoa…I-I can't believe this is all that's left of it," Lance stammered, disheartened.
"His destruction never ends," Mari murmured, feeling hollow as she glared out at the wreckage.
"We need to get to the Garrison," Keith said, keeping them focused and refusing to let them fall into despair. "Stay together. Let's move, quick and quiet."
Helmets back on again, they climbed down the canyon and found what was left of the roads that led into the city. Weapons and bayards held at the ready, they silently entered Plaht City, following Pidge's directions as she guided them towards the Galaxy Garrison.
Walking through the ruins on Earth was much worse than when they'd discovered the devastation left behind by Macidus and the other Druids. Abandoned cars littered the cracked roads, crashed into buildings and dented beyond repair. Glass and chunks of concrete were strewn everywhere. Fliers promoting Saturday night fun danced limply in the wind. Shopping malls had been looted, forgotten wares dropped and discarded near the shattered windows. Entire skyscrapers had been demolished, leaning precariously over them. There was no sign of Sendak's forces, but that didn't make Mari feel any less uneasy as she stepped over a child's dolly, lost during the escape from Galra invaders.
Suddenly, several mechanical orbs streamed towards them, pelting their group with blasts.
"Take cover!" Lance shouted, returning fire as he and Keith rolled behind an overturned car.
No one needed to tell the others twice as they ducked behind the corner of a nearby building. Hunk grunted as he fired at them with his cannon, but the bots were too nimble and avoided his attacks. Keith leapt out from his hiding spot, sprinting away from them as he began to draw their fire. Lance's blaster transformed into his sniper rifle and he swiftly took out the drones one after the other. Their smoking remains fell to the ground, rendered useless.
"I wonder how many of these things they have around here," Keith muttered, staring at the one that had fallen at his feet. "Pidge, any chance we could see those things before they get to us?"
"Already on it," she confirmed, typing away on her gauntlet display. "Looks like four more are headed our way."
She gasped as more enemy shots rained down on them, forcing them to run for cover once more. This time, it was a group of sentries who had found them, and as more drones came to their aid, Team Voltron quickly became pinned on both sides by enemy forces. Lance and Hunk unleashed shot after shot, trying to take down as many as they could. Mari and Scarlett had whipped out their blasters to provide some backup despite their inferior gun-wielding skills. But no matter how many drones and sentires they eliminated, only more seemed to come.
Then out of nowhere, two Garrison vehicles came streaming down the road. One slammed right into a charging sentry, smashing it against a building. The driver leapt out and shot it in the head with a rifle of their own, putting it out of commission for good. The second driver opened the hood of their car and stood, producing a pistol as they began to assist the group in taking out what remained of the enemy attackers.
"Stay down, we got this!" she instructed, loud and clear.
She destroyed the last drone hovering above Keith and he whirled on her, annoyed. "I had it," he stubbornly insisted.
The first driver made an irritated tsking sound in the back of his throat. "Drones send distress signals when attacked," he snapped, throwing any kindness to the wind as he glowered at Voltron's leader. "Our weapons neutralize those signals. So unless you wanna deal with a swarm of those things, let us handle it."
Keith stared at him, stunned into silence. The driver regarded him a moment longer, before jerking his head at their vehicles. "Now let's get out of here before more show up," he urged them, already leading the way.
"Not a very kind welcoming party, is he," Scarlett muttered, returning her blaster to its holster, and Romelle and Allura nodded in silent agreement.
Nevertheless, no one argued with him as they hopped into the two trucks. Keith, Pidge, Hunk, Lance, and Kosmo rode with the woman, who enthusiastically introduced herself as Nadia Rizavi, a senior cadet at the Garrison. Shiro, Allura, Coran, Romelle, Scarlett, and Mari's driver sourly introduced himself as James Griffin to those who didn't know. He was also a senior cadet, and the two of them were pilots.
The rest of the ride to the Garrison was unnervingly quiet as James and Rizavi navigated the uneven terrain to get out of the city and into the desert. When their destination finally came into sight, they were greeted by a massive orange dome, a particle barrier that covered the entirety of the base. It was strange seeing such advanced technology on Earth now, Mari noted to herself as they cruised through the fortified metal doors and tunnel that granted them entry to the military camp. It was the only thing that had protected them from Sendak's forces.
She stared out the windows, her heart aching as she took in the familiar campus. She hadn't even spent a whole year studying here. She'd never truly gotten to experience Garrison cadet life, not like the paladins had. But now she was older. She had learned to fly beyond the rigid military teachings. She had outgrown the one place she had yearned to be her entire life, she realized. Now it just felt odd to be back – not exactly a cadet or an officer, but certainly not an outsider either.
A crowd of people was waiting for them as they approached the central building. Mari cast her eyes downwards before she could make out any of their faces, her nerves getting the better of her. As James and Rizavi pulled their vehicles to a stop, parking them in front of the anxious gathering, it was time for everyone to face the friends and family they had left behind.
**Check out my tumblr to see some cool art: pufftheninja