Chapter 13:Taking Matters Into Her Own Hands(Kinda)
( Marinette's POV)
"Someone has to go!" yells Marinette, desparte. After all, if they wait, that's more time lost when she can actually return to Paris and see her family and friends after this war in space is over.
She looks to Lance for support. He's the only one who treats her as an equal. Shiro is still having a hard time not calling her Keith and Allura resents her. Pidge doesn't seem to care, and while Hunk tries, she knows she misses Keith more than he wants to get to know her.
And she understands, Keith seems like a really cool person from their stories of him. And like a proper red paladin, but she can't think about that right now and her selfish desires to go home.
Marinette knows this is the perfect time to strike and take out Zarkon, and with him gone taking planets out of the Empire's control should be easy. Unless he has an heir, which makes things complicated. Unless the heir is willing to join us, but Galra in the Empire don't seem like the type willing to change their dictatorship ways.
But she has hope in case Zarkon even has an heir to his throne.
"No it shouldn't be you." states Shiro. "You aren't ready to go alone in the Galra stronghold."
Marinette turns around to face him, "May I remind you I have fought akumas with or without the help of my partner? And that I have my Ladysuit suit, which protects me from harm! Hunk has seen what I can do!"
Hunk nods, "Yea, Shiro she can hold her own." He adds, "I know you may not like it, but she is our best chance, the Blades don't seem willing to send one of themselves, although understandable because Kolivan is the leader. But the point is Marinette can do it."
Lance nods, "Yea, she may not have perfected being a pilot, but she really is crazy good in combat. I've seen her against the Gladiator."
Marinette's chest fills with warmth at Hunk and Lance defending her.
Shiro grumbles, "Fine, but we do this with a plan. And Marinette, if you have to improvise, do it."
"I get it, I basically improvised all my fights with the akumas I've defeated."
Marinette stands proudly, even though none of them were there when she had fought the akumas. Well if she gets back to Earth, she might show them Alya's clips on her Ladyblog site of her fighting akumas with Chat as Ladybug.
Though that would have to wait another time.
As now they have to focus on the plan of getting her inside the Zarkons fleet without being noticed by the Galra and their forces. And see if she can find Thace to help get to the engine room to power off the command center of the Galra.
She looks at one of the glowing floating things that looks like the fleet outside. It was a blueprint of the Galra central command center. Which would help her find Thace. So he can lead her to the engine room. Or more likely a way to show her how to get to the engine room.
Which is much appreciated. Like Shiro said, they need a plan. But they better plan fast, time is wasting.
"See this," Kolivan points to one of the corridors inside the 3D blueprint of the Galra Central Commands palace spaceship. "You'll want to follow it and then right at the first crossroads when you get inside the ship. Then you'll want to head left, make a right, follow this corridor and you should be at the engine room."
Marinette nods, memorizing the route on the 3D blueprint. Follow this corridor make a right then a left then right and then follow the last corridor to the engine room to shut off Central Commands power to make the ships and the Castle ship unresponsive when the Teleduv consumes and transports them far away.
She keeps memorizing this as she heads with Pidge down the corridor to the hangar where all the Altean pods are being kept.
She already knows how to drive one, thanks to Corans many lessons, as before she piloted Red she needed some sort of experience and flying Red without any piloting without said experience pretty much made the whole team uneasy.
And nervous but best not to focus on that.
Instead she keeps memorizing the root, until Allura surprises her and she jumps. She looks at Allura, "You scared me!"
"I didn't mean to. I just wanted to say, I'm glad you're here. I know I haven't shown it, but I do mean it. In fac…."
"Is this about me not being half-galra whereas Keith possibly is? Cause if that's the reason you're finally acknowledging me as a Paladin of Voltorn, it's a petty reason. Do I hate people who live in countries my country has battled with and fought wars against in the past? Hell no. Keith was far away from all of this, it's his fault, he isn't to blame for this war, and neither are the people living in countries that wronged my country in the past. Because they aren't their ancestors, as our ancestors aren't us. So blame Keith and add him to your Galra hate when none of this fault and when he has fought beside you and even tried to kill Zarkon when they were trying to rescue you. He even left with you because he thought he was putting the team in jeopardy when he realized his knife could reveal that maybe he has Galra blood running through his veins. So don't pretend you're here because you actually see me as a Paladin. You're here to thank me for replacing Keith who could be half-galra." Marinette states coldly to the Princess.
Allura stammers, probably surprised by her response. Well she is observant and that helps her be kind to people, as her classmates have all at one or another have said 'You're my everyday Ladybug.' Or something close to that.
But she needs to focus, no time in dealing with Allura and her shock.
Marinette climbs into the pod, and tells Coran, "I am ready to go."
She remembers her lessons and turns on the pod with a grey button. She pulls the thrusters, making the pod come more alive as she pulls the steering shifts up to fly. It was kinda like flying a plane, or at least flying a plane like from what the movies showed her.
The lone pod entrances to the Castle ship of the Central Command Center. She wishes no one can see her with the added cloaking Pidge had designed, which actually didn't harm the pod when you activated. Unlike the added thrusters Piadge had added on to all of the Altean pods. She hopes the cloaking works and doesn't malfunction like the thrusters.
If she died, oh god she did not want to think about it. After all, Voltrons needs her, so she can't die, and she has her ladybug suit underneath the red paladin armor, so she should be fine. If she could survive hitting concrete when thrown across Paris by an akuma, a laser blast from the Galra's guns shouldn't be too different, and she has the armor on and the helmet.
So she should be fine and she won't have to make a sacrifice like Chat Noir has done sometimes. Hopefully.