Chapter 24: A Lone Enemy(Marinette's POV)

Marinette looks at her new Black paladin armor. It seems strange to wear so much Black, when she is used to wearing almost all red. Being Ladybug and an ex-red paladin.

It also reminds her of Shiro. She wasn't close to him, but wearing this armor makes her sense him in a way. Like his aura is still on the clothes. Thought that's silly. Only in movies people can sense the power of the person wearing the outfit before them. Like when someone has to take up the mantle of being a superhero when that superhero is retired. Like Robin for instance. Batman has had a lot of Robins, so the outfit Robin has gets around.

Marinette walks out of her room and walks to the bridge. Her first meeting as the new Black Paladin.

"Don't be nervous." Tikki says as she floats by her.

"Are you sure I shouldn't be transformed right now?"

"Of course. Nothing will happen. Besides, the suit will transform underneath the armor if you think about how the suit should be underneath your paladin armor."

Marinette nods, "Yeah but it's still confusing to think that I can make the suit appear underneath the armor."

"Your superhero outfit was made by you. You thought of your Ladybug suit."

"I did?! But I thought that was just the suit that the earrings gave to me!"

Tikki smiles, amused, "No. It's why each Ladybug outfit is different. If you gave Chat your miraculous and he gave you his, your outfits would be different. He wouldn't just have the same design he'd make it his. And you wouldn't have Chat's design as you'd make the outfit to suit you."

"I guess. Still, it just sounds weird."

"I know it does. But it makes the individuals who wear the earrings unique and not just a repeat of the original."

Marinette nods, but stops talking as soon as they enter the bridge room. She nervously takes her seat in the middle of the room. It only just happened a few minutes ago, when the Black Lion chose her.

She felt the need to be in her new armor to be prepared in case they were called on a mission. And she was right as the distress signal sign started going off loudly.

"It's from Pugia." Allura states.

"That's the planet me and Hunk recused days ago! You think the Galra are trying to take control again?" Lance asks, a slight hint of fury in his tone.

"Maybe," Marintte starts, "We should go there to check it out just in case. And be on high alert Allura. We don't know how many fleets the Galra will have there."

Allura grumbles, but Marinette doesn't pay attention. It was only about a week since they saved Pugia from Galran rule. How would the Galra know that Voltron has taken one of their planets so quickly. Then again, someone must have sent a distress signal somewhere that Pugia needed to be taken back under Galra control.

But shouldn't the Galra be in disarray? Their only leader died. Unless Zarkon somehow has an heir to his throne in case he died, to ensure that the Galra Empire lasts forever. But why hasn't the Blades heard of this?

Unless the Blades know as little as we do. If their members haven't gained a big rank within the Galra Empire. But they've been spying for ten thousand years, surely they must have heard about an heir to Zarkon's throne. Right?

Her thoughts are interrupted as the Castle shakes with hits.

"How many?"" She shouts.

"One!"

One ship eh? As the Castle approaches, now with shields on. Marinette can clearly see the lone ship firing attacks on them.

"Alright team, here's the plan. We each take to our lions, but only I, Red's paladin and Blue's paladin shall fight while Pidge and Hunk watch us ..." "But Red doesn't have a Paladin!" shouts Lance.

"She has to choose one eventually, and now would be a good time. Also we must watch how the enemy reacts to us. There's only one ship, so we have to be on high alert. This is a great opportunity for me to test out Black, just like it is for whoever Red chooses."

But Marinette already knows who Red will choose, because Tikki told her. Which is why she said Red and Blue paladins as she was starting to talk about the plan that quickly formed in her brain before she was interrupted.

Allura nods, "I agree, but be careful."

"I always am, aren't I?" Marinette replies, pretending to be chill about taking Black out to battle without any practice. She walks to the space where the elevators are that take them to their lions. She walks into the middle one, trying to remain calm.

Because from her experience not being calm in situations like these has you messing up and not helping at all. Like her first two battles as Ladybug. Those did not go very well even though she won those battles.

As she glides through the tedious routine of going to her lion(like can't they make it faster, instead of so complicated where it takes you three minutes to get to your lion? Because it is so tedious and time consuming) and sits while the mini-ship goes into the Black Lions chest.

She walks to the pilots room and sits down in the seat, hands reaching out to grip the controls.

"Tikki you ready?"

Her kwami nods, "Tikki Spots On!"

And Tikki was right, Marinette just needed to visualize her suit as being underneath the armor as she can't see her ladybug suit.

She flies through the gap and into the open starry space.

Marinette glides the Black Lion toward the ship, a little unused to how slow Black is going, but decides not to worry about it. She focuses on the lone enemy ship, alert to any attacks that come her way.

Lotor's POV

So the Black Lion is out. He wonders if the paladin is the same, or a new one.

"Generals, fire at the Lion, but not where the hits damage the machine. After all this is just a recon mission."

Zethrid glares at him, while grumbling. But Lotor doesn't care. It's time to see if Voltron is really incredible right now, or if they are weak. A smile dons his lips, oh yes, this will be very fun indeed.