**I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender (duh)
The weeks following the Battle of Naxzela, life on Vurelle became livelier. More refugees from the battle flocked to the base, seeking to begin a new life on the peaceful desert planet. The marketplace and port expanded and merchants and supplies came in almost daily. The construction of an aboveground village and the digging of wells began when the palace and base lodgings became too cramped to accommodate the new citizens. The rebel base's defense systems grew as Scarlett and Mitsubishi incorporated more cannons and a particle barrier that could be activated in times of invasion.
Te-freya and Te-osh returned to Vurelle briefly after the battle with what remained of their rebel forces. But with the sudden growth of the coalition, they couldn't stay for long and they departed to help support their off-world comrades with managing the newly acquired territory. With the death of Bozi and his subordinates, they left Mari as the head rebel officer on Vurelle. As a result, there was never a time when she wasn't busy. Nevertheless, she welcomed the work. The people she met were all kind and endlessly grateful. And she was never alone as others decided to join the rebel forces and follow her as their leader.
It was a little strange at first, ordering people around and making so many decisions. But her comrades were always eager and loyal and they got the work done. More pilots were trained as ships were added to their fleet. The defense tech team grew with more engineers. And more people learned how to fight, hand-to-hand and with a blaster, including Scarlett, Mitsubishi, and Treble. The base was growing and everyone was learning everyday. With their efforts combined, it made Mari feel like they were really making a difference.
Still, there was no ignoring the fact that the Galra Empire was becoming increasingly unstable. According to Pidge and the others during their weekly video calls, Lotor was actually cooperating with them. He had been giving them valuable intel, the locations of major Galra bases and outposts and factories for Voltron and the Blade of Marmora to strike. And his info checked out every single time. Naturally, it made everyone uneasy how cooperative and honest the Empire's prince was being. He had to have some sort of ulterior motive, right?
"He claims his only objective is to restore peace and prosperity to the universe," Allura had explained, her brow furrowed in disbelief. "He wants us to return to the era of exploration and friendship that my father brought about with Voltron."
"It sounds too good to be true," Scarlett had noted and the others had nodded in agreement.
It wasn't until Lotor gave them a piece of personal intel — the location of the prison where Sam Holt was being held — that things began to change between him and the paladins. Unfortunately, it was during this time that the Galra Empire realized Voltron had custody of the prince. Zarkon got ahold of Sam first and proposed a trade: Sam Holt would be returned to the paladins as long as they handed over Lotor.
A meeting time and place were set. The exchange of Lotor and Sam was botched. A duel to the death broke out between Zarkon and Lotor while Pidge, Matt, and Shiro fought with Lotor's old generals to reclaim Sam. Allura, Lance, and Hunk fought off an attacking Galra fleet in their lions while Coran provided support in the Castle. And then, after having ruled for over ten thousand years, Zarkon's long life came to an end at the hands of his own son.
The news spread quickly across the Empire. Many were overjoyed that their tyrannical emperor had finally been killed. But with the future of the Empire unknown, countless others were restlessly dreading the chaos a fight for the throne would cause.
Despite the growing power struggle situation in the Galra Empire, it didn't deter Ellosh from finally reestablishing Vurelle's sacred mating rituals. The first day of the ceremonies was decided upon, and before Mari knew it, the date was upon them. Vurelleans of all ages filled into the newly reformed arena to witness and/or participate in such an important event. Their eyes were alight with joy and their tails swished giddily along the ground. Even Ellosh was practically glowing in her excitement, a happy smile lighting up her features. Together with Korlis, they stood by the entrance, greeting everyone as they passed through the doors.
"You two are looking all fancy today," Scarlett noted as she, Mari, Treble, and Mitsubishi approached them. The rulers of the planet had ditched their darker and casual wear in favor of white robes trimmed with red, green, and gold. Ellosh even wore a thin circlet of gold around her head while Korlis had on a brand new set of armor.
Ellosh blushed a bit as she glanced down at her garb. "I-It's not really my style," she admitted, her typical queenly poise wavering in her embarrassment. "But they were my parents' traditional wraps. I thought it would be appropriate to wear them on the first day of such a special occasion."
"You look stunnin' in them, love," Korlis said, nuzzling her nose. Then with a mischievous grin, he added, "And you look stunnin' without 'em."
Ellosh's blush deepened as she scoldingly bapped his arm. Mitsubishi's hair went from brown to pink in an instant and Scarlett's face twisted in discomfort. Mari coughed and shuffled awkwardly from foot to foot. Treble, either uncaring or too innocent to catch the true meaning behind his words, beamed as she hugged her adoptive mother.
"Ellosh is pretty in everything!" she insisted and Ellosh's expression softened as she petted her daughter's head. As the last of the Vurelleans filed into the arena, the queen turned to her children and friends.
"Thank you for watching this little one while the rituals take place," she said, addressing Mari with a grateful smile. "It will only be for a few quintants. I'm sure she won't cause you any trouble."
"It's no problem. I'm happy to help," Mari assured her. "You and Korlis enjoy yourselves with…well, you know."
Ellosh nodded before she turned to Treble. "Be good, little one," she said, booping her nose to the Flouwan's affectionately. "We will see you later."
"Take good care of your sis while we're gone," Korlis added, ruffling Mitsubishi's hair, making it shift from pink to yellow.
"I will," he replied before Ellosh booped noses with him too. "Have fun making us a sibling."
Ellosh made a playful tsking sound in the back of her throat and Korlis laughed, hearty and loud. Then walking arm-in-arm with one another, they entered the arena and the doors were shut behind them for privacy from the rest of the planet. A moment of silence settled over the four who were left behind until Scarlett shattered it with a clap of her hands.
"Well, while they're all having fun doing the horizontal hustle, Mitsu and I are going out," she said, jabbing a thumb the way they'd come. "There are some new shops selling mechanical scrap in the market and I've been dying to check it out."
"More upgrades for Zyron?" Mari wondered and Scarlett shrugged.
"Maybe."
"Oh! Oh! I wanna come!" Treble exclaimed, waving her hands in the hair, but Scarlett was quick to shoot her down.
"You can't, Treble. You're not invited," she said, firm and decisive.
Treble's grin melted into a pout as her arms fell to her sides. "But why not?"
Mitsubishi hesitated, his hair fading to brown. "It's a trip for…the defense team only," he decided, gently trying to dissuade her interest. "We're gonna be talking about stuff you won't understand."
Treble's frown deepened. "Aww…No fair. Ellosh and Korlis get to have fun in the arena and you guys are going out on a science date." She kicked at the dirt dejectedly. "Why do I have to be stuck here?"
The two younger teens looked to their human supervisor for assistance. Mari stifled the urge to roll her eyes at them and placed a comforting hand on Treble's shoulder. "Hey, you've still got me, remember? We'll have lots of fun on our own," she promised her. Then glancing at the duo, she asked, "Are you two sure you're gonna be alright on your own?"
"We'll be fine. We've walked around the market a ton on our own," Scarlett waved her leader's worry away. "Besides, we're both armed if anything happens."
She patted her belt where she had her blaster holstered and Ulaz's blade sheathed. Mari had seen her practice with the dagger from her late foster father, but she was unsure if the young Utearen would ever resort to using it in a fight.
"Our training has prepared us in case we run into any hooligans," Mitsubishi chimed in, raising a confident set of fists as if he were about to brawl with said invisible hooligans.
"Don't worry. We'll only be gone for a varga," Scarlett added, and before Mari could stop her, she took Mitsubishi by the hand and began to lead him away. His locks shifted to pink again at the intimate touch and he obediently let himself get dragged along.
"Okay," Mari called after them. "Enjoy your little date."
Scarlett glanced over her shoulder and stuck a tongue out at her, causing a huff of a chuckle to escape Mari's lips. Then the pair turned the corner and disappeared from sight, leaving the human and Flouwan alone.
"So, what do you wanna do now?" Treble asked, her droopy ears twitching with anticipation.
Mari thought for a long moment. "You wanna hit up the firing range?" she suggested, and Treble's yellow eyes lit up.
"Yeah!"
Normally, Mari would never even consider letting a child hold a blaster let alone shoot one. But Treble wasn't a regular kid. She'd fired a gun before. And she was pretty dang good at it. Teol, with Korlis' permission, had taught her how to set, target, and fire one since she was old enough to walk. It was only recently that she had been gifted her own blaster to carry on her person whenever she pleased. Now that Vurelle was a part of the coalition and housed rebels, it was only natural that her parents wanted her to have something to protect herself.
In all their shooting games at the range, Treble soundly beat Mari round after round. Dummies were peppered with fresh holes and scorch marks, beaten to the likeness of Swiss cheese until they were practically falling apart. Their limp bodies were thrown into a corner against the wall, stacked upon one another as they awaited repair or incineration. Eventually, a rebel Vurellean pilot named Agamate, came to stop their chaotic play.
"Okay, I think you guys have shown those dummies who's boss," she said, her blue eyes glancing nervously at the pile. "It's already evening, how about calling it quits for the day?"
Agamate was a little shorter than Ellosh and her brownish-orange scales nearly matched the color of Vurelle's earth. She was a single teenager with no interest in the mating rituals. Instead, she devoted herself to her passion for flight and space exploration, establishing herself as one of Mari's right-hand subordinates.
"Already?" Mari lowered her blaster and checked the time on her gauntlet display. "Wow, it's been three vargas. Time flies when you're having fun."
Treble nodded and holstered her weapon. "Are Scarlett and Mitsu back?"
"Yeah. I at least saw Mitsubishi a little while ago," Agamate replied. She glanced at the human officer before adding, "I think he might've been looking for you, actually."
"What did he want?" Mari asked.
"Didn't say. He was hanging around the port and staring at all the ships," Agamate shrugged uneasily, her tail flicking along the smooth metal floor. "Maybe he has a new project in mind."
"Alright. I'll go check on him," Mari said, returning her own weapon to her hip before heading towards the exit with Agamate.
"I'm going too!" Treble insisted, already following them out the door. "I wanna see what they bought on their date."
The trio walked outside and down the path towards the landing port. The sun had dipped below the horizon and the sky turned a deep and soothing shade of blue as the air began to rapidly cool. As they approached the port, they found Mitsubishi pacing back and forth in front of a clean and shining cargo ship. It was unusual for a rebel ship to look so new, especially on a dusty planet like Vurelle, but maybe its owner had just given it a much needed repair and wash. Still, it was a rather attractive looking aircraft. Mari hoped to god Mitsubishi wasn't considering stealing it for brand new parts.
"Hey, whatcha doing out here?" she called out to him as they approached, making the Thollan boy startle. "It's getting late, you know."
"Where's Scarlett?" Treble asked, looking around eagerly for the Utearen in question. "Did your date go well?"
Mitsubishi's head snapped up and his eyes widened upon seeing them. His neutral expression cracked into a fearful frown. "Mari! Oh, thank the ancients you're here!" he exclaimed, the panic in his voice taking them by surprise. He stopped his pacing and combed a hand through his brown locks. "We have a problem. A really, really bad problem. Someone took Scarlett."
The trio stopped dead in their tracks just a few feet from him. "What?" Mari said, the news hitting her like a punch in the gut.
"We — We were walking around and when we turned the corner, someone in a cloak grabbed her. And then someone grabbed me from behind and, and they pushed me down. I-I couldn't see their faces," he frantically rushed to explain. "Th-They ran away with her here and they took off with her! I-I tried to get a good look at their ship, but I'd never seen it before. I-I didn't know what to do, so I…Ugh, it's all my fault!"
He dragged a hand over his face, tears leaking from the corners of his eyes. Mari had never seen him express this much emotion before, let alone shed a tear. It took her off guard as she fumbled for the words to calm his snivels.
Luckily, she didn't have to as Agamate piped up. "Whoa, whoa! Okay, calm down, Mitsubishi," she said, gentle and firm. "We'll figure this out. Just take a breath and give us as many details as you can remember."
Mitsubishi sniffled, inhaling and exhaling slowly before nodding.
"Deep breaths, Mitsu," Mari urged, reaching out to comfort him in some way, to place a hand on his trembling shoulders or to hug him. "Was it a Galra ship? Or maybe — "
Before she could close the distance between them, Treble was grabbing her by the wrist and yanking her back just as Mitsubishi lunged for her, a wicked looking blade in hand. Agamate shielded the human and Flouwan, grunting as he buried the knife tip in her stomach. Before he could remove it and retreat, she wrapped her clawed hands around his arms and forced him down, sitting on him as she pinned him to the ground. The knife was pushed out of her body as the wound bubbled and healed, leaving behind only a tear in her clothes.
"That's not Mitsubishi," Treble said, her eyes narrowing in anger. "He never cries. And his hair's not changing colors."
She stepped forward and roughly pinched his side, making him howl and gasp and squirm like a fish out of water. Then his skin and clothes began to melt and morph, giving way to a humanoid alien man with smooth and sleek paper-white skin, a bald head, and beady brown eyes. A sleazy grin stretched out across his face as he stared back at Treble.
"You're a perceptive one, aren't you girly?" he said, his rasping voice much deeper than before.
"I know a shapeshifter when I hear one," she scowled at him.
"Who are you?" Agamate growled, her hold on him tightening. "Where's Mitsubishi?"
His eyes slid over to Mari. "I'm just a nobody bounty-hunter," he promised, letting out a harsh chuckle. "And your friend with the pretty hair is long gone by now. Same with the Utearen."
Mari's heart leapt into her throat and rage was quick to replace her shock. "Where are there?" she snapped, her hand alighting threateningly on her staff. "What do you want with them?"
"My partner's already taken them off planet," he drawled, unimpressed with her aggression. "While a Utearen could be a rare item on the market, she's not quite what we've been tasked to acquire. What we really want is you, human."
Her? What for? Well, that probably should've been obvious by now, right? It wasn't exactly a secret amongst the coalition that she was blood-related to the current leader of Voltron. Anyone within the Empire vying for power could try to use her to get to the paladins.
Mari frowned. Her grip tightened on her staff as she pulled it out, the rod elongating to its full length. She pointed the end of it in his face, the tip crackling with electricity. "Who sent you?" she ordered, her tone adamant and leaving no room for arguing.
The bounty-hunter rolled his eyes. "I don't have to tell you anything el — AUGHGIGIGIGIGI!" He was cut off as she swiftly tased him, leaving him smoky and choking for breath. "You…You really are freaking crazy," he gasped.
"Tell. Me," she pressed, inching the staff closer again, and he winced.
"Okay, okay, lady!" he spewed before it could make contact with his flesh. "Lord Hauer sent us. He's been dying to get his hands on the champion who robbed him of his paladin prize. He's recently placed a pretty big sum of GAC over your rebel head."
"If you were after her, then why did you take two innocent kids?" Agamate snapped, bringing his attention back to his captor.
"We always have backup plans," he stated simply. "We know Voltron has a special Utearen on their side. If we couldn't catch the human, that kid was gonna be bait. Couldn't help but take the Thollan too, he was making such a ruckus. At least his pretty locks will sell."
Treble's hands curled into fists at her side. "You're awful people!" she cried. "You'll pay for hurting him!"
The bounty-hunter cackled. "Ya gotta do what ya gotta do to survive and thrive in this industry, sweetheart," he cooed, and Treble looked about ready to plant the heel of her boot in his face. "And thanks to that, our target now has some incentive to deliver herself straight to his doorstep. Ha ha haaAAHHHHAUGIGIGIGI!"
The electrified staff end silenced him until he went limp beneath Agamate's grip, rendered unconscious. She plucked him up like a sack of potatoes, letting Treble smack him several times across the face as she did so.
"Lock him in the dungeons," Mari instructed, deactivating her staff. "We'll put him on trial once the mating rituals are over."
"But what about Mitsu and Scarlett?" Treble asked, worry brimming in her yellow eyes. "We're not gonna wait for Ellosh and Korlis to be done to rescue them, are we? That'll take days!"
Mari took a deep breath, trying not to slip into a state of panic. Her mind swirled with angry thoughts as she tried to calmly think of the best approach to this predicament. Scarlett and Mitsubishi were gone. She couldn't let two of their smartest teammates get sold off to the Empire. She couldn't let herself get captured either. And she couldn't — she wouldn't disturb Ellosh and Korlis, not when they'd been waiting so long for this ceremony. She imagined calling the paladins for help, only for the image of Shiro's irritated face to immediately shut down that line of thinking. She couldn't call them either, not when they were so busy dealing with Lotor and the growing turmoil amongst the Galra.
No. This was her base and these were her friends. She'd promised to watch over all of them. It was her responsibility to get them back, especially since they'd been taken because of her. She could handle this herself, she was sure of it.
"Of course not," Mari said finally, calm and certain as she ruffled Treble's dark blue locks. "We're gonna get them back tonight."
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