. "We don't know what happened exactly, but there were violent earthquakes on the surface yesterday." "As well as screaming and laser fire" "And it went on for hours until it became eerily silent." "A day later, we decided to investigate the aftermath; where we discovered that everyone was gone." "We eventually stumbled upon to this; before we were grabbed and met you three."

The Rutile Twins.


Earth – Four Years Earlier.

"Wow!" Is all a ten-year-old Katie could say as she stared at the space shuttle her brother, father and father's friend, Takashi Shirogane, were all going to be taking to Kerberos; with stars in her eyes. As a girl who loves her machines, standing in the presence of one of sciences and histories most groundbreaking accomplishments was a dream come true in every sense of the word. Katie even believed she and her mom would be able to see the shuttle launch from her family's apartment; since the Galaxy Garrison base wasn't too far from Empire City.

"It is remarkable, isn't it?" The older sounding voice of her father, Samuel Holt, said as he walked over to his daughter. The man was somewhere in his late forties but would've been able to pass off for younger if it wasn't for the aged-gray highlights in his hair. He looked like an older version of Matt with trimmed, clean-cut hair and a neat groomed thin beard; which also served as reminders of his age.

"I don't think there is a word to describe how outstanding it is," Katie said, turning to her dad with a happy-sad smile on her face. While she was ecstatic her father and brother would be partaking in a mission which would take them near the edge of the solar system, one of the greatest achievements in human history. Katie was, understandably, bummed since the mission would take four years to complete; two years to arrive on Pluto's moon and two years to return home.

Sam let out a sigh before looking into his daughter's eyes. "The one true downside of the mission is that Matt and I won't be able to see you grow into the young woman we know you'll become." The older man said in a low tone. "But maybe we can make up for all the missed birthdays by bringing you back a space rock." The father joked, getting an innocent chuckle from his daughter.

"You don't need to do that, Dad," Katie said. "Just having you and Matt back home, safe and sound would be enough."

"Well, considering whom we have piloting the shuttle; your wish may very well be granted," Sam told his daughter as they both around; seeing Matthew and Colleen Holt having a conversation with Shiro and Adam by their cars.

Much like how her father looks like an older version of Matt; their mother, Colleen, looked like an older version of the youngest Holt sibling. Her eyes and hair were the same color as her daughter's and son's; however, her hair was cut shorter into a bob and had some grey, although it was barely noticeable.

Takashi's husband, Adam, shared a similar build to his partner. He had a darker skin color, brunet hair and chocolate brown eyes which were behind a pair of stylized glasses which made him look both intellectual and handsome at the same time. Both he and Shiro are two of the best, and youngest, veteran pilots for the Galaxy Garrison, both being the top picks for missions to the likes of Mars and beyond. The latter of which is when Shiro proposed to him before being sent off-planet.

Neither Sam, nor Pidge knew what the quartet was talking about, but it must've been a hilariously embarrassing story; as seen by Shiro bashfully blushing while the others chuckled. "I hope we're not interrupting anything?" Sam asked as he and Katie approached the group.

"Oh, it's nothing, sir." Adam respectfully said to the older man, and his superior officer. "I was telling your wife and son about that time Shiro cooked dinner for our anniversary. I mean, the man can pilot every airborne vehicle on the planet; yet he can't make a pork casserole."

"Hey, I don't remember you doing any better." Shiro playfully teased; before respectfully turning to the older lead scientist. "What did you need Samuel… I mean sir?"

"We're all friends here," Sam said to both young men. "You don't have to address me like we're soldiers constantly."

"Oh, right," Shiro said as he and Adam loosened up a little bit. "What did you need Sam?"

"I thought maybe we all could take a group photo before leaving for the mission," Sam suggested. "Commemorate this moment."

"That sounds like a wonderful idea, dear." Colleen agreed.

"My phone's camera has a time we could use." Matt offered as he took out his cell phone and got the camera set up.

The Holts and Shiroganes grouped up together just as Matthew finished making the appropriate adjustments on his handheld device. After that, he placed the camera on top of his families' car; angling it just right to capture the families, before rushing to get into the picture.

"All right, everyone says Kerberos!" Sam said.

"Kerberos!"


The Castle of Lions – Somewhere in-between Balmera X-95-Vox and Olkarion

"I'm just saying, this isn't something most people would do after getting a life-threatening wound healed." Lance pointed out to Pidge, while they and the others stood in the Castle of Lion's hangar; where the Green Lion patiently waited for her pilot, her pilot's co-pilot, and her pilot's brother to enter.

After getting her injury fully healed-up; Katie realized the coordinates Ryner gave them on Olkarion, the one leading to the Holt siblings father, was near where the castle was now. "There hasn't been any high-priority Galra activity for several quintants now; ever since we saved the Balmera." Pidge pointed out. "I figured that now would be the best time to search for him; besides I have Matt and Peridot as my back up."

"Well, just be careful," Lance told the girl. "I don't want to see you in the med bay again."

"Don't worry; I will," Katie assured with a small smile; slightly blushing at the Prince's concern for her.

"And you are positive you don't want Shiro or I to come along?" Keith asked Matt "I did promise to help find your father."

"I know, and I am grateful for it," Matt said to the Galra. "But logistically speaking, I think it would be better if one of the lions were sent on this mission; while the other four stayed behind to defend the universe."

"Either way, good luck Matthew," Shiro said to his friend, as he and Keith shook their friend's hand. "I hope you find him."

"Now, you better come back safe and sound," Amethyst told Peridot. "There is no Shorty Squad without you, Homegirl."

"Thank you, Amethyst," Peridot said. "I'll make sure I return exactly how I left."

"Well, good luck out there," Steven said.

"And stay safe," Connie added in.

"I will," Peridot assured. Then turned to her pet. "I'll miss you too, girl," Peridot said to Pumpkin, as she playfully rubbed her pet's gourd-shaped body.

Steven quickly turned his attention to Katie. "Good luck with finding your dad, Pidge." The boy told her.

"Thank you." Pidge responded. "We'll be back as soon as possible."


After everyone said what they all had to say; Pidge, Matthew, and Peridot boarded the Green Lion. The mechanical beast let out a mighty roar before running and leaping out of the hangar; flying away from the castle until she disappeared from all visible sight.

The Green Lion's scanners continued to beep for the last several hours as she followed a safe, self-guided path to Samuel Holt's last known location.

"I can't believe we're going to see him again." Katie happily said from the cockpit as she and the others sailed through the stars. "I wonder what his first reaction to seeing us is going to be?"

"I think he's going to be wondering how his only daughter got into outer space, how she and her brother were able to find him, why we are paired with a gremlin…" Matt listed off. "No offense Peridot."

"None taken," Peridot said.

"And how and why you are piloting a giant green lion," Matt concluded his list.

"Yeah, we'll have many questions to answer," Pidge embarrassedly stated. "And ask too; like how Dad ended up as a member of a Galactic Rebellion. But I know the first thing I'm going to do when I see him is give him the biggest hug in the entire universe."

"I see that being rather difficult, considering your size." Peridot simply stated.

"It's an expression Peridot," Pidge told the green Gem.

"Well, I'm giving him one too," Matt added in.

"Am I required to hug the Samuel Holt as well?" Peridot asked.

"Um… you don't have to," Pidge answered.

"Well, all right then," Peridot said.

"Wow, we're already here," Pidge stated, with the scanner beeping faster as the Green Lion drew nearer to a devastated looking planet; appearing to have been hollowed from the inside out.

"I have a bad feeling about this..." Matt stated out loud, as he and the others looked at the dead world.

"You should, that is a Homeworld colony," Peridot informed. "And an old one from the looks of it… might even belong to Yellow Diamond. I'd recommend careful flying, Pidge; otherwise, we might accidentally provoke the Gems into firing on us."

"Understood," Pidge said as she entered a new flight path for the Green Lion; Peridot had told the Paladins and Alteans what Homeworld colonies were like and that they were mostly planet-sized megacities. With that in mind; the best place to land Green would be away from densely populated areas. "All right, we're entering the atmosphere now."


The Green Lion soared further down into the planet where Peridot and the Holts saw the massive, strangely beautiful, architecture that was a Homeworld megacity; however, there was no activity to be found from above. "This is odd; megacities are usually livelier," Peridot stated. "But this place looks deader than an uninhabitable planet."

"Well, Dad is here somewhere, and we're going to find him." Pidge said. "Let's land Green and start searching."

With the Green Lion successfully landed and hidden, the trio began exploring the large metropolitan they found themselves within. Everything was eerily quiet; making the three of them uncomfortable. "According to the scanner." Pidge began. "Dad is a long distance away from where we are; it could take us about a day to get there on foot, but if we stay quiet and stick to the shadows, we shouldn't be spotted."

"Luckily, there shouldn't be any Shattering Robonoids in the area that want to kill us," Peridot stated. "Well, technically me since I'm the only one with a Gem."

"Wait, you have robots that kill Gems?" Matt asked. "Why?"

"The Diamond's say it's for security reasons," Peridot answered, before looking down at the ground; somewhat sad. "But honestly, I don't know anymore."

"Get off us! Let us go!" Two female voices screamed; grabbing the attention of the Voltron Force members, who ran towards the sound to investigate.

After running through several alleys; they eventually came across the source of the screams; a mysterious, conjoined twin Gem with tall, slender bodies and light red skin; sporting a red and black bodysuit which nicely complimented their colors. Their gemstone looked like two shards that connected to make a "Y." They were struggling as they were being dragged across the ground by two Galra sentry robots. "Let us go!" The twins screamed again.

Rutile

A Off-Color.

"Hey!" Matt yelled as he charged at the robots, garnering their attention just as pulls out his staff and bashes one of them down.

The other sentry prepared to fire on the human, but its chest plate was swiftly pieced by the grappling hook blade of Pidge's Bayard. Katie activates her weapons shock amplifiers and fries the hostile machine inside out from a safe distance.

"Hey, are you all right?" Matt asked the mysterious Gem, offering them a hand up; which they nervously accepted; then heard clanking in the distance, and getting closer.

"More are coming," Pidge said as she and Peridot catch up with the older Holt sibling.

"Quickly! Down here!" The mysterious Gem instructed the trio, as they lead them to hole hidden underneath a rock. "Hurry!"

"Wait, it could be a trap," Peridot told Pidge and Matt.

"It's not a trap!" The conjoined twins stated.

Without a second thought, the humans and Gems jump down the hole; letting out a sigh as they hit the pits bottom and the mechanical sentinels passed them.

"Don't worry; we're safe now." The Gem assured as they radiate a bright light from their gemstone. "How bizarre." The left body said. "What are they?" The right body asked. "They certainly don't look like Gems we've ever seen before." The left body answered as the twins examine the siblings.

"That's because we're not Gems," Matt answered; but quickly corrects himself, turning to Peridot. "Well, she's a Gem. But my sister and I are human. Who are you… two?"

"We'll explain when we meet up with the others; come, this way." The right body instructed. "This way, come!" The left body said.

"Do you know what happened here?" Katie asked the stranger.

"Yes." Both bodies answered. "Well… sort of." The left body corrected. "We'll tell you everything when we meet up with the others." The right body assured.

"Wait, is this a good idea?" Peridot asked the older Holt sibling.

"Not really," Matt answered. "But they might know what happened here. I say we follow them."


Matt, Peridot, and Katie proceed through a cavern with the twins as their guide; journeying through the underground entrance for over several minutes. "Um, where are you taking us?" Katie spoke up.

"Somewhere... long forgotten." The right body answered. "Where only those who don't belong... belong." The left body concluded as they arrive at the end of the cavern; standing before the edge of a cliff with human-shaped holes in the wall, which gave off a familiarly eerie feeling… the Holts and Peridot knew what this was… a kindergarten.

While Peridot and the Holts looked with, disturbed, fascination; the right side of the body let out a sharp whistle. "We're back!" The left body announced.

"Rutile?" A nervous sounding voice loudly asked from a nearby hole in the wall.

"It's okay to come out, Rhodonite!" The left body of Rutile further announces while the right continued whistling.

Rhodonite

A fusion between a Ruby and a Pearl.

"Oh, thank goodness! I hope you weren't followed! Did you double check that you weren't followed?" Rhodonite continued rambling as she stepped out and revealed herself. Her body was a mixture between Garnet's and Pearl's; she had an afro like the former, and a pointed nose like the latter; with four eyes and arms as well. The Gem sported a dark lilac jumpsuit and leggings of the same color; although her left leg was left completely exposed, with ballet flats on each foot. She had a gemstone like Pearl's on her chest, and a gemstone, like one of Garnet's, on her navel. She continued to talk until she caught notice of Peridot, Katie, and Matt. "You've been followed!"

"It's okay, Rhodonite." Rutile's right body assured. "We brought them here." Rutile's left body concluded.

"Can… can… we trust them?" Rhodonite asked in a, understandably, unsure tone.

"I think so." The Twins said simultaneously.

"Everyone, a wondrous prediction has come before me." A young, naïve voice announced as a little girl, roughly around Pidge and Peridot's heights walks out from behind Rhodonite. She had peachy skin and plump lips with short hair that covered her eyes. She wore a white and orange dress with elbow-length gloves and wide, spherical sleeves. On the back of her right hand was a gemstone like one of Garnet's as well; but different from the one Rhodonite has. "The twins of Rutile will bring one, no... two... strangers to our current place of hiding!"

Padparadscha

A Sapphire Off-Color.

"We know, Padparadscha, your prediction already happened," Rhodonite said in a motherly tone to the girl. "But thanks, sweetie."

"So, where did you find these three?" Rhodonite asked.

"We were being abducted by machines." Rutile's left body explained. "Nothing of the likes we've ever seen." Rutile's right body concluded.

"Oh, my stars! Are you all right?" Rhodonite asked with concern.

"We're fine." Rutile's left body answered; turning both bodies to their guests "If it weren't for them finding us in time; who knows what would've happened." Rutile's right body concluded.

"Let...me...see." A slow sounding voice said as a caterpillar roughly the same size as Sardonyx crawls out from behind a pillar; startling Peridot, who let out a faint scream at Gem's appearance. Her body was made up of many vibrant colors; including greens, blues, purples and pinks, and was clothed in a large vest. She had six multi-colored eyes, and a head full of massive, fluffy white hair, which gave her the appearance of a senior woman. She had two gemstones on her forehead, three gemstones on her upper body, and one gemstone on her lower body.

Fluorite.

A Fusion with unknown gems.

"Peridot. That is rude." Pidge berated the green Gem, who stopped screaming and looked embarrassed now.

"Sorry about our friend." Matt apologized.

"It's… all… right." The caterpillar said. "I… am… Fluorite… and… you… are?"

"I'm Matthew Holt. This is my sister, Katie. And this is our friend, Peridot." Matt introduced. "We're part of the recently formed Voltron Force."

"Voltron?" All the Gem's except Padparadscha asked.

"Here comes Fluorite!" Padparadscha announced with a childish smile.

"Voltron is the legendary defender of the universe," Pidge explained. "And I'm one of the people who pilot him. But back to a question asked earlier; does anyone know what happened here?"

"Sort of…" The left body of Rutile answered. "We don't know what happened exactly, but there were violent earthquakes on the surface yesterday." The right body of Rutile continued. "As well as screaming and laser fire." The left body added. "And it went on for hours until it became eerily silent." The right body further added. "A day later, we decided to investigate the aftermath; where we discovered that everyone was gone." The left body said. "We eventually stumbled upon to this; before we were grabbed and met you three." The right body concluded; displaying a battered device to the trio.

"A Homeworld recorder," Peridot stated, recognizing the piece of technology. "It's damaged, but I can probably restore the most recent video file; get a better idea of what happened here." Peridot began tinkering with the alien machine and eventually got the screen working half a minute later; with the Holts huddling next to the green Gem to get a good view of what was recorded. The feed was staticky, and the picture was terrible, but they were able to make out what was happening; a global-wide invasion by the Galra.

"Hel…p! Ho… mew… orld th…is is colony 304… XH… G32! We're be…ing attac…ked by an unkn… own enemy! We ha…ve litt… le war… riors plea… se send in... no! Please! Have mer… cy! AHHH!" The horrifying video recording fizzled into static as it concluded with the sounds of laser fire.

"Oh, God." Is all Matt could say to what he and the others had witnessed.

"Is that what happened to everyone?" Rhodonite asked in a, understandably, scared tone.

"They're known as the Galra." Pidge began. "They're a race of conquers who've been terrorizing the universe for 10,000 years now; those robots that attacked Rutile were Galra sentries."

"But why did they come here?" Rutile's left body asked. "Why did they try to take us?" Rutile's right body further asked."

"The Galra are after Quintessence," Matt explained. "They value it above all else; with a willingness to destroy anything that stands in their way of getting it; no matter what the source of it is. The sentries must be remaining her to pick up any Gems they didn't catch the first time around."

"Oh, my stars; they're going to harvest us!" Rhodonite screamed.

"They would've if you didn't hide down here during the attack." Peridot pointed out.

"Actually…" The Rutile Twins both began in a melancholy tone.

"We've lived here long before the attack." Rhodonite finished. "We're off-colors."

"Off-colors?" The Holt's asked in confusion.

"It's Gem slang for flawed," Peridot answered. "I never like the word; it's something many stuffy elitists you would probably find in Blue Diamond's court would say."

"I don't see anything "flawed" with you guys," Pidge stated.

"That… is… sweet… of… you… to… say; but… Gems... like... us... aren't... needed." Fluorite slowly said; turning her attention to Padparadscha. "Padparadscha... maybe… a… sapphire… however… she… can... only... predict... things... that... just... happened."

"Oh, my stars! The Galra plan to harvest us!" The little Gem exclaimed in fear.

"And a Fusion like me is… unforgivable." Rhodonite stated. "When Morganite found out; I... we... were quickly replaced."

"Yeah, morganites can be total clods," Peridot stated.

"But my story's nothing!" Rhodonite continued, before looking up at Fluorite. "I mean, how many Gems are you now, Fluorite?"

"Six. Maybe...more, if...we...meet...the...right...Gem." Fluorite said in a manner the humans found uncomfortably suggestive.

"And then there's us." The Rutile Twins said at the same time.

"Wait, you're not a Fusion?" Peridot asked.

"We're just an off-colored Rutile." The right body of Rutile explained. "We survived because... all the other Rutiles ran away when we emerged." The left body of Rutile continued. "They were afraid of us." The right body concluded.

"That's horrible," Katie shouted. "You've been forced to hide here your whole lives because of the way you look. That's not right."

"It doesn't matter if it's right," Rhodonite said. "It's the truth, and if any Homeworld Gem found us; we'd all be…"

The four Gems looked at each other in somber silence, until Padparadscha broke it by saying the word, "Shattered."

Pidge looked down at the ground and clenched her fist in anger; she used to feel sorry for the Homeworld Gems that the Galra were abducting, but if this is how they treat their own for looking different… Katie wanted to say they deserved what they got, but that's untrue; no one deserves what the Galra are doing to them. But it's not fair that they are going to be left to either an eternity of loneliness or eventual discovering or harvesting; Dad will have to wait until later, she can't, in good conscience, leave these Gems to this kind of fate… none of them can. "The sentries won't stop searching until they get every Gem on this planet." Pidge began. "Which is why we're going to get you off-planet."

"What!" Everyone else exclaimed.

"Pidge, I don't like the situation they're in either," Matt said. "But I don't think we'll be able to get them out of here; I doubt Fluorite could even fit in the Green Lion. Even if we did fly them out that way; it would put an even bigger target on our backs for the Galra if more of them happen to show up."

"But if they stay here, the Galra will eventually find them," Pidge protested. "Even if it's not through Green, there has to be something we can do."

"The recorder stated there were very little warriors here on the colony." Peridot began. "If that's the case; then many ships may not have been launched. It's a longshot, but there may be Homeworld ships in one of the hangars we can steal; I can pilot them back to the castle while you two continue the search for your "Samuel Holt."

"That's a pretty big "maybe." It could work, but it's not our decision to make." Matthew stated, before turning to the four Gems. "It's your lives that are on the line; you should be the ones to decide."

Rhodonite, Padparadscha, Fluorite and the Rutile Twins remained silent for a moment; until the latter decided to step forward. "I know we just met, but we feel like we can trust you." The right body said. "We're in… if the others are." The left body concluded.

Rhodonite looked at Padparadscha for a few ticks and scooped the small Gem into her arms. "She deserves a life better than this," Rhodonite said. "We're in."

"If… they… go, so… will… I." Fluorite answered.

"I predict the humans will come up with a plan," Padparadscha said.

"Then it's settled." Pidge said with a confident smile. "Let's get them off this world."


For the first time in centuries; the four "off-colored" Gems have left the place they once called home in search of new, better, life for themselves. Peridot guided the group through the alien metropolitan with ease; according to her, every single colony is built the same way, and this one was no different. Due to this flaw on the Diamonds part, it made navigation through Homeworld colonies rather easy; especially for a Gem whose been to over dozens in her lifetime.

Behind Peridot was the Holts, behind them were Rhodonite and Padparadscha, and behind them were the Twins and Fluorite.

"Wonderful news everyone!" Padparadscha exclaimed. "We are about to escape a life of fear to a new one of freedom."

"We know." Rhodonite quietly said to the little girl. "We're going to…" Then there was a sound, like metal being smashed.

"Hold up," Peridot said, as everyone stopped in their tracks; with the small Gem and her human friends peered over the corner of a building; hearing that same sound, again.

"Whatever these things are, this should be the last of them." A gruff sounding voice stated as the trio spotted an unidentified group of women… no… Gems. The one who spoke was a large woman, taller and broader than Rhodonite or Garnet with a thick, muscular body. She had tangerine skin with red markings on her face and arms, and thick, flowing white hair that nearly touched the ground. She sported a dark mahogany suit with a yellow diamond similar in design to Peridot's and had a gemstone located where a normal nose would be.

Jasper.

A Quartz Gem soldier

"I wouldn't jinx it if I were you, Jasper. But I hope you're right." A sharp sounding voice stated, and if Peridot's displeased expression is anything to go by; she knows who it is as well. She has a light green complexion and massive, spiky forest green hair with a tiara adorning her forehead. She sported a jumpsuit with large, rectangular shoulder pads and a blue and yellow diamond located around the breast of her uniform. In place of her right eye was a green, square gemstone.

Emerald

Captain of the Gem fleet and former boss.

"You look like you know her, Dot," Pidge whispered to the small Gem.

"That is Emerald; she… is my former boss." Peridot quietly answered in a manner showing she doesn't want to talk about it.

"All right you five," Emerald said to the group of small, red Gems with cube-shaped afros. "We're here to search for survivors; if you encounter any more of these machines, scrap them."

"Also, while it is unlikely; if you encounter any organics or defects." Jasper began. "You are to terminate them on sight."

"Yes, ma'am's!" The quintuplet of Gems saluted to their superiors as they broke off into search groups.

"We need to hurry," Peridot informed the others. "If they spot us, it'll make getting out of here a lot more difficult."

"Let's get moving then," Matt said as the group continued forward, following the green Gem's lead.


The group continues successfully skulking through the megacity without running into any trouble yet; even though they still had a way to go before finding a ship for the Gems.

The group decided it would be best to take a short rest; Pidge reached into a small compartment in her armor and took out a dispenser, which dropped two pills into her hand.

"What are those?" Rutile's right body asked.

"Altean protein pills," Pidge answered. "Want one?"

"No thanks." The Twins declined.

"Suit yourself," Pidge said as she gave one to Matt before she crunched and swallowed hers down. "Yuck."

"Yuck, indeed," Matt said after taking his tablet.

"If you don't like them, why did you eat them?" Rutile's left body confusingly asked.

"They may taste like chalk, but one tablet has enough sustenance to last an entire meal," Matt explained. "Unlike… you guys, we need to eat to keep our strength up."

"Out of curiosity, where are we going once we get out of here?" Rhodonite asked the humans.

"Well, we think the Castle of Lions; our home, would be a good place to stop and rest," Pidge answered. "Then… I think Olkarion would be a good place for you all stay."

"Olkarion?" Fluorite slowly asked.

"A planet where a friend of ours, Ryner, resides," Matt explained. "She should be willing to help out friends of her friends."

"What's it like?" The Twins asked in unison.

"Well, it's a beautiful looking planet," Matt said. "Full of trees, plant and other life. The people there are kind and would offer to let you be a part of their home; they've suffered at the hands of the Galra too, but they are stronger because of it."

"We've never seen trees or plants before," Rhodonite said. "And you're sure they would help us."

"Positive." The Holts both answered.

"Well, as long as she'll be… AH!" Rhodonite screamed, making the others jump onto their feet. "Padparadscha's gone!"

"She must've wandered off." The right body of Rutile deduced, trying to remain calm.

"She couldn't have gone too far." The left body of Rutile stated.

"Well, well, well." An unknown, angry sounding voice smugly said from around the corner; Matt, Pidge, Rhodonite, and Peridot peer over the edge and spot one of the red soldiers standing before Padparadscha; who appeared not to be aware she was in danger. The red Gem had a gemstone where her left eyes should've been, and held a crimson, chisel-knife in her hand. "A filthy off-color like you should've stayed hidden; that will be your last mistake."

The red Gem prepared to strike a still unaware Padparadscha's gemstone; when a sharp whistle catches her attention and is smacked in the face by Matthew's shock staff. The force of the strike sends the Homeworld Gem flying a short distance and tumbling down a long set of metal stairs behind her; screaming and cursing in pain with every few steps she hit. "Ah! Jank! Jank! Janking jank! Jank! Jank! Jank! Jank! Janking jank! Jank! Jank! Jank! Jank! Jank! Janking Jank! Janking! Janking jank! Jank! Jank! Jank! Jank! Janking jank! Jank! Jank! Jank!" She finally reached the bottom and groaned in discomfort while reaching for her communicator; just as the members of the Voltron Force and the other Gems quickly flee. "Jasper. Emerald. This is Ruby Facet-1F4 Cut-4ND, I found some off-colors and organics trying to flee; they jumped me and are currently escaping, converge by my location as soon as you can!"

"Oh dear, everyone!" Padparadscha shouted while Rhodonite held her in her arms; as the group continued to run. "We are about to be discovered by a ruby."

"Peridot, how far are we to the ships?" Matt asked.

"Not far now." The green Gem answered. "If we continue running at the pace we are, we should…" Before Peridot could continue, a loud rumbling sound was heard flying over everyone's heads as the dust on the ground was kicked into the air; finding themselves face to face with a large ship. The vessel was yellow and had a hexagonal design, with wide, pole-shaped wings; it wasn't as intimidating when compared the Djalg's and Erto's, but Peridot knew what kind of ship it is, and that they all should be afraid. "Oh stars, that's a Sun Incinerator; one of the fastest spacefaring vehicles ever manufactured for Homeworld's military."

The side door of the Sun Incinerator opened, with Jasper and the eye-gem ruby overlooking their targets. "Those are the ones who jumped me!" The ruby stated to her superior.

"And it looks like they are gathered up in one spot; this should make things easier," Jasper stated. "Blast them, Emerald!"

The primary weapons of the Sun Incinerator begin glowing a hot red as they aimed directly at the Voltron Force and "off-colors." There was no way any of them were going to avoid blasts that large and fast in time; Rhodonite, Padparadscha, Fluorite and the Twins huddles close to each other, believing this was the end of the line.

A mighty roar is then heard… one the three members of the Voltron Force recognized. Just as the Sun Incinerator was ready to fire; the Green Lion charges into the Homeworld vehicle from behind, knocking it off balance and causing its laser blast to hit a building instead, far away from the scared Gems, and flinging Jasper out of the ship; who digs her claws into the side of nearby tower, halting her fall.

"We're alive!" The Rutile Twins shouted with surprise which then turned to glee as the others joined in.

The Green Lion lands in front of the group; laying down and opening her maw to her Paladins. "All right, new plan," Pidge said. "Matt, you stay with the Gems, while Dot and I deal with the Sun Incinerator."

"All right but be careful you two," Matt said to his sister and her co-pilot.

"We will." Pidge and Peridot simultaneously assured as they entered the Green Lion and took to the sky.

"What just happened!" Emerald screamed in frustration over the surprise attack.

"We encountered an unknown vehicle." The ruby with the gemstone on her chest and a pair of yellow visors stated. "Probably belonging to the organics, ma'am."

"Obviously." The ruby with a gemstone on her shoulder said. "There is no way filthy off-colors would get their hands on something like..."

"I don't care who owns the ship!" Emerald yelled. "Just go after it and blast it out of the sky!"

"Ma'am, what about Jasper?" The eye-gem ruby asked, with concern. "She fell out of the ship."

"It'll take a lot more than a fall to shatter her," Emerald stated. "Besides she can take care our little off-color problem while we take the organics ship. Everyone, strap yourselves in and power up all weapons!"

"Yes, ma'am!" The rubies all shouted at once as they did what they were told; beginning their aerial pursuit.

"What's… happening?" Fluorite asked Matthew.

"Katie and Peridot are keeping the Sun Incinerators attention away from us," Matt stated. "Let's find somewhere to hide until they get back."

"You're not going anywhere!" Jasper shouted, leaping from her building and landing on the ground several meters away from Matt and the others.

"I thought you were supposed to be looking for survivors?" Matt asked as he pulled out his shock staff and took a defensive stance; standing between the "off-color's" and the enemy soldier. "Why are you so hellbent on killing us?"

"Of course, an organic like you wouldn't understand." Jasper smugly began. "Gems like them have no place in this universe. To come out as misshapen, defective, or a shameless display, are disgraces to the Authority and must be purged through any means necessary."

"From what I'm hearing; it sounds like your Authority is more petty than it is grand." Matthew insulted twirling his weapon. "And you strike me as more of a glorified thug than a soldier."

"Very well then." Jasper began as her gemstone glowed a bright orange before a hammer-like helmet materialized around the Gem's head. "Just for that, I'm going to show you the true strength of a Homeworld soldier!" Jasper let out a proud battle cry as she charged head first at Matthew; who ran towards the rampaging quartz, prepared for what he assumed to be one of the most dangerous fights.


"You were not kidding when you said that this thing was fast!" Katie stated to Peridot as she piloted the Green Lion through the megacity, with the Sun Incinerator following close behind. Due to extremely tight flying space; this left little room for maneuverability, preventing Green from going at her top speed. It also didn't help the enemy vehicle can match the lion's current rate of speed and go on the offense.

"I rarely joke when it comes to dangerous Homeworld technology, Pidge," Peridot stated as she activated the lion's weapon systems. "We need to get as high above the megacity as possible if we want to even the playing field."

"I've been trying to do that from the start," Pidge explained. "But it's a little difficult when you have little flying room and someone shooting at you from behind."

"Your sarcasm has been noted," Peridot responded.

The Green Lion continued to maneuver to the best of her ability, scraping the sides of building from time to time; with both Peridot and Katie feeling their lion's pain. "Sorry girl." Pidge apologized as they continue flying. The Green Paladin eventually spotted a narrow alley, in-between two buildings; the lion is compact enough to squeeze through, whereas the Sun Incinerator is too wide to fit. "Hang on tight, Dot; this might get a little bumpy!"

The Green Lion zooms through the alleyway, but the Homeworld ship was not ready to give up the chase as it turned its body one-hundred-eighty degrees to the left; allowing it to squeeze through as well. This finally gave the Paladins an advantage; due to the Sun Incinerators current position, it can only move up and down. "I think I can get this clod off our back for a bit; just keep us steady, Pidge," Peridot ordered. "I'm firing the rear weapons now." With that said, the tail of the Green Lion slithers up as its tip glows a bright green, before firing rapid bolts of energy at the Sun Incinerator.

Despite having to go on the defensive and left little room for maneuverability; the Sun Incinerator managed to dodge blasts and continue its pursuit. "Blasted… it's still too fast; I can't land a hit!" Peridot informed the pilot.

As they continued to fly Katie began running ideas through her head of what to do; then, she got an idea so crazy that it might just work. "Peridot, are they still on our tail?" Pidge asked.

"Affirmative, why?" The green Gem asked.

"Just something good to know," Pidge answered as she deactivated the Green Lion's thrusters; bringing them all to a hard stop.

"What are you…" Peridot began to ask as the Sun Incinerator was about to crash into them; however, the Homeworld ship ascends just in time; flying and passing over the Green Lion. With Emerald's spacecraft now in front of them, Pidge gave a cocky smile as she reactivated the thrusters; the Green Lion was now on the hunt.

"Activate the Maw Cannon!" Pidge shouted.

"Right! Eat this; clods!" Peridot shouted as she pulled the trigger; firing the Green Lion's jade colored beam at the Gem vessel. The ray managed to pierce through the walls of the building and managed to slice off one of the wings of the Sun Incinerator. "Direct hit! It may still be flying, but it's damaged and not as fast anymore."

"This should make things easier," Pidge stated as both vehicles exited the alley; with the Sun Incinerator traveling further up into the sky. The Green Lion naturally followed her prey as the fight is not taken above the megacity; putting them both on an even playing field of maneuverability.

As soon as they're both above the city, the Sun Incinerator loops around and charges the Paladins head-on, with its weapons firing away.

Peridot responds by lifting the lion's tail up and aiming it at the oncoming vehicle; firing the tails rapid laser bolts at it.

Both vehicles start drawing dangerously close to each other as they continued firing their weapons at one another; but before they collided, both vehicles barrel rolled to the side and passed each other. However, during the Sun Incinerator's barrel roll, it fired out two missiles, but not just any kind, but seekers; both turning around and following the Green Lion. "Oh, quiznack!" Both Pidge and Peridot say at the same time, now on the run from the seekers.

The missiles were surprisingly faster than either of the pilots expected, forcing them to have to dive back down to the one place they were trying to escape to avoid them. As soon as they reentered the megacity, the missiles impacted into nearby buildings; destroying them. However, before either Paladin could relax, the Sun Incinerator emerged out of a nearby alley and began its pursuit of the Green Lion once more.

"Ah great, we're back to square one!" Peridot complained as they continued avoiding the hostile fire.

Pidge. Peridot.

Both Paladins hear the Green Lion speak to them; but before either of them could say anything, a compartment opens near Katie's control panel; reveal a slot with the same shape as the Green Bayard. Green energy began to surround Pidge's whole body as she instinctively thrusted her Bayard into the aperture with a passion-filled cry.

The Green Lion begins emitting a jade radiance as something starts taking shape on her back. Once the light disappeared, both pilots discovered a massive cannon situated on the mechanical beasts back. "Holy smokes." Both Pidge and Peridot said in surprise with stars in their eyes.

"All right." Pidge began. "Let's find a way to get behind that ship and…"

Fire. Wall.

"Did you hear that, Katie?" Peridot asked her fellow pilot.

"Yeah, it sounded like the lion is telling us to fire at one of the walls," Pidge said.

"Why would it want us to do that?" Peridot questioned.

"Well, for as long as we've piloted Green; has she been wrong about anything up until now?" Pidge asked the green Gem.

"Fair enough." Peridot answers.

Fire. Wall.

"Let's see what this does!" Peridot shouted as she charged up the Green Lion's newly formed cannon and fires it at the wall of a nearby building, with a loud, explosive sound. At first, nothing seems to happen; but then, large vines shoot out of the wall like bullets and strike the other wing of the Sun Incinerator; distorting its balance and flight speed.

"Ah!" Emerald screamed. "What did they do to my beautiful Sun Incinerator?"

"Ma'am, our flight coordination has been thrown off balance!" The ruby with a gemstone located on her navel area said in an innocent tone.

"Our fuel is running low; we can't continue our pursuit!" The ruby with a gemstone on her shoulder informed.

"Jank!" Emerald cursed. "Disengage the pursuit and bring us to Jasper's current location; we're leaving… for now."

"Yes ma'am!" All the rubies shouted as the Sun Incinerator made a sharp U-turn; heading towards where they last left Jasper.


Jasper grunted as she threw a right hook at the Matt; who barely managed to dodge the powerful attack. Jasper was a monster regarding hand-to-hand combat; matching the ferocity of a gladiator, but Matt was still able to hold his own for as long as he could.

Matt was successfully able to land several hits on the massive warrior with his shock staff; but it mostly annoyed her more, than hurting her. Soldiers like Jasper lived up to their reputation, Matt did not know if he was going to win this fight or not; but he wasn't going to give up on protecting the Gems he promised to defend.

Jasper delivered a swift punch to Matthew's gut; knocking the wind out of the young man as the excessive force threw him at and slammed him into the side of a building.

"You're quite skilled for an organic; I'll give you that much." Jasper began as she walked towards the injured human. "But you're still just that, an organic; an organic who stood no chance against a Quartz Soldier like me from the start, I have fought the Orks and the Space Marines and none of them could beat me. What makes you think that a creature like you can?"

"I may be outclassed, but I'm not giving up that easy." Matt weakly said as he stood his ground.

"Hmph. Well the more you try to fight, the more this is going to hurt." Jasper taunted the young man, before the side of her helmet is struck by something hard; it did not hurt her, but she did find it annoying. "'scuse me?" The Quartz Soldier turned to where she was struck and spots the Rutile Twins chucking hand-sized rocks at the tall warrior.

"Get away from him!" Both bodies shouted as they hurled another rock; which just bounced off Jasper's body.

"Well, well, well. Look who's trying to be brave." The orange quartz taunted.

While Jasper was distracted by the Twins, Matt took the opportunity to strike the Gem in her face; he landed a hard hit, but the Gem still found it to be no more than a minor inconvenience. Jasper grabbed the young man's arm and tossed him at the Rutile Twins; knocking them both down. Rhodonite and Fluorite rush over to help the two of them up as Jasper looks at them with a smug smile. "You know, for being as exceptionally skilled as you were," Jasper said to the human as she slowly walked towards the group. "I decided that I'll make all of your deaths quick and painless."

Before she could take another step, the sky suddenly grew darker; Jasper turned around to see what was blocking the sun and found the Sun Incinerator hovering over her. The side door was open, and Emerald was standing close to it with two of the rubies by her side. "Jasper, get on board; we're leaving!" Emerald ordered.

"Why, I was just about to finish them off?" Jasper questioned her ally.

"The ship the organics own damaged us pretty badly; we need to make repairs ASAP!" Emerald explained. "We'll deal with the imperfect scum on a later date!"

Jasper growled to herself and gave Matt and the others a sharp look. "Consider yourselves lucky that I won't be killing any of you today." The Quartz Solider said, before she leaped onto one building, then to another; eventually reaching the Sun Incinerator, where the two rubies helped Jasper into the ship. As soon as the side doors closed, the vessel exited the planet's atmosphere, and the group could take a breath of relief.

"Everyone, the Sun Incinerator is about to show up!" Padparadscha fearfully exclaimed.

A few minutes later, the Green Lion showed up and landed; with Pidge and Peridot exiting to check on the others. "Are guys all okay?" Pidge asked

"We're fine, Katie," Matt answered. "Emerald stopped by to pick up Jasper and left; from what we saw of their ship, you two did a good number on it. However, I doubt that'll be the last time we'll see them."

"With what the Galra are doing to Gems; Homeworld would've eventually gotten involved sooner or later," Peridot stated. "But I digress, while we were being chased; Pidge and I had Green scan the area if there were any more sentries on the planet, and there aren't."

"That's good to hear," Matt responded.

"With that in mind." Peridot began. "I believe you and Katie should take Green and find your Samuel Holt, while I help the others get off-planet."

"But, we said we would help them too." Pidge reminded the lime Gem.

"It's okay." Rutile's right body told the human girl. "Whoever this "Samuel Holt" is, he sounds important to the both of you." Rutile's left body continued. "We trust Peridot to guide us in the right direction." The right body further stated. "We'll be all right." The left body concluded.

Matt and Pidge looked at the twins, then looked at the other three Gems; whom all gave the siblings supportive nods that everything will be fine.

"All right." Matt began. "My sis and I wish you all good luck."

"Thank you for giving us a new life." The Rutile Twins said simultaneously, as they both leaned in and kissed the young man on both cheeks; making him turn red. "And good luck to you too."

"All right, let's get moving," Peridot said to the Gems, before turning to the Holt siblings. "I'll see you two back at the castle."


Once Peridot and the Gems were far enough away, Pidge and Matt enter the Green Lion; taking off to resume the search for their father.

Several more hours had passed as the Holts continued their search; they were able to see Peridot leave with the "off-colors," when they noticed a giant, green hand take flight. Someone like Pidge and Matt would usually think a giant, flying hand would be an unusual design choice for a ship; but then again, they are flying a giant lion. Either way, the Gems were safe.

"We're getting closer, now." Matt pointed out as the being grew louder.

A loud, thunderous, sound was heard in the distance, and they began hearing slight bangs on the roof of the vehicle. "It's raining," Pidge said. "I didn't think it would be able to rain here."

The siblings continue following the tracker through the heavy rain and begin picking up a small energy spike like the one they are tracking; this one was located around the same area as their fathers, but closer. Believing this may have something to do with their dad, the Holts head towards the nearer energy source; where they spot a flashing light out of the Green Lion's front-view window, near a massive, desolate crater.

Pidge hones the animal vehicle on to the location and carefully lands her a few meters away; making sure not to fall into the pit accidentally. The Holts step out of Green and walk over to what was giving off the energy; discovering it to be a pillar-shaped beacon of some sort. "Why was this giving off the same energy as Dad?" Pidge asked as they stepped closer to the pillar.

"The same rebels Dad is a part of could've made it," Matt suggested. "And the tracker could just be picking up a familiar signal." The older brother leaned in to examine the device and noticed something odd. "There appears to be a holographic recording on this."

"Well, let's see what's on it," Pidge said to her brother; who presses is set of buttons and activates the message.

A blue light begins emanating from the pillar; before a transparent blue image began taking a humanoid shape. She was a tall alien woman, with avian-like features and hair mimicking feathery patters; she was also garbed in a burlap-like cloak which hid most of her figure and had a troubled expression on her face.

"Hello, to whoever may be viewing this recording." The woman began to spoke in a shaky tone. "I am Captain Te-osh of the Galactic Rebellion. I am leaving this message to speak on behalf of those… no longer here. A few phoebs ago, our scouts picked up a distress signal. We knew it was coming from a Gem world, but we also knew the Galra were collecting Gems; so, a small army of rebel fighters was sent to aid the Gems in evacuating the planet and prevent the Galra from capturing them. The original Gem population of this colony was roughly 2,000,000,000; only half-a-percent was able to escape. Many brave men and women of diverse species gave their lives to save as many as possible, and now… they've been laid to rest in unmarked graves in the crater below. The price for freedom comes at a cost that they were all willing to pay." The hologram then faded away at the message's conclusion.

Katie looked down at the tracker and began to realize her father's signal was coming from the crater. "No!" Katie screamed in fear as she ran ahead Matt and leaped down into the ditch.

"Katie, wait!" Matt called for his sister, following her from behind.

Ignoring her brother's call, Katie continued following the tracker's coordinates as it beeped faster and faster; tears where in her eyes as she prayed to herself that he's not here… alternatively, maybe he is, and he is just paying his respects… she begged God that it was the latter.

As she ran in the heavy rain, she kept remembering the conversation she had with her father before he and Matt left; they were going to come home to see her grown into the young woman he knew she'd become, his joke about getting her the space rocks, and how he and her brother would return home soon. Those words repeated in Katie's mind; trying to give her hope everything would be fine; he was fine… the tracker continued to beep faster and faster until the sound silenced; indicating that she had found him… and all she stood before was an unmarked grave.

The rain continued pouring harder, forcefully moving the dirt aside to reveal the horrifying truth; underneath was a raggedy Galaxy Garrison uniform and name tag which read: Dr. Samuel Holt, and next to it was the now soggy picture the Holt's and Shirogane's took before the Kerberos mission.

Katie fell to her knees in defeat just as Matt caught up with her; only to horrifyingly witness the truth himself. "No… N… No…" Katie heart-wrenchingly choked on her words as tears flowed down her cheeks. "I'm sorry… We… We were too late… NO!" Amongst the hard-hitting rain, the only other thing that could be heard was the Green Paladin's anguish.


Syakallar drunk from a Vulpes wine glass. One of the Archon's personal collections of alcoholic beverages that is only sold in Imperial and Tau space.

The face that his leader gave him showed anger, irritation and confusion. The reason for this facial gesture was the recent information that the captain of the Marauder gave him.

"That's all?" Neck arched a frown at the Eldar woman. Not even believing the stupidity that he had just heard from this woman's lips.

"If you wish, my Archon, I can give you access to the files I have stored on my ship-"

"Not." Neck raised his hand to silence the captain. The Archon rose from his chair and began to walk from side to side. "Let me recap: did you come to a planet where you found a castle in which it is inhabited by dirty Alteans still alive, along with a group of miserable Mon'keigh and space rocks who according to you: are pilots of what was once known as the most powerful weapon in the universe? Didn't I miss something? "

"And they destroyed the fire of purification, assassinating Commander Galra Sendak with it." Syakallar finished adding for his Archon who put his hands on his shoulders and leaned close to his ear.

"And am I supposed to believe all that Weblum crap?" Neck asked dangerously low in his ear. Syakallar was unfazed.

"I know that my report may sound absurd, but like my fellow captains he knows me well and knows that I have never lied to him regarding these types of interviews." Syakallar answered sharply without taking his gaze from the leftover wine in his glass.

The Archon sniffed his captain a few times to decipher the lie in his words. He did not find it.

Neck returned to his seat and gave the Eldar an unreadable look. A feeling of utter concern crept into his soul. It couldn't be, this couldn't be.

"This means that after 10,000 years ... Voltron finally returned." Neck spoke to himself with a dark and distant look.

"I have heard the stories of the elders." Syakallar said gaining the attention of his lord again. "About a colossal warrior feared by chaos itself."

"Indeed." Neck mentioned his captain. "Voltron marked a great milestone in the universe: his thirteenth entire Orkoid fleets, destroyed hundreds of Tyranid bio-ships, dealt a heavy blow to the Necron, and was able to defeat the same beast of Chaos. Voltron performed almost impossible feats for all scientific fields. "

The Drukhari also suffered significant losses thanks to the intervening of Voltron and his so-called 'paladins'. One of them even launched a campaign against him that was the most infamous of all.

Trigel's dark hunt.

"This means one thing: that we must act fast." Neck rose from his seat once more showing a look of hatred and resentment. "A meeting must be called, or it will be too late for us."