Shiro flew through space with the Black Lion. It would have been simple to let the Lion do the flying for him, but he liked feeling in charge. So many things in his life where beyond his control so he had to take what he could get even if it was just flying by himself.
While his hands worked, his eyes were free to gaze into the vastness around him.
You would have thought that it would get old after all these years. That eventually even space travel would stop feeling like an adventure and just become another job. Dull and only done to pay the bills but… it never had. The fire that had made him reach for the stars was still burning brightly.
… he just wished it hadn't burned so many bridges on his journey to get here.
No amount of meditation and self-discipline could stop the mind from… wandering. Bringing to mind things he'd rather forget. Like Adam. Adam… irritable, not a morning person Adam. Adam who could never remember to take out the trash. Adam who could always make him laugh and cheer him up. Adam who got things done.
Shiro sighed and stopped fighting the flow. He followed it to the end.
Adam, who had worked in the same institute as him for two years without exchanging more than a handful of words… until they had both taken part in the same seminar. Adam, who had dragged him to the bar to wash down the memory of the worst lecture they had ever heard. How could anyone make space travel sound so dull?
Drinks turned into dates.
Dates turned into something more.
Adam, who had wanted him to cut down on work so they could start building a nest together. They were both past thirty and had made enough money to afford it. It was time to slow down and concentrate on… Them.
Adam, whose heart he had broken when it had become obvious that Takashi Shirogane loved the stars more than him.
There had been times when he had regretted his decision. He really had. Particularly in the gladiator pits but… life was regret. Had he stayed on Earth with Adam he would have regretted it too. Making a choice… meant giving up something else and you would always find yourself wondering… what if you had chosen differently.
I'm sorry, Adam.
The in-coming call was a welcome distraction and he answered it with quickly.
"Hi, Keith." Shiro said.
"Hi, Shiro. How… is it looking?" Keith asked.
There was still some way until he was at the meeting place the Blade of Marmora had suggested but not too far for him to scan it.
"I don't see any fleets or ships. A lot of open space so I don't have to worry about an ambush. Who knows, they might even be serious about this deal they're offering." Shiro said.
"Or this could be a trap to take you out." Keith said before taking a deep breath: "I… still think you shouldn't go alone. Maybe seeing… one of their own would make them more… reasonable. I could still take the Red Lion and join…"
"Keith, we talked about this."
"But if you get hurt…"
"I won't. Besides, I still have to return your knife."
Keith fell silent and for a moment Shiro thought he had lost contact.
"Keith?"
"Still here. It's just…"
"I know but you've waited answers for ten years. Just be patient for a few more hours." Shiro said.
He could hear Keith sigh even through the terrible distance between them.
"… okay."
"Good. Now… how are the others doing?"
When Hunk got to the kitchen early in the morning… or what passed for morning in the Castle, he found Lance drinking his morning coffee alone... and he had never seen Lance look so tired. He stood by the door for a moment before grinning and slapping Lance in the back hard enough to make him spill his coffee.
"So… I heard you're gay now. How's that working out for you?"
Lance glared at him and his spilled coffee before exploding.
"Why does everyone think that?! Pidge! Coran! The mice! Even my boyfriend thinks I'm gay!"
Hunk was unfazed and just raised an eyebrow.
"Look! Just because my boyfriend is gay, doesn't mean I'm gay! And no, I'm not being defensive!"
They looked at each waiting for the other to crack. Lance lost it first and started laughing. Hunk couldn't hold it in long after that and laughed with him. The kitchen was filled with their deep belly laughs. When he could finally calm down, Hunk had to wipe tears out of his eyes.
"Want some pancakes?" Hunk asked.
"Hunk… you monster… you don't ask someone if they want pancakes. You ask how many pancakes they want. And yes. I do." Lance said.
Hunk started preparing pancakes while Lance poured them both more coffee.
"They're doing… fine." Keith said.
"That's good. And Keith?
"Yeah?"
"I'm proud of you. I'm proud of the man you've become. I trust you and I know… that if I wasn't here, you could lead Voltron." Shiro said.
"… Shiro?"
"We'll talk more later. I'll see you soon, Keith." Shiro said.
Shiro closed the communications and sighed. He knew he was being cruel to Keith. A nineteen-year-old should not have the weight of the world on his shoulders but… what choice did he have? This was war. He had done his best not to call it that but… that's what it was. And he was leading children to fight it.
Wars… always had casualties.
If it ever came down to that, he would make damn sure it would not be the children who… died. But that would mean Voltron needing a new head. Coran and Allura would have been his first choices, but Allura was the Castle's energy source. Losing her would be as catastrophic as losing a Lion.
As for Coran… under the silly façade lied a seasoned military man. Under normal circumstances Coran would have probably outranked him but… he had never shown any connection with the Lions.
And the other Paladins… Hunk had never had any taste for rank and file. He was a follower and a good soldier, but he was too comfortable following orders to make a good leader.
Pidge had the brains but not the temperament. She was too much of lone wolf. She wasn't someone who could keep the team together.
And Lance… he was still wet behind the ears and… Shiro didn't like admitting it, but Lance should never have been a soldier. The boy was more of a poet than a fighter. Too much imagination and empathy. Even for their enemies. The fighting was already getting to him. Any more pressure and he would break.
Which left Keith. His poor adopted son. He was impetuous and even more stubborn than Pidge, but he was determined. He had furious charisma that would make others follow him. If only he could cool down a bit and use his brain…
A beep in the monitor let him know he was approaching his destination.
The dead space station had been a Galra outpost when the Galra still had a planet to call their own and had been more invested in being a force for good than conquerors. Time had taken its toll on the place and all that remained was rust and ghosts. The Black Lion landed into the hangar and let out a mournful growl.
"So… you know this place." Shiro said.
The Black Lion kept a mournful silence.
"I know. No point in wallowing in the past." Shiro said while putting on his helmet.
Once he had a steady supply of oxygen, he stepped out the Lion and sent it to fly around the station. He gripped the knife Keith had given him and left to meet the Blade of Marmora.
He didn't have to go far. They were waiting for him at what looked like a mess hall. A man and a woman Galra.
The man was tall and imposing with a scarred visage and a uniform that showed off his rank. Had he been born on Earth; his chest would have been covered in medals.
The woman was almost as tall as Shiro and lean as a whip. And… she looked so much like Keith. His transformation just made it all the more obvious.
"You have come." The male Galra said.
"You did invite me. I am major Takashi Shirogane. The Paladin of the Black Lion and the leader of Voltron."
"I know who you are, Black Paladin. I am Kolivan. The leader of the Blade of Marmora." Kolivan said and looked at him dismissively: "I thought you'd be taller."
"Unlike the Galras, Voltron knows that size doesn't equal strength." Shiro said.
Kolivan threatened to smile at that.
"Perhaps you're not so small after all." Kolivan said and looked at the female Galra: "This is Kroalia. I believe you have something that belongs to her clan."
In response Shiro took out Keith's blade and Kroalia drew hers. An exact replica of the one he was holding.
"… I was hoping Keith would be here." Kroalia said.
Whatever suspicions he'd had about Kroalia and her relation to Keith, were gone. She knew his name… and the way she said it…
"We had to make sure this is not a trap." Shiro said.
"A wise decision. What would you have done if it was?" Kolivan said.
"I would deal with it." Shiro said.
"Alone?" Kolivan said.
"My Lion is always close." Shiro said.
"I can't say the same for your Bayard. Where is it?" Kolivan said.
"We both know who has it." Shiro said.
"I fear we do. Which means Zarkon still has sway over the Black Lion." Kolivan said.
They stood in silence, waiting for the other to make the first move. Kroalia was standing very still… much like Keith did when he was getting impatient.
"Paladin." Kolivan said finally: "I called you here to form an alliance between the Blade of Marmora and Voltron, but your blade is in the hand of our enemy. This is a problem."
"And how do you suggest we solve it?" Shiro asked.
"Kolivan…" Kroalia pleaded.
"Kroalia, we do not ally with weaklings. Victory or death. Paladin, are you prepared to prove your worth?" Kolivan said.
"If necessary." Shiro said.
"Then draw your blade. Prove you're a man of mettle." Kolivan said.
Shiro pulled Keith's knife out of its scabbard. Kroalia's face hardened but she made no move to stop what was to come.
Kolivan drew his blade and attacked.
Like most Galras, Kolivan was fast on his feet despite his size and he hadn't let leadership dull his skills. Bigger. Stronger. Faster. More experienced. Had Shiro been a betting man, he would have admitted that it didn't look good for him. He was barely able to get out of the way when Kolivan tried to cut off his oxygen.
Kolivan was a better soldier than him… and that was why he would lose.
Soldiers fought as part of a unit. If they had been multiplied tenfold and made to fight as teams, Kolivan would have won every time but they hadn't been. They fought one on one and Shiro hadn't been just a soldier in a long time. He had been forced to be a warrior in the gladiator pits. He had been forced to fight alone with only his skills to rely on.
And his skills had made him the Champion.
Now, he was back in the pits and Kolivan was just another beast for him to take down. Kolivan's strength and speed were nothing compared to the monsters he had faced there. Shiro watched him. Studied him. Learned his strengths. His weaknesses. He knew his own and when he had figured out Kolivan's they could fight one on one anytime and he would come out victorious every time.
When he had seen enough, he stepped past Kolivan's defenses and took away his knife. Then he turned Kolivan's size and strength against him. When he threw Kolivan over his shoulder and slammed him into the ground with both of there weight behind it, the light went out of Kolivan's eyes for a moment. When the spark returned, Kolivan found his own knife on his throat.
"I see… why they called you Champion." Kolivan said and bowed his head: "Will you kill me?"
Shiro put down the knife and stepped back.
"We have few allies as it is." Shiro said.
Kroalia smiled.
"You are the true Paladin after all. I trust you are satisfied Kolivan."
"Satisfied? That was no way to treat an old man." Kolivan said while getting up: "You almost snapped my spine."
"I knew you could take it." Shiro said.
"No need to compliment me anymore." Kolivan said and saluted him: "We are ready to negotiate. I suppose you would feel more at ease at your Castle."
"Not so fast." Shiro said: "I'm still not sure if I trust you… and I'm not the only one. If you enter the Castle, you will enter as prisoners."
Kolivan and Kroalia looked at each other and an entire conversation could fit into that single look.
"This is not what I had in mind." Kolivan said: "I am a soldier of Marmora. I do not go anywhere in chains."
"Those are my terms." Shiro said.
"Then I'll go." Kroalia said and stepped forward: "I'll be your prisoner."
"We do not…" Kolivan began but before he could finish, the station was filled with light.
It was so thick, Shiro could almost taste it and it shone through his armor. For a moment he thought this was a trap but Kolivan and Kroalia seemed as surprised as he was. When the light passed and his eyes worked again, he saw it.
The last time he had only caught a glimpse of it on a monitor and that was no way to witness its true beauty. The comet wyrm that passed the abandoned station could coil around a planet and its scales were a mosaic of stars. He had never seen anything so… beautiful and terrifying. All they could do was stare in awe.
When the comet wyrm finally passed them by, they were left shaken. Kolivan was the first to regain his composure.
"As signs go… that was a bit heavy handed, but I suppose I would have to be an utter fool to ignore the god of good luck. Very well, Paladin." Kolivan said and offered his hands: "Bring out your chains."
