Y'all have been waiting real patiently, but that wait is over now! Here's the update! Featuring almost everyone having a bad time of some kind and a surprise character reveal that some of you may or may not have expected. I hope everyone enjoys~!
As always, thanks for reading!
ignis
chapter four
the lost black paladin
"Don't you guys think Shiro's being awfully quiet?"
Allura blinked, startled out of her thoughts by Hunk's interruption. She'd only half been paying attention to the paladin's conversation, too busy dwelling on the situation that had brought them here in the first place. But now that he mentioned it, she realized Hunk was correct.
Shiro had been awfully quiet.
"That's weird," she heard Pidge say, "-his coms are down."
"Uh, you know what's weirder than his coms being down?" Lance asked.
"What?" Pidge asked.
"Shiro being gone."
Alarmed, Allura turned the blue lion around, realizing with a shock that Lance was correct. The black lion was gone.
"Okay, so I'm no expert," Hunk began, "- but that's bad, right?"
"Yes," Allura said slowly, internally cursing herself for not having noticed sooner, "-it is."
There was a brief silence, before the coms erupted into chaos. Allura winced, the paladin's voices all blending together in a disharmonious chorus. It was enough that she almost considered temporarily switching off the coms, but she knew that they would stop speaking over each other soon enough.
And sure enough-
"Hey!"
All at once, Lance and Hunk went silent. She could hear Pidge exhale, before the green paladin spoke again, clearly choosing her words carefully.
"First things first. We need to figure out exactly where we lost Shiro." Pidge said. "Hunk, try and get his coms back online. Even if the black lion is down, we should still be able to connect with the coms in his helmet."
"Copy that." Hunk said.
"I'll do a sonic scan of the area, to see if we missed anything." Allura offered, already starting to run the program. She didn't think they had, but it wouldn't hurt to check.
After all, she wouldn't exactly put cloaking past Gnov.
"I'll take Red and scan the area." Lance said. "If the black lion just lost power somewhere, I'll find him."
"Good." Pidge said. "Make sure to stay in constant communication though, and be careful. We can't afford to-"
She could hear Pidge swallow, as if choking on her own words. Allura clenched the controls of the blue lion tighter, already knowing what she was going to say.
"-we can't afford to lose anyone else."
The silence lasted slightly longer this time, with a far more somber edge to it. Today seemed as if it were shaping up as one of unwanted remembrances.
"Don't worry," Lance promised, "-I'll be careful."
If she didn't know him so well, she might have been surprised at how unusually serious he sounded. She never could have imagined Lance having such a side when they first met, but now it was hard to forget, even when he was goofing around.
She'd never really gotten the chance to know Keith like that.
"I'll check for any anomalies." Pidge said. She didn't openly acknowledge Lance's reassurances, but nevertheless, Allura could tell that they helped. "Someone should probably contact Coran and let him know what's going on. He might be able to find something with the Castle's scanners that we can't."
"Oh!" Hunk exclaimed. "Maybe he could use that tracker we built to find the comet? I mean, we've never used it to find a lion before, but-"
"Because when we built it, we blocked the lions' signals so they wouldn't interfere with the comet's frequency." Pidge reminded him. "I mean, I guess we could adjust it, but we'd need to actually physically be in the Castle to do that. And no offense, but I'm not sure I trust Coran with that level of engineering."
"Oh yeah," Hunk audibly frowned, "-I forgot about that."
"Well, I'm not picking anything up on the sonic scan," Allura reported, "-so I'll go ahead and inform Coran of the situation. Should I have him check the tracker just in case?"
"Eh, couldn't hurt." Pidge's shrug was audible, as was her frown. "I'm not picking up on any anomalies either. Hunk, what about-?"
"No luck with either of the coms." Hunk said. "Whatever it was that cut them off must have cut them both. I'm trying a workaround, but..."
He went silent for a few ticks, then said, "-nope. Doesn't look like it's working. Sorry."
"That's quite alright." Allura assured him, even as her gut twisted further with concern.
"Any luck on your end, Lance?" Hunk asked.
"No sign of the black lion so far, but I'll keep looking." Lance said. "You don't think he could have somehow been pulled down to the planet, do you? Maybe the Viridi aren't too wild about our little peace mission."
"It's... possible." Allura admitted.
The planet was in range, after all. Turning the blue lion towards it, she frowned. She'd been so focused on Ignis when they'd entered the system that she hadn't really stopped to look at the planet it revolved around. She'd expected something greener given its name, but at least from here, the planet looked a dismal gray. It certainly looked less inviting than its lunar counterpart.
And Lance's idea... it certainly had merit, but something about it still seemed... off, she supposed. Whatever had made the black lion disappear had done so without leaving so much as a trace behind- not to mention the fact that at no point, had the other lions been alerted. Did the Viridi really have the means to do something like that?
She didn't know. The only thing she could think of was that someone else had called out to the black lion and had overpowered Shiro's control, but that was impossible. There were only two other people who could pilot the black lion- and both were dead.
(It truly was a day for dwelling on the past, it seemed.)
Shaking it off, Allura connected to the Castle's coms. "Coran? Coran, are you there?"
"I'm here, princess." Coran said, coming onscreen. "Is something wrong? You look distressed."
"You could say that." Allura said. "We successfully took out Gnov's fleet, however we seem to have lost the black lion somewhere."
Coran blinked. "Lost?"
"It's not where it should be." Allura said. "We also seem to be unable to contact Shiro."
Coran's expression darkened. "That's certainly distressing news. I can try and run a scan, but I'm not sure how much I can promise."
"Thank you." Allura said. "Hunk suggested that you might try using the tracker he and Pidge built to trace the comet?"
"I can certainly try." Coran said. "Give me just a tick."
After a few anxious ticks, Coran shook his head, visibly disappointed. "I'm sorry, Princess. Neither the Castle's scans nor that of the comet tracker came up with anything. I can try again, but-"
"That's quite alright." Allura said, even though it wasn't, not really- but that didn't make it Coran's fault. "We'll do one more sweep of the area before we return to the Castle."
"Understood." Coran said. "Should we contact Governor Linum?"
Allura tried hard not to wince. This wasn't exactly a great start to their diplomatic mission, but Shiro's safety was far more important than good impressions. Perhaps the governor could even help.
That is, provided that she didn't have anything to do with it. Lance's suggestion had been a good one, but it wasn't just the Viridi they had to consider. And while she couldn't think of how making the black lion and Shiro disappear would benefit Ignis, she wasn't ready to rule it out just yet.
After all, she'd thought the Blades had been their allies, only to have them completely disappear without a word. The knowledge that Kolivan was likely still watching them from somewhere left her ill at ease, as much as she had grown to trust him during their partnership. There was already too much at stake to have a completely unknown variable out there.
Come to think of it, perhaps they had something to do with this.
"Please." Allura said, momentarily pushing the thought aside. It was far too early to jump to any conclusions. "Make sure to use a secure line. The last thing we want is for this to get out."
If their enemies were to learn that Voltron was without a lion, they wouldn't hesitate to strike and that was the last thing they needed right now.
Coran nodded. "Understood, Princess."
Switching off the Castle's line, Allura heaved a long sigh. This was starting to bring back unpleasant memories of the first time Shiro had disappeared on them.
(Only back then, Keith had still been alive.)
"Any good news from Coran?" Hunk asked.
"I'm afraid not." Allura said. "Any word from Lance?"
"I've got nothing." Lance said. "Sorry."
"It's alright." Allura said, even though it still wasn't. But just like it hadn't been Coran's fault, it wasn't Lance's fault either.
"So now what?" Hunk asked.
"We scan the area together, one more time." Allura said. "If we fail to find anything, then we return to the Castle. I've already instructed Coran to contact Governor Linum. She may be able to help."
"Let's hope." Pidge said.
Closing her eyes, Allura drew in a breath. Let's hope indeed.
"You're his clone."
For a moment, all he heard was static- then everything came back in a rush.
He almost wished it hadn't.
"I," he stammered, his brain racing a mile a minute to process what he'd just heard and still failing, "-you're saying I'm a clone?"
"Yes."
Keith's expression didn't change- or maybe it did. With his mismatched eyes, it was impossible to tell.
Or maybe he just never knew Keith as well as he thought.
Maybe he never knew him at all.
No. No, that couldn't be right. There was no way he could be a clone. He had all his memories, didn't he? Sure, he might be missing some from when the Galra had imprisoned him, but he'd been missing those before too. He couldn't be a clone.
And yet.
"I," he said, the words tumbling out, "-I need some time. To think."
Keith narrowed his mismatched eyes, both too Galra for comfort. He'd been the Guardian of Fire once, but now there was nothing but ice in his gaze. The cell they were keeping him in was warm, but he shivered, suddenly feeling cold.
Those were not the eyes of someone who thought of him as a brother.
Then Keith turned on his heel, finally breaking eye contact. He hated how grateful he felt.
"Take your time."
He left, but he didn't take the cold air with him.
He exhaled, looking up to the remaining Blade. For just a second, something in her gaze almost seemed to soften, but it vanished as quick as it came, leaving him to wonder if he'd just imagined it. He'd heard Keith call her Cinque, but the name wasn't familiar to him. If he'd met her while the Blade had still been aligned with Voltron, then he'd never heard her spoken to by name.
"If I uncuff you," she said slowly, "-will you promise to behave?"
He swallowed, slowly nodding. Right now an escape attempt was the last thing on his mind.
Cinque narrowed her eyes, and for a second, he thought she might change her mind. But then she reached behind him, removing the cuff from his left wrist. He went to rub it, only to remember that he didn't have his prosthetic anymore either.
"Thank you."
"Don't get the wrong idea." Cinque said, taking a step back. "You make one step out of line, and your head will hit the ground faster than the rest of you."
He'd never been much of one to let himself be intimidated, but even so, he couldn't help but swallow at the threat. Something told him that she wouldn't hesitate to follow through with it.
Something told him Keith wouldn't even try to stop it.
"I'll keep that in mind," he finally said.
Cinque nodded, clipping the cuffs to her belt. She locked the door behind her as she left, once again leaving him alone in the dimly lit cell. He had to fight back a shudder, the whole situation bringing back unpleasant memories of his time as a prisoner of the Galra Empire. This cell was bigger than the one he'd been kept in, but it was just as dark. He could hear water dripping from somewhere, a constant, steady trickle that was bound to drive him mad before long.
That was, if his own thoughts didn't do it first.
"You're his clone."
His clone.
Keith's words kept ringing in his head, even as he tried to drive them out. Drawing in a deep breath, he closed his eyes, slowly exhaling in an attempt to calm himself. But all he could see were Keith's mismatched eyes, cold as ice, looking at him at first as if he were the enemy, and then as if he were nothing.
Honestly, he wasn't sure which one was worse.
A spy. A clone.
Not Shiro.
Not the person he thought he was. An imposter.
Running a hand through his hair, he grasped at his forelock. It was white, like it had been ever since he'd escaped from the Galra. He couldn't remember when the color had changed, or how. He honestly hadn't even realized it until after he'd crash landed on Earth.
Except... had he ever actually been to Earth? If what Keith was saying was true...
No. It couldn't be right. It couldn't.
And yet...
...and yet he'd been so willing to accept the possibility that he might be a spy. It had made sense. The headaches, the irritability, the fact that Haggar always seemed to be one step ahead of them... it all made sense. He'd felt like something was off ever since he'd returned to the Castle, but he could never figure out what. But if Haggar had tampered with him...
Except it didn't explain everything. Not really.
It didn't explain why the black lion had rejected him at first. It didn't explain why he so often didn't feel like himself, as if he were a square peg trying to fight itself into a round hole. It was a feeling that had haunted him ever since his second escape, and while he'd learned to tune it out after awhile, under the impression that it was just some new form that his trauma was taking on... what if it wasn't?
What if Keith was right?
What if he was a clone?
Or maybe this was all a trick. Dropping his hand, he balled it into a fist. Maybe this was all an elaborate ruse set up by Gnov, or Sendak, or some other enemy of the Voltron Alliance. Maybe Cinque wasn't actually a Blade, and maybe Keith wasn't actually Keith.
Maybe he was the clone.
Except Keith had been able to call the black lion to him, and he'd been able to do it remotely. That wasn't the work of an imposter.
But above all... he just didn't want to consider it. This Keith being a fake meant that the real Keith really was dead, and he... he didn't want that. Keith being alive was nothing short of a miracle and he refused to taint that, even-
-even if it meant accepting things he'd rather not accept.
Uncurling his fist, he stared down at his hand. If Keith was right, if what he had said was true...
...then Takashi Shirogane was dead, and he was the imposter. He wasn't the black paladin, the leader of Voltron. He never had been.
He wasn't Shiro. He never had been.
And now, with his connection to her supposedly cut, he wasn't even Haggar's spy.
So then... who exactly was he?
"Keith-"
"I don't want to talk about it."
He could see Cinque's frown even without turning around, so he didn't need to. Instead he kept his gaze fixed straight up, staring up at the black lion, his arms crossed tightly in front of his chest. The black lion stared back at him, but it was only the lion.
No Shiro.
"Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?"
Gritting his teeth, Keith narrowed his eyes. "Yes."
He heard Cinque sigh, muttering something about younglings underneath her breath. He pointedly ignored it, pretending to inspect the black lion instead. He'd already done exactly that when they'd first brought it in, so he'd already verified that there hadn't been any damage, nor were there any suspiciously placed tracking devices. Cinque had done a more thorough scan on the latter point, because the last thing they wanted was for Haggar to be able to find them. Just because she'd been quiet these past few months, that didn't mean it would stay that way.
Especially now that they had cut her connection to her spy.
To the clone.
He wanted to hate him. It should have been easy. He'd tricked him, tricked everyone, and on top of that, he'd been the reason why they'd almost failed at Naxzela. If he hadn't taken deceive action, then they could have- they would have all died.
And the universe's only hope would have died with them.
So yeah, he wanted to hate him. He had been hating him. With the distance between them, it had been easy. Without the clone right in his face, he could focus on the negative all he wanted, getting angrier and angrier at the imposter that had taken Shiro's place, who had lied to and tricked them all, but especially him.
But the reality... the reality was different.
Exhaling, he dropped his arms. The real Shiro remained quiet, and without him, the black lion just felt cold and imposing. It had let him take control of it, but that had probably only been because they were on the same side- not because it recognized him as its paladin.
The air, he thought, felt stale.
Turning on his heel, he didn't quite meet Cinque's eyes. "I'm going aboveground. Qui should be back by now. We should send our report."
Sure enough, the older Blade was frowning. "I could-"
"No," he said firmly, "-someone needs to stay and watch the prisoner."
Someone who isn't me, he didn't say.
The clone wasn't the only one who needed time to think.
Cinque watched him for a moment longer, before her gaze hardened again, slipping into that neutral mask that seemingly every Blade other than him had perfected.
"Alright," she said, "-but remain cautious. The paladins are likely already searching."
"I know." Keith said. "Don't worry. They won't be coming out this far."
Not yet, at least. They'd hidden the black lion's presence well, but he didn't know if it would stay hidden.
No, they still had time- he just wasn't sure if they had enough.
What they'd planned on, and what they'd expected, was that they would be able to get Haggar's location from the clone and then kill it. With the clone dead, it wouldn't matter if the paladins found the black lion. They would be long gone once they did.
At least, that had been the plan. Only now it turned out that not only did the clone know nothing about Haggar, it didn't even know it was a clone. Unless it- he- was lying, but somehow, he didn't think so.
He almost wished he was. It would be easier that way.
"Has there been any word?"
"Yes, princess." Looking up as she entered, Coran's expression was still grim. "The governor has promised to give us any assistance we need in locating Shiro."
Taking off her helmet, Allura tucked it under one arm. "Good. It will be sorely needed."
"I take it you didn't find any sign of him?" Coran asked.
"Nothing." Lance said. "It's like he just vanished."
"You know, again." Hunk said, before apparently thinking better of it, guiltily staring down at his feet. "Sorry."
"It's okay, buddy." Lance said, patting him on the shoulder. "I think we were all thinking it."
"I will admit, it's becoming a rather disturbing trend." Allura frowned, before looking towards Hunk, who in spite of Lance's reassurances, still looked rather down. "Didn't you say something about modifying the comet scanner so it could pick up on the black lion's signature?"
Hunk perked up, but before he could get a word in edgewise, Pidge chimed in. "Actually I was the one who said that. But yeah, we should probably get on it."
Hunk nodded, looking slightly more energized now that he had a task to accomplish. "Any chance we can borrow the mice? I don't know if we'll actually need them this time, but-"
"Of course." Allura said. "They are rather useful for squeezing into tight spaces."
"What should I do?" Lance asked. He was shifting on his feet, clearly anxious to do something. It was a feeling she could relate to all too well.
"I was planning on speaking with the governor directly." Allura said. "You can join me, if you like."
"Or you can stay here, help me do some scans!" Coran offered. "Could always use an extra hand!"
"No offense, but I think I'll go with Allura." Lance said, his eyes briefly darting in her direction. "I just don't think it's a good idea to be alone right now."
Allura blinked. She'd been so fixated on solving the problem with Shiro, that she hadn't even stopped to consider the possibility that it might not be just him in danger. But Lance was correct- now really wasn't a good time to be on one's own- not when they didn't know who they were dealing with.
And if there was even the slightest chance the governor was in on it...
...well, going alone was far from advisable.
She smiled at Lance. "I could certainly use the company."
"Speaking of talking to people," Pidge interjected, "-has anyone told Lotor yet?"
Allura grimaced. That was yet another thing that had slipped her mind in all of the chaos. And in truth, it wasn't a conversation she was particularly looking forward to. Mysteriously losing a paladin- their leader no less- as soon as they arrived was not particularly a good look.
"Let's... wait on that, just a tick." Allura said.
Pidge just shrugged. "Works for me."
"I'll keep doing scans of the nearby area." Coran said. "See if I pick anything up."
Allura nodded, briefly sparing the older Altean a smile. "Let us know if you find anything."
"Will do, princess." Coran said. "You and Lance stay safe."
"We will." Allura promised. "Hopefully the governor knows something."
"Or Krolia." Lance added. "I mean, she's been here before, right? She might know something."
At the mention of the Galra lieutenant, Allura frowned. Speaking of things she'd momentarily let herself forget...
"She looks a bit like him," she abruptly recalled herself saying, "-doesn't she?"
Shaking the recollection off, Allura tried to put it from her mind. She'd barely just met Krolia- it was a little too soon to suspect her as a spy, especially not due to something as flimsy as a vague resemblance. Besides, she'd been hand picked by Lotor. She struggled to believe that he wouldn't have been so careless as to choose someone that he suspected for a mission so important.
(Unless he did, and this was his way of testing her. But surely he'd tell them...?)
But she didn't say any of that. Instead she turned towards Coran, instructing him to open another line to the governor. She had her suspicions, but for the time being she would hold them back. She had no proof of anything, and had no way to bring it up without first bringing up Keith.
It was already a day for bad memories. No need to make it needlessly worse.
Officially, the Blade of Marmora had no presence on Ignis.
Unofficially?
Well. That was a different story.
Stopping to change out of his Blade armor and into civilian clothing before heading aboveground, Keith winced as he pulled on a boot. Lightly touching his left shoulder, he held his breath, waiting for the pain to subside. It did, though not as quickly as he would have liked. The Blade didn't have the luxury of healing pods, to say nothing of the chain of mostly underground doctors whose hands he had passed through before they had found him.
Honestly, he was just lucky to be in one piece.
Well. Mostly.
But even if he still hurt more days than he didn't, it didn't change the fact that he had a job to do. He couldn't rest, not until after they'd defeated Haggar.
And her son.
The pain having mostly subsided, Keith finished pulling on his boots. Grabbing his jacket, he tugged it on, his fingers barely ghosting over the material. It wasn't quite leather, like his old jacket had been, and it wasn't red, but the dark purple material felt somehow more appropriate for who he was now. He wasn't the red paladin of Voltron anymore- or a paladin at all.
He was a Blade now.
No matter what happened from this point on, he couldn't let himself forget that.
Now a lot more inconspicuously dressed, he headed towards where the underground section of their base met the aboveground. Pressing his hand against the access panel there, it flashed green, the door sliding open to allow him access to the stairs. They led up to the backroom of a mechanics shop, one officially run by Cinque as a cover.
Once inside, the door slid shut behind him, a false panel sliding into its place, making it look like just another part of the wall. The backroom was a storm of unmitigated chaos, half to make it more difficult for intruders to navigate, and half just because Cinque was
inherently messy. Typing a code into another access panel, it flashed green, unlocking the door that lead into the actual shop itself. The handle on the other side was biometric, allowing only a handful of registered people inside.
The storefront, he quickly noted, wasn't empty.
But then, he hadn't expected it to be. Even if Qui wasn't here yet- which one look towards the waiting area proved he was- there was still the person they'd left to actually watch the shop while they were both belowground with the clone. Still, there were no actual customers, which more than worked for him.
The girl at the register noticed him first, her ears twitching as they caught the sound of the door behind her opening and closing. Pivoting on her heel, she folded her arms in front of her, her twin pigtails cutting through the air like a knife, and her glare just as sharp.
"There you are!" She exclaimed, loudly enough that she startled Qui. "I was just about to go down and get you. Qui has been waiting for nearly fifteen quintants now!"
"Sorry," he said, "-things didn't exactly go as planned."
The girl frowned, any lingering annoyance vanishing in the blink of an eye. "In a bad way, or-?"
"Not... entirely?" Keith frowned. "We captured the clone, but he's not- we don't think he knows where Haggar is."
"Oh," the girl's frown deepened, "-that is a problem."
"Well that sucks." Qui remarked from where he sat, running a finger around the rim of a mug. "So can I see the black lion yet?"
"Not yet." Rolling his eyes, Keith crossed his arms in front of his chest, before eyeing the mug. "And you know this is a mechanic's shop, and not a cafe, right?"
"Hey, it's not my fault that Miss Romelle makes the best cup of calipa in town." Qui said, placing a clawed hand over his heart. "I didn't even ask for it this time!"
Narrowing his eyes, Keith squinted at Romelle. "I thought we talked about this."
Romelle flushed guiltily, avoiding eye contact as she twiddled her thumbs. "I just thought he looked thirsty, that's all. It is awfully hot out there."
"It's a desert," Keith deadpanned, "-of course it's hot."
"Don't get so mad, old man!" Qui said, baring his fangs in a broad smile. "You're just upset that you can't make a good cup to save your life."
Keith twitched, briefly wondering if this was some form of karma for having called Shiro an old timer when he was Qui's age. Still, he didn't remember having been this much of a brat. And why the heck did he get old man, and Romelle got miss? He never thought he'd be one to care much about respect, but he had to admit, the difference in treatment was more than a little annoying. If this was anywhere else, he would chalk it up to only being half Galra, but this was Ignis. The weird obsession with blood purity that the Empire had didn't have a place here.
It was part of the reason he'd kind of come to like it here.
"Look," he said, forcing back his annoyance, "-I just need you to go back to Linum and tell her that there's been some complications."
"What kind of complications?" Qui asked. "I mean, if you're going to be that vague, you might as well just call her."
Okay, fair enough. The whole point of using an actual messenger as a go-between between them and the Governor was so that they could avoid anyone listening in on their communications. Usually it was an extra step that they didn't bother taking, but with Pidge around, the extra caution was more than needed. Just because Haggar's spy had been removed, it didn't mean the paladins were secure now.
As long as Lotor was involved, they wouldn't be.
"Our theory that the clone was an active participant in Haggar's deception was wrong," the words felt heavy on his tongue even as he spoke them, "-he wasn't."
"Oh." Qui blinked, looking less amused now. "That is a complication."
"Yeah," Keith said curtly, pointedly ignoring the concerned way Romelle looked at him, "-so hurry up and tell the governor."
If they couldn't use the clone to get to Haggar, then they had just exposed their hand to the witch. They'd always known that there was an element of risk involved with this plan, but he'd kind of expected there to be more reward too.
Instead all they'd gotten was problems.
"Don't have to tell me twice." Qui said, hopping to his feet, dropping the mug into Romelle's hands. "I'll be back with her reply as soon as I'm able."
Keith nodded, following him as he exited the shop. He watched as he got on his flyer, becoming little more than a dark streak against the desert sands before long. He stayed there for a few moments, half savoring the warmth of the desert sun against his aching shoulder and half just trying to avoid talking to Romelle. He could feel her watching him, words of sympathy already heavy on her lips.
He wasn't sure he wanted to hear it.
He turned, looking off into the distance instead. From here, he could just barely make out Rida's capital building, towering over the desert. On a flyer like Qui's, it was about an hour from here to there. Other than Cinque's shop, there were only a handful of buildings nearby, none of which were close enough to theirs to notice who was coming and going from the place. Just because the Blade's presence on Ignis was an open secret, that didn't mean they were actively advertising their presence.
It kind of reminded him of home.
Finally realizing he couldn't put it off much longer, Keith turned on his heel. He hadn't wanted to talk to Cinque about Shi- about the clone, but Romelle was different. At least she understood what it was like to lose a brother.
(But she'd never had to experience an imposter wearing his face.)
"Any news from the colony?"
Romelle shook her head, her lips set in a tight frown. "No. Merla says everything is quiet. There hasn't been another ship bound for the new colony since Bandor's left."
She spat out the words new colony in disgust- not that he could blame her. He hadn't even known the people there, but the image of them still haunted him. He could only imagine that for someone who did, it was ten times worse.
Romelle's entire family had been there.
(He couldn't imagine what that was like.)
"That's good though, right?" Keith asked. "The less time Lotor spends on the colony, the less likely he is to notice you're missing."
"If he ever paid attention to me at all." Romelle snorted, rolling her eyes. "I just hope that once we have the chance to take him down, I get to do the honors of doing him in."
In spite of himself, Keith quirked a faint grin. "Sounds like you're getting into your role."
If he ignored the telltale shape of the lighter purple marks on her cheeks, then she sounded as Galra as she currently looked. Even with this much distance between them and the city, and even with the Blade's presence here, they couldn't exactly let an obvious Altean walk around in the open. The obvious solution was for Romelle to transform herself, blending in with the local population.
A year ago, he would have stuck out like a sore thumb. Now he just blended right in.
"Well not to brag," Romelle said, puffing out her chest, "-but I was selected for the lead role in the harvest festival two years running."
"I can believe it." Keith said. "You did a great job coaching Seti for her school play."
Romelle preened at the compliment, before catching herself, taking on a much sterner expression as she locked eyes with him. "You're avoiding the subject."
"It's a distinct possibility." Keith admitted, grabbing a chair. "Any chance you saved some of that calipa for me?"
"It's a distinct possibility." Romelle said. "I picked up some new spices this morning when I dropped Seti off. Do you want to try them?"
"Shoot." Keith said.
Rolling her eyes, Romelle nevertheless busied herself making a new cup of calipa. "And here I thought the Galra were the ones with the violent sayings."
Keith huffed, watching the Altean as she worked. For a long time she didn't say anything else, too absorbed in the process of making a cup of what was as close to coffee as he could get out here. Pidge would probably kill for the stuff.
"So is it true?"
"Is what true?" Keith asked, even though he already knew.
"That the clone didn't know." Romelle said.
"...yeah. It's true." Keith admitted, almost more to himself than to Romelle.
He was still angry, but he couldn't keep pretending that the clone hadn't been a victim in all of this too. He hadn't known what he was doing. He'd really thought he was Shiro, up until he'd told him otherwise.
He almost regretted how mean he'd been to him about it.
Almost.
"I'm sorry." Romelle said, placing a mug down in front of him. "What are you going to do now?"
"I don't know." Keith admitted, picking up the mug. "What should I do?"
"Are you asking me for advice?" Romelle asked, arching a brow as she sat down across from him. "That doesn't sound like you."
"Who knows, maybe I'm a clone too." Keith half-joked, taking a long sip of calipa.
"Well if you are asking," Romelle said, "-then I think you should ask him for help."
Keith nearly choked, looking at her skeptically. "You want me to ask the clone for help?"
"Why not?" Romelle shrugged. "He's thought of himself as a paladin this long. Why wouldn't he help?"
He opened his mouth to say something back to that, only to snap it shut. She... kind of had a point. If there was anyone who had a reason to want to take out Haggar, it was the clone. After all, he was her victim too, wasn't he?
If Shiro were here, he thought, he'd give him a second chance.
"I'll... think about it."
"I shall await your arrival, Princess."
Exhaling, Linum leaned back in her chair. Momentarily closing her eyes, she took a moment to gather her thoughts before opening them again, looking across the room at her other guest.
"It seems your son has enacted the plan."
Taking a step forward, Krolia arched a brow. "You seem less than enthused."
Idly rubbing the ring on her finger, Linum frowned. "I understand the importance of this operation, but like any ruler, I cannot help but be concerned with the fate of my people. In light of the recent threats, the timing is..."
"The Blade of Marmora understands the position we put your people in." Krolia stated. "That is why Kolivan has offered what Blades he can spare to help bolster security."
"I know." Linum said, dropping her hand. "I have great faith in Kolivan. Our people's alliance with yours has kept us safe for generations."
"The trick is to ensure the paladins do not become aware of it." Krolia observed, gazing out the window. "Princess Allura is clever. If she realizes there is a connection..."
"-she may suspect us." Linum finished.
Earning the ire of the paladins of Voltron was not what she wished for, as much as she was acting behind their backs. She was doing what was necessary, but as no one knew what level of information was being shared between mother and son, certain precautions were required. The last thing she wanted to summon on her people was the wrath of Haggar and her druids, what few of them were left.
(The druids were already few, but Kolivan had ensured that their numbers were fewer still.)
A soft knock at her door drew her attention away from her thoughts. Qui must have returned.
"Enter."
The door opened, Yi barely managing to stand aside in time to let her brother in. He skidded to a stop upon spotting Krolia, his back instantly going stiff in an attempt to appear more serious.
"I have a message from the Blades." Qui reported, trying for all the world to sound older than he was. "It's about the clone."
In spite of herself, the edge of her lips twitched. It would seem that his desire to become a Blade one day hadn't lessened in the least.
"Speak." Linum said. "Have they been able to ascertain the witch's location?"
Qui shifted uncomfortably on his feet, his eyes darting briefly over to Krolia, before back towards her. He shook his head, his usual rambunctious energy giving way to nerves. "Yeah, about that... turns out, he doesn't know where she is. Or uh, that he was a spy."
Linum blinked, meeting Krolia's eyes. The Blade's eyes were already narrowed in thought, contemplating what this meant for them. They'd been under the impression that the clone was aware of his own deceptions, so if they were wrong...
...well, that certainly made things more difficult.
"And?" Krolia asked. "What has become of the clone?"
"It's still alive... I think?" Qui frowned. "I'm not sure they know what to do with it."
Krolia's frown deepened, a hand straying to her chin in thought. After a moment she looked in her direction. "Permission to join my- to join the others?"
Linum shook her head. "I would love to grant it, but it is possible the Princess would like to speak with you as well. I would be hard pressed to explain your absence."
Narrowing her eyes, Krolia nevertheless gave her a firm nod of acknowledgment. "Understood."
She knew that no matter how much she hid it, it bothered her not to be with her son in this moment. To her understanding, he'd once had a close relationship with the real black paladin, so this had to be a difficult situation for him to navigate. Truthfully, she wanted to be there herself, though her reasons differed from those of Krolia's.
But she had confidence in Cinque, as Krolia did in her son.
Turning back to Qui, Linum placed her hands on her lap, one hand ghosting over her ring. "The clone should be left alive- for now, at least. I will personally run interference with the paladins for as long as I can."
"And tell Keith to try and not let his emotions get the better of him." Krolia added, though she nearly missed the way she muttered, "-though I couldn't blame if they did."
Qui nodded, slightly more eager now that his bad news had gone over relatively well. "Anything else?"
"The Altean princess is on her way here shortly." Linum said after a moment's thought. "The other Altean mentioned something about modifying a comet scanner. I assume that will make more sense to Keith than it does to me, but it feels worth mentioning."
"Other than that," she shook her head, "-I have nothing else to offer."
"Copy that!" Qui grinned, giving her a rather casual salute. "I'll get over there as fast as the wind!"
"Be careful as you leave." Krolia said. "We can't have the princess or the blue paladin spotting you."
Performing a much more solemn salute, Qui nodded. "They won't see me, I promise."
The upward curve of Krolia's lips would have gone unnoticed if she didn't know her so well, as would the faint glint of amusement in her eyes, but she did, and therefore did not miss them. Qui, on the other hand, did.
"Good." Krolia said. "Now go."
"Yes, ma'am!"
He nearly bolted after that, almost bowling over his other sister on the way out. Ui huffed, before swiftly recovering from her breach of decorum and closing the door. Once it was shut, she turned to face Krolia, her lips set in a tight line.
"Well," she began, "-it would seem our mission just became far more complicated."
"Since when has anything we do been simple?" Krolia asked.
Far too long, she couldn't help but think.
Linum was not waiting to greet them this time.
Instead they were ushered into her office by one of the two Galra servants who had guided them before, though for the life of her, she could not tell if they were Ui or Yi. There Linum was waiting for them- and so was Krolia.
Linum must have caught the slight arch of her brow, for she returned it with one of her own, glancing in the Lieutenant's direction. "I assumed you would wish to speak with the lieutenant as well, so I took the liberty of summoning her."
Allura simply nodded, sliding into one of the prepared seats, Lance sitting down next to her. Krolia, as she did the previously, remained standing. She watched the lieutenant out of the corner of her eye, her gaze trailing over her features, making a note of the shape of her eyes and the familiar cut of her chin.
They did look an awful lot alike.
"Have you learned anything new?" Linum asked, snapping her full attention back to the governor.
"Unfortunately, no." Allura said. "I was hoping that perhaps you could tell us something."
"I'm afraid we don't know any more than you do, Princess." Linum apologized. "We've received threats from some of the Viridi in the past, but it is hard to imagine that they would take action against one of the paladins like this."
"Threats?" Allura asked, narrowing her eyes. "What sort of threats?"
"Nothing specific," Linum said, "-and I do not believe that they have the power to act on them. I certainly don't believe that they have the means to capture a Voltron lion."
"So if it wasn't them, then who was it?" Lance asked.
"I cannot say for sure." Linum said. "I cannot think of anyone on Ignis who would want to do the paladins harm, and even if there are any..."
"-you can't think of any who would have the means to capture a Voltron lion." Allura finished.
Linum nodded, a grave expression on her face. If she was acting, then she was doing a very good job of it.
Glancing up, Allura looked in Krolia's direction. "What about you?"
"The Viridi may be attempting to interfere with negotiations." Krolia suggested. "But we cannot rule out the possibility that Gnov is behind this."
"Those were Gnov's ships." Lance mused.
"It's a possibility," Allura admitted, "-though I fail to see how Gnov could have gotten away so quickly, and without us noticing."
Unless...
...no, she didn't want to consider it. She truly didn't. But there was, she realized, at least one person who could make the black lion effectively disappear, without them noticing a thing.
It also happened to be the worst option of them all.
It would have been bad enough if it were Gnov. Not only would that mean that the Galra now had their hands on a Voltron lion, it also meant that Shiro would have ben captured by them for a third time. After how badly the second time had effected him... dwelling on the possibilities of what a third imprisonment might do truly churned her stomach.
But worse than Gnov, worse than anyone or anything else, was Haggar.
But it couldn't be Haggar. Haggar couldn't create wormholes.
...could she?
(She was, after all, Altean.)
Allura jerked to her feet, momentarily losing her composure. If Haggar had captured Shiro, then...
"Allura?"
The sound of Lance's concerned voice broke her out of her reverie. Realizing that all eyes were on here, she felt a red flush creep onto her cheeks. "I- pardon me. I just realized something we may have overlooked. I need to return to the Castle at once to check."
"Overlooked?" Linum inquired, her brows a knot of concern.
"There is only one person I can think of that could make a lion disappear," Allura began, forcing her voice to remain calm though she was the furthest thing from it, "-and if it was her, then it is more than just Shiro who is in danger."
"Wait, you don't mean...?" Lance trailed off, his eyes going wide. "Okay, that's bad. That's really bad."
"That is precisely why there is no time to waste." Allura said. "I apologize, but perhaps we can continue this conversation later."
Linum frowned, an expression of concern written across her features. "Of course. But who...?"
"Haggar."
Allura's head snapped up, looking in Krolia's direction. The lieutenant met her eyes, but they were virtually unreadable while all the while remaining haunting in their familiarity. Forcing her expression to stay neutral, she slowly inclined her head.
"I am afraid so."
"In that case, you should hurry." Krolia said. "Go. I will inform Emperor Lotor."
Allura nodded, briefly sparing a glance back in Linum's direction. The half Galra simply nodded, her expression far more grave than before. Looking down at Lance, he met her eyes, getting to his feet without a second's hesitation.
They had already lost one paladin to Haggar. She refused to lose another.
"You seem amused."
Krolia merely arched a brow, turning to look back at her. Her expression had barely changed since the princess and her blue paladin left, making a hasty exit to return to the Castle of Lions, but she could tell that there was a twinkle of something in her eyes that hadn't been there before.
"It's nothing." Krolia said. "I was just thinking how convenient it is that the paladins are already preparing themselves for the witch without our interference."
Linum's eyes narrowed. "Do you think she'll come?"
Closing her eyes, Krolia shook her head. "I don't know."
It was not the answer she wanted. It wasn't the answer Krolia wanted either, she sensed. Looking out the window, she let her gaze continue past the city, out towards the desert.
She couldn't see Cinque's shop from here, she thought.
"In that case," Linum turned on her heel to face Krolia, "-we shall have to prepare for anything."
She was the one who had made the choice to drag her people into this. It was her responsibility to ensure that they made it out in one piece.
And she would not fail them.
"You hungry?"
Shi- he glanced up, mild surprise written on his features. He hadn't even noticed the door to his cell opening, much less Cinque entering. He'd been too... well, not focused, but he definitely hadn't been paying attention. He was just too wrapped up in his own thoughts to notice how much time had passed.
In his defense, he had a lot to think about.
"I-" he began, about to say no before his stomach said otherwise, "-yes."
Cinque hummed, before setting a bowl down in front of him. It didn't exactly look appetizing, but he guessed under the circumstances he should just be glad they were even bothering to feed him. They could just as easily let him starve.
It was a hard thought to swallow, knowing that one of them was Keith. But then again... he wasn't exactly Shiro.
He never had been.
He'd turned it over in his head again and again, but that was the only thing that made sense. No matter how much some part of him desperately wanted to believe that Keith was either lying (he wouldn't do that) or mistaken (he'd sounded so certain), it just... didn't match up to reality. Not when the reality was that he'd been feeling as if something was off long before now.
He just hadn't wanted to admit it.
But a clone... a clone made sense. Too much sense.
Picking up the bowl, he forced himself to smile. "Thanks."
Cinque said nothing, but she didn't leave either. Pushing aside how unnerved her stare made him, he took a bite. Thankfully it wasn't as bad as it looked, but it already had him longing for the taste of Hunk's cooking- or Adam's.
...except he'd never actually tasted Adam's cooking, had he? They'd never even met.
He swallowed, the food feeling like a stone in his throat. He remembered (but did he really?) watching a movie like this once, where the protagonist turned out to not be who he thought he was. Everything had tied up so nicely in the movie, but it turned out that the reality was nothing like the movies.
No, the reality was a lot messier.
Even worse, he'd been used to spy on the paladins. They had all nearly died because of him.
Keith had nearly died because of him.
"Where's," he briefly hesitated, unsure if he should even ask, "-where's Keith?"
He expected Cinque to stonewall him, but instead she arched a brow. "Why?"
"I just-" he began, before realizing he wasn't sure what he wanted to say to Keith. Sorry I'm not who you thought I was? Sorry I nearly got you killed? I didn't know?
It all sounded so meaningless. What would even happen if he apologized? Keith wouldn't forgive him, and he had every right not to. He'd probably be justified if he just killed him on the spot.
One less mole for Haggar.
"Nothing," he finally said, "-it's nothing. You said my- my connection to Haggar was cut?"
"We wouldn't risk this operation if we couldn't do it." Cinque simply stated.
"Good point." Shiro admitted. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you more."
At least that was the honest truth. He might not be Takashi Shirogane, but whoever he was instead still wasn't the kind of person who would willingly ally themselves with the remnants of Zarkon's Empire- even if he was one too.
"Do you mean that?"
Jerking his head up, he nearly dropped his bowl.
That hadn't been Cinque.
"I said," Keith began, stepping inside, "-do you mean that?"
Staring up at Keith, his words briefly eluded him. He'd shed his Blade armor, leaving even more discolored, scarred skin visible, but that wasn't what he was focused on.
His eyes weren't as cold anymore.
"Yes," he said, finding his voice again, "-yes, I do."
Keith held his gaze, before closing his eyes, slightly turning away. For a brief second, he feared he might leave without saying anything further, but then he opened them again, turning to look at him.
"Okay."