Chapter 31
A/N: as usual, the disclaimer: I just own the story and OCs.
/comms/
"Bold is intercoms/videochats"
Telepathy/flashbacks/dreams
"I can't believe we're stuck here," a Galra soldier complained as they prepared to open the hangar doors, "I mean, this base predates the Zaipirium Siege. It's amazing the equpiment's even still operational."
"We're lucky to have it since the rebels overran the Sigma-3 Quadrant. It's all we have left in this system."
The bay doors opened and part of the warship rose from the waters, opening up and allowing sentries to unload the secret cargo inside.
"We destroyed the Komar. How are the Galra still producing such vast amounts of quintessence?" Kolivan questioned as he, and three other Blades knelt at the edge on an overhang. "Find out where it's coming from and where it's going." Regris gave a small nod, quickly slipping away despite his large frame. It was then Kolivan turned to the comedically small Blade beside him, Keith. "Get a reading. Remember, this is purely intelligence gathering. Do not engage. Antok, with me."
"Iksan daor bona quba [I'm not that bad]," Keith grumbled as he snuck off to do his task.
"Right, you're worse."
"Se iksā'r hiif [And you aren't helping]."
"Hey. It's not my fault you're such a trouble magnet!"
"Lyłoo ziry [Prove it]," he muttered.
"Where do you want me to start?"
Keith elected to ignore that as he rolled to his feet as he reached the ground. Pressing himself against a box, Keith swung his hand and released the ghost. "Emagon ao inhovkuhox lēda se Blade'j nohfekr [Have you integrated with the Blade's network]?" Yorak gave a small bob, and Keith watched warily for any approaching sentries as the ghost began scanning the materials.
/Impossible. It's overloading my monitor/ Kolivan gasped. /I've never seen these kinds of reading before/
/The biggest question is how are they producing it without the Komar?/ Antok questioned.
/That's what we need to find out/
Hearing footsteps approaching, Keith waved his hand. "Jēda naejot jikagon [Time to go]!"
Seeing the sentry turn a corner, Yorak yelped and yanished in a burst of light, drawing the sentry's attention to Keith. As it raised its gun, the young man hurled his knife right through it and into a container in front of another sentry. This one was wise enough to raise the alarms as it buddy collapsed.
/The mission's been compromised! Abort!/ Kolivan ordered. /This is a hard out. We depart in two dobashes/
Grabbing his knife from the wall, Keith cut his way through the incoming sentries quickly. Last time he was late he had to use his either his Holborn Splint to fly back to the Castle. The others didn't know he got left behind, but Kolivan and Antok had been very surprised when he called later.
The resulting scolding that had come once they got over their shock was so not worth it.
Racing onto the ship, Keith rested his hands on his knees as he tried to breathe. When was that last time he ran that fast? He wasn't quite sure. Looking up, he expected to see everyone else ready to go, but he only saw Antok in the pilot's seat and Kolivan standing in the back. "He's not back?"
"He has thirty ticks."
"I have his location."
Glancing at the map, Keith looked at the timer now in the upper right corner of his helmet's screen. He could make it. Without a second thought, Keith whirled on his heel and sprinted out into the base, blindly following the arrow. He found Regris, pinned by three sentries with a wound in his side.
Keith whipped out his knife, quickly slicing through their guns and heads. Sheathing the blade, he hoisted his injured teammate onto his shoulders, and began sprinting back to the ship.
When he turned into the hall, the doors had begun closing. Praying to God, Keith jumped, leaping through the door with Regris in tow as the doors sealed shut behind them. They made it. They were alive.
"Will he be alright?" Keith questioned as Kolivan placed a medical pad onto Regris' shoulder and side. They certainly weren't a pod, but the small packs did come pretty darn close.
"You broke protocol."
Scowling, Keith lowered his mask and tossed off his hood so he could glare at Kolivan unimpeded. "I had to."
"You didn't consider something could've happened to you!" he snapped doing the same thing. "That would mean two men down instead of one!"
"I've escaped before!"
The leader of the Blade's eyes narrowed, "Every member of the Blade of Marmora understands that the mission is more important than the individual. This isn't Voltron."
Keith scrunched his nose at that. "I know that," he growled, "in Voltron, we would've gone back to save Regris. I went back to save the mission. Regris had the intel," he pulled out the datacard shoving it towards the man, "getting it and him back were worth the risk."
Walking away from Kolivan, Keith settled into his own corner of the ship. Before the Blades, Keith thought Guardians were bad team players, but at least they understood teamwork and the value of the individual over the mission. Even among immortals it was concerning when one of their own vanished into thin air, many teams refused to leave an area till all members were accounted for. Sure, during missions, the way they kept an eye on each other was no better than the Blades. But blatantly abandoning someone, that was an unspoken rule few wanted to break, anyone in the Tower who did such a thing like that was often shamed for several centuries.
How these guys managed to even maintain an alliance with his people still remained a mystery considering their different team dynamics. In the Blades it was "Those who fall behind are left behind" and the Guardians were "Leave no man behind." Complete opposites.
The only reason there probably was an alliance in the first place, was because of his mother and the fact the Guardians had more important threats to worry about than the Galra Empire.
-.-
"Keith, good, you're back," Shiro said as he monitored a live-hologram feed of a current on-going mission. "The team's on a mission. You need to get to your lion and join them immediately."
"I will, but I think we just discovered a new form of quintessence," Keith relayed as Shiro continued to mess with the hologram, "the readings are off the charts. Kolivan says it could be linked to Lotor."
"Ok, we'll discuss it when you return. The team's escorting refugees out of the Fimm System."
Did Shiro just not hear a single word he said? "This is Lotor. He hasn't been seen in months. This could be our chance to track him down!"
"I said we'll discuss it later," Shiro repeated tossing an accusing glare out of the corner of his eye, "focus on the mission at hand."
"But—!"
"This isn't a request!" Shiro snapped, turning to face him. "Get to the Fimm System. That's an order."
Flying Black towards the rendezvous point, Keith couldn't help but feel the scalding glares of the others. /Well look who decided to join us/
/Yeah, are you even taking this seriously?/
Keith looked down, guilt and shame churning through his body. "Sorry I'm late."
-.-
"Were you able to speak with Kolivan about the intel?" Keith questioned as he walked up behind Shiro, Darvah, and Jaz.
"We did," Jaz frowned, "and from the sounds of it, we need to handle this as soon as possible."
"But more importantly, Voltron needs a strong leader, Keith," Shiro added tossing the young man a patronizing look.
"I know they do, it should be you."
"Keith we've discussed this before. Besides, we both know the Black Lion has chosen you."
"You've only tried once," he pressed. "You had a connection with Black and I know it's still there. If you just give it another shot—"
"Keith, we all have our part to play," Shiro interrupted. "This is mine now. I've come to terms with that. Now you need to. I support your decision to continue your Marmora training, we all do, but not at the team's expense. They need you to be their leader."
-.-
"Ok everybody," Coran began, "today we're heading to Reiphod, a planet recently liberated from Galra forces."
Keith wrickled his nose, another stupid parade? Really? They were using one of the most powerful weapons in the universe to perform party tricks. Seemed like that time could be more focused on more important things like, freeing planets, eliminating Galra bases, or even better, tracking down Lotor and the source of the new quintessence! "This is ridiculous. We're basically the grand marshal of a parade."
"Not a parade," Coran corrected, "a show of arms!"
"Whatever it is, this is the second one we've done this week," Pidge grumbled.
"I know it's not exactly battling the Galra, but believe it or not, this helps us boost morale and strengthen alliances."
"Right, right, strongholds, blah-dy, blah-dy, blah," Lance drawled. "Now I say we go over the choreography one more time. I don't want a repeat of what happened last time, Hunk."
Hunk shrunk in on himself, "I thought my lion had more room."
The screen beeped and Kolivan appeared on the screen. "Shiro, my apologies for interrupting, but this is an urgent matter. A Galra supply ship has been spotted passing through Quadrant: Omega-Raylar-Six."
"What's it doing so far from normal supply routes?"
"We can't be certain, but taken together with the fact that Lotor hasn't been seen in some time and the emergence of this new quintessence, we feel compelled to investigate. Normally we'd wait for better intel, but I believe we should act on this now."
"I'll send Voltron to intercept."
"And infiltration mission makes more sense. We can plant a tracker and see just how far the supply route extends. With all the Galra activity as of late, my agents are spread thin."
Thank the Traveler. "Not anymore, I'm in," Keith spoke up.
"What?" Lance exclaimed, "We can't razzle-dazzle the crowd with just four lions."
Keith rolled his eyes, "This mission is more important than a show of arms. In case you forgot we're at war. We don't have time to do fancy shows."
"I'm with Keith," Jaz agreed. "Tracking this quintessence is more important to what we're trying to do. if we let the Galra get their hands on this stuff, then who's to tell what could happen?"
"Agreed," Darvah said crossing his arms, "I personally don't want to give them the time to develop any new weapons with it."
Shiro sighed, "How long will it take?"
"Not long, but we must act fast, or we risk the ship jumping to hyperspace."
"Go. Meet us on Reiphod when you've finished."
"Can we go too?" Jaz questioned as she and Darvah raised their hands.
"No."
-.-
The ramp of the ship opened and Keith was the first to jump out as Kolivan and Regris followed, Antok staying inside to fly the ship. /Triangulate positions around the ship/
With a final burst, Keith's jetpack detatched and he flipped, activating the magnetic soles of his boots as he landed on the side of the ship as Kolivan and Regris flew towards their spots. Reaching for his belt, he pulled out a small device, setting it down on the side of the hull.
"Not detecting any biorythums."
/Could be a crew of sentries. Let's go in and find out/
Getting inside, Keith couldn't help but stop as he gazed at his surroundings. The Galra so far had struck him as a fairly quiet race, but where was the noise? Sentries moving, systems running, something; instead it was eerily silent through the entire length of the hall he began to run down, the only sound being the near-silent echoes of his own feet.
In fact, he made the rendezvous without running into anything.
"I completed the sentry scan. There are none on board," Regris informed.
"The whole place is empty. Have you seen this before?"
Kolivan remained silent for a moment, "Something isn't right here. We should leave."
While his gut agreed, Keith still protested. "We came all this way. We should at least plant the tracker and find out where the ship ends up."
"Let's make it quick."
They made their way to the bridge, still not running into anything aboard the seemingly ghost ship. Even when the doors opened, no one was there flying it.
"I'll check the logs."
"Planting the tracker," Keith said removing a panel from the wall.
Then the alarms went off and the door locked itself. "I'm locked out of the system."
Keith's attention, however, was more concentraited on the coutdown. "It's rigged to blow!"
"This ship's a decoy! Everyone out!" Kolivan ordered.
Keith wasted no time joining Kolivan in his efforts to pry the door open as Regris began typing. "Attempting to override."
Not even bothering to restrain his strength as he shoved it open, his hands making divots in the metal frame. "There's no time! Come on!"
"Just a few more ticks."
Moving to grab him, Keith grunted as someone grabbed him by the back of his suit and started dragging him down the hall. Away from Regris. "REGRIS!" Keith called out as everything exploded.
The fire and light faded away, and Keith grunted as he was knocked against a piece of debris. "Hello? Kolivan?"
Static was his only reply. He must've broken his communicator during the explosion. A hissing sound caught his attention and Keith pressed his hand over a tear in his suit. With his free hand, he grabbed his blade, connecting it to a rope and throwing it. It embedded itself in the large metal panel he just collided with, and he grabbed onto the rope, pulling himself closer. "Yorak? Do I have any sealant?"
"Uh…no, but we do have a clothes-pin."
It would have to do. Summoning it from his substorage, Keith crudely pinned the torn area shut. It should last long enouh for him to get back to the ship. His ghost appeared beside him and Keith looked at him. "What are you doing out?"
"I'm taking you to the ship. Grab on!"
"Can you even carry me?"
"We're in the void of space. You literally weigh nothing," Yorak said nudging his way under his hand. "For once, I get to save you!"
"Actually—whoa!" Keith yelped holding on as Yorak began flying, dragging the Guardian behind as they made their way to the ship. As they got closer, the ghost vanished, leaving Keith to go hurtling into the ship as the doors closed. Grunting as he slammed into the wall, he gasped for air, relieved when his lungs started to get a fresh supply. It was only when his breathing started to stabilize he saw Kolivan and Antok looking down at him.
-.-
Keith made a mission of avoiding the others when he got back. He missed another show of arms and they all would no doubt be angry at him again, or well, as they normally were now a days. Walking to his room, he stopped cold in his tracks as Allura stood waiting for him.
"I know you're mad, but I'm not in the mood for a lecture," he stated removing the hood.
"It's not that," she said. "I just wanted to say sorry. I heard what happened on your mission."
Keith glanced down thinking of Regris. During his work with the Blades, they had been getting quite close. Keith would've almost been able to say they were friends. Regris had only been a few years older than him, and they'd been on teams together ever since he started missions and had since then been pulling each other out of deadly situations. Only this time, Regris didn't make it back.
It was his choice to plant the tracker, his choice to stay on the ship even though his gut screamed at him to leave. Because of Keith, Regris would never make it home, never see the end of the war.
"Thanks."
Allura stood straight. Here comes the lecture. "I know how important the work you've been doing with the Blades is. They're incredible allies and have been instrumental in our victories over the Galra. And while the news of a new quintessence supply line is deeply troubling, I cannot help but feel—"
"I said I didn't want a lecture," he interrupted.
Allura sighed, her shoulders slumping. "Keith, since our battle with Zarkon, we've been able to bolster our forces by uniting those previously ruled by the Galra under a common symbol, Voltron. It's so much more than a weapon. It's become a symbol of freedom and hope for the opporessed to rally around. I suppose what I'm trying to say is, the Blade of Marmora can go on without you. They have for thousands of years. Voltron cannot. We cannot."
As she walked away, he quietly whispered to himself, "Then why does it feel like you have."
-.-
"Keith? Where are you going?" Jaz asked as she stepped behind him.
"Mission."
"I thought Voltron was helping refugees today?"
"They have it covered. This mission is more important, if done right, we can find the next route in the quintessence supply chain."
Jaz frowned, glancing down. "Are you ok?"
No, he wasn't, how could he be? Regris died, so did Ilya, and Wyn, and Tarn, and so many others; and he couldn't do a quiznaking thing to stop it. Guardians were protectors and he was failing. He was a disgrace upon his people, his faction, his own family. Voltron didn't want him around, that much was becoming clear. While he was still obsessing over Lotor they moved to start doing the real work, helping refugees, being humanitarians, creating alliances; things real heroes were supposed to do.
It wasn't like the Blade was being any more welcoming. Few people talked and made personal connections due to reasons like Regris. It was a cold and isolating environment. But it would be better for him; no connections, no ties. If needed, he could disappear and no one would bat an eye. It happened all the time.
Besides, it wasn't like Voltron's attitude should have been a surprise to him. It always happened, they had started moving on without him, like everyone else always would eventually when they finished with him.
His time with Voltron had run its course. Keith needed to move on.
So, then why did it hurt so much?
"I'm fine," he lied. "I better go. I have a mission."
"Come back safe."
-.-
Even though he had been expecting it, all of his family glaring daggers into him still made his heart clench. "Guys, I…" he trailed off, the guilt building as their accusing gazes met his own, "I heard what happened. Sorry I wasn't there to help."
"You keep saying you're sorry, but your actions say otherwise!" Allura snapped. Do you realize that your absence put the team in jeopardy?!"
"Not just the team, the refugees as well," Lance added.
"As a matter of fact, the entire quadrant was in danger," Pidge continued, "and you weren't there!"
Keith looked at the floor in shame. "This isn't the way I wanted this to happen, but if there's a bright side to any of this, is that my absence allowed Shiro to reconnect to the Black Lion. He can be the leader I was unable to be. The leader Voltron deserves. I'm not meant to pilot the Black Lion, I never was. It was just a fluke I ended up in the seat."
"Is that why you've been pulling away from everyone?" Darvah questioned.
"Yeah, suppose that's part of it."
Jaz's brows scrunched together, "Part? What's the rest?"
"The Blades are making real headway tracking the source of this new quintessence. They've been able to piece together a whole network of hidden supply lines that've been secretly transporting it for who knows how long. And there's good reason to believe it could lead us directly to Lotor," he informed. "A mission is currently being planned to infiltrate the line. I don't know how long it will take, but if there's a chance we—I have to take it. I need to be on that mission." Looking up, Keith tensed slightly as they all looked at him. "Shiro, you're the rightful leader of this team. You proved it today by reconnecting with Black. It was always meant to be yours."
Shiro stepped forwards, and Keith braced himself for the shouting match coming his way. "Keith," Shiro said settling a hand on his shoulder, "if this is what you feel is right, then we won't try to stop you. Just know we're here for you whenever you need us."
That was not what he had been expecting, but, nonetheless, it was relieving to hear. "I know. And I can't say how much that means to me," he smiled taking Shiro's arm as they hugged.
"I CAN'T BE LEFT OUT OF THIS!" Hunk wailed practically jumping on Shiro.
"WHAT AM I CHOPPED LIVER?!" Jaz accused as she hugged Keith the others rushing to join in, Darvah nearly tackling everyone to the ground in the process.
Keith found himself nestled firmly in the middle of his family sobbing and smiling around him. This would be a moment he would treasure for centuries to come, of that, he had no doubt.
"We're really gonna miss you," Pidge sniffled, squeezing his waised tighter as she buried her head in his side.
"Yeah, who am I gonna make fun of?" Lance joked.
"If you don't come and visit ya nukruu, I'll drag you back here myself," Darvah threatened, squeezing tighter.
"I know you'll make us proud," Allura smiled.
"Do you have to go?" Hunk questioned. "I mean, you could stay here between missions."
Pulling himself out slowly, he gave them an apologetic look, "I'm sorry, but it can't work that way."
"Then you better visit or I'll help Darvah drag out back," Jaz choked.
Tossing them one last smile, he turned and left, refusing to let them to see his tears. Keith Kogane's days with Voltron were over.
