PALADIN BONDING
Allura, he decided, was a tyrant; she was basically Emperor Zarkon in friendlier packaging. Ok so maybe she wasn't that bad, but it felt like she had made it her mission to torture them. So far this quintant the princess had set off the castle's alarm system at insane times; insisting that it was to teach them to remain constantly vigilant, locked down the food goo dispensers in kitchens; stating everyone must 'earn' their meals, and tested the castle's weapons by using the paladins for target practice. They'd flown in after the shooting stopped and collapsed on the couch in a large lounge room. Princess Drill Sergeant had scolded them for slacking but honestly, not one of them actually gave a quiznak. Thanks to her early morning alarms, none of them (aside from Lance) had managed to get a full night's sleep.
Coran had allowed them a short break before taking them to the training deck next and Keith was practically salivating. It was beautiful, large, well equipped, and beautiful! There were endless programs that could be run, each offering increasingly more difficult sequences. The room came equipped with an array of training weapons, specialized setups, a gladiator droid, floating droids, and wall mounted practice guns. There was even an invisible electric maze. He'd looked around the room with wide eyes and an even wider smile, fully intent on spending every spare moment here.
While Keith had been particularly excited to try out the maze, he'd unfortunately been paired with Lance. The Cuban just wouldn't listen to him and argued everything. At first Keith had been genuinely trying to guide him safely through, but after 15 dobashes of his confrontational attitude, the Red Paladin purposefully zapped him a few times. It had been oh-so satisfying.
After the maze, they tried an old paladin bonding technique with their lions instead of each other. Coran darkened their visors, removing their ability to rely on their own eyes, and instructed them to instead rely on the lions. Aside from Shiro, it had been a resounding failure. Keith had done a training sequence that was similar, back with the Blades in their simulators, and was expecting to do fairly well. Once again Lance proved to be his down fall, goading him into a competition. He knew better, he really did, but he'd taken the bait hook, line, and sinker - crashing his lion into a sand dune in a misguided attempt to showup the ever-cocky Lance. The fact that this ridiculously annoying boy could consistently pull Keith into the stupid rivalry, continued to baffle him. He didn't know what mystery spell Lance had managed to cast over him but what ever it was, it sucked! But that wasn't the worst part of their training day – oh no, the worst part of training had been the mind melding headbands.
They'd made their way back inside the castle and were now sitting in a circle on the training deck floor, wearing these headbands that supposedly would sync their minds. Coran had instructed them to focus on Voltron, try image coming together to form Voltron with their minds. Displayed in front of each of them, was a little screen depicting exactly what they were focusing on. He could feel the love of family and a deep longing coming from Lance, a hunger and warm comfort coming from Hunk, a focus and sense of duty coming from Shiro, and a powerful drive coming from Katie. Keith was having a difficult time. He wanted to be open like the others, share and focus as he was supposed to, but he had secrets that needed to be protected, secrets that weren't just his to keep. If he focused on home and family like Lance the others would know of the Blade of Marmora and that he was Galra. If he focused on food and comfort like Hunk the others would be curious about the items and soon discover they were traditional Galran dishes, thus revealing him to be Galra. If he focused on his drive and the war like Katie, his Galran bloodlust would give him away. And if he focused on his duty like Shiro, again the Blade of Marmora could be compromised.
Keith sighed heavily and set his hesitant focus to his father's cabin. He could feel the others at the edge of his consciousness and a sudden sense of stability and strength coupled with the scent of freshly tilled earth fluttered across him. "HUNK! Stay out of my head."
"I thought we were open. You can look in my head hole." Hunk protested, offering a sheepish justification for his actions.
"Everyone has to be able to look in everyone's head holes! CLEAR YOUR MINDS!" Coran shouted down from the observation room. He resumed his command, guiding them through the steps once again and the 5 paladins regained their focused on their lions, concentrating on forming Voltron. The imaginary lions slowly came together, interlocking and merging into the giant robot. Keith felt Hunk's presence again, accompanied by Lance this time, and his focus slipped. For one fleeting moment the view from the Blade's main base could be seen on his little screen. The bright blue star sandwiched between twin black holes flashed before being quickly replaced by his father's face and the Texas desert. It was brief, but it was enough to pull the Red Lion out of Voltron and disrupt the progress they had made.
"Keith!" Lance wined as he ripped the headband out of his thick black hair and chucked it across the room.
"I'm out. I don't want everyone rooting around in my head. Just keep to yourselves." He yelled back at the group and felt their judging eyes burrow into his skull. With the headband removed, they couldn't access his mind like before, but that didn't stop them from trying. He could feel them scratching at his mental walls again, his quintessence sensitivity allowing him to connect even without the stupid headband.
"Oh, come on, Keith. We're starting to get the hang of this." He tried his best but it didn't matter what Shiro said, Keith was done. He didn't want to participate any more; he wanted to be left alone. He wasn't used to this much attention and it was starting to drain his energy levels.
"I'm just – I'm just tired, okay?"
"Okay, let's take a break." Shiro smiled, but there was a concern there that made him nervous. He wasn't going to walk way from this without being questioned and he knew it, but for now Shiro let it go.
They sat in a much looser circle, taking more casual positions, as Coran passed around hydration pouches. "You have been working hard. Maybe it's time to relax a little." He agreed, and a bossy objection alerted them all to the princess' sudden appearance.
"What are you doing lying around? You're supposed to be training!"
"Just resting a bit, you know, you can't push too hard." Coran explained.
"What do you mean 'can't push too hard'? Get up, you lazy lumps! It's time you faced the Gladiator!" Her words were stern and her face set in a hard line. Keith was used to this treatment, his instructors back with the Blade had been hard and unyielding, but this was not how Humans responded best to training. From his experience on Earth, she would cultivate better results with positive re-enforcement and by pulling on their heartstrings.
He continued to sip at the pouch, a slight frown taking over his expression as he watched her disapprovingly. Her domineering stance didn't bother him and he understood the urgency in training the others, but the least she could do was appreciate the effort they had already put in. Plak and Antok had been firm, demanding, and unrelenting; but they had been fair and reasonable. The princess was showing her youth and inexperience with leadership by demanding more than her team was able to deliver.
They found themselves facing off against the Gladiator next and while Keith was incredibly excited, he was also nervous about how the 3 inexperienced cadets would handle themselves. Coran's voice floated over the intercom, providing them instruction on how the fight would progress and what to expect. Soon enough, the Gladiator droid dropped from the ceiling and began its assault.
The droid targeted Hunk first, sensing him to be the easiest and Keith agreed that it was a smart strategy. Lance was surprisingly fast with quick reaction times, Shiro was a skilled and competent fighter who would be quick to defend tiny Katie. Hunk was the easiest target. Within ticks both Hunk and Katie were down with Lance not far behind. The droid moved faster than the Humans could process and it advanced on their long-range shooter with surprising precision, stepping in close enough to negate his weapon and throw him from the ring. Shiro and Keith flanked on either side, coming up to attack simultaneously until the former froze in place, leaving the Red Paladin's left side unguarded. Keith immediately adjusted his intentions and moved to stand in front of Shiro, single handily blocking the Gladiator's staff with his sword.
"Shiro, are you okay?" He asked and the lack of response was worrisome. In a moment of weakness, Keith turned to check on his new leader and was caught off guard by the swift counter attack of the droid. The speed at which it moved was unlike any training droid he'd ever gone up against and the force of its strikes were definitely more than an adult Galra could replicate. He groaned from the blow as he rose off Shiro's body, having been thrown across the room with him.
Allura entered the training deck and stormed her way over to them, crossing the floor with a speed none of their exhausted bodies could manage. "That combat simulator was at a level fit for an Altean child! You're not even close to working as a team, let alone ready to face Zarkon!" She scolded and Keith grimaced. She wasn't serious was she? He knew for a fact there was no way an Altean child could have taken on that Gladiator. She was intentionally lying to the paladins, trying to make them feel inferior and weak, he just didn't know why.
He glared at the princess, silently calling her out, and noticed the slight blush that graced the tips of her cheeks. Still, he said nothing, opting to trust that she had a good reason for her actions.
Finally they'd been allowed to have dinner. Coran had them seated all on one side of the table and immediately Keith felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. Something wasn't right. He looked around the room but nothing seemed out of place; not that he'd know, they had only just arrived at the castle the other quintant. He shifted in his seat slightly, a small buzz tingling up his back and prickling at his nerves. Focusing on the faint energy, he closed his eyes and followed the sensation up his back, across his shoulders, down both arms, and finally originating in his wrists. Keith lifted his right arm and inspected the flesh at the wrist, finding nothing out of the usual he put it back down and felt the slight jolt once again. He looked around at the others, who didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary, then to Coran. The Altean had as slight glint in his eyes that made the young Galra immediately suspicious.
"Smells great, Coran. Thanks." Shiro replied to the man with a warm smile and they all picked up their sporks to begin eating. He felt the buzz in the chair intensify the moment Coran pulled out the remote and, acting strictly on instinct, he lunged from his seat. Though he'd reacted quickly, it didn't matter because the stupid energy cuffs still managed to catch his wrist, even from a good 3 feet away, and they dragged him back despite his protests.
As soon as he was back in his seat Coran began speaking, addressing the entire team with the air of a disappointed teacher. "I saw a lot of solid individual performances today, but you're still struggling to work as a team. So, welcome to the final bonding exercise of the day."
"Coran, I want you to think about what you're doing." Hunk protested, staring the Altean down with a level of hate Keith honestly didn't think the big guy was capable of.
"This one's a classic. You get to feed each other!"
"Like a pack of yalmors?" Keith clarified, his dejected tone relaying that this was not his definition of fun. Stupid quiznaking Alteans.
"EXACTLY!" There was a round of groans and Lance questioned what a yalmor was, but in the end they had managed to defeat the princess and Coran in a giant food fight that had been an absolute riot and really helped with their team work. Who would have thought a food fight would be what unified them and allowed Voltron to be formed.
Currently, they were sitting on the couch in the lounge, reflecting on how incredible it felt to be a part something as magnificent as Voltron and the rush of power that comes with forming the mighty robot. Keith was feeling the high of victory, his heart racing and his body tingling deliciously. If he wasn't so tired from all of the training they'd done, he would have challenged the Gladiator to a solo match. Instead, he was looking forward to a good night's sleep.
Hunk slid down between Keith and Lance, pulling the two boys into a tight hug. "I just want you to know that I realized when we were in Voltron, we're brothers, man. You know? Like, we're totally connected. No secrets, no barriers, no nothing! Brothers all the way. I love you guys!"
"G-forces mess with your head a little bit?" Keith asked, suddenly feeling the familiar weight of guilt settle back in the pit of his stomach. He did have secrets, he did have barriers.
"Yeah, maybe a little. I don't know. It's been a tough few days." They disbanded after that. Each of the paladins heading off to bed for a well earned rest. Except Keith.
He slowly made his way down the empty halls of the ship, eventually making his way to his room. Without bothering to change, he collapsed into his bed and rolled over to stare blankly up at the ceiling in the dark room, feeling the discomfort of his continued lie. It had been easy at first; he didn't really need to lie to them per say, merely play along as they assumed he was Human. But this was different, they knew now. They knew he was only part Human and eventually they were going to get curious, or worse, they'd fight the Galra and notice similarities and put two and two together. Keith groaned and pulled out his communicator, contacting a familiar face.
"Young Blade. How may I assist you?" Te-Osh stared back at him from the comfort of her reclaimed room. Suddenly he wished he could train places with her new right hand man. Matt would fit in much better with the paladins, the princess wouldn't hate him for something out of his control, and most importantly – Keith could go home. He'd been away from his own people for 2 deca-phoebs now and he wanted desperately to curl up in the comfort of soft, warm Galran bedding instead of this horribly hard and stiff plank the Altean's tried to pass off as a mattress. It wasn't fair, Matt and the rebels that worked under Te-Osh got to enjoy standard Galran living quarters while he had to endure the Altean version. Everything was too bright, too loud, too heavily scented, too stiff, or too rough. He hated the castle, he hated the plant based food goo, he hated the way Allura talked about his people, but most importantly, he hated how the others made him ashamed of his species. For the first time in his life Keith felt ashamed to be Galra.
When the Princess talked about the Emperor and the people of the Galra Empire, she talked with such clear venom in her voice. Her words painted his people as a race of monsters desiring nothing but war and destruction. And the worst part of all was that he couldn't even refute her statements. She was right, the Empire really is evil, the Galra really are a warrior race with a strong focus on battle and military training. They are predators by nature; long ago they'd been hunters, now they were soldiers. But there was so much more to them than that. They were fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, friends, lovers – people. People who were blinded by the flashy words of their leader and followed him into a war they can't get out of. A constant fight for more and more quintessence to fuel the Empire, any opposition being systematically squashed, uprisings being trampled, individuality being lost to the faceless masses. His people were lost. They weren't monsters; they were misguided.
He turned his attention back to the communicator. "Can I talk to Matt?"
"Matt Holt, there is a call for you. Be quick."
"Hey, Keith! You calling to apologize for not telling me we'd already made first contact when you arrived?"
Keith chuckled. Matt had a way of lightening the mood no matter what was going on. He smiled at his friend. "Nah, technically my mom was your first contact."
The blond boy nodded, "That's right. Leave it to Mr. Kogane to meet an alien and decide to stick his dick in it."
"Hey! Eww – dude! Also, rude!" They two laughed for a bit, Keith's spirits rising steadily the more he talked to the other boy. It had always been easy to talk with Matt; he was friendly and open, unlike Keith, and there was just something about him, some 'quality' that made him super likeable. They hadn't talked since Matt's rescue. Keith had sent a quick message to Te-Osh saying that Shiro had made it back ok, but then he'd been swept up in Voltron.
"So, how's the rebellion?"
"S'fine. Thanks for letting me know about Shiro." He smiled but it quickly faded. "Still working on finding my dad. Are you on your to help? Te-Osh said your signal is coming from a location far away from the system you said Earth is located in."
"No, change of plans and – well, that's why I'm calling. I need to ask your advice on something."
"Fire away, buddy!" Matt's whole face lit up, he was a people person and lived for this kind of thing.
"Did Te-Osh explain who the Blades are?" Matt nodded, and suddenly realisation seemed to click. He looked up at Keith with discerning eyes, taking a moment to study the boy before speaking.
"I guess your dad had a better experience with the Galra than we did." Keith rolled his eyes but nodded. "So you really are Galra then?" He nodded again. "Huh, guess that explains why you kicked ass in the Garrison simulators and in martial arts class." Keith smirked and quirked a brow but chose not to say anything. Instead, he redirected their conversation back on track.
"Matt, I need your advice. I know I need to tell Katie and Shiro, but – after everything he went through, and with your dad still missing, I don't know how they'll react. Is it better if they just don't know, or should I risk them hating me in the name of transparency? You know both of them – what do I do?"
Silence. Matt stared at the communicator for a moment, weighing the options before sighing heavily and offering him a look he definitely didn't want to see, one that said he wasn't going to like what he was about to hear. "Keith, if there's anything I know about Katie, it's that you need to be honest with her. She'll accept it; she'll accept you. You just need to trust her enough to be honest. Same with Shiro, if he finds out on his own he may never get over it." Keith huffed, Matt had said exactly what he knew to be true but didn't want to hear.
They talked for a bit. What had started as catching up, ending with Matt rambling non-stop about how cool space was, and about all the neat things he was experiencing, and about how worried he was for his dad. In the end they had both nearly fallen asleep on the other and disconnected before Keith had a chance to explain about Voltron and Katie's involvement. He fell asleep that night feeling much better than he had when he'd first lain down.