The next chapter, hot off the presses! I wasn't able to get anything done yesterday because I had jury duty, but thankfully I didn't end up having to serve. The glamorous world of adults! Anyways, writing from brainwashed Shiro's perspective was an experience, so hopefully you all enjoy your glimpse into the Champion's mind... finally, a narrator more unreliable than Keith. Lots of set up in this chapter! And an old friend!

As always, thanks for reading. Stay tuned~!

cosmic dust

chapter twenty four

rendezvous point

"The high priestess has requested your presence."

He stirred at the druid's words. He knew that it would be only a matter of time before he was called upon, and was ready to serve. He said nothing, merely standing, which served as acknowledgment enough for the druid. Falling into step behind him, he allowed it to lead him to Haggar.

She awaited him on the bridge of the cruiser. Saluting, hand held over his heart, he bowed his head. "High priestess."

"Champion," she spoke without quite looking at him, "-I have a new task for you."

Bowing his head further, he said nothing, merely awaiting his new orders. He was the Champion, loyal servant to the Galra Empire, and little else mattered besides that.

There were times when things stirred within his mind, but he knew that they were merely signs of weakness, and that he was to promptly report them. When the Galra Empire had found him, he had been weak- but they had seen the potential in him, improving upon what was there until he could proudly call himself the Champion.

That he had little memory of where he came from did not perturb him. If they had been removed from him, it was merely because they served to weaken him.

"I have arranged a trade." Haggar stated. "The rebel for the red paladin."

There was a hint of irony with which she said the words, as if the concept of the red paladin provided her with amusement. He did not question this.

"You will accompany me." Haggar instructed. "The red paladin is spirited, and though he was in my care once, he remains rebellious. He may attempt something."

He did not stir at her words, but did make note of them. He had been informed of the escaped prisoner, whose crimes thus far had proved to be outstanding, even before he had become the red paladin of Voltron. He had been tracking the space pirate for some time now at Haggar's command, but as of yet, he had remained out of his reach.

He had nearly caught his tail after his theft of the Altean princess, but at Haggar's command, he had not pursued. She had sent Commander Sendak after them instead, only for him to fail.

"I will see to it that he does not." He stated, flatly.

"Very good." Haggar said. "Though he may attempt to poison your mind with lies. Be mindful, Champion."

"Understood." He said. "I will not be swayed."

"I am certain that you won't." Haggar stated. "You are free to injure him, if need be, but I require him alive. Perhaps in time, I will be able to... correct his erroneous way of thinking."

He said nothing to that, merely remained as he was, right hand clasped over his heart. He had not been ordered to do otherwise. The power that it provided him with was outstanding- with it, he had subdued any number of opponents. His latest failure frustrated him, but the rebel had been clever enough to determine his target and interfere.

It would not happen again.

Lifting her head, Haggar cast her eyes over him in assessment. "That is all. See to Ulaz. I wish to ensure that your arm is properly in order. When you are finished with him, you are to meet me in the docking bay. We must begin preparations to meet our guest."

"Vrepit sa."

Departing on her command, he navigated the cruiser with practiced ease. He did not care for Ulaz. There was something about the technician that made him feel ill at ease, weak. Were it not for the fact that he was doubtlessly the most skilled technician in the Galra Empire, he was certain that Haggar would not have chosen the strange Galra for this post.

He did not dare speak out against him. He was still Galra, of pure blood, and therefore, was still his superior.

The arm he had constructed from him truly was an art. A collaboration with the druids, it was far more powerful than the first, though that too, had served him well. Both were a vast improvement of his original flesh and blood arm, which had been weak, brittle.

Replacing both, he thought, would be optimal. He should suggest it to Haggar.

Pressing his right hand against the access panel, he quickly located Ulaz. Though his senses had been improved thanks to Haggar's efforts, they were still pitiful compared to those of a full blooded Galra, so Ulaz located him first. Merely glancing towards him, Ulaz set aside his previous project.

"An inspection, I take it."

"By High Priestess Haggar's command." He felt the need to add, though he doubtlessly knew. "She wishes to ensure that it is in prime condition."

That gaze, he thought, was the reason he did not like Ulaz. Assessing, in the same way Haggar's was, only different in some way that he could not place. "Take a seat."

Doing as he was told, he rested his arm on the platform attached to the examination chair. Without another word, the Galra began to work, linking his arm up to the cruiser's systems, beginning with preliminary diagnostics.

"Have there been any issues?" Ulaz inquired.

"No."

Letting out a low hum, Ulaz typed away. He seemed to posture himself in a manner that made him difficult to read- both in terms of his body language, and his screen's displays. Though Haggar had ensured that he was fluent in the Galra language, it did him little good if he was unable to see them.

But the high priestess would not have someone on board that she did not trust. After the betrayal of the rebel Galra, there had been a substantial purge of Central Command, to ensure that no more such mistakes could occur. Those who remained in the upper ranks had been interrogated by Haggar personally, ensuring their utmost loyalty.

Ulaz was simply strange.

"I can find no abnormalities." Ulaz concluded, banishing the screen entirely. "You should have no difficulties with it."

Watching with one eye as Ulaz disconnected his arm, he idly rubbed his right wrist. A habit, one that he did not appear to be able to shake. When the Galra Empire had found him, he had been sick- but they had made him whole again. Yet the habit did not fade.

It bothered him more than he would like to admit.

Rising to his feet, he clenched and unclenched his right fist. Haggar had told him much about the escaped prisoner- the one who had stolen the red lion from Zarkon. He was part Galra, but did not swear loyalty to his own Empire. She said it was due to being raised in isolation, away from the Galra, that he did not understand what it was that they were trying to accomplish.

He did not understand why he would not choose to join them. Since he had been granted status by Haggar, equivalent to that of a lieutenant, he had been able to move around as he wished- and had gained power on top of that. As a halfbreed, the red paladin would have been granted even further status than him, though his human blood would always prevent him from reaching the highest ranks.

Still, it would granted him untold power and authority. To choose not to wield that- whoever this red paladin was, it was clear that he was a fool.

But he was also dangerous.

He too, had been a subject of Haggar's experiments. Yet though she had sought to improve him, making use of an untapped talent, he proved ungrateful.

He did not understand.

Sometimes his head stung when he attempted to. When it came to the matter of the red paladin, it had once stung substantially- but after he had informed the high priestess of this, she had largely made the issue go away.

Sometimes, however, it persisted.

"That is all." Ulaz stated. "You are dismissed."

Though technicians held no true rank, he nevertheless raised his hand to his chest in salute. Ulaz was Galra, and was therefore superior to him. "Vrepit sa."

Merely giving him a dismissive hum, Ulaz resumed work on whatever it was that he had been tinkering with when he had entered. Not wanting to stay here any further, he made haste to exit, making a beeline for the docking bay, as he had been ordered.

If Ulaz had watched his retreating back, a complicated expression on his otherwise guarded face, he did not notice.

The Champion, he reasoned, was not Takashi Shirogane.

He was, and he wasn't. Even Haggar, for all her skill, could not completely wipe out the person that had been there before, certain mannerisms and quirks of speech remaining behind.

But the man whose arm he had examined was a far cry from the man who he had once been. When he had first been brought to Central Command, Ulaz had recognized the spark of something in him- what felt like the stirrings of hope in his chest.

Unfortunately, Haggar had noticed that same spark.

He had hoped to enable Shiro's escape before it reached this point. Before his will was lost to the witch's manipulations. To return him to Earth, so that he might search for the blue lion, rumored to be located on his planet.

But Kolivan had other plans.

It was his own reports, in his end, that had served to seal Shiro's fate. Not of Shiro himself- but of another prisoner, one that had kept Haggar's interest for far longer. A young half Galra, brought in from the same planet which Shiro was from, whose connection to quintessence ran deep.

Krolia's son.

Without confirmation, he had no way of knowing for sure. But he knew that Krolia had infiltrated one of the scouting parties that Zarkon had sent out, in the hope that they could prevent him from finding any further lions. She had then disappeared, only to resurface three deca-phoebs later, with the location of the blue lion on her lips, and her blade missing.

Nearly fourteen deca-phoebs later, the scouts sent to Earth returned with a child of the same age- one with deep purple eyes, who carried her blade. His name was Keith, and before setting foot on a Galra ship, he'd no idea of his own heritage.

Ingrained as she was in Ranveig's camp, on the very fringes of the Galra Empire's territory, Krolia had never been informed. Likely on purpose- though she might have left her child behind, he had little doubt that if she were to learn of his fate, she would have torn through Central Command herself in an effort to rescue him.

He nearly wished he'd told her. Perhaps he could have been spared from his fate had he done so.

Kolivan had wanted him dead.

It was not, he knew, a decision his leader had come to lightly. Knowledge or death might be their way, but that was their own creed- they had no intentions of forcing it on those who had not sworn their loyalty to the Blade of Marmora. Keith was no less innocent than any other prisoner of the Empire, but Haggar's experiments had transformed him into something dangerous.

Monstrous.

He felt that here he should clarify- the boy himself was not a monster. Victim would be more exact. He was a victim in all this. But the power that Haggar had bestowed him with was, undeniably, monstrous.

Ulaz had only witnessed it used once, but it had been enough. Even among the Galra, he considered himself to be quite old, yet still, he could not determine who the sight had made more ill- himself, or the boy. If he'd had any food in his stomach at the time, Keith surely would have vomited, so perhaps it would be fair to say it would have been him.

It was after that report that Kolivan had decided that he was too dangerous to be left alive. That even if he were to escape, there was no guarantee that such a power could be held in check forever.

No promise that Haggar would never recapture him, and make a weapon out of him. While it was too late to stop the research he had set into motion, there was a chance that his loss would at least slow it down.

The order itself had been given to Thace.

But instead of killing him, Thace had chosen to help him escape, going against Kolivan's orders. If he was caught, he was likely to be killed either way, so best to at least give him a chance, however slight.

None of them could have anticipated that he would have bonded with the red lion. That, in the end, was what had cause Kolivan to rethink his orders. The lions bonded with their paladin's quintessence- so perhaps what he could not do alone, he could do with the red lion at his side.

And he knew that deep down, Kolivan did not want to kill a child. Much less Krolia's.

However, it had come with a cost- freeing Shiro became impossible. Thace had gone into hiding, and Haggar began her hunt for any further traitors within Central Command. His only choice was to bury himself in his work, and do what he could, whenever he could- even if that meant allowing Shiro to disappear inside of the Champion.

He was still there, he suspected. But he was not in a place that was easy to reach.

But he knew that if there was anyone who stood a chance at bringing him back out, it was Keith. He did not know what strange fate it was at work, but he knew that the two held a bond that ran deep- deep enough that even with all of Haggar's meddling, there was still a thread that she could not rid the Champion of.

He could not do anything to change the depth of Haggar's brainwashing. He could, however, install a timed shutdown code in his arm.

It was a gamble, to be sure. But somehow, Ulaz did not think that the red paladin- that Keith- was coming here simply to turn himself over for the captured rebel. Not after he had spent the bulk of the past year becoming a headache to the Galra Empire and Kolivan alike.

No. If he had agreed to the trade, it was likely that he had some kind of plan.

Now then. Perhaps he too, should begin preparations to disappear. It would not take Haggar long to trace the malfunction back to him. He would much rather not be here when she did.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself." Pidge replied, without looking up. She didn't need to, she knew it was Keith. "Come to apologize for giving me a heart attack?"

Because she really couldn't put it any other way- when she'd heard Keith agree to that trade, she nearly thought he really had lost his mind. She thought she'd understood just how important Shiro was to him- but apparently, she'd been wrong.

Keith was willing to risk everything just on the slim chance that he might be able to get him back. Even though Shiro... from the sound of it, wasn't Shiro anymore.

"I- sorry."

Okay, she hadn't expected an actual apology.

Actually looking up this time, her eyes fell on Keith. His arms were folded tightly in front of him, clawed fingers digging into the material of his favorite jacket. She suddenly felt strangely overdressed in her paladin armor.

"You're going in that?"

The question slipped out, causing Keith to blink, glancing down at his choice of attire. "What's wrong with it?"

Sure, he'd raided countless Galra ships wearing the effective equivalent of casual clothes before, but this was... this was different. This was Haggar, whose hands he had already suffered at. Sure, she didn't have all of the details- but the physical transformation he'd been forced to endure alone had to have been painful.

"I mean, if you want to die."

Keith just frowned. "I can't wear paladin armor. Haggar will just know it's a trap."

Closing her mouth, Pidge frowned. "You don't think she'll suspect you might have backup?"

Something about the way Keith's eyes narrowed at her question she didn't like. "No."

There was a certainty to his reply, and that she liked even less. She felt her frown deepen, Altean wrench hanging loosely from her hands. "Can I ask you a question?"

Arching a brow, Keith merely tilted her head. "You just did."

Rolling her eyes, she fought the urge to groan. She would have expected a line like that from Matt, not Keith. Maybe they had started to rub off on each other, God help her. "You know what I mean."

Shrugging his shoulders, Keith didn't drop her gaze. "Shoot."

"Back on the bridge," she began, wondering if she should even be asking this, "-you said that you hadn't been entirely honest with us."

Keith didn't look away. "I might have."

"So... does that include me?" Pidge ventured.

For a moment, there was nothing but an awkward silence, only broken up by the distant sounds of the rebel ship making preparation to depart. They would be going ahead to check out the coordinates that the call had been made from, just in case Haggar transferred ships for the tradeoff.

"Yeah."

Keith's admission was faint, just barely loud enough for her to hear. She felt her shoulders slump at it- while she had suspected that was the case, actually hearing that much was another thing entirely. It stung, she wasn't going to lie- she thought of Keith as family at this point, so to hear that he was still purposefully withholding information from her... it hurt.

"Pidge, I-"

Cutting Keith off, Pidge shook her head. "Nope. We can talk about this once we get Te-Osh and Shiro back."

Frowning, Keith stared at her for a long moment, before slowly nodding his head. "Sorry."

"You don't have to apologize." She told him.

He really didn't. As much as it stung, when she tried thinking about it from Keith's perspective, she did sort of get it. She didn't know what his time in the foster system had been like, but from the sound of it, it had been unpleasant. That alone would have been enough to foster the development of trust issues, but when she added his time as a Galra prisoner to that, it only amplified them.

So yeah. She got it.

Keith didn't look convinced. "I don't think it's that easy."

Part of her, the analytical part, was already ticking away. Had been, ever since the bridge. She wanted to shut it down, but she couldn't do that either.

Haggar had wanted Keith.

Sure, she'd asked for the lions and Allura too, but she'd also wanted Keith. Not any of the other paladins. Just Keith.

She couldn't help but wonder why. What about him was so special that made him a fair trade? Te-Osh wasn't just a rebel, she was a rebel leader. In the eyes of the Galra Empire, that had to have given her significant value.

Was this all just part of some larger plan? Did she need him to cement Shiro's compliance with the Empire?

Had she done more than just change Keith's appearance?

Keith had mentioned experiments. Whatever they had involved, it was clear he didn't want to talk about them. She wasn't stupid, she'd noticed the way he'd frozen up when Haggar had hailed them- he hadn't recovered until she started making her demands.

Freezing wasn't like Keith.

But he'd done it. If she didn't know any better, she'd almost say he was afraid.

But she did know better, so she knew that he was.

Keith's bounty, and Keith's bounty alone, demanded that he be brought in alive. Failure to do so would ensure that no reward was to be given. It was a fact she knew well, for it had been parroted off by countless bounty hunters looking for a quick score, all of whom just as quickly learned that in spite of his slight stature, Keith was no such thing.

Keith was strong, but his combat style focused on speed. Almost like he was afraid of being touched- or to be more exact, of getting hurt. Given how little armor, if any, he usually wore, it was something of a paradox- but that was Keith in a nutshell.

In the few instances he did get hurt, he usually closed himself off in the red lion for hours. He would treat his own injuries, refusing any offers of help. He healed quickly- she just assumed it was a Galra thing.

Maybe it wasn't.

All these facts piled up, but all she could manage to gather from them was the fact that Keith had some kind of value to the Galra Empire. At first she had thought that maybe it was just because of his connection to the red lion, but the more she understood about Voltron, the less likely that seemed.

Keith's bayard didn't work. She didn't think it was actually because it was broken, and she was pretty sure that neither Keith nor Allura bought that either.

He still had it anyways. It hung off his belt, going so well with his general color scheme that it almost looked like it belonged there.

"Just," she began, "-just try not to get yourself killed, Keith. Or captured."

"I'll try." Keith replied.

Pointing her wrench at him, she narrowed her eyes. "I mean it, Keith. I know Shiro's important to you, but there will be other chances to get him back."

He stiffened at her words, and for a split second, she almost thought he might lash out at her. But instead he just drew back in. "We don't know that."

Lowering the wrench, Pidge sighed. "Look, I'd do anything to get my dad back, but there's no point if I just get myself captured in his place."

"It's not just that, Pidge, it's-" Letting out a frustrated noise, Keith looked as if he were searching for the right words. "You heard what Matt said. I don't know what she did to him, but Haggar's using him somehow. I can't- I can't just leave him like that."

Not when I know how that feels, she sensed he almost wanted to say.

And he had a point. She didn't like this situation any more than he did.

"Look, from what I remember of Shiro, I don't think he's the kind of guy who would want to see his baby brother throw himself into danger just to save him." Pidge stated.

Keith just stared up at her. "I'm not his baby brother."

And in spite of herself, she couldn't help but snort. "That's the part you're taking offense to?"

"I'm eighteen, Pidge." Keith stated flatly. "I'm not a baby."

"Fine. His little brother." Pidge said.

Keith squinted. "Are you saying that because-?"

"I could just throw this wrench at you, cancel this whole dumb plan on account of you being out cold." Pidge stated, waving the wrench in question. "So shut up and just accept the fact that I'm concerned about you, dumbass."

Keith deflated a little at that, before finally cracking a faint grin. "Okay. I'll try."

"Try to accept my concern or try to stay safe?" Pidge asked.

"Both." Keith told her. "Look- Haggar's tricky. So I want you and Matt to be careful. If you see trouble, get out. No amount of information is worth either of you getting hurt."

She opened her mouth to say something, but just as quickly shut it. She couldn't exactly coerce Keith into promising he'd be careful if she didn't do the same herself. "Promise."

Satisfied with that, Keith nodded his head. "How long until you get the pod ready?"

"Just another few ticks." Pidge replied. "You know, if you weren't distracting me."

Keith just snorted at that. "Please. I've seen you work under pressure. I don't think you can even get distracted."

"I will take that as the compliment I am hoping you meant it as." Pidge simply stated.

"I definitely meant it as a compliment." Keith stated, and for the life of her, she couldn't tell if he was lying or not. "Good luck, Pidge."

"Good luck yourself." Pidge told him. "Sounds like you'll need it more than me."

Letting out a low hum, Keith merely inclined his head. "Mine hasn't exactly always been the best."

She couldn't exactly dispute that.

"Everything's in order, princess. I'm ready to launch whenever."

Back stiff, Allura didn't allow any of her anxiety to show on her face. There was no denying how risky this plan was, but it was also the best one they had. Instead, she remained composed, not letting any of her doubts show as the paladins began briefing her on their status, one by one.

She stood on the bridge of the Castle, monitoring the paladins' status through the use of screens. The rebel ship had already departed, and they should be reporting back to her in a few doboshes. They were to keep their distance upon arrival- assuming that there was anything at those coordinates to keep their distance from.

But the thought of sending one of the paladins into certain danger... it did not sit well with her. The fact that the paladin in question was Keith did not change that.

His quintessence might be... strange, but if there was one thing that he had proven to her, it was that he was worthy of the red lion. She was not keen on the fact that he had lied to her, and was very likely, still leaving out key details, but he had shown through his actions that she could trust him in spite of all that.

If he were planning on betraying them, he would have done it long before this.

She did not want to lose him- nor any of the paladins, really.

But she could not abandon Te-Osh either. And now that she knew that this Shiro was so important to Keith, she could not simply ignore his situation either. Of course, provided that he had simply not chosen to join the Galra Empire willingly- but she was skeptical that someone Keith held in such high regard would do such a thing.

His brother.

She wished she had told him that sooner. She knew all too well what it was like to have loved ones ripped away from the Galra Empire. She could only hope that he could get him back.

Not simply Keith either- but Pidge and Matt as well. She hoped that they were able to find their father, wherever he might be. Just because she had lost everything to the Galra, did not mean she resented them for the fact that they had a chance to get what they had lost back.

Or nearly. Matt would not get back the time he had spent in prison, nor would his father. And Keith... Keith would likely be unable to get back his former appearance.

She didn't know what it was, though presumably more human than he was now. It was strange- when she had first met him, she had difficulty seeing anything but the Galra. But now that she had spent time with him, it was easier to see the human in him- the ways in which he matched up to the Holt siblings.

If this mission went as planned, then at the very least, he would be able to get back someone important to him. She would not begrudge him that.

So instead, she faced Keith, looking him straight in the eye. "Good. You may launch when ready."

"We'll be right behind you, buddy." Matt reported. "I mean, you won't be able to see us, but we'll be there."

"The cloaking is operational, then?" Allura inquired.

"Up and running." Pidge reported. "There's an access hatch on the underside of the cruiser. We should be able to enter from there."

"I installed a magnetic docking system." Matt reported. "Not really that pretty, but it should hold the pod in place so we can get back to it once we pull the information we need. Worst case scenario, we can have either Lance or Hunk triangulate our positions and come and get us."

"Aw yeah, the old smash and grab." Lance said.

"The old... smash and what?" Allura asked, her brow furrowing.

"Just an Earth phrase." Hunk supplied. "Anyways, the yellow lion is in good condition. Took a bit of blaster fire in that last assault but man, the armor on this thing is tough."

She couldn't help but smile at that. "The yellow lion always did have the toughest armor."

It could get even tougher, but that would be something Hunk would have to discover on his own. Much like Keith had unlocked the red lion's railgun, the other lions all possessed hidden powers of their own, that no amount of her guidance could enable the paladins to use.

Come to think of it, she still had not informed either Lance nor Hunk about Zarkon's status as the former black paladin. Though she was loathe to speak of it, the others already knew, so it was not as if it was something she could keep from them.

Perhaps she had no right to be upset with Keith for lying.

"Well, the blue lion's ready and rearing to go too." Lance reported. "I think I got the hang of her after that last fight."

Snorting, a wry grin crept it's way across Keith's face. "You sure? Because I distinctly remember that you nearly fired at Pidge."

"Okay, so maybe I didn't have the greatest control on the whole laser tail then," Lance said, "-but I do now, so. Shut your quiznak, mullet."

Allura, in spite of herself, blanched. Who had even taught Lance a word like that? Even if he wasn't actually-

"I don't think you're using that word correctly." Keith noted.

Yes. Thank you, Keith. He very much was not.

"I don't think you're-"

Clearing her throat, Allura cut in. "Right. As I said, Keith, you may launch when ready."

Giving her a curt nod of his head, Keith's expression remained decidedly neutral. "Right. Prepping for departure."

His screen went dark, and she swallowed.

"Princess," Coran spoke up, "-we're being hailed. It's the rebel ship."

"Good," she said, "-bring it up."

Captain Olia's face took center stage, pushing the rest of the paladins to the side. Clasping her hands in front of her, Allura made sure that she was fully composed before responding. "Captain Olia. What is your status?"

"No sign of any ships at this location, Galra or otherwise." Olia reported. "But we are picking up traces of a hyperspace trail."

"So Haggar took her cruiser with her." Allura noted, her brow furrowing. In which case, it was highly likely that she had this Shiro with her. "Thank you, Captain."

"We can rendezvous with the blue and yellow lions." Olia reported. "Provide some cover fire for the red lion for when it makes its escape."

"Understood." Allura said. "Thank you."

"No, thank you, princess." Olia told her. "For trying to get Te-Osh back."

There was a weight to her words- she sensed that they did not often get many of their number back once they had been captured. She just hoped that she did not let them down. Already, Te-Osh's band of borderland rebels were proving to be a great asset.

As for the possible Galran rebel Keith had brought to her attention... well, she was not as loathe to consider it as she thought she would be. Her time with Keith had served to remind her of something she else wise would have been like to forget- that once upon a time, the Galra had been their allies.

And though many had chosen to betray her and her people, others... others had not.

She feared that they had likely all been destroyed alongside Altea. But who was to say that there were not those who carried on their wishes?

"We will do what we can." Allura told Olia. "You have carried on the fight that my people were unable to. We owe you our thanks."

"Just the fact that we might have a shot at reforming Voltron is thanks enough, princess." Olia told her.

Bowing her head, Allura only hoped that they actually could. They might have gotten the yellow lion, but now that she was sending another paladin into danger, she could not help but feel uncertain for the future yet again.

And they still had yet to find a new black paladin.

That, she thought, could not stand.