Hello, hello, here's the next chapter! Thankfully I manged to finish it before I cut my finger like an idiot with a peeler while unloading the dishwasher, but no harm done- just a bit difficult to type with the bandage on. My terrible secret is revealed! I am, in fact, super clumsy. Alas. That said, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter, because I know I did~!

cosmic dust

chapter twenty five

like brothers

"I have a visual on the Galra cruiser."

"Copy that." Pidge's said, reminding him with an anxious sort of relief that he wasn't actually alone. "We do as well."

Exhaling, Keith tightened his grip on the controls. The small Altean pod made him feel nearly defenseless. He hadn't had the time to check, but he was pretty sure it didn't have any weapons.

Didn't matter. If Haggar wanted him, he doubted she'd shoot down his ship. Landing wouldn't be the problem- it would be everything that followed.

Already he could feel his skin crawl, as if sensing the witch's presence. Placing a hand over his heart, he closed his eyes, trying to steady himself. He couldn't let her get to him, not now- not when he had come this far.

He'd be getting Shiro back.

Eyes snapping open, he felt the red lion's soft purr in the back of his mind. It provided him with some small reassurance, a reminder that even if he was heading into danger alone, that he wasn't truly alone

Right. He could do this. Positive thinking.

Steeling himself, Keith drew in a long breath. Opening up a line to the Galra cruiser, he braced himself to face Haggar.

"So you've come."

Her voice still made his skin crawl, like nails tracing against his skin, a phantom sensation that he'd much rather forget. He had to fight back the urge to vomit, a surge of unpleasant memories threatening to crash over him. Even from here, he swore he could smell the odor of death that clung to the witch.

Or maybe that was just him.

But instead of showing that, he just straightened his back. "I said I would. Where's Te-Osh?"

"She is here." Haggar stated, but made no move to display the hostage- not that he thought she would. "We will be waiting for you, red paladin."

The words were spoken with amusement, as if she found the notion of him being the red paladin funny. The worst part of it was that she was right- she understood what he was better than even he did, so for him to have been accepted by a lion of Voltron, and the pickiest one at that... it was hilarious.

In the back of his mind, Red purred. Paladin.

Heaving a sigh, Keith let his shoulders relax. He knew. Maybe he still had trouble grasping it, but the red lion had chosen him for a reason. He had to believe that. He had to keep believing that.

He wouldn't be handing himself over to Haggar. He wouldn't be handing anything over to Haggar- only taking. He'd take Te-Osh back, and he'd take Shiro back too- and if he got the chance, he'd gladly take her life.

But somehow he didn't think he'd get that lucky.

Shiro.

He sure hoped he was ready to face him. From the way Matt had described him, he wasn't sure he would be able to get through to him in words.

If he didn't recognize Matt, what hope did he have of recognizing him?

"Do we truly intend to trade the prisoner?"

He was not one to question the high priestess' orders, but he was under the impression that there was to be no quarter given to rebels. And this sounded a lot like quarter being given.

"She matters not." Haggar stated, tone dismissive. "All that matters is the red paladin."

The rebel in question- Te-Osh, if what the human rebel had shouted was accurate- remained unconscious. She had been given a strong dose of a sedative, that would likely keep her out for several more varga. They could not risk her coming to the aid of the red paladin, which she surely would, given her choice to sacrifice herself for both the sake of her fellow rebel, and what had surely been the yellow paladin.

She was clever, so he was loathe to let her go. He did not know how she had been able to discern his intentions, but she had stalled him long enough to allow the yellow paladin to connect with his lion- and no matter how much power the Galra Empire had granted him, he was not likely to survive a bout with one.

He had elected to cut his loses and retreat with the rebel. But his failure ate away at him.

He would not fail again, not this time. Whatever tricks the red paladin had up his sleeve, he would not allow him to carry them out.

"Once we have the red paladin in our grasp, the red lion will soon be ours." Haggar told him. "It will come for him."

"You seek to tame the red lion?" He questioned.

"I seek to tame its paladin." Haggar merely stated. "He has been rebellious thus far, yes, but I believe I can bring him to an understanding. He will lead us to the other four lions, and we shall bring them back to Emperor Zarkon ourselves."

"Perhaps, Champion," Haggar spared him a look, "-he will even grant you the honor of flying one yourself. Once the remaining paladins have been dealt with, of course."

Flying a lion of Voltron in the service of his Emperor. There would be no greater honor, yet it was one he could only feel unworthy of.

He could still recall that he had been a pilot once, in another life. Before the Empire. The best there was on his planet of primitives. Under Haggar's guidance, he had become even better. But to fly a Voltron lion... such an honor should be given to a true Galra, not to a mere servant of the Empire, such as himself.

Even the red paladin, halfbreed as he was, did not deserve the honor.

Still.

Clenching his fist against his heart, he bowed his head. "It would be my honor to continue to fight in service of the Empire."

Haggar almost seemed to smile at that, the edges of her eyes crinkling. "Good."

"Now," her attention fixed on the Altean pod, its sleek white and blue design making it stand out in the hangar as it landed, "-let us greet our guest."

"Vrepit sa."

Standing at full attention, he waited. The Altean pod landed with precision- it would seem that the rumors of the red paladin's skill as a pilot were true. A strange feeling bubbled up in his chest at that thought, but he was unable to place it, so he merely opted to ignore it. He could report it to Haggar later.

The cockpit of the pod flickered, before it faded away completely, revealing its pilot. The red paladin stood to his full height- quite small for a Galra, even for a halfbreed. According to Haggar, he was not completely finished with his developmental cycle, which perhaps explained both his short stature and his rebellious nature.

But it was not the height that caught his attention the most.

It was the way he went rigid at the sight of him.

His brow creased, unable to understand the reaction. They had never crossed paths before, not directly. They had been held, briefly, on the same ship- Central Command, before Haggar had opened his eyes to the glorious mission of the Galra Empire.

Eyes. He did not know why, but for some reason, he had briefly thought that the paladin's should be purple. They were not- his were a proud Galra feature, glowing steadily in the dim light of the hangar, a vivid yellow without any visible pupil.

Something stung.

Whatever the red paladin saw in him, it was not enough to keep him frozen for long. Instead he swallowed, leaving the pod with his hands held in the air, as if in surrender. He was not unarmed- there was a knife worn at his back, and an object that he could only assume was a bayard dangling from his belt.

It looked different from the one his Emperor carried.

His impure blood made itself apparent in the largely pale color of his skin- he was speckled purple in places, but otherwise was more of a pale earth tone. He had heard once in passing that the halfbreed had been plucked from the same primitive planet on which he had once resided, and looking at him, he could believe it was true.

Something stung.

His voice, when he spoke, was unsteady.

"Where's Te-Osh?"

Haggar did not so much as blink, only lifting a hand. "Bring her."

The sentries complied, dragging out the unconscious rebel. The halfbreed narrowed his eyes at the sight of her, his head fur bristling. "I thought you said she was alive."

"Rest assured, I intend to keep to keep my end of the bargain." Haggar stated. "She is alive, merely unconscious."

Frowning, he lowered his arms slightly. "I want to check."

"Champion," Haggar began, "-show the red paladin the prisoner."

Once again, the red paladin seemed to freeze, his breath hitching in his throat. He thought nothing of it, merely grabbing the rebel from the sentries that held her, half dragging her unconscious body to present to the red paladin as he watched on in horror.

He seemed to mouth something, silent and voiceless.

Then he shook it off, crouching down in front of Te-Osh. Checking her pulse with a surprising amount of gentleness, he exhaled as he found it. Swallowing, he rose to his feet, visibly avoiding looking at him.

It was a paradox.

From what he had heard of the red paladin, he was filled with fire, carrying with him its destructive force. For having a crew of only two, his space pirate operation had carved a comparatively large swath of destruction in its wake. He took risks, fought with reckless abandon, and left Galra cruisers listing in empty space after taking them for all that they were worth.

He had even felled a Commander or two.

But this... there was no fire here. Steel, perhaps, but no fire.

Something stung.

"Her condition is to your satisfaction, I assume." Haggar spoke.

There was the fire. It flickered in his gaze, directed at Haggar, like a furious inferno. "Yes."

"Then we have an agreement?" Haggar asked, but he knew it was not a question.

"Yes." The red paladin repeated. "As promised, I will surrender myself."

Haggar seemed to consider his words for a moment, before lifting a hand. "Load the rebel into his ship. We shall have it return to the Castle of Lions on autopilot. I trust that you do not have an issue with that?"

Clenching his fists, the red paladin didn't tear his gaze away from Haggar. "No."

Inclining her head, the pair of sentries stepped forward. Handing Te-Osh over to them, he returned to Haggar's side, not missing the way the red paladin seemed to exhale once there was distance put between them, even if the paladin himself did not seem to notice.

Tossing Te-Osh into the Altean pod, one of the sentries set the autopilot. No sooner than had it removed itself from the cockpit, did it enclose itself once more.

Once the pod was gone, something in the red paladin's demeanor seemed to change. And there, he thought, was the fire again.

The luxite knife he possessed cut through the sentries with practiced ease, but the knife he had thrown in Haggar's direction had been deflected with just as much ease. She did not so much as blink, even as the red paladin removed his knife from the chest of a still sparking sentry, pointing it towards her.

"I'm taking Shiro back too."

"Uh, princess? There's a pod leaving the cruiser."

Looking at the images of the radar map that Lance was feeding her from the blue lion, Allura's lips twitched into a frown. There was indeed a pod leaving from Haggar's cruiser- the same one that Keith had arrived in.

"See if you can do a biometric scan." Allura said. "It may be Te-Osh."

In which case, the initial exchange had gone off without a hitch. The thought should have been comforting, but it only managed to unsettle her. Since when had dealing with the Galra ever been this easy?

Either there was some kind of a trap in this- or it was simply testament to just how much Zarkon's witch desired Keith. Given that she had apparently conducted experiments on him, it certainly raised more than its fair share of questions.

But more importantly, she was concerned for Keith.

If this Haggar truly wanted him so badly that she was willing to keep to the letter of her word, what did that mean for him? She could not imagine that she would simply allow him to escape, especially not with another presumed subject of her experiments. As much as there was a tiny, needling part of her that loathed the idea of comparing him to her father at all, she was fully willing to believe that the new red paladin was likely half as stubborn as the old.

In other words, she doubted he intended to leave without Shiro, no matter what he might have said.

She simply hoped that the red lion had a bit more sense, were that the case. She had sensed how deeply it cared for its new paladin, and the more she learned about Keith, the more she felt she understood that. Although the red lion was notoriously picky, she was also the most loyal- once she had committed to a paladin, that bond was difficult to break.

The red lion likely sensed what she sensed- the warped quintessence of its chosen paladin. Unlike her, it likely was aware of what that meant, but whatever the case, it would be enough to know that Keith, was in some way, fundamentally broken. Perhaps... perhaps it was even providing him some form of stability, though she could not say for sure if such a thing was possible or not.

But then, there was much about the lions they did not yet understand.

"I think it is Te-Osh." Lance's voice crackled over the coms, breaking her out of the reverie her thoughts had cast her into. "And I think she's unconscious."

"Is she alone?" Allura inquired. She didn't need to ask if she was alive. The scan would have picked up on that if she weren't.

"I'm not detecting anything else in the pod." Lance told her. "Or anyone."

"I can access the pod remotely." Coran piped up. "See what's going on."

"Do it." Allura instructed.

Typing away at his console, Coran frowned. "It appears to be on autopilot. Following the route it took back, more or less."

Heaving a sigh, Allura's shoulders slumped. At least that was one bit of good news, however apprehensive it made her.

Still, it was possible that Haggar yet intended to doublecross them.

"Hunk," Allura began, "-escort the pod back to the Castle. There is still a chance that Haggar might intend to destroy it en route."

"Can do." Hunk said.

"Good." Allura said. "Lance, remain where you are. Has there been any other movement?"

"Nope, no movement yet." Lance told her.

"Pidge?" Allura asked. "How are things on your end?"

"We were able to access the ship." Pidge reported. "Matt and I are making our way to the command module now. No sign of anything out of place."

Exhaling, Allura still frowned. So far, everything was progressing as it should. But she could not allow herself to relax- she could not call the plan a success until Keith had returned to the Castle of Lions with his brother in tow, at which point, they could begin to work out just what it was that Haggar had done to him to get him to follow her orders.

And she hoped, perhaps, that Keith would open up a bit in regards to just what Haggar had done to him as well.

"Let me know if anything changes." Allura instructed. "Remember, we do not have a line in place to contact Keith. Pidge, Matt, the two of you are our only way of knowing if something has gone wrong on the cruiser."

"Copy that, princess." Matt told her. "We'll keep an ear out for any alarms."

"Good." Allura said. "Take caution."

She just prayed things continued to go as smoothly as they were. But she knew that was not realistic- a confrontation was inevitable.

They were already still missing a black paladin. She could only just pray they would not have to start searching for a new red paladin as well.

"I'm taking Shiro back too."

Maybe if he spoke with resolve, Haggar wouldn't see right through him.

But it was too late, he knew. His voice had already trembled when he'd spoken first. He'd frozen up the minute he'd stepped out of the pod- before that, even. She knew. It was hard to have dignity in the face of someone who had used you effectively as a guinea pig.

But he still had it.

Even if the sight of Shiro made his blood run cold.

He'd heard from Matt, but it was worse than he could have ever imagined. That wasn't- that wasn't Shiro. He might have Shiro's face, but that wasn't Shiro. This was a stranger, taking the place of his brother.

He hadn't even faltered at his own name.

But Shiro had to be in there. He had to believe that. He wouldn't have... he couldn't have given up so easily. Not the Shiro he knew. Not the one who had told him once that he would never give up on him- and that he should never give up on himself. He didn't know what Haggar had done to him, how she had managed to brainwash him, but he refused to believe that there wasn't a way to return him to normal.

It wasn't even a matter of positive thinking, so much as it was downright denial. He hadn't come this far to back out now. He was getting Shiro back.

It took everything in him not to simply lunge for him the moment he'd stepped out of the pod. Shiro wasn't his only goal here, and getting Te-Osh secured was just as important. So he had controlled himself, just as long as it took to get Te-Osh on that pod and off of the cruiser.

Even if he failed here, at least they would be able to take away one victory. Two, if Matt and Pidge succeeded with that data download.

"I suspected you try something like this." Haggar observed. "But there is nothing left for you to take back."

It was a taunt. A lie. It had to be. Either way, he refused to believe it.

Gripping his knife tighter, Keith narrowed his eyes. All he needed to do was incapacitate Shiro, and call for the red lion. Even Haggar wouldn't be able to stop him then.

Even if he still wasn't sure if he was ready to fight Shiro, brainwashed or not.

"I'll be the judge of that." Keith shot back. "I don't know what you did to him, but I'm not letting you use him any longer."

Haggar looked unperturbed, probably already under the belief that her victory was assured. That she would end this day with two living weapons, not just one.

Like hell.

"High priestess," he felt a shiver run down his spine at the sound of Shiro's voice, so familiar, yet so distant, cold, "-shall I subdue him?"

This wasn't Shiro, Keith thought. It wasn't him, so he'd be able to fight him.

Yeah, he didn't buy that either.

Lifting her head, Haggar looked down at him. "Yes."

As Shiro lifted his arm to his chest, clenching his fist over his heart, Keith felt his blood run cold. He had to fight the urge to cover his ears- no, no, he didn't want to hear this, he didn't want to hear Shiro say that, he couldn't-

"Vrepit sa."

Gritting his teeth, Keith heard himself growl. Anger, frustration exploded out of him at once, born on the edge of his knife. Lunging forward, he already knew his strike wouldn't reach Haggar, but he still wasn't totally prepared for Shiro to block it.

Matt had mentioned the arm- made of dull metal, gleaming the pink-purple color of tainted quintessence where it flowed through, like some kind of a power source. It had been constructed to look Galra, with claws that made his own look like they were just vaguely sharp nails. It churned his gut to see, like a piece of a monster sewn on to someone he cared about.

Matt hadn't said anything about the built-in sword.

It gleamed pink-purple in the dim light of the hangar, twisting Shiro's visage further. It caught the edge of his knife, locking it in place, their strength equal.

But Shiro had more mass, more bulk, and in a stalemate like this, that would win out in the end. Breaking contact, Keith quickly put some distance between the two of them. He didn't want to drag this out- the faster he finished, the better.

He really, really didn't want to fight Shiro.

Shiro lunged towards him, barely giving him time to react. He was fast- faster than he remembered. The arm probably wasn't Haggar's only so-called improvement.

Blocking his sword strike with his knife, Keith felt his feet give a bit. They were matched in strength, but Shiro's added mass gave him more momentum- and he couldn't stand up to that. In other words, keeping his distance wasn't a good idea either.

He was starting to realize this might be bad.

He was fast and agile, but this situation didn't give him a chance to put that to good use. No to mention, all he had was a knife- he'd only brought the one spare. There was his bayard, but he wasn't putting his faith into being able to use it.

He didn't realize he'd been hit until the wind was already leaving his lungs.

The force of the blow sent him backwards, barely able to catch his footing. Shiro didn't give him any time to rest, already launching another attack, one that he barely had time to avoid, rolling out of the way. Resting a hand over the pit of his stomach, he gasped for breath.

One of his ribs was broken. Possibly more.

Yeah. This was bad.

He could feel his heart throb, a familiar tingle creeping up the back of his spine. Beneath the dark fabric of his shirt, he felt a hot glow burn at his chest, the steady thrum growing louder. But he forced it back- not here, not now. He wasn't using this power, not like this. He knew that he could heal a broken rib or two if he just let himself use it, but he couldn't. Wouldn't.

Not while Shiro was here.

Not while Haggar was here. He had too much of her quintessence in him already. It didn't convert, not fully, not in the way that it should- and he shuddered at the thought, at the way he had phrased it like it was something natural.

There was nothing natural about being able to drain quintessence.

"Shiro," he gasped out, realizing that no, he definitely could not do this, he didn't want to do this, "-come on. We don't have to do this."

Shiro merely stared him down, gray eyes cold.

"I don't know any Shiro."

The red paladin's movements were not what he had hoped for.

Before he had elected to serve the Galra Empire, he had been a gladiator, fighting for glory in Emperor Zarkon's arenas. It had been how he had earned the moniker of Champion, undefeated in the ring.

There were times he still found himself itching for a good fight.

He had expected to get as much from the red paladin. His reputation preceded him- but what he got instead was a combatant who clearly wished he were somewhere else.

It was the ultimate insult.

Combat was the guiding light of the Galra Empire, one that burned away all imperfections, a view that he had come to embrace. His strength in battle were what had allowed him to rise up in ranks, from a lowly prisoner, to Emperor Zarkon's Champion. Indeed, that strength had allowed him to burn away his own imperfections- anything that had been cast aside in the process only served to make him weak.

And yet, the red paladin was telling him he didn't wish to fight.

Leveling his energy blade at the halfbreed, his eyes narrowed. "I don't know any Shiro."

His words were the truth. He knew no such person. He failed to see what the red paladin would gain from his resistance. If he were searching for this Shiro, he would not find him here. Better to surrender himself, if he did not wish to fight.

Watching as the red paladin rose to his feet, he took in a long, shaky breath. He had felt something snap when he had slammed his knee into the paladin's stomach, but it would not hinder him for long. He was designed to heal quickly.

He braced himself, expecting to feel the pull of his quintessence leaving him, only for it not to come. Narrowing his eyes, he stared down at the red paladin, perplexed.

He was holding it back.

It was baffling. It was the one attack that he would be unable to defend himself from, yet the paladin chose not to use it, even after sustaining an injury that would hinder his ability to fight.

Instead he pressed a hand to his side, keeping his grip on his knife tight with his other. "Shiro," he gasped out, almost seeming to beg, "-please."

It was then that it struck him that Shiro was him.

Something stung.

"-looks like the only one left is-"

He fought it back. He did not know what trick the red paladin was using, but he would not allow it. He was the Champion, a loyal servant to the Galra Empire. That was the only thing that mattered.

He was not Shiro.

"I am the Champion," he stated, "-and I fight in the name of the Galra."

Gritting his teeth, a hint of the red paladin's fire flickered across his face. "No you're not, and no, you don't." He hissed. "You're Takashi Shirogane, of Earth. And you're not that kind of person."

Dropping his hand from his side, the red paladin lunged forward. It caught him off guard, allowing the paladin to return his earlier favor. If he had been as strong as a pure Galra, he might have been in danger, but the paladin's blow only served to crack his ribs, not even breaking them.

It did not suffice to uproot him from his stance.

The second the paladin recognized this, he attempted to put some distance between them, but it was already too late. Banishing the energy sword, he grabbed him with his right hand, smashing him into the ground. The paladin raised his blade to strike, but he stomped on his wrist with his foot, a howl of pain ripping itself from his lips.

Something burned.

The red paladin was in pain. Keith was in pain.

He blinked, and the thought was chased away. Haggar had allowed him to use force, and he had no qualms in doing so. The paladin's name was of no importance.

He was just an enemy he needed to defeat. Like countless others he had before.

"Haggar warned me that you would speak lies." He hissed.

Grunting, the red paladin grabbed his right arm with his free hand, glowering up at him. "They're not lies."

They were, he knew.

They're not, some tiny part of him whispered, and he narrowed his eyes at that. Perhaps there was some truth to his words- perhaps in his old life, he had known the red paladin. But it did not matter- whatever his old life had been, he had chosen of his own free will to let go of it.

It made him weak, and was therefore unnecessary.

"Shiro, please," the paladin gasped out, his voice raspy, "-it's Keith."

"I know your name, paladin." He stated, unfazed.

The paladin twitched at his words, glower fading into a pained expression. Just as quickly, resolve set itself in his place. Bracing his foot against the pit of his stomach, he forced him back, gasping for breath the moment he was free of his grip. Staggering to his feet, he switched hands, his already pale face even paler.

For a brief moment, he felt the earlier expected pull, a faint sensation of exhaustion hitting him as his quintessence was pulled out from his body. The paladin's eyes went wide, almost frightened- and at once, the pull halted, as abruptly as it had started.

So he was holding it back.

Narrowing his eyes, he summoned the energy blade again. "If you do not wish to fight, then surrender."

The request felt strange on his lips. Normally, he would simply overwhelm his opponents, but for whatever reason, he simply wanted to end this, rather than bring an end to it.

"I don't want to fight you, Shiro." The paladin said, using that name again. He was stubborn with it, insistent, even. "But I'm not leaving here without you."

"You," he began, stepping forward, "-are not going anywhere!"

Lunging, he angled his blade at the paladin's lower torso. He doubted the small amount of quintessence he had stolen earlier would have been enough to heal his broken ribs, so he would strike there, compounding the previous injury.

It would ensure his victory.

The paladin was already moving to deflect, but it was too little, too late. His luxite knife would not be enough to protect him.

For a split second, he felt a strong pull on his right arm, like there was something holding it back- only for it to simply shut down. Sword flickering, the glow of his arm's quintessence dimmed, rendering it lifeless at his side. What-?

Ulaz.

The paladin appeared to be just as confused by this turn of events as he did, but he didn't hesitate to take advantage of it. Stepping inside of his guard again, he slammed his knee into his chin, with enough force to send him staggering back.

The next blow, to his head, was enough to render him unconscious.

In his last moment of awareness, he expected to feel frustration at his unseemly defeat. To loathe Ulaz for his treachery, for his arm failing him had to have been his work.

Instead, he simply felt relieved.

Swallowing, Keith forced himself to take a long breath, though it pained him to do so. Honestly, it was taking almost all of his concentration to keep the quintessence drain in check, but the alternative was worse, so he resisted it. Once he was secure in the red lion, he could give in, but he refused to take it from a living person.

Especially not Shiro.

Even if Shiro wasn't Shiro anymore.

He didn't understand what had just happened, but whatever it was, it had given him a chance. Clutching his side, the crackle of electricity was all the warning he got, before a surge of it was sent his way.

So Haggar wasn't letting him rest.

That was fine. The red lion was already on her way.

He just hoped she was faster than Haggar's temper, because it was clear she was pissed. Of course she was- there was no way she had expected this outcome.

But he was getting out of here, with Shiro.

Rolling to dodge the bolt of lightning, he grabbed Shiro by the shoulder. He was pretty much dead weight, including his metal arm- and in his condition, that made him heavy.

But he wasn't leaving him. Hell no.

The red lion's roar reverberated through his skull.

Paladin, she said, I am here.

Just like that, Red took both him and Shiro in her jaws- and a sizable portion of the hangar with it, leaving Haggar's second blast to crackle harmlessly off of the lion.

"Good kitty," Keith muttered, fighting the urge to just fall over right there, "-let's roll."