Chapter 14: Shiro's Escape

At the Castle, Shiro was recovering inside a pod as Jenny was bringing up to date on how she found the White Lion to Ayame, who is now wearing a black off-shoulder shirt with sleeves that reached up to her forearm along with a white strapped crop top over it. The shirt had a black line pattern in the middle. She was also wearing a black choker and two black and white bracelets on both of her wrists. Her top was tucked in with a white belt and she wore black pants with black and white boots.

"You really found the White Lion?"

"Yep."

"And what about Kumiko after that?"

"I... don't really know. I helped her change her mind, I know that much. The rest is up to her from here on out, though."

"Well, I hope she can get by."

"You and me both. But that's not the strangest part. When the White Lion was speaking to me, I saw... a vision. There was you and another version of you, only more Galra-like. They came together into one being and... a voice in that vision called you... 'The Dark Flame.'"

"The Dark Flame?"

"Yeah. And she knew my name. You think it's talking about Xaira?"

"Maybe. I don't know."

Then, the girls heard Shiro grunting and grew concerned.

"Takashi..."

"Is he okay?"

Babak and Allura gave them the lowdown of the situation.

"According to the biometric scans, he's physically intact. But his mind is another story."

"It's quite normal, though. Sometimes, the healing process can cause involuntary brain wave reactions."

Belle had an idea of what it meant for him as the torture continued.

"You mean he's having a nightmare?"

"Or a vision."

"He just got blasted by a space witch, attacked by a Galra general, and mauled by giant lizards. What dream could be worse than that?"

"There's an easy answer for that, Keith. An event that has either already or will have taken place that you wish you'd forget seeing."

Babak couldn't be more right as Shiro was witnessing his own event.

At the Operation room, Komar was supervising Shiro's operation as he was trying to break free.

"No, no! No. You took my hand. What more do you want from me?"

"Your life."

Then, Komar injected the sedative into Shiro before an unknown Galra stopped him.

"Stop! I want him awake enough to feel this."

"Don't you dare tell me how to operate. Lest you forget, I'm in charge here."

Then, the Galra retaliated against Komar by knocking him to a wall and clubbing him on the head with his own siphon, knocking Komar unconscious before he untied Shiro.

"Listen to me. We don't have much time."

Shiro couldn't keep his eyes open before the Galra slapped him across the face.

"Wake up! Zarkon and Kaecilius have already located the Blue Lion of Voltron on your planet, Earth. You must get it before they do."

"What are you doing?"

"I've planted a bomb to cover your escape. Find Lapis and get to a pod, now."

Who are you?"

"I am Ulaz. Now, come on! Zarkon and Kaecilius will know that I released you, so I must disappear. I've already freed Lapis and sent her to a pod. If you survive, go to the coordinates on your arm. The Blade of Marmora is with you."

"Why are you helping me?"

"As a fighter and a leader, you give hope. Hurry! Earth needs you. We all do."

Then, Ulaz went out of sight while Shiro ran the halls in search of a pod. Along the way, he found Lapis who kept her weapon trained on him until she realized who it was.

"Shiro."

Then, Lapis helped him up before he spoke to her.

"Ulaz said he sent you to a pod."

"I didn't stay there, though. What about your friend?"

Then, as if on cue, Belle spoke up.

"Right behind you."

Shiro saw her and ran toward her.

"Belle!"

Then, Lapis noticed her eyes with purple irises.

"Wait, Shiro. It's not her."

Then, Shiro stopped himself halfway and saw her eyes as well.

"Who are you, really?"

Then, Belle began to show a wicked smile.

"Looks like I couldn't trick you. Guess you'll have to call me... 'Kren.'"

Then, Kren fired dark purple lightning from her synthetic arm at Shiro, only for her to miss as Lapis shoved her aside.

"We have to go."

Then, they took off before Kren spoke to Kaecilius in a mental link.

"They're escaping. Should I stop them?"

"No. Let them be. Once we have the Blue Lion, it'll make no difference."

Then, Shiro and Lapis found a pod as they turned behind them to see the drones advancing toward them before they opened fire.

"This isn't good."

As they fired, Lapis and Shiro made a break for the pod as it was about to close on them. However, when they got in, the drones tried to break in before Lapis clutched onto the doors and pulled hard to close them, slicing a drone's arm off in the process. Then, as it took off, Shiro and Lapis fell to the floor and the both of them took their breath before they fell unconscious.

When Shiro woke up, he found Keith, Ayame, Jenny, and Belle looking at him.

"Shiro."

"You're okay."

"Can you not do that to us again?"

"What happened?"

Shiro: "I've... I've got something to tell you. When I was captured, there was a Galra in that ship who freed me and Lapis."

Hearing this, Allura and Azix grew surprised at their own pace.

"What? A Galra freed you?"

"By chance, what was his name?"

"Ulaz."

When Ayame heard his name, she remembered the favor Xarnas asked her to do and looked at the Luxite Blade given to her.

At Zarkon's command center, Prorok was in a tomb as Haggar commenced a ritual.

"You know I'm innocent! I would never betray Zarkon! Kaecilius is weakening the empire!"

"You misunderstand. I'm giving you the opportunity to serve the empire. You will have the honor of personally bringing down Voltron."

Then, Haggar thrusted her hand towards Prorok, earning his agonizing scream before he fell silent and the robot with small arms and a large jaw below its two yellow eyes activated.

At the Castle, all personnel within it were called to the data room for identifying the coordinates as they continued the conversation.

"I'm not finding any coordinates in here. Are you sure this wasn't just a dream?"

"I'm positive. Ulaz helped us escape."

Allura felt it to be suspicious.

"And he was Galra?"

Lapis can easily see her distrust.

"You don't sound too happy about that."

"You know you cannot trust them."

Jenny then spilled the beans on what they found out.

"You must have trusted them once. Zarkon was the original Black Paladin, wasn't he?"

"That was then, and this is now."

Hearing that revelation, Lance grew surprised before Jenny explained and Keith gave out a few details.

"Wait, what?"

"Yeah, I know. I didn't see that coming, either."

"Didn't you see how he stole the Black Lion right out from under Shiro? Or that he could do that cool stuff with his bayard? Shiro's bayard? You know, the black one?"

"Why didn't you just tell us the truth about Zarkon?"

Allura tried to justify herself in the matter.

"I wanted to protect you from the dark history of the Paladins so that you would have a chance to bond with the lions on your own. You are the Black Paladin now, not Zarkon."

"Yeah, well, the Black Lion might have a different take on the matter."

Then, Lapis looked at the code and recognized it.

"Hold on. I know this code. Let me just extract it. Can I see that, Pidge?"

"Uh, sure."

Then, Lapis entered the code and got a thorough coordinate location.

"Got it. The coordinates lead to the Thaldycon system."

"Then that's where we're headed."

Keith, Lapis, Belle, Ayame,and Jenny have their two cents about this.

"Shiro, are you sure you can trust this? I mean, after all the Galra have done to you... They... they took your arm..."

"And controlled my father."

"And wiped my mind."

"And experimented on me."

"And made me look like a grandma."

"It's worth the risk. Ulaz helped us escape. If we can locate some allies in our fight against Zarkon and Kaecilius, especially ones from his own side, we might just find a way to take them down."

Allura reluctantly agreed to it for the time being before Lapis stated the importance of this.

"We can check the location, but I do not like this."

"Me neither. But if there's a chance that my own race is actually doing something about Zarkon and Kaecilius... we have to take it."

Later, the Castle went to the Thaldycon system, only to find a field of giant crystals.

"Well, this is it. No sign of any activity at all, living or otherwise."

"Can we get in there to take a closer look?"

Coran felt Shiro's suggestion to be unwise.

"I don't want to bring the Castle any closer. Those Xanthorium chunks contain highly unstable nitrate salts. Even bumping one of them can blow us straight to Wozblay."

Knowing that there must be more to this location, Azix checked with Babak again.

"Are you positive these are the coordinates?"

"These are the coordinates Lapis gave us."

Then, Jenny began to feel an overpowering sense that there's more.

"I don't know. For some reason, I can't help but feel that there's more to this."

Allura, however, just wanted to get on with the day.

"We should get out of here. We've checked it out, but now, it's time to move on."

As for Ayame, she knew something was up.

"I'd rather wait."

"But why?"

"Because I think there's more to what's in front of us, too. Trap or not, we need to know what's happening."

At the Command Center, Haggar walked up to Zarkon and spoke to him.

"Sire, Prorok's transformation is complete. We only need to know where to send him."

Later, Zarkon was again commencing the ritual from his attack on Voltron.

"Now, reach out with your mind!"

During the ritual, Zarkon seemed to have traveled in space all the way to the Castle in the Thaldycon system before he fell to the ground and groaned as he returned to reality.

"I have the coordinates to launch the beast."

At the Castle, an unknown being triggered an alarm that set everyone at high alert, Allura most of all as she stated her disbelief after Coran and Lance.

"There's an intruder in the Castle!"

"How could someone just sneak aboard the ship?"

"I knew coming here was a mistake!"

Ayame only saw the bright side of it.

"Maybe, but he's proof that there is something going on. Where is he?"

Allura looked at the Castle levels and found the intruder on the monitor.

"There he is. Level five."

Given what they know, Ayame relayed the ideal strategy.

"We could cut him off there."

"Everyone, suit up."

Then, the Paladins swarmed to the intruder at Level Five in their uniforms, save for Ayame, who was still in her casual outfit. Lance was the first to confront the intruder.

"I got him."

"Keep eyes on him, Lance. We're all headed toward you."

Then, the intruder turned to see Lance.

"Hold it right there!"

Then, Lance fired his shotgun at the intruder, who evaded his fire as he went over them.

"Careful, he's faster than an angry klanmüirl! But he can jump like a sprightly globinheffer!"

"Coran, you're not helping!"

"Somebody's as mad as a wet chüper. Coming your way, number five!"

Then, Pidge noticed the intruder and fired her bayard at him, only for him to flip and catch the line.

"We got him!"

Then, the intruder dragged them along as he ran. With that, Lance arrived just in time to see Pidge being dragged.

"He's dragging Pidge away!"

"Come back here!"

Hunk overheard the commotion and grew alert.

"Huh?"

However, he failed to hit the target as it went by him and ended up hitting near Pidge.

"Hunk!"

"Huh? Sorry!"

Hunk followed pursuit as Coran criticized him.

"Oh, Hunk failed the team, guys."

"Hey!"

Then, it was Keith's turn to ambush him.

"All right, it's up to Keith now."

"Copy that. I'm ready."

Then, Keith ran through the hall in hopes of intercepting the intruder.

"Ooh, this is exciting! He's got a sword. One young Paladin, one seemingly indestructible foe..."

When Keith got to the corner, he found Pidge screaming as she was dragged off by the intruder, whom Lance was pursuing. As Keith caught up with him, he attempted to attack him twice but failed.

"Swing and a miss! Oh, another swing and a miss! He can't touch him! He's too fast!"

Then, Pidge grunted as she pulled on the cable, causing the intruder to suddenly jolt back and fall to the floor before Keith lunged at him and clashed his sword with his blade, which he took notice of and grew perplexed before the intruder knocked his sword away.

"He knocked his bayard out of his hands! It's on the ground!"

Then, Jenny shouted to the intruder.

"Hey, mystery guy!"

The intruder turned toward Jenny, who got her chain blade ready as she smirked.

"Watt's up?"

Then, she wrapped her chain blade around him before shocking him with its electric capabilities before it proved ineffective as he used his blade to cut it off of him, much to Jenny's disappointment.

"Hey! No fair!"

Then, Sandra focused in on the intruder from another hall before she got a lock on him.

"Gotcha."

Then, the intruder noticed Sandra just as she made her shot, barely hitting his armor before he tossed Keith at her, colliding him with Sandra. Then, Keith got up and tried to attack back, only for him to grab his arm and use the momentum to chuck him to the other Paladins before Belle moved in and clashed her energy sword with his blade, both at equal strength. Belle broke away and moved in close to find an opening, only for the intruder to knee her in the stomach and did a piledriver to smash her to the floor. Then, Ayame walked towards the intruder before summoning her blade given to her by Xarnas and held it by his neck as he held his own blade to her face. During the standstill, Shiro, Zaltron, Lapis, Allura, Coran, and Azix arrived at the scene before the intruder saw the blade she held. In response, he drew his blade back while Ayame did the same. Then, the mask bore a blue luminescent ripple before it revealed his face. It had a short white mohawk with yellow eyes and pointy ears. Shiro and Lapis immediately recognized him.

"Ulaz?"

Then, in an instant, Allura slammed him to the wall.

"Who are you?"

Seeing him as well, Azure reassured his allegiance.

"Release him, Princess. He's one of the Galra you can trust."

"And how would you know?"

Lapis made the answer easier for her.

"Because he helped me and Shiro escape."

With that, Ulaz turned to Shiro and Lapis before he spoke.

"You've come."

Zaltron then stepped forth and spoke to his companion.

"We have reason to believe that you've requested our assistance from the coordinates you've presented us."

"Of course. And with the legendary Zaltron, it appears I'm all the luckier."

Then, Ulaz looked toward Ayame.

"Ayame... look how you've grown."

"Huh? How'd you know my name? I can understand Shiro and Lapis, but how do you know me?"

"You were only a child back then. Back when I've rescued you."

Ayame's eyes then widened in shock before looking at her blade and then to Ulaz.

Later, Ulaz sat at the couch, his hands and feet handcuffed, much to Ayame's discomfort.

"Is this really necessary, Allura?"

"I will not have some quiznaking Galra soldier on the bridge of my ship!"

Hearing the tone in her voice, Sandra grew surprised.

"Yikes, Allura. I get that you're mad, but take it easy with the language, will you?"

"If I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead already."

Having been through her share of brainwashing, Belle took it seriously.

"Is that supposed to be a threat?"

"I'm not trying to win your trust. I'm trying to win a war. And thanks to Shiro and Lapis, we're closer than we've ever been. Our gamble on you paid off better than we could've imagined."

Shiro and Lapis then spoke of what he told them last time they met.

"When you released us, you also mentioned that there were others working with you."

"You said that they're called the Blade of Marmora, too."

"Yes."

This made Hunk nervous, earning Lance's disapproval.

"Uh, others? Are they here?"

"Hunk, can you try not to act so scared around the chained-up prisoner? It makes us seem a little lame."

"I am alone on this base."

This confused Ayame as she spoke to Ulaz next.

"What base? There's nothing but Xanthorium clusters out here."

"The base is hidden. Now that I know it is Shiro, Lapis, and Ayame that have come, you are welcome to our outpost. It lies dead ahead."

Pidge was still confused at present with the location.

"Behind all the Xanthorium clusters?"

"No. Right in front of it, in a hidden pocket of space-time."

Allura spoke to Coran and Jenny in a fit of disbelief.

"Coran, Jenny, are you hearing this?"

At the main hangar, Jenny and Coran took notice of the change.

"Actually, he's right. I can see it."

"Me, too. I am picking up some kind of anomy on the screen. I suppose it could be a cloaked base."

"Just fly straight to the center of the Xanthorium cluster. You will see."

Babak gave his two cents from a speaker.

"Hah! You really believe we'll blow this Castle to pieces just because you say so?!"

Shiro reminded them of the importance of the task.

"We came out here to find some answers. Are we going to turn back now?"

Keith, Lance, Pidge, and Hunk felt it best as they spoke to him.

"You know I trust you, Shiro, but this doesn't feel right."

"And you know, I hate to agree with Keith, but it's a big fat ditto from me."

"The Galra could've implanted fake memories in you and Belle's heads. That's probably how Belle got under Kaecilius' control."

"Oh, come on, that would be so evil, which, of course, they are. But they have to come up with some molecular level storage unit, which their arms do have. But, to be linked up to memory, it would need a direct pathway to their brains, which... yeah."

"Ulaz freed us. Without him, we wouldn't be here."

For a while, there was a moment of silence as Allura looked to Ulaz before she sighed.

"Fine. Slow and steady, Coran. Head for the Xanthorium cluster."

"Yes, Princess. Beginning approach."

Then, Coran slowly accelerated the Castle towards the cluster before an alarm came on.

"Impact imminent in five... four... three... two..."

However, at the very last second, space began warping and turning into a rainbow nebula in hyperspeed, surprising Coran and Jenny.

"Well, that's something."

"No way..."

Hearing their surprise, Allura spoke to them.

"What is it?"

"Putting it up on the screens."

Then, the group saw what Coran was seeing in wonder and surprise as Pidge and Hunk spoke.

"Amazing. They're folding space."

"It's like a space taco. Or a space calzone. Or a space-time soup dumpling and were the soup. Hey, is there a cafeteria in this thing?"

Sandra only sighed at his love of cuisine at times like this.

"Oh, Hunk."

Then, they've arrived at a large base with a machine working in a triangle producing purple lightning toward the center.

"Welcome to the Blade of Marmora Communications Base Thaldycon. Now, if you'll free me, I need to send a message to the leadership. They need to know I've made contact with Voltron and Zaltron."

"Go with him and keep an eye on him. I'm staying here."

Hunk and Pidge were more than ecstatic to go, however.

"Ooh! Can we go?"

"I want to see how they make the space pocket!"

"You guys go ahead. I'll hang back and protect Jenny and the Princess."

This earned a groan from Allura while Jenny spoke.

"Oh, that's nice."

Outside, Keith, Ayame, Shiro, Pidge, Hunk, Sandra, Belle, Lapis, Azix, and Zaltron went along with Ulaz to the base.

"This is the gravity chamber that creates the space-time fold that hides the station. It was built by a reclusive genius engineer named Slav. His technology allows the Blade of Marmora to remain hidden while we work to take down the Galra Empire. Zarkon would do anything to get his hands on this technology."

Taking in the info, Belle and Ayame spoke to Ulaz.

"So there are Galra out there who weren't loyal to Zarkon?"

"I don't know how that makes me feel better, but somehow... it does."

Lapis then spoke to Ulaz on the matter herself.

"So, what started the Blade of Marmora in the first place?"

"We thought expanding the Galra Empire would bring stability. We learned too late, a tyrant doesn't seek stability, only power."

"There's always a reason for power, though, isn't there? I mean, he can't be evil to begin with, right?"

"Truth be told, I never gave it any thought."

"Well, I have. From what father told me, he went in a forbidden part of the universe to save his wife. At the end, he wasn't the same, seeing as he failed to help her."

At the ship, Keith and Ayame looked around the ship and saw its gravity generator active as Ulaz spoke.

"With our members working on the inside, planning coordinated attacks with Voltron, we may finally have a chance."

Hunk spoke up to review what he's been told.

"So, you have agents working within Zarkon's ranks?"

"How do you think you got away from Zarkon in that last fight? Do you think those shields at the command center went down on their own? We've got people risking their lives in this war, just like you."

Pidge, knowing they'd provide a good search, spoke with him about two certain prisoners.

"If you have people on the inside, can they let me know where my family is? They were taken the same time Shiro and Belle were."

"I knew others from Earth were captured. I never saw them, but I have some records of Galra prisoners here. I can transmit them to your ship."

Then, Ayame and Keith noticed his blade before the latter spoke.

"What's that weapon you carry?"

Ulaz knew what he was talking about and presented it.

"It's a ceremonial blade that each member of our order carries."

"Hmm, nice."

Then, Ayame took her turn to speak.

"I have that blade, too. Thanks to Xarnas."

Ulaz widened his eyes at the mention of his name before she went on.

"He told me to tell you he's paid for his mistakes. What did he mean?"

Ulaz hung his head down before he spoke.

"A long time ago, Xarnas gifted that blade to Zarkon as an act of treachery against the Blade of Marmora before he passed it on to his daughter as a gift."

Ayame widened her eyes in shock before she grew saddened.

"I get it. Sorry I asked."

"You've nothing to be sorry for, child."

Then, an alarm blared, much to the group's surprise. Ulaz looked at the Monitor and saw the metal Prorok propelling toward them.

"Oh, no! You were tracked!"

"What? Us?"

Keith grew suspicious at this while Lapis figured it out.

"If Zarkon knows we're here, it's because you ratted us out."

"I'm not so sure it was Ulaz, Keith. When we were getting Jenny's Quintessence back, we found a dark rift hovering above it. Maybe Kaecilius gave him some intel."

"Well, whatever happened, that thing found us."

As Prorok moved in, Hunk tried to decide on what to call it as Shiro spoke next on the important task for the moment.

"It's another one of Zarkon's robot... beast... robeasts!"

"We have to get back to the ship."

Before they could leave, Ulaz handed Shiro a small flash drive.

"Shiro, wait. These are instructions on how to reach the Blade of Marmora headquarters. Before you go there, find out how Zarkon and Kaecilius are tracking you. If you lead him there, our entire underground network, everything we've spent centuries building will be lost."

Outside, Zaltron, Sandra, Belle, Azix, Lapis, Keith, Shiro, Hunk, and Pidge went back to the ship as Jenny got a report.

"Bad news. Ulaz and the others were tracked."

Babak saw it coming and labeled it as betrayal.

"I knew he cannot be trusted!"

Shiro knew well enough of the situation, however as he contradicted Babak.

"It wasn't him."

"How can you be sure?"

Coran and Hunk focused on present issues over what led up to it.

"It doesn't matter now. What should we do?"

"Why can't we hide here in the space clam and wait for it to go away?"

Sandra knew the plan wouldn't work, considering they found it themselves.

"It doesn't work that way. If the Castle can detect anomalies like this, odds are, that robeast might do it, too."

With that, Shiro spoke to the team with Jenny replying back.

"Everyone get to your lions, but don't launch. We'll wait to see what this thing does. I don't want to risk fighting it if we don't have to."

"You got it, Chief."

Then, Jenny ran to her lion in the bay and went in.

Outside, Prorok has reached the clusters, but remained clueless about their location for the moment as Pidge spoke.

"We should be safe as long as we're hiding in the space pocket."

Then, Prorok opened his mouth before it sucked in the crystals and ate them up.

"He's drawing in the Xanthorium clusters."

Then, after filling up, he opened his mouth again, only to fire a dark red beam from his mouth, decimating some Xanthorium crystals as they braced impact. Then, Prorok scanned for an anomaly and found it as Pidge spoke while Shiro reigned them in.

"I think he knows we're here."

"Hold."

Then, he fired again, this time at the anomaly, and hit the Castle in the process, earning Coran and Babak's alarm.

"Direct hit! It definitely knows we're here!"

"Get the particle barrier up!"

Then, the Castle's defenses went up, placing a barrier to defend against the attacks just as Prorok prepared to strike again.

"He's readying another attack!"

Prorok opened his mouth and pulled the Castle in the process as Allura spoke.

"He's pulling us in as well, Paladins. I think it's time to launch!"

Shiro couldn't agree more on that.

Form Voltron!"

Then, the five Paladins formed their Voltron as Lapis utilized the Violet Voltron and both hit the robeast and knocked him back before it retaliated with rapid fire beams. In the process, it struck the gravity generator, exposing the Castle and Ulaz's ship.

"We're exposed! The space fold has been lowered!"

At Ulaz's ship, he worked on the craft, getting Ayame's notice.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm getting this ship out of here."

"When they need our help?"

"This isn't my fight, Ayame."

Ayame was shocked that Ulaz said those words after what he did for them before she began tensing her fist in anger.

"Not your fight? Not your fight?! Don't you dare say that it's not your fight! That ship has sailed the moment you freed us! My friends are out there, and you're just running away?! No! I won't have it!"

"Ayame, I..."

"I get that you have your duties, but without you, we won't be able to do ours and the universe will never be free. So you're helping us, whether you like it or not. I'm not asking."

Eventually, Ulaz admitted defeat before he accepted her proposal.

"Alright. What's the plan?"

Later, the ship took off and headed to the far edge as Jenny and Allura spoke.

"Well, there goes Ulaz."

"I knew we should never trust a Galra!"

Then, Ayame spoke to her on the transmission.

"Don't count him out just yet, Allura. I'm with him."

"Ayame? What are you—?"

"We've got a plan, guys. Takashi, do you think you can occupy him until we're ready?"

"We'll try. Fire lasers!"

Then, Voltron fired two lasers at Prorok, only for it to be ineffective other than bumping him away.

"Huh?"

Then, Prorok acted as a vacuum again as he sucked up the Xanthorium clusters while Pidge spoke of their situation.

"He's pulling in more ammo!"

When he's finished, Prorok began charging up again, forcing Shiro to tell the team to evacuate.

"Move, move, move!"

Then, Voltron barely got out of the way just as he fired, triggering countless explosions from the clusters and knocking Voltron off course.

"Lance, Hunk, give me full reverse thrusters!"

Voltron was able to stop itself from colliding, hovering just above a cluster before it got pulled in while Hunk spoke.

"This thing wants to eat us like we're a space taco!"

As Voltron struggled to break free, Lapis saw a window of opportunity and charged in.

"Hang on, guys! I'll make him back off!"

With that, the Violet Voltron fired an ion cannon from its chest and hit Prorok in the arm, forcing him to let go of Voltron as Keith spoke to her.

"Thanks, Lapis."

"You're welcome, Keith. But now what?"

Shiro knew very well how powerful the suction was and wanted to last longer.

"We've got to keep some distance between us and that robeast!"

"Ayame, if you've got a plan, you better do it now."

Fortunately, Ayame gave the good news.

"Don't worry. We've already figured out its weak point. Whenever he fills up on ammo, he stays in one place. If we could just counter with something destructive, it should do enough damage to that robeast."

Lance didn't find it helpful with the suction beam of Proknok's.

"Yeah, thanks for the tip. But how are we supposed to hurt it without it sucking us up?!"

Lapis thought she had a solution as she relayed it.

"I could use the ion cannon to take him down."

"And the clusters in the process. We can't risk that; we need to set specific coordinates where Prorok would be. Otherwise, it won't work."

Then, Prorok began firing bullets of dark red beams, to which Jenny noticed and got in the way inside the White Lion.

"Look out!"

Then, explosions were set off near the Voltron Team as Prorok moved in closer, only to be met with the White Lion before Jenny allowed it to summon its own jaw blade.

"You still seem kinda hungry. How about I take you on a little ride?"

Then, the White Lion impaled Prorok in his side with the jaw blade before it spun around and tossed him to the biggest Xanthorium cluster, enacting an explosion before the team looked on in wonder and amazement. However, that didn't last long as Prorok's dark red beam emerged and forced the White Lion to initiate its particle barrier. When it struck, it held no power over it as it continued onward, leaving Jenny impressed.

"Whoa! Where did the particle barrier come from?"

With that, Ayame gave the bad news.

"He's not staying still. Keep drawing out the fire!"

As this happened, Ulaz suddenly took Ayame by her arm and forced her into a pod, much to her concern.

"What are you doing?!"

"What is necessary."

With that, Ulaz set the pod to eject just as the beam had ceased and the White Lion soccer kicked the robeast farther away before it stopped midflight and began sucking up the clusters again, concerning Jenny before Ulaz spoke to her.

"Is that good?"

"Yes. Now go!"

Then, Ulaz's ship suddenly darted toward Prorok, much to the Paladin's surprise as Shiro spoke.

"Ulaz, what are you doing?"

"I'm going to take it down from the inside! I made sure Ayame got out of there safely!"

Hearing this, Ayame grew concerned for him.

"Ulaz, no! You don't have to do this!"

"Voltron is too valuable! The universe needs you."

Then, Ulaz's ship, along with its captain ended up swallowed by Prorok. For a moment, he was still. But then, he darted toward the Voltron Trio, making Jenny upset before Shiro spoke.

"What?! Come on!"

"Get ready!"

Then, suddenly, he froze before it ended up crushing itself to nothing as Pidge and Ayame spoke.

"The ship opened up the space pocket from inside! It's folding in on itself!"

"Just like we planned. Now we need to get back."

Then, the group managed to back away from the robeast who imploded in a purple light, taking some clusters with it, leaving a hole in the field before Hunk and Keith spoke.

"They did it!"

"You saved us, Ayame."

Ayame and Shiro felt dismal about it, however.

"No. Ulaz saved us."

"He's... gone."

At the Castle, Ayame and Shiro watched out the window in the Castle. At that same moment, Keith walked in and spoke to Ayame.

"Sorry we doubted Ulaz, guys. He saved all our lives."

"Well... I was a bit wrong about him, too. When he told me he'd rescued me and Shiro, I thought he was the Galra that wouldn't run away. But, when we got exposed, he... he tried to run away. Then, I told him. I wasn't gonna let him run away when we still needed him."

"So, you convinced him to help?"

"Mm-Hmm. Thanks to that, we're all alive, but now..."

Shiro felt sad for a different reason.

"I just have so many questions."

Just as Allura walked in, Keith was wondering about a certain problem.

"Do you really think Zarkon and Kaecilius are really tracking us?"

"We cannot know for sure. Only Ulaz knew our whereabouts."

Ayame felt her lack of faith should've been fixed by now with what they went through.

"You don't really think Ulaz gave us up? After he just sacrificed himself for us?"

Keith couldn't agree more with Ayame.

"Yeah! Maybe Zarkon and Kaecilius found this place on their own! They've probably been searching for the Blade of Marmora!"

Allura placed her hand on Ayame's shoulder before speaking onward.

"It's clear that the loss of Ulaz has caused you great concern, but regardless of how Zarkon and Kaecilius located us, we cannot stay here any longer. It isn't safe."

Keith could agree with her for a different reason.

"We should meet up with the rest of Ulaz's group, finish what he started."

"No. We're not going to the headquarters until we figure out how Zarkon and Kaecilius found us. We can't risk losing the only allies we have in this war."

Later, Keith looked at his blade as he unrolled the paper around it, revealing the same symbol as that from Ulaz's weapon. Ayame noticed this and grew curious.

"How'd you get that?"

"I've had it with me for as long as I can remember. I don't really know who gave it to me."

"Maybe you could ask Ulaz when we see him."

"Yeah. Maybe."

Then, Ayame went to sleep on the bottom bunk beside Keith.

"Good night, Keith."

"Good night, Ayame."

Then, they drifted off to sleep.