Chapter 18: The Ark of Taujeer

It started when the Galra fleet held back a chubby alien robot whose eye glowed as it spoke.

Galra Drone: "Stay back."

Unknown: "You have already taken all our supplies and resources. My people are loaded on that ark, ready to leave our beloved home before it dissolved completely. Don't take our only means of escape."

However, the Galra commander didn't hear his plea.

Unknown: "You still have one engine left, Baujal. Not to mention a very viable collection of parts. If your people are strong enough to survive, they will. That is the Galra way."

Baujal grew infuriated with him and attempted to seize him, only to be stopped by the drones.

Baujal: "Morvok!"

Then, Morvok went back to the cruiser before taking off away from their potential tomb.

The next day at the Castle, Allura tried to get to the root of the tracking problem.

Allura: "There's no point in debating this further. Zarkon is clearly tracking us through me."

Lance: "Aww, space baloney."

Pidge: "That's not possible."

Allura: "Why would that be so hard to believe? Zarkon's forced showed up only after I awoke."

Lance: "She does have a point."

Ayame: "But it's not you, Allura. It's me."

Jenny: "Wha?"

Belle: "How can you say that?"

Jenny: "You crazy."

Ayame: "How do you think Haggar was able to get to me from so far away?"

Jenny: "That could mean anything. I mean, it's not like she saw where the Castle is. Right?"

Keith: "It's not you or the princess, Ayame. It's me."

Ayame grew confused at his suggestion.

Ayame: "What makes you think that?"

Keith: "I just think Zarkon must've imprinted on me during our fight or something."

Pidge: "Look, the fact is, we don't know how Zarkon or Kaecilius are tracking us. It could be through the Black Lion. Every time Zarkon gets close to it, Shiro has to fight him for control."

Babak: "That's absurd. This only happened when he was near the Black Lion."

Azix: "That's true. Although there are Paladins who shared the lions, no Paladin has ever attempted to connect to it over a vast distance."

Hunk: "So, what do we do?"

Shiro: "Look, It doesn't matter how he's tracking us."

Ayame: "And why not?"

Shiro: "Because we're gonna take the fight to the Galra soon enough. They've been chasing us from galaxy to galaxy. The last thing they expect is for us to come after them."

Lance: "The hunter becomes the hunted, huh? Awesome! That's the tag line from, like, six of my favorite movies."

Belle: "That's a good start, but where would we even begin to look?"

Pidge: "As it happens, I took our list of recent Galra attacks and analyzed it for both commonalities and anomalies among the attack sites. I was hoping to create an algorithm that would, within a statistically acceptable margin of error, provide a list of target-rich Galra environment— color-coded, of course, because what are we, animals?"

Jenny: "Um, yeah, technically. We do have animal cells."

Lance: "You got all that? I didn't."

Hunk: "It's a Galra finder?"

Pidge: "Well, 'finder' suggests that it locates the Galra, whereas it would be more accurate to say that my model predicts their likeliest..."

Sandra: "Yep. Sounds like a Galra finder to me."

Lance: "So, where are the Galra?"

Pidge: "The nearest ones are right here. A planet called Taujeer."

Shiro: "Then that's where we're headed. Everyone should get some sleep."

Hearing this, Jenny complained and wanted to cut to the chase.

Jenny: "Again? But we already took a nap."

Shiro: "We'd get there sooner, but the wormhole generator still isn't fixed yet. Until then, we have to get used to manual travel. Tomorrow, we'll find that Galra fleet and take it out."

Then, everyone started to go to their quarters, only for Shiro to notice Ayame and Keith with a morbid look on their faces.

Shiro: "Is everything okay?"

Ayame: "Hmm? Uh, sure. Why."

Shiro: "You and Keith seem a bit anxious."

Keith: "We're fine. Just tired. Like you said. I should get some sleep."

Then, Keith walked out while Ayame stayed with Shiro.

Ayame: "Takashi. I have something to tell you, actually. The truth is... I love him."

Shiro: "You do?"

Ayame: "Yes. I don't know when it's started, but... oh, wait. Ever since Keith promised to keep my being Zarkon's daughter a secret, I've... Ive been drawn to him. But... I don't know if I should tell him that. Does he even feel the same about me?"

Then, Shiro patted Ayame's shoulder.

Shiro: "It's okay. I get it. I'm still working on that myself."

Ayame: "You mean you and Belle?"

Shiro: "Yeah. I'm stuck in the same situation as you. Honestly, I can't tell you how it works. But you've gotta tell him at some point. You don't know when they'll be gone."

Ayame was no stranger to having people she cared about being taken away when she leases expects it. So, in short, she accepted the challenge.

Ayame: "I'll try. Thanks, Takashi."

With that, she walked to her quarters as Shiro looked onward.

At their quarters, Ayame was sleeping in her bed as Keith looked at his luxite blade. Then, without warning, an alarm rang out, waking up Ayame before the two of them headed towards their own lions. As Keith neared his Lion, he noticed a change in scenery as the red lines became purple, as did the Red Lion's eyes.

Keith: "Huh?"

The Red Lion began growling at Keith as he got closer.

Keith: "What's the matter, Red? It's me."

Then, it snarled before it moved its mouth toward Keith.

As for Ayame, she found the White Lion being occupied by Xaira, who snickered at her.

Ayame: "Xaira?! What are you—?!"

As an answer, Xaira thrusted the White Lion to chuck Ayame away before she ended up in the hangar of a Galra Base, surrounded by soldiers and found Keith stranded amongst them in their armor. She tried to reach out to Keith as she ran to him.

Ayame: "Keith!"

Keith noticed her before he turned to see her.

Keith: "Ayame? What's going on?"

Ayame: "I don't know. Xaira brought me here and stole the White Lion. That's all I know."

Then, Keith and Ayame looked at their own luxite blades and saw herself with yellow eyes while Keith saw Zarkon before he and Xaira spoke in unison to them.

Zarkon/Xaira: "I can find you anywhere..."

Then, Ayame and Keith woke up with a start before looking at their blades then back to each other.

Keith: "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

Ayame: "Of course. What other option is there?"

Later, Ayame and Keith snuck out to the hangar bay with a bag of their belongings while dressed in their Paladin uniforms. They prepared to jump into a pod before they saw Allura and hid behind it as she came towards it and tried to climb into it before he spoke.

Keith: "Princess, what are you doing here?"

In her surprise, Allura fell off of the pod and landed in Keith's arms before jumping off of them and speaking to them.

Allura: "Oh, I might ask you the same thing."

Keith: "Nothing."

Ayame: "Just walking."

Keith: "Late at night."

Ayame: "Near the pods."

Allura: "In full Paladin armor with a bag of your belongings?"

Then, Keith decided to tell her the truth as he sighed.

Keith: "We have to know if Zarkon and Kaecilius are tracking us. This is the only way. Don't try to stop us."

Allura: "I'm not going to stop you. I'm going to join you."

Ayame: "Okay. But how do we know if the pod will fit all three of us?"

Later, Keith and Ayame were sitting in the chairs as Allura sat in-between them.

Ayame: "Hey, what do you know? We do fit."

Then, the pod took off into space.

The next morning, everyone got to their stations.

Coran: "We should be entering Taujeer's orbit soon."

Shiro: "Raise the particle barrier. Scan for Galra."

Then, Shiro and Babak noticed that neither Keith, Ayame, nor Allura were present.

Shiro: "Where are Keith and Ayame?"

Babak: "And Allura?"

Coran: "It appears that one of the pods launched in the middle of the night."

Lance: "Wait a minute, Keith and Allura? In the middle of the night? You don't think they're sittin' in a tree?"

Jenny: "Come on, Lance. You know better than that. Obviously, Keith and Ayame would be sitting in a tree. Allura is the third wheel."

Then, Jenny and Lance heard Lapis growling through her teeth.

Lance: "I don't think you're helping, Jenny."

Jenny: "Oh, boy."

Shiro: "Contact that pod."

Lapis: "Yes! Contact that pod!"

Then, the radio contacted Keith, Ayame, and Allura as Coran spoke.

Coran: "Princess, Keith, Ayame, where are you?"

Allura: "Exactly where we should be, far away from the Castle."

Shiro: "What? Why?"

Allura: "We must know if we're the ones Zarkon is tracking."

Pidge: "They're isolating the variable. Well, isolating three variables."

Lance: "In English, please?"

Jenny: "They're basically seeing which one of them draws Zarkon with three tests at once."

Lance: "Oh. Now I get it."

Ayame: "Pidge and Jenny are right. If Zarkon finds you without us, we will know for sure that we are not the ones he is tracking."

Shiro: "Splitting up the group makes us far more vulnerable. Come back to the Castle immediately."

Ayame: "I'm sorry, Shiro. I'm afraid I can't do that. It's what's best for everyone."

Keith: "If Zarkon does find us, I can pilot us to safety. We're in wide-open space with plenty of room to maneuver. Plus, we'd be able to outrun him. Pidge added that booster fuel."

Coran: "That thing's still on there?"

Babak: "This isn't a debate! We need all of you back here now!"

Ayame: "You're right. This isn't a debate. We need to be as far away from you as we can."

Then, Babak growled to himself.

Babak: "I forgot what it was like to argue with Galra."

Then, the Castle suddenly jolted.

Shiro: "What's going on?"

Hunk: "We're in some sort of debris field."

Coran: "I believe it's coming from Taujeer. Correction: I think it is Taujeer!"

Allura: "Coran, what's going on—"

Then, the transmission went down, much to Coran's alarm.

Coran: "Some kind of radiation from the planet is interfering with communications!"

Shiro: "Move the Castle away from the planet and reestablish the link. Everyone else, get to your lions."

With that, the Paladins got to their lions and sped toward Taujeer, where one of its people on board the ark saw something.

Taujeerian: "Something's approaching!"

Then, Baujal ran toward them as the lions landed.

Hunk: "I don't see any Galra."

Lance: "Looks like that fancy Galra finder doesn't work. Nice try, Pidge."

Pidge groaned as Shiro and Jenny got out of their lions and went to Baujal.

Baujal: "Thank goodness you're here! I am Baujal, the leader of the Taujeerians. The Galra just destroyed our ship's engines and left."

Pidge: "So the Galra were here. Lance."

Lance: "Mmm."

Baujal: "They've taken everything. We must get everyone off the planet before it dissolves completely! Please, help us!"

Jenny: "You poor thing. Of course we'll help."

Shiro: "How long do we have?"

Then, the ground rose up as well as the acid.

Hunk: "Not long."

Shiro: "How did this happen?"

Baujal: "We've known for years that our planet would eventually lose its outer layer."

Lance: "Like a snake shedding its skin?"

Hunk: "Yeah, yeah, that doesn't sound so bad. I mean, beneath that old skin is a new, healthy layer, right?"

Jenny: "Yeah, except that new skin is acid, apparently. How long ago did you know that?"

Baujal: "Ever since Kaecilius corrupted our home's layer."

Jenny: "Kaecilius did that? That guy again..."

Baujal: "The plan was to evacuate the population to our nearest moon, where we have built a colony to wait out the shedding process. So we relocated to higher ground and constructed that ark."

Lance: "What happened?"

Sandra: "Our scanners said that there was a Galra attack here. Maybe they stripped the ark of its engines and resources."

Baujal: "Indeed. They were led by a vile commander named Morvok. He robbed us of vital resources and left us with only one operational engine, stranding us here."

Jenny: "Well, you don't have to worry anymore. We can help you."

Baujal: "I believe you, for I have heard many legends of the valor of Voltron. Seven brave Paladins dedicated to this... Wait, wait. I count only six of you. Are you not Voltron?"

Jenny: "Uh, kinda. The White and Violet Lions can become their own Voltron, too."

Baujal: "Where is the seventh Paladin?"

Sandra: "I'm here."

Then, the Red Lion landed by the other lions.

Jenny: "Hey, Sandy. Look at you taking charge."

Sandra: "It's not my first rodeo looking out for my brother. Why should this be any different?"

Shiro: "Pidge, Hunk, take a look at the ark and see what we're dealing with."

Hunk: "Piece of cake. We'll get it flying in no time."

Suddenly, the ground shook as the landing gears came apart and caused the ark to fall to the ground.

Hunk: "Would you settle for upright?"

Meanwhile, Keith checked the scan for any signs of Zarkon.

Keith: "We've been here for hours. Still no sign of Zarkon or Kaecilius."

Ayame: "Well, I'm glad we don't have to wait here alone."

Allura: "Me, too. You understand, I could never live with myself if Zarkon was finding us because of me."

Ayame: "I do understand. More than you think. That's why we're here: to see if that's true. The Galra are getting one step ahead of us somehow."

Allura: "I must know how. We face such a dire threat from the Galra."

Keith: "Well, sure, they're bad. No doubt about that. But, at the same time, couldn't at least a few of them be fighting for good?"

Ayame: "Yeah. Like Ulaz said. They got people risking their lives in this war just like us."

Allura: "So does Zarkon, but one life means nothing to him."

Ayame: "My life meant everything to him. He even went out of his way just to warn me about Kaecilius."

Allura: "He did what? How come you haven't told me about this?"

Ayame: "I didn't mention that before, because I'm still trying to figure out what he really wants."

Allura: "It's obvious what he wants. He wants Voltron for himself just so he could conquer the universe."

Ayame grew tense at this.

Ayame: "There's gotta be more to it than that."

Then, she caught her temper and calmed down.

Ayame: "Look, either way, hasn't it crossed your mind some of them are actually willing to help? Like Lapis, or Azix, or Zaltron?"

Allura: "They went through a great ordeal. Any offer of help from the Galra that hasn't known loss is merely a prelude to a trap. I know all too well how quickly they turn."

Ayame: "So do I. But it was thanks to me that Ulaz stayed to help you guys. Because I spoke with my heart. Who knows? Maybe... maybe I could get through to him."

Allura: "Are you mad? There's no reasoning with Zarkon. And even if there was, he's had 10,000 years to change his course. I'd never give him a second thought."

Ayame: "Of course you wouldn't."

Then, Allura grew confused at her meaning before she explained.

Ayame: "To you, he's a murderer and a tyrant. But to me, he's a broken father trying to put himself back together and hurting himself and the pieces in the process. From what Babak told me, he got corrupted by those creatures just to save Honerva. There's good in him, whether you believe it or not. I know there is..."

Allura: "And if there isn't?"

Ayame: "Then... I'll stop him myself if I have to."

At Kaecilius' cruiser, Kaecilius and Komar stood before Omegus from the dark rift.

Kaecilius: "It seems we've made a grievous error in judgment choosing Zarkon as a host."

Omegus: "Indeed. His resistance has grown pestilential."

Komar: "If I may, your lordship, you've been imprisoned in the Quantum Abyss. How are you able to communicate with us?"

Omegus: "The foolish Alfor rendered only my material form dormant. But Alphus' mere presence in this universe is what has kept my energy form from falling prey to slumber."

Kaecilius: "Interesting. It appears you are just as resilient."

Omegus: "In order to finish what I began 10,000 years ago, my Chaotic Quintessence requires a true vessel."

Kaecilius: "You mean Zarkon was just being played? No wonder he's beginning to wake up. Perhaps, I'll put him back to sleep. For good."

At the command center, Zarkon had located the Black Lion again.

Zarkon: "I have located them. Get me Morvok."

At his cruiser, Morvok was picking at his teeth before Zarkon spoke to him on the monitor.

Zarkon: "Commander Morvok."

Then, Morvok panicked and turned to him.

Morvok: "Aaah! Lord Zarkon!"

Zarkon: "I am sending you coordinates near your current location. Kaecilius is on his way there. Destroy the traitor and bring Voltron and Xaira to me, alive."

Morvok: "Kaecilius, Voltron, and Xaira, sire?"

Zarkon: "Indeed. Have you received the coordinates?"

Then, below the monitor, the planet of Taujeer appeared.

Morvok: "If I may, I was able to acquire many resources, all to glorify your mighty reign, may it last a thousand centuries."

Zarkon: "Your bootlicking does not impress me, Morvok."

Morvok: "I merely meant that I could be of even more use if I were to bring you these resources instead of..."

Zarkon began to snap at Morvok.

Zarkon: "Are you refusing my order?"

Morvok: "Of course not. I will not fail you, Lord Zarkon.

Zarkon: "See that you don't. Vrepit Sa."

Morvok: "Vrepit Sa."

At Taujeer, the six lions hovered near the ark.

Pidge: "Assuming we can get it back up, the repairs will still take time."

Lance: "Which would appear to be the one thing we don't have."

Jenny: "So, what do we do?"

Shiro: "We need to slow down the shedding."

Pidge: "How do you stop a planet that's coming apart at the seams?"

Hunk: "By sewing it back together!"

Shiro: "What do you mean?"

Sandra: "I think I know what he's talking about. If Pidge's new Green Lion weapon grows vegetation, maybe we can aim it at the cracks and stitch them up."

Shiro: "But won't the stitches get dissolved by the acid?"

Jenny: "Well, it'll take longer if they're frozen."

Shiro: "It's a plan. Hunk, you, Sandra, Lapis, and I will take our lions and get this ark upright while Jenny, Pidge, and Lance buy us some time."

Then, the team got to work stitching up the growing cracks near the ark as the rest cleared the legs away.

Hunk: "My side's clear, Shiro."

Shiro: "Almost done."

Pidge saw the frozen vegetation holding it.

Pidge: "Yes! It worked!"

Shiro: "It won't hold forever. Keep going!"

Hunk, Sandra, and Lapis groaned as they held up the ark.

Shiro: "Come on! Give it all you got. That's it! We're almost there."

Then, a crack went off near them, only for it to be stitched up and frozen.

Shiro: "Thanks, guys."

Lance: "You got it."

Pidge: "Anytime."

Then, the lions installed the remains of the legs under the ark as fulcrums as the Taujeerians cheered.

Shiro: "All right, Hunk, time to work on those engines."

Meanwhile, Keith, Ayame, and Allura were still in outer space, receiving no signal.

Keith: "So, what happens if Zarkon does come after us?"

Allura: "You said you could pilot us to safety, right?"

Keith: "Sure, but after that, could we even go back to the group? And if we don't, who would pilot the Castle or create wormholes?"

Allura: "Well, what about you? Without you, the team cannot form Voltron."

Ayame: "Not necessarily. You said Sandra is also the Red Paladin, right? So, she could probably fill in for Keith. And Jenny. She could use the White Lion and create wormholes while Coran commands the Castle."

Keith: "So... what are you saying?"

Ayame: "Whether or not Zarkon finds us, the universe will be safe with them. Everything will be fine."

Keith: "You seem really sure about that."

Ayame: "Why not? I've got faith in my friends. They can do this."

At Taujeer, the team has finished working on the engines.

Hunk: "Well, it ain't pretty, but it should get you airborne—"

Then, the ground broke apart as Shiro turned to Baujal.

Shiro: "Just in time."

Then, the engine started boosting the ark up until a blast hit near it, causing it to tip on the other side.

Pidge: "What was that?"

Then, Shiro saw Kaecilius atop his cruiser as he smirked with black lightning stirring in his right hand.

Shiro: "Kaecilius. He's back."

Kaecilius: "Futile."

Then, after Kaecilius fired one more volley of black purple lightning near it, the ark began to fall to the acid as the Taujeerians panicked. At the cruiser, Kaecilius chuckled as he remembered what he'd done to Taujeer before.

Kaecilius: "What a lovely sight this is, the end of this wretched world. This is the definition of justice. Power, wisdom, flame and light return with a vengeance to consecrate anew this defiled planet. And now, the unclean world, stained with the violent plague of mortalkind, is remade. Born of divinity by divinity. Paradise sanctified."

Shiro: "Hunk, Sandra! Take the Red and Yellow Lions and hold up the ark. If it falls into the acid, the Taujeerians are doomed."

Hunk: "Not to mention the people underneath beneath them, which would be us in this particular scenario."

Sandra: "Ah, stop whining. We can do this."

Shiro: "Lance, Jenny, Pidge, Lapis, we've got to draw Kaecilius' fire. Coran, we need you here now. Attack Kaecilius' cruiser!"

Coran: "I'm on my way!"

Then, another cruiser appeared to confront Kaecilius as the Castle lowered into the atmosphere.

Morvok: "There's Kaecilius. First things first. Take out the traitor. We can worry about Voltron and Xaira after."

Galra Drone: "Yes, sir."

Then, that cruiser began attacking Kaecilius, much to his annoyance.

Kaecilius: "Ignorant troglodyte. Must I pulverize you for you to understand?"

Meanwhile, Babak noticed the radio working again.

Babak: "The radio's back online."

Meanwhile, Keith, Ayame, and Allura got a transmission from Coran.

Coran: "Keith, Ayame, Allura, are you there?"

Allura: "We're here, Coran. What is it?"

Coran: "Zarkon and Kaecilius are definitely not tracking us through either of you."

Keith: "He's not?"

Ayame: "How do you know?"

Coran: "Because you're out there, and two Galra fleets showed up here! We need you now!"

Allura: "We'll be there in two doboshes."

Keith: "Even faster than that."

Ayame: "What's that?"

Keith: "It's the booster fuel Pidge added to this pod."

Then, Keith pushed the booster fuel button before the engines glowed orange and began self-destructing before Keith, Ayame, and Allura were ejected from the pod as it exploded. The force of it sent them flying in outer space before Keith stopped himself with his jet pack and flew toward Ayame, who was flying out of control along with Allura. When he was within reach, Keith got his hands out toward them.

Keith: "Guys! Grab my hands!"

Then, Ayame and Allura grabbed them before they hung on and twirled around. As they grew still, they panted their breath.

Keith: "Ayame, are you okay?"

Ayame: "Yeah. What about you, Allura?"

Allura: "I believe so. Is your radio working?"

Keith: "Let's find out. Coran, can you hear me?"

The radio crackled in response.

Keith: "No luck."

Then, Ayame spoke to him.

Ayame: "So, I guess we're going back on our own, huh?"

Then, Ayame had an idea.

Ayame: "Hold on. Maybe not."

Then, Ayame closed her eyes before speaking telepathically.

Ayame: "Jenny. Jenny. Can you hear me?"

Far away, Jenny was dodging Kaecilius' blasts as he found himself attacked by Morvok at the same time. At that moment, Jenny heard her voice.

Ayame: "Jenny. Can you hear me?"

Jenny: "Yeah. I can hear you. What happened?"

Ayame: "The booster fuel Pidge added made our pod explode. So, we're on our own."

Jenny: "What? How are you gonna get back?"

Ayame: "Don't worry about us. Do what you have to do first. We'll get by until then."

Jenny: "Okay. Sure, why not? I've found you before. I can do it again."

Then, Jenny got her focus back on Kaecilius as Morvok saw the situation turning to his favor.

Morvok: "We've got Kaecilius on the ropes. This is going far better than I anticipated. We could actually terminate the traitor and capture Voltron and Xaira! I could get transferred back to the hub. And they said I wasn't good enough to be in the hub."

Then, Morvok gasped at the best case scenario.

Morvok: "Maybe Zarkon will invite me to sit in his box at the gladiator matches! The ultimate honor!"

Then, Kaecilius spoke to Morvok.

Kaecilius: "Just the barbaric greed I'd expect from you, mortal."

Then, Kaecilius aimed for Morvok before Zaltron shouted at him.

Zaltron: "Kaecilius!"

He turned to see Zaltron charging at him with his sword in hand, only to clash it with his aura-covered hand, noticing a difference in his power.

Zaltron: "This power. It's different than before."

Kaecilius smirked at him before pushing him away as a soldier spoke to Morvok.

Galra Soldier: "Sir! Five Voltron Lions approaching!"

Morvok: "What did I tell you? We must take out the traitor first!"

As the conflict went on, Zaltron and Kaecilius clashes across the cruiser as multiple fighters shot at him, the bullets going through him like a ghost.

Zaltron: "What?"

Jenny: "How did they just phase through him?!"

Galra Soldier: "Sir, Kaecilius just went through our weapons."

Morvok: "Keep firing!"

Then, the fighters continued their assault before the bullets went through him, this time leaving holes.

Morvok: "Yes! We've got him!"

Then, the holes filled themselves up, much to the horror of both sides.

Morvok: "It didn't work? Why didn't it work?!"

Kaecilius: "Lowly mortals. Still denying the inevitable. Perhaps a further demonstration of my power will help you face the truth."

Then, Kaecilius prepared a dark red and black orb from his hand before Shiro figured it out.

Shiro: "He's aiming at the ark! Lance! Pidge! Jenny! Lapis! Attack with your jaw blades!"

The lions aimed for Kaecilius' ship before they slashed at it with their jaw blades, forcing Kaecilius to take flight and aim at the ark again.

Kaecilius: "Now watch as I plant the seed of your demise."

With that, Kaecilius fired the blast, striking the ground near the ark, causing the Taujeerians to panic.

Out in space, Keith, Ayame, and Allura were still stranded as they went forward.

Keith: "We'll never get there at this rate."

Allura: "This was a terrible mistake. Shiro was right. We never should have left them."

Ayame: "They can make it, Allura. I know they will."

Keith: "But what about us?"

Then, Ayame was reminded of what Shiro told her as to her feelings for Keith.

Ayame: "About that, Keith. I've... I've got something to tell you, in case we don't make it."

Keith: "Really? What's that?"

Ayame grew a bit hesitant for a moment before she finally worked up the nerve.

Ayame: "I... the truth is... I love you, Keith. Okay?"

That caught Keith off guard before his cheeks turned red while Allura grew surprised.

Allura: "What? You love Keith?"

Ayame: "Yeah. So?"

Then, Allura seemed to forget their troubling situation as her eyes became sparkly and began inquiring of Ayame.

Allura: "That's great news! How long ago did it start?"

However, she'd also forgotten it was supposed to be just between the two of them as Keith spoke to Allura.

Keith: "Not now, Allura."

Allura: "Oh. Sorry."

Keith: "You really feel that way about me?"

Ayame smiled as Keith got the picture.

Ayame: "Yes. I do. Doesn't really matter much, though, huh? We're stranded in outer space with no possible way of going back but our jet packs. But at least I'm with you. So that's one thing to look forward to."

Then, Keith hugged Ayame tighter while also holding onto Allura.

Keith: "I love you, too."

Ayame's eyes widened in shock before she welcomed the embrace and closed her eyes.

Ayame: "Good to know."

Then, they heard Allura speak up.

Allura: "Um, do you mind going easy on your grip?"

Then, they noticed that they were squeezing Allura before they eased up.

Keith/Ayame: "Ah! Sorry, Allura."

Meanwhile, Kaecilius's attack caused the ground to splinter and chuck the debris towards them.

Sandra: "What's that?"

Hunk: "Rocks! Big, big rocks!"

Lance jumped onto a rock and kicked it away to protect them.

Lance: "We got you, guys."

Kaecilius: "How annoying."

Then, Kaecilius fired a blast at the ion cannon, causing it to become disabled.

Morvok: "What happened?"

Galra Soldier: "Kaecilius attacked the cannon. He's disabled our projectile targeting system. We can't aim the cannon until it's fixed."

Morvok: "Fix it! Full attack! Fire with everything we've got!"

Then, the cruiser began to retaliate with a wide array of blasts before Kaecilius took the full brunt of it and was revealed for them to have no effect on him.

Kaecilius: "That won't work."

Morvok whimpered before Kaecilius prepared to attack, only for him to be halted as the Castle attacked his cruiser.

Shiro: "Way to go, Coran! Hunk, Sandra, what's your status?"

Hunk: "Mostly just trying not to fall into a bubbling pot of acid."

Morvok: "Divert all shields to the main hull! Focus all firepower on his cruiser!"

Then, Morvok shot at the cruiser Kaecilius stood upon as Zaltron ran toward him and clutched onto him.

Kaecilius: "Ah, that's better! But now what?"

Zaltron: "You'll see."

Then, he noticed the Violet Lion during its ion cannon at the both of them before Zaltron chucked him in its path and got out of its range as Kaecilius got enveloped in its blast before it exploded and sent him into the acid as he had a look of surprise over him.

Jenny: "Did it work?"

Then, Jenny felt a strange and familiar connection.

Jenny: "Huh? What the—?"

Then, the White Lion took off towards space.

Jenny: "Whoa! Uh, guys, White's going rogue and going towards space!"

Lance: "What for?"

Jenny: "Oh, right. I kinda psychically said I'd find Ayame again."

Sandra: "Oh, great."

Then, the ark began to weigh down on Hunk and Sandra.

Hunk: "I can't hold it any longer!"

Sandra: "You have to, Hunk! If you let go, the Taujeerians will die!"

Then, the lions began slipping into the acid as Hunk and Sandra grunted before they screamed. After which, the Yellow Lion got an extra set of armor for its claws before it locked itself in place.

Hunk: "Oh, whoa! Armor claws!"

Sandra: "Nice work, Hunk."

Hunk: "Guys, we can keep this thing from falling any farther, but we need your help to get it back up."

Shiro: "We're on our way!"

As the lions regrouped to help it back up, Keith, Ayame, and Allura were still floating in space when they saw a familiar sight.

Ayame: "Guys, look!"

Keith: "Huh?"

Ayame: "The White Lion found us!"

Then, Jenny waved to them.

Jenny: "Hi, you crazy kids!"

At Taujeer, Morvok got back to focusing on Voltron as the soldiers fixed the targeting.

Galra Soldier: "Sir, the ion cannon's guidance system is back online. And the lions appear to have gathered beneath the ark."

Morvok: "Perfect! The lions will go down with it. Fire when ready!"

Then, Morvok's cruiser prepared its ion cannon before the White Lion suddenly appeared and cut through it with its jaw blade, knocking it into the acid as the Taujeerians cheered.

Lance: "All right!"

Shiro: "Good to have you back, Keith."

Keith: "Good to be back."

Lapis: "Hey, Keith. Is Ayame with you?"

Keith: "Yes."

Lapis: "Like, 'with you' with you or..."

Sandra: "Hey, Keith. Do you mind helping me clean up your mess?"

Keith: "On my way, sis."

Then, the lions helped set the ark down on its side before Ayame noticed he wasn't there.

Ayame: "Hold on. You guys said two Galra fleets came to you. I saw one of them leading a fleet. Where's the other one?"

Then, Kaecilius' voice boomed.

Kaecilius: "VOLTROOOOOOON!"

Then, Kaecilius burst out of the acid with his red aura flaring as he shouted at the top of his lungs. Then, the aura shrunk to incorporate his body as his eyes glowed red as he panted.

Jenny: "That answer your question?"

Shiro: "All right, everybody. No time to relax. Let's show them what they're dealing with. Form Voltron!"

Then, the five lions combined into Voltron as the White and Violet Lions transformed. Morvok stood in shock as he saw three of them at once.

Galra Soldier: "Sir, our weapons systems are knocked out completely. Should we retreat?"

Morvok: "Never! Aim the ship at Kaecilius! We will take him down ourselves. To die for the Galra Empire is the greatest honor imaginable. Vrepit Sa!"

Galra Soldiers: "Vrepit Sa!"

Then, he turned to the stone and whispered.

Morvok: "Prepare my escape pod."

Outside, the cruiser was turning to Kaecilius, much to his anger.

Kaecilius: "I've had enough of you impudent mortals... BEGONE!"

Then, he fired a dark red beam through the cruiser, destroying it as Morvok escaped.

Pidge: "Kaecilius just destroyed that cruiser!"

Hunk: "He's gonna go after the ark and obliterate it!"

Shiro: "We'll have to meet him head-on. Form sword!"

Then, Voltron forged its sword as the White Voltron forged a chain naginata and the Violet Voltron forged two swords.

Jenny: "Are we gonna be able to stop him with our swords?"

Shiro: "They'll have to!"

Then, Sandra felt the Red Lion calling to her before the rest of the Paladins got the message.

Sandra: "Guys, I think Red is telling me something."

Lance: "Yeah, mine too."

Pidge: "I can feel it too."

Hunk: "Same here."

Jenny: "Ditto."

Lapis: "I feel it too."

Shiro: "Then do it!"

Then, everyone slammed their bayards in their locks before they twisted. As a result, they've made a scythe for the White Voltron, a long machete for Voltron, and two sickles for the Violet Voltron before they moved in towards Kaecilius and clashed against his aura that generated on its own.

Kaecilius: "You may be more powerful, but you're still not a god!"

Then, he shouted as he expanded it, forcing the team to dig deeper through the thick darkness before they finally reached him. Then, the White Lion powered up its light from its chest, eliminating it before it swung with a backhand, knocking Kaecilius farther away into space before the scythe vanished.

All: "Yes! Yeah!"

Shiro: "Now let's get the Taujeerians to safety."

Hunk: "How are we going to do that? The booster rockets are shot."

Then, Lapis had an idea as she smiled. Then, the Taujeerians felt the ark shake before they gasped. Evidently, Lapis had cut through the ground with her sickles to provide safe and even ground before the White Lion went in with its particle barrier active and lifted the ark with her underneath it before the the rest of the Voltron Force pitched in.

Later, the team is back on the Castle after saving the Taujeerians.

Ayame: "I'm sorry for leaving, Takashi."

Keith: "Me too. We thought we were doing the right thing."

Allura: "But clearly you were correct, Shiro. We are always stronger together."

Lance: "At least we learned Zarkon isn't tracking us through either of you three."

Hunk: "Plus, I learned that my lion can grow armor and extend its claws like that. Ting! Which will come in handy if we ever need to, say, I don't know, slice up a giant steak while getting beat up."

Sandra cleared her throat at this, letting Hunk get the message before he spoke on.

Hunk: "Or fight evil and save innocent people. That too. That would work."

Ayame then walked up to Shiro before she spoke to him.

Ayame: "Again, I'm sorry for leaving. If I counted on that happening, I would've stayed, but I didn't. I guess... I'm just a mistake that's just holding the team back."

Then, Lapis began to forget about her jealousy and feel bad for her.

Lapis: "Ayame..."

Shiro: "That's not true, Ayame. You had our best interests at heart. And you're not a mistake. In fact, you helped us solve a crucial mystery."

Ayame: "Huh?"

Shiro: "The fact that the White Lion came to help you from so far away is a vital piece of information. We now have proof that a lion and a Paladin can, in fact, connect over a far greater distance than we realized. Which means we finally know how Zarkon is tracking us. It's through the Black Lion."

The whole crowd gasped in shock at this before Ayame spoke.

Ayame: "What can we do?"

Shiro: "I don't know. We'll figure this out in the morning. For now, we have to get some rest."

Jenny: "Yeah. Naps, I'm sorry I hated you this morning."

Then, Jenny fell to sleep in Lance's arms to his surprise before he blinked his eyes.

Babak: "This has been a difficult day, indeed. Well, have a good rest, everyone."

Later, Ayame, Keith, and Lapis were in their quarters before Lapis got out a certain flash drive.

Lapis: "Hey, guys. Have you ever wondered what was in this flash drive?"

Keith: "Uh, yeah, actually."

Ayame: "But where are we supposed to plug it in?"

Lapis: "I can fix that."

Then, Lapis got out a tablet from her drawer and took the flash drive from Ayame before she installed it in and found one file in it. She then clicked on it before a video played. It showed a young woman with long raven hair and dark grey eyes.

Ayame: "Mom?"

Keith: "Yuriko?"

Lapis: "You guys know her?"

Keith: "I saw her in Ayame's mind."

Yuriko: "Hello. This is Yuriko Shirogane. If you're watching this, then you know the truth about your father. Right now, you must be feeling doubt sweep over you, feeling like you're a mistake. But I need you to know that you are not a mistake, Ayame. You mean the whole world to me. No, the whole universe. Your father cares about you, too, even if he won't show that. Everything he's done for 10,000 years isn't his fault. It's none of their fault. They've just been... changed. By what force I don't know yet. But believe me when I say the Galra Empire needs you to help change their course. I know you can pull it off somehow, Ayame. I just know. I love you so much, my little princess."

Ayame began to tear up as she placed her hand on the tablet.

Ayame: "I love you too, mom."

Then, Ayame lightly sobbed on Keith's shoulder as he held onto her. Lapis didn't know what to do and only sighed before she walked out. Ayame noticed this and got Keith's attention before she let him know and went after her.

Ayame: "Lapis."

Lapis turned to her before she spoke.

Lapis: "What do you want?"

Ayame: "I was wondering that about you. You've been acting hostile around me whenever I'm with Keith lately, and I don't know why."

Lapis: "Isn't that obvious? It's because I— I love him, too."

Ayame: "What?"

Lapis: "I don't know why, but... Keith's helped me become better than who I was. I owe him my life for that."

Then, Ayame hugged Lapis before she spoke to her.

Ayame: "I get that. But you have to understand. Keith has to decide which one of us should be with him. And it has to be on his terms. You don't have to like it. But please, let him choose."

Lapis hugged her back in response as she understood.

Lapis: "Okay. I will."

Out in space, Kaecilius growled at his failure.

Kaecilius: "How could a god lose to a mortal again?!"

Then, Omegus spoke in his mind.

Omegus: "Clearly, our improved state is not enough to accomplish the deed for which I have come. For that, I shall acquire a much greater instrument of destruction..."