Chapter 32: Ambush

At a Galra Outpost, Lance has trained his gun on the drones as he spoke in the communicator.

"Alright, team, I've got my eye on the targets. I'll cover you from up he—"

Suddenly, Keith began attacking the drones as he darted toward them, much to Lance's chagrin.

"Hey, Keith, I had that guy!"

Fortunately, Lance noticed a drone targeting Keith before shooting it himself and noticed Hunk and Sandra taking heavy fire as they spoke.

"They're still coming!"

"Any chance you can fix that?!"

With that, Lance shot at a door switch, causing the door to crash onto one before Hunk gave him a thumbs-up while Sandra smiled. Then, he turned his attention to Jenny and Allura as they stood back-to-back. While Allura wrapped her chain blade around one drone's head, Jenny used hers to slash at the weapons, allowing Allura to pull one drone into another before blocking fire with her bayard and slicing through the drone with it. Then, Jenny shot her chain blade like a tow line through it before electrocuting it and pulling it back to her as the youngest looked up at Lance with a smile before he spoke.

"Well, that was awesome!"

"Thanks!"

Suddenly, another door opened to reveal Lapis, Luzria, Adea, and Atchiam running for cover before the leader spoke up.

"Heads up, everyone! More of them are coming!"

With that, the multitude of drones shot at them, forcing them to take cover as Luzria and Pidge began working on the encryption. Hunk, however, felt they were pressed for time.

"Guys, could you maybe hurry it up a little?"

"Almost..."

"There!"

With that, Pidge and Luzria deactivated the generator before countless drones shut down and fell to the floor before Keith spoke to the hackers.

"Great job, guys."

Luzria blushed at his comment.

"Aw, thanks."

Pidge then spoke to the team.

"That's the last outpost in this quadrant."

"Lapis, call the Blade of Marmora. Let them know this base is cleared."

Later at the Castle, Iyera spoke with Jenny.

"So, in your reality, Xaira... is evil?"

"I dunno. It's too soon to say. In my anger when she was spouting out mean stuff, I didn't pay any attention to how she really felt. When she fought Haggar, though, I can tell she was... hurt. In any case, the best thing to learn from that is not to judge a book by its cover, you know?"

Iyera then sighed before she spoke.

"Yeah. Hey, Jenny. Remember what I told you about where I cane from?"

"Yeah? What about it?"

"Well... I was lying."

This caught Jenny by surprise as she spoke.

"What?! But... why?"

"I was actually born an Altean to begin with. And General Hira took me in and raised me to spread peace. When we noticed that a portal came from another reality and after we picked you up, Hira told me to gain your trust any way we can. So I had to do it."

Jenny held her head down as she spoke.

"I see."

"I'm so sorry."

Then, Jenny's tone changes slightly.

"If you wanted to gain my trust... you could've just been honest with me."

"Huh? So you..."

"Yeah. No one is perfect. So it's okay."

"Oh. Thanks."

As Iyera hugged Jenny, the latter knew one thing didn't make sense.

"Although... if you were lying, then how did you know about the Garrison, how Kumiko actually committed suicide, and James Griffin?"

"Well... a bit of my lie has truth in it. I did actually get a dream. I saw it happen and I heard your voice... that's about it."

This made Jenny think about what it meant.

"So, if you got a vision in your reality when I found the White Lion, and it's the only thing that knows where it is... that just means your way back..."

Then, Jenny gasped, having pieces together the clue.

"It's at Planet X!"

"What?"

"Planet X! That's where I found the White Lion! Maybe it can take us there! Come on!"

With that, Jenny and Iyera ran out of the bedroom to the main hangar before she spoke.

"Hey, guys! I know how to get Iyera back home!"

However, Pidge's elation surpassed Jenny's.

"Guys, I think I have something here!"

As Jenny grumbled, Pidge explained what she had found that could help find Shiro.

"So, I downloaded intel from the Galra base we just defeated. I untied quantum-folded encryption and I found something on Shiro and Lotor."

Zarkon then spoke to him to determine its importance.

"Do you know where they are?"

"Well, not exactly, no, but the last three sightings of his command ship have been in the Va'Kar quadrant."

"Excellent work. Though, that isn't to say those quadrants aren't massive."

Jenny then spoke up.

"The big guy's right. How will we find Shiro there, let alone Lotor? At this point, it's like finding a needle in a haystack."

This made Hunk come up with an idea.

"Hey, that comet is made from the same material as Voltron. Maybe I can scan the emission spectrum for Fraunhofer lines, like when we found the Blue Lion!"

"Right. And maybe when we find the comet, we can find Shiro! Oh, and get Iyera home, too."

Pidge felt there was more to it.

"But you know those emissions are subject to free induction decay. Those are exponential drop-offs."

"Yeah, but if you could find a way to amplify the sensors— No, there'd be way too much interference."

Then, Luzria produced a solution.

"Well, what if we increase the SA magnitude? To do that, we would need..."

"The spires of the Castle!"

"Genius!"

With that, Pidge, Luzria, and Hunk took off before Lance spoke to Jenny.

"I have no idea what either of them just said."

"Me neither. Someday, though, I'll understand more than that. I've gotta."

Then, Alphus spoke up.

"Let's start setting our course for the Va'Kar quadrant while they get started on the detector and let's do that quickly. Who knows what Lotor has planned for that comet? To think of what Kaecilius would do would be even worse..."

In Kaecilius's cruiser, Shiro was screaming in pain as Vantiv was using her arm to electrocute him with a smirk.

"I don't need to ask again, do I? Where... is... the comet?"

However, Kaecilius spoke to her causing her to cease the torture.

"That's enough, Vantiv. If he hasn't produced any answers for 10 quintants, then it's obvious he knows nothing."

"So what should we do with him?"

"Leave the torture to me. I have my own grief to wreak upon him. While I do this, you and Varek will see to it that the comet is ours."

"Grief? For what?"

"For everything this mortal has done..."

At the Castle, Hunk was watching as the mice helped add in the wiring.

"Thanks for helping me hook into the system. I would've never been able to reach back there."

Then, they squeaked as they went back out of the hole as Hunk spoke.

"Sorry, I know you got all dirty. I owe you guys a little mouse shower now, okay? I'm gonna get to work on that right after we find Lotor and Shiro."

Then, Pidge spoke up to him.

"Hey, can we fire this up and see if it works?"

Then, Hunk pushed it before it produced no results and he pushed it rapidly before he spoke.

"Uh... Maybe we didn't adjust the polarity correctly."

Then, Luzria walked up before speaking as she raised her fist.

"Or maybe it just needs a little... push!"

With that, Luzria banged her fist on the radar, causing it to activate as the spire produced a red ring that spread far out wide before a location popped up on it before she spoke.

"See?"

Then, they noticed that the location is moving away.

"Uh, guys! Guys, we found the comet, but it's booking it away from us! Coran?Allura? Babak? Iyera? Jenny? Alphus?Can someone Altean move this Castle?"

As an answer, Jenny arrived before she spoke.

"Got it! Thanks for the tip."

With that, the Castle took off toward the location as Hunk saw how close they are to it.

"Okay, we're gaining on it."

Alphus then spoke to the team.

"Good. It's best not to get too close if we want to remain undetected."

Then, Pidge noticed something off as she checked it over.

"Looks like the signal stopped in the Ulippa System. Activating long-range scanners."

Then, the camera zoomed in on the surface of a planet to reveal a Galra cruiser. Keith knew what it meant.

"That's not Lotor's ship."

Hunk then noticed an anomaly with that.

"But the comet is in there."

Then, Keith spoke up.

"Here's the plan, everyone. They're gonna load that comet into the base. That's the best time to attack."

Then, the cruiser began to get under attack as yet another cruiser with red lines appeared above it and the base. Jenny knew who it was as she felt a dark surge overtake her and struck her with pain, catching Iyera's concern.

"Jenny! Are you okay?"

"Ugh... it's Kaecilius. He's the one attacking."

Alphus then spoke to the team.

"But why is the real question? We need more information. Paladins, head inside that ship and let me know what you find. If you're forced to engage then do so quickly. But most importantly, you must get out alive."

With that, the Paladins took off for it as Alphus and Iyera looked on.

At the base, Throk witnessed the cameras being decimated as he saw the generals of Lotor last. In anger, he slammed his fist on the wall before getting out his weapon.

"This may be the worst post in the Galra Empire, but it's my post! Victory or death!"

Meanwhile, the lions landed before the they ejected hover jets with Adea, Atchiam, and Luzria following Lapis as she followed the other Paladins while Alphus spoke.

"Remember, Paladins. Finding Shiro and the comet is the main priority. Kaecilius comes later."

In the base, Throk and his drones prepared for the worst as the doors exploded before Syn emerged from the smoke and used his luxite sword to create an energy slash that decimated Throk's backup as he went toward him. As Throk shouted to him, he shot at him, only for Syn to block them with his sword as he pulled it in and back out with each shot made.

"You! Lotor sent you to finish off what he started?!"

Then, when Syn got close enough, he used his sword to slice the weapon before slashing toward him with a shout.

As this happened, the Paladins entered the Galra cruiser above the base as Keith spoke.

"Alphus, we've just boarded the ship. There's no crew in sight. Moving forward with the search."

As the Paladins walked in the hall, Lance shot a door mechanism, opening the door before they ran in while Hunk scanned for any signals. When he looked to the hallway on the left, Hunk seemed to have found the comet as rapid beeping occurred.

"This way."

With that, they all followed Hunk towards it. In the meantime, they didn't notice that Honerva and the masked Xaira were behind them before they teleported out of the ship.

In the base, Acxa shot down the rest of the drones while spiraling in mid-air before Zethrid complained.

"Let me finish him off!"

"No, you know the plan!"

As Syn fought him, he spoke down on him.

"Did you really think your life meant anything?"

"My life doesn't matter. All that matters is the empire!"

Suddenly, Narti jumped behind him before placing her hand on the back of his head, hypnotizing him as his eyes turned purple before he went to the computer.

"Shutting down security."

With that, all of the drones shut down before Throk spoke again.

"Retracting roof."

Then, Narti broke the link and put him to sleep as the roof opened up to reveal a large metal piece with a glass lid atop of it. Babak and Coran recognized it immediately.

"Is that... it is! A piece of the teludav!"

"What in the name of King Groggery the Infirm is going on?!"

Suddenly, Lotor's generals heard a whoosh behind them before they looked to see Haggar and Xaira before the former explained when they raised their weapons.

"You will lower your weapons. You are among allies."

Syn honestly didn't believe that.

"And what makes you so sure?"

"We're here for Lotor, not you."

In the ship, the Paladins heard no commotion outside before Jenny and Keith spoke.

"I don't hear any firing. What happened?"

"Sounds like the fight next door's over. Let's hurry."

With that, they marched forward as Hunk's device beeped louder.

"The comet should be in here. Like right here."

As he turned his device toward the ship, it's beeping had increased as Adea spoke.

"Maybe the comet is inside that ship?"

Hunk had a different approach to it.

"I think the ship is the comet."

This made everyone widen their eyes before Allura spoke.

"No, it can't be! He's already made a ship from half of the comet's ore?"

Lance and Jenny can agree that it was discomforting.

"Oh, this is bad."

"More like unnerving."

Then, Babak spoke to them via communicator.

"Paladins, that's not the only bad news. There's also a piece of the teludav inside the Galra base."

Lance spoke to Babak to confirm it before Jenny spoke.

"The one we used to wormhole Zarkon's ship?"

"The very same."

"But why? They can't use it without an—"

Then, Jenny remembered what she saw at his ship as she stopped her from hurting Shiro and Ayame before.

"Oh, quiznak! How did I forget?! Haggar was Altean!"

Then, Hunk spoke up nervously.

"Is anyone else kind of freaking out?"

Adea felt the same as he did.

"Yeah, that's number one on my freak-out scale, so far."

Keith knew that it meant one thing.

"Lotor must be nearby. We need to find him and take him out for good."

Then, Jenny spoke up.

"But what about Shiro? Don't we gotta save him, first?"

Then, Alphus spoke up.

"Forget about them for now. The main concern is to stop Lotor from getting that ship."

Keith and Jenny had different view points.

"Why take out one ship when we can stop all of this by taking out Lotor himself? We can't let him keep outsmarting us."

"Lotor is one thing, Keith. But Kaecilius is another. Taking out Lotor just means one less problem for Kaecilius and we'll end up being bigger targets than ever and putting Shiro in a bigger risk of not breathing."

"That's exactly why you can't let either of them have that comet, guys. This is too important."

Then, Zarkon spoke up.

"Indeed. That's why I'll join in."

Alphus and the Paladins grew surprised.

"What?!"

"Lotor is my son and my responsibility. If anyone is going to bring him to justice, it should be me."

Then, Jenny spoke up.

"Well, we know what the big guy's gonna do, but what about us?"

Keith had an idea before he spoke.

"You guys go back to the lions. I'm gonna search the ship for Shiro."

Jenny felt estranged to that as she spoke.

"Keith, we all want to find Shiro. But you need to stick together."

"What about you?"

"I'll go look for Shiro. That way, while you guys take out the comet and the teludav, I'll bring Shiro back. I gamed it out. Anyone agree?"

Then, the Paladins gave their two cents starting in the order of Lance, Allura, Pidge, Hunk, Lapis, Atchiam, Luzria, and Adea.

"Yeah, I'm with Jenny on this one."

"As am I."

"Me, too."

"Yeah, man."

"That could work."

"Good planning."

"I'm in."

"Aye."

Keith then looked to Jenny, only to meet her determined glare before he reluctantly agreed.

"Fine. Let's move."

As they walked out, they noticed that the the hall opened to reveal Lotor's generals with Haggar and Xaira before Jenny widened her eyes.

"No way..."

Then, Zethrid leaped to the air and roared, earning Adea's fearful squeak as she jumped back from her impact zone just in time to brace the dust from the impact. Then, Kurziam emerged from the dust to attack Pidge, who fired her bayard at her, only for her to dodge it and trip him before using the momentum to bash Hunk away. As this happened, Lance shot at Syn, who blocked his fire with his sword before using his luxite sword to push him back with his energy slash as Keith moved in toward him. Then, he clashed his sword with Syn's as the two stared daggers at each other before he spoke.

"Why are you doing this?!"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

Suddenly, a blast came between their blades before Xaira mobilized with her own luxite switch blade as it turned into a dagger before she darted toward Keith. Meanwhile, Jenny used her chain blade to repel Ezor's daggers before the opponent moved in for hand-to-hand combat before she blocked the whip and used it to pull her closer to her before pulling her weapon away from her as she smirked. Jenny only smirked back as her bayard went to her free hand, catching her by surprise before she kicked her away and got her running as Jenny giggled before she noticed Keith fighting Xaira and ran over to help him. In the meantime, Narti was fighting against Lapis, Adea, and Luzria before she tripped the Blade with her tail, allowing Adea the opportunity to lunge at her and grab her from behind before Kova leaped onto her face from a nearby support beam and scratched on swiftly, forcing her to let go in an attempt to get the cat off of her.

"AAH! Ceiling cat!"

Narti used the opportunity to wrap her tail around Adea's neck tightly and hoisted her up as she started choking.

"Can't breathe..."

Then, Lapis went toward Narti and knocked her away with a backhand knuckle strike before she dropped Adea into her arms before the blade looked at her leader.

"Hi."

As Lapis sighed at this in relief, Allura and Atchiam were fighting Zethrid as the former used her chain blade to catch her weapon while she and Atchiam pulled on it, earning their opponent's smirk.

"It's been a long time since I've faced a worthy opponent. I'm going to enjoy crushing you."

Then, she pulled on the trigger, firing a blast before Atchiam blocked it with her metal arm before she spoke.

"Not today! Because I'm gonna beat you to the punch! Get it? 'Cause I'm gonna punch you. I doubt it'll do much, but I'm still gonna punch you."

Zethrid only snarled before pulling them toward her as Atchiam fired a bullet from her gauntlet to avoid Zethrid's arm that swung toward them and grabbed Allura before chucking her away. Atchiam then moved in to punch her in the face, only for Zethrid to grip her arm and toss over overhead before she landed next to Allura and spoke.

"I was right. It was pointless. I'm not sorry."

Then, they noticed Lance shooting at Acxa as she went up to him and jumped into a structure before landing by him and kicking him away, causing Lance to tumble back before Lapis spoke up.

"Let's forget about them for now. We have to get back to the lions."

"Good idea."

However, Keith had other plans as he was caught up in the fight with Xaira before she lunged her switch blade towards him. Keith was able to counter this with his own sword before going up on the sword and hitting her in the mask, knocking it off before he turned back to her. However, when he saw her face, it looked entirely similar to Ayame's with blank yellow eyes before he widened his eyes and spoke her name.

"Ayame...?"

This made everyone else gasp in surprise as well before Jenny spoke.

"Ayame's here, too?! Wow. What are the odds?"

Then, Xaira spoke against him.

"My name isn't Ayame. It's XAIRA!"

Then, she lunged at him and swung her switchblade before he ended up slashed across his chest and knocked to the floor before she spoke to him.

"Just stay out of my way."

Keith then held onto his chest before he turned to her.

"Ayame, listen. I don't know what Xaira told you, but you can't believe her. I'm not leaving here without you."

Xaira only raised her switchblade above his chest before she spoke.

"Yes, you are..."

Before she could make the move, Pidge shot her bayard at her back, knocking her unconscious before she fell to the floor. Jenny then spoke to her.

"Good move. You did what you had to do."

Then, she and Allura went up to her as Jenny spoke.

"Now, let's drag her back into the Castle and... wait. Where's Haggar?"

Suddenly, dark mists came from Xaira and swirled around Allura and Jenny, turning their eyes bright yellow.

For Allura's case, she witnessed her father's death with Kaecilius watching before the latter shouted to Sendak.

"Their armies have fallen! Execute the Zaiforge cannons!"

"Vrepit Sa."

With that, 6 purple lights ascended to the air before heading down to the planet's surface and destroying it as Allura watched the tragedy before screaming in vain.

"NO!"

For Jenny's case, she ended up seeing a different background with Xaira walking up to her before speaking to her.

"Jenny... your friend is gone."

Then, Belle walked up beside her in a Galra Battle Suit as she spoke.

"We all work for the Galra Empire now."

With that, Xaira and Kren began attacking her as she was forced to get her bayard out and used it to block their weapons before she spoke.

"No! Not again!"

In reality, Allura and Jenny were standing still, petrified before Keith and Lance spoke up.

"Guys, what's happening? Guys!"

"Are you okay?"

Then, Babak spoke to him in the communicator.

"Keith, what's going on?!"

"I don't know. Jenny and Allura just froze up."

"Drag them to their designated lions yourself if you have to! We're wasting time!"

"Okay."

With that, Keith and the others went toward them as they were forced to take off while the generals watched them run, much to Zethrid's displeasure as Acxa stopped her from running toward them.

"Zethrid, stop!"

"Come on! This is our chance to destroy them!"

Syn then spoke to her.

"We have what we came for. Stick to the plan."

With that, they all took off as Zethrid looked back to Atchiam and she stared back at her before she spoke.

"Don't worry. I'll give you a real fight next time."

This made Zethrid smile herself before speaking.

"You better."

Meanwhile, Jenny was caught in their blades with her neck near them and on the wall before she spoke.

"Well, at least things can't get any worse than this."

However, she was proven wrong as a spotlight landed on Lance, to which she turned to see him holding hands with Nyma as he spoke to her.

"You know, you're so much cooler than anyone I've ever met."

This made Jenny's eyes widen in terror before she spoke.

"Lance...?!"

"What about your girlfriend?"

"What girlfriend?"

As they giggled, Jenny began to shed tears as she spoke.

"No... how could you? How could you betray me...?"

Then, Jenny tensed her hand in anger as her eyes began glowing blue as she shouted in anger, knocking Xaira and Kren away before they turned into black mists and faded away in her light before she shouted.

"I LOVED YOU!"

As Jenny screamed in despair, she unleashed her light throughout the background, dispelling the dark mists before she suddenly gasped for air in reality before Allura woke up as well with Lance speaking to her.

"Jenny, Allura, are you okay?"

Jenny then hugged Lance before she spoke while sobbing on him.

"Oh, Lance! I had the worst nightmare! I had to fight my best friends, and you dumped me for Nyma, and—"

Lance stopped her by putting his hands on her back and hugging her tightly as he spoke.

"Calm down, Jenny. Calm down. It's over now."

As Jenny took a deep breath with a smile, her tears landed on his armor before she spoke.

"Thank goodness for that."

Then, she turned to Allura and helped her up before she spoke.

"W-What happened to us?"

Jenny had a theory about it.

"I don't know. But if I had to guess, it's got Haggar written all over it. Not that it matters. We still gotta stick to the plan. But just to be safe, Ayame will come with me."

In the mindscape, Xaira was meditating alone before a bright light opened up to reveal Ayame's silhouette before she spoke.

"Xaira!"

Xaira then opened her eyes and turned around while setting her feet upon the ground as her other half walked toward her.

"So... your powers. They don't scare you anymore."

"And how would you know?"

"Because I'm you."

"No. I'm me."

Xaira then bore a sad look as she held her head down and began to have tears.

"'I'm me' she says. Must be nice being real. A fake like me... would never get away with saying that."

This made Ayame widen her eyes before Xaira took offense to that as she shouted at her.

"That's right. I'm a phony, a fake! The way I look, how I feel, everything I remember! Even... this new Quintessence!"

To demonstrate it, Xaira began to develop a shadowy aura with black and purple lightning sparks around her as she spoke onwards.

"I thought by finding new strength, I could finally be someone, someone who's not at all you! But... nothing's changed. I'm still just empty! Everything about he is borrowed! That means as long as you're around, I'll never be more than a shadow! I WON'T LIVE LIKE THAT! DO YOU HEAR ME?!"

Xaira then darted toward Ayame in anguishing grief as she shouted at the top of her lungs.

Outside, Ayame was behind Jenny as she rode in her hover vehicle while she, and Lance spoke.

"Okay, so far, we haven't seen Kaecilius or his men just yet. What could that mean?"

"Yeah, seriously, what is going on?"

Then, Hunk, Allura, and Pidge spoke next.

"Jenny, you said they had an Altean? They must be trying to build a teludav so they can make wormholes."

"If Lotor has turned one half of the comet into a ship, we have much bigger concerns."

Adea has a question on her mind that needed answers.

"I thought Lotor took over for Zarkon. So why would he attack his own base?"

Then, Zarkon spoke up, listening to her.

"The only reason he has to gain from this is to reap as much Quintessence as possible. No doubt Honerva and Xaira were trying to stop him. Speaking of, where is my daughter?"

Then, Jenny spoke up.

"Truth? She's actually in the back with me. To make sure if she does sic those weird mists again, it wouldn't affect the rest of the team."

This made Zarkon widen his eyes before he sighed.

"Can I count on you to keep her safe?"

"Of course. She's my best friend. Why wouldn't I?"

Then, Zarkon got out his own custom bayard before using it to activate his armor as he spoke.

"Don't take this personally. It's a father's duty to worry for his children."

With that, they got to the lions just as Ezor, Kurziam, and Zethrid were on a cargo ship picking up the teludav lense. Suddenly, however, they heard the door open before turning to see Vantiv and Varek.

"Sorry, ladies."

"This craft is our property."

With that, the generals darted towards Vantiv and Varek while the tractor beam caught the lense as Alphus, Iyera, Babak, and Coran watched before the first of the group spoke to Babak.

"We have to stop that cargo ship."

"On it, Alphus."

As they moved in, however, they noticed a fast-moving ship before Coran pointed out what it was.

"That must be the ship made from the comet."

"Then we can't take any chances. Raise particle barrier. Fire Castle defenses."

With that, Coran fired at the ship while also raising its barrier. However, the ship was able to move around swiftly, avoiding the blasts altogether.

"A quick little bugger, isn't it?"

"I've never seen something that size move that fast."

As the ship moved around dodging, it fired countless beams at the barrier before charging a big one to hit the side of the barrier, shattering it in the process as Babak spoke.

"That blast cut right through the particle barrier!"

Alphus then spoke to her team.

"Paladins, where are you?!"

The ship then fired at the barrier again as Coran spoke.

"We can't take another hit like that!"

Then, before he could strike again, Zarkon called him out.

"LOTOR!"

Suddenly, a purple chain blade gripped the ship before electrocuting it and tossing it away as Zarkon's battle armor glared at it. Alphus couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"Zarkon... he saved us?"

Meanwhile, in the ship, Jenny heard Kaecilius' grunts as well as Shiro's yells of pain as she walked toward the source as he shouted.

"We had so much unfinished business!"

As he yelled again, Jenny tiptoed to perk out the corner and saw Kaecilius electrocuting him, causing her to widen her eyes as he shouted again.

"WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME?! WHY?!"

Then, he zapped Shiro again, earning louder screams before she got out her bayard and ran out to him.

"Let him go!"

Then, Kaecilius looked to see Jenny before getting a flashback of his last defeat in which his skin withered while Omegus dissolved into nothing in the quantum abyss before he ceased his torture and snarled.

"You... Your conceit will be the end of you!"

Then, he yelled as he darted toward the girl.

In the meantime, Xaira began engaging in hand-to-hand combat with Ayame, who managed to block her fists before she charged her fist in a dark aura and bashed it against her arm, earning Ayame's scream before she ended up tripped by Xaira. As Xaira got out her switchblade and aimed to stab her, Ayame moved away got her bayard and blocked it, much to both of their surprise. Despite this, Ayame used it to knock her back before twirling her dual-naginata and glaring at her.

"I don't care how hurt you are! You have no right to force that hurt on my friends!"

Then, she lunged at Xaira as she twirled her weapon before the scene shifted to show Voltron and the Violet Voltron arriving to face Lotor as Keith slammed his bayard into a slot while he shouted.

"Form sword!"

As Voltron got the sword ready, Lotor spoke to Syn on the communicator.

"Keep Voltron and my father engaged until the cargo ship is out of range."

As Voltron tried to slice it, it boosted away while Lotor gave a warning.

"Do not be drawn in. The sword strike is his most deadly blow."

Then, Voltron slashed at it repeatedly before the ship dodged them over and over again, infuriating Keith.

"It's too quick!"

Then, Lapis spoke in the Violet Lion.

"Just keep him busy! We'll head for the cargo ship in the meantime."

"Got it."

Inside the cargo ship, Vantiv gripped Kurziam by the neck with her quintessential arm and pressed it against the wall as she smirked.

"I'm afraid we'll be taking your teludav."

Seeing this, Zethrid ran at her like a bull, knocking her to the ground whilst dropping Kurziam into her arms as she spoke.

"Thanks."

Meanwhile, Ezor clashed her daggers against Varek's aura blade before he tripped her and kicked her to the wall while using the momentum of he Kick to staple Ezor's shirt to the wall with his needles, scaring Zethrid.

"Ezor!"

Then, she set Kurziam down before she charged at Varek as she shouted, clashing his fist against hers before he spoke.

"Just like a lowly mortal to charge in with no conception of consequences. You're no better than that long-haired weakling."

This made Zethrid's eyes widen before realizing who he actually was.

"You mean you're the one who took her arms?! That's it!"

Then, Zethrid turned her fist into an open hand before she began squeezing his hand as he yelled in pain.

"Now you get to know what that's like."

However, his yell of pain died down into that of laughter as his eyes started glowing purple before he wrapped his hand in a dark aura before it began to burn Zethrid as she was forced to let it go before he stood up with a smirk.

"Is this really the strength you can muster? How disappointing..."

Suddenly, Kurziam shot at him from behind with her weapon, knocking him and the recovering Vantiv to the door before firing a switch to open it, sending them out to space as Ezor and Zethrid held on before shooting it again, closing it. As they fell back to the ground, Ezor looked to Kurziam.

"Thanks. You okay?"

"Just fine."

In the ship, Jenny dodged Kaecilius's blasts before she charged at him with her chain blade and wrapped it around his hands before pulling him and kicking him in the back to the ground before she ran over to the groaning Shiro and unlocked his restraints before she spoke to him.

"Shiro. Come on, you've gotta be okay."

Then, Kaecilius stood up and glared at her with purple eyes.

"Repent of your arrogance..."

Suddenly, he fired dark lightning at Jenny, forcing her to toss Shiro away and her caught in the path herself as she screamed in agony as he stepped closer to her until he was at point blank range. At which point, he fashioned a black and purple sword from his hand which he held at her throat before he spoke.

"Away with you, mortal scum!"

Then, he began to raise it and strike there with a yell before Jenny closed her eyes and feared the worst only to hear a clang in front of her. When she opened her eyes, she saw someone holding back the sword, someone she didn't suspect.

"Huh?!"

"Back for more, Honerva, yet again?!"

"Wait. Honerva? Are you Haggar's sister?"

Suddenly, the ship began to jolt as the Violet Voltron has just destroyed the teludav before Haggar looked out to see Zarkon fighting Lotor alongside Voltron as she widened her eyes in disbelief before she glared back at Kaecilius and thrusted her lightning at him, sending him back to the ground before turning to Jenny.

"Take my hand if you want to get out of here."

"What? What about Shiro?"

"He's coming with you."

If the situation was different, Jenny wouldn't trust a stranger. But seeing as she saved her life, and possibly Shiro's, she had to do it.

"Alright. Just take us to the White Lion."

Then, she took her hand and the three of them teleported before Kaecilius looked up in anger before he took a deep breath as he spoke, satisfied with the pain he dealt to Shiro.

"Who's your daddy? And by the way, you're doing a fine job convincing everyone you're Shiro. Keep up the good work."

Meanwhile, Ayame used her dual naginata to stab Xaira, only for her to dodge it before gripping it and using it to toss her away before lunging at her. As she did, Ayame looked up at her and got her naginata out before stabbing her unintentionally. When Ayame looked up, she saw Xaira stopped in midair by the tip of her weapon as she leaked dark mists from her wound before she thrusted her down to the ground and deactivated her bayard as she went toward her. As she laid on the floor, Xaira spoke sadly.

"So... this is it, huh? Tch. Death doesn't scare me. Good riddance to a phony life. I was never real to begin with. I'm sure... that even what I'm feeling now is all fake."

Ayame then spoke to her as she placed her hand on her chest.

"What are you feeling?"

"Longing... curiosity, mostly. Tell me. What happens when a fake dies? One like me. Where will I go? Would it disappear?"

"It'll go somewhere. Maybe to the same place as mine."

This earned Xaira's smile before she spoke.

"A faithful copy to the end. That's fine with me. Listen. I know I don't have a right to ask after what I've done, but... the Galra... please look after them."

This only earned her smile before she nodded.

"Okay. I promise I'll lead them to a better future."

This made Xaira smile back before she shed a tear and closed her eyes.

"You know... you make a good other..."

With that, Xaira's body faded completely into a dark mist before they scattered away into the background as Ayame looked on.

Meanwhile, Voltron and Zarkon were doing battle against Lotor as they came under fire before they brought their shields up while the ship charged its cannon as Lotor spoke to the crew in it.

"We have them right where we want them. They can either defend or go after Kaecilius' ship and leave themselves vulnerable."

As Voltron turned behind it, they noticed the Violet Voltron being joined by the White Voltron before Jenny spoke.

"I've picked up Shiro, guys, but he's not doing so hot! On top of that, Kaecilius is getting away!"

Lance spoke to him next.

"Keith, what should we do?"

Then, Alphus spoke to Keith.

"You're going to have to lower your shield, shoot Kaecilius's ship, and deal with the consequences."

"We can beat this ship first, and then get Kaecilius's ship."

"There's not enough time! You need to make a decision now!"

Keith growled at this before Jenny spoke up.

"Why not do both?"

This made Alphus confused.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't worry. I've got a plan. Hunk, get your bayard ready. On Keith's cue, you're going to lower the shield and shoot Kaecilius's ship."

"Yeah, and then what?"

"If Keith's really the leader, he'll figure out what to do next."

Then, Kaecilius's cruiser began to appear as if it's turning toward the Paladins as she spoke.

"Here comes the boss, guys. Let's mess him up!"

"Right!"

At the ship, Lotor spoke to Syn.

"They're going to attack Kaecilius's ship. Prepare to fire as soon as the shield goes down."

Then, Keith spoke to Hunk.

"Go!"

Then, Hunk put his bayard into the slot to target the teludav before Lotor spoke to Syn.

"Fire now!"

With that, the ship fired at Voltron before Keith waited for a moment and used the lever to serve away before it hit the side of Kaecilius's ship and caused it to explode where it was hit while inside Kaecilius only smiled as he headed to an escape pod and went in it before it ejected away into outer space while Jenny took advantage of the lapse and shot her blue laser at it from the White Voltron's chest before it caused the ship to become paralyzed as Lotor spoke.

"Your failure is most disappointing. Return before more Galra ships converge on your location."

With that, Acxa sighed before she used the ship to pick up Ezor, Zethrid, and Kurziam before they retreated. As they did, Lance spoke to the group.

"So, Kaecilius was attacking the Galra base while Lotor tried to steal the teludav? None of this makes any sense."

Then, Pidge spoke up.

"We can talk about this later. They're getting away!"

Jenny didn't feel it best to follow them, in light of recent events.

"Let them go. Ayame and Shiro need help. And before anything else, we're going to give it to them."

Later, at the Castle, Keith was the only one sitting by Ayame as he watched over her longer than anyone else as he checked the most frequently before Jenny entered the room and sat next to him.

"Hey, Keith."

"Hi."

"Listen, I'm sorry for stepping up the way I did back there."

"I thought I had it under control."

"Keith, I know how hard that is. Since you've dropped out from the Garrison, I had to make sure Lance, Hunk, and Pidge didn't end up flunking. To do that, I had to take information in and process it. Not as easy to do when it's happening all at once, believe me. Point being, you gotta learn to pick your battles. Sometimes, you have to make hard choices."

"I'm no good at this."

"Are you kidding? You totally psyched out Lotor and stopped Kaecilius at the same time. Besides, you remember what I said. If you really were the leader, you'd figure out what to do next. And you did. The Black Lion chose you for a reason. And I know Shiro and Ayame would be so proud of you."

With that, Keith smiled at Jenny just as they heard Ayame groaning. When they looked at her, they noticed her skin changing back to its normal color before Ayame opened her eyes and got up as she gasped for breath before Keith held her back and spoke.

"Calm down, Ayame. We're here."

Then, she looked to see Keith and Jenny as she widened her eyes.

"Keith? Jenny?"

As Jenny smiled at her, she then noticed Keith's wound on his chest before she gasped and felt ashamed at what she'd done.

"Oh, no... what did I do?"

Then, Ayame began breaking down in tears as she spoke.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry..."

Keith then hugged her for comfort before he spoke.

"It's alright, Ayame. You weren't yourself back then. None of it was your fault."

"Yeah, Ayame. We can't be mad at you for that?.

"You mean... you forgive me?"

"Duh! We're friends! That's what we do."

This made Ayame smile before she gave the two of them a hug as she shed tears and replied softly.

"Thank you so much..."

"You're welcome."

Then, Jenny thought of someone else in mind.

"Wait. What about Xaira?"

Ayame then ceased her hug before she spoke.

"She's gone. You don't have to worry anymore."

"Well, that's good."

"So, what have you been doing since I was gone?"

"Well, you wouldn't believe it if I told you."