Chapter 34: Code of Honor

On an ocean, a buoy was ringing just as a Galra Cruiser arrived before the commander of said cruiser engaged in a check-in with the captain of the base.

"This is Galra Cruiser beta-nine. We are within range and requesting permission to dock."

"Proceed."

With that, the Cruiser submerged into the ocean before they witnessed a giant base underneath before the captain spoke to his crew over the PA.

"A priority one-shipment is en route. Activate the docking station immediately."

With that, the station activated green lights just as one of the soldiers complained about the base's integrity.

"I can't believe we're stuck here. This base predates the Zaipirium Siege. It's amazing this equipment remains operational."

"We're lucky to have it since the rebels overran the Sigma-3 Quadrant. It's all we have left in the system."

Then, the other soldier opened the hatch before a large capsule of sorts entered the station as Adea, Atchiam, Luzria, Lapis, Caxas, Jareth, Regris, and Keith noticed the contents alongside Zaltron and Kolivan as the former of the leaders spoke up.

"But the Komar was overloaded. How are the Galra still producing such vast amounts of Quintessence?"

This made Adea think of a certain creepy scientist Jenny told her about once.

"What about the real Komar? Do you think he's behind this?"

Kolivan thought of a way to remedy this.

"There's only one way to know for sure. Lapis, Caxas, you and your team find out where it's coming from and where it's going."

"Yes, sir. Come on, guys."

As Adea, Caxas, Luzria, Atchiam, and Lapis took off, Kolivan turned to Keith, Regris, Sandra, and Jareth.

"The rest of you, get a reading on that shipment. Remember, this is purely intelligence gathering. Do not engage."

Keith nodded to him before they took off.

In the main office, the Galra commander was dozing off just as Luzria, Atchiam, and Adea walked in quietly before they realized his position.

"He's not doing anything."

This made Adea smile before getting out a marker.

"Never pass out when the marker's about..."

"Adea, no. Not during the mission. Honestly, you've been spending time with Jenny too much."

With that, Adea grumbled before Atchiam spoke to the remainder of the group.

"How are things on your end?"

Lapis and Caxas were sliding down the elevator and opening a hole before putting in a data cartridge and getting access as the former answered.

"So far, so good."

In the office, the three noticed the monitors flicking in and out between the Blade's data and the Galra's as Adea grew worried it would stir him awake. Fortunately, it didn't as Adea sighed.

"You're clear, guys."

Then, Lapis turned to her partner.

"Caxas."

"I'm on it."

With that, Caxas began downloading data from the computer.

In the meantime, Keith, Sandra, and Jareth were scanning the contents and displaying the results to Kolivan and Zaltron.

"Impossible. It's overloading our monitors."

"The only Quintessence capable of that is Altean Quintessence. But... how?"

Then, as Keith was finished, Sandra got out her luxite katana before she sliced him swiftly. However, Sandra failed to notice another drone about to fire until Regris tripped it with his tail. However, it also alerted the others as it fired upward.

"The op is compromised. Abort! Extraction point in two doboshes. This is a hard out."

This made Caxas groan before he unloaded the cartridge and spoke.

"Well, so much for a smooth mission."

With that, Lapis and Caxas slid down from the shaft as Adea, Atchiam, and Luzria took off from the room, bewildering the guard as he woke up. Meanwhile, Keith, Sandra, Jareth, and Regris retreated to the ship whilst taking out the drones. When they got there, they noticed that Zaltron and Kolivan were the only ones present before Keith spoke to Zaltron.

"They're not back?"

"They have 30 ticks."

This made Keith run out of the ship as Zaltron spoke to his pilot.

"Begin preparations for takeoff."

As the ship started, Keith noticed Lapis, Caxas, Adea, Atchiam, and Luzria taking out the drones on their way to the ship as Adea shouted.

"Don't leave without us!"

As they group got on board, Keith saw Lapis trip before he ran over to her and held her up as he spoke.

"It's okay. I got you."

With that, they headed to the ship as the doors began closing with Adea, Atchiam, Luzria, and Caxas making it through before Keith and Lapis did. As he took his breath, he spoke to her.

"Will you be alright?"

"I guess."

Then, Zaltron kneeled to Keith as he spoke.

"What have you done?"

"I saved your daughter."

"And broke protocol."

Keith spoke again as he removed the hood and deactivated his mask before Kolivan did the same.

"I had to."

"You didn't consider that something could've happened to you. That would make six men down instead of five."

Adea felt hurt by his words.

"So, you don't even care about us?"

"Every member of the Blade of Marmora understands that the mission is most important than the individual. This isn't Voltron."

"I understand that. In Voltron, we would've gone back in to save Lapis and her team. I went back to save the mission. Caxas and the others had the intel. Getting them and it back on the ship was worth the risk."

As Keith handed said intel to Kolivan, he walked away while Atchiam spoke to him.

"You gotta admit, chief. He does have a point."

Then, while Lapis and her team remained with the Blades, Keith headed back to Olkarion to report back to Shiro and Alphus, who were managing the surveillance of the lions and their assigned ships as he walked in.

"Keith, good, you're back."

"The team's on a mission. You need to get to your lion and join them immediately."

"I will, but I think we just discovered a new form of Altean Quintessence."

This piqued Alphus' curiosity before she spoke.

"Altean Quintessence?! How?!

"I don't know, but the readings are off the charts. lol Ivan and Zaltron said it could be linked to Komar or Lotor."

Shiro was only focused on the mission as he spoke.

"Okay, we'll discuss it when you return. The team's escorting refugees out of the Fimm System."

"This is Lotor we're talking about. He hasn't been seen in months. This might be our chance to track him down."

"I said, we'll discuss it later. Right now, I need you to focus on your mission at hand."

"But—"

"This isn't a request, Keith. Get to the Fimm System. That's an order."

This made Keith's eyebrows go down before he walked away. As he did, Alphus got an uneasy feeling from it.

At the Fimm System, the lions hooked onto their transports before they boosted themselves toward Olkarion as Jenny and Lance spoke up.

"About time. What were you doin'?"

"Yeah, are you even taking this seriously?"

"Sorry I'm late."

At Olkarion as the ships landed, Shiro spoke with Keith as the latter asked him about the details.

"Were you and Alphus able to speak with Kolivan and Zaltron about the intel?"

"We did, and we need to find out all we can about that Quintessence. But more importantly, Voltron needs a strong leader."

"I know they do, and it should be you."

"Keith, we've discussed this before. Besides, we both know that the Black Lion has chosen you."

"You only tried once. You had a connection with the Black Lion and I know it's still there. If you just give it another shot—"

"Keith, we all have a part to play. This is mine now. I've come to terms with that. Now, you need to. I support your decision to continue with you and Sandy's Marmora training, but not at the expense of the team. They need you, Keith. They need you to be their leader."

Later, at the Castle, Babak had called the Paladins in to discuss a mission.

"Okay, everyone. Today, we'll be heading to Reiphod, a planet recently liberated from Galra and Drule forces alike."

Keith felt it was unnecessary.

"This is embarrassing. We're basically the grand marshal of a parade."

Coran felt different.

"Not a parade. A show of arms."

Pidge couldn't really care about the name so much as the repetitiveness of it.

"Whatever it is, this is the second one of those we've done just this week."

Alphus turned to Pidge as she spoke.

"I know it's not exactly battling the Drule, but believe it or not, this helps us boost morale and strengthen alliances."

Lance was only focused on the fun part as he spoke.

"Right, right, strongholds, blah-dy, blah-dy, blah. Now, I say we go over our Lion choreography one more time. I don't want a repeat of what happened last time, Hunk."

"I thought my lion had more room."

Then, Kolivan suddenly appeared on the com link to the Castle.

"Shiro, my apologies for interrupting, but this is an urgent matter. A Drule supply ship has been spotted passing through Quadrant Omega-Raylar-Six."

Shiro, knowing how their supply routes work, grew confused about its path.

"What's it doing so far from the normal supply routes?"

"We can't be certain, but taken together with the fact that Lotor hasn't been seen in quite some time and the emergence of this new form of Altean Quintessence, we feel compelled to investigate. Normally, we would wait for better intel, but I believe we should act on this now."

Ayame felt as though he'd forgotten a certain team.

"Why not send Rogue Thrust?"

"We have. We haven't heard from them in a varga. We can only assume that they've been captured."

"I'll send Voltron to intercept."

"No. We're also getting the sense that it might very well be a trap. And even if it wasn't, an infiltration mission makes more sense. We can plant a tracker and see just how far the supply route extends. With all the Drule and Galra activities as of late, my agents are spread thin."

Then, Keith took the opportunity to speak up.

"Not anymore. Count me and Sandy in."

Lance grew worried about their own mission.

"Hey, what about our performance? We can't razzle-dazzle the crowd with just four lions of the main Voltron."

"This mission is more important than a show of arms."

Jenny begged to differ.

"And the mission is more important than Ayame? How dare you..."

Ignoring Jenny's rant, Ayame spoke to Keith out of worry.

"Keith, we're expanding the coalition. I get that the mission is important, but so is building an alliance to stop Kaecilius and the Galra Empire."

Taken aback by this, Keith held his head down as he spoke.

"Ayame... I just... I have to take the shot if it means we'll find Lotor that much sooner."

Ayame then turned her head away as she spoke solemnly before Shiro spoke to Kolivan.

"Okay. I get it."

"How long will it take?"

"Not long, but we must act fast, or we risk the ship and Rogue Thrust jumping to hyperspace."

Shiro then turned to Keith as he spoke.

"Go. But when you're done, meet us on Reiphod."

On Reiphod, Coran spoke to its citizens via microphone.

"Citizens of Reiphod, on this day, we honor you for your perseverance. Your refusal to bow down in the face of such adversity is a testament to the fighting spirit of your people. You've put aside your differences and united to dispel the oppressive Drule and Galra regimes, bringing freedom to all!"

The whole crowd cheered as one of them held a board of a drawing of Shiro with sparkles near him before Coran spoke again.

"We thank you for joining the coalition and continuing the fight against the Galra that began with the reemergence of the five Lions of Voltron."

With that, the Blue, Yellow, Red, and Green lions arrived with the White Lion in the center, each entailing a certain color of dust appropriated with the colors of their armor behind them as Lance spoke.

"I thought Keith said he was gonna be here. He's going to ruin our show!"

Allura and Jenny didn't care about that aspect.

"Lance, this isn't just about putting in a good show. It's about uniting people and bringing them to the coalition to help in the fight against Kaecilius."

"Besides, the people down there don't seem to notice that the Black Lion is supposed to lead Voltron. So far, so good."

"Fine. I don't even know why I try."

Meanwhile, in outer space, Keith, Sandra, Caxas, Jareth, Regris, and Kolivan jumped out of the ship before Kolivan spoke.

"Triangulate positions around the ship."

With that, they used their jet packs to boost themselves toward the ship before Keith landed on it and planted a device, checking it for any signs of life. Fortunately, there were four.

"That's gotta be Rogue Thrust. But other than them, there's no biorhythms."

"Could be a crew of sentries. Let's get in and find out."

Later, they got in the ship before they met up as Regris spoke.

"I completed the sentry scan. There are none on board."

"But we still haven't found Lapis or Rogue Thrust yet."

Kolivan felt as though there's more to it than that.

"Something's not right here. We should leave."

"We came all this way. We're not leaving without them."

"Besides, we should at least place the tracker and see where this ship ends up."

Kolivan would've argued, but he also knew there was little point in convincing him.

"Let's make it quick."

With that, they went inside the main hub before they noticed Lapis and her team unconscious on the floor before he gasped.

"Oh, no..."

Caxas had an idea how to fix this as he spoke.

"Jareth and I will pick them up."

In the meantime, Regris and Sandra spoke up on their tasks.

"I'll check the logs."

"Planting the tracker."

As Caxas carried Adea and Lapis, Jareth held Atchiam while Keith held Luzria before a message appeared on the logs with Kaecilius speaking to them.

"So, Black Paladin, I noticed you've been taking some time off from Voltron. Is that safe to say? Well, I'm afraid that will be your fatal mistake."

With that, the countdown began as Regris tried to stop it with the doors closed behind them.

"I'm locked out of the system."

"It's rigged to blow!"

"The ship's a decoy! Everyone out!"

Then, Kolivan and Sandra tried to pry open the gates as Regris spoke.

"Attempting to override."

As they got the door open, Keith, Caxas, and Jareth ran out with Rogue Thrust as Keith spoke to him.

"There's not enough time! Come on!"

"Just a few more ticks."

Keith tried to pull him back, only for Sandra to stop him before she and Kolivan ran out with Keith and Luzria.

"Regris, no!"

Suddenly, the main room of the ship detonated, sending debris out into space.

On Reiphod, the lions shot at targets while Coran spoke.

"By joining the Voltron Alliance, you are joining up with the Defenders of the Universe, who will do whatever it takes to spread peace and freedom to every galaxy."

Back at outer space, Keith floated by himself as he tried reaching out to his comrades.

"Hello? Kolivan? Caxas? Jareth? Sandy? Anyone?"

Hearing no answer, he assumed what happened as he felt a hole in the side and growled.

"Communication must be broken."

Fortunately, Sandra responded as she spoke.

"Actually, I can hear you, Keith. But we've lost Rogue Thrust in the explosion. Do you know if they made it out?"

As an answer, Keith noticed Adea, Lapis, Atchiam, and Luzria floating with no helmet before he spoke.

"I've found them, but they don't have much time!"

"I'll help you!"

With that, Sandra used her functioning jet pack to boost herself towards Aden and Atchiam before handing them over to Keith as she spoke.

"Stay here. I'll get the rest and bring you when I'm done."

At Reiphod, Jenny and Ayame transformed the White Lion into its robot form as the other lions joined its side while they went in the air as Lance spoke elatedly.

"They're loving us! Razzle-Dazzle!"

Then, they group went down in synchronization towards the crowd.

Meanwhile, Sandra had managed to get Luzria and Lapis before she went back to Keith and spoke.

"Okay, Keith. That's everyone. I think. But where's the ship?"

As Keith looked, he found it behind the wreckage in view.

"The ship. I've found it, sis."

"Great. Do you think you can make it?"

"We'll see."

With that, Sandra jumped up with Lapis and Luzria while Keith jumped up with Adea and Atchiam in tow as he followed behind her using a tow line. She flew past several debris and managed to land in the ship before the countdown to close the door began, urging Sandra to pull on the cable, thrusting Keith, Luzria, and Lapis into the room as he gasped before taking a deep breath as Kolivan, Caxas, and Jareth walked in to see them as Sandra spoke.

"Where's Regris?"

Jareth held his head down as he spoke.

"He... didn't make it out. I'm sorry."

This made Sandra widen her eyes before Keith held his head down as Sandra spoke.

"We need to take them to Azix. Now."

At Reiphod, the lion and the White Voltron flew above the crowds as Coran spoke.

"And just as Voltron has shown what can be done when five individuals combine their powers together, so, too, can we combine our powers with those on Planet Reiphod and grow ever stronger. For it is the individual willing to take up arms that strengthens the whole. And with that strength, we will be unstoppable!"

As the crowd cheered, Coran spoke to himself.

"And cue Voltron with the sword..."

With that, the White Voltron seemed to take Coran's cue as it summoned a naginata and raised it to the sky, earning a thunderous applause from the crowd as Coran smiled.

"Nailed it."

Later, at Olkarion, Keith walked in to see Ayame standing in front of him as he spoke.

"Ayame... I know you didn't want me to go, but I'm not in the mood for a lecture."

"I heard about what happened to Lapis and her team. I'm sorry."

"Thanks."

"I know how important your work with the Blades is, Keith. They had a hand in helping to bring peace to the Galra Empire, Lapis and her team especially. And while I'm as surprised as you are about where this new Altean Quintessence supply line came from, I just can't—"

"I said I didn't want a lecture."

"Keith, the team needs you, including me. If the coalition expands more of itself, we'll be able to bring the Galra Empire back to how it was 10,000 years ago before Alphus and Omegus ever came."

"The Blade of Marmora's doing the same thing. And I'm doing this for you. And your family. And for the sake of the universe."

"I know you are. But... is that really enough for you?"

With that, Ayame walked past Keith before looking back as he held his head down before she walked again.

Over time, Voltron had brought more refugees to Olkarion as its buildings and number of occupants expanded before Kolivan spoke to Keith, Sandra, and the rebels, as well as the recovered Rogue Thrust.

"The fact that the Drule are using decoy ships proves that there is something larger going on. We've been tracking new shipments of this new Altean Quintessence. It's running along a previously unknown route which we partially identified here. We believe he next stop could be in the Karthan-Sigma Quadrant. Keith, Sandra, Lapis, you and your team will need to get onto the ship undetected and set a series of explosives."

At a distant planet far away, Keith and Sandra set up the explosives on the buildings before they kept their distance and ran before they exploded.

Later, as the Paladins were handing out supplies, Ayame noticed Keith far away before he noticed her and held his head down before he put the mask on and ran with Kolivan before Jenny walked up to her.

"Did you see him yet?"

Ayame only sighed before she answered solemnly.

"No."

"Okay. Well, here's another shipment."

As Ayame took the shipment, Shiro walked up to the Black Lion at the Castle before staring at it.

At Kaecilius' Cruiser, he saw the Black Lion for himself through a veil before he spoke.

"Perfect. With the Black Paladin taking repetitive absences as of late, Kuron would have to step in his place sooner or later. And when he does... Voltron will be mine. All it'll take to bring about change that much quickly... is a crisis."

Meanwhile, Honerva assumed the disguise of Haggar as she tried to reason with Lotor.

"Lotor, while you distance yourself from central command, Drule forces have taken entire star systems from our hands."

"You thin clutching on to worthless outposts strengthens our empire?"

"Your father knew those outposts would one day become strongholds."

"My father is M.I.A., and I'm in control."

"You say you rule, yet you stay hidden. An emperor must be seen. His absence diminishes his power."

"I don't have to explain myself to you. Now, do not bother me again."

At Olkarion, Babak retrieves a signal just as Alphus went to him.

"What's going on."

"We received a distress signal, Alphus. One of our convoys has been ambushed by a squadron of Drule cruisers."

Shiro knew what he was talking about as he, Jenny, and Ayame spoke.

"Our medical supply ships. We can't allow Kaecilius to get them."

"We gotta go. Voltron can keep those things occupied long enough for them to escape."

"Except it can't. Keith isn't here yet."

"What? Well, where is he?"

Shiro had a feeling about what he's doing as Ayame's face expressed sadness while Jenny caught onto that and felt bad for her.

"They're probably on a mission. I knew this would happen sooner or later. You'll have to go on without Keith. The convoy needs you immediately. Alphus and I'll send him to help as soon as we find him."

"Right."

With that, they all took off for their lions as Alphus, Babak, Coran, and Shiro looked on.

In outer space, Kaecilius kept a close eye on his ships as the Paladins, except for the Black Lion, managed to make it to the convoys as Lance spoke.

"We gotta get that ship out of the tractor beam."

"I'll try to ram it. Cover me!"

As Hunk darted towards the ships, the cruiser sent a barrage of them, scaring Hunk as he was forced to pull up.

"Never mind! There's too many! I can't tan that many!"

Then, Jenny and Ayame spoke up.

"Don't worry, guys!"

"We'll try to help!"

With that, Jenny and Ayame activated the White Lion's Voltron mode before unleashing a dual naginata coated with blue Quintessence on one end and violet Quintessence on the other before it tossed its weapon in a spiral that took down the cruisers and countless fighters as Kaecilius spoke.

"Hmm. I'm not amused. Perhaps my thrall needs more incentive."

With that, Kaecilius spoke to his men.

"Soldiers, convene with my men on these coordinates!"

As more ships popped up via hyperdrive as per his request, the Paladins began to panic with Hunk speaking first before Lance and Pidge.

"Someone must've called for backup!"

"They're everywhere!"

"There are more fighters than we've ever seen!"

"Allura, I need your help! I got two on my tail!"

"I'm sorry, I can't get to you! They're all over me!"

Jenny and Ayame gave the bad news as well.

"And we're a little preoccupied at the moment!"

"Every time we get rid of these ships, two more of each just comes back!"

This made Shiro growl before he walked away as Alphus spoke.

"What are you going?"

"Whatever I can."

As Shiro went inside the Black Lion, he heard the Paladins' voices in his helmet, tensing his hands further.

"I take out one, but two more replace it!"

"The supply ship is almost captured. Can anyone get to it?"

"I'm trying!"

"Where are they all coming from?"

"Watch out behind you!"

"Do the rebel ships have a shot?"

"I have a visual on them, guys, but they're fish in a barrel."

"We can't do this without Voltron!"

"Where are you, Keith?!"

As Ayame said those words, Shiro pleaded with the Black Lion.

"Please. People's lives are at stake. You trusted me once. Trust me again."

Suddenly, the Black Lion activated itself before it roared and went to join the fight.

Meanwhile, countless Drule ships ambushed the Paladins as Hunk spoke.

"Even with the White Voltron, there's no way we can beat all these fighters with only four lions!"

Then, Shiro's voice spoke up to them as the Black Lion arrived.

"You don't have to!"

"Shiro!"

"Takashi!"

"No way!"

With that, the Black Lion used its jaw blade to decimate the fighters before Shiro spoke.

"Converge on me. It's time to form Voltron!"

As the lions went together, Voltron is forged once more before it went through the armies of Kaecilius and decimated them before they focused on the rebel ships.

"Rebel craft, you're safe. We'll escort you the rest of the way to Olkarion."

In his cruiser, as he watched from the purple veil, Kaecilius smirked.

"Perfect. My puppet has done it. With him at the helm, Voltron shall face judgment much sooner than anticipated."

Later, the Paladins waited up at the main hall (except for Ayame) before Keith entered.

"Guys, I..."

As he noticed their looks of disappointment, Jenny shouted at him.

"Where the quiznak were you, man?!"

"I heard what happened. I'm sorry I wasn't there to help."

Allura, Lance, and Pidge felt differently.

"You keep saying you're sorry, but your actions say otherwise. Do you realize that your absence put the team in jeopardy?"

"And not just the team, the refugees as well."

"Matter of fact, the entire quadrant was in danger."

"This is not the way I wanted this to happen. But, if there's a bright side to any of this, it's that my absence allowed Short to reestablish his bond with the Black Lion. He can finally be the leader I was unable to be. I'm not meant to pilot the Black Lion."

This made Jenny prick her ears as she spoke.

"Is that why you've been pulling away from us?"

"Yeah. I suppose that's part of it."

This made Hunk confused at the prospect of its meaning.

"Part of it? What's the other part?"

"Lapis and the Blades have been making real headway tracking the source of this new Altean Quintessence. They've been able to piece together a large network of hidden supply lines that have been secretly transporting it for who knows long. And there's good reason to believe it could lead us directly to Lotor. A mission is being planned to infiltrate the supply line. It could take weeks, maybe months to pull off, but... if there is a chance... we have... I have to take it. I need to be on that mission. Shiro, you are the rightful leader of this team. And you proved it today by reconnecting with the Black Lion. It was always meant to be yours."

With that, Shiro placed his hand on his shoulder before he spoke.

"Keith... if this is what you feel is right, then we won't try to stop you. But just know that we're here for you whenever you need us."

"I know you are. And I can't tell you how much that means to me."

Then, Shiro and Keith hugged each other before Hunk, who was showing big tears from his face along with Jenny, spoke.

"I can't be left out of this!"

With that, the Paladins did a group hug with Pidge, Hunk, and Jenny crying before Pidge, Lance, Allura, and Jenny spoke.

"We're really gonna miss you."

"Yeah. Who am I gonna make fun of?"

"I know you'll make us proud."

"Don't forget about Ayame, okay? She'll miss you the most."

This made Keith realize that he hasn't seen Ayame since he walked in and look around for her, but couldn't find her in the group hug before he spoke to Jenny.

"If you find Ayame, Jenny... can you tell her I'm sorry?"

"Why don't you tell her yourself?"

Jenny then pointed to Ayame who waited outside the main hall before he went over to her and walked out of the room before he spoke.

"So... I guess this is goodbye, Ayame..."

Ayame then grabbed his arms before she spoke.

"No... this isn't goodbye. We'll see each other again... won't we?"

Keith smiled at the thought before he spoke.

"Yeah. Of course."

With that, the two hugged each other deeply before Keith let go and walked away from her before he turned back to her one last time. As he met Ayame's sad face bearin a small tear down her face, Keith spoke as he smiled sadly.

"See you soon."

Finally, he walked out of the Castle, never to be seen for a long time. Then, Jenny remembered someone else she's been keeping with her as she walked out of the room to be with Ayame.

"Oh, right. Ayame..."

As Ayame shed a tear before wiping it away, she spoke to Jenny.

"Yeah?"

"Someone else has to leave, too. Iyera needs to go back home. Can you come with me? It's just... I just want you to be okay."

Ayame then hugged Jenny, still trying to get over Keith leaving the team as she whispered to her.

"Yeah... I'll go."