We are one chapter from the end, and boy, what a roller coaster of a chapter it is! I nearly teared up in places writing this, alas. On a more fun note, it's my birthday next Sunday! That, of course, means cake. Granted I buy cake for myself like, all the time, because life is too short not to buy cake, but it means like... super good cake. And who doesn't like cake? Pie loving weirdos, that's who.

(I kid, I also like pie.)

Anyways, thanks for reading! See you next time for the last and final update of this particular entry into the story. And stay tuned for the sequel, crimson!

maroon

chapter twenty

thace

The sun rose, as it always did.

He had been up for a few vargas already. He'd slept through most of the previous afternoon, and well into the night. By the time he woke, it was already early morning of the next quintant, and he was thoroughly refreshed.

In roughly one varga, the plan would commence. From his position in the observation deck, he watched as Coran and the Olkari put the finishing touches on the teleduv. It would be ready in time.

Finally, Zarkon's reign would be at an end.

If everything went as planned. He'd seen too many things go wrong in his short lifespan to fully believe that everything would go off without a hitch. Something would go wrong, he was sure of it, he just didn't know what.

Biting down on his lip, he thought about Thace. He might have secured a position as a commander, but that didn't give him protection from scrutiny. Now that Zarkon knew about the Blade of Marmora, he would stop at nothing to find the traitor within his ranks. Thace was well trained, but it would only be a matter of time before something gave.

He just hoped they were in time.

He was so lost in his own thoughts, that he didn't even hear the doors to the observation deck opening. It wasn't until he caught a whiff of Antok's scent, that he even realized the Blade was there. It came as no surprise- for as large as he was, he was every bit a Blade, and one who was generations older than he was. He was a master of stealth, just like any other.

"You seem troubled."

Offering Antok a weak smile, Keith glanced up at him. "That obvious?"

"You are like an open book to us, youngling." Antok merely remarked. "Here, a peace offering from the yellow paladin. I met him on the way."

Keith snorted at his choice of words, but nevertheless took what Antok was offering him. He sensed Hunk was still kind of nervous around Antok, which had nothing to do with the fact he was Galra, and everything to do with how massive he was. It was probably for the best that he didn't tell him that Zarkon was even larger.

"He called it a smoothie." Antok intoned. "I believe it is composed of berries."

"Thanks." Keith said, taking a sip. This was perfect- he'd missed breakfast. Leave it to Hunk to know that, somehow. "I'll be sure to thank Hunk for it later."

The taste was good, though not as good as vatvev- or what Hunk had apparently decided to dub as a meat shake. He had tried to offer some to Hunk, but he'd adamantly refused.

Antok hummed, merely fixing his gaze on the massive teleduv. They had the perfect view of it from here. No need for him to go outside. "Do not tell me that you are having a case of the nerves."

"It's not that." Keith said. "I'm just worried about Thace."

"I understand." Antok said. "Though he does not show it, Kolivan is concerned as well. I am as well. I have known Thace for more deca-phoebs than you have been alive."

"You've known literally every Blade for longer than I've been alive." Keith pointed out.

"I know," Antok said, with mirth in his voice, "-but it is always fun to remind you of you young you are."

Keith opened his mouth to say something to that, but snapped it shut. There was nothing that he could say to that, nothing that wouldn't amuse Antok, anyways, which was his goal.

Keith sipped his smoothie in silence, but a companionable one. He had his legs curled up to his chest, toes curled around the edge of the couch. He had already changed into his paladin armor- they might not launch for another varga, but he was still more accustomed to hearing armor than he was casual clothing. He kept his helmet off, resting on the couch next to him.

Antok remained where he was, hovering behind him. His presence was that of calm reassurance- something he could use right now. All he could think about was how he didn't want to accept any more blades. How he wanted Ulaz's to be the last.

It was a naive thing to think. He knew that. But being with the paladins really had spoiled him, in some way. He knew that people wouldn't stop dying just because he wished for it very hard- he had always known that. But he felt like it was just something he could accept less now. Like something had changed.

Maybe he'd changed. Maybe his time on Earth, with the paladins, had changed him.

"You know," Antok began, "-I still have that scribble you drew on me after the Elzat raid."

Keith nearly choked on his smoothie. "That thing's still on there?"

Antok simply hummed, unclasping his left gauntlet, removing enough of his undersuit so that he could see the scribbled symbol, broken up by his scales. Keith grimaced, ducking his head. "Why did you let me draw on you anyways?"

"It seemed amusing at the time." Antok merely stated. "I did not know you were using something permanent. It is fortunate that I did not allow you to draw on my face."

Keith just snorted. "I wasn't exactly myself back then."

"A likely story." Antok teased, ruffling his head fur and pointedly ignoring his protests. "Your paladin armor suits you, youngling."

Staring down at his own gauntlet clad arms, Keith frowned. "I still like my Blade armor better."

Antok simply hummed again, his words earning his head fur another ruffle. He just grumbled this time, allowing Antok to muss it as he pleased. They had a decisive battle coming up. Maybe he just needed the stress relief. If playing with his fur helped, he'd let him.

Besides, it felt nice.

Together, they watched as the Olkari ran their last test. Allura had joined Coran at some point, though she was too far away to make out the expression on her face. The line of her back was as straight as ever, betraying nothing.

Today, the fate of the universe rested in their hands.

They couldn't fail.

"Shiro, wait."

For some stupid reason, he didn't actually think Shiro would stop. Time was of the essence- there wasn't time to stop and deal with a worried kid, which was pretty much what he felt like right now.

They hadn't had much time to talk. Even after he woke up, Shiro had been kept busy with the final preparations for their assault on Central Command, and he hadn't wanted to get in the way of that. But when he saw Shiro exit the bridge, he couldn't shake the sinking feeling in his stomach that this might be the last time.

He tried to tell himself that it was nothing, but he still found himself following behind him anyways. Slipping off of the bridge unnoticed was easy, but he was sure he had to get back soon before someone noticed he was missing. He wasn't on thin ice anymore, but he didn't want to look like a flake.

"Keith," Shiro said his name- his alias, he guessed, but at this point it kind of felt like just as much his name as Kyix did- in surprise, "-something wrong?"

"I-" Keith began, before cutting himself off. He hadn't actually planned out what he was going to say, he'd kind of just done this on impulse. "Be careful out there."

Shiro just smiled. "You too."

"You're the one who has the job of baiting Zarkon." Keith pointed out. "All we have to do is sit and wait for Thace to upload the virus."

"Fair enough." Shiro admitted. "But somehow I think you didn't come all this way to just tell me to be careful."

Biting down on his lip, Keith averted his gaze. He hadn't. He just wasn't sure how to put it into words.

"I... when the druids tore Voltron apart, I felt it." Keith said. "And I know you can't sense it the same way I can, but... we don't know if Zarkon will try something like that again."

Understanding dawned on Shiro's features. Resting a hand on his shoulder, he gave it a light squeeze. "Black and I have a deeper bond now. I'll be fine, I promise."

Glancing up, Keith couldn't help but frown. He knew Shiro was probably right- since he'd deepened his connection with the black lion, Zarkon hadn't been able to track them with it. But he could still recall the way the druid's magic had effected him- and he hadn't even been the target, the black lion had. He just couldn't shake the worry that there was still a chance something could go wrong.

He didn't want to accept any more blades, but he didn't want to lose any of the paladins either.

Stars, he really had gotten selfish.

"Okay," Keith said slowly, nodding his head, "-okay. But I'm holding you to it."

Shiro just grinned. "I'm counting on you to."

He returned his grin, though his own was strained. He trusted Shiro, but he still couldn't fully shake his apprehension. "Now go out there and make Zarkon really mad."

Shiro snorted. "I was planning on it."

Extending his arm, Shiro held it out for him. It took him a moment to realize what it was that he wanted him to do, but when he did, Keith quickly gripped his forearm. Shiro's smile grew as he returned the gesture, giving his own forearm a light squeeze. "See you on the other side, Keith."

"Yeah. See you."

Something was wrong.

He fought not to show it. He knew Kolivan and Antok sensed it too, but they remained stoic. He should too.

Thace hadn't contacted them.

Narrowing his eyes, Keith chewed on the tip of one of his claws. It was a bad habit that he had been trying to break- he thought he had, but it turned out the only reason he hadn't done it while on Earth was because he didn't have claws to chew on. Fingernails just weren't the same.

Shiro was on his way to the rendezvous point, where he would lure Central Command to. That was going according to plan. But Thace should have contacted them by now. If he hadn't...

He felt his stomach turn. Had he been captured? Were they too late?

When the Castle's screen blipped, indicating an incoming transmission, Keith felt his heart leap. He never thought he would be disappointed to see Shiro, but he guessed there was a first time for everything. Sinking back into his chair, hoping that no one noticed the slight way he had lifted out of it, he tried to keep his focus on the here and now.

"Zarkon's got my location." Shiro informed them. "Is everyone in position?"

"We've not yet heard from Thace." Kolivan stated. "He was supposed to contact us two vargas ago."

Keith glanced up, startled. Two vargas ago? He knew that sometimes transmissions couldn't be made at exactly the planned time- he was guilty of that, but two vargas seemed like it was a little too long. He bit his lip, feeling his breath hitch in his throat when Kolivan mentioned he could have been captured- he just didn't want to listen to Antok's addition that he could have been killed instead.

He tried to focus on the discussion between his fellow Blades and Allura. There was a crackle of tension in the room, an edge to everyone as they realized that something had gone wrong, that things weren't going as planned. As it was, right now they had the option to back out, to abort, but Allura was adamantly refusing to do so.

Without Thace, there was no mission. Kolivan was right about that.

But they also might not get another chance at this. Allura was right about that. She was wrong about the Blade's caution being the only reason Zarkon was still in power- she didn't understand just how fast and how aggressively the Galra Empire had expanded in the wake of Altea's destruction, using fear as their primary weapon of expanse. But then, she hadn't exactly gotten the same history lessons he had- to her, the destruction of Altea was still fresh.

But he knew the history. Isolated to the medical ward as he had been in his childhood, there wasn't much to do but study. The Blade's caution really was the only thing that had kept them alive for so long, kept the organization going for nearly as long as the Empire itself.

But maybe it was also time for that to change.

Zarkon knew about them now. There was no changing that.

And he didn't want any more dead Blades.

"I'll do it."

He didn't even realize the words had left his mouth, not at first. Rising to his feet, he squared his shoulders, trying to look brave. He didn't feel brave- he just felt desperate.

This plan couldn't fail. They had lost too many Blades for it to fail. This was their best chance, and they couldn't afford to waste it.

Allura stared at him, baffled, like she hadn't heard him right. "What?"

"I'll sneak onto Zarkon's ship."

No taking it back now.

Kolivan stared at him for a long second before he narrowed his eyes. "Kyix-"

"I've infiltrated countless Galra ships before." Keith cut him off, knowing what he was going to say. It was behavior unbecoming towards his leader, he knew that, but right now, he just didn't care. "I can do this."

"Those were all standard cruisers. This is Central Command." Kolivan stated. "The risks are too high, and you are too inexperienced. I cannot send you a mission of this caliber."

You aren't ready, he heard. He couldn't really argue with that. He knew full well he wasn't. Going onto Zarkon's ship was a suicide mission. Thace had known the risks when he had accepted it.

But he had to do this. If Thace was... if Thace really had been captured- or killed, that thought like a cold stone in his gut- then he owed it to him to do it. The only reason his cover had been blown was because of Voltron- because of him. It was only right that he finish his mission.

So instead he locked eyes with Kolivan. Challenged him.

I'm doing this, he conveyed.

Kolivan closed his eyes after a few moments, heaving a long sigh. There was resignation in it, but Keith didn't feel victorious. "How do you plan to get on the ship?"

Okay, so he hadn't actually thought that far. In his peripheral vision, he spotted Pidge, something clicking into place. Turning her way, he leveled his gaze with the green paladin. "Pidge, do you think you can rig up one of those pods with the cloaking device?"

(Since he'd blown up the last one. Whoops.)

"Well, yeah." Pidge said, a bit hesitant.

Keith gave her a curt nod. "Good. I'll use that. If I come in quick and fast, they won't be able to stop me in time. Besides, with Shiro distracting them, they might not even notice."

Kolivan's lips were still set in that same tight frown, the one he always wore when he did something that he didn't approve of. But they both knew the stakes were different this time. This wasn't just him disregarding orders to take a chance on some data, this was him putting his own life at risk to carry out a mission that they still had the chance to back out of.

There was a good chance he might not make it out. He knew that.

They both knew that.

He also knew that to the Blade, losing him meant losing an entire generation. He sort of understood that better now than he had before.

But instead of saying that, Kolivan merely leveled his gaze with his once more. There was so much written in it, that he had to tear his own eyes away.

"Go."

He went.

"You're serious about this, aren't you?"

Keith spared a glance down towards Pidge, his lips set in a tight line. "Yeah."

Pidge didn't look at him, making a show of installing the cloaking device. He knew she'd probably already pretty much finished hooking it up. "Do you know him? Thace, I mean."

Keith closed his eyes, thinking of Thace. Of his model ships, and his promises to teach him to fly once he was well. How he had kept that promise. How he had glowed with pride as he'd passed test after test, defying the limits of what everyone thought he could do.

He wondered if Thace knew he had become a paladin. If he was proud.

"Yeah," he said, "-I do."

Pidge finally looked at him, sympathy written in her gaze. "I'm sorry."

Don't say that, he wanted to say, he might still be alive.

But he knew the Galra Empire too well to really believe that. If Thace was still alive, then he probably wouldn't be for much longer.

Knowledge or death.

Okay, so maybe this was a bad idea.

It was too late to change his mind now. He was on Zarkon's ship, so the only way to get off it was to finish his mission. Or die, but that wasn't so much getting off it as it was... well, dying. Still, the place was crawling with sentries. Even the hangar he had all but crash landed in had been full of them- he'd had to fight them off just to get out of his pod.

Holding his stolen blaster tight, he weaved his way through the ship, following Kolivan's guidance. Thace had left them the gift of detailed schematics, and with those, he would be able to work his way to the central hub. From there, he'd hopefully be able to shut down the system so that Kolivan and Antok could upload the virus.

All while there was a battle raging outside, and Slav scrambled to keep the gravity generator working long enough to keep the giant teleduv hidden.

Good thing he worked well under pressure.

Still, he had to admit- being back in his element again felt good. It had been a long time since he had properly infiltrated anything- not since Sendak's ship, actually. There was the Balmera and the transportation hub, but those didn't really count.

(He filed a mental note away to teach the paladins a thing or two about stealth. No offense, but they could use a few lessons on it.)

Navigating his way through Zarkon's ship, he made his way to the central hub. He hesitated for a split second in front of the door- part of him still held on to the hope that when he opened it, he would find Thace inside, waiting for him, like this was some kind of high stakes test. But he knew better than to be that naive, so he pressed his hand against the access panel, finding nothing but an empty room.

Somehow, he was still disappointed.

He shook it off. Hurrying to the control panel, he rested his stolen blaster against it. "Okay, I'm in. What do I need to do?"

Following Kolivan's instructions to the letter, he entered the given code. Only, the console didn't seem to accept it. Maybe he'd entered it wrong? Or-

His ears twitched, making out the sound of someone coming. Grabbing the blaster, he scrambled out of view, hiding behind some equipment. Had someone realized he was here? He could probably fight them off if he had to, but he could consider his cover blown if he did. Best to lay low and see if they were actually-

He stopped, mid-thought.

Staggering into the room was none other than Thace. His condition wasn't great, and his chest bore the same kind of glowing wound that Shiro had gotten when he'd fought Haggar- but it was Thace. With a surge of joy, he nearly forgot he was in the middle of a stealth mission, but stopped himself short when he sensed the noxious energy he had come to recognize as belonging to the druids.

But they didn't sense him.

In one swift motion, he drew his knife, transforming it into a blade the same instant he threw it. It was enough to catch one of the druids off guard. They almost seemed to collapse in on themself, there one second and gone the next, taking their foul energy with them. For a moment, he stood there frozen, too baffled to comprehend what he had just witnessed. What had-?

But then the other druid lunged, and he shook it off. The battle that ensued was short- maybe he had lost the element of surprise, but Thace was a seasoned and experienced fighter, and he was quick on his feet. Between the two of them, they took care of the second druid before it had a chance to do any damage.

Leaving just the two of them.

"Kyix," Thace breathed, "-it's you."

Keith swallowed, but nodded. "We thought- we thought you'd been captured. Someone else had to carry out the mission."

"And you talked Kolivan into it?" Thace asked, snorting at the awkward smile he gave him in response. "That sounds like you."

"I'm just going to take that as a compliment." Keith said. "What happened to you? We couldn't get into contact with you."

"Haggar." Thace said shortly. "Come on, we need to seal off the central hub. I know a workaround, but it might take some time."

Giving him a curt nod, Keith forced himself to tear his gaze away from Thace. He was alive. Not in great condition, but alive. Maybe he wouldn't have to deal with another dead Blade.

Slashing the control panel, he short-circuited the door, sealing it shut. By the time he returned to the main control panel, Thace was already at work. He wished there were more time to talk, to catch up, but he knew how important every second was. They had already wasted enough time- with every second that passed, the gravity generator was getting closer and closer to failing.

Once it did, the teleduv would be exposed.

He watched with mild curiosity as Thace began to open up the control panel itself, linking it to some cables. Frowning, he tilted his head. "What exactly are you doing?"

Thace looked back up towards him. "I'm using the main power to overload the system."

It took him a second to understand what that meant, but his shock was visible when he did. "You're turning the room into a bomb?"

It would definitely work, but it would only leave them with a short time frame in which to escape. It was a risky move.

Thace looked grave. He knew that, Keith realized- he knew that, and had chosen this option anyways. "It's the only way."

"Are you sure?" He asked. "There has to be-"

"Kyix," Thace cut him off, "-there is no other way."

Shutting his mouth, he stared down at the floor. It was only a matter of time before the door was forced open- two dead druids wouldn't go unnoticed- and that would cut off their only means of escape. He could probably fight his way through, but Thace...

...in his condition, he wouldn't stand a chance.

He wanted to pretend otherwise, but he saw how heavily he was breathing. How much the battle with the druid had taken out of him. They had tortured him, he realized, likely within an inch of his life. But he hadn't caved- he'd held out, like a true Blade.

He should deserve to live for that alone.

Thace looked up at him, the edges of his lips curling into a frown. "Come now. Don't give me that look. It's been so long so we've seen each other."

"But you might not-"

Thace just shook his head. "This is the risk we all accept when we take on the mantle of a Blade. I know you understand this."

He closed his mouth. He did. He understood it too well. He'd just... for some reason, he hoped that with Voltron, things would be different. They were working together now. There shouldn't have to be any more dead Blades.

Voltron had changed things. They'd freed planets, brought hope back to the universe. Surely they could keep one Blade alive.

"We still have some time," Thace began, "-tell me about Earth."

He swallowed, looking up at him. "It's a dump."

Thace laughed. It wasn't loud, but the sound reverberated through the central hub. "I don't suppose you have anything nicer to say?"

Keith gave him a weak smile. "It has good people. Some of them, at least."

"Your fellow paladins." Thace said in understanding, unmasked pride in his voice. "Tell me about them."

So he did. He told him about how he had met Shiro first, about how he had wormed his way into his life. How he became the first human he actually liked. How devastated he'd been when he'd heard about the Kerberos mission's failure, and how much worse it got when he realized the truth behind it. How when Ulaz had sent him that emergency transmission, informing him that he'd freed Shiro, he'd been overcome with joy.

He told him about the other paladins, the cadets. How they had crashed his rescue. How they had tagged along to find the blue lion. How they had found the Castle, and became paladins together. He even told him his doubts about becoming the red lion's paladin, which sounded so laughable now to his ears.

He told Thace more than he'd told anyone else.

He was halfway through telling him about the Balmera, when he sensed a noxious aura from the other side of the door- one that could only belong to Haggar. He grabbed the stolen blaster, ready to defend against the first wave of sentries, but he knew their defenses wouldn't hold for long. If he didn't buy them more time...

One of the command modules that hung from the ceiling caught his eye. It was right above the door. It wouldn't hold forever, but long enough for Thace to finish setting up the workaround. But if he did that, he'd also seal off their only escape route.

"You can get out through the lower command deck." Thace told him, as if reading his mind. "Do it."

Keith narrowed his eyes. "But that would mean-"

Thace just shook his head. Biting down on his lip, he drew in a sharp breath, before he fired on the command module, dropping it down in front of the door. With that done, he felt his shoulders slump, resignation and realization of what he'd done both hitting him at once.

The only way out from here was a path that lead into open space.

He had a helmet. Thace didn't.

Resting a hand on his shoulder, Thace gave it a squeeze. He didn't even want to look at him. He knew what he would see if he did- the same look Ulaz had in his eyes, when he gave him his blade. The knowledge that he wouldn't be able to escape his own death.

"I'm sorry."

Keith shook his head. "Don't be."

He felt stupid, getting his hopes up. No more dead Blades.

There would always be dead Blades.

Drawing in a long breath, he forced himself to look up at Thace. He had one hand extended, his blade held out towards him. He accepted it without protest, giving him the stolen blaster in exchange.

"I'll make sure Kolivan gets this." Keith assured him. "I promise."

Thace smiled, wordlessly holding out his arm. He grasped it- and then pulled the older Blade close, in a tight embrace.

He knew it wasn't something the Galra did. It was a gesture reserved for families. But Thace and the rest of the Blades... they were his family.

He didn't expect Thace to return it, but he did. He unconsciously melted into it, like he had been seeking it all his life. "Human culture rubbing off on you?"

"Shut up," Keith mumbled, "-this is supposed to be a moment."

Thace merely chuckled, releasing him. "It is not a bad thing, youngling. Now, go. They'll break through soon."

He swallowed back a protest. He couldn't say anything, not trusting his voice, so he just nodded. Taking one last long look at Thace, he forced himself to tear his gaze away, and jumped.

Perhaps it was just because the end for him was near, but Thace found himself reflecting on the beginning. Not his beginning, but Kyix's.

Kyix, who wore the armor of the red paladin like he always had been meant to. Perhaps he had. He recalled the way Krolia traced the red marks that lined the corner of his eyes, telling whoever would listen that they meant her child was destined for great things.

"Kyix," she had said, after he was born, "-I will name him Kyix. For he will become our pride."

He wished he could tell her how right she was.

He didn't make it out into open space before the explosion ripped the central hub apart. He barely had time to get his shield up to protect himself from the force of the blast.

The red lion came for him. He knew it would.

He staggered into the cockpit, his steps feeling like lead, Thace's blade at his hip like a dead weight. Deja vu.

The red lion rumbled, low, but urgent. They needed to go, she told him. He knew she was right, so he steeled himself, forcing his body to move, even though all he wanted to do was to take a moment to process what he had just lost.

Again.

But he knew he had to. Thace had given his life for this chance. He couldn't allow the plan to fail because they were missing one lion.

They wouldn't fail.

He wouldn't fail.