Massive engines hummed with power, revving back up from idle for the first time in several days. Gigantic thrusters flared to life, kicking up vast clouds of sand and dust. Slowly, with ponderous grace, the first Icebringer ships began lifting off the surface of Earth. Crowds of Humans watched in awe as the first publicly-known alien visitors to their planet began to depart one by one.
Among them, a much smaller, sleek white vessel lifted off with a roar of power, easily outpacing her more massive companions. Within minutes the Castle of Lions broke free of the atmosphere and settled into high orbit to wait while the other ships launched carefully, one by one, with the least battered ships providing escort to their hastily repaired sisters in case they ran into trouble.
On the bridge, Keith leaned against the wall, arms crossed tightly over his chest. Everything seemed to be happening at once, and he wasn't even sure what he should think about first. Lance's confession? The revelations about their predecessors, that his teammates were even now discussing with Malrento over the comlink to the Long Wind? Or the fact that within the hour they'd be headed for the headquarters of the Blades of Marmora, where the mother he'd just gotten back would face the judgement of her leader for her actions?
The first one was still painful. He didn't want to think about it yet. It was complicated and made his chest ache and his eyes burn and it was just too much right now. Even with Matt's reassurances and Lance's own explanation, he still didn't know what to do. It was easier to just not think about it for a while.
The second was...strange. He felt like he should be angry or upset the way the others were, but to be honest he was just...numb. It was a shock, yes, but at the same time it answered questions he hadn't even known he had. None of the others could feel each other's Lions. And yet for those months out in the desert, he'd been able to feel Blue, far away and calling to him. She'd been doing that on purpose, so that when he had the others with him, he'd take them to her. In a way it was almost a relief, to know that there wasn't yet another thing weird and different about him. He was strange in enough ways as it was.
Not for the first time, he wondered how much else of that strangeness was because of what he was. He lifted his head slightly, searching until his gaze landed on Kovirak where she leaned against one of the columns, arms folded much like his own. They certainly seemed to have a lot in common, and yet...there were so many things he hadn't asked her. Afraid of the answers. Things that had made him an outcast throughout his childhood, ostracized by other children and unwanted by adults. He didn't understand the way people thought. He never knew the right thing to say or do. He hurt feelings and made people angry. He did weird things, liked weird things, never managed to fit in or make friends.
Freak. What's wrong with you?
Keith shuddered, hugging himself tighter and digging his fingertips harshly into his arms. Maybe the reason he never understood Humans was just because he was half-Galra . But what if it wasn't? He hadn't dared ask. Hadn't let her see how messed-up he was, because what if she decided he wasn't worth it after all?
A sudden shift in the voices distracted him and he hastily refocused his attention towards the others. What was going on? Oh, all the ships were up. The glow of a wormhole lit up the screen off to one side, one of the Pack Ships gliding easily toward it.
"-rejoin the others once you've concluded your business with the Blades. Pack Leader Shiiar'keh wishes to formally offer an alliance to the Blades of Marmora."
"Thank you. I'm sure Kolivan will be pleased to accept. Although I'm not sure what his plan is going forward, with all of his undercover operatives compromised and forced to extract."
Off to the side, Keith noticed Kovirak ducking her head and closing her eyes at the reminder of what her actions had done to her fellow Blades. Biting his lip, Keith hesitated, then pushed away from the wall, circling around the others to stand beside her.
She glanced up in surprise at his approach, forcing a thin smile. "Hello, Kit. Everything alright?"
"...Mostly. Just a lot is happening." He said quietly. He tugged at his sleeve, trying to figure out what to say. Coming over here had been an impulse and he didn't know what to do next. "I was just thinking about how we're about to head to the Blades. That's gonna be..."
"...Difficult?" Kovirak finished for him with a slight quirk of her lips. She sighed heavily, shifting her weight. "Yes. I know. I betrayed my fellow Blades and they died for it. Their anger is to be expected."
Keith nodded. "What do you think will happen?" He asked softly. Would she be locked up? Exiled? Executed? In spite of himself, his breath caught at the thought of the last possibility. He'd just got her back.
Kovirak must've heard him, though, because her head turned slightly toward him and he could feel her glowing yellow gaze boring into the side of his head until he fidgeted uncomfortably. Then she turned away again. "I don't know." She admitted. "As far as I know, there's never been a case like this in all our history. The Trials are intended to weed out those who lack the strength of will to resist the urge to save their own skins at the expense of those of their fellow Blades." She gave a humorless chuckle. "However, they apparently don't reveal someone who will sacrifice anything, even themselves, for their child."
He hesitated, looking up at her and trying to hide the worry gnawing at his gut and ignore the blooming warmth her words had left in his chest. "Kolivan's probably not going to cut you any slack for that." He pointed out. Unconsciously, his left hand went up to cover the hidden scar on his shoulder left from his own Trials. Kolivan hadn't cared that he was a Paladin, that he was two feet shorter than any of the other Blades and lacking their claws and experience, that he didn't even know what the knife was or what it represented beyond the fact that it was all he had left of his mother. To possess a Blade required you to be a Blade, and that meant passing the Trials. Kolivan's dedication to his people was as uncompromising as it was unswerving.
Kovirak hummed softly and nodded. "No, and I wouldn't expect him to." Heaving a sigh, her shoulders drooped. "I know very well what I did, Keith. I made my choice and my fellow Blades died for it. I wish I'd had some other option, Kit, I really do. I would gladly have died if it meant you all would have been safe. But that wasn't the case, and I don't regret the decision I made."
He didn't know what to say to that. It wasn't the first time she'd mentioned choosing his life over that of every one of her fellows, but it still didn't make sense to him that he could possibly be so important to anyone. Even Shiro, who'd all but adopted him back at the Garrison, still didn't make sense to him, much less this Galra warrior who he didn't even remember. He looked away, watching another wormhole swallow an Icebringer ship.
Movement caught his eye. Shiro was coming toward them. "Hey. You doing okay, Keith?" He asked in a low voice as he reached them.
Keith gave a small nod. "I think so?" He murmured back. "It's just...a lot has happened."
"I know." Shiro sighed, putting a hand on his shoulder. "We'll take it one thing at a time, okay? First thing we need to do is go talk to the Blades." He took a long, deep breath, and Keith mimicked him out of habit, feeling his nerves start to settle a little. He hadn't even realized they were rattling in his skin.
Shiro awarded him a small smile of approval before turning to Kovirak. "Are you ready? We'll be heading to the Blade headquarters in a few minutes. Allura already sent a message on ahead to expect us."
She nodded, her posture deceptively relaxed. "Yes. I know. Whatever happens, happens. As long as he doesn't separate me from my son, I'll accept my punishment with honour." She lifted her chin defiantly. "I have a promise to keep, after all."
That seemed to please Shiro, who straightened and nodded in return. "If it helps, I'll vouch for your actions on the Weblum's Breath. Without you to distract Haggar during that fight, who knows what would have happened."
"Thank you, Shiro." Kovirak inclined her head respectfully. "I'm not sure how much good that will do, but I appreciate your willingness to take my side despite everything I've done."
"From what you described, you didn't have much choice."
"An honourable Blade would have chosen the lives of the entire organization over her own and a single child." There was a slight bitterness to her tone that caught Keith's attention and had Shiro raising an eyebrow. "I do have a request, though." She added before either of them could ask anything else. "I believe you made a recording of the translated message from the Blue Lion's cave? I'd like a copy of that to give to Kolivan."
Shiro blinked at the odd request. "Uh, sure, I think we can arrange that. Let me go take care of it." He turned away, heading to intercept Coran at one of the consoles, leaving the two of them alone once more.
Kovirak glanced down at Keith again with that unreadable yellow gaze. Whatever was going through her head, he couldn't begin to guess. "Don't worry. I won't break my promise to you." She said firmly.
00000000
"Is everything under control here?"
It was a question Kolivan had found himself repeating a great many times over the last decarotation, ever since he had found himself forced to do what no Blade leader before him had done and activate the emergency recall signal. Over the first several vargas, first reports and then ships had slowly trickled in, undercover operatives and those stationed at secondary bases and outposts making their way to headquarters when they could or simply hiding out where they could not. All too many of those who reached base were injured, some critically-more than one shuttle or small craft had to be retrieved from the edges of the system, their occupants unconscious-and the medical ward had rapidly reached capacity and overflowed. Overworked medics had co-opted adjacent storage rooms and barracks into temporary wards and drafted anyone with even minor medical skill to stitch wounds and change bandages. It was a hectic, frantic time, and the corridors had reeked of freshly-spilled blood. Throughout it all, Kolivan helped wherever he could, organizing pickups for those who had no access to ships, overseeing the retrieval of those unable to traverse the treacherous passage through the gravity well, and assisting with a multitude of minor injuries.
Even once the worst of the crisis was past he'd found himself constantly pacing the corridors, trying to take care of those who looked to him for protection. He would look into the makeshift wards and crowded bunkrooms, making himself available in case he was needed. It eased the feeling of helplessness that came from seeing his people so battered, broken, and utterly defeated.
At the moment, though, it seemed everything was in hand. The medic, Ozleka, looked up and gave him a weary smile. "Yes, Leader. Our injured continue to improve. I was just typing up the daily update report." He held up the tablet he was holding.
"Good. Very good." Kolivan allowed himself a sigh of relief. Too many of the badly injured had slipped away despite the desperate efforts of the doctors, but it had now been over three rotations since the last death, either here or on ships still en-route, and he could only hope there would be no more. "Thank you, Ozleka. Make sure you rest once you're done. There are plenty of others who can watch the medical monitors for you."
Ozleka snorted, but didn't argue. "True enough. I'll find someone after I finish typing this up."
"You know where to find me should you require assistance."
"Yes. Pacing around the base fussing over anyone who will let you, despite the fact that everything is under control." The medic shot him a knowing look over his tablet. "You should rest as well. You'll think better for it."
Kolivan refused to let himself startle at the accuracy of the other Galra's comment. He'd done all he could to appear calm and in control of the situation, despite the fact that he had no idea what to do now, where to go from here. The Blades as an undercover organization were finished for the foreseeable future.
He forced himself to simply incline his head in acknowledgement. "Later. I must finish my rounds."
Ozleka simply snorted again, turning back to his report as Kolivan left and continued down the hallway. Despite the fact that it was the middle of the night-cycle on the base, the corridors were crowded with Blades. Headquarters had never been built to house this many at once, and he knew his warriors were rotating sleep shifts simply to compensate for the fact that there wasn't enough beds to go around. Every room that had space had been converted into a makeshift dormitory, with uninjured Galra often giving up their beds to those in worse shape.
He was checking in on one such improvised barracks when a messenger caught up to him, saluting him with a clenched fist as she caught her breath. "Leader. We've just had a message from the Castle of Lions. They and an allied vessel are expecting to arrive in the system within a varga."
He straightened, bristling unconsciously. This was something he'd been waiting for since the crisis began. He may not be able to heal his injured, or reassure his shaken warriors, but he could and would deal with the traitor who had caused so many deaths and utterly destroyed everything they had worked for for the past ten thousand cycles. "Thank you. I'm on my way."
Some of his agitation must have showed through-the last while had cracked his stoic mask more than he thought possible, apparently-because she jogged along beside him as he strode along. "Should I gather your seconds and tacticians for a tactical meeting with Voltron?" She asked, cocking her head to the side slightly.
"...Yes." They might as well take advantage of the opportunity, and his remaining sub-leaders deserved to bear witness to the traitor's punishment. "Bring them to the main meeting hall outside Hangar Three."
She nodded sharply and saluted again before darting away down another side corridor. Kolivan continued on to the main command deck, drawing every eye as he strode inside. "Status reports." He commanded automatically.
"The last three medical pickups are on their way back now." A young officer responded, scrolling down his screen. "Two other Blades are making their way back from Irelt sector via a freighter from the Klomackart belt. They'll be close enough to pick up sometime next decarotation."
He nodded, resting his claws on one of the consoles. "Good. No new reports?"
"No sir. Not since two rotations ago." The youngster's voice was sorrowful as his ears laid back slightly.
Kolivan sighed and nodded. There had only been a handful of miracles over the past decarotation, less than a dozen Blades who had escaped alive but been unable to contact them in the rotations immediately following the activation of the signal. He knew better than to hope there would be more."Very well. Voltron will be arriving soon for a conference, along with another ship. Make sure the defenses will allow them to pass."
Another Galra nodded, turning her attention to the monitoring systems. All the base defenses remained on high alert at Kolivan's order. Kovirak may have claimed the headquarters hadn't been compromised, but he was reluctant to trust in that statement after everything else that had happened.
The doboshes ticked by painfully slowly, with little to be done but wait. A supply ship checked in from a planet whose resistance group had often traded with them for food and supplies, but otherwise a thick silence reigned over the command deck.
"Wormhole detected, Leader." The Galra monitoring the defenses barked, startling everyone. "Castle's signature. Hold on-make that two wormholes. Unregistered signature on the second, but it's not Druid." He sounded baffled.
And well he should. The wormholes had very distinct energy signatures based on who was powering the teleduv. Until the Castle of Lions first came to headquarters, only Druid signatures had ever been catalogued. The difference between their wormholes and those created by the lost Princess were striking. But who could be calling up a wormhole that was neither Druid-made nor created by the Princess? Had they somehow found another Altean preserved in stasis like themselves?
"Visuals on the main display. Continue to monitor the wormhole signatures." Kolivan ordered sharply. A moment later the largest of the holographic screens flared to life and he inhaled sharply, bristling instinctively. That wormhole was large enough to pass an Empire battleship!
The smaller wormhole disgorged its vessel first, the familiar sleek white shape of the Castle of Lions gliding smoothly forth. The Blade Leader barely paid it any notice. His eyes were on the dark bulk of the second ship now emerging from the larger wormhole. Navy blue and flecked with stars, camouflaging it against the background of open space except where the relative motion of their star pattern betrayed their movements. He had heard of ships like this through his network, prison-raiders flying star-spangled ships, but it had been nothing more than rumors. Until now.
The ship completed its passage through the wormhole (blue like the Castle's, not Druid purple, he notes) and the portals closed. A moment later the communications console chimed with an incoming connection request. Automatically Kolivan's hand slapped the keyboard to accept.
Princess Allura's face appeared on the smaller screen above the console. "Blade Leader Kolivan." She greeted with a respectful incline of her head.
"Princess Allura." He returned. He studied her face for a moment. She looked oddly ruffled, as though her composure was forced. Behind her, the Black Paladin seemed even more intense than usual, arms folded tightly across his chest. "Black Paladin."
"Our apologies for the delay in meeting with you. Our allies' ships required substantial repairs." Despite the subtle discomposure, her voice was steady. "With your permission, we would like to land and meet face to face as soon as possible. There have been...developments which must be discussed."
Kolivan couldn't have missed that hesitation if he'd tried. He frowned deeply. The last thing he needed was another crisis endangering his remaining Blades. "Very well. The passage should cycle open in another forty-two doboshes. Hangar three will be open for you. Ensure you bring the traitor with you." He added with a growl.
Behind the Princess, he noted the Black Paladin's grimace, but Allura simply nodded. "Of course. We will see you shortly, Kolivan." With another respectful incline of her head, the connection broke.
Kolivan growled, spinning away from the console. "Contact me if there are any problems." He commanded. Then he strode from the room, heading for hangar three.
00000000
"That could have gone better." A voice commented at Shiro's elbow, making him jump.
"Ryou!" He yelped, spinning to face his brother. "Don't sneak up on me like that!" Then his frown changed to an expression of concern. "Wait, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be on Earth!"
Ryou grinned unrepentantly. "What, you didn't think I was going to let you vanish into the wild black yonder again and not come along to keep an eye on you, did you? I promised Mom, Dad, and Ma that I'd look out for you and I intend to do just that." He clapped a hand on Shiro's shoulder.
Shiro hesitated a long moment. Being up here meant his brother would be in constant danger, which was terrifying. But he couldn't deny that he'd missed him, missed their light-hearted jokes and the feeling of having someone to confide in. He trusted Matt completely, but at the same time knew Matt had his own traumas and Shiro was reluctant to burden him more than he had to. Bad enough that he'd already had to deal with Shiro falling apart twice now. Finally he sighed and clapped his own hand overtop of Ryou's. "You sneak. Welcome aboard, then, I guess." He chuckled, shaking his head in mock despair.
"Glad to be aboard." Ryou smirked back, clasping Shiro's hand for a moment before stepping back. "So, that was Kolivan?"
Shiro nodded, glancing back toward the screen. "Yes. The Leader of the Blades of Marmora."
Ryou hummed thoughtfully. "Charming fellow. But I guess under the circumstances, he has every right to be pissed off."
"Absolutely." In spite of himself, Shiro's gaze flickered to Kovirak where she still stood leaning against the wall. Even without knowing the exact death toll, it was easy to see Kolivan would not be kind to the one who had caused the deaths of so many, even under the circumstances she'd been facing. Worry gnawed at him. She had made a promise to Keith that she wouldn't abandon him again, and she obviously intended to try to keep it, but would she be allowed to? If they took her down to that base, would she be allowed to leave it again alive? Right now they couldn't be sure of anything. Sighing, he gave a small shake of his head. "We should start getting organized. We only have another..." he glanced at a timepiece on the wall "thirty-eight doboshes before the passageway opens."
He stepped away from his brother, heading for Kovirak. "Are you ready?" He asked quietly. "Coran is making that copy of the message you requested." He wasn't sure what she needed it for when they were planning to discuss it with the Blades afterward anyway. But if it helped keep Keith from being hurt again...
She gave him a small nod, her expression troubled. "As ready as I can be." She admitted in a low voice. "But I've never seen Kolivan so...expressive. The situation down there must be..."
Thinking of the times they'd spoken to the normally stoic Galra in the past, Shiro couldn't help but agree. Even with his limited experience at reading Galran faces, the anger had been easy to see, as had the stress and worry just under the surface. The betrayal and its consequences had badly rattled the old leader, and Shiro couldn't shake the feeling that it meant bad news. "Maybe we can help." He murmured. "The Castle has cryo replenishers. We can help with some of the worst injuries." It wasn't much but the Blades were allies and Shiro intended to help however he could.
The smile Kovirak gave him was grateful, but with a hint of sadness. "It's a nice thought, Shiro." She dipped her head respectfully. "Unfortunately, the injured are only part of the problem. Far bigger is the loss of access to inside information. The Blades are a covert organization, they always have been. I have been buying my son's life for years with names of those working undercover, and that was far from a complete list. And now all that hard work is gone. In a single strike, the primary way of life of the Blades of Marmora has been completely and permanently disrupted. Because of me."
Shiro's breath caught in his throat for a moment. She wasn't wrong. He'd been so focused on the smaller issues closer to home, like seeing his family and worrying about the other paladins and this whole mess with his arm, as well as worrying about how they were going to protect Earth and when they might see the Weblum's Breath back in action, that he'd neglected to consider all the implications of the Blade situation. The Icebringers gained intelligence by scouting, but they didn't infiltrate. The Blades dedicated years at a time to undercover work, passing information about all parts of the Empire back to their headquarters, and now that had all been taken away from them. It was a crippling blow, not just to the Blades, but to the entire alliance. After all, it was the Blades who had led them to where the Weblum's Breath had been built, even if that information had come just hours too late. This was going to set back their efforts against the Empire drastically. "What will they do now?" He forced himself to ask. What would they all do now?
Kovirak could obviously hear the unspoken question, and she gave him a wry, lopsided smile. "Learn. And survive. It's what the Blades of Marmora do best."
0000000
Kurogane scowled, leaning against the wall outside the Red Lion's hangar. He'd left the command deck as soon as the conversation with Kolivan had ended. The others would be down here sooner or later to prepare for the trip to the base.
Seeing the strain on Kolivan's face had been painful. The old Galra had been a mentor to him long ago, before everything went wrong, helping him learn to understand the parts of him that were Galran and learn to use them instead of fear them. It hadn't fixed everything, not even close, but it had helped a little, and the Blade Leader's acceptance had meant a lot to him after a while. The other Blades, too, had treated him like one of their own. Teaching and occasional missions had given way to gentle teasing and warm greetings whenever they worked together. It was as if his little family had grown by several hundred aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents, at least as far as Alejandro had been able to help him understand the warmth in his chest when he thought of them. And in the middle of it all, Kolivan, a wise grandfather who he had looked up to, respected, admired, and, in some ways, loved.
And then they had all been ripped away. Numb amidst his shattered teammates in the aftermath of the Weblum's Breath, Kurogane had been the first to set foot inside the eerie silence of the Blade Headquarters after their communication requests had gone unacknowledged, their frantic demands for answers and explanations gone unheeded. He'd been the first to see the blood that painted the walls and the bodies that littered the floor, the copper reek stealing his breath away and freezing his heart in his chest. He remembered all too clearly his increasingly frantic sprint through the base, searching, pleading with a higher power he'd never once believed in, the baffled, horrified exclamations of his teammates ringing in his ears into indistinguishable noise.
He remembered the moment he'd found Kolivan, finally, a bloodied form that was limp and loose in a way the powerful figure had never once been in life, sprawled in the shattered rubble of Marmora's Stone. And he remembered the anguished howl that had torn free from his throat, so much like the sound the others had made over the broken remnants of Earth.
When they finally left the base he'd left his blade behind, jammed with all the strength he could muster into the heart of what was left of the Stone.
It was Kovirak's fault. She was the one who had betrayed her fellow Blades, had given them up one by one by one, simply to preserve a single life. Even if that life was his own, Kurogane hated her for it. His family shouldn't have been forced to die for him without ever being given a choice.
And yet...
And yet he couldn't suppress that twinge of shock in his chest when he thought about it. That she had chosen him, the son she hadn't even seen since he was three years old, over her honorary brothers and sisters, over herself, over the universe itself. The other paladins and Allura had been brothers and sisters to him. Coran had been something like a father, for a time. The Blades, extended family. But no one had ever been his mother.
He'd seen the way she interacted with Keith. Heard the sincerity in her voice as she promised never to leave him again. Felt her gaze as she watched him but respected his anger by keeping her distance. And somehow the rage that had bubbled inside him ever since that day at the headquarters refused to be reconciled with the ache he felt whenever he watched her in return. He couldn't bring himself to wish her dead. Some small part of him that he was trying very hard to ignore did not want her to be taken away.
He closed his eyes, trying to ignore the turmoil raging inside him as the first approaching footsteps of the others became audible down the hall.