Chapter seventeen
Shiro's thoughts were everywhere, they were like herding cats; never stayed in one place together for long. As he reached his lion, he couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. How is he still connected to the Black Lion? He asked himself. There's gotta be away to be stronger than him. He thought further, the pressure ensued again, and he struggled to fight it. He knew his bond wasn't as strong as Zarkon's, but he knew, for all his team, he had to be stronger than him. He had to!! The castle shook as they received enemy fire, the partical barrier finally going up to shield them from the attack. The five lions launched and they were in battle once again. As Shiro weaved through the raging battle, he continued to feel that pressure ensuing further; and fought as hard as he couldn't to block it out, while also keeping his distance from the Galra's main ship.
"Close in on the Black lion." Zarkon ordered. "Corner it! And keep the other lions away. Occupy them,... while I take back what is rightfully mine."
Shiro dodged through the wreckage of the cruisers he'd just destroyed, feeling very proud of himself; as they were finally starting to neutralize the Galra once again. That pride was shattered by an electrical jerk that stopped the Black lion in its tracks. Shiro struggled to move his lion, but it wouldn't respond. More energy swelled up, and more and more and more... Shiro tried to look for its origin.
The fleets had totally surrounded the Black Lion, and purple beams of light from about a half a dozen or less cruisers were focussed on and encasing Black in it. The lasers zipped around as the lions evaded them; the Galra continued to close in on the Black lion. It was trapped by their glowing purple snare, which had fully decapitated it.
"The Galra have the Black lion! Shiro's in trouble!!!" Keith called, thrusting his lion to go faster. "We need to get in there!"
"He's too heavily guarded and we don't have a clear enough shot to blast the ship, because we might hit Shiro instead!" Pidge explained, taking a blast from one of the ships.
"Then what do we do?!" Lance cried, tossing a Galra fighter into another one.
Shiro gripped the handles, desperately trying to regain control of his lion. The tractor beams converging on him prevented any movement; but still he fought against it. Shiro strained with all his being to escape, but wasn't making any headway. I need a new plan!! He thought to himself. Electric energy shot through his body and he cried out, but, again, could not hear himself. His eyes beginning to glow white as the energy became stronger yet. His Galra hand beginning to glowing, almost as though the something was sucking the energy from it. Shiro struggled to hold on; the purple light turning the screens to a red Galra control panel, Zarkon's influence in his head. Then every thing burst into a white light and descended into darkness right after...
Shiro took a gasping breath as he opened his eyes. The darkness of the room was lit by his own memory bubbles; which floated about around him. Looking at some of them he noticed his uncle was in some of them. The good times they'd had... as well as the bad ones. As he looked at each memory when they floated by, and recalled them times as they came. The hide and seek games they played when he was a child. The wise words his uncle shared with him, and the argument he'd had with Shiro's mother... All things he would never forget.
"Shiro." A voice broke him out of his thoughts. Shiro looked around, but didn't see anyone. He was more confused then anything, as he didn't think he recognized it. But then one lingering memory reminded him, and his eyes widened. A memory bubble depicting him and his uncle playing together shifted before him. It lit up as something emerged from it. A leg stepped out and a body soon followed, and when the light died down; Shiro was shocked at who it was.
"Uncle?!" Shiro breathed shakily, his voice echoing slightly.
"We can't give up!! There's gotta be something we can do!!" Keith cried frantically, as the purple light of the tractor beams became brighter; almost beyond what their eyes couldn't handle.
"We can't reach them!" Pidge cried. "We need to figure out how to interfere with their tractor beams' power!"
"No." Allura breathed, seeing the light encasing the Black Lion more, from the castle's visual scanners. "Coran, we have to do something!!" She called, turning to her advisor.
"Yes, but what can we do?!" Coran agreed hopelessly. He thought about this for a moment. "Wait a tick! I think I've got it!!" He said finally.
"Fire up the Komarr." Zarkon commanded the witch standing at his side.
"Yes, sire." Haggar responded, bowing her head and leaving.
"Reposition the ship." Zarkon ordered the commander in front of him.
"Yes sir!" The soldier responded, turning back to his control panel.
The giant Galra command ship hovered over the trapped Black Lion, the arc's at the base of the warship pointing directly at it.
"Something's happening!" Keith reported, upon seeing this.
"But how do we stop it!!" Lance screamed in a panic. The central command ship emitted its tractor beam converging with the others, as a force field type energy materialized around the beams encasing the Black lion. The lion, at this point, glowing its residual pinkish glow.
"Shiro?!" Keith breathed in horror of what he was seeing.
"The day is almost ours, and the Black lion will be mine once more." Zarkon stated. "Then we will get rid of the Paladins; and we will have Voltron." The dynamics of his voice emphasized his feelings about each thing he said. "Summon the druids." He ordered, a soldier saluting him with a firm 'Vrepidsa', then left to carry out the order.
The lions jetted about, trying to push past the blockade of Galra fleets surrounding the Black lion; the energy around it growing still. Keith's emotions swelling more and more, as the energy did. His pupils shrinking, and his hands shaking. Beads of sweat, now, pouring down his face; and were those tears blurring his vision? He gripped the handles tighter, with a loud angry scream he thrust the handles forward and the Red Lion's blaster materialized on its back. Keith began firing, again and again, controlled by his rage; unable to contain himself anymore! His eyes flared and his heart burned with the fire of his immense rage, channeling down through his hands and out of his lion's cannon. Keith had all guns blazing... literally. His sweat and tears scattering off his face as his madness continued. The team watched in amazement and tried to follow his lead. Keith felt like his anger would never end, like the flames of his inner being would never be extinguished. Like there was nothing in the universe that would tame the fiery flames of this one Paladin. Keith proceeded in his attack not letting up one bit, even despite his body screaming at him to slow down; as it began to tire. Keith anger must have been stronger than his body was because he still would not stop. His blaster and lasers blazing brighter and brighter, as every part of his being was directed at the Galra barricade that blocked his way. Keith launched himself faster than he ever thought he could go and, drawing his jaw blade, blasted through a Galra cruiser blowing it to pieces. Keith's anger was becoming contagious, because the more the Paladins watched him; the angrier they became. Each one of them finally gaining enough anger to plunge into the Galra ships themselves; leaving nothing behind, but wreckage.
"Great work, Paladins! We're making progress!!" Allura cried happily, Hope beginning to wash over her, once again. "Coran is it ready?" The Princess asked, turning to the screen with her advisor's face on it.
"Nearly there, Princess." Coran responded.
"Keep working!" Allura told him. "And hope it's not too late." She murmured to herself.
Keith formed his jaw blade again, lunging toward another cruiser. He sneered as he jerked his lion into a barrel role that kept going, faster and faster; as he bore a hole, almost effortlessly, through another cruiser and it was destroyed in the blast that followed. Hunk pounded his way through each cruiser he came against. Pidge and Lance fired their lasers and used their jaw blades; same as Keith. Each one screaming and yelling at the top of their lungs, as they continued their assault. A livid fire, now, burning within them all. Their lions roared, as they zipped around through space; leaving behind a blazing trail of space dust, as fast as they were moving. And for a moment... they all could've sworn they could hear each other's hearts pounding alongside their own.
What is up everybody! This chapter was kinda hard because of the cliffy in the middle, but I did it! And that cliffy will be resumed soon!! Hope you guys enjoyed, and stay hyped for the next chapter! Thx!!! :) ;D