Rae was officially grounded from missions. Three missions appeared, and each time Shiro shot her down. "I am not letting you get yourself killed again!"
"Come on, Shiro! Can I at least help from the castle?" She tried to pull off a pouty face, but he didn't budge.
"No! I'm sorry, but no."
After finally giving up and watching from the sidelines, she and Coran made up a game, betting on which lion would take out the most ships. So far, she was winning because she kept betting on Keith. No one knew why, but she seemed to have a specific liking to the other halfbreed.
However, with all the games and chats, nothing cured her itch for another mission. She wanted to explore, to feel an actual atmosphere around her. Instead, she either ventured through the corridors, took a dip in the Altean pool, or went a few rounds with the Gladiator in the training room.
When the others finally returned, she had stabbed her thirtieth drone. "Was your mission a success," she questioned, pulling the knife out of the robot, ending the training.
"Yes," answered Pidge, who was fiddling with a small knife in her hand. "We brought you back a souvenir." She handed Rae the knife, an elegant bronze dagger with a somewhat Celtic looking hilt. "I found it on our way out, and since it has a purple gem, and it's a knife, I thought you'd like it."
Rae's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. "It's so beautiful! Oh my gosh!" She gingerly takes the dagger and holds it in her hands, afraid it might shatter. "Thank you, Pidge. I love it."
She and Pidge spent the next few hours going from training routines, letting Rae get used to her new blade and teaching Pidge more hand-to-hand combat maneuvers, to Pidge's makeshift lab, where Rae learned a great deal about the technology on the ship. Pidge was surprised to see her learning so fast. "What are you, a tech genius too?"
"No," Rae replied casually, throwing her knife up in the air and catching it. "I'm just a fast learner. With tech, I get a weird sense of how it's supposed to work. It's like it tells me what to do."
Pidge looked at her, obviously concerned. "The tech is telling you what to do...the only tech I know that can do that are the lions."
"Okay, then I guess I'm crazy. Wouldn't be the first time I've been called that." Rae looked around, bored as their conversation started to die.
After a long pause, Pidge decided to bring up a subject she hoped wasn't too touchy. "So, tell me about your brother."
Rae's body became tense. "M-my brother?"
"Well, yeah," Pidge recalled. "You've mentioned him a time or two, but you never went into any details. I'm just curious." And she was. Pidge was famous for that trait, but it was sometimes infamous, too. It tended to get her in a lot of trouble at times.
Rae smiled softly at the small girl, realized she had the same curiosity as herself. "Well," she started, hesitating on what to say. "He was so sweet. It was always me and him, that's how we liked it. We looked after each other even though I was three years older than him. But he was a coin. One side is sweet and caring, the other is fierce and aggressive. Of course, the same could be said about me."
"Obviously," Pidge commented, remembering their first encounter with her.
"Yeah." Rae's voice became soft. "I used to dance with him and read him bedtime stories, sometimes even sing if he asked. I missed so much of him growing up, though. I'll never get those years back." Sadness flooded her body, but she forced back the tears.
Pidge knew where she was going through. She patted Rae's knee and smiled. "It's okay to be sad about it. I'm sad, too. I lost my dad and brother on the Kerberos mission, they were taken by Zarkon. But I keep my head up and search for them still."
"That's because you are strong."
"So are you. You survived nine years in a Galra prison, and you blew up a planet!"
Rae smiled. She was pleased to have Pidge around. Another girl on the ship that missed Earth just as much and actually understood earthen terms. Allura wasn't bad, but she was still clueless to most of Earth's customs.
"Here." Pidge placed a small purple device in her hand. It looked like a souped up IPod, and even had a jack for headphones. Rae pressed what she guessed was the power button and the screen lit up, revealing a chibi form of herself, smiling and waving back at her. Rae couldn't help but chuckle. "I can add whatever music you want on here, it holds a lot. You can listen to it whenever you miss your brother, or if you're ever just sad. It helps me sometimes."
"Thank you, Pidge." The two spent two hours searching and downloading songs, most from Keith's playlist, but Pidge was surprised to find Rae taking a liking to pop artists from Lance's, too. "I need some upbeat stuff, too," was Rae's excuse. Pidge just laughed as she finished. She handed the older girl a pair of headphones and watched as the girl left, slipping the headphones into her ears.
Rae was in love with her music player. She listened for hours, drumming to the beat of rock songs and singing along with the "emo ones" quietly as she stayed in her room, writing in her log and doodling on the pages as well. She liked to keep up with daily events, so everyday she'd write. She loved to write and draw, but with the lack of excitement, her entries became shorter and shorter. Her mind wandered and she started drawing herself and Pidge, but as her eyes grew heavy from fatigue, she accidentally made Pidge taller than her, and look slightly more masculine. Blaming the fatigue and the fact that she hasn't drawn in years, she layed her head on the desk, passing out instantly.
In her sleep, her mind wandered a million times more. This time, she was catching bits and pieces of a memory. Crimson hair flowed in front of her face, then she saw a pair of shattered glasses, and finally, she heard a voice. A male voice which filled her with such hope and joy. "Don't worry. I will always protect you." She couldn't help but smile, even though the voice was unrecognizable. However, the smile faded as a cackle split through her pleasant dream, forcing her to shake with fear. Her skin suddenly felt hot, and from the ground she could see a pink-purple light around her. As the light became brighter, her skin felt hotter until she couldn't breathe. She looked down at her hands and they were the same color as the light. The color of quintessence.
Jolting from her seat, the witch's cackle still rung in her ears. Rae's heart was beating rapidly, trying to calm after the nightmare. A bead of sweat trickled from her forehead, landing on the paper. She decided she needed to relieve herself from the confines of her room, and went for the door. Upon opening the door, she froze as she saw Keith standing there, about to knock. He froze as well. "Um..."
A smile appeared on her face at seeing the awkward boy. "Did I miss something? I fell asleep."
"No," he answered, pulling his hand down to his side again. "I heard you shouting."
Her eyes widened, she didn't realize the nightmare was that bad. "Oh...I'm sorry." She blushed slightly, feeling somewhat embarrassed. "It was just a nightmare. Don't worry, I'm okay."
He didn't look convinced, but he dropped the subject. "So, I'm going to go to the training room. I could use a sparring partner if you're up for it."
A wicked grin crossed her face as she decided to tease the boy. "Why don't you ask Lance? One move and you could end up in his lap, or vice versa." Her smile grew as his cheeks lit up. "Yeah, you're not quite ready for that. Sure, I'll spar." She laughed as she stepped out of her room, taking the boy's arm as he had frozen up again, and dragged him to the training room.
It took seconds for him to go from his frozen state to battle-ready Paladin, and even though he was one of their best fighters, Rae proved to be a challenge for him. She was fast and agile like a cat, leaping off walls, and even crawling onto him to take him to the ground. He was impressed.
As the hour reached its end, both halfbreeds were on the cool metal floor, panting. They overdid their training, but in their defense, it was the others fault. Keith would nag about her stance and movements, while Rae teased him about Lance. In the end, though, they both laughed. It felt good bonding with her, better than with the others. Keith felt like he could share anything with her and trust her with his very life. He didn't feel awkward around her, which was even better.
Shiro came in, noticing the two bodies on the floor. "I see you two took advantage of your free time."
"Yep," Rae replied, flashing a huge smile. "Training and bonding, the two most important exercises for Paladins."
"Although, it's a little unfair training with her. She's like a freaking gymnast." Keith's word sparked a newfound energy in Rae and she lifted herself up, putting all her weight onto her hands as she walked toward Shiro, then flipped back onto her feet.
Shiro looked flabbergasted, which made Keith laugh. Rae was in such a good mood, she laughed, ignoring the fatigue as she nearly skipped down the corridor.
"I don't think I've ever seen her this happy," Shiro commented once she was out the door.
Keith nodded. "I know, but it's great. I think Pidge is going to try and help her find her brother. I overheard them talking about him. But...there was one point today, just before training. She was shouting at someone...or something. I don't know what about, but she sounded in a panic."
Shiro seemed alarmed by this. "She was in a Galra prison for a long time. Even I still have nightmares about it. But she'll be okay. She's in the castle now and has all of us to keep her safe."
"She seems to take care of herself just fine. I only won once and we fought like twenty rounds." Keith was amazed he lasted that long, but he made a mental note to get some tips next time. He loved her surprise attacks and split second changes in movement to throw him off. It was her very own fighting style and he wanted to learn it.
Upon going back to her room, Rae tucked away the drawing, then proceeded to stand in front of her mirror. Her hair looked healthier due to all the showers, and her skin was practically glowing, but as she stared at her reflection, she noticed a ton of faults. There was no wave or curl to her long locks, they just kinda stayed dull and straight and lifeless. Her skin was paler than anyone else's on the ship, making her feel like a ghost. She hated her two white streaks, and hated her scars on her face and body. Oh, how she dreamed of looking like she use to before. Brown volumous hair, tan skin, the stars in her grey eyes as she got excited over almost everything. Now everything was dull, black and white. There was no color for her anymore. Not since she lost him.
She shook her head, forcing the depressing thoughts away. She was happy with the Paladins, but it wasn't the same. Eventually she always came back to those awful thoughts, the voices in her head screaming at her, telling her she was nothing but a project. A useful host for Zarkon's plan. She refused to be anything for him, but force took over. Looking down at her hands, the burning sensation reemerged. Her hands shined almost like Shiro's, as she could feel the quintessence coursing through her veins. This is what they did to me, she thought. It all clicked together, and after she scanned herself the day after her near-death experience, the proof was evident. She didn't dare tell the others yet, out of fear of what they'd do. They wouldn't understand. Hell, she didn't even understand it. Why would they do this, what's the purpose? And how was she still alive? These were questions she could not answer. Once she could figure it all out, then she would tell them. Hopefully, they would understand her reasons for keeping it secret.
After the quintessence went away and her skin was back to normal, she decided a nice hot shower was what she needed to calm down. After all, she worked up quite a sweat sparring.
Ten minutes into her relaxing shower, the alarms started blaring. Seriously? Rae thought, clearly annoyed at the interruption. Luckily, she had already washed her hair. She exited the shower, finding only a silk robe hanging on the rack. Figures. She didn't even have time to dry off as she slipped the robe on, tightened the belt to make sure it didn't slip, and rushed to the bridge for orders.
"We've been found by another fleet," shrieked the princess from her post. All the others were in place, gazing at monitors to locate and scan the ships.
Pidge skimmed over her screen. "This one's larger than the last."
"With way more weapons," Hunk spoke, trying to sink into his chair to hide from the inevitable. "And ion cannons!"
"Hunk, cool it! We can handle this; we always do." Lance was being extra confident, but Rae could sense his insecurities and fear.
Shiro stood, strong and tall, speaking with his cliche leader voice. "As long as we act as one, we can take this fleet like all the ones before. We just have to...focus..." His voice trailed off as he turned, noticing the girl in noting but a robe, still sopping wet. A light blush coated his cheeks as his eyes couldn't help but look her over, which he immediately regretted.
Rae had her arms crossed over her chest, not realizing all eyes on her at first. "What?" She eyed all of them, seeing all the guys with wide eyes, if not blushing. "I didn't have time to change, now can we please focus on the task at hand? What do you want me to do?"
That brought Shiro's brain back to the present. "You're staying with Allura and Coran, help with defending the castle. The rest of you get to your lions. Remember, work as a team."
Before Rae could protest, all the Paladins rushed to their lions' hangers. Rae watched as the lions flew into space, attacking the ships that came into view.
Shiro lead the others through the maze of Galra ships, each of the five taking out as many ships as they could, only to find more coming. "There's too many!"
Rae was helping Coran blast some of the ships down, but even that wasn't enough. "You need to form Voltron," Allura commanded. "Our defenses wont hold much longer!"
The Paladins nodded, syncing their minds and forming the giant defender of the universe. With sword in hand, Voltron took out the fleet of ships in one swipe. "Yeah!" They all shouted as they disassembled and went to return to the castle.
Unfortunately, the battle was not over. A blast hit the red lion just before entering the hangar, and a new fleet appeared, weapons firing at the lions and the castle. With the help of blue, Lance was able to get Keith away before another blast hit him. Keith groaned, still feeling the backlash from the first blast.
Rae watched in horror at the numbers of ships that appeared, being much larger than the fleet before. Zarkon must've really wanted to kick them while they were down, and he was succeeding because the lions were barely dodging hits and the castle's defenses were holding on by a thread.
Shiro hastily averted all he could, but even he was getting tossed around. "We need Voltron again!"
"Is it safe to form so soon? We just formed Voltron a minute ago," Pidge hollered just before getting swatted down by a fighter jet. Luckily, she regained control of her lion and got to the others.
Rae could see no good outcome. The Paladins were barely surviving out there, and she could hear all of them screaming and grunting, taking the hits but getting serious backlash. Most ships targeted the red lion, which made Rae's blood boil. Keith wasn't doing so good, and sounded in pain.
A message appeared on the main screen of the castle, and on the monitors in the lions, followed by a live video. On the screens, General Troxas stood in full uniform, preparing his victory. "Princess of Altea, and Paladins of Voltron, I am General Troxas of the Galra Empire. As you can see my ships are heavily equipped with the lasted weapons as well as the ion cannons. If you are wise, you will surrender yourselves and your lions. We can assure you a lovely cell." He grinned and his gargantuan ears twitched in amusement. "Or you can try to fight and we'll take your lions by force. By doing that of course, you ensure your own death, which we will take great pleasure in."
In response to his threat, the team formed Voltron once again. Troxas frowned, then waved his hand. "No matter, taking you down will be much easier now. My soldiers know how to scrap metal." Both ion cannons moved, targeting the giant robot.
Rae's eyes widened, knowing the team would not survive that. She pushed Coran aside, frantically hitting buttons until her face was visible on screen next to the general's. Troxas was taken back for a moment, not quite realizing the girl on screen. "General," she spat, making her disliking of him clear as glass. "You very well know my name. I am aboard the Altean ship and I will not allow you to attack and steal the lions. If you want to get them, you have to go through me first!" Her voice became rough and full of anger. Her eye color changed to a bright purple, making the Alteans nervous, along with the Paladins.
Troxas' grins became wider, more sinister. "And what makes you think you can beat me?"
"Because you just threatened my brother." Everyone's heads snapped toward the screen, making sure they heard her correctly. They were all confused.
Troxas furrowed his brow. "You heard me," Rae continued, letting her fury radiate off of her. "You know, just like all the other Generals and Admirals, that threatening my family is a big no no. Well, my brother, the red Paladin is out there and you just threatened to kill him and take his lion. I'll remind you again, Troxas, my name is Rae Kogane, and now you will feel my wrath!" The video cut off with a seething Rae staring into the screen.
Keith was speechless. Did he just hear her right? He must have because none of the others were talking either. Everyone was silent, taking in this information.
The shocking news was cut off by the sound of the cannons reaching full change. They were ready to fire and Voltron was in no condition to move or take the hit. "We need a plan!" Pidge hollered.
"I know we're weakened, but we can't give up!" Shiro's voice rang. He was not about to lose the lives of four teenagers along with his own. He was responsible for their safety. "We're going to take out those cannons. Lance, Hunk, prepare to move. Keith, form sword!"
A tick passed. Two. Three ticks. Nothing. "Keith!" Shiro shouted, putting all urgency into his voice, but to no avail. The Red Paladin was frozen, still stunned by the news. He had a sister, or so she claims. Regardless, it all made sense. Her impulsive actions, her motherly behavior toward him, her constant worry over him. He still couldn't move, though, even with the other four screaming at the top of their lungs. The cannons were sparking with energy, about to fire when movement caught his eye.
A body was flying out in front of Voltron. The white armor made him think it was Allura, until he saw not pink, but purple. Rae, he thought, still dazed, but moving more now out of panic. She was between Voltron and the ion cannons with no weapon of any sort. Nothing to protect herself. Her eyes found Keith and she stared sadly at him. She could sense his fear, his confusion, the whole mix of emotions.
Then she did something rare. She smiled. Not the crooked grin she gives in battle, or the victorious smile, but a true, genuine wide smile. One that said everything was going to be okay. It then shifted into a wicked grin as she faced the Galra armada. "Hit me with your best shot," she screamed as she floated, her arms and legs stretched out as if she was trying to shield the giant robot behind her.
"Wait, Rae, don't!" Keith's panic led him to reach for the controls. He was the fastest lion, he could get her to safety. His actions were cut off by a bright flash and two rays of energy shooting toward them, toward her! "No!" His heart stopped. Not only was he kicked back along with the rest of Voltron, but he could see her silhouette dissolve in the blast. She was gone. There was no way she could survive that. This wasn't like Cryskos, she didn't have time to jump out of the way, and even if she did, she wouldn't have. She took the blast for Voltron, saving them yet again.
The light faded and Keith was pretty sure the gasps could be heard throughout the quadrant. In Rae's place was a woman completely coated in the same light as the cannons, the same color as Shiro's weaponized arm. Quintessence.
It was beautiful, but in a scary kind of way. Waves of the energy were coursing through her, occasionally forming bolts of light across her skin. Her eyes shined brightly with anger and her lips formed into a snarl. "That was the best you've got?" He almost flinched at the sound of her voice. It was scratchy and deeper, sounding more like a demon than the angel Shiro described.
Ships were already trying to leave, but Rae swiped her hand in front of her and the ships turned back around, forced to stay in place. The five Paladins stared in awe, unable to process what was in front of them. She was controlling the ships. She even pushed Voltron back with a sudden swipe of her hand. Shiro's arm started glowing, and he could only guess it was reacting to the quintessence surging through her.
Rae's skin brightened, reacting like a pulse, and an aura outlined her body, only to grow larger and larger, until the aura became twice the size of Voltron. Shiro's jaw dropped, just like everyone else's. Inside the giant woman was Rae, still glowing with energy. Shiro had a ton of questions, but that would have to wait.
The Galra shot another blast from the cannons and Rae reacted as if it was a pesky fly, stopping it with her hand, then shooting it back at the ship. Not only did the blast blow up that ship, but the few around it exploded as well. General Troxas realized his mistake too late, as he tried to be daring and capture Voltron for his Emperor. His plan was perfect until the Cosmic Woman came out. Now, they were sitting ducks.
Rae reached out and grabbed his ship. Through the coms, her voice poured out with the rage and fury of a bloodthirsty Galra. "If I see your face again, Troxas, I will not hesitate to put an end to you. This is your warning. Now, scram!" She reared back and chucked the ship like it was a baseball. Then her sight turned to the other ships, with pilots too scared to budge. She clapped her hands together, created a wave that sent the ships back. That shook them out of their stillness and the ships took off.
A moment of silence took place as everyone stared at her in shock. Allura and Coran couldn't do anything but watch, trying to deduce how this could be. Rae's light dimmed and the aura shrunk down to normal size and the quintessence faded, leaving her unconscious, floating in place. The lions split, with Shiro moving to retrieve her.
Keith was urged by the others to go back to the castle with them, his head spinning with questions. The moment he got out of his lion, his feet wouldn't stop moving as he paced from one side of the room to the other, ignoring the order's attempts to stop him. He needed answers. The sound of Black landing finally made his stop, even if his foot was still tapping. Shiro came out of the lion, Rae still unconscious in his arms. She was breathing thankfully, and didn't seem to have any sort of damage done to her. As Allura and Coran rushed into the room, he set her on the floor, and they all circled around her, waiting.
Twenty vargas passed before her eyes fluttered open. She was groggy, but immediately noticed the bodies staring down at her. Her memory of the event coming back to her as she sat up, accepting Shiro's hand to stand. He looked at her before turning his gaze behind her. Her breath hitched slightly as she now had to face the truth, and turned carefully to face her brother. She already knew he wouldn't believe her, so she grabbed his hand and pulled him toward her room.
"Hey, wait, I have too many questions!" Keith tried to pull away, but her grip was solid like a rock. "You can't just ignore what happened...what you said!" His voice cracked, making Rae stop in the doorway. She knew this was hard for him, but he had to learn the truth.
Stepping toward her bed, she pulled out two pieces of paper and a picture from under her pillow, holding them delicately toward her chest. "I know you don't believe me, but I have proof." She hands him the parchments and his eyes skimmed over what were two birth certificates. One had his name, date of birth, etc. The other he read carefully, which was hard because his hand was shaking. Rae Tallulah Kogane. He had to keep from laughing at her middle name, but his eyes read over the name, as well as his parents' names before looking up at her in shock. He had a sister. She was here, right in front of him, she's saved his life time and time again.
"I...I..." he almost couldn't form the words. "I don't believe it. I have a sister. But...how? I-I don't remember having a sister."
She smiled softly and handed him the picture. It was him, maybe seven or eight, his dad, and a girl with tan skin, brown hair, and eyes that matched his. Even though she looked different, he could recognize her easily. "Your memories were wiped when they took me," she spoke softly, with a twinge of sadness. "Dad's too. You were nine and I had to protect you from them. I tried to get back to you sooner, but my attempts failed. Now I have you right in front of me and you're all grown up." Her voice cracked as tears filled her eyes. "I missed so much, but now you're a Paladin and I'm so proud of you, Keith."
Hearing her say she was proud of him and seeing her start crying made him tear up. She kept rambling on, but he stopped listening, instead he reached out and hugged her so tightly, letting all emotions he had bottled up pour out in tears as he clutched onto her. She was startled, but hugged him back just as tight. They were both a mess of tears and happiness. Rae had finally found her brother, and Keith realized he had more family than he could've dreamed of.
Though it was a private moment, the others couldn't help but peek in the open doorway and watch the family reunion. Pidge felt a weight around her heart, happy for Rae, but hoping she can find Matt and hug him as tightly as those two were now. Shiro was smiling widely, happy for both of them, and he noticed Lance was smiling just as widely. Hunk was behind them all trying not to cry too loudly and ruin the moment.
A minute later, Rae broke from the hug and caressed Keith's face gently. "There is so much you've forgotten. But I promise I'll fill you in all all you've forgotten, and in return, you'll fill me in on all I've missed out on."
Keith spat out a laugh, still trying to dry his tears. "Deal."