There was a flicker, a flash of light, a sensation of floating, and then Matt found himself standing next to his father in what seemed to be a giant room, with white floors and blue lighting everywhere. It was so different from what Matt was used to that he almost felt dizzy, but he looked around and saw that there were a lot of his fellow prisoners in the same room. One of them was the tall alien Matt had helped earlier. The alien saw Matt looking at him and came over to stand beside the two humans.

"What's going on?" Matt asked him, and the alien shrugged as he replied.

"I'm - I'm not sure - but - but I heard them say 'Voltron' - and - well - anywhere has to be better than that Galra planet, right? Especially given some of those readings we took in the mines earlier - the seismic activity was getting dangerously high - "

Sam looked around at the all the people in the room, trying to count them, trying to gather information about where they were, and who - who might be -

Matt was staying close to his father, but he was looking wildly around. The alien noticed their reactions and tilted its head to one side curiously.

"Do you know where we are? Or who was speaking over the-"

But Matt had seen someone enter the room, and he pulled his father's sleeve, pointing, shouting, beginning to stumble towards her, helping his father along as he screamed his sister's name at the top of his lungs.

"KATIE!"

She turned at the sound of her name, and Matt knew - he knew it was his sister. Her hair was shorter, and she wore some kind of green armor and carried a helmet under her arm, but it was her.

Please-let-her-recognize-us-please-let-her-recognize-us-

Katie saw them making their way towards her, and she dropped her helmet onto the ground as she lunged forwards, sprinting and dodging through the crowd of prisoners, who made way for her.

"DAD! MATT!"

Then she'd tackled them both in a hug, and Matt didn't really notice anything else at all, because somehow, this was his younger sister, and Matt decided that if he had - for some reason - lost his mind, or died, that it was okay. It was okay as long as he didn't wake up, because he damn well wasn't going to lose her again.

It was some time before Matt remembered to ask how the hell she'd ended up in Galra space, and then Dad was asking where Shiro was, and Katie was pointing back behind her and saying something about 'teleport' and 'whole team is going to FREAK' and that it would only be a short time and then she'd explain everything but right now she had to go - go and -

"Form - Voltron?" Sam asked, still holding his daughter close in a hug. "…I'm not sure I understand - "

Katie was scrubbing at her face, but she was still smiling. "It's - one hell of a long story - but I promise, it's worth it. It's all worth it."

She hugged them both one more time. The alien Matt had helped earlier that day held out her helmet to her. The other prisoners had drawn back a little, giving the three of them space, and Katie grinned up at the alien as she took her helmet back.

"Thanks!" she said, and she put her helmet back on as she spoke. "Dad, Matt, I promise, it's all good. I'll be back soon - this won't take long - we're just taking some precautions as we travel - 'cause apparently the Galra could really pissy about us rescuing prisoners from drained planets - but anyway, I won't be long - I promise - "

Matt and Sam were still holding onto her, unwilling to release her from their family hug, but she somehow slipped free and bolted back out the door, calling back over her shoulder

"You're safe now! You're with the Alteans - Coran will explain everything!"

Then she was gone, and Matt realized that he hadn't asked her how she knew what had happened to Shiro. Matt knew he'd heard his friend's voice over the comms - and - and that word - Voltron - Shiro had said he was the - Black Paladin?

This was a lot to take in. Matt realized he needed to sit down before his bad leg gave out, and his father helped him do just that. Then some guy in a blue uniform came into the room and started speaking to them all.

"Greetings!" he beamed at them all, twirling a red mustache in a cheerful manner. "I am Coran, of the planet Altea. We're here to offer you any assistance we can - medical care, provisions, and for those who wish it, a shuttle to get you home. I know you must all have a lot of questions, but I assure you, I will answer them all just as soon as - "

There was a stutter of static over what sounded like a loudspeaker system, and a woman spoke, her voice even, commanding, like a captain of a ship.

"Coran, I need you on the bridge, please - Aurelis is coming down to help explain the situation -"

The man nodded, turned, and spoke to another person who had just come into the room. The new arrival had blue skin and red eyes - Matt thought wearily that he was gong to need a notebook to start keeping track of who was who. The alien he'd helped earlier was still standing nearby, staring after Katie in a wide-eyed manner, and Matt decided he might as well ask this guy's name. The poor guy just looked so lost. Matt could sympathize. It had been a crazy day.

"Hi - there - uh - I'm Matthew Holt," he said, raising his hand. The alien took it and shook it firmly, if a bit awkwardly.

"Ah, yes. Greetings. I am Garmek. How do you know the Green Paladin, Matthew Holt?"

Matt blinked, realized that Katie had been wearing green armor. Oh. Well. At least the name made sense.

But what was a Paladin?

"She's - family," he said, and he looked back up at his father. "Hey, Dad - do you have any idea what's going on?"

A voice sounded from the wall near Matt's right side, about six feet from the ground. It was coming from an air vent, which had a small safety grate over it.

"Hi there!"

All three of them jumped and turned towards the sound. In the air vent, Matt saw a young - girl, about five years old, who also had blue skin and red eyes. Her long sliver-white hair was pulled back into a braid, and she was lying on her stomach, her hands cupping her chin. She was looking down at them all curiously, waving her legs behind her like she was at a hilltop picnic, watching a game unfold in a field down below. Two mice were perched on her shoulders, and two more were on her head.

Matt heard Garmek let out a slightly confused sound. "…what is she doing up there?" he asked, and Matt looked at back him with one eyebrow raised.

"Garmek, I just got beamed up to a spaceship without any kind of warning. I have no freaking idea why there's a kid in that air vent."

Garmek made a sound that might have been a chuckle. "Fair enough," he said.

Sam just stared up at the air vent, flummoxed. Some of the other prisoners had noticed the girl now, and she waved cheerfully at them too. She seemed so genuinely friendly that Matt felt some of the tension leave his shoulders. She looked and sounded - well, she sounded a lot like a normal little girl.

"I'm Beyris!" she said, and she pointed to the mice in turn as she introduced them. "These are the Princess's mice, but they're my friends too. Lance calls them Squee, Squeak, Squeaker, and Squeaken. It makes Hunk laugh, but I don't know why. I think it's from a movie or something."

She twirled the end of her braid as she looked back at them. "I don't think I've seen that one yet - but I have seen a lot of movies with everybody - it's what we do sometimes, after training and practice - oh! Maybe we could watch one tonight! Would you maybe like to watch a movie?"

Matt was glad he was sitting down. This alien kid was confusing him.

"…movies…" he said, and she nodded vigorously, then tilted her head slightly to one side as she spoke, her eyes wide and earnest.

"Oh, yes - but only if you want to. You don't have to do anything you don't want to anymore. The Princess is nothing like those mean Galra - and neither is Shiro - or my uncle - so none of you need to worry at all anymore - "

Beyris took a breath, wrinkled her brow in thought for a moment, and then she shrugged her shoulders in a 'no problem' manner. She did it carefully so she didn't dislodge the mice from their perches. "Well, if you don't want to see a movie, we can find something else that's fun if you like - maybe cook? Or read a book? Or play a game? Whenever we play a game, Keith is always red, and I'm always pink. I like pink. Pidge says it's a cheerful color, and that it fits me well, but I don't know how a color can fit you unless you're wearing it, you know?"

Matt's head was spinning, but it was in a nice way. This wasn't the ache and pounding that came after having orders shouted at you, but more of a background hum that came from something as simple as a little girl talking about her favorite color.

All the former prisoners in the room had gone quiet now, looking and listening to Beyris. She continued speaking, addressing Matt and Sam, her eyes wide with interest.

"Why did you call Pidge Katie?" she asked, genuine interest in her voice. "We usually just call her Pidge - except Shiro - sometimes he calls her Katie - oh! Are you like Shiro?"

Matt couldn't find his voice in time to answer her before she continued.

"Shiro's amazing - everyone calls him Space Dad. I'm not sure why - but I like him. He's so nice. The Princess likes him too. I saw them holding hands once. I think they like each other - but you know. The special kind of 'like'. "

Sam sat down next to Matt. He seemed to be keeping up with Beyris' chatter. Maybe it came from being a dad. Matt wasn't sure.

"…okay…" Sam said. "Uh - so Shiro's dating - a Princess - now?"

Beyris nodded happily. "It's awesome - the Black Paladin and the Princess - I'm drawing a picture for them. Lance found some crayons for me - right before he had to go train with Hunk in the practice room - but it's okay. Even though we're all very busy, I have a lot of fun here, and I'm learning a lot. Everyone's really nice. Allura - that's the Princess - says we're going to help everyone in the universe that we can, one person at a time."

"Sounds like a good plan," Garmek said, and Beyris nodded again, smiling. "That's what the Paladins of Voltron are all about - and my uncle and I and Aurelis are helping them too!"

She had the full attention of almost everyone in the room now. All of the freed prisoners were listening with rapt attention, but the blue-skinned man was engrossed in a chart and seemed to be muttering calculations under his breath.

"…hmm…" Sam heard him say. "…yes…all right…I think that would work well…we should have enough fuel for those shuttles…mmhmm…yes, that should do nicely - and of course we'll need to rotate the healing pods - but I think we have some spare ones in that other wing - mmmhm-"

Beyris pointed over at him and then back at herself. She puffed out her chest proudly before she spoke again. "That's Aurelis. He's a healer. We're helping our al-i-s fight the Galra. Well, the bad Galra. There's a Galra resistance. I think. We haven't met them yet, but we want to."

The mice on her shoulders squeaked in what seemed to be a slight reprimand, and she looked down at them, nodding earnestly.

"Well, of course their eyed-en-ti-ties have to stay secret - Haggar is so mean and she hates it when good people fight her - she must hate a lot of people - I know she hates Shiro - I mean, she hates pretty much everybody - but wow - she was mad when he wouldn't be her Champion-"

Matt and Sam looked at each other, then back at Beyris, who was still beaming down at them.

"….uh…" Matt said, feeling his throat go tight with an emotion he couldn't quite name. "…what?"

Beyris waved her hands around her head expressively. "That witch is always mad - but wow -"

It was then that the blue-skinned man - Beyris had called him Aurelis - looked up and face palmed himself as he realized what all the rescued prisoners were staring at.

"Oh, I'm dead," he said to himself. "I am so very, very dead. I am officially the worst babysitter in the world - I can't keep the five-year old away from the air vents for two tics - oh, Rayzor is going to kill me -"

The girl chuckled down at the man, waving cheerfully. "Don't worry, Aurelis, I'm just saying hi! I wanted to see the new people when they came, but you told me to stay out from underfoot. So I did - I took my special shortcut!" She pointed proudly at her air vent. "See? I can't get under anyone's feet up here!" She grinned down at him, obviously quite pleased at how she'd been able to obey his order and meet the new people at the same time.

Sam heard someone let out a laugh that was rusty from disuse, and he realized it was his own. Some of the other freed prisoners were chuckling too. Even Matt half-smiled as the blue-skinned man bustled forward.

"Excuse me, pardon me, pardon me, excuse me, please," he said, threading his way through the people, and Matt blinked when he realized that the man was being polite. Wow, that was different from what they were used to.

Aurelis finally came to stand underneath the grate, looking directly up at the still-cheerfully beaming girl, the mice chittering and chattering in amusement at his expression. He put his hands on his hips, and his face was serious as he looked up at her.

"Beyris," he said, "Some of these people are sick, or hurt, and I have to help them. Can you please come down from there - carefully - so I can concentrate on doing that?"

He raised his arms. "I'll help you down - just - be careful, all right?"

The safety grate over the air vent prevented her from climbing directly out and into the room, but she was still clearly visible as she nodded vigorously.

"Sure!" she said, and she scooted to one side a little ways, carefully putting the mice down before she maneuvered past the grate. Aurelis helped her down, and once he set her on the ground, Beyris beamed up at him as the mice jumped onto his shoulders.

He jumped in shock, looking down at them in startled confusion, but they scampered down his arms and back onto Beyris' shoulders before he had time to ask what they were doing.

"All right, then," the healer said, "Beyris - how about you go to the kitchen - and - and get some plates out? I'm sure our guests are hungry-"

"I'll get out ALL the plates!" she promised, and scampered out of the room. She poked her head back and called, "Don't worry - I'll be careful!" before she vanished out the door for a second time.

Sam felt a pang of humorous sympathy as Aurelis muttered darkly to himself under his breath that 'yes, well, you've said that before - sweet stars above - Arris, your child will be the death of me one day- "

But then the healer turned back to the room, and he seemed to take on air of command at the sight of them all, now that Beyris was off and out of the way.

"As - well - as Beyris told you, I am a healer, and we have healing pods and medical treatment," he said. "It may take some time, but I intend to make sure you all receive help in any way possible."

He clapped his hands together briskly, and Matt thought that it was a very human gesture.

"Right!" he said briskly. "Let's get started."