Rai's eyes barely opened as he turned his head to look around. He could feel his arms bound behind his back, and the room seemed darker than usual, coated in purple light instead of blue.
"Rai," he heard a whimper to his right. Turning his head, he saw Milly also bound, her hands tied behind her, but she was leaning over Rivalz, trying to hide tears.
"It's going to be okay, Milly," he tried to say comfortingly.
"Haxus! I want whoever's in this ship found and terminated!" Sendak's voice rang out. Rai lifted his head to the center of the room, which he realized was the bridge. It was now alight with a purple glow compared to the neon blue they were all used to. He suspected it was thanks to the dark violet crystal sitting on the platform by Sendak. From the sound of Sendak's tone, though, he was angry. Did something happen?
"Commander Sendak, I've received a transmission generating from somewhere inside," Haxus informed him as he punched a few more buttons.
"There's not much time before they get the ship running again. You must shut off the particle barrier so we can get in," Allura's slightly pixelated voice rang out.
"Got it. What do we do?" Kallen's voice asked.
"The particle barrier generator is beneath the main hull."
"Understood," Rai's eyes widened as he recognized Lelouch's voice.
"She's telling the intruders how to take down our defenses," Haxus said, a thin layer of concern in his tone.
"Yes, but she's also giving away their location. Find that room. Kill the Paladins!" Sendak ordered.
"Rai…" Milly whispered fearfully as the sentries left. If they caught Lelouch and Kallen, it was over.
"It's going to be okay, Milly. Believe in them," he whispered back with a small smile.
"You stop talking!" Sendak snapped at them, causing Rai to glare back and Milly to flinch away. "Repair the engine," he told Haxus, "Emperor Zarkon has commanded us to bring him Voltron. This ship will rise before day's end."
Coran, C.C., and Shirley took cover by the pod as two figures approached them from the Balmera's tunnels.
Shirley pulled her Bayard out and unsteadily pointed the bow at them. "Okay, don't come any closer! I don't know how to use this very well."
However, as the creatures came into the light, she saw that they weren't Galra but two large, thick, stone-skinned, bipedal creatures with gold eyes like the Galra. Their faces didn't seem to have a nose, and instead of hair, their heads had a thick layer of cartilage that made them look like helmets. The shorter one even had hoops on the sides of it. Their clothing looked ragged and worn out, and their two-toed feet were bare.
"Wait a minute. You're not Galra!" Shirley gasped, lowering her bow.
"Nor are you!" the shorter one gasped, a feminine voice exiting. Her tone was wary but also coated with relief and hope.
There was suddenly a humming sound from above, and the creatures looked upwards, the shorter one gasping. Looking up, Shirley saw a Galra ship, maybe the same one that had chased them. Red lights shined out, scanning for signs of intruders.
"A patrol!" the taller one exclaimed before turning to his companion, "Shay, we must take leave from these ones. Now!"
"Wait, please! We need your help. If the Galra find us, they'll kill us." Coran pleaded.
"Or torture us!" Shirley added.
"Or capture us and stuff us in testing tubes to be living experiments for them," C.C. said. Coran and Shirley looked at the immortal horrified. "What? It could happen," she shrugged nonchalantly.
"Not our problem, stranger. Galra see us near you, and they kill both you and us. Shay, exeunt!" the taller alien said, about to leave.
"No!" Shay protested, "These many years, only Galra have been seen here. I will not turn my back on the skylings."
The trio breathed a sigh of relief as the female alien agreed to help. Shay looked at her brother, pleading with him to help.
"...Vex!" he finally sighed. He ran out towards the pod and began pushing it towards the tunnel. Now that Shirley had a better look at them, she saw that these aliens also had tails.
"Grab a side!" he said, ordering Shay, "In here, hurry!" Together they pushed the pod deeper into the tunnel. They finished hiding it just as the Galra ship passed by their level before leaving for the top again.
When the Galra ship left, everyone breathed out in relief. That was way too close.
"Thanks for saving us. I'm Shirley," the Orange Paladin said, smiling at the aliens.
"Shay," the alien smiled, "And this one, my brother Rax. How did you fall to us?"
"We're looking for something," C.C. said, "And we believe your people might be able to help us find it."
"Lelouch, have you and Kallen made it to the generator room?" Allura asked through their helmets.
"Yes, but I'm hesitant to continue forward," the prince said, stalling at the entrance doors. The room looked similar to the other hallways of the castle. The only difference was that on the sides, large bolts of violet electricity crackled around them.
"What? Why?" Allura asked.
"I think we may be walking into an ambush," Lelouch told her.
"How do you know?" Kallen asked.
"Think about it. Sendak, at the moment, has complete control of the castle. Meaning he may have access to any frequencies entering and exiting it. For all we know, he's been listening to our entire conversation."
"Are you sure?" Kallen asked as the two, along with Rover, walked down the generator's hall, "If this were an ambush he set up, wouldn't we have been attacked by now?"
"Just be careful, you two. The lives of your fellow Paladins are at stake," Allura said.
"Talk us through it, fast!" Lelouch said.
"Shutting down the barrier from this room can be dangerous. Remember, the barrier is also a weapon. So, stay away from the energy arcs."
"Don't touch the giant lightning bolts. Got it," Lelouch summed up.
As Allura continued to talk them through the process, Kallen bit her lip. What the princess said was true. Milly, Rai, and Rivalz would die if they didn't do this. She thought back to the oath that she made when the Black Knights made their debut just over two weeks ago. They swore that they would protect anyone too weak to defend themselves. Nationalities and social status didn't matter.
"Those of you with power, fear us! Those of you without it, rally behind us as you see fit!"
Zero's words ran through her head as she continued to think back. Milly had inducted her into the student council so that it would be easier on her 'health.' All of them had been welcoming, even Nina, who was considered the shiest of the bunch. She was never super close to any of them. Now that she thought about it, this was the most she'd interacted with them since the beginning!
She also thought about what her brother Naoto would think of all this. The Black Knights, Voltron, the Ga-
Rover suddenly beeped in alarm, and that was the only warning they got as a laser blast barely missed the pair.
"Lelouch? Hello? Are you there?!"
"Sorry, Princess, but I have cut communications. We can't risk Sendak finding us again!" Lelouch shouted before cutting the connection. He and Kallen ran for their lives as the sentries stormed into the room.
"Lelouch, what's going on?!" she demanded. All that answered her was static. She bit her lip, panicking for a second. Then an idea struck.
"Wait... the mice! Maybe they can help," she said as she closed her eyes in concentration.
"Friends..."
The Space Mice were currently lounging in Allura's bedroom, a couple of them rifling through her jewelry box.
"...I need your help," Allura's plea echoed in their heads. Platt, who had been lying outside the box, seeing how he was too big, quickly butted it open, and his three siblings jumped out, scattering a few gems and rings on the dresser. They quickly scampered off to the closest air shaft.
Back in the generator room, Lelouch and Kallen managed to find shelter behind one of the pillars, shielding them from the sentries' blasts.
"Kallen, find an escape route, fast!" Lelouch ordered, and the Red Paladin pulled up her gauntlet screen. It quickly analyzed the room before pointing to their exit.
"You're kidding me! Our only exit is two floors up!" she shouted, glancing behind to spot the airshaft.
Lelouch held out his hand, concentrating, trying to summon some of that lightning from before. Nothing came out, though. "What the hell?!" he whispered. Now was certainly not the opportune time for his abilities to be stuck.
Wait... lightning!
"Kallen, I've got an idea. Try and distract a few of them!"
Kallen nodded before springing out from behind her hiding place, quickly charging two of the sentries. Then Lelouch ran out and attempted to leap to the upper floor. Kallen had managed to take out two of them, but a third hit Lelouch in the chest before his form flickered, and the blast hit one of the lightning bolts instead. It zapped the sentry backward, destroying it and nearly hitting the fourth.
"Kallen, come on!" The two bolted for the exit, taking this moment of surprise to their advantage. They managed to dodge the blasts from the final sentry before Lelouch leaped up and grabbed onto Rover, who propelled him upward. He felt Kallen grab onto his middle, and Rover deposited them into the upper air duct. Lelouch let go as soon as his feet hit the narrow ledge.
"I can't believe that worked!" Lelouch gasped with a short laugh as he crawled towards the ducts.
"GO!" Kallen shouted as she pushed Lelouch through, barely dodging another blast. The sentry kept firing until the two Paladins and bot disappeared inside.
"You stay here and guard the generator," the sentry told his remaining comrade as he ran off in pursuit.
At one point, Kallen climbed over Lelouch in the duct and sliced through to the other side. She crawled out and was shocked to see that the airway had led them to the training deck. The two climbed to their feet and made a move for the exit. But the observation deck window burst open above them, and the sentry that came after them jumped between them and the door.
"You again?! Man, you're persistent!" Kallen yelled as she raised her shield to block the attacks. With a battle cry, Kallen rushed forward, giving the sentry no time to dodge as she sliced it in two.
"That ought to teach 'em!" she grinned.
"I wouldn't go that far!" Lelouch exclaimed. Kallen froze as they both heard a familiar noise. The gladiator landed with a crash in the middle of the deck, staff in hand.
"Seriously?!" Kallen yelled. The gladiator ran at Lelouch first, seeing as he didn't have any weapons. He pulled his shield up to block, but the gladiator was ruthless and kept pounding on it, driving the Black Paladin to his knees.
"Hey! Dipstick!" Kallen shouted as she charged, drawing its attention. It swung its staff around to hit Kallen, which she managed to block with her claws. While Kallen was holding the gladiator back, Lelouch hit a control on his shield's back, showing the invisible maze's layout.
"See if you can handle this!" he grinned deviously as he pushed the button to activate it.
Kallen quickly leaped backward as the gladiator tried to strike again, only to run into the maze's wall, which knocked it back.
"Come on!" he shouted, pulling open another air shaft on the floor. Kallen ran over as Lelouch dropped inside. She quickly followed along with Rover. They crawled through the duct again before coming to some crossroads... but were almost hit by another laser blast! The gladiator had escaped the maze, grabbed the fallen sentry's gun, and had pursued them down the shaft!
The two quickly dodged to the right and began crawling for their lives. The gladiator slid after them, shooting them as they went. Halfway across a gap was another shaft that led downwards. Lelouch jumped the gap, but as Kallen was about to, the gladiator landed a hit on her jetpack. She screamed as she stumbled, beginning to fall.
"Kallen!" Lelouch shouted as he reached after her, grabbing her hand. Unfortunately, the momentum, along with being anchored down by her weight and his weak arm strength, resulted in them both tumbling down the shaft. It would've been a painful demise if Kallen didn't jam her Bayard claws into the side to prevent them from falling further. They stopped right above another ledge, which Lelouch cautiously landed on.
The gladiator wasn't done yet, though. It braced itself between the sides of the shaft and continued to fire at them. It, however, didn't count on a certain reprogrammed drone to suddenly hit it hard in the back, causing it to lose its grip and tumble down into the shaft. This caught Kallen by surprise, accidentally switching her Bayard off! She screamed as she began to fall after it, but a well-timed leap from Lelouch's ledge allowed the Black Paladin to catch her and brace them on the other end. They watched as they lost sight of the robot before it burst into flames at the bottom.
They both breathed a sigh of relief after that, now that they were officially safe… only to blush two seconds later when they realized how close to each other's chest they were.
Next to them, Rover beeped out a series of noises as if it were laughing!
"Not funny, Rover!" Kallen exclaimed, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
Back on the Balmera, Shirley, Coran, and C.C. sat around a fire with Shay, Rax, and the rest of their family. Despite being strangers, the Balmerans were very kind, offering them food and temporary shelter.
"Thanks for the delicious soup," Shirley said graciously, not realizing how hungry she'd been before, "Are these potatoes in here?"
"Grandma's special dish for special visitors," Shay smiled, "Cave root for the skin. Cave bugs for the soul."
Shirley was in the middle of drinking the rest of the broth when she heard Shay. She tried her hardest not to spew everything back up, forcing herself to swallow and holding her fist to her mouth to keep from vomiting. Plus, it looked like this was all the food these people had, so she at least tried to be polite.
Coran also grimaced but still strained a smile, "Thank you for the bugs," Shay's grandmother smiled and poured more into Coran's bowl. "Okay, I think that's too many."
C.C. seemed the least affected of the three. She was just glad they had something to eat. She remembered when she was once a child that she had to survive off of less and even worse than a few cave insects. She just shrugged and placed her bowl next to her.
Soup aside, Shirley turned her attention to the aliens themselves, "So, how many of you are down here exactly?"
"There are thousands here on Balmera," Shay's father replied. "We work and live in these mines."
"We harvest crystals for Zarkon," Shay added.
"Zarkon," Shirley gritted her teeth, angry. She couldn't believe he was letting so many people suffer. "That's so... sad that he's enslaved an entire planet."
"Zarkon may rule, but we still have family. That's where true happiness comes from," the father said, smiling a little.
Shirley, moved by this, sent a small smile back. She then struggled to hold back tears as she thought of her mom and dad back on Earth and how much she missed them.
Rax suddenly leaped to his feet, "The Galra would tear our family asunder if they found these ones! Everyone comes to Balmera and takes but gives nothing in return."
"In the past, those who took the Balmera's crystals would replenish her with energy," Shay explained in a depressed tone, "It was an equal exchange. But the Galra only take. It is no wonder we can feel her suffering."
Shay placed her hand lightly on the ground, and it began to glow a faint blue. Soft echoes filled the tunnel as the Balmera cried out. Shirley, Coran, and even C.C. looked on with remorse. These people and this animal were suffering so much from the Galra's greed. There had to be a way to help them.
"I'm sorry that we put everyone in this situation," Shirley said sincerely, "but the faster we get the crystal and get out, the faster everyone is out of danger."
"We're looking for a battleship-class crystal," Coran informed them.
"Battleship-class crystal? Those are most rare," the father informed them regrettably. "Galra soldiers guard them ceaselessly until their harvest. Your quest is in vain."
"There is one, found only weeks ago. It is almost excavated." Shay said, but Rax cut her off before she could say anything else.
"Quiet! Even if they could steal the crystal from the Galra, battle patrols wait to take down their ship. These ones have no chance of getting out of here alive, with crystal or without."
Shirley gulped a little as she recognized the tone Rax was using. It was the same tone that Lelouch used when he heard someone talking bad about his sister. It was a tone used when he was trying to protect what was most precious to him, and in both cases, it was family.
"So it would seem this crystal we need is the hardest thing in the universe to get," C.C. said, folding her arms around her legs and leaning back slightly.
"Well, I don't know about the hardest," Coran argued, "There is the scaultrite mineral found only in the stomachs of giant weblums. Collecting that stuff's no picnic. Uh, but, yes, th-this seems very difficult."
"You've had some wacky adventures, haven't you?" Shirley asked with a quirked eyebrow.
Coran grinned back sheepishly.
"You may stay here until Balmera gives another crystal. One that is hidden from Galra eyes." Shay offered, but Shirley shook her head.
"We don't have time. One of my friends is injured, and he needs to get into a magic healing machine, stat."
"C.C., Shirley, stay by the pod and make sure it's not too damaged. I'm going to do some reconnaissance and see if I can come up with another plan," Coran said as he got to his feet. He left the girls with the Balmeran family as he headed down the tunnel.
Kallen sliced through another air duct and crawled out after looking around. Lelouch and Rover followed close behind. After the save in the last shaft, they found a more stable air duct that took them to one of the castle's hallways.
Lelouch looked around and found that they were alone. He leaned back against the wall with a sigh and removed his helmet, "I think we're safe for the moment…"
"What do we do?" Kallen said, "We haven't exactly made much progress in stopping Sendak."
"That's not true," Lelouch immediately disagreed. "Yes, Sendak still has complete control of the castle, meaning he can track our movements with the cameras and any communications with Allura and Suzaku. We probably can't access the Lions either. He's likely locked their hanger doors."
"How does that help us?!" Kallen exclaimed in frustration.
Lelouch straightened and put a firm hand on her shoulder, "Kallen, you need to calm down. The last thing we want to do is panic right now."
The Red Paladin blinked. She'd heard that tone before. It was one that Zero gave when directing them in battle. This surprisingly calmed her down.
"Now it's true, we're in a tight spot, but think about Sendak's situation. Did you notice how many sentries there were when they first came in?"
Kallen blinked before she remembered. When they had been watching from the balcony, there had been only about five or six of them.
"That's right," Lelouch nodded, as if reading her mind, "There were only five of them total, along with only one other Galra. And if my math is correct, we managed to take out at least four of them. That means there's only one of them left. And I guess that's the one still guarding the power generator."
"Well, let's go and take it out!" Kallen said, "We can handle one robot!"
"Negative," Lelouch shook his head, "that's likely what Sendak expects us to do. If we go back to attack the robot, that gives the other Galra more time to repair the engines. It's a diversion. Plus, he still has Rivalz, Rai, and Milly as hostages, so it'd be foolish to go after the king right now. Our best course of action would be to take out the other Galra with him. Eliminating him will cut off Sendak's chances of repairing the engines unless he goes to do it himself."
"And if he does that... that would give us time to free the others and take down the particle barrier. It's a loss for him either way!" Kallen realized.
"Exactly," Lelouch smirked victoriously, "he doesn't realize it yet, but he's just left himself open for checkmate."
"Let's go then!" Kallen said, already about to take off for the turbine room again. Lelouch nodded, and they both ran off, Rover trailing behind them.
He and Zero act so much alike… Kallen thought as they ran, But they aren't the same person. That was confirmed when Zero called me in the bathroom… Still...
As they ran, Lelouch was also thinking, his mind racing with past memories. He remembered when he and Suzaku first met. They didn't get along at first, which was not surprising because of their differences. But they eventually warmed up to each other and became best friends.
Milly's family had offered them sanctuary after Britannia's invasion of Japan and had kept his and Nunnally's identities secret for the time being. He had met Rivalz not too long after. The two of them hit it off immediately, feeling like they understood each other due to their difficult family situations since his parents were estranged. Though, to Rivalz's knowledge, Lelouch and Nunnally's parents died in the invasion.
The rest of the current student council slowly trickled into his life over the years. Almost all of them made efforts to befriend him and his sister. Despite their efforts, though, Lelouch always kept his distance. Ever since the confrontation with his father eight years ago, he learned not to place too much trust in people. He feared that if they found out the truth about his true identity as a prince of Britannia, they would leave him and turn their backs on him and Nunnally. They'd end up as political tools, a casualty of royal ambition.
But… ever since landing in the Blue Lion at this castle, that resolve was slowly cracking away. What Shirley said after they formed Voltron for the second time came to mind.
"No secrets, no barriers, no nothing. A family all the way. I love you guys!"
And it was true; he had felt closer to them. He was starting to see them as siblings he never had… and also…
"In here?" Lelouch said, turning to C.C.
"This is where Coran said he was located," the green-haired witch said. Lelouch crept into the room. It was lit with a small glowing orb at the center of the room. He reached out for it, and suddenly it burst with color. Lelouch was soon surrounded by a magnificent field of flowers, mountains rising in the distance, and a clear blue sky above him.
"How..."
Before Lelouch could finish his thought, a glitching sound started behind him. Turning around, the form of late King Alfor appeared before him.
"So you're King Alfor, former patriarch of planet Altea," Lelouch addressed formally, "as well as Princess Allura's father."
"Well, this is quite the surprise," Alfor said, "I haven't had anyone else come to visit me. What may I do for you, Lelouch?"
"You know my name?" he frowned.
"Allura has told all about you and the new Paladins," the king informed him kindly, "and how fast you are progressing at your training."
"Yes, well…" Lelouch hesitated for a moment before continuing, "...about that. I wanted to inquire about something, specifically the Lions."
"Go on?" Alfor asked in a concerned tone. Lelouch didn't understand, but despite just meeting Alfor, he felt… calm. Safe around him. It was the exact opposite feeling he had when in the imposing presence of his father.
"When the Lions picked their Paladins for the first time," Lelouch said, "did any of them have second thoughts? Did any feel like this wasn't their calling? Like they had other things they had to attend to?"
Alfor smiled ruefully, "Well, I'll be honest after Allura was born, it was hard for my wife and myself to split our attention between Voltron and her upbringing. And there were times that I considered stepping down as Paladin and letting someone else take the reins."
"Wait... you were a Voltron Paladin?" Lelouch asked, shocked, "You and your wife?"
"I was," Alfor nodded, "I created Lions of Voltron and was chosen by the Red Lion as its first pilot. My wife, Melenor, was claimed by the Purple Lion."
"And yet, at the same time, you still had an obligation to your subjects," Lelouch said.
"Indeed," Alfor nodded, "but it was when my conflicting thoughts came into play that I realized something else. The other Paladins that fought alongside us weren't just teammates. They were also treasured members of our family. If I left them to permanently pursue my duties as king, I'd also be putting them in danger by not being there. By fighting alongside my brothers and sisters, I grew to understand that I was protecting all the members of my family. And I wouldn't have it any other way."
Now I get it, Lelouch thought with a sad smile. They were your family. They're… my family...
"Lelouch?" Kallen called out from down the hall. He raised his head in surprise. With all his thinking, he hadn't realized that he had stopped. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, sorry!" he called as he ran to catch up.
"What's wrong?" she asked as they ran next to each other.
"I guess… I just realized how poorly I've been treating my friends is all," Lelouch answered before his eyes narrowed. "But that's about to change!"
Now that he thought about it, he'd be lying if he said he didn't care about the other members of the team. It was one of the driving forces that allowed him to save them during the hotel jacking, not just because Colonel Kusakabe was in the wrong for endangering civilians. He cared about the safety of the Black Knights as well. It was always difficult to see when his plans involved sacrificing some of them to win. If there had been another way, all the Black Knights would come out of battle, maybe a little beaten up at times, but at least alive.
His earlier declaration about preparing Earth for an invasion wasn't wrong either. With the way Britannia was moving now and the disarray of the other nations, should the Galra attack, they'd all be wiped out. Even Britannia wouldn't last long.
Now it seemed that defeating Britannia was out of the picture as well. They needed Britannia's technology if they wanted a chance against the Galra. They didn't need it to conquer, though. They needed to use it to defend. But Britannia would only cooperate if they knew it was a force they couldn't easily defeat.
If they took Voltron to Earth, and the empire saw that even they stood no chance against the juggernaut, it could at least subdue Britannia and its forces for the time being and force them to cooperate. Only if Earth stood on a united front would the Galra be driven back.
To do that, though… Lelouch would need to reveal his identity to the others and explain to them his actions. Including his identity as Zero. If they were to be a fully supportive team, there couldn't be any secrets between them. And if they were his team... his family, they wouldn't turn their back on him.
He nodded at this silent declaration as he and Kallen continued to the turbine chamber.
Somewhere else in the castle, the Space Mice were also doing their own infiltration. Allura had ordered them to get to the generator room and turn off the particle barrier so that she and Suzaku could get inside. Due to their small size, Sendak couldn't pick up their presence. And even if he did, he would have brushed them off as merely pests he'd deal with later. Plus, he didn't know about Princess Allura's connection to them, allowing communication to be made between them easily.
It was the perfect plan!
Back outside the castle, Allura was pacing with anxiety. Lelouch and Kallen hadn't contacted her or Suzaku again for several varga. She understood his caution, but by turning off the communicators, she couldn't tell them how to stop Sendak effectively. The mice were currently doing a good enough job sneaking to the generator room. Hopefully, the particle barrier would be down soon so they could help.
"You okay, Princess?" Suzaku asked, "You look worried."
"It's because I am," she admitted, "We haven't heard from Kallen or Lelouch for varga now. We don't know if they are all right or not!"
"Calm down, Princess," Suzaku said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Trust me when I tell you that they're fine. Lelouch is one of the smartest people I know. If anyone can figure out a way to stop Sendak, it's him. Plus, he has Kallen with him. She can handle herself."
Which is weird… Suzaku thought silently. It's obvious now that she's never been sick. So then… Why would she pretend to be? To skip school? Get out of P.E. as Lelouch tries to? The way she moved during training, it's like she's been fighting all her life…
"From the way you speak of him, it sounds like you've known Lelouch for a long while," Allura observed with a smile, despite the situation.
"Yeah," Suzaku nodded, "we were childhood friends, but we lost contact with each other until about a few months ago," he chuckled a little, "but he hasn't changed a bit."
"If I might ask…" Allura inquired, "Lelouch mentioned he had a sister. What exactly happened to her?"
"Oh!" Suzaku said, looking apprehensive, "Um… there was an… an incident in their early childhood that caused her to lose her legs and sight."
"What kind of incident?" Allura questioned further, "It wouldn't have anything to do with him being a prince, would it?"
Suzaku physically jumped back, his eyes wide in shock. "How do you know about that?!"
"The mice told me. They overheard him and C.C. talking about something, and the subject was brought up," she explained.
"Oh… that makes sense, I guess…" Suzaku muttered in relief. He had been positive he hadn't let anything slip out, but you never knew who could be listening.
"Although…" Allura frowned, "When I tried to talk to him about it, he spoke of it with such contempt… I do not understand why, though."
Suzaku bit his lip, "I think it's best if he told you about it himself," he then laughed ruefully, "If he found out I blabbed about it, he'd put me through the wringer."
Allura smiled awkwardly before frowning again, her eyebrows knit together in thought.
"And I'll die first before I let my father get his filthy hands on her again!"
If Lelouch is a prince, that would make his father a ruler of some sort, the Altean royal thought in confusion. So why in Alaaran did he speak so… viciously about him? And he can't possibly mean that his father truly abandoned them, right?
Thanks to C.C.'s quick save from earlier, the pod didn't sustain any structural damage, even when they crashed into the tunnel wall. At least that's what C.C. herself informed Shirley as she inspected the craft. The Orange Paladin was honestly shocked by how much C.C. knew about engineering and fixing equipment. She may as well be a professional mechanic.
The two weren't alone, though. Shay was leaning against a rock, watching them as they worked.
"Tell me, what is the sky like?" she suddenly asked curiously.
"The sky?" Shirley asked, shocked. Of all the questions to be asked, she certainly wasn't expecting this one, "You seriously have never even seen the sky?"
Shay looked down, a sad look on her face, "No…" but then the Balmeran grinned and leaped gracefully to the top of the pod, "...but, at night, I sneak up as high as I dare, trying to imagine what it is like. Oh, lucky are you to fly in this machine to worlds far from here."
"Well, it doesn't have to be like this. You can be free, too." Shirley said.
"Free?" Shay asked, the word sounding so foreign in her tone.
"Yeah, free," Shirley tried to explain as Shay hopped back down to the ground, "It means you can go where you want, be what you want, do what you want. No Galra masters to tell you what to do."
"It makes no sense. Zarkon controls everything," Shay said sadly.
"Well... yeah, right now he seems to…" Shirley paused in her rambling as her mind suddenly wandered to Area 11. It was once a country all its own, with its own people, beliefs, and religions utterly different from Britannia. She thought she lived a pretty good life there… but now that she thought about it and saw how Shay's people lived up close, she realized that the Elevens were mirror images of them. Unless they enrolled as Honorary Britannians like Suzaku, they couldn't live in the same area, join the military, attend the same schools, or even eat in the same restaurants! She felt ashamed that it never clicked in her head before how less free everyone else was compared to her and other Britannians.
She quickly shook her head to clear it, returning to Shay's focus, "But-but things are changing! Have you heard of Voltron before?"
"...A child's tale?" Shay asked dubiously, quirking an eyebrow.
"No, he's real!" Shirley exclaimed, "I'm actually one of the Paladins, and Voltron is going to defeat Zarkon."
"...You are?" Shay asked, hope filling her voice.
"Stop filling this one's head with your shadow show!" Rax shouted from the tunnel where he was watching, glaring at Shirley, "The cavern is our home. This will never change. Come."
Shay reluctantly stood from the rock and followed her brother back inside.
Shirley stood there, shocked. How could Rax be so unsupportive of all this?
"These people haven't known what freedom is for many years. It's a new concept for them," C.C. said as if reading her mind, "And more often than not, people fear change. They fear the unknown."
This only made Shirley sadder. Sad at how willing the Balmerans were to accept their fate as slaves. Did the Ele-the Japanese who weren't fighting in rebellions have similar thoughts to Britannia?
She nearly burst into tears.
"Powering sub-panels," Haxus reported as he stood in front of the central energy chamber's computer.
"Sub-panel energy transducer is go," Sendak's voice intoned from the other side.
"Aye, sir. Opening pathway to link with the bridge. Initializing main cluster reboot."
Lelouch, Kallen, and Rover were crouched behind the doors, watching and listening to Haxus and Sendak's conversation.
"Okay, we found the other Galra. Now what? Just walk right up to him and ask him to stop?" she questioned sarcastically.
To her shock, Lelouch smirked and took off his helmet, "That's precisely what we're going to do."
Kallen watched in shock as Lelouch casually strolled up to the catwalk, wholly unarmed and making no move to draw a weapon. Gritting her teeth, she trailed slowly behind him.
Haxus, hearing the footsteps, turned around to see the two of them approaching. Lelouch stopped about ten feet in front of him.
"You're the ones causing all this trouble?! Children?!"
"Hey! We're not kids! We're Paladins of Voltron!" Kallen declared, whipping out her Bayard. She was shocked, though, when Lelouch held out his arm, preventing her from stepping further.
Haxus laughed mockingly, pulling out a blade, "Let me tell you something, children. I'm a soldier of the Galra Empire! Nothing stops me but triumph or death!"
Lelouch laughed and smirked evilly, his hand raising to his face, covering his left eye, "Well then, how about a third option? Where you put away your weapon and tell us everything we want to know," his hand fell from his face, the Geass symbol flashing ominously. The sigil flew into Haxus's eye. A red ring now within them, showing he was entrapped within Lelouch's command.
To Kallen's shock, Haxus did put away his weapon, "As you wish, say on."
"How much of the engine have you repaired already?" Lelouch asked first.
"I've repowered the sub-panels and have begun initializing the reboot to connect to the bridge," the Galra answered monotonously.
"Can the engine and particle barrier be shut down from here?"
"The engine can, but the particle barrier's functions are elsewhere."
"Very well, deactivate the engine then."
Kallen's jaw seemed to descend further as Lelouch continued to question and instruct the Galra, and he was answering without resistance! And now he was willingly turning off the main turbine!
Meanwhile, on the bridge, Sendak's eyes widened as he saw the main engine powering down suddenly.
"Haxus! Haxus, what are you doing?!" he shouted angrily into the computer. He slammed his robot fist into the ground when no response came.
He heard the Green Paladin laugh from behind him, "It sounds like you're having some trouble up there! I think I can see you sweating!"
The commander growled at the hostage, which promptly silenced him.
"Where's Sendak?" Lelouch questioned next after Haxus finished.
"He's located on the castle's main bridge. He's holding three of the Paladins prisoner."
"Is there anything else we should know about?"
"No," he intoned.
"Very well," Lelouch smirked, "then I command you: Die!"
Haxus drew his blade again, holding it to his own throat, "Vrepit Sa!" The blade cut cleanly through his jugular as he tumbled backward over the walkway's edge.
Kallen stood in shock, trying to process what she had just watched happen, while Lelouch stepped to the edge and looked down. He barely caught a glimpse of Haxus's corpse as it disappeared into the abyss.
"H-How did-"
"I'll explain everything later, Kallen, I promise," Lelouch interrupted, "Right now, we need to focus on rescuing the others."
Kallen nodded with a swallow. After witnessing what happened, she saw Lelouch's head warp into a large helmet with a shaded mask in the front. His Paladin armor was replaced with a large black cape that swept around him like a bat ready to take flight. Even his posture was almost identical to Zero.
"Haxus, report in, now!" Sendak's voice rang out of the computer.
Kallen stepped in front of it, slamming her hands flat on the console, "Haxus is dead, and you're next!"
"You've slowed me down," the commander snarled, "but this ship is mine! You will turn yourselves over to me immediately!"
"Or else what?!" she spat. Lelouch's face soon fell into a scowl. Kallen shouldn't have said that!
"Your fellow Paladins can explain," Sendak sneered.
"What do you want?!" Milly's frightened voice came through.
"Your friends wanted to hear from you."
"No, don't-" Rai's voice was cut off when Milly screamed, and electrical sounds echoed through the computer.
"Leave her a-" Rai's scream soon followed.
"You bastard!" Lelouch seethed, though he wasn't surprised that Sendak played this move. That didn't do anything to dampen his rage, though.
"You can make it stop. Turn yourselves in. Their suffering is in your hands."
Lelouch scowled before speaking, "Will their safety be guaranteed if we do so?"
"Yes. Turn yourself over at the bridge. I'll be waiting," Sendak said before the line was cut off.
An angry sneer was on Lelouch's face as he gracefully swept out of the room, Kallen following behind.
"You realize he's lying, right?" Kallen said.
Lelouch laughed humorlessly, "Of course he is. I'm not stupid enough to fall for such an obvious ploy."
"So then… are you gonna do the same thing you did to Haxus?"
"That's the plan. The problem is that I must make direct eye contact for it to work. One of them is cybernetic, so I don't know if it will pose a problem or not, so I'll need you for backup."
Kallen nodded anxiously as they continued their determined walk to the Bridge.
"Is your ship prepared so that you may depart our presence?" Rax asked rudely as he, Shay, and the Voltron trio stood around the fire.
"My, my, you seem desperate to have us leave this place," C.C. said, crossing her arms.
"I am," Rax frowned.
"Well, the ship works, but we can't leave without that crystal," Shirley said. She then looked at Coran, "Do you have any ideas on how to get it?"
"Actually, yes," the Altean grinned.
Shirley nearly lost her balance as the trio held themselves underneath a cloak, with a sentry head on top. The plan was for this sentry disguise to sneak them past the guards and take the crystal.
"This is the worst plan in the history of plans," C.C. muttered. And that's saying a lot coming from me!
"Shh! Legs don't talk!" Coran said as they approached the guards. Behind it was a large blue crystal nestled into the rock. C.C. and Shirley were both sharing the job of being the robot's legs while Coran was crouched on their shoulders, a sentry's head sticking up on top.
"Oh, hello, gentlemen, shift's over. Boss needs you back at the guard shack." Coran said as he came up to the guards.
You could at least try and sound like one of those robots! Shirley panicked.
"Verify identification code," the sentry ordered.
"Right. I didn't want to have to do this." Coran pulled one of the sentry's arms out from under the cloak, "But I'm going to have to pull rank. You guys are in big trouble, right? So, hand over those blasters and ID badges."
That didn't do anything to stop the sentries as they raised their guns and charged them up, "Verify identification code or be destroyed."
"Okay, okay. I've got it right... here!" Coran exclaimed as the trio lost their disguise, revealing Coran, Shirley, and C.C. The girls had been perched underneath, holding Coran up. Shirley quickly fired two quick shots from her bow, hitting the sentries' heads, effectively destroying them.
Coran hopped down to the ground and approached the crystal almost reverently. He then placed both his hands on top of it. The crystal and Coran's hands began to glow a bright blue.
"What are you doing?" Shirley asked urgently, "We need to hurry!"
Coran peaked his eyes open at the women, "I'm not just going to pry this out of here like some Galra monster," he exclaimed, "The Balmera is a sacred being. You have to communicate with it. Let your life forces connect. This is the way it was done in our time."
"Whoa!" Shirley gasped.
"You really know your Balmeras," C.C. smirked, folding her arms again.
The Balmera soon started to shake, and Coran stepped back as the crystal stopped glowing. The ground around it shifted away, exposing the crystal completely. Coran jumped forward and caught it before it could tip over, but he struggled to lift it back up. Suddenly gave a loud crack. Eyes wide, the advisor turned his head mechanically in the girls' direction.
"...I think I'm broken…" he muttered in pain.
C.C. sighed, and Shirley massaged her forehead before they all froze, the sound of blasters charging behind them. Turning around, they saw at least a half dozen sentries behind them, guns aimed and ready to fire.
"Augh... Okay, guys!" Coran said, turning around, trying to sound threatening despite the pain, "Alright, I hate to do this. Blasters and badges. Come on. Give them up!"
The girls stared in disbelief as Coran suddenly tipped over, in too much pain to continue.
C.C. sighed again as she and Shirley both raised their hands in surrender, her face a look of annoyance while Shirley smiled and giggled nervously.
Sendak stood by the bridge doors, waiting for the Black and Red Paladins to finally surrender themselves. After that, he'd kill them and the others he currently had, fix the engines himself, and have the castle and the Lions delivered to Zarkon by day's end.
Rivalz still lay flat on the floor, unconscious, while Rai and Milly were hunched forward on their knees, struggling to keep their eyes open.
"I'm impressed that you managed to escape, Paladin," Sendak said, addressing Rai. "Perhaps it would be worth the trip to your planet to see if the rest of your kind have your spirit."
Unbeknownst to Sendak, Lelouch and Kallen were behind the door, hiding on the sides with Rover. Lelouch sneered as Sendak made that comment. Over his dead body!
"Of course, they will all end up broken, just like you. Now that we have Voltron, every planet, every race, all share the same fate."
"I'm going in," Lelouch whispered, "if my Geass, my ability, doesn't work, then you come in. Got it?"
Kallen nodded as Lelouch stepped out of the shadows. His helmet was off, and his hands were in the air. But a large smirk was plastered on his face.
Shirley, C.C., and Coran were all moved to a holding cell deeper underground. The two women were sitting on the small benches as Coran paced anxiously.
"Quiznack! I can't believe they saw through our disguise!" he ranted.
"I do," C.C. quipped.
Shirley, meanwhile, was staring at the floor of the cell, breathing heavily, struggling to hold back tears. Coran noticed this and kneeled by her.
"It's all right, Number Five, we'll get out of this!" he tried his best to sound cheerful, even though he was inwardly panicking.
"I know, but…" she bit her lip, "I-I just can't believe how so many people are suffering like this! It isn't right! How could someone do something like this?"
Coran felt sympathy for the Earthling. He thought similarly when Zarkon turned on Altea. He was once a great warrior and friend. Then overnight, he completely changed, conquering their solar system and any other planets that stood in his way. Coran honestly was shocked to see how far his conquest had gone 10,000 years later.
"I know it's difficult to see, and you're very courageous to fight like this. But that's what Voltron is for. To bring hope to the universe. To prove to them that this doesn't have to be the end."
"Yeah," Shirley bitterly said, "but I don't see us doing much locked up down here."
Shirley suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking up, C.C. was looking at her intensely, "If you had the power to change things, would you use it then?"
The Orange Paladin blinked in confusion, "What do you mean?"
C.C. took her hand.
Shirley gasped as she was suddenly in a completely different place. A black void with tendrils of energy shooting off in various directions, coming off her!
"Like I said," C.C.'s voice echoed in her mind, "If you had the power to change things, would you?"
Shirley's face suddenly seemed to warp in and out of reality, her surroundings turning into a large tunnel of color.
"A reason to live on..."
Suddenly, C.C.'s body flashed in her vision, distorted like hers.
"I propose a deal, Shirley Fenette. In exchange for this power, you must be able to fulfill a wish of my own choosing..."
Shirley saw what appeared to be two planets orbiting very closely together, a bright light appearing between them.
"Accept this contract, and you accept its conditions. While living within this reality, you will live unlike any other being. A different providence, a different time, a different life."
Her surroundings were clustered with white feathers, and several more images flashed before her. She saw a ruin, then several people in old-time clothing with strange red marks on their foreheads, the night sky with mars glimmering in the distance.
"The Power of the King will condemn you to a life of solitude. Are you prepared for this?"
Shirley felt a new connection being made, one alongside the one she had with her Lion. All she needed to do to complete it was reach out and take it — a new power blooming within her chest.
"Yes," she replied, "I accept the terms of this contract!"
C.C. had just let go of Shirley's hand, and she felt a pulse within her left eye. Coran sat there dumbfounded, wondering what in the world just happened. He couldn't express his concern, though, as they heard footsteps approaching. Looking up, Shirley with her right eye that wasn't covered, the trio saw none other than Shay approaching them, carrying a sentry's arm.
"Shay?!" Shirley said in astonishment. The Balmeran didn't say anything as she held the hand up to the scanner. Upon accepting the sentry's handprint, the cell door opened.
"Make haste to your pod. The crystal is prepared for departure," she informed them.
"How did you get the crystal?" Coran asked, shocked.
"I was assigned to take it to the upper levels, but instead, I took it down. Soon, they will discover my ruse. Time is short."
Before they could leave, Shirley stopped her by grabbing Shay's arm, "Why are you helping us? You could get in trouble!"
"Because your words touched my heart," Shay said, "I wish for freedom for all Balmerans. Perhaps your Voltron can make it so."
Shirley looked at the Balmeran, shocked. She didn't think her words had had that much of an effect. But she could see how brave Shay was being by doing this. With a determined gaze, she nodded. Unknowingly to her, her left eye flashed red, with a familiar symbol in the center.
Shay led them through the tunnels back to the pod, but just as they turned the corner where the pod was, a surprise awaited them. And not a good one. A dozen Galra sentries and Rax were standing before them, blocking the way.
"No! Rax, why?!" Shay cried out in betrayal.
"These three bring only trouble to our family. It was the only way to protect you," he replied.
Some of the sentries leveled their weapons at the group. Instinctively, Shirley jumped in front of them, her back pressed to them.
"NO!" Suddenly, it felt like energy had jumped from her eye, creating a transparent dome around the four of them. The Orange Paladin braced for the shots… that didn't come.
"What?!"
"Where'd they go?!"
"They're gone!" several sentries exclaimed, looking around confused. Even Rax, who had shifted behind them, blinked in dumb confusion.
Even the group themselves were confused. What did they mean they couldn't see them?
"What-what's going on?" Shirley asked, scared and confused, looking wildly at the other three.
Coran gasped, "Number Five, what's wrong with your left eye?"
"Huh?" she gasped, hand hovering over her left eye. She didn't have a mirror, so she couldn't understand what Coran was talking about.
"Interesting…" C.C. observed. The other three looked at the immortal, "It seems your new power makes yourself, and those in your vicinity, invisible to your enemies."
"We're invisible?" Shirley asked, looking down at herself. She seemed pretty visible to herself.
"Is this some sort of trick?" one of the sentries suddenly shouted, turning and pointing his gun at Rax. The male Balmeran stepped back in fear, holding his hands out defensively.
"You're working with them, aren't you?"
"No, I-"
"Rax!" Shay shouted, kneeling on the ground and planting her hand on the surface. It glowed bright blue. A moan filled the air as the walls began to shift, and the ceiling collapsed. Boulders landed on the sentries, crushing several of them and saving Rax. The four quickly ran towards the pod, taking this chaotic confusion to their advantage.
Now that her Geass had worn off and they'd stepped outside the dome, the sentries that survived spotted them and started to shoot at them. One nearly hit Shay, and Shirley jumped in front of her, shield active to block some more of them.
One of the sentries, though, had a different weapon. It wasn't a blaster but some sort of grappling hook. It aimed at Shay and fired, causing the purple rope to wrap around her, tripping and trapping her.
"Shay!" Shirley screamed as she watched her new friend be dragged back to the sentries.
"Go! Make haste!" Shay yelled.
"Let her go!" Shirley demanded, pulling out her bow.
"No, Shirley! We have to go!" Coran yelled before the Paladin could fire. With tears in her eyes, Shirley looked between her fallen friend and the pod. At the cave opening, they saw that more sentries were marching in. Soon they would be surrounded and captured again. A Galra fighter was also outside.
Finally, she turned and jumped into the pod as well. "We'll come back for you, Shay! I promise!" The pod windows closed tight, and Coran propelled them as fast as he could out of a side entrance of the cave, crystal secured in the back with C.C.
"If we can't shake these patrols, we might be back here sooner than we want!" Coran exclaimed as they skidded beneath the Galra fighter and up through the shaft. The ship hadn't come alone, though. There were three more waiting for them as they continued upwards.
Meanwhile, back at the castle, the final remaining sentry was patrolling the hall in case the Black and Red Paladin decided to come back.
However, he wasn't expecting an entirely different kind of intruder to get the better of him.
The four Space Mice looked down on the ledge of an air duct they had just crawled out of. Platt squeaked at his siblings before jumping from above, Chuchule not far behind. He landed flat on the sentry's head, surprising him enough that he punched himself in the face to try and get the mouse off. Chuchule landed on his arm, the one holding the gun, before biting down on his finger. This one happened to be holding the gun trigger. The sentry shot itself in the foot before it lost balance and tumbled over the edge. It met its end with a loud boom.
Plachu and Chulatt quickly joined their brother and sister on the floor, and the quartet scrambled up to the control board. Platt lifted his paw and pressed down on the large round button in the center.
Outside, Allura and Suzaku were overjoyed to see the particle barrier finally lower.
"It worked!" Suzaku exclaimed.
"They did it!" Allura agreed.
Not wasting another second, the pair rushed into the castle to reclaim it as rightfully theirs.
Lelouch was still standing in the middle of the doorway, his hands casually raised above his head, a smirk plastered on his face.
"Where's the Red Paladin?" Sendak growled.
"She's on her way. I ran ahead of her," Lelouch said with a shrug.
"Hmph, smiling at your demise, are you, boy?"
"No," the Black Paladin chuckled, "I'm smiling at yours, actually. Let me ask you something, Sendak. Are there any Galra out there that detest their own empire? If so, how exactly would they live their lives?"
Sendak sneered, not expecting such a question, but answered him anyway. He might as well humor the boy before he died. "They would spend what little remains of their lives in fear of the moment where I would inevitably find them. And when that happens, they'll be begging for death when I'm done with them!"
Sendak would've charged Lelouch right there, but something stopped him. He scowled. There was something strange about this Paladin. It was how he held himself, the pure confidence and pride in the aura around him. It reminded him of how many elite Galra commanders and generals held themselves. Why it was the way he carried himself when on his command ship… No, it was more than that. He'd probably go as far as to say it was similar to Emperor Zarkon himself.
Lelouch smirked deviously at the Galra's hesitance, "What's wrong? Why not kill me? Your opponent is just a child. At least that's what Haxus thought before he died."
Kallen wasn't the only one shocked at the tone Lelouch was using. Milly and Rai, who were moments ago terrified for their friend and fellow Paladin, were now looking at him in surprise. What the quiznack was Lelouch doing?
"Or perhaps you realize that the only ones who should kill are those who are prepared to be killed."
Sendak smirked evilly despite the earlier confusion, "I couldn't agree more. Victory or death is the way of the Galra!"
"Very well, in that case," Lelouch said, lowering his hands, one landing above his left eye, "I command you… Die!"
Lelouch's hand flew from his face as his Geass glowed. The bird-like symbol flew into the commander's eyes. His one real eye glowed red, but he then fell to the floor, clutching his head and howling in pain. Lelouch blinked and took a step back as well. He certainly wasn't expecting this reaction.
Sendak's cybernetic eye suddenly glowed purple, the red light vanishing from his real eye. Rai and Milly watched on in shock at this turn of events. The commander then unsteadily got back to his feet and smirked at Lelouch.
"So you paid a visit to the Druids as well," he smirked. Lelouch stepped back again, though not entirely out of surprise. He had a feeling his Geass wouldn't completely work this time. But who were these Druid people Sendak was talking about?
Sendak charged up his arm to attack, taking advantage of Lelouch's surprise, "Pity. a waste of great potential!" His arm crashed down and would've hit Lelouch had he not scrambled back in time.
"Kallen now!" he shouted. The Red Paladin in question dashed out of the shadows and took a flying leap at the Galra, Bayard claws splayed out. Caught by surprise, Sendak didn't manage to knock Kallen away before the gauntlet enclosed around the side of his face. The 'eye' in the middle of the glove opened, and massive heat waves emanated from it.
Sendak cried in pain before he finally managed to bat Kallen off of him. Despite this, the Bayard already did a number on the Galra. Half of his face was burned, and his cybernetic eye was melted off.
He charged at them in a rage again just as Suzaku and Allura entered the room.
Instinctively as Sendak came at him, Lelouch raised his hands, and the same red lightning from the first time shot out of his palm, hitting Sendak directly in the chest.
I see, said Lelouch as he stood by the hostages. I get it now. I can only do that when my Geass is active!
Kallen took advantage of Sendak's fallen state to charge him again, but he recovered fast enough to bat her away. Suzaku charged head-on, swinging his katana expertly. As he slid under one of Sendak's gauntlet attacks, a bolt of blue fired from the right and hit the purple energy connecting it to his shoulder socket.
"No!" Sendak snarled. He turned his furious gaze to the hostages, where the shot came from. Rivalz was propped up against one of the bridge's ledges, having barely regained consciousness, and had used his rifle Bayard to shoot out the connection. He grinned in victory just as he collapsed from exhaustion again.
As Sendak charged them, Milly and Rai got to their feet and body-slammed him. Despite losing his arm, the commander was still strong and threw them aside one at a time.
Allura took Sendak's distraction to her advantage and rushed to the main computer, punching in a few codes. The three able-bodied Paladins helped to keep the Galra back and distracted.
At one point, Lelouch managed to sidestep behind Sendak and punch him in the back. His Geass was still on, so he electrocuted the Galra from behind. Sendak howled in rage and pain. Suzaku then attempted to swing his sword towards him, but Sendak ignored the pain enough to grab the blade before it hit. The Galra and Paladin were locked in a battle of strength as they struggled against the weapon.
"Everyone now!" Allura called out suddenly. Lelouch quickly jumped out of the way, and Suzaku released his Bayard, which Sendak tossed to the side. But he was too late to block the giant, swinging kick that Suzaku delivered spectacularly to his skull. It tumbled the Galra backward, landing against the purple crystal. One second later, the barrier surrounding the central deck shot up, effectively locking Sendak inside. The Galra got up and attempted to punch the wall down, but it was no use. He was trapped.
"Checkmate," Lelouch breathed heavily.
With Sendak successfully detained, the group quickly freed the others. Kallen slashed through Rai's restraints with her claw, and the moment he was free, Rai grabbed his own Bayard to free Milly.
Rivalz was also regaining consciousness as Suzaku knelt next to him.
"You okay, Rivalz?" he asked as he helped him sit up.
"We did it," the Blue Paladin huffed out an exhausted laugh and smiled graciously at Suzaku. "We make a good team."
"Yeah," Suzaku agreed with a nod, "we do."
Coran, C.C., and Shirley were still struggling to escape from the Balmera's mineshaft. Lasers were being fired at them from everywhere.
"We can't shake them!" Coran said in a panic, "We're not going to make it!"
Shirley looked at how much farther their escape path was. They would need a significant boost to get them out of the way of the ships. She looked desperately down at the console, her hand hovering over the extra booster button. It was their only chance.
"Uh, it may turn us into a giant fireball," Coran warned her.
"Maybe, but it's the best chance we've got! And we're going to die either way!"
Coran and Shirley looked ahead. More Galra cruisers descended the shaft, trying to close in on them. Shirley was right; it was their only option.
"Fine. Fire in the hole!" Coran shouted as she pressed down on the button.
Whatever Rai had attached to it was indeed only a prototype, as the force from it was strong enough to press Shirley back against the seat. C.C. in the back would've slammed against the side wall had she not had the foresight to brace herself. She made a mental note to have the Green Paladin add a few seat belts to the back for future use.
However, the booster did its job and shot the pod directly out the shaft and into the Balmera's atmosphere. A giant fireball trailed behind them from the Galra ships that crashed into each other, trying to pursue them.
Coran cheered in triumph as they zoomed off back into the stars.
"We did it!" Shirley breathed, slumping against the seat.
"Number Five, you were quiznacking brilliant back there!" Coran suddenly cheered excitedly, "Why didn't you mention you could turn invisible before?! Oh, the possibilities! I must inform the princess immediately of this!"
Shirley laughed a little as Coran continued to rant excitedly about Shirley's new power. She looked at the slight reflection of the metal the pod offered, looking at the new symbol decorating her iris and pupil. It looked like a crane ready to take flight. She'd been given the power she needed to help these people, and she swore she would make good on her promise to Shay. She and the team would return and rescue her. She and her family!
Something then clicked in Shirley's memory. A few days ago, C.C. had called Lulu a 'contractor' as well… is this how he knew her? How long ago did he meet her?
The trio arrived back at the castle without further incident, and the Alteans wasted no time installing the new crystal as they were filled in on what happened on both ends. The castle's blue lights soon returned, and Sendak was detained in a holding cell. They decided the Galra crystal would be moved to the Green Lion's bay as Rai said he wanted to examine it.
The moment the healing pods were back up and running, they wasted no time helping Rivalz into a cryosuit and setting him inside. Soon he fell into a peaceful, healing slumber.
"After a day in here, he should be fully healed," Allura reassured them.
"That's a relief," Milly sighed. She and Rai had been offered to go in the cryopods when they mentioned their fight and torture from Sendak. However, they reassured them that it wasn't anything serious. They just felt a little sore.
"Lelouch, Kallen," Rai said, "thank you for everything you did. You saved us."
"Yeah," Suzaku nodded, "I feel like you should stay. Be a part of the team... but I understand if you want to leave. Especially you, Lelouch," He really did. He knew how much Lelouch loved Nunnally and probably missed her too.
However, Lelouch smiled, "King Alfor told me about how close he was with the past Paladins." This statement took a surprised gasp from Allura, "He said they were like his family. I think I now know what he was talking about."
"You spoke to my father?" Allura asked.
"Yes. I wanted to get his opinion on the situation. And now I understand," he smirked, "So if you're willing to forgive me, I think I'll stick around. You, Kallen?"
The redhead in question smirked, "No, duh! These guys would be helpless without us!" This caused the rest of the group to laugh good-heartedly.
"Let's stop Zarkon, for all our families," Lelouch said in finality.
"It's good to have you back," Suzaku smiled before pulling them all into a group hug.
Lelouch knew this wasn't over, though. He remembered the vow he made during the battle. If he was to trust his team, and for them to trust him, they needed to know the truth. Once Rivalz woke up, he would tell them everything. About Geass, his heritage… and even about Zero…
She replayed the video for the sixth time. The seven faces flashed on the screen.
"There's no question... it's him," she said, biting her thumbnail. Her gaze was fixed on the platinum blond's face.
"Prince Zephyr..."
She tightened her green ponytail and gripped her sword on her belt.
"If you're truly alive, I'll find you," she said, marching to the emperor's throne room. If she could convince him to send her to Area 11, she could use all the resources available there to find him. And his sister.
Nonette Ennegram swore it upon her title as Knight of Nine...
AN: So a new chapter so soon?! Let's just say I had some free time on my hands, so... yeah.
So Shirley now holds a Geass power of her own. Its name is Absolute Concealment! Thought it was pretty cool!
Also, just to clarify so there's no confusion. Shay and Shirley are FRIENDS! Not a couple like with Hunk and Shay. Just wanted to make that clear to everyone for the future! Thanks!
Next chapter... stay tuned ;)
Edited and revised 07/06/2022