Chapter Five- Blue Lion
News of Kolivan and Shiro being mates filtered through headquarters and everyone congratulated them. Shiro was proud when they told her that Kolivan had chosen a pretty but strong Galra for his mate for their leader deserved nothing less.
A private celebration was shared with their pack in the nest and Kolivan promised a proper Bonding ceremony when the time was right. Shiro had a feeling that time would be in the far future when Zarkon was defeated and the empire truly stood for peace. That was fine with her as she needed to adjust to the face that she was mated and that a future she never thought she would have was, in fact, coming true. She had a pack and a mate and surely kits would come in that future.
Movements later, Kolivan summoned her to the communications room. She came in to see Kolivan and Ulaz there, both looking grim. "Leader?" she asked.
"Blue Lion's location is now known to the empire," Kolivan growled. "It is no longer secure. Shiro, this is the quintant I spoke of movements ago. I am assigning you to go to Earth, retrieve Blue Lion and bring her here. You leave immediately once Ulaz has provided you with the coordinates and Krolia's report." He gave her a hug and nuzzled her cheek. "Take care and come back safely."
"Knowledge or death. That is our way, but I will return as soon as I can."
Ulaz handed her a pad before he led her to the hangar and loaded water and foodstuffs for her journey. They clasped hands and Ulaz said, "Safe journey, sister. Kolivan would be crushed if you die."
"Understood." She boarded the ship and expertly guided it out into space. She entered the coordinates and found that they were in a desert near Galaxy Garrison! She felt a wave of nostalgia as she programmed the systems for Earth. It's been…one deca-phoeb since the Kerberos mission. Has it really been only one year? In just one year, I was capture by aliens, genetically altered, taught the culture of my captors, escaped them, joined a resistance organization, and became the mate of that organization's leader. Now I'm returning home for the purpose of saving a robot lion from being capture by the Galra just as Red Lion has been.
Shiro read Krolia's report to familiarize herself with the cave where Blue Lion resided. She found that there was an entrance large enough for her ship to get through. Most people believed it was a hazardous dead-end which meant no one would see her fly her ship in.
Even better, night had fallen so her ship would be viewed as a shooting star as she entered the atmosphere. She kept up that illusion before levelling off and zooming for the cave. The entrance was, in fact, a tunnel that led down and before Shiro knew it, it opened up into an underground cavern and there, behind a particle barrier, was a large blue robot lion.
She parked her ship, disembarked, and went up to the barrier. She gently put a hand on it and gazed up at the lion, hardly believing the size of it. "Hello Blue Lion," she said softly and gently. "My name is Shiro. I know that you met another Galra named Krolia years ago. I'm here to help you. The Galra Empire knows you're here and intend to capture you like they did to Red Lion. I am from the same organization as Krolia and was sent to bring you to our secret and secure headquarters. Please lower the barrier and allow me to help." She looked hopefully at the lion to see if she would accede to her request. Nothing happened. She sighed as she went back to her ship and laid on the small cot on one side of the cargo hold. Great. Now, what do I do? It seems Blue doesn't believe or trusts me. I'll try again later. Perhaps, Blue needs time to think about what I said. She closed her eyes and dropped off to sleep.
The sound of crumbling rocks and yelling woke her from her sleep and she crept stealthily out of her ship and toward the voices. She peered around a corner and nearly gasped. There were four teenage boys…or was that three boys and one girl, for the girl looked like Katie Holt, daughter of Sam Holt. Why does she look like a boy? Shiro wondered as her eyes slid to the others. She recognized all of them: Hunk, Lance…and Keith! She ducked back as Keith started to look over in her direction.
"Who's there?" Keith called out.
Shoot. He caught a glimpse of me. She inhaled, slowly let it out, and emerged from hiding, hands up in a gesture of peace. The four of them backed up, looks of shock and fear on their faces. "It's all right. I won't harm you."
"Oh, wow," Lance said in amazement. "An alien. A real alien."
"Yes and no. I was human until a year ago. I was abducted and altered into this form as well as my gender being changed."
"Abducted?" said the boy-disguised girl and the voice convinced Shiro that it was Katie. "I haven't heard of any abductions."
"It was on the Kerberos mission."
"Oh, God," Keith gasped. "Shiro!? Is that you?"
Shiro smiled at how quickly Keith guessed her identity. "It is, Keith. It is good to see you again. All of you."
"What about the other two?" Katie demanded. "Where are they?"
"I heard they were sent to two different prison camps, but I'm afraid I don't know more than that. I spent months being forced to fight before I was rescued and I joined an underground resistance group to fight the emperor of the Galra Empire."
"The what empire?" Hunk asked.
"Galra. That is the name of the race that conquered most of their galaxy. The resistance is made up of other Galra who oppose the evil emperor, Zarkon. My body is Galra which I've grown accustomed to as the change cannot be undone."
"If you're part of a resistance group, why are you here?" Lance asked.
"I was assigned to bring Blue Lion to headquarters to keep her safe from the Galra. But, she won't let me near to help her. What brings you here?"
"I've been picking up energy emissions from this place," Keith said. "And now it's clear that it's coming from the lion."
"If you're here to protect Blue Lion," Lance said. "I'd like to help you."
"Then you believe me that I am Shiro?"
"I do," Katie said.
"Same here," Keith said.
"If Pidge believes you, I do too," Hunk answered.
Pidge? Shiro thought. Matt sometimes called Katie Pidge. That again begs the question of why she's disguised as a boy and adapted an alias. She was pulled from her thoughts by the sight of Keith running his hands over Blue's barrier.
"How do we lower this thing?" he muttered.
"Maybe we should knock?" Lance joked before he did knock. To the surprise of everyone, the barrier lowered and the eyes of the lion flared and a barrage of images flashed through Shiro's mind, one showed a robot comprised of five different colored lions: Blue, red, green, yellow, and black. Shiro staggered back as the moment passed.
"Whoa," Lance said softly.
"You saw that too?" Shiro asked. Lance nodded and so did the others. It was Voltron, Shiro thought in awe. It was just as Kolivan described and it was incredible looking. No wonder Zarkon fears it.
A low rumble was heard and all five saw Blue crouch down and open her mouth, a ramp coming down to rest at Lance's feet. The brunette went up the ramp with the others following him. They emerged into a cockpit with a single seat in front of a control panel.
"Oh, cool," Lance said as he sat in the seat.
"Well, Shiro," Keith said. "Looks like you accomplished your mission."
"Thanks to you and Lance. Now, I have to figure out how to fly her." Suddenly, the chair snapped toward the control panel and the engines were heard coming on-line.