Chapter Six- Alien Surroundings
Shiro snapped her attention to Lance who was now gripping a pair of handle-like levers. "What are you doing?" she demanded.
"It's not me," he protested. "I think it's on autopilot."
"Well, find a way to stop it. I can't leave my ship behind. Suppose Galaxy Garrison comes poking around here?" Kolivan might kill me, despite our being mates. She felt the lion lifting off and then the active monitor panel to her left shifted angle to show the below angle outside. There was a kind of tractor beam coming out of the lion with the other end attached to her ship. She watched as it was pulled inside the lion.
"She trusts you now," Lance said.
"She who?" she asked, bewildered.
"The lion. Didn't you hear her?"
"Uh, no."
"You're kidding. She's been roaring and projecting thoughts and ideas into my head."
"If so, it sounds like you bonded with Blue on some level."
"Think so?"
"Considering what I've gone through in a year, I say it's a possibility."
Blue, after some insane maneuvers, blasted skyward and not at Lance's instruction. This convinced Shiro that it was on autopilot. It rocketed off Earth and then abruptly stopped as a purple and black warship dropped out of nowhere: A Galra warship.
"Oh no," Shiro said softly.
"The Galra?" Keith asked and Shiro nodded.
"Let's go," Lance said before Blue began dodging blasts as the warship fired. Lance jerked the levers back and a blue beam fired from the lion's mouth and cut a line of damage along one side before avoiding the blasts. Then Lance pushed forward and Blue slashed her claws on yet another part of the ship.
"Lance, tell Blue we need to get out of here. She can't be captured, trust me."
"I…think she knows that. She's hauling butt." It was true: Blue was speeding off into space.
"Where's it taking us?" Hunk asked, apparently scared half to death.
"Away from that ship. That's good enough for me," Shiro answered. "Blue trusts me, so I trust her. You know, if she is on autopilot, perhaps it is guiding her home and we're coming along for the ride."
"So, when she's home, think you could fly us back to Earth?" Keith asked.
"Depends on where that wormhole comes out," Shiro said, pointing straight ahead. Blue flew straight at it and into it. The wormhole closed before the Galra warship that had been pursuing them could get to it. The trip through the wormhole was disorienting, but quick and resulted in Hunk heaving.
"Honestly, I thought he would have done that earlier," Pidge muttered.
Shiro scanned the vista of stars before them. "I don't recognized these constellations. I've studied star charts at headquarters but none match any of these."
"In any case, it seems Blue is headed for that planet." Keith nodded his head at the screen.
Another corridor lit up and they went down it with Pidge in the lead. Blue had set down in front of a castle and opened the doors with a roar. They entered and the castle had done an identity scan on them before the path there were to take was illuminated for them. The place seemed empty but they took turns calling out, hoping for an answer.
Their trek brought them to a circular room with the same holographic panels that Blue had. Pidge stepped up to the panel. "What is this place?" she asked. No sooner had she posed this question, then two pods rose vertically out of the floor. Shiro could make out dark outlines in both pods and wondered if the people inside were frozen or asleep.
The front of the pod closest to them disappeared to reveal a woman with tanned skin, white hair, pointed ears, and markings on her cheeks. She cried out a name before falling out of the pod, Lance catching her. Her eyes opened and focused on him and Lance flashed a smile. "Hi, there," he said.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"Uh, I'm Lance and who…?"
The woman interrupted him. "Your ears," she said, staring at them. "They're…hideous. What's wrong with them?"
Shiro almost snickered at her comments, but then her eyes drifted to them and when they landed on Shiro, a dark look passed over her face.
She bounced to her feet and charged toward Shiro. "Monster!" she hissed. "How dare you come here, Galra!"
Shiro was stunned by the hatred in her voice and on her face. "Wait! I'm not a monster," she protested before the woman launched a series of kicks and open-handed blows to her torso. Shiro blocked most of them until a kick to her stomach sent her to the floor and sliding back a few feet. Pidge and Hunk were beside her while Keith blocked the woman's path. "Shiro? You okay?" Pidge asked.
"I'm fine. I'll recover." She looked at her attacker. "Am I correct in saying the Galra conquered your people?"
"Conquered? No. They destroyed my planet and my people! They wanted Voltron and attacked us!"
"Well, I had nothing to do with that. I was captured by them a year ago and changed into a female Galra."
The woman's look of hate melted as she digested this information. "They…genetically altered you? That's…despicable. I apologize for my attack."
"Considering what they did to your people, I can understand your reaction to me." Shiro got to her feet.
"But how did you get here?"
"A blue lion brought us here," Shiro said.
"Blue Lion's here? How is that possible?"
It took some time to explain and introduce everyone, including the occupant of the other pod as they retired to what looked the bridge of a ship. The woman, Princess Allura, seemed stunned when the computer informed her that 10,000 years had passed while she and her advisor, Coran, had slept. Shiro explained in more detail about her imprisonment but was vague about her rescue only saying that she had been told to retrieve Blue Lion and hide it again.
Allura regarded the group. "Who sat in Blue's seat?" she asked.
Lance raised a hand. "I did. Is that bad?"
Allura smiled. "Not at all. As the lions' previous Paladins, for most part, are dead, they need new Paladins if they are to form Voltron again. The lions choose their pilot and it's clear that Blue has chosen you, Lance. We need to find Green, Yellow, and Red for Black will not emerge until the other four are present."
"So, we'll have to search the galaxy for them?" Hunk asked.
"And if we do find them, how do we get them here?" Keith asked.
Allura's hands moved over the bridge panels. "Oh, that is not a problem. You five will be the new paladins of Voltron. The identity scan provided a psychological profile and I have just matched you all to a lion as well as the lion's location."
"Wait. So, you know which Galra ship Red is on?"
"Yes, but getting to it will require Galra knowledge or tech to…oh, right. You're Galra and you can help Keith to get Red Lion."
"I'm Red Lion's paladin?" Keith asked.
"Red is temperamental and chooses a paladin who relies more on instincts than skill alone."
That fits Keith's personality perfectly, Shiro thought.