Katie grabbed her backpack and slipped out of her dorm room. She took care not to be seen by anyone who was checking to make sure that all the cadets were obeying the curfew. Making it outside, Katie headed to where her dad's hover bike, that he used for work was being kept. After putting in the code, she hopped on and drove it off the garrison property. Now all Katie had to do was meet up with Keith.

The cool Monday night air felt good as she sped along. Katie thought about how it had now been a whole year since the Kerberos mission had been reported as a failure. Now she was trying to find out the truth alongside her brother, Keith. Not that they were actually siblings, they just thought of each other that way because he had been around her whole life.

Soon Katie was pulling up next to Keith's house, which was their designated meeting place for them to meet up. She grinned when she spotted him coming out to greet her. "You ready for our plan?" Keith asked teasingly knowing that Katie had been ready a week ago. She dove at him for a hug. "You bet! I just hope that it actually meant this October sixth and not another day." The girl replied giving Keith a bear hug.

"If not, at least we're staying here for the night."

"Yea, but then I'll have to sneak back early in the morning. Is this going to be the first time you have slept here since your dad died?"

"Yup, I should really come out here more often."

"How were the triplets this morning?"

"About the usual, Cassie was especially fussy today though."

"Well at least the boys are supper calm."

"I wish Matt and your dad were here to meet them. They're growing so fast."

"Yea, Keith look! Something is falling from space!" Katie pointed at the object which was going to crash soon. The duo hopped on their hover bikes and split up to do their part of the plan. Katie pulled up to the crash site far enough that she wouldn't be spotted but close enough to see what was going on with her binoculars. She pulled her computer out of her backpack and hacked into the security footage.

It only took her one look to realize that they were on track. Grabbing her walkie talkie Katie wondered why Shiro was the only one of the Kerberos crew who made it back to earth. "Keith it's a go, Shiro's in there and they have him sedated, so the sleeping gas won't bother him." She told him knowing that this was their chance to get the inside scoop on what happened. Keith replied that he was ready and just waiting for her signal.

Katie shut down the security and told him that it was time for phase two. "Roger that!" Came the reply. Using her binoculars, she started to keep watch on what was happening. But a voice coming from behind her caused her to jump. "Phase two of what?" Katie didn't even have to look to see who it was. She knew it was her class mate Lance and his friend Hunk was probably there to, since you rarely saw one without the other.

Just then a series of explosions went off in a distance. "What was that?" A nervous Hunk asked. Ignoring him Katie watched the gas do its job and told Keith the coast was clear. Lance snatched the binoculars from her to see what was going on. "Who are you working with? Wait is that Shiro? Oh no, no, no Keith is not rescuing Shiro, I will!" He said loudly dropping the binoculars.

Hunk ambled after him warning him that it was a bad idea. Katie rolled her eyes and grabbed the walkie talkie. "You have an incoming Han and Chewie." She heard Keith groan in annoyance before he answered. "I'm almost done meet you back at the house. I'll deal with them when they get here." Grinning Katie told him that she would see him there and proceeded to pack everything up. Since Shiro was here Katie decided not to go back in the morning, this seemed like a better way to find her missing father and brother than hacking the garrison computer. In the back of her head something told her that it could lead to her missing sister as well.

Keith sighed and sat down on his bed. It had been a long morning so far, not only did Shiro not remember what happened but Lance was trying his patience by not getting over the fact that Katie was a girl. Pulling his blade out of its sheath and unwrapping the little bit of cloth, he fingered the symbol. Looking at the comforting glow it emitted Keith remembered his mom telling him that as long as it glowed, she was alive. He had been only five then and hadn't grasped the meaning of this, nor did he know how much comfort it would bring him over the years.

If only she had been able to stay, Keith longed to hear her voice, her gentle touch, to be able to snuggle and take in her scent. "We'll find her don't worry." Katie sat beside him and gave him a gentle hug. He whined and looked at her. "How can you be so sure? We can't even leave earth and she's somewhere deep in space." Keith's eyes were filled with emotion. He wanted to believe her but it seemed like that dream was dashed the moment he was kicked out of the garrison.

On the other hand, Katie's eyes were filled with hope and she clearly believed what she had said. "That's why the voice has been calling you. To bring you out into space so you can find your mom. I hear it too now; it's calling us Keith and it wants us to follow its voice." Their eyes met and they knew what the other was thinking. "Well, what are we waiting for!" The problem was what were they going to do with the others?

That question was easy to answer because they all wanted to come with them, except for Hunk who came to make sure that his best friend would be safe. Their trek led them to a cave Keith had been to before, but this time the floor collapsed when Lance touched the walls. Landing on the rocky ground of another cave he soon felt Katie landing on top of him. She quickly scrambled off and Keith sat up glad to get off his backpack in which he had packed somethings that he thought he might want.

Keith gasped when he saw the blue lion, his mother had told him stories about the lions and he knew them by heart. The name of the blue one was Surf; her element was water and passion. According to the stories Surf was eager to please her paladin to the point that she will do almost anything for them. If someone wanted to be the next blue paladin, they would need to have a big heart, putting other's needs in front of their own and never giving up on their dreams.

Keith stopped in front of the lion wondering, why Surf had called to him. He wasn't the ideal paladin for her and that didn't seem to be the intent of bringing him there. Keith guessed it must be because he was so passionate about finding his mom. Just then Surf showed them a vision of her forming Voltron with the other lions and Keith realized that she must think that they were going to be the next paladins. Lance touched the force shield and it disappeared as if it had never been there.

Keith watched in amazement as Surf opened her mouth to let Lance in. If he stepped in, she would take it as a sign of trust and Lance would become her paladin. Sure, enough the boy stepped in and the walls began to glow. "What's happening?!" Hunk asked beginning to panic. Pictures on the walls seemed to depict Surf returning home with her new paladin and leaving the cave destroyed. "Guys we need to get in the lion. Now!" Keith told the others realizing what the pictures meant.

No one argued and they hurried in just before the blue lion shut her mouth. Making it into the cock pit he saw Lance sitting in the pilot seat and looking bewildered. "The lion wants to take us somewhere!" He gasped unsure what to do. Keith watched as they burst out of the cave and took to the sky. Doing all sorts of tricks in the air, she made everyone feel like they were on a roller coaster.

"I think she's showing off to impress you." And as soon as Keith said that Surf darted to space only to be meet with a battle cruiser. He remembered the that the blue lion was said to be calm, cool and collected in battle, using her fluid movements in creative ways that baffled the enemy. "Hang on everyone Azul's telling me what to do and Hunk, try not to vómito (barf) please." Lance announced trusting that his lion knew what she was doing. Keith wondered what it was like for Lance, being guided by the very creature he was steering.

His mind drifted to the other lions, each one lined up with them in the required personality and something told him that Surf knew this. Keith hoped that the other lions agreed, because in some stories the other lions didn't approve of one of the paladins, causing a rift to form between them. Usually, it was because one of them was trying to find paladins for the others, like what Surf was doing bringing them along. He also knew that none of the lions were completely satisfied until all of them had a paladin and would for the most part not rest until each of them had one.

Keith soon realized that they were at Kerberos and that it had taken almost no time at all. "Last time it took me six months to get here." He heard Shiro say but that wasn't what had his attention. They were heading right for a portal and showed no signs of stopping. Keith was thrilled as they flew through it and reached the other side. This was it; he was going to find his mom and they would finally be together again after thirteen long years of being apart.

Ferita stumbled out of her cryo-pod and was surprised to see five strangers in the castle. She noticed her older sister Allura doing something with the console, while Coran was getting out of his pod. Ferita giggled when he assumed that the strangers were enemies and ended up doing a pose off with one of them, who she immediately dubbed as the cute one. "It can't be!" Allura gasped. The other two alteans looked at her. "What is it princes?" Coran asked.

"We've been asleep for ten thousand years!"

"But that means…. We lost." Hearing him say that, Ferita ran over to her sister and hugged her. Altea had been the last to stand up against Zarkon, but without Voltron they weren't strong enough to beat him. What monstrosities had the empire done in that long reign? Was it even possible to take it down at this point? She felt the red lion comfort her through their bond. While Ferita was not a paladin she did have a special relationship with Spark, teaching her that she didn't have to wait on the other lions to do something.

Apparently, the red lion had taken that lesson to heart, because Ferita could tell that Spark had been active longer than Surf and had just recently lost her paladin. "Allura, Spark is waiting for me to call her to the castle, she wants to know if we have a candidate for her paladin." Ferita whispered quietly. Her sister stroked her long light pink hair and replied that they did. She could tell that Allura didn't want to let someone else be the red paladin, but they both knew that Spark had made it clear to their father that Allura wouldn't be his successor.

Soon Ferita heard a noise coming from her sister's pod. Peering in the sisters saw four alteans mice looking up at them. "Oh, how seque! (cute)" Ferita squealed her purple eyes sparkling having a love for animals. Scooping them up, she forgot about what was going on and began thinking of names for the mice. There were so many for her to choose from that Ferita liked and it had been a while since she had a pet. It was going to take a while to narrow it down to four, time that she didn't really have at the moment.

"If your sister can summon Spark then, she's her paladin not me." Those words snapped Ferita back to reality. She would have plenty of time to name her little friends later, right now she had a job to do. "Not everyone who bonds with the lions are meant to be paladins. I am not a fighter and Spark needs someone who hold their own on the battle field to be her paladin. She is on her way but not for me, you are her next paladin and will do great things." The boy just looked at Ferita blankly, unsure what exactly she meant. Seeing that they needed to get going again Allura pulled everyone's attention back to who would pilot which lion.

"Now, the green lion is smart and sassy, only taking paladins who are able to keep up with her energetic ways. That is why Pidge will fly Willow, for her adventurous, mischievous ways mesh well with the green lion's personality. Willow's elements are forest and family, making her gentle but with a fierce side when something goes wrong. She often will allow her paladin's family to fly her when it is needed and tends to form a bond with them as well.

The yellow lion is shy and often under estimates herself. She needs a patient and understanding paladin, who his team can lean and count on for support. Hunk you are a perfect match for Tera and have a ton of potential as her paladin. Tera's elements are earth and friendship, causing her to be strong and reliable with friends around and rather shaky and scared when friendships are broken."

"Wait, ME?! I don't have what it takes, just ask any of the school bullies. I'll never be more than just the shy nerd!" Hunk exclaimed backing up.

"That's not true, you defended me!" Lance argued not wanting his best friend to put himself down.

"That was different!"

"No, it wasn't! Sure, you might not be the bravest, but you still stand up for what's right."

"How did you know our names anyway?" Hunk asked Allura trying to divert the attention from himself.

"I don't know I just do… somehow." No one knew what to say about that. All Ferita could think of was her sister's connection with the lions and that all depended on Surf having heard their names. It was then that she realized that she had forgotten to let Spark know about her paladin. Doing this Ferita learned that the red lion was beginning to be able to sense him. That could only mean that he had a burning love for someone and was on a quest to find them.

Because Spark was the lion of fire and love, she had a special relationship with both Willow and Surf where they can unite to use special abilities. Spark was extremely loyal to her paladin and the most affectionate out of all the lions. She was also the most protective, going to great lengths to save her paladin. Thinking about this Ferita wondered how her father managed to get Spark to not come to his rescue and stay in hiding. Then it hit Ferita that it was because of her and Allura, if she hadn't stayed hidden Spark wouldn't have been able to protect them as their father had wished.

Keith was amazed when he saw Spark for the first time and wondered how a kid like him could have ended up in this position. She lowered her head and waited expectantly for him to come in. Looking behind him Keith saw that Katie was ready and darted into his lion. It was a thrilling sensation as he took his seat and felt Spark communicating with him, causing Keith to nearly forget why he was even doing this in the first place.

"I wish mom and dad were here to see this." Keith lamented quietly. Kaite wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "They'd be proud of you Kitten and your mom will, when we find her." She told her brother gently before giving him a comforting lick. Keith purred, glad that his little sister was there with him. Taking off for the first time in Spark was exhilarating for Keith, knowing that this was just the beginning of their own adventure. "Paladins I can only keep the wormhole open for two vargas, be sure to make it back through before then. Or you will be stuck on those plants for the rest of your lives." Allura told them over the coms. Keith asked how long that was but, she didn't seem to hear him and just urged them to get going. "Well at least we'll be together either way." Katie commented as they went through.

Keith felt like he was in some kind of video game as Spark landed in a forest and couldn't help but wonder if some Ewok like creature might appear. "Ready to go find your lion?" Keith asked hoping that the alteans hadn't been foolish enough to leave Willow on a hostile planet. She nodded and dashed out telling him to be ready to fly as soon as he saw her in the air. Keith couldn't help but chuckle because he should have seen that coming, Katie was never afraid of being alone in a forest and rarely got lost.

Once she was out of the lion, Katie wondered how they would be able to find their missing family members and make it back home if they weren't able to get back through the wormhole in time. It wasn't like they knew where they were, or how to get back, they didn't even know how to use the lion's maps yet! "What am I doing? Of course, we'll make it back in time!" Katie scolded herself out loud as she approached where Willow had hidden herself under her vines. Scrambling up the vines Katie started getting more and more exited as she got closer and closer to her lion. It didn't take her long to make it in and fly away. "Race you back to the castle Kitten!" The new green paladin called out playfully.

"You're on Butterfly!" Keith agreed wanting to see how fast Spark could go. Unfortunately, Hunk was having a much harder time getting to his lion. He hadn't counted on a galra being already in there. "Look I don't really want to fight you; I just need to get into the lion so I can leave." Hunk tried to reason hoping that this was a nice galra. No such luck. "And I need this lion so I can reunite my family!" Was the reply before he kicked Hunk in the stomach.

Falling down he watched as the galra approached the lion, wondering if it would be better this way. Hunk didn't think he had what it took to be a paladin, this guy seemed to be the perfect candidate. After all, how else would this lead to his family being brought back together. It was only then that he remembered that Lance was waiting for him to get Tera so that he could help him.

Images of Surf being blasted from every side spawned in his head and Hunk knew he had to do something. So, what he wasn't the bravest, fastest, or any good at fighting, Lance was depending on him and he wasn't about to fail him. Hunk stood up and barreled at the galra at full speed knocking him over and not stopping until he was seated in the cock pit. Tera burst into battle just in time to save Lance and they quickly retreated back through the wormhole. It was only much later that Hunk remembered the galra in the cave and wondered what happened to him.

Approaching Breeze Shiro felt that there was no way that she would choose him to be her paladin. After all he had done in the arena, how could anyone trust him to lead them. Shiro felt that no one could possibly love him when they knew what he had all done in that arena. Sure, it wasn't like he had wanted to be there, or to be attacking someone else but eventually he lost himself and became a monster.

Just as Shiro was about to leave, the other lions reminded him of how much his friends and family loved him. How no matter what he did they would still love him; they might be a little disappointed but they wouldn't abandon him for it. Willow added that his little brother Hiro still needed him and desperately wanted him back. "The other paladins look up to you, only you can bind them together as a team and they will be there for you if you will be there for them." Tera spoke up reminding Shiro how friends have each other's backs and giving him hope to move forward.

Entering Breeze was different than how the other's had described what they felt entering their lions for the first time. Instead of feeling like he was being embraced for who he was, Shiro felt like he was being given a chance to prove himself worthy of being her paladin. Shiro realized that he was going to have his work cut out for him if he was ever going to form a strong bond with Breeze. Coran had warned him that the lion of wind and leadership was strong willed and preferred not to switch paladins as long as he was alive. But her last paladin was long gone so why was Breeze being so resistant?

The battle had been tough but they had done it, they formed voltron. Keith's heart was still racing from the action that had only ceased minutes ago. He wanted to go and take a nap but none of them were able to figure out how to switch back to the five lions. "Does anyone even know what we did to even form voltron?" Hunk asked bewildered. Keith was sure that there was an answer but he got distracted by realizing that Spark was trying to communicate with him. "Guys stop and listen to your lions I think there is something they want to tell us."

No one argued and Keith was able to focus on what Spark had to say. While he couldn't quite understand her yet, she was able to show him pictures and words as if Keith was looking at a picture book. In this way Spark explained her basic functions and capabilities, including splitting back to lions. What was more she told him that as a paladin he would go through three stages: fledgling, pilot, and captain. These stages were not to be used as rank, they just show how the bond between paladin and lion has grown.

When Spark was finished, Keith looked around, he realized that they were back in the hangar and that Spark must have separated on her own. Feeling closer already the boy got up and joined with the others and they all agreed that they should get some rest so that they would be ready for some training later. Plopping down on his bed, Keith pulled out his lavender dino plush and the blanket that his mom had made for him. He hoped that this would work out, if Allura found out about his mom before she had the chance to get to know him. If not, Keith feared that she would treat him as if he were the enemy.

AN: I hope you enjoyed the first episode! I want to encourage you to try and predict what will happen and let me know in the comments. You never know I may put it in anyway if it fits with where I'm going. That's all for now in Universe 45!

"It was right there in front of me! I was this close to doing something big enough for Zarkon to let me search in for my family with one of his ships!" Trudging over to a dresser the galra gingerly picked up a pouch. It had been about thirty deca-phoebs since he had last seen them and he wasn't about to stop searching for them, not when he was so close to a better chance at finding them.