Chapter 7: A New Purpose

A/N: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender.

I just own Ziera, Colran, Sephiras, Janze and any other OCs mentioned in this fic that isn't canon.

WARNING: Contains violence, death, racism, implications of sexual acts, Lance's flirting, and other things that may cause some readers discomfort.

I can't believe it took me this long to post another chapter, luckily now that my university projects are over and done with, I have all the time in the world to keep writing, so I should get chapters out at a much faster pace.

I hope you enjoy the chapter! Plus, if I've been inconsistent with the use of Ziera's nickname, please tell me, it's been a long time since I started this fic.

Enjoy!

"Wow..."

Ziera let out a sharp exhale as she fell back onto the couch in the break room of the ship, staring at nothing in particular as she absorbed all the information Coran and Allura had given her. It was a lot to take in, and she was not really sure how to process so much at once. "So you're telling me Zarkon wasn't always an evil tyrant but was actually King Alfor's ally?" She looked up as Coran and Allura shared an uncomfortable frown. "And that Zarkon was originally the Black Paladin, therefore the leader of Voltron in its origin?"

"I'm afraid so..." Coran confirmed, his tone soft and solemn at the memory.

Ziera sat there, reflecting on everything she was told, though it was not much, she was now on the same wavelength as the other paladins. Originally Zarkon had piloted the Black Lion and was Alfor's closest friend. However, he was poisoned by the Quintessence that powered his ships and kept him alive for ten thousand years, despite his species' lower lifespan. As a result, he turned on his once allies and destroyed Altea, forcing Alfor to disband Voltron and spread the lions across the universe to stop him from taking control of the greatest war machine history would ever create.

"That's...A lot to take in." She admitted, staring down at the floor. The more she heard, the more her heart ached for all those who suffered at the hands of Zarkon's cruel tyranny. Knowing what she did now, she wanted more than ever to end his vicious reign and free the universe from his grasp. She wished she knew a way to show the Galra working under him that they do not have to dominate the universe to survive, co-existence was an option.

However, her frown deepened when she remembered that Allura herself did not believe co-existing was possible. Due to this, she thought it was best to keep her ideals to herself for the time being. She had only just gained Allura's trust, the last thing she wanted to do was rock the boat so soon. But she was relieved that both Keith and Shiro believed that they could all live peacefully should Zarkon be killed, and that there were rebellious Galra out there already fighting for peace themselves.

And if she were to believe them, which she did, they had encountered someone from this rebellion already, a Galra soldier named Ulaz who sacrificed his life for them during a fight against one of Zarkon's 'Ro-Beasts.'

She only wished he was still alive so she could thank him for helping them and giving her hope that they could all live in harmony. This thought motivated her strongly and she realized it was high time she found a purpose among the others, a way she could aid them without being a bystander in their battles.

Suddenly, the Tylyrion stood up, startling everyone in the room with her quick, energetic movements. "Do you have any ships or pods aboard that you wouldn't mind being upgraded?" She asked bluntly, clenching her fists in front of her torso as she gave Coran, who had almost fallen during her movements, a bright, hopeful look.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Coran stammered out, looking comically flabbergasted by her question. He and Allura shared a look, and she stepped forward towards her new friend.

"Era, why do you need one of our ships?" She asked, arching a white brow curiously.

"I believe I know how I can assist you all in the future!" The female engineer stated, turning to the Paladins, who had been watching from behind the couch, each wearing their own confused expressions. "If I take one of the ships and upgrade it into a fighter jet, I could join you in the fight against Zarkon, rather than just watching from the sidelines, like I have been the entire time!"

Lance cleared his throat. "Hey, uh...Piloting a fighter isn't as easy as I make it look, y'know." He pointed out, raising a finger as he proved his point. "You could die out there if you're not careful!"

"I hate to admit it..." Keith started. "But Lance is right, Watching someone battle and being in a battle are two totally different things. It's pretty dangerous, especially if you don't remember if you've ever piloted one before."

Ziera deflated slightly as they spoke, but she did not let their words convince her otherwise. "I've been in fights before, I was the one that lead the Olkari into battle for the sake of their city! I can handle it, trust me..." She softened her stance a little, gripping at her pendant comfortingly. "I'm no stranger to war..."

Shiro stared at her for a moment, then stepped forward, placing his robotic hand on her shoulder. "I understand your reasons, Ziera...But fighting on land is different from piloting a fighter jet."

Ziera did not budge, instead, she just met Shiro's black eyes with her own ombre tinted orbs. "I'm willing to take all the training necessary to fly a ship if it means I won't just be sat here while you risk your lives for your beliefs."

With those words, Shiro looked back at the other Paladins, then at Allura and Coran, all now convinced she would not budge. Allura however, stepped forward and touched Ziera's other shoulder, waiting as the Tylyrion survivor turned to face her. "Are you sure this is what you want, Era? The risks are almost as high as the casualties..." She frowned. "Are you sure you want to step into that reality?"

Ziera smiled and squeezed Allura's hand reassuringly. "My entire family, my planet and my people are gone, Allura...You know how that feels just as much as I do...Would you sit back and watch as others fight for a future you want?"

Allura and Ziera kept their gazes locked for a moment as Allura processed her words, she then smiled slightly. "You will be a valuable asset in our fight against Zarkon." She stated proudly, which in turn caused the feline engineer's ears to lift happily, glad someone understood her perspective.

"Are you sure, Princess?" Coran asked as the Castle's pilot turned to face him.

"Ziera has proven herself to be a loyal and trustworthy member of our cause, I see no reason to deny her request, given the aid she provided when Zarkon attacked."

Coran hummed and closed his eyes, placing a hand under his elbow while the other stroked his moustache in thought. "I suppose you have a point. In that case, I can find a pod that would make a fine start to a ship."

The way Ziera nearly bounced on her feet as her tail swished back and forth and her ears twitched excitedly made the others smile slightly. "Really?!" She asked, surprised that they actually accepted her request, given their hesitations.

"We have at least twelve pods available, but it'll take a lot of time and resources to turn one of them into a battle-ready ship you could pilot." Coran let go of his mustache and the end snapped back in place almost like elastic, his facial hair forever defying logic. "Not only that, but they're not designed for long-term use and deep-space warfare. If we had any other kinds of ships aboard, I'd recommend one of those instead, but we don't." He opened an eye and arched a brow. "Do you still want to do this, even knowing all that?"

Ziera's excitement settled and she thought for a moment, then her expression hardened slightly and she nodded. "Absolutely. I won't allow my friends to fight while I sit by and watch...It's not in my nature."

Though, despite her words, she could not lie that a small part of her feared flying a pod, given how she crashed on Olkarion in the first place. However, she refused to let that small sinking sensation in her gut dictate how she would live her life. She wanted to bring Zarkon to justice just as much as they did, and if that meant facing her fears head-on, then she was more than happy to take the risk.

With that thought motivating her further, she eagerly stepped into Coran's personal space, startling the poor advisor further. "Can you show me the pods available? If possible, I'd also like a copy of the blueprints, otherwise, it'll be a challenge to change the design!"

"Whoa, whoa!" Shiro chimed in, holding his hands up as he stepped between her and Coran, giving the older man the space he desperately needed. "Hold your horses, Ziera." He said, smiling exasperatedly at her. "I know you're eager to help, but before you make any plans, we should rest. Zarkon could show up at any time, and we need to be laser-focused if we want to have the upper hand."

Ziera's ears drooped as she pouted childishly, dejected that she had to wait to start her newest technological challenge. However, Shiro had a point. If she worked herself ragged now, she would be even more useless if Zarkon attacked again. The best course of action now would be to get some sleep and some sustenance.

Luckily, Pidge understood Ziera's excitement well and adjusted her glasses. "If you want to tinker for a bit, I could come by your room and we could work on your Skate-Overs for a while?" She said, smirking when Ziera spun around, eyes wide with surprise and glee. "The way you control them seems a bit difficult, given the activation switch is on your ankle, maybe we could find a way to wire it through your suit so you could activate it through the cuff around your wrist?"

The female feline glanced down at the metal cuff around her wrist, the cutoff point for her suit where her gloves began. Looking at the shiny, bright pink surface, she could easily imagine crafting a panel that held the switch beneath it. The mere idea excited her more than anything and her ears lifted again as a grin spread across her catlike lips. "That sounds like a wonderful idea! Thank you Pidge!"

Hunk then puffed up his chest, inspired by Ziera's little declaration. "Alright, if you guys are gonna do something useful, then I'm gonna fix the food goo machine! You can't build ships on empty stomachs!" He all but marched from the room, which made the others chuckle, going so far as to tease Hunk for his seriousness.

Ziera could not thank them enough as she watched them all interact, since losing her memory she lacked a purpose, a true motivation, but with their help, she was able to find something to cling onto, something worth fighting for.

Peace.

~FbnL~

Ziera let out a giddy little purring sound, a short burst that sounded similar to 'Prrt' as she stood up from her chair, holding her newly modified Skate-Overs, a very tired Pidge watching her from the other side of the table. After hours of tweaking and causing one or two small explosions that had the castle occupants running into her room armed with space-age fire extinguishers, they had successfully applied the changes to her special hover boots that would make space travel far easier in the long run.

"Thank you so much Pidge!" Ziera gleefully exclaimed as she looked them over from top to bottom, her large, floppy ears raised high with her excitement. "You're a genius, I've never seen such a flawless change in mechanics that didn't affect the overall appearance of the boots!" She placed them down on the floor and slipped into them, feeling them clip around her ankles, securing them in place, thanks to Pidge's ideas.

Not only were the controls now linked to the metal cuff on Ziera's right arm, but now she had a secure locking mechanism to ensure her boot wasn't lost during intense situations and a new cooling system that would stop her feet from boiling inside the boot after several hours of constant use. "Though the boots were secure by design, though I can't remember making the changes all too well..." She pouted slightly and opened the cuff of her wrist, looking at the controls. "Your secondary lock to secure the ankle is a welcome change, it'll make injuries in that area less frequent!"

"Yep, the moment I looked inside, I could tell you needed a secondary securing system," Pidge stated simply, leaning back on her chair with her arms crossed, though she raised one of them with a pointed finger so she could educate her friend further. "And with the new cooling system inside, I was able to increase the power capacity of the hovering mechanic further, so you should move much faster in the air, but still maintain a comfortable temperature!"

"Ah yes, when you suggested that change while I was attaching the cooling fan, it was inspirational, to say the least! It was because of those designs that I opted to add a second control switch to adjust the power of the energy expulsion that allows me to hover at all. So now I'll be able to go at different speeds when the situation calls for it."

Pidge smirked and Ziera shot her a very happy, very pure smile, the two gave one another a high five before Ziera walked to the door and pressed the button to open the sealed entrance to her room. "Shall we find somewhere to test them?"

"Well, with the new enhancements, the best testing area would be space itself, but you don't have a helmet right now, do you?" Pidge asked, and the feline's ears drooped in response.

She turned away from the open doorway. "Ah yes...That's right, and I believe collecting a temporary helmet would cause alarm, considering my recent...adventure with Keith and Princess Allura."

"Yeah..." The young engineer adjusted her glasses with a contemplating pout, she too wanted to see the capabilities of the Skate-Overs, now that they had been adjusted, however, it was best not to stir the pot, so to speak.

However, before the two could find a convenient alternative, Shiro appeared in the doorway, having walked up while they were deep in thought. "Oh hey, there you are." He started, only to pause in sheer surprise when Ziera let out an unholy yowl and jumped away from the door, like a terrified cat. Both humans stared at her in shock, and Ziera blushed, clearing her throat.

"S-sorry."

"What was that?" Pidge blurted out, causing Ziera's blush to darkened her entire face, turning it a shade of black that would not have been possible in any other situation.

"Wh-what was what?"

"That noise you just made, what was that?!"

The feline stammered nervously, remembering when she first made that noise in front of Melrak and the others, they all thought she was dying at first, due to the horrific nature of the sound, though funny at the time, it was still rather embarrassing. "I-it's not important! Sh-Shiro, did you need something from us?" She quickly directed her attention to the salt and pepper haired soldier standing outside her door, still dumbstruck by her hellish 'snarl.'

After a second, he blinked and came to his senses. "Oh yeah, that's right." He started, stepping away from the door with an apologetic smile. "Everyone's gathering in the bridge to discuss what we're going to do next." He pointed his thumb back towards the bridge. "We're all waiting for you guys, so I thought I'd come get you."

"Thanks, Shiro, we'll be right there," Pidge told him, standing up and stretching her short arms above her head with a yawn. "Just gotta pack up my tools!"

"Oh no, leave that to me!" Ziera told her, waving off Pidge's oncoming protests. "It's the least I can do after you spent so long helping me improve my Skate-Overs!"

"Well...Alright." Pidge finally relented, walking out of the room towards the bridge, her hands linked behind her head. "Just make sure not to test them without me, okay?"

Ziera giggled as Shiro waved at her and followed Pidge to the bridge. "Don't worry, I wouldn't dream of it." She waved back for a moment before she closed her bedroom door, leaning against it and all but combusting under her own hands as she hid her face.

"How embarrassing...!"

After that, Ziera got to work and quickly fueled her embarrassment into something productive, cleaning up after their modifications without so much as a fuss in the process. Once she was finished she rushed from her room without stopping to seal the door shut behind her, leaving the charred table in view of anyone who passed.

When she finally reached the bridge and opened the door, she was met with the faces of all her friends, stood in a circle around Allura's control podium, awaiting her arrival. "Sorry about that, just had to clean up." She said sheepishly, letting out an awkward laugh as she stepped into the room and the door sealed shut behind her.

"That's alright, I was still in the middle of fixing the food goo machine when Shiro came to get me." Hunk admitted, only for his smile to fall at the end of his sentence. "No luck getting it to work...I'm so hungry."

"There are raw ingredients as well, Hunk," Ziera stated, surprising the food-loving hero as his face lit up excitedly. "Didn't anyone tell you?"

"No!"

"Oh...Well, there is."

Shiro cleared his throat, catching both their attentions. "Okay look..." He started, looking from one friend to another as he spoke. "I now know for certain that Zarkon is tracking us through the Black Lion...We have to find some way to stop him."

"How're we gonna do that?" Pidge asked, stood beside Allura with Keith to the princess' immediate left.

"We've never had this situation before." Allura chimed in. "Two Paladins battling for the same lion."

Shiro let out a heavy breath. "Well, unless we want Zarkon taking control of Voltron every time we get close, I'll have to forge a new bond with my lion." The older pilot looked down, his black eyes shining with his determination. "One that's stronger than his..."

"Well, while you're working on that," Coran started. "The rest of us need to find some new Teladuv lenses, otherwise we won't be able to travel via wormhole!"

Hunk stroked his chin. "Is that something we have to mail order?"

"Does anyone even make those anymore?" Keith chimed in.

Allura sighed. "I don't know..." She said, her eyes narrowing at the thought. "Only a few Alteans could use the Teladuv ten thousand years ago...They may not exist anymore."

Coran hummed and tugged on his mustache, eyes closed as he held up his elbow with his other hand. The moment he let go and his facial hair snapped back into place, his eyes popped open as an idea formed. "I think I may know where we can get some." He said as Pidge glanced at him from his left. However, she soon jumped back when the Altean advisor spun around and jogged over to his control unit.

"What're you doing?" Ziera asked curiously, the group strolling over to him as he typed on the holographic monitor. He pressed a single button and suddenly a large file of information appeared on the larger window that showed them the vast emptiness of space. Within these files, were images of Coran in his youth, and several more unsightly individuals who looked like they would give you a bad deal for just breathing in their direction.

"Coran!" Allura started, her tone was a little incredulous as her brows knitted together at the images. "You're not suggesting going to one of those filthy Swap Moons!" She sneered and crossed her arms, giving the older man a pointed look. "The last time you went those space pirates took you for everything you had!"

A second passed as everyone else absorbed her words until Lance piped up and asked the question on everyone's minds. "Space pirates?"

Coran glanced back at them for a second before he zoomed in on the untrustworthy individuals in the images. "The Unilu were traders and pirates that roamed the galaxies and dealt in black market goods. umvee spice, bitole water, little bottles of infinity vapor..." He straightened up and closed his eyes, pointing upwards as he taught them some history. "Of course you had to bargain with them." He clenched his fist as he opened his eyes again. "No one could bargain like the Unilu!" He laughed and turned to them. "Last time I ended up giving away three-quarters of my shipment of lango in exchange for a used bogo occelator!"

Allura started laughing alongside him at the memory. "Father was not pleased about that!"

And that's when Lance swooped in alongside the princess, smirking flirtatiously at her while Ziera grimaced in discomfort, knowing what was coming. "Well, while Coran is picking up his lenses, I'll take you shopping for something sparkly~!"

Suddenly Coran shoved his way between the princess and the human teenager, glaring sharply at the boy for his bold attempt to win over Allura. "This isn't shopping!" He straightened up with his hands on his hips. "You're not running around saying 'ooh, what a lovely pink hat! This is so becoming!'" He thrust his arms out one over the other in the shape of an X, before slamming them against his sides. "No! I won't allow Allura to get anywhere near those filthy, low-balling Unilu hoodlums!"

Coran crossed his arms and closed his eyes tightly, refusing to budge while Allura slowly shuffled into his line of sight. "But I'd love something sparkly..." She then gave him a bright, convincing smile as her eyes glittered excitedly, wanting to join them on their little adventure.

The older Altean opened an eye, then sighed and frowned apologetically. "Look, you're the only one who can operate the castle..." He then turned away from her, still watching her over his shoulder as she pouted, giving up her sweet act. "Plus, you need to be resting after all you've been through!" He walked towards the centre of the bridge, turning to his fellow teammates. "Now lets ready a pod for our mission! We need to get in, find the Scaultrite lenses and just get out!"

Lance smirked and quickly kicked off towards the door. "Shotgun!"

"What?! No!" Hunk whined, running after him. "Y'have to be in the pod bay to call shotgun!"

"Since when?" Lance asked as Keith and Pidge followed along at a much slower pace, mainly Keith since Pidge kicked off to catch up with her friends.

"Uhhh, since forever!" Hunk countered. "That's shotgun etiquette, I wrote the book!" However, he paused before he left the bridge, both he and Pidge looking back at Ziera, who stood next to Shiro. "You coming, Era?"

"Actually..." Ziera started, scratching her cheek with her gloved claw. "I think I'm going to stay put for this one." She pretended not to hear their obvious complaints on the matter. "I want to familiarize myself with one of the pods and their blueprints so I can start planning how I'll turn it into a fighter." She looked over at Coran, who was waiting for everyone to leave the bridge before he followed. "Coran, where do you keep the blueprints for the pods? I can't start without knowing the ins and outs of their schematics."

"They're in the engine room, with the Teladuv, though you need to unlock the system to access them," Coran stated, frowning when he saw her ears droop, she really did love to tinker.

Allura placed her hand on her chest. "I'll help her with that, you go ahead and get those Scaultrite lenses."

Coran nodded then gave them all a simple wave before he too left the bridge to catch up with his much younger teammates, already dreading the trip to the Swap Moon, considering their high energy and knack for getting in trouble. "Don't overwork yourself, alright? Make sure to get some rest."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure she doesn't overdo it." Ziera chimed in, getting a grateful smile as thanks before the door shut, blocking Coran from view. "Alright, I'll make my way to the engine room, would you be able to open up the schematics system from here?" The feline asked, directing her attention to the princess, just as several small rodents climbed onto her shoulder and in Ziera's line of sight.

In a split second, the atmosphere in the room became heavy with tension, before it was broken by Ziera's shrill scream, which surprised the two other occupants as she dove to hide behind Shiro. "Wh-what are those?!" She squeaked out as the mice, she had never seen before, twitched their noses at her, then gave Allura a confused look, which she mirrored.

"They're the mice, haven't you seen them before?" Allura asked curiously, arching a brow when Ziera shook her head rapidly. "They were in the cryo pod with me when I awoke, we share a...connection of sorts." She shrugged a shoulder with an awkward smile, unsure of how to explain the situation clearly to someone who was not there in the beginning. "Why are you hiding?" She stepped closer to Ziera, who all but dragged Shiro back with her as she tried to keep a distance between her and Allura's pets.

"H-hey!" The older pilot complained, not too pleased about being used as a human shield.

Allura smirked deviously and took another step closer, which resulted in Ziera dragging the poor man another step back. "P-please don't come near me! I-I don't like mice!"

"Why? They won't hurt you." The princess told her, quickly ducking behind Shiro and grabbing Ziera's arm to stop her bolting the moment she was in view.

"A-Allura!" The feline squealed, as Shiro grimaced and covered his ear, stepping away from the two to ensure he did not get dragged, literally, into their little conversation further.

"While you're doing that..." He said, just as Ziera shot him a helpless, pleading look, which he ignored by averting his gaze as he thrust his thumb out behind him, pointing at the bridge doors. "I'm going to the hangar. I need to strengthen my bond with the Black Lion."

"D-don't leave me with her!" The engineer begged, trying to pull away from Allura's iron grip, shrieking at Shiro as he turned and quickly left the room to escape their antics. "A-Allura, I need to get those blueprints!"

"They're just mice, Era," Allura stated simply, smiling as she softened her mischievous expression and carefully let go of Ziera's arm, watching as the feline stepped back, but did not make a beeline for the doors. "They won't hurt you."

"M-mice are not harmless!" She squeaked out. "They carry pathogens and have a bite that does a little more damage than I'd care to experience!"

"Where did you learn that?" Allura asked incredulously, arching a brow as she pouted, slightly offended by her claims, as were her mice-y friends.

"...Uhm..." Ziera sweat-dropped, looking at anything but the princess as she tried to recall where she had heard all those facts from. "I...Can't remember."

The princess sighed and held out her hand as the largest, but sweetest mouse ran down her arm and settled on her palm, sat on its hind legs as it stiffed the air near Ziera's trembling form. "Look, I promise you these mice are harmless..." She assured her. "Go on, try petting him, he won't bite."

Ziera hesitated, looking from the mouse to Allura's comforting smile, she then lifted her shaky hand and crooked her finger, holding it out so it was near the mouse's nose. The cute ball of fuzz gave her finger a tentative sniff before he plopped down on his belly, excited for head and back pets. Seeing the adorable display, the feline's nervous frown quirked up into a small smile, then she shakily placed her finger on the mouse's head, stroking down its back once, twice, three times before she finally relaxed completely, the other mice running down for pets too.

"See?" Allura gleefully asked, watching as Ziera became startled for a moment as the mice climbed up her arm, then relaxed and giggled as they tickled her neck, settling on her shoulders cutely. "They're much more gentle than people give them credit for."

"I guess you're right," Ziera said, stroking the small, mean-looking blue mouse's head, her heart-melting as his little face softened comfortably under her touch. "They're rather sweet, aren't they?"

Allura's small smile spread into a bright grin as Ziera matched her expression, the two just lovingly petting the mice as the feline let her rather ironic fear melt away. "Now that we've handled that little...spectacle." The Princess started as two of the mice crawled back onto her shoulders. "Shall we head to the engine room for those blueprints?"

In an instant, the lingering dread in Ziera's eyes transformed into glittering excitement at the idea of tinkering with some amazing machines. She had even forgotten that she originally asked that Allura gained access to the systems from the bridge itself. "Y-yes please!"

The royal Altean laughed under her breath at her friend's refreshing excitement and the two made their way out of the bridge doors and down the corridor in search of the engine room. In all honestly, Allura felt awkward around her, considering she once suspected Ziera of being a spy for Zarkon. How would she build a friendship with someone who she had so cruelly accused of working with her enemy?

Ziera herself was looking down at the cuff of her wrist, opening it up to check on the settings for her Skate-Overs, her way of keeping herself occupied in the silent atmosphere. Allura glanced over at what she was doing when she realized her companion did not seem to mind the awkward lapse in conversation. "What're you doing?" She asked curiously, making the feline jump slightly in surprise.

"O-oh!" The Tylyrion female looked from Allura to her controls and back again, smiling sheepishly, her ears curving downwards in her embarrassment. "I, uhm...I like to tinker when it's too quiet, so I was checking the settings on my Skate-Overs."

"Those are the boots you created yourself, right?"

Ziera nodded, stopping to lift her foot and show off the heavy-duty metalwork of the boots. "Yes! I don't remember much about their creation, just the moment I finished working on them and tested them for the first time." She smiled at the memory, her ombre eyes softening as she remembered her gleeful expression at the achievement. "It was the memory that allowed me to remember how to use them and helped me aid my friends in our fight against the Galra who had taken over their city."

Allura hummed and bent over to take a closer look at the boot, then glanced up at Ziera with a small, curious pout. "Then what made you want to be an engineer, to begin with?" She asked.

Ziera's softened smile turned into a solemn frown. "Honestly?" The cat-like engineer started, lowering her foot and clenching the chain of her beloved pendant. "I can't remember at all why I wanted to be an engineer...But I do remember when I fell in love with engineering for the second time."

The princess straightened up and arched a brow as Ziera continued towards the engine room, forcing her royal friend to follow. "I was given a tour of the Olkari's forest home for the first time, and I happened to see them inventing a new type of weapon made from the petals of a flower..." The feline giggled. "I was in such awe over their marvelous creations, but was overwhelmed with an all-too-familiar pain between my temples..." She stroked her right temple as if the pain could still be felt, over one hundred years later. "And I was flooded with images and moments of my previous self tinkering with different machines, each one a failure, but I never seemed to give up...In the end, I learned one thing about myself from those images, and the feeling remained even after I came to my senses...An overwhelming love for creating machines, and seeing just how they work and move for myself."

"So you saw your love for engineering in a memory, and the feeling stuck with you?" Allura asked as they finally arrived at their destination. She pressed a few buttons on the keypad and the door split in two and slid open with a 'whoosh.'

"Mm-hm~!" Ziera nodded excitedly as they entered the room and Allura got to work on finding those blueprints, having to change the language settings back to Altean, as the feline had forgotten to do so after aiding Coran in keeping the Teladuv up and running.

This made the princess' lips tug upwards into a snicker, despite her experience with technology, it seemed that some things would slip through the cracks depending on the pressure of the situation. Allura did not blame her in the slightest for the oversight, with all things considered, it made sense to forget to switch the language settings back during a crisis.

With the press of a holographic button, a small device ejected from the larger machine, it looked somewhat like a scroll. It was two silver tubes connected securely as if with glue, however, no such adhesive could be seen. The Altean royal picked it up and held it out to Ziera. "There, this is a portable screen that's programmed to display the pod's blueprint whenever it's activated."

"What an interesting device!" Ziera exclaimed, taking the small screen in her hands as she looked it over as if assessing its design. "I wonder what the inside mechanics look like..."

Allura laughed. "Well, since you need that to make your ship, I doubt you want to risk destroying it to find out~."

The feline faltered and blushed, realizing she had let her tech-obsessed mentality take over again. With a nervous giggle, she found the button on the two cylinders and pressed it, almost jumping out of her skin in surprise when the two metal tubes separated with a 'fwsh' and revealed a holographic screen displaying the blueprints she asked for. "Oh, so that's how it works." She mumbled, earning a laugh from the princess.

"Perhaps we should make our way to the pod bay?" Allura pointed out, gesturing to the door while Ziera absentmindedly turned and walked towards it, her eyes still fixed to the screen. The princess let out an exasperated breath and opened the door, watching as her feline friend continued her zombie-like walk down the corridor, as if on auto-pilot. "You really shouldn't do that."

"Do what?" Ziera asked, her tone giving away how distracted she was.

"Read while you're walking, you're inclined to crash into a wall in these hallways."

And with that, the engineer realized what she was doing and blushed, closing the screen while she turned black with embarrassment. "A-ah. Sorry, I should really pay attention to my surroundings."

Allura giggled and held her hand up to her mouth, hiding her small smile behind the pinky side of her palm. "It's fine, you remind me of Pidge quite often, did you know that?"

"Hm, no I didn't. I'm flattered, Pidge is a genius among her species. Even on Tylyrio she would be a valuable scientist! And we're a species well known for our scientific understanding and natural instincts!"

"Your people sound very interesting! You really should tell me more about them sometime."

Ziera's bright smile faltered and she withdrew slightly, looking down at the floor as a frown took over and Allura's own smile faded at the sight. "I would...But I still can't remember much about them, and...Well, I can't show you my home when it no longer exists, can I...?"

Allura placed her hand on Ziera's shoulder. "No one understands your pain as much as I...I won't say it gets easier, but as times goes on, you're able to cope with the pain and live your life even through your grief..."

"It's even worse when you can't remember your own family...You have memories of your planet, a comfort in the darkness, but I have nothing...Just myself as a reminder of what I once was." Tears pricked Ziera's eyes and she took a deep breath as they stopped at the doors to the pod bay. She quickly wiped her eyes with the back of her arm, ignoring Allura's concern as she pressed a button on the keypad and the doors slid open. "There's no use dwelling on that now. if I keep thinking about it, it'll get harder. I need to work, I can't get stuck in my forgotten past when there are more important things to be focusing on."

Allura went to speak but hesitated as her surprisingly strong ally walked ahead of her, looking from one pod to another as she tried to figure out which one would take her torturous tinkering without much hassle. The homeless Altean understood her need to distract herself from the pain of her loss, but she knew that in the long run, ignoring the pain would only help it grow stronger. Until Ziera could process her grief properly, it would forever haunt her thoughts.

However, she also knew that her friend had to figure that out on her own, that forcing her to think about it would only cause her more harm than good, so she awkwardly cleared her throat and got Ziera's attention. "Well, now that you've found your way and have what you need, I should leave you to work in peace..." The princess stated sheepishly, giving Ziera a stiff wave before she turned to leave.

"Princess!"

Allura paused mid-step and leaned back to see her from around the open doorway. Ziera had a gentle smile on her face, holding the device in both hands. "Thanks for...well, this." She lifted the small object to indicate what she meant. "And for listening to me...It helps to talk about it sometimes, but I just want to...Lose myself in my machines for a while."

The Altean princess' shoulders sagged as she relaxed with a sigh and a smile. "I'm glad I could help you. I deeply regret the first impression I must have left, and if this has helped you see me in a different light, then it was worth every second of my time."

The two shared a gentle wave and Allura turned and left, her footsteps echoing down the hall until she was out of earshot, well, earshot for her species anyway. Ziera could hear a pin drop from the hangar to the very top of the ship, thanks to her species' elevated hearing.

Said ears lifted slightly as she opened the screen again and in no time, she found herself a good, strong-looking pod to experiment on and got to work altering the plans on her little monitor until she was happy with the design, mechanics and overall compatibility of the tweaks she would be making.

If she worked hard enough, she would have a working fighter jet in no time.

~FbnL~

It had been a good hour since she started working on the plans, however, Ziera had been forced to stop due to a small error in her ideas. The controls of the ship were far too simple to work with any adjustments she would potentially make. Therefore, the first order of business for her was to change the control system and allow for even more changes to be made after future installations were added.

After coming to that realization, Ziera found herself inside the cockpit of the small pod, lying on her back between the two seats as she situated herself beneath the controls themselves. The large metal panel keeping her away from the mechanisms of the machine had been removed, and at her side was a small box of tools she had collected from her room, once contained within the boxes she had arrived with.

"I need to give Allura and Coran praise for their security systems..." Ziera mumbled, grunting as she tried to turn a fairly rusty screw to reach the alarm system. "If this alarm is anything to go by, stealing one of these pods would be impossible without alerting the entire castle."

She had already assured Allura that there was not a problem when the alarm first went off and the princess barged in, ready to do battle with any potential threats. It had been a funny discussion and Ziera could not help but laugh laughed at the memory as she slid out from beneath the control unit, tossing her screwdriver into the toolkit before she realized she had left her wrench under the console.

With a soft huff, she crawled back under, this time on her stomach and looked around for her wrench. "Ah-ha!" She exclaimed as she snatched it up from the darkest corner of the small space before she lifted herself while crawling backwards to leave her cubby hole.

However, due to her position, she miscalculated her exit and without the ability to see the back of her head, she hit it full force off the metal edge of the control unit, letting out a loud yelp as she slid out from beneath the console and gripped her scalp with her clawed fingers. The pain pulsed through her head as tears pricked her eyes and she gritted her fangs together. "Ow, ow, ow, ow...!" She whined, waiting for the pain to subside so she could cognitively understand her surroundings again.

But the pain did not stop. Instead, the pulsing sensation only intensified into a dull ache that felt like her skull was being torn in half by unseen hands. Her surroundings still rattled, now blurred and every sound, every ringing sensation the sudden impact caused, dulled into a silent hum.

Then everything went black.

"Hey!"

Ziera yelped as she jumped and slammed her head against the metal underside of the ship she had been tinkering with. Whining, she pulled herself out from beneath the machine using a wheeled wooden board she was lying on for ease of movement. Once she was out from under the dark underbelly, she came face to face with a young man who's featured matched her own.

He had short cyan colored hair, much like she did, dark skin, yellow-tinted square markings that looked almost like the whiskers of a cat on his cheeks, along with markings on the edges of his eyes and down the bridge of his nose, and large, ombre-tinted red to purple eyes. It was like looking in a mirror that displayed the same person of the opposite gender.

"Denzie!" Ziera complained, sitting up and rubbing her forehead as the serious man's features twisted and he finally broke down in laughter. "You know not to disturb me when I'm working!"

"Ha, ha, sorry sis!" Denzie snickered, sitting down in front of her, his tail swishing behind him, the furry end the same colour as his hair. "I just wanted t'see if you needed any help! Oh, and Mom's not happy with you."

Ziera groaned. "What did I do now?"

"You missed dinner again, she knows you get absorbed in your work, so she sent me to tell you that you need to go home and eat at some point."

"But that means stepping away from the ship..." She sighed.

Suddenly she saw a hand in front of her face and Denzie flicked her forehead, making her yelp again as he pouted, glaring at her like a strict parent. "So what? You're not a machine yourself! You need t'rest once in a while!"

Ziera mirrored his pout. "You wouldn't think I was the oldest, with the way you're acting..."

"Just 'cause you're two minutes older than I am, doesn't make you my big sister." He stood up and planted his hands on his hips. "Now c'mon, let's get you some food, then we can come back and get this ship done so you can relax!"

Ziera stared for a moment and Denzie's serious frown twisted into a small smile as he held out his hand for her to take. Within a moment, a sweet smile of her own resonated with his and she took his hand, allowing him to lift her to her feet.

Ziera gasped as she suddenly felt herself return to the realm of reality, she lifted her head and looked around with wide eyes, finding herself back in the cockpit of the pod, where she was before she experienced yet another flashback of her past. The images she saw, the conversations she heard, they all played through her head and her breathing elevated. She felt her eyes fill with tears and her expression twisted in anguish as she choked out a sob and covered her face, wailing on the floor of the ship as the weight of her visions settled on her.

She had a brother. A twin brother. And he was dead.

Before she had told Allura that she at least had memories of her family and that it was a comfort to remember the good times, but now that she had experienced a little of her own life, it hurt, it hurt so much that she could barely stand the pain. She grasped the pendant in both hands as she all but curled in on herself, her sobs turning into agonizing whimpers. "D-Denzie...!"

She did not know what to do, she did not know how to process such a painful loss. Without giving herself time to re-calibrate, she quickly scrambled to her feet and clambered out of the window of the pod, rushing from the large room with her Skate-Overs fully activated, despite her promise to Pidge. The tears she felt in her eyes blurred her vision but did not stop her as she made her way to the hangar, ignoring the elevator as she instead did the awkward steps of using the zipline and cart to find her way to the resting place of the Black Lion, where Shiro currently resided.

The moment she entered the large room where the small part of Voltron rested, she saw Shiro exiting the maw of the Black Lion, petting the side of its paw as it straightened up completely, then powered down. He heard the hum of her boots and turned to the sound, his black eyes widening as he stared at her grief-stricken, flushed, tearful face staring back. "Ziera...?" He managed to say before she choked back another sob and switched her shoes off, running at him and tackling him in a much-needed hug.

Confused, and a little scared for her well being, he remained still for a moment as she cried against him, then put his arms around her, his mechanical limb patting her back gently. "Hey, what's the matter?" He asked, his tone soothing to assure her she was safe with him, she could tell him anything without judgement.

"I-I remembered something...!" She blurted out, stepping back as she wiped her eyes with both her hands, while Shiro held her shoulders in hopes of grounding her and giving her comfort. "I-I...!"

"Shhh, take deep breaths, you're fine, you're safe..." He said softly, watching as she did as she was told between her hiccups and sobs. "Once you're ready, you can tell me what happened..."

It took a while for Ziera to calm down, and Shiro took the time to lead her to a different part of the castle, the two eventually settling in the kitchen, where there was ample space to sit and talk without interruption. Ziera was sat on the opposite side of a counter, while Shiro leaned against the other side, he just stood there as he patiently waited for her to begin explaining her sudden emotional breakdown.

"I..." The feline stated, her voice strained from her tears, but no longer hysterical. Instead, she looked tired, her eyes puffy and her cheeks black and irritated from constantly rubbing away her falling tears. "I hit my head on the control panel when I was working on the pod..." She started, covering her face by placing a hand on her forehead, looking down at the cup of suspicious blue tea that was placed before her. At least, she hoped it was tea, Shiro could not understand the Altean language, nor how to change the language settings, and she had been too distraught to help him. "A-and it triggered a memory."

The images replayed in her head and she clenched her hand against her hair, jumping slightly when Shiro touched said hand and carefully placed it on the counter so she did not hurt herself by pulling her hair out of her scalp. "Remember, you're safe...It was a memory, it can't hurt you anymore."

This caused her to swallow another lump as it formed in her throat. "That's the thing..." She choked out, her chin quivering. "This one still hurts...!"

Shiro's expression turned to confusion and he sat down on the stool he had originally planned to use. Now eye to eye with his friend. "What do you mean?"

"I saw my family..."

Oh...Oh, he knew what she meant. His brows softened and a solemn frown crossed his usually calm features. However, he stayed quiet, she needed to explain it to him, or she would hold back on her emotions and cause herself more pain further down the line.

"I saw a man who looked exactly like me, we were chatting, and laughing, and it was just a normal, everyday occurrence...S-something you'd forget after a week or two normally..." Ziera covered her eyes as she let out a shuddering breath, her tears blurring her vision again. "B-but it hurt so much because I knew that anyone I knew before is now dead...! I finally remembered someone from my past, and he's dead!"

She let out a hiss and angrily slammed her fist onto the counter, surprising Shiro, who jumped back as her tea trembled in its cup. "It just reminded me that I'm alone now, that I don't have anyone to really call family, or anywhere to call home!" Her loud voice then settled into a soft whimper. "I'm all alone...And I'm scared to remember anything else because I know it'll hurt even more..."

Silence settled in the room, apart from the barely audible sobs the traumatized feline expelled in her pain. Shiro let out a deep breath and took her hand, squeezing it tightly until she looked up at him in surprise, her eyes wide and shining with unshed tears. "You're not alone." He assured her, smiling gently, soothingly as he gave her hand another squeeze with both of his. "It may not be the same, but you have a family and a home...Ryner, Melrak, Colren, Janze and Sephira would agree with me."

Ziera's eyes widened as she realized what he meant, but he continued none-the-less. "The others would say it too! We might not be blood, but we're all part of your family in some way, we all work together for a brighter future, and the bonds we share, despite only being here a short time, won't be swayed. I'd consider that a familial bond, wouldn't you?"

Shiro carefully let go of her hand and grabbed a nearby napkin, holding it out to her in his non-human hand. "Olkarion, and even the Castle of Lions could be considered your home too..." He watched as she took it and gently dabbed her eyes, being careful not to aggravate her skin further. "I'm not saying this'll make it easier, but you don't have to grieve alone, we've all lost something important to us, and we'll all listen if you need to talk."

"How did..." Ziera started, coughing a little with the hoarseness in her throat. She took a sip of her tea and was actually surprised when it warmed and soothed her dry throat. It tasted like bitter medicine but helped as well. Shiro had a good eye. "How did you cope with the fear of remembering your past?" She asked, taking another sip.

Shiro's gentle smile turned into another frown and he thought his answer through. "I...I won't lie and tell you they don't affect me...I still have nightmares about my time with the Galra, even now..." He looked down at his mechanical arm, clenching and unclenching his fist. "Sometimes I'll wake up and feel the pain from when they took my arm...It's haunting, and I never really know when I'll suffer through those memories again."

Ziera's ears dipped and she looked down at her tea. "Oh..."

"But I look forward anyway, I face my past with my fists clenched tightly, and use my experiences to build a better future for my friends, for my family." He clenched his fist as she looked up and the two locked eyes for a moment. His lips curled into an understanding smile, and unclenched his hand, holding it out to shake her's. "Because if I let my past control the present, then I'd still be trapped on that ship, fighting for my life."

Ziera stared for a moment, then she let out a broken sound, akin to a grateful sigh. She took his hand and shook it tightly, feeling the very real metal and the kindness of his gesture. "I get it..." She managed, putting down her tea. "It hurts, and it will always hurt, one way or another, but...If I channel that pain into something productive, a goal of some sort, it'll help me look forward, not back...Right?"

Shiro nodded and stood up, watching as she did the same. "Right." He walked with her to the door. "If you see any more memories that are too painful for you, don't think you can't talk to me about them...I probably understand what you're going through as much as Princess Allura does. We can be a good ear if you need to vent."

Ziera giggled and nodded. "I know...Thank you for talking to me...I hope the same could be said for you...If you wake up with those pains again, wake me up, ok? I might be a little sleepy, but I'll definitely listen if you needed someone to talk to."

Shiro laughed. "I'll keep that in mind."

The feline lifted her hand to open the door, but hesitated, causing Shiro to tilt his head to the side curiously. "Would you..." She started, looking over at the seasoned pilot. "Would you keep me company while I work on my ship? I...don't want to be alone right now."

He could not help but let out a huff of laughter, but not in a mocking way, no, he was just glad she trusted him so much. He nodded and opened the door, gesturing for her to go first. "It'd be an honor, Ziera, no...Era. I'll stay for as long as you need."

Ziera thanked him softly as the two exited the kitchen and made their way back to the pod bay, chatting aimlessly about trivial topics to put both their minds at ease. She was truly grateful that both he and Allura were willing to listen to her qualms, and she knew with them by her side, she would be fine, even with her painful memories.

She just had to trust that they had her back just like she had theirs.

~FbnL~

Finally, another hour had passed, and both Shiro and Ziera had taken a break for the day. The two stepped through the doors to the bridge as they slid open, just as Shiro finished explaining what had happened with him and the Black Lion before she had arrived. "So when I opened my eyes, it turns out we never left the hangar at all...I owe the Black Lion a lot for saving me."

"Praise the Divine Beings that it was able to come to your aid in time." Ziera chimed in, the doors closing behind them. However, before she could continue with what she was going to say, the two looked over at the central platform in the room and instantly froze at what they saw.

Allura turned her head to look at them, surprised they were back so soon, her hair was styled in an array of strange and unique ways. She was sure one of the plaits she now adorned was tied like a ribbon too, so God only knows how silly she looked to her two onlookers. "Oh, you're back!" She blurted out, quickly standing up as the mice squeaked back giggles. "How did it go?"

"Well-" Shiro started, only for the bridge doors to burst open once again and Coran, dressed in an odd garb with an eye-patch, all but leapt inside, followed by his far younger travelling companions.

"We got the Scaultrite lenses!" The older, far sillier, Altean called out excitedly.

"Excellent!" Allura gleefully responded, running over to look at the large blue lenses in Coran's satchel. They looked almost like giant blue plates but slightly see-through. They were basically larger versions of Hunk's Scaultrite cookies, which made Ziera giggle a little. "Now we can get the Teladuv up and running!"

"Uhm..." Shiro piped up, crossing his arms as he made eye contact with the newest member of Team Voltron, a large black and white creature which seemed a little spaced out. "Is that a cow?"

Lance smirked as he looked over at the cow, who seemed to respond to his voice. "Mmhm! His name is Kaltenecker!"

Both Shiro and Ziera glanced at each other, one brow raised between them before they looked back at the bovine creature before them. "What's a cow?" The Tylyrion female blurted out, stepping closer to the large beast. "It looks a lot like our Gnecterives! It's so big!"

No one knew how to respond to that comment, so Keith decided to change the subject. "So..." He started, getting Shiro's full attention. "Did you find a way to bond with your lion?"

"Yes." The veteran pilot said, looking down as his expression intensified. "And we need to get moving..." He looked up at the window of the ship, staring out into space as if their destination would magically appear before them. "We're going to The Blade of Marmora's headquarters!"

Coran lifted the sachel. "I'll plot a course!" He stated, before he spun and sprinted off to the engine room to set up the Teladuv lenses, they could not go anywhere without the ability to wormhole.

"While you're doing that..." Pidge started, hugging the box she carried. "I'm gonna hook up the video game Lance and I bought!" She dropped to the floor on her knees and slammed the box down, opening it without any time for questions, especially from their newest alien companion, who had never seen such a device before.

"Yeah!" Lance exclaimed, grabbing the controller while Ziera inspected it in his hands. "Let's set this baby up!"

Pidge excitedly grabbed the wires and stood up. "Where can we...?" Slowly, they realized there were no Earth televisions to connect the wires to. "How do we...?"

And something in the small Green Paladin snapped, she let out a weak laugh, eye twitching as both Lance and Ziera shared a confused, nervous look. Then out of nowhere, the poor young teen bellowed out a "NOOOOO!" Knowing she could not play the game she and Lance had worked hard to buy.

Lance crouched down beside Pidge as she flopped to her knees, defeated, and patted her back. "Hey, it's no big deal, with your big brain, you'll figure out a solution in no time!"

"Lance is right, Pidge." Ziera started, crouching down in front of her with a kind smile, glancing down at the controller she had taken from Lance to inspect properly. "And until then, I have something you can help me with to keep you occupied!"

Pidge looked up with tired, sad eyes. "Like what?" She asked with a soft, defeated voice.

The feline's smile widened and she opened the screen she had been given, showing Pidge the blueprints with large red alterations added by Ziera's own hand. "I came up with the designs and alterations I needed to make to the pod to turn it into a fighter jet, but as I tend to miss one or two practical points to ensure they work, I wondered if you wanted to go through them with me and help me iron out any fatal errors?"

The young Earthling's eyes lit up within seconds and she jumped to her feet, causing Lance to fall back on his ass in response, eyes wide and almost terrified. "Yeah! I can't wait to see what Tylyrion engineering looks like for a ship!"

Ziera giggled and stood up, gesturing to the door, watching with soft, grateful eyes as her friend spun around and ran to them as if she was going to Disneyland. Slowly, the feline followed, turning off the screen and holding it tightly in her hand as she neared the doors.

"Hey, Era."

The engineer hummed and turned around to see Shiro smiling at her, his eyes portraying the same emotion they showed when she went to him for comfort. "Take care of yourself, okay?"

She blinked twice in surprise before she mirrored his expression and nodded. "Yeah, I will." She then gave him a little wave, which he also returned before she left the room.

"Uhhh..." Pidge piped up as the two walked down the corridor towards the pod bay. "What was that about?"

"Oh, it's nothing..." She shrugged, her tail swishing behind her cheerfully. "He just gave me some really sound advice earlier...That's all."

And for that, she was eternally grateful, because now she knew, just by seeing them all interacting on the bridge, that she was never truly alone. Not with so many wonderful friends surrounding her.

A/N: Thank you so much for reading! I hope you liked this chapter, please review, as I'd love to get your feedback on what I could improve or keep the same!

No Voltron time was used in this chapter.