Nunnally bit her lip as she walked slowly down the hallway. Sugiyama had finally given permission for her to try walking by herself, without a wheelchair or walker, but had warned her to only walk (no running or other such activities) and push herself too hard.

She knew if her brother found out what she was about to do, he'd probably have a heart attack, or pop a blood vessel with anger. But she had to try.

Stopping at the door, she knocked softly, hoping she wasn't disturbing him.

A few moments passed before the doors slid open.

"I have a request."


"You wanted to talk to me, C.C.?" Nunnally asked from the quarters of the princess's private bedroom. Hers was just on the other side of the hall. Not right next to Lelouch's, like he would have preferred, but as close as they could possibly make it.

"Yes," C.C. said, sitting down on her bed, "What happened in the Black Lion. In its mind or wherever we were. That power that you used. It looked similar to something your brother's able to do. And you seemed to know what you were doing as well. How long have you been able to do that?"

Nunnally looked down, looking a little embarrassed. "To be honest, I'm not sure myself. I… please don't tell Lelouch about this. I'll tell him eventually, but if he finds out from anyone but me, he won't be happy."

"I'm pretty sure Lelouch saw you use that shield during the fight already," C.C. pointed out, confused by the request.

"No! Not that!" Nunnally exclaimed, "You see… I've secretly been training with Colonel Tohdoh."

C.C. blinked. Even for her, she wasn't expecting to hear this from Nunnally.

"I approached him a few weeks ago after everyone was asleep, and I asked him to train me. He tried to talk me out of it at first, but I insisted. We've been having private sessions on the training deck when no one else was around. I did that shield for the first time by accident…


Tohdoh swiftly swung his bokken as Nunnally ducked and raised her own in defense. She parried his first two strikes before the Colonel charged forward with a series of quick strikes in which Nunnally was barely able to block.

Then she lost her footing and landed on her rear, her bokken clattering away.

With a gasp, she raised her hands to block the finishing blow, flinching and closing her eyes.

Only to hear a cracking sound moments later.

When she opened her eyes again, she saw Tohdoh standing about a foot away, but with a suspicious and bewildered expression on his face, his bokken still raised.

"Wh-what's wrong?"

"...I feel like I hit something hard…" Tohdoh answered softly, eyes narrowing.


"We've been testing it on and off during training ever since," Nunnally explained, wringing her hands slightly and looking down.

C.C. frowned thoughtfully, "It looked very similar to Rivalz's Geass, but I know for a fact that you don't have a Geass. Not from me nor anyone else…"

Neither of the girls had to say it aloud as the only other Code Bearer they knew of besides Haggar (Was she a Code Bearer? They still didn't know) was V.V., and he was clearly still in deep stasis under the castle.

"Have you seen something like this before, C.C.?" Nunnally asked anxiously. Not that the princess didn't think having powers was cool, but it would at least give her some reassurance that there was either an explanation behind them or someone else with similar abilities.

But the immortal shook her head, "I haven't seen anything like this before. Lelouch, as you saw, can do something similar, but he's always had his Geass active when he attacked like that."

"Well… maybe it doesn't have to do with his Geass," Nunnally insisted.

"I don't know…" C.C. muttered, "It's possible that you both being exposed to quintessence made this happen too, you with the cryopod and Lelouch with the Black Lion. But all of the other Paladins also have the same bond with their Lions, and Rivalz has been in a pod before too, yet none of them have showcased powers like this either. There's simply not enough concrete evidence to use as proof."

"Well…" Nunnally mumbled, "Brother and I are part Galra too. Maybe it has to do with that?"

C.C. shook her head, "The Galra aren't magic-users so that can't be it."

Nunnally looked down frowning, "What about Haggar? She uses magic."

C.C. scowled, "Well, we're not sure what Haggar is, but she's definitely not Galra, but until we have more information we can't be sure of anything."

Before either of the girls could say anything else the comm beeped on.

"C.C., Nunnally," Coran called through it, "Come to the bridge please."

Realizing that they had arrived, the two exited the room and headed to the bridge.


On the bridge, the two girls were greeted by the other Paladins, Alteans, and the core members of the Black Knights. The Britannian Princesses, Guilford and Nonette, and the three scientists were also there.

"How much farther are we from the coordinates?" C.C. asked, walking up next to Allura, where the Altean was piloting the teludav.

"Based on the coordinates that Ulaz gave us, we should be there in a few dobashes," Coran answered.

"You said this was a resistance group made up of rogue Galran?" Guilford asked suspiciously.

"Simply put, yes," Milly answered.

"Can we trust them?" Ohgi asked, tone unsure and anxious.

No one could blame him for being uneasy of course. Most of the Black Knights were less than thrilled when Lelouch informed them that they were leaving the Solar System. After all, this meant leaving Earth and the rest of their people in the hospitable hands of Zarkon's forces. Lelouch reassured them though, that if everything went according to plan, they should return soon. They'd only be gone for a few months max. And while a lot could happen in that time, they didn't have much of a choice. If Zarkon had sent just a few battleships to Earth, Lelouch was sure they could have figured a strategy out to deal with them, but not with the entire Galra HQ there. That base alone housed thousands of battleships and millions of Galra soldiers and sentries. If they tried a counterattack now, with their resources once again limited, supplies cut off, and little to no data on the Galra's attack plans, they would be slaughtered.

This was enough to pacify most of the Black Knights as they saw his point, but that didn't exactly make the situation easier.

"Ulaz was the one that set me free when I was still held captive," Rai informed them, "Without him, we never would have found the Blue Lion on Earth. Not before it was too late anyway."

"How did he free you?" Nonette asked, tone laced with anger at the reminder that Rai had once been a prisoner of war.

"We don't know the details, but by the time Rai escaped, Ulaz had made his way through the Galra ranks, and eventually was in a rank and position to interact with high profile prisoners like Rai," Kallen explained. "When we met Ulaz for the first time, he mentioned that there were dozens of others like him that were doing the exact same thing."

"With so many people on the inside, the group was likely hoping to try and take Zarkon down internally," Suzaku added.

"Not only that," Tohdoh said, realization slowly dawning, "If they really have that many infiltrating agents, this group likely has access to a lot of Zarkon's plans. Allying with them would give us access to this inside information as a result."

"Yep!" Shirley chirped, "That's why we're going to talk to them."

"If we can convince the Blade of Marmora to form an official alliance with Voltron, this will be a good first step into officially forming the Voltron Coalition." Allura agreed.

"I honestly can't wait to see it!" Milly suddenly squealed, "Their main base, I mean. I mean, They were able to fold space-time and that was just at an outpost!"

"Fold space-time?" Lloyd's voice perked up with interest. Rakshata and Cecile also looked intrigued.

Rivalz snickered, "Yeah, it was like one giant space taco! It was awesome!"

"Only you would compare something like that with food, Rivalz," Kallen muttered, shaking her head.

"Oh, man!" Tamaki groaned, "Now I'm hungry!"

"My point is, if that was just an outpost, imagine how insane their main base might be!" Milly exclaimed, "For all we know it's a space pocket within a space pocket!"

"Is that actually possible?" Euphemia asked curiously.

"Probably," Rai said with a grin of his own.

Before anyone could answer her, Lelouch spoke, "Everyone, focus. The base is in range. Take us in slowly Coran."

"Um…" Coran muttered, "That may prove to be the tiniest bit of a challenge."

At Coran's statement everyone looked up through the window and their jaws dropped. Off not too far from the castle was what looked like a blue orb, being sucked in on either side into a whirlpool of colors.

"Is… that a black hole?!" Ohgi gasped.

"No, no, no!" Lloyd exclaimed, sounding like a child that just woke up in a candy factory, "It's two black holes! And one giant blue star!"

"That… doesn't sound better," Nonette said, tone amazed but terrified at the same time.

"Indeed," Rakshata agreed, smirking widely, "Just inside of a black hole the temperature is one-millionth of a degree above absolute zero."

"But, just outside of that is hundreds of millions of degrees celsius," Cecile added, sounding more anxious than excited compared to her two colleagues.

"Okay, but where's the actual base then?" Suzaku asked.

"Um… in between those three deadly celestial objects," Coran answered, pulling up a zoomed-in image. At a glance, the Blade of Marmora HQ looked like part of a broken asteroid. But upon closer inspection, everyone could see the small lights within it, indicating that something or someone was living inside of it.

"Oh wow…" Kaguya commented.

"I get it… with those three extremes so close to each other, this makes it the perfect defensible position. Anyone stupid enough to try and attack would either get burned to a crisp or sucked into one of those black holes." Cornelia observed. She hadn't even met this group yet, and they already had her respect from this alone.

"And even if someone is stupid enough to attack and lucky enough to get in, they'd be completely trapped in there since exiting is likely just as dangerous as entering," Nonette added.

"Okay, but then how the hell are we supposed to get in?!" Tamaki exclaimed. "I'm not exactly keen on becoming a Tamaki kabab!"

"We'll have to hail them first and wait for a response," Allura said, "The group likely knows a safe course to enter between them."

"Well, then what are we… huh?"

Shirley cut herself off when a screen with purple-colored words suddenly appeared on the bridge's main computer.

"Identify yourselves…" a modulated female voice greeted.

"Um… nevermind…" Shirley finished, feeling a little spooked.

"Coran, open that hailing frequency," Lelouch ordered behind him.

The advisor nodded and did so.

"This is Zero and the Paladins of Voltron. We were sent here by Ulaz," Lelouch proclaimed loud and clear.

There was a silence for several seconds, long enough that many of the bridge's occupants began to shift uncomfortably.

Finally, though, the computer responded.

"Two may enter. Come unarmed."

Everyone practically let out a collective sigh of relief at the answer. Half of them were honestly expecting to be turned away, but it seems this group was willing to at least talk to them. Or at least two of them.

"Why would they ask us to come unarmed?" Guilford asked suspiciously.

"It's a reasonable request, Guilford," Lelouch stated, "And besides, we've come too far to let one small inconvenience waver us."

"They just sent us a route to the base," Coran informed them, "but we'll have to move quickly. Because of the solar flares, it's only open for another varga. Then it will be closed for two quintants."

"Wha-they're gonna close it for two years?!" Tamaki sputtered.

"Tamaki, a quintant is a day," Kallen deadpanned, "A decaphoebe is a year. So it'll be closed for two days."

"Oh…" the red-head muttered, feeling a little embarrassed.

"So um… who's going to go? They specifically said only two people," Shirley said.

"Well, obviously Lelouch should go," Rivalz said immediately, "I mean, he's practically the face of the coalition right now. People are more likely to listen if the leader goes, right? Isn't that how it works?"

"The more influential the member is, the more likely they'll cooperate and agree to compromise, yes," Euphemia nodded along with Kaguya, "Or at least, that's how it usually is on Earth."

"Okay, so Lelouch is one, who else then? Allura?" Suzaku asked, glancing at the Altean.

"That may not be the best idea," Lelouch countered, "If something goes wrong, Allura's the only one capable of piloting the castle away from here. We still don't know if this group will turn hostile or not. Apologies, Princess, but it's better to be safe rather than sorry."

"No, your reasoning is sound, Lelouch," Allura agreed.

"Alright, Allura's out," Nonette said, "Anyone else you have in mind?"

"What about Rai?" Shirley suggested, "He's the one that Ulaz freed."

"I don't think that's a good idea either…" Rai said, "I'm more of a science geek than a diplomat."

"We'll need Kallen there as an escort at the very least," Lelouch stated, making the Red Paladin blink in surprise.

"Me?" she gasped, "But… Lelouch, I'm not a negotiator…"

"Even so, we still haven't completely severed Zarkon's link with Zen, so she needs to stay here in case he can still use it somehow. Plus, out of all the Lions, Aka will be able to withstand the heat of that sun the most. So yes, Kallen, you'll be going."

"...Okay then," she relented, shoulders slumped.

"Alright, so-"

"Let me go too!"

Everyone's head in the room snapped in shock to the source of the voice as Nunnally stood confidently, almost confrontationally, next to Allura and Tohdoh.

"Whoa, whoa, Nunnally! That's not a good idea!" Ohgi exclaimed.

"We don't know what's inside there!" Cornelia protested, "If they have to, Lelouch and Kallen can fight their way out, but…"

"What, you don't think I can take care of myself?" Nunnally asked, angry and offended.

"No! I'm sure that's not what Cornelia meant, Nunna!" Euphemia protested, "You're just… not experienced enough. With negotiating I mean."

"Well, how am I supposed to get good at it if I don't try negotiating! And Kaguya's my age! If she can do it, so can I!"

"Nunnally…" Kaguya bit her lip, "The reason I'm good at it is because I've had to learn how to from a young age, to represent my family in Kyoto. It's not that easy!"

"And besides, this is a rebel military base. Negotiating with military leaders is different from debating with diplomats." Milly added, "Someone who's experienced with this sort of thing would be better, like Ohgi or Tohdoh. Or even Cornelia."

"Lelouch is already experienced with that!" Nunnally protested, "I want to go, so please!"

"Nunnally…"

"I could technically fly the two of you in and just wait in Aka while you two talk to these guys," Kallen suggested, interrupting Lelouch.

"Kallen?!" Lelouch gasped, "You can't be serious!"

"Lelouch, look at her. You may not like to admit it, but you two have more in common than you like to admit. That includes your stubbornness. She's not going to be taking 'no' for an answer anytime soon. And I doubt these Blade guys will appreciate a stowaway, whether you knew about it or not."

Nunnally smiled gratefully at the Red Paladin before turning warily to her brother who still had a slight face of betrayal on his face.

Finally, he sighed, sagging a little, "Fine…"


"Alright Kallen, be cautious on your approach, the course to the base will be quite treacherous," Coran warned from the castle as Aka raced closer and closer to the blue star,
"You're walking a razor's edge between the gravitational pull of the black holes and the sun. One false move, and you'll either be crushed into infinity or burnt to a crisp."

"We got it, Coran," Kallen said shortly, keeping her entire focus on the highlighted route toward the base. Lelouch and Nunnally had joined her in the cockpit, Lelouch in his Zero disguise and Nunnally in a spacesuit of her own, looking identical to the one that Allura wore.

The cockpit was fairly quiet but Kallen glanced over at Lelouch, and something shining and purple caught her eye.

"Um… Lelouch…? They specifically asked you to come unarmed," Kallen reminded him, eying the blade.

"I'm aware of that," Lelouch nodded, "however I also have some questions regarding it and whether my theory is plausible because of it."

"You mean about the two of you being part-Galra?" Kallen asked, briefly glancing between the siblings, "I thought you said you weren't going to worry about that anymore."

"I'm not," Lelouch reaffirmed, "I said I wasn't going to worry about my identity defining me, whether I am part Galra or not. I never said I wasn't going to try and get confirmation."

"If you say so…" Kallen relented with a shrug before glancing at Nunnally. The younger vi Britannian looked unusually grim, frowning and eyes narrowed ahead.

"Hey, Nunnally, are you okay?" the Red Paladin asked.

"I'm fine," the younger girl replied shortly.

Both of the Paladins in the cockpit blinked at the unusual out-of-character tone Nunnally was using.

"Sorry, it's just… you kind of blew up back there on the bridge," Kallen said cautiously, "You've been doing that a lot lately. This can't just be about whether you're part Galra or not."

Nunnally looked down, "I'm sorry… It's just… frustrating! I want to do more and contribute more now that I actually have the ability to."

Lelouch frowned behind his mask, "Nunnally, this isn't a game. This is war."

"I know that!" Nunnally exclaimed, "I've known that since the Special Zone, Lelouch!"

Both Kallen and Lelouch winced at the mention of the Special Zone.

Nunnally looked away as if ashamed, "I just... I just want to do more. I know I can do that at least."

The Paladins glanced at each other before looking back.

"Nunnally, we understand your willingness, but you shouldn't push yourself too hard either. You were just barely cleared by Sugiyama to walk without any support. Seeing you on the astral plane when we… I was fighting Zarkon, that was the most terrifying thing in the world for me," Lelouch said softly, "Being in the custody of our father and Schneizel was one thing, but being anywhere remotely near Zarkon is something else. He will kill you if he gets the chance to."

"Nunnally," Kallen said, "I get what you're going through. Really, I do. I was in the exact same position when Naoto was still around. But there's a huge difference between wanting to contribute and just being reckless. That was something I had to learn the hard way, and it's not a nice lesson."

Before Nunnally could reply, Aka suddenly shook violently and alarms began to blare loudly inside. On the screen, they could see that the path before them was flashing red as well and that they were veering off course.

"Dammit! We're getting drawn in by one of the black holes!" Kallen shouted, pulling hard on Aka's controls.

"Get us out here!" Lelouch ordered.

"No kidding!" Kallen grunted and pulled on a lever. The Aka's thrusters engaged and pushed them out of the gravitational pull. They moved back onto the main track and passed through the opening in the sun just moments before it closed behind them.

"Whew! That was close!" Nunnally breathed in relief.

The Paladins nodded in agreement as Kallen directed the Lion to land carefully on the stone surface of the base.

"You sure you really want to go down there, Nunnally?" Kallen asked again as Aka lowered her head to let them out.

"I haven't changed my mind, Kallen, so yes, I'm going," Nunnally confirmed solemnly as Lelouch headed to the exit.

Kallen sighed, "Alright, guess Aka and I will just stay up here then."

With that, the vi Britannia siblings walked out onto the base's surface and looked around cautiously.

"There's nothing here?" Nunnally quieres quietly, but Zero placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Hold on…" he murmured before they heard the sound of a sliding door opening ahead of them.

Slowly two figures rose from the asteroid on the elevator platform. One was taller and more muscular than the other, but they were both wearing the same uniform; grey bodysuits with a hood, armor covering the legs, shoulders, torso, and arms with the trachea, biceps, and waist exposed. Their chest plates were tapered into an inverted triangle that ended at the pelvis, and the chest plate itself had glowing parallel lines on them. They were also wearing masks over their faces that glowed in a similar way.

Needless to say, the Blade of Marmora had mastered the art of intimidation to a 't'.

Keeping his composure, Zero led the way to the platform, stopping just shy of it before the two members moved to the side to make room, and he and Nunnally stepped onto the platform.

The platform shifted beneath them, Nunnally stumbling slightly, before lowering down, the hatch above them sliding shut. The siblings and two Marmora agents descended into an elevator for several minutes before finally coming to a stop in front of a large door that slid open as the platform slowed to a stop.

The large doors opened revealing a large open room, Galra agents stood in two rows, leading to a raised platform with a single figure standing on it. A holographic logo of the Blade of Marmora was elevated in the center of the room above their heads. Lelouch and Nunnally were led to the platform.

Zero cautiously led the way, Nunnally only a step behind him at his side as they made their way between the rows of agents, approaching the raised platform.

"I am Kolivan," the main figure at the front spoke shortly, "leader of the Blade of Marmora."

"My name is-"

"Zero. Yes," Kolivan interrupted, "We've heard about you."

Masking his irritation about being interrupted, Zero continued, "Then you also know why we are here, and that we were sent by one of your own."

"Who's the little one?" a larger member suddenly remarked from behind, belonging to one of the agents that had escorted them, "This is no place for children."

Nunnally shot a glare back at the larger agent, as it was clear he was talking about her, but her brother's hand on her shoulder calmed her quickly.

"She is a friend," he said calmly. "We're here to have a discussion. Nothing more."

"Ulaz was a fool to divulge this location to you," Kolivan stated, "He had a penchant for ignoring orders and following his impulses. That's what got him killed."

Zero scowled under his mask, "Apologies, but I disagree. I believe Ulaz was a fine warrior. He gave his life to save us once. It's due solely to his actions that brought us here today and why we are seeking your assistance now."

"I am aware of what has befallen Earth, the planet you and Voltron call home," Kolivan confirmed, "Zarkon led the assault himself and is still there now."

'So we were right… good,' Lelouch thought as Tohdoh's theory was confirmed with Kolivan's statement. The Blade of Marmora had clearly infiltrated deep into Zarkon's ranks. They wouldn't have known about this information so quickly otherwise. If this alliance was successful, Voltron would be able to access those same resources, which would give them a big advantage.

"Then isn't that all the more reason for us to have come here?" The Black Paladin said aloud, "If Zarkon's empire is to fall, our forces must unite."

There was a brief pause before Kolivan spoke again, "You were told to come unarmed."

At this statement, Lelouch couldn't help the small smirk forming on his face under the mask, "Oh, so you noticed, did you? Well, that makes things easier as I did have some questions about it."

With nearly a dramatic flourish, Zero removed the Marmoran blade from his belt, holding it in front of him.

Immediately, several members drew their own blades, ready to attack, but Zero quickly exchanged his grip so that he was grasping the blade instead of the hilt.

"Who did you steal that blade from, Zero?" the larger escort demanded, hand twitching on his own weapon.

"On the contrary, I didn't steal it." Zero continued smoothly, though keeping an eye on the members, "If you must know though, somehow this weapon ended up on Earth and eventually came into possession of my family. That is all I know."

"Lies!" the larger member barked.

"Now what on Earth would I gain from lying to you now? If you need further witnesses, I'm more than willing to have my fellow Paladins testify on my behalf," the masked rebel debated back.

There was a tense silence for a moment before Kolivan finally spoke, "Members of our order never abandon his or her weapon. If your statement is true, the one you have likely came from a fallen warrior."

Lelouch relaxed slightly as the leader at least seemed to believe that he hadn't brought it for malicious purposes. "If that is indeed the case, I'm willing to return it. Though I was wondering what this was about…"

The knife, at Lelouch's command, promptly glowed and changed shape into the saber sword it became in the castle the first time.

Once again, many of the members shifted, even Kolivan took a small step back until the knife completed the transformation.

"You've awoken the blade," the Marmoran's leader stated in barely masked shock.

"'Awoken'?" Lelouch questioned.

"The only way this is possible is if Galran blood runs in your veins," Kolivan clarified.

So, that was it. It was now confirmed. The vi Britannian siblings were part Galra and they could tell the other realized it too as they glanced at each other.

"I see…" Zero eventually stated, "Well, I did suspect it for a while, but that changes nothing regarding our intentions."

But before Lelouch could continue to try and begin negotiations, Nunnally spoke up.

"How do you join?"

Zero's head snapped toward his sister, eyes wide in alarm. What? Did she just ask that? Surely he misheard her!

"...Why would you ask such a question?" Kolivan inquired, tone suspicious.

"Because I want to!" Nunnally answered, voice insistent.

If Lelouch had been shocked before, it was quickly morphing into complete horror. What the hell was Nunnally doing?! Was this why she insisted on joining him and Kallen here?! Was this… Was she planning this?!

"I'm Nunnally vi Britannia, flesh and blood sister of Zero!" she continued, "I'm also part Galra and I want to join the Blade of Marmora and your mission!"

Before Kolivan or any of the members could respond, Zero grasped Nunnally's shoulder, hard.

"Excuse me…" he ground out through his teeth, dragging her to the side, "the two of us need to talk!"

The members' gazes trailed after them as Zero led his sister to the far end of the room.

"Nunnally, what the hell was that?!" Lelouch hissed lowly, "We're trying to form an alliance and outbursts like that aren't what make them happen!"

"What made you think I was joking, Lelouch?" Nunnally challenged, looking her brother in the eye (or what she hoped was the eye behind the mask).

Lelouch faltered for a second as the reality finally sunk in that Nunnally was dead serious about this.

"No! I won't allow this!" he exclaimed, "We literally just talked about this, Nunnally! This isn't just a risk, this is complete recklessness! You're not thinking straight!"

"My mind is perfectly clear, brother!" Nunnally argued, "I know what I'm doing!"

"I don't think you do!" Lelouch pressed, "This isn't just a club you can join on a whim! This is a rebel group that we barely know anything about other than a first-hand account from one member!"

"Then isn't that all the more reason for me to do this?!" Nunnally exclaimed, "It's a Galra rebel group, they're more likely to trust us out of everyone from that alone."

"Nunnally, that's not the point!"

"Then what? What's the point then?!"

"It's keeping you out of this war! Or at least as much as I can!"

"This again, Lelouch?!" Nunnally threw her hands up, "I'm not a child anymore! And you know what, as much as I hate fighting and violence, I realized I was a part of this war the second mom died and you know it too! You said so yourself that Father was using me against you!"

"That was different!"

"Why?! Because I was a cripple?!"

Lelouch clenched his fists, struggling to contain his anger. This was new territory for him. He never thought he'd have such an altercation with Nunnally of all people but this was…

"You're not doing this, Nunnally and that's final!" he barked.

Nunnally remained silent for a good five seconds before staring up at Lelouch with an intensity he never would have expected from her.

"Will you use your Geass on me then, brother?" Nunnally asked slowly, "Because I'm telling you now that that's the only way you'll be able to stop me."

Lelouch froze, caught off guard at this statement. Nunnally couldn't be serious?!

"What's wrong? You can make me stop at any time and you know it," Nunnally pressed, her heart breaking as she pressed further, knowing this was a low blow on Lelouch's behalf, "So, will you use your Geass on me and make me abandon my choice?"

Lelouch clenched and unclenched his fists as he stood in place, feeling like a fist was squeezing him tightly. Because… because he'd never do that. Not in a million years.

Nunnally turned back to Kolivan and the others as her brother's shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Tell me how to join," Nunnally asked again, "Whatever it is, I'm willing to do it."

"There's only one way to join our ranks," Kolivan addressed her as if they were sitting in a business meeting and not a rebel base, "The trials of Marmora."

The larger member scoffed, "A child like you has no hope to survive, let alone pass."

"Survive…?" Lelouch whispered softly enough that no one hears, dread pooling in his gut further.

Nunnally glared over at the large member before Kolivan spoke again, drawing her attention, "The path of a Blade is full of hardship, pain, and even death. Knowing this, are you still willing to partake?"

Nunnally nodded, "Yes."

"...Antok, give her a blade. We'll see if her conviction is as strong as her words."


Nunnally did her best to control her breathing as she stood in the middle of an arena. She had changed out of the Altean suit and was now wearing the under armor the Blades wore, her hair up in a high ponytail.

She gripped the blade they had lent her as the hatch in the middle of the room opened and a Blade member rose from the floor.

"Surrender the blade," the member proclaimed, drawing their weapon and spinning it around skillfully, "You can not win."

Crouching, Nunnally charged, the knife tiny against the member's sword. She swiped hard against her opponent's sword. The member blocked it easily as well as the kick Nunnally followed up with. She drove in close again, her blade blocked again, the Blade member back-stepping slightly before grabbing her wrist that was holding the blade.

Nunnally gasped as the member delivered a punch across her face before another hit her shoulder. She tumbled back, rolling several feet before struggling to her feet barely raising her knife in time to block the member's swing, the katas Tohdoh ran her through running through her head. She sidestepped, blocking another strike, then ducking under another.

Then the member kicked her back and swung the blade down again, cutting into Nunnally's shoulder.

She screamed in pain, holding her shoulder, but still holding her blade tightly.


From another room, viewing the fight, Kolivan and Zero stood side by side. From what Kolivan observed, Zero was staying surprisingly calm knowing that it was his sister fighting in the Trials. From the way they had argued, Zero was fervently against this, but whatever she had said to him was enough to stop him.

And while Lelouch maintained the outward calm, inside he was terrified. He wouldn't hesitate to cut through the entire base to get to her if he had to, alliance be damned.


Nunnally was thrown backward, tumbling several feet but she pushed herself to her feet again. She was still disoriented enough that she wasn't prepared for the blade charging forward, grabbing her arm, and circling behind her, grappling her arm painfully behind her back.

She cried out as the member's blade pressed against her neck.

"Surrender the blade," the member repeated, "and the pain will cease."

Nunnally gasped through the pain, gritting her teeth, "I...I won't quit."

"Then the pain continues." The member acknowledged before the member withdrew their blade and let her go.

Nunnally got back to her feet, admittedly confused. If the pain would continue, why was she let go?

The member moved to the side, not making a move to attack at all.

"You are not meant to go through that door," the member gestured to the door at the other end of the room.

Still eyeing the member suspiciously, Nunnally slowly walked, then ran to the door, not giving the member a chance to change his mind and attack again.

Entering through the door, Nunnally found herself in an identical room, but this time there were two platforms at the center. This time, two members arose from the floor.

Swinging their blades, the two members charged, the first making a frontal assault. Nunnally blocked the blade, but the second one flipped over to the other side. Nunnally scrambled backward trying to keep them both in her line of sight, quickly ducking under one attack before quickly blocking the second one, who had swung in to attack again. But then the second opponent stepped in and kicked her to the side, and she nearly lost hold of her knife. The member then delivered a swinging kick to her legs, knocking her off her feet, giving the other member the opportunity to grab her and knee her in the ribs.

Nunnally gasped and gagged, the air knocked from her lungs as she collapsed to her knees. Once more a blade was pressed to her neck.

"Surrender the blade, and the pain will cease," the second member said as if reciting a mantra.

Coughing, trying to catch her breath, Nunnally raised her head, "No!"

The blade withdrew his weapon and stepped aside. "You are not meant to go through that door."

Nunnally struggled to her feet, more unstable than before but ran forward again, heading through the door.


Kallen tapped her fingers impatiently against her forearm. Lelouch and Nunnally had been in the base for about ten varga now and neither had called to update her yet.

"What's taking them so long?" she scowled, sitting back in her chair, "It's not like Lelouch to beat around the bush like this."

Activating her Geass, Kallen decided to take a quick peek into the base herself, if only to ease her anxiety.

She certainly wasn't expecting to see Nunnally in an arena in the middle of a battle against four opponents! And Lelouch… Lelouch was in what looked like a viewing room a distance away with another member!

"What the hell?!" Kallen exclaimed, "Lelouch what are you doing?!"

Kallen's hands immediately flew to her controls to… to what? Attack the base? Well, how else was she supposed to get to them?

To her further surprise though, before Kallen could make a move she felt Aka growl in warning.

"Wha… wait, you don't want me to attack?!" she asked, flabbergasted.

Aka chuffed before Kallen felt her nudge her back toward the base.

"Huh?" Kallen didn't get it but took another look inside with her Geass. This time she focused on Lelouch more closely and she could now see the clear look of distress on the Black Paladin's face. It was clear he wasn't happy with what Nunnally was doing but considering he wasn't swinging his blade around, much less calling her for back up, meant that this was supposed to happen.

Kallen gasped as a recent memory of just hours ago replayed in her head. Specifically of her and Lelouch's discussion with Nunnally about being reckless.

Kallen couldn't help but roll her eyes, "Oh, like you're one to talk."

Aka growled out a chuckle in response.

Kallen sighed nonetheless, "Yeah, yeah, I get it, this isn't my fight. That doesn't mean I have to like it though."

Nunnally's face flashed through her mind and a purr of fondness rolled through her.

Kallen smiled fondly, "Well… Lelouch did make me promise to look after her, in case… something happened to him."

'But… even though I promised that, I'm going to prevent that from happening no matter what.'


Lelouch watched in horror as Nunnally was tossed across the room, her six opponents easily surrounding her, the leader of the squad pointing their blade toward her.

"This is not a fair fight!" Lelouch barked, turning toward Kolivan.

"Nor is taking on the Galra," Kolivan stated stoically, "yet that is the fight we face."

Lelouch clenched his teeth, "How long do you expect this to continue?! This is cruel!"

"So is war," Kolivan countered, actually turning to Zero for the first time since the Trials began, "I would think the infamous Zero would understand that since you challenged Zarkon directly."

Lelouch grimaced, fists clenching, "That may be true, but that does not mean I condone or like it."


Nunnally staggered as she passed through the next door. She coughed and struggled to stay on her feet, but she was determined to see this test through. She wasn't weak. She wasn't.

As she stood in the next chamber she blinked as one platform once again faced her. Why would there be only one platform again? From the pattern that was going on she, unfortunately, was expecting seven opponents to face her.

But to her unpleasant surprise, a familiar muscular member greeted her.

"Surrender the blade, child," Antok ordered, withdrawing his huge claymore-form blade.

Nunnally swallowed, trying to force the fear that she admitted was building inside of her down, defensively holding her blade in front of her.

Antok scoffed and charged like an angry bull toward Nunnally.

Nunnally threw herself to the side, only for Antok to swing his blade around in her direction and she barely raised her knife to block the attack from her position on the floor. Rolling to the side, Nunnally tried to put some distance between herself and Antok, but she underestimated the Galra's he quickly knocked her off her feet, showing little to no mercy as he sent her rolling across the arena with a single swipe of his sword.

"You're a novice," Antok said as he casually approached the down, exhausted girl, like a predator knowing his prey had no hope of escaping, "But even without that knowledge, it's easy to see where your weakness lies."

Antok stomped down on Nunnally's left ankle just as she got her right foot underneath her again. She screamed in pain.


Lelouch gasped as his sister's cries filled the room through the monitor. His hand immediately reached for his knife but didn't draw it just yet.

"You have to stop this!" Zero exclaimed, "What if this kills her?!"

Kolivan, whether he noticed Zero's hand on his weapon, didn't reply and kept watching.


Nunnally screamed again as Antok dug his heel into her leg further, ripples of pain rushing through her body.

"You recently regained usage of your legs, didn't you?" Antok guessed, "I could tell from the moment you walked into this base. A past injury? Grievous enough that you couldn't even use these limbs?"

Nunnally blinked back tears as she struggled to glare up at the Galra bearing down on her.

"Well, if someone like me can notice this, your enemies easily will as well."

Nunnally bit down on her lip, hard enough she wouldn't be surprised if it bled as she thought back to one of her first several training sessions with Tohdoh.


Nunnally held the practice blade as steady as she could, in the grip she was told to hold it, as she faced across from Tohdoh, who was holding his own blade on the training deck.

With a shout, she charged at the samurai, only for Tohdoh to side step and tip his bokken down. Nunnally couldn't stop in time and found herself tripping over the sword.

"You didn't guard your weak point, Nunnally," Tohdoh stated calmly, "As much as you won't want to admit it, your legs will always be your weak link due to your past injuries. If you do not remember to guard them, it will be child's play for your enemy to defeat you."

"Yes, Sensei…" Nunnally groaned in frustration and pushed herself to her feet. Tohdoh had said this at almost every session so far. When he finally agreed to train her, he warned her that once she was deemed recovered enough to walk without assistance, she'd be trained as if she were any other student of his. In other words, she wouldn't be getting any special treatment, especially since she was the one that requested these lessons. In other words, he didn't want to hear her complaining about it being hard or too rigorous.

And she'd held true to that promise so far, and she wasn't planning to break it.

Taking a breath, she turned to face Tohdoh once more.

The Colonel raised his bokken.

"Again!"


Nunnally grit her teeth and with a cry of desperation, Nunnally threw out her hand and forced Antok back, the barely visible shields she developed pushing him backward.


While Kolivan showed no reaction outwardly, he blinked under the mask as that was certainly unexpected.

'Nunnally… you did that on the Astral Plane too, but… I thought that was a fluke from being there,' Lelouch pondered as he too watched in shock, 'So… how long have you been able to do this?'


Antok grunted in surprise but stayed on his feet. Nunnally also managed to get back to her feet, her shield still raised.

"Was that supposed to impress me?" he questioned apathetically, "If that is the extent of your strength..." he leaped toward her once again, sword raised above his head, "...you're doomed to fail!"

Antok brought his sword down hard on the shield, cracking it severely. He brought it down three more times before the shield shattered.

Nunnally barely had time to gasp in horror before Antok struck her down. She didn't have time to recover as she felt something slam into her head, hard against the floor.


At that moment, Lelouch was no longer seeing Nunnally being held down by the blade member, but another dear sister being held under the foot of Zarkon.

He wasn't able to save Cornelia from suffering. Like hell would he let Nunnally hurt anymore.

"I'm calling this off!" Lelouch barked, whirling toward the door, only for two blade members to block his path. "Let me through!"

He felt a hand grab his arm, and he jerked his head to Kolivan, "If you knew this would happen, why did you bring her here? Children have no place in war."

Lelouch didn't give a direct answer, instead giving a guttural growl as his Geass manifested in his eyes, drawing his blade out completely. The red energy coated the blade as it morphed into its sword state, and the masked Paladin sliced down, forcing Kolivan to let go to avoid being hit. He then burst past the two agents at the doorway, racing down the hall toward Nunnally.

"Sir…" one of them muttered as Kolivan stood there a moment, looking at his arm, which he noticed Zero managed to knick before he pulled away. He could barely notice the residual red energy fading from the small cut.

"That power…"


"You think you can stand against the likes of Zarkon?" Antok lectured, digging Nunnally's head deeper into the floor, "A partially crippled child has no chance of surviving in this war, Galra blood or not! If this is really the extent of your resolve, what more can you do for your brother's cause other than a burden?!"

Nunnally cried from more than just the pain this time, but from shame as well. That word again. Burden. Yes, her brother told her that that wasn't what she was. Not to him. But despite that, she never truly believed him. Even now… even now that failure, that helplessness was eating away at her. Why…? Why was it that every time she tried to help it just seemed to blow up in her face? What was the real point of her doing this? To prove that she's not a burden? But then, who was she trying to prove it to? Her brother? The rest of her family? Her friends?

No… She wasn't trying to prove it to them, because they didn't need that proof. This was to herself. She wanted to prove herself wrong. Prove that those insecurities weren't warranted or true. But right now… that's all she really was, wasn't she? A burden.

"GET OFF MY SISTER!"

The weight on her head was lifted moments later, accompanied by a grunt from Antok. Nunnally blinked blearily as she felt familiar arms lift her up and pull her into a warm, safe chest.

Zero grit his teeth as even though he had managed to knock Antok off, several more blades that had followed after him were now swarming into the arena, surrounding the two of them.

Lelouch pushed Nunnally behind him, brandishing his blade, staring down Antok.

"Move, boy…" Antok growled.

"Make me," Lelouch spat back, his sword crackling with energy.

The two rebels readied their weapons, prepared to move in to strike the other-

"I SURRENDER!"

Everything stopped, all heads turning to the source of the cry. Nunnally had fallen to her knees again, gaze turned to the floor of the arena. Several drops of water were splattering the floor, tears rolling down her face.

"I... I surrender…" she whimpered, her gaze heartbroken as she raised her head. Lelouch's heart sank when he saw it, "I surrender...!"

No one moved for several moments before Zero moved to remove his mask, revealing her brother's face, a similar expression mirrored on his own.

"You accept defeat?" Kolivan's voice echoed through the arena, and several Blade members parted to let him through to the center. Lelouch eyed Kolivan warily as he approached.

"Yes... I... I can't win this," Nunnally admitted, tears still streaming down her face, "He was right... I... I am just a burden... I don't want to be... but I know I am... and I hate myself for it…"

A tear rolled down Lelouch's own face, throat constricting, stopping him from protesting, reassuring Nunnally that that wasn't true. That was never true! But… while he may have said that, had he not done enough to show her that? Had she been keeping to herself all this time? Ever since they got her back from Schneizel? How had he not noticed her turmoil until now?

"So yes…" Nunnally nodded, seeming to close in on herself, "I... I accept defeat."

Kolivan stepped closer, then did something completely unexpected.

He removed his hood, his mask vanishing. And smiled.

"A wise decision. Victory or death, that has been the way of the Galra, even before Zarkon's time, and there is honor in standing your ground to the bitter end. However, I believe that those who are more honorable are the ones who are willing to take a step or two back and look for an alternative. You have Galra blood in your veins, yet you choose to surrender knowing you couldn't win. Victory was impossible, and your death would have been meaningless if you were to perish. But you choose neither... and for that reason... you have passed the Trial."

Nunnally's head snapped up, looking at Kolivan in shock. Lelouch also looked at the rebel leader in surprise.

"What...?" Nunnally gasped, "I... I don't... understand."

"You were not meant to go through those doors, remember?" Kolivan reminded her, "There is a reason you were told that. Just because you're capable of something, doesn't mean you should do it. Just as Zarkon had the ability to conquer and rule the universe, it didn't mean he should do it, yet he did it anyway, and look where that has led us. You partook in an uphill battle, but upon realizing it was one you couldn't win, you surrendered. You found the alternative. Zarkon's reign has corrupted our race, cost us our honor and so much more. If we are to not only save this universe, but bring back the honor that has been lost, we must be willing to do what others cannot, or rather what they 'choose' not to; and you have proven you are capable of just that. However, before we can accept you into our ranks, you must know that what lies before you will be a path of hardships. Your training will be difficult, but even that cannot fully prepare you for the horrors of war. There is no guarantee for your survival, so I must ask. Are you willing to partake in this conflict?"

Nunnally didn't answer at first, her gaze flickering to her brother, then to the Marmoran knife in her hand.

"All I've ever really wanted…" she finally said softly, "I had said before that... I wished the world were a gentler place... and I still want that, I really do; not just for my world, but all worlds too, the whole universe. I want everyone to live in peace and be happy. But... What I really want... is... is to stay by my brother's side. I know I've been a burden to him, but as long as I was with him, that was fine with me. But now... now both our worlds have changed, they've grown and included so many people. I've met so many people that I've come to love and care for, and I want to help them in any way I can. I know right now, I'm a burden, but... I want to be more. I also now know, I can't do that alone. I need help... in order to become someone that my family can depend on, someone like them who wants to help and protect others, so that we can all live in peace and happiness together. And if that means fighting a monster like Zarkon, so be it. And that is the path that I choose!"

As her declaration ended, Nunnally's blade glowed in her hand, the metal morphing into a long, strong sword, the blade much thinner than her brother's and the hilt became much more intricate and complex. A rapier, she realized, recognizing the European design.

Kolivan smiled and nodded in approval, "Spoken like a true Galra." He then offered his hand to her, who took it and unsteadily got to her feet. Once she regained her footing though, she instantly ran into her brother's waiting arms.

Lelouch wasted no time hugging his sister tight, exhausted from both relief and grief, and the siblings both cried, holding to each other in the middle of the arena.


Thace was growing restless. There had not been much word from the Blade since his last secret transmission, to which he had nearly been caught by druids leading a Galran officer down the hall.

That was another development that was concerning. Now that the Paladins' planet had been secured, Haggar had wasted no time in interrogating the fleet for traitors. The sabotaging at the Command Center several phoebs had not been forgotten but had been temporarily been placed on hold in Haggar's absence. But now that the high priestess had returned, the true investigation had begun.

Glaring down the hall as a group of sentries was leading a group of Earthlings down the halls, a hidden communicator on his uniform vibrated.

Glancing around to make sure he was alone, but pulled it out to examine the message.

Voltron's made contact. Will return soon. Await further instructions. The Blade will reveal itself soon.


AN: So it's done! Thank you all for your patience! So, school has started again (only two more semesters until graduation, yay!) so updates may be slow again, but I'm constantly trying to work on this and balance my school life too, so please be patient between updates. And second, I got a pretty bad cold this week (not COVID related) and I haven't been feeling the greatest because of it, so I apologize for that.

So I know some people were hoping that Krolia would show up in this chapter, but unfortunately, that's not the case just yet. Don't worry, she'll come eventually, but this chapter was mostly focusing on Nunnally and her inner conflict with her self worth. We'll get into the vi Britannian's family drama in a later chapter.

Hope you all enjoyed! R&R, update TVTropes, and I'll see you next time!