Chapter Text
// 2614.04.28 19.01CT //
The screen lit up with the image of Lance, an uncharacteristic grimace on his face as he sat in Red’s pilot’s seat.
“Red… I think something is wrong with Shiro,” He admitted. “I know he’s stressed without Keith, and he came back after a second time with the Galra, but he seems so different now. He doesn’t listen to the team – Even Pidge! He just ignored her idea in the briefing today. I mean, I’m used to it at this point, but… I haven’t ever seen him act that way to Pidge.” Lance paused briefly.
Red simply gave a slight purr in response for him to continue.
“I know he has a lot on his plate, but that doesn’t mean he can put that on them. Pidge works her ass off, and I thought her and Shiro were close?” He said, “Not that I would know for sure, I mean, Pidge and Shiro don’t talk to me that much, with how busy they are. Which is fine! I just… got that brother-y vibe from their relationship.”
“Have you spoken with him about it my paladin?” Red asked.
“No, you know I haven’t asked him…” Lance said with a flat chuckle. “I guess I’ll ask Hunk if he have noticed anything either. Maybe it’s just me.”
“It is a good place to start, yes.”
“Thanks Red” Lance said, giving a little smile before he got up. “I’ll let you know how it goes.” He added before heading out of the lion’s cockpit.
//
“Red… what was that?” Keith asked, mainly stunned to hear Red’s ‘voice’ in the video. He had thought it was Lance being Lance and recording himself.
“Memories.”
“Your memories?” Keith asked in surprise. He didn’t know the lions recorded like that or could keep them in stuck a way.
“Watch. Watch if you wish to know what happened to my paladin.”
// 2614.05.09 22.31CT //
“Shiro! Could I talk to you for, like, just a second?” Lance asked. This time he wasn’t in the cockpit, instead, the view was from the Red Lion’s eyes, looking down in the hanger at her paladin before her. Shiro came into view from the direction of the Black Lion.
“Yes Lance?” He asked, seeming rather tired.
“When we were in the astral plane, what where you trying to tell me?” Lance asked and Shiro looked confused.
“What are you talking about?” The Black Paladin replied.
“Today, on the mission-thing, we were on the astral plane and you called out, but I couldn’t hear you.”
“I… I have no idea what you’re talking about Lance. You all went to the astral plane?” That made Lance pause.
“Uh, yeah, you were there too. You don’t remember?” He asked and Shiro shook his head.
“I don’t remember anything like that today.” Shiro said. “Was that all?”
“Ah… Yeah I guess so.” Lance said, stumped.
“Great. Training tomorrow at 0600, be ready.” Shiro told him then walked out of the hanger. Lance stayed, turning to look up at the Red lion before he sighed and followed after the leader.
//
// 2614.05.10 13.41CT //
“He just LEFT without us! He left and ran off with LOTOR without US!” Lance nearly shouted, pacing in the cockpit.
“The Black Paladin pushed for action.”
“We told him this was a bad idea and he just went ahead against the team!” He snapped. “Even Allura said it was a bad idea, and she loves Lotor’s ideas! I thought we we’re supposed to be a team, not a dictatorship. We needed a better plan then just showing up to the Galra’s fight club!” At that, the Red Lion did not respond, instead letting Lance work out the anger until the Cuban tired and finally slumped into the pilot seat once more.
“I mean, it worked out in the end… so maybe he was right. It just feels wrong. I didn’t think Shiro would ever pull the “I’m the leader so just do what I say” card…” he sighed, rubbing his face with his hands.
“I thought I was supposed to be the right-hand man now, but I have no idea how to do that for Shiro.” He muttered.
“You will find a way, we are the right hand of Voltron.” Red purred, but Lance looked far from convinced.
“I could help when Keith was in charge… but Shiro doesn’t listen to what I have to say. Hell, he hardly seems to care what any of us say nowadays.” Lance fell silent for several minutes, thinking it over.
“I… I just wish Keith was here. He’d know what to do.” the boy added quietly. Several more seconds of silence fell before a small ping rang and Lance looked up.
“Lance, I told you we’re doing team training after lunch. Get up here or we’re starting without you.” Shiro’s voice came over the comms.
“I’ll be right there Shiro.” Lance replied before pulling himself to his feet. “I’ll see you later girl.” He said, patting Red’s console and heading out.
//
“Haggar, that bitch was controlling him for so long.” Keith growled.
“No.” Red replied, and Keith was surprised. “The clone acted of his own accord to aid the Galran prince.”
“What?”
“He believed himself the true Black Paladin. The clone had no knowledge of his true origin. Did my sister not tell you this?” Red asked, and Keith shook his head.
“No… I never asked, but I thought he was always Haggar’s puppet.”
“My sister would not have accepted the clone as her pilot if he was an empty vessel for the witch to puppet. He started with the heart of the Black Paladin, but the witch twisted his mind to darkness.”
Keith’s heart sank at the knowledge, remembering the flashes of pain and emotion the clone had shown in their fight. Red let him sit in his thoughts for a few ticks before beginning the next recording.
// 2614.05.27 10.15CT //
Lance walked back into the cockpit to be greeted by a purr from the Red Lion. His head hung low as he sat down.
“What is it, my paladin?” She purred to him.
“Do you think Lotor’s plan is right?” He asked, looking up.
“Do you?”
“No. Well, at least I think not. I… I thought Allura would agree. People still need our help. It doesn’t feel right to stop and focus on his ships. We’re Voltron! Sendak is out there and we’re just… building. I know Lotor says it’ll “better the empire and therefore the galaxy”,” Lance said in a poor mimic of Lotor’s accent. “But what if we’re wrong? What if more quintessence just makes it all worse?”
“You believe it is the wrong course?”
“I don’t know!” Lance said with a sigh. “It just doesn’t feel right. The plan doesn’t feel right, Lotor doesn’t feel right, and neither does Shiro. But I’m the only one that thinks that. Even Hunk blew me off.” He huffed. “Him and Pidge are all in for designing these ships. Allura’s with Lotor all day and Coran and Shiro are busy doing… leader things. I want to be doing more.”
“We cannot face Sendak alone.”
“That’s not what I meant Red, I-” Lance started but Red continued.
“But we can be prepared for when the time to face him comes.” She said and Lance paused.
“Like training?” He asked, his face scrunched up at the idea. “That was Keith’s thing.”
“Who the team no longer has. Hone your skills and you will be ready to defend your team in the face of the enemy, no matter the situation.”
“You… you’re not wrong. I’ll think about it.” Lance replied before the memory ended.
//
“You told Lance to go train in his free time?” Keith snorted, amused, but the Red Lion growled.
“Yes. And he did. He did well on his own and he learned more than many of you.” She snapped, disappointed in Keith’s lack of faith in his teammate.
// 2614.05.27 00.23CT //
The inside of the Red Lion looked damaged, her interior lights flickering with a few blown out. There were scorch marks on the walls and in the center of the screen sat Lance. He was still in his paladin armor, his helmet tossed to the side hap hazardously. His knees were tucked to his chest and he was breathing hard as he tried to maintain composure.
“You are alright, my paladin. You are okay.” Red whispered softly and Lance let out a small hiccup as a few tears ran down his face.
“You get hit by an electric blast and you’re reassuring me? I don’t deserve you girl.” He said with a sad laugh, wiping the tears off his face with little success as more kept coming.
“Your heart stopped my paladin, that is not trivial.” Red said, trying to sooth him with purrs. “But you are safe now. You are still here, with me.” In response, Lance cried harder.
“I-I know, thank you Red.” He said, shaking still as more tears spilled.
“Safe.” She purred again and continued with soft reassurances until Lance feel asleep in his chair to the sound of her purrs.
//
Keith sat in a stunned silence and Red waited patiently.
“What do you mean his heart stopped?” Keith whispered.
“We took the blast equal to an ion cannon to save my sister and the Princess. The impact damaged my hull, but the shock it sent through the cockpit stopped my paladin’s heart.” Red said mournfully. “I was unable to protect him.”
“But, he’s still alive, so you saved him, right?” Keith asked quickly.
“No. The Princess came to his aid and resurrected him using her own quintessence. Without her… my paladin would have been lost.” She told him, and Keith could feel his own vision misting up at the realization that they nearly lost Lance forever.
// 2614.06.02 01.05CT //
The next memory did not lighten the mood. While the interior of the Red Lion was cleaned up and back to normal, Lance sat, shaking like a leaf in the pilot’s seat with a dark bruise forming over his cheek bone.
“Paladin, what is wrong?” Red questioned, sensing his distress the moment he entered her hanger.
“S-Shiro. Shiro hit me.” Lance said, voice barely above a whisper.
“HE WHAT?” Red roared and Lance flinched at the sound. He curled in more on himself and Red tried to control her temper for the sake of her paladin.
“I’m sure he didn’t mean to! I-I asked if he thought we were doing the right thing trusting Lotor and he got really upset. He looked really stressed out, I-I shouldn’t have brought it up at such a bad time is all.” Lance rationalized quickly.
“That does not give him the right to harm his teammates!” Red growled.
“He probably just got overwhelmed and let it out!” Lance said quickly.
“Why do you defend his actions?”
“He… He’s my hero! I don’t think he would just attack me for no reason. Plus, he’s been out of sorts lately and all…” Lance trailed off. “Besides, I was bothering him. I’m sure it was an accident.”
“And if it happens again?” Red pushed, and Lance sank in on himself.
“It...It’ll be fine.” He said, not sounding convinced himself.