Chapter Text
Cliff Near the Crash Site
Lance, Hunk, and Pidge spy on the quarantined crash site from a nearby cliff.
"Whoa... What the heck is that thing?!" Lance says while viewing the alien craft through binoculars. "...And who the heck is she?"
"Lance!" Pidge scolds him while hitting him upside the head.
"Ow! Ah, right, alien ship," Lance says. "Man, we'll never get past all those guards to get a look," he complains.
"Aw, man. Yeah, we– yeah I guess there's nothing to do but head back to the barracks, right?" Hunk says, faking disappointment.
"Wait. They set up a camera in there and I grabbed its feed. Look!" Pidge says. As Garrison technicians examine him, Shiro is on the feed strapped to a table.
"Hey! What are you doing?" Shiro says fearfully.
"Calm down, Shiro. We just need to keep you quarantined until we run some tests on you," Iverson states.
"You have to listen to me! They destroy worlds! Aliens are coming!" Shiro warns.
"That's Shiro! The pilot of the Kerberos Mission. That guy's my hero!" Lance says.
"Guess he's not dead in space after all," Hunk says.
"Where's the rest of the crew?" Pidge says sadly.
"Do you know how long you've been gone?" Iverson says.
"I don't know. Months? Years? Look, there's no time. Aliens are coming here for a weapon. They're probably on their way. They'll destroy us! We have to find Voltron!" Shiro says desperately.
"Voltron!" Pidge gasps.
"Sir, take a look at this. It appears his arm has been replaced with a cyborg prosthetic," a technician says.
"Put him under until we know what that thing can do," Iverson orders.
"Don't, don't put me under! No! No, there's no time! Let me go!" Shiro says.
"They didn't ask about the rest of the crew," Pidge says disappointedly.
"What are they doing? The guy's a legend. They're not even gonna listen to him?" Lance complains.
"We have to get him out," Pidge demands.
"Ah, I hate to be the voice of reason here, always, but weren't we just watching on TV because there was no way to get past the guards?" Hunk says.
"That was before we were properly motivated," Lance says sassily. "We've just got to think. Could we tunnel in?"
"Maybe we could get some hazmat suits and sneak in like med techs," Pidge says.
"Or we dress up like cooks, sneak into the commissary, a little late-night snack," Hunk says hopefully.
"No, what we need is a distraction," Lance says. Explosions burst in the distance and the three cadets scream.
"Is that the aliens?! Are– Tha– The– Is that the aliens?! Are they here?! They got here so quick!" Hunk says fearfully.
"No. Those explosions were a distraction for him!" Pidge says and points to a man arriving by hovercraft. "The Garrison's headed towards the blast, and he's sneaking in from the other side!" Pidge says. Lance looks at the new arrival through the binoculars.
"Is that Professor Wilson?" Lance says, bewildered. Pidge suddenly takes off down the cliffside. "Pidge, what are you doing? you’re gonna get us caught!" Lance calls. Pidge doesn’t respond and Lance sighs and chases after him. Hunk reluctantly follows both of them. Inside, the technicians continue to examine Shiro.
"These readings are off the chart," a technician says, amazed. Adam runs into the tent, knocks out all three technicians, and runs to where Shiro is strapped down.
"Shiro?" After a momentary pause, he frees Shiro from the straps that bind him to the table. Adam positions himself under Shiro's arm and starts to carry him out. Pidge, Lance, and Hunk rush into the tent, and Pidge’s expression is concerned. "What are you three doing here?" Lance opens his mouth, ready to explain, but Adam interrupts. "Never mind, we don’t have time." He points toward Hunk with his chin. "You carry him while I get the bike started." They jog out of the tent and to Adam’s hoverbike. While they’re getting Shiro situated, Hunk spots the Garrison returning.
"Oh, man, they're coming back, and they do not look happy. We gotta go," Hunk says worriedly. "Uh, do you mind if we catch a ride with you?" Hunk says, already starting to climb aboard. The other two follow behind, and the bike tips backward.
"Is this thing going to be big enough for all of us?" Pidge says, concerned.
"No," Adam says, taking off as the Garrison arrives to pursue them. Pidge reaches around Shiro and grips the back of Adam’s jacket.
"Hey, we did all fit!" Hunk says impressed.
"Can't this thing go any faster?" Lance yells worriedly.
"Big cadet, lean left!" Adam orders. Hunk complies and the hovercraft turns, causing two Garrison rovers to crash.
"Aw, man! Mr. Harris just wiped out Professor Montgomery! ...No, no, he's fine," Hunk says.
"Big cadet, lean right!" Adam orders. Hunk complies and the hovercraft jumps off one cliff to the next, causing another rover to crash. Hunk spots the cliff's edge ahead of them.
"Guys? Is th– th– th– tha– tha– Is that a cliff up ahead?" Hunk says scared.
"Ooooh no, no, no! No, no, no!" Lance says.
"Yup," Adam says a bit breathlessly. He increases his speed while everyone else screams. The hovercraft jumps off the cliff.
"What are you doing?! You're going to kill us all!" Lance says fearfully.
"Shut up and trust me!" Adam yells. He safely avoids crashing and continues flying into the desert, escaping the Garrison.
The Castleship's Bridge
Allura stands in the center of the room under a large crystal, which lights up with a buzz-woosh.
"King Alfor connected the Lions to Allura's life force. She alone is the key to the Lions' whereabouts."
Allura activates the computer, opening up a map of the entire universe. The five earthlings gasp in amazement.
"These are coordinates. The Black Lion looks like it's in the same location as the Blue Lion."
"Look at your primitive synapses firing away in their little brain cage!"
"Very observant. That's because the Black Lion is in the Castle."
"To keep the Black Lion out of Zarkon's hands, King Alfor locked it in the Castle. It can only be freed if the other four Lions are present."
"As you have found, the Lions choose their pilots. It is a mystical bond and cannot be forced. The Quintessence of the pilot is mirrored in his Lion. Together, they form something greater than science can explain." Allura sends the Black Lion hologram toward Shiro. "The Black Lion is the decisive head of Voltron. It will take a pilot who is a born leader and in control at all times, someone whose men will follow without hesitation. That is why, Shiro, you will pilot the Black Lion." Allura moves the Green Lion's hologram toward Pidge. "The Green Lion has an inquisitive personality and needs a pilot of intellect and daring. Pidge, you will pilot the Green Lion. The Blue Lion–"
"Whope, hold up, let me guess: Takes the most handsome slash, best pilot of the bunch?" Lance smiles; Allura looks annoyed and then continues.
"The... Yellow Lion is caring and kind." Allura sends the hologram Yellow Lion toward Hunk. "Its pilot is the one who puts the needs of others above his own. His heart must be mighty. As the leg of Voltron, you will lift the team up and hold them together." Hunk questioningly points to himself. "The Red Lion is temperamental and the most difficult to master. It's faster and more agile than the others, but also more unstable. Its pilot needs to be someone who relies more on instincts than skill alone." Allura hesitates before pushing the hologram Red Lion toward Adam. "You’re not an exact match but you’re the best we’ve got. So, Adam, you will fly the red lion. Unfortunately, I cannot locate her coordinates yet. There must be something wrong with the Castle. After 10,000 years, it... might need some work."
"Don't worry, we'll find it soon. They don't call me 'The Coranic' for nothing. It's because it sounds like 'mechanic.' So... Coranic, mechanic. It's not– It doesn't sound... exactly like it. It's similar." The hologram Lions roar and charge together, forming Voltron.
"Once all the Lions are united, you will form Voltron, the most powerful warrior ever known, the Defender of the Universe."
"Wait. Okay, we're going to be in there and flying Lions. Got that part. How do Lions turn into legs? Also, is this going to be a long trip? Because I have to pee. Do you people pee?" Hunk says anxiously.
"We don't have much time. Pidge and I will go after the Green Lion. Lance, you take Hunk and get the yellow one. Adam, you stay here. If you locate that Red Lion, go get it."
"In the meantime, I'll get this castle's defenses ready. They'll be sorely needed."
"I'll ready a pod and load in the coordinates so you can reach the Green Lion."
The two teams take off: Lance and Hunk in the Blue Lion and Shiro and Pidge in a flight pod. Allura readies herself to use the Castleship's power to open a wormhole.
"We can only keep the wormholes that lead to the other Lions open for two of your Earth hours, so you'll have to be quick about your work. The good news is that according to my readings, both planets are relatively peaceful. So, if you do get stuck, they could be relaxing places to live out the rest of your lives. Enjoy the trip!"
Onboard a Galra Warship
Sendak is charging his arm in his room when his door whooshes open.
"Emperor Zarkon requests an audience," Yurak says. Sendak and Yurak walk to the bridge to receive Zarkon's video transmission.
"Commander Sendak, the Princess of Altea is alive and hiding in your sector. We believe she alone holds the whereabouts of the remaining Lions. Your battle fleet is the closest to her location. Retrieve her and the Lions," Zarkon orders. "With them all, the Galra Empire will be unstoppable," Zarkon says.
"I fight for the Empire. I conquer in the name of Galra. No foe has ever stood in my way and none ever will. Vrepit sa!" Sendak says. The transmission ends. "Set a course for Arus," Sendak orders.
Yurak leaves the bridge and goes to his room. As he looks around, he realizes his time there is almost over. He slowly packs his belongings and waits just inside his door for the patrol to pass. He sneaks to the Red Lion and stores his bag in an alcove. He sighs and sits against Red’s force field.
"All hands to stations, we have reached Arus," Sendak announces. Yurak gets up and scrambles to the bridge. Once Haxus and Yurak are in position Sendak starts a video transmission to the Castle of Lions. "Princess Allura, this is Commander Sendak of the Galra Empire. I come on behalf of Emperor Zarkon, Lord of the Known Universe. I am here to confiscate the Lions. Turn them over to me, or I will destroy your planet." Sendak ends the transmission. Half a varga later a transmission comes from the Blue Lion.
"Attention, Galra ship. Do not fire. We're surrendering our Lions." The transmission ends and Yurak sneaks off the bridge to the Red Lion. He grabs his bag and attempts to get Red to open up.
"C'mon Red, open up, please we need to leave," Yurak begs, pressing his hand against the force field. He closes his eyes and mentally tries to prod Red into moving. His tail starts flicking as he gets more and more frustrated. He growls and slams his fist against the barrier. "Don’t you understand? Your siblings are in danger!" The hangar door suddenly opens behind him and he whirls around ready to fight. Once he registers that the person standing there isn’t a part of the empire he relaxes minutely.
The man spots Yurak and charges. Yurak blocks the first blow and tries to speak but the man attempts to land strike after strike. The door opens again and sentries swarm into the hangar. Yurak flips over the man and begins destroying the sentries. The man pauses for a moment and then starts fighting alongside Yurak. Slowly they get overwhelmed and pushed toward the Red Lion. Yurak suddenly breaks off and goes to the hatch controls for the hangar. He hits the button to open it and uses his sword to anchor himself. As the man is about to fly off into space Yurak catches him but with the sudden addition of weight his sword dislodges and they both fly out.
They float there for a moment before Red comes diving out of the warship to pick them up. The man attempts to fly Red, but she doesn’t respond. The man sighs and gestures for Yurak to try. As soon as Yurak touches the controls, he hears Red purr in his mind. "Good kitty, let’s roll." Red chuffs but goes to join her siblings anyway. He can faintly hear the other paladins celebrating over the man’s comms.
While Yuarak is flying Red to Arus, the man takes off his helmet and says, "I’m Adam Wilson, and you are?"
"Yurak."
Once they land, Adam gets out of Red and leaves his helmet behind. Yurak watches the others exit their lions and remembers that he needs to update Kolivan on the mission. He grabs his communicator and curls up in Red’s chair. It buzzes for a moment, and then Kolivan picks it up.
"Yurak, it’s not time for our weekly check-in, what happened?"
"The Voltron lions have been found," Yurak reports then sighs, "and I am one of the paladins. I know we said as soon as they’re in good hands I’d come home, but I–" he curls up into a tighter ball, "I don’t think I should leave them. We-we don’t know what training these new paladins have; three of them look younger than me. You barely let me go on the mis–"
"Keith! Cub, you’re spiraling. Take a few deep breaths for me, okay?" Keith follows his instructions and feels steadier. He notices the other paladins heading toward their lions.
"I’ve gotta hang up; I’ll contact you tonight." Keith uncurls, sits up properly in Red’s chair, and puts on the helmet Adam left behind. Kolivan nods and hangs up. The four claimed Lions roar to activate the door concealing the Black Lion. The Castleship's alarms blare, alerting them that Sendak's warship is approaching. The last paladin enters the Black Lion and all five Lions launch from the Castleship. The warship fires its cannon and blasts the Castleship; the blast shakes everyone.
"Man, those Galra guys repair things fast."
"The barrier gets weaker with every blast. Once that shield goes down, the Castle will be defenseless."
"I can give you cover with the Castle defenses for a while, but you have to form Voltron now or we'll all be destroyed!" A second blast from the ion cannon hits, weakening the barrier.
"Listen up, Team Voltron! The only way to succeed is to give it all you've got! This looks bad, but we can do this! Are you with me?" Keith nods silently in response.
"I'm nodding. Is everyone else nodding?"
"Yes."
"Let's do this!" The Lions run forward and exit the barrier under heavy fire from Galra fighter jets.
"Uh, how?"
"Good question. Does anyone have any ideas of how to form Voltron?"
"I don't see a ‘Combine Into Giant Robot’ button anywhere on my dashboard."
"This is insane! Can't they just cease fire for one minute so we can figure this out? Is that too much to ask?" The green paladin loses their temper and attacks the fighter jets, destroying two. Keith fires the Red Lion's tail cannon to eliminate two more.
"Combine!" the yellow paladin says while slamming the Yellow Lion into the Red Lion, knocking it over.
"Hey!" Keith growled
"Okay, that didn't work."
"Maybe if we fly in formation, we'll just combine. Take off on my cue. One, two, three, Voltron!" They fly in formation for a bit. "Nothing's happening."
"Hey, wait, wait, wait! I feel something!"
"I do, too. I feel it. It's like we're all being pulled in the same direction!"
"Uh, guys, I think I know why. Look up." The Lions are caught in the Galra warship's tractor beam.
"Sendak's ship is sucking us in like a black hole!" The warship blasts the Castle of Lions particle barrier, destroying it.
"I-I don't care what you say, Shiro. I'm panicking now!" the yellow paladin starts screaming.
"It can't end here!"
"This is it!"
"No! We can do this. We have to believe in ourselves. We can't give up. We are the universe's only hope. Everyone is relying on us. We can't fail! We won't fail! If we work together, we'll win together!"
"Yeah!" The Lions break free to form Voltron, saving the Castle of Lions from destruction by diverting the blast with a single punch to the cannon.
"I can't believe it!" Keith gasps
"We formed Voltron!"
"I'm a leg!"
"How are we doing this?"
"I don't know, but let's get that cannon!" While Voltron destroys the warship, Keith hopes in the back of his mind that Haxus escapes. Adam, a woman, and a mustache man meet the exhausted Paladins in front of the Castle of Lions.
"Good work, Paladins!" Adam says while offering a proud smile to the group.
"We did it. How did we do it?" Champion mutters, a hint of disbelief still lingering in his tone.
"I was just, like, screaming the whole time. Maybe that did it," the yellow paladin says. The green paladin's expression turns somber. Their eyes reflect a deep sense of loss and worry as they grip their helmet tightly, haunted by the memories of their missing family members. Sensing his friend's distress, Champion places a comforting hand on their shoulder, offering silent support.
"We're not going to stop searching until we find your brother and father. Wherever they are, I know they'd be proud of you," Champion assures the green paladin, and they smile up at him in gratitude.
The woman’s expression shifts to one of fury as she gazes at Keith, who stands before her clad in the armor of the Galra Empire. The only piece denoting that he is a paladin of Voltron is the helmet in his hands, which starkly contrasts with the hues of his uniform.
"Why does a Galra have the red paladin’s helmet?" the woman demands, her voice sharp with mistrust.
"Allura, the Red Lion chose him," the mustache man replies softly, his tone gentle yet resolute. He reaches out to offer a reassuring touch on her shoulder. Allura whips around, her swift action knocking his hand off her shoulder.
"Coran, don’t you remember what happened the last time we had a Galran paladin?" she implores, her voice tinged with anger.
"Yes. But, princess, he’s not Zarkon." Coran responds, his eyes searching hers for a glimmer of understanding. He knows the pain that lurks beneath her anger, the scars that have shaped her perception of the Galra. Reluctantly conceding defeat, Allura stands down.
"We won the battle, but the war has only just begun. Zarkon won’t stop until he gets these Lions," Keith says, his voice brimming with unwavering determination, effectively capturing everyone’s focus and resolve.
"Good thing you Paladins know what you're doing because you're going to have to form Voltron again and again," Coran says.
"Totally– Wait, what?"
"We barely survived forming Voltron this one time."
"And you only had to fight one ship. Wait until you have to fight a whole fleet of them! It's not going to be easy being the Defenders of the Universe." The Paladins appear surprised at the title; they look at their Lions and smile.
"Defenders of the Universe, huh? That's got a nice ring to it."