Chapter Text
After transforming their weapons back to the basic Bayard look, everyone gathered in the Bridge of Castle again. Allura went to the controls and brought up an image of the Galran warship that they had to somehow get inside and find a lion. "You'll need to retrieve the Red Lion from Sendak's ship." Allura said, stating the obvious.
"That's a... Pretty big ship. How are we gonna know where the Red Lion is?" Keith asked.
"Oh, it's not a matter of 'we'. It's a matter of 'you'." Pidge replied.
"Pidge is right. Once we get you in, you'll be able to feel its presence and track it down." Hunk backed up.
"Keith, remember, the Red Lion is extremely temperamental. You'll need to earn it's respect." Allura added.
"To start with, don't refer to Red as an 'it', Red likes to be either called a she or by her colour," Lance added, looking a little salty at Allura, Keith nodded. Now that he knew that Lance was once the red Paladin, his advice was most likely the best, not that he would admit that to Lance's face.
"All right. Here's our plan of attack," Shiro started, "The Galra Empire knows about the Blue and Yellow Lion, but they don't know that we have the Green Lion, too. Hunk, Lance, you'll act as a decoy by pretending to give yourself up." Lance looked displeased at the risk of two Lions, but nodded. "While Sendak is distracted, Keith, Pidge and I will sneak onto the ship in the Green Lion. Keith and I will find the Red Lion while Pidge guards our exit. Hunk, Lance, it's up to you to take down that ion cannon."
X~ With Lance and Hunk ~X
The Paladins made their way to the Lions, before flying away from the castle. Lance sent a transmission to the Galra, while Pidge docked the Green Lion on the underside of the ship undetected. "Attention, Galra ship. Do not fire. We're surrendering our Lions."
Pidge put a hold into the side of the ship, before Shiro, Keith and Pidge went inside. "Pidge, what's your ETA?" Lance asked through his head set.
"We're in." Was Pidge's reply, before Lance concentrated on the sight before him.
"What's that thing?" Hunk asked worried.
"Tractor beam, move out!" Lance called out, flying away from the bright light, catching a glimpse of the Yellow Lion also flying away. Galra fighter jets exit the warship only to head straight for the Lions. "Hunk, you dismantle the ion cannon while I take these jerks on a space ride," Lance called as he fired the lasers are the incoming ships.
"Ten-four!" Hunk called back,, heading straight for the cannon.
X~ With Shiro, Pidge and Keith ~X
Pidge, Keith and Shiro boarded the Galra ship, they looked around the hallways making sure that they wouldn't be caught. Both Keith and Pidge relaxed only slightly as they realised that they haven't been spotted, however Shiro tensed up more when he had a small flashback. "I've been here before. After I was taken by the Galra cruiser off Kerberos they took us here." Shiro brought up, much to the shock of the other two.
"So, that means your other crewmembers, they might be held captured here. We have to save them!" Pidge replied, looking determined.
"Pidge, we don't have time. We have to get the Red Lion and get back to the others." Shiro replied.
"But we can't just leave prisoners here!" Pidge protested.
"Look, no one understands that more than me, but, in war, we have to make difficult choices. Now, let's get moving." Shiro replied, as he and Keith went to move in one direction, Pidge stayed stubbornly where they were.
"No! Commander Holt is my father. He and my brother were the ones on the mission with you." Pidge revealed, which shocked Shiro more than it did Keith.
"Commander Holt is your father?" Shiro asked, finally realising why Pidge looked so familiar.
"Yes. I've been searching everywhere for him and my brother. And I'm not giving up looking when I'm this close. I won't!" Pidge argued.
"I'm coming with you."
"What?" Keith asked finally speaking up.
"I remember where the prisoners are held. Keith you go find the Red Lion." Shiro stated turning to Keith.
"By myself?" Keith doubted.
"Minor change of plans. You'll be fine," Shiro encouraged, " Just remember Patience Yields focus," Shiro said before telling them to run as they heard sentries walk in their direction.
X~ With Lance and Hunk ~X
As Lance fought the small fighter jets, Hunk tried slamming into the warship's ion cannon but is blocked by a force field. "What the Quiznak? What is that? A force field?" Hunk muttered to himself. Hunk continued to bang his Lion against the barrier. "Lance any ideas on how to break this thing?"
"Have you tried the mouth cannon?" Came Lance's reply before he went silent again.
And that is what Hunk did, "Come on, just break, you stupid thing!" And with that the force field finally breaks. "Score one for Hunk!" Hunk then slammed his Lion into the ion cannon, disfiguring it.
X~ With Keith ~X
After separating from Shiro and Pidge, Keith ran through the warship blindly, but only ended up reaching an intersecting corridor that had a Galra emblem in the middle. "Great. Now, which way?" Keith huffed to himself, before running down one side because he heard footsteps of some sentries approaching his position.
Keith after running down one corridor, had somehow looped round and reached the same intersecting corridor, with the very same Galra emblem on. "You've got to be kidding me!" Keith growled out, he then took a breath, remembering what Shiro had told him. "... Patience... yields focus..." In doing this he finally sensed the Red Lion, showing the way straight to the Lion. "Gotcha!" He grinned, running down the correct corridor this time.
After running, and hiding from sentries, Keith finally came to the hanger which held the Red Lion. "Bingo. Let's get out of here. Open up." Keith said casually as he walked towards the force field. He placed his hand on the force field that refused to disappear.
"It's me. Keith. You buddy. It's me Keeeeeeiiiiiith, your-- I. AM. YOUR. PALADIN." Keith shouted. Once again nothing happened, Keith knocks on the force field, just like Lance did with Blue. However, before anything could happen Galra sentries had finally arrived and started to fire laser towards him, with surprisingly terrible aim. Still, Keith brought up his armours shield. "I'm bonding with you! Hey! Come on! We're connected!"
The Red Lion does not react, Keith bitterly noted. Keith summons his Bayard as a katar and fights the sentries. "You're not getting this lion! Lance would kill me if that happened." Keith shouted at the sentries.
Unfortunately, Keith got knocked back by multiple lasers. He brought his helmet down before activating the airlock doors. The sentries got pulled out, and soon enough Keith joined them after getting hit by bits of rubble. The Red Lion came to his rescue, catching him in her mouth, finally accepting Keith as her Paladin. Keith took a seat in the cockpit. "Good kitty. Let's roll."
X~ With Shiro and Pidge ~X
After separating with Keith, Shiro lead Pidge to where the prisoners would be being kept. Only to come across a Galra drone. Pidge shot down the drone, before it could react. "That thing saw us. We should get out of here."
"Wait. I think this might come in handy." Pidge replied as they reconfigured the drone, "Now, I'll just reset the controls... and it's working for us! I'm going to call you Rover. Follow me!" As Shiro showed Pidge where the cell is Rover followed obediently. "Open up!" Pidge told Rover, to which it activated the cell door, opening it wide enough for them to enter.
"Excellent, Pidge." Shiro congratulated.
"Dad?" Pidge asked as they entered to cell, only to be disappointed to find only aliens.
"Don't be afraid. We're here to help you escape." Shiro said, slightly towering over the prisoners.
"It's you... It's you, the Champion. If anyone can get us out of here, he can." One of the aliens said.
"Wh... What did you call me?" Shiro asked confused.
"We don't have much time." Pidge brought up, still disappointed.
"Let's get to the escape pods. Let's go. Come on!" Shiro encouraged, motioning for the aliens to follow them, which they did. After running through the halls, Shiro and Pidge brought the prisoners to the escape pods.
"Halt!" Shiro and Pidge turned to see that they were surrounded by sentries. Shiro's prosthetic arm painfully activate, glowing an ominous purple, the pain left Shiro severely distorted.
"Shiro? Shiro, what's wrong?" Pidge asked panicked and worried. Luckily, the pain subsides and everything settled around Shiro, once he got his balance again Shiro attacked the sentries, cutting them down one by one with his glowing arm. Once all sentries hit the ground, Shiro turned to the prisoners.
"Thank you, Shiro." The same alien said as the pod left the ship.
"Wait! How do you...?" Shiro asked but it was too late.
"Shiro, that was amazing! Where did you learn to fight with that?" Pidge asked, excited.
"No idea." Shiro replied, before they both went back to the Green Lion.
The Yellow Lion, started flying back towards the castle, when on his screen Hunk saw the other Lions. "You guys made it!" Hunk yelled happily, relived everything went okay.
"Kitty Rose has left the stage!" Pidge replied.
"Let's get the heck out of here!" Lance added.
"I hope I stopped that cannon. I could barely make a dent in it!" Hunk muttered but everyone heard it clearly.