The Real Enemy [Klance]

Chapter 8

           

Art by Vera! You can find her on Tumblr @veraki01

It took the two of them five minutes to get to the command room with the computer between them. Allura was there waiting with another man that Keith had never seen before. When Allura saw Keith she frowned but said nothing, instead she addressed Shiro.

"What is that? You should have been here three minutes ago, the paladins just launched." A large screen before her showed a few different views. Three of them showed one of each Paladins faces. They all wore helmets and seemed to be in a space craft of some kind. The other one was the largest and it showed a magnified view of what Keith could see out of the 'window' before him. It showed a huge Galra ship steadily approaching.

"I'm sorry, I'll explain later. For now just get me a communication line with the others."

"Already done." The man beside Allura said cheerfully. He had the odd marks on his cheeks just like Allura and he assumed that they were the same species. Shiro gestured to a chair and they both brought the computer over to it. Shiro sunk down and tapped the screen before him and addressed the others.

"Okay guys, I know that we haven't faced anything like this before, but don't let that scare you. We can do this." Shiro said calmly. The Paladins visibly relaxed, even if it was only a little.

"Why can't we just, you know, teleport out of here?" Hunk asked quickly.

"The teludav needs to be fixed just like most of the castle. I may be able to get it up and running if I had some help." The man Keith didn't know spoke up.

Allura looked thoughtfully at the man before turning to Keith. "You. You can help Coran, it shouldn't be too hard. Just do what he tells you." She turned to Coran. "Hurry." Her voice wavered, that was how Keith knew that she was just as worried as the others.

Keith looked at the screens holding the paladin's nervous faces one more time. Hunk looked extremely tense, his mouth in a tight line and his eyes darting rapidly over the giant ship before him. Pidge kept licking and biting her lips as she rubbed over the controls of her lion. Keith's eye were caught on Lance though. Despite the great danger that all of them were in and the fear from the others he was smirking. Smirking! Like some dumbass who wasn't afraid of the imminent death glaring right at him.

"Alright then, you guys need to hurry. We'll hold down the fort out here." Lance said and looked down at his screen, directly at Keith as he addressed him. Keith had forgotten that he could see him and quickly turned to Coran in fear that he had been caught staring.

"Come on then Keith, let's put those arms to work!" Coran said and walked past him. Keith followed. A few unrecognizable, twisting hallways later they arrived.

The room they were in was windowless and cluttered with technology. At the far wall there was a gaping hole that held a multitude of well-organized blue disks, many of which were cracked and shattering.

"I need you to help me get the computers up and running again. The scaltrite should be able to handle at least one more jump." Coran addressed him.

"Um... well, I'm not too great with technology..." Keith trailed off as he glanced around at all of the complex looking machines. He had never been able to figure out the Blade's technology and he grew up around it. He had never seen any of these things a day in his life.

"That's fine! I just need you to be a second set of hands." Coran typed away rapidly at a computer and didn't even look in Keith's direction. "Hand me that plaquiatode over there." Coran pointed in a general direction and then headed the opposite way to a different system.