Not a Participation Game

Good Times™ at the Party

Lance looked like he was having a great time at the party. He was talking to as many people as he could, and he was flirting with many of them. He was taking selfies with the guests and cracking jokes.

A loud voice boomed across the area. It wasn't unusual, it was just someone announcing something to the guests. This time, the voice announced the arrival of another Blade of Marmora ship. The ships had been arriving throughout the night, so by now Lance had a routine.

Lance would meet up with the rest of the Paladins as the ship landed. Together, they would watch soldiers walk out of the ship. Lance would watch for Keith and be disappointed when he didn't see him. Afterward, Lance would converse with some of the Blades and help them merge with the rest of the party.

This time was no different. Keith didn't arrive. Lance masked his disappointment. After all, he was celebrating the liberation of several star systems. He wasn't going to ruin the party for the guests.

Another few ships came. Keith wasn't on those, either. There weren't many ships that were still on their way. Kolivan arrived on one of these ships, and asked to speak privately with the Paladins.

"How many more ships are on their way?" Allura asked.

"Only three more large ones." Kolivan answered. "After that, there will be some scattered fighters arriving alone."

Silence. Nobody knew how to break it. Each of the Paladins wanted to know if Keith made it, but they didn't know how to ask. After a few moments, Shiro asked "So, what are you here to tell us?"

Kolivan sighed. "There is no easy way to say this. Keith has always been a determined and skilled member of the resistance. This battle was no different. He sacrificed himself for our victory."

Lance felt like sobbing. He was right to be worried about Keith. He looked over to his teammates, who all looked shocked and on the verge of tears, except for Shiro. Shiro's jaw was clenched and his hands were tight fists.

"What happened." Shiro demanded.

Kolivan said, "The shields were up on the main ship. Our hackers couldn't get them down. Keith said he knew a way to fix the problem. He flew straight toward the shield, and it went down. We don't know what happened for sure. There's a slight chance he escaped or was captured by the Galra Empire, but... most likely, he died."

Nobody said anything. Lance felt like his heart had been ripped out, but he knew he couldn't react. He was a public figure at an event, and even though he was in private at the moment, he would have to go face the crowd eventually. If he let anything out now, he wouldn't recover his cool until after the party.

This was one of the moments where Lance remembered that this wasn't a game. This is war. People die. They aren't immune to death just because you care about them. Everyone has a job to do, and Keith did his. Now it was Lance's turn to do his own job.

Lance looked to his team, then to Kolivan, and he said, "Thanks for telling us, Kolivan." Then Lance turned to leave.

"Lance? Where are you going?" Allura asked.

Lance looked back at her and the rest of the team and said "I'm going to do my job. We're here to give hope to these people. Tomorrow we'll mourn Keith, but right now, these people need a reason to continue fighting. I'm going to help them find one."

Lance walked out of the room and went back to the party. Chatting up aliens, laughing with people, taking selfies, all that kind of stuff. The other Paladins eventually joined the party one by one. By the time the next three ships arrived, the five Paladins were there to greet them.

Keith wasn't on any of them.