The Sixth Paladin

Chapter 27

So what do y'all think of the new cover? I honestly didn't like the old one and I'm in love with the new one! 

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We've been flying for a while. Everybody stands in the main room, Keith the only one sitting in his chair. I stand next to it, trying to give Keith whatever support I can. Now that we're heading to the Blade of Marmora's base, he might get the answers he's been waiting for. I want to be there for him when he does. I sigh to myself, God I'm so cheesy.

"Coran." Shiro's  voice breaks me from my thoughts. "How soon will we reach the Blade of Marmora's base?"

"Based on the coordinates from Ulaz, we should be there in a few doboshes." The older man answers.

"I can't wait to see it!" Pidge speaks up. "I mean they were able to fold space-time, and that was just an outpost!"

"Mmm the space taco. Gone too soon." Hunk said making Pidge frown at him.

"Well sure, but my point is, imagine how amazing their home base will be!" She says, getting excited again.

"Exactly, like a space jelly donut. Or a long space eclair. Or a space cheese blintz with cherry sauce on top. Maybe a dust of powdered sugar. That's the stars." Hunk said, I giggled slightly.

"Now I'm hungry for breakfast." Lance said. I started to agree but Keith spoke up before I could.

"Guys, this is a serious mission. We need to focus."

"We need to focus." Lance mocked, making me roll my eyes.

"The base is in range." Coran said suddenly.

"Take us in slowly." Shiro said.

"That might prove a bit of a challenge." I looked over to see two rings, that kinda looks like the wormhole rings. In the middle looked like the space pocket from the outpost. 

"Is that a black hole?" Hunk asked.

"No, no, no It's two black holes and a giant blue star." Coran explained.

"That's not better."

"No kidding. Just inside a black hole, the temperature is one millionth of a degree above absolute zero. But, just outside, it's hundreds of millions of degrees Celsius." Pidge said.

"So, it's really cold on the inside, but really hot on the outside?" I ask. Pidge goes to answer but Hunk speaks up.

"Oh! So it's like when you try to nuke a frozen burrito in the microwave and it comes out all scorching hot on the outside but still frozen in the middle right?"

"Now I'm hungry for lunch!" Keith quickly stands up.

"Guys quiet!" He yells making me jump slightly. "Coran where's the base located?" The screen in front of us zooms in on the blue star.

"In between those three deadly celestial objects."

"The perfect defensive position."

"Or the perfect trap."

"Yeah, I'm with Allura. Maybe we shouldn't go in there." Hunk says, being the scaredy cat he is.

"What are you guys talking about? We have to go in! This is the whole reason we came out here! There is no other option!" Keith yells out again, I put my hand on his shoulder in an effort to calm his anger.

"Okay, jeez calm down." Lance says. Keith frowns and turns away, holding my hand that's on his shoulder. The screen in front of us starts to beep, words from a different language, I'm guessing Galra, appears on the screen. 

"Identify yourself."  A female computer voice says.

"Open a hailing frequency, Coran." Shiro says and Coran starts typing on the panel in front of him. Shiro starts to speak again.

"We are the paladins of Voltron, sent here by Ulaz." Silence follows. Everyone stares at the screen, waiting for something to happen. Finally the words change and the voice speaks again.

"Three may enter. Come unarmed." The words disappear from the screen.

"Why would they insist we come unarmed. Shiro this doesn't feel right." I resist the urge to roll my eyes at Allura, can't she at least try to give these guys a chance? Then again they are the same race that destroyed her home planet.

"We've come too far to turn back now."

"They just sent us a route to the base, but we'll have to come quickly. Because of the solar flares, it's only open for another varga. Then it will be closed for two quintants." Coran says.

"They're going to close it for two years?" Hunk asks.

"Two days." Pidge says.

"Oh."

"So any thoughts on who's going to join you. I'm thinking things might get a little hot so you're going to want someone who can stay cool." Lance said while smirking.

"You're right. Keith and Korra you're coming with me."

"Me?" I asked.

"Keith's a hothead! He's going to shoot first and ask questions later! And they're not gonna be able to answer cause they'll be dead!" Lance said whole getting in Shiro's face.

"You want to take me?" I ask, still shocked that he would want to take me.

"We haven't severed Zarkon's  link with the black lion, so it has to stay here." Shiro said while pushing Lance away. "The red lion can withstand the heat from that sun. So yes it'll be Keith. And yes I'm taking you Korra, because you're the only one that sided with me about Ulaz, I trust you." I don't believe that's the real reason, but I'll go with it.

"The course to the base will be quite treacherous. You're walking a razors edge between the gravitational pull of the black holes and the sun. One false move and you'll either be crushed into infinity or burnt to a crisp." Coran says. I gulp.

Now in the red lion, in our armor. Keith fly's toward the base. The red lion's scanner shows the path. We sit in silence until Shiro speaks up.

"Keith, is every thing okay?" I glance at Keith, his eyes focused on the path.

"I'm fine."

"You kind of blew up at everybody back there." Shiro glances at me before flicking his gaze forward. 

"You'll have to control your emotions if you're going to lead this group someday." Keith freezes and I whip my head to look at Shiro.

"Lead the group?" I ask.

"When we're stranded I told Keith, if anything happens to me, I want him to lead Voltron." My eyes widened. And he didn't tell me?

"I thought you were delirious with pain. Why would you make me the leader?"

"Because I know what you're capable of, if you learn some self discipline." 

"Why are we even talking about this? Nothing is going to happen to you." Keith says.He glances at Shiro before focusing on the path again. Shiro puts his hand on Keith's shoulder.

"It's just in case. I need you to get focused. When you and Allura ran off it put us all in jeopardy." I didn't miss Keith's eyes flicking to mine before going back to Shiro.

"If you're going to be a leader, you've got to get your head on straight."

"I'm sorry. I've just had a lot on my mind." Keith said.

"I know, we all have." Shiro was cut off by a bang, making me yelp and clutch Keith's chair. The red lions alarm started going off.

"We're getting drawn in by one of the black holes." 

"Get us out of here!" Keith turned on the lions boosters and started weaving past floating rocks. We flew through a opening that closed as soon as we entered.

"Great job. That was close." The sun was in front of us. We flew around to see the base.

"There it is."