Family We Protect

Attack on Naru

Had it not been for the impending battle, Keith would have seen the gentle rumble of the Lion and Red's surrounding presence as comforting. However, with the impending battle, it was strengthening.

"You ready for this?" Shiro asked for what had to be the twentieth time over a private connection.

Keith rolled his eyes despite the small smile on his lips, "Yes Shiro." He responded easily.

He could practically see Shiro nod to himself, "Okay. Remember-"

"We'll be beside you the whole time. You're going in circles Takashi."

He heard Shiro chuckle, "Sorry."

"No, I'm not upset. It's amusing." Keith said, smiling to himself.

"Okay."

"We're closing in on the base." Pidge's voice broke in.

"Ready." Shiro responded and Keith nodded.

"Let's do this." He said. If he was honest, there was the slightest bit of worry in him but he refused to acknowledge it.

The plan was fairly simple. The Lions would lure out the base's defenses as much as possilbe and, with the help of the Blades, take them out. They would then proceed to the planet's surface, where the Blades would continue offering air support while the Lions landed and entered the base. The Paladins would then get the information, find out as much about why Zarkon wouldn't mind losing the base - and certain people - and then get out.

It started easy, taking on only a couple ships at a time and easily dispatching them. Then they started to come in slightly heavier waves, but still not too terribly much of a challenge. Slowly the number of ships grew that were coming at them, before starting to decline until nothing was coming at them.

"Alright, fall into formation. We're moving in." Shiro's voice came calmly over the coms.

"Copy that." Keith echoed, hearing the other Paladins, Allura, and Kolivan repeat it.

They burst down onto the rocky surface of the planet with an intensity, taking out most of the fairly sad ground forces easily. Other than the air support, it wasn't hard to see why losing this base wouldn't be a big deal to Zarkon

They landed quickly and within five minutes had grouped together outside the entrance to the base.

"Alright.  Pidge, Lance, go straight to the control room, get the information, then get out and back to your Lions. Hunk, you stay here and make sure nothing blocks the entrance, notify us immediately if something does. We all know where to go to get out if something happens to this entrance. Keith," Shiro met his gaze, "you're with me while we try to find these casualties that Zarkon won't mind."

Keith nodded, following after Shiro as Pide and Lance dashed in ahead of them.

They zig-zagged through the complex, mainly heading for the prison section of the complex.  They were almost there when a Galra woman leaped out in front of them.

She looked different than most Galra.  Her skin was a lighter color and she didn't have any markings.  The armor she wore was odd, much different from anything either Paladin had ever seen.

Her gaze pierced into them, "Are you Paladins of Voltron?" She asked.

Keith glanced at Shiro, before nodding slightly.

"Yes, we are." Shiro said, bayard appearing in his hand, "What is it to you?"

She smiled slightly, losing her fighting stance.  "My name is Axca, I'm one of the four people behind the information drops you've been getting." She smiled larger, turning, "Come with me, it's about time you put faces to our voices."

Keith shrugged when Shiro looked at him and the two followed behind her, a bit on edge.

"So who are those casualties you - well, your accomplices - were talking about?" Keith asked.

She chuckled, "They were meaning themselves, me, and our leader."

"There's four of you?  We've only ever heard three voices..." Shiro pointed out.

Axca nodded, "No one sees our faces, but too many know our leader.  It was too risky for him to speak to your agents, but he organizes it all - finds the agents, their patterns, the patterns of the guards, the timing of our drops - he's the main brain behind it all."

Keith nodded slightly, but pressed close to Shiro as Axca scanned her hand and slipped into a dark room.

The two Paladins followed.

"Is this them Axca?" Keith recognized the annoying female's voice from the intel drop they'd received.

He turned his gaze to see a colorful woman that didn't seem Galra.  She was somewhere between pink and red, with some sort of ponytail-like thing on her head that had bands of colors.

"Yes Ezor, try not to scare them would you?" Axca replied.

"They don't look like anything special."

Keith startled slightly at the unexpected voice, turning to see a large, broad, and muscular Galra woman emerge from the shadows.  Based on her voice she had to be the other one from the transmission and based on her stature Keith guessed she was only part Galra.

"They don't have to." Axca said, clearly frustrated.

"Axca's right.  They don't have to look like anything special to be Paladins of Voltron." Keith spun to look at the man who spoke.

With pale purple skin and long white hair, the man was tall with broad shoulders and long limbs.

He didn't look Galra...  In fact, had they not been standing in the middle of a Galra base and had Alteans not been extinct save for Allura and Coran, Keith probably would have guessed the man before him was Altean - at least partially.

"My name is Lotor, and - as I'm sure Axca has already told you - I have been helping to organize the information drops you've been recieving.  These three have been kind enough to lend their voices and pass along what we know, my generals.  You've already met Axca.  This is Ezor." The man - who had identified as Lotor - nodded at the colorful woman.  "And Zethrid." He sent a nod the way of the third woman.

"Must be pretty high up to have three generals under your command." Keith commented.

Lotor shrugged, looking somewhere between bored and disgusted with the topic of his rank, "You could say that, but at the moment it doesn't matter.  Zarkon is beginning to get suspicious as to how you are taking down his bases, and I fear it won't be long before he connects the four of us - with or without true proof.  If you'll have us, we'd like to come go with you when you bring this base down."

Keith and Shiro shared a small look before nodding.

"Alright, all of you follow us.  We need to get moving." Shiro said, turning.  "Keith, you take lead with me.  Lotor, Axca, you seem capable of taking the rear."

"I only take orders from Lotor." Ezor voiced immediately.

"Ezor we all know how capable you are but they're in charge here." Lotor snapped, "Now do as they say."

Keith glanced at Shiro and nodded, before taking off running.