The New Paladin

26: Kicks

Hunk frowned looking at the pieces he was fitting.

Something wasn't adding up here but he just couldn't place it. He wanted to know how a ship like this had broken when the specifically broken part of the engine should have been better protected.

Unless the galra made a weapon which targets specific functions.

Hunk wasn't so sure. The galra preferred brutality over precision.

"Hey thanks man." Rolo smiled standing next to him. "I'll finish this bit off, you see the thermal pipes are always awkward to fit and you tend to get messy so I'll do it."

Hunk gave a brief nod before he pulled away turning towards Shiro.

"Where's Lance?" He asked meeting the black paladins gaze.

"He's taken Nyma on a trip." Shiro explained too calm for the situation.

"He what?! Is he trying to get himself killed?" Hunk asked eyes flying wide.

"He asked first." Shiro said shaking his head. "And I can hear them on the coms."

"Still." Hunk frowned. "He nearly died literally a day ago and now he's racing off into danger again?"

"Hunk, you worry too much." Shiro sighed. "I'm keeping tabs on them, don't worry."

"Alright, I think she's all patched up." Rolo smirked suddenly closing the hatch. "Beezer be my copilot, we'll take it for a test drive and be right back."

Before the paladins could reply they were taking off stirring up the dust of the moon.

"That was weird." Hunk mumbled still tense.

Something was definitely not right.

~~~

"Wrong choice Lance." Nyma said firmly as she rose to her feet.

Lance quickly got up too, something in her tone told him that something very bad was about to happen.

"Okay, why are you pretending your ship is broken?" Lance asked eyes narrowing.

"Oh you're so smart are you?" Nyma hissed. "All I want is for you to come home and you have to make this so difficult."

Lance managed to lift his arm just in time to block a kick to his head. Nyma seemed most unhappy about it and launched for another attack.

Lance blocked it then dodged the next hit before putting some distance between the two of them.

His foot hit something and he looked down to see his helmet. But looking away from Nyma was his downfall.

A kick landed itself against his chest sending him crashing into something hard.

A punch to his face made stars burst behind his eyes momentarily blinding him.

He gasped for breath before suddenly his hands were cuffed above his head.

"We could have done so much more Lance." Nyma sighed as Lance's eyes cleared enough to see her, she honestly sounded sad. "I really did like you, if only you were willing to stay put for once in your life."

Lance didn't know how to reply.

"You abandoned us, and now your team will think you've abandoned them too." Nyma stated sharply.

There was a loud rumbling sound before Rolo's ship appeared it hovered nearby before its cargo hold opened.

"No." Lance wheezed as the blue lion was picked up and sealed inside the cargo hold.

The ship moved and Nyma grabbed ahold of the lowered grip. She smiled sadly at him. "Bye Lance."

"No!" Lance said louder only for the ship to take off. "Stupid Lance, you stupid idiot. Of course she didn't care!"

After a minute or two of complete self loathing Lance's gaze fell onto his helmet.

"Shiro." He breathed stretching his leg out in the hopes of reaching the helmet.

~~~

"How long is this test drive gonna be?" Pidge frowned.

"Something isn't right." Hunk said crossing his arms.

"Yeah Hunk, we know." Keith sighed.

"Guys?" Lance's voice then cut through panicked and high. "Guys?!"

"Lance? What's wrong?" Shiro asked his whole body stiffening. "Is it the Galra?"

"Ha, I wish. Nyma and Rolo have Blue, they've taken off with her."

"What?!" Allura asked pinching her earring as the team turned back towards the castle. "How could you let them take your lion?!"

"I didn't have much of a choice in the situation." Lance snapped back. "You can have a go at me when you get the lion back."

"Alright were on it." Shiro nodded.

"You know I knew we couldn't trust those guys." Hunk complained.

"We know." Keith replied.

"The moment I looked at the ships engines, I knew that something was shifty."

"Okay Hunk." Pidge sighed.

"I mean even the list of parts, most of the parts are ones that a ship would usually have as back up anyway." Hunk explained shaking his head. "That and Rolo kept making me redo parts like he was waiting for a signal."

"Hunk. We got it. Blue lion. Focus. Please?" Lance asked cutting through Hunk's rant.

"Yeah, sure. Hang on buddy." Hunk nodded.

"Pidge got their location?"

"Yep."

"Let's cut them off then." Shiro said pushing the black lion forwards.

They soon found Rolo and Nyma's ship, but they weren't met without a show of force.

"Lance who are these guys?" Pidge asked as she narrowly dodged a blast aimed right for her.

"Bounty hunters."

"And you didn't think to tell us that?" Hunk squeaked out.

"Look." Lance sighed heavily. "Everyone who goes against the Galra has a sketchy bit of history, I know I have and I didn't think they would try and steal the blue lion."

"Yeah how did you let that happen?" Keith asked dodging a blast.

"Well currently I'm cuffed to a tree." Lance admitted. "Not my finest moment but I forgot how good Nyma is in a fight."

"Alright guys focus." Shiro said sharply. "Hunk, can you take out those cannons?"

"Sure."

"Keith trap them from the other side." Shiro ordered.

"Not gonna happen, they're going into the asteroid belt." Pidge frowned.

"Alright, Keith follow them, we'll head around."

"I'll flush them out." Keith smirked pushing the red lion hurtling towards the asteroid belt.

It was only a matter of time before Keith caught up, it was easy to out manuver the heavy cargo ship and soon the red lions claws had hooked into the metal hull bringing the ship to a halt a short distance from the rest of the lions.

"Hey Lance, I got your lion." Keith explained over the coms.

"Thank you Keith, any chance you could come down here and unchain me?"

"I... Lance I- I can't hear you... You keep cutting out." Keith teased.

"What? Keith? Oh... Oh! That was good." Lance said with a small chuckle. "But seriously, I need help."

"Sure thing." Keith nodded. "We're heading back now."