The New Paladin

20: Sacrifice

The blast came blurring past Shiro and he knew at that moment that the fight was over.

He heard Lance's scream and turned to see him thrashing in the added pain of the taser blast before he slumped back, he lay there, eyes closed, body completely still.

"Lance!" Shiro called but he got no reply. "You'll pay for that!" He snapped before he charged at Sendak.

The fight was hard and heavy. He was angry, very angry.

He always got this way when his team was in danger or when people threatened his family.

He was winning now too, he was going to stop Sendak once and for all.

His hand and Sendak's had the same aim, to kill.

Their hands both inching closer and closer to eachothers throats.

"Surrender black paladin." Came a call.

Shiro ignored it.

"Or your friend dies."

At that Shiro did pause. He glanced back to see Lance still unconscious.

Sendak's second in command had ahold of the back of his armour a blaster pointed to Lance's temple.

He couldn't.

He wouldn't.

Sendak seized the moment the drive his modified hand into Shiro sending him flying across the room, he collapsed in a heap next to Lance who was then pushed onto him.

"Get the crystal connected." Sendak grunted watching how the two paladins remained motionless. "And restrain the black paladin."

~~~

"No!" Keith shouted as he noticed the particle barrier begin to go up. "Allura!"

"I know, I know."

"Pidge what's going on?" Allura demanded.

"It's not me." Pidge explained. "Sendak... He's... Help."

"Pidge you're cutting out." Keith stated pushing himself faster.

"-.. They're... Shiro... Need- Too..."

"Pidge."

The particle barrier closed sealing Allura and Keith out.

Allura reached it first hitting it harshly but it didn't move.

Keith activated his Bayard and slashed at it only to get the same result. "No!"

"There has to be a way we can help." Allura said turning to him. "Right?"

"I don't know." Keith said shaking his head. "If Pidge is caught and we're trapped then it's game over."

"The mice!" Allura then exclaimed.

"The what?"

"When we were in the pods for 10,000 years." Allura smiled. "I shared my pod with some mice."

"And you didn't freak out?" Keith asked sounding shocked.

"No, I'm not afraid of mice."

"Only rats then?"

Allura huffed indignatly. "Anyway, because of our shared time in the pod I can communicate with them."

"And when were you going to tell the rest of us about this?" Keith asked raising an eyebrow.

"I wasn't sure how to." Allura grumbled.

"Right, can they help?"

"Time to find out."

~~~

The pod continued to hurtle towards the surface, Hunk was now insanely concerned that this was it.

They were going to crash and end up as a fiery ball of crushed metal at the end of it.

But to his relief Coran pulled up on the speed and began to weave the pod through the Galran's metal structures taking them deeper and deeper into the heart of the Balmera.

Hunk had never seen a Balmera tunnel this deep, the pain it must be in.

"Oh no." Coran whispered before a blast struck the side of the pod, it span haphazardly before crashing into a metal walkway.

The pod then fell plummeting deeper and deeper.

"We're going to die." Hunk exhaled closing his eyes tightly.

They didn't die.

Hunk was so relieved.

The pod had crashed and was slightly damaged but Hunk knew that he could get it going again, it wouldn't take him long.

"Hunk." Coran said quietly a hand on his shoulder. "Look."

Hunk followed the older Altean's gaze to see two pairs of glowing yellow eyes.

"Galran's?" He breathed his Bayard coming to his hand. He didn't activate it yet. Not until he knew for definite.

Stepping into the light was a Balmeran.

"You're not galra." She breathed.

"Neither are you." Hunk smiled. "Gosh I'm so relieved."

"I've never seen you before." She said tilting her head.

"Heh, that's because I'm not from here, I'm from a different Balmera, or at least I think." Hunk let his voice fade, uncertainty creeping into his mind.

"Little one, get back." Another voice said sharply grabbing the girls arm. "We do not know these ones, they might be with the Galra."

"Whoa, no we're not I can promise you that." Hunk said quickly. "Please we need your help."

"Sister." The older one growled.

Hunk pulled his glove off his hand pressing it against the floor of the Balmera. He sighed letting some of his energy shift into the Balmera.

As he did he felt a rumble of thanks deep within the Balmera.

"You just... You gave?" The Balmera breathed quietly.

"I like to give." Hunk admitted. "That's why I like to ask, because I hate to take."

"How can we help?" She asked tilting her head.

"We need to hide, and we need a cryastal." Coran explained. "I fear a patrol is already searching for us, we have to hurry."

"If we are seen with you then we are bound to be punished." The older snapped.

"We're team Voltron." Hunk said cutting to the point hoping beyond belief that someone out here knew what that was, knew who they were and how important they were. "Please, my friend could die."

Hunk had never realised how much that thought scared him until that moment, Lance's life was on the line and he didn't like it. He wouldn't have it.

"Please." He whispered again.

"Rax." The girl said gently. "Please."

The older one sighed heavily. "Move quickly. Into the tunnels."