The New Paladin

37: Hit

Shiro grunted as a blast hit the side of his lion, this mission was not going well, in fact it was going so poorly that he wasn't sure if they had the chance to even try and pull it off.

"Help!" Lance called as the blue lion went shooting past. There were several newly designed fighters chasing after him.

"Hang on." Keith replied appearing from nowhere to blast at them.

"Guys I think Voltron might be needed!" Hunk exclaimed as a new and massive ship arrived. "Like now!"

"Hunk's right." Shiro nodded. "Form Voltron."

The lions swerved together before there stood Voltron, the large robot ready to do battle.

"Sword and shield." Shiro instructed before they formed. "Alright team, let's do this. Together!"

"Yeah!" The others all replied enthusiastically.

Voltron blasted towards the new ship, dodging blasts from the hundreds of small fighters as they tried their best to avoid any damage.

"Hunk, watch it." Lance warned as he caused Voltron to twist out the way of a blast. "These cannons are different from others we've faced."

"Nothing we can't beat." Keith replied.

"Lance is right, the energy is something completely different." Pidge said quickly. "Don't get hit by them."

"Why?" Hunk asked nervously.

"Cause I don't know what it does." Pidge remarked.

"Alright, guys let's focus." Shiro ordered eyes narrowing. "We can't let the Galra pin us down here. Allura how's things your end?"

"Not great." Allura admitted. "Pidge's cloaking device has given us time but we are still nowhere near ready to make a jump."

"Alright, keep working on it." Shiro encouraged.

"Watch out!" Coran called as a blast skimmed the blue lion, as it did Voltron disbanded the lions seperating forcefully.

"Lance? Are you alright?" Shiro asked anxiously.

"Lance?" Hunk asked after a beat of silence.

"Lance answer us!" Keith growled.

"Ow." Lance replied weakly his com crackling slightly. "I didn't see what hit me."

"That blast came out of nowhere." Allura explained softly before her eyes widened. "Paladins, get out of there."

"What why?"

"That's Haggar's ship." Allura explained softly.

"Lance, how you holding up?" Shiro asked as he steadied his lion.

"I'm here." Lance replied his voice sounding weaker than normal. "What's the plan?"

"Don't get hit again." Pidge decided making Lance let out a breathy laugh. "You're not hurt are you?"

"I don't think so." Lance replied. "But Blue is running at 50%."

"Alright." Shiro nodded. "Allura, Coran, we're going to do our best, once you get that teledove working get us out of here."

"On it." Allura said sharply.

"Alright team, once more. Form Voltron."

The lions came together swiftly. And there stood Voltron again.

"Remember we're just here to distract, keep away from those blasts."

"Roger that." Keith confirmed.

Voltron raced past the ships taking out the smaller ones before aiming for the fleets, they did their best to avoid Haggar's ship, but it was more agile than some of Zarkons.

"It's coming back around." Lance warned. "Watch it."

"I can't even predict what it's doing." Pidge frowned. "There's no energy output, I can't even see when or if it's going to fire."

"Just hang in there." Shiro encouraged. "We'll be out of here soon just keep trying."

"Lance?" Hunk asked quieter. "You doing okay?"

Lance made a small noise. "Everything's kinda blurry." He mumbled.

"Shiro, I'm not sure how long were going to be able to do this." Hunk admitted. "I can't be a leg on my own."

"I know, I know." Shiro replied anxiously. "Lance think you can hang in there a little longer."

"Heh, I can sure try." Lance promised.

"Ada boy." Shiro smiled.

Then Haggar's ship appeared in front of them. Lance and Hunk managed to steer then sharply enough that Keith and Pidge managed to direct the sword to cut clean through the surface of the ship leaving a trail of destruction.

Then a black orb struck them.

Shiro grit his teeth as pain sparked through his body. It ached.

Voltron trembled before it disbanded leaving the lions to float.

"Shiro! Shiro answer me." Allura's voice snapped in his ear. "Shiro now!"

Shiro groaned eyes flickering weakly open. "Princess... I'm here."

"The teledove is operational." Allura explained. "Get back here all of you."

Shiro struggled to push the controls forwards but soon he was heading back towards the castle.

"Lance isn't responding." Hunk said slowly his voice sounding beyond exhausted.

"Grab his lion, we're going back to the castle."

"Roger that."

The yellow lion swooped down collecting the blue lion before towing it back towards the castle.

The moment they were all docked Shiro stumbled out of the black lion. "Allura let's go."

He felt the castle whirr beneath him with a slight judder before they were gone.

He headed straight to the blue lions hangar where Hunk was exiting Blue carrying Lance in his arms.

Lance's head was laying on Hunk's shoulder eyes heavily closed. He looked worse then unconscious at first.

"He won't wake up." Hunk said anxiously.

Shiro stepped closer placing one hand on Hunk's shoulder to provide comfort while he took Lance's wrist to find his pulse.

He was alive.

"Let's get him to Coran."

By the time they had reached the medical bay Lance's eyes had weakly opened. A relief to them all but he looked worse for wear.

"What happened out there?" Allura demanded quietly to Shiro.

"I don't know, but Haggar's attacks are becoming worse." Shiro admitted quietly. "Whatever that blast was it knocked us all."

"I've got enough data now." Pidge informed quietly from where she sat on the floor. "She hit us with dark quintessence, it might be why were all feeling a little out of it."

"Dark quintessence?"

"Modified quintessence to do more harm than good." Pidge explained.

"Why can't I feel my teeth?" Lance grumbled as Hunk held him up.

"I was unaware you could feel your teeth." Keith frowned.

"Everything's ringing."

"Maybe you should lie down." Shiro suggested.

"Probably." Pidge nodded.

"Can you make it possible to protect the lions and the castle?" Allura asked crouching next to Pidge.

"I can, but it will take a while integrating the code into the tech." She sighed. "I could do it with some help."

"Olkarian?"

"Olkarian." Pidge nodded.

"S'under Galra." Lance mumbled.

"Well we're going to set it free." Pidge decided determinedly.