Keith stood silently in front of the healing pod that held the unconscious Black Paladin. Shiro was in bad shape after the battle with Zarkon. When Keith and Pidge had found him in the Black Lion, he was passed out on the floor of the cockpit, pale, sweating and breathing heavily, and his robotic prosthetic arm had been blown off, with its remains scattered across the cockpit ground.

The Red and Green Paladins took Shiro to Lance so he could heal him, but said Paladin had passed out after healing Antok. After Coran and Slav manage to get the healing pods back online, Shiro was put in one, with the remnants of his prosthetic taken off to avoid any further complications.

Keith sighed, then looked at the other occupied pod in the healing chamber, which held Thace. The Galran man had been unconscious since the battle as well, and Keith wanted answers. While Lance was healing him in the Blue Lion, the guy said his father's name. Jeremiah. The Red Paladin highly doubted there was any Galra named that, plus he was looking straight at him.

"Is it possible..." He thought, and looks down at his Blade of Marmora dagger. "That Thace, knew my dad?" He continued. With Shiro in the pod, he didn't know who to turn to. He just hugged the dagger close to him, for some sort of comfort.

Meanwhile, the Blue and Yellow Paladins were helping free a planet from the Galra. Lance and Hunk were flying in their Lions while under attack from a fleet.

"Lance, I think we just passed the drop zone." Hunk said over the coms.

"We're under heavy fire. There's no way we can stop here." Lance replied. "Kolivan, any ideas?" He asked the rebel Galra aboard his Lion.

"Open the hatch. We'll take it from here." The Blade of Marmora's leader replied, and Lance did as he said. "Go! Go! Go!" He told the others once the hatch was open. One by one, the blades jumped out of the Blue Lion, with Kolivan jumping last, while the hatch closed back up.

The Galran rebels dived down to the surface, landing on their feet, and began attacking the galra sentries on the ground. While up in the air, the two Paladins were covering them. Suddenly the attacks stopped, and the forces were leaving.

"It appears the Galra forces are evacuating." Kolivan said as the two Paladins flew their Lions behind him.

"Hehe! Yeah! And stay out!" Hunk said from his Lion.

"Let's set them down over there, and get ready for the parade." Lance said as he kicked-back, before remembering something. "Oh, by the way, any and all inured come to Blue for healing." He announced.

After landing, and exiting the lions, the two Paladins were greeted by the aliens they helped set free. As thanks, the villagers, called the Puigians, rewarded them. The ladies were getting their pictures taken along with Lance, and Hunk was rewarded food, though some of it was apparently still alive. While the Blade of Marmora just stood off to the side, the Puigians clearly spiteful of them.

"You know, based on our recent battles, it seems like the Galra Empire is kind of just falling apart." Hunk said as he walked over, eating a piece of food on a stick.

"It's more than that. Look." Kolivan said as he turned around to look at something. Lance, having walked over, going "whoa" and used his phone like electronic to take a picture. "Word of Voltron's triumph over Zarkon is spreading." He says, directing to a rock wall with a carving of Voltron on it.

"Yeah, I guess, but the problem is we can't form Voltron anymore." Hunk say, with Shiro in a healing pod, there was no one to fly the Black Lion, and without the Black Lion, they couldn't form Voltron.

"That cannot stand." Kolivan says as he stares at the carving. "The universe needs Voltron." He states.

"Lions of Voltron," the three turn around to see three Puigians walk up to them. "The People of Puig thank you for freeing us from the evil hands of the Galra empire." The front most Puigian said to them.

"Don't forget the Blade of Marmora. We couldn't have done it without Kolivan and his team." Lance replied.

"It was our honor." Kolivan added.

"Yes." The Puigian said, rather stiffly, with narrowed eyes at the Galra. Then turned his attention back to the Paladins. "I want to pledge to you that every able-bodied Puigian will join Voltron in the fight against the Galra." He says. "Speaking of Voltron, where is it?" He asked as he looked for the robot, and the other Puigians were cheering "Voltron! Voltron!".

"I think this, might be a problem." Hunk said to Lance, who couldn't agree more.

Suddenly a thump was heard and everyone looked to see a small Puigian child on the ground in front of the Paladins. The little child's eyes started to gather tears and they stared crying. It broke Lance's heart.

"Ah, there, there sweetheart. Are you okay?" He asked gently as he crouched down to the child and helped them up. Lance noticed a few scraps on the little kid, including some that were bleeding. "Oh, that must have hurt, huh?" He said, the child nodded. "There, there. I'll fix those right up." He said and conjured some water and started healing the little one's wounds. The other Puigians gasped.

"Blue Paladin? You can heal?" The male Puigian from before said in astonishment.

"Uh-huh." Lance replied as he finished healing the child. "There we go. All better." He said and the child giggled and smiled at him.

"Thank you mister." They said. Lance nodded with a smile, and the child went to another Puigian, presumably the child's mother.

"Blue Paladin." Lance turned to the Puigian man. "How is it you have this ability? Did you always have it? Or is it because of your connection to your lion?" He asks.

"Well," Lance said while scratching his head a little nervous. "No, I wasn't born with these powers, but it wasn't because of my lion. Me, Hunk and the other Paladins were all given these powers by a being called Zarc." He replies and the Puigians all gasp.

"You have met the Zarc?" The Puigian man asked excitedly.

"Yes. You know him?" Lance answered and asked back.

"We of Puig were honored by his visit many centuries ago." The Puigian man replied and looked at the stone wall again, but not at the carving of Voltron. Lance, Hunk and Kolivan all looked to where the alien man was gazing at. It was another carving, depicting a figure with Puigians bowing down to them. The figure's arm was raised, showing it was clawed and scaly. It was Zarc's arm, but the figure's hair was a totally different style, and the outfit had minor details that were different as well. It looked like Zarc, but at the same time, it didn't.

"Woah~" Lance said breathless and took a picture of the carving.

Back on the Castle of Lions, the Paladins all gathered in the common room, except for Shiro still in the pod, and Allura and Coran. Pidge had been trying to find her brother, and was taking a break. Hunk was talking to the princess.

"They're totally ready to join the fight against the Empire." Lance comments.

"Nice!" Pidge added.

"We brought back few of their leaders to join the coalition." Hunk announced.

"That's wonderful. Excellent work!" The Princess congratulated.

"You know, I gotta say, this is what it's all about..." Lance spoke as he took out his orange device and showed Pidge one if the picture he took on it. "Freeing the people, loving the ladies, then going down the road again looking for adventure, Voltron-style." He comments.

"Which brings up a little issue." Hunk speaks up. "They all want to see Voltron, only we don't really have Voltron anymore." He says.

"We don't have Shiro anymore, either. Everyone seems to have forgotten that." Keith added, and the others looked dejected.

"Hey..." Everyone turned to Lance. "Shiro's strong, he will get better. We just have to give him some time." He says. "And if it's not enough, I think I can heal him now." He adds.

"Oh, speaking of, Lance used his powers to heal a civilian, and you won't believe what we found after they heard the powers were from Zarc." Hunk spoke up.

"Oh, yeah." Lance said as he swiped through his device. "When the Puigians learned that Zarc granted us these powers, we learned that he visited them a while back." He said then he found the picture he was looking for. "Check it out." He said and shows the others the picture.

"Woah~" They all say, then Allura notices something.

"Wait a minute. That doesn't look like Zarc." She says noticing the differences.

"I know. I thought it was a different person, but then I noticed the arm." He said and zoomed in on the arm on the carving. "It's defiantly Zarc's." He stated.

"Zarc told me that he was one of many." Keith suddenly spoke, and everyone turned to him. "He said, "Zarc is not just a person, but also a title and a power"." He explained to the others.

"So, this is a different Zarc then? One who came before our Zarc?" Allura asked.

"Seems to be Princess." Lance said as they all continued to look at the picture.

Later, the Paladins and Alteans, along with Kolivan from the Blade of Marmora were joined by leaders of planets they had freed from the Empire. After a, not so encouraging speech from Kolivan. Luckily it got more positive when he mentioned the freedom fighters, added with Allura picking up the rest. The leaders started asked about Voltron, all wanting to see the Legendary Defender of the universe.

"The people you see here before you, are the Paladins of Voltron." Allura said, trying to divert the question. "Together, they pilot the mighty lions that form the great warrior." She introduced.

"Excellent! Can they form Voltron now?" The Puigian leader asked.

"Uh, well..." The Altean Princess said, unsure how to reply.

"We can't form Voltron! Okay?" Everyone turned to Keith. "We can fly the lions, but Voltron is not happening." He says annoyed and everyone gasps.

"What he means is that right now they can't do it, but--" Allura starts trying to ease the tension in the room, but is cut off by Keith.

"But nothing. Shiro is gone. He was the Black Paladin. And until he comes through, there is no Voltron." He says. Kolivan quickly took the lead.

"The lions are still a substantial fighting force and this Castle is also a considerable weapon. The Blade of Marmora can lead you." The Blade leader says.

"My people have been enslaved for centuries by soldiers who look exactly like you." Comments a robotic alien leader.

"Yes! Our people have heard the legend of Voltron, how he defeated Zarkon." Spoke the Puigian leader. "That is what gave them hope. What are we supposed to tell them now?" He asks, and Keith was getting more annoyed by the tick.

"Tell them to stand up and fight for themselves! Voltron is gone!" He yells as he slammed his hands on the table and abruptly stood up from up his seat. Suddenly he found himself being drenched in cool water. He blinked, before looking at the only one able to do that. Lance was fixing him with a stern look, unlike him.

"Okay, chill out Mullet! You want to set the room on fire?!" The Blue Paladin's words confused the half-galra, before he looked down to see scorch marks on the table where his hands are. He backed away from the table and lifted his shivering hands to his face. Staring at them in uncurtaining and fear.

"The Blue Paladin did mention all Paladins have abilities gifted by Zarc." The Puigian leader comments. "So that is what we can say then." He suggests.

"Indeed." The robotic leader comments. "It's truly remarkable. Zarc for my people is but a legend. We never knew he was real." She says.

"Oh, he's real alright." Lance said and everyone directed their attention to him. "We met him on the jungle planet, and as a reward for helping him, he gave us all these amazing powers." He explained.

"Incredible! The legends of Zarc's mystical powers are true!" The robot alien said.

"Then why did he leave us?!" Keith yells. "So far, he hasn't helped in this war at all! If he has all these amazing powers, and has been around for as long as people say, then why hasn't he done anything?! So far, he's just given us these powers, but he hasn't helped us fight or anything! It's like it's just a game to him! And we're the pieces that he's playing with!" He yells in anguish.

"Keith! That's not true! And you know it!" Lance yells at him.

"Yeah, he's helped all of us." Hunk comments nervously.

"You said yourself, he helped you during the Trials of Marmora." Pidge says.

"I mean actually helping us! Why hasn't he helped us physically face Zarkon?! If all that power of his is true, then he could have ended Zarkon years ago!" He yells then runs out of the room. The rest turned back to the stunned leaders.

"Pizza roll? Pig in a blanket?" Hunk asked as he chuckled nervously.

"I'll have a pizza roll." The Puigian leader says.

AN: Hey guys! I'm back! I hope you enjoy the new chapter! Also next chapter we're going to be exploring Zarc's character a little more. So see ya then!