It was officially a day after Sendak's defeat and the take back of the Castle of Lions. Everyone was down in the medical bay, all hovering around Alaina's pod. She had been out since the explosion, but seemed to be getting better.

"I can't tell if she's healthy or not." Hunk said.

"I think she's breathing weird. Or that might just be an Altean thing." Pidge says next, her face smushed against the pod glass.

"Oh, come on!" Keith got impatient and reached out to touch the pod, but his hand was smacked away by Allura.

"Not yet! Just a few more ticks." The older princess says.

"How much better is she going to get in a few ticks?" The Red Paladin asked, then folded his arms and pouted. Really, the only way to describe it.

"And what exactly is a tick?" Pidge followed up, pulling off the pod.

"You know, a time slice." Allura replied.

"Like a second?" Shiro, who remained quiet through the exchange, asked.

"What is a "second"?" The Altean Princess asked confused.

"Like this." Pidge said, having pulled out a device that displayed a clock, counting the seconds.

"I'm not sure. I think ticks are bigger." Allura says and turns to the other Alteans, the two monitoring the younger princess's condition. "Coran, Amue, do either of you have a ticker?" she asks.

"Yes. Right here Princess." Coran replies and pulls out his own odd device, most likely said ticker.

"I think ticks are a little slower." Hunk says.

"I can't tell." Pidge says, looking between her clock and the ticker. "We need to start at the same time." She adds and both her and Coran reset their timers

"Okay. Ready, and go!" Coran said as they both start their timers with everyone huddling around watching.

"Yes! I think we're winning." Hunk says excitedly.

"Winning what? The intergalactic time-measuring competition?" Keith asks.

"I guess...?" Amue says, though it sounds more like a question. As they were focused on the, uh... "clock-off", Alaina's pod opened and the second princess of Altea stumbles out and over to them.

"What's with all the ticking?" She asks drowsily, surprising everyone.

"Aw, man, Lana you... Lana!" Hunk says and hugs the Altean girl.

"Thank the ancients." Allura says and joins in the hug.

"Huh? What happened?" Alaina asks as her sister and new friend let her go.

"We can explain all about it. But first, we need to get you something to eat." Allura replies.

"Sounds good. I'm actually pretty hungry." The younger princess says.

After Amue helps Alaina change, they meet up with the rest of the team in the dining hall. Where they explained about the explosion, Sendak taking over the castle, and how they got it back, along with a new crystal. All the while, Lana ate the food goo Amue gave her.

"You'd be Sendak's prisoner now if not for Pidge." Allura says.

"Well, you wouldn't be alive now if it weren't for Hunk and Coran." Pidge adds, while Lana gives some of her goo to Platt and Jaga, then turns to everyone.

"Thank you everyone." She says then turns back to the mice and cat. "Though it sounds like our little friends here did the most perilous tasks." She said and pets the mice then scratches Jaga under his chin, all preening from her affection.

"Wha-! I hit Sendak!" Keith protested.

"Yes. Apparently after I awoke from a coma and shot him, even in such a weak state." The Altean girl says back.

"We had a bonding moment. I cradled you in my arms!" Keith sounded almost sad, with his voice cracking at the end. Lana gave him a pensive look in return.

"I think I would remember any of this. Either way, I'd appreciate it if you would stop grabbing me without permission then." She says, and Keith's jaw drops. Hunk and Pidge both snicker at his dumbfounded expression. "Speaking of, where is Sendak now?" The younger princess asks her sister.

"Currently, he's frozen in a cryopod down in the Castle's holding chambers." She replies.

"Are you sure that's wise sis?" Alaina asks concerned.

"I agree." Amue says.

"I understand, but he is too dangerous to be set free." She made a valid point. "Besides, we might be able to get some information about Zarkon from him." She added, also a good point.

"So, what's our next move then?" The younger Altean princess asks.

"Our next move is to get back to the Balmera and save Shay and her people." Hunk says next, everyone turning to him.

"Well, you sure are interested in this girl." Alaina lightly teases.

"No, it's not like that." Hunk retorts. "Look. Guys, when you see how Zarkon has treated these people and destroyed their home-- They've been under his thumb for so long, that they don't know what it's like to be free." He explains. "I admit, I still want to go home, but we can't just leave these people to suffer like this." He adds. Well said.

"Oh. Sorry." Lana apologizes, barely able to imagine the hardship these people have gone through, thanks to Zarkon. Her heart clenches at the thought of him, and Yurak. Afraid of what might have happened to him when the war started.

"It's okay." Hunk replies, snapping the Altean girl of her thoughts. "Point is, it's up to all of us to set this right. This is what being a Paladin of Voltron means. It's time to man up." He says further. Pidge was struck by his last words.

"Then let's get moving. Time to go defend the universe." Shiro says and everyone agrees, and start walking to the bridge, with Lana standing up from her chair.

"Wait, I have something to say first." Pidge spoke. Everyone halts and turns their attention to her. "I need to come clean, and I'm afraid this might change the way you all see and think of me." She begins nervously.

"Just so there are no secrets between us anymore, I can't "man up". I'm a girl." She confesses. "I mean, I can "man up" because that's just a figure of speech. I don't actually have to be a man to "man up". I just need to be tough. But, what I'm saying is--" She rambles and Rover bumps her, making her stop.

"Oh, good." At the voice of the second Altean Princess Pidge suddenly felt herself being picked up and squeezed in a tight hug. "I was afraid it was something more serious, like you were going to quit the team, or something." Lana says, being the one who was hugging the smaller girl.

"Oh, uh... I..." Pidge struggled to find words, considering that she was in fact thinking of leaving, when something hit her. "Wait, are you saying you knew?" She asks surprised as the taller girl puts her down.

"Uh... Yeah. I knew the whole time. I didn't say anything cause I didn't want to be rude." The white-haired girl replied, while tucking back a piece of hair. "You're too round and cute to be a boy anyway." She added, ruffling Pidge's hair, making the younger girl blush.

"I myself have known for some time, but I'm glad you've shared it with everyone." Allura says, with little Chulatt on her shoulder.

"Yeah, I figured." Hunk admits.

"Oh, yeah, me too." Keith adds.

"Wait, we were supposed to think you were a boy?" Coran asks.

"I suspected, but decided to wait until you were ready." Amue says.

"Pidge, owning who you are is going to make you a great paladin." Shiro says.

"It's good to get that off my chest." Pidge sighed in relief. "Now, let's launch this Castle-Ship!" She said and followed the others to the bridge.

"Right behind ya. Come on, Jaga." Lana said, the cat climbing up to her shoulder and the two following. Jaga meows something to her and she laughs as she walks up to her sister.

"What's so amusing?" Allura asked curiously.

"Jaga heard you and the mice last evening. Apparently, you didn't figure out that Pidge was a girl until they told you." Alaina replied and Allura looks flabbergasted. Lana laughed at her sister's expression and went on her way to the bridge.

~Alaina of Voltron~

The Paladins and Altean all gathered on the bridge. Allura stepped up onto the platform, the new crystal began to glow and screens popped up. Parts of the bridge floor opened and five chairs rose up from them, each with the Paladin's signature color, which also displayed holoscreens. On the platform Allura was on, the control pillars rose and she placed her hands on them.

"Activate interlock." The Older Princess announced.

"Dynotherms all connected." Coran said, while the Castle fully powered up.

"Mega-thrusters are go." Allura says next.

"We are ready to depart Planet Arus, on your mark, Princess 1." Coran said.

"Firing main engines for launch." Allura says as the Castle began to shake, then frees itself from the mountain, revealing it was in fact a ship, and launches up into the sky, leaving the planet's atmosphere and into the vast universe. Alaina looks out at the stars before them in awe.

After some time flying through space, Amue, who had stepped out for a bit, came back onto the bridge carrying a white square-shaped metal box of some kind.

"Hey, Amue. Where'd you go, and whatcha got there?" Alaina asked.

"Well, while I was helping fix up and clean the castle, I came across a few things I thought you would want to see." She answered and set the box down. The others come over as she opened the box. Inside were what looked like photos, only with hologram images instead of photographs.

"Are these, pictures?" Pidge asked, taking one out of the box.

"Ah, the holophotos! I was wondering where they were." Coran says chipper as he bounces over. Allura reached in and pulls out one of the pictures, that seemed kind of familiar.

The picture was of Allura and Alaina, both as young children, with Alfor, who had his hand on young Allura's shoulder, and young Alaina in an Altean woman's lap. The woman had tan skin, long light blonde hair and turquoise colored eyes with purplish pupils. She was wearing a royal looking, peach pink dress, with a crown on her head and had pinkish-purple Altean markings.

Next to her was a young Altean man, with similar skin tone, though a little lighter, longish brown hair that reaches his neck and dark ocean blue eyes with violet pupils. He wore armor similar to Alfor, only in colors of white, silver and sky blue.

"Is that your mom?" Hunk asks as everyone was looking at the photo over Allura's shoulder. Alaina was next to her sister, also looking at the picture.

"Yes." The older princess said with a sadden tone. Her sister had an expression that mirrored it.

"She's beautiful." Pidge breathed.

"Yes. Yes, she was." The older princess agreed, while the younger was silent.

"Indeed. Queen Fala of Altea, she was renowned for her beauty, grace and great skills in Altean Alchemy. She was quite a woman." Coran recounted.

"Yes, she was also very kind as well." Amue added.

"Hey Lana, isn't this the picture you were thinking about during the mind meld training session?" Keith asked.

"Yes. It was." Lana confirmed and touched the picture with an almost longing look. The others understood and couldn't blame her.

"I see." Shiro said in sympathy, then realized something. "Who's he?" He asked, pointing to the young brunette haired altean man.

"Oh! That would be Lord Isamu. Captain of the Altean Royal Guard, and Queen Fala's younger twin brother. He himself was renowned for his fighting skills with all sorts of weaponry. He was also a very kind hearted and compassionate man." Coran explained, with almost a wistful tone while twirling his mustache.

"Uh... I don't mean to be rude, but is it just me, or do his marks look a little, off?" Keith asks. The others all give him a look when Pidge spoke up.

"Yeah, Keith's right. His marks are different colors." She says and they all look at Isamu in the picture and see what she and Keith meant. One of his Altean marks, on his right cheek, was cobalt blue, and the other, on his left, was crimson red.

"Oh, yes, different colored Alteans markings. It was not completely unheard of, but still very rare." Amue explained.

"It was a physical trait he was well known by, as well as his proficiency for any lance type weapons. That's how he earned his nickname, "Lance"." Coran added.

"Yeah. Uncle was even the one who taught us how to fight." Alaina said with a fond look on her face.

"While mother taught us the art of alchemy." Allura added with a smile, then hugs her sister. The Paladins look in fondness.

They look through more holophotos and the Alteans telling stories about them. One showed Isamu, or Lance as he was known, with a child Lana and seemed to be teaching her how to use a sword. Another picture showed Coran and Lance together, smiling and laughing.

Another was of young Lana and Allura with Queen Fala, in a flower garden with lovely pink flowers. The next was in the same garden, only with King Alfor was in it with his two daughters and wife. They all looked happy. It was actually pretty sad to know that those days were gone.

"So, what exactly do we do when we get to the Balmera?" Hunk chimed in, trying to change the subject as it was getting a little depressing. "Do we just, roll up and start blasting? Or do we land and have some kind of public address system, like, "Attention, Galras, this is Voltron. Turn yourselves in"? No. Blasting right?" He paused his rambling.

"Hunk, calm down." Keith said making a "calm-down" motion with his hands. "And yes, blasting." He added. Lana just smiled at the boy.

"Eh. It's our first big rescue mission. He's excited." Shiro said.

"Excited to see his new girlfriend." Pidge teased and Hunk gasped.

"Wha-! She's not my girlfriend! She's just a rock that I met, and admire very much." He strongly denied and insisted.

"She sounds like your girlfriend to me." Yellow snickered in his mind.

"You, I'm ignoring." Hunk said back, Lana laughed at his expression. Suddenly the castle alarms started blaring and everyone was at attention.

"What is it? Are we being attacked?" Shiro asks Coran.

"No, it seems to be a distress beacon." The Altean advisor replies.

"It appears to be coming from a nearby moon. From a ship that has apparently lost power." Allura informed.

"I wonder who it is." Pidge queried.

"Whoever it is will have to wait. Shay and her people is our first priority. We can check back on them when we're done." Hunk said.

"The Paladin Code states that we help all those in need. So we must help." Allura says. Hunk crosses his arms and pouts, looking a lot like Keith at that moment.

"Hunk, I understand." Lana said as she places a hand on the Yellow Paladin's shoulder. "Shay helped you, and as Voltron, we have to help free her and her people. It's horrible how Zarkon has exploited them and their home like that.

"But like Allura said, we need to help everyone and anyone we can. We'll help these people, then we'll free the Balmerans." She says and Hunk smiles. The girl then turns to Coran. "How long until we reach the moon, Coran?" She asks him.

"About a few doboshes, Princess 2." The orange-haired man replied.

"Well, let's get going then." Shiro says next.

They fly towards the moon where the signal was coming from and manage to locate the source of the signal and head to the location. They arrive to find a small ship and a few aliens next to it.

"Attention, damaged craft, this is Princess Allura. We are coming to your assist." Allura announced over the castle speakers as they approach. The castle lands near the sight and Allura turns to Coran and Amue as the pillars on either side of her sink into the platform.

"Stay aboard and try to get as many of our systems clear of that Galra crystal energy as you can." She instructs. "We'll see who hailed us." She adds.

"Yes, Princess." Coran replies.

"Right away." Amue says next.

The Paladins then all go to a station and ride it down to the moon's surface like an elevator. Once it reached the ground, the door opened to a trio, consisting of two unknown aliens and a robot.

"Hello." Said a purple guy with white hair, though he was not Galra. "Man, you don't know how glad we are to see some friendly faces." He said as they approached. "Most folks don't to get tangled up with anyone who's on the run from the Galra." He explained.

"So, you guys are fighting against the Galra?" Keith asked.

"Well, I don't think Zarkon is exactly quaking in his boots at the three of us, but we do what we can." The purple guy replies. "I'm Rolo. This Nyma, and our cyber unit, Beezer." He introduces himself and his companions. A female alien with yellow and cream colors, yellow things atop her head like hair and pure purple eyes. The other was a robot with a screen face and two things atop its head.

"Whoa! Cool robot!" Pidge exclaimed as she began checking Beezer over. Rover buzzed and glowed bright orange, a little miffed that another bot got Pidge's attention. Meanwhile, Alaina went over to Nyma.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Alaina, but please, call me Lana." She introduced and Nyma smiles at her politely. Keith watched, for some reason feeling irritated.

"Was your ship damaged in a fight?" Shiro asks Rolo.

"Yeah, we've really been through it with the Galra." He replies. "Parts are hard to come by. Luckily, we were able to limp onto this moon about a week ago. If you didn't pick up our distress signal, I don't know what would've become of us." He explains.

"We're happy to help. I am Princess Allura of Altea." Allura introduces as she steps forward. "That is my sister, Princess Alaina." She says directing to where Lana was, talking with Nyma. The other Princess hears her name and bows respectively in greeting.

"And from now on you won't be alone fighting the Galra. You'll also have the Paladins of Voltron by your side." She says gesturing to the others.

Rolo looks at him, seeming underwhelmed. Then looks behind him to Lana with Nyma, the two seemed to be getting along, and the princess did have a dignified and strong aura around, but also a relaxing air as well, making her easy to talk to. But the other paladin, the small green one, was just playing around with Beezer, Rover hovering around them.

"Okay." He said, sounding unimpressed with his arms crossed.

"I don't they've heard of us." Shiro said.

"It has been ten thousand years." Keith says.

"Indeed. Even a legend as great as the Defender of the Universe, can fade with time as it has not been seen for so long." Black spoke in Shiro's mind.

"Voltron. It's a giant made up of five other ships." Lana spoke, but just receives confused looks in response.

"Sounds impressive. I'd love to see it someday." Rolo said.

"Why don't we just to work on your ship? I'm sure we all have places to be." Hunk interrupted, rather rudely. Though to be fair, the others understood why.

"Sure." Rolo says and leads them to his ship. He opens a ship panel to reveal the engine. "Pretty much our whole flaxum assembly is shot." He explains then turns to them. "I don't know what kind of extra parts you carry in this rig of yours. I've never seen like it." He says referring to the castle.

"I'm sure we can get you back up and running. Give Hunk a list of what you need. Coran and Amue can show you where to find it." Allura says. Hunk looked uneasy.

"We'll go with you. Don't want you to have to carry all that yourself. Come on, guys." Rolo says and began making his way to the castle.

"Uh, I don't think so. You can just wait here." Hunk said, blocking the guy's path.

"Hunk, don't be rude." Allura lightly scolded.

"Yeah. Buddy, I understand your antsy, but you should mind your manners here. You're acting like hothead." Lana adds gesturing to Keith, who scowls at her.

"Oh, I'm sorry, but does anyone remember that the last time we let our defenses down, someone kind of set off a bomb? Not to mention to Lana almost got killed because of it." Hunk stated.

"I, uh... Okay, good point there." The second Princess began to retort but realized the yellow paladin was right. Allura herself looked disturbed at the reminder.

"Hunk's right." Shiro said as he stepped forward. "Sorry, but we have to be cautious." He apologized.

"Hey, I don't take it personal." Rolo brushes off, not the least bit offended. "That's how things work out here. You've gotta look out for your own." As he talks Beezer beeps and prints out most likely a list of the materials needed. Pidge was in awe. "You're doing a good job, big man." The purple guy says as he hands Hunk the list.

"Yeah. Thanks." The yellow paladin replied as he took the list. He then heads into the castle to get the parts.

~Alaina of Voltron~

Later, everyone gathered around a camp fire and Rolo told them his story.

"My planet was destroyed by the Galra and I was taken captive. I manage to escape, but not before losing something." He lifts up his pant leg, revealing a robotic replacement where his leg should be. He tapped on it for emphasize.

"I know exactly how that feels." Shiro said sympathetically while lifting and looking at his own robotic limb. Just then, Hunk came rolling by with a cart.

"Well, I hope these are at least some parts in here that'll fit." The Yellow Paladin says as he pulls the cart over, then takes off his helmet. "You know, to fix up your ship?" He says with an annoyed tone.

"Great! Thanks." Rolo says back.

"So, what can you tell us about Zarkon's forces? Where are they concentrated?" Allura asked as she sat down on a crate. In the background, Pidge was playing with Beezer, actually riding Beezer.

"Well, his command ship sits right in the center if the Empire. He mostly calls the shots from there and has his underlings do all the dirty work for him, depending on who's the closest." He explained. "This here is the territory of a real nasty one called Sendak." He adds.

"Oh, we've met." Keith said.

"How far are we from the center?" Shiro asks.

"Oh, we're way out on the fringes." Rolo replies.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt, but I think you guys are kind of distracting Rolo from fixing the ship here." Hunk once again interrupted. "It's just that we're kind of in a hurry. A hero named Shay saved my life, and I kind of swore to return and do the same for her and her people. You understand." He says.

"Sure. Sorry." Rolo said and stood up from his seat. He pats Hunk on the shoulder as he passes him and goes over to the cart. He opens the cart and begins looking through its contents, with him occupied Shiro went up to Hunk.

"Hunk, we're going to get going soon, but I think Rolo might have some crucial information that could be helpful to us." The Black Paladin reasoned.

"Not for nothing, but I don't trust this guy as far as I can throw him." Hunk said back casting a suspicious look at Rolo. "I think we ought to leave him with some parts and just say, "Adios, amigo"." He added.

"Hey, bud! Sorry, but do you think you could hunt down a length of thermal pipe about yay long?" Rolo asked using his hands to describe the length of the pipe.

"On the way." Hunk groans and goes to get the pipe. Shiro walks up to Rolo.

"So, are there more freedom fighters? Any kinds of organized resistance groups against the Galra?" The Voltron leader asks, as Allura and Keith walk up to them.

"Only folks who haven't yet been colonized, or lucky few, like us, that managed to escape somehow." The purple guy replied.

"Well, we're going to change all that." Keith spoke confidently.

"That's good to hear, but I gotta warn you, it's pretty bad out there. You don't know what you're up against." Rolo replies then warns. Meanwhile off to the side, Alaina and Nyma were having a conversation.

"I don't understand. The lions are ships? Are they, like, flying statues that you ride on?" the yellow alien asked confused.

"No, not exactly. They're sort of a mix between magic and science. Alchemy, you could say." The Altean Princess replied. "Though, even I'm unsure how it works exactly. My father was the one who built them, but even he didn't fully understand their exact mechanics. He himself said it was they were telling him how to construct them." She added.

"Your dad built them?" Nyma asked.

"Yeah, he constructed all the lions, but even to him they hold many secrets. When completed it became obvious they were more than just machines, they were alive. My mom even said they were in fact living beings in mechanical bodies." Lana explained.

"I see. Your father sounds amazing. Especially his work." Nyma said impressed.

"Yeah, he was, but thanks to Zarkon he and everyone else are gone." The white-haired girl said with a melancholic tone.

"Zarkon and his Empire destroyed my home world too. My people are now scattered across the universe. I know how you feel." Nyma admitted sadly.

"They weren't always bad. The Galra I mean. Before the war, they were allies, even had a galran best friend. But he's probably gone now." The princess said, then noticed Hunk coming back. "We'll talk later, I'm going to go keep an eye on Hunk. He might need help." She said and went over to the Yellow Paladin to help.

Nyma watched as the Altean Princess walked away, feeling bad for what she was going to do, but in harsh times like these you have to do everything and anything to survive. The yellow alien walked over to where Pidge was with Beezer, Rover there, still looking miffed that the cyber-unit was getting all his master's attention.

"Hey, you want to see a trick." Nyma asked. Pidge looked excited as the female alien pressed a button on her wrist. Suddenly Beezer let a strange sound and sent out vibrations, knocking Pidge out and temporarily deactivating Rover. "Sorry about this, it's nothing personal, just survival." She apologized.

With that, she and Beezer snuck into the Castle, Amue was busy organizing the rooms while Coran was having a power nap, and went into the Green Lion's hanger, and used the same function to power down the lion and take it. Nyma then pressed another button on her bracelet.

"Thanks again for the help, Princess. You're really good at this." Rolo said. He was under the ship doing his part of the repairs.

"You're welcome. I used to help Dad and Coran with their projects back in the day." Alaina replied as she helped Hunk with his part. Rolo's bracelet started flashing and got out from under the ship.

"I think this thing is just about ready for a test flight." He said closing the hatch. "I'll take it around the moon. Be back in a few ticks." He says and boards the ship. The others stare as he starts up the craft, then takes off. The paladins decide to hang back and wait for him, not knowing that he met up with Nyma and Beezer, loading up the Green Lion onto their ship and blasting off and away.

"How many ticks did he say he would be gone for again?" Keith asked.

"A few, I believe he said." Allura replied. "I hope the craft didn't break down again." she added.

"Something ain't right." Hunk says. Then Lana starts looking around.

"Hey, has anyone seen Pidge? Rover?" She asked, getting the others' attention.

"Last I saw, she was playing with Beezer. Maybe she still is." Shiro said.

"Maybe." Alaina agreed, though her tone suggested otherwise. "I'm gonna go look for her to check if she's okay." The younger princess said and got up to do what she said.

"I'll come with you, just in case." Shiro said and the two search for their youngest Paladin. They search around, eventually finding an unconscious Pidge lying on the ground near the Castle, along with a deactivated Rover.

"Pidge!" Lana exclaimed and went to her side to check her over. "She's okay. Nothing serious." She sighed in relief.

"What happened?" Shiro asked, suddenly all the paladins hear a roar in their minds coming from their respective lions.

"Green has been taken!" Yellow exclaimed.

"It was those travelers! They took her!" Black informs.

"Now they've gone into space!" Blue says next.

"I knew it!" Hunk said over the coms. Lana managed to rouse Pidge and they all make their way to the bridge then the lions, with Hunk talking the whole way.

"At first, it was like a gut feeling, but when I was replacing that pipe, the pipe was damaged but the surrounding hardware was fine." The Yellow Paladin ranted.

"Okay, we get it!" Keith said annoyed.

"I mean, if the thermal pipe was cracked, then, obviously, hello, the entire assembly would've totally been roasted." Hunk continued.

"We get it! Someone shut him up!" Red growled, forgetting that only Keith could hear her.

"We should've had to replace the entire undercarriages of that reactor. So, right then, I was, like, positive. Foul play." Hunk continued as he boarded Yellow.

"Okay! We get it already!"
"Okay! We get it already!"

Yells everyone, including the lions, even Yellow, who had enough of his ranting. With that, the remaining lions all fly out of their hangers, Pidge staying behind to be looked over by Amue, and pursue the thieves to get Green back.

~Alaina of Voltron~

Meanwhile, said thieves were now a little ways from the moon, and proceeded to contacted the Galra Empire for a deal.

"Commander Prorok, my name is Rolo. I understand you're offering a reward to anyone who helps to capture the Voltron Lions." Rolo said to the Galra on screen.

"That's correct. Do you know where they are?" The Galran Commander asked.

"I know where the green one is. It's on my ship." Rolo replied.

"Excellent. Bring it to me and you'll have your reward." Prorok says pleased.

"Just a tick. You see, my friends and I have a bit of a checkered past, and some stolen merchandise from the Empire sort of landed in our hands." Rolo explained.

"Well, I'm sure that a full pardon can be arranged in exchange for the lion. Is that all?" The commander replies and said.

"We'll take the reward, too." Nyma says.

"Of course." The Empire Commander agreed.

"All right then. We're on our way." Rolo said and cut communication. "You know, I almost feel sorry for those Voltron folks. They did seem like a nice bunch. Especially during these times." He admitted.

"If you're feeling guilty you can go ahead and turn yourself in. Stealing from Zarkon carries a life sentence." Nyma states and walks back to her stations, with Rolo sweating bullets at the thought.

"It's fine. They didn't seem that nice." He says nervously in reply.

"Though to be fair." Nyma said, Rolo looking at her. "I feel bad too. Especially when Lana told me how her people were massacred like both of ours were." She admits with regret in her.

Suddenly, as they were passing by an asteroid field, their ship alarms went off and they pulled up a holoscreen to reveal the other Voltron Lions pursing them.

"No way." Rolo said and began pressing a few buttons and takes the wheel.

"You sure you know what you're doing? There's no way for us to outrun those things." Nyma said.

"Not out in the open. Good thing the Zolar asteroid belt is right up here, and I know it like the back of my hand." He says and flies into said belt to lose them.

"Oh c'mon! You gotta be kidding me right?!" Keith growled.

"How are we going to get through this?" Shiro asks.

"Maybe we can bust through!" Hunk says.

"Let's try it!" Yellow encourages and the two charge at the field.

"Hunk, wait!" Alaina tries but Hunk and Yellow already hit it, but instead just it just causes the asteroids to collide into each other, knocking the yellow pair out.

"Nope! That was wrong, bad idea." Hunk groans.

"Yeah, that was kind of dumb." Yellow agrees.

"Keith, maybe you can." Shiro says. "Red is the fastest, and I've seen how you pilot. We need you to get in there and flush them out." He instructs.

"You got it!" Keith replies proudly.

"I'll come with you." Lana says.

"What?!" The Red Paladin says surprised.

"I've flown through asteroid fields like this before, when I was young. I'm sure I can navigate through this." She says confidently.

"Alright, we'll meet you both on the other side." Shiro says and him and Hunk take off, heading to the other side of the belt.

"Are you serious?" Keith asks, a little annoyed.

"Of course. Follow me!" The alien princess replies then drives into the field.

"What?! Follow you?!" Keith said annoyed and followed.

"Keep your eyes open. The asteroids are moving constantly, and if we're not careful we'll be scrap metal." She warns and evades one rock as it approaches.

"I know that!" Keith retorts, seething, and is nearly crushed by asteroid form not paying attention. Luckily he notices and dodges in time.

"Calm yourself. She is not trying to criticize you, she is merely advising you because she cares." Red says to calm him down.

"She cares?" Keith asks taken aback.

"What was that?" Alaina asks and the Red Paladin jolts.

"Uh... Nothing! Just talking to Red!" The boy replies, a little flushed.

"Do that later. Incoming!" She warns and the two dodge two incoming asteroids as they collide and nearly crush them. "Stay focused! Let's go!" She says and they fly through the field, both in their own styles.

Keith was fast and fierce, flying through the field with fiery determination. While Lana was more graceful and flexible, weaving her way through the field and moving asteroids. Keith was memorized by her and Blue's graceful movements. So much so, he didn't see the asteroid coming at him and Red.

"Keith, look out!" Lana says and rams Blue into Red, pushing them out of the way of the giant asteroid. "Pay attention. They're just up ahead." She says. Keith snaps out of it and follows her after the craft. The trio notice them and begin shooting.

"Look out!" Lana warns and the two dodge the attacks. The two then retaliate with their own attacks. The ship fires again with both Paladins expertly dodging them and firing back. At one point they nearly trick the Paladins to crash into an asteroid, but the two manage to dodge even that.

"I'll stop them!" Keith says and charges ahead.

"Wait, Keith!" Lana calls, but Keith is already ahead and attacks them. He blasts their weapons then takes out one of their weapons as they fly out of the field. The Red Paladin grabs the ship, not seeing something fall from it. 

"Gotcha!" Keith says proudly, laughing a little, as Shiro and Hunk join him.

"And you nearly lost the Green lion." Lana says, coming in with Green in her hold. "You did remember she was on the ship right? You could have destroyed her, plus I think you put their ship out of order now." The princess states.

"Uh... Oh." Keith said, realizing his mistake in that department. Alaina replies.

"Well, on the bright side, we got your lion back Pidge." She says.

"You okay, Green?" Blue asked.

"Yeah, but tell Red and her paladin to be careful next time." Green replies.

"Sorry, Green. We kind of got caught up in the moment." Red apologizes. With that, the Paladins fly back to the moon, Blue returning Green to her hanger, and Red putting the craft back on the moon along with the trio.

"Since your ship is now, really damaged," Alaina said, casting a look at Keith, who sweatdrops, not able to retort this time. "You're gonna have to wait here for an actual rescue." She finishes.

"Thank you, for sparing our lives." Rolo thanks.

"Now that these guys are taken care of, let's get to the Balmera and save Shay and her family." Hunk insisted.

"You're right buddy, let's go." Lana says and the Paladins begin making their way to the castle ship.

"For what it's worth." Rolo began, the Paladins stopping in their tracks to look at him. "I hope you do defeat Zarkon. It's a lifetime of fighting the Galra that led me to where I am now." He finished sincerely.

They Paladins stare at him, then turn and head into the Castle. The trio sat there, lost in their thoughts when they hear footsteps. They look up to see Alaina approaching them, carrying something. She walks up them and places what she was carrying down in front of them.

"I know for a fact you weren't lying on how Zarkon destroyed your lives, and it pains me to see that the universe and it citizens have fallen like this thanks to him. So I promise, we'll stop him, and him pay." She says, then turns and walks back into the ship.

The trio watch as the castle ship takes off, then checks out the box she gave them. Inside they found some spare parts for their ship and rations for their survival. They all look up, watching as the ship leave, thinking of the second alien princess.

~Alaina of Voltron~

Later on the ship, Lana was in the lounge with Jaga in her lap. Thinking over the events that had transpired. In a way, she felt sorry for the trio, as it was clear that they were only trying to survive in the cruel place the universe had become. She was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard the door open.

"There you are." Keith said as he entered. Lana rose, Jaga climbing up to her shoulder, and turned to face him.

"Did you need something?" She asked, then noticed Keith was holding something.

"I, uh, found this, while exploring." He said and handed her a holophoto. The picture showed her, a little younger but otherwise not too different from now, along with a young galra with violet purple skin, pure yellow eyes, big fluffy cat like ears and purple strips on both his cheeks. The two looked happy as they appeared to be laughing in the picture.

"Is... Is that Yurak? Your old Galra friend Amue told us about?" Keith asked.

"Yes. It was." Lana replied and brushed her figures over the image of the Galra. "We were friends long before our species went to war. I have no idea what happened to him. Though it has been so long, he is probably gone by now." She said mournfully. "You know, you really do remind me of him." She says.

"Yeah, Amue has already pointed that out. We're both, hotheaded and reckless, I know." He said, getting a little tired of being compared to the guy.

"Yes, but you both also have good intentions at heart and takes things very seriously." Lana added and Keith looked at her in surprise. "And deep down, you really care about everyone around you.

"You just need to be reminded of it sometimes." She says and begins leaving the room, with a flustered Keith frozen in place. "Also, thank you for carrying me to the med bay." She calls and leaves. Snapping Keith out his daze.

"Wait, what?! You do remember?!" Keith shouts and pursues the alien princess. "Wait. Hold up! Lana!" He calls running after her.

AN: Sorry this took a while, and is so long with the added scene here. I've been binge watching The Twelve Kingdoms. Despite being pretty much what you get when you cross Inuyasha with Game of Thrones, I found myself enjoying it.

Sadly it's seriously underrated, to the point it wasn't finished, and we're stuck with a few left over cliffhangers. If you love fantasy, awesome world building and great character study and growth, then go look it up and check it out.