*WILL BE EDITED LATER*

With a huff, Arcadia flopped down on her bed. She returned to her room after the shocking news of Master Zenio. She couldn't believe he was working with Haggar. Now she understood why the witch had so many plants and animals from Draconia preserved in her room. Master Zenio was using them to perform material alchemy. She wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or worried she wasn't the last remaining draconian. It was nice not being the last of her species, but the only other draconian in the universe was working with the enemy.

Arcadia grabbed her pillow, covered her face, and screamed into it. She then tossed it across the room before sitting up. Grabbing the communicator she used to talk with Keith, she tried to contact him. When he didn't answer, she sighed and stared at the holographic image of him. It'd been almost a month since they retrieved the draconic fighter for the Blade of Marmora. Ever since, she hadn't been able to get ahold of Keith. She figured he was busy with missions and didn't want to distract him.

Placing the communicator under the pillow that was still on her bed, she huffed out another sigh. Their next destination was to the central command of the galra, but it would be a few more hours until they arrived. She had free time and no idea what to do. To keep herself distracted, she headed to the training deck.

Once there, she transformed into a dragon and tried a few new spells from Master Proliux's grimoire, the original tenth volume. Knowing the strange thing that was happening to her was simply her becoming a master alchemist, she tried a few new spells. She encircled her body with spears of light and used her tail to smash them, watching as the golden particles floated through the air before vaporizing. She snorted out a cloud of smoke and moved on to the next spell.

Trying her hand at illusion spells because of their difficultly, Arcadia focused her attention on the empty space in front of her. Concentrating, she managed to warp the light and create a perfect replica of Lotor. He still had yet earned her trust and abhorred him for wiping out the colony of draconians who were trying to live in peace. Lifting her front right leg with a growl, she squished the illusion and imagined it was the real Lotor. Although it brought her little satisfaction, she bore her fangs as if she were smiling.

Getting bored, Arcadia remained in her dragon form. A wave of laziness crashed over her so she decided to lay down. She rested her head on the floor, closing her eyes and reminiscing in her favorite memories. She was too deep in her own mind that she failed to detect the paladins entering the training room.

Her eyes snapped open the second she felt a strange weight on her muzzle. Golden eyes met a pair of brown ones. Hunk was the one latched to her muzzle. He smiled innocently at her, blushing slightly. "Hi," he greeted casually. She snorted, the small vibration being felt by the yellow paladin. "H-Hey, that tickles!"

Next, the dragon felt a weight on her tail. Lifting it up, she saw Pidge was latched on to it. She wondered what the two paladins were doing until she heard Lance's voice shouting, "Take down the space dragon!"

Allura, Shiro, and Lance jumped up and clung to her left side. Their combined weight didn't even budge her scale-covered body an inch. She lifted her left wing and glanced at the three before her attention was drawn back to Hunk. He managed to climb up her muzzle and reach the top of her head. He then slid down the side of her neck to join the red, blue, and black paladins. Still, it wasn't enough to tip her body.

Pidge was the last one to join her fellow paladins. She swung herself from Arcadia's tail and landed on her thigh. She then bellyflopped on the dragon's left side with a mighty cry. Now all of them were clinging to her side. Still unsure of what they were trying to accomplish, a non-threatening growl emitted from her throat while she maneuvered her body so she was now lying on her right side. She tucked her wings against her back with another low growl.

The paladins cheered victoriously, puzzling Arcadia further. "We defeated space dragon!" Hunk announced happily with a chuckle. He rested his head on her side, staring up at the ceiling. The others mimicked his actions so they were now all resting on the dragon's side.

That's when it dawned on the alchemist. They were playing with her in hopes to cheer her up. She mentally smiled, their childish antics having brightened her mood. She remained lying on her right side while the paladins seemed to be comfortably sprawled out along her left side. Pidge was the first to sigh in content. "Y'know, this is actually comfortable. I kinda don't want to get up."

"I have to agree," Shiro said with a small smile present on his face.

Hunk was already fast asleep, snoring. Lance glanced over at the yellow paladin in surprise. "How can he fall asleep so easily...?"

"This truly is relaxing," Allura stated, her own smile springing forth. "It reminds me of my childhood."

"How so?" The red paladin pried.

"Arcadia would often allow me to sleep against her whenever we were resting in the castle's garden when we were children. It was always so peaceful."

Suddenly, Hunk snored loudly and startled the paladins and Arcadia. The dragon lifted her head off the ground and eyed the yellow paladin. Using the tip of her tail, she poked his cheek as he began to mumble in his sleep. "Space...dragon..." Another obnoxious snore came from the boy. "Don't...eat that..."

Pidge's eyes narrowed perplexingly. "What the heck is he dreaming about?"

"Might be best not to ask," Shiro said.

All the paladins remained splayed out on Arcadia's side until they were summoned to the bridge by Coran. Hunk was startled awake and screamed when he unwillingly slid off the dragon's side. He landed on his hindquarters with a grunt and was joined by Lance, Allura, and Shiro. The four left the training room, meaning only Pidge and Arcadia were the one's left behind.

The green paladin carefully slid off Arcadia's side and landed perfectly on her feet. She noticed no movement from the dragon and walked around to peer at her face. "C'mon, Arcadia, time to go!" She received a lazy growl in response. Pidge purses her bottom lip. "Oh, don't be like that! Maybe once we get back to galra central command, we can reprogram another sentry and you can join us this time! What do you say?"

The draconian's pointy ears twitched. This was noticed by Pidge, making her smirk. She backed away as the dragon got to her feet and reverted back. Arcadia smiles giddily at her. "I hope we do. I missed all the fun last time!"

Pidge laughed. "Then let's head to the bridge, but we should probably change first."

The two girls joined everyone in the bridge after changing into their armors. Looking out the large window, they saw the castleship was gradually approaching galra central command. It hadn't been long since their previous visit, only a few days. Arcadia stood on the other side of Allura, away from Lotor as he spoke. "To return so triumphantly is a dream I thought I would never achieve. We are one step closer to bringing peace and prosperity to the entire universe. This is all because of you, Princess."

Allura smiled at him. "We did it together, Lotor. I would have never even known of Oriande without you, and therefore could have never unlocked its secrets."

From across the room, Arcadia saw how Allura's and Lotor's interaction resulted in a sulking Lance. She crept over to the red paladin, stood behind his seat, and grabbed his cheeks. "Moping isn't allowed here. Where's that smile I saw earlier? I'm pretty sure it was the same smile that brought back mine." She squeezed his cheeks, but she got no reaction from him. Releasing his face, she leant down and whispered in his ear. "There's no way in the entire universe I'm going to let Lotor have Allura."

Lance's eyes widened at her declaration. He looked up at her and saw the serious expression on her face. He felt his worries melt away, knowing she was on his side. "You mean that?"

"Consider it a proclamation."

Eventually, the castleship docked. Everyone stepped off and followed Lotor through central command. As they entered the room they arrived in during their previous visit, Shiro broke the silence looming over the group. "We'll see Intel in your briefing and decide what to do. Maybe we can—"

"Lotor," a feminine voice called out authoritatively.

Lotor couldn't believe who it was. His grimaced as the woman approached. "Oh, no."

Lance was curious and slid between Lotor and the woman. "Uh...who the heck are you?"

"How dare you speak to me without authorization from Blood Emperor Lotor." The woman swung her crop, slapping him in the face without hesitation.

"Ow!" Lance shrieked. Rubbing his face, he groans while glaring at the woman.

"She was my governess. No one has used the term "Blood Emperor" since before we were a star-faring race." Lotor gestured to the paladins, Coran, and Arcadia. "And these are my colleagues. They have more than my permission to speak. Everyone, this is Dayak."

Pidge waved at the governess. "Hi."

"A pleasure," Coran politely said.

Lance simply groans in pain and displeasure, but Hunk happily replied with, "Hiya."

"A pleasure to meet your acquaintance," Arcadia said with a small wave of her own before placing her hand on Lance's back to relieve him of his pain.

"Hello," Shiro said.

And finally, Allura greeted Dayak. "Nice to meet you."

Lotor faces the woman that raised him. "So, to what do we owe the honor?"

Dayak smiled proudly. "Word of your victory at the Kral Zera has spread throughout the empire. I always knew you had it in you to crush your enemies." She raised her crop into the air. "Dayak's raised you from a child to a man, and now I'll witness your ascension to the throne."

Lance bursted at the seams with laughter, turning to question the petrified Lotor. "Wait, she raised you from a child? Aww, is this your nanny?"

"Governess," Lotor corrected him.

The red paladin ignored the correction. "You have a nanny! Is she going to read you bedtime stories? Is she gonna rock you to sleep? Is she gonna—Ow!"

Dayak struck Lance a second time in the face with the crop. "I instructed Lotor in the ways of the Galra. The history of our conquests, our customs, battle philosophy, the art of war."

"Hmm," Hunk hummed curiously, hands resting on his hips. "Galra customs, huh? Is that like when you guys say "vrepit sa" and stuff? There's so much we don't know about you."

Lotor smirked at the yellow paladin, placing a hand on his shoulder. "If you're interested in our society's history, you couldn't find a better teacher than Dayak."

"What Lotor says is true," Dayak responded.

"Oh, wow. Would you really teach me about the Galra?" Hunk asked the woman.

With crossed arms, Lance questioned his friend. "What you wanna know about the galra for?" He jabbed a thumb in Arcadia's direction. "We've already got a kick-butt alien on the team who's way cooler than any galra."

"As much as I appreciate that compliment," Arcadia intervened. "I think learning about the galra is quite important."

Hunk nodded in agreement with her. "Yeah. We're gonna be working with Lotor to bring peace through the empire, right? Makes sense the more we know about their society, the better."

Dayak stares into his brown eyes with a heated expression. "If you are to learn the ways of the Galra, be prepared for the most challenging trial you could ever undertake. There will be no turning back. Victory or death."

After hearing the last part, Hunk promptly changed his mind and smiled nervously. "Uh, oh, that's okay."

"Hunk, you're a Paladin of Voltron," Allura stated. "There is no challenge too great for you."

Groaning in thought, he considered the princess' words and crossed his arms. "Will I learn what "vrepit sa" means?"

"Yes," Dayak replied.

"Let's do it!" Hunk pumped his fists in the air excitedly. He followed Dayak away from the others to begin their first lesson together.

"Think he'll survive?" Lance asked, looking towards Arcadia.

"I'm sure he will, but he may have some scratches and bruises when he comes back," she answered. "I'll probably have to provide him with a minor healing session."

Shiro stared at Hunk's back before glancing at Lotor. "Let's get to that briefing."

Lotor escorted the remaining paladins, Coran, and Arcadia to the bridge of the large ship. As they wandered down a long corridor, the draconian felt eyes on her. Her head snapped to the left, seeing two guards whispering to each other. Seeing her golden eyes were focused on them, they shrieked and ran away. She scowled as they took refuge in the closest room. "What a bunch of weirdos..."

Lotor overheard her and chuckled. "Draconians are still feared by many in the empire. Some have witnessed your magnificent powers in person and have lived to tell the tale. Your reputation has only increased the fear in many due to your alliance with Voltron."

"And those who fear me..." Arcadia's stared at his back. "Do they believe I will betray Voltron someday and destroy the entire universe?"

"Some, but not all. The fear you've struck into many works in your favor. If you remain on your current path and show the universe you are trustworthy, you will no longer be feared. Many will chant your name alongside Voltron's."

"I don't want to be worshipped," she hissed. "I just want people to see not all draconians are bloodthirsty psychopaths."

"And they will once we've achieved peace."

Arriving at the bridge, they gathered around the main computer as a galra crew member explained to them the current situation as images appeared on the screen. "The civil war continues unimpeded. More and more Galra forces are leaving to join other factions." An image of Sendak appears on the computer's screen. "Sendak has claimed the most deserters. They call themselves "the Fire of Purification.""

"Oh, fancy," Arcadia sarcastically commented.

"It is time I address all Galra and make my claim as emperor absolute," Lotor declared, all eyes falling upon him.

"Is that going to start with you freeing planets?" Lance inquired.

"It's not that easy. My grip on the empire is tenuous as is. I need to proffer an alternative to our current state. That's why it is so important that Allura and I gain access to the quintessence field."

"Are we to focus all of our energy on that?" Allura asked.

"It is paramount. However, we cannot let the empire fall apart. I will address my people at the astral conflux. Please, follow me. There is something I must show you, Allura."

Lotor and Allura turned to leave, but Arcadia stopped them. "Before you venture off, may I be granted access to the ship's security feed?"

Lotor nodded. "Of course."

"Thank you." Although the words were sour, she was grateful for his permission. And yet, she still couldn't find it in her heart to trust him. She didn't like the idea of Allura being alone with him, which went the same for Lance, but she was desperately trying to hold her tongue to keep from speaking out against the newest emperor of the galra empire.

After Allura and Lotor were gone, Arcadia addressed the guard. "Show me the security footage from a few months ago." The galra nodded, turned to the console, and typed away on the keyboard.

"What're you looking for, Arcadia?" Shiro asked.

"If Master Zenio truly has allied himself with Haggar, there should be video proof of him on this ship." The guard pulled up the video feed of the vestibule from around 5 months ago. The draconian watched closely as two figures walked towards the camera. Her eyes narrowed when she recognized the ornately designed robe wrapped around the taller figure. "He truly was here..."

"Whoa, talk about a fancy robe," Lance gaped. "Looks really expensive."

"The twelve grand masters are gifted not only one of the twelve grimoires, but a robe infused with the golden sap of the Tree of Mana. The robes helped the grand masters control the quintessence and mana flow inside their own bodies. They could increase or decrease the levels willingly."

"So a super-duper fancy robe with cool effects. Nice! It's almost like a special loot item from a video game!" The red paladin grinned. Coran and Arcadia bewilderingly stared at him, not understanding what he meant. He forgot who they were for a second before being smacked in the face by realization. "Oh, right. You two are aliens..."

"You're the alien here!" Coran remarked.

"I'm not the one with pointy ears, markings, or horns!"

Arcadia sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Anyway, now I know for certain Master Zenio is alive and works alongside Haggar." She stared at the guard's back. "Does anyone know where Haggar and Zenio went?"

The guard turned around to face her. "I'm afraid not. The witch and warlock were last seen by our assassins, but...they all were killed."

"I can't believe there's another draconian alive," Pidge commented. "We thought you were the last one, Arcadia."

"So did I, but Master Zenio has proven us wrong," the alchemist replied. "But with him allied with Haggar, I'm afraid only one draconian will be left standing after this war is over."

"We'll make sure it's you," Shiro said. "I don't know what Zenio sees in Haggar, but we will stop both of them."

"If only we knew where he was..." Arcadia muttered.

Just then, a video feed of Lotor appeared on the computer and Allura returned to the bridge. The six friends listened as he gave his speech. "Galra brothers and sisters, I am your emperor, Lotor, son and successor of Zarkon. Slayer of a tyrant, child raised in the void and taught on the battlefield. There are rumors of doubt regarding my leadership. Do not let them poison your ears. Pledge loyalty to me, and I will deliver the Galra Empire unto times of untold prosperity. An age of unlimited quintessence, the likes of which this universe has never known. Soon I will raise our grand empire. Above the indigence and violence of its past up to new heights of peace and limitless possibility. Those factions that splintered from the empire will pay for their treachery. I urge you now, send me your messages of fealty. Those who choose to turn their backs on their emperor will find themselves lost to the sands of history, unremembered and unmourned."

Arcadia didn't agree with Lotor's plan to give out quintessence as if it were any other source in the universe. She knew he wanted to do it to quell the galra empire, but she still had her doubts. What would happen once the galra got their hands on unlimited quintessence? Would they truly seek peace or use the quintessence to continue to try and conquer the entire universe? There was no guarantee peace and harmony would be the outcome.

As Lotor's speech ended, his face vanished from the screen. It was replaced by another galra as the alarm began blaring. Everyone was confused at the current situation, wondering what was going on. Lotor soon returned to the bridge, with Hunk and Dayak close behind, demanding an explanation from the galra onscreen. "The planet has already been fired upon and we do not have the means to protect ourselves. You must send assistance immediately," the galra stated calmly.

"Understood." Lotor ended the transmission.

"What's going on?" Shiro asked, having missed part of the conversation.

Lotor turned around to face the group. "One of our labor planets is under attack from Sendak and his fleet."

"Sendak? Not that guy again," Lance irritatedly groaned.

"We've got to help that planet immediately," Pidge stated.

"Sendak would have me respond to his attack and neglect my empire," Lotor said, looking down with a grim expression.

"Voltron and Arcadia can handle this while you continue to rule," Allura confidently declared.

Lotor lifted his head, gaze locked on her. "But, Princess, I need you here. Without you—"

She promptly interrupted him. "Your plan has waited this long. It can wait a tick longer. We must protect your innocent subjects."

Arcadia glared at the emperor, wondering why he would rather put his plan into motion instead of saving others. Her reasons to not trust him were only multiplying. She had very few reasons to trust him and she had yet to find a plausible one.

Lotor replied after a brief silence. "Of course. You're right."

"We will return as soon as we can," Allura assured him before walking away with everyone expect for Hunk. He was trying to talk to Dayak, but she raised her crop and threatened to smack him again. He quickly scampered away and joined the others on the lift. They returned to the castle to get the lions, Arcadia choosing to ride in the black lion with Shiro. They flew away from galra central command. It wasn't long before Hunk asked, "Hey, Dayak isn't really gonna fight me to the death, is she? Is she?"

"Dayak is clearly not a person who kids around," Arcadia commented.

"Definitely. She seemed pretty serious," Pidge added. "But I bet if you ask Lotor nicely, he can have her exiled."

"Oh, that'd be nice. Yeah, I'm not really in the mood to die, you know? Uh, speaking of, anyone else scared that we're to face Sendak? Sendak "who almost took all the Lions" Sendak? And who basically came back from the dead Sendak, that guy?"

Arcadia was about to respond, but she noticed the tenseness in Shiro's shoulders. She leaned over to see his eyes were closed, a grimace on his face. He looked like he was in pain. She moved around to the side of the seat, gently placing her hand on his right arm. "Shiro, what's wrong?" She only received another painful grunt in response. Using her healing alchemy, she prayed to Aethios it would ease his pain.

Once Shiro opened his eyes, he beamed weakly at the girl. "Thanks for that, Arcadia."

However, her worries didn't vanish. "What happened?"

"I'm...I'm not sure. It felt like a headache, but I heard something. I couldn't understand, though."

"I wonder if it was Black..." She mumbled. "He's been rather chatty lately, but I'm unable to understand him."

"I'm not sure," he sighed.

"Shiro? Arcadia?" Pidge's voice startled the two as the green paladin contacted them.

"Sorry," Shiro apologized. "Let's focus on our mission."

Arcadia returned to standing behind the seat. She glanced down worriedly at Shiro just as a wormhole manifested. Looking away from him, she set her sights on the wormhole as the lions traveled through it. When they arrived on the other side, she gasped at the damage caused by Sendak and his fleet.

The paladins guided their lions to the front of Sendak's ship. As the lions hovered protectively in front of the planet, Shiro suddenly grabs the sides of his helmet and painfully groans. Arcadia was by his side in a heartbeat, trying to provide some more healing. Morosely, he continued to wince and yell out in pain. Removing her hand, she tried to think of another way to help him. If she could figure out who or what's causing his pain, maybe she could help him then.

"Shiro, are you all right?" Lance's concerned voice came over the comms after hearing their leader's painful cries.

Arcadia could see Shiro was sweating underneath his helmet as his eyes opened. She could tell he was fighting against the pain while he responded to the red paladin. "I'm fine. Come on, team, let's form Voltron!"

The five lions combine and form the mighty defender of the universe. Arcadia gripped the back of Shiro's seat as Voltron flew directly at Sendak's ship. She was about to make a prompt exit to help her friends, but was stopped when Sendak contacted them directly. Turning around, she saw the galra on the screen of the black lion. "I know your true weakness. That you value the lives of others. And I will hammer that weakness until you are crushed beneath my heel."

The paladins and Arcadia watch in horror as Sendak fires the cannon at the shield station. Flames erupted from where the cannon made impact, pieces of the panels drifting off into space. "Oh, no!" Pidge gasped. "Without those panels in place, the planet will be fully exposed!"

"Which means?" Lance asked.

"No protection from radiation bands!"

Hearing the low humming sound of engines fading, Voltron turned around to see Sendak and his fleet were retreating. Arcadia made a prompt exit and transformed, flying towards the fleeing fleet. Before she could attack, Shiro shouted at her. "Arcadia, stop!"

She froze in shock, wondering why he stopped her. "But Shiro...!"

"We can't let him get away!" Lance finished her thought.

"There's no time!" Shiro bellowed. "We've gotta fix that shield as soon as—!" He was wracked with pain again. Grunts and moans of discomfort could be heard over the comms.

Arcadia flew back towards Voltron, her worry for Shiro blossoming more. She couldn't understand why he was experiencing such pain out of the blue.

Allura was the first to contact him. "Shiro, are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Shiro replied breathlessly. "We can't leave that planet unprotected."

Voltron and Arcadia soared towards the shield station. The dragon tunes her ears, listening closely as Shiro contacted the galra aboard. "We are the paladins of Voltron, working with Emperor Lotor. We've brought our ally and are here to help you. What is the status of your shield system?"

"Paladins, I am Commander Bogh. Our damage report indicates that a plate has been fractured. Our generator is offline and needs rebooting. Other plates have shifted out of their harnessing and must be repositioned. Only five doboshes until the next solar sequence," Commander Bogh replied.

After listening to the damage report, Shiro knew the one person who could help them the best. "You're the engineer, Hunk. How should we handle this?"

"We need to split up," Hunk began. "Pidge, you handle the generator system."

"Then I'm gonna need Shiro to come with me. I can use his arm to power the mainframe," the green paladin said.

"Okay, good. Allura, Lance, re-fuse that fractured plate."

"Affirmative," Allura responded.

"You got it!" Lance chanted.

"I'm gonna try to get the plates aligned with space dragon's help," Hunk stated.

"Okay. We've got our orders. Let's move!" Shiro commanded.

The lions and Arcadia went their respected ways and began to repair the shield station. The dragon followed the yellow lion out a little ways from the shield station and towards the plates that were drifting off. Hunk claimed one while Arcadia set her sights on a different plate. Using her weight and flapping her wings, she was able to push it towards the shield station alongside the plate the yellow lion was trying to realign. Hunk caught a glimpse of her white scales and saw the plate she was pushing. He contacted Commander Bogh. "Where do these plates need to be lined up?"

"You're moving plate 7-2. It needs to be aligned with plate 8-1. Draconian, you're moving plate 6-1. It must be aligned with plate 5-2," Commander Bogh informed the paladin and Arcadia.

"Understood," the dragon replied, pushing the plate where it needed to be placed.

"Got it, but those other plates are out of position. There's no way we'll move them all ourselves," Hunk said.

"I can activate the manual thrusters on some of the plates. It will be slow-going, but I—" Commander Bogh was silenced by Lieutenant Lahn, who was aiming a gun at him.

"First you side with Lotor and get our system attacked by Sendak. Then you willfully work with Voltron, our sworn enemies! You're even willingly working with a draconian, the most dangerous creature in the universe!" Lieutenant Lahn glared sharply at his commander.

"Get to your station and begin the thrust sequence.
That's an order!" Commander Bogh ordered.

Arcadia growled lowly, which was picked up by the comms. "Is this really happening right now?"

"Are you freaking kidding me?" Hunk hissed at the two galras. "Palen-bol!"

"Palen-bol...?" The alchemist mumbled, puzzled as to what it meant and why Hunk was saying it.

That single phrase was enough to stun Commander Bogh and Lieutenant Lahn. They both turned their eyes to the screen and expressed their confusion. "Huh?" Both muttered in stupefaction.

Hunk lectured them. "You're both a dishonor. Do you fight for yourselves or do you fight for the Galra?"

"Galra!" The commander and lieutenant replied in harmony.

"Then victory or death! Enough of the bickering!"

"We're going to die because of Commander Bogh," Lahn said.

"You know, long ago, there was a desperate group of Galra that thought they were going to die. They executed a spear-like attack known as the Killing Thrust. Those soldiers knew what it meant to put life on the line. They won the day. Are you ready to put aside your differences and fight with us?" Hunk demanded with a sharp glint in his brown eyes.

"Vrepit Sa!" Commander Bogh and his lieutenant responded in unison, saluting the paladin.

"I guess all that pain did make me smarter," Hunk smirked.

"Pain? What're you talking about, Hunk?" Arcadia questioned.

"Oh, just Dayak's lesson. She kept smacking me with that whip of hers. I think I might have some bruises..."

"I can help with that," she chuckled.

Hunk and Arcadia continued to align the plates. The paladin contacted Pidge after they successfully placed the plates. "Pidge, I need you to restore main shield power to get gravitational harnessing going."

"We're on it," the green paladin replied.

After her transmission ended, Lance was the next to speak. "Okay, broken massive shield plate. Don't suppose there's a video on how to fix this, is there?"

"Make sure connection's straight," Hunk explained. "If it's even one degree off, the shield will fail."

"That's not a tutorial!"

"If you hold them in place, then I could freeze them together. But I don't think the ice will stand the radiation for very long," Allura said.

Lance came up with the perfect idea to fix the plate. "Maybe after you freeze them, I could use my heat ray to weld them together."

"Great idea, Lance!" The princess cheered.

The boy was blushing at her cheerful comment. "Aww. Thanks, Princess. Couldn't have thought of it without you. Really, I think we make a great team. Here we are working together, just the two of us."

"We can hear you, y'know," Arcadia muttered over comms.

Lance grinned in embarrassment as the princess addressed him. "Let's go, Lance."

Hunk was working on aligning another plate while Arcadia did the same. Thrusters were engaged at full power on the yellow lion and the plate. He grunted grunted after seeing how close the radiation belt was. "This isn't going fast enough!"

Arcadia heard the yellow lion roar as it spoke to her, telling her she would provide more power for Hunk. The dragon glanced over at the lion and saw extra thrusters manifest around her body. They activated, allowing Hunk to quickly slide the plate into place. The alchemist used her magic to speed up the process and slid another plate back into where it belonged. As she flew off towards another plate, she heard Allura chant over the comms, "We did it!"

"Nice job, guys," Hunk complimented as he aligned another plate. "Pidge, you ready? We're almost at the radiation belt."

"Hold on. I just need a few more minutes," she responded.

Arcadia and Hunk flew towards the last plate and combined their efforts to realign it. With the two of them helping each other, they were able to quickly maneuver the plate into place.

Suddenly, Lance's uneasy voice came over the comms. "Uh, guys, that radiation belt is getting closer!"

With a final push, Arcadia and Hunk places the final plate. "Last piece in place. Fire up that power, Pidge," Hunk said.

Arcadia flew above the shield station and watched the power surge through the plates. Electricity tinted of a shade of purple coursed between the plates, lighting up the entire station. Each plate activated, projecting a shield that protected the planet below. "Shield's up!" Pidge shouted.

She mentally cheered, but gasped in fright when seeing the shield flicker and vanish. The power coursing through the plates receded. "What happened to the power?"

"What's going on with the plates?" Lance asked.

"We've lost power!"

Just then, she heard the red paladin shout Allura's name and scream in pain. Accompanying the boy's bloodcurdling screech was a painful whimper from the red lion. Baffled and concerned, she flew over to where she last saw the red and blue lions. The sound of Allura's desperate cries filled the comms. Arriving at the two lions, she saw the princess leave Blue and jetpack over to Red. From the corner of her eye, she spotted Hunk flying towards the shattered plate.

Arcadia wondered who to help, but her thoughts were interrupted when she heard Allura's pleading voice. "Arcadia, Lance needs help! He needs healing!"

The dragon glanced at the encroaching radiation belt and saw she wouldn't have time to heal and provide protection. "Listen to me, Allura. I'm not the only one who can heal him. You're an alchemist now. Channel your energy and heal him. I know you can do it."

"I...I will try."

Leaving Lance in Allura's care, Arcadia flew above the shield station. Soaring through space, she heard Hunk complaining. "The broken plate shorted out. Lance isn't responding, Allura jumped out of her Lion, space dragon abandoned me... What else could possibly go wrong right now?"

"Hunk!" She shouted. "I'm going to provide a temporary barrier until the power is rebooted."

"Wait, what?! Isn't that too dangerous? What if your barrier fails and you're turned into space dust? I don't want our space dragon to be vaporized into a pile of space dust!"

"Just focus on keeping that plate together!" Arcadia hovered above the shield station. Focusing her mana, she casted a barrier that was large enough to protect the shield station and the planet below. This was the biggest barrier she's ever created, meaning it was weak and wouldn't last long. She hoped Pidge could restore the power before the radiation belt reached her barrier. Keeping her focus, she drowned out the comms and tried to boost the durability of the barrier. She saw the radiation belt hit a small portion of the barrier, which surprisingly remained intact.

Alas, Arcadia's temporary barrier was no longer needed. The shield station's power was rebooted and the shield was projected outward. She quickly flew behind it just in time to avoid being fried by the radiation belt. She listened to Pidge and Hunk cheer before flying to the shield station to rendezvous with everyone. She entered the station after changing forms, seeing the paladins were waiting for her.

Allura dashes over, wrapping her arms around Arcadia with tears of joy in her eyes. "Thank you, Arcadia."

The draconian blinked in puzzlement. "For what?"

"I was able to believe in myself and save Lance all thanks to you."

The golden-eyed girl sighed dramatically. "Thank goodness I'm not the only healer on this team anymore!"

The princess giggled, pulling away from her best friend. "I will be needing some healing training sessions."

"That can definitely be arranged."

The two girls rejoined the others and headed to the control room, meeting with Commander Bogh and Lieutenant Lahn. Hunk, being the one to end their earlier squabble, was personally thanked by the commander. "Thank you for reminding us what it means to be galra."

"Vrepit Sa!" The Commander and Lieutenant saluted in unison.

The yellow paladin followed suit. "Vrepit Sa!" He then realized how foreign it felt. "Man, that's weird to say." His comment earned laughter from his friends.

Turning to leave the shield station, Arcadia suddenly felt an intense burning sensation on her back. She collapsed to her knees, hugging herself as her body shook from the pain. She whimpered, digging her fingernails into her arms. She could feel them digging into her flesh through the fabric of her suit. The paladins gathered around her, each showing an expression of concern.

Allura kneeled beside her while Shiro did the same directly in front of her. The princess attempted to heal her, but she stopped her. "N-No, save your energy. The pain w-will pass soon..."

"What's causing this?" Allura asked.

"It seems I've mastered another element," she weakly responded, voice barely audible. The burning sensation was gone, but the pain remained.

"C'mon, let's get you back to the black lion." Shiro helped Arcadia up, slinging one of her arms around his neck. He supported her weight and escorted her back to the black lion. By the time they arrived at the lion, the pain was gone and she was able to walk.

"Thank you for helping me, Shiro," she replied as he sat down in the chair.

"It's the least I could do after all you've done for me ever since we left Earth," he smiled at her.

She smiled back at him. "You've done plenty for me, as well."

"But not as much as you've done for me and he others. I can see why Keith fell for you."

She was taken aback at hearing her boyfriend's name. She blushed slightly with a wide grin.

The lions left the shield station and headed towards the wormhole. Halfway to the wormhole, Pidge complimented Hunk. "Nice work out there, Hunk. That Galra training really toughened you up."

The yellow paladin didn't respond. Everyone checks don him, sighing when seeing he was fast asleep. Arcadia smiled widely. She knew he deserves to eats after the day he's had. Her smile vanished the moment Shiro was wracked with pain just like before. She wasn't sure what to do to ease his suffering, but that wouldn't stop her from finding a way.