"Haxus! I want whoever's in this ship found and terminated!"

Ember's back throbbed painfully as her brain started to wake itself up. She grunted softly, squeezing her eyes and trying not to gasp in pain. 

    "Commander Sendak, I've received a transmission generating from some where inside." There was a slight pause before Allura's voice filled the room. 

    "There's not much time before they get the ship running again. You must shut off the particle barrier so we can get in." 

Pidge's voice followed, making Ember's eyes shoot open. "You got it. Tell me what to do."

    "The particle barrier generator is beneath the main hull."

    "She's telling the intruder how to take down our defenses." Haxus, at least who she thought was Haxus, explained to Sendak. 

    "Yes, but she's also giving away his location." Sendak remarked, turning towards the drones by the door and the other paladins. "Find that room. Kill the paladin."

    "Ugh, good luck with that," Ember muttered to herself, gritting her teeth as her back spazzed out in pain again. "I've been here a lot longer than you guys, and I still get lost."

    "Repair the engine. Emperor Zarkon has commanded us to bring him Voltron. This ship will rise before day's end." Sandak continued to order, not having heard Ember. But Shiro did. 

    "Ember," Shiro sighed in relief, making Ember realize that the Black paladin was to her left while a still passed out Lance was to her right. "Thank God, I thought you were dead."

    "I think being dead would be better than feeling my back burn." Ember hissed. She mentally praised the Lord all mighty that they handcuffed her arms in front of her instead of behind. That would have caused more pain. 

    "Where's your armor?" Shiro muttered, glancing at Ember's back and wincing slightly. Her jacket was ripped open and showed her undershirt - but even then he could see the blistering red skin start to become more prominent. 

    "I didn't think I would need it," Ember paused, gathering her strength to push herself up to a kneeling position. "Kinda wishing I wore it now."

    "Your back would have definitely thanked you." Shiro remarked, making Ember narrow her eyes. 

    "Hey, at least they aren't as bad as-" Her eyes widen as she remembered and turned to her right. "-Lance!" 

The black haired girl wiggled her way over to the Blue Paladin, placing a finger just under his jaw. Her body was tensed as she waited for his pulse, and she relaxed greatly once she found it. 

    "Okay, okay," Ember breathed. "Shiro, where's my bag?"

    "Bag?"

    "Yes! The bag I packed when I went to the infirmity!" 

    "Ember. . .They didn't bring a bag in with you."

Ember sat back in defeat, staring at Lance with watery eyes. "Everything that could have helped him is in the bag." 

    "I'm sorry, but we can't do anything." Shiro whispered, glaring heatedly at Sendak, who was talking to someone over his coms. Ember pressed her mouth into a thin line, tapping her fingers on her knee as she thought. 

    "You may not, but I can." Ember murmured, glancing over at Sendak. His back was to them and he was clearly focused on his task at hand. She shifted as quietly as she could, moving to the door.

    "Em," Shiro started softly, just as Ember pushed herself off the ground and towards the hallways. The doors slid open and before she hit the door as she went to turn down the hallway, something grabbed her by her middrift and yanked her back. 

    "Merde!" Ember yelped in pain as she was brought back into the control room and dropped harshly on her back. Tears weld up in her eyes again and her back arched painfully before she managed to turn over. 

A shadow blocked the eerie glow from the Galra's technology and Ember didn't bother looking up. She already knew who it was by the way Shiro snapped, "Don't you touch her!"

    "Where. . .Do you think you're going?" Sendak seem to grit out. Ember breathed heavily, bring head back to look Sendak in his robot eye and glowing gold eye. 

    "My teammate needs medical attention." Ember almost growled out. "Do not get in the way of my job."

    "So, you're the medic?" Sendak mused, grasping Ember's cheeks in a bruising grip. "I'm also going to assume you were the one that stole a bunch of our medical supplies and herbs, right? But, it's kind of a useless job around here, huh? I'm sure no one would mind if I just-"

    "Hey!" Shiro snapped. "Get your hands off her!"

    "Or what?" Sendak chuckled. The panel that he was at before hand crackled to life and Haxus' voice flowed out;

    "Sir, I'm at the main power source." 

    "Stand by." Sendak glared down at the usually kind medic - who was happily glaring back. "We'll continue this later." He grunted, tossing her over to Shiro harshly. 

Shiro was instantly in front of her, shadowing her away from Sendak as he checked over the younger girl. 

    "Why would you even attempt that?" He questioned, noting that her pale cheeks were now an angry red from Sendak's grip.

    "The lives of this team are more important than my life," Ember stated with such emotion, Shiro had to pause. There was an uneasy silence before Ember continued, trying to lighten the mood. "Besides, I didn't know he could grab me from all the way over there!"

    "Haxus, report in."  

    "Haxus is gone, and you're next!" Pidge's determined voice made the two awake paladin and medic look over to the panel.

    "You've slowly me down, but this ship is mine!" Sendak snarled. "You will turn yourself over to me immediately!"

    "Never!"

The Galra commander seemed to have expected this, because he grabbed Shiro by the back of his armor and dragged his a bit away from Ember. "Well, then, maybe your leader can convince you."

    "What do you want?" Shiro growled, glaring at Sendak the best her could. 

    "Leave him alone, you purple grape!" Ember shouted.

    "Your friend wanted to hear from you." Sendak grinned.

    "Shiro?"

    "Pidge? Pidge, don't listen to-" Shiro didn't get to finish his sentence. A horrifying scream erupted from Shiro's mouth, making Ember's eyes widen. 

    "Stop it!" Ember snarled. "Stop hurting him!"

    "No!" Pidge cried from the other line. 

    "You can make it stop. Turn yourself in." Sendak ordered as Shiro flopped to the ground, unconscious. "His suffering is in your hands."

    "Don't listen to him, Pidge!" Ember shouted, eyes trained on Sendak. "Keep fighting! Don't give up-!"

    "Whoops." Sendak sneered. "It seems like the connection was lost."

    "You're going to lose." Ember started, her body shaking in fear but she raised her chin defiantly. "Team Voltron is going to wipe the floor with you, and there is nothing you can do about it."

With each word, Sendak walked closer. He was grinning, but his eyes were glowing with anger. "Is that what you truly believe?" He said in a voice that was way to soft for this situation. 

    "With all of my heart." Ember sneered, clenching her fists in her lap.

Sendak chuckled lowly, shaking his head as he arm started to spark with electricity again. "Let's see how long that will last."

  ▬ ✦✧✦ ▬ 

Ember let out a sigh of content as she stared at the rising sun, her hair flowing in the light breeze that flowed around her. It was actually down, for once, but only because she hadn't been able to sleep.

Again.

No one in her house but herself was up. She was always up anyways, and sleeping when the rare moments of sleep caught her. But she didn't complain. It wasn't like she had anyone to complain to anyways.

Her eyes watched the sky and her mouth turned into a smile as it changed colors before settling on a baby blue color. It brought a smile to her face. But by the time the sky stayed a baby blue, she could hear her mother starting to wake. Her fingers tapped the roof lightly before she started to make her way to the ground. 

The house she lived in was a simple one story house, with chipped yellow paint that covered the rotting wood holding it together. They didn't live too far from town, but it was a good ten minute drive there. Their yard was green with alive grass and you could see a small glass building in their backyard. That was were Ember grew her herbs. 

    "Emberson Jalus! Get your butt in here right now!"

    "Coming mother!"

Ember glanced over her shoulders in the direction of town, eyes heavy with exhaustion before walking into the house and to the kitchen. Her mother was sitting at the table with a scowl on her face. Her hair was short, frizzy, and dyed a light brown. Her real hair color was black, but she claim to not know what anyone was talking about if they pointed it out.

Her eyes were an icy blue that were shaped with long eyelashes, a beauty mark just under her left eye. She was actually a tall woman and very polite to the people outside of the family. Actually, she was nice to everyone it seemed - but Ember herself.

Ember loved her mom, she really did. But, it got hard sometimes when her mother would never reply back to her 'I love you, Mom!'. Her mother did say she loved her older siblings more than she would ever love Ember, but she never out-right told Ember she hated her. 

So, that's what Ember clung onto. 

    "I'm here, mother."

    "Get some breakfast started," Her mother ordered, standing up. Her icy eyes didn't even seem to look at her as she glanced at her phone. "I'm going to go wake up your step brother and sister, try not to burn anything."

    "Okay, mother." Ember smiled at her mom, starting to get stuff out to make pancakes. "I love you, mom!"

    "Get to work."

Ember hummed to herself as she cooked, making sure everything was close to perfect as far as food went. Her grey eyes stared out the window with longing as her thoughts went wild again. She wanted to explore, to go all over the world and - hopefully - to space. Her right arm itched badly, but she didn't even acknowledge it.

Maybe I can try to be a Pilot at the Garrison. . .They're looking for new pilots, right?

   ▬ ✦✧✦ ▬  

    "I'm impressed that you managed to escape." Sendak commented idly towards Shiro, giving the medic of Team Voltron a small break. "Perhaps it would be worth the trip to your planet to see if the rest of your kind have your spirit. Of course, they will all end up broken, just like you and this pathetic medic." 

Ember laid on the ground just in front of Shiro - who was kneeling on the ground with his head hanging. Her clothes were fried and burnt, her yellow jacket thrown a few feet away with a huge hole in the back.  She heaved air through her lungs, but the look in her eyes told everyone she was ready to keep fighting.  A certain flame glowed dangerously in her grey eyes.

    "Now that we have Voltron, every planet, every race, all share the same fate." Sendak continued to gloat. When he didn't get the response he seemingly wanted, he walked back over to the control panel - making sure to step on Ember's fingers. 

Ember closed her eyes, trying to slow down her breathing the best she could. "Mais il m'aime encore, Et moi je t'aime un peu plus fort. Mais il m'aime encore, Et moi je t'aime un peu plus fort." She sung quietly to herself, a French song that her grandmother use to sing back on Earth. 

Her gray eyes snapped open as Sendak let out a grunt and the sound of destruction sounded. Sendak had shot his robot arm out towards Pidge and quickly closed the space between the two of them. 

Pidge turned, running off and Sendak easily followed. Suddenly, the real Pidge dashed into the room, panting heavily as she slid to a stop in front of them. 

    "Ember! Shiro, wake up. It's me, Pidge." 

    "Pidge!" Ember gasped out, trying to warn the Green Paladin. Sendak had shot his arm out and grabbed Pidge from behind, holding her high in the air. 

    "You really thought your little hologram trick would work with me?" Sendak sneered. He was quick to turn his back to Shiro, Lance, and Ember as Keith and Allura ran in. "Stand back!"

    "Put Pidge down!" Ember demanded, not even noticing that there was movement behind her.

Out of no where, Lance seem to have woken from his coma, raised his bayard that turned into a rifle, and shot Sendak in the head. Pidge and Sendak groaned as Sendak stumbled forwards and release Pidge, causing the girl to roll away. 

Lance let out a painful sigh before he passed out again, groaning as he fell backwards. Shiro sprung up and darted forwards, going to attack Sendak. He easily pushed Shiro away and Keith started to swing his sword at Sendak. 

Ember jumped up, watching carefully as Sendak easily dodged the Red Paladin and grabbed him with his robot arm. She grabbed the closet thing to her and started running at Sendak. 

Of course, when you're unprepared in a fight like Ember is, you can't pick and choose. So, Ember tried not to curse herself as she ran at Sendak with a huge piece of metal. 

When Sendak was about to throw Keith across the room, Ember lobbed the metal at Sendak's head and successfully hit him. The Galra general snarled, turning to punch Ember while winding up to throw Keith away. 

And man, did he throw Keith.

The medic's eyes went wide in fear as she threw her hands up to block the hit that was surely going to smack her across the room. Even if it wasn't with his robot arm, Sendak knew how to throw a right hook like it was no ones busy. So, Ember tensed and waited for the painful blow.

 But it never came. 

    "What?!" Snedak's angry snarl caused Ember's eyes to pop open in confusion before her mouth fell open in shock. "How is this possible?!"

Inches from Ember's face was a shield. The shield's colors moved gracefully and didn't stay in one spot for long, star-like dots swirling around as well. It was a brilliant red at the top, and blended smoothly into a cool blue - and it seem to move all the while. "W-What?"

    "You filthy little halfling!" Sendak roared as Pidge disconnected his robot hand from his shoulder. He spun back around at the action. "No!" He roared again, kicking Ember away before he went after Pidge. 

Ember smacked the wall next to Lance, wheezing as the breath was knocked out of her and clambering up to sit. She stared at her hands in confusion and what could be horror. 

   W-What. . .was that?

    "Keith, now!" Allura's shout snapped Ember out of her daze. She looked up just in time to see Keith kick Sendak into some kind of trap. The Galra solider pounded on the barrier angrily, snarling at Team Voltron. 

Ember let out a sigh of relief, dropping her head tiredly. "Thank God." She whispered out, looking up as Keith walked over. 

    "You okay?" Keith asked, glancing down at the cuffs she wore. "Here, hold your arms out."

The black haired girl slowly brought her arms away from her body, watching as Keith quickly slice away the cuffs. His purple eyes scanned the girl from head to toe, faltering slightly at her arms as he pulled her up to stand. 

    "Ember. . . wh-what are. . ." Keith stopped, trying to get his mind to clear up. First things first. "What happened? What was that, was that a shield?"

    "Check up on Lance," Ember replied in a hurry, ignoring the question she didn't know the answer to. "I know where my medical bag is, keep him awake until I'm back!"

And Ember let the room faster than Keith could process. 

  ▬ translation ▬  

Mais il m'aime encore, Et moi je t'aime un peu plus fort.

v

But he still loves me, and I love you a little stronger.