Deserving

Chapter fourteen

Lance couldn't help a slight groan after the surprise had passed, he was already pretty tired from the mission, couldn't they hold off on attacking them for once.

"Zarkon!" Allura rushed passed their group, climbing back up to her pedestal, "How did he find us?"

"His commanders must have radioed him from Olkarion." Keith sounded just as irritated as Lance felt.

"We need to wormhole, now! Everyone to your stations." Lance all but slid into his seat at Shiro's command, watching Hunk trip as he reached his, "We've got to put some distance between us and Zarkon. This could be the fight of our lives." No sooner than he had finished speaking did, the shooting begin.

Hunk peered out of the wide window, his eyes big and fearful, "That's sure a lot of fighters."

"Allura, can you evade these fighters?" Shiro didn't risk looking back at her, "We can't have them following us through the wormhole."

"I can try."

Lance watched as the diagram of the ship on his display accelerated, the coordinates beneath it rapidly re-writing themselves. His defence drone was still taking its time leaving its bay, it might be a good idea to check up on them, they might have been damaged.

"Keith, Lance," Lance's ear twitched at the mention, his drone finally coming loose, "Let's lay down some covering fire."

He could see Keith's speeding off away from theirs already despite the bots all having the same speed capabilities, Keith just wasn't taking the time to shoot as accurately.

"Lance, incoming, 12 o'clock high!"

"Got it!" Lance flipped his drone, already trained on the perfect hit, "Hey!" His display shifted abruptly as his drone was butted aside, Keith taking the shot instead. Even from where Lance was sat behind him, he could make out the smirk on his lips.

"Sorry!" He didn't sound sorry, "Gotta be quick!"

Lance wove under him, shooting his next two targets while Keith's shots sprayed wildly, "How's that for quick?"

Keith flicked his head back to glare at him, "You..." He seethed, barging his drone into Lance's again. Lance butted him back, sticking his tongue out at him all the while.

"Knock it off, you two!" Shiro yelled back and Lance (at least) had the decency to wince as he caught Shiro covering them, "Stay in your zones!"

Lance sped away, not being able to help the pettiness, "You heard him, Keithek!" 

Keith made a noise shockingly close to a growl as he took off. Maybe he was just tired?

"Keep calling out those fighters, Pidge. Hunk-"

"Keith, ten o'clock!"

"-how are the defences holding?"

"I don't know. Ten percent? Fifteen maybe? Everything's a blur. I've been up too long." Hunk was leaning closer, rubbing his eyes and clearly holding back a yawn, "I have tired eyes!"

"I know we just came off an intense battle, but we've got to stay focused, just until we jump."

"And when is that?" Keith actually shouted that time, whirling his control aggressively although Lance wasn't close enough to see what he was dealing with. 

"They're still too close!" Coran fired one of the Castle's weaker attacks towards a mass of fighters, "We need to gain more speed!"

Lance barely caught it as Allura ran a quick scan of the area, "I've got an idea!" 

The Prince spun his drone around, pushing it to follow the Castle as he continued shooting anything that passed him.

"Allura, what are you doing?" Pidge closed a tab with something close to a slap, "Lance, 3 o'clock!"