A Sacrifice for Understanding.

Prologue

Cannons thundered as mechanical lions darted through the battlefield, returning fire with precision. Despite their skill, the paladins were losing ground. Their mission was clear: board the Galra commander's ship and free the captives. But the commander's vessel, positioned at the rear of the fleet, was already retreating.

Unbeknownst to the others, Lance had slipped past the chaos and made his way to the commander's ship. When they finally noticed, it was too late—there was no safe path to follow him. They could only watch in stunned silence as a wormhole opened, and the blue lion chased the Galra ship into it.

"Lance!" Hunk screamed, his voice raw with desperation, as the blue lion disappeared.

The paladins froze, disbelief written across their faces. Lance's reckless gamble was beyond anything they could have imagined. Moments later, the remaining Galra ships began their retreat, forcing the paladins to withdraw to the castle hangar one by one. Keith was the last to return, his frustration palpable.

Meanwhile, Lance's daring move placed him directly in enemy territory. The blue lion had been seized by a tractor beam, but Lance acted quickly. Before the Galra troops could secure the hangar, he slipped out, moving with calculated caution to avoid detection. He reached the holding cells, methodically releasing the prisoners one by one.

The sharp crack of a blaster echoed down the corridor. Lance barely managed to draw his bayard in time, his heart pounding. With no room for error, he ushered the freed captives toward the blue lion, staying alert for the pursuing Galra soldiers.

As the last prisoner boarded, Lance turned to his lion. "Blue, I need you to get them out of here. If I don't make it back, fly them to the castle. I'm trusting you with this, okay?"

The blue lion's eyes glowed in acknowledgment, a silent promise passing between pilot and machine. Without hesitation, Lance charged back into the fray, using his bayard to cut through the enemy troops and deactivate the tractor beam.

Blue lingered, waiting for Lance to return—but just as he approached, the Galra commander appeared. A shot rang out, and Lance collapsed, blood spreading across his chest. Blue hesitated no longer, launching from the hangar with the prisoners aboard, leaving Lance behind.

Through sheer willpower, Lance gritted his teeth and gripped his bayard. Summoning his remaining strength, he aimed and fired, striking the commander at a vital point. The commander fell, joining Lance on the cold metallic floor.

With agonizing effort, Lance pushed himself upright, leaning against the walls for support. Each step was a battle as he dragged himself to the ship's control center. Once there, he managed to pilot the vessel to a nearby planet. As the ship touched down, Lance sent out a distress signal before succumbing to darkness.