Far From Home | Voltron

chapter nine

"ALRIGHT, MASHA," I say, gripping the handles tightly. "Let's go and save the universe or something."

As it turns out, although I feel ready to fly this lion, feeling something and doing something are very different. Plus the fact that I've never flown a day in my life made this extremely difficult.

"Jesus help me," I groaned, as the lion jerked forward in a choppy motion. "It's just a freaking spaceship. It's basically a car, which is basically a motorcycle, which is basically a bike. I can ride a shitting bike. Without training wheels, and occasionally with my eyes closed for a few seconds."

I heard Masha let out a growl as the lion spun out of control, twisting in the harsh wind. I sucked in a breath, nearly tumbling out of my chair. Focusing hard on maneuvering the controls, a strong gust of wind jerked the lion, shifting my arm, sending the lion shooting towards the ground. Pulling up just before we crash, the lion lands on the ground harshly. 

"DAMMIT!" I shouted, anger pulsing through me to the steady beat of my racing heart. "DAMMIT, dammit, dammit."

God, why can't I just do this? It's simple, it's easy. Kids younger than me have jobs with this. Why can't I do it? Why do I suck, so much? I must be so damn dumb if I can't even pilot a ship. Seriously. Push forward, go forward. Push backward, go backward. Why is this so hard for me?

Mae. This may seem impossible, but I believe in you. I chose you. You are my paladin, and for a reason. Connect with me. See the world through my eyes. Be patient.  

Shiro's motto rang through my head. Patience yields focus. I took a deep breath, held for seven seconds, then released. Placing my hands back on the handles, I grip them tightly. Lifting off from the ground, the lion begins to tilt. Slowly fixing its balance, I let out a breathy chuckle. Making sure not to go too fast, the clouds suddenly covered my vision. Taking in a sharp breath, I slowly released it. I needed to stay calm. Gripping the handles tightly, I began to pilot the lion smoother. Before I knew it, I could see Keith. Releasing another deep breath, the tension seemed to roll off me.

"I did it," I said, slowly beginning to laugh. "Holy shit. I did it. I piloted a space alien lion thing! Oh my God! Iverson would flip his shit if he could see me. Who's a lost cause now?"

"M . . . Mae?" Keith's voice crackled through the cockpit, and his image flickered on screen. "Oh thank God. Don't ever do that again, you hear me?"

"Well dang, that ruins next weekend's plans. Man, I really wanted to catapult myself out a pod and almost to my death again," I mused, smirking at Keith.

He shook his head with a small smile, but I could see that he was serious. "Sorry to scare you."

"You didn't. Shiro would've killed me if you had killed yourself doing something dumb," Keith grunted, and I hummed condescendingly.

"Mhmm. Of course."

"That wormhole thing is probably going to close soon. We sho - we should definitely go," Keith mumbled, and I let out a giggle. 

As we flew back side by side, I couldn't help the crushing disappoint that filled me. I had just gotten so angry - and only by trying to fly the lion. I couldn't help but doubt my ability to fly it. And as much as Masha seems like a wise guy - and he's probably been around for a freaking while - everyone's wrong once in a while. Maybe I'm not supposed to be his paladin. 

I can hear you doubting yourself, Mae. I know that it's hard, but look at you right now. This is your first time at the helm of a ship, and you're doing great. Listen. You were born for this. Quite literally, this is your destiny.