shining like the stars

94

The Yellow Lion stood out among the dark trees and craggy terrain like a beacon in the night. Even powered down and with the running lights as dim as possible the Lion was clearly visible for miles. "Well," Hunk said, arms folded as he sat in the pilot's chair. "I'm out of ideas."

It hadn't taken him very long to get Yellow both upright and operational again, but when Hunk opened the sensors the comm links came back filled with an ungodly volume of static. "Still being jammed," he said, looking at an expanded enemy map. All of the Galra ships were still in system, although it looked like most of the surviving drone starfighters had been recalled by the battleships. There were a few small wings of drones but according to the display none were low enough in orbit to get a visual read on the Yellow Lion. Hunk wiggled his feet, and then pulled up the IF/F transponder and made certain it was off. There was no point in broadcasting a location, it didn't look like the Castle of Lions was anywhere in-system, and the interference from the jammers was preventing the long-range sensors on the Yellow Lion from picking up the Castleship.

Hunk climbed out of the cockpit and hopped down the side of the Yellow Lion with the aid of his jetpack. There was a small, cozy fire lit between the paws of the great beast, and the overhang of its head covered most of the light of the fire from aerial view. Ilianya was lying against one of the Yellow Lion's paws, and when Hunk landed a little rough her head turned in his direction. "Hunk?"

"Ilianya? You awake?" Hunk scrambled over to her and she straightened up slowly, clearly in pain. "Are you okay? How are you feeling? Your flightsuit is vacuum resistant, but not 'being blown up' resistant, though when I scanned it there didn't seem to be any loss in its integrity..."

"You scanned me?" Ilianya said with a small smile, and Hunk stopped and blinked.

"Well, yeah," he said, and tapped the forearm plate of his armor. "I had to make sure that your flightsuit wasn't breached, there could have been all sorts of complications, up to and including," he raised his hand to start counting off issues on his fingers but Ilianya held up both her hands and managed to interrupt him before he could really get going.

"My flightsuit is intact," she said. "No amputations necessary here." She rubbed her shoulder and winced, and then sat forward properly. "What's going on, where are the others?"

"I don't know," Hunk said. "We're back on Eaphus's moon, it seemed like the best idea at the time since we know the Galra have issues with the atmosphere; I mean the other option was trying to deep-dive in the outer atmosphere of Eaphus itself but I didn't want to risk it with you still in Yellow's mouth."

"It was foolish of you to come after me," Ilianya said. "You've put Voltron in great danger. If the Galra find the Yellow Lion here they will be able to take it without much difficulty."

"Hey," Hunk said, insulted.

Ilianya paused, then shifted herself so she was seated more or less upright. Hunk hovered for a moment, clearly concerned, but she gave him an icy look and he backed off, seating himself not quite opposite her on the other side of the fire. Ilianya stretched her torso, rubbing her neck and winced, and then massaged her shoulder again. "The restraints in the ejector seat," Hunk said, and Ilianya looked up at him. "That's why your shoulder hurts, right? I'm sure the acceleration against the restraints wasn't pleasant. Your flightsuit is made of softer stuff than my armor." He knocked on the chest plate of his Paladin armor, but Ilianya didn't say anything. Hunk sighed and picked up a stick, poking at the fire with the tip of it.

"I wasn't gonna leave you," he said. "I couldn't."

"Thank you," Ilianya said softly, and Hunk looked up at her, startled. He had expected another reprimand but instead Ilianya shifted herself forward again and pulled at the back of her head, freeing her braid from where it was pinned up against her scalp. She pulled the hair free of its braiding, combing her fingers through it and sighing slightly in relief. Hunk had never seen her hair down, and in the firelight it sparkled like spun gold. "I was certain I was dead," she said, still combing her fingers slowly through her hair and working out the tangles as best she could. "I am very glad to be wrong."