Save Me

3-The Phone Call

"Lance," Lance 2.0 calmly said, and he took another deep breath, "I am going to answer your question now."

"...okay," I replied. I thought about the last time that everyone had been together, and it wasn't that long ago. I was nervous as I sat waiting for his account of the Paladin's deaths.

"So the first to go was Shiro," he said sadly, "it wasn't too long after Keith sent out the distress signal. Shiro didn't even make it to new Altea, to meet with all of us. His ship was destroyed by some rebel Galra cruisers that were hidden in our quadrant. He had us and his husband, Curtis on screen when it happened. So I guess it was a blessing he was able to say goodbye.

"Hunk was next. The war had expanded universally, which meant to build alliances, we were sent on diplomatic missions. Out of all of us, Hunk was the best ambassador and diplomat for the Coalition. He and Romelle were returning from Daibazaal, after securing an alliance with the Galra who were still loyal to the original treaty and alliance set by Lotor when he first became emperor...you know, before he became power hungry. Anyway, they commed to let us know they were successful, and were coming home."

He paused, trying to compose himself. He held himself together up to this point, but to hear the raw pain in his voice. For me it hadn't happened yet, but for Lance 2.0, it was at the forefront of his mind, still an open wound. He continued to speak.

"With the progression of wormhole technology, they would have been home almost an hour after speaking to us. Two hours had passed by, and we felt something had gone wrong. We were preparing our ships, when Coran came running to us  to let us know there was an incoming transmission from Hunk. We got to the screening room, hoping to find Hunk and Romelle well, but it was wishful thinking on our part. The Galra rebels had Hunk and Romelle surrounded, and the next, they are lying on the ground with Galran-made holes in their heads, but for some reason they were smiling, almost like they knew something we didn't.

"As past paladins, we felt a strong urge to find the lions again, but we knew deep down, that we wouldn't be the pilots for them. Keith, myself and Pidge were able to locate four of the five. We didn't move them from their locations for the sake of keeping them safe from the rebels. We also took extra precautions, and we split up. Coran entrusted New Altea to me, while he went with Pidge to locate the final lion, which happened to be the Green Lion.

"The good news is they found the Green Lion. The bad news is that Pidge and Coran never returned. I had been conversing with Keith and Pidge on the higher plain we had used to connect as Paladins. She gave me the location of the Green Lion and began saying her goodbye. She was remembering the good times, but then something changed and she began to fade. The last thing she said before she disappeared was thank you, and then...she was gone.

"Keith and I didn't have to say anything. We just knew that Pidge wasn't coming back, and after what she had said to us, we had a feeling that Coran wasn't coming back either. So it was up to us, to tell the Holts that their baby girl was not returning home alive. That was one of the most difficult conversations I have ever had. Commander Holt was completely understanding, but it didn't make the pain hurt any less. It seemed to make it worse."

By this time, I had shed silent tears and they didn't stop coming. They wouldn't stop coming...they couldn't.

"What happened to Keith?" I sobbed, "How is it that I lived as my closest friends all died?"

Lance 2.0 was quiet on the other end, as I mourned for the loss of my...our friends. When I calmed down, he began to speak again.

"Keith has been gone now for about one varga," he said as a fresh wave of sobs took over him.

I sat in disbelief. There is no way. Keith could not be dead...I mean I know it's the future, but that Galran doofus could not have died so easily.

"Lance," I asked myself...him, "what happened?"

"The Galran rebels found us, and we were outnumbered by huge margins. We couldn't stop them."