Spirit of the Lioness (Keith x OC): A Voltron Fanfiction

Chapter 2: Contact

All in one morning, things had changed dramatically for Nifa. She had never thought she would be led down the hallways of the Galaxy Garrison, receiving a message from someone she probably didn't know. And yet, here she was, tailed by Commander Iverson, who looked somewhat taken aback by this sudden message as well. 

Nifa approached a large communication center, guarded by a set of soldiers. Commander Iverson went up to the door and had it scan his hand, which opened them. He then turned to Nifa and stepped aside.

"Go on inside. I'll be waiting out here for you," he said simply.

"Wait, you're not coming in with me? Why not?" Nifa asked worriedly.

"The messenger has requested to speak with you alone. They say the message they have to give is for your ears only. Judging by the urgency in their tone, I believe it is wise to respect this request."

Nifa bit her lip, her ears already twitching in fear. Not only was she speaking to an alien stranger, but now she had to do it without the protection of a senior officer. What if this was a trap?

But she quickly shook her fear away. No. She didn't believe in depending on others anymore. Not since that day. She would stand and face whatever awaited her with a straight face, be it from a friend or a foe.

Forcing herself to be calm, she stepped inside of the room, wincing slightly as the doors closed behind her, leaving her totally alone in front of a big blue screen. 

Left alone, Nifa glanced around the room, studying the walls for guns or bombs. However, it seemed totally bare, save the giant screen. It seemed there was only her in this room. 

Just then, the screen came to life. It brightened so much, Nifa had to shield her eyes to stop it from blinding her. Through the gaps in her fingers, she was able to make out the silhouette of a person, displayed on the screen.

"Hello? Miss Nifa Radhakhan, can you hear me?" a clear, quaint female voice asked. Nifa instantly froze at the mention of her name from a being she didn't recognize.

"Who...are you?" she demanded to know. "How do you know me?"

"I will get to that, I promise," the lady swore. "But right now, this must be known to you: it is time for you to join up with our team."

"Whoa, whoa, back up! What team?"

"The team of paladins we have gathered together to form Voltron! Don't you remember?"

"Remember what? What is Voltron? What paladins?"

"You...really don't know?"

"Uh, no! Still in the dark over here. Mind shedding some light?"

"But I don't understand! Your mother Sapphira was supposed to tell you all of those things! Why didn't she--"

The lady stopped short when she mentioned Nifa's mother. Nifa had to face the ground and focus all of her energy on her face to stop herself from crying. Clearly, this woman had not heard of her mother's fate.

"Oh no...your mother, is she...?" the lady asked, not daring to finish. Choking back a small sob, Nifa managed to force out a barely audible "yes."

"I see...I'm terribly sorry for your loss..." the lady said, her voice softening with pity. "But I fear there isn't much time to grieve. Your mother must've told you SOMEthing before her passing."

Though it was hard for her to think whenever reminded of her mother's death, Nifa was able to recall her mother's words to her, when they first reached Earth. "Yes..." she said hesitantly. "She told me I was sent here to train in peace for a destiny...something so big that it could change the universe. But I never was told what that was..."