Paladins of the Elements

Chapter 11: Battle Aftermath

Keith stood silently in front of the healing pod that held the unconscious Black Paladin. Shiro was in bad shape after the battle with Zarkon. When Keith and Pidge had found him in the Black Lion, he was passed out on the floor of the cockpit, pale, sweating and breathing heavily, and his robotic prosthetic arm had been blown off, with its remains scattered across the cockpit ground.

The Red and Green Paladins took Shiro to Lance so he could heal him, but said Paladin had passed out after healing Antok. After Coran and Slav manage to get the healing pods back online, Shiro was put in one, with the remnants of his prosthetic taken off to avoid any further complications.

Keith sighed, then looked at the other occupied pod in the healing chamber, which held Thace. The Galran man had been unconscious since the battle as well, and Keith wanted answers. While Lance was healing him in the Blue Lion, the guy said his father's name. Jeremiah. The Red Paladin highly doubted there was any Galra named that, plus he was looking straight at him.

"Is it possible..." He thought, and looks down at his Blade of Marmora dagger. "That Thace, knew my dad?" He continued. With Shiro in the pod, he didn't know who to turn to. He just hugged the dagger close to him, for some sort of comfort.

Meanwhile, the Blue and Yellow Paladins were helping free a planet from the Galra. Lance and Hunk were flying in their Lions while under attack from a fleet.

"Lance, I think we just passed the drop zone." Hunk said over the coms.

"We're under heavy fire. There's no way we can stop here." Lance replied. "Kolivan, any ideas?" He asked the rebel Galra aboard his Lion.

"Open the hatch. We'll take it from here." The Blade of Marmora's leader replied, and Lance did as he said. "Go! Go! Go!" He told the others once the hatch was open. One by one, the blades jumped out of the Blue Lion, with Kolivan jumping last, while the hatch closed back up.

The Galran rebels dived down to the surface, landing on their feet, and began attacking the galra sentries on the ground. While up in the air, the two Paladins were covering them. Suddenly the attacks stopped, and the forces were leaving.

"It appears the Galra forces are evacuating." Kolivan said as the two Paladins flew their Lions behind him.

"Hehe! Yeah! And stay out!" Hunk said from his Lion.

"Let's set them down over there, and get ready for the parade." Lance said as he kicked-back, before remembering something. "Oh, by the way, any and all inured come to Blue for healing." He announced.

After landing, and exiting the lions, the two Paladins were greeted by the aliens they helped set free. As thanks, the villagers, called the Puigians, rewarded them. The ladies were getting their pictures taken along with Lance, and Hunk was rewarded food, though some of it was apparently still alive. While the Blade of Marmora just stood off to the side, the Puigians clearly spiteful of them.

"You know, based on our recent battles, it seems like the Galra Empire is kind of just falling apart." Hunk said as he walked over, eating a piece of food on a stick.

"It's more than that. Look." Kolivan said as he turned around to look at something. Lance, having walked over, going "whoa" and used his phone like electronic to take a picture. "Word of Voltron's triumph over Zarkon is spreading." He says, directing to a rock wall with a carving of Voltron on it.

"Yeah, I guess, but the problem is we can't form Voltron anymore." Hunk say, with Shiro in a healing pod, there was no one to fly the Black Lion, and without the Black Lion, they couldn't form Voltron.

"That cannot stand." Kolivan says as he stares at the carving. "The universe needs Voltron." He states.

"Lions of Voltron," the three turn around to see three Puigians walk up to them. "The People of Puig thank you for freeing us from the evil hands of the Galra empire." The front most Puigian said to them.