Voltron: Next Generation: The Beginning

Part 1: The Panic

Entry log #6,426; April 4, 2068; Olkarion

I looked cautiously out our small window. The explosions have been silent for a moment now. That was either really good or really bad. The answer came with a bigger boom from nearby and dust rained from the ceiling. The purple beams startled my son, Jamie, into a rage of squirming and whining.

"Hunter, is this really happening..." Tears streamed down my cheeks. I'm not one to cry, but all the trauma from past years haunts me. Especially now. Why wouldn't I be terrified? Because of these monsters, my best friend is gone. But the adversary was defeated. Everything was okay. Except it's not. They're back, and I have more to lose.

It's four in the morning and explosions wake the whole city of Olkarion, even the sleepy areas. No one is sure what to think of the sight before us. It looks like Voltron but not like we're used to. These lions are orange, purple, and a royal blue. I'm fascinated by the ships until the first beam. They intend to destroy the city! These are not not from our Voltron. But then... What are they?

I don't have much time to wonder, because my quiet world is slowly falling apart. I know they're the enemy, they're attacking. All of a sudden, they're not lions but a Voltron that looks not like ours, but still familiar... Could that be the Sincline? But Lotor's ships were destroyed! I know they were. Familiar surges of fear and panic are stirring in my stomache. I haven't seen a ship like this since... Since the last time we defended the universe. Since she walked off in the light, and I never saw her again. I did nothing. How brave am I......

Another explosion shakes me back to the present. I need to stop thinking about Allura. It will not end well. I know from experience. Other things! Don't focus on her.. Focus on now! Finally, I feel determined.

My favorite men in the world: my husband Hunter and my brother Matt. One of my two kiddos is safe at school, but the other is the toddler trying to escape my shaking grasp. Jamie's struggling makes me think of the situation in the city... I begin to hyperventilate. All the friends I've made in the city aren't safe. I'm terrified and can't move.

Jamie finally makes an escape and breaks for the door, and it snaps me out of my trance. There's danger near, and I'm crying on the floor doing nothing? Pathetic! Get your act together Pidge! I grab my youngest and hand him to Hunter. He'd been watching me, unsure of what to do. He's not used to me crying. Heck, nobody is, not even me.

"Take him to the cellar. I'm gonna go get Matt, then I've got to try and comm Shiro or Ally... At least Ally." Hunter nods and rushes with our little boy to the trapdoor underneath the carpet in the dining room. I wipe the tears and dust from my face and breathe.

When I rush out to find Matt, another boom shakes the city. He had run out at the sound of the first explosion and was now standing by the road, so I went to grab his arm.

"I know your first impulse is to go try and help those people, but there's not much we can do! Come inside..." I plead with my brother. Anyone who knows him knows the exact thoughts running through his head: there's always something you can do, someone you can save.

"You're right, Katie, " He smiles calmly. "But even though there's not much to do, there's still something. Go protect your family."

"But you're my family!" Another explosion makes us lose our footing. We both look over to see one of the smaller buildings collapse. A horrified gasp escapes my lips and he sharply inhales. A second passes and Matt crawls over to me and kisses my forehead. His gaze is soft yet fierce.

"I can pull through. We both know what the Holts are made of. I know you're scared, I am too. But I can't let that hold me back. Go and keep our family safe, and never forget that I love you." With that, my only brother pulls me up and runs off.

I would run after him, but our family... I have a husband and two kids! My first duty is to protect them. This is the duty I've loved ever since I first became a mother. As I look into the distance, I can only pray that everyone will stay safe (even though I'm not the religious type). My determination set, I head back home to protect everything dear to me. They're not going to take anything else from me.