The Silver Paladin

Blood Duel

~~~~Saoirse~~~~

I couldn't stop staring at the screen in front of us. Commander Holt was weak, thin, his beard and mustache overgrown and his hair was shaggy. He was wearing the standard Galra prison rags, and it was a surprise to me that he still had his glasses on.

"Bring me Lotor and the prisoner is yours." Zarkon said, "Meet my demands if you want to see the Earthling alive."

With those final words, the screen disappeared and left us alone to figure out our next move.

"He's alive! Our dad is alive! We have to get him back!" Pidge shouted already making up her mind on a decision.

Matt quickly agreed, "We're going to. What's the plan, Shiro?"

"We can't rush into anything." My brother said, "We have to think this through."

"What's to think through? It's my dad! We're doing this!" Pidge shouted back.

"We need to operate under the assumption that Zarkon will try to double cross us." Shiro tried to reason.

"We have Voltron! We can do anything!" Pidge shouted back.

Matt looked down at his younger sister with worried eyes, "Pidge." He said, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"No!" Pidge shouted, violently shrugging off his helpful hand, "We can't let this opportunity slip away! We're too close! Our father is too close!"

"I agree with Pidge." I said, surprising everyone as I put my hand on Pidge's shoulder.

She looked up at me, her eyes holding rage, hope, sadness and anxiety. It was a look I have seen in myself many times before I found my family.

"Shiro, this may be the only chance we have to get Commander Holt back. We cannot waste this opportunity to get him back." I said.

"But we-"

"But nothing!" I shouted, "We can't just stand here twiddling our thumbs thinking of different ways to get Commander Holt back. Emperor Zarkon is holding a friend and a father hostage, who knows what he could do to him while we stand here. We're going. With or without you."

Shiro looked at me, glancing between me and the Holt siblings, until he sighed and crossed his arms as he gave his answer.

"All right." He said, "Let's go talk to Lotor."

~~~~Shiro~~~~

We all went down to the prison hold and spoke with Lotor about his father's deal. I kept Saoirse close to me in case Lotor had a trick up his sleeve.

After we explained the deal to Lotor, he stood up with a glare in his eyes.

"My father has held the universe in a death grip for millennia, but he sees it slipping from his grasp because of your efforts and because of mine." Lotor said, "With our forces combined, we would provide the greatest threat Zarkon has ever faced. He knows we could topple his empire, so this is his attempt to tear us apart. But united, we could forge a new path, open doors to new worlds and crush the tyrannical ways of an old regime."

"A regime you ran." Pidge said angrily, "We can't listen to him. He just wants to save his own skin."

"If you return me to my father, he would surely see to my demise. And with his most legitimate threat to the throne removed, he would only grow stronger." Lotor said.

"One less threat to Zarkon and one less threat to us." Pidge said with a nasty bite to her tone.

Saoirse grabbed Pidge's shoulders and pulled her back to calm her down a little.