#vrani tag

[alounuitte]

Where Loyalty Lies

When shipments from a mining station suddenly stop, Lotor's generals look into the reason and get more questions than answers. At the same station several days earlier, the Blade of Marmora encounters a surprise when they try to take out the operation.

Chapter 7

-

Varok is sitting on the floor, his helmet thrown aside, a long-suffering expression on his face as Vrani struggles to climb up his back. “Don’t move this time, okay?” she says, bracing her knee on his shoulder. “Last time you messed me up.”

“I’ll do my best,” Varok grumbles, and grimaces as she grabs onto his ears to support herself. As she pushes his face to the side to stand up, he sees Keith, and opens his mouth to say, “Vrani, wait--” before she leaps towards the machinery. 

Startled, she looks around, already in midair, and only half-catches the ledge she’s trying to grab hold of. “Careful!” Keith shouts, and she yelps as her claws skid off the metal. Before she slips any further, though, Varok is on his feet to catch her, hoisting her up to his chest with both arms. 

“I think it is time to be finished with this game, kitten,” he tells her, turning towards Keith. “Vrani has told me all about her new friend who plans to take her somewhere there are no soldiers. Of course, she tells us about many new friends, but most of them have been her own invention.”

“Is it time yet?” Vrani asks, squirming to get out of Varok’s grasp. “Are we going?”

“Yep, we’re going,” Keith says. “You wanna come down to the docking bay with me?”

Her face lights up, and she looks up at Varok with wide eyes. “Oh, can I? Can I?”

“The others are going down to their quarters to get anything they want to bring,” Keith tells him as he grabs his blade from the console and straps the sheath back onto his armor. “You should probably go do the same.”

“Understood,” Varok agrees. “You better tell Izan what’s happening, though, she won’t like it if she doesn’t know where Vrani is.” 

“Come on, kiddo,” Keith tells her as Varok sets her down. “You ever been on a shuttle before?” 

She shakes her head. “I’m not allowed. Avka says it’s too dangerous.” 

“What’s too dangerous?” Izan asks as they’re leaving the room. “What trouble are you getting into?”

“Keith said he’s gonna take me to the docking bay!” Vrani says cheerfully, and grabs onto his hand. 

“I’m coming with,” Izan says. “Stick close to me, and don’t touch anything.”

“Aw, no fun,” Vrani pouts. 

“You’re about to go into space,” Keith tells her. “Won’t that be exciting enough?”

“Well,” she says, considering that. “I guess you’re right.”

“If you behave, I’ll let you watch what I’m doing,” he tells her. “Maybe someday when you’re older, you can be a pilot too.”

“Will you teach me?” she asks, tugging on his arm. “Atka teaches me about the machines sometimes when he works. I can’t touch them but he says maybe when I’m older, will you show me how to fly a shuttle so I can do it when I’m older?” 

“Your father should not be teaching you how to run the mining machinery,” Izan says, glowering at the technician she’d called Martek. “And your new friend will not teach you how to fly a cargo shuttle. Martek, I trust you to get Vrani’s things, and mine.” 

“Yes, dear,” Martek replies, nodding. “We’ll meet you there.” 

“Go,” Kolivan says. “I will finish the task you started in the control room.” 

“Thanks,” Keith replies, and heads for the lift, Vrani still clinging to his hand and Izan close on his heels. 

—

The hangar’s outer edge overlooks the canyon running alongside the base, two bay doors side by side at one end, a curved docking station for imperial cruisers at the other. Keith’s eyes dart around the room, taking in the stacked shipping crates and the four angled cargo shuttles with red lights along the sides lined up and waiting to be loaded. 

“Whoa,” Vrani says as he pulls her towards the shuttles, her claws digging into his palm through his glove. “It’s big.”

“A lot bigger than the rest of the building, huh?” he says, smiling faintly at her, though he can’t help thinking that as big as it is compared to the other sections of the base, this little loading area would fit easily twice over into the castle’s hangar. 

“Don’t wander off, Vrani,” Izan warns her gently. 

“Avkaaaaaa,” she complains. “I’m not doing anything. And Keith’s holding onto me, anyways.” She pulls halfheartedly at his hand to demonstrate. 

“Any difference between the shuttles?” Keith asks, glancing back at Izan. “I don’t want to take one that’s damaged.”

Izan shrugs. “This third one has the newest engines. They’re fast, for a cargo shuttle, but very loud. The first is the quietest, but it’s slower, and shakes a little, and the second has a bad thruster so it can’t get up to full speed. The fourth lists left, but it goes the farthest on a single fuel cell.”

“How’s it compare to the others for speed?” Keith asks. “We might need that kind of distance.” 

“It’s about the same as this one,” she says, gesturing at the nearest shuttle. “Perhaps a little slower.” 

“Let’s get it ready for takeoff,” he says, continuing past the first shuttle towards the end of the loading bay. “I want to be ready as soon as the rest of your crew gets here with their things.”

“Aw,” Vrani complains, looking longingly over at the third shuttle as Keith pulls her past it. “I wanna take the fast one.” 

“Didn’t you say you’ve never left the base before?” Keith asks, laughing. “I think this one’s gonna be more than fast enough for you already.” 

“But,” she protests, digging in her heels and pulling back on his hand to stop him. “The other one’s more fast.” 

“And you will not know the difference, Vrani,” Izan tells her firmly. “I thought this rebel was your new friend? You should stop arguing with him.” 

“Yes, Avka,” Vrani mutters sullenly, slinking after Keith again as he pulls her ahead and boards the shuttle at the end of the hangar. 

[alounuitte]

some kids, also from fic i haven’t posted yet

[alounuitte]

Where Loyalty Lies

When shipments from a mining station suddenly stop, Lotor's generals look into the reason and get more questions than answers. At the same station several days earlier, the Blade of Marmora encounters a surprise when they try to take out the operation.

Chapter 4. 

--

Keith is on his feet instantly, reaching for his knife. It’s not until his hand grasps empty air that he realizes it’s still on the ground. “Move away!” the guard shouts, priming the blaster. “Don’t touch her!”

“I’m not,” he says quickly, raising both hands. “I’m not here to hurt her, I swear.”

“Avka?” Vrani calls, her voice high-pitched, and Keith glances back to see her hiding between the equipment banks again, her eyes wide as she stares at them both. 

“Vrani!” the guard says, lowering the blaster, and runs over to her, dropping to their knees on the floor. “Did this rebel hurt you?”

“No, Avka, he’s not a bad guy,” she says, creeping out to join them. “He’s my new friend. His name’s Keith.”

The guard pulls her helmet off and turns to look at him, her eyes narrowed. “Keith,” she repeats. “You aren’t with the rebels? Who are you? What are you doing here?”

“We’re, I’m, um,” he manages, taking a step back. “Actually, I guess we…are. I swear, though, we’re not here to hurt anyone, especially not your daughter.”

“See,” Vrani says. 

“Hush,” the guard - her mother, he thinks - tells her sharply. 

“I’ll explain as much as I can,” Keith says, trying to keep his voice level, “but maybe we should talk in the hall.”

The guard considers this, glances at Vrani and then at his knife on the floor. “Only if you leave your weapon,” she says finally. 

“If you leave yours,” he agrees. 

She scoops up both the blaster and the knife in one fluid motion and lays them down on top of the console. “Don’t touch, Vrani,” she says firmly. “Stay here.”

“Yes, Avka,” she says sullenly, hunching her shoulders as she sits down on the floor. 

“You, first,” the guard says, jerking her head towards the door, and Keith nods, turning to leave the room.

“I’m sorry about before,” he says when the door closes behind her. “Most guards at imperial bases aren’t exactly willing to talk things through.”

“Most guards do not have small kits to be concerned with,” the guard replies. “Who are you?”

“I’m part of the Blade of Marmora,” he says. “We are part of the rebellion, but we’re here to disable the mining operation, not hurt anyone. We didn’t know there was a kit here.”

“No one does,” she replies. “Only the crew on base. She would be taken to a real colony if command discovered her.”

“So you kept her a secret so they wouldn’t take her from you?” Keith says. 

“And I will kill every one of you myself if you try to do the same,” she hisses. 

“You won’t have to,” he says quickly. “We’re not going to take her away from you.”

She narrows her eyes at him, the tips of her ears twitching back. “Is it not true that your organization builds its ranks from children captured by its agents?”

Keith swallows. He has no idea if that’s true or not, and suspects it might be given Kolivan’s first response to finding Vrani, but he’s not about to tell her mother that. “You and your family are going to come with us,” he says levelly. “I can’t speak for my colleagues, but I’d rather it be willingly.”

“It does not sound like you will give us a choice,” she says. “How many are you?”

“Four,” he says. 

“There are five guards at this station,” she says. “And three operations staff. You are outnumbered two to one.”

“No offense,” he sighs, “but I’m not worried about those odds.”

The guard considers this in cold silence for a moment, before announcing, “Izan.”

“Uh, sorry?” he asks, blinking. “That didn’t - I, um, I don’t speak Galran, the translator…”

She laughs. “It is my name. You gave me yours. Now you have mine.”

“Oh,” he says, looking away. “Right. Sorry.”

“You’re a member of these...Blades?” she asks after a moment. 

He nods. “I didn’t know if the empire really knew anything about us,” he admits. 

“Rumors. Myths. Stories to frighten young kits,” she says, shrugging. “I didn’t believe it existed. Is it not composed of elite Galra warriors as they say?”

“No, um, it is,” he says. “I’m - Galra, too. Half Galra. But I never knew my mom.”

She angles her head, studying him. “I did not expect Galra among the rebels,” she says. “Nor would I have expected half-breeds among the Blades.”

“Yeah,” he sighs, “you and everyone else.”

His meaning seems to go past her, because she doesn’t react, which he’s okay with; he hadn’t really meant to say the thought aloud to begin with. “Where are the other three?” she asks after a moment. “Your… colleagues.”

“Gathering the rest of the staff,” he says. “They won’t hurt anyone. At least, not unless they have to.”

“They had best be careful,” Izan says coolly. “I would not wish to be in their skins if the others fear for Vrani’s safety.”

 --

The remainder of the crew are not difficult to locate: three are still clustered around the machinery, and three have taken up a perimeter nearby, all easily visible from the ridge as Kolivan approaches, Therlok close on his heels. “We will move between the guards,” Kolivan commands in an undertone. “If we reach the technicians, they will be at risk should the guards open fire; we will use this as our defense.”

“Understood,” Therlok replies. “I move on your order.”

Kolivan bows his head and braces himself to jump, watching the slow stride of the nearest guard towards their location. “Now,” he says as the guard passes beneath them, and leaps from the edge of the cliff.

He hits the ground, claws digging into the dust beneath him, and takes off running towards the technicians gathered around the mining equipment. Behind him one of the guards shouts, takes a clumsy shot well above him that strikes the canyon wall in the distance. Kolivan draws his blade and it sings awake in his hand as he moves. 

The technicians have turned towards him now, and two are reaching for their blasters. “Do not move,” he shouts as he nears them, raising the blade before him, ready to shield himself should they fire. 

The technicians freeze, staring at him, and he draws to a stop ten paces from them, eyes narrowed behind his mask.

“Our agent has the kit,” he tells them coldly. “We are taking her with us. You may come with us quietly, or you may come as our prisoners. There are no other options.”

A moment passes in total silence, before one of the technicians says, “Are you going to hurt her?”

“No harm will come to the kit,” he says. “We are not beasts who slaughter children.”

The three technicians share a look between them, and those armed drop their weapons to the ground.

Kolivan growls softly and turns over his shoulder to look at the guards. This must be a trap. Even civilian operators would not lay down arms so easily, without even an attempt to regain control of the situation. But the nearest guard has set aside his rifle and has both hands outstretched, claws turned down harmlessly, and when he scans the rest of the perimeter he sees the others doing the same. 

“You surrender?” he asks, looking over at the commander, who has outstretched their hands as well. “All of you?”

“Your agent has Vrani,” the commander says. “As long as she isn’t hurt, we will come quietly.”

“But if one hair on her body is harmed,” says one of the technicians, “not even your Voltron will protect you.”

Kolivan surveys them, considering this, and reflects on Keith’s suggestion that if the crew has hidden the kit from the empire, they might well go farther. It had seemed a naive suggestion born of inexperience with the depths of imperial loyalty. And yet, now it is he who looks the fool for doubting him. 

With a sigh, he demasks. 

“As leader of the Blade of Marmora,” he says, “you have my word: the child will not be harmed.”

“Then take us to her,” says the commander with a growl, the tips of their ears twitching back. “I want to see her before anyone goes anywhere with you.”

“Leave your weapons,” Kolivan orders. “Let us return to the base.”