by Cala Spinner
CHAPTER 1
The Paladins were on an important mission—to enter the Blade of Marmora’s base. They weren’t exactly sure what the Blade of Marmora was, but they knew that it had something to do with Galra rebels because a brave soldier named Ulaz had sacrificed his life for the Paladins. Before he died, Ulaz had told them that forming an alliance with the Blade of Marmora would be crucial in their fight against Emperor Zarkon.
“Coran, how soon will we get to the Blade of Marmora’s base?” asked Shiro from inside the Castleship. They were on the bridge along with Hunk, Lance, Pidge, Keith, and Princess Allura.
“We should be there within a few doboshes,” Coran replied.
“Take us in slowly,” Shiro instructed.
“That might prove the tiniest bit of a challenge,” Coran said.
The Paladins looked outside. Coran wasn’t wrong—the base was located between two massive black holes and inside a giant blue star.
“It’s the perfect defensive position,” said Pidge.
“Or the perfect trap,” added Allura.
Although Ulaz had freed Shiro from captivity and sacrificed himself for the Paladins, Allura didn’t trust him. Ulaz was Galra, and the Galra had destroyed her planet.
Suddenly, a robotic voice belonging to the Blade of Marmora came from the Castleship’s main computer, and strange writing appeared on the holoscreen.
“Identify yourself,” the voice said.
“We are the Paladins of Voltron,” Shiro announced.
It took some time for the voice to evaluate Shiro’s information.
“Two may enter,” the voice finally said. “Come unarmed.” Then the writing disappeared.
Allura was skeptical. “Why would they insist we come unarmed? This doesn’t feel right,” she said.
But Shiro was determined to learn more about the Blade of Marmora. “We’ve come too far to turn back now,” he said, and turned to Keith. “Keith, you’re coming with me.”
“What?” Lance protested. “Keith’s a hothead! He’s probably going to shoot first and ask questions later! And they’re not going to be able to answer his questions—because they’ll be dead!”
But Shiro was unrelenting. Traveling near the star was going to be very, very hot—and only the Red Lion could withstand the heat.
It was also very dangerous to get so close to the gravitational pull of the black holes.
“One false move, and you’ll either be crushed into infinity or burnt to a crisp,” Coran warned.
Shiro and Keith suited up.
CHAPTER 2
Aboard the Red Lion, Shiro informed Keith that should anything happen to him, Keith was next in line to lead Voltron.
“Lead the group?” Keith repeated.
“I know what you’re capable of,” Shiro said, “if you can learn some self-discipline.”
Keith was flattered but didn’t want the responsibility.
“Why are we even talking about this?” he asked. “Nothing is going to happen to you.”
Beep! Beep! Beep!
An alarm started blaring. They were getting drawn in by one of the black holes!
“Get us out of here!” commanded Shiro.
Keith pulled a lever and piloted the Red Lion in the opposite direction. Its reverse thrusters activated, and it leaped through space as fast as it could, bouncing off pieces of flying rock. It had just made it through to the other side when one of the black holes closed.
“Great job. That was close,” Shiro said.
Keith and Shiro looked out. They saw the Blade of Marmora’s base—a thin, rocky asteroid, suspended in space. The Red Lion landed on one of its flat surfaces, and the two Paladins disembarked.
From the outside, the base looked like a regular asteroid. Then a secret door opened in the ground in front of Keith and Shiro, and two members of the Blade of Marmora came out wearing midnight-blue masks and carrying giant blades.
The soldiers led Keith and Shiro into the underground base, where they came face-to-face with a group of Marmora soldiers.
“I am Kolivan, leader of the Blade of Marmora,” their leader said.
Shiro introduced himself and Keith, but Kolivan didn’t seem to care.
“You were told to come unarmed,” he said.
One of the masked soldiers, whose name was Antok, pinned Keith down. Antok grabbed Keith’s knife, the same one Keith had used to rescue Shiro at the Galaxy Garrison, the space exploration facility on Earth.
“He has one of our blades! Who did you steal this from?” Kolivan demanded.
“I didn’t! I’ve had it all my life,” Keith said.
Kolivan didn’t believe him, even though Keith was telling the truth.
The problem was, Keith didn’t know where the knife had come from. He had only just discovered the knife’s connection to the Blade of Marmora. When he and the Paladins had first met Ulaz, Keith noticed that the emblem on Ulaz’s ceremonial blade matched the emblem on his own knife.
“I promise you I didn’t steal it. I’ve had this knife for as long as I can remember. Tell me what it means,” Keith demanded.
Kolivan had heard enough. “Our organization is built on secrecy and trust. You two should leave. Now.”
Antok held on to the knife and released Keith.
“We came here to form an alliance, but obviously, we’re not welcome,” Shiro said. “Come on, Keith, we’re leaving.” He turned toward the exit.
Keith stood his ground. “Not without some answers,” said Keith. Then he turned to Kolivan. “Somehow, one of your knives ended up with me on planet Earth. Tell me how.”
“You seek knowledge? There is only one way to attain knowledge here,” Kolivan replied.
“How?” Keith asked, desperate to know the truth. “I’ll do it!”
“The trials of Marmora,” said Kolivan. “Should you survive, you may keep the blade, and its secrets will be revealed.”
“Survive?” Shiro repeated. “Keith, if they’re not going to help us, let’s get out of here.”
“I’m not going anywhere. I have to do this,” Keith told Shiro.
Keith had made up his mind. He wanted answers, and he was willing to do whatever it took to get them.
Antok gave Keith’s knife back to him while Kolivan warned, “These trials result in one of two things: knowledge or death.”
Keith didn’t hesitate. He put on a special battle suit and prepared to fight.
CHAPTER 3
Keith held his knife as he entered a colossal battle arena. At the center of the arena, an underground platform slowly rose up to the ground floor, and a solitary Blade of Marmora fighter walked out.
The fighter faced Keith. “Surrender the blade,” he commanded. “You cannot win.”
Keith growled. He charged at the fighter and used his knife to undercut him, but the fighter blocked his attack.
Keith fought with everything he had. One slash after another, one move after the next. The Marmora fighter hurt Keith’s shoulder, then grabbed Keith and spun him around.
“Surrender the blade, and the pain will cease,” the fighter commanded.
“I won’t quit,” Keith said.
“Then the pain continues,” the fighter said, and released him.
That’s when Keith spotted the door at the other end of the arena, and the fighter noticed. “You are not meant to go through that door,” the fighter said.
Keith limped past his opponent anyway, clutching his knife in his hand. He ran through the door—and into the second challenge in the trials of Marmora.
Here, there was an identical arena with an identical door on the opposite side. Only this time there were two platforms that rose from beneath the ground, revealing two Marmora fighters. Keith strug
gled to fight against them.
Shiro and Kolivan watched the battle from an observation room.
“This is not a fair fight,” Shiro said to Kolivan.
“Nor is taking on the Galra, yet that is the fight we face,” said Kolivan.
Keith was hurt, but he would not give up.
“Surrender the blade, and the pain will cease,” one of the fighters said.
“Never!” Keith grunted in between weakened breaths.
The fighters backed off, and Keith spotted a door at the other end of the arena, just as he had in the previous battle.
“You are not meant to go through that door,” one of the fighters said.
Keith went through the door anyway. This time he was in the third challenge arena. Now three Marmora fighters appeared before him.
Keith fought fiercely but was getting weaker. He entered another door and then another. Each time the arena was filled with more Marmora fighters, and each time Keith seemed to struggle more because of his wounds.
“How long does this go on?” Shiro asked Kolivan.
“Sometimes the greatest challenge is knowing when to stop,” Kolivan responded.
“He’ll never quit,” Shiro said.
“One way or another, this will end,” said Kolivan. “Knowledge or death.”
CHAPTER 4
From inside the Castleship, the others were growing worried.
“How long has it been?” Allura asked.
“Roughly ten vargas,” Coran responded.
“We cannot just wait here. I have to know what’s going on,” said Allura. She pulled up a map, hoping to find out more information.
“There’s no way to get a read on their base. Too much interference from the solar flares and the black holes,” Pidge announced.
Hunk had an idea. If they could bypass the gravitational pull, they could connect with the Red Lion’s sensors.
“Get on it,” Allura commanded.
Keith entered an arena with seven Marmora fighters. His right arm was injured. He held it with his opposite hand, breathing hard.
Keith didn’t have the energy to battle this next batch of fighters, but he did have another idea. He needed to see where they were coming from. As the fighters rose from underground, Keith hurled his knife at one of their platforms, preventing it from closing. He then leaped off the shoulders of a Marmora fighter and onto the platform just before it closed, taking his knife with him.
Underground, Keith entered a new room. No Marmora fighters appeared. He held on to his side, injured but alive.
“Guess I really wasn’t meant to go through that door,” Keith muttered to himself.
Still, Keith was in pain, and his vision became blurry. He fell to the ground.
A few moments later, a shadowy figure came toward him. For a second, Keith thought it might be another Marmora fighter—but then he realized it was Shiro. Shiro knelt down and held out his hand.
“Hey, man. You did it,” Shiro said.
Keith took his friend’s hand and stood up.
From the observation room, the real Shiro turned to Kolivan. The Shiro helping Keith wasn’t real—he was a hologram, another part of the trials. Shiro asked what was going on.
“His suit has the ability to create a virtual mindscape,” Kolivan explained. “And at this moment, your friend desperately wants to see you.”
Shiro and Kolivan looked on.
“Kolivan told me you lasted longer than anyone has in those battles,” holo-Shiro told Keith. “You don’t have to keep this up. Just give them the knife, and let’s get out of here.”
But Keith wouldn’t surrender the knife.
“What is it with you and that thing?” holo-Shiro asked.
“It’s the only connection I have to my past,” Keith replied. “It’s my chance to learn who I really am.”
Holo-Shiro said, “You know exactly who you are—a Paladin of Voltron. We’re all the family you need.”
Keith looked down. “Shiro, you’re like a brother to me, but I have to do this.”
“No, you don’t,” holo-Shiro said angrily. “Just give them the knife.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Just give up the knife, Keith!” Holo-Shiro’s eyebrows furrowed. “You’re only thinking of yourself, as usual!”
This wasn’t something the real Shiro would ever say, but Keith didn’t seem to realize this.
“I’ve made my choice,” Keith said, avoiding eye contact with his friend.
“Then you’ve chosen to be alone,” said holo-Shiro sharply. Then he turned and walked away.
Keith unsheathed his knife and held it up. His friend’s words had gotten to him.
“Shiro! Wait!” Keith called out, but it was too late. Holo-Shiro was gone.
CHAPTER 5
Suddenly, Keith was overcome by a blinding light. When he opened his eyes, Keith felt like he was suddenly back at his desert outpost on Earth.
“Keith,” a calm voice said.
Keith turned around. A tall figure fiddled with some radio dials. One glimpse, and Keith recognized it instantly.
“Dad?” Keith gasped.
“You’re home, son,” the man told Keith as he slowly turned around to face him.
Boom! An explosion shook the entire room.
“What’s going on outside?” Keith asked.
“Don’t worry about that,” said Keith’s dad. “We’ll be fine as long as we stay in here. Don’t you want to catch up?”
“Of course I do,” said Keith. It had been many years since they had last seen each other.
“I have so much to tell you,” Keith’s dad said.
There was another explosion outside.
As much as Keith wanted to talk to his dad, he wanted to know what was going on outside even more. He pulled aside a window covering and gasped.
Outside, a giant Galra cruiser came down from the sky. Its laser beam pummeled the area beneath it, causing mass hysteria in its wake. Keith thought he could hear the other Paladins’ voices scream in distress. Throughout it all, the Red Lion watched from a distance.
“Dad, I’m sorry. I gotta go. There are people who need me out there,” Keith said.
“Don’t you want to know where you came from?” his dad asked, holding out the mysterious knife. “Your mother gave it to me.”
“Mom?”
“She’ll be here soon,” Keith’s dad promised.
Keith had to stop the encroaching Galra—but he was also desperate to learn more.
He glanced out the window. He glanced back at his dad.
What was Keith going to choose?
Inside the observatory, Shiro was growing more and more concerned. It looked like Keith was struggling to hold on.
“You need to get him out of there,” Shiro told Kolivan.
“He can decide when to leave,” Kolivan said.
“You’re messing with his mind. You’re going to kill him!” Shiro yelled.
Kolivan turned his head. “Knowledge or death, Shiro,” he said.
Shiro gritted his teeth. “I’m calling this off,” he said.
He went to find his friend, but two Marmora guards grabbed him.
“You gotta tell me, Dad. I have to know,” Keith said. “Where did the knife come from? What does it mean?”
“Your mother is almost here. She’ll tell you everything,” Keith’s dad said in a flat, emotionless voice.
Boom! Another explosion erupted outside.
“I can’t wait around anymore,” Keith announced. “I have to go.”
He grabbed the doorknob.
“If you go out that door, you’ll never find out who you are,” said Keith’s dad.
Keith dropped his head. He wanted to know this secret more than anything. But he also had a duty—a duty to fight against the Galra Empire.
“Good-bye, Dad,” Keith said sadly. He opened the door, and was instantly brought into a flash of bright light.
Aboveground, on the Blade of Ma
rmora base, the Red Lion’s eyes came to life. Roar! It started attacking the base, firing its plasma cannon against the surface.
“It’s trying to break through!” Kolivan said.
“It has a link with Keith. It knows when he’s in danger. It’s coming for him,” Shiro said, still being held by the guards.
The base’s alarms blared all around them. Debris fell to the ground. It was mayhem.
A large piece of rubble fell from above. Shiro used the guards’ momentary distraction to get away; he had to rescue Keith. The guards followed quickly, but they weren’t fast enough to catch him.
Meanwhile, Keith woke up from the virtual mindscape and heard footsteps approaching. He opened his eyes, feeling battered and weak. The real Shiro ran up to him and helped him stand up.
“Keith, are you okay?” Shiro asked.
Before Keith could answer, the Marmora members found them.
“Stop what you’re doing!” Kolivan commanded. “Call off your beast!” he said, referring to the Red Lion, who was close to breaking through.
“Move out of the way. We’re leaving,” Shiro said.
“You’re not leaving with that blade,” Kolivan said to Keith. “It does not belong to you. You failed to awaken it!”
“What does that mean?” Keith asked.
“Give up the blade!” sneered Antok.
Shiro went after Antok and grunted as Antok’s blade and his robotic arm collided.
Keith didn’t want his friend hurt. Nothing was worth Shiro’s pain.