#It's not my device and it doesn't turn off easily since the power button is missing | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

xmint-conditionx · 3 years

Text

art on exhibit | myg + jhs feat. knj

pairing: sugardaddy!hoseok x fem!reader, ceo!yoongi x fem!reader, brat!reader, sub!reader, dom!hoseok, dom!yoongi w/c: 5k but i feel like it should be so much longer for some reason smh summary: you and your sugar daddy, hoseok, are big fans of exhibitionism, but this is the craziest you’ve ever taken it. most of his prestigious party guests are jumping to get to get their hands on you. will you be able to handle it? tags/cw: 18+ please, smut, exhibitionism, voyeurism, remote controlled vibrator, almost reaching limits, spanking, marking, biting, ball gag, degradation (slut), praise, punishment, crying, light oral (f recieving), public humiliation, rope play, shibari, suspension, almost like being pimped out but u like it?, open relationship, hoseok is sort of protective tho, overstimulation, subspace, the orgasm nearly kills you, this one is real nasty, namjoon is just a guest appearance tbh but maybe later he doesn't have to be???

a/n: this thing has given me so much trouble by not appearing in tags. it didn't the first time i posted it on the old blog, and it hasn't been showing up this time either, so please feel free to give this one some extra love. also, honestly, i was sitting on this idea for a long! time! before i actually wrote it out. if i was spaced out in my last class of the day, i was probably thinking about this. i am almost proud and almost ashamed to share this with you all, lmao cause it's honestly a huge fantasy of mine. i’ve been really wanting to do a sugardaddy!hoseok thing for a while, and if you guys like this, then i think i can add more to the story. alright, y’all stay nasty. enjoy!

The ropes dig into the skin of your thighs ever so gently, and you close your eyes to listen to the din of the party that surrounds you. Guests only arrived 30 minutes ago, and you’re already dripping wet. This isn’t the first time you and Hoseok have done exhibitionism, but this is the farthest it’s ever been taken. Men and women in their best black tie attire surround you, glasses of his most expensive champagne in their hands. Not all of them are looking at you; some are too bashful to acknowledge your existence. Some only sneak glances when they think nobody else is looking. Few have come up and examined your entire naked frame, suspended from Hoseok’s ceiling in the middle of his entertainment space.

They’re examining you as if you were a piece of fine art; just another pretty and peculiar object that Hoseok has collected. You’re placed among some of his other art pieces - some Pollocks, some Dalis, some Picassos, and one O’Keefe - and somehow, you feel like you fit. That’s what Hoseok had said anyway. That since you were one of the most beautiful things he’s ever seen in his life, he wanted to feature you as the work of art you are. He chose to display you in his favorite way.

Red shibari rope surrounds each of your legs like a cage before confining your hands behind your back. The rope trails over your torso and is twisted and knotted around your exposed breasts, but not tightly. Just enough to accentuate your natural shape. Your legs are tied so that they remain apart, one held higher than the other to leave you fully exposed. Your stomach is facing the floor, but not entirely; Hoseok has tied you so that you’re almost lounging comfortably there, suspended in midair. The lines of rope flow with the form of your body, and even though all of your weight is pressed down onto them, the ropes are the soft and luxurious kind - no doubt expensive - that make you feel as though you could be floating instead.

Just then, your attention is jolted to your cunt, where his favorite black remote control vibrator has just been triggered. You clench around it, and your moan is muffled by the ball gag that is secured over your lips. When you open your eyes, he is standing solidly in front of you.

His black button up shirt and jacket combination is draped over his shoulders beautifully, and his shiny brown hair is parted in the middle. He looks incredible. Radiant. Sinful.

“You looked bored,” he says with a little smirk as he continues to let the vibrator run inside of you, “and we can’t have that… Perhaps I should turn it up.”

He twists a small knob on the remote and the vibrations steadily rise in frequency until they’re as high as they can go. A semblance of a scream escapes your lips behind the gag. You begin rocketing toward climax, but Hoseok knows you and your body too well. Just as you begin to feel the tingles spread over your body, he shuts it off, and your muscles immediately go lax from being tensed up and ready to come.

He laughs softly as you pant, and then takes a quick look around the room.

“You seem to have gathered some attention. That’s my good girl.”

Without another word, he pockets the remote, and you watch how his ringed fingers delicately pick up a flute of champagne from one of the server’s tray tables. Then he simply walks away. His immaculately shiny black shoes gently thud on the marble floor as he makes his way through the crowd, to presumably some other obscenely rich friend of his.

You feel a small amount of saliva about to peak over your bottom lip. You’ve been good about swallowing everything but it seems your denied orgasm has made you forgetful. Moments later, a small thread of your own spit runs out of your mouth and onto the floor. You know that you have been dripping from the other end too, and you wonder if any of the guests have just seen you drool on yourself.

As if to answer, Hoseok comes back from behind you and grabs you by the jaw. His face lights up when he confirms that you have made a mess of yourself. He turns to one of his guests and speaks.

“See, Namjoon?” he says, tilting your head up toward his guest so that he can see, “She’s incredible.”

You meet eyes with the guest, and put on your best innocent look. You love how a blush starts to creep up into his cheeks, and how his pillowy lips part slightly. Even though you’re bound from head to toe and easily the poorest person here, you feel like you’re the most powerful person in the room. The guest clears his throat and turns his attention back to Hoseok.

“How much was your price?” he asks.

Hoseok looks down at you, and a smirk begins to form on his plush lips.

“1,000 US Dollars. Per second,” he says, “Which charity will it be, then?”

You’d been the one to come up with the idea for the proceeds from the charity fundraiser to be benefitted by getting to control the vibrator. Hoseok loved it.

“Your education charity,” he says, “and I’ll take 30 seconds.”

Hoseok nods, “Do you want to go ahead and write the check now or do you want me to keep a tab running and let you know at the end of the evening?”

The tall man considers this, and looks back at you for a moment before answering, “keep it open, will you?”

“Alright, Mr. Kim. All yours,” Hoseok says as he fishes out the device from his suit pocket before turning to you, “Be good, you hear me? Don’t come until you have been given permission by either Mr. Kim or myself. Understood?”

You nod frantically as you watch the remote being transferred from Hoseok’s hands to Namjoon’s. The earlier flustered man turned more confident once he held the little black fob in his palm - quite a large palm now that you look at it closely. It would look so nice trailing up your thigh, you think. You look up at Namjoon and convey a pleading look, one that silently asks for mercy.

He does not give it.

With a small grin, he turns on the vibrator, and you scream (or try to) at the suddenness of the sensation. He spends his entire 30 seconds with the device in your pussy at full speed, and you can’t hold back your groaning. You clench around the bullet, and when his time is up, you feel beads of sweat starting to form on your brow from the exertion. You’re left a panting mess in front of him, Hoseok, and every other guest that has turned to watch you squirm.

Namjoon’s satisfied smile and nod encourages others in the room to have a turn. Before long, you see a few more guests make their way over to where you are hanging. This time it is a group of women.

“Hye-jin!” Namjoon exclaims, before he hugs the woman and offers a short to the three others that come over with her. She’s dressed in the most beautiful black form fitting dress you’ve ever seen. Her hourglass figure sways captivatingly in the gown, and you’re momentarily mesmerized by her figure. You look up at her and she’s smirking down at you; you were too distracted at the way the large jewels on her necklace fell over her collarbones to realize that they were already discussing you.

“I should have known it would be you to break the ice,” she says playfully to Namjoon, who just presses his lips together in resignation as he puts his hand to the back of his neck.

“How’s the comeback?” he asks casually, as if there isn’t a fully naked and exposed woman suspended in front of him. His ability to be so casual while you’re at the edge of your sanity shoots a ping of arousal through your body. You shiver slightly, and you catch Hoseok looking at you out of the corner of his eyes. He’d never admit it, but he cares about you a lot. You can tell he’s checking to make sure you aren’t getting ready to start snapping your fingers- the safe action you’d both agreed on to release you from the ropes and send you into his master suite. Even when he had walked over to find Namjoon, you know even then he wasn’t out of sight or earshot from you.

He had a clean and plush robe stowed away in the closet nearby, and was always ready to release you should you want to be. You’d worked together before the event to set up a space in his suite to go should you need to retire for the evening, and you caught him setting a hoodie of his on the side of the bed where you typically sleep. You’d always playfully taken them, either to flirt or to wear it (and only it) to encourage a round two. But he had never deliberately set one of them aside for your use. He knows you won’t be using it to flirt or to rouse him into more sex, so his little efforts to bring you as much comfort as possible had set alight something in your heart.

He really did take pride in taking good care of you. As a good sugar daddy should.

You’re yanked back to reality when the vibrator starts up again. You clench around it and feel a gush of wetness surge out at the sensation of it going at full blast. Just when you become used to the speed and lower your whining, you open your eyes to see the woman holding the remote this time, grinning down at you with full lips. She meets your gaze and turns it up all the way, which makes you tense up every last one of your muscles. The woman next to her with long, light hair and a wicked gaze, whispers something to her while eyeing you up and down. It then occurs to you that you weren’t paying attention and don’t know how much time she purchased.

As the seconds tick by, they feel like hours. With the device at full speed, you feel yourself closing in on a climax, and so you squeeze your eyes shut and brace yourself for the orgasm that is about to rip through your body…

She turns it down to the lowest setting and watches as you groan at the second denial crushes you. More saliva drips down your chin as she switches it off, leaving you with only the beads of sweat that cling to your skin.

“Thank you, Hoseok. Worth every penny,” Hye-jin says, handing the remote back to him.

Hoseok beams his thousand-watt smile at her, and congratulates her on both the success of Maria, her solo album, and then thanks her for her donation.

She thanks him in return, and both women walk back into the crowd. Namjoon has also gone, which just leaves you with Hoseok again. His eyes meet yours for a moment, and you see a fire in them that you’ve never seen before. You’re dangling about waist height, and you can’t help but to look down from his face to try to see if you can make out a bulge. You don’t get time to really look, because as soon as you break eye contact, he moves to your back and smacks your ass cheek hard. A loud thwack echoes throughout the large space, over the din of the partygoers. You inhale sharply at the sting, and let your breath back out in a long groan, drawing the attention of more guests. You knew that the champagne would loosen inhibitions eventually.

You hear the footsteps of a couple other guests walking toward you from behind where Hoseok stands. You crane your head to try to see over your shoulder, but they stand just out of your peripheral vision. They’re talking in low voices, and you can’t make out what they’re saying. You wish you could swing yourself around and look at them, but knowing that the only thing they can see of you is your dripping cunt, you’re not so mad.

You feel a hand on your thigh, a touch you’re familiar with. You know it’s Hoseok’s hand, as he gently trails up your inner thigh, purposefully teasing you. An involuntary shiver runs through your body and you can’t help but to whimper slightly. You hear a man’s chuckle, and then he’s speaking, again too low for you to hear.

Hoseok uses his grip on your inner thigh to spin you around so that you’re facing the group of men. Namjoon has come back, this time with what appears to be a friend in tow.

“Baby girl,” Hoseok’s voice says gently, and you look up to meet his gaze, “Yoongi here has just asked if he may touch you.” Your eyes widen at the thought, remembering how just Hoseok’s hand trailing up your thigh had your toes curling. You look up at the new guest, and see only a cold and stone-like expression. His eyes seem to bore right through you, and directly into your cunt. You’re momentarily mesmerized under his heavy stare, before you slowly nod your head.

“Yoongi here has just generously donated one million dollars to one of my charities, so do you know what that means?” he asks you, not expecting an answer, “How long is one thousand seconds?”

“Sixteen minutes and 40 seconds,” Yoongi says, not breaking eye contact from you, “If I’m correct.”

If your mouth could drop, it would. Namjoon, looking up from his phone, just nods nonchalantly.

Hoseok asks the man what he has asked everyone else: if they would like to keep a running tab or if they would like to write a check now. Yoongi reaches into his back pocket and pulls out what you assume to be his checkbook. With rings glittering in the lighting of the room, his hand swiftly fills it out. He rips it out and extends it to Hoseok.

“I won’t be needing more time.”

His cool confidence in saying this small phrase makes your stomach drop.

Hoseok grips your chin and tilts your head up. “Remember, baby girl, don’t come until you’re told to. You want to be on your best behavior for Mr. Min. Trust me.”

He speaks sternly and then releases your jaw, trailing his hand back to stroke your messy hair, before settling on your two hands secured behind your back and giving them a light squeeze. A silent reminder of your out, should you need it.

This Yoongi must be… a force to be reckoned with.

“Your time starts now,” Hoseok says, tapping his phone screen. You squeeze shut your eyes and brace yourself for the abrupt shock of the vibrations, but seconds pass, and they don’t come. You gingerly open your eyes and look up at the man standing above you, toying with the remote. He regards it with vague interest, and then he flicks up his eyes to look at you. Your heart stops for a moment, as he begins to rake his onyx eyes over your body. He purses his lips slightly and begins walking around you, all too slowly.

Even though he has disappeared from your view, you can feel his eyes on you. Your anxiousness grows as he remains out of your sight longer, and this is no doubt intentional. It seems as if he picked up your unease earlier when he first approached.

This guy is good.

You’re so on edge, that the light vibrations that begin in your cunt still surprise you. He turned the vibrator on to its lowest setting, but these low and slow vibrations still make you have a sharp intake of breath. He finally arrives back to your front and seems pleased at your reaction. He squats down so that his face is level with yours.

“What a good girl you are,” he muses, lips parted, tongue playing with the inside of his cheek, “I hope Hoseok here treats you well. You seem… pent up.”

At those last two words, he revs up the vibrations slightly, causing you to let out a small moan. He stands and puts the remote in his pocket. You watch as he gently rolls up his sleeves to the elbow, his forearm flexing as he fixes them. Your hungry stare betrays you.

“Is she always like this?” he asks Hoseok, almost laughing at you. “God, she’s desperate.” He looks at you. “Does Hobi not fuck you enough, little girl?”

Your eyes widen at the implications, and you furiously shake your head no, trying to convey as much as you can with your eyes alone. He just chuckles.

“Loyal,” he says, “I like that.” He looks back up at Hoseok. “Is your agreement exclusive, or is there room in her life for a second... benefactor?” You look up at your sugar daddy, eyes wide with what he might say. He’s just standing there, arms folded over his chest, as if he were discussing the weather or the stock market.

“I’m afraid she’s all booked up for the foreseeable future, unfortunately,” he says cooly but firmly, a little bit of edge to his voice.

“Pity,” Yoongi says, taking a step toward you, “I could think of a million good ways to take up her time.”

“You’ve got 14 minutes left,” is all Hoseok says in response, a definite sharpness to his tone. You’ve only heard this type of voice from him when you’re being particularly bratty. You rarely hear him this stern.

The vibrations quicken slightly, and you can tell from your frequent use that the device is at about its medium speed.

Yoongi takes his hand and reaches out to your back, and with a featherlight touch, begins to trace next to where the ropes lie. He keeps working down your back, and gently trails down your bare ass cheek and ghosts against your pussy. You can feel the heat from his hand, impossibly close to touching you. You hold your head back and try to look at him as you whine out a plea.

“Eyes straight ahead, little girl,” he says, and you comply reluctantly, flopping your head forward dramatically as you sigh. His hand grabs hold of your thigh, and squeezes it so hard you’re sure you’ll find a bruise there in the morning. “And lose the attitude.”

You whimper as he releases your thigh, and goes back to delicately running his fingertips up to your core. He stops just short of your cunt, and you desperately want him to just touch you. You flex your back and buck your hips in order to push yourself onto where you know his hand is. Your clit makes contact with his hand, and as soon as you feel it connect, you feel it missing. Not even a moment later, a sharp sting spreads across your ass, and you clench around the vibe.

“What a greedy little slut you are. Do you always misbehave this much?”

You turn your head back to look at him, and as you meet his eyes, you can see he begins to fume.

“Namjoon, keep her head straight. Someone's not listening.”

You turn your head back around and Namjoon is quickly grabbing your jaw firmly in his hand. Your eyes meet his, and his earlier show of no mercy seems to still be intact. You feel Yoongi’s hand soothe the soreness he just created, only to once again reel back and give the same spot another firm smack, just as hard as the first one.

You cry into the ball gag and the shockwave from his hit sends you slightly swinging forward into Namjoon’s belt. Even though the vibrator is only at medium speed, you feel yourself beginning to get close to a climax. Your moans get longer and higher, and your body tenses to prepare for it. You hear Yoongi behind you.

“Don’t.”

You know exactly what he means. You focus on your breathing and furrow your brow in an attempt to stave off your orgasm. It’s working, but barely. He turns up the vibrations and you cry out again, your head shaking as much as Namjoon’s firm grip will allow.

“Don’t.”

You distance yourself from the situation, distracting yourself with thinking about schoolwork. The essay you’re currently writing. How the rough draft needs to be done by tomorrow night. You need three more in-text citations to make --

His hand is against your clit, and he’s rubbing at an agonizingly slow pace, with just enough pressure for you to want more. You inhale sharply and work harder to distract yourself.

You have two of the quotes picked out, but you need to finalize the third one to really hammer in your point. Maybe you can spend tomorrow morning reading --

His lips graze over the ass cheek he tortured earlier, your smarting skin responding sharply to the gentle contact. He gives you a soft kiss, and then you feel a sharp pain as he sinks his teeth into your already ruined ass.

Your eyes fly open and you make desperate eye contact with Namjoon, trying to show him that you can’t last much longer. Thankfully, this Namjoon is a perceptive man, and he looks from you to Yoongi.

“She can’t take much more, Yoongi.”

“Good,” he says, breath grazing over where he just bit as he speaks. “Come, slut.”

For the first time tonight, your orgasm peaks and rips out of you. Your whole body trembles with the sensation, and you feel his pressure on your clit increase to see you through. The orgasm is hard, and long, and it leaves you with tears streaming down your cheeks, mascara running wildly. You’re coming down slowly, and you feel his hand pull away. Before you realize it, he is standing in front of you again. Namjoon releases you, and your head hangs lifelessly as you pant.

Yoongi stands directly in front of you again, and you find yourself staring at his expensive shoes. You’re completely spent. Post orgasm bliss spreads throughout your muscles, and then, a slight discomfort. You realize what it is: the vibrator is still going.

You squirm lazily and whine at the sensation, it being too much. Yoongi squats down and gently lifts up your head by the chin. Your exhausted eyes meet his, and he clicks his tongue.

“Aw, are you all sensitive now?” he asks gently, in an almost patronizing tone. You don’t care. You nod sleepily.

“Is the vibrator too much, little girl?” You nod once more, eyes fluttering shut.

“Then use your safeword gesture,” he says, almost as if it’s a dare. "Go on. Snap."

If he’s not done with you, then you’re not done. You open your eyes and look directly at him as if to say “challenged accepted.”

Without moving his eyes from yours, he cranks up the vibrations until you’re whimpering again.

“Six more minutes,” you hear Hoseok say from beside you.

“Plenty of time,” Yoongi replies without skipping a beat. “I think we can get three more in. One every two minutes? Surely a slut like you will have no problem with that, since you wanted to come so badly earlier.”

You groan at the ache in your cunt, and at the slight displeasure the vibrator is causing. Yoongi stands again and walks back behind you, and this time you know better than to move your head to look.

Soon the vibrations begin to feel pleasurable again, and you’re having a hard time keeping your moans quiet.

“Atta girl,” you hear Yoongi say from behind you, “Your next one’s already coming isn’t it? You greedy little thing. You’re going to ruin Hoseok’s nice floors with your slick. And in front of all these people?”

Just like that, you’re reminded that you have an audience. Quite a large one. You open your eyes to see just about every guest’s gaze glued to your straining form. The heat bubbles in your abdomen as your next climax rushes toward you.

“You may come again,” is all Yoongi says as you’re thrown off the edge again. As soon as you begin to recover from this one, he ups the vibrator to full speed. You scream into the ball gag at the overstimulation, and cry out as tears spill out of your eyes. It’s entirely too much, but you love it. Before you realize it, another orgasm rips through your body, almost as if it were a continuation of the last one.

He doesn’t miss this though, and spreads your ass cheeks apart so he can get a better view. At this point, you’re not sure if you can do another one. You feel as though you might pass out if you come again. But the overstimulation is so overwhelming that you can only think of reaching one more high. You tense your entire body and try to get another one, but your muscles are so spent that you can’t stay tense for long. After a few more tries, you just sigh and hang limply, your limbs heavy and tired. You hang on the edge of climax, being able to see the other side, but not being able to go there.

Mascara tears stain your cheeks from exertion, and you are well and truly spent. You give up.

But you don’t snap your fingers.

Yoongi fastens his lips over your aching clit, and sucks. Just like that, you feel your orgasm building again so you clench, desperately trying to claim it; this time, you reach it.

It tears through you like a slow strike of lightning. You feel yourself shaking as it takes its time fracturing within you. It grows white hot in your belly, and it’s as if every cell in your body has been burned alive. All of the energy you have left is spent thrashing in the ecstasy of your orgasm, and for a few seconds, you know nothing else but the pleasure.

You find yourself deep in subspace, practically dead to the world. You don’t even have the energy to open your eyes. You barely register Hoseok as he begins untying the ropes around your hands, getting assistance from both Namjoon and Yoongi. You feel his hands as he releases your ball gag and caresses your face as he asks if you’re okay. You give the tiniest nod, and he wraps your limp form tightly in his arms as the two men finish unwrapping your legs. He swoops down and sweeps your legs up to carry you bridal style away from the party.

The next thing you know is the soft and cool silk of his sheets enveloping you as he lays you down. You exist there for a time, every nerve ending in your body tingling as you drift off.

You wake some time later to hear quiet chatting. You inhale and breathe in the musky scent of Hoseok’s favorite cologne. You find yourself curled around the hoodie he left for you. As you slowly open your eyes, you can just make out the time on the nightstand clock. It’s almost 3 AM; the fundraiser had to have ended over four hours ago. You breathe slowly and close your eyes again so you can focus on the voices in the room.

You hear Hoseok straight away; his tone is forever instantly familiar to you. The way his normal speaking rhythm is a little sloppy with alcohol. In reply is a voice you more recently became acquainted with. The voice who you last heard giving you permission to come. It’s a little bit more rough now, a Daegu accent slipping out in his intoxication. The third one takes you by surprise. A low and calm voice. Lower than you’d ever suspected possible, from hearing him speak this evening. Even still, Namjoon’s even tone is a rumble you can make out.

You sit up slowly, not wanting the blood to rush to your head. You were sleeping hard. Your dry mouth guarantees that. At your movement, the three men stop their talking and look over at you. Hoseok is the first to set down his glass and walk over to you. His black tie is gone and so is his jacket. His collar is wide open, showing off his tanned chest behind the many unfastened buttons. He gets on his knees next to the bed and reaches for your hands. Once he finds them, his brow is creased with worry, as he brings your hands up to his lips.

“Are you alright, baby girl?” he asks into your hands. You still have the weight of sleep over you, so you don’t respond right away.

“She had her gesture, Hoseok. She could have used it,” you hear Yoongi say, and you look in his direction. He sits with his legs spread, glass of whiskey hanging off of his fingers. Your eyes meet, and even though he’s trying to seem impertinent and uncaring, there’s a tinge of worry and guilt in his eyes. You glance to Namjoon and see that his worry is more plainly stated.

Hoseok caresses your cheek and turns you back to facing him. His eyes plead for an answer. So you give it.

“Yes,” you say, voice raspy, “I’m alright. I feel great, actually.” Hoseok visibly relaxes and you hear Yoongi across the room mutter an “I told you so” to Namjoon.

“He didn’t push you too hard?” Hoseok asks.

“Nothing I couldn’t handle,” you reply smugly, meeting Yoongi’s eyes, “But he did well and truly wear me out... Clearly."

You chuckle as Hoseok covers your hands in a million tiny kisses.

“Perhaps I do need to step my game up,” he teases, “I’ve never seen you so fucked out.”

“Nothing a good nap can’t fix,” you tease back. He smiles up at you, and you once again get lost in his brightness and warmth. “Mind if I join you all for a drink?”

“Of course not, baby girl,” Hoseok says, “I’ll go get your robe--”

“Don’t bother,” you say, wiggling into his hoodie and pulling the hood up and over your hair, “but you can go get me a glass.”

#bts smut #hoseok smut #yoongi smut #namjoon smut #yoongi x you #hoseok x you #namjoon x you #xmint-conditionx

169 notes · View notes

naruwitch · 2 years

Text

Code Geass: Paladins of Voltron Chaper 42: Greening the Cube

"Whoa! Check me out!" Tamaki cackled as he easily front flipped out in the open space outside the Castleship.

"Well, maybe you should join the circus when we finally get back home, Shinichiro," Inoue rolled her eye as she and Sugiyama hefted up one of the Castleship's hatches.

"Well, maybe I should!" Tamaki sassed back, hands on his hips.

"Guys, focus!" Ohgi chastised, "We need to finish these repairs ASAP!"

"Let them be Ohgi," Kallen argued, "After everything that's been going on, they deserve a little fun."

Ohgi grimaced. Ever since the battle on Earth, morale had been low for most of the Black Knights. Not only had they lost Urabe from the Holy Swords, but Yoshida fell in battle too, and that had been hard on the Naoto resistance cell. Minami had survived too but had gotten one of his legs crushed in debris as they were fleeing the battle. They had had no time to lift the debris off of him, so the rescue squad had to amputate it. He survived (barely) but would be out of commission until he could get a prosthetic. Inoue had also lost her right eye but had been cleared for basic duties as long as she had assistance. She would also have to attend therapy to get used to fighting with only one eye.

So in a way, it was a breath of fresh air to see at least some of the Black Knights in high spirits after the ordeal. While working repairs wasn't the most exciting job in the world, it was something to do and it gave the Paladins a chance to help some of the Black Knights get used to moving in space. Lloyd also jumped at the opportunity to assist with repairs, which in turn led Cécile and Rakshata to follow after him.

"Alright, panels are open," Suzaku reported from another panel close by, "Now what?"

"Very simple. Just loosen the blaxums on the somoflange." Coran instructed from the castle.

Almost everyone stared blankly at the panels.

"Um… can you be more specific?" Shirley asked apologetically.

"Sorry, Shirley, he means the poklones on the agroclams."

"Um… no that doesn't help, Princess," Rivalz said while shrugging helplessly at everyone.

"I've got this Rivalz," Rai said, gently pushing the Blue Paladin aside. After looking the device over, Rai twisted a couple of knobs, pressed some buttons, and finally twisted the lid sharply and pushed down. A hissing sound issued from the device in response and the screen lit up in blue.

"Well done, Rai!" Allura praised.

"Oh! I want to try!" Lloyd exclaimed, 'space swimming' over to a panel that was still being worked on. It didn't take the scientist long to figure it out himself and soon all of the panels were returning to their normal places, completely fixed and restarted.

Lloyd sighed dreamily, his eyes sparkling as he gazed at the ship like it was a lover. "The tech on this ship never ceases to amaze me. It's so mathematically elegant. Its fit is a hundred times more frictionless than any exoskeleton on Earth. It's... beautiful."

"Well, if you love it so much, why don't you just marry it?" Kallen quipped, arms folded.

Lloyd laughed heartily, "Oh I would if I could, that is if I weren't already engaged to your yellow sister-in-arms."

This statement took all of the Paladins by surprise, but it took one look at Milly's awkward, flushing cheeks to confirm what he said.

"Wait, Milly, you're engaged to this guy?!" Shirley exclaimed in alarm.

"E-engaged?!" Rivalz stuttered, face paling and head turning between Lloyd and Milly.

"It's… complicated," Milly mumbled, rubbing her arm, "You know my parents were making me court people with nobility, and…"

"While he may be the prodigal son of nobles, Lloyd does still technically hold the title of Earl," Cécile confirmed, "Or… did anyway."

"Wha-wait, Lloyd, you're an earl?!" Suzaku exclaimed, "You never told me that!"

"Haha," Lloyd laughed aloofly, "Oh, I'm so embarrassed."

As everyone was digesting this new information, Lelouch couldn't help the little devious smirk that spread over his face. "Well then, with the power vested in me, as a former prince and the current leader of Voltron, I now pronounce you man and wife."

"WAIT, WHAT?!" Shirley and Milly both shrieked, whipping their heads toward the now grinning Black Paladin.

"Lelouch, what the hell?!" Rai exclaimed in horror.

"NOOOOOO!" Rivalz howled, rocketing toward Lelouch and grasping his shoulders, "I OBJECT! I-I DEMAND A-A… I mean, I PROTEST THIS UNION!"

C.C. on the other hand was cracking up, as despite the hysterics of the Blue Paladin she could see that Lelouch was enjoying every second of it. Kallen spotted this too, though she was at least putting some effort into trying to stifle her laughter. Plus, she couldn't help but feel slightly cathartic at Milly's reaction.

"Lelouch, maybe you want to think this through before finalizing this?" Suzaku asked, trapped between genuine surprise and aghast shock.

"Rivalz, let go of Lelouch," Kallen finally said, rolling her eyes and practically prying the Blue Paladin away.

"Let go of me, you traitor!" Rivalz bemoaned, trying to shake Kallen off.

"Lelouch…" Milly's own voice rose in warning, glaring daggers at him as if hoping her stare alone would erase the smirk off Lelouch's face.

All the while, Lloyd was floating causally by the group enjoying the show.

Lelouch then sighed dramatically, "Well then, by those same powers vested in me, you two are now hereby divorced."

This resulted in more laughter erupting from Kallen and C.C., but this time Suzaku and Rai joined in as Rivalz practically went limp, fainting in relief. Shirley and Milly were both still blushing, though the Yellow Paladin still looked annoyed, demonstrated by her pout.

"Uh Lelouch, I think you broke Rivalz," C.C. giggled, gesturing to the Blue Paladin's prone form, which still seemed unresponsive.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Milly accused, still pouting at Lelouch who was still smirking.

"You know what they say about payback."

Milly turned away (or as best as she could in the zero-gravity of space) with a huff which only resulted in more chuckles from the group as a whole.

"I've never seen this side of Lelouch before," Rai couldn't help but whisper to Shirley, "I remember when he was always so distant and anti-social but now... look at him."

The Orange Paladin smiled and nodded in agreement, "I know, I really like it. He's come a long way. And after everything that's happened recently, it's nice to have a smile on his face."

"Yeah," Rai inclined his head, "Especially so soon after what happened with Nunnally…"

*After returning from the base*

"Nunnally… why didn't you tell us what you were feeling?" Suzaku asked the younger princess, who was seated in the Castleship's lounge with the rest of the Paladins, C.C., and Allura. "You know you could have talked any of us about this, right?"

The vi Britannia siblings and Kallen had just returned from the base barely a varga ago with Antok and the Blade of Marmora's leader, Kolivan. The two agents were currently syncing their data with that of the castle. Or at least the data they were willing to share involving the empire's plans and movements. Just because they were allies didn't mean that all resources were up for the taking immediately, but Kolivan had assured the princess that their goal in stopping Zarkon remained the same, and would cooperate accordingly to see that goal accomplished.

Regardless, the team had been shocked to learn what had happened on the base. Even Kallen, who had only caught bits and pieces of it thanks to her Geass.

Nunnally looked down at her knees and her hunched shoulders slightly, "Well… with everything that's been happening, taking care of the refugees, making sure everyone survived, and trying to get our home back, I didn't want to bother anybody with my own problems…"

"Nunnally, you stop right there!" Milly gasped, sounding offended, "When have we ever told you that your problems weren't important?! Even back at Ashford, if you needed something we were more than happy to help or talk to you. That hasn't changed!"

"Yes, we have more responsibilities now, but when someone in our family is hurt like this, it affects everyone. So don't think that you're ever being a bother, Nunna!" Shirley said earnestly.

"Nunnally, we all care about you," Rai nodded, "So please don't keep things like that bottled up."

"Yeah!" Rivalz agreed, "You don't just got Lelouch as a doting sibling anymore. You've got at least ten of them now!"

Nunnally couldn't help but giggle a little at Rivalz's joke and Lelouch smiled in appreciation. He had already had his own conversation with Nunnally after the trials and it resulted in both the siblings crying together before catching a brief rest on the base before the pathway opened again.

"Thank you…" Nunnally said sincerely, "I just… I just couldn't help what I felt. Still sort of feel…"

Her heart aching, Allura reached out, placing a delicate hand on the young girl's shoulder.

"I understand how you feel, Nunnally. When I was old enough to understand where they had to go, why they had to leave so often, I have felt the same way when my father and mother would go out with the other Paladins. I constantly wondered if there was something else I could do, to make their missions easier or to help make their duties less strenuous when they returned. It took me a long while to express my feelings. I did not want to upset them, but they were happier that I was honest with them about my feelings. Just the fact that they were aware of my thoughts was enough for them, and we were able to work something out."

"Nunnally," Milly said, shifting a little closer, "Sure, you may not be a Paladin, but that doesn't take away how important you are to the team. To us." Then Milly paused before smiling, "Actually, scratch that, you're basically an honorary Paladin since you filled in for Suzaku when he decided to go AWOL for a day."

"Wha-hey!" the Purple Paladin exclaimed, offended. But this only made everyone laugh.

"Well, she was already an honorary member of the Student Council too," Rivalz pointed out.

"The point is Nunna," Milly resumed, "You've always been an important part of all of this. Not just to Voltron, but to us specifically. So please, don't keep doubts like that from people who love you, okay?

"In fact," Milly stood up abruptly, "let's all make that promise right now! I know we agreed to this at the start, but clearly, we all need a reminder. If we're going to be an effective team, we all need to be honest with each other. Even if it's something small that's bothering us, we should just come out and say it. Any objections?"

Everyone collectively shakes their heads, which indicates that this discussion had been brought to an official close.

"Wow, Milly," Shirley smiled, "It was almost like we were back at Ashford with you delegating again."

Milly smirked, "I try."

The smirk only grew as everyone in the room began to laugh again.

Once she had gotten her own giggles under control, Nunnally looked around. After this conversation, she felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her chest. Her eyes eventually landed on her brother. Now that she really thought about it, she hadn't seen Lelouch smile or laugh like this since before their mother's murder. Even if he tried to hide it, there had always been a hint of sadness and grief in his voice, and while she was never able to see his face, she knew that more often than not, any smile that graced his lips was a well-practiced mask for outside the clubhouse. But now, there was no trace of that mask in Lelouch's tone or on his face. He was happy. He had forged stronger bonds with his friends than ever before and had people he trusted outside of Suzaku and Sayoko. And she found that she was experiencing the same.

Voltron was truly something special.

"Oh, Nunnally!" Milly gasped, kneeling down in front of her, "There's no need to cry!"

The little princess blinked, not even realizing that she had tears streaming down her face. A surprised laugh bubbled to the surface as she quickly wiped away the tears.

"Sorry!" she choked between her suddenly clogged throat and the laughter, "I'm just… happy!"

Lelouch, a worried expression that quickly morphing into relief, shifted toward his sister, his arms encompassing her.

"So are we, Nunnally," he said softly, resting his cheek on her head, "So are we…"

"And that's about everything that's happened since we've left Earth," Nunnally concluded, kneading her hands together nervously, waiting for Sayoko's reply to all this new information. The little princess had told the ninja everything. The story about the original Paladins, Lelouch's big fight with Zarkon in Zenobia's mindscape, and finally the meeting with the Blade of Marmora. She also told Sayoko about learning that she and Lelouch were part Galra and the Trials of Marmora that she had willingly decided to participate in.

Euphemia and Cornelia were also in the infirmary, checking on what remained of Cornelia's arm, making sure it was healing properly. The two sisters were shocked to hear about the ordeal that their half-sister endured. The Nunnally of a few months ago wouldn't have ever considered participating in such a trial. It seemed not just the events on Earth, but also the most recent ones had an impression on her. While both of the sisters were more than ready to support Nunnally, Cornelia couldn't help but worry. Ever since Nunnally started walking more frequently, she seemed to be trying to make up for lost time in a way. After so many years of being in a wheelchair, and learning what Lelouch had been up to all this time (for her sake), Nunnally seemed to be trying to prove that she wasn't a burden. Or at least prove to herself that she wasn't. Not anymore.

Cornelia just prayed that Nunnally didn't push herself too far. Her legs had only just healed. Going through too much strain could not only undo the healing but possibly make it worse.

Fortunately, it seemed Tohdoh had taken that into account when he agreed to train her (that revelation shocked Cornelia too. Sure it wasn't like she could train Nunnally in her current state, but her sister was quite gutsy to ask Kyoshiro Tohdoh to be her teacher), having Nunnally focus on defending her legs and lower body in their sessions.

"I… I would have asked you, Sayoko," Nunnally said, voice small, "to train me. But… I didn't want to wait. I hope you understand."

Sayoko nodded in understanding, "Of course I do, Nunnally. And I am proud of what you've done so far."

Nunnally smiled, rubbing her elbow slightly, and glancing down at her new Marmoran knife.

Euphemia tilted her head to get a closer look, "It looks just like the one Lelouch has."

Nunnally smiled, unsheathing the blade and holding it out. In a flash of light, it expanded into its rapier form.

The li Britannia siblings and Sayoko looked in awe at the blade.

"How does it change shape like that?" Euphemia asked.

"Kolivan said that only a Galra can change its shape," Nunnally explained, "but it also only happens when the blade has been 'awakened'."

"From the way it changes, it's quite similar to how the Bayards work," Cornelia noticed, looking intrigued.

Nunnally blinked and then shrugged, "I guess so. I never thought about it like that."

Cornelia nodded, "You've grown, Nunnally. Your mother would be proud of you if she was here."

Nunnally's eyes widened before they misted over for a moment, "I hope so too…"

Seeing the tears in her eyes, Euphie quickly approached Nunnally with a hug, just like they had in the old days if some of their other 'siblings' were mean to them.

Cornelia then turned to Sayoko, looking a little unsure and awkward. They understood why with the next words she spoke. "I know that an Ele… sorry," she quickly corrected herself, clearing her throat, "A Japanese individual probably wouldn't want to hear this from a Britannian royal, but…" Then to the shock of everyone in the room, Cornelia bowed deeply at the waist, "Thank you, for taking care of Lelouch and Nunnally all this time. And I'm sorry that we… I wasn't there for them when I should have been."

After a few seconds, and realizing to her horror that she never properly thanked Sayoko for this either, Euphemia quickly mirrored Cornelia. "Yes, thank you. Thank you so much!"

Sayoko nodded, smiling, "It was my pleasure. I would do it again if I had to."

"All Paladins and Black Knights to the bridge!" Coran's voice rang over the intercom, "We're here!"

From the bridge, everyone could see that the Castleship was slowly approaching a planet around the size of Earth, with a tall mountain range that practically down the middle of the planet. The coloring of the planet consisted mostly of beige browns with several pockets of green and dusty blue.

This was the first planet in a list of planets that the Blade of Marmora wished to make an alliance with. Olkarion. Upon hearing the name of the planet, Coran had immediately agreed to the decision. The people of Olkarion were very well-versed in technology and engineering. From the words of Allura herself, they had an almost magical ability to manipulate solid metal. With just a wave of their hands, they could build a computer inside of a block of steel. A dangerous enemy to have as the planet was in the hands of the Galra. They learned this due to receiving a distress sign in the form of a hyper-resilient spore that had been programmed ("They can program spores?!" Lloyd had exclaimed, eyes flashing with hearts when he heard that information) to send out a distress signal. The sooner they freed this planet, the better.

"An Olkarion once gave me this!" Coran exclaimed happily, pulling out a small black cube with light blue outlines… only to let go as it began to levitate in front of the Altean advisor.

"Um… what is that?" Shirley asked, cocking her head, voicing the thoughts of several Black Knights that looked over as well.

"Uh hello? It's a floating cube!" Coran chortled, "Oh this guy! And watch! My name is Coran and I'm a gorgeous man."

The cube beeped, "My name is Coran and I'm a gorgeous man."

"Whoa!" Rai gasped, eyes sparkling in wonder as he looked at the little cube.

"Oh, my turn!" Lloyd hollered, pushing to the front, "Lloyd Asplund is the greatest scientist in the universe!"

"Um, Lloyd, I'm not sure-"

Cécile was interrupted when the cube beeped. "Lloyd Asplund is the greatest scientist in the universe!"

"Oh, dear…" Cécile moaned as Lloyd practically bounced in place, "What horrors have you just unleashed?"

"Reminds me of some of those kiddie toys they make back home," Tamaki commented as Rakshata dragged Lloyd away by the ear, shaking her finger and scolding him for thinking such a thing. Clearly, she was the superior scientist here after all!

"You said they can literally do anything with metal, right?" Kallen asked, getting a nod from the Alteans, "If that's true, think of what that could mean for us? We'd be able to restock our Knightmare frames! Heck, they could get upgrades that we never even thought of before!"

The thought of new and improved Knightmares caused several delighted grins and excited chatter to spread across many of the room's occupants. Since the last battle, the Coalition had been reduced to barely a quarter of the Knightmare frames they had originally that were still somewhat functional, and with only limited supplies, they could only repair so many.

Not to mention they had all of the survivors from the Special Zone attack to attend to as well. According to the Castleship's records, Olkarion's environment was very similar to Earth, with one or two minor differences, so if the Olkari agreed, they should be able to relocate most of the refugees on the planet for the time being until they recaptured Earth again. Plus, the Castleship itself was a battleship. If something were to happen to the ship, there wasn't any place the citizens could go to escape to safety in the chaos. Getting them to a temporary home would be in everyone's best interests.

Lelouch took this moment of distraction to slip close to Coran. "Are the Olkari experienced with prosthetics at all?" he whispered.

Coran blinked, less at the question and more of the fact Lelouch was whispering, "Why yes. Such things would be a trivial matter for them. Why?"

Then he followed Lelouch's gaze to his sister, standing close to the long-haired, bespectacled human that followed her practically everywhere around the Castleship. She hadn't been cleared for battle yet, as she still had to adapt to her missing… arm.

"Aw…" Coran breathed in realization before patting Lelouch on the shoulder, "I'm sure we can negotiate something, Number Four. Not to worry."

Lelouch smiled in gratitude, "Thank you."

"Now!" Lloyd exclaimed, apparently done arguing with Rakshata who seemed to still be shooting him the stink eye, "When can we get down to that planet?! I practically hear the city calling my name!"

"Ac-actually, Mr. Asplund," Allura said, a little startled by the scientist's over-enthusiasm, "the distress signal isn't coming from the city. It's coming from the forest."

"The forest?" Ohgi asked as Asplund visibly wilted, "Why there?"

"Well, a planet full of literal tech wizards sent us a distress signal using spores of all things. Why?" Cécile queried.

"I don't know," Lelouch said with a frown, "But we're about to find out."

Flying closer to the huge mountain range, the Paladins and their passengers could barely make out the vast city over the summit, but turned off in the opposite direction toward the vast forests below instead. Deciding it would be best if only the Lions flew down, the Paladins agreed to bring along the Black Knights in the Lions themselves. They didn't want the Olkarion mistaking them for enemies with their big numbers and unfamiliar machines. They couldn't afford to lose anymore as it was for now.

"Oh, why couldn't we go somewhere fun for our first field mission?" Lloyd groaned from inside Zinnia with Rakshata and Cécile also accompanying Shirley. Currently, Lelouch, garbed as Zero, had Sayoko with him, Tohdoh, Chiba, Senba, and Asahina were in Yoru with Suzaku, Ohgi and Tamaki had joined Kallen, Nonette stuck with Rai, Villetta Nu was with Rivalz, and finally Guilford with Milly. The others like C.C., Nunnally, Cornelia, Euphemia had reluctantly agreed to stay on the Castleship. Cornelia couldn't fight with just one arm, and Nunnally wasn't ready for true combat yet. The younger princess agreed and promised to be careful and pace herself.

"I hate the outdoors," the scientist bemoaned again, "Nothing but sunburn and poison oak."

"What's the matter, Asplund?" Rakshata smirked, "If you can't take the heat, stay out of the spotlight!"

Lloyd squawked in offense, "I can handle the spotlight just fine, Rakshata! I simply prefer it from behind the desk of my own lab!"

"That why you carry it everywhere you go?" Rakshata teased further, causing a growl to emanate from Lloyd's throat.

Cécile just sighed. She did not want a headache this early in the mission!

"Um, do they have some… history or something?" Shirley asked tentatively, eyes flickering between Cécile and the two bickering scientists in the back.

"Oh, it's barely worth mentioning much," Cécile sighed, waving the concern off. "In fact, it's barely anything at all."

Meanwhile, from inside the Green Lion, Rai smiled softly as they flew over the canopy.

Nonette noticed and smiled at him. "This reminding you of something, Rai?"

"Yeah," the Green Paladin nodded, "I remember I'd sneak out into the forest back home, and I normally wouldn't come out until Mum or Sophie came out to chase me back in."

They chuckled a little, "I remember that," Nonette nodded, "You spent most of your childhood in places like this."

"Yeah… I don't know why, but I've always liked it," Rai shrugged, "Just being in the quiet of the forest? It became one of the few places I could actually think."

Something out of the corner of his eye suddenly caught Rai's attention and he turned to the window to see something thin and long fly past Zerith.

"What the…?" Rai didn't have time to question further as he suddenly felt Zerith lurch and be pulled down.

"Whoa! What's happening?!" Rivalz exclaimed.

"Are we under attack?" Kallen asked, she, Ohgi, and Tamaki tensed inside the Lion.

"I don't know, but something's dragging my Lion down to the surface!" Suzaku shouted as the Lions approached the Olkarion forest floor.

Whatever had hit them seemed to take control of the Lions' direction as they were steadily led into a large clearing. The Lions' occupants spotted several figures down below, pointing weapons at them. They also spotted many round, pod-like machines next to them as well.

Fortunately, the Olkari (what else could they be?) didn't immediately start firing and attacking the Lions once they landed, though they didn't lower their weapons either.

And upon looking closer at the pods...

"Are those... wooden Knightmares?" Ohgi gasped, eyes wide.

"Are you kidding me?! We got taken down by a bunch of tree people?!" Tamaki exclaimed, irritation clear in his voice.

"...We come in peace!" Lelouch shouted, though sounding a little ridiculous as that was probably the most cliché thing to say in front of aliens.

One of the figures that was hiding near the back slowly approached, lowering their hood.

"Could it be...? Voltron?" the figure that was likely the leader asked in awe.

Zerith's top hatch opened as Rai quickly jumped out, holding a small containment unit in his hand. Inside was a large, pulsing, luminescent spore. The same one that the Blade of Marmora had given Voltron before coming to the planet.

"We found your distress signal!" the Green Paladin proclaimed, holding it to the air.

This seemed to be the right course of action as the leader down below smiled, "Praise Lubos!"

"Lubos!" the other Olkari praised ecstatically, raising their hands in cheer.

After establishing that they were indeed allies to help, the Olkari gladly welcomed Voltron and the Black Knights to their forest-city refuge. Upon closer look, the Olkari appeared to be vaguely insect-like in appearance. They were furless and were pale yellow or gray in color with lighter circles around their red or brown eyes. They also had small appendages over their eyes. They didn't have any visible nose but did have a "crown" of darker gray that covered the entire top of their head down to the middle of their face, which then curved into a point at the top of each of their heads. The Olkari also had four or five fingers on each hand. Their leader, Ryner, also had a red spot on her forehead, very similar to how some of Rakshata's native people of India had.

"When the Galra attacked, only a few of us escaped the cities. We were forced to flee into the forest." Ryner explained as she led the group along a ramp of a large tree trunk that overlooked many more homes just like it.

"How long have you lived like this?" Milly asked.

"Many decafeebs," Ryner answered solemnly, "But, as you can see, our people are resilient. We never stopped evolving. Instead, we adapted our skills to the environment."

"I see that," Senba commented, running his hand along the smooth bark. Several parts of the trees were glowing with bright turquoise lights. It was clearly a sign of the Olkari's ability infused into the tree trunks.

"It's beautiful," Chiba whispered, but Ryner still heard her, making the Olkari smile.

"Why thank you."

Leading the group again down to the ground they passed by more homes and sights. The Black Knights didn't hold back their awe and wonder of this incredible place, which was unlike anything they'd ever seen on Earth. Even Tohdoh couldn't keep a completely stoic expression the entire time. Eventually, they came to an area that likely served as a town square. In the middle of the clearing was another trunk, but in front of it was a root that seemed to bloom from the center and a large sphere of light glowed softly from within.

A younger Olkari was standing close by it, carrying a small wooden device that would have resembled a dragonfly on Earth. Tapping the center of it, a turquoise glow followed as he traced along the tail that slowly curled up along the back. With a final flick, the tail clicked back and the device began to flap its leafy wings on its own, a glow identical to the Olkari's lighting it up.

It flew by several of the Paladins, hovering slightly in front of Villetta before flying off. The ex-Pureblood's eyes trailed behind it before it finally disappeared into the treetops.

"Oh my!" Cécile breathed, taking in everything, from the beautiful trees to the innovative insect.

"My, my indeed," Rakshata commented, a wide grin spread across her face, "To think your people could switch from working with precision machinery to a bunch of twigs so effectively!"

"You guys really are the most incredible engineers in the universe!" Rai exclaimed.

"Nature's designs are superior to any that we could devise," Ryner praised humbly in response.

"Eh, no offense, really," Lloyd scoffed, "but I'll take a lab over a tree any day." Despite his tone though, Lloyd was just as blown away as everyone else in the group. Not that he would ever admit it.

"You can all talk science later," Suzaku finally said, thinking it was time they got the reason they were there, "We need to free this planet from the Galra."

"Yes, I agree," Zero nodded, "Let's assemble Voltron and get rid of these Galra invaders."

Ryner, however, frowned, "It's not that simple, I'm afraid. The Galra have our leader, Lubos."

Many of the Olkari around them echoed Ryner as she said their king's name.

"If you attack, who knows what they'll do to him?"

"Then rest assured, we will rescue him," Zero declared.

The soft glow coming from the large blocks of metal could have been described as beautiful if not for the situation the Olkari found themselves in. Dressed in slave clothes and guarded and beaten by sentries, they struggled to complete the project their handlers had ordered them to complete, though reluctantly. If only they didn't have such a threat looming over their heads.

"Work faster!" Commander Branko demanded from his place at the Galra command center of the planet. He was a muscular Galra with the race's trademark purple skin, several warts on his face, and even a metal face shield that covered his right face and eye. If a human were to describe him, they'd say he resembled a bulldog, especially with his two bottom canine teeth sticking out past his lips.

"For a bunch of slaves with magical, metalworking powers, they're taking an awfully long time to build my superweapon," Branko sneered, "Perhaps they need a little bit of... motivation. Show them their king!"

At the order of the commander, a group of Galra drones flashed, forming a transparent screen in front of all of the slaves. They all stopped to watch in horror at the image that was displayed before them.

King Lubos, a much larger and pot-bellied Olkari compared to his subjects, was displayed in a pair of stocks, staring ahead in terror.

"No! No more! Please don't hurt me!" the king begged, eyes wide and shaking from what was likely the intense torture he was being subjected to.

The Olkari could only watch in horror, some shedding tears and shaking. Finally, turning back to the weapon they were forging, the light increased, the technology inside shining with light as it slowly started to come together.

"That's more like it!" Branko grunted, looking over the holograms once more.

"Um… Ryner? Where are we?" Suzaku was the one to ask after they had all been led to another area of the forest, this time surrounded by several tall trees. But the ground looked like several somethings had been scuffed up against it repeatedly. Several large flowers were also blooming everywhere.

"This," Ryner said proudly, "is the armory."

"Armory?" Asahina asked before noticing two Olkaris raise their hands against the flowers. In a flash of light, the flower petals morphed around the Olkari's hand and arm into a cocoon. Raising it, everyone gaped in surprise as several lasers fired from the end of the newly formed 'flower gun'.

"Huh, that puts a whole new spin to flower power," Milly commented with an impressed smirk.

A large thump was then heard behind them as one of the wooden Knightmare machines formed right in front of them from a tree pod that had fallen.

"How did-"

"Look!" Shirley gasped, pointing for Rivalz to see as one of the Olkari pressed their hand to the tree trunk. Suddenly, circuits of energy raced up the trunk and onto a branch above, which filled a tree pod with light. In a flash, the tree spat the pod to the ground, and the Knightmare that formed rose up and opened, eagerly waiting for a pilot to enter it.

"That's amazing…" Villeta whispered in awe.

"Can I get one of those?" Tamaki asked, an elated grin on his face.

"Of course, you can each have one," Ryner said, waving her hand over a flower that promptly bloomed beneath it. Inside were several pairs of glowing headbands that Ryner gathered up and began to hand out. "Now, the key to operating it is understanding that the nanocellulose responds to electrical impulses from the neural pathways connected through this."

"...The what now?" Ohgi asked, clearly confused with all of the scientific words.

"Oh!" Rai gasped as he put the headband on, "You mean this acts as your interface?"

Ryner nodded before adding, "Of course, all commands need to come as binary coded messages."

Rai gave a thoughtful glance at the tree in front of him before slowly approaching. "So, like this?"

Rai closed his eyes as he placed his hand lightly against the tree trunk. The headband on his head glowed softly before circuits just like the ones the Olkari created sprang up the tree and wrapped around a pod at the end of a tree branch. Landed with a boom, the wooden Knightmare sprung to life in front of the Green Paladin.

"Yes! Excellent!" Ryner praised from her own mech.

All around, the other Black Knights attempted to do the same, but so far, none of them were having much luck.

"Um, I think mine is just a tree!" Tamaki called over.

Ignoring the redhead, Ryner turned back to Rai, "You must have a deep connection with nature."

Rai blushed as he situated himself in his Knightmare, "I don't know about deep connection, but I do like the outdoors. Lived around tropical jungles most of my life."

"Rai is the most tech-savvy of the Paladins," Nonette explained with a smile.

"Oh yeah!" Shirley nodded, "You got a computer bug, he's the one to ask!"

"Well, that explains it," Ryner said, "Like the Olkari, you understand that at the deepest level, trees, metal, you, me—we're all made up of the same cosmic dust, all arranged by the laws of mathematics."

Rai blinked and frowned thoughtfully, "Huh, I never thought about it like that."

Suddenly, a much larger crash made everyone jump. Turning to the source, everyone was in for another shock as a much larger pod compared to Ryner and Rai's fell from a nearby tree. And instead of simply morphing into its default form, it twisted and turned several more times before righting itself. In its place was a near replica of the Lancelot Knightmare frame!

"Oh, what's with the faces?" Lloyd's voice shook everyone from their stupor as the scientist dusted off his hands, "I am the Lancelot's designer, so of course I'd know all my precious baby's features, inside and out! Think I'm finally getting used to all of this alien sci-fi stuff."

Mere seconds after Lloyd's declaration, a similar crash sounded next to his, and just like the wood Lancelot, this pod also morphed in a much more complex shape before a near-identical Guren MK II stood in its place.

Rakshata shot a challenging grin at Lloyd as the Britannian scientist narrowed his eyes in her direction.

"...Well, looks like we're covered in the Knightmare department," Zero observed as he was helped into Ryner's Knightmare along with Kallen. The Olkari in question watched in clear impressed surprise as the two scientists continued their production of their trademark Knightmares, almost as if they were competing on who could make the most.

"Those two are geniuses!" Ryner exclaimed with a smile.

Suzaku snickered, "Better hope they didn't hear you say that."

Cécile laughed a little uneasily as well, "Yes, they're certainly something alright, so long as you get past their social skills or rather lack thereof."

Ryner blinked as Zero cleared his throat. "Tohdoh, Ohgi, join Rai in his Knightmare. We'll head to the edge of the forest and observe conditions there. We'll report back within two varga to create a battle plan. The rest of you, figure out how to get those headbands to work. You're going to need them if you want to pilot these."

"Understood," Tohdoh nodded, heading to Rai's Knightmare with Ohgi trailing behind. Everyone else dispersed, some checking on the new wooden Lancelots and Gurens, and others looking over the other various weapons being produced around them.

"Lead the way Ryner!" Rai called out once Ohgi and Tohdoh were inside.

With a nod, Ryner lowered the hood of her Knightmare and sped off into the trees.

"This way! To the edge of the forest! To save our king!"

With a final click and crunch, the final part of the weapon slid into place. On the outside, it just looked like a giant cube, but to those who knew about the Olkari's tools and even toys, if twisted the correct way, anything could become dangerous.

"Finally, the cube is ready for launch," Branko announced with a sinister grin, "Load the top Olkari engineers onto our ships and prepare for departure. After the cube destroys Olkarion, hopefully, Zarkon will welcome us back to the main fleet."

The two Knightmares stopped just on the edge of the forest. It was quite literally where the Olkari city began and where the forest ended if the metal ground and landscape was anything to go by. Taking a closer look, the city itself reminded the group of many of Earth's more metropolitan areas, especially areas on the North American continent. At the very least, should the Olkari agree to house the refugees, the city landscape should provide a level of normalcy for the time being.

"Their headquarters are impenetrable from the ground," Ryner explained from the Knightmare's computer screen, "but there is one way in, a small opening in the roof. It goes all the way down to an open courtyard." Ryner pulled up an image of the tallest skyscraper, showing the opening as well.

"It's a pretty deep drop," Kallen reported, Geass flashing, "but we should be fine."

"Once you get in, you'll have full access to the building," Ryner explained, "The hard part will be getting onto the roof undetected."

"That won't be a problem," Zero reassured, "Kallen, how heavy are the ground forces?"

Kallen squinted, her Geass active but shook her head. "I can't see much. There's definitely a lot of sentries; it's like an anthill. But there's… there's some sort of interference coming from the city. Like a fog. I can't see the king of the other Olkari from here."

"You can see inside the building from here?" Ryner inquired, sounding intrigued.

"It's difficult to give a compact explanation," Zero said, "but we'll be happy to explain it to you in full should this operation succeed."

'And maybe, with your expertise, we can discover more clues about C.C.'s immortality,' Lelouch added mentally. Sure, the Olkari's expertise didn't seem to be on biology, but with how Geass has been able to interact with technology in the past, the Olkari's unique take on it may help them spot something people on Earth missed. Plus, a species with any sort of mystic ability would be invaluable.

"Any idea what's could be causing the interference?" Tohdoh questioned as he, Rai, and Ohgi popped up on the screen from their Knightmare.

"No clue," Kallen shook her head, "It might have something to do with the natural energy Olkarion is giving off? Or the Olkari's abilities themselves? I don't know, I'm no magic expert."

"Um, Kallen," Ohgi's alarmed voice came through the link, "Look to the right, down. What's that?"

Suddenly concerned, Kallen and the screen itself looked in the direction Ohgi indicated.

"What the…? Ryner please tell me that's part of the building!" Kallen exclaimed, face pale.

"My Lubos!" Ryner gasped, "It can't be!"

"Hey! That looks like the cube Coran showed us!" the Green Paladin said, pulling out the Olkari floating cube they had been shown on the Castleship.

"I haven't seen one of those in many decafeebs. We used to play with them as children. But this? Only King Lubos could have designed one that size."

"Why though?" Ohgi asked.

"They must have forced him to reveal his designs and reconstruct it as a weapon," Ryner reasoned, "From the looks of it, I'd say it's almost finished."

Lelouch pursed his lips. For some reason, alarm bells were going off in his head. From the way the Olkari talked about him, King Lubos was a good and benevolent ruler, even worshipped here. So there was no reason to doubt Ryner's statement. In situations like this, rulers had to make hard, high-pressure decisions, and sometimes had to try and determine which of two bad scenarios would lead to the least amount of damage. Maybe he had given the designs to try and bargain with the Galra, or was trying to bide time for something else? There could be plenty of reasons for this. So… why did he feel like something was seriously wrong?

He shook his head, clearing it. He was likely mixing up his father's actions with this king's. They could worry about the king's politics and dealings with his people after they freed the planet.

"Very well," Zero stated authoritatively, "let's head back to the base. I have a plan."

With a roar, Zerith rocketed into the air, the Paladins and Sayoko crowded inside.

"First, we'll need to get to the top of that tower." Zero had explained when they had returned, "Since the Green Lion has stealth capabilities, Rai, you're the drop ship. You'll take Rivalz, Milly, Shirley, Kallen, Suzaku, Sayoko, and me to the roof, then drop back to a safe position. After the drop, we'll use Shirley's Geass as a cloaking device and Kallen will scan the building for the king and other Olkari inside. Meanwhile, the Black Knights and Olkari will be on standby. Once we rescue the king, we'll form Voltron and attack, with the Black Knights and Olkari providing aid."

The invisible Green Lion made it to the top of the city's tower in less than ten dobashes. Hovering over the hole at the top that Ryner had pointed out, the Paladins and Sayoko leaped one by one inside, using their jetpacks to slow their descent.

Landing as quietly a ghost and still crouched low the ground, Kallen looked up and around, eyes flashing red.

"See anything?" Zero asked, body tense and on guard for an attack.

"It's still fuzzy, but there are some Olkari in here," Kallen growled, pointing to the right hall and up, "The king's up that way. Several more sentries are patrolling that level compared to others."

"Makes sense they'd have the most security around royalty," Milly muttered.

"Let's go then!" Suzaku spoke urgently.

"Right. Shirley." Zero address and the Orange Paladin nodded, holding her hand out.

Like clockwork, everyone placed their hands on top of hers and Shirley took a deep breath. Her eye flashed red and a nearly translucent wall washed over the group and past the walls.

Shirley gasped, putting hands on her knees. "That's as far as I can spread it. Couldn't quite get the outer halls and rooms."

"That's fine," Zero nodded, "We'll make due. Well done."

Shirley nodded, panting and a couple beads of sweat rolling down her face.

After giving Shirley a couple of seconds to recover, the team snuck down the hall and up several flights of stairs, grateful that Shirley's Geass worked on the sentries too. They could easily let the robots by as they pressed against the wall.

Finally, the group came to a door. It looked like several of the other rooms they passed by, but a nod from Kallen told them this was the right one.

Crouching, the group could vaguely hear the sound of someone crying. The king.

Nodding, Sayoko lead the way inside. This room was just out of range of Shirley's Geass, but from the looks of it, there weren't any Galra droids inside or Galra in general at all…

Why?

If this was where the king was being held, shouldn't this place be covered with security? And this didn't look like a prison cell or torture chamber...

Sneaking in closer, toward where they heard the crying, the Paladins were soon led into a large room with a big screen showing…

"Um… can the Galra torture people through watching a rom com?" Milly whispered. Though as she said it everyone could tell how ridiculous that sounded.

"Oh! Betrayal!" Their heads snapped to the middle of the room where a single chair was positioned in front of the screen. A large, obese Olkari was seated there, a table of snacks and beverages next to him. Another Olkari, this one dressed in Galra prisoner clothes was standing, hunched next to him.

The larger Olkari shoved another handful of food into his mouth as he sobbed dramatically, "She loves you!"

Confused, the group slowly approached the king.

"King Lubos?" Suzaku finally asked.

The servant whipped around first and they could see that his hands were shackled at the wrists as Lubos slowly looked behind him.

"Huh, yes?" the Olkari ruler asked, wiping his eyes, "Who are you? The jesters I requested?"

"Um… we're here to, like, rescue you?" Rivalz said, though it sounded more like a question than a statement.

"Hmm…" That was apparently the wrong thing to say as Lubos narrowed his eyes and pressed a button on the chair which lit up a wall on the other side of the room. The wall swiftly slid apart as alarms blared, and several Galra sentries lined up at the ready. The Galra commander Branko strolled in moments later.

"Um, you could have just said, 'No, thanks.'" Shirley exclaimed as everyone drew their weapons.

"Looks like someone came to rescue you, Lubos." Branko observed, though he didn't sound alarmed either.

"...As I suspected," Zero intoned, his tone disgusted, "You betrayed you own people to save yourself."

"Wait, you knew?" Suzaku asked, looking surprised.

"Not solidly," Zero admitted, "but the second I saw that weapon outside the city I had a hunch. Though for the Olkaris' sake, I hoped I was wrong."

"What the hell?!" Rivalz shouted, "Why would you do this?"

Though even as the Blue Paladin said it, all of the humans in the room were forcibly reminded of a certain emperor on their own planet that pulled this exact same stunt.

"I'm doing this for my people!" Lubos protested, "They wanted to fight the Galra, but they are too powerful! The Galra could destroy us!"

"So instead you helped enslave your people to build some super weapon?" Kallen demanded.

"Don't make me the bad guy!" Lubos denied, pointing at commander Branko, "He forced me to do it!"

"Right. And he force fed you too?" Milly scoffed, eying the snack platters by the chair.

"Uh…" Lubos said intelligently, clearly stumped.

"A scoundrel like you is no king," Sayoko declared, before racing forward.

Lubos gasped in terror and tried to run, only for the servant with him to shove him right into Sayoko's path. The ninja waisted no time drawing a kunai and holding it to Lubos's throat while securing one of his arms behind his back.

"Ow! That hurts!" Lubos protested.

Sayoko ignored him, instead addressing the Galra. "If you take one more step, I will end him."

"Whoa! Nice, Sayoko!" Shirley cheered.

"That was awesome!" Rivalz whooped in turn.

Lelouch's grin was hidden under the mask. He couldn't agree more. Sayoko was indeed amazing.

"La Sai, what are you doing?" Lubos weakly asked.

The Olkari glared at the king. Whatever torture or humiliation he went through finally boiling over. "You betrayed our people. I can't live this lie anymore."

Seeing that the other Olkari was on their side, Kallen snarled, "You don't want Sayoko to hurt your genius engineer, right?"

To everyone's surprise though, the Galran shrugged, "Oh, be my guest. His work is done. The cube is complete."

"What?!" Lubos sputtered, caught off guard, but the Paladins weren't surprised. They'd fought the Galra enough to see this coming, "But-But I thought we had a deal!"

"Guards, put them all out of their misery!" Branko commanded and the sentries raised their rifles.

Before the Paladins could raise their own weapons to defend themselves, a large laser fired through the wall, nearly cutting the room in two. After shielding themselves from the debris of the blast, the familiar silhouette of the Green Lion hovered outside the room.

"Your ride is here!" Rai announced from the outside.

Branko growled and pointed out to the opening, "Engage the cube! Take down the Lion!"

The sentries began to fire rapidly as the Paladins scrambled to escape with Lubos and La Sai. Their shields managed to block all of the shots as they made a daring jump out of the building onto the Green Lion.

Once they got their footing again, Shirley and Rivalz immediately started firing back at the sentries with their weapons while Suzaku pulled out his katana.

"Your hands," he gestured to La Sai. Understanding, the Olkari held out his wrists and Suzaku swiftly cut through the cuffs.

"Much thanks," the Olkari said, slipping the manacles off.

A pop and hiss then caught the group's attention, and across the courtyard, they saw the cube had lit up and was slowly shifting from its position.

"The cube is operational!" Zero exclaimed as everyone started climbing down into Zerith's cockpit, "We've got to get back to the other Lions and form Voltron!"

"On it!" Rai acknowledged as the Green Lion shot back toward the forest. The cube, though much slower, trailed far behind.

Lubos was dropped as gracefully as one would drop a sack of potatoes in front of the Olkari resistance. Murmurs of confusion swept through the crowd of Olkari, but one look of the Paladins' faces told the Black Knights that something was clearly wrong.

"What happened?" Tohdoh asked first, tone grave and eyes narrowing as he looked from the king to the rescue party.

"What's going on?" Ryner also asked, her tone shocked.

"While your countrymen starved," Zero's voice echoed through the clearing, "King Lubos was well taken care of by the Galra. He willingly helped them build that cube, willingly helped to enslave his own people."

The whispers increased, joined by gasps and sobs as Lubos's treachery was laid out in the open. Meanwhile, Lubos simply bowed his head like he was a child being scolded by a parent for egging the next door neighbor's car.

"Well that sure as hell sounds familiar," Tamaki scoffed from the pocket of Black Knights, eying Nonette and Guilford in particular. The two frowned, but didn't argue. They'd be hypocrites if they didn't recognize the similarities of what he was implying.

"I know you are devastated," Zero continued, "but it's time to be strong and use your Olkari spirit to fight alongside Voltron and take back your planet!"

After another moment, Ryner's face hardened, "Lubos, how could you?"

"I-I was only trying to-"

"Enough!" Ryner interrupted the king's stuttering and turned to the other Olkari, "We must free our people!"

The Olkari roared in response, righteous fury fueling their resolve to fight.

"Zero, what's the plan now?" Ohgi asked as Olkari began bustling around the base.

"The plan remains the same," Zero answered, "Voltron will handle that cube. The Black Knights will assist the Olkari and eliminate the Galran forces. Ohgi and Tohdoh will lead the charge. Do not let any Galran ships leave this planet. We can't risk Zarkon finding us again. Not if we don't want to risk our own world."

"Very well," Tohdoh nodded.

"Well, then," Lloyd's voice carolled behind, "I guess that means we'll be making good use of these?"

He gestured elegantly behind him like he was welcoming the king and queen of the realm while Rakshata stood off to the other side looking quite eagerly behind them.

Looking themselves, the Black Knights could see why.

Lined up like they had come off a clean factory conveyor belt were dozens of wooden Knightmare frames ranging from the classic Gloucesters and Sutherlands to even some Gekkas.

"...You're right, I think we are good in the Knightmare department for a while," Rivalz commented.

With battlecries, the Lions merged together into the Defender of the Universe and raced towards the enemy that hovered before them. At a glance the cube didn't look like much, but since it was created by the hands of Olkari, who knew what crazy traps or abilities it had.

"Alright! Let's take that thing down!" Lelouch exclaimed as Voltron flew toward it.

The cube, either seeing them or sensing them, pulsed before firing several lasers at them which Voltron easily dodged around.

"Form shield!" Lelouch ordered, and the wings on Voltron's back detached and reformed on the Green Lion.

"Alright, le'ts see how tough this magic cube is!" Kallen exclaimed, before firing a laser directly at it. It hit the cube dead on but seemed to do nothing.

Then the cube pulse and bleeped before to their shock, it fired the exact same beam right back at them!

"Whoa!" Milly gasped as Voltron veered away from it just in time.

"Did that just absorb our lasers?!" Rai asked, shocked at this development.

Lelouch grit his teeth, "Change our firepower! Shirley, your bow!"

"Wait, Lelouch, I don't think-!"

"Got it!" Shirley acknowledged, thrusting her Bayard into the keyhole, the shock from the counterattack and blasts from the battle drowning out the Green Paladin.

After blocking another laser from the cube, Voltron lifted his bow up, charging a large blast before releasing it, once again hitting the cube directly on target.

"Did it work?" Shirley asked. The amount of power they used seemed to at least push the cube back.

But just like last time, even though the energy had been greater, the cube pulsed and bleeped before firing the exact same attack back at Voltron.

"Okay, that didn't work!" Rivalz groaned against the shield.

"Well, if ranged attacks won't work, let's get up close with the wave surger! It's bound to have a limit to how much it can absorb!" Kallen suggested.

"I'm not sure-" Rai tried to say but Lelouch answered faster.

"It's worth a try. Do it now!" Lelouch ordered.

Kallen plunged her own Bayard into the port as Voltron zoomed in closer, dodging lasers before the large claw that appeared and wrapped around the cube.

"Take this!" Kallen shouted before activating the surger. Bright red light flooded the area as more and more energy was poured into the cube, current lights racing along its surface to fight back.

Finally, the energy itself became too much for even Voltron and with one final press, the robot leaped backward as the energy combusted from the cube.

"Please tell me that worked!" Kallen groaned, a little exhausted.

To their horror though, once the dust cleared, the cube was still intact and just like before, several bleeps were heard before the radiant surge was shot right back at them in the form of a huge laser.

The juggernaut scrambled to lift the shield up in time as the impact jostled all of his occupants inside.

"It's giving back whatever we fire into it!" Suzaku exclaimed in realization, "It's just like Coran's echo cube!"

"That's what I was trying to tell you guys!" Rai shouted back, "It's learning! Making its own versions of our weapons to use against us!"

"We can't just sit here! We've got to move!" Shirley yelled and Voltron frantically dove aside but the surger laser still managed to graze them and the robot collapsed to the ground.

Lifting itself up, Voltron shot into the sky, barely avoiding another laser from the cube. As they flew over the forest to gain some distance to think, the cube flew not far behind after them.

"So, how do we beat this thing then?" Milly asked. If it just threw everything right back at them, what could stop it?

"Maybe, if we form our sword, we can cut through the surface and hack right into the center thinking point place?" Rivalz suggested, frantically throwing out solutions.

"It's worth a try," Suzaku said, "It can't get much worse."

"Very well, do it! Form sword!" Lelouch ordered.

Suzaku inserted his Bayard and the claw on the Red Lion vanished to be replaced with the long weapon that was almost Voltron's trademark.

Flying in close once more, dodging around the lasers, Voltron raised his weapon and slashed through the cube like a hot knife through butter.

The Paladins held their breath as the cube seemed to fitz out and then break apart.

"It's working!" Rai exclaimed.

However, the light that had looked like the center suddenly faded, healing itself like it was never damaged in the first place.

"It's still operational!" Lelouch gasped, "Re-engage!"

Getting between the two sides, Voltron slashed through them once more, and once again the cubes separated and fitz unstably.

And much to their relief, the cube was actually descending down to the forest.

"I...I think we did it!" Shirley cheered, "It's going down!"

But Shirley spoke too soon as all four of the separate cubes sprang back to life and swiftly surrounded Voltron.

"Uh oh!" Rivalz exclaimed as the cubes began to fire at them in all directions. Voltron struggled to block the attack and tried to fly up higher to gain ground, but due to their smaller size the cubes beat them to it and one fired them back down to the ground.

Lelouch grunted from the impact, "We can't fight them like this! We need to split up! Back into Lions!"

With a flash of light, Voltron dispersed, and the seven Lions now flew swiftly around the cubes, hoping to find some sort of weakness somewhere.

Branko couldn't keep the grin off his face as he watched Voltron's struggle from the planet's main control center. He knew it was a good idea to enlist the help of that idiot they called a king. Now he had the ultimate weapon that not even Voltron could stop!

"Excellent. Voltron doesn't stand a chance against my weapon. Soon, I'll have both the cube and Voltron to present to Emperor Zarkon."

As he basked in his victory, an alarm suddenly went off on the control panel. Scowling in annoyance, he went to inspect it, only to hear an explosion in the distance opposite of the cube and Voltron's battle.

Branko narrowed his eyes and pulled up a screen of the main populated areas of the city. From what he could see, the main Olkari resistance was launching an attack of their own, with their own weapons and machines they had grown from the forest. He had seen a few of them before, but they were easily dismantled by his troops.

However, he felt a small wiggle of unease in his gut when he saw that several of the mechs looked different. One even leaped up and double flipped over a whole squad of sentries before firing a laser into them, effectively destroying them.

Branko grit his teeth, then shook his head. That didn't matter. Once the cube dismantled Voltron, he'd turn the weapon on these rebels and the rest of the planet, and they would be permanently defeated this time.

Meanwhile, down among the streets, the Black Knights and Olkari were making headway against the Galran troops. The skill and design of Lloyd and Rakshata's Knightmares proved to be much more versatile and graceful compared to the larger, more cumbersome mechs most of the Olkari created.

It took a while for the Black Knights to understand how the headbands worked, but after getting an overly simplified explanation from Cécile, they were finally starting to get a hang of it.

Tohdoh and the remaining Holy Swords swiftly surrounded a group of twenty sentries in their wooden Gekkas before slashing through the ranks one after the other.

Sayoko, now in the wooden Guren, was taking to the rooftops of the city and destroying the cannons and rifles that were positioned there while Nonette in the wooden Lancelot twisted in the air and slashed through a Galran tank like a hot knife through butter.

Just because the fancy Knightmares were causing damage didn't mean the other more ordinary ones were pushovers either. Due to the experience the Black Knight pilots had, they were easily keeping up with the Olkari resistance, who weren't just relying on the weapons from the armory, but were even taking time to turn some of the buildings into weapons too.

Guilford blinked when he saw part of the ground shoot up and snap several sentries up in a makeshift bear trap (or whatever they were called here), destroying them instantly. As the rebels around them cheered, the Britannian knight smirked.

"These people are incredible," he murmured as he ducked around an alley where some sentries were kneeling down and waiting. He easily sliced through them with his wood Gloucester's staff.

So long as Voltron took care of that cube thing, their victory would be assured.

From a safe distance away from the battle in the city and the cube, Ryner, Cécile, Lloyd, and Rakshata were staying near the forest, ready to provide replacement mechs as the rebels invaded the city. They were witnessing the battle Voltron was fighting. A fight that they were clearly losing right now.

"Oh my," Lloyd commented, "Even if it is from the enemy, you've got to admire their creativity in their weapons. I would very much like to know how they programmed something like that to copy the enemy's abilities."

"Well, if the Lions don't completely destroy them, it wouldn't hurt to take a closer look," Rakshata agreed.

Ryner, standing by Cécile, eyed the two uneasily.

"I think I'm beginning to understand what you mean about these two. They're certainly... unique."

Cécile sighed, mentally exhausted due to a number of different factors, "That's one way of putting it."

"Alright, let's see if I can freeze these guys!" Rivalz exclaimed, firing his ice beam at one of the cubes. It did temporarily freeze it, but it quickly broke the ice and fired an ice beam of its own right back at the Blue Lion.

"Oh, no! So cold, so cold!" Rivalz yelped, the cockpit dropping down to freezing. Fortunately, Kallen quickly stepped in, shooting a fire beam at Polaris's head, "Oh, oh. Thanks, Kallen."

"You got it!" Kallen called before they both leaped back into action.

Several of their other attacks weren't having much effect either. The Paladins had collectively agreed to not attempt any close range attacks that involved slicing or cutting. They didn't want to risk creating even more cubes that they would have to deal with. That didn't mean they were having any further luck. Suzaku even attempted his black hole ability, but the cbe even copied that, nearly causing a twister to form in the air!

"Lelouch, what do we do?!" Shirley cried, desperately corkscrewing around some lasers.

"There doesn't seem to be any way to stop them," Lelouch growled, wracking his brain for another solution, "but we can't let this weapon get into Zarkon's hands!"

Just as the words left his mouth, Zerith had flown low to the ground and was suddenly struck by two of the cubes, their lasers hitting the Green Lion point blank.

"Augh!" Rai cried out and Zerith began to spiral to the forest floor.

"Rai! No!" Shirley screamed in horror as they disappeared into the canopy, and she was unable to help as the same cubes turned around to fire at her next.

Ryner gasped as she saw the Green Lion skid across the forest floor.

"The Green Lion's in trouble!"

"Go! We'll handle things here!" Cécile said, getting a nod from Ryner before she and some other Olkari who were on standby raced to the Lion's crash site.

Inside Zerith, Rai groaned and rubbed his head, having hit it against his seat as he had crashed. Warning lights were blaring around him as he struggled to comprehend what happened.

"Rai… Rai, can you hear me?"

The Green Paladin blinked but responded, "Yeah. Wait. How am I hearing you?"

"That's not important right now," Ryner stated calmly, with her hand pressed firmly against Zerith's snout outside. Zerith had gotten herself tangled up in several vines as she had landed, and seemed unresponsive to anything inside or outside. "We need to get your Lion back up and running. I think we can heal your Lion's body, but you must bond with its spirit if it is to fly again."

"But I thought we bonded already," Rai said, sounding unsure.

"Your bond must be stronger." Ryner answered.

Frowning, Rai took a breath before closing his eyes in concentration. "Come on, girl. I need you."

"Remember what I said," Ryner guided, as her palm began to glow, "You, the Lion, the Olkari. We are all made of the same essence."

Just like Ryner, the other Olkari also pressed their hands to the Green Lion and slowly the vines that kept the Lion trapped began to glow and morph, like something was sending energy straight into the Lion itself.

Rai could feel it too as he reached down into the bond that was currently there with Zerith. A bond that he always felt was there, but now that he was intentionally accessing it, he could reach out and feel. The fear and desperation of the other Paladins, the determination of the rebels fighting, even the quiet tranquility of the forest life around him. Like a tree drawing nutrients from the soil, he felt something grow and increase inside of him.

His eyes snapped open, his Geass shining brightly in his eye and Zerith's roar rolled through his very soul as the Lion leaped to her feet and roared into the sky.

C.C. gasped suddenly as the code sigil on her forehead flashed briefly. Normally, she would be able to get a vague idea of which of her contractors she was sensing, but this one… she wasn't familiar with this one at all!

"Could it be…?"

Suzaku grunted as Yoru hit the ground hard next to all the other Lions, electrical energy flickering across their forms, while the cubes loomed over them all.

They all simultaneously braced for a killing blow when a familiar voice rang through the comm links.

"Guys! Hang on!"

Faster than they had ever seen the Green Lion move, Zerith maneuvered around the cubes, drawing them away from the others, almost teasing them as she twisted and turned in the air.

"Whoa! Rai what's gotten into you? You're booking!" Rivalz exclaimed.

"I don't know!" he replied, eyes sharp and focused, "But I feel more connected with Zerith than ever! I know what I have to do!"

Shooting up into the air, Zerith snarled as she spun around, a cannon much like the one Aka could form appeared on her back. Not giving the cubes anymore time to attack, the cannon fired a bright green beam into the closest one.

Just like before the cube bleeped and pulsed, but instead of the usual violet colors, they had shifted to a green color.

Then, amazingly, instead of firing the beam directly back at the Green Lion, huge vines shot out from the cube like a kraken to a sinking ship and wrapped tightly around it.

"Whoa! How'd you do that?!" Milly exclaimed, jaw dropped.

Rai didn't answer, just smirked widely and shot toward the other cubes too.

"That's right! Circle up, everybody, get some of this!"

One by one, Rai shot his green beam into the remaining three cubes, and just like the first, vines and branches sprung from the objects, enwrapping them and dismantling the machines for good.

"Vines," Lelouch chuckled breathlessly, "Well, I'll admit, that is not the way I thought a giant cube of death would go down."

"Nice work, Rai!" Suzaku congratulated.

"Way to go, Rai!" Milly squealed.

"You're the man!" Rivalz threw in.

"That was pretty awesome!" Kallen agreed.

"Rai, that was amazing!" Shirley cheered, "You're amazing!"

Shirley's comment made the Green Paladin blush, but he appreciated it all the same.

Branko slammed his fist against the observation deck's dashboard in fury as he saw that all of the cubes were completely off-line.

"NO!"

He growled and looked out toward the city again, seeing that most of his forces were nearly completely destroyed.

"Commander! We have to evacuate, immediately!" Another Galra said urgently only to stop when another alarm lit up the screen. This time it was for their main ship!

"What now?!" Branko snarled as the message read that the engines were off line. Pulling up the security feed, he barely spotted one of the new, fancier mechs leap toward the camera itself. He could barely make out one of the female humans through its green eyes before she plunged her mech's sword into the camera.

"Send drones to repair the engines immediately-" before Branko could issue any further orders, the windows to the base shattered as another mech launched itself inside. This one had red eyes and a strange looking claw for its right hand.

"Hello..."

Branko looked up in horror as the claw began to glow bright red.

"...And goodbye!"

Those were the last words Branko would ever hear as the observation deck was engulfed in red light.

Seeing the Galra's ship erupting into flames, the Black Knights and Olkari knew that victory was theirs. The Galran leadership had been completely wiped out and they had restored the planet's freedom.

"Hell yeah! You purple bastards like that?! Long live the Black Knights!" Tamaki yelled loudly, fist pumping from his open Knightmare. His shout was only one of many that echoed through the city, not a single face was without a smile.

"We did it…" Villetta said softly as she emerged from her own Knightmare right next to Ohgi's.

"Yeah," he agreed, nodding, "We needed this. After what happened on Earth… we really needed this."

The two looked up as the Lions passed overhead, almost like it was further testament of their triumph today.

The two shared another smile before returning to the Knightmares and following after them.

They still had work to do.

With the threat gone, Allura was given the all clear to land the Castle of Lions. As she did so, Zero explained the situation about the refugees they had on the ship from their own planet, and Ryner agreed that Olkarion could take them in until Earth was freed.

"It's the least we can do for helping us get our home back," she said.

Zero nodded, inwardly relieved that they had agreed. "Just promise me that when it's time to take the fight to Zarkon, we can count on the Olkari for help."

"Now and forever." Ryner said, grasping Zero's offered hand firmly, sealing the alliance set before them.

#fanfiction

4 notes · View notes