Tergiversation:

1) the act or process of subterfuge or evasion.

2) the abandoning of a cause or belief; apostasy (− like me abandoning my belief that I will ever get around to finish this…)

(3) The name of this fic that spawned from me watching Voltron: Legendary Defender episode 12 back in 2016)

-o0o-

The impact must have knocked him out; that's Keith's first thought once he comes to in an alarmingly silent cockpit. In his latest recollections, the controls had been full of blinking red lights and other warning signals. Given his headache, the silence comes as a slight relief. Granted, the relief is decidedly short-lived; a surging panic soon replaces it as Keith launches for the controls.

Nothing happens.

Trying to stave off panic for a while yet, Keith forces himself to calm down; the earlier movement has jarred injuries he didn't know he had. Although the situation is already likely FUBAR, Keith has no wish to add a punctured lung to it. Staying alive will no doubt be hard enough without one after all, especially if‒

He takes another breath, this one controlled, now perfectly aware of the cold sweat assembled on his brow. On a positive note, he doesn't seem to be bleeding anywhere. On the other hand, internally‒

"Don't think about it," he mentally berates himself, even though it is a legitimate concern. "Just focus. Calm down."

Again, he recalls Shiro's words: Patience yields focus. In doing so, Keith also recalls Shiro himself.

However, for all that Keith would want nothing more than to set out and track Shiro (and the others) down, Keith must first determine the severity of both his own condition and that of the Red Lion. Even in his current state, he frankly worries more about the latter.

It takes a while, a long while.

As the silence drags on, Keith becomes increasingly aware of his own sounds; of his heart pounding in his ears and the echoes of his shallow and not quite regular breaths. Then finally, he hears the Red Lion in the back of his mind and slumps back into his seat. "Sorry," he sighs, carefully mapping out the state of his ribs now that the most immediate concerns are out of the way. "It was pretty stupid of me‒ I really should've‒ ugh‒"

A quiet rumble interrupts him. In spite of the pain, Keith smiles. "Thanks. But‒" He heaves himself up. His right wrist protests a bit but at least there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with his legs. "We have to find Shiro‒" (and the others) "‒And the others."

Going by the sound of it, the Red Lion isn't entirely keen on letting Keith out; he picks up on the reluctance as the hatch opens. "Don't worry," he groans, appreciating the concern despite everything. "I'm just going out to have a look."

-o0o-

Keith stands beside his fallen Lion, squinting in the sharp sunlight.

It seems like they've crashed into some type of rocky canyon, alien yet not entirely unlike those back home.

Keith greets the seemingly barren landscape with initial relief, then dread. After all, tough there are no signs of immediate civilisation and thereby risk of getting caught by the Galra forces, the barren landscape also indicates a lack of the kind of resources that they are likely to need in the imminent future, like water and something that could pass as sustenance.

"So‒" He licks his lips; the air is so dry that they are already starting to crack. "What do we do next?"

The Red Lion doesn't answer.

Instead, there is a gust of dry wind at his back, foreboding. Keith turns and looks, really looks now that his eyes are slowly adjusting to the brightness. "Oh shit," he curses, setting off in that direction.

Keith isn't running; he's more like hobbling off in direction of the visible scorch marks on the mountain wall. Going by the feel of it, he should definitely have stopped to treat his ribs first. For now though, dread and desperation overpowers the pain, because over there, he can clearly see‒

"Shiro!"

The Black Lion lies silent and still. It looks relatively intact but‒

It probably takes him just about ten minutes to cross the distance in reality, even though it feels like an eternity in itself, forcing himself to put one foot in front of the other, forcing himself to breathe even though his lungs (his side, his throat, his eyes) are burning.

-o0o-