A/N: Happy birthday, pftones3482! This fic is set mid-S7, between The Ruins and The Journey Within, as they're en route back to Earth. Standard disclaimers apply.

They hadn't been planetside very long, but it was easy enough to see that this place had been affected by the absence of Voltron. Craters pockmarked the land. Most of the growth was new, much of the blue-green foliage limited to shrubbery, though a few hardier, quickly-establishing trees were reclaiming their places. There was the faint buzz of insects, the occasional flutter of wings, signs that something had survived and allowed this place to reclaim some of its former glory, but—

But a planet like this must have been inhabited once, by more than just insects and animals, and if any of its people had survived, they were too few to spread as far as this.

Keith pursed his lips. At this rate, they weren't going to come across anywhere that was untouched, and every ruin they encountered was a bitter reminder of what their absence had cost. Keith knew it had been unintentional, but he still felt responsible. This was a failure of Voltron's, and as its leader, their failure was on his shoulders.

They would make it right, but he wasn't sure how.

"Pair off," he called to the others as they exited their Lions. "This is just a quick stop to replenish our supplies, but we can't get complacent." Not again.

"Aw, c'mon." That was Lance. "Why can't we just—?"

"I don't want to hear it. We're here for provisions, not a vacation." If it wasn't Hunk wanting to find everything remotely edible that a place had to offer, it was Lance wanting a break from the monotony (and occasional terror) that had become their lives on this trip back to Earth. Or it was Coran nattering on about some story, or— "Pidge, with me."

Pidge started. "What, really?" Her question was more of shock than anything else, and she quickly closed the distance between them. In a quieter voice, she asked, "What's wrong? Is there something with your Lion you want me to check out? Nothing came up on the last diagnostic scan I ran, but—"

"The Black Lion is fine," Keith said. A quick glance showed that the others had paired off as he'd told them to (for once), and he started walking. Pidge kept pace with him, his wolf at their heels.

"Then what? I mean, not that you need a reason to specifically ask for my company, but logically speaking—"

Keith blew out a breath. "I wanted to talk to you." He just wasn't sure how to start.

Pidge fiddled with the glasses she didn't need but still wore. "I figured that," she said slowly, "but I can't figure out what you want to talk to me about."

There wasn't any easy way to say this. "I'm worried about you."

Pidge stopped. "I'm sorry?"

Keith turned to face her. "You've been pulling away from the team."

"No, I haven't!"

"Look, I get it. You're worried about what we don't know. We all are. This journey is wearing on all of us, and the lack of communication with Earth—"

"We're just too far away for that right now," she said quickly. "I keep trying. I'll know the minute we're near enough—"

"Pidge."

She glanced back in the direction they'd come, but though the Lions were still in the sight, the others were not. Her shoulders slumped. "I'm worried about Dad and Matt," she admitted. "I don't know if either of them made it back to Earth, or if Matt's still fighting elsewhere and just can't hear my transmissions, but with the Blade of Marmora being attacked…."

Keith put a hand on her shoulder. "I know. It's okay. We—"

"We don't know and it's not okay," she bit out, shrugging off his hand. "We've been gone for years. Everybody thinks we're dead. You're probably trying to turn that into a tactical advantage, hoping to find a way to use it to defeat the Galra again once we find out where they are, but they're not stupid. Even if they think the Paladins are gone, they won't assume Voltron's been destroyed. We won't be able to sneak up on them because they won't stop looking for us. And…and you're going to tell me that's why I shouldn't keep trying to contact Earth before we even see the Milky Way. Because you don't want me to give away our location. But I can't, Keith. My family—"

Pidge let out a sob. Keith shifted on his feet, not sure what to do, and then she'd wrapped her arms around him. After a shocked second, he responded in kind. If this was what they were doing now, then okay, he could handle this. Probably. She was like a younger sister to him, and he knew what she was going through. "I know what it feels like to lose your family," he murmured. "I thought I'd lost both my parents."

"I haven't lost them," Pidge mumbled.

"I know. I'm sure your father's back on Earth with your mother, maybe Matt too if he's not still fighting, but you're worried that they might not be safe. That's okay, Pidge. It's hard not to worry about someone like that when you love them. But you can't let that worry affect your performance as part of our team."

Pidge pushed him away and wiped at her eyes. Kosmo tracked her movements but didn't growl; sometimes, he knew better than Keith himself did what was going on, and his instincts were nigh on infallible. Keith wished his own were so good.

Pidge's hands had balled into fists before she snapped, "This isn't just about the team!"

"I know, but—"

"I'm trying, okay? Maybe I'm not as talkative as I could be, but this isn't affecting my performance." She spat the word at him, and he realized she felt betrayed. "It's not like I'm debating running off on my own or anything."

"I'm sorry—"

"You're not."

She wouldn't believe a flat denial, no matter how much truth there was to it. "Look," he said slowly, "I'm trying my best, too. To be there for the team. To be the leader you deserve, especially with Shiro back and himself again. And as team leader, I've noticed that you've been isolating yourself, and I'm concerned. Not just for the integrity of the team, but for you."

Pidge's shoulders drooped. "This is because I never said anything back when Lance was first assigning passengers, wasn't it? You're still thinking of that. Even though I've gotten better since then."

"That's one example," he agreed carefully.

Pidge scuffed one boot across the silver-blue grass. "Even if they're safe," she said, "they think we're dead. They think…. They think I'm dead. They'd have to. It's been too long."

"Lance and Hunk also have families back on Earth."

Pidge shot him a glare. "You know what I mean." Her breath caught. "I've put Mom through this. Again. First it was Dad and Matt, and now it's me, and I never even said…. Before I left, I never…."

Keith caught her by the shoulders. "She knows. She's your mother. She loves you. Trust me, she knows. Having my mother back taught me that much. It's good to say it, but even when you can't, it's still there, in what you do. You're a Paladin of Voltron, Pidge. You help protect the universe."

"And I help doom it," she whispered, "when I disappear."

Keith flinched. He hoped Pidge hadn't noticed, but he knew he hadn't dropped his hands quickly enough. "We're back now, and that's what matters. We're back, we're going to go back to Earth, and once we've re-established contact, recharged our Lions, and seen the construction of a new Castle underway, we'll find out what the Galra are up to and stop them."

"If we make it."

"We'll make it."

"It's going to take over a year and half, and that's assuming we can continue at the pace we are now. If we can't, or if the Galra find us while we're weakened—"

"We'll find a way to beat them. We always do. Our Lions will help us, and we'll show the universe that Voltron is back and stronger than ever. But you can't doubt that we're going to do that. You're the smartest person on the team, Pidge. You don't need to second-guess yourself." He smirked. "That's Lance's job."

Pidge snorted. "Lance doesn't second-guess me. He just doesn't understand what I do."

"In all fairness, none of us understand what you do."

"Hunk does."

"Only sometimes."

"Sometimes is enough." Pidge sucked in a breath. "What are we looking for here/"

Keith blinked at the abrupt subject change. "What?"

"I was mapping the area as we flew in and cross-referencing the plant life I picked up in my scans with my database. I should be able to use that to help pinpoint some of what we need so we're not doing this blind." Pidge pointed to the holographic screen she'd called up using the electronics in the arm of her suit.

Keith swallowed. "Do your…. Did you find any signs of the people who were here before? We should…. If they're here, we should ask for their permission instead of just scavenging."

Something in Pidge's expression softened as she let the screen blink out and let her arm drop. He had a feeling she knew exactly what he was really asking. "No, but that doesn't mean they aren't here. They might've gone underground when the attack came. They might've evacuated and are rebuilding somewhere out of range. I can try to broaden my range now that we're in a fixed location. If I adjust the parameters, I might even be able to pick up on vibrations that could be indicative of activity if they were forced underground."

Or she might find nothing.

Because there was nothing left to find.

The Galra would have attacked this planet, enslaved its people, and mined its resources. That its recovery was as far along as it was spoke of their long absence.

Although….

It was farther along in its recovery than he would expect, given how decimated other attacked planets had been. Some planets had been left as nothing more than barren rock and crumbling buildings; others had been destroyed altogether. Why had this one been allowed to recover? Mercy wasn't exactly something associated with the Galra Empire, and an oversight like this—

"Pidge, when we were coming in, did you pick up anything unusual? Anything at all?"

She gave him a sidelong glance, not missing the edge in his voice. "No. I would have said something."

"Are you sure? Check again. Please. Something might be cloaked."

This time, Pidge could read his expression. "You think this place is a trap," she said flatly as she keyed in his request.

"It's still here when so much else isn't. We have to consider the possibility. The Galra wouldn't have left any potential resources untapped, and if you haven't found any advanced inhabitants—"

"I don't think that's what this is." Pidge twisted her arm and called up another hologram to show him. "Look at where we're situated. Everything around here is a ruin, assuming it still exists at all, but I don't think this is a trap. I think that's camouflage, intended to keep anyone from looking to closely in the first place. If anything, this planet is a refuelling station, providing everything except quintessence itself. It's been stripped down and then allowed to replenish so it could be harvested again."

"That's not the way of the Galra. They'd just take, they wouldn't—"

"It's not the way of the majority," corrected Pidge gently. She flipped the hologram back off. "Besides, this wasn't an act of mercy. If the original inhabitants didn't run, they'd have been slaughtered or enslaved. This was strategic, a planet on which advancing fleets could stop to replenish their supplies before going deeper and spreading farther."

"So if the planet is this far along again—"

"It could be brought back as an active site at any time, if it isn't already." Pidge hesitated. "Once we've collected what we need, we could implement a scorched earth policy to set it back."

"Destroy it so the Galra can't use it." He didn't need Pidge's affirmation, but she nodded anyway. If Pidge was right about this planet being used as a strategic point by the Galra Empire—or, now, the chaotic factions that had risen from it—then it would make sense to let fire eat away at this planet's resources so the Galra couldn't come in and harvest it again. Weak as they were, they needed to do whatever they could to cripple the Galra.

But if there was any chance that this planet had been forgotten when all the warring had begun, if there was any chance the Galra wouldn't return to strip it bare, could he risk taking away this resource from those fleeing the terror? From people like them, who had come across it when they'd desperately needed something? It wasn't so safe a place that the rebels would consider setting up a base here, not when this planet might be known to the Galra, but a few supply runs could make all the difference.

And then there was the fact that if they destroyed it and the Galra returned, they would hunt for whoever had done this. There were numerous groups they might blame, but he couldn't afford the Galra figuring out that Voltron was not only back but also heading for Earth. It would just make Earth a target.

"No, we leave it."

Pidge didn't seem surprised by his decision, and by her smile, he thought she approved. "A space oasis."

It had the potential to be so much more than that. A safe haven. A fatal clue.

"A real vacation spot," she added. Her hand dropped to Kosmo's head, and she scratched him behind the ears. "Right, boy?"

The corners of Keith's mouth turned up at the teasing lilt in her voice. "Something like that," he agreed. "Now, while you've got your scanner warmed up, see if you can find some grasses and grains for Kaltenecker's feed."

"She has been giving less milk recently," acknowledged Pidge, "which could be a dietary deficiency or a side effect of our travelling through the Quantum Abyss. I'll see what I can find."

This journey might be stressful on them, but they were a team. They were going to pull through. He'd find a way to lead them through, anchoring any who wavered just as they had once been an anchor for him. They were the Paladins of Voltron. They would find a way to save the universe, just as they were tasked to.

And as their leader, he would make sure they didn't lose themselves along the way.