Determination of the Few

VOLTRON AU

Summary:

A darkish AU where Voltron was formed under far more… unusual circumstances. Galra!Keith, Altean!Lance, Olkari!Pidge&Family, and Balmeran!Hunk

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Disclaimer: I do not claim to own Voltron or have any rights to its production. The rights of Voltron: Legendary Defender belong to Dreamworks and Netflix, and this story was written purely for entertainment.

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Chapter 1: Damn Galra and Escape Plans

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What was he doing? Why was his life so… so screwed up?!

Flesh and metal routinely impacted the reinforced Galra steel that enclosed him. He cursed his stupidity. He cursed the Galra. He cursed everything and anything that could have contributed to his capture. It wasn't until his flesh knuckles had torn and wept fresh blood did the enraged adult stop his assault on the unforgiving prison walls. His ragged breathing echoed within the small space, only reminding him of the bruises and scrapes littered across his person and restricting his already slightly panicked breathing.

How long? HOW LONG?

"Hey…" whispered a quiet, breathy voice, "calm down, Shiro; you are going to... bring the guards back if you continue any longer. I don't… know about you, but my body can't take anymore of their… treatment."

Shiro turned towards the other inhabitant of his cell block with sympathy etched into his features. Whilst Shiro was made of tight and compact muscle that could take a beating, the reed-thin frame of his cellmate had been reduced to tatters only after one session. He bit his lip and slid down the wall guiltily, only slightly cradling his torn knuckles. He would be fine, he was sure, but what about him?

A sigh ghosted through the cramped space. "C'mere. We don't want you to get an infection."

Shiro looked up at the Olkari with muted surprise, trying to feign strength by gritting his teeth. "I've faced worse than a few bloody knuckles in my life. I'll be fine, Matt. You should reserve your energy instead of worrying about me."

"You humans…" "Matt", aka Mattikeer, sighed before readjusting himself in the far back corner of their cellblock. Shiro's gaze was drawn to the delicate frame of his friend, and couldn't help taking in the battered Olkari's features for the millionth time since his confinement.

Matt had a very slight frame coupled with green tinted skin, which had been once vibrant but had become tinted with yellow over time. There was still some baby fat left on his face, but most had been weaned away during confinement, leaving marginally hollow cheeks and large, hazel eyes slightly sunk into their white-rimmed sockets. Two antenna-like leaves sprouted from his forehead, lying haphazardly off to the side of his face and almost withered-looking. Whenever Shiro had inquired as to why that was, Matt had dodged the question with false strength. He was sure the kid didn't want him worrying about him, and that only served to make him worry more.

Who wouldn't worry when you were stuck in a Galra cell far away from home, with your only hesitant friend dying before your eyes? Despite the fact that Matt had been taken here before Shiro, he had a hard time pushing down his instinct to protect the boy—for he looked at most sixteen to Shiro's early- to mid-twenties

A low growl vibrated in Shiro's throat. The Galra were truly despicable beasts. They only cared for power… they even willingly treated their own like crap if the situation permitted it. He sighed, not for the first time wishing he could return to his home, preferably with Matt in tow.

It was long after their cell block lights dimmed that Shiro finally succumbed to sleep, and it was long before they turned on and he awoke that his knuckles were healed by a very friendly Olkari. Shiro didn't bring up the subject of his disappearing bruises to Matt even as the boy gained an even yellower tint, for fear of losing his only friend. He refused to acknowledge the fact that even if he didn't confront his friend, he may lose him soon anyway.

If a tear or two slid from Shiro's eyes during the nights he was healed, Matt didn't see them.

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One morning—or what he assumed was morning—it was hard to tell—Shiro had been dragged off to have more work done on his non-flesh arm. Ever since he had been locked in the prison cell with Matt, he had been forced to deal with several colosseum-like battles. The first time, it felt almost good to let off steam, but as soon as they tried to put Matt into the fight, he lost it. After his blowout and subsequent practical slaughter of the colosseum opponents, he was forced to fight routinely. The first time, it was to blow off steam… after… he fought to protect Matt.

And every few days, he would go in for minor repairs, and today… something was up.

"AAAAUGH!" Shiro convulsed under his restraints, trying to fight against the toxins they were injecting into his body. "Y-you took my hand! What more do you want?!"

Get away, get away, GET AWAY!

"Stop!" The vial of toxin was roughly slapped from the grunt's hand by the superior Galra. "I want him awake enough to feel this."

Shiro felt like his mind was spinning as he watched the succeeding actions unfold. The superior took out the two grunts with little effort and began to mess with his restraints, muttering something to him Shiro could barely understand.

"Listen to me. We don't have much time." His vision darkened before the Galra slapped him. "Wake up! Zarkon has located a Lion of Voltron on your planet Earth. You must get it before he does!"

Wha… Vol.. tron?

"Wh-What are you doing?"

"I've planted a bomb to cover your escape. Get to a pod, now!"

"Who are you?" The world spun as he hefted himself on his arms, and he took a shaky breath to prevent any upchuck. His body trembled, but he stared into the Galra's eyes with as much determination as he could muster.

The Galra stared back with just as much ferocity before sighing. "I am Ulas… now, come on!" Before Shiro could comprehend what was going on, he was being yanked off the table and across the room. "Zarkon will know that I have released you so I must disappear, but if you survive, go to the coordinates in your arm. Remember: the Blade of Marmora is with you."

"Why… Why are you helping me?"

"As a fighter, and a leader, you give hope. Now, hurry, Earth needs you! … We all do." With that, the Galra began to dash off, but before he could make it too far, Shiro grasped Ulas' leg.

"Wh… What about Mattikeer? I am not leaving without him."

"Your friend has already been taken care of. Now go before all is compromised!" Ulas removed the appendage from his leg and hurried down the hall, leaving Shiro alone in the silent hallway.

Ulas' words did little to settle the anxiety twisting in Shiro's stomach, but he knew his position was one where he couldn't risk returning to his cell block to check on his friend. Even though he did not like it, he had to trust the Galra was telling the truth.

Supporting himself on the metal walls, Shiro began his long and arduous trek to the escape pods.

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The Blade of Marmora was with him. The Blade of Marmora was with him. The Blade of Mamora was with him.

Keittek continued to repeat his mantra in his head as he stiffly made his way down the hall towards his goal. His neck fur prickled with unease and his dark pupils set in molten amber darted around, trying to keep everything within sight. Although he refused to admit it later, he jumped more than once when a sentry patrol passed nearby. Sometimes he was surprised The Blade of Mamora picked him to be a part of their ranks. Although he had great reflexes, he had the nasty side effect of paranoia and he couldn't imagine why anyone would want such a pathetic half-breed like him considering- Keittek grit his teeth and counted to ten, feebly attempting to disperse his self-deprecating thoughts.

He didn't have time to beat himself up, he had a mission to accomplish!

Cell 403... cell 405... cell 407... aha! Cellblock 409.

Fingering the swiped security card in his possession, he inhaled a deep breath. With a flick of his wrist, the card was scanned and the door slid open with a silent woosh.

Inside, the cell was dark and cramped, possessing nothing but four walls and two metal cots. The cell didn't even have an overhead light- or it once did before it had been removed for some unknown reason. In the far corner, behind the right cot, a small Olkari laid huddled and shivering with fear.

Bingo!

Making sure no patrols were coming this way, Keittek slid into the cell and closed it behind him. Once within, he made his way over to the huddled figure, making sure his steps were audible so as not to surprise the Olkari. By the way that the alien flinched with each step, he didn't think fear was much better than surprise. He let out a deep sigh before finally speaking.

"I'm not here to hurt you, Mattikeer."

"... G-g-go away!"

Keittek grunted in irritation, his ears twitching on the sides of his head. "We don't have time for this, 'Matt'! Shiro is waiting for you!"

The Olkari froze before moving his head so he could stare at the Galra with dark, hooded eyes. A shiver stiffened his spine as he stared at the prisoner, his eyes locked in a staring contest with the deep pools of fear and anger across the cell.

"What did you do to Shiro?"

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Hello, lovely readers!

I am a huge Voltron fan as you may guess, and after watching Voltron: Legendary Defender S2, I couldn't help this little plot bunny that hopped into my head, so here I am~!

This fic was partially inspired by Warmth and Chill, written by the amazing Rahar Moonfire.

The improvised names like Mattikeer and Keittek are completely made up using syllables to form a name that both recognized their canon names and their new heritage. Most characters will have nicknames that are basically their canon names, with a few acceptions.

Anywho, as you may see, I am not a very... consistent... author. But I hope to fix that! I could throw excuses at you all day, but instead, I am going to buckle down and ride this past my hype. This first chapter is fairly short (~1800 words) but I hope in the future my chapters will reach ~6000 in length (my personal best) consistently.

Thank you for reading, and reviews are always welcome! ;D

_-*Doodling Shadows*-_