VIII

                                    

                                          
We all stared at the thing that crashed into the Balmera.
"Please tell me there's not a giant monster in there." Pleaded Hunk a little concerned, "Please tell me it's empty! Or full of space candy. One of the two. Either one is fine."
"I don't think it's a piñata, Hunk." Said Lance.
Keith pursed his lips, "If it's the same kind of monster that attacked us on Arus, we all ready know how to beat it."
He smashed his bayard into the slot in the console and Voltron formed a sword, while Pidge formed the shield.
I looked down at Keith who was sitting in the pilot's seat.
"Where do I go?" I asked.
He turned to face me and scooted over, patting the seat.
"Are you sure? I don't want to get in your way."
Before he could respond, a low, deep grumble came from Red and a seat just behind Keith appeared. It wasn't a seat for a co-pilot, but I'd take what I could get. 
Keith whipped around in his seat, wide-eyed and I stared at him.
"Why did Red give me a seat?"
"I'm not sure." Responded Keith, "Maybe when we were going after Rolo you showed that you would protect her. You've earned her trust and respect."
I nodded and quickly sat down, hearing Shiro over the intercom.
"Hold your ground!" He yelled.
The robot fired a laser at us and I gripped my seat, trying to keep my balance.
"It's not candy!" Yelled Hunk.
"And it's not the same monster!" Shouted Lance.
Voltron pushed itself away from the attack and I heard Shiro grunt, "We need to draw its fire away from the Balmera's surface!"
As we took on heavy fire, I closed my eyes tightly and tried to think of anything that could get us out of this mess.
I let out an irritated sigh and opened my eyes, "I've got nothing."
The monster fired again and Voltron shielded itself.
"We can't hold out!" Yelled Lance.
"My lion is weakening!" Informed Pidge, "If the shield sustains structural damage, we're done for!"
"Pidge is right!" Agreed Keith.
Lance scoffed, "Ohh, Pidge is right. I'm the one that said, 'We can't hold out!'"
Keith shook his head, "Lance, watch your footing!"
We lasted with the shield for another thirty seconds or so, but eventually fell to the ground.
"Okay," Groaned Shiro, "Team Voltron, disband! Everyone, evasive maneuvers! It can't shoot us all at once!"
Keith flew us to the right side of the robot, but it started shooting at us along with everyone else.
"Okay, it can do that too!" Continued Shiro.
Suddenly, one of the Castle's lasers shot at the monster and we weren't under fire anymore. It shot at the Castle, slowly making its way through the particle barrier.
"Keith!" Yelled Shiro, "Try to draw its fire. I'm coming in from above!"
Keith nodded, "Roger!"
Keith shot lava from the lion and all firing at the Castle stopped. Now it's focus was on us. At least eight lasers came straight at us, and Keith had to maneuver his way through every last one of them.
"We need to find its blind spot!" Said Lance.
Pidge popped up on a video transmission, "I don't think this thing has a blind spot. It has a thousand eyes."
"Laser eyes." Started Hunk, "Laser eyes!"
One of the Galra installations fell onto the Balmera.
I sighed in frustration, "We need a plan! This thing is killing the Balmera!"
"Fighting this thing is like fighting an entire fleet at once!" Continued Pidge."
Keith flew next to Pidge, "I think we've got to aim for those laser eyes and take them out."
"We'll cover you from up here!" Yelled Allura through the coms.
It shot at the monster, but every laser shot back at the Castle.
"We're taking heavy fire up here!" Shouted Allura, "We're in trouble!"
"Princess, pull back!" Said Shiro, "Get out of its range, now!"
"We will not abandon you."
"You're not abandoning us. We're about to pull back anyway."
"We are?" Asked Hunk.
"We can't hold out. We have to. Lions, to the mine shafts! It's the only place the monster can't get us."
                          
***
                          
Keith and I ran out of the cockpit and into the caves toward the Balmerans.
"What is happening?" Asked Rax.
Keith stopped, trying to catch his breath, "There's a monster up there that Zarkon sent to destroy us."
"A monster?" Cursed Shay, "Will Zarkon's savagery never abate? Perhaps our people were never meant to be free."
I crossed my arms and nudged Hunk, this is his girl after all.
"Shay, don't give up." He said, "Zarkon's power grows with every planet he conquers, but he's weakened by every being that fights back."
"Fight back against a monster like that?" Asked Shay, "How?"
Hunk shook his head, "I don't know, but we can beat it. Tell her, Keith."
Keith slowly looked to Hunk, "Can we?"
I uncrossed my arms, "Yes, we can. This is our first mission and we're not going to fail. We can beat it. We just need some time to come up with a plan."
"See?" Said Hunk to Shay, "Told you we can."
Shiro put his hand on my shoulder and suddenly the Balmera began to shake. I stumbled and almost fell flat, but Shiro caught me just in time.
"Did you guys feel that over there?" Asked Hunk.
"Yeah, we feel it." Responded Lance.
"It's that sound again." Said Pidge looking around, "What is that?"
"It's the Balmera." I answered.
Rax nodded, "That great noise comes from the Balmera itself. Our home crumbles beneath our feet. The Balmera is dying."
Shiro leg go of my arm, "Coran, Allura, are you there?"
"Shiro we're here." Responded Allura.
"The Balmera—"
"We already know." Interrupted Coran, "Our scanners are showing the life energy draining from the Balmera."
Pidge pulled up a thermal hologram of the Balmera from her suit, "How does that happen?"
"Removing crystals from a Balmera is like removing a vital part of the mighty beast. The Balmera needs time to regenerate itself to stay healthy, but the Galra's greed may have cost this noble Balmera its life."
Hunk stared at the hologram, "So what's gonna happen?"
"It's core will collapse, destabilizing the entire skeletal structure. Anything or anyone remaining on the Balmera at that point will be crushed into dust."
I felt my eyes widen, "How long before its core collapses?"
"Probably a matter of hours." Continued Coran, "The mighty organism willingly gives itself to all, but not all return its kindness."
I heard Allura take a deep breath, "Then our time is short. We'll evacuate the planet. We need to get all the Balmerans to the Castle of Lions before the planet implodes."
"Okay," Started Hunk, "That sounds like a good plan, but how on earth do you plan on landing the Castle with that monster-thingy on the surface?"
"You'll need a distraction." Stated Pidge.
Shiro nodded, "We'll engage the beast in our lions. With it distracted, Allura and Coran will land the Castle and load all of its citizens."
"Or," Butted in Lance, "We could load Balmerans into our lions a few at a time and shuttle them to the ship. You know, no engaging ferocious laser-eye guy. How long would that take?"
"Days?" Guessed Coran, "Weeks?"
Keith's expression became serious, "We only have hours."
Shiro pursed his lips and looked around at us, "Look, we don't need to beat this thing. We just need to a bait it away from the ship. Provoke and evade."
Hunk looked down, "Okay, here's the thing. I'm worried that we're going to be really, really good at the provoking part, and then like really bad at the evading part. But if this is what it takes to save Shay and everyone on the planet, them I'm in."
Keith turned to Shay, "Can you contact the other Balmerans?"
She nodded, "I can, but I know not what they'll say. Leave the planet? Our home?"
"It's the only option." Said Allura over the intercoms, "I'm coming down."
"You're coming down?" Asked Pidge, "That thing will spot your pod and blow it to pieces!"
"Let me worry about that." Continued Allura, "You just focus on keeping the creature distracted."