Chapter Text
Alarms blared throughout his cockpit, the red, unforgiving glows of all of his alert lights and messages reflecting on his face.
All of the lions, the Altean castle… their desperate means of escape had been entirely compromised. Once that… that thing had gotten its’ black, lightning-like energy piercing through, that’s when turbulence was high, and the road was very rough. Really, there was no telling where they would end up. Too much was going on for him to even process .
His breathing was jagged, beads of cold sweat running down his temples and burning his eyes as he tried absolutely everything he possibly could to stabilize the Black Lion. Everything was just a blur , his gaze being blinded by the nearest sun as he plummeted into some planet’s atmosphere.
Nothing was working.
“ Paladins, brace for shock! ” Despite how his heart was hammering in his chest, he still had to take care of his team. “ I need an affirmative that all resistance shields are maxed out! Sound off! ”
Upon getting a confirmation in multiple forms, whether it was a controlled, concentrated ‘affirmative’ from Keith and Pidge, or a wary yelp from Lance and Hunk, he’d quickly belt out, “ I’ll see everyone on the ground! ”
Honestly… he didn’t know what the terrain was like, what they were going to crash onto. But he’d be damned if he’d allow them to have a second of doubt. He’d be their leader until the end.
Thankfully, whatever they’d hit was soft, because he could feel his lion traveling through layers of it.
Everything in Shiro’s cockpit shut off, all of the energy of the shock resistance force fields around his lion sucking all of the power out. The dark shadows consumed him, his eyes wide as he breathed heavily from the rush of adrenaline, broad chest heaving against the restraints that kept him secure in his pilot seat.
“ Paladins, sound off! ”
...Nothing.
His heart began hammering in his ribcage once more in that instant. “ Paladins, sound off ! ” He’d call into the Comms system they all shared.
The signal must’ve been destroyed, there wasn’t even any static.
Within seconds, Shiro had ripped himself out of his restraint belts. He would struggle to manually pry open the jaws of his lion, using every bit of raw muscle power he possibly could. One it was open enough, and a few deep grunts and growls later, he was able to squeeze himself out, rolling out roughly onto the sand.
Sand.
His heavy breathing fogged up the eye-shield of his Paladin helmet, as he’d struggle to keep his legs from sinking into the sand. The man would urgently get his footing, both hands hastily reaching up to the clasping mechanisms that attached his helmet to the neck of his suit, he’d pivot both switches to release it, before ripping it off of his head.
“ Agh … ” Immediately regretting that move, he’d feel the sweltering, dry heat hit him right in the face, a broad forearm shooting up to provide shade over his eyes. And almost instantly , Shiro’s breath would hitch.
‘ Where… WHERE ARE THEY. ‘ His voice would yell internally in panic, eyes growing wide as he’d stagger forward, looking in every possible direction.
It was nothing but barren desert wasteland. He was in the dunes, but he could see off in the distance a cracked, rocky, flattened earth. In fact, if it weren’t for the wind, he’d be able to see for miles . Even so… his lion was the only piece of machinery in sight.
Anxieties panged violently in his core, dread beginning to swell. He had to find the others; they had to have landed on this planet, too. It was just a matter of finding where , right? He couldn’t give up, they needed him.
A small hum of encouragement could be felt in his heart, sent from his lion. Shiro’s eyes would clamp shut, inhaling the hot air and slowly sighing out. While his lion’s spirit was still alive, it was still officially out of commission. It’d be fine here, and he had no choice but to venture out by foot.
Shiro’s eyes would then flash open, his brows intimidatingly furrowed, gaze focused. He will find the others.
He had to purely trust his instincts on this one. And he figured, getting down onto the flatter, sturdier terrain would make it easier to look around. There was no way he could be the only soul on this planet. ...Right?
Shiro would start heading downhill, catching almost too much momentum as he’d make it to the bottom, slowing his running finish as the boots of his Paladin suit now connected with something solid. A grunt would leave the base of this throat, already feeling it starting to get dry. Not to mention, his body was turning into a swampy mess of sweat under his suit.
However, just as he’d begin the trek forward, he’d catch something in the distance. It almost seemed to be in the shape of a person, just… the waves of heat were skewing the figure. ...Or at least at first .
No way… he had to just be seeing things.
But then as it--or rather she got closer, she wasn’t a mirage at all .
A voluptuous figure, clad in form-fitting, tactical black, with sweat beading along a caramel-skinned face. Her thick, loose waves of ravenblack hair flowed behind her, her bright feline-like, chartreuse eyes widened with alarm. ( CLICK FOR PIC )
And without warning, heat pooled, feeling a redness blossom on his neck and ears, and he knew damn well it wasn’t from the weather. Though the heat was apparently getting to him already; here he had all of these problems on his shoulders to worry about, and yet his brain still made time to watch those breasts bounce--
‘ AGH, stop--!! Has it really been that long…? --You...you CAN’T be doing this right now. ’ He’d internally scold himself, not about to miss what would possibly be his only chance to get help.
“ HEY !” He’d call out to her, beginning a light jog towards her, extending a long, muscled arm to wave her down.
That adrenaline-packed expression changed once that gaze landed on him. Full lips were parted, and panting short and quick as she continued sprinting, but she was still… heheh, puzzled. The woman would tilt her head to the side, manicured brows furrowing at the unexpected stranger.
“ RUN THE OTHER WAY! ” She’d call to him, about thirty feet away. “ I’VE GOT COMPANY HOT ON MY SIX!” She’d warn him.
Reaching him, she’d come to a screeching halt, her breathing becoming heavier as she’d look upon him scrutinizingly “ ...You… were you the pilot of that mecha that crashed? I… I saw you. ” Her voice was lower than most women he’s come across, smooth… with a bit of a rasp to it; it appealed to him more than he’d care to admit.
A grin would spread quick across Shiro’s lips, a sputter of hope pulsing through him. “ Yeah, yeah that was me. ”
The woman would let out a huff and avert her attention for a moment, raising her wrist and pressing a series of numbers on her forearm that had a device attached to it; a synched GPS tracking system. “ Alright, well I’m not going to force you, but… being honest, your chances look slim. Not sure if you’re aware of this, but you’ve crash-landed onto the planet hosting one of the largest Galran bases. ...You know who they are?”
Shiro chuckled, despite himself, “ More than you know.”
The woman laughed lightly as she exhaled, becoming more hasty. “ Alright, well you’ve got two options. Either you figure out your own way, or I can drop you off somewhere. If you come with me, that’s your choice.”
“ ...And you’d better make that choice fast , let’s go! ” She’d rush, as the oncoming beast of a black panther mecha, descended down to their location. It would land with a thud into the earth, a very guttural, yet mechanical sounding roar leaving it as its’ mouth would open, the pathway for them to enter being clear as the ramp swiftly came down.
Wait a minute… there were more like his? Shiro would stand there, nearly dumbfounded at what he was witnessing. He wouldn’t deny it, this mecha looked mean, menacing , even. Needless to say, he was very intrigued-- He’d swiftly glance to the mystery woman, finding her to be more fascinating by each passing second. Just who was she ?
He needed to make a decision, right . ...Well, he’d pick the smartest option he could. He knew for a fact he couldn’t taken on Galran soldiers alone, not in his condition. “ Alright, I’ll go. As long as we stay close to this planet, I have others I need to find. ” Talk about throwing caution to the wind--- but really, what choice did he have?
“ Tell me about it later, come on, go go go go go!!” She rushed, seeing the hovercrafts of the Galrans finding them and coming around that bend. Unslinging the assault laser rifle that was against her back, she’d hold it up so she had good iron-sights, beginning to enter the panther last, slowly back tracking as she plucked out a couple hovercraft drivers, the machines impacting hard into the ground and exploding upon contact.
“ Strapped in?! ” She’d ask in a rush, not even giving him a chance to answer after the ramp and mouth had shut. The cockpit area would be located directly behind the panther's eyes.
There were cargo seats behind the pilot chair where Shiro would sit, and the mystery woman would leap into the pilot’s seat, clicking her weapon into the holder for it not too far off, and relentlessly thrusting them forward. So much so, that the two would be pressed back against from the G-forces as they’d be hauled up into the atmosphere. Laser fire was shot up around the mecha, but the agility that it possessed was too quick, and it was out of sight in the blink of an eye.