Chapter Text
A soft beeping echoed through the dark alley. Adam didn't know where it came from and it made him walk just that much faster. How did he get here? He knew exactly how. He wished he didn't.
Clutching the cloak tightly around himself, he kept his head ducked. The alleyway was mostly empty, save for a few people dressed exactly like him: hidden beneath wide, brown cloaks.
The beeping increased. So did Adam.
It was only out of paranoia and fear that Adam was walking so quickly away from the beeps; there were a lot of people worth tracking. Why focus on him? Adam knew why.
Adam turned around the corner, another small alleyway in a labyrinth of walls. The beeping was still behind him. He walked quicker and quicker until he was almost running, until he reached the crowded mass of the market place and he couldn't help but breathe in relief.
He wasted no time, no second to lose, and slid into the crowd, the hood still covering his face.
The beeping turned the corner as well but it was faint and Adam slid alongside the crowd until he couldn't hear it anymore.
Gripping the ticket in his hand, he rushed with the motion of the mass towards the docks; large plates of metal with shuttle planes waiting to be boarded. The beeping reappeared and Adam's heart ran cold. He wouldn't let himself get captured this close to his escape.
He dodged through the crowd, now working against the people and pushed his way through to the first dock, slamming the ticket onto the table in front of the plane.
The alien, a rough, large bear-like person, growled something but Adam could only guess and nod. The alien nodded, stamping the ticket and letting Adam into the plane.
The beeping reappeared and Adam turned around, watching a dark figure with a metal mask stop in front of the table, a small machine in their hands.
The plane shut its doors as soon as the bear-like alien stood up and yelled at the figure and Adam sank into his assigned seat, letting himself breathe for once, leaving Planet Zonzul behind.
Letting his thoughts wander towards the one person he wanted to find.
Takashi Shirogane.
*
When he was younger, Adam always thought he'd live happily with a significant other in the deep mid-west of America, holding down a job as Professor. He'd make his abuelita happy and proud; she always wanted to have a professor in the family. He would make his padre happy and proud; he always wanted Adam to settle down and marry someone.
When he met Takashi and received the promotion to become a flight instructor and teacher of aerodynamics, he thought he had reached the point in his life where everything came together. It was like a dream. When Takashi had proposed to him, a midnight picnic on top of a hill underneath the stars, Adam had thought he had made it; he would marry the love of his life.
When the doctors diagnosed Takashi with that illness, that damned illness, Adam had felt his heart drop in fear. Takashi had turned to him, cold hands clutching his and it had felt like the beginning of the end.
When they announced that Takashi would pilot the Kerberos mission, despite his illness, Adam had felt his heart drop again. Takashi would not have enough time for both the kerberos mission and a life after that; Takashi had chosen the kerberos mission. He had chosen his dreams. And yeah, that decision had caused a fight, tears and heartbreak. Adam understood; he had dreams too after all. And if Takashi wouldn't be on earth for 2 years and the doctors predicted him to only have a few years left- well, no one could call Adam selfish when he convinced the board that the Kerberos Mission needed a 2nd pilot.
Takashi had been confused for a split second but a bright smile- damn that smile- had spread across his face and he had kissed Adam. The memory still does things to his poor heart.
And then of course they were abducted by aliens, because that was their luck, wasn't it?
That wasn't even the worst of it. Shiro, that self-sacrificing idiot, had protected Matt and been taken into the arena. Matt, who didn't know how to fight, Matt, who had clutched Adam that night, crying about how sorry he was, Matt, who Adam didn't blame at all.
He didn't even blame Takashi, because that's who he was. A self-sacrificing hero who would do anything to protect the innocent. And Adam was the fool who had fallen in love and followed that idiot to the edge of the solar system.
*
The shuttle ride was quiet and slow. Adam didn't expect anything else. He passed the time in his head, recounting every single song he still knew by heart, in spanish, in english; even the japanese lullaby Takashi had taught him.
It made Adam's heart cringe and pound heavily, memories associated with songs pouring into his head, but it was all Adam could do to pass the time.
The shuttle arrived at their destination, Jolneer, many hours later- on a planet with 'long distance Galra control'. Adam had heard the history murmured on the plane; the Galra had conquered this planet long ago but it wasn't as useful anymore. And so, there were some Galra controlled areas. But the more tempting part was that there was a huge area where the Galra weren't as active anymore. Which meant that there were more news of Voltron and more opportunities to leave this system.
Voltron. Adam had heard stories; of a God born long ago and awoken recently. Of a monster who ate Galra. Of a weapon that an ancient race had built that was now wreaking havoc amongst the Galra empire. The last one sounded the most reasonable- and Adam tried hard to keep a sense of reason in this god-forsaken universe- and it also sounded the most likely opportunity where he would find Takashi.
Call it a hunch, wishful thinking or Adam being extremely bitter. But a weapon that was freeing planets from the Galra and saving people? If there was one place where Adam thought Takashi 'Self-sacrificing Hero' Shirogane would be, it would be on the forefront of Voltron. Adam had seen the flame in his eyes, the spark that Adam loved and hated; the spirit that Takashi would do whatever it takes to fight against tyranny.
And tyranny conquering the entire universe? Adam knew his fiance well. He also knew that Takashi needed someone to ground him, to hold him and have his heart.
And maybe he was selfish and wanted to see his fiance again.
Adam got off the plane, sliding unnoticed through the busy crowds again. It wasn't easy and it had taken a long time for him to be able to be as stealthy as he was but no one even looked at him as he made his way from market place to market place.
Not to say that Adam was cocky or anything- he was still incredibly paranoid that the Galra would have found him. That they tracked him down. A captain of the rebels.
It was out of necessity and survival that Adam had learnt how to become a shadow.
Which was why he saw the bounty hunter before the bounty hunter saw him. He didn't think he was important enough to have hunted down- honestly, it wasn't like he had any power to fight against the Galra Empire. Sure he was technically a captain but what captain got captured by the galra? It was only by accident that he had even become a captain- it was pure luck that he encountered a member of the blade of Marmorra who helped him escape.
He stayed in the shadows, watching the bounty hunter look for him. It was almost amusing if Adam didn't know the cruel and relentless ways of a Galra with a mission.
He reached for the two daggers he had attached to his belt, unsheating them silently. He didn't know the lay-out of the planet, the city or even the market-place but he also knew he couldn't escape as easily as he had on the last planet if a bounty hunter caught him.
Adam turned and slid between people in the opposite direction, making his way out of the market place. It was best to deal with this type of situation in an empty place- where no one could pay attention to Adam.
Adam peered over his shoulder and sure enough, the bounty hunter had followed him. He turned into an abandoned alley, a dirty and dark place that led further away.
The bounter hunter caught up to Adam as soon as Adam had turned into a second alley, the only light coming from above.
"I finally found you." The bounty hunter said in galraic. He was a unusually short Galra with dark yellow eyes and a large smirk.
"So it seems." Adam replied in the same tongue and the bounty hunter frowned in surprise. Adam dodged the first attack, leaning to the side. He slipped the cloak off, revealing his two daggers and used the moment of surprise to jump forward, slashing as he went.
The bounty hunter almost managed to evade his attack but Adam managed a shallow slice. The bounty hunter growled in pain and used his pure strength to knock Adam into the ground.
Adam bit his lip to avoid crying out in pain, tasting blood in his mouth. His grip on the daggers tightened and he struggled as the bounty hunter placed each of his feet on his wrists and curled both hands around Adam's throat quickly, pressing the air out of him.
"They want you, dead or alive. I don't care which one I deliver you as." The bounty hunter spat and Adam held his breah, trying to ignore the panic rising in his lungs. He managed, slowly and painfully, to turn his wrists around and digging his daggers into the feet of the bounty hunter just as Adam's vision became blurry with loss of air.
The bounty hunter yowled in pain, releasing Adam's throat and fell to the side as blood poured out of his feet. Adam coughed, heaving in air and stood up as quickly as he could. His wrists ached; bruised. The pain in his throat was much worse, however. He definitely lost his voice for the next two weeks.
Adam struggled to bend down, take the daggers out of the bounty hunters' feet and with a guilty heart, dug both of them into the Galra's chest.
"Vrepit sa." The bounty hunter whispered, face twisted in pain and suddenly went slack.
Adam fell to his knees next to the corpse, tears stinging his eyes. 'It was him or you.' He thought to himself, trying to ignore the heavy guilt in his heart.
He struggled to his feet and took his daggers out of his chest, wiping the blood off with the bounty hunter's trousers and sheathed them on his belt. He picked up his cloak and put it on. The silence was deafening.
He needed to find a way off of this planet and closer to Voltron-heavy activity.
*
Adam wished for many things. He wished for Takashi to live as long as he could. He wished for his padre and abuelita to live happily and not worry about him. He wished for Takashi's grandparents to do the same. He wished for Keith to realize that Takashi- and Adam, no matter how many times he tries not to- love him aa their own family.
He never dared to wish things for himself. Of course he wanted his dreams to come true; and when they did, it was amazing. But he never wish for anything for himself. He had everything he could ever want. He had a fiance that loved him, a stable and fulfilling job, a family that he saw many times of the year.
Now, his wishes haven't changed much. He still wishes for Takashi to live as long as he can. He still wishes for his padre and abuelita to live happily and not worry about him. He still wished for Takashi's grandparents to do the same. He still wished for Keith to find happiness. Now, he also wished he could find Takashi.
Fate and destiny were funny things, however. You never realize your wishes came true until much later.
*
Losing sight in his left eye didn't happen the way he thought it would. He had thought that it would happen with old age. First, his left eye, the weaker one, would become blind. Then, his right one. And then he would fall asleep and welcome the embrace of death with an aged spirit and a crippled body.
He didn't think it would happen like this.
The small jet he had stolen was crash-landing. Crash-landing! Somewhere in the universe, Takashi was laughing at him. He remembered with burning shame how proud he used to be. Words boasted, “I could never crash! I’m too good of a pilot!“ They had a bet on it and, whilst Adam hated losing, he'd give anything to see takashis gleeful grin demanding he pay up just once more.
Galra fighter jets were shooting at him, which was why he was crash-landing, and the jet he stole was not the most maneuovrable, or the newest. Even if it was light years ahead of earth technology- and wasn’t that fun to try out- it struggled to dodge most shots. And wasn’t that just Adam’s luck that he stole- borrowed indefinitely- a slow alien jet.
Adam choked out a laugh of surprise as he dodged another shot, swinging the entire jet out of the way, letting the shot hit another Galra jet. It was hard to navigate through the chaos of space and battle but this wasn't the first time Adam had to deal with something he didn't want to.
Beneath them, and where Adam was sadly headed, was a desert dwarf planet, its name forgotten. Adam only hoped that he would be assumed dead and not followed; of course that was assuming that he would survive.
He broke through the atmosphere with his jet, the plane coming undone slowly through fire and pressure. The cockpit filled with smoke slowly and Adam panicked; he had no idea what to do.
Dodge shots from Galra? Sure.
Escape from a galra prison? No problem.
Crash-landing on a desert planet? No idea.
His lungs filled with smoke and he was coughing miserably, his glasses pressed against his eyes beneath the too big helmet he had on. Really, this was not how his escape plan was supposed to go. Then again, at least he escaped.
The rapid loss of altitude was becoming more and more of a problem. He knew there was a sort of parachute in the cockpit. He just had to look before it was too late.
He broke free of the seatbelt, ducking beneath the cockpit and searching for the parachute. He felt his stomach swirl as he fell onto the planet but it was just in time that he found it and activated it, the seat ejecting him into the air.
Which was not enough of a distance to fall comfortably. It was just enough that he didn't die.
Which was how he lost sight in his left eye.
Turns out, theres a reason for helmets needing to be the right fight. As Adam landed, he stumbled with the sudden impact on his legs and crashed forward. His helmeted head bounced off a sharp rock, splitting the visor and breaking his glasses.
His glasses, that had served him well since the kerberos mission. The one thing the Galra didn't take from him. The one thing he still had that was connected to earth. The one thing that kept him from being ultimately blind was also the one thing that blinded him.
It was the worst pain Adam had ever felt in his entire life. All the heartbreak, the torture, even losing takashi- in that moment, they were nothing compared to the glass in his eye.
He fell to his knees, screaming and crying, trying desperately to get the helmet off, and with it, the glass that was now in his left eye.
The pain became too much and he fell forward, unconscious from the pain.
*
When Matt and Adam were rescued from Galra prison, Adam had absolutely no intention on becoming a Rebel Captain. All he wanted to do was find Shiro and go home. But Adam never got what he wanted, not really.
This wasn’t bad either, it just interfered with his plans on wedding his fiance.
“I will not allow some stubborn Galra on killing my entire command. Now, move!“ Adam shouted through his comm, dodging the shots from behind and diving below the main ship. It was supposed to be an easy rescue mission. But nother was ever easy, was it?
“Captain, they’re right behind you! On your left! I got your back!“ Daman’s voice rang through and Adam hit the top of his cockpit in joy, “Shoot them, Daman!“ He increased his speed, twisting through the Galra fighters.
“Is the asset secure?“ Adam flew out into the open, his garrison falling in formation behind him. “Yes, Captain. Ready for departure.“
“Let’s go then.“
It wasn’t much of a job. But the rebels did save him; and Matt was off on a far mission so it’s not like he had someone to break off and find Takashi with.
‘I hope you’re safe. I hope you’re not doing anything dumb like I am‘ Adam prayed every night. Because really, this was the sort of thing Shiro would do. Adam wasn’t used to being a hero- a term he was still uncomfortable with. He didn’t think he was a hero. He played along, laughing and nodding when the others praised him but it felt wrong. He wasn’t a hero. Takashi was the hero.
*
At night, soft and sweet memories turned to nightmares. Adam would wake up every night at three am, panting and sweating, reaching for Takashi. Reaching for his love. You would have thought that after so many months, Adam would know better. He doesn’t.
Adam often thinks of his family- His padre and abuelita. Somehow, Keith had managed to wiggle his way into his thoughts as well. He missed the kid and wasn’t that just the worst thing about all of this? Keith, so full of anger and distrust, who never even liked Adam (he guesses? It’s hard to tell with 14 year old Keith), and yet, Adam missed him. Adam missed everything about his life on earth.
Sometimes he feels like cursing Shiro but he never has the heart to do so. It was never his fault. Never Takashi. It was Adam’s fault for being so stubborn and dumb, for joining the mission. He should have never.
On the other hand, he couldn’t imagine being on earth and having to hear about Takashi’s death. Like his padre had. Like his abuelita had. Like Keith had. Like Takashi’s grandparents had.
Some nights are worse. Some nights Adam can’t even fall asleep from all of the guilt and worry he carries in his heart. Sometimes it feels like someone took a knife and stabbed him, digging the blade further into his heart and left him bleeding. It was an extreme metaphor but nothing came close to describing the pain he felt, staring out into stars the way he had back on earth. Instead of amazement and adoration, Adam felt pain, guilt and panic.
He missed Takashi with every breath.
It hurt to breathe.
Sometimes Adam wonders what it would be like to steal a jet and leave the rebellion- leave this planet to find Takashi. Where would he find him? And this was where he felt better suddenly- he would find Takashi in absolutely ridiculous situations.
Maybe he would find Takashi in a space orphanage, adopting kid after kid because Adam, he needs someone. And that someone is me. Besides. He’s cool. He stole my car.
Maybe he would find Takashi in a fight, defending someone smaller than him with angry words on his lips and fists ready to punch. Adam would have to step in, defuse the entire situation and ensure no one -no matter how much they deserved it- got punched, and more importantly that no one got arrested.
“-Voltron defeated him. Can you believe it? I thought Voltron was a rumour! But the Ajax Squadron joined them, I heard it myself!“ Adam heard one day and stopped walking, frowning.
“Voltron?“ He had asked Danan.
“It’s like a team of dudes fighting against Galra! We have a fighting chance, now. Like this ancient princess Allura leads them?“ Danan explained, shaking her head in disbelief.
“An ancient princess, huh?“ Adam chuckled. Takashi would have loved that.
*
“Is it him?“ a voice pierced through his head. Adam felt the tug of consciousness, his ears picking up so many sounds. There was a dull ache in his eyes, a lesser ache in his throat.
“We need to call them, now. We need to tell them we found Captain Adam Velazquez!“ Panic seeped deep into Adam’s consciousness and he tried to move, finding his wrists and feet tied down. He gasped, a broken, wet sound, and he struggled more and more. His vision was still black and fear took a hold of him.
“Restrain him further! He should not have woken up yet! He needs more time to heal!“ the second voice demanded and Adam cried out in panic and fear. But as slowly as he had woken up, he lost the thread of consciousness again, falling deeper and deeper until he felt nothing. Until he was not aware.
*
The second time he woke up, he woke up with a start. His eyes flew wide open but something was wrong, something was intrinsically wrong. He couldn’t see from his left eye and his hands flew to his face, feeling for a bandage or something that was covering his eye- but there was nothing.
From his right eyes he could make out a make-shift hospital room. But even looking around, searching for clues as to where he was, caused a weird ache in his right eyes and he closed his eyes again. Eye.
He knew this much. He escaped from Aula. He made it to Jolneer. He killed a bounty hunter. He stole a jet. There had been a Galra cruiser. He crash-landed on a planet. He injured his eyes. He fell unconscious.
And he was not in Galra captivity.
No matter how much the small voice in his mind spoke of fear, panic and captivity; his surroundings were the complete opposite of Galra. The bed was soft, there was light everywhere. The walls looked like they were carved into rock; maybe there was a population on this dwarf planet after all.
He sat up slowly, opening his eye slowly. His wrists were covered in bandages, and his fingers were slow to react. He slowly stood up, his body tired, aching and slow. He hated it.
The door- a broken, wooden thing- swung open and Adam stumbled backward in shock. “Captain Adam Valezquez!“ a voice rang through the room but Adam couldn’t see much further than his own hand. A blurry, blue-coloured alien walked towards him and came close, smiling brightly.
“We are so glad to have picked you up! Sorry about your eye. That was nasty.“ The alien spoke, two eyes on each side of the head with sharp teeth in their mouth. Adam didn’t know whether to cry or laugh.
“Th-thank you?“ Adam croaked out, a broken sound that resembled no words.
“Ah, yes. Your throat. Uh, we used most of our resources on your eye-wound. I bet you have a lot of questions.“ The alien reached forward, taking Adam’s hands in their own..
Adam nodded simply. It was clear he wasn’t in danger- if they were hostile, he would have been dead already.
“Come along then. My name is Triz. We’re in an abandoned rebel base. Traz, Trez, Thrhuz and me set up in here, trying to help them. We don’t do much but we did shoot down some Galra fighters! It was exhilirating! And then when we found you- by all the-!“ The alien cursed suddenly in galraic, and Adam couldn’t quite make out anymore what the alien was talking about.
Adam simply nodded along slowly, eyes squinting as he tried to make out the surroundings. It was clear this rebel base had been etched into the mountains of the wasteland- overseeing the desert. Adam guessed the last part- he couldn’t see for shit.
“The guys and I were so excited to find you! Finally, it feels like we’re really helping the rebels! Rescuing a captain! And a wanted fugitive Captain at that!“ The alien squealed, excited and gripped Adam’s hand tightly. “We already sent out a signal for the rebels; a coded thing, don’t worry. I don’t know much about it, Thrhuz does most of it. But they’re coming for you! They should be here in a varga!“
Adam meant to ask how they knew it was him but what came out instead was, “haw-dyou-knaw-twas-me?“ but the alien could make enough sense of it because the alien turned around- with a wide smile- and stopped walking.
“Captain Adam Velazquez, you are our hero! We didn’t initially know it was you but we figured anyone being hunted by the Galra needs our help! And there you were!“ The alien explained and dragged Adam through the maze of the tunnels.
Adam couldn’t help but scoff- the whole Captain of a rebel force was a complete accident. It sound bad but he didn’t mean to start anything. But he owed the rebels for rescuing him and Matt- it was only an accident that he became a captain and a wanted fugitive- and Adam didn’t know what to make of the alien.
“Guys! Captain Velazquez woke up!“ The alien yelled and three other blue-coloured blurs rushed towards him. Adam struggled hard not to flinch back. And they meant well- they did- but honestly, Adam couldn’t see them. Adam couldn’t see much for that matter.
There were overlapping voices- galraic and common- words of astonishment and adoration and honestly, that was too much for Adam.
“Thank you!“ Adam said forcefully, the words coming together slowly, smiling blindly at them. “Thank you so much.“ He spoke more fiercely, pronouncing every syllable. His throat ached and he suppressed a cough, “For everything. When did you say the rebels would be here?“
The blue-coloured blur on the very left spoke, “in approximately one varga and two doboshes. It was amazing! I actually spoke to the resistance! They teamed up with the Voltron coalition! Voltron is coming here. Here. To us. Can you believe-“
Adam’s heart stood still-“Voltron? Here?“ Takashi?
“Yes! Where have you been, Captain! The rebels and Voltron joined forces!“ The blue-coloured blur on the very right spoke with such excitement that it was hard to make out the words.
Indeed, where had Adam been? Or rather, how much time has gone by since he had been seperated from the rebels?
“What-what date is today?“ Adam spoke again, the words more clearer this time but still a garble of galraic.
“We picked you up five quintants ago! And today is the 7th quintant of the 5th phoeb of 1778 deca-phoebs. But that’s this planet. I’m sure wherever you were, it was different.“ The original alien- what was their name?- said, huffing.
Adam stood on shaky knees, mind reeling. He had been out for five days. He was on Jolneer for a week. He had been on Zonzul for 2 days. He had been in the Prison of Aula for roughly a month. Before that, on the planet Rognim for 4 months. Before that with the rebels. How long had he been with the rebels? A year? A year.
It’s been so long since he had seen Takashi’s face. He spoke with a teary, broken voice again, words garbled as ever, “Voltron-Takashi? Shiro?“
The original alien led him to some sort of furniture, pushing him to sit down. “Oh my god. Shiro.“ The aliens spoke with renewed vigour, turning on something- there was a click- and noise joined them talking.
“I love Lance!“
“No, but that’s clearly not Keith! Who is she? She’s absolutely gorgeous!“
Adam was too confused to really listen. When he heard Shiro’s voice, confidently and loud, “Pidge, put up the shield!“ which was enough for Adam to feel like he was sinking and there was nothing to pull him back. He didn’t understand- what was happening?
“What- I can’t see-“ Adam breathed, trying to take deep breaths. Takashi.
“Oh my god, Captain, you didn’t know? Shiro is the leader of Voltron, the black paladin! They’ve been doing these arena shows to thrum up publicity? How long were you-where you were?“ One of the blue coloured blurs spoke again- they all sounded too similar to Adam right now to differentiate. Adam could only focus on the weight of himself, the feeling of the furniture and the dry, hot air.
“I escaped the prison of Aula two weeks ago. I’ve been on the run since. I got seperated from my squadron. And then I heard-Takashi as Voltron.“ Adam whispered, and he shook his head, eyes closed. “I knew it. I knew it!“ He suddenly stood up, joy bubbling up inside him. He released a croaky laugh, his eyes still closed. “I knew Takashi would be involved with Voltron! Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. Takashi’s coming here- Takashi—“
a noise as high as a whistle suddenly infiltrated the air and one of the aliens shouted, “They found us!“ and a huge explosion shook the entire structure. Another alien grabbed Adam, picking him up and the four ran out of the room. Adam could only see blurs of beige and sandy grey as they rushed. “The Galra must have picked up our signal! I thought they couldn’t de-cypt it! FUCK!“ one of the aliens cried out and Adam let out a laugh of surprise.
“Captain, help us!“ The alien whispered. Adam groaned as they stopped in a room, locking the door. “We’re in the highest room in the building. This is where we shoot out our cannons. Do we fight? Hide? Run?“ One of the aliens turned to him, letting him down.
“That depends. How much ammunition do we have for whatever’s out there? Is a fleet? A few jets? What are we fighting?“ Adam reached out with his arms, feeling his way around the room.
“It’s one giant ship. Oh god. We have-okay, we have enough that we can hold them off until Voltron and the rebels arrive! That should be in 45 doboshes! Captain!“
Adam sighed. He couldn’t see anything, the odds were not in their favour and Adam got the sense that they’ve never been in a full battle. Still, he turned to them and balled his hands into fists. No escape now.
“Listen here, hombres!“ He yelled, shaking his fist, “We are rebels! And rebel, we must! If we fight one galra ship, so be it! We will show those Galra just what they have to deal with! No escape now! Only forward! And forward we go! Guns blazing, arms raised with curses on our tongues! We fight! We fight. I assume you all have your positions.“ He wasn’t the best at speeches or even pep talks. But dammit, he was this close to seeing Takashi and he’ll be damned if he lets anyone keep him from his fiance any further.
It seemed to have work though because with terrible accents all four aliens yelled, “Hombres!“ And were it not for the seriousness of the situation and impending doom, Adam would have laughed. Somewhere in the universe, Takashi is laughing.
*
Adam almost forgot how serious the entire situation was. Almost.
“Move it!“ an ugly galraic sound hissed and the whip slapped again, causing the man in front of Adam to falter.
Adam turned to the Galra guard, raising his head to match his height. “We’re doing the best we can!“ he said in the basic galra that he had picked up. The guard, an ugly man named Gnar whose face reminded Adam of a war hog, snarled and cracked the whip against Adam, the sharp leather leaving a line of blood across his chest. He fell back, jaw clenched and the man behind him caught him.
“I will hear nothing of the sort! Move it! You better mine double the minerals you did yesterday or one of you gets decapitated!“ Gnar growled and raised the whip again. The crowd behind Adam dispersed quickly and Gnar pressed a single finger to his bare, bleeding chest. “That means you too, Captain.“
Adam bared his teeth but said no more, turning around and picking up a pick-axe -how incredible that this is the exact same as earth- and returned to the ore. Adam almost forgot how serious the entire situation was- if it weren’t for the stinging wound across his chest.
Another rescue mission that had gone wrong. Maybe his squadron would come rescue him and get captured too. Adam shook his head at the thought. It was too horrible to imagine his only chance of escape getting captured as well.
The days were slow. His feet were chained to each other, his back felt like breaking. The heat was unbearable and really, this planet should not be the way that it is. In the depths of the mining efforts, the heat should not be as pressing as it was. The air felt thin and the more they dug, the thinner the air got. Adam figured it had something to do with the Galra, who never told them what they were mining anyway.
But Adam suspected quite a few things. The dark purple ore running through the rocks, for one, had something to do with the energy that the Galra were trying to yield.
Gnar was the worst thing about all of this, however. It was clear that the man had a personal vendetta against Adam. And that may had something to do with his first day and something with Adam spitting in Gnar’s face. Somewhere in the universe, Takashi is smiling proudly.
Every day, Gnar would point Adam to the thickest vein of ore, watching as he mined for hours, whipping his back at any insolence he gave. Every night, Gnar would point Adam to lie on the barest mattress, watching him fall asleep.
It would be soul-destroying if it didn’t mean that the others could go for days without whipping- and most of the other prisoners were significantly older. They must have been here for decades. It also meant that they didn’t speak to Adam. They gave him a bit more food here and there, maybe a bit of their water, but nobody spoke with him for fear out of association.
And so the days were long.
It must have been about a month of mining, collecting scars on his chest and back, of distracting Gnar when he saw the familiar ships in the sky. He pushed his glasses back on his nose with his knuckle, raised his pick-axe and shouted to the others, “The rebellion is here!“
With that, chaos ensued, driving by the fact that Galra fighter jets were being shot down mercilessly.
Gnar came out of his tent with his whip raised high, ready to shout everyone into submission but Adam ran towards him with his pick-axe. It was a rough and crude weapon of choice but when you don’t have many options, you can choose to embrace it or not.
And Adam chose to bury his pick-axe in Gnar’s chest.
*
“To your stations! Get ready! The Galra don’t give up, they win or they die. Let’s make sure that they lose!“ Adam felt the fire in hsi veins, this familiar spirit that he could only attribute to Takashi’s heroic idiocy.
If anyone had told him a year ago that he would be on a desert dwarf planet, defending a rebel base against a space-conquering purple cat race with four blue-coloured aliens to await his fiance and fellow rebels, he would have laughed in your face and said, “Not in your wildest dreams.“
Why couldn’t his wildest dreams involve baked goods and cooking competitions instead of pain, suffering and death?
“Shield activated!“ A voice cried. This one sounded more like Thrhuz.
“Cannon aimed!“ Another voice cried, sounding like Traz.
“Cannon ready!“ a third voice, Trez, called.
“Fire.“ Adam, still blind, pointed into the air for dramatic effect. Even if he couldn’t see, didn’t mean he could enjoy the finger-pointing of it all.
“Cannon fired!“ the fourth voice, Triz, shouted and the following groans did not bode well. “Cannon fired and hit the shield. Their shield is very much activated. Captain?“
“Again! Fire!“ Adam balled his fists, wracking his brain for ideas. Galra were stubborn assholes and they loved a fight. He was in no way, shape or form ready for a fight. None of them were. They repeated this action five times, each minute ticking by slower than the next one.
“Captain, we’ve almost exhausted our ammunition, the shield is still fully activated. What do we do?“ Triz asked with a shaky voice.
“Oh my god, I know what to do. Dios mio. How much time do we have left?“ Adam stood next to Triz and Thrhuz by the window, leaning against the hot glass.
“20 doboshes. That is, if nothing happened. Oh god. Captain. They’re sending down fighter troops.“ Thrhuz anounced. Adam paced around the room, “We need to get weapons. I had two daggers on my person. Where are they?“
“The medic room. We have a few minitiaturized ion cannons that we stole from the Galra jets when you crash-landed.“ Triz said with a skeptical voice.
“I’m sorry, you have what now?“ Adam stood still, his brain slowly processing what he had just heard. His voice still croaky but pushing through; not talking was exhausting.
“Miniaturized ion cannons- but we don’t know how to use them!“ Trez rushed towards Adam, gripping his shoulder.
“Those things can blast through a particle barrier! Come on. Are you insane? Why didn’t you mention this before?“ Adam shook his head as Trez led him out of the room and through the maze of tunnels back to the medic room, the other three rushing off elsewhere.
Two daggers were pressed into his hands. “Captain, not that I doubt your abilities or anything, but you said you cannot see- your left eyes is completely blind and your right eye-“ Triz said gently and Adam nodded slowly.
“I know, triz. I know. But I’ll be damned if I don’t have at least a fighting chance. I don’t need my eyes to fight!“ He said with a fierce voice and groaned, shaking his head. “I sound just like Shiro. God help me. Okay. Let’s go, we don’t have time.“
Triz didn’t say anything, leading Adam back through the tunnels. The structure shook again as, presumably, smaller jets shot at the mountain. Or so Adam would think. “To your stations!“ Thrhuz shouted again and Adam gripped his daggers tightly. They stood at the top of the mountain, the shield protecting them from the Galra.
“Lower the shield in 3-2-1-NOW!“ Adam counted, the other blue-coloured aliens stood in a circle and as soon as Triz lowered the shield, a small remote in their hand, shots were fired. Explosions followed, and Adam could barely make out fiery dots falling from the sky.
Triz reanimated the shield quickly and Adam laughed triumphantly. “Captain, three galra jets were destroyed. There are 17 left.“ Triz said with a shaky voice, holding onto Adam.
“And destroy the rest, we shall. Estoy en lo cierto, hombres?“ Adam couldn’t stop the giddyness that he felt- if they could keep this up- he could see Takashi. His heart warmed at the thought and fire filled his stomach.
“Again! Lower shield in 3-2-1-now!“ Adam counted again, Triz lowering the shield and the other three shooting at the Galra around them. “Captain! They’re lowering themselves! They’re going to jump us!“ Triz whispered, teary, panicky almost.
Adam let go of Triz, gripping his daggers tightly. “Shields up, Triz. How many?“
“Three more. 14 left.“ Triz whispered. “The next time I lower the shield, three are going to jump out on us. They’re circling us, Captain.“ They warned and Adam rolled his shoulders back, “When you lower the shield, Thrhuz, Trez and Traz shoot for the circling ships. If any make it past the shield, I will slice them. Just push me in the right way.“
“Captain?“
“Lower the shields, Triz. In 3-2-1-NOW!“ Adam shouted again, the blur of colours disorienting but he could vaguely make out shapes and colours.
Shots went around and as quickly as Triz had lowered them, there was a shout to his left and Adam slashed his daggers forwards, catching someone in the neck and the other dagger in their stomach. “Triz, shield up! How many?“ Adam let the glara fall to the floor, clutching his blood-soaked daggers tightly. His fingers ached. It was through pure strength of will that he moved so quickly, his paranoid instincts controlling him.
“Two were shot down. One missed and jumped. You ki-killed him. 11 left. Voltron and the rebels should be here by now!“ Adam recognised the panic in their voice and Adam shook his head. “They will be. Until then, we will hold the fight. We’re doing so well! Only 20 ships and we got 9 of them! Hombres, I’m so proud of us! Again! 3-2-1-now!“
This time, none of them missed. Still, two made it onto the hill. “Captain, to your left!“ Triz shouted, standing behind the other three aliens, who were all aiming clumsily towards the other galra pilot.
Adam jumped to the side, dodging a shot. He twirled his daggers, adrenaline rushing through his veins. He jumped forward, slashing the air as he went, aiming for the head and throat. The galra kicked Adam in the stomach, flexible enough to do so. Adam fell to the edge of the mountain across where the galra pilot stood.
“Captain Adam Velazquez. How exciting. Tell them Krev sent you to the dying lands.“ A voice sounded above him. With sudden strength born of anger and adrenaline, Adam slashed forward again with his dagger and caught the Galra in their shin.
“I am seeing my fiance today!“ Adam growled, pulling himself up and tackling the galra pilot. A shot rang near them and Adam heard it before he felt it. It was Krev who had taken the brunt of it, but the ion cannon had gone straight through them, burning up the body mass as if it was nothing and hit Adam’s hip as well.
“Captain! NO!“
“Captain-Voltron is here!“
“Thrhuz-what did you do?!“