Lux wakes up from the cold metal with a start, rolling into her back as she stares at a purple ceiling. She stretches her arms and lifted her head, her eyes narrowed. She stopped as soon as she got dizzy, feeling nauseated. After a moment's hesitation, she continued to stand to her feet, her vision blurring for a second.

And she could've sworn her hand was see through. Both of them.

What happened? She thought to herself. Where am I?

Taking a deep breath, she sighed and then proceeded to check her thigh for her blaster. Feeling the cold metal, she exhaled a sigh of relief.

"Alright, Lux, focus." She coached herself. She walked around the large room that reminded her of the medical bay at the garrison, touching anything that might open the double doors to let her out.

Finding some kind of stupid high-tech keypad, it scanned her face before it replied, "Access Denied."

"Oh, come on," Lux grumbled. She leaned on her shoulder as she began to pick at the metal corner before she was reminded of the blaster on her thigh. Smirking a little, she took a few steps back and pulled the weapon off her thigh, hearing the low whine before she fired it twice, breaking the keypad and exposing the wires. Excited, Lux gave a small whoop, before she began to pick at the wires.

She was so getting out of here. Wherever here was, of course.

Meanwhile, Jasmine was practically having the time of her life.

Not.

"Are we in space?" She asked again, nearly panicking.

"Look, it's all good, baby girl," Lance said smoothly. "I've got ya." He flashed her a smile as Shiro rolled his eyes.

"Lance," he scolded. "Enough."

"How are you all so calm? Lux was supposed to meet us at Keith's shack! Now, what do we do?" She asked, folding her arms and stomping her foot a little. Shiro smiled a little timidly and laid a hand on her shoulder to remind her to breathe.

"I'm sure she's fine." His eyes were soft, thoughtful, and far away, as if he were thinking about something. "Lux is tough." He parted his lips as if to say more, but then they fell shut and he looked at his wrist.

Meanwhile, Keith and Lance were back to arguing, and Shiro's brow twitched before he yelled, "Guys, stop! Princess Allura, these are your lions. You've dealt with the Galra empire before. You know what we're facing better than any of us. What do you think is the best course of action?"

Princess Allura paled, "I... I-I don't know."

"Perhaps your father can help," Coran suggested.

"My father?"

• ❈ •

After Allura returned, in a space suit and more invigorated than ever, she led the new Paladins into the armory for their suits. Shiro looked over at Jasmine and smiled. "You'll stay with the Princess and help be our eyes. I know how Lux is, and she'd want you safe."

While the boys gather their suits and baynard (with the exception of Shiro), said boy begins to discuss the plan.

"I hope this works," Jaz said quietly.

"Me too," Shiro smiled a little at her.

Allura began to speak to Keith, "You'll need to retrieve the red lion from the enemy's ship."

"That's a.. pretty big ship. How are we gonna know where the lion is?" He asked.

Pidge informed him, "Oh, it's not a matter of 'we'. It's a matter of 'you'."

"Pidge is right. Once we get you in, you'll be able to feel its presence and track it down." Hunk adds.

Lance gives Keith some advice, his hands behind his back as he stood at Jasmine's side."Yeah. You know how you felt that crazy energy while we were in the desert?"

"Yeah. You made fun of me for that."

"And I'm proud of that, but turns out it's exactly like that mumbo-jumbo."

"Keith, remember, the red lion is extremely temperamental. You'll have to earn its respect." Allura finishes.

"All right. Here's our plan of attack." Shiro decides once the lion matter is discussed.

"They know about the blue and yellow lion, but they don't know we have the green lion, too. Lance, Hunk, you'll act as a decoy by pretending to give yourselves up."

"While Sendak is distracted, Pidge, Keith, and I will sneak onto the ship in the green lion. Keith and I will find the red lion while Pidge guards our exit. Hunk, Lance, find some way to take down that ion cannon."

Once he's finished discussing the plan, he nods, his lips pressed into a fine line. "Let's hope this works."

Meanwhile, Lux is unaware of Keith, Pidge, and Shiro's presences on the ship, but she's finally gotten her door to slide open.

But her timing is brilliant. She walks out, the sound of her boots clipping on the floor is enough to draw Pidge's attention. As Pidge raises his baynard, Lux beats him by a fluid second with her blaster raised. Pidge's eyes widen as he lowers his baynard.

"Lux? How did you get here?" The Green Paladin asks, hugging the brunette around her waist.

"I'm going to take a guess and say I was kidnapped," She laughed a little, pushing her curls out of her eyes. As they pull away, her eyes land on Shiro and she sucks in a breath through her teeth. "Takashi."

"Lillian." Shiro says, a smile growing on his face as Lux runs towards him, throwing her arms around his neck.

"It's so good to see you," Lux sighed, and Shiro lowers his head into the crook of her neck to ease her back onto her feet as he sighs, his normal arm around her waist.

"It's good to see you too." He looks her over, and she waves a hand.

"I'm okay. But you owe me an explanation for the outfit. Let's just get out of here."

"Working on it," Pidge smiles, while Rover, the configurated drone, works. The doors to the nearest cell open and Pidge presses his mouth together, frowning. "Dad?"

The room is filled with aliens, and Lux lays a hand on Pidge's shoulder to alleviate his disappointment.

Shiro begins to calm the startled and frightened aliens. "Don't be afraid. We're here to help you escape."

One of them speaks up, in awe to see Shiro, Lux supposes. "It's you... It's you, the Champion. If anyone can get us out of here, he can."

Her lips quirk up in amazement. Even on an alien ship, Shiro still manages to be ever the hero.

That's my boyfriend, she thinks to herself. Wait. Are we still dating? She snaps out of her thoughts to hear Shiro's frightened voice.

"Wh... What did you call me?"

"We don't have much time," Pidge adds urgently.

"Let's get to the escape pods. Let's go. Come on!" As Shiro waves for the aliens to follow Pidge out the door, Lux feels a cold hand touch hers. She glances up to see Shiro, and he wraps his hand around hers as they follow behind the aliens, Lux cradling her blaster in her other hand. When they reach the escape pods, Lux can hear the sentries coming for them.

"Hurry!" Pidge yells.

"Halt!" One of the sentries call, and Lux whips around to fire her blaster at him, hitting him square in the chest.

As more sentries surround them, Shiro puts Lux behind him before his prosthetic arm begins to glow, causing him to groan in pain, before Shiro becomes a storm, attacking the sentries with speed and strength she's never witnessed before, his prosthetic still glowing. The corner of her lip quirks in a smile as she fires on the sentries running to replace the others, an unusual tugging in her gut pulling her along until she drops her blaster, the center of her palms glowing a bright white, and releasing white energy that has a force stronger than her blaster.

Soon, the sentries are defeated, and the alien that recognized Shiro thanks him.

"Wait! How do you know my..." Shiro trails off as the alien's pod zooms out.

"Shiro, that was amazing! How did you learn to fight with that?" Pidge asks before Shiro shrugs.

"No idea." He then looks at Lux, who curls her hands into fists until she's certain the burning feeling in her hands has disappeared, and she picks up her blaster, shoving in the holster on her thigh. "You okay?

"Peachy," she says quickly. "I'm impressed."

"Tell me about it later," Shiro tells her, kissing the tip of her nose as he grabs her hand, pulling her along. "Come on."

When they all pile into the Green Lion, Pidge's smile widens. "I knew it! I knew you two were dating."

Shiro and Lux look at each other carefully and rub their necks sheepishly.

"No worries," Pidge smiled. "I won't say anything."