Chapter Text
Pidge Gunderson, a.k.a. Katie Holt, for all the residents of the Castle of Lions knew, was not a fan of the great outdoors. Though not necessarily a recluse, she tended to keep to herself, if not less than Keith, and often busied herself with mathematical and scientific endeavors. The smallest Paladin would only venture outside if necessary – be it training, a mission, or an exploration. She would rather be in her room or in her Lion’s hangar – decrypting alien data, working on upgrades for the Green Lion, or creating inventions that would be useful for them in missions – than being under the sun and surrounded with organic life, which some of the members of Team Voltron, especially Lance, like to point out at times.
“You’re the Guardian Spirit of the Forest, Pidge!” The Blue Paladin was saying out loud one day as two of the Garrison trio lounged on the bridge. “Why are you not that excited about going outside? I remembered you mentioning allergies, but it’s still basically your territory.”
Pidge looked up from her laptop and snorted. “Speak for yourself. I don’t see you jumping into water every time you see one.”
“That’s different,” Lance said, plopping down on the polished ground beside her chair. “Jumping in water will get my Paladin uniform wet, and staying too long will get my skin wrinkly.” He took a bite of an alien pastry that Hunk bought from a market on a planet they had previously visited. “I mean…hash you sheen Hunk splat hish face first on tha ground?”
“Swallow your food first. You looked like you’ve got a goldfish living inside your mouth.” The younger Paladin muttered, her eyes flitting on the screen of her laptop. “And no, I haven’t. Hunk is a sensible person, even more than you are.”
“Hey!” The other Paladin complained as he swallowed. “I can do sensible.”
“Then, I believe you already got your answer,” Pidge said as her fingers hovered above the keyboard. “Now, shoo! I still have to work on this file I hacked from a Galra ship.”
“Geez! Talk about a workaholic.”
The Green Paladin watched him begrudgingly stand up and leave the bridge out of the corner of her eye. The doors closed behind him with a soft CHINK!, finally leaving her alone with her thoughts. Pidge sighed tiredly and slumped on the backrest. She closed her eyes and listened to the noise around her – the blinking sound from her laptop, the quiet hum of the ship, and even the soft rumble of her Lion in her mind. All of it was technology – inorganic, so to speak. It was her comfort zone - where her capabilities lay, and her brilliant mind was put to the test. It was where she was the strongest, where her fellow Paladins praised and trusted her the most.
Yes, the smallest Paladin was not initially a fan of the outside world, but things had changed ever since meeting the Olkari. She was more connected to nature, to every organic and inorganic creation there was. From the smallest living being to the largest form of technology, it all came from nature. Nature was the mother of all, the provider of everything. Everything came from her and returned to her. The young genius understood this as much, but sometimes…it scared her.
The Green Paladin of Voltron.
The Guardian Spirit of the Forest.
Pidge basically represented everything that was living. The most beautiful gift Mother Nature had to offer. Life. It was ironic that she initially considered herself more attuned to machinery and technology when it, itself, was part of the same cosmic dust as she was. All the Lions, except the Green and the Yellow Lions, were found not in their elements. It was only Green and Yellow. Only them were found in their own domains for more than ten thousand years, and the sheer power that the Green Lion unleashed the moment they found each other was just simply a fraction of what she had yet to offer.
And it scared Pidge.
The youngest Paladin had seen what the other Lions were capable of, or at least what she had seen for now – how destructive they could be. But Green? Destroying three self-learning cubes from inside and out and invoking a piece of its origin – a minute fraction of the primordial power of Nature – was more than just a terrifying statement on its own.
Pidge wondered if she would be ready to handle that power.
The Green Paladin shook her head. It was a fascinating and unsettling thought. Lance must have been rubbing off on her lately. She smacked her palms against her cheeks, wincing slightly at the pain. Get it together! She could not afford to be distracted by thoughts like that. She had more important things to accomplish. Sufficiently self-chided, Pidge turned her attention back to the encrypted file and cracked her knuckles with a slight grin.
“Alright, time to get back to work. Let’s see what secret you got for me.”
The next few quintants were relatively uneventful. As they approached a new star system, Allura requested they gather on the bridge after training. The Paladins got themselves comfortable in their preferred spots in the room. Shiro and Keith stood beside Coran, looking at the huge holographic screen before them. Pidge had taken over the small flight of stairs as she viewed her own set of screens projected from her bracer. Lance was helping Hunk whip out a list of supplies they would need – food being the highest priority. They were running out of food and necessities - Lance argued that his beauty products were necessities - and needed to restock if they were to continue their journey.
“We will be landing on the planet Ninhurgia in a few doboshes,” Allura announced. “Lucky for us, it is abundant in nature, and the Ninhurgians are welcoming to travelers that stop by their home planet. I believe we can get supplies that will last us at least a phoeb.”
“Is there anything we should know about them before we land?” Shiro asked.
“Nothing bad, I assure you,” Coran answered. “Just as the Princess said, they are welcoming to strangers. As long as you respect Nature, they will not harm you. They also hold the highest regard for mothers, even more than their monarchs, and Nature is the greatest mother of all.”
“Easy-peasy!” Lance grinned. “We’re basically the Guardians of Mother Nature.” He pointed at the Green Paladin sitting cross-legged on the stairs. “And we got Pidge, too.”
“Ha-ha.” Pidge mock-laughed as she glared at him.
“I think Lance is right, Pidge.” Shiro nodded. “You should come. It will be best if you join Hunk in grocery shopping, and the sun, or whatever they call it here, will do you good, too. You haven’t been under it for quite some time. Or, any of us in that matter.” If he noticed the younger Paladin giving him an annoyed look, he did not show.
“Then, I suppose it will be best for us to all go,” Allura suggested. “After all, we must pay our respects to the Ninhurgian monarchs and try our hand for an alliance.”
“Sounds like a plan.” The Black Paladin turned to his teammates. “Suit up, everyone. I’ll see you on the ground once we land.”