Voltron: Next Generation
A Portentous Warning: II
Word Count: 3010
The weekly meeting with Curtis on Earth and the crew of the Coeus happened on the day the teens were covering the bridge. Kova and Allie rushed past the kitchen, where the adults were eating whatever Hunk and Cake managed to make. Down the hallway, past the sleeping quarters, past Shiro's room, and to the left, was the bridge through the only doorway to the right. Kova never broke her stride, reaching out to grab her podium. Allie hadn't bandaged Kova's hands, leaving them still bruised and bloodied. Caleb, who had walked in seconds earlier, turned his chair around as Allie walked past to sit in her chair. Kova looked up at Caleb's turning, seeing the lavender fabric in his hands. He tossed the bundle to her like a basketball, and Kova managed to catch it. She had managed to put it on and pull the sleeves down to cover her knuckles when Krolia turned around.
"Kovalia," Krolia said, noticing the teen standing at her console. "I was wondering when you would come."
"Sorry for keeping you waiting," Kova said. She leaned on her console, hiding her knuckles in the bend of her elbows as Krolia approached the podium.
"Um, sorry," Liz said. She and Cake were gaping at the sight of the Galra. "When did we meet?"
"Cap, you can't secrets from us," Cake whined, puppy dog eyes in full view.
"Your team?" Krolia asked, looking at Kova again. The teen had closed her eyes and furrowed her brows, hoping to ignore the other two members.
"Yep." She opened her eyes. "We have something to ask you."
"About cargo." Krolia placed a hand on her hip. "I recall. What is it and where is it going?" At that, the teen sucked in her lips and took a breath.
"Vatos," Kova called. Krolia, confused, turned around at the toddler that had been coloring in the corner. His sheets of paper were in disarray, with crudely made crayons in his fists. When Kova said his name, the little boy looked up with a toothy smile. "Hi," Kova said, giving a little wave. Vatos waved his fist before returning to his scribbles.
"No." Krolia was quick in her response. "Kovalia, I am not and will not become responsible for the child."
"Please?" Kova pleaded. "We can't safely transport him without running into the Fire." Krolia sighed, looking at the little boy. Vatos had managed to draw a mess of yellow, red, green, blue, and black. He stood, walked over to Cake's console, and proudly held up the paper to show it to Cake. Cake fawned over the picture, telling Vatos what a great job he had done. Krolia closed her eyes in defeat.
"Where is he going?" She asked, turning her head to face Kova. It didn't help that Kova was trying to hide a victorious smile.
"Earth, if possible."
"Not Altea?"
"If the Emperor were to become aware of the war, he would order all available troops to prepare," Allie cut in. "All of our citizens would be rehomed, and travel to Earth for refuge. Altea won't be safe."
"Like Daibazaal," Krolia said, her voice low. "Alright, I'll do it. But I expect something in return, Kovalia."
"You have my word." Kova rolled her eyes, sending off a message to Kenny. Since Kenny had been in charge of the toddler, Kenny was also assigned to prep a bag in case the deal came through. "Kenny will bring the bag, and Vatos is all yours."
"You're lucky I was already on my way here." Speak of the devil. The door opened up and quickly closed behind him, tossing the bag to Kova. Kova, in turn, tossed it to Krolia. "Hey, Grandma," Kenny said, waving. "Wait, Grandma?!"
"Kenneth, correct?" Krolia asked Kova, swinging Vatos's bag over her shoulder. Kova nodded. Cake explained, as well as you could explain to a kid, that Krolia was going to take him somewhere safe.
"Where Mommy is?" Vatos asked. Cake's smile faltered. Allie's shoulders sagged. Caleb didn't meet the little boy's eyes. Kova moved, descending the staircase to Cake's level, and sat down on the step. "Where's Mommy?"
"Mommy will join you later," Kova said, smiling at the little boy. "But she wanted us to keep you safe. So that's what we're going to do. Is that okay?" After a tick, the little boy nodded. "Good. Krolia, the woman over there, is going to take you to Earth. One of my dads is going to take care of you when you get there. Okay?"
"Okay." Another head nod from the little boy. "Will I be able to color on my way there?" Kova shrugged, picking up the little boy so he rested on her hip.
"You're going to have to ask Krolia," Kova said. "But I think she will." Kova had leaned in to stage-whisper in his ear, causing the little boy to giggle. Kova approached Krolia, handing Vatos to her. The little boy wrapped his arms around Krolia's neck to look over her shoulder at Allie and Caleb. Allie gave a small little wave and touched her markings. Caleb smiled at the little boy, only staring at him.
"Until next time, Kovalia," Krolia said on her way out, heading towards the emergency exit to the right of the doorway.
"Until next time, Krolia," Kova said softly, crossing her arms. After a few minutes, the Coeus shook again, and an escape pod flew past their window. The teens watched the pod until it was unclear if they were looking at a ship or a star.
"How long has Grandma been here?" Kenny exclaimed, finally unfreezing from his stance.
"Not long." Kova turned around, hoping to end the conversation. "This isn't—"
"Is the first time she's been on the ship?" Kenny asked, staring at Kova with wide eyes. Kova pursed her lips. With a raised eyebrow, she waited until Kenny finished.
"No, this is not the first time she's been on the ship." Kova walked over and climbed the stairs one syllable at a time until she reached the floor. "No, she hasn't asked how the ship is running and who fixed it." Kova finally made it to her console, pushing Kenny aside. He stood with a gaping mouth and wide eyes. He was shocked. Anyone else would.
"She probably thinks it was you," Kenny spoke at last. Kova did what she could to not roll her eyes.
"I can't speak for other people's thoughts, Ken."
"Everyone else would." With that, Kenny marched out. Kova looked after him. If it wasn't her shift. Kenny would have to wait.
The day stretched into the next, where the teens switched off with the adults. Liz and Cake offered to teach Pidge and Hunk about the little upgrades they had managed to do with their spare time. They admitted it was mostly Kova, but they helped.
Kova, on the other hand, stood in front of Kenny's door. Her long hair was tied in a ponytail. She wore her blue dress and leggings under her lavender sweater since her gray vest was given to Keith. She held only a tablet in her hands as she stared into the door. Liz, Cake, and Caleb were pulling out all the stops since Kenny decided to stay in his room today. With a deep breath, Kova knocked and opened the door.
The room was dark, save only for a distant red light. Kenny had turned part of the closet into a vertical garden. Kova wasn't sure if the plants were already here pre-launch, or if they were collected over their trip so far, but it was a mystery. Immediately to the right of the doorway, the door to the ensuite bathroom lay, also dark. Across from the door, a bundle of blankets lay on the bed. The door closed behind Kova as she approached. The only shifted when Kova sat on the corner closest to the pillow and the wall. Pulling an outermost blanket away, Kenny's head of brown hair appeared from the bundle. At least he was still here.
"Ken," Kova said softly. "Kenny, look at me."
"Go away." Kenny's voice was hoarse. "Go be perfect somewhere else." The mountain of sheets moved as Kenny tried to merge with the wall.
"Kenny," Kova tried to say.
"Kova this, Kova that." His voice was mocking. "'Why can't you be more like Kova?' 'If Kova weren't the Colonel's kid, I would've thought she was my grandkid.' 'Kova's everything everyone wants.' 'Kova is perfection." Kova hadn't said a word while Kenny mocked the comments. She almost jumped out of her skin when he turned his head to glare at her. "Why do you have to be so perfect for everyone?" He turned back around, almost slamming his head against the wall. Kova retracted her hand from the blanket, but she hadn't moved off the bed. As the blood that rushed in Kenny's ear calmed down, he noticed Kova had yet to make a sound. He turned around again, looking at her face. Those pretty amber eyes were downcast, filled with so much sadness and hurt, Kenny wished he could take his words back.
"I wasn't perfect enough for them." Kova's voice held just as much sadness as her eyes. "I have to fight with that every day. It doesn't help that eyes are always on me." Kenny waited as Kova took a deep breath. "I'm the Colonel's kid. I'm a top student. I'm the jack of all trades. I don't' have time to wallow, to process my feelings. I wish I did." Kova's eyes moved from her lap to Kenny's. "I wish I could be invisible, to not be the center of attention, to not worry about failing."
"You wish you were me." Kenny finished her sentence. A rueful smile appeared on her face, nodding gently.
"I wish I could do what you did." Kova continued before Kenny could say more. "You rebuilt, upgraded, and in some places, restored this massive outdated ship without anyone ever noticing." With a hesitant hand, Kova ruffled Kenny's messy hair. "Sam would be proud. So would Matt."
"What about Colleen?" Kova scoffed as she returned her hand to the tablet in her hand.
"Colleen has always been proud of her grandkids, whether they became evil emperors, homebodies, or high-ranking soldiers." Kenny smiled, playfully glaring at Kova. He sat up in bed, pushing his glasses onto his nose. That was when he saw the tablet in Kova's hands.
"What's that for?" He asked, pointing at the tablet. Kova looked down and smiled.
"I was hoping you would watch some old videos with me." She looked up, holding the tablet in front of her chest. "From before."
"Before?" Kenny asked, looking between the tablet and Kova. "Like, /before/ before? Before the Achlys?"
"Before everything."
"Let's do it!" Kenny said, excited. He scooched over to leave some room for Kova, who leaned into his pillows uncomfortably. They were much too soft. The tablet turned on and Kova clicked on a video file hidden under a folder labeled 'KHK'.
The first video opened with a dark screen, with muffled voices over it. At last, the camera opened to reveal a toddler. The little girl had short black hair with a little ponytail on top of her head, held in place by a red hair clip. The toddler had big light brown eyes, with her tongue intermittently darting in and out of her mouth. As the camera zoomed out, more of the toddler's outfit was revealed. She wore a long-sleeved red shirt with a bow in the middle and ladybugs where her pockets would be, and a pair of light gray pants covered in little ladybugs and red shoes tap shoes. Her playful smile at the camera quickly turned into giggles as someone behind the camera bounced their dark pants-covered leg up and down. The toddler turned her attention from the camera to whoever was there.
"Klance!" She shouted happily, squealing.
"How come you're 'Klance', but I'm 'Unatt'?" Matt said off-screen. The little toddler turned her head to presumably Matt with a smile.
"Untt!" The camera zoomed out further until the backs of Lance and Matt's heads could be seen. Lance had thrown his head back in laughter. The toddler, now assumed to be Kova, giggled again.
"At least you're 'Untt' now." Lance was holding little Kova, bouncing her on his leg.
"Be careful, Uncle Lance." The camera turned, giving a full view of what was the Kogane family home. With a turn of his head and across a floor shift, Lance looked at the dining table, where Kenny met his eyes. "TJ is gonna get really mad if you drop her."
"I know, Ken," Lance replied, grabbing little Kova's waist and holding her above his head. "She's just a little daredevil."
"She wouldn't be if you left her alone." The camera turned, flying over the armrest to focus on Pidge. She wore a long-sleeved green shirt, hands planted on the kitchen counter. Her eyes, matching the toddlers, were hard.
"Sorry, Pidge," Matt said, and the camera flew to the other side of the room. "But if she weren't a little daring, she wouldn't be walking, talking, or potty-trained."
"Yeah, Pidge," Lance said, finally lowering the little girl. She sat down on his lap, facing where the TV would've been. Matt handed her a stuffed ladybug, which she gladly accepted. "Pretty soon, little Kyla will be riding a bike into town."
Before Pidge could respond, a giant wolf appeared in front of the couch. Lance, who had been reclining, sat up to secure a hold on the toddler. Matt nearly jumped onto the couch. Kyla, with the black and blue wolf only inches from her face, screamed. The wolf's bright yellow eyes turned to face the screaming child, approaching her to sniff. As Kyla calmed down, about to reach out to pet the wolf, it disappeared. After the moment of shock passed, Kyla was lifted again to stand on Uncle Lance's lap.
"That was Kosmo," Matt said, coming down from the couch.
"Y'know what that means, Ky?" Uncle Lance smiled up at the little girl, who smiled back. "Daddy's home!"
"Daddy!"
Behind the couch, the front door opened. Keith, muttering something was wrong with the wolf, walked into his home. He wore his Blade of Marmora suit, recognizing him as a high-ranking member.
"Daddy!" Kyla exclaimed, bouncing up and down. "Daddy! Daddy!"
"Hey, Lance," Keith greeted, finally seeing the child. "I didn't know you had a kid." Both Lance and Matt looked at each other, then at Pidge, who was trying to blend in with the fridge. That was when TJ emerged from the hallway leading to the bedrooms.
"Dad!" He all but shouted. TJ's hair was shorter, cropped at the nape. He wore a familiar red and white jacket over a forest green shirt and black pants. TJ, with arms outstretched, walked towards Keith, who did the same. As Keith let go of his oldest, he walked past his second and ruffled his hair on his way to the counter to finally see his wife. It was quick. It could've been missed. Little Kenny, still sitting at the dining table, passed a note to TJ as he took a seat. TJ's smile fell as he read the note. He looked up to meet Kenny's eyes and Kenny gave a quick nod.
"Hey, Uncle Lance?" Kenny said, a little too loud for an inside voice. "Does Kyla need to go to the bathroom?"
"I don't know, Ken." Lance caught on quick, meeting the little girl's eyes. "Kyla, do you need to go to the bathroom?" She shook her head. "Are you hungry?" She shook her head again. "Are you tired?" At that, she nodded her head. A yawn followed, and Kyla started rubbing her eyes.
"I'll take her to bed," TJ said, standing up from his chair. "She's our little sister, anyway." Keith looked up at his son, watched him pick up the little girl dressed in red, and walk deeper into the house. Keith stared at Pidge, who had only closed her eyes. Kenny silently slid out of his chair, walked to the couch, and sat in between Lance and Matt. He was staring right at the camera.
"So," Kenny said. "What's the camera's name?" Both Lance and Matt now stared directly at the camera.
"Chad?"
"Why?" Lance asked, staring at Matt. "How about Buddy?" The camera did something, earning Lance's attention. For a brief second, the lens turned colors before returning to normal. Lance smiled. "Buddy it is, I guess."
"Okay, Buddy," Kenny said, and the camera deactivated.
Kova paused the video before it could continue. She looked up at Kenny, now fifteen years older than the video. He pushed his glasses up as he stared at the dark screen.
"I, uh, didn't know Buddy's deactivation phrase," Kenny said, laughing. "But it was boring afterward anyway. TJ came back out after putting you down and admired the camera. It wasn't until he realized that the camera could've captured an unflattering angle when he asked if it was on."
"Uncle Matt talked you through it, right?"
"Yeah." He smiled at the memory. "I was the only one who knew the phrase, besides you."
"I remembered." She smiled, too. "I always turned it on whenever something was happening. And if I didn't turn it on, Pops or Dad did."
"Who made the video?" Kenny reached his hand out to Kova, who handed over the tablet. "There's, like, an hour and a half left."
"Probably Pops." Kova shrugged. "Maybe it was Buddy. I just know that the video has been under my file for years and has only grown." Kova stood, stretching her arms.
"Thanks for that, Ky," Kenny said. Kova froze mid-stretch. "I really needed that."
"What? The memory?"
"The before."
Kova smiled, holding her hand out. Kenny handed her the tablet, watching as she turned and walked towards the door. No words were said between the two, but the nostalgia hit them all the same.