Chapter Text
Night time was always a toss-up between chaos and serenity in Titans Tower. Some nights the city was under attack and the tower would be flushed with harsh, warning lights, shining like a beacon over the bay, while other nights, when the city was peaceful and quiet, the lights of the tower were softly dimmed, more like a sleepy apartment complex than anything else.
Tonight was one of those warmly lit nights that made the tower seem truly like a home.
Almost.
Everything should have been serene, for there was no trouble in the city, but tonight was a special exception to the status quo. Tonight, even in the peacefulness of a city at rest, there was still something nerve-wracking afoot within the tower.
In the west wing of the tower a dark three-piece suit was being pulled on. Typically gloved hands, now bare, tugged nervously at the lapels of the suit and adjusted the stiff white collar of the pressed shirt beneath.
In the east wing slender hands, with nails painted green, nervously smoothed out the wrinkles of a sequined purple dress.
In the west wing a comb carded through a nest of spiky black hair. A mound of wobbly green gel was smushed into the hair in a desperate attempt to keep it slicked back, only for the hair to instantly snap back into spiky place.
In the east wing a brush filled with red hair landed in a small pile of similarly hair-filled brushes.
In the west wing a spritz of mouth spray brought forth a cool whisp of air, leaving a minty scent in its wake.
In the east wing a small amount of light pink lipstick was being applied.
In the west wing, the sounds of bottles breaking and cloth being ripped echoed from out of the room. “C’mon man, you’re not wearing the utility belt beneath the suit!”
From the east wing something substantially wooden broke, followed by a flat, long-suffering sigh. “Will you please stop breaking furniture. It isn’t this hard to put on shoes.”
Down the long hall that connected the two wings, Beast Boy paced back and forth. He twiddled his thumbs behind his back then stopped in the middle of the hall and checked the clock on the wall.
Seven on the dot.
“Will you two please hurry up or you’re gonna be late!” Beast Boy yelled. He pointed at the clock dramatically. “Mama Macaronis doesn’t hold tables forever! Do you know how long it took me to pull the strings for that reservation?!”
“You turned into an elephant and let the owners kid ride you in the parking lot,” the same flat, unamused voice said from the east wing.
A cybernetic arm poked out from the door in the west wing, a metal index finger pointing up in objection. “Also, I set up that reservation, from my eye!” The arm pulled back into the room and another bottle broke somewhere within.
"Whatever!" Beast Boy slapped his hands to his face and threw his head back in frustration. "Just get those two out here!"
A little more grumbling and breaking of objects came from the east and west wings respectively, then, finally, the doors slid open at the same time.
Beast Boy stepped back, pushing himself against the wall. He rubbed his hands together then spread them wide like some sort of circus ringmaster. “Alright! Finally! Ladies and gentlemen may I present to you, the first ever official Teen Titans date-night!”
The lights dimmed dramatically, Beast Boy’s own doing, as the two groups met in the middle. Robin stood dressed in a black tuxedo. His mask was still on, ever concealing his identity, but he looked dashing. Across from him stood Starfire. She was gorgeous in her purple floor length sequined dress. Her rich red hair was curled and spilled down her shoulders.
Beside Robin, Cyborg wore a cheesy grin, while standing next to Starfire, Raven looked like all she wanted to do was find her room and sink into a book. The fact that she had even helped Starfire get ready was a miracle in and of itself.
“Can you both please get out of here,” Raven sighed. “That’s two less people disturbing me from my meditations.”
Grinning even wider, Cyborg gave Robin a small push forward so that he'd have no excuse not to be close to Starfire.
The Boy Wonder staggered forward, nearly running smack-dab into his date. He stopped at the last moment, the pair only inches away from one another.
Tokyo had firmly set them on the path to a relationship but that had been months ago. This was the first time they were actually acting upon it officially. The first time they were acknowledging their status as more than teammates.
Their first official date.
Starfire blushed beet red looking at him, her cheeks practically sizzling in her nervousness. She clasped her hands together at her navel and diverted her gaze, afraid that her face would only grow redder the longer she looked at him. “You are dressed very nicely tonight, boyfriend Robin.”
Robin rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. This sort of thing wasn’t in his expansive repertoire of expertise. His knees wobbled like jelly as he fought not to hyperventilate. He could take on villains ten times his size, but taking Starfire on their first official date? He was out of his element and they all knew it. “Thanks, Star. You look nice, I mean, you’re absolutely gorgeous.”
The pair stood there, neither knowing what to do or say next in the newness of it all.
Beast Boy sighed dramatically, breaking the nervous tension like a sharp knife through paper. “Will you two please get going!” He lifted up a clipped coupon and pointed to it. “By one get one free entrees ends tonight!”
“Hey, give them a few more minutes, BB,” Cyborg admonished lightly. “This is a special night. And I’m not done taking pictures of the lovebirds. Let them take their time, savor it before something ruins—
The emergency sirens suddenly blared, cutting him off. Red lights strobed the tower.
Raven looked up, her eyes already seeking the monitors to show them the alerts. “You just haaaad to say it….”
~*~ Theme Song ~*~
A long, deep furrow of churned up asphalt in the middle of a street marked the beginnings of where the trouble lay. The trail of devastation ran for about thirty feet before ending in a flickering, half-crumpled mess of a silver-colored, crashed alien ship mixed with a ruined fire hydrant spewing water.
Bulbous and round, the ship didn’t look like any true alien space craft Robin had ever seen, but more like some sort of escape pod.
Water fountaining from the ruined hydrant drenched the ship until a blackness wrapped around the red metal. The veil of darkness crunched at the metal, twisting it, until the water stopped spraying.
“Thanks Rae, at least we won’t have to get wet,” Cyborg said as he walked towards the crashed ship. He studied the computer built into his right cybernetic arm, getting readouts from the ship. “But my sensors aren’t showing any signs of life.”
Robin, still dressed in his tux, eyed the open door of the crashed ship. “I think the person who was inside is long gone. It looks like it can only fit one.” There was no doubt now that it was an escape pod of some kind.
Beast Boy morphed into a blood hound and bounded forward. He sniffed the insides and the door then changed back into his normal form and pointed east. “Pretty sure whoever was in there went that way. It’s weird though, the smells kinda familiar, I can’t really put my finger on it, though.”
“Well whoever it is, if they were friends, I think they would have tried to land closer to the tower for our help,” Robin opined, then nudged his head to Starfire. “Star, me and you will scout east, see if we can find any trace of our crash-lander. Cyborg, you stay here and see what else you can pick up from the crash, maybe you can find some coordinates or a communicator. Beast Boy, Raven, you two head west just in case whoever it is, is trying to cover their tracks.”
“And let’s all try to hurry up; this date is happening!” Beast Boy swore.
The date! Robin forced himself not to flinch. He had wanted to scream when the alerts had gone off in the tower. He wanted to put his best foot forward, to really show Starfire a good time, but it wasn’t to be.
Well, that wasn’t quite true. It just wasn’t meant to be yet. Though the date wasn’t happening right this second it was going to happen. The night was still young and they didn’t truly know what had gone wrong. Maybe it was someone looping Earth who had lost their way. Maybe they weren’t a threat at all, but a sinking feeling in his gut told him that was only wishful thinking.
He kept his masked eyes diverted from Starfire as the Titans split up. Despite having a job to do, he didn’t think he could bear it if he saw any disappointment in her eyes tonight. But if she was disappointed, he would make it right, he swore fervently. Somehow, someway.
The ground fell away from Robin as Starfire scooped him up, taking him into the sky to search for the crash-lander. Warm wind buffeted him, sending his hair waving. He searched the ground as they made distance from the crashed ship, but neither his heart or mind was in it. As they flew over building after building, empty street after empty street, all he could think about was that he had somehow let her down. Though they knew they had a duty to do, though he knew he should be concentrating, the guilt only doubled in Robin’s chest. They shouldn’t be here! They should have been at Mama Macaroni’s, ordering overpriced pasta and laughing and holding one another’s hands and having a good time. He should have been giving her the date she deserved.
“The moon looks really nice tonight,” he commented lamely. It was, bright and beautiful and hanging over the city like a pale, clipped coin, but he would have rather admired it on a short walk after dinner. This would have to do, though.
“It is,” Starfire agreed hesitantly. “But shouldn’t you be looking down while I look up for our missing person?”
“I mean, yeah, but maybe we can land on a rooftop and just… admire it for a few minutes before we really get started?” he suggested. He wanted so badly for something romantic to survive the night. Starfire had taught him how to handle obsession. Though he still struggled with it, he wanted to prove tonight that he was really trying, he wanted to still keep some of it about them.
Starfire shook her head. “I would most enjoy such a thing, Robin, but perhaps we should keep to our searching. Someone may be hurt, yes?”
That was a good point. Despite wanting to still find some way to show her a good time, Robin pushed the thoughts of finding a romantic moment away for now. He looked down, his eyes sweeping for any disturbances. “I think Beast Boy may have been wrong. There isn’t any evidence of our crash—
He got no further as something hit Starfire from above.
Instantly the Tamaranean princess went hurtling to the ground. She released Robin, allowing him to jump onto the roof of a nearby building for safety as she hit the asphalt below.
Dust plumed from the impact.
Robin landed on his feet and spun around. His feet were already in motion as he raced to the edge of the building and jumped off. He grabbed flagpoles and balconies on his way down until he reached the ground, then raced for the impact zone. He tucked his hand behind his tuxedo jacket, revealing a spare, hidden utility belt he had trimmed down to the bare basics and pulled out his collapsible bo staff. It sprang to full height as he plunged into the dust cloud. “Starfire!” he screamed.
As the dust began to die away, Robin looked into the crater. Starfire was unconscious and holding her by the front of his dress was a hated, familiar figure.
Val-Yor.
“You,” Robin grit out hatefully at the man. “You were told never to come back here.”
Val-Yor had a deep hatred of Tamaraneans. He had called Starfire derogatory words, hated her, even though she had saved his life. He had thought less of them all after they had stood with Starfire. He hadn’t even wanted to come back to Earth. So why was he here?
And attacking Starfire no less?
Val-Yor looked up from the crater. The silver-alien looked haggard, worn, afraid, but determined.
Dangerous.
“Stay out of this,” Val-Yor warned. “The troq is coming with me.”
“Starfire isn’t going anywhere!” Robin promised between clenched teeth.
The Boy Wonder leapt, his bo staff lifted over his head. Val-Yor released Starfire to block the blow, but Robin hadn’t been looking to crash down on top of him at all. He landed behind him instead, and spun to face the alien. The bo staff swung low, connecting with the back of Val-Yor’s knees.
The alien stumbled and went down, then Robin was on him. His bo staff speared down in a flurry that made the proud Val-Yor have to scramble away. “You don’t understand, human. I’m trying to help everyone!”
“Not by hurting Starfire!” When Val-Yor had crawled far enough away, Robin kneeled to check on Starfire, two fingers to her pulse. She was alive. Breathing. She moaned softly, slowly coming out of her daze. She was okay.
Val-Yor came to his feet just as Robin did. The hatred in the alien’s eyes was palpable. “The whole universe should know about these filthy troqs. You don’t know what they’re doing! She won’t be loyal to this insignificant little backwater of a planet. No matter how nice she seems, she’s one of them!”
“Nah man.” A blue sonic blast from Cyborg’s arm cannon shot from the top of the crater, hitting Val-Yor and sending him flying. “She’s one of us.”
Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven appeared edge of the crater, anger plain on their faces.
“We heard the crash,” Cyborg explained.
“And Beast Boy finally remembered who that smell belonged to,” Raven added.
Beast Boy shifted into a cobra and hissed hatefully at Val-Yor.
The metallic alien looked all around him. He was surrounded by the Titans. “Wait, please, just let me explain.”
“Nothing to explain,” growled Robin. “You haven’t changed at all. You still want to villainize Starfire. To hurt her. You’re just not hiding it anymore.”
Val-Yor slashed an arm negatively through the air. “That’s because her troq race is—”
“SHUT UP!” Robin finally snapped. He launched forward and pummeled Val-Yor with an uppercut so hard that the alien’s feet left the ground and he landed hard upon his back. “You won’t ever call her that again!” His fist barreled down into Val-Yor’s face, but the alien was far stronger than the Boy Wonder. He caught a fist and pushed his feet up, catching Robin in the gut and sending him flying.
The alien was on his feet in a moment and made a whistle as Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven charged. Raven’s eyes glowed black as she wrapped her magic around broken chunks of roadwork and cars. She launched them at Val-Yor while Cyborg sent a blue stream of sonic power at the man. Beast Boy turned from snake to T-rex, roaring as he charged.
Val-Yor charged at them and deftly leapt over Beast Boy. He braced his shoulder, tanking the sonic blast as he charged through the debris and vehicles Raven was chucking. He came to Cyborg first and a back-handed blow sent Cyborg flying.
Raven flew into the air, her arms outstretched at Val-Yor. “Azerath, Metrion, Zin—
A hum cut her off as the wrecked escape pod slantedly crashed into her. Raven began to plummet and nearly hit the ground, just as Starfire swooped in, grabbing her. She lay Raven on the ground gently then turned to face Val-Yor. Her eyes blazed green as starbolt power flared around her hands. “You shall not hurt my friends!”
“They’re not your friends,” accused Val-Yor. “You’re using them. Like your people used the whole of the Vega system. You can’t trust a Tamaranean.” He launched himself at Starfire. “But you will be useful.”
He was nearly upon her when a starbolt struck him fully in the chest. Val-Yor roared in pain as he went flying backwards. He landed hard, groaning in pain from the blow. He blinked wearily then his eyes went wide as a bo staff came hurtling down. He rolled out of the way just in time, the bo staff leaving a deep indent in the rock.
Robin was on him again, relentless, hands, feet, staff, and wingdings all launching at him. The ferocity kept Val-Yor on the back foot, enough for Beast Boy to ram him as a wooly mammoth.
Val-Yor went flying again and as he did so he whistled a different tune. The pod that had struck Raven zipped towards him. The engines sputtered and lights blinked dangerously like it was about to blow.
It nearly crashed into Robin but Cyborg leapt to interfere with its trajectory, shoulder-checking the frizzing piece of crumbling junk away. It landed in the crater near Val-Yor who whistled again, summoning the thing upwards.
Val-Yor’s arms flopped over the broken escape pod as it rose into the air, taking him with it. Beast Boy turned into a pterodactyl to halt the thing, but was too slow. Even as broken as it was it far surpassed Beast Boy even at top speed.
The escape pod sped off into the darkness, leaving the Titans alone in the wreckage.
“Sorry dudes,” Beast Boy apologized as he turned back into his normal form amidst them. “That thing was just too fast.”
“Yeah, for being as broken as it was, that didn’t stop it much,” Cyborg agreed. “Unless we get Kid Flash down here, I don’t think we can keep pace with it.”
Robin stepped forward and pulled his communicator from beneath his jacket. He flicked it open, revealing an R-shaped symbol steadily blinking as it moved across a static map of the city. “We don’t need too. I placed a tracker on Val-Yor. Once he stops, we’ll go to him.”
“We should get Raven somewhere safe,” Starfire advised. She and Raven walked towards the boys slowly. Raven had an arm over Starfire’s shoulder and Starfire supported her with an arm around her waist as they carefully picked their way through the crater. Magic pulsed around Raven's other hand as she laid it flat against her body, already doing her best to heal the wounds brought on by the ship that had smacked into her.
"You okay there, Raven?" Cyborg asked, his voice tinged with worry.
Raven nodded stiffly as she dispelled the magic around her hand. "Just... give me a minute."
"A minute? Try a day or two," Robin replied grimly, already assessing the extensiveness of Raven's wounds. The ship had hit Raven soundly, enough to see she’d be out of commission for the rest of the night unless they truly needed her.
“No,” Raven protested. “I’ll be fine.”
Cyborg shook his head. “Nah Rae, Robin is right. You need to take it easy for a little while, that ship hit you pretty hard.”
“Yeah, you were almost a Raven-Pancake,” Beast Boy joked lamely.
Pain flared across Raven's face but she did her best to hide it. “I don’t want to go back to the tower and leave you all so far away,” she confessed. “Val-Yor knows us. We were so open with him when we first met. I could sense that his hatreds have only grown. He won’t pull punches.”
Cyborg crossed his metal arms. “And neither will we, but you’re in no condition to fight.”
“I’m not going back to the tower,” she refused.
Robin coughed in an uncharacteristically awkward manner then raised a finger with a suggestion. “Well, if you’re determined not to go back to the tower….”
Soft music wafted throughout the fancy, dimly lit restaurant. Glassware and fine China clinked delicately beneath the hum of low, easy chatter and violins. For a place uncouthly named Mama Macaroni, it certainly catered to an upper crust clientele.
A snobby waiter with a pencil thin mustache and a French accent stood tableside, a white hand-towel draped over one arm. “What would mademoiselle like to order?”
“Water,” Raven said flatly, simmering angrily at the fact that the entire team had agreed to Robin’s plan. With her there, the table was saved and allowed them to deal with Val-Yor.
Of course the restaurant was black-tie only so now she wore a smelly dinner jacket three sizes too big that Cyborg had stashed in the back of the T-car for some reason or another. She drummed her fingers on the table, almost wishing Val-Yor’s escape pod had smushed her flat, but at least this way, there was some hope the night might be salvaged.
“Okay, that’s one problem solved, now to Val-Yor,” Cyborg said as he closed the front door of the restaurant.
“What's he doing back here anyway?” Beast Boy scratched his head. “I thought he hated us now.”
Starfire nodded. “He does," she replied sadly. “Because of me.”
“No, because he’s a bigot,” Robin corrected. “You’ve done nothing wrong.”
“He thinks I have." She held onto her upper arm and looked away from the team. “He has come here to try and take me away.”
“Which we won’t let happen,” the Boy Wonder swore. “I’m not losing you Starfire. I promise.”
Buoyed by his ardent promise, Starfire finally looked up again, a small, hopeful smile coming to the edges of her lips. She reached out, unable to help herself, and took his hands. He was always so earnest, her Robin. She loved that the most about him, his passion in everything he did. “You said that he mentioned something of my home of Tamaran. I have not contacted Galfor in over five Tamaranean torsarps, but the last I spoke to him, Tamaran was building a new fleet for trading in the vaster cosmos. It could be something as simple as a trade negation that Val-Yor’s people do not like. He seems to hate so easily.”
“Yeah, well he won’t find you easy pickings, I can tell you that much,” Cyborg swore. “So what’re we waiting for? Let’s go give this bigot the boot.”
Robin nodded. “I’m with Cyborg on this one.”
“But should we not at least find out what the problem is?” Starfire asked hesitantly.
Beast Boy shook his head. “The problem is he’s a big, smelly jerk who hates you, Starfire. Case closed. We don’t need to hear him out. You can dial up your super scary nanny dude after we kick his butt and ask him about anything that might have gotten Val-Yor upset."
"The guy just sees hate." Cyborg shrugged. "You can’t reason with that.”
Uncertainty clouded Starfire’s face for a moment. Val-Yor was bringing accusations against Tamaran, trying to kidnap her because of it. Shouldn’t they find out what those accusations were? On the other hand, his hatred of Tamaraneans might make him embellish the truth. He thought them the enemy, whatever he said wouldn’t be able to be believed just because.
Still wary but having no desire to hear more cruel things about her people, Starfire nodded in agreement. “You are correct. I will contact my dearest knorfka after we have dealt with Val-Yor. He will surely explain all.”
"Then let's go." Robin firmly punched a fist into his open hand. "We've got a date with a kidnapping creep."
The communicator steadily blinked in Robin’s hand, leading them to the outskirts of the city. The T-Car zoomed to the destination, bringing them, at last to a construction site.
High metal fences and warning signage marked the new construction of apartments being built. It was still mostly just the framework, large empty rectangles of concrete and steel beams, but there were tools aplenty at the heart of the construction site, maybe enough to get Val-Yor’s damaged escape pod fixed up.
“This is definitely the place,” Cyborg confirmed they got out of the car and stood in front of the main gates. He tapped a button on his arm and looked at the readouts. “I’m picking up a ton of unusual electromagnetic activity. He must be trying to repair his ship.”
Beast Boy popped up over Cyborg’s shoulder and looked down at his arm as if he could possibly understand the complicated graphs and readouts. “Got any schematics of this place in that fancy arm of yours, Cy?”
Cyborg rolled his shoulder, causing Beast Boy to fall off in a heap of flailing limbs. “As a matter of fact, I do.” He tapped a button and a 3-D rendering of the construction site appeared. “This is the main entrance but there’s another on the opposite side of the site. With all the big buildings around, Val-Yor can’t probably take off very easily in that damaged hunk of junk. The two exits will be the only way he can get out of here, unless he actually manages to fix his ship that is.”
“We won’t let him get that far,” Robin vowed. He looked at the team and nudged his head to the construction site. Beast Boy, Cyborg, circle the site and come through the other entry point. We’ll pinch him in so he can’t get away. Send an alert to my communicator when you’re there.”
Cyborg gave a two-fingered salute of understanding then began to run swiftly around the edge of the construction fence. “Race ya there, BB!” he called out as he put on an extra burst of speed.
Beast Boy turned into a cheetah and easily outpaced Cyborg. The last thing Robin heard was an, “Aw man, that’s cheating!” from Cyborg as the two disappeared from view.
For the second time that night he and Starfire were alone, just as he had hoped. While Starfire looked at the entry gate, trying to puzzle through the many warning signs, Robin yanked a few dandelions and crab grass weeds growing from around the fence.
He had wanted it to be a bouquet of red roses but this would have to do. “Uh, Starfire?” he said hesitantly, causing her to turn. “Here.” He thrust the straggly clumps of dandelions and weeds out to her.
Starfire's eyes fell upon the weeds instantly. Of course they were not weeds to her, Robin knew. Starfire saw the beauty in everything.
“Robin these are most delightful plants,” Starfire replied admiringly, then she said softly, “but I do not think this is the time for such things.”
The plants seemed to wither and droop right there in Robin’s grip. He dropped them, and stepped forward apologetically. “I know, but I just wanted to give you something, to make the night a little special.” He sighed desultorily. “But it isn’t working. Nothing has been going right and it’s time that I just accept it. I know this night hasn’t been what you hoped and I want to apologize for—
Starfire stopped him by taking his hands. She held them gently, giving just a small, tender squeeze of understanding. “Apologize for nothing, Robin. This is not your fault. I think, instead of you finding me these most bright and delightfully smelling plants that we finally talk about something very important.”
Robin felt like withering just like the plants, but he forced himself to be brave. He swallowed hard. “Alright.”
“This will be a hard thing to maintain, us being of the boyfriend and girlfriend,” Starfire began. “Not because we do not want it, but because of the things we do. There will be times that we will be disappointed and will have wanted to do the date nights. Sometimes we will have those date nights, but there will be other times when we shall not. When that happens, we shall simply have to have it another time or perhaps something spontaneous.”
“I don’t want you to think that I’m putting protecting the city over you, Star,” Robin said. He wanted this like he had never wanted anything ever, ever before. He wanted to be her boyfriend, a good boyfriend.
Starfire nodded understandingly. “And yet we must. Both of us. I know what you want, Robin, I want it too. We can still have it, but helping others, doing the right thing, should come before our relationship, yes?”
She was right, Robin knew. When it came to saving the city, they had to put whatever plans they had on the backburner until they stopped the trouble. It didn’t make it an any less bitter pill to swallow, though. “You’re right, Star, but I still feel bad the night was ruined.” They had both been looking forward to their first official date, and now this.
Starfire smiled. “It is not ruined yet. There is still time to stop Val-Yor and make it to the Macaroni Mama. We must put the saving of the city first, but we will also try and still make times for our plans too. I will not let being the heroes of the city stop us from being the boyfriend and the girlfriend of each other.”
Robin warmed at Starfire’s words. Even though both of them had been looking forward to their date, she never stopped caring about anything, it was what made her the best of them. It also finally let him release his guilt about the date and focus on the mission. He had been worried that she might think he was putting the mission over her, but she understood, they both did. And now they were both on the same page.
The communicator in Robin’s tux pocket beeped suddenly, letting him know that Cyborg and Beast Boy had made it to the other entryway. “Ready?” Robin asked with a smile.
“To defeat Val-Yor and to finally commence with the date night?” Starfire leaned forward and pecked a kiss against Robin’s cheek, then turned to the entryway, starbolts pulsing around her hands. “Yes and yes.”
“Come in. High command, come in!” Val-Yor gritted through his teeth. Sparks shot from the emergency communicator in the escape pod as he desperately tried getting it to work. “I need immediate assistance. My escape pod is no longer capable of space-flight. I am wounded. Please send emergency extraction assistance. I have failed. If anyone, anyone at all is available to come to aid the capture the Tamaranean, please come. If there is no one at all, then know that our only hope is gone.”
The lights on the emergency communicator blinked steadily, then the entire thing exploded, dashing his hopes of reaching out for backup.
Val-Yor’s hands curled into fists of frustration. He panted raggedly as he stared at the destroyed communicator, his final hope gone. “Blast it all. Blast everything! I need men! I need a real ship!”
“What you need is cold jail cell,” Robin said from the darkness. Metal disks zipped through the air and landed at Val-Yor’s feet a moment before they exploded.
Val-Yor went flying backwards, only to be launched forward by the thick head of a yak crashing into his back. The alien rolled twice and landed in a heap beside two metal feet. The whine of a priming sonic cannon came from above and he looked up to see Cyborg pointing the sonic cannon down at him. “Don’t try anything man.”
“At this point,” Val-Yor panted. “I’ll try everything.”
He made a light whistle and the escape pod clanked as it rose unsteadily from the ground. It swept for Cyborg instantly.
Alarmed, Cyborg raised his cannon, blasting at the ship but it was still sturdy despite all of the damage. It crashed into him and metal legs popped out of the sides, made for crawling on uneven terrain.
They plunged at Cyborg, who grabbed them, holding two at bay.
A grapple line wrapped around the back legs, yanking them together as Robin launched himself at the dangerous machine. “Starfire, Beast Boy, get Val-Yor!”
Shapeshifter and Tamaranean launched themselves at the injured Val-Yor. Starbolts rained down as Beast Boy turned into a hawk, then into an elephant, landing atop the alien.
For a moment it seemed that had subdued him, then Beast Boy’s elephant form started to rise as Val-Yor lifted him. “You can’t take me down that easy.”
He threw Beast Boy at Starfire. Unable to fly out of the way, Starfire stared in horror until Beast Boy morphed into a puppy, crashing into her arms instead. He jumped out of her arms, turning back to his normal self. “Guess I forgot how strong he is.”
Starfire eyes glowed bright green. “But I have not.” Though her teammates were putting up an admirable fight, she knew she was the only one equal to Val-Yor’s durability and strength.
Roaring, Starfire flew at him. One good blow and he would be down. Though she didn’t want to hurt him, or anyone for that matter, it needed to be done before anyone else got hurt.
Val-Yor braced himself. He started to whistle again, but before the entire sequence of notes could warble free, Beast Boy flung himself at Val-Yor. He turned into a starfish and slapped himself over Val-Yor’s mouth.
Panicked, Val-Yor ripped Beast Boy off but it was too late. Starfire pummeled into him. Concrete shattered and dust plumed as she ran him through an entire section of half-built apartment units. They landed on the other side, this time with Starfire over him, a starbolt raised. “Please, do not make me hurt you more. Surrender.”
“I’ve heard that from troqs far too much lately,” Val-Yor coughed hatefully. “I’ll never surrender to one of you. Never.”
“I thought you at least respected me after I saved your life,” Starfire replied sadly. “I helped you.”
“You troqs are using that excuse all over the Vega system. Anything to get what you want, to lure others into a false sense of security before the trap snaps shut. But my people knew, we always knew. You can’t trust one of you. Never could.” Val-Yor weakly raised a hand and only then did Starfire see a button.
A detonator.
She looked over to where Robin, Cyborg, and now Beast Boy were fighting off the escape pod. The entire mechanical contraption was going haywire. It was sending out electrical bolts, twitching, strobing, and now it was beeping. Self-destruct.
Val-Yor smirked. “Choose, troq, me or your friends. Whatever that’s worth to Tamaranean scum.”
It wasn’t a choice. Starfire flew to the beeping escape pod instantly. Her hands flickered with starbolts. “Run! It will explode very—
She got no further as the pod lifted into the air and sailed towards a fleeing Val-Yor.
The thing whizzed past Starfire before she could even blink. She wondered what was happening then saw Val-Yor look over his shoulder, his eyes going wide. He hadn’t expected this either. He tried whistling to get the pod off course but it seemed glued to him. It had become too damaged, its sensors and mechanics too fried, its orders misaligned. Whatever destruction he had intended for them was instead now after him.
Without even a second thought, Starfire flew after it. The pod beeped faster and faster and faster, easily catching up with Val-Yor. It kept pace with him, seemingly spelling his doom until Starfire picked Val-Yor up by the shoulders.
“What are you doing?!” Val-Yor screamed. “You can’t outrace that pod!”
Starfire gritted her teeth and flew faster than she had ever flown before. “I must try.”
Faster and faster Starfire flew but the pod kept pace. The beeps only grew more rapid. The whole contraption groaned dangerously. Sparks erupted from the warped seams, shooting in violent arches.
Gritting her teeth Starfire pushed herself to the limit. She flew towards a small hill that stood far from the construction site and when she was nearly there, she looked over her shoulder and blasted the pod with her eye beams.
It pushed the pod back only a few inches, just as Starfire dove behind the hill, and the pod exploded.
The blast lit the night sky, turning it a brilliant, incendiary orange. The force of the blast threw them a little further over the hill, saving their lives. Dirt and stone showered her and Val-Yor as they impacted with the ground. The two of them went rolling down the hill and when they stopped, Starfire lay over Val-Yor, protecting him with her own body.
Panting, Starfire slowly sat up. They were safe. Val-Yor had sustained injuries from the blast but he was alive.
Despite his serious wounds, Val-Yor blinked at her disbelievingly. “You saved me…? Again?” he asked weakly.
Starfire stared at him steadily. “I am who I say I am. A hero. I know you hate me, but I will do what is right. Now we must get you to the hospital first before your prison. You are gravely injured.”
Something hummed above them suddenly. Starfire looked up to see a larger alien craft hovering over them. Apparently, some part of Val-Yor’s message for help had been received.
A large beam came down, covering Val-Yor in a brilliant white glow. Val-Yor stared at her, torn between hatred and hope. “If you truly mean it, then help,” he said suddenly.
With the last of his wavering strength, he thrust something into her hands.
Starfire gasped at the object. It was a smooth purple disk of metal, the sides intricately carved with Tamaranean runes. “What are you doing with…?”
She got no further as the ship enveloped Val-Yor into a filament cocoon. It hummed as it lifted him in the air then returned from wherever it had come. Val-Yor’s mission to capture her had failed.
Starfire watched as the ship disappeared then looked down at the thing in her palm. She nearly brought it up to eye-level to give it a better look when a shout rang out.
“Starfire!” Robin shouted from far away.
Starfire squeaked and, panicking, hid the object in her hair.
The Boy Wonder scaled the top of the damaged hill then spotted her at the foot. He ran to her and arrived in record time. Skidding to a stop, he panting raggedly as he looked her up and down. “Are you okay? Where’s Val-Yor?”
“He is gone. The emergency vessel he called for collected him.” Starfire looked up again into the spangled darkness from whence Val-Yor had come. “I do not think he will trouble us anymore. He must heal and by the time he does I think he will be far, far away.”
“Well, it may not have been the date night we thought we were going to get, but it was explosive,” Robin commented as he and Starfire walked slowly towards the construction site.
Starfire agreed with a hearty nod. “It was most lovely in its own way. The explosion was very beautiful! Like fireworks only far more dangerous.”
Robin laughed kindly. “Yeah, and hopefully Val-Yor takes the hint and decides he’s better off leaving you alone for good. I’m glad we sent that jerk packing.”
“I am as well,” Starfire agreed whole-heartedly. “He is still quite….”
“Cruel,” Robin filled in. “And it’s unacceptable. I really hope he never comes back. You’re ten times the person that he’ll ever be, Star.”
In the stillness, Starfire felt herself drawn to him. She closed her eyes and knew he did as well as they slowly leaned towards one another. Their lips nearly touched when the tires of the T-car suddenly squealed, making them pull away. Cyborg whipped the vehicle close as Beast Boy stuck his head out the window. “Dudes, Mama Macaroni’s closes in an hour! This date is going down. I didn’t turn into an elephant for nothing!”
“Again, I made the reservations, man!” Cyborg shouted. He stuck his body out of his own window and pointed to the car. “And he’s right about one thing, we are getting you to that date so hop in!” Smiling wide, Cyborg patted the top of the T-car. “My baby can make it to Mama Macaroni’s in no time.”
“Alright!” Robin cheered. He let go of Starfire’s hand and turned to her, all smiles and excitement. “Coming?”
Starfire beamed. “Yes, but I shall fly. I will be right behind you and we shall feast on the macaroni!”
Elated that the date was saved, Robin raced to the T-car. Cyborg remotely opened the back door and the Boy Wonder launched himself inside. The door slammed shut and white smoke billowed from the back wheels as Cyborg hit the gas. With the same squeal as before, the T-car rocketed off again, heading to the Mama Macaroni restaurant.
Starfire watched until the red taillights were out of sight. When they were gone, her smile fell into a worried frown. Carefully she pulled the object Val-Yor had thrust into her hands out from beneath her hair.
She hoped that she was mistaken about the disk, hoped that maybe she had just been seeing things, but as she stared at object once more, the Tamaranean runes on its surface were undeniable. She hadn’t seen one since she was a child but she knew what it was.
A military communicator.
Starfire placed her finger on the rune closet to her, then dragged her finger across the flat disk, hitting certain runes in a perfect encoded sequence. The purple disk flared, then the center of the disk opened and a hologram arose from it in hazy green bands of light.
A tall young Tamaranean male, only a few years younger than herself stood there. She had almost taken him for a child, but this was a young man in his earliest teens. Her eyes went wide the longer she stared at the figure. She couldn’t believe who it was or what she was seeing. It couldn’t be. How…?
“Generals,” the hologram message began, speaking in firm Tamaranean. “Daxam has fallen under our might. I want all interstellar ships docked for repair and our warriors rested and refreshed. Our next target, as I have been told, will be quite a challenge indeed.”