Prologue
Wizened blue eyes intently watched the video as Vidak'an Koriand'r, or Empress Starfire as she is generally known to the people of Jump City, took charge of the evacuation of the VILTUR'L as the containment of the ships engines was fading to complete breach. On the right side of the screen Tamaranean characters flickered and changed as the telemetry from the dying ship was matched to the events on the screen.
"Lishka," the woman watching the video said and the picture froze. "Elara gerto pevo," she ordered and the upper right section of the picture was enhanced. Just then, the computer to her right chimed softly and she quickly typed a command into her keyboard. She scanned the text that quickly filled the screen and her eyes widened in shock at what she read. "De X'Hal!" she reached over and tabbed the communication panel on her desk. "Pe va Vern'a, klevana Kemach Kim'r."
"Healer, to what do I owe this honor?"
"Captain, I have been doing some research and I just received an alarming piece of information on what the Empress has been looking at on our medical database. I am sending you a copy now." The older woman's fingers moved with surprising nimbleness over the keys. "Look at the access addresses, I believe it is not only the Empress that is looking."
Kim'r sighed worriedly, "I fear you are correct, Vern'a. What in X'Hal's name have they been looking for over the last month?"
"I believe I may have an answer, Captain. I am sending you the digest of my research, along with a reminder that Koriand'r was in close proximity to a primary pulse from a large engine going critical."
"How certain are you of this, Healer?" Kim'r asked a moment later when she finished reading over the information.
"How certain to I have to be, Captain? She is the first survivor of a core breach. I had cautioned both her and Lord Galfore against her not coming home for observation. The pattern of what they have been inputting for their searches bears out my findings."
Vern'a listened as Kim'r's sigh came over the speaker. "Very well, I shall contact, Vido'an Robin and see if I can get any answers from him."
"I thank you for your confidence, Captain. I pray to X'Hal that we will be able to help."
Far across space, on a blue and white swirled planet someone else was watching a video monitor. The scene was the same young redhead floating in the air above a roof. Her left arm extended, hand glowing brightly green and pointed at a dark haired young man in black and gray armor. He had his left arm pointed toward her, a device on his wrist glowing red. They held that pose for a moment, then Starfire lowered her arm cooling her star bolt followed almost instantly by Robin doing the same.
The scene flickered and changed to what looked like a bombed out structure with a large circular pit in the middle. All the Titans, save Raven, were there and Starfire turned and she and Robin embraced for a moment then Robin hurried off. The picture faded and the person who had been watching picked up a newspaper page from the console. It was from what he termed the gossip section and the article with the largest headline was the one that had caught his attention.
"Has the Tamaranean temptress captured Robin's heart?" he read softly to himself as he looked at the accompanying photo, showing the two arm in arm at the scene of the high rise fire.
"I never thought you would ever find any useful information in that section of the paper, sir."
"Indeed, old friend, but I learned a long time ago that information can be found in the most unexpected of places. You are certain that Robin received the package I had you deliver?"
"Absolutely, sir. As I told you the young lady was not Starfire, but another of her race. Do you think he viewed the tape?"
"No question of that. Once he knew it was from me he couldn't help himself but to view it if for no other reason but to try to get more information on me."
The tape in question was indeed being viewed but not for the first time and with only Robin as the viewer. The scene was a news studio with it's anchor desk. A blonde woman wearing a navy blue blazer was facing the camera and the words "Jump City Beat" was projected on the screen over her left shoulder.
"I'm Tami Wilder, and today's Jump City Beat has a wider view today as we have exclusive footage from the high rise fire scene yesterday," she said and the picture switched from her to a video showing a cheering crowd. The camera quickly panned over to frame Robin and Starfire as Star walked over to Robin and put her arm around his shoulders. A moment later Robin's arm went around Star's waist. The reporter's voice continued on as the tape was paused. "From this reporter's point of view, it appears as though a budding romance has been going on in Titan's Tower. An unconfirmed source has revealed that Robin and Starfire are indeed a couple, but wouldn't comment any further. In other news. . . . . "
The screen went black for a moment then an all to familiar masked face appeared on the screen. "Sloppy, Robin," Slade said. "And here I thought you wouldn't do anything to endanger your friends. You might as well have painted a target on her. I hope you realize that there is now a price of sorts on her pretty little head, and yes, my bid has been placed as well."
The screen went black, and Robin turned slightly in his chair at the small sound from behind him. He sighed softly as he saw that Starfire had simply turned over in her sleep, and he smiled as he felt what she was dreaming of through their bond. Realizing that there was nothing more to be learned from the tape, he shut down his computer and went back to bed. He settled in and sighed happily as he felt Star slide closer to him, her hand slipping up to the middle of his chest as he lay on his back.