Chapter 37

Robin sat on the picnic blanket and looked up at Starfire, who was hovering a short distance away, laughing as she watched two squirrels chasing each other up and down a tree. He saw her turn to him, her face concerned.

"Robin? What is wrong?" she asked as she felt his distress through their bond. She saw him look into the sky, his face draining of color.

"Nie'l!" he cried out. Before he could say anything more, both his and Starfire's Tamaranean communicators started beeping.

"Rob'n, Koriand'r," Galfore called as his face appeared on their communicators. Robin noticed that the picture was occasionally broken up by flashes of static. "The POJOR, SHRASS, and VANDER have returned with two more ships we have not yet identified. Their fighters have damaged to TOMOR'O, SOMOR'O, BRIND'R, ROSHON'R, BOROMI'R and SOMON'R. The NUMEN'R and ourselves are engaging the Gordanian ships, hoping to cover their retreat as are the LIANDER, TAMAR, and VANYAR."

"Galfore, what of Nie'l? Is he well?"

The look on the old warrior's face confirmed what Robin felt through his bond with the youngster. "I did not wish to tell you this in this manner, my Lady, but the POJOR and VANDER concentrated their fire on us and damaged the bridge. He died instantly when a control panel he was standing beside exploded."

Just then, the picture seemed to shudder, and Robin realized it was the ROHA'N that shuddered. "X'Hal, no!" Galfore gasped as he scanned a panel to his right. What indicators Robin could see on it were flashing red. Some were dark. "The SHRASS just hit our engineering areas with it's particle cannon. I am ordering all hands to the escape pods. Navigator, report!"

"My Lord, we are losing altitude and impacting on the Terran atmosphere. Without power, we can not stabilize our orbit. In short, my Lord, this ship is doomed. I have calculated our point of impact, however."

The camera followed Galfore as he leaned over and looked at the Navigation Officer's calculations. "X'Hal, it gets worse. Rob'n, Koriand'r, our point of impact is your home. What you call Titans Tower."

The ROHA'N's bridge shook again and the picture dissolved to static then went black.

Robin quickly opened his Titan communicator. "Cyborg, Raven, Beast Boy! Evacuate the Tower! The ROHA'N has been shot down from orbit, and it's going to crash into the Tower!"

"No can do, Robin," Cyborg replied, the quarantine lock down alarm sounding in the background. "Somehow, about a hundred Sladebots got into the Tower before the security system detected them. The system has locked everything down, and I can't access it anymore. We're trapped in here, but we're not goin down without a fight."

There was the sound of several laser shots and the painful roar of a tiger, then the transmission was cut off.

Robin spun when he heard Starfire cry out in pain, and he ran over to where she had fallen. "Star, where are you hurt?"

"It is not me, Robin, but Raven," she replied, her eyes streaming with tears. "She is no longer with us. Your pain over Nie'l's death must be overshadowing your bond with Raven." Starfire stood, then took flight again. "I must go and help my people. I can help to guide the escape pods to a safe landing place."

"Starfire! No! They are probably waiting to catch you!"

Robin's word fell on deaf ears as Starfire kept gaining altitude, heading to where escape pods could now be seen entering the atmosphere.

Their attention was drawn to where a loud roaring sound heralded the arrival of the ROHA'N.

"My God!" Robin gasped as he saw that the vessel was mostly intact, but breaking up rapidly. He and Starfire watched helplessly as the burning hulk streaked across the sky and slammed into the island on which Titans Tower stood. "Nnnnnooooooo!" they both cried at seeing their home destroyed.

"Robin, please understand. I must help who I can of my people."

Robin stepped over to try to get closer to the Tamaranean Princess as she, again, started gaining altitude. A noise to his right caught his attention.

"You've got problems of your own, Boy Wonder. You should have stayed in Gotham."

"Benny the dart," Robin said when he recognized the young man standing a few feet away, a gun pointed in his direction.

"No darts this time. You're dead for what you did to me before," Benny said, and Robin watched him pull the trigger.

With a strangled shout Robin sat bolt upright, his head coming up from the desk he had fallen asleep at. His hand shook as he wiped the sweat from his brow and face, and he struggled to get his heart beat back to normal. "It was only a dream," he sighed, then realized that it was one that he had been sharing with Starfire.

Because of their bond, he was now seeing the nightmare from Starfire's point of view.

"Robin!" she screamed as she saw him on the ground, his blood making a growing stain on the grass. "Shu jelarakana nechevu!" she bellowed, her eyes glowing bright green and the heat of her star bolt energy causing her tears to turn to steam. Through the haze of her fury, she saw Benny point his gun at her, and she snapped. Her eye beams caught him full in the chest and the flurry of star bolts aided in slamming him back against a tree. She hovered there a moment and watched his limp form sag to the ground.

'Kori, no!' Robin said through their bond.

Still locked in her nightmare Starfire thought Robin was barely holding on to life. 'It is alright, beloved. Even according to your laws, death would be a fitting punishment for him.'

Robin struggled to his feet and staggered to the door to Starfire's bed room on the ROHA'N. He braced himself against the door as he struggled to keep the images from Starfire's nightmare from overwhelming him.

In the nightmare, Starfire kept gaining altitude until she was at the edge of Earth's atmosphere. She watched an escape pod approaching, and started to brace herself to slow it and ease it to the ground, but had to turn away as it exploded with a bright flash. When she turned to look for another pod, she gaped in horror as she saw Gordanian fighters swarming through the defenseless pods, shooting them down.

Not thinking of her own safety, she flew at the nearest fighter, eye beams and star bolts blazing. She had no time to celebrate the ships' destruction, as another one literally ran into her. The impact stunned the redhead, and as she struggled to regain her bearings, several other ships joined in. Each one struck a glancing blow.

Starfire blinked rapidly, hoping to clear her vision and almost wished she hadn't. A fighter was hovering before her, its main gun glowing as it built to discharge. She knew what was coming, but was too battered to move out of the way. Despite bracing herself, she cried out from the pain as the charged particle beam lanced out and struck her.

Robin groaned as he managed to get himself up on his hands and knees. He knew the images were all in his mind, but it felt so real. He took a few calming breaths, and managed to at least partially block what he was getting through the bond. He thought of taking off his crystal, but realized what Starfire would go through if she awoke before he managed to get to her side.

He breathed a sigh of relief as Starfire's unconsciousness in her nightmare gave him a brief respite. He opened the door and went in. He cursed under his breath as he shook his head to clear it of the hazy image of a Gordanian standing in front of him.

"I will never give in to your demands!" he heard Starfire shout in Tamaranean.

Robin quickly crossed over to Starfire's side, and reached down and shook her shoulders to try to wake her up. He thought he had succeeded when her eyes opened, but his relief vanished as she spat a curse at him. Her left hand grabbed his right shoulder, and her right slammed into his stomach.

"You will not!" she shouted as her alien strength allowed her to lift and toss Robin across the room where he slammed into a wall.

Ignoring the pain where his left shoulder hit the wall harder, Robin got to his feet, but kept his distance. "Kori, wake up!"

"Ro. . . . .Robin? You are not dead?" she asked as she sat up.

"No Star, I'm right here. That was all a nightmare. Calm yourself, and you'll find that Raven is alright, too."

Starfire closed her eyes for a moment, and Robin could tell that her breathing was slowing as she calmed her self down, realizing that she and her friends were safe and sound.

"Yes. You are right. She is unharmed, although very concerned."

"I should have realized that something like this might happen," Robin said as he sat on the edge of the bed and put an arm around her shoulders. "Was that like the nightmares you had when we first lived in the Tower?"

Starfire snuggled into Robin's open arms, and he could feel her still trembling. "No, beloved. This was far worse. The nightmares I had then did not include any of you, or Nie'l and the others. They were simply reliving occurrences from when I was aboard the SHRASS."

Robin felt her relax with a shuddering sigh as she tried to snuggle closer to him. He shifted around so his back was to the headboard of the bed, and his arms were wrapped around her. "Think you can get back to sleep like this?" he asked after he had kissed the top of her head.

"If you do not curb your thoughts, sleeping will be the furthest thing from my mind, my husband," Starfire said playfully.

Robin sighed softly. "Then it's back to the couch in your ante room for me."

Starfire hugged Robin's arms to her, keeping him from leaving. "No." she said softly. "I only meant to tease, my love. You have been most. . . .admirable in your restraint, and in following Vern'a's instructions. She may be one of the ones pressing for us to produce an heir, but she is also aware that I am not yet fully recovered. Is being around me like this that difficult?"

Starfire had tilted her head back so she could look up at Robin's face. He looked down at her and he could see the concern on her face. "It's okay, Star. It's just that I'm used to seeing you in your uniform."

He was surprised when she got up and stood a few feet away. "Is there something wrong with this?"

Like any typical teen aged boy, Robin's brain slipped out of gear for a moment as he looked at her. When it finally started working again he found that he had to admit, that with the exception of her not wearing her boots, the silk camisole top and satin shorts she was wearing probably covered more of her than her usual outfit. He shook himself when he felt her amusement at his blatant staring.

He pulled at the neck of his uniform shirt and cleared his throat. "No, Star, there's nothing wrong with it," he said. "It's just that . . . .well. . . . .satin and silk. . .have a tendency to. . . . .umm. . . . .cling more."

Starfire almost chuckled at Robin's obvious discomfort. "I see," she said, her eyes glittering in amusement. She floated over to a full length mirror and made a show of studying her reflection. "You are most correct," she said as she smoothed the fabric over her hips. "And the sensation of the fabric on the skin is. . . ."

"Kori!" Robin half cried from across the room. "Stop it."

Starfire looked over her shoulder at him, then blushed. She floated over and stood beside where he now sat on the edge of the bed. "I am most sorry, Robin. I forget that just because you do not show your feelings, it does not mean that you do not have them. Indeed, I have learned quite the opposite. Your feelings and emotions run just as deep as any Tamaraneans, even mine." she reached down and trailed her fingers over his cheek. "I apologize for teasing you."

Robin took her hand from his cheek then kissed the palm, his thumb gently rubbing over the underside of her wrist. "Apology accepted, Star. Now just how shall I punish you for that?"

Starfire looked at him in amusement. "Punish me, Robin? You may be my husband, which makes you a prince, but you are not from Tamaran. Do not think that you can take upon yourself to. .eeeppp."

Starfire squealed in surprise as Robin suddenly turned, dragging her down beside him on the bed. Her surprise showed clearly on her face as she looked up at him as he now knelt beside her. "Robin, what do you intend to do?" Suddenly her eyes widened, as she learned what he was going to do through their bond. "X'Hal, no! Robin, do not, I beg of you."

Robin grinned evilly at her and nodded. Starfire tried to resist, but was over come with peals of laughter as his fingers went to her skin just below her ribs and tickled. After a few moments, he stopped and waited for her to catch her breath.

"X'Hal, Robin. . . . .when did . . . .you learn. . . .I was ticklish there?"

"When we went to Tamaran, for your wedding," he replied. "After you and Galfore greeted each other, he tickled you." He settled next to her, laying on his right side, then he brushed his knuckles over her cheek. "I just didn't know you were that ticklish," he added with a chuckle. He smiled broadly when she blushed.

"When I was very young, I was sick with a bad case of xalocha. It is similar to your earthly flu." she explained. "One thing I used to enjoy doing when I was home was picking zorka berries. Because during the worst part of xalocha the person who is ill suffers hallucinations, I had been given veka serum, so I could not fly to reach the remaining berries. Galfore lifted me up and accidentally discovered that I was ticklish."

Starfire looked over at Robin. "Aside from my love of my parents, I had never felt such joy. Galfore promised me before I left with the Gordanians that if we met again, he would have me experience that happiness again."

While he listened, Robin's fingers were absently tracing over her cheek and neck. He smiled softly when he heard her sharp intake of breath as his fingers trailed over the skin just below her ear. "I didn't mean to intrude on anything."

Starfire turned her head so she was looking at him. "You did not intrude, Robin. I hope that you know that you give me more happiness just by being near me." She saw Robin returning her smile as her breath caught in her throat as his fingers trailed down her shoulder to her upper arm. With a soft groan she stood up. "I will go change into something less. . . . .tempting for both our sakes."

Robin sat up and watched her float over to her bathroom. "Well, you can try."

Starfire stopped and looked back at him over her shoulder. "What is this burlap sack you are thinking of?"

Robin blushed and chuckled nervously. It's a large bag made of a coarse cloth," he explained. "They're usually used for taking vegetables to market."

Starfire giggled softly, as she saw the image in Robin's mind of her wearing a burlap sack. "So even dressed like that I would be attractive to you?"

"Face it, Kori. To me, there is no one more attractive than you, no matter what you wear. While you go change, I think I'll do the same, and get into something a little more comfortable."

"Then I shall await your return."

Robin shook his head as he chuckled when the door closed behind him. He quickly entered the bath room that was attached to the main room of the small suit that Starfire had. After a quick, cold shower, he changed into a pair of sweat pants and t-shirt. He stopped at the door to Starfire's room when he froze at the voice behind him.

"Vido'an Rob'n, is Vidak'an Koriand'r well?"

Robin turned as saw Kir'a standing a few feet away, her robe held closed. Despite the sleepy look on her face he could see the concern there as well. "She's fine, Kir'a. She just had a bad dream."

Kir'a nodded. "So Captain Kim'r was correct in her belief that she might have some. Does she require anything to ease her mind and help her to sleep? I can call Healer Vern'a."

"All she needs is my company," he said, and smiled softly at how the youngster's face lit up. "I'll tell her that you were asking."

"Thank you, Highness. I will see you both in the morning," she said then turned to go back to her room. She stopped just short of the door and turned back to Robin. "Will you be wanting your first meal served in bed?"

"No, thank you. We'll be eating in the port observation lounge."

"As you wish, Highness." She bowed slightly and watched Robin enter Starfire's room and the door close. "To quote Titan Cyborg, boo-yah," she said with a huge smile.

Robin stood just inside the door and let his eyes adjust to the lack of light. He jumped slightly as Starfire lighted up the room by forming a star bolt.

"You realize that you have just fed the mill of rumors, correct?"

"Well it'll at least get Galfore and Vern'a off our backs. Their concern was that I was sleeping on the couch. That wouldn't set a proper image for our people. Besides, you were the one who told her that I wasn't sleeping in here because I didn't think I could keep my hands off you, despite Vern'a's medical orders."

Starfire giggled as Robin settled onto the mattress beside her. "I did not know that my saying that was so near to the truth. Pleasant shlorvaks, my husband." As she spoke, Starfire had cooled her star bolt, and turned on her side, facing away from Robin. She smiled as she felt him snuggle in behind her, his left arm going around her waist.

"Pleasant dreams to you too, Kori," he whispered in her ear.