Author's Note: I've had writer's block on this story for a VERY LONG time but I feel that I've been starting and not finishing a lot of stories and that the right thing to do is come back and end these ones. Special credit goes to Absentia for suggesting the "Diplomatic Immunity" argument, which I had not been aware of, but have used in this chapter.

Chapter 11

Public opinion was divided on the Titans' exile. In Jump City, as well as other superhero cities such as Gotham and Steel, most residents were in support of legal amnesty for Starfire and Raven, as they knew firsthand the benefits of superhero protection. However, in other areas of the country, which did not experience the ravages of supervillains such as Cinderblock or Slade Wilson, opinion polls found a clear split on the issue that corresponded to the split over the illegal immigration issue in general. Those who supported amnesty for the two female Titans also tended to support amnesty for illegal aliens in general; those who opposed amnesty in this case generally opposed it for other illegals as well.

Jonathan Granger did not give up on the case. He appealed all the wayto the California Supreme Court andhad hislegal assistants and secretarysearch the archives of American statutes and case law for a way to make the Titans legal.

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Author's Note:

There are several possible story arcs that I had considered; I no longer have the patience to write them completely out, so I will summarize them here for you and let you pick the one you want. Tangents 1 and 2 are Robin/Starfire pairings, Tangent 3 is Robin/Raven, and Tangent 4 is Starfire/Raven.

Tangent 1

Robin finds that his true love is for Starfire and leaves Earth to accompany her on Tamaran. Raven returns to her dimension of Azarath, but finds it deserted. With nowhere else to go, she joins Starfire and Robin on Tamaran and is permitted to stay in the imperial palace. Meanwhile, several months pass between the initial deportation hearing and the eventual trial at the California Supreme Court, as Jonathan Granger continues to appeal the case through the system to higher courts. In this time, Robin and Starfire are married, and Robin becomes Crown Prince Richard, destined to succeed Galifore as Emperor of Tamaran.

When the California Supreme Court hears the case, Granger argues that Starfire should have been given diplomatic immunity because she was foreign royalty visiting the United States. The state's lawyers counter that there were no official diplomatic relations between the Tamaranian Empire and the USA at the time of the deportation order. The court upholds the deportation, so Granger informs Robin and Starfire that their best hope now is for the Tamaranian government to open diplomatic relations with America, thus allowing diplomatic immunity to protect them. Because Robin has automatically gained Tamaranian citizenship by marrying Starfire, he is considered a naturalized Tamaranian citizen, which means that he has legally renounced his American citizenship; Starfire can no longer use it to apply for legal residency in America.

In any case, though, this no longer matters as Robin tells Granger to drop the case. He has decided to stay permanently on Tamaran with his wife. He begins using his real name, Richard Grayson, instead of his superhero alias. He is the first non-Tamaranian Crown Prince of Tamaran in history and is well-liked by his new people. Raven, however, decides to return to the Teen Titans, so, under Granger's advice,Starfire gives her a Tamaranian citizenship and appoints her to a high office in the Tamaranian government. Thus given diplomatic immunity, Raven returns to Jump City and continues on as a Titan.

The deportation occurred in the year 2006. The next year, war breaks out between Tamaran and the alliance of Gordania and Dreknath IV. Blackfire is a high official in the Dreknathian government and Slade fights on the Gordanian side as a mercenary, bothleading invading armies against the Tamaranians. Leading the Tamaranians in battle, Richard, Raven, and Starfire win the war together.

Galifore dies peacefully after many years(or perhaps he is killed in the war) and Richard ascends the throne with Starfire.

(This tangent is the one I personally like the best, because Robin/Starfire seems to be supported more by the Cartoon Network series and also because it fits neatly with my other story, "Operation Tamaranian Freedom", which goes into a detailed history of the war and assumes a very similar background to the one provided by this storyline.)

Tangent 2

The same as Tangent 1 except that Robin and Starfire decide to return to Earth. They travel to the USA in a Tamaranian ship and make official first contact with U.S. government officials, then set up a Tamaranian Embassy in Jump City. Under Granger's advice, they also extend diplomatic immunity to Raven by appointing her to a high office in the Tamaranian government. The five Titans are reunited and continue protecting Jump City.

When war breaks out in 2007(Tamaran vs. Gordania/Dreknath just as in Tangent 1), Robin, Starfire, and Raven are recalled to Tamaran since they have a duty to fight for their new nation. Slade, too, goes to Tamaran and fights for the Gordanians. Blackfire (just like in Tangent 1)leads the Dreknathians in battle againstthe people who have rejectedand exiled her.Beast Boy and Cyborg go with the other Titans and the five Titans all help to defeat Slade and Blackfire. Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy become decorated war heroes and are offered high positions in the Tamaranian government by a grateful Emperor Galifore. They decline, preferring to return to their home in Jump City. The five Titans go back to Earth and keep serving as superheroes in Jump City.

Galifore dies peacefully after many years; Robin and Starfire are recalled to Tamaran to serve as the Emperor and Empress. Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy continue their superhero careers on Earth and occasionally visit the Tamaranian royal family.

Tangent 3

Robin finds that his true love is for Raven and leaves Earth, following her to Azarath. They find that Azarath is deserted and at least temporarily, stay on Tamaran. Starfire is disappointed that Robin doesn't share her feelings for him, but she is accepting and kind as always. Granger makes the diplomatic immunity argument and loses, just as in Tangent 1. This doesn't apply to Raven, though. Raven and Robin get married and Granger informs them that Raven can now apply for legal residency using her husband's American citizenship. This allows Robin and Raven to return to the Teen Titans. The four Titans continue being superheroes in Jump City.

Meanwhile, the war between Tamaran and the Gordanian/Dreknathian alliance occurs, and Starfire leads her people against the invaders. Slade is a mercenary for the invasion and Blackfire a Dreknathian official(just as in Tangent 1), andtogether they succeed inoutmaneuvering and defeatingthe lonely Starfire. Tamaran is subjugated and Galifore is overthrown.

Blackfire is made the new Empress of Tamaran and brutally asserts the royal authority, revoking the rights and freedoms permitted by Galifore andexecuting thousands of people who had been loyal to him. After rebuilding the ravaged planet, Blackfire's Tamaranian regime allies together with Gordania and Dreknath to invade Earth. The four surviving Titans join with other superheroes (including the Justice League) to defend the Earth. Once again Slade commands the invading armies. The disunited Human nations on Earth are soon defeated by the Tamaranians' superior technology and enslaved. The Titans become leaders of a guerrilla resistance movement that persists for centuries, but they do not live happily ever after.

Tangent 4

Starfire and Raven discover their true love for each other and go to Tamaran together. Robin is disappointed that his feelings for a female Titan are one-sided but he accepts their relationship and returns to Earth, continuing to lead the Titans. On Tamaran, a massive public debate takes place as the Tamaranians must deal with an unprecedented situation. Although Tamaran has a legal procedure for same-sex marriages, once Starfire and Raven are married the Tamaranian lawyers are divided over whether Raven should be made an heir to the throne alongside her wife. If Raven were granted the title of Crown Princess, then Tamaran would be destined to have two simultaneous empresses at some point in the future. The Tamaranian peopleare open to this possibility, but officials worry about the negative impact on diplomatic relations withother governments that might not be as tolerant.

Furthermore, such a pair presented a problem for dynastic succession, because Starfire and Raven obviously would not be able to have children together. When both empresses were dead, who would ascend the throne? Tamaranian scientists offered a solution: They could splice the genetic code of the two princesses together in the lab to create hybrid Tamaranian-demon-human embryos, which either princess could carry to term. In all likelihood, these daughters would find heterosexual Tamaranian mates and thus continue the dynasty.

War breaks out just as in Tangent 1, with Sladeand Blackfire again commanding the Gordanians/Dreknathians. Starfire and Raven lead the Tamaranian forces in battle and, together, manage to defeat Slade and Blackfireand repel the invasion of Tamaran.

Galifore dies peacefully after many years (or perhaps he is killed in the war) and Raven and Starfire become, for the first time in Tamaranian history, the two Empresses of Tamaran.