Chapter Title: Impostor
Word Count: 2,719
Italics indicate spoken Tamaranean.
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While he anxiously paced around Starfire's quarters in the streaming morning rays, Robin realized he couldn't remember the last time he'd actually kissed her. Granted they were on Tamaran and kissing wasn't a social interaction outside of language acquisition and he hadn't felt the desire to draw any more wary eyes judging him as the off-worlder he was. But after so many years of not kissing her, once Tokyo finally happened, he thought he'd be kissing her a lot more. And dammit, he wanted to kiss her more.
"Star," Robin broke his concentrated gaze to turn attention to the redhead floating meditatively on the balcony. She was missing Raven's company at the moment and was mentally trying to alleviate some of the emptiness with their normal shared activity.
Starfire's green eyes passively looked up at him in acknowledgment.
"Can we maybe take a day off from the tournament?" He offered a small plea.
Her brow furrowed in confusion as she searched his face to figure out what had prompted this request before countering with a question of her own.
"You wish us to be here longer?"
"No...I just feel like a bit of escape would be good...for both of us." Robin reasoned.
That and it was hard to think about romance when you were worried about survival at the forefront of your mind.
"The next event isn't scheduled until moonset so perhaps we could get out of the castle for some time." Starfire replied with the smallest fleck of spark to her eyes.
There were places on her home planet she longed to see once more and their last visit had been understandably rushed so perhaps now was the right moment to revisit them. Death threats aside, it would be a welcome change of pace.
She had to admit he was an enjoyable flight partner. His trust in her as they ascended from the balcony and flew into the Tamaranean atmosphere was freeing. It gave her a little more joy than necessary and she found herself having to quickly dip back into an atmospheric zone more comfortable for Robin's temperature and breathing needs when she noticed the full body shivering and strangled breaths coming from her passenger.
Several minutes later they landed at the edge of a dried up lake basin. Charred tree stumps lined the area to the west and an impossibly large cavern stood gaping behind them. Robin noted the calcified remains of foreign animal bones peeking from the sandy earth. On every planet, nature reclaims its inhabitants with time.
"This was my favorite spot as a child. My family would picnic here every summer, but that was all before the destruction of Tamaran's resources." Starfire distantly spoke.
"I imagine with water it would kind of resemble the park we have back in Jump."
"It is why I like the park so much, though here the water was purple." Starfire grinned.
"So what happened?" Robin asked cautiously.
"The simplest of the rules of war...cut off or, in this case, destroy the supply of resources and your enemy will be forced to yield eventually. Our enemies tried to poison the water source, but we found ways to purify it before talk of defeat could come...so they removed the source."
"Oh…" Robin replied in uncertainty. This was far from the romantic getaway he'd hoped, but it seemed helpful for Starfire to be able to share and talk through some of the past.
"Not all of us were adaptable of course...the sources we found for liquid ingestion became more primitively animal based as it took many years for us to cultivate plant life again."
Starfire haphazardly tossed an orange rock into the lake basin as if simulating a skipped rock on the water. Given her strength, it skimmed over the dried earth a few times before landing in the dead center. She straightened her shoulders and wiped the sadness from her face.
"I wasn't allowed in the cave." She noted curiously turning to face the widely yawning cavern behind them. Cool air flowed freely from the mouth indicating wherever it led to was far underground.
"Too dangerous?" He offered inquisitively.
Her hair fell behind her as she tipped her head up to laugh, a mischievous glint overtaking her eyes.
"My parents gave me my first real weapon at 4; my ability to circumvent danger was not of concern." Starfire laughed openly.
"Then why weren't you allowed in the cave?" Robin pressed.
"It was not a place nobility were allowed." Starfire spoke, her tone quieting down as they stepped over a few large rocks before entering the cavern. A lit starbolt in her hand revealed hundreds of carved initials into the walls, faintly glistening with the microbial overgrowth that clung to the caverns edges.
Silently Robin grabbed Starfire's unlit hand. A mere dozen feet from the entrance and the cavern's darkness felt endless.
"A Grand Ruler far earlier than my father is the reason no royal is allowed. Blackfire told me this Grand Ruler fell in love with a resource and crop cultivator and he and his lover would meet in this cave while the Grand Ruler's wife slept. When the wife found out she ordered the common man killed and the guards obliged. It created a rift that still mars the classes today."
"So what, the they plot leadership overthrows here?" Robin teased.
"No; it is still just a place for lovers. But still a glaring symbol of what nobility is no longer allowed." Starfire sighed raking thin fingers over the carved letters in the wall.
"What do you mean?"
"Had I not refused the throne my marriage would still be out of duty, not love. Whether that was because of my claim to the throne or as a duty to treaties for one who claimed it, I would still be obligated."
Minerals fluoresced in the carved letters leaving a firefly trial of glowing spaces at Starfire's touch.
His mask narrowed to catch glimpses of her moving in the shadows. She trailed light where she went, but no matter how graceful her movements, the melancholy still added its weight.
Calculating her next movements, he ensnared her in a tight embrace.
"I'm really glad you're not duty bound into marriage anymore."
A flat honesty to his tone, following which hungry lips brought down upon hers and she met him with equal fervor. Sharp breaths and quiet moans amplified as they resonated off the cave walls. Robin took one distracted moment to wonder how caves seemed to be a common thread in his relationship advancement and how much the batcave had messed him up for it, before being thoroughly distracted by Starfire's body lifting off the ground with her legs wrapped around him. His mind whirred with the possibility of moving things further, but it all seemed rushed. Granted they were facing death at every turn, so maybe normal time constraints didn't really matter, but before Robin could decide one way or another a flash of light struck the Tamaranean and they both landed to the ground with a resounding thud.
"You're not supposed to be in here, princess." A sneering voice called into the darkness.
Male. Nasally. And likely blocking the entrance given the way the sound waves traveled.
"A true Tamaranean would have utilized eye beams, and yet you rely on lasers. Curious." Starfire spat back moving herself between Robin and the intruder.
"How do you know I didn't?" Came the reply. Inquiry over venom to the vocalization.
"The energy signature is different. When the beam struck me, I could feel it. You are not one of us."
"Neither is he," The shadowy figure motioned to Robin, "And yet you don't seem to have a problem sleeping with offworlders."
"Let us take this argument to the light. It serves no one to fight on revered ground." Starfire commanded gesturing for Robin to remain behind her.
"And yet you'd defile it just the same." The voice retorted.
"I am no longer nobility; I am interim nobility until the next lineage can be chosen. Therefore I am allowed just as any Tamaranean would be." Starfire reminded.
In the light the figure became instantly recognizable. Dark facial features sunk deep into a pinched face. Flaming red hair that cropped up the way a fire reaches towards the free oxygen in the atmosphere. He was a man they had regarded as suspicious since he had first asked a question at one of the previous elimination events.
"It cannot be a regulation challenge for the throne if that is what you are after given the lack of witnesses." Starfire reminded the man as they took fighting stances on opposite sides of the empty lake basin. "If you wish to revoke your threat I would gladly let you go unharmed."
"You wish, princess. It doesn't have to be regulation; one of us won't be returning for tonight's portion of the tournament." The man snarled.
Starfire tried to motion for Robin to stay back, but he shook his head at her.
"It's a normal fight, Star. We've done this plenty. Besides, I could use a good spar." Robin grinned.
For an ambush attempt the man came armed with nothing outside of the laser he'd used earlier. A simple choreographed takedown took less than 10 minutes much to Robin's disappointment. The man was no good at hand to hand combat and notably lacked Tamaranean strength.
Starfire attempted to interrogate the man once they had him securely ensnared one of the nets from Robin's utility belt, but the man quickly passed out.
Starfire studied the man carefully. He looked as though he belonged well enough, but he had no abilities and no strength that would indicate true Tamaranean lineage. She felt her breath catch when she noticed a symbol engraved into the ring on the man's finger.
Robin looked up at the sound, but Starfire could only tap her finger as an indication of what she'd found. Her mind reeling with colliding tumultuous thoughts and the dredged up panic of the past.
Robin removed the ring from the man's finger and instantly the man began to transform back into his true form.
"Cloaking technology…" Robin muttered looking at the heap before them. It was still a man though now much more broad shouldered with jutting chin. The figure before them was a species of alien they had previously interacted with and it only served to confuse Robin further.
What was a Vernathian doing impersonating a Tamaranean?
As if Starfire could read Robin's mind she softly spoke with a visible wince.
"The technology belongs to the Psions."
"And they are?" Robin pressed curiously.
"The reason we don't have green lanterns in this sector." Starfire evasively replied.
"Starfire, I need to know what we're up against." Robin insisted.
"He may just be a scout for them. It may be nothing. They do not invade but rather experiment and observe. He is rather fresh to them as they haven't taken the time to alter his form. I suspect they intercepted his ship." Starfire sighed.
"Someone has been trying to kill you and you don't think this is part of it?" Robin asked incredulously.
"I will not set foot on that ship again." Starfire adamantly spoke.
"Star, what are you talking about?" Robin perplexedly interjected.
"I am a failed experiment. Or rather an unfinished one. Blackfire and I escaped before they could discover the true limits to our energy absorption." She turned over the lit starbolt in her hand staring down at it dismally. "When I escaped, I just barely retained my life. The Psions leave us alone, mostly. I have no desire to start a war that could end with me back on that ship."
"But what about all the life they take?" Robin attempted an appeal to her sense of duty.
"There is much you do not know. Your scientists have rules; limits on what is ethically acceptable and what has gone too far. Think about the atrocities committed when science has turned a blind eye on your planet...now imagine how much that would change if the pursuit of knowledge superseded all morality." Her voice was firm, but faraway.
"What do we do with him?" Robin motioned to the passed out prisoner.
"It will be best to leave him tied up in an open clearing. without the ring." Starfire directed, her gaze averted.
"What happens when the Psions retrieve him?" Robin asked knowingly.
"That is not my concern. Doubt me if you will, but it is more humane than imprisoning him in Tamaran's holding cells." Starfire mumbled.
"Why?"
"Outworlder's tend not to survive long…At least if the Psions have use for him, his life will continue for now."
"So either way he dies?" Robin exasperatedly probed.
"The universe is a jungle, not a zoo." Starfire shrugged indifferently. "It is because I believe his life has value that he is even given this chance."
"He could be who's after you. Don't you want to find out as much information as possible from him?" Robin griped.
"He is a plant and an obvious one at that. He likely knows very little and has not been the main source of our plight. The Psions involvement offers concern, but they are defensive more than offensive. It is still a big unknown, but if we bring him back to the castle his fate is sealed. Is information worth his life?" Starfire asked knowingly.
"I don't like this." Robin grumbled sourly.
"You haven't liked much as of late and are free to leave the planet whenever you wish. My presence is demanded, yours is not. I will see to it you have safe passage back to Earth if you so desire it." Starfire retorted with snark.
"I'm not leaving you." Robin resolutely insisted.
"Then I believe the term is 'suck it up;' my world is different. I changed a lot for yours not expecting my customs to be accepted there. I am still me, but I must honor my planet and my people's wishes here." The fire to her voice sent small starbolt sparks to her fingertips. "Now we must be returning or we will miss tonight's challenge."
She was careful to douse the energy in her hands before lifting him into the sky. She whipped through the air with speed and focus as her joy had been assuredly drained.
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As they walked through the darkness of the tunnel that led to the arena Robin's exclamation caught her by surprise.
"He tagged us with some sort of glowing mark!"
"He did not tag us...It is a remnant from the cave; it will fade by tomorrow. We mark the cave and it also marks us." Starfire sighed.
What she did not tell him is the cave only marked those who's souls shared a true intertwined energy, the Tamaranean equivalent of the Earthen concept of soulmates.
Though at the moment, the smallest voice in the back of her mind wished that the cave was wrong. It was hard enough to share two home planets...to know that that was set to be her fate forever should she choose her heart was a twisting barb she was not ready to face.
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So I promised romance, but it kinda went a little off the rails. We'll get there...Everything in due time. Gotta have some bumps in the road to keep it interesting.
I am overjoyed to add more to this story. I have really missed writing this one, but fall marathon training really kicks my arse so my creative energy just isn't there most the time. I have plans to finish up the RobStar week collection, but needed a bit of a break after burning through so many quick plots. 'Together' is conceptualized in theory, but words to paper has been another issue entirely. I'll think about it during my Sunday long run and see if I can't put ink on the page next week, otherwise you'll get another chapter of this.
I did get a new job so posting will be a bit more infrequent than it was over the summer, however this job offers better work life balance so I should still be able to etch out a chapter here and there.
Review if you'd like!
-FWFT