Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans.
A Strange Business
Chapter Five: Uncomfortable Surroundings
Val-Yor smirked derisively as he opened the door for them. Starfire could practically feel his disgusted gaze as she helped Red Star into the shining medical area. The entire room was a neutral white, with a pale, glassy blue on certain areas. The Russian hero groaned with relief as she sat him down on the examination bed, offering a small smile.
"Thank you," he said quietly, and Starfire smiled back.
Val-Yor snorted loudly and leant against the doorway frame, crossing his arms in front of him. "If you two Troqies are done with your love fest, would you mind telling me why you were out there in the first place?"
Red Star frowned at the alien's tone of voice. It was a familiar one that he had heard many times before; it was the voice one used when talking down to another, when trying to make themselves feel better by belittling those who they perceived as a threat. As he cast his gaze over the shining, armour like face of Val-Yor, Red Star instantly made up his mind.
He didn't like him.
Starfire continued to tend to Red Star's wounds, not once looking back at Val-Yor. Red Star could see the slightly insulted look on Val-Yor's face, and tried his best not to smirk.
"We were on our way to Tamaran when we were ambushed by the Gordanians. Please lift your shirt," she said, pointing to the charred green tunic that Red Star was wearing. Red Star complied, hissing through his teeth as the fabric rubbed against his burns.
"The Gordanians? You must be seeing things, Troqie. There hasn't been any Gordanian activity here for months; I saw to that," he said, a certain measure of pride seeping into his voice.
Starfire still didn't turn around, wrapping some kind of bizarre alien bandages that seemed to soothe the burning pain, drenching Red Star's burns in an almost numbing coolness. "You saw them attacking us. It appears you did not 'see to it' as well as you thought."
Val-Yor scowled and mumbled something unintelligible, and this time Red Star couldn't hold back the smirk on his face. Starfire seemed to know what he was smiling about, but managed to keep her face relatively straight.
"I'll be on the bridge. Don't take too long; I don't want you on this ship for longer than you have to be," Val-Yor said, obviously frustrated at being insulted by Starfire.
He pushed himself from the doorframe and left, the door hissing shut shortly after. Starfire's shoulders visibly relaxed, and she picked up Red Star's shirt, holding it up for the both of them to see.
"I am afraid I am not very good with clothing repairs," she said, a hint of a smile on her face. Red Star shrugged and smiled, gently taking the tunic from his friend.
"It is all right. I am actually quite adept at it." Starfire looked at him with a cocked eyebrow. "I had… much free time," he said sheepishly, looking down as he put on his top. Red Star was immediately impressed at the bandages. He twisted his torso from side to side, stretching his arms out.
"These bandages are excellent. I feel no pain at all. What are they made of?"
Starfire paused. "I think you would feel better not knowing."
The Russian hero paused in mid stretch, a slightly perturbed look on his face. "Oh."
Starfire smiled and moved over to the other side of the room, nonchalantly looking around the room with a disinterested gaze.
"Starfire… how do you know him?"
Either she hadn't heard him, or she was choosing to ignore the question. Red Star respected both, and simply took to looking for some kind of weaving tool to repair his clothing. There was what looked like a chest of drawers next to the bed, although the drawers had no handles. He pushed one of the drawers in slightly, and it slid out obligingly. Red Star smiled and nodded at the efficiency.
"Do you require any assistance?"
Red Star turned back to Starfire, and saw that she had turned to look at him from the other side of the room. Her arms were crossed, but not in any disapproving way. It was something that Red Star had seen in Starfire a lot since they had begun working together; when she was unsettled, she would cross her arms to the point where she was almost hugging herself, as though she were cold. Red Star smiled politely.
"I was looking for some kind of tool to repair my clothes."
Starfire nodded and made her way over, kneeling at the chest of drawers and opening the next one down. The two commenced a search throughout the different drawers and storage cupboards in the room. They were on opposite sides of the room when Starfire spoke.
"His name is Val-Yor. We- that is, the Titans and I- met him a few months before we met you. He required assistance in fighting an alien race of machines known as the Locrix."
Red Star turned from his rummaging in an overheard storage compartment to look at Starfire, but she was knelt before another chest of drawers, not turning to face him as she spoke.
"He is not fond of you, I take it."
Starfire sighed. "No, he is not."
Red Star pulled out a strange yellow device from the cupboard above him, and turned to display it to Starfire. "Is this it?"
Starfire turned and her eyes widened. "Be very quiet," she said, putting a finger to her lips. "Put it back in the compartment slowly, and close the door very, very carefully."
Red Star, now officially horrified, turned and delicately placed the yellow device back in the cupboard, and, as commanded, closed the door with the lightest of touches. The door clicked shut, and the two let out a collective sigh of relief.
"What was it?" he asked.
"You do not want to know," Starfire replied simply, turning back to her rummaging.
Red Star returned to his search also, although he was slightly more wary of yellow devices as he opened another compartment door.
"Why does he call us 'Troqies'?"
Starfire didn't reply at first, and Red Star was tempted to repeat the question when she spoke up.
"It is from the word 'Troq'."
"What does it mean?"
"Nothing."
Red Star frowned slightly. "Nothing?"
"Useless. Worthless." She paused. "Nothing."
He froze as his face darkened considerably. "So he is a racist," he growled, his brow knotted with anger.
"Yes."
Slamming the door shut, Red Star was unmindful of the loud noise as the small door fell from its placement on the wall. He stormed towards the door of the medical bay with his fists ready and his jaw clenched, when Starfire moved in front of him.
"Do not do anything."
"What? How can you say that? Did you let him do this to you the last time you met?"
Starfire remained silent, and Red Star straightened up to his full height, crossing his arms in frustration. "I see," he said, turning away from the Tamaranian slightly.
"Please, Red Star, try to understand. I am showing him that I am not what he thinks I am. I am being better than he is by not responding to what he says." She laid a hand on his shoulder. "And I know you are better than him, Leonid. Please, do not do anything."
Red Star moved his lower jaw from side to side as he looked around the room. He eventually brought his gaze around to Starfire, sighing. "All right."
A smile spread across the Tamaranian's face. "Thank you."
However, Red Star's scowl remained. "Were the other Titans subjected to this treatment also?"
Starfire shook her head. "Not at first. But when they made it clear that they saw me as an equal, Val-Yor then considered them Troqs."
"And, I am guessing, humans in general."
Her only reply was a small nod as she looked away and moved back to the drawer she was searching previously. Red Star wondered how Starfire and the other Titans could have allowed such a thing to go on. They were too noble and honourable to have simply stood by and do nothing. He wondered how Robin could have simply let something like that happen to Starfire; if anyone should have been aware as to what Val-Yor was doing to Starfire, he was.
Suddenly, the ship was rocked violently, and Starfire toppled backwards with a yelp. Red Star effortlessly caught her and helped her to her feet. With a thankful nod, she flew towards the door, Red Star quickly following. They quickly turned a corner as another loud noise rocked the ship, sending the two careening into the wall of the corridor.
A door ahead exploded from its frame, sending it crashing noisily into the wall opposite. Three Gordanians stepped through, each wearing strange armour that even Starfire seemed puzzled by. They each brandished the same electrocuting staffs as the Gordanians that had earlier attacked Starfire.
They spotted Red Star and Starfire instantly, and turned to face them, each getting into a fighting stance. Red Star did the same, and glanced over to see Starfire's eyes and hands begin to glow with green energy.
A red blast of energy struck one of the Gordanians in the back, and he turned to see Val-Yor stood behind them, eyes glowing red and his arms crossed.
"You can do whatever you want to the Troqies, but you leave my ship alone."
The Gordanian charged towards the glistening hero, stabbing forward with its staff. The others followed suit and attacked Red Star and Starfire.
Val-Yor dodged to his left, causing the Gordanian to sail past on his own momentum. Val-Yor brought his elbow down on the lizard's spine, causing it to yell out in pain and stumble forward. Angered at being so easily countered, he turned and growled. Val-Yor beckoned him forth.
Starfire leapt backwards as the Gordanian swiped at her belly. Aiming at the Gordanian's ankles, she fired two eye beams. The Gordanian leapt above the blast and brought his staff down on Starfire's head, slamming her into the floor. Twirling his staff around in his hands so that the electric prong was facing downwards, he brought it down on Starfire. She deftly rolled backwards out of the way and leapt to her feet, her starbolts at the ready.
The third Gordanian jabbed the prong of his staff at Red Star's head, who quickly flitted his head out of the way. Ducking the next swipe at his head, he countered with an uppercut that sent the Gordanian into the ceiling, gravity guiding him painfully to the floor. Red Star approached the snarling Gordanian confidently, when he suddenly pointed his staff at the Russian hero, firing an electrical charge at his injured stomach.
Although the alien bandages had been helping in the healing process, it was still a tender area, and so the pain was tenfold what it normally would have been. Red Star bellowed in pain as he was trust back down the corridor at great speed.
Starfire, distracted by her friend's pain, turned slightly to make sure he was all right. That was all the Gordanian opposite her needed. He fired his staff at her, sending jolt upon jolt of painful electricity through the Tamaranian. She knelt as the pain spread across her entire body. Starfire gritted her teeth and pushed herself to her feet, causing a shocked look to cross the Gordanian's face.
Just as it seemed as though she would break free of the onslaught, the Gordanian that had been facing Red Star turned his own staff on Starfire, dropping her to her knees once again.
Val-Yor laid another well placed blow on his opponents head, shattering his teeth and his armour for what seemed the hundredth time.
"Are you done now?"
The Gordanian smiled. "I think so," he croaked, and quickly leapt away to where the other two Gordanians had trapped Starfire in a crackling field of electricity.
Val-Yor looked down the corridor and saw that Red Star was struggling to his feet and making his way forward. Gritting his teeth, the intergalactic superhero jumped onto the back of his previous opponent, smashing his head into the floor. Using the unconscious Gordanian as a springboard, Val-Yor hurtled forward, slamming into one of the Gordanian's and sending it flying towards Red Star.
Now recovering, Red Star knotted his fists together and slammed them downwards as the Gordanian reach him, embedding the reptilian alien in the floor.
Smirking, Val-Yor smashed his fist into the other Gordanian's face, sending him through a door behind him and into a storage bay.
Starfire, now free of the energy that had bombarded her, looked up at Val-Yor in confusion.
"I owed you one from last time," he said simply. "I don't like being indebted to Troqs."
Another explosion rocked the ship, and Val-Yor cursed beneath his breath.
"What the hell are they doing!" he yelled, turning and running down the corridor to the elevator leading to the bridge.
Starfire struggled to her feet, and Red Star looked at her concernedly as he reached her. She smiled reassuringly.
"I am fine. We should follow," she said, nodding in the direction Val-Yor left in.
The two made their way to the elevator, and once inside, Starfire pushed a button for the bridge, which she remembered from her previous visit.
During the silence that followed, Red Star couldn't help but look over at the smaller Tamaranian standing next to her.
"Why did he help you?" he asked, and couldn't help but notice the pained look on Starfire's face.
"Because… he was repaying a debt."
Red Star ducked his head slightly. "You… saved his life?"
Starfire nodded, and Red Star looked away, his mouth slightly agape in shock. Not because Starfire saved his life; he wouldn't expect anything less from the Tamaranian. It was simply because Val-Yor still treated her like he did, even though she had saved his life.
"And still… he calls you Troq?"
Starfire didn't reply.
As far as Red Star was concerned, she didn't need to.
The doors opened with a quiet hiss, revealing Val-Yor frantically pushing at buttons and firing weapons.
"Can we help?" Starfire asked, although Red Star suspected she already knew the answer.
"Just because I saved you, doesn't mean I want you touching my ship," he said, not once looking away from the controls.
Red Star stepped forward, anger burning in his eyes. Starfire put a reprimanding arm over his chest, and he once again held back.
Another loud boom rocked the ship, followed by a loud hum that slowly diminished until it was gone.
"Damn it!"
Starfire frowned. "What is it?"
"They've drained the shields somehow – we're sitting ducks," Val-Yor growled, slamming a frustrated fist into the control panel beneath him.
Red Star heard another humming beside him, and he assumed it was the ship doing something else, when he noticed that Starfire was fading away, slowly being replaced by a bright blue light.
"Starfire?"
"Red Star! What is-?"
She was cut off as she vanished from sight. Suddenly, the explosions stopped, and Red Star saw the attacking Gordanian ship leaving through the viewscreen. Val-Yor let out a grunt of surprise and amusement.
"So… they were after the Troqie. Trust her to be the cause of my ship being wrecked."
Red Star stepped forward and put a hand on his shoulder, trying his best to contain the rage bubbling beneath his surface.
"We must follow them."
Val-Yor smirked derisively and shrugged off his hand. "Are you space-happy? Why would I bother going out of my way for that Troq-"
Red Star snapped. Grabbing Val-Yor's shoulders, he whirled him around and slammed him into the control panel behind him, sending sparks flying. Val-Yor grit his teeth and glared at the Russian hero.
"What the hell are you doing, Troq!"
Red Star delivered a jab to his face, silencing him. "My name is Red Star. Her name is Starfire. You will address us as such." He inched his face closer to his. "Do you understand, Troq?"
His eyes widening and his teeth crunching together in outrage, Val-Yor put his feet up against Red Star's tender stomach and kicked out, sending him hurtling across to the other side of the bridge. Val-Yor quickly slammed into him, pinning him to the wall with his forearm pressed against Red Star's neck.
"What did you call me?" Val-Yor hissed violently, jamming his arm into Red Star's neck.
"The definition of 'Troq' is 'worthless'… 'useless', yes?" Red Star gasped, somehow managing to keep his voice steady. "And you must certainly feel as though you are worthless and useless to treat others as you do."
Red Star slammed his knee into Val-Yor's stomach, and the intergalactic hero's grip on his neck loosened. Red Star's head sprung forth in a head butt, his forehead colliding with Val-Yor's nose and sending him stumbling back.
"Therefore…" Red Star said, delivering a vicious punch to Val-Yor's gut, "You are 'Troq'." Bringing his fist up in an uppercut, he sent Val-Yor hurtling across the room once again, almost knocking him through the control panel behind him. Val-Yor slowly pulled himself out of the control panel, groaning. Red Star clasped a hand over his neck, bringing him forward so they were nose to nose.
"We are going to follow them, and we are going to rescue Starfire. Do you understand?"
His face contorted in an enraged snarl, Val-Yor didn't reply. Red Star jerked him by the neck, sending his head whipping back and forth.
"Do. You. Understand."
Val-Yor nodded, and Red Star pulled him to his feet.
"Good."
He turned and walked to the elevator. "I am going to question the Gordanians." He stepped inside and pushed a button, even though he didn't know which button indicated the right floor.
The doors hissed shut, cutting off his view of Val-Yor. Letting out a long breath, Red Star fell back and leant against the side of the elevator, using the bar that ran around the middle of the elevator to steady himself.
Starfire would not be happy when she heard of this; Red Star knew that for certain. But it didn't matter. He had spent most of his life exiled and alone, and Starfire had reached out to him, making him feel as though he were a worthwhile human being once again. She had shown him that there were others who would not judge on appearances or differences. For Val-Yor to dare to imply that she was worthless, useless…
Red Star shook his head free of such thoughts. He had already allowed himself the luxury once; he did not want to attack Val-Yor again. The doors opened, and Red Star saw that it was the wrong floor. Sighing, he pushed the next button down.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starfire couldn't see. She wasn't sure if it was because the cell she was in was too dark, or whether it was some side effect of the experimental teleporter the Gordanians had used to kidnap her. It brought back… unpleasant memories. Memories of the experiments… of the endless torture and pain that was wrought on her. She had hoped that she would never be here again.
The cell door opened, and Starfire looked up drowsily. Much to her relief, she wasn't blind. She was, however, drugged. Her vision was too blurry to make out any details that were too specific, but she could see the drug line that was hooked up into her body, slowing her reactions but increasing the sensitivity of her nervous system. Every little ache and pain she had acquired since the Titans set off into space became separate worlds of agony around her body, almost numbing her to anything else.
Two shadowy Gordanians stepped through the door, taking places on either side of the doorway. Another shadowy figure stepped through between them, but this one was most definitely not Gordanian. In fact, it looked almost… human? And female, to boot.
"Well, well. The Gordanian's weren't exaggerating. They really do have you. I had to take a transport over here just to see you."
Starfire shook her head in a vain attempt to clear her vision.
"Don't bother, sister dear," a smooth voice echoed through the darkness. "The substance being pumped through your veins could slow the reactions of ten Galfore's.
"Black…fire?" Starfire asked drearily. Her tongue felt three times too big for her mouth. As the figure approached, the dim light shaped around her and revealed her older sister, standing before her in her usual black and silver outfit.
"Why are you…?"
There was a blur of motion, and pain exploded onto Starfire's face. The drug's effects amplified what should have been an ordinary backhand into a burning, writhing pain.
"Why do you think? You overthrow me from the throne, banish me from my own home world, and you expect me to just lie down and take it!"
"You were… wrong," Starfire managed, unable to find the correct words in her groggy mind.
Blackfire laughed, and Starfire felt the anger welling up inside her. It helped to clear her mind somewhat.
"You were… wrong, and you were abusing your position as Empress for your own personal gains." She looked her sister straight in the eyes. "You were a bad ruler. You were not right for Tamaran."
"Yes, I heard about you handing over the throne to Galfore," Blackfire retorted, her voice reflecting the smirk on her face. "What a choice."
"You will not… you will…" Starfire lost the words in her throat as the drugs once again took effect.
"You have no idea how enjoyable it is to see you like this, sister. Seeing perfect, pretty Starfire finally getting what she deserves…" Blackfire grabbed Starfire's head roughly by the hair, pulling her up to meet her cruel gaze. "I told you I'd get even, didn't I?"
She released Starfire's head, letting it droop helplessly. Blackfire stood and walked towards the door. Stopping at the doorway, she turned and smiled.
"And do you know what the most wondrous thing of all is?" she said, saying 'wondrous' in a mocking version of Starfire's stilted language. "This is only the beginning for you."
She turned and left, followed by the two Gordanians. The door closed with a loud clang, once more engulfing Starfire in darkness.
And she was alone.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Starfire?"
Robin opened his eyes and sat up suddenly in his chair, causing Hot Spot, Argent and Gnaww to turn and face him. Hot Spot cocked an eyebrow.
"Robin? Are you okay?"
The Boy Wonder suddenly felt out of breath. "I…" He looked the Moroccan Titan in the eyes, grateful that his mask hid the uncertainty in his blue eyes. "…yeah, I'm fine." He cleared his throat and stood, looking over at Gnaww.
"How long?"
Gnaww pushed a few buttons and inspected a screen on his right. "A few more hours. I still don't know what you're planning to do once we get there, though."
"We'll think of something," Robin replied simply and determinedly. He looked over at Argent.
"Your turn, Argent. Try to get some rest."
She looked at him with a slightly odd expression for a moment, and then shook her head, as though removing some unusual thought from her mind. "Uh… right."
She turned her chair around and closed her eyes, trying to nod off, or at least give her a break from looking at the eyesore that was Gnaww.
Hot Spot looked over at the Titan leader. "Robin? You sure you're okay?"
The Boy Wonder now had his arms crossed, looking at the wall in front of them determinedly.
"Don't you have some kind of viewscreen?"
Gnaww snorted. "You want a viewscreen? Get on a luxury liner."
"Robin?"
Robin looked over at Hot Spot irritably at first, but then his expression softened. "Uh… yeah… I'm fine. I'm just-"
"Worried?"
He sighed and nodded.
"We'll find them, Robin. We'll find her. Don't worry."
Robin was ready to dispute the 'her' comment, but realised it was pointless. He simply sighed and nodded, offering a weak smile. Hot Spot nodded towards the resting Argent.
"What's going on between you and her? Did I miss something, or…?"
The awkward attempted kiss of the previous night suddenly appeared in Robin's brain. "Nothing," he said quickly, making Hot Spot cock an eyebrow in response.
"That is, nothing important."
Hot Spot continued to stare at him. "Right," he said slowly, before turning around and sitting back down in his chair, resting his head on his interlocked hands and putting up his feet on the control panel.
"Hey! Boots off the control panels! I spent the better part of a year polishing this baby!" Gnaww exclaimed, and Hot Spot looked over at him incredulously, while still not removing his feet.
"The better part of a year? What was the worse part?"
"I don't see boots being taken off the control panel!"
"And I don't hear an answer to my question!"
Sighing and shaking his head, Robin made his way to the back of the ship as the two continued to argue, hoping to find some blank, empty area he could practice some martial arts.
There was no denying he was worried before. But after what he felt in his dream, he couldn't help but feel a bigger sense of urgency driving him than before.
All he knew was that he had never seen Starfire in such pain before. Had never seen her so alone.
He found an empty spot in what he assumed was the cargo bay. Pulling out his Bo staff, he began practising.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The elevator doors hissed open, and Red Star stepped through. Val-Yor was slowly moving about the bridge, pushing different buttons and pulling different switches. Still stood at his full height, he paused as Red Star entered.
"Repairs are complete. We're almost ready to go."
Red Star nodded. "The Gordanians say that they are taking Starfire to The Citadel home world. Do you know where that is?"
"It's one of the most heavily guarded planets in the known universe, but I know where it is."
"How long?"
Val-Yor shrugged. "About an hour."
"Very well." Red Star turned towards the elevator and stopped. "Val-Yor. I wish to… apologise for my actions. I was not-"
"Do me a favour. Don't make it worse by apologising."
The Russian hero paused, and then nodded, turning back to the elevator. "Very well." As he stepped in, he turned to face Val-Yor, who was once again sat in his command chair.
Remaining silent, he pushed a button, and the doors closed.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(A/N: And there you go. Another chapter done and dusted. Man, I had a mental image of that Red Star/Val-Yor fight for so long – it's what inspired this entire story, in fact.
Next chapter: We catch up with Cyborg and the others. Let me put it this way; Cyborg's got plans for two certain Titans…
Anyhow, review!)