Author's Notes: My most immense apologies for the lateness of this again. My reasons are not the best, but in all honesty, I just lost motivation for a while. Fortunately, it's back, and the next chapter shouldn't take nearly this long. Thanks for bearing with me.

Thresholding by CidGregor Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans.
This fic is dedicated to Post, for all that he contributed to its existence. (orly? Yarly!)
Chapter 22

"Our Tamaranian allies, while being our first line of defense, won't last long. They are facing enormous odds against them. They will attempt to destroy as many enemy ships as possible to thin their numbers, with the help of the Justice League's Javelin fighters. However, this will likely not be very many. We will still face an incredible number of enemy personnel in the ground assault, numbers we may not be able to stop, considering their technology level. Furthermore, even if we do stop their ground assault, if many of their ships remain intact the Gordanians may decide to bombard the planet from space as a last resort to wipe us out, and salvage what they can of our resources from the wreckage."

General Lambert paused for a moment, and turned from addressing the room in general to look at the viewscreen directly, displaying the Presidential cabinet. Every face on it looked grim.

"Mister President…the Justice League's suggestion is a good one. If we equip their Javelins with nuclear missiles, we can cause exponentially greater damage to the enemy, and in the vacuum of space we can do so without the drawback of radiation infecting the planet. Area 51 has a compliment of warheads on site, and several of the League's Javelins are here already, having brought our guests. The rest could be here in a matter of minutes, and we could have them all equipped with the missiles within the hour. There is nothing to lose and everything to gain."

"You have every assurance they will be used wisely," Superman added. "They won't be abused, and any unused warheads will be returned immediately once the Gordanians have been dealt with. You have my word on that."

"As much as the word of Superman is hard to distrust," The President said, "I am still uncomfortable with the idea of handing over a sizeable portion of the country's nuclear arsenal to an outside source."

"With all respect, Mister President, now is not the time for doubts and second-guessing," Lambert said. "We could be hit at any moment. We must do everything in our power to defend ourselves from an invasion of overwhelming strength, and if that means giving nuclear weapons to an outside source, then so be it. And there can be no recipient more trustworthy than the Justice League."

The Titans watched as the President deliberated with his cabinet over Lambert's and Superman's words. Terra, trying to avoid the awful eye of Batman, was having trouble keeping her hands steady, despite Beast Boy holding hers in both of his own and glaring back at the caped man defiantly. Raven sat motionless, eyes closed but senses alert, quietly meditating. And Cyborg watched the scene with both a critical human eye and an analytical cybernetic eye, absorbing everything he could and logging it in his brain.

As he watched, Cyborg held back a sigh. This was intense territory for him; somehow, all their battles together in the past hadn't seemed nearly so…life-and-death. Somehow, he'd never truly felt that intense, terrifying feeling of facing his end. Maybe it was because nothing he'd been through with the Titans had come anywhere near as close to ending his life as the accident that made him the half-robot he was now; but not during Terra's betrayal, nor Brother Blood's bid for power, nor even the near-apocalypse wrought by Trigon, had he ever felt himself bordering death.

But he felt it now. Knowing the Gordanian invasion was coming, in incredible numbers, with technology far superior to their own…knowing they had no idea when the invasion would strike, or whether they could hold it back once it did…knowing that this would be the biggest war in the planet's history, bigger even than the Thanagarian war...and worst of all, knowing that there would be death all across the planet, on both sides, from which many would not escape…that his friends may very well be among those who were caught by it.

He shook that last thought from his head. He couldn't think like that, he told himself. He was in charge now, and that meant he was responsible for his friend's lives. He silently vowed to make sure he lived up to that responsibility. Robin did it on a daily basis, after all, and they'd done well for themselves.

But Robin's never faced anything like this, he thought. None of us have…

"All right," The President said suddenly, snapping Cyborg from his thoughts. "The fate of this entire planet and everyone on it is on the line this day…and we have to do everything in our power to ensure we survive it. I've discussed it with my cabinet, and we are all in agreement. Superman…I'm giving the Justice League authorization to use whatever nuclear weapons are available at Area 51. Arm your ships, and arm them fast."

"We'll start immediately," Superman said. "We have five Javelins on site to equip..."

"I've sent a telepathic message to the Watchtower," J'honn said, anticipating the Man of Steel's next order. "Other League members are en route with the rest of our ships, led by Captain Atom. They will be here within half an hour, ready for arming."

"Good. What are we doing to prepare for the inevitable ground assault?" The President asked.

"Our forces are being mobilized as we speak," Lambert said. "We're collaborating with Britain and the European Union to cover key locations that the Gordanians are likely to strike…large population centers, major military bases, that sort of thing. We're covering as much of the western hemisphere as possible. The Union will manage their own borders, as will Russia and China, and any military they have leftover will be deployed to Africa. Our Navys are being moved close to shore as per Aquaman's recommendation, and will be placed at strategic points along the coastal regions for aircraft deployment and artillery bombardment. Any seafaring assault the Gordanians attempt will be dealt with by Aquaman and the armies of Atlantis. None of these deployments are permanent, as we discussed earlier. We're ready to pick up and move our forces wherever they're needed at a moment's notice."

"And the metahuman presence?" Lambert asked.

"The Titans have agents all around the world," Raven spoke up when Cyborg didn't. "They'll be ready to lend their abilities to your troops in their respective homelands and fight whatever enemy comes their way."

"And the Justice League will do whatever they can to aid your forces as well," Wonder Woman added.

"Your aid will be much appreciated," The President said, ever the diplomat. "Gentlemen, ladies, if you'll excuse me, my cabinet and I have preparations on this end to attend to. Lambert, I trust you will lead your men well."

"Of course, Mister President."

The President nodded back, and signed off, leaving just Lambert and his officers, the League, and the Titans.

"All right…then there's nothing left to do but brace ourselves for the worst…" Lambert said, sweeping his gaze across the room. "Everyone, you know what needs to be done. Good luck and godspeed. Dismissed."

The room disbanded immediately, some to work on equipping the Javelins, others to make their own preparations for the coming assault. One person however came straight toward the Titans.

"Question?" Raven said as the man approached. "What is it?"

"Don't trust the Green Arrow," he said, perfectly calm.

Raven raised an eyebrow, casting half a glance at the League member in question as he exited with Black Canary, and stared back at The Question. "Um…why?"

"He's a robot," he answered back, as though he were commenting on the weather. Then, glancing at Cyborg for a moment, he added, "Better keep an eye on that one too."

Raven stared. "……Uh-huh……I'll……be sure to keep that in mind……"

"Good girl." Question tipped the brim of his violet hat to her and followed after the rest of the League before she cold add anything else.

"That was kinda weird…" Beast Boy thought out loud. "Why'd he say Green Arrow was a robot?"

"Question has a thing for conspiracy theories, from what I hear," Raven said. "But we have other things to worry about. Beast Boy, you and Terra go make sure the T-ship ready to go. We need to be ready to move at a moment's notice."

Beast Boy glanced at Raven curiously, then to Cyborg, who was silent, then back to Raven. "Um…okay. C'mon, Terra…"

The two youngest Titans headed off to the T-ship, leaving Cyborg and Raven alone.

"Cyborg," Raven said, cutting straight to it, "Robin appointed you the leader. Not me. Why am I the one doing all the talking and ordering?"

Cyborg shifted uncomfortably. "Sorry, Rae…just…this war thing, it's…startin' to get to me. Robin's never had to face anything like this…"

Raven gave him a half-annoyed glare. "What, the end of the world through my father wasn't enough for you?"

"It's not the same!" Cyborg said back. "Rae…in everything that happened with your father…there wasn't a single casualty. Everyone he turned to stone was returned to normal when you defeated him, all the destruction was repaired…it was like a miracle." He turned to look straight at her. "But there's not gonna be no miracle here. People are going to die here today, Raven, and tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day, by the hundreds, for however long this war ends up lasting. I'm supposed to be the leader, Rae…but what if my decisions send you guys to die? I'm not going to pretend that can't happen. It COULD. And your blood would be on my hands. What kind of leader is that?"

Raven sighed, and looked right at him. "The kind of leader who knows what has to be done to save the world and the lives that exist upon it. That's how the superhero business works, Cyborg…our lives are meaningless, if by our deaths we can save even one innocent life."

"That's not exactly comforting, Rae," Cyborg murmured.

"But it's the truth. And you have to accept that if you're going to be any kind of real leader. Robin accepted that long ago. It's why he always jumps headfirst into everything…he knows that his life doesn't matter…only the lives he's protecting matter."

Cyborg digested that for a moment, slowly nodding. "Yeah…yeah, I know…"

Raven floated past him to the exit. "And speaking of Robin, you might want to update him. And see where they're at with the fleet while you're at it."

Cyborg snickered slightly. "Remind me why he didn't make you leader?"

Raven shrugged. "I never wanted the job. I didn't want to be in a position of power if and when my father came after me. Robin respected that." She glanced back at him with a rare smile. "So are you gonna call him or what?"

Cyborg smiled back. "Yes, ma'am."

Raven rolled her eyes.

"So everything's going well down there?"

"About as well as it can go. The President's letting the League use the nukes at Area 51 as long as they go off in space. We're hopin' it'll thin out the Gordanians' numbers and give the Tamaranians a fighting chance. Other than that, we're pretty much sitting ducks 'till the Gordanians make a move."

"Not the most ideal situation…" Robin muttered into his communicator. "But it's the best we can do."

"That's about the gist of it. How 'bout you? Married yet?"

"Getting there…" Robin said. "Galfore and Tromand'r are doing some last-minute prep work…and meanwhile I'm standing here in the itchiest formalwear I've ever suffered in my life…"

"Least you didn't have to pay for it."

"Yeah, yeah…" Robin said. He sighed. "Listen, Cyborg…I want to make sure you're clear on this…"

"What's up, Rob?"

"…you can't be as merciful as we've always been before. The Gordanians won't be showing us any mercy or restraint…and we have to show them the same. You understand what that means, Cyborg?"

"I got it, Robin," he answered back grimly. "Lethal force."

"I hate to put it on you, Cyborg…" Robin admitted. "It's a lot to deal with when you've just started leading--"

"I can handle it, Rob."

Robin was silent for a moment, then nodded. "I knew you could, Cy. Take care of things on your end…I'll do what I can from here. And…tell everyone good luck from me."

"You got it, man. You take care of yourself, too. And Starfire."

Robin nodded. "Right. Robin out."

He snapped the communicator closed, just as the doors behind him slid open and Tromand'r and Galfore entered the bridge, arguing heatedly.

"Sir, it makes no sense! Their transmissions have been errant as of late, and--"

"We are all under stress, Captain. What we are facing would make anyone seem errant in their communications."

"It is more than that, Emperor! It is what they are transmitting that makes no sense! How could the Gordanians possibly not be moving yet? They have been gathering their forces for hours, they should have moved by now!"

"Be that as it may, Captain, our scouts are reporting the Gordanians haven't moved. And this is not an isolated report. All three scouts are reporting this. Do you doubt the honesty and trustworthiness of all three of our ships?"

"It is not our men that I mistrust, sir, it is their reports! Sir, what if the Gordanians have discovered them?"

"Our men would not be taken alive, if that were the case," Galfore said. "And surely you would not suggest that the Gordanians have managed to capture all of our scouts?"

Tromand'r looked flustered, as though his pride and his logic were in conflict. "Sir…I simply feel that--"

"What more would you have me do, Captain? Our defenses are set. We are prepared to protect the planet. Sending more ships to check on our scouts would only weaken our defenses here."

"What's going on?" Robin interrupted, though he had already deduced most of the problem.

"Our scouts," Tromand'r muttered. "I'm beginning to wonder if perhaps you're right, what you said about them earlier. Their reports are increasingly suspicious."

"You think the Gordanians got to them?" Robin asked.

"That's what doesn't make sense," Tromand'r admitted. "The Gordanians are not usually the type to take prisoners…"

"'Usually' isn't good enough," Robin answered without hesitation. "They held Starfire prisoner two years ago."

"Only as part of a slave trade. That was what they had been paid to do by their employers, the Citadel, to bring the Princess to them to live out her life as their servant. This, however, is not a slave trade. This is an invasion."

"But you're still suspicious."

Tromand'r nodded slowly. "The Emperor is right, however…there's nothing more to be done. We cannot afford to send more ships to confirm the validity of our scouts. And in any case, the transmissions we've been receiving have not contained any hidden distress codes. Our men would have used them if they were under coercion."

Robin pondered this. "Can you think of any reason that your men might have…betrayed you? Sided with the Gordanians?"

Tromand'r's eyes flared and his mouth opened to protest, but Galfore spoke up before the Captain could say anything. "Our men are loyal to the crown, Robin. They would not betray it."

"I'm just covering all bases," Robin assured them. "Is there anything else that's unusual about the transmissions?"

Tromand'r cooled down a bit, and nodded. "There was one other thing. The sender of the transmissions for one of the scout ships. He was stricken with a rather untimely illness approximately twelve hours ago. We have been receiving our regular reports from a replacement. One I am unfamiliar with."

Robin frowned. "A little too coincidental, isn't it?"

Tromand'r nodded agreement. "However all of her credentials have been thoroughly checked. Nothing seems out of the ordinary, aside from the fact that I have never heard her name before…"

Robin opened his mouth to say more, but at that moment Galfore cut in again. "Young one, there is nothing more to be done, and you have one final duty before you. You must focus on that."

A pang of nervousness and fear shot through him. Galfore was right. It was time. The Trials were complete. All that was left…

Starfire…

"Come. I shall escort you to the grand hall of ceremonies."

Galfore led Robin from the room, leaving a troubled Tromand'r alone on the bridge. He didn't like this. Not at all. But Galfore was right. There was nothing more that could be done…

Beep…beep…beep…

Tromand'r turned to the console beside him, where a quiet red light was blinking in time with the beeping sound. He flipped a switch. "This is Captain Tromand'r."

"Officer Mikhand'al reporting as per orders," a cool female voice answered in the Tamaranian tongue."Still no change in enemy movements."

Tromand'r did not answer for a long time. He stared into the speaker, analyzing every word, and coming up with nothing substantial to found his suspicions on. And it angered him. He hated that he couldn't see the problem, though he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt it was there, somewhere…

"Sir?"

"I heard you," Tromand'r snapped. "Your orders have changed. I want reports from you every half-hour. An hour between transmissions is too long."

"Understood, sir."

"Good. I have matters to attend to…"

"…Tromand'r out."

"Yes sir," dark painted lips said. "Mikhand'al out."

Slender legs turned from the console.

High-heeled boots strode across the bridge, skirting dark red bloodstains and severed limbs in their path.

A silver crown highlighted the black pool that was her hair, a crown that the bare handful of Tamaranians left alive saluted.

Armored hands keyed open the bridge door, allowing inside a fivesome of hulking blue Gordanian bodies, whipping their tails about and gnashing their teeth unpleasantly.

The central one of them, the largest of them all, turned to the girl before him, almost sneering at her inferior size. "The Tamaranian fools continue to buy your ruse?" he spoke in a gravelly, booming voice.

"The Captain is getting suspicious," the girl said dismissively, pursing her dark lips. "But it's way too late for him to do anything about it."

The massive alien loomed over her. "This ruse of yours better work. If I find you have fooled us…"

"You'll make the rest of my miserably short life an incredible agony, yeah, yeah," she said with a bored look. "I've heard it all before, Trogaar."

The Gordanian Lord snarled and clutched her around the neck. "Know your place, girl! We did not bring you here from Drenthax system for our amusement! I could have just as soon killed you where you stood!"

The girl laughed, and pried his hand from her neck without even an effort. She whipped her obsidian hair around defiantly. "And without me, you wouldn't know nearly what you know now about Earth. You wouldn't have this surprise attack packaged all neat and tidy for you thanks to my loyal men and I. You'd be buried under the combined might of the Tamaranian fleet and Earth's annoying little band of heroes…"

At this, an image appeared on the bridge, displaying the fivesome that both she and Trogaar knew and loathed.

"Without me, you wouldn't know half as much as you do about those chlorfarking Titans that gave you the beating of your life two years ago. No, Trogaar, you better know your place."

"Do not think to extort us for worth beyond your earning, girl!"

Violet eyes flashed with laughter. "Extortion? Oh no, dear, you misunderstand me. I want nothing to do with Earth. You can have every last ounce of it for all I care."

She turned her hateful eyes on the image before her.

"All I want…"

Her stare burned holes into the forehead of the redheaded girl who dared call her 'sister.'

"…is her."