Within Tamaranean space, Elu flies his small, dark blue ship with Starfire and Wildfire acting as his copilots in order to transport the siblings to the planet. Ynda has given the siblings the objective of detaining a potential Gordanian spy settled on Tamaran.
"For the past couple of weeks, Omega Men cargo ships heading to Tamaran have been continuously raided and destroyed by the Gordanians. The planets government suspects that Gordanian spies have infiltrated the system, uncovered classified cargo routes, and shared the information to their own fleet. Your objectives are to find the spies, detain them and bring them to Slagg for questioning." explained Ynda over the ships communications systems.
"Noted Ynda, we will put a stop to it." said Wildfire confidently.
"I figured you and Starfire would want to the most considering how much of a history you two have with the Gordanians." said Ynda.
"And that just proves how much of a good listener you are." remarked Wildfire in a playful manner.
Ynda giggles
"I try my best." replied Ynda also acting playful.
"You can count on us, Ynda, you have nothing to worry about." assured Wilidfire.
"I hope you're right, Ynda out." replied Ynda before signing off.
"Oh I am the most of the excited to return to the planet that was once our home!" said an eager Starfire from her cockpit.
"Aren't you dear brother?" she asked.
"Indeed, but I must not lie, it would feel most weird to return to a home that I haven't called so in a long time." said Wildfire worriedly from his cockpit.
"Surely it wouldn't be, little brother, it will be as if we were kids again: playing the catch with the roobnak, flying around the once beautiful city, and listening to our k'norfka Galfore's stories of the wonderment!" said a joyful and nostalgic Starfire.
"Galfore? Is he even still around?" asked Wildfire.
"Indeed he is, and he is now Grand Ruler of Tamaran!" said Starfire proudly.
"Extraordinary, I am assuming that you have seen him recently?" asked Wildfire.
"Not recently, it was only a couple of years ago. Our sister took over Tamaran and tried forcing me into an arranged marriage all for nothing but power, so I defeated her in a duel and did the handing of the throne to Galfore. " explained Starfire.
Wildfire became shocked to hear that Blackfire would do such a thing.
"Blackfire? I am surprised that even she would do that." said Wildfire.
Starfire's joy and excitement turns into sadness and disappointment as she remembers the things that Blackfire had done. She looks down at the seat of her cockpit and closes her sorrowful eyes.
"Our sister has abandoned our family in pursuit of selfish goals." said Starfire.
Even though Wildfire knew that Blackfire wasn't the kindest Tamaranean, he still wasn't expecting such a betrayal from her. He becomes angry just thinking about what he had recently learned.
"Then I hope she has been punished for her crimes." he said.
"I have banished her from Tamaran, she is no longer welcome on our home planet." said Starfire.
"One can only hope that changes a person." said Wildfire.
Starfire sighs with sadness
"Agreed." said Starfire.
They casually fly Elu's ship through the atmosphere of Tamaran. After passing through the clouds, they witness the desolate landscape of their once beautiful planet; lack of vegetation and destroyed cities catch the attention of everyone onboard. Starfire and Wildfire became surprised, as if they've forgotten how much of a wasteland Tamaran has become, even though it has been that way ever since Starfire was taken captive by the Gordanians years ago.
"I do not remember Tamaran being this inhospitable." said Starfire.
"As do I, who knows how much we have forgotten about our home." said Wildfire.
The ship approaches the royal palace of Tamaran. The team of three gradually slows down their vehicle until it hovers right above the landing pad. They release the ships landing gear and slowly lower the spacecraft until it lands gracefully onto the platform.
After each of their hatches open, the heroes stand up and climb out of their seats and walk towards the entrance of the palace. When they reach the palace doors, Starfire knocks on them three times to get someone to open it.
After waiting for three seconds, the doors slowly open to reveal Galfore, wearing his purplish-grey royal cape and similarly colored crown. He stands with two royal guards, one located on his left and the other on his right. Starfire shows off her friendly smile while Wildfire does the same and Elu hides behind him shaking in fear due to Galfore's intimidating stature.
"Starfire? What are you doing here?!" asked Galfore excitedly.
"We were sent to catch the Gordanian spies that are rumored to be on Tamaran." answered Starfire.
"You are working with the Omega Men now? What about your friends, the Teen Titans?" asked a confused Galfore.
"They are also doing things with the Omega Men; we met them on Slagg and now we are fighting the Citadel and the Gordanians." explained Starfire.
"And it wouldn't have happened if I didn't crash land on Earth." added Wildfire.
Galfore analyzes Wildfire, knowing that there is something familiar about him, however, he can't quite figure out who he is.
"Hmm... you look familiar, where have I seen you before?" asked Galfore.
"Galfore, this is Wildfire! I have finally found him!" said Starfire happily.
"Wildfire? Ha ha! It is you!" shouts Galfore joyfully.
"I never thought I would see you two together again! Now tell me my dear torbnak, what have you been up to for all these years?!" asked Galfore ecstatically.
"Oh nothing really, just doing missions with the Omega Men, fighting the Citadel, saving the galaxy, you know, typical hero stuff." said Wildfire Ironically.
"Well what do you know, my two little bumgorfs are out fighting tyranny. Come here! let me greet you both with the tickles of reunion!" shouted a proud Galfore.
Galfore aggressively tickles the siblings with joyous laughter. Starfire and Wildfire laugh uncontrollably while telling Galfore to stop, but he is unable pay attention to their pleas.
"Stop!" Shouted Starfire and Wildfire simultaneously.
They shove Galfore five feet away from them. Galfore stumbles and loses his balance, causing him to fall onto the palace floor. The guards become shocked by the siblings rejection to the common Tamaranean familial greeting while Elu stares with confusion. Starfire gasps with concern for her k'norfka and then runs over to him, Wildfire does the same. They both kneel down to speak to Galfore.
"Galfore! I give you the apologies for our actions!" said a worried Starfire.
"Me as well, Galfore!" said an equally worried Wildfire.
Galfore sits up and rubs his head while groaning.
"Ugh... that was quite strange, we tamaraneans always greet our families with the tickles, and you two never forced me to stop. Why would you both do such a thing?" asked Galfore with confusion.
The siblings stand up, they both feel embarrassment.
"Well umm... I guess we just aren't in the mood for such an aggressive greeting." answered Wildfire nervously.
Starfire nods in agreement. Galfore raises an eyebrow with suspicion, knowing how weird it would be for people of his culture to not leave themselves vulnerable to the greeting among close family members. He then stands up and decides to forget about it, since he and his two bumgorfs still have to solve the current issue at hand.
"On second thought, it is quite alright. We all have things that bring us down; like these dreaded spies on our planet. Now come along, we all have work to do." reminded Galfore.
Five minutes pass by, Galfore, Starfire, Wildfire, Elu and the two guards pass through the halls until Galfore abruptly stops near the main dining room of the royal palace. Everyone else stops along with him.
"Guards, please give us some privacy." commanded Galfore.
The guards walk away from the group and into the dining room. Galfore turns around to speak with Starfire and Wildfire.
"What is it, Galfore?" asked Wildfire.
"I must be honest with you both, I do not suspect a Gordanian to be uncovering our information, but one of my own who works within the palace." explained Galfore quietly.
Starfire, Wildfire and Elu become surprised to hear the information. Starfire gasps loudly after hearing her k'norfkas words.
"A betrayal?!" asked a shocked Starfire.
Galfore shushes Starfire.
"My advisors and staff are in the dining room waiting for us, we must talk quietly." said Galfore.
Starfire quickly covers her mouth to keep herself quiet.
"What makes you think it is one of them?" asked Wildfire quietly.
"I found out that someone within the palace has been using our long distance communications systems to contact the Gordanian homeworld, and no one else has access to them besides the palace staff and those that I work closely with. So it has to be one of them." explained Galfore.
"Why weren't the Omega Men told about this?" asked Starfire quietly.
"Because if there is a traitor among us, I cannot risk letting him know that I know, whoever it may be must remain ignorant of my awareness." answered Galfore.
"Now, do you two understand?" he asked the siblings.
They both nod their heads up and down in affirmation.
"Good, now when we walk in the room, make sure you both pay attention to anything suspicious." said Galfore.
The group walks into the dining room. It is filled with Galfores' advisors and palace staff sitting in chairs placed around the long table along with guards stationed at both of the entrances to keep everyone safe. Exotic tameranean food and large chalices filled with drinks are placed all over the table just waiting to be devoured.
Everyone stares at the group of four as they walk in to take their seats. Galfore stands over the closest chair to him which is at the very end of the table while Starfire, wildfire and Elu sit in the chairs to his right, right next to the grand ruler.
"Friends! This has been a stressful year for us all; we have worked hard to keep our people safe and healthy yet our enemies strive to prevent that, especially with the recent attacks on Omega Men cargo vessels aiding our planet! I vow to end there schemes! But first, we must rejoice on our recent accomplishments, and what better way to do that than with a feast! And even better, princess Starfire has returned along with the long lost prince Wildfire to feast with us!" announced Galfore to the entire room.
Everyone claps for Galfores' speech and the siblings return to the planet. Galfore grabs his chalice and raises it in the air.
"To Tamaran!" shouted Galfore.
Everyone, including Starfire and Wildfire grab their chalices. Elu tries to lift his own large, heavy chalice, but due to his small body being weaker in comparison to the Tamaraneans, he struggles to lift it off of the table. He grunts as he exerts all of his energy into lifting the object, but makes no progress in doing so.
"To Tamaran!" shouted everyone at the table.
Everyone clinks their chalices against one another's and sets them back on the table. Galfore then grabs his giant axe and smashes it onto the food, chopping it all up with one strong strike. He along with the other Tamaraneans jump onto the table and gorge themselves. All except for Elu, Wildfire and Starfire.
Elu stares nervously at the insanity while Wildfire and Starfire pick up the food in front of them and eat normally, a type of feasting behavior that is considered weird in Tamaranean culture, but feels very natural to them due to their long time away from their original home planet. As Galfore feasts, he accidentally glimpses at the two siblings and observes their abnormal behavior.
Galfore somewhat understands Wildfire not feasting the way everyone else is since he has been away from Tamaran for a long time. As for Starfire, he is more surprised for her sake considering that it has only been two years since her last visit and she has behaved as expected for their culture.
He wonders what has become of them, why are their mannerisms so different. First they reject the tickles of reunion and now they refuse to engorge themselves like everyone else is doing, to Galfore, it seems as though the prince and princess have forgotten their peoples' customs.
After the feast, Galfore takes the siblings outside on the balcony to speak with them. Elu follows them in order to be close to Wildfire.
"What is it that you wish to discuss, Galfore?" asked Starfire.
"Ever since you two arrived, you have both acted quite different compared to other Tamaraneans." answered Galfore.
"How so?" asked Wildfire.
"First, you both pushed me away after I conducted the tickles of reunion, and then during the feast, neither of you tried to devour the food like everyone else was. Tamaraneans do not usually behave this way, especially if they remember their customs vividly. Such as the case with you, Starfire: you acted quite normally the last time you were here." explained Galfore.
"But we are still Tamaraneans, not just in flesh and blood, but at heart as well." replied Starfire.
Galfore looks down in disappointment.
"Maybe so, but I fear that being away from your people has changed the two of you." said a worried and sad Galfore.
He slowly turns around and steps away from Starfire and Wildfire.
"There is a term for this phenomenon, it is called "Zorbnok": it occurs when a Tamaranean leaves their people and lives among others that have a different lifestyle and customs for so long. This results in not only losing their cultural identity, but also rejecting it." explained Galfore.
The siblings gasp, they are shocked that Galfore would assume such a thing.
"That is not true, Galfore; our identities are still very much intact!" shouts Starfire.
"And we still embrace them! Tamaran is our home!" shouted Wildfire.
"Indeed, it was in fact home for the two of you, but then you both found new homes and lived among different species. Was that not the case?" asked Galfore rhetorically.
Starfire and Wildfire think about how long they have both been away from Tamaran, how they have made new lives either on Earth or with the Omega Men. They begin to wonder if they truly have changed.
"I'll leave you two alone to think about it." said Galfore.
He walks away from the siblings and toward the interior of the palace.
"After that, go get some sleep, we have a busy day ahead of us." he said again.
Galfore walks back into the palace while Starfire and Wildfire think about what their k'norfka just told them.
"Do you think Galfore has a point, sister?" asked Wildfire.
"We have been away from Tamaran for so long, and I do feel different among the other Tamaraneans. So, maybe we are no longer like them." said a somber Wildfire.
"No, I do not think he does. We are still like other Tamaraneans, even if Galfore disagrees." replied Starfire.
Galfore walks through the dark hallway. He wonders how much his two little bumgorfs could've changed ever since they have created new lives on other planets. How many other Tamaranean traditions did they forget? And if they still remember, would they still be willing to do such things? These were the questions he kept thinking about. They pervaded his mind for every second that passed by, unable to refocus on other matters.
This continued until he felt a sharp and sudden sting on his arm. It felt as though a needle flew towards him very fast and lodged itself into his arm.
"Oww!" he exclaimed.
He quickly looks over to his right arm to see what caused the sting. He then notices a fat and wide dark purple colored dart that was pierced into his tricep. Knowing that it could be a poison dart, Galfore instantly became worried at first glance and quickly removes it.
He then turns around and sees a humanoid shaped figure wearing a black cloak standing right behind him. He knew that it was the traitor and he tries to make out who it might be, however, the darkness along with the hood of the cloak covering his or her face made it very difficult for him.
He then begins to experience symptoms of the supposed poison such as blurriness, which made it near impossible for him to see clearly. Other symptoms begin to take over Galfore: he begins to sweat heavily along with experiencing intense dizziness and fatigue. As the figure begins to slowly walk towards him, Galfore begins to slowly close his eyes.
The huge Tamaranean Grand Ruler then leans backwards and falls on his back. He instantly becomes knocked out when he hit the floor.
The cloaked figure approaches the unconscious Galfore and then stops right in front of him. The perpetrator then places the dart pistol he or she fired upon the Grand Ruler with into his or her holster. After that, the perpetrator grabs Galfore's legs and drags him away.
The next day, Starfire, Wildfire and Elu stroll into one of the palaces large rooms while searching for Galfore who has unbeknownst to them been kidnapped. They notice many members of the palace staff and political advisors standing around and talking within the room, however Galfore remains to be seen.
"I do not understand, Everyone from the feast are within this room, but Galfore is not." said Starfire worriedly.
"And there is no sign of him anywhere within the palace." replied a similarly worried Wildfire.
Starfire looks over to a duo of Tamaraneans conversing with one another. One Tamaranean is a bald male with a brown chevron mustache and middle-aged in appearance. He wears body armor similar to blackfires but fitted for the male gender along with a black cape that goes down to his thighs and covers his arms.
The other Tamaranean is a female who is slightly older looking than the male with a medium length black colored bob like hairstyle. She wears a tight violet shirt that covers her entire upper body and arms along with tight violet thigh-high boots and a violet miniskirt.
"Someone in here must know where he is, we should ask around." suggested Starfire.
Starfire walks over to the duo while Wildfire and Elu follow her.
"Excuse me, but have either of you seen Galfore? We can't find him anywhere." asked Starfire.
Both Tamaraneans turn their attention to Starfire.
"No one can find him, which is why we believe that he has been kidnapped." said the female Tamaranean.
Starfire, Wildfire and Elu gasp with shock.
"We believe someone who works closely with Galfore was responsible for this." said the male Tamaranean.
"Galfore did mention that a possible traitor was responsible for contacting the Gordanian fleet. So the traitor and kidnapper must either be the same person or are connected in some way." said Wildfire.
"That is precisely what we speculate, so we must catch him before something bad happens again." said the male Tamaranean.
"But first, let me introduce ourselves: I am Nori'ohr, Galfore's advisor for Tamaranean civil development, and this is Chal'marin, Tamarans head of security." said Nori'ohr.
"It is an honor to finally meet you, prince and princess." greets Chal'marin as he bows to the siblings.
"Do you have the idea of who the traitor could be?" asked Starfire hastily.
"No unfortunately, but we do have suspects." answered Chal'marin.
Chal'marin lifts his cape, grabs two objects from his belt and hands one to Starfire and the other to Wildfire. They are both holographic projectors. The siblings become confused about what to do with the projectors.
"Go ahead, turn them on." insisted Chal'marin.
Starfire and Wildfire press the button on the side of each of their projectors. Each projector shows a holographic rendition of a different Tamaranean. Starfire's hologram shows a projection of a Middle aged Tamaranean female with long brown hair and wearing a long violet dress only worn by Tamaranean government officials. While Wildfire's hologram shows a Middle aged Tamaranean male with no facial hair and a black haired ponytail while wearing a dark purple tunic, dark purple pants and black boots.
"These Tamaraneans are two of the emperors' advisors and the most likely to betray him." said Chal'marin.
"Princess Starfire, the woman from your projector is Mysom'r: she assists the emperor with interplanetary negotiations. Before Galfore asked the Omega Men for aid, she strongly voiced her opposition to the idea. She was afraid that relying on the Omega Men would label Tamaran as enemies in the eyes of the Citadel and bring war to our planet. This along with her extensive knowledge of the cargo routes that were taken over makes her a prime suspect." explained Chal'Marin.
"She could have given away the intel to the Gordanians so they would attack the cargo ships and force Galfore to ask someone else for aid, someone that was not involved in a war." explained Nori'ohr.
"Prince Wildfire, the man in front of you is Salgorr'n: the Emperors' advisor of natural resource management. Lately, he has been very upset with Galfores' reliance on interplanetary aid and neglect for Tamarans natural resources. He believes extensive use of natural resources would greatly benefit our people, while the Emperor believes that such things would harm Tamaran even more than it already has been in the past." explained Chal'marin.
"No doubt he would feel neglected if Tamarans natural resources are sitting around left untouched." said Wildfire.
"Which is what makes him a prime suspect as well." said Nori'ohr.
"I am most grateful for this information, but how do we know that neither of you are the traitors?" asked Wildfire.
"I am Galfores' long time friend and most trusted advisor, I would never betray him." answered Nori'ohr.
"And Tamaran is my home and responsibility, I work hard to keep it safe and would never jeopardize it." answered Chal'Marin.
"Hmm... fair enough." said Wildfire.
"Now where can we find these two?" asked Wildfire.
"My undercover operatives have informed me that they are heading to the "Day of Glarthak" festival located just outside the city, if you two head there now, you might be able to find them." answered Chal'marin.
Starfire loudly gasps with shock.
"The Day of Glarthak is today! How could I have forgotten! I would always keep the track of the important Tamaranean holidays!" yelled a distressed Starfire.
She quickly grabs onto Wildfire and holds onto him tightly.
"WHAT HAS BECOME OF ME LITTLE BROTHER!" she screamed while aggressively shaking her brother.
Wildfire becomes wide-eyed and partially frightened by his sisters sudden hysteria.
"Uh... Starfire... everyone is staring at us." said Wildfire as he was still recovering from his sisters extreme reactiveness.
Starfire pops her eyes wide open and suddenly lets go of Wildfire. He quickly drops to the floor while she quickly moves her head around the room. She notices all the Tamaraneans within the room covering their ears and expressing angry grins and looks of disapproval while staring at her intensely. She turns her head a couple more times to see Chal'marin, Nori'ohr and Elu doing the same.
"He he, my bad." said Starfire with embarrassment.
Moments later, the siblings and Elu arrive at the festival. Tamaranean citizens walk around the area to play games and buy clothing and other materials from the tents and booths placed all around. The sounds of music emit from the area with some citizens dancing along in pairs. Today truly is very lively for the cities populous. Meanwhile, Starfire, Wildfire and Elu look around for the two advisors.
"They have to be around here somewhere." said Wildfire.
"Over there." said Starfire as she points to her left.
Wildfire and Elu turn their heads to witness Mysom'r and Salgorr'n conversing with one another near a booth. The two advisors then walk away from each other in opposite directions.
"You tail Mysom'r while Elu and I follow Salgorr'n." commanded Wildfire to Starfire.
Starfire nods in agreement. The group of three split up to follow their respective targets. Wildfire and Elu blend within the dense crowd while cautiously stalking Salgorr'n.
Once Salgorr'n turns right, they quickly walk out of the crowd and towards the side of a booth and lean against it. Wildfire then peaks from the corner of the booth and observes the advisor intently. Meanwhile, across the path from Elu and Wildfire, a large audience of Tamaraneans gather around to listen to a choir getting ready to sing on the stage in front of them.
"To start off todays event, my talented group of singers will begin with a true Tamaranean classic, "Dance of the Clatthark"." announced the choir groups conductor.
The audience cheers and claps loudly while the conductor walks up to his podium. He picks up his conductor baton and raises it high in the air. After he directs the beat and tempo of the song, the choir starts to sing which turns out to be loud and obnoxious screaming like the folk song Starfire sang to Cyborg when he was upset one time.
The audience dances along to the song while Wildfire and Elu quickly cover their ears and groan in annoyance. The native Tamaranean singing distracts both heroes as they completely lose their focus on Salgorr'n.
"I do not remember Tamaranean songs being this annoying." said a distressed Wildfire as he covers his ears.
Elu noticed that Wildfire was speaking to him, but he could not understand him due to trying to block the irritating screaming music. Wildfire then refocuses on Salgorr'n by peaking from the corner of the booth again. However, he notices that the advisor has disappeared behind a dense crowd of citizens. Wildfire begins to panic now that he has lost sight of the suspect.
"Come on, follow me." shouted Wildfire.
Elu follows his friend while they both sprint along the path. Once they get to the crowd, they forcefully run through and bump into other Tamaraneans which instantly knock most of them down. As they make it through the dense group of citizens, they look around intently for Salgorr'n, but all they see are random Tamaranean citizens that are walking around, eating food and playing games.
"Great, we lost him." said a frustrated Wildfire.
The two heroes hear many angry groans and grunts behind them. They look behind themselves and notice the crowd of Tamaraneans they had just ran through. The citizens all look at them with scorn and irritation which cause Wildfire and Elu to become incredibly embarrassed.
"Umm... our apologies." said Wildfire nervously.
He quickly grabs Elu's arm and sprints away from the crowd.
While Wildfire and Elu handle their investigation, Starfire keeps her eyes on Mysom'r. She remains sneaky as she quickly hides behind random objects such as booths, tents and small objects such as crates full of materials. She then hides behind a mobile rack filled with Tamaranean costumes and peaks through them in order to keep spying on Mysom'r.
"Well, what do you know, the princess has returned for the "Day of Glarthak"!" shouted a random voice near Starfire.
She turns to her right and notices a tall and skinny Tamaranean male standing near her along with a group of five Tamaraneans giving her welcoming smiles.
"Oh hello dear citizens, I apologize, but I am very busy right..." said Starfire.
"Care to join us, princess? We are currently taking turns wrestling the luknook." interrupted the Tamaranean male.
The citizen points to a tall fence with a random Tamaranean male grappling a luknook, a massive blue Tamaranean bird with an ostrich like physique, by the neck. Starfire witnesses the man struggling to hold the luknook still, the creature keeps trying to move rapidly to loosen the wrestlers grip. The creature then uses all of its strength to lift the man with its long muscular neck.
This causes the wrestler to loose his grip on the luknook and send him flying out of the enclosure. The man lets out a scream of terror as he plummets to the ground below him. He then makes a loud thud while landing behind some booths.
"Would you like to go next, princess?" asked the man speaking to Starfire.
Not only does Starfire have other matters to attend to, but she also views the wrestling of the luknook to be quite strange. On Earth, it was rare to see humans wrestling animals for fun. Why her people would find enjoyment in wrestling a strong and large animal was quite bizarre to her. In order to avoid this, Starfire tries to come up with an excuse that won't give away what she is truly up to.
"Um... my apologies fellow citizen but I have to go, I am uhh... to busy... digging the scene, yes, that is what I am doing." said a nervous Starfire.
The man that was speaking to her and his group of friends looked at her with confusion due to her using a phrase unknown to Tamaranean culture. They then burst out laughing at the princess.
"Uh... what is so funny?" asked a confused and nervous Starfire.
"Ha ha, what you just said, "digging the scene", what does that even mean?!" asked the Tamaranean male as he laughs hysterically.
"Well... it means that you are enjoying the place you are at of course. On Earth, people say it all the time." answered Starfire.
The other Tamaraneans continue to laugh hysterically.
"We have not heard such weird language before, Earth must be quite strange!" said the male as he continues laughing.
Starfire begins to feel disrespected and hurt that other Tamaraneans would make fun of her acquired Earth phrasing. She tilts her head down as tears drip from her eyes. Starfire never would've thought that she would feel like an outsider among her own people. She begins to fly away from the group of Tamaraneans while wiping away the tears from her face in order to find a place that was secluded from everyone else.
Ten minutes later, Starfire sits by her lonesome near a rock just outside the festival. She contemplates her actions after arriving on Tamaran, such as rejecting Galfores' friendly greeting, eating like an Earthling during the feast, forgetting about the Day of Glarthak, and her recent incident with the citizens at the festival. She wonders if Galfore was right, maybe her time on Earth has caused her to no longer be accustomed to Tamaranean culture.
Just then, Wildfire and Elu find her and walk over to speak with her. They immediately notice how sad Starfire looks with her sitting slouched on the ground with a frown on her face so they decide to figure out what is going on with her.
"Sister? What is wrong? Why aren't you following one of the suspects?" asked Wildfire with concern.
"I am not in the mood to follow anyone." answered Starfire depressingly.
"And besides, aren't you supposed to follow the other?" she asked.
"Well... we were, but we kind of lost sight of him." answered Wildfire with embarrassment.
Wildfire walks over to his sister and sits next to her
"Please sister, tell me what is wrong." demanded Wildfire calmly.
Starfire raises her head and looks forward. She remains silent for three seconds before speaking.
"Do you believe Galfore was right about what he said, about "Zorbnok"?" asked Starfire.
Wildfire contemplates it for a few seconds.
"I suppose it is possible, I do feel like I am different among other Tamaraneans, nor do I enjoy the same things they do, like their singing." answered Wildfire.
"I also feel this way." replied Starfire.
"Ever since we arrived, I have not behaved the same way nor enjoyed the same things as they do; I did not welcome Galfores greeting, I did not eat the way they did, I do not enjoy the same things they do, and..."
Starfire unleashes a long depressed sigh.
"I do not even speak the same words they do." said a depressed Starfire.
Elu and Wildfire begin to feel sad for Starfire and become curious about what she is talking about. Wildfire starts to assume that something bad happened during the festival when he and Starfire separated.
"Starfire... tell me what happened." said Wildfire with a somber tone.
She turns to face Wildfire.
"When I was following Mysom'r, a fellow Tamaranean approached me and asked if I wanted to join him and his friends in the wrestling of the Luknook. I had no desire to and I used Earth words to explain why and..." explained Starfire.
She then looks back down to with sadness.
"He and his friends laughed at me." she continued while feeling dejected.
Tears begin to drip from her eyes as the memory of the event begin to haunt her mind. Elu and Wildfire tilt their heads down as they sympathize with Starfire experiencing her pain.
"Then I guess... we have experienced Zorbnok." said Wildfire somberly.
"Does that mean we are no longer Tamaraneans? Even though we were born and grew up here?" asked Wildfire as he turned to face Starfire.
Starfire ponders her brothers statement for a few seconds.
"Maybe so, little brother... maybe so." said a dejected Starfire.
The siblings continue to think about their current dilemma while Elu feels sorry for both of them. Meanwhile, a mysterious shadowy cloaked figure points a pistol at the group and fires three tranquilizer darts. The group of three immediately jump in the air while they yelp in extreme discomfort as each dart creates a violent sting for them all.
The three heroes inspect the sources of their sudden pains and discover the darts lodged into their bodies. They immediately pull out the darts and inspect them as they all begin to feel dizzy and fatigued while experiencing blurry vision and sweating.
"Ugh... what is happening to me?" asked a sleepy and confused Starfire.
She then suddenly falls to the ground.
"I feel... very... tired... cannot... move." said Wildfire as he slowly falls to the ground
The siblings and Elu have fully lost consciousness as they lay defenselessly on the ground. The shadowy cloaked figure then walks up to them and prepares to drag them all away to wherever he will take them.
Some time later, The three heroes are strapped against a wall with steel cuffs tightly encased around their hands and feet planted against it. They gradually wake up after being tranquilized and groan and shake their heads in order to regain awareness.
"Ugh... what happened?" asked a groggy Wildfire.
"I... I do not know." replied a confused Starfire.
"Wildfire, Starfire." said an unknown voice.
The siblings and Elu turn their heads to their right and notice Galfore cuffed to the wall adjacent to them.
"Galfore!" shouted the siblings worriedly.
"Do not worry my little bumgorfs, I am in no such pain. I am only just cuffed to the wall, just like the three of you are right now." said Galfore.
The group of three look in all directions to observe their limbs cuffed to the wall. Starfire and Wildfire struggle to break free from their binds by using all of their strength but fail to make any progress.
"Do not bother, these binds were made to withhold the strongest of species in the vega system. Neither of us will break free." said Galfore.
"Where exactly are we, Galfore?" asked Wildfire.
"Inside a Tamaranean prisoner transport. The traitor knocked you three out and placed you in here, just like he did to me." explained Galfore.
The entrance to the large prisoner room slides open to reveal the cloaked man.
"Is he the traitor, Galfore?" asked Starfire.
"Indeed he is." answered Galfore.
The traitor walks into the long and narrow room towards his prisoners. Once he gets close enough, he lowers his hood to reveal his identity. The traitor is revealed to be Chal'marin himself. Starfire, Wildfire and Elu gasp in utter shock since they never would've thought that Tamarans own Head of Security, a man responsible for protecting its society, would not only put them in danger, but also potentially harm its Grand ruler.
"Chal'marin!? You are the traitor?!" shouted a shocked Starfire.
"But why?! You said "Tamaran was your home and responsibility!" shouted an equally shocked Wildfire.
"It is, I am merely doing what is best for it." replied Chal'marin.
"I highly doubt revealing secrets to our worst enemies and kidnapping us is what you call "Best for Tamaran"." said Galfore.
"You do not understand, Grand Ruler." remarked Chal'marin.
He walks up to Galfore and gets in his face.
You remember how prosperous our people were before the Gordanians attacked. We did not need outside aid or intervention to ensure our survival, we used to not only be self sufficient, but we also had a glorious and beautiful civilization. You should know this." stated Chal'marin sternly.
As Chal'marin speaks, Elu notices a small object attached to his belt. It was blue and thin with ridges and notches on one end. He suspected it to be a key.
Elu then looks up and down towards his binds and notices similarly shaped small square holes on each of them. He theorizes them to be keyholes and suspects everyone else's binds to be similar in design.
"You spoke of accomplishments during the feast last night, but that could not be further from the truth! You have done nothing to bring Tamaran back to its former glory! You are a failure of a leader!" yelled a frustrated Chal'marin.
"And I suppose you think that you would do a better job!" yelled Galfore angrily.
Meanwhile, Elu focuses all of his attention on the key like object located on Chal'marins belt. He lifts it up using his telekinesis and carefully detaches it. He then moves the key towards Wildfire and places it in between his belt.
Wildfire notices the touch of the object on the left side of his waist and looks down to inspect it. After noticing that it was Elu placing the object, he smiles at his friend to so him his congratulations.
"Indeed I do, and after I turn you all in to the Gordanians, I will become the new Emperor of Tamaran! And when that happens, our people will thrive once again." explained Chal'marin.
Chal'marin turns around and walks away from his prisoners.
"You are making a big mistake, Chal'marin! Do you hear me! I will have you imprisoned for this!" yelled Galfore.
"I highly doubt that... former Grand Ruler." replied Chal'marin.
Chal'marin turns to face the button for the prisoner room door and presses it to seal everyone inside.
"Do not worry, Galfore, we will find a way to break free and stop him." said Starfire.
"Elu already found a way, show them, buddy." requested Wildfire.
Elu focuses on the key he placed between Wildfire and his belt and lifts it in the air using his telekinesis. He then uses the key to unlock his binds.
"Ah yes, I forgot. Besides having the ability to project energy, Roguians are also able to use telekinesis." explained Galfore.
"Great thinking, my friend." congratulated Galfore to Elu.
After Elu frees Wildfire from his shackles, Elu turns to face Galfore and nod his head up and down while smiling to thank him for his compliment
Inside the transport ships cockpit, Chal'marin prepares the ship for launch. The traitorous Tamaranean becomes eager to get rid of Galfore, Wildfire, and Starfire while he presses multiple buttons, twists many knobs, and flicks many switches to start his vehicles takeoff sequence.
Suddenly, Galfores' huge fist smashes right through the door to the cockpit. Chal'marin jumps in his seat due to being startled by the Grand Rulers' powerful punch.
He quickly turns around to see the large hole Galfore created. He was surprised and frightened that his prisoners were able to escape their shackles while Galfore rips the door straight off and throws it behind him. Galfore, Starfire, Wildfire and Elu all stand outside the cockpit preparing to bring chal'marin to justice.
"No!, How did you-!" asked Chal'marin before being interrupted.
"Chal'marin! As Grand Ruler of Tamaran, I place you under arrest for conspiring with the enemy, disclosure of classified information, kidnapping, assault, and treason!" shouted Galfore.
Becoming more nervous, Chal'marin quickly stands up from his seat and blasts the windshield in front of him.
"No Chal'marin!" shouted Galfore as he and everyone else runs towards him.
Chal'marin speedily flies out of the cockpit through the broken windshield.
"We must not allow him to escape!" shouted Galfore.
Galfore and Starfire quickly fly out of the cockpit. Wildfire follows suit after bending down to allow Elu to ride on his back. Chal'marin quickly looks behind him to check on his pursuers and sees all of them flying from behind.
Once the group reaches the traitor, they immediately fire their starbolts towards him. They all unfortunately miss their target as Chal'marin quickly swerves in all directions in order to dodge the incoming projectiles. Chal'marin then flies into the entrance of a wide canyon, hoping to evade the group within it.
"Starfire, Wildfire, the next right turn in this canyon will put you both ahead of him, take it so we can catch him." ordered Galfore.
When the turn appears, Starfire and Wildfire immediately fly into it. Soon after, Galfore fires another barrage of starbolts in order to keep his betrayer preoccupied. Chal'marin once again swerves in all directions to avoid incoming fire. The two Tamaraneans continue to fly vigorously through the canyon as the both make quick turns and dodge large rocks that may be in their ways.
After nearly fifthteen seconds of aerial pursuit, Starfire and Wildfire reach the end of the crevice they flew into and look to their left to notice Chal'marin and Galfore heading straight towards them. Chal'marin quickly notices the siblings, but it was too late for him as both Starfire and Wildfire each simultaneously deliver a powerful punch that makes the traitor lose control and fall to the ground below.
As chal'marin groans on the ground, the siblings and Galfore fly down to arrest him. Galfore then bends down and looks straight in to Chal'marins eyes with a stern and serious expression.
"It is over, my old friend, you master plan has failed." said Galfore.
Chal'marin groans and lets his head fall to the ground, knowing full well that he lost.
Some time later, Tamaranean authorities have arrived to the canyon to arrest Chal'marin. As the traitor is being taken away, Galfore, Elu, Wildfire and Starfire converse with Nori'ohr, Salgorr'n and Mysom'r.
"Why would Chal'marin go through all of this trouble and betray us?" asked Nori'ohr.
"He thought that Galfore was not good enough to lead Tamaran, so he tried to get rid of him so he could take his place." explained Wildfire.
"Considering that he was the mastermind behind all of this, I doubt he would be better." claimed Salgorr'n.
"He tried to make it seem you or Mysom'r were the traitors by telling us how you two strongly disagree with Galfores' decisions." explained Starfire.
"With all due respect to the Grand Ruler, every advisor has issues with his decisions, especially Salgorr'n and I, but none of us would ever do anything so egregious." responded Mysom'r.
Galfore sighs, knowing well that he had neglected and ignored his advisors.
"Mysom'r, Salgorr'n, I realize now that I have been too stubborn of a ruler; I used to think that I knew what was best for Tamaran, but it is clear to me now that we must adapt our strategies. After this, I promise to heed your requests." said Galfore.
"You have no need to apologize, Grand ruler. We know you mean well." said Salgorr'n.
Galfore smiles after knowing that he is once again on good terms with two of his advisors.
"uh... pardon me, but my brother and I must speak with Galfore privately." said Starfire.
"Understood princess, we will all leave at once." said Nori'ohr.
Nori'ohr and the two advisors turn around and walk away.
"What is it that you two wish to tell me?" asked Galfore.
Starfire hesitates to speak for a second.
"Galfore... we have come to realize that... you were right." said a somber Starfire hesitantly.
"Right about what?" asked Galfore.
"That we have forgotton what it means to be Tamaraneans, Galfore. We have indeed experienced "Zorbnok"." said Wildfire.
Galfore places each hand on Starfire and Wildfires' shoulders.
"Just because you two act differently now, does not mean you are no longer Tamaraneans. A Tamaranean is strong-willed, courageous, thoughtful and selfless, all qualities that you two have shown me tonight. Too me, you two are the most Tamaranean than anyone I have ever known." said Galfore proudly.
Starfire and Wildfire smile then hug Galfore for three seconds.
"Now, you two best head back to Slagg, I am sure the Omega Men would want to gather information from Chal'marin." said Galfore.