Author's Note:
I'll admit writing names in comics, especially when there are different universes, can be so confusing! You have their real names, superhero aliases which often change, nicknames, and then different spellings of those nicknames! For example, in the pool scene Dick calls our leading lady "Kory," but when Jason talks to her in Outlaws he says "Kori." For the sake of consistency, and to vary the names up a bit, I will write Starfire as Kory when she begins to be referred to as such.
Enjoy!
~0~0~0~
Koriand'r knew eventually she would have to journey to live with Karras in southern Tamaran and rule beside him. She had already retired her old dress wear for a new one, as was customary after a palace marriage. She traded in her skirt and short sleeves for purple tightfitting shorts along with a longer sleeved purple uniform. Her new boots rose higher on her thigh and had a larger bottom, as they were padded with titanium to make them more durable. Her new attire made her feel stronger, like she could take on the world, like she could rule the southern part of her planet.
She and Karras were supposed to leave right after the wedding, but some of their military advisors warned about a potential Adaptoid attack. As soon as he heard this news, Karras ordered three hundred men to the Grand Palace. The couple had been lingering in the Capital for the past two months in case of a sudden invasion.
They also met with General Phy'zzon who had brought a prototype of the solar sustenance technology to be used if their people ended up engaging in battle. Koriand'r was surprised at the animosity Phy'zzon showed to Karras upon meeting him, especially since he regarded her with his usual charm. As soon as he left to confer with his troops, Karras turned to her.
"I believe he is in love with you," he told her, the corner of his mouth lifting up.
Koriand'r blushed a deep red. "You are mistaken."
"Perhaps you are in love with him?" Karras mused, pretending to think.
She lifted her chin. "Of course not. I have only met him once before now. I barely know of him."
"Why, but you barely know of me and you are desperately in love, are you not?" Karras teased. Koriand'r allowed her eyes to glow green in playful anger. "I shall take your response as a yes."
Koriand'r's eyes returned to their normal state. She tapped her index fingers together, suddenly nervous. "You are wishing to return to Taryia, yes?"
Karras cocked his head to the side. "Why do you ask this?"
She swallowed. "How are we to be married if you and your lieutenant are expecting a child? Will that not cause tension in our alliance?"
The smile on his face faded a little. "It is a most…unfortunate circumstance, but I believe the bond we have is strong Koriand'r. Do you also think this?"
She nodded. "With all of my energy."
Karras smiled. "Then we shall find a way."
The two walked through the halls of the palace on their way to the throne room. They could have flown there in half the time, but Koriand'r found she enjoyed the longer route. She liked talking to Karras.
"Are you hoping for a male or a female?" Koriand'r asked suddenly.
Karras pursed his lips. "I do not know," he answered honestly. "I cannot imagine what fatherhood will be like."
"You will be a strong father," Koriand'r insisted.
Karras hesitated. "I know with time you will bear me a child. I worry I will not be able to show the same devotion to both of my children."
"Yes. That will be most difficult," Koriand'r told him, not wanting to hold back the truth, "but do you wish Taryia was not with child?"
Karras shook his head. "I am filled with the utmost joy. I cannot wait to meet my future son or daughter."
A bright smile appeared on her face as she regarded her husband. "I am glad."
The two were about to enter the throne room when a large crash sounded from outside, followed by shouting. Koriand'r and Karras snapped their heads to look at each other, their faces a mixture of surprise and horror. They flew into the throne room at once, the force of their entry knocking back the massive stone doors against the wall. Galfore was already on his feet when they entered. He cast Koriand'r a serious look as another crash sounded outside. Koriand'r felt her heart jump into her throat.
The Adaptoids were here.
"Quickly, we must join the fight," Galfore informed everyone in the room, stepping down from his throne, a weapon already in his hand. He turned to Koriand'r and Karras. "Prince Karras, I trust you will be strongest alongside your own men?"
Karras gave a grave nod. "We have faced the Adaptoids before, I shall not let Tamaran down, Grand Ruler." He gave a small bow for effect.
Galfore nodded. "Good. Go and join them." Koriand'r turned to join Karras when Galfore halted her. "Not you, Princess. You shall join General Phy'zzon and his men. They will be testing their solar sustenance technology, and they need all of the Capitol's fiercest warriors with them."
"Forgive me, Grand Ruler, but should I not fight alongside my husband?" she inquired, tossing a worried look to Karras.
The prince came forward and took her hand. "Worry not, my love. We shall be reunited soon. I would not want my presence to hinder you in battle." He gave her a small smile and squeezed her hand. Koriand'r returned the smile, albeit a little unsurely. Normally it was custom for husbands and wives to fight side by side, but given the particular alliance of their marriage, perhaps it would make more sense for them to separate for now.
Prince Karras bowed to her and the Grand Ruler once more before flying out of the throne room, toward the battlefield. Koriand'r felt Galfore's hand on her shoulder. She turned to look at him.
"Fight with fire, Koriand'r," he told her, as more screams echoed outside. His eyes softened for just a moment. "And be safe my little bumgorf."
Koriand'r embraced him briefly before flying out of the throne room, exiting out a side window so she could locate the General. She flew high above the palace and was shocked to discover the number of Adaptoids already at the palace steps.
They were huge gelatinous creatures of all sickly colors, their holes oozing orange pus. They were surprisingly quick in speed, their limbs extending out to absorb anything they could touch. Koriand'r gasped as a Tamaranean warrior was hit in the torso with one of the limbs, the contact of the ooze on his bare stomach causing the skin to bubble like acid.
Everywhere she looked there were either Adaptoids or her own people. She felt a surge of pride as she watched her fellow warriors fight with strength and fury to defend their home. At the same time, she was filled with dread as she watched the Adaptoids multiply, easily outnumbering them in a matter of seconds.
Deciding it wasn't a good idea to remain exposed in the air, Koriand'r took cover under the overhang of a palace bridge. Her eyes scanned frantically until she finally caught a glimpse of long white hair and vibrant dark orange skin. Koriand'r sent a silent thank you to X'hal for allowing General Phy'zzon's complexion to be so easy to spot. She flew down, narrowly avoiding one of her own people's eye blasts in the process.
"General Phy'zzon," she called as she landed next to the man under a makeshift cover.
The General whipped around at his name. When he recognized Koriand'r he gave her a curt nod, but his eyes betrayed how grateful he was for her presence. "Princess," he said, "I am thankful the Grand Ruler sent you."
"How may I be of assistance?" Koriand'r pressed, eager to help her people. "Will I be joining you on the front lines?"
General Phy'zzon shook his head. "While I am sure you are fierce in battle, there is something else I need of you." He gestured to a large device behind him. "There is a reflector on this device which needs to be launched into our atmosphere. It is the mechanism which will enable our people to instantly recharge." He glanced at her. "You are one of the best fliers on our planet. Your ability to weave through the air is something even an experienced warrior such as myself can only dream of having. You must take the reflector and fly as high as you can without leaving the atmosphere of Tamaran. It may be the only way we can win this fight when we are so brutally outnumbered."
Koriand'r nodded, her gaze grim. While she so desperately wished to fight alongside her people, she knew this might be the only chance to save her beloved planet. The solar sustenance technology was something that had been in the works for months, and this could finally be the chance to use it.
She flew over to the device and picked up the reflector, a small titanium-like rectangle with a glimmering material on one end. She turned to Phy'zzon. "What should I do once I have reached the edge of the atmosphere?" she questioned.
"Simply charge the reflector with your own energy to get it working. It should continue to charge on its own from there." He lifted his chin and looked at her fondly. "Thank X'hal you have the ability to harness energy in the form of starbolts. Your powers will charge the device in half the time that your eye blasts would."
Koriand'r nodded, her fingers tightening around the device. She flew upwards. "I will join you on the battlefield as soon as I am able," she called down to him. He gave her a brief nod in response before returning to his other warriors. Koriand'r allowed herself one final glimpse of the General before launching into the sky.
She twisted and turned to avoid getting caught in the battle. The sky of Tamaran, usually breathtaking with its pinks and oranges, was now a blood red. The combined energies of both sides seemed to have turned her home planet into something out of a nightmare.
Koriand'r glanced up, seeing an open space in the sky where she could jet to and place the reflector. As she began to fly higher, however, she cried out in pain as a gelatinous tentacle wrapped around her right leg.
The pain was instantaneous. The acid from the Adaptoid burned straight through her boot and scorched her skin. She screamed in agony, her flight jerking upwards, causing her to unintentionally lift the creature off the ground with her. As the tentacle gripped her tighter, she lost her grip on the reflector, and it began to plummet.
"No!" she shrieked, her eyes glowing green in fury. In the next moment she summoned a massive starbolt, sending it straight through the Adapotid and reducing it to a pile of burnt mush as it fell back to the ground below.
Ignoring the pain that pulsed through her leg, Koriand'r turned around and rocketed toward the falling reflector, scooping it up before it crashed to the ground. She twisted around, nearly flying into a fellow warrior before zooming up to the sky once more. Her eyes glowed a fierce green, challenging anyone to interfere with her mission.
When she felt the air become lighter, she realized she was at the edge of the atmosphere. Turning around she angled the reflector back toward Tamaran, bracing it between her hands. Taking a deep breath, she slowly charged the device with her starbolts, making sure not to use too much energy, in case the reflector was to melt.
Waiting was agonizing. It felt like she was up there for an hour, slowly charging the device, all the while still hearing the screams of her people dying below. She was angry she could not be down there with them.
Just as she began to wonder if General Phy'zzon's reflector did not work, a massive beam of energy sprang from the reflector and plunged toward Tamaran. Koriand'r immediately released the reflector and let it drift, confident that it was far enough away for Tamaran's gravity not to pull it back down.
She did not waste another moment. She jetted back down to her planet, and it only took her a moment to realize the technology was a success. While she had felt drained from her injury, now that she was closer to Tamaran she could feel the recharging powers of the reflector reverberating the sun back into her body. She let out a yell of triumph, using her new strength to blow another Adaptoid to pieces.
She was not the only one who was affected. Her fellow Tamaraneans, once tiring from their battle, seemed completely rejuvenated. They fought with new vigor, using their eye blasts to take out several Adaptoids at a time. Less than an hour later the blob-like creatures began to retreat, lifting off from the ground and gliding back into space.
Koriand'r smiled in relief. The battle was over. They had won. She glanced across the clearing and made eye contact with General Phy'zzon. The warrior had a few small burns across his cheek, but other than that he seemed uninjured. He nodded to her, an impressed look on his face for her role in defeating the Adaptoids. Koriand'r gave him a brief nod in return, letting him know she appreciated his work. She would have gone over to talk to him, but she had other duties to attend to first.
After making rounds to help tend to the injured and in some cases, collect the dead, Koriand'r finally made her way back to the throne room. She was not surprised to see Galfore there, looking as strong as he did when the battle had commenced. He did not appear to have any burns on his skin, but his shoulders slumped, indicating his fatigue. His eyes widened when they fell on Koriand'r, and she glanced down at her leg, only now realizing how bad the wound was.
Only scraps of burned material still clung to her right leg. The rest was covered by a thick, oozing burn that throbbed every time she attempted to land. Perhaps it was best to keep to the air, despite her own exhaustion. She supposed the solar sustenance technology could only work for so long.
"My little bumgorf, please have someone attend to your wound at once," Galfore told her, his worry creeping into his normally intimidating voice.
Koriand'r shook her head. "I will Galfore, but I wish to see Prince Karras first."
Galfore bowed his own head, and suddenly Koriand'r felt sick. When he looked up again, he met her eyes with great sadness. "Prince Karras died in battle, Koriand'r. I am so sorry."
Koriand'r opened her mouth to speak, and then shut it again. No. That was impossible. Karras was well trained to fight Adaptoids. He was an experienced warrior. There was no way…
"He fought bravely," Galfore continued, his eyes still shining with deep regret.
Koriand'r felt her flight give out and she fell to the floor. She screamed, partly in pain from her leg, but mostly due to the loss of her dear friend. She would never see him again. She would never talk to him again, or laugh with him again. Worst of all, he would never make it home to see Taryia or his unborn child.
Koriand'r wept.
~0~0~0~
Three weeks passed, and Koriand'r was still going through the motions. She kept up her duties to the Grand Ruler as ambassador, but she lacked the joy she usually carried with her. By Tamaranean custom, she should have gone back to her traditional dress wear, but she had opted to stick with her new attire for her dear friend's memory.
Prince Karras, or his body rather, was cleaned up and shipped back to southern Tamaran for a proper burial. Koriand'r had stared at his burnt remains, his face barely recognizable. The tears that slipped down her face were welcome, for all Tamaraneans would rather feel pain than go numb. Going numb was dangerous. Feelings were replaced; memories were lost.
She hoped that would never happen to her.
At the start of the fourth week following his death, Galfore entered her room to find her staring out from her balcony, deep in thought. He cleared his throat and she turned around, immediately bowing in apology. He waved her off, and she gave a small smile, knowing her K'Norfka would never expect such formalities from her.
"I request a word with you, Koriand'r," he told her, and at once she moved away from the balcony and into her and Karras' wedding room. She did not have the heart to move back into her old one.
Koriand'r moved to stand in front of her caretaker. Her eyes were wide and curious, yet they were duller than normal. "How may I assist you?"
Galfore's stared back at her with an unreadable expression on his face. "General Phy'zzon has requested your hand in marriage."
Normally such news would have shocked Koriand'r, excited her even, but nothing was a shock to her after Karras' death. "Oh?" she responded uninterestedly.
Galfore raised his eyebrows. "This does not upset you?"
"If it will help Tamaran I will except his proposal," she replied.
Galfore's face hardened. "Why must you feel it necessary to accept such an offer? I did not pressure you to do so, did I?"
Koriand'r shook her head. "I accept in the name of my planet."
Galfore slammed his fist down so hard onto her bureau that it shattered into several pieces. Koriand'r did not jump, but she regarded him with surprise.
"You will not accept if it is not something you wish to do," Galfore told her, fire in his voice.
Koriand'r bristled. "I accept in the name of my planet," she repeated.
"Why? Have you not done enough already?"
"I could do more."
"Why are you so insistent on putting Tamaran before yourself?"
"I am a Princess. It is my duty."
"Your duty is to follow the orders of your Grand Ruler."
"Then you disapprove of the match?"
"I disapprove of your motives. Why not take the time to grieve Prince Karras? Why not think of your own happiness for once, before the needs of your home planet?"
"Because you are so convinced Tamaran is not my home planet!" Koriand'r cried, her anger finally breaking through to the surface.
Galfore's eyes widened. "What do you speak of?"
"I see it in your eyes, K'Norfka," she said desperately. "You believe there is a place for me other than Tamaran."
She walked over to her shattered bureau and stuck her hand into the mess. When her limb pulled back she held the strange circular black and yellow object that had allegedly arrived with her to Tamaran almost a year ago. "And I believe it has something to do with this." She looked up at him. "Please. I am so lost. I feel as if there is something you are keeping from me. I am finally home. Why can I not serve Tamaran to the best of my ability by marrying General Phy'zzon?"
Galfore studied her for a long moment. Then he took a big breath. "There is something else you can do that will aid Tamaran more."
~0~0~0~
Author's Note:
Hmmm, I wonder what that is. Next stop: return to Earth!