I do NOT own Teen Titans
Notes and replies to reviews:
I don't think Raven has any romantic feelings left for Robin. It was just a passing crush. I'm pretty sure that poster is gone now, and her eyes are only on Beast Boy.
Beast Boy immortal? There are any number of ways to realistically write this. Not sure which way I will go with yet.
Time: Immediately after previous chapter.
Another Ship,... Chess,...
The alien ship didn't hesitate; half a mile from the tower two beams of bright orange light reached out from it and stuck the building dead center, with enough force to punch a hole through to the other side. The onslaught lasted for five seconds. Then, after a thirty second pause, the vessel fired again.
Beast Boy watched in disbelief as the tower was struck four times before he could reach the ship. His breath poured forth an inferno to avenge what must've been his friends' deaths; the bright flame, tainted with black, washed over the silver-colored hull without effect. In fury he struck again and again, even as the orange beams reached out towards the tower a fifth time.
Frantic need drove him, but the hull resisted all his attempts. With each additional breath the fire he lashed out with grew darker in color. Raven. The shape shifter thought, and exhaled upon the alien vessel one more time. As before, there wasn't a mark left on the alien hull, but it did draw the attention of those who crewed it. Slowly the two hundred foot vessel turned to try to aim its weapons at him.
Beast Boy tilted his wings, and swooped down close to the hull, keeping away from the protrusions that marked the weapons. Lashing out with more fire, his rage and frustration grew. He flew around the ship, his mind automatically analyzing it. Given the sturdiness of the hull, and its massive weapons, it would be right to consider it a battleship. He decided. It would be made to resist things like fire. He studied the slow way it turned. Hull is really massive. The green-skinned Titan coldly noted, seeking some weakness in it. Tilting his wings again, he easily avoided its weapons once more, still studying the hull. Designed to resist things like fire, but what about acid?
Immediately the shape shifter was on the hull of the ship in the form of a six armed, alien Torkop. His guess had been right; the acid ate through whatever the ship was made of with ease. Soon he'd made a very small hole, less a centimeter in diameter, in the three-foot thick hull. Turning into an amoeba, he dropped inside.
The shape shifter looked around. Whereas the outside had been silver, the inside was orange. Carefully considering his actions despite the rage that drove him, he decided to repeat what he'd done with the Gordanian ship; hit hard at what he hoped were its weak spots. Shifting into a bat he listened. There were no distinct sounds that would indicate the engines or the power source for the vessel. Shrugging as best he could as a bat, he dropped to the floor as a cheetah. If nothing else, he was very aware of where the weapons were. The slim form of the great cat raced through the corridors, seeking the front of the vessel. With its agility and speed, it took a mere twenty seconds. He saw several aliens on the way, but ignored them, passing them in a blur that gave them no time to react.
A giant cylinder sixty feet long, and twenty in diameter, appeared to be the source of one of the rays that had devastated the tower. Shifting into a dragon once more he exhaled his fury upon it. As expected, while the hull of the ship was made to take damage, the inside wasn't as tough. His breath tore into the device, ripping a huge hole in it. Inside he saw an orange glow, and realized they'd resumed firing at the tower; only the weapon had been broken, and all that energy had nowhere to go. Frantically he switched back to a cheetah, and raced away, aware of doors slamming shut behind him. A massive tremor ran throughout the vessel.
The shape shifter grinned, his fangs exposed in a terrifying growl. That had been one of the weapons, but there were two. Calling upon his agility and speed once more, he found his way through the ship to the other weapon. It wasn't hard to find; the chamber he'd fled into took him right to it. As with the other one, his breath tore into it, tearing long gashes into its surface. It didn't explode, and he guessed that was because they'd stopped firing. Giving the damage their first few attacks had done, he thought it was probably too late. Still, there would be vengeance.
He went in search of other vital equipment to destroy when more of the doors started to slam shut around him. Exhaling his wrath upon then, he found they were tough, and resisted his dragon breath. Turning into a Torkop once more, he used his acid to burn holes through the three-inch thick barriers. With each one he reverted to a dragon and sent fire through the opening, clearing the way before he turned into a mouse and crawled through. Occasionally he turned into a bat and listened. After the fourth door he still didn't hear anything that indicated vital equipment, but he did hear talking. Two more doors brought him to the source.
Beast Boy studied those who crewed the vessel. He'd thought they were more Gordanians, but the people who stood before him looked nothing like those blue-skinned lizards. Standing at maybe five feet on average, with hair and eyes various shades of orange, there was no way to mistake them for those genocidal monsters. Seeing all the electronic equipment in the room, he inhaled and sent forth his breath once more. The aliens scurried for cover as the fire ripped through the various consoles and devices, causing a few to explode.
"Ghotro Pot Nax Cros." One of the aliens shouted, obviously speaking to him.
The shape shifter turned to look at the creature. Inside he was torn. If they'd killed Raven, then what could he do but kill them? It was just. Several of the creatures charged him, and he sent them flying with a single flap of his wings. Unlike the super strong Gordanians these people were physically weak; in fact they were probably no stronger than your average ten year old kid. He exhaled again, and they fled, seeking to hide. The alien who'd spoken earlier was pushing buttons on a badly damaged console. Beast Boy prepared to finish the destruction of the device when the alien spoke once more; this time the words were in English.
"Stop. Why do you attack us?" The orange-eyed being demanded. "We mean you no harm."
Beast Boy paused in his destruction and studied the alien. Other than the strange coloring, they appeared little different from a human woman of maybe fifty or sixty. "Who are you?" He demanded.
"We are the Aknarians." The woman replied.
The shape shifter frowned, recognizing the name. They were the race that'd destroyed the Gordanian ship that'd kidnapped Raven a few days ago. "What are you doing here?" He demanded.
"We don't owe you any explanations." Another female Aknarian angrily spoke up.
He turned his gaze towards her; if he had to guess, he would place her at around twenty-five. A breath of fire send her scurrying behind a devastated console. "I've yet to decide if I'm going to kill you." He explained coldly. "Why shouldn't I?"
"Your race is obviously not the same as the people of this world." The older woman spoke again. "Why would you risk making enemies of us? You should thank us. The Gem was our target, and with her gone the Eternal Evil is sealed away forever."
"How would you know the Gem is on this world?" He inquired.
"Talnia destroyed a Gordanian ship some distance from here. They had captured the Gem, but she wasn't aboard the vessel. Their records indicated she might be here, so we came looking for her."
"Talnia?"
The woman pointed at the one who'd spoken out angrily a few seconds back. "She faced a Gordanian ship and defeated it. An incredible accomplishment."
"I'm sure." The shape shifter muttered angrily. "How convenient for her the ship had no power and its weapons were already destroyed."
"What do you mean? How would that be the case?" The woman demanded, her eyes flaring a darker orange. "Do not dare question the bravery of such a warrior."
"I know because I was there." He simply stated, staring back at the woman.
The elderly alien looked down at the younger one who looked away, her face becoming darkly tinted with orange. "Is this true. The enemy's ship was already helpless?" The woman asked.
"They didn't fire back." The young woman admitted.
"Still." The older woman spoke, turning back to him. "The Gem is dead, and the Eternal Evil is sealed forever. We should celebrate."
"Why? The Gem was just a girl who resisted her destiny; a person who was by nature was kind and good. What crime did she commit?" He growled the words savagely, needing to destroy them, yet held back by the morals that defined a Titan.
The younger alien opened her mouth to speak, but was hurriedly quieted by the older woman who stared at him. "We do not know her nature, other than her destiny was to bring about our end. Was it not worth the price?"
"What did you gain? The Gordanians will still be guided by Trigon, and will still prey on the weaker worlds. And there will be other Gems?"
"Other Gems? How?" Her eyes pierced him, and he stared back without blinking, eyes full of wrath.
"He sired one. What is to keep him from siring another?"
"There's only one Gem." The younger woman insisted.
"I see." The older one said, frowning. "There's nothing in the prophecies saying there must be only one Gem. When one dies, he will merely make another." She studied him. "And I assume the Gem who we killed was someone you cared about?"
"She was." He simply replied. He inhaled and prepared to send forth his fury. The woman faced him, willing to accept the price of her actions.
Gazing out at the sky, wondering where Beast Boy might be, Raven saw the ship approaching. A sense of foreboding flooded her system with adrenaline, and she teleported back to where the other Titans were. Starfire let out a loud yelp as she was snagged by the hair as the violet-haired girl pulled her close to Robin and Cyborg. Wrapping her arms around all three, she teleported them down to the basement.
"What ..." Cyborg started to say, when a tremor shook the building.
Robin had merely went into a fighting stance, looking around as he'd assumed the girl's actions meant there was trouble.
"There's a ship close to the tower, and I would guess it just fired on us." Raven intoned impassively.
The cybernetic teen started pushing buttons on his arm, accessing the tower's security systems. Another shudder ran through the place. The basement was well beneath the surface, but it wasn't meant as a bomb shelter.
"Starfire. You recognize this ship?" Cyborg asked, showing the orange-skinned Titan a display on his arm.
"Aknarians." She simply replied, rubbing her head where Raven had nearly tore her hair out. "I wonder what they're doing here."
"By the looks of it, trying to kill us." Raven intoned sarcastically.
"But they're not a violent species." The girl insisted, frowning.
"Beast Boy is out there somewhere." Raven said. "I hope they're not firing at anything other than the tower." Her stoic expression was tinged with worry.
"As far as I can tell they're only shooting at us." Cyborg replied. Another shudder ran through the building. "Wonder how many shots this place can take?" He pondered, looking up.
"Not many." Robin answered. "Raven, can you teleport us somewhere else?"
"I can try. But where? Anywhere in the city would be bad if they track us." The violet-haired girl intoned, wondering where Beast Boy was. Reaching out, she tried to sense him. There was a faint trace of something, but nothing that would let her teleport to him. Her stoic expression cracked even further. She had a very bad feeling about this.
"How about the T-ship?" Their leader asked. "If we can get out in the open we can make a run for it, or hide in the ocean. I doubt we can fight; it looks like a battleship."
"Give me a second." She reached out and pulled them close as another shudder ran through the building. They vanished and reappeared by the T-ship.
To their dismay the exit was blocked. Climbing in, they started to cut their way out with the vessel's particle beams. Another shudder ran through the building. They waited for the next one, keeping their eyes focused on the exits. A while passed, and there were no more tremors.
"Seems they've stopped." Cyborg said, still staring at the display on his wrist. "They're chasing B." He added a few seconds later. "He's flying around their ship trying to get in, and they're trying to shoot him down.
Raven frowned. "Is he hurt?"
"Doesn't look like it. The ship isn't agile enough to bring its weapons to bear on him. He's okay."
The violet-haired girl gulped, wishing their lives were more peaceful. That she was just an ordinary girl, and he an ordinary boy. No villains, and no aliens.
"He's not in danger of being hurt." A dark voice whispered to her. "But he believes you dead, and may kill those in the ship if he can. That would not be good for him; it would forever change him."
"If you can sense him like that, can't you talk to him?" Raven asked, projecting her thoughts to the dark emoticlone.
"No, he's too focused on destroying the ship to hear me." Came the demonic reply. "His every thought is spent on the fight."
"He's inside and must've done something." Cyborg spoke. "There was just a huge explosion on the front left of the ship."
"He didn't get hurt in it." Rage reassured the violet-haired girl.
Two minutes later they were out, and the T-ship was in the air. Flying close to it, Raven got a clear sense of where the shape shifter was, and teleported all of them to him. The autopilot keep the Titan's ship hovering close to the aliens'.
Beast Boy was still frowning, wondering what to do, when Raven and the others teleported into the room ready for a fight.
"You okay?" Robin asked Beast Boy, as Raven stood back wondering what to say to the boy she'd nearly killed less than thirty minutes ago.
"I'm fine." The shape shifter relaxed, seeing the violet-haired girl safe. Around him the walls of the room had been melted and shattered. The alien woman still stood in the midst of it, waiting to pay whatever price the shape shifter deemed fit.
An hour later, the damaged Aknarian vessel slowly lifted for orbit and set course for their home world. Negotiations ensured there would be no more attacks on the Gem by their people. The Aknarians were generally a peaceful people who only built warships for defense against the Gordanian. Making Starfire angry, a former ruler of Tamaran, wasn't on their list of things to do. Nor did they desire more enemies.
The violet-haired girl sat staring at the wall, or at least half of a wall; repairs on the tower would take some time. Immortal? She wondered, though recent events seemed to imply being immortal didn't necessarily mean she would live a long life. And Beast Boy too. She mused. With a sigh she stood and teleported herself to his door. Knocking, she waited for a response.
"Come in." Beast Boy yelled.
Inside she noted the room while not exactly tidy, wasn't as dirty as it once would've been. "Game?" She asked, holding up the chess board.
He nodded. "Okay."
After the tenth move, she took a deep breath and sighed. "Sorry." She said.
Beast Boy shrugged, and took one of her pawns with a knight. "My dragon form isn't quite pure silver anymore." He commented sadly.
"Sorry." She said again. When they'd entered the alien ship she'd seen that the silver was tending more to a darker color.
"Not your fault." The shape shifter said. "I wanted to kill. Not a feeling I like, but I guess it tainted me somehow."
"Meditate and reflect on those emotions." The violet-haired girl suggested. "Understand where they came from, and make sure to be on the watch for them."
He nodded, cringing as he realized he'd just sent his knight on a suicide mission. That was going to have lasting repercussions for the rest of the game.
"I let Rage out of her prison." Raven said, placing the chess piece to one side. "Well technically my emoticlones let her out, but I'm not putting her back in. At least not unless something drastic happens."
"They all have free will. " He replied, studying the board, wondering how to quickly rebuild his defenses. "It seems to me that she, like you, has made the decision to fight her nature. You're not a demon; you're just a person whose doing the best she can. As for Rage, she's an emoticlone whose doing the best she can."
"Maybe." The violet-haired girl commented, wondering how to best take advantage of his weakened position. She would get a chance to take a rook if he didn't get it somewhere safe soon. Is that how he sees me, as just a normal person? She pondered, liking the idea. It beat being thought of as a demon.
He pulled the rook back to safety, allowing a pawn to be taken. "Guess I'll be doing quite a bit of meditation." He commented. "And to think I used to frown on it." He smiled at her.
Raven smiled back, her heart racing. "I mediate a lot, just join me." She offered. "Don't want to date a black dragon. Already been there and done that." She studied the board for a full minute, with him looking at her, before she realized what she'd said. Her cheeks were immediately a bright red.
"So you wouldn't mind dating a silver dragon?" The shape shifter asked, the board forgotten.
"Not if the dragon is a cute boy who likes me for who I am, and who can make me laugh." She smiled, cheeks burning.
He looked back down at the board, his own cheeks turning red; there was a smile on his face. Reaching down, he marched a pawn forward.
It was a crushing defeat as he tried, and failed, to recover from the knight he'd lost early in the game. Then the two of them sat together and quietly meditated for two hours. She reflected on what Rage and Knowledge had told her earlier. He reflected on his feelings for her, and his craving for vengeance aboard the alien vessel when he'd thought her dead.
Standing, she smiled at him, and left for her own room after a clumsy peck on the lips. Before it'd been just an experiment, or so she'd told herself. Now she realized it was serious. It made her unsure of how to react. Where once that would've caused her distress, it now caused excitement. She'd lived her whole life with her fate written in stone. She would no longer allow that to be the case. Trigon would be defeated, the world would survive, and she would know love. The rest would fall in place as it may.
Rising, he went to the roof top and turned into a dragon. Looking, he saw the dark that'd stained the form was almost gone. He would be on the lookout for such blood lust and, having felt it once, would be better able to handle it. At least he hoped that was the case.
"A very useful form." A dark voice commented in his ear. "It reflects what's truly in your heart with no distortions. Use it to guide you. Be warned when darkness taints it."
"I will." He replied.
He made his way back to his room and quickly fell asleep. He dreamed of a girl with violet hair and violet eyes. In the dream she was smiling.
End of Chapter.
Poor Cyborg, all that damage to repair.
Beast Boy got another kiss, and a promise of more.
The Aknarians learned not to mess with a shape shifter who's in love.
Just thought maybe we should meet the aliens who finished destroying the Gordanian ship Beast Boy wrecked, and see what their reactions might be to knowing the Gem was on earth.
Many thanks to those who read and review.