Alright everyone! Hope you're ready for more Teen Titan-ic awesomeness, because here I am! Now I'll admit, this chapter ended up needing a fairly substantial rewrite after the initial 'rough cut' proved, in the eyes of my beta reader, both A: too harmful towards the story's pacing and B: containing of too many potential spoilers for later events in this story. Thankfully though, I was able to get this chapter rewritten sufficiently enough to avert these two problems as far as my beta and I believe. That being said, here's to hoping this chapter proves enjoyable for all readers, and that you leave plenty of (NONFLAME!) feedback. In this chapter, Galfore give the Titans some much needed information about the Umbrosians as well as the last time they threatened the universe. All that said, onward with the fic people!

A/N: But first, I'd best remind you all that I do not own Teen Titans or anything else DC based. I do, however, own the Umbrosians. NOW onward with the fic!

Chapter 2:

The Legend

"To fully understand and get an idea of the magnitude of what we're at risk of dealing with, I must first give you an explanation of some important elements of our culture, legends, and history." Galfore pointed at Robin. "And before you ask, yes, all this information I'm about to tell you will make sense later, and be relevant to the immediate situation."

Robin briefly narrowed his eyes behind his mask, not exactly pleased that Galfore seemed to have expected him to ask how the information he was about to immediately give would be relevant to the situation. But he bit his tongue, for that matter was far from important at the moment.

"As Starfire is aware," Galfore began. "The people of Tamaran are descended from a species of beast that shared many similarities with what the people of Earth call cats."

Beast Boy silently whistled when he heard this, finding it quite interesting.

"One thing our people retained from the animals they evolved from," Galfore continued, "was the beasts' sense of pride. And with the exception of the Gordanians and Thanagarians, whom they occasionally warred with, they largely kept to themselves."

"However," he then stated. "That all changed when a race called the Umbrosians came into play. These beings, literally born and consisting of shadows, dwell within a far, far, far out of reach corner of the universe where no light exists and only absolute darkness reigns supreme. Their nominal home planet, Umbrosia, serves as an anchor and boundary keeping the vastness of the dark galaxy in check. How they came into play?"

Galfore sighed. "Through means that appear to have been sadly repeated three weeks ago by Blackfire." He looked up at the Titans, particularly Starfire. "In the time in which the Umbrosians last attempted what they now appear to be attempting, there were three royal children of Tamaran; two brothers, and their younger sister. The eldest, Nightfire, was a proud and mighty warrior. Of the three royal siblings of that generation, Nightfire was by far the strongest, smartest, most athletically capable, and largely considered to be the better fighter. However, all his talent went to his head, and he was very arrogant, self-absorbed, and unapproachable to his people. He was also very focused and driven on potentially expanding the empire past the planet's boundaries through outright war."

Starfire hung her head, and the other Titans shuddered. Already they were starting to see the uncomfortable parallels to be found between Nightfire and Blackfire, and also where the story would likely go from here.

"Two years younger then him," Galfore explained, "was his brother Dayfire. And while he wasn't quite as obviously strong, smart, or similarly gifted compared to his brother, Dayfire more than made up for it in the eyes of their people and parents through how kindhearted, compassionate, yet still ultimately willing to follow his principles and do what he believed was genuinely the right thing he was."

The other Titans promptly looked at Starfire, who nodded her head with a half saddened and half happy smile on her face. It was clear she was just as capable as they were of seeing herself in Dayfire.

"One week away from the day in which their parents would formally announce which of their children would be named the heir to the throne," Galfore continued, "Nightfire was so sure that he would be the one appointed in the end that he spent every opportunity he could openly bragging about it. But on the day of the announcement, the reigning emperor and empress announced Dayfire to be the heir, much to Dayfire's pleasant shock and Nightfire's rage."

The Titans all looked at each other. So far, they were definitely still getting feelings of déjà vu regarding the two brothers of this apparent history lesson and the way things were between Starfire and Blackfire.

"But then, days before what would almost certainly have been Dayfire's coronation," Galfore continued. "Nightfire committed a truly despicable action. He allied himself with the Umbrosians; and with their help, he started committing multiple crimes and atrocities across various worlds throughout the galaxy. If he and that army of Umbrosians had been allowed to continue their actions longer then they did, it is entirely possible that the Umbrosians would have spread their influence, plus the literal absolute darkness of their homeland, throughout the entire universe. And that's without considering how the actions they were committing were also enough to produce increasingly high tensions amongst various races that, if left unchecked, could easily have resulted in all out galaxy-wide warfare on an even more widespread level."

Galfore took a deep breath, and the Titans gulped. Starfire, however, only hung her head.

"But the very thing that had led Nightfire to cause all these problems in the first place, his extremely strong pride, was also one of his most debilitating flaws. And as a result of his pride, he was extremely insistent on not fully committing his allies' efforts to openly attacking and spreading their power throughout the entire universe until he had successfully conquered Tamaran and slain his brother first. And so, after spending considerable time preparing for this confrontation and committing comparatively minor crimes across more separate planets, he and the Umbrosians finally challenged Dayfire and the forces of Tamaran directly outside Tamaran's atmosphere."

Galfore let a few seconds pause follow his latest statement. Cyborg was the one to break the silence first. "How did they handle it all?" Cyborg asked. "Your people I mean?"

Galfore nodded his head in understanding. "Much like Nightfire," Galfore said, "Dayfire and the rest of the Tamaranean army were not alone in the conflict." He pointed at the sun. "For as there is darkness, there is also light. And on another difficult to reach corner of the universe, there is a galaxy where only absolute light reigns without so much as a speck of darkness. The galaxy, and the nominal home planet that anchors it in place, are home to a race of beings of literal light known as the Phosphorians. And it is the members of this race which allied themselves with Tamaran in the conflict against Nightfire and the Umbrosians. And at first, things seemed evenly matched. But there was still one severe problem."

"What was that?" Cyborg asked.

"Much like the Umbrosians wished to spread the darkness of their galaxy throughout the entirety of the universe," Galfore explained, "the Phosphorians were also fanatics who wished to eradicate all darkness in the universe, including the safe kind that is needed for sleep." He nodded his head. "Needless to say, under such circumstances, an outright victory on either side would have resulted in a terrible upset of balance across the universe."

The Titans all thought to themselves over this sobering information.

"But K'norfka," said Starfire. "The universe is still in balance. How were the Tamaraneans able to resolve this dilemma?"

Galfore sighed. "The answer to that question is something I'm afraid very few, if any, Tamaraneans know for certain. From what we are aware of, there were other pages to this tale that have since been lost over the course of history. All I can give you, however, is the best that our people have been able to determine from what remains."

He lifted his head. "To the best of our knowledge nowadays, it is believed that at a climactic moment where the two brothers were openly dueling with each other at the same time that the Umbrosians were still battling furiously against the combined might of the Tamaraneans and Phosphorians, a great eclipse came upon the battlefield. And with the arrival of that eclipse, a truly miraculous turn of events is reported to have occurred."

The Titans were all curious. "What is this miracle?" Starfire asked.

"Reportedly," said Galfore. "With both light and darkness in such blatantly equal balance, both the Umbrosians and the Phosphorians became incredibly weak and drained of their power. So drained in fact, that they willingly teleported themselves back to their respective homes so as to avoid dying from their loss of power. And in the process, they sacrificed the freedom that they'd gained from allying themselves with the two brothers and would now once again be kept sealed within their respective realms and nominal home planets until such a time as they were once again approached to serve as allies against each other."

The non-Tamaranean titans whistled. "Wow," said Beast Boy. "I always thought that eclipses looked pretty cool. But sheesh, I never thought an eclipse could be that powerful."

"You said it," Cyborg agreed.

"Indeed," said Starfire. She looked back at Galfore. "But what of the two brothers? What happened to them after the Umbrosians and Phosphorians departed?"

"Sadly," Galfore responded. "This story did not end happily for them." He shook his head side to side. "With the Umbrosians having now abandoned him, Nightfire was swiftly apprehended and taken into the custody of his people. And despite being given a fair trial and a chance to redeem himself, Nightfire refused to let go of his pride and hatred, outright denied feeling any regret for his actions, and insisted that he would still someday take the throne for himself one way or another. And in the end, with a heavy heart, Dayfire was forced to sentence his brother to death."

Starfire hung her head upon hearing this. The other titans similarly turned very somber. Beast Boy even gulped, his ears drooping in the process. "That's . . . definitely saddening," the changeling said aloud.

Galfore nodded in agreement. "After Nightfire's execution, Dayfire only remained reigning emperor for another few weeks after the war before he eventually abdicated the throne, naming his younger sister Dawnfire as heir and empress in his place. And for many years since, Tamaran has lived peacefully, albeit with occasional wars and minor tense confrontations with the Gordanians, neutral interactions with the Thanagarians, and occasional interactions with other races such as those of Dranthax IV, Okaara, and even occasionally Krypton before its destruction."

He lifted his head. "But now, after X'Hal knows how many years, Blackfire appears to have finally reached the point that she's willing to follow in Nightfire's footsteps and ally herself with the Umbrosians." He nodded his head. "And with all this information having finally reached Tamaran as of three days ago, it is of the utmost importance that your sister's current actions are put to a stop as soon as possible. However, in light of just how much more personal this conflict could be on your end after past history with Blackfire, I believed it would only be right to allow you the chance to resolve this conflict alongside us. And that is why I have now come today to ask you and your friends to come with us to find your sister and put a stop to her and the Umbrosians' plans."

The Titans all thought to themselves upon hearing the last of Galfore's explanation. Then, as one, Robin, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven turned their heads to look at Starfire. For what seemed like an eternity, Starfire remained absolutely silent under the gaze of her friends and former caretaker. Then she took a deep breath, exhaled, and gazed straight into Galfore's eyes.

"Worry not K'norfka," said Starfire, her voice and face stern and resolute; albeit, through what seemed more like resignation then anything else. "My friends and I will be more than honored to join you." She turned her head to face her friends. "If that is acceptable?"

Her four friends nodded their heads in agreement. "I can get things set up so that Jump City won't be defenseless," said Robin. "It may have only been just a week since everyone else was here with us, but I'm sure at least some group or other amongst the ancillary divisions will be able to drop by to cover for us while we're gone."

The other three Titans were also quick to voice their assent.

"Count me in," said Cyborg. "It's been a long while since we've used the T-Ship and I could certainly use the opportunity to give her a chance to get put to good use."

"I've already been used as a tool for one dark force with galaxy conquering desires," said Raven. "I'm certainly not going to just stand by and roll over in submission to another."

"Ready's my middle name," Beast Boy stated cheekily, ramming his right fist into his left palm. "Point the way your highness. I'm ready to kick some alien butt."

Starfire, seemingly ignoring Beast Boy's choice of words, looked back at Galfore. "We shall be ready within the near future. And we will also follow you in our own personal ship to avoid potential inconvenience for you and the others on board your vessel."

"I have no doubt about that Koriand'r," Galfore responded. He nodded his head. "I shall return to my ship and inform the others on board that we'll be leaving within the hour. Do not keep us waiting past that time."

"We won't," said Robin. He then bowed respectfully. "Your excellency." He turned to face Starfire and the other Titans. "You heard him," said Robin. "Let's get a move on."

And just like that, the chapter's over. Here's me hoping that you enjoyed what was offered! I especially hope you liked the entirety of the titular 'legend' in this chapter. That being said, I am well aware that something like this probably didn't happen in the actual comics. But for those who might complain about that, I'm sorry, but as much as I am willing to incorporate elements of the comics (not to mention of DCAU cartoons), I am not going to be an extreme purist. I mean hey, I'm already including a completely original (as far as I'm aware) race of beings called the Umbrosians. And besides, there are plenty of people with official DC-based productions that have been plenty inventive themselves (to varying degrees of success *glares witheringly at Zack Snyder*). All that said, again, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and leave plenty of reviews (remember, A: NO FLAMES! and B: I require a minimum of 2 reviews for this chapter before the next chapter I complete (and get Bearhow approval from) gets published). Get that? Got that? Good. Again, enjoy!

Coming up next: The Titans and Tamaraneans have departed from Earth and are on their way towards the Vegan System (I'm dead serious, the solar system Tamaran is from is actually called that). However, with the initial uneventful nature of the trip, there is just enough time for Starfire to finally allow her friends to hear the full story (more or less) regarding her past from before the fateful night she landed in Jump City in 'Go!'. Sound like fun? I certainly hope so!