I do NOT own Teen Titans
Notes and replied to reviews:
I'm not familiar with Dragonball. Stories where he uses unusual types of DNA would be interesting. Even if I don't watch the show some of the races in it might provide good ideas for future stories.
I've only watched the cartoons, so I don't know what's in the comics. It does seem strange that different species could interbreed like that. But then in fantasy anything goes. I'll remember that for future stories.
The author didn't resolve the situation quite the way they planned to. I combined two chapters into one for this, and had a bit of difficulty writing it. Hope it turned out okay. This is, I think, the only chapter where events don't occur in a single day, but span several.
Time: Early next morning.
Nightmares,... The Deadly Fleet,... Gordania,... Bright Lights,... Homecoming,...
Too warm. The shape shifter thought, wishing to cast aside the billion or so blankets that covered him.
I'm going to melt. Raven silently intoned, sweating up a storm.
Both gazed at the tip of Aeopie's head which was all that showed above the mass of bedding. Nightmares had caused the girl to wake again and again, so she'd ended up sleeping between them. The nightmares still came, but they seemed to be less intense.
"Her heart rate is skyrocketing again." Beast Boy quietly spoke.
"Damn." The violet-eyed girl sighed. She watched as the small telepath went still. That, it seemed, was how Aeopie's people usually dealt with terror. There was no fight or flee reflex; instead they froze, not moving. Given their frail nature she guessed it made sense. There was no way they could outrun or outfight a threat, so hiding was their only option if telepathy proved futile. That would suggest they once had predators on their world who could resist their mental commands. Raven noted with interest. Pushing the idea aside, she focused on more positive thoughts, knowing even in her sleep the telepath would sense them. Slightly shifting the mass of bedding the girl had brought with her from her chair, she lifted a hand and stroked the mass of orange hair.
The shape shifter sighed as he silently cursed himself, not knowing what to do. The previous day a Gordanian destroyer had attempted to kidnap her while they were busy in the city. The blue-skinned aliens had used their scanners to determine how much power they needed to cut their way into the safe room she'd been in, and had then set their particle beam accordingly. It'd been a swift and brutal assault that could've very easily killed the telepath. Since then the girl had been terrified. Not that anyone can blame her. He thought sadly. She nearly died the last time they got their hands on her; not to mention her own people then tried to kill her because of it. He sighed again, trying to think of something that would end the terror filled dreams; anything to make the shell-shocked girl smile again.
"Any ideas?" He asked.
"Maybe one of us could take a trip to Talyn and asked how we might calm her down." The violet-haired girl closed her eyes and sighed as well. "Other than that I don't know. It didn't help that Starfire came bursting in, terrified out of her wits, just as she was waking up."
"Yeah. But who can blame her." Beast Boy replied.
"So any idea on how we can keep the earth from becoming a twin of Tamaran?" She asked, letting a trickle of fear escape her control.
"Cyborg is crunching some numbers. When Starfire's people have gathered more data, and he's run a few simulations, we'll have a better idea what we're up against." The shape shifter swallowed nervously.
Between then the girl sensed their emotions and her fear increased.
Beast Boy sniffed the air, and suddenly rolled out of bed.
"What?" Raven demanded, suddenly fully awake with her senses reaching out to look for threats. She felt something wet against her leg and teleported several feet away. "You could've warned me." She hissed.
"Sorry. There was no time." He looked at the girl who was now waking up. Her eyes were so dark it frightened him, and he'd never heard her heart beat so fast.
"Sorry." The young telepath sobbed. "I didn't mean too."
"It's okay." Beast Boy and Raven chorused together; both feeling so helpless as they saw the girl's tear-streaked face.
"Come with me. I'll help you get cleaned up." Raven told her. "Actually I bet a nice hot bath will help you calm down." She looked at the shape shifter. "You handle the laundry." She stated coldly, pretending to be a little mad he hadn't warned her in time. Her hand reached out briefly to touch him.
Beast Boy ruffled the orange hair of the sobbing telepath. "Sorry Aeopie. I guess we were talking and forgot to try to keep our emotions calm." The girl didn't look up. Kneeling, he looked her in the eye. "Everything is going to be okay." The shape shifter spoke softly. "They won't get their hands on you again. And even if they do, Raven and I will come and get you."
"Promise?" She sniffled.
"Promise." The two of them spoke as one with absolute certainty in their voices..
"I'm sorry." She repeated again, but the color of her eyes faded slightly, showing she was a little calmer.
Raven led the girl off to the washroom while Beast Boy prepared to do the laundry.
Too bad there isn't a really safe room for her. The shape shifter mused as he pulled the sheets from the bed. Some place no one can get into. He paused and stared into space for a minute, thinking, before he resume demolishing the mountain of orange blankets. Perfect place. He concluded.
An hour later they entered Raven's mirror carrying a pile of blankets. Happy seemingly appeared out of nowhere and practically tackled Aeopie.
"Sleepover." She yelled at the top of her lungs as she danced around the girl.
"Going to be fun." Affection said, hugging the girl.
"It will be." Knowledge agreed, smiling at the small telepath.
Aeopie looked unsure, and glanced back at Raven and Beast Boy.
"This is a different dimension." The violet-eyed girl reassured her. "No one gets in here except through my mirror, or with my permission. No Gordanians will find you here, and if they do then my emoticlones will tear them to shreds. Trust me, Rage really hates intruders."
"And since it's a different dimension it means your people can't find you to hurt you." The shape shifter pointed out, recalling several of her dreams had been about that.
"Okay." Aeopie replied, voice still uncertain. However, the dark orange of her eyes faded as Happy bounce joyfully around while Affection smiled at her contentedly.
They found a soft place to spread the blankets and Raven stretched out on one of them. The mentally exhausted girl curled up next to her.
"I'll let you know if there's any signs of trouble." Beast Boy yawned.
"Okay." Raven replied. "This is going to be strange. Sleeping in here."
The shape shifter nodded. "Still, with Happy and Love here she should feel pretty contented; not to mention Brave and her overwhelming confidence. Given no one can get in here she should feel safe." He smiled at her as he leaned down and gave her a quick kiss. "Night."
"Night." She replied, staring sadly after him. Not only couldn't they do anything in bed now, but they were going to be sleeping in different dimensions.
For the first time in what seemed forever, Beast Boy settled down to sleep alone. He kept the mirror that was a portal to Raven's mind close.
Several hours later they gathered in the commons room. Aeopie had slept without nightmares, though not as soundly as she usually did. Both Beast Boy and Raven had managed to get some sleep of their own.
"How long before they get here?" Robin asked.
"Nine days." Starfire replied in a less than joyful tone.
"Nine days?" Cyborg asked, looking surprised. "One of their regular ships can get here in less than a day."
"True. But the fields that confine the antimatter must be kept stable; otherwise they blow up." The orange-skinned alien replied, sitting in a chair. Her current mood didn't allow her to fly.
"Sounds pretty stupid to me." Beast Boy mused aloud. "They've got two hundred ships guarding the ten carrying the antimatter. If they were to just pop on over here and start shooting they could fire their particle weapons around four hundred times each in nine days. That's over eighty thousand times total; there wouldn't be much left after that. Why bother going through all this trouble?"
"Few races bother with antimatter." Starfire answered. "It's more of a status weapon than anything else. Clumsy to use, and dangerous. The ships carrying it are totally automatic. Even low rank Gordanians refuse to crew them.
Both Cyborg and Beast Boy shook their heads, while Robin just stared.
"Two hundred ships with the fleet." The shape shifter sighed. "No way we can defeat that many." He frowned, knowing every creature had a weakness, whether it be an animal or a fleet of ships. Even so, there's still no way a flea can harm an elephant." He mused solemnly. Unless ... "What're the Gordanian's using to defend their home world with?" He asked.
"Powerful as their ships might be, their world is advanced and has the energy resources of a whole planet to draw on." Starfire responded. "It has factories that mass produce hundred of thousands of automatic missiles each year. At any one time millions may be stockpiled; hence it's suicidal for any enemy fleet to approach Gordania."
"Didn't your people once have such defenses?" Cyborg asked.
"No. We were arrogant, and believed our powers would protect us. Back then we were more peaceful, and by the time we awoke to the idiocy of such hubris it was too late."
"I see." Beast Boy mused. "So they have millions of those shiny toys just sitting around. How're they controlled?"
"From the planet. A network of sensors lets them see anything within ten billion miles. That's the range of most of the missiles."
"Passwords?" The shape shifter asked.
"I don't know. I doubt anyone would." The orange-skinned alien frowned. "Why?"
The shape shifter sat back thinking. "No fleet can get close, but I could."
"Even something as small as a Tamaranian would be spotted, and destroyed." Starfire replied.
"There're other things that can survive in space. Some very small. At least for a while." Beast Boy's face held a look of intense concentration. He was interrupted when a smaller orange-skinned alien pulled on his sleeve. "What is it Aeopie?" He smiled down at her.
"No password. Every Gordanian knows that. But only those who govern their world can control the missiles. The machines to do so scans the DNA of whoever uses them. And they're buried very deep where no one else can get to them."
"Thanks. That's good to know." He gave her a small hug.
"How can you get on the planet?" Cyborg asked.
Beast Boy shrugged. "It's gamble, but there're microorganisms that can survive quite a while in space. The Deinococcus radiodurans for example can handle two thousand times the radiation that can kill a human, and it's resistant to vacuum." A shudder ran through the green-skinned shape shifter. "Still, it would have to be released from ten billion miles away, and the trip to Gordania would take a long time."
"A ship they could detect from ten billion miles." Starfire said. "But a Tamaran can get within a billion miles. Even then it would take time for the missiles to track and reach you, so even seven hundred million miles might be possible."
"That's insane." Cyborg gulped. "The odds of success are ..." He looked around. "If not zero then it's pretty close to it."
"Better than that I would think." Beast Boy shrugged. "I can alter its structure a little to improve the odds."
"Still." The cybernetic teen frowned.
"We can't touch the fleet." Beast Boy stated. "But we can touch their home world. We have no choice." He turned towards Raven."Keep yourself and Aeopie safe in Nevermore if the fleet isn't stopped. When it's over, take her some place safe."
Raven gulped, and nodded with her face pale.
The shape shifter scratched his head and looked a little more worried. "Only thing is learning the Gordanian language." He mused.
"We only got nine days. How can you manage that in such a short time?" Robin asked.
Beast Boy cringed and turned into a Tamaranian. "Simple." He replied, glancing at Raven who was now staring intensely at him. "I just need someone who knows the language." He added.
"I do." Starfire immediately replied, and was suddenly in front of him. The kiss lasted a rather long time.
Robin was fuming with a bo stick in his hands; while Raven had her eyes half closed in a very predatory look with dark magic sparking around her fists.
"I guess it had to be done." The half demon growled darkly.
"He's a pretty good kisser." Starfire mused. "That was almost as good as our first kiss." She paused and cringed. "Oops." She added, glancing at Boy Wonder.
"You've kissed him before?" Robin asked, eyebrows rising in a very threatening way.
"When?" Raven demanded as the dark magic around her hands seemed to prepare itself to lash out.
"On Tamaran. She was overjoyed when she realized her people still had hope." Beast Boy clearly stated, tensing as he prepared to leap out of the way of any attacks. "Anyway. We have a world to save." He pointed out, holding his breath.
"Hrmph." Raven replied as the dark power around her hands faded. Aeopie was looking at her with her eyes wide, and she only backed down so as not to frighten the girl. Not that I got any right to be angry. She mused. It was before we became a couple. Starfire however, she noted, had more explaining to do. Especially with that comment about him being a good kisser. Not that she was going to disagrees; he most definitely was.
It was twelve hours later that a stolen Gordanian scouting craft approached within ten billion miles of the home world of the blue-skinned aliens. The shape shifter had spent most of that time altering his Deinococcus radiodurans form, and then resting. The cell walls were made a little thicker, and by enhancing its metabolism he increased the rate at which it could repair itself. Still, it was a frail form to send out against the harsh conditions of space.
Becoming the Tamaranian version two form, he left the scouting craft and hurled towards the distant world. At a billion miles he started to detect signs he'd been spotted. With a final burst of speed he made it to eight hundred million miles before he slowed and became the form of a Deinococcus radiodurans bacterium. Early the next morning he approached within several million miles of the bluish world. Good as the alien sensors were, they could never hope to detect a single-celled organism.
This close to their world the defenses weren't active. There were thousands of satellites and small craft, and the risks of an accident were just too great. The shape shifter resumed his Tamaranian version two form, and was soon in the atmosphere of the world. That would've drawn attention, but by the time the defenses could react to something inside their perimeter it was too late. He was safely hidden on the ground.
He could kill their home world, but that wouldn't save earth; rather that would ensure its destruction. The fleet, outraged, would continue on its way. The Gordanians had colonies, so it wouldn't even stop their race's barbaric ways. Still, it was their home world and they would defend it with everything they had; or so he hoped. The plan depended on it.
Ironically the leaders of this world ruled it from a giant citadel much like the Tamaranian one. Rising, the shape shifter hurled towards it, commanding the feeling of boundless confidence within himself. The numerous passages into it were well guarded by gates made of massive slabs of titanium, but he struck too fast for them to be lowered. Inside there were smaller barriers, but being only an inch thick he blasted through them with starbolts fueled by righteous fury.
Must move faster. Beast Boy thought as he tried to drive himself to even greater speeds. There were only a dozen high ranking Gordanians who could control the missiles, and out of the tens of thousands of people inside the citadel he had to find one of them. Tamaranians were tough, and his Tamaranian version two form was immensely tougher, but it could still be hurt; could still be killed.
Hundred of Gordanian soldiers filled the corridors, but he ignored them for the most part; using just enough firepower to get through, and then rushing away too fast for them to follow. Stopping to fight every one of them was suicide; he couldn't hope to defeat a billion super strong soldiers.
More barriers dropped and the shape shifter was trapped with two hundred of the brutal warriors; all of who were equipped with armor and weapons. His boundless confidence held steady, and he poured forth his wrath with righteous fury. But energy beams still sought him out, and his flesh burned. Four of the Gordanians tried to grapple with him, hoping to hold him in place while the others finished him off. They failed, but managed to slow him enough for his flesh to take minor damage. Using his superior speed and strength he managed to get to the barrier and blast a hole through it using starbolts. Then he raced away from the enraged soldiers. A minor skirmish, but it'd cost him. He was wounded even if only minorly, and the delay would give the others more time to prepare. This isn't going to go well. Beast Boy decided, already instinctively reading the path the battle would take.
Another barrier dropped and gas of some sort flowed from the walls. His skin itched, and the shape shifter felt panic for a second. There're using particles of metallic chromium. He realized. Fine enough to be suspended in the air. He waited, knowing Tamaranians were allergic to the metal. While it wouldn't harm him, the sneezing fits would hinder him. Nothing. Part of this shape is from Killer Croc. It's thick skin is recognizing the chromium as a toxin and countering it. Relief filled him and fueled his boundless confidence. He blasted the barrier before him and continued his search.
Minutes passed and he encountered no one. They're keeping out of the way and preparing a massive counterattack. Beast Boy predicted. He was soon proven right. He blasted through a barrier only to be struck by the beams of a hundred Gordanians who stood in rolls. The chamber, larger than the others allowed twenty of then to stand side-by-side across it. The first row of warriors were flat on the ground. The next kneeling just a little above them. And so on until the fifth row who were standing.
The damage to his skin was incredible. And from behind the hundred warriors came hundreds of grenades from other soldiers who tossed the explosive weapons above their comrades. The shape shifter didn't pause; his animal reflexes told him to do so was to die. He leapt forward, and hurled through them with all the speed he could muster, sending a barrage of starbolts in front of himself. They struck the next barrier, and he was through. Ouch. Beast Boy moaned. The titanium barricades seemed to be everywhere, and he'd only been in the citadel for ten minutes. Yet already he was bleeding and bruised. If he kept this up he would die. What choice do I have? He asked himself, and continued.
There were more chambers where the soldiers were prepared. Blasting through an inch of titanium made a certain amount of noise, which made it easy for them to track him. Each time he took a few more scrapes and bruises as he sped through the traps and blasted his way out. However enough minor wounds built up into serious injuries over time, and he knew this couldn't continue for long. In one of the corridors the waiting soldiers got lucky, and the blast of at least fifty rifles caught him in the head; an eye vanished before the onslaught and he froze in shock for a second before rushing through.
"Give up shape shifter and we will allow you to live. Our scientists are interested in studying you. Allow them and we will make sure it isn't too painful." The voice boomed from the walls.
Really. Beast Boy thought. Let a bunch of nutcases experiment on me. What do they think? That I'm stupid? He blasted through another barrier, and realized the top layer of the citadel made no sense. He was in a maze of sorts, and it could take ages to find his way into inner part of the place. Damn. He sighed.
He tore through the next barrier and was caught with more rifle fire. The energy beams came close to his remaining eye. It seems they've spotted one of my weaknesses. The shape shifter mused. They blind me and I'm pretty much doomed. There were more chambers with more soldiers, but he'd learned to keep his head tilted away as he entered them. It allowed him to keep his sight, but it also meant he was slower to react and more of the soldiers were hitting him.
Then the shaper shifter entered a really large room. He'd gotten lucky, sort if. It was obviously the entrance to the inner part of the citadel. But it also held an uncountable number of troops. Thousands of beams reached out for him and his flesh melted beneath the onslaught; in places it even punched through him. He fled only to find the path behind him had been booby-trapped. They'd known he would be forced to flee, and had prepared. Each chamber he'd blasted through now contained what could only be miniature nuclear explosives. He was caught in one shockwave after another as he retraced his steps. Small, yet burning hotter than the inside of a star, the small fusion devices ripped even his hardened Tamaranian form to shreds. As resistance as he was to radiation, the amount he'd received was fatal.
There has to be a way to get through this. Beast Boy desperately thought, feeling woozy from blood loss and radiation burns. Every second was agony as his body struggled to remain alive. Soldiers started entering the room, chasing him from the massive chamber he'd found. There's always a way. The shape shifter mused. He saw Raven and Aeopie in his mind, and knew he couldn't allow himself to die in this place; not when they were waiting for him. The thought revived him, and gave him energy.
Moving with all the speed his Tamaranian form could muster he flung starbolts at the soldiers, scattering them. He reached the hole blasted through the barrier and flashed through. But there he stopped, letting the Gordanians think he'd fled. Instead he resumed the form of the radiation resistant Deinococcus radiodurans bacterium and let himself settle down on the exposed skin of one of the troops. Soon he was in the Gordanian's body where there existed everything he needed to thrive.
The radiation was fatal to even a Tamaranian, but the bacterium could repair such damage with ease. The same with the rest of his wounds. He settled down, and waited as his small body worked to heal itself. There was no way they could find him in here, though he worried the soldier might leave the citadel. That wouldn't be good. The shape shifter mused, but decided it couldn't be helped. So massive was the damage he'd taken that it took most of a day to heal, and then several more hours of rest to recover from the effort. As disgusting as it was, there was also plenty of food in the form of alien blood cells.
Rather than leave immediately to resume the futile fight, the shape shifter relaxed and spent some time thinking. Following various flows of blood, he reached the eyes of his host. Still in the citadel. He thought with relief. Not only that but I'm no longer in the maze part. That's excellent. Still, he knew leaving his hiding spot would be swiftly fatal. The Gordanians were strong; almost as strong as Tamaranians.
That's it. Beast Boy tried to smile in the singled celled form he was in. They're too strong and too tough for any one person to handle. But what if they weren't. What if ... He watched the soldier walk round and considered his idea in more detail. The only problem was time. The fleet would take nine days to reach earth. Two of those had passed. He had seven days left. Six if you included a day for the ships to be recalled. It's enough time; more than enough. He decided, and set to work.
Beast Boy found his way to the soldier's gut where there were bacteria that helped the aliens digest food. He became one of them and immediately started making changes. Soon the form he was in was no longer so harmless. Multiply. He commanded, and it did so. Each doubling took five minutes. In an hour there were four thousand of the new bacteria. In two hours there were sixteen million. In three there were nearly seventy billions. Designed from a bacteria the host recognized as beneficial there was no response from the immune system until it was too late. In the meantime the soldier walked around, exhaling the new creation wherever he went.
The citadel was a closed system, and the bacteria was spread through the ventilation system. By the end of the day everyone within it were infected. Five days left. Beast Boy solemnly mused. Twenty-four hours later he counted four days, but by then the new disease had taken hold. He estimated it would take three days to run its course. Within a week the bacteria, which he'd designed to quickly mutate into its old form, would become extinct. But in the meantime ...
The shape shifter resumed the form of the Tamaranian version two. Immediately he gagged at the stench of things better left unmentioned. He'd created the bacteria to cause projectile vomiting and uncontrollable diarrhea. Nearly throwing up himself, he noted that part of the disease was obviously in effect. It should also cause headaches and dizziness, along with muscle cramps and weakness. If everything went according to plan, the powerful soldiers arrayed against him should now be no stronger than a newborn baby. It wouldn't kill anyone, but for a while those stricken with it would feel like they were dying.
Beast Boy roamed the corridors, noting the marking on the doors. The cafeteria he found was empty, though the tables and floors were marked with foul smelling stains that he decided to avoid. Further along he came to what seemed to be a dormitory. Groans came from behind the doors, and he quickly pinched his nose. Staggering himself, he fled the place. He didn't think someone as important as he was looking for would be there anyway.
An hour later, still seeking one of the people who could command the missiles, the Gordanians finally reacted to him; or tried to. A hundred soldiers walked hunched over along a corridor. Seeing him they tried to stand to aim. The sudden movement left half of them on the floor, puking. The other fifty or so wavered and were obviously unable to aim. Probably because if the bacteria is working like it should be they're seeing three or four of me. Beast Boy mused as he waited. Eventually they also fell to the ground, clutching their stomachs. A disgusting mixture of blue, green, orange, grey, black, and brown covered the floor. He assumed the different colors depended on what they'd last ate. They all looked gross and he shuddered, pinching his nose again.
One of the soldiers still struggled to stand and fire. The shape shifter smiled. It seemed the Gordanian leaders actually lead their troops some times. He approached the trembling blue-skinned alien, careful not to be splattered with any noxious substances, and touched him. The DNA was analyzed by his body, and a new shape formed that he could call upon at will. He backed away, and wondered how to get down to the next level. He'd seen stairs while wandering around, and assumed they might be a good place to start.
They were, except for being blocked by titanium blocks. Beast Bioy sat, studying them for a bit, noting they weren't a perfect fit. A small space existed between them. Hoping it wasn't a trap, he became a cockroach and scuttled through. If it was a trap there was no one at the controls. He was past it in seconds, and on a steep set of stairs. Levitating as he thought of boundless confidence, he flew downward. Every few hundred feet he came to another blockage, but each time it was easily navigated by the form of a cockroach. There had to be a way to clear the passageway, and the new form he had could probably do it, but given how easy it was to get by them the shape shifter decided it was a waste of time.
Eventually he came to a door. Becoming the new form, that of a Gordanian leader, he pressed a finger to a small panel to the left of the entrance. A light flickered over it for a long time; at least a minute. Not going to work. Beast Boy decided, assuming the form's DNA wasn't pure enough with his own mixed in to deactivate the lock. About to remove his hand, the door, made of three-foot thick slabs of titanium slid open, and he entered.
Several beams of energy lashed at him, and he reverted to the Tamaranian version two form. Inside the room were a dozen Gordanians. They seemed to be healthy so he assumed this level of the citadel was totally separated from the one above. It was only a dozen and his confidence was truly boundless. Righteous fury consumed him and he flung starbolts. Soon his blue-skinned foes stopped firing and slumped to the ground. He tossed them outside and closed the door. Turning, Beast Boy surveyed what was the central command for the entire planet's defense system. Securely tucked away deep in the ground behind thousands of soldier, and more money's worth of titanium than he could ever hope to figure out, but not safe from a determined shape shifter.
Stepping close to a console he once again pressed a finger against a small panel. As before it took the machine a long time to make sense of the DNA that wasn't purely Gordanian; but in the end it also decided it belong to the person he'd stolen the form from.
"Identify confirmed. Second in command Pilkcrom Hjonart. Ready to receive orders." A mechanical voice intoned.
"Defense. How many ships and satellites within range of defense system? Including Gordanian vessels." The shape shifter asked, smiling a cold smile. He kept his finger on the panel. If he removed it he would have to reidentify himself.
"Six thousand, two hundred, forty-nine." The machine responded.
"Defense. Emergency override. All vessels have been compromised. Disable without killing." Beast Boy was grateful the system the Gordanians had set up allowed for the disabling of crewed ships. Its purpose had been to capture alien vessels for inspection, but it meant he didn't have to kill.
"Vessels are identified as Gordanian. Please confirm order."
"Defense. Emergency override. All vessels have been compromised. Disable without killing." The shape shifter repeated.
"Order initiated. Two hundred and nine-six thousand, four hundred and seven missiles used." The machine intoned.
"Defense. Emergency override. Destroy all uncrewed vessels and satellites. Maintain order until further notice." Beast Boy ordered.
"Vessels and satellites are identified as Gordanian. Please confirm order."
"Defense. Emergency override. Destroy all uncrewed vessels and satellites. Maintain order until further notice." The shape shifter repeated.
"Order initiated." Came the mechanical reply.
He waited. As time passed more and more missiles were used. Satellites were destroyed without pause. Then as damaged ships were abandoned by their crews they too were eliminated. In an hour less than a dozen vessels remained in the system, all too badly damaged to do much of anything.
The shape shifter studied a map and picked a place empty of people. "Defense. Sector 190367439 has been compromised. Launch ten missiles."
"Please confirm order." Came the mechanical request, so he did. Ten one-megaton warhead leveled the specified sector.
For the next several hours he randomly picked empty places and launched missiles at them. Eventually, as the blue-skinned aliens tried to move troops, he had the defense system disable their transportation. They might have millions of soldiers, but now they had no way to move them. And the ones already here were deadly ill.
The Gordanian had to respond or lose their home world, and the only way they could was to call in their ships. They had colonies but Gordania was what united them. They couldn't afford to lose it. Soon thousands of vessels entered the system; everything from cargo ships to soak up the missiles to several hundred destroyers and scout ships. The shape shifter ordered them disabled.
The Gordanians knew their own system, and knew how to fool the defenses. But this was their home world, and they'd stocked piled more than five million of the deadly weapons. In the end all the ships were disabled with less than six hundred thousand missiles left. The blue-skinned aliens might've designed the system, but Beast Boy had spent thousands of hours playing war games. He grinned viciously as the last ship was fatally crippled. The missile count dropped to under four hundred thousand as the disabled vessels were abandoned, and then consequently destroyed. They'd thrown everything they'd had at neutralizing their own defenses, and had failed.
"Defense. Antimatter facilities have been compromised. Eliminate them." He ordered. Once again the computer asked for confirmation, and he gave it. There were no people on those deadly structures that orbited less than a million miles from the planet's star. Massive explosions ripped through them that dwarfed anything the missiles could've done.
Satisfied, the shape shifter smiled. He ordered the rest of the missiles to attack random places in the star system until they were used up.
Opening the door, he fled the room after he'd sent dozens of starbolts into the consoles. The troops in the citadel were too sick to oppose him. There were no ships or missiles left to stop him from fleeing the world. In his Tamaranian version two form he met up with the waiting scout ship, and they sped away from the defanged race. The Gordanians no longer had any ships left to send against earth, and in their arrogance they'd made a number of other worlds angry. They would be desperately busy for the next decade or two defending against them to want more enemies.
In the cold darkness of space they trailed the fleet of death. Courageous Tamaranians dared to fly close enough to keep tabs on the two hundred Gordanian warships and their ten antimatter carriers. For days nothing changed. On the bridge of the cruiser, earth's largest ship, Raven played seemingly endless games of checkers with Aeopie. The small telepath always won, and the half demon would've sworn she must've been cheating, but in the end she decided there was no way the girl could be. The young alien, half her age, was beating her fair and square.
Then the Tamaranians brought news that the fleet guarding the antimatter ships had withdrawn, running at top speed for Gordania. He made it. The empath smiled. By tomorrow this time I'll know if he's okay. But then I already know he is. Better to say by tomorrow I'll be where I belong again; with him. Her heart raced at the thought.
The stolen ships; one cruiser, eight destroyers, and two scouts moved into place. Their particles beams struck the antimatter carriers and explosions bright enough to be seen for light years light up the frigid night. Their work done, they turned and raced for the earth.
Sixteen hours later when the single scout dropped one green-skinned shape shifter off by the tower, Raven tossed Aeopie at Starfire and demanded the two orange-skinned aliens take a trip together to the mall. She even gave them both enough money to keep shopping for hours. With the young telepath that wasn't much. She would just buy a single cupcake and eat it slowly, savoring it. Then she would take the better part of an hour to choose another.
Knowing they wouldn't be disturbed for a while, the half demon teleported herself, along with Beast Boy, to her room. Her sounds of pleasure could be heard throughout the tower, even down in the garage where Robin and Cyborg, both blushing, decided it was a good time to take the T-car out for a spin. A red-faced Jinx joined them.
Thirty miles away a small nine-year old telepath stuck her fingers in her ears, and then removed them with a sigh when she realized there was no way that was going to work. Blushing, she continued nibbling on a chocolate mint cupcake with sparkles of some sort. They were good and she might have a second. Focusing, she managed to create a mental shield that woud've made her mother proud if she'd been there to see it.
End of Chapter.
Many thanks to those who read and review.
