Teen Titans: Return of the titans

by borneobrian

After three years, the titans encounter their old enemy Slade once more after years of peace.

9. The heir part 1

Teen Titans Season 6 fan fic

Episode 9

The heir part 1.

H.I.V.E headquarters sat beyond the eastern side of Jump City, where only a few people would think to look. Even the elite members were used to it by now. From within, Mikron O' Jenesus, better known as Gizmo, found himself walking down a corridor to the H.I.V.E. Academy primary classroom. A meeting was called there by Gizmo's employers: terrorist mastermind Slade Wilson and new H.I.V.E headmaster Brother Blood. Gizmo felt both confident and nervous about this upcoming meeting. So far, he and his cohort look Mammoth had done a good job getting on Slade's good side, having stolen technology for him to create an army of super robots to defeat their enemies, the Teen Titans. But also, they had failed time and time again to destroy them on their own merits so that Slade could be angered at that fact. Gizmo shook his head as he reached the end of the corridor. He decided not to worry about it now. Entering the large chamber, Gizmo approached the massive desk on the podium and sat next to the gigantic Mammoth at the end of the section. Peaking around his giant friend, Gizmo observed the other Brotherhood members summoned to the meeting. Next to Mammoth sat Dr Light, who was twiddling his fingers in anticipation of the outcome of the discussion. The rest of the row sat Killer Moth, his wings fluttering impatiently, Private Hive, struggling to fit in his seat due to his girth and recruit Sam Register, a changeling like Beast Boy who could turn himself into any animal he wanted. Gizmo frowned suspiciously. He noticed there were a few missing. Chang and Control Freak did not seem to be present in the row he sat at. It didn't bother Gizmo as much as Slade had tasked Chang with constructing his robot army and Control Freak with finding a way to hack into the Titans Tower security system to deactivate it. But the absence that concerned Gizmo was that of Blackfire, his titan enemy Starfire's older sister. It felt strange to him that a member of Slade's close inner circle in his New Brotherhood wouldn't have been called to this meeting due to the fact, as far as Gizmo knew, she had no tasks to be done at the time being. Looking towards Mammoth, Gizmo quickly nudged him with his short arms to get his friend's attention. Mammoth turned to him with a confused look on his face.

"Where's Blackfire?" asked Gizmo.

Mammoth shrugged.

"Not sure. Maybe she slept in or something.".

Before they could say anything else, a menacing quiet entered the room as Slade Wilson and Sebastian Blood entered it. Noticing this, Gizmo and Mammoth sat down quickly, as did the other lackeys in the room. They watched as Slade walked towards the center of the room with his arms behind his back, his exposed eye aiming closely towards his henchmen. Blood stood next to Slade with his arms folded and a stern expression on his face. Gizmo gulped. Whatever this meeting was about, he doubted it was good. After a moment of silence, Slade finally spoke.

"Now that everyone's gathered, I want to update everyone on our progress. We've obtained many valuable resources to expand our operation to other branches who have agreed to lend us some of their assets. Despite some setbacks, we've even obtained Government protection from A.R.G.U.S. to hide our movements. Lexcorp was generous enough to give us special weapons that some of you here will admire. However, the Titans continue to hinder our progress. Thankfully, we've come up with a solution to this problem..."

Gizmo smirked at this. His worry about this meeting had passed for him as he had an extreme love for weapons and technology. He wasn't sure how Slade could make so many deals at once, but as long as it benefited him, no questions would be asked.

"The titans are slowly being brought to their knees," continued Slade.

"In about a month or so, an army of powerful robots will be finalized for our ultimate fight to destroy Jump City and crush our enemies with one swift stroke."

The henchmen appeared excited to show that their past efforts were not in vain. They believed Slade was pleased with the results and wouldn't suffer any consequences for their past failures.

"Now," exclaimed Blood. "With this in mind, are there any questions on the matter?".

The soldiers looked at each other, not knowing what to say. The awkward silence soon broke when Light cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.

"Something you want to share, Doctor?"

"Indeed I do... Until we finalize our plan, how do you intend to deal with the Titans currently? And what about their multiple allies? The latest intelligence says they had rendezvoused with their Eastern counterparts a week ago, and more recently, a trio of biker hoodlums attempted to help them prevent us from gathering the necessary ingredients for our little project."

Slade stepped towards Light and bent his head towards Light's level as the other villains looked on.

"Their new allies won't be a problem. From what I've gathered, Dr. Chang has been dabbling in a toxic substance, thanks to our associates in Gotham who first drew their attention. I had to...persuade the good Doctor to cease all shipments indefinitely. Our friend, Robin, has advised his associates to hide their presence due to my newfound abilities. For the time being, they will no longer be a hindrance for now. Understand?"

Light frowned briefly but, obeying his master, nodded quickly before sitting down. Slade walked back towards the center of the room, his back facing his cronies and his arms behind his back.

"Besides," he began.

"As of recently, I've increased the stakes."

The villains, once more, turned to each other, confused at what Slade meant by this remark. Slade continued.

"For a while now, I've been attempting to find someone to follow in my footsteps. To assist me when I needed a task my subordinates could not complete. An apprentice, if you will."

Gizmo raised his eyebrow in intrigue at this sentence.

"Of course, this would not be the first time I had sought someone for such a position. During our first year of war against the Titans, I had observed their leader, Robin, for some time. Since I learned he was Batman's former sidekick, I've noticed some friction between the two. He has so much potential, but Bat always held him back. In a way, he reminded me of my youth. I thought I'd help him break free of the Bat's grip, but it was all for naught.

I tested the boy for weeks, observing his style, bravado, and marksmanship. Once that was completed, I lured him to my old lair and made a deal with him. He joined me as my apprentice, or I annihilated his friends with my nanomites. He agreed and bent to my will. That was until his friends helped him break free of my control. Afterward, I sought out another: a young girl named Tara Markov. She was a metahuman who could manipulate the Earth, but unfortunately, she couldn't control her powers as well as she would have liked. After hearing this news, I followed her whereabouts until she arrived at Jump City and encountered the Titans. I met and warned her of how they'd betray her. She didn't believe me at first but came to me in tears later that night, telling me how Beast Boy betrayed her and how he told the Titans about the lack of control. I promised to assist in her power control if she could do me a single favor: help me destroy the Teen Titans. She agreed, and we nearly succeeded in our goals. Until Beast Boy managed to persuade her to turn on me, this caused her to attempt to end my life by driving a downpour of lava to consume me during our skirmish. When I returned from my service to Trigon, I annihilated her."

Blood partially smirked at that last detail. He knew the truth. Slade never annihilated the Terra girl but instead placed her in an orange jewel to keep her imprisoned and isolated until Slade could finish off his plans. But the others needed not to know of this. The more they feared his and Slade's power, the better. As Slade finished his monologue, Killer Moth raised his hand with curiosity in his expression.

"Pardon the interruption, Slade, but where is this conversation heading?" he asked.

Slade looked towards Moth's direction, the "S" on his head glowing a bloody red. Moth gulped slightly as he lowered his hand.

"Because…" said Slade. "...I've decided to look for another apprentice. I decided one of you would be the perfect candidate for such a task."

The villains looked towards each other with smiles on their faces. The idea of Slade promoting one of them to be his second in command excited them. They all turned towards Slade with beaming grins on their faces. Suddenly, Slade stepped down from the pedestal and pulled out another trigger. Gizmo looked towards Mammoth, confused, and Light's eager expression faded upon seeing the device in their master's hand. Slade pressed the button, and a panel behind the pedestal shifted open. In the frame stood the shape of what looked like a young woman wearing a headpiece with two points on top. She exited the shadows, and to the villains' shock, it was Blackfire. She stood with her Tamaranian cowl on her head, an orange and black jumpsuit with an "S" logo imprinted into its chest, bandages on her arms, gray gloves on her hands, and a massive pair of cleats on her feet. She smirked at her comrades, who couldn't believe what they saw. Blood stood in front of Blackfire and held out his hand towards her.

"Brotherhood, the apprentice to our leader: Blackfire." he introduced.

Angered, the villains started to pout at this decision, yelling their disapproval towards Slade. After a few seconds of this banter, Blood stood forward and held his hand in the air.

"Silence!" he shouted.

The goons all started to settle, hearing that command, although looks of disapproval remained on their faces. After they regained their seats, Blood frowned at their henchmen before pointing towards them.

"If any of you have any objections, provide them one at a time! Yes, you, Gizmo," he said as Gizmo quickly raised his hand with disgust on his face.

"How come she gets that position?! The Five and I spent the past few weeks stealing Crud for your plan while she hasn't done anything but train and threaten us!"

"Yeah!" agreed Killer Moth.

"We've done nothing but your dirty work, yet you haven't given us an ounce of an award such as this one. Heck, you've barely had me do anything outside of here. How is that fair to any of us?"

The room went silent as Slade approached the group of villains, his eye starting to frown furiously and the "S" burning brightly.

"I'm sorry. Do you feel as if you are mistreated?" asked Slade.

Moth folded in slightly at the sight of the man before him. He remembered that this was the man who single-handedly cremated the H.I.V.E headmistress alive. Gulping, Moth decided it was best to answer with what could save his life.

"Uh, no, Slade. I have no further objections whatsoever."

He looked to his right to see Register and Private Hive, fearful for his outcome regarding the situation. Moth couldn't blame them for their concerned expressions. He then looked back towards Slade, sweat streaming down his face.

"Good," said Slade finally.

Moth sighed in relief. As far as he knew, it meant he could live another day. But Slade wasn't finished talking to him.

"Besides.." he began.

"..I need you here to prepare the larva for our plans. And remember, don't let any of them go free."

Moth looked down for a beat, pondering the command. He knew what Slade meant. Years ago, Beast Boy had obtained one of the larvae he intended to use to attack the city had Robin rejected a date with his daughter, Kitten Walker. After a while, he rediscovered the missing larva (now named Silkie) and attempted to use it to destroy the Titans. However, his plan failed because Silkie had developed a strong relationship with Starfire, and they defeated Moth again. Looking back towards Slade, Moth nodded before regaining his posture. Slade then turned toward Light, Gizmo, and Mammoth, causing them to look like they had seen a ghost.

"Any further objections?"

The three shook their heads in fear. None of them wanted to incur Slade's wrath. Blackfire smirked at their fear. She may have had to wait to become a ruler once more; she could enjoy the spoils of being above those she considered weak. Power beyond even her imagination. She watched as Slade walked past Blood and stood right by her side. Slade looked down towards her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Is there anything you'd like to say, Blackfire?"

Nodding, Blackfire turned towards the Brotherhood and took a step forward.

"As our leader's current second in command, I expect my subjects to bow to me in acceptance of my will," she announced.

The group looked at each other again in confusion. Gizmo then raised his hand.

"I'm sorry, what?" he asked, perplexed.

Gizmo quickly regretted his decision as he saw Blackfire's eyes glow a blazing purple with her fists surrounded by a brilliant shade of violet.

"I said…BOW!" she demanded loudly.

Frightened out of their wits, Gizmo, Mammoth, Light, Moth Hive, and Register ran past their desk and quickly bowed before Blackfire's might. All except Blood had a look of dread on their face. Blackfire was pleased with this.

"Good," she said as her eyes dimmed to normal.

"Now, Arise."

As she lifted her hand in the air, she observed as each one bent back to their normal stance and returned to their desk. Slade was most impressed at this display of dominance. His meeting finished, and Slade signaled his audience to leave the room before turning his attention to Blackfire.

"You have exceeded all expectations, Blackfire. My training has taught you well. Are you prepared for the immersion?" he asked.

She looked up towards him with a look of tenacity in her eyes.

"Always,"

Training was hard, but Nightwing knew his Titans could do it. Almost every day since Slade had returned, Nightwing put his friends through various training regimes as he wanted everyone, including himself, to be prepared for anything Slade and his new brotherhood threw at them. At the moment, he had put Starfire and Cyborg on weights, Kid Flash on the treadmill, Beast Boy on pull-up bars, Wonder Girl on battle ropes, and Raven on spotting Nightwing as he attempted to bench press a 30-pound weight. Nightwing's face was sweating as he lifted the massive exercise equipment above his body and kept it there as long as possible. If he was going to face Slade again, he needed to be ready. After a few seconds, he gave in and allowed the barbell to collapse on the braces on each side of the set. Sitting up, he breathed heavily, moving his hair from his face and wiping the sweat with a nearby towel. He then turned to Raven, sitting on a stool behind him to help spot him on his training.

"How long was that?" he panted. She pulled out her stopwatch and frowned at it. "40 seconds. Your new best," she said. Nightwing sighed. On one hand, it was better than his last record of 30 seconds, but he felt he could do better than that. He needed to be better. They all did. Grabbing a water bottle next to him, Nightwing stood up from the bench and started to guzzle the water bottle. Placing the bottle down, he held the top of his jumpsuit and yanked it over his head. "I'm gonna take five and check on the others," he told Raven. She nodded before pulling out one of her books to read. Nightwing walked past the middle of the room and stood next to Starfire and Cyborg, examining their progress.

Starfire did well with her weight lifting; she lifted the weights up and down quickly as if they were made of light wood. Nightwing smiled at that. Tamaranians could raise more than a single bodybuilder could, but Starfire could lift the whole tower on her back if she tried. He could tell her passion and energy flowed as she heaved the massive weight over her head with little sweat streaming down her face. He admired her determination. "You're doing good, Star!" he said to her. She turned to him briefly and smiled. " I see you are also doing as good as I am with the lifting and the biceps," she replied sweetly. Nightwing looked down at his chest and then back to her with a blush of embarrassment on his face for a second. As far as he could tell, no one had heard. He chuckled briefly and turned to Cyborg. Cyborg seemed to be struggling more with lifting, as his strength was less extreme than Starfire's. He grabbed the weight and slowly lifted it in the air as he worked not to drop it on the ground. After a beat, he finally held it high, his muscles trembling but rigid.

"Booyah!" he shouted proudly.

He then dropped the weight and collapsed on the ground in exhaustion. Nightwing walked up to him, folding his arms and looking down at his friend in concern.

"You ok down there?" he asked.

Cyborg held out his thumb with a sweaty grin on his face.

"Doing fine. Just need a little rest."

Nightwing smiled and then moved on to observe Beast Boy's progress. Beast Boy lifted himself and lowered himself slowly on the pull-up bar, leaving a massive puddle of sweat under him.

"Doing great there, Beast Boy!" Nightwing said.

Beast Boy opened his eyes as he lowered himself and smiled.

"Thanks," he replied.

He heaved himself up once more as Nightwing raised an eyebrow after a brief realization.

"You're also sticking to our agreement of not cheating by turning into animals on the pull-up bar, right?"

Beast Boy lowered himself and quickly nodded before heaving himself up again.

With that noted, Nightwing moved on to Kid Flash, whose legs he could barely see on the treadmill as Wally moved so fast that the bottom half of his body seemed to be a yellow blur. He looked up towards Kid Flash, who barely appeared to be breaking a sweat. Nightwing figured Kid Flash's body had gotten so used to running fast that his body rarely sweated from the adaptation. He thought it was impressive. Kid Flash then looked down toward Nightwing with a grin on his face.

"Oh, hey! I'm doing great here! Really breaking a sweat!" he exclaimed excitedly.

Nightwing frowned for a minute as he looked back towards Kid Flash's blurring feet, monitoring its speed.

"Just go easy on the treadmill this time; we don't want another accident like last time," he explained as he left to check in on Wonder Girl.

Wally frowned for a beat as he looked towards Nightwing's direction.

"You short-circuit the treadmill one time, and they don't let you forget it," he mumbled as he returned to face the speedometer. Finally, Nightwing approached Wonder Girl, finishing up her battle rope regime, dropping the massive ropes on the ground before grabbing a nearby towel and dabbing it on her face.

"Woo, that was quite the workout, Dick!" she exclaimed.

"I bet," Nightwing responded positively.

Aside from Starfire, Donna is the only other titan to have enjoyed her workout the most. Even though he knew Starfire and Donna's physical attributes were more genetic than the others, he still put them through these kinds of regiments because, as Batman had taught him, having powers doesn't mean you can't improve further. As Donna started to guzzle a bottle of water, Nightwing checked his watch and saw it had been about an hour since the group began to work out. Probably time for a break, he thought to himself.

"Ok, guys!" he shouted to everyone in the room.

"Take 5! We'll start again in a while!"

Hearing this, Starfire and Cyborg placed their barbells, Beast Boy dropped down from the pull-up bar, and Kid Flash slowed down on the treadmill before stepping off. Cyborg walked up to Beast Boy, who was severely painting from exhaustion and sweat.

"I think I might hit the shower after this. What say you?" Cyborg asked.

Beast Boy, still painting, grinned devilishly.

"Already got it covered!"

He turned himself into a dog and started to shake the sweat off him widely while Cyborg held his hands up to deflect the sweat from hitting his face.

"Oh, come on, man! Why here?!" he exclaimed in an annoyed tone.

"It's a lot quicker that way," explained Beast Boy as he reverted to standard form.

He then ran to regroup with the others while Cyborg wiped some sweat off his arm in annoyance. As the Titans marched down the main hall, Kid Flash walked next to Raven, folding his arms with a curious expression.

"Why don't you exercise with the rest of us?" he asked.

Raven looked towards him with her usual stoicism plastered on her face.

"Unlike you guys, my skills aren't based on physical activity but more on the mystic arts of Azarath. For me to perform in the workout would be pointless."

Kid Flash looked up for a second, trying to process that information before shrugging.

"Fair enough," he responded dryly.

As they entered the lounge area, Cyborg and Beast Boy quickly slid onto the couch, pulling out their game controllers.

"I thought you had to shower?" asked Beast Boy.

Cyborg turned on the TV, gripping his controller in his right hand while holding the remote in his left.

"It can wait. Gotta kick your butt first." he boasted as he leaned back on the couch. Beast Boy smirked at this.

"You're on!"

While the two friends mashed and twiddled the buttons and toggles on their controllers, Nightwing went to the kitchen area to talk with Starfire as Kid Flash, Raven, and Wonder Girl departed to their bedrooms. Pulling a stool, Nightwing sat comfortably while Starfire dug in the fridge.

"How many seconds did you surpass during the lifting of the weights?" she asked.

Pursing his lips, Nightwing lifted his arm on the table to prop his head.

"40 seconds. My personal best so far."

Starfire popped her head up from behind the fridge door, giving her beloved a supportive smile.

"You are getting stronger every day!" she remarked proudly.

She closed the door and sat next to Nightwing, a bottle of mustard in her hand. Nightwing turned to her, and his eyes quickly met her beautiful emerald eyes.

"We all are," he responded.

She nodded in agreement as she unscrewed the lid of the mustard bottle and squeezed the mustard into her mouth.

"Next time we face Slade, he will incur the wrath of the butt whooping."

Nightwing weakly smiled before returning to Cyborg and Beast Boy playing video games. Starfire looked concerned for him as his expression seemed somewhat grim.

"Is everything ok?" she asked.

His gaze did not return towards her.

"I was just thinking… about when this is over..what our lives will be like. When we have our own life together."

Starfire looked down briefly. She hadn't thought much about it, as she had been preoccupied with their current escapades. Life would definitely be different without Cyborg, Beast Boy, Raven, Kid Flash, and Wonder Girl in their lives. Smaller. More quiet. She loved her friends but desired a life with just the man she loved. It was unfair they couldn't have both.

"It will be different for sure," she responded.

She rubbed her hand on his back, desiring to comfort the man who made her heart melt. To assure him their lives would be fine and that he wasn't alone in this struggle. After a while, he lowered his hand and turned towards Starfire.

"I promise we will have our life. And…we will try to make it work," he said.

Her eyes continued to meet his. They started leaning towards each other, their eyes closing and their lips pursed. Before their lips could meet, though, a noise could be heard from Starfire's pocket. She opened her eyes and grabbed a cell phone-shaped device from her pocket that was beeping continuously. Starfire looked at who was contacting her, her face spouting a look of excitement.

"What is it?" asked Nightwing curiously.

He saw Starfire's face brighten when she saw who was contacting her.

" By X'hal! It is Emperor Galfor!" she exclaimed excitedly.

Nightwing looked surprised at this. Galfor had been Starfire's caretaker on Tamaran, who took care of her when her parents couldn't before her enslavement and parents' deaths. He had only seen Galfor twice, the first time being when they first went to Tamaran, during which Blackfire had attempted to con Starfire into marrying a Sklerch named Glydrskleech so she could gain a piece of jewelry that could have garnered her more power. The Titans, however, had uncovered the plot and foiled Blackfire's scheme, dethroning her from her status as Empress of Tamaran and causing her to be exiled. Shortly afterward, Starfire declined the offer to become the new Empress of Tamaran, instead giving Galfor the position Starfire preferred to remain on Earth with her friends. The second time he had met him was a month or two after the Titan's journey to Tokyo, where Starfire had taken Nightwing during his days as Robin to announce her relationship with him. He was gruff but also a kind soul who cared about his people and Starfire's well-being. Starfire sat up and pointed towards her communicator.

"Is it ok if I take this?" she asked.

Nightwing held his hand up in approval.

"No, it's fine. Take your time. Tell him I said hi for me."

Starfire nodded and approached the hallway to the bedroom area before taking one last look at her man. Whatever their future held, she knew they could handle it together.

Closing her door, Starfire quickly sat on her bed and looked at the screen of her Tamaranian communicator. On the screen displayed the bearded face of Galfor, smiling at the child he had dedicated his life to protecting.

"Greetings, my princess. How are you and your companions?" he asked.

Starfire shrugged in hesitation.

"As well as things can get, my old friend. Aside from minor setbacks, our lives are very much in good faith."

Galfor nodded.

"That is very good to hear."

Before Starfire could say anything else, she looked up at Galfor's head and noticed something missing.

"Galfor, you are missing your royal headpiece. Is there something wrong?" she asked.

He looked up at his head and then back to Starfire, and his smile faded.

"Actually, this is why I have contacted you, Starfire. I am afraid I am retiring from the position of the Tamaranian emperor."

Starfire's face dripped in confusion.

"But why?" she asked, concerned.

She then noticed his eyes dart off-screen briefly before looking back at her.

"Because someone else has come to take up the throne. Someone of royalty."

She then noticed the camera being aimed away from Galfor and now being focused towards what looked like a young Tamaranian boy, about Beast Boy's age, with short red hair and shiny emerald eyes similar to Starfire's. Starfire could tell the boy was nervous, judging by how he held his arm behind his head. He obviously was unsure about talking to her; the reason why, though, was unknown to Starfire as she never saw this boy in her life.

"Uh, hello? You are to be the new ruler of Tamaran?" she asked.

The boy nodded. His eyes were looking up and down rapidly. Something about him was unsure of the current conversation.

"Yes, I am to be the next ruler of Tamaran. But there is more you must know." informed the boy.

Starfire leaned in closer. She was eager to learn the meaning of this conversation. The boy took a deep breath and looked towards Starfire hesitantly.

"I don't know how else to explain this, so I'll just say it. Starfire. My name is Wildfire. I think…..I think I am your brother."

The room was empty except for three people. Slade, Blackfire, and Brother Blood stood in the center of it. Blackfire was kneeling in the middle of the room while Slade stood before her, closely flanked by Brother Blood. Since Slade had christened Blackfire as his new apprentice, he had decided a ceremony needed to be in place. A ceremony to ensure his apprentice would be loyal to him and never waiver her dedication towards evil. Slade walked up towards Blackfire, who continued to kneel before him, his stature towering hers immensely.

"Blackfire of Tamaran…" began Slade coldly.

"..you have been brought here today to devote yourself to my cause, am I correct?".

Opening her eyes, she looked towards the menacing giant, her face opting a patient but eager expression.

"Yes, master," she replied.

Blood raised his eyebrow in curiosity from behind Slade. He was curious about the kind of coronation this was to be. In his youth, he had seen baptisms and christenings in various churches and tabernacles, but this was beyond anything he had ever seen. He then watched as Slade continued.

"Do you believe in my cause without question or hesitation?" he asked.

She nodded quickly, her gaze still fixed on the exposed eye protruding from the mask.

"I do, master."

Slade grinned from under his mask.

" Do you agree to lend all loyalty towards me, your master and leader?" he asked.

"Yes, my master," she replied once more.

Slade hunched over, a few meters from her face, and asked the final question.

"Do you renounce the Titans, Tamaran, and your sister? And everything they stand for?"

She looked down for a beat and then back towards Slade with utmost confidence in her eyes.

"I renounce them for all time, master."

Standing up straight, Slade elevated his open palm in a gesture for Blackfire to arise. She followed suit and stood up, facing her master stoically. Slade held out his index finger, and a tiny flame was suddenly produced like a match lighter. Blackfire closed her eyes as Slade pointed the flame-consumed finger toward her forehead. Blackfire winced in pain as he traced a marking within her skin. After a few seconds, she felt the pain leave her. Opening her eyes, she looked up towards her forehead to see an "S," similar to the one on Slade's head, had been burned into her skull. She looked astonished at this until she felt something else within her. Something powerful. She felt power like she had never experienced before. Slade noticed her expression and answered her questions.

"What you feel, my young apprentice, is the power of Azarath coursing through your veins. I've transferred some of my unique powers to you, and we are now connected."

He then looked towards Blood and gave him a nod. Blood bowed and walked in front of Slade, facing Blackfire.

"Now, Blackfire, your loyalty is to the Brotherhood and H.I.V.E. You have been given a great honor that most of us in this profession would lust for. Consider yourself….worthy."

Blackfire smiled arrogantly and bowed towards Blood.

"Thank you, Brother Blood. I will not fail you. Nor you, master." she said, looking over Blood's shoulder towards Slade.

Slade nodded.

"Now, Blackfire, as my new apprentice, my first task is for you to oversee the Control Freak's progress on hacking into the Titan's Tower's firewalls. We both know how….distracted he can get."

Blackfire grinned.

"It'll be done, master."

She then strode past her two masters and exited the room. Blood looked towards Slade hesitantly.

"Are you sure she was the right candidate for such a prestigious position, Slade?" he asked.

Slade stood still, not batting his eye towards Blood.

"Her services will be immeasurable."

Ten minutes had passed as Nightwing sat, watching Beast Boy and Cyborg play video games while drinking a glass of water, waiting for Starfire to return from her talk with Galfor. He was curious. He wondered what they could be talking about. It was crucial if it was taking this long to finish. Hearing footsteps, he perked and turned to the bedroom hallway to find Starfire holding her Tamaranian communicator with her other arm behind her back. Her face looked somewhat nervous.

Getting up, he grabbed his glass of water and approached her slowly.

"Hey, Star! How'd your talk go?" he asked.

She smiled nervously and gave a quick nod.

"It was…uh... Interesting," she responded.

Nightwing's eyebrow raised. Something seemed to be bothering her.

"Are you sure?"

She looked down in hesitation. Her smile faded.

"Well, I did discover some interesting news."

Putting her head behind her back, Starfire took a deep breath before returning her gaze to Nightwing.

"I just discovered ... .my brother is to be crowned as the next Emperor of Tamaran," she explained.

Nightwing gave a mild smile at the news.

"Oh, ok," he said as he closed his eyes and sipped his glass of water.

Suddenly, his eyes opened wide, and he spat the water out of his mouth in shock.

"Your brother?!" he shouted, surprised.

Hearing the commotion, Cyborg paused his and Beast Boy's game and turned towards their friend's direction.

"I'm sorry, what now?" asked Cyborg.

He placed the controller down and ran to Nightwing and Starfire, followed closely by Beast Boy.

"Wait, what's going on here?" asked Beast Boy curiously.

Starfire held up her communicator and pointed towards it.

"I have recently been informed that my brother, Wildfire, will be succeeding Galfor as the new Emperor of Tamran," she explained.

Cyborg and Beast Boy looked dumbfounded. This information shocked them and Nightwing, who was wiping the water from his mouth.

"I didn't know you had a brother," he said in shock.

Starfire shook her head.

"Neither did I until now," she responded.

Nightwing's eyes widened.

"Then how do you know…?

"It's quite simple," a voice exclaimed.

Starfire lifted her Tamaranian communicator and faced the Titans.

It displayed Wildfire, wearing a garb similar to Starfire and Blackfire's attire with flowing red hair and lime green eyes.

"For most of my life until just a few days ago, I had been raised by a group of scavengers known as the Bl'krats. We spent most of our lives scavenging for food and parts to keep us alive. 2 days earlier, I discovered my skin had turned purple during one of our heists, and not only that, but I passed out and was wrapped into a cocoon. When I had emerged from my cocoon and woken up, I was discovered by members of the Royal Guard who had scared off my Bl'krat companions and taken the cocoon back to the palace for inspection. They were shocked at my appearance for reasons I did not expect. It turned out a similar transformation happened amongst the members of the Tamaranian Royal family. Suspecting me of royalty, Galfore took me to be tested to see if I was truly the son of the former emperor and empress of Tamaran, and the DNA matched. I am indeed your brother and next in line to the throne."

The group stood silently for a moment, trying to process this information.

The silence was broken when Kid Flash entered the room, eating a bag of Oreos.

"Hey, guys! Are we ready to break a sweat again or what?" he asked.

Starfire turned to him, holding the communicator front forward, with Wildfire giving Kid Flash a nervous grin and waving towards him. Kid Flash raised his eyebrow in confusion.

"Uh, who's that?" he asked.

Beast Boy walked up to Wally and whispered the meaning of the boy on the communicator into his ear.

Wally's eyes opened in shock, and he dropped his bag of Oreos.

"You're kidding!" he shouted.

Starfire shook her head.

"No, this is for the real," she responded.

Raven and Wonder Girl then walked over, Wonder Girl with a towel around her neck and Raven holding one of her books.

"Are we going back to exercising or what?" asked Donna.

"Just as soon as we are done talking to my brother!" responded Starfire as she looked back to her communicator.

Wonder Girl and Raven looked at each other, confused.

"Brother?!" they said together.

Looking back, the two waited for the conversation to be over before asking further questions.

Starfire held the communicator back to her face and smiled eagerly at the rest of the information.

"So, aside from the announcement of your coronation, what is the purpose of your call to me?" she asked earnestly.

Wildfire looked down and held his arm nervously. Starfire could tell how awkward this must have been for him, seeing his sister for the first time and finding out he was next in line for the throne.

After a beat, he raised his head and looked at her nervously.

"I was wondering if it's not too much trouble if you'd like to come to Tamaran to attend my coronation so we can, you know, get to know each other," he explained.

Starfire's eyes widened. It had been a while since she had been to her homeworld, so this news had taken her aback. She looked behind her at Raven, Kid Flash, and Wonder Girl and then in front at Nightwing, Cyborg, and Beast Boy before returning her attention to the communicator.

"If it is ok, can I bring my friends with me as well?" she asked.

Wildfire looked up for a second, then nodded his head quickly.

"Of course, dear sister. The more the merrier, as you earthlings say."

She flew around the room happily at that news as her friends watched in interest and confusion.

Landing on the ground, she grabbed the communicator with both hands and excitedly held it to her face.

"We'll be there within the hour!" she said.

Wildfire nodded as the communicator went black.

Starfire then turned to the others, her attitude looking like Christmas had come early.

"My friends, this is a most exciting moment for all of us! I have a new brother, and we are invited to Tamaran for his crowning as the new emperor!"

Nightwing walked up to her, finishing cleaning the water off his face, and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Congrats, Star! While I didn't see this coming, I'm still happy for you, and you can count on me going."

Cyborg and Beast Boy's eyes widened at his sudden approval of this. They looked at each other, shocked, and then back to Nightwing and Starfire. Nightwing then turned to the rest of the group with a smile.

"What do you say, guys?"

No one said anything for several seconds. After a moment, Cyborg spoke.

"Uh, dude? Can we discuss this with you for a second?" he asked.

"Yeah," chimed Beast Boy.

Nightwing looked at Starfire and shrugged before returning to Cyborg and Beast Boy.

"Sure," he responded.

He walked with Cyborg and Beast Boy to the lounge area while Starfire stood with her communicator. Suddenly, she felt a hand lay on her arm and looked back to see it belonged to Raven.

"Uh, yeah, maybe we should talk about this too," she said.

Starfire nodded and walked with Raven toward the latter's room, leaving Kid Flash and Wonder Girl dumbfounded in the hall.

"Uh, what do I and Wonder Girl do?" he asked earnestly.

Nightwing looked back towards them.

"Just…wait for us in the weight room. We'll be there in a few."

The two looked at each other and shrugged before heading to the weight room.

When Nightwing got to the lounge and sat on the couch while Cyborg and Beast Boy looked at him with stern expressions and folded arms.

"What?" asked Nightwing, confused.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" asked Cyborg.

Nightwing raised his eyebrow.

"What's the problem with seeing her long-lost brother?"

Cyborg unfolded his arms.

"Do you remember the last time we met one of Starfire's family?"

Nightwing's eyes widened.

"Wait, is this about Blackfire?" he asked.

Beast Boy nodded.

"Yeah, if you remember, during our first year, Blackfire came and was all like "Hi, I'm Starfire's sister, and I'm totally cool!" and we were like, "She's so cool and fun!" and Starfire was like "my friends like her better than me," and then it turned out she was only here because she stole something from these aliens and tried to frame Starfire for it before we kicked her butt."

"Not only that.." chimed in Cyborg.

"...but a year later, she invited us to Tamaran to try and con Starfire into getting married and kidnapped us so she could get that magic amulet or whatever, and now she's part of Slade's crew."

"Ok, ok, I get it!" Nightwing finally said.

Getting off the couch, he approached the nearby window that exposed the vast ocean beyond the island the tower rested on and then turned to his friends, stressed but still somewhat composed.

"I know our previous encounters with Starfire's family haven't been great, but this guy does seem genuinely nice."

"Yeah, so did Blackfire," Cyborg pointed out.

Nightwing sighed.

"Look, I understand where both of you are coming from, I really do., But it would be unfair if we don't give this a chance. At least for Starfire's sake."

Beast Boy and Cyborg looked at each other, unconvinced, then back to Nightwing.

"I don't know, dude," replied Beast Boy. "For all we know, he could be just a con artist trying to scam his way to rule the planet."

Nightwing thought to himself for a few seconds before finally coming up with an idea.

"Ok, how about this. We go for a day or two. We watch the ceremony, hang out briefly, and then go home. And if anything looks even remotely suspicious, we'll take action immediately, then head home and forget this happened. Sound good?"

Cyborg raised his eyebrow at the idea. At the same time, Beast Boy placed his index finger and thumb on his chin, pondering the notion.

After a second, Beast Boy shrugged.

"I guess that works," he said in a chill tone.

"Yeah," agreed Cyborg. "Sounds like a good deal."

Nightwing smiled.

"Good, I'll check in with Starfire and the others and get packing. We'll probably head out in a few hours."

Inside Raven's room, Starfire took a seat on Raven's bed and watched as Raven locked the door before looking towards Starfire's direction.

"Is there any reason you wanted to talk to me privately?" Starfire asked curiously.

Raven folded her arms.

"Are you sure you wanna go with this?" she asked.

Starfire raised her eyebrow.

"I mean, of course! I just found out I have a brother. I would like to be able to meet him."

"That's what I'm a little concerned about," Raven responded.

"You're happy about this even though this is a little out of the blue and suspicious."

Starfire straightened herself as she pondered the concern over her reaction.

"Am I not allowed to be happy that I have discovered I'm not alone in my family?" she asked.

Raven's cold expression turned remorseful for a beat.

"I never said that." she retorted.

"I'm just suggesting you think about this a little more. Especially after what happened with your sister."

Starfire's eyes darted away in deep thought.

The memories of her past experiences entered swiftly.

"Are you suggesting that my brother might use me like my sister did? When she framed me? When she tried to trick me into marriage?"

Raven shrugged.

"A little bit. I just find it unusual that suddenly, your people discover this guy, who turns out to be your brother and now wants to become emperor. I know your parents died while you were in slavery, but I don't understand how no one could have known about him until now."

The last sentence perked Starfire up quickly, and she held up her finger in protest.

"Actually, there could be a good reason for that," she explained.

Raven raised her brow.

"And what would that be?"

Starfire shifted on the bed, her body to the side and her head facing Raven.

"On my planet, when a child of the royal family is born, they are usually hidden from the public for at least a week as a surprise to our subjects. The purpose is to prepare the infant for the basics of tamaranian life, such as flying. My sister didn't even know I existed until a week after my birth. I suppose there could have been a possibility that my parents sent him away before they died for a reason even I don't know about."

Raven stepped forward closer to the bed.

"Do you think Galfore would know?" she asked.

Starfire shook her head.

"Not even he was allowed to know of our births until after a week," she explained.

Starfire's face then dropped. Raven noticed and looked concerned. She sat on the bed beside Starfire and wrapped her arm around her back.

"Look, I'm not trying to put this down or anything like that. I'm just looking out for you and making sure you're thinking about your choices," she explained.

Starfire stood up from the bed and walked towards the dresser on the other side of the room, her arms folded and her back towards Raven.

"Even though I have considered you all my family all these years, there is still a part of me that longed for at least one member of my biological family that doesn't have any ill will towards me to exist somewhere. I may never get an opportunity like this ever again."

Raven looked down for a moment, processing everything Starfire had said. In a way, Raven could see where Starfire was coming from. Her mother was taken from her at a young age by her father Trigon, and if she could, she'd do anything to have one more day with her.

"I guess I can see where you're coming from, Star," she said.

"If I were in your position, I'd probably be eager myself."

Starfire then turned to Raven, her emerald eyes shining.

"Plus, it's been a while since I brought you to my home. I didn't get much chance to show you around it last time."

Raven smiled and shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess that's true," she responded.

Starfire then walked up to Raven and put her arm behind her head.

"So?" she asked.

Raven sighed and folded her arms.

"Ok, I guess. I'll get packed in a few."

Starfire nodded and started to leave the room, but Raven grabbed her shoulder before she could do so, Raven grabbed her shoulder.

"Just do one thing for me," she said.

Starfire raised a brow.

"And that would be?"

Raven grimaced.

"Don't let your guard down. Be prepared for anything."

Starfire gave a thumbs up in reply.

"The guard will always be at my forefront, Raven," she exclaimed.

The two then started to exit the room.

While continuing his job, Terrence Findley, AKA the Control Freak, had decided to take a break and record a new episode of his podcast, "The Freakcast." Slade had given him the duty to hack into the Titans' tower to defuse their defenses, as the Titans had increased them since Control Freak broadcasted Slade's return message earlier that month. From what Freak had discovered during his further attempts to hack in, Cyborg had placed various firewalls to keep him out of the Titan's security system and prevent him from broadcasting or entering the tower. Slade has chosen Control Freak for this task as he had discovered he had a history of illegally hacking into his video store profile to extend his rentals and hacking into Japanese broadcast stations to watch Japanese-exclusive cartoons. For now, though, he thought he'd take a secret break to record his podcast and talk about his encounters with the Teen Titans to his fans. "Ok, fellow listeners, we are about to approach the climax of our exciting story of "Control Freak vs the Titans part 2: the channel surfing escapade". I had the titans cornered and…"

"Control Freak!" shouted a loud feminine voice.

A startled Control Freak slipped from his chair and fell on the floor flat on his back, dragging his microphone with him. Getting on his hands, Control Freak looked up to see the form of Blackfire, with a red "S" burned into her head, giving him a stern look.

"Aren't you supposed to be doing the job my master assigned you?"

Control Freak quickly hurried to his feet and grabbed his microphone, his face covered with sweat and fear.

"I-I'm sorry. Just taking a break," Control Freak explained with a nervous smile.

Blackfire slammed her fist on the control panel near Control Freak.

"Yeah? Well, break's over! The master requires you to continue to hack into the Titan's satellite, which he requires with little distraction."

Control Freak gulped before returning to the panel and flicking his fingers amongst the keyboard. Suddenly, a ringing noise sounded, and Blackfire dug into her pocket and picked out a tiny, phone-like device. Control Freak looked back at Blackfire, darting his eyes to the device.

"What's that?" he asked curiously.

Blackfire slowly looked up from the device towards Control Freak.

"It's a Tamaranean info keeper. It keeps me updated on the recent events and news of the galaxy. Not that any of them are your concern."

Control Freak frowned and returned to his hacking.

After a moment, though, Control Freak decided that while Blackfire was in the room, he might make some small talk.

"What was your first encounter with the Titans like?" he asked.

She didn't respond, still looking through her device. Despite that, Control Freak continued.

"Well, during my first encounter, I went to the video store to rent a copy of Warp Trek 5, and I asked the clerk if she thought it was the best one in the series, and she dared to say that Warp Trek 2 was the better movie! She even had it on her favorite rentals list!"

"No!" he heard Blackfire say behind him.

"I know, right? It is complete and utter heresy that anyone would consider Warp Trek 5 less than.."

Before he could finish, however, Blackfire grabbed his chair, spun it around, and held out her device to his face.

"No, you fat imbecile! I wasn't talking about your pointless entertainment! I was referring to this!"

She grabbed Control Freak and showed him to her info keeper. The image of a young man with light orange skin and shoulder-length red hair, complete with green eyes, was projected on it. Beneath it was a text in an alien language. Control Freak raised his eyebrow.

"Ok, I'm confused. What am I looking at?"

Blackfire frowned.

"It's my brother, nitwit! He's going to be crowned emperor of Tamaran!"

She released Control Freak and shoved him back in his chair.

"A brother?!" he exclaimed.

"I had no idea you had a brother!"

"No one does!" shouted Blackfire.

"And I wanted it to stay that way."

She returned her gaze to the info keeper and examined it furiously.

" Coronation to be held…TOMORROW AFTERNOON!?" she growled.

The "S" in the middle of her forehead glowed red with fury, and her eyes became crimson. As Control Freak observed her anger, he rubbed his chin in curiosity.

"You know, this reminds me of Warp Trek 4 when Count Zarlok wanted the throne from the Zandonians. He hired a mercenary crew to help him conquer it, and then he.."

"Wait!" Blackfire finally responded.

"Repeat that last part."

Control Freak raised his eyebrow.

"Uh..Zarlok wanted to take over the Zandonian throne by hiring a mercenary group to do so."

Suddenly, he noticed a shining grin on her face. Control Freak figured he had said something right to brighten her up that much.

"Control Freak," she said as she slapped her hands on his shoulders.

"You are a wonderful lothgar,"

Control Freak looked away in confusion before aiming his eyes back at Blackfire.

"I'm assuming that's a good thing?" he asked.

Blackfire chuckled.

"You're cute," she responded, patting his head as she returned to the entrance.

Control Freak returned to his work, but he remembered something before he could get started.

"You're not going to tell Slade about my slacking, are you?" he asked.

Blackfire looked back at him one last time before she left the room.

"What slacking?" she responded.

Control Freak smiled and gave her a thumbs-up in return.

Blackfire quickly ran into Slade's office, where she found him looking over some files she assumed were contracts from the various partnerships he acquired through his takeover of H.I.V.E.

"Master!" Blackfire shouted.

Slade looked up from his documents and eyed Blackfire.

"Yes, my young apprentice?"

He saw a shine of confidence within Blackfire's eyes. Whatever she had to offer him, he knew it would be helpful.

"I think I know where the Titans will be heading next."

Kid Flash ran as fast on the treadmill, pacing himself to not short circuit it. After a few minutes, he turned to Wonder Girl, who was lifting the barbell Nightwing had been raising earlier.

"Hey, Wonder Girl. You've noticed something a little off about Nightwing lately?"

Lifting the giant exercise equipment, she turned to Kid Flash with sweat beads streaming down her face.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Slowing down, Kid Flash skidded the black mat of the treadmill to a halt as he continued his conversation.

"I don't know. It's just that ever since the thing with the Terra girl being dead, he's been a little off his game. It was a little strange when I proposed my idea of freeing Jinx to him; he agreed with it a little bit too willingly. When Beast Boy proposed to find the girl, he rejected it, yet he immediately said yes to my idea.

Also, don't you think it's a little weird that he did that "Titan Appreciation Day" thing with you a few days ago?"

Wonder Girl lifted her eyebrow.

"How is that weird?" she asked.

Wally folded his arms.

"From what I can tell, he's never done that for us before. And, today, when Starfire told him that out of nowhere, her long-lost brother just happened to show up to invite us all to his crowning or whatever, and he was almost immediately cool with it? Like without question?"

Donna put the barbell down, sat up, and wrapped a towel around her shoulder.

"Are you implying Dick's under mind control or a doppelganger or something?" she asked skeptically.

Wally shook his head.

"No, nothing like that. I think that this Slade guy coming back and what happened to the Terra girl has messed with his head a little. I haven't seen him like this for as long as we've been team members. He seems a little too optimistic."

Donna looked down and folded her arms.

"I admit, he has been a little emotionally distant lately, especially towards Starfire. They seem to be going pretty steady, but he doesn't want to talk about what he's going through with her. Not that it's any of our business what goes on between them."

Kid Flash nodded at that.

Before they could say anything else, the doors opened, and the pair turned to see their fellow members enter the room. Getting off the equipment, Wally and Donna approached their friends, their arms folded and heads cocked.

"So, what's the word?" asked Kid Flash.

Nightwing and Starfire looked at each other and then back to Kid Flash.

"We've decided we're going to Tamaran within the hour."

Kid Flash looked shocked by the news, while Wonder Girl looked interested.

"Cool, I'll go pack!" she said as she ran to her room.

Kid Flash, on the other hand, just stood in disbelief.

"Wait, wait, wait! Are we actually doing this?" he asked.

Nightwing nodded.

"Yeah, why?" he asked.

Kid Flash folded his arms and gave a concerned expression.

"Well, for one thing, we're going into space. Space! A place I haven't been before and is pretty scary."

Nightwing widened his eyes. He had forgotten that Donna and Wally had not been with them to Tamaran the last time, so they'd be new to the environment. But at this point, he figured they could coax him into the idea.

"Don't worry. We've been up there many times, and it's not as bad as you'd think," he assured Kid Flash.

Despite the assurance, Wally didn't look too convinced.

"What about the tower? What if Slade or one of his guys tries to attack it while we are gone?"

As if waiting for that question to be asked, Cyborg smirked and walked up to Kid Flash, holding out his arm.

"Already got that covered!" he proclaimed as he brought up a holographic tower projection.

"You see, after Slade invaded the tower to kidnap Raven for her dad a few years ago, I decided to upgrade the security system on the tower. I worked on the modifications shortly after Trigon but had to put it on hold when we fought the original Brotherhood. After we returned, I continued my progress on security and developed this."

He pressed a button on his gauntlet, and suddenly, the hologram of the tower started to be showered from top to bottom with some metal alloy. Kid Flash looked intrigued.

"You see, anytime we leave the tower for longer than a day, I set it up so that these metal walls cover up every inch of the tower's exterior to ensure that no one gets in or out."

Cyborg turned off the hologram as Wally stepped back to process the information.

"That's nice and all, but what about Control Freak? He hacked into your broadcast signal twice and, from what Tempest told us, had got into the tower via the viewing monitor when they were housesitting the place," he pointed out.

"Already have that covered, too!" exclaimed Cyborg, folding his arms.

"I put a bunch of digital firewalls up on our broadcast signal that will take months, hopefully, for that guy to hack into!"

Wally raised his eyebrow.

"Ok, then. But what about Silkie? Doesn't he need to be fed?"

Starfire then approached to answer his question.

"I left Silkie with what should be enough of the cat food you buy for him, so I believe he'll survive until we get back," she answered.

She stepped back with the rest of the group as Nightwing looked from her to Wally.

"Any other questions?" he asked.

Wally nodded.

"Yeah, one more. I saw the shuttle in the launch shaft had only five cockpits, and 7 of us now. Where are me and Wonder Girl going to sit?"

"This is not what I had in mind!" griped Wally as he struggled to scooch away from Cyborg in the cramped cockpit area of the T-Shuttle. Due to the lack of additional cockpits for the two recent team members, Nightwing had Kid Flash share Cyborg's cockpit and Wonder Girl share Raven's. Wonder Girl and Raven had done their best to cope with their situation, while Kid Flash and Cyborg struggled to get along in the enclosed space.

"Well, this is the best I could come up with. We don't have time to design additional cockpits on the T-Shuttle, so this will have to do." Nightwing explained.

Kid Flash frowned and folded his arms.

"Well, I could get used to this if someone would move over a little bit!" he pouted as he elbowed Cyborg to the edge of the cockpit. Cyborg released one of his hands from the controls and slapped Kid Flash's arm. Kid Flash held it back in pain.

"Yeah, well, I'm not exactly jumping up and down in excitement either, breeze boy! It's hard to see with your feet in the way!"

He, too, attempted to nudge Wally to the edge of the window hatch of the cockpit, jabbing his elbow toward his ribs.

The two then ended up in a slapping match, which lasted about 30 seconds before Nightwing got annoyed and clicked the intercom on the shuttle.

"Will you guys knock it off?! Geez, remind me never to drive cross country with you two!"

Cyborg and Kid Flash, having heard their leader's words, stopped their slapping match as they folded their arms and frowned at each other. Nightwing sighed with relief. He then pressed the intercom again to check in with his other teammates.

"Raven! How are you and Wonder Girl doing?" he asked.

"A little cramped but alright." came Raven's voice.

"Same here," replied Donna's voice.

"Bored. How much longer until we get there?" asked Beast Boy in annoyance.

Nightwing rolled his eyes.

"I told you 10 minutes ago we'll get there when we get there," he responded.

"Whatever," replied Beast Boy as he let out a giant yawn.

"Wake me when we get there."

He then started hearing some snoring from Beast Boy's end, which prompted him to mute Beast Boy's shuttle comm on his end.

"Hey, Starfire, how are you doing?" he asked into the mic.

Nothing came through. Nightwing raised an eyebrow in concern.

"Starfire?" he asked again.

This time, her voice came through.

"Oh, sorry. I was just thinking. You know, about coming here." Starfire said softly.

Nightwing knew she was nervous. It was the first time she was seeing a blood relative she never knew she had until now. Anyone would feel the same way she felt right now.

"Hey, it's going to be alright," he assured her into the mic.

"Besides, if anything goes wrong, we'll deal with it however we can and head home. Got it?"

"Yes," replied Starfire.

Suddenly, a beeping noise sounded off on Nightwing's end, and he released his one hand from the control to examine it.

"OK, guys! We're 5 minutes away from landing. Brace yourselves."

The rest of the titans nodded as they fastened their seatbelts and prepared for descent. Still struggling with the space issue in the cockpit, Kid Flash looked out the window, and his eyes widened at what he saw below: a series of cylinder-shaped towers sitting upon a giant rocky mountain around a terrain filled with unusually formed rocks and jagged formations. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before. Not even the sci-fi movies he watched as a child could match the wonder of what he was seeing. As he was peering down, Cyborg looked over to him and grinned.

"See anything you like?" he asked jokingly.

Wally didn't look back, his eyes still fixated on the look of the planet.

"Everything! I like everything down there! It's…beautiful."

Wonder Girl's voice then came on the mic.

"I know, right? It's like where I come from, except it's much more sophisticated! Man, if only Diana could see this! Her jaw would be on the floor in no time!"

The rest of the titans chuckled as the shuttle lowered towards the landing pad.

The seven titans exited the cockpits and headed to the giant castle-like structure. As he walked, Kid Flash looked at Beast Boy with a smile.

"One thing I'm excited about with this is the food they will have. I hear royal families have some of the most delicious food."

"Oh, that reminds me," replied Beast Boy as he held up a tin box.

"I brought some food with us."

"Why? We're going to get food here," said Wally, confused.

"Trust me," replied Beast Boy cautiously.

Kid Flash raised his eyebrow before shrugging and walking with the others. Cyborg, who had fallen behind briefly in the group, quickly ran up to Starfire with a twinkle of excitement in his eye.

"I'm excited about doing this because I can finally use the Tamaranian vocal skills you taught me."

Starfire then turned to Cyborg, her face brightening in happiness.

"Ooh, wonderful! Have you been practicing recently?"

Cyborg responded in Tamranian, leaving the other Titans baffled as they didn't understand the language. Starfire beamed and replied in Tamaranian.

"Did she ever teach you that language?" Wonder Girl asked Nightwing.

Nightwing nodded.

"She tried, but I couldn't get a hang of it. I guess new languages come easier to some than most."

She nodded in agreement as the group finally made it to the front of the castle.

After a few seconds, the door opened, and a series of guards walked out. A giant, hulking orange figure with a red beard and armor stood in the middle. The Titans knew it to be Galfore. Excited, Starfire flew up to him and gave him a big hug.

"Oh, Galfore, it is wonderful to see you again!" she said happily.

He smiled and returned to hug.

"It is good to see you too, my princess."

She then let go and turned to her friends.

"Wonder Girl and Kid Flash, since this is your first time on my home planet, I'd like you to meet Galfore, my Kalorfeka!"

"Cool," replied Wally.

He then leaned in towards Nightwing; his arm lifted to direct his whisper towards Nightwing's ear.

"What's a kalorfeka?" he asked.

"It's kind of like a nanny. He helped raise her when she was younger and is kind of like a father to her. He's a little gruff on the outside, but trust me, he's pretty cool when you get to know him."

Kid Flash nodded and folded his arms with an impressed look.

He then walked up to Galfore and held out his hand to shake. Galfore gripped Wally's hand hard and shook it, Wally's face exploding in pain from the grip.

"Wow! Quite the grip this guy has," he muttered through his pain.

The group chuckled at that remark as Wonder Girl greeted Galfore.

She bowed to him, and he bowed back as a sign of respect.

"It is an honor to meet you. Donna Troy at your service," she said as she rose and rejoined the others. Starfire then turned to Galfore with a look of hope on her face.

"Is my brother here? Now? To see me?" she asked.

In response, Galfore held out his hand to the guards, who spread apart to reveal near the castle door the figure of a young man with short red hair, orange skin, and traditional tamaranian attire. He slowly paced the pathway, his hands behind his back towards the group with a stern look on his face. Standing in front of the group, he looked at Starfire first. Then suddenly, he wrapped his arms around her, taking her aback.

"Dear sister, it is an honor to meet you finally," he said happily.

Starfire looked to the others nervously before returning the gesture towards her brother.

"It is terrific to meet you too, dear brother," she responded.

Wildfire then let go of her and gave his sister a friendly smile.

"You are just as beautiful as the pictures of Mother I have seen in the palace."

Starfire smiled at that comment.

"That is very kind of you to say."

Wildfire nodded before looking towards the other Titans with his eyebrow raised.

"Are these your friends?" he asked.

Starfire nodded.

"Indeed they are! Wildfire, I'd love for you to meet Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, Beast Boy, Raven, Cyborg, and my beloved Nightwing!" she exclaimed.

The group either smiled or waved slightly toward the heir nervously. An interested Wildfire walked over to the group and quickly examined them.

After a beat, he smiled.

"It is honorable to meet you all. From what my sister explained on the transmission earlier, I assume all of you have abilities like us?" he asked.

The group looked at each other nervously for a few seconds until Kid Flash walked up confidently, ready to show off his abilities.

"Watch this!" he exclaimed.

He bent his knees and turned to the right in preparation, and just like that, he disappeared in a yellow blur and a minor breeze. The tamaranians looked around, confused for a few seconds, until Kid Flash finally zipped right back up to where he had stood, his arms on his hips in pride.

"What do you think?" he asked.

Wildfire looked amazed at that sighting, his eyes wide as plates.

"That is…quite an ability." he finally said.

"The ability to run faster than a normal creature is something I've yet to see before. Impressive,"

Wally gave a thumbs up and returned to the group proudly. Beast Boy walked up next.

"Watch this," he said.

He then allowed himself to turn into a green monkey and started to do cartwheels and make monkey noises. He then turned himself into a lion and uttered a mighty roar before finally turning himself into a horse, neighing loudly as he walked back and forth, showing himself off. After a few seconds, he returned to his usual self and bowed dramatically to the crowd. The guards looked shocked at that performance while WildFire clapped his hands, impressed with his abilities.

"Amazing! A shape changer! I've only heard rumors about creatures like that since childhood. What else could you transform into? A tamaranian, maybe? Or a dhorian?" he asked excitedly.

Beast Boy held out his hands in an attempt to calm the excitement.

"Woah, whoa, dude! Let's not get too excited here! I'm afraid I can only turn into animals, not aliens."

"Oh," replied Wildfire, disappointed.

He then straightened himself out and looked towards Wonder Girl. Donna smiled nervously before stepping forward.

"Well, I can fly like you guys. And I got this".

She slowly pulled out her lasso of truth from her waist and held it out for all to see. The guards stood back a little cautiously as the foreign object in Wonder Girl's hand was considered unknown to them. Donna noticed this and held her arm out in assurance.

"It's ok! This is harmless. All it does is make people tell the truth. Watch!"

She tossed the lasso around Beast Boy and tightened it quickly, surprising him.

"Hey, what are you-?" asked Beast Boy, but he ended up being interrupted by Wonder Girl.

"Let me ask you this, Gar. Did you eat the last two slices of pizza yesterday despite promising one of the slices to me?" she asked with a confident smirk.

Beast Boy tried his best to hold his response in, but the will of the lasso was too powerful for him to resist, and he felt himself opening his mouth beyond his control and his vocal cords prepping to speak the truth.

"Yes, and I thought they were delicious!" he shouted.

The crowd looked impressed with that display and quickly clapped as Donna untied Beast Boy and started to coil up her lasso. Beast Boy rubbed himself off the loop as he frowned at Wonder Girl. Wildfire, slowly clapping, looked towards Raven, who, distracted for a beat, looked towards him and looked slightly nervous.

"I'd rather not. I use my powers more when I feel I have to," she said.

Wildfire nodded.

"Fair enough, I respect that."

He turned to Cyborg, and his eyes widened when he saw him. He slowly approached Cyborg and gently held his arm in his hands. Cyborg's eyes widened in confusion.

"Uh, what are you doing?" asked Cyborg.

Wildfire then looked up at Cyborg with a look of embarrassment.

" I apologize for prying. I'm just fascinated at this armor you bear on you."

Cyborg raised his eyebrow at that remark before slowly pulling his arm back.

"Uh, thanks, but this isn't armor. These are cybernetics."

"Cybernetics?" questioned Wildfire.

"Most interesting. This is unlike anything I've ever seen!"

He looked around Cyborg for about 30 seconds, observing him from inch to toe before Cyborg, getting uncomfortable, finally spoke.

"Uh, you done observing me?" he asked.

Wildfire, after making a final loop, stopped and looked towards Cyborg.

"Huh? Oh yes. I'm finished. By X'hal, your technology is impressive. You must be very proud to have designed such intriguing machinery."

Cyborg held his hand behind his back as he processed that last statement.

"Actually, I didn't build this. My dad did. Because if he didn't, I would have died. Long story."

Wildfire folded his arms and nodded at Cyborg's explanation.

"I see. Well, your father did a fantastic job on you, good sir."

Cyborg briefly smiled at the compliment before Wildfire turned to Nightwing, the last of the group. Trying to look professional, Nightwing held his hand to Wildfire as a friendly gesture, wanting to make a good impression in front of Starfire's newfound brother. He smiled and reciprocated the gesture.

"So, you're the beloved my sister talked about on the communicator?"

Nightwing blushed for a beat before nodding.

"Yeah, I guess that would be me," he responded.

Wildfire then raised his eyebrow and observed Nightwing for a few seconds, confusing Nightwing before Wildfire's gaze returned to Nightwing.

"And what abilities do you possess, if I may ask?"

Nightwing's eyes widened in nervousness.

"Uh, yeah, about that, I actually don't possess any powerful abilities like the others. I guess you could say I'm the most normal out of the group despite being the leader. But that doesn't mean I can't do anything. I'm an excellent fighter and know a thing or two about acrobatics."

"Indeed, that is true," said Starfire finally after remaining silent to let her brother acquaint himself with her friends. She approached Nightwing and wrapped her arms around his waist affectionately.

"What he lacks in powers, he makes up for in his fighting prowess. One of the many reasons I adore him," Starfire said before kissing him on the cheek.

Nightwing smiled at her and held her arm.

"Yeah, something like that," he replied.

Wildfire nodded.

"I respect that," he said.

The group looked at each other awkwardly and nervously for a few seconds before Wildfire broke the silence.

"So, now that we've been acquainted, shall we go inside and have our royal dinner?" he asked.

Nightwing looked at the others, who had starving expressions, before returning to Wildfire.

"Yeah, we'd like that."

Lewa was considered to be a wretched planet, known mainly for its many bars and slave clubs where aliens from various planets would watch as captive slave girls dance for patron's entertainment against their will. To Blackfire, though, it was the best option to find the crew she needed if she was going to crash her brother's coronation and get revenge on her sister and her friends once and for all. Having taken her craft to get there, Blackfire slowly exited it and entered the nearest tavern, hoping to find the perfect candidates there. When she entered, the place was as filthy as she expected, with muck, food stains, and rotting construction everywhere. The patrons of the bar were a variety of species, from Uranians to Korugarans to Dyadians. A majority of them had foul expressions on their faces from either the intoxication of their drinks or the misery that comes with being bounty hunters and mercenaries. None of it deterred Blackfire as she strolled in slowly, wanting to pace herself before she made her move. Standing in the center of the bar, she held her fist up to her mouth and loudly cleared her throat to get the patron's attention. The grimy customers all turned towards Blackfire's position, a few looking pleased at her presence.

"Attention, dwellers of the galaxy. My name is Blackfire, and I am the ex-princess of Tamaran! I am here because I am looking for a set of fine helping hands to assist me in an important task to claim my rightful place on the throne and to seek my vengeance against my younger siblings. With your help, my desire will be achieved, and you will also receive a handsome reward. Any takers?"

The patron stared at her for a few seconds before erupting in laughter. Blackfire frowned at that. For a child of royalty, she'd expected more respect from what she considered low-life filth who attacked and pillaged for their pleasures. The patrons returned to their drinks as Blackfire angrily marched towards the exit. As she was about to open the door, she heard something from one of the patrons that sounded suspiciously like "filthy troq". She turned back, marched towards the bar's center, and looked around angrily.

"Care to repeat that, whoever you are?!" she shouted.

" Who dares insult me?!"

"I do." she heard a raspy voice speak.

Looking behind her, she saw a Xudarian mercenary (a fish-like alien) wearing a leather jacket and baggy pants, holding a bottle of extraterrestrial alcohol in one hand and the other sitting in his lap at a nearby table. Blackfire clenched her fists and strutted towards the mercenary, her eyes changing to a violent shade of magenta.

"And what exactly was that remark you made to insult me?" she asked venomously.

The mercenary laughed before taking a swig of his drink and slamming the bottle on the table.

"I said….no one in this bar, nor in this galaxy would wanna work with a filthy little troq, royalty or not, your former highness," he responded as he wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

Blackfire fumed at this. The term "Troq" was a derogatory term used to insult and degrade the people of Tamaran as nothing and useless. It was a horrible word, and Blackfire would not stand there and take it from this piece of aquatic-looking filth sitting in front of her. She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and heaved him up to her face. The rest of the patrons noticed this, but none attempted to intervene, feeling this wasn't their business. The Xandarian looked back at Blackfire with annoyance in his expression.

"What are you doing?!" he asked.

Blackfire's eyes glowed brighter than ever as her anger consumed her.

"Apologize. Now." blackfire hissed.

The xandarian then held two of his fingers to his mouth and made a loud whistle sound. Blackfire looked next to her to find four mercenaries rushing from one of their other tables towards Blackfire, one having a hammerhead shark-looking appearance, one with green skin, one humanoid but with a pair of antennae, and one purple-skinned with four eyes. Blackfire shoved the Xandarian to the ground before turning her attention towards the four goons. She held out her hand and made a "bring it" motion to taunt the goons. The hammerheaded goon went first, drawing a dagger from his pocket and charging towards Blackfire. As he got closer, Blackfire pivoted herself to avoid the knife jab before grabbing the goon and hurling him over her back. She then slammed her boot onto the goon's neck, letting out a vast crunching sound, startling the onlookers. She then twisted her boot on the same spot, emitting another snapping sound. The Xandarian, still on the floor, backed up slightly in fear as he watched his green-skinned comrade attempt an attack, using nothing more than the claws on his hands. Blackfire countered the attack, though, grabbing the green skin by his arms and separating them outwards before delivering a front kick towards his chin. She let go of the green skin, allowing him to fall on the ground before bending down and grabbing his head. She cuffed her hands under his chin and pulled back forcefully with all her might. The green-skinned moaned in pain for a few seconds until Blackfire yanked his head back hard, emitting another snapping noise. She let go of the green skin's head finally, and it fell lifelessly on the floor. Standing around up, she watched as the humanoid with the antennae charged at her with a fisticuff that had three spikes on top of it. When he got closer, she leaped and brought her right foot up towards the humanoid's face, making contact with it. The humanoid's fisticuffs fell off as he held his face in pain, shuffling around for a few seconds. He then lowered his hands to reveal blue blood coming down his nostril from the kick. He looked towards Blackfire, who stood there smiling confidently at her attacker, angering the raging humanoid. He charged up and ran one more time, but his attempt was in vain as Blackfire grabbed his neck, holding his eye as he struggled for air, his hands trying to scrape hers off of him before finally releasing him. Before he could hit the ground, Blackfire raised her leg again, lunging it into the humanoid's throat, causing a third loud crunching sound as the body collapsed to the ground with no further movement. She then looked to the final goon, who stood there, shaking nervously, thinking about what to do next. He looked back and forth towards his leader and Blackfire, quickly trying to figure out his next strategy, until suddenly, Blackfire sped up to him quickly, scooping his body onto her back without warning and pulling down on both ends hard. The goon groaned for a few seconds until a final snap was heard, and the goon moved no more. Blackfire tossed the limp body to the ground before turning to the Xandarian, who backed up to the wall in fear. The only thing the rest of the patrons could do was watch as she ended the goonies. Blackfire turned back to the patrons and hissed at them. They cringed back in fear before returning to their usual business. Blackfire turned back towards the Xandarian and approached him slowly. Picking him up by the collar of his shirt, she slammed him into the wall viciously, holding her other hand towards his face. The hand started emitting a shine of purple energy near the Xandarian's face, causing him to clench his teeth in dread.

"Now.." started Blackfire.

"..are we going to apologize for that remark?"

The Xandarian sweated profusely as Blackfire held her free hand back, intending to throw the energy in his face until a voice was heard.

"There will be no need!" it shouted.

Blackfire turned near the other side of the bar to see a red-skinned alien wearing gold and silver armor with black hair slowly approaching her, his face calm and posture relaxed.

"Please release my second in command, and we can hopefully discuss your proposition more… civilly."

Blackfire looked towards the xandarian, frowned, and released him from her grasp.

He dusted off his jacket before turning his attention towards his boss. Blackfire approached the red-skinned alien, placing her hands on her hips.

"Yes?" she asked.

The red-skinned alien held out his hand.

"My name is Bl'ackdar. I'm the leader of the Bloody Denzins, a mercenary guild."

Blackfire looked at his hand and quickly shook it.

"Now, while I was in the waste disposal room, I couldn't help but hear your proposition regarding the repossession of your throne. When I finally exited, I witnessed you assassinate some of my finest men. Impressive."

Blackfire looked towards the four corpses and smiled evilly.

"Now, I apologize for whatever Lylan said to you that offended you, and I am curious to know more about your desires for conquest."

Blackfire folded her arms and sneered at the mercenary leader.

"As you may have heard, I'm Blackfire of Tamaran, and I would like to recruit you and your men to assist me in my plans to rid the kingdom of my meddlesome sister, my newfound brother, and their friends," she explained.

Before Bl'ackdar could say anything, Lylan cut in, nudging himself next to his leader.

" But, Sir! What about payment? None of us work for free,"

Bl'ackdar thought for a beat before nodding in agreement.

"Lylan is right. My troupe does nothing for anyone without a little something in return."

Blackfire smirked.

"You will indeed get a little something in return, gentlemen. Once I regain the throne, you shall receive half of my family's treasure from the vault."

Lylan laughed at that offer.

"Foolish, girl. If we want that treasure, we could plunder it ourselves. Why would we need your help with that?"

"Because I know the code to the family vault where the treasure is located," Blackfire responded.

Bl'ackdar nodded in agreement.

"Yes, that is true. We don't know the vault code, so that infiltration would be complicated. I'll be sure to take you up on your offer. But one more question first."

Blackfire raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"What is to become of your dear younger siblings?"

Blackfire turned around, putting her hand to her chin, pondering the question. After a few questions, she turned around with her answer.

"You can keep both of them as long as they live a stellar life cycle. If their lives are extinguished, you will hear from me. Understand?"

Bl'ackdar looked from Blackfire towards Lylan, who was shaking his head in disagreement. Bl'ackdar then turned back towards Blackfire.

"I think that arrangement can be agreed to."

An annoyed Lylan stood between the two aliens, an expression of disapproval smothering his face.

"But, sir! She's just a filthy tro-"

"Enough!" cut off Bl'ackdar.

"We haven't had a heist this big in a while. Opportunities like this don't come around every day, so I suggest we present respect towards our future queen in this circumstance."

Lylan furiously looked back and forth towards his boss and Blackfire before crossing his arms in defeat.

"Fine!" he said. "I'll give."

He started towards the ship's exit that the mercenaries owned while Bl'ackdar continued his conversation with Blackfire.

"So, tell me more about this conflict with your siblings."

Each titan sat at the chairs in the Tamaranian Royal Palace's main dining hall. In front of them were giant goblets that only Wonder Girl and Starfire could lift, as they had the most strength out of the entire team. Kid Flash attempted to raise his goblet but had no luck as it weighed a ton for him.

"Do you have any smaller cups?" he asked.

Sitting at the high end of the table beside her brother, Starfire shook her head.

"I'm afraid that is our only size," she explained.

Kid Flash shrugged and sat down in his seat.

As the rest of the guards sat down, Wildfire sat up and held his goblet high.

"Before we eat this delicious meal, I'd like to toast the planet of Tamaran, my subjects, my sister, and her friends!"

He then turned to Galfore, sitting on the right of the table closest to Wildfire and Starfire, who nodded and clanked his chalice with him. The rest of the participants followed suit and proudly clinked their cups with each other.

Afterward, everyone put their cups down and turned to Wildfire.

"And now, we feast!" he declared.

Starfire clapped in excitement while the rest of the room turned to the door, eagerly awaiting the dinner they would be provided. Kid Flash quickly rubbed his hands together while licking his tongue across his cheek.

"Finally! It's about time we got some grub here!" he said.

Cyborg nodded in agreement, but Beast Boy shuddered in dread.

"Uh, yeah, I wouldn't get that excited if I were you," he warned.

Kid Flash looked towards him, confused.

Before he could ask why, though, his question was answered as a pair of Tamaranian royal chefs brought out a massive plate covered with what looked like grubs, worms, and other material that would be gross and disgusting by Earth's standards. Wonder Girl's excited expression quickly dropped when she saw the massive platter on the table. Kid Flash's eyes went wide seeing the green muck served to them, as he expected something more appetizing than whatever the Tamarans thought was delicious. After the tray was sat, Galfor stood up from his chair, drew out his massive axe, and chopped up the food to bits. Afterward, almost all the Tamaranians in the room climbed onto the table and started to dig into the slop. The Titans watched in disgust as their hosts porked out and bits of the gunk began flying around the room. During the scuffle, Starfire emerged, holding six plates in her hands, each filled with the green slop her people were devouring.

"It wasn't easy, but I managed to scoop some of it up for all of you," she said sweetly.

Quickly, she laid each plate before her friends, stopping only when she got to Nightwing.

"I got a little extra for you," she told him as she placed the plate in front of him.

Nightwing looked down at the plate to see what looked like the guts and intestines of some extraterrestrial animal in front of him. He felt like throwing up from the sight of it but quickly held down his vomit as he feigned a smile for the woman he loved.

"Uh, thanks, Star. I'm sure it will taste great!" he lied.

She smiled at him before returning to the scuffle for the rest of the food on the table. Sweating nervously, Nightwing grabbed the food on the table and shoved it down his left pocket to trick Starfire into thinking he had eaten the disgusting slop. He then turned towards his comrades, who (except Cyborg) looked equally disgusted at the meal they were served.

"Is this even food?" asked Wonder Girl as she poked briefly at the glob of gunk.

Beast Boy shrugged.

"I asked that very same question the first time." he sighed.

"Good times."

They sat silently for a few seconds, watching the scuffle before them until Wonder Girl spoke again.

"So…

"So what?" asked Beast Boy.

"Is it food?" asked Wonder Girl again.

Beast Boy looked at her food and stuck his tongue out in disgust.

"I don't even wanna know, honestly. Cy here, on the other hand, eats this stuff up with no complaint," he marked as he pointed with his thumb towards Cyborg, who was gobbling the food in front of him like a cow. Wonder Girl and Raven looked at each other uncomfortably, their faces turning green. Kid Flash watched as Cyborg shoved another chunk of the green gunk in his mouth and scrunched his face.

"Dude, how can you eat this stuff?" he asked.

Cyborg looked towards him and mumbled, "I don't know," while having a mouthful of food in his cheeks.

Swallowing it, he grabbed what looked like a wet, jagged green tube-like food and chewed the top of it off.

"You going to eat that?" he asked, pointing towards Kid Flash's food.

Kid Flash looked down at his food before hearing his stomach growl loudly. He sighed.

"Oh well. When in Tamaran," he said and then tipped the plate to his mouth as he started chewing up the food on the plate.

Witnessing this, Wonder Girl squinted in repulsion before slumping back in her chair and pushing her plate away.

"And there goes my appetite," she moaned.

Beast Boy sighed as he rested his arms on the table.

"I also said that. Good times."

Shortly after the dinner, the Titans followed Starfire and Wildfire as they entered a massive hall in the castle, followed by Galefore and some guards. Cyborg licked his lips and rubbed his stomach in delight as they paced the shining floors.

"Mmmm, that was delicious! My compliments to the chef indeed!"

He then turned his head towards Kid Flash.

"What did you think of it?"

Kid Flash looked up towards Cyborg, holding his stomach in pain and his face turning an ugly shade of green. His face was plastered with a sickly expression as well.

"Ugh….my stomach doesn't feel so good. I don't think guys like me were meant to eat whatever was there." he groaned.

Cyborg shrugged and turned towards the others as they walked down the hall. After a beat, Wildfire held out his hand, halting everyone. He then turned to the group, his hands held behind his back and his expression pleasant but stoic.

"Dear friends, I hope you've enjoyed tonight's delicious meal. Guards, you may leave us."

The guards nodded and left the room slowly. Afterward, Galfore walked up to Wildfire and kneeled before him.

"Is there anything else you need, your majesty?" he asked.

Wildfire chuckled for a few seconds.

"Nothing really, Galfore. Take the rest of the night off. You've earned it".

Galfore nodded and quietly left the room.

Wildfire then turned to the Titans with a smile on his face.

"Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to have a discussion with my sister, just the two of us, to try and get to know each other better. We'll just be taking a walk together outside the courtyard. I hope that's not a problem."

Starfire widened her eyes and looked at Nightwing, who nodded.

"Yeah, that would be alright," he responded.

Starfire smiled happily and turned back to her brother, excitedly walking towards him.

"Oh, it'll be wonderful getting to know one another as siblings!" she said excitedly.

Wildfire grinned in agreement before turning to the other Titans.

"Friends of my sister, while we are out, you have my permission to tour the castle as we converse. If you have any questions, the guards will be there for you. When night dawns, you will find your bed chambers on the fifth floor and third and fourth doors to the left. Understand?"

The group nodded.

A still sickly Kid Flash then raised his hand.

"Where can I find the bathroom?" he asked.

Wildfire raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"A bathroom?" he asked.

Starfire then cuffed her hands towards her mouth and whispered into her brother's ear. Wildfire's eyes then went wide in realization.

"Oh, that. Well, we don't use that here. For that, we.."

Before he could finish, Nightwing walked up and held his hands in urgency.

"Ok, let's not explain that! I don't think he needs to know!" he explained.

Kid Flash lowered his finger and held his hand behind his back again.

"Ok, then," he responded.

The group then started walking down the nearest corridor until Nightwing stopped for a beat, looking cautiously towards Starfire. After a few seconds, he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see it belonging to Wonder Girl.

"Hey, you coming?" she asked.

Nightwing looked at her and then back to Starfire and Wonder Girl.

"Yeah," he finally responded.

Wonder Girl then looked to Starfire and realized what was troubling her leader.

"She'll be ok. Trust me," she assured Nightwing.

Nightwing nodded and continued down the corridor with the other titans.

After Starfire's friends finally left the room, she and her brother started walking towards the hallway leading to the courtyard, keeping an even pace.

As they walked, Wildfire noticed a slightly nervous face on Starfire.

"Is something troubling you, dear sister?" he asked.

She looked towards him and shook her head quickly.

"Nothing. Just still trying to get used to the fact that I suddenly have another sibling," she explained.

Wildfire tilted his head down for a beat.

"Fair. I felt the same way when I discovered I was of Royalty only a few days ago. It's not easy adjusting to the fact that not only you're not alone in the universe but also that you're the heir to the royal throne as well. Speaking of which."

He then stopped and turned to Starfire, his arms folded.

"Galfore once mentioned something about me having another sibling besides you. Blackfire, I believe he said her name is. Do you know anything about her?" he asked.

Starfire's eyes widened in shock. Until now, she had forgotten about Blackfire and the con she had attempted four years prior. She closed her eyes briefly and lay her hands on her brother's shoulders, escorting him out of the castle.

"Dear brother, we have much to discuss on that matter."

The disgraced former princess entered the meeting room of the mercenary vessel. In the middle of the room was a round table surrounded by several alien goonies of various shapes and sizes, all covered with guns and weapons in their coat pockets. On the one end of the table stood Bl'ackdar, his arms folded, carefully flanked by Lylan, who stared at Blackfire venomously. Blackfire sneered at him before turning to the table in front of them.

"Gentleman, as none of you have dared to touch the royal kingdom of Tamaran, it is only fair I present to you how we should execute this mission."

She pressed a button on the table and a blue hologram of the Tamaranian castle.

It slowly revolved in place as the mercenaries eyed the structure.

"First thing's first is our time of attack. Tonight will be too soon. It's more than likely both my brother and sister will be heavily guarded. At the coronation, the guards will be spread farther apart to keep out any trespasser that might come in on foot. Besides,"

She chuckled to herself with pride.

"...it will be so enjoyable to show how weak they are in front of the whole kingdom. Scratch that; the whole planet will know how weak they are after I'm done with them!"

She laughed briefly before turning to the other mercenaries, who stared at her impatiently. Acknowledging the reactions, she stopped, cleared her throat, and continued explaining the attack.

"Anyways, the coronation will more than likely be held in the front courtyard of the Royal Palace. That way, most of the people of the planet can witness the momentous occasion as it occurs. Seconds before the crown is to be placed on my brother's head, I'll enter and deal with my siblings personally. While I do that, you will attack the ceremony, scare away the witnesses, and detain my sister's friends. After the throne becomes mine, my siblings will be yours as half of my family's treasure. Any questions?"

The mercenaries looked at each other before turning back to Blackfire and shaking their heads. Lylan, on the other hand, raised his hand.

"Yes?" asked Blackfire skeptically.

Lylan lowered his hand and folded his arms.

"What is to become of your siblings after you take over? Are you going to kill them or what?"

Bl'ackdar frowned at Lylan for questioning the woman providing them their biggest heist yet but remained silent, curious of Blackfire's response.

Blackfire held her index finger and thumb to her chin while her pupils darted toward the ceiling in concentration for a few seconds before coming up with an answer.

"They'll be put in your care. You can do whatever you want with them if their life cycles remain in motion. If I hear you ended their existences without my consent, I promise you, your fates shall not be merciful. Understand?"

Bl'ackdar nodded.

"Yes, Your Highness. My men and I will be willing and able to accommodate your plan. Isn't that right?"

The mercenaries looked at each other again with concerned expressions before turning and nodding towards Blackfire's direction.

"Good," replied Blackfire as she let out another smirk.

"Tomorrow, I shall expect all of you to be prepared for this mission. No excuses. Dismissed."

She then turned and exited the briefing room as the mercenaries all started talking to one another regarding the plan that was discussed. Lylan turned off the Tamaranian castle hologram before turning towards Bl'ackdar.

"Sir, I understand your desire to get our big score with this one, but what if the troq attempts to betray us in any way?" he asked.

Bl'ackdar looked towards Lylan and held his hands behind his back in a commanding fashion.

If she is to deceive us in any way, shape, or form, we can have some fun with the big one.

Lylan's eyes widened in shock.

"You don't mean…"

Bl'ackdar nodded in confirmation.

"If Blackfire does indeed intend to impale us in the back, we shall test the almighty power of the big one on Tamaran itself. After which, no one in the galaxy will dare sabotage the efforts of Bloody Denezins."

In the courtyard, Wildfire closely flanked his sister as he listened to the tales of their older sibling. His expression was a mixture of both shock and confusion at the heinous acts of the exiled princess. At the moment, Starfire was wrapping up the story of the sister's first encounter since Starfire's kidnapping and sentenced to slavery.

"And what happened to Blackfire after she was defeated?" he asked curiously.

Starfire's eyes continued to look forward,d and her expression was stoic as she continued her tale.

"Afterward, she was arrested, and my name was cleared of all accusations. But unfortunately, that wasn't the end of it. A year later, I got a message from my home world, alerting me that unless I married a monarch of another world, our home would be attacked by cruel invaders. I returned to Tamaran with my friends to comply with the request to save my people from the oncoming invasion, only to discover that it had been nothing more than a ruse set up by Blackfire in an attempt to gain the throne, and an amulet that would grant her extraordinary powers."

Wildfire raised his eyebrow for a beat as he pondered the information.

"Who did she intend to betroth you to?" he asked.

Starfire's emerald eyes then turned to her brother.

"A sklerch named Glydrskleech," she replied.

Wildfire then stopped in his tracks and held his hand to his mouth.

Starfire also stopped, turned to her brother, and watched as he did his best to hold in an energized laugh.

"What is so humorous to you?" she asked, confused.

Wildfire looked up at his sister, still trying to hide his laughter.

"Glydrskleech? That's who she thought would be a good groom for you? That pile of muck couldn't run a kingdom even if he had the intelligence of a Psion."

Starfire then felt a smile crack on her face and laughed as well.

After about 30 seconds, the two started calming down and recomposing.

"If I may ask, how do you know about Glydrskleech?"

Wildfire shrugged.

"One time when the B'lkrats and I were scavenging for food and supplies, we discovered an old pamphlet about all the galactic monarchs, and after reading about him, I pity whoever becomes his spouse."

Starfire let out one last chuckle before continuing her walk with her brother.

"What happened afterward?" asked Wildfire.

Starfire folded her arms.

"She was exiled after we learned that the invasion was a setup along with the wedding. I hadn't seen her since then. At least not until now. She recently came back into our lives, now working for Slade."

Wildfire raised his eyebrows.

"What's a "Slade?" he asked.

Starfire stopped in her tracks before lowering her head and taking a deep breath.

"A "Slade" is a nasty, evil, horrible monster whose only objective in life is to cause the suffering of others for its pleasure. He has attempted to harm me and my friends for years and has now recently returned with an army that our sister has become a part of and will stop at nothing until we are destroyed."

She then looked towards Wildfire, who appeared horrified about that information. That their flesh and blood could become part of something cruel.

"I...I can't believe one of our own could be so…so heinous," he responded.

"I didn't either," replied Starfire as she looked away again.

"And…" she began before stopping.

Wildfire noticed the pause.

"And what?" he asked.

She looked back towards her brother, trying to hold back tears.

"Before I came back, I admit I had somewhat of a fear you'd be like her," she admitted.

She then looked away once more, ashamed at the presumption.

She then felt her brother's hands turn her around and face him.

"Starfire, my dear sister. I promise I'll never end up like our older sibling. I'd never do anything to hurt you, your friends, or anyone else."

Starfire smiled at that. She felt she could trust him. Nodding her head, Starfire walked up to him and embraced Wildfire. Wildfire looked taken aback by the reaction but reciprocated anyway.

For nearly an hour, the other six titans had spent their time touring each floor of the central tower of the Tamaranian palace. There had been about five floors in it, and the Titans were now ascending to the fifth and final floor. Amongst the rooms and chambers they witnessed on the way up included a celestial observatory, armories, training rooms for guards, libraries, rec rooms, and other areas of interest. Some seemed normal enough to an earthling, while others were so strange they had to rub their eyes to believe they were real. When they got to the top floor, the six heroes were tired.

"How…how many more floors?" murmured an exhausted Beast Boy, bent over, palms on knees, trying to catch his breath.

"I think this is the last one," responded Nightwing.

Looking back at the others, he noticed Kid Flash's face was still sickly green and clutching his stomach.

"Five floors and yet no place to purge the pain!" he grunted.

Nightwing sighed and turned back around. His eyes went wide as he saw Starfire and Wildfire come around the corner on the other end of the wall, walking alongside each other with pleasant smiles. Regaining his energy, Nightwing rushed over to Starfire and embraced her.

"How'd your talk go?" he asked as he released her.

"It went well," she said, looking at Wildfire and back to Nightwing.

He smiled at that. The two stared at each other for a beat before Wildfire broke the silence.

"Well, friends, I believe nightfall is upon us. I suggest we all recuperate our energy to prepare for my coronation tomorrow afternoon."

Nightwing nodded in response.

"You're right. All right, guys! I think we should turn in for the night."

The other titans behind him looked relieved to hear they were exhausted from walking several flights of stairs to tour the castle. The group walked down the hallway for a few minutes before coming across a guard leaning against a wall, waiting for further instructions.

"Guard! Please escort my sister's friends to the guest rooms."

The guard nodded and waved his hand in his direction, signaling the Titans to follow him. As they followed the guard, Nightwing looked back and noticed Starfire wasn't following them and was heading down the opposite hallway with Wildfire. He raised an eyebrow in confusion before turning and tapping the guard on the shoulder.

"Um, where is Starfire going to sleep?" he asked.

The guard turned towards him sternly.

"The princess shall sleep in the bedroom she has had since childhood while you sleep in the guest rooms," he responded.

Nightwing's eyebrow raised at the response.

"Yeah, but I'm her…"

"I am fully aware of your position in the princess's life." replied the guard.

"But our ways are set, and unfortunately, neither of us can change them."

Nightwing sighed and nodded at the response.

After a few minutes, the guard stopped and turned towards the others. He held his left hand to the side, presenting a trio of doors on the wall.

"These are our visitor rooms. They are used mainly for special visitors only. There are two beds in each room, ready and prepared for the six of you. The ladies may take the one at the end while the rest of you can figure out who is to sleep in the last two rooms. Have a good night."

He then turned and strutted down the hallway until he couldn't be seen.

The group looked at each other awkwardly for a few minutes until Cyborg and Beast Boy broke the silence.

"Dibs on this one!" they shouted before charging into the center door at the speed of light. After the door closed, the remaining four looked at each other awkwardly.

"Well, I guess Wonder Girl and I will take this room for the night," replied Raven stoically.

Nightwing nodded and watched as Raven and Wonder Girl entered their guest room.

"Night, guys!" exclaimed Wonder Girl before closing the door.

Nightwing and Kid Flash looked at each other quickly before entering the final door. The room seemed very plain, with grey walls, a single window, and a pair of beds on both sides of the room. Yawning, Nightwing quickly got into the bed on the left, and Wally entered the one on the right, fast going to bed. Before Nightwing could turn in, he looked towards the door nervously. It had been a while since Nightwing had slept in a bed without Starfire by his side, so while the experience wasn't new, he still felt discomforted by it. Pondering to himself, he remembered from earlier that day how Cyborg and Beast Boy had tried to suggest he be cautious about visiting the long-lost relative, only to find out he was a genuinely lovely guy who seemed harmless. With that in mind, Nightwing smiled before laying his head on the pillow and peacefully closing his eyes.

Everything would be all right.

The following day on Tamaran was better for the Titans than the previous evening. When they woke up for breakfast and rejoined Starfire, the food was better than that night's dinner servings. They were mostly given a blueish gunk that looked a little gross at first glance, but after eating it, it tasted like a combination of a birthday cake and bubblegum. For the first time, Cyborg wasn't the only titan to enjoy that planet's food in a while. Shortly after the breakfast, the Titans were taken to the courtyard, where it looked like the final touches to the coronation were being set up. At least a dozen tables were covered with tamarian food that ranged from primarily appealing to downright gross from a bird's eye view.

About six sculptures were decorated around the area in the shape of what the titans assumed to be Tamaranian deities that the inhabitants worshiped over the years. In the middle of the courtyard lay a silver throne with a red rug leading from the courtyard side entrance to the foot of the throne, more than likely for when Wildfire came out to be crowned. Around the area, about fifty guards set up all the decorations and accommodations to make the coronation look good.

Having been distracted by watching the setup, Nightwing regained his senses as he looked around the group and noticed someone was missing.

"Hey, where'd Starfire go?" he asked.

The others shrugged as they, too, had been distracted by the pleasantries to have noticed her disappearance.

"Ahem." replied a sweet, high-pitched voice behind them.

Nightwing turned around, and his eyes widened at the sight before him. Starfire wore an elegant red dress with a few snipped areas in the skirt, making it almost seem like ribbons and a zigzagged cut-out style on her midriff. Her auburn hair was done into curls, something Nightwing rarely ever saw her do with her hair.

"I apologize for the brief tardiness," she explained confidently as she strolled by the group.

"I just had to apply my ceremony attire before I attended the day's festivities."

Nightwing's eyes never left her. He had never seen her look so beautiful in his life. Except perhaps the night he was blackmailed into dating Killer Moth's daughter, this was a different story altogether. This was on better terms than the forced date years ago. As he continued to gaze at her, Wonder Girl walked up to Starfire and gave her an impressed smirk.

"Loving the outfit, Star. You really gotta introduce me to your stylist one of these days!" she exclaimed as she gave Starfire a playful slug to the arm. Starfire giggled to herself at the compliment. She then looked towards Nightwing, who was starting to regain his senses as he approached Starfire slowly.

"Hey, I…..I think you look….you look beautiful." he mustered out.

Without warning, she wrapped her arms around his neck and gently dragged him nearer to her.

"Thank you," she responded before kissing him on the cheek. Nightwing blushed at the sentiment. After a beat, Cyborg spoke up.

"Where's your brother at?" he asked.

Starfire released Nightwing and turned towards Cyborg.

"He is preparing for his coronation with Galfor. In two hours, once the guests and spectators arrive, he'll appear to be crowned the official ruler of Tamaran."

Beast Boy looked annoyed at that news.

"Two hours?! What are we going to do for two hours?!"

Nightwing looked back at the crowd and then back at Beast Boy.

"I suppose we can try to enjoy the festivities until then," he suggested.

Beast Boy shrugged and marched towards the courtyard, followed by the other Titans.

About an hour later, things started to get more busy. Various Tamaranians, from officials to regular civilians, witnessed the coronation and were all decked with extravagant attire for the auspicious occasion. There were so many townsfolk there that Nightwing was surprised the courtyard could fit them all.

At the moment, he stood at a food table along with Cyborg, Wonder Girl, and Kid Flash, observing the many festivities and patrons at the event. Starfire was out greeting the guests, while Beast Boy and Raven seemed to have disappeared into the crowd. Nightwing scooped some food on his plate and turned towards Cyborg, who was chowing down on the food on his plate.

"Enjoying yourself?" he asked.

Cyborg looked from his plate towards Nightwing, with a little yellow gel from his eating food leaking down his lip.

"Sure, why wouldn't I be?"

He then noticed Nightwing smirking at him and placed his hand to his side as if he were waiting for Cyborg to say something.

"What?" asked Cyborg.

Nightwing leaned in, his smirk still on his face. After a beat, Cyborg realized what he wanted from him.

"Ok, ok. I admit I may have been wrong about Starfire's brother possibly being a bad guy. Is that what you want?"

Nightwing nodded and picked his plate up.

"In a way, yeah," he responded.

Cyborg smiled before looking around the crowd.

"Wonder where Beast Boy headed off to?"

"Uh, I don't think you have to look far," Wonder Girl responded, pointing across the table.

Nightwing and Cyborg ran to her side to see what she was pointing at, but the sight was almost too much for them. Right across from them, at another table, they saw a short green monkey juggling a bunch of alien fruit in front of a group of tamaranean children who were most likely the children of the officials attending. They watched as the green monkey finished his juggling and allowed the fruit to land in its left hand. The children started clapping in amusement at the act they witnessed, which prompted the green monkey to bow in acceptance. It then turned itself into a green seal and lifted a round fruit onto its nose before attempting to balance it on its nose. The children laughed in delight at the show in front of them. The titans from the table across continued to stare in awe.

"Never thought I'd see that in my life," responded Nightwing as he folded his arms.

"Yeah," agreed Cyborg. "He's almost like a one-man circus over there."

They stared for a beat before Kid Flash spoke.

"Hey, I'm going to check what else they got here. Wanna join me, Cyborg?"

Cyborg shrugged and followed him while Nightwing remained at the table, eating some food on his plate.

On the other side of the courtyard, Raven carefully walked through the crowded area, unhooded and trying her best not to bump into anyone. She had never been much for celebrations, especially since her last birthday four years before Slade's return. But this one was less overwhelming than Raven thought it would be. It was probably because, unlike her birthday, she wasn't the center of it. After a few minutes, she noticed a group of children gathered by a nearby table, clapping at something out of view. Curious, she walked over to the area to see what the commotion was, and when she saw it, she found it hard not to laugh at the sight.

On the floor in front of the children was what looked like a green mongoose doing a balancing act on some fruit, entertaining the audience in front of it. Raven's cheeks turned red as she held her hand, attempting to hold in whatever laughter she was about to muster. She then noticed Beast Boy look towards her mid-way through his act, and his cheeks turned red. In a flash, the green mongoose turned into a green nineteen-year-old boy in a red and white jumpsuit and looked at the crowd still cheering him on.

"Thanks, kids! Hope you enjoyed that show! I'm here all night for you to witness the acts of the "Amazing Changeling!"

The children cheered as Beast Boy shuffled through the crowd to get to Raven, who still had her mouth covered in an attempt not to laugh.

"Hey, so I see you saw that there," asked Beast Boy nervously as he placed his arm behind his head.

Having finally tamed her urge to laugh, Raven cleared her throat before folding her arms and locking her eyes on her friend.

"Yeah, I think everyone did. So you're like a one-man circus or zoo now?"

Beast Boy chuckled at the remark.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that."

The two then looked at each other awkwardly as their eyes did their best to avoid contact. Eventually, after a few seconds, Beast Boy finally spoke.

"Uh, yeah, I'm just gonna go grab some food while we're here,"

"Yeah, me too," replied Raven nervously.

Beast Boy then strode off into the crowd with Raven looking on at him, her face plastered with a weak smile. After a few seconds, she resumed walking through the crowd, pacing herself carefully so as not to bump into anyone until a figure wearing a dark cloak waltzed up and rudely shoved her shoulder toward Raven to move her out of the way. As the figure made the gesture, Raven wanted to say something like "Hey, watch it!" or something of that nature, but she couldn't because as soon as that shoulder bumped into her, a series of images flashed through her head. The first image showed what looked like an orange-skinned baby with short red hair and a set of yellow pajamas held by a pair of equally orange hands in front of what looked like some rocket with a baby-sized bed in the cockpit. A second image flashed, and this one was stranger than the first, presenting a tall man covered by a shadow with a single eye exposed, leaning his finger towards whoever's eyes Raven was looking through with a miniature flame blazing on his index finger. It then changed again to what looked like a dingy-looking room surrounded by various aliens who seemed armed to the teeth with weapons and sadism. The flashes ended, and Raven found herself back in the courtyard, surrounded by multiple tamaraneans, the hooded figure having finished nudging her to the side. Raven looked back to confront the figure, but it appeared they disappeared into the crowd. Raven raised her eyebrow in concern before feeling a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see it lead towards Wonder Girl's body, who looked towards Raven with a confused expression and then to whatever Raven was looking at in the crowd.

"Anything wrong?" she asked.

Raven looked towards Wonder Girl and pondered to herself what she witnessed. After a beat, she closed her eyes and shook her head.

"No, it's nothing."

She then returned to the crowd, leaving a puzzled Donna Troy dumbfounded.

After nearly an hour, Starfire finally greeted the last guest before having the guards close the gate. She then started to approach one of the tables serving food, which was the last place she left her friends before doing the greeting. As she neared, she noticed Nightwing piling some food on his plate while Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Kid Flash were talking to each other at a nearby corner. She was going to approach until she saw something. At the end of the table was a little Tamaranean girl doing her best to reach the top of the table for food to no avail. She had yet to develop her ability to fly, which came later in a Tamaranean cycle. She saw Nightwing take notice of the girl's troubles and adopt a look of sympathy. She saw him kneel before the girl, say something, and scoop some of his food onto her plate. The girl looked towards him hopefully, said something that was most likely a "Thank you," and returned to the crowd. Starfire smiled at the kindness he showed toward one of her kind. It reminded her of one of the many reasons she fell for him in the first place. Dick Grayson. Robin. Nightwing, or whatever he called himself, was indeed a good man with a good heart, and she knew his will to help others was above and beyond anyone or anything else. After soaking the act, she finally reached the table and tapped Nightwing's shoulder to get his attention. He turned around and smiled at her.

"Hey, you finished greeting the guests?" he asked.

"Yes, and in about 20 minutes, I believe the coronation will begin," she responded.

Nightwing nodded and looked around the area.

"Say, where is your brother anyway?"

"He and Galefor are preparing for when he walks down the red rug and for his crowning as emperor of Tamaran," she explained.

Nightwing turned back to her.

"And where will you be?"

Starfire looked over to the throne-like chair in the middle of the courtyard.

"By my brother's side as he is crowned, of course."

Nightwing looked towards the throne and gave an expression of intrigue at it. Then he looked towards her, and their eyes locked. The couple gazed into each other's eyes for a few seconds, neither knowing what to say before Starfire approached Nightwing and embraced him.

"Thanks for coming with me to this," he heard her say over his shoulder.

Nightwing returned the embrace.

"You're welcome. I'd do anything for you."

Twenty minutes had soon passed as the ceremony started to begin. A row of barriers was set up at the edges of the rug leading to the throne to keep the guests and witnesses at bay and was monitored by various guards. Nightwing, Raven, Cyborg, Beast Boy, Wonder Girl, and Kid Flash stood behind the left barrier in the front row, waiting for Wildfire to ascend. Beast Boy was the most anxious of the five heroes regarding waiting.

"How much longer?" he implored Nightwing.

Nightwing frowned towards the opening from which Wildfire was scheduled to enter.

"Not sure, Beast Boy. Possibly two more minutes."

Beast Boy furrowed his brow as his gaze returned to the doorway to the castle.

After a few seconds, two shadows appeared in the opening, one big and one smaller. When they came into view, it was shown to be Wildfire and Galfore, ready for the coronation. While Galfore wore the same clothes he always wore, Wildfire was decked in a vest of silver armoring and wore a black sash around his waist that hung down above his feet. The pair slowly paced along the red carpet leading to the throne, awed by the excited audience. When they got to the throne, Wildfire slowly sat in place as Galfore stood at the sign of it and pulled at a scroll that appeared to be a speech for the event.

"Attention, Citizens of Tamaran! We are here to honor the coronation of the third child of the late Emperor My'andr and Empress Luand'r, who has now been found after being lost for the past 19 years. He has agreed to lead our good nation through times of trouble and turmoil and provide whatever resources necessary to help our people. Before I place the crown on him, is there anything he'd like to say?"

Wildfire stood up from the throne, placed his arms behind his back, and looked around at his onlooking subjects.

"People of Tamaran, my Coronation, is not the symbol of a power and a splendor that are gone but a declaration of our hopes for the future and the years I may be given to reign and serve you as your Emperor."

The crowd, including the Titans, cheered as everyone clapped their hands for their new emperor. Galfore lifted the cowl and was about to place it on Wildfire's head until a voice was heard.

" I'm afraid I have to object to this celebration," it said fiercely.

Everyone in the courtyard turned to the source of it, and the voice led to a hooded figure standing 6 feet away from the throne on the carpet. The voice sounded similar to Starfire's, except it sounded more profound and confident. The figure grabbed the robe and threw it off, revealing a slender, orange-skinned woman with long jet-black hair decked in various armor sets and bearing a silver cowl on her head. Starfire gasped at the site while everyone in the crowd looked alarmed at the woman. It was Blackfire, Starfire, and Wildfire's older sister, having returned to Tamaran long after her exile four years ago. Wildfire's eyes widened upon seeing her.

"I believe the throne requires a more competent older leader. Wouldn't you agree?"

Galfore frowned at her presence.

"Ex-princess Blackfire, I believe we had made it clear many years ago during your previous reign that you were exiled and never to return after deceiving the good people of Tamaran for power and greed."

Blackfire chuckled at the statement.

"Oh, don't worry, old man. I remember well what you told me. The thing is, I really don't care."

A few guards stepped up to restrain Blackfire, but her expression was undeterred. She raised her hand and snapped her fingers, much to the crowd's confusion. Suddenly, in the rear of the public, a group of aliens of various species appeared and grabbed some of the guests, aiming their blasters at their heads in threatening gestures. The Titans, noticing the new situation, jumped over the barrier and stood in front of Wildfire, facing Blackfire fiercely. Nightwing pulled his escrima, Cyborg revved up his arm cannon, Beast Boy turned into a wolf, Raven levitated herself while being surrounded by a black outline of magical energy, Kid Flash held his fists out in defense, and Wonder Girl pulled her lasso of truth out of her belt, holding both ends with her hands. Starfire skipped down the platform the throne was on to join them, emitting green energy from her fists. Blackfire frowned at them.

"If you want those in the back row to live, you won't dare attack me!" she exclaimed.

The Titans looked around at the frightened attendants before silently agreeing to her terms and standing down.

"What are you doing here, Blackfire?" asked Nightwing, annoyed.

Blackfire smiled.

"Oh, nothing much. Just visiting with some new friends I made, really wanted to see my little brother's coronation and to get what I rightfully deserve."

An angered Starfire pushed her way through her friends and stood before her sister, her eyes blazing emerald with fury.

"Who are you to say who deserves what in our kingdom?" she asked venomously.

"After everything you did to me, my friends, and our kingdom, you think you deserve any high honor such as this?"

Still making contact with her sister, Blackfire held her hand up, placing the index and thumb toward each other in a pre-snapping gesture.

"If you don't want anyone to die, I'd suggest holding that tongue behind your teeth!" she replied.

"Stop!" blurted out a voice.

Starfire's pupils and irises returned to her eyes as she and her companions looked back to find the source of the sound. They saw Wildfire, standing from his throne, holding his arm out in protest towards Blackfire's direction.

"No one needs to be harmed. I'll talk with you if you so desire. Please don't harm anyone."

Blackfire looked towards Wildfire with her eyebrow raised in thought for a beat before making a decision.

"Fine. Come on down so that we may discuss our matters then."

Wildfire nodded and slowly stepped down from the platform, making his way through the Titans and cautiously approaching Blackfire. When he reached the front of the group, Starfire gently grabbed his arm.

"Wildfire, please! She's…." Before she could finish, Wildfire turned towards Starfire and touched her cheek.

"Do not worry. I know what I'm doing, dear sister," he assured her.

Starfire grimaced as she accepted his decision. Letting go of his arm, Starfire watched Wildfire walk up towards Blackfire, the pair making close eye contact.

"You are my older sister, Blackfire, correct?" he asked.

She grinned at the question.

"What gave it away?" she responded sarcastically.

Wildfire looked back towards Starfire, who had a nervous expression as she observed the scene, before turning back towards Blackfire, his face somewhat grim.

"Is what Starfire said about you true? Is it true you've done such horrible things to her, her friends, and our kingdom?"

Suddenly, Blackfire grasped her brother by the shoulders, surprising him before pulling him towards her, bending his left ear unusually close to her mouth.

"I'm afraid so," he heard her whisper in a vile and sadistic tone.

She then shoved him away from her, causing him to fall. Noticing the action, Starfire ran over to help him but was halted when he held his hand out in her direction to stop her.

"Starfire! Don't!" he ordered urgently.

Starfire stopped, looking towards her pair of siblings, anxious about what to do regarding the current situation. After a beat, she accepted the order and stepped back. Wildfire got back to his feet and turned his attention back to Blackfire.

"But why? Why would you do any of those awful things?" he asked desperately.

Blackfire rolled her eyes.

"Because that throne should have been mine! My birthright! I was the firstborn, but because Mother and Father felt, because I was behind on my flight abilities, that my little sister was more appropriate for the throne! I had to do something to reclaim what was rightfully mine!"

"And is that why you sent him away?" responded a melon collie feminine voice.

Blackfire and Wildfire looked back towards Raven, who had made her way to the front of the Titans, remaining in place to avoid further complications.

"What did you say?" asked Blackfire, agitated.

"When I bumped into you earlier, I saw some of your memories. I saw you place Wildfire as an infant into that rocket to launch him away after your parent's passing before he could be revealed to the public, thus ensuring that nothing stood in your way of getting that throne."

The audience gasped and turned towards Blackfire. Wildfire's jaw dropped in horror as he turned back to Blackfire, whose expression looked increasingly furious. Starfire looked just as mortified.

"What?!" she exclaimed, shocked.

But Raven wasn't finished. She turned to Starfire, her hooded face stoic but furrowed.

"Not only that, I don't think this was her first time doing something like this. I don't think the Gordanians kidnapped you because they felt like it."

Starfire took a minute to ponder what Raven meant by that until the answer came to her head, horrifying her.

"You…you paid the Gordanians to kidnap me all those years ago, didn't you?!" Starfire questioned.

Blackfire looked back and forth between the two siblings, her hands forming into fists, analyzing her current situation.

"DIDN'T YOU?!" demanded Starfire as she returned to the front of the group.

The onlookers looked at Blackfire with shock and disbelief at the accusation, anxiously waiting for Blackfire's response. After a few seconds, she closed her eyes and sighed loudly. Quickly opening them, she turned her attention towards Raven before angrily shaking her head.

"You just don't know when to stay out of family matters, do you?" she fumed.

She then held out her left index finger and pointed it toward Raven's direction. Suddenly, a massive bolt of purple lightning sprang from the tip of the finger, shooting toward Raven like a missile. Raven didn't have enough time to react as the lightning lifted her into the air and expelled her body into the crowd of frightened onlookers. The group jumped out of the way as Raven's body was hurled through the public until it finally struck the back wall of the courtyard. Raven's body fell to the floor quickly, with purple bolts still circulating her. The Titans ran to the barrier to get a better look at Raven, seeing her slowly lift her head weakly, showcasing a pained expression on her face. She reached out towards them for a beat before closing her eyes and slumping back onto the floor unconscious.

"Raven!" shouted Beast Boy in shock.

Without thinking, the young titan leaped over the barrier, gently nudging the frightened crowd out of his way as he raced toward his injured friend. Noticing this, Nightwing ran up to the railing and held his arm out over it.

"Beast Boy, wait! Don't!" he protested, but he was obviously too distracted to hear him.

By the time Beast Boy got closer to her, a pair of alien mercenaries, one green-skinned with four eyes and the other blue-skinned harboring a giant fanged mouth, appeared and pulled their blasters in Raven's direction, causing Beast Boy to stop in his tracks.

"If you want her to live, we'd suggest you stand back," the fanged alien threatened.

Angered at the situation, Beast Boy clenched his fists briefly before abiding and stepping back from the goons. Suddenly, he felt a blast of electricity penetrate his body, causing his heart rate to drop quickly and his senses to black out. He then collapsed on the ground unconscious, with a fish-headed mercenary standing in front of his unconscious body, brandishing an electric prod in his hands. Horrified at the sight, Nightwing attempted to jump the barrier until the fish head grabbed Beast Boy's body, aiming a blaster at his head. Nightwing lowered his leg to the current side of the border he was on, not wanting to cause any more harm to his friends. He then looked towards Blackfire, who was holding her finger in the air as if she was showing it off, with purple streaks of lightning surrounding it. Suddenly, a blazing red "S" symbol lit up on her forehead as if it were branded into her skin. The titan's jaws dropped in horror, seeing the familiar sign that was last seen blazing from the helmet of their nemesis, Slade Wilson, back on Earth.

"What the?" questioned Cyborg nervously.

Between Blackfire crashing the celebration, Beast Boy and Raven being unconscious, and now Blackfire developing new powers and Trigon's emblem on his head, this day was too much for him. Wildfire was the most petrified of the group at the mark's site, as he did not know Azrathian magic.

"What happened to you, sister?" he asked.

Blackfire grinned confidently at the question, almost delighted to share her tale.

"My master required someone to follow in his footsteps. Someone to assist him with his many tasks. Someone to become…his apprentice."

She leered towards Nightwing as she finished that sentence, obviously appearing to have known the story behind his blackmail into Slade's services.

"He chose me to be that someone as he, unlike our late parents, saw my potential for something greater. As such, he bestowed upon me some of his otherworldly abilities, thus increasing my already powerful abilities."

Starfire took another few steps in an attempt to attack Blackfire, only to be halted once more by Wildfire.

"Starfire, stay back! Let me deal with this," he asked.

Before reacting, she felt Nightwing's arm on her shoulder, non-verbally convincing her to stand back and let her brother handle the situation. She mournfully nodded and stepped back next to him. Wildfire then turned back to Blackfire.

"I do not want anyone else to be harmed here today. What can I do to cease your desire for destruction here?" Wildfire pleaded.

Knowing she was nearing her goal, Blackfire grinned as she folded her arms.

"I'd like to challenge you to a duel. And the winner becomes the Emperor or Empress of Tamaran. Decline, and these innocent souls' lives will be in your hands. What do you say, brother?"

Having made his decision, Wildfire tilted his head and closed his eyes.

"I accept,"

The crowd gasped, including Starfire, who ran up before Wildfire and urgently placed her hands on his shoulders.

"Brother, you can't! With those powers, who knows what she could do to you!" she pleaded desperately.

"Oh, don't worry," they heard Blackfire snark.

"I won't be using my powers. Just good ol' fashioned fisticuffs."

She held her fists in a combat-ready pose, prepared to fight her sibling. Wildfire looked from Blackfire to Starfire, placing his hand on the latter's shoulder in assurance.

"I won't let anyone else get hurt. I know you don't want anything bad to happen to me, but I must do whatever it takes to protect our people."

"But do you even know how to fight?" Starfire asked.

Wildfire looked down, processing the question before looking back up at Starfire.

"I know enough," he responded.

He hugged Starfire tightly for a few seconds before turning to Blackfire, ready to take her on. He approached her carefully and held out his fists in a defensive stance. A worried Starfire then turned and ran past her friends to the podium where the throne sat and looked towards Galfore, who remained in his position, also looking concerned over the ordeal.

"Galfore! Is there anything we can do?!" she asked desperately.

Galfore lowered his head regretfully and shook it.

"I'm afraid not. In a contest like this, if anyone interferes, the opposition will be given the victory. All we can do is watch."

Starfire then looked back towards the pair of siblings, scared of the result of their battle. Wildfire and Blackfire stared at each other for half a minute, patiently waiting for one to make the first move until Blackfire struck. She flew herself quickly towards his direction, grabbing the boy by the shoulders and dragging him through the ground viciously, leaving a three-foot-long trail in their wake. A weary Wildfire attempted to pick himself up until Blackfire grabbed him by the collar of his silver vest and lifted him off the ground; she then proceeded to physically assault him with various punches, jabs, and strikes toward the younger opponent's body. The crowd stood with horrific faces as they observed the brutal beating in front of them. The sight was too much for Starfire to handle. Tears formed in her eyes as she watched Blackfire brutalize her brother in front of her. Her emotions consuming her, she started running towards the dueling siblings before feeling Cyborg and Wonder Girl grab her arms to stop her from intervening.

"What are you doing?! Let me go!" she shouted towards her friends. They didn't budge.

"Star, we can't! They'll kill people if we do!" explained Donna desperately.

Cyborg nodded in agreement.

"There's nothing we can do," he added.

Starfire then looked back towards the duel and saw Blackfire lift Wildfire's beaten body into the air with her arms. The sight allowed Starfire to muster enough strength to free the arm being held back by Wonder Girl and blast a ball of green energy toward Blackfire's direction. The ball struck Blackfire square in the stomach, attacking her a few inches away and causing Wildfire to drop to the ground, beaten and bruised. Starfire freed her other arm from Cyborg's grip and ran towards the wounded sibling. She kneeled and held his hand in her hands, gently examining his facial wounds. His eye was swollen from the beating, and blood was streaming from his lip. The sight was almost too much for her to bear.

"Are you ok?" she asked,'

Wildfire coughed quickly before looking up towards Starfire painfully.

"I-I'll live.." he mustered.

Starfire weakly smiled before looking towards her friends, who were shocked at what had occurred. Even Galfor, who had finally stepped down from the podium, was concerned and appalled at what happened.

"Starfire," he said softly.

"The duel.."

"I had to," responded Starfire as she continued to cradle her brother's bruised body.

Stunned at what Starfire had caused, Nightwing stepped forward to speak.

"But Blackfire…" he began, but they heard a loud feminine cackle from Blackfire's grounded body before he could finish. They watched as she slowly rose from the ground and approached the remaining Titans and Galfor menacingly.

"..is to be the new empress of Tamaran by disqualification. Thank you, dear sister!" she sneered.

She walked towards Galfor and held out her hand in a demanding fashion.

"The crown, please?" she ordered.

Galfor looked at the Titans and then Starfire and Wildfire with a look of sadness on his face. Starfire shook her head as she realized what was going to happen.

"No," she whispered desperately.

Galfor then closed his eyes and tilted his head in shame as he gave Blackfire the golden cowl. She smiled evilly as she took her old one and dropped it on the ground before placing the new one on her head. The whole courtyard was speechless at the turmoil. No one, not even the Titans, said a word about what had occurred. Blackfire had won. She was now the Empress of Tamaran. It had finally happened. Thrilled that she accomplished her goal, Blackfire turned to the crowd behind the barricade and placed her hands on her side.

"My first order of business: all the guests will leave us in peace. Now!" she ordered.

The audience didn't move as they were still shocked at what just developed. Annoyed, Blackfire turned to the fish-headed mercenary in the back of the crowd, who nodded toward her after receiving her glare.

"You heard your highness! Move!" he shouted, pulling a blaster from his holster and blasting the sky.

The terrified crowd obeyed as the rest of the mercenaries followed the act with their blasters, motivating the public to flee to the nearest exit. Even the hostages were released and allowed to escape with the others. After a minute or 2, only a few people remained in the courtyard: Blackfire, the Titans, Wildfire, Galfor, the mercenaries, and some of the guards were all that remained. A few guards from the entrance where Wildfire had emerged from earlier for the coronation attempted to attack Blackfire but were stopped by another group of guards who had already pledged their allegiance to Blackfire. She grinned at the sign of loyalty.

"Take the rebels to dungeons. Prepare for their execution at sundown!" Blackfire ordered.

They nodded and wrangled the ones who weren't loyal to Blackfire away through the nearest entrance. She then turned to Galfor and pointed towards him.

"And you are to go prepare the throne for me! Got it?!"

Galfore looked towards the Titans and Starfire, who were staring at him eagerly for his response. Suddenly, he nodded.

"It will be done, Your Highness," he said.

The others were mortified at his acceptance of his new leader. Starfire was distraught over what she just heard.

"Galfore, no!" she called out as he approached the main door.

He stopped suddenly and sighed regretfully as he turned his bearded face towards the troubled princess.

"I am sorry, but she is our empress now. I have to obey."

He turned back and walked through the doors.

Having had enough of the madness, Nightwing pulled out his escrima and held one of them towards Blackfire's direction.

"You're not going to get away with this!" he announced.

Blackfire laughed.

"Try me," she dared.

Before Nightwing did anything, he turned towards Starfire, who was still cradling her brother's beaten body.

"Starfire, get your brother out of here now," he ordered.

Starfire, sniffing up her tears, nodded as she bent over, hoisting her brother's body onto her back, holding him securely on both sides of her shoulders. She then started running to the exit as fast as she could. Noticing this, Blackfire snapped her fingers, signaling the mercenaries to attack. They nodded and ran towards the younger siblings, allowing Blackfire to turn her attention towards the Titans.

"Titans! Go!" ordered Nightwing, and his team charged in Blackfire's direction. He launched into the air and stuck out his leg in Blackfire's direction, intending to kick her down.

Unfortunately, Blackfire grabbed Nightwing's leg, surprising him and yanking his body around before letting go and allowing him to crash into the metal barriers, flooring him. Cyborg attacked next, pulling out his arm cannon and sending multiple bolts of blue energy in her direction. Blackfire quickly dodged all the bolts as she flew up to engage Cyborg. Before he could launch another bolt, Blackfire grabbed his arm and, with a mighty amount of strength, pushed it out of her way before grabbing the other arm and doing the same thing. With all his might, Cyborg attempted to free himself from her grasp to no avail. Suddenly, Blackfire lifted her feet onto Cyborg's chest, pulling his arms forward until they finally snapped off, knocking the armless Cyborg to the ground.

"My arms!" he shouted in shock as he lifted his head from the ground.

A group of mercenaries then appeared and repeatedly started to shock Cyborg with their electric prods. Kid Flash and Wonder Girl, the only remaining Titans still standing, looked at each other to figure out their plan.

"I think I can trap her with my speed." Kid Flash explained to Wonder Girl.

She nodded at him.

"Go do it."

Kid Flash smiled before charging towards Blackfire, running so fast around her that a yellow blur of energy trapped her. Blackfire frowned at her predicament for a beat before smiling confidently.

Holding her finger, she carefully aimed towards the yellow blur and shot a bolt of purple lightning towards it. The blur faded quickly, and in its place was Kid Flash being hurled to the ground unconscious, his body surrounded briefly by purple energy.

"Wally!" shouted Wonder Girl, concerned as she ran to check on him.

But before she could reach him, another jolt emerged from Blackfire's finger, striking Donna in the back, hurling her into the metal barrier hard. Blackfire walked up to Donna's body and nudged it with her foot. The body didn't move, meaning she had succeeded in incapacitating her prey. Now, only her brother and sister were left.

Starfire ran as fast as she could towards the exit, heaving the deadweight of her wounded brother on her back, enduring the burden of his weight as she carried him to safety. She didn't dare look back. She believed her friends could handle things from behind. Her face profusely sweated as she charged towards the half-oval archway leading out of the courtyard until three more mercenaries stood in front of the archway, each with an electric prod. She determinedly frowned as she bent her left knee and launched herself into the air. To her shock, she felt gravity sink in and her body nearing the ground. She crashed to the ground, dropping Wildfire from the backlash. Starfire lifted her head and saw her brother's weakened body in front of her, looking at her in sorrow. She held her hand to her head, puzzling why her attempt to fly didn't work. It eventually came to her. Her powers were based on her emotions, and when they were severely confused or emotionally troubled, her powers ceased to comply with her. Desperately, she turned behind her to see Blackfire standing in the middle of the courtyard, smiling evilly at her sibling's grounded forms, and most of her friends had knocked onto the ground. Her eyes widened when she saw Nightwing being held up by two mercenaries and shocked with a prod by a third one.

"Nightwing!" she shouted in horror, holding her hand out to him.

After being prodded once more, Nightwing, with whatever strength he had left, looked towards Starfire with an expression of distress on his face.

"Starfire!" he yelled back as he lunged forward while his arms were still restrained by the pair of mooks holding him back.

The one in front once again jabbed the prod into Nightwing's chest, causing his body to go rigid and teeth to grit before he finally slumped limply onto his knees.

"No!" Starfire cried out as she saw the cruel action in front of her.

She looked back towards Wildfire, only to find him dragged away by the tallest of the three mercenaries blocking their path. She quickly attempted to crawl to her feet. Still, a pair of electric prods were jabbed into her sides by the remaining two mercenaries, sending multiple bolts of electricity into her body. She collapsed from the stress of it, only to have the action be repeated numerous times. She winced in pain repeatedly, groaning as she started to weaken from the shocks coursing through her body. With the last ounce of strength in her body, she reached out her arm towards Wildfire's direction as he was dragged further away from the courtyard before feeling the weight of her eyelids increase and slowly close on her. Eventually, the feeling in her arm vanished as she collapsed, succumbing to the torment she was receiving. Closing her eyes, Starfire felt her head softly lay on the ground and knew no more.

To be continued.