Daylight shines through once more. Most of it anyways. It was rather early as the sky wasn't fully blue yet. Only a bit of it was present. And at this time, Nightwing was on the move. He was on the rooftops of Gotham City, running along them. And right next to him was Batman, who was hopping from rooftop to rooftop.
"You know, I still don't feel like going solo mostly." Nightwing spoke while running. "Just after my birthday party, I had an idea. How does a team sound, Bruce?"
"If you want a team, why not join the Justice League? Nothing's stopping you from doing so."
"I thought you would've said more or done more, honestly. You're not going to set it up for me or put special rules in place?"
"I'm still doing that. Don't mistake that. But the small things you want to do, Superman might beat you to it, so good luck with that. What even is this team and how are you going to form it even?"
"If I was younger, I would've gone with Teen Titans or something. But that won't fit right now...I'll figure it out myself. As for how I'm gonna recruit them, I know of some Metahumans that are out there right now. They could be a part of the team. I'll give them somewhere to be safe and be themselves."
"You're not bringing them to the Manor or Batcave."
"I wasn't gonna!" Nightwing quickly replied.
"But if you're looking for someone, I have a suggestion..." Batman did know where Nightwing could start. The first people he could team up with starting soon. And as Batman was about to explain, that glint in the sky from last night was getting brighter...and bigger.
Florida. The Arcade Hideout.
Raven had just now woken up, finally having a good night's rest with no interruptions. It felt great finally having rest like that as Ben's setup for her room worked well indeed. And after the agreement yesterday, Raven's mind was clearer than ever. But as she left her room, right now, Ben was already playing the Arcade Games loudly.
"Morning, Raven." Gwen greeted.
"Aren't you supposed to be doing hero things right about now?" Raven said to them both.
"Nah. Not until something comes up. I'm having a free time right now." Ben grinned. "Wanna play with me, Raven? You can try your hand at Sumo Slammers 2: Great Revolution."
"That's not really what interests me." Raven shook her head.
"Surprisingly today, nothing about any cold attacks has come up. At least, not yet. I checked the weather and everything seems to be normal right now." Gwen added. "But if something comes up, then we'll be on it."
"Until then, we're just hanging around and relaxing." Ben affirmed. "It's summer after all, so, no need to worry too much, Raven. Unless you're scared of spending time with us."
"Ben, please stop teasing her." Gwen sighed, shaking her head. She knew her cousin was trying to encourage her, but he was not being very smooth. "Anyways, we're glad to have you on the team, Raven. Even if it's only temporary, it'll still be nice to work with you."
"Yeah, thanks." Raven appreciated gesture. Though her smile was a little faint, the empath's expressions weren't that broad, at least most of the time. "...What is that thing on your wrist by the way? That lets you turn into aliens." She turned her attention to the Omnitrix.
"Yeah, since I was 10. The Omnitrix came into my life, and suddenly, the whole world opened up for me." Ben explained. "Ever since that day, I've been a superhero. It's a lot of fun but it gets serious too. And the best part is that I'm able to do that while meeting a lot of cool people. Aliens, superheroes. Anyone that I can trust to fight along with."
"For me, I got Magic a bit later after he found that device. And 8 years ago, we did all sorts of things during that summer with out Grandpa Max. Not sure what we would've done if Ben never found the Omnitrix that night."
"Aaah! Game over!" Ben groaned as the game had ended on the arcade machine. "Alright..." He sighed before looking back at the two of them. "Let's head out. Might run into something along the way. You coming along, Raven?"
"As long as you don't use that jet thing again." Raven would rather he not use the jet booster on the RV once more. That was just unpleasant on all fronts due to the sudden speed boost.
But before they could head out, a knock on the door was heard. "Who is it?" Gwen asked, being the one to answer the door. When she did, the visitors were rather surprising. One welcoming and the other intimidating yet familiar. "Oh!" Gwen gasped, a bit startled.
"Hey there." Standing there was none other than Nightwing along with Batman, the latter being the intimidating figure. "Sorry to intrude, but we were wondering if we could talk to you."
"Batman and..." Gwen looked at Nightwing, pausing for a moment. "W-Who are you?"
"Batman?!" Ben peeked over, spotting Batman. "Oh, sweet! You came to us this time and..."
"You don't know my new name yet." Nightwing spoke. "I used to be Robin, ya know."
"You're Robin?! Or at least, were?" Ben's eyes widened at that, surprised that the young sidekick of the Dark Knight was no longer using that moniker.
"Mhm. Nightwing's the name now." Nightwing confirmed.
"I'm only here briefly, so listen up." Batman walked forward. "If you've established that team of yours yet, then I'd suggest adding Nightwing to it. He's got an idea for a team and I think that you three can help each other."
"Wait...You're joining us?!" Ben gasped, a wide grin on his face. "Awesome!"
"You'd be happy to have me, right?" Nightwing joked. "Although being in a run-down arcade...nice inside but horrible on the outside. You've been in here for a few days?"
"Just for one day right now. And just so you know..." Ben had a cocky smile, adjusting his jacket a bit. "We go by Team Tennyson. Even though only two of us are Tennyson, but whatever."
"You might have to change that name eventually, Ben." said Gwen. "Especially if someone proves to be more of a leader than you."
"What?! I didn't say I was the leader!" Ben looked back at Gwen who just shrugged.
"You implied it."
"You can figure out that leader thing anyways. If it's not too much of a hassle with you overseeing Raven, Nightwing will be joining with you three. I'll leave him to you." With a swift motion, Batman was gone from sight. From what it sounded, he was leaving them to their own devices, not wanting to deal with the situation himself. And that was true. This wasn't a big enough issue for him to take care of.
"Ah, wait a second!" Ben tried saying something, but it was too late. Batman was gone. "Aaah..."
"If you want, I can still leave." Nightwing said.
"Nah, it's fine." Ben wavhed his hand, dismissing it. "But Nightwing now? Since when?"
"Just recently. Changed my Hero Name just 2 days ago and completed my own solo mission in a while. It feels great and I sure do feel like a new me. The second I became Nightwing, I already had the idea of teaming up with others. Starting my own team."
"You didn't want to stick by with Batman?" Gwen questioned.
"I'll still do that, no doubt. But I'm older now and that solo mission showed me that I can do more even without Batman. I thought about starting my own team and working up from there. So, when Batman suggested you guys, I got a bit excited. Are you new too?"
"In terms of being known? Yeah. But we've doing this hero stuff for 8 years now. In secrecy, obviously." Ben pointed at himself. Him and Gwen were once Child heroes, much like Nightwing once was. "But...if you wanna join, I'm not against that. I mean, it's only recently we got Raven added to this team. Right, Raven?"
"Mm." Raven lightly responded before floating back into her room.
"In here though? Is this a good enough base?" Nightwing looked around, observing the layout. It was nice indeed but all it had were arcade machines and some rooms for resting. That was about it. It felt more like a hangout place than a base for heroes.
"It's the best I could do." Ben shrugged.
"Best you could do...In that case, eventually, I can make sure a place like this gets what it needs. Batman can set it all up, no problem."
"Grandpa Max would've set things up for us if he were here right now..." Gwen quietly replied. But just then, an alert on her phone was felt. She promptly took out her phone, wondering what it was. As she opened it, she saw an instant news update. "Oh!"
"What is it, Gwen?! Is it Killer Frost again?!" Ben quickly asked, feeling the urgency.
"No. There's a news update about something above. There's something from space approaching Earth." Gwen answered. "Scientists say that it was spotted just yesterday and already, it's gotten closer and closer to Earth. Faster than what mostly approaches Earth anyways."
"Wait, what's coming to Earth?!" Ben asked again, being a bit frantic. "Alien or meteor? What is it?!" Already, the boy was thinking of how to handle the situation. The idea of an alien ship or a gigantic meteor would be a daunting task for him. And one would require him to use the Omnitrix to its full potential.
"You can figure it out right there." Raven said to the, exiting her room and pointing out the window. As she did, she showed them the glint in the sky. They saw it for themselves, that orange sparkle in the sky. It was an object, that's for sure. It was hard to tell what exactly it was, as the shape was obscured, but it was definitely a large, bright mass. "It's been in the sky since last night, I think. Now, it's gotten closer."
"Deja Vu..." Ben felt some Deja Vu looking at that sight. It reminded him of when he first saw the Omnitrix fall to Earth. A shining, flaming light that would come to impact the ground. And without even any more thoughts, Ben's instincts did all the talking. He had to see it for himself. He bolted out of the room, rushing straight for the RV.
"Ben! Quit running without notice already!" Gwen exclaimed, chasing after him. The rest of them would do the same.
"Ben! Quit running without notice already!" Gwen exclaimed, chasing after him. But Raven simply chose to stay behind, not getting involved with this as she went back into her room.
"Wait, I..." Nightwing tried saying something, but sighed, shrugging it off. "Nevermind. Quick to action, aren't you? Must be craving something to do as heroes..." And soon, he too would follow.
The RV was on the move yet again, following the location of that star in the sky. Ben had taken the wheel this time around, driving on his own. Gwen sat on his left as Nightwing was sitting in the back of the RV, leaning forward a bit to look at the road ahead.
"Man, this is gonna be great." Ben grinned. "Another chance to meet some aliens."
"Assuming that that's what's happening. Could also just be a meteor." Gwen added. "So don't get your hopes up too much, Ben."
"Oh, but when I do, it's exactly that and more..." Ben replied, ready to accelerate with the jet boosters. But this time, he decided against it since Raven wasn't a fan of it. So for this, he was just going to move the RV at its current speed. But even then, it was still good as the visage of the star was getting closer and closer.
"That thing looks like it's gonna land in the city!" Nightwing pointed out, noticing where it was headed. "If it lands, it could be disastrous!"
"Maybe Way Big could catch it..." Ben narrowed his eyes. And when he did, he got a better look as to what that star was. As it came into view some more, it was revealed to be a transportation vehicle. Or more specifically...a space pod. One that was on fire, and ready to crash. "That's no meteor...It looks like a space pod!"
"Space pod?!" Gwen repeated. And right now, that space pod was accelerating to greater speeds, getting closer and closer. It would finally land, right in the middle of the streets of Florida. People screamed, cars were sent flying, and the ground shook from the landing, creating a large crater in the process. Thankfully, none were hurt from this, but the aftershock was certainly felt.
"Whoa!" Ben stopped the car, applying the brakes to avoid crashing into anything. And they all rushed out, seeing the destruction that was left. There were a lot of panicked bystanders and civilians. Many of them were fleeing the scene.
The pod laid there, smoke coming from it, rising from the crater. No one was near it, and no one dared approach the smoking wreckage of the space craft. Some of the citizens were just curious, wanting to see what it was, while others were scared, thinking that the space pod was carrying something bad. Something that was about to break free and wreck havoc on the city. After all, that wasn't an uncommon sight in a world full of those with powers.
Ben and the others got out of the RV with Nightwing being up first. For his first time meeting up with Ben and Gwen, this was quite the scenario to start off in. Ben was already propping up the Omnitrix, preparing himself for what was to come from there. In his mind, he also thought that it might be another Omnitrix situation happening here.
As Nightwing slowly approached the crater, someone was crawling out of it, the sound of the pod opening being heard. And from the crater, a hand touched the edge. An orange hand belonging to a girl. A young, orange skinned girl that slowly pulled herself up from the crater, panting and breathing heavily from her crash landing.
It was Koriand'r, having found herself on Planet Earth. She was a bit bewildered, but still able to move and almost focus. Nightwing stared in awe as Koriand'r crawled out of the crater, looking up. The first person she saw was Nightwing.
"Vu...Vuelo..." Koriand'r spoke in Tamaranean. Her voice was weak from the impact of the crash. She had managed to survive the ordeal, but the pain and damage inflicted on her was still prevalent. She was tired and couldn't speak English, resorting to her own language. Not to mention, her mind was a bit foggy. She didn't know where she was or who she was speaking to at that moment.
"Uh...sorry, I can't..." Nightwing pointed at himself, unable to understand a single thing from her. Honestly, he wasn't sure what to do right now. But the thought of calling Batman right now didn't sound so bad if he hasn't gone too far. Or he could just have someone else from the Justice League show up to understand this.
But what he did understand was that she was injured.
"You look awful. Are you okay?" Nightwing asked even if she couldn't understand him. He kneeled down to try and help her up. With his hand out, he welcomed Koriand'r to grab his hand. And after pausing for a moment with those bewildered eyes, she did. She grabbed a hold of the stranger of an equally strange planet, having him pull her up.
But as soon as he did, what came next was surprising.
Once Koriand'r was able to stand up properly, without hesitation or proper notice, she would kiss Nightwing. A purely surprise one that caught him off guard. "Mmmh?!" His eyes widened as Gwen was equally taken aback while Ben just looked confused.
Alien greeting. Duh." Ben looked at Gwen, pointing his thumb at the scenario while Gwen's jaw dropped. But alas, this was not a greeting from Koriand'r. It was something else entirely.
Eventually, she pulled her lips away while Nightwing was now the bewildered one. And afterwards, Koriand'r spoke yet again. But this time, in English.
"My apologies. To understand another race's language and transfer knowledge of mine, a kiss is necessary."
"...Great translator." Nightwing smiled afterwards, not complaining at all. Though that did not go unnoticed by the others.
"You know...I did pretty well in my French Class, so I know a bit of-" Ben spoke only to get a nudge to his sides from Gwen. "Ow!"
"Not now." Gwen sighed.
"Where am I...What is this planet?" Koriand'r looked around, taking note of the city. The buildings, the lights, the people. This was a new place for her. She had never seen such a place before, nor did she expect to see a place like this in her life. "The Citadel...and the Psions..." She started recalling the place she escaped from and who she escaped from. It took a little while for her head to clear a bit and remember such things.
"Why don't you slow down. You're new here and you just woke up, I'm guessing." Nightwing said, holding her shoulder. "I'm Nightwing by the way."
"I...I am Princess Koriand'r of Tamaran." She introduced herself. "How...How far am I from the cosmos?"
"Uh...I don't know. Can't say." Nightwing shrugged. Afterwards, a rather exhausted Koriand'r would start to pass out, falling forward and into Nightwing's arms, resting against his chest. Koriand'r was now down for the count. "Well...since I'm part of the team now, think you can chime in by helping me help her?" Nightwing asked Ben and Gwen.
The hidden location of Veddeh and the Crystal of Nilaa. Even with Killer Frost arrested, Veddeh was not in the least bit bothered. Mainly because he already planned to free her rather soon and continue to have her feed the crystal.
"Only a bit more until the Crystal of Nilaa is at 100%." Veddeh said, his hands together and his back to the crystal. He was smiling, and behind him, the Crystal was still absorbing all the frozen people that was transferred. "And once it's complete, the power will be at its strongest without a doubt...It's true purpose can shine forth."
Veddeh chuckled to himself. He needed Killer Frost right now and he most certainly had the power to do so. Not with his Icenauts, but rather himself, finally getting into action this time.
"For the next mission, Killer Frost will need more protection. Those two Icenauts I created for her should be effective at it." Veddeh turned around, a cold mist forming around the area. A mist that soon turned into a snowstorm. "Hmm...But the threat of these heroes is more pressing. Absolute avoidance is needed if 100 people are to be in the crystal. Yes, yes."
As the snowstorm formed, Veddeh would start approaching it, ready to go and free Killer Frost from her current position. He entered the snowstorm, his body soon vanishing with a blue pulse going off.
Ben, Gwen and Nightwing had returned to the Arcade Hideout with Koriand'r, and they had her lay on the bed of Gwen's room. Raven had noticed the commotion, leaving her room to take a look at what was happening.
"Not what you expected for our first encounter, right?" Ben said to Nightwing.
"Not really. But it's not all too surprising considering what I've seen." Nightwing crossed his arms. "Tamaran she said...for her to have crashed on Earth, she was probably escaping from something. Something that was chasing her."
"What do you think? Good or bad?" Gwen questioned. "Was she escaping for a good reason...or did she do something terrible that warranted it?"
"Ah, now you've got me thinking about that." Ben scratched his hair, clenching his teeth. "Well, I guess we could try and call for Martian Manhunter to find out. He can tell when someone's lying or not."
"Well, I'd personally recommend Wonder Woman's Lass of Truth..." Gwen shrugged.
"You don't have to worry about that." Raven appeared before them. "I can tell."
"Huh? You can tell when someone's telling the truth or lying?" Nightwing looked back at her.
"Yeah. Only through emotions. When others tell the truth or lie, it depends on their emotions. They can't hide the truth from me that way." Raven explained, her eyes on the sleeping Koriand'r. "Her emotions are calm and steady right now, but she's also scared. She's afraid of what might happen. The fear is a mix between fear of the unknown and a fear of what's familiar. Whatever or whoever was after her, it's personal and she's genuinely terrified."
"That's impressive. How can you do that even?" Nightwing wondered. "...Wait, are you psychic?"
"Empath. I can feel and manipulate the emotions of others." Raven clarified. Her eyes glowed white for a moment.
"Oouh..." As for Koriand'r, she was finally starting to wake up. Koriand'r stirred in her sleep, opening her eyes and seeing that she was inside a building. And upon seeing that, she sat right up. "X'hal! Where have I landed this time?!" The orange-skinned princess immediately got on her feet, looking around the room and at the others.
"You're still on Earth. Calm down." Nightwing had his arms out, reassuring her that she wasn't on another planet. Koriand'r panted for a bit before relaxing. She was relieved to not have been captured by the Citadel. Or the Psions. "Feeling better now?"
"Slightly more, yes. My thanks for deciding to help me." She bowed slightly, smiling a bit. "I was just overwhelmed by all of this suddenly."
"What happened to you?" Gwen asked. "You looked like a mess and you crashed into the planet hard."
"Forgive me if I caused a commotion. I had no control of the pod. I was in such a hurry to escape." Koriand'r admitted. "I was not sure what planet or even galaxy I would end up in at all. I couldn't only think about fleeing."
"Well, you're here now." Nightwing uttered. "What happened though?"
"I escaped from the Citadel and Psions. One who attacked my home planet and enslaved me while the other aimed to experiment on me and other prisoners. In the chaos of a rebellion against the Citadel, I was able to flee from captivity and leave their reach...for now. If I had stayed there, I would have surely been killed in the confusion or recaptured." Koriand'r explained, her voice a bit sad.
"Sounds like you've been through a lot." Ben commented. "Did you get out of their sights?"
"I hope so. I am not sure if I was followed or not or if they were able to track me. I had no idea where I was going or what I was going to do." She continued. "All I know is that the space pod was damaged greatly and that I had no choice in where to land. I was fortunate to arrive on a planet that was inhabitable." She looked at everyone in the room.
"Are you going to return? Or can you?" Gwen asked.
"Return? Oh..." Koriand'r thought for a moment before lowing her head. "I am afraid I cannot return. Not my own planet at least. For it was the Citadel that had almost brought my home planet to ruin."
"They attacked you, didn't they?" Ben was already piecing it together.
"Yes. The entire planet..." Koriand'r closed her eyes, the memory of that event still strong within her mind. How could it not be? "I still remember it so vividly..."
6 Years Ago. Tamaran.
It was around 6 Years Ago when the Citadelians came to Tamaran. There were many of them, and their ships had covered the sky. Panic was instilled in the people of the planet as the ships and attacked the Tamaraneans, using their weapons and their numbers to overwhelm their enemies. The Tamaraneans were greatly caught off guard by this surprise attack, just as the Citadel wanted. Giving them the chance to retaliate was out of the question.
Many Tamaraneans ran for their lives, including two important ones.
Komand'r and her sister Koriand'r, princesses of Tamaran, were fleeing from the Citadelians. Holding her sister's hand, Komandr dragged her away, running as fast as she could. She was desperate to protect her, but the Citadelians were gaining on them. Explosions just kept going off all over the place, causing the buildings in the city to collapse and crumble. It was chaos, and the people were terrified.
Keep going, keep going!" Komand'r shouted to Koriand'r, who was struggling to keep up. She was tired and frightened, and the Citadelians were closing in.
The Tamaraneans stood no chance. After all, they were a peace-loving race. And one by one, Tamaraneans were perishing under the fire of the Citadel. Lives were being taken. Families were being destroyed. Homes were being demolished.
But the royal family would not face such a fate. Not yet.
The King and Queen of Tamaran had been separated from their daughters. Myand'r and Luand'r were trying to escape the clutches of the Citadelians, but they were cornered. The Citadelians had surrounded them, and they were fighting for their lives.
"Get back!" Myand'r, the King of Tamaran, roared as he fought to protect his wife, Luand'r, the Queen of Tamaran. They were outnumbered and outmatched, but they were not willing to give up.
"Koriand'r! Komand'r!" Luand'r, the queen of Tamaran, shouted desperately for her two daughters.
Her voice was full of anguish and fear, but she knew that her two daughters were more important than anything. She and her husband, the king, were fighting against overwhelming odds, and they knew that they were likely to lose. But their love for their daughters was stronger than their fear, and they were willing to sacrifice everything to protect them.
"Where are they?! Koriand'r! Komand'r!" Myand'r yelled, his voice filled with concern. He was terrified for their safety and was desperate to find them. He was fighting off the Citadelians with everything he had, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible had happened to his beloved children. His heart raced as he tried to spot them in the chaos of the battle.
As the Citadelian soldiers continued to attack, the Tamaranean people fought valiantly to defend their planet. However, they were no match for the advanced weaponry and superior numbers of the Citadelians. The Tamaraneans were forced to surrender, and their planet was taken over by the invading army.
"Keep going, keep running!" Komand'r, the older sister of the princesses of Tamaran, shouted to her younger sister, Koriand'r.
The younger sister, Koriand'r, was panting heavily and struggling to keep up. The Citadelians were closing in on them, covering so many areas in such limited amount of time. And due to this, finding safety was growing increasingly difficult.
But there was one place the sisters always felt safe. The palace where their mother and father reside. "Mother! Father! Help us!"
"Help!" Koriand'r yelled alongside her sister, hoping her parents would come to her aid. She was scared and desperate, and the Citadelians were getting closer. She and her sister were running as fast as they could, trying to outrun the enemy, but the Citadelians were catching up. It seemed like they would be captured at any moment. But just when it looked like all hope was lost, their parents appeared. They fought off the Citadelians, giving the sisters a chance to escape. They managed to get away and hide, safe for the moment.
While her sister was relieved to see her parents again, Komand'r was not. She was angry and frustrated that their parents had put them in danger in the first place.
"Father, Mother, what is going on? Why did the Citadelians attack us?" Komand'r asked, her voice shaking with emotion. "Why did you let them take our planet? Why didn't you do more to protect us?"
"Please, Komand'r, we did all that we could," the King responded, his voice heavy with regret. "We never expected the Citadelians to attack us in such a way. We were caught off guard and overwhelmed. We did our best to protect you and the other citizens of Tamaran, but the Citadelians were too powerful for us."
"But why did they attack us in the first place?" Komand'r asked, her frustration boiling over. "What did we ever do to them?"
"We don't know for sure, daughter," the Queen answered, her voice filled with sadness. "But we suspect that they were after our resources and technology."
"Bold to assume that is why we are here." A voice came through and from it, the walls would explode, causing the whole family to fall to the ground. From that smoke, a Citadel General stepped forward, approaching the family. This was Trogaar, the commander of the force that had attacked Tamaran. He was a massive, imposing figure, towering over the Tamaraneans. His face was hidden beneath a dark helmet, and his armor was thick and heavily fortified. His eyes glowed a fiery orange, and his presence was enough to strike fear into the hearts of even the most courageous warriors.
"Your planet lacks the same calibre of technology and power for such a thing." Trogaar mocked the King's words. "And to be frank, your resources aren't anything special. We simply want to conquer and expand."
"You can abandon the fear of your home planet being destroyed. Destruction of planets is something we stray away from. But lives...The King and Queen shall die here." He raised his hand and motioned to his soldiers, who began to move in on the Tamaraneans. Koriand'r and her sister, Komand'r, huddled close to their parents, trembling in fear. Their parents were brave, but they were no match for the might of the Citadelians. Trogaar and his forces were ruthless, and they showed no mercy as they advanced on the Tamaraneans.
Right before the eyes of Koriand'r and Komand'r, the King and Queen were gunned down trying to protect their daughters. Rapid fires from plasma beams and laser guns were fired at the two rulers, and their screams and cries were heard. Blood spilled from their bodies and the sounds of their agony echoed through the air. Koriand'r and Komand'r watched in horror, tears streaming down their faces as their parents were murdered in front of them.
"Mother! Father!" Koriand'r screeched, trying to reach them, only for Komand'r to hold her back. The two of them were left alone and helpless, surrounded by the Citadelian forces that had taken everything from them.
"X'hal. You..!" Komand'r yelled as pure anger was directed towards the Citadelian forces that had taken her parents from her. For her, tears were also starting to form in her eyes as her little sister broke down.
"With your King and Queen no more, you two are the last ruling bodies here. I expect you to be wise and announce your immediate surrender." Trogaar said. "For your own good. If you wish to receive the benefits of the Citadel...such as the Universal Translator we came with. And of course, your survival. Now. Out of the two of you, who is next to rule?"
Koriand'r couldn't say anything else, simply still crying with her head down as Komand'r held onto her. The crying continued, even from Komand'r herself. But she was able to hold some of them back mainly due to her rage. But right now, her rage meant nothing. She was cornered and her planet was highly powerless to stop the Citadel's attack.
"I...I am..." Komand'r lowered her head, replying. "I am the next to rule Tamaran."
"Excellent. I will hear of your surrender shortly. If you can comply, that is." Trogaar gave a smug smirk, awaiting an answer. Komand'r wanted badly to exact revenge right now, but she just couldn't. She lacked the power to do so as she could only clench her hands teeth, looking up at the Citadelians. And yet, she was still so stubborn.
"Very stubborn, aren't you?" Trogaar acknowledged that stubborness. "You will need encouragement then. Perhaps leaving one planet to absolute ruin won't stain our legacy."
"No, wait!" Komand'r raised her arm, not wanting that for her planet at all.
"Well, what will it be? Will you agree to surrender?"
"..." She stayed silent or a while before thinking about it. She hated to surrender above anything else right now. But what more could she do? "I-I will. But...As long as I can remain as the new of Tamaran even after this." Komand'r attempted to negotiate.
"Hmmm...We will agree to that. But on one condition." Trogaar had something else to add to this as he would point at Koriand'r. "You will remain as the figurehead of your planet...so as long as your sister is banished and is to come with us."
"K-Komand'r..." Koriand'r spoke up in a soft, quiet voice, having heard that. And as much as her sister didn't want to, she knew what the answer was going to have to be.
"...Fine." Komand'r, in a reluctant tone, would agree. The Citadel was strong, and her people could not fight. They were not a warring race. So to her, there was no choice. Even if the idea of her sister being taken was a painful choice, she couldn't let her home get destroyed. Especially since her sister would be there. And she had to act in her parent's steads. As the new Queen of Tamaran. "...Take her."
"What? No! Please!" Koriand'r begged, but it was no use. "Sister! Wait!" Koriand'r cried out to her big sister. Komand'r simply had her head down as her little sister was dragged away. Her fate was sealed. The Citadel soldiers grabbed her and dragged her away, ignoring her pleas and cries.
And on that day, she never saw her planet ever again. Far from her home and far from her family. The last of her family that she saw as Komand'r's defeated expression that hung low.
"And after that, for 6 years, I was a slave to the Citadel where I was tortured. But eventually, just a few days ago, I did manage to break free and escape from them. And now, I have arrived here." Koriand'r finished her story. "So, no. I do not know if I was followed. Hopefully not. And I am afraid...I simply cannot return to Tamaran."
"I see..." Nightwing nodded in understanding.
"I am unsure of what has become of my sister and how she is handling ruling Tamaran under the Citadel's control." Koriand'r put her arms together. "But...she is rather strong. So I trust that she can do something about it soon. And maybe even find me eventually, so that we can be safe once more."
"You're safe here now, aren't you?" Nightwing said, trying to cheer her up a bit. It did, of course, work, bringing a smile to Koriand'r's face.
"Am...Am I actually safe here?"
"Well, we do our best to make sure everyone's safe. And you'd best believe that counts for those from other planets. But to be honest, I'm not used to this kind of scenario. I'm making it work though."
"Oh...Thank you once more. Um...Nightwing, was it?"
"That's right. Just a hero name though. If you still need time to recover, no problem."
"No, no. I do believe I've had enough time to do so. I am also glad to be somewhere safe right now. Hopefully. But um...do you suppose you could get me new attire? These slave clothes are so uncomfortable."
"Uh..." Nightwing looked back at Ben and Gwen.
"I'll...see what I can get." Gwen was already on it, heading to her room. After that, she'd go and look through her closet, trying to find some spare clothes. Of course, that was the easy part. The hard part was getting the right size.
She didn't have many clothes that would fit someone of Koriand'r's stature. She was, admittedly, rather tall. Taller than Gwen and Raven and almost Nightwing's height. So, finding the perfect outfit would take a while. But thankfully, after a bit of searching, she was able to find a decent selection of clothing. Some of them were from when she was younger, and some of them were from when she was older. She was pretty sure that Koriand'r would be able to find something that would fit her.
"Here." Gwen had returned with a set of clothes. A purple hoodie, a pair of black jeans, and a white shirt. She'd give the clothes to Koriand'r, who'd take it and inspect each one of them. They were all clean and well-maintained, and the fabrics were soft to the touch. She'd especially like the hoodie.
"Ooh! These are lovely. Thank you!" Koriand'r was happy to have a new set of clothes. "This is Earth attire? It is so wonderful to feel! And you wear this yourself?"
"Well, I just brought them not too long ago. I haven't even had the chance to try them on. But I guess you can be the first to wear them." Gwen suggested.
"My many thanks, Earthling!" Koriand'r gave her gratitude before walking off with the clothes to change into a different room.
"So...What do we make of this?" Ben scratched his hair, wondering where they go from here.
"Well for starters, I can scrap my idea of telling Batman about this. Not right now though..." Nightwing replied. "Knowing him, he'd do something a little extreme. Do you guys mind if I throw another hassle your way?"
"If you're asking us to oversee her too...We already have Raven to deal with..." Ben held his chin, pondering for a while. "To be fair, she's not that much of a hassle..."
"What was that?" Raven narrowed her eyes, causing Ben to flinch.
"N-Not that you really are! I mean, we willingly decided to help you out from the get-go! Haha" Ben was quick to cover up what he said, crossing his arms.
"Well, it's not like you have to keep an eye on her every second of the day. Besides, I think she can handle herself." Nightwing shrugged. "For the most part anyway. I'm just guessing right now."
"Still wanna join our team?" Ben questioned.
"Oh, for sure. If it means stuff like this ends up happening, I'd be glad to work alongside you both. This isn't the usual stuff I'm used to. Though that doesn't mean I can't handle it." Nightwing assured. "Glad to be on board."
"Sweet." Ben grinned, holding his arm out as Nightwing did the same. "Welcome to Team Tennyson, then."
"Mm. Not sure if it'll be called that forever." Nightwing said as he shook Ben's hand, causing Ben's jaw to drop a bit.
Metropolis. Stryker's Island Penitentiary.
Metropolis's largest prison facility, as well as the name of the island on which it sits, right at the West River south of New Troy. In addition to housing some of the worst offenders that Metropolis has to offer, it is also designed to contain various super-powered individuals as well.
And in it was Killer Frost. For her containment, her power of ice was fully limited to her, leaving her to be a normal human basically. She had her arms crossed, sighing and annoyed with her current predicament.
However, despite her predicament, she was not to stay here for too long.
As she had her eyes closed, a sound came through within the containment cell, one that alerted her. Her eyes widened as she turned around, witnessing a cold mist suddenly manifesting around the area, causing her to stand up, looking rather cautious.
"What is this?" She asked, looking left to right. But from that cold mist, a form was taking shape in front of her. One that was familiar to her. "V-Veddeh?!"
"Surprised, are you not? Do not be. It was only natural for me to reach you eventually. After all, your involvement in fueling the crystal has garnered a type of connection to myself and it." Veddeh explained, having arrived at the penitentiary. With a smirk, he'd approach her, extending his hand. "Now, come. We have important matters to attend to. Your arrest was merely a minor setback."
"Minor?! I got locked up and-" Veddeh placed his finger on her mouth, shushing her.
"Even the smallest setbacks can be resolved. Your capture does not bother me at all."
"Ugh. Whatever. As long as you're here to get me out, I'm fine with it." Killer Frost shrugged before smirking. Veddeh moved into the cold mist, promptly vanishing. And soon, Killer Frost as well would enter the mist, leaving with Veddeh. It was straight back to the hidden location and back to freezing others. All for the Crystal and for Killer Frost's craving for heat.
Eventually, Koriand'r finally left the room, appearing in the new clothing she was given. And she very much adored how it all felt on her. "Oh, how wonderful this is!" Koriand'r excitedly said, being satisfied. "Thank you very much...Oh, what is your name?"
"I'm Gwen." Gwen raised her arm, finally saying her name. "And right here's my cousin, Ben."
"Thank you so much! Friend Gwen!" Koriand'r flew over to Gwen, startling her. Right away, she would shake Gwen's hands rapidly, showing her happiness and joy. "I am in your debt for this gift of attire!"
"Y-You're welcome, Koriand'r." Gwen was a bit surprised at her attitude. "Just calm down, okay? I think you might have super strength...My arms..."
"Oh! Pardon me." Koriand'r let go, backing up a bit.
"Feeling better now?" Nightwing went up to her.
"Very much so. But now...what am I to do?" Koriand'r thought for a while. Obviously, the biggest thing was to check up on her home planet, even though she was currently banished. But right now, she wasn't sure if that was what she wanted to do. Especially with the Citadel out there. And without any clue where she'd begin to search for her sister. "What can you say about this?"
"Me? I don't have a clue." Nightwing couldn't really say much. "But I guess you can decide on your own."
"I do not feel that I cannot return to my home just yet. Or even enter the cosmos once more with the Citadel out there." Koriand'r walked a bit, looking outside the window and up at the blue skies. "I cannot risk them finding me...so, I suppose I am the most safe staying here on Earth for the time being." She looked at everyone, turning around to face them. "Perhaps I will stay here."
"Are you sure?" Nightwing had to make sure she was right about that decision. It was a big one after all.
"I am. Very much so." Koriand'r wasn't going back on it whatsoever. "I do feel safer here, Friend Nightwing."
"We're friends already?"
"Well, are we not? Helping me out of the crater deems as friends, does it not?" Koriand'r questioned, not exactly that in tune with Earth customs.
"Not really...but whatever suits you." Nightwing gave his thumbs-up to her. All the while, Gwen looked at her laptop screen, seeing the current updates.
"Oh, wonderful. I promise you I will not be a bother." Koriand 'r smiled, her bright and cheery self shining through .
Elsewhere. 8:56 PM.
With the night coming in and the moon shining in the sky, Killer Frost was already prepared to get back into action now that she was free. And of course, she would do it with the two Icenauts of higher intelligence and capability.
"We just need around 30 mor until the crystal is complete. For tonight or even today, do you think you can achieve that?" Veddeh questioned.
"I should be able to. These two shouldn't let me down. They'd better not. I'll have 30 people for you and then that crystal will give me what I need, right?"
"Yes, yes. Satisfactory heat. Enough to last you for the rest of your life. You shall not regret this trade." Veddeh raised a finger.
"And the Justice League? Plus those young heroes that have stopped me twice now?"
"Them? Well for them...let me take care of them with all their meddling." Veddeh was about to get involved himself with Ben, Gwen and by extension Raven. He knew that they were a threat. Much like the Justice League. In fact, this next attack wasn't about to be as straightforward as the rest. Since they were so close to getting the crystal to full strength, these next actions had to count.
And it involved Veddeh himself doing so.