Starfire: Return to Tamaran

Scene 7: Takeoff

Jennifer and her dad were waiting for Starfire to return from the Starlit Sky. They were eager to hear how her evening had gone. They were curious to know what Dick Grayson was like.

When they heard the sound of what was clearly Starfire landing in front of the porch, Jennifer stood up hastily to let her in. "So how did it go?" she asked, opening the door for her.

That was when Jennifer saw the look in her friend's eyes. They looked miles away, and her face was set in fierce determination. She was so preoccupied that she simply walked past Jennifer without speaking to her.

"Hey, Star, what's up?" asked Jennifer, surprised at what Starfire was doing. "Hey, come on, Starfire. Talk to me. What happened?"

At this point, Jennifer's dad was also on his feet. "Hey, girl, what is up with you? Was the food that bad for you, being an alien and all?"

Finally, Starfire, who was halfway up the stairs by now, turned around. "I must get ready to leave," was all she said.

"Leave?" asked Jennifer's dad. "What are you talking about?"

"I am leaving for Tamaran."

***

"Oracle," said Nightwing, driving back to base on his motorcycle, "did you get all that?"

"Every word," came the reply. "Who knew you were such a sweet talker?"

Nightwing was glad they were not in the same room together, because she would've given him a hard time about how much he was blushing. The truth was, he wasn't completely sure what his feelings were toward Starfire.

Anyone he met would agree that she was beautiful. But for him, there was something more to it than that. She was so passionate about anything she did. Whether it was thinking about what was best for her people or fighting monsters to protect people, she did things with a high sense of responsibility.

"Just have the ship prepped for launch in the morning. I've already told Starfire where she can meet us."

***

"You're going back to Tamaran?" asked Jennifer.

Starfire could understand why she was surprised. After her conversation from the previous night, talk of Tamaran had become a more sensitive subject than it had ever been before. Now Jennifer had just heard say she was leaving for her home planet, something she never thought she would plan to do.

"Yes, I am," she said after a silence longer than the ones she had endured at the Starlit Sky. "Tonight, I was presented with a chance I never believed I would get."

"What chance?" asked Mr. Hawkins. "Can you just explain things to us properly? You're just not making sense. You gotta remember that we humans have minds set differently than aliens."

Starfire shook her head. "My apologies, but I have so little time. I am leaving because. . .well, I have a chance to save my people. I finally have an opportunity to free them from occupation."

"From the Citadel?" asked Jennifer.

Starfire nodded. "I have learned that the Citadel has a new and powerful weapon in their hands, a weapon whose planet of origin is here, here on Earth. Now that weapon is on Tamaran."

Mr. Hawkins looked more confused than ever, but Jennifer gasped. "You mean that suit Blackfire was wearing when you fought her?"

"Yes. I have learned that the suit itself is beyond repair, but it can still be used to improve the quality of the weapons the Citadel already has in their possession. If I can return to Tamaran and destroy it, I will have a chance to free my people once and for all."

"Now let's see if I got this straight," said Mr. Hawkins, sounding as if he was looking for reassurance that one plus one still equaled two. "You just remembered you fought your sister while she was wearing a suit that came from someplace here. And now you know that she escaped back to Tamaran with the suit. So now the people holding your planet hostage are trying to find some way to use this suit, and you're going to take this as a chance to free your people."

"Well, yes," replied Starfire.

Mr. Hawkins sighed in relief. "Okay, just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything."

His voice was surprisingly calm. This caught Starfire by surprise. She was expecting him to object at any moment. "You do not object?" she asked, feeling like he would the moment she asked him.

"Well, I still got one question," replied Mr. Hawkins. "How are you going to get there?"

For once, Starfire had her answer ready. "Dick Grayson, the insightful individual I had dinner with, has alien friends who helped him build a ship that can travel through space. He can take me to Tamaran and help give me the opportunity to destroy the weapon and liberate Tamaran."

Now Starfire changed her voice to more pleading tone; she had to make them understand. "Please listen to me. Success is imperative. If I succeed in my mission, it will send a message to other planets that face the threat of invasion from the Citadel. It will show them that their enemy is not unstoppable, and it will give them something so many lives in the galaxy have not had for years."

"Which is?" asked Mr. Hawkins.

"Hope."

Mr. Hawkins thought this over. "So basically, you're going to fly to Tamaran on a ship with someone you barely know?" he asked her, and she nodded. "Then you can't go," he said simply. This made Starfire about to protest, at least until she saw him grin. "Not without at least one familiar face."

Both Mr. Hawkins and Starfire turned their attention to Jennifer. Surprised, turned to stare at both of them in turn. Facing her dad again, she asked him, "You want me to go to with Kori, to Tamaran? Why? From what Starfire is saying, this is going to be very dangerous. Why would you want me to go?"

Mr. Hawkins smiled. "I've come to know you really well. Ever since you came here, you've proven several times that you can be trusted. Well, now that you've told me what you plan to do, I trust you to keep my daughter safe. Besides, sisters such as you two should stay together."