Starfire: Return to Tamaran

Scene 19: Jennifer Dying

As soon as the riot broke out, Gormileaux had made his way to his master's side to defend him. He had killed at least three Tamaranians to get there, which made him happy. When the infiltrator had thrown his smoke pellets, the fight had started to die down. By this time, most of the Tamaranians had fled, many of them flying out windows.

The aftermath wasn't pretty. Most of the Citadel guards present had been killed, including one of Gormileaux's own lieutenants. There had been hundreds of Tamaranians present, but only a handful had actually died. There were also those who had been knocked out during the fight.

At last, Trogaar came to, and he didn't need Gormileaux to tell him what had happened. "Koriand'r escaped," he said. It was not a question. It was a clear statement.

"We had no way of knowing this would happen," agreed Gormileaux.

"This is a disaster," groaned Gormileaux, who had trouble getting to his feet. He was still recovering from getting hit by stone slab. Koriand'r had certainly left her mark on him. "We have not only failed to execute the fugitive, but now we have more problems to deal with. If our arsenal had been improved, I don't know if we would be having this discussion."

Suddenly three guards approached them. Both Gormileaux and Trogaar turned to stare at them. "Report," said the former of the two.

The one on the left spoke first. "Master Komand'r has returned from the dungeon. Koriand'r blaster her way to the top of the tower and escaped with the infiltrator and the dying girl."

The one on the right spoke next. "There is more. Dozens of Tamaranians broke into the dungeon and emptied it. The Emperor and his cellmates are also missing. We have no idea where they went."

Gormileaux stared at the guard in the middle. "What more can we hear that can possibly make things worse?"

"More Tamaranians entered the palace when the riot started," replied the guard nervously. "With their help, they broke into several armories and emptied several weapons caches. When our soldiers tried to stop them, the majority of them escaped through windows."

"What about the armory containing the prototypes?" demanded Trogaar.

"Untouched, my lord."

"Well, that is fortunate," said Gormileaux.

"Agreed," said Trogaar. "We still have a chance to put an end to this threat. How many prototypes are operational?" he asked the third guard.

"Only ten."

Trogaar nodded in suppressed disappointment. "That will have to do. When this dies down, we will begin mass production. Commander, you and Komand'r will be needed to put a stop to this."

Gormileaux nodded and Trogaar left the throne room. "Okay, Trogaar," muttered Gormileaux to himself. "I will play along with your game. But when this ends, between me and Komand'r, only one of us will survive, and that will be me."

***

After Koriand'r had escaped, Blackfire was sure nothing could possibly make her feel better. There was, however, one thing she was looking forward to. It was something she had thought she would never get the chance to do.

"Watch yourself, Starfire," she muttered to herself, "because I'll finally get to even the odds when we battle again. I won't need that War Suit to fly anymore."

***

Starfire didn't stop flying until they were just on the border of the Tamaranian village. When they did set down, they were outside another house belonging to a Tamaranian family. They didn't hesitate in allowing Starfire and her friends inside. This family consisted of just a mother and two children. Starfire explained to Nightwing that she was a sister to Krissand'r.