Gone Native: Diplomacy (ch. 13) (Patreon)

It wasn't the first time Raven had been to space. They had briefly traveled to Kori's home planet some years ago, and they occasionally had to venture out when a bad guy had a secret base on one of Jupiter's moons, or something of the like. The stars in the true darkness of space, free of the planet's atmosphere and the light pollution of its cities, was one of the few hauntingly beautiful things that Raven had ever seen. In the spacious viewing area of their ship, Raven was sure that it was a feeling that the architect of the ship must also have shared.

She sat in front of a wide window that served as a wall, her toned legs crossed in meditation and her eyes closed. She was looking out over the vast expanse of space with something more than her eyes. The room she was in was lavish -- they were on a ship that their guides had simply called a shuttle, but it had more in common with a luxury yacht than not. Various liquors for all manner of species were stocked in the shelves of its bar, and though the tray of food that sat beside her had remained untouched, the delight that she sensed from her friends as they ate told her that it must have been delicious. There was a couch built into the floor of the viewing room, which was split into two elevations. Its plush cushions were soft, but physical comforts were a distraction.

Breathing in deeply, she let the emotions of the ship wash over her. She felt her friends' anxiety and determination. Tim was already digging into the ship's mainframe in search of filters or censoring programs that would edit the information they were receiving from the Galactic Network, while also rooting around for any plans to double cross them and dump them into the vacuum of space. So far, his efforts had availed him of nothing other than a sense of security and the reassurance that he was doing something. Kori was busy flying around the ship, speaking to everyone that she came across. Wally and Garfield were watching TV -- one of the soap operas.

She moved her attention from the familiar aura's of h er friends to the crew of the ship. There was pride. And there was some fear. She had felt the combination before -- from people that knew that they did good work, but were afraid to disappoint. King Tarble being that someone. It was a small crew, just enough to man the shuttle.

The other presence on board. Less familiar than her friends, but more familiar than the ships crew. Kara felt bored, but beneath it was a keen sense of anticipation. She was excited for something, but Raven didn't know what. To see an alien Empire? One that they were on the precipice of outright war with? Kara floated through the halls like Kori, seemingly having no destination in mind, but Raven noticed that Kara's path was leading her to where she was meditating. A few minutes later, Raven heard the doors slide open behind her.

"Er- sorry," Kara said when she saw Raven sitting there, eyes closed, but her apology lacked genuine remorse. The other woman should have been able to hear her heartbeat from anywhere on the ship. What Raven felt from her was something more along the line of reluctance. She wanted to talk, but some worry was holding her back.

"Can I help you, Kara?" Raven asked, prompting the conversation that Kara was here to have. Kara floated inside of the room, her fingers in a mix.

"How do you think Earth is doing?" Kara questioned, apparently not able to jump straight into the topic. To that, Raven opened her eyes, viewing the depths of space. A thought crossed her mind, but she ignored it. Suppressed it in favor of answering.

If she had to speak the truth… "Probably not very well," Raven answered. She had felt the emotions of people when the UN agreed to send them. There was fear. Terror at the easy fall of North Rhelasia. At how easily Tarble carried out his threat.

The fall of North Realasia showed the people of Earth just how small they were in comparison to Tarble. And how minuscule they were in his view -- the destruction of a nation had been treated with the same casual ease as picking up the groceries. It wasn't an undertaking of any kind. It was a chore. One that Tarble had treated with the same reluctance as taking out the trash.

"People are afraid, and fear makes people do stupid things," Raven voiced her concern. One that Kara seemed to share. She still all too easily recalled the final conversation she had with Tarble. The emotions that had rolled off of him. Exhaustion tinged with reluctance. Overshadowing them all his willpower and resolve. After hearing his declaration that he was a King before all else… Raven didn't know if he was the most emotionally resilient person she had ever met, or the most fragile.

His resolve shone brightly, but there were cracks. Blemishes. It was still standing, holding strong, but he was suffering underneath an enormous weight.

Kara floated over, taking a seat next to her as they both floated in midair, "Yeah, that sounds about right. But… I think it'll be fine. No one actually wants a war. I don't think anyone would provoke him." She said, but it sounded like the reassurance was more for herself than Raven. One that didn't work based on the twinge of dread Raven felt from her.

"Tarble won't respond to slights or provocations made against him," Raven said, voicing what she knew to be true. She had seen it. It was a pattern. He brushed off the team of villains- the Suicide Squad, with little issue despite the attempt on his life. He provoked the US government with that declaration of intent, only when the riots started.

The only time Tarble took action was on behalf of other people. Even Adonis fell into that category, though his murder had felt more personal than the state execution that Tarble said it was.

Kara looked at her sharply, "So, you think he actually cares?" She asked, and that seemed to be the topic she wanted to speak about. "When we were fighting, he called it off when we neared a village. I mean, did he do that because he knew he was going to get his ass kicked, or…?"

"Tarble does care," Raven said, wondering why she was becoming the expert on Tarble for the people around her -- from his feelings to his intentions. "And he's doing what he thinks is best. But the question is if he's right or not." There was a reason that the saying ' the road to hell is paved with good intentions' was so famous -- it was undeniably true. "We're going to see if he is or if Earth really is better off without his empire."

"I can't imagine it could be much worse," Kara remarked idly, before wincing ever so slightly -- a flash of shame. It seemed that was an opinion that had slipped out from her. One that she felt and believed, but felt bad for having. Before either of them could say anything, a voice spoke up through the intercom.

"We will be arriving shortly. If you have any preparations to make, then please make them now," the voice informed in perfect English. She shouldn't be surprised by it, but she was -- for a diverse empire, one would think that the language barrier would be a tall one, but it was non-existent. Raven straightened out, letting her cloak fall over her shoulders and pulling up her hood, leaving only the bottom half of her face exposed. Kara let out a sigh as she stretched.

Their eyes met and they exchanged a small nod -- the conversation would be forgotten for now. Now it was time to do what they were here to do. The two of them drifted to the door they had entered where they saw the others on this mission -- Tim, Wally, Kori, and Garfield. Raven realized that they were descending when she started to pick up on emotions that didn't belong to the crew or her friends. They felt… normal. Some were happy. Some were sad. Others angry or jubilant.

There wasn't an immediate flood of negativity, so there was that. It felt like a normal city, but… larger. Raven didn't know where they were, but it was populated. She might have thought it was the capital city if it wasn't for Earth having that… honor.

The door began to open, shifting into a ramp. As it lowered, Raven saw a woman standing at the center of the platform where the ramp landed, flanked by attendants. Raven fought down a momentary flash of surprise -- the woman almost looked like an Azarathian monk. She was humanoid in appearance with light skin that had a dark hue to it. However, her eyes were jet black and no Azarathian monk would dress as ridiculously as she was -- the dark purple dress covered her body had a fanned-up collar. Much like a peacock.

She smiled at them as they walked or floated down the ramp, "Welcome Earthlings to the temporary capital of Tarble’s Empire, a city planet called Weijolf," she said, gesturing to the city around them. It was only then that Raven took her eyes off the other woman -- it looked like a city of the future, the kind that humanity dreamed of having one day. Tall buildings that had gentle, impossible curves and an almost polished shine. Darting between them were hovercars in an endless stream, leaving the streets for the people below to walk. Raven saw countless aliens -- and each one she saw seemed to be a different species.

Then she realized that same sight stretched on all around her. Far beyond the limits of any city on Earth. She turned to the woman, who smiled gently, feeling… pride or smugness at their reaction. Like a cat felt when it had caught a mouse.

"My name is Ada'la, King Tarble's aid. Currently, we are at his home estate on the planet. This is where you will be housed for the duration of your stay," Ada'la informed as the shuttle took off, revealing that they were on the equivalent of a carpark for a mansion. Said mansion was blindingly white and expansive -- Raven wasn't sure if the word mansion truly covered it. The building was at least three entire city blocks wide, almost fifty stories tall. Who knew how long the building was. It seemed so wildly excessive. Especially when she compared it against Tarble's utilitarian attitude.

"Tarble lives here?!" Garfield exclaimed and Raven felt a sharp pang of anger from Ada'la. Not irritation or frustration. Anger. Like she had just been slapped in the face.

"King Tarble owns the estate, but he has never been here. In all honesty, I doubt he knows it exists. It is merely one of many," Ada'la stressed the word King hard enough that even Garfield took the hint with a small wince. "At the moment, it houses his family and some close friends." Raven felt a pang of sadness from Ada'la. Raven momentarily let her senses extend toward the oversized... mansion, and frowned at how small of a numbr that was. She wondered if the sorrow was for Tarble, or because she had shared a connection with those that were lost in the war.

"Thank you," Tim responded for the group. Ada'la nodded, her eyes drifting to the Shielded S on Kara's chest. Which made Supergirl puff out her chest with pride, unashamed of the emblem. "While we appreciate it, our goal is to explore King Tarble's empire with the time that we have. I'm not sure if you are aware, but Earth is having a summit to decide if it will join King Tarble's empire."

Frustration and annoyance, but her smile didn't slip. "Yes, I am quite aware of the issue. As such, I have prepared a number of planets to be visited to help your home planet see that it's far safer underneath the wing of King Tarble's Empire." Ada'la replied. She was annoyed with them for being here. Annoyed with Earth. For what reason remained to be seen, but it felt deeper than the annoyance that Raven would expect at Earth for not instantly rolling over.

Wally raised a hand, "Uh, does T- King Tarble's Empire have an actual name?" He asked, and Ada'la's smile became a little more genuine as she felt pleased by the question.

"That is its name," Ada'la said, pinning them all with a gentle look that was also somehow sharp enough to cut. "It is not the Saiyan Empire, nor named with symbolic meaning. This Empire, all fourteen million planets, and all of the might they can bring, is King Tarble's." She said, driving the point home. Ada'la was delighted -- a mixture of pride and almost affection.

What she described was an absolute dictatorship. Or Monarchy. In this case, they might as well be the same thing.

Tim felt pensive about that -- at the volumes that outlook spoke. "I see," he settled on.

"I doubt that you do," Ada'la stated, not quite unkindly, but with firm dismissiveness. Like she was humoring a child that didn't quite understand how vast the ocean was. "If you did, then you would not be here, heroes of Earth." As she spoke, Raven felt confusion. Doubt. But not from the woman in front of her.

She tilted her head ever so slightly but said nothing.

Kori, sensing the growing tension in the air at the two opposing forces, "We would be most overjoyed to explore the locations you have decided upon. Does one of them include Tameran? I… would be most happy if I could see my sister," she said and there was a longing there that ran far deeper than just missing her sister. Raven had been there during the two sisters’ last reunion, and heartwarming wasn't how Raven would describe it. It was a mystery why Kori was holding out hope for a reconnection, but… Raven wasn't exactly in any position to throw stones when it came to family.

Adal'la looked to her, opening her mouth to respond, but they were interrupted by the sound of an explosion -- the group looked over just in time to see two small figures break through the wall of the building. They fought furiously, exchanging a flurry of blows -- some of which she could feel the force behind from all the way where she stood, rustling her hood. Then, almost as one, the two figures paused and looked in their direction.

Children. Saiyan children based on the bright yellow eyes and the tails twitching in anticipation behind them.

They raced forward, crossing the distance between them and their small group in the blink of an eye and touched down in front of them. A littletoo hard, warping the ground around their feet. It was a girl and a boy, both wearing the same style of armor that Raven saw all of Tarble's soldiers wore, but the girl had a red emblem on her chest -- a trident that had a crescent at the bottom curved upwards, each point marked with an wickedly sharp arrow.

Raven knew who the girl was before she said a word, "Is Brother back?" The girl, Elery, questioned, looking at the group arranged before her. A frown tugged at her lips when she didn't see him -- frustration and sadness welled inside of her when it was clear that he wasn't there. "Is he still on your dumb planet?"

"He is still on his diplomatic mission," Ada'la answered, while the humans of the group bristled at the insult. "These are Earth's heroes-"

Elery's attention latched onto the word hero as the two Saiyan children looked at them, Elery's black eyes darting over all of them, sizing them all up. She looked a lot like Tarble -- Raven could see it in her jawline and cheekbones. But their expression couldn't be more different -- Tarble walked around hiding everything beneath a scowl, while Elery was so open with her feelings that Raven didn't need to be an empath to know what she felt.

"Heroes?" Elery questioned, a smile spreading across her face. She coughed lightly into her fist, clearing her throat, "Of course you're here to meet me! I didn't know my Hero-Force was already so famous that people across the galaxy were coming to join up, but I won't just let anyone join! You have to have to meet our high standards! You need to be able to fly! You have to be able to transform! And you have to be strong!"

Ada'la sighed, exasperated, but secretly amused. Kara let out a small laugh, "What about two out of three? If I'm really strong?"

Elery's eyes narrowed, "How strong is strong?"

"Your brother couldn't beat me," Kara informed, and the proclamation was met with disbelief from the three. But it was Elery that spoke.

"No way -- if you fought Brother, then you wouldn't have a planet anymore," she argued, and it was more than a little worrying how she was treating that as a matter of fact. "That's why we don't have one. Planet Vegeta blew up because Brother and Other Brother were fighting Frieza." By Other Brother, Raven figured she meant Prince Vegeta, Tarble's older brother. The other Saiyan boy's eyes narrowed, feeling…

Anger. Sadness… and guilt? An odd combination at the proclamation.

However, he kept it off of his face with a firm nod. "Yeah, King Tarble is the Legendary Super Saiyan. There's no way you could beat him."

Kara opened her mouth, but Tim interjected, "You said that you had locations lined up for us to visit? Which ones are experiencing the most… difficulty?" He questioned, not really being subtle, but he didn't need to be.

However, Elery wasn't so eager to let go of the spotlight, "Great idea!" She decided, smacking a fist into the palm of her hand. "Tryouts just like Brother did with the st! I'll take you to the worst parts of the Empire to see if you're Hero-Force material!" She decided, and she couldn't have presented the offer any better than if she had gift wrapped it.

Tim smiled, "Thank you, Princess Elery." He said, and Ada'la frowned, clearly annoyed with the move. But Raven could also sense that she was quickly adapting her plan, and while the annoyance that she felt indicated that Ada'la didn't appreciate Tim taking advantage of the little girl's naivety, it wasn't enough to cause any major issues with their tour of the empire. Which hinted to Raven that the plan was to let them see the true underbelly of Tarble's Empire.

"Are you going to come, Kakarot?" Elery questioned, looking at the other Saiyan child. Kakarot opened his mouth to agree, but caught himself before he shook his head.

"No, Mom's still really sad about all of her friends and Dad dying. I should stay with her," Kakarot said. Raven shifted her attention to the building the two came out of, idly searching for his mother. Shifting through the emotions, it was easy to see who she was based on the vast sea of sorrow the woman felt. Sorrow, remorse, and...

Fear.

Elery brushed it off, "Alright, I'll finish kicking your butt later," she decided, and as Kakarot took off, she looked to Ada'la expectantly. Ada'la offered a thin smile at the younger girl before the ground beneath them began to glow. Raven looked down at the landing pad, before her eyes darted back to Ada'la.

"Please do not worry -- we will merely be teleporting to-"

"Planet Craxus!" Elery decided, and Ada'la didn't miss a beat.

"Planet Craxus it is," she decided. "I am unaware if you have access to teleportation technology on Earth, but some discomfort is expected with its first use." She warned, and when she earned a few nods, the ground beneath them flashed white, and when the glow faded, Raven saw that they had been teleported somewhere else.

The smell hit her first -- it smelled like the air was laced with sulfur. They stood in the heart of another city, but this one was nowhere near as fantastical as the former had been. The buildings were squat and block-like, some of them even with a passing glance showed signs of warfare. But, the people that paid them passing looks, only to stop and salute to Elery, felt… strong. There was sorrow here, a great deal of it. Along with fear and anxiety, but also hope and resolve.

"How far did we teleport?" Tim asked while Raven looked at Kara, who had a frown on her face. Kori wore a similar frown, but her eyes were filled with empathy for everyone she saw. While Raven could feel what the people of Craxus were feeling, Kara could hear them

Elery responded by holding up a hologram projector, displaying a map of Tarble's Empire -- it showed a starting point and towards the edge of the empire, it showed their current position. The answer was far. Very far. Tim narrowed his eyes at the hologram, and Raven could feel the implications hitting him like a sack of bricks. Tarble's Empire had an empire-wide teleportation system.

Kara flew off in a sudden burst of acceleration, making Ada'la's eyes widen in surprise, while Elery seemed to take it as a challenge because she took off right after her. The two came to a stop not far away. Raven looked at Tim and received a nod in response.

"I'll take us to them," she informed, her shadow growing into a pool of darkness underneath her. They all began to sink into it slow enough to not startle Ada'la, but she didn't so much as blink. It seemed that she had experience with magic. A moment later they emerged from the roof of a building near the two, Kara hovering overhead with Elery beside her. They were floating above a crowd gathered around a central terminal that projected hundreds of holograms.

Kara looked back at Ada'la, "What is this?" She questioned, lowering down to their position at the top of a building.

Ada'la spared a look at the sea of people and the holograms, her expression not betraying the sadness she felt. "The people of Tarble's Empire were all slaves until the death of Frieza. They were freed with the formation of the Empire, and now they seek to reunite with their families. Their species." Her sadness deepened, "This is one of the terminals that they can use to discover if their families… or species still exist by referencing service records."

Raven looked out at the people -- some had hope flaring to life while others were falling into the depths of despair. People wept in anguish, and some with relief. There were hundreds of species below, in all shapes and sizes, but they stood together to confirm those that were lost and celebrate those that had been found.

"It doesn't work really well," Elery admitted with brutal honesty. "Only Brother bothered to keep records of individual soldiers until he became Supreme Commander. But that was only in the last quarter of the war, so there's a bunch of time where the records don't cover."

"And those that are found are being given new home planets as their species recovers from the war. With our terraforming technology, they will be tailor suited for their needs." Ada'la pitched in, offering some good news to help smooth over the bad.

However, Garfield frowned deeply, "If Tarble- King Tarble is giving out planets like they're candy, then why is he trying to make Earth his new home planet?" He demanded sharply, crossing his arms over his chest. Ada'la lips thinned ever so slightly as she spoke.

"Your planet has the honor of being the first planet that King Tarble ever owned. He picked it for sentimental reasons, I imagine," Ada'la said, but there was doubt. She didn't believe the words that she just spoke. There was confusion there as well, leading Raven to believe that she didn't know the reason either.

Elery offered a shrug, rather uncaring about the fate of their planet. "I think it was because he wanted all the fights for himself. That's why he won't let all the other Saiyans join him when he went to take it from you Earthlings. There's no way Brother would be satisfied with how strong he is!" She said, feeling confident in her deduction.

Then she flew to the side, looking at the crowd. She cleared her throat before she took in a deep breath and, "SHUT UP!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, her power flaring, and Raven felt a flash of rage. A primal feeling of wrath. Much like with Tarble, the feeling was quickly crushed, but not quite as completely as Tarble managed. The crowd looked up at her, pausing their mourning and celebration."I am Princess Elery!"

There was a wave of shock… then amazement following her proclamation. At the very least, Elery wasn't feared. "On this day I officially announce the construction of the Hero-Force! Led by me -- Princess Elery!" Ada'la felt exasperation but it was overshadowed by an amusement that the Teen Titans shared. "Behind me are our first recruits -- don't bother remembering them because most of them won't survive initiation!" And like that, the amusement faded, though not from Ada'la.

"But the ones that do will be fully-fledged members of the Hero-Force! Our duty is to beat up anyone that threatens the peace of Brother's Empire! To protect the weaker races that can't defend themselves and can't even transform! And to ensure that when another war breaks out that the Hero-Force are the only soldiers that are needed!" Elery proclaimed her hands on her hips. "If you want to sign up, then do so! But like the Legendary 501st, we only take the best! Death is not only possible, but it’s also likely! Probable, even! But it'll be a death for something worth dying for!"

She took in a deep breath, "You will fight and die so others won't!" She finished, feeling pleased with her speech. It was a powerful finish. Raven looked to her friends, finding that they also had mixed feelings about it.

"I see you made your own adjustments," Ada'la noted, not sounding surprised as the crowd cheered as Elery flew back to them.

Elery gave a smile that was all teeth, "It needed some. Brother never hid the odds from anyone, and now we'll only get the ones that really want to fight and that are strong." Raven wondered how much of that had been for their benefit -- a show of announcing the Hero-Force that sounded rather similar to their own team. But, Elery also didn't seem to be the type for that kind of intrigue. Then she turned her attention to them all, "Recruits! Are you ready to die?"

"We aren't recruits. We're heroes of Earth," Tim pointed out, but Elery brushed that concern aside.

"Same thing -- Brother will take over your planet in no time at all, so you might as well join now," she said, and it really showed that she had complete faith in Tarble. She treated his victory as an inevitability. It might just be the faith she had as a younger sibling, but the brief glimpse that Raven saw, that the Titans saw…

If Tarble wanted a war, he would have started one. The fact that he didn't was their only saving grace.

Garfield opened his mouth to argue the point, but Kori placed a hand on his shoulder. "We would be honored to aid you while we can, regardless of future endeavors." Kori decided for them, earning a supportive nod from Tim.

"We are short on time before we have to return to Earth, and we have our own mission to complete, but we'll do what we can," Tim voiced.

Kara smiled lightly, "And what will we be doing, Princess Elery?"

The young Saiyan's smile took an almost sinister edge to it. "One of our fleets went rogue. We're going to put a stop to them before they can do any more damage." She said, excitement rising up in her.

Raven didn't say a word throughout the exchange… but seeing that smile made her worry. And deep down, even as the others agreed to help…

Raven knew this would lead to nothing good.