by Libbylawrence
At Titans Tower, a beautiful, golden-skinned woman stretched and ran a hand through her luxurious mane of hair as she reclined on a divan. Her name was Kory Anders, and she looked every inch the supermodel she had become since her arrival on Earth. However, there was more to the Tamaranean Titan than her outer luster would reveal. Princess Koriand’r, known to her friends as Kory, had lost the security of home and family at an early age.
At an age when most children were still growing and beginning to explore their place outside their family unit, Koriand’r had been ripped away not only from the royal family of Tamaran but from the world itself. Brutalized by aliens who saw her as nothing more than a commodity, she endured a harrowing existence as a slave to the reptilian Gordanians. Despite her circumstances, the young girl fought for the bare essentials necessary for survival. Fit and capable, she was more than willing to engage in battle. Yet, the loveliest part of her personality was her unwavering optimism. Kory cared for others and expressed noble feelings of love and friendship without any inhibition or protective reserve.
The New Titan called Starfire had loved deeply and suffered the loss of that love more than once. She had lost one fiancé, Franklin Crandall, to a violent death and had helplessly watched her husband, Karras, die at the hands of alien invaders. (*) Although Franklin had secretly been a member of the criminal group HIVE and Karras had merely been a partner in a politically motivated union devoid of spiritual ties or love, Kory had also found true love on Earth.
[(*) Editor’s note: See “Starfire Unleashed,” New Teen Titans #16 (February, 1982).]
Dick Grayson, Robin, Nightwing — by any name, the New Teen Titans leader had won Kory’s heart, and she had waged a deliberate battle of sorts to make the logical-minded detective see that he also had feelings for her. Dick had tried to deny such emotions, claiming that a romance could interfere with their effectiveness as members of the team. While this reasoning was perfectly logical, he was also hiding a deeper fear. Dick was somewhat afraid of letting himself experience the raw passion the alien princess exuded so naturally. It was literally alien for a young man raised by Batman to surrender himself emotionally in so complete a manner to another person’s expectations and needs.
Still, that reserve had eventually thawed, and their relationship ended up blossoming into a real romance. However, the demand that she marry Karras to prevent more violence on her homeworld of Tamaran had placed a wall between them. (*) Even after Karras died at the hands of alien invaders and Kory returned to warn the Titans about the impending invasion of Earth, Dick had kept his distance. (*) His values dictated that the end of his romance with Kory was necessary after she married another man. It was his hurt over her choice that led him to treat her as merely a friend upon her return.
[(*) Editor’s note: See “For Better, For Worse,” The New Teen Titans v2 #17 (February, 1986) and The New Titans: Fragments, Epilogue: Invasions.]
“X’Hal! Dick, what can I do to make you realize that we belong together?” she said softly as she rose up off the divan and stood. She was so frustrated at the continuing situation that, even after more than a year had passed, she felt she was about to burst. She could not understand, beyond a purely intellectual level, why Dick could not accept that her marriage to Karras had simply been a ceremony called for by by political necessity. Her love for Dick had never wavered, and he should have understood that her actions did not diminish their bond.
Recalling their morning together, a sudden idea came to her. She just might have thought of the best way to get through to him.
***
That morning, Kory had greeted the dawn with her customary joy and exuberance. Then she soared around the gleaming tower that served as the New Titans base before she eventually entered and found Dick Grayson busy at work at a computer.
“Good morning, Dick! It’s a lovely day,” she said tentatively.
He smiled and glanced up in greeting. “Yes. Since so much of my time with Batman was spent patrolling the night, I have never taken a sunrise for granted. They can be spectacular.”
Dick hesitated for a moment. Words usually came to him with ease. As a boy, he had been a quick-tongued punster, and he had matured into a capable and decisive leader as a young man. Still, he struggled to find something to say to the woman who had meant everything to him in the recent past, especially since their easy comfort had vanished. He started to offer her a compliment about her beauty, but the words stuck in his throat, leaving an awkward silence hanging between them.
“I am updating our files. After the return of the Gargoyle and that mess with the Cheetah, we were a bit behind. (*) Plus, I want to keep current with the things our California friends’ experience too,” he said slowly, referring to Titans West.
[(*) Editor’s note: See The New Titans: To Sleep, Perchance to Die, Showcase: Artemis: Cat and Mouse Game, and The New Titans: Aftermath.]
Kory nodded, feeling the lack of true communication between them like a chill wind. It ached to be near Dick and not be able to rely on his old warmth and tenderness.
Suddenly, the monitor board sprang to noisy life, providing a welcome distraction for the couple. Dick switched on the computer and quickly scanned the data.
“It’s a hostage situation at the Franklin Furniture Factory,” Dick announced. “A worker who was laid off has shown up with explosives strapped to his chest. He says he’ll blow up the place and all the employees unless the owner comes to him!”
“Come on, I can carry you!” Kory replied.
He slipped into the flying woman’s arms with slight reluctance, and they soared across the city at top speed.
Kory frowned, reflecting, I can learn languages through touch, as I did when first I came to Earth, but I also need no special power to tell by Dick’s body language and his unwillingness to touch me except when necessary, that he still can’t resume our relationship like before! Still, I can’t believe that he does not care for me anymore. His eyes express more than his silence.
They reached the factory complex, where police cars and medical personnel were gathered. One burly officer stood near a white-haired man with a cane.
“Land there! I see Officer O’Connel and Harry Franklin below!” Nightwing instructed.
Starfire and Nightwing approached the group, and O’Connel smiled slightly.
“Nightwing! Thank goodness you’re here. This is a bad situation,” O’Connel explained. “Jacob Marlowe was laid off. He returned today, and after getting to the very heart of the plant, he revealed that he was wearing an explosive device. Crude but dangerous. He says he’ll use it unless Mr. Franklin comes to him.”
Franklin added, “I know he has good reason to hate me. The cutbacks were necessary, but he has a family. I had no choice. None of the other men I laid off took the news in such a violent manner. Jacob wants me dead. I am an old man with a bum leg, but I want to live. Still, if it will save the men inside from his wrath, then I’ll go into the plant!”
“You will, and yet you won’t,” Nightwing said. “I have a plan.”