Starfire released Hikaru instantly, green starbolts already forming in her fists.
The probes descended in a coordinated strike pattern. Starfire took the first one, blasting it with enough force to send it careening into the warehouse's far wall. Hikaru manifested a light sword, slicing through the second probe's shield with surgical precision.
Hikaru grabbed his communicator filing in the rest of the team on the situation.
While they contiuned to fight the third probe.
Glass shattered below as the rest of the Titans burst through the warehouse skylight. With Blackfire following, taking out the probe Hikaru had just restrained.
"What the hell is going on?" Robin demanded, landing beside them. "Those were the same kind of probes from before."
"I believe they were after me," Starfire began.
But before she could elaborate, a larger ship materialized overhead. A mechanical voice boomed through speakers: "Stand down. This is official Centauri Police business."
Two figures in red and silver descended techno-organic humanoid crab like aliens."Release the Tamaranean," one commanded. "She is coming with us."
Hikaru stepped in front of Starfire, wings manifesting in a protective display. "Back off. She hasn't done anything wrong."
"Yeah!" Beast Boy morphed into a gorilla. "You want her, you go through us!"
The other officer held up a badge. "I am Cron. This is my partner, Kai. We are authorized representatives of the Centauri Police Force, pursuing a Tamaranean criminal wanted for theft, fraud, and assault across multiple systems."
"That is not me!" Starfire protested. "I have never even been to the Centauri Moons!"
"The description matches—" Cron began.
"Wait." Hikaru's voice cut through the tension. "You're looking for a Tamaranean criminal?"
"Correct," Kai confirmed, features unreadable.
"Then you've got the wrong Tamaranean." Hikaru looked to where Komand'r had just been but to everyone's surprise, she had disappeared.
Starfire was already moving. In the distance, Blackfire's silhouette cut through the night sky, fleeing toward the bay. Rage flooded through Starfire's veins—hot and consuming in a way she'd never felt before. She shot after Komand'r like a missile, starbolts blazing from her fists.
She caught up within seconds, cutting off Blackfire's escape route with a burst of green energy that forced her sister to wheel around mid-air.
"Hello, sister."
Blackfire hovered there, backlit by city lights, her expression shifting into something almost sheepish. "Aww, you're mad. I know, I should have told you I was leaving, but you know how I hate goodbyes and—"
"You are a criminal!" The words tore from Starfire's throat, years of hurt and betrayal crystallizing into this single moment. "And you were going to let me take your place in jail!"
Blackfire's facade cracked. "Oh... well... yeah."
The casual admission was somehow worse than any elaborate justification would have been. Starfire's hands blazed brighter, green energy crackling between her fingers. "You will give back what you have stolen and turn yourself over to the police!"
"And what will you do if I don't?"
The starbolt caught Starfire completely by surprise—a sucker punch aimed straight at her chest. She tumbled backward through the air, the impact stealing her breath. By the time she recovered, Blackfire had already unleashed a machine-gun barrage of pink starbolts.
But Starfire was done being the naive little sister.
She flew through the onslaught like a comet, weaving between each blast without so much as singeing her hair. Her anger burned hotter than fear, brighter than doubt. She gathered herself for a crushing counterstrike, pouring every ounce of solar energy she'd absorbed into her fists.
The bolt connected with Blackfire's hand, making her sister's gathering attack fizzle into nothing. Starfire rose to meet her eye-to-eye, both hands lost in dazzling radiance as she held starbolts in check—ready to unleash them if necessary.
Blackfire merely laughed in her face. "Little Kori, actually showing some—"
The laugh cut off into a surprised yell as a techno-organic tentacle whipped out from behind, wrapping around Blackfire's torso and arms. She struggled against the restraints, but they held firm.
Starfire turned to see Cron and Kai standing on the deck of their righted ship, the tentacle extending from Cron's cybernetic enhancements.
"Blackfire of Tamaran," Cron's mechanical voice carried across the distance, "you are under arrest."
Cron pulled her toward the police vessel.
"No!" Komand'r struggled against the restraints, but her energy was spent. "You can't—I won't—"
"Wait." Starfire descended to face her sister, the rage draining away into something sadder. "It was... despite everything, it was nice to see you again."
For a moment, Komand'r's features softened. Then her expression twisted into something cruel and vindictive.
"Nice?" She laughed—a harsh, broken sound. "You want to know something nice, little sister? I'm the one who gave you to the Gordanians in the first place."
The words hit like a physical blow. Starfire felt the world tilt.
"You were always the favorite," Komand'r continued, venom dripping from every word. "Perfect Koriand'r. While I was hated by our people for something I had no control over—born during a tragic attack, I was viewed as an bad omen by our people, before I could even crawl. The illness that took my ability to fly only further cemented me as an outcast, I was forever marked as defective. Stripped of my birthright to the throne. So when the Gordanians came to Tamaran for war, I gave them you. My perfect little sister, so trusting and naive. It wasn't hard."
Rage and grief warred in Starfire's chest. The slavery, the experiments, the pain—all of it orchestrated by her own blood. Her fists clenched, starbolts forming involuntarily.
But she didn't attack. Slowly, deliberately, she let the energy dissipate.
"I will not give you the satisfaction of my violence," Starfire said quietly. "You are not worth becoming what you are."
Komand'r's eyes widened—surprise, then fury. "This isn't over, Koriand'r. Next time we meet, I won't be so easy on you. You and your precious Titans—I swear I'll destroy everything you love!"
The gravity net pulled her into the ship. Kai nodded to the Titans. "Thank you for your cooperation. We'll be in touch if we need testimony for the trial."
The vessel vanished into the night sky, leaving silence in its wake.
Starfire remained floating, staring at the space where her sister had disappeared. The revelation echoed in her mind—I gave them you—and she felt something break and reform inside her chest.
Hikaru flew up to hover beside her, not touching but close enough that she could feel his warmth. The other Titans gathered on the rooftop below, giving her space but offering silent support.
"Do you think I'm naive?" The question emerged small and tired.
Hikaru was quiet for a long moment. "You're not naive."
"She sold me." Starfire's voice cracked. "My own sister. Everything I endured—the Psions, the experiments—she was behind it all."
"I know." Hikaru's hand found hers, squeezing gently. "And that says everything about her and nothing about you."
"But I wanted to believe she could be good. That family meant something."
"It does mean something. Just not always in the way we hope." He turned her to face him, gold eyes steady. "You want to know what I think? I think the fact that you can still hope, still want to believe in people even after everything you've been through—that's not weakness. That's incredible strength."
"Do you think she can change?" Starfire searched his face.
"Everyone can. They just have to want to." He smiled before his expression hardened. "But if she tries to hurt you again, I won't let her off as easily."
Something in his protective tone made warmth bloom through Starfire's chest. This was real—this friendship, this team, this life she'd built on Earth. Not based on blood or obligation, but on choice.
She stepped closer, reaching up to cup his face with both hands. His skin was warm beneath her palms, and she could feel the slight hitch in his breath as she leaned in.
The kiss was was deliberate, meaningful—a promise and a thank you wrapped together. She felt his hands come to rest gently on her waist, steady and sure.
When she pulled back, his their eyes met. "Thank you for your words," she said softly. "And for always remaining by my side."
Hikaru's smile was worth every terrible thing the night had brought. "Wouldn't want to be anywhere else."
Below, Beast Boy's voice carried up to them: "Called it! Cy, you owe me twenty bucks!"
"Are you seriously betting on your teammates' love lives right now?" Robin's exasperated tone made Starfire laugh despite everything.
"I believe that is our cue to return," she said, but made no move to release Hikaru.
"Probably." He didn't let go either.
They floated there for another moment, the city lights spreading beneath them like fallen stars. Surrounded by friends and held by someone who saw her clearly—not the princess she'd been or the weapon others had tried to make her, but simply Koriand'r—Starfire felt truly at home.