The doors to the Titans Tower operations room hissed open.
I stepped through.
A dozen heads turned my way, some surprised, others guarded. The tension in the air was palpable. All conversation stopped. The sharp hum of the holo-table was the only sound in the room as everyone stared.
I immediately noticed the lineup: Nightwing standing tall with arms crossed, M'gann stood nearby in thought, Kara seated but clearly tense, and Eve standing near the console, brows furrowed in concern. Conner was off to the side, arms folded, silent as always but clearly watching. While the other titans were seated and waiting around the room.
Nightwing stood at the head of the table, arms crossed, face unreadable.
"Cain. Glad you could join us," he said with a tone that was both relieved and wary.
I nodded once, my eyes already scanning the room. " Sorry I'm so late, what did I miss?"
But my attention was drawn to two figures at the center of it all. I recognized them instantly.
And for the first time in a long time… my blood ran cold.
Allen the Alien.
Younger-looking, like his early-series self. His posture was confident but not overly assertive, still a warrior with skills diplomacy. His skin was orange and thick, with a slight muscular build. His giant one eye was focused on me.
But it was the other figure beside him that made the blood drain from my face.
She was tall, easily six foot two, with a sun-kissed hue to her skin that gave off a faint orange glow under the lights. Her long, dark ebony violet hair cascaded over her shoulders in flowing waves. Her armor looked ceremonial in nature, bearing the same silhouettes. It reminded me of her Teen Titans iteration, only now fused with royal elegance and galactic royalty.
The tight-fitted armor hugged her sculpted form, curvy yet lean, soft and deadly in the same breath. Slightly revealed abs beneath the armor's seams. Her posture? Regal. Her gaze? Cold, sharp, stoic—like emerald fire frozen in ice. She was maybe even taller than Starefire.
She Komand'r. or as I knew her Blackfire, Starfire's older sister.
That's when she spoke, voice smooth but laced with veiled judgment.
"Is this the Viltrumite?"
Before I could speak, a faint green light came from Allen's hand. I finally registered his clothes. He wore a uniform, and one I recognized well. One of the Green Lantern Corps.
So this universes version of Allen is part of the Corps. That actually makes a lot of sense when you think about it.
My eyes narrowed.
He looked at the rings readings, then at me. "Yup. He's a Viltrumite," Allen said matter-of-factly. "But these are some weird readings. Something's off."
"Hey! You scanned me without permission," I said, my tone sharpening. "Try that again, and I'll start breaking things."
Allen raised a hand in peace, chuckling nervously. "Force of habit."
Blackfire smirked at my tone, lips curving.
"Well," she said, her voice smooth, sultry, and commanding. "At least he talks like a Viltrumite."
She stepped forward, graceful as a stalking predator, closing the distance between us in just a few strides. She stepped directly in front of me. She was Close. Uncomfortably close.
She stood taller than me.
Everyone tensed. There were murmurs across the room. Superboy took a single step forward, not aggressively, just… there. Present. Kara's arms folded tighter across her chest, and Eve watched me from the far side of the room, her lips in a thin line.
Standing over me by a few inches, before I could react she reached out slowly and placed her hands on my face, cupping my cheeks gently. Her thumbs brushed under my eyes, warm and deliberate.
Eve took a step forward, voice cautious but firm. "What are you doing?"
Kara's eyes narrowed, visibly irritated. "Back off."
Blackfire ignored them.
She leaned in and kissed both of my cheeks slowly, ceremonially. Her forehead pressed against mine.
Suddenly, visions exploded into my mind.
A psychic link?
I saw a young Komand'r, back on Tamaran, before the war, before the betrayal. I saw her training with her sister, learning the royal traditions, the battle stances. Then I saw the woman, tall, beautiful, and horrifying, a Viltrumite in uniform descending from orbit as the Sun shined behind here.
Tamaran's skies alight with emerald green fire.
I saw temples built in honor of "Gods." Murals of muscular figures with mustaches and bloodied fists. The people… bowing.
And then Starfire screaming.
The images ended.
Blackfire stepped back, her expression unreadable. She bowed slightly to me.
"I am Komand'r, current Queen of Tamaran," she said formally, bowing slightly. "Great and honored one."
Gasps echoed around the room.
Nightwing's brow furrowed. M'gann looked openly shocked. Supergirl looked like she was about to combust from irritation.
I, however, stood still.
Tamaranians… almost worshipped the Viltrumites. Some still believed them to be deities, engraved into their cultural roots from invasions and interventions long before Earth ever encountered the name "Viltrum."
So this was effects of generations conditioning.
Blackfire continued, her voice firm but not hostile.
"I come with a warning for the people of Earth. For It's Heroes… and for you, Cain, the Viltrumite of Earth."
I remained silent. Everyone else leaned in slightly, bracing.
"Your time is coming up," she said. "The Viltrumite Empire will soon send envoys to Earth. They wish to inspect this world… to determine whether it is ready to join the Intergalactic Empire of Viltrumite."
The weight of her words crashed like thunder in the room.
"What?!" Eve hissed.
M'gann's face turned pale green. Superboy's eyes widened.
Even Nightwing was momentarily at a loss. His face looked like he was already coming up
I stared at her, not shocked, but not exactly thrilled either. I'd expected something like this. Just… not so soon. But when you think about it. It's been five years since they probably lost word from my dad and Omni man. I wounder why now?
"So… are you here to warn us?" I asked quietly. "So we can prepare?"
Blackfire slowly shook her head.
"No," she said. "I am here to assist, if I can. But not to oppose the Empire directly. I represent Tamaran, and Tamaran… still remembers its past with your kind. We are loyal to the Empire. Even I am blessed to have Viltrumite Heritage."
Allen stepped forward.
"What she means," he said, " is that she is here to get you to side with the Empire. I'm here to help, if possible, should you refuse and things go south. But my resources are limited. The Coalition of Planets and the Lantern Corps are on alert. But this isn't the only sector we are fighting off the Empire on."
I glanced at him.
"So… you're a Lantern?"
Allen nodded. "Special Guardian status. I serve mainly under the Coalition and help monitor Viltrumite activity. Not full time with the Corps, but… close enough. I operate across sectors, mainly those under Coalition protection. It allows me to support resistance against… empires like the one we're discussing. I am here to see if earth would like to join the Coalition. Every few years I ask the League always says no."
Kara frowned. " That's not surprising. Your Coalition has existed for a very long time, but the ones incharge only care about planets with good resources or with strong fighters. That's why you recruit them before the Empire infiltrates, so you can beet them in your arms race. Where are Earth's Lanterns?"
Allen answered flatly. "Currently on Mars. High-level summit. All-hands. We're monitoring incursion anomalies across multiple sectors."
"Great," I muttered.
So the Coalition is no different from the one I know, who knows they maybe even worse.
Allen added, "Tall, dark, and regal over here", he gestured to Blackfire "was sent by Tamaran's supreme leader."
Blackfire nodded. "The Goddess of Tamaran. The Matriarch of the Royal Family and It's one true ruler."
"Anissa…" she said softly. "Though my people know her as… The Goddess Dawnfire."
The room fell silent.
That name… Anissa. Great and if she is a hybrid like Omni man said. She might be worse to deal with then Conquest was in the original series. Wait she said Matriarch? That Means Anissa is the great however many times Grandmother to Starfire and Blackfire. The name and title of Dawnfire makes sense.
The title alone sounded divine, and dangerous.
Kara finally broke the silence. "You're saying your viltumite goddess sent you to deliver this message?"
Blackfire's green eyes glowed faintly. "I serve her will. And her vision is clear. The Empire stirs. Earth's position is... precarious."
I met her gaze. "And you believe I am the key?"
Blackfire nodded once. "The Empire will come. Since you are the only known Viltrumite here to account for Earths readiness. They will look to you to take responsibility. So When they do they will judge you first."
I clenched my fists. This wasn't just a warning. It was a countdown.