Chapter 69: Koriand’r- Starfire

"Talking"

'Thinking'

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Washington DC, Hall of Justice, March 15, 12:38, 2017

"For the record. My name is Michael Holt, principal head of the New World Legislative Committee. And today, March 15, 2017, at 12:38, local time, we are beginning with the official audience registration for the princess of the planet Tamaran, Koriand'r"

In a private room, in the Hall of Justice, which to the world was believed to still be the official base of the Justice League, as a worldwide agreement was made to keep the Watchtower a secret to avoid future threats, the official audience for the new alien visitor, Koriand'r, was being held.

Five days had passed since her arrival, and even in the present, she was still the main topic of the moment. The heroes, both young and old, were fascinated by Koriand'r's arrival. For her cheerful personality, like her curiosity for every thing Earth had to offer, made people feel comfortable with her presence, bringing joy in whatever room she was in.

Sure, she hadn't been able to get out or visit much, only in the city of Washington and well supervised by the other heroes, but, still, what little she had seen, had left her highly fascinated.

Especially the food. She didn't know how Earth had been able to create something as tasty as pizza. If it were her planet, she would have already advocated to give an award and recognition to said genius for creating such culinary delight.

The heroes, who had been living with her, still wondered how someone with a physique as well-groomed as hers could eat up to 3 FULL BOXES of pizza and still be hungry for more. And what made them even more envious was that she didn't seem to put on an ounce of weight with everything she ate. However, they had not commented on it for fear of offending her.

Although this, in reality, had a rather simple explanation, and one that the heroes would later learn, knowing her better. This was because of her race.

The Tamarean race was a race with a rather fast metabolism. Almost everything they ate was metabolized and converted into physical energy. This is why the race was known as one of the strongest, fastest and most resilient in the universe. 

Even if Koriand'r ate 3 pizza boxes, this was nothing to her metabolism, which was even considered superior to most Tamareans because of her royal lineage and particular power.

She was the bearer of the 'flame of life'. Adding to the strength, speed and endurance that excelled her race, she had the ability to absorb UV radiation from the sun and convert it into power to fly and generate energy beams. Something that made her the most powerful warrior of her planet. 

That is why her father did not hesitate to send her away and save her from Darkseid's hands. Practically, she was the hope of her people.

She was practically overprotected by her parents. Which made her older sister, Komand'r, who was the heir to the throne, jealous of the exaggerated attention she got from everyone.

(AN: in the comics, all Tamareans have this ability, but I'm changing it here. She, for the moment, can only do this. More will be said about this in the future)

She was fascinated with everything. And quite cheerful since she arrived. She thanked her parents for sending her to this beautiful planet, full of color and life, as a refugee.

However, and to her sadness, she had not yet been officially accepted as a refugee of this planet. And that is why this meeting was taking place today.

If it had been earlier, it would not even have been in doubt. As with Superman, Supergirl, Martian Manhunter and Miss Martian, she would have been readily accepted, and helped without hesitation, given a home, and perhaps a civilian alibi to adapt to life on Earth.

But those were no longer those times. EVERYTHING had changed. Including, what was known as the 'alien asylum'.

The world wanted transparency. It wanted truth and it wanted justice. And the world legislative committee was in charge of providing it. Not only had laws been created for metahumans, but also for extraterrestrials. That's how strict everything had become. And all this, to avoid another revolt, conflicts or problems, like the ones that had happened a few months ago.

Superman, Supergirl and the Martians had earned the affection and trust of all the people. They were their heroes. They were already considered one of us because of their adaptability to our culture.

However, one could not help thinking or believing that, just as there were good and cooperative alien races, there were also cruel and vengeful races in the vast universe. Races that could be a threat to global security.

These new laws, protocols, and so on, had been created cooperatively by everyone (governments and the Justice League) to prevent just that. Vandal may have gone a little crazy thinking that we would be invaded. But, it was wise to prevent such a future from actually happening.

Michael continued to speak for the record. The strange thing is that the whole process was not being recorded with conventional cameras or microphones. Instead, it was being recorded with a small metal flying sphere, which Michael had built with the new center's resources, called a 'T-sphere'.

A new technology that allowed everything to be recorded, analyzed and registered with the utmost precision. In theory, this technology had been built for the purpose of gathering information in certain difficult cases to learn the truth. But the potential of these small spheres was enormous. So much so that Michael knew they could be considered weapons. And that's why only he could use them.

"For the record, I add that, the room we are currently in, is the Hall of Justice arcade, kindly provided to us by the Justice League. At this time, in said room are: Superman, Green Lantern Hal Jordan, Wonder Woman, Ghost Rider, Princess Koriand'r, my assistant Alexandra Danvers, who is recording everything in written form, and me"

The atmosphere felt tense as Michael spoke. It felt so tense that the room, which as he had commented, was a recreation room where there were elegant and relaxing armchairs and where one could talk in a calm manner, felt like a small interrogation room even though as was said, there were only 7 people.

These people were not there just for the fun of it or for the gossip. They were chosen specifically because they would serve or help in this process. Not counting the assistant Alexandra, or Michael himself, who came from the governments of the world, the others were there because they were representatives of something.

Superman was an extraterrestrial. He could attest to the asylum for extraterrestrial races on Earth and that she was treated no differently than he was. Above all, that she not be discriminated against or falsely accused of something. Besides the fact that he was the one who intercepted the ship.

Hal, was coming as a member of the Green Lanterns. John had gone to Oa to seek the answers as to why this princess had come to Earth. What had happened on the planet Tamaran. And some other questions that needed to be answered. He didn't want to go, but, unofficially, Hal was 'off duty'.

Since, to avoid conflict with the Guardians, by disobeying orders that not to kill Carol, it had been said that Hal had been badly wounded, fighting just with Carol. But he had been able to destroy the pink ring, ending the threat of an invasion of Earth by the Sappire Corps. 

Fortunately the Guardians ate that lie. And they didn't delve any deeper into the subject. Since, according to them, this was an internal Earth conflict. And it was not the business of the Green Lantern Corps to help in these conflicts.

John and Hal had been given permission to recover, and help their planet out of these internal conflicts. And that is why they had not been recalled to Oa. They were even told that, fortunately, an agreement had been reached with the Sappire Corps not to fight an intergalactic war.

In short, all conflicts were settled.

But, in reality, there was much more going on behind the scenes. John and Hal knew they had been sidelined, as the Guardians were hiding something. 

And John, in addition to getting the information out of Tamaran, would take it upon himself to get more information regarding the events that had transpired over the past few months on Oa. Perhaps Kilowog could tell him something.

Diana and Edgar were there for a simpler matter. Because of their powers or abilities. Specifically Edgar's special eyes, which could see souls, and Diana's lasso of truth, which would be the guarantee that Koriand'r would not lie in this interrogation. 

"Princess Koriand'r, you agree to ALL the agreements we have previously explained to you, including the recording of EVERYTHING you discuss with us"

This, like every current legal process, was being handled as transparently as possible. Koriand'r, who was already being taught writing and reading, and who also had a good command of the English language, had been told how this whole situation was going to be in detail. Including that everything she said was going to be recorded to have a registry of why she had come to Earth and if she was a security threat.

She, despite her cheerful and childlike personality, was quite intelligent. She was a princess, and since she was a child she had been taught all the diplomatic theory that existed in the universe, in order not to sully her royal name and that of her planet.

She knew that on all planets there were rules, traditions and customs. And she easily understood that this whole process was for the safety of planet Earth itself. Her planet would do the same with any foreign visitor. It would even be more stringent. Therefore, she agreed without hesitation to everything proposed.

"Yes, I agree"

"Perfect. Now that the official speech has been given, let's drop the formalities and talk like friends" all the tension in the room seemed to vanish when Michael began to behave informally. However, this was no surprise, he was like that.

While he could be quite fair and strict with the rules, he also behaved flexibly with formality. His attire being the best of examples, as he always dressed casually, despite the elegant events.

"Folks, this is an official audience, yes, but, that's not to say we have to behave like robots. Right now, we are a group of friends, who are going to chat. That's all" Michael turned to Koriand'r, and said, "How are you, Koriand'r, What do you think of Earth, are you liking it?"

Koriand'r, who was beginning to adjust to Earth life, and who at this time was wearing normal Earth clothes, i.e. ripped jeans, and a white t-shirt with a matching yellow jacket, answered honestly what was asked. At that moment, and as an established agreement, she had Hestia's lasso tied around her wrist, forcing her to tell the whole truth.

"It is great. There is so much vegetation and life. You should be proud of yourselves for the beautiful planet you have. And, although I know I haven't seen the whole planet and only this city, what little I have seen has been great. I'm glad to be here"

Michael was pleased by the orange-skinned woman's words. "That's great. I'm glad you liked it-" he was going to say thank you, but what Koriand'r said next caused him to start coughing like crazy, and those in the room to start snickering under their breath.

"But I am surprised at the humans. I considered them very quiet. But I've noticed that, at night, they become very violent. The room assigned to me, which is next to my night caretakers, who are Hawkman and Hawkwoman, always records nights of fighting. My developed ear has even heard Hawkwoman screaming 'OH, GOD, HIT ME HARDER, YES, HARDER, AHH' every night, while the bed is heard rumbling. Maybe it's a stress release fight. I had a few with my older sister, but they weren't as nightly. Maybe it's human habit..."

The way she said it was so natural and curious that everyone let out a laugh. Except, Clark and Diana who felt a little embarrassed. Diana felt embarrassed because Edgar and she regularly had the same 'late night fights'... and she yelled the same thing.

Clark was embarrassed that Hawkman and Hawkwoman, who were supposed to look after this guest, and guard her safety, were having relationships on nightly rounds. He was already considering putting Martian Manhunter as Koriand'r's substitute night guardian. Or better yet, put her with the teenagers at Mount Justice. Of course, if her stay on Earth were to be approved.

Hal, who was leaning back on the couch in a relaxed manner, humorously commented to her.

"Ha, it's to release stress, but it's not a fight, princess"

Koriand'r became curious at this. However, she quickly caught on to what he meant, and said.

"Oh, I see. So that was about terrestrial reproductive activity. Interesting. I didn't pick up on it because on Tamaran you can only reproduce on nightly cyclical dates (nights of the full moon), when females present themselves most fertile. Earth did not present these nights, so I didn't catch that it was this situation"

"Cough, cough, don't worry, Koriand'r. You will adjust to Earth life later. And I apologize for my friends if they made you uncomfortable"

"Oh, not at all. It's natural. I was even surprised at the amount of time they lasted-"

"Cough, cough, let's stop talking about this, and change the subject. Michael, please" Superman cut the talk short. It wasn't relevant, and frankly it made him uncomfortable. Clark was like that. He was raised in a fairly conservative family. These topics made him uncomfortable when spoken openly. And more so in an 'audience'. Good thing Michael, despite being amused, changed the subject, and they started talking about more pressing things.

"You are right, Superman. Koriand'r, you can learn more about the 'human' topics and customs, but that will be later. Right now, I want to know if you are a threat to the people of Earth. So I ask you..." Michael changed his cheerful disposition back to a serious one. "What are you doing here, and why Earth?"

That was the million-dollar question. Especially the second question. There were millions of planets. According to Hal's records, Tamaran was far away. Several galaxies away from the Milky Way. He was suspicious as to why specifically this planet had been chosen. What was so special about it.

Everyone became serious and solemn about this. The best part, she couldn't lie because of Diana's lasso. Whatever she said would be the truth. Or at least, what she believed to be the truth.

Koriand'r did not answer immediately. Instead she gave the question a serious thought. She knew that her stay there depended on her answer. After some thought, she answered.

"My planet was attacked. A large fleet attacked, decimating our entire army and killing all the civilians. It was a massacre. We began to defend ourselves, but they were very powerful and numerous. My father, the king, chose to send my sister and me to protected places. It was not the same place to prevent them from following us. My sister, princess Komand'r, was sent to sector 3324, to the planet Vulcan, an ally of ours. And I was sent here. Earth is known to be well protected by the Green Lanterns and, moreover, it is a planet that has already repelled the invasion of Steppenwolf. A young planet, but full of resources"

She looked down. Her demeanor denoted much sadness.

"I don't know what happened to my planet. I don't know who attacked us either. My father didn't tell us. We were in the castle sheltering when it all happened. However, one thing was certain. When the invasion began, my father was very scared of the enemy. And we Tamareans, we fear only a few. The worst thing is" there Koriand'r broke down and began to cry,

"I just don't know what happened. I don't know anything, sniff. I fear for my people, I fear for their safety. And now, I'm alone, on this planet, pretending to be brave. When in reality... I'm scared, sniff, I'm so scared"

Diana moved quickly and hugged the young woman. At this moment, she didn't look like a princess, she looked just like a helpless and lonely girl. Someone who needed support and someone to tell her 'that everything would be alright'.

Michael looked at the scene solemnly. He had been moved, yes, but it was not his job to mourn for others, it was his job to stand up for the safety of the world.

"Koriand'r. Last question. are you a threat to Earth?"

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"No"

Michael nodded. He turned to Diana, who was hugging the girl, and asked.

"Wonder Woman, your turn"

"She's telling the truth. The lasso made her do it"

He nodded again. Then he turned to Edgar and asked.

"Ghost Rider, your turn"

"Her soul is good. She's not a danger"

Edgar had analyzed her. Nor had he detected any lies or malice in her voice. But, above all, her soul denoted no malice. A grade '2', good enough. In fact, quite innocent for the age she claimed she was. She was supposed to be, in earthly terms, a teenager.

In short, she was a pure soul. She was a danger to no one. Perhaps, the only thing she sinned at, was being too innocent.

"Hal, what do you say?"

"I can't jump to conclusions. But she, individually, is not a danger. And if she ends up being one, I, as Lantern, will take care of it"

"Then, let's conclude this" Michael stood up and held out his hand to her, "Welcome to Earth, Miss Koriand'r. While you are here, you will be the responsibility of the Justice League. They will speak up and take responsibility for you. I expect you to adapt and follow the rules they ask of you. Since today, you are an 'official visitor' to Earth"

"Thank you. Thank you for everything"

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"Thanks for coming, Michael" Superman held out his hand to Michael, as he waved goodbye to him at the door of the Hall of Justice, while they waited for Alexandra to arrive with the car to go to the airport.

Outside, there was an accumulation of reporters investigating why Michael had come. For, the coming of a new visitor from space had not yet been made official.

"Here's to you for having us, Superman. Actually, I should have come earlier, but we've been very busy. It was only today that I was able to give myself a little time to analyze this case. You know, of all the new laws and protocols in place, the one I thought we weren't going to use for quite a while was just the extraterrestrial visitor protocol. But look at us now. Fifteen days, and we already have a new alien ally"

"Sigh, you're right. Earth keeps giving us surprises. But I'm glad her asylum has been approved. The girl is good. An alliance may even be formed in the future with her planet"

Michael had no reason not to accept the girl's stay. She had told the truth and posed no individual threat to Earth. Furthermore, as had been discussed, her stay would be under the care of the Justice League. They would have to take care of her health, welfare and her responsibilities to the world. If she committed a crime, the League would be the ones to pay for it.

Simply put, this permission granted, is like when you go to a foreign country as a tourist. No one is going to stop you from seeing or enjoying the country, but you have responsibilities to follow the rules of the place.

"Okay, the permits and her official ID will be sent to you in a couple of days. Sigh. Tomorrow, surely the news will already be talking about this"

With this permit, Koriand'r was to be given an official ID from Earth's political ally. This was the new agreement that had been established for all aliens on Earth. Something that even Clark, Kara and the Martians had to abide by. They had the same IDs.

"It's been approved already, that was fast"

Michael pulled out the sphere that had recorded everything, and explained.

"The sphere that recorded, compiled everything and attached it to the archives. Already at this moment the notice is being sent to the whole world. Today's technology works miracles. This little thing, it will be our greatest ally in analyzing every difficult case, gathering evidence and finding the truth"

"Impressive, Michael. I can see that it has well-developed sensors"

Superman could see it. With his great eyesight he could see that this technology was nanotechnology and that each titanium fiber, the material this sphere was made of, was condensed with sensors of all kinds. High-end technology that would even impress and make Cyborg himself envious.

Michael, as usual, didn't brag about it. He didn't like to. He just dismissed the comments towards his sphere as no big deal and changed the subject.

"By all this, I thought there would be Batman at the trial. It's in his nature to know everything. I thought he'd be curious about the conversation we'd have today"

"The truth is, I thought he'd come too. But he told me he was sure that Koriand'r would be given permission and that he would read the briefs later. Right now, I think he's busy following up on a lead on the missing Harley Quinn. You know he's very sensitive about that subject"

That was a touchy subject. Since it was known that Sabbac was to blame for EVERYTHING that happened and was the one pulling the strings from the shadows, Batman was quick to assume that Harley Quinn, and perhaps many of the villains who had escaped, were involved with this same demon.

What Edgar was previously investigating for its roots with Trigon was now an issue for the entire Justice League. The main future threat to defeat. What's worse is that Sabbac himself evidenced that there was a group of gods led by Ares lurking in the shadows. But, as with the Obscurus, nothing was known about it.

That's why they wanted to divide the team and send them to fixed territories as a base. That way they would cover a wide area of the world and could gather information about the whole situation. Something Edgar was very grateful for.

"So, he's doing Batman stuff?"

"Hahaha, yeah. He's doing Batman stuff"

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Batcave, at this moment 

And it wasn't a lie. Batman was gathering information, but how he was doing it was the mystery. At this moment, our beloved bat detective was moving large wires, soldering and connecting them in the Batcave's old computer.

The strange thing was that the Batcave was destroyed. Everywhere there were huge stones derived from the heavy collapse that had occurred due to the explosion that Batman himself caused to prevent the theft of information from his computer by The Light. (AN: chapter 26)

The collapse had completely destroyed the Batcave and destroyed every gadget, vehicle and computer in the place. Not only that, but Wayne Manor, which was Bruce's ancestral home, was also destroyed.

But, to everyone's surprise, Bruce never made any pretense of fixing the house. Not even the Batcave. Because, according to him, there was no need. Everyone knew he was Bruce Wayne. Therefore, having a 'secret lair' was no longer necessary.

To the whole world, his home was in the suburbs of Gotham, in a safe house he had bought and where he lived with Dick and Selina. His lair was the Watchtower, home of the Justice League. No more hideouts.

Unfortunately, and like anything Batman does, this wasn't entirely true. In reality, this was an alibi to keep his teammates and the League from knowing that he actually DID fix the Batcave. The mansion was still destroyed, but the Batcave was now functional. An event that only he knew about.

Even though there were still huge rocks from the collapse, the computer was already fixed and upgraded.

But what Bruce wanted wasn't just a computer. Right now, he was connecting power cables to the computer because he was creating a new security system. A system that would be secret only to him. A security system that helps you protect the world.

"If there's one thing I learned from the event with The Light, it's that there's still a lot of things I don't know. And that's something I need to fix. For, gods and demons lurk in the shadows"

When he plugged everything in, the machine turned on.

<STARTING SYSTEMS. OPERATIONAL FAILURE ANALYSIS>

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<NO SYSTEM OPERATIONAL FAULTS DETECTED. ACTIVATING>

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<OPERATING SYSTEM: OMNI MIND AND COMMUNITY (OMAC). ACTIVATED. WELCOME, BRUCE WAYNE…>

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AN:

My P@treon 

TioIroh99 (11 chapters ahead)

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