"Are you all right?" B-ko asked as the tall, blue haired woman took her lover aside. She had seen Kestrel's face seem to shut down while talking with Oracle and figured there just might be trouble coming. "I don't know," Helena confessed, her black hair slicked back, "it appears my mother is aboard one of the ships you rescued." B-ko's eyes widened, "The one who abandoned you? It must have been a surprise." Helena nodded, "To be honest I don't know how I feel about it right now." Oracle walked into the room, the redheaded android leading several alien representatives from the ships that were now orbiting the moon. The Dominators were eerie, thin yellow skinned figures with the trademark red risks on their elongated heads. followed by the troll like Khund warriors. One by one aliens trooped in, but their eyes were drawn to a golden skinned woman, her armored costume battered but her red eyes narrowed with pride. "Blackfire," Supergirl murmured, A-ko's frown evident. "Who?" Orin blinked, the redheaded young man giving their leader a curious look. "Komand'r, she's the Queen of Tamaran," Kyla said quietly, "and tangled with the Teen Titans several times while trying to kill her sister, Starfire." "Sounds like a winner," D-ko murmured, the robot girl looking worried. "It gets worse," Katar Hol said coldly, the reddish-haired Hawkwoman glaring towards Blackfire, "she murdered my mother during the Rann/Thangar war." "You aren't going to...?" Orin asked her softly. "No, not now," Katar shook her head grimly, "not here at least." "Welcome to the Watchtower," Supergirl addressed the group formally, "my name is Supergirl and I lead the Justice League. How can we help?" "Repair our ssshipsss," the Dominator hissed out, "we musst flee thiss doomed world." "We were hoping you'd consider offering help," Helena said coldly, the cowl of her Kestrel uniform back in place. The Knund snorted his amusement, looking up at them. "Earth's warriors proved their valor when we attempted to invade years ago," he said, "but defeating Warworld is beyond even you." "The Khund is right," Komand'r gave him a disdainful look, "the Almeracians who lead Warworld now are far more powerful than you can imagine." J'onn J'onnz frowned, the tall green skinned Martian studying her intently. "As a precaution I did a low level mind scan as you all entered the room," he rumbled, "you know more about Warworld than you're saying." Komand'r gave J'onn a glare, "How dare you!" "Considering your well known reputation for treachery, it seemed to be only prudent," J'onn replied calmly. "How dare you," Komand'r raised her hands, energy building around them... right before Kestrel slugged her, sending the queen to the floor spitting blood. "Don't even think about it," Kestrel said coldly, "or I promise you that you'll regret it." Komand'r picked herself up with as much dignity as she could. "Who are you, Earther?" she asked coldly. Kestrel hesitated then drew her cowl back. "Helena Wayne," she answered simply, "your grand-niece, I believe." Komand'r gaped at her, for once completely surprised. "At least now we know for sure that it's Almerac involved with this," Kyla Scott commented, enjoying the respect that the Green Lantern uniform. It was clear that at least some of the aliens would have liked to throw their weight around, but their respect for the office was stopping them. ZZZWHIISH! In a burst of speed Flash arrived, a red and gold streak. "So," Iris West asked eagerly, "what'd I miss?" "Alien refugees and nearly a fist fight," Kyla summarized. She gave Iris a curious look, "So how did the date go with Firestorm?" "Pretty good," Iris blushed. "Oh ho!" Kyla grinned over at her old friend impishly and asked, "So you spent the night together? How was he? Iris looked away, "We did not sleep together, damn it." "Somehow I doubt that," Kyla teased. "Besides, she's too much of a gentleman to sleep together on the first date," Iris added with a fond little smile. "She!" Kyla blurted. She gave Iris a thoughtful look, "I thought that you didn't go that way!" A brighter blush colored Iris' cheeks as she said, "It's a long story." "Does anyone know where Dr. Fate is?" D-ko asked curiously, "I thought she'd answer the emergency call when we picked up the ships." There was a shimmer in the air, almost as if the fabric of space itself were being folded and in a swirl of golden cloth Dr. Fate appeared, her blue and gold uniform gleaming. She wore a simple, ankh inscribed circlet on her brow and beads of gold were braided with longer strands of her white hair. "My apologies," she said seriously, "Black Adam and Lady Marvel were fighting again and I and several others had to step in." "Makes sense," Supergirl admitted. She hesitated, "I don't suppose you could just magic the damaged vessels back together...?" "Sorry," Fate shook her head, "my powers are more combat oriented." Komand'r was studying Helena thoughtfully, a hand pressed to the corner of her mouth to stop the flow of blood. "You do carry a resemblance to your mother," she conceded softly. "J'onn was asking about Warworld," Helena asked as she ignored that comment. Komand'r nodded slightly as she said, "The Almeracians have transformed themselves in a disgusting manner. Their men are dead and they now procreate via technology." "All of them?" Supergirl's eyes narrowed, thinking of the ship full of women that had tried to retrieve C-ko in the past. "Yes," Komand'r said grimly, "and they have enhanced their elite with genetic material taken from the races they have defeated." A pause, "You can't imagine how powerful they are, now." "That doesn't sound good," Katar said bleakly. "Indeed, Hawkgirl," Komand'r answered, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Who is in their elite?" Oracle stepped in before Katar did something violent. "I'd love to put a name to our enemy." "They're still led by the queen of Almerac, Maxima," Komand'r said as a faint smile tugged at her lips, "and her beloved daughter, the princess Cylene." B-ko stopped what she was doing on hearing that name, a sudden chill landing in her gut. Supergirl seemed to have a similar reaction, A-ko exchanging a gaze with B-ko. "Do you have a image of this Cylene?" Oracle asked, wondering at the two women's reaction. "Yesss," a Dominator hissed, activating a small holographic unit. The blue eyed blonde who appeared was beautiful, her face open and sunny as she smiled. She was well shaped, full breasts and hips beneath her simple jumpsuit and a cloak swirled around her. Almost as soon as Cylene's image appeared A-ko and B-ko gasped, both women looking like they'd been punched in the gut. "What?" Helena demanded. "I think," A-ko said in a voice numb with surprise, "that may be C-ko."
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