The Hunter Trio

Part 2

By Linda Soft

Chapter 4: Their first assignment

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ The shuttle lands in a small city on an otherwise unpopulated planet. The three Titans have nothing but theÖ errÖ ëclothesí on their backs, a sorry little cargo shuttle, and an old scientist who is their only hope for getting home. They got some sleep during the trip to the planet, and there were emergency rations onboard, but they will need to obtain money quickly if they want to survive here for long. The old Professor Zeek was of little help financially. Apparently, he cared more about his scientific research than what they were paying him on that space station.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ Although there are probably many different jobs the girls could take, none would be quite as lucrative as the age old profession of bounty hunting. This is a dangerous galaxy, filled with vicious aliens that need to be dealt with. Not the least of which are the insect-like space pirates, which the girls have already faced.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ So their first priority is to register with the local bounty office, and complete the first mission they can get. This sounds like an easy task, if not for how they are dressed. Itís a long walk through the city streets to reach the bounty office. The local people cannot help but gawk at the strange group walking by. There is an old man, who looks like a clichÈ scientist, followed by three teenage girls; each seemingly wearing some kind of balloon suit. If the people are not staring at how goofy the bubble suits look, they are fascinated by how transparent they are.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìJust keep walking,î Raven tells her friends, each painfully aware of the people staring at them. They would have covered up before walking through the city, if they had anything to cover with. Even if they could buy new clothing, it would never fit over these enormous bubbles.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìCould we not have parked closer to where we are going?î Starfire asks, her face red with embarrassment.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìOh, itís not that far to walk,î Zeek tells her, not understanding why his three young companions are so adverse to a little exercise on a bright sunny day like this. ìAccording to the young man who gave us directions, weíre about half-way there already.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìWhatís half of forever?î Terra asks, blushing just as red as Starfire.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìWhat do you mean they didnít come back?î a man yells, as the four finally arrive at the bounty hunters office.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìJust what I told ya, Mr. Mayor. They never came back, whaddya think it means?î The scruffy man behind the counter tells his angry visitor. ìI only run this place, Iím not in charge of the missions. They didnít come back, and neither did the guys who went before em.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìLook, I donít care what it takes. Raise the reward to one million if that will get a capable bounty hunter out there. Find a weapon and do it yourself if you have to, just get it done!î The Mayor yells even louder at the clerk.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ The man storms out of the building, practically shoving his way past the girls. ìHey!î Terra says, offended by the manís rude behavior, but Raven and Starfire stop her from getting into a fight with the city official.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìSo, what was that about a ëmillioní?î Raven asks the man behind the counter.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìAh, donít mind him,î The man says, ìWe got a serious problem here on Kervesh, and the Mayorís gettin real eager to solve it. Weíre just losin good hunters on this one.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìWhy would the Mayor need the help of bounty hunters?î Terra asks.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ The man takes a good look at Terra and her companions. ìYer not from around here are ya? Look, out here we donít have the galactic police or any military to call for help. We got a small city guard here, but thatís it. If we get any serious problems that need solvin out in this part of the galaxy, thatís what we hire bounty hunters for.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìSo, whatís the problem that has the Mayor so wound up?î Raven asks him.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìLook, unless yer a hunter, donít worry about it. If you got a ship, than take my advice and get off this planet soon,î the man tells them. ìWho are you people anyway, and whatíre you doing in my office?î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìThis is like the old west movies on the television,î Starfire observes.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìThe what?î he asks.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìOur apologies sir,î Professor Zeek interrupts, ìThe three lasses here are aspiring young bounty hunters. They have already fought space pirates, and now they need to earn some credits.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ The man behind the counter laughs, ìLook, lots of people think they can strike it rich chasing bounties, but this ainít something everybody can do. This definitely ainít work for little girls like yerselves. Judging by how yer dressed, I suggest you go to the establishment five doors down, and see if they need more dancers.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ Terra and Starfire are baffled by this statement, while Raven gets angry. ìLook hillbilly,î She says, ìTell us about this big bounty, so we can get started already.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìFine,î he tells her, ìItís your funeral. About a week ago, those damn space pirates paid us a visit. Not personally, mind you. All they did was drop us a little present from orbit and then left. Now, I know it seems nice here in the city, but Kervesh is a jungle planet. The wildlands outside of the city are crawlin with all manner of beasties. Normally, we donít have much problem with the critters, and the city guard deals with the ones that wander too close. But that thing the pirates dropped on our doorstep is driving the local wildlife crazy. Itís radiatin an energy field or something thatís messin with their minds. They been attackin people, and the city guardís been pullin double shifts just keepin the beasties out. The Mayor is at his wits end tryin to protect the city. If somethin donít get done soon, he might have to evacuate the planet. Thatís why the Mayor came and posted a bounty mission. He needs someone to go and get rid of that thing the pirates dropped in the forest.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìSo, if we break that thing, we get the money?î Raven asks.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìThatís how the system works. Of course, I take ten percent of the profit, itís how I keep this place runnin. You heard the Mayor; he just raised the prize to one million. Thatís a hefty bounty if you can pull it off. But keep in mind girly, better bounty hunters than you have tried.î

Chapter 5: Into the wild

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ It was fortunate that they found such a sizable bounty on this very same planet. Their shuttle isnít the fastest of spacecraft, and most bounties would likely force them to travel to other planets. Sam, the rude clerk at the bounty hunters office, gave them a general area of the jungle to search for the alien device. The tree cover is thick, but there are old stone ruins jutting up in some places. They are small platforms at best, but despite his poor eyesight, Professor Zeek manages to land the shuttle on one of the stone surfaces.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìThe evil machine is here somewhere,î Starfire says, as she looks off into the trees.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìWell, letís go,î Terra says, ready to walk down into the jungle.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìWait!î Zeek tells her, ìBefore you go, itís about time I told you what else your suits are capable of. It may come in handy. You girls already know how to arm your weapons, and what they are capable of, but what you donít know is that each of your suits includes a movement enhancement.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìWhat, like flying?î Terra asks, ìWe all used to fly in our own universe; that was pretty handy for getting around.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìYou have the right idea, but no, I couldnít make any of your SynthÖ err Bubble suits fly,î he tells her. ìMs Starfire, in addition your Plasma Beam, your orange bubble suit was given the Accelerator ability. If you get a running start, your suit will enhance your speed, allowing you to move very quickly. Your life support field will also gain a temporary boost in strength, and should protect you if you happen to run into anything at high speed.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìSo I will run as fast as a Zomglerch?î She asks.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìWellÖ I suppose so, but what is a Zomglerch?î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìIt is a Tamaranian fish that is difficult to catch, because itís feet move very fast,î she happily explains.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìOh myÖî The Professor says, trying to imagine the creature.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìWe donít ask questions like that anymore,î Raven tells him.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ Changing the subject, Zeek turns to Terra, ìMs Terra, do you happen to feel any lighter on your feet?î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìNow that you mention it, it has been a little weird moving around in this thing,î She tells him. ìI was thinking these suits must be filled with helium or something. When I tripped back on the space station, I seemed to bounce pretty high off the floor.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìThatís a good assessment young lady, but there is no helium involved. Your violet bubble suit was given a weight reducer. Your suit weakens the pull of gravity. This lowers your weight to only a fraction of what it normally is. This should allow you to jump several times higher than normal.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìMoon jumping, I can live with that,î She says, making a few small (but high) jumps in place.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìAnd Ms Raven, your Ice Beam is not only your weapon. Its power is also channeled into the feet of your blue bubble suit. It will freeze anything you stand on.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìI was wondering about that,î Terra says, as they look at the large bubbles under Ravenís feet. ìShe leaves little patches of ice wherever she walks. Iíve been avoiding them all day.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìI too have noticed Ravenís strange frozen footprints,î Starfire says.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ They examine the ground, and find a trail of ice spots leading out of the shuttle and up to where Raven is standing.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìI fail to see how this is useful,î Raven tells Zeek coldly.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìWell, the idea is,î Professor Zeek explains, ìYou should be able to walk across water, or any liquid, for that matter. The liquid will freeze solid under your feet. Your icy footprints on land are just a side effect.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìWonderfulÖî She says, clearly unimpressed.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ The three girls make their way down from the old stone building, with renewed interest in their bubble suits. Stripped of their own superpowers in this world, they have all been feeling more vulnerable than usual. Of course, strutting their stuff around town in these revealing suits also made them feel pretty exposed and vulnerable. But now they each have a new power to explore. Being semi-experienced super heroines, they are already trying to think of ways to utilize these new tricks.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ Professor Zeek, ever the coward, never the hero, has sealed himself safely inside the small spacecraft while the girls are off on their mission. For now, he has done everything he can for them. In truth, Zeek has more redeeming qualities than failings. He knows that he has a special responsibility to these three stranded girls. It was his mistake that brought them here, and he will try to look after them until they can get home.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ On the jungle floor, Raven, Starfire and Terra begin their search for the alien device. Some ancient civilization once lived here, that much is clear. Today, the stone buildings are in ruins, and overgrown by the jungle. Still, much of the old stone pathways are intact, so they are able to walk around without much difficulty.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ Although getting around is not difficult, it is dangerous. They are only on the ground for a short while before the local wildlife takes an aggressive interest in the visitors. Strange little creatures, covered in long sharp needles creep toward them. These creatures do not move very quickly, but it is apparent that those needles are dangerous. They try to avoid the creatures for a time, but quickly find themselves surrounded by the spiky little fiends. The creatures creep closer and closer to the girls.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìGo away please;î Starfire tells the little spiky monsters, ìI do not want to be your friend.î

ìIt doesnít look like we have much choice,î Raven says. ìEverything in these woods will be out to get us until we shut down that device. Weíre going to have to fight our way to it.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ Terra arms her weapon, converting the right arm of her suit into her wave beam cannon. ìNo one ever tells Beastboy that we were shooting forest animals. Heíd never understand.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ All three of them begin to eliminate the strange alien critters. Just like with the space pirates they fought a few days ago, their weapons prove effective. Terraís wave beam sends violet colored electrical sparks jumping across the quills of her target, before it stops moving completely. Ravenís ice beam instantly turns her target into a frosty little statue. Starfireís plasma beam still proves to be the most destructive of the three, quickly incinerating her target. Still more of the creatures creep closer and more yet appear from out of the trees and old stone buildings.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìWhy canít this forest be filled with nice animals like the squirrels and rabbits on earth?î Starfire asks.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ The girls continue their search for the evil device, picking off any of the creatures that manage to get too close while they move through the jungle ruins. Other types of creatures begin to show up, trying to bite, claw or sting the three bubble-clad hunters. Itës no wonder the previous bounty hunters were not heard from again. Everything in this jungle is out for blood.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ But despite the constant danger, there is beauty in this place. Although Raven could care less, the other two are somewhat awestruck by the beams of sunlight piercing through the tree canopy high above, casting patches of light on the old forgotten structures. Starfire discovers a single beautiful flower growing in a patch of sunlight on the ground. Fascinated, she walks up to the delicate thing. The flower stands as tall as she is, with bright pink petals.

When she sticks her nose out to smell the pretty thing, the flower snaps out and tries to bite Starfire. The frightened Tamaranian screams as loudly as she can, with a ëfoosh, foosh, fooshí from her plasma beam. The sinister pink flower goes up in a burst of flame. ìEverything in this forest is bad!î she cries out dejectedly.

Having watched all of this, Raven is visibly irritated by Starfireís goofing around, but then she notices something is missing. ìWhere is Terra?î Raven asks.

The two look around, and spot Terraís violet bubble suit further down the path, wandering off on her own. They run to catch up to their friend, wondering where Terra is going and why she is not responding when they call her name. Starfire has forgotten about the accelerator function of her suit, and after running for a short distance, she takes off like a rocket. Her bubble suit, normally orange, lights up like a light bulb, and glows a bright yellow. She streaks right past Raven, then Terra, and slams into an old stone wall with a ground shaking ëBoomí.

Raven, running as best as she can with the large bubbles under her feet, now has to worry about both of her friends. First she comes up on Terra, and discovers a strange new creature hovering in front of the girl. This creature has bat-like wings, and a single large eye. Terra is looking at the creature in a trance like state, while following it deeper into the forest. Right before her eyes, the creature ices over and falls to the ground like a brick.

ìWhatÖ happened?î Terra asks, rubbing her head.

ìThat thing hypnotized you,î Raven tells her, ìCome on, we need to help Starfire.î

The wall Starfire ran into is only a short distance ahead. When Raven and Terra arrive, they find their friend climbing out of the foliage at the base of the wall. There is a large crack in the stone, apparently from Starfireís impact.

ìAre you alright?î Terra asks her.

ìMy bubble suitís speed seems to work, but turning is difficult,î She explains. ìI could only run strait.î

ìYouíre not hurt? You hit that thing pretty hard,î Raven tells her.

Starfire turns to look at the cracked wall behind her. ìI only felt a small bump when I stopped,î she tells them.

ìWow, it looks like your speed is more useful for smashing into things than getting around quick,î Terra comments. ìIíll let you know if we need a battering ram.î

ìWeíre getting nowhere fast,î Raven points out. ìObviously, this place is dangerous, but we canít keep watching each otherís backs. We have a job to do, and the sooner we get rid of that machine, the safer this place will be. We need to split up, and search in different directions. Whoever finds the thing, do whatever it takes to turn it off or break it.î

ìRight,î Terra and Starfire agree to the new plan.

ìOh, and donít be afraid to zap anything that might try to eat you,î Raven tells them.

Each of the three bubble-clad girls heads off in a separate direction, determined to complete their mission. They are getting used to their new weapons, and the fact that they have to fight these crazy creatures that live here.

***

Minutes later, Terra is making her way through the western part of the jungle ruins. In an effort to avoid fighting the local wildlife, she is trying out her newfound ability. Rather than walk along the jungle floor, she is using her lightweight jumping ability to leap between the old buildings and trees. She is able to avoid most of the attacking creatures this way, although she does not hesitate to feed wave beams to the flying creatures that come her way.

Impending danger aside, Terra is having fun. With her weight drastically reduced, she is able to leap high into the air, and across equally long distances. She hopes to have a better chance of spotting the alien device from higher up, but no such luck as yet.

She stops on top of one of the stone structures, high above the jungle floor, but still below the canopy of the trees. Taking a short break, she scans the area around her. Their shuttle should be off to the south somewhere, but she canít see it through the trees. Down below, more of the creatures scurry around on the jungle floor, unable to reach Terraís high perch. Looking off into the jungle, she can only see more trees and stone buildings in every direction. No sign of alien technology.

Terra seems to be safe up here for the time being, so she turns her attention to her bubble suit. Although she has been wearing it for a few days now, she has had no real privacy with Professor Zeek and the others around. Each of their suits is as distinct as they are similar. Although each suit grantís its own unique abilities, there is more to it than that. Violet really isnít Terraís color, but it doesnít look too bad on her. She is more concerned with the shape of the bubbles. Although all of these bubble suits are very revealing, Terraís seems to do the best job of ëcovering her assetsí, even if the bubbles are transparent. Her nipples and other features are visible to anyone standing close enough with good eyesight.

But despite being the most ëcoveredí of the three, Terra also seems to be the most ëencumberedí. Her suit completely encases her hands and feet, leaving only her fingers and toes sticking out. The bubbles on her legs force her feet downward, making her to walk on her toes all the time. In addition to this, her bubble feet are very round and bouncy. She has had to learn better balance quickly. After a few days of it, Terra has begun to develop a new ballerina-like grace to her movements. Her reduced body weight is helping her stay light on her toes.

Terraís hands are another big problem she has been dealing with. Although her fingers stick out, the bubble surrounding her hand is so bulky that she has trouble holding things. Although Professor Zeek provided the girls with a verbal command to temporarily remove the bubbles covering their lower region, there is apparently no such command for other parts of the suit. She will just have to learn to live with it for a while. Every piece of their bubble suits is firmly glued to their skin, and Professor Zeek says that there is no way of removing them without ruining the suits completely.

Terraís suit has an additional unique inconvenience that her two friends do not have. Although all three of them have large bulky bubbles protruding from their shoulders, Terraís are the only ones that are actually joined together. The shoulders of her suit are linked together, encompassing her neck. This bubble does not choke her, but it is bulky and comes up to her chin. It is like Terra is wearing a neck brace all of the time, limiting the movement of her head.

Lastly, there is one other inconvenience she has to live with, although she would never discuss it with her friends. She feels uncomfortable sitting down in this suit. The part of the suit that passes between her legs is a little too inflated for her liking, and it feels weird to sit on. The verbal command removes it, but that is not something she wants to use outside of a restroom. So, she just pretends not to be bothered by it.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ After exploring her suit up and down, Terra picks off a few more flying creatures with her wave beam. She needs to get back to the search. Returning to her low gravity jumps, she bounds off the top of the building and into the forest. This is proving to be a useful ability, as she is able to reach high locations the others could not. She expects to find their objective every time she reaches the top of one of these high structures.

***

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìAzarath Metrion Zinthos,î Raven chants before pulling her trigger. The attacking creature freezes in place. Without her magic, she no longer needs to use the words, but she finds it soothing to say anyway. Having gone to search in the eastern direction, numerous frozen creatures litter the path behind her. Already tired of this place, Raven is not giving any mercy to the endless supply of angry creatures coming after her. Anything that moves gets frozen. Even suspicious looking plants get frozen, just to be safe.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ Although it may be predictable of her, Raven is less than ecstatic about their situation. She doesnít want to be walking around this dank forest, scantily clad in a super powered bubble suit. She misses her magic, she misses her books, and she misses the comfort of the Titanís tower.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ This bubble suit is the worst part of it all. Raven seems to be having a harder time getting used to her suit than the others. She feels completely naked in this thing. Her blue bubble suit covers almost nothing. Her back is completely bare, save for a few small bubbles on her butt. On the front side, her breasts are minimally covered, having only a small bubble covering each nipple. These however, are transparent, so they do a poor job of hiding her nipples. Otherwise, the suit has nothing else on her breasts, so they are free to bounce around as she moves. Below her breasts, more of the small bubbles lead down her stomach. Between Ravenís legs, there is only the slimmest of bubbles covering her private areas. It is virtually unnoticeable, and at first glance, she appears to be completely bare down there. Even then, like the rest of these bubbles, it is little more than a transparent blue strip stuck in place and sealing her shut. Her friends seem to be better covered down there, so Raven just keeps quiet about it, and hopes that no one notices.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ Unlike her friends, Raven has free use of her hands. There are three small bubbles on the back of each hand, but they do not get in the way. But while her hands are free, Ravens feet and toes are firmly glued to bubbles as big as the ones on her shoulders. While her friends seem to be getting used to their bouncy feet, Raven is still wobbly on her inflated footwear. Her foot bubbles are just so much larger than on the other suits, and offer nothing for stability. Raven can walk at best, but it will be some time before she is able to run with these big bubbles on her feet.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìAzarath Metrion Zinthos,î she continues to chant to herself, as she walks through the forest casually firing her Ice Beam left and right. At least she got the blue suit, her favorite color.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ The path Raven is following ends abruptly at a river. There is what appears to be the remains of an old stone bridge that once crossed to the other side, but it has long since fallen apart. Raven looks at the collapsed bridge, then at the water and finally down at her feet.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìOk,î She says, ìIíll try it.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ She walks up to the riverbank, and stretches one leg out in front of her. When the orb on her foot touches the water, it quickly turns to ice. The entire river does not freeze over, only about a three meter radius from where the bubble made contact. Still unsure of this new ability, Raven cautiously takes another step out onto the newly formed ice. With each step further from shore, her little platform of ice expands further out. No matter how far she walks out, she has a good three meters of ice in every direction, while the ice behind her remains solid all the way back to shore. She is effectively creating her own bridge across the water.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìThis is a pretty cool trick,î She tells herself.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ She is not given much time to marvel over her new power however, as the hidden alien device also seems to be affecting the aquatic wildlife as well. Angry alien fish spring out of the water at the girl walking across the ice. Ravenís war with nature continues as she does her best to freeze the creatures as they leap out of the water. They are small and fast, but she manages to hit a few of them, leaving frozen fish floating off down the river. Behind her, some of the angry jungle creatures begin to make their way out onto the path of ice. Sheís getting a little too swarmed for her liking, so she continues toward the far bank of the river, while dodging or freezing the jumping fish.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ When she reaches the far side of the river, she looks back the way she came. Her path of ice doesnít look like much, but it was sturdy enough to cross on. Although the fish have finally stopped jumping across the icy bridge, several of the jungle creatures are crossing it in pursuit of her. She takes aim with her weapon, but not toward the creatures on the ice. She aims at the water further upriver. When her ice beam hits the water, a large block of ice is formed and is carried along the rivers current. It crashes into the ice bridge, breaking it apart and dropping pursuing creatures into the river.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìAzerath Metrion Zinthos,î She continues to chant, as she continues into the jungle, to search this side of the river for the alien device.

***

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ The city authorities knew the rough location of where the pirateís device came down, but only a search on foot will determine its exact location in the thick jungle. The girls began their search with the southern part of the area. When they separated, Terra took the west, Raven took the East, and Starfire went north.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ Starfire may not be the brightest member of the Titans, but she knows not to play with fire in the middle of a forest. For this reason she is only using her plasma beam sparingly and carefully. One stray shot might set the trees on fire. She cooks the attacking creatures if she has to, but she does her best to avoid or run from the rest.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ As for running, sheís getting a little practice with her new acceleration power. She definitely cannot turn while accelerated, but it does allow her to move quickly down a clear path. Terra was right; this power seems to be more useful for smashing into things. Whenever she fails to stop in time, Starfire ends up breaking something, be it a stone wall, a tree, or whatever else happens to be in front of her. She has even sent a few of the strange creatures flying off into the jungle when they got in front of her.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ Starís orange bubble suit really does seem to be well suited for running, even despite the accelerator. Her suit gives her a lot of free motion in her legs and hips. Although she also has a pair of large inflated pads under her feet, Starfire is the only one of the three capable of standing flat footed. With the ëbetterí shape of her foot-bubbles, she doesnít have as much difficulty with balance as her friends do.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ Her arms are not so well off. The arms of Starfireís suit seem very bulky to her, especially because they encase her hands as well. Her friend Terra has the same problem. Itís difficult to make use of her hands with only her fingers sticking out of the bubbles.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ In terms of modesty, Starfireís bubble suit is not much better than Ravenís. There is a little bit of the transparent material covering her body, but itís not enough to be comfortable with. A strip of bubbles run up her back, and another down her front. In Starfireís opinion, the weirdest part of her suit is the single bubble that runs between her legs and up the crack of her butt. It feels awkward to walk around with this intrusive bubble down there. The worst part however, is when she has to sit on it. It feels strange in an embarrassing way, so she hasnít said anything about it to her friends. They have only complained about how exposed their suits make them feel, so they might not have such a weird problem with their bubble suits.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ As unpleasant as this jungle is, Star is grateful for the chance to get away from other people. Her bubble suit is just as revealing out here, but now there is no one around to stare at her. Even though her friends are wearing the same strange outfits, it is nice to have some privacy even from them.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ Starfire has been moving progressively uphill as she makes her way further north. Finally, the tree cover begins to clear, opening up onto a rocky ledge. At the far end of this small stony area, the ground appears to suddenly drop off into some sort of cliff or ravine. From here, she can see for miles out into the distance, but there is no need. Starfire has found the alien device they have been searching for.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ The shining metal object stands near the edge of the cliff before her, among some large rocks and boulders.Ý It resembles a giant dagger, dropped so that its point has stuck into the ground. The device stands several meters tall, towering over Starfire. From the top of the ëbladeí, there are three metal orbs, each at the end of a pole. One stands strait up into the air, while the other two stand out to the right and left sides of the object, making up the ëhandleí of the dagger. The machine just sits there humming, seemingly oblivious to the girl.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìYou are the one making the animals angry!î Starfire yells at the device. She raises her right arm, the bubble on her arm forming into her plasma beam cannon. ìIf I melt you, this planet will go back to normal.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ She fires her plasma beam at the device, but her shots are harmlessly absorbed into the metal. As she looks on in surprise, the machine suddenly ëwakes upí. The top orb opens like a single red eye, while the left and right orbs produce weapons of their own. Starfire franticly dances away as the machineís red beams strike the ground around her. She manages to find cover behind a rock close to the tree line. A couple of the aggressive flying creatures come out of the trees, to help attack her. Pinned behind the rock, she quickly aims and burns the creatures before they can attack her.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìIf the bad machine can fall from orbit, then my hot weapon will not hurt it,î She reasons out. Being a Tamaranian, a space faring people, she does know a little about space travel and how things can burn-up when entering the atmosphere of a planet. ìI must find the others,î Starfire tells herself. ìIf I cannot hurt it with my hot weapon, we will need to smash it some other way.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ She stands up from behind her rock, ready to run back into the jungle to find her companions, when an idea suddenly comes to her. With a figurative light bulb hanging over her head, she peeks out from behind her rock. The machine stopped firing its weapons and seems to be going back to sleep. It stands almost on the edge of the cliff, with its ëbladeí planted firmly into the ground there. The distance is short and the ground is rocky, but it should be enough.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ As soon as the machine puts its weapons away and closes its eye, Starfire leaps out from behind her rock. Wasting no time, she runs directly at the evil device. Her suit lights up as the accelerator kicks in. In a flash, she zips across the remaining distance. With a loud ëBoomí she collides with the alien device. The ground, the trees and the rocks all shake as she violently bounces off of the flat surface of its ëbladeí. The machine wakes up once again, ready to shoot at whoever has disturbed it, but itís too late. The ground below it breaks and crumbles free of the cliff. The alien device falls over the edge, firing its beams wildly into the air.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ Starfire cautiously looks over the edge of the cliff, to search for the broken machine. Her curiosity is met with weapons fire, as the evil machine fires its red beams up at her. Although it has fallen a long distance, the machine is still alive and functioning.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ Far down below, the machine lays on the rocks, looking up the cliff. If itís capable of being angry, it most certainly is. It will even be happy to shoot the little girl who pushed it over the edge. As soon as she sticks her head out again, she is going to get it. Suddenly, another loud ëBoomí rings throughout the jungle. One of the larger rocks atop the cliff comes rolling over the edge. The boulder appears to grow larger and larger as it rapidly approaches the alien machine at the bottom. The pirateís device explodes violently as itís smashed under the falling rock.

Chapter 6: Looking forward

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ Although the people still stare at the scantily clad bubble girls, at least they are cheering this time. The three new bounty hunters return to a heroís welcome. The planetís wildlife was never very friendly in the first place, but at least they are not attacking the city anymore. These three heroes are no strangers to saving the day, but this time their reward is more than just the praise of the citizens. This time money is involved. After another long and embarrassing walk through public, they enter the bounty hunters office once again.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìWell, I gotta admit, you girls did good,î Sam tells them.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìSoÖ about the money,î Raven asks.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìRight, you earned it, but first I gotta register you as bounty hunters,î he tells them. He begins to tap away at his computer panel. ìOk, you need a team name, so what do ya call yerselves.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìWeíre the Teen Titans!î Starfire says proudly.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìThatís kinda a dumb name,î Sam tells her, ìYa got anythin better?î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìYou know,î Terra says, ìCan we really call ourselves that without Robin and the others? This isnít even our universe; we donít have the tower, or even the villains.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìWe will always be Titans,î Raven tells her, ìBut you do have a point. Bounty hunting is not exactly in the Teen Titanís job description.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìSoÖ a new name then?î Starfire asks.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìThereís three of us,î Terra points out, ìHow about a ëTrioí of something?î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìThe Hunter Trio,î Sam says, entering it into the computer before they can object, ìNow, which one of ya is the leader?î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìWe donít really have a leader, we are justÖî Raven begins to say, but notices both Starfire and Terra pointing at her. ìWhat are you pointing at me for?!î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìHey, youíve done a pretty good job of taking charge so far,î Terra tells her, while Starfire smiles and nods in agreement.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ Raven just looks at them quietly for a second, unsure of what to make of her friendís vote of confidence. ìWellÖî She says, ìAlright.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìThen the one million is all yers, save for my cut,î Sam tells them.

***

Back at their little shuttle, ëThe Hunter Trioí discusses their future.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ Okay Professor, thatís nine hundred thousand,î Raven tells the old scientist. ìHow far does that get us to building the portal?î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìOh my, you are off to an excellent start, but it will take a lot more before we can build another portal machine,î he tells them. ìBefore I can start building the portal, I will need a laboratory with all of the proper equipment and tools.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìSo, first we build a lab?î Terra asks.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìWell, not quite,î Professor Zeek tells her, ìWe will first need a place to build the laboratory.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìThen we buy a building!î Starfire suggests.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìA good idea, Ms Starfire, but as bounty hunters, you three will often need to travel between worlds. I was thinking that this should be enough money to purchase a good medium sized starship. You will have transportation, a place to live, and I will have a place to build my laboratory.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìThatís good thinking Professor,î Raven tells him. ìBut how much more do we need to earn before we can open another portal?î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìWell, it requires some pretty expensive materials and equipmentÖ I would say another three or four million credits.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìOh, thatís not good,î Terra says, looking at a nearby computer display. ìThe highest bounty on the list is only fifty thousand!î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìThisÖ is going to take a whileÖî Raven says.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìFor now we need to look for a starship,î Zeek tells her, ìAnd there should be some money left over for you girls to get a few things.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìLike what? Weíll never get clothes over these crazy suits,î Terra points out.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìOh, but you could just use the ëdeflateí command to disable and compact your suits,î He informs them.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ The three girlsí hearts sink at this revelation. They have been needlessly wobbling around in these weird inflated suits all this time. ìYou couldnít have told us about this three days ago?!î They all yell angrily at the old man.

To be continued.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ Elsewhere, in a galaxy far far awayÖ

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìBeastboy, you know Raven is gonna be pissed you were in her room!î Cyborg yells at his little green friend.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìBut she has all kinds of creepy stuff in there!î Beastboy argues, while he and Silky, Starfireís pet caterpillar, are each wearing one of Ravenís blue cloaks.