Chapter 35

Robin woke slowly, and when he went to put a hand to his throbbing head, he almost knocked himself out again. "No," he said softly, as he looked at his arms and hands. From just below his elbows they were encased in metal. 'Gordanian shackles,' he thought. "So it was a trap, and we walked right into it."

Suddenly, he realized that while his thoughts were on Starfire, he didn't feel her through their bond. Even if she was unconscious, he would at least have a sense of where she was. The answer to that was given when he turned his head to look around the room. Starfire was sprawled out on the floor just a few feet away. "Star?" he called softly, then managed to kneel beside her. He lowered his head so his face was just inches from hers, and he sighed with relief when he felt the currents of her breathing against his cheek.

Robin sat back on his heels and thought about their situation. They were aboard a Gordanian ship, shackled, and Starfire, at least, had a control collar on. One thing that worried him was that Starfire was still unconscious. Normally, she and Raven were the first of the team to recover from an attack. He knew that she had been knocked out by the after effects of her ship being hit by that particle blast, so it must have really hurt her for her to still be out.

Mentally cursing the fact that he couldn't use his hands, he managed to get Starfire on her back with her head and shoulders supported in his lap. "Come on, Kori, wake up." His anxiety eased a little when she took a deeper breath, then moaned softly as her eyes fluttered open.

"Where. . . .? Robin?" Starfire said groggily as she woke. "X'Hal, no!" she gasped when she realized that she was shackled. Her eyes widened in fear as she tried to use her alien strength to break free, and heard the warning crackle of her control collar.

"Starfire calm down," Robin urged as he managed to hold her tightly. Even without the crystal, he could feel her fear that bordered on terror. "Come on, Star, get a grip. Find your center. Slow your breathing."

Starfire's eyes were now squeezed shut and she nodded as she remembered Raven's teachings in meditation. "Shalay'fa."

"Good, Star," Robin urged. "Remember what she taught you. Use that to calm yourself. You're not alone this time, and we will get out of here."

Starfire nodded, as she forced her self to think calmly. Suddenly her eyes snapped open. "Our bond! It has been broken!"

"Easy Star. I think my crystal might have been broken when I hit my control panel. Are you alright?"

Starfire saw the concern on Robin's face as she groaned as she stood up, and she knew that his worry deepened as she swayed slightly on her feet. "I. . . will be," she said painfully. "Whatever weapon it was that my ship was hit with caused all my systems to overload. Electricity arced from one side of my cockpit to the other, and several of the bolts hit me."

Robin's eyes widened as he realized just how much power had coursed through Starfire's body then. "No wonder you were out for so long." His fingers went to several discolored spots on her wrist guard, and he now noticed several on her neck piece. "Star, I know this is going to sound weird, but I need you to hit me."

"Robin, are you certain that you did not hit your head too hard before, or is this some attempt to make a joke?"

"I'm serious, Star. I need you to hit me on the right side of my jaw. Even without your alien strength, you should be able to hit hard enough."

"Robin, I have told you before that I simply can not hit you for no reason."

"Well if you had listened to me before, you wouldn't have been out there, and we wouldn't have been captured," Robin said, raising his voice slightly. He knew it had the effect he wanted when he saw the confusion and hurt that crossed Starfire's face was replaced by anger.

"So you are saying that it is my fault that we are here? You could have remained aboard the ROHA'N."

"And leave you out there alone? Without someone to look after you? No chance."

"Looked after?!" she demanded taking a menacing step toward him.

Robin knew he was going to regret his next statement, in more ways than one. "Maybe Blackfire was right, you are too much of a goody two shoes."

"Rrrrraahh!" Starfire shouted as she swung her manacled hands. They connected solidly with the right side of Robin's face, knocking him halfway back across the room. "You will apologize for that insult, ruthasha!"

Robin picked himself up off the floor, and kept his hands down as he faced her. "Sorry, Starfire. I really didn't mean it."

Starfire's anger vanished, when she saw him spit out several white chips. "Robin, I. . . ."

"It's alright, Star. I simply underestimated how hard you can hit, even when you aren't using your powers."

"Why. . . .why did you do that? Why did you make me do that?"

Robin crossed over to her, and lowered his voice. "Let's just say that when you're in Gotham, doing what I was, you leave nothing to chance. The tooth you just broke wasn't real. It was a covering for a tracking transmitter." He saw the understanding in her eyes and sighed. "Bruce knows where I am, and that I'm in trouble."

"As Raven knows about me."

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"Raven, what is it?" Beast Boy asked, drawing a questioning look from Cyborg.

"It's Starfire. She's alright," Raven replied. "She's scared, but keeping that under control, and Robin's with her."

"What about your bond with Robin?" Cyborg asked.

"He's concentrating on their situation, and how to get out of it, too much for me to even read him. I can track Starfire, but not him right now."

"I can take care of that," a deep voice said from behind them.

Almost everyone on the bridge turned to look at the source. Batman entered first, followed by the rest of the Justice League.

"He activated a tracking device a few minutes ago," Batman said holding up a small device. "I can tell he's alive, because I'm also receiving his heart rate with the locater beacon.."

"Can you link that to our scanning systems?" Galfore asked.

Batman handed the device over to the warrior manning the scanning station, and they conferred for a moment.

"My Lord, I have pinpointed the location of the beacon, and overlayed it with a schematic of the POJOR." the warrior announced.

"On main viewer," Galfore ordered.

The view of the three Gordanian ships wavered a moment, and was replaced by a cut away view of the PAJOR with a blinking dot. Galfore grunted, and several of the warriors groaned softly in dismay when they saw it.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Superman asked.

Galfore pointed at where the dot was blinking almost in the center of the POJOR.

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"This is most likely a primary holding cell," Starfire said in reply to Robin's question. "Even if we were not shackled and collared, we would not be able to escape. These cells are deep inside the vessel."

Robin saw the helplessness in Starfire's posture and expression. "If it's any help, you were being pulled toward the POJOR, not the SHRASS."

"That may be good news," Starfire said. "Trogaar will not lower himself to come to me. He will have us taken through the ship, in plain sight. An example to the other slaves aboard. That process will be repeated aboard the SHRASS as we are brought to the bridge."

"So our best chance at escape is at either the launch bay or landing bay?"

Starfire nodded. "Robin, with these on, neither of us can operate the controls of any type of ship," she said, holding up her shackled hands.

"Star, if you get the chance, I want you to get away," Robin said, then rushed on seeing she was about to protest. "You're the one the Gordanians want. You're the one they failed to present to the Citadel. Trogaar just wants me for personal revenge."

"I will not leave you behind at the mercy of these beings," Starfire said, the word mercy heavy with sarcasm.

Further conversation was cut off, as there was a loud clunk at the door, then it slowly slid open. A Gordanian entered the cell, his expression almost happy as he looked over his prisoners.

"We were to be guests aboard this ship, to confirm Trogaar's capture," Starfire said defiantly. "These are an insult."

"Nevertheless, they remain, peta jevo. Trogaar awaits your presence." The Gordanian said, and chuckled evilly as Starfire's face drained of color at what he called her. "Yes, little Koriand'r, you know me. Now move."

For the first few steps, Starfire meekly complied with the order, then she slowed her steps, her back straightening.

"Your defiance will not be tolerated, peta jevo," the Gordanian said, and shoved Starfire forward.

"Keep your hands off her!" Robin shouted, as he managed to slam a kick into the Gordanian's back. It staggered him for a moment, then he swept Robin away with a backhand smack.

"Enough of this!" he shouted as he touched a control on his wrist. Instantly the room was filled with the warning crackle of the control collars.

"Robin?"

"I'm alright, Star," he replied, and fell in alongside her as they went out into the corridor. "Who is he, Star? How do you know him, and what is that he called you?"

There was silence for a few moments. "Are you not going to answer him on your own, peta jevo, or do I have need to convince you?"

Robin was stunned at the look of almost pure hatred on Starfire's face as she glared back at the Gordanian. "He is Falgaar," she said. "When I was aboard the SHRASS he was Trogaar's second in command, and in charge of my. . . . .conditioning."

"And the rest, peta jevo," Falgaar prompted. "You know your answers must be compete."

"Peta jevo is the Gordanian equivalent of little cat," Starfire continued. "I was labeled with that as a reminder that there was nothing I could do to escape. That aboard the SHRASS I was a helpless as a kitten."

After that they walked on in silence, and even without his crystal he could feel Starfire's spirit starting to droop. He noticed that they had stopped, as Falgaar opened a hatch that lead to a large air lock. "Estrella, estamos cerca de la bahía del lanzamiento. Ahora está nuestra ocasión."

Starfire looked up and saw that Robin was right. They were near the launch bay, and this would be their best chance. She was also glad that he had taken the time to teacher her Spanish.

"Enough talking!" Falgaar snapped. "Oh yes, there is another who will be joining you on your visit to Trogaar."

Robin and Starfire turned as a door slid open.

"You!" Starfire gasped. "So, you betray me again, sister?"

"Kori, it's. . . . ."

Blackfire didn't get to finish her statement, as Starfire quickly brought her manacled hands down on the back of the head of the guard in front of her. Robin reacted quickly and did the same to the one in front of him. Robin's kick to the guard behind him, and Starfire's kick to Falgaar were almost simultaneous, and they went down in a heap. Robin continued with his momentum and his leg sweep knocked Blackfire's feet from under her, and she landed on her back. Starfire's kick to her sister's jaw made sure she stayed there.

"This way," Robin said as he took the lead, and they ran down the corridor. A short distance down they turned down another corridor, and Robin quickly ducked into a room, and dragged Starfire with him.

"Robin, we must not stay here. The collars have tracking devices," Starfire said in a rush, then looked at Robin as he was gathering up his cape on the right side. "What are you doing?"

"Getting us out of here," he replied as he reached the corner of his cape. He pinned the garment against the wall with his shackles, and Starfire heard the soft sound of ripping material. She gasped softly when he straightened up, holding a lock pick in his teeth. "Now then," he said around the pick handle, and he brought his hands up so he could work on the lock.

Starfire chewed on her bottom lip, and kept looking at the door nervously. She jumped when Robin gave a small triumphant shout, as his shackles fell to the floor.

"Your turn, Kori," he said, then went to work on hers. In almost a replay of when they first met, Starfire's shackles came free, and she drew him into a hug. Robin gave in to the temptation, and returned the embrace for a moment, then pulled away. "Now for your collar," he said, as he put the lock pick away and took out another tool from his utility belt. "I had time to study the one Nie'l wore," he told her as the device came off.

Almost instantly Starfire's hands and eyes glowed brightly green. "Now we will get out of here." She was just about to go through the door when she turned. "What of your collar?"

"I can fight without setting it off," he told her. "Besides, I don't think you could pick the lock without setting off the alarm, or the shock it gives if the lock is tampered with."

"You are correct. Without the key, I could not remove it without hurting you. But what if Falgaar uses his remote to set it off?"

Robin almost smiled when he caught sight of something on the shelf of the room they were in. "This must be a store room for stuff to repair their fighters with," he said as he took a roll of black material off the shelf. "Gasket material. It's made of rubber."

He quickly unrolled some and used a birdarang to cut it to the proper length. "It'll insulate me from the collar's shocks," he said as he slid it between his neck and the collar. "Now let's see if we can make our way to the launch bay, and steal a ship or two."

They left the room and headed down the corridor. "That must be my sister's ship," Starfire said as they entered the bay.

"Yes, it is, little sister. Yours and Robin's have been returned to the ROHA'N."

Starfire warmed up her star bolts as she turned, and Robin had birdarangs in one hand, and explosive disks in the other, ready to throw.

"Hold!" an authoritative voice called. "Again you show that you could not be held, Vidak'an Koriand'r."

Starfire cooled her star bolts, but remained in a defensive stance. "Robin, this is Telvaar, head of the Gordanian High Council. What are your plans?"

"To apologize for your treatment so far," Telvaar said. "The bargain we made will be kept. Falgaar overstepped himself when he ordered you shackled and collared." he stepped over to Robin and removed his collar. "And I believe these are yours."

Robin and Starfire looked at the items he held, dangling from their chains.

"Thank you," Robin said, stowing his weapons and taking both sets of crystals and medallions. He quickly sorted them out and gave Starfire hers.

"We have a shuttle waiting to take you to the SHRASS. We will be transferring Trogaar to the holding cells aboard the POJOR for transport to Gordane. I believe you wished to witness this."

"Thank you. It is a relief to see that some Gordanians have honor."

"To be honest, Empress, you are far too much trouble to try to hold on to. Taking you prisoner again would not be profitable," Telvaar said. "I was surprised at your companion, Empress. I had thought that Trogaar was exaggerating to cover his ineptitude, but I see that was not the case."

The hatch to the shuttle opened, and they went inside.

"Sister, I. . . ." Starfire began when she saw Blackfire sitting in one of the seats.

"It's alright, Kori. I was filled in on things. I know what you thought, but I also know why you thought it. If you did that while collared, it's no wonder you were able to to escape when it was removed."

"Jemara Komand'r is here representing the Salvainian Empire as an uninvolved third party," Telvaar said as the shuttle launched.