Genre: Alternative Universe – Space Age
Rating: R – For really bad swearing and adult situations... yes, especially from the Titans.
Summary: Space Cargo Guarding was getting old for Robin. He loved space, but surely there were better things to look forward to than getting to the other side of the stargate. Man-oh-man, was he right...
Standard disclaimers apply.
THE MIGHTY TITAN
Chapter One – The Witch and Her Dragon Myst
The groan of grinding metal sounded throughout the ship, causing Robin and Cyborg to cover their ears against the high pitched wail.
The ship rattled, and then jerked to a stop, barreling Robin against a protruding beam of metal. The cargo shook and rolled towards him. He was going to get crushed.
Cyborg gave something short of a scream and Robin thought it would be the last sound he would ever hear.
There was an unholy bang as the cargo supports kicked in and for a moment, Robin couldn't believe he was alive.
It didn't—however—take him long to recover some kind of cognitive thought. He cursed to high space, calling the helmsman all sorts of unsavory names in a near endless tirade. Robin was always more prone to sullying the good name of one's lineage when he was in pain and after having stared death in the face. That said, he didn't stare death in the face very often, either, so he was understandably upset.
Cyborg winced at his language. Aboard the space cargo ship The Mighty Titan, no one's speech was filthier than anyone else's; it was a fact that they were all potty mouthed in their own way, and while their captain, Robin, was generally a man who kept his regular discourse relatively oath-free (emphasis on the word relatively), he spewed his curses with as much conviction as the rest of them when he got abominably pissed.
"… cock-sucking… Beast Boy…" Robin grit his teeth, taking deep, calming breaths as he ran a hand through his spiky black hair. "What the hell kind of docking was that?"
Helmsman Beast Boy's voice came over the ship's radio. "It's not my fault Cyborg fucked-up the controls with his stupid adjustments!"
Cyborg's red cybernetic eye flashed. "Hey! It ain't my fault you're a screw-up!"
"You're just jealous because I was a top-ranking Space Cadet… and leave my mother out of this!"
Robin scowled, picking himself off the floor and climbing the stack of crates to get out of his predicament. Beast Boy almost always flashed his "Top Ranking Space Cadet" card and for the most part, it was irritating. "Whatever. You almost fucking killed me. I'll bring your mother in and out of this whenever I want. Terra?"
Terra's giggle came over the speaker. "Easy, chief! Your heart!"
Still feeling testy, he was in no mood to let her usually adorable giggle soften him up. "It's very black right now, so please spare me the smart ass comments and open the damn loading door."
"Yikes," said his Systems Coordinator, not sounding the least bit afraid. "Aye, aye, captain."
A soft click signaled the end of transmission, but Beast Boy must have made a code error, because his voice continued to filter through, loud and clear. "Cripes, the captain sometimes gets so hysterical over nothing. He sounds like a Zorgnarg with a calatite lizard crawling up its as—"
"Yo, Beast Boy? I just want you to know that I could still hear you," said Robin.
"Wha—ah shit!"
"And just for that, you're going to be scrubbing the deck floors all by yourself this entire month."
Terra's giggle sounded even more delighted and Cyborg threw back his bald head in laughter.
"Son of a—!" Beast Boy's whine of despair finally disappeared with the transmission and the loading doors began to open.
The Euphorix Satellite Port, affectionately called Scumhaven by all space cargo guards throughout the four quadrants, actually looked spit clean at first glance. The port floors were free of litter, the paint on the walls always looked fresh, the lamps shined strong and whole, and the cargo docks, each apportioned their state-of-the-art warehouses, boasted of a brilliant staff that ensured highly organized and smooth transactions. Beyond the docks was the boardwalk, teeming with all sorts of colorful species from every corner of the galaxy. Restaurants and shops lined the boardwalk and at the very end of the pier was a luxurious hotel where the rich, famous and fast liked to blow their money in the casinos. It was past the pier, port and boardwalk that things got a little trickier.
Behind the picturesque façade; the port became less "euphoria" and more "scum". The colony proper, originally inhabited by port employees, satellite engineers and a hoard of maintenance staff now consisted of several other denizens who probably shouldn't have been there in the first place. The housing provided for the first settlers had long been demolished, replaced by multi-level buildings put up to accommodate the port's growing population. So close together were these buildings that there was an endless maze of alleyways and hardly any roads. There were too many buildings and not enough land-space, so to get from one end of the satellite to another required a more compact means of transport which were called Port Worms: Flexible, snake like vehicles, the largest of which seated ten, including the driver. They hovered over people's heads in two-way airways and maneuvered through crowds for drop-offs.
Through out the satellite, there were plazas; wide-open spaces that were often used as convergence points for whatever reason its inhabitants deemed necessary. Sometimes, it was where lovers met to head on after to the boardwalk. Sometimes it was where small-scale trade fairs were held. But most times, it was just a place druggies could sell to junkies.
The satellite's prison facility had been put up specifically for those druggies and junkies, but its roster of criminals now covered a wide scope of the penal code.
Within the Mighty Titan, Cyborg climbed the crates beside Robin and together, they undid the cargo supports.
Robin swung from crate to crate using the cargo chains overhead, prepping the locks for Cyborg to undo by releasing the hydraulic compression. Cyborg, half-man, half-machine, bore the strength of ten large men, and he made easy work of unhinging the large restraints. Every once in a while, his panels would fluctuate; a sure sign that he was exerting a bit more effort, but that rarely happened.
Done with his part, Robin climbed down the crates and met with Customs Officer Glgrdskletchhh.
Still reeling from his near death experience, Robin focused on regaining his poise. He straightened his black knee-length Kevlar-enforced surcoat and made sure his utility belt wasn't crooked. Inside the coat, his dark-green and amber travel clothes were only slightly rumpled. He was fit to be seen.
Robin looked up and grimaced when he saw the squishy, gelatinous and tentacle ridden Drenthaxian. Of all the Customs Officers on the Euphorix satellite port, Robin disliked The Sklurch the most. For one thing, he was sticky, and no matter how hard anyone avoided touching him, they got touched. Another reason he was so repulsive was his tentacles. They spat gooey green mulch when he got agitated, which was often, being a customs officer who constantly had to deal with foul mouthed, tough talking Space Cargo Guards such as Robin. Everyone called Ole Glrg the Sklurch because there was a pervading rumor about him getting run out of Drenthax IV's Swamp Moons while he had been its (Exalted) "Sklurch". Whatever it meant, it sounded as disgusting as he was, so it fit. If it made him happy, it only meant he wouldn't be spitting mulch, therefore it was a win-win situation.
Keeping his distance, Robin gave the Sklurch a nod. He reached into his ear-piece and turned on the translator. "'Morning. Got here right on schedule and the entire cargo's in perfect condition. Just note that on the logs for us and we'll be out of here with our bonuses."
The Sklurch gave him something like a Drenthaxian frown. "Your docking maneuvers were pitiful and a disgrace to all licensed helmsmen of this quadrant. Your sloppy driving may work in other ports, but not in Euphorix SP, Captain Robin!"
Robin pretended to crank an ear in his direction. "What? What did you say? Damn static in the translator." He tapped his translator a few times and shook his head. "You're just not getting through quite as clearly, sir. Could you say that for me again?"
"I said: Your docking maneuve—"
"No… not clear at all. You're cracking up really bad. It's like—" Robin made a sound effect "—and it's just ugly. If you'll be so kind, try that one more time."
The Sklurch wiggled a bit and spat, as expected. Robin avoided the missile with admirable grace and discreteness.
"I don't even think that antiquated ship of yours should even be considered legal! Hear that?" When the Sklurch got agitated, he not only spat, he got personal, as well.
Robin expected it but his blue eyes flashed momentarily before he rolled them. "Just sign the damn release forms and pay us."
The Sklurch, perhaps tiring of the useless banter, began attending to the necessary documentation. He oozed on over to the cargo to inspect it and Cyborg wasn't as graceful and discrete about keeping his distance.
Robin watched it all from the port and looked at his ship. The Mighty Titan wasn't as antiquated as the Sklurch said it was. Maybe it was a bit "Retro Chic" but it in no way looked old. Robin had apportioned a great sum of his money maintaining the ship, and thanks to Cyborg, who was an excellent engineer and mechanic, the Mighty Titan looked to be, and was, in top form. From its cross-section, it looked like a huge lowercase "t", and Robin figured that was an important facet of how it was named in the first place.
When Robin first shopped for his second-hand cargo ship, the shark-fin like design of the yet, unnamed ship caught his attention immediately. Even with its damaged and rusting body, Robin virtually saw what it was in its former glory, all shiny and perfect. It wasn't nearly as big as the Mighty Gotham, but it had most of what the Mighty Gotham had, in a much smaller scale. The "Big Fin", as they called the main body of the ship, was winged by four smaller fins; two on each side. They were mostly for engineering purposes, but Cyborg had claimed it as his section of the ship, which was completely fine with Robin. Pretty and comfortable as the ship was, it wasn't as staff efficient as his godfather's ship.
While the Mighty Gotham needed practically no staff, the Mighty Titan needed a full staff, which was how Robin came about gathering the rest of his crew. At the very least, Robin had needed an engineer, a helmsman and a systems coordinator. While he was capable of being all three, he hadn't mastered being in two places at once.
He found his staff in Cyborg, a brilliant engineer; Beast Boy, a United Galaxies Space Force kick out and Terra, a galactic hacker. It mattered little to Robin that Beast Boy shape-changed and that Terra had a—well, somewhat volcanic… earth shaking… temper. To Robin, these were things that made them more interesting, if not completely normal, and he would always take the interesting over the mundane, any day. Robin thought his life mundane enough.
Cyborg had been a natural staff choice. Robin and Victor Stone met in the new and improved Mighty Gotham when Robin was eleven. Victor had suffered a terrible accident on Earth wherein he lost use of seventy percent of his body. At the time, Victor had been thirteen, a talented athlete and a young man driven to succeed. The accident was both physically and mentally devastating to one such as him. To give him back his life, his family had agreed to subject Cyborg to the newly developed Bio-synthetic Technology that could be found on the other side of the galaxy. While at first Cyborg and his family wouldn't have had the money to pay for the services of one such as Bruce Wayne, the government suddenly grew sympathetic to his cause and happily granted him funding. It fell to Bruce and the Mighty Gotham to transport Cyborg's battered body safely across the stars. Fascinated by Victor Stone's importance, Robin befriended him and when—four years after they first met—Robin had needed an engineer for the ship he planned to fly, he was only too glad to find the name Victor Stone, a.k.a. Cyborg, in the engineering roster.
Of course, at fifteen, Robin found it difficult to be taken seriously as a Space Cargo Ship captain. Before he found Cyborg, Beast Boy and Terra, he had gotten laughed at so many times by potential crewmen that he had considered abandoning his dreams, but it seemed that every time he got the urge to give up, something would prompt him to keep on trying. Whether it was a casually put comment by some random acquaintance or the sight of a beautiful supernova peeking from behind a distant planet, he allowed chance to convince him to persevere. On hindsight, those supposed omens were nothing more than regular events he had chosen to interpret in ways that would suit his original purpose.
Until now, Robin still wasn't sure what had compelled the others to join his crew, but he supposed, ultimately, that the "why" wasn't all that important. They were a good crew, young as they were. Robin had little reason to complain.
Now, he had been with most of his crew for three years, going on four. It had been a good three years for Space Cargo Guarding, even if he had strayed drastically from his original goals...
Robin sighed. Nineteen and I'm nowhere. He wished Bruce had taught him how to deal with the tedium of going from one gate to another, dealing with the same customs officers, speaking to the same clients…
He yawned at the mere thought and grew weary of his goals gone awry. Maybe if he was lucky, there would be a brawl tonight at the nearest local bar. He could use a work-out.
The Sklurch finished inspecting the crates and returned to Robin, holding out his Palm Office. Robin took it and read the text on its screen.
It was the COAF, or the Custom Officer's Assessment Form. The document showed that all the pertinent matters concerning the delivery had been undertaken and that the Customs Officer deemed the delivery complete. An attachment detailing the payment Robin would be receiving was included in the terms. At the bottom of the document was the officer's encrypted approval code. Robin was satisfied by all the particulars and he keyed in his Carrier's Code. He pressed "Send" for the approval and seconds later, the Galactic Trade Association acknowledged that the Sklurch and Carrier had deemed the delivery perfected, its accompanying assessment rating irrevocably submitted and that all payments regarding the transaction was funded and ready for release.
Robin fished out his Transaction Card from his boot and slid it through the Palm Office's card slot. He punched the necessary buttons to download the transaction code so that he could retrieve his payment from any galactic bank machine within the four quadrants. Usually, Robin didn't wait until he got to the next quadrant to obtain his credits. The nearest one, in fact, was just a few paces away, right next to one of the boardwalk restaurants.
When Robin obtained his Transaction Card, he saluted the Sklurch with it. "Always a pleasure doing business with you." He simultaneously tossed the Sklurch a pack of cigarettes. Cigarettes were way too difficult to obtain, except in Luna, where Robin was still considered part of its community in spite of the fact that he was gone from its society three hundred fifty days in an Earth year.
"Oh, shut the fuck up," hissed the Sklurch as he caught the pack and oozed away.
Robin turned to Cyborg and jerked his head towards the interior of the cargo car. "Let's go."
Cyborg grinned. "Just another day with the Exalted Sklurch, eh?"
Robin's lip curled slightly as he made his way to the back of cargo car with Cyborg. "Disgusting son of a bitch, that's what."
Cyborg laughed as he keyed the item code into the cargo trolley.
They positioned themselves against the cargo trolley-handles and pushed. The cargo rolled out of the ship, magnetically connecting with the port rails. Cyborg and Robin gave it another mighty heave before the entire platform was rolling gently over the rails towards the warehouse. The item code would register at the warehouse doors' digital scanner and have the cargo parked in its proper warehouse space.
Cyborg sighed in relief. "Thought that haul would never end! I hate it when the star path takes two weeks between gates."
"These days, it's like all star paths take two weeks to get through," muttered Robin as he walked back into the ship proper.
Cyborg arched an eyebrow pointedly.
Robin didn't feel like explaining what he said. There would be time enough for that later. He opened a transmission to Terra. "Close the loading doors."
Terra's voice came over the radio. "Are we paid?"
Robin was in no mood to be nice. "That's such a stupid question."
"Fros-tee!Honestly, chief! You seriously need to loosen up. Get a girlfriend, or something."
"Last girlfriend I had gave me an ulcer."
Another frequency jumped into the conversation. It was Beast Boy. "Kitty was cute."
Terra made a sound of disgust. "What are you, stupid? I think your brain's addled with pheromones, BB."
"Whatsamatter… jealous?"
"Don't insult me, BB. That girl cheated on Robin with a spider. That's wrong in all four quadrants."
"Fang is not a spider," said Cyborg. "Fang is a Homo Araneae."
"Right," said Terra sardonically. "You're telling me to be PC in this un-PC conversation. You're such a smart-ass, Robot Man."
Robin wasn't feeling the conversation, PC or un-PC. "I don't need a girlfriend, I need a beer…"
"In the third quadrant, many consider that to be the same thing," said BB.
Terra huffed. "I'm going to get you for that, BB."
"Rawr!"
Cyborg shook his head. "Stop that. We're coming in; you two could play later."
They took the elevator to the top floor and they walked a somewhat long hallway before they got to the bridge doors. The doors opened and Robin stepped into the room, Cyborg behind him. Beast Boy; lean, kind of lanky, green, seventeen years old and has a penchant for the colors black and purple, jumped out of his chair and transformed into a Yorkshire Terrier. Tongue lolling from the side of his mouth, he skittered around Robin's feet, panting and yipping excitedly before he began to play-bite and growl at Robin's boots.
Terra rotated her chair a hundred and eighty degrees, giggling at the display. The waif-like blonde and blue-eyed young girl looked no older than fourteen, but she swore she was seventeen, at least. She said she had lost count of her age some time after she was hauled off to a Minors' Correctional Facility in Neptune. She had been caught messing with the economy of a planet in the sector of Andromeda—"I forget which one," she had told the judge—and was herded with the rest of the nine year old criminals. When Robin employed her, she was out on probation. Occasionally, Robin had to meet up with her parole officer. Robin hated parole officers almost as much as he hated customs officers.
Robin rolled his eyes as he tried to shake Beast Boy off. "Why me…"
"Heel, BB!" said Terra.
Beast Boy gave another bark before retransforming into himself. "Dude, gimme it!"
Robin arched an eyebrow and just then pulled out his Transaction Card to make computations on it. He took his sweet time—deliberately, just to irritate Beast Boy.
Cyborg sat on the captain's chair and grabbed the stress-ball that got squished underneath him. "Hot date, kid?"
"Terra wants to try out that new Vallerani restaurant east of the Boardwalk."
Cyborg's brows knotted thoughtfully. "Don't they serve flotworm balls?"
Terra made a face but Beast Boy shook his head. "Nooo… that's a Vallenari delicacy, and I would never eat in a restaurant that served animal gonads. That's called: Drawing the line."
Robin was done with his computations in a few minutes and he proceeded to give his crew their respective transaction codes so they could retrieve their wages. He added their share of the bonus, which was rather big this time around, and sent Beast Boy and Terra off.
The docking privileges of the Mighty Titan would last until noon, the next day, first quadrant Standard Time. Robin didn't care where his crew went, until then.
Robin was already deciding to stay in his chambers and sleep off his post-delivery malaise when Cyborg said, "Still up for that beer, champ?"
Robin considered it for only a second before he sighed and nodded.
Might as well.
888888888888888888
The Happy Nebula was a relaxing place for the weary space cargo guard, or Gater, as they called themselves in the industry. It was clean enough to dine in and just rough enough to keep away annoying tourists. As it was, it found its home within the back-sectors of Euphorix. No self-respecting Gater would drink in the swanky bars on the Boardwalk; unless of course they had someone to impress.
Robin recognized several Gaters seated in their own tables and they nodded to each other in acknowledgement.
One of the older Gaters in the industry hollered to Robin. "Hey kid, how's the old Batman flyin'?"
Robin remembered him as Kyle Rayner, call-name Green Lantern, captain of the ship Ring Leader. "Fine, sir. At least when I last saw him."
The Green Lantern nodded. Their lifestyles were all basically the same; extended separations from family. It was no big deal. "Tell him I owe him a beer when you see him again."
"Aye, aye, sir."
Robin and Cyborg took their seats and the waitress was immediately there to take their orders.
The best thing about outer space, thought Robin, was that there were no laws governing underage drinking. Where in Earth and Luna, he wasn't allowed to buy a drink until he reached twenty one, the moment he left either's space-coast, he was completely legal. Suffice it to say, Bruce hadn't cared when at fourteen, Robin drank down his first can of beer and liked it.
When the waitress left, Cyborg leaned back on his seat and grinned. "Now what's this funk of yours all about?"
"Funk? I'm no more grouchy than usual, Cy."
Cyborg shook his head. "No, normal Robin looks like this." He flashed a scowl. "Right now, you look like this." He exaggerated the scowl, making him seem constipated.
Robin arched an eyebrow before turning his gaze to the bar. "Where the heck is that beer…?" he said, wearily.
"Easy, champ. We just ordered it two seconds ago. Are you still depressed about Kitty?"
Robin shot him an annoyed look. "First of all, Kitty never depressed me. It was ulcer, that's it. Second of all, that was so last quadrant that I've gotten over my compulsion to buy excessive amounts of bug spray. Right now, when I see a spider, I just step on it. No use wasting good chemicals, that's what I say."
Cyborg laughed. "Okay. Then what's bothering you?"
Robin was never the type to pour his soul out to anyone. The closest thing to touchy-feely Robin ever got was fist to someone else's face, but Cyborg had always been a pal. Robin figured he didn't have to tell Cyborg the dark little reasons behind his funk; the shallow reasons would do well enough for fodder.
Robin let out a breath, throwing his hand up as he leaned back on his seat. "Nothing, I'm just… I'm just so fucking bored with all this. The highlight of my day was dodging Sklurch spit. I ought to…" He formed his hand into a gun and pretended to blow his head with it, making a soft sound effect as he did it. He rolled his eyes with a shake of his head.
Cyborg grinned. "At least that's exciting…"
"Don't tempt me."
Cyborg shrugged. "Eh, you and I are different. I like this easy-going lifestyle. We travel across space, meet new people, see new things, and then we get paid for it. It's a good living."
"See, that's just it. I love space; always have, but the people aren't new anymore… everything isn't new anymore, at least to me. When what you look forward to is the next stargate and the paycheck waiting for you at the end of it, that ain't living, that's depressing."
"Well, man, what were you expecting when you got into this industry?"
Robin chuckled. "Too much, apparently. When I was flying with Bruce, everything was exciting. And just when I felt things were going slow, suddenly his ship would get attacked by pirates, or we'd get strip searched at the next checkpoint or we'd have a gorgeous—and lonely—rich guy's daughter on board…"
They grinned in unison at visions of lonely, beautiful, rich men's daughters.
Robin continued. "Bruce taught me everything, from how to talk to ornery customs officers to beating the shit out of a Roughie." In Gater-talk, the term Roughie covered all space delinquents that made Space Cargo Guards necessary in the first place. "He had to, because it was the kind of life I led with him in the Mighty GothamSo when I decided to go on my own, I expected that kind of action, you know? That kind of excitement with my own ship and crew. It's been a big let down having it so easy in the last three years. We fly from point A to B, with no C in between."
"That's because C doesn't belong between A and B."
"That's how boring people think."
Cyborg chuckled. "That's how stupid people think. Rob, m'man, the Batman is legendary in the industry. Roughies go after him because he's the guy they couldn't beat. He gets the exciting contracts because he's stood and delivered for the best of 'em. You're only nineteen, only three years in the industry, but a lot of Gaters would give anything for the kind of reputation the Mighty Titan has. We get some of the best clients in the galaxy and we get paid pretty well, too. I'd say in another ten years, you'll be as legendary as your godfather, and maybe then, the clients won't be so boring."
Robin sighed again, shaking his head. Another ten years? Kill me now, why don't you?
Their beers arrived in their nifty little cans, still unopened. A bowl of peanuts was placed between them.
Robin popped the tab off his beer and the icing mechanism was activated, cooling the beer to a perfect temperature. Cyborg did the same and they tapped their cans together before they drank their beers down in one toss.
Their cans properly drained, they slammed the containers down on the tabletop and burped loudly at the same time.
Robin, still recovering from the burp, ordered another round for him and Cyborg.
"Feeling better?" asked Cyborg.
"Nope. Not a bit. But the beer's good."
"True dat, brotha. Keep it comin'."
"I even named my ship like his," said Robin, continuing with his woes.
Cyborg wagged a finger at him. "We named the ship like his."
Robin laughed lightly as the waitress came around and placed their beers in front of them. "Right. You didn't like my first choice."
"The Mighty Tethys?Didn't mean nothin'."
"It started with a T."
"Tethys is also a sea goddess who happened to be Oceanid's wife and sister. How gross is that, hmm? She had three thousand of his children. That's gross times three Gs."
Robin scoffed. "Nobody pays attention to Earth mythology, anyway."
"I do. Admit it, dude. Titan was a much better choice. It's still a moon of Saturn, anyway."
Robin popped the tab off his second beer and Cyborg did likewise. This time, they toasted to good names. As much as Robin hated to admit it, calling the ship The Might Titan instead of The Mighty Tethys was a good call on Cyborg's part.
Saturn was Robin's favorite planet, and long before he even had an idea of what ship he was going to buy, he had already decided that he would name the ship after one of Saturn's thirty three moons. When he saw the T-shaped ship, Tethys immediately jumped in his mind. Of course, Cyborg's reasoning won over his. Aside from Tethys' incestuous relationship with her brother, the Titans' mythology was more appealing: Children of Olympus; powerful and bad ass. "Titan" was definitely a better choice.
They were on their fourth round of beer, ever so slightly buzzed, when a hooded figure walked through the doors of the Happy Nebula.
It was Cyborg who saw her first. He rubbed his chin critically. "Weird chick, but strangely attractive. Probably likes angsty music and angsty poetry. Very dark."
Robin followed Cyborg's gaze and looked over his shoulder. The woman's hood was blue, and she pushed it back to reveal a head of short violet-blue hair. Her skin was ashen and on her forehead, just above her penetrating violet eyes, was a shimmering ruby-like stone. Her cape covered the rest of her, adding to her mysterious aura. She scanned the room and her gaze fell on him. She headed towards him deliberately.
Robin and Cyborg exchanged raised eyebrows.
Moments later, she was standing before them. Her eyes rested on Robin. "Are you the captain of the Mighty Titan?" she asked in an expressionless, gravely voice.
Robin leaned back on his seat and grinned. "Who wants to know?"
"My name is Raven D'Belial and I need you."
Robin chuckled, exchanging looks, yet again, with Cyborg. "Well, I've heard subtler pick-up lines than that, but the direct approach works for me, too. Kinda turns me on, actually."
Cyborg choked on a laugh.
Her facial expression didn't change. "You're welcome to get off on that later, by yourself. I'm here for business." She sat herself down on their table.
"Have a seat, Raven," said Robin sardonically, getting hit on the face when she flipped back her cape.
"She just goes right in for the kill, don't she?" said Cyborg.
Robin shot him a bored frown. "My kind of gal. Drink?"
She was, as Cyborg said, strangely attractive. There was a witch-like quality to her beauty, like she could live for centuries but look really good the entire time. Even if her face was the proverbial death of the party, she definitely called attention; if one were into that sort of thing. She wore something of a black cat-suit under the robes, with a weird jeweled belt at her hips and blue boots to match her cape. She wore ruby red rings on each hand and they glowed briefly before settling back into their ordinary luster.
Ignoring Robin's offer, Raven D'Belial got straight to the point. "I need you and your crew for a special mission and it will involve a great deal of work."
"Damn girl…" said Cyborg. "Have some peanuts first. They're free." He nudged the bowl at her.
"I don't eat that," she said, pushing the bowl away. "The mission will be dangerous and could have terrible repercussions, but the rewards are tremendous."
Robin rolled his eyes. They all said that. Nothing he hadn't heard before. He began rattling off in a bored voice. "I don't transport contraband… slaves… wild alien animals… yadda, yadda… standard stuff. Do you have the cargo with you?"
Raven seemed slightly uncertain before she replied. "No. It needs to be picked up in Karna."
Robin's attention perked at the mention of the place. "Karna? Where in some parts they eat unwelcome guests?"
"In Gordane, yeah. That's where we're going."
Cyborg shot him a glare, and when Cyborg got pissy, Robin got interested.
"How much you payin' us?" Robin asked.
"Thirty million Galanthus credits down then I'll pay you some more after the mission is completed."
Robin and Cyborg stared at her with somber expressions before they suddenly burst out laughing.
"Forget it, lady," said Robin amidst his laughter. "I may be bored, but I'm also kinda greedy. Even the legendary Batman doesn't accept commissions to Karna for thirty million Galanthus credits. I ain't gonna sail my ship in that space, least of all land it in that Godforsaken planet for a pittance."
"See ya," said Cyborg, wiggling his fingers at her. "Next bitch!"
She wasn't the least bit moved. "I'll pay you whatever the hell you want after the mission."
"I have a problem with that. See, that means we might not get paid more than thirty mil. If—say—one of those Gordanians happen to catch you for brunch, what would happen to me and my crew? We couldn't live off thirty Ms of Gal-Creds between Karna and the next commercial port. That'll hardly cover fuel, let alone the damage my ship will probably sustain fending off roughies throughout the trip. Give us three hundred fifty mil down and we'll talk."
"I don't have that much on me right now."
"Too bad. Go find some other sucker, lady. We're not your guys."
Her enigmatic eyes narrowed to slits. "You don't understand. You're the only ones who could do it. You and your crew were formed precisely—"
"They're mocking me, Cy," said Robin bitterly. Teeth grit, he opened another can of beer. "The fates are mocking me. I begged for relief and they give me a jagged pill."
"Well, at least she's a good lookin' jagged pill."
Raven leaned over the table, meeting Robin's gaze. "Are you saying you're not capable enough to get in and out of Karna space in one piece? I thought you and your crew were the best. I guess I was wrong."
Robin laughed. "Whoa, hey. Watch your mouth, lady. No need to dis my crew. They ain't done anything to deserve that shit."
"Fine, then maybe you're just afraid."
Robin thought over her words while eyeing her with detached sensibilities. It wasn't everyday they got walk-in clients who called them incompetent and cowardly within a span of five seconds. Seriously, he was beginning to dislike this Raven D'Belial, and not even enough money to show for it.
"Buh-bye," he said, getting up. As much as he would have liked to stay in the Happy Nebula longer and down more of its beers, he suddenly didn't like the company.
Cyborg followed.
Raven remained seated. "Ever found out where Starfire disappeared to?"
Robin froze at the mention of the name. All manner of amusement ebbed from his face.
"Couldn't save her, could you? I bet her sister had something to do with it. She always was kind of pushy."
Robin glared at her, something twisting in the pit of his stomach.
Robin hated Mind Seers. Occasionally, throughout his travels, he would encounter people who had various mental powers. Some moved objects by sheer will; others could create fire. Terra herself had the mental powers to move planetary matter like soil, rock, lava, mountains… but Robin had a special dislike for telepaths, because they invaded minds and saw into thoughts. Robin thought that violated the most basic precept of privacy, and privacy was more important to him than most things.
"Lady," he began in a menacing tone. "I don't know what your trip is, and frankly, I don't care, but just in case you're weirder than I think you are, I'll tell you this: that was very long ago, I'd rather forget it and it's none of your fucking business."
"You'd rather, wouldn't you? Forget it? But you can't; every planet you enter, you're still hoping she'll magically be there."
"Stay out of my head," he said sternly.
"I'm a kinetic, among other things," said Raven evenly. "But I don't read minds."
"This about a girl?" Cyborg asked.
"Shut-up, Cy!"
Raven met Cyborg's questioning gaze. "Originally, but his priorities have changed. Like he said, it's now all about the money."
Robin especially didn't like showing that he could be affected by anyone he had just met, but when his buttons were pushed, he could throw down the gloves as well as the next guy. "You know nothing about me, bitch, and I don't have to explain myself to anyone."
Raven ignored him. "And you, Victor Stone, who magically got granted funds by a mostly apathetic government… they never did explain why they gave you that grant, did they?"
Cyborg arched an eyebrow.
She went on. "Beast Boy was one of the best in the galactic Space Force. Never caused trouble… stellar record… until he decided he would take the force's high-tech, mega-expensive prototype space craft for a joy ride just so he could impress some chicks…"
Robin's repulsion for the woman increased. "Nice of you to dig up the dirt on us, but you'll understand if we don't stay for the rest of it. Come on, Cy."
"Right there with you, champ."
Raven stood and blocked his path in a last ditch effort. "Don't make me do this the hard way, Robin."
"That's Captain Robin to you, toots," he said, stepping around her.
She moved to block him again.
Supremely irritated, Robin side-stepped further only to have her bump her shoulder against his as he walked away. He didn't bother to apologize.
With Cyborg behind him, Robin left his payment at the bar and walked out of the Happy Nebula unhappily sobered up.
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"Just once I'd like to dock in this shit hole without having to deal with weirdos selling their cheap-ass suicide missions to us," said Robin grumpily as he and Cyborg walked down the narrow alleys of Euphorix's back-sectors.
Cyborg grinned. "You know, I remember you saying something about begging the fates for something. Maybe that means you can't be choosing."
"Fine. Do you wanna go to Karna for thirty mil?"
"Hell, no.But I'm not the one who's bored."
Robin had to concede the point. "That's true."
"So what's this I hear about a girl?"
"Which one?"
Cyborg laughed. "Come on."
Robin figured he didn't have to delve on the entire issue. Cyborg wasn't nosy, so some basic facts would be enough. "That's history, my friend. Not the least bit interesting. She was eight, I was nine. At that age, girls still had cooties."
"Ooh! Young luv."
"No love. Just a friend I wish I hadn't lost."
"Lost? Like a misplaced pen?"
"Lost… like attacked by Citadellians and separated by escape pods."
"Oh."
"Eh… like I said: long ago. She's probably tanning herself on a Finusian beach with some prince."
"Nice. Classy gal?"
"She was princess of Tamaran."
Cyborg made a face. "Ouch… just a tad out of your league, boy."
Robin chuckled. "Shut up."
He saw a liquor store in the distance and was just about to suggest that they buy a dozen cans of beer and drink it in the ship when Robin was stopped in his tracks by a Xizangdi man in a Euphorix Law Enforcer uniform. Xizangdi were particularly intimidating to Earthians and Lunarians because they looked like the old demons of myth; with bright red leathery skin, long pointy ears and yellow, cat-like eyes. They were pretty big, too.
To his utmost surprise, Robin was grabbed by the scruff of his neck and slammed against the wall, his face pressed roughly on the grimy stone.
"Hey! What the—"
"Hands up against the wall, now!" roared the Xizangdi in his ear.
Cyborg came up right beside Robin with another Xizangdi forcing him to submit. While Cyborg was strong enough to take on two Xizangdies, one did not attack the cops of Euphorix if one was hoping to get out of the satellite alive. "Officer, what's this about?"
Robin felt heavy and rough hands patting him down and he grunted as a particularly careless pat caught him in his more sensitive parts. Beside him, Cyborg was rudely scanned.
Cyborg complained loudly. "Watch that scanner, man! That thing could mess up my circuits!"
The officer's hands dipped into Robin's coat pocket and before Robin knew it, his arms were being twisted behind him while the officer cuffed his wrists.
"You're under arrest for possession of contraband."
Robin did a double take, more confused than anything. "C-Contraband?Hey, wait, I don't do that stuff! Hey!"
"Cut the crap, druggie. We got you… dealers like you ought to be shot," said Robin's arresting officer as he flashed four tubes of Dragon Myst crystals in Robin's face. The colorful rocks inside the tube clinked like shattered bits of glass as he shook it. "We're hauling you in too, 'borg. Accomplices have to do the time, too."
Cyborg stared at the tubes in the officer's hand as if it was the most unbelievable thing he had ever seen. "Me? But—where the hell did you get that, Rob?"
"They're not mine!" Robin said through grit teeth as he was shoved into a police craft.
Cyborg was shoved into the craft beside him and their heads bumped.
They both swore atrociously.
Cyborg scowled. "Man, when the hell did you get into drug dealing?"
"I told you, the stuff ain't mine."
"So—what—that Dragon Myst just magically appeared in your coat pocket?"
"Well, I don't know—" Robin's eyes narrowed at a sudden realization. "That witch! She did it. She… fuckShe planted those things on me!"
"Dude… you're such an idiot!"
The two officers got in the front seat and the craft began to rise high into the air.
Robin groaned and leaned back on his seat, telling Cyborg to shut up over and over again while Cyborg kept telling him what a spectacular moron he was.
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The good news was, even Euphorix law gave them the right to one comm. call each. The bad new was neither Terra nor Beast Boy was picking up. They both ended up having to leave a message, accompanied by language that would have had their mothers ashamed of them up to the next life.
Cyborg and Robin were dumped into one of the lower-level cells that smelled like too many people had been in it. As it was, the entire place rang with noisy inmates, most of which quickly began to claim either Robin or Cyborg as their bitch.
It was little consolation that they had the cell to themselves.
They spent the first five minutes in the cell cursing first at themselves, then at each other, then at Terra and Beast Boy.
At that point, Robin had to wonder if they would have been willing to bust out of prison by force. It was moot, anyway. The authorities had taken his utility belt and had disabled Cyborg's weapons system.
We couldn't do jack-shit without our ammo. Not that it would have been a good idea. In fact, it would have been a rotten idea to break out. A lot of their cargo guarding contracts involved Euphorix. If they made fugitives of themselves, being unwelcome in Euphorix would be the least of their worries; they'd be wanted in all four quadrants.
Robin slumped on the floor of the cell, elbows on his propped up knees. "This is unbelievable."
Cyborg paced behind him restlessly. "When do you think Terra and BB'll check their comms for messages?"
Robin didn't even feel like answering Cyborg's fantastically stupid question. "When the hell do you think?"
Cyborg gave a frustrated yell. "That could be tomorrow! Fuck!"
"At noon," Robin reminded him. "But we wait. This is all a big misunderstanding and we could get out on bail until this is all straightened out…"
Cyborg stared at Robin like he had grown two heads. "Straightened out? Straightened out? You had the goods on you, Rob! Four tubes of Dragon Myst! You were practically a walking drug cartel! How the hell is this going to get straightened out? Man, I don't know what you were thinking carrying those things around."
"For the last time… they weren't mine!"
The sound of banging gates rang throughout the facility above the din of bored detainees. A barrage of hoots and obscene catcalls echoed through the cells, gaining volume at every second that went by.
Robin could hardly believe his eyes when they fell upon Raven D'Belial, flanked by two Quercusians, both of them Euphorix Law Enforcers. Their tentacle-like hairs jiggled as they moved, the blue spots on their skin giving them a more ferocious appearance.
Robin rose from the floor and shot her a deadly look. "You!"
Raven barely acknowledged him before she turned to both officers and said something which at first they refused to comply with. A few seconds later, their weapons began to levitate above their heads. The officers gasped, and perhaps when she thought them properly amazed, she let their weapons go.
"So you see, officers, I could take care of myself," she said, as if in conclusion. "I'll see you at the doors."
Dazed, the Quercusians walked away from her, shooting her wary glances.
Cyborg glared. "You're bad luck, girl."
Raven turned her attention back to them and arched an eyebrow. "No, I'm persuasive. Didn't I warn you? I told you not to make me do it the hard way."
Robin could barely contain a growl. "By framing us and getting us thrown in jail? You're fucked up, lady."
Raven shrugged. "I could get you out. But you have to agree to take this mission. I'll even throw in the thirty mil just because I'm reasonable."
"The hell we'll go on your mission, girl," said Cyborg. "We'll wait for our shipmates to bail us out, thanks. We don't need your help."
A small, almost indiscernible smile rose from her lips. "Actually, your friends couldn't bail you out."
Robin's fists clenched. "What have you done with them?"
She seemed surprised. "Oh, I didn't do anything with them. They're out there… on their date, or something, but even if they wanted to bail you out, they couldn't. The crime Euphorix is charging you with isn't bailable."
Robin glared at her. "Everyone from the four quadrants know that drug charges are only un-bailable if you're caught committing drug crimes within the same quadrant in which the planet of your citizenship lies."
Raven quirked her head to the side. "Impressive. You know your felonies."
Robin wasn't through. "Vega falls within the second quadrant. I'm a citizen of Luna and Cy's a citizen of Earth, both of which falls in the first quadrant. You don't have shit on us."
Cyborg stood behind Robin, nodding stubbornly. "Yeah! What he said!"
"Nice. But did you know that the moment your drug crimes fall within the scope of a Galactic Felony, the rules change. And your crime, my friend, qualifies as a Galactic Felony. Under the Uhlherr Criminal Treaty of the Four Quadrants, crimes that qualify as a Galactic Felony warrants the accused indefinitely detainable, without bail."
"Gala—" Robin stared a second before he could shake off his shock. "That's bullshit! They can't stick us with a galactic felony! How is it that my alleged small time drug-dealing qualifies as a galactic felony?"
Raven shrugged. "Three tubes of Dragon Myst and you are just a small time drug dealer, small enough for the regular quadrant rules apply. Four tubes… well, that's technically not so small anymore; that's a galactic felony. It's true. Look it up yourself. You should be thankful I'm not one for excess. I could have stuck you with a dozen tubes; made you eligible for life imprisonment, maybe even the death penalty."
Robin's jaw dropped and Cyborg looked like he was going to scream.
"So," continued Raven, looking at her fingernails and picking at them momentarily. "You could rot here in the satellite prison for the better part of—oh, I'd say two Earth weeks before they schedule your preliminary hearing. The judge could very well dismiss your case, but considering the evidence against you, I doubt it. He'll schedule a trial, the wait of which could last you another three Earth weeks in the Maximum Security Facility of Euphorix, and then when you do go to trial, hearings could last an Earth month to three Earth months, and the entire time, you haven't the slightest clue of whether the judge would rule in your favor or the government's. If he does find you guilty, you would be sentenced to at least three to four Euphorix revolutions… in Earth years, that means fifteen to twenty. The Euphorix justice system isn't known for its expediency nor for its leniency."
Robin's brain ached to shut-down, but he forced himself to keep thinking, gritting his teeth against the barrage of information that threatened to drive him insane. He tried to deflect Raven's words, grasping for reasonable thought: All he needed was a good lawyer. Bruce told him that there would always be difficult clients, so a Gater should always have a lawyer ready. Robin didn't have a lawyer, but he was sure Bruce would be more than happy to lend him his. It wasn't as if he had really committed any crimes. He had been framed! The courts would listen, right? Now, if only he could get this Raven-chick to admit that she had framed them…
He took one look at Raven and saw that the woman didn't have a conscience. He was in no position to ask, nor was he in the mood to beg, and even if he did beg, she didn't seem like the compassionate type anyway.
Cyborg sighed. "My momma's gonna be so angry…"
Robin couldn't believe that was all Cyborg could say. "Your momma?"He took deep, calming breaths. If he didn't, Robin knew he would start saying things about Cyborg's momma that he might regret… might.
Raven waited for them to say something to her, her face impassive.
Robin realized he had to consider all his options. "How do you plan on getting us out of here?"
Raven scratched her chin. "Initially, I had planned to bribe a few guards, but I'm a little short on cash, and if I asked money from you, then you wouldn't owe me anything, would you? So, I used what money I could spare to get you these." She pulled something from within her cape and showed it to them.
Robin's eyes widened. It was his utility belt, Cyborg's weapons-enabling chips and the rest of their personal effects.
They reacted at the same time, practically banging their faces against the bars of the cell to reach for their things. Raven mercilessly stepped back, out of their reach.
"Please…" Cyborg said.
Robin grimaced. "Yeah, I guess asking her nicely would work." He rolled his eyes.
Raven dangled the bribe-acquired loot in their faces. "You have to understand, if you bust out of here by force, you'll never be able to deal legitimately anywhere in space again, but there is a way to make sure that your busting out won't be held against you."
Robin threw up his hands. "Bitch has answers to everything, doesn't she?"
Raven smirked. "Fast learner. I like that. You could bust of here, that's certain enough, but if you walk out of here by yourselves, the cops will mark you and your buddy as fugitives. Every bounty hunter and cop in all four quadrants will know your faces and come after you. You could kiss your Space Cargo Guard careers goodbye and there will be nothing left for you but a life of crime."
"Please—for the love God—get to the point!"
"If you agree to go on this mission for me, I'll help you—and everyone else in this entire prison level—bust out. I could destroy computer records in a second while I'm at it and in all the chaos and confusion, you'll be totally wiped off the face of the Euphorix judicial system. Savvy?"
Robin had to admit that her plan had merit. He looked at Cyborg who jerked his head towards the corner of the cell. They huddled in the corner to talk in low voices.
"You think she could bust us out of here?" Cyborg asked.
"Well, she got this far into her plan, didn't she? She's gutsy as hell, I'll tell you that."
"Sneaky bitch… think we could trust her?"
Robin dealt Cyborg an are-you-stupid look. "Oh, hell no! But I think she could really do this. She wants us to go on her stupid mission, doesn't she?"
"And how about our records? Do you think she could really cause that much confusion? Wipe 'em out?"
Robin shrugged. "We'll know when we get to the next planet. In the meantime, her plan is the best shot we have at keeping our careers and our asses out of jail. Damn it! I hate losing control!"
Cyborg scratched his bald pate. "Is this right? We'll be sending a whole bunch of criminals back out on the streets…"
Robin rolled his eyes. "You know what, right now, I don't care. That's right, I-don't-care. I'm selfish and I'm feeling claustrophobic at the mere idea that I'm going to be stuck in a cell like this in the next three months and possibly the next twenty years of my life. Add that to the fact—" he paused, breathing deeply so that he could raise his voice to a yell "—that we aren't even criminals!"
Cyborg blinked several times, letting Robin's voice bounce off the walls of the cell before he nodded. "I see your point."
They scurried back to speak to Raven.
"We'll go on your stupid mission," said Robin. "We'll take the thirty mil and you could bet I'll charge you for your soul, your first born and your first born's first born when this is over. While we're on this mission, we'll do things our way. You got that?"
Raven nodded, tossing them their things. "Fair enough."
Robin caught his utility belt and Cyborg immediately attached the enabling chips to his system. The gathered the rest of their effects and stuffed them securely in their pockets.
"Watch and learn, boys. Watch and learn." Raven moved back, her eyes hollowing out into deep voids as she began to levitate above the ground, a strange mantra droning out of her lips. Black light bled from her hands and feet, spilling to the floor and creeping up the walls of the entire facility.
Robin stared at it in horror stepping back. "Holy… shit!" He bumped against Cyborg who realized just then that it seemed a good idea to get as far away from Raven as possible.
They did not have a long way to go considering they were in a prison cell, but the ominous darkness suddenly surrounding them had blanketed everyone, rendering the prison level silent with mixed wonder and fear.
There was an explosion beyond the walls, followed by a deep, metallic hum.
Then the lights were back on and for a few heartbeats, no one knew what to do. All the bars on each and every cell yawed open with large, perfectly rounded holes, like they had been melted at the edges. Towards the entrance of the prison level, the doors and walls looked exactly like it had simply been erased. Prisoners and guards alike gaped at the oddity of it all; perhaps everyone was wondering whether they were in some strange dream, but the precious seconds of confusion finally waned into utter and absolute mayhem.
The uproar came like a tidal wave and prisoners poured out of their cells. Like a frenzied mob, a flow of bodies rushed through the openings and exits, catching the police force wholly unprepared. Laser shots were fired, but there were too many prisoners on the loose.
Robin gaped at Raven. "Lady… who ARE YOU?"
Raven arched an eyebrow. "I'll meet you at your ship. Make it quick." She levitated farther back into the facility and melted into the walls.
Robin rapidly shook off his shock. After all the things Raven had done, he figured he shouldn't be surprised about anything anymore. "I think this is a good time to go."
Cyborg nodded. "Good idea!"
They lunged into the crowd and Robin shot a birdarang above the crowd, rope attached to it. He used bodies for leverage to kick himself off the ground and swung for the exits.
Cyborg, not far behind, only had to barrel his way through the bodies to get from one point to another.
The level of chaos was impressive, and Robin had to hand it to Raven; when the witch made a promise, she obviously knew how to keep it.
Reflections of Raven: I bet you ain't so bored anymore, are you Robin?
Author's Notes: Many of the unfamiliar species (the ones not on the show) in this chapter are names of actual minor planets that scientists have discovered. There are about 5000 named minor planets all over. Amazing, isn't it?