Standard disclaimers apply.

THE MIGHTY TITAN

Chapter Ten: Persuasion

Starfire had barely sat herself down to rejoin them on Azar's table when she stalwartly declared that she wasn't going to make any deals with Raven.

"You may keep your information," Starfire said. "And I will not tell you where you could find the stone. That is that."

Beast Boy, Terra and Cyborg, unaware of Galfore's importance to her, merely looked on. Robin did not look as neutral. He kept his gaze on Raven, waiting for her to react, thinking that if she used another one of her persuasion tactics on Starfire, it had to be much worse than getting framed for drug possession. Starfire, after all, had far less to lose.

Raven remained impassive, but Azar looked troubled.

"Child," she said, brows knotting. "Have you thought this decision through? I know that this Galfore is important to you and that you wish to see him again."

Starfire gave her a weak smile. "Yes, but I cannot give up the jewel; especially not to Raven. Galfore would be disappointed in me if I did."

"Raven is not as bad as you think. Truly, she needs that stone to fight the demon inside her, and she cannot do it without your help. Surely, if part of the power resides in all of you, that is enough to ensure that she will do no evil."

"Perhaps I am even more afraid of what I or everyone else on this table is capable of, if they had the power of the jewel in their behest."

Azar chuckled. "Well, if you or the others abuse the jewel's power, then there is no hope, and perhaps this plane and yours is fated to fall under the demon's reign."

"First I have to buy into the idea of demons' existence."

Raven scoffed. "That's the trouble with you middle planers. You think that nefarious 'demons' are mythical and unreal. What you can't seem to understand is that 'nefarious demon' is just another name for a very bad and ambitious person from another dimension. You've had your own 'demons', haven't you? Look back on your history. On Earth alone, there was Attila the Hun, Hitler and Rob-MTI."

Rob-MTI was short for Robotic Multi-tasking Interface. They were handy robots designed during the 21st century to perform the house chores of the average independent Earthling. They were brilliant, relatively cheap and trustworthy; that is, until the mother brain at Rob-MTI center began to foster artificial intelligence and slowly plotted to take over the world. Fortunately, a group of brilliant hackers found out the scheme before it was too late. Rob-MTI Corp. was furious, of course, suing the same hackers for property damage and industrial sabotage, but the hackers proved that their claims were true, and the corporation's case against them fell-apart. Their corporate shares didn't have much of a punch left in them, either. Eventually, congress prohibited wide-scale concentration of central processing units. In the off-chance that a processing unit began to think for itself again, it at least wouldn't have access to enough resources to enable it to attempt to conquer the world.

Raven continued. "And when Earth people reached space, you found out there were such ambitious aliens like Gulthor Sai, Prius Ayger Fahr, Bix Q and the Altherium."

They were names of some of the most notoriously cruel and vicious aliens throughout the history of the four quadrants. Gulthor, Prius and Bix were individuals with great, destructive powers, but the Altherium were a dark army of faceless aliens whose one and only aim was to rid the galaxy of any planet that refused to cooperate with them. They were called "Planet Eaters" and that in itself was enough to make anyone have nightmares.

There are many, fascinating stories of how they were all defeated, but none of the bygone heroics were enough to overwrite the sheer horror such historic villains dealt the known universe. None of the Mighty Titan crew was old enough to have known the fear of having such aliens flying free through space, but Prius Ayger Fahr, at least, struck terror in the hearts of their great grand parents.

"The key inside me," said Raven, tapping her head. "It is the key my father needs to re-enter this realm. A demon like him who conquers demon worlds would probably have no problem conquering a galaxy the likes of yours. He could be the Altherium, on steroids, if you could imagine that. There is a way to defeat him before he could harm anyone, and perhaps in the process, close the door to that dimension forever."

Robin said nothing. They were all just well-strung words to him. Like Starfire, he didn't believe in Raven's demon, but even if there was such a thing, when in God's name did he sign up for the responsibility of destroying it? He was pretty sure gaters weren't hired to fight Gulthor, Prius, Bix and the Altherium. If that were the case, the galaxy would have fallen to the bad guys a long time ago. Gaters weren't made to become heroes. Gaters were messengers, yes. Gaters were transporters, definitely; more like galactic gophers, if one wanted to be over-simplistic, but heroes? Not by a long-shot. Generally, gaters didn't want to be troubled by such things.

Terra caught his skeptical gaze and she mirrored it, rolling her eyes and making a vulgar jacking motion with her hand to signify how Raven was trying to yank everyone off. Robin stifled a laugh.

Starfire and Raven argued back and forth, with Starfire keeping her temper. Whatever anger she had for Raven earlier had been spent, and she seemed to be grounded in her decision to make no deals.

Cyborg leaned over to Robin.

"She staying?" he whispered, nudging his chin in Starfire's direction.

Robin slowly shook his head.

"Ouch. Sorry, champ." He patted Robin's shoulder.

"Anyway," Raven suddenly said, looking only slightly annoyed. "This argument is pointless. The object here is to get you to agree with my terms."

Starfire frowned. "I already told you what I think about your terms."

"You don't know shit. Starfire, what if I told you that Galfore, along with a very good friend of yours, was going to be executed for murdering their master's son in the next two days? Would you make deals then?"

Starfire froze and the faces surrounding the table lit up with interest. Even Robin found himself eyeing Raven suspiciously. Raven already said she wasn't a murderer, so what did she mean by this?

The stubborn look on Starfire's face withered for a second before her eyes narrowed back down. "I would say you are getting desperate and would tell me anything to get me to agree. In any case, I do not give in to speculation, Raven. And if you even think of harming Galfore, I am capable of making sure you do not put your thoughts into practice."

"I am sure you are, Starfire. The problem is you'll be wringing the neck of the wrong person. Galfore is in no danger from me, but he will be in danger in the hands of other people. Azar has seen it. Azar could show you. The future is always uncertain; that is true, but they could be gleaned, nonetheless. Whether your knowledge of it or not could change, or fulfill it, is something only fate could know and reveal, but there are indeed futures that you are better off knowing."

Starfire paled visibly but she remained firm. "I do not believe in horoscopes and fortune telling—"

"Inexact," said Azar, surprising everyone. "Vulnerable to error and misinterpretation. While looking to the stars and scrying crystals offer windows to the future, they speak in a language that is impossible for mortals like us to fully comprehend. Unless a person could find a window from the future and look back on past events, the future is impossible to foretell. This is why regression is reliable and divination isn't. And while being able to see the future accurately might be handy in certain situations, it is, more often than naught, better left told by time itself. But as Raven has said, there are futures worth exploring, which is why I have dedicated much of my life to understanding the language of stars and crystals through science and experimentation. There is a… procedure I have designed that could bend time to a certain point, limited by certain conditions, of course, but nothing so difficult to follow. It is a fact, my dears, that there is essentially no such thing as traveling to the future, because there is no future until you get there, but when the future becomes the present, you can—very well—travel back."

Starfire stared at Azar as if she had gone insane.

Robin scoffed. "There's no way. Even if there are scientific calculations throughout history that could have made time travel possible, there's one, un-impeachable fact that keeps it impossible."

"Dude," said Beast Boy. "I didn't know you were such a sci-fi geek."

Robin glared at him. "It's not sci-fi. Time travel is theoretically feasible in a controlled environment, but reality itself is an environment that cannot be controlled, therefore time travel isn't possible in our reality, because by simple law of physics: No two same particles of matter could exist in the same space at the same time."

"But what about clones?" asked Terra.

Robin shook his head. "A man and his clone are identical in every way, except for the fact that the man is himself and the clone is something else. Their molecules are completely different in spite of the fact that they look the same. Two cubes can no more occupy the same space on a table as two beings could occupy the same reality. If you take a man and his future self and put them in the same reality, then that's the same matter being in the same space, which defies all laws of physics. It's either one disappears or they both get destroyed by sheer dysfunction."

"Shit, man," said Cyborg. "You're so weird!"

"Don't hate me because I'm a genius," said Robin, scowling. "Anyway, point is, I'm right."

Azar laughed. "He is. He is absolutely right."

Robin shrugged. "You see?"

"Except for one thing."

Robin blinked. One thing? What one thing? No one said anything about one thing. "What's that?"

"You fail to factor in the variable of two entirely different planes existing at the same time. You are thinking on a linear level, when in fact you should be thinking three-dimensionally: You have your reality… and then we have ours; right here in Azarath. Has it ever occurred to you, Robin, that this place you are standing on could be a separate reality altogether? That here, you could exist, while an exact duplicate of you exists in the reality you left behind? By having a separate plane like Azarath, the same matter could exist at the same time. It destroys no laws of physics. The law that specifies that the same matter cannot occupy the same time is premised on whether they are occupying the same space. If you remove the factor of space, then time becomes irrelevant. We are not a parallel universe. If we were, then I would have an equivalent of myself in your reality, just as the rest of Azarath would, and that negates the principle that we are a different plane altogether. Azarath is a reality made up of particles different from the particles of your reality. Because of the differences in the plane, I could jump back in time shifting between this plane and yours. That is the only way I could make my studies. So while I am there on your side, I could gather information that would be useful to my children, particularly to Raven, whose business had often taken her to your plane."

Everyone stared at her. They could have laughed at her if she was making her voice spooky or maniacal, but she sounded so matter of fact that it gave even Robin pause.

Azar smiled, pleased that she had that effect on all of them. "Try remembering how Raven got you here. Of course, she had to open a gate to this plane, where Azarath lies. A simple enough manipulation of particles for the experienced 'witch', so to speak, but before the gate opened, did she seem… unaffected by certain events? Like she knew they were going to happen?"

Robin's eyes widened in realization and he felt his breathing go ragged with growing rage. "Raven, you bitch. You knew we were going to get attacked by those bounty hunters! You warned us. I remember you did! You told us things were going to get 'bumpy'. I thought you were talking about your portal, but you weren't, were you?"

The others stared at her, and Robin could see them getting angry as well. Especially Starfire. Starfire looked about ready to explode with starbolts.

Raven nodded without the slightest bit of shame. "I consulted Azar on when the best time for changing planes could be undertaken, and we talked about it, factoring in how I would be able to persuade you to enter the portal and when your future selves would be re-emerging back in its original plane. I'm not from the future—yet—but the Azar you are talking to now comes from the near future herself. She comes back every once in a while to help me do what I have to do. In your case, timing the opening of the portal with the attack of the Gothic made it possible for me to convince you to seek safety through it. Even more perfect was that I needed all the energy I could muster to open the gate. So I hit two birds with one stone. I used the energy from the plasma cells, leaving just enough to recover propulsion. I figured self-preservation was a powerful enough argument to convince you. I was right."

Robin growled. "I just want to kill you right now, Raven."

"I'm right behind you, chief!" said Terra.

Beast Boy frowned. "We're not really gonna kill her, are we? We're just going to scare her shitless, right?"

"I don't scare easy," said Raven. "Anyway, the timing was perfect for our future selves to reappear on that plane as we disappeared into this one. Maneuvers like that ensured as little disruption in the time space continuum as possible."

"Raven," said Starfire. "What do you mean by future selves?"

"Exactly what I mean: We are the future of our pasts, and as Azar said, she could send us back into time just when our past selves enter Azarath. As of this moment in time, in your plane, Galfore and Roy Harper are awaiting their execution, as decreed by the judge who sentenced them to death yesterday. Their execution will be undertaken two days from now. You may not believe me now, but whether you do or don't, Azar will indeed transport you back to the exact moment you disappeared. If you choose not to believe me, you will eventually find Galfore and Roy dead, with no hope of being returned, because see, that's the problem with traveling back in time. Azar couldn't do it whenever she wants. Witch energy has limits. You've read about that, didn't you, Robin? In Azar's case, going back in time by herself might allow her several trips if the jump back weren't that far into the past, but transporting a whole ship with six individuals three or four days in the past will require energy that'll cost her a year. After she transports you, she wouldn't be able to time travel for herself or anybody for a significantly long period. There's absolutely no way you could expect her to transport you, the Mighty Titan crew and the ship back in time for a year. You'll kill her. If that happens, perhaps I'd reconsider my stand against murdering you all in cold blood."

"Raven," Azar warned.

Raven frowned. "I am trained and prepared to take the future as it unfolds. I could let the future take its course. I could let Galfore and Roy die if they're meant to die, and if indeed, you, Starfire, refuse to cooperate in destroying Trigon, then the universe falls into chaos. When I think about it, my evil aspect would be ruling side by side with my father, which doesn't sound bad at all, for me. I could be a real bitch and just enjoy the spoils of the conquest. As for the rest of you, you'll suffer with rest of the galaxy. Could you live with all of that, Starfire? Knowing you could have made a difference in Galfore and Roy's lives and the lives of the rest of the galaxy?"

Cyborg scratched his bald head. "Hold up, yo. Who are Galfore and Roy? They sound like a magician act with lions, to me."

Robin's cheek twitched. He knew who Galfore was, but who was this Roy?

Starfire let out a trembling breath. "Raven, how do you expect me to believe all that? Time Travel? It is absurd! And how do I know you did not report my whereabouts to the Gothic yourself? Hmm?"

Raven was silent, and Starfire must have found something in the witch's gaze because Starfire's eyes narrowed to slits.

"Oh X'hal… you did report my whereabouts to the Gothic! You are lower than low, Raven! I cannot believe you!" She turned, motioning to walk out. Robin was too shocked to do anything but gape at Raven in disbelief.

Raven caught Starfire's arm to keep her from leaving. "You're right. I was responsible for the attack of the Gothic on us, but believe me when I say that their coming for us has and will serve a purpose far greater than the risk it put us through. Think, Starfire. Azar authorized it! She would never have agreed if it posed more harm than good."

"Oh, yes, indeed! Tell that to Robin, whose ship you wrecked! Tell that to Beast Boy who was knocked unconscious! You will not get what you want from me. Do you hear me, Raven? There is absolutely no reason for me to believe you now, more than ever!"

Raven let her go, roughly. "It would be easy enough to make you believe when you see proof of it with your own eyes. That could come when Azar transports us back in time and back to your plane. But remember everything that was said on this meeting. What you all needed to hear has been said. When your beliefs align themselves with mine, than perhaps we would have a good chance of defeating Trigon."

Silence fell upon all of them, as if indeed, everything that needed to be said was said.

Robin felt that it wasn't so much that he'd ran out of things to say; it was just all so unbelievable that it suddenly seemed silly to keep talking about all of it. He could strangle Raven right then, but what was the point?

The genetic engineering was one thing. When it came down to it, he could learn to accept the fact and incorporate the knowledge into his life as he knew it now. He had, after all, lived a relatively pleasant existence with Cyborg, Beast Boy and Terra ever since he met them. They were friends, and nothing, not even finding out they were set up to be friends, changed that fact.

Knowing they were crafted and manipulated to get along changed very little. He only hoped they did not think being friends with each other was worse than not being friends at all.

And now he knew Raven brought the attack of the Gothic upon their ship, and that Azar authorized it.

He looked at the old lady who sat serenely on her perch. There was no evil in her gaze. There was absolutely nothing to signify that Azar was capable of malicious thought. No, there had to be a reason why Azar let Raven bring the danger of the Gothic upon them. There had to be.

"Everyone is tired," Azar said softly. "There has been too much in one night as it is. Tomorrow, Captain Robin, I wish to speak to you and your X-O first thing in the morning."

Robin arched an eyebrow. X-O? There was no such ranking in the Mighty Titan, but he supposed Cyborg fit the role best. And yes, maybe they did need to talk with Azar. No more, tonight. There was too much already. "I'll have Cyborg with me waiting outside your doors, ma'am."

"Excellent. There is someone I wish for you to meet, as I feel you would know what to do with him, for I haven't the slightest clue what purpose keeping him here would entail." Azar rose from her seat. She smiled. "Off with all of you, then. Early day tomorrow, I'd assume. I predict you will all be working on repairing your ship now that you are all fully functional. Raven? You will come with me, lest one of these fine individuals be pushed to murdering you in your sleep. Your revelations were not a savory testament to your nature."

Terra shot Raven a glare. "Yeah, witch. You better go with her."

Raven spared her a withering glance. "Attack of the perky, blonde under-developed girls. I am so terrified. Save me, Azar."

"Hush, Raven, stop teasing the girl," said Azar while pulling Raven with her as she walked away.

"I am not perky!" cried Terra after her.

"You're right," replied Raven as she faded into the darkness of Azar's back chambers. "Not with beginners' bras, you're not."

"Bitch!"

"Close the doors when you leave!" chimed Azar just before the door to her back chamber clicked shut.

"That—"

Robin sighed. "Cool it, Terra. Frankly, all of this has exhausted me. I can't keep being shocked, or angry, or… whatever. I just want to turn in for the night."

"Amen to that," said Beast Boy wearily. "I don't want to think about anything that was said. It's too weird."

Cyborg nodded. "I'm staying in the ship. There's still some energy left in my charger and I could use some juice in my batteries."

Starfire said nothing. She simply headed for the doors leading outside of Azar's work-chamber.

Robin considered following but decided against it. It was true what he said: He was bone tired. Besides, he figured Starfire was in no mood to bring him to the pantries now. He wasn't in the mood either, come to that.

They watched her leave.

When she was gone, Terra began to make her way to the doors, as well.

"I'm going to bed. When I wake up in the morning, this nightmare will be over. So don't any of you talk to me about it tomorrow, or I will kill that witch the next time a better opportunity presents itself. Don't you dare follow me, BB."

Beast Boy, who was following, stopped in his tracks, shoulders slumping. She left, her footsteps fading soon after she walked past the doors and down the stairs.

"I guess I'm not the sick invalid she has to take care of anymore," he said.

Cyborg grinned and draped his arm over Beast Boy as he and Robin fell into step.

"Bee," said Cyborg in a gently chiding tone. "Terra stayed with you all night last night until this morning. She's tired and cranky and she needs sleep. Leave her alone."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Beast Boy looked at Robin. "'Bout you? Your girlfriend wasn't very eager to give you the time of day, either."

Robin frowned, slipping his head and shoulder into the straps of his satchel. "That's none of your business."

"Say," said Beast Boy, as if a brand new thought began to dawn on him. "If Starfire has Bastet's genes—"

"Starfire is not a lesbian. She said so, and I don't think she has lesbian tendencies either. Now if you and Cyborg could just stop thinking about girls kissing, I'd really like it if you left me alone to delve on the more important aspects of this non-existent relationship I have with this woman, alright?"

"Jesus Christ, how much bitching am I supposed to put up with in one night?"

Cyborg chuckled, nudging Beast Boy with an elbow. "Easy squirt. The champ has a lot on his mind. So… Robin, where's Starfire going after this?"

Robin sighed. He might as well talk about it in front of Beast Boy. "Who the hell knows? Not like she would tell me if I asked her. She probably doesn't know herself."

"It's alright, champ. You've gotten over being dumped before."

"Hey! I wasn't dumped. We simply agreed to go our separate ways."

Beast Boy scoffed. "Yeah, so like if Terra leaves the ship, she wouldn't be 'dumping' me, it would just be her deciding that she and I were better off by ourselves, separately."

When Beast Boy put it that way, Robin had to admit it sounded like getting dumped. "Shit happens." He looked at Cyborg askance. "When was I dumped before?"

"Kitty dumped you."

Robin scoffed. "That was a mercy jilt. I didn't want to dump her because I didn't know if it would mess her up or not. I wanted her to dump me."

"Then why did you beat the crap out of Fang?"

"Dude, he stole my girlfriend. Whether I cared about Kitty or not is beside the point. Principle of the thing. Duh!"

Cyborg nodded. "You're right… in a misogynistic, prehistoric man-rules kind of way. I absolutely agree. What do you think, Bee?"

"Totally seeing where you're coming from, chief."

Robin was glad he could count on the boys to see it his way.

They made a swift trip of the stairs.

As they walked through the hallway to head for the lifts to the chambers, Cyborg asked, "So, are you going to try to talk to Starfire again?"

Robin gave a helpless half-shrug. "What for? She never did listen to reason."

"You know the saying: When a woman goes wrong, a man goes right after her."

Robin's lifted an eyebrow. "Who said that?"

"Mae West."

Beast Boy frowned. "Who?"

"Actress of old. Deceased."

Robin grunted. "Who listens to dead actresses, anyway?"

"Well, chief," said Beast Boy. "I see where your problem may lie."

"Is that right, BB?"

"Yep. You said Starfire never listened to reason. Maybe the reasons you gave her weren't the reasons she wanted to hear."

"Oh? And what do you know about what she wants to hear?"

Beast Boy shrugged. "Probably nothing. But if your reasons came from here," he tapped his temple twice with a finger "maybe you should reconsider and start giving her reasons from here." He tapped the spot on his chest, just where his heart should be.

Robin frowned.

Seeing the expression on Robin's face, Beast Boy held his hands up. "I'm just saying."

Robin looked at Cyborg who only shrugged in reply.

Disgusted, Robin turned away from them to continue the walk to the chambers.

888888888888888

Robin woke up the following morning feeling no better about the state of his troubles from the previous night. Nonetheless, he was glad that the day felt like it had purpose. He had a meeting with the head of the temple and he planned to keep himself occupied the rest of the day by helping Cyborg put the ship back into working order. He wasn't going to let his engineer and most trusted friend convince him again that the ship wasn't the priority.

He wondered if maybe Azar would have him bring someone from here to somewhere and he was thinking of doing it for free. The woman had, after all, taken care of them while they were in this strange place; healing their wounded, giving them clean clothes to wear and feeding them really good food on a real table, with table-cloth. In a lifestyle like theirs, where Chinese take-out and Hover Sports on the Plasma Holovision was considered a special occasion, fancy crystal-plate dinners with Crème Brulêe and purple wine could certainly buy their host a free run. On the other hand… she had authorized the summoning of the Gothic. Maybe that off-set everything. It really ought to, anyway.

After Robin showered and dressed, he hurriedly re-armed and re-tooled himself. He was adding more utility discs into the slots of his belt from the bag he got from the ship, when his eyes fell on an object on his bedside table. It was his switchblade; the one he had lost to Starfire.

He wondered about when she might have returned it. It could have been while he was asleep.

He took it, frowning slightly at how Starfire may as well have stabbed him repeatedly while he slept. He never realized that he could actually be displeased about getting his stuff back from a thief.

Flipping the switchblade once with expert ease, he slid it back into place underneath his arm-guard.

Robin took one last look into his bag and let his gaze linger on the book he had taken from his library. It was Cosmic Ley Craft: Coven of the Elements. Remembering words from the previous night, he wished he hadn't taken the book for leisure reading, but ever curious, he took out the tome and opened it again to the introduction.

The gathering of the coven… "aether" or the omnipresent 'other' occult element that embraces the four… the divination… magical objects…

Robin slammed the book shut. He could creep himself out later.

He headed to the docking area where he assumed Cyborg would be. It was a little too early, even for "first thing in the morning".

True enough, Cyborg was hanging from one of the harnesses and making repairs high up on the side of the ship. There were even more acolytes helping him now than the previous day. Robin could only assume that the endless days of meditation drove them to break routine. Repairing a space ship was a welcome diversion.

Cyborg called to him first, waving. He began to lower himself with the mechanisms attached to his belts.

Robin took a moment to look the ship over again. He would be helping Cyborg all afternoon, but it didn't look like there was much more that needed fixing. "She's lookin' good, Cy."

Cyborg nodded. "Yep. We'll be out of here in no time. I've got a lot of help, and most of the acolytes already know their stuff. It's great."

"I'll help later, too. Not as if I have anything better to do."

"You sure you wanna do that, champ?"

He lifted an eyebrow. "Why the hell not? I've had my fill of having 'fun' yesterday. I'm not going to listen to you again. I've had enough grief listening to you."

Cyborg chuckled. "Well, see, it's not just the acolytes helping today… Starfire's here."

As if on cue, Starfire appeared from the corner, passing out tools to thankful acolytes. A protective mask was strapped to her head and she wore protective clothing. Overalls, actually, but as was her wont, she made even overalls look good.

She didn't need straps to elevate herself. Lowering her mask, she settled on a section of the ship and began to weld.

Robin froze for only a second before he shook his head in futility. "Let me guess, she's done this before."

"She said she worked construction on a station in one of the moons of Jupiter. Adrastea, I think, and really, I have no reason to suspect otherwise. She knows what she's doing."

"Handy, isn't she?"

"Yeah. You know, I could use an assistant on the ship—"

"We'll see about hiring someone. I already told you she wouldn't stay."

Cyborg sighed. "Right. Maybe I should talk to her."

"Be my guest. Anyway, I'll help later. Starfire doesn't bother me."

Cyborg said nothing. He left some instructions with one of the acolytes before he and Robin headed back into the temple. They took the route to Azar's tower but were surprised when Azar emerged from her stairs with Brina behind her.

Azar and Brina smiled, looking fresh and unhurried.

"Are we late?" asked Robin.

Azar waved his concerns away. "No, no. You are fine. I just figured you would be heading on up and I saw no sense in having you go up and then back down immediately. Come boys, follow me. 'Tis but a short trip."

Robin was about to ask how Azar knew they were arriving when Brina caught his questioning gaze.

"Don't ask," she said, patting his shoulder gently.

He shut his trap.

Azar led them past a thick steel door a short way from the bottom of her staircase. The door was inconspicuous, though it looked more like a vault than a passageway. Certainly, Cyborg had to turn a heavy lever and Robin had to help to push the door open. It was pitch dark, but Azar touched a panel on the wall and the way lit up with overhead lamps. The lights came to life in a series, one after another, straight down with more than a hundred steps. Everything was white like ivory.

Brina did not join them. She stayed outside, asking them nicely to help her get the door closed. There were no levers from inside but there was a groove big enough to accommodate big hands, presumably to enable anyone from inside to pull the door open.

As they descended the steps, they could hear the turning of the lever.

Robin wondered what they didn't want getting out. He looked around. If he had never left Earth or Luna, he'd think the place was a hospital, but he'd seen enough of the galaxy to know that not everyone painted their healing facilities white. "Where are we?"

"Sometimes, even Azarath needs to keep the peace through forceful means," Azar replied.

His eyes widened in surprise. He caught Cyborg's look which was just as astonished. "This is a dungeon?"

Azar laughed. "How archaic! And how unpleasant to call it such, but I suppose you could call it that. Yes, this is essentially a dungeon, though the acolytes call it a 'detainment facility'. Dungeons connote torture and suffering. In that, at least, we take no pleasure in."

"Well, who did you detain?" Cyborg asked.

"Someone you know, I'd imagine."

Robin was even more surprised. "Why'd you detain him in the first place? Did he hurt anyone?"

"Good question. No, he did not hurt anyone, but I knew enough about him to have him put here. He was unconscious when we brought him in, which was fortunate. I doubt any of us would have survived putting him away if he were awake."

They arrived at the bottom and Robin saw a stretch of cells. Each cell had old fashioned bars, though they looked like they were made of porcelain instead of steel. He was however, willing to bet that if it was porcelain, it wasn't the kind that broke easily.

A film of force-field hovered just beyond the bars, doubling the security. The fields looked individually powered so that if one field failed, the others would not follow, but it wasn't as if the cells were filled. There were hardly any occupants, and there probably hadn't been any for a very long time. Everything was clean and the entire place smelled like an appliance newly removed from its box.

The prisoner was placed half-way through the stretch of cells and he sat casually in the corner, grinning at them like a caged lion baring its teeth.

"Hello Holy Woman," he said. "You brought friends?"

"Harrison," said Robin, his lip curling in disgust. "You son of a bitch… you followed Starfire all the way here?"

Harrison laughed. "I'd love to say I did that, but no, I did not follow the drifter here. I wasn't given much of a choice when the portal sucked my boarding ship."

Cyborg's good eye widened. "Boarding ship? Well, shit! No wonder the acolytes had the parts to fix good ole MT! They got it off your ship! Bet that's where they got the plasma cells, too! Hey man, thanks for the parts!"

Robin cocked a grin at the look of irritation that befell Harrison's features.

Azar gestured to the prisoner. "Mr. Harrison had a few crew members with him when his ship went through the portal. They were not as lucky as he. They are in the temple morgue and will be cremated in a few hours."

Robin tilted his head apologetically. "Sorry 'bout your crew, Harrison." He meant it, but not by much. He looked to Azar. "So you don't know what to do with him?"

Azar shook her head. "No. I could keep him here forever, you understand. And perhaps in due time he may be allowed to roam free, but I'd imagine that the peaceful life here would drive him to madness."

Robin cocked a smile, popping his knuckles. "Oh, don't worry. I know exactly what to do with him."

Harrison grinned. "Oh, do you, boy?"

"You wrecked my ship, tried to kidnap Starfire and threatened to kill us. I have plenty I want to do to you."

"I thought long-legged red-heads were more your type."

"I go for variety every now and then. Cy? How's the brig on MT?"

Cyborg grinned. "In fine condition."

Harrison frowned. "You have to be able to get me in that cell, first."

Robin scoffed. "Like that's going to be a problem. I'll handle your transfer myself, Harrison. It'll be a treat."

Azar looked relieved. "Well, I am glad you have taken the responsibility captain."

"Works more for me than it does for anyone else." He kept his gaze on the prisoner. "Hey, Harrison. Who sent you to pick up Starfire?"

"Why? Planning to turn her in? She is worth quite a sum of money."

Robin was unmoved. "Just curious."

"Go find it out yourself. The word is out on her and every bounty hunter in the galaxy is just waiting for her to stumble into their quadrant. Of course, there are some out there who aren't willing to wait, so watch out, captain. Most bounty hunters are about as nice to gaters as I am."

Robin's stomach twisted at the news, but he made no show of it. Every bounty hunter in the galaxy? Someone was paying a lot to have her brought in. He turned to Azar. "The ship'll be ready to launch in a couple of days. Do you want us to deal with him from hereon?"

Azar smiled. "No, thank you. We could handle him for the interim. I just did not want him getting stuck here in Azarath forever. There is nothing for him here."

"Where I'm taking him, this life's a picnic."

"Well, I shall leave that to your discretion."

Robin nodded, turning to Harrison. "I'll see you around."

Harrison made no reply.

They headed back to the exit. The climb up was not as leisurely as it was going down.

"I must admit that Mr. Harrison has been nothing but polite," said Azar. "Very civilized, though he scared the acolytes well enough as he is."

"Typical bounty hunter," said Cyborg. "Always something sinister about them; even the nice ones, and trust me when I say this guy is about as bad as a bounty hunter could get."

"I am sorry," said Azar, her face growing somber. "I do feel I am somewhat responsible for your having had to encounter him. After all, Raven and I came to an agreement using him. But believe me when I say that I deliberated on it for days, and that after having considered several points in this… cosmic conspiracy, I realized that he would bring you more benefit than harm. It was the only reason I ever agreed to it captain. Please. You must believe me when I say that."

Robin stared back at the woman, studying her face, telling himself not to trust her; not to believe, but it was difficult. He could read her pain because she had done what she did, but she was earnest in trying to convince him of its necessity. Even if he didn't understand, he could not bring himself to be angry with Azar.

"I bet it was mostly Raven's idea," Robin muttered, chuckling softly.

Relief washed over her expression and she smiled. "Raven's determination has always been one of her more frightening traits."

"No shit."

"You will understand soon why I allowed it, captain. When you find out, I only hope you will see it the way I did."

Robin nodded. He hoped so too.

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Breakfast was served to a full table. Recovered from his injuries, Beast Boy joined them in the small dining room where Robin had his first Azarath meal.

Terra was there too. She was still in no mood to talk to anybody.

Raven sat by Brina, discussing something with her in a lowered tone.

Cyborg sat to one side of Robin while Starfire sat on the other.

It was a really quiet morning.

"Need help in the repairs, Cy?" Beast Boy asked, breaking the long silence.

Cyborg piled corn-beef and scrambled eggs on his plate. "An extra hand's an extra hand. Terra, we've got some power running in the bridge. You want to check out the systems?"

"Sure." She didn't sound enthusiastic, but she would probably like doing it. Computers always made her feel better.

"The quicker the ship is repaired, the better," said Raven. "If we head out tomorrow, that'll be four days Azar will have to send us back so we could re-emerge at the same time we left your plane. A farther jump back would be too taxing to Azar. Besides, I believe four days to prepare for Galfore and Roy's rescue is enough."

Starfire looked up from her buttered toast and glared. "I do not recall agreeing to this rescue, Raven. I do not even believe they need rescuing. You just want me to tell you where the jewel is."

Raven shrugged.

Robin made no comment.

Little more was said after that.

After breakfast, everyone went back to the docking pad.

They worked on the ship practically non-stop, pausing only for the packed lunch that was brought for all of the workers.

The acolytes were easy company, smiling and nodding at everything. Even Terra was unable to resist taking on a more pleasant mood.

Robin didn't say much, though he managed a half-grin or two when the acolyte beside him nudged him for a response. For the most part, the damaged electronics and mechanisms were almost all repaired. The biggest job was welding the holes to the ship's body shut. Robin and Beast Boy, like most of the workers, were on the welding crew while Cyborg and Terra coordinated on the systems. Everything was going quite well, and Robin found that if he concentrated on his work, he didn't have to think too much about everything that happened the day before.

Finishing on his portion of the ship, Robin lifted his mask to examine his work and found it to be satisfactory. He patted the surface of his ship fondly. You're going to look a little patched up for the meantime, girl, but when we get back out there, I'll give you a fresh coat of ship paint the moment we get the chance.

Robin checked his belts, making sure they were secure before he pushed off one side to swing himself to another. Unlike most of the workers, he was much more comfortable working the harnesses.

He whipped around the corner with confidence, swinging too quickly to realize that there was someone else coming from the opposite direction at an even faster rate.

He gave a warning yell to Starfire just as he was bracing himself for the collision. The collision came, bodies slamming against each other in mid-air.

Robin's felt a little winded, his eyes seeing stars having his head knocked, but no stranger to aerial maneuvers, he caught Starfire and held firm in case he managed to knock her, or she managed to knock herself, senseless.

The harness slammed them both back against the metal surface of the ship, jarring them a second time.

Robin shook his head to clear his senses as hoots and laughter came from all sides.

"Oww…" Starfire rubbed her forehead.

"Sorry," he muttered. "You alright?"

"I am mostly undamaged. You?"

"Fine. I'll live." He had the belt of her overalls clutched tightly in his hands. He had held her closer than this, but now he felt extremely uncomfortable. "I'm letting you go now. Your flying okay?"

She nodded. "Yes, but Robin…" Her hands came up to clutch the sleeves of his coat.

He looked around him self-consciously. No one was watching them, or at least, no one appeared to be. Everyone around them continued to work, pretending not to listen. He wanted to pull out of her grasp, but he didn't want to make a scene. He sighed. "What?"

"Are you angry at me?"

"Do I seem angry?"

"You could not even look at me during breakfast. I do not want you angry at me."

"I'm not angry," he muttered. "But just—I can't talk to you right now."

"I see." She nodded, her grip on his sleeves loosening. "You will talk to me before I go, won't you? Won't you, Robin?"

He let her go, preparing to push further along the side of the ship. What was he going to say? Anything he said at that point would be cheesy beyond belief. He settled for a grunted, "Right."

She sighed. He was just about to kick off when she held him by his sleeve again.

He shot her a frown. "What?"

Smiling sheepishly, she held something out. It looked like a transcard. It was his. His frown deepened and he grabbed it.

"Sorry," she said. "Force of habit."

"Fuckin' unbelievable…" he muttered, swinging away from her. He headed to the deck where most of the damage to the body was. There were many working there already, but he figured that if he inserted himself in the crowd, Starfire wouldn't be able to corner him again. He hung from the deck and did his work down the side of the ship.

He was welding a plate in place when he heard Cyborg speaking from the left of him.

"I saw you and Starfire getting cozy up there." He was strapped in, too, his harness creaking from his weight.

Robin stopped welding and yanked his mask up. He held up the welding gun, as if he was more than willing to use it. "Cozy isn't the word I'd used to describe it."

Someone bumped into him from the other side. "But you were so huggy-huggy!"

Robin almost slipped off his harness at his surprise of Beast Boy who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. "Where the fuck did you come from?"

"You two make a really cute couple!" said Terra.

He looked up to find Terra on deck, grinning at him toothily. Oddly enough, the smile disappeared almost instantaneously.

"Don't sweat it, captain. She's not going anywhere."

He craned his neck over his shoulder, shocked to find Raven floating behind him on her powers. Weirdest of all was Raven's poking into his business. He twisted, turning him and his harness around to face her. He frowned. "Not that I think it's any of your business, Raven, but what do you mean she's not going anywhere?"

Raven crossed her arms over her chest, disgusted. "As if you didn't know me."

"Look, you leave her alone, alright? She's in enough danger flying around space all by herself and she doesn't need a ruthless witch like you blackmailing her with her life."

"I don't have to blackmail her to do anything. She'll decide it all by herself. But you have to do something for me."

"You've got some nerve, Raven."

"That, I do. Now listen closely. When we head back out there—"

"Oh yeah, I was going to ask you about that! So you're actually going back on the ship with us! Somehow, I knew you'd stick around. I'm thrilled. Like having myself castrated, I'm thrilled."

She paused a moment, as if the diversion amused her. "What's the point of living if it isn't to annoy you, captain?"

Robin scowled. "'Annoy'? You think you 'annoy' me? That's the most spectacular understatement I've ever heard since I broke my arm and my doctor said I'd feel a 'pinch' when he reset the bones."

Raven shrugged. "Mere semantics. So do you want me to tell you how to keep Starfire on board or not?"

"You're so full of shit. You only want her to stay for the jewel."

"Don't make me say out loud why you want her to stay, captain. Don't forget, I'm an empath. I know everything you're feeling, wholesome or not."

He could feel his crew's eyes on him and his face getting incredibly warm. "I told you to stay out of my head, Raven."

"I did stay away, but you were causing such a racket in last night's dinner that I didn't need to poke into your aura. You were broadcasting loud and clear. Now are you going to stop being a bitch and listen?"

Terra scoffed. "The Queen Bitch is the only one who could bitch around—"

Raven raised a finger and twirled it in the air as a black ribbon of power wound itself around Terra's mouth.

Terra flipped Raven off with both of her middle fingers.

Robin sighed. "Look, Raven—"

"When we head back out there, you will see some proof to my claims. You already believe the story about your genetic origins—"

"That's only because it's scientifically probable, Raven."

She chuckled. "Something doesn't have to be scientific to make it probable, Robin. When you see this proof, I would like you to convince Starfire to listen to me. You are, after all, one of the few people in this galaxy she trusts."

"You're really something else, you know that?" Robin finally turned his back on her. He caught his crew's disappointed gazes and he glared at them. This happened all the time. Whenever he got involved with a woman, they watched him like he was some soap opera hero they wanted to see happily-ever-aftered. Terra was always the most vocal of her disapproval when it came to the women he chose, but every once in a while, the boys gave comments. This time, though, it seemed there was some unspoken unanimous vote in favor of Starfire. Well, he refused to oblige them their guilty pleasure. It was his life, dammit. He was the one who was supposed to live it.

Beast Boy nudged him. "But she does trust you, dude!"

"What? What the hell do you know about it?"

Cyborg and Terra nodded vigorously.

Robin countered it with a shake of his head. "I'm not going to use that fact so that Raven could get what she wants. And what are you all hounding me for? Get your own damn love lives!"

With that he pushed off, intent of finding some place where he could work uninterrupted.

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It was way past midnight when Robin and few other acolytes welded the last steel plate in place. The repairs to the Mighty Titan's body and its major systems were complete. There were a few programs and hardware that needed repairing, if not outright replacement, but those could be fixed when they got back in space.

Terra, who had finished her end of the task just a little after dinner, had long retired to bed in the temple. Beast Boy and Cyborg were somewhere inside the ship double-checking systems and Starfire—he hadn't seen Starfire in a while. Probably asleep too.

Robin and the acolytes lowered themselves to the ground and he thanked them all for their help. They talked a bit more before the acolytes finally told him goodnight and that they'd be back in the morning to see them off.

The thought was satisfying; that the Mighty Titan was ready for take-off the next day. The utility lights were back on in the ship, and until they could fully replace the plasma cells, the Mighty Titans hallways and most of its rooms would be dim, but that was a detail. Other than that and the patch-work body, he had his beloved ship back.

He decided to go back to the temple for the last night of their stay in Azarath. The ship was familiar, but if he wanted familiarity, he would have gone back to Luna a long time ago.

It was a long walk to his chamber from the docking station, but he welcomed the solitude. When he got to his room, he readied himself for bed. He was just about to settle in the sheets when he saw the Cosmic Ley Craft book. He flipped on the reading lamp and began reading from where he last left it.

Two hours later, he had a firmer grasp of ley line concepts and how the elements played into magic. Elements were considered a fundamental element of life, existing in almost the same manner for witches as it did for ordinary human beings. Both life-forms acknowledged the fact that elements, whether separately or combined, could be a powerful sources of energy, but unlike ley lines, elements were harder to control. It was, therefore, better to get elements to work with you, rather than for you. While everything and everyone on Earth was created by a number of elemental combinations, the most enduring and all-encompassing product of the union of all four was metal. It was almost as raw as the elements themselves, so it wasn't surprising that it could possess as much power as the very elements that created it, hence it's nickname: The Other Element. It was uncertain whether the Other or "Aether" could be used in place of the four, but certainly, used with water, fire, earth and air, it added a significant boost in the elemental powers combined.

After Robin read a bit about Akashaor "the matrix from which all the elements are born", he closed the book, his exhaustion finally claiming him.

8888888888888888888

Robin knew he was late for breakfast the following morning, but he didn't think that was a problem. When he got to the breakfast table, everyone there was almost done eating and Brina's place was empty. He didn't even take a seat. He reached for a piece of toast and stuck it in his mouth as he checked some things on his Palm Navigator. He munched on the toast a bit before setting the remains of it down on the edge of the table.

"I hate to hurry this along," said Robin, referring back to his hand-held computer. "But the moment you guys are ready, I'd like the ship prepped. Terra, get the systems ready for take-off. Beast Boy, activate all safeguards in the brig and Cyborg, I'd like to see you in the detainment facility downstairs. I'd have to go on ahead; discuss a few things with our Class D."

Terra's and Beast Boy's eyes widened in unison.

"What's a class D?" asked Starfire.

Robin finished with his Palm Navigator and looked up at her. "Prisoner. We're taking him with us on the ship."

Raven cleared her throat. "I would appreciate it if you don't forget me in all this. I need to help Azar prepare a few things for our trip back in space so I might be the last to board the ship."

Robin grabbed the remainder of his toast. "It would be convenient to 'forget' you, wouldn't it?"

"May I remind you that you don't even know how you got here, so essentially, I am the only one who knows how to get us back out. If you want to go back to your plane, you have to bring me along, or else you'd be wandering forever and you'd never find your way again."

Robin hated how that was true. "Just like you to cover all the bases."

"Quit complaining. As much as you hate me, you think I'm interesting; you all do. Your morbid fascination of me keeps most of you from poisoning my morning coffee. Isn't that right, Terra?"

That stopped Robin in his tracks. He looked at his systems coordinator. "You tried to poison her?"

Terra frowned. "Once! And not to kill her! Just… to give her the runs, but she caught me. She's good at doing that; she's good at reporting me to the authorities, too! Fucking tattletale…"

Raven flashed her signature malicious smile.

Robin shook his head, but he didn't have time to debate the reasons why he couldn't seem to kick Raven out of his ship. He stuffed the last piece of toast in his mouth and looked to Cyborg for confirmation of his responsibility.

Cyborg nodded. "I'll be there ASAP, champ."

Before anyone else could ask him anymore questions, like who the prisoner was, he left breakfast.

He packed what little of his possessions he had from his Azarath room and first headed to the ship. He dropped off his belongings in his chamber and went to the brig for the equipment he would need.

Armed and ready, he headed to Harrison's holding cell.

He undid the lock on the door and stepped into the facility. He pushed the door shut, unconcerned that he would be sealed in.

Robin made a quick trip of the staircase and soon he was looking at Harrison through the bars.

"Just you, captain?" asked Harrison, not getting up from his seat on his bunk bed.

Robin chuckled, crouching to the ground and dropping his bag of equipment beside him. "I didn't come here to do this all by myself, Harrison. I'm good, but I'm not stupid. My second in command will be following shortly to keep you behaved when we make the transport, but I went on ahead so we could talk some." He began to unpack his bag, laying its contents out one by one in a neat line in front of him: Plasma cuffs, plasma leg braces, neck bracer, stun gun, an implanter and its implant cartridge. "Any of these familiar to you?"

Harrison lifted an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest. "Standard quarry restraints."

"Quarry restraints?" Robin chuckled. "I suppose that's what a bounty hunter would call it; different name for the same shit. So, you know how I'll be using all of these, then?"

Harrison rolled his eyes. "Of course I do. First the stun gun, then the cuffs, braces and bracer, and finally the implanter. Like I told you: standard."

"Wow, you're good. Ever had to think about that from the other side of the cage, Harrison?"

Harrison chuckled softly. "You don't scare me, boy."

"I'd be disappointed in you if I did, but I'm talking to you now as an equal of sorts. Don't make this transfer hard on yourself. It'll be better for everyone."

"I don't intend to give up on my quarry, captain. What kind of bounty hunter would I be if I did?"

Robin shrugged. "I'm just saying. Anyway, you'll like where I'm bringing you. The Federal Peacekeepers in Shalla, I heard, would love to get their hands on you." Shalla feds were notorious for being particularly hard on their prisoners. They pushed galactic civil rights to the limit, and perhaps one or two managed to go overboard altogether. Robin always said he would never give his worse enemy over to Shalla, but at that moment, he couldn't think of a better place for Harrison.

Harrison scowled. He probably heard about Shall feds too.

There was a sound from the top of the stairs, and voices too. Cyborg had brought company; two more acolytes.

"You armed?" Robin asked Cyborg.

Cyborg nodded. "Locked and loaded."

Robin picked up the implanter and loaded it with its cartridge. The implanter was shaped like a gun with a thin nozzle. It was cocked just like an old-fashioned pistol and was just as heavy. An implanter's original function was to inject a stream of nano-bots into a person's bloodstream making their entire body a homing device for the one in charge of keeping track of him. Since implanters were first created, the capabilities of the nano-bots inside cartridges had evolved from homing-devices to triggered detonation devices. Use of the more fatal nano-bots out in the market was heavily regulated by the federation; so much so that illegal possession of such nano-bots merited fifteen to twenty Earth years in prison if caught.

Removing the safety on the implanter, Robin tucked it into the waist of his pants. The stun gun he left behind along with his utility belt. He didn't need Harrison getting a-hold of his weapons and using it against him. He picked up the plasma cuffs and told one of the acolytes to remove the force field.

The acolyte followed instructions swiftly, deactivating the field and opening the cell doors. Robin stepped in, closing the cell door behind him.

Harrison looked surprised. "You're locking yourself in with the lion, captain? And no stun gun, too!"

Robin calmly took out the implanter, cocked it, aimed and shot. Harrison was shocked enough not to have moved as the implanter's dart went straight to his neck. It took another second for Harrison to realize what happened to him. He then gave a loud howl of pain as the writhing sting of frenzied nanobots triggered the sensitive nerves in his neck.

Harrison swore oaths against Robin's forefathers and mothers as he snatched the dart out with a swift tug. He breathed raggedly, more from anger than pain. "You son of a bitch!"

Robin smirked. "That was for wrecking my ship." He held up the cuffs. "Now, get into these nice and easy and we won't have a problem."

Furious, Harrison came at him, switchblades snapping out from under his sleeves. Robin ducked to avoid the first thrust and did a swift, turn-table maneuver to kick the second dagger out of Harrison's hand. The dagger clattered to the corner of the cell.

Still left with one weapon, Harrison flipped his weapon over in his hand with admirable skill and tried to make a backhand thrust at Robin. Robin simply dropped to the ground, kicked Harrison's legs from under him and sent the bounty hunter sprawling on his chest.

Robin fell upon him in a second, grabbing one arm at a time and twisting it to his back. Robin gave one arm an extra-wrench, making the sinews crackle. Harrison cried out at the pain as Robin snapped the plasma cuffs on. Irritated, Robin grasped the cloth on Harrison's back in his fist and yanked the bounty hunter to his feet.

"Thank you. I always wanted my shoulders dislocated," Harrison hissed, shooting Robin a glare.

"That was for trying to kidnap Starfire." Robin turned to the audience outside the cage. "Cy, hand over the braces, will you?"

Cyborg passed the braces to Robin through the bars. "Can I kick him extra for busting the shield generators?"

Robin gave it a thought, his eyes roving to the acolytes. "Maybe when there aren't any witnesses."

Harrison scowled at that while the acolytes fidgeted uneasily.

Robin grinned. He did occasionally enjoy messing with people. He gave the leg braces a shake. "You gonna get in these easy, Harrison?"

Harrison grumbled his reply. Robin took that as a yes. He snapped the braces on Harrison's shins and activated the restraining mechanisms. Any sudden movement on either of Harrison's legs would cause the high-power magnets in the braces to activate, locking his legs together. It was not something a fugitive wanted to have on.

Robin had little trouble snapping the neck bracer in place. Neck bracers sent pulses through a prisoner's body, making their movements slow and heavy. It was similar to dampening collars and wrist bands, except it was "Industrial Strength". Dampening collars and wrist bands allowed a wearer to be useful, so they were ideal for slaves and trade-fair goers. Neck bracers made a prisoner useful only for carrying himself from point A to B. In other words, neck brace wearers were only good for walking.

Robin signaled for the cell doors to be opened. The doors slid to the side and he let Harrison walk through the door first.

Dealing Robin a glare, Harrison complied, stepping out of the cell and into the circle that was Cyborg, the two acolytes and Robin. Cyborg gave Robin his weapons.

The acolytes took front and back while Robin and Cyborg walked on both sides of the prisoner.

They headed for the exits as quickly as Harrison's neck brace permitted him. Soon they were out of the detainment facility and walking the hallways. Quite a few acolytes stopped in their tracks to watch the procession.

They turned several hallways until they came to a walkway at least fifty meters long. When they finally emerged on the landing dock, Harrison looked exhausted.

The bright rays of the sun streamed over all of them, spectator and parade, bouncing off the pearlized exterior walls and floors of the temple. The colorful forest view seemed to burst with life. In spite of the dreary task of transferring detainees, it was a day marked for resuming journeys.

After years of coming and going from far away planets, protectorates and space-urbs, Robin felt, for a first time in a long time: a sense of adventure. There were things, indeed, that he did not look forward to, like Starfire's departure from his ship, or Raven's presence that had constant promise of blackmail/extortion/malevolent threat, and perhaps even the impending resignation of Terra, but something in the last few days had inspired in him old feelings of eager anticipation; that once he was back out in space with his crew, anything could happen.

Robin looked briefly to the ship. The cargo doors were open, and standing on the inclined platform were Beast Boy and Starfire. Beast Boy, he knew, would be there to accompany the escort party to the brig, but he hadn't expected Starfire to be waiting with him. He expected that she would be inside the ship.

Aside from the crowd of robed spectators, Azar was there to meet them. Beside her were Raven and Brina.

Robin stopped their group so he could pay his respects to Azar. "As soon as we load the prisoner, we'll be setting off."

Azar nodded. "As well you should."

"Thank you for taking us in and helping us repair the ship." Robin cocked a smile. "And I'm going to miss the terrific food when we're back out there living off take-out."

She chuckled. "I hope our little meeting the other night didn't utterly ruin the foundations of your universe as you know it."

Robin pretended to give it a quick thought. "Just a little."

Azar nodded serenely, patting his shoulder. "A bit of rearranging never hurt anyone. Brina? I believe you have something to give the good captain."

Brina stepped up to him holding a large shiny, silver box. She held it out, indicating that Robin had to take it in his hands. He did and she lifted the lid, revealing a plasma cell that contained a glowing red and orange substance, like molten lava. Robin had never seen a plasma cell like it.

"The substance contained within this cell is a specially treated and spelled amber," said Brina. "In its true form, amber is more like a stone, or a gem, but Azar and I have ways to make it this way, and it is because it is like this that its magical properties have been converted into its scientific equivalent. The energy of amber is projective, therefore it is an active substance, and it is powerful. Its main elements are fire and it has been told that amber is Akasha, or the matrix from which all elements are born."

Robin arched his eyebrow but said nothing. He let Brina continue.

"Amber is a fossil, therefore it is associated with time, longevity and life cycles. Its planetary attributes is the Sun and it is a stone blessed by the Great Mother herself. And now I see you thinking: What does this mean to you? Simple, Captain Robin. Insert this into your plasma chamber and you will attain a speed greater than what seven brand-new plasma cells could achieve. Use this and you will stop time itself; even pull it back with you. Four days, to be precise, if Raven and Azar do the accompanying spell just right."

Robin stared at Brina for several seconds. What was he supposed to say to that? "Er… is this—umm—plasma cell catalyst-compatible?"

It suddenly occurred to him that Brina might not even know what he was talking about, but then she wasn't making complete sense to him either, so they were even, right?

To his surprise, Brina smiled and nodded. "Indeed, it is. I assure you that the amber cell will work perfectly with the engineering principles of the ship, and it is safe, so you need not fear that it will contaminate your plasma chambers. But bear in mind, Rhis—pardon me, Robin, that the power this amber cell can generate could only be sustained for a few seconds, so the use of it must be perfectly timed. For that, you must heed Raven's instruction. When she tells you everything is ready, you must jump to hyper-drive. The amber cell will do the rest."

He wasn't exactly a true-believer, but if the amber cell could power the ship, he had no problems using it. He nodded. "Thank you. We're really short on plasma cells right now, so we really appreciate this—"

"Robin," said Brina, her gaze intense. "I am serious when I say you must listen to Raven's instruction. If you do not, you could get trapped between this plane and yours. I do not even know whether that is good or bad. No one who got trapped ever returned to tell the tale. Do you understand?"

There were so many things he didn't understand, and so many things that had to do with faith. He didn't know what to believe, but he supposed having seen Raven open a portal, he could at least admit that getting them back to wherever they had come from was Raven's gig. He still didn't believe in "planar differences", but at the very least, Raven had opened a worm-hole without the use of any equipment he was familiar with. He would let Raven lead them back to safety.

"I understand," he said.

Brina was satisfied. She closed the lid of the box and snapped the bolts shut, letting him have the container. "I bid you good voyage, Captain Robin." She stepped back.

His eyes fell on Raven. "You ready?"

Raven nodded, hitching a bag up her shoulder.

He gestured for the Harrison escort to follow him. Cyborg nodded, nudging Harrison forward while Robin led the group up the ship, Raven beside him. They went up the steps as the acolytes fell back just beyond the ship's platform. Beast Boy took Harrison's other side, eyes flashing.

"Holy shit, captain. BB, just told me we have Harrison!" It was Terra speaking through Robin's earpiece.

Robin ignored her, his eyes falling on Starfire, instead. She was staring at Harrison warily, like how a doe would watch a caged cougar.

Catching her gaze, Harrison hissed at her. "Got something to say to me, drifter?"

She remained calm, but she maintained her distance. "You have hurt many of my friends. I have absolutely no regard for you."

Her tone was unusually cold and Robin found it quite chilling.

Harrison gave a soft snort. "I see the likes of you as money. Your regard means nothing to me."

His dismissal of Starfire grated on Robin and he looked over his shoulder at Harrison. "Eyes forward, prisoner. And shut up. I don't want to hear you speaking to her or anybody else until I stash you in the brig. Got that?"

Harrison complied. If there was one thing he learned as a prisoner, it was that it was easier to listen rather than resist reasonable advice from your warden.

They made their way through the dim halls towards the brig.

The brig was fully operational when they led Harrison into the cells. Robin removed his plasma cuffs and leg braces, but the neck bracer stayed. It would remain until Robin transported him off the ship to the nearest Peacekeeper station. He knew for a fact that the crew of the Gothic ranked high in the Federation's Most Wanted list. The Federal Peacekeepers would be thrilled to have such a high-profile galactic felon in their custody.

Robin checked all safety measures and systems while coordinating with Terra by radio. When everything checked out perfectly, they secured the brig and made preparations to take-off.

"Cy," said Robin. He lifted the container Brina gave him and handed it over to Cyborg. "There's a cell in this box. Set it up in the plasma chamber then head on back to the bridge when you're done."

"Aye, aye, captain." Cyborg hurried to the direction of the plasma chamber.

Robin led the way to the main control room. "Beast Boy, when we get to the bridge, configure the new cell to helm controls."

Beast Boy hurried to match his captain's stride. "Gotcha, chief."

"Raven? Starfire? You have to secure yourselves at the passenger terminal—"

Raven shook her head. "I have to be at the bridge, captain. I need to give you instructions, remember? Or were you just humoring Brina?"

He sighed. "Fine. You secure yourself at the bridge. Starfire—"

"I will be at the bridge, too."

It was like he had no control over these women. But then again, he was in no mood to argue.

They went to the bridge and Raven immediately went to the center of it, examining the floor. The circle she had drawn on it the first time was gone, probably wiped clean by Terra while the ship was being repaired, but Raven seemed intent on find it again. She dropped to the floor and felt around in focused silence. Robin left her to do whatever she had to. He'd given up trying to convince people about what he believed and didn't believe in.

He turned his attention to Starfire who had sat herself on the chair beside his. Ordinarily, he wouldn't have asked her to strap belts on, but he wasn't sure about the amber cell's power. If what Brina said was true, they all had to be secured.

He crouched by Starfire's seat, beginning to pull on her seat's straps and locks. "You have to secure yourself. I'm not very sure what to expect."

She seemed surprised but let him pull the belts over her shoulders and waist.

He snapped the locks and pulled to make sure it held then he pushed a button on the central buckle. It generated a magnetic field that secured her lowered body with optimum safety. "That comfortable?"

She smiled. "Yes, Robin. Thank you."

He tried not to be won over by the warm gratitude she was projecting. Cyborg soon came through the bridge doors.

Robin addressed them all. "I want everyone strapped in this time. Even you, Cy. You could put engineering controls on auto-pilot. Beast Boy will have readings of them up his board, anyway. Raven, I'd tell you to strap down, too, but I doubt you'll listen to me."

She was still on all fours, but she was following a steady circular arc with her palms now, like she had found what she was looking for. She began to unpack the contents of her bag, much like the ones she had originally placed on the floor. There was the mirror again and the objects she once had around the circle, but this time, she brought out two stones. One looked like a teal-colored sliver of crystal while the other looked like a bit of petrified wood with a black x-mark splayed across it.

"I'll be fine," she said. "The protective circle will keep me secured." She rubbed the stones in her hands, got herself into a lotus position and breathed. She levitated and the outline of the pentacle began to glow, like it hadn't been erased at all.

Robin let out a breath. "Freaky," he whispered under his breath. He secured himself and soon, Cyborg was strapping in as well.

Terra looked over her shoulder at Raven, made a face then looked away.

Perhaps they were all getting used to Raven, after all.

Robin coordinated with Terra and Beast Boy for liftoff. Liftoff and entering space was an easy enough and routine procedure, but finding out where they came from and then pursuing that course might be different this time. Raven always made things different.

"Take our previous entry point, Beast Boy," he said. "And Terra, plot the reverse course we took coming here."

They complied as Raven began to whisper her strange words once more.

Soon, they were in space, leaving Azarath and the planet it was in, behind.

Raven looked up from her meditation and looked to Robin. "Are we on course, captain?"

He nodded.

"Then switch to warp drive immediate."

Cyborg, Beast Boy and Terra protested at the same time. As far as they were concerned, there weren't enough cells to support warp speed. Robin quieted them all.

"Just do it," he said.

The crew had little choice but to follow instructions. Beast Boy boosted to warp drive and they all felt the initial push of speed course through them before it settled to a steady hum.

Raven nodded. "When I tell you go, switch to hyper drive. Do you understand, Beast Boy?"

Beast Boy hesitated. "Captain?"

"Do as she says, BB."

Beast Boy nodded.

Raven opened her palms and the stones she held levitated above her hands in small dark globes. She enclosed herself in a globe of her own, the materials on her pentacle lifting off the floor and revolved around her in different circular directions. Inside the gambit, they could hear her speaking.

Robin saw her lift a hand and draw something in the air. The faint outline of a glowing, angular capital letter "R" appeared for an instant, and then it was gone. She began to chant what he could only call a spell:

"Star of elemental might

Manifest the portal light

Let time and magic work its charm

Bend reality without harm…"

Her voice dwindled to a whisper and the globe surrounding her began to extend. First slowly, and then it expanded past them, the bridge and probably the ship walls.

He felt Starfire clutch his hand. It surprised him, but he let her. Raven could do that to people.

The mirror Raven had used the first time spun upright on its handle again and like before, it came to a dramatic stop. It emitted its beam of light.

"Now, Beast Boy!" cried Raven. "Hyper drive!"

Beast Boy hit the controls.

They jumped to hyper drive and Robin felt a physical force like no other pushing him back to his seat. It literally felt like being flattened; like he couldn't move; couldn't even breathe. There was a weight on him, pressing him to death. This was not hyper drive. This was something else.

Light blinded him, coupled with an unlikely, thundering silence.

Shouldn't they be screaming? Shouldn't they all be fighting to stay alive?

But then there was no help for it. This incredible force that was holding all of them down wouldn't give an inch. They would perish without a whimper.

And then the jarring stop came, jolting them forward in their seats. There was a collective yell, like they had all been screaming in silence until someone finally turned the volume up. They were thrown forward in their seats, secured only by their belts.

Robin hissed at the dull pain of having all his bones rattled inside him all at once. But the pain dissipated, and his head cleared. When he looked up, what he saw was familiar space; familiar sights.

But most familiar of all was the portal of light ahead of him and the ship that was nestled within it.

Beside the portal was a warp trail, like a ship had just recently jumped to hyper drive to get away. But within the portal was a ship he would know if he saw it anywhere in the galaxy.

It was the damaged tail of the Mighty Titan, and it sat in the portal having puttered into it on what little propulsion it had.

He was staring right at it through the panoramic windows of his bridge, and a spectacular sense of déjà vu came over him. He wasn't sure if he had fainted again, and that perhaps he was dreaming right now.

How could he be in the bridge of his ship when the ship's tail was right in front of him?

And then the portal began to close, swallowing the ship in its illuminated embrace.

The last of the Mighty Titan's tail disappeared until there was no trace of the portal left.

The bridge was completely silent, like they were all measuring the reality of what they had seen.

Robin swallowed. "That was—was that…?"

Raven slowly lowered herself and her materials back to the floor. She nodded. "That was the Mighty Titan four days ago. We're back to where we started, captain."

Not possible. Absolutely not! But Robin did recall the principles of time travel, how it was, indeed, possible if the travel were done between two separate planes. When he was looking at the tail of his ship, it was, technically, already situated on a different plane, therefore they could exist at the same time.

"T-Terra," said Robin. "Report."

"All systems in working order, chief. Adjusting time differential to standard quadrant time." She paused, typing and re-typing her boards. For a while, there was nothing but the beeping of bridge controls. After a moment's hesitation, Terra leaned back on her seat, as if resigned. "Holy shit…" She looked up at him, amazement clear in her gaze. "Raven's right, captain. We're back to right where we started. We've jumped back four days…"

Robin took another moment to absorb this. He looked at Cyborg, trying to draw from the mere sight of his cybernetic friend the compulsion to think logically; to apply what could be explained and do away with what couldn't. But no matter how he looked at it, seeing the Mighty Titan as it would have looked four days ago, entering a portal, having the time sensors of the ship reflecting the date and hour in accordance to the universal Timekeeper at Galaxy Central, there was no other way to explain it. By elimination alone, whatever remained, no matter how improbable, would be the answer: They had jumped back in time, just like Raven and Azar had promised. And having proven their claim of traveling through time, there were other things that just might be true.

He swallowed, knowing what he had to do. He looked at Starfire, squeezing her hand. "Starfire… I think Galfore's set for execution in the next three days. We… we can't be sure at this point if it's true but everything—everything's different now. Raven's… it's not worth the risk just to prove Raven's lying, Starfire. And I know… you don't want him to die."

Her eyes began to water. She sniffed as she blinked back her tears. "I don't want him to die."

He nodded, speaking to her in a soft, but serious tone. "Ultimately, we would be able to confirm whether or not Raven's information is true, but for us to find out on time, Terra will need a precise point of reference in this huge four-quadrant galaxy to search trial dockets, or else it may be too late before she finds anything out. We could help you get him back... we just have to know now where he is."

Starfire was silent, the first signs of her distress showing through the vacant look in her eyes as she stared at the floor. She ran her hand through her hair; surely thinking, and thinking again. And at last she looked up, meeting Robin's gaze. He had never seen her so frightened; not even when Citadellians were boarding the Mighty Gotham.

She returned the pressure of his grip and turned to Raven. "Bring us to Galfore, Raven, and I will bring you to the jewel you seek. This, I promise."

To be continued…

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Reflections of Terra: Omigod, omigod! It means she's staying! I'm SO 'shipping for Rob+Star! Omigod:squee: Holy crap… we jumped back in time! But, omigod, robstar4ever!

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