44: Prison Break

The grin on Kori's face hadn't left since she was united with her new Cloud Stalker Friend Boy. She was having as much fun as she'd ever had~! It turned out that being imprisoned, enslaved, and experimented on wasn't so bad when you were turning the tables. And turning the tables, Kori was indeed~!

Her mood had very much done the one hundred and eighty. Boy was a big part of that. Perhaps the biggest. She was such a good Boy! Truly, Kori could see why her ancestors venerated the noble Long-Toothed Cloud Stalkers!

With her powers limited by her restraints, Boy was Kori's most formidable weapon at the moment. She felt herself in touch with the roots of her ancestors. Riding atop Boy, Kori felt invincible. Primally untouchable on the most instinctive of levels! Nothing would stand in the way of her revenge now!

Kori recognized that there was some irony in the situation. The same damnable lizards that had given her the powerful boost to her natural physiology that she so enjoyed through cruel experiments were now the ones who limited those powers. Her history was repeating itself. Down to the fact that Kori would not go quietly yet again. Her captors did not learn from the mistakes they made at all.

The first time she was enslaved by her captors, she'd been taken as a statement — a warning meant to break the backs and wills of her people. Yet, Kori herself was never broken. She resisted and rebelled, freeing herself and her fellow slaves. She even went on to liberate her homeworld from the deplorable yokes of the Citadel Empire.

And now, her captors had come back to finish the job. The fools! The Galfrix-munching fools! They wished to do the breaking of Koriand'r, of Starfire?! She would never be broken. Not to pieces or to cracks or to the shattering like glass! Kori would never yield, never surrender, never stop fighting for herself and the innocent for as long as she still took in the breath of life!

Boy's flanks heaved steadily beneath Kori's thighs as they rode through the artificial jungle together. They rode hard and fast. Nothing in this prison could stand in their way. Together, Kori and Boy were INDOMITABLE!

They were scouting the prison they'd found themselves confined in. So far, Kori didn't like what she'd seen. Of course, she could have likely realized that the moment she was shoved into this place. But seeing more and more of it with her own two eyes was setting her face in a frown of the grimmest nature.

The prison had to be an experiment of some kind. But Kori could not comprehend what 'the kind' was in this situation. It went against the common sense of science. There was no control variable that she could see. Nor any dependent or independent variables.

Kori and her fellow prisoners were seemingly thrown into this confined artificial space and left to their own devices. The introduction of the various predators certainly made things… interesting. But Kori could not fathom what they were meant to test other than perhaps survival and the cruel perversion of the foodchain.

So far, Kori had seen other prisoners — aliens from across the Vega system that she mostly recognized in some form or another — and the animals that hunted them. Predators and prey, in some twisted sense of the concept. But instead of putting an obvious hypothesis into question, this prison was more like some unorthodox form of torture for the prisoners.

And to the predators too in a way. This was not their natural habitat, after all. They were just as much prisoners as the prisoners were. A deplorable notion in its own right. Kori recognized that more than a few of these predators were quite intelligent beasts. And she very much doubted they'd been gathered from ethical sources.

The prison was a nonsensically cruel parody of the natural order. There were no checks or balances. Just intelligent beings and beasts, set against each other in cold-hearted combat. The only thing Kori could think the prison was meant to test was whether or not the prisoners would be able to survive the constant predatory onslaught. And even that was questionable considering how many strange limitations were forced onto them by their captors.

But regardless of the intention and reasoning behind this prison, Kori still knew she had to do something. This could not continue. She would not stand for it. Just as with her first time in captivity, defiance burned within Kori's heart. The fire from the stars would not be so easily contained and restrained.

Just as the fire burned in her heart, resistance and rebellion brewed within Kori's mind. Since her captors had not learned from the first time, she decided that another example was in order. Once again, she was not alone in her captivity. And just as before, she would inspire her comrades to rise up and shatter the shackles that held them down!

Her first course of action was simple. But not easy by any means. Yet Kori was as always up to the challenge. She rode past scene after scene that burned themselves into her mind. Fear. Pain. Suffering. The artificial perversion of predator set upon prey it would never naturally hunt.

A pack of large canine-esque creatures hounded a poor Changralynian — a peaceful race despite their massive physical size. A strange squid-like predator Kori recognized from the seas of Slagg struggled in the terrestrial environment it now found itself in. A beautiful Rashashoonian woman sobbed as she hid in a tree from a long-necked reptile that looked just about as happy to be there as she was.

Kori's heart and mind were set, combined in her defiance of this terrible, terrible prison. The fire of the stars within her — that flame of freedom that had given Kori her epithet — gathered in her breast. Yet she couldn't use her powers due to her restraints. Thus, her power and burning energy built within her, fueling the actions she took in her pursuit of defiance.

For every tortured, unnatural scene she came upon, Kori stopped and resolved the situation. Her fellow prisoners were gathered to her cause, joining her quest for freedom. Even the beasts that once hunted them responded to Kori's burning passion, setting aside their natural instincts to be temporarily tamed in defiance of the abusive experiment they all found themselves subjects within.

Kori's Passion fueled her inner star fire. That inner star fire burned with charisma — an aura of presence that the chained and imprisoned could not deny. All those she came across flocked to her banner. Against all odds, against seemingly common sense — the beasts put aside their hunger and the sentient beings put aside their fear. Kori's call for freedom was answered.

The name Starfire had grown famous since her first rebellion. It was a name associated with the Good. With liberation and emancipation. With the cries of the bound and burdened, a burning light of hope that one day they too would be FREE.

Kori gathered an army of resistance unto herself. Those who could and would struggle against the collars that bound them. She worked ceaselessly to further her quest. The fire of the stars pushed her ever onward. When her steed Boy began to tire and falter, she shared her fire with the now-loyal Cloud Stalker.

Together, they covered the entire prison, searching for more to join their cause. Everywhere she looked, she found them. Tired. Hungry. Afraid. But not broken. Not when the fire of the stars was picking them back up, giving them the hope to press on.

By the time Kori was satisfied, she stood before an army. An army willing to fight for her and for themselves. Hot with determination despite her exhaustion, a crown of freedom burned on Kori's brow. Aliens of many different races and species stared back at her, looking to Kori alone for hope. They had faith in her to lead them to freedom. Kori would not let them down.

Kori and her organized resistance were all gathered in one place. Deep within the artificial jungle of their prison, it was a hastily carved community for them to heal just as it was a stage for them to launch their efforts from. Kori had not bothered to hide her progress from their captors. Not really. With the collared restraints they all bore, she knew such efforts would likely be worse than useless.

If their captors could have done something to stop them, they would have acted already. Kori did not let these worries dwell in her mind. Instead, she contented herself with focused action and progress quick enough to keep her likely watchful captors off balance. They would only have one chance at this. But Kori was confident that her fire would burn hot enough to set them all free.

The first of her fellow prisoners that she saved floated at Kori's side. A being of energy and strange not-quite matter, Xia was also the first of their shy species that Kori had ever encountered. They'd quickly become Kori's First Mate, dutifully and effectively aiding her efforts to create the resistance.

"They're ready for you, Starfire," Xia buzzed out words, thankfully in the common language of the Vega system that Kori was familiar with. "Are you ready for them? They… We… We all need a leader at the moment. You've already done so much for all of us. Just a little bit more to bring it home. Show us all that we still have something to fight for."

Nodding firmly, Kori looked out over her gathered followers. Even taken together, they didn't seem like much. They were dirty and exhausted. Every one of them bore a collar around their neck (or equivalent body part — the entirety of their being in Xia's case). Yet they all still had hope, faithfully looking to Kori to lead them like a burning light of star fire from the darkness.

She could hear the mumbles and mutters among them as they waited for her to speak…

"That's really Starfire? THE Starfire?"

"Oh, Bountiful Bosom of the Void Goddess, thank you for delivering unto us our salvation…"

"Kind of crazy how she managed to accomplish all of this in less than a day."

"It's damn impressive, is what it is! I haven't seen the girl take a single break. She's doing all of this for us, you know?"

"I'm not trying to argue. I'm just a bit awestruck by how efficient and determined she is. The rumors don't even do her justice."

"She's an unstoppable force for freedom."

"We'll never be able to thank her enough, will we?"

"If she gets me to see my wife and daughter again, I'll give her everything I own. And yeah, it still wouldn't be enough to express my gratitude…"

Even the beasts got in on the chatter, communicating in their various non-sentient ways. Something about the situation — something about the star fire of Kori's HEART — was inspiring a level of intelligence and reason in them that beasts usually didn't display. Just as with the alien beings, the beasts yearned to be FREE. They were all prisoners here, unlikely and vastly disparate allies brought together by their bondage and desire to buck those chains.

Truly, their faith was heartening, lifting Kori's spirits and fueling her driving flame. Just listening to those who had flocked to her cause steeled her resolve. They looked to her to lead them into tomorrow. Kori wouldn't let anything stop her from achieving her vision. With a fortifying breath, Kori addressed all who had gathered beneath her shining beacon.

"Greetings, all! I am Starfire! I fight for those who desire to be FREE! Tell me, friends! Is that what you desire?!"

The cheers were deafening as they answered her call to action. Even the beasts roared and rumbled, bellowing and braying as if they perfectly understood her. The artificial jungle shook with the sounds of their conviction. Their hope, resounding and giving heart to all of their comrades in chains.

"Follow me and I shall deliver you unto the freedom! Of this, I promise! I swear it on the light and fire of my soul! Today, we are the bound! We are the chained! We are the imprisoned and enslaved! But we are not of the beaten! Of this, we shall show the universe! And by tomorrow, we shall be FREE!"

The defiant crowd grew silent, listening intently to everything Kori had to say. She didn't let embarrassment or anxiety overtake her. Kori stood strong so that those who followed her could stand strong as well. Her rousing speech continued with words that burned with undeniable, unconquerable star fire.

"THEY," Kori spat. "Wish to take something from us. Something inherent and essential to life itself. They wish to take our freedom. They wish to take from us our agency and our will to continue. They will not know of the success, not if I have anything to say about it!

"This is where we fight! Where we rage against the collars of our necks! And this is where we shall prevail! Seize your freedom in your hands, comrades! Our oppressors shall know of the same fear and hurt they inflict upon us!

"We will not hide. We will not beat around the bush of bushes. One chance, one opportunity, one assault on the bars that hold us. Everything is to be laid on the line. We live and die on our actions from this point onward. But if you follow me, I will make the promise of promises. We will face tomorrow as free beings, one and all! Victory is already ours… We simply must do the taking of it."

Surprisingly, the end of her speech was not heralded by rousing cheers. This was fine in Kori's mind. Because instead of flimsy excitement, there was a quiet determination that settled over her fellow prisoners. A strong steel forged by the fire of the stars.

Everywhere Kori looked, she saw firm faces, set in their desire for freedom. Her comrades would fight. Just as Kori would. They wouldn't let up until they found their freedom one way or another. In the quiet moment of determination, Kori prayed to a being — a deific concept — that she normally didn't pray to. But having met Didi, Kori was confident her prayers would be answered.

"Friend Didi… Grant the greatest peace and freedom to all who pass in the battle to come… Please, watch over them and give them what they do not live to see again…"

Didi wasn't a goddess in the traditional sense of the concept. Or even in the untraditional sense. But Death still heard the muttered words of one of her newest young friends. Peace pulsed at Kori from the universe itself and Kori knew peace in return. She reconciled with the course of action she was taking, even with the deaths that would inevitably result. She knew the comrades that fell would find their final freedom in Death's bosom.

Nothing more needed to be said. She didn't even need to give out instructions. Her comrades would follow her lead. They would play their parts dutifully. They would fight for the cause, for themselves. Kori's first ally in this prison gently nuzzled Kori's side. She was prompted into action, mounting up on Boy.

Their souls and intentions were almost linked as one, Kori and Boy began the final ride through their artificial jungle prison. Her army rode on her heels, mounting up on the temporarily tamed beasts that could bear the burden. Xia floated along behind Kori on Boy, tethering themself to the Cloud Stalker and sticking close. Kori's HEART — her star fire — beat a steady rhythm like pounding war drums and Kori couldn't help but think that all who followed her could hear it, could FEEL it beating in their chests as if it were their own.

When they reached the walls of their prison, Kori's rebellion began in earnest. The wall was a fake and sterile thing of many connected gray hexagons, utterly out of place against the artificial nature it was meant to contain. It would have been practically impossible for the prisoners to break through on their own, even if they all combined their efforts.

But they weren't alone. The beasts that had joined Kori's cause roared, almost as one. They crashed upon the wall like waves of teeth and tentacles, of claws and clobbering muscular might. With a great bang that shook the ground beneath their feet, the bars that held them captive crumbled. And their fight for freedom — beast and being alike — poured forth from their prison to decimate those who wished to bind them.

Chaos. Chaos, confusion, and conflict. Kori and Boy leaped through the breach first. They landed in a pack of the captors. Boy tore into them with tooth and claw. Kori roared a battle cry that would have been more in place coming from her mount. She grabbed the closest outlet she could find and viscerally vented her wrath.

She fought through scales as if they weren't even there. Her fists rained down upon her enemies like maces and morning stars. Blunt trauma bashed through everything in her way as she set a prime example for those who followed her.

Kori's Rage and Passion were finally given a productive release. Her inner star fire raged like the hot Tamarean sun. With her makeshift army at her back and her mount beneath her, Kori fought for her freedom. The prison that held them crumbled — breaking in more ways than one — and their captors were faced with the red-hot revenge of those they'd tried to shackle so. The Psions immediately crumbled just like the prison they'd crafted…

IIIII

"Well, that's certainly something," I noted with interest and amusement.

Raven and I watched the scene unfold on the monitoring screen we'd found. Kori led the charge against her kidnappers, wreaking havoc everywhere she and her fellow prisoners went. The Psions were utterly unprepared for resistance of this level. And without fail, they fell before the vicious, righteously violent prison break.

Infiltrating the Psion homeworld had been pitifully easy for me and Raven. For all their advanced science and logic, they had some truly piss-poor security. Somehow, these lizard fuckers had even managed to take most of the fun out of sneaking around with how little of a challenge they presented.

They didn't notice our ship parked in orbit above their planet. I'd checked and their sensors weren't configured for wood. Which didn't make much sense but whatever. Then we hadn't tripped a single alarm as we slipped down into the labyrinth of science facilities on the planet's surface.

Whatever idiot set up the Psions' security systems either fucked up or purposefully sabotaged them, probably to secure more funding for their personal experiments. It was an odd form of corruption but somehow entirely predictable from what Raven and I could gather about the Psions. They were an unempathetic, anti-social, and practically sociopathic race. It was a miracle and testament to their technology that they'd come this far as a society.

Societies like this tended to function in SPITE of their populations, rather than because of them. A sort of status un-quo. When everyone's a massive, quo-breaking asshole, no one is. That kind of logic. There were so many different personal plots, disagreements, cases of narcissism, and a straight-up absence of empathy going around that all the conflict actually managed to keep the gears of society moving and not let any one person get too far ahead of anyone else.

Any anthropologist would have an absolute field day with the Psions. Of course, Raven and I didn't much care for the likely fascination of any academics at the moment. The Psions had taken our friend and enslaved countless others beside her. We were much more interested in burning their society to the ground than studying it.

Though it seemed in that regard, Kori already had a Hell of a headstart. She was doing good work toward that goal all on her own, gathering a resistance and organizing one of the most satisfying prison breaks I'd ever seen. All Raven and I could see on the monitor was chaos. Glorious, defiant, freeing chaos.

"Damn…" Raven muttered. "It seems that Kori's got this well in hand without us."

"Did you doubt her for a second?" I asked.

Raven sighed, "No, this is pretty on-key for her. Honestly, I'm surprised she hasn't just bombed the whole planet from orbit."

"I think the Psions are restricting her powers somehow. The collar, most likely. Looks like she doesn't need them to make her kidnappers find out though," I chuckled.

"Find out…?"

"You know, fuck around..."

"Ah, and find out," Raven finished, nodding slightly. "Yeah, the lizards are certainly finding out right about now."

"I'm impressed by how well this is going for her. As far as I can tell, none of her allies have died so far. Actually…" I paused. "Ah, now, isn't that interesting~?"

"What?" Raven asked flatly.

I grinned, "A friend in high places is watching over Kori right now. Didi is doing as much as she can without directly interfering and breaking her rules. Just little coincidences here and there to preserve Life, you see? Like how that other Tamarean just 'happened' to trip out of the way of the Psion brain blast or whatever that was. She isn't much of a fan of slavers."

"Neither is Kori, it seems," Raven noted.

"Can you blame her? This isn't really the time to be practicing Batman's flawed philosophy," I said dryly.

"… True," Raven admitted. "These bastards were asking for it. Is Didi going to treat them any differently since they're opposing someone she's watching over?"

"Maybe a bit," I allowed. "But Didi doesn't hold grudges for relatively little things like this. The most that's going to happen is a few particularly silent walks to eternity… More than a few, actually."

"Slaving and sadistic scientific experiments are little things?" Raven deadpanned.

I raised an eyebrow at her, "Compared to the things that actually get Didi mad? Yeah. Yeah, they are."

"Ah…" Raven made a little noise of realization. "Fair."

"That doesn't mean me or Didi are very fond of those 'little things' but Didi is professional, at least. Personally, I'd be much more vindictive."

Raven shuddered slightly, "… I think I'd pay to see that."

"We want to see him use that power to dominate us even more~" Raven's inner voice whispered within her soul.

"Oh~?" My lips twitched into a smirk. "You want to see me flexing my authority like that~?"

"God, yes, Daddy~! Power~! Domination~! Fuck me into a coffin, Daddy~!"

"Hng," Raven strictly muffled a moan, trying very hard to act as if nothing happened. "Against the ones who deserve it? Yes."

"Well, we seem to have a large selection of deserving subjects for that right about now~" I teased.

Raven stared at the scene on the screen, biting her lip lightly in thought, "… For some reason, I don't think we'll be necessary in this case."

I chuckled, "True. Kori's on a warpath. And it'll probably be more satisfying for all those involved if the former slaves deal with this for themselves."

"Catharsis…" Raven nodded in monotone agreement.

"Wanna see if we can 'fix' the rest of this society before the calvary arrives?" I offered.

Amusement pulled at Raven's lips, "I don't think we're going to be very effective there. But sure."

I shook my head sadly, "Unfortunately, I think you're right on that one. Even if we wipe them back to the stone age…"

"Which the 'calvary' likely will," Raven interjected.

"Yep but even then," I continued. "The real problem is with the Psions themselves. I'm not even sure if there are any 'good apples' among them. At least, not by our standards. The only final solution might be to remove them from the equation entirely."

Raven stared at me for a moment, "… I know you're not advocating for genocide but that still sounded worryingly ominous."

"Oh, Didi, no!" I denied quickly, a touch of embarrassment coloring my cheeks at my poor phrasing. "I think they're a terribly flawed race but I'm not about to just blink them all out of existence!"

"When you say blink, you mean that literally, don't you?" Raven deadpanned, shaking her head. "Only you, Sean… I can't help but believe that you could 'blink' them out of existence so easily."

"I-… Maybe," I paused to think about it but ultimately shrugged. "Not that I would. For one, Didi wouldn't be happy with me for acting so rashly and giving her so much work. No, I meant physically removing them from the equation. I was thinking of moving their homeworld out of the Vega system entirely."

Raven STARED, "… Can you do that?"

"With a bit of preparation? Sure," I confirmed. "It wouldn't be easy, but it might be the best solution. Find an uninhabited system and give them an entirely new start somewhere else. Plus, they'd have to start answering to the Green Lanterns if we do that. I'm… NOT FOND… of the Guardians but the Green Lanterns do good work. They'd help keep this race's worst habits in check."

"That. Let's do that," Raven said a bit too quickly. "And not just because I really want to watch you move a fucking planet."

"But that is part of it~?" I asked with a smirk.

Raven averted her eyes, impressively managing it without flinching, "… No comment."

I laughed, "Alright, we have a bit before the calvary arrives and can evacuate everyone we care about from the planet. You wanna help me set up a ritual?"

"Oh, God, yes…"

Raven's inner voice wasn't nearly as restrained as her outer persona, "Eeeeiiiii~! Holy shit, holy shit~! This is really happening~! We get to feel Daddy's power again and even help him bring it into reality~! How the fuck are you still playing this so cool, other half~?!"

To my great smirking amusement, Raven seemed to ignore her inner voice. 'Playing it cool', as her other half said. Ignorant to the fact that I could hear both sides of her. It made for an entertaining dichotomy. Monotone and deadpan on the outside, excitable and passionate on the inside. I was growing more and more fond of Raven very quickly.

We set about constructing a ritual that I was partially calculating as we went. I didn't make it a habit to move planets by ritual magic, after all. But I had a general idea of what I was going for here. A sealed teleportation circle, essentially. One that had to be scaled up EXPONENTIALLY in power.

No, even 'exponential' was underselling it. I quickly decided that the easiest way to fully power the ritual was to set up an energy tap and conversion unit at the core of an out-of-the-way Red Giant. And even then, just jumpstarting this ritual would drain the star practically dry. Magic of this scale needed ridiculous amounts of pure power to affect the change it was designed to. But Magic WAS Change. After a certain point, the end effect of a Change this enormous began to feed back into the Change itself, becoming self-sustaining and self-fulfilling.

I lectured as much to Raven as we worked. I included her in every step of the ritual-crafting process. She soaked up every second of it like a sponge. From the calculation-based magic that would handle the transportation. To the symbology and conceptual-based seals that tied the entire planet into the ritual and would handle the 'hauling'.

Since this was a spontaneous effort, I didn't have all the necessary reagents and resources on hand. I compensated with raw power in some places — something this ritual would in no way lack — and Didi fetched me what I needed through our connection in others.

By the end of it all, the room we were in (and the hallway outside and some of the connecting rooms) were unrecognizable. A mess of ordered chaos on every available surface in the form of lines and symbols and ritual circles inside ritual circles and enough powerful reagents to bankrupt entire worlds, dutifully provided by Death herself. Even by my high standards, it was good work. To Raven, it was a magical miracle brought to life.

When we sat back on our heels and examined our work, the only sound Raven could make was an adorably awestruck choked gurgle, "Hnnnnggnnle~…"

Even her inner voice was struck silent for once, "… Holy. Fucking. Shit. It's, it's perfect~…"

"We did this," Raven murmured to herself.

"That we did," I smiled. "Be proud of yourself, Raven. You've helped create something truly special. I doubt many magic users in this universe could even hope to claim a feat like this."

"You did all the work," Raven demurred.

"Did I?" I raised a skeptical eyebrow. "That control and condition section was all your idea. A clever one too. And that section was mostly you. And of course, you helped with the entire array, learning all the while. It's okay to take credit where it's due, Raven."

A soft smile graced her face, beautifully breaking up her usual flat expression, "… Fine. I suppose I'll just have to own my work. If you insist."

Raven's inner voice was giggling giddily inside her as she said that. Her other half certainly didn't seem to have trouble accepting my praise. I chuckled fondly at the contradiction.

"Alright, Miss Humble. Let's go get Kori. She's handled her kidnappers pretty well but it looks like she's starting to falter," I said, indicating to the screen we'd kept on in the background that tracked the progress of Kori's prison break.

A hint of worry showed in Raven's expression at the reminder of her friend, "She does look kind of tired…"

"Tired?" I laughed. "She looks like the only things keeping her going are spite and pure rage. I think the poor girl's done more than enough at this point."

I cocked my head to the side as a familiar, boisterous, booming yet almost ghostly laugh echoed from places unknown, "Aaaannnnd that's the calvary here."

A few taps on the monitor turned the view skyward to catch an entire Tamarean war fleet as it dropped from orbit to hover menacingly overhead, casting the Psion prison-science complex under a mass of dozens of shadows. Blackfire and her people had come in force.

I had no doubt that Savage was standing gloriously at the helm of the flagship like the conquerer he was. I'd invited him to join the fun, after all, and last I had checked, the Tamarean Queen was growing very fond of him. The persuasive old bastard probably convinced Blackfire to let him lead the unexpected Tamarean crusade against the Psions alongside her. How the Hell he managed to make his laugh heard down on the planet though, I didn't have a clue.

"That's Savage…?" Raven asked, her expression returning to its usual utterly flat baseline. "Joy."

I chuckled, "He's an acquired taste but he does grow on you. C'mon, let's make sure we're the first friendly faces Kori sees instead of her slightly estranged sister and a savage, overwhelming immortal."

"That… might be prudent," Raven agreed.

"Hold close then~," I teased, putting a little bit of a purr in my voice. "We're taking the express route."

"Sean…" Raven warned hesitantly. "Whatever it is you're thinking, don't…"

Her inner voice was much less hesitant, "Don't listen to her! Spirit me away, Magic Daddy~!"

I rolled my eyes goodnaturedly at the contrast but didn't let her get another insincere complaint in. Her body went stiff for a very brief moment then relaxed completely as I swept her into my arms. From there it was just a hop — minus the skip and the jump — as I teleported us both directly to Kori.

The fighting was already almost done at this point. Kori was still standing only to make a statement. To show that she wouldn't fall or give up before they all got their freedom, no matter how utterly exhausted she was.

Even 'utterly exhausted' didn't quite capture Kori right now. I doubt she'd given herself a single break since she'd been kidnapped. She was past running on fumes. Past running on empty. She was running way into negative reserves. But she was still standing tall like a beacon for the people who looked to her for hope.

Kori gasped at our appearance, excited but almost barely able to show it, "Friend Raven…! Friend Sean…! You have come to do the rescuing and guarding of my body!"

"You could say that," Raven said with flat amusement. "Doesn't look like your body needs much rescuing or guarding at the moment though, Kori…"

The other rebelling prisoners with Kori had tensed at me and Raven appearing in their midst. They took cues from their leader though, relaxing once they saw that Kori knew and seemed to like us. The big cat Kori was riding cocked its head curiously, also taking cues from its mistress.

Kori tried to fly forward and glomp Raven as she was wont to do. She didn't get far in that typical greeting of hers. She threw herself at Raven from her mount's back. And immediately stumbled as her flight power failed to answer her call.

I stepped forward and caught her before she could truly fall, "Let's get that damned collar off you, yeah, Kori?"

Kori smiled in an airy daze, "Hehehe~… Friend Sean is calling me by the name of nicks…"

"Yeah, that thing really needs to go," Raven said flatly.

Nodding, I placed a finger on the collar and broke it off with a tiny exertion of will. The metal and technology crumbled to dust and Kori was FREE again. Immediately, the energy within her surged back to the fore. It flared almost blindingly. The sudden green light was accompanied by a chorus of cracks as Kori's power reached out to break the bonds of everyone who followed her just as hers was broken.

It also served to give her one last wind. Her exhaustion didn't disappear at all but the surge of energy allowed her to push past it just enough to do a few more things… Like immediately lunge up to kiss me.

She clung tightly to me, her arms reaching up to hug around my neck. Her lips pressed firmly upon mine. She kissed me as deeply as she physically could in the moment. Through her lips, I felt her passion, gratitude, and a future promise for more. Most of all, I felt her earned freedom and the pure, uninhibited joy that came with it.

Kori did her best to kiss the lights out of me. I gave as good as I got, leaving her a mewling, loopy mess of puddy in my arms. Eventually, she had to come up for air, smiling like a ditzy fool high on kisses and exhaustion (something she very much was at the moment).

"Ehehehehe~…" She giggled giddily. "I speak ALL the magic now…"

"I have never been more jealous of anyone else. Ever," Raven deadpanned.

"Noooouuu~…!" Kori made a noise that was both a whine and a moan at the same time. "Do not be the jealous, Friend Raven~… We will simply share the Magic Daddy between us~!"

"… Kori, you're tired. I think you should stop talking now," Despite the serious tone of her voice, Raven's cheeks were dusted with color.

And her inner voice was hissing a frantic question, "How does she know~?! He was supposed to hear that name from me first! It was mine, dammit, you silly sexy star~!"

Kori nodded, ignorant of the chaos she'd just caused inside Raven's soul, "I am quite of the tired… But, but-… Must. Free. Slaves… Comrades…"

She was fading fast already. The rest of the now-freed prisoners were watching us with a general aura of shock. It must have been quite the contradiction between Starfire the Freedom Fighting Leader they'd seen so far and just Kori as she interacted with her friends. Still, that last line brought them all back, showing that even when she was feeling silly and tired beyond belief, Kori and Starfire were still one and the same.

One of Kori's comrades floated forward to reassure her, "You've done more than enough, Starfire. Let us take it from here. You've freed us. You can take the rest that you deserve now."

"Yep," I nodded my agreement with the second energy being I'd met today. "Sleepy time, Kori. We'll all be here when you wake up."

"Sleepytime…?" Kori mumbled. "Mmm~ That sounds nice. I will count the Z-Z-Z-sheep… Z-z-zheep~?"

"Shhh~" I soothed. "No thoughts, just sleep."

"Zzzzzleep…" Kori nodded, nodding off immediately in the process. "Shnurple-zzzz~… Mi-mi-mi-mi~…"

I couldn't help but snort a laugh as I cradled her, Kori making herself comfy in my arms. That was just adorable. She was out like a light just like that. And she even snored like a cutesy cartoon character.

The energy being that floated forward gave the impression of shaking their nonexistent head, "She did so much for us… She deserves this and so much more than we can give her. She gave us hope at our darkest moment. Freed us. I think I speak for everyone when I say that we won't ever forget her."

The big cat that Kori had seemingly tamed rumbled a purr, nosing gently at Kori's peacefully sleeping form in my arms. From the crowd, a subtle chorus of cheers could be heard.

"She's a good kid."

"The best."

"She showed us the light so that we may see again."

"The rumors don't even do her justice."

The energy being turned to Raven and I. The energy within her core dimmed slightly and somehow, we could tell she was bowing, "Thank you for looking after our savior. I can already tell she holds you both in high regard. Just as she came for us in our lowest, you came for her. Support like that won't be easily forgotten by any of us. I am Xia. If there's anything you need, just ask."

Raven stared oddly at them, visibly confused. I could see what was confusing her. This had to be the friend that Awl had mentioned. But Xia was barely like the first energy being we'd met. For one, I couldn't help but feel that she was… well, a 'she'. She gave off an undeniably female vibe. And she didn't have any of the amusingly formal bearing that Awl held themself with. It was an intriguing and curious contrast between two members of the same species that we'd stumbled across here.

Xia cocked her head (somehow?) at Raven, "What? What's wrong? Do I have something on my orb?"

The surprisingly human turn of phrase gave Raven even more pause, "… No. I just wasn't expecting you to sound like this. The other energy being we met earlier was… different."

"Let me guess, Awl, right?" Xia vibrated in a way that sounded like a good-natured chuckle. "They aren't really a good representation of our race. I happily call them a friend but they're a bit odd even by our standards. Good energy. But odd. I think he does a lot of that stuff on purpose. Finds it funny or something."

"Ah," Raven nodded in understanding. "Awl is the Kori of your race."

Xia flickered slightly, "I don't know if I'd compare them to our savior like that but I do have to admit that Starfire is certainly like no other Tamarean I've met before."

"Fair. Kori is a bit much even by odd standards. She's… uniquely unique. I wouldn't have her any other way," Raven's lips quirked into a small smile.

"So… what now?" Someone from the crowd of recently freed prisoners interjected to ask.

"Now," I said. "We begin making arrangements for all of you. For that, we just need to wait for the calvary to arrive-…"

"HAHA! I HAVE ARRIVED!"

With a great crash, explosion of dust, and the sudden dismantling of the ceiling, Savage made his typical entrance. Knowing him, he'd probably jumped straight down from the Tamarean ships in the sky. He didn't even flinch as he burst through the ceiling, landing with slightly bent knees and already posing proudly.

"Just in time to be late to the party," I jabbed, disrupting his spectacular entrance.

Savage deflated as if I'd just ruined Christmas AND his birthday, "Dammit…"

"Sean!" He bounced back near-instantly. "I expect compensation for this tragedy!"

"Yeah, yeah," I rolled my eyes. "We'll go plunder something or other properly after this is all taken care of, you old fart."

"CAPITAL!" Savage exclaimed with a grin.

"You're lucky I like how crazy you are, barbarian Savage," Blackfire floated down from through the hole Savage had made in the ceiling, grumbling at him the entire way. Once level with the rest of us, she turned her aura of intimidation up to 11. "Now… Where the fuck are the bastards that dared lay a finger on my sister before me?!"

"There," Raven answered, her voice deceptively calm and casual. "… And a bit over there. And another bit over there and there and there. Honestly, it'd be easier to NOT find bits and pieces of them at this point."

"Oh," Blackfire paused. "Good… That's good. Seems like we missed the fun though."

"Not all of it," I said, matching Raven's deceptively casual delivery. "There's still the rest of the prisoners to deal with. Some of them need a way home. Some don't have homes anymore. Either way, sorting it all out will be a bit of a logistical challenge for you, Blackfire."

Blackfire sighed in long-suffering exasperation, "Dammit, Star… Leave all the actual work to me, why don't you? Like always…"