[M] Galactic Engagement (Ushima and AngelDellaNotte)

[Ushima]

Michael's arm burned slightly from the coffee and rough scraping Ashira did to get the numbers off his arm. As the ladies left he rubbed his arm. "She spilled almost all my coffee." He mumbled, drinking what was left.

"You sobering up?" Korban asked, offering him another full cup.

"Getting there." Michael thanked the man and took the cup.

"So what was all that about?" Korban took a seat across from him, with nothing else to do he might as well unravel the puzzle that lay before him. "Normally no one rushes to wash hot chick's numbers off someone."

"It's..." He didn't really know what to say. Here he was, an Arturian in Yoran space. Flying with the Yoran princess no less and escorting her back home to marry his best friend's younger brother. And if he got in the way and let his heart dictate what he wanted he'd be branded a traitor. At best he'd get life in maximum prison if Cass put in a good word. Worst, and most likely scenario, death. "She's a great girl. Way out of my league."

Korban scoffed. "Come on mate no one's out of your league as long as a connection is there. And there is one. I can tell. And don't give me that it's complicated crap."

Michael sighed, drinking more coffee. "Oh but it is. Way waaaaay complicated."

"Just do what I do, don't care about them." Michael raised an eyebrow at Korban. If only he knew the reality of Michael's situation. "But worry about that later. For now you gotta get yourself out of the hole you dug."

Michael drained the cup, setting it on the table. "But I didn't do anything! They just wrote on my arm and I wasn't paying attention."

"First rule of a relationship mate, It's always your fault." Korban chuckled at Michael's degected face. "So now you have to apologize. Maybe get her a gift? Remember; happy wife happy life." Korban laughed even harder as Michael's face flushed red. "Now I know that's not from the booze." Michael sighed again. "Oh what's the matter now?"

"...She's kinda hard to shop for. Has pretty much everything." Michael rubbed his face in frustration. This was getting to much. Korban's comment put some images in his head, images of Ashira as his wife. Shaking his head he let out a frustrated sigh. "Most she wants is to just be treated normal. Like a regular girl. You know she's a rich type and always had to deal with being treated differently."

Korban slapped his knee. "Well there you go mate. Take her out on a regular date. I know a sweet little spot down in the bazaar. Decent cheap drinks, maybe do a little window shopping in case a commoner trinket catches her eye. And just enjoy the tranquility. I'll take care of Harlow for ya."

Michael scratched his chin. It had been a awhile since the two of them just talked. "I like it. Sure after we wrap this up you distract Harlow and we'll sneak off." The sound of the door opening caught Michael's attention. "Shh don't spoil it."

[AngelDellaNotte]

The card got the four women back onto the train with no problems and Sadie behaved not attempting to escape. When the door to the cabin shut she sat down across from Ashira staring at the princess. "What's wrong? Trouble in paradise with your Arthurian boyfriend?" Sadie said, leaning back a smug look on her face.

"Prolly best not to go there." Harlow said, reading herself should she need to intervene between the two. They really did not need Ashira beating Sadie to a pulp on the train. They somehow were managing to make this far without causing a scene. Just a little further and they would be okay.

Despite how upset she was Ashira caught on to Harlow's warning not just to Sadie but to her as well. "None of your damn business." She said, turning to the window and looking out again.

"Shut it, we could gag you again." Lillian said, feeling for her charge. It had to be difficult always having to do what it was expected of you without thought of what you actually wanted. That was the life of a Princess duty and responsibility would always come first. She had been hard on Ashira reminding her of that but it would seem the princess knew her duty. It had to hurt though and Lillian knew that feeling sorry for the princess. She was sitting next to Ashira and lightly resting hand on her shoulder. The princess turned and looked at her bodyguard nodding a little and looking back out the window.

The rest of the train ride was quiet with Sadie keeping her mouth shut. They headed back up to the loft finding Michael and Korban sitting on the sofa the Arthurian looking a little more sober. Korban slapped him on the shoulder and stood up walking across the room noticing both Lillian and Sadie. "So which of you will be keeping me company for a while?" He said, moving closer to Lillian and wrapping his arm around her, "Oh please say it is you."

[Ushima]

"So tell me about yourself my friend." Korban switched gears for the conversation, making it seem like they weren't planning a date between Ashira and Michael.

"Well as you know I'm a pornstar hence the whole issue with the girls earlier." Michael smirked, not looking over at the arrival of the others. "In my free time I like flying. I'm a good pilot."

"What a coincidence. Harlow's a pretty mean pilot herself." Korban's eyes twinkled in mischief. "Maybe we can set the two of you up in a sim and have a go if you think you've got what it takes."

Michael smirked. "That does sound fun." Last time they competed Michael pulled a pretty ballsy move to win, he doubted the same trick would work twice. But it'd all depend on what ship he got. For their practice match he had been given an older model ship so he had to use some creative techniques to catch her off guard. If they were on equal footing it would be a proper match, all coming down to skill.

"So which of you will be keeping me company for a while?" Michael watched as Korban stood and cozied up to Lillian. "Oh please say it is you." For her part the bodyguard looked unimpressed. When he caught Lillian's eye she gave him a look, one he didn't want to see. That 'I know' look. So Michael broke eye contact and stood up, a little shaky but he was fine. Maybe not entirely sober but he was in control of his faculties now.

"This is who you need to babysit." Harlow pushed Sadie forward. "We need to keep her from being seen for a few days. Three at most."

While everyone was eyeing Sadie to see if she would do anything Michael tapped Ashira's shoulder. Giving Korban a nod he watched the man pull Lillian's gaze away from the two of them. Harlow was an unexpected aid to their scheme. “Getting kind close with her there Korban. If I didn’t know any better I’d say you were trying to warm her up for a threesome.” Lillian rounded on her, this distracted her and kept her attention of the princess and Michael.

Michael leaned in and spoke lowly so no one heard them. "Lets go." Taking her hand he pulled her along and out of the VIP room. Once they were on the street Michael headed in the direction of the bazaar, thanks to directions provided by his unofficial wingman. "Been awhile since you've been out without supervision huh?" They had to stop just outside of the bazaar to let a caravan of hover trucks carrying something, they were covered on the back, pass. "I need to apologize. I shouldn't have let them distract me from you...um...you guys earlier." His face flushed red at his slip of the tongue. "So let me treat you to some down time. To let you be yourself. If you don't want to we can head back right now. There's a bar down the bazaar strip if you want."

[AngelDellaNotte]

Ashira let herself be guided away by Michael and out of the race tracks noticing how Harlow and Korban expertly distracted Lillian allowing them to escape away unnoticed. If she didn't know better the two of them had been plotting this but they hadn't the time as they hadn't been alone during this time. Then again Harlow had a way about her and Korban seemed to know Harlow much better than Ashira did. She could tell by the way they had embraced earlier that they were lovers, which wasn't all that unusual for Harlow.

“I do believe the last time we were unsupervised we ended up dragging a fire fight across a resort planet. The tabloids will be talking about it for weeks.” Ashira said, despite her mother's disapproval Ashira followed the gossip news, not that she believed it just that it was so entertaining, the stories they would come up with. The would take a photo of someone important and then without any context craft a story around it. Her mother saw it as bad publicity and not at all humorous, when Ashira had been a teenager she had forbid Ashira from reading the feeds. There had even been a time when Ashira had been on Haroni and a photo had been taken of her in a bathing suit with a man that wasn't her then fiancee, he had only been asking directions not realizing who she was but the tabloids had made up numerous stories about her secret love affair. Ashira had been grounded and not allowed to leave the palace for months. It wasn't until the tabloids had moved onto several new stories that she had been allowed to leave the palace. “It least until I get married.” Ashira said, pausing in her walking at the thought of it.

She wasn't still sure that she wanted to do it, though refusing to marry the prince wasn't an option Ashira would choose, she knew the stakes but that didn't mean she had to like the idea of marrying someone she didn't know let alone love. Michael mentioned a bar which sounded like a good idea to drink away the thoughts of her impending marriage. Though she recalled her previous outburst at Michael being drunk and thought maybe it wasn't the best idea. “Maybe drinking isn't the best idea, the drinks on this station are a little more than I think either of us are used to.” She looked down the street at the bazaar noticing a small cafe. “Perhaps we could get something to eat. I am a little hungry.”

[Ushima]

Michael's stomach agreed with Ashira's suggestion. "That sounds good to me." With a smile, flanked by flushed cheeks, Michael took hold of Ashira's hand. "This way then." He led her through the street, finding a spot to eat as she requested. They found a nice looking place, a two story building with an upstairs patio. Even managed to get a seat out there. The patio overlooked the bazaar. It reminded him of their first meal on the pleasure planet. Their waitress was an older woman and given this was a mom and pop shop probably one of the owners.

"Here you go." She handed them menus, a single sheet but double sided. "I'll be back with some water."

"Thank you." Quickly he looked over the menu and selected what he wanted. But now came another problem, he didn't know what to talk about. Did he bring up the trip so far? Michael didn't think so. Didn't think mention her up coming marriage was a fantastic idea. Plus there were other bad points he didn't really want to bring up just again, his abuse at the hand of Simca being the main one. The army shrinks were going to have a field day with him when he got back. So he went with a cheesy joke. "So I'd comment on the weather at this point, but we're on a space station so that option is out. As much as I love traveling it'll be good to get planet time for awhile and enjoy some direct sunlight for a bit. Maybe work on my tan."

[AngelDellaNotte]

Ashira found herself blushing as Michael took her hand and lead her into the cafe. The woman serving them had one of those faces that just made you feel comfortable. What she was doing on a rough station was a good question but it didn't seem polite to ask. To be honest she reminded Ashira of one of her governesses. The governesses had been so nice to Ashira and had practically raised both Ashira and Casper. It wasn't an uncommon thing among royals, especially children of a sitting monarch. The menus she gave them were mostly made of brunch, a few sandwiches and salads. She order a salad, despite being hungry she wanted something light. When the woman left there was an odd silence between them. They had been through so much together but didn't really know much about the other. Sure they had talked about past relationships on Haroni but that was about it. Michael started small talk about the weather. “You know when people first started branching out into space they found people didn't adjust well without the rhythm of day and night. Many people suffered mental break downs. That is why most stations adjust the lighting to simulate day and night. Some stations even use lights that simulate the UV rays of the sun.” Ashira said, realizing she was geeking out a bit. As a child she spent a lot of time studying. Especially when it had become socially unacceptable for her to play with the other children in the castle. Occasionally she would get to play with noble children but it was always different even the children knowing their was a hierarchy.

The woman came back putting their food before them and Ashira started eating. The silence returning, a bit more awkward despite with them both having a reason not to talk. She looked around the cafe and at Michael thinking she noticed the women from the tracks but she didn't mention it. First she wasn't sure it was then and secondly she knew she had over reacted to them. She didn't need to make it worse by pointing them out. Taking the conversation back to the weather it seeming like a safe topic she said, “My office on the base is twenty stories under ground. We have a artificial sun and moon that projects on each floor. There are even several gardens that make you feel like you are outside. Everyone stationed there is required to spend at least two hours of day either topside or in one of the gardens. It is strange at first but after a while you hardly seem to notice the difference.” She really shouldn't be telling him about her base it was top secret but she wasn't giving details about it and she felt she could trust Michael.

[Ushima]

"It makes setting foot on the ground better. Whenever I had shore leave I'd hop a shuttle and go to the nearest planet. I'd find an island and land, spending my time isolated on a beautiful beach relaxing. Though I can't imagine how you'd spend that much time underground. Someone as pretty as you doesn't need to be holed up in a dungeon. Beautiful princesses shouldn't be locked in towers after all." Now he was flirting. If he could he'd tell Ashira she was gorgeous all day and then some and never get tired doing it. Then an idea passed through his head. Michael knew they were on some sort of time table. But he was given leeway to take the best route even if it is a tad bit longer. In order to act on his plan he'd have to check where a planet's current orbit is in the system. After everything that's gone on Ashira, hell all of them, could use some time to just sit and relax. Now he just had to stock up on some items while here on the station which he was sure wouldn't be a problem. The only one who would really object is Lillian but that wouldn't be an issue. "What would you say to me finding a secluded spot in Arutrian space where we could set down and recharge our batteries. No flying. No one shooting at us. Just us, a sandy beach and crystal clear water to relax."

[AngelDellaNotte]

Everything Michael was saying sounded wonderful and she wasn't oblivious that he was flirting with her. She wanted to flirt back despite the growing conflict inside her Ashira knew she shouldn't. She closed her eyes trying to figure out what to do. They had been alloted more time than needed to get across space to account any delays. There are been a number already but they still were well on time. She really wanted to go to this planet but then what? They would get a much needed vacation but it had to end and they would be right back where they started? “What are we even doing?” Ashira said, dropping her face in her hands and crying. She had been holding it together the best she could. Traveling from one end of the universe to the other to marry a prince she didn't know to save her kingdom. It sounded like a noble idea in theory but no one had even asked her how she felt about it. She hadn't really dated anyone since her engagement ended and at first a arranged marriage seemed like an alright idea. Then Michael came along and she got to know him. She was falling in love with him. Running off with her escort would no doubt cause far more problems.

“What am I doing? Running across the universe to marry someone because it will end a war?” Ashira said continuing to break down. “Did anyone ever stop to think what I want to do? Did anyone ask me? No it was just go Ashira do this it's your duty. Your people need you. Give up everything you know so there will be peace. It isn't fair that all this is put on me!” Ashira shouted and stood up walking out of the restaurant into an alley.

[Ushima]

"Ah shit." Michael cursed as Ashira got up and ran from the table. He was sure people were looking at him like he was the asshole who made his girlfriend cry. If only they knew the actual complexity of the situation.

"Hold up!" The waitress slash owner yelled at him. "You think you can just run out of here?"

"I'm sorry I have to go check on her. She ran out crying." Michael tried pleading his case.

"She can wait the one minute it'll take you to swipe your credits." He wanted to bite back but Michael knew the faster he did this the faster he was outside. Taking the royal card out of his pocket he swiped. His foot tapped impatiently as he waited for the transaction to process. Once the screen flashed green he started to move. "Don't you want your receipt?"

"Hell no!" Michael took the stairs two at a time, nearly falling down the last few steps. Outside the shop he looked around and didn't see her.

"She went out the back." A man's voice called him back into the shop. The bartender was cleaning a glass. "I don't know what you said but she was bawling her eyes out."

"Thanks." Michael was out the door the man pointed out and was in the alley. But it too was empty. Nothing but trash. "Damn it. She's fast when she wants to be. Probably back at the ship by now." With a deep sigh he walked to the end of the alley. But all he managed to get was five steps before he was struck from behind. He fell to the ground unconscious, tossed in a transport, and driven off.

[AngelDellaNotte]

She stumbled down the steps barely paying any attention to where she was going. At the bottom of the landing she stopped her eyes full of tears. She didn't really know what she was doing. Standing there she felt her chest grow tight and found herself having a hard time breathing. There were a couple people in the bar near her smoking from some kind of glass jar, Ashira had never seen anything like it and thought that must have been why she couldn't breathe. She ran out the nearest door which just happened to be the back door. The fresh air didn't seem to help and she hunched over hoping that would but it only made her dizzy. A few moments later her legs gave out and she fainted on the ground.

Not far from her stood the women from the race track each of them with a confused look on their face. "Okay when the bosses said grab them I didn't think it would be this easy." One of them said, as she walked over and checked Ashira's pulse making sure she was still alive.

"Hey don't complain it's about time something went our way. Grab her feet and we'll put her in the van." Another said, picking Ashira up by the shoulders. It took a couple tries but they managed to lift her up and into the back of the van. They secured her wrists with a pair of cuffs then sat waiting for Michael. A short while later they were all in the van driving away.

Ashira woke up finding she was sitting in a chair or rather tied to a chair. Both her hands and feet were bound to the chair and she had tape over her mouth. Across from her the women sat at a table playing card. "Look the pretty one is awake. Maybe she can tell us why she looks so damn familiar." One of the women said.

"I'm telling you she probably does porn like the guy. You must have seen her in a flick.' Another said, tossing a coin into the air the catching it.

The first one walked across the room and started to pull the tape off but stopped, "Don't bother screaming you are in a sound proof room" She said, then pulled the tape off. "So who are you?"

"Afton Grant, I'm an art collector." Ashira said, recalling the cover Harlow gave her. "I've been told I have one of those faces everyone thinks they've seen before." She hoped they didn't recognize who she was but wasn't sure if she could get away with it. Her eyes were drawn to the sound of the coin hitting the ground and rolling toward her. It came to a stop next to her foot and she could see it was a Yoran collector's coin. The Yoran Empire mostly used credits but coins of the royal family were minted every ten years. This one happened to have been minted when she was nineteen and her face was right there for the kidnappers to see.

"I'm not buying it, nobody on this station uses their real name." The woman said, reaching down and picking the coin up. Without looking at it she tossed it back to the other woman.