"Are you a bounty hunter?"
"Yes. I am."
"Why?" I ask softly.
"Because I made deals with the wrong people and now I've got lives on the line here. Personal lives."
"Aren't all lives personal?"
"Not to some people." He said with a disgusted face "I need a lot of money. And fast. So I'm trying to get it."
I looked at him as he sat down in the pilot seat as he continued
"You see, the people I made a deal with ask for a lot. I couldn't pay them so they threatened my family. They said if I don't pay them back soon they'll kill them. I can't let that happen."
I rested my hand on his shoulder for comfort and he placed his hand on top of mine.
"I'm sorry, Keith. I know that's a lot of pressure."
"Yeah." He scoffed.
"Here, come here." I decided.
I backed away from him and he turned to face me.
I held out my hand and he furrowed his brows.
"Come on." I giggled.
He got up and took my hand.
I pressed play on a little devise and it caught a radio signal.
"How'd you get a signal from all the way out here?" He asked.
I shrugged and stepped closer to him.
"Dance with me." I laughed.
He rolled his eyes but started to dance with me anyway.
We crossed each other and grabbed each other's hands.
We swung in and out from each other and laughed as he missed a catch.
He spun me and I lost balance but I fell into him.
We both slightly chuckled and I rested my head on his shoulder. We both breathed heavily as we swayed lightly back and forth.
I sighed as I felt content in his touch.
He rested his head on top of mine and sighed as well.
"We will be okay princess. I'll be okay. You don't have to worry."
"I know." I simply replied.
I could feel him smiling as he kissed my forehead.
We were soon interrupted by the alarm going off.
We broke apart quickly and headed to the seats to look at what was happening.
"Damn! Those are council ships!" I shouted over the alarm.
"We have to get away from them quickly! They have magnetic fields on their ships! We'd have no chance against them if we don't leave now!"
"Then KICK IT!"
Keith started up the support engines and ran all of the propellers at the same time.
"Go! They're gaining!" I shouted.
Keith tried to fire up the engines more but it wasn't working.
"Crap! They've activated the fields! We are never gonna get out!" Keith slammed his fists on the panel.
Soon we were jerked back and the ship groaned as it was being pulled.
"Hold onto something! This is gonna be a hard landing!"
I grabbed onto the chair and waited.
I clenched my eyes shut and waited for us to make impact with the ground.
The ship creaked and cracked until a thud radiated through my body.
Keith let out a noise of hard impact on his body and I looked over to see him on the floor.
"Are you okay?" I asked rushing to his side. I kneeled down and helped him get up.
The door slammed open and troops walked in.
"Hands in the air! Any weapons or devices or harm must be laid out in front of us! If you refuse to cooperate, we will not hesitate to use force!"
I slowly put my hands in the air.
The troops looked shocked and, the man we could only assume to be the commander, radioed in.
"Ma'am , we have found the princess! She's here with your bounty hunter."
Her bounty hunter??
I felt a terrible fear in my gut as we were hauled off the ship.
I was thrown into the dirt onto my face with my hands cuffed behind my back.
"Princess!" Keith shouted as he got cuffed up.
"Ah! Visitors!" A slimy voice sneered.
A woman bent down and she lifted my body off of the ground to look at her.
"Look at this beauty. My son is gonna love you." She smirked.
"Don't touch her!" Keith shouted.
He was smacked in the knees and he screamed as he fell to the floor.
"Keith!!" I screamed as I heard him wince in pain.
"Oh? Keith Kogane? The bounty hunter? What a lovely surprise!"
"Can't say the feeling is mutual." He snapped.
"Oh well you will sweetie. When we give you what you need." She snapped her fingers and a suited trooper handed her a wad of cash. "Is this what you're looking for, bounty hunter?"
"Is that even enough?" He asked still sounding in pain.
"Forty six thousand." She smiled.
"How do I even know it's real?" He questioner again.
"You don't. You'll just have to take my word for it."
"Why should I?"
"Because this is a price I'm willing to pay for you to give us our princess."
My eyes widened as I realized what was happening. He was given the choice to sacrifice his parents or me.
"Don't do it Keith! Please!" I begged.
He looked down at the ground in front of him and furrowed his brows.
"I'm sorry princess. I gotta take it."