In Love With the Manhunter

I sat up and looked at Zero, “What do you mean?” She pointed at my mask. I put it back on, and brought up my radar.
Zero disappeared from the pedestal, and a chip popped out. I grabbed it, and inserted it into the back of the helmet. She appeared in the top right corner of my visor, “Increase the range of your radar to 150 meters.” Zero whispered to me looking down the exit of the cockpit.
My radar zoomed out, and a red blip appeared. I took my pistols from the holsters, and inched down the hallway to the inner parts of the ship. As I got to the exit tunnel of the cockpit a grenade rolled into the hallway. I rolled back then brought up a shield, but it did not explode. Examined it, and saw that the grenade was not armed. I let out a sigh dropping the shield, and raised my blasters to the tunnel. I whipped around the corner to find a girl with silver wavy hair, and dressed in muddy silver attire. I let go of a breath I didn’t know I was holding. I twirled the pistols putting them back into their holsters sighing dropping into a booth putting my head into my forearms. Then the silver princess poked me obviously trying to get my attention. I looked up at her. She was searching my mask ina attempt to find out where my eyes were, but gave up. She twiddled her thumbs and asked a question very shyly, “I just want to ask Mister why you were in my families kingdom?”
Zero appeared in the corner of my vision, “Let me talk to her,” I hesitated because she had a bit of a motherly tone to her voice. But In a second or two I had put her chip in a pedestal. She appeared her hands behind her, “Honey we were paid you kidnap your sister.”
Zero had put it bluntly, but there was no beating around the bush in this subject. And of course when Zero said it the princess wore an expression of disgust and horror. She obviously had never seen the evil in the galaxies before, “Why would anyone do such a horrid thing like that!” The princess exclaimed
“Honey there are good and bad things that happen in our line of work of bounty hunting. Zero said pacing around her pedestal. I had something to tell them both. I put my leaned back putting my boots on the table taking a credit from my pocket flicking it into the air, and catching it. Zero looked at me then crossed her arms over her chest, "What do you have to tell?" Zero asked me
"Well Zero," I said putting the credit back into my pocket, "Our little stowaway sister has a dark secret."
They looked at me like I just grew five heads. The silver princess was the first to recover, "May as a dark secret?"
"Yes. When I got to her room I found a state of the art bounty hunter hidden armory. Also a rogue ship hit us on our way into your family's kingdom.” I said getting up picking up a blue bottle, “So rather that ship was May’s, or some random person flies like a maniac and has no sense of flying of that matter.” I grabbed one glass, and a shot glass. I opened the bottle the midnight blue liquid giving off a blue mist. As I poured the glasses I grabbed a red bottle pouring a few drops into the big glass. When the red drops hit the blue drink it crackled, and bubbled. “You want a drink?” I asked her gesturing to the small table.
The silver princess hesitated, “S-sure. I’ll just have what you’re…..having.” Now I knew she had no idea what she was getting into. But all I did was shrugged I poured the blue drink into the shot glass, and dropped a single drop from the red bottle. The drink did crackle, and bubble, but in a short pathetic burst. I grabbed a stool sitting down pulling off my mask the silver princess just stared her eyes wide, and hands over her mouth.
I swallowed the contents of my glass in one gulp. Looking at her I noticed her horrified expression, “What?” I said running my forked tongue over my jaw. Her magenta eyes just looked over my right eye. Then I realized what she was looking at. I had a scar that went from my left eyebrow, over the brim of my nose, and all the way down to my throat.
Zero sighed, “I hate it too. When I first saw it I just freaked out.”
I already made another pint of the drink. I drank half of it before I ran my gloved claw across the scar. “Don’t worry about it. This is just something that can happen on the job.But the one different thing was it was suppose to be me being on the good side.” growling at my last sentence. I cracked my neck pouring the rest of my drink down my throat. I pushed the shot glass toward the booth near the princess, and gestured toward the seat.
The princess sat down, and examined the drink as the blue mist floated out of the cup. She gulped picking up the glass. She took a small swig and instantly gagged on it, “Wha- what is in that thing?” The princess said through coughs
“My hunters favorite drink.” Zero said
I looked at Zero my eyebrow raised the attempt to embarrass me not working, “It’s a blood pool.” The Princess shot stiff I assured her it was not actually made of blood, just a stupid name. I grabbed the two bottles, and placed them on the table. It’s mostly a blue kamino, but with limited number drops of a hard sour star cider. But I don’t recommend it to new drinkers, weak drinkers, or drinkers who can’t stop.”
The princess pushed the shot glass to the middle of the table, “I’m good you can just dump it.”
I grabbed it, and threw it back. I collected the three empty cups returning them back to the mini-bar. I sat back down my eye locking on her’s, “Now Silver Princess I have some questions that need to be answered. First: Who are you, second: why did you follow me into my ship, and third: I need you to explain your sister- May’s life routine.”
The princess put her hands in her lap and took a breath, “My name is Jessica, and for the reason why I followed was because you drop this metal sphere.” Jessica pulled out a thermal detonator. I stiffened holding up my hands gesturing to stop, “What’s wrong?”
I tried to be as nonchalant, and tried to be as calm as I can. Jessica had her middle finger on the arming trigger. All it would to take is for her to tightened her grip on the grenade. She saw my alarm causing her to have a slight sign of worry on her face, “Listen Jessica. That sphere you have in your hand can kill us all in the matter of seconds. Just don’t tighten your grip on it, and just put it gently into my hand.” I put has much enphasis on the word gently. She did exactly what I said. When it was in my palm I used my pinky finger to disarm the grenade. Again I let go of a breath that I didn’t know I was holding in.
Zero appeared on the pedestal near the bar, “What’s wrong? What did I miss?” Jessica, and I shared a glance. I started to chuckle a little before asking Zero to rearm the thermal detonator. Zero shrugged, “Alright don’t tell me. Well Shadow the detonator will be rearmed in a few seconds.”
I coughed looking back at Jessica, “Now back to business. Now you need to tell me about your sister May. Does she ever disappear, or even secretive on subjects?”
Jessica thought for a moment, “Now that you mention it May does sometimes seem to disappear from time to time, but more like a few times a month.”
I opened my mouth to say something, but Zero cut me off, “Shadow I picked up a transmission involving a bounty hunter being exposed on Quala.”
I looked at Zero than at Jessica, “Follow me me.” I said getting up, and walking to my ships comm room. Somethings not right. I never revealed my face to any person or camera in E’therin. My brain kept on trying to come up situations where I had screwed up, or had left a chink in my disguise that let someone remember my face. But there was no way. We got to the comm room, a oval holo transmitter sat in the middle of the room. I descended down three steps in one step toward the table. “Zero get the transmission, and project it. Somethings not right.” I ordered trailing off into my own murmurs. Three blue transparent people stood on the table. One of them was a man the other two were female. The male and a female closest were in royal attire, while the other female wore a dress like Jessica’s. “You slipped through my fingers.” I murmured to myself
Jessica heard my murmur, but didn’t understand what I said, “Huh? what did you say?”
“Nothing.” I replied coldly crossing my arms one hand rubbing my chin
The transmission was scratchy, but words were still able to be extinguished. The man walked up to a podium he cleared his throat. His face was cardboard indicating rather his had seen things that scared him, or this bounty hunter must’ve done something grave. His voice was ragged but had a authoritative sound to it, “People of Quala! I have grave news that troubles my family. We have found that my daughter Jessica has been taken from us. But not by a thief she has allegedly been a bounty hunter. All the proof we have is her disappearance, and a armor rack that had been hidden in the castle. Now the evidence that pushes toward Jessica being a bounty hunter is that she went willingly into a unknown ship.” The man stopped hanging his head, “We also know that there was a bounty out for the air to the throne, and our remaining daughter May.”
I looked at Jessica who had put her head in her hands. Her magenta eyes were puffy obviously from crying. Zero tried to comfort her appearing near her. The projection kept going, but we all didn’t listen. But when I did start to listen my stomach dropped. This time the female in royal attire came up, and had a holo notepad in her hand. Her voice was softer, maybe mother like even. She was on the verge of tears, and was barely able to get a sentence out. She sniffled putting the holo notepad on the podium, “We have an entry from Jessica, a leaving note if you will.” She picked up the pad, and started to read from the pad a sob escaping every now and then, “To my dearest family, I have decided to run away from the noble life. I wish to explore more, rather than being stuffed in a aging castle all my life. I know it must be a tragedy for you to see me leave without saying goodbye face to face, but I know you won’t have let me go. I do not wish to be brought back, nor will I come back willingly. All that I will tell you about my new life is that I am going to become a bounty hunter. As it is forbidden on Quala to be one your attempts if you make any will be in vain, as I will have to be imprisoned or to the worse extend be executed. Bye forever The Silver Princess.” The women began to bawl her eyes out, as she finished.
The transmission began to fade I spotted something that I thought was strange. I walked up to the transmitter, and replayed the transmission. I skipped to the end, and I looked at May’s face. It was cut off halfway, and she had a sly smile was plastered on her face. The May had chiseled features, and semi-pale white skin. I could have sworn I had seen the features before, but every time it was about to hit me it would escape me. Why would she be happy to see her sister leave? And why is May so familiar? I thought walking to the bridge my boots thumping against the metal floor, I need to clear my head.
My wrist began to glow. I rolled up my coat sleeve bring my wrist to eye level. Zero appeared, “Shadow I’m going to put Jessica in your room for now until we can get the guest room ready. Also we need to figure out some alternate material for Jessica her current attire is not going to due.”
I raised an eyebrow to her requests, “I got bigger fish to fry rather than going shopping for a princess.”
Zero grabbed the bridge of her nose shaking her head, “It wasn’t a request. It was an order. You now have a supposed runaway princess in your hands. So now it’s going to be you who is going to be in the guest room, and shopping by yourself. Do I make myself clear?” Zero looked at me a eyebrow cocked, and annoyance in her eye.
I chuckled, “You so adorable when you’re frustrated. I was just joking. Could you try to get a list from her if you can with size, and whatever. I want to be in the shops, and out as quick as I can.” I closed the connection, and slumped back into the navigator's seat. I looked out into the open space, and then at the controls. Each blinking light becoming more interesting by the minute. I opened the damage report to find something grave. So when we went into hyperspace I guess we didn’t make it out unscaved after all. The ship’s reported that two out of the four engines had taken major damage from the ray shields of Quala. If I pushed the engines too far they would explode. I looked into space faintly seeing my reflection I hate to admit it, but I’m going to need all the help I can get. This is going to be ridiculous. I can’t wait until I ask someone on this subject. I opened a map on the ship's console, and looked for the closest associate. The map blew up to a 3D model. Ten purple galaxies slowly spun in the middle of the flight deck. Three red dots popped up each gaining a square near them revealing pictures. The farthest one was a mug shot of Vaso. He was smug, but he was also visibly trying to keep himself from dying from boredom. Vaso would just laugh at me, but he’s also too far either way. The second dot was directly down a few inches down, and right a black, and white crossbones Skulls would probably help, but that's a very small chance and on top of that He’s still too far. I looked at the last red dot. It was very close to my position. The box was a mug shot of a woman in black, and white striped armor. Her hair was colored the same in a ponytail. But unlike Vaso She was acting like the mug shot was something to celebrate. Stripes.... Hmmm She would be an expert on this subject, and she’s not very far. She’s the only one. Let’s see how this will turn out. I got up, and walked over to the driver’s seat punching in the corners of Stripes’ location. The ship jolted into motion the engines groaning in protest. Gradually the ship started to slow again. the star stretched into white lines. “Let’s get this over with.” I grumbled the darkness of space lighting up into a blue haze as the ship entered hyperspace.