A white-haired outlaw sat on an old, metal stool in a seedy bar. The bounty hunter frowned when he saw the drink that was placed in front of him by the barkeep. "That's a damn small glass."

The bartender just shrugged three of his six arms, and ignored the irate hominid.

"Tch." The wild-looking man snorted to himself as he picked the drink up. 'Cheap-*ss Pultonian.' He quickly chugged the dark-brown liquor. He had just put the glass down when he was approached by another human.

"Um, ex-excuse me?" The stranger was wearing a pale blue cloak, with the hood pulled deep over his head. "Would you happen to be Bakura Tousen?"

"Perhaps."

"The-" here the pale visitor lowered his voice, '-infamous bounty hunter?'"

A faint smirk grew on the man's face. "That's right. And you are-?"

"Seeking services such as yours." The mysterious patron handed over a small, cloth bag. Inside was more than a fistful of pure, gold coins. "I need you to find someone- a missing girl with a royal background."

Although the amount was fairly impressive, the seated man kept his expression flat as he replied. "I charge quite a lot for that."

The other human shook his head. "This is only a portion of your fee. 150 Korillians up front, and another 250 after the contract is completed. If you should happen to find the princess (alive), then I will add another 550 Korillians. Understand?"

The bounty hunter hid his shock by ordering another drink. "Sounds fair. I take it she's your girlfriend?"

"Far from it." The mysterious stranger let his hood down, revealing a gorgeous mass of perfectly white hair. The strange youth blinked calmly as he introduced himself with a bow of his head. "I am Prince Ryou Tib'kra."

"Of the royal Celitarios family, I take it?"

The affirmed prince nodded. "The girl I'm looking for is my sister, Princess Amane. She was kidnapped three days ago during a formal military ceremony. However, I have little hopes of finding her with my own small forces- it's a wide universe, and my father has heard no word from her captors."

"Hm... quite a challenge." He looked back at the empty glass in his hand, as though still mulling the whole deal over. Of course, it was pointless grandstanding- a private-enterprise captain like Bakura Tousen would never turn down such a cushy, bloodless job. But he knew it was better to keep a wealthy client on edge right from the start. There was less chance of them trying to renege on payment later on if they were somewhat ill at ease around the man...

"Then again... why not?" He turned back to the patron with a smug grin. "I've always loved a challenge. Keeps life interesting." He held out one pale hand to shake on the agreement. "Captain Bakura Tousen of the Free Trader's Guild- at your service."

The prince shyly took the other's larger digits in his own, noticing the harsh texture. 'There's some heavy scarring on the outside of his hand- I do hope I'm not making a mistake by trusting this guy!'

"Well, probably shouldn't have another drink if I'm flying- so let's go." Bakura put down a single copper coin as payment for the disappointing glass. He ignored the disdainful look from the Pultonian barman (evidently, he'd been expecting a tip) and easily slid off the rusted bar-stool. "My ship is in a port just down the way." The pair soon stepped outside the bar, and began making their way towards the nearest intergalactic harbor. "We can settle the more formal bits there, and then you can give me whatever photo or holo files you have of your sister."

But the prince only shook his head. "There's no need for any such an exchange- I'm coming with you."

The captain froze in his tracks. "What."

"My sister is quite young and timid- she won't go with a stranger. I'll need to be with you if you wish to have any chance of retrieving her at all."

The bounty hunter nearly screamed- he should've known the boy's offer was too good to be true!

He let out a slight grunt, trying not to let his full frustration show. "You didn't mention that little caveat in your speech earlier- therefore, I'm not required to honor it."

"Nor am I required to pay you anything if you are not able to fulfill your end of the deal- I am well aware of the Guild's codes and laws, Captain. I am not just some random, silver-spooned fool out on a hobbyist's lark- this is a serious mission that may have life-and-death consequences. If you cannot handle that, then I suggest we enact the Nuixen protocol and part ways right now." The prince's steely gaze never wavered as he held out his hand yet again; now offering to rescind their earlier agreement.

'This one... he's both clever and good-looking...' The shrewd bounty hunter shook his palms flat outward in clear appeasement. "Oh no, that won't be necessary. I was merely surprised as I don't often have... civilians along on my excursions. Still, so long as you understand the risks and accommodations involved..."

"I understand that you cannot be held responsible for my safety, and that I am joining your crew on a temporary venture, regardless of previous or latter risks that may present themselves." Prince Ryou then pulled a scroll from one of his cloak pockets. "I've written a formal statement already- if you'd like to read over it once we get to your ship, that should be fine. I wrote it myself, and it absolves you of any liabilities that may come about as a result of our agreement."

'Perhaps too clever... he may be troublesome later on, should anything become complicated...' Bakura nodded bluntly. "Fair enough. I must warn you, though- our guest quarters are far from luxurious."

"I would sleep with the mud-covered calflets of a wild Diloptarn if it meant seeing my sister safely home."

"Hmph." The captain couldn't really comment on the other's statement; mainly as he wasn't entirely sure what a Diloptarn was. 'Isn't that one of those fat, pink things the Myretanians like to cook on a pike at the Festival of Dilmalis?' "Then I suppose you'll be fine with our offerings. We're here."

Ryou glanced up at the nearest ship- it was a fine-looking B917 model; likely only a few years old. A gleaming hull of white metal stood out amongst the other, mostly grey and silver ships in the yard. Her silver portholes and beams were surrounded by platinum rivets, and there was nary a rust spot nor a dent on her.

The Captain noticed his patron's approving gaze, and he proudly announced, "my ship, the 'Albus Serpens.'

"She's beautiful."

"My pride and joy." He gave a nod before pulling a small square attached to a silver ring from one pocket. "Just a moment-" He tapped the square against a plate on the side of the ship facing them, and a door suddenly slid open.

Ryou watched in awe as the panel slipped upwards, revealing the entrance to the sleek space vessel. "Oh my- she's in wonderful condition!"

"Indeed; she only receives the best of care." The cerise-eyed man paused as the outer door closed firmly shut behind himself and the passenger. "By the way, you should probably know that I have a first mate on board." But the captain's words barely sank in as the younger human glanced about the well-designed structure.

"About time you got back! You got those Taleriese jerky sticks I asked for?!"

"Hm? Oh!" Ryou gasped as he noticed that they were not alone. Another bipedal male was standing just outside the entryway area- however, he was hardly human. The dark-skinned creature had overly-large eyes, a set of pointed ears atop his head, and a long, flowing tail. His eyes were a brilliant violet, and his skin was darker than the ahcte fruit. One of his triangular ears had a rather large piece missing from the outer ridge.

"This is my first mate, Marik." Bakura waved a hand carelessly at the strange creature. "Marik, this is our latest patron. He'll be joining us on a chartered mission."

The brown-eyed youth gave a half-bow of welcome to the other crew member. "Greetings. My name is Ryou Tib'kra, Prince of the Celitarios."

Marik tilted his head, as though unsure of the newcomer's presence. "I'm just known as 'Marik.' We don't usually take on tourist-types, but I guess if the captain says it's okay..." A strange beeping noise suddenly sounded from further within the ship's structure. "Whoops, that'll be my lunch! See ya in a bit!"

The main pilot struggled not to hit his head against the metal siding as he groaned to himself. 'He'd better not use up our last anti-oxygen fire extinguisher... I swear, I should've just hired a damn chef in the first place; would've saved us SO much money and-'

"Wow..." But evidently the Celitarios royal wasn't used to such an unusual being, and he glanced furtively down the ship's pathways before whispering to the captain, "I must confess, I've never even seen a creature such as him..."

Bakura nodded rather solemnly. "That's not surprising- Marik is a Felidorian. His species was almost wiped out by the Great Hiel'tarios War of 2493."

"How awful..." The knowledgeable prince frowned. "I heard they lost everything to the invaders... were there any other survivors?"

"Most of them were sold into slavery by the victors, the Halicyans. But there are still some colonies spread across their home planet, living in relative secrecy and isolation."

"Oh, so he's from one of those hidden villages?"

The young captain shook his head. "No, Marik's parents were bought as a breeding pair by a slaver- unfortunately, his mother died giving birth to him, so his father raised him alone on another planet. Then his father died... getting him his freedom."

"Oh... is that why..."

"Yes." The pilot's face briefly turned into a harsh scowl. "The slave-owner kept a digital tracking tag on his ear- it had to be removed before they could escape."

Prince Ryou's eyes grew wide with horror. "How terrible..."

"Slavery is one of the worst crimes plaguing the galaxy." Two crimson orbs blinked in reflection. "We've come across many victims in our travels."

The 'passenger' looked thoughtful as he bit the top of his lower lip. "I've tried convincing father to impose stricter laws and punishments, but he seems to think the problem is much smaller."

"Then he is a fool. If he would look just beyond his own planet, he'd surely find the truth." Bakura gave a rough sigh before switching gears. "Anyway, you should get up to the front of the ship- there's a docking fee for ships staying past sundown at this port. We'll need to get moving soon if we want to avoid a hefty fine."

Marik suddenly reappeared, his hands covered in a suspiciously foamy substance. Bakura was about to demand answers when their latest customer spoke up.

"O-oh, so we'll be taking off soon?"

The strangely uneasy way the prince voiced this question caught the captain's attention, and he turned to face the sovereign youth.

"Is this your first time outside the local system?"

Ryou shook his head and gave a nervous grin. "This'll be my first time off the planet."

The captain paused before turning to a small cabinet and grabbing a thin piece of paper.

"Here."

The inexperienced passenger glanced at the strangely flat square. "Um, what is this?"

"It's an air-sickness bag- in case you get nauseated." The head pilot pointed to the disposable container with a blunt warning, "just try not to miss."

"Oh." The embarrassed young royal glanced at the beige tabs, recognizing the words 'OPEN HERE.' "Got it."

But the first mate snorted and gave the prince a knowing look. "Don't take it personally- Bakura's nuts about his ship. He'd marry it if that was legal!"

"Tch- you know how much she cost me! You really think I'm eager to see her get abused?!"

Marik snickered and playfully added, "yeah, I guess marrying her would count as that."

Bakura let out a growl of annoyance before cursing out his ship mate. "Oh **** you!"

As a member of the royal Celitarios family, the prince certainly wasn't used to such casual vulgarities. Still, there was no denying the camaraderie between the two bickering space travelers. Ryou sighed as tried to bring about his courage while the captain led him through the ship's bowels towards the cockpit. 'I suppose I'll just have to 'throw my fate in with the stars,' as mother used to say.'