The Shadow Very Heavy Fighter stared down the Guardian, sitting a scant distance from the Texas jump gate in New York. Buzzing about were two Freelancers, very confused about the particulars behind the Phantom Empire, especially the "bloodthirsty terrorists" part. One of them, Kantze, rammed his ship against that of Black Rose, yelling 'Hug!'.
Surprisingly to Galen Anderson, pilot of the Guardian, there was no violent and explosive reaction. Black Rose simply yelled 'Hug!' back.
Then the Phantom did something more surprising -- she forced Galen into going out with her on a date, on Rochester at 7PM MST (Manhattan Standard Time) the following day. The alternative was she would hunt him down and do unpleasant things to him.
Wisely, or perhaps not, he accepted under extreme duress.
~ ~ ~ ~
The next day, Black Rose was in a rented room on Rochester. Her flight suit and Phantom full-body armor hung in the closet, and she wore a brilliant white dress covered in black roses. Sitting in front of a mirror, she was running a brush through her hair repeatedly, it's luscious raven color complimenting her Corsair complexion perfectly. She smiled to herself, looking completely innocent. All her scars were hidden, and not only be clothes.
Reservations had been made at the best bar on the station. As a matter of fact, she had managed to "persuade" the owner of the establishment to make sure she and her date, Galen, were alone.
Completely confident in walking about unarmed, as she could kill just about anyone with her bare hands, she got up and walked to the bar. She found the table, smack in the middle of the room, and sat down at it. Waving off the extremely nervous 'waiter' (she had made clear that the owner would have to play the part), she settled in to wait for Galen. With a clock on the table. If he was even one minute late, well...
In his civilian clothes, Galen wove through the streets of Manhattan, cutting his way through the moving crowd. He felt more comfortable without his usual uniform and flight suit. Reaching the transport, he took one of the seats next to the windows and watched the buildings speed by.
"I can't believe I'm doing this" he thought, resting his head back against the seat...
---
With the transport touching down on the ground near the Manhattan Starport, Galen looked around, seeing the regular buzz of activity with the regulars taking trips off world and the usual security working. After clearance, he walked over to a private transport, motioning the pilot to begin pre-flight procedures.
"Where can I take you?" the pilot said.
"Rochester base, and I suggest you hurry." Galen said, easing himself into a seat.
And with that, the small ship quickly sped out into the edge of the atmosphere, and away from the planet towards the debris fields.
---
"We're beginning landing sequence now, Mr.Anderson" the pilot called out.
The nimble transport kissed the ground, the landing not felt by the two men on board. Galen walked out, wearing a dark blue dress shirt much like his attire during military ceremonies, except for the lack of medals. He took a glance at his watch, showing him that he had several minutes left. Sprinting, he caught the lift up to level 3- the dining area and took a turn down the corridor to one of the private bars.
Just before entering, he saw a glimpse of her, wearing a white dress with roses and a skitterish man walking stiffly back towards the bar. Wiping his face, still with disbelief, he slowly walked in, eyes fixed on the back of her head and glided towards the side of the table.
She gracefully rose from the seat and turned to regard him, a cheeky grin on her face.
"My, aren't you just so cute when you're flustered."
With an uncharacteristic gentleness, she took him by the hand and guided him to his seat. Despite her gruesome profession, she was very pretty. Delicate, even. If you didn't look too close at her eyes, which had a glint of insanity, you could completely mistake her for a normal person.
As she took her seat once more, she waved for the waiter to bring the menus. He bounded to their side and slid them in place with a couple hesitant and deep bows. The waiter also shot Galen a glance of what could best be described as 'unenvy'.
Black Rose opened the menu with what seemed like childlike wonder, obviously deliberating over what she wanted.
"I'm not sure, I think the fillet mignon looks nice. How about you?"
"Uhh, yeah sure.. that sounds great." Anderson replied, sneaking a glance at the waiter.
Galen felt his shoulders bunch up, as he soon realized that the bar was completely empty. He twisted his head around, trying to at least find somebody, but to no avail. Running his hand through his hair, he quickly settled into his seat.
"Of course, of course. Typical.. I swear I didn't sign up for this. Well, hopefully she won't kill me or that'll be the first." he thought.
"So what was that you were going to get?" she asked with the same smile.
Galen quickly scanned the menu, not feeling particularly hungry.
"I guess I'll take the chicken here then."
Black Rose shot a sideways glance at the startled waiter who rushed up to the table, with beads of sweat running down the side of his face.
"Y-yes? Wh-what can I get for you.. fine folk?" he stuttered.
"I'll take the fillet mignon while Galen here will have the chicken." she said with a deceptive smile.
"W-will that be all?" the waiter asked.
"Uhh yeah, can I have something other than Liberty Ale, perhaps some Bourbon Smash?" Galen asked.
"O-of c-course good sir, and yourself, my lady?" the waiter replied hesitantly.
Black Rose was staring dreamily into Galen's eyes, making him all the more nervous. She had a very far-off gaze, as if she was imagining something not there. He hoped it wasn't his torture and death she was seeing with such fondness.
He also hoped it wasn't certain... other things.
Her hand fluttered across the table and pulled his in, as if it had taken a mind of its own. Galen almost suspected some sort of Phantom mind-control device was at fault, but that was silly. Right?
Right???
"That sounds wonderful. I'll have what he's having."
Pausing a few moments to let the waiter beat a hasty retreat, she continued. "So, what do you like to do? Any hobbies? Oh do share, I don't get to talk to you normal people like this very often."
Galen's back stiffened and he felt his shoulders bunch up. The commander tried not to notice the gaze that Black Rose gave, and hoped the drinks came soon.
"Ah well, it can't get any worse.." he thought.
"Uhh well besides normal duties in the Navy as I'm sure you know, I do enjoy walking down the trails in Manhattan park, occaisional reading and just living life heh, if that means anything..."
The waiter, still pasty-faced and sweating arrived with the drinks and with a bow quickly skittered off behind the bar. Galen slowly took the drink from the table, and with a nod to Black Rose, took a sip and set the drink aside.
With a sigh and a slight smile, he calmly asked "How about you, Miss? A rare chance to talk to someone with your heritage, what are your hobbies?"
"My heritage? I'm not sure if it shows," she said, tossing her hair in a playful manner, "but I am pure-bred Corsair. Well, was. I suppose.
"As for hobbies, well..." She seemed to consider this, putting on a thoughtful face. "Hmmm. I think you can guess the obvious ones. I do rather like torture. Oh yes, that's fun. Don't look so pale dear, I'm not gonna hurt you. I don't bite. Usually." She flashed a toothy smile.
Black Rose leaned back in her chair and looked back to where the waiter had disappeared to. It was rather sad, really. So tense, so scared. They should be having fun.
"I liked dancing, once upon a time. And umm... reading. Never did like flying, actually, though I have quite a talent for it.
Galen was caught off-guard due to the surprise question. Nonetheless he slowly stood up, smoothing out his dress shirt and took the hand of Black Rose. She gracefully followed the Commander to the center of the restaurant. The owner looked aghast, not beliving what he was seeing. With a too-sweet looking smile from Black Rose, the man made a startled jump, dropped a couple pots and quickly put on music.
The Manhattan Jazz band was a popular group, and their songs didn't disappoint. The two quickened their steps, trying to keep pace with oneanother.
"So, if you never liked flying, why do you keep at it?" Galen asked, trying not to trip himself.
Black Rose smiled, and with a spin, replied "Aww you should know, its my job."
Galen nodded and quickly had to change pace due to the change in music. He looked back, seeing the owner spend an unusual amount of time with the radio.
Rose said unusually loud, "Have I mentioned that I enjoy torture? The screams are the best parts!"
Hitting his head again on the shelf above, the barkeep swore and moved behind into the kitchen once again.
The two continued dancing, with Galen sporting a slight smile.
Black Rose was having a wonderful time. She almost felt normal, and that was saying a lot. While she did truly enjoy her job, there was a certain... something... that was lacking. Meaningful human contact? Oh sure Phantoms were prone to the same hormonal urges as other humans, even more so... the normal ferocity of Phantoms in bed was quite scary.
After a few dances they sat down and the food arrived. She kept up a screen of banter with him commenting every now and again, slowly letting down his guard (though never completely) as it became rather clear that she wasn't going to kill him. Yet.
"This food is simply marvelous. Funny how people cook when their lives literally depend on it," Black Rose said, upbeat. She even gave a wink to the waiter/owner, who actually fainted.
"Poor man, must have had a bit too much to drink back there. Well... it would appear that we're done with food, and there's no one to serve desert now... I'll have to have a word with the waiter about sleeping on the job later."
Galen stood up and made a gesture that he really should get going, but Black Rose quickly closed the gap that the table provided and gave him the kiss of his life. The waiter slowly raised his head, saw them, then fainted again.
The commander's eyebrows shot up, completely taken by surprise by what the Phantom just did. Running his hands through his hair, he looked around, still seeing the waiter on the ground. Galen broke eye contact with Black Rose and walked towards the unmoving body and slipped several credit chips along with a little extra.
"W-well" Galen said, clearing his throat. "I think its time for me to be leaving... farewell Miss."
With that, he smoothed out his dress shirt and with a half smile and nod began walking out of the restaurant.
![[Image: u8rHEaq.png]](http://i.imgur.com/u8rHEaq.png)
