Lost in dance - in rhythm - in music. Feeling her feet move to the music, thrusting out her hips, and circling them, feet pounding the ground  during the traditional Bharatnatyam, mixed in with the Middle Eastern belly dance of an ancient and destroyed planet.<br/>And then a large hand... grabbing her ankle, stopping her rhythm, an ugly leering face and a hamsize fist creeping up her leg towards her thighs. Anjali screamed, the surprise giving way to revulsion and fear, as she realized that his face wasn't the only one looking up at her like that. What had she done? She shrunk back as the pilot who had bought her the drinks felled the big man with one well placed right hook. He jumped up on the stage next to her and smiled, but the smile suddenly took on a texture, a feeling, of a slimy fish wriggling through her fingers.<br/><br/>"My vessel's not far. I could make you some more of those drinks you like. And we could be alone. I could show you things. Things I'd like. Things you'd like. Come with me?" Anjali shrank back, shaking her head as more people began to push forward and upwards, her eyes wide and worried...what had she done? She only danced! People began to fight, fisticuffs flying, noses getting flattened, knuckles bloodied...a bar brawl? She had read about them in old literature by a titan of ancient manuscripts, Louis L'Amour, but .... here? Dimly behind her she heard the musicians playing a loud and lively tune, the one playing a clarinet scrambling forward and with a grateful grin up at her retrieved the hat filled with pips.<br/><br/>Anjali squirmed away and quickly donned her jacket and boots, but didn't have time to lace them when a very tall, blonde man with a thunderous expression crossed the room. No one else could have done that as the room was packing with a melee of humanity, and most of it fighting. No, this man just barreled his way through, bodily picking up those who didn't move fast enough and tossing them to the side.<br/><br/>Dwayne. Her Dwayne!<br/><br/>The man next to her who had begun reaching for her hand suddenly vanished, pulled off the platform one handed by Dwayne...<br/><br/>How? She thought, but then saw him throw people around with as little effort as one might throw a heavy work-out ball in a gym.<br/><br/>"We gotta go. Now." Dwayne was looking up at her.<br/><br/>"How did you...where were you...I was only..." she stammered, but he had already turned around doling out more damage when she saw the pilot who had tried to take her with him approach him from behind, in his upraised hand a bottle.  She knew that in this din of shouting men and women, music, and the sounds of fists on flesh and bone Dwayne would never hear her. A bottle had found its way onto the stage and she grabbed it and hit the pilot on the head with it. He went down soundlessly like a sack of dirty laundry. The bottle had broken and she tossed away the sharp and dangerous neck. She needed to get hold of Dwayne, needed him to stop breaking people and furniture. Heavy boots sounded in the hall and the sudden lull in activity made her look to the source. Large, uniformed men had moved in the hall leading to a lot of people trying to make for the blocked exits.<br/><br/>She saw Dwayne stop breaking people and drop to his knees, his hands upraised. Peacekeepers?<br/><br/>Yes, that must be it.<br/><br/>She started to move towards him when a heavy hand descended on her shoulder and she squeaked in fear, shrinking, heart pounding, eyes wild and fearful thinking it was the big miner again, but it was a uniformed man who didn't look at her unkindly but still wore a professional and serious mien, she relaxed seeing that it wasn't the brute.<br/><br/>"Just do what they say. It'll be over with soon enough," she heard Dwayne say, and felt the man behind her take her wrists and tie them like they did Dwayne's.<br/><br/>As she was led out of the bar, one of the musicians shouted "Hey Miss! When are you coming back? We're here every other day!"