Her fate is already sealed

Unknown to Ashe she would be going somewhere far more remote than a tropical island, her fate decided several hours earlier.

A Space Pirate, passing the cafe, had noticed Ashe, sitting at the window, and knew that she had to have her. The pirate was hunting a rare set of attractive, identical triplets, and while for almost any other individual girl she would have abandoned her target and switched to Ashe she could not give up her original goal.

She did not have to give up Ashe either, although capture by proxy would be less satisfying than the personal touch, she did not want this prey to escape. She lifted device which looked like a mobile phone to her eye and selected the view of Ashe through the cafe window and issued a command.

Floating above the street adjoining the cafe a Security Bot entered Capture mode. If anyone had looked up they would not have seen it, as its active camouflage made it almost invisible. Without the camouflage it would have looked rather like a short surfboard, hanging in the air, its surfaces smooth, roughly a hands width in depth, as wide as a girl's torso, and long enough that if she were to lie on it, having started seated on one end, her head would rest on the other end.

The pirate left in pursuit of her triplets, but the Capture Bot waited for Ashe to exit the cafe. It followed her to the gym, slipping through doors above unsuspecting gym members, and observing Ashe as she exercised.

Ashe, naked and clearly defenceless in the showers would have seemed an ideal capture opportunity, but the Capture Bot would have had to open hatches in it's shell to allow the emergence of the arms, tentacles, restraints and other accessories it needed for the capture. With the hatches open the Capture Bot was not water proof, and Capture Bots are known for their patience and persistence.

The club was so full of flashing lights that the active camouflage was not really necessary, as nobody could have seen it anyway, but it hovered, waiting, near the ceiling, and the followed Ashe, Mary and Janice back to their flat.

Entering the flat, and then Ashe's room was simple for a Bot equip with a full range of manipulators capable of very delicate operations as well as strength.

Closing the door behind it, the Capture Bot examined the sleeping Ashe and released a gas which was both soporific and aphrodisiac.

Lying on her bed, Ashe slept, and dreamed.