Out of Pod Experience

Startled by the loud noise and dimming lights, Zoe and Chloe enter the bar from the backrooms corridor by kicking the door open with a blow. Assault rifles ready and aiming, they quickly survey the bars interiour for attackers. As they only recognize the ususal patrons going after their normal crazyness, the two woman lower their weapons approaching the two young Kaltanas still sitting at their spot on the table where Succus left them. Still a little worried, Zoe asks:

"Maria! Monica! Are you both girls ok? What happened here?"
"La rossa esuberante! Lei è pazza...e carino, signora Zoe." *the two young girls start giggling*
"Yes I know...well, I'll ask Miss Fazmarei about details later. Back to you both cuties...stand up and turn for me and Chloe."
"Sì signora!"

The both young Kaltanas speak in canon while jumping from the tables corner and turning their backs to the both woman.
They only wear a pair of stillettos each, but even with bare feet they would still be taller then Zoe. Now they even surpass Chloe in height. Zoe's eyes wander over the girls backs. Both revealing the typical line of spine-plugs commonly for capsuleers. The skin around the plugs is still irritated and a little pink, indicating that their cloned bodies are not much older than one day yet. Zoe's eyes finally fix on a spot on their hips where the still slightly red glowing radioactive-logo of Kaltana Industries appears.

"Succus really did a good job here. This man knows his handcraft...Ok girls, turn back to us!"
"Sì signora!" *the two girls rushing and turning back, their tails flying*
"Good girls!"

Zoe smiles satisfied and gives both young Kaltanas a gently kiss on their cheeks.

"Chloe, you still didn't told me where you found those two diamonds..."
"Oh...yes you are right...well...it's a rather sad and...and very long story. I will tell you later in private."

Zoe takes a short look in Chloe's eyes and understands that this is obviously not the right place to ask that question.
Zoe stands up on her toes a little and kisses Chloe's lips gently whispering "ok...", then adresses back to the girls.

"Back to you girls. You both are still on trial and in basic training. That means you will stay here in the bar, watching over our bathhouse and helping out Succus or Miss Fazmarei if needed. At a later time we will valuate your both progress and perhaps decide to pic you both to join us big girls in space...until then...we'll start by choosing you some proper clothing!"

Zoe chuckles as she takes Maria on her hand while Chloe takes Monica and the both woman lead the seemingly innocent girls into the backroom section of TGFB.

As the little group leaves Laude alone in the dusty -very dusty- room, Twinkle stops and turns around, and says:

- I may clean you, miss. I could lick that Nutella dust from you -and he tilts his head and smiles and winks with both eyes.
- What the fukk??
- I brushed my tooth earlier today -adds Twinkle
- And then Ish loooked so offended because I put a laser in her bar... where does she find these freaks? -mumbles Laudenum
- I won't bother you further, miss, but, can I have your name?
- Laudenum Hayes, freak.
- Twinkle, my name is Twinkle. I take care of the bor when Succus is away -again tilts his ehad and smiles, and Laude thinks he must be mentally handicapped. Then she notices the metal plate hanging from his necklace and says:
- Hey! Isn't that the base of a 125 mm shell?
- Yes it is. They removed it from my guts -say Twinkle, nodding and tilting his head again in a dazzling movement.
- From your guts? And how was that?
- May I lick that puff on your shoulder first...?
- No! How did you got that in your guts?
- I used to be a marine, miss Hayes. But then I was fortunate and found peace and illumination -Twinkle said that with obvious emotion, and barely tilted his head-. And then I abandoned that life of violence and now I take care of the bor when Succus is away.

Laude looks again at him carefully and notices that many patches on his flight jacket are squad patches. He's not very tall nor sturdy looking, and he looks very young and harmless with that delicate voice and the slow manners.

- But you're like.. 23? Aren't you too young?
- It started when I was a little child -smiles Twinkle, pointing with his hand a spot maybe one meter above the ground.
- OK, you may tell me that later. Now get out, I'm gonna clean this mess in style and don't want anyone take harm...
- Nice to meet you, miss Hayes- says Twinkle, walking backwards and tilting his head at Laude for a few meters, then he quickly turns around and leaves the room.

Laudenum shuddered. That Twinkle guy looked like he was tweaking worse than a Vitoc addict. Sure, he was interesting but ….

Back to business. She closed the door to the spacious room filled with Nutella dust. She took two vials out her thigh pocket and gathered a sample in the first vial. “You,” she said looking at the vial “will be an appetizer for some friends of mine.” She smiled broadly and filled the second vial packed full. “You,” she smiled broadly, “will be for some fun.” She stuffed the two vials back into the thigh pocket and began to work.

She placed a call back to her ship and then patiently waited for a package to arrive. She poked her head out of the room periodically, waiting to see if the courier was there. In her impatience, she thought about leaving the room and waiting in the hallway but the looming Ishtanchuk sitting at the table gave her reason to hide. “Damn,” she thought, “is she going to hover out there the whole time?”

The front door to the bar opened and she nearly jumped out of the room to flag the courier down. In walked a man with with a grav cart containing one small box, one medium box and one very large box. The courier pushed the grav cart inside and began looking around. Laudenum began frantically waving but the motion eluded the courier. When he walked towards Ish who was deep in paperwork, she didn’t even acknowledge him. She simply pointed over her shoulder towards the room. The courier looked up in time to see Laudenum facepalm at Ish’s disturbance.

Laud carefully opened the small and medium boxes. Inside the medium sized box was a powerful portable terminal which she powered up and set carefully aside. With the patience of bomb squad officer, she opened the small package and took out a clear crystalline container filled with a fine grey powder. The crystalline container fit into a depression on the terminal and she slid it carefully into place. Moments of diagnostic checks and aligning and she smiled broadly when the terminal prompted her for a sample. She removed the sample vial from her pocket and inserted the tube in the proper receptacle. She stood smiling as the vial contents were sampled and a program scrawled across the screen.

She gave the room a cursory glance to verify that she had not forgotten anything and pressed the large red button labeled ‘disperse’.

Ishtanchuk looked up from her paperwork at the opening of the wrestling room door to watch a nude Laudenum stroll out. Her head was held high in defiance. To Ish, the look said it all. “I have lost my clothing and I’m embarrassed as hell, but I will never show it.”

“Laude, how goes the cleaning?” Ish said, a hint of sarcasm and just a touch of spite added to it.

“Fine, fine.” Said Laud, stopping at the table as if nothing were amiss. “I’ll need a few more minutes. I just seem to have misplaced my clothing.” She casually strolled to the locker rooms and glared at Twinkle as he looked over with his head cocked to one side. When he smiled brightly, she glowered and raised a threating fist.

Ish stood up and walked over to the wrestling room. For the second time, her eyes grew large. The Nutella powder was completely gone and entire room was filled with tiny metallic spheres. Millions and millions of tiny spheres.

Millions.

“Well, at least the powder is clear.” She mumbled as she watched the last remnants of Laud’s clothing dissolving into a pile of metallic spheres.

When Ish detemined herself to be attractive, she was a planck interval away from becoming a force of nature, and that was made evident as she left her appartment and went downstairs into the Bar. Few people in the bar had had a chance to see her in full drive, and so the only one to not miss a beat at her sight was aunt Mae. Ish had picked a white tight miniskirt with a matching white jacket; she wore too a silken red shirt with a low V shaped neck, which ended just a centimeter above the strap of her brassiere. A silvery necklace with a single red coral tear pointed at her cleaveage, and silvery earrings with little red feathers matched the color of the coral tear. Her lips were striking red and her make up made her eyes stand with a mix of golden and black. Her hair was knotted at the back of her head with a silvery barrette, dotted with tiny red gemstones. Finally, a pair of wine red heels matched both her skin and the shirt, and the overall effect was so striking that even Twinkle forgot to tilt his head as his jaw dropped. Behind the bar, Succus slowly swallowed as Ish waved good bye and left through the main door.

- Hoh! -said Twinkle
- Holy mother of God... -said Succus.
- And you should see her cousin miss Indahmawar, it's a pity mistress Ishtanchuk looks older than she is, with that dark complexion -pointed Mae.

Ish quickly found her way along the station's corridors, tranportations and elevators, as she had researched the appointment place. Albert had picked a very discrete -and expensive- "love hotel" at the luxury section of the station. Guided by her personal pad and a limited connection to her Slot 5 social implant, she was "intuitively" aware on where to turn, what tramway to get, what elevator to pick and what discrete corridor look for. At the appropiate place, conveniently shielded by a series of decorative screens, she turned right and entered a door leading to a narrow hall. The hotel's hall was actually larger, but each client had his or her own gateway, and as soon as the hotel's software identifed Ishtanchuk, it cleared a path for her. Guided by literally grrenlighted doorways and corridors, she took less than a minute to enter the appropiate place and find an open door. She entered quickly and as the door shut behind her, she was welcomed by Alber Kuvai's wide open, astonished eyes.

- Oh... my... godess...

Ish tip toed and kissed his lips passionately.

- Hello, Albert. I've missed you a lot.
- Holy... do...

A second tempestuous kiss almost left Albert breathless.

- Do you want to undertake bussines or pleasure first...? -asked Albert Kuvai, apparently following a prepared speech.
- Pleasure, please -said Ishtanchuk.

*****************************************************************

One "pleasure please" and two "again, please" later, Albert Kuvai sat on the bed, overlooking at Ish's sleeping figure. Carelessly laying on the bed, her hair in a mess on the pillow, snoring softly as her bossom followed the pace of her breathe, Ishtanchuk's face displayed a satisfied smile of the kind every man dreams to see in a woman's face. Albert Kuvai usually was of the "hunting bird" type and counted his women by preys, but with Ishtanchuk it was different -there was something unnatural on how that woman soaked his will out of him, and how generously she rewarded him for that sacrifice. As Albert Kuvai walked to the toilet, stretching his arms, he didn't notice how Ish woke up in time to admire his tall, pale figure, nor how she devoted special attention to his nice muscular ass.

Once Albert was done with the toilet, he was met by Ish at the doorway; she had covered herself in a gown, which anyway din't left much room to imagination, and she briefly kissed him and asked him to wait "only the shortest, little-lest minute". Albert looked for a gown of his own and waited; business time was arrived.

Albeit the hotel room was more prepared to the "love" aspect of the business, it had a small kitchen table and two chairs for couples wishing to enjoy a meal, and so they both sat by that table.

- So what now? -asked Ishtanchuk.

Albert started explaining the situation on the growing clones of Indahmawar's mother, the payments received and other details, until Ishanchuk discreetly yawned, and then he shfited topic.

- Also, there is something our local Directorate wanted to ask... we could consider some ease in the operation cost if the inteligence was worth it.
- And what would that be?
- They.. we... are very interested to know how could you find us so easily and what role played that Ashtansan cult you mentioned.
- Ah, the cult... it's not exactly secretive, so probably you could find the essentials everywhere...
- Yes, I have the essentials. I know it started at the Amarr empire as a minor heresy and then it vanished until the Minmattar uprising, since then it's been acknowledged in all empires but Amarr.
- Well, the story is a tad more complicated than that. The Ashtansan cult arrived to New Eden trough the Gate, and it's been here since then. It may be one of the oldest cults in existence, as it claims to descend form a long series of Earth-based cults built around the figure of a mother godess, which at least here and now, she's called Ashtansan. Ashtansan is the breeding force of creation, the cause that created every other god and the universe itself. Ashtansan is not a god in the usual meaning, rather she is the reason why gods do exist. All in all the cult is a feminine business. The Amarrran where the first to hold records on its prosecution and it vanished, but was kept and preserved in secret. Not ironically, the Amarran and their traditions to pursue heresies have left behind an endless trail of well-fit surviving cults, which now span the whole New Eden...
- And how did you find the cult? Are you a cultist maybe?

(continues)

As many stations of Gallentean design, the station were The Greater Fool Bar was placed had a luxury promenade, essentially a small city inside the giant orbital city, under a massive observation cupola spanning several kilometers across. The main street of that city-in-the-city was the most expensive property in the station, and only the very wealthy and privileged could be seen there. Amid the crowd taking a night walk after dinner, to see and to be seen, neither Albert Kuvai nor Ishtanchuk Fazmarai outstanded, and were just like any other couple, albeit an unknown one.

- It makes me uneasy... don't you feel like everyone is looking at us? -said Albert Kuvai.
- Heh, that's your criminal midnset. You feel exposed, don't you?
- Maybe. I don't know any of them and yet they look at us as if we had to know them...
- That's vanity, nothing to worry. We're on the humble end of the spectrum. Correct, but nothing that poses a serious threat to them. How could we compete against the fashionable style of this month unless it implied walking around butt naked? -said Ish, with a mischievous grin.
- Heh, sure that would draw some attention, at least towards your plugs...
- Only my plugs?
- And some other assets too...
- Correct!

They walked a few steps in silence, then Albert asked:

- How it was? How did you become a capsuleer, if you studied Theology?
- Well, it was not an "if", but a "because". When I graduated, the Theology Council began running tests to the first 100 in each promotion. As I was 62nd of my class, I ran the test and it turned positive. Four students more from my class and I were picked as good potential capsuleers and we were strongly encouraged to move to a training facility dependent of the Royal Amarr Institute.
- Strongly encouraged?
- Certainly, they locked us up for "reflexion" for three weeks, and obviously the divine inspiration found its way on us as we all agreed... the psyhcological tests that followed were no laughing matter. In our university, we were 22 candidates from different specialties and only 9 moved onto the next phase. And I was among them too. We were being under continuous surveillance, in a regime that was as stern as Amarran could figure... they didn't like us Khanid, and they were having issues with rogue capsuleers. So they did everything they could to keep us under control. We spent like 4 weeks under such a strict religious regime, before they sent us to surgery.
- Surgery?
- Well, each empire has its ways. Some consider that it's easier to build a clone on the implants and just set up a fry-scan and kill the original body while the mind is burned on the cloned one. But Amarran tradition speaks of the link between soul and body, and so they just transform commoners into capsuleers through surgery alone. Of the nine candidates, 2 didn't made it out with their brains in acceptable shape. But I survived, and then we could enjoy the Amarran conception of "strength through suffer". There were no painkillers for capsuleers.
- Holy sh**!
- Yes, very holy and very sh**. All those drills in the vertebras and the craneum... I can't... well. Let's skip that. They kept pressing on us as the RIN suffered a strike of panic about rogue capsuleers. They barely allowed us to rest nor fed us enough to heal from our wounds, and we were shelled by all kind of doctrine... we, students of Theology! What were they teaching us? But boredom and repeat was part of the process. And then they made their own version of "deliverance". They indoctrinated us that we were to meet God in the pods. Litherally.
- What?
- Yes, God, we would feel God within the capsule. In case it didn't wetgraved us, of course. And by being directly enlightened by Him, we would become holy warriors.
- And so they plugged you to a capsule?
- Yes, they did. And you guess what was there inside?
- What?
- FREEDOM! -shouted Ishtanchuk, abruptly- Freedom! Those idiots! They had crushed us so we didn't dared to escape and yet they showed us the path. They could not track our minds while we were in the pod. And once you merge with the ship, once you embody it... you no longer are one of them. It's impossible to be a mere human in a pod. I don't know if that was truly God in the capsule. But there is something supernatural. We just had to look at each other's eyes. Out of seven, four experienced it. The epiphany of freedom. Then they graduated us, gave us a frigate and asked us to forward ourselves to the nearest 24th Imperial Crusade station. Which obviously, only the three unfortunate lamers did. And that's how I became a capsuleer.
- I... that's some grim story there.
- Yes, pretty grim. Can you figure? I was 26 and still a maid when I became a capsuleer. I paid a hefty price for my current freedom...

A second too late, Albert Kuvai figured that it would had been convenient to see how Ish said that word again, provided that she was being essentially blackmailed by Albert's organization. But when he looked down at Ish, her face was relaxed and she smiled back harmlessly. Albert hugged her shoulders and Ishtanchuk rested her head on him. She was small and beautiful, warm and soft, and he felt he still could make love to her right there, even after the exhausting evening they had had. But as he felt the solid contact of one of her plugs, he recalled her words: It's impossible to be a mere human in a pod.

"And what about outside? Are you just a woman outside of that machine, Ishtanchuk Fazmarai?", thought Albert Kuvai to himself, trying to compare that person in his arms to his limited experiences with true Sansha and other not-exactly-human beings...

((small recap: One day ago, Jill woke up totally hung-over in one of the TGFB apartments with no memory how she got there. She learned over FTL communications that there might have been a Sansha agent at the bar. ... and now the conclusion ! ))

Jill, wakes up in the same bed as she had roughly 24 hours earlier. This time no headache, no memory loss ... yay ! ... also, no clothes ... double-yay ! Jill wiggles her naked butt on the soft fabric of the sheets and stretches her arms, fingers interlocked, over her head as she tries to read the time on the invisi-screen(tm) next to the bed.

After a minute or so she manages to attribute the shapes to 09:38 ... quite ok. The bar is open 24/24, the day and night cycle only being simulated with artificial lights. Basically you can get breakfast around the clock. Jill could almost smell warm croissants and coffee, which is a far better smell to have up your nose than pod goo. (On a site note: that's not what PG stands for on your fitting screen).

Standing under the warm water of the shower within her appartment, the blond girl rethinks of yesterday's happenings. She had been showering yesterday too. The difference was, that yesterday, she first had to walk to the barman ... with messy hair and the wrinkled dress she had been sleeping in. Succus, the barman told her, how she had gotten into the apartment. Jill smirks as she recalls the conversation:

J: Hello, I just woke up in apartment 022 and ... well there is no towel in the shower. Also, if you have a hairbrush and toothbrush for sale, that would be sweet.
S: There is no towel, because we didn't expect a guest in apartment 022. If you don't mind paying for the room now, I'll have Twinkle bring you all the necessities. We also provide dry-cleaning services, you most certainly want to take advantage of that.
J: ... ok ... how much is the night ?
S: Let me run the numbers. Bar tab: 800 AUR, apartment: 450 AUR, service: 200 AUR and parts: 2600 AUR.
J: Hold on a minute. Parts ? What parts ?
S: Oh, that's the parts to fix the doorlock, after madam decided to manually override said doorlock.

So, yeah, there was no misterious stranger that was so kind to escort Jill to bed ...

... and maybe that was a good thing. Because that blue-haired Twinkle guy, who brought her a towel, would have followed Jill under the shower if she hadn't literally pushed him out the door. She found him cute, but slightly freaky.

Jill steps out of the bathroom, wrapped in a TGFB morning gown. On the floor next to the apartment door, lies a package. The dry-cleaning service had worked it's magic over the night and Jill's dress had been delivered through a slit in the wall.

Fully dressed again, Jill walks to the bar to have some breakfast and pay for the second night in the apartment. This time there would be no "parts" on the bill. There would also not be a third night, as Jill had decided to go planet-side for a few days.

(( [Arnold Schwarzenegger voice] I'll be back [/Arnold Schwarzenegger voice] ))

Ishtanchuk Fazmarai looked aorund the uninspiring office, the cheap furniture and the lack of any decoration, and figured that the interview would be pretty short.

- My apologies for the office. I barely use it, actually.

"And you barely meet anyone in person" -thought Ishtanchuk Fazmarai, looking at Ansonnoteel Aunchot, a Gallentean agent working on behalf of Roden Shipyards. She was dressed casually and hadn't bothered to make up herself beyond a touch of color on her lips; she looked like any average Gallentean folk, albeit she dealed by trade with capsuleeers, namely mercenaries. Or, less romantically, "mission runners".

- Nevermind, I understand this is not the usual procedure. You agents and we capsuleer grunts barely meet each other -Ish dragged the word "grunts", sardonically.
- But it's a refeshing change, actually. Won't be long be because I'm busy and all in all it's simple affair.
- Ok, what's it?
- I've been contacted by my colleague Colelie Dulere; she's got access to higher grade mission (rated L-3) and would like to discuss some business with you. She's not far, right at Halle, one of our neighbouring systems.
- So I guess your employers are happy with my performance? -said Ishtanchuk.
- Yes, of course. They are impressed with your skill. I understand that the issues reaching this office are way below what you are used to, but there are no exceptions to the ranking. And you started quite low with the Federation.
- I used to engage in any profitable venture without looking at consequences, honestly. It came as a surprise when your nation pretended to block me access to your space...
- But that was way, way ago, wasn't it? Your record with the Federation is quite impressive since. Obviously I've accessed it, as i do with every captain we employ.
- Agree. That's why those records are public. So, was that all?
- Yes. Thank you for your time, Mrs. Fazmarai.
- No, thank you for your trust, Mme. Aunchot.

Ish left the agent's office, still wondering why she had been called in person and started mvoing to her Captain's Quarters, ready to board her ship and go visit Colelie Dulere at Halle. Then, her personal pad buzzed a warning through her Slot 5 social implant, and she opened the pad.

"There is an acquaintance at this station, would you like to meet?" was the warning. Ish checked and agreed with a smile. As usual, the meeting would be at a docklands pub; most capsuleers never ventured farther than that into the massive stations. The pub was located at the main promenade and had been decorated with what was known as "Britstyle" for unknown reasons; those places used to have many brands of beer (check), boring looking folks (check), live music (check) and a small dancing floor (check). Ish saw her friend seated not far from the entry and walked to him, only to be intercepted suddenly...

- Heya gipsy! Why are you here?

A large balding man in work clothes blocked her way and hugged her, lifting Ishtanchuk from the ground and kissing both her cheeks as she giggled.

- Onzo! What are you doing here, you trolling bald?
- Meet you! Hey, have you weigthed up?
- No!
- But your boobies are larger, then?
- No!
- But you changed!
- No, I didn't changed! -objected Ish again, laughing-. Now, will you take me up there with Corlain, or will keep me hanging up here?
- My apologies! You're so light! So cute! So buxom!
- Don't think I didn't noticed where you were looking...

Ish and Onzo walked to where Corlain Stark, TEST ambassador of Pim Pam, was waiting.

- Hey Onzo, why don't you get lost? The girl had an appointment with me.
- And you didn't said to me that Ish was here? You're mean, dude.
- Weren't you going to get some drinks? Ask Ish what she wants and go fetch it.
- Yes, bwana!

As Onzo went to the bar, Corlain Stark stood up and greeted Ish. He kissed her cheeks and took the chance to grope her rear for a second. On certain occasion, she had rejected him in diplomatic but unappealable terms, yet he still found her appealing as more-than-friend, despite she was not his kind of woman.

- So, let's ask the inevitable: what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be somewhere in Curse? -said Ish.
- The ways of Pim Pam are mysterious. And I'm actually halfway, waiting for... something. Then got that warning and thought, why not meet Ishtanchuk? And, why are you here?
- Missions, as usual. I'm trying to diversify my L4 contacts from down to L2...

Then Onzo bringed the drinks and the three friends sat on the bench, Ish between both men, and the chat became sillier and funnier. The pub slowly crowded as a rush hour started and also shfited the mood of the music. Then Ishtanchuk noticed that the band was playing dancey music, and asked:

- Who of you will take me to the dance floor?
- You wanna dance? -asked Corlain Stark
- Yes, please.
- Well, yes, we can just... oh.
- Huh?
- Duty calling, something is... excuse me... -Corlain Stark opened his pad and began subvocalizing something. Then Ishtanchuk looked at Onzo.
- And you?
- Well, I don't know much of dancing... but I think i could follow that tune... -said Onzo, slightly embarrassed.
- It's just for fun. Come on, dance with me -said Ish, looking at him. Onzo looked back and Ish closed her eyelids, slowly, seductively, and he felt a crack in his troll armor. How he never noticed that her eyes were so endearing?
- OK gipsy, I'll try to dance, but only because it's you -whispered Onzo.

Embarrassed and afraid, Onzo danced along with Ish, holding her small, curvy frame in his large arms and letting her lead the dance. From the table, Corlain Stark cursed the untimely comm and waited, hoping that Onzo would tire quickly or maybe he would step on Ish's toes. But he didn't counted with Ish, who was a master in keeping distance and her toes away from harm, and after the third song, Corlain Stark ordered something more alcoholic and cursed every trolling bald in the universe...

Ishtanchuk Fazmarai was walking on the corridors leading to The Greater Fool Bar. Tired and beaten, she barely could feel the ground under her feet and stepped carefully. As she got close to the Bar, Yiole Gionglao and Random McNally aproached her, riding on roller skates. "Come with us, youwill havefun!" they said, but Ishtanchuk ignored them. As she entered the Bar, she could see the young Kaltanas, Maria and Monica, who eventually had learned Declothing I and were faning each other with large oriental fans, their blonde hair shining like gold on head and pubis. "Come with us, youwill havefun!", they said, but Ishtanchuk ignored them. She entered the bar, and saw Succus and Twinkle behind the counter. They were sorting glasses and building them into pyramids, for some unknown reason. "Come with us, youwill havefun!", they said, but Ishtanchuk ignored them and went to the stairway. Halfway to the appartments floor, she met Mizhir and Alice Saki, who were handstanding and going down the stairs in delicate balance. "Come with us, youwill havefun!" they said, but Ishtanchuk ignored them. Ishtanchuk Fazmarai started walking along the appartments corridor, and had to give way to the Bar's janitors, who were dragging a stuffed cow on a wheelcart. "Come with us, youwill havefun!" they said, but she ignored them. Ishtanchuk Fazmarai opened the door of her appartment, but it was not empty. She could see the back of her cousin Indahmawar, standing at the dinner room, her pink panties wrapped around her ankles and her hands on the hair of a man crouched before her. Indahmawar moaned in pleasure and turned to look at Ish over her shoulder. "Come with us, youwill havefun!" she said, and Ishtanchuk turned away, but the door was closed. She tried to open it and her clothes started decaying, tearing, falling to the ground in pieces, and she sensed how the man now was standing, walking toward her. The man was Albert Kuvai and swifly embraced her as she felt his hands on her, probing her between her legs. "Come with us, youwill come withus!", Albert said, as a thermonuclear warhead detonated at the loading bay and fiery plasma hit the Bar, disintegrating the walls. Ishtanchuk saw the walls of the appartment melt and fade as plasma ate them, and the whole Bar was filled with blinding light. Through it she sensed a burning heat in her crotch and plasma surrounded her skin and Albert's hands, leaping and arching like solar eruptions, and then the light shined unbearably and then it faded, and Ishtanchuk opened her eyes and saw the wall by the bunk on her CQ. She removed her naughty hand from under her panty and rolled on the bunk to stare at the souless room, almost dark as the main screen was shut down, and then she whispered:

- I hate this place. I must go out of here...

*******************************************************

- Are you sleeping well? -said Zoe Kaltana.
- Huh? -said Ish, distracted.
- Doh, aren't you sleepy?
- I fear so... this godforgotten place is taking a toll on me.
- Yes, it's pretty backwater here. I think we've never been to this system before.
- You weren't missing anything good, obviously.
- No... -Zoe Kaltana took another bite of her fish and slowly chewed and swallowed it.
- The food is awful, i know. And that stuffed cow hanged on the wall is giving me nightmares. Gallentean are crazy. Batshit crazy...
- The beer is good -said Chloe Kaltana, breaking her usual silence.
- Beer is the only good thing in all Jufvitte. Beer, and the gates leading elsewhere.
- How are your standings now? -asked Zoe Kaltana.
- Nice, with that last misison and your assistance, now I should be able to access Level 4 agents in some place more civilized.
- You have galls, anyway. Fighting those Battleships with an Arbitrator...
- A hippy-fit Arbitrator...
- Your words word, not mine... I wonder how you resisted without us.
- My drones paid a hefty price. But, anyway, I finished the assignment. 10 missions in a row, they can be proud of my service, albeit the kidnapped girl was dead after all.
- This is a grim place...
- Jufvitte?
- No, here, New Eden...
- Yes, actually is. At least we can oppose and set up some nicer places... with drinks... and edible food...
- And Roman baths...
- And frigidariums with horsesharks...

Zoe and Chloe laughed and Ish followed. The sign at the Kaltana Roman Baths had earned fame among the patrons, even ahead of the fact that the Kaltanas used the baths for their exercises. Ish felt a stroke of homesickness and wondered what would be going on at the bar as she performed her detachment missions, well away of her HQ, her fleet and her usual systems. Succus' reports that "miss Hayes is cleaning the room" were scary in their lack of details, and Zoe had quickly avoided the matter when they met...

"Oh, scratch that. Surely Laude wouldn't make anything crazy, and anyway there's enough people over there to stick up for sanity..." thought Ishtanchuk, thinking about the eerie metal bubbles scattered all over the place...

She missed home. Really missed it. As she talked to Zoe and they finished their awful lunch, Ishtanchuk started making plans to go back at the Bar and stay there for a while...

Buuuuuzzzzzzzzarrrrk CRACK!!!

The lights in the bar dim severely as an electronic crackle eminates throughout the room. Air handlers drop and then slowly grind their way back to life. Lights flicker and strobe back into intensity. Patrons around the bar that had dived for cover when the gun fight erupted begin to look around. A collective “what next?” could almost be heard.

The door to the wrestling room opens and Laudenum steps out carrying a crackling piece of electronics. Her clothing has been darkened by a coating of ionized soot and her long red cornrow tresses are standing on end, surrounding her head like a fearsome hood. Jacob’s ladder tendrils of electricity arc their way to the ends of the braids. “Holy crap…” she mutters, still not taking the danger of the erupting gun fight into account.

“Get down Ms. Hayes!” Twinkle shouts and vaults the bar as easily as if it were a short fence. He dashes to the electrically crackling ginger and at the moment he grabs her to pull her down, an electrical detonation flings him away as if he were no more than a doll. He rolls up against the bar unconscious.

“Are you serious?” Laudenum asks, looking at the four strange men attacking the Kaltana’s and the hormonally inflamed Ish. A broad smile splays over Laud’s face and she yells “FIGHT!!” With a sprint and a leap, Laudenum charges into the group of strange gunmen, swinging the crackling hunk of components around like club. The smack of the machinery is accented by a loud electronic ‘CRACK’ and the first gunman drops to the ground, spasming like he was shot with a tazer.

One of the gun men continue to cover the Kaltana’s but the other two turn to the electrically charged redhead charging into the fray. Goon number one swung the pistol like a hammer and Laudenum managed to counter it with a heft of the machinery. The resulting connection sent electrical sparks down the thug’s arm and dropped him to the floor twitching and writhing.

The other thug caught mid swing, and seeing what happened to his companion, attempted to pull away but managed a solid swing across Laudenum’s jaw. The redhead staggered back from the blow, a trickle of blood starting to ooze from the corner of her mouth, but the gunman suffered the same brutal electrical attack from Laud’s supercharged body. He too fell to the ground twitching.

The final gunman tore his eyes away from the mutually humping Chloe and Ish and focused on the psychotic Laud who was walking slowly towards him. He raised the gun menacingly but held off on his shot when Laudenum raised both hands in a gesture of surrender. “Look,” she said as bright electrical arcs cascaded through her hair, “I don’t know what your game is but you are now alone. I can promise you that if you put the gun down and explain what’s going on, you won’t be killed to awfully much.”

“Idiot witch,” the gunman replied with a menacing sneer, “you seem to forget that I have a gun!”

Laudenum dropped the crackling piece of electronics to the metal floor. A lightning storm of voltage released into a circle and the remaining gunman screamed as he violently spasmed into unconsciousness.

“You seem to have forgot to bring insulated shoes.” Laudenum replied, watching the clothing smoke on the disabled shooter. She turned to Saccus who was just coming around the bar to look after Twinkle.

“When Ish returns to her senses, let her know that the wrestling ring is ready to be refilled”

(meta: looks like we've had quite a bit of confussion to follow up Zoe's post... )