Chapter 2

March 17, 3049 to July 31, 3049

Both Vin and Aliya were left at the steps of the hiring hall in bemusement as they stared after their new boss. Vin turned first to Aliya with her hand out and a grin on her face. Aliya took it and couldn't help but return the smile.

"Well let's welcome ourselves to the Blazing Angels. I'm Vin..."

"Vin the Viscous." Aliya interrupted,"Your reputation proceeds you and I have also seen you around campus"

Vin let go of Aliya's hand and let out a hearty laugh that boomed half way across the square. More than a few turned their way to see what was going on, Aliya obsrved that Vin took no notice of their looks.

"Mine isn't the only reputation to proceed, Aliya Askani the Angel of the Skies." Aliya blushed at the nick name she had been given. "You have at least joined the right company."

Aliya grinned ruefully, "I have at that. Look I have to go to arrange space for my HAMr and finalise everything. Meet you at the ship?"

Vin waved her her off and turned to go back into the Mercenary Hall. Barring of course anything with privacy and contractual issues the Mercenary Hall had all sorts of information regarding planets and Verses. She didn't find much on the planet that they were going to, but that particular system was reputed to be rich in minerals locked under ice planets.

Coming from a jungle planet, ice was rare except during the rare eclipses. Well if she wanted to get away from home, it would definitely be one of the last places they would expect to find her. She also needed more appropriate clothing, which would be difficult considering she didn't have much money. She did have access to something which was worth a lot of money.

She found a few stores that had what she wanted and left to find a Medico shop. She bought a couple packets of headache tablets, Phara powder and a small vial with a stopper. After thanking the young man behind the counter and giving him a wink, she left to go a more appropriate place to complete her task.

Aliya immediately got her datapad and sent a message to the facility that was storing her HAMr to finalise her account and to get it transferred to ship that was to take them off planet. She was just about to get up and leave when a bird landed near her. It regarded her closely as if trying to figure out who she was. At first it appeared to be a plain bird with dowdy grey feathers, until it puffed up and started to sing.

Colours gradually bloomed and blossomed from the bird's chest radiating out. Emerald green, golden yellow, saphire blue and ruby red. Varying with each note that the bird sang. The music itself light and airy, poignantly reminding her of her home and the sweet caress of the breeze.

All too soon the bird stopped, it's voice fading, colours dying down back to the dull grey a fitting representation, perhaps an omen of what sort of life she was now going to lead. Away from her family and friends, searching for that which might be gone forever, a legend. She watched the bird fly away as she had done so many times when she was a child, wanting her dad to take her up in the sky.

Well, she thought, I will now have little time for that. Time to get to work.

She took a conveyance back to University dormatory to collect the rest of her gear. She just packed the bare essentials that she thought that she would need, the rest she would send back to her family. The dorm was busy with the new graduates packing and leaving most of them were already signed up before they graduated, such was the reputation of the Ekstasis University only the best.

More than a few of the graduates were running amok and quite a few doors were closed in last farewells. Aliya shook her head in bemusement. The Ekstases were an odd bunch. They were so secretive and yet they ran the best university in the Verses, endorsed polygamous relationships and were willing to well you know anywhere almost at anytime, but they punished lack of discipline severely.

I suppose though it is not as if they interfere with anyone who is unwilling. Not that they need, they seem to have an uncanny ability at seduction. At least they are not without their morals though.

She distinctly remembered a few times at the university where some new students were having affairs with some of the Ekstasis teacher and tried to blackmail them into passing. Until it was pointed out in their contract to attend the university that any fratinisation would be wholly consenual. They tried to counterclaim that they had been forced.

Their governments would not back them up, especially when it later revealed that they had lied. Afraid to damage their relations with the University and the Ekstasis in general the governments left the once promising students to their own punishment without help or interference. They were summarily expelled from the University and one of them who became pregnant had to give up the child and all rights to be raised with the father's family.

She had at least learnt that much from doing research, the subtle intricacies of relationships between and within the Ekstases were a mystery at best. One thing she did find was that make a friend of them and they will help you as best they can.

"Sure you don't want to farewell me?" A plain looking man with an emerald green triangle tattooed at the corner of eye like a tear, grinned cheekily at her, she felt the corners of her mouth tugging in response, but managed to suppress it. Damn Ekstases!

"I'm sorry, Nyalo" I just couldn't bring myself to get involved. It was all very well and good for most people especially when in university, but after? Well, that is a different story. Nyalo reached out and touched her face where she too had a tattoo, pretty much everyone who went to the Ekstasis University got one. It was pretty much a badge of honour and rank. She felt a tingle at his touch, steeled herself and stepped away.

"Ah well, your last chance for a real Ekstasis, Aliya. We are few and far between in the Verse." She just smiled and walked away. "You know you're an interesting lady Aliya. When I get out from service I just may hunt you down and show you what you have been missing."

Ah, I guess they don't mean any real harm. Still I do wonder how they can actually manage to run this University with so much prestige. Better get my mind on the job, my first real job.

She wasted no time in hailing another conveyance to take her to buy some clothes that she would need for an ice planet, considering she was going it alone in her mission her funds would be tight. Instead of going to one of the more expensive places she opted for a surplus store. She paid the driver when she arrived in the seconds shop part of the city centre and cast her gaze around all the surplus stores.

She wasn't quite sure which one to go to, then through a store window she saw a familiar tall figure emerging from the backroom of one of stores. Well, I guess if it has good enough equipment for Vin it should be good enough for her. She made her way over to the store and entered just as they finished the transaction.

The storekeeper looked quickly her way and nonchalantly placed something in his pocket. Humpf, I wonder? Aliya mused to herself, she looked to Vin who turned and just grinned at her.

"Hey! Here for supplies as well huh?"

"Uh, yeah." Vin appeared normal and put what looked like a credstick in her left breast pocket. "I saw you and I thought this would be a good place."

Vin raised an eyebrow at that comment.

"W-well, I remember around the campus that you took many majors, one of which was extreme enviro survival. So I kind of figured that you might be gearing up for our contract and..."

"Well you have come to the right place!" interrupted the storekeeper. "I can work you up the same package that I did for Vin for the same price. How is that? One thousand five hundred credits!"

Aliya winced a little at the price, it would put a large dent in her savings, but as she was employed now maybe it would be good to spend a little money on staying alive in sub-zero temperatures. Besides she had only read and studied about that sort of environment, coming from a fairly temperate world where it occasionally snowed didn't really count.

"Well look, how about I knock it down to, uh..." the keeper glanced quickly at Vin, whose head was tilted to the side and indulgent smile on her face, then back at Aliya. " ... thirteen hundred? How's about that?"

Aliya glanced at Vin. What that was about? She managed to bring up a tentative smile. "Uh, sure. It sounds fair enough."

"Excellent! I will get started on it now. ROMAN! Watch the store!" the man bellowed as he headed to the back and gestured Aliya to follow. Aliya paused unsure, not wanting to be alone with a strange man. She turned to her new comrade in arms.

"I ... um."

"Sure." Vin shooed her back and followed her. "A girl can't be too careful these days, even a HAMr pilot."

Aliya relaxed, "Thanks."

They moved into the back storeroom where the keepers already had a small pile of clothes. He was busy opening up shelves and boxes, collecting who knows what. "Just try on those will you for fit. I am generally good at guessing people's measurements, but I always like to make sure."

Vin perched herself on a crate and Aliya pick up the pile of clothes and looked for a changing stall. Not finding one she moved behind some crates to partially hide herself and started to try on the clothes that were selected. They fit surprisingly well. With each set she tried she walked out, stretched and did some squats to make sure that they were roomy enough for her to move.

"How are they?" She heard his voice muffled by the dropsheets and packed shelves. Vin appeared to to be asleep perched on a crate and leaning against something draped in canvas. The only indicator that she wasn't was the movement of a piece of straw that was in her mouth. She had a small smile on her face that didn't detract from her extensive facial tattooes.

"Oh, the fit nicely thanks."

"Good to see I haven't lost my touch."

"Romulus!" They heard from the shop front. "Delivery here for you!"

"Ah," Romulus the shopkeeper emerge seemingly from no where amongst the shelves. "That will be the rest of the gear for you Vin."

Vin just opened up one eye and smiled more. Romulus? Roman? Odd names. Thought Aliya.

Romulus came back carrying a box and Vin leapt off her crate. Her face eager like a kid with a present. The first thing to come out was a backpack, which Vin checked over thoroughly, she then began to stuff it with all sorts of things from the box and another pile of clothes which she had just notice beside the crate the she was sitting on previously. Romulus then started putting the items of clothing into a similar bag. She already had a bag with all of her stuff, but she supposed that having a spare on wouldn't hurt. Aliya moved back behind some crates to get back into her own clothing, she was about to remove the thermal undergarments, but then decided other. It will be useful on the journey there and it would save a lot of trouble later getting changed, if it really is as cold as I have read.

She was just about to emerged from behind the crates, when she noticed in a reflection Vin glancing at her. Seeing her back was turned she removed a small metal box from the crate. It was dull, with a strange symbol etched on the top. Vin checked it over and put it in her backpack, checking once again that Aliya was occupied. Aliya made movement as if she had just put her shirt and came out from behind the crates. That symbol seemed familiar, though she couldn't quite place it at the moment.

"Right! Everything here and pack for you Miss." Romulus patted the pack. "Now let's complete the transaction."

Aliya picked up the now heavy pack along with her own gear and followed Vin and Romulus out. In the shop front was another man, whom she could have only assume was Roman, who was helping another graduate get some gear. Oh great! she thought Nyalo, of all the luck. I can only hope that...

"Aliya! Fancy, fancy," Nyalo pleasure marking his words, his eyes easily appraising her form. He held up a finger to Roman silencing him as he swaggered over to her. "Still here, hm? Have you reconsidered my offer?"

Aliya shifted uncomfortably and glanced at Romulus, who was frowning a little glanced to the side of her and then hurried to tally up her purchases. Romulus nudged Roman who moved out from behind the counter. Nyalo seemed to ignored everything around him and stared she guessed what he thought was intently into her eyes. It just made her feel more creepy and she pointed took a step back.

"No, I haven't"

"Excuse me sir, if you please..."

"No I won't please, this is none of your business." Nyalo grabbed at Aliya. The sound of her palm hitting Nyalo in the face was like a whip cracking and everyone in the store was so still and tense. Her gaze flicked around as Nyalo touched his face where she had struck him. She noticed that Vin didn't have a smile on her face for once and a small frown furrowed between her brows. Nyalo lunged at her and she reflexively ducked and spun out of the way. She was about to grab for her gun, but then hesitated, she couldn't very well shoot him in a store. He looked excited and angry, not a good combination. Roman and Romulus moved on either side of her.

Nyalo laughed, "They can't protect you. Do you know what I am?"

"Desperate all day?" quipped Roman drawing a sword.

"I am an Ekstasis. I am law here and no matter what you say the guard will believe me!"

This statement made them all hesitate a little. They knew that Ekstases had their own way of dealing with each other and the contracts for the university extended out until they actually left the planet. Nyalo laughed again at their insecurity and drew out a gun. "That's right. No sexual contact between staff and students is deemed forced at all ... so why don't you two go about your business and let me take care of this one? Huh?"

Nyalo was so intent on Aliya and the shopkeepers that he failed to register Vin's prescence until she grabbed his gun hand in a firm grip. Fear flashed on his face briefly, then arrogance reasserted itself. He had to look up at Vin and tugged to get his hand free, annoyed that he couldn't, he slapped her as hard as he could. Aliya saw the look of pleasure on Nyalo's face as struck Vin. This quickly dissipated into uncertainty as the force of the slap didn't send Vin reeling back, but merely turned her head. Vin slowly turned her head back revealing a very angry hand print on her face and and amused smile?

"Have you quite finished?" Vin queried absently as she raised a brow.

Nyalo growled, balled his free hand into a fist and was suddenly on his knees on the floor in what looked like immense pain. His gun dropped from a hand that was now turning white. He was also cursing words that made Aliya blush. Vin crouched in to whisper something into Nyalo's ear, he swore at her and struggled. She used her finger to move his chin so that they were looking eye to eye a gesture gentle in stark contrast the obviously painful grip she had him in. She then said something to him in another language, which made him pale, then his skin turned translucent as they all heard a sickening wet cracking sound. Nyalo was limp on the floor unconscious.

"Well, are you ready?" Vin looked directly at Aliya. Ignoring Nyalo's comatose form.

"I, um, have to pay yet." She turned towards the counter as Romulus hurried and got out the reader so that she could transfer her money across. Roman moved to Nyalo, giving Vin a wide berth. Vin approached the counter, grabbed a piece of paper and started scrawling on it. "Is he going to be okay? I, I mean ... will there be any trouble."

"Hmm?" Vin looked entirely unconcerned. "Oh, him..." she looked at the crumpled heap that Roman was shaking," ... don't worry I just broke his wrist. He will be fine and there won't be any trouble. Trust me."

A receipt printed out for her purchases. "Trust you?" What in the stars kind of company have I gotten myself into?

"Here," Vin pushed the paper towards Romulus with a com number on it, something else written there that she couldn't read and a bloody thumbprint. "Call that number when we leave and give them this piece of paper. He will be taken care of appropriately. Ready now?"

They all nodded numbly, Vin picked up her gear and walked out. Aliya ran out after her with her purchases heading towards the spaceport to meet their ship. They walked in silence for a while. Aliya thinking, there were so many questions. She was about to ask, but then thought perhaps the middle of the spaceport was not a good place for this kind of discussion. Vin is an interesting person. Most unusual. I think that I have some research to do.

Vin dreaded that Aliya might ask her some questions about herself and was glad that she didn't. Those questions would be best left for when they had evacuated from the planet and were safely away on their journey.

Katrina knew that she would need to get some cold weather gear and went to an adventure shop in the Neral district, where they had the BEST. As she tried on some clothes made out of various hi-tech materials and of course fashionable colours, she did some research using her datapad. I'll be damned if I am going to have some stupid clerk know more about my company than I do. Now, contracts, blood, signing. Ah, binding. She entered those search parameters into the NetVerse. "Oh do you have this in Canary Yellow?" Her data pad beeped at her to say it had finished her search. She glance at the first few. UGH! the things people put on the NV. How COMMON!

"Will that be all ma'am?" enquiried the shop assistant a drab girl dressed in last seasons' clothes.

"Yes that will be all, ring it up and send it to the spaceport on this ship," Katrina transfered the money with a large tip and the ship details. "and make sure it gets there within the hour."

"Yes, ma'am," the girl bobbed.

Katrina then picked up her data pad and took a conveyance to the spaceport. On the way she read through her search... no, no, no, ah this must be it. blah blah blah, Shiv! She is actually an Ekstasis. Let's see. Ekstases, Ekstases. Found in only one system, Religion based on carnal pleasures, top university, create binding agreements traditionally by exchange of blood ... ugh, primative. Well, just as long as I can set her straight on not trying to turn my company into a brothel.

Now let's see if there is anything else ... hmmm ... tattooes ... signify graduates from Ekstasis University ... Oh great! Two of them. Well, they are supposed to be the best ... If they can keep their libidos undercontrol. It may work out. Seriously how disgusting! It is a good thing that I didn't recruit anymore.

She consulted her datapad, make a few entries and adjustments... Hmmm, my plan is forming perfectly. I would say that it's a great start, now to see how well this first mission pans out.

"We're here." said her driver. "25 credits."

"Oh, yes." She looked at the driver expectantly.

"Ah, miss. 25 cred."

Katrina frowned. "What is you PID? So, that I can transfer the money."

"Hard Credit, miss. I haven't got anything as fancy as that."

"Haven't got a ... such a primitive world." She muttered rummaging around in bags, sure that she had some hard credit somewhere. She was completely oblivious to the fact that the driver had heard what she had said and was looking daggers at her. Katrina managed to scrape up about 26 credits dumped it in the payment tray and got out. "Keep the change, you will need it to upgrade. Hard Currency seriously."

Right! Now to make sure that everything is in order!

Katrina strode into the space port and made her way to the Persephone. What an odd name for a ship I would personally name my ship something with more prescence, like the Titan or something similarly impressive.

The loading dock around the Persephone was abustle with last minute preparations and checking of the ship, HAMrs and supplies. She couldn't see a person in charge at the moment although she did see Vin. Vin was standing around a pile of bags watching the loading of a LAM. Katrina frowned, this just wouldn't do if her employer were to see one of her own not doing anything but standing there gawking. The loading of a LAM, however fine, is not something that she should be doing.

"Vin!"

Vin turned as Katrina strode over chin up in the air. She stopped a distance from Vin, not wanting to tilt her head too much to address. "Have they not given you anything to do yet?"

"We have just got here, Miss Walker."

We? Aliya was here early too? " And where is Miss Askani?"

Vin turned around and looked at the LAM which was now safely tucked into a bay, the pilot climbing out. "She is securing her LAM." Aliya removed her helmet and walked over to where Vin and Katrina both stood. Katrina saw her gaze flick between her and Vin trying to figure out if she missed anything important.

"Thanks for minding my gear." Her face was flushed a little and she gave Katrina a small smile. "Wysp arrived earlier than I thought."

Uh-huh Wysp another strange name. Interceptor would have been better. "Right have you both read the mission brief?" Both of them nodded which was good. "Excellent! Right, we have mission meeting soon to be full briefed by the gentleman in charge. Now I expect you both to be on your best behaviour whilst you are working for me, I can have both of you doing things like in the University and embarassing my company name."

They both looked at each other a confused look on their faces. "Look," Katrina lowered her voice. "I know that you are both Ekstases and that they are generally fairly liberal when it comes to moral matters ... What! is so funny" Katrina demanded as she felt her ears burning as Vin laughed heartily and Katrina had a very wide grin on her face.

"What made you think that we were Ekstases?" Aliya asked.

"Well the facial tattooes."

"Those don't mean that we are Ekstases, just that we graduated from the Ekstasis University having done a full course there." Aliya informed her.

"OH" Katrina mentally cringed, she had just skimmed the information about Ekstases and didn't really take the time to absorb it properly.

"Speak for yourself, Aliya." Vin had recovered and had an amused look on her face. Does she always look like that? Katrina wondered. "I am an Ekstasis. I can assure you though, that a lot of what you hear is an exaggeration. A mere wink from me would not cause any humanoid to crumble in fits of pleasure and as you can see, I am fully clothed."

"Just make sure that you act appropriately at all times..."

"Excuse me. " A man about in his mid forties, dressed in a dark green military style uniform, was suddenly standing behind Katrina. It was all she could do to affected an air of confidence, not having heard him approach. She hoped that he had not come in to early on in the conversation. The last thing she needed was a bunch of male mercenaries finding out that one of them was an Ekstasis, no matter how much Vin assured her that she could act accordingly. The man measured all of them in one practiced look. "Which of you is Katrina Walker?"

"That would be me." Katrina lifted her chin, well aware of short stature.

"Ah, yes. I am Bowman, in charge of logistics and supplies co-ordination. The briefing will be held in a half hour after we leave the space port, your quarters are in the lower deck section D." Vin and Aliya gathered up their things. "If you will follow me I will show you where they are."

Bowman set off, Katrina breezing after him with Vin and Aliya left to follow behind them. They exited the HAMr dock turned left and walked about 100 yarn (equivalent to metres). "Right here are your assigned quarters," Bowman indicated to a room with 4 bunks, two on each side table and chairs in the middle and 4 locker spaces in the wall facing the doorway, which didn't have a door. "The unisex is just down the hall a little further to your right. See you in the briefing, which is back the way we came, up the elevator to level 15."

Bowman set off and was gone before Katrina could recover. Live here in the same quarters as her employees! This was not how a leader, no Captain of the company is supposed to travel or live. Gods knows what they will get up to. Vin and Aliya had moved to one side and were checking out the beds. Well at least they have the sense to give me more room. Katrina went and dumped her suitcase on the lower bunk on her side and proceeded to unpack some of her things and toss them onto the upper bunk. "Right you heard Bowman, you are free until then. I have to finish some things up and collect a package before we leave." Katrina then left to await the delivery of her newly bought clothes, her items strewn all about one half of the room.

I guess Katrina wants that half of the room. Aliya mused. Far be it for me to deny her that. Besides the dorms in first year at EU were little better than barracks anyway. Vin she saw was sitting on the lower bunk and removing some things from her back pack. Aliya noted that the only other fixtures in the room was a small sink to the right of the door as you walked in with a polished metal mirror. The only things that Vin removed from her pack was what looked like a set of work out clothes, some toiletries, a wash cloth and a towel. The rest of the backpack, she just shoved into one of the closets.

"So you want the top bunk or bottom?" Vin asked. She didn't even look at the other half of the room, as if it didn't even exist.

"Oh, the top if you please. That is unless you would like it."

"No problem. A rack's a rack." Vin tossed the items into the shelves at the head of the lower bunk. "Right that's me unpacked. I'm going to check out the unisex and see if there is a workout room here. See you in the briefing?"

"Uh, yes. See you then." Aliya contemplated Vin and Katrina as she carefully unpacked enough gear for the journey, leaving the rest for when they actually reached their destination. Katrina definitely appeared to come from money, she had that attitude, like she expected people to obey without question. Vin, well, she would have to go through her datapad to revise all the studies that she had done on the Ekstases. That would explain the bloody thumbprints. Only given in serious matters where a person's testamony or word is binding. Although most scholars believe it to be evolved from their more early ancestors, where they would swear on their life and would kill themselves for false witness, Aliya was not so sure. I mean I know that they rarely use a bloody thumbprint unless they mean business and doubtless it has evolved from that ritual, but I can't help thinking that there might be something more. After all people do visit their homeworld, but rarely are they allowed out of the one section.

She finished unpacking and decided to sit down and read back through her notes.

Ekstases - Summary

Form: Bipedal-humanoid

Biology: Carbon based

Society: Appears to be Capitalistic and is unusual that it is neither matriarchial nor patriarchial.

Brief History: The Ekstases were first encountered by the Core a little under a hundred years ago. Despite the invitation to join with the Core the Ekstases have continually held themselves as a neutral sub-species of human. However, in spite of this relations with the Ekstases have introduced the Core to other sub-species of humans which have formed alliances with the Core.

Homeworld: On the Ekstases home world of Pryon visitors are restricted to one sector, this does not seem to deter visitors at all as they appear to have everything they need there. Their main money making export seems to be tourism with a definite lean towards the pleasurable side of things. To be put plainly, if you have the money they can get it for you. Brutal stadiums of death seem in stark contrast with the living architecture of this jungle world. One of the more sought after products that are exported are Eros pills. This is a legalised drug, produced by the religious orders which enhances pleasurable feelings. There have been attempts to synthesis this drugs and though many have come close, the Ekstases still hold the monopoly for pleasure pills.

Religion: Ekstasy a religion which condones polygamy and though the adherents marry, any male or female can marry any number of males or females. They do not appear to distinguish the difference between homo or hetero sexual unions, seemingly to be bisexual by default. There are varying degrees of union or marriage in the religion from the most casual of relationships to the extreme of one person forsaking all others but one, even if that one has multiple partners already, with many combinations in between. The core of the religion or focus is on a dual nature god. There is very little that has been recorded about the religion except for the basics, though there have been accounts of religious sexual orgies, these have not been fully substiantiated, but also never denied.