Holding her boots pinched between thumb and forefingers, Tantrica tiptoed out of her bedroom, trying hard not to wake her lovely bed partners. The beautiful redhead and cute little blonde were snuggled together so cutely, it took all her willpower not to rejoin them. But she was already running late for a meeting with Commander Black.

In the living area, she grabbed a piece of cold pizza from the coffee table - it never had gotten put away last night - and devoured it as she quietly stepped into her boots. She stopped in front of the full length mirror by the door to make sure she was presentable, brushing her long green hair back over her shoulders and straightening her clothes. She loved the simple white outfit with its gold trim - it really seemed to bring out her eyes.

With a swish of the automatic door, Shaylene exited her quarters. She worried momentarily about not having left a note or anything for the others, but she figured they'd be all right. A raven-haired beauty she hadn't met yet passed her in the corridor, but she mustered her willpower not to stop and flirt, letting the other agent by with just a wink and a smile.

A quick stop at the armory saw Tantrica armed. She checked the charge of her electro-batons and the ammunition in her pistol. All was in order. She didn't know the nature of this assignment, but it was best to be prepared.

Despite starting late, the new agent entered the briefing room right on time, coming to attention before Commander Black.

"At ease, Tantrica," the Commander smiled at her. "How are you settling in?"

"Very well, ma'am, thank you." The older woman was certainly very attractive, if austere, with her chestnut hair done up in a tight bun, but even Tantrica knew better than to flirt with a superior officer. While they were on duty at least.

"Good. Are you ready for your first assignment?" The Commander asked somewhat rhetorically.

"Yes ma'am!"

"Too bad - you're going on leave." Commander Black handed her a large, bulky envelope.

"What!?" Shaylene automatically accepted the package despite being slightly stunned.

"The Director feels you should spend some time at home before you start your official duties," the officer said, smiling again.

"With all due respect, Commander, I-" the older woman silenced Shaylene's objection with a wave.

"And if you should come across some young women interested in joining the organization while you're there . . ."

Tantrica smiled, finally catching on. The ADD could have no official presence on Haven, but that didn't mean Shaylene couldn't talk to a few of her old friends about joining up. "Of course, I'd love to go home for a visit, ma'am, thank you."

"We've arranged for transport from a . . . freelancer," Commander Black said as Shaylene began rifling through the contents of the envelope. "And some currency to give her as payment."

Shaylene pulled a dossier from the file. It was little more than a picture and a name. "Sayuri Saito . . . she's quite pretty."

"Be on your best behavior, Tantrica," the older agent warned. "Miss Saito is new to the scene and little is known about her, but it is believed she was a student at the school until a few years ago."

Shaylene shivered. Shokushu! And she'd thought growing up on Haven had been tough . . . "Of course, ma'am. I'll be . . . delicate"

"I suppose that's the best I can expect from you." Commander Black smiled knowingly at Tantrica. "And you're officially on leave, so go have fun!"

"Yes, ma'am. Thank you ma'am." Tantrica saluted smartly.

"Dismissed." The ranking agent watched as Tantrica moved to the door. "And do be careful out there."

Shaylene turned, her hand on the doorknob and flashed the Commander a smile. "Of course."

****

A quick trip back to Shaylene's quarters found them empty. The girls had gone . . . and taken the rest of the pizza too! She sighed and quickly packed her things, though she remained in her customary white 'uniform' for the time being.

Shutting everything down and locking up, Shaylene jogged through the base, headed for the shuttle port. There was an extra bounce to her step; though this was actually a mission, it felt good to be going home - she hadn't seen her mother since she was abducted. The poor woman didn't even know if she was dead, or worse, living as a slave for some fiend's desires.

Hopping the first outbound shuttle, Tantrica found herself on Anarchy station a few hours later. "A more retched hive of scum and villainy . . . " Ben Kenobi might have remarked. Shaylene smiled to herself at the Star Wars reference - a movie she'd first seen just a few days ago. Ironically she felt not unlike young Luke as she waded into the throngs of sentients that frequented the lively trade station.

A beautiful young woman on her own in such a place might just be asking for trouble, but Tantrica wasn't too worried. Her ADD insignia might make her a target in some circles, but it also made her a threat that idle slavers tended to avoid, as long as she wasn't interfering in their affairs. Plus, she was fully charged, so had little to worry about from the riffraff in the open market. As long as she stayed out of any darker alleys, she should be ok.

Moving with purpose, Tantrica soon arrived at the Pilot's Berth, a bar serving itinerant freighter captains and those looking to hire them. She surveyed the chaotic scene, sorting through all the humanoids, quasi-humanoids and not-so-humanoids in search or the lovely pirate she had come to meet . . .

Sayuri had been wary from the moment the ADD offered her the job, mostly because the money was so good. Of course, the money was good, and she needed to get some scratch pulled together if she wanted to keep the Oar fueled up and flying. It had taken a few weeks of plumbing around the ship's databanks before Sayuri realized she'd been gifted a ship, a full tank of gas, and a completely empty wallet.

Anarchy base had jobs aplenty, though, if the radio chatter coming off the place was any indication. With no outstanding warrants, the newly-christened pirate figured she could do something a bit more on the up-and-up to get her feet under herself first. She could find something nice and cushy, maybe a little milk run or something of the sort, and use that to both buy her a few more months out on the lanes and get her the fuck away from the little blue dot that seemed to be begging to be smashed as it orbited the alien sun so like the one she'd grown up under.

But the space fuzz had sent her an offer first, just as she was docking and pulling up the local job board. And it paid better than it should for a taxi run. A lot better. So Sayuri took it. She shrugged the suddenness off as them wanting someone they knew wouldn't treat their passenger immodestly, and even a cursory glance out into the hanger showed non-officer human women were in somewhat short supply in these parts. Of course, that meant she now had a whole day to fuck around with before picking up her fare in some place not too far from the docks.

----

It had taken about 30 seconds in the dive bar for Sayuri to decide she hated it. Within the same number of minutes, with a drink that tasted like battery acid still at her side largely untouched, she was starting to seriously consider knifing someone just to watch them bleed out. She satisfied herself by thumbing over a blade protectively and hiding her face behind the hem of her cloak in a completely vain attempt to block out the smell of the place. It even worked for the alcohol and a terrifying miasma of bodily fluids, but it didn't keep out the terrible stinks each of the alien captains had lingering about themselves. She smelled old blood, something that reminded her of moldy bread, a faint whiff of wood burnt by rubbing against the edge of a circular saw, and the rank lingering stink of unwashed, old sex before she stopped being able to really parse them all out from one another. At least the little blue-skinned waitress that kept fending off wandering hands smelled like lemon. Sayuri kept waving coins at the poor thing to lure her back over and drive the stench away for another moment.

Then the green-haired agent appeared and started trying to find Sayuri. Startlingly, she wasn't having much luck looking for someone hiding in a far corner under a heavy layer of cloth. Sayuri stood and began slipping through the crowd, trying desperately to ignore the fresh odors assaulting her nose, though she turned sharply at one point when she thought she smelled rotting leather. It turned out to be a more neutral, powerful tea smell, in the end, attached to a weirdly-shaped humanoid that was arguing prices with what looked like a living gelatin. Sayuri turned back, dodged an enormous, furry creature that stank of shit and wet dog, and reached out to tap Tantrica on the shoulder.

"Let's get the fuck out of here. This place smells awful," served as Sayuri's introduction before she turned and pressed on to the door.

----

Sayuri didn't speak on the short walk back to her ship, instead clutching a knife tightly under the heavy fabric and darting her eyes at every inhuman sentient that passed like that was the one that would finally turn out to be an unabashed rapist. When the two women finally made it to the ship, Sayuri let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. As her passenger came aboard, she pushed the door closed and finally let some tension out of her shoulders.

"Sorry. I guess I'm still a little paranoid. Welcome to Musashi's Oar. It's pretty simple, that end's quarters," Sayuri said, pointing aft of where the two stood, "and that end's the bridge. There's cargo holds in the middle if you wanna go for a jog or something, though it won't be much of one." The knife slipped back into it's pocket, and Sayuri reached up to sling the heavy green cloak off her shoulders and over one arm with a soft clang of metal-on-metal. Underneath, she was wearing what at first glance looked like a seamless short-sleeved and -legged black jumpsuit, though a closer inspection showed a thin seam around the waist where the top half was tucked slightly into the bottom. "Give me a minute to bring her back online and we'll get our destination programmed in. I hope you brought coordinates or are ready to navigate while we go." Sayuri bit her tongue instead of charging ahead with questions about what sort of ridiculous clandestine bullshit this mission was going to turn out to be to justify the pay. "Go ahead and stow your stuff. I've left a couple lockers open for you to use. Oh, and there's one bed, so I figure we'll sleep in shifts. That all sound good?"

Tantrica jumped slightly at being tapped on the shoulder. She had been so busy looking for Sayuri, she had completely missed the stealthy woman's approach. She colored slightly at being caught off guard so easily - it just went to show how much of a rookie she was. Perhaps it was best her first assignment was little more than a disguised recruiting drive.

"Hi-" she began, but was cut off as older woman moved toward the door. She sure seemed to be in a hurry to leave. Shaylene sniffed tentatively as she began to follow. The place didn't have the most pleasant of scents, but she couldn't detect what Sayuri found so objectionable. Perhaps she just didn't like being around so many non-humans; that seemed perfectly understandable.

Tantrica took her cue from Sayuri, not trying to engage her again on the short walk to the docking area. Noticing the older woman's tension, she heightened her own guard, shifting her eyes from target to target, assessing threats as she had been taught in basic training. Nothing really stood out to her - but maybe she was missing something.

On board the ship, Shaylene was glad to see Sayuri relax a bit. She smiled and nodded attentively as her host explained the layout of the ship. Seemed simple enough. And a very cozy arrangement. She couldn't keep her eyes from wandering when Sayuri removed her cloak though, automatically checking out the other woman's fit, sleekly muscled form. She imagined Sayuri moving and stretching with cat-like grace. Sleep in shifts? Not if she could help it. Best behavior, Tantrica! She dropped her gaze suddenly, it was the first time she could remember being embarrassed about admiring another woman's body.

"Uh, yeah . . . That sounds fine," she said. "You mentioned some lockers I could use . . .?" Shaylene looked around as though trying to spot them herself, but really was just trying to avoid an uncharacteristically awkward moment. She felt sure Sayuri had practically heard what she had been thinking and for some reason she found her usual forwardness decidedly uncomfortable.

Sayuri turned her attention back to the agent in time to see her eyes drop away in embarrassment. The pirate blinked twice, wondering what that was about, then jabbed a thumb back aft.

"Lockers are in quarters. It'll be the small doors that are open next to the bed and across from the shower," Sayuri said matter-of-factly. Then her eyes fell the thin lines of paler skin on her arms. She screwed up her face for a moment as an idea of what had disconcerted Tantrica bubbled up into Sayuri's mind. Dropping her arm, she turned towards the prow on her heel and began striding quickly forward. "Come up to the cockpit when you're done. We've a schedule to keep." Sayuri escaped quickly through the door at the end of the metal hall.

Her cloak finally found its hook as Sayuri turned to the consoles before her. The pre-flight checks absorbed her mind for a few minutes, with only momentary interruptions to wonder about her passenger and that slight hint of hunger that had evaporated when her eyes had turned away from Sayuri's body. Then the difficulties of flying on someone else's pattern - intoned flatly through the comms and replied in that same clean, calm tone that pilots and traffic controllers had been using for generations - drove all thoughts of the taller woman from Sayuri's mind. When they were finally free of the pattern, Sayuri just sat and stared at the stars for a long moment without moving or speaking. Finally, thoughts of how to handle a passenger streamed across her consciousness and caught cleanly on the bit of prep work she'd done. The backup plan - holing herself up in the cockpit and sleeping where she sat - was seeming like it might be the best plan when something broke Sayuri's trance. She jumped slightly in her seat and turned back to look at Tantrica, a bit abashed now.

"So, where we headed?"

"Right, thanks," Shaylene forced some brightness into her voice as she aknowledged the directions. Already turning toward the quarters, she missed Sayuri's expression and her abrupt exit. She took her time stowing her one small bag. It contained most of what she owned, including an extra white 'uniform' like the one she was wearing and a formal one in black, her little green mini-dress and a variety of undergarments and other odds and ends. Of course there was also the custom purple tentacle-dildo she used for SEC training. She realized suddenly she hadn't trained that day . . . but just then wasn't the time. How would Sayuri respond to that?

As Tantrica's thoughts turned to the other woman, the disconcerted feeling threatened to come back, but she shook it off. It was silly. They were both grown women and it wasn't like she was going to fall on Sayuri like some ravenous beast. Still, something warned her to be careful and she resolved to take things slowly.

Feeling more like herself, Shaylene made her way forward to the bridge. Sayuri seemed absorbed in her own thoughts, so she just stood waiting for a few moments before clearing her throat quietly. The little jump the other woman gave made Tantrica smile slightly - it made her feel better about the similar episode in the bar, but also made Sayuri seem more . . . approachable.

"Have you ever heard of Haven?" Shaylene answered the other's question with a question. She doubted it, since the free colony tried to keep a low profile. Even the raiders that found it periodically never seemed to share the secret; probably trying to keep a valuable hunting ground to themselves. Of course, the trickle of escapees that turned up there regularly had to learn of it from somewhere, so why not Sayuri? "If not, it might be best if I programmed in the route, it can be quite complex."

Sayuri lifted a curious eyebrow and tapped the screens arrayed before her to bring up the navigation display and its input. The main viewport flickered and switched to star charts marking out the nearby sectors and a small prompt for input. With a grace more akin to the predatory than anything else about cats, the black-clad woman slid from her chair and circled to offer it to Tantrica.

"Have at it. I'm afraid I'm a little new to these parts," Sayuri said as she leaned onto the back of the chair. She felt odd letting someone else sit in her seat - like sharing a lover, almost - but the tension managed to keep itself hidden behind eyes that were skimming the course being laid. She managed to keep her curiosity in check for about 26 seconds before she spoke again. "So, what's Haven?" Her eyes danced from the screen and down to the top of the agent's head, trying to see piece together how much of a mess she was getting herself into from any shift in her passenger's posture.

Tantrica sat on the edge of the proffered seat, keeping her back straight as she concentrated on the complex series of coordinates. It had been a while, but the old equations came back to her readily. She was just about finished when Sayuri's question filtered through all the math in her head.

"Hm? Oh, Haven is . . . " Shaylene paused, suddenly wary. But it made no sense to hold back any information. After all, the woman was supposed to be taking her there and back. Plus, she was human.

"Haven is my homeworld. It's a sort of free colony; a 'haven' for escaped slaves . . . " Tantrica stood to face Sayuri when she had finished inputting the route. She wondered what the other woman would think upon hearing this. "I-I should ask you to keep the location a secret . . ." She felt a little embarrassed about not having thought of this before putting in the coordinates. Her eyes took on an almost pleading look as she studied Sayuri, hoping she could truly trust the pirate.

"Unless you meet someone who needs help getting there . . ."

Just about every sentence out of this agent's mouth was opening up questions in Sayuri's mind. Between each question, the growing realization that everything she'd fought for, everything she'd suffered on that hellish paradise in hope of gaining, had actually been carved out somewhere beyond. Her feet shifted back slightly at Tantrica's first request. Of course such a thing would be fragile. Liberation always was, in Sayuri's experience. The warring hope and confusion that flickered on her features disappeared under a wave of resolve, which in turn wiped itself clean into an irritated confusion. The questions swirling in the former-student's mind crystallized and her lips moved to form the one she'd been pondering since before she knew their destination.

"And why exactly is the ADD paying me to fly you there?" Sayuri asked, watching her passenger with trepidation.

Shaylene started to become worried. The complex series of emotions that showed on Sayuri's face was not particularly reassuring. And her question seemed almost like an accusation. Tantrica involuntarily took a step back, bumping into the console.

"W-well, officially I'm going home on leave . . . " Even as she said it, she realized that wouldn't satisfy the other woman. "B-but, while I'm there, I'm supposed to see if anyone's interested in joining the organization. The ADD isn't allowed to recognize Haven, officially, you see, so . . . "

Still a little off-balance, Shaylene wasn't sure exactly how to explain. She took a moment to steady herself, easing away from the console. She momentarily felt for the well of power within her, drawing strength from its presence and centering herself as she had been taught by her mentor.

Sayuri relaxed visibly at her passenger's answer. "Oh, right, of course they'd have stupid treaty rules keeping them from actually helping the people who need it," she grumbled half-idly as she took a step back to give Tantrica more space. "Well, finish the coordinates and punch them in. I've got a jump charged up already, and we should get this show on the road."

Sayuri's feet resettled as she prepared for the ship to tear a hole in reality, and her eyes intentionally unfocused. This next part was always a little uncomfortable as the ship lurched across an unfathomable distance in a heartbeat, leaving nothing changed but the stars visible through the view-screen.

"Well, she needs about 23 hours to charge back up. How do you want to spend them? The computer knows a few board games and is crammed full of books," the pirate offered helpfully. "Or you could tell me more about your home. It sounds like they could use a hand from someone with fewer rules to follow."

Tension flooded out of Tantrica when Sayuri relaxed. She was glad the woman seemed to understand, even mirroring her own frustration at the mysterious 'treaties' command was always citing. She understood they were for the greater good of Earth, but it was little consolation that they were protecting a planet she could never go to.

"Everything's ready to go, so . . ." She tapped in a final confirmation and braced herself for a feeling of acceleration that didn't come. There was just a sort of pseudo-motion as reality reshaped itself outside the little craft.

"Well, that was different," Shaylene said before she realized Sayuri was speaking as well. 23 hours before the next 'jump'? And probably 3 more jumps to go . . . Things could definitely get tedious if they didn't find something to occupy their time. Easy, Tantrica.

She avoided eye contact for a few moments until she reigned in her libido again. Sayuri sure had a way of pushing her buttons; a minute ago, she was half afraid she'd have a fight on her hands and now she was back to wanting to seduce the pirate. She laughed lightly at herself.

"You're right about Haven needing help. Though it's relatively safe most of the time, there's always the threat of raiders. They usually come once or twice a year, killing or more likely capturing a few of us while the rest escape to the caves . . . " She trailed off as she thought back to her time on the colony.

"That's what happened to me, I was helping my mentor with the colony's defense . . ." Tears welled up in Tantrica's eyes. She hadn't thought of the horror of that night for some time. She steadied and centered herself for a moment, then continued. "My mentor was killed, but the raiders captured me . . . I might have been able to fight if they had used me for their own pleasure, but they seemed to take a perverse delight in just making me cum again and again . . . "

She paused again to take a long, shuddering breath, cheeks flushing slightly (and not entirely of shame). She touched the power within her for reassurance, centering herself once again before continuing. "When I woke up, I was chained in with a bunch of other girls. The raiders had made a pickup at Shokushu after their attack at Haven. But they miscalculated, and were caught by an ADD blockade. I joined the organization and haven't been home since. That was almost eighteen months ago . . . "

Shaylene's eyes focused as she came back to the present. She hadn't really meant to tell that whole story just then, but once it started, it just flowed out of its own accord. It was kind of a cathartic release, but left her feeling vulnerable again. She shivered slightly as she awaited Sayuri's reaction.

Sayuri opened her mouth to question Tantrica with regards to the more common method of faster than light travel, then closed it again as she realized she had no actual use for that information. The agent seemed a little off-balance to the pirate, and the tale Tantrica told didn't alleviate that impression.

I suppose things are just as bad out here, Sayuri thought, at least for those on the fringes. At the sight of moisture welling into the corners of the other woman's eyes, Sayuri's hand reached out and settled softly on one unsteady shoulder. Concern started to drag at the pirate's features as she listened to the story, which in turn was wiped smoothly away with a comforting, soft smile once the agent finished. Sayuri had given up on ever preventing such pains from occurring, especially in such a vast and terrifying universe, but she was happy to have a chance to help soothe at least one over.

"Come on. Let's go make you some tea," the pirate said gently, guiding the taller woman with a soft push towards the quarters. Once there, wordlessly, Sayuri set about procuring a small packet of leaves, a spartan metal pot, and some hot water. Focusing on the task kept her own itching anger and desire to make the first slaver she could lay hands on beg for death at bay, though it blocked her ears to any protesting or alternatives the agent may have suggested. Finally, a pair of warm cups filled with pale green liquid clattered onto a table pulled down from the wall, and Sayuri pulled a chair up behind one.

"Alright, now, what can I do for you? And don't say just fly you home," Sayuri said, a mischievous glint in her eye. "I don't have as many rules to follow as you do."

Tantrica hadn't been aware of Sayuri's hand on her shoulder as she had been lost in the past. She barely knew what was happening as she was maneuvered into the quarters area. Blinking a few times, she watched with interest as the other woman busied herself with the process of making tea. It was an activity she had rarely glimpsed before; people of Haven seldom had such luxuries and tea came only as instant in the ADD commissary. Come to think of it, she'd never tried any tea herself.

Shaylene took the quiet time to collect herself some more. She centered herself with the feel of her power again. Warm and pleasant, the energy she had gained from pleasuring her new-found friends reassured her. And as long as she could gather and harness such power, her mentor would always be with her. That helped to banish the despair that threatened to weasel its way into her normally bright outlook.

Thus is was with a smile that the agent sat in the proffered seat and accepted the tea her hostess had made. She sipped it gladly, enjoying the warmth of it, even if she was unused to the strong herbal taste. Sayuri's question and the way she asked it tapped Tantrica's desire again, and this time, she didn't hold back as much.

"Oh, I can think of a few things . . . " The agent reached out slowly with her right hand to gently brush Sayuri's cheek with the backs of her fingers. "But maybe you'd like to tell me a little about yourself first?" Still, those fingers were slow to pull away from the other woman's face . .

Sayuri was soaking in the smell of the jasmine rolling off the tea when the fingers found her cheek and jarred her from her revery. Her eyes snapped up, wary for half a heartbeat, then relaxed at the lingering touch. She tried, briefly, to remember the last time she'd been touched like that, realized it had been on the island, and settled for another deep breath of the tea and a small sip.

"I'm sure you don't actually want much of the details on that," Sayuri said, a bit of frustration at her old failure's tugging at her forehead. "I spent, oh, five or six years down on the island, none of them particularly pleasant, then got gifted with freedom and the ship we're on now." Her eyes sought out the agent's curiously. "I'm sure you're aware of that wonderful little hunting preserve and its operation. I suppose I did try to break the rules a bit more than the other girls, and earned myself some mementos for the trouble, but I'm not sure what they expected. Cram enough cows into a pen and eventually a few of them will try'n stampede." Sayuri found she was clutching her cup uncomfortably tight and forced her fingers calm again. "At least they were kind enough to let us love each other. I think I'd have snapped a lot sooner if it wasn't for..." Sayuri's voice trailed off, and she shook her head.

That story's ended, she reminded herself. She took a deep breath and smiled grimly back at her guest.

"That's about it, unless there's something specific you were wondering about?"