Stranded on the Slave-World! (Closed)

[Telvira]

Closed to me and Dominanthia. No others allowed unless cleared with both of us on the OOC thread.

Pad 32D, Trenta
Elysium
The world of Elysium was a bit of an anomaly. Populated by the asari race, it had achieved spaceflight and a high level of technological development when the first Telviran exploration ships arrived in their system, followed shortly after by a marauding warfleet of Korshii slavers. Unprepared, the asari world had been enslaved by the Korshii and their insectoid Killek masters for two years before the Fleet liberated them. Undaunted, the asari rose from the ruins and quickly rebuilt their society, becoming valued allies of the Telvirans in the centuries-long Time of War. Now, the world was officially under Protectorate World status, but the most independent of said Protectorates. Which made it an excellent place to do business that those involved would rather Telviran authorities not catch onto.

Alexis Katnip, captain of the starship Diamond Nights, was currently trying to decipher exactly what her new employer was up to. She'd received the message on a highly personal channel, so whoever it was had some considerable pull, and from the sound of things it wasn't illegal...but it was definitely an off-the-books operation. But whatever it was, it had paid immensely well--the up-front payment was enough to smooth over three months' worth of various expenses, and get her ship and crew back into top condition.

So Alexis stood there, reclining against one of the docking legs supporting her ship, waiting for her new client to arrive. Her bright red hair was a stark contrast to the smooth white of her suit, which rested snugly against her form. A utility belt around her waist held a number of items, including a laser pistol. No harm in being cautious.

Any moment now...

[Dominanthia]

At the hour signalled by the meeting, three figures emerged from the mist surrounding the docking area, and approached to the Diamond Nights. Once they where near enough, the leading one addressed to Alexis:

“Captain Alexis Taylor, I suppose. I´m Venus Evergreen, the person who wants to hire you. I suppose you already know me..”

Alexis did. Venus Evergreen was the CEO and owner of Evergreen Cosmetic Corp., one of the biggest manufacturers of beauty products of the Stellar Federation of Telvira, and her face appeared frequently in Telviran media. She was wearing an elegant and custom-made business suit, that seemed a bit out of place in the secluded docking area, and acted and spoke with the security of a person used to give orders. Venus offered her hand to greet Alexis before continuing speaking:

“And these are my two assistants for the… endeavour that we are about to begin: Elektra McKraken and Pandora Gates” said Venus, introducing the two women that were with her to Alexis. Elektra wore a coat of leather like material, and in the same way that Alexis, she had a belt holding a laser pistol. Pandora also wore a coat, but hers was of a glossy white material. Behind her glasses, she inspected Alexis and the Diamond Nights with vivid and intelligent eyes.

“Well, I suppose that you would like to know more details about the job I´m going to offer you. Don´t worry, everything will be done in due time. But first I would like that you show me the ship and the crew that I´m going to hire. Of course, your and your ships fame precedes you, and it´s because of that that I contacted you in the first time, but I would like to see all the details personally”

[Telvira]

Alexis noticed the three figures walking toward the ship, and noting the holster on one gave a small, barely noticeable hand signal. From their concealed position just behind the door, two of her crew tightened their grips on the laser rifles in their hands. If anything went south, they would come out shooting.

“Captain Alexis Taylor, I suppose. I´m Venus Evergreen, the person who wants to hire you. I suppose you already know me..”

Alexis recognized the woman immediately. Venus Evergreen, the famous cosmetic tycoon. Alexis had a few of her products in her personal quarters, and she suspected most of her crew did as well. It was hard not to use Evergreen, with its near-monopoly on the market. Her suit was appropriate considering the person, but definitely not what she expected for such a discrete rendezvous.

"It's Katnip," she said, wincing just a bit at her last name as she shook the woman's hand. "Alexis Katnip. You can call me Alex, if you want."

“And these are my two assistants for the… endeavour that we are about to begin: Elektra McKraken and Pandora Gates.”

"Nice to meet you," Alexis said with a nod of her head. Neither one seemed eager to shake hands and she didn't feel like being the one to initiate it. Their clothes were obviously high-quality, the plastic-like effect was something one couldn't get with bargain-bin stories or the big cheap chains. Not that it was unusual, when you were working for someone with Venus' money. She wondered if Pandora's glasses were for vision or they boasted the HUD that was common among scientists and other "brainy" types.

“Well, I suppose that you would like to know more details about the job I´m going to offer you. Don´t worry, everything will be done in due time. But first I would like that you show me the ship and the crew that I´m going to hire. Of course, your and your ships fame precedes you, and it´s because of that that I contacted you in the first time, but I would like to see all the details personally”

Alexis nodded. She was eager to see what this all about and if it took a tour of the ship to get that done then she'd play guide. "Right this way." A ramp lowered down, stairs emerging to provide a means into the ship, which stood on the ground supported by four landing struts, two fore and two aft. The crew members who'd waited had disappeared, to return the rifles and make the ship presentable.

"We're not the most advanced ship out there," Alexis admitted as they walked down the hall, "But we're fast and she's tough as nails. Got us out of a Valkhan Machine World in one piece, and then survived a replobot smashing up the engineering room." They passed several rooms, crews quarters she explained, and pointed out their accomodations. One was open, two women who appeared almost identical--redheads like Alexis, with emerald eyes and green jumpsuits to match.

"This is Isabelle and Jacqueline Trenya," Alexis introduced. "They're technically sisters, but not. Long story, there's some cloning and mind-copying involved. They're my troubleshooters."

"Literally," Isabelle added. "Something gives the cap'n trouble, we shoot it." Behind her, Jacqueline held up a laser pistol and powered it up with an audible whine for dramatic effect. Several more weapons could be seen on wall-racks.

"Engineering," Alexis continued as they entered a large room at the end of the ship. "Lots of technical jargon, you can listen to Jamie rattle on all day if you like. Speaking of..."

"Over here!" Jamie-Lynn Anderson, as she introduced herself, emerged from between a large pair of monolithic black slates that served as the ship's Logic Engine, pulling a loose strand of brown hair back into place. She wore a red suit and had glasses on, but they had no temples and had a slight shine to them, like they were screens--which they were. "Heard you hired us on for some big trip. Can't wait to see which parts of the Nights I'll have to repair this time." She rolled her brown eyes and, with a nod from Alexis, went back to what she was doing.

The last two members of the crew were on the bridge: raven-haired Viktorya Torshunov, the ship's scientist officer who also wore a red suit, who eyed Pandora like an animal eyes an intruder on its territory, and Alexis' executive officer/first mate, Brandi Williams, a blond-haired blue-eyed exemplar of the Telviran female spacefarer. Her suit was blue.

"So," Alexis said when she, Brandi, and their guests/new employers were gathered in the closest thing the Diamond Nights had to a briefing room (the mess hall), "That's the ship. Now what're you intended on using her for?"

[Dominanthia]

Venus, Elektra and Pandora followed Alexis in the tour through the ship. Venus followed Alexis explanations with attention, and towards the end of the tour a half smile of satisfaction could be seen on her face. Pandora didn´t miss a detail too. When Alexis introduced Isabelle and Jacqueline she spoke spoke about cloning and mind-coping, her eyes opened wide in curiosity, and looked to Venus like asking for permission to ask more questions, but refrained to say anything. In the bridge, she did a step behind under Viktorya´s iron glare, before being able to regain her composure. Elektra, for their part, seemed mostly indifferent during the whole tour.

“Very well Alex” said Venus after taking seat in the ship mess hall. “I think that your ship and your crew are exactly what we are looking for. Sturdy, discreet and able to take us in and out of places that should be avoided… well, now I suppose it´s my turn to reveal my little project to you. Pandora, explain to our hosts the purpose of our travel.”
To her employer command, Pandora opened the white briefcase she was carrying with her. She took out a cable, and connected it to the input jack of the TV in the mess hall. As she did so, she spoke with monochord tone of those that have a lesson well learned:

“Maybe you have heard about the Dominanthian Stellar Dominance: a isolationist civilization in the fringes of Telviran space. No contact is maintained with them , and the only way they relate with the rest of the universe are the occasional pirate raids that Telvira and other powers suffer from time to time. The target of those raids are not material wealth or technology, but females, females of all races. Apart of this appetite for females, little is known about the Dominanthian Stellar Dominance. The data at our disposal tell to us that fifty years ago, the space area where they are was occupied by the Helian Triumvirate, a federation of matriarchal governments based in the Helios system. Our records say that the Helian Triumvirate either collapsed or disappeared without trace in a short span of time, being replaced by the Stellar Dominance, and apparently the Helios system now is the home system of the Dominance.”

Saying that Pandora pushed some buttons inside her briefcase. The faint whirling sound of a microfilm tape could be heard, and a image could be seen in the TV: a barren satellite or planetoid without atmosphere. The image zoomed in, and a domed structure, surrounded by other smaller structures and what it seemed to be pits of mining operations.

“That image was taken by one of the robotic proves send by Evergreen Cosmetic Corp, in a small system in the fringe space between Telvira and Dominanthia.” Pushing another button, the image froze and zoomed a bit more, until the structure complex filled the whole TV screen. “The style of the structure suggest that it´s from dominanthian manufacture, and the lack of activity appreciated in the image, added the fact that our prove was able to return unharmed, seem to indicate that the facility is no longer in use.”

“Thanks for your introduction, Pandora” said Venus. Addressing to Alexis and Brandi, she continued “another thing that we now about the Helian Triumvirate is that they were able to manufacture some kind of… serum, that gave to its consumer perfect health and eternal youth and beauty. We have reasons to believe that Dominanthia, as the successor state of the Helians, have also access to that serum. I wish to own a sample of that serum, and is because of that that I need you. I need you to take us to that system, check if the facility you have seen is empty, and in case it is, get in and get me a sample of the serum. Do you think you will be able to do it, Captain Katnip?”

[Telvira]

“Maybe you have heard about the Dominanthian Stellar Dominance: a isolationist civilization in the fringes of Telviran space. No contact is maintained with them , and the only way they relate with the rest of the universe are the occasional pirate raids that Telvira and other powers suffer from time to time. The target of those raids are not material wealth or technology, but females, females of all races."

Alexis nodded. She'd heard of the Dominanthians before, though nothing beyond hearsay and some vague reports. She suspected they worked through intermediaries when they hit Telviran targets, as something like a raid that only netted women would be front-page news on the more scandal-based news outlets. But there were plenty of systems on the edge of Safe Space where such a raid would go totally unreported. She watched the images on the screen, noting the obvious disrepair of the facility. It certainly looked uninhabited...but as she'd learned, there were lots of ways to make something look like no one was home without actually leaving.

“another thing that we now about the Helian Triumvirate is that they were able to manufacture some kind of… serum, that gave to its consumer perfect health and eternal youth and beauty. We have reasons to believe that Dominanthia, as the successor state of the Helians, have also access to that serum. I wish to own a sample of that serum, and is because of that that I need you. I need you to take us to that system, check if the facility you have seen is empty, and in case it is, get in and get me a sample of the serum. Do you think you will be able to do it, Captain Katnip?”

"A formula for eternal youth?" Alexis said credulously. "I'm not sure I buy it." She considered the woman before her. Venus had money, way more than Alexis could ever dream of possessing. And she obviously wanted into this facility badly. The youth potion...that part didn't sound legitimate to her, but frankly it wasn't much to her what the tycoon actually wanted. And if it did turn out to be what she said...Alexis imagined she'd be paid rather well. And maybe she could get a little for herself...

"I think we can," she said confidently after a moment of silence. "If it really is empty, it should be as easy as finding a way in and then finding your serum. And if it's not...we can handle it. Although," she added, "I'll expect some additional up front, for the potential danger. Nothing too much, but it's business. Surely you understand?" She smiled.

[Dominanthia]

"A formula for eternal youth?" Alexis said credulously. "I'm not sure I buy it."

“I understand you incredulity, Captain Katnip” sais Venus “ but I can assure you that it exists. I´m not the kind of person who wastes time chasing legends.

"I'll expect some additional up front, for the potential danger. Nothing too much, but it's business. Surely you understand?"

Venus smiled at Alexis proposition. ”I suppose that when you are used to deal with the scum of the galaxy, such precautions are necessary. But I have tpo remember you that you are working for Evergreen Corp, with all the reliability that this represents. But as you give it so much importance, I´m going to add a bit more to the advance. Just enough to cover any possible damage that happens to your ship, so that you don´t hesitate in taking any necessary risk.” And then, she suggested a spacebuck figure big enough to cover that.

“Well, I suppose that we have a deal” said Venus getting up of her chair “I will do all the necessary arrangements and we can depart”

After that, she did a call using her wrist telephone. Sometime later, a hovervan approached the Diamont Nights. The robots driving it quickly loaded in the ship Venus´ extensive luggage, that even included a robobutler, and briefcase with the promised upfront.

The ship travel into hyperspace was uneventful. Venus claimed one of the crew cabins all for herself, rarely exiting from it. Elektra settled in the place assigned for her, and passed the travel searching for anyone interested in playing Ataraxian Poker. Pandora, for her part, seemed to be a quite sweet gal, except in anything technically or scientifically related, where she always tried to demonstrate that she was the best. For example, during a supper in the mess hall, she announced to the assembled crew that she had recalibrated all the sensors, because she had found that the previous calibration was imperfect.

[Telvira]

Alexis made sure the upfront payment was safely deposited, and then the adventure was on. Departure from Elysium was easy, and the initial activation of the EI drive went smoothly; somewhat of a miracle, as Telviran FTL drives had an annoying tendency to short out at very awkward times. But the flux moderator was holding, and hopefully would continue to do so for the duration of the trip. Having limited space, Pandora and Elektra were assigned to the remaining spare cabin, which could fit both of them without being too cramped. They wouldn't be able to practice square dancing or anything, but they had some privacy and enough space to move in and out without too much jostling.

Elektra would soon discover that Jamie-Lynn had a fondness for poker, and the Trenya twins were well-versed enough to get involved as well, though soon ceased to participate after Elektra and Jamie cleaned them out of about a third of their disposable money. The chief engineer was an able opponent, and always managed to win back whatever she lost eventually.

Pandora was easy enough to get along with for most of the crew. The twins were happy to share their backstory with her, one of the Diamond Night's more convoluted adventures. The original Trenya had been merely one person, but after a kidnapping by a scientist of the mad variety, some cloning and a misfiring mind-capturing ray, there had been two Trenyas with somehow differing personalities. They'd split the original name and thus the Trenya twins were born.

The only one who couldn't get along with Pandora was Viktorya. She acted like the woman was some burglar, and made every attempt to keep her as far away from the important bits of the ship as possible. So when the announcement was made that Pandora had recalibrated the sensors, the scientist officer went nuts. Barely restraining her fury, she rose from her seat and demanded to know how exactly Pandora knew what the correct calibration was for the sensors of "her" ship.

[Dominanthia]

Elektra and Jamie-Lynn took possession of Elektra and Pandora cabin for their unofficial gambling den. Sometimes, when the Alexis and Brandi weren´t around, Elektra even spiced the game with a bottle of whisky she had sneaked aboard. Not finding poker games of her liking, Pandora spend most of the time roaming through the ship, doing all possible to avoid Viktorya menacing presence. She heard with fascination the story of the Trenya twins, and confessed to them her own backstory, much less interesting: she was assistant professor in the University of Freedomopolis, were she got two PhD in Alien Civilizations and Hyperspace Physics. When Venus offered her joining the expedition, she accepted, not because of the money, but because it was her chance of “living a great adventure”, using Pandora´s words.
When Viktorya went nuts after Pandora´s announcement, Pandora frightened in the first seconds, but once recovered from the impression caused by Viktorya´s recriminations she rose also from her seat, adjusted her glasses, and, using the tone of voice used to give a lecture to bad pupils, she said “Well, I know it because I have read the most recent papers about hyperspatial supercords research, and I´m sure you would agree with me if you would have done the same.” With that, she exited the mess hall, trying to look as offended as possible.

Once finished it´s hyperspace travel, the Diamond Nights emerged to real space in its destination system. It was a uneventful system with an orange star: one inner planet without atmosphere, two gas giants, and a frozen exterior planet. According to the data of the Evergreen Corp prove, the Dominanthian facility was located in the satellite of the first gas giant.

[Telvira]

Jamie-Lynn took a liking to Elektra, who appealed to her coarser side. The two managed to get along fine, better when there was some whiskey in their systems. Everyone else thought Elektra was a bit too coarse, and steered clear. Steering clear was mostly the route everyone took to their passengers. They hadn't had a chance to really prove themselves and Pandora especially had not been engendering good feelings.

"If this keeps up I'm going to slap her silly," Viktorya confided to Alexis the night of the sensor dispute. "That girl does not know how to work with anyone but herself."

"Well it's not like they'll be here for long," Alexis replied. "It's just in and out, grab this serum and go. Then we can go blow the money somewhere where you're the only woman with a real IQ." Viktorya smiled, and the thought of the payment was enough to keep her civil with the obnoxious Pandora for the remainder of the trip to the system.

Upon arriving and making sure no one else was snooping around the system, Brandi piloted the Diamond Nights to where Venus told her the facility was located. The ship darted through space, settling in over the satellite. Scans could detect the facility, but Viktorya insisted on taking a more detailed scan of the satellite.

"I want to know what we're dealing with," she said. "We might need to break out the environmental suits, or at least the breathers."

The assembled women waited as the results from the scans started to come in...

[Dominanthia]

As the Diamond Nights neared the satellite, its telescopes offered a view of its final objective. The satellite was a barren rock, devoid of any kind of atmosphere, and the dominanthian facility was composed by a vast, black, central cupola, surrounded by three smaller structures and by abundant signs of mining activity. One of the buildings was what it seemed to be several barracks, grouped together. The second was a industrial facility of some kind, with a landing pad attached to it and surrounded with monticules of rocks. Finally, the third was a low building, with no apparent purpose.
The scan offered additional data about the place. The three smaller structures were build in metal, and apparently they were dead: no signal of energy or of life could be read from them. The cupola seemed to be build with some kind of polarized crystal panels in a metal superstructure. Minimal reading of energy could be read, aside with signals of vegetal life under it. Also, the scan identified the monticules surrounding the industrial facility as waste of atomium ore.

[Telvira]

"Put us down on the 'pad, Brandi," Alexis told her pilot. "Seems like a good place. Then come back to the mess, we'll sort out how we''re going to find this serum."

"On the pad, got it," her second-in-command said, gently nudging the controls. The Diamond Nights responded smoothly, gliding down to settle on the landing pad, struts extending from the underside to support the ship. With that done, Brandi engaged the various security measures, and then made her way back to the mess hall, where Alexis was already spelling out her plan.

"Isabelle, you take miss Gates and search the barracks," she said. "Jacequline, you take Viktorya and check out this industrial-looking place. Jamie, you and Brandi check out the third building." She made sure to separate the two scientists. She didn't want the rivalry between them to crack the satellite in half.

"I'll go with misses Evergreen and McKraken and search the main building," she finished. "Once you've completed your searches, regroup with us there. There's no air, so we're going to need exo-suits. Keep in contact via suit radios and report anything you think deserves mention. Take weapons."

The women divided into their groups. The Trenya sisters both elected to grab laser rifles, and a pair of multi-function grenades each, from the armory, and offered Elektra the same if she wanted them. Everyone else contented themselves with pistols, with whatever other gadgets they needed. The exo-suits were actually helmets, small things with large faceplates, which upon contact with the crews' suits extended a small layer of protective insulation around the entire body, maintaining the look and color but providing insurance against the lack of atmospphere.

Suitably equipped, the separate teams left the Nights and went to investigate their respective targets. First order of business: find a way in.

[Dominanthia]

Elektra took the multifunction grenades that the Trenyas offered her, but rejected the laser rifle. “I carry my own artillery” she said, showing two high-caliber laser pistols.
All the group put their exosuits. Pandora and Elektra adopted the color that should correspond to them by their function, red and green respectively, as Venus opted by a sober black exosuit. After exiting the ship, they divided according to Alexis´ plan and headed towards their respective locations, doing short jumps in the low gravity of the barren satellite.

Jaqueline and Viktorya arrived to the industrial facility near the landing pad. The first thing that catch their attention was a semispherical structure protruding for the ground, with two tesla coils emerging for it. It was clearly a generator, and judging by the power lines that departed from it towards the industrial facility and the rest of the structures of the complex, it´s task was to power them, even if now it seemed off.
The pair entered the cavernous building, illuminating its interior with their lanterns. Vyktoria identified the place as an Atomium refinery. Apparently the ore was mined all around the complex, and once refined, it was loaded in carriers using the conveyor belt that communicated the facility with the landing pad.
The whole place seemed in disuse, with dust accumulating everywhere, but apart of this it seemed in perfect working condition. Why it has been abandoned?

Jamie and Brandi neared the building that had no apparent purpose. From the exterior, it looked like a bunker. After going around it, they found a bulky door, with glyphs they couldn´t decipher engraved over it. Although it seemed sturdy, it was apparently not locked and they were able to open it. They entered the building, and the beams of their lanterns illuminated several lines of robots. They grasped in surprise, before realizing that all of them seemed deactivated. The place stored a couple of dozens of the robots, all of them standing inert. As in the Atomium refinery, dust everywhere seemed to indicate that the place was in disuse. Jamie also assessed that the robots present there were not enough to operate the whole complex when it was active, so the workforce should be something else…

Isabelle and Pandora neared the barracks. The buildings were surrounded by several posts, that with a closer inspection revealed to be laser fence generators, now deactivated by the lack of energy. A closed gate was also there, now useless because of the lack of the fence. Over the door, several glyphs were engraved. “Helian writing…” murmured Pandora, nearing to them to give them a closer inspection. “I think I can translate them: House of Artemis: defeated, subjugated, dominated, humiliated.” After this, they neared to one of the barracks. It was a simple, crude building, with attached machinery for vital support, now deactivated. The entrance featured a airlock, it a way that it could maintain the atmosphere of the barrack inside, but that presented both doors opened at this moment. The interior of the barrack was eerie: most of the barrack was occupied by cages of different sizes ranging from ones with enough size to fit several people, to others barely big enough to fit a squatted person. In the ground, apart of the ever present dust, several gray void suits laid abandoned in the ground. Apart of this and the jails, the only feature inside the barracks was several niches in the walls, each of the with an hominous helmet, with several electrodes attached tom it, hanging from it. When they exited the barrack, they noticed a series of cables that connected it with a structure in form of truncated cone that was in the middle of the barracks camp. Each of the barracks featured similar cables, all of them heading to the structure in the center.

Alexis, Venus and Elektra arrived to the central cupola, composed of black crystal. After some search, the found and airlock, this one if working condition, that used to access the interior of the cupola. What they see when they entered leaved them wide-eyed. The crystal of the cupola was polarized, in a way that it was transpired from the interior, and offered an extremely beatuful sight of the gas giant over them. Apparently the cupola contained breathable atmosphere and the interior was filled with a luxuriating tropical garden, with some buildings here and there. But the explorers had little time for enjoying the beauty of the place: a robot similar to the ones stored in the bunker, but this one very active, emerged from the foliage and headed towards the newcomers, its pincers opened in a menacing gesture!

[Telvira]

The refinery was uninteresting on the surface, and contained nothing remotely resembling a youth potion. But the coils presented an opportunity to ease their travels. "Alex, it's Viktorya," the science officer radioed over. "We've got a power source. Tesla, pretty standard stuff. You want it on?"

There was a moment of silence, before the reply crackled over the line. "Yeah," Alexis replied. "Turn it on." Viktorya confirmed and went with Jaqueline to investigate if they could restore power to the facility.

~

"Kinda primitive," Jamie said, walking over to one robot and flicking it's head. "These things can't be much more than single-function 'bots--worker drones."

Brandi nodded, her pistol out and aimed in the general direction of the automatons. The crew of the Diamond Nights had had bad run-ins with various flavors of artificial intelligence over the years and single-function or not she wasn't ready to just leave them be. "So they were just stored here?" She asked the engineer.

Jamie nodded. "Probably. They're powered down, hell they're probably out of juice entirely." Keeping a wary eye on the robots, the two began a closer search of the building to see if there was anything that might reveal the location of the remaining robots, or of the serum.

~

"I don't like the sound of that," Isabelle said as Pandora translated the writing. She flicked her rifle on with her thumb, and slid the stock into her shoulder. Barrel raised and ready to fire, she methodically cleared the room, noting with concern the various cages scattered around. When she'd made sure no living thing was inside, she waved Pandora in, who immediately rushed over to the helmets mounted on the wall and began to study them. Isabelle, meanwhile, went around and checked the other barracks.

~

"Viktorya thinks she can get the power back on," Alexis reported to her companions as they walked into the cupola. "Jamie and Brandi have found what looks like a robot holding pen, and Pandora and Isabelle say the barracks look more like prisons."

"Speaking of robots," Elektra said, pointing, "There's one now!" Alexis turned and saw the robot, and almost in unison with Elektra she drew her pistol. There was a moment of pause, and when the machine didn't react to the weapons, both women opened fire. Alexis' gun was of a lower power, and was drowned out by the high-power blasts of Elektra's dual hand-cannons.

"Brandi, Jamie, watch out!" Alexis shouted over the net as she fired the robot's emotionless face. "We've got live ones, they don't look friendly!" The two women moved to close ranks in front of Venus, to protect her from whatever this thing's intentions were.

[Dominanthia]

After a brief examination, Viktorya concluded that the generator could be turned on. She activated it, at the machine produced a humming noise that went increasing, till an electric arch appeared between the top of the two Tesla coils, and lights went on in the industrial facility and the rest of the buildings of the complex.

Jamie and Brandi conducted a detailed inspection of the building were the robots were stored. They found a repair facility, a computer with several output cables that could be used to program them, and a dozen of power niches that can be used to recharge their batteries. Despite that all the robots were inert, it´s batteries empty of energy, once Viktorya powered the building everything seemed in working condition and ready for being used.

In the barracks camp, Isabelle checked the rest of the barracks, which presented a similar aspect to the one they had previously inspected. The only building that broke the monotony was the truncated cone of the centre of the camp: with all the cables departing of the barracks concurring on it, the building gave to Isabelle the impression that it function was to accumulate, or to emit, some kind of energy, but the door that was visible on it indicted that it was not just a generator or a battery. Meanwhile, in the interior of the first barrack, Pandora was completely focused in examining the helmet of one the niches: in one hand she was familiar with the device, as it was similar to the ones she had used in the university to read cerebral waves. But in the other hand, this helmet featured several parts that Pandora had never seen: it looked like if, apart of being a sensor, it was designed to pick up, store and send some kind of energy.
In that moment, Viktorya powered the complex, and the lights in the barracks went on. A crackling sound followed, and both girls realized that with the activation of the generator the laser fence sorrounding the barracks camp had went alive, and now Isabelle and Pandora had been trapped in the interior!

In the interior of the dome, the advancing robot received the impact of the lasers. The machine fell to the ground, were it continued moving, trying to advance, till several laser shots more left it still.
Once they made sure that the robot was no longer a menace, Alexis, Pandora and Venus took a look around them: the space inside the cupola was in deep contrast with the grim industrial complex of the exterior. It looked like a tropical paradise, with it´s warm temperature, it´s tropical garden, and the several low buildings of the centre of the garden that had the aspect of a holiday resort…

[Telvira]

After a brief examination, Viktorya concluded that the generator could be turned on. She activated it, at the machine produced a humming noise that went increasing, till an electric arch appeared between the top of the two Tesla coils, and lights went on in the industrial facility and the rest of the buildings of the complex.

With the power running and their assigned building swept for the potion, Viktorya and Jacqueline started for the main dome, to link up with the captain and their employer. Their weapons were out and ready after the warning of possible hostile robots, but as no such enemies appeared they powered them and replaced them in their holsters.

"Alex, it's Viktorya," the scientist said as they hopped towards the dome. "We're on our way to your location..."

"Negative," Alexis responded over the radio. "Sounds like Isabelle and Pandora are having some trouble with their building. Go check on them and regroup after that."

"You got it, cap'n," Jacqueline said, already changing course for the barracks.

***

"Anything on the computer?" Brandi asked the Night's engineer as she rifled through the digital files, weapon still trained warily on the robots.

"Nope," Jami-Lynn answered. "Just a basic programming function...hey, you know what we could do?"

"What?" Brandi asked, hesitant to hear the engineer's idea. Jamie was a good tech and mechanic, but her "ideas" sometimes tended to run into the realm of wishful thinking, full-on fantasy and sometimes mind-bending insanity. And though they commonly failed, they worked just enough of the time to justify her constant scheming.

"We could program one of the robots..."

"No."

"But then it could lead us to the serum!"

"No." Brandi shook her head forcefully. "No, no, we are not turning on the robots. Come on, the serum isn't in here. Let's go regroup with the others."

"Fine." Jamie-Lynn said sulkily, hurriedly slapping the button to turn the computer off...or at least, that's what she thought she hit.

***

Isabelle refrained from entering the cone-like structure just yet, instead opting to return to the barracks to fetch Pandora. She found the scientist examining the helmet, intrigued.

“It’s some sort of transmitter device,” Pandora explained. “Are there more like them in the other buildings?” Isabelle nodded and mentioned the central structure. “Hmm. We’ll probably find an answer in there. Let’s go check it out.”

As she started to move, the fence came back on with an electric crackle. Both women drew their weapons, panicked.

“Miss Evergreen, something’s happened!” Pandora said over the radio. ‘We’re trapped in the barracks!”

“It’s probably from Viktorya turning on the power,” the tycoon answered in a soothing voice. “Captain Katnip, could you send someone to help them?”

There was a short hum of background chatter, and then Alexis came on the line. “They’ll be there in a moment.”

Pandora fumed. Trapped by that incompetent; it was infuriating! When the pair finally bounded to the fence, Pandora was none too pleased. In short, harsh commands, she told Jacqueline, Isabelle and Viktorya to fire at the fence posts, hopefully shorting them out. In the meantime, she was going to check the central structure.

***

Once they were sure the robot was no longer a threat, Alexis and the others took a moment to look at their surroundings. The tropical atmosphere was totally unexpected, and a rather drastic departure from the utilitarian exterior. Finally, Alexis told the other two women to spread out and see what they could find.

She went off in one direction, and Elektra and Venus moved in the opposite way, searching for a clue as to the whereabouts of the mysterious serum of eternal youth…

[Dominanthia]

Inside the barracks complex, Pandora fumed as she headed to the central building. At least I will have something to do until that incompetent had a section of the laser fence destroyed, she though to herself.
When she entered into the building, she gradually forgot her anger. What she found there intrigued there: the machinery remembered her of a facility to recharge energy cells. The walls were full of cavities, twenty centimetres long, each of the with an output jack. She searched everywhere, looking for a sample of the energy cells that were used here, but she found none… Pandora was perplexed: she knew that at the other side of the cables, there were the helmets she had found in the barracks, so clearly the purpose of this place was not to store energy, but cerebral waves. But how? And for what pourpose?

Meanwhile, outside the laser wall perimeter, the combined fire of Viktorya, Jacqueline and Isabelle finally destroyed one of the emitters, opening a hole in the fence.

Inside the cupola, Alexis, Venus and Elektra surveyed the terrain. The tropical garden was tended by small robogardeners, that unlike the first robot, showed no sign of any aggressive intentions. In fact, they seemed to completely ignore the newcomers, focused in their chores. Once they had secured the garden, they focused in exploring the buildings of the centre: the buildings were arranged around a big swimming pool, full of clear water. They were all build at ground level, without any superior floor, using a withe material and designed with soft, elegant curves, in contrast of the severe angles of the exterior buildings.

One of the building looked like some kind a spa: its interior was equipped by several big bathtubs and showers, automated massage and beauty machines and a small gym. Other was a automated kitchen, excellently equipped and with abundant reserves of fruits and vegetables, apparently recollected from the garden by the robots. The third was apparently a huge wardrobe, judging by the empty closets, drawers and shoe racks. It was devoid of any clothes, and featured a glass tube, big enough to accommodate a person, with some kind o hoses dangling inert in its interior. All of those three building had a computer system, turned of at that moment. The rest of the buildings were a small automated repair facility for the robogardeners, and several small buildings equipped as bedrooms….

[Telvira]

"Miss Evergreen," Pandora said, contacting her employer via the radio. "I've discovered some very strange machinery at the barracks...some sort of cerebral wave storage facility, but I have no idea what it's storing or how, or where the cells are. Perhaps you could shed more light on this." As she spoke, she was examining every inch of the structure, looking for clues as to what exactly its purpose was and how it accomplished it.

In the background, she heard the laser fence die with an electronic screech, the beams shimmering into nothingness and allowing the team to step into the barracks. After conferring with Alexis and Isabelle, the three women decided that Pandora was competent enough to handle herself, and started moving towards the main cupola. They met up with Brandi and Jamie on the way, and together they walked into the main building. Skirting around the unmoving body of the dead robot (Brandi shot Jamie a knowing look which the engineer deigned not to notice), they milled around in the courtyard area, keeping a watchful eye on the robogardners and waiting for their captain, their employer and Elektra to finish their search.

In said search, the women had found nothing. Venus searched the gym/spa area, Elektra looked through the kitchen and took the opportunity to snag an apple from a bowl of fruit on a counter, and Alexis looked through the wardrobe. Cautiously, she entered the tube, believing it to be some sort of shower. She felt around for some sort of control panel, trying to discover what it's function was.

[Dominanthia]

Meanwhile, in some other part of the satellite…

In a room with dim light, two figures were observing several monitors that showed our heroines as the explored through the abandoned complex in the search from the serum.
“I must admit that Venus has delivered” said the first voice “eight fine exemplars of Telviran females, ripe for capture.”
“Speaking of that, they had left the blonde scientist alone” said the second voice “we should proceed.”
“No, the rest of them are still armed and alert.” replied the first voice “We should wait until they believe that the robot was the only menace there. Let´s them feel confident and wait till they lower the guard… their capture will be way funnier.”

In the barracks, Pandora was oblivious to the departure of the other girls, focusing in searching the machinery. Definitely, this cerebral wave storage dispositives would be of no use in humans, but her hypothesis was that maybe there were other species whose cerebral emission were strong enough to be stored. But which species? And with which purpose? Those questions were without answer for the moment…
Inside the cupola, Venus encouraged Pandora to keep searching, but otherwise put little attention on what the scientist was saying. She had their own ways to have the serum, ways that she was keeping secret to the other members of the expedition… as she examined the spa, she was surprised of how well equipped it was: equal if not better to the one she had in her own mansion, she had every conceivable installation of wellness, body care, and beauty treatment, all of them automated and controlled by the computer installed in the building. Meanwhile, Alexis examined the tube of the wardrobe. She found a control panel, but it was located outside the tube. When she turned it on, she found that it was some kind of cloth designer program: the screen showed a mannequin, and all kind of menus let her design and personalize all its garments, from head to toes. She noticed that the hoses inside the tube had come to life, like some kind of robotic tentacles, and then it dawned to her that the function of the device was to dress the occupant of the tube with the clothes designed in the computer. Finally, Elektra was munching her apple as she turned on the computer of the kitchen. She found an huge list of possible meals and recipes, that could be prepared by the automated kitchen. As she was casually browsing through it, her eyes grew wide when she noticed an item of the list called “Eternal Youth Serum”. She clicked on it, and then the computer displayed the message: “Manufacturing time of the Eternal Youth Serum: 24 hours. Confirm? Y/N”

[Telvira]

"Everyone..." Elektra checked the readout again, making sure it was saying what she thought it was saying. Was it really that easy? "I've found something pretty important. In the kitchen." The other women quickly hurried to the kitchen, where Elektra showed them the option on the computer. Everyone's faces lit up with the joy of discovery.

"Hit yes!" Viktorya said excitedly. Venus nodded, and Elektra clicked the Y. "Twenty-four hours until it's ready," she said rather redundantly, as everyone had read the time to completion. "What do we do until then?" Alexis and Venus shared a glance.

"Keep searching around for a bit," Alexis said after a moment. "See if there's anything else worth looking over. We can retire to the ship, post a rotating guard on the console to watch it, and get some sleep." The cosmetics tycoon nodded in agreement, and the group split up again to continue exploring. Elektra stayed behind to watch the computer, still munching on her apple.

In the barracks, Pandora was notified of the plan. Shaking off her anger at not being there for the discovery, she turned her attention to the machinery around her. If it began to stir as the command went out, she could at least narrow down its purpose to having to do with the serum.

Brandi and Jamie-Lynn happened on the wardrobe as they made another sweep of the building. The engineer quickly deduced the operation of the tube and a delightfully evil idea blossomed in her mind.

"Hey Brandi," she said. "Step in that tube over there, I need to see something." The lieutenant looked at her credulously.

"See what, exactly?"

"Nothing bad," Jamie deadpanned. "I think this is some kinda 3-D simulator. I'm gonna fire it up and you tell me what happens." As she spoke, she quickly designed an appropriately naughty outfit for Brandi. The lieutenant didn't notice hoses come to life as she nervously stepped inside the tube. With a grin, Jamie-Lynn hit the button to start the sequence.

[Dominanthia]

“Captain Katnip” said Venus “I think it would be better if we wait for the serum to be ready here, and not in the ship.” Not only we will be closer to the manufacturing place, but also this place seems much more comfortable that the Diamond Nights. We have checked the whole place, and it seems safe. It seems that there are enough bedrooms for each o us, and I would prefer them that a cramped cabin.”

I the barracks complex, Pandora said no movement in the machinery. That was frustrating: she had the sensation that she could deduct the function of the machinery, but she was missing a fundamental detail…

In the wardrobe, Brandi entered the dressing tube: she squealed in surprise when the hoses came to live, cutting in pieces the clothes she was actually wearing with quick, precise movements. After that, they began the task of weaving a new outfit for her with the same quickness: the worked in a similar way to an spider weaving a new, spitting some kind of liquid that was shaped by the tiny tendrils in the tip of the hoses and solidified in a fraction of second, forming a light, comfortable fabric that had some degree of glossiness. Before Brandi was able to fully realize of what was going on, the machine had finished its work.

Jamie Lyn had designed naughty hybrid of a military and stewardess uniform for her first mate: respecting the blue of her original uniform, it was composed of boots with stiletto heels, a very thigh, very short miniskirt, and a also very thigh fitting jacket that showed a quite risqué neckline. Then ensemble was completed by a hat, displaying a tiny miniature of a rocket ship that was also present in the chest of the jacket, along with the insignia of first mate.

[Telvira]

Alexis nodded. "A bed would be a good way to spend the night. We can leave the security locks on the ship and bed down in here." With the watch order established over the computer to monitor the progress of the manufacturing, Alexis allowed the women to spread out and select which room they wanted to spend the night in.

Pandora was told to return to the main building, frustrated by her inability to determine the function of the machinery. But they'd found the serum, so it was a secondary concern. She made sure to find a room as far from Viktorya as possible.

Brandi wasn't even able to pound on the tube as the tubes destroyed her outfit, though her nakedness was only revealed for a moment. As soon as the old outfit had come off, the tubes had woven a new outfit onto her. The tube made a comical ding and slid open to reveal its work.

"JAMIE!" Brandi shrieked, looking over herself in horror. "What did you do?" Jamie-Lynn clutched her belly, laughing uproariously. The first mate was not amused. She stomped over, almost tripping on the unexpected stilettos, and glared daggers at the engineer.

"Come on, you look cute," Jaime said, lifting Brandi's miniskirt a little bit, only to have her hand smacked away. The engineer was incredibly pleased with herself; so much so, that she didn't even realize the now-uniformed was dragging her towards the tube. She kept laughing. "Ooh, what are you gonna do to me?"

"See how you like it," Brandi said, forcing Jamie-Lynn into the tube with a slap on the behind. Jamie made scared faces, feigning terror. Brandi huffed over to the console, and designed a much more revealing, and hopefully humiliating, outfit for Jamie. She watched with a satisfied grin as the machine went to work.

"What's going on here?" Brandi's eyes went wide and she slowly turned around to look into Alexis' not-too-pleased face. She started to stammer out an explanation, just as the tube went ding and out stepped Jamie-Lynn.

[Dominanthia]

The girls settled in the different rooms. Said rooms were spread in small buildings all around the main buildings and the swimming pool, each of them containing a single sleeping room with a king sized bed, a luxurious bathroom and all the equipment you could expect of a five stars hotel.
The second exploration that they had conducted previously hasn´t revealed anything menacing. The central swimming pool and each room had small computers that could be used to order food and drinks from the kitchen building. In the spa building there was some smaller swimming pools with different temperatures, a mud bath for skin care, several robotic massage machines and some VR capsules, ones equipped with a couch for relaxation and others with a running belt designed to do exercise. And finally, the tropical garden around the place feature several paths to walk around it, and was full of beautiful flowers and fruit trees.

In the wardrobe, the tube opened to reveal Jamie-Lynn and her new outfit. Brandi had designed for her a replica of a slave outfit that were used in the less civilized zones of the galaxy. It was red, imitating the color of her original uniform, with golden adornments of resin-like material. The ensemble was completed by a slave collar and high-heeled sandal shoes, laced to her calf.

Meanwhile, in other part of the satellite…

The two mysterious observers followed with great attention the events that were taking place in the wardrobe room.
“They are already two of them in morphing fabric clothes… this is going to be too easy.” Said the first one with sarcasm.
“But I think we must approve her choice of clothes.” said the second one, without taking his eyes from the screen.

[Telvira]

The women spread out through the facility, some taking advantage of the facilities offered while others simply relaxed in luxury. Pandora started to comb through the computer system in hopes finding more information about the facility, while the Trenya twins made sure their weapons were checked, and then had food sent to them and settled in. Viktorya wandered through the garden, examining the variety of fauna that was growing.

In the wardrobe, Alexis regarded her engineer and first mate, shaking her head in disappointment. "This is ridiculous." Brandi and Jamie-Lynn fumbled for an explanation, but she cut them off. "Just go back to the ship and get spare uniforms, and please try not to let Venus or the others see you."

The two women nodded, feeling incredibly embarrassed. They walked out of the room and started towards the exit. Alexis rolled her eyes as she watched them go. Jamie-Lynn was always pulling tricks. It wasn't bad when they were between missions, but during a mission was unacceptable.

Viktorya, however, saw them walking and quickly discovered what had happened. A nasty idea began to form in her head...this was how she could pay back Pandora for her attitude. She went in search of Pandora, hoping to lure her into the tube.

[Dominanthia]

In the room of the mysterious observers:

“Two of the telvirans are returning back to the ship!”
“I think that it has arrived the moment to act. If some of them are near their ship when we strike, their capture will be more difficult…”
“So let´s the game begin… get the janisaress ready. I will begin to activate the traps.”

Meanwhile, inside the dome:

Even if she was not hundred percent sure, Venus had some idea of what was about to happen. She was an experienced businesswoman, and she knew that her partners in her business were anything but trustworthy, so she was decided to have some leverage in the incoming negotiation. When the rest f the team spread through the place, she did the same. She did a short walk until the cupola perimeter. In one point, she opened her purse and fixed a small disc to the surface o the cupola. Activating it, she checked that the remote control hidden in one of her bracelets was working, done that, she returned to the buildings of the centre of the cupola, waiting for the happenings that were about to unfold…

At the same time, Viktorya headed to the wardrobe. She started working with the control panel: what she had in mind was complex, and it took some time. Once she was satisfied with the result, she searched for Pandora. He found her in one of the bedrooms, examining all the information contained in the computer network of the complex.

“Pandora! I´m glad I have found you!” said Viktorya, trying to sound as sincere as possible. “I need you help!”

The expression of bothering of Pandora when she saw Viktorýa quickly banished. “Exactly, what do you need?” she replied, still unsure of how to react.

“I have found some machinery in that building” said Viktorya pointing to the wardrobe. “I know how to connect it and it has showed some interesting properties, but to decipher how exactly it work…. is beyond me” she finished, feigning embarrassment. “I have though that maybe if you take a closer look to it as it works, you would be able to understand it.”

“Well, is difficult to tell without seeing the machine first” said Pandora adjusting her glasses. “I will give a look, but I cannot promise anything, particularly if you previous manipulation had altered the machine.”

With that, Pandora followed Viktorya to the wardrobe. She was glad that Viktorya had finally admitted Pandora´s intellectual superiority over her, and she was thinking that maybe she had misjudged her.

Arriving to the wardrobe, Viktorya, barely able to suppress a jiggle, pointed the dressing tube and said: “are those hoses inside the tube… they move from time to time, but I cannot decipher their function.” Engulfed by the curiosity, Pandora entered the tube, and in that moment Viktorya activated the machine. For the third time, it came the succession of a squeal of surprise, followed by quick movements of the tubes and the “ding” sound when the work was over, and the tube opened revealing Pandora wearing Viktorya´s custom design:

The outfit was loosely based, kinky version of the futuristic coat lab wore by the scientists of the space universities. Made of a white, glossy material, it was extremely tight fitting, hugging to every curve of Pandoras body. An oval hole was cut just over the chest, showing a generous portion of Pandora´s cleavage. The sleeves went around her lower chest and were fused in the back, imitating an straight jacket and preventing that Pandora could remove any part of the outfit. The skirt was long, arriving just over her ankles, and became increasingly narrow as it went down, in a way that Pandora only could do small steps. Only the superior part of the skirt was white, creating a short miniskirt that imitated a “scientist chick” costume look. The rest of it was transparent, giving a clear look of Pandora´s legs. Over her butt, the words “SMART” were written in big, black letters. The outfit was completed with a choker with a small plate, with the words “Owned by Viktorya Torshunov” written on it, and a piece o fabric that imitated a doctor´s mask and covered the lower pat of the face, from chin to over the nose. The part over the lips was adhesive, sealing them shut.

Pandora stood dazed, still assimilating what had just happened.


“Mmmph!” she protested through the gag, as she struggled trying to liberate her arms. When she looked to Viktorya, she realized that she had been framed by her. “MMMPH!” shouted angrily to her captor, she neared her with the tiny steps that the outfit allowed, shooting daggers through her eyes and barking obscenities that were muffled by the gag. When she arrived near Viktorya, she tried to kick her by sheer frustration. The skirt prevented her to do so, and the only thing she achieved was to lose the balance, and doing a comical turn around herself, she finished landing over her butt.

[Telvira]

Viktorya giggled in childish amusement as Pandora stepped out and hobbled her way over to the console. When the scientist tried to kick, she moved one step to the side and burst out laughing when she fell to the floor. She circled the scientist, examining her handiwork with a pleased eye.

"Well Pandora, not so smart now, are we?" She said, bending down to look the woman in the eye. "Maybe this will knock that ego of yours down a peg." She traced the letters on her butt, laughing again at her joke. "Get it, Pandora? 'Smart ass'? Hopefully that big brain of yours can understand that joke."

With a casual slap of Pandora's butt, she got up from her kneeling position and headed towards the door. "I'll leave you here for a bit to stew, and maybe I'll remember to come back and put you in something else."