The Voice of Motion

Lights flare, the deep thunder rolling behind curling up though my bones and making them ache. I chase the shadows in between, my companions moving in unconscious synchronisation as we pursue our target.

Which, incidentally, is to get drunk and have fun.

Lara showed up early Saturday evening, announced by a rhythmic rattle of her hands on the door to my office, dressed in ripped fishnets and a glossy skirt that fell just shy of pornographic.

'Come on, girl. We're goin' out.'

I made a palms-up gesture with both hands towards the computer, where I was processing through details for our latest recruits. The Sebiestor pilot snorted, stalked over on her impossibly high-heeled boots and grabbed my arm, playfully tugging me out of my chair.

'Do it tomorrow! We found this great club in Hek, come onnnnnnnnn...'

She gave a dramatic purple-lipstick pout, but I was already saving off my work. 'Alright! Alright! Am I flying?'

'As excitin' as it'd be to get shot at by the police, I'd rather arrive with my hair unruffled.' She ran a hand over her short, marigold-dyed locks. 'No, Beady's flying, he's a "good" boy.'

'Beady, huh?'

"Beady" was actually B.D: a small, wiry Intaki with long hair dyed a luxurious shade of plum and a penchant for loud music. He chatted cheerfully with us over the comms as he piloted the Thorax, leaving the the rest of us -- myself, Lara and a Brutor named Nik -- to get ready in the captain's room adjoining to the capsule chamber.

'Been a while since I went out like this,' I commented. I was leaning forward over the sink to apply dark cat's-eye makeup in front of the mirror.

Nik ducked in behind me to study the effect of the gel he was running through his bleached-blond Mohican; the cabin lights gleamed dully from the numerous piercings in his ears and face. 'I know. It's a shame to hide that hot, flashy ass in lowsec.' Apparently happy with his hair, he patted me affectionately before turning away. I had the satisfaction of scoring a smack on his own firm cheeks before he got out of range; we'd known each other for a while.

'What's this place called, anyway?'

'Bedlam,' Beady answered. 'I've not been, but one of me mates said it was a good time.'

'Awesome.' I perched a black fedora over my dreadlocks and studied the effect: classic cabaret-dark eyes, blood-red lips and nails, tailored black waistcoat and pants with a string of crimson crystals wrapped around my neck like a vampire smile. Nik blew me a kiss in the mirror and returned to tightening the straps on his leathers. I eyed him thoughtfully for a moment, then looked at Lara. 'You need a hand with that?'

'Darlin' please, I been doing my own corsets for years.' She gave the laces a final firm tug, turning her modest tracts of land into enviable assets, and somehow managed to tie everything securely without so much as glancing into the mirror.

It didn't take Beady long to get ready once we'd docked in Hek; of the four of us, he looked the most normal in a two-piece suit and a band t-shirt. We received some odd looks from passers-by, but the bouncers at the club searched us for concealed weaponry and let us in the door without so much as a surprised blink.

Inside, it was dark and smoky, lights carving arcs through the mist. Nik shouldered his way through the crowd towards the bar after asking what we wanted, leaving the rest of us to find a table. I scanned the crowd, searching for familiar faces and spotting a few. The crowd was primarily regulars, eyeing us strangers surreptitously; overwhelmingly Matari and Gallente, though there were a few rebellious young Amarrians and Caldari among the mix.

Socialisation, however, was something for the quieter lounge to the rear; in this room, the music was heavy and pounding, the best form of communication through gesture and movement rather than words.

We danced.

I wake up in a bed that feels too soft and uncommonly warm, rays of sunlight filtering through the curtains over the viewport and falling across my face. Glancing over my shoulder at the lithe figure sleeping beside me, I smile a little and slip out from under the sheets, finding my clothes from the night before among the pile. It always seems to be the Caldari boys, though this is the first time I've been picked up by an Achuran.

Quietly, I dress, clean up the mess we'd left the night before, make a large pot of coffee in his kitchen, and leave a note beside it thanking him for the fun after-party. I needn't have worried about whether Beady was still around to offer a ride home; as I open the door, I spot the Intaki slinking out of someone else's quarters further down the hallway. He catches my eye and grins sheepishly, then motions for me to accompany him towards the hangar.