Rene nodded politely to Ten, his emotions swaying between gratitude for the temporary safe haven and irritation at the interruption of a private and intimate moment. It reasonable, he had a duty to the Stellar Empire both as a marine and as the noble he was, in his soul if not in his current position, but time alone with Solae had been so rare and precious that he resented its loss none the less.

“Lets be about it,” he said shortly allowing Ten and Solae to precede him. Tactically the position allowed Ten to take the lead, but if he planned on killing them he would have done it by now. It also had the practical advantage of allowing him to continue to watch Solae in all her glory. It occurred to him that this was the first time he had truly seen her in her element, a noble woman of the Stellar Empire. He had been smitten with her even in the bloodied rags he had first met her in, but now she seemed to shine like the sun and it was difficult to keep his eyes off her.

The moved through the complex to the garage where an aircar waited, fans idling. It was a different vehicle from the previous day, a sleek black four place vehicle built in sleek sporting lines. The very thing one would expect a minor noblewoman to use. Ten was dressed in a variation of the suit Rene wore, though a little plainer and more practical, suggesting a chauffeur rather than a bodyguard the look completing the disguise. A cynical part of Rene’s mind wondered why the man was really coming along, did he not trust the operation to his underlings? Or was it, like his desire to be in the drivers seat, a marker of a man who refused to give up control.    

Doing his best to push such uncharitable thoughts towards their host aside, Rene opened the door to the rear passenger compartment and handed Solae in, then circled around the rear of the vehicle and climbed into the opposite door. The interior was modern and immaculate with holo projectors built into both rear seats in case the passengers wanted to work while in transit. In the console between the two seats, where ordinarily a bar or refreshment compartment might be situated, was a submachine gun in a butt stock clip. Rene mechanically retrieved the weapon and checked the load before replacing it in the clip. Noticing that both Solae and Ten were watching him he shrugged, the action so ingrained by training that he had only been partially aware of it. He thought about Solae and what she had gone through in the past few weeks, and how well she had handled it. Perhaps the glittering life of a noble wasn’t really her element, at least not solely her element. Both of them were more than they had once been.

The aircar lifted smoothly and rose out of the holographic camouflage with hardly a whisper of its powerful fans audible. Like most cities Zatis never truly slept, men and women stumbled from bars, forlorn looking prostitutes displayed their questionable wares, here and there a few aircars banked and curved, but as Ten had suggested it was probably the quietest time of day. They flew over the blazing neon signs and enormous holographic advertisements to a more sober looking distinct. Here, towards the center of the city, the apex of the dome allowed for more vertical construction, though it was still fairly squat compared to cities under the open sky. 

The bank was on the edge of the central cluster of buildings. It was opulent without being showy, mirrored black synthetic with a slight taper from its base to the sixth story peak. Predictably there was no sign or advertising, no one walked in off the street to do business in a place like this. Ten touched a control on the dashboard and took his hands of the controls.  The air car began to descend, its controls slaved to an automatic pilot program from the building, one that allowed the bank to guide its customers in.

“Remember,” Ten said, turning to look over his shoulder at Solae, “You are Lady Svetlana Carrow, its one of your family ciphers, it should allow you to get to the vault you need without flagging that you are here on Zatis to the Duke.” They both nodded, recalling the plans they had made the previous evening. Rene had in his pocket an id chip that identified him as Roland Diaz, an independent security consultant from New Concordia, Ten doubted that a bodyguard would attract enough attention for that to matter, but in the event Rene was familiar enough with the world to bluff. 

They sank to the level of the second floor and had almost reached the glass before the armored panel retracted to admit them, the car sliding smoothly into the building as the portal sealed behind them. The interior of the building seemed more like the entrance to a luxury hotel than a bank. The car set down on a polished plate of what appeared to be a gold veined white marble, but must have been some kind of armored composite judging by the way the weight of the vehicle failed to disfigure it. A large desk, flanked by stone columns dominated the east wall and blocked of access deeper into the building. A bank employee, a handsome man with sandy hair and an expensive suit stood behind the desk, flanked by a pair of men whose heavy musculature and loose cut suits marked them as security. Several slightly discolored panels concealed what might be sensors, but might just as easily be automated turrets or riot suppression equipment. On a planet renowned for mercenaries and criminals, deterring robbery was clearly a serious concern.   

“I will remain with the car,” Ten explained calmly, “Good luck Mistress Carrow.”