The city had seemed like it was still half-asleep, a behemoth that under the weight of its own vices spurned the morning, when they had first set out for the bank earlier in the day. There had seemed to be more gaudy holograms than people walking the streets. Now that hours had passed and dawn had broken over the bleak horizon beyond the domes it was no longer quite so deserted. As Rene exited the garage with their rental vehicle Solae had pressed her face against a tinted window, secure that no one could see past its reflective finished, and peered at the unusual populace. There were men and women conducting basic transactions in the street, merchants hawking their wares, performers with flyers and costumes to draw in the easy marks, and prostitutes with their Johns feeling no sense of shame as they took advantage of an alleyway off the main roads. On almost any other planet everyone scrambled to hide their weaknesses of character. On Zatis these sins were worn like badges of pride, embraced and indulged, and she felt that much more a foreigner for her convictions.

With the coordinates provided by the Falia ledger they drove to the far edge of one of the domes. It was part of an industrial district that produced goods illegal on most civilized worlds. The closer to they grew to the sophisticated technology that shielded them from the inhospitable exterior environment the more sparse the buildings became. They were forced to the ground and were less than ten meters from where translucent dome struck the ground. It was easy to see why no one wanted to use this space. Vertical space was at a minimum and until the terraforming was complete the landscape was not a view to be cherished. Solae had to admit inwardly she preferred the faux opulence of the casino or the vulgar displays for the brothels over looking at an expanse of toxic vapors.

"It's here," Solae confirmed as Rene parked the vehicle.

A simple building stood before them with a plaque that read "Zatis Waste Disposal System Access Point. Authorized Utilities Personnel Only." It was a good ruse if it was one. No one would want to investigate anywhere associated with refuse should they even wander to this place. Solae stepped in front of Rene to try the handle and test if it was locked. She felt the metal grow warm under her hand, as if it was conducting a scan, before there was an audible click. The door easily swung open.

Inside was a bare room less than fifteen feet wide or long and seven feet tall. There was nothing on the walls and the only pieces of furniture were two wooden chairs and a table between them pushed to a corner. In the center of the structure was a circular plate embedded in the earth. It was a composite she had never seen before, even in all her time on New Concordia and her visits to more luxurious planets, which made her consider it was either old technology or very specialized technology not often used. No inscriptions were on the polished grey surface. All she knew was that she was supposed to stand on the stone and wait for the automated sequence to verify her identity and whisk her away to her destination.

"I'm going to leave the ledger with you for sake-keeping," Solae told Rene as she handed it over. She had with her a small bag of data sticks, some notebooks and pens for any notations she wanted to take for herself, and a device for taking pictures and video if she so chose. It was hard to anticipate exactly what she would find and be adequately prepared.

"According to the construction notes the vault itself is somewhere past the dome underground. This is just the entrance. It'll put me under once it confirms I'm a Falia so I won't know how far it is, or which direction, or how fast I'm traveling. Altogether it should take me less than ten minutes to get in and there and less than that to get back. I'll be protected is what I'm trying to say," she stated with a meaningful look. "If you need to leave to a more secure location you don't have to wait here. Just promise me one thing- you'll be nice to Ten if you have to reach out to him. I know you don't care for him or trust him, but we don't have many friends as useful as he is to us and I'd rather stay in his good graces than having to remind him why he ought not to calculate the best way to betray us for his own benefit. I'm not saying he might not in the future, we just don't need to add any incentives to accelerate his schedule."

Solae took a deep breath and stood on the tips of her toes to give Rene a kiss on the lips. For a moment they forgot their responsibilities and obligations. They wrapped their arms around each other and embraced as if it might be their last. Their separation ought to last for only hours at most but neither one wanted to waste this chance to affirm their love if things went sour. The marquise pulled away reluctantly after a couple minutes and stepped onto the smooth rock. "I'll be right back," she promised. In the blink of an eye the grey stone had descended quickly, pulling the noblewoman with it into the depths of Zatis, and an identical covering slid into place. It was as if she had never been there. It had taken her a fraction of a second to disappear.

"Welcome Solae Falia," a voice intoned to Solae in the darkness. "We will begin the authentication process." There was a soft hiss as gas filled the chamber she had found herself in. Even if she had wanted to escape the capsule was not much larger than she was- her shoulders had less than a foot of clearance on either side. No matter how valiantly she tried she could not fight the anesthesia. As her eyelids dropped over her eyes and her body slumped against the glass a soft melody, perhaps meant to induce relaxation, played over an invisible speaker and she felt a tiny needle prick her arm.