The Palace of the Arts of Karma was one of the most beautiful and luxurious locations atop the Shining Districts. With the exterior resembling an old indian palace from Earth that got turned into dust after the Tyrum invasion, halls upon halls of it were filled with illicit xeno art. At least, illicit for the standards of the rest of the GTU. Here, they were merely exposition pieces brought by art and antiquities smugglers from all the corners of the galaxy, with many of them waiting to be bought by wealthy private collectors, archeologists, historians and museums of all corners of terran space.

But nonetheless, there were pieces the palace would never dare get rid of. Like that landscape painting representing the defense of Skira against the Vol, during the First Skirion Campaign. A sad moment, but one representing a war that meant much for the pride of the union. And a painting Kaur Sherazi really liked.

The green and black Saree she was wearing wrapped around her body, defining her well fitted form, and then hanged from her left arm, almost touching the marble floor. She let her wild twisted mane covering over her exposed right shoulder, and two beautiful artemisian green pearlplates hanging of her ears. She obviously had carefully studied her appearance for that night.

"It's that tailor-made? Because I doubt you would find anything of your size so pretty on a rental store."

She smiled after hearing Sara's voice nearing from behind. After taking a look back, she saw her beautiful red hair well tighten in a topknot, and wearing a knee cut black qipao with golden flowers motives growing around it.

"I was starting to think you weren't coming." the first waver said, turning around to look at the painting again.

"Everything went ok, if that is what you are asking. It's just that I adore arriving fashionably late at meetings. Or dates." she then offered her one of the two cups of champagne she came holding. "Chin chin, by the way."

"Chin chin for what?" Kaur accepted the champagne.

"For a well tight deal, I guess."

"You sure about that? It doesn't really worry me, but if someone is going to come down knocking at my door, I prefer to know in advance."

"Don't think so. The person I trusted to leave everything in charge of has nothing against us, and is very professional. Besides, I made sure to get rid of every relating evidence, like the security records of my club. And Vitus Slane."

"Tsk. What a shame. Didn't know him much, but I still feel kind of bad for him."

"Don't be. He made his own choices." Sara said hurling her glass. "Let's have fun now."

"You are beautiful, by the way." Kaur smiled, checking her from toes to head. "You already are, normally. But this evening, particularly so."

"Thanks. You too, by the way. With a build like yours, I didn't expected you could rock a dress like this. You can be surprisingly feminine."

"I'm a woman of fine tastes. Besides, in the parties of my rich clients, it was a matter of adapting or dieing."

"Is that how you got the tickets for this? From one of your clients?"

"Yes. He is a curator at the palace. He also recommended me the best restaurant on the area, and a nice hotel where to rent a room with views over the mountains."

"An hotel room?" Sara replied, faking innocence. "And why would we need that for?"

Kaur looked at her with a devious smile.

The electric crystals detinted themselves at the specified hour settled in the computer panel of the room. Outside, snowy shining peaks and glittering clouds, looked alive under the light of the newborn suns. Nights were short on Moksha. But Kaur and Sara didn't care much. They didn't had come here to sleep.

Inside the room, their dresses and other clothing were all over the place. Making a trail from the door to the bed. In it, only a thin sheet covered them, with everything else on the floor, or falling over the sides of the mattress. With Kaur hugging Sara from behind in spoon like form, as they both waked up.

"Hmm…. Good morning."

"Good morning." the first waver replied, tightening her embrace. "Did you sleep well?"

"After what we did last night, impossible not to."

"Glad to hear it."

After those sweet words, their lips locked once again in a light but affectionate kiss. Then, Sara pushed her aside as she got up.

"If you want a quick morning round, I'm up for it. But I need a shower first. Would be a shame not to use a deluxe shower now that I'm here."

Another thing Sara liked about her adoptive planet. The amount of stuff even the rich and powerful were inclined to overlook for the sake of pleasure and satisfaction.

"Ugh. What I'm going to do I in the meanwhile?"

"I don't know. Put the news or something."

As the door of the bathroom closed after the redhead, depriving Kaur of the beautiful view of her back, she did as she said, and put the TV on. But she couldn't care less about what the news were saying. Something about a mandatory emission of the government, and then the seemingly still image of a planet covering its sun, with a giant strange ship hovering it.

Whatever. She had other priorities in mind. So, without bothering on turning it off, she got to her feet, and went inside the bathroom, with the door closing again behind her.

"Hey! What do you think you are doing?"

"We have to save water, remember? This way, only one of us has to spent a part of her weekly amount. Besides, I can help you to get clean in the places you don't reach."

"Mother terra. Don't you give it a moment of rest? Even without those light scars between your legs, it is very obvious that you were born-aaah!... That you were born in the body of a man."

"Does that mean you want me to stop?"

"Hmm… Try that a more down, and a little slower, and we will see."

Troubled in their own happy moment, they would not get any news of what happened until the afternoon, when they finally left the room. What was happening at that exact moment, on the TV. If they had remained in bed a little longer, they would have been witnesses, like half of the galaxy and most of the union, of the historical moment humanity was finally avenged. Of the moment everything changed for the galaxy.

Of the moment Byrum died.