When Haruna dreamt, it was of Hell.

Her faith had taught her that there were Hells without number; that there existed an infernal, hierarchical multi-verse and in it, an infinity of eternal suffering.

Paradoxically, that thought comforted her, for surely, in amongst them all, there was a Hell just for her. She imagined it as a vast plain of black basalt punctuated by distant spires of red quartzite. In her dreams, she would wander endlessly upon that plain of tortured stone, through drifting sands driven by mournful winds, under sterile, cloudless skies. It was not a Hell of pain and fire but one of inexpressible loneliness through which she would wander; lost and alone, forever.

She prayed for that Hell earnestly, every morning at dawn, before her statue of Arya Tara; the golden bodhisattva, the goddess of compassion and infinite mercy. It was the only mercy Haruna hoped for. She asked for little else.

Still kneeling before the shrine of Tara, she reached up and shut the doors, bowing as she did so. An instant later her phone rang. She saw that it was a secure encrypted line.

“Haruna Murakami.”

A voice at the other end informed her,

“ I.G.O.C.A. correspondence due to arrive at 10am.”

“I see, thank you.”

The caller was gone. She had five hours before the I.G.O.C.A. courier was due. She sat at her desk and took out a piece of thick water colour paper and an ink stone. She had fresh water already to hand and chose her favourite antique brush. The ink soon coalesced into the perfect consistency and colour; the colour of basalt. And so she composed a poem whose theme had come to her sometime between her dream of Hell and waking to the blue dawning light of Zeta Ophiuchi.

Tranquility ends

As the winds blow from the sea;

Age old afflictions

Wrack the cliff top pines and ruin

Their reckoning of the years.

*

Ursula Delmar opened her eyes and turned towards the window. She saw that the sun was already casting long bluish rays across the ebony floor. She threw back several stray locks of her long wavy blonde hair and continued to stare at the light.

She had been living in Ereshkigal for over a year now; having made the three hundred light-year trip from Earth deep in hyper-sleep. At the age of twenty-five, it had been her first interstellar journey. Although generations of engineers had made Ereshkigal's environment as Earth-like as possible she still found it difficult to get used to. The vast city orbited high above Melanchthon, the ninth planet of the star Zeta Ophiuchi. Melanchthon was a dark, jewel-like, gas giant. A 'dusky gem of a planet,' was the way her husband Kyle had described it, who now stirred in the bed beside her.

She slipped naked from between the sheets and looked down at him. She was tall and slim with glorious cascades of rich honey-blond hair reaching down to her lower back. Her luminous blue eyes traced the lines of her husband's back as he shifted slightly to bury his face deeper into his pillow. She smiled faintly and walked over to the window. She touched a control alongside it and the blinds shifted to reveal more of the view.

What she saw was a sublimely beautiful sight; the city, with it's elegant, clean lines, many lofty spires and fine towers against the backdrop of Melanchthon to the right and with the brilliant blue disk of 'Z Ophi', many times the size of Earth's sun, in the distance beyond. Ursula was lost in wonder until she heard Kyle call her name.

She turned rapidly, swinging her perfect, rose-bud crowned breasts. Running up and jumping on top of him, she plunged her fingers under the sheets, found his naked flesh and tickled him vigorously.

“Good morning honey. Happy Valentine's Day!”

*

Once Haruna was satisfied with her calligraphy, she stood up and looked at each of the characters she had drawn in turn. Beautiful. She had graduated from the I.G.O.C.A academy at the top of her class in poetry and calligraphy and had made many gifts of her work to friends and lovers over the years. She often wondered to what distant star systems some of them had travelled taking her creations with them.

A warm, gentle female voice; the voice of her phone, then informed her,

“It is now 9am Miss Murakami.”

“Thank you. Alert me again at 10am please.”

“Very well Miss Murakami.”

With one final long glance at the calligraphy she headed towards the bathroom. Shedding her black kimono and underwear along the way, she stood before the mirror and looked at her body. Long hours of yoga and training had paid handsome dividends; at twenty-eight, Haruna was athletic and powerful without having lost any of her grace and femininity. Her long, straight, black hair hung around small, pert breasts. A slender midriff, svelte hips and graceful legs completed a sublimely beautiful form.

At only 170 centimeters, she was a petite powerhouse. But pride in her body and in her obvious beauty never touched her heart. Her body was a tool, her beauty; an opalescent vapor like the mysterious swirling clouds that ringed the mighty planet of Melanchthon..

After showering, Haruna donned a light kimono of dark purple silk and proceeded to pack her case. Right on time, her phone announced,

“It is now exactly 10am Miss Murakami.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Seconds later she heard the door chime. Tapping a control on the door activated a window through which she saw a young woman carrying one of the slim black envelopes that contained official Guild correspondence. She spoke to the woman,

“Ok, swipe your card.”

The woman did so and a gap appeared at eye level. She handed the envelope to Haruna and departed. Haruna then settled down on her sofa to read. Essentially, she had to travel to an address in the city's swanky 71st district to meet a couple whose details were itemized minutely in the letter. After reading it a second time, she started planning her night's work.

*

Kyle and Ursula had spent the entire day naked in bed. Their servants had brought them numerous gourmet meals, champagne, and a succession of exotic cocktails. They had kissed and fondled, watched hours of holo-porn and traded romantic small-talk. Finally at 6pm he blindfolded her and hung a long string of antique pearls around her neck; a string so long that it touched the tiny strip of blonde hair at the apex of her pussy. She kissed him passionately and felt his cock begin to come to life as he cupped her smooth firm ass cheeks. He slid his cock into the gap between her legs but she pulled away.

“Ah no, not yet baby. I have a very special surprise for you. I've been planning it for months. A real treat for both of us. Save your...um... energy for that.”

He pinched a handful of her ass cheek and collapsed back onto the bed.

“Oh fuck baby, don't make me wait too long. I want to empty my balls deep inside you. Do you remember our first Valentine's Day, a year ago? Fuck, were you horny!”

“Oh yes! That's why I want to make this one even more special and more memorable.”

“You look after me so well sweetheart.”

She fell into his arms and soon their tongues entwined. They kissed until a chime sounded in the air above their bed.

“Ah, I think your surprise is here.”

Ursula rose and walked to the door. There was no need to see who it was for she had instructed the servants to send the visitor straight in. She opened the door and smiled. Kyle looked up from the huge bed and upon seeing their visitor his interest was aroused. She was beautiful, slender and petite, dressed in a one-piece black leather cat suit and she carried a slim black briefcase.

“Oh, who is this?”

“Darling, this is Haruna. Is that right? The agency didn't tell me how to pronounce your name.”

“Yes, that's right,” replied Haruna demurely.

“Darling, Haruna is a specialist...in the arts of love.”

“Ha! More like a trashy-assed slut.”

“No sir, I am a courtesan.”

“Mmmm,” replied Kyle and rapidly got out of bed. “What's in the case?”

Haruna set her briefcase down by the bed and opened it. Inside were a variety of deluxe sex toys, some wrapped in brocaded silk. Upon seeing them Kyle snorted and stepped behind her. He grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled her head back.

“I'm not interested in any of that shit but I am interested in getting acquainted with all your hot little fuck-holes.”

Haruna turned and met his crooked smile.

“But of course sir.”

Immediately he pushed her hair aside and found the heavy zipper at the back of her suit. He pulled the leather down and kneaded her shoulders with broad, powerful hands. A moment later, he was fondling her breasts, before swinging her around rapidly.

“Fuck baby! She's hot. Where did you find this one?”

“Oh, Haruna came highly recommended.”

“I bet she did. This sweet little body must've seen some action.”

“Oh, yessss,” Ursula hissed as she now took up position on her knees before her husband's cock.

Kyle was hardening rapidly as he continued to strip Haruna of her tight leathers. She did nothing to help him, only stepping aside to allow Ursula better access to his cock. Before long, it curved aesthetically in Ursula's hand as she fed the head and about one third of his shaft into her throat. He let go of Haruna and parted his legs.

“Get your ass back there bitch and rim me.”

“With pleasure sir.”

On the way, Haruna undid the suit's hidden catches until it hung from her hips in three parts. She spread Kyle's cheeks wide and without hesitation, licked and lapped at his ass-hole. She noticed him instantly relax the muscle and she responded by penetrating him deeply with the tip of her tongue. He was face-fucking Ursula by this time and Haruna could feel his fleshy, loose balls swinging back and forth only inches from her chin.

“Ahh, fuck yezzz. Oh baby, this is turning out to be a fucking great Valentine's day.”

Ursula slipped the cock from her mouth and replied, “You haven't seen anything yet darling.”

He face-fucked her again for several long minutes while Haruna stretched his ass open with four of her fingers. She chuckled faintly as she continued to lap and lick his ring, only being conscious of the expensive cologne he wore. Suddenly he stepped forward and turned around. Grabbing Haruna by the shoulders, he made her stand. He stepped up to the bed and picked up a bottle of bourbon.

“Here, take a swig of this and spit it out.”

“Thank you sir,” purred Haruna as she accepted the bottle.

“You rim well. My wife was right, you are a specialist.”

Haruna did not reply. She rinsed her mouth and spat a stream liquor discreetly to her right which, for some reason, made Kyle laugh. He looked at her intensely and she maintained eye contact with him until he said,

“Strip.”

She quickly obeyed, tossing the suit on top of her briefcase. As soon as she did so he grabbed her and threw her on her onto the bed. He spread her legs and rubbed her pussy several times before motioning to Ursula.

“Come here and lick her cunt.”

“Mmmm, anything you like baby.”

Ursula instantly buried her head in Haruna's pussy, spreading her labia wide and proceeding to lick every one of its delicious folds. Her mouth watered as she began to savour the salty sweetness and Haruna too was soon enjoying the sensation of this beautiful woman eating her pussy. She looked down at the glorious cascades of honey-blonde hair and began to thrust her hips harder and harder against Ursula's mouth. She fought the urge to moan as Ursula now invaded her slit; lapping up and down with long, powerful strokes.

“Ok, you two. Now it's time for some real meat!”

With that he pushed his wife aside and thrust his thick shaft deep into Haruna with one swift stroke. Haruna was surprised at how good his cock felt; filling her with just the right dimensions. She wasted no time bucking up against it and returning Kyle's every thrust. Harder and faster they fucked while Ursula lay beside them. She smiled and kissed Haruna tenderly on the lips while her husband tapped Haruna's pussy with increasing force.

Next, Ursula reached behind him and fondled his balls, making him groan and fuck Haruna even harder. With Kyle's balls slapping against her ass, Haruna flexed her pussy muscles with great delicacy and with such subtlety that Kyle hardly noticed her becoming tighter and tighter. Ursula now dug her nails slowly but firmly into his butt cheeks. He slammed into Haruna until the introduction of that piquant little touch of pain finally made him blow.

He howled and gasped as he unleashed a torrent of come deep into Haruna's pussy. She reciprocated by making her well trained muscles pulse and flex, milking his cock of every last drop.

Kyle groaned, pulled his drained cock out of Haruna and collapsed onto the bed. He rolled over and thrust his hands behind his head. Eyes closed and breathing heavily, he continued to enjoy the delightful tingling in his balls until he felt a slight pricking sensation at his throat. Next he felt one of the women mount him and sit on his abdominals; her pussy still thoroughly wet. His eyes flew open to see Haruna smiling down at him. In one hand she held a wakazashi; the Japanese short samurai sword. And in the other, a tanto; the Japanese assassin's dagger. With both pressing down on each side of his throat, Kyle looked up at her; his eyes wide with fear and anger.

“What the fuck is this and who, the fuck, are you!?”

Haruna looked down at him impassively.

“I am a member of the Interplanetary Guild of Courtesan-Assassins.”

“A...a...fucking Necrowhore!”

As he stared at her in utter disbelief, Haruna raised her voice so that hidden sensors in the ceiling would pick her up loud and clear.

“This is an officially sanctioned hit by order of the Planetary Government of Ereshkigal. Authorization Murakami H364.”

“What the fuck bitch!”

Put simply Mr Delmar, we don't want your crime syndicate in this star system.

“Ursula! Help me!”

Ursula appeared at Haruna's side shaking her golden head,

“My name isn't Ursula lover-boy, it's Lacey...Lacey Murakami. And it's been a fucking nightmare pretending to love you. Happy Valentine's Day Kyle.”

“Fuck you Necrowhores…!

After that, the only further sounds that Kyle Delmar; crime boss and multiple murderer, ever uttered were squeals, coughs and splutters.