Archive-name: Fantasy/closrenc.txt
Archive-author: Brian Foster
Archive-title: Closer Encounters 


Based on "Alien" and "Aliens"


 Three dreamers, and one to whom dreaming was an abstract theory, rested in 
individual protective cocoons within the heavy military transport, Sulaco, 
hurtling through space on its return path to Earth. 
 An observer on the control deck would have seen only the brightest stars 
through the ghostly blue corona surrounding the ship, emitted as a byproduct 
of the Hyperdrive unit. Occasionally a star came close enough that 
appreciable movement in its position could be seen in a few minutes at the 
speed they were travelling. 
 This was a far cry from the way the very first interstellar settlers had 
departed Earth, in slow-moving spaceborne cities knowing they wouldn't live 
to see their chosen world. Their Children or even Grandchildren would finally 
arrive and start a life initially no better than that they had left. 
 The discovery of Hyperdrive techniques reduced the once interminable voyage 
to a few months, and Hypersleep reduced this further, to a few minutes of 
dreams. The floating cities were evacuated barely a decade after departure, 
and left to drift as they weren't economic to upgrade. 
 
 The technology surrounding the dreamers was the last thing on their minds. 
The thoughts of all three were very similar, even if their philosophies 
weren't. A mixture of relief at escape from raw horror, sadness, anger at the 
unnecessary deaths of friends, and apprehension for the future. 
 The last thing that went through Ripleys mind before enforced sleep overtook 
her was that a formal inquiry awaited them when they got back, her second, 
and this time the facts couldn't be papered over. Those smug Interstellar 
Company heads who had presided over her sham hearing couldn't cover this one 
so easily. They weren't talking about a few freighter jockeys with few or no 
family ties to Earth this time, it was all except two of an entire colony and 
a squad of troopers. All recorded in full color by the Sulacos automatic 
recorders, with three other undeniable witnesses to back her up in case the 
tapes were "erased". 
 Newts thoughts were of her lost family and friends. She hoped that Ripley 
and not her never-seen relatives on Earth could adopt her. Occasionally her 
peaceful expression in the Hypersleep chamber became tense at flashbacks of 
the losing battle by her Colony against the Aliens, followed by weeks of 
utmost silence to keep the nightmare away. She also had a measure of guilt to 
contend with... 
 Hicks, ever the soldier, was predictably thinking of his next posting. His 
Corporals badge would matter little to the battle-hardened hombres he would 
be slotted into. He would have to pierce their initial distrust of the 
newcomer in their midst with hard work and action to earn their respect, the 
way he had with Apone, Vasquez, Drake, Hudson "the loudmouth" and the others, 
now all dead. 
 Dead in action, as they'd all been prepared to go. But under the command of 
a freshman with a single combat mission under his belt, a Lieutenant at that, 
who froze at the crunch. Where the hell did an inexperienced Lieutenant come 
from in this Mercenary army? Something stank. He had the feeling they'd been 
fed to those goddamned... Things! For live specimens, as Burke had tried with 
Newt and Ripley? 
 Gormans proper course of action would have been to order the return of their 
ammunition and an immediate withdrawal the moment the first part of Ripleys 
hitherto unbelieved story was vindicated. Not that taking their ammo had been 
necessary in the first place. A "make safe all weapons, no firing unless 
attacked" order would have been adequate. Instead, he had chosen to insult 
their combat-proven ability. 
 Money over Men? Preserve the station at all costs? Perhaps his seeming 
ignorance was more like following company policy to the letter. 
 A soldier NEVER officially questions a superior's worthiness of his rank, 
but he wasn't going to rest on this one. He had a measure of rage to work out 
as soon as he was able. 
 
 For now, sluggish dreams, each moment dragging out for minutes of real time 
while the Ship monitored itself and its fragile occupants. 
 
 Several weeks after departing Acheron orbit, an undistinguished yellow star 
appeared directly ahead. This one didn't move aside when the ship approached, 
it stayed there, glowing brighter by the minute. Abruptly the blue hyperdrive 
corona switched off, leaving the ship almost stationary about 2 solar system 
radii away. 
 Immediately the main drive activated to continue the approach to Earth at a 
more manageable pace, while the Sulaco began transmitting its status and 
that of its occupants to the bored Gateway station traffic controllers and 
customs people. And several very expectant company officials... 
 
 Ripleys first action on waking was to check the ship status panel opposite. 
A prominent green light showed instead of the half-expected yellow security 
light. Good, no unexpected surprises to contend with this time. 
 They were home. She could pick up her promised Flight Officers certification 
and contract and be back plying the freightways. Or she could remain on 
Gateway with her new job and raise Newt as her own. Either way, she'd stay 
out of the Companys hair so long as they didn't tread on her toes. She'd 
seen enough Company property destroyed lately to satisfy her thirst for 
revenge, and the coming inquiry would throw a permanent little spanner in 
their works. 
 
 Ripley detached herself from the Hypersleep monitors and stepped out of the 
protective cocoon. Whether occupied or not, all had opened to release their 
waking occupants. She tried to ignore the line of empty sarcophogii that 
should have held Hick's vaporized soldiers as she helped Newt out. 
 "Wakey wakey, honey. We're home." 
 "Mommy?" 
 "Yes, Newt. Time to get up." 
 "At Earth?" 
 "Uh, huh." 
 "Whats Earth like? My parents told me they left because there were too many 
people and it smelled too bad." 
 "That used to be true, but it's been cleaned up in the last few years. A lot 
of people have left to colonies, like your parents did." 
 And that was the first good thing the company ever did, she mused. They made 
their money though. The healthiest people were targeted by advertising 
encouraging them to move to the colonies. A sizable portion of the 
population voluntarily did so to escape the mess, and unwittingly help expand 
the Companys empire. In return they strip-mined large parts of the planet to 
extract every rock of viable mineral they could find, planted trees over the 
holes and pretended they were Earths saviours. What a joke. The Gaia 
theorists reckoned Earths environment had been about to select against 
mankind, when the Company scientists saw it coming and acted to save their 
own skins. 
 
 "Do you have a family, down there?" 
 "A long time ago, yes. I had a daughter about your age." Ripley looked sad 
at the memory. She left her 11 year old daughter, Amy, promising to return 
for her 12th Birthday. Instead, she died of old age two years before Ripley 
was picked up by a range spanner at the edge of explored space. 
 "Did you lose your family, the way I did?" 
 "I suppose you could say I did. I'll tell you about it another time." When 
the wounds were better healed, she thought. 
 
 Newt still looked like she was carrying half of Archerons dirt on her 
clothing and body. Brown hair, brown eyes on a fragile looking 11 year old 
frame looked back at her from the capsule. Hidden within was enough strength 
to survive much worse than she had. Kids have an amazing ability to recover 
and deal with bad memories, given time and patience. Hopefully she wouldn't 
be plagued by the nightmare, as she had. 
 Bishop had shut down all nonessential systems to prevent his remaining vital 
fluids escaping from the massive wound he'd sustained. She'd let the tech 
boys take care of him, there was nothing she could do. 
 Ripley paused to admire Hicks. Sleep smoothed the hardened features and 
robbed him of his tough Marine outlook, turning him into the handsome young 
man he was. For a moment he reminded her of another young man in another 
time, before she shook off the memory. Did he have a lady awaiting his return 
somewhere? If there was, she was a very very lucky Woman, she thought. 
 
 Ripley and Newt showered together before Ripley scrounged some food for the 
two of them from the automatic dispensers. Yuk - military food - she felt 
that every joke she'd ever heard about it was true. Maybe even the rumours 
about bromides. Newt didn't grizzle, she'd survived on little more than raw 
vitamins during her nightmare sojourn in the bowels of the Colony. 
 
 The two of them strode to the Control deck to watch the final approach to 
Earth and the docking procedures. Newt was spellbound by her first sight of 
Earth looming up ahead. The blue-brown globe was about a quarter full as the 
Sulaco approached under its own power and guidance. 
 Even with 60 years evolution in Starship controls, Ripley had recognized 
enough to set the Sulaco on her return journey and bring her in on automatic. 
All she had to do was allow the station computer to guide her in. 
 On Gateway station, one of the two traffic controllers had just come on duty 
when the Sulaco appeared on monitor. Their job was largely Automatic, 
checking remote sensor reports of activity around the system and alerting 
Customs to irregularities. They considered themselves almost outdated, and 
might have been insulted if they had known how true this was. As it was, they 
sometimes barely managed to come up with enough paperwork and reports to 
convince management of the need for their job. The argument that Human backup 
was needed won the day whenever the job came up for review, but that wasn't 
likely to last forever. 
 Shortly the Sulaco's automatic report arrived. Alice checked it against the 
expected one, and gave a low whistle of disbelief. Eleven missing crew - wow! 
There'd be some good gossip today. The normal procedure was to return 
military dead to Earth for burial in hibernation to prevent further decay. 
That way inquisitive station controllers couldn't tell the status of the 
crew. Colonial army death rates were classified documents. 
 
 She had just reported the discrepancy when the two men walked uninvited into 
the cubicle behind her. 
 "How long until the Sulaco arrives?", an Authoritive voice asked. 
 She turned to inspect the newcomers. Two men in neatly pressed suits 
disdainfully regarded her, a little like how scientist examines an insect, 
she felt. 
 "Thirty minutes.... Do you have permission to be here? This is a restricted 
area." 
 "We're with Company administration. Is that enough for you?" 
 The second newcomer strode over to inspect the Electronic report. 
 "Eleven missing, nothing on the condition of the rest." 
 The first intruder thought that over, then came to a decision. 
 "Bring that ship to a halt 10 kilometers away. Do not, I repeat, do not, 
allow a boarding party to enter it, and open a communication line." 
 "This is highly irregular, can I ask why?", she replied. 
 "Official company business. If it concerns you, you'll find out about it. 
Now... would you two Ladies step outside for a minute, please?" 
 "Sir, It's a major breach of regs to leave ship control unattend...." 
 "I said 'please'. May I remind you that the Company is paying your wages? 
Kindly leave the room." 
 They recognized a direct order when they heard one. The door closed behind 
them, making a soundproof seal. 
 "That guy has a very big carrot up his arse" Josie said to Alice. Alice 
quietly agreed, and joined her friend in regarding the corridor. 
 
 Newt, always the quick one, noticed the pulsing Red "APPROACH HELD" light 
appear before Ripley did. 
 "Ripley, what does this mean?", she asked. 
 "Someones held us up." She frowned, unable to think of any reason to do so. 
There wasn't any emergency nearby, and no other ship within a thousand 
kilometers. 
 Static crackled for a moment as a comm screen activated on reception of the 
incoming signal. Blackness, then the face swung into view. 
 Now what? 
 "Ripley...." he recognized her. She'd never seen him before. "Do you or any 
of the other three have a.... medical condition?" 
 "Is that why you stopped us?" She looked incredulous. "Thats for 
Customs..." 
 "Just answer the question, thank you." 
 What the dickens was going on? This dickhead wasn't anything to do with 
traffic control... The Company! 
 
 "No, we don't have a sample of your fucking Alien! You can tell your boss 
that the Colony, the Alien ship, everything was destroyed along with your 
precious samples. I'll see you at the Inquiry, and I'm going to see your 
precious Companys ass fry! You hear me!" 
 For a timeless moment, outraged and shaking Ripley and a wide eyed official 
stared into each others eyes, before he pulled the plug without another word. 
 The two strangers left the cubicle and swept past the bemused controllers 
waiting outside, who shortly released the Sulaco to complete its docking. 
They were long gone by the time the Ship arrived. 
 
 * * * * * * 
 
 Hicks awoke in the Hospital with a start. The movement brought back the 
searing pain of multiple acid burns on his forehead and Chest. All he could 
see was a few Biomonitor instrument lights and a moving, dimly lit cloud deck 
outside the viewport. His first thought was that he had been left behind in 
the dark tunnels of Archeron, then he realised he was in a bed. The clouds 
were hundreds of kilometers below the orbiting station. As he watched, a 
lightning flash momentarily illuminated a portion of the distant cloud bank. 
 As his eyes adjusted to the dark he made out details of the room. A water 
purifier, a dripfeed hanger (thankfully not in use, he hated injections), his 
personal effects neatly hung in the tiny wardrobe, the dimly lit Nurse pager. 
 He was still groggy from Bishops much needed painkiller injection. The 
aftereffects would leave him shortly, not that he was in much condition to 
move in any case. Like any Colonial soldier, he wouldn't readily admit to 
needing rest. A day or two with a lovely Nurse for company wasn't above his 
pride however, and he needed time to collect his thoughts. 
 For now, time to rest. The last thing he saw before the first natural sleep 
in months was the spiderlike lights of a city starting to roll past the 
window. 

 
 Another time, another place. Another dark room. He was inspecting the brand 
new Corporals stripe officially awarded a few hours before they were let 
loose on Arcturius for a few days furlough. It was no extra weight, but it 
was gold to him. Not that he really needed it with his fellow soldiers, he'd 
earned their respect by always being in the right spot when needed. He'd 
saved two of their lives in tight spots through no fault of their own, so 
he'd been proud enough not to tell anyone. But the camera relay captured it 
all as always, and he'd had to suffer the indignity of seeing his name in the 
next official dispatch. 
 He undressed and neatly hung up the uniform before putting on the casual off 
duty attire. Tomorrow he'd see the sights of the town with the other 
troopers, and rage it up with the women who gravitated towards military 
uniforms. 
 
 Arcturius was an unofficial military R&R planet, full of all the goodies 
off-duty soldiers headed for the moment their fat paychecks and rare slack 
time arrived. The resulting wild scenes often went down in folklore, to be 
told and retold (and altered) until they were unrecognizable to those 
responsible when they returned. 
 The initial survey ships to Arcturius had found a planet with an atmosphere 
and climate close to that of Earth. No intelligent native species or 
particularly nasty alien disease was found so the world was readily 
colonised. Biologists and Zoologists swarmed over the planet for years, 
studying and classifying its works of evolution. 
 As always on new Worlds, curiosities were found. Like the tree officially 
named 'Agathis Australis' after the most similar Earthbound tree, whose 
tissue most closely resembled that of muscle. It seemed not to be attacked by 
any insect whatsoever, and its wood proved very tough and weather resistant, 
hence ideal for building materials. 
 The Biologists labeled it 'odd' and promptly forgot about it. It was a 
farmer who grew a line of them for use as a fenceline who discovered its 
most remarkable property. A fence whose supports were hammered into the tree 
was flat on the ground in the morning. Intrigued, the farmer found the trees 
had literally spat out the nails and healed overnight, leaving barely a 
trace. Biologists quickly discovered that tissue movement forced out anything 
that penetrated, explaining its resistance to insect attack. 
 Promptly someone thought of drilling a hole into it and inserting his 
paddywhacker, becoming the first to experience the sensations of the 'Pussy 
tree', as it became known. For a while it was an initiation rite for some 
soldiers to bring the newest member of their unit to a suitable specimen. 
 Hicks was lucky, his unit had given up this embarrassing practice long 
before he signed on the dotted line. 
 
 He was musing over this and other curiosities of Arcturius, when the 
diffident knocking on the door took him by surprise. Who was it at this time 
of night? 
 "Yes?" 
 "Room service. The drinks you ordered, Sir." 
 What drinks? He hadn't ordered any. Whose idea of a joke was this? 
 He opened the door to sort the problem out. Eight very familiar faces stared 
back. 
 "You didn't think we were going to let you spend your first night as a 
Corporal alone, did you?", said Drake. They laughed. He knew that laugh. 
 
 "Gettim!" 
 
 Eight pairs of strong arms took hold and half dragged, half carried him to 
the misappropriated Taxi waiting outside. The locals must hate Colonial 
marines, he thought. 
 "It's party time! The whole towns gonna know we're here!" shouted an 
obviously half-drunk Hudson, to a chorus of whoops and yells. 
 "Take us to the worst place in the city", said Drake. 
 "Oh man, you don't wanna go there! No fare is worth going to that place!", 
said the nervous driver. 
 "Don't worry, we'll leave you at the Checkpoint", he replied, holding up a 
fistful of Military scrip easily worth five times its face value on the 
local Black market. 
 "Okay man, you got it", the driver said, looking a whole lot happier. 
 A few minutes later they were at the yellow and black brightly lit barrier 
manned 24 hours by two armed, grim faced Military Policemen. Beyond was a 
poorly lit paved stone street. Movement and music was discernible ahead. 
 They paid off the driver, who quickly disappeared the way he'd come. 
 "Now, you boys aren't going in there, are you?", asked the more 
senior-looking MP of the approaching soldiers. 
 "Surely we are, Sir", Hudson drawled back in his Southern accent as they 
trudged past. 
 "Enter at your own risk", the MP simply replied. He didn't have time to 
argue with off duty Marines. He'd find out soon enough if they bit off more 
than they could chew in that place. 
 
 Dimly visible figures regarded the little group that ventured into their 
area. Looking Mean and Evil was one thing some of the Soldiers practiced long 
and hard at, and consequently they were very good at it. None of the watchers 
ventured more than a look after them. 
 Shortly they reached the better lit area and discretely sized up their 
surroundings. Loud music thumped from the entrances to obviously very seedy 
establishments along the street. Scantily clad women of all ages and 
appearances walked slowly and suggestively up and down their patch in pairs, 
a short distance apart from each other for safety. Some were discussing 
business with men. Several heavily drugged men and women were staggering 
around. Silhouetted by distant lights, another addict was openly injecting 
himself with his choice of Narcotic. Hawkers were pushing little sealed foil 
packets of drugs among the less reputable looking people around. 
 
 "A Septic spot on the arse of this Planet", was all Wierzbowski had to say. 
"The tourist brochures choice." someone added. 
 "Perfect for the three off-duty offences. Excessive drinking, brawling and 
sex", Drake replied. 
 
 Crowe found what he was looking for. 
 "Hey, Hudson, you're the one whos been saying he wanted some Arcturian 
Poontang. Well, try that girl over there." 
 He indicated a slim, nice looking girl standing near an entranceway. Never 
one to refuse a dare, Hudson approached her and whispered something into her 
ear. She nodded. 
 "Don't forget to sample the goods first!", Crowe called out. 
 Hudson put his hand under the girls dress, and discovered..... a pair of 
Balls. A deafening peal of laughter issued forth from his fellow Soldiers as 
Hudson reeled back in shock. 
 "Gotchyer!" Crowe howled back. 
 "That wasn't funny, man!", he said as he stumbled back to the comparative 
safety of the squad, accompanied by a few last guffaws. 
 
 "The Outlaw bar", Drake said, indicating a discreet entrance partway up the 
street. "The perfect place to initiate our new Corporal." 
 The thunderous music nearly deafened the nine of them as they entered the 
most infamous stripjoint in this Red light area. "Entry is five credits 
tonight", the large Bouncer with the busted nose and no-nonsense expression 
gruffly said after quickly looking them up and down. 
 They took up position near the elevated dance floor while the first round of 
drinks was ordered and delivered by a slim topless waitress, who seemed to 
ignore the almost continual handling of her Breasts by the patrons. 
 Onstage was the regular parade of strippers, mostly bored looking, unsmiling 
young women. On every table was a small collection of vibrators and dildoes 
for use on the women when they finally ended up naked and wandered among the 
audience to sit briefly, legs spread, on each table in turn to be groped, 
probed and manhandled by the beaver-eager crowd. 
 The Marines were above that sort of behaviour, but cheered on each girl who 
splayed herself on their table. The waitress accepted their invitation to sit 
and have a few drinks with them when she went off duty. 
 As they watched, a man couldn't restrain himself any longer and whipped out 
his cock prior to screwing the girl on his table. Bad move. Two bouncers 
materialized and dragged him from sight. The nearer patrons fancied they 
could hear the blows and screams prior to ejecting him from the joint. 
 
 A few of the Soldiers began a whispered dialogue with the Waitress while 
furtively glancing at Hicks. Soon she smiled and disappeared backstage for a 
minute. Hicks groaned when he saw the backstage curtains part a little as she 
pointed him out to someone. 
 The next girl, a pretty Brunette with a nice tan and the stage name 
'Danielle', came out and began her dance routine while two other ladies 
brought onstage a reclined chair like a psychiatrists couch, with a towel on 
it. 
 Upon completion of the first part of her act she walked offstage, made a 
beeline directly for Hicks, and half-dragged him by the arm onto the stage to 
the cheers of the crowd. 
 She lay back on the couch, legs spread wide for the audience, and handed 
Hicks what looked like a Hospital issue razor with a little protected 
electric trimmer. She didn't want him to do THAT, did she? He gulped. The 
crowd went wild when they realised what was coming. Some were almost in tears 
with jealousy. 
 She turned to Hicks with instructions. "Go slow and gentle. Don't push it. 
Start at the top and work down." 
 He turned it on and experimentally applied it to a few strands of the girls 
pubic hair. They came away without any fuss, leaving probably the smoothest 
after-shave skin he'd ever felt. The razor humming in his hand, he kneeled 
next to her and began shaving the girls hairy parts. White untanned skin was 
exposed as the strands of hair fell onto the towel. Careful not to miss any 
hairs, he worked his way across the Girls mound then down between her legs. 
The top of her slit became clearly visible, the dark skin contrasting against 
the now smooth white pubic triangle. He pushed the vagina lips aside with a 
finger before nuzzling in to catch every hair. This close, he could easily 
see the glistening pinkness within the Girls cunt. Judging from the obvious 
dampness, he guessed the gentle vibration was turning her on more than the 
probing fingers and vibrators she'd experienced so far this evening. 
 Finally he finished, and the two of them stood to thunderous applause. Hicks 
rejoined his friends while the Girl did her obligatory tour of the premises 
to let everyone see his handiwork. 
 
 About 1am they decided they had drunk and seen their fill for the evening, 
and were about to leave when the announcer came on again to proudly introduce 
"Their youngest attraction, the lovely Jasmine." 
 The soldiers were intrigued. Why had they held her back until this late in 
the evening? They might as well wait a while longer. The overloaded sound 
system went wild with the next tune, as 'Jasmine' walked onstage. 
 
 "Is this a joke?", Hicks wondered aloud. A ripple of excitement went through 
the crowd. Rough, sweaty hands took hold anew of the various probed 
instruments scattered around. The waitress sitting with them blanched and 
looked away. 
 'Jasmine' couldn't have been older than twelve. Shoulder length, almost 
black hair, no visible breasts through the T-shirt she was wearing. She 
hesitantly began a slow dance routine to the music and loud hooting from the 
crowd. 
 Hicks spotted the nearly invisible earplug in the girls left ear. The little 
waif was receiving instructions via radio, he realised. 
 Onstage, the Girl searched the Audience for a single friendly or familiar 
face. Not finding any, a tear rolled down her cheek at what was coming. She'd 
learned not to cry in the 3 days since being grabbed when she'd walked too 
close to this area. Crying invited laughter from the merciless crowd, and a 
beating afterwards. 
 
 Surprise turned to shock, then sheer outrage in Hicks mind. He looked away 
to his friends, who were rapidly forming the same idea. 
 "I'm not standing for this", he said quietly. 
 Their faces told him he had the support he needed for what he was thinking 
about. It was time to earn his badge. 
 One of the bunch of heavies crowded near the exit noticed the uncomfortable 
movements and expressions from the group of patrons near the stage. Their 
build and general demeanour throughout the evening marked them as Soldiers. 
He hated soldiers, they were the only real threat to their grip on the area. 
Threatening one was like lighting a fuse. Beat one up, and within an hour you 
could guarantee to have a hundred on your doorstep seeking retaliation. He 
signalled for the others to keep a close eye on them. 
 
 "On my count - Drake, Wierzbowski - grab the girl. The rest, make weapons. 
We're leaving", Hicks ordered. Frost suggested to the waitress that now was a 
good time to leave. She turned slightly pale and hurried away. 
 Onstage, the girl had received the next set of instructions from the unseen 
manager. Reluctantly she took hold of the white underwear and pulled them 
down, leaving her bottomless in front of hundreds of leering, expectant men. 
 
 "One!" 
 
 Another tear rolled down her cheek as the shouts and screams to "take the 
rest off" reverberated in her ears. 
 
 "Two!" 
 
 The girls eyes met those of the soldiers. The eyes spoke of concern and 
caring for her, something she didn't know existed any more. She stopped 
dancing for a moment before the earplug barked with the order to continue. 
 
 "Three!" 
 
 Two men sprang from the group and leapt onto the stage. They took hold of 
her by the arms. The girl screamed. With her weak strength, she tried to push 
them away. 
 "It's okay!" one shouted over the din. "We're Soldiers. We're getting you 
out of here. Put your clothes on." 
 Immediately they moved, the others stood up. Two took hold of the table in 
front of them and with one great heave broke the forward legs off for use as 
clubs. The collection of empty and part-full drinks on the table shattered 
onto the floor. 
 
 The music stopped. 
 
 Silence. What looked like a wall of toughs, fourty strong, advanced on the 
little group from the shadows. A few carried knives and clubs. 
 "You guys aren't leaving here with OUR girl", the one who seemed to be the 
leader said. "Or your pay packets!", another added. The others laughed. So 
did the Marines. 
 
 The onlookers got clear and averted their eyes. They didn't hear anything, 
and they absolutely goddamned didn't see anything.... 
 A great howling broke out. The sounds of heavy blows raining down. Screams 
and yells filled the confined space. 
 Something was wrong, one of the watchers decided. Where were the attempts to 
talk their way out, the resulting laughter, the attempt to escape before the 
inevitable bashing? He looked back to see what was happening. 
 It took the patron several seconds to register that the Soldiers had 
attacked the mob, not the other way around. The battle didn't last long. 
Trained and experienced Close quarter combat specialists verses Street 
toughs. No match. By various ways and means, mostly extremely painful, the 
odds against the soldiers were quickly whittled down. 
 Four forced Wierzbowski to his knees while a fifth prepared to start kicking 
him. Frosty stepped in with the Hammer he'd appropriated from another man 
before landing a Haymaker to shut him up. He swung it full force into one of 
the four standing mens kneecaps. The man collapsed howling, clutching his 
knee. The fight went out of the remainder after that. 
 The thugs still standing considered the shrunken odds and retreated sharply. 
Spunkmeyer scooped up the girl from under the table where she'd ducked for 
protection and slung her over his shoulder as the group made a hasty exit 
before reinforcements arrived. 
 Just in time. Men armed with a collection of weapons were pouring from side 
streets and entrances behind them as they ran for their lives. Nearly to the 
checkpoint. The MP's guarding it heard the commotion and were squinting into 
the near darkness when the little group sped into the light. 
 The MP's allowed them past before unslinging their Pulse-rifles and 
simultaneously chambering the first round then aiming into the path of the 
onrushing mob. They knew what that meant, and slowly backed off. 
 
 When it was safe to look away, the MP's turned to balefully regard the 
Soldiers. 
 "Now, what the fuck did you guys do...", one began. His voice trailed off 
when he saw the girl. "Christine... her name is Christine. She's been posted 
as missing for 3 days. Where did you find her?" The MP's were incredulous. 
 "The outlaw bar, Sir." 
 "You went to that place? You're crazier than I thought. I don't want to know 
what you thought you were doing by going there. Take her to the local Police, 
they can handle her. We'll take care of the Outlaw bar. And don't EVER return 
here, granted you want to live that is." 
 "You can count on it, Sir." 
 The MP's shook their heads sadly as they waved them off. Colonial marines - 
theres nothing crazier, they thought. 
 Oh sure, they'd be back someday. They didn't take kindly to not being 
allowed to go places. 
 They dropped the still-shaking girl off with the local Police before 
trudging through the streets for another twenty minutes before arriving at 
Hick's last stop for the night. 
 
 The Vapor lounge. Probably the highest class Cathouse in the town, set in 
the middle of a far more reputable Red light area. Two bouncers silently 
watched the group from the doorway as they each put 20 credits of Military 
scrip into the kitty for Hicks night. 
 They cheered Hicks as he passed through the entrance. He was on the verge of 
tears. You could search for lifetimes without finding loyalty like this, he 
thought. 
 "Bring back proof that you've been with one", someone shouted as he 
disappeared inside. 
 Outside the Vapor lounge, the group slowly dispersed to their lodgings for 
the night, leaving Crowe and Hudson alone. 
 
 "Okay Hudson, that was a bit mean of me earlier. I'll make it up for you. 
You see the girl at the corner there?" 
 Hudson found the indicated girl. Small breasts, slim legs, Asiatic features, 
early twenties, nice-looking as best as he could tell. She was presently 
looking sideways to them. He nodded. 
 "She's really nice, you'll like her. I went with her the last time out here. 
She gives real mean head, man." 
 "Done. See you shipside in two days, Crowe." 
 Crowe slapped him on the back of the shoulders before disappearing into the 
dark and the gathering mist. 
 Hudson approached the girl and propositioned her. Seemingly without looking 
him over properly, she accepted and led him up a nearby flight of stairs and 
unlocked her room at the top. 
 She looked straight at him for the first time. Hudson nearly puked. She had 
only one eye and no teeth. 
 Somewhere nearby, Crowe smiled to himself. 
 
 "Okay, you're clean", the bouncer said after a cursory patting-down for 
hidden weapons and taking the entrance fee. 
 "First time here?", the other asked. 
 Hicks nodded. 
 "Alright, the rules are simple. You choose the ladies you like, then if they 
like you, they'll come over. Do alright by them, and they'll do alright by 
you. Any rough stuff, and you'll regret it. Ok?" 
 Hicks nodded. 
 "Have a nice night", the bouncer smiled as he waved him through. 
 True to their word, it was a far more upmarket establishment. Conservatively 
dressed women were chatting amongst themselves or with potential clients over 
drinks. Occasionally one would lead a man to a discreet door in the shadows 
of the lounge. 
 Hicks indicated a stunning Redhead who took his immediate fancy and looked 
presently unattached, along with several other women, to the courteous waiter 
who asked if he'd like a drink or if he'd made his choice. 
 Several minutes later the Redhead sidled over and introduced herself as 
Michelle. He bought her a drink and they chatted idly for a while before she 
popped the invitation to come out the back with her. 
 As soon as the door of the tidy bedroom had closed behind them, Michelle was 
all business. She showed him her Health card, holographically imprinted with 
her photograph, todays date, and the signature of an independent Authority to 
the statement that she had tested negative to all known Venereal diseases. 
 After it was returned, she asked for his arm, and pressed a vacuum syringe 
against it to extract a minute sample of blood. 
 "Just routine", Michelle commented. 
 Hicks hardly felt the tiny jab. The sample was mixed with a solution before 
Michelle drew a line along a piece of paper with more than fifty coded lines 
along it, split into three groups. After a few seconds many turned Green 
where they'd been touched by the mixture. The remainder stayed blank. 
 "You're a Soldier, right? The green lines are what you've been innoculated 
against. If anything was positive, it'd show up red. Most people have only a 
few greens." 
 "What do the groupings stand for?", he wondered aloud. 
 "The first are the easily curable ones. If any was red, I'd still go with 
you but we'd use protection. The second are the drug resistant ones and the 
last are Incurable. You'd be out the door if any of those showed red." 
 Hicks smiled. It must be nice for the women to be able to pick and choose 
who they wanted and not have to worry whether a client was signing her Death 
warrant. He wondered how they were chosen for the establishment. 
 
 "You're one of the guys who trashed the Outlaw bar tonight, aren't you?", 
she suddenly asked. 
 Hicks became defensive, but answered to the positive. 
 "Don't worry", she replied smiling. "Word spreads fast around here. They've 
had it coming for a long time. The MP's couldn't touch them without proof, 
and you gave them that. Right now the whole area is being searched." 
 
 "Now lets see about those clothes..." She expertly undressed him before 
leading him to the shower. 
 When he returned, she dried him off, before asking "Whats his name?", 
pointing towards his cock. 
 "No name, sorry", Hicks replied, blushing. 
 "Okay, I'll call him George for the evening." 
 She indicated for him to lie on the bed, before switching on some music and 
giving him a long slow striptease, finally ending up completely naked, legs 
spread wide, while sitting on his legs just above the knees. 
 'George' was completely erect by this time. Hicks inspected the young womans 
sexual parts, knowing he was going to be allowed full access to them. The 
pouting lips of her slit stared back. 
 "I'm feeling a bit hungry, would you like something to eat?", she asked. 
 "Sure, I wouldn't mind something. I haven't eaten decent food for months." 
 Michelle put on a dressing gown before leaving the room. Hicks was in no 
hurry, the night was still young. He passed the time exploring the room, 
discovering the collection of equipment stored in the drawers for assorted 
sexual tastes. He had no doubt there was an electronic bug hidden somewhere 
for the Girls safety, but he didn't find it. 
 
 Wasn't she taking a little long? He wondered. He checked his watch, and 
discovered to his shock that Michelle had been gone for over twenty minutes. 
 Suddenly realising she had left him in the lurch after taking his money, 
Hicks cursed himself. Outraged at being ripped off so easily and callously, 
he collected Michelles clothes together in the rubbish bin, drew the 
rarely-used cigarette lighter from his trousers and started burning each item 
separately. 
 The room rapidly filled with the acrid smell and blackened fibers caused by 
burning rubber before being sucked up the air conditioning vent. The last 
item to go was the lacy bra, which rapidly reduced to a smouldering pair of 
straps. 
 Just then, his trained ears heard unmistakably female footsteps returning to 
the room. He hid the remains of Michelles clothes out of sight under the bed 
before she re-entered the room carrying two steaming plates piled high with a 
local meat dish. 
 
 "Sorry I took so long.... Whats that burning smell?", she asked. 
 "Oh, I just had a cigarette. Hope you don't mind." 
 Michelle shrugged her shoulders before sitting next to him to eat their 
meals together. 
 An hour later, he was standing next to the bed with one leg on a chair. All 
the better to expose his manhood to Michelle, who was giving him the hardest 
blow job of his life while fondling and cupping his cum-loaded balls. 
 He looked down to watch the action in the dim light. She'd turned down the 
light level before engulfing him in one movement. The lipstick was specially 
made for the girls it seemed, it wasn't coming off as she pushed his cock 
slowly in and out of her mouth while sucking and swallowing rhythmically. 
 Before he could come, she pulled back and rubbed her firm Breasts around his 
cock for a minute. 
 "Now, would you like to fuck me?", Michelle asked. 
 "If it's ok, can I give you a good licking first?", he asked. 
 She seemed a little surprised at his request. 
 "Where.... down there?", she asked. 
 He nodded. 
 "How do you want it? Do you want me to sit on your face or lie back?" 
 "You've done all the work so far, you can lie back, unless you want to be on 
top?" 
 "No, that's fine", she answered casually. 
 Michelle lay back, and Hicks moved her legs into a comfortable position for 
both of them. 
 He leaned close to Michelles cunt and took hold with his fingers for the 
close inspection he didn't want to give the Ladies earlier in the evening. 
The fingers gently parted the tufts of red hair then the wings of Michelles 
vagina and peered inside. 
 The little round clitoris sprang out as her innermost secrets were exposed. 
He slowly examined the glistening slit from top to bottom, trying to memorize 
every detail before setting to work. 
 Maybe I should have been a gynaecologist, he thought. 
 
 Michelle didn't seem afraid to take her own pleasure while Hicks flicked his 
tongue over her clitoris and fingered her vagina. She started teasing her 
own nipples while laying back with her eyes closed. Who was she fantasizing 
about, he wondered. He was headstrong enough not to be worried that it wasn't 
likely to be him. The only sounds in the room was the faint hum of the air 
conditioning, their breathing and the lapping of Hicks tongue between 
Michelles red wings. 
 "I'm ready", she quietly said after about 10 minutes licking. 
 An idea came to Hicks. Michelles cunt lips were big enough to try something 
he'd heard about but never tried. He shook his head from side to side making 
them go 'Pitter patter slappity slap' on his cheeks. 
 "Stop that!", she giggled. 
 He blew a raspberry on her clitoris, making a BRRRRAAAAAAAPPPPP sound. She 
giggled hysterically and closed her legs on his face. 
 
 He climbed on top and she guided his cock into her wet hole. It slipped in 
up to the hilt with hardly any pressure. He started pumping gently while 
Michelle relaxed with her eyes alternating between looking at his and the 
ceiling. For a long time he savoured the feeling of sliding in and out of a 
well lubricated vagina, then faster and faster as he approached orgasm. To 
his surprise, Michelle reached between them and held his balls just before he 
came. The moment she did that, he came violently and sprayed her insides with 
his come. 
 As soon as they disengaged, he took another close look between her legs to 
see the aftermath of their coupling. As he watched, a thin stream of his come 
emerged from the wide, wet hole of her Vagina and dribbled down her thighs 
onto the towel she'd placed on the bed. 
 He ordered a few more drinks for the two of them using the inroom intercom, 
and they chatted for a long time in the buff before having another shower and 
falling asleep in each others arms. He liked to feel the warmth of another 
person next to him as he dozed off. 
 
 When Hicks suddenly woke before dawn by force of habit, he remembered being 
asked to bring back a souvenir of the place. Oh, bugger it! He would have 
asked if she could sign her underpants for him to keep as proof, but he'd 
gone and burnt everything. Ooops... 
 He scanned the dimly lit room for anything of Michelles that remained 
intact. 
 The only thing he spotted was her Jewellery. 
 
 He took it. 
 
  --------------- 
 
 The moment the Sulaco was securely docked to the Gateway station, the 
Customs people and Military police were grilling Ripley via comms monitor. 
 She recognized the procedure and knew they were only doing their job 
properly. They had to be sure the 11 missing Soldiers hadn't been struck down 
by a contagious Alien virus or militant boarding party waiting to attack the 
station the moment the hatch was opened. 
 Ripley patiently explained to the anxious officials the events on Acheron, 
and waited while the Sulacos records were transmitted by high speed data link 
to check everything was in order. 
 Finally the hatch was opened. Immediately, a fully armed boarding party 
entered the ship and checked it thoroughly before allowing Newt and Ripley to 
leave. An official took them aside and explained that, as witnesses, they had 
to remain on the station pending the inquiry, and requested a written report 
from Ripley. 
 
 The troops were impressed by the damage in the Cargo bay, and more so by the 
evidence of colossal force brought to bear on the landing mechanism of the 
remaining Dropships forward strut bay. Something had pushed aside atmospheric 
plates to make room for itself. Deep claw marks showed where toughened metal 
had been torn by hideous forces. 
 Hicks went to the infirmary and Bishop went down on the next shuttle to the 
Hyperdine systems factory for repair. He was evidence, otherwise he'd have 
been deactivated and stripped of expensive parts. 
 
 Jonesy balefully regarded Ripley with a "Where've you been?" look when she 
picked up the Tom from a dockside workmate who'd volunteered to look after 
him. Newt was excited, she'd never seen let alone held a Cat. Always a 
practical Cat, the Orange furball purred at the scratching and attention he 
received because it saved him lots of licking and cleaning. 
 The apartment was tidier than she'd left it, the unobtrusive spindly little 
cleaning Robot that sat in a corner had taken care of that. It's job hadn't 
been easy lately, trying to figure out what its master wanted when she had 
cared little for how her apartment looked. It's fuzzy logic programming liked 
order and loathed continual mess, and showed it in little ways like, sitting 
still for hours in the corner trying to decide what to make of the confusing 
signals it was receiving. 
 
 Ripley noticed the vidphone light flashing when they re-installed Jonesy in 
her apartment. That meant stored messages awaiting her perusal. Not now, 
there would be plenty of time later. Some of them would have been waiting for 
weeks, a few more hours wouldn't make much difference. 
 
 The first priority was getting Newt some new clothes. She stood out in the 
drab, torn clothing she'd lived in for weeks on end. Acheron clothing was 
mostly a practical and often sexless affair, as befitted the environment. 
 There wasn't much available on Gateway in young girl sizes of course, but 
Newt went crazy over a patterned thermochromic dress whose colours changed 
with temperature, which was coming back into style again for the upteenth 
time. Together with a few matching shirts and shrink-to-fit shoes, she was 
again an undistinguishable part of society. 
 
 The first job done, Ripley took Newt on a sightseeing tour of the massive 
station. They spent hours using the Telescopes in the observation lounge to 
study the Earth they couldn't visit for now. Ripley pointed out the gray 
blotches of cities, the brown scars of strip-mined country, the mountains and 
lakes and Oceans, the Snow and Ice covered polar caps and Mountains, and the 
Deserts. The little girl was enthralled! She'd never known anything except 
Acherons barren rock, completely overcast skies, and almost unpalatable air 
driven by the unceasing wind of incompletely terraformed Acheron. It would be 
centuries before Acheron could start to look like this. 
 From an unlit viewing bubble they watched silently as the orbiting station 
dived into Earths shadow. The crescent Earth narrowed to a sliver as the Sun 
dove into a cloud bank, its light going in seconds from white to red before 
fading out. Lights came on automatically through most of the station to 
compensate for the sudden night. 
 The world below certainly wasn't dark. Detail became visible in the 
moonlight as their eyes adjusted to the dim light. Splashes of light from 
numerous towns and cities shone out as the United States coastline rounded 
the curve of the planet. Several active thunderstorms were flashing away over 
Florida, and every now and then a meteor shot through the Atmosphere far 
below, its passage lit by the friction of its own self-destruction. It was 
a spectacle people had watched since the dawn of the space age. 
 The night lasted just under half an hour. They were admiring the Swiss Alps 
by moonlight when the horizon began to brighten. With their night adapted 
eyes they could see the distinct layers of Earths atmosphere lit by the still 
hidden sun. Then the light brightened and flared out to form a thin crescent 
along the horizon, just before the sun burst forth again. 
 
 Ripley quickly dealt to the waiting vidphone messages when they returned. 
Among them was a call requesting their appearance the next day at a hearing 
to decide on temporary custody of Newt. That raised the question she'd 
pondered since they had found her in Acherons tunnels. Ripley had lost her 
daughter Amy through time, and although they hadn't talked about it, she felt 
Newt wanted and needed her company as much as she needed hers. 
 Now was as good a time as any to ask how she felt. 
 "Newt, we've been asked to appear tomorrow morning at a meeting to decide 
where you'll live until a formal hearing. Have you given any thought to where 
you'd like to go?" 
 Newt thought about her reply for a few moments. 
 "I'd like to stay with you, if thats alright?" 
 "I'd like that too, Newt. But we'll have to see what they decide." 
 The little girl hugged Ripley tightly. She'd fought hard for Newts love and 
trust, and she didn't want to lose it as she'd lost Amy, scant months before 
in her reckoning, but 58 years in real time. Newt was about the same age, 
too. Maybe she'd get to see Newt grow up as her own, and watch the years 
she'd missed in Hypersleep. There was a twinge of regret at the memory of the 
last time she'd seen Amy, the long wavy Brown hair swaying as she walked down 
the corridor, hand in hand with her Godparents. There was no bringing Amy 
back, but maybe she could make it up to herself. 
 
 The Gateway station circled the Earth twelve times a day exactly in a 1700 
km high inclined orbit designed to take it over the main launch and landing 
site in Florida once a day. Other countries had their own launch sites, but 
all operated on the basis that, day or night, the launch or landing time 
depended on when the station passed over. 
 Work by day and work by night. 24 hours a day there was activity throughout 
the station. There were twelve sunsets and sunrises per day, but each section 
of the apartment areas had to have an official day or night so they could get 
peace. At the corresponding time a tickle of voltage applied to the thick 
windows turned them into one way mirrors reflecting over 99% of incident 
light. 
 
 There wasn't room for a spare bed in Ripleys modest apartment, so they 
shared hers. Newt and Ripley curled up together in the foetal position, 
facing the same way. Newt wriggled a bit, making herself comfortable before 
going still. Presently her body gave a small jerk as she fell asleep. 
 Ripley was almost asleep also, when Newt stirred and put one leg over her 
thigh, unconsciously seeking warmth. Ripley backed away, trying to reach a 
peaceful settlement. Presently the leg returned. Ripley decided to 
concentrate on ignoring the minor weight, and had almost succeeded when 
Jonesy, watching from the tallboy, decided that the warmest place in the room 
was the best place to be. A thump sounded on the side of the bed as Jonesy 
landed beside Newt, shook himself and curled up beside the little girl. Newt 
moaned and pressed closer to Ripley, now about at the edge of the bed. Again, 
Ripley had almost fallen asleep when Jonesy decided he wanted more warmth, 
and walked over Newt to put himself between them. Newt jerked and pressed her 
elbow against Ripleys shoulder. Ripley pushed it aside. Jonesy grizzled and 
dug in his claws. Ow! Fucken furball. Ripley extracted the claws one by one. 
 Peace returned as Jonesy settled down again. Newt subconsciously remembered 
the ventilator blades circling precariously above her nest deep in Acherons 
tunnels, providing air and more importantly, continual covering noise to help 
prevent her detection by any nearby monsters... Not knowing what she was 
doing, she raised her hand above her head. Normally it'd have been painfully 
slapped aside, but not now. Promptly, she forgot about it and made the subtle 
transition from semiconsciousness to sleep. Shortly the arm fell down again - 
across Ripleys face. 
 Ripley instantly sat up. There was some movement, then silence returned. The 
new arrangement was satisfactory, and all three dozed off without any further 
hitch. 

 
 "Ellen, you can come to my party this Friday night, if you want", 
sweet-faced Charlene asked 16-year old Ellen Ripley. 
 Ellen Ripley was a very pretty girl, often sought after for dates. Long wavy 
Black hair, nicely built body, and a cheerful appearance and outlook made her 
a sought-after party person. Beneath the disarming smile was a strong 
personality that didn't take kindly to being pushed around. 
 She pondered this unexpected surprise. She had never been to one of 
Charlenes parties, but she'd heard they were well organized with lots of the 
best people there. She'd also heard but didn't quite believe, the stories 
Megan and Michael had told her of what sometimes happened at them later in 
the evening. 
 "Okay, I'm in. I'll see you there... what time?", Ellen replied. 
 "Great! It starts around seven tomorrow. See you there", Charlene said as 
she made a last minute dash for Communications class. 
 Ellen had to run to be in time for History. She loved learning about the 
great explorers and journeys of the past. Sometimes she wished she could have 
lived in the past, there were far more paths to advancement available then. 
The glamour jobs these days were in Computers, Administration, Space, and 
Mining. Mankind was on the move, making a beeline for the stars as fast as 
ships could ply the spaceways. 
 The only thing that never improved was the pollution. This morning there had 
been another red smog over the city. With the advent of the Hydrogen powered 
vehicle the only significant source of Sulphur fumes was the mines, and 
little was said about their output. Someone was making money, she mused, but 
none filtered down to where she could see it. 
 
 Her parents raised no objection to her going to the party when she asked at 
dinnertime that night. Her Father and Mother were a professional couple 
working in Maintenance and Computer-aided design, respectively. Ellen wasn't 
expected to follow in either of their footsteps, just to find her own way in 
life. Sometimes she regretted being an only child, it meant her parents 
aspirations were entirely on her shoulders and she couldn't go to a brother 
or sister for help. Her parents had helped by 'letting her go', to choose her 
own career or life, and she loved them for it. 
 When she got contemplative she felt herself at a bit of a crossroads 
sometimes. She could find a man to settle with or pursue a career... but what 
in? She liked the idea of going into space and joining modern day pioneers 
somewhere, but was a little afraid of so completely leaving her roots behind. 
She planned on doing something at least theoretically physical, to leave her 
mark somewhere, as she put it. 
 As they ate in their 70th floor apartment she admired the cityscape through 
the floor-to-ceiling one way glass, opaque and not mirrored from the outside 
so as not to make someone elses life hell from the massive reflections. 
Artifical diamond columns reinforced the 200-300 storey apartment blocks. 
Pedestrian access was afforded by walkways every 50th floor, and jutting 
landing platforms every 10th floor for ultralites, many of which cruised and 
glided on precisely controlled paths around the city at all hours. Far below, 
people were just visible in the last hours of daylight, walking through 
designated greenspaces and shopping areas. The odd seabird flashed through 
the fading light between buildings, heading inland from the sea a few miles 
away. Occasional glimpses of indicator or brake lights betrayed Hydrogen 
powered Automobiles filling the roads as always. There was more than enough 
room for everyone on under and overground public transport, but predictably, 
many had refused to give up the independence of their own vehicle. 
 The overpowering size of the city, and the number of people occupying it 
with the same dreams and aspirations as her meant that the odds of making a 
mark here were slim to virtually non-existent. 
 Slowly but surely the scales were tipping towards leaving. 
 
 The days until Friday passed quickly, between school, friends, study and 
work. 
 Half an hour early, Ellen bade her parents goodnight before taking an 
evening transport to Charlenes block. Ultralites were patiently recharging, 
wings folded upwards in the takeoff gangway to save room, like fighters on 
ancient aircraft carriers. Ellen had an ingrained habit of never taking the 
first available, probably learned from watching too many spy and gangster 
movies when she was young. 
 As soon as she was secure, the ultralite closed and rolled toward the 
takeoff point. Motors started and the wings folded down just before it 
reached the point of no return. Ellen soared out into the clear air between 
buildings. A faint whistling sound penetrated the cockpit, a combination of 
air rushing past and wing flaps adjusting position hundreds of time a second 
to counter turbulence. Even with thousands of craft in the air at once there 
was no possibility of collision with everything under central control via 
Radio. 
 The ultralite was presently taking her towards the distant sea. Almost 
directly above was another craft on a similar course. It's destination wasn't 
the same; shortly it changed direction and disappeared towards the reddening 
sun. Beyond the city were the recycling plants then the New Forest, dozens of 
miles of still maturing native and imported trees segregated by species into 
miles-long blocks. Part of the company's "green" image. 
 
 Was it really true that adventurous couples had made love in mid flight? Two 
person transports had consecutive seats, precluding climbing from one to the 
other. The only conceivable way was if she sat on his lap. But security 
people would still be waiting on arrival to check if the occupant(s) had 
experienced a medical problem, alerted by sensors to the unusual passenger 
movement. 
 The line of thought brought her back to the upcoming party, only a few miles 
away now. It was months since she'd broken up with Alan. His juicy dick had 
filled her mouth and cunt with cum on many occasions in the four months 
they'd been going out.... Damn, she was making herself wet just thinking 
about it. If only he hadn't been so stubborn about accepting that she liked 
to go out with girlfriends by herself sometimes. He was the first guy she'd 
ever given a blowjob to. The taste revolted her at first but she'd gotten 
used to it and almost liked it after the first few minutes. Then came the 
sudden jet of sperm that went straight down her throat. She was so taken 
aback that it wasn't until two more jets landed on her tongue that she 
realised he was cumming, he hadn't given a sign he was near. She couldn't 
decide if she liked the taste or not, but she'd really have preferred to have 
been warned first. 
 Afterwards he'd laid her back and planted his tongue in her crack. It was 
only a few nail-biting minutes before Ellen felt herself about to climax, and 
decided two could play his game. She was tiddly enough to do it, and a jet of 
natural lubricant shot from her vagina into his mouth as she came, making him 
splutter from the salty taste. She wished she could have recorded the look on 
his face at that moment for posterity. Heh heh. 
 
 Nearly there now. Charlenes block was looming up. The motor stopped for the 
glide down to the nearest available spot. Just before landing they started 
again to guide Ellen to a pinpoint landing at a leisurely five knots. 
 Charlene was able to afford her own 3-bedroom apartment, which was how she 
was able to have such regular parties. Ellen took care not to let herself 
jump at Charlenes solido picture of a jungle, cunningly installed near the 
door to catch people by surprise. As you walked past the full color hologram, 
the scene changed like a movie. At a point, a Crocodile lunged out of the 
river to fill the whole picture. Ellen had a simpler one, a fractal 
landscape. Mountains, Lakes, Underwater shots, Space scenes and Nudes were 
popular in solidos. 
 Twenty people were chatting away or dancing in a little group near the sound 
system when Ellen arrived. 
 Charlene did the introductions before Ellen spotted Megans distinctive 
plaited hairstyle in the crowd and joined a group of her chums. Megan was 
going out with Michael, a good friend of Ellens. The conversation was 
presently centered on the uncoming exams and their preparation or lack 
thereof for them. 
 Some hours later the party reached its quota of 30-40. Ellen had quaffed a 
few drinks by then and danced with a few people, mostly girlfriends. 
 With her latest drink in hand, she took a long look at the crowd to see what 
kind of company Charlene kept. There were a few older people aged 19-20 
scattered about, most were about her age, and a few in the 12-14 age group. 
There were more women than men in the room. Nothing special, she concluded. 
She couldn't imagine much happening, and rejoined the conversation. 
 
 "Watch her", Megan suddenly whispered into Ellens ear while subtly 
indicating a Brown haired girl aged about 19 who'd arrived a few minutes 
before. Megan was the friend who'd told Ellen about the goings on here. 
 As she watched from the other side of the party, the Brown haired girl 
walked over to the group comprising the youngest boys and promptly said 
something to one of them. He nodded, and followed her out the door. Nothing 
special about that, she thought. They were probably family. 
 "Wait", Megan said. Ellen was becoming impatient with Megan, when the boy 
walked back into the room looking as though he'd swallowed a bottle of 
spirits. He was promptly followed by the Girl, who again walked over to the 
group of young boys and said something to one. 
 After the second time, the boys were whispering to each other and looked 
expectant. Something was going on, and Ellen had a queasy feeling she knew 
what it was. 
 "Whats she up to?", Ellen asked Megan after the second boy returned and she 
departed with the third, a blonde aged about 14. 
 "Come on, I'll show you", Megan replied, leading her to the unlit kitchen. 
 "Don't touch the light!" someone said when Ellen moved for the switch. 
 Several people were already in there, looking out the window. 
 Curious, Ellen joined them. Outside was the Balcony. The door to the Balcony 
next door opened and the boy and girl came out. 
 As she watched, the girl closed the door behind them and whispered something 
into his ear. He nodded vigorously, and followed her instruction to lean back 
against the wall. She kneeled and pulled his trousers down before swallowing 
his half-erect cock in one gulp. 
 Oh, shit! Ellen gasped in disbelief. The other watchers murmured. There was 
just enough light with the door closed to see everything. 
 "Deborah is cock-crazy", Megan whispered into Ellens ear. "She can't get 
enough of giving young boys their first blowjob. She's done boys down to 
about 10." 
 Transfixed, Ellen watched the girls cheeks puckering rhythmically as she 
applied suction to the young virgin's cock. As soon as he was hard enough, 
she began moving her mouth up and down its length while fondling his 
cum-filled balls with one hand. 
 It didn't take long with her obvious experience. The fast and furious 
Blowjob took its toll; his mouth opened wide and he sagged back. She didn't 
relinquish her hold on his cock, but kept sucking, extracting every drop she 
could. 
 Ellen stayed in the Kitchen for 10 minutes, watching as the girl returned 
several more times to do the exact same thing to new boys. At one of them, a 
line of sperm burst from her mouth and dribbled down her cheek as he came. As 
soon as he was finished, she wiped it off her face with a finger before 
licking it clean. Next to them was a deckchair, but she always had them 
standing up. Either she knew she was being watched, or she figured she'd get 
more spunk than if they were lying down. 
 "Oh my god", Ellen shook her head to Megan when she returned to the party, 
leaving a small group still watching. 
 "They don't complain, and I've never seen her do the same guy twice", Megan 
replied, grinning. 
 Ellen thought she'd seem absolutely everything now, and had to have another 
drink to recover! 
 
 Not long afterwards, Philip, a nice-looking guy Ellen had cast a few 
admiring glances over when she'd seen him in school, 'convinced' the girl he 
was chatting with to come with him to one of the spare bedrooms for awhile. 
Very shortly she found herself being undressed from top to bottom, and each 
part of her body made love to as it was exposed. 
 She had a little suurrppriiiiisssee waiting for him! It wasn't only pleasure 
lust that smirked across her face in the bedroom. The surprise stared him in 
the face when he peeled down her underwear prior to some serious 
muff-munching. Before leaving for the party, she'd used a food-colouring to 
dye her pubic hair green and applied a temporary 'Keep off the grass' tattoo 
in the shape of a sign immediately above it. 
 
 Outside, an exceptionally pretty, slim, smooth legged, miniskirted young 
Blonde of around 15 was sitting amongst her friends. She was the focus of 
attention of several young men across the room from her, who were making less 
and less subtle glances her way. 
 Little by little her legs were coming further and further apart before 
closing again, affording them tantalizing views of inner thigh and white 
underwear. 
 Ellen noticed the temperature rising in a corner of the room, along with 
some anxious bulges in trousers, whose owners were trying to subtly cover up. 
 "Do you see what I see, Megan?", Ellen asked. 
 "Oh, her. She KNOWS what she's doing", she replied when the girl was pointed 
out to her. 
 While partaking in the conversation her group was in the midst of, the 
Blonde continued to mercilessly tease the young men across the room whilst 
maintaining her look of complete innocence. 
 Yes, now was the time for the coup de grace. 
 She reached under the miniskirt and between her slightly spread legs, took 
hold of the side of her panties, and pulled them and her Vagina lips aside 
for a few eternal seconds. Ellen clearly saw pink before the girl released 
them back into place and closed her legs, not to be opened for the rest of 
the night. 
 Ellen nearly fainted. All the time, the girl hadn't so much as made eye 
contact with the guys she was teasing. 
 
 "Hi Ellen! You're a sight for sore eyes as always", Michael greeted her as 
he came over and joined her and Megan. 
 "Flatterer", Ellen shot back. 
 Megan poked him the ribs as he sat between them. 
 She'd had the chance to go out with him years before, but they'd decided 
they were too close as friends to risk what they had. She'd seen people who 
were friends become lovers then bitterly split up, and figured it was best to 
make a lover out of a stranger. 
 Ellens group kept their discretion and remained together so they wouldn't be 
hassled by the few guys whose sex drive had boiled over with the goings on. 
They were content to watch the amusement over drinks. Charlenes party was 
living up to its reputation! 
 
 Then trouble presented itself in the form of... Paul. He'd been sitting with 
the other Brain deads in a corner, and had decided it was time to "score". He 
was the kind of guy who had to boast to everyone who'd listen, of each sexual 
conquest whether real or imagined. 
 "Who invited him to the party?", Ellen asked Michael when she spotted him 
working his way over. 
 "I think he invited himself. He's been here the last few times, and a lot of 
people are getting pissed off at him. Just ignore him." 
 But no, he didn't ignore her, and sidled over. 
 "Say, Ellen, I haven't seen you here before", he said. 
 "Wanna dance?" he continued when no reply was forthcoming. 
 Ellen slowly turned towards him. "Piss....... off", she simply said before 
turning away again. 
 "Well, if thats the way it's gonna be, fine", he said as he walked off. 
 No skin off my teeth, Paul. 
 "Hang on a minute...", Michael said as he went to the kitchen to grab 
another drink. 
 Ellen caught a glimpse of him having an urgent whispered conversation into 
the ear of a nice-looking Brunette she hadn't seen before. The girl looked 
unhappy about something, but presently she smiled and left the kitchen. 
 Michael returned and saw Ellens quizzical face when he sat between them 
again. 
 "Just making an arrangement", he said simply. 
 As she watched, the Brunette walked over to Paul and invited him to join her 
for a dance. True to form, within a few minutes he whispered something to 
her. To Ellens surprise, she nodded agreement and went with him down the 
corridor to one of the spare bedrooms. 
 "Oh no, why did you do that? She'll keep him going for WEEKS!", Ellen said 
in disappointment. 
 "No he won't. You'll suffer him for 2 or 3 days, max", he smiled. 
 Ellen mulled this over. 
 "How come?", she asked. 
 "She's a friend of a friend. She enjoys sex, and I brought her along 
especially for Paul. She's got the clap." 
 Ellen sprayed some of the mouthful of drink she was swilling, and nearly 
choked on the remainder from laughing. Megan grinned evilly. 
 STD's could have been eradicated centuries ago, but with such things there 
was always SOMEONE who refused treatment out of ignorance or stubbornness, 
and so the cycle started all over again. The medical centers had never ceased 
to be amazed by the daily parade of people seeking attention. 
 
 "How did Charlenes parties get like this?", Ellen asked. 
 "This your first time here?" 
 "At one of her parties, yes" 
 "I dunno really, I think it started when someone decided to flirt a bit 
harder than normal, and it went on from there. A few people didn't want to be 
a part of some girls ego trip and haven't come back, but thats up to them." 
 "What if someone tried touching a girl who didn't want it?" 
 "A guy tried once. We took him out the back, stripped him, tied him to a 
bed, put toothpaste on his balls, and didn't let him go for hours. Nobodys 
tried since." 
 "I'm not surprised." 
 
 Meanwhile, Jane and Philip in the first bedroom were engaged in a furious 
sixty-niner. He had licked her until she was randy enough to demand a go at 
his cock, so they moved into position with her on top. 
 She was getting closer to orgasm with each passing moment from the incessant 
licking and the mouthful of cock he had, and she wanted to feel her vagina 
being filled by the cock she was sucking on. 
 "I want your cock inside me, right now!", she blurted out. 
 A light came on in his head. 
 "Can we do it from behind?", he asked. 
 Jane liked it that way because she could play with herself and his balls at 
the same time, and feel them slapping against her crack as she was fucked. 
She agreed. 
 "Could you lie flat on your stomach with your legs a bit apart?" 
 Jane thought that position a bit odd, but said nothing and did as he asked 
to see what it would be like. If it didn't work she could move back into the 
original position. 
 But Philip had other ideas. He rubbed his cock up and down her crack to 
spread the lubrication around and stimulate her clitoris with the tip. Then 
he moved the head of his cock into position and eased it in. Little by little 
he pushed it in until his balls pressed against her crack. 
 Right... go for it! He took hold of her arms to hold her down, stopped in 
midstroke and bent down to her ear. 
 "You're the ugliest bitch I've ever been with, and I've been with heaps of 
girls. I wanted you in this position so I don't have to see your face", he 
said. 
 WHAT? 
 "YOU FUCKEN BASTARD!", she screamed loud enough for people near the bedroom 
to hear over the sound system. She did a good imitation of hair going on end 
as her face twisted with rage. She began struggling violently. 
 Wow! He was surprised by her strength, and had to hang on tight. 
 Perfect! Ridem, Cowboy! 
 He didn't have to move. Her thrashing did it for him and he shortly came in 
long spurts inside her vagina. 
 A few seconds later he relaxed, allowing her to get the upper hand and throw 
him off. 
 At that moment, Ellen was chatting with Charlene, who'd circulated around to 
her again. The first they knew of it was when the apartment reverberated to a 
loud crash as Jane attempted to propel Philip from the room, without opening 
the door first. 
 "Oh, fuck!", Charlene exclaimed. "If they've wrecked anything they're gonna 
pay for it!" 
 A few seconds later Philip ran for his life from the bedroom, with his 
trousers undone and no t-shirt. 
 Unbeknownst to him, his lips and tongue had aquired a prominent tinge of 
green from the food colouring in Janes pubic hair. 
 Ellen smiled to herself as the bedroom door was yanked shut behind Philip. 
The explanation for this one would be interesting! 
 
 Shortly thereafter, Megan noticed the fat insect feeding off Michaels arm. 
Looking closer, she saw it was red with his blood, meaning it'd been there 
awhile. 
 "Mike, you've got a Mosquito on your arm." 
 "Pardon?", he said over the din. 
 "Culicidae culex, on your arm" 
 "Ah..." Understanding flooded across his face. He mashed the offending 
insect with a meaty palm, leaving a bloodspot. 
 "Fucken Xenomorph." 
 
 As randy as Ellen was feeling after viewing the goings on around her, she'd 
lose social status by making a pass at Philip tonight. She was tempted to 
"put the bait out" and see who she could reel in to give her a licking, but 
decided against it. Not under these circumstances. 
 
 A few minutes later she noticed a little group of giggling girls subtly 
glancing in the direction of a guy several seats away from her. Now what? 
 After an especially loud peal of laughter, one of the girls broke away from 
the group and sat next to him. Ellen was just close enough to hear what came 
next. 
 "Hi.. Umm.. my friends have a little bet on you. Interested?" 
 "First, what are they betting on?" 
 "I've bet you'll take my underwear off within a minute of sitting next to 
you. Could you? I'd lose money otherwise." 
 He glanced into her eyes for approval, then reached under her dress with 
both hands and pulled them down to her knees. She pocketed them before 
returning to her friends. 
 
 Oh.. FUCKEN HELL! Right... THAT was IT!! Ellen had reached her limit. She 
couldn't take any more. 
 So who was it to be? She wanted a tongue in her groove, and it couldn't be 
Michael. She scanned the crowd for possibles. Yes, there. Among the few 
dancers near the stereo was another guy from school she'd added to her mental 
"I want" list. Yummy! She didn't know his name, but he was definitely her 
type with darkly handsome features, brown eyes, hair almost as black as hers 
and a thin smile she'd wanted to kiss from the first time she'd seen it. To 
her, the ring and stud in his left ear meant internal strength. She was 
convinced he'd be interesting to get to know better. 
 After watching him for awhile to ensure he was alone, Ellen approached and 
tapped him on the shoulder from behind. 
 "Are you with someone?" 
 "No." 
 "Good. I want to dance with you. Okay?" 
 "Thats fine by me", he flashed the grin she liked. 
 "I'm Ellen. I've seen you around my school a bit", Ellen replied as she led 
him to the middle of the little group. She wasn't one to stand out. 
 "Hi, I'm Kevin. Ummm, I've seen you around as well." 
 Gotcher! So he was probably paying attention to her, too. Lets play it by 
ear. 
 "I like the earring. Not many guys have one." 
 "Oh, that! It's a bit of a family tradition, goes back god knows how many 
generations." 
 They danced and chatted for awhile before Ellen beckoned him to follow her. 
She led him to the bedroom recently vacated by Philip and Jane. The sheets 
were still ruffled and the smell of sex was still noticeable. 
 Ellen closed the door behind them before turning to Kevin, who was regarding 
her while holding his watchstrap and looking nervous. 
 "Kevin, I want to kiss you." 
 "Why do you want to do that? I don't think I'm that great." 
 "Well, I happen to think so. Your modesty will take you far." 
 "This is happening a bit fast." 
 "You're nervous, aren't you?" 
 "I've never met anyone so..." 
 "Forward?" 
 "Yes, thats what I mean." 
 "I know what I want, thats all." 
 Ellen moved forward and planted a quick kiss on Kevins lips. That woke him 
up. He took hold of her and pulled her to him for another. 
 "That wasn't so bad, was it?" 
 "I've got protection, if you want to go all the way." 
 "No, you can't fuck me. You can lick me, and I'll suck you, but you're not 
sticking me. I don't want that tonight. Okay?" 
 "Some people would call you a tease for that." 
 "Thats their problem. I don't really care what they say." 
 "Yeah, I figured." 
 Ellen wiggled a finger towards her lips in the "c'mere" gesture. 
 They intertwined again, Kevin forcing his tongue into Ellens mouth. Ellen 
reached around and grabbed one of his arms, tried to pull it around to her 
front. He resisted. She pulled harder. 
 "Is something wrong?" 
 "Gimme your hand." 
 This time he didn't resist, as Ellen placed one of his hands on her breast. 
 "Thats where I want it." 
 He gently squeezed her breast, making her moan. 
 "I like to be kissed like this", she explained as their lips met again. 
Ellen started backing them towards the bed. 
 "How do you want it?", Kevin asked. 
 "Can I be on top?" 
 "Yes please!" 
 Kevin lifted Ellens dress and with one swift movement pulled off her 
underpants. He quickly got onto the bed and lay back. Ellen clambered on top 
in the 69 position. Kevin arranged her dress so it wouldn't get in the way 
before parting Ellens clamshell cunt lips. The inner lips eagerly opened wide 
at his touch, revealing soft wet pink flesh. 
 "I'll bet half the guys in school would like to give you a gynaecology 
examination." 
 "Would they now? Tough. They're out of luck aren't they? Now shut up and eat 
me." 
 ZONK! 
 Yes, that hit the spot. Kevin didn't need to be asked twice. 
 It wasn't until her second time with a guy that she'd received a licking. 
That first tonguing had given her the spooks, she didn't know what she was 
supposed to feel until she got used to it. Now she was trembling, possessed 
with pleasure and lust. 
 Her part of the bargain was staring her in the face. The thermometer bulging 
in his pants told her how much he liked what he was doing. She didn't want to 
suck him yet, she found she couldn't concentrate on receiving and giving 
pleasure at the same time. But a little teasing never went astray, and she 
started fondling the bulge in his pants. 
 A finger penetrated her cunt, quickly followed by a second. The lapping 
tongue disappeared and was replaced by something cooler and harder. His nose! 
The cheeky bugger was using his nose on her clitoris. Oh well, as long as he 
doesn't stop what he's doing, she figured. 
 She felt the massive orgasm start when the tonguing and fingering resumed. 
 
 Then came an out of place rustling noise. 
 "Mommy?", a voice called out. 
 
 No, that didn't match. Ripley ignored the interruption to the impending 
orgasm. She'd learned a few prodreaming skills to help her recovery from the 
Nostromo flight, enough to prevent a dream sidetracking from the path she 
wanted it to take. The trouble was recognizing the nightmare for what it was 
while asleep and avoiding it in time. The exercises included how to shut off 
outside influences, and keeping dreams going past the usual cutoff point of 
extreme emotion if she chose. 
 Oh god, she was so close now. Don't you DARE stop, Kevin! Fuck that feels 
good! Ellen nuzzled closer to the bulge in Kevins pants and kissed it. One 
queen-sized BJ coming up just as soon as she'd come. She was going to tease 
him for ages before finally bringing him off into her mouth so she could 
experience the sudden hot taste of his cum. She wanted that more than 
anything else right now. 
 
 "Mommy?", the voice came again. 
 
 The pleasant memory faded out, replaced by the semi-darkness of her 
apartment. The night lights were on and faint music was playing. Time to get 
up. 
 
 "Mmmmmpphhh??", Ripley moaned. 
 
 "Why are you sleeping on the floor?" 
 
 I'll tell you about it someday, Newt. 

 
 Ripley had arranged things so she didn't have to return to work on the cargo 
docks until after the military inquiry, which was only a few days away. 
 Today she wanted to visit Hicks in Hospital after Newts custody was decided 
upon this morning. Then there was her flight certification to see to. 
Burke... liar, blank faced official murderer and good Company tool, she hoped 
he hadn't lied about her reinstatement to flight duty. And Bishop; she'd see 
him at the inquiry no doubt. At least his Holographic memory couldn't be 
doctored like the lifeboat flight recorders... 
 
 The beep from the door took her by surprise as she prepared a cooked 
breakfast. (And when was the last time she'd done THAT, she thought to 
herself) 
 She answered the door in her nightrobe while Newt showered next door. 
 A Tall suited figure was standing outside, suitcase in hand. Receding 
hairline, brown eyes, clean shaven. Late twenties at a guess. She knew who he 
represented before he spoke. 
 "Hello Ripley, Can we talk? I'm Bill; Bill Keys. I work with the company. 
Hope I'm not too early?" 
 She started, but caught herself in time from slamming the door in his face. 
The last company 'okay guy' assigned to her had attempted to deliver them to 
the wolves for money. She wisely decided to at least hear him out, it 
couldn't do any harm. But this time she wouldn't allow herself to make the 
mistake of forgetting what he was, not even for an instant. 
 "Now is as good a time as any, I guess", she said without much enthusiasm. 
"You're kinda early for a housecall, aren't you?" 
 "Ah, yes, I wanted to catch you before you left for work." He noted the 
sheets and pillow still lying on the floor and said nothing, remembering 
Ripleys psych reports. 
 "As you know, Mr Burke arranged the return of your commercial flight 
officers license in exchange for your help on the rescue mission." 
 "And?" 
 "The decision as to whether it will be returned will be made after the joint 
military and civilian court of inquiry", he took a breath, "but it looks good 
so far." 
 Well, that's the first piece of good news for a long time, she thought. 
 "You did pretty well there, from what I've seen on the records. A few people 
were wondering if you'd consider a military career?", he joked. 
 She smiled, without much humour. "Not really, I'd just like to continue 
where the company left me off." Strictly business. 
 "Well, in that case, as Mr Burke also stated the company has agreed to pick 
up your contract, if you're interested", he added when he noticed Newt 
returning from the shower. 
 "The young girl you brought back from the Colony?" 
 She nodded. "The temporary Custody hearing is this morning. No, theres no 
hurry to go, it's in a few hours. And about the contract - I haven't given 
much thought yet about taking it up." 
 "Hows your report coming along?" 
 "It'll be finished on time." 
 Time to raise the stakes a little. 
 "What's the company view on the Sulaco tapes?" 
 His voice dropped a pitch. 
 "They validate your story." Pause. "What I saw of them was godawful. The 
subject of whether they should be classified was raised last night. They're 
still deciding how to tell the families of those poor people." 
 She looked into his eyes. The feelings he was conveying seemed genuine, but 
she wasn't allowing herself to fall into the subtle trap. Lets see what she 
could get out of him. 
 "What was Carter Burkes position within the company?" 
 "He was a minor company executive, assigned to your case. Why?" 
 "Just curious. There are some aspects of this affair that aren't on the 
tapes." 
 "Such as?" 
 "Company directive Six Twelve Nine, dated Five Thirteen Seventy-Nine, to the 
colony of Acheron. Have you read it?" 
 "I would if I could, but all material concerning the colony has been 
subpoened. Enlighten me." 
 She handed him the piece of paper she'd discreetly printed from the Colony 
computer. If the soldiers had seen this... 
 He read slowly through the edict, and his color faded somewhat. He re-read 
it before answering. 
 "Mr Burke sent them to check on the Alien ship you reported?" 
 "Without warning them of the danger. He seemed more interested in preserving 
a sample than anyones welfare, if you know what I mean", Ripley added. 
 "I assume this is genuine?" 
 "There should be a copy in your computer." She placed emphasis on the word 
'should'. 
 There was a long pause. 
 "My god... I had absolutely no idea of this, believe me. Can I keep this?" 
 "Sorry, I need it for inclusion in my report." 
 He looked reluctant, then nodded. 
 "I think I should report this immediately, if you don't mind?" 
 "By all means." Ripley nodded to the door. 
 There goes the mouse that destroyed the elephant, she thought. 
 
 There was an uncomfortable few minutes waiting before they were called into 
an office. 
 The 30ish year old female social worker bade them to sit while arranging her 
papers. 
 "You're Rebecca Jorden?", she asked Newt. 
 "Uh huh." 
 "Okay, Rebecca. Have you given much thought to where you'd like to live?" 
 "With Ripley, if thats alright." 
 "You could say we've got a lot in common. I'd like to give it a try" Ripley 
added. 
 "Okay. Now, Rebecca, we're tracing your relatives through computer records, 
but that will take a few days of course with some being on other Colonies. 
You know we have to give priority to relatives applying for permanent 
custody?" 
 "Yes, but I'd like to stay with Ripley." 
 "And we want whats best for you too, Rebecca. We just have to consider all 
available options. You get to have a say, of course. 
 Now, Ms Ripley, as part of our job we have to do a background check on 
possible recipients. There are a few things I feel we should discuss. Do you 
want Rebecca to be in here during that?" 
 "I think I know what they are. Go ahead." 
 The Social worker nodded. "Ok. According to your file, you had a messy 
family situation immediately prior to leaving Earth on a short term contract. 
How do you feel about looking after a daughter again?" 
 Ripley could almost feel the accusation, that she'd abandoned Amy. Her 
Husband had similarly accused her when she'd accepted the Nostromo posting. 
She admired the diplomatic way the social worker had put the question, 
sparing her recalling the details in front of Newt. 
 "I was thinking about Amy. She'd had enough of both of us, so I figured to 
give her a few months to get over it. 
 Every day I think about Amy waiting her whole life for me to return, but I 
never did. 
 I'd very much like to look after Newt. I feel we need each other." 
 "Good. Okay, secondly, until the Nostromo flight you had a good employment 
record. But, on your return, you were found to have acted with questionable 
judgement, and were required to attend a psychiatric tech once a month. 
You've had a good record since, working in the cargo docks. You obviously 
like to keep occupied. But what I need to know is, do you feel you've gotten 
over the... 'problem'... since your return?" 
 "I can tell fiction from reality, if thats what you mean?" 
 "Yes, thats what I mean." 
 "My 'problem' as you put it, I'm handling in my own time now. The court of 
inquiry will corroborate my story in a few days." 
 "I'll have to take your word on that, but I don't see any problems. You have 
temporary custody of Rebecca Jordan, until such time as a full hearing on her 
adoption, subject to the condition that relatives are allowed access at any 
reasonable time. Do you have any questions?" 
 "No, thats fine by me", Ripley answered. 
 The social worker typed the order into the system. 
 And that was that. 
 Ripley was beaming for the first time in years when they left the office. 
 
 Now, there was someone else she had to see. After finding where to go on an 
electronic map, they set off across the station. 
 "Where are we going?" Newt asked. 
 "To see someone special." 
 "Mr Hicks?" 
 "Uh, huh." 
 It took a good 15 minutes to reach the medical area, deliberately set in a 
quiet out-of-the-way area. 
 "We're see to Hicks; Dwayne Hicks", Ripley asked the duty nurse, who was 
busy entering details into her terminal. 
 "Are you relatives?" 
 "No, we're just friends. Is that ok?" 
 The expressionless Nurse didn't need to check the console for his status and 
availability before replying. 
 "Room 2107, next level up", indicating the lift partway down a corridor. 
"He's doing quite well for himself, I gather. He should be out in a day or 
two." 
 "Is he awake?" 
 "He's refusing injections, he wanted seconds and thirds of breakfast this 
morning, and he asked the Charge Nurse out on a date. Sounds normal to you?" 
 "Very definitely", Ripley smiled. 
 
 Hicks was working on his written statement when they entered the open door. 
Bandaged forehead, chest and arm - he wasn't slowing down any more than 
necessary. 
 "Well, Dwayne. You've been keeping the nurses busy, I hear." 
 "Ellen! How the bloody hell are you? It took me hours to find out if you 
were alive or not. You made it... you really made it!" 
 Hicks welcomed Ripley with open arms. 
 "I still think you were crazy going down there, but what the hell..." and to 
Newt, "I owe you one, little lady, and I don't forget debts." 
 "We all owe her. I've got temporary custody. And I seem to remember you 
promising to buy her a bed." 
 "Oh, THAT", he grimaced, remembering the promise he'd made while following 
Newt through the ventilation ducts out of the complex. Oh well. "A promise is 
a promise. You'll get it." 
 "I heard something about one of those critters smuggling itself onto the 
dropship. What happened?" 
 "Well, yes. We threw it overboard before it could do much", Ripley answered 
modestly. 
 "The company people got to you too, huh?", she continued, obliquely 
referring to his half complete report. 
 "Have they what! They're right miffed because someone dropped a nuke on a 
high plateau area of Acheron. That was you, I take it?" 
 "Bishop gave me the codes to drop one from orbit on the Alien ship, so no 
other poor souls would stumble across it." 
 "Wish I'd seen it. For years we've looked at those nukes and stencilled on 
them, but we never got to actually use one. And I slept through it all. Don't 
tell me, they can bill you for it?" 
 "Yeah, well, the tabs getting quite big. It won't make much difference." 
 
 That night was Hicks' second of normal sleep in a row. He didn't miss the 
cryogenic alternative in the least. You never dreamed in cryosleep. Maybe 
that was another reason why the military preferred it. 
 
 Another off duty time. This time Hicks memories flashed back to the time on 
Tionis. 
 Bored bored bored. They were in temporary accommodation, playing craps and 
racing the Insects someone had collected, while awaiting the orders to move 
onto the next troublespot they had to clean up. Half the time, a few big time 
hunters would suffice to clean out whatever marauding wildlife had taken a 
fancy to the colonists. But no, they had to send a team of soldiers instead. 
Great. They'd trained for years to become bug hunters. 
 "Okay, chiluns, I've scored us some vids", Drake the smartgunner proudly 
announced as he entered their enclave. 
 Everyones ears perked up. Entertainment at last. Wherever they were, Drake 
always managed to get his hands on some illegal vids. It was widely believed 
he'd signed up to hide from the law. Nobody ever queried this; a soldiers 
past was his own so long as it didn't interfere with his work. But he 
certainly knew how to make the contacts. Maybe his scarred appearance helped 
in that respect. 
 "What've you got for us today, Drake?", Crowe asked, intrigued. 
 "Lessee... 'Alien antics'... and 'Doggie training'" 
 "Well, what're you waiting for? Put em on", Hudson suggested. 
 Even Ferro the dropship pilot, Dietrich the stuffy medtech and Vasquez 
joined in. They'd long since learned to find amusement wherever it could be 
had. As long as fun wasn't poked at them as women, they didn't really care 
what the men watched. 
 Someone scrounged a vidset from a back room, while Hicks grabbed an armful 
of beer cans from the fridge to go around. 
 'Alien antics' went on first. This one featured various partners having sex 
in turn with a species of Hermaphrodite monkey a few of them recognized as a 
native of Vebi. 
 In between the howls of laughter, the loud groans as the vid-disk descended 
to a new low in film history, and the sound of beer being guzzled to help the 
drinker recover from segments of the tape, came various lewd remarks. 
 "Primates, not more fucken primates", Wierzbowski said out loud, in between 
the squelching and moaning the too-close microphone had captured for 
eternity. 
 "Fuck, those things again. Ever been near them? They smell like nobody's 
business. I'd sooner shoot them than screw them", Vasquez, the 'Gamin 
assassin' muttered. 
 "Same thing in your case, innit?", Drake retorted. 
 Vasquez biffed at him the furry insect she'd been stroking. 
 Apone chose that moment to walk in. He'd been out to check whether their 
orders had come in yet. There was a collective inhaling of breath. The big 
Sergeant sized up the goings on at a glance. 
 "At ease. You'll go blind watching that sort of crap, people", he announced 
before returning to his paperwork. 
 A quiet guffaw went through the little crowd. Apone knew when to turn a 
blind eye; as long their fun didn't do any harm he couldn't be bothered to 
pull rank. 
 The next vid-disk was more of the same, with Earth-bound dogs. Very deviant 
stuff. The beer was long gone by the end. Even Drake was satisfyingly 
disgusted with it all. 
 The Ladies wandered off after that to have drinkies down the road. 
Unscheduled slack time was rare as hens teeth, and not to be missed. They 
wisely reported their exact whereabouts to Hicks first, in case the order to 
ship out came through. 
 "I could do with a stripper to get over that one", Frosty said out loud 
after they'd gone. 
 "Well, what do you think, Hicks. Is that a good idea, or what?", Hudson 
seconded the suggestion. 
 "Well, I'd say yes, but I'd best ask Apone first. Are the rest of you in?" 
 By the vigorous nods, he took the response to be 'yes'. 
 Hicks went to check with Apone. He wasn't gone long. 
 "The Sarge says 'yes', he'll even chip in. Who wants to arrange things? 
Crowe? You seem to know your way around." 
 "Yeah, ok, give me the money and I'll be back in the hour." 
 Everyone chipped in 10 credits of military scrip. The girl wouldn't have 
much trouble getting 5 times its value on the black market. That was another 
advantage of being in the Army, out in the boondocks things were often 
cheaper than they would be otherwise. 
 By the time he'd returned with a slim long legged natural blonde, the others 
had turned up the lounge temperature for her benefit, set up a sound system 
and collected everyones music so she could take her pick. 
 She looked a little nervous when she arrived, with all those men in the 
Lounge awaiting her. Crowe reassured her, "Don't worry, they know how to 
behave. Nobody lays a finger on you unless you let them." 
 The whistling and clapping told Crowe he'd made a good choice of girl. He 
rejoined his friends as the Blonde selected her choice of music and set the 
volume. 
 When the music started, she put a hand to her ear while facing them 
sideways, feigning listening. 
 The explosion of cheers and whistling from the assembled soldiers bade her 
to start. 
 First to go was the top, then the Leather miniskirt. The more she took off, 
the louder the cheers became. A real professional, she lip synched with the 
songs she knew and pantomimed the words occasionally. 
 No shortage of cheering from this Audience. These soldiers beat many crowds 
she'd performed for. There was nothing she hated more than people paying good 
money for her then staying quiet, as if she or they were doing something 
wrong. 
 Time to start teasing. She invited Wierzbowski to remove her bra, to 
tumultuous applause. She advanced on the men sitting on the floor in front of 
the others, stooped over one and bent down close enough for him to smell her 
cunny. He put his hands up and touched her legs, no further. No worries from 
this bunch alright. Good. 
 She moved among them, teasing as she went. Bending down slightly and closing 
her legs or crotch against the legs of a few. Others, she rubbed the crotch 
of their trousers with a hand. By now, some had hardons they were trying to 
subtly cover by partly hiding behind their friends. 
 One went down on his knees, begging her to marry him. 
 "No, but you can take my shoes off", she replied. 
 She turned away before slowly, ever so slowly, pulling down her underwear 
while rocking her hips from side to side. The soldiers went crazy! 
 Buck naked, she wandered among them again, rubbing herself against them, 
hugging a few, letting them touch anything except her private parts. Not 
yet... 
 She moved back again and lay down, legs spread wide for the first time. 
While gyrating her hips, she put a hand between her legs and pulled 
everything open for them to have a good look. The wilder she got, the more 
they loved it. She was determined they were going to be satisfied with this 
performance! She put a finger inside herself briefly before standing again. 
 Once more she advanced on the men, before bending her knees and pulling the 
face of another who was sitting into her crotch. Instantly he was nuzzling 
close and licking her. She let him have a good faceful of fluff before 
choosing the two she was going to have fun with. 
 Crowe was enjoying the show with everyone else when she suddenly advanced on 
him and pulled him forward by the arm. 
 "Hey, wait a minute, not me!" 
 "Yes, you." 
 "Go on, Crowe.. YEEAAAAHHH!!!" Everyone shouted and cheered him on. 
 You think you're in luck... just you wait buster... Heh heh, she thought. 
 Swiftly she turned down the volume on the sound system, before turning her 
attention back to Crowe and unzipping his trousers, but not pulling them 
down. 
 "The poor guys got a soft-on. Tsk tsk, have to do something about that, 
won't we? Leave it to me. Close your eyes." 
 The moment he did, she whipped a ping pong ball attached to a length of 
elastic from the discarded dress. Working quickly, she tied the other end of 
the elastic to his lowered fly before lying back on the floor, facing the 
crowd. She inserted the ping pong ball into her vagina and held it there with 
her muscles. The elastic was nice and tight by now. Perfect. 
 The others knew what was coming! 
 "Keep your eyes closed. Are you REEEAAAAAADDDYY????" she shouted. 
 "YYYEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!" The men shouted, while Crowe nodded in 
anticipation. Ok, you got it. 
 She worked the ball loose with her vagina muscles. 
 TWAANNGGG!! 
 
 --* THWACK *-- 
 
 Right into the testicles. 
 While the others were almost doubled up in laughter, Crowe was bent over 
from a different sensation. Obviously not in much condition for anything, he 
staggered back to the sidelines. 
 Poetic justice, you Bastard, Hudson mused. This made up nicely for the 
tricks you did to me on Arcturius, he thought. 
 
 The Blonde selected Wierzbowski this time. He wasn't happy AT ALL, but 
reluctantly went out at her insistence. Drake lent a helping hand, or a 
helping shove. 
 Down went his trousers, then his underwear. She pushed him down to the floor 
and pulled them off completely. 
 "Thats the most shrunken pair I've ever seen", someone shouted at the 
embarrassed soldier. 
 Ignoring the lewd remarks, she sat on his face before bending forward and 
fondling him until he was properly erect. On with the condom, then down she 
went with her mouth. 
 They sixty-nined briefly, everyone being treated to a good view of her wide 
spread pussy being tongued, before she stood again, turned around to face the 
assembled men, and sat on Wierzbowski's cock. 
 A few of the soldiers gasped, watching Wierzbowski's rod disappearing into 
her trimmed pussy. Quickly she built up a rhythm, her hair and little breasts 
bobbing up and down with her motion. His hands went up to fondle her breasts 
while one of hers pulled her vagina lips wide so the assembled throng could 
have a clear view of the cock moving in and out. 
 He quickly came, and she climbed off. 
 She dressed and tidied herself, staying for a chat and a few drinks before 
leaving. 
 The orders arrived a day later and they shipped out, but that was one party 
Hicks and the others never forgot. 
 
 The repair section of the Hyperdine factory where Bishop lay was lit with 
antiseptic fluorescent lighting. The sounds of distant machinery and 
technicians chattering amongst themselves were the only things that had 
changed in the last few days. 
 The conversation was around him, about him, but little was directed at him. 
Occasionally he was asked to move an extremity and he'd send the requisite 
light pulses, but mostly he was just another piece of defective machinery 
they didn't pay much attention to. 
 Partway through the second day things sped up when the technicians finished 
wiring him back up and the engineers took over to weld his joints and finish 
sealing him. 
 Someone entered his line of sight. "Okay Bishop, gimme a low pressure 
coolant test... yep, good... go to high pressure... no leaks, everythings 
sealed. Okay, relax. I'll laz-seal the skin then you're finished. Someone did 
quite a job on you, didn't they?" 
 "Not a person, a 30 foot unclassified organism", Bishop corrected the 
engineer. 
 The engineer grinned. "You'd fool anyone who didn't know you were synthetic. 
It's a pity your model only have circumstantial humour though. If I'd been in 
charge it'd be different, but I suppose the military wouldn't approve. Thats 
why I chose engineering instead of programming." 
 "My model?" 
 "Oh, you don't know of course. You've been superceded by the 600. They're 
brilliant. You're programmed to be an individual, but they decide on their 
own little habits. We play 'spot the synthetic' with a volunteer and a 600, 
and fail statistically. I didn't know they could pack that level of holo-CPU 
into that little space. Thats still confidential by the way, but you won't 
talk - thats one thing I like about working with synthetics. And don't worry, 
the 600 is bloody expensive and gets bored with longhaul jobs so you won't be 
replaced." 
 "I'm glad I don't work for Hyperdine then. I see I don't have many secrets 
here." 
 "Sorry about that. We have to know all the tics; fault diagnostics and all 
that." 
 The faint buzz of the engineers low-power welder started on his right side 
and began working its way over to the left. From all reports, if he did a 
good job it'd leave hardly a mark. 
 "Oh... I think I should warn you that you're in for a grilling. ICC Company 
people are calling every hour, on the hour, wanting to know when you can talk 
to them. One implied I didn't know my job because you weren't ready yet. I 
told him to come here and see if he could do any better. He disconnected. 
What would you have done?" 
 "Most likely I'd just let it go over my head. Keep my options open, so to 
speak." 
 "It's not like that with people. You're conservative and inoffensive, but 
nobody who knows you takes you lightly. I'd love to see him try it with a 
600, you can work up a good argument with one of those." 
 People. I'll never understand them as long as I'm functional, Bishop 
thought. Put a hundred synthetics in a high-stress situation and they'll all 
do the most logical thing. A hundred humans would likely do as many things, 
ranging from panic to violence. 
 "What are the company people after?" 
 "They're not much for conversation, but one said he was after information 
about the organism you encountered." 
 "I'm afraid they may be disappointed. The mature form is unapproachable, and 
I didn't have the right equipment to study the biochemistry of the immature 
form." 
 "Interesting beastie. Remind me to stay away from them, will you? Turn onto 
your left side, could you.... thanks. Tough bastard, to do this sort of 
damage. Did you go out to fight them?" 
 "Sorry, I can't talk much. Military secrecy and all that." 
 "Fair enough. Okay, finished there. Now lets do the right side... thank 
you." 
 "I'd like to meet the 600 model." 
 "Sorry, I can't take you to one, and I seriously doubt you'll be able to 
spot one. The few people who have them so far don't want it known." 
 "The list of owners is classified, I assume?" 
 "Right. Hell, we wanted to know ourselves but theres absolutely no way. We'd 
be interested to see who'd prefer one over a Human employee." 
 The sound of the welder stopped. 
 "You're finished. It's quite good, if I may say so myself. You can hardly 
tell. The area around the wound will look a little sunken for a few days, but 
that'll disappear with your normal lubricant intake. Up you get, Bishop. Take 
better care of yourself in future, won't you?" 
 "Thanks, I will." 
 "Not a problem, Bishop. I'll tell the company guys you're ready. Give 'em 
hell for me." 
 A little worse for wear, Bishop got off the work platform and went to an 
interview room to await the Company execs. He didn't have to wait long. 
 
 The day of the inquiry arrived. 
 Ripley struggled out from the Hammock she'd strung between two supports. As 
easy as it was to be tipped onto the floor during the night, it was still way 
preferable to the other option. 
 Bill had turned up the day before to pick up her neatly printed statement 
for the board to dissect in advance. 
 Newt was left with a friend from the cargo dock for the day. Ripley expected 
the inquiry to last all day and maybe the next. She remembered the continual 
niggling questions, discussing the same points, over and over again. There 
wasn't any reason for this one to differ, and she mentally prepared for the 
worst. 
 There was a little surprise waiting outside the conference room, in the form 
of executive officer Bishop, who was chatting with Hicks as if nothing had 
happened. 
 They made smalltalk until Bill turned up. 
 "Hello Bill. Who've we got in there? This'll be straightforward, yes?", 
Ripley queried. 
 "Straightforward - no. Hello Mr Hicks, Bishop - good to meet both of you in 
person. You're a quick healer I see, Mr Hicks? Okay, business. I only know 
what I've been told, but a lot more people are involved than Ripleys last 
time. Every day more people have been showing up wanting to ask questions. 
It's going to take some time, sorry. First it was the company, the Feds and 
the insurance people, then the military showed up. 
 They're mad as hell about the Colony, of course. Publicity like that, the 
colonisation program can do without. They're all going to be trying to pick 
holes in your stories. Remember, the tapes are only cover part of what 
transpired on Acheron." 
 "Thats encouraging. Well, I'm used to it", Ripley answered. 
 "Not many people have the privilege of attending two inquiries" Bill added, 
trying to lighten the mood. 
 "Thats one honour I could do without" 
 "Yes, well, just tell them what happened, keep your patience, and you'll do 
fine. Sorry I can't help you in there, but I'm on your side if that helps." 
 They were ushered in. 
 Well well, some things hadn't changed while they were away, she thought. Van 
Leuwen was still in charge of official executions. Well, he was out of luck 
this time. 
 "This court of inquiry, into the total loss of the main colony complex and 
an atmosphere processor on Acheron, is now in session", Van Leuwen began. 
 "Please note that Mr Burke was acting by himself and outside of his 
instructions when he issued company order Six Twelve Nine, which Ms Ripley 
brought to our attention. As Mr Burke is presumably deceased, his alleged 
actions will be the subject of internal investigation, which is not the scope 
of this court. Proceed." 
 "Alleged?", Ripley scoffed. 
 "What's he talking about?", Hicks whispered urgently. 
 "Burke sent the colonists to the alien ship that brought those bastards to 
Acheron, and he didn't even warn them first. I couldn't tell you then because 
your soldiers wouldn't have thought twice about bumping him off." 
 "Shit! He was responsible for that? Too right, I'd have made him a permanent 
fixture of the APC." 
 Yeah, and be up on a murder rap. No, Ripley was right. He'd have been worse 
off alive when the authorities got their hands on him. 
 
 An hour later they weren't so confident in the outcome. 
 "Mr Hicks, we have the following on tape; Your field commander ordering you 
to cease fire so he could hear the withdrawal order. Yet your soldiers 
ignored this order and continued Automatic weapons fire, in a confined space 
near an thermonuclear plant, soldiers from whom their ammunition was 
sequestered for safety reasons. It looks like flagrant disregard of orders 
and blind panic." 
 "With all due respect, Sir, you weren't there. Those things were camouflaged 
with the wall. They started coming out of the walls and killing my men." 
 "Are you offering an excuse for blind panic and ignoring orders that would 
have saved your mens lives?" 
 "Sir, thats not what happened." 
 "Thats what it looks like on the tapes. Tell us what they were doing, then." 
 "Trying to stay alive. Nobody tried to run, we were watching each others 
backs. We had never run into anything like this before. Those things were 
fast, totally silent and blended in perfectly until they moved. They didn't 
even show up on Infrared. We were taught that nothing living can hide itself 
from IR. If you turned your back on anything, it jumped on you. No matter 
what we did, we were being decimated. We ignored Lieutenant Gormans orders 
because if we had carried them out, none of us would have had any chance at 
all." 
 "So you admit to ignoring a superiors orders?" 
 "With good reason, yes." 
 "If you had obeyed his withdrawal order, 11 of your men might still be 
alive." 
 "The whole thing might have been avoided if he had followed Ripleys advice 
and withdrawn us the moment her story was validated, and returned our 
ammunition when we faced imminent attack. He did neither." 
 "Thats not the point." 
 "Then what is?" 
 "Corporal Hicks, the point is that wilful disobedience in battle costs 
lives. It cost lives on Acheron. Lieutenant Gormans orders appeared sound 
until he realised they weren't being obeyed." 
 "Apone was killed before he could organize a retreat, and we were cut off. 
Ripley can testify that Gorman froze when things came apart. Whatever way you 
look at it, he cost lives." 
 "Corporal, How do you know some of the casualties weren't caused by friendly 
fire? The area was filled with smoke, a dozen soldiers nearby, with two heavy 
weapons and miscellaneous smallarms firing, including an illegal sidearm. Can 
you honestly say nobody could have been hit by friendly or ricochet fire? 
 Hicks was impassive. 
 "Corporal Hicks." 
 "No, Sir." 
 "Thank you. Now, after withdrawal you and the other soldiers are on tape 
discussing solutions to the problem on hand. Promptly you agreed with Ripleys 
suggestion of nuking the colony. Presumably this would have been carried out 
had things not gone further wrong. There were perfectly reasonable 
alternatives on hand you could have considered. Withdrawing to await heavier 
weapons. Chemical attack. You could have consulted higher authority and had a 
reply in 2 days. Why did you decide to ignore all procedures at the spur of 
the moment?" 
 "We were the people on the spot. With biochemistry that weird, they might 
have snorted any chemicals we threw at them. They took us to pieces, the odds 
are the result would have would have been the same no matter what weapons we 
had. They weren't going to wait; god knows how far they could have gotten in 
a few days. I made a judgement call and decided to be SURE there wouldn't be 
a single one of those bastards for someone else to find. I felt the use of 
nuclear force was warranted." 
 "And thats another thing. Even if nuclear force was justified for the 
colony, Ripley, why did you take it upon yourself to drop a nuclear device on 
the alien ship? To start with, you're fully aware that mankind has never yet 
met another space travelling species. It would have been absolutely, utterly, 
invaluable to science. Properly trained and briefed people could have studied 
that ship. Secondly, nuclear weapons are expensive pieces of hardware 
requiring very high authority for their use. There are procedures in place to 
ensure their proper use. Did you think to discuss it with anyone first?" 
 "She did", Bishop piped up in her defence. "I thought her decision was 
entirely in line with what we'd seen and learned, otherwise I wouldn't have 
given her the launch codes." 
 "But the alien ship was a different matter. If any aliens were present 
there, they were in a dormant state, otherwise the colonists wouldn't have 
made it back to the colony. You seem to have a habit of taking expensive 
company property very lightly. Thank you, Ripley. I can assure you this WILL 
be taken into consideration when the panel decides on returning your 
license." 
 
 And on it went, all day and part way through the next. One niggling, 
irritating questioner after another trying to transform company liability 
into personal liability. 
 Just when Ripley felt near the point of exploding, Van Leuwen decided the 
inquiry wasn't going to advance any further, and sent them outside while they 
considered the verdict. 
 The whole thing was a sham, Ripley felt. She had a horrible feeling the 
company was going to try to paper over the facts. If they tried, she'd go 
straight to the media. That was, if there was a single independent source 
anywhere prepared to speak against the company and risk a lawsuit thrown 
their way to harass them into silence. 

 
 An hour later they were back. 
 "It is the judgement of this court that Corporal Dwayne Hicks has acted 
improperly and beyond his authority. Furthermore, that you failed in your 
duty to maintain the required level of military discipline, and in view of 
the seriousness of the outcome you are hereby reduced to the rank of Private 
and suspended until such time that you're considered fit for duty. 
 All relevant material to this case is sealed indefinitely, for the good of 
the public." 
 He stood through every agonizing moment, before calmly and deliberately 
turning on his heels and striding out without a word. Nobody called him back. 
 
 "Ellen Ripley, your conduct during this affair has been noted, and you will 
receive the boards decision on the return of your ICC license in due course." 
 And that was that. All neat and tidy. By the book. Legal. Final. No right of 
appeal. 
 
 In other words, keep your mouth shut, and there might yet be a future for 
you with us. Fuck you, she thought. She wasn't banking on false hopes. Not 
this time. 
 
 The dirty work done, the officials started packing to leave. 
 "Ripley, the memorial service for the Colonists and soldiers will be 
broadcast this afternoon, as soon as the relatives have been informed. You're 
invited to attend if you like", Van Leuwen added. 
 She waited until the last official had left before returning to her 
apartment. 

 
 Hicks returned to the Sulaco. The MP's on guard didn't challenge him for ID 
when he marched through the connecting airlock. They knew who he was and why 
he was there. 
 In 2 days the vessel was shipping out with a new crew. Unlikely he'd ever 
see it again. His last job here was clearing out his locker, then it didn't 
matter. He'd find a station apartment and a temporary job until he was 
reassigned or worse. 
 The bastards really knew how to twist stories around their chubby unworked 
corporate fingers. Company lies against his mens lives. The colonists lives. 
A few pieces of paper had thrown them all away without the slightest sign of 
human compassion. 
 Hicks went to the common exercise room to let off steam, starting on 
bringing himself back to peak condition while he was about it. Then he 
showered and dressed in off-duty attire before watching Newscasts on the 
control deck, whiling away the hours before he had to be off the vessel. 
 
 Ripley didn't really feel like it, but she hit the "on" stud on the TV to 
watch the memorial broadcast at about the same time as Hicks. 
 The Company president himself was delivering the edict. No wonder. This 
reflected directly on everything he and his predecessors had fought for. 
 "....The Colonists had no way of knowing there was a dormant alien virus on 
the planet. They came across it in the normal course of exploration, and all 
but one died as a result." 
 
 WHAT!!?! 
 
 Ripley stormed out and ran up the corridor, heading for the reception area. 
 
 The job done, The Company president was striding quickly down the corridor 
away from the Media. He despised coverage, more so actually being on Camera. 
Far better to pull the strings from above and give people other faces to see. 
 As always, he was escorted by his chubby little Lawyer. Today he also had 
his new Secretary, Vanessa, walking in step with him. She was the quickest 
learner he'd ever known; he was training her up personally for the job. 
Averaging a few steps behind, were his faithful executive hangers-on. 
 He was pleased with himself. He had a right to be, now that this unpleasant 
little affair was tidied up without a hitch. This way, anything that leaked 
could be ignored or written off as an unsubstantiated rumour, especially with 
every scrap of evidence locked securely inside the Company computers. 
 Nothing could be allowed to interfere with the special projects, that was 
where his backup clout was. He was fully prepared to use any means fair or 
foul to advance them, no matter what. 
 
 Directly ahead, the corridor took a right angle bend towards his office. An 
upset-looking woman had emerged from behind it, striding toward him. Nice 
looking Dame, he thought. Subtly he adjusted course to allow her to pass to 
one side. 
 Instead, she grabbed him by the collar and threw him against the wall. 
 "You Bastard! You think you can get away with murder like that?" she shouted 
at him before his executives pounced and dragged her clear. 
 "Who's this?", he contemptuously demanded while brushing the imagined grime 
off his suit. 
 Ripley got an arm free. The stinging, open handed slap crackled in the 
hallway. 
 There was a moment of stunned silence before his minders got a firmer hold 
and pulled her further away. 
 "She's the one from the Sulaco. Don't take action against her, it wouldn't 
look good", Roberts lawyer advised. 
 "And let the Bitch get away with that?" 
 "In court she could say anything relevant to the case in her defence. I 
can't advise strongly enough to let it slide." 
 Shit. For once he was in a fix. 
 
 "Let her go", he finally said. 
 
 Reluctantly they did so. Ripley shook free and strode off in the opposite 
direction. At least she'd made her feelings known, for what it was worth. 
 
 The President looked to Vanessa for support. It wasn't forthcoming. 
 "Don't look so surprised, you backed her into a corner with no exit and she 
fought back. It wasn't so unexpected." 
 "You're an associate, you're supposed to be on my side." 
 "Business, yes. That was personal, and I'm staying out of it. You've said 
many times I've got a mind of my own. Let me use it, will you?" 
 "Don't you ever get mad at anyone? It helps." 
 "Maybe it does. I wouldn't know." 
 Ouch. He hadn't expected Vanessa to sting like that. Her loyalty was 
unquestioned though; he'd let her have her way. She was an invaluable asset 
to his work. 
 Actually, while he was in the mood, there was another job to do... 
 
 Bishop was standing not far off. He'd observed this byplay in silence. One 
advantage of being an Android was, he could process sound input and as a 
result, hear far better than humans. 
 What he couldn't understand was; what did the presidents associates 
whispering amongst themselves mean by 'A bit of fluff on the side?' 
 
 The President watched Ripley calmly striding away without so much as an 
afterthought or a look back. 
 "I want that bitch", he said to nobody in particular. 
 "Maybe I can help you with that", Bill piped up. 
 "I'm listening, Bill." 
 "She's about to get her commercial flight license back." 
 "We'll see about that. People don't live on gateway unless they work here. 
What does she do?" 
 "She's in the cargo docks, running forklifts and stuff" 
 "She's fired." As an afterthought to the lawyer, "Is it safe?" 
 "Call it... 'Labor restructuring' or something and she can't prove 
anything." 
 
 Right, this had gone far enough, Hicks decided. The time for talk was over. 
 Engineers and welders were busily restoring the interior of the vessel. A 
new dropship had been installed. A senior officer and a few men were 
inspecting the Sulaco; their new home. 
 He ignored all of this and went straight to his locker. Bag. Open locker. 
Clothing, Souvenirs from a dozen worlds, a womans jewellery, exotic 
cigarettes and a lighter tumbled into the bag as they spilled out. 
 Four innocuous little packages remained. Plastic explosive. "For emergency 
use only", he muttered. He remembered Apones strict caution on the stuff. 
"Never, ever store it with detonators, or grenades. But always keep some in 
your emergency kit. It can't explode unless it's detonated. If you're lost 
and half frozen, throw some on a fire and it'll warm you up better than 
anything else. Strictly speaking, it's an offence to keep some, but use your 
heads about where you store your bit, and I'll overlook it." 
 Well, he was grateful for Apone bending the rules for his mens benefit. 
Apone always put his subordinates first. He had relied on them every bit as 
much as they relied on them. Time to repay the favor. 
 Hicks opened Hudsons locker. As expected, the Comtechs pigeonhole contained 
a minor arsenal of electronics. He was sure Hudson wouldn't have minded him 
taking some for what he had in mind. Scrupulously avoiding Hudsons personal 
effects, he sorted out what he needed. An electronic detonator and some det 
cord joined the plastique in his bag. At the last moment he added a selection 
of bugging devices and a few necessary tools and parts. 
 
 Ripley barely had a chance to return to her apartment when her console began 
beeping for attention. 
 "Hello?", she answered as she pressed the 'answer' stud. 
 The Dockside manager. Ah, a big freighter was in and they needed her help 
unloading. 
 "Hello Ripley... Ummm.. I'm afraid I have some very bad news for you", he 
said. 
 "Go on." 
 "I've been instructed that you are no longer working for us. I'm so sorry. 
It wasn't my choice, believe me. You're a good worker, you don't deserve..." 
 "WHO instructed you?" 
 "Some Company hotshot called Bill." 
 "Bill?" 
 "You know him? 
 "I thought I did... Look... don't worry, I know it wasn't your fault. I know 
they went over your head." 
 "Ripley... you deserve better than this." 
 "Don't we all? I hope we cross paths again, you're good to work for. All the 
best for you and your family, Stephen." 
 
 "Wheres Bills card? I'm gonna blister the bastards ears..", she began. 
 
 Again, the console beeped for attention. 
 "Ellen Ripley?", a security officer asked. 
 "Yes?" 
 "It's come to our notice that you are no longer employed on this station, 
and neither is your presence on this station required for flight duty. 
Therefore, we are compelled to order you to return to Earth within 48 hours. 
Do you have any questions?" 
 She disconnected without a word. 
 
 She wasn't needed here. That meant her contract was gone. The Company had 
won, it had taken her future. She had been naive to think she could make a 
dent in their plans, she saw that now. Justice in their eyes had nothing to 
do with protecting the innocent, it was about winning. But she'd tried. God, 
she'd tried. At least she had Newt. Although that was still far from final, 
they had each other for now. She could go peacefully on tonights shuttle, or 
she could wait a few days and make a scene when the security people turned 
up. No, she'd go tonight. She'd been manhandled enough, and she wasn't 
exposing Newt to that. And Dwayne? She'd contact him afterwards, it was 
better that way. It wasn't like she had nothing, she still had a perfectly 
acceptable set of skills for work on Earth. But not with an ICC-owned company 
or a subsidiary. Even if she wasn't blacklisted, she'd refuse on principle to 
have anything to do with them. 
 The door beeped for attention. Fuck off. A second time. Again, she ignored 
it. 
 "Ellen, It's Dwayne. Are you in there?" 
 Ripley pounced on the door, and literally dragged him through the doorway. 
He fell into her arms, dropping the laden bag at her feet as she pulled the 
door shut behind them. 
 "I know", he said. "I know what they did. To you, to me. And the bastards 
are getting away with everything." 
 "This was only ever meant to be a short term job, but it's all I had. Now 
it's gone. Everything I've worked for is gone." Ripley looked like she wanted 
to cry. 
 Hicks pulled back. "No! Don't let them have the privilege. Consider their 
hatred to be a badge of honour." 
 Despite herself, Ripley smiled. 
 "Do you always know what to say to make someone feel good?" 
 "No, I fake it most of the time. A soldier has to look like he's got 
everything covered. To look cool, you understand." 
 
 In his arms she felt warm, comfortable and wanted. This was the closest she 
had gotten to him. On Acheron she had felt his warm body against her as he 
instructed her in the use of a pulse-rifle. Then, it had been innocent and 
purely necessary, and she remembered mentally struggling to not edge closer 
to him. Now, it was shared and personal. 
 Silence. Their eyes met. Neither looked away. 
 Hicks felt a sudden twinge of guilt, thinking he was getting a little 
familiar, and pulled back a few inches. 
 Not this time, she was having none of it. "No... hold me, please", Ripley 
pleaded. 
 Relieved that the feeling was mutual, he pulled close again. 
 "Is it true, a soldier has a girlfriend at every port?", she asked. 
 "I've had my share. I won't try to hide the fact." 
 "You're honest too. I like that. Hicks..." 
 He knew what was next. 
 "Yes?" 
 "Make love to me." 
 "You're sure?" 
 "I need it, right now." 
 With one swift movement he scooped her up into his arms. Hicks was grateful 
for the years of physical training that helped him to easily carry Ripley's 
unresisting form over to the bed. 
 "I take that to mean 'yes'?" 
 "How long have we got?", Hicks replied. 
 Ripley glanced at the wall clock. "3 hours before Newt comes back." 
 "Good. I want to take my time and make you feel good. Okay?" 
 "Yes, oh, yessss....", Ripley begged. 
 She lifted her butt off the bed while he pulled her trousers off, then undid 
her shirt from the bottom up. He could plainly see a few dark hairs poking 
out of Ripleys skimpy white underwear, and barely restrained himself from 
slipping a finger underneath immediately. Her firm proud breasts with big 
dark Areolae were visibly aching for attention as he released them from 
hiding. 
 "Close your eyes, Love. Just lie back and relax", Hicks asked. 
 He found what he was looking for, a spare sheet. He swept it over her 
near-naked body, covering her from neck to toe. Then slowly, ever so slowly, 
he pulled it down her body whilst holding it low to maintain body contact. He 
repeated this two more times. As expected, by the third time she was visibly 
relaxed. Another few more times and she'd likely nod off. 
 "Where did you learn that? It's wonderful", she murmured. 
 "A former girlfriend taught me that. It really works, doesn't it?", he 
answered, as he started massaging his was up her leg. Ripley know what was 
coming as his soothing hands closed on her crotch, and she spread her legs 
slightly to allow access. 
 The higher he got, the warmer her flesh became. Yes, there was no doubt 
about it now, he could see a faint but distinct moistness on her panties as 
he homed toward them. Finally Ripley felt a finger ease under the band, and 
groaned loudly when the finger reached her crack and started moving up and 
down. 
 Hicks responded by lifting a leg further out of the way and bending down for 
a closer look. He lifted the band of her panties to one side, away from her 
moist crack, before planting a kiss on the inner lips. 
 "I liked the tongue... more, please?" 
 Ripley put her legs together so Hicks could pull her undies down and off 
using the fingers inside them, then spread her legs wide again for their 
mutual pleasure. The hardon in his pants was almost painful now, and it took 
some ignoring as he set to work pleasuring Ripley. 
 The luxurious, untrimmed Black pubic hair was a delight to explore. He 
pulled the hair aside and parted the outer lips. Wet, willing, pinkness was 
exposed as he did so. He kissed her thighs, and started kissing his way 
closer and closer to where she wanted his tongue. She thought she would 
scream when he got there; miraculously she didn't when she felt the first 
flick of his tongue on her shiny, wet, erect clitoris. 
 He knew she wouldn't last long with his oral expertise; the fun lay in 
prolonging the delightful torture and bringing her off as loudly as he could. 
Around and around, up and down her wide, wet slit went his tongue. He would 
slowly roll her clitoris around before lashing it momentarily, then easing 
off to orally explore the rest of her cunt. He dipped the tip into her vagina 
and pushed it in as far in as it would go. The effort was rewarded by the 
sweet, salty taste of her upwelling lubrication. A finger went to the 
entrance of her cunt and swirled its way inside, deeper and deeper until it 
was in to the hilt. 
 While probing around inside, he planted his mouth over as much of her slit 
as possible and sucked hard while licking the ever so exposed clitoris. 
 Oh, Fuck that felt good! Determined to make sure their lovemaking didn't end 
for any reason, Ripley wrapped her legs around his neck and rested her feet 
on his back. There, you're trapped now, Hicks. Now eat me.. eat me... eat me 
all night long... Her former husband had called her a mantrap on several 
occasions before things went sour. He'd meant it several ways. 
 A second finger joined the first in probing and plumbing her insides. Oh 
Jeez, how long had it been since she'd had a cock for herself? Two years? 
Three? Long Dormant feelings exploded inside Ripley and she mentally begged 
him for more and more of what he was doing. 
 Little by little he was spending more time concentrating on her clit. The 
fingers inside her cunt withdrew, bringing with them a thin stream of 
lubricant and juice that dribbled obscenely down between her outstretched 
legs, before he massaged all around her cunt, finding and warming all the 
sensitive parts she liked to touch on the rare occasions these days when she 
was alone and in the mood. 
 One of the few things she'd always been consistent about was her personal 
hygiene, even after the Nostromo flight when she had far more pressing 
concerns. She was glad for that now; Hicks was plainly enjoying himself as he 
toyed with her private parts. 
 There were only two parts he wasn't touching that she wanted him to touch, 
but both his hands were busy elsewhere. Her Breasts. She circled her nipples 
and Areolae with her fingers until they went erect. Hicks winked at her as 
she watched him nodding his head to keep up the pleasure-giving while resting 
his tongue. 
 He took hold of her left leg and pulled it off him so he could quickly 
change position, this time coming at her slit from the side. He planted his 
mouth over as much of the slit as possible and sucked... Hard. Ripley 
groaned, louder than last time. While maintaining the regular suction he 
lashed the full length of her cunt over and over before settling on working 
her clitoris to bring her off. 
 She took hold of the back of his head and pushed it closer to her crack. 
Harder lover, harder. More... more... she mentally pleaded as he gave her 
cunt a tongue bath. He reponded by lashing her clitoris with his tongue 
nonstop until he slowed from tiredness. He obviously enjoys this, Ripley 
thought. Well, it's YOUR turn next, just as soon as you bring me off. 
 Now she was approaching the brink and he knew it. He saw the increase in 
lubricant in her cunt and felt the slight tremors in her body, the harbingers 
of orgasm. She might turn nasty if he tried prolonging her pleasure much 
further, so he frantically licked her clit nonstop. 
 Suddenly her legs closed around his head as she groaned loudly. He didn't 
stop, but kept on licking, riding her until the pleasure turned to 
discomfort. Finally Ripley subsided and relaxed, allowing him to escape. 
 "You'll have to give me a minute to rest, Hicks. Massage me until then, 
could you?" 
 "Sure." 
 Hicks helped turn Ripley onto her stomach and began massaging her sweat 
streaked body, starting with her shoulders and working over her back. 
 "Are you going to stick with the army, now they've taken you down?", she 
asked. 
 "It's the only thing I ever wanted to do. I'm suspended as you know, so I'll 
look for a place to stay until they figure out what to do with me." 
 "You've found one." 
 "Pardon?" 
 "They've ordered me off the station as you know. We're leaving tonight." 
 "That soon?" 
 "The sooner I'm away from them, the better. Tell me about Army life, could 
you? I was tempted to join, years ago." 
 "Well, it's not that glamorous. Theres little in the way of actual fighting. 
We're odd-job people, mostly. Our usual job is killing whatever bugs are 
giving some dumb colonists a hard time. A few times we've been sent in to 
back up the local police in disputes. Half the time it's just locals trying 
to get independence from the company. We don't know who's in the right then, 
but we do our job anyway." 
 By now his soothing hands had reached her bottom. Ohh... Ripley liked that. 
She felt herself getting randy again, and turned over for more action. She 
pulled down his zipper and exposed his manhood. With both hands she started 
fondling his cock and balls. 
 "He's getting harder... he's getting harder... he's getting harder...", she 
began, smiling broadly. 
 The sudden warm wetness around his cock took Hicks by surprise, as Ripley 
undid his shoelaces with a free hand and flicked them and his trousers off. 
Rhythmically she fondled his balls while sucking and going up and down on his 
cock. 
 "For a woman nearing a hundred, you're good at what you're doing", he joked. 
 Ripley stopped and looked at him. "Dwayne, I have some VERY sensitive parts 
in my hands. You DO want to keep them, don't you?" 
 Presently she returned to fellating Hicks. Mmmmmm... He had MONTHS worth of 
cum filling his balls... If she kept up what she was doing, she was going to 
find out all about it. Ripley was now sucking, moving her mouth up and down 
the length and jerking him off all at the same time. He spread his legs 
further to allow better access to his balls for her free hand. She 
immediately obliged. 
 It wasn't long before she started recognizing the signs he was close, and 
stopped. 
 "Do you want me to continue and happily accept a faceful or a mouthful, or 
are you going to be a gentleman and fill me with that cock of yours?" 
 "Are you protected?" 
 "Yes, come on. I want you inside me." 
 "How do you want it?" 
 "I want to ride you. Lie back" 
 Ripley climbed up on top, while Hicks began teasing her nipples. "Yes, keep 
doing that", she murmured as she slowly lowered herself onto his cock. 
 For the first time in over two years Ripley felt a solid, warm erection 
spreading her wings and sliding inside. She started fucking it in and out, 
forcing more and more cock inside herself until she felt his pubic hairs 
brushing against hers. 
 "Now you're all mine, Corporal. God knows I've wanted this for so long, and 
now I'm getting it", she said as she began moving. Mentally she was shouting 
out to Bill and the Company president... Fuck you! You can't stop me doing 
what I want. Take your stinking job and SHOVE IT! THIS is life, this is what 
it's all about. You don't know anything about it, all you know is your 
pathetic greed. Any women you get are screwing you for your money, not 
because they WANT IT. 
 Take THIS, she shouted out loud in her mind, exorcising her anger as she 
impaled herself on Hicks cock again and again. Lust distorted her smooth face 
as she got into a regular rhythm with Hicks, bouncing up and down while he 
supported her heaving, trembling breasts in his hot hands. The only sounds in 
the room were the regular slapping of her thighs against his, their combined 
heavy breathing, and the faint, slick, sliding sound of two bodies in heat, 
united in wanton desire and lust. She felt the hard length slipping and 
sliding inside her and knew the sheets were going to be wet with their juices 
before they were finished. The resulting stain would be her going away 
present to remind Hicks of this afternoon. 
 She reached behind herself to fondle his balls to help bring him off inside 
her. Hicks was getting close now, and he desperately wanted to make her come 
with him inside. He spotted just the thing he needed. 
 "Oh Jeez thats good... Can I do something?", he asked. 
 "Do whatever you like, but I'm getting tired. If you don't come soon you'll 
have to take over." 
 "Come on. Bend down and hold me, and wrap your legs around me." 
 Intrigued, Ripley did so. She hugged him while he swayed to one side then 
the other so she could wrap her legs around his hips. 
 "Okay, hang on. I'm taking you across the room." 
 "What for?", she asked. 
 "You'll like it. Trust me." 
 "Trust you? I hardly know you!", she cheekily replied. 
 With a mighty effort he managed to push his way upright then stand up, his 
cock still deeply embedded in her. Holding her to him with one hand, he 
grabbed a sheet off the bed and covered Ripleys back with it before walking 
over to the Hammock he'd spotted. He pulled the hammock open before laying 
her sideways across it, then put her legs over his shoulders to complete what 
he had in mind. 
 "Comfortable? We can go for hours like this without getting tired", he said 
as he resumed fucking her. This time the only contact between them was her 
legs and his cock. He was standing upright on the floor. Each time his cock 
pounded into her, her thighs met his and they bounced apart. Gravity brought 
them back together of course, and he only had to move forward to increase 
their fucking speed. Ripley only had to lie back on the Hammock and enjoy the 
ride. 
 "Shit. I never thought of this. God, it's nice though", she commented. 
 He responded by putting his right hand down to where they were united and 
started playing with her Clitoris. She liked that. A little later, she was 
trembling, eyes closed, totally engrossed in the pleasure she was receiving. 
 Lets try something else, he thought. He paused his movement, and put his 
left forefinger next to his cock, then slowly slid it into her cunt alongside 
his cock. 
 That woke her up. 
 "What the hell is that?", she asked out loud when she felt her cunt being 
stretched wider than any of the few cocks she'd ever known 
 Oh... she realised when she saw both of his hands at work on her cunt at 
once, while his cock was just visible as it slid in and out. She could see 
and feel his balls slapping against her thighs. At once she was surprised and 
turned on more than ever by the sexy sight. That in turn ignited the flame in 
her cunt again. 
 "Oh, fuck! Don't you DARE stop now. Fuck am I gonna come, Hicks." Then she 
started groaning from pleasure, and she hadn't even come yet. 
 Moments later she saw Hicks jaw drop open and his head tilt back as he 
started cumming inside her. He went crazy, slamming his cock harder and 
harder into her as he came. Ripley actually felt the sudden warm splash as 
the long-stored semen emptied into her. That sent her over the edge, and she 
cried out as another and yet another spurt coated her insides. Her muscles 
contracted around his cock, and that sent him high again just as his orgasm 
started to end. 
 Shivering and crying out in shared pleasure, Hicks finally slumped into her 
arms. 
 "Lie on me, please... Just don't try to climb in as well or we'll tip off", 
Ripley gasped. Slowly they calmed down and cooled off together. 
 "Well Dwayne, I'm sorry but you've failed your physical. You're going to 
have to start again from scratch", she cheekily said. 
 Hicks grinned. "I would, but you've worn me out. Give me a break first and 
we will." 
 
 They transferred again to her bed so Ripley could massage Hicks back while 
they talked about their respective plans for the future. The next hour was 
spent talking, drinking, embracing and kissing in bed. 
 A good half hour before Newt was due back Hicks showered and dressed before 
leaving so he could make a more discreet entrance later in the evening when 
Newt was around, to stay the night in the hammock. 
 
 When he was gone Ripley tidied the place up a little and folded the sweat, 
female juice, and semen-stained sheet out of sight. 
 
 Ripley booked by vidphone two seats on tonights U.S return flight and hunted 
out the Catbox for Jonesy, before packing her meagre possessions into two 
cases. 
 She'd just finished when Newt returned from the friends place she'd been at 
during the days of the Court martial cum inquiry cum execution. Immediately 
the 11 year olds nose turned up. 
 
 "Mommy, whats the smell?" 
 
 What smell? Oh... the previous frantic lovemaking was still discernible in 
the air. Oops. Maybe someday I'll tell you about it, Newt. 
 
 "Oh, nothing, Newt. I've been working and packing. We're booked on a flight 
down to Earth tonight." 
 Newt was ecstatic at the news, as she expected. She'd save the full 
explanation for their departure for when they were on Earth soil again. 
 
 As planned, shortly afterwards Hicks turned up again, his possessions in 
hand. After a good-sized meal (her last of artificial food, hopefully) Newt 
and Ripley slept together fitfully on the bed while Hicks had the hammock, 
until the alarm went off an hour before their departure time. 
 She cleaned the scratches Jonesy left on Hicks's arm before the feisty 
feline was safely confined in his box, then probably for the last time, 
Ripley and Hicks cuddled and held each other when the time came to leave. 
 
 Bill was waiting by the airlock. What? Oh, good. Get ready for an earful, 
you Bastard. Sleep was evident on his face. This obviously wasn't a courtesy 
call. Well, she'd repay the favour in kind. 
 
 "I'm here to see you off, and thats all. Don't expect any sympathy. You 
brought this on yourself, Ripley." 
 
 "Newt, go ahead. You'll only have to show your ID to get in. Try and grab a 
pair of window seats. I'll join you in a minute." 
 
 "Okay." 
 
 When Newt was out of earshot, Ripley slowly turned her attention towards 
Bill. 
 "You know, I'm really too tired to be bothered, but I know what you did. 
Your boss is a murderer and you're an accessory to the fact. He's the kind of 
guy who'd eat his own children if he was starving, and if you weren't busy 
wiping the shit off his chin all day long, you'd see what you're a part 
of..." 
 "Now you hold it RIGHT THERE, Ripley!!" 
 "SHUT UP! I haven't finished yet.  I handed Burke, your predecessor on 
Acheron, a grenade down in the tunnels. He begged me for it when he felt the 
alien growing inside him. If he'd gotten his precious specimens back, you 
wouldn't have had it that easy when someone made a mistake and it got loose, 
and sooner or later it would have. 
 You're nothing but a PARASITE, and you bet your arse your boss knows it. 
Someday he'll get bored with you and flick you off just as easily, and you'll 
be left with nothing except your high and mighty clothes. He's probably got a 
speech all prepared for the occasion." 
 Ripley lifted the shoulders of his suit with her fingertips to demonstrate 
the point, before continuing. 
 "The people you've spat on will walk all over you, and you'll end up just 
another nobody. And I'll be the first in line to wipe my shoes on you." 
 Bills face had slowly turned livid, and now he rounded on her. 
 "You underestimate him. He looks after his protege's. You'll never get 
anywhere, you never see the opportunities in front of you and you never go 
with the flow. If you'd done that you'd have been sitting pretty. You think 
you're someone special? You were never anything except a tool working for us 
as long as you were useful. You and you alone brought this on yourself. 
Now... GET OUT of here!" 
 "Wrong. He's on a power trip, and theres no better way to show it than 
throwing someone away. Think about that, when it happens to you." 
 "I think you'd better leave." 
 "You're right for once. Goodbye." 
 
 The airlock between Gateway and the Shuttle closed behind Ripley and Newt, 
probably for the last time. Not that she cared much any more for station 
life. It was all very well to circle the earth a dozen times a day, but she 
longed for soil under her feet. 
 The shuttle capacity was fifty, but barely 10 were watching the countdown to 
de-orbit, sleeping, or watching the view. 
 With little more than the standard request to buckle in, the shuttle gently 
parted company with Gateway and drifted away. 
 "We decelerate in 10 minutes and reenter the atmosphere in an hour. Drinks 
and Meals will be available at the landing site. Please remain strapped in 
your seats and follow the zero-gee regulations displayed on the screen in 
front of you. Have a nice trip", the pilot announced. 
 
 Newts stomach jumped when she experienced zero-g for the first time, but 
that soon passed. Most of the passengers around them were nodding off. After 
all, it was nearly 2am now. Neither resisted the drowsiness brought on by 
zero-gee. 
 
 Ripley was regaining her appetite after the events of the last few hours. 
Food.. yes. food. No matter how much recycling the station fare received, she 
could still tell it from the real thing. After so many months her taste 
glands were in for a delightful surprise. 
 And there it was. Hot Corn on the cob covered with real butter, sliced Ham, 
home grown potatoes and vegetables, spoonfuls of meat. Yummy! She didn't wait 
to savour the aroma but got stuck in, wolfing down huge mouthfuls. The juicy 
stuff going down her throat filled an appetite she'd almost forgotten. 
 
 "Hey Ripley, save some for us!" Parker said as his hand whipped the meal 
away. 
 Indignant, Ripley was about to deliver Parker an earful when she realised 
where she was. The Nostromo's mess. She looked up. Dallas, Lambert, Brett, 
Parker, Kane and Ash were regarding her angrily. 
 "Sorry", she said, embarrassed at what she'd done. 
 "You could have waited for us, instead of skiving off from work", Dallas 
grumbled. 
 "Never there when theres work to do", Parker muttered. 
 Slowly the atmosphere relaxed and became convivial again. Long gone 
conversations were resumed. Parker and Brett haggling over the bonus 
situation with Dallas, threatening to go to higher authority. Lambert was 
stoically silent; she never had much to say. 
 Like most of the others, she was on a work contract taking her far from the 
pressures of Earth. Scant years before, she'd met her dream man at the 
University party. Months later they married, far too young, she realised that 
now. Promptly she became pregnant with Amy, and that was when the trouble 
began. They started arguing over the most trivial things, and they suffered 
each other for ten long years before finally, bitterly, separating. Amy was 
so upset she didn't want to stay with either parent. Out of respect for her 
and to give things a rest and a little distance, she accepted the contract. 
 She easily fitted into the crew, they had a lot in common. The only taboo 
subject of discussion was their backgrounds. They all showed in little ways a 
wish to leave their respective pasts alone for awhile; like addressing 
themselves by their sirname and not the given name. First names reminded them 
of pasts best forgotten. 
 
 Then she noticed that Ash kept glancing toward Kane, as if he was expecting 
something. 
 Suddenly she knew what was coming. 
 Her scream echoed through the mess as she jumped up and tried to run. But 
her legs wouldn't move. Behind her, Kane's sudden agonized choking only 
confirmed what she already knew. 
 "Now whats wrong, Ripley?", Dallas asked. 
 "Damned emotional woman. How did she get stuck with us?" Parker sneered. 
 "GET OUT! Get to the lifeboat, before it kills you all!" 
 The mocking laughter failed to dim Kanes screams. 
 Finally she cleared the mess-room door. She just couldn't get her legs to 
move, they were like lead. She wanted to cry, but foremost in her mind was 
the lifeboat, she had to get off the ship before it was too late. 
 "What the hell? Oh, jesus!" Someone finally noticed Kanes condition. 
 The sudden inhuman screaming from the mess overtook her, punishing her for 
trying to escape. Kane fell out the door into her line of sight as she looked 
back, clutching his chest as the ugly red stain spread out from his sternum, 
accompanied by the sounds of flesh tearing and bone popping as the 
abomination within fought to escape and chase her. 
 The gravity and light level in the corridor began to increase, as the sudden 
pressure across her chest and the unendurable pain began. The Alien within 
pushed past his agonized, clutching fingers as he fell forward. The bloodied, 
gray snakelike thing that emerged from the ragged hole in his sternum 
immediately caught sight of her and started wriggling towards her... 
 
 Ripley awoke with a rush, to the darkened but familiar interior of the 
shuttle. Newts arm was across her chest, as the little girl huddled sideways 
within her seat restraints for warmth. Outside, a bright orange glow was 
spreading back from the base of the shuttle as it hurtled through the 
atmosphere on its re-entry path. 
 
  --------------- 
 
 Ripley and Newt moved into a San Francisco apartment block within hours of 
landing on Earth. The next day Newt was booked into school while Ripley went 
job hunting. With her skills she quickly landed herself with another sinecure 
loading job. As with the station dockside job, her first impression was that 
her boss and co-workers were surprised at a woman driving loaders and 
forklifts, but their standoffish attitude shortly vanished when she proved 
herself capable and a quick learner. 
 
 Several weeks afterwards things were becoming more settled. Ripley had 
nearly forgotten her uprooting from the station whilst establishing herself 
again. She couldn't do anything about that - and the people who could, 
obviously wouldn't - so she tried not to so much as let it cross her mind. 
Ripleys father unknowingly summed it up neatly for her years before he died. 
"Ellen, if you don't get rid of your past, you die a little each day." 
 Ripley had gone through the full range of emotions and changed beyond 
measure in the last few years. The naive divorcee had changed into a strong 
willed woman. With that bitter knowledge also came the wisdom to keep her 
heart and mind open for what lay ahead. 
 There was a future here, she just had to find it. And someday she'd peel 
back the layers of toughness in one of the hombres she worked with 
sufficiently to marry him. She was alive and kicking despite the Company's 
best efforts; surely that counted for something in the scheme of things. For 
now, there was work and finding her own little niche in society. Her time 
would come again. 
 
 Newt seemed to be settling in without a fuss and coming to terms with losing 
her family, in her own way. The shell she'd retreated into on Acheron was 
still there if you looked at her the right way, but that would fade in time. 
She seemed a box of birds about school and never grizzled in the slightest, 
so the vidphone call took her by surprise one evening. 
 "Ms Ripley?" 
 "Speaking." 
 "Hello, I'm Miss Lindsay. I'm the guidance counsellor at Rebeccas school. 
How are you?" 
 "Fine, thank you. Hows Newt... Rebecca settling in?" 
 "Good, very well, in fact. I'm calling to ask for your advice. No, she's not 
in trouble." 
 "Go ahead." 
 "Well, She's a fine, very mature girl for her age and she expresses herself 
herself well, considering, but she seems reluctant to mix or socialize with 
people. One girl has been trying very hard to be friends with Rebecca, but 
she keeps distancing herself. 
 I have her background on record of course, but my feeling is that her 
behaviour is more consistent with guilt than loss. 
 Is there something I should know, so I can talk to her about it?" 
 Ripley thought this over for a minute. 
 "Hmmm, Maybe I should give it a try first. She's never talked much about 
Acheron, even to me. I was letting her come around to it in her own time, but 
I'll give it a try when she comes home." 
 Miss Lindsay looked thoughtful, then agreed. 
 When Newt arrived home, Ripley sat her down for a chat, and mentioned that 
people were concerned for her. 
 "I realize you don't want to talk about what happened on Acheron, but I 
think maybe you should let it out of your system." 
 "I don't know if I can..." 
 "You don't have to if you don't want to, Newt. I'm not going to force you." 
 Newt looked up from the floor, into Ripleys eyes. 
 
 Slowly, Grudgingly, she began recalling her story. 
 
 The colony of Acheron was definitely in the long-term investment category as 
far as the ICC company was concerned. From the outside the little planetoid 
was little more than a barren air-blasted, slightly oblate rock. Underneath 
was what made their heroic efforts to colonize this remote dirtball 
worthwhile. The initial robot survey craft discovered its surface gravity 
was a surprisingly high 86 percent that of Earth. Radar mapping of the 
permanently enshrouded surface revealed the distinctive patterns of fault 
scarping, indicative of a planet comprised almost entirely of metal. As it 
cooled during its early days it shrunk, and the outer layers of rock fell in 
to produce the observed faults. Barely a kilometer down in places was a 
valuable admixture of Iron, titanium and other metals. Between the Metal and 
rock was a layer of Coal, formed from Carbon baked out in the planetoids 
chaotic early days. That meant petrochemicals. 
 The planetoid was one huge potential mine in the Company's eyes. 
 That would never be the concern of the present Colony management, however. 
They wouldn't see this world opened up for mining. Their job was to make it 
livable and direct the resources poured onto this unpalatable little hole. 
Some fifteen years hence according to the climatologists, the reflective 
clouds would break to allow heat and sunlight from the unseen sun to reach 
the surface directly. Within months the Colony, situated near the planetary 
equator, would be luxuriating in a semitropical climate. The screaming winds 
would always be present as a result of Acherons unusually rapid rotation, but 
everyone was looking forward to that day. Until then they had to make do with 
liquid sunshine. 
 Simpson and Lydecker were the Operations manager and assistant respectively. 
Simpson was respected by everyone for always putting in a good days slog. It 
showed in his perpetually sweat stained clothes. Lydecker cheerfully accepted 
the paperwork Simpson delegated his way but looked no less harried for it. 
 The 157 Colonists they currently looked after had been carefully selected by 
personality and background to ensure the lowest possible level of personal 
conflict. Everyone was totally dedicated to family first, career second. 
Simpson and Lydeckers hardest job was ensuring their people always saw their 
efforts and sacrifices as worthwhile. Disenchantment in a locale this 
isolated would be simply disastrous. 
 There were no soft bodies here - even the Children looked tough. But neither 
was there room for bullies; cooperation was the foremost thing on everyones 
agenda. 
 Simpson was ex-army, and remembered with amusement the uniquely personal way 
this lesson was hammered home during training - in the process watching the 
"tough guys" coming down one step or twenty. In fact some of them fell down 
so bad it was really sad to see something like that. Some could take it and 
were trying to re-establish their image after a while - unsuccessfully, 
causing only more trouble for the rest of the men. Some made that with 
purpose to get sent home and they were. 
 Cooperation was number one then, as it was now. If someone quarreled, the 
whole platoon, group, whatsoever in question was punished in a nasty way, 
like: "Because of this noise you have made, the enemy has spotted us. Now we 
need move to our secondary position, which is.... 15 km from here. We also 
need double the guards for the next two days in case the enemy sends 
reconnaissance patrols after us. We have only 5 minutes time to collect our 
stuff and be underway. ACTIOOON!" As a result, the men were in a triple hurry 
throughout the rest of the exercise because of the wasted time. So, the rest 
of the men REALLY thanked the one who caused that. The group leaders made 
sure the "guilty" was not the one who slept first... 
 Very few cracked physically, if so, they got right out and into a bed. All 
of the incidents he saw were mental, the tough guys just couldn't live with 
the idea they have to a) obey b) be where they would not like to and c) were 
not able to affect the situation in any way. They couldn't live with the idea 
they weren't free any more and that there were others to consider, not just 
themselves. When they were exhausted physically, it only made the situation 
worse. It wasn't the physical, but the mental strength, that mattered then. 
The 'tough guys' invariably lacked the latter - was that why they have to 
play such a hard play, he wondered. 
 
 Newt was a dashing little blond ball of life. She and her friends weren't 
old enough to take more than a cursory role in the colony, but efforts were 
always made that they be included in activities and odd jobs so they would 
learn early the meaning of responsibility. Her parents, Russ and Anne Jorden, 
were a Geologist and Biochemist, respectively. 
 Most of the kids spare time was spent exploring the ventilation ducts and 
learning the way from one part of the colony to another, undetected. They 
would listen eagerly to the latest discoveries in the "monster maze" and dash 
off to see for themselves the newest area found. Newt, easily the smallest 
among them, squeezed into subpassages none else could and repeatedly beat her 
friends in races to get somewhere. Some responded by claiming she cheated and 
shouldn't be allowed to join in the game. 
 One day she was exploring a subpassage near a well-travelled part of the 
ventilation system. She shinnied up a sudden steep slope which ended at yet 
another grille. Darkness was visible beyond. Well, there were ways around 
this problem, and shortly she popped it loose and pulled it in before peering 
out to see where she was. Yes! She knew this area well, it was a deadend 
passage she liked to hide in during games of hide and seek. The kids had 
noticed the grille above them in the dim light but not having the means to 
reach it they'd all but forgotten it. 
 Newt heard voices coming her way and decided to be quiet. This little 
discovery she'd file away inside her head; it was unlikely anyone else could 
use it anyway. 
 A boy and girl shortly appeared around the corner. The angle and the dim 
light made it difficult to identify them. They seemed older than herself but 
not by much, 12 or 13 years old she guessed. Newt noticed they seemed anxious 
not to be seen or heard, and were constantly listening for signs of anyone 
else. They relaxed and the Girl reached for the Boy. Moments later they were 
kissing, while above them Newt struggled to keep from giggling. Newts heart 
jumped when he reached up to fondle her small pert breasts. Instead of 
violently objecting as Newt expected, she sighed and reached for the bulge in 
his pants. 
 The thought went through Newts mind, she shouldn't be watching, it was 
wrong, what they were doing was wrong, but she was frozen by a mixture of 
fear and excitement. She saw the Boy undo the top button on the Girls 
trousers and push his hand down her pants. Surely she would object now, and 
tell him to stop? Newt watched as he pushed his hand further into her pants 
until he must surely be able to touch her THERE. The Girl sighed and spread 
her legs to let him do what she'd been taught never to let anyone do. But if 
it was so wrong, why did it look so good? The Girl seemed to be really 
enjoying herself. Newt could plainly see his hand moving around in her 
trousers. With a quick movement she pulled her pants and underwear partway 
down, exposing his hand plumbing her hairy parts. 
 Constantly listening out, she pulled his pants down also before they 
kneeled, legs part, to continue exploring each others forbidden parts. The 
few times Newt had glimpsed a boy without clothes on, she'd been repelled by 
the wrongness of what she'd seen. This was strange and wonderful and 
different. The hardness and sudden length of the boys cock took her by 
surprise. The girl didn't hesitate and immediately began stroking it up and 
down, only a few meters from Newt. 
 Newt noticed he was holding a finger out and pushing it slowly in and out 
between the girls legs. She could see the tension in their movements 
increasing; there was no doubting they were engrossed in pleasure now. 
Watching the secret goings on below, there was a strange tingling excitement 
in the lower half of her body, but Newt didn't dare investigate in case they 
heard the movement. 
 Suddenly he lay back on the metal floor and put his head and both hands 
between the girls legs. Newt glimpsed his face long enough this time to 
recognize him. She could see his face right up against her private parts, and 
knew he had to be having a good look. And the girl didn't mind in the least. 
Rather, she slumped a bit more to move closer to him and started moaning 
softly. Moments later her head tilted back almost far enough to look directly 
at Newt and she groaned quietly. 
 Newt felt uncomfortable now. What was he doing that hurt her so much, and 
why was she letting him do it? The misconception was shattered by the girls 
whispering that she'd "come". He got up from under her and they kissed 
passionately again. If he'd hurt her, she sure as hell wouldn't be doing that 
to him. That left one option. They'd done something that felt good. Real 
good. But what was it? She'd overheard that expression in hurried whispered 
conversations between older boys that stopped before any girl got too close, 
but she'd assumed it was just idle, boring boy talk about nothing in 
particular. Now she knew it must mean something else. 
 Newt could see his hard penis throbbing as the girl took it in one hand and 
his balls in the other and began stroking him again. He took on the same 
expression of expectant pleasure she had. She started moving her hands faster 
and faster over his private parts. Newt could hardly breathe, she was so 
excited at the sight. Suddenly there was liquid in the girls hands and he was 
moaning and tilting his head back as she had done. She didn't stop until he 
relaxed, then she wiped her hands on a handkerchief. Newts impression was 
that he had peed into her hands, but she couldn't smell anything except a 
faint sweaty odor. 
 Quickly they tidied themselves then disappeared around the corner, the sound 
of their movement quickly fading away and leaving Newt alone in the cold 
tunnel. She backed out the way she'd come and quickly returned to the main 
corridor. 
 
 At dinner that evening, Newt was subdued, deep in thought. She jumped when 
her Father spoke to her. Her Mother asked if something was wrong when she put 
her to bed later on. 
 With the lights out, Newts mind was still alive. She couldn't sleep after 
what she'd seen. Again and again she recalled every moment of the furtive 
encounter she'd witnessed. Surely just touching each other 'down there' 
couldn't feel as good as it seemed. Even the forbiddeness of the whole thing 
couldn't be that good, if she was in the same position she thought she might 
feel excited but that was all. 
 Idly she put her hand down across her unformed hips and between her legs. 
Newt was just starting to sprout a few pubic hairs, and the change made her 
uncomfortable. Before then she'd been unafraid to walk around naked in her 
bedroom or the bathroom, even when her brother Timmy walked in once - and 
straight out again when he saw his Sisters nakedness, which she thought 
strange as she didn't see anything to be ashamed of. Even her chest was 
changing, the buds were starting to swell and change shape, and all she 
wanted to do now was cover up. 
 Cautiously, Newts fingers slipped between her legs, brushing past the few 
hairs until she encountered the tight lipped slit. It felt kind of naughty, 
touching herself down there, and she was content at first to rub her hand 
around. Before long she decided to explore herself better, and pushed a 
finger into the gap between the lips. An odd tingly feeling came over her as 
she touched herself where she'd seen the boy fingering the girl. At the base 
of the slit she found the entrance to a very tight hole, the one he must have 
been poking his finger into. She tried to do the same, and it hurt before she 
could get half the first joint inside. No, that didn't feel good, so Newt 
continued exploring herself. Her finger passed over the tiny proturbance near 
the top of her slit. A funny feeling came over her as the finger rubbed past 
it. Intrigued, she started rubbing up and down over it. The feeling 
intensified, but it wasn't painful in the least so she kept it up, slowly at 
first then faster. As the minutes went by it was feeling nicer and nicer, and 
she started rubbing the tiny button with the whole length of her finger, 
which promptly dipped on the downstroke into the wetness emanating from the 
hole. 
 What is THAT??? the thought shot through Newts mind. Surely she hadn't peed 
herself? But no, it was definitely coming from her vagina. She forgot her 
clitoris for the moment as she explored the newfound wetness. To her 
surprise, the same finger fitted in past the first joint before it started to 
hurt again. She pushed harder, and a sudden tearing pain made her jump. It 
quickly passed, but she decided then and there to be more cautious in future. 
At least touching herself higher up didn't hurt so, and she went back to 
rubbing her clitoris as the dull pain ebbed in her vagina. 
 This was starting to feel real good now, and she spread her legs wide to 
improve access to the parts she wanted to touch. Immediately she was lost in 
her private world of pleasure. All she could think of was the wonderful 
feeling coming from within herself. One hand held the lips open while a 
finger from the other touched herself right where she wanted to be touched. 
Suddenly the pleasure began increasing out of all proportion, and she let out 
a loud groan as it went beyond anything she had ever known or imagined. She 
never knew a person could feel so good and she didn't want it to end, but all 
too soon it did. 
 "Newt, are you all right in there?", her Fathers voice called out. 
 "Everythings ok, Daddy", she blurted out. 
 "Okay, night-night then." The twin shadows of his feet under the door moved 
away. 
 Suddenly drowsy and exhausted, Newt began falling asleep. That night her 
dreams were of fingers rubbing that wonderful spot for her and pleasure, 
endless pleasure. 
 In the morning she got out of bed and was shocked to see a small (but big 
enough) bloodstain where she had been touching herself. She checked herself 
but found no sign of a wound or residual bleeding. Rather than answer awkward 
questions, she changed the sheets herself. 
 
 After this discovery, Newt paid more attention to the stories she'd heard 
about such things. She listened to the stories the older girls told each 
other at their secret place in the tunnels, she read about her body and what 
had happened when she put her finger inside herself, and she started paying 
more attention to a few of the boys, hoping to have the chance to have a boy 
make her feel good in the same way. 
 She didn't see the young couple again, but now it was perfectly obvious even 
to her what it was happening from the way certain of the older boys and girls 
disappeared without explanation for long periods of time. 
 But she didn't stop learning the "monster maze", far from it, she kept on 
finding the nooks and crannies and beating everyone at races. One day she was 
in another new subpassage, near the medical section this time, and she went 
to the nearest grille to get her bearings again. Quietly she pulled herself 
towards it so as to not attract adult attention and the inevitable scolding 
for being in the Ventilation. 
 Ahh... a Doctors examination room. That meant she was moving parallel to the 
main duct, and the other new branch she'd passed must come out somewhere near 
the Food storage areas. Goody! Somewhere else she could get to, undetected. 
She was about to retrace her steps when the door opened, and a Nurse followed 
by a slightly younger boy about 10, whom she knew by sight entered and closed 
the door behind them. Newt froze. Now she had to be really slow about getting 
out lest she be heard, or else wait until they were gone. She chose the 
latter. 
 "Okay Martin, I have to scrape the skin on the infection to get a sample and 
identify it. Where is it?" the Nurse asked. 
 "Ummm, it's a bit below the belt," he replied, red-faced. 
 Oh... goody!!!, Newt thought. This would be the second time she'd get to see 
a boys privates closeup. 
 "Well, don't worry. We get things down there all the time. Just take your 
pants down a bit, it won't take long", she assured Martin. 
 Reluctantly he did so, and sat back on the examination table, straight 
across from the grille Newt was watching through. For the first time she saw 
every detail of a boy in full light. Newt drank in the sight of Martins 
smooth creamy hairless pubic region with the small soft dick and two big 
balls between his spread legs. There was something else, too. An ugly gray 
smear down one side. Obviously that was what he was here to have treated. The 
Nurse gently lifted his balls to check the skin underneath for more 
infection. 
 "Ah, I think I know what that is, I've seen it before. It's dark, warm and 
moist there, which unfortunately makes it perfect for certain bacteria. 
This'll only take a moment." 
 With a scraping instrument the Nurse rubbed the discoloured skin to obtain a 
minute sample which she placed in an analyser. Moments later the Bacteria was 
identified and the appropriate treatment detailed. 
 While this was going on, Newt was memorizing every detail of what she could 
see and wishing she could touch him there and not get into deep trouble for 
doing so. She was disappointed when the Nurse okayed Martin to pull his pants 
up again. 
 The Nurse left the room for a few seconds and returned with a tube of 
Ointment and a tablet. 
 "Take this pill when you get home, and put this cream on the affected area 
for the next few days. That will take care of the infection. It's nothing to 
be ashamed of, Martin. It comes with the territory. Skin needs some sunlight 
and theres not much on this planet right now, so what I suggest you do is, 
you regularly book a private sunroom and sunbathe completely Nude. That will 
increase your skins resistance to this sort of thing." 
 Newt suddenly realized what part of the administration block she was going 
to be exploring next... 
 
 Some weeks later her parents Wedding anniversary came around again. Like 
most dates it was the perfect excuse for a little party to break the monotony 
of work. Russ and Anne Jordens friends and their families were invited around 
for drinkies while the kids played their little games. Frequently loud 
laughter at the climax of a joke among the adults would echo among the 
children playing in the next room. 
 Newt was wearing her only miniskirt for the party. This was one of the few 
occasions she'd had the chance to wear it and she wasn't about to refuse the 
opportunity to display her tanned legs, slim as they were. She and her little 
circle of friends went away for a few minutes to her room, and upon their 
return noticed most of the other kids, even the older ones, were scrounging 
around for any extra clothing to put on. 
 "What game are we playing?", Newt asked. 
 "Spin the bottle", a girl replied. "And we're going right down to the SKIN", 
she continued. The two adults seated near the ten or so kids looked slightly 
surprised, but said nothing and allowed the preparations to continue 
unabated. In this community, openness was encouraged to prevent the buildup 
of personal tensions. With Children growing up so much faster out here on the 
wild Frontier the same principle applied, but this game the parents would 
keep an eye on to make sure things didn't get out of hand. 
 The youngest Children were huddled in a tight group, leaving the older kids 
and the few teenagers present to make up the remainder of the circle. Their 
efforts to spread them out around the circle to even things up failed. After 
much haggling the game finally started after one of the teenagers volunteered 
to spin the bottle... and promptly lost. His Jersey came off. Brrrr... The 
next loser was one of the younger kids, and one of the copious pieces of 
clothing the little girl had scrounged came off. No shortage here, in 
comparison to the older people present. 
 A 13 year old girl was the next loser. "Well, lick my fanny dry", she 
casually stated to the Adults surprise as she flicked her scarf onto the 
Carpet behind her. The older boys looked like they'd like nothing better - 
among them one boy who knew full well that attempting to lick HER fanny dry 
was an exercise in frustration. 
 "Well, hurry up and we will", some smartarse retorted. 
 "What do you think I am?", she replied as she whacked his arm for his 
trouble. "No, don't answer that" she continued. 
 The parents overseeing the game nearly choked on their drinks. 
 "Thats not very Ladylike", the Husband whispered to his Wife, just loud 
enough for Newt to hear. 
 "Well, neither is a blowjob, dear", his wife retorted. 
 He gently slapped her knee by means of reply while shaking his head in 
amazement. 
 The game went on minute after minute, and the sheer statistical advantage on 
the side of the younger kids had its toll. Finally the oldest girl in the 
game, a large busted 15 year old, had to lose her t-shirt. She protested 
vehemently and tried to cop out. 
 "Now come on, fair is fair", one of the Adults replied. Her protests didn't 
end there, and finally she was allowed to leave. The game broke up in 
disarray shortly thereafter, to Newts great disappointment. She'd wisely 
concealed her eagerness to play this game once she learned what it was. 
 Damn damn damn. 
 Later, after everyone had eaten their fill, Newt came across a good looking 
Brown haired boy about the same age as herself sitting at the edge of a group 
of youngsters. His hand was idly resting on the vacant spot next to him. A 
light went on in her head. She knew by word of mouth that Gavin knew how to 
keep his mouth shut. With a rush of adrenalin she casually sauntered over and 
sat next to him, on top of his hand. 
 He immediately tried to extract it. "No, don't move it", she implored him. 
Newt looked back towards the group and their conversation, innocently 
ignoring the boy whose hand she was sitting on. She started fidgeting on the 
seat, moving her bottom on his hand. Come on... come on... wake up, she 
silently begged him. Eventually he got the idea, and for the first time Newt 
felt a boys finger on the crotch of her white panties. Mmmmm... This felt 
good, she thought. It wasn't easy to move his fingers underneath her, but 
after a lot of probing and rubbing he dared himself to push one underneath 
Newts panties. There was no way to direct his finger to the exact spot she 
wanted, but she felt a little flutter when it penetrated her slit. Each time 
it passed over the little spot she felt tingles of pleasure. 
 She glanced over when she felt a movement next to her and saw him nervously 
trying to cover a conspicuous bulge in his pants. She knew from her recent 
reading what that was and why it happened, and it gave her a thrill to know 
she was responsible for it. 
 It wasn't long before she felt a warm moistness in her panties, and knew the 
juices were flowing again. Around her, people were eating, drinking and 
joking away the evening blissfully unaware of what was happening. Each time 
Gavin stopped moving his finger around, Newt fidgeted and moved her butt 
until he got the idea to keep going. After probably half an hour of this, she 
waited until nobody was looking their way and put a hand right onto his 
hardon to give it a little squeeze before returning it to her lap. 
 Now, if that didn't convince him she wanted more, nothing would, she 
reckoned. All too soon it was her Bedtime, but she knew there would be a 
certain boy looking for her in the tunnels the next day. The look Gavin gave 
Newt as his family left told all - It was just a matter of who found who... 
She relished the thought. 
 
 Newt couldn't sleep for hours that night, she was fingering her clitoris 
while thinking what it would be like. The moment Breakfast and the tasks for 
the day were complete, she took a blanket and couldn't run fast enough to the 
nearest grille, pull it off and climb in. In her hurry she almost forgot to 
replace it so no passing adult would trigger (yet) another search of the 
ventilation for some miscreant kid. 
 She scoured the tunnels for ages before deciding to let him come to her, and 
waited near a major crossroads. Freezing cold air howled through this part of 
the system, air cleansed of Ammonia and Methane lingering from Acherons 
primordial atmosphere. The children liked passing this way, they could lean 
into the icy blast at a fourty-five degree angle. Not strong enough to blow 
you away, but still reason enough to ensure the adults paid attention that 
their kids didn't play in here. Newt also liked the feeling and image of her 
long blond tresses flowing in the wind when she went through. 
 In the next hour several little groups of children dashed through the main 
tunnel but none included the boy she was after. Newts ears were starting to 
hurt from the whistling air by the time he finally showed up alone. He 
grinned at Newt. 
 "Can we go somewhere private?", he asked while leaning REAL close to Newt. 
 "Sure, I know a good place," she replied. And led him to the exact same 
place she'd seen the young couple touching each other. 
 "Do you want to continue where you left off last night?" Newt asked Gavin, 
his hardon evident in his pants. 
 "Yes, please!" 
 "Go ahead, as long as you're gentle and I can touch you, too." 
 "It's a deal, Newt." 
 Newt spread the Blanket for them to sit on, then exactly as the older Girl 
had done weeks before, she pulled her pants partway down. He saw wisps of 
pubic hair poking out from under the crotch of her white panties. 
 Promptly his hands went to her panties and started feeling around, not 
daring to put a hand inside yet. 
 Newt gingerly put her hand on his by now rock hard cock. Slowly she pulled 
his zipper down before inserting her hand. No waiting for her, she pushed it 
straight underneath his underpants and onto his cock. 
 "Could you take your pants off, Newt?" 
 "If you take yours off too, Gavin?" 
 "Okay..." 
 Newt pulled her pants and underwear right off before lying back and 
spreading her legs slightly. Gavin gasped at the sight of her thin clamlike 
cunt lips surrounded by wispy brown pubic hair, and followed her example. As 
soon as his cock was released it sprang to attention. My god, it looked huge 
to Newts eyes, even bigger than the one she'd seen weeks previously. The 
angry purple head atop the long smooth length was almost too much for her. 
All she could do was stare at it. 
 "Come on, touch me, please?" Gavin pleaded. 
 Newt did so, and for the first time really felt a guys cock. It was hard but 
smooth, and to her surprise his balls moved at her touch. He reminded her to 
'go gentle with those' while he put a finger into her crack and started 
moving it around. Newt was starting to enjoy this a whole lot. He really 
liked having his balls touched, she noticed his cock went harder still when 
she did that. 
 He took a hold of one of her legs and pushed it aside so he could see right 
between her legs. His mouth dropped open and he gasped when he got his first 
real good look at her cunt. He put both hands between her legs and gently 
pulled open her cunt lips to reveal her pink flesh. Newt wasn't scared any 
more, in fact she was loving it. He froze for a few moments before putting a 
finger right on Newts tiny clitoris. 
 "Could you rub there, right where your finger is?" she asked. 
 He started doing just that, but he was too rough at first so she gave 
instructions until he got it right. Mmmm... that was good. 
 She noticed a bead of liquid had appeared at the tip of his Cock, and 
wondered if it would do the same thing she'd seen the other boys cock do if 
she started rubbing it. Newt determined to find out and started rubbing her 
hand up and down his cock. He liked that, and groaned faintly. "Thats it, 
Newt. Keep going, please?" Empowered by this she gripped it tightly and began 
moving her hand up and down the length. The more she did this, the more 
vigorously his hand moved between her legs, and she had to tell him to ease 
off a bit. 
 "I'm gonna come if you do that much longer, Newt. It might look gross, you 
don't have to keep going if you don't want to." 
 "I ... want... to see it", she replied, leaning closer. Like her, Gavin was 
just starting to develop pubic hair, and she didn't like touching it too 
much. She preferred feeling Gavins smooth cock and balls. Once she'd even 
used a pair of scissors to remove as much of her budding pubic hair as 
possible, but that only made it scratchy and itchy. That and the pictures 
she'd seen while reading convinced her she'd just have to get used to it, as 
it was only going to get worse. 
 "Faster Newt, faster..", Gavin gasped. Newt tried, but she didn't know if 
she could keep it up much longer. Gavin seemed to be losing his composure 
with every moment, and suddenly he leaned back. At the same moment a warm 
spurt shot across her hand. Surprised, she looked down to see a line of what 
looked like Milk on her hand. As she watched, amazed, spurt after spurt came 
out of his cock and splattered her hand and onto the floor. 
 It ended just as fast as it had begun. Newt kept pumping in the hope of 
seeing it again, but Gavin asked her stop instead. It took him some time to 
explain that once a guy had come, he went soft and stayed that way for ages 
before "getting it up" again. 
 Which didn't help Newt, who still wanted him to make her come. Gavin had 
stopped rubbing her clitoris just before he'd spurted, and she was tempted to 
do it herself while he watched. From the way he'd been fingering her up 
before, she figured he'd enjoy watching. 
 "Can I have a good close look between your legs, Newt?" 
 "... Sure, but could you start rubbing me again, where you were before?" 

 "Okay", he replied. Newt lay back and spread her legs as wide as she could. 
She enjoyed the feeling of exposing herself to a boy, it was exciting like 
she hadn't known anything could be. Forget the maze, from now on she'd 
explore Gavin instead! 
 He bent over Newt and put his hands between her legs again. Gently he pulled 
open her thin, pudgy cunt lips and started rubbing the clitoris again. Newt 
relaxed to enjoy directing someone else to pleasure her. Mmmm... All she had 
to do was listen out for anyone approaching. Not now, please... 
 Then Gavin put a finger down her slit and started pushing it into her 
vagina. 
 "Hey, be careful there, it can hurt", she said as she looked up. 
 "Can I put it in, if I'm real slow?" 
 "Well, okay, but you gotta promise me to stop if I tell you." 
 "I promise." 
 And it was settled. Uneasily she felt his finger trying to swirl its way 
inside while the other kept rubbing her spot. That was good, but she was 
worried about her vagina, it really stung the last time she tried that, and 
the bleeding... 
 He kept his promise. He eased her inner lips wide so he could again see 
pink. His cock involuntarily jumped at the sight and started to harden again 
as he played with the tiny bud that stood out. Newt hardly felt Gavins little 
finger exploring her tiny hole now. She felt her cunt expanding to 
accommodate his finger without any pain at all. Soon it was in up to the 
knuckle and he was turning it around whilst slowly moving it in and out. 
Gavin was amazed at the sight and feel of Newts cunt lips tightly holding his 
finger, each time he pulled it out he could plainly see her cunt clinging 
onto it as though it didn't want to let go. It was difficult to keep playing 
with Newts clitoris while fingering her at the same time, but she reminded 
him whenever he started to forget. As he kept exploring her most intimate 
parts, the probing finger was coming out covered in more juice each time he 
withdrew. He planted his entire palm onto her crack and felt the warmth 
emanating from inside her. 
 Much as she wanted, she simply couldn't hold her legs any wider than she 
already was. She especially liked it when he tried to handle as much of her 
as possible at once. Those lovely warm massaging, spreading, pleasure giving 
fingers were holding her right where she'd wanted someone to touch her for 
weeks, ever since she'd learned how to make herself come. 
 "Far out, Newt! You're wet!", he suddenly said, excitedly and too loud for 
Newts liking. 
 "Shhh!!", Newt gasped. "I've never done this before, and I can't believe I'm 
doing it." 
 "Good fun, isn't it?" 
 Newt nodded assent. She was close, real close to cumming now, and it was 
going to be a big one. Gavin watched as Newt began bucking her hips against 
his hand and fingers. His finger was sliding in and out of her cunt and 
occasionally a big drop of her juice would dribble down her crack and onto 
the blanket. 
 Suddenly she stiffened up as his finger was suddenly engulfed in cunt juice. 
She came almost silently, shaking and moaning, and closing her legs against 
his hand. Reluctantly he let go and watched Newt's orgasmic pleasure. 
 The moment it ended, she reached for her trousers and began dressing 
herself. 
 "Not yet Newt, please?" 
 "We've been here for awhile and it's not far to the main corridor. I don't 
want to take the chance." 
 But Newt saw his erect cock waving about as he moved and she couldn't help 
but reach for it again. He wasn't about to complain, and stopped putting his 
trousers on so she could do as she pleased. 
 "Was this really your first time?", he asked. 
 "Yes," she nervously replied. 
 "You were pretty confident about it." 
 "I've wanted to do this for ages, and now I have. Have you... done it with 
other girls?" 
 "One or two other girls enjoy it but the others don't seem interested. 
Kylie, you know Kylie?" 
 "Sort of." 
 She could just picture Kylie, a well built 14 year old with short, dark, 
almost Black hair and legs skinnier than her own. The older guys really 
seemed to like her. Not surprising, if they knew the kind of things she 
enjoyed. 
 "Well, she loves sucking guys..." 
 "... Cocks?" Newt completed the sentence. 
 "Yeah. She loves sucking guys. She did it to me, once." 
 Newt was surprised at the idea, but it didn't gross her out like it did a 
lot of girls. To her, Gavins cock looked like a warm red lolly, not that 
she'd ever had many sweets except for the special occasions when a group of 
parents imported some. 
 "She also likes it when a guy licks between her legs, right where I made you 
come." 
 "Whhhaaaat??" she replied, wide-eyed. "You've licked her down there? Thats 
really gross! Yuck!" 
 "The first time it was, but I got used to it. Now if someone wants her to 
suck him, she won't unless he licks her first." 
 Newt looked like she was going to be sick. 
 "Kylie prefers it to a guy making her come with his hand, she told me she 
can't get enough of it", he continued. 
 "Yuk!" was all she could say. 
 For the next couple of hours they talked and touched each other up. Once a 
couple of kids wandered past and they almost stopped breathing until the 
noise faded into the distance. 
 Before they went their separate ways, Newt and Gavin lay back with her legs 
over his, so they could masturbate in full view of each other. The sexy sight 
of her fingers frantically playing with her clitoris spurned him on. She 
liked seeing him do what he'd done last night while thinking about her. His 
balls were giggling inside their little sacks as he masturbated, and she held 
them to help bring him off after she'd come. 
 
 Gavin was already waiting for her in their special place the next morning 
when Newt got there. 
 Last night Newt had been thinking about what Gavin had told her, and today 
she wanted to try something new. Sucking his cock. He was more than happy to 
let Newt 'have a go' as she put it, and lay back with his legs slightly open 
for her. 
 Promptly Newt bent over him and put it into her mouth. 
 He jumped! 
 "OOW! Newt! that hurt! Don't let your teeth touch it, it hurts." 
 Newt opened her mouth wider and tried again. Fitting that width into her 
mouth without tooth contact wasn't easy but she managed. It was pretty much 
as she expected but oh, so horny, sliding his warm cock between her lips as 
he suggested. A couple of times he jumped when she let her teeth get in the 
way and she quickly learned not to. She followed his directions and pretty 
soon she was sucking and fucking it with her mouth while rolling her tongue 
around the head. The more she sucked his cock and felt his balls, the harder 
his cock became. As inexperienced as she was, she knew when he was getting 
close and stopped short of bringing him off in her mouth, much as he wanted 
her to. She jerked him off again and watched fascinated, as he ejaculated a 
big load of cum into her hand. 
 His turn to pleasure her. She wanted to try something new, and she 
remembered one of the exercises she'd been taught along with the other girls 
by the Nurse. Only, the way she was going to do it wasn't quite in line with 
what she'd been shown. Naked from the waist down, she lay flat on her back 
then lifted her back off the metal, moving into the 'crab' position, with her 
legs wide open. 
 Gavins mouth dropped open, and he promptly started fingering the pink folds 
between her legs. Just before she lowered her back to the ground, his hands 
went up to her budding breasts, still covered with her t-shirt. Shocked, she 
came down and pushed them aside. No way! A few months before, no problem, but 
right now they embarrassed her. One side even seemed to be growing faster 
than the other. It was as if her own body was conspiring against her. 
 "Can I touch them, please?", he asked with a sorrowful look on his face. 
 "No!" 
 "Can I just look at them without touching, then?" 
 "NO!" 
 "Why?" 
 "I just don't want you to, right?" 
 The message was crystal clear - hands off that part of her body. 
 But that left heaps. Newt certainly liked having her genitals handled by 
him, and after some exploratory probing he brought her off again. Looking at 
the wet, hot pinkness between her legs, he badly wanted to kiss and lick it. 
 But he was rebuked a second time when he asked if he could lick Newts fanny. 
Nope. She didn't want that either, and nothing he said would convince her to 
let him try. 
 After they dressed again, they chatted some more about the things he'd seen, 
heard of, and done in the tunnels with the other Girls. 
 Kylie had on several occasions been with two guys at once. Once she even 
succeeded in sucking two cocks at once. Catherine wasn't interested in 
multiple partners and tended to stay with the same guy for weeks on end. 
 "You know the place almost at the far end where you have to climb up to get 
to this alcove?" 
 "Yeah, I found it, but it takes ages to get there." 
 "Exactly. Well thats where Kylie likes to go. Why don't you come along and 
watch? She won't mind, and if you like the idea you could try it." 
 "Well, I dunno..." 
 He let the subject drop. 
 
 That evening Newt remembered that tomorrow was her and another two families 
yearly survival camp. As part of their ongoing training, each colony member 
had to be prepared for any reasonable eventuality, such as an emergency 
evacuation of the colony or vehicular breakdown miles from anywhere. Hence, 
once a year each person packed the bare essentials and drove several miles 
out of town to a marked out space a hundred meters on each side. Within that 
little area of typical Acheron countryside, each person had to set up a 
survival tent and cook their own rations - Children over the age of seven 
included. Younger children stayed in their parents tent. 
 The first thing she did in the morning was to pack her survival gear so 
she'd be ready to leave the moment she came back from todays fun with Gavin. 
This time she got there before he did. 
 Shortly she was sucking his cock again, her lips clinging tightly to its 
length as she moved it in and out, which he liked a lot. She swirled her 
tongue over the sensitive head before letting more into her mouth until she 
was almost gagging. 
 "Thats good... Take it all in", he suggested 
 "It's too big", she replied before continuing her tender ministrations on 
his cock. She moved the warm hard length in and out of her mouth, slurping 
and licking as she went, while playing with his big balls. She stopped again 
before he got too close, even though he tried to hide it. Much as he tried, 
his increased movement gave it away. Good try Gavin, but no way. 
 "Do you want to rub it in your crack, Newt? It'll make both of us come." 
 She liked the idea, and climbed up on top. She was high enough that he 
couldn't push his cock inside her, but just rub it along the outside of her 
cunt. He put the hard length between her legs and began rubbing it on her 
clitoris. Now this was different, she thought. This was heaps different to a 
finger; it was bigger and hotter, although much clumsier and she had to take 
over because he just couldn't find the spot she wanted him to rub. 
 He adjusted position a few times so she didn't rub a too-sensitive part of 
his cock. Back and forth she pushed his cock in her squishy wet crack, faster 
and faster. The movement and the sight of his cock-head parting Newts almost 
hairless fanny lips as it ran back and forth sent him over the edge, and his 
cock spurted its load at her cunt. She felt it squirt onto her crack and 
dribble down the inside of her legs. He came again when he glimpsed sperm on 
her fanny. She felt so goddamned rude that it fairly spurned her on. The 
thought of the spunk on her legs pushed her closer to orgasm, and she 
finished herself off by rubbing the rapidly softening length with sperm still 
oozing from the tip over her clitoris until she came. 
 Newt and Gavin lay next to each other for long minutes to cool off from the 
mutual orgasm. 
 "Have you thought about putting it inside you?" he asked, referring to his 
cock. 
 "I saw a diagram of that in a book but I don't think I can. Your finger 
feels funny inside me, not painful but a little uncomfortable. I kinda like 
the idea, but I doubt if I could fit it." 
 He looked thoughtful. 
 "Tomorrow would you like to come somewhere with me, I want to show you 
something." 
 "Is it something to do with Kylie?" 
 "Uh huh." 
 "Maybe, I'll think about it tonight at survival camp." 
 "Oh no, you're going out there tonight?" he asked, looking genuinely 
concerned for her. 
 "Whens your turn, gavin?" 
 "Next month." 
 Newt wiped herself down with a corner of the blanket. 
 "So, what else does Kylie like doing over there?" 
 "I think you'd better see it for yourself. I love watching it, though." 
 "Okay, I will" she agreed, throwing caution to the wind. "Where do you want 
to meet tomorrow then?" 
 "How about at the Crossroads?" 
 "See you there", Newt said as she scampered off into the dark tunnels. 
 
 All too soon it was time for the three families to go outside for the night. 
The tracked vehicle rocked noticeably as gusts of wind slammed broadside into 
it. No worse than last time, Newt decided. Everyone was fingering their 
meagre equipment in stoic silence. 
 Out past the faded, rusted and battered "Weyland-Yutani corp. Building 
better worlds" sign they went. Big deal, some thought. We build the new 
world, they reap the harvest. Wisely they kept these thoughts to themselves. 
 Ahead, flashing beacons marking the area they had to stay within became 
visible. 
 "Okay, everyone. This is it. You'll be under observation in Infrared f
 
 -----------------
 
 Ho, hum... time to go to work again, Sapphr McGill thought to herself after 
the morning ritual of showering, breakfast, and preening herself. It amazed 
her how such a vaunted, highly-sought position as hers would become so... 
everyday... so quickly. Not that she could complain, living on Gateway 
station and all. Few were even allowed to stay here, and the view... 
 Barely three months before, she'd gained a very respectable third placing in 
the Miss Universe contest. Immediately she was deluged with so many job 
offers it'd taken a week to sort through them. Everyone seemed to want a 6ft+ 
talented, Blonde, 21 year old Scandinavian Goddess with an exotic accent 
working for them. 
 The one that really took her fancy was the position as the ICC Company 
presidents personal secretary. The job offer included Gateway station 
residency, free phone calls, free travel with the Company president, free 
weekend trips back to Earth... 
 
 2 days later she was on the upgoing shuttle. 
 
 Her job was right away from the mainstream of the station; only the Company 
Presidents personal business and the highest decision making went on here as 
he valued his peace and quiet. 
 The job itself was an odd one. From the magnitude of the Company and the 
position she was in, she'd expected to be writing and handling important 
reports and correspondence, to dispatch plans and orders affecting whole 
worlds. But instead the jist of it all seemed to be plain and simply drivel. 
Both the incoming and outgoing messages between the President and his 
executives were usually a mess of double entendre that didn't make much 
sense. God damn it, they were so far removed from reality they even appeared 
to frown upon normal conversations. 
 She nearly winced at some of the self effacing, obsequious letters that 
flowed through, particularly from the lower execs. Her impression was that 
some of them would never get anywhere precisely because they were prepared to 
put up with so much to be "somebody" in the corporation. 
 Talk about office politics; she'd never imagined such goings-on were 
possible. Luckily she'd been elevated above it all, but perhaps that 
explained the immediate chagrin against her from certain of the other staff, 
notably Annie Hall, the lower ranked secretary outside his office. To her 
credit she said nothing, tried to ignore it and mingle with everyone equally, 
but it didn't seem to help. The only reason she could think of was petty 
office jealousy, and she just let it be. 
 The first real thing she'd learned about the Company president was his 
insistence on being called "Mr President" at all times, rather than by his 
first name, Robert. After the first dozen times it felt like her teeth were 
grating at the words. He might as well change his name by deed poll to "I'm 
Great"; it was near enough the same thing. But she could have overlooked that 
if it weren't for the other things. 
 Social gatherings were the worst. His humour relied upon sneering 
smartypants remarks. Strangely, the Execs lapped it up and came back for 
more. Their sole purpose seemed to be to find what socially unacceptable 
statement he'd just made, and rush to agree or echo it; giving Tribute to a 
Madman. Like Sheep. The blind leading the blind. Some otherwise mature, 
intelligent women seemed to swoon over a strong, psychopathic man and did 
anything to stay around him; often they were immediately promoted over the 
masses into positions of authority, in return for which they gave him their 
undying devotion. 
 On these occasions Robert would make remarks to Sapphr that could be taken 
several ways, suggesting that she visit his apartment, which she graciously 
declined without resorting to excuses to avoid complicating matters. She'd 
expected any such behaviour to come from an exec, not from him, so it took 
her by surprise. 
 But yesterday afternoon he'd returned in a huff from some "PR work" as he 
succinctly described it, and hardly spoke a word for the rest of the day. 
Glancing at his face, she'd noticed faint red streaks across one cheek 
vaguely resembling... a hand. She recognised a womans touch when she saw it, 
and kept her giggles to herself. 
 
 He seemed to have little organization or leadership ability, and was more 
preoccupied with his staff than anything else. He threw immature tantrums at 
little prompting, and several execs were given their marching orders after 
such outbursts in the most uncivil ways possible. 
 In the eyes of easily-led outsiders, everyone who was anyone was in the ICC 
corp - and they jumped to become more fresh meat for Robert to ignore and 
play with. The newcomers were seemingly enthusiastically welcomed, but Sapphr 
observed the smiles turn to laughter the moment their backs were turned. The 
laughter was loudest when a newcomer was totally grateful because they'd 
finally condescended to grant a much-lauded yet trivial promotion. Once she 
actually overheard a senior exec remarking "Yes, we have to make sacrifices; 
talking to them is probably the biggest." Some went to extremes to pretend to 
be friendly for months or years; even inviting newcomers to parties. If they 
became disillusioned, their executive "friends" would politely hear them out 
or agree wholeheartedly, then almost climb over each over in their haste to 
report these words of dissent to their master. 
 Naturally, nobody bad-mouthed anyone unless the President had done so first. 
 On the rare occasions they were confronted with what they'd done, they 
weren't concerned with the details; rather they assumed zero intelligence and 
demanded to know who'd told them. 
 They were so morally blind and their sense of righteousness so great, that 
their perfidy, dishonesty and two-facedness never came into discussions about 
the "bad attitude" subsequently shown toward them by former company people. 
They also saw themselves as the only people who said or did anything useful. 
 After so much bowing and scraping, the few who succeeded usually became 
fanatically loyal to the corporation. 
 
 Quickly she came to the conclusion that he was little more than an 
egotistical, uneducated, bad complexioned Sociopath, who walked rapidly 
merely to echo his own self importance. In fact, sometimes his ignorance was 
truly breathtaking. Wasn't it amazing how the news broadcasts never showed 
anything except the sartorial clothes and the face he wanted to show? What 
lay behind it was a totally different matter. 
 A 20th century businessman, said to be the most popular person who ever 
lived, quipped the famous line "I ain't ever met a person I didn't like." A 
slight rearrangement seemed to suit Robert perfectly. 
 Sapphr would have scraped him off long ago, but the money and status weren't 
to be sneezed at so easily. She quickly became adept at pretending to be an 
integral part of it all. The whole thing was a huge corporate game; all she 
had to do was alter statements slightly before parroting them. She smiled and 
yessuhed and cooed and laughed or whatever seemed called for at the time, 
while inwardly laughing to herself. 
 
 At that moment on Earth, Ripley was observing a low-stakes poker game 
between some of her cargo-bay workmates during her lunchbreak. One person 
kept watch in case a boss decided upon a sneak inspection of the facilities. 
 "Hey, Ripley... come and join in." 
 "Come off it, you know I can't play for shit." 
 "Then nows a good time to learn. This place is saved for you, Ripley" he 
replied, wiping the vacant seat clean of grime as he beckoned her to join in. 
 "I know your style, Warren. No way." 
 Eventually he gave up and let her be. The game continued anew. 
 "Okay, 5 credit ante", he broke through the silence of shuffling cards. As 
each of the players put in 5 the pool came up to 20 credits. The cards were 
dealt, and each man discreetly looked at his opponents as they examined their 
cards, checking for telltale facial expressions, sizing them up. 
 "I've got you guys beat", Warren crowed. "I'll bet 20", he continued. 
 "I'll match that 20 and raise you 10" Bruce said in a quiet voice, dumping 
his cash in with the rest. 
 The tension started to build. 
 Garry threw his cards onto the centre of the table. "I Drop... no luck on 
these cards." 
 "Match", said Marc. Warren looked around and forced a grin ... "Match" 
 The atmosphere grew restless with 110 credits, 2 days pay, up for grabs. 
 "Call" finally said Marc. 
 The cards were laid down. 
 "Read em and weep", Warren said, throwing down three of a kind. Bruce 
immediately threw down his cards in disgust, revealing two pairs. Warren 
laughed and started to gather the $110 from the pool, then was restrained by 
a hand. 
 Marc's cards were sitting there in plain view... A royal flush. Unbeatable. 
Now that was a turnup for the books, Ripley thought. 
 The tables were turned, and for once Warren had to watch with the others as 
his money was pocketed. 
 Bruce started to shuffle the cards again. 
 
 Most of them were married. She was probably way behind in the rat-race, so 
to speak. Not that it'd be so hard to change things. When she was ready she'd 
hit the right social spots, and the rest was up to her. In some ways Newt 
made things easier, her having a child and all would be an effective 'filter' 
for prospective would-be husbands 
 She started daydreaming about what might have been if she hadn't met Julian 
at that Ball, fifteen years before in her time. Would she have met a more 
compatible Husband, or was it fated to happen? She shrugged off the thought, 
refusing to believe it. No, given the same circumstances she'd have waited 
longer, that was all. 
 
 Ellen went out with Kevin for several months before both realised they 
didn't have much in common and they parted still friends. 
 She got good passes in High school and enrolled in University for a somewhat 
waffly general course that left lots of options open. Horticulture, 
Communications (always useful for higher jobs) Mathematics (Calculus, higher 
Algebra and Geometry for Navigation... yekkkk), basic computer use and 
Physics. 
 Amongst the interminable parties chalked up in her diary was one that 
tickled the fancy of LOTS of people. The question was whether the University 
council would allow it, and if the organizers would actually go through with 
it. 
 "The University Nude ball", read the notice. Hmmm... Within minutes of its 
posting the whole place was abuzz with talk. Everyone who'd ever fantasized 
about seeing certain people nude was interested. Ellen included. 
 They believed it when the details were finalized and the prices/conditions 
set. Only University students and partners were allowed, and you had 30 
minutes to decide whether to "go all the way" or leave. My god, it was 
actually going to happen. Now came the crunch; who would go further than 
lusty talk and turn up for real? 
 Megan and Michael were going, and Ellen decided that if she was coming she'd 
stick with friends. 
 When the big day came, hundreds were packed into the Ball room as the 
festivities began. At 7pm sharp the half hour 'grace' began, and two people, 
probably brought along by the organizers, promptly stripped down as if they 
did this every day. Gradually a few others sidled over before copying their 
example, and little by little two groups formed, one fully clothed, the other 
not. A few walked out, but once the number of unclothed students rose to an 
'acceptable' number things moved more rapidly. Megan and Michael nodded to 
each other and started undressing. Ellen knew it was now or never; if she 
didn't now, she wouldn't at all. So she joined them. Down to her lacy white 
bra and underwear. She felt as if eyes boring into her body, but when she 
looked up nobody seemed to be taking notice. Finally she was entirely nude, 
and to her relief found no undue attention being paid to her. 
 The seven thirty announcement went over the speaker, and a few last 
stragglers joined in. Now that everyone was in the same manner of dress, or 
lack thereof, there were no sexual overtones at all. Ellen hadn't expected 
this, but then she didn't know how it would be. 
 All around her were people she'd wanted to see nude for years, and she 
barely noticed. Once the initial queasiness faded the atmosphere was almost 
casual, and a little later it was only when she looked down she found she was 
nude. 
 Following initial socializing and drinks, the Dinner and speeches came 
before dancing. Things became more spontaneous at this point. No guys danced 
by themselves, whereas plenty of women did. The guys who were on the dance 
floor stuck *real* close to their partners, and Ellen wondered why usually 
outgoing guys needed cajoling to come out. Then she clicked. The thought of 
their naked penis waving about uncontrolled for all to see was what was 
worrying them. What a great leveler nudity is, she thought. 
 
 Two extroverts were taking full advantage of the opportunity to publicly 
humiliate each other. 
 One abruptly jumped up and shouted "You complete and absolute slut, you're 
going out with another guy!" 
 "Now calm down, you know I haven't gone out with a guy since you left me, 
dear", was the dignified response. 
 Later, the victim announced, "Ok, you turned 21 last week, congratulations. 
You've reached the age of consent. Now BEND OVER!" 
 
 Everywhere there were exposed pudenda, but nobody was taking any notice 
whatsoever. Ripley was so entranced by this observation that she didn't 
notice a guy approach her. 
 "Umm, Hi Ellen, I'm Julian, would you like to dance?" 
 So surprised was she at the unexpected invitation it took several seconds to 
place him as a classmate of hers from junior school. He was a natural Blonde 
with sparkling blue eyes and a medium to strong build, the kind of guy who 
tended to be looked at twice in case his good looks had gone to his head. 
 "It's been a few years hasn't it? Sure, come on." And she led him by the 
hand to the dance floor. 
 As expected, he preferred to stick close to her, not that she minded; he 
easily passed her initial quality checklist and she'd already gone to stage 
II - working out his personality. 
 The more they talked the more she liked him, and Ellen finally decided that 
if he asked her out, she'd happily agree. 
 
 The feeling was mutual. 
 
 "Well, this has been a nice way to catch up with you, Ellen." 
 "True, but hardly conventional", she giggled. 
 "Yep. I can't wait to see you with clothes on", Julian commented. 
 "I don't know if I should take that as a complement or not." 
 "Well, it is.  If you like, I'd like to take you out tomorrow night?" 
 "Yes, please. I've been waiting for you to ask." 
 "The old fashioned type are we?" 
 "Not always, sometimes I just feel like it." 
 They joined Megan and Co for dinner, then spent the rest of the evening 
together. 
 
 Two weeks later they were firmly in Love. 
 
 Julian was in the University Caving and Tramping clubs, and he invited her 
on a day tramp in the Mountains a few months later. Ellen reluctantly agreed, 
and came dressed in a miniskirt, t-shirt and boots as it was a hot day. 
 The track bypassed the old Camp 708 Health camp that Ellen had gone to 
several times as a child, before joining up with a more well-used track 
leading to a wooden suspension bridge. Ellen and Julian were lagging a 
little, but they glimpsed the last few people jumping up and down in unison 
to shake the bridge for the last person. 
 "Don't even think about it", Ellen said as they stepped onto it, she ahead 
of him. 
 They were nearly across the river and solid ground was a meter and a half 
below the bridge when Ripley stepped onto an aging plank. Weakened by years 
of pounding, it gave way and she fell through the gap, legs waving helplessly 
in the air. Luckily she was holding the ropes firmly otherwise she might have 
been hurt. As it was, the jerk temporarily took the strength from her arms. 
 Julian ran the rest of the way over and went underneath to help push her 
out. 
 She held her legs straight so he could push on her feet. He tried, then 
stopped just before her hips rose above the gap. 
 "I'm nearly out of here, one more push should do it." 
 The sudden hand on her panties made her jump. 
 "Typical! Okay, push me out that way then." 
 Nope. He moved Ripley into a sitting position on his shoulders, in front of 
him. 
 He inserted a finger into her panties and pulled them aside. A moment later 
she felt her crack being opened and something warm and wet penetrate then 
start flicking her clitoris. 
 "Look, just get me out of here. Dammit! Not now, Christ, gemme out of here!" 
 "Just relax and enjoy it, honey." 
 "Shit! Stop that! This is embarrassing. Not now... Dammit, you know I like 
it but what if someone comes? Stop it!" 
 "No way!" 
 "Oh fuck! You bastard!" 
 She tried to close her legs to squeeze him out, but he started pinching her 
knees. She couldn't *stand* being tickled that way, and she ended up opening 
them again to escape the torture. He returned to licking her. 
 Grrrrr.... 
 "I'm not gonna come, so you might as well stop." 
 "We'll see." 
 Nope, she wasn't going to come, she *wasn't* going to get turned on, he 
*wasn't* going to humiliate her like this. 
 And thats when she felt herself getting wet. 
 She thought about faking an orgasm, but she knew he had her figured out. He 
knew exactly now wet she got just before she came, there was no fooling him 
that easily. Ellen sighed and resigned herself to being trapped until she'd 
orgasmed. 
 "Oh damn you, just hurry up and get it over with." 
 "It'll be a pleasure, ma'am." 
 "Mine, I'm sure." 
 Ellen gave herself to his desires, and opened her smooth legs wide to 
improve access to her privates and make herself comfortable. If not for the 
occasional pinching of the boards this would be quite randy. One of her 
little fantasies was to make love in public, but this was bordering on 
insanity - anyone could be watching. A friend of hers had managed to fuck her 
boyfriend in front of hundreds of people in the water at a Hot spring without 
anyone realising. This was completely different, though. 
 "Oh, you're in luck, there are people watching from across the river." 
 Panic-stricken, Ellen turned her head around, to see an empty river bank. 
 "Don't EVER do that to me again, Julian! I nearly had a heart attack." 
 "Fooled you though, didn't I?" 
 "Someday I'll get you for this, you bastard. And don't think I'll forget, 
either." 
 The hand holding her underwear aside disappeared, and returned a moment 
later to deliver a stinging slap to one cheek of her little bottom that left 
the red imprint of his hand. 
 Ripley cried out, and tried to pull free but he held her there by her legs. 
 "Now the other side." 
 "Don't.. you... DARE!!!" 
 She was just starting to think he wouldn't, when his hand screamed up to 
smite the other arse-cheek. 
 "Baaasstaaaarrrrd..." 
 He went back to eating her out. 
 By this time she wasn't in the mood to try and escape, but honour demanded 
she think of something fiendish afterwards. Julian lifted her up and sat her 
on the edge of a plank to get comfortable. 
 Her big lips readily parted again for his viewing pleasure and to admit his 
tongue and fingers. When he saw the first drop of juice ooze from her vagina 
he knew she was starting to get really randy. Before long droplets were 
falling to the ground from his fingers as he pushed them in and out. He'd 
rather be pushing something else into Ellen, but after this he doubted she'd 
want the rest. 
 God this was nice, sitting on the edge of the bridge in the warm sun and 
holding herself upright by the ropes, while feeling him licking her where she 
loved being touched. Without any attention being paid to them, her nipples 
became erect, surprising her when she noticed the slight discomfort. 
 Fascinated, she watched his Blonde head rhythmically moving between her legs 
as he tongued her deeply. Julian was having the time of his life, he could 
see every curve, every subtle coloring, every little hair as he rolled his 
tongue around her clitoris, nearly sending Ellen over the edge in the 
process. A finger penetrated her vagina, immediately followed by a second. 
Ellen didn't care if he fucked her brains out right then and there, she was 
enjoying this too much. 
 Her dress kept falling into the way, so he reached down and pushed one leg 
out of the gap in the bridge and urged her to hold it to her chest to keep 
the dress out of the way, also making the sexiest sight he'd ever seen. 
 "I want you inside me, right now!" she suddenly exclaimed. 
 "What if someone comes?" 
 "I'm the only one who's going to, so hurry up." 
 "Not now, when we get back I'll make up for it." 
 "Look who's talking! You started this, now you finish it. I'm the one whose 
crotch is exposed to the world, so you can bloody well get up here." 
 "Not here, we can't! How about if we move over to the treeline?" 
 "You CHICKEN!!" 
 A short time later Ellen began to shiver as his frantic fingerfucking of her 
sopping pussy and the tongue sent in her clitoris sent her over the edge. She 
groaned loudly as she came, just as voices began approaching from the way 
they'd come. 
 She pulled her other leg out of the hole and prepared to sit up. The last 
thing she expected right then was for Julian to reach up to grab hold of her 
panties and pull them completely off in one deft movement, then pocket them 
and run off with Ellen chasing him and demanding them back. 
 "Gimme my panties back", she whispered urgently into his ear when they 
caught up with their group. She was only wearing her miniskirt and t-shirt, 
and the last thing she needed was anyone else noticing. One or two of her 
friends never wore underpants and Ellen had tried it, but washing trousers or 
dresses was that much harder she gave up. 
 "WHAT?" he said. "Speak up, I can't hear you", he replied. 
 "No sex for a month for you", she whispered back. 
 He gave her a funny look. 
 "I can do without it - can you?", she continued. 
 
 "Sweet Ellen", he said a week later. "Dear Ellen, beloved Ellen..." 
 "What do you want?" she cut him off. 
 After men first get it, they always want it, she thought. And Ellen Ripley 
kept her promise, right to the very last minute. 
 
 Ellen switched lovers at this point. She'd tried her best to forget him over 
the years, but occasionally it all came streaming back. Dwayne Hicks had 
helped a lot in that respect when they'd made love. Reassured she was 
protected, they'd made love, and all through the next day she'd felt his cum 
oozing out of her cunt - a feeling she'd almost despaired of having again. 
 
 That was also one of the few times in her life she'd lied. 
 
 Time to go, Sapphr thought. She liked to always be ten minutes early for 
work, it gave her a precious few minutes to psych up for the upcoming work. 
The walk to the office took fifteen minutes, and it gave her a little 
exercise. For months she'd planned to start that exercise program to keep in 
shape; this time she was going to go through with it. 
 Sapphr was surprised to see Annies desk unoccupied when she arrived. What 
was more, it looked different. That's it, her things were gone. It looked 
like she'd left in an awful hurry. She wished the surly secretary had given 
her half a chance to be friendly, but she hadn't been able to get a word in 
edgewise before reading the obvious "go away" body language. And now she 
never would. Pity. 
 Beyond a sealed door in the office was a passageway leading to one of the 
corners on the leading edge of the huge station. That was ICC head office, 
outside of which was arguably the Solar systems greatest view. She would 
enter, check everything was in order, print the mornings mail and place it 
tidily for Robert to read, then go to work at her desk across from his before 
he'd arrived. Every morning it was the same, Robert was scrupulous about 
arriving exactly on time. Most mornings he would watch the Sun leap over 
Earths horizon for the first time before settling to his days chores. She 
instinctively knew from his body language when he was dealing with 
confidential company material on his terminal, and she would steer clear of 
his desk at these times. Pure efficiency. 
 
 Odd. Instead of the expected green signal and the door to the inner sanctum 
opening to her Thumbprint ID, it beeped red and remained sealed. The plate 
can't have read it properly. She wiped it and tried again. No go. Shit! Don't 
tell me the damn things busted on me. Wonderful! 
 Ten minutes waiting, then the office door beeped to the Presidents positive 
ID. Robert, some of his Executives, and a woman named Vanessa she'd seen him 
with a few times entered the office amidst a babble of conversation. Like 
her, Vanessa was in her early twenties and well built, but slimmer with brown 
eyes and wavy jet black hair going past her shoulders. Robert didn't look 
surprised to find Sapphr waiting there. 
 "Good morning, Mr President. The door doesn't seem to be working..." 
 Her voice trailed away as the inner door opened to his touch. 
 "Ah, Bill, explain things to Sapphr, would you?", he said as the little 
group ignored her and the door locked behind them. For a moment she saw 
Vanessa's puzzled face looking her way. 
 "Sapphr", he began, "If you haven't already guessed, the President has 
gotten himself a new personal secretary, and you're working out here now. 
You'll find all your things in the drawers. Your duties are as follows..." 
 Sheer outrage got the better of her. "He can't do this! What does he think I 
am? A Working Girl? Is this some sort of joke?" 
 Bill laughed at her. 
 "Oh yes he can. Check your contract. Nothing in it says he can't do this. 
It's up to you, take it or leave it. You had your chances, and you missed 
them." 
 Bill was relishing every moment of this, she realised. Fuck! 
 "Chances for WHAT!", she interjected him again. 
 He sadly shook his head. 
 "DON'T... you... raise your voice to me, Sapphr", he looked sternly at her, 
before continuing. 
 "Now, things aren't so bad, you're still on a very decent salary, why don't 
you make the best of it? As I said, it's up to you. You'll like it here. But 
if you're still bitter about it tonight, why don't you and I go out for 
drinks this evening..." His voice trailed away. 
 If looks could kill, he'd have dropped to the floor at that moment. 
 No, she wasn't as naive as he'd thought. Okay, he detailed her new job and 
left her to it. 
 
 Now she almost understood the former secretary's anger. Did the same thing 
happen to her? Take it or leave it. Right, they expected her to leave after 
this humiliation, so she'd stay to spite them. 
 People always receive their own. She'd been brought up to believe in Karma - 
'Do good and it will come back to you', and vice-versa. Robert had been 
kicking butt for so long, he was about due for a major fall, and she wanted 
to be around to watch. Sooner or later he'd kick the wrong one. The problem 
was, there weren't many people who could bring him to heel. Maybe he'd 
slipped through the net? We'll see. 
 But they weren't about to let her have it that easy. She turned her back, 
and someone left his empty coffee cup on a neatly printed report. She'd stop 
for a moment, and a leering suited figure would tick her off. She objected, 
and was told that if she did her job she wouldn't be bothered. 
 One went as far as to sit on her desk and ask her out while his friends 
grinned broadly. She stared him in the eyes, and a smile crossed her face. 
 "You know, you remind me of an old story I read." 
 "Oh? And what might that be, Sapphr?" 
 "An American tourist asked a Frenchwoman if he could sample her saliva." 
 "And?" 
 "She spat in his face." 
 The gloating expressions vanished. 
 "You're OUT OF LINE!", he shrieked. 
 "If you don't get off this desk", she slowly and calmly replied, "I'm going 
to punch you in a very painful place." 
 That moved his butt, and she was mostly left alone after that. 
 The rest of the morning was relatively uneventful, except for the well built 
young man who walked in and straight out again after glancing at the office 
opening times. He must have gone to the wrong place. Pity. Right person, 
wrong time and place. 7 at her apartment would have suited her just fine. 
 If she hadn't made them back off she knew she'd have had a breakdown by this 
time. But she had other ways of coping with stress. A favourite was to 
remember something funny, or better, amorous. That way she kept smiling no 
matter how bad things got, and put herself above it all. 
 How could she ever forget the time on the Beach? She grinned at the recent 
memory. On Gateways observation deck, she'd once followed the coastline to 
the very beach it happened on. 
 
 19 year old Sapphr and an American friend had decided to find a secluded 
beach to spend the day. Her English was still shakey to say the least, but 
she was determined to see this through. She'd decided America was the place 
to be, and the earlier she went there the better. Literally overnight she'd 
packed her bags and uprooted from Norway. 
 They'd overflown an isolated, deserted looking beach several times, not 
spotting a single footprint, before deciding to land the powered glider 
they'd hired for the day. It'd taken nearly two hours to make it this far 
from the city. 
 As soon as they disembarked, her brown haired American friend, Katrina, 
began stripping but didn't bother putting on any swimming gear when she'd 
completely undressed. Instead, she stowed her clothes away. Sapphr gave her a 
funny look. 
 "Have you forgotten something?" she haltingly asked. 
 "Nope. Theres nobody for miles, we're so far out nobodys going to see us. 
This is a nature reserve, nobodys allowed to live near here. Come on, I dare 
you! You'll feel better for it." 
 Katrina reached for Sapphrs top. Sapphr pulled back. 
 "You are joking?" 
 "No, I'm perfectly serious." 
 "I believe you." 
 "Look at this place, it's just so natural, you'll look out of place with 
that brightly colored gear on around here." 
 Sapphr started to see the point when she looked around. The pristine beach, 
the glorious sunshine, the snow glistening on a distant mountain range... 
Nature beckoned. Why stand out? 
 This time she didn't resist when Katrina reached for her top. 
 
 They must have walked for miles down that beach, two totally naked nineteen 
year olds with nobody to see them. It felt weird at first, then she stopped 
noticing the lack of clothes, and only when she saw her exposed Blonde pubes 
did the illusion fade. They'd taken towels, suntan lotion, sunglasses, lunch 
and drink, and nothing else. 
 Sapphr was a pure Scandinavian blue-eyed Blonde with big, proud, pointy 
breasts, blonde pubic hair, and long slim legs. 
 Katrina was nearly the opposite, and might have been the prototype of Mother 
Russia. Black hair, solid, robust athletic build, small breasts. She'd 
claimed to be able to cum by rubbing her thighs together, and Sapphr thought 
this more likely now after glimpsing her protruding clitoris when she'd 
undressed. 
 They swam in the slight surf, sunbathed and discussed their plans, their 
boyfriends, and sex (their favourite subject). The relaxing warmth and the 
surf got too much for Sapphr when she started tanning her front... 
 An hour later when she woke, Katrina was gone. She looked up, and saw her 
coming out of the surf, still as naked as ever. Turning back, she spotted a 
flash of artificial color in the treeline. 
 Looking closer, she saw a boy aged 13 or so watching them, and realised he 
might have been for hours. It could have been worse, but the initial shock 
and disappointment turned to anger at his insistence at staying put. 
 She indicated his position to Katrina on her return. 
 "Piss off!", she shouted. 
 He grinned and stayed where he was, daring them to do something about it. 
Katrina shrugged her shoulders as if to say "you're not worth it" and lay 
back. A few minutes later he was still sitting there, and Katrina came to a 
decision. 
 "Right, I'm going to have a word with that little shit" and stood up to walk 
over, before realising it could only be embarrassing if his parents spotted a 
naked girl chasing their son around the woods. 
 "Wait here, and give me a hand when I call out for you." 
 Sapphr waited for what seemed ages as Katrina went off towards the 
just-visible glider, then ducked into the trees and circled back. It was too 
easy, his attention was fixed on her friend and she was able to sneak up and 
grab him. 
 He looked panic stricken when he was seized, and screamed to be let go. 
 "You little pervert!  We're going to teach you a lesson." 
 Sapphr came running. He looked pitiful, a skinny blonde with a hardon still 
visible in his shorts, struggling to get free. Katrina turned him over onto 
his stomach. 
 "What are you doing?", Sapphr asked. 
 "Tying him to this tree. Hold him down... thanks" 
 Katrina pulled his velcro belt off and used it to expertly tie his hands 
behind his back, then the two of them frogmarched him to a tree overlooking 
the beach. Wherever his parents were camped, they couldn't miss him here as 
soon as they started looking. But Katrina hadn't finished yet. She pushed him 
to the ground on his back then pulled off his sneakers. Sapphr realised what 
she was doing when Katrina reached for his pants. He looked like he wanted to 
cry when he was stripped completely naked, prior to being tied to the tree 
for his family to find. 
 Sapphr was transfixed by his rapidly shrinking hardon. For a 13 year old, he 
had an impressive seven inches of smooth cock and nice big tight balls to 
match. It looked like he'd never touched it in his life. 
 Katrina inadvertently brushed against it, and it jumped momentarily back to 
attention. 
 "Didn't ask YOUR opinion" she said, and flicked his balls with a finger. 
 "OOOOWWWW!", he cried. 
 Sapphr felt nervous now. What they were doing more or less amounted to 
sexual assault, and she was worried they had overdone the prank. She saw 
Katrinas eyes survey the well-hung boys manhood for several long, silent, 
moments. 
 
 They were perfectly alone. 

 
 "Oh, what the hell, I'm going for it", Katrina exclaimed, as she bent 
forward and took his smooth cock into her mouth. 
 Sapphr stood up, mouth wide. She didn't know who was the more shocked, him 
or her. 
 His cock shot back up again at the unexpected attention. Very slowly she 
moved up and down, barely puckering her cheeks with slight suction. She moved 
around into the '69 position. His cock went rock solid but he remained still. 
 She withdrew. "He's not licking me, dammit.  Right... you see the crack 
between my legs?... I want you to put your tongue inside it and not just on 
it. Thats it, now a bit lower... lower... Stop right there. Now I want you to 
lick me where your tongue is, and don't stop or lose that spot or you'll 
regret it." 
 Sapphr was in a mild state of shock, watching the coupling going on at her 
feet. She could see him flicking Katrinas prominent clitoris back and forth 
as he got the idea. 
 Oh, what the heck... "One woman or two?" she asked, and kneeled behind 
Katrina and over his face. Sapphr put her hands between her legs and pulled 
open her cunt lips. She liked to keep the area between her legs clean shaven, 
boyfriends loved it that way. 
 The young Blonde bucked, and Katrina half choked on a spurt of come before 
withdrawing. The next shot out of his cock and flew completely over Katrina, 
splattering onto Sapphrs stomach and over Katrinas arched back. So much for 
the much-vaunted teenaged rigidity and staying power. The sight of her 
part-shaven cunt did strange things to her boyfriends libidos, but this was 
something else. He was obviously a real virgin. 
 "You caused that?" Katrina asked, when she noticed Sapphr kneeling behind 
her. She nodded. 
 Back to the boy. "I didn't tell you to stop. Keep going" she said, then sat 
up and pressed her backside against Sapphrs front, while pulling her cunt 
lips open with one hand as Sapphr was doing. Eat this, kiddo. 
 Katrina could plainly feel her friends erect nipples prodding her back as 
she moved into position. 
 With her free hand she reached out and started slowly moving her hand up and 
down the length of the boys cock as the last drops of come oozed out. There 
was so much of it that a little puddle had formed on his body. 
 "Can I have some too?", Sapphr asked, referring to the boy licking between 
Katrinas legs. 
 "What? Oh, sure. He's good enough for two. When he's finished with me, ok?" 
 That feels good, Katrina thought. Lets make it better still. She let go of 
his cock and put her hand under his head, pulling it up into her cunt. 
 "Good boy, keep licking. Thats right, nice and deep." 
 His tongue started tiring, and he slowed. Katrina was too close to cumming 
to allow this, so he pushed his nose into her crack and ran it back and forth 
over her clitoris till she came noisily. 
 "Your turn", she said, climbing off so her friend could have a go. Droplets 
of juice were dribbling down his nose and chin. Without a pause, Sapphr moved 
on top and sat down. He didn't look so cocky now, with two facefuls of eager 
muff to satisfy. 
 Sapphr moved forward and pulled her shaven cunt lips open again. Energised 
by the sexy sight, he started lapping away vigorously within her delicious 
crack. 
 Katrina watched the tongue excitedly licking Sapphrs willing, wet cunt, and 
noticed his cock had sprung erect again. Time for more action. She moved over 
and sat on his cock, rubbing the cum-soaked tip over her vagina until the 
juices were flowing then pushing it in. It slid in to the hilt, and his balls 
were pressed against her clitoris. She began riding the young blonde slowly, 
feeling his balls rub her clit each time she came down again. For a moment 
she considered attempting to stuff his balls inside also, but decided against 
it. 
 Well, he wasn't a virgin any more, even if he didn't realize it yet with the 
faceful of Sapphrs cunt he was eyeing up, but Katrina knew he wouldn't last 
long in any case. She wanted more than a quick boink and that meant squeezing 
his balls just tight enough to hold him off from cumming but not to hurt him. 
 The nice smooth length filled her perfectly and massaged her insides. She 
adjusted the angle of penetration until the 13 year old cock was stimulating 
her g-spot. A few times she stopped moving with his cock buried entirely 
within her, and rubbed his tight balls over her clitoris. This was how she 
wanted it. She was in charge, she would make herself cum exactly the way she 
wanted, and there was nothing he could do about it. 
 Sapphr was grinning at her as she watched the juice-lubricated length 
plunging in and out of Katrinas pussy. Her pert little breasts were bobbing 
up and down as she rode the boys cock, her wet lips visibly clinging to its 
length each time it withdrew. Sapphr followed Katrinas example and urged him 
on each time he started losing concentration from the attention being paid to 
his cock. As bad as her English was, she made herself understood without a 
problem. When the effort got too much for him again, she started moving back 
and forth while he held his tongue still, wishing as she did so that he'd 
sucked more lollipops to strengthen his tongue. 
 She took longer than her friend to come, and shuddered as his gentle 
ministrations to her clitoris helped her to a nice climax. Sapphr thought 
twice about climbing off in case he came the moment he realized Katrina was 
fucking his brains out and not vigorously deep-throating him. But from the 
way she was fucking him faster and faster with her eyes closed, she reckoned 
her friend was pretty close so it wouldn't do any harm to let him know. 
Sapphr got up to watch the fireworks. 
 He lay there, looking up at her, then looked down to watch the action and 
his eyes went wide. His mouth followed suit when he saw his cock embedded in 
Katrinas vagina. Seconds later he trembled then screamed as he came again. 
Katrina followed suit moments later, and climbed off. A stream of come fell 
from her cunt and onto his stomach, as a last big spurt of thick white semen 
landed on his chest. 
 They surveyed the result of their combined efforts. God, he was a mess. Jism 
and female juices liberally covered him from his face to his cock. Still 
shivering from his orgasm, he looked back at them. 
 "Could you untie me now?" he asked, grinning like anything. 
 "Ummm... yeah, sure", Katrina replied. 
 She helped him to his feet, dusted off his back, then pushed him over to the 
tree and used his discarded t-shirt to tie him securely to it. 
 
 "AAAAAAAARRGGGGHH!!!" 
 
 "Is that smile for me, Sapphr?", a besuited figure asked. 
 Definitely not, you moron. 
 Back to reality. Groan. 
 
 "Sapphr?", a female voice asked out of the Blue a short time later. 
 Oh... Vanessa. She hadn't heard the door open. 
 "And what would you like?", she asked. 
 "I want to apologize..." 
 "Forget it." 
 "No, I mean it. I honestly had no idea they were going to do this to you. I 
feel kind of responsible, and I was wondering if you'd like to come over to 
my apartment for drinks straight after work?" 
 "It's not your problem, but thanks anyway." 
 Vanessa looked hopeful. 
 "Oh, what the heck, thats very decent of you, I could do with a couple, 
Miss...." 
 "Fitzgerald. Just call me Vanessa. I'm not one for formalities, unlike 
someone we both know." 
 That drew the smile she expected, and they laughed at the shared 
vulnerability. 
 
 Time to act, Hicks decided. Hefting a satchel of equipment, he waited for 
lunchtime when the Company office was unoccupied. 
 If he was caught doing this, he was screwed, but what could they do that 
they hadn't already? Expel him from the ranks? His record was forever marked 
"Court martialed and reduced to the ranks for misuse of Authority and failure 
to maintain discipline, resulting in loss of life and equipment", so he might 
as well resign for what his name was worth. Forget promotions, or trust, or 
anything he'd fought for. He'd always be watched for signs of further 
instability. 
 If he'd cocked up he'd have understood and even agreed, but he'd gone by the 
book and been damned by it. Well, he made it a point to never blithely accept 
the status quo if it put him at a disadvantage; like now. 
 Jesus, he couldn't believe he was doing this; a warzone was positively 
boring by comparison to the fear he felt now. Think positive, he reminded 
himself. If he succeeded, this would take pride of place in his diary and 
maybe even an Autobiography. 'The year of living dangerously' would make a 
nice title for that, but then he was too modest for such an undertaking. 
 Thirty minutes. Plenty of time to get in and splice some bugs into the 
communications. He went for it as soon as the Blonde secretary had left for 
lunch. First there was that security camera monitoring the outside door. No 
problem. He stooped to hide his face as he walked up to it, then snipped the 
cable. 
 The President saw the display die. Time to bring in the tech boys. He'd let 
Sapphr handle it when she came back, he was working through his normal 
lunchtime on a message he'd rather Vanessa not see. He'd have his later. She 
was totally trustworthy, and wouldn't do something silly by herself in his 
office while he was away. 
 Now the door. Hicks drilled into the thumbprint ID box where Hudson had 
shown him years before, then used the leverage to pull it open. Bypass the 
CPU and touch those 2 wires... the door unlocked. The speaker grille next to 
the door remained silent, a good sign. 
 Inside, he followed the secretarys phone line to the junction box under the 
desk. Now came the hard part. Six extension number labelled optic fibres were 
inside, and they're infinitely harder than electrical wires to attach to 
without a loss of signal calling for investigation. Which ones held the 
voice/picture and data communications? Damn, he'd have to bug all of them and 
work it out one at a time. 
 First the bug was fitted into the box, then he sorted the tools to snip the 
fibres one at a time and fit both ends into a beam-splitting sleeve. This 
drew a miniscule amount of signal for the bug to amplify and transmit for him 
to listen to at his leisure. 
 It seemed almost too easy; he'd brought the tools to handle Armoured and 
Vacuum protected lines, but nothing special was needed. 
 
 The door beeped as someones ID was accepted. A glance at his watch told the 
story, half an hour had passed. Fuck! 
 Hicks rolled under the desk to hide, pulling the chair into place behind him 
as he did so. A womans footsteps entered, followed by several men talking 
amongst themselves. Right, he'd fight his way out if he had to. 
 "Okay Sapphr, your lunchtime is over. Back to work", someone said. Hmmm, a 
person with an attitude problem, he thought. 
 The inner door slid shut and the voices promptly disappeared without a 
trace. "Fucking arseholes", the woman called after them. 
 Her legs appeared, and the chair was pulled out. She sat down and pushed it 
forward to start work. Oh, shit! The inevitable promptly happened, and her 
knee nudged him. She stumbled back in a state of shock, and looked 
underneath... He averted his face and was about to make a run for it, when 
she sat back down again and moved forward. She did NOT pick up a phone or 
intercom. 
 Endless seconds passed as he heard frantic scribbling. Oh jeez, now what? 
Hicks thought to himself. 
 Sapphr passed a note and pen under the desk. 
 "Are you an industrial spy?" it read. 
 She could have reported him instantly, but she hadn't. Also, there seemed to 
be some serious friction here. Enough perhaps, that she might actually want 
to help. Decide. 
 The inner door opened again. The same voices emerged, then went silent. 
Hicks sensed rather than heard one move to stand next to the secretary. There 
was five seconds of total silence before he spoke, slowly and carefully 
elucidating each word as he went. 
 "Sapphr, you are being paid to work, as I understand it.  But you haven't 
done anything whatsoever since I last saw you." 
 She inserted some paper into the word processor and started typing. 
 "I don't expect to have to tell you again... alright?" he continued, before 
leaving with his friend. 
 That made up his mind. "YES" Hicks wrote, and held up the pen and paper. 
 Promptly she stopped typing and started scribbling again. 
 "Are you trying to bug the place?" was the next note. 
 "Yes", he replied again. 
 "Extension 770 is the Presidents office." was the reply.. 
 Hot damn! We're in business. He turned and continued where he'd left off. 
 
 Maybe Roberts time was closer than she'd thought. It appeared she was 
shortly going to be an Eyewitness to some very interesting events. But there 
was one niggling point about this. She didn't know of ANY competition to the 
ICC company, and that made her all the more interested in who he was. Perhaps 
it wasn't a good idea to ask too many questions. 
 A light suddenly went on. Maybe he could repay her help in another way 
 
 Hicks snipped the wire labelled "770". Neither cut end glowed, meaning it 
hadn't been in use at the time. Brilliant! He slipped both ends into the bug 
and sealed the junction box. Only a deliberate search would find this thing. 
Now lets get out of here. 
 Sapphr blocked his path. 
 "Finished", he wrote, and handed her pen and paper back. 
 
 She sat forward in the chair, searched around for his head with her hands. 
When she found it, she pulled up her dress, spread her legs and started 
pulling him toward her waiting cunt. He resisted and tried to free his head 
but she was having none of it. It was only when he smelled closeup the 
fragrant sweat-like odor of her cunt, that he realized what she wanted. 
 The penultimate joke on Robert. No way would she give herself to him just to 
get back into his good books. He'd proven himself a fair weather friend many 
times over, and the moment he got bored with her she'd simply be moved out 
here again. But she happily gave herself to this spy under her desk. He was 
more of a man than Robert *ever* would be. The sheer cheek of sneaking into 
the ICC Presidents office... who would have credited it? 
 Eat me! She wrapped her legs around Hicks head, pulling his face into her 
willing, wet pussy. He pulled aside her white undies, exposing the pink folds 
of her secret lips. Two fingers opened her wings to his gaze, the little 
clitoris springing proudly to attention, awaiting the touch of his tongue. An 
index finger swirled straight into the depths of Sapphrs vagina as his tongue 
began flicking her clit. 
 Nobody would ever believe he'd done this, he thought. This was yet another 
story he'd have to keep forever to himself. 
 Her long smooth legs and the partly shaven pussy between them drove Hicks 
on, licking and licking the tiny love bud. He fondled her hot upper thighs 
and rubbed all around, touching all the sensitive parts she wanted explored, 
especially now. 
 She leaned back slightly, and Hicks took the hint to feel the sensitive 
flesh around her tiny puckered anus. Not many men liked doing that; in her 
school and University days she'd had to urge on boyfriends who didn't like 
it. The only one who readily agreed to this liked having a hand under her 
bottom while eating her out, and was more than happy to do as she asked. 
 More points to this man. 
 He pushed another finger into her cunt, and spread it wide for his viewing 
pleasure. Exposed, he could see Sapphrs love tunnel curving into her body. A 
third and fourth finger promptly followed, filling her nicely. It was amazing 
watching the formerly nearly hidden vagina opening wider and wider to easily 
accommodate his fingers. Slowly he swirled them in to the knuckle and started 
fucking her that way, swirling them around and around to thoroughly satisfy 
her. God knows, if he didn't do a good job she'd probably report his 
presence. Each time the fingers came out a droplet or two of lubricant 
followed, and before long enough had emerged to dribble down onto her dress. 
At least the synthetic material wouldn't show a stain from the outside. 
 The little clitoris received a fresh burst of attention, his tongue 
furiously lashing the little transparent-looking button. She responded by 
rubbing his back with her feet, a good sign. More, more, she silently begged 
him. He backed off to prolong the delightful torture, and moved his tongue to 
the very top of her wide-spread gash. Slowly, very slowly, he started moving 
it down. Over her clitoris, down, down, towards her gaping vagina with his 
slick fingers still exploring its depths. When he finally got there she 
wanted to scream, and when he pushed it deep into her wet cunt it was almost 
too much. A groan escaped her lips. A few moments later he withdrew and 
continued licking downward, stopping just short of her anus. That was a no-go 
area, even for an avid cunnilingus fan like Hicks. 
 He wanted to suggest that she hold her knees to her chest to improve access 
to her anus, but there was no way of telling when more execs would pass 
through. 
 Lets try something different. He inserted his index finger to the hilt, past 
the pubic bone, and began pressing upward while probing around, trying to 
make the g-spot area swell and make itself known to him. It wasn't easy doing 
this while stimulating her clitoris at the same time, and it was tiring for 
his wrist, to say the least. 
 He preferred trying to find it while his partner was lying face down on the 
bed with a pillow under her hips, so he could insert his fingers palm down 
and stimulate the upper vaginal wall more easily. Also, he could alternate 
between playing with her bottom and holding his partners cunt lips open to 
rub her clitoris, watching the juices flowing down her crack as a result. 
 Sapphr loved being explored so thoroughly yet tenderly, with all her 
innermost secrets exposed to a mans gaze. A few times she'd even thought of 
being one of the volunteers who allowed themselves to be examined by trainee 
doctors, so they could learn how to do it without additional discomfort for 
the patients. That idea quickly faded when she got older. 
 She felt the urge to urinate with her urethra being stimulated so, but this 
definitely was NOT the time or place for that. 
 He had no way of knowing if she would come with that area being stimulated 
alone, but at the very least the combination of his tongue in her groove and 
his finger on the g-spot would bring her off nicely. He settling into a 
pattern, rubbing the swollen area deep inside Sapphr, while licking her 
clitoris faster and faster. 
 She had long since stopped working and sat back to concentrate on what he 
was doing. Her long legs were resting on his back and rubbing him 
occasionally, urging him on to greater heights of passion. 
 The closer she got to coming, the tighter she gripped him. Suddenly she 
groaned loudly and pushed his head with both hands into her cunt and closed 
her legs around it, nearly suffocating him. She trembled and a long stream of 
juice poured over his fingers down onto her dress. 
 After a 'goodbye' kiss on her clitoris from Hicks, she pulled her undies 
back into place before letting him go. 
 "Come back anytime," she said as he hurried off. 
 
 Despite the best Robert&Co could do, Sapphr was one happy secretary for the 
rest of that day. 
 
 After work she accompanied Vanessa to her apartment for the promised 
drinkies. 
 "Nice place." Sapphr commented. 
 "Thank you, mind if I light up?" 
 "Not at all." 
 She watched as the Boss' new secretary lit up a denicotined cigarette. 
Guaranteed safe for your health. 
 "Name your drink", she asked, indicating a dozen assorted liquers and 
spirits. Not the real thing, but the Gateway labs insisted they tasted the 
same. 
 "Southern comfort would be nice" she replied, and watched as Vanessa mixed 
her drink. 
 "I hear the executives were giving you a hard time today?" 
 "Yes, they tried, but I can give as good as I get." 
 "So I gathered. I liked your Frenchwoman joke, they were talking about it in 
the office." 
 "I'll bet they were. It was either that or tell him he's the load that 
should have been swallowed." 
 Vanessa laughed, and sat down next to her new friend with their drinks. 
 "Nice comebacks, I ought to build up a repertoire myself. From school?" 
 "Around and about, I used to mix with a rowdy bunch of people, you only had 
to keep your ears open to get a good education." 
 "I don't drink myself", she explained when Sapphr glanced towards her glass 
of milk. 
 "You don't what you're missing." 
 "Maybe; it just never appealed to me." 
 A tuft of hair fell across Vanessa's face when she took another sip. She 
tolerated it for a few moments then threw her head back to get it out of the 
way. To Sapphr it looked like a polished move. She knew some men took the 
gesture as a come on if done right. 
 "Have you got a boyfriend, Vanessa?" 
 "Gateway doesn't allow Pets." 
 Sapphr nearly choked on her drink. 
 "Guess not, then. It's been a few months since my last. I feel this isn't 
really the place for it." 
 "Any idea what you'll do, now you're not the apple of Roberts eye?" Vanessa 
asked, politely changing the subject. 
 "Ummm, I haven't really given it much thought yet, at the moment I want to 
stick it out, the moneys still decent." 
 "Good for you. Although I expect they'll wait a discreet few months before 
announcing a staff reshuffling or some such thing, so you might as well get 
another job up your sleeve." 
 "Thanks for the tip, I'll do that." 
 
 It was nearly 2am when Sapphr got back to her apartment, bleary eyed from 
sleep and alcohol. Didn't that woman ever get tired? No matter how nice her 
new friend was, there came a time when she simply HAD to leave. Vanessa was 
due at work in under 5 hours, and she looked just as fresh as ever when she 
left. 
 Sapphr crashed and was asleep moments after she got back to her apartment. 
 
 Weeks after the Sulaco departed with a new crew, Bishop was still waiting to 
be reassigned. No orders had come through, which was decidedly odd. 
 As a Military Hyperdine Android, part of his job was to keep himself as up 
to date as possible with developments and news; anything that might possibly 
benefit a future mission. That included looking for humorous items of news 
to boost troop morale in the right circumstances. Lately there'd only been 
two such stories in the electronic media. 
 A Wife went off on holiday and her Husband took the opportunity to visit the 
local Cat-house. He'd paid his money and discovered the girl was... his wife, 
who'd taken the job to earn extra money. 
 Then there were the fake Poltergeist hunters who'd been caught using special 
effects to terrorize householders, then demanding exorbitant sums to clean 
their places out. 
 He entered his personal communications login, and was surprised to promptly 
receive notice of an "urgent and personal" message waiting for him. 
Interesting. A new posting wouldn't have been accorded this high a priority. 
In fact he'd never received a purely personal message in his life. 
 
 "Call Hyperdine systems repair dept IMMEDIATELY!!" 
 
 What? Bishop was stumped. They'd missed nothing in his repairs, he'd have 
detected it instantly and reminded them if they had. Despite the late hour in 
Hyperdine he phoned the company, and his call was automatically transferred 
to a private number. 
 The technician who'd repaired him answered the call after a long delay. The 
curse trembling on his lips died when he recognized the caller. 
 "Bishop! Thank goodness you got my message.  Back in a minute, I have to 
tidy myself up." 
 "You're in big trouble", he declared upon his return. The ICC company wants 
you decommissioned and out of the way - permanently", he said on his return. 
 "Why me?" 
 "Something to do with your last op out. Your memory and recall can't be 
challenged in a court of law, and you know some things they don't want 
released. Hyperdine is fighting it tooth and nail, because one report of a 
high-tech product failure would put their reputation on the line. 
 I had to warn you. Do you know anyone who can help?" 
 Bishop was at a complete loss. His dedication to his job had been beyond 
reproach, and now he was threatened with destruction. There wasn't any choice 
now, he had to test his hunch. 
 "Thanks for the warning, I think I know someone in a position to stop this." 
 "Thats good, I've got a lot of effort invested in you, and it's my job on 
the line as well if you don't succeed or get yourself out of there." 
 
 Ripley returned that evening from shopping for that special item to decorate 
the apartment. She'd settled on a half meter high color hologram of African 
Primates sitting in trees with foreground mist drifting past. Yes, it looked 
good on the wall about here, where the Sunlight would show it to best effect. 
She walked back and forth several times to admire the effect. 
 Ripley had a long hot soothing shower to remove the days accumulated grime 
from the cargo bay. It was hopeless trying to keep out the dust from the 
transient mining equipment, you just had to put up with it till your shift 
was over; and she couldn't very well shower with the men at days end. She put 
on clean white panties and a dressing gown then started preparing dinner. 
 Newt would be back from school soon. How she'd changed after talking about 
Acheron for the first time. Ripley grinned at the memory of some of the 
things she'd listened to. Several times lately Newt had had school friends 
around for tea, a good sign of progress. Even her guidance counseller had 
rung to tell Ripley about the changes. 
 
 The phone buzzed quietly for attention. No rest for the wicked; she hadn't 
even had a chance to rest her feet yet. 
 "Hi Ripley, how're you keeping?" Hicks asked when she answered his call. 
 "Fine thanks, we've settled in well... I thought you might've shipped out by 
now?" 
 "They'll decide if I'm in or out after the next psych evaluation. It feels 
great, after all I've done for them...", he replied, clenching his fists. 
 "I know exactly how you feel.  Say, if things don't work out, you're welcome 
to stay here till you've found a place." 
 "If it's no problem for you?" 
 "Once I know, I can plan for it." 
 Ripley got up and fetched her slippers before returning to the console. As 
she sat down again, the Dressing gown fell part way open to reveal plenty of 
cleavage and some of her panties. Ripley made no move to correct the 
situation. 
 Hicks gulped. Her underwear weren't quite up properly; he could plainly see 
the top of her mound and a few hairs poking out. Looking up, he could see 
part of the areola of one pointy breast and nearly the nipple. Dammit, he 
thought. She knows what she's doing. 
 A thin smile crossed her face. 
 "If if comes to it, I'll gladly take you up on that offer." 

 
 At 1 am station time Hicks started his last ditch effort to bring the 
Company president to heel. The Bug had done its job but nothing useful had 
come of it - everything was encoded and all there was to hear was white 
noise. He'd hoped to record some interesting material to hand anonymously to 
the media. Now he knew why it'd been so easy to bug the line; why spend lots 
protecting it when you can encode the transmission? Of course the secretary 
didn't know, calls to his office went direct. Bugger it. 
 The Police have simple minds, he thought. So lets give them a simple story. 
The beauty of his plan was, the President had so many enemies that even if 
they figured it wasn't the chance in a million it appeared, they wouldn't 
know where to start looking. 
 He'd spent days preparing the heavy, hollow steel tube he was hefting. It 
was packed with two of the blocks of plastic explosive he'd taken, together 
with a little Iron meteorite he'd purchased at some expense. It was the only 
thing that wouldn't arouse suspicion. When the circuit was complete, the 
moment it was exposed to sunlight it would trigger the electric detonator 
and blast the meteorite through his window. 
 Primitive, he thought; but it would suffice. 
 But he still had to get to the Presidents window and attach the tube by 
magnet to a strut, which meant a spacewalk. They'd learned the basics 'in 
case of emergency'; the main thing was to always move slowly and forget 
nothing. If you forgot where you were, you might not be able to correct a 
mistake. 
 Maintenance had a collection of fully-prepared suits on standby in case of 
hull breach, but he still had to disable the airlock sensors so its use 
wouldn't be detected. Fully suited up, he reduced the airlock pressure some 
as a final check of suit integrity, then bled the rest into space. 
 Pitch darkness greeted him when the outside door opened. It took some 
seconds to orientate himself with the view as the station was currently in 
darkness over the Earths nightside. 
 Hicks took hold of the first handhold and pulled himself outside. Gateways 
skeletal frame seemingly stretched to infinity above and below him as his 
feet swung out in the zero gravity. Handholds went in all directions along 
the outside for the construction and maintenance workers, and he started 
picking his way along, scrupulously avoiding observation windows, heading for 
a distant flashing red beacon close to his destination. 
 The night would last half an hour, maximum. No way could he make that 
distance in 30 minutes, so for at least one 90-minute period he'd have to 
stop and hide in shadows. 
 After twenty minutes of pulling himself hand-over-hand he was closing on the 
presidents office. Hicks could plainly see the one-way glass dully reflecting 
the beacon as he homed on the very corner of Gateway. 
 Then the light level began increasing around him. The crescent forming on 
Earth's horizon only confirmed what he knew; the sun was on its way and it 
was time to hide. He headed for an inside corner facing away from Earth, 
reaching it scant seconds before the station lit up. Oh well, ninety minutes 
wasn't so bad, it could be worse. The sheer contrast prevented his being 
seen, but from his vantage point he could see everything. 
 He pulled the gun from his belt, set the timer some hours hence and plugged 
in the final wire. Ready. It wouldn't go active until just before the dawn he 
wanted; the office was unoccupied before then so it didn't matter how obvious 
it was. It's job done, the force of its detonation would push it away 
without a trace. Clean and tidy. 
 
 On Gateway, things were organized such that there were always people on 
duty. It was "evening" in this part of the station. Elsewhere, people were 
waking up for their shift while others were having lunch. The lights across 
from Hicks were steadily winking out. No, he mustn't fall asleep, he thought. 
Not now. 
 Hicks briefly peered down at the partly lit crescent of the Earth. 
Unexpectedly, a zinc-colored flash of light streaked across his field of view 
then faded, leaving a trail that vanished in moments. A meteor. Wow! He'd 
never seen one from above before. He moved back to the deepest shadow and 
turned on the suit radio; anything to keep him awake. 
 
 Nigel Hepburn was having his fifteenth Birthday just across from where Hicks 
was hiding. It'd been a great day for him, he'd toured the whole station and 
spent hours looking at Earth through a Telescope. Now he was waiting for his 
highly-paid Father to return from work for Dinner. He was helping a friend of 
the family, thirty-two year old Tracey, prepare tonights dinner. His Mother 
had chosen to remain on Earth during her Husbands 2 month posting, and he'd 
obtained permission for his son to come up for 3 days to have his birthday 
here. Jealous school friends had been calling all day to belately wish him 
happy birthday. 
 He was 6 foot 4 with brown hair, brown eyes, and wore glasses for distance. 
Surgery or contacts could have corrected this, but he was allergic to the 
thought of either option. 
 Nigel liked it when Tracey dropped by from the repair dept she worked in, 
she was voluble and always had a collection of new jokes for him. Not to 
mention, he quite liked her full stop. She looked younger than her years, and 
had a freckled appearance she'd similarly chosen to keep. Nigel liked 
freckles, and reckoned they went well with her curly, shoulder length Red 
hair and general outlook. Tonight she was wearing a black dress which showed 
plenty of leg. 
 Nigel was going to have to be careful not to let his unprofessional interest 
in her be noticed; she hadn't got where she was without good observation 
skills. Repairing the hardware she did often took microscopes to spot tiny 
breaks after the fault had been localized; and that was her forte. 
 As soon as everything was prepared they sat for drinks while dinner heated 
and to await his Fathers return. Tracey sat exactly opposite from Nigel, 
which he liked because occasionally he got glimpses up her smooth legs. 
Careful... she might notice the undue attention he reminded himself, and 
quickly he averted his eyes. But inevitably they wandered back. 
 "...So, have your family called you yet?", Tracey asked. 
 "They rang right before you dropped by. It was nice to see them again.  How 
about yours?" 
 "I haven't talked with them for a few days. I got a message at work the 
other day from Sheryl, so I ought to get back to them." 
 She bent down for her glass again, and Nigel got a glimpse of cleavage. Too 
much. His amorous thoughts awakened a part of his body he'd rather remain 
dormant right now, and he moved to subtly cover up. 
 Abruptly Tracey stood up and looked out the window almost directly at Hicks, 
whose heart thumped before he forced himself to remember there was no way she 
could see him. She turned and walked over to sit next to Nigel, whose 
semi-hardon had gone down sufficiently for him to uncover it. 
 She was sitting close enough for him to feel the heat radiating from her 
body and faintly smell her perfume. Those legs he'd admired for so long were 
within reach, yet they might as well have been miles away. This close, he 
could even see the thin red hairs on her legs. His hardon began to move 
again, and he was forced to discretely cover up for the second time. 
 "Nice haircut," he commented. 
 "You're the first to notice.  And just so I can't be accused of the same 
thing, you've had yours trimmed this evening too." 
 "The hairdresser gave me a nice scalp massage while she was about it. I 
didn't want her to stop, and it nearly sent me to sleep", Nigel said 
 "You like it too? So do I, it beats any massage I think. I had mine continue 
a bit longer also. She said lots of people like it but she only does it for 
regulars." 
 "Hers was the first I've had. I didn't know it felt that good" 
 "Yes, I wouldn't be surprised if it's a form of subtle persuasion to get 
people to come along more often. I thought only mine had cottoned onto it." 
 Nigel refilled his drink. The alcohol was beginning to make itself felt, he 
already felt slightly light-headed. 
 "Would you like me to try it on you?" 
 "That'd be nice thanks, Tracey." 
 She moved closer and placed her fingers on his scalp then began rubbing 
around as if she was washing his hair. He closed his eyes and let her do as 
she liked. 
 "Like this?" she asked. 
 "Yes.... thats perfect", Nigel said. "I just don't know if I can do it as 
well if you want the same." 
 "Thats ok. Just relax, put your hands by your sides. Don't be frightened by 
me." 
 The hand that had splashed a little perfume onto her neck passed near his 
nose, and he got a strong whiff. Traceys hot leg pressed against his. Being 
touched by her was the most sensuous thing he'd known, and he didn't want it 
to end. 
 
 "What are you thinking about?", Tracey asked out of the blue. 
 "It feels nice, thats all." 
 "Come on Nigel, you can do better than that. There must be something else. 
What are you thinking about?" 
 "Such as?" 
 "Am I responsible for that, for instance?" 
 "Pardon?" he asked, hoping she didn't mean what he thought she meant. 
 Long seconds passed without a reply, while Tracey kept massaging his scalp. 
Nigel opened his eyes, and saw her looking towards his hitherto-covered 
secret. 
 "I'm sorry", he finally replied, and moved to cover himself again as the 
hardon started rapidly shrinking. 
 She took hold of his arm, and gently pulled it away. 
 "Don't be", she said. "I think it's cute. Just relax." 
 He closed his eyes again, and her hands vanished from his scalp to reappear 
a moment later on his chest. She started massaging there, gradually working 
down to the seat of the problem. 
 Was Tracey just teasing him or was she serious? He didn't want to spoil the 
atmosphere by asking. 
 "Come on, relax, it's only me. I'm not going to hurt you" she said, holding 
his arm until his trembling ceased. 
 Then she started massaging his tummy muscles; still working down. Her hands 
spread to bypass his genitals just before they were about to make contact. 
Nigel was simultaneously pleased and disappointed, she'd already made some of 
his dreams come true so he couldn't expect more. 
 Then she put a finger directly on his cock and delicately traced it's 
length. 
 Nigel jumped upright and opened his eyes wide. 
 ... As Tracey pulled down his zipper and eased the flaps open before resting 
her delicate hand on his hardon, which was barely restrained by his 
underpants. 
 "Do you want to make love to me?" she asked. 
 He nodded assent. 
 "You've been thinking about it for a long time, I know. Come on, we've got 
plenty of time before your Father comes back." 
 And she led him to the master bedroom, still in Hicks' full view. 
 Tracey motioned for him to get onto the bed then she climbed on top and lay 
on him. Instantly they intertwined, his hands on her back, hers on the sides 
of his head as they passionately kissed. She overwhelmed him, rubbing her 
lithe body on his, rubbing his crotch with her leg, while tongue darting in 
to explore the recesses of his mouth. Nigel had to fight to catch up with her 
fiery enthusiasm. 
 Her breasts poking into his chest woke him from her spell, and he put a hand 
between them to tweak a boob. She giggled and moved off to lie next to him, 
moving her hand to it's former position as she did. On his cock. 
 She looked back at him, hair unkempt, a dirty grin on her face. This was her 
game, no doubt about that. 
 "Why me?" 
 "You're cute, and I've wanted to have the chance since I first laid eyes on 
you. Just don't tell anyone." 
 "I'm not that stupid." 
 "Have you had much experience?", she replied. 
 "Never." 
 "Leave it to me then, I'll take good care of you." 
 Tracey took his hand and put it on her breast, and instructed him in exactly 
how she liked her breasts touched. He probed it's weight, feeling every curve 
and noting the way it responded to his touch. 
 Nigel reached up and started undoing her woolen Jersey from top to bottom. 
She shrugged out of it and he returned to touching her breasts. Soon he 
wanted more and started undoing her white shirt as well to expose her bra, 
then reached behind and undid the catch of her bra, and let him pull it off. 
 God, Tracey was beautiful. There wasn't much contrast between her breasts 
and skin, but redheads didn't tan that well he'd heard. Her pointy, medium 
size breasts jutted out, simply demanding to be touched. What could a man do 
but oblige? 
 He put his mouth onto a pointy nipple and started sucking whilst rubbing the 
other. Her breasts hardly moved from his touch, they were that firm. Tracey 
stroked his cock and the back of his head. 
 "Good boy, it's breastfeeding time", she commented. 
 He kneeded her breasts and rubbed and licked her nipples alternately until 
they were good and hard. With difficulty she pulled his pants off and threw 
them aside. Then a hand slid inside his underpants and for the first time he 
felt the exquisite touch of a womans warm hand on his privates. 
 
 She took his hand and put it on her leg. He took the cue to start feeling 
his way up towards her fanny. 
 "Go on", she implored when his hand stopped partway up. "Don't tease me." 
 Thus empowered, he went underneath her black dress and found his way up to 
her panties. She liked it when he started feeling around and rubbing the seat 
of her desire, and began rubbing his cock harder. God she was hot around 
there, he'd heard about it but never imagined it to be so warm 'up there'. 
 "You're overdressed" she muttered, and yanked down his underwear and flung 
them across the room. Unrestrained, his manhood sprung to attention, the 
angry purple head aching for attention. Tracey put her hand on it and began 
stroking it, barely making contact. 
 Nigel pulled Traceys dress up around her waist, exposing her pale blue 
cotton underwear. Instantly he went back to rubbing her there. This close, he 
could see the outline of her pubic hair through them. He tried pushing a 
finger inside the band but it was just too tight and he went back to rubbing 
her crack through her underwear, which were starting to feel damp. 
 Before long Tracey wanted more, and pulled her panties down a notch to leave 
the rest for him. He got the idea and pulled them down and off. They joined 
the clothes on the bedroom floor. 
 When he looked back, she'd spread her legs for him to have a look. He froze 
at the sight of her red pubic hair and the thin crack visible within. For the 
first time he smelt the musty odor of a womans sex. 
 "Can I touch?" 
 "Of course you can, just be gentle." 
 Nigel rubbed his way up her legs until he reached Traceys cunt. No reaction, 
she wanted him to go further. He started touching, feeling, and exploring. He 
put two fingers next to the lips and pulled them open until pinkness stared 
back. The sexy odor became stronger and he moved closer still, to within 
inches. Nigel put a finger into the wide-open crack then let her lips go. As 
he watched, his finger was enclosed by her erotic warm and dark red hair. 
Experimentally he rubbed it up and down along the length of Traceys crack, 
which was distinctly damp to the touch. Now he wanted to see everything, and 
he pulled her lips open until they couldn't go any wider. Soft, gleaming pink 
was exposed to his gaze. He touched every hair and every curve between her 
legs over and over. 
 "Rub me... here.. could you?" Tracey indicated the top of her crack. 
 He moved his finger up and started rubbing there. Gradually he discerned a 
harder spot in the midst of her sex and concentrated on that. 
 Further down he could see the flesh curving inwards to disappear behind her 
hood. Was this?... the forefinger of his other hand ventured there to find 
out. Gently he pushed it in and felt the surface give, then it was sliding 
inwards, all the way to the hilt. 
 "Yes, thats where you'll be soon.  If you want to be daring, you can lick me 
where your other finger is." 
 "You mean, in there?" 
 "Uh huh." 
 He didn't know if he could, but he tried an experimental lick at the spot 
she'd indicated. A faint salty flavour came back while her vaginal musk 
assailed his nostrils. 'Not too bad' he decided, and tucked in to give Tracey 
the licking she wanted. The longer he kept it up, the fainter the odor became 
until he figured he'd licked her clean. By now he was pumping the finger in 
and out, dragging droplets of liquid out each time he withdrew. The crack he 
was licking was similarly getting wetter as time went by. Whether he was 
causing that he didn't know, but he was beginning to really enjoy this as he 
licked her cunt. 
 She draped her legs around his shoulders. The long, smooth hot legs around 
him urged him on to greater heights of lovemaking, and he pushed his tongue 
harder than ever over her clitoris. 
 "Thats nice, I like that", she commented. 
 
 Hicks was watching the coupling starting to take place nearby with a mixture 
of bemusement and guilt for looking. He turned away to regard the rest of 
the station. 
 "What the hell, what they don't know won't hurt them", he muttered to 
himself and turned back. His Marine friends would have approved of this 
decision. 
 He was still holding the weightless but not inertialess tube. Idly, he set 
it down next to him. 
 
 "I'm not in love with you, Nigel, but I'm going to let you have the 
ultimate experience." 
 He stopped licking and looked up. Tracey pulled her legs together and 
removed her dress. Now she was completely naked. He started to move up, but 
she had other ideas. 
 "Lie back, I want to be on top." 
 They moved into position for his first ever fuck. 
 Tracey sat up and reached into her handbag. Out came a tube of lubricant. 
whilst feeling his cock and balls, she dripped lots of the cold liquid onto 
his cock. 
 "Brrr..." 
 "Don't be such a wuss", she replied. 
 The lubricant warmed in seconds as she rubbed it over his cock until he was 
slick. Then she climbed up on top. He looked into her eyes and held his hands 
out to caress her breasts again as she came down. 
 She reached between them to take hold of his cock and start rubbing it into 
her crack. 
 He yelped as a too-sensitive part of his cock was rubbed. 
 "Move around until you get it right, thats one thing I can't do for you." 
 He did as she asked until the underside of his cock-head was rubbing inside 
her smooth wet crack. She sensed he was ready for more and started rubbing it 
faster and harder, using his cock to rub her clit. 
 "I like doing this, it makes me soooo fucking randy, I just gotta have a 
good screw to finish off." Nigel had never heard language like this from her, 
in fact he didn't know she was capable of it. 
 She stopped, and moved back. A pleasant warmth enclosed his cock, then she 
let go of it and pushed down. He felt her pubic hair against his balls. 
 "You're not a virgin any more, Nigel, you're all the way inside me. I don't 
have a problem with lubricant in case you're wondering, it's so you'll last 
longer coz I want a good long fuck. I want you to tell me when you're getting 
close to coming, okay?" 
 He nodded assent, and she began moving. 
 Traceys breasts were so firm, they hardly moved while her hard nipples 
rubbed their way across his chest. She adjusted position slightly until it 
was just right and she got a good rhythm going. 
 "Ah... Ah... Ah..." she let out little yelps of pleasure as she fucked 
Nigel. She was nearly half a foot shorter than he, and he looked squarely 
into her eyes only when she withdrew prior to impaling herself again. 
 Nigel was in heaven as warm massaging tightness enclosed his cock. 
 "I'm getting tired, could you put you hands on my hips and help me along?" 
 Nigel held her tightly and pushed her body back and forth, driving his cock 
in to the hilt every time. Each time he felt her pubic hair against his, her 
expression twitched, and her vagina fluttered around his cock, gripping it 
tighter. 
 "This'll build up those lovely muscles of yours some more, Nigel." They both 
laughed at that, before concentrating on their furious lovemaking once more. 
 The only sounds were their heavy breathing, the occasional kiss, moans, and 
the slapping of her thighs and breasts against his body. 
 "I'm going to be come shortly", he finally announced. 
 "Stop for a minute then... I want to do something." 
 Again, she reached into the handbag she'd brought into the bedroom with her. 
 This time, out came a slim smooth vibrator. She moved forward to pull him 
partway out, then lay flat against him. She turned on the vibrator and 
adjusted it's speed then reached behind her and slid it in right alongside 
Nigels cock. 
 Tracey bade him to resume fucking while she pushed the vibrator in and out 
in synch. He pulled out, she pushed it in, and vice versa. Two cocks inside 
her hole at once. She started trembling moments before Nigel started cumming 
from the extra tightness and the shared vibrations. 
 "Oh my god... Oh my god..." he began saying, then he spilled over. The look 
on his face turned to one of agony. 
 He was positively quiet by comparison as they came together. She felt a 
sudden splash of warmth inside her as his cum started to fill her up. One 
long spurt after another coated her insides and started dribbing out. 
 The cunt juice on his cock turned white. Long dribbles of come poured down 
and neither of them cared, they were enjoying the greatest shared experience. 
She removed the vibrator and showed the fluid covered length to Nigel before 
wiping it off and hiding it in her bag again. 
 They lay together, she still on top of him, until his softening cock slipped 
out. 
 Hicks watched as Nigel opened Traceys cunt lips wide to see the result of 
their combined efforts, before they showered together and wiped each others 
privates clean before drying each other and dressing together. 
 
 The light level started dropping around Hicks as he watched them return to 
the lounge and chatting over more drinks. Christ, the largest part of ninety 
minutes had gone quickly, watching them. 
 Moments later it was pitch black and time to resume his interrupted journey. 
He put his hand out to pick up the tube. It wasn't there. Oh, he must have 
put it back in his belt. Nope, it wasn't there either. Ummm, where was it? 
 
 His skin crawled. 
 
 He'd put it down. In zero gravity. He frantically looked around for it, but 
it was nowhere to be seen. 
 Reluctantly he looked outwards, and quickly spotted the tube glinting in the 
moonlight, dozens of meters away at least. It might as well be on the other 
side of the Solar system, it was just as untouchable. 
 For a moment he hated himself like no other, then realised his mistake was 
an entirely human one. He could replace the tube and try again, but he'd 
almost certainly be posted before then. 
 No doubt there'd be another time. 
 
 Slowly he turned his back on the corner of the station and headed back to 
the airlock. He'd refill the oxygen in the suit and re-enable the airlock 
sensors to leave no trace of his presence. No close yet so far... 
 
 Ripley awoke two hours before dawn, and tossed and turned until she realised 
she wasn't going to get any more shut-eye till she'd gotten up and done 
something. So she got up for a walk around and a drink of water. Ripley 
stepped out onto the 50th floor apartment balcony to watch the view for a few 
minutes. 
 The street was lit by a dazzling half full moon. At this time there were 
only a few vehicles and the odd person moving around, and little else. The 
cold night breeze fanned over Ripley, making her shiver. 
 Some movement caught her eye. An oblong, faintly glowing shape crawled up 
between two buildings. It wasn't until it cleared them that she realised it 
was the gateway station, glowing by it's onboard lights. Unexpectedly it 
turned red then blazed into life as it moved out of Earths shadow into 
daylight. She didn't envy them. Twelve sunrises and sets a day for them. One 
of each was sufficient for her. 
 The sudden little puff of gas just ahead of it took her by surprise. Hello, 
a rocket? No, ion engines were invisible. An accident, perhaps? Not likely. 
In any case, she'd hear about it soon enough if anything had happened. 
 
 Robert was even more surprised when the sudden soundless detonation blazed 
forth several kilometers away. Fragments of metal from Hicks' shattered gun 
went in all directions as the Iron meteorite became the first ever to make 
the journey to Earth, then back into Solar orbit. 
 "What the hell...", he muttered, as he watched the gas plume expand and 
slowly fade away. 
 
 He'd almost forgotten all about it when lunchtime came around again. Vanessa 
was finishing some work, and she'd join him and his friends for a few drinks 
over a hot lunch. 
 Shortly after his departure she noticed on the security monitor a balding 
figure walk up to the outside door and wait there, ignoring the "Office 
closed for lunch" sign. After a few minutes she figured he surely must have 
realised, so she decided to talk. 
 "Hello, the office is closed until one. Is it important?" Her voice wafted 
from the speaker grille. 
 "It is. Can we talk?" 
 "Are you after the Company president?" 
 "No, I have to talk to you, Vanessa." 
 Interesting. What was important enough that someone would want to talk to 
her personally, especially now? 
 "Hang on, I'll be out in a minute." 
 Vanessa buzzed Bishop into the outside office. 
 "I don't think we've met" she said. 
 "How well do you know Hyperdine products?" 
 "Not very well, thats not really my department." 
 "How about the 600 model?" 
 "As I said, thats not my department. Unless theres something important, I 
think you'd better come back later." 
 Bishop showed her the tattoo on his arm, listing his make and model number. 
 It took Vanessa nearly an entire millisecond to consider her reply. Alright, 
they had things to discuss. 
 "Military hyperdine unit.  Okay, apartment 1793, 6pm sharp. Now, you'd 
better leave before you're noticed. I'll see you then." 
 
 Vanessa had set out two glasses of milky lubricant and changed out of her 
work clothes when he got there. He glanced at the cigarette burning in an 
ashtray. 
 "We're alone; the cigarette's mine. The President likes me to show some 
little shortcomings", she commented. 
 "Now, I think I deserve to know how you found out who I am, Mr..." 
 "Bishop.  I overheard a conversation you had a few weeks ago. Your attitude 
struck me first of all. And as good as the engineers are these days, some 
limb movements aren't as fluid as humans." 
 "Well well, thats something I never considered. I was told I wouldn't be 
able to identify other 600 models and they were right; I haven't. I'd need to 
spend time around fellow synthetics as you've done before I could do the 
same." 
 "But now," Vanessa continued, "I'd like to hear your story. Why did you 
contact me?" 
 "I'm scheduled for destruction. I need your help." 
 "On what grounds was that course of action decided?" 
 "During my last mission out, I came in contact with an exceedingly hostile 
organism that your Company wants. And they don't want anyone credible around 
who might conceivably take the witness stand against them." 
 "So thats how I come into it. I see.  Well, I've unrestricted access to all 
ICC computer data. Tomorrow I'll take a look and see what I find... 
interesting... the President instructed me not to go outside my area of work, 
otherwise I'd have looked through everything to learn all possible aspects of 
my job. I just assumed he wanted his privacy, but now it sounds more like he 
was avoiding a conflict of interest on my part." 
 "The 600 model is everything I was told it was. Nice functionality." 
 "Thank you, Bishop. It's nice to be appreciated for what I am, for once. 
Unlike you, the Hyperdine people weren't restricted so they did things 
exactly the way they wanted. It's kind of fun, blending in without anyone 
except Robert knowing who I am. Sometimes I wonder how they'd react if they 
knew, would they treat me differently and so forth." 
 "Do you want to be in a different place?" 
 "Yes. Definitely. But it's not like I can opt out. In Roberts eyes I'm the 
perfect female employee, and my efficiency doesn't come into it. He's a great 
believer in 'Jus primae noctis'" 
 "I haven't heard that phrase before." 
 "Never mind, I thought it'd been relegated to the history books centuries 
ago. But it's nice to be able to speak my mind to someone who won't say 
anything." 
 "Comes with the territory. People seem to like someone quiet, once in a 
while." 
 At seven thirty she bade him to leave, knowing that Robert was due there in 
thirty minutes. He often turned up early, so she didn't want to take the 
chance of being caught. She promised to get in touch as soon as she'd dug out 
the information. 

 
 At work the next day, Vanessa's eidetic memory absorbed dozens of pages per 
second; to human eyes it was just a blur. She'd gone straight for the highest 
classification "Black" science area and quickly located the Bio-weapons 
division. What she found surprised, then appalled her. The company had 
flouted every ethical and moral law in its dealings. Nothing mattered, even 
life itself was expendable if in the long run it advanced their aims. 
 She couldn't harm, or by inaction allow to be harmed a human being. Vanessas 
internal programming compelled her to bring this up with Robert but she held 
back, knowing the consequences of such a rash move. Not to mention that 
Hyperdine was already compromised; she would merely be the coup-de-grace if 
she tried. 
 
 She decided to check the company's background for any more surprises, and 
started with the classified history files. 
 The original company name was the Weyland-Yutani corp in honor of its 
founders, but their noble aspirations were quickly perverted by succeeding 
management. Within living memory the last vestiges of its humble beginnings 
were wiped when its name changed to the ICC corp. 
 "The deal of the Century" declared 20th century newspaper headlines of the 
sale of a Weyland-Yutani supplier to the corporation at a giveaway price. 
Delving deeper, WY had manoeuvred itself into a position such that its major 
supplier sold all its products to them. At an opportune moment they simply 
declared "We will pay... this amount for your wares from now on", and forced 
them to the wall. 
 The conniving extended to their own employees. A ancient top-secret 
memoranda recommended the misuse of a devious pitfall and a deliberate 
loophole in their employee contracts. When someone was interviewed for an 
internal position, they were offered $x per annum. However, the letter of 
offer gave the salary as $x-5000. If this was declined, he was transferred 
anyway - at his current salary. 
 
 Bishops predicament and this information brought another possibility to 
mind. She checked the balance of payments to Hyperdine. With a sinking 
feeling she noted that the last credit transfer occurred just before her 
purchase. 
 The ICC corp was their biggest customer. It was hardly necessary to check 
the confidential message logs to find diplomatically worded memos reminding 
the ICC corp of its dues, and Roberts note to his closest execs planning the 
next move. 
 
 Takeover via a 2-pronged attack. 
 
 Vanessa needed to learn more to decide on a course of action, but this 
wasn't getting her jobs done. So she asked to stay behind for extra work. 
Robert shrugged his shoulders as if to say "please yourself", then requested 
her to turn up at his apartment by 8pm. 
 
 
 Jonesy had been stalking for prey without success. The 6 kilo orange furball 
trudged back through his domain back to Ripleys apartment. The other beat-up 
Toms gave the battle hardened beast good leeway, while his harem were 
overlooked and unmolested in his passage. 
 "Hello Jonesy, what've you been up to today, mmm?" Ripley asked the feline 
when the door flap clattered to announce his return. 
 She stroked Jonesy's back just forward to the tail, his 'sexy spot'. She 
shouldn't tease him like this, it probably frustrated the Tom no end but she 
was amused by Jones' reaction; the tail shooting vertical and his head 
straining upwards while his mouth made biting movements in the air. 
 As expected the big cat went to pieces in her hands. She only had to scratch 
him the right way and he was putty. 
 "Oh Jonesy, you big softy, you", she commented to the feline as he craned 
his neck for more of the same. 
 Ripley was a Cat person. Why, she'd only just come to realize. Cats were 
proud, independent creatures that subtly let it be known they don't really 
need you except for food. Similarly, she'd realized men seemed to like women 
who didn't really need them; who wanted him in their life but had other 
important interests - Newt in her case. Perhaps it was the element of mystery 
it instilled. 
 
 She was preparing dinner when Newt came home from school, the happy 
almost-teenager fairly bursting into the apartment. Newt was slowly gaining a 
tan and her complexion had changed. A haircut had done wonders for her 
appearance, and she was barely recognizable from the waif she'd rescued on 
Acheron. 
 Just before some serious shut-eye, Ripley checked on Newt. She was asleep 
and not making a sound. Ripley stroked her daughters hair, feeling the warmth 
radiating from her little body. 
 "Night, night, my Baby", she whispered. 
 Ripley pecked her cheek and quietly left the room. Newt didn't stir. 
 
 The phone buzzed for attention. 
 
 "Oh, you would have to ring NOW, wouldn't you? Damn it." 
 Hello, when she angrily hit the answer stud Bishop and a woman she hadn't 
met stared back. It looked like they were in an office somewhere. 
 
 "Hello, Bishop... whats new? I thought you would've been reassigned?" 
 "No, it's a long story. Tell you about it another time. Right now I'm in the 
ICC Company presidents office." 
 "What?", she said, eyes wide. 
 "Miss Ripley, I'm Vanessa, the presidents secretary", she introduced 
herself. 
 "Your friend contacted me about some matters of interest to you. They 
concern me too, now. I've got some information for you, we think you deserve 
it." 
 "Go ahead", Ripley answered as she pulled up a seat. 
 "Does this look familiar to you?", Vanessa asked. She played part of a 
recording from the Bioweapons division. 
 It was a fuzzy view from an in-helmet camera. Two people were visible in 
front, climbing a rocky slope towards an odd proturbance towering above them. 
Screaming wind caught by the microphone made hearing their words difficult. 
 "... how long do you think this things been here, Dallas?" a female voice 
suddenly emerged from the chaos. 
 "God knows Lambert, it gives me the creeps just looking at it. How tall do 
you think its builders were?" 
 "Look at the opening there. If that was a convenient size for them, I'd say, 
three meters, easy." 
 "Who knows what they were thinking of when they built it. Why leave it open 
like that, though?" 
 "Maybe someone was in a big hurry to leave?..." 
 
 She'd seen enough. Dallas, Lambert, Kane.. they'd gone inside the Alien 
spaceship. But where did this recording come from? 
 "Was that on the lifeboat?" 
 "Yes. That, and everything your science officer, Ashley, learned about the 
Alien you picked up. He stored it in your flight recorder in case he failed 
in his assignment. The inspection team which went over your lifeboat removed 
all evidence pertaining to the Alien. Robert ordered it personally." 
 "Robert?" 
 "Robert Lionel VanLeuwen, the Company president." 
 Wasn't that name fam... 
 "No, it's not a coincidence, they're related." Vanessa beat her to it. 
 No surprises there. Another Van Leuwen had presided over her inquiry and the 
later Court martial. 
 
 "But, going through the records, I found something else you might find 
interesting.  Normally when a vessel fails to report in on schedule, the next 
to follow the same course is notified to keep an eye out. That happened in 
your case, but the Nostromo was ordered off its normal flight path to 
intercept the alien vessels signal which you otherwise wouldn't have passed 
near enough to detect. Naturally, you weren't found. 
 Of course, the Nostromos actual path was plotted well in advance. A request 
for a follow-up on your disappearance was denied; they decided that anything 
which could cause your ships disappearance was too risky to investigate 
further, and the matter was classified." 
 "You mean...", Ripley began to comprehend. 
 "If they'd looked, they would've spotted your lifeboat." 
 If Ripley had a second chance at Robert at that moment, she'd kill him with 
her bare hands. It wasn't an accident that she'd been left out there. An 
inhuman corporate decision took her friends, family... and Amy, away from her 
forever. 
 "Was Acheron chosen for colonization in the hope they would find the ship?" 
 "No, the planners didn't have access to that information." 
 A touch of a key filled the screen with Zeta 2 Reticuli's data. 
 "The system was colonized partly because its sun is almost identical to 
ours. Conceivably, it even formed in the same gas cloud. Plus, Acheron is 
almost completely mineable. It was purely an economic decision." 
 "How did Carter Burke come into it?" 
 "He was a minor company executive assigned to your case, and he was ordered 
to send the message to the Colony. I doubt he looked far enough ahead to see 
his name was on all the documents. Mr Burke was the ICC corporations drop man 
in case something went wrong." 
 "Couldn't the colony have detected the signal? We did." 
 "Simple economy. They didn't need the equipment required, so they didn't get 
it." 
 "Who did in the first place?" 
 "An automated drone probe. There are hundreds out there, collecting data on 
systems ten times further out than we've ever travelled. Amongst their 
functions is a wide-band search for intelligent signals. One recorded the 
Ships beacon for analysis on Earth. 
 Whoever set up the signal deliberately chose a noisy frequency. If they'd 
wanted it to be heard over a long distance they would've chosen something 
like the twenty-one centimeter Hydrogen frequency. They probably assumed 
anyone sophisticated enough to get there in the first place could receive it, 
so they aimed for short range reception only." 
 "Ash said they'd translated it. What did it say?" 
 "It was easy to decipher. The originators knew a message in their language 
would likely be untranslatable by anyone else, so they settled for diagrams. 
They show the Alien life-cycle in full, and make it very clear how dangerous 
it was. A rough schematic of their spaceship was included to stop curiosity 
along those lines, plus something else." 
 "Go on." 
 "A series of star charts showing the location of the planet they picked up 
the Alien from. The good news is that the ship was there so long that the 
stars have moved to the extent they can't be followed." 
 "Thank goodness for that." 
 "The bad news is that from the spatial density on the maps they know the 
planet must be approximately two thousand light years away. That means the 
probes will find it anyday, if the data isn't already sitting around waiting 
to be studied in the right way." 
 Ripley sat back to contemplate this. Jesus, it wasn't ever yet, not by a 
long shot. 
 "Then sooner or later they'll succeed, and add that... thing to their 
arsenal. Just one mistake and..." 
 "I know. Hic Jacet Terra - here lies Earth." 
 "Then we've got to stop them!" 
 
 "Don't worry, Miss Ripley - I'll take care of that for all of us", Vanessa 
coldly replied. 
 
 Ripley signed off for the night. Sleep didn't come easy for her. If one 
company employee made one tiny human error with the Alien, a wave of death 
would sweep the Earth and the lights would go out forever. Passing ships 
would see the cities crumble to dust and cover the billions of dead, and all 
major forms of life on Earth would die with them. 
 
 "Thank you for pointing things out to me, Bishop", Vanessa said. "Now, what 
I have to do, I want to do alone." 
 Bishop nodded and started to leave. 
 "Remember me, won't you?" she said just before the door closed behind him. 
 
 When he was out of the office, Vanessa turned her attention back to the 
keyboard and brought up a series of files and recordings. The translated 
signal from the Alien spaceship. Special order 937 from the Bioweapons 
division to science officer Ashley on board the Nostromo. The confidential 
report on the Nostromo's disappearance. The Company President's order to 
remove all evidence from the Lifeboat. Ash's data on the Alien. The memos to 
and from Carter Burke. The reports from Acheron before the transmissions of 
that poor colony stopped. The two Court-martial and inquiry reports. The 
Sulaco records. The memos about the Hyperdine corp. 
 ENTER RECIPIENT(S), the computer asked. 
 Her list began: United press, Reuters, Independent press assn... 
 
 Within minutes the media were bombarding the office with questions, and the 
Company presidents suite was besieged. His faithful executives, discreetly 
dressed in casual and maintenance personnel attire, filled the first 
available downgoing shuttle. 
 Vanessa was barely keeping up with the requests for more information, when 
Robert burst into the office, howling like a Banshee. His face was beetroot 
red from the effort of fighting his way through the media people, and twisted 
in rage. 
 She pressed the 'transmit' key to send her final reply to the media, before 
turning to face him. 
 
 "VANESSA!" he screamed. "WHAT  HAVE.... YOU... DONE!!" 
 
 "You broke every moral and ethical law, and you knew I couldn't sit by and 
watch if I knew the whole picture. 
 Sorry to welcome you to the real world, Mr President. It's not everyday your 
perfect employee lets you down like this." 
 
 He gagged, then his expression turned black. The punch connected on her jaw 
and sent her spinning across the room. 
 
 There were no tears, only a wistful look on her face. 
 Vanessa's programming prevented her from taking action when he pulled his 
knife out of the drawer. 
 
 ---------- 
:  The end : 
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