Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience. The Swarm Series: Stripped out (exhib, MF, Oral, humil, Sci-Fi) (C) 2008 George Page. All rights reserved. The Swarm Cycle Universe Copyright (C) 2007 The Thinking Horndog "... In summary, Sir, Demeter is coming along nicely: Flowers is doing quite a job. The Albion project is nearly ready to go. The trouble spots we've already covered." "Very good, Major. That leaves us just the, um, how did you put it?" "The Rieger Consideration, sir?" "Yes." "Our official channels are concentrated on the Sa'arm, of course, but there's also a group openly looking at the Confederacy side of things. The AIs seem to be keeping a lid on how much they'll let us know about the other Races, but with the Fleet Auxiliaries are stopping in here and there, they are loosening up. Apparently, it seems to be a case of them not realising that we'd be interested. "At the same time, we've had recruitment quietly looking for someone to use for the unofficial side. The requirements that you set were surprisingly difficult to fill, but they've got someone lined up. Extraction looks like it's going to be a little iffy, though." "I don't want to know. Just get it done." * * * Another slow weekend, I thought to myself as I waved my membership card at the doorman of the 'Mermaid Bar' and reflected on the irony. This many years into the Swarm incursion, or whatever you wanted to call it, and the general level of female exhibition was way up. The average woman, even in a relatively conservative country like New Zealand, was showing much more flesh than she used to and even total nudity wasn't completely unknown, especially in the clubbing district. After a few nasty incidents early on, the first real Confederacy extraction from a local place had sunk the message home. With so much more eye-candy running around, you'd have thought that strip clubs would be one of the first victims, but they were still around, still catering to the sad, the lonely and those whose gender and CAP scores condemned them to remaining home, and where there were men willing to spend their money, there were women more than happy to take it. I didn't quite fit into that category of man - I'd managed to volunteer for the Confederacy Navy - but here I was sidling up to the bar of a strip club. A past master of rationalisation, I'd long since decided that even with all of the nudity and near-nudity around, there was something different about a woman taking off her clothing, instead of just appearing in some state of undress. Yeah, okay, so it's possible I'm both sad and lonely. The Mermaid Bar is the kind of place you'd expect from the name: A long bar, one main stage, and a dive tank for the actual 'mermaids'. It's in the middle of the main entertainment district, so it's a cut above the kind of dive you'd find out on the edge of town. Good lighting, a bit of a laser show, but it's still got the 'private dance' rooms, and the brothel upstairs, so you couldn't really call it mainstream. Drink and 'Dancer's Dollars' in hand, I slide straight up to the tipping rail at the edge of the stage and settle in just as the act changes. Tweedledum & Tweedledee, I'd mentally dubbed them the first time I saw them dance. Both were distinctly average - average busts, average size, average enthusiasm - but I let them both earn a couple of the faux notes before they shuffle off. 'Dee had optimistically tattooed her CAP score on the outside of her right thigh, claiming a high sexual function sub-score that her 5.2 total didn't reflect. Seeing who was coming on next, I stepped back to an unoccupied table near the tank while I looked to see who else was around tonight. I was hoping Angel was going to be here, but I had a couple of alternates in mind if she wasn't. *** "Lieutenant," the AI whispered in his ear - so to speak - as he sat reviewing reports, "you have a Flash priority extraction. Please assemble your team immediately. CaseID 992842258-B." Confederacy Marine Lieutenant Harry Dunlain looked up the case as the AI automatically passed orders to the rest of his platoon, with a guilty flush of relief. Paperwork was deadly boring, but it certainly beat getting shot up during an extraction. Hmm, he thought as he read. Specific Target pickup, low risk location. Reading between the lines, he figured that this was one of those people who didn't get out much, and the AIs had determined that the extraction conditions - notably the availability of a sufficient range of potential drones - had finally been met, but weren't expected to last. He reached the troop bay just as he got to the end of the report and laughed out loud. "Read the brief, Apes," he told his people as they looked up. While they did, he looked at the only person in the bay who hadn't been rebuilt to the Confederacy Marine two-metre template and made a decision. "Want to take part, Claire?" Claire looked up in surprise. A former nurse who'd lost her original sponsor to combat, she'd been assigned to the Platoon as their medic, laundress and general fuck-toy, and she'd grown attached to her latest 'owners', knowing that she was valued in return, but she'd never expected to take an active part in an extraction. "Sir?" "I want to try something different. The drones will throw up the blockade when were ready, but I'd like you to carry the Terminus in ahead of time." "Why not one of the marines, sir?" "You think one of my Apes is going to walk into a strip club unnoticed? It's a pretty safe mission - New Zealand's not nearly as militant as Texas, say, but even Rachel there - " he waved to one of the three women in the platoon - " is going to stand out." "A strip club, sir?" Claire looked very interested indeed. "You should audition, C," one of the marines called out, to a general laugh. Claire's original sponsor had thinned down her original frame a few sizes, but left her original generous C bust alone. "They'd pay more than you do, Davis," she retorted and then nodded at the Lieutenant. "I'll do it, Sir" "Great! I'll get you one of the light door-gates and Davis will show you how to set it up." *** I was getting to the point where I needed to toss a coin between my two alternate choices when I finally saw Angel. God knows what her name is - her 'stage name', let alone her real one - but I always thought of her as Angel because of the massive Caduceus she has tattooed down her back. The staff with its serpents stretched right down her spine from neck to tailbone while the wings spread out to the points of her shoulders. I just loved running my hands over it, which I suppose made a change from the usual punter's pawing of her breasts. She smiled as she saw me approach, but demurred as I started to ask her for a 'private dance', nodding toward the stage. "I'm up next, but I'll find you after." I shrugged with a grin and backed off toward the bar to get a new drink. I eagerly grabbed a seat at the Rail, and blew through most of the remainder of my 'Dancer's Dollars' as Angel and her partner gyrated on the stage. They must have only just come on-shift as they displayed an energy level well above the likes of Tweedledum and Tweedledee - inverted pole swings, and Angel even grabbed the ceiling rails for a couple of, I don't know, 'split presses'? Soon enough, though, their songs were over and they came down off the stage. Angel stopped by me and whispered in my ear that she'd be right back. I picked up a number of appreciative glances for that, despite, or because of, my unprepossessing appearance. I swallowed the last of my black sambucca and headed to the bar for a quick refill - aniseed breath has got to beat bourbon breath - and nearly fell as I tripped over a smallish woman as she tore herself away from the stage and bent down to pick up an over-sized backpack. "Sorry," I murmured as I grabbed her shoulder to steady myself. 'Nice rack', I thought to myself, before backing off as a glance revealed the absence of a garter. Not that I didn't have better things on my mind, of course. Angel was waiting for me by the time I got to the Hostess, so I pony up he cash and we're led back to the VIP lounge. The Mermaid is a little different in that full contact 'VIP dances' are held in a common lounge - usually the no-contact dances are in the lounge and the VIP ones are in private cubicles. Ah well. I'm close enough to a regular that we quickly fall into an established pattern - Angel's got her ankles hooked over my thighs and is leaning back against me as I lightly run my fingertips the length of her, from feet to shoulders to neck then down her front, a quick swirl around her left nipple and then across her stomach and out along the top of her thighs. All of a sudden, an alarm goes off on my phone. It's a special adaptation made by the Confederacy Navy recruiting office when I volunteered - it's only supposed to sound when there's an extraction in progress. Angel swept off my lap and was starting to gather up her clothes when there was a knock on the door and the Hostess stuck her head through: "Ellie, you'd better get out here - the Marines have arrived." "Two seconds, Boss" Angel - Ellie? - said and I scrambled for my wallet, flipping it open to the CAP Card. "Listen, Ellie is it? Looks like I'll be going with them and I've got a couple of places to fill. Want to come with?" She looked closely at my Card - the 6.8 wasn't overly impressive, but it did get me out with a couple of concubines. I suspect my smile was rather sickly, because she smiled herself, then stepped close and dragged my head down for a kiss. "Sorry, Hon. I appreciate the offer and all, but I've got my own ticket out - Confed Marines." I laughed and reached out to stroke her tattoo. "Let me guess? Medical Branch?" "Yup" "Cool. I'm a Navy man, myself." I held out my arm, old-school chivalrous, "Shall we?" The Hostess was waiting just outside the door for us, with Ellie's CAP card and hugged her as she took it. I stepped away to give them a moment and considered who, since Angel - Ellie - wasn't available, I was going to take with me. We got back into the main room just as the Marine in charge was getting into his spiel. *** Harry Dunlain broke off the standard briefing - no great loss, everyone had heard it before - as the last two people into the main room. He recognised the mission's target from the file photo and the woman was carrying the 7.5 CAP card that the AI had detected when they locked the place down. The guy had good taste, even if he did look like a stuffed dumpling. "Okay," he went on. "Now that everyone is here, we're here to pick up Benjamin Williams and Eleanor Askew. If the two of you could step forward and present your CAP cards for confirmation, we can get this show on the road. The rest of you who want to volunteer, please have your Cards ready, everyone else step to the back." The two came forward and were duly checked off. "You two know the ropes, right? Williams, you've got two, Askew, you need to pick out four. We're not overly rushed for time, but sooner is better." He looked the two of them up and down. "Remember that Medical can do wonders, so don't let that stop you. Askew, schedules and things are a little screwed up, so you're something of a bonus on this trip. Don't worry, we'll get you rotated round to your proper duty station eventually. Have fun." *** The lieutenant waved us toward the milling 'volunteers' and stood back. "A special pickup?" Ellie asked me, and I shrugged. "God knows. I tested out for headquarters duty. You want to go first? I'm going to want your advice on some of your former colleagues." She nodded. "Okay. This won't take long." Looking at the crowd she started pointing. "Eva, Diane, Sharon, Come on down. Did Dave make it inside the barrier? Excellent! You too, Studly." Two dancers, one of the bar staff and a bouncer all came forward and gathered around. "Been planning this long?" "Ever since the I signed up. What do you need?" "Well, I was going to pick you and Eva, here, sooo... Any advice you can give me, actually. Let's say one good solid type and a nympho, I guess. Smart and adaptable if I can get it, too: Can't fuck all the time." I was mildly surprised at my own crudity. I didn't usually get so, um, earthy. "Don't want much, do you?" She muttered. "I haven't seen their sub-scores, but... Okay. Hannah and Crystal. Crys isn't all that smart, but she's got the nymphomania." She pointed them out of the group and waved them over as one of the marines handed me a Reader. Hannah was the Hostess, forty-something and a little on the dumpy side. I could easily imagine her as a 'den mother' to the younger dancers. I liked what I saw even before I read the Card. Good sub-scores across the board, but low on the sexual performance. Not too much of a problem, but.. "Any particular reason your sexual sub-scores are so low?" She nodded firmly. "Idiotic upbringing. You get me a twenty year-old's body, and I'll show you what I've learned." "Okay. You're in." Crystal, on the other hand. Ah, crap. Tweedledee. "What do you do when you're not working here?" I asked her as I ran her card through the reader. Ouch. Exactly what I expected. "Oh, I was saving up to head to the States. Better chance of being picked up, yeah?" "And yet?" She snorted. "Yeah, and yet. Look, I like to fuck, right, Hannah here doesn't, so I can cover her action for you." "We'll see. Look, go grab the girl you were dancing with earlier, okay. And the other barmaid and, oh, the tall Asian in the white." That last was my second alternate, after Elle and Eva. I looked over at the marine leading the extraction. "I got time for a quick trial?" Ellie raised her eyebrow questioningly, which I read as a query as to whether I still needed her help. "Sorry Angel," I said. "Thanks for the suggestions. I'll see you upstairs? Uh, I mean -" 'Upstairs' at the Mermaid usually meant the Brothel, and you never found dancers working there. "Sure, enjoy your trial." Just as she turned away to gather up her concubines, she looked back. "Angel?" I grinned and pointed at her back. "Your Wings." Hannah tapped my elbow as Tweedledee came back with her three selections. "Watch out for Imamura," she whispered, then carefully avoided looking at anyone as she continued more loudly, "She's a bitch and likes to play mind games." "She's not the only one," I laughed as the Asian scowled. "Okay ladies, Give me your Cards and strip down while I check out your scores." Tweedledum's sub-scores were all closer to average than 'Dee's as well as being a touch higher overall. Imamura had a respectable 6.2 overall, but the details confirmed Hannah's warning. The barmaid, as I'd halfway expected, had the highest CAP of the four of them - 6.4 - and sub-scores surprisingly similar to Tweedledum's. I was tempted to make my choice there, but I'd 'promised' them a trial. "Hannah, drop my pants. The rest of you, on your knees in a line. One, two, three, four." I pointed, in turn, to Imamura, Tweedledee, Tweedledum and the barmaid, who was still struggling with her jeans. "Leave them," I told her. With my pants and briefs around my ankles, I presented my dick to the Asian. She grimaced a little - I'm uncircumcised and only averaged sized, which on my solid frame looks small - but leaned forward to take me. It was lacklustre at best, especially since I wasn't all that interested. Once I was at full extension, I reached for the back of her head and forced myself deeper. I let her go when she began to struggle and she sat back, so I shrugged and stepped in front of Tweedledee. She picked up where I'd left off with Imamura and buried her nose in my pubic hair on the first stroke. It was almost enough to make me reconsider, until I looked over and saw the barmaid watching us with an amused expression on her face. Amused? I caught her gaze and held it as I caught Tweedledee's head on another deep stroke and held the dancer in place while I reached down and pinched her nose. She took it for maybe thirty seconds before starting to struggle. I held it for another thirty before letting her up. The Barmaid's amused expression was a little weaker, but still there. Stepping up to Tweedledum, I wondered what I could do up up the ante further, but she took it out of my hands, so to speak. "Nah, man. I can see where this is going," she said as she got back to her feet. She gave Hannah and the barmaid - Vicky Burrows, according to her Card - a quick hug and whispered something in the barmaid's ear before helping 'Dee to her feet. Gathering up my two concubines, I approached the Marine. "All done, Lieutenant."