Author: Thinking Horndog
Title: Buying Wholesale
Part: 4 of 4
Universe: The Swarm
Summary: An experimental large-scale pickup of colonists is mounted in an
effort to boost the numbers of those escaping the Swarm.

Keywords: MF mF oral anal exhib ScFi

Chapter 4

	Marissa Skomp and Dee Dee Whitaker were in the holding area for the
auction at the ring, but they had held themselves back, watching the way
things were going.  Both of them had committed to this kind of thing in the
past -- but it hadn't gone well.  This particular method of selection was
pretty anonymous; you didn't get to meet the person who won the bids face to
face until after.  They saw a number of women get serious surprises when their
new sponsor came to claim them -- and more than a couple of rejections.
Speaking of rejections...  Marissa and Dee Dee had arrived together, but Dee
Dee was keeping her distance...  "What's up with you?" Marissa asked her long-
time girlfriend, hands on hips.

	"You killed him!"

	"No, I didn't," Marissa replied reasonably, "THEY killed him, with
that needle; I just took advantage of the opportunity to get even -- for all
of us!"

	"It was... sickening..." Dee Dee turned her head away.

	"It didn't last," Marissa replied.  "He hurt me -- he jammed his cock
in my ass -- and he enjoyed it.  I felt like he needed the payback --
especially since he LIED..."  She grimaced and stared at the dirt between her
feet.  "He was always on me because I wasn't a virgin -- calling me a slut,
and treating me like dirt.  And the whole time, he was lying to all of us."
She looked up at her friend, "Aren't you upset that he lied and cheated and
stole your cherry under false pretenses?"

	Dee Dee sighed.  "Well, yeah, but I was there -- I did it.  I sold
myself."  She looked out across the ring.  "I don't know if I can do it
again."

	"At least this time you'll get what you paid for," Marissa retorted.
"Look at it that way."

	Dee Dee shrugged.  "I picked Duane.  I picked wrong, but..."  She
waved her hand at the ring.  "This is all so... haphazard..."

	"It's an honest game, though," Marissa pointed out, waving at the
stands.  "They're all real honest-to-God selectees..."

	"Yeah, but...  Old guys?"  Dee Dee shivered.

	"They may look old today, Honey," a woman nearby said, "but in a
couple of weeks, they'll LOOK twenty-five!  And they'll still BE old, between
the ears -- which means they'll be smarter than anything you're probably
dating now..."

	"I just..."  Dee Dee shivered again.  "remember all of those TV shows
where they caught Internet predators?  Child molesters..."

	The woman eyed her.  "You're not a child -- or you wouldn't be here.
So what if the guy picks you because you're young?  Honey, I don't know if you
realize it, but the way we have been doing things in this century has been
unusual -- for centuries, parents have bartered off their daughters to old,
rich guys for a bride price...  It wasn't really any less a sale than this is
-- and in some places, it STILL HAPPENS!"

	"Yeah, I guess..."

	"Why don't you just wait and see what happens?  I wish I had what you
have to offer..."  The woman sighed; she'd been up once, and suffered the
embarrassment of having no one bid on her.  Martha Sangler was just too big to
make the cut on the first pass -- to heavy, too motherly, too dowdy.  Even out
of her clothing, her body didn't exactly scream 'sex toy!' -- even given her
massive breasts.  Maybe it was the Caesarian Section scar -- or the way fat
lay on her body because of it.  She had a number of nice features -- but they
weren't packaged very well; putting her auburn hair up in a bun was a mistake,
for instance.

	Marissa was quick to point this out, "Why don't you let down that bun?
It makes you look OLD..."

	"Do you think?" Martha asked.  "I can't have it in my way, though, if
I'm going to have to, you know, give oral sex..."

	Marissa looked amused; this lady was planning on giving blowjobs in
public -- but couldn't SAY blowjob...  "There is still stuff we can do to make
you look younger -- I mean, you aren't REALLY fifty, are you?"

	"Good God, no!  I'm thirty-six!" Martha burst out.

	"Dee Dee, do you have your brush and those combs?" Marissa asked.

	"Of course..."  Dee Dee had naturally curly hair and never went
anywhere without the supplies to push it back from her face.

	"Well?"  Marissa stuck her hand out and Dee Dee started digging.

	"I can't thank you enough!" Martha purred when the girls were done.
"That's MUCH better!"  They'd turned the bun into a ponytail -- and fluffed it
so that its body showed, enhancing Martha's face, at least, quite a bit.
"What else should I do?"

	Marissa looked at Dee Dee, got a nod, and said, "Take off about half
of those rings -- they tell people that you think you have fat fingers -- and
that you're embarrassed about it."

	"Oh."  Martha blinked.  "Good idea."  She DID have pudgy fingers --
but it the girls were right, she was pointing them up, not improving things.
She started pulling them off.  "What on Earth can I do with them?"  Actually,
her fingers weren't that bad -- Martha's perceptions in this area were
flawed...

	"Pinky ring on the second toe?" Dee Dee suggested.  "You're wearing
flip-flops..."

	"Yeah...."  She pulled them off and got ready to sit and place them on
her feet -- but Marissa stopped her.

	"You don't want a dusty ass," Marissa pointed out.  She took the rings
and slid them onto Martha's toes.  The fit wasn't perfect, but it wasn't too
bad...

	"What do I do with the rest?" Martha wondered aloud.  "I know!  Pick
one!  Each of you!"  Marissa and Dee Dee shared a look; what were THEY going
to do with the things? -- but they understood that the woman meant well.
"What else?" Martha prompted.

	The pair thought about it, scoping the older woman from head to foot.
She had nice ankles...  "Ankle bracelet -- definitely!" Dee Dee announced.

	"Really?" Martha blinked, then sighed.  "Where am I going to get one?"

	Marissa scratched her head.  "Run a necklace around it twice?"  She
started digging in her purse.  "I've got an old necklace that Duane gave
me..."  She made a face.  "Actually, it's perfect -- it's got that nasty
charm..."  The charm was a stylized cock poking a heart -- Duane had made her
wear it regularly, so he could poke fun at her over it.  Marissa wrapped it
around Martha's ankle twice.  "Yeah, that'll work.  Okay, let's see how THIS
goes..."

	Up in the stands, Jimmy Preston, only recently arrived from outside,
was complaining, "Where are all the hot girls?"  Jimmy was a seven point seven
at sixteen -- somewhat owlish in his eyeglasses.  He'd been at the top of his
class in high school -- and a year ahead -- but as occurs regularly, his
social life had lagged.  Jimmy was already pegged for a naval R & D site --
and if he hadn't showed up at the fair, a team would have picked him up soon,
anyway -- but it would have been his first pickup of any type, ever...  Now,
he was sitting in the stands, on the cusp of FINALLY collecting four women who
WOULD meet his every need -- and the selection sucked...

	Gerhardt Martin had a different outlook on things.  "Sonny, you still
need a mama.  Young girls, they are nothing but problems -- and they don't
know what they're doing when it come to the sex things, ja?  Pick an older,
wiser head -- you can always make her younger and prettier -- and she'll be
very grateful, not so?  An older woman will take care of ALL your needs, not
just those of your schwanz..."

	"Yeah, well, if that's the smart thing, how come nobody's doing it?"
Jimmy countered.

	"Who said everyone is smart?" Gerhardt countered.  "Most men think
with their schwanz.  Pick some young ones -- but pick an older mama for her
experience -- if not for you, do it for the young ones..."

	"If that idea is so smart, why are you looking at young chicks?" Jimmy
pressed.

	"I am older -- I can teach!" Gerhardt retorted, then leaned in to add,
"Can YOU teach?"

	Jimmy grunted, annoyed -- but the old guy was right; you can't teach
what you've never experienced -- at least, not where sex is concerned...

	Smitty, the impromptu auctioneer, glanced over the remains of the
pool.  Things were getting pretty thin...  There were a couple of younger
chicks on the sidelines, but they weren't in the pool.  He'd talked to Gunny
about dragging in some more talent from outside, but that was somewhat
dangerous, so they didn't want to get too serious about going outside if they
didn't have to...  "Okay," he announced, "looks like it's time to look over
the performance-oriented crowd..."  Pointing, he picked out five of the
leftovers.  "Go over and stand in the focus over there, the five of you, and
we're gonna put your claims to the test..."  Turning back to the stands, he
announced, "Okay, I need five volunteers to put these women through their
paces!  You don't have to buy, afterwards -- you're just gonna get a piece and
let them prove whether they're really any good or not..."

	Jimmy squirmed in his seat and Gerhardt chuckled.  "Go down and have
one of them suck out the excess man-juice," he urged, "Then maybe you will be
able to think clearer, ja?"

	"Yeah, good idea," Jimmy muttered, hopping up.  There was no way he
was going to pass this up, but the old guy had given him a face-saving reason
to go down there.  "Which one, though?"

	Gerhardt surveyed the available talent.  "The second from the right,"
he opined.

	Jimmy looked the woman over -- not hard, since she was being displayed
by the holographic projector at several times life-size.  "I dunno.  What's up
with her stomach?"

	"She has had babies by C-section -- they cut her open to deliver
them," Gerhardt related.  "Things didn't heal pretty.  But that is easily
fixed by the machines in the colony ship..."

	"Her boobies are just HUGE!!!"

	"Ja, she's a big mama -- and that's a good thing.  If they're too big,
you can have them reduced..." Gerhardt reminded him.  "She has a pretty
face..."

	"Yeah.  Are you going down?"

	"I'm still an old man," Gerhardt replied.  "Today is for young men."

	Jimmy nodded; he could have used the support, but he understood.  He
headed on down the bleachers, stepping from empty seat to empty seat; there
weren't that many sponsors left in the stands, either...

	Jimmy had no trouble homing in on his selection; he was the first one
to move to volunteer.  Others overcame their reluctance only upon seeing him
making his way down.  Stepping into the marked-off area, he approached the
woman, "Hi..."

	"Hi."  The woman was Martha Sangler -- who couldn't decide whether
attracting a guy this young was a windfall or a ticket to failure.  "Ummm,
what would you like?"

	"I, uuuhhh," Jimmy tripped over his tongue.  "Maybe you could, ummm,
show me the ropes..."

	Martha cocked her head.  "How close have you been?"

	"I -- not close.  Not at all," Jimmy admitted.

	Both of them had forgotten that they were on display.  "Come here,
then.  Have you ever touched a woman's breasts?  Go ahead, they're sensitive,
but they're not easily damaged."  She hefted one of hers and when he reached
out, she laid it on his palm.

	Jimmy's eyes widened; it was soft and warm -- and heavy!  "Don't you
get backaches?"

	"Regularly," Martha admitted.  "That feels good all over, but the
nipples are the most sensitive areas..."

	Jimmy brought up his other hand to tweak her nipple -- and watched it
extend itself and her areola crinkle.  "Wow!"

	"It likes you..."  The boy was clumsy -- but that paradoxically added
to Martha's arousal.  He was a virgin, for God's sake!  She'd gotten a hold of
a virgin!  Martha could feel herself lubricating.

	There was a roar from the stands, where they were getting a free sex
show.  Many of the sponsors had one or more women already, and most of the
males had a head in their lap, working, while they watched this.  Three of the
other women were already giving head, and one was knelt up and accepting a
cock in her ass -- obviously painfully -- but, oddly, most of the attention
was focused on Martha and Jimmy -- and the audience could see Martha's outer
labia pink up and get puffy and pop open in response to her heightened
arousal.

	Jimmy was all but drooling; Martha encouraged him to continue.  "Go
ahead, you can suck it.  Even chewing on it gently is pleasurable..."  She
arched her back as Jimmy lifted her breast some and bent to pull in her
nipple, then closed in a bit more so she could rub the lump at his crotch.

	Jimmy moaned around her nipple; just the touch brought him close to
cumming.  "Don't cum!" Martha enjoined, "I want to taste it.  It would be a
shame for your cum to be wasted in there...  Can I take it out?"

	Jimmy backed off the nipple to try to get some control.  "Uh huh."

	The fight to retrieve Jimmy's cock through his fly actually served to
cool him off somewhat; Martha had to resort to opening his belt and pulling
his pants and underwear down.  "Oh, my!" she breathed when her prize was
actually firmly in her grip.  The lanky boy had a sizeable cock -- a porn
video spectacular, long enough for her to wrap both of her small hands around
the shaft!

	"I'm close..." Jimmy gritted out, barely in control.

	Martha's knees kicked up dust clouds as they thudded into the ground;
she let go with one hand and wrapped her lips around his glans, tickling the
underside with her tongue was she gazed up at him...

	... And Jimmy immediately erupted into her hot, wet mouth,
"OMIGAAAAWD!"  His knees shook and his balls bounced up and down and his cock
pulsed and pulsed and pulsed...  It was nirvana, and it lasted probably thirty
endless seconds...  He came to himself to find that he was holding her head in
place with both hands -- but she had her eyes closed and was humming,
obviously in no distress...

	Jimmy was right.  Cum varied, and Martha had swallowed quite a bit
over the years -- some of which she hadn't enjoyed.  But this load was
wonderful; she could suck it all day -- which was probably a good thing,
considering the copious quantities Jimmy delivered.  Apparently, he'd never
heard of the fact that the average male came about a teaspoonful...  "You're
still hard," she observed, pulling back off him.

	"Yeah," Jimmy croaked.  He'd cum and cum and cum -- and his pecker was
still rock-hard and incredibly sensitive...

	"Let's do it, then," Martha said, dropping onto her back in the dust.
"Don't look at it -- some young girl with a pretty pussy can give you the tour
some other time.  Just give it to me and I'll put it in and we can both enjoy
ourselves..."

	Jimmy didn't think about it; he didn't think about the audience making
catcalls in the background.  He just dropped to his knees and let her take his
pecker in her hand and rub it between her legs -- and when he was seated in
the opening, he plowed forward, going deep...  Speech wasn't possible; the
feeling was beyond description.  But when he opened his eyes and saw the look
on the woman's face, he knew that she knew all about it.

	"Oh, God!" Martha gasped as his hot, hard rod plunged deep into her.
The unknown boy's cock was the largest she'd ever tried to accommodate -- and
it felt incredible!  "Fuck me!  Fuck me HARD!!!!"

	Jimmy was only too happy to oblige!  This felt a LOT better than his
imagination --or his fist -- had ever produced!  Pussy was hot and oily and
slick and... just felt incredible!  What needed doing was clear -- his body
knew, even if his brain didn't know in advance how it was going to be -- his
hips snapped, driving him deep in her clasping tunnel and then recovered, only
to snap again...  He'd never thought of himself as being particularly
athletic, but this... this, he could do all day...

	Martha's huge tits rolled on her chest in opposing circles to the
rhythm of Jimmy's thrusts while she rubbed his arms and shoulders.  He'd
dropped forward onto his hands to power into her and she rocked her pelvis up
to meet his thrusts and back down to rub the top of his cock as he withdrew.
"God!  You're so good!" she moaned.

	Jimmy didn't know if HE was any good, but SHE sure was!  Jeezus!  "Is
it all... this good?" he puffed.

	"No," she gasped, "I've had... a LOT worse!  I think maybe... this is
the... best ever... for me!"

	Okay, maybe she was jerking his chain, he figured, but she was doing a
good job of it!  "Can't believe how hot... wet..." he gasped.

	"You're HUGE!  Wonderful!" she gasped back.

	"Can't be... that big..."

	"No -- you ARE!  Promise!  Ask anybody!"  Her eyes were huge.

	She had a real pretty face... so earnest...  He lowered his lips
toward hers.

	Seeing his intent, she grabbed his head and completed the job, mashing
her lips to his and opening her mouth.  Jimmy's experience didn't extend even
to this, but he caught on...  They dueled tongues until Martha suddenly ripped
her lips away to scream, "Oh, GOD!  I'm CUUUUMMMMINGGGG!!!!"  She went totally
nuts under him, and her pussy clutched his cock and it was all too much...

	"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" Jimmy howled, arching himself as he jammed
in deep and the tip of his cock seemed to blow off from the force of the cum
that flashed out of it.  "OMIGAWD!!!"  Where all the cum came from after the
load he dropped in her mouth, he had no idea, but his pecker pulsed and pulsed
and pulsed; eventually, they were dry, but that didn't keep them from feeling
incredible.

	Martha was crying, her whole body wracked with sobs.  "What's the
matter?" Jimmy asked.

	"So good..."  It had been incredible, but it wouldn't happen again;
she was celebrating, but kissing it goodbye.  Whatever insanity that had
possessed this virgin dynamo to fuck her couldn't be expected to repeat
itself...

	"Yeah, no kidding...  Don't cry -- did I hurt you?"

	"Oh, no!  God, no!  It was incredible!" Martha asserted, wide-eyed,
wiping her eyes and smearing mascara all over the place.

	Jimmy shook his head.  "I don't understand women...  Why cry, then?"

	"I'm happy -- and sad," Martha related.  "I'm sure we won't do this
again..."

	"Well, maybe not like this..." Jimmy agreed.  The ring was a dust
bowl...

	They became aware of the background noise...  "Hey, fifteen for Number
Four -- the one the kid did!" someone yelled from the stands.  "What a fuck!"

	"Twenty!  I'll go twenty!" came another yell.

	Jimmy struggled up to a more or less vertical position and looked
behind him at the stands, just as somebody yelled, "Thirty!  I'll go thirty
for Number Four!"

	"Hey, fuck you!" he yelled, throwing the stands the finger, "I'm
keeping her!"  He looked toward Smitty.  "I'm keeping her!"

	Smitty laughed.  "Gentlemen, he conducted the test and he has first
call!  Sold to Mr..."

	"Preston!" Jimmy filled in.

	"Preston," Smitty finished, "without options!"

	Martha goggled.  "What did you just do?"

	"I bought you," Jimmy replied, bending over to haul at his jeans,
"Let's get you up out of the dirt."

	"Wait!" Martha stopped him.  "You don't want to put your cock back in
your pants all gooey like that!"  She pulled him forward and gobbled him down,
sucking the mess of his semen and her juices that coated his still half-erect
cock.  Jimmy stood there, leaning on her shoulders while he suffered the agony
and the ecstasy of her cleanup job.  "That's better," she cooed a few seconds
later.

	"We may have to fuck again..." Jimmy gasped.

	"You should save it," Martha admonished.  "How many other women do you
have?"

	"Well, none," Jimmy admitted.  "I need three more."

	"I can't believe you..." Martha began.

	"Quiet!  Turn around, your back's all dirty!" Jimmy directed.  He
dusted her off as best he could and led her by the hand back up into the
bleachers to a roar of applause and catcalls.  Settling back in beside
Gerhardt, he muttered, "Thanks."

	"You are welcome," Gerhardt smiled at him.  "You are wise to listen to
old men and even wiser to be grateful."

	Jimmy sat exploring Martha, mauling her heavy breasts.  "These
things..."

	Gerhardt laughed.  "Believe me, you will never tire of them!"

	"How many children do you have?" Jimmy asked.

	"Three," Martha replied.  "They're all... over the limit...  They were
here; I imagine my daughter has an owner now."

	Jimmy nodded.  "Where is your husband?"

	Martha looked at the seats below her.  "I... made mistakes.  I
couldn't hold him.  I thought that once I was married, that was it -- I didn't
have to try any more.  I was wrong..."  She looked up at Jimmy.  "I never
found anything as good after that -- probably because I had so little to
offer.  After that..." she pointed to the ring floor, "I'll do anything to
keep this.  Anything!"

	Jimmy grinned.  "Well, I'm gonna need advice -- I need three more..."

                         --------------------

	Dee Dee had watched this episode from the sidelines, more or less
amazed.  Duane had taken her from "EEWWWW!" to "OOOOOO!" where sex was
concerned, despite the fact that other girls had told her that he wasn't that
good.  Jimmy Preston -- Hell, she KNEW Jimmy Preston! -- had been just
AMAZING!

	Marissa was in complete agreement.  "It's probably time to go in," she
announced.

	"Well, yeah -- but I want Jimmy!  I don't want any old guys!" Dee Dee
retorted.

	Marissa just looked at her; she'd known what she was and what she was
doing when she'd given herself to Duane -- and Duane had rubbed her nose in it
again and again.  An old guy was still a guy -- and her ticket out.  She knew
what she was; quibbling over the price to be paid was just that -- quibbling.
If Dee Dee wanted to delude herself that she had options, that was fine -- but
Marissa would do what she had to...  She rolled her eyes and nodded toward the
ring, and Dee Dee followed her toward the sales floor.

	They waited until another group of old fat women made their play,
sucking and fucking in the dirt and trying to capture a bid, however low;
three of them made it.  The other two headed off to try their luck at the
auction barn or the amphitheater. -- there was some cross-flow, now that
things had thinned.  Then Marissa waved her hand, getting Smitty's attention.

	"Okay, we're back in the prime zone," Smitty announced happily, taking
Marissa's CAP card for display.  "This is Marissa; she's young and hot and a
four point six...  Nice sexual scores, too!  Bids open at five..."

	Jimmy looked up.  "I know Marissa," he muttered.  "I thought she was
already pledged to Duane Ellis..."

	Gerhardt shrugged.  "Things change...  Do you think she'll want to put
up with an old man?"

	Jimmy thought about it.  "She might.  Duane is a total asshole -- but
his daddy is rich..."

	"I see," Gerhardt murmured.  "Then you believe that her expectations
are... limited?"

	"Duane treated her like shit -- called her a slut and stuff.  He had,
like, five other girls with him, but she caught the crap, publicly," Jimmy
related.  "Rumor had it that she was the only one who didn't give Duane her
cherry -- because it was gone already."

	Gerhardt nodded.  "I think I will bid on this one."  Raising his hand,
he yelled, "Fifteen!"

	"I have fifteen -- who'll give me twenty?" Smitty called.  Actually,
the remaining pool didn't support bidding any more -- but everyone was still
playing the game.  The AI was prepared to grade on a curve to continue things,
but it hadn't been necessary...

	There was a major fight over Marissa, though; numbers got ridiculous
and there were still four bidders -- each of whom realized that the sky was
the limit, no doubt.  The four -- Gerhardt among them -- were called down to
the holding area, where things didn't cool until Gunny Phelps intervened.
Marissa proved herself too malleable to pass up; she provided demo blowjobs
and even a few strokes, doggy-style -- and no one was willing to back off.
Gunny Phelps put it to the headcount -- and Gerhardt, at zero for four, was
the clear winner.  Still Gerhardt -- who had NOT sampled Marissa's charms --
was gallant about it.  "I offer the young lady the option," he announced, "She
may not wish to tie herself to an old man -- even if that age will soon not
show..."  Marissa swept her eyes over the other three contestants and said,
"No, I'm sure everything will be fine," put her hand in Gerhardt's and let him
lead her off...

	She got a surprise when they arrived at his seat in the stands.
"Jimmy!"

	"Hi, Marissa," Jimmy grinned.  "I see you picked Gerhardt -- that was
probably smart."

	Marissa nodded, then Jimmy got a surprise when she turned to his
companion, "Hi, Martha."  She flicked a glance at Jimmy.  "Jimmy looked pretty
impressive down there..."

	"It wasn't just looks!" Martha bubbled.

	"Aw, c'mon!" Jimmy got bashful.

	"Hey, unless that thing magnifies stuff unevenly, you're a helluva lot
better hung than Duane was!" Marissa insisted.

	"I -- well...  Where IS Duane?" Jimmy tried to change the subject.

	"Duane's CAP card was a fake," Marissa said flatly.  "The Marines
caught him when he tried to use it to ship us."

	Jimmy blinked.  "So he's..."

	"Dead," Marissa supplied flatly.

	"Where's everyone else?" Jimmy asked.

	"Split up alphabetically," Marissa replied.  "Dee Dee is..."

	But Dee Dee announced herself.  Not putting herself in the ring for
sale, she yelled and waved "Jimmy!  Jimmy Preston!  It's me, Dee Dee!  Over
here!"

	Marissa snorted.  "You know she's not doing that because she wants to
go somewhere else!  She was goggle-eyed all the way through your little
demonstration with Martha..."

	"Can she do that?" Jimmy wondered.

	"I suggest that you do not provide others an opportunity to make that
decision for you," Gerhardt recommended.

	Jimmy hopped up and danced down the bleachers to the Marine guarding
the entrance.  "Sorry, she's mine," Jimmy told him.  "She got lost..."  The
Marine shrugged and let her pass.  When they were a few steps up, she grabbed
his hand and stopped him.  "It's okay, isn't it?"

	"Yeah."  Jimmy nodded soberly.  "I know that you know what this
means."

	"Yes."  Dee Dee looked away, embarrassed.  Jimmy was right -- this
wasn't the first time she'd sold herself; she knew the rules better than most.

	"Okay, then." Jimmy headed up the steps, waving her to follow.

	"I wish I'd known..."  Dee Dee muttered, following him.

	Jimmy took the last two steps to his seat and turned.  "What?  My CAP
score?"

	"No," Dee Dee answered, "that you were capable of... that..."  She
waved at the general area of the ring floor.  "Hi, Martha!  Was it as good as
it looked?"

	Jimmy, nonplussed, watched the older woman blush and nod.  "Better,
maybe."

	"Wow!"  Dee Dee's look was almost worshipful.  "When can I try it
out?"

	"Uuhh, later.  I might need it for the other two..." Jimmy stammered.

	"Hi, Marissa," Dee Dee said, subdued.  She sat down between Jimmy and
Marissa, eyeing Gerhardt suspiciously.

	"You all know one another, then?" Gerhardt asked.

	"Yes," Jimmy nodded.

	Turning to Marissa, Gerhardt told her, "If you would prefer, I will
give you to my young friend..."

	"NO," Marissa replied, "I've made my decision -- and I believe that it
is the right one."  She flicked a glance at Dee Dee before continuing, "Is
there anything I can do for you?"

	Gerhardt assumed a bittersweet expression.  "I would not inflict
myself upon you in my current state; later, when I am more pleasant to look
upon...  Just having you near to me pleases my eyes."

	"You should please your hands, too," Marissa announced and climbed
into his lap, then took his right hand and placed it on her breast.

	"Oh, yes...  Very sweet of you..." Gerhardt murmured, clearly
overcome.  The look Marissa gave Dee Dee told her EXACTLY what she thought of
Dee Dee's fear of dirty old men...

	The numbers didn't quite work, so at about two forty-five, the
interdiction field snapped off -- then snapped back on again, enclosing an
additional thirty foot diameter.  About a hundred and thirty people -- mostly
women -- found themselves on the right side of the barrier.  By then,
everything had more or less shifted to the auction barn; the Marines in the
other two platoons were holding consolidated positions set to repel any last-
minute attempts by the abandoned and disenchanted to do something stupid.
There were no additional sponsors in the catch, though, and that irritated CPT
McPherson...

	"Dammit, Top, I wanted to fill a thousand pods, not nine hundred
ninety nine!  See if we've missed something!" he told 1SG Watkins.  The query
floated down...

	SGT Holden passed it to Mike and Ed.  "The Skipper is pissed; he
doesn't want to break the field again, but we're short!"

	"How many, Sarge?" Ed asked.

	"One pod -- would you believe it?  One fucking pod..."

	"What's going on?" Lisa asked, watching the two Marines get that look
and start talking to the air.

	"We're not done -- apparently, we still need to fill a pod," Ed told
her.

	"Does that include ours?" Lisa asked.

	"FUCK!" Ed howled.  "Sarge?  Uh, look -- I need a pod..."

	"WHAT?"

	"You know those two who I took on as camouflage..."

	"Colon, do you have slots, or is this some kind of gimmick?" SGT
Holden grated.

	"I have two, Sarge -- check it yourself!" Ed yelped.

	"Actually, he has zero, Sergeant -- his new pair of concubines have
already been credited to him," the AI piped up.  "But they do not appear in
CPT McPherson's calculations."

	"Uh huh..." SGT Holden muttered.  "Please correct that -- as
anonymously as possible."  SGT Holden didn't want a visit of the Skipper's
wrath, if he could avoid it...  "Colon!  You and Evans evac your little
pussies, NOW!  You get me?  Do NOT get caught holding them on the surface!"

	"Roger that!" Ed snapped.  "Come on, girls, we've got a ship to
catch!"  The four of them dashed for the nearest transport nexus.

	LT Briggs looked up from his data pad.  "Skipper -- my counter just
rolled over."  Switching to the AI channel, he asked, "What's up?"

	"The numbers failed to take personnel fills into account," the AI
related.  "There were troop fills."

	"Troop fills?" the CPT frowned.

	"Several personnel have unallocated slots," the AI related.

	"Oh.  Didn't think of that..."  CPT McPherson swapped glances with 1LT
Briggs.  "Let's roll, XO.  Top, tell the platoon sergeants to press the
evacuation -- I want everyone off-site in ten minutes, max!"

	"Yes Sir!"  1SG Watkins shifted to the all hands frequency.  "All
right, Ladies!  It's time we shook off the dirt from this hole and got back to
our nice, clean transport.  MOVE!  Platoon Sergeants, I want a status in five!
By the numbers, people -- I do NOT want anyone tripping over their feet and
getting killed at this late date!"

	The interdiction field lifted seven minutes later.

END?

	Obviously, there is room for a follow-on...