"Exile"
Story codes: M+F rape ScFi

By Orestes

orestes007@hotmail.com

***
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***

Note: This story is written as a follow-up to one of my 
earlier stories, "Wiped Clean". I have written this story to 
stand alone, so you don't need to read the first story to 
make sense of this one. It may however enrich your reading 
experience to have knowledge of the other story. 

   ' WARNING: Your vessel has entered a restricted area. You 
must...'
   The automated message was only one of a dozen warning 
signals that were bombarding the control room of  the survey 
craft Dawkins. Cali Moore shut that particular warning 
signal out of her head. She couldn't think about it right 
now. She had to focus on finding an emergency landing site. 
The vessel wouldn't last long in open space.
   " Where the hell are we ?" Cali demanded of her co-pilot, 
Klayne.
   " It doesn't make any sense... it's like we've been going 
the wrong direction for days. We're nowhere near a station 
or colony. "
   " Improvise. Find me a landing site, NOW!"
   Another automated message pumped into the control room. 
   ' WARNING: Power system failure is imminent. Commencing 
emergency protocol..."
   Fuck, Cali swore to herself. It didn't make any sense at 
all. These systems shouldn't be failing.
   Klayne scrolled through the navigation displays at a 
blinding speed.
   " Here's one..." he froze the display on a scan of a 
nearby planet. " Damn, we're right on top of it."
   Cali wasn't waiting for a second choice. According to the 
control panel, the systems of the Dawkins were shutting 
down, one by one. Without delay, she barked out the voice-
commands that would land the vessel onto the surface of the 
planet. The computer acknowledged her orders. She only hoped 
that the computer would remain on-line long enough to carry 
out the commands.
   The landing was actually perfect. A little too perfect 
for a vessel with so many problem, Cali thought briefly, but 
she wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Besides, 
there were more pressing matters.
   " Cali, " the voice of Sonya came in through her headset. 
She was the second shift pilot, and had been trying to track 
the source of the system problems while Cali piloted the 
craft. " Sensors are reporting a dangerous hot-spot on the 
outer hull. I'm suited up. I need to get out there and cool 
it down before it becomes critical. "
   Fuck. One more problem.
   " Understood Sonya, go ahead. "
   A light flashed on the panel, showing that Sonya had 
opened an access port to the outside. It was one of several 
warning lights that were still blinking relentlessly on the 
display. Not a moment later the computer churned out yet 
another automated message.
   ' WARNING: Intruder alert. Unidentified personnel have 
boarded the vessel. '
   Cali's training took over.
   " Lock down all systems. Send a distress..."
   The blade was at her throat. 
   
   Ann/R/K felt the Dawkins come to rest on the remote 
planet, and allowed herself to relax for the first time in 
days. Whatever else they built these survey vessels for, it 
left little room for comfort. Her back ached from the 
cramped position she took on the edge of her bunk while 
accessing her console. Now that the ship was down, she 
allowed the her fingers to drift away from the keypad.
   Her moment of rest was short lived. The man who burst 
into her room gave no sympathy for her aching muscles. The 
man was huge, nearly naked, and covered in a foul smelling 
mud paint. He grabbed her by the arm, and led her, at knife 
point, out to the small clearing surrounding the Dawkins. 
The smell of the damp jungle air filled her nostrils.
   The crew members were here too, she noted. There were 
Cali and Klayne from the control room, the secondary flight 
crew, Sonya and Beth, and herself. Sonya was wearing a 
portion of what used to be an environmental protection suit, 
now dismantled by their captors.
   Surrounding the occupants of the Dawkins ware the dark, 
thick walls of the jungle which covered the surface of this 
planet. On the edges of the clearing there was a large group 
of men who seemed to fit in very well with the jungle 
setting. It wasn't easy to know how many of the men were 
around them. Wearing full body paints of green, brown and 
black on their bare skins, they blended into the edges of 
their jungle home.
   " Who here is with McPhail ?" A tall man stood forward 
from the edge of the clearing. His accent was Scottish, but 
the war paints did nothing to confirm his ethnic origin.
   " That's me, " responded Ann/R/K. She could see the looks 
of confusion passing among the other captives. She produced 
a small metal pin from her pocket. It identified her as an 
agent of the McPhail corporation. Ann held it out to the man 
she knew to be called BlackWatch. He inspected the pin 
briefly.
   " What's your name ?"
   " Ann/R/K."
   " Good. You've done well. I'll see that you are rewarded 
for your efforts. "
   His voice rose in volume to address the entire crew of 
the Dawkins.
   " As for the rest of you, it's important that we come to 
an understanding quickly. BlackWatch is my name, and make no 
mistake, your lives are in my hands. Perhaps my colleague, 
Ann/R/K can shed some light on your recent difficulties. "
   Ann was pleased that BlackWatch deferred to her about the 
technical details. Like every hacker, she enjoyed taking 
bragging rights to her work, and this job was a thing of 
beauty. She turned and smiled at her astonished ship-mates.
   " There's absolutely nothing wrong with the systems of 
the Dawkins, " she explained. " My job was to force you into 
this star system, and to land on this remote planet. It 
wasn't easy, I'll tell you. After two full days of trying to 
crack the command system, and take control of the Dawkins, I 
had to give up. The command system is fool-proof. It will 
accept only voice commands from the crew. "
   " I checked the system for other weak links. Finally, I 
found one that I could exploit. With the help of some very 
sophisticated hardware, provided by my generous benefactors 
at the McPhail corporation, I was able to insert myself as a 
link in the sensors, and feed false data to the control 
room. "
   " First it was little things. I shifted the star charts a 
bit. Predictably, you adjusted your course. By small 
degrees, I had you change the course of our travels to bring 
you to this system. Once we were within range, I began to 
feed system error messages to the main computer. I knew that 
if you thought the Dawkins was close to failure, that you 
would be forced to land. Lastly, I fooled the ship's sensors 
into thinking that these co-ordinates were the only safe 
landing site. "
   As she spoke, she could see the crew shaking their heads 
in disbelief. Their sole passenger had hijacked the Dawkins 
without so much as brandishing a weapon, or even leaving her 
quarters. Ann/R/K was in her glory.
   " But, why ?" The captain of the Dawkins asked quietly.
   BlackWatch was the one to answer Cali's question.
   " Because of me, " he said, in his thick Scottish accent. 
" If you haven't figured it out yet, your vessel has landed 
you on Penal Facility 7, your government's final solution 
for criminals who are beyond hope of correction. You are 
participating in the first escape attempt in the history of 
this penal colony. "
   Ann/R/K had heard stories about the penal colony long 
before she was 'recruited' by the McPhail corporation for 
this mission. Everyone had heard the stories, but no one 
knew how true they were, because no one ever came back. No 
one even knew where the colony was. 
   After she was briefed on the mission, Ann could 
understand why no one had ever escaped. The location of the 
planet was a closely guarded secret. Nestled among some of 
the more remote star systems, it was a virtual needle in a 
haystack. Dropped here without any technology, in the middle 
of the savage wilderness of the jungles, the convict was 
lucky to survive, much less consider building means of 
escape. 
   What means of escape ? The convict was left her without 
even the basic foundations of technology, on an inhospitable 
planet, amongst the worst criminal deviants that human 
society has ever produced, and light years away from the 
nearest outpost. No, the justice system had very little 
worry of an escape attempt.
   Until, of course, a high level covert agent for the 
McPhail corporation was imprisoned here; namely BlackWatch.
   Hiroshi Nagato, McPhail Corp's top technician, was the 
one who had found the location of the colony, with the aid 
of technical gadgetry that frankly made Ann/R/K drool. The 
more Ann learned about the power and influence of the 
McPhail Corporation, the more impressed she was. 
   BlackWatch was impatient to continue.
   " If I understand Ann/R/K correctly, only a member of 
your crew can reactivate the Dawkins, and navigate us away 
from this hell. She was able to fool you into landing here, 
but it is a method that cannot succeed again, and so I now 
must convince one of you to co-operate with me. "
   This was going to be tricky, Ann knew. The standing 
policy of the pilots, no matter the circumstances, was to 
refuse to negotiate with hijackers or terrorists. The policy 
was held sacred amongst the union of pilots. If any of these 
crew members violated the ordinance, they would never fly 
again. It was a policy that had virtually eliminated 
hijacking attempts over the last three decades.
   " Now then, which one of you will it be ?"

   Darkness was descending on the planet. Cali cursed 
herself again and again for being fooled by the clever 
hacker. If she had only been more alert. She remembered how 
routinely she had made the course corrections, without 
bothering to double check the sensors. She should have know 
that something was wrong. She could have saved the lives of 
the crew. 
   " Don't blame yourself, " Klayne tried to reassure her. " 
We were all fooled. The second shift made as many course 
corrections as we did. "
   He was a good friend, but his words rang hollow.
   " But the Dawkins is my command, Klayne. I should have 
been more vigilant. Now we'll never leave this planet alive. 
Look at these men... they're savages. "
   " We have to be strong, Cali. As much as we fear these 
men, we can't allow the Dawkins to fall into his hands. I 
swear to you, he will not break me. "
   Cali wished that she could be so confident in her own 
will to resist. Through the final hours of the day, 
BlackWatch had left his captives alone. The savage jungle of 
this world took on a whole new countenance in the increasing 
shadows of the evening. A chill ran up and down her spine as 
she heard the call of some massive predator in the distance.
   Even more than the perils of this wild land, Cali feared 
these savage men. They were congregating here now, hundreds 
of them, in and around the clearing where BlackWatch kept 
his prisoners. These were the worst that human society had 
to offer. Much like the creature she could still hear 
howling in the distance, these men were predators. Serial 
killers. Sexual sadists. Hit men. Men too dangerous to be 
confined to any other penal facility.
   They circled the captives, their eyes full of lust. How 
long had it been for some of these men since they had seen a 
woman ? Cali could feel their eyes all over her body. Sonya 
and Beth were terrified too, she could tell just by looking 
at them. The traitor of the ship, Ann/R/K walked without 
fear beside the man known as BlackWatch.
   " Light a fire, " BlackWatch commanded a group of the 
men. His body was pure muscle, and he spoke with the 
confidence of a born leader. His mastery over this 
population of criminals was impressive. The men began to 
gather dry wood from the surrounding area.
   He drew close to the crew now. The four captives were 
standing, but were tied by their hands and feet by leather 
straps. Even if they could free themselves, where could they 
hope to escape to ?
   " We will resolve our impasse before this evening ends, " 
the Scotsman told the crew. " I've waited for nightfall 
because I want you to see how fearsome this place becomes at 
night. There are creatures in this land that confound the 
imagination. This will be your new home if you choose to 
defy me. "
   " Now I come to my proposition. It is the fairest that I 
can offer, given the circumstances. When this vessel leaves, 
it will carry eight people. That is the maximum that the 
Dawkins can support in order to reach the nearest colony. To 
secure the help of my fellow convicts, I have promised to 
bring five of them along on this escape. That leaves only 
room for myself, my colleague Ann/R/K, and for one member of 
your crew. "
   He smiled. It was the first time Cali had seen him do so.
   " Which one of you will it be ? Cast aside your moral 
beliefs. They will not help you here. This is your reality. 
Whichever one of you chooses to help me will return home 
safely, and those left behind will live and die here on this 
planet. "
   He came closer to Klayne now. He was the only male crew 
member of the Dawkins. The two men stood face to face. 
Klayne scowled into the painted face of BlackWatch.
   " How long will you last here, Klayne ? None of these men 
will protect you. They would kill you for sport right now if 
I allowed them. You will be alone in the jungle, on a night 
much like this one. Something will catch your scent, but you 
won't be able to see it. You can try to run. Or maybe you're 
fool enough to stand and fight. No matter. The beasties will 
get you in the end. "
   No answer came from the burly navigator. His eyes burned 
with hate. Cali silently admired the inner strength of her 
shipmate. He would never relent.
   BlackWatch shook his head.
   " Stubborn, aren't we ? Perhaps I'll do better with the 
women. "
   The glow of the fire began to illuminate the small 
clearing. Surrounding the edges of the clearing, Cali could 
see the glow the fire reflected in the eyes of the convicts. 
They were everywhere, and they all watched the spectacle 
with hungry eyes. BlackWatch turned to the women now.
   " Let me tell you about the men who live on this planet, 
ladies, " his voice was calm as always, " They are not like 
me. They are barely human. The horrible crimes that they 
committed before coming here were mere hints of the animal 
savagery that this planet has nurtured in them. Their souls 
are every bit as black as the night beyond the edges of this 
clearing. "
   " Their basic drives, their lusts, their sexual appetites 
have been denied for so long. Many have been here for 
decades, without hope that they would ever see a living 
woman again. Look in their eyes now. Do you see their lust 
burning ? "
   He stepped up to Beth, the youngest of the three women. 
Taken directly from her quarters, she was wearing only a T-
shirt and shorts. The Scotsman reached out his hand and took 
hold of the cloth of Beth's T-shirt. She tried to struggle, 
but her hands were lashed behind her back.
   With one vicious tug, he tore the material from her 
youthful body. The reaction from the surrounding men was 
immediate and frightening. The men howled their excitement 
from every direction. The cumulative sound resembled nothing 
human.
   " Do you have any idea what life will be like for you in 
this place?" BlackWatch asked loudly, through the noise. " 
More than four thousand men have been abandoned in these 
jungles, and you will be owned by strongest and most brutal 
of these men. Every day for the rest of your lives will be 
spent serving these men sexually. Day after day, you will be 
raped and tortured. You will likely change hands many times. 
Perhaps you will be shared freely amongst some of the tribal 
groups that have formed. "
   " Unlike Klayne here, you will never be allowed to fall 
victim to the creatures of the jungle. Instead, they will 
keep you alive to serve their darkest desires, and to bear 
their children. "
   Cali shuddered involuntarily. The thought of being 
impregnated by any of the beasts was almost too much to 
bear. BlackWatch noticed her reaction, and turned his 
attention to the captain of the Dawkins. He reached his hand 
under the shirt of Cali's uniform, and rested his hand on 
her abdomen.
   " Oh yes, these men will want you to bear children. You 
will carry the sons and daughters of these felons, these 
deviants. I shudder to think about the lifetime of abuse 
your little daughters will endure at the hands of these 
savages. They will be born to a lifetime of rape an abuse, 
and they will be the mothers of new victims for generations 
to come. How many children do you think that you can bear 
before your body is spent ? Ten, ... maybe fifteen ? "
   He looked at each of the women in turn.
   " Which one of you will be spared ?  "

   Ann/R/K shook her head in disbelief. Even after listening 
to BlackWatch, the women of the Dawkins wouldn't relent. If 
Ann were in the same position, there would be no debate. She 
would sell out her crew mates in a heartbeat to escape this 
place. Morality was an alien word to her. It was a large 
part of the reason that she was on this mission in the first 
place.
   Her previous dealings with the McPhail Corporation had 
proven both her skill at breaking into computer systems, and 
her total lack of sympathy for human life. Ann/R/K had 
stolen a sophisticated piece of hardware that belonged to 
McPhail. The catch was, the hardware was contained in the 
head of a director of the McPhail corporation. The director 
of covert operations, no less.
   The fact that the hardware was inside of the head of a 
woman posed no moral difficulties for Ann/R/K. She simply 
took possession of the woman too. The abuse that the woman 
received at the hands of Ann and her hacker friends was 
ample proof of her cruel nature. When she was finally 
caught, the corporation proposed this mission as a way of 
settling the score. Ann/R/K didn't feel sorry at all for her 
actions, only for the fact that she had been outsmarted.
   In the same way, she felt no guilt for delivering the 
crew of the Dawkins into the hands of these depraved 
convicts. Forcing the ship to land here was an interesting 
challenge, another notch in her belt as a hacker, and the 
consequences could be damned. If it meant that these women 
would spend the rest of their lives being brutally fucked by 
four thousand criminals, it was their tough luck. 
   She even got a bit of a perverse thrill out of it. A 
cruel little smile crept onto her face just thinking about 
the captain of the Dawkins being brought down a few notches.
   " Why don't we give them a little preview of what it will 
be like ?" Ann/R/K suggested to her colleague. BlackWatch 
smiled back.
   " All right, Ann/R/K, choose one for me ?"
   Ann was flattered that the Scotsman was giving her the 
choice. After they returned, he would be a good connection 
to have within McPhail. It looked like they were definitely 
going to get along.
   She turned her attention to the three women. Sonya was 
the pilot of the secondary flight crew. She was a black 
woman in her early thirties, who had an athletic body and a 
really defiant look. It would be a pleasure to wipe that 
expression off of her face.
   On the other hand, Beth was an inviting option. The girl 
was closer to Ann's own age, and had a beautiful little 
body. The way the pale flesh of her bare tits was reflecting 
the light of the fire was absolutely irresistible. God, she 
looked scared. That was irresistible too.
   Of the three women, however, Ann/R/K's eye was drawn 
inevitably to the captain of the craft, Cali Morgan. The 
woman was a combat pilot before joining the Survey Corps. In 
her mid-twenties, she already had command of her own ship. 
Until now, she had always exuded an air of unshakeable self-
confidence, almost cockiness. The question was settled. Ann 
couldn't wait to see this bitch get fucked.
   She pointed to the captain.
   " Good, " proclaimed BlackWatch. " We'll take this one. 
I'll give the other girls to a few of the convicts who I can 
trust not to damage them too badly. "
   He grabbed Cali by the arm. In show of defiance, the 
captain spat towards Ann/R/K. Beth began to cry as a couple 
of men dragged her away from the Dawkins, and into the edge 
of the jungle. Sonya tried her best to put up a struggle as 
a group of the convicts pulled her down at a spot beside the 
fire.
   " This isn't right, " shouted Klayne. " Leave them alone, 
you animals. Leave her alone..."
   His tirade was cut short when one of the lingering 
criminals gave him a hard blow to the back of the head. He 
fell forward into the thick grass of the clearing.
   Ann/R/K went with BlackWatch and two of his lieutenants 
as they pulled Cali over to a rotting log near the base of 
the Dawkins. 
   " This can all be over, my lovely. All you need to do is 
say the word. "
   From across the clearing, they could hear a loud cry from 
Beth. One of the men was taking her. By the fire, a crowd 
had gathered to watch Sonya's rape. The men seemed amused by 
her struggles. Cali still shook her head, refusing to give 
in.
   " Fine then. If this is what you want, I have no problem 
giving it to you. I've been in this hell for over a year, 
and you'll make a nice morsel to satisfy my hunger. "
   The large man reached down with his knife and tore open 
the front of Cali's uniform. He pealed the cloth back from 
her body. On her right shoulder she wore the tattoo from her 
days as a combat pilot. It was the flaming skull of her 
squadron. Tough bitch, Ann thought, looking at the tattoo. 
We'll see how tough she is when BlackWatch is through with 
her.
   His knife came down again, expertly cutting away her 
uniform pants. There was no doubt that BlackWatch was an 
expert with the weapon. With one final stroke, he ripped 
away her panties, revealing the pilot's body completely. She 
had a tight little body. She had obviously kept in shape 
since her military days.
   He pushed her down on her back, onto the top of the log. 
Tatters of her uniform remained around her arms and ankles, 
where the leather straps still held her. One of the 
lieutenants held Cali by the shoulders to immobilize her 
while BlackWatch cut the leather straps on her ankles. He 
pulled her legs apart, and positioned himself between them, 
leaving her defenceless.
   " Last chance, " he told her. Ann/R/K sincerely hoped 
that the captain would remain stubborn. Elsewhere in the 
clearing, she could hear men cheering as the other two women 
were raped. Ann was so turned on. She  desperately wanted to 
see this bitch get it.
   Cali shook her head again. BlackWatch didn't hesitate. He 
gobbed into his hand, and used the spit to slick up his 
cock. He pulled it free from his scant clothing now, and 
stroked it to hardness.
   " N-no, " Cali said, involuntarily, as the Scotsman 
pushed the head of his cock against her pussy. 
   Ann/R/K couldn't take any more. Her pussy was dripping.
   " Mind if I join you ?" she asked, unhooking her belt. 
   " Feel free, " replied BlackWatch, obviously enjoying the 
sensation of his prick sinking slowly into his captive. He 
watch hungrily as the young hacker dropped her khakis to the 
ground, and stepped out of them. 
   Ann had learned to enjoy the feeling of a woman's tongue. 
It was something she had become accustomed to during the 
time when she had kept the director of the McPhail 
Corporation in her little apartment on the Suzuki IV 
station. That had been a sweet little situation while it 
lasted. Now she hoping to get a little of the same attention 
from Cali.
   She stepped over the log, facing BlackWatch, directly 
above the face of the captain of the Dawkins. She pushed her 
wet pussy down towards the woman's lips.
   " Give me your tongue, " she ordered. The woman didn't 
obey.
   Ann reached down and took hold of one of the pilot's 
nipples. She twisted it cruelly between her fingers, and 
pushed her wet crotch against the face of the woman again. 
Cali let out a muffled cry, but still didn't give her tongue 
to the girl.
   BlackWatch got into the action now. Ann could see that he 
was looking forward to watching the proud woman humble 
herself by licking Ann/R/K's pussy. He traced the knife up 
along Cali's chest towards her throat. A shiver of fear 
followed its journey.
   " Do like she says, bitch, or I'll start carving. Believe 
me, I can make it hurt much worse than this."
   The tip of the blade just barely pierced her skin at the 
base of her throat. Cali finally relented, and Ann could 
feel the pilot's tongue pushing up against her sex. There 
wasn't much in the way of licking, but Ann compensated by 
grinding her pussy against the captain's reluctant mouth.
   BlackWatch was really pumping the woman now, enjoying his 
first fuck in over a year. His muscular body thrust into 
Cali with animal fervour. On her other end, Ann/R/K was 
really riding the woman's face. Her eyes were glued on the 
Scotsman's cock as he slid in and out of their victim.
   Ann bent forward and kissed the Scotsman on the mouth. 
His tongue invaded her mouth the same way his prick was 
invading the woman pinned beneath him. She felt so close to 
him. They were sharing this rape. She loved the idea that 
the cocky pilot was now her plaything, and that she was 
using the bitch's face to get her off. She loved seeing 
BlackWatch forcing his cock into the helpless woman.
   From the direction of the fire, Ann could hear the black 
woman, Sonya, crying out in pain. They were having a real 
good time with her. Ann could feel her own orgasm 
approaching.
   " That's it, you cocky whore, " she said to Cali, as her 
pussy began to contract around the woman's tongue. " Please 
me with your tongue. I'm going to cum on it now. Can you 
feel it ? Oh, god, I'm cumming, bitch, you're making me cum. 
"
   Just as Ann began her climax, her colleague began to pump 
his victim with a fury. He renewed his kiss with Ann/R/K as 
is cock began to load the pilot with his semen. Beneath him, 
Cali whimpered in humiliation as both her mouth and pussy 
tasted the cum of her captors. She gasped for air as Ann 
pushed her ass and pussy hard into Cali's face to finish her 
orgasm.
   " Fuck, that was nice, " Ann told BlackWatch, when she 
finally dismounted the face of the woman. " We should do 
that again sometime. "
   " It's a date, " replied the leader of the convicts, in 
this thick accent. " I have a lot of catching up to do, once 
we're back on the colonies. "

   The fire was burning higher now. Cali could feel the eyes 
of dozens of the painted savages watching her as 
BlackWatch's lieutenants returned her to the front of the 
Dawkins. After the Scotsman and the hacker were done with 
her, the two other men who now held her by the shoulders had 
taken their turns. She could feel their mixed juices 
streaming down her legs from her battered pussy.
   Beth had fared no better. The young navigator's face was 
swollen and bruised from rough treatment. Marks of 
fingernails were clearly visible on her little tits. She 
looked Cali in the eye as she was led back towards the 
Dawkins.
   The men took a little longer with Sonya. A large crowd of 
them blocked Cali's view of the area in front of the fire 
where the convicts were taking turns with the black woman. 
Cali winced as she heard her friend cry out in pain and 
desperation. When BlackWatch finally ended the gang rape, a 
couple of the men carried over the battered body of the 
second pilot. Her face, ass, and pussy were all plastered in 
the cum of multiple assailants. She whimpered when they 
dropped her to the ground.
   " You bastards, you bastards..." Klayne yelled at the 
surrounding men, tears streaming down his face.
   " Enough, " said BlackWatch. He looked at the condition 
of all four captives. " It only gets worse from here. One of 
you will break, sooner or later, and the others will have a 
lifetime to regret their delay. Do we have to go another 
round ?"
   Beth was sobbing loudly. Cali could see that the girl was 
close to her breaking point. The only thing that held her 
back was loyalty. She looked over to Cali with pleading 
eyes. BlackWatch closed in on the girl. As easily as Cali 
had seen the signs of the girl's weakness, so had the 
Scotsman.
   " Come on, Beth. You have so much life ahead of you. How 
many years will they keep you alive ? How many children will 
you carry ? Will you live long enough to see your sons 
become monsters ... to be raped and tortured by your own 
flesh and blood ? Think of the daughters that you will bring 
into this savage world."
   The young girl was crying anew with every sentence.
   " Listen to me Beth, " the persuasive voice continued. " 
Whether it's you, or one of your friends, someone will agree 
to pilot the Dawkins for me. It won't be long now. Do you 
want to be left behind ? "
   " Don't listen to him, Beth. " Klayne shouted. Even he 
could see how close the girl was to crumbling. BlackWatch 
nodded to one of his lieutenants, and the man muffled 
Klayne's mouth with some cloth from Cali's uniform.
   BlackWatch picked up where he had left off. He held her 
face in his hand, and forced her to look him in the eyes.
   " It makes no difference, Beth. I will escape this place. 
There's no reason for you to hold out. There's no reason for 
you to suffer this way. Say that you'll do it. Say that 
you'll pilot the craft for me. "
   Even the jungle seemed to go silent, awaiting the girl's 
answer. She was so close. Cali could feel it.
   " I'll do it. "
   But it wasn't Beth. Cali couldn't believe it. The words 
had come from her own mouth. Her face burned with the shame 
of her betrayal. She knew that her words would cut into her 
friends with a pain worse than any blade could inflict.
   " Noooo..." Beth wailed out. " Noooo, take me! I can't 
stay here. I can't. Please. "
   BlackWatch was smiling as he removed his hand from Beth's 
chin.
   " Sorry, girl. Too late. I told you that you would regret 
your delay. "
   Cali was crying herself. She could feel the eyes of 
Klayne and Sonya burning into her. She was supposed to be 
their captain. She was supposed to be strong. Instead, she 
had sacrificed her crew to save herself.
   There was no choice, she tried to convince herself.
   Beth was going to break anyhow.
   Cali was led towards the entrance to the Dawkins. She 
tried, in vain, not to listen to Beth's frantic pleading as 
she turned her back on the captives.

   The graphic display inside of Ann/R/K's head returned as 
soon as she was back into the Dawkins, and could link with 
her home terminal. Even being a few hours outside of range 
of communications with her computer had made Ann nervous. 
Now that she was back, the gentle English accent of Audrey, 
the computer's AI, gave her a system update. Ann was going 
to be really glad to get back to civilization. She felt so 
disconnected out here.
   " The McPhail corporation has left an encoded message for 
BlackWatch, Ann. Would you care to deliver it to him now ?"
   " Yep. Transmit it directly to his brainware. "
   Ann had been briefed in detail about the man known as 
BlackWatch, and she knew that he was fitted with hardware 
similar to her own. She wondered, with a smile, how it would 
feel for him to reactivate his internal hardware after a 
year of disuse on this primitive planet.
   " Message delivered, " replied Audrey.
   Ann could feel the Dawkins coming back to life. Cali was 
obviously in quite a hurry to leave this nightmare behind. 
Ann wondered if BlackWatch would let her have any more fun 
with the pilot during their flight. At least it would help 
to pass the time.
   " Ann/R/K. "
   BlackWatch was at the door to her quarters. He seemed 
pleased to have received her message.
   " I decoded the message from McPhail. It turns out that 
it's more for you than for me. Are you ready to take it ?"
   " Yep. "
   Audrey displayed the message as BlackWatch sent the 
decoded version back. The images flooded Ann's line of 
vision. She recognized the sender as McPhail's chief 
technical advisor, Hiroshi Nagato. In his own quiet way, he 
carried as much power as anyone in the corporation.
   " Hello Ann/R/K, " the image in her head said. " I am 
pleased that you were able to help free our esteemed 
colleague BlackWatch. I'm certain that he is grateful for 
your assistance. Now that this part of the mission is 
accomplished, we need to discuss your future with the 
McPhail corporation. "
   Ann was confused. Wouldn't this be better discussed after 
she returned ?
   " When you were caught in possession of hardware which 
belonged to the McPhail Corporation, I believed that the 
wisest course would be to eliminate you. In her wisdom, the 
director of covert operations, with whom you are quite 
familiar, decided to send you on this mission. Of course, 
she was correct in her assessment of your abilities. "
   " However, now that your part is done, I regret to inform 
you that your services will no longer be required. 
BlackWatch has been instructed to dispose of you any way he 
sees fit. You can consider your debt to the McPhail 
Corporation wiped clean. "
   The image of the Japanese scientist lingered for a moment 
longer. His calm smile burned into her brain. The blood was 
slowly draining from Ann/R/K's face. She looked up to 
BlackWatch.
   " Don't worry, Ann/R/K. I'm not going to kill you. I'll 
leave you here on the penal colony, in the care some of my 
more loyal followers. They deserve a reward for being left 
behind. "
   Oh my god, Ann thought. Anywhere but here. Anything but 
this.
   " They'll take really good care of you, " BlackWatch 
continued. " After all, a good woman is hard to come by in 
these parts. "

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