Gaull finished off the last of the inputs into the control console. He glanced into the glass-tube stretched out in front of him. The bio-mass was starting to take shape. In a few days that slop of amino-acids and tissue would be a living human body. Gaull was a clone-construction technician for a plastic surgery practice on a space-station near Gallente Prime. Whilst they provided the usual nip and tuck services, for those who could afford it they provided the ultimate service. Not happy with your body? Nauseatingly rich? Then they would grow you a new body and transfer your consciousness into it. Hideously expensive and a legal nightmare with all the hoops that had be to jumped through, but it could be done if you had the cash.
He glanced at his watch, finishing time. Gaull locked the console and left the program to run. He went out back and changed out of his bright white lab coat. Within 5 minutes he was stepping out into the brightly space-station concourse. This was the affluent upper decks of the station. Everywhere screamed wealth. Gaull did not live here. His technicians salary was nowhere near enough. He lived 24 decks below. He glanced at his watch again. 25 minutes until the station train would be here to ferry him to the main lift. Time for a cheeky beer he thought.
The Rampant Frog was a wine bar located between his work and the transit station. He would regularly stop here on the way home. He knew he'd save a few credits by calling in at his local on Deck 36, but the people watching here was much better. It his local it was miners and workers. Here it was the rich and their absurd lives. He entered the establishment which was fairly quiet. The barman looked up and nodded, filling a glass with a pint of Blaster Burn ale. Gaull never needed to ask. He was a regular and always had the same. Taking his usual table he perched on the bar-stool and took his first sip of the frothy cold beer. Glancing around he noticed a few people. An older overweight Gallente man was sat with a much younger woman. She was blonde and tapping away at a datapad. A pile of shopping bags were scattered around her feet from the various designer stores in this area. Daughter or gold digger Gaull wondered. He'd come back to those two later. Next up was a taller guy working on a small portable computer. His dress screamed banker. Nothing interesting there. Next there was a woman in a booth alone. Gaull froze, she was beautiful. Not just beautiful, she was his vision of perfection. She looked over and caught him staring. He quickly looked away hoping his tongue wasn't hanging out. When he dared to look again she was still looking at him, smiling. He looked away again. He was embarrassed she'd caught him staring. For the next five minutes he looked everywhere except in her direction. She appeared to be a cross between his two favorite holoreel actresses. As he avoided looking in her direction one of the waiters came over to him.
"The lady in the booth would like you to join her." he said with a smile. Gaull looked at him in disbelief and then over to her. She had moved back into the booth and gestured to the empty seat on the bench next to her. Gaull nodded and swallowed hard. Was this really happening? He rose and picked up his pint, walking over to the smiling woman.
"Hi I'm Jasmeen." she purred. "I've been stood up and saw you drinking alone and thought you might like some company."
Gaull laughed. "Isn't that supposed to be my line?"
He introduced himself and sat down. She was in PR apparently and had arranged to meet a friend here but they had sent a message saying something had come up and they couldn't make it. They chatted for ten minutes when Gaull remembered his station-train. There was no way this beautiful creature would see him as a potential mate. She could have anyone. May be she just felt pity on him. Staying would make it worse. He might get ideas above his station. Make a pass at her and cause all sorts of trouble.
"Well its been nice chatting to you, but I have to catch my ride home." he said finishing his beer in one gulp.
"Oh that's a shame. I have a room booked at the Hytali Hotel over the promenade. Given as I am now going to be alone tonight I was going to invite you back."
Gaull splutter over the dregs of his beer in shock.
"Its up to you, but I can promise you'll get a more interesting ride in my hotel room." she whispered seductively.
Gaull swallowed hard.
-o0o-
The elevator ascended in silence. Jasmeen leaned against the wall smiling at him. Thoughts were racing through Gaull's head.
This woman is perfection.
Why would she be interested in me?
There is something wrong here.
Is she going to rob me?
No, I clearly don't have the money to make it worth her while, I told her I was only a tech.
Is she going to rob me and harvest my organs for sale on the black market?
No, that only happens on poor Matari worlds. Organs can be grown cheaper here.
What does she want from me?
Does she know who I am? Wanting a discount on a procedure?
Don't be silly. The woman is perfect, she needs no work.
This must be a dream?
The elevator pinged and the doors opened. Jasmeen led the way. Following behind Gaull inspected her. The shoes were Vallou and very expensive. He was a leg man himself, and hers were some of the best he'd ever seen. The skirt was short but tasteful. The blouse was expensive and shimmered as she moved. Her hair was just how he liked it. Black and cascaded over her shoulders. She looked over her shoulder as if she could hear his thoughts. The smile made his heart flutter. She stopped outside a door and produced a keycard. She opened the door and stepped in. Gaull's heart was racing as he followed her down the short corridor into a bedroom. He stopped as he watched her climb onto the bed.
"Hello Gaull." a male voice said.
Gaull span around. In the corner a young Gallente man sat smiling.
"Who are you?" Gaull gasped at the stranger.
"My name is Daemire. Please take a seat?" the man said gesturing to the the armchair opposite him. Gaull glanced at Jasmeen who was reclining on the bed seductively and also smiling.
"Look, you don't need to worry. Nothing bad is going to happen to you. I'm here to offer you a job." the stranger said.
Slowly Gaull crossed the room and sat down opposite the smiling man. He was young and hansom and very smartly dressed. Gaull considered his skin, it was not right.
"You are a clone."
"Yes I am. In my line of work I have access to the top of the line clones. My birth-body is not as young or as in as good a shape as this one. I'm hoping I can convince you to join our team and make our clones even better."
"So this was all a setup? Why not just call me?" Gaull said disappointingly.
The man laughed. "Oh don't worry. You'll get your time with our Jasmeen. I don't call. I meet. I wanted to speak to you face-to-face."
"To offer me a job?"
"Yes."
"You work for a rival surgery?" Gaull asked.
"No, not really. However we are looking to recruit you. You know the Yulai agreement on cloning YC89?"
"Of course. Its the legal framework we have to work to in the Federation, and so do the other Empires, in regard to cloning."
"You know section 39B?"
"Yes. That's the naughty list as we call it in the trade. Cloning acts that are illegal."
"Tell me about them?"
Gaull looked at him wondering where this was going.
"Any new clone must be recognizable as the original person unless exempt in clause D. The new clone can only differ in age by five years, again subject to clause D exemptions. No clone under a genetic age of 21 can be produced unless by clause D. No copying the exact likeness of other people alive or dead. The DNA must not be altered in anyway and standard DNA scanners must recognize the persons new body as them, again all subject to clause D. It goes on, but they are the main ones."
The man smiled and nodded.
"You know your cloning law certainly. Ever done any Clause D exceptions?"
Gaull tensed. Was this a police investigation? A sting operation? He'd never done anything wrong as far as he was aware.
"Yes I have."
"Can you tell me what the exemptions are, this clause D?"
"For medical reasons where there is written authorization from a Class A Governmental hospital and a doctor from such must be present. A written court order is another way to invoke clause D. Or if you are a Capsuleer of course, they can do what the hell they like."
"So which ones have you done?"
"I've done three under 21's clones in the past. Children with medical problems where it was better to provide a new body than carry out multiple organ transplants or in cases where the cancer was inoperable. I've also done two by court order but as I'm sure you are aware I cannot talk about those."
"Of course. Witness protection is a big old minefield isn't it." the man smiled.
"What is this about?" Gaull asked. He glanced back at Jasmeen who smiled seductively at him from the bed.
"As I said I wanted to offer you a job. I need someone with your skills and experience. Your bosses know what they've got but you'll never make partner. They are happy to take credit for your amazing abilities."
"My bosses pay me well." he said guardedly.
"I suppose. 35 thousand a year is not bad for a 29 year old. I can offer you ten times that."
Gaull spluttered. "Three hundred and fifty grand a year?"
"With a hundred and fifty grand bonus on top if you perform well."
"Half a million? Per year!"
The man nodded.
"What's the catch?" Gaull asked warily.
"Obviously for that money this is not a standard 9 to 5. Its a five-year fixed contract with no 'out clause'. You are ours for five-years. The job is on a private low-sec outpost and you are not allowed to leave during your employ except in very special and controlled circumstances. The outpost is well equipped. Its a mini-city complete with parks and gardens but you are still restricted."
"Sounds like a prison sentence to me."
"Not many prisoners do a five-year stretch in a luxury city and leave with two and a half mill' at the end of their sentence."
"Still sounds fishy. No way you can pay me that and just be doing basic cosmetic cloning. There's more to this."
"Yes there is. I have my own personal addition to Clause D."
"Let me guess. Whoever you say is exempt, is exempt."
The man smiled and nodded. Gaull suspected this was now indeed a test. Someone from the local police seeing if he'd break the law with enough encouragement. Could even be a CONCORD audit.
"Thanks but I think I'll pass."
"You think I'm the police don't you." the mysterious man said with a playful smile.
"Oh no, I'm sure you are this big powerful criminal mastermind. Perhaps even the leader of the Serpentis Syndicate." Gaull joked as he stood getting ready to leave. The man picked up his datapad and pressed a button. Gaull felt his own datapad vibrate.
"Before you leave I'd check that if I was you."
Warily Gaull picked up his datapad. A message had arrived from his bank. A notification of a funds transfer. His blood ran cold when he saw that all the money in his account had just been transferred somewhere unknown.
"How....."
The man pressed another button and Gaull got another notification. He now had a billion credits in his account. His mouth hung open. The man pressed a button a third time and there was another withdrawal from Gaull's account leaving him with the original amount he had in there.
"That is nothing. We can take everything you have or simply delete any trace of you. We can put you on the Federal Fugitive database in less time than it took to hack your bank account. We can add a warrant for you complete with your finger prints and DNA profile and a tie to a particularly heinous crime. We are everywhere and we can do anything. We'd like you to work with us, not against us."
Gaull slumped down in the chair.
"Five years. Do your job and enjoy life on the outpost. Trust me, it can be very enjoyable, we take care of our own.Your accommodation will be equivalent to a five star suite in this hotel. All living costs will be met by the organization. You'll be able to save the vast majority of your wealth and leave a multimillionaire. You'll even get one night a week with one of our girls like Jasmeen there."
Gaull glanced back and Jasmeen lounging on the bed gave him that knee trembling smile of hers.
"Stay here tonight and think about it. This room is paid for and anything you want on room service is included, as is Jasmeen. We've taken the liberty of bringing fresh clothes for the morning from your apartment." the man stood and walked to a wardrobe. He opened it and Gaull recognized the clothes hanging there.
"You broke into my apartment?" Gaull asked incredulously, rising from his chair.
"We broke nothing. We know all about you Gaull and we can do anything we want." he nodded at Jasmeen who rose from the bed. She unzipped her dress and let it fall to the floor. Gaull stood opened mouthed.
"Jasmeen's body was sculpted to your tastes. We looked at your computers and datapads. We found what, well more like who you liked and made her body specially for you. Firstly to entice you to this room to meet me and then, tonight, to give you a taste of what life will be like working for us. Is she not your perfect woman?"
Gaull couldn't reply. She was.
"I will leave you with Jasmeen now. She can answer any questions you have about life on our outpost, she's lived there for the last two years. In the morning you can either leave with her and she'll take you to the shuttle. We'll arrange for transport of all your goods to your new home. Or you can leave and go back to work. There will be no hard feelings and you'll be left alone. However we will be watching. You mention this meeting or anything about us to anyone, we will destroy you."
Gaull watched the man walk to the door.
"Good night Gaull. I hope to see you soon."
With that the stranger stepped through the door and was gone. Gaull stared at the closed door, too stunned to move. He felt hot breath by his ear. A slender hand wrapped around the front of his body and caressed his chest. He turned around to face Jasmeen and she pulled him into her. The kiss was electrifying. He hot wet tongue plunging into his mouth. He pulled back slightly.
"I don't know what to do?" he said. His voice only a whisper.
"Let me show you what one of the main perks of the job will be and then we can talk" she purred leading him to the bed.
-o0o-
18 hours later Gaull gazed out of the window. The stars of deep space blurred against the ship's warp tunnel. He was still processing last night. He and Jasmeen had, talked about the outpost, and she had shown him what heaven could be like. She was honest about life on the outpost. She likened it to living in a five star hotel. It was luxurious and a very high standard of living but it was still restrictive. The organization also had a beach resort on a nearby temperate planet and they were given leave twice a year to visit. The transport to and from the resort and the resort itself was heavily guarded, there was no escape, but it was still a tropical beach resort.
She wouldn't divulge what his job would be other than something to do with cloning. She went into detail on everything else. She was an escort working for the organization. High-class, high cost and she regularly swapped bodies using clones to satisfy her customers desires.
By the time he'd fallen asleep he was worn out both mentally and physically. She was exceptionally skilled in bed.
That morning he was woken by Jasmeen. An hour of frantic love making and he cast his doubts aside. He'd follow this woman into the gates of hell .Three hours of flight time and they arrived at his home for the next five years.
It was indeed a small private outpost on the fringes of Federation space. His apartment was exactly as the stranger had promised. It was equivalent to a five star suite and his belongings had been already shipped. He was still sorting things out when the door bell sounded. He opened it to find Daemire stood there.
"Welcome aboard". He said with a smile stepping inside. "Happy with your digs?"
"Yes. Very." Gaull smiled.
"I know five years sounds like an eternity but you'll be out of here before you know it and be able to retire at 34! You start work in the morning I'll come to collect you, don't worry its all easy stuff for a man of your considerable talents."
Gaull raised an eyebrow and Daemire just laughed.
"I'll leave you to your unpacking." he said turning back to the door. "Or you can enjoy my house-warming present. Up to you!" he said as he left.
Gaull was about to ask what present when Jasmeen appeared in the still open doorway swiftly followed by another woman. This other woman was a dark-skinned Matari woman. Almost as beautiful as Jasmeen. They stood before him with cheeky smiles.
-o0o-
"I'm still not sure about him. The psych-profile raised two flags." Yvelle said leaning back in her chair as Daemire entered the control room of the outpost.
Daemire shook his head. Yvelle was his second in command on the outpost. An ex-escort who knew the business inside out.
"You worry too much. Name me someone who doesn't get a flag on black or pink jobs? I assume those are the two that were flagged?"
"He's too young and we've got no leverage on him. No family to threaten, no dark secrets to use as blackmail. If he freaks at what we ask him to do, he's a risk." she continued.
Daemire approached the desk and looked on the screen. The hidden camera showed the tangle of limbs on Gaull's bed.
"He appears to be enjoying himself!" Daemire remarked with a smile."Look, this guy was on the Federal, State and Republic watch-lists for expert cloners. The Empires keep close tabs on those who excel in cloning. Anyone can learn to be a clone-tech, this guy is an artist. A natural. If the Feds were worried we could make a copy of President Roden that nobody can spot, then he belongs here!" Daemire laughed "They are probably having kittens right about now if they've noticed he's vanished!"
"Yes I admit he's good and he appears to be having fun. For now. However, what when the Emissary books a visit to see one of his special girls. Or Dunidi turns up with that look in his eye and wants a special? What about when he is asked to do one of those jobs"
"Then we'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Daemire said sternly indicating the conversation was over. "If he freaks then we'll airlock him. The others haven't done any better, lets see if this one does."
The two fell silent and turned to watch the show on the monitor.
To be continued.....
