Description
Early morning, Malmo Skyrail Station, north eastern Issa State and two black uniformed ISS guards stood on the station platform. Both yawned. It was a quarter to six and thirty minutes before the first skytrain arrived.
Rookie guard Jose Bissinger had to slow her walk down so that her over fed and thoroughly swole colleague, Harper Baum, could keep up. Three years an ISS guard and Harper had joined out of college after missing out on a pro powerball career. A big, solid and very prominent belly bulged out and hung over her utility belt giving the Harper the look of a buffed up jock girl who'd swallowed a beach ball.
"So rookie" said Harper "how come your so freaking skinny?"
"I guess I've got a quick metabolism."
Jose was gym buffed but had noticed she was by far the slimmest guard on the Malmo Internal Security Services squad. Harper was definitely one of the fattest. Jose wanted to reach across and prod Harper's massively bloated roid gut and see if it would pop. But she held back. She was a rookie and she didn't want to cross any lines. She knew the guards were proud of their guts; they spent most of their shifts gorging themselves and then showing off their heft in the locker room.
"Yeah, you've got kinda the buffed look but there's loads of stuff you can take that'll pack on some size real freaking quick. Like Utlra and Alpha and all that good stuff. We're all freakin' loaded on it babe."
"On our pay?" asked Jose.
An ISS guard out in Malmo wasn't earning big bucks. The job required minimum qualifications and as civilian law enforcement had no real responsibility. ISS guards manned static security points at key installations like skyports skyrail stations, government buildings and the like. As long as an applicant was a full Corporate Worlds citizen with no serious criminal record they pretty much qualified. In her short time on the job Jose had discovered she was paid to do very, very little. Which for the daughter of a lawyer back on the Corp home world of Prime made it a fun one year career break before getting back to a serious lawyering job back on Prime.
"I get my juice free."
"How?"
"I figure you'll find out soon."
"You look swole" declared Jose.
"Totally."
Passengers began to arrive on the platform. The glasses both Jose and Harper wore kicked into life and began scanning citizens. Harper stood casually and let her huge belly hang. Jose was a little more tense. Still new to the job she couldn't believe she was one of the black uniformed guards she'd had a crush on since her years break touring Kane Alpha between high school and university. Taking a year out after university to travel to Kane Alpha and take some basic ISS job had seemed crazy but Jose loved the way she looked in her uniform. She couldn't stop herself wondering what she'd look like filling it out the way Harper did. Then she really would look the part.
She noticed the way different social groups looked at her. Affluent Corp citizens gave her a dismissive glance whilst checking out Harper's massively bloated eye candy. Meanwhile off worlders avoided her look. ISS didn't possess arrest powers but if their computer picked up any discrepancy in an off worlders visa status there were big fines to be paid.
At that moment both Jose and Harper's visors identified a slender off worlder selling donuts to passengers. He was an unauthorised vendor. The two guards stepped forward. The man didn't flinch. He clearly knew Harper.
"I dropped you a box of glazed off at the security console" said the man.
"Cool."
Jose had learned that an ISS guard was very cheap and easy to bribe. Enjoying playing the part of ISS meathead Jose placed one hand on her gun holster and chipped in:
"Hey, if she gets one I want one."
"Normally there's only one guard on for the morning train."
"Yeah, today there's two of us and I don't share" said Harper.
"I'll go leave another one at the console" rushed the unauthorised vendor suddenly anxious to avoid a fine.
"Yeah, do that."
As the guy headed off the two guards resumed their duties. The skytrain arrived and departed. With over two hours before the next train Jose and Harper returned to the guards console in the station concourse. That early and only the ticket office was open; the Mega Burger and Subway staff were just arriving. Much to their satisfaction there was two boxes of donuts on the console. Sitting down the pair dug in.
"That off worlder was gonna crap himself back there" laughed Harper between mouthfuls of glazed donuts.
"Yeah and his donuts are good."
"Kinda but not as good as Galaxybucks."
"Galaxybucks donuts suck..."
Slowly Jose grazed through the donuts. She couldn't keep pace with fat Harper but she gradually worked through them. Sat behind the console she tried to focus on the security screens but struggled. Much to her surprise, and horror, the owner of the Mega Burger franchise had a policy of keeping ISS sweet and gave them the uneaten breakfast wraps. With nothing else to do Jose sat and ate them. She managed one for Harper's two. When they were finished the Subway guy dropped his left overs off. Jose smiled to herself; these guys were making sure ISS stayed parked behind their console fat, happy and not checking the immigration status of the fast food outlet workers.
It was indeed very easy to bribe an ISS guard.