Planet of Pain by B. A. Bradbury

the sexual tension so thick you could take a bite out of it. Jo felt guilty about eavesdropping on so intimate an exchange, but couldn’t have torn herself away if her life depended on it.
    â€˜Then I don’t get it, sir,’ Bel said. ‘Looking at our situation here, it seems to me all you have to do is snap your fingers and you can have whatever or whoever you want.’
    â€˜Not my style,’ he said. ‘Freely given is my preference, but I’ll settle for a fair trade. Do we have a deal?’
    â€˜We do. I need to get some sleep first, though, unless you fancy bedding a zombie. I’m bushed.’
    â€˜That’s fine,’ he said. ‘Let me see what I can turn up. Catch you later.’ He headed for the door, and Bel watched him go, clearly intrigued.
    â€˜I wasn’t sure he’d help us, to be honest,’ she said, ‘but he’s not what he seems, is he? That parade ground despot act certainly had me fooled.’
    â€˜Me too,’ Jo said. ‘It was lucky I was here turning on the charm, though. I mean, it’s patently obvious he’s totally uninterested in you.’
    â€˜Go easy on me, okay?’ Bel said, with a rueful smile. ‘I had a rough day.’
    She took herself off to bed, asking Jo to wake her when ‘supper’ arrived. A little while later sixteen packages and a box were delivered to the door. Each package carried a printed name, and Jo and some of the B-shift women sorted through the pile looking for their own. Jo came across one marked Kepler L , and that’s when the seriousness of the situation hit her. She put it to one side, wondering if Linda would ever get the opportunity to open it.
    She found her own, and discovered it contained two pair of pale grey coveralls, two pair of white stretch panties, and a pair of boot-style slippers. The coveralls were fairly plain, with a zip up the front, two hip pockets, and the owner’s name stencilled over the left breast. Jo changed into hers and found the fit tolerably good.
    The box contained the hygiene products Nina had requested, along with half a dozen readers. Jo sat down with one and paged through the index, discovering a mix of fiction and non-fiction. To pass the time she started reading one of the novels, but couldn’t get into it. She didn’t have a problem with hunky heroes, but damsels in distress she could do without; there were enough of those around already.
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    Bel was poor company at supper – thirty minutes of sleep seemed to have made her more tired, not less. B-shift were looking pretty glum too, which was hardly surprising considering their first assignments were imminent. Stella Fournier was the only person present who seemed remotely cheerful, and she drew black looks for daring to laugh at something Jo said.
    After the meal Bel went straight back to bed, as did the rest of A-shift. B-shift headed for the showers, and soon after Sergeant Quinn took them away. With their departure Stella and Jo had the place pretty much to themselves, and having slept during their assignments neither felt tired. Jo realised her inner clock was completely out of kilter, but she was at the mercy of fate and circumstance. If she’d drawn an enlisted men’s cabin no doubt she’d be feeling shattered too.
    As it was she and Stella spent the day chatting, playing checkers – at which Stella was unbeatable – and generally getting comfortable with each other, and by the time Bel and the rest were stirring Jo felt as though she’d known Stella all her life.
    The arrival of B-shift was something of a shock. They were moving like automatons, silent and spiritless. Even Nina looked drained, and Jo went straight to her. ‘Are you all right, major?’
    â€˜Not really,’ she said. ‘Can you and Bel talk to the others? I know it should be me, but I’m buggered, in every sense of the word. I need to lie down before I fall