Alpen walked through a screen of trees and down a short slope, to a secluded glade deep in the jungle. In the centre of the glade was a pretty rock pool, and in the pool itself was Suzanne, washing her long, blonde hair in the sparkling, pure water.
Alpen stopped. "Sorry. Your grandfather sent me to find you."
"Oh hello," Suzanne smiled at him. "Just having a wash. I'm ready now."
She stood up and walked out of the water towards him, glistening and completely nude. She smiled at the embarrassed young man who nevertheless, was unable to take his eyes off her. Savouring his attention, she wiped some stray droplets from her breasts, flattening them and letting them pop back into shape. Her pink nipples were stiff and excited.
"Would you pass me a towel?" asked Suzanne.
"O-of course," Alpen handed one over and then quickly turned his back.
"That's okay," she said. "You can watch me if you like."
"That w-w-wouldn't be appropriate," he stammered. "I'll see you at the meeting."
Alpen walked off and Suzanne scowled after him.
Shortly afterwards, she joined Professor Wot on a rocky outcrop, overlooking the city. He glanced up and saw her face. "Well?" he said.
"No. Struck out again. There's just too many hot women here, and everyone's paired up already. I need more of a sausage-fest to operate effectively. I hope Cliff and Lola have had more luck."
The old man grunted sympathetically. "Well, that's not really my concern at the moment. Without the Spacial Anomalator, we're going nowhere." He pulled out an old-fashioned telescope and scanned the empty streets below. "No movement. Let's join the others."
Alpen, Irina and the rest of the team were waiting near to the entrance to the city, looking out for Purveks. They looked understandably anxious. "Have we had the signal?" Alpen asked.
The Professor nodded. Looking through his telescope, he had picked out the large cairn which Gaytus had built up next to the pipes the previous night. "The other team is going in. We give them until midday, and then provide a distraction. Take your weapons, and I will sabotage a few systems."
Alpen hefted a large club. "Can we take on the Purveks?"
"We can try. If we fail, the rest of your people can go back over the mountains and warn the Cleat populace. Perhaps they can come up with a better plan."
Next to him, Suzanne pulled a sour face. She had little faith in the Cleat leadership coming up with any scheme that could equal her Gramps'.
***
Cliff and Lola found that the caves followed the pipes for a way, leading to some vast, hollowed out service areas. Exquisitely preserved mining machines stood to one side, but with their power drained, they were completely unresponsive. Further on, the party had to climb around a rock fall, and then through some increasingly difficult and cramped passageways.
One particularly tight section forced them to crawl along in single file, although Cliff didn't complain, as he was following Beka, and was able to look straight up her short skirt and watch her pretty little clam virtually the whole way. She moved along with her knees wide apart, apparently unconcerned by the view she was providing. All in all, he was starting to think that getting stuck on this planet would not be such a bad fate.
Eventually, they emerged into a large cavern, with the pipes disappearing into a passage up near the roof. Gaytus looked up at it, clearly worried. "We'll need to climb up," she said.
"We have ropes don't we?" asked Cliff.
"Let us hope that they are enough."
It had been agreed that the strongest climbers were Gaytus, Cliff and Amanpus. Gaytus led the way, roped to Lola, Cliff would follow with Beka, and Amanpus led Rebb and Tarran.
"Looks like it's you and me," smiled Cliff as he attached himself to Beka. The cute girl smiled back at him, took a quick look around, and then leaned in to give him a peck on the cheek. It was perhaps less passionate than he'd hoped for, but she had made it clear that she was not looking for a relationship.
Gaytus climbed efficiently up the rock-face, showing the rest of them where the best handholds were, and attaching crampons for the rope to hook into. Cliff watched carefully, partly to learn the route, but also because here was another Cleat woman giving him an uninterrupted view of her cunt. He could see both lips and a little tuft of blondish pubic hair. Lola glanced across at him, and then followed Gaytus up the slope. Again, Cliff got a good view of her legs, although with her longer skirt, there was rather less on display.
"Right," said Cliff, "our turn." Beka nodded bravely, and he began to climb. Concentrating on every aspect of the rocks in front of his nose, he was almost unaware of anything else going on around him until he heard a yelp from above.
"Cliff," came Gaytus's voice, "help."
Cliff looked up. There was Gaytus at the top of the slope, hanging desperately onto the rope. Dangling below her by several feet was Lola, who had slipped and fallen, and was now suspended about 100 feet above the cave floor against a smooth section of rock with no hand or footholds nearby. Unable to pull herself up, she was helpless, and it was only a matter of time before she dragged them both into the void.
Cliff untied himself from the rope he was on. "Wait here," he instructed Beka, who clung onto the cliff-face with wide eyes. Then he began to free-climb up to a point as near to Lola as he could manage. Finally he halted, teetering on a small ledge about 10 feet away from her, but with no away to get any closer. In between them, there was just empty space.
"Lola!" he shouted, and she looked at him with panicked eyes. "Swing this way!"
Lola nodded, working hard to control her fear. She began to swing back and forth on the rope. Above them, Gaytus grunted, but made no further protest. The history teacher swung within a few feet of Cliff, and then back again. Every time she came near, she reached out with one hand and he reached back, but somehow it was never enough.There was simply no chance of catching her.
"You need to give me something to grab!" shouted Cliff.
Lola seemed to despair, and then thought of something. She reached into her pack and pulled out an object. With a slight start, Cliff realised it was her slip. Now, as the rope pulled her closer, she swung out the undergarment, and he clutched at it, but it slipped smoothly through his fingers. Lola swept back along the cliff-face and then nearer again. She cracked the slip at him with superb timing, and Cliff grabbed at it. Her sudden weight almost pulled him off his ledge, but he hung on to the rock wall with one hand, and pulled at the thin material with the other.
There was a rip, and the slip began to come apart. Cliff gave one last yank, and pulled Lola into his arms. The remnants of the torn undergarment fluttered away as he held her to him, alarmingly close. They looked into each other's eyes, breathing hard.
"Well," said Lola, finally. "Thanks."
The rest of the climb went smoothly after that. Cliff returned to Beka, and Amanpus followed when they had all made it to the top. The final passageway followed the pipes closely until it reached an enormous door. The door itself wouldn't budge, but there was a grille in the metal wall that Amanpus popped out, and after some clambering they found themselves inside the city.
"Right," said Gaytus grimly. "Let's find those turbines."