The colonial transport, "Megalopolis IV", is vast, a long-term home to ten million people. The trouble is that nine million, nine hundred and ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine of them are sleeping soundly in cryogenic stasis pods, while Francine Webster is officer of the watch. She is going frantic with boredom. OK, she quite enjoyed the bug-hunting in Lateral Vault 13(North) and "borrowing" a few gravitation torpedoes from the armoury, to play Space Snooker with unoccupied asteroids, is always good fun, but she is desperate for someone to talk to. Francine's friend, Henrietta Blake, is just about to get an early wake-up call. TY2 x 2.