VDC50-2L (Viddy C for short) was a beautiful planet. Millions of square miles of fertile, unpolluted land covered it. It would, of course, be given a proper name once it had become a Coalition planet and a colony had been set up there. The only problem was the locals, who strongly disliked anyone over 51 inches in height and didn’t have green skin. Normally this would have resulted in the Coalition looking elsewhere for colonisation, but resources were already at breaking point, so the decision to take the planet by limited force was made. This lead to the creation of the ‘Plasma Harpies’ Armoured Negotiators. They were a politically correct unit of trained soldiers who would ‘persuade’ the locals to leave the areas that the Coalition had marked for farming. Nearly ninety percent of the Harpies were female. Some Coalition spin doctor decided that this would give the impression that Viddy C would be colonised by a woman's empathy and love rather than a mans aggression.

Nicole jerked the trigger on her stun rifle and sent a steam of crimson beams into the dense foliage ahead. A dozen green skinned Digs ran squealing from the orange coloured bushes. The rest of Nicole’s platoon advanced under her covering fire, their own weapons dropping the outclassed enemy in droves. Just then she heard a noise behind her and span just in time to see a Dig warrior hurl a spear at her. The spear bounced off her chest plate. “You little bastard!” Spat Nicole and sent her little green opponent into a sudden, but deep sleep. The platoon leaders voice crackled over the radio, announcing that the base had been taken successfully. Nicole sighed and carefully made her way towards the rest of the unit. Two months ago this would have seemed like fun, but now Nicole had grown bored with it. Viddy C seemed to have an endless supply of what the PHANs called Digs, who would always attack any human they saw. In the beginning it was quite scary, until the troopers realised that the Digs were as harmless as kittens. How could you want to fight small, comical, green creatures? It didn’t seem fair having techno armoured troopers fighting creatures little over four feet tall.

As she entered the security of the captured Digs base she slung the heavy stun rifle over her shoulder and with some relief removed her hot, stuffy helmet. Nicole ran her hand through her short, frizzy, black hair and unfastened some of the straps on her combat webbing. She was an impressive sight to behold, 5 foot 8 inches of well toned Afro American woman. Nicole also had the attitude to match. Top of her class at the combat academy, she was quickly snapped up by the Harpies. “Lewis! What do you think this is? A summer camp!” Barked the platoon Sergeant. “No ma'am!” Shouted Nicole in reply as she snapped to attention. “Well then, help Boskins and Jenner errect the cages. We don’t want our captives waking up and finding that they’ve got nowhere to stay now, do we?” Nicole helped the other troopers construct the cages, as the sleeping Digs were placed inside. This was already an unenjoyable job to do, but being teamed with Jenner made things worse. Jenner was the only member of the Harpies to have a PhD, as she liked to remind everyone. As they carried the little green aliens into the cages she spoke of the mysterious animals that the unit had yet to encounter, mainly to show off her own intellect. Nicole disliked Jenner. She disliked any spoiled, middle class brat who always got what she wanted. She particularly disliked the way Jenner would stop working, just to make sure her blond hair was in place. The whole operation took a little over an hour. When this was completed the Lieutenant called them all around to debrief on what had happened. “First the bad news. We’ve cleaned out this area on schedule, with no fatalities. Unfortunately this wasn’t their food store as we’d hoped. We’ve found some of the large animal skins, but that’s it. Zip. Nada.” The main plan to stopping the Digs was to cut off their food supplies, the theory being that they would retreat into areas that humanity had not selected for farming. On paper this looked great. The problem was that the Digs main source for food could not be found. They seemed to eat some large variety of rat, common to Viddy C. This creature should be easily found but even limited scans of the planet had drawn a blank. “Secondly, we have... more bad news. There’s a big storm of micros’ coming this way. Command estimates we’ve got maybe forty minutes to get ready. Let’s get those size ones on people.” The troopers all moaned. Nicole shivered. She hated micros. Tiny insects, about the size of a flea. They didn’t do any apparent harm, just flew about in massive swarms all over the planet. Being in the middle of a swarm was like standing in a sand storm. Really poor visibility. To protect the soldiers from the inevitable discomfort the micros would bring, each Harpy was equipped with what they referred to as ‘size ones’. These were a kind of body stocking that covered the trooper from neck to ankle, stopping any unwanted bugs from crawling over exposed flesh. The joke was that these outfits only came in one size, and would fit all. Which miraculously they did. These garments were supposed to be warn under the armour and webbing at all times, but no-one ever did. It was too hot for that.

With grumbles of disapproval, the unit began preparing for the micros. They each took it in turns to undress, put on the military grey size ones and then put on all of their combat gear over the top. Nicole was paired with Jenner, who insisted on taking her time. As Nicole was fastening her helmet straps, she heard the high pitched buzzing of the micros. With only seconds to spare she snapped down her face plate and the storm hit. It was as if the sun had suddenly set. The visibility went down to five feet as billions of the tiny parasites rushed through the camp. The static caused by the insects made the communicators crackle and buzz. Voices of annoyance phased in and out of audible volume. “Lewis! Did you hear that!” Squealed Jenner over the communicator. “Wha...” Started Nicole when she heard the Lieutenant begin barking out orders. The static got worse and only bursts of sentences crackled through. Something about the perimeter? Covering fire? Without warning stun beams cut through the cloud of insects. Sending Nicole diving for cover. Jenner dropped to the ground, unslinging her rifle with fluid motion. They shouted into their communicators that they were taking friendly fire, but no-one replied. Just raised voices could be heard. Nicole crawled over to Jenner, readying her weapon. “We need to find cover! Follow me!” she snapped grabbing Jenners shoulder. The educated soldier pushed her aside and let fly with her rifle. Two Digs slumped to the floor and more ran on. The two troopers retreated, stunning anything that moved. When their power packs began to get dangerously low they made a run for it. The two girls stumbled through the storm of micros, bumping into cages and huts in the camp. Jenner momentarily disappeared from view, and then yelped. Nicole ran towards where she thought her comrade was, and stepped into thin air.

She tumbled head first through bushes and trees down the slope until she slid to a halt. It took her a few minutes to recover her breath before she could asses her situation. By then the micros had cleared. Apart from bruises, she was okay, her armour had done what it was supposed to and protected her from injury. She found her rifle intact, but when trying to use her radio she discovered it was smashed. She removed her helmet and tried to fix it. The sounds of beam weapons came from the camp. Nicole guessed she had fallen nearly fifty metres down the slope. She was about to call for help when she heard a chant coming from nearby. “Voolg! Voolg! Voolg!” It was unmistakably a large group of Digs. Jenner crashed through the orange bushes running awkwardly towards her. Her face plate was smashed and Nicole could see the look of panic and discomfort on Jenners face. “Help me!” she moaned as two dozen chanting Digs appeared behind her. Nicole dropped her helmet and swung her rifle up as Jenner staggered past clawing at her armour. Strafing her rifle in a wide arc Nicole stunned several of the little aliens, but more appeared. Jenners moans got worse. “Get up the slope now! I’ll cover you!” yelled Nicole, just as she heard a loud snap. Glancing over her shoulder she gasped. Jenner stood eyes wide in disbelief as her torso armour popped open and her belly swelled outwards. Shocked, Nicole turned back as a Dig blew sweet smelling dust in her face. She coughed and stumbled backwards. Nicole rubbed her eyes only to open them as more dust hit her face. The Digs continued to chant. Jenner continued to cry for help. Nicole blinked the dust clear and opened fire on the Digs. “C’mon you little bastards!” She screamed, moving backwards. Her whole body was tingling now, and she felt bloated. Her armour began to feel tight. At first it was unpleasant, then it began to hurt. Nicole dropped her rifle and fumbled for her armours release catches as she staggered up the slope. All the little aliens were chanting now. “What are you doing to me?” Screamed Jenner “I’m gonna burst! Help!” Jenner had swollen up massively, she looked like a big grey balloon, with stubby arms and legs sticking out. The tattered remains of her armour and combat gear, lay at her feet. She was surrounded by the tiny chanting aliens. Nicole began to panic at this sight. She could hear an audible hissing noise that was getting louder. Her armour started to make groaning noises as it became almost too tight. Glancing about in panic Nicole could see her armour being forced out by her own expanding body. Then, one by one, the straps started to break. She was almost relived when her body plate snapped off letting her belly push out. She gasped as her chest plate did the same and her breasts bobbed out, continuing to swell like balloons. Her thighs burst through next, then her ass. Nicole heard ripping sounds as her normally baggy combat clothing began to stretch. The Digs danced around her ballooning body chanting. “Help! Help us!” She cried to her far off comrades, the buttons on her uniform popping off. They could not hear her. Nicole’s upper arms began to swell as her torso slowly became more and more spherical. Her groin pushed downwards, between her plentiful thighs, effectively shortening her legs. The Digs danced around her gleefully, pleased at their handiwork. Nicole tried to continue up the slope but lost her balance and tumbled backwards. She bounced once before coming to rest on her back. The last remnants of her uniform tore away, leaving her in her stretchy, grey ‘size one’. Nicole struggled vainly to get to her feet, but she was too big. A feeling of pressure began building up in her belly. It became more intense as she continued to grow. Nicole screamed for help, until it became too much for her. ‘This is it!” She thought ‘I’m going to burst open!’ Then the sensation stopped. The hissing had gone. As her mind began to clear she heard Jenner’s voice calling to her. “Lewis! Lewis! Are you okay?” “Yeah... I’m... I’m...” She blabbed in confusion. Before the two troopers had a chance to converse properly, the Digs gathered around them menacingly. Nicole felt so vulnerable and scared as the little green aliens barked instructions to one another as they examined their captives. Next she was being rolled forwards by a dozen of them onto her feet. Her training made her automatically lash out at them, but her new shape made the action slow and cumbersome. Regardless of this the Digs were surprisingly gentle with her. Nicole managed a few waddling steps and turned towards where she had last seen Jenner. She was on her feet as well, surrounded by their captors. Jenner had swollen up big. The only parts of her that had not been effected was her head, hands and feet. Her body was almost a sphere with her now enormous chest resting on it. Her arms and legs were large, seemed shorter and tapered to her seemingly tiny hands and feet. Nicole guessed that she must be about the same size and shape. Without warning she felt a pain in her ass. Straining over her large shoulder she saw a Dig poking her with the shaft of a spear. She was helpless to do anything about it. Two more Digs joined in. All Nicole could do was to waddle away from them at a slow lumbering pace. It seemed that this is what they wanted. The two grey, blimp shaped soldiers were herded away from the clearing and into the dense forest, unable to resist.

Jenner and Lewis were lead deeper and deeper into the forest. The Digs at the front of the group hacked away at the brightly coloured plants, clearing a way for the two captives, whilst the remainder of the party kept a careful watch for their enemy. Nicole noted that none paid much attention to Jenner and herself, but escape was practically impossible. There was no way she could run away. As the journey continued she began to find it harder and harder to walk. It felt as if she was getting heavier. “Jenner! I ... I think I’m getting bigger.” She panted. “Yes! Me too!” Exclaimed Jenner, as if she was almost pleased about it. “Well, to be precise, we’re getting heavier. I’m starting to understand what’s happened to us. I think that this is how the Digs prepare those big rodents we keep finding. They blow that dust in their faces and let them swell up. Somehow it turns into meat and they’ve got themselves a family sized rodent. That’s why we can’t find any of those creatures in the wild, they’re prepared by the Digs in a couple of hours.” Jenner seemed quite pleased at her apparent intelligence. “So, you’re saying that they’re gonna eat us?!” yelped Nicole. Her comrade started to panic as the realisation of her discovery sank in and she tried to run. It was futile. Jenner only managed a few lumbering steps before she was herded back onto the trail. All they could do was let the little creatures lead them to their mystery destination.

The trek became increasingly harder as the two women grew heavier. Their drum tight bodies softened into firm, tender meat. Occasionally, one of the Digs would pinch or poke them, before chattering to its colleagues. Nicole became increasingly uneasy about the situation. She had not joined the Plasma Harpies only to end up as a meal for some small green aliens. As the sun was beginning to set, their journey ended as they waddled into a large clearing filled with hundreds of Dig, all busying around some strange looking scaffolding. Their appearance caused a real stir with gathering of aliens, who immediately ran over and surrounded them. Orders were called out and the two soldiers were bustled towards the scaffolding by the mob of Digs. They were poked and prodded with sticks as they moved towards the strange constructions. Jenner waddled along obediently, but Nicole tried to resist, fearing that soon she would be the Digs main course. She tried hopelessly to punch or kick them, which the aliens found amusing. They pushed her onto her back and heaved her into the air. Her protests were ineffectual as they carried her to the bottom of one of the scaffolds. The aliens then eased her spherical torso into a kind of harness, made from vines and animal hides. Nicole squealed with shock as she felt herself being hoisted into the air. Looking upwards she could see that the Digs had some sort of winch and were carefully heaving her up towards a platform near the top of the tower. It took almost fifty of the small green aliens to gradually pull Nicole’s bloated body up the scaffolding. At the top they carefully swung her onto the platform and about a dozen of them guided the human orb over a kind of giant, clay, egg cup. One Dig stood at the front screeching orders to the others as they slowly moved Nicole left and right into position. She was lowered down onto the egg cup so that she was sitting upright with her stubby little legs either side and her toes inches from the platform. The Digs removed the harness and placed a large pot full of the mysterious dust in front of her, before climbing down the tower. This could be the opportunity she needed to get away. Nicole waved her little arms and stretched her legs trying to wiggle of the egg cup, but it was no use, her body was too big now. Even if she could get herself off, how could she get down the tower? With a despairing sigh she stopped moving, letting her arms relax at her sides. Straining her head around she could see Jenner being moved into position on the other tower about twenty metres away. Nicole had a good view from the tower. The whole valley could be seen in all its splendour over the top of the planets dense foliage. Although she was sure that she faced inevitable death, Nicole was calm and relaxed. Her heart beat rose as she heard the Digs begin to chant again. But she was too tired to worry now. She starred at the sunset, sure she would not see another, when she saw two black dots appear on the horizon. She squinted into the sun as the shapes got bigger and bigger, trying to make out what they were. “Jenner! Jenner! Look!” she yelled excitedly just before the two delta shaped interceptors, roared past barely missing the tower. The Digs squealed and dispersed as the two aircraft swung around for a second pass. The interceptors stopped in front of Jenner and Nicole using their directional jets to hover. “Lewis? Jenner? Is that you?” Crackled an amazed sounding voice over the load speaker. The two troopers waved and cheered in response. “Jeeze. What the hell do ya think... Err... Okay. Erm. Standby girls we’ve radioed for an armed transport to come an get you.” Continued the confused voice. The fighters drew back away from the towers and began to circle them slowly, checking the area for any hostiles. Jenner called to Nicole. “Lewis! I’ve got an idea. If it works were gonna be set up for life. Are you with me?” Nicole nodded cautiously.

Jenner and Nicole never did fully recover from the effects of the mysterious dust. After the military had carried out a few routine tests on the girls they managed to slim down to less restrictive sizes, but their new metabolisms left them both plump pear shapes, too big to remain in the diesel harpies. This didn’t bother them. Jenner had managed to grab a handful of the dust as the Digs had eased her out of the harness and managed to get one of the girls in their unit to keep hold of it for her. Even if the military had not understood what the Digs had been trying to do Jenner did. With all of the humans taking their land and using it to farm cattle, the little aliens had decided to let the invaders in on a little secret of theirs. Namely how to fatten up your cattle, quickly and easily. Once they had left the military Jenner and Nicole had formed a company and released a synthetic copy of the dust as the new miracle cattle fattener ‘Voolg’. Voolg was cheap and easy to produce and sold to farmers galaxy wide. Virtually overnight the food shortages vanished and the need to capture more land from the Digs was gone. Jenner and Nicole became billionaires.

The two friends starred at the beautiful sunset on the ocean world of Nemera, leaning on the hand rail of their luxury yacht. Nicole poured them both a glass of expensive venutian champagne and they stood there, feeling the cool breeze over their swim suited bodies. Nicole broke the silence. “Here’s to Viddy C,” she said raising her glass, “and to the Digs for making us big time billionaires.” Jenner clinked her glass. “You mean ‘big time billionaires, by making us big!” She corrected, with a smirk.