Allie shivered as she stepped into the Colony. For the queues forming up down in the cargo bays, the warmth she'd found so welcome would be a catalyst for fights breaking out. Short tempers in the heat...she didn't envy the Watch today. Especially not with the shuttles vomiting their humanoid cargo out faster than the Watch could process them, poor people.

So Allie summoned her brightest smile for the woman wearing a freshly-pressed Watch uniform. "Good morning, I'm Allie," she sang out, holding out her bag for the customary search before the woman could ask. She began humming a cheerful tune.

"Violet," the woman said. She took Allie's bag and rummaged through the contents. After little more than a cursory examination, Violet looked up to meet Allie's gaze. "Who brings a bag full of chocolate as their only personal items for five years?"

Allie winked. "Someone who appreciates life's pleasures."

Violet's expression softened into a smile. "A woman after my own heart."

Allie became aware of an alluring floral scent that intensified. "And you smell...absolutely enchanting, Violet. You're a succubus, yes?"

Violet nodded curtly as uncertainty filled her eyes.

"I've never known one before, but I'd like to. Come visit me in the Arena Dome one day when we're both free, and I'll share some of my chocolate, if I have any left." Allie rattled off her apartment number to the surprised succubus.

"But...how do you know where you'll be staying? You don't have your accommodation assignment yet," Violet protested.

Another wink. "I was part of the team who did the final structural checks on the Colony. I got a peek at accommodation assignments before they were finalised. Anything goes wrong at your place, you'll know who to call."

Violet nodded and waved Allie on to the next Watch officer, a Human male who introduced himself as Henry. Several minutes later, armed with her new tablet and a map she didn't really need, Allie boarded one of the waiting aircars to zoom her to her apartment in the ring surrounding Arena Dome. This was the last time she'd see Metropolis empty. By tomorrow, the place would be bustling with activity as all the new businesses started up. She sincerely hoped there'd be a chocolate shop somewhere. Hmm, perhaps she should have chosen to live in the Nyx Dome, where the products wouldn't melt quite as quickly as in the Arena Dome.

Speaking of which...

The first thing Allie did when she entered her apartment was to empty the contents of her bag into the refrigerator. Even the concrete floor was warm underfoot in this dome – lovely. And she had a window to the outside, just like she'd requested. A window that stretched across the ceiling from one end of the apartment to the other. More than a lowly maintenance worker had any right to expect, but those who'd put in the extra time during construction had been promised extra credits for their efforts. She'd refused the cash in lieu of an apartment with a view. And what a view. She threw her head back and stared up at what looked like the whole galaxy. New Hope's barely-there atmosphere meant there was nothing to obscure her view of the stars. Beautiful. She couldn't wait to watch the night time show through her skylight. It had been a long time since she'd had the leisure to simply lie back and watch the stars.

Allie debated whether to lie on her bed and rest while she had a chance, or head back to the entrance to watch the new colonists arriving and help where she could.

Plus, she'd be on hand to deal with any maintenance requests. Other people might not start their new jobs until tomorrow or even next week, but like the Watch, Maintenance staff were on call the moment they set foot in the Colony.

She should probably activate her communications device now she was here, too. Allie had only a moment to register that she had four messages before her comm alerted her to an incoming call.

"Hiya, this is Allie," she answered breezily.

"Is this Maintenance?" a male voice demanded. "We've just arrived at our apartment and there's ice all over the floor."

Allie reached for her tablet. "Yes, sir, I'm Allie from Maintenance. Can you tell me your apartment number in the Nyx Dome, please?" She jotted down notes as he talked, shaking her head at the sloppiness of the staff who'd inspected Nyx Dome. She'd had a wager with Ira that her first call would be from Nyx Dome. When she felt she had enough details to head over to fix the problem, she said, "I'll be right over, sir. I'll have your ice rink uninstalled in no time." She terminated the call. Time to get to work.

Whistling, she summoned a skimmer and set off for the snow.