Alexander Bartholomew Crimson never set out to become a criminal. While he didn't have many good things to say about his father, he did raise him to be a good and law abiding man.

    When his father kicked him out of the house at sixteen for having sex with an alien. Alex could have taken what he'd already learned in his computer coercion class to lash out at him, but he didn't. Instead, with his grandparents' support he studied harder and made sure to find work as far from the planet his father lived on as he could.

    When most of his money dried out and he still hadn't been hired, he could have used what he'd learned to convince the bank's system to give him a little more money. he could have done that and not get caught, but he didn't. Instead he tightened his belt some more and worked harder at convincing one of the corporations to hire him.

    He prided himself on working by the rules. Those of the company he worked for, of the building he lived in, the city he lived in and the planet he was on. He knew that some people broke those rules and got away with it. Mercenary spent their lives breaking the laws and getting rich off it.

    But Alexander Bartholomew Crimson wasn't going to be one of those, because he also knew that in the long run, the universe would make them pay. Criminals got caught.

    And his work paid off. Luminex, a large corporation, with offices through out the universe, hired him as he was on his last credit. And it was a good job. He got to work with the best equipment and he loved coercing other system.

    There he got to meet many aliens, although he couldn't get himself to let them know of his intimate interest in them. Most were treated as second class citizens, here because a company needed a representative to work with their species, not because they were valued as a person.

    To tell one of them he was interested in him sexually would feel too much like he was trying to take advantage of them. So he settled for friendship.

    And then, after years of frequenting the local alien bar, he met Jack. A young Samalian just arrived on the planet and trying to find employment. Alex offered for him to stay in his apartment to save on the little money he had, until he found work and could afford his own place.

    Alex promised himself he wouldn't take advantage of the situation. Jack was sweet and innocent. He had him sleep in the bedroom while Alex took the couch. He was able to keep his word for a few days, but when Jack couldn't sleep, because his species didn't sleep alone, Alex's will crumbled.

    That night had been amazing, and Jack had loved it as much as Alex did. Alex knew he was falling in love with the alien.
    
    And from what he could tell, the Samalian felt the same. They had a wonderful time together. Alex came home as early as he could to be with Jack, He cooked for him, and Jack cooked for Alex.

    Alex would look in those vibrant chocolate eyes and see their future together. Getting a larger place, Both being promoted up the ladder of their respective company. After a decade one of them would be transfered to another planet, and instead of being separated the other would follow.

    Jack would be the one to be transfered, and Alex would take care of the house, and do some private consulting work to keep his skills sharp. They would visit Alex's grandparents and they would be so happy for the two of them.

    They'd grow old together, happy and taking care of each other. They would die together, in bed, after a long night of love making.

    Alex's dreams shattered when he fell sick. He'd started feeling sore in the afternoon, his muscle aching more as the day progressed. with some pain killers he managed to make it to the end of the day and limped home. There Jack took care of him, gave him medications and put him to bed.

    He slept deeply, but when he woke up he was still sick, and Jack had to leave him for a time, the company he had applied to had called him in for an interview. Alex wished him luck, and tried to sooth his nervousness away as much as possible. Then he went back to bed, waiting for his lover to come back with good news so they could snuggle.

    But Jack didn't come back. The being who entered his apartment later in the day looked like Jack, but he didn't move like him. His voice sounded a little like him, but it was cold, harsh. Alex didn't understand what it meant. He pleaded with him, this not-Jack person, only to be pushed away and threatened.

    Then this person left.

    Alex stayed where he was, waiting for Jack to return from his interview, telling himself over and over that this had just been a fevered dream, even tho he could see that everything of Jacks was now gone. He told himself that all he had to do was wait and his love would return. He waited a long time, falling in and out of consciousness, his body feeling as bad as his heart.

    When the door opened hope surged. He tried to get up, to hug his lover, apologize for whatever he'd done that made him angry before. But it wasn't Jack who entered. They were men in heavy body armor.

    Alex asked what there were doing in his home. He demanded answers, but they didn't give him any. Instead, they took him away.