Chapter 7

Somebody with a flair for small cynicism once said: "We live and do not learn."

But I have learned some things. I have learned that if you must leave a place that you have lived in and loved and where all your yesterdays are buried deep - leave it any way except a slow way, leave it the fastest way you can. Never turn back and never believe that an hour you remember is a better hour, because it is dead. Passed years seem safe ones, vanquished ones, while the future lives in a cloud, formidable from a distance. The cloud clears as you enter it. I have learned this, but like everyone, I learned it late.

— Beryl Markham, 'West With The Night, ' 1942

The assembly area was packed. Aaron, Sophia and Reggie had arrived early, picking out a spot against the far wall. When Tiffany, Tim and Corey's group arrived they motioned them over also. As the other groups began to filter in they noticed that they were quite a racially diverse crowd with large numbers of Asian and what appeared to be Hispanic volunteers. Reggie, Tim and Corey were all watching one of the Hispanic groups walking towards them.

"Damn, where do you find a group of super-models for concubines?" Tim asked.

Tiffany, who was sitting near him said, "Brazil."

"How do you know that?" Tim retorted.

"Because I pay attention, dumb ass. There were simultaneous tournaments in Tokyo, Rio, Australia, Europe and Orlando. I'm guessing that we've all been brought together for training." She answered.

"I think you're right." Reggie said. "I took Spanish in school and they are definitely not speaking Spanish."

"If they're from Brazil they're speaking Portuguese." Tiffany said.

"OK, but how do you find that many HOT women in one place?" Corey asked.

"They're culture is very body conscious," Aaron said, "and their culture is also very driven by machismo. Men are often judged by their girlfriends, wives or mistresses. I suspect that when given the opportunity our fellow volunteers from Rio chose the best-looking women. The better looking your concubines the higher your male 'status'."

"They weren't the only ones." Tiffany muttered while looking at Tim and Corey seated amongst their much better than average looking concubines. Tim and Corey, of course, were completely oblivious to Tiffany's remark, being completely focused on ogling the naked concubines around them.

As the last of the people filed in and took seats on the floor, Lt. Colonel Walker and several other people, both military and civilian, appeared on the stage at the front of the room. The drone of voices slowly came to a halt as everyone realized that the assembly was about to begin. Colonel Walker stepped to the front of the stage.

"Ladies and Gentleman, I am Lt. Colonel Ray Walker and I want to welcome you to the ship Manfred von Richthofen, but we all call it the "Red Baron". Not only is this vessel a colony transport it has also been outfitted as a training facility for Swift pilots and technicians. By the time we reach our ground based training facilities, our pilots and gunners will be ready for live flight and weapons training and the technicians will be ready to begin maintenance of the aircraft." Walker began.

"Our transit time to Trenat, our colony world, will take 3 months. Trenat, as far as colony worlds go, is pretty nice. The climate, as well as the vegetation, ranges from desert to Mediterranean in nature. It has no native sentient species, just some rudimentary insect-like creatures and desert-like vegetation. Approximately 20 percent of its surface is water with most of the Mediterranean climates being located adjacent to open water. Our primary training facilities and colony will be located adjacent to a body of water named Lake Prentiss. Initially the facilities will be bare-bones, but we plan to have recreational facilities associated with the lake and other areas soon."

"The next 3 months will be trying for us all. Pilots and gunners will be especially hard pressed with their training and augmentation. Augmentation for you will be very difficult because of the magnitude of the changes necessary to fly and fight in the Swift. Your augmentation will require three, two week cycles to complete. You will spend one week asleep in medical as the nannites make changes to your bodies, followed by a week to adjust to the changes. By the way, any cosmetic changes that you wish to make need to be decided on before we begin. You have about three days to make up your mind. The AI can help you and will let you know if the changes you want are possible." Colonel Walker paused to let that sink in before he continued.

"Cosmetic changes to concubines will not be possible until after the pilots and gunners finish their augmentation. There will be plenty of time for everyone to make changes before we get to Trenat. Beginning tomorrow, a schedule has been created so that all of the concubines and children can get the basic health screening over the next two days. Consult with the AI for your schedules." Walker continued.

"OK, now for what I consider to be the most important things for you to know. I know that everyone has heard rumors of how some sponsors have treated their concubines horribly, even killing them, with no repercussions. I'm here to tell you that those stories are absolutely true."

A frantic mummer rose from the assembled colonists. Colonel Walker raised his hands and yelled, "Quiet!" A hush returned to the room.

"Confederacy law gives a sponsor absolute control over his concubines, who are considered to be his or her possessions. But that doesn't mean that it has to be that way. I've seen the results of that type of system with my own eyes and I won't stand for it in my unit. Sponsors, understand this. Killing or torturing concubines is unacceptable. If a sponsor has a problem with a concubine that can't be resolved, release them to the Civil Service and pick up another one. Also, sponsors may not harass, discipline or command another sponsor's concubines without permission unless it is within the realm of military duty. Sponsors, consider these policies an order."

"Concubines. Don't think that my previous statement is a carte blanche to do whatever you want. You're still the property of your sponsor and they still have the right to discipline you and control every aspect of your life. I can't guarantee that you will like your sponsor, you may hate him, but I will try to make it so that he won't hurt you or kill you for no reason. Also, I have instructed the AI that any concubine has the right to contact the Civil Service if they are being hurt, tortured or abused and lodge a complaint against their sponsor. If necessary, cases against sponsors initiated by concubines will be adjudicated by a panel consisting of myself, the ranking civil service member of the colony and the Colonial Governor."

Ray Walker paused again before continuing.

"What it boils down to is this. If it was against the law on Earth then it's probably against the law here." Walker said. "I'm done preaching now. We have provided drinks and snacks and I would encourage everyone to mingle. We also have something back here that I think a lot of you would like to see."

Walker turned and waved his arm toward a curtain that covered the back wall of the room. The curtain parted to reveal tables of snacks and drinks surrounding a real Swift fighter gleaming in the artificial lights of the room.

Tiffany stood next to the Swift and stared in awe. The aircraft was approximately the same size as a jet fighter but it sure didn't look like one. Where jets were often angular the Swift was smooth all over, almost organic in design. The front of the Swift was wedge-shaped and wider than any other fighter jet she had ever seen. The recessed ports for the BLiPP's and the gunner's view ports were visible on each side of the front of the Swift. Tiffany walked toward the back of the plane, running her hands along the edge of the wing. When she got behind the wing she was shocked to see that it had no flaps.

"Do you have any questions?" A voice asked her from behind.

Tiffany turned to see a Marine Major standing near her.

"Where are the flaps?"

"The Swift has no separate flaps. Technology provided by the Confederacy has allowed us to manufacture the Swift using flexible metal-polymer technology." The Marine told her. "In fact, even though these wings seem rigid, they can fold back for storage almost like a bird's wings. And the whole wing can flex and curve during flight allowing the swift to perform much better than a fixed-wing aircraft."

Tiffany walked around to the back of the Swift to look at the bifurcated tail structure.

"Does the tail section perform the same way?" She asked him.

"Yes, the tail operates in the same way. The two halves of the tail section move independently for maneuvering and they can close together for speed runs, reentry or space flight. In fact, the entire fuselage behind the front wings is flexible for increased maneuverability. It's because of this technology that we have to have specially trained and augmented pilots and gunners." The Marine said with a hint of sadness in his voice.

Tiffany turned to look at him and asked, "You were one of the original pilots, weren't you?"

"Yes, one of those that survived."

"What happened?" She prodded.

"It just turned out that we were too big to fly this thing the way it needs to be flown. Most of us didn't have the control and reflexes necessary to get the best out of it. That's why we lost so many. This plane can pull more than 15 G's, way more than 15. Even with our augmented muscles we just couldn't take it. And our gunner's didn't have the reflexes to target and shoot while we were using evasive maneuvers. The whole program came this close to being scrapped." He said, holding his thumb and forefinger about a millimeter apart. "I don't know what Colonel Walker did, but he managed to salvage this program somehow."

"What's going to happen to you now?" Tiffany asked.

"I get to help train your group and the next one too. Then I'll be reassigned to fly shuttles or landing craft. It won't be the same though. Once you fly one of these nothing else will ever compare."