Chapter 1

The line was moving steadily forward. Not as quickly as they would like, but it did move. Zeinab and her youngest mother Adeena waited quietly. Rasha, Zeinab's thirteen-year-old half-sister, was running around nearby letting off some of her youthful energy. As they neared the front, Adeena called Rasha to her so all three could enter together. Some days it seemed that Rasha was the only one in the family who had any enthusiasm at all for life.

At the counter, Adeena placed her right hand on the palm-reader.

"Family of Dhakir Filali? Seven of you altogether?" the woman behind the counter confirmed. With the size of the queue outside there was no time for the usual polite pleasantries.

"Yes, that's us."

The woman turned to the row of small cupboards behind her and took out large packs of bottled water, rice and lentils together with a small packet of salt and spices. No meat this time of course. They'd had a little meat last time and nobody ever got meat twice in a row. "This has to last you all for three days. Come back for more then," the woman told them. It always puzzled Zeinab that the small cupboards were never empty, no matter how many people came for their rations.

Adeena thanked the assistant, and the three of them carried the supplies back to their hut. At least this camp had huts. Some of the refugee camps further south only had tents and the supplies there were much less reliable. Here the depot always had food in stock. Rice and lentils were boring, but they were much better than nothing at all.

Even further south was their house, but that must have been overrun by the aliens now. The family had joined the great flood of refugees northwards. They'd passed the ruins of Damascus – still too radioactive for safety – and were now in this camp east of Homs. So much they'd been forced to leave behind; they were still alive but all they had now were the essentials that they could carry with them.

Zeinab's four brothers had all been conscripted into the Arab Legion, even Waqqas, who hadn't reached sixteen yet. They knew Farhan was dead, they'd received the notice just before leaving home for the last time. There was no news of the other three. The family wrote to them regularly at the last addresses they knew, but hadn't had any replies. It was hard not knowing, but they kept writing anyway whenever they could. With all the chaos and confusion of the long retreat it would be difficult for her three surviving brothers to get their replies through.

Back at their hut, they dumped their loads in the kitchen area. No rooms in the hut, just sheets hanging from ropes to separate the different areas. Zeinab missed their old house, but there was no point in getting too nostalgic about it. She needed to survive here and now. She'd seen other refugees who couldn't let go of their former lives and had gone into a decline. They lost the will to live here and now, retreating instead into their memories of the past. She could see the attractions of the past, but that was not what she wanted. It was important to live here and now, no matter how bad the situation. They had food and shelter. The hut was small and crowded with seven of them, but it was better than those tents further south. Life could be worse.

"Where is father?" Zeinab asked Tahira, her oldest mother.

"Sayyid wanted to talk to him about something. They are discussing it in Sayyid's hut. Apparently whatever it is involves both families."

"Oh good! I hope he's asking daddy if he can marry me," Rasha exclaimed excitedly. She had a big crush on Sayyid, and was always pestering her father to arrange her marriage as soon as possible.

"We'll see," her mother said, smiling. Rasha's eagerness was one of the few amusements they had left. Without her, life in the hut would be very boring indeed. There was so little to do, mostly just waiting.

"Sub-Decurion Kavanagh, you have a video message from Tribune Nevin. Do you wish to accept it?"

Nick looked up from his work, both glad of the interruption and slightly apprehensive about what the Tribune wanted now. "Yes. Put it on, AI."

The tribune's face appeared on the office wall, "Sub-Decurion, this is just a quick update on the outcome of our negotiations with the Arabs. Thank you for your earlier input, it was very useful. We have agreed the main points, much as you forecast. All that is left now is for a few minor dhaal's to be dotted and some tee's to be crossed.

"They have agreed to the two-for-one figure you proposed. Reading between the lines, I suspect we started too low. They might even have agreed to three-for-one. The sensible people on their side have realised that we might be a long way from perfect, but we are a far better option for their people than the Sa'arm. Your rough estimates of numbers turned out to be low. They think that they can accommodate 20,000 new colonists on Escardis, so we've had to increase the shipping estimates accordingly. Privately, I think they are being over-optimistic, but that is not really my problem. The more people we can get off Earth the better, so we'll go with the higher numbers for now.

"The biggest sticking point was over our offering a place in the Confederacy to some of those they wanted to send to Escardis. We had to give up on that one. They agreed that we couldn't carry someone if the AIs said no – they had no choice there really – but they wouldn't let us cherry-pick their people after that. We might lose a few sponsors, but we will gain a great many concubines, together with a few sponsors among the people they send to us.

"They accepted your suggestions for the arrangements on board ship during the actual transfer to Escardis. They've agreed not to send any under-age wives, at least not officially. No doubt some husbands will try to sneak one through. The Arabs know that we will execute any who break our rules and have, reluctantly, agreed.

"Thanks again for your input. It was extremely useful."

The video ended, and Nick smiled. Getting a 'well done' from the boss was always good.

When Dhakir arrived home he had a big smile. Rasha immediately got overexcited and her mothers had to calm her down. When his three wives and three daughters were all gathered, he started.

"You know that I tried to get us all a place on board the Salah al-Din, but I was unsuccessful." They all nodded; this was well-known family history. A move to Escardis was far preferable to being refugees on Earth. They had tried, along with many others, but the family had not been selected for emigration.

"Sayyid tried as well, and was also disappointed. However he has a contact who has offered him another option. There is still a way to get some of us to Escardis."

"How?" Tahira, his senior wife, asked. "With the Sa'arm on Earth, the Salah al-Din will not return until after the aliens are totally defeated. And that is many years away."

"Those who leave will not be travelling on the Salah al-Din, but on a Confederacy ship."

That caused shocked gasps from the six women. The Confederacy! There were some terrible rumours about how badly the Confederacy treated women. Any woman unlucky enough to fall into their hands would be kept as a naked sex-slave, prey to the lusts of any Crusader who wished to abuse her. Maybe that was an exaggeration, but who wanted to take the risk? "We would never agree to that!" Tahira said.

"It won't be as bad as you think," Dhakir told them. "There will be five hundred of us Arabs on board their ship and only a few Confederacy crew. Two of you will be part of Sayyid's family for the journey. Once you arrive at Escardis you will be among believers again."

None of the women were convinced, but they stayed quiet for the moment. Tahira changed the subject. "How will we pay for the journey? We have so little money left."

"The payment is not in money, but in slaves." The women gasped again. "For every Arab colonist that the Confederacy carries to Escardis, they require two women to work for them in the Confederacy." He paused to let that sink in. "Sayyid has offered to marry either Zeinab or Maysam, and to take Rasha as a dependant..."

"But I want to marry him!" Rasha interrupted quickly.

"That would be my choice also, Rasha," her father assured her. "We all know how you feel. However, the Confederacy does not allow wives younger than fourteen. If you married Sayyid now, the Confederacy wouldn't take him to Escardis until after your next birthday. He does not want to delay his journey, and I was unable to persuade him to wait. You will go to Escardis as his child, not as his wife."

"No!" Rasha shouted. "If he adopts me he'll never be able to marry me because then I'll be his daughter!" She burst into tears and ran off to cry. Dhakir nodded to Adeena, who went to comfort her child.

He turned to his two older daughters, "Zeinab, Maysam. One of you will marry Sayyid and go to Escardis with Rasha and the rest of his family. The other will go to the Confederacy as part of our payment. That way both of you will be safely away from the aliens. Let me know tomorrow morning which of you will marry Sayyid; I promised to let him know then."

Zeinab looked at her sister. They would talk it over later between themselves. What a pity Rasha couldn't marry Sayyid, that would have made things so much simpler. The Confederacy rule was stupid! Zeinab was eighteen and Maysam a year younger, so the Confederacy rule didn't apply to them. No doubt that was why Sayyid would take one of them for his wife in their sister's place.

"What about the rest of our payment?" Tahira asked. "If Rasha and one of her sisters are going to Escardis then we need to find three more slaves."

"No, we only need one more to go to the Confederacy. In their eyes Rasha is a child, so she can travel at no cost. We only need to pay for whoever goes with her, either Zeinab or Maysam."

"Then who else will go, my husband?"

"I have decided to divorce Adeena and send her to the Confederacy. You and Israa will stay here with me, Tahira."

"Why are you divorcing her?" Tahira asked, shocked. "Has she offended you? She is a faithful wife and a good mother."

"You are right, Adeena is a good wife and she has not offended me at all. She will need to find herself another man in the Confederacy, so I will divorce her first to set her free."

"If you are divorcing her, then she could marry Sayyid, and your child would be born on Escardis, among the faithful, insha'Allah."

"You are wise, Tahira. That is exactly what I said to him, but Sayyid wants a virgin for his new wife, so I had to offer him one of my daughters instead. This is the best I can do to get them all away from the Sa'arm, two will go to Escardis with Sayyid and one will go to the Confederacy with Adeena."

"What about me or Israa?" Tahira asked. "You could divorce one of us instead..."

"No!" Israa exclaimed. "If I cannot be with Dhakir, then I don't want to live."

Dhakir smiled at his second wife. "Unfortunately, I cannot go myself. Sayyid said that they very rarely take men as payment. Tahira, you are too old for them I'm afraid. They need women who can bear more children." Tahira looked sad at that, but it was true. "Adeena is pregnant with my child and everyone says that the Confederacy infidels treat children well. My child will have more chance away from Earth and away from the Sa'arm. The infidels may be bad, but the aliens are far worse."

"But they are infidels. How can you be sure your child will grow up as a believer?"

"He will be with his mother, and there is nothing they can do to block the will of Allah. There are other Muslims in the Confederacy as well, those they take from the West." Dhakir had obviously made up his mind.

That night, after Rasha had finally cried herself to sleep, Zeinab and Maysam whispered together, not wishing to wake their younger sister. Neither of them wanted to disappoint Rasha by marrying Sayyid and neither of them wanted to go to the Confederacy as a slave. What a horrible choice for them. In the end it was what they disliked least that decided things; Maysam would, reluctantly, marry Sayyid and Zeinab would go to the Confederacy. Zeinab thought that Sayyid was too pious, and Maysam was the more religious of the two sisters. Maysam pointed out that Zeinab always did well in tests, and the Confederacy tested everyone who joined them. Both of them felt sorry for Rasha. She had really set her heart on marrying Sayyid, and it was only the stupid Confederacy rule that was stopping her. She was old enough to marry him either here or on Escardis, it was the journey in between that was the problem.

Zeinab woke the next morning with an idea. She explained it to Maysam and Rasha, who both quickly agreed. Dhakir thought it was good as well and went to talk to Sayyid about it. Maybe Rasha could get what she wanted after all, insha'Allah?

There were lots of tears as the bus was loading and families were being torn apart. Zeinab hugged her mothers Tahira and Israa and her sister Maysam. Even Rasha was sad today, though she managed a wan smile and a hug for her oldest sister, to thank her for her wonderful idea. Zeinab had already said goodbye to her father in the family's hut. The crowd around the bus was mostly women, not really a place for men. The Confederacy had made it clear that they wanted women in preference to men for their payment.

On the bus, Zeinab and Adeena held hands. Both were olive-skinned with black hair. Even before her current pregnancy, Adeena had thickened around her waist after her two earlier children, Waqqas and Rasha. Zeinab was still slim. Sometimes she thought she was too slim. There had been a reaction in the Arab world against the Western ideal of the slim woman. A more traditional fuller figure was coming back into fashion. Her figure didn't really matter much though. Her ugly teeth were enough to put any man off. She hid them behind a niqab whenever she was outside, but she knew that stories had spread.

Adeena sat in silent despair. She'd spent one last night with her husband and in the morning he had divorced her. In her head she knew he'd done the right thing to get her and their new child away from the aliens. Being divorced, she would not add adultery to the other sins the Confederacy would force on her. In her heart ... Her heart had three awful wounds, inflicted as Dhakir had said those terrible words three times. It felt like her heart would never heal. Whatever the Confederacy did to her would never be as bad as this. The fact that he had done it because he loved both her and their child only made it worse.

Holding hands was a comfort to the two women. They had both heard the horrible stories of what would happen to them. Some were obviously exaggerated, but even so there was probably a kernel of truth in them. The Confederacy was not Muslim, so their future life would be different. The only good part was that they would be away from Earth. Life on Earth was only going to get worse as the aliens advanced and war spread everywhere. There were no risk-free choices anywhere, except on Escardis. At least their sacrifice would help Maysam and Rasha be safe with Sayyid's family, insha'Allah.

The drive north along the highway was boring. Even when they turned off onto a smaller road, the brown countryside was no more exciting. Fifteen minutes from the main road the bus arrived at a fenced compound, a kind of military base with high wire fences and watchtowers. The single-storey buildings inside looked temporary, like larger versions of the huts in the camp. The bus drove through the gates and parked outside one of the low buildings. The driver told them all to wait and went inside. He returned shortly with a tall woman in an unfamiliar green uniform, not the khaki of the Arab Legion.

When the woman boarded the bus, Zeinab got a better look at her. She appeared Arab, and what could be seen of her hair under her green headscarf was black. The most obvious thing about her was that she was much taller than any other woman Zeinab had ever seen. Taller than almost all men. Didn't one of the wilder rumours she'd heard say that Confederacy soldiers were all giants?

"as-Salaamu 'alaykun. I am Private Barika al-Khoury of the Confederacy Marines," the tall soldier introduced herself. "Not long ago I was sitting where you are, wondering what was going to happen to me. I can tell you that things will change for you all, but the changes may not be as bad as you fear."

That surprised Zeinab, and she could tell that Adeena sitting next to her was surprised as well. This woman, Barika, had started on a bus like this! That was completely unexpected. There were possibilities here that she hadn't anticipated; this woman was a soldier – neither naked nor a slave.

At the front Barika was still speaking, "First I want to make sure you all know what is happening and what you are doing here. My apologies if you already know some of this, but it helps if everyone knows the basics.

"The Salah al-Din is on its way to Escardis, and is not likely to return for many many years. The Arab League has negotiated a deal with the Confederacy to carry more emigrants to Escardis to help the colony grow. Each colonist carried to Escardis costs the Arab League two people for Confederacy colonies. The next trip to Escardis will take five hundred people, and you women are some of the one thousand in payment." Adeena and Zeinab had already heard this from Dhakir so it was nothing new to them.

"What we will do next is to test you. As a result of that test one of three things will happen. Most of you, maybe all of you, we will accept as concubines, that is as slaves. Life for concubines is not as bad as the worst rumours say, but I can guarantee that it will be very different from the lives you have known.

"Second, if you do extremely well on our tests then we will take you as a sponsor. That is what happened to me, I'm a sponsor. Being a sponsor is rare because it is difficult for women to get a good enough score on the test.

"Third, we might reject you as unsuitable for the Confederacy..."

Zeinab and Adeena looked at each other in dismay. What would happen if the Confederacy rejected one or both of them?

" ... though we reject very few women," Barika continued, reassuringly.

Zeinab was not the only one who wanted to ask questions, but the tall Marine was not taking any.

"If you have questions they will have to wait. For now we need to get you all off the bus and tested. We have a lot of you to process today."

Inside the low building there were two corridors off the lobby, each with many small cubicles. All the staff were women, decently dressed in loose plain grey coveralls and hijabs. There was no sign of any Confederacy men at all, which helped the group of nervous women relax a little. One of the assistants showed Zeinab to a cubicle with a well-padded chair facing a large screen.