Chapter 2

"Settle down, please," boomed the voice of the man on the podium. "Welcome to Copernicus Base. I am Jeff Keiser of the Fleet Auxiliary. It sounds like you had a very nice farewell party yesterday. Yes, it was only yesterday that you said goodbye to your friends and neighbors. I hope you will get over the time change very soon. There are a hundred and sixteen of you sponsors. Tomorrow, you will be boarding the Kilo Class transport Capricorn Clipper. It is intended that all of the sponsors from Edgar, Washington, and their families, be kept together. You will be joined by another nine hundred and eight sponsors and their families. The Kilo Class transports can accommodate one thousand twenty four habitat pods, one for each sponsor.

"Your destination is the planet Aphrodite, which is home to a new breeder colony. Each of you sponsors already has a supernumerary concubine, one concubine more than your CAP score would otherwise indicate. This meeting is to discuss the colony, what is expected of you and what you can expect to encounter there."

"Why are we going to a breeder colony?" came from the crowd. "I wanted to fight dickheads."

"The Confederacy wants you on Aphrodite, breeding. The first priority of the colony is to produce children, children who will grow up and become volunteers. Because the first priority is children, every pregnancy will be twins. The Confederacy was deeply impressed with your program to improve the CAP scores of your high school students. We realize that not all of you were directly involved in the program. We know that all of you were committed to the program and gave it all the support that you could.

"We want you to continue your efforts to 'teach to the test' if you will, to teach your children the essential elements of character that we believe are fundamental to volunteers. Confederacy technology will instill the 'book learning' in the children's minds. There is a device called a sleep trainer. Everyone will be using the sleep trainers. The standard illustration is that, if you take the course on how to disassemble and assemble a rifle, you will awake knowing the names and shapes of every part of the rifle. But it will be as though you memorized the owner's manual. You won't be at all proficient at actually doing the assembly. You will need practice.

"So it will be with the children. They will learn facts, like their 'times tables' and such, in the sleep trainers. They will learn facts of every sort. The children won't really be able to use the facts they know until they have practiced. Similarly, the sleep trainers cannot teach children fine and gross motor skills. It cannot teach children about honor, duty and responsibility. The CAP score enhancement program that you conducted back home is all the more important because it meshes so well with the way the sleep trainers work. We will go into this aspect of colony life at some other time.

"What we want to make abundantly clear to you is, every one of you will be up to your armpits with children. In almost every case, families are composed of at least three women and one man. Sometimes there are five women and one man. So, imagine that the three women each have four pregnancies pretty much one right after the other, twins every time. In four years, you could easily be in a family that has six three-year-olds, six two-year-olds, six one-year-olds and six newborns. And the women are all pregnant again. And you've barely started having children.

"The mothers customarily take on the lion's share of child rearing. But I want you to imagine trying to get twenty-four children fed, trying to get twenty-four children bathed and put to bed, trying to keep the youngest twelve children in dry diapers and have six babies waking multiple times in the night. On breeder colonies, the primary responsibility for every adult member of the family is the welfare of the children. You will be spending a lot of your time at home, doing your part. Also, if a lot of the mothers are housebound with twelve very young children, then you will be involved in children's activities outside the home. They need to learn to handle a soccer ball. They need to learn how to be a member of a team. They need to learn how to shoot, how to fly a fighter, how to do celestial navigation. The kids will be getting realistic combat training from a very early age, and you will be in the thick of things.

"In addition, you will serve as a member of the planet militia. Aphrodite is far off the track of Sa'arm expansion. Nevertheless, it is not impossible that one or more Sa'arm ships will enter the system and attack. You will be well trained and equipped.

"You will be engaged in a colony activity such as mining, farming, fabrication of ships and other war materiel and the like. Perhaps you will be engaged in activities in preparation for new arrivals. No, you won't be out there on a tractor. You won't be swinging a pick or using dynamite. Much of this work is performed by nanites, robots and replicators. However, a considerable amount of human involvement is required.

"This is your assignment. These are your orders. You could have been ordered into a marine fire team and sent to the front lines against the Sa'arm. You could have been ordered into the navy, trained as a gunner and assigned to a cruiser going into battle with the Sa'arm. Either of those assignments would have been hard. Your orders are to produce and rear as many children as humanly possible, as quickly as possible. Your orders will be no less difficult than those of the warriors. Yours have the potential for far more job satisfaction.

"If you find that you cannot accept and carry out your orders, tell the AI. These are your orders and you are expected to carry them out. If you insist on another assignment, you will have to give up your supernumerary concubine. If you want to object to your assignment to Aphrodite, you must do so before you are transferred into Capricorn Clipper tomorrow.

"As for the planet itself, the name 'Aphrodite' is the Greek mythology equivalent of the Roman goddess Venus. That's because the planet reminds us of Earth's sister planet, Venus. Actually, Aphrodite is a planet-sized moon of a gas giant planet. I understand that it rains a lot -- unrelenting torrential rains for probably the next three or four years. They say the continuous lightning displays are unbelievable. This is part of the teraforming of the planet, which should be finished in eight to ten years. They say the planet will be hotter than Earth. The planet is also smaller than Earth. Gravity is about seventy percent of Earth's. The pregnant women will like that -- it will make their burden lighter. Settlements are located on the planet surface but under domes. The domes will be huge -- big enough for your entire community to be under one dome, homes, schools, playgrounds and everything else needed to make a community.

"A colony already exists on the planet Ares, which is the third planet from its primary. The system is called Aresat.

"Now I will throw the meeting open for questions and discussion."

Bob and Ellen strolled home from the lecture. <Please report to the office of Commander Schroeder, > came through the AI interface in Bob's head. He was startled every time the AI communicated with him using the interface. This time, he stopped abruptly and fell a step behind Ellen. She stopped and turned to look at Bob.

"I'm not used to having a communicator in my head," he chuckled.

"I was just told to report to someone named Schroeder," she said. "Was that what startled you?" He nodded. "Lead on, Macduff," she said aloud, for Bob's benefit. Neither of them had got the hang of sub-vocal communication with the AI.

They stepped off the transporter pad and noticed that almost all of the people were in uniform. They continued on as sub-vocally directed by the AI until they reached the door to an office. As they entered, a sergeant looked up from his desk.

"Ellen, Bob," he said, "please be seated." He cocked his head toward their left. They turned to find chairs only to discover John Davis smiling at them. John rose to greet them. Ellen briefly stepped into his proffered embrace. John and Bob shook hands.

"Do you know what this is about?" asked Bob.

"Not a clue," chuckled John. As Jean Stevens stepped through the door, he added, "It looks suspiciously like a Core Group meeting." They shared another round of greeting with Jean.

The inner office door opened and an officer greeted them. "Hello, I'm Commander Alex Schroeder. Please come in." He guided them to an informal area that had a sofa, two matching overstuffed chairs and a coffee table. On the table were a silver coffee service and five porcelain cups and saucers. "Please help yourselves to coffee," said Commander Schroeder.

When they had fixed their coffee and settled themselves, Schroeder began. "I should have had something to eat with our coffee. The meeting will be a long one." Looking at John with a smile, he said, "I understand that baked goods are your specialty."

"My family has been in the bakery business for generations," John answered with a smile.

"Then if you wish, you can go right back into business on Aphrodite," smiled the commander. "There is no money in the Confederacy, but colonies seem to work out one system or another of credits."

"I thought our food would be coming from the replicators," said Jean.

"It will," allowed Schroeder, "if you want. You will find that the items you have replicated are precisely, exactly the same every time you order them. Many people ask for kitchen appliances and equipment so they can make their own meals. Almost all colonies have restaurants, partly to enjoy the fruit of the chefs' labor and partly to get out of the house to mingle."

"Well, that's heartening," chuckled Bob. "I was worried about seeing John without him foisting pastry on us." They laughed.

"I'm afraid most humans have only the most vague conception of what it is like to live away from Earth," said the commander. "Some of the most famous elements, like harems, are well known on Earth. It is the ramifications of these features that are so surprising."

He turned his attention to John. "Replicators can make a nearly infinite number of things. However, replicators cannot make living things. As you know, yeast is living. Hoping that you would lead the charge on pastry and baked goods, there is a substantial stock of yeast that will be going with you."

John smiled. "I'll have to learn how to make more. Active dry yeast is shelf-stable for quite a while, but not for the rest of our lives."

The commander chuckled. "There is a sleep trainer course that will instruct you. The sleep trainers will be used a lot by all of you, sponsors, concubines and children."

He visually connected to each of them, one at a time. "Enough with the small talk. I want to talk about your roles in the colony, and especially in your township. Aphrodite has a military governor. Aphrodite is a new colony. It was founded using a William Penn Class Colony Founder transport, which brought two factory-size replicators, twenty-four industrial size replicators and twenty-four sponsors with their families. Shortly after the colony was founded, one Will-O-Wisp Class Colony Transport brought a hundred and eight sponsors and their families. Yours will be only the third transport. There will be a thousand and twenty-four sponsors on your ship. After you have landed, there will be eleven hundred and fifty-six sponsors on the planet.

"The first hundred and thirty-two pods were located in a single township. Your ship will be divided into eight townships of one hundred twenty-eight pods each. All of you from Edgar will be in the same township. You will also have a score or so new neighbors, sponsors from outside your town -- possibility even from outside the United States.

"You four will be the leaders of your township. You will discuss this at length during and after the transit to Aphrodite. Each township will have its own leadership. The governor will have his own requirements of you, but you will have a great deal of latitude in carrying out your duties. You may of course deputize as many sponsors as you need to carry out your individual and community assignments. It will fall to you four to see that everyone in your community is productive and content. The children are the most important. You'll have to see that the space borne shipyard is operating efficiently. You'll be responsible for agriculture on the planet and mining both on-planet and in space."

Turning to Bob, he continued. "You are the Civil Service officer for the entire colony. Among other duties, you will be responsible for any unassigned concubines. There are some sleep-training modules to help you, and there are notes on what other Civil Service officers have found to work -- and not work -- but there isn't a lot. You may know that it is common in the colonies to maintain a brothel. There may already be one on Aphrodite, but I doubt it because the colony is so new and so small. There will be visitors to the colony, making deliveries, receiving new ships as they are built and taking on your exports. A brothel doesn't have to have the negative connotations carried on Earth. For one thing, it is a useful way to get the concubines pregnant. Unattached concubines still have enhanced libido. You can theme the brothel as you like.

"A hundred and sixteen sponsors were extracted yesterday from Edgar. So far, six of those have refused assignment to Aphrodite. They lose their supernumerary concubines when they are re-assigned. Three of the sponsors extracted from Edgar yesterday were each short a concubine. They will each be able to select from the six available. The other three are yours to deal with. Ordinarily, we would put surplus concubines back into the mix here in the moon and let them get selected by another sponsor. We wanted to keep these women with their Edgar friends, family and neighbors.

"We have found that surplus concubines are quickly absorbed into the population, especially in a new colony. The CAP enhancement program that you conducted in Edgar included all of the eighth graders, some of whom have yet to turn fourteen. Then there are the thirteen-year-olds among the other thousand-odd sponsors who will travel with you to Aphrodite. To make provision for future needs, we will be sending another two dozen unassigned concubines in one pod. They will become your charges when you embark tomorrow."

Bob was surprised. "I thought that the proportion of sponsors to concubines among the new thirteen-year-olds would allow for enough concubines to go around for the new sponsors."

Alex smirked. "The allotment of concubines is set only during the extraction. After extraction, any sponsor can have as many concubines as the AI will permit, based upon the ability of the individuals involved to gel into a cohesive family. New concubines 'ageing in' are almost always sponsored into the same family unit they were in before their fourteenth birthday. The newly-minted sponsors go off to start their own families, but there basically are no concubines coming out of the existing family units." The four nodded their comprehension.

Alex turned to Ellen. "You will be responsible for medical care in the colony, Ellen. Yes, there are med tubes that do wondrous things. However, first they have to be made, and in sufficient quantity for normal operations plus more for emergency reserves."

"I have experience with the med tubes already," smiled Ellen.

"I know you're also an experienced family doctor," Alex continued. "The problem comes when there is some sort of calamity, and there aren't enough med tubes to go around. Often, when accidents happen, the transporter pad is far away. People will need to have excellent first aid training. The sleep trainers will provide that but, as we're about to discuss, sleep-training needs to be followed up with practicals.

"Before I forget, I want you to bear in mind that nine months from now, you will have a deluge of births. Do not allow yourselves to be surprised and caught unprepared."

Turning to Jean, he continued. "Jean, you will be responsible for education in your township and will probably have some measure of responsibility for other townships as well. I don't know how many other townships. I'm not an education person in the first place. Education in the colonies is in many respects far different than it was on Earth. The first grader, for instance, goes into the sleep trainer and comes back out with all of the second grade math concepts in his memory. But he can't use them until the concepts are integrated.

"All of you already have enhanced strength and speed. You may have experienced some of the benefits of your enhanced strength. Your brain thinks it knows how fast you can move, and doesn't realize that that has been enhanced. The benefits of your enhanced speed will not be available to you until you practice. So it is with all education. You will be receiving your own sleep-training modules on successful approaches used on other colonies. You realize there is a difference between knowing and understanding. It is for you and your teachers to bridge that gap. Also, we want you to install -- first in your own township -- the CAP score enhancement drills that you used in Edgar. We want those regimens installed all the way down to kindergarten. Obviously, children only have so much capacity based on their age. You'll have to tailor the programs to be age-appropriate.

"Vigorous physical fitness training is essential for everyone. Aphrodite has only seventy percent Earth gravity. In a lot of ways, that is a huge benefit. Confederacy medical technology will prevent the usual bone and muscle atrophy that comes with reduced gravity. Nevertheless, portions of the colony will be Earth-normal gravity, or even more."

Alex turned to John. "John, you are the mayor in your township. You get almost everything that I haven't spoken of yet. No, you don't have to directly supervise everyone else. No, you don't have to do all the work yourself. You need to be the go-to guy who brings people together to get their jobs done. There is a wide variety of tasks. You can discuss those among yourselves, with the ship's AI and the colony AI. You'll get all the help from us that we can provide, but you'll have to improvise a whole lot."

"Sponsors Ellen and Bob have been called to a meeting," the AI informed the concubines as they entered the living unit. "They will return when their meeting is completed."

"Let's take some time for a little meeting of our own," Kathy told the others. The children were escorted upstairs to play while adults collected beverages for themselves. They settled themselves on the sofas in the living room.

Kathy made a big sigh but smiled. "Wow. I think we need a reality check. I think we need to make sure all of us are doing okay. We need to make some plans for our family. I need you to be honest. I need you to tell us what you're really thinking and feeling. Can you do that?" She visually checked in with each of her concubine brothers and sisters, waiting until she had a nod from each one.

"I love being twenty-one again. I don't know if it is the Confederacy magic or because I'm pregnant, but I sure do want sex!" Everyone laughed. "I'm proud to be with Bob and Ellen. I'm proud to be with each and every one of you. I for one am feeling elated and excited for the future. What I want to know is, how are each of you feeling?"

There was silence as the rest tried to decide who would speak next. "Listen," smiled Kathy, "this house is too small for you to hide your feelings. I'm not going to be Pollyanna and force issues to magically disappear. There are fourteen adults in our family. Even if we're all on our best behavior, there are going to be times when someone's feathers are ruffled, someone is going to feel slighted or hurt or mad or deprived. Someone else is going to notice, and we're all going to do what we can to make it right for the offended person. You might as well just come out and tell us what you like and don't like, what you worry about and what you fear. Nicole, you're fearless. Speak up."

Nicole laughed. "I didn't think I could get any prettier than I was, but I sure am. I'm glad to look and feel eighteen again. I wasn't this horny the last time I was eighteen, and that's saying a lot." The whole gang laughed with her. "I love you, every one, and I know you like me. My kids feel at home already. I'm excited about the future, even when we'll have more kids than Carter's got Little Liver pills. We've got some issues to deal with, and I'm glad we're having this meeting. I think you, Kathy, will be a great leader for our family. I'll shut up now." They all laughed again.

While Nicole was talking, Kathy had moved to sit next to Kelly. She wrapped Kelly in a hug and draped Kelly's legs over her own. She rested Kelly's head on her shoulder and lovingly stroked Kelly's distended belly. Kelly seemed to melt into Kathy's loving embrace.

"What she said," Tiffany chimed in. "I don't have nothing more to add now."

No one spoke after Tiffany. Kathy looked around the room again. "Nobody is scared? No hurt feelings? Speak up if you need to."

"So far," said Mickey, "this ain't a lot different from what we had at your house in Edgar. We got Nicole and Tiff, who weren't around a lot before. We got Laura, who didn't have much chance at all to be with us before. Nicole and Tiff seem like they'll fit right in. Unless Laura pipes up with an issue, we're fine."

"I'll be fine," Laura said. "My kids are delighted to be out from under the thumb of their dad, and to have new brothers and sisters their own age. I just worry that I see a clique forming. I hope we don't divide into small groups that exclude the rest of us."

"I guess you mean us six," Sandy said, smiling ruefully. "I guess we about cornered the market for cock around here, with four of us girls hogging both of the boys. We'll try harder to share."

"There's eleven women," said Mickey, "and you two boys like cock, too. Between you two and Bob, you've all gotta go at least four times a day for me to get just once. I know you're living every young man's wet dream. I just don't want your heaven to become a chore, is all."

"It is a teenage boy's wet dream," chuckled Eric, "to be living with so many beautiful, wonderful, willing women. I can't speak for Steven, but I'm not worried about my greatest fantasy becoming a burden." They all laughed at that.

"We don't know what our daily life is going to be like," said Julie. "It's sure that there's going to have to be sex spread over the whole day. We don't want to wear out the men. I also know that we're going to have to have some girl-girl as well."

"Bob's going to be out of the house with his day job, whatever that is," added Mindy. "Maybe some of us can tag along with him, or meet him at his job during the day. If we could get him to couple with one of us, we could come back after that and let someone else be with him." That put everyone in stitches.

"I don't know if that'll work," said Kathy. "We'll have to see. I guess if Bob's going to do his part, he'll be getting intercepted almost every time he comes home." That brought more laughter. "We need to figure out how to signal among ourselves who thinks she's got next dibs on his body."

"Let's talk about babies," chirped Mandy. There was boisterous agreement all around.

"Well," said Kathy, "there are three of us pregnant already. I don't think all of you ought to get pregnant at the same time."

"But we should set a good example," added Julie. "We ought to be having babies at a pretty good clip. We don't want to delay the pregnancies for too long."

"I want to be pregnant at the same time as Mom and Mindy," said Mandy.

"You're already pregnant, Mom," said Sandy, "so I can't do that. Julie, can I be pregnant with you?" Julie smiled and nodded.

"Laura," said Tiffany, "how about being pregnant with me and old Nickie here?" Laura smiled and nodded.

"Let's space them one month apart," said Sandy. "One batch already going, one batch now, one batch next month, and one batch in two months." That seemed agreeable to everyone. "Who's first?"

"How about we draw straws?" asked Mickey. Three straws of different lengths were requested of the AI. Mindy ran and collected them from the replicator. She handed the straws to Kelly, who was out of the running.

"Shortest straw goes first," Kelly said as she arranged them in her hands. "Longest goes last. Who wants to pick first?"

The twins looked at each other. "Let's let Mom pick for us," Mandy said. Mindy nodded agreement.

"Is everybody okay with the teams they're on? Everybody okay with whichever slot you get?"

"We already got a slot," laughed Nicole, pointing at her pussy. "First, second or third, don't matter which one we get." She waved to Laura, inviting her to pick for them. Kelly coaxed Laura with her cupped hands to pick. She did.

"Will you pick for us, please?" Sandy asked Julie. With a smile, Julie reached over and pulled one of the two remaining straws. Mickey took the last straw.

"Actually, I'm glad it worked out that way," said Kathy. "I hope you Millers don't mind being last. Having Laura, Nicole and Tiffany first means that all of the experienced mothers will be able to help the rest of you."

"So now we just have to wait for our cycles and do the deed?" asked Tiffany.

"It was anticipated," interjected the AI, "that sponsors would want some or all of the female concubines impregnated right away. During the preliminary medical scan, all concubines are made temporarily infertile but at the same time were prepared for forced fertility upon the request of the sponsor. Your sponsors need only ask and ovulation will occur in short order."

"Don't we have to wait for our contraceptives to wear off first?" asked Laura.

"During the preliminary medical scan, contraceptives were purged, intrauterine devices were removed and tubal ligations were repaired on all concubines," the AI answered.

"I'm going to start my period tomorrow," said Nicole. "What about that?"

"First," the AI explained, "you will no longer experience the outward signs of menstruation. The material normally discharged will be handled by nanites and disposed of through your urinary tract. You will note a distinctive color in your urine. Secondly, when time is an issue, the nanites will aid in the re-lining of your womb. Third, nanites will force ovulation of one or two ova, depending upon whether the twins are to be identical or fraternal."

"I was told that yesterday in the medical bay," Sandy said, "but I forgot to share the news with you." There was a lot of cross talk as that information was absorbed.

"Do we get to pick boys or girls?" asked Tiffany.

"Your sponsors may choose," replied the AI, "but at most there will be only two boys of these eight conceptions."

"Whoa," said Laura, "why would the gender be skewed so much?"

"There are presently four male and four female dependents," the AI replied. "Ellen is carrying twin boys. Kathy carries twin girls and Kelly has a girl. Two more boys of the next sixteen will bring the ratio close to three-to-one."

"Can the sponsors choose between fraternal and identical twins?" asked Mickey.

"Yes," answered the AI.

"There are a hundred and nine of you sponsors from Edgar, Washington. Seven of your neighbors decided that they couldn't fulfill the obligations set for them and have requested other duty." The lecturer sighed and shook his head sadly.

"Many of you have brought your wives -- your ex-wives -- along as concubines. I have to tell you that your wives are in mortal danger." He let that hang in the air as he silently paced the dais. The murmuring became quite pronounced in the audience. He held up his hand for quiet.

"Okay," he sighed, "if you insist, I will explain. Let's see now. See if this describes your situation. You've been together for quite a while now. Your wife knows how to let you know that she's upset with you. She knows how to let you know that you're not getting any tonight. She let you fuck her ass once -- on your honeymoon -- and never again. She won't swallow. In fact, she'll hardly ever suck you, except on your birthday. There is no way that she'll ever suck you or have sex with you in front of the children. There is no way that she will let your guest fuck her. She's not happy that you have two more women. It disgusts her that the new women will do anything you want. Your home is her turf and she's going to be the boss. She won't eat pussy. She won't let either of the other women in her bed. She will expect you to sleep with her every night. She has no plans to get pregnant for the foreseeable future."

He was quiet while he let the audience weigh his words. "You're thinking, 'yeah, that's about right. What does that have to do with mortal danger?' Well, I'll tell you. Your two new concubines are no shrinking violets. They'll let the Missus get away with her antics for a while. But the friction will build. The new girls aren't going to take it out on you, but the Missus will. One day, she's going to strike out at you, or throw something at you. You'll decide that she really didn't mean it, but the AI won't see it that way. Your wife has a very high probability that she will be recycled.