Chapter 2: Settling In

When I popped out the teleporter, my naked concubines were standing about twenty feet in front of me. Lisa, Lois, Lori, Laura and Linda, my former wives, now concubines, were waving to get me to come to them. My other seven concubines, Ann, Maria, Jackie, Joan, Sonia, Becky and Rhonda, were all pretty much cowering in fear, trying to attract as little attention to themselves as possible.

A person was at the podium saying, "Sponsors keep your concubines and dependents together and move away from the transporter pads. Find a place to sit on the deck together. We will begin your first briefing once everyone has been transported up to the ship. There are clipboards with pen and paper at the desk to my right. Sponsors, please record any special needs your group has, like the medications they need or if they need immediate medical attention. Please also record the names and locations of any dependents needing to be picked up. Then gather the CAP cards of your concubines and bring the cards and the clipboards to the podium" He repeated the message with almost no variation, as if he was bored to death.

I checked with my new concubines. We did not have any children in my group. I knew I needed blood pressure medication, as did my wives. Nothing serious, but those medications were important. I went to the podium and presented my clipboard. There were also several other sponsors there.

I noticed several people not in our family group needing medical attention, but that was not my immediate concern. Well, that was the case until one passed out and slumped to the floor. Her sponsor was nowhere to be seen. I went to the marine nearest me and pointed the concubine out to her. She summoned medical attention.

When the concubine's sponsor saw the commotion, she ran over to us and demanded to know what was going on. She had been talking to some sponsor friends who had been picked up with her. The other concubine in the group was not doing well either. Their sponsor said, "Damn, I should have known something was wrong. They both were so nice at the pickup. Then suddenly they went totally silent when we arrived here."

The med tech examining the concubine said, "I don't know what's wrong, but this one is fading fast. Take them both to med bay two, stat!"

We noticed a couple more concubines not doing well. Then one of the sponsors keeled over.

Then a klaxon sounded, "Biological contamination in the main cargo bay, all access ways have been sealed."

After about fifteen seconds the AI said, "Everyone please remain calm. I have isolated the pathogen and deployed a cure. You should all be feeling better shortly."

A few minutes later, the doors to the main cargo bay reopened.

A man then stood up at the podium and started the briefing. "Sorry for the commotion. I will get to the bottom of that later. Welcome aboard the Northern Lights. My name is Captain Montgomery Jones and I command this ship. Undoubtedly you all have a lot of questions. You will be receiving a lot of answers over the next few days.

"Before we go too far though, I need to make sure you all understand some basic things.

"First you are no longer on Earth. The laws of Earth no longer apply.

"If you are a sponsor you are now a member of the Armed Forces of the Confederacy and subject to its laws. Since you are all picked up from the USA you need to know that you no longer protected by its laws and Bill of Rights. Those protections do not exist here.

"If you are a sponsor you are governed by a modified version of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. As a sponsor you are responsible for the conduct of your concubines and dependents.

"If you are a child under fourteen you are a dependent of your sponsor, who is either your parent or legal guardian on Earth or the sponsor of your parent or legal guardian on Earth. You are protected by the laws of the Confederacy. That is not an invitation to misbehave because in the Confederacy misbehavior is not tolerated and is punished, often with corporal punishment, by your sponsor. You will want to keep your sponsor happy.

"If you are a concubine then you are property of your sponsor. You have no rights, property, privileges or protections under the law. You have only what your sponsor grants you. This includes that you have no right to defend yourself. THIS IS IMPORTANT SO LISTEN VERY CAREFULLY!!! A concubine who attacks or strikes a sponsor is automatically executed and recycled. There is no trial. There is no appeal. There is no pleading for a second chance. There is no intervention by your sponsor. Strike a sponsor, even in self defense, and you will be recycled.

"Concubines who were the husband or wife of your sponsor on Earth, it is extremely important to remember that you are no longer married. You may not strike your ex-husband or ex-wife at all.

"Everybody should know that having sex with dependent, orally, vaginally, or anally is a capital offense. No exceptions. You will be briefed on exceptions for thirteen-year-olds later today.

"Finally, everyone needs to be aware that the AIs see, hear and record everything. There is no hiding mistakes or violations of the law. You do the crime, you can expect to be punished.

"We are headed for the colony of Bedford, in the Bedfordat system. This colony is completely new and this transport will be the first transport arriving at the system. It will take twenty-eight days to get there.

"The Bedfordat system is the headquarters of the Bedford Military District. You will be building a major naval base and shipbuilding center there. After that you will be building ships and maintaining the fleet while it is in port.

"You will be briefed on Bedford and your specific jobs over the next several days. There are some general jobs though that I can talk about now.

"Sponsors, one of your most important jobs is to raise sponsor-level children. This is paramount to defeating the Sa'arm. We need naval troops to man the ships to fight them. We need marines to stop and repel them where they land.

"Sponsors are required to make one of your concubines pregnant before we reach Bedford. If you have more than four female concubines, you need to make two of your concubines pregnant. All female concubines must be pregnant within six months of pickup. Those of you who are woman sponsors will need to find male sponsors to impregnate your female concubines. How you arrange that is up to you. All male concubines will be rendered sterile until all your female concubines have been pregnant twice.

"Concubines, you have two major tasks. First, you are to keep your sponsor happy in any way you can. Second, you are to have and raise sponsor-level children. Obey your sponsors in all things. Make him or her happy, and he or she will most likely make you happy too. Remember he or she has the power of life and death over you so pissing him or her off, even briefly, can be fatal.

"Sponsors, the AIs will answer any of your questions.

"I will now turn the meeting over to Lieutenant Samuel. He will brief you on what happens next."

Lieutenant Samuel explained that the next step was to assign and to direct us to our 'pods' or quarters. After that, we would be free until dinner, unless our preliminary medical screening intervened. Dinner would be a joint sponsor/concubine meal in the galley, with a briefing on sponsor/concubine relations and regulations on this ship.

I was called to the podium and told to bring my concubines and dependents. Naked as they were, they were doing well. My wives (yes, I know, extraction is an instant divorce, but at least for a while I continued to think of them that way) were distracting themselves and their fellow harem mates with conversation. I have never understood how women could c-o-n-s-t-a-n-t-l-y t-a-l-k, mostly about nothing important, at least to me. It certainly worked for them in this situation.

A marine brought us to our quarters. The marine managed to emphasize my concubines' humiliation by pointing out that I was the only one who could open the doors to our quarters. The AI managed to rub it in further by ignoring my concubines' questions until I gave them permission to talk to it. Lori tried to enter a bathroom and the AI pointed out that she needed to request my permission to use the facility or anything else in the pod. After some tense moments figuring out how to get the AI to respond to my concubines and giving my concubines permission to use all pod facilities, things began to work better.

After the announcements from the Captain, I was very concerned about the safety of my concubines outside our pod. My worry was that other sponsors might not be as well adjusted as I would like and take advantage of their helplessness. I told my concubines it was okay to follow the directions of the AI. They had permission to leave the pod, when needed, for meetings, medical and concubine functions but otherwise I wanted them to stay in our pods for their safety. I told them that unless it was absolutely necessary, they should not leave the pod alone. They all understood and agreed. I told the AI to allow my concubines and dependents to enter the pod at any time.

The AI then informed us that we had four pods available to us and that they would be joined together by the end of dinner. I did not know better, but this was an enormous number of pods, since two pods would be enough for my harem and myself, at least for a few years.

The AI then said, "Ed, your preliminary medical exam is scheduled now. Please proceed to Medical Bay One by following the yellow line outside the door. Please bring your concubines Lisa, Laura and Linda with you. Their exams will be done at the same time."

I told the other concubines that Lori was in charge until I returned. I didn't expect any problems but if something came up, I wanted someone in charge.

We walked to Medical Bay One, which turned out to be just inside the main hub entrance for our ring. The med tech called me forward. I undressed and entered the tube. The next thing I knew was that I woke up and was being helped from the tube. I was feeling a whole lot better than I did when I entered the tube. Not only that, my sexual equipment seemed to be one heck of a lot more functional. My three ex-wives standing naked next to me made that all the more obvious.

<<Sponsor Edward Jones, I am the ship AI, usually known as NB. I am speaking to you through your implant. It appears to be functioning correctly. Would you please acknowledge this message?>>

"I hear you NB."

<<Very good Sponsor Jones. In the future, you may talk to me sub-vocally to communicate>>

<You mean like this?> I spoke without moving my mouth.

<<Yes. Exactly. You may also communicate this way with the pod AIs.>>

We returned to our pod and discovered that the ladies had found something to do while waiting. My wives and I had a pastime that kept them busy, we played cards. Most often we played Contract Bridge with their friends. We would occasionally attend bridge tournaments in the area we lived in. It was fun. After twenty years, we all were quite good. The friends that my wives brought to the party were their bridge partners. So the first thing my concubines thought to do was set up some card tables and chairs to pass the time while I was in medical. The AI helped by replicating the tables, chairs, score pads, pencils and playing cards.

For the next couple of hours, I cycled my concubines through medical. I accompanied them to medical so they had support and so my paranoid mind would not worry about them. My paranoid mind was not helped at all when on the second trip we ran into a concubine sprawled in the middle of a passageway. She was severely beaten and obviously raped. We discovered that the ship AI was less than understanding because it, while observing the beating and rape, had not summoned help for the concubine as her injuries were not life threatening. I immediately demanded that the AI summon medical help and inform the captain and the concubine's sponsor of the assault.

When the marines appeared two minutes later, I was thanked and told that they would "handle it from here" and that I should continue to the med bay with my concubines.

I would later find out that this was the first extraction that the Northern Lights participated in and that the ship AI did not understand humans very well. As far as it was concerned, the sponsor who attacked the concubine had every right to and the concubine's mental health thereafter was of little consequence. Then there was the definition of serious damage that the AI had not yet adjusted to. The problem was solved within several days as the AI understood humans better.

When I finished the last concubine run, returning the last group of concubines to our quarters, the pod AI informed me that I had a meeting with the captain and a marine colonel in room R-32 in 20 minutes. I asked what the purpose of the meeting was. I was looking forward to some interesting discussions and one on one conversations with my naked concubines ... oh okay ... I was looking forward to get laid several times before dinner. That would have to wait now.

As I entered the meeting room there were several marine generals and naval admirals along with assorted other officers in the room waiting. I was introduced to the group one at a time by the captain and then told to take a seat.

The admiral in charge of the meeting stated, "Sponsor Edward Jones, the AI council has appointed you System Governor of the Bedfordat Star System. Congratulations Governor."

I was speechless. I tried to make my lips move with no luck. I eventually managed, "What?"

"Governor, you are appointed System Governor of Bedfordat. It consists of three habitable planets Bedford, Maple and Garfield. There are six colonies being established in the system. You are in overall command of them all. Your job is to see to it that all the colonies run correctly, produce the expected output both in man power and ships and are generally under control."

When in a situation like this, I have in the past used humor to prevent the world from seeing how completely incompetent I was feeling. In my best Bill Cosby dead pan, I said, "Right ... what's a colony?"

At that point the whole room began laughing. They wanted to see my reaction to being thrown to the lions. I sort of disappointed them, but made them laugh. I was catching up and beginning to grasp the situation.

The admiral continued at this point and said, "This is your first briefing, so I will start with some basic background.

"First, yes, we are aware that you have no idea how to run a system government. The fact is, no one does. You are going to need to learn along with your fellow governors. We are hoping your experience running your venture capital company will help you, since it is very diverse.

"Second, we have appointed people to your staff that are experts in their fields. You need to integrate them into a governing team.

"Third, each of the six planned colonies (cities) in the system will have a governor. The colony governors will not have any more experience running a government than you will. They report to you. They may turn to you for help.

"Fourth, your word is law in the system. As long as the AIs feel that you are acting in the best interest of the Confederacy, they will back you, as will the military. You are to report to and are responsible only to the Confederacy Council.

"Fifth, when it comes to rewarding your staff and members of the colony, there are not many options. You have the ability to award additional permanent concubines to a person for a job well done.

"Finally, the AIs evaluated your lifestyle. The fact that you have managed to integrate the mothers and children from five women into one family has not escaped them. They believe that, while the new situation is different, you have insight on what needs to be done. An example of a household with five women working together to raise one family will go a long way to ease the doubts of those on the edge.

"We are starting approximately thirty colonies in the next few months. It is still to be determined how they will be governed or organized. A lot of things have slipped through the cracks as it was decided how to extract the people and soldiers we need. Things like education of children, colony security, entertainment, infrastructure, safety et cetera were not considered.

"You have been assigned two extra pods to act as starter offices for the system government. You will also be acting as planetary governor of Bedford, until the workload of system governor becomes too heavy in the eyes of the AIs and Confederacy Council.

"In addition, two pods for spare and rejected concubines have been reserved on your level. They are your responsibility. Make sure your frequently check the pod and make sure the pod AI has appropriate instructions on how to handle the spare concubines.

"Be aware that the ship AIs will consider unassigned concubines as an unnecessary drain on the ship's or colony's resources and will require you to recycle them after a period of time. On a ship that is usually 48 hours.

"The AIs will work with you to solve the system and colony problems. Be as truthful and honest as possible with them. They do not understand us completely yet, but they have enormous knowledge and the ability to research most things quickly. They have a trust problem, they don't trust humans. Once you gain their trust, it is important to maintain it.

"Do you have any questions?"

Well, I had definitely been told what my job was. I did have a lot of questions, but I was sure that those questions that were open would be answered better as we went along.

I responded, "Sir I do have questions, but most will be answered with time. For now though, when do I get to meet my staff?"

"The AIs will start introducing you when ever you are ready. I suggest you get your office designed and built. Then ask the AI to bring them to you. The AIs can use the replicators and nanites to change your quarters and offices, so it will not take long for your offices to be completed."

"Thank you, Sir."

The official meeting broke up after that. Each admiral, general and other officer at the meeting had something to discuss about my duties, usually from their point of view.

The captain invited me to dine with him in his quarters that night. He said, "Governor, normally I'd ask that you bring all of your concubines, but sadly there is not enough room at my table for more than nine guests and I have already invited my XO and his two concubines to join us. Please bring only five concubines." I agreed to dinner, thinking that I'd bring my ex-wives.

Eventually I returned to my pod. I informed my concubines of my new job. My wives were ecstatic, my other concubines less so. I asked why.

There was a long silence as I waited for an answer. While I waited, I looked at each non ex-wife concubine. I noticed that they were very subdued and looked scared. I had no idea why.

Soon I was afraid I was not going to get a response, but then Lori spoke up, "Sir, you don't understand how they feel or where they are coming from. We have talked at some length. We were just shown a video that detailed how concubines are punished in the Confederacy. That video made it clear to us that we now live at your discretion. If you are unhappy with us, we can be recycled at any time.

"My sisters and I know you a lot better than they do. We trust you to take care of us. We trust you to take care of our children. We know that if you decide to punish us, you will do it fairly. We know what to avoid to prevent you from getting angry with us. We know that, if we screw up and embarrass you, the worst thing that will happen is that our hides will suffer. We know you would never recycle us. They do not.