Chapter 13: How Can you Party?

"Is it?" I heard Constance ask as we turned to head down our home passage.

"Is what it?" I asked.

"Is it really our home? The place where we are living now," Constance said softly.

"Constance, I want you to feel like it is your home. There will be some things you might not be entirely happy with, but it is your home. I want you to look forward to being there and being with your sisters," I said.

"Sisters?" Constance asked

Lenore laughed and put her arms around the younger woman. "He's saying that Ashley, Miki and I have joked about being sisters. It's not official, but it feels right for us. We are already including Tatyana in the sisterhood."

"Do you want me?" Constance asked.

"Why wouldn't we?" Lenore asked. "From what I've seen you are a wonderfully beautiful young woman. Don't worry about the rest."

I could see our door up ahead. I gave Lenore a quick poke. "I'm going to make sure Ashley and Aine haven't left blood everywhere," I said.

Lenore started giggling as I broke into a jog. I rushed down the hallway. When I reached the door it slid open. Erica and Angelique tumbled out. Angelique looked around frantically. The instant she spotted Lenore still walking down the passage she ran towards her mother.

Erica brushed off her blouse and glared at me. She said nothing as I stood in the doorway. I could hear shouting inside.

"Aine and who?" I asked with a sigh.

"Mostly Ashley, but that girl seems determined to fight with everyone. Don't worry, Angelique never saw her. Matti and I made sure she quietly watching video," Erica said with anger in her voice.

"Damn," I said.

"What are you going to do with her?" Erica asked. "All she wants to do is fight."

"AI," I called out. "Is Aine alone at the moment?"

"She is in one of the upstairs rooms," the AI said.

"Is there a bathroom entrance attached to the room?" I asked.

"One can be made," the AI said.

"Is there a food replicator in the room?" I asked next.

"Mark?" Erica asked.

"There is," the AI said.

"Lock the door to the outside and make is so the only access to the bathroom is from that room," I ordered. "The replicator shall only make food and drink, no clothing."

"It shall be done," the AI said.

"Now put me through to Aine," I said.

"What!" Aine shouted a moment later. "Look, I don't want to make nicey, nicey. At least not right now. We all know that Mark is going to throw me out."

"I don't want to," I replied. "You are physically very attractive. But you keep fighting with everyone. Aine, you have hinted that you've had previous friends who mistreated you. I will never do that."

"I don't believe you," she said.

"Aine," I said. "I have never lied to you. I've said several times that if you start to get along with the rest of my ladies, I could see keeping you as a possibility."

"But there are so many," Aine complained.

"Try to get to know one at a time. Ashley would be a great start. Or you can work with Lenore. They know me best," I said.

"But Ashley won't listen to me," Aine complained.

"Won't listen or told you to shut up when you complained too much," I replied.

The response from Aine was silence. I nodded. "Think about that for now. This has all been far too quick and everyone is unsettled."

"Unsettled?" Aine shouted from the other room. "I'm more than unsettled. I'm panicked. You hold my life in your hands and you are so distant. What am I supposed to do?"

"How about you stop using sex as a weapon? That's pushing me away. Aine, you also really need to get to know my ladies. If you pay attention you'll notice that I talk to them and spend time with each of them. I know that we can't spend the rest of our lives in bed, so I'm looking for ladies who offer more than just sex," I reply.

"But none of them trust me," Aine said with a whine.

"Trust takes time to build. Right now your actions don't make them want to trust you. Show some patience and be honest," I said.

"Are you sure?" Aine asked.

"Citizen Mark, your concubine is attempting to leave the room. Shall I keep her in?" the AI asked.

"No," I said. "Allow her to exit."

"Mark?" Lenore asked.

"She's already been betrayed so many times," I said. "Or at least, that's what I'm hearing. We need to work with her."

"Are you sure?" Lenore asked. She looked around the hallway. "I don't want Angelique seeing a bunch of fighting."

"I don't either, and if it comes to that, we'll be finding a replacement for Aine, but I'll give her more time. Do you think you could try to spend time with her?" I asked.

"Why me?" Lenore asked.

I walked into our home. "AI," I called out. "Are there any rooms near here that could be used for a small gathering?"

"What kind of gathering?" the AI asked.

The door to the elevator opened and Aine emerged. The young woman's face was streaked with tears. She had a hand in front of her face trying to make it difficult to see how blotchy her face was. I realized she was looking forlornly at me.

"Fuck me," Lenore whispered. "She looks miserable."

"If you could talk to her, that might be something we can improve on," I said.

"Why me?" Lenore asked.

"There is a meeting room at the hub," the AI answered. "It will be used for training once Glowworm leaves the Earthat System, but it is free for now."

"AI, can you connect me with Jessica?" I asked

"Which Jessica, there are two citizens with the name Jessica aboard," the AI said.

"Jessica Thornton," I replied a little testily. "The young woman who was picked up at the same time I was."

"One moment," the AI said.

"Mark?" Aine asked in a wavering voice. "What are you doing?"

I smiled trying to be reassuring. "As I said, I don't think I can spend my whole life in bed. What I'm doing is looking for a way to meet with some of the other new citizens. They are the men and women I'm going to be trusting with my life in the future. I don't like the idea of arriving for training and not knowing anyone."

"Which he wouldn't," Ashley said. "He knows Jason and Morgan and Jessica."

"Who is wondering why Mark wants to talk to her," we heard Jessica's voice respond. "Jesse, please, stop blubbering. No one here is going to hurt you."

"Jessica," I said. "I was thinking of organizing a small, I guess it would be a party. The AI tells me that there is a room a short distance away. I was thinking of saying each citizen could come and bring one concubine. It would be a way to get to know our fellow citizens."

Jessica laughed. "I can see that. I could bring Maurice if you need a butler for the party. He'd be wearing a loincloth though."

There was a cough. "Jesse! I told you that what happened during the pickup was merely a way to establish that I'm the citizen. I won't force you to face that again. Just keep calm. I'm not expecting you to be the perfect lover."

"She has me for that," Milli's voice interrupted.

"Wait," Ashley said. "Milli can talk over the AI. Can I?"

I waited silently. "Mark," Jessica said. "Sorry about that. I wanted Milli to be able to call me should I ever leave the home. I didn't realize she'd comment."

"It was nice to hear her voice," I replied. "She sounds happy and confident. But am I to understand that you have trouble with your new man?"

"Yeah," Jessica said mulishly. I could picture her grimace as she continued. "He's heard too many horror stories about how men are used as playthings should they be chosen as concubines."

"But he agreed to go with you," I said.

"In some ways he reminds me of Lenore. He's desperate to not be on Earth when the aliens come," Jessica said.

"Lenore is not with me because of that," I said. "In fact if that was her only reason she and I would not have ended up together."

"True," Jessica said. "But you've been with Lenore for over a year. I've had less than twelve hours with Jesse. And as for your idea to have a party or something approximating one, that's a good idea. I'd suggest that you get there first with Ashley, me and let Morgan and Jason know."

"At least Walter is on a pickup," I said.

"He is?" Jessica asked.

"I was there when the AI told him to report to the teleport room. Hopefully he listened and won't be quite as big a jerk this time," I said.

"It wasn't just him being a jerk," Aine said. "I had been with him for two days before we went to the restaurant. He cared nothing about me and it showed. To him, I was just a willing pussy."

"Which is something you'll never be for Mark," Ashley said. "Well, it's never all you will be. He doesn't want someone who doesn't value the friendship he has with them. Mark cares quite a bit. That's why we have games to play and why we brought clothing. Mark, I'm having trouble with the clothing. The AI keeps saying that the clothing will be recycled."