Chapter 14: Broken Social Contracts

The hallways were once again deserted as we made our way to the room that the AI had designated. Ashley held my arm and leaned against me as we walked.

"Mark," she said once she was sure we were alone. "I know you and I have been together the longest, but please don't freeze me out."

"Have I?" I asked.

Ashley looked at me. Her eyes were filled with unshed tears. I immediately put my arms around her and hugged her.

My blond haired lover giggled. "Got you!" she said as she put her head on my shoulder.

"What?" I asked.

"Mark, I already know you'll never forget me. You are constantly working to make sure that I'm happy. I just wanted to tease you a bit," Ashley said.

"I think I have a broken concubine," I muttered.

"I'm not broken!" Ashley said firmly. She pushed me away and then swatted me in the shoulder. "I'll do anything for you, including making sure you don't become a pompous idiot like that Walter."

"Hopefully, the military will beat the pomposity out of him," I said quietly. "AI, where is this room?"

"Walk down the corridor to the intersection. The doorway will be visible," the AI replied. "Will you need anything special?"

"Does the room have tables and chairs? It would be best if it had a few tables and chairs along one or two walls and if the rest of the area was open so people could stand and talk," I said.

"Will you give a speech?" Ashley asked.

"I hope I don't have to," I said. "But I'll probably be stuck at the door greeting people as they arrive. I want people to feel welcome. Both the citizens and their concubines."

"Why do you care so much about concubines?" Ashley asked. "You were at the same briefing I was. I'm your property, but you don't seem to accept that."

"Legally you are, but believing that all you are is my property is a horrible idea," I replied firmly.

"Why?" Ashley asked. "I mean, I know you try really hard to make me feel valued, but I am your property now and I have no problems with that."

We had arrived at the intersection. I looked up and could see that the stripes of the wall now skipped over an area about the size of a standard doorway. "You trust me," I said as I headed towards the door. "But have you ever asked yourself why you trust me?"

"Because you are Mark. You are the man I love and who loves me. You've been gentle from the start. I never fear that you'll hurt me, but if I need to be taken, you've dominated me completely," Ashley said.

I paused in my walking and looked at Ashley. She stared back at me with a worshipful expression on her face.

"What if I wasn't the type to love you?" I asked. "Ashley the biggest problem with the concubine system is how it smashed so many social contracts and structures."

"What?" she asked. She ran ahead of me and then turned around and put her back to the door. "You'll explain that or we won't have this party you say is important."

I glanced at the ceiling. "Poor Ashley, she really stepped in it with her citizen."

"Mark!" Ashley said. "You wouldn't!"

"True, but others might not be so nice. That's the problem. Back on Earth before the first announcement everyone understood that you had to show respect. Or at least that it was expected. Someone who was openly disrespectful often found that they were shunned by others," I said.

"Like that's a surprise. Heck, we saw that in the cheerleading squad after the announcement. Constance was constantly trying to get me kicked off the varsity squad," Ashley said.

"Ah, but that's just it. There were rules. She could try to get everyone to turn against you, but she couldn't just throw you out. Now, in a way you are on the Mark Parker cheerleading squad. But, you can't just quit the team," I said.

"I don't want to," Ashley said. "I'm happy being part of the team."

"I can throw you off," I pointed out. "And there would be nothing anyone can do. That's where the social contract is gone. While I get a feeling that some people would be upset with me, the laws don't prevent me from throwing someone away."

"But you won't," Ashley said.

"What about someone like Walter?" I asked.

"Fuck," Ashley said as she stepped to the side. "He'd do it in a heartbeat. The man appears to only care about himself."

"I think he does care about others, but the excitement of not being a member of the school outcasts hasn't faded. But we'll have to see after he gets concubines," I said.

"They are really going to allow him to select two?" Ashley asked.

"He was going to be joining the marines for their next pick up. I understand it's supposed to be a larger gathering so they expect he'll find someone," I said.

"I'll have to see if I can meet his new concubines," Ashley muttered as we entered the room.

I looked around the room. It was larger than I expected. I could see several tall tables set up in a line along the wall to my left. Each table had four padded stools set up around it. There was also a long table set up along the far wall.

"A table?" Ashley asked.

"We could probably set up some kind of catered spread," I pointed out. "Which isn't a bad idea. Concubine Ashley go to the replicator in this room. We'll want a couple of large pizzas, a chaffing dish filled with with fried chicken, another chaffing dish with hamburgers, and then assorted snack foods and drinks. Don't forget cheese and buns for the burgers as well as toppings, but put those at the end of the table."

Ashley looked at me for a moment. She just stood there with her mouth agape. I turned back to the door. "AI is Jason on his way?" I asked."

"Citizen Jason Roberts is walking this way with a concubine. Citizen Morgan is also headed this way. He is unaccompanied. I should note that the medical bay is requesting two more concubines from you. Shall I allow Miki and Tatyana to exit the pod?" the AI answered.

"Yes," I replied as the door opened. Jason stepped through the doorway. He looked at me and then at his sister who was still staring at me.

"One moment," Jason said as he looked around the room. Jana came over and looked at him quizzically as Jason finished surveying the area.

Just as he turned back to me I looked over at Ashley. "Why are you standing here?" I asked her.

Ashley's mouth shut with a snap. "I'll figure a way to get you back," she muttered as she turned and headed towards the long table.

"What is that about?" Jason asked.

"I think she was a bit surprised to be given the task I just offered her," I said.

"Oh? How so?" Jason asked.

"I'm afraid we had a bit of a discussion about how the laws destroyed social contracts," I replied. "I was just demonstrating that to your former sister."

"Former?" Jason asked.

"Remember, according to the laws we now follow, Ashley is my property. She doesn't have any family unless I choose to grant her family. That means that ties like family and community don't really exist. It also means that the restrictions we put on ourselves have been legally removed," I replied.

Jason looked around the room. I watched as understanding slowly filled his eyes. "Damn. I didn't think about that. And now I see why you want this gathering. You are hoping to get in front of the culture changes and lead them to a more pleasant ending."

"For him or me?" Jana asked mockingly. "I can see how this might become a disaster for me."

"Why?" Jason asked as he reached out and put a hand around her waist. Jana had said she was pregnant, but her stomach was still flat. She was wearing an extremely sheer and sexy black babydoll nightie over a black g-string.

"If you wanted you could give me to Mark for an evening. If you were really nasty you could tell me that I have to give a blow job to every man that enters this room. I'd have to follow your directive. Legally I couldn't complain about a thing," Jana said.

"And that's what I want to ward off. I don't mind if there is some teasing and flirting and even if other citizens get involved in an occasional concubine trade. But I want concubines seen as more than repositories for cum and baby factories," I said.

"Like how you usually look at Ashley," Jana said with a nod. "I think I'll go help her for now. And I'll try to talk to her."

"Please," I said. "I hated to do what I just did, but I can't risk her saying or doing something that causes trouble. And with all our old social order wiped away with the pickup it will take time before we know what is and isn't acceptable."

"May we manage to make it so that your way is the accepted way," Jason said as Jana walked across the floor to join Ashley. She seemed to have some trouble walking on her bare feet.

"Is Jana hurt?" I asked.

"No, she just wants me to give her some five inch heels. Says that in an outfit like that I'd love to see her walk around wearing them," Jason said. "Where's Morgan?"

The door opened and Morgan walked through. He waved to us and immediately walked over. "Sorry," he said. "I ended up taking a few extra moments to reassure Bea and Becs that I still wanted them to be my concubines. The briefing really rattled them and then we ran into some asshole when I took Becs down for her medical check."