Chapter 6

After breakfast and their morning training sessions they had time to settle the modifications for the others. Lou came first and she blushed at the naked holo put up for her model, even though she’d been naked in front of all of them before.

Chris asked her for her suggestions and she immediately opted for drastic fat reduction. He vetoed that idea immediately.

“I chose you initially because I liked the way you looked and felt. You can trim and smooth a little here and there but not wholesale. I want you to keep that voluptuousness. Don’t forget you won’t have to worry constantly about keeping it under control. We’ll all eat sensibly but ten minutes in medical can reset you to what we decide now if you do gain weight.”

In the end he allowed a little of her trimming and she opted for more colour and length in her hair so she was almost a strawberry blond. She also begged for longer legs, insisting that they were disproportionately short. No one else thought so and there was considerable discussion over it until Chris decided that she still looked good with a couple of extra centimetres in her lower legs where she wanted them and gave approval.

Then it was Cherie’s turn. She looked pale and rigidly expressionless. When he asked her for any suggestions, she spoke in a rush.

“Chris please don’t change me. I am trying...”

“Stop! I have no intention to radically change you Cherie. I thought I had made that clear when we spoke. I’ve told you all about the standard package of internal improvements and hair control I’ve set for everyone. That’s all I intend for you. This is only about anything you might want. Okay?”

She nodded and her eyes were bright with tears. “I guess I’m being silly but I’ve been having these horrible dreams. I’ve been trying to be a better...”

Chris had been crossing the floor between them and he now caught her hands and pulled her to her feet to hug her. He hadn’t realised how much the bottom had dropped out of her self-esteem to make her this fragile.

“Cherie, I never meant to give you nightmares. I only wanted you to get out of yourself and see things from others’ point of view. I never thought you were an evil person, just very self-involved.” He looked around the room. “Is there anyone who thinks Cherie has been anything but a good contributing member of this family?”

There was a chorus of denials and support for her. Deb rushed over and hugged her too, followed closely by Sarah. When they had coaxed a watery smile from her Chris released her and continued.

“So that’s settled. No extra changes for Cherie. What about you Sarah?”

Sarah wanted a few superficial changes, most of which Chris allowed and then they went through the children. Most of the health and development issues were already an automatic part of the program. Solange wanted red hair but her mother vetoed that. Helen had a pimple and was convinced that she was about to break out with acne. All the girls were relieved to learn that moles and any other skin blemishes would be removed and peeved that they couldn’t try other cosmetic changes.

Marcus was concerned about his size. Growing up with Louise and Solange that was understandable. Chris had the AI measure him and pronounce him normal for his age but could see he needed more reassurance.

“Marcus, you’ve seen that I’m a bit clumsy with this new body and a lot of the new Marines are worse. That’s from changing too fast and I’ve even got more growing to do before the voyage is over. We have to rush things because we have to get ready for the war, but it’s always best if you can grow at the normal rate. Although you are going to have brothers, you are my eldest son now and I certainly want you to grow up big and strong. You will be big brother to the new kids that come. You are just about the right size for your age now but I’m going to ask the AI to check you regularly to make sure you’re growing at just the right rate. Okay?”

Marcus seemed content with that and stood a little taller at being called the eldest son.

At midmeal Red presented herself for inspection and Chris took her off to one side to talk to her. She didn’t look any the worse for wear but admitted she’d had a quick trip through a med-tube to remove some bruises and soreness.

“How has it been? Are you holding up?”

“Yeth Mathter. It hathn’t been too bad.” She hesitated, unsure if that had been a wise thing to have admitted but continued, “Thome of them are rough and there hath been thome pain but I wathn’t injured. They thtick to your termth.”

“And how are you within yourself?”

“I am juthtly punithhed. I will bear it.”

“Come and eat with us. Be generally quiet but smile reassuringly for Melissa and maybe Cherie too. Talk if asked questions but be vague about what you are doing.”

Chris could see that Melissa and Cherie were a bit shocked at her changed appearance. She was only remotely recognisable as Edna and although there were plenty of naked concubines moving about the canteen area, she was the only one naked in the family.

When they’d finished eating he held Cherie and Melissa back as he sent the others off. They both watched as Red hurried back to the Marine pod, her enhanced bubble butt shimmying with each step. Cherie looked at him with guilt and uncertainty in her gaze.

He took her hand and squeezed it. “You were never anything near as bad as her Cherie and that is not your pathway. I’ve been very happy with how you’re going and you should start being a bit happier with yourself. The past is gone. We all get a new start now. Go on back while I talk to Melissa.”

He pulled a couple of chairs together in the emptying canteen and sat Melissa facing him.

“I can see you’re rather concerned about your mother Mel. We should talk a bit more about her. Okay?”

When she nodded he went on. “You know a lot of bad things happened back in your home, and your family did some very bad things to me? Did Cherie tell you all about that?”

“She said that Dad’s company was really yours and we weren’t really that rich but that we’d stolen our money from you and then kept you like a poor charity case, only giving you the cheapest things and treating you cruelly. And then she said all the whipping and beating was so that they could take the company away from you.” Melissa looked was looking really upset and ashamed by the time she had finished this and Chris caught her hands and squeezed them.

“Not you Mel. You never treated me badly. You may even have saved me.”

“Me?” She was surprised. “How?”

“You remember when you found me behind the cabana and I’d been crying?” She nodded. “I was at a really low point and I’d half decided to go ahead with my planned suicide. You sat down beside me and gave me half of your chocolate bar. I think you knew I’d just had a bad session with your mother. There wasn’t much for either of us to say but eventually we did start talking about school.

“That was the day I decided that I would find a way to fight back, that I would find someone who would believe me and be able to help. I knew she had Judge Mackinson in her pocket and someone in Child Services but I think you helped me decide that there would be people out there with some kindness in them if I looked.”

Her eyes were bright with unshed tears and he suspected it was mostly with relief that he didn’t tar her with the same taint of evil that Cherie had painted their family with but probably partly from her soft hearted reliving of his pain.

“You were by far the best person in that family and the closest thing I had to a friend by then. But we started off talking about retribution and your conflicted feelings about what Red is going through.

“If we were back on Earth and my plans had worked, both your father and mother would both have been sent to prison for a long time. They deserve punishment and they need to become better people. Would you agree?”

“Yes Chris. I do. It’s still upsetting to see Mam ... Red, like that.”

“I understand that and that’s why I want to explain to you what’s going to happen. You need to promise not to share this with anyone though; not Red, not Cherie, not anyone. Will you do that?”

“Okay, I promise.”

“I do think that Red and Uncle Henry should be punished and I’ve worked out what to do with them. Red is going to write a confession about her and your father’s crimes. The Captain can notarise it and I have someone back on Earth who can use it to bring him to justice and deal with the company. The proceeds will go to a charity for people who are left alone by a pickup.

“Cherie doesn’t really deserve more punishment but is punishing herself with guilt. I’m actually more concerned with getting her to think positively about herself. You might be able to help there by telling her she’s a good sister and stand-in mother for you along with Louise and Lou. Will you do that?”

“Yes Chris. I’d be glad to help.” Melissa looked serious but happy to have that responsibility.

“Red is the main one responsible. She planned everything and hurt me the most. Henry is a weak man that she dominated. Cherie hardly knew anything about what was going on. When I decided to bring Red I just wanted revenge and I still do.

“The others may have told you that I gave her a severe beating and that took away some of my bitterness. I never want to do that again but I still feel a lot of resentment for the life of misery she created for me so she is still being punished. I want her to feel some of the pain and humiliation and helplessness and hopelessness that I felt.

“But after thinking about it I figured that joining the Confederacy is the start of a new life for everyone. I do think she is regretting what she did. I don’t want the rest of her life to be a misery. The changes I’ve made to her and what she’s going through are a way of wiping out everything that made her what she was.

“By the end of the voyage I’m going to change her again. She will be something completely different again and unlike anything she imagined she might be. And it will be a completely new start with everything forgiven and a new life for her to make and be someone we can all love instead of hate.