Chapter 3: Take a Chance On Me!

Momma Dora decided that the time was right. Caleb had spent the optimal time developing in his mother’s womb; his capsule had been checked and checked again; the software had been tested and retested; and a module had been attached for an AI to ride along to monitor and troubleshoot. At the last minute, Jubal decided that a bud, no matter how well vetted, wasn’t going to do, so it chose itself for the duty.

All was as ready as it could be.

For the rest of his life, Caleb would be cocooned for extended periods with little or no human touch, so Michael’s family – all of it – lined up to watch and celebrate his birth. Germs weren’t a problem, but physical protection and support were needed to transition him into his new environment.

The moment arrived and the nanites opened his old home to let him out. There was no blood, no clinging mucus, and the placenta melted away. He was beautiful. Michael lifted his shallowly-breathing son and told him, “Welcome to the world, Caleb. Welcome to the world.”

Then, while the birth opening closed, he carefully handed Caleb to the first of his parents in line, to be held by each, and subsequently touched by every child too small to hold him. He was human, and humans need touch. Of necessity, the bonding went quickly, even with so many to love on him.

At last, Michael took Caleb to his now healed mother and gently placed him in her arms. Tears running, she held him to herself for what she feared might be the last time. She kissed his forehead and placed him in the first of his many capsules that would be needed as his body outgrew the previous one.

The nanites functioned quickly, and he was safely ensconced in his new shell. Now he was a newborn with dual inputs – those of his capsule and those that came with every human body. As would any baby, he learned to use the inputs and to control his ‘limbs.’

Jubal was already ‘seated’ in the capsule’s AI module and began the process of establishing contact with his new godson. Caleb was too young and underdeveloped for an implant, so Jubal used the capsule’s sensory inputs. For a long-lived AI, it was a new and interesting experience.

Jubal and Michael’s entire family had read McCaffrey’s Brainship series and paid special attention to her discussions, in Brain Ships, of shell persons’ humanity when deprived of touch. With the blessing of Caleb’s parents, the AI was adamant that the infant would grow up human, with all that being human meant. Jubal settled in for the duration.

If Caleb’s body was hungry, he felt hungry, and sometimes had to wait until he was fed – not long, but enough. When Caleb peed or pooped, he felt soiled diapers, and had to wait at least a minimal amount of time before he was ‘changed’. Later modifications would automate addressing his bodily needs, but for now, he was experiencing normal human processes.

The portions of his brain that received and interpreted sensory inputs (vision, sound, hearing, smell, and taste) were all active as they were in any normal human, but the capsule’s sensors also transmitted to those regions. One of Caleb’s tasks was to learn to differentiate the two types of input. Because nanites protected him from infections and allergies, Caleb’s mothers, father, and siblings could open one of several ports to reach into his capsule and touch him – which they frequently did. Once a day, with nanites enhancing his oxygen utilization, he could leave his capsule for a short while to be held for a feeding.

Feeding! Caleb was not denied taste. After he graduated from breast milk, he was introduced to the various foods served other children and later adults. Caleb really liked curries, scallops, Wolf Brand Chili, and lemon ice cream, but he continued to adore breast milk. For Caleb, a meal might be one or two teaspoons, but he would hold small amounts in his mouth long enough to savor each morsel. Yet again, he was encouraged to partake of human experiences.

Caleb spent his first year learning about human wants, needs, discomforts, resolution, and love. Like all newborns, he also began to learn his body – bodies – the gestalt that was him.

Jubal’s monitoring, guidance, and care were subtle and careful. When Caleb’s first birthday arrived, T’Kleesual, Jubal, wakened to realize that he was a daddy – if not in biology, in behavior and fact. The wakened condition seemed to be catching to Tuull AIs in close association with humans. Dora was pleased that she no longer needed to prospect.

Marcie Orlov wasn’t a slut, but she liked sex – a lot! She studied sex, and once she attained her thirteenth birthday, she practiced sex. As a Confederacy dependent, she was limited; no vaginal penetration, but as one of her body modifications, she’d asked to be able ‘to cum like a string of firecrackers’. When she reached her fourteenth birthday, there were few limits.

While she was still his dependent, Jason had promised that if she behaved he’d be her first, and at midnight she climbed over Calypso and wore him out.

Jason was proud of her. Marcie had matured, developing self-control and a sense of purpose. The slim, strawberry blonde was now a bright young woman with a CAP of 6.9 and entitled to two concubines, but she postponed choosing. Not the sex, mind you, only the choosing.

The twin dependents she had scouted for Jason’s family, Kim and Mai Nguyen, had both scored CAPs of 6.5 a few days after Marcie and the three-way celebration was epic.

Marcie was fascinated by the tales of, and her exposure to, Governor Michael’s family – THE Harem. Even before her CAP test, she contrived to join workouts with THE Harem and their dependents. Though light in experience, she managed to perform above average at everything she put her mind to.

A year passed. <Imp, > Marcie asked her family’s AI, <can I get an appointment to see Governor Michael?> Normally, she would have asked to see ‘Michael’ or traded for one of the tokens his dependents used to get private time. BUT she wanted him to know that this was adult serious. For one of the few times since her extraction, Marcie dressed conservatively, for her. Her skirt barely (pun intended) hid her butt. Marcie’s tatas were similarly ‘covered’, however there could be no doubt that she had a beautiful pair. Knees together, she sat primly across from Harrad Colony’s leader and began, “You have a need and so do I. I think there’s a way to help each other.”

Michael waited for her to continue.

“I just turned fifteen and most of the stuff, umm jobs, available in the colony just don’t suit,” She shrugged and continued. “I’m not a desk type, and not suited for CS. You don’t need someone to infiltrate nests of Earth Firsters, but I could have. I’m not a Marine type, but maybe I’d make a marginal ship’s officer. But Sir, I’ll make one helluva bodyguard!”

Michael looked at her, but didn’t speak.

“Ask any of your ladies. I workout with some of them everyday, and Hannah says I shoot almost as well as she does. I saw the thingy you’re gonna put Caleb in, and I read Anne McCaffrey too.” She looked at him steadily and declared, “Caleb’s going to be a brainship, isn’t he?!”

Still Michael waited, and Marcie resisted the temptation to rush or blather.

“I’m sure with your family and all, he’ll have lots of playmates and companions, but he will be a first, a pioneer, and there will be people and entities who fear him.” She became thoughtful, “Actually, they really should. He will need a bodyguard – bodyguards. That would be me. Mai and Kim, too. And Jamaal when he turns fourteen, but he could start training now. I figure there should be at least ten of us. Better if there were twelve. That would give us two for every shift, coverage for days off and incidentals like scouting ahead. We could choose the right concubines...”

“You’d leave Jason’s family to do this?” Michael asked.

“If you think I need to, yes,” she replied. “But I don’t really see why I would. Our families are close – location, work, friendships. It would work. I know it! Take a chance on me, please.”

“So, Caleb would grow up with you, rely on you, and trust you.” Michael told her. “We’d have thirteen years to evaluate you and train you before we loose you on the universe. You’ve mentioned three others; who else do you have in mind? How would you organize?”

“Jamaal would be my lieutenant. Kim and Mai would be the team leaders, but really, we’d operate like your Harem did with situational leadership.” Marcie elaborated. “We’d be loyal to him, a Praetorian Guard. You can have Dora or Imp or another AI watch over us to be sure there won’t be a palace revolt.”

“As for others, I’m not completely sure yet,” she told him. “I think Cassandra Anne is really interested and I know Shellie will be great once she gets past her father’s betrayal. She is sure working at it. That’s half our need. I’m sure Dora has already picked up on this and identified more.”

<Good thinking, Sweetheart!> Dora told them.

<So you’re buying this?> Michael asked Dora.

<Oh yeah!> Dora replied. <And maybe it will keep Miss Hot Britches occupied and out of trouble. But I anticipate she’ll still be in our hair and underfoot with this idea and that proposal. I’m looking forward to it. Better to channel the river than to dam it.>

Marcie smirked. She knew that being let privy to Dora’s last observation was a sure mark of trust and acceptance.

“Okay, Marcie, confirm commitments from Shellie and Cassandra Anne. Bring your motley crew to dinner tonight, and after story time, we’ll have a family powwow.”

Promptly at 1800 hours, Marcie entered. Her hand was placed formally on Jamaal’s arm, and the similarly paired Kim and Mai followed her. Cassandra Anne met them at the entrance and paired herself with the trailing Shellie. Michael and the adults of his family solemnly greeted them.

Marcie’s cadre was familiar with Michael’s family, more so with the preteens and young teens with whom they’d had many sleepovers. Now, the dynamics changed. They found a toddler seated between each pair. Marcie – toddler-Chloe – Jamaal – Kim – toddler-David – Mai – Shellie – toddler-Julia – Cassandra Anne. Caleb’s capsule, faceplate open, sat between Michael and Marcie. The cadre’s assignment had begun.