Chapter 8

A Family Matter (TY12-month 142)

Those first weeks in Drylanders were hectic. I had a new command, a new base, a new family, and—not the least—a new AI.

Unlike armies back on Earth, there was no ‘up or out’ pressure on our Militia. When they joined, they committed. They could serve the entire term as the lowest level comrade if that was what they were qualified for or what we needed.

My office was another of the miniature pods used on base and was crowded with Hodges, Reynolds and me in it. I was assured it would grow in the coming weeks. So, I held my staff meeting outside.

“Capo Jeffries, today’s work is getting the drill field ready for exercises. Unlike the parade ground, this should have obstacles and you’ll need to raise hills, move boulders, and plant trees. This is where we’ll be drilling for combat, not marching and PT. Coordinate with Officer Humphreys and bring cadres in from Drovers Run for day work, then send them back at night. We’ll need all available hands. We only have a few weeks left before we need to start building the harbor.

“Capo Torvalds, be sure your patrol cadres are briefed on who goes out for border patrol this week. We’ve had a report of a mountain lion stalking sheep on the far southeast corner of the township. Assess and determine if we need to man that outpost full time or if this can be handled with a relocation of the beast,” I said.

“Yes, sir,” Torvalds said. The two Capos left and got their cadres moving.

“Hodges and Reynolds, we need to get our office set up and functioning correctly. Reynolds, I need a three-dimensional topo map of our district. Work with the AI to get us a war room added on this shack. Hodges, work on the cadre rotations according to the task list we developed last week. Make sure it’s posted where everyone can see it. I want it visible, not just relayed by the AI. That means you’ll probably have to create a message board outside the office to display it. Of course, we ping everyone with their schedule as well. And don’t forget the comrades who are still at Drovers Run.”

“Yes, sir,” both responded and went about their work. I looked at the dust being raised by the heavy machinery. When Tara was terraformed, nanites had been set loose all over the planet to speed the natural process of turning rock into soil and planting grasses and trees. Of our 100 square kilometers of base, only the front ten square kilometers were clear of the fledgling forest. We sprayed the clearing with algae-based fertilizer again and planted more grasses everywhere except where the streets and building installations were slated. I went into my tiny office room to follow up on more housing.

«Deputy Cho, your presence is urgently required at Drovers Run, » Rhett said through my implant. When I get a message like that, I know I need to double time to the nearest transport pad, which was in my administration building. I hit the pad at a run and came out on base at Drovers Run.

«What’s the problem?» I demanded of the base AI.

«A concubine has arrived at the recruitment office demanding to speak directly with you.»

«And you made it sound like an emergency for that?»

«The concubine is Min-Bae Cho.»

Shit! It was that day already? I hadn’t even thought about her birthday since I started working on the new base. I’d barely managed time with Rose and Lyle. I straightened myself and my uniform and entered the recruitment office. Bae was standing silently next to the recruiter’s desk, completely nude. It was obvious she’d come straight from the testing center.

My poor baby sister. She looked exactly the same as she had a little over three years ago when I left her to take my test. She wasn’t more than four-and-a-half feet tall. She had no body hair and scant rises at her breasts. She stood staring at me with a tear leaking from her eye. I dropped to a knee and held out my arms. She ran into them and began sobbing on my shoulder as I picked her up.

“I’ll take care of this, Capo,” I said to Slocum at the desk.

“Yes, sir,” he responded and turned to the next recruit in line. I carried Bae into the office and Officer Humphreys quickly left the room.

“Officer, could you have a concubine shift delivered here, please?” I asked. She nodded and was back in just a minute with the plain gray shift. I pulled it over Bae’s head and she put her arms through the sleeves. What seldom covered the genitals of most concubines fell to her knees.

“Now,” I said. “Tell me all about it.”

“We had a family row. Amos tried to convince me to come back to him after my test and he’d give me a good strong body and make a woman of me. I told him I wasn’t part of his livestock and would either exit the test in uniform as a volunteer or in the Militia. Either way, I wasn’t coming back. I think he would have raped me before he even did modifications. He’s never crossed the line, but I think he has a thing for children.”

“One day...” I muttered.

“Shh.” Bae put a finger against my lips. “Don’t say it. When I got here at the recruitment office, the Capo refused to accept my application. He said he couldn’t do this without the Deputy’s permission because I’m still a little girl. I demanded that he call you at once.”

“I don’t know what to do, Bae. You shouldn’t be modified until you’ve reached puberty, no matter how old you are. And I don’t think you should be in the Militia until then, either.”

«Cricket, is there a precedent for this?»

«I checked with the testing AI and with the Radcliffe home AI. Both indicated the condition is natural and that Min-Bae Cho should grow into maturity naturally. It is my belief that the CAP test should not have been administered. There is precedent for holding off on the test until puberty, regardless of age. However, the test has been given and the scoring reflects the lack of maturity we would find in a child. Unfortunately, Min-Bae Cho has been classified as a concubine. Her choices are limited.»

I pondered the situation silently as Bae clung to me. I think she was afraid I’d reject her for one reason or another.

“Niall? Take me as your concubine. Please?”

“You aren’t ready to be a concubine,” I said. “That’s the problem.”

“But I know you wouldn’t hurt me. If you take me as a concubine, I could live with you and be protected by you until my body catches up with my age. I’d be happy with you. Really. If you weren’t happy with me, then I could join the Militia like we originally planned.”

“That might work. I need to talk to my family.”

“Mom?”

I laughed.

“No, sweetheart. My concubine and her son.”

“I didn’t know you had one yet! That’s cool. Is she nice?” Bae asked.

“Yes. Very nice and very understanding. She’s already had to put up with the craziness of my job. I’m sure she’ll be delighted with this new craziness.”

“Can I meet her?”

I nodded my head. «Cricket, please ask Rose and Lyle to go to my office. I’d like you to join me there as well. We have a family matter to discuss.»

«Certainly, Niall. I’ve been concerned for Min-Bae since our conversations with your other sister. We will wait for your arrival in your office.»

“So, that’s our situation,” I concluded after briefing Rose on Min-Bae’s condition and the choices.

“Why are you even hesitating?” Rose demanded. She held out her arms to Bae, who went to her for a hug. “Min-Bae Cho, please be my sister concubine and let us help you grow up.”

“Um ... I think I need to say that,” I laughed.

“There should be a contract,” Cricket broke in. “While you may accept Min-Bae as a concubine, she is not well-enough developed for sexual penetration. Niall, you must agree to withhold sexual congress until she has matured and the med tube examination pronounces her ready. To do otherwise would be the same as sex with a child.”

“Absolutely!” I said. “I can’t believe this needs to be said. Min-Bae Cho, understanding that there will be no sexual congress before you have matured to a level acceptable to the AIs, and understanding that when you reach that level you may decide whether to remain as my concubine or to join the Militia, will you be my concubine?”

“Yes, Niall. It’s the best thing I can even imagine.”

“Acknowledged and recorded,” Cricket said.

Lyle fell in love with Bae instantly. He had a playmate. And Bae loved him. I assigned one of the concubine rooms as hers, but she insisted on coming to bed with Rose and me, even though the two of us made love before we settled for sleep nearly every night. Bae felt that being close to adults and to Rose’s pheromones would encourage her body to speed the process up. I didn’t know, but I was willing to hold her as she snuggled between Rose and me. She found out right away the next morning that my life was not simple and relaxed.

«Deputy Cho, » Rhett interrupted my breakfast, «Director Kotter requests your presence immediately for a meeting with Deputy Kramer and Governor O’Hara.»

«Immediately? I’m on my way.» “I’m sorry my dear family, but I have to go to Drovers Run immediately for a meeting with the governor. I’ll tell you all about it when I get back.” I kissed my two concubines and my son and hurried out the door to get to the transporter nexus in the administration building.

No Time to Prepare (TY12-month 142)

“Deputy, I apologize for the early hour, but this is urgent.” Scarlett said. “We need temporary housing for 380 concubines and 2,660 dependents.” I sat back and my mouth dropped open. We only had 575 total in the Militia—only a thousand including concubines and dependents. “As a new base, Fort Butler has the most unoccupied space and room for development. Therefore, I am passing this job on to you. We have two weeks to prepare housing for over 3,000 people. During that time, we will also be looking for a way to permanently home all of these. For now, however, let’s imagine you are running a very large orphanage.”

“You’ll need staff in addition to the concubines coming with the children,” Kotter added. “I am authorizing you to promote another Capo and requisition three cadres for a total of thirty to thirty-five comrades to manage the intake and disposition of the orphanage residents. Deputy Kramer is aware that you will requisition at least one and likely two from his unit. These requisitions will be deemed temporary, to be returned to him when the orphanage residents have been homed.”

“I’ll start working on creation of two appropriate cadres for you,” Kramer said.

“Two weeks?” I squeaked. “We’ve barely managed to get housing for our comrades so far.” And what then?

“There will be a Civil Service officer traveling with the orphans,” Centurion Oswald said. I’d met him before but it was the first time he’d joined us for a meeting. “He or she should have a sponsor pod on base for the duration. I’m sure he’ll have concubines and possibly dependents.”

“I expect all of you to meet with me in one week to go over progress and lay out the plan for the arrival and distribution of the refugees. I know you have work to do, so I won’t keep you longer. Carry on,” the governor said. We were all abruptly dismissed from her office and I ran to the transport pad to get to work on this.

I was stunned. I looked at my TOE and immediately put a call through to Humphreys. It took a minute for her to get to her desk to take the call. I didn’t want to do this through our implants.

“Who do we have most ready to promote to Capo?” I asked as soon as she appeared.

“Promotion? It’s a little early, but Foreman Greer is our most likely candidate at the moment. That will leave her cadre in need of a foreman, but I believe we have a new grad who is perfect for the job,” she said.