Chapter 1

<Admiral Foster, we have another candidate for you. Virgil Morris currently holds master’s degrees in chemistry, mathematics, molecular biology, and mechanical engineering. He is working on his doctorate degrees in all four fields.>

I looked up from my reports and grinned. The AI was a pain in the ass to deal with sometimes, but if you could find the right commands they could work wonders with data. My ongoing query of the past eight months was to find potential sponsor level researchers based on their CAP scores and this was only the sixth alert I’d gotten that met my requirements.

“Display CAP score breakdown in relevant areas.” The numbers popped up and I whistled. Intelligence, determination, imagination, integrity, and loyalty scores were all 9.4 and higher. I’d asked for the AI to flag anyone with all five over a 7.0, but I never thought I’d see a candidate with scores this high. “Where has this guy been hiding?”

<Candidate’s residences for the past fourteen years are listed in San Francisco, California.>

I rolled my eyes at the literal answer. “That was a rhetorical musing, not a question. I know California has been a problem zone for us, but we’ve been pushing recruiting messages at every college and university in the world. How did we miss a doctoral candidate?”

<Candidate was ineligible to test before six days ago.>

“You’re telling me this candidate is fourteen years old?”

<Affirmative.>

“Well fuck me running. AI, contact DECO and see what we can do to get the candidate extracted as soon as possible. He can finish his education in the sleep trainers because we need his mind on a research station.”

<That course of action would be ill-advised. See testing notes for further information.>

I was a little surprised. The AIs never challenged an order unless it went against one of their protocols. Reading the testing notes took the better part of an hour and gave me a headache, but also gave me an idea why the AI had stopped me. “Okay, I’m not a doctor here, but the gist of this is that a sleep trainer may cause brain damage?”

<Candidate’s memory storage and recall functions are unique. I believe it is an unusual form of the memorization technique known as a mind palace. The subject enters a fugue-like state where he is capable of completing complex mathematical calculations in his head that are beyond the scope of what should be possible. We believe the amount of data transferred during a sleep training session would lock him in this fugue-like state for an unknown amount of time as he attempted to process and reorganize the data in a more familiar manner. The recommended course of action is to allow the subject to remain on Earth until education is completed.>

“Crap on a cracker,” I swear the damn AI could ruin a wet dream. “Tag Virgil Morris as a Military Asset – Interest Deferred, with the provisional rank of ensign in the naval research department, and have the Earth AI monitor him. Alert me to any potential problems.”

<Affirmative.>

I strolled into the office fifteen minutes after twelve and shook my head as I saw the girls had already finished their lunch. Moving into the lab, I walked over to the mousy girl on the computer. “Has he been at it all morning again?”

Amy looked up at the clock and shrugged. “You know the drill when he gets stuck in his work. We come in at seven-thirty and set up for the first group of samples. He shows up at five till eight, says good morning, and dives in. I tried to tell him Kate got us lunch, but I doubt he noticed.”

“Has he said anything?”

She shook her head and sighed. “Nothing beyond telling Kate to dispose of a sample when he was finished with it and telling me what sample he had been working on when he handed me his notes to input. I swear I could be sitting here naked, and he still wouldn’t notice with as little attention as he pays to us when he’s working.”

“Trust me, he’d notice,” I said, smiling down at my lover. Amy was five foot four, with a lean athletic figure and perky c cups. “He’d really enjoy the view as well, but you know why he’d never say anything. Don’t worry, I’ll keep those promises I made to all of you, but we have to let him finish his work first.”

“Damn CAP scores,” she sighed. “I think he’s on to something though. It probably sounds strange, but after two years of working with him, I’ve noticed a tone to his notes as he gets close to solving whatever problem he’s working on. Don’t quote me, but I’m thinking two months tops before he nails this piece of the puzzle.”

That was exciting news. I couldn’t tell her right now because I had to deal with Virgil, but this wasn’t just a piece of the puzzle he’d been working to solve for the past twenty-six months. This was the final step of a formula that could be a turning point in the war against the swarm. To get there though, I had to keep Virgil from burning himself out. Walking over to him, I trapped his arm between my full d cups as I put my arms around his waist.

“Hey lover boy, looking for a good time?”

I caught his smirk as he pulled away from his microscope and glanced down at me. “Helen, one of these days I’m actually going to say yes, just to see you jump back and stammer because I know you’re not serious. Was it lunchtime already? It’s only been...” He cut off as he looked up at the clock. “Damn, I guess I lost track of time again.”

“I know, but that’s what you have me for,” I chuckled. “Now be a good boy and come eat the lunch Kate got for you, then I’ll let you bury yourself in your experiments until six. It’s leg day and I’m going to push you hard tonight to work off some of that stress since you won’t take advantage of the hot coeds.”

“Helen.”

The warning in his tone just made me smile up at him. “Just saying. I know your reasons and can respect them, but you need to do something to work off the stress and stay healthy so that big brain of yours can keep chipping away at this problem. Go eat and let me keep doing my job.”

“Yes sis,” he replied, rolling his eyes before he glanced over Kate. “Kate, I’m done with this sample if you could dispose of it for me. Amy, can you grab the notes from this one and give me a comparison of this sample against sample fourteen?”

“Of course, Doctor.”

I’m not sure he realized he’d get the exact same response if he asked them to strip and bend over the table. Then again, knowing Virgil, he probably did and wouldn’t ask because neither of them had a high enough score to be a sponsor. His sense of personal honor wouldn’t let him because he’d feel they were doing it in hopes of a trip off the planet.

Two weeks later

“Helen, I think you need to come in to the lab.”

The tone of Kate’s voice had me worried. She wasn’t panicked, but it wasn’t far off. “Was there an accident? Is everyone alright?”

“No, no accident or anything, but he’s acting weird.”

I snorted out a laugh. Saying Virgil was acting weird was like saying snow was cold. “When is Virgil not acting weird?”

“Helen, you know I wouldn’t call if it was just his normal weirdness.” Her tone had gone from slightly panicked to mildly exasperated, which is what I’d been aiming for anyway. “Doctor Morris is sitting in the office.”

I stopped so fast I almost tripped over my feet. It was barely three o’clock in the afternoon and Virgil never left his lab early. Hell, most of the time I had to go in and drag him out and remind him to eat. I was already moving back to my car, my errand completely forgotten. The girls were sure to forgive me, considering it was related to Virgil’s work.

“What happened?”

“I don’t know. He was working on his latest sample when he hit the table and started swearing. Not the first time this week, or even today actually.” I just nodded, even though she couldn’t see me. Virgil did that a lot as he got close to his breakthroughs because those near misses really frustrated him. “We didn’t really think anything of it until he went into the office. Amy’s keeping an eye on him, but he’s just sitting on the couch with his head in his hands.”

“Shit, he’s hit a wall,” I sighed. “I’m about fifteen minutes out. Whatever you do, don’t touch him. I’ve seen this before and either of you trying to comfort him right now would freak him out. We’ve already talked about the why, and I may need you before we’re done, but just leave him alone unless I ask for help.”

“Okay,” she hesitated, “just hurry, please. We don’t like seeing him like this.”

“I’m getting in the car now and will be there as soon as I can.”

Hitting the button to end the call, I dropped the phone before hitting the ignition. I had seen Virgil like this before. It was six years ago, shortly after he’d almost lost his virginity and run into a wall built by his own moral compass and the reality of our world after CAP testing.

Six years ago

God, I needed to get laid. The two hours of presenting and defending my thesis had just been the climax of my spending the past six months buried in my prep work. I really hoped one of my semi-regular girlfriends was available because I was just about horny enough to hit up the campus bar if they weren’t.

Running into Virgil in the dorm common area brought that train of thought to a halt. I might have been able to ignore it if it were a student my age sitting there looking heartbroken. Having a family member die, or finding out the girl you hoped to marry had agreed to be a conk to escape the Sa’arm were just a part of life, but Virgil was just a kid. Okay, maybe not just a kid, considering he was only thirteen and working on four Doctorates, but a kid nonetheless.

Moving closer, I revised my assessment as I noticed the button with the bright green 8.6 on his shirt. The local testing center had started passing those out to new sponsors in an effort to bring people in when the state of California refused to implement the mandatory testing requirement. So, he’d recently turned fourteen and had chosen to go in for CAP testing. Damn impressive score, considering his age, but the kid was a genius and apparently had more going for him than I thought. He was still a kid though, and his posture told me something was broken, so I had to help.

Sitting down next to him on the couch, I put my arm around him. “Hey, cutie looks like you’re having a rough day. Want to find someplace private and talk about it?”

He sighed before popping the button off his shirt and flinging it across the room. “I guess I should stop advertising. Look, I’m sure you’re a firecracker in bed, but I’m not auditioning any concubines right now. Just, leave me alone, please?”

The bitterness in his voice made it clear what happened. A side effect of letting a fourteen-year-old boy test. They may be capable of reproducing, but they were rarely ready for the sudden increase of desperate women twice their age trying to jump on their dicks in search of a sponsor. I dug through my purse for a moment before slipping my CAP card into his hand, so he could see the 7.5 on it. “I’m my own ride off this rock, and while you’re an adult by Confederacy standards, you’re still ten years younger than me. You’re a cutie, but it would be like banging my little brother, so we’re not going to go there, okay? Was it Shelly Winters?”

He tensed up and looked over at me. “How did you know?”

I rolled my eyes and slipped my CAP card back into my purse before putting my arm around his shoulders again. “Before the president’s speech, Shelly was here on what’s known as an MRS degree program. You’re a little young to know the term, but basically, she was going to college looking for a husband more than an education. Now she’ll put out for anyone that’s got a CAP over 6.5 in hopes that they’ll remember her if they get caught in a pick-up. I know you don’t want to hear this, but Shelly’s really a sweet girl. She’s just scared about the future and doesn’t have any higher aspiration in life than being a wife and mother.”

“You’ve had sex with her, haven’t you?”

“Don’t hold it against me, but yes,” I chuckled, “and if I were caught in a pick-up with her, I’d choose her as one of my concubines in a heartbeat. Think about it, a concubine’s job is to pop out kids and raise them while their sponsor is out supporting the war effort. With the right sponsor, Shelly could have what she wants, so try not to hold it against her that she wants to see if you’d be a good one.”

He was quiet for a moment before he put his arm around me a squeezed a bit. “Thanks, and I’ll try. It’s just hard because it doesn’t seem like family means all that much anymore.”

“You lost your mom to a pick-up, didn’t you?”

“And dad,” he quietly replied. “Almost two years ago. They said I’d be better off staying with my gran and continuing my schooling, so I could make a real difference someday. They might have convinced me they were telling the truth, but I could hear their sponsor in the background yelling at his other concubine about how he told her before she accepted that he wasn’t picking up her brats. Don’t get me wrong, I was happy I had someplace to go, and I love my gran, but I can’t really talk to her about stuff.”

“My mom was picked up last year and took my little brother with her, so I understand how you feel. I can’t replace your parents, but I’ve got a lot of experience being a big sister, and it sounds like you could use one. So what do you say, can I adopt you as my new little brother? I’ve got a big comfy couch in my room that we can curl up on and just talk about whatever is on your mind. Be warned before you accept, I loved to cuddle with my little brother. It’s not a sexual thing, but it’s very intimate. You’ll be like my favorite teddy bear.”

He hesitated for a minute before finally smiling at me. “I think I’d like that, but could you maybe come with me, so I can apologize to Shelly? She came on pretty strong and I didn’t react very well.”

“We can do that, but do you mind if I ask why you turned her down? It might help if we can explain why you reacted the way you did.”

“It ... just felt wrong,” he sighed. “Like as soon as she saw my score she was more interested in a potential sponsor than me. Yesterday I was just that kid she passed in the halls. She was friendly, but I wasn’t important until she saw that stupid button. I want my first time to be with someone who likes me for me, not what I might be able to do for them.”

“So it wasn’t a physical thing as much as an emotional one?” He blushed a bit and nodded. “Tell her that. Let her know you find her attractive but you want to get to know her first. She’s a romantic at heart, so I’m sure she’d love to hear that.”

She did, and they actually went out a couple of times, but Shelly got picked up two weeks later by a Marine who let her be the housewife and mother she always wanted to be. He handled it better than I thought he would and was actually happy for her, but that ended his dating career. Virgil could never get past the idea that a woman would be more interested in him as a potential sponsor than as a person, even when he hit his growth spurt and I started dragging him to the gym with me. That was around the time I started to regret the whole big sister thing as well, because on his seventeenth birthday, I realized my new little brother was a hunk.

Present

I walked into the office and paused as I watched Virgil. It wasn’t as serious as it had been the first time, but he was definitely up against a wall. Thankfully I knew how to get through to him. Climbing up on the couch, I put one leg behind him as I put my arms around him then pulled, so I ended up reclined with his head resting on my chest, one leg behind him and my calf resting across his lap.

“Hey, cutie looks like you’re having a rough day. Why don’t you tell your big sister all about it?”

“Helen, is this really appropriate?”

I snorted. “Please, you think I’ve never noticed you get hard when your head is resting on my beasts? I’m not offended. Hell, I kind of like knowing I affect you that way because it tells me I still have it. This is about you needing comfort though, so spill. What’s going on?”

“I’m stuck,” he sighed. “It has been three days now and I just can’t get it. I’m so close but it’s like I keep running into a damn wall.”

“You’re stressed. Do you trust me?”

“You know I do,” he replied. “I know we’re not actually related, but you’re family. You’re the one who keeps me from going insane with all this. I think that’s part of the reason I’m so stressed right now, I feel like I’m letting you down.”

“It’s just a wall,” I reminded him. “You’re not done, you haven’t failed, and I know for a fact you don’t know how to quit, so you’re just stressed out. That’s why I need you to trust me. I understand why you won’t go out and pick up a hot coed for a night of fun, but that’s not the only option.”

“Helen, I love you, but I just can’t. I don’t know what I’d do if I screwed up what’s between us.”

I smirked as I leaned down to kiss the top of his head. “I love you too, and you’re right. We need to get your head back on straight, but we can’t change the dynamic between us by having sex. I have something else in mind though, because you really need to get laid already. The only question is do you trust me enough to let me set this up for you?”

He was hesitating, so I leaned down to kiss the top of his head again. “Please? This is hurting you, so it’s hurting me as well, and I won’t have any problem finding someone who wants you for you. Between the weights and Tai chi classes, you’ve turned into quite the stud, little brother. Nobody regrets the whole we can’t have sex thing more than me, so I’m going to fuck you vicariously by hooking you up with my hot friends. Let me do this for you. I promise you won’t regret it.”

Virgil turned his head to look up at me. “Is that what you really want?”

“We’ll discuss it after we’re extracted,” I said before leaning down to kiss him softly. “For now, you need me to be your big sister, so just say yes.”

“You know it’s really hard to say no when you pull the big sister card on me?” I just smiled and nodded as he sighed. “Fine, just no one who needs a sponsor. I know I’ll have to do it when we’re extracted, but I can’t get past the idea that I’m taking advantage of someone right now.”

“I promise, no girls searching for a sponsor. Now I want you to lie back and relax while I step into the lab and set up your first date.” He sat up, so I could move, then laid back on the couch and closed his eyes before I leaned over and hugged him again. “I need a promise from you as well, that you’re not going to freak out when you find out who your date is. She knows you, wants to have sex with you, is protected so she can’t get pregnant, and is not searching for a sponsor. You just need to accept her gift and enjoy yourself because she meets all your criteria, okay?”

“I’ll try,” he offered hesitantly.

“If that’s the best you can do,” I sighed. “Just remember two main points for me, she wants you, and not because she wants you to be her sponsor.”

He just nodded, so I kissed him on the cheek before getting up and moving into the lab. As I closed the door, looked over at Amy and Kate. “Thanks for staying so quiet. I’m sure you heard most of that, so the only real question is who gets to go first. The two of you need to decide though. I love both of you and I don’t want either of you to feel slighted if I choose the other.”

They were quiet for a minute before Kate reached over and put her hand on Amy’s shoulder. “It should be you first.”

You could see Amy’s surprise as she looked up. “Really?”

Kate nodded. “We all know I’m the house slut. If he wanted to pin someone up against the lockers and drill them in the ass, I’d be the best choice, but he’s a virgin. He needs someone gentle and loving his first time, and that’s you. Go make love to him for all of us, and I’ll catch him when he’s ready for something rougher.”

Amy smiled before stepping up and kissing Kate. “I have a better idea. How about both of us? You give him his first blowjob and I’ll make love to him. If he’s up for round three, he’s all yours. We all know what’s going to happen after the extraction, so let’s get him comfortable with the idea that he can come to either of us if he needs a little relief leading up to it. I mean, if that’s alright with you?”

That last was meant for me so I nodded. “You already know my answer. All I ask is that you keep it casual until the extraction. I don’t think we’ll be here much longer though. For him to be this stressed, he’s got to be right on the verge of cracking this thing and I’ll arrange for our extraction as soon as he does. Give me a minute to get him in the right position then you two can come and join us.”

They both just grinned as I walked back into the office. Virgil was still laying on the couch, so I walked over and ran my fingers through his hair. “Hey, lover boy. I’ve got everything all set up, but you still look a bit too stressed to enjoy your date. Sit up and let me give you a scalp massage to help you relax a bit first. I’d do it there, but kneeling in this skirt is a pain in the ass. The damn thing almost split when I had to crawl up on the couch with you.”

Virgil sat up as I moved around the couch then moaned as I started rubbing his temples. “God, keep that up and I won’t need to take advantage of some poor girl.”

“Don’t you dare back out of this,” I hissed at him. “She’s had a crush on you for years and damn near creamed her panties when I asked if she was interested in hooking up with you tonight. Her sponsor has already given her approval to sleep with you. You ruin this for her and I’ll kick your ass into next week.”

“Sorry, sorry, I’m just a little uncomfortable with the whole sponsor thing. I mean, I know you say she has one, but what happens if her sponsor gets picked up while she’s with me?”

I sighed and glanced up to see the girls waiting to join in. Nodding toward his lap, I waited until they were about to straddle his legs before I responded. “That can’t happen because I’m her sponsor, or their sponsor technically.”

His eyes popped open as Kate and Amy pressed their bodies up against him. “Kate? Amy? What’s going on? How is Helen your sponsor? Did you really seduce my lab techs and promise to be their sponsor just so I wouldn’t be uncomfortable with this?”

Kate rolled her eyes and kissed him to shut him up.

“This is why I asked you not to freak out,” I reminded him. “Just relax and give me a chance to explain, okay? Yes, I seduced your lab techs, but not the way you’re thinking. Remember that long weekend I took right after your seventeenth birthday? They agreed to be my concubines that weekend. When you needed lab assistants, I asked them to work with you because I knew they had the skills you needed. This right here is simply because they think you’re sexy.”

“But, how can you make a promise like that? What happens if you get picked up while they’re here?”

I sighed again. “Damn it, Virgil. You have two beautiful, almost naked girls in your lap and you’re still questioning? Okay, short version, do you know what a MAID is?”