Major Anthony Williams was familiar with the use of avatars as visual decoy. Force field technology helped the illusion. Don’t try to fool dogs with avatars, though. We’re still working on the scent issue using a theme park trick—smellitizers! Dogs are too smart for that trick. Really! The funny thing is that the AI sensors can be fooled, but not dogs, not wolves, not house cats. Perhaps the AI were just faking. We humans do have fragile egos. The AI might have been faking for nefarious purposes.

“Why are you telling me?”

“I’m keeping no secrets from the AI. They might be able to do something about their shortcomings if those are real. Humans are deceptive by nature. Sometimes dogs will attempt deception. Cats do it more often. Pet primates are too human—deceptive by nature. Not that keeping secrets from AI is easy.”

“How do you know that AI can be fooled?”

“The recent aborted attempt on my life,” I grimaced. “The consensus is that it was an assassination attempt. I don’t think it was supposed to result in my death—just cause enough panic to remove me from public. If that’s the case, I managed to save Juan Guevara’s life because he succeeded in his mission without brandishing a weapon. I wonder.”

“Hold that thought!” Ricardo Corleone, my personal AI in physical form, emerged from a wall. “Four people not cleared for Project Eye of the Needle will enter in a moment.”

There was a knock on the door, but I had already identified the four people: Spots, Dawn, Victoria Williams, and Cheryl Post. AI do learn things. Spots was people even if she was a jaguar. I told the AI that they were people, too, and it took some explaining that they were ‘life forms’ within the cyber environment. One feature of ‘life forms’ is communications with other life forms. Just wait until I can hammer that viewpoint into the consciousness of a Sa’arm gestalt. I speculate that the gestalt would implode.

“Cheryl needs you,” Dawn said. “You can’t go to her, so she’s come to you.”

“I had a vision,” Cheryl said. “I died in another life.”

She explained that pre-cancerous conditions had been corrected when she was run through a medical pod to prepare her for her Moon Mice role. Cheryl had been kept busy publicizing a program to cure the world’s children of birth defects and incurable diseases and disorders. She also spent considerable time in the Selena Medical Complex running medical pods, providing aftercare, and entertaining. I speculated idly why Cheryl had been reminded of her mortality. If Cheryl became part of the Arc Dios crew, I would be required to execute her no later than 50 years after she had joined, if not sooner. Right now I was going to comfort her—along with the rest of my extended family.

Victoria was in distress because Spots was licking her vigorously.

“Spots, enough,” Dawn pushed the jaguar off and kissed the big cat. “I know you’re trying to help. Victoria is distressed and you are trying to comfort her by licking and grooming. She’s afraid of you because you are a big, strong cat and you could eat her up.”

“Why are you talking to Spots in English?” Victoria was calming herself down.

“That way you become aware of what Spots is doing,” Dawn explained. “Spots likes you. She was worried that you were scared. It didn’t even occur to Spots that you are intimidated by her.”

“She does get rough with Tom,” Victoria remarked.

“You should see how rough she gets when Tom puts on a training suit.,” Dawn said. “It allows the big cats to use their full power when play fighting and not hurt Tom.”

Victoria shuddered in fright. Spots emitted a low growl

“She asking if you’re okay, Victoria,” Dawn translated.

“I’m scared,” Victoria admitted, “but I’ll try.”

“When you have Tom’s daughter, you’ll be family and none of the cats will hurt you,” Dawn explained. “They don’t eat family.”

Spots vocalized again.

“Have at you!” I said as I leaped into the middle of the room. Spots launched herself, tail flagging, her ears erect, and we collided. I rolled with her until I was against the wall with her on top.

“You win!”

“What happened?” Victoria quavered.

“Spots was just blowing off steam with Tom,” Dawn said matter-of-fact. “Did you see that her ears were up? Whiskers out? Tail position? She’s playing. Ask Candy to show you the dog training videos. Most modern working dogs are playing when they’re training. The wolves are a bit uneasy about becoming weak and flabby, but they understand play fighting with dogs and they get along here on Arc Dios. Tony relies on his dogs. Sometimes he takes both.”

“Only Candy seems to be able to handle wolves,” Tony admitted.

“You could try to let them operate independently,” Dawn suggested. “Wolves are smart. Candy has been working with them. They can fan out and protect you while you do your job. When there’s something that they can’t handle themselves, the wolves will let you know. Tom has been doing that for the past forty years.”

“A few years ago I would have thought that you were insane,” Tony admitted, shaking his head. “When I heard of where you came from, I discounted you because I didn’t think you had anything that I needed to learn. I was wrong. I don’t know how Tom knew to make you part of his family.”

Dawn laughed.

“He took pity on me when my people sipped the sacred swill and sent their souls to the stars,” Dawn explained. “I had nobody except for Spots and her unborn babies. Tom decided to take me on as one of his concubines and he pressed the AI to accept me. I didn’t do very well on my CAP test. I don’t remember anything between the medical tube closing and it opening again. How did you chose your concubines, Tony?”

“Tess and I chose Tony’s six concubines,” Victoria said. “I took the houri course because Tess is quite persuasive. After I finished training and began teaching, Lilith explained to me what I needed to do. You were with Tom before he was here on Arc Dios. I was rescued by Tess because nobody expected a normal-looking nun. I learned that females were the perfect human gender and to be proud. The CAP test is sexist, but that was okay because at least two concubines would be evacuated for every sponsor. It’s more, and Tom has been cheating. Again. He has been collecting as many orphans as he can. I was advised to pick up as many other teachers—female teachers—as I could. And mothers. I picked only female concubines for the initial eight that Tony and I were allotted. I’d rather check out male concubines than live with them, and so we actually have more male concubines on Arc Dios than is normal.”

“Yes, male concubines can be fun,” Dawn agreed “I’d rather have sponsors for fathers even though I don’t know what the CAP test is all about. I’d be happy if I only had Tom’s daughters. How many children and concubines do you have now?”

“We’ve been awarded a total of 13 to take care of 65 children, mostly orphans,” Victoria said. “I lost two of my original concubines—they became sponsors. There used to be more children but six graduated a few days ago. All six made sponsor grade.”

“I’m here to be recruited in your assassination program,” Cheryl’s announcement shocked us men. “I can get the Earth-side agents trained. We already have almost three dozen recruits.”

“who told you women that there was an assassination program?” Ricardo asked.

“Women make the best spies,” Victoria claimed. “Have you forgotten Lilith? She says she’s a goddess. Who was with Sir Isaac when he vanished?”

“Bettie?”

“Bingo, Ricardo,” Cheryl answered. “If Sir Isaac believes that men can keep secrets from us girls, he needs to learn better. Minnie’s Moon Mice can go everywhere. I’m not able to pull the trigger myself—unless it’s a stinger, unless it’s not going to hurt anybody. When somebody is hurt, I want to make them well.”

“Cheryl,” I spoke carefully with a grin, “I’m not sure that I would like you to be involved in illegal activities. I’ll be committing criminal acts by removing Confederacy personnel from their duties—permanently.”

“Then don’t get caught!” Cheryl advised. “I trust that you won’t have anybody killed that doesn’t deserve it.”

“The most likely victims will be at the evacuation center located adjacent to Selena Medical Center,” I said. “Confederacy law proved inadequate for Colonel Johnny Dorman and his boys. DECO has some of the old school left over from the days before CAP testing. The problem is command authority failing to prosecute.”

“More like refusing to prosecute,” Victoria muttered “I lodged complaints about Johnny Dorman’s behavior. No response.”

“That was before Dorman interacted only with avatars,” Tony said. “Good thing, too—he ‘killed’ several avatars. He never knew that they were mere illusion. He stuffed the avatars in recycle chutes. When I complained about murder, I was informed that no charges would stick because concubines are not people. Besides, I was informed that the concubine was disobedient and disrespectful.”

“I see that I failed to protect--”

“Not your job, sir!” Tony cut me off. “I am responsible for internal security. We need a Master At Arms, but at the moment we don’t have anybody qualified. It was my fault that you were almost attacked during the conference. I was afraid that I would have to use the Omega device,”

“What’s an Omega device?” I asked.

“Didn’t you watch ‘Galaxy Quest?’ The Omega 13 device sends me back 13 seconds in the past for a do-over,” Tony explained. “I just drop through a portal in the floor and appear where I need to.”

“I’m impressed,” I admitted.

“What can you do with 13 seconds?” Cheryl asked.

“That was all the time I could get,” Tony explained. “I am the only one on Arc Dios who is authorized use of the Omega device. I get to use it only one time—there’s some issues with time paradox that I don’t really get.”