Chapter 1

John

John woke up feeling quietly confident. The fight with the Machine over his sex was over for the time being. He hadn't won - or completely lost - but he didn't have to worry about losing ground. Most people had come to accept him as a Machine-forced girl, and Marie as a similar boy. It would take some time for them to accept Stephanie and Clay in their new roles, but the Machine would take steps to speed that up. And that would help make them even more accepting of himself and Marie.

The dance was over and done with. All that build up and worry, and it wasn't nearly as bad as he had feared. Some limited drama, and one attack, but nothing like he had feared.

With all that behind him, he could just relax and get on with his life.

He couldn't have been more wrong.

Janey

By the end of breakfast, Janey was worried about John. It was not like him to badly misread both the Machine and his crewmates, but that seemed to be exactly what he had done.

While he was smiling and telling her about how well it all was going, she was seeing and hearing undercurrents in the room. Undercurrents he seemed to be oblivious to.

First, there were the comments. Not directed at him, but not hidden, either. With what she'd learned about the Machine's nocturnal nonsense, she was sensitive to widespread repetition of a phrase. When she heard so many people saying "What is with this "I" bull? If she's going to be a girl, she should just be a girl. Even Clay did that." all over, she was pretty sure where it came from. The Machine was keeping the pressure up, agreement or no agreement.

It was uncommon for John to misjudge the Machine to any significant degree. Janey found it disturbing that he had not only done so this time, but had done it so badly.

She was less surprised that he was misreading the other girls - and some of the boys - so thoroughly. He had gotten good at reading the temper of the others, as part of his "youngest of the group" defense strategy, but he just wasn't paying attention that morning.

The court was complaining about the dance dresses and bringing up the debacle with the printed clothes. They were also hinting darkly about immoral actions the night of the dance, and generally painting him as a disgrace to the girls of the ship.

Chad and Alex were having less success trying to spread their own brand of poison. But not for lack of trying.

Overall, the blame seemed to be falling on John more than the others. Janey assumed it had to do with his connection with the Machine, and the way he seemed to be at the center of so many of the problems.

Clay and Stephanie had not been really accepted. Clay ate at the same table with Marie, Penny, and the rest, as she had before.

Stephanie tried sitting with his old friends, but clearly felt uncomfortable. He moved to Ed's table, where he at least felt safe.

One thing Janey was not sure about was the fact that Alex sat at the court's table, next to Cassie. What did that mean? And Chad sat at another table entirely. And all of them gave John dirty looks through much of breakfast.

Marie

Marie spent part of breakfast musing on the strangeness of life. If it weren't so bizarre, she might even become jealous of the time and effort Penny was spending on Clay. A little more than a week ago, she had been a normal girl, and Penny was just a good - if amusingly odd - friend. By the end of the dance, that had clearly changed. Penny was treating her like a boyfriend, and Marie was feeling like a boyfriend.

Well, except for a few anatomical issues. And those concerned her. What effect would losing her boobs and pussy - and gaining a new package - have on the way Penny felt about her? Marie had been aware of Penny's taste for other girls since they were young, but that seemed to be changing a little. For better or worse, she seemed more happy with changelings - like Clay and Marie herself - than with most of the other girls. But she seemed to have absolutely no desire to change herself, and didn't qualify even if she had wanted to. She had misjudged Clay, but to be fair, so had Clay. Was she misjudging Penny?

She noticed that some of the boys seemed a little uneasy around her, and more so around Stephanie. She hoped that would pass as the events of the weekend faded into history.

She got into a discussion with Penny and Clay about recent events, as the three of them walked back to the girls' dorm. The discussion carried them down the hall, and in to Penny's room. As Marie sat on the bed, making a comment about the changes in the room, she suddenly realized where she was.

She was in the girls' dorm.

There were two possible explanations. The first, that the breeding program had started, didn't seem likely. The Machine had seemed to say that there would be more preparation first.

The second was that, due to her new designation, Marie had access to both sets of rooms. As literal as the Machine was at times, that made a certain strange sense. She was no longer a "B number" and therefore cut off, she was an "IB number".

They had an easy way to test it. They went over to the boys' archway. Marie stepped through with no problems. Clay tried, but was stopped with the force field and the familiar message. The three of them tried going through together, but only Marie got through.

That settled it. They said their goodbyes and went to get ready for PE.

At the end of that class, Marie was faced with a new dilemma. If she could go to either dorm, she could probably use either locker room. And either set of bathrooms. After a moment, she decided not to test that theory. She showered and changed with the boys.

John

Janey, John and Penny helped Clay with the unfamiliar exercises, gently teasing him about his new body and the meaning of those exercises. By the end of class, it was hard to tell whether Clay was flushed from the exertion, blushing from her newfound knowledge, or both.

John noticed that the rest of the girls were keeping their distance. He was not too surprised, attributing it to the novelty of Clay's situation. He was a little surprised at their reaction to Clay in the locker room. They checked her out, like they did each other, and were apparently satisfied that he was now thoroughly a she.

John noticed that they seemed marginally less accepting of him. He might not have noticed it, if Janey hadn't said something over breakfast. He still shrugged it off as a leftover from the weirdness of the weekend.

On the way to his next class, Marie caught up with him. He was startled when she told him about the arches, but decided that her explanation sounded likely to him. He would have to test his own access later.

At lunch, Clay mentioned that her class schedule had been changed. She admitted that it was going to be kind of strange going to class in the room where she spent her last night as a boy. And going to that particular class at all.

In History class, the Machine reminded them that it would be time for the annual Remember dance in two weeks. As always, it would be a costume ball. This year, each person would come as a historical figure.

When the colonists first came on board, they brought their customs and traditions with them. They were aware that their holidays were an important part of their emotional well being as well as a reminder of their culture and their past. Periodic holidays helped prevent burnout, and helped people keep a sense of perspective.

At the same time, they understood the need to make a clean break with conflicts of the past. So they decided on holidays with close parallels to their major holidays, one every quarter year. They decided that they would remain seasonal, and would be adjusted to the seasons of their colony world.

At the time they established the colony, they would set another holiday: Landing Day.

The four holidays were Remember, Light, Rebirth, and Relax.

Remember would fall on the Autumnal Equinox (or closest equivalent). It is a celebration of the harvest, as well as a celebration and remembrance of their ancestors and culture. Its traditions include costume parties, a harvest feast, and treats.

Light would fall on the Winter Solstice (or closest equivalent). It is a celebration of the end of one year and the beginning of the next; the end of days growing shorter and the beginning of days growing longer. Its traditions include bright decorations, with plenty of lights, and the exchange of gifts.

Rebirth would fall on the Vernal Equinox (or closest equivalent). It is a celebration of new life, the births of animals and the appearance of new young plants. Its traditions revolve around fertility symbols.

Relax would fall on the Summer Solstice (or closest equivalent). It is a celebration of the season of warmth, and the growth of crops. It marks the end of days getting longer and the beginning of days getting shorter. It also marks a time of year for enjoying the warmth and taking some time off from the frantic, necessary activities of the other seasons. It's groundside traditions include outdoor cooking and pyrotechnic displays, as well as a lot of relaxation. On ship, the cooking and displays are simulated.

The Machine went on to announce that each of them would be required to write a five hundred word biographical essay about their chosen historical figure.

John started thinking about a historical figure to go as. His first thought was to go as George Sands, but her tendency to dress like a man at parties would probably violate his agreement with the Machine. He figured he would come up with something.

The girls did everything they could to give Clay a proper welcome to the PACB class, by being unusually frank in their language and discussions, and making it a point to put her on the spot as much as possible. The Machine went along with their approach, or had planned something similar to begin with. Rather like the first day of class had been for the rest of them, John thought.

The lesson was a quick review of conception and early pregnancy, skipping over most of the details of how the semen got there. There was a little more information of common symptoms during the first trimester, and issues of diet and exercise. The Machine emphasized the desirability of early detection/confirmation of pregnancy, and a healthy prenatal routine.

After class, Janey stopped John and Clay. She told them to make sure they had nothing planned for after dinner, but wouldn't tell them why. They shrugged, and agreed to meet her in John's room.

After Physics, John went to his other special training class. He was surprised to see that Clay was now a member as well. They went in, and John went to his usual station. The others filled quickly, leaving one open and available for Clay.

John was positioned in such a way as to be able to see Clay's central screen. When she sat, she was directed to put on earphones. Her screen showed a variety of information, then filled with a picture of a brain. It became translucent, with the corpus callosum highlighted.

At that point, John's station came to life, and he shifted his attention to his own exercises. The patterns of the other screens had grown more complex, as had the patterns, information, and required responses for the main screen. He was lost in the exercise until the Machine told him it was time to go.

Janey met him on the way to their rooms. She seemed distracted, probably by what she had learned in her Psych class. She reminded him about the secret plans for after dinner, and would not tell him what it was about.

She also urged his to check his logs, to find out what people were saying about him. She assured him it was important.

When he got to his room, he kicked off his shoes and went to the interface. He ordered a purple t-shirt and some jeans, enjoying his ability to do so. He also got some trainers to go with them. He went to the recycling chute, peeled off his uniform and dropped it in. Followed by his shoes.

While he was waiting for his clothes, he took Janey's advice and checked his spy files. He soon forgot all about the clothes, as the comments got worse and worse. He expected, and understood, the bad mouthing from Chad and Alex, and the comments by the court were not entirely surprising. But the other people, people he expected better of ... he was shocked. He was talked about like he was more alien than the Others, and more powerful than the Machine. Over and over, he heard people asking why he didn't just get it over with and become a girl. And speculating that he had somehow tricked Clay and Stephanie into their changes, because of some perverted power trip.

The Machine's announcement that dinner would be in fifteen minutes snapped him out of his shock, and he quickly dressed. He found the jeans too tight over his crotch, and decided he didn't have enough time to fight it. He ordered a denim skirt with pockets, and threw the offending pants in the chute.

He was in his bathroom, washing off his school makeup, when Janey arrived. He got the door, then went back and dried his face.

She saw he was upset, and had a good idea why. "How bad?"

"Worse than I thought possible." he replied. Then all he could do was choke out "Why... ?"

"A lot of things. The rumors. The dance. The sex changes. The dresses, especially yours. Your new designation." She paused for a breath. "And the Machine probably did some of it. The phrasing is suspicious."

"But... ?"

"Chad and Alex pretty much hate you across the board. They think you're some kind of pervert, that you chose to change sexes, and that you talked Stephanie and Clay into changing sexes. They blame you for every time they have looked bad this week. To them, it is your fault that almost everyone reacted badly to their rants about you. You even turned Tony against them."

"No, I..."

"In their minds, you did. Just like, in their minds, you turned Stephanie against Chad when he was ranting about you and Marie."

She paused for another breath. "At least the Court hates you for things you did do."

"What did I do to them?"

"You upstaged their grand entrance with the prints..."

"But..."

"In their eyes, you did it. You provided dresses that upstaged theirs at the dance, including your own. You haven't been as deferential to them as they think would be proper. You have attracted attention ... attention that they think should rightfully be theirs."

"What about everyone else?"

"Well, the court is spreading those rumors about you, and Chad and Alex are repeating their rants. Some people were already uncomfortable with your abilities with the Machine, and then with your sex change. They might not really believe the rumors, but they make them even more uncomfortable. And I think the Machine is using the sleep learning thing to put the pressure on you and Marie to finish the process it started."

"Shit!"

"Exactly. You're screwed, and I don't see any quick way out."

"I don't even see any slow ways out."

"You'll think of something."

The Machine announced that dinner was starting, so they hurried off to the cafeteria.

Now that he knew, he saw it everywhere. It wasn't too overt. The only glares seemed to come from Chad and the court's table (and what was Alex doing there?). The smiles from some were shorter and a little strained. The rest seemed to work hard not to react.

He had a lot of work ahead of him.

Marie

Marie had a lot of things to think about. She'd seen her future, so to speak, in the person of Stephanie. He had a perfectly flat chest, but still had his earlier nipples and aureoles. In a fit of good sense Marie attributed to the activities the night before the operation, Stephanie had chosen a package that was somewhat impressive to look at, but not big enough to cause his partner unnecessary discomfort.

She later learned that he had asked that it be relatively large when soft (for show), but not expand much when erect. Sort of the best of both worlds.

She did feel cheated. Unlike the other three, she had not been able to experience sex in her birth body before the Machine made its debilitating changes to her whole sexual setup. She still had a vagina, technically, but could not get excited or stimulated that way.

But there was nothing she could do about it. At least Penny liked it, along with what was left of her breasts. A quick, lunchtime run to Penny's room had confirmed that.

Marie wasn't sure what had gotten into her. Other than Penny's finger. The thought of sex with another girl still seemed wrong. But she had jumped at Penny's suggestion. And she had gotten excited by the sight, smell, and touch of her friend's body.

She had seen that body a hundred times in the shower. But it had never been like that.

The kiss, she understood. A mouth is a mouth, and a tongue is a tongue. Penny could just as easily have been a boy.

Somehow, that thought wasn't as comforting as it should have been.

After lunch, she noticed the way people were acting. Did they suspect what they had done? Her guilty mind kept coming back to that. But she wasn't sure. Were they really acting all that different before lunch? She knew she could almost feel the chill when John walked into a room, and wondered whether she was just getting part of that.

She didn't understand John. <If she's going to be a girl, she should just be a girl. Even Clay did that.> She understood some of the reactions she was seeing; John's resistance even made her a little uncomfortable. Maybe that was all she was seeing.

Yeah, Maybe that was it.

John

John had never heard of a "wash and wax" party. By the time he got to bed, he wished he still hadn't heard of it. The first part was ok. Janey called up some basins, each of them changed into a bathrobe and thong panties, and the five of them took turns washing and conditioning each others' hair. The drying and experimenting with styles was even kind of fun.

Throughout the process, and what was to come after, they were talking, laughing, eating, and listening to a variety of music from the interface.

The waxing was an entirely different matter. First came the eyebrows. It was a small area, but it was like they tweezed half his face, all at once.

Clay was about to quit the whole thing, but they convinced her that her legs were a lot less sensitive. And of course, if she was going to keep going, he couldn't back out.

They were right. Sort of. Inch for inch, his legs were less sensitive. But they were taking huge strips at a time. The girls had already done most of the work on their legs, so when they volunteered to go first and prove their claim, there were few hairs for the wax to grab. Just a few bits of missed stubble. So he was totally unprepared for the feeling of the skin being ripped off of his leg.

They alternated legs, pouring one then letting it cool while they pulled the other. Once the legs were done, each of them got his or her legs rubbed with a soothing lotion. The only ones to really need it were John and Clay, but the others pointed out that it was also a moisturizing lotion. They reminded John and Clay that they would now have to work at keeping their skin soft, just like the rest of them.

Then they got to do something unique to John. When Clay had been remodeled, the Machine had removed her inappropriate body hair while she was unconscious. John had not gotten that treatment. So the girls all got together and did his torso - front and back. They were careful (thankfully) around his budding breasts, but the rest was fair game. Then they turned him over, and did his butt.