Chapter 9

For those of you who don't know much about Mars history, especially the early days, let me give you a little background. Mars is a big place, maybe not as big as Earth but then we don't have most of the surface covered with water either. Also we live mostly underground. There's also plenty of dirt-cheap power. Lots of space, lots of power and certainly enough resources for what we'll need for a long time. What we didn't have was people. Sure, Earth has an overabundance of them but it's too frigging expensive to move a lot of people out here. There are the exceptions, like me. They couldn't kill me so it was worth the cost to get rid of me. Like I said, that's an exception.

There are two way to build your population: immigration ― too costly to amount to much here ― or grow your own. Mars encouraged kids, lots of kids. Mostly through tax breaks, free schooling, free daycare and all the rest of that happy horseshit and for the most part Marsmen happily fuck away and create a whole bunch of the little ankle-biters. But it's not required, for most anyway. For slaves, it's required. That's right: it was the law. A slave owner was required to ensure, one way or another, that their female slaves became pregnant within two months of acquiring them and have a minimum of four children within the first seven years. If you don't, they could actually take them away and resell them. The slave population wasn't that large as a percentage ― maybe one in ten back then ― and that included the male slaves who were mostly working in the mines or other outside (read dangerous) jobs.

It's not a big deal for the kids. Slavery wasn't a status one could derive from one's parents. Any child was conceived a free Mars citizen. That's right; they're a citizen from the second of conception endowed with every right and privilege of a free Mars citizen! Believe me, we take it seriously here. We don't have much child abuse here and never a repeat offender; they're lucky to even make it to the airlock alive to take the walk. Mars-gov frowns on it, especially if you leave a trail of blood on the way to the lock, but I've never heard of anyone even being given a ticket for littering.

Back to the bad news (worse news?). The thing I had conveniently forgot (I swear I really did forget!) was that during "processing" female slaves had all contraception removed and were given an injection to stimulate fertility. That's right: the mandatory contraception the girls undoubtedly had emplaced when they were twelve years old back on Earth was gone. Keelin and I had been engaging in unprotected sex! I closed my eyes and waited for the explosion.

"I may be pregnant?" I heard Keelin ask. I nodded, eyes still closed. "Yes! Yes, yes, yes!" Suddenly I was tackled by a pint-sized fireball knocking me to the floor and doing her best to smother me with kisses. I was mildly surprised. Okay, I was shocked stupid. It took a few minutes but I was finally able to get us on our feet again although Keelin was still attached to my side like a leech.

"Ah, I gather you're not overly disturbed by this?" I stated the obvious.

"What gave you the first clue, Einstein?" Terry snorted.

"I didn't exactly expect this reaction," I admitted. Again she snorted as Keelin wormed her way even closer although I'm not sure how she did it; any closer and we'd have to share the same skin.

"So, you have to knock us up?" Ah, good ol' Eve bring me back to reality.

"Yes, I mean no, well sort of," I babbled. "I mean I don't have to get you pregnant, you just have to be pregnant. It can be done at the local hospital using artificial insemination. But don't go crazy just yet; we have plenty of time. I still hope to have you back home before it becomes an issue. Actually you don't even have to be home, just have your status changed by then."

"Hmm..." Eve looked at me through slitted eyes.

"When can I find out?" Keelin asked from somewhere south of my shoulder.

"What?"

"Find out if I'm pregnant, you idiot," she retorted.

"Ah, well, actually the med-stick will tell you." Med-sticks were standard household fixtures by then. Stick it in your mouth and your AI could tell you if you had a temperature, correct body chemistry and of course if you're pregnant. It would tell you within hours of impregnation. Suddenly I no longer had an attachment as she scampered toward our 'fresher.

"Well, this is an interesting twist," Terry observed casually.

"Look," I pleaded. "I really did forget. I never even thought about it." Eve looked at me with her head cocked slightly to one side, her expression strange and unreadable.

"Eve," I tentatively ventured, "what are you thinking?"

"Hmm, I always knew I was going to be someone's brood mare. It's strange to think it will really be happening now."

"It hasn't," I protested. "And I'll do everything I can to make sure it won't. Damn it, girl, I don't want to force you into anything like this."

"Eh, I could have done worse," she shrugged. What? We were interrupted by Keelin bursting into the room practically jumping in place.

"How long? How long? How long?" she shouted.

"What?"

"How long before I know?" she bubbled.

"Miss Tiernay," Sharon's calm voice announced. "I am presently compiling your data. Complete. Yes, Miss Tiernay, you are pregnant. Estimated time of conception, three days ago."

With a whoop Keelin launched herself at me and wrapped her legs around my waist and looked into my eyes.

"You're going to be a daddy," she said softly. "Is that okay?"

"Ah," my mind went blank. "Yes, it's okay. It's wonderful." Dammed if it wasn't. I was going to be a daddy! The kiss was the sweetest I could ever remember.

"Boy, did you screw up their plans," Terry chuckled.

"What?" I was still in a bit of a fog.

"Stackman's cabal, or whatever we're going to call them," she said. "You just put a major crimp in their plans, at least a third of it anyway."

"What do you mean?" I was still a bit fuzzy. Keelin looked over at her friend questioningly.

"The baby, Kee, the baby!" Terry smiled. "Even if they keep us 'dead' the baby's DNA will be registered just like ours. It will be proof positive the baby is your heir! That ought to put their shorts in a bunch. The question is do we tell them now or later?"

"I don't care about that," Keelin said flipping her hair.

"I know, honey, but you want to protect your father, don't you?"

"Of course I do," Keelin frowned and gently slipped her legs from around me and stood up. "I am worried about him but what does the baby have to do with it?"

"Maybe everything," Terry said. "If we're correct in our suspicions, our parents are in danger only if the heirs ― that's us ― are dead. If they know there is another heir it may delay their plans. As far as we know the 'rents are still okay, right, Sir Galahad?"