Chapter 1

Franco Varizzi rushed out the door to work as usual that morning, determined to act as if everything was normal. It didn't matter that he suddenly had a 7.9 score on his CAP card. He still had to make a living until the Confederacy picked him up. He also didn't know when that would be. It could be days, weeks, or even months. His brother Giulio helped him get the job at the Chips retail electronics store, so he couldn't disappoint his flesh and blood. They also shared an apartment and its expenses.

Their uncle Carlo, a retired soldier of fortune from their native Italy, had already joined the Confederacy Space Marines and presumably earned a high rank due to his military experience and CAP score of 8.4. He also had six concubines, including his old comrade Aleksandr Vrzenic's 21-year old daughter Aleksandra. Neither of the brothers believed that they would be as successful at war as Uncle Carlo; that idea would be self-delusion in the extreme. Still, Giulio was a great computer tech and scored a 6.8 (points were deducted for a much lower libido, but raised to match intense loyalty, courage, and aggression).

Franco had lost his job with his father-in-law and been kicked out of the house by his wife back in Long Island, so he went from a top security post at Adler & Logan Brokerage to being merely a guard at his brother's workplace. Unfortunately, he had to start over, and Las Cruces was a good place to do it. He still needed a job to pay the bills and avoid deportation. Thankfully, his ex's trust fund made her an unsuitable candidate for alimony, but the law still required him to pay child support for Michael and Danielle until they turned 14. He didn't mind, but it was expensive and required him to keep working.

Admittedly, he was effectively damned in the eyes of the Church, but Franco had bigger issues. This Confederacy matter gave him hope for a worthier destiny. If he joined, he could find four women for regular breeding. The concubines wouldn't cut him off after the birth of a second child, as Rachel had. He wouldn't need to follow his family's tradition of "discreet adultery" for husbands, as he could brazenly sleep with whomever he pleased and the ladies of his harem would embrace it, not just look the other way. Best of all, he would be patriarch of his household, just as Varizzi men always were. If anyone was kicked out of the residence, it would be a rebellious concubine, not him.

Franco didn't discuss his eventual divorce with the women at work. It wasn't their concern. That changed when he learned about Rachel's addition as a concubine. On the same day, he was called into the manager's office to receive some kind of verbal notice. He was relieved that it wasn't an exit interview. Then again, the economy had improved with the prospect of evacuation and the threat of the Swarm. People wanted to stick around large public venues such as electronics stores in the hope of being extracted. They were willing to spend like there was no tomorrow, too, since there ultimately wasn't much of one.

"Sit down, Franco," Antonio Flores instructed his most effective and respected security guard, a man whom he expected to promote soon.

"Yes, Mr. Flores," Varizzi agreed with curiosity.

"I bet that you're wondering why I called you in. I have a question for you. Are you qualified as a sponsor or do you expect to become a concubine for one? I have meant to discuss your future with you, anyway, but this recent business of the Swarm pushed the timetable ahead for me. I want to know if training you for management, in light of your experience, would be worth our while. Security at a store like this is different than it is at a brokerage firm, but the main reason that I haven't promoted you sooner was to test your quality first. Be honest. I'll be sad to lose you, but I will understand a desire to escape Doomsday," Antonio urged him.

"Actually, I have a 7.9 rating. Check it yourself, Mr. Flores," Franco assured his boss, letting him see the CAP score on his ID.

"Well, that changes my tentative plans, but it also gives me some hope on a personal level. I have a different proposition for you. I'm sterile, which has rendered me unqualified for Confederacy service. This is embarrassing, but I have to be candid under the circumstances. My sister, Aurelia, is a widow herself. It's a sad tale. My wife Anita and I want her to have a chance, whereas we're ready to die fighting here at home. I have too much to lose to trade that in, even for survival. I'm too comfortable here on Earth.

"In any case, Aurelia and her daughter Octavia both need a sponsor. The girl is too young to qualify as a concubine, so she won't hurt your options. Furthermore, Aurelia's pregnant. Her late husband was the father, but he was killed in an Earth First riot. Apparently, he was a real fanatic about that cause. Don't worry, as my sister never shared his politics. To be frank, she's not political at all.

"She is an excellent mother and still quite fertile, unlike me. Then again, I had testicular cancer and this affected my potency. I keep urging Anita to find a sponsor, but she loves me too much. I confess that I would miss her a lot, and that's not counting her skills in the kitchen or the sack," Flores stated crisply. He was always a bit of a hard-nosed pragmatist and had a dry manner that one couldn't believe without hearing it in person.

"So, basically, I would take on a single concubine at your request, as well as her two kids? I wouldn't mind that, especially if she is as great a mom as you say. I miss my own children a lot, so being a father again isn't such a bad idea for me. I would still get three concubines of my preference, and she would free me up to select some younger ladies from here, since I would have someone who could keep things orderly," Franco answered, pleased at the idea. He personally liked Latinas, and getting one who could breed with him would be good news for him.

"That's correct. Thanks for agreeing to this, Franco. Oh, and call me 'Antonio' now. You're family as of this moment. You may go now. I imagine that you have some more candidates to pick, not to mention some actual work. People still shoplift, you know," Antonio said, shaking Franco's hand.

All of this reversal of fortune was too good to hide from Giulio, but this meant that other employees overheard it in the break room. The entire store was aware of their situation, which dashed the brothers' plans to screen prospective concubines based on their sincere feelings toward them. Because of this revelation, both of the Varizzis would wonder for a while if the ladies in question were truly interested or just using them as a way out of danger. One or two such convenient relationships would be okay, but the Italians hoped for at least one or two women who honestly liked or loved them.

It was not a long wait before every woman from cashiers to saleswomen began making sexual advances to the duo. Several of them had children, so the matter was urgent, but it was so abrupt that their motives were instantly suspected by the Varizzis. Then again, with so many advantages, why worry over the possible selfishness which prompted this interest? There was some wisdom (though not absolute) to the proverb about "looking a gift horse in the mouth". However, the Italian siblings didn't know if they could quite trust these local ladies during their absence.

"Well, now, if it isn't the future heroes!" Carolyn taunted the immigrants.

"Do you have a beef with Franco or me?" Giulio demanded, quite annoyed with the bitch.

"Let me see ... yes. You stinky, chauvinist manwhores, fucking around and slapping your women around like your fathers did back in the Old Country! This is not the Middle Ages! Go back to fucking Italy, if you can't behave like American men!" the bitter divorcee shouted at them.

"I'll have you know that I have never slapped a woman around, though you tempt in that sense. It fits, since you don't tempt me in any other way!" Franco mocked the shrew. He knew why her husband left her. No one wanted to live with a rabid man-hater like Carolyn Harquist, who even insisted that her hubby change his last name to hers.

"Don't blame me because Armin wanted his gonads back! It's one of the great things about the Defense Forces. They helped a man regain his dignity, and he wasn't even a sponsor. That tells me how desperate he was to be rid of you, that he'd rather be a stranger's slave than your husband," Giulio snickered at her expense.

"Well, from where he stood, I'm sure that it was a step up to be a concubine," Franco agreed with laughter.

"Hey, he has his pride, too, right?" his brother commented.

Carolyn started to slap Giulio, but Franco looked at her so severely that she felt the icy hate in his eyes. She turned and left the break room in a huff. The door slammed, but it was a pathetic act that wouldn't impress either of the Varizzis.

"It's a shame, don't you think? She's pretty, but she ruins it with her malice," Giulio pointed out.

"I wouldn't call it malice. It's more like spite. She's too wimpy for malice. It's all hot air on her part. If a man called her bluff, she'd bend over and take it in the ass. I'm just not sure that she's worthwhile in that fashion. It's all sour grapes, as the fable says. She knows that no one will pick her, so she attacks those who will reject her and pretends not to want it. I agree that it's a waste. Her beauty belongs to a much more pleasant lady. She frankly reminds me of a wounded possum, ferocious to the end. The whole 'womanizer' complaint is an example of someone who can't accept a world that doesn't conform to her world-view. She still buys into that monogamy BS, but probably thinks that even that doesn't apply to her in practice," Franco sneered.

"Well, I used to believe in that bullshit, but I'm past it now. Where does that leave me? I want to be a concubine, since I can't be a volunteer," Marta Borisevic interrupted the brothers.

"Wow, Franco, it's an offer I can actually consider! Uncle Carlo always told us about girls from the Balkans. Now I see why he likes Sandra. I want to see your card, of course. What are your results?" the nerd insisted, as the Macedonian girl anxiously handed him her CAP card.

"Hey, brother, I have a real contender now. She's not just a babe, but she's even smart and a suitable choice to knock up immediately," Giulio told Franco, before kissing Marta to satisfy his curiosity about her.

Instead of objecting to the sudden peck on her lips, Ms. Borisevic grabbed the computer repairman and lengthened the kiss by closing in on him. She gladly gave him tongue, letting the Italian make out with her without apology. Her long black hair surrounded his neck as she locked her mouth on his and slid her hands down his pants to grab his butt-cheeks.

"Damn, Marta! You're more serious about this than I imagined," Giulio returned the favor, fondling the Slavic beauty.

"Yes, Giulio, I am quite serious about being a concubine. If you'll have me, I would like to be yours," the Macedonian swore.

"You know that this would mean chattel slavery, for all practical purposes. You wouldn't have any rights or protections. The colonies aren't necessarily democratic, and certainly not where concubines are concerned. If you agreed to this, you'd be my property," Giulio Varizzi warned his co-worker.

"I accept that. If I can be with you at the pickup, will you take as one of your concubines?" Marta pleaded with the man who demonstrated his interest in her.

"Alright, if you are with me during the extraction, count on being part of my harem. I just thought that I would warn you, though I doubt that you're a troublemaker," Giulio decided.

"As lovely as this moment is, I still need to pick three more ladies and you still require a second woman. Since our secret is out, we might as well start actively picking them," Franco encouraged his brother.

"True. I am not as randy as you are, but I have an eye for the ladies in my own way. Two girls will suffice for me, anyway. I don't envy you the task of choosing that many women," Giulio laughed, now holding Marta intimately. The woman showed no embarrassment, since she was relieved to have found a sponsor.

"What about me?" another voice chimed in. It was a tall, slender, nearly androgynous young woman, who happened to be a supervisor in the checkout department. She was pretty, but her boyish hips and nearly flat chest left only her long legs as physical advantages.

"I hear that we can make some changes after extraction. No offense, but it would necessary for your safety to expand your hips. A few other such modifications will be needed, as lovely as you are in general. I don't want you to think that you're ugly. In fact, you're a babe. Those legs of yours are perfect. If you can accept the declared rules of concubinage instituted by the Confederacy, I will welcome you as one of my girls. You have flaws, such as your willful ignorance and ditzy mistakes now and then, but you're also somewhat adorable that way. Call it a quirk of mine, my soft spot for a scared young woman, but I'll take you as my number two," Giulio brusquely announced.

Janine Halder blushed, a tad stunned by the geek's sincere and insensitive candor. At least she knew how someone actually felt about her. It was also quite fascinating to see an Italian computer whiz (a combo she had never met before and which fit no ethnic stereotypes she had ever known) in action. He was a genius, if a tad less assertive and confident than his brother.

"That covers you, but I still need to find three ladies. On the plus side, I'm not picky about looks that much. Especially since they can fix any blemishes, as you said. I enjoy women, so everything from the test to the settling in and the breeding should be great for me," Franco said with an atavistic grin. He truly was a caveman in some ways, though he was as smart as Giulio.

He contemplated several possibilities, including Molly from returns and Erin from checkout. The first was a blonde with some fine curls and the latter was a sandy-haired girl with eyeglasses. Both had some benefits. There was also Ginger, a redhead from the relations area, but she had a known jealous streak. He wondered if she could rein it in enough to prove compliant.

Franco finished work later than usual that day, but couldn't bring himself to go home just yet. Perhaps he just didn't want to see his brother romping with Marta and Janine. Then again, he was also drawn to a female customer who perused the adult section. This was a lot more common now, since many girls sought to improve their skills in order to raise their odds of someone picking them up. In any case, this lovely Asian gal who stood topless in Daisy Dukes and sandals had a keen interest in Sapphic smut. He just hoped that this didn't make her a lesbian herself. Perhaps she was just thinking to life in a pod.

"You know, staring at my girlfriend won't do you any good. It would help if you approached her. We need a sponsor, anyway," someone behind Franco interrupted his ogling.