Chapter 1

The transport ship's hold was filled far beyond capacity. An extraordinary number of people had just been extracted from the Queen's garden party. The noise level increased, a symptom of the rising sense of fear and loss as many in the crowd began to realise what had happened to them.

At Princess Elizabeth's suggestion, the Royal fanfare briefly calmed and quieted the confused group. Overly-loud instructions to sit down were immediately obeyed, but the noise level soon began to rise again.

As the marines struggled to maintain order, Princess Elizabeth and her newly formed entourage were whisked out of the hold and directed to medical. As they walked, Tracy showed some fortitude when she told the group - including the Princess - to quiet down. Elizabeth noticed and was thankful for that display of leadership, however small.

As they were one of the first groups there, they were quickly cycled through the medical pods. Elizabeth and her concubines John, Gail, Jenny and Heather were first. Tracy, Mandy, and the young, unattached brother and sister, Janice and Jeremy were second. All were finished before Elizabeth. Mandy was a late addition to the troupe, assigned as Elizabeth reached the transporter pad.

Elizabeth emerged from the medical pod, fully clothed, with the impression that no time had passed. The noise in medical had risen greatly, and efforts to calm and quiet the crowd were seen everywhere. She found her entire troupe huddled around her medical pod, all nude except for the two youngsters.

All of the adults were in states of distress over their nudity. Some had tried shrinking themselves inward and using their hands to cover themselves. Others were more resigned and, despite faces blushing crimson, were standing straight, arms at their sides. John was thankful that mortification was an excellent antidote to an erection. There was a vast quantity of exposed female flesh on display. He thought he would have died of shame.

When she asked Tracy how long they had had to wait, Elizabeth was startled when the AI responded in her head, "You were in the medical pod for 36 minutes." Tracy's response, less precise, longer, and more deferential, didn't fully register with Elizabeth. The AI in her head continued, "You are to proceed with your party to your housing pod. Follow the glowing yellow line, please."

"John," said Elizabeth, "the AI wants us to go to our housing pod. The yellow line will lead us there. Will you go first, please? Gail, will you see that none of us gets lost along the way?" With a nod, John led them off. Some in the group found it difficult to walk while bent forward and trying to hide their bodies. The corridor was empty and, after a short distance, the crowd noise completely subsided. In the silence and suddenly alone, some were at least able to walk more upright. Soon, the bright yellow glow ended at a doorway.

John tried to find a door handle or other means of opening the door, to no avail. "How does one open this door?" he said. There was no reply. After a brief wait, Elizabeth approached the door. Finding no apparent opener, she said, "AI, how does this open?" The door silently slid open. Elizabeth stepped through a spacious foyer into a large room. The rest of the group followed. The door remained open.

"AI, please close the door," said Elizabeth. Showing some exasperation, she said, "It is customary to close doors after use. It is customary to turn off lights after use. Are you able to do that sort of thing without us having to ask?"

"I am," the AI said in her head. "Do you wish me to do so?"

"I do," answered Elizabeth. "I should also like you to speak to the room unless it is apparent that I mean otherwise. I also noticed that you did not respond to John."

"Acknowledged," the AI intoned over room speakers. "Unless instructed otherwise, I only respond to sponsors."

Elizabeth said, "In a few minutes, I should like you to lead us on a tour of our new home. When it is time, I should like to begin the tour with an explanation of the rules for interaction between yourself, me, and the rest of us."

"Acknowledged," the AI replied.

Elizabeth turned to the group. "First, I think we need to spend just a few moments together. We all awoke this morning in a different world. We are now all that there is of our family. Most, or all, of the rest of our family is gone. Please join me in the first new-family hug. I hope you can hold out for a while before the enormity of what we have done settles in."

They all came together. The hug was warm and comforting, although some still blanched at the touch upon their bare skin. Some sniffles and a few tears were shushed away with murmurs of support. The hug ended.

"AI," Elizabeth said, "when we finish our tour, I should like us all to be able to sit comfortably as a group so we can talk."

"This room will be configured to suit your need. The seating will be ready when the tour is finished."

As requested by Elizabeth, the AI led the tour with commentary about how to live in the pod and how to deal with the AI. Elizabeth unblocked constraints by the AI against her concubines as they were discovered. The main floor was shown to have an office, the living room they had just left, a fully equipped kitchen with a replicator and eating area, a large full bathroom, the master bedroom, and a number of closets and storage areas.

The AI showed and explained the use of the lift. The adults went upstairs. The children found the lift to be their first toy. They went up and down repeatedly while the adults were shown the layout and use of the upper level. Jenny finally herded the children into the playroom. When they began to grasp the capacity of the AI to entertain them, the kids were nearly apoplectic with excitement. After calming them down somewhat, the adults left the kids to play whilst they adjourned to the living room.

When they returned to the living room, they found furniture in something of a rectangle, two four-person sofas facing each other and two two-person love seats facing each other. Some of them were still in distress over their nudity, and covered themselves as fully as possible. The group slowly resigned themselves to their fate and relaxed their hands.

When they had all settled in, Elizabeth said, "All of us know the story of what usually happens in the pods. The sponsor - a man - guides his concubines - women - into the pod. They don't know him. They don't know each other. Regardless, they immediately all go straight to bed. The women gladly take him into their bodies. He fills them with his seed, one after the other, over and over again, a perpetual orgy, and they all live happily ever after."