Chapter 55

Dearest Willow and family,

Violet reminded me with her last letter that there really are other people there with you. I've sent up a suggestion to every command that I have contact with that they make sure that the concubines of the various Soldiers and Seamen (are Space Navy members still Seamen?) are kept in the information loop.

I suggested that until we could prove otherwise that we treat such communication as if the Sa'arm didn't hear it. I suspect that the reason that spouses have been left out of the loop as far as what is happening to their family. I also suggested that we in the diaspora should read that to mean concubines. Whether or not the suggestion of one lowly Signifer will make any difference in the bureaucracy or not I have no idea. I'm fairly certain that the reason that your family hasn't been informed in a timely manner with regard to your status is the age old wisdom that loose lips sink ships.

It is well to remember that last. That is because I don't imagine that the attitude of the bureaucracy will change that much, unless we can have hundreds of years of proof that the Sa'arm ignore our communication. So as much as I hate to say it I have to say that it will most probably be a long time before the family of Soldiers and Sailors in the Confederacy Armed Service get timely information with regard to what their husbands, owners, and fathers are doing.

I did take Violet's letter to my supervisor, but that was more to explain why I felt that it would be a bad idea for me to be on a cruise at this time. It seems that the Governor intends to send a Civil Service Officer to Earth on the next available ship (even if it is the Autocar) to beg, borrow or steal a pod on a ship headed our way to use as a barracks to transport as many concubines as they can stuff into it. There is definitely a shortage of concubines here without the stupidity of those who have managed to have concubines die. I did get the Governor to agree that anyone who had broken their toys did not get to pick new toys. For now that is the best I can do. Though if we do have a Civil Service Brothel I did suggest (and get approved) that anyone who injures a concubine candidate there will be immediately given a CAP reevaluation. That has been broadcast to the ships that visit our space as well. Not all of them are pleased with that pronouncement, but as he told them any failure to obey our laws would result in a denial of shore leave the next time the ship was in port. That may not have stopped the grumbling but it did seem to bring at least the ships' captains into line.

I also forwarded a suggestion to whoever may pay attention to it that future births include at least one male for every three females. I'm sure that this is the second time I've made that suggestion. But it bears consideration, after all we can expect quite a bit of attrition in the ranks of the males due to the ravages of war. Ron and I share five women and even though they are all enthusiastic about entertaining one another I can say that even one more would make it seem like we had a shortage of penises in our household. You might wonder why I'd say that. The simple fact is that two women keep me quite well worn out. Luckily it seems that there is rarely a time when more than two want to be with me. Once in a while we do have an all out orgy, but believe it or not those are becoming somewhat rarer. First of all an orgy takes a lot of energy, and second, both Marissa and I seem to work at least eight hours six days in a row. The Governor seems to have listened to someone on that note, though I'm embarrassed to say it wasn't me, and now our offices will lock us out on the seventh day if we forget. Not everyone has the same schedule of course but that doesn't matter as the AI controls the door except in an emergency. I swear getting that past the AI caused the gnashing of metaphoric teeth. It didn't want to admit that there could ever be a time when it wasn't able to respond to our needs. The governor pointed out the situation that occurred on Quay, and the fact that we do have temblors, eventually the AI let us install fail safes.