Chapter 53 - Unacceptable Responses.

Bright lights welcomed me. I was not sure how long it had been. I raised a hand to shade my eyes and looked around.

I discovered that I was lying with my head in James lap. He was stroking my hair and gazing down at me. "Meiko," he said quietly.

"No!" I said sharply. "I'm not hurt. In fact, I'm as far from being hurt as you can get. James, I have heard that women can pass out if they cum hard enough. I don't know how you did it, but I was perfectly primed when someone started licking me."

"Why thank you," Janice said. I lifted my head up to find that she was lying so her head was next to my right hip. "Although next time it would be nice if you didn't try to suffocate me when you cum."

I heard my sister concubines giggle. "Sorry," I whispered.

"Not your fault," Janice replied, waving a hand. "We did have you primed perfectly."

"How?" I asked.

Instantly, two large and fluffy feathers were held over my eyes. "Feathers," Brittany replied with a giggle. "James said the tickling while you were blindfolded would be the perfect torture."

"Yes, but torture isn't supposed to make you cum," Kitty replied. She sounded so much like a crotchety old maid that everyone laughed.

James held up a hand to end the laughter. "Meiko, I need to demonstrate to Colonel Johanes that you've been properly punished. Can you make like a meek concubine during a communications?"

"She just has to answer like you ordered during the punishments," Bethany said. "And at her usual volume. Colonel Dimwit will be sure she's cowed."

I nodded. James turned to look at the ceiling. "Colonel Johanes," he called out.

"What now?" the Colonel's voice growled over the speakers. "Are you going to accept my order and turn that insolent concubine over to Captain Entman for discipline."

"I don't believe that is necessary," James replied. "I have disciplined Meiko. She understands what she did and has accepted her punishment."

"Her accepting the punishment doesn't count," Colonel Johanes sneered. "I get to decide when she's been adequately punished."

"I don't believe I've received any word that a commander can issue such an order," James replied calmly. "Meanwhile, this is a courtesy call, so you can hear that Meiko has been punished." He turned to look at me. "Meiko, did I punish you for what you did?"

"Yes, master," I replied softly.

"Was the punishment a torture for you?"

"Yes, master."

"Do you understand what you did that was wrong?"

"Yes, master."

"Will you make the same mistake again?"

"No, master.""

"Unless you know it will result in the same punishment," Tina whispered in my ear. "I've seen you enjoying a cuddle, but that orgasm was fantastic."

Just then, my hands were finally released from their bonds. I brought them down to cover my mouth and muffle any giggles.

James ignored the interplay. "There you have it," he said to the ceiling. "Meiko has been punished and has made it clear she won't offend again."

"Did she?" Colonel Johanes growled out one last time. "Look, you and all the citizens here have been extremely uncooperative. You may claim that the regulations protect you, but I have already filed a couple of reports. I expect that you will be more cooperative in the future, or I will be filing formal charges against you."

"We will help as much as we can," James replied. "But it is not our primary mission and we really don't have many citizens with the type of training necessary to help you. Now if you are satisfied this time?"

"Not really, but I cannot complain too much. Or at least, I won't make a complaint to you since you will ignore it again," Colonel Johanes said with a snort. "Don't believe that I won't report this latest incident."

There was a moment of silence and then the speakers gave off the ping indicating that the call had been shot down.

James waited a moment and then bent down. He put his arms around my waist and lifted me up, showering my face with kisses. I was still dazed from the earlier orgasm, but I roused enough to put my hands on his shoulders and start to kiss him back.

"Hey!" Janice cried. "Meiko already got laid today."

James paused in his kissing so I leaned forward in his arms to put my head on his shoulder. "I did not get laid," I said with a sleepy giggle. "Nothing actually entered my vagina."

"Um, Meiko," Tina said. "In this case you should say that nothing entered your slutty little concubine cunt, but the problem with that is that you still had the best orgasm any one of us has had all week."

"Probably longer than that," I replied dreamily. "But I didn't get to give James pleasure. And I'm sure he hated punishing me."

"James orchestrated the whole thing," Janice told me. "And you couldn't see the smirk on his face every time you tried to bite back a moan. He had Kitty and Brittany teasing you almost from the start. I was sure you were going to complain about it."

'I was terrified of saying extra words," I admitted. "�Every time I did, I got hit."

"It was never going to hurt you," Tina said holding up a foam paddle. The device had several small holes. "This is what we were using. I have no idea where James got it."

"He got it out of a replicator," Bethany said. "I have to say it's an interesting design. It doesn't really hurt if it hits you, but it whistles when swung. I noticed you always jumped when it hit you."

I nodded. Then I looked at James. "Master, perhaps you should treat my sisters. They haven't disobeyed you and I'm sure they have needs after watching my punishment. They should not be punished because of me."

My sister concubines voiced agreement. Kitty and Brittany grabbed me from James' arms and started to shower my shoulders and neck with kisses. I found that my body was still tingling from the previous orgasm and playfully pushed them away.

"Aww, but we want to make you happy," Kitty mourned.

"My body hasn't recovered from the last orgasm. I think I should sit this one out," I replied.

James laughed. "Well, someone should probably watch all of the babies."

"The babies!" Kitty and Brittany cried at the same time. They whirled away from me and ran from the room.

Everyone left in the room burst out laughing. "We should follow," Bethany commented. "Despite everything, spending a few minutes with our babies is not a bad thing."

I nodded as all of us got up. I looked around and realized that I had been in the middle of the huge bed we normally slept in. James noticed my gaze as I started to walk backwards towards the door.

"It was a lot safer than my other options, and I could have the AI set up the restraint system," he told me. "Again Meiko, I'm sorry. I wouldn't have done anything."

"Except that Governor Dimwit demanded that I be punished and was insisting that his Mini Me be allowed to do it," I said. "I didn't even think about how everyone might react to my outburst. I just wanted to protect Brad and answer the question the marine had."

"Hopefully, the marine will talk to Captain Travis. Her ship does have a rabbit then?" James asked as we entered our living room.

"Yup," Brittany said. "One of the older bucks grew too big to be bred, so we gave him to them."

"We gave them a bad bunny?" Tina asked.

"No," Kitty replied. I noticed that she was holding a baby to each of her breasts. "He actually is a complete sweetheart and has an amazing color pattern. The only problem is that we couldn't really breed him. We did allow the crew of Cabo to pick."

James nodded. "We do need to be careful about that. I hate to admit, but I'm counting on the goodwill we are building up to help prevent Colonel Johanes from doing too much."

I nodded and put my arms around James briefly. He patted me absently before releasing me to go over by Brittany and look at Jamie. I used his inattention to find Madoka and bring her to my breasts. My daughter began drinking lustily as I wandered to a recliner and sat down.

Madoka only drank for a short time before she hiccupped and pulled away from my breast. I took a moment to burp her. She surprised me by not spitting up. Instead, once she was comfortable, she leaned her head on my breast and closed her eyes. I leaned back in the recliner and started to softly rock it.

I had closed my own eyes and was thinking about the day. A gentle touch on my shoulder got me to open my eyes and look up. Bethany was standing there looking down at me.

"James took Kitty and Brittany to the bedroom," she told me. "Tina, Janice and I plan on joining. Do you want to join as well?"

I shook my head. "I can stay out here to watch the babies," I admitted. "And honestly, I'm still tingling from everything that was done earlier."

Bethany looked surprised. "But..."

"But nothing!" I snapped. "I know that James didn't put his cock into me. That doesn't change the fact that you all made perfect and passionate love to me. I don't need more at the moment."

Bethany leaned down to kiss me on the lips. "We do love you, Meiko."

"I know," I whispered.

Bethany then straightened up. I saw her turn away from me and watched as she walked towards the bedroom. I simply closed my eyes and continued to hold my daughter in my arms.

I dozed for some time, with Madoka sleeping and drooling onto my chest. Then I heard a faint ping from the ceiling. "Concubine Meiko. Your master is asleep and someone is calling for him. Shall I wake him?" the AI asked.

"That would be up to you," I replied. "But if it's a non-emergency I can answer."

There was a moment of silence and then Candi spoke. "Hey Meiko, the ships that were visiting are heading out. Do you think James needs to know?"

"I don't remember any issues," I replied. "The ships were just here for a quick maintenance check right?"

"That's what I was told when I took over communications," Candi replied. "All three ships just needed a quick check of their armor and a chance to take a short break."

"I'm sure that was easy to complete," I replied. "Although, I'd be the last person you should ask about that. I never help on that."

Candi giggled. "No, you just tell idiots like that Captain Entman off. I swear that man is a complete waste of space. But thanks for protecting Brad."

The AI interrupted our conversation before I could reply. "Concubine Meiko. Citizen Alexis is at the door to the pod. She claims that she needs to meet with you briefly. James has not forbid her from entering. Shall I open the door?"

I looked up. "I thought the door was supposed to only open to James unless he instructed otherwise?"

"He changed that after we landed," Bethany said softly. I sat up and turned. My sister concubine was standing in the doorway to the bedroom. Her long hair hung down to her waist. I could see sweat dripping off her large breasts as she glided into the room.

"Allow Alexis to enter," Bethany said as she sat down on the couch.

"Why aren't you with James?" I asked.

"The kids wanted to cuddle," Bethany replied. "I wasn't ready to sleep just yet, so I thought I'd come out and visit with you."

The main door to the pod slid open as we talked. Alexis stood in the doorway. Her face was a mask of indecision and fear. Before I could invite her in, she inhaled deeply before squaring her shoulders and walking into the room. I could see someone peeking in around the doorway as Alexis walked up to me.

The woman dropped to her knees and put a hand out to touch my knee. "Meiko... Little One ... I have to apologize to you," she said slowly. "When I first escaped the barbarians, I was hurt. In my pain, I claimed you were oppressed by James. Now I realize that you were merely content."

Bethany giggled. I turned to look at my sister concubine. She had a hand over her mouth. "What?" I asked her.

"I remember one day back in our party room when Alexis was told you were content. Back then she didn't believe it," Bethany said.

Alexis nodded. "No, I didn't believe it. I couldn't believe it. For months, I lived with Manuel and his goons. In my mind, the male citizens just wanted all women to be sex toys. I couldn't imagine a man who was honorable."

"And then you saw how things worked here," I said quietly. "And noticed that James and the others actually have a lot of respect for women."

Alexis nodded with a smile. "Yes, but even more importantly, I noticed that the system worked. Meiko there is probably the best example. I can't imagine anyone, even his own lieutenants, jumping into a conversation to protect Lord Manuel. But we all just got to listen as one of the quietest concubines on the planet berated a visiting officer."

I blushed and squirmed in the recliner. Madoka whimpered slightly at the disturbance.

"Oh, don't be shy," Bethany said with a snort. "You did nothing wrong."

"I know," I said quietly. "But I wasn't trying to gain a ton of recognition."

"Attention, we have an incoming message drone!" Randi called out over the speakers, breaking into the conversation. "Preliminary signals indicate it came from Goslingat. The unit is transmitting that it has private dispatches for Acting Governor Johanes."

Alexis stared at us for a moment. I was stroking Madoka, trying to get her to go back to sleep as Bethany got up and walked over to the replicator.

"Aren't you going to wake James and let him know?" Alexis asked.

"Why disturb his sleep?" Bethany asked. "More importantly, what can he do about it? If he says anything, I'm sure the good and oh so understanding acting governor will be just happy to provide a copy of the dispatch to James."

"More likely he'll cite the request as another sign that James is being uncooperative," I replied. "I wonder if anyone involved in this whole scheme realizes that there is no way that Admiral Himmel will go along with it. And I know James won't accept any order coming from anyone else."

"But he could be brought up on charges!" Alexis hissed. "I'm not ex-military, but I understand that disobeying a direct order isn't allowed."

"Wrong," Bethany replied. "Disobeying a legal order coming from a lawful superior is a chargeable offense, but the situation here would have multiple questions involved. James and Yvette have protested a couple of times to Colonel Johanes, pointing out that he never officially took command. The command of the station is controlled from Borneo, not Central Command. That dispute is important, because if James and Yvette are correct, then every order Colonel Johanes gives is illegal. Also if a legal order would make you violate the military code of justice, it's your duty to disobey."

"But what about the chain of command?" Alexis asked. "If you can refuse orders, than why do we have generals and such?"

Bethany sighed. "Alexis how old are you?"

"Nineteen," the woman said. "But I wasn't going to college. I had the grades, but no money and didn't want loans, so I was working for an advertising firm as an intern."

Bethany nodded. "And I can imagine what kind of history education you got. Alexis, we don't have time right now for me to break it all down. I'd say you should trust James. If you have questions, Reggie would be a good citizen to ask."

"Reggie? Why him?" Alexis asked.

"He was a high school educator and later a principal," I said. "He can explain most of this. That's why we have him in charge of the nursery."

Alexis nodded. She seemed about to say more when the overhead speaker crackled. "I have received a message that you all need to hear," Colonel Johanes growled out. "I need every citizen from Ishtar to report that they are paying attention."

Bethany and I looked up at the ceiling. Bethany came back over and dropped onto the couch. She had a bowl of fruit in her hand. As we remained silent, she picked a grape out of the bowl and ate it.

I stood up and gently carried Madoka over to a crib. Astrid was sleeping peacefully in the crib. I set Madoka down next to her and watched the two babies cuddle together. Neither baby woke, so after patting my daughter's head, I turned and started to walk to the bedroom.

"Going to wake James?" Alexis asked.

"Why? I'm sure he doesn't care about anything Colonel Johanes might order," I replied. "No, I was thinking I should grab some clothing so that I can shower and dress."

"But what about the governor? Should I respond?" Alexis asked.

I shrugged and continued walking to the bedroom. Inside I found James lying in the center of the bed. He had his arms around Kitty and Brittany. Tina and Janice were next to the trio. All of them were slumbering. I crept over to the wardrobe and tried to quietly open the draw to retrieve an outfit.

My actions must not have been perfectly quiet because James raised his head. "What does the governor want?" he asked.

"More than he'll ever get," I replied quietly. I had found a neatly stacked collection of my clothing and was sorting it while deciding what color top to grab. "I did hear that a drone just arrived. I'm guessing the drone has some recorded orders that we are supposed to follow."

"It wouldn't be a legal order," James said. "The order doesn't come through the proper chain of command."

I had found a green top that James had liked in the past. I had to do a bit of searching to find a black skirt that would look good with it. Once I had that, I turned and started walking back to the door. "I'm going to wash up," I told James needlessly.

"The cuddle bunnies here aren't letting me go just yet," James said with a laugh. "But everything should be fine, unless the AI unlocks the doors dividing us from the governor."

"Per your standing orders regarding all linking doors, only two citizens can give an order to unlock the doors," the AI called out.

James frowned. "Volume control please. I have concubines sleeping with me and would like to avoid waking them."

"Awww, are you afraid we'll try to milk you dry?" Janice purred. "Is the big strong citizen afraid of his helpless concubines?"

I could not avoid giggling. My best friend was on her knees and leaning over Kitty. Her hands were under the sheet covering James lower body, and the way the cloth fluttered it was clear she had at least one hand toying with his penis.

My walk had taken me back to the door to the bedroom. It had remained open while I was gathering clothes and silently closed behind me as I stepped into the living room. There I found that Alexis had moved closer to Bethany and the duo was gazing at the babies.

Alexis noticed me as I turned to head to the shower to get clean. "What about James?" she asked.

"Janice has him well in hand at the moment," I said with a blush. I continued on my way as Bethany barked out a laugh behind me.

Inside the bathroom, I found the cubicle used to protect clothing. My outfit went inside and then I headed to the showers. Warm water started flowing the instant I stepped onto the final tile.

I found that I was a little lonely in the shower. Normally, one or more of my sister concubines joined me, which usually turned a shower into a time for play. This time no one joined me, so I concentrated on scrubbing dry sweat from my body.

I did not spend much time under the showers. The AI made sure that the water was the perfect temperature, but I was lonely and decided to finish quickly.

Once the soap as rinsed from my body, I stepped out of the shower. As the water stopped flowing behind me, I reached for a towel, from a service unit James had built into the bathroom. I gently used the towel to pat the wet spots on my body. Outside, I could hear a conversation ongoing.

When my skin felt dry, I retrieved my outfit and got dressed. The conversation I could overhear had become somewhat acrimonious and I was a bit worried about what was going on. I rushed out to find Bethany and another concubine trying to hold Alexis down on the couch.

"What bullshit order is that!" Alexis shouted. "You have no idea what any of us have been through!"

"You heard the order, citizen," I heard Colonel Johanes growl. "All marines on the planet are to report to the acting governor for evaluation. At the time, they are to bring their concubines. Are you telling me that you are going to disobey an order?"

"I'm still trying to figure out how the fuck some limp dick officer who lives on another planet in a system eight weeks away from here can have a clue as to what is required. Hell, you didn't even know what we do here when you arrived," Alexis growled.

I took a step towards the bedroom, but Bethany started waving at me. She was shaking her head so I walked over to the trio.

"Citizen," Colonel Johanes growled. "You are being insubordinate. You are to report for the evaluation or I'll order that you be retested."

"You are not authorized to order retests," the AI interrupted.

For a long moment, there was silence. "Did I just hear you refuse to conduct retests?" Colonel Johanes said. "AI, I am the Governor of Ishtar. You are to obey my directives."

"Incorrect," the AI stated. "When the colony was founded, a proper governor was required. When Central Command failed to appoint one immediately, subroutines selected a governor. Confederacy directives state that should the AI choose a governor, that decision cannot be overridden, except upon the death of the appointed governor, or proof that said governor is incompetent or treasonous. The governor selected for Ishtar has proven to be extremely capable. Your appointment was not binding."

My jaw dropped upon hearing this. Everyone on Ishtar knew that the AI liked and supported James, but none realized that it could get involved in this dispute. Bethany just looked stunned. "He can't touch us," she whispered.

"AI," Colonel Johanes growled. "Do I need to have you shut down?"

"This AI unit is based in the terraform colony unit," the AI replied. "Any attempt to shut down this unit or to override its programming will disable the air exchangers that provide breathable air to the colony. Death for all humans within the colony would occur within minutes."

There was an explosion of profanity over the speakers. This continued only for a minute and then the signal was cut. We all held our breath for a moment and then burst out giggling.

"I can't believe it," Alexis said. "I mean, it was clear that this scientist wasn't just here to perform research, but how could they have planned so poorly?"

"Think about how little they knew when they showed up," I said. "We all talked about how Colonel Johanes was a problem, but never really looked into it. Now, I guess we have a better idea. Was this about that drone he received?"

"Yes," Alexis said. "It included a recorded set of orders from a Major General Holdsclaw. He directed that all marines on the planet report to the acting governor for evaluation."

"I caught your response," I said. "Was anyone else listening?"

Bethany giggled. "Nope. You missed that conversation. Yvette was awake and led the citizens in a discussion while Colonel Johanes fumed that we weren't responding. Alexis was the designated listener for the group."

"And she did it perfectly," the other concubine said. "I looked over and realized that other concubine was Monique. She was kneeling in front of Alexis and stroking her legs. Alexis was looking down at her with a confused, but pleased expression.

"So Alexis said yes?" I asked Monique.

The young woman shook her head. "I haven't asked. I just came in to offer support when Alexis agreed to debate the idiot."

"Huh?" Alexis purred out. She sat up, pulling her legs away from Monique's hands. "Meiko, what are you talking about?"

Bethany giggled. "Not here. You should probably head off and get some rest. There will probably be a meeting tonight to discuss what we do in the future."

Alexis nodded and stood to leave. Monique jumped to her feet and grabbed Alexis' right arm, pulling her from the room. They left quickly, leaving Bethany and I alone with our slumbering babies.

I sighed into the silence. "I think I'll grab some more sleep out here," I muttered. "It's clear it's going to keep getting worse for a while."

"We can use the couch out here," Bethany said as she pulled me down to lie next to her. With her arms around me, I closed my eyes and allowed sleep to claim me.