Chapter 15 - A Small Party

In the end though, we were listening to Craig spin a tale of a fraternity initiation he had heard about at the college he attended, when the AI chimed in. "Sorry to disturb, but the tunnel extension has just merged with the tunnel for Yvette's pod. She requested permission to visit when the tunnels connected. Shall I pass on permission?"

I looked around and realized that the pod was a bit crowded with everyone, and liable to become more crowded. I looked over at Tiffany and Tamara and could see a hint of unhappiness at the thought of having to return to their own pods. Finally I looked over at Bethany.

"Bethany, do you think we can take in Yvette and all her family, plus most likely Donna and Terrence's households once the tunnel extends to them?" I asked.

She looked around and smiled. "I'll have to put my skirt and top back on, but I think we can accommodate that many. You have enough games, and the children will be thrilled by the rabbits."

I nodded. "Go ahead and give her permission. Just let me know when she arrives at the outer door," I told the AI.

The twins both smiled brightly when they realized that I was not going to send them home. I ended up receiving hugs from both, but fended off a kiss from Tamara before I could pull Brittany over to whisper in her ear. "Brit, you know the rabbits best. I'm going to ask you to watch out for them because I know that Yvette's children are going to want to see them. Let them look and pet through the cages, but I wouldn't let then handle any of the rabbits today. The rabbits have been through a bit much."

She smiled and kissed me on the cheek. "And do I get you in bed later for doing this?"

I gave her a mock glare and whispered lovingly. "Perhaps I'll let Tina have her way with you instead."

Brittany smiled as she bounced away, stopping only to give Tina a long and extremely close French kiss before dashing out of the room with a giggle. Tina gave me her own glare before laughing and joining Janice in reviewing the game options and discussion what might be best for the children to try.

"Thank you"

"For letting"

"Us stay," the twins chimed. I could see Craig and Marilyn both roll their eyes, but neither protested the reappearance of the tandem talking. Instead, Marilyn insisted that Tiffany explain the game we had been playing. She grabbed Tiffany and demanded a walk through while Tamara stood there in shock. I watched the interchange and laughed.

Craig seemed a bit surprised by my ease and asked me. "You're really not upset by all these people?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Everyone has been trapped in a tiny pod for two weeks. If helping them get out means my pod is invaded for a day, I'll live with it. As long as my concubines don't mind."

As I finished, Meiko climbed up into my lap and glared at me for a moment. She then ruined the impression that she might be mad by putting her lips to mine and trying to suck all the air out of my lungs, finally releasing me because she could hold her breath no longer. I sank back into the chair half lifeless.

"Damn girl," I heard Jillian say. "I've heard of the kiss of death, but never seen one given."

Meiko must have smiled because there was laughter around me as I sucked air back into my lungs and tried to sit up. It took a moment but I pulled myself together. "Wow! Someone get the license of that train," I quipped as I hugged Meiko to me.

Craig laughed at the comment. "I don't think she has any complaints."

I gave Meiko a squeeze and smiled. "Sure she does. I don't make love to her often enough," I said, earning myself a playful smack and another long kiss.

Tiffany was laughing as the AI chimed in. "Yvette and her household are at the door."

I struggled a moment to get my feet under me and stood up, with Meiko holding tightly to my chest. Once I was on my feet, she slowly extended her legs and stood up, letting me go.

As soon as I was free, I walked over to the door. I signaled for the AI to open it. As the door opened I found myself facing Yvette, and her four concubines. Yvette was wearing a nice sundress, while her concubines were wearing the gray shifts provided the first day on board. The children stood back in the hall a short distance, watching Marie carefully.

I smiled. "It's good to see you Yvette, Tiffany and Tamara have been here for a couple hours."

Yvette shrugged. "We should have placed my pod just a bit closer to yours. My tunnel connects to the main passage at a three-way intersection, and the passage was not pressurized until both the recreation hall and Shawna Summer's pods were added."

"Should we invite Shawna then?" I asked. "I'm sure she would love to meet us."

"Do you have space?" Yvette asked, looking at something behind me. I turned around to see Brittany looking out from the passage leading to the rabbit pod, while Jillian and Paula were peeking out from my pod. I laughed momentarily.

"Well, a back yard or patio would be nice, but I'm sure we can make the space work. After all, we have a pod for rabbits that has plenty of spare space if we really need it," I replied.

I could see Marie about to speak and held up my hand. I waved to Brittany who came forward. "Marie, I know you want to see the rabbits. Brittany here can take you and any others to look at them, but they are still getting over the fright of the ride down, so can you make sure the children listen to Brittany and be gentle?"

Yvette just smiled and nodded as Marie burst into a huge smile. She waved to the children and followed Brittany into the rabbit pod. The children followed with a happy cheer and their cries of "how cute!" echoed through the corridor.

Yvette just laughed. "They need that," she said. "It's been so hard on the children with no place to run and play.

"Damn, that's what I didn't think of. A playground for the children," I said. "We could have used one of the pods for that."

Philippe snorted and then looked at Yvette for approval to speak. At her nod he spoke up. "With the school, the recreation hall, and your multi-use hall which can handle dances and maybe broomball or indoor soccer, I think we'll keep the children tired out."

I smiled and then offered to lead Yvette and her remaining household into my place. Nathan and Philippe smiled and began to walk to the room, as Yvette put her arm around Esther and walked forward holding her close. I smiled as I saw Esther's hand lovingly caressing Yvette's ass.

The greetings inside were friendly. Yvette had previously met Tamara and Tiffany's concubines, and it was clear that Craig, Philippe and Nathan had spent some time in conversation as the trio found a quiet corner to talk privately. Esther stayed close to Yvette, and said little as the twins tried to talk her into trying out the racing game. Meanwhile, I called out to the AI. "AI, if the path to Shawna Summers is clear and she can come visit, please extend to her an invitation to come and join us. And can you give me a progress report on the tunnels."

"The tunnel extensions to the hydroponics pod and to the pod of Donna Dixon will be completed in about one hour. After that it will be about eight hours before any additional citizens can be hooked in, as the tunnels through the colony center need to be completed. Shawna has said she will come, but it might be a while. One of the children in her pod is frightened and needs to be coaxed into coming out," The AI said.

"If it helps offer to let Shawna's pod hear the cheerful children over in the rabbit pod, that might coax the child into coming out," I mused. "What about the other sponsors?"

The AI continued its report. "The sponsors on the north side of the enclave are connected, but have not left their pods. Terrence has contacted the people near him, but they are on the far side of one of the connections to the center and that tunnel will not be pressurized for twelve hours. He is considering having a small gathering at his pod since they cannot come here."

Yvette smiled at the announcement. "That sounds good. If Donna is willing I think we can squeeze her and her concubines in here for one big party. If you have no problem with that James."

I looked around and started counting the number of women to men in the room. I made it painfully obvious to everyone, and then made a big show of counting again before shaking my head. "Guys, I'm afraid we are already hopelessly outnumbered, and the women are calling in reinforcements," I called out. "AI, please extend the invitation to Donna as well."

There was a general laughter in the room and Bethany walked up to me, to look me in the eye. There was a short pause and then she pulled me in for a loving kiss. "Beast," she said with a smile after the kiss ended and she backed away.

The male concubines laughed and invited me over for a talk to commiserate about the pitfalls of being around so many women. I went over with four beers, but before we completed one round of toasts to manhood, Yvette, Esther, Tiffany and Tina broke up our little circle; each coming over to their man and dragging him away with kisses and giggles.

Everyone gathered around the racing board but this time I let Janice explain the game. I bowed out of the round, as I wanted to be free when Shawna arrived. This did not hurt the game though, as all ten starting positions were quickly filled and the race started. Yvette had decided to watch with me and soon was laughing at the bluster and boasts each person used during their turns. I was counting people and considering getting another game started when the AI chimed. "James, Shawna has arrived with her concubines and two children."

I turned to head out to greet her and Bethany appeared at my side. She had been playing the game, but once again her aggressive play had resulted in a crash that removed her from the game, to Nathan's amusement. Of course, Nathan did not have much to crow about because Janice and Tina had jumped out to a huge lead and he was now fighting with Meiko to remain in third.

I arrived at the door and it opened to reveal a young lady who looked every bit the part of social studies coed. Her outfit was a bit modest, but would not have seemed out of place on any college campus. I greeted her with a smile as Bethany stood just behind me.

"Hello, I'm guessing you are Shawna. I'm James and I'd like to welcome you to Ishtar and our new home," I said with a bow.

Shawna just smiled, but the older Hispanic lady behind her laughed loudly. "Say that again in Spanish senor," she said.

I shook my head and looked beyond Shawna for a moment. Her household accompanied her on this trip. The man was young and muscular, but had a humble demeanor. The Hispanic woman probably rivaled Bethany in age, and was holding onto two children who appeared to be about eleven. The boy had a huge bruise over one eye and seemed a bit frightened.

Shawna saw my gaze and smiled. "I guess I can introduce my household first," she said with a smile. "David of course plays the stud. And Marina over there has been very helpful with keeping house. The children are hers, Jose and Lupe. Unfortunately Jose got bounced around a bit during the landing."

I nodded. "I can see that, but I think we can repair some of the damage," I said. I turned back towards the other pods and shouted. "Brittany, can you peek out and collect two more for the petting zoo?"

I heard a couple of mournful responses, but a moment later Brittany peeked out from the rabbit pod, holding a small rabbit in her hands. "Send them on over," she called back. "We found that your little man Harpo wanted some attention and we're letting him run around on the floor."

The children looked confused, but then Lupe spotted the rabbit Brittany was holding and rushed forward with a joyful cry. Jose hissed, but upon realizing why his sister was running followed with his own cry. They disappeared back into the pod where more happy cries could be heard.

I watched them go and then looked back to see the shocked looks on the faces of Shawna and her concubines. "Did I just see...?" Shawna started to ask.

"A bunny? Yes you did. That pod dropped with fifty-six furry colonists. Hopefully we'll have more shortly, but the ride down scared them and some of the does might not give birth," I replied.

David seemed ready to say something, but I then held up my hand. "Anyways, where are my manners, forcing you to stand outside when the refreshments are inside. Come, follow me and we will get you settled in and introduce you to your neighbors."

Shawna followed as I walked the short distance back to my pod and entered. Once inside I found that Yvette, Tamara and Tiffany were all waiting in the main room. Bethany noticed and with a nod she quietly led David and Marina into the game room, which was ringing with laughter.

"Sorry we"

"Thought it"

"Best if"

"Shawna meet"

"The sponsors"

"First" the twins said, back in their tandem cadence.

Yvette shook her head, but refrained from laughing. "Donna is going to flip when she arrives, if you keep doing that," she said with a smile.

Shawna seemed surprised. "Donna isn't here?" she asked.

I sighed. "The AI says her pod will be connected in about an hour, and I've already invited her and her concubines over once the tunnel is pressurized."

Yvette smiled. "Meanwhile, you can meet most of the rest of the council. Terrence is trapped on the other side of one of the main tunnels and won't be connected in for a day. I'm Yvette, and the twins are Tamara and Tiffany."

"Which is which?" Shawna asked.

I looked over at the twins who shrugged. Finally the one on the right spoke. "I'm Tamara, and she's Tiffany. Don't worry we don't pull any switches or anything. Just when we're together we sometimes finish each others thoughts."

Shawna smiled. "So, all I was told was to study command post functions. I'm a bit confused. What is the plan?"

I watched Yvette and the twins turn to look at me and I sighed. "I guess that's my cue," I said, sitting on one of the chairs and inviting the others to do so also. "When I realized what we were in for, my first goal was to protect my concubines, but I could see that there were also other sponsors who didn't appear to go along with Ruth's games. Right now the colony is still in the process of automatically setting up, but soon everyone will find that our group of twenty sponsors and their households are isolated from the colony center. On this side, we have all the items we need to run the colony, and keep everyone happy, so the goal now is to survive the fights that are coming and keep the colony running. The AI agreed to give us an alternate command post, so that we don't have to go into the colony center to run things."

Shawna looked thoughtful and then looked up. "So Ruth..."

Yvette nodded. "When the tunnels finish extending we will only have one that connects to the center of the colony and it has three locked pressure doors along its length. Ruth shouldn't be able to get in without a fight, and we don't have to enter the colony center for anything."

I could see Shawna shake a bit in fear, but then she looked up. "But why command post duties?" she asked.

"Because, the AI agreed to allow us to have the real command post on this side of the pressure doors," I said. "As long as we keep it manned at all times with two qualified people, we never have to enter the colony center."

Shawna seemed surprised. The twins smiled and Tamara spoke. "It works well for us. We have everything we need on this side. The ship had seven extra pods and James claimed all seven. We have the armory, a medical unit, and defense lasers to use against the Sa'arm . And then we also have a recreation hall, a school and a room for meetings and dances." She paused and looked at me. "What is the last one for, James, you never said."

I shrugged. "I never talked about it because I don't want people getting too excited. The AI agreed to attempt to alert the military about a desire for seeds to grow plants on the surface once the terraforming is complete. That pod is going to be set up as a hydroponics center to help grow the seeds until the ground outside is ready for them. But I am not sure how many seeds we'll get."

Yvette gasped. "I never thought of that, but this planet is basically just a rock once the acid is leeched out of the air."

I nodded as the other girls looked on me with awe. "I thought we might want something better than just rocks to look at in the future," I said with a shrug. "But until we start getting deliveries of seeds, I wanted to keep it quiet."

Shawna was smiling. "It sounds much better than I expected. After that briefing back on the ship, I was terrified. Ruth and her friends seemed to have so much power, and what they did on the ship..."

This time is was Tiffany who spoke with a growl. "They won't do that here. We'll be ready if they try!"

The rest of us laughed, as Tiffany blushed realizing what she had just said. Just then the loud cheers from the game room reminded us that there were others to talk with. We stood up and Yvette looked at me. "Can we do a quick visit to the rabbits? I haven't seen any of them up close yet!"

"Sure," I said with a smile, leading everyone into the other pod. We found that Brittany and Marie had the children sitting in a circle while Harpo ran around in the middle. He occasionally wandered near one of the children, but always dashed off just before they could pick him up. The laughter and smiles made it clear that everyone was having a wonderful time.

Shawna and the twins were looking around the assembled cages with a look of mild awe. "So many!" Shawna said.

I was peeking in at the pregnant does in the room and not finding any problems when I replied. "If things go well, the population will more than double in the next week. And then we can start to look into fostering out a few to other pods."

"Only fostering?" Yvette said as she opened a cage to pet a white rabbit that was sitting inside. "Don't we get to keep them?"

I laughed. "Well, I'm thinking that rabbits in other pods can still be part of the breeding program for a while. We have a decent start, but basically we have nineteen males providing DNA, so we must be sure to mix the pairings often to avoid inbreeding.

"So there are nineteen male rabbits?" one of the twins asked.

"No, only sixteen are left. When I picked up the rabbits, my ex-girlfriend was picked up as well, and claimed by Corporal Mattingly as a concubine. Some of the rabbits were originally hers and we worked out a deal where she kept some. That included three of the males we brought to the Wisp."

There was a general chorus of surprise and delight. Yvette's three children had noticed her and ran to her excitedly cheering about the rabbits as Brittany dove to catch Harpo before he noticed the circle surrounding him had left. She gently picked him up and settled him into his cage as the children all stood. I was about to laugh when the AI chirped. "James, Donna and her two concubines are at the door."

I gave Brittany a brief wave and headed to the main door. Yvette followed as the twins and Shawna looked at the rabbits. We reached the door and it opened to reveal Donna and her concubines. I was about to say hello when I froze looking at one of Donna's concubines.

The woman in question was in her early twenties and had a face and figure that belonged on a magazine cover wearing the latest fashions and makeup. Instead the tawny haired beauty was wearing a sheer black negligee and smiling as the door opened. I was so shocked I forgot my greeting until Donna laughed.

"It never fails. Let a man see Lindsay dressed for bed and his brain just stops," she said smiling.

Yvette laughed as I got my voice back. "Well, she is the first wonder of Ishtar. I can't imagine anyone matching her beauty," I quipped.

Yvette and Donna laughed as Lindsay posed for me. The laughter lasted only a moment, but it was enough to get everyone back to the greeting. With a slight bow to Lindsay I spoke. "I do beg your pardon for that. It was very inexcusable."

I then turned back to Donna. "Sorry about that. Welcome to Ishtar and our impromptu post-landing party. Right now we have you, Yvette, the twins and Shawna Summers here. Unfortunately, the tunnels to the other pods will take some time to connect, so this is it."

Donna just smiled. "So we ladies have you outnumbered," she said with a smile as her male concubine stepped up. She smiled to him and then introduced her concubines. "You saw Lindsay; I warned you that she was a model working on the last shoot I was on. This here is Jacques. He's still adjusting to everything."

I smiled and welcomed them all to the pod. Yvette was next to me and nodded. "Male adjustment we can work with," she said. She turned back towards the living pod. "Philippe! Get up here for a moment; I have someone who needs your perspective."

It took a few moments and then Philippe emerged from the room. "Sorry! Nathan is still trying to win a race against Janice and Tina and I was participating," he said to Yvette when he arrived. He seemed about to ask another question when he noticed Jacques and smiled. "Ah, you must be new here. Come with me and I'll introduce you to the brotherhood!" he said as he grabbed Jacque's hand and dragged him into the pod.

Donna and Lindsay were just standing there shocked, but I smiled. "I guess Philippe has discovered a new role," I said.

Yvette nodded. "It's thanks to your suggestion that he speak with Craig. Philippe loves to nurture and guide others. He's been a rock in my pod, especially with the children. He'll help Jacques adjust to being a male concubine," she said with pride.

Lindsay was listening and sighed. "I just wish I was still going to wow men once this baby is born," she muttered.

Donna joined in the sigh, but Yvette and I burst out laughing. I watched Lindsay and Donna look on us in confusion when Yvette waved a hand. "May I?" she asked.

At my nod, she turned back toward the pod. "Bethany! Your master needs you up here for a moment."

Donna and Lindsay stood there looking confused, and Bethany's emergence from the pod in her halter-top and skirt did not diminish their confusion. I just smiled as Bethany walked up to us and stopped next to Yvette. "So, what does James want me for?" she asked Yvette.

Yvette and I both snorted, but Yvette then indicated Lindsay. "Bethany, would you tell this young lady how old you are."

Donna just looked more perplexed as Bethany shrugged. "Sure, I'm forty-four years old, what did you expect?" She turned to me to kiss me and whisper, "What's happening?"

I was going to whisper back but Lindsay shouted. "You are lying! There is no way you're that old. You look no older than me!"

Bethany stiffened, but Donna hissed as she figured it out. "Of course! The medical treatments! Lindsay, we can use the cosmetic treatments to insure that you always look like you do now."

Lindsay turned back in shock and then threw her arms around Donna. "Oh please! Oh please! Do that for me!" she wailed.

Lindsay was crying into Donna's arms. Donna looked at us and finally shrugged. "She fears I won't love her if her looks change."

I had my arms around Bethany and smiled. "Give her all the love you have. Someday she'll realize that it's not a lie."

We finally walked back to the pod and found the game room had become a crowded and merry place. Janice must have thought ahead, because in addition to the racing game a number of smaller and faster card games were in progress at the same time. Everyone had wandered over, and with six sponsors, seventeen concubines and seven children the games and parties spilled out into the main room and even occupied the room with the sleep trainer.

I knew that we still needed to get the colony organized and work out a plan for dealing with the problems ahead, but tonight was no longer the moment for that, and I joined in the party and games which ran for hours before finally running out of steam.