Chapter 26 - A Refugee Shows Up

The next three weeks passed slowly. The new command post schedule with the concubines helping proved to be an excellent idea. Everyone had more time with their concubines and at the same time fewer shifts on duty. The concubines blossomed under the praise and attention they received and it was a rare night that someone did not find a reason to throw a party in the recreation room.

Kitty had moved in with my concubines and me. At first she tended to jump and look to hide whenever any male entered the room she was in. Meiko and Brittany were her constant companions and worked hard to build her trust in me. They would report to Tina and Bethany about the progress Kitty was making. During this early time I was not attempting to get too close to Kitty. Instead I showed the scared girl affection and care. I smiled at her whenever I had an opportunity and made sure to treat her like a princess. She was starting to smile as I entered a room containing her. She also adored the baby rabbits and spent a lot of time watching over them.

Bethany and I were having a short conversation at the school. Bethany still spent time there every other day and had asked me to visit with her.

"Kitty's ready," she told me in a whisper.

"Are you sure?" I asked. "She still jumps when I enter a room and stiffens when I hug her."

"Does she push you away?" Bethany said with a smile. "Haven't you noticed that the last two times we got the console games out she fought as hard as anyone to win kisses?"

"I had wondered about that," I admitted. "But I need her to be sure. I have an idea."

"Yes?" Bethany asked.

"Easy, we have another console night, but near the end we have the prize be that the lady winning gets to drag me to the hot tub for some caressing and kissing. If she truly wants it, she'll try hard, and I'm sure the rest of you can lose with style and grace," I said as I winked at Bethany.

She laughed and gave me a kiss. "Oh god, you always seem to know what the right thing to do is. That's just the way to do it. Only, I think we all are going to want our own alone time with you."

I accepted the kiss and was pulling Bethany in close to caress her ass when Timothy's voice came over the speaker. "Um... James...Can you come to the command post... We have a...situation."

Bethany let me go, and winked as I stepped away and turned to leave the school. "Go and hold his hand," she giggled as I bowed in apology and ran out of the room.

I wanted to call for more information, but the run was short and I dashed into the command post to see Timothy and his concubines looking at the repeater screens showing the outer entry doorways. I was going to ask, why, but looked over and paused.

Standing in the area between the first and second doors were six people. I took a moment to look them over as Timothy babbled. "We don't know how long they've been there. We were performing the standard communication readiness tests and Ulla turned to see them there."

"Have they said anything?" I asked as I identified one of the figures. It was the tall, slender woman who had been with Ruth the day the passage opened. She was holding two teenage children against her body while the other two adults and a child of about five leaned against the wall behind her. There was a look of fear in the eyes of everyone except the one woman who had an aura of resignation around her.

"No," Ulla said. "At least, not since we noticed them. They just seem to be waiting."

Just then Janice, Brittany and Kitty burst into the command post. "Tina and Meiko are doing a maintenance check on your armor," Janice reported.

I was about to nod when Kitty gasped. "Barbara!"

Everyone turned to look at Kitty who was staring at the screen and the tall woman who dominated the others. "What?" Timothy asked.

Kitty pointed at the screen. "That's Barbara. I remember her because Dennis liked to force me to go to the meetings. She has been working with Ruth."

"So she is one of Ruth's..." Veronica muttered.

"No," Kitty replied. "Or not exactly. Barbara had a pod in the Gray ring and was pretty much forced to follow Ruth. Although I understand she was a co-worker of Greg's and at first did not see a problem with that."

"I'd guess she does now," Janice said, looking at the screen.

Brittany gasped. "Oh god! Look at the one girl in her arms; she's got to be nearly fourteen. I wonder if that became an issue."

I looked more closely and it was clear that Barbara's two children included a girl who, as Brittany had said, must have been at least thirteen. I noticed that the girl had perhaps the most terror in her eyes, but was still trying to offer a little comfort to her brother. I could see none of the people there talking and finally reached over to the equipment rack for my helmet.

"Well, folks, I get a feeling that talking over the speakers isn't going to solve this one. So Veronica, can you call up a few people and let Yvette know that we have guests and I'll go lay out the welcome mat," I said as I pulled out four flechette guns and four rifles. I secured one of the flechette guns to my side, but handed additional ones to Janice and Brittany before turning to leave the command post. To my surprise Kitty jumped up and put her arms around me as I exited.

"Don't leave me," she cried.

I looked down to find her eyes filled with tears. "I'm not leaving you. I'm just going to welcome someone who hopefully will become a new friend."

Kitty shook her head and held on tight. I tried to gently break her grip, but she kept on holding tight so I finally knelt down to look her in the eye. She sobbed once and then wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me so hard I could feel my lips bruise.

"Don't leave me!" she cried again. "I need you."

Janice giggled as I looked over at her for guidance. I was wondering what the problem could be when Brittany shrugged and spoke. "I guess she finally decided to admit the truth."

"What truth?" I asked as Kitty continued to kiss my neck and shoulders. The kisses were gentle but demanding and more than a little surprising considering Kitty's previous resistance to being touched.

"That I love you with all my heart," Kitty whispered in my ear. "That I watch you with your lovers and realized that I want that same love and care. That you already trust and respect me, but were willing to wait for me to heal. I've finally accepted all that and more. Dennis is an evil man; he revels in causing pain and in breaking a concubine's will. Juliet saw that and warned me, but forgot when he forced anal sex on her without lube and then he beat her to death for being contrary. Since we landed on the planet, he has brought in several other concubines, and twisted and turned them, making me watch as he broke their minds and spirits."

"But not yours?" Veronica asked.

Kitty held me tighter, pushing her breasts into my chest for a moment. "While we were still on the ship, he was afraid that if I broke, he'd have no plaything, so he made it a game to toy with me without providing too much pain. After landing he just kept me around and used captured concubines for his play."

"I'm surprised you can trust another man," Ulla observed.

Kitty stunned us all by laughing and forcing another kiss on me, thrusting her tongue down my throat. "James is so not Dennis! He's been nothing but gentle with me, and the screams of pleasure from his concubines are like a wonderful birdsong. Juliet told me sex was indescribably wonderful with the right man. After Dennis I wondered if she was lying, but I see Brittany walk out of the hot tub room with her hair a complete mess and still looking more beautiful than I can imagine because of the huge look of contentment and love on her face. Besides, it's not like Dennis had sex with me often. Sometime during the voyage here he decided that he prefers forcing himself on the other men."

Veronica who had worked in a psychology department at a university snorted. "God, he has that much of an inferiority complex that he needs to prove he's top dog by mounting the others. I can't imagine how the CAP scoring missed that. He's got to be almost a complete sociopath."

I shrugged. "Well, that doesn't explain why we have Ms Volleyball champ standing in our doorway with her household. I think we should greet her." I stood up and pulled Kitty into my arms for a moment giving her a kiss on the forehead. "And later, you can demonstrate that what you just said is the unvarnished truth," I whispered to her.

Kitty's joyful cry was followed by a near throttling hug as she wrapped her arms around my neck. A moment later she let go and dropped to the floor only to take my hand and half drag me out of the command post and towards the crossing as Brittany and Janice followed, laughing.

We reached the crossing to find Yvette and Terrence there along with their concubines. I handed two rifles each to Yvette and Terrence as we looked at the screen. The extra rifles were passed on to Philippe and Nathan while my extra flechette gun was passed to Diana who insisted on holding something.

"She's just standing there silently," Yvette said. "I get a feeling she's hoping for something."

"Kitty says it's Barbara, one of Ruth's followers, but possibly a reluctant one. Add in the fact that the girl in her arms has to be nearly fourteen and it's possible she is hoping to find refuge with us," I said.

Terrence was checking over his rifle. "Well, if that's the case, we need to talk to them in person and not over the speaker system. Any ideas?"

"We go meet them," I said with a shrug. "If the meeting goes well, we can bring them here and then separate them for introductory meetings and a review. Philippe can talk to the man; I'd say Janice and Diana should talk to the woman. I'd prefer Bethany, but she's got school duty. Brittany and Kitty are the right age to talk to the children, unless we want to contact Shawna and see if Jose can be asked to do it."

"Hey! I have children in my household," Yvette said with a laugh.

Terrence just shook his head. "No, James is right. Your children are great, but the oldest, Roge is only ten, and might not relate well. Also both Brittany and Kitty are from outside, they might have more insight into which questions to ask. I'm sure those children have seen too much already."

Yvette colored a little, but then nodded towards the youngest child who might have been five and was huddling in the arms of the young woman accompanying Barbara. "Let's send that girl to the school immediately if we let them in. I'll warn Roge, Lupe and Heidi to try to draw her out. They are all ten and will think it great fun, but Roge will understand to watch for any signs of trouble."

I nodded. "Sounds like a plan. Shall we go and meet the neighbor?" I quipped as we walked forward to the door. "Door." I called out.

The door opened as Yvette stepped to the side to watch the monitors. Terrence and Diana stepped next to me as Janice and Nathan sprinted forward on the left and Brittany and Philippe took the right.

Yvette saw this and laughed. "Its almost like we drill for this," she quipped as I stepped forward and into the passage.

The trip this time was a bit slow. There was considerable tension, and Terrence was worriedly trying to convince Diana to head back and wait with Yvette. She just smiled and kissed him before turning back to face the rest of the group who were staying just ahead of us.

When we arrived at the next pressure door, Janice and Brittany both lay on the floor while Nathan and Philippe settled into a kneeling position that allowed them to cover the doorway. Terrence laughed at this, but waved Diana to the right wall as he stepped over to the left. I secured my gun to my right hip and gave Kitty a hug with my left arm before looking up.

"Any change?" I asked through the helmet.

"No major changes," Yvette said. "The youngest child is now sitting on the floor. She looks tired."

I looked at my companions. All gave me a slight nod and I sighed. "No time like the present I guess. Door!"

The door started to open and I could hear first a gasp and then a wail of pure terror coming from the chamber. There was some noise and movement, but then a sharp voice cried. "Shut up and keep still."

Immediately everything on the other side of the door became quiet and we waited in silence for the remaining seconds until the door completed its journey. When it did we saw the one lady still holding her children, but now turned to face the open doorway while her companions were all huddled in a far corner, cowering.

I sighed. "No one has said that the men over here are handsome, but I didn't know the mere thought of seeing me scared people away," I quipped causing Kitty to giggle. My companions remained where they were as the woman looked at us and her two children buried their faces into her side.

"After Ruth and Dennis, they don't trust easily. And Manuel has not exactly been nice either. One male concubine escaped when he captured the man's master and the stories he told were rather gruesome," the woman said.

"We've already heard," I said. "But that doesn't explain why you are here."

The woman looked a bit uncertain. She looked around and I heard a small gasp as she saw the firepower arrayed against her. "You have this many to spare for a greeting?" she asked. I was remaining silent when she looked at me and gasped again. "Kitty?! But Dennis has been saying that you are dead."

"The reports of her death have obviously been exaggerated," I quipped, causing a snort from Terrence.

"But why is a concubine here with you?" the woman said in puzzlement.

I could see Philippe wanted to say something and gave him a nod to speak. "Because, there are only two sponsors over here right now; the rest of us are concubines."

Once again there was a gasp, but this time it was from the male concubine who had been cowering in the back. "But, that means concubines carrying weapons?"

"And?" Philippe asked. "Our sponsors trust and respect us. They are establishing a tradition where concubines are considered valued members of their households. Why wouldn't we be willing to pick up a gun and fight to protect those households?"

The main woman looked confused, but held her hand up. "Wait Robert. I know you want to argue more, but we came here for refuge. The fighting out there is becoming ugly, and I didn't volunteer to join the Confederacy to die trying to prop up some petty sadistic dictator like Ruth."

I nodded. "That sounds nice, but doesn't explain how you decided to come here."

The woman smiled. "It wasn't a hard decision. I was here the day you turned Ruth away, and you were firm with her, but lacked any malice. Then we all heard about the reception Manuel's minions received and it became clear that the 'mice' had some very sharp teeth. But it was Tasha's visit that convinced me. She was with Dennis for over a day before he shot her. And she broke. Dennis, Larry and Ruth got a lot of information out of her, including the fact that your outer door would open to small, unarmed groups. I thought I could find the side door she talked about, but knew that if I came alone, Amanda, Robin and Robert would suffer, so I had to find an opportunity to get us all out. Last night Ruth threw some kind of party. She said she was going to celebrate the upcoming victory over Manuel ahead to time. Hector and Ellen have some plan that Ruth is sure will work."

I sighed. "Wonderful, more fighting. So you used the party as a distraction and snuck out? How long until Ruth notices that you've left?"

The woman frowned. "Not much longer," she admitted. "I have been on Ruth's bad side since the incident at the door. I convinced her that I was watching her back and making sure we weren't ambushed when I stepped away from the group, but she doesn't like to be embarrassed and she's convinced I talked about it. It wasn't me though, it was Greg and he died during the initial fighting around the armory."

"Ah, the armory. That brings up another question. Just how well is everyone armed?"

I could hear the man muttering something, but the woman merely looked at him and shrugged. "Everyone has rifles now. There are a number of helmets and battle jackets, but the door to the morgue and the powered armor remains locked. Manuel's minions have picked up a number of grenade launchers, but haven't used them in the halls because of the danger of bringing the ceiling down and letting the air in. I'm sure that both sides want to grab more, but neither controls the area around the armory so its become a Mexican standoff with both sides making sure they have guns targeting the doorway and keeping the other side from returning to collect more."

Terrence groaned. "You called it, James! Those two will fight until one is left and then try to get in here. But why don't we try to take them out."

I snorted. "It would be seventeen against over fifty. Ruth and Manuel hate each other, but they'd team up to take us out if we left the enclave. And think of how few of us really would shine if we had to fight in these tunnels. Manuel and Ruth's people took the physical upgrades and in that kind of close fighting would have a huge advantage. I'm happy to wait them out."

The woman laughed. "A man who knows what Ruth and Manuel are saying I see. You realize that they have talked about you and both have tried to get the other to agree to a truce while they dig you out of your homes. But neither will allow the other to lead, so it's a stalemate."

"And you want to join us?" Nathan blurted out."

"Certainly," the woman replied smugly. "Barbara Ogilvy reporting and formally asking for permission to join you. You are the best chance any of us has of surviving."

I could feel the tension rise and fall at the same time. Terrence gave me a slight shrug when I looked at him and I made a decision. "Well, I'm not going to say immediately, but let's do this. Philippe, Nathan, stand up and collect Robert and the child. Drop the child off at the school and then take Robert to the multi-use room for a discussion about the life of a male concubine in our little corner of Ishtar."

The man appeared nervous and for a moment the woman refused to let go of the little girl, who wailed in terror. Barbara frowned, but it was Philippe who spoke next. "Don't worry. I'm just kind of the senior male concubine over here. As for your daughter, we have nineteen children in school enjoying play and learning."

"Nineteen?" the woman asked. "Do you really have that many children here?" She looked rather incredulous and Janice snorted.

"No," Janice said from her spot on the floor, although she rose up to her knees and took her hands off the flechette gun. "Right now there are twenty children under the age of fourteen around here. But one doesn't come to classes. His father is convinced the boy is too good to associate with the children of concubines."

Brittany laughed. "I'm smarter than that over-bred sack though. Daddy is going to be so disappointed."

I was shaking my head as the woman looked in shock. Barbara was looking back and forth between the two girls and finally shrugged. "Robin, let go of Robert and little Ann. I don't think we are in any danger here. I'm only sure the one man is a sponsor and yet all the people here are relaxed and confident. I can't imagine what this place is like compared to the hell outside, but the reception is actually rather warm."

The woman looked dubious, but Philippe and Nathan got up and handed their rifles to Terrence before turning to approach the couple and the child. They were still walking slowly when I gave Kitty a nudge. "Kitty, Brittany, why don't you grab the older kids and take them bowling. Give them a chance to relax."

Brittany jumped up and ran over to hand me her flechette gun as the boy squirmed in Barbara's arms. "Bowling?" he said dubiously.

I shrugged. "Well, sadly the basketball court won't open for another couple of months, so right now you have to suffer through a recreation room with six bowling lanes and a bunch of console games. Although that will change, as soon as Philippe arranges the schedule for broomball in the multi-use room." I looked over at Janice. "Janice, weren't you going to form a musical group or two?"

Janice gave an "eep," and then smiled. "We've been too busy. I'll try to add that in."

Barbara's two children were looking forward with jaws agape as Kitty jumped up to collect a kiss and dashed over with Brittany. Barbara's arms were slack, and the girls giggled as her children were prodded to run down the hallway. Robin and Robert stood there in shock.

"How?" I heard Robin ask.

Janice just giggled. "Think about it. The Wisp was carrying one hundred and eight pods. One hundred had households. One had fifty-six furry colonists with no hands. What do you think happened to the other seven?"

The children stopped and Adam looked over at Janice. "How would you know?" he asked looking at Janice's outfit of miniskirt and halter-top. "You look like some slut!"

I heard Barbara hiss, but Janice burst out laughing. "I am one now. My master is god to me and I'd have sex with him anytime anywhere. He likes me wearing this outfit. As for how I know, well, I was there when the AI agreed to drop the extra pods and heard the instructions for how each pod would be configured."

The boy seemed to be thinking and asked. "Furry colonists? What does that mean?"

Barbara hissed again. "The rabbits! I remember Hector complaining about how some sponsor was allowed to pick up rabbits during dependent pickups a day before the Wisp left Earth orbit. You mean we do have rabbits on the planet?"

Brittany just smiled. "Yup! We have thirty-seven adults, nineteen teenagers and sixty-one babies. We even have ten does about one week pregnant, in another twenty days we'll have more!"

Barbara seemed shocked. "So many..."

I shrugged. "We've been warned that visiting navy ships will want to trade for them, as will any marines who can come up with something to trade. They are the only animals the AIs have allowed to be picked up."

I could see all three children light up at the idea of seeing rabbits. "Brittany, once you get to bowling, if you can get Jillian or Paula to join in, collect one of the rabbits for the kids to see."

Robin seemed to half faint and sank to the floor. The male concubine turned, but it was Diana who tossed her flechette gun to Terrence and ran to check on the lady. Terrence was struggling to juggle all the guns he had been handed and finally started slinging them over his shoulder.

Robin looked up at Diana. "No, I'm fine. Its just...I never thought...I guess...Its just that this is overwhelming. We've been living like scared rats for weeks. Ruth bragged that you had to be little cowering mice. Now I find that you have bowling, and a school. Your concubines are so confident and happy."

"And loved," Diana said. "That's my master over there holding all the guns. I'm just his little plaything."

Robin looked up in shock. "But...you were holding a gun!"

Diana laughed. "So?" she pointed at Terrence and I. "James and Terrence are the only sponsors here right now. I belong to Terrence. Janice, Brittany and Kitty all belong to James. The two men here belonged to Yvette who is standing back at the crossing."

"And waiting impatiently for you to move so we can close the middle door," Yvette's voice cried out. "No activity at the outer door, but eventually Ruth is going to figure that one of her minions isn't home."