Chapter 3

Day 2

2 Section 13 -- First morning, first public orientation -- Kings

"It is seven o'clock in the morning of Day 2," the AI intoned, "and time for you to get up. Your first instruction session begins at eight o'clock and you should have breakfast first."

Hattie and Mattie King put their feet on the floor on opposite sides of the bed, stretching. An observer might think there was a mirror rather than identical twins. "Is everyone else up?" asked Hattie.

"Everyone is awake," the AI replied. "Jackie King is in the lower level bathroom and Jayden King is in the kitchen. Tyrone King is still in bed."

"I think a pit stop and a quick shower are my first priority," mumbled Mattie. She stood and ambled off. In a moment, Hattie rose and followed.

"Where are the shower controls?" asked Hattie as she looked into the shower.

"There are none," responded the AI. "The water will begin to flow when you step in. If you want the water temperature or the flow adjusted, simply say so. Towels have been provided but are unnecessary. When you have finished washing, jets of warm air will dry you."

"That sounds pretty cool," chirped Mattie. "I see multiple shower heads. Can I join you?"

"Nothin' to hide from my twin, is there?" chuckled Hattie as the warm water began to flow over her body. "A little hotter, please, and a little more pressure."

"You need not use 'please' with an AI," said the AI as the temperature and pressure were changed.

"I think it pays for me to always be courteous," answered Hattie. "Somehow, I don't think I want you to be miffed with me!"

Mattie stepped into the shower and the head on the opposite wall began to flow. Hattie and Mattie stood back to back. "I'd like my shower a bit cooler and softer," said Mattie. The adjustments were made without a verbal response.

"Tyrone!" barked Hattie as she spotted him stumble into the room. There was no door on the shower. She covered her breasts and crotch with her arms.

"I gotta take a leak!" Tyrone sharply retorted. "Mom and Jayden are in the other bathroom."

"I thought guys couldn't pee with a hard-on," giggled Hattie as she inspected the front of his underwear. Mattie laughed, watching Tyrone from over her shoulder.

"All concubines will be nude in less than eight hours," intoned the AI. "It is recommended that you use this opportunity with those you know and trust to acclimate yourselves to nudity. In addition, time is short. You should leave the living unit and have breakfast soon."

"You've always wanted to see your sisters naked," said Mattie. "Might as well get this over with." She turned and faced her brother, arms akimbo.

Tyrone's immediate response was to blanch and gawk. He quickly collected himself and said, "You are beautiful! I always knew you two were beautiful, and I admit I've always wanted to see you. Thank you."

Turning herself to face Tyrone too, and letting her arms fall to her sides, Hattie said, "Do your business and get in here. You need a shower, too."

"You aren't going be able to pee first," laughed Mattie. "I seen your dick get even harder just now. Just shuck your undies and get in here." She turned back to the showerhead and began to lather her hair. Hattie did the same.

Tyrone quickly shed his boxers and walked into the shower between his sisters. The showerhead in front of him began to spray. As if on cue, both sisters turned and faced Tyrone. "You are a handsome young man," Mattie said softly as she touched his shoulder. "I hope you find a good home. I want you to always remember: the better you give, the better you get." She leaned in and kissed his cheek. Hattie followed suit on the other side.

They quickly completed their showers. With his naked sisters on both sides of him, Tyrone was hard as a rock. During the shower, both his sisters made plain that they enjoyed the view but said nothing. When Hattie had finished, she turned to Tyrone. "Don't be embarrassed, Bro. Maybe you oughta toss off a load so you're not tenting your clothes in public."

"We'll get out of here and let you take care of your business," added Mattie with a loving smile. "Don't worry about it."

The twins briefly let themselves be air-dried and quickly left the room. An embarrassed but silently thankful Tyrone needed only a few strokes to blast jism onto the shower wall. He rinsed himself off, stood briefly in the warm air and then stepped out. As he began to step back into his underwear, the AI said, "If you choose to dress, you may wear a shift and no more."

"Shifts are for girls!" whined Tyrone.

"Shifts are for concubines, Tyrone King," answered the AI. Tyrone took his underwear back into his bedroom and threw them on the bed. He found a shift in a closet, put it on and took the lift down to the lower level.

"You look good in a dress!" shrieked Jayden.

"You watch your tongue, girl," Jackie growled. "Paybacks are a bitch. You'll be naked soon enough. Tyrone, just think of it as a long T-shirt; don't be thinkin' about what ain't underneath it, or you'll embarrass yourself." Tyrone glumly nodded. "Let's get out of here and go get some breakfast."

"Please take your CAP cards with you," the AI said. "You will find lanyards for that purpose in the replicator." Jayden pulled five lanyards from the replicator and handed them out. Each of them inserted a CAP card into the plastic sleeve and put on a lanyard. The outer door opened. "The common area is to the right and then left at the main corridor," intoned the AI.

Emerging from the living unit, all were captivated by the sight of the cathedral ceiling, tier after tier of levels visible both above and below. As they walked, people were coming out of nearby doors and headed in the same direction. There was plenty of room in the hall and in the main corridor but there were lots of people. Most wore the standard grey shift. A few wore street clothes. A few were completely nude except for a red or green collar. Almost all of the children wore street clothes and a wristband.

They soon reached the common area. On both sides of the main corridor were tables and chairs. A number of replicators were located down the middle of the corridor. The King family made their way to available replicators and, after a bit of fumbling over procedure, obtained their selected breakfast meals. They found a table for themselves and began to tuck in.

As they were finishing their breakfast, two men in dark blue uniforms came from the main corridor. Each turned in a different direction. The air shimmered behind the man on the King family side of the corridor. "May I have your attention, please," the man said in an amplified voice.

"We will hold the first public briefing for concubines here in this common area shortly. Finish your meals, please, ditch your trays in the recycling bin and sit back down. Make sure you are seated where you have the tabletop in front of you and you can still see me. If you need to use the restroom, please do so quickly and return to your seats. Sponsors in this room, please report to me as soon as you can. Your initial public briefing will be held elsewhere."

All of the adults in street clothes, mostly men, made their way to the man. After a brief consultation, the man produced what turned out to be a transporter nexus, which he placed on the floor and activated. The disk glowed green. The man showed the first sponsor to the pad and the man disappeared. The man briefly spoke with each individual and then pointed to the pad. Soon, all of the sponsors were gone.

When the man had satisfied himself that most people had finished eating, he spoke again. "I am Sergeant Ian McCormick, of the Confederacy Fleet Auxiliary. If you want to ask a question, please feel free to use my first name, which is 'Sergeant.' I will be conducting the initial briefing for this group of concubines. This session will take about forty-five minutes. There will then be a thirty-minute break. You can go back to your living units if you wish. At the end of the break, come back here. We will send the male concubines elsewhere for the second session. Females will remain here.

"This session will not be terribly graphic, and the children present are welcome to listen. Those children who become disenchanted with my lecture are welcome to quietly move to the other end of this area. Many forms of entertainment are on offer, together with supervision from a Fleet Auxiliary representative. Your children will be in your sight but out of earshot, so you can be dazzled by my performance without distraction. The Fleet Auxiliary representative will fetch you if your child requires your attention."

Many of the adults turned their attention to the other end of the area and saw a woman in a dark blue uniform. Toys, games and other forms of entertainment were plainly visible. The air seemed to shimmer in front of the uniformed woman. A few children made a beeline for the toys. They walked through the shimmering air with no apparent reaction.

"It is now just about eight o'clock," the sergeant continued. "I see that there are a few people in this area who have the red collar, indicating that they have been bound to a sponsor, or the green collar, indicating that they have committed themselves to become a concubine but have not yet attracted a sponsor. Have any of you decided that you want to return to Earth?" He looked around the room but found no takers. "If at any time before the deadline at fourteen forty-five today you decide that you want to be returned to Earth, simply go back to your living unit. The AI will handle all the rest. Similarly, you were asked not to collect your minor children until you are ready to commit yourself to become a concubine. If you are one of those people, and if you decide before the two forty-five deadline that you will be a concubine, the AI will commence the process of bringing your children to you when you throw your clothes in any recycler and obtain a green collar from a replicator. Be sure to keep your CAP card.

"I want to talk for a moment about your quarters. Yesterday, Day 1, the office building pickup and the follow-up dependent pickups extracted about twenty thousand people from each of two cities, Charlotte and Dallas. About fifteen percent of you -- about thirty-three hundred each -- came from those two office buildings. The rest came as 'dependents'," and he made air quotes, "whether or not the 'dependents' were sponsor-level. Each of the office people was sent to a separate living unit with his or her 'dependents'. There are about forty-five hundred sponsors in your group, and that's about the number of living units we'll wind up with. Oh, the unsponsored concubines will be housed in groups, but that isn't a lot of units. But we'll soon be going from sixty-six hundred units down to about forty-five hundred.

"We will concentrate prospective concubines with like circumstances. For instance, we will locate all prospective concubine couples in one area. Unattached female concubine candidates with one or more small children will be housed in another area. Many will fall under more than one category. We'll do our best to put you where you have the best chance to be sponsored promptly. We will direct sponsors to the neighborhoods that have prospective concubines in the desired category.

"When each sponsor has filled his or her allotment of concubines, we will re-locate that new family to new neighborhoods with only completed families of sponsors in the same service. You will remain in those living units with your sponsor until embarkation on the cube transport Valhalla on Day 14.

"We want you to select a sponsor as soon as you can. The more concubines a sponsor needs, the longer it will probably take to fill the allotment. If you want to be in a family unit with only one other concubine, you should find a suitable sponsor today or tomorrow at the latest, because after that all you are likely to find are sponsors with CAP scores of seven or above. Unless, of course, you decide to wait until you arrive at the colony before choosing a sponsor.

"So, after the decision deadline this afternoon, we will be moving you from time to time into different living units. Concubines will be housed with other concubines in similar circumstances. If you are a couple, you'll share a unit with other couples. Mother and daughter groups will be housed together. Unsponsored concubines may remain with their 'dependent' group that includes a sponsor for as long as there is the possibility that the sponsor will select that concubine.

"In addition, we will be relocating people to maintain the concentration in the groups. As sponsors complete their selections and are relocated away, new sponsors will be relocated in. As concubines are selected, new concubines will be relocated in.

"I'm not sure my explanation was clear. Let's have questions now to clear that up."

The disconcerted concubines had a lot of questions but soon the concepts did not seem so frightening. The sergeant finally resumed his lecture.

"There are less than seven hours left before you must decide whether you want to proceed to become a concubine or whether you want to go back to Earth. The Confederacy really wants all of you to go to the colonies. All fertile female concubines who are willing to go, will go. As for you men, we humans have Confederacy rules that we must abide by. Regrettably, that means that about two-thirds of the males willing to be concubines who were collected yesterday will be returned to Earth. As you know, all concubines remaining here after the deadline will be nude and will be attempting to secure a sponsor. Some of you women will not find a sponsor here. You will be transported to the colony and a sponsor will be found for you there. For the male concubine candidates, you have a week to find a sponsor. Those of you who do not find a sponsor during that time will be returned to Earth on Day 8.

"I want to take this time to explain to you what female concubine candidates are facing, and what male concubine candidates are facing. Many of you are couples. It is important that you fully understand what your partner will encounter. It will help you help your partner make the right decision.

"I will start with the women. In what you have learned about in the past as the 'normal' pickup, sponsors and concubines have only minutes to decide if they will go together. Sponsors are given the opportunity to closely examine the sub-scores that make up the overall average CAP score that the concubines have. Concubines virtually never get to see the prospective sponsor's sub-scores.

"What does that mean? It means that frightened and excited concubines agree to be sponsored by someone based almost entirely upon appearance. Yeah, a bit of the sponsor's inner makeup can be seen, but the sponsors aren't exactly in a normal situation either.

"Now, I didn't get to be a sergeant because I'm a swell guy. I am a swell guy off duty, but those under my command do exactly what I tell 'em, with no argument. At home, I like feisty. Not only do I like small women and redheads, I like feisty women. I never strike my concubines. I love my concubines, both of them, and I think they love me. But I was lucky that I found those concubines. A docile woman would not have appreciated the home life we have.

"So why am I telling you this? Because here you do have the time to check out the sub-scores of a sponsor before you agree to be bound to that sponsor. You have the duty to yourselves to fully understand what it is you're getting yourself into. Your choice is final on your part. Permanent. Forever. Your sponsor can dump you at any time, can trade you, can do anything he wants to do with you or to you.

"In the ordinary mating game, you take months, or years, to get to know a person before you agree to get married. Even then, most marriages fail. When a marriage fails, the former couple goes their separate ways and begins building new lives. That doesn't happen with a concubine. If your sponsor trades you, or gives you, or bequeaths you to another sponsor, you're out of luck. If your sponsor dumps you, you have the right to decide whether you will be bound to another sponsor. However, in the meantime, you will be property of the Civil Service. In many places, you'd live in a dormitory. In many other places, you'll live and work in the brothel, the whorehouse. So you want to choose a sponsor very carefully.

"I don't mean to frighten you. The established system works very well almost all the time. You can expect a rewarding and fulfilling life if you choose your sponsor carefully. Concubines whose sponsors die are treated better and are placed quickly with sponsors who will meet the needs of the concubine. Just make sure you don't get dumped.

"Now, let's spend a few minutes on male concubines. As you know, the first priority for concubines is the production of children. The second priority for concubines is for the benefit of the sponsor. Guys, for a male sponsor, you don't advance either one of those priorities. Or, if you do meet the second priority, it might mean that you'll be on the receiving end of his joystick, perhaps at both ends. Mostly, you're not going to be selected by a male sponsor unless his CAP score affords him six or more concubines, sometimes not even with six concubines. The number of male sponsors with a CAP score of eight or nine is very small, very small. The female sponsors only need one guy to do the job unless she is afforded six or eight concubines, and the number of female sponsors scoring eight or nine is even smaller. This is the reason that two-thirds of you men will be sent back to Earth.

"What will be the attributes of male concubines who are selected? The sponsor is the boss. The sponsor has a day job, and that often means the sponsor is off-planet. Remember that the first priority is the production and rearing of children. Most sponsors have a number one concubine, the straw boss if you will, or the den mother. That concubine is responsible for the welfare of all of the other concubines and all of the children in the household. Not one of you guys is qualified to be the head nursemaid of your household. So you're not going to be in charge of the household, and you're not even going to be second in charge of your household.

"Male concubines who are selected by a sponsor are the ones who are obedient, loyal and supportive, the ones who like to change diapers, like to spoon-feed infants, like to read Dr. Seuss all day, like to finger-paint. I know you guys are sitting there, saying to yourselves, 'yeah, I can do that.' You're full of something stinky, and I'm going to show you how the sponsor is going to pick that off in a heartbeat.

"So let's have a primer on reading CAP card sub-scores. Please quietly turn to face the table and get your CAP cards out." The noise in the room increased as many listeners rearranged themselves and freed their CAP cards. "Now, all of you know your CAP score, which is really the overall average CAP score. Although you know yourselves as well as anyone can, none of you knows any of the sub-scores that make up your overall average CAP score. I want you to put your CAP card on the table in front of you, about a foot away from the edge."

Again there was some noise throughout the room. "Quiet down, please. You see that something of a CAP card reader has appeared on the tabletop in front of you. Look at your neighbors' card readers. You can't see anything, can you? Your information can't be seen by any of your neighbors.

"The CAP overall average score, and each of the individual sub-scores, is on a scale of zero to ten. It is possible to get more than ten on a sub-score, but it only shows up as a ten. Nobody, nobody knows how to get from each of the individual sub-scores to the overall average CAP score.

"So let's pretend you're looking at your sub-scores from the sponsor's point of view. Look at this long list of your attributes. Five is a pretty good overall average CAP score, but five is only okay for a sub-score. Look at how fast a sponsor can size you up.

"I'm trying to keep my words rated 'G' on account of the young people in the audience. Everybody's going to want to focus on the sexuality score. I want to show you how quick and easy it is to drill down into any of the sub-scores. Find your sexuality score and tap it with your finger. You'll find quite a lot more detail. If you don't much care for sex, it'll say so. If you like to be in the dark, in the missionary position only, it'll say that. If you like some serious slap-and-tickle, it'll say that. It will tell how attracted or repelled you are to members of your own gender. It'll say how much pain you like with your sex, and how much you like inflicting pain. It tells a lot of stuff. It may say stuff you'd deny to your last breath, but it's all true.

"We can go through these sub-scores at length. I don't think that's useful at this time for the group as a whole. I will be glad to discuss this with you individually some other time, or the AI in your living unit will help you.

"Gals especially, what are the attributes you want most in a sponsor? Loyalty? Dominance? Self-control? Temperament? Spend some time thinking about which attributes are important for the person who will own you. Spend some time with the AI, discussing yourself and the attributes of your prospective sponsor.

"At a standard pickup, you would have minutes in which to choose. Here, you guys have a week. You gals have a couple of weeks, but you are encouraged to find a sponsor as quickly as possible. Colonists have customarily been allowed thirty days to habituate themselves to their new lives and their new families. The transport ship will arrive in two weeks and the transit will take one week, which, together, is less than thirty days. You will likely be allowed additional time after arrival on your new home colony so your family can bond. The more time you have, the better your family will bond.

"Your decision is critically important. Most of you who agree to be sponsored will live to a very ripe old age with the same sponsor, happy and complete. You will be far better off if you choose a sponsor as quickly as possible. Review his CAP card. Talk to any concubines he has already selected. Make a decision. Get yourself into a family as soon as you can so you can become accustomed to each other.

"Now, I want to open it up for questions and general discussion." A lively exchange between the concubines and the sergeant, and between concubines themselves, lasted a long while.

At the arrival area again, the transporter pads began to disgorge waves of humanity, the result of office building extractions in Manchester and Glasgow in the United Kingdom, where the summer daylight time was one hour ahead of GMT. These people were likewise sent off by gender into groups of eight and shunted into living units. By the end of the day, a total of forty thousand people were expected to arrive from the two UK cities, plus forty thousand more from Edmonton and Phoenix.

Repeat, repeat, repeat.

2 Section 14 -- Break -- Donald Podesta

Don Podesta was resigned as they made their way back to the living unit. His now-ex-wife, Julie, hung on his arm, trying to cheer him up. "Don't worry, honey. We'll find a sponsor for both of us. We and the kids will be together, you'll see."

Don simply shook his head as they entered the living unit, behind their two kids, Don's mother Mary and their neighbor Theresa Reeves and her two kids. Theresa wisely herded the children into the side room and asked them to watch a movie. Theresa turned to Julie and asked, "Do you want to be alone, or can we help?"

"Nothing's going to help," mumbled Don.

"I'd like both you and Don's mom to join us, if you will," said Julie. The four true adults sat in the living room. Mary and Theresa kept still.

"I appreciate your concern," Don told them all, "but it's no use. I love you, Julie. I love the kids. I love you, Mom. Anybody who sees my sub-scores isn't going to take me. We've had a good life together. You and I have had our problems, but we've always worked them out. I don't have it in me to be a nanny all day, every day."

"You can do it, Don. You can do it for us, and you can do it for the kids," Julie insisted.

"AI, will you display my sub-scores so that we can all see them, please?" asked Don. A display appeared in mid-air at the end of the U-shaped seating configuration. "AI, would you please tell us the probability that I will be selected as a concubine?"

The AI intoned, "As you already know, Donald Podesta, your nurturing score is quite low. While you work for the benefit of your family, your nurturing and other attributes result in a very low probability of attracting a sponsor."

Julie was stricken. Don wrapped her in an embrace as she began to bawl. "Honey, don't do this. I have brought you and the kids here to safety. That's all I can do. It's time for me to face reality and go back to Earth."

"I'll go with you!" Julie bawled.

"You'll do no such thing," barked Mary. "Going back to Earth means certain death at the hands of the Swarm, or worse. Your job is to care for your children and have more children. I hope to have more children, too. Imagine starting a new family at my age. I'm going to do it because that's the best thing I can do to help win this war."

"She's right, Julie," added Theresa. "Don't torture Don by making him stay with you and then be forced back to Earth at the end. Don, you should go home in the morning. Give Julie and your kids one more night with you."

"Mary Podesta and Theresa Reeves, if you have decided that you will become concubines, then you should put on the green collars now located in the replicator," said the AI. "This remains a relatively safe environment for you. It is recommended that you shed your clothes and begin acclimating yourselves to nudity. You may not wear clothes and a collar at the same time."

Mary stood and began furiously to undress herself. "I refuse to be humiliated, Julie. He can put a bag over my head if he thinks I'm ugly, as long as he puts a baby in me, and another, and another."

Theresa, still sitting on the sofa, began to work her shift up and off. "I'm committed, Julie. I'm going to make my man and my family very happy. I'm going to look out for Natalie as best I can. I'm going to give my Sam the best start in life I can. I'm going to have lots and lots of babies. I'm not going back to be Swarm food."

Still embracing, Julie and Don watched in silence as the two women undressed. First Mary and then Theresa collected their shifts and marched into the kitchen. There, they found Theresa's fourteen-year-old daughter putting her own green collar on, her shift disappearing into the recycler. Theresa flung her own into the recycler and embraced her daughter. "I'm proud of you, Natalie. It's going to be all right."

"I guess I'm considered a grownup now, Mom. Can I please join you in the living room?"

"Yes, Natalie," said Theresa, "you can. Don can't volunteer and he's beginning to say goodbye to Julie. Maybe he'll be able to stay for today and tonight, I don't know. He'll probably go home tomorrow morning, or earlier."

"The rules are established," said the AI. "After the deadline, remaining fertile females will become concubines and may not return to Earth. Unsponsored male concubine candidates will be returned as a group at the end of the sponsoring period on Day 8."

Both Don and Julie looked aghast. Mary, Theresa and Natalie took seats on the sofas. "Julie, I think you'll get the hang of being a concubine even if you miss the training sessions between now and two forty-five. Theresa, let's gather up the kids and head back. We'll let Julie and Don say goodbye to each other alone."

Andrew and Michela were young enough that it did not really register with them that they were saying goodbye to their father for the last time. They followed their grandma out of the living unit and kept up with Theresa and her two all the way back to the common area.

2 Section 15 -- Second public orientation -- males

Sergeant McCormick surveyed the area as the people began to return to their seats. It was apparent that there were fewer males. It was apparent that more females wore collars -- and nothing else -- than during the earlier session.

"Listen up, please," the sergeant boomed. "I have been selected to conduct the second session, for the males only. Will all of the women on this half of the room," and he pointed down the middle of the area with his left arm and swept the right side of the room with his right arm, "come up here. Bring your children. Those of you on the side of the room to my left go see the Fleet Auxiliary representative in the rear. Bring your children."

The women obeyed instructions with only a bit of confusion. As the women approached him, he directed them across the corridor to the next common area. Men began coming into the sergeant's area from across the corridor. The other half of the women crossed the corridor on the other end of the area, exchanged with all of the men from that area.

"Don't sit down yet, guys," said the sergeant. When all of the men had made their way into the main part of the area, he said, "Those of you who are still trying to decide whether to stay or go back to Earth, find a seat on this side of the room. Those of you who have decided to commit yourselves to being concubines, over on that side of the room, AFTER you have stripped and stacked your neatly folded shift on an empty seat. When you have heard enough and you are ready to go home, quietly stand up and go back to your living unit. The AI will handle the rest. If you want your woman to go to the stars carrying your child -- and if, of course, she wants that as well, tell the AI, and wait until she comes back at the next break. You supply the sperm and the AI will see that she's fertile."

There was muted grumbling as the men organized themselves on one side of the room or the other. The expressions of the men, now dressed or nude, ranged from fear through anger to resignation.

"Quiet down, please," said the sergeant. "Now that the women and children are out of the audience, the gloves come off. In another life, I was a DI, a Drill Instructor. I had eight weeks to turn recruits into infantrymen. I tortured them. I terrorized them. I humiliated them. Some of them washed out. Those that made it through those eight weeks were men I was proud of.

"You don't have eight weeks. You only have about four hours. There are about five thousand remaining of you male concubine candidates who were picked up yesterday, all of you now in sessions just like this one. From now until the deadline, my counterparts and I have to convince about eighty percent of you that you're better off back on Earth. At the same time, we don't want to turn you guys into volunteers for Earth First. We also have to make sure that those of you who remain here will be successful concubines. The methods used by Drill Instructors have been honed for millennia. The task before me and my colleagues today has never been done before. So, I'm going to play good-cop, bad-cop with you guys, all by myself. I'll show you that I really am a swell guy. I'll also show you that I am a first class son of a bitch.

"A lot of you guys were brought here with your significant other, and your children. A lot of you guys brought your significant other and now it's you that has to decide whether to stay or go. Maybe you think you've already had your last fuck of your life. Maybe you think the Confederacy has written Earth off and in five years you'll be dead. Maybe you cannot bring yourself to say goodbye forever to your wife and children. Maybe you think the governments of the world are not going to mount any defense against the Swarm. Maybe, maybe, maybe.

"Some of those things you may think are not true. There are some things nobody knows. Let's take 'em one at a time.

"If you and your family were in a typical pickup, the wife and kids would already be gone. When the interdiction field was lifted, you'd go home and get ready for the first day of the rest of your life. That you have had a few more hours to come to grips with your separation is a blessing to your whole family.

"If you came here with the one you love, she's going to make babies with another man, no matter what you do. That's a simple fact. The important thing for you is that she's safe. Your children are safe. They'll go on to live useful, productive and undoubtedly contented lives. Billions of men on Earth pray for the safety of their families every minute of every day.

"Fucking is good. Fucking is fun. Fucking is good for the mind and body and spirit. I am a great proponent of fucking. It is not a fact that all the available pussy on Earth is going to be swept away. The truth is that only a miniscule percentage of humanity will be extracted. Yeah, it's no fun to start the dating game again. It's even worse when you think you're burdened with a shitty CAP score. I'm telling you, being associated with the military is going to boost your attractiveness. The way you carry yourself is going to affect your attractiveness. The fact that you're proud that your family is gone to the stars and you're still squared away is going to boost your attractiveness. So you're NOT shit out of luck for snatch. Get back home and protect the way of life you know and love. It doesn't matter if you join the reserves, or go to work in a defense industry, or just go back to the work you were doing. Your life isn't over, it's just beginning again. Make it work for yourself and for your community, wherever that is. Be proud of yourself. Act, and do, and be a man you can be proud of."

As Sergeant McCormick spoke, several men -- all already dressed -- rose and began to leave the area. Some were morose and some showed a renewed sense of determination. "Guys," he said to those walking away as he sharply came to attention and saluted. "Thank you. Help save our world." The men still seated spontaneously began to applaud. This sparked more men to stand and leave the area, some waving as they left.

"First, we're going to talk about the sexual aspects of being the male concubine. We'll see whether you realize what it is that you think that you want to volunteer for. Then, you're going to take turns role-playing the prospective sponsor so you can begin to see yourself through someone else's perspective.

"Male and female, there are sponsors who are straight, sponsors who are bi- and sponsors who are homosexual. Some female sponsors are gay and they don't take any male concubines. They let their friends and neighbors do the inseminating as the need arises and the sponsor beds her own concubines for fun. The male concubine of a gay female sponsor could have very, very limited access to pussy, even as seldom as a few times every year, and those in bursts. Some male sponsors are gay. They always take at least one male playmate. Many of the bi-sexual male sponsors take a male concubine as a playmate.

"I can talk about historical average statistics 'till I'm blue in the face. The fact is, about eighty percent of male concubines are the only male in the family group, and the sponsor is perforce a female. For the other twenty percent, the other male in the family is either the sponsor or another concubine.

"Male concubines dip their wicks where and when the sponsor directs. Male concubines who force themselves on females are recycled. Yeah, 'recycled' means 'executed.' They used to put concubines out the airlocks and let them breathe vacuum. That's a waste of resources. Recycled concubines wind up on the dinner menu for everyone else. It's just that no one involved knows what's happening.

"Male or female, the sponsor is in charge. Human males are instinctively dominant and instinctively possessive of females. If I had the CAP score to get more female concubines than I could deal with, and I needed a male concubine, you can be sure I would dominate him. A female sponsor who has one or more male concubines is sure to demonstrate her authority over her household.

"So, you're saying to yourself, 'One out of five odds ain't bad. I can live with that'.

"I haven't even started on my DI routine. These are just the facts. I'm not makin' 'em up, and I can't change 'em. Now would be a good time to see how many of you have had enough." As he peered over his audience, several men stood and began to leave. Not all of these had been clothed. Some quickly began to dress. "The parting statements I made to the last group of guys to leave apply to you, too." Once again, he snapped to attention and saluted. "To borrow a cliché, 'You are our last best hope.' More than ever before, the Earth is in your hands. This duty here does not suit you. I hope you will find your duty on Earth and do it well. Go with God."

When the men had gone and the remaining men had settled down, the sergeant continued. "So much for sex. Now let's talk about daily life for the male concubine.

"Female concubines are baby factories. The more pussy you live with, the more babies you'll have. Thanks to Confederacy technology, there's virtually no housework to do. You probably will not have a job outside the home. Your job, all day, every day, is going to be acting as a playmate to toddlers and young children. Yes, you'll probably be able to coach whatever sports can be accommodated on your planet. Forget about having a workshop full of tools and toys for you to use and teach the kids. Your day is going to be filled with crayons and changing shitty diapers. For your own entertainment, you can read or watch videos. You can become a baker, if you want, or a cook. Meals don't have to come from the replicators. I suppose you could ask for a sewing machine or some knitting needles, if only to teach the kids fine motor skills and persistence.

"And you'll do that until you crack. If you attack a concubine, the punishment is up to the sponsor. If you attack a child, the sponsor has the decision but the AI will ensure that the punishment is severe. If you attack a sponsor, there is no leeway. A concubine who attacks a sponsor is recycled. Period. End of story. No appeals. Not even the sponsor can save you. And remember that the AI sees everything, everywhere, always, and records all.

"Or maybe you won't actually crack. Maybe you'll just become surly and cross. This is not conducive to a harmonious household. If you persist, your sponsor will trade you in for a new model. On most colonies, you'd have forty-eight hours to find another sponsor, or else it's you on the menu.

"Maybe you'll think you oughta be in charge. Maybe you'll think you've got the only swingin' dick in the house and you've got your female sponsor over a barrel. Don't go there. Your sponsor can always find an alternative. She can get another cock. She can get her neighbor to do the deed. Forget the childcare. Your job is to make everyone, everybody in that household, glad of having your company and your help every single day of your life.

"So much for the cheerleading. Now, we're going to do some intensive self-examination, aided by the details of your CAP sub-scores and the guys around you. This is not a request for volunteers. Do any of you know each other? Raise your hands." A few hands came up. "This'll be easier if you pair off with someone you don't know, because you and your partner are going to see each other's CAP sub-scores. In some aspects of myself, I'm pretty good at self-deception. It's part of how guys are made up.

"Any of you who want to call it a day can do so whenever you want. If you're staying, you might as well get naked right now. Pair off and find seats next to each other. No hanky-panky for now."

There were a few of the chuckles that the sergeant wanted. When the movement in the area had subsided, the sergeant continued. "Put your CAP cards on the tabletop, about a foot away from the edge." He waited until he saw that most of the men had complied.

"Look at the sexuality score. If it isn't six or better, why would anyone pick you? Touch the sexuality line. It will show you details. Does it say you care about your lover? Does it say you like it when your lover begs you to stop hurting her? Does it say pregnant gals turn you off, or is a pregnant gal your heart's desire? What about swapping? Does it say you'd kill another man who fucked your woman? Does it say you're a homophobe, or bi-curious? What would a prospective sponsor think about you when she read that stuff?

"Go back to the main page." He waited for a moment. "Find the sub-score for aggression. How is the sponsor going to interpret that score, even without drilling down? What about nurturing? Will the sponsor see you as a very good nanny? A good playmate for the kids, a good role model as a dad? What is your sense of humor? What about obedience? Loyalty? How high is your sense of honor? Do you display much imagination? What is your level of tolerance for things that you don't agree with? The sponsor is going to look at all these things, and more.

"It's not going to matter to the sponsor what you look like. If she's determined to give you movie star looks, that's what you'll get. It doesn't matter what size your dick is right now. She'll have it changed to exactly the length and girth that she wants. What matters is up here," and he patted his forehead, "and in here," patting his chest. "If she's a midget, she'll make you a midget also. If she's going to be a marine, she'll want your size to at least approach hers. If you can't handle the thought of having your body size and shape radically altered, go home now.

"Like we told you, if you're here after the deadline this afternoon, you'll find a sponsor or you'll get shipped home with all the other guys a week from now. All of the unsponsored male concubine candidates will be returned either today or a week from today. You can expect to see a lot of male concubine candidates recycled during the next week, because we're going to work on attitude adjustments the whole time. There won't be any 'Cool Hand Lukes' in the crowd at the end of that time."

More guys rose and began to dress. "I admire your determination," the sergeant said to the men as they dressed. "I admire your ability to admit defeat. The characteristics that make you less than attractive as concubines are the same attributes that will help save our world. If you would, please stop. We're almost done, and you can help the rest of us."

Turning to those seated, he said, "You who remain seated are also determined, and you should be rightfully proud of that. Your staying seated tells me that you may be good candidates. Some of you want all that pussy, and some of you are born dads, willing to sacrifice for your children. Your CAP sub-scores are going to be closely examined by a lot of people over the next week. Your souls are going to be laid bare. The last part of this session is for you to convince someone else in this room that your sub-scores will be attractive to a sponsor."

The sergeant turned again to the standing men. "Two of you sit beside me. The rest of you gather round and listen so I can teach you. AI, I want a selection of three random candidates." The sergeant got a faraway look for a moment and then re-focused. "Andy Walker, Marc Stankov, Jeremy Hensen, front and center."

The sergeant arranged the three prospects on one side of a round table. The sergeant sat across from them with a shift-dressed man on each side of him. "CAP cards on the table," he said to the three candidates. When the faux-readers had appeared before the candidates, the sergeant reached out, put his finger near each of the three CAP cards and "pulled" a copy of the reader in front of himself and his two pupils.

"May I call you Marc?" the sergeant asked of the man directly across from him, who nodded. "Jeremy?" he said to the man on his right across from him. The man nodded. "Andy?" he asked the man to his left and received another nod.

"You're first, Marc," he said as he began to examine the sub-scores. He surprised his pupils when he put both index fingers down atop the reader and dragged both ways. These replaced the originals in front of the two students. Now all three were examining one CAP card. "Marc, your sexuality sub-score is good. Students, drill down with me." The sergeant pressed on the tabletop and the sexuality sub-score details were revealed. "Marc, you're a thoughtful, energetic and inventive lover. Queers are revolting, eh? You got a wife and kids here?" Marc nodded, his face beginning to tremble.

"Hold that thought," said the sergeant softly. "When you consider a potential sponsor, make sure she has low scores for vindictiveness and sadism, those kinds of things. You don't want her to throw a party for her friends and have you be a pin-cushion." Marc nodded silently. "Make sure your prospective sponsor knows that you can't do that at all." More nodding.

"Let's look at your other attributes." He scrolled back to the main page and began to review other sub-scores. "Great score for obedience and servility. Great sense of honor and duty. Great score for nurturing. Drill down, students." He read for a moment and looked up. "Marc, you are a good candidate for male concubine." Marc looked down but nodded.

"Jeremy, you're next." The sergeant with two fingers collapsed the page representing Marc's sub-scores. They simultaneously disappeared from in front of the other two students. The sergeant reached to his right and dragged a copy of the Jeremy file from in front of his student. After it established itself in front of him, he used one finger to drag a copy to the student on the left. He studied the report quietly.

"Ooh, Jeremy, you're kinky, aren't you? Slap and tickle, with emphasis on the slap." The sergeant peered into Jeremy's unflinching eyes. Jeremy could hardly keep the shit-eating grin from his face. "Jeremy, you're the kind of guy who'll take all the abuse over the next week and give it back to someone else, aren't you?" Jeremy kept his eyes locked with the sergeant's, making no motions with his head. "Jeremy, tell me the kind of woman you want to take you as a sponsor."

"There are lots of women who like to be dominated," Jeremy grinned. "I can spot them. The young ones are the best. They're more pliant. I'll find one who's proud of herself, self-assured. We'll have lots of fun."

"You're the kind of guy who never forgets a slight, aren't you?" said the sergeant. "You can take it and take it, but you always make sure you get revenge."

"You might say it that way," smiled Jeremy.

"I can guarantee you, Jeremy, you will not board the transport. I can guarantee you that, if you're still here after the deadline, you will be dead in less than a week."

Jeremy stared at the sergeant in silence for a long time. Neither blinked. Finally, Jeremy slid his chair back and stood. He silently collected his clothing and strode out of the area. The sergeant sat and watched him go. When Jeremy was gone, he said to no one in particular, "There are four more of you in this room who have characteristics like Jeremy and who are still determined to go through with this. None of you will live to be returned to Earth. It's your choice. There's plenty of pussy on Earth for predators like you."

Three men stood, collected their clothes and left the area. The sergeant sat for a moment. He collapsed the Jeremy file on the tabletop in front of him, pulled the Andy file from in front of the student on his left, and shared it with the student on his right.

"Tell me about yourself, Andy," said the sergeant as he examined the report. "Tell me why you'll make a good concubine."

"I love my wife, I love my children," said Andy. "I want to be there for them. I'll do whatever it takes, give all I have to give, to make that happen."

"It did occur to you that you might not even be on the same planet as your family?"

"We're going to try very hard to be sponsored as a couple," answered Andy. "I hadn't thought about being sponsored without my wife and kids. It seems more likely that, after a valiant effort to attract a sponsor, I'll be sent home."

"Good sexuality," observed the sergeant, "good nurturing, good loyalty, lots of good attributes. Your problem is your bad temper, Andy. What are you going to do about that?"

"There won't be anything to lose my temper about," smiled Andy. "The menu's unlimited no matter where we go for dinner. I don't have to answer questions about which dress she should wear, 'cause she'll wear a shift or nothing at all. She won't be telling me she has a headache any longer. That sort of thing. I'm a happy camper from now on."

The sergeant shook his head as he watched Andy, skeptical of his answer. "Andy, your sponsor will be wearing a dress. Your sponsor gets to have all the headaches she wants. Your sponsor gets to invite her buddy over for the evening to fuck your wife in the ass.

"You're the kind of guy I was talking about that will make it for a year or so and then crack. If you lash out, you'll be dead in minutes. I think you'd do okay if you could keep your temper under control, Andy. Nothing else in your sub-scores gives me any cause for concern. Good luck, Andy. You won't live two years in the colonies." He didn't say aloud that the guy had a very slim chance of being selected.

"Thank you, Sergeant," smiled Andy. "I'll keep your advice in mind. I'm going to be a good pet, as you call it."

The sergeant had the guys 'interview' each other. More men were persuaded that being a concubine was not in their future.

"All right," said the sergeant, "I want to leave you with some thoughts about what it's going to be like on the wrong side of the meat market, where you're the meat. The customers roam around, appraising. Maybe you get an interview. Mostly, the sponsor's not going to say anything to you, or he's going to say 'thanks anyway.'

"You and your family will be housed in the same apartment with a few other families that you don't know. In the first day or two of the meat market, all of the easy matches take place. The sponsors who need one or two more to fill up his allotment. The guy who needs a den mother and three fuck bunnies, the female sponsor who just needs a man. Those kinds of matches are easy, and they will happen right away.

"A man and wife always have a hard time being sponsored together. A man and wife with a fourteen-year-old daughter are even harder to place as a family. So here's what's going to happen. You're going to sit on your duff for two or three days. You're going to talk to a lot of sponsors, but you won't get any offers of sponsorship for both of you -- or all three of you. Think about it. If you were a sponsor -- especially a female sponsor -- and you needed a mother and a man, do you think the safer choice would be a mother and a thirty-something man, or a mother and her sixteen-year-old son?

"As the time goes by, some of you will become more meek and some of you are going to become more aggressive. If you beg to be sponsored, it won't happen. If you demand to be sponsored, it won't happen. The other guys sitting around you are going to be in the very same spot as you. If you get into a fight, you can forget about being sponsored.

"Here's another thing you'll see. The sponsor tells you he'll take your wife, but not you. Or he'll take your wife and her sister and your kids, but not you. Are you going to turn him down on their behalf? For how long can you afford to turn down those offers? For those of you who insist on keeping your family together, no matter how long it takes to get sponsored, here's how you get cut out of the group and left behind. You and your family are hanging around, hanging around. Finally, a man offers sponsorship to you, to your wife and to your young adult daughter. You gleefully accept. You all stand up and start moving away when the sponsor turns to you and says, 'I reject you. I'm keeping your wife and kid.' What are you going to do? If you attack him, you will be recycled.

"Probably a thousand women from your group will not find a sponsor before you board the cube ship. Those women will be taken to the colony and a sponsor will be found for them there. Who are those sponsors? I'll tell you. They're either going to be celebrating their fourteenth birthday, or they need a new concubine because the last one was killed or rejected. Often, the colony puts unsponsored female concubines in the brothel -- the whorehouse -- until the woman finds a sponsor. You hang around here, like an albatross around the neck of your wife, and you almost certainly will eliminate her chance to find one of those early, easy sponsorships. You make it more likely that she'll get a sponsor she'll regret, or no sponsor at all.

"Go back to your quarters. Ask the AI for an unvarnished appraisal of your chances of being sponsored, and an appraisal of the chances that you and your wife will be sponsored together. If the AI doesn't tell you that your chances are very, very good, do your family a favor. Go home to Earth."