Chapter 10

What is chiefly needed is skill rather than machinery.

Sophia glanced down the row at the other pilots and gunners standing at attention. The first class of new Swift pilots and gunners were assembled in the flight hanger for graduation from ground school. They would all be transferring to the colony the next day to begin flight school. It was rumored that there were going to be promotions today and she hoped that she might get one.

The Red Baron had dropped out of hyperdrive two days earlier and was now parked in a geosynchronous orbit over the planet Trenat. The tan and blue planet could be seen outside the large windows in the hanger bay doors. Sophia felt a split second of vertigo as she looked toward the planet. Her mind told her that she should be falling out the window toward the planet even though the gravity generators were pulling her toward the floor.

A door at the end of the hanger opened and Lt. Colonel Ray Walker, Major Mike Jones and Major Karen Green strode through into the hanger. As they approached the stage in front of the assembled Marines Sophia noticed something different about the two men. They had been promoted: Walker to Colonel and Jones to Lieutenant Colonel. Colonel Walker stepped up to the podium.

"Congratulations, Ladies and Gentlemen. You have all passed the ground school portion of your training. In fact, you have all far exceeded the goals that we had established for you," Colonel Walker began, but was then forced to wait while the assembled concubines in attendance to watch the graduation clapped from the stands behind the assembled pilots and gunners. Eventually he was able to continue. "I know that you've all heard the rumors about promotions, and they are true for some of you. Based on your flying skills and leadership abilities, twenty of our pilots will be promoted to Captain. Each Captain will then lead a flight of aircraft. After flight school there will be further promotions."

Sophia was slightly pissed upon hearing that the only promotions would be for pilots even though she understood the reasoning behind it. "Maybe I'll get a promotion after flight school," she thought.

Colonel Walker called the twenty pilots up to the podium to receive their promotion. Aaron was promoted, as was Tiffany. Camilla, the English girl that Reggie was so gaga over was also promoted to Captain. With some disgust, Sophia also noted that Manuel Esteves was promoted to Captain. A member of the Brazilian contingent, he had quite a few enemies amongst the other pilots and gunners. Rumor had it that he treated his concubines like shit, but never did enough to them to get the Civil Service involved. He also treated the other Brazilian teams like they were his subordinates, ordering them around and berating them if they stole any of his "glory".

Once the promotions were finished another door at the end of the hanger opened and Master Sergeant Yamato entered the room. Behind him came three marines, one pushing the life-sized statue of a Sa'arm that Yamato had constructed and the other two pushing supply crates. The four men stopped in front of the stage, Yamato in front with the Sa'arm and crates behind him. In a loud voice Yamato said, "Lieutenant Santini, front and center!"

Sophia was shocked to hear her name called. She rushed forward to stand before Yamato. He turned to one of the Marines standing beside a crate and was handed two bamboo practice swords. Master Yamato tossed one of them to Sophia and as soon as her hand touched the stick Yamato attacked her in a flurry of movement.

Sophia's extensive training immediately took over, guiding her body as she parried the attacks. Yamato pressed her, forcing her backwards as she defended herself. After losing about ten meters of ground, Sophia found an opening and counter attacked. Once she broke Yamato's attack, the match became even with the Master and the Student attacking and parrying in front of the stage. Sophia entered "the Zone" as she called, it where the only things that existed in the universe were her and her opponent. Time seemed to stop; the blows and movements appeared as if occurring in slow motion.

To those people watching the battle, the movements seemed a blur as the two sword masters spun and attacked and parried. The bamboo swords hitting each other sounded like the keys of an old manual typewriter clacking away. Suddenly, in a movement almost too quick for the eye to see, Sophia ducked a cut and swept Yamato's leg out from under him. As he fell, Sophia swung her sword at his neck, stopping it a hair's breadth from his skin.

Sophia's attention snapped back to the present. She had Master Yamato on the ground with her sword at his neck. She stayed absolutely still for a few seconds, not quite sure of how she had gotten there. Suddenly, the room was filled with applause. Master Yamato smiled at her.

"Well done! You can let me up now," Yamato told her.

Sophia stepped back and Master Yamato stood up. He bowed to her and she bowed back. Yamato then indicated that she should stand to one side. Sophia moved out of the way. Once she had moved, one of the Marines pushed the Sa'arm construct to the front. Yamato exchanged the practice sword for a beautifully decorated katana.

"As you all know," the small man began, "we have done extensive research into close combat tactics for dealing with the Sa'arm. We have determined that the only weapons to be effective, short of guns, lasers, or grenades, are edged weapons. Even so, look at the effectiveness of this."

Yamato turned to the statue and chopped at one of its legs with his katana. A chip flew out of the armor but the sword did not penetrate. It took Yamato six swings at the same place to sever the leg.

"If you do not directly hit a joint it is not very effective, is it?" he said. Master Sergeant Yamato turned to a Marine and exchanged his katana for another one. The one was in a black scabbard, the handle wrapped with red. "Let's try this one."

Yamato drew the katana from its sheath. The blade was also black and those people closest to him could hear a faint humming sound coming from the sword. In two quick swipes, Yamato severed the front legs of the Sa'arm. The sword made barely a sound as it passed through the armor of the construct. As it toppled forward, Yamato held the sword out under its head. When the fake Sa'arm hit the ground its dick-shaped head rolled across the floor, coming to rest against the feet of a gunner standing in the front row of graduates.

Colonel Walker stepped up to the podium.

"Vibroblade technology!" he told the assembled personnel. "Every Swift pilot and gunner will receive a blade. It is part of your uniform and part of your identity. In the days of horse and rider cavalry every rider had a sword. You are the Confederacy's air cavalry. Take care of it. There may come a day when your blade will serve you better than a stinger or a rifle."

Yamato, who had joined the Colonel on the stage, continued, "I'm sure that you have a lot of questions. For now, let me tell you a little about this technology. Each sword is tailored to its own user. That means that it can't be taken away and used against you. The blade is powered by rechargeable energy cells located in the hilt. When you are off duty or in your Swift, it will be recharged by either your pod or your aircraft. In the field, the scabbard functions as a solar collector to recharge the blade. Without power, the blade is dull and brittle. It is made of carbon fiber and other exotic materials. Under power, the blade is capable of cutting almost any material. Some materials are harder to cut than others. For example, I could not walk over to the hanger door and cut through it in one swing. However, if I worked at it, I could make a hole in the door given time."

A pilot in the front row raised his hand. Colonel Walker indicated he could speak.

"What's to keep us from cutting our own legs off if we slip?" he asked.

"The technology, as I understand it, works by breaking molecular bonds. Each blade can be tuned to sever some bonds but not others. There are threads woven into your flight suits that resist being cut by the blades. An accidental slip may cut you, but it won't cut your leg off," Walker explained. "Are there any other questions?"

No one had any.

"Second Lieutenant Santini," Walker said. "Come up here."

Sophia had wondered why Master Yamato had left her standing in front of the stage. Upon hearing Walker's command, she mounted the steps and approached the podium.

"Lieutenant, Master Sergeant Yamato informs me that you have achieved the highest scores in your class for hand-to-hand and martial arts combat. Because of your outstanding achievements and excellent military record, you are hereby promoted to First Lieutenant," Colonel Walker said. He then removed her gold bars and replaced them with the silver bars of a First Lieutenant.

Sensei Yamato approached her and bowed low. She bowed also.

"From this day forward," the martial arts master began, "you shall be known as Master Santini." Sensei Yamato pinned a crossed scabbard and katana medal to her chest. A small bar hanging below the medal had a single word written on it in Japanese: godan.

"My God!" Sophia thought. "He has advanced me to a 5th degree black belt. I am now his equal!"

Yamato bowed low to Sophia then presented her a vibroblade katana. It was a beautiful weapon, about 60 cm long with a dark black blade and a red over red wrapped hilt. As soon as she grabbed the hilt of her sword, she felt a tingling sensation in the palm of her hands and the sword began to hum.

"The sword is now attuned to you and no other can use it," Yamato said. "Please hand your sword to me."

Sophia handed the sword to Yamato. As soon as it left her hand the humming stopped. Yamato handed it back and it immediately began to hum again. Then Yamato handed her a scabbard. It was black, except for an Asian style drawing of a leaping tiger carefully etched into the finish. Sophia knew immediately that Sensei Yamato had done the etching.

The sword stopped humming as soon as its tip entered the scabbard. With her sword now sheathed, Sophia bowed to Sensei Yamato. After completing the ceremony, Sophia assisted Master Yamato in handing out the other medals and swords.

Four students achieved fourth degree, or yodan, and received a katana with a hilt wrapped in blue and gold and seven students achieved third degree, or sandan, and received a katana with a blue hilt. Tim "Taz" Sample, one of Tiffany's gunners made third degree and joined the other third and fourth degree students in earning the honorary title of Sensei. They were now qualified to teach martial arts.

Eighty-seven of the pilots and gunners earned a second degree black belt, or nidan. They each received a katana with a black and gold wrapped hilt. Aaron, Reggie, and Tiffany all made second degree. The remaining two hundred and one students earned a first degree black belt rank, or shodan. They all received katanas with black wrapped hilts. One of those receiving a first degree rank was Manuel Esteves. As Sophia presented him his katana, he gave her an angry look and snatched the sword from her hand.

Master Yamato had witnessed the exchange and whispered to Sophia, "Watch out for that one. He thinks all women are inferior and he will try to prove that he is better than you."

"I will be careful, Master," she replied.

"You may call me Ken," he whispered back with a smile on his face. It was obvious that he was proud that his student was now his equal in the fighting arts.

"I will be careful, Ken," Sophia said

The celebration following graduation had quickly turned into an orgy. Led by Ann and Tammy, who had embraced the polyamorous lifestyle with gusto, several multiple partner groupings had formed on the sofas and rugs in the den. Reggie was being double teamed by Bonnie and Uma, Aaron was in a tangle of arms and legs that belonged to Wanda and Jessica, Kyle had Tammy bent over an arm chair and Ann was being double penetrated by Darren and Marty. Sophia was currently being kissed and caressed by Kelly who had turned out to be extremely bisexual, even before augmentation. Sophia was enjoying herself with Kelly, but she couldn't keep someone else out of her mind.

"Let's go somewhere else and find some entertainment sweetie," Sophia said to Kelly.

"Where?" Kelly asked.

"I have an idea, but if it doesn't work out we can come back here. Put your shirt back on," Sophia replied while zipping her flight suit up.

Sophia belted her sword on and led Kelly out into the hall. After consulting the AI, a short walk brought them to a pod door. A few seconds later the door opened to reveal Ken Yamato in a pair of gym shorts and a t-shirt.

"Lieutenant Santini. This is a surprise," he said.

"This is not an official visit, Ken," Sophia replied. "May we come in?"

Ken stood aside and let the two women enter his pod. His pod was sparsely decorated, containing only a bed, exercise mat, sofa, and kitchen table. Against one wall was a small shrine that contained some candles and a rack that displayed his swords, his traditional katana and his new vibroblade weapon. As the door closed, Ken turned and faced the women.

"What can I do for you, Kitten?" he asked as he looked the women over.

He was intimately familiar with Kitten, having spent numerous hours with her in training. The other woman, girl really, was new to him. She stood several inches taller than he did and had almost white hair. She was dressed in a T-shirt and tight shorts, a uniform adopted by most of the female concubines. She had large breasts and her nipples were hard, creating tiny hillocks on the tight material of her T-shirt. As she had passed him, he was certain that he had caught the scent of womanly arousal emanating from her.

"I thought that we would do something for you," Kitten said as she began to unzip the front of her flight suit. Before Ken could react, she had peeled her suit back to reveal her firm, hard breasts to him.

"I can't. It is inappropriate for me to fraternize with a superior officer," he stammered.

"We are off duty now and as far as I'm concerned we are now equals. Both of us masters of the martial arts and friends."

Sophia moved forward and kissed him. He resisted for a second but soon returned her kiss with passion. Sophia knew that he had left his concubines on another colony world. She was certain that she was the first female contact he'd had in at least 4 months.

"Oh my, look what we have here," Sophia heard Kelly say from below her. She broke her kiss with Ken to look down. Kelly had pulled his shorts down exposing his rapidly hardening cock to the air. Kelly was helping him along by stroking him slowly and gently.

"It's not the longest one I've ever seen but it sure is the thickest," Kelly said with a giggle.

Sophia had to agree. Ken's cock was only about 6 inches long, but it looked to be as big around as a beer can and uncircumcised. Kelly was now pulling his foreskin back and forth, exposing his glans and then hiding it. Every time it was exposed she licked the end of his prick. Ken let out a groan of pleasure.

Sophia peeled Ken's shirt off of him and then began to finish undressing herself. She removed her katana and placed it in an empty space on his display stand. Sophia thought that it looked appropriate sitting there. She kicked off her shoes and stepped out of her uniform. By the time she was naked, Kelly already had Ken on his bed and was doing her best to try and get his cock into her mouth. She worked at it but could only get the first couple of inches past her lips. Ken was kneading one of Kelly's magnificent breasts and tweaking the nipple. Sophia knew from experience that if he kept that up he would make the young woman cum.

Sophia climbed into bed with them and straddled Ken's face. She leaned forward and nudged Kelly aside so that she could suck Ken's dick too. The two women shared blow-job duty as Ken licked Sophia's smooth, dripping cunt. Within seconds, Sophia had an orgasm, causing her to scream out in ecstasy. Sophia flipped herself around to face Ken, his chubby cock poised near the entrance to her pussy.

"I need you in me!" Sophia yelled. "I need you to fuck me!"

Kelly grabbed Ken's cock and pulled the foreskin back away from its swollen head. She spit on the head to get it wet and placed at the opening to Sophia's oozing vagina. Sophia settled herself down onto Ken's member, slowly sliding about an inch of his length inside. She let out a groan and stopped pushing.

"Are you OK?" Ken asked, concern showing on his face.

"Mmm hmmm," she replied breathlessly. "I've just got to get used to its size. I'm still cumming and my pussy is contracting. Just give me a minute."

After a few minutes, Sophia began to lower herself slowly once more. She rocked herself back and forth, working a little more of his prick into her with each movement. The width of his cock caused each movement to rub her sensitive clit, which kept her on the verge of another orgasm. Finally, she felt her pussy lips settle onto his pubic bone. He was in!

"Damn, you fill me up! I feel like I'm going to split. It feels so good," she cooed. "Fuck me, Sensei! You taught me how to fight, now show me what you know about fucking!"

And show her he did. Much of Sophia's considerable sexual experience had been with high school boys and college men. Most of them couldn't fuck their way out of a wet paper bag. Sophia had experienced a lot of wham, bam, thank you ma'am.

Ken Yamato, like Aaron, was an experienced cocksman. Once puberty arrived, Ken's cock quickly grew to its current size and, unlike most men of Asian descent who tended to have small penises, his cock was impressive. Ken grew up in a close-knit Japanese community in San Francisco and it wasn't long before word of his endowment was known.

When Ken was thirteen, he fell hopelessly in love with a neighborhood girl named Sora. Ken and Sora had pledged their undying love to each other and after a while Ken had convinced her that he would love her forever and that they should consummate their love. Plans were made, and on a day when Sora's mother was to be working, Ken and Sora met in her bedroom.

As fate would have it, Sora's mother was sent home early that day because of a accident at work. She arrived home just in time to hear Sora cry out as Ken attempted to penetrate her. Sora's mother rushed into her room where she found them naked on Sora's bed; Ken's penis perched at the opening to Sora's womb. Sora's mother removed one of her shoes and proceeded to beat the tar out of Ken who was desperately trying to find his clothes and get out of the house. The angry mother finally chased him out, but not before she had seen the size of his manhood. Sora's mother forbade Sora from ever seeing Ken again.

Ken was heartbroken and tried to contact Sora. His phone calls were not answered and no one would answer the door when he knocked. Finally, one day the door to Sora's house opened as he was knocking. Sora's mother stood in the doorway dressed in a kimono. She invited him inside.

"I don't want you to see my daughter again," she told him after he had entered. "Sora is to be married to the son of a family friend. His father was good friends with my late husband. His father owns a very successful business. Sora will be well taken care of."

"But I love her!" Ken pleaded. "And I can take care of her. I get good grades and I'm going to go to college. I will be successful one day."

"Maybe so. But this man will inherit money and that is a sure thing. I must make the best decision for my daughter's future," she replied. "Besides, you think you are in love, but you are not. You are a young man; you are in lust, not love."

"That's not true. I love her and I'll love her forever!"

"Bah. I saw you. You weren't thinking about love that day. You were going to have sex with no protection. If you really loved my daughter would you put her at risk for a pregnancy? No, you may think you are in love, but you aren't. Your wang is doing your thinking. Your big wang."

As she finished her sentence a strange look appeared on her face. Then she smiled at him.

"I know what you need," she said as she untied the belt of her kimono. She slipped it off of her shoulders and it dropped to the floor leaving her naked before him.

"I will make you forget Sora, you'll see. No girl can treat you like a woman can. I know other women who will beg for you to sleep with them when they see what you possess," she told him softly.

Ken was mesmerized by the sight before him. Sora's mother was barely thirty years old and was still a good looking woman. Her breasts had begun to sag a little, but her stomach was flat and her ass firm. What drew his attention the most was the bushy black patch of long, thick pubic hair covering her pussy. Sora's pubic hair had been thin and sparse and he had thought that was how all women were. The sight of her hairy pussy made his cock ache.

"Come with me," she said, taking his hand and leading him to her room.

From then on, Ken was rarely without sex on a daily basis. Sora's mother was true to her word. Not only did she fuck him regularly, but she also told several of her friends about him. Ken soon had a dedicated group of older women for whom he did "favors". Some of them were widows, or divorced, or had husbands who were lousy in bed. He didn't care. Ken made love to them all and learned everything that he could from them. He quickly developed superb techniques and a stamina that is still legendary among the women in San Francisco's Japanese community. And yes, he quickly forgot about Sora.

Sophia had been riding Ken's thick cock for almost ten minutes. She had been able to string together multiple small orgasms as they coupled. Kelly helped out by wedging herself in between their legs and licking their juices from Ken's balls and Sophia's leaking pussy. Whenever Kelly managed to clean up all of the wetness she could reach, she would then lick Sophia's asshole, running her pointed tongue around the rim and probing just inside her sphincter. Every time Kelly did this a fresh stream of lubricant would seep out of Sophia's pussy from around Ken's thrusting prick.

Sophia could feel a large orgasm building up and she knew that she needed to change positions to bring it forth.

"I need you behind me," Sophia moaned. "I need you to fuck me hard and fast Master!"

Sophia climbed off her mentor and got on her knees. Ken positioned himself behind her. He quickly slipped his cock back into her and began to pound her hard and fast. His balls were slapping her clit with every thrust, sending jolts of pleasure throughout her body. She soon felt her orgasm coming.

"Don't stop! Don't stop! Oh, my, God! That's it, that's it...!" she yelled, her last word drawing out into a high pitched squeal. Sophia came so hard that her kegel muscles tightened and forced Ken's cock out of her pussy. He tried to penetrate her again, but her pussy was contracting so forcefully that he couldn't. Sophia collapsed on the bed, a mewing sound coming out of her mouth with every spasm she felt in her cunt.

"My turn!" Kelly yelled as she positioned herself in front of Ken, her legs spread wide. "Fuck me with that fat dick, I can't wait any longer. I came twice just watching you two."

Ken wasted no time. He propped her legs up on his shoulders and placed the head of his swollen cock at the entrance to her pussy. Kelly was soaking wet and Ken was still covered in Sophia's slickness so he had no problem sliding his cock into Kelly in one smooth stroke. When he reached the bottom he stopped.

"Oh damn that's big!" Kelly moaned. "Fuck me!"

Slowly Ken began to stoke his cock in and out of the blonde teen. He was entranced by her platinum hair and dark, all-over tan. All of the women that he had ever slept with had been dark haired. This blonde goddess with the spectacular tits was a new thing for him. Before long, Kelly was grunting in time to his thrusts. Ken was really working now and sweat was dripping from the end of his nose. The droplets were falling on Kelly's tits and running down to pool between them.

"Come on, faster!" Kelly pleaded. Ken picked up the pace. Kelly closed her eyes and began to moan.

Suddenly, a dark head of hair obscured Ken's view of Kelly's heaving breasts. Sophia had recovered and rejoined the party. Sophia took one of Kelly's nipples in her mouth and sucked hard on it.

"Oh... you...sneaky...BITCH!" Kelly yelled, as the orgasm that Ken had been creating within her erupted when Sophia attacked her nipple. Kelly went wild beneath them as she came.

Kelly's thrashing brought Ken to the edge. "I'm cumming!" he grunted.

"I want to taste it. Shoot in my mouth!" Sophia exclaimed.

"Me too!" Kelly said as she scrambled to get next to Sophia, disengaging from Ken's cock as she did so.

Ken gave his throbbing member several strokes and then began to cum, releasing four and half months of pent-up semen. The first jet of cum landed across Kelly's face leaving a sticky white stripe from her right eye to her chin. His successive spurts covered the girl's faces in a mask of pearly cum that ran down and dripped from their chins onto their tits and stomachs. Some even landed on their outstretched tongues, which they used to lap up his semen like thirsty cats at a bowl of milk.

When Ken finished cumming, he sat back on his heels and watched the girls, exhausted from his performance. Sophia and Kelly were frantically licking cum off of each other faces, necks and tits. After they had lapped up most of the mess, they lay back on the bed and motioned for Ken to get between them. Sophia gave Ken a long, passionate kiss while Kelly, who was spooning him, gently fondled his wilted dick.

"Thank you Sensei. That was amazing. I think I love you," Sophia told him.

"That's just the sex talking," Ken replied, even though he was thinking the same thing. He could really fall for a talented woman like Kitten. "And thank you too, both of you. I needed that badly. I haven't seen my girls for a long time."

"You're welcome Mr. Yamato," Kelly said. "It was our pleasure, I assure you! By the way, my name is Kelly."

"Thank you Kelly. You can call me Ken"

"I just wish we had done this sooner. We're leaving for the colony tomorrow and we won't get to see you again," Sophia replied in a sad voice.

"I wouldn't worry about that Kitten. I'll be here for another three months training the next class of volunteers. We sent the next one hundred Swift crews to Trenat on another colony ship. They have been here for two months helping to prepare the base for operation. Now that you have arrived, they will transfer up to the Red Baron for their ground school and technicians training. After that, I'll be back every four months as we bring another class to Trenat for flight training," Ken told her.

Both girls snuggled up to Ken and soon they were asleep.

Several hours later, after another intense round of spectacular sex, Sophia and Kelly slipped out of Ken's pod and headed home. What they didn't know was that one of Manuel's Brazilian buddies saw them leave.

The transfer to the planet the next day went smoothly. Unlike other colony transfers, the Swift crews and their concubines used the transporters to get to the surface instead of riding down in their pods. Pods had already been produced for them on the planet and the ship's AI had downloaded the specifications for each families living area to the surface. When the families arrived at their new homes, they found that the interior dimensions and decorations were identical to the ones they had left on the ship except that each house now had an unfinished basement.

The exteriors of their new homes were done in a traditional Mediterranean style with white stucco walls and clay tile roofs. The land around the homes was bare, but there was a good bit of distance between them and their neighbors. As Aaron, Sophia and Reggie approached their new home the front door opened.

"Welcome to your living quarters," the AI said from speakers hidden somewhere on the house. "The interior specifications have been replicated to exactly match your quarters on the transport ship."

"The houses are beautiful," Sophia said. "I never imagined that we would live in such nice military housing."

"The exterior design was created by the colony architect, Mr. Wallace. The Governor has tasked him with designing the buildings, landscaping and layout for the colony," the AI responded. "Captain Sperry, Lieutenants Carson and Santini and concubines Ann Carter and Marty Carter have a meeting with the Governor and Mr. Wallace at 4:00 PM today."

"What about?" Reggie asked.

"I am not authorized to give you that information."

Reggie frowned, "I guess we'll find out later."

"Let's get settled in," Aaron replied, walking through the door to their new home.

Sophia, Ann, Aaron, Marty and Reggie arrived at the Governor's office just before four in the afternoon. The Governor's office was located in an ornate three-story building with balconies and wrought iron railings. What appeared to be a central square, or plaza, was beginning to take shape outside the building. They were directed to the third floor and soon found the Governor's office. They entered to find themselves in a waiting room with several large, comfortable looking chairs and a reception desk manned by a young man in a grey uniform.

As they entered, Master Sergeant Yamato rose from a chair near the reception desk and snapped the officers a salute. The three officers returned his salute, then following Sophia's lead, bowed to him. Yamato returned the bow, and then walked over to them.

"I didn't expect to see you again so soon," Sophia said, shooting him a quick smile.

"Yes, I have been summoned to meet with the Governor and the Colonel. I do not know why," he replied.

"This is Ann and Marty Carter. They are my concubines and the parents of Tiffany Carter," Sophia told Ken Yamato, indicating the couple with them.

"Ah. It's very nice to meet you. Your daughter is a delightful young woman. She would make an excellent martial artist if I could get her mind off of flying for a minute," Ken said with a smile.

"Good luck," Marty replied. "That girl has been crazy about flying since she was three years old. We had been saving up money to get her flying lessons. We were going to surprise her after the Swarm tournament."

"Well, now you don't have to worry about paying for her lessons," Reggie said. "Of course, now you also don't need that money you had saved."

"Tell me about it!" Marty griped. "When I think about the new bass boat I could have bought with..."

"Which you also no longer have a use for," Ann interrupted him to point out.

"I know. Do you have to rub it in?" Marty chided her.

"Excuse me," the receptionist said to them. "The Governor is ready for everyone except for Sergeant Yamato."

Ken Yamato returned to his seat while the rest of them walked through the doorway that the receptionist was holding open for them.

They entered a room decorated with dark wood paneling and furniture but light colored draperies and carpet. It gave the room a sense of power without being oppressive. Five empty chairs were arrayed in front of a large desk, behind which stood a tall woman wearing a dark blue suit. She looked to be at least 6 feet tall with shoulder length, dark red hair and large breasts. Aaron immediately noticed that she had deep blue eyes behind her flawless face. Aaron knew he was a sucker for red heads, but this woman was magnificent by anyone standards.

Standing next to her desk was Colonel Walker and a short, fat man dressed in slacks and a tweed jacket. Being the first out-of-shape person that the group had seen in three months the man drew a lot of attention.

"Welcome," the woman said in a deep, yet feminine voice. "My name is Miranda Brown and I have been appointed the Planetary Governor of Trenat."

Colonel Walker continued, "Governor. This is Captain Sperry, 1st Lieutenant Santini, 2nd Lieutenant Carson and their concubines Ann and Marty Carter."

"I'm very pleased to meet you," the Governor replied. "The gentleman next to Colonel Walker is Civil Service Legate Hunter Wallace."

"Hunter Wallace the architect?" Marty asked.

"See Miranda, I told you I was famous," the man said with a grin.

"We all know you are famous Hunter," she retorted. Hunter just sat there with a grin on his face.

"Excuse me," Marty said. "I thought that Hunter Wallace was in his 90's."

"I'm 93. I just don't look it. The Darjee medical treatments are amazing," Hunter said. "I had them knock a few years off the old frame."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize that the Darjee could reverse that much aging," Marty replied sheepishly.

"Think nothing of it. I get that all the time."

"If I may?" the Governor said, interrupting Hunter and Marty's conversation. "We do have business to attend to. The reason that you are all here is that we are in the process of planning and designing a new community. We are literally building a small city from the ground up. That's where Hunter comes in. We are giving him the project of a lifetime. He is designing and planning every aspect of the City of Prentiss, our new city."

"Yes, and I need some help," Hunter picked up the conversation. "I can do the physical designs and location planning and even the civil engineering with the help of the AI, but I need input from people who know the businesses I be designing."

"How can we help?" Aaron asked.

"I want to use Mr. and Mrs. Carter to help me design school facilities," Hunter said. "That assumes, of course, that you would be interested in helping."

"Of course we would!" Marty told him.

"And, we'll need someone to run this school and we'll need teachers," Miranda added. "The jobs are yours provided your sponsors will let you."

Sophia said, "Of course we'll let them. We would love it if all of our concubines could find jobs that would make them useful to the community."

"Excellent. AI, what is your determination?" Miranda asked.

"Given the enhancements to Concubine Marty Carter and his acceptance of this position, I project that his CAP score will increase to at least 6.5. Formal testing will be required to assess his new score, but the Confederacy has determined that he is now qualified to volunteer for service."

Marty was stunned. He turned to look at Ann and Sophia. After several seconds of silence Sophia spoke, "AI, I release Concubine Ann Carter from my care."

"Noted. Concubine Ann Carter is now under the responsibility of the Civil Service until claimed by another volunteer."

"If you want her you'd better go get her," Sophia said to Marty.

"AI, I accept service with the Confederacy and I claim Ann Carter as my...wife," Marty said, looking lovingly at his bride.

"Accepted," the AI responded.

"Congratulations, Centurion Carter," Miranda said. "You will be working under Legate Wallace as part of the Civil Service. We will have new quarters available for you as soon as possible."

"Is it possible for us to remain with Aaron, Reggie and Sophia?" Ann asked. "They are like our family now."

"Absolutely!" Aaron replied. "You can stay with us as long as you want. AI, can we add on to the house, maybe add a wing for the Carters?"

"Yes."

"That's settled then," Miranda said. "Hunter will be getting in touch with you to begin the design of the school facilities. Also, I understand that you were a fireman on Earth, Captain Sperry. I am about to appoint a committee to look into public safety and I would value your opinion and expertise. Would you be willing to serve on this committee?"

"I would enjoy that very much," Aaron replied, a bit of huskiness in his voice subtly implying what else he might enjoy. The Governor gave him an appraising look.

"I believe that will be all. Thank you for coming," Governor Brown said.

The five of them turned to leave but Colonel Walker said, "Lieutenant Santini, please stay, the rest of you may return home or wait in the lobby."

"We'll wait for you." Reggie said as they exited the room.

Once Sophia's companions had left the room, master Sergeant Yamato entered and stood beside her. Introductions were performed and then Colonel Walker began the meeting.

"Sergeant, we are going to be designing a fitness facility for Prentiss that will be utilized by civilian and military personnel. It will have a full complement of physical activities, much like the YMCA facilities of Earth. For instance, the facility will have free weights, nautilus equipment, a swimming pool and an indoor track. Because of the success of the sporting events aboard ship, we also want to have a complete set of outdoor facilities such as soccer, baseball, football and cricket fields." Walker told them. "Before our return trip to Earth three months from now, you will be coordinating with Legate Wallace on the design of these facilities."

"Yes Sir," Yamato replied.

"These facilities will also include a martial arts facility. I believe that you call it a dojo. You and Lieutenant Santini will help design it also."

"Excuse me sir, but why me?" Sophia asked.

"Because, the highest ranking Martial Arts Master residing in Prentiss will be in charge of the facility and training. As of now, that person is you," Walker replied.

"How can I possibly run a dojo along with my regular training schedule?" she asked.

"The AI informs me that there are several people, particularly among the concubines picked up in Tokyo, who are experts in various martial arts. They will be doing the actual teaching of classes and maintenance of the dojo and equipment. You will be the commander-in-chief so to speak," Walker said.

"Yes, there are several very talented people in that group," Yamato replied. "They will be excellent instructors. Also, I would imagine that the other students from your class who achieved the status of sensei would be willing to help teach when their schedules allow them to."

Hunter Wallace sprang up out of his chair and shook each of their hands. Sophia was surprised to see how spry the fat man was.

"I can't wait to get started on this project. I have some excellent ideas on the dojo in particular. It's going to be quite a challenge. I'm hoping to blend traditional Japanese architecture with Mediterranean style. It should be interesting," Hunter said. "I'm outta here. Got to get back and check up on the 1st AFW admin building, make sure the AI hasn't screwed something up."

Hunter took Miranda's hand and kissed it. "Always a pleasure my dear," he said. Then he spun on his heels and, throwing a jaunty Benny Hill style salute in Colonel Walker's direction, bustled out of the door.

"That man is a lunatic." Walker stated as the door closed.

"I would say eccentric," Miranda replied. "Most geniuses are."

"Humph. I still don't understand why he refused to let the nanobots reduce his weight. He looks ridiculous," Walker said.

"Does it really matter?" Miranda asked, giving Walker a dirty look. "He's doing a fantastic job and he's happy. I've also heard that he is keeping all eight of his concubines happy. In fact four of them are pregnant and the others would be if they weren't on birth control."

"Eight concubines?" Sophia asked.

"Yes. Hunter's CAP score was almost off the charts at a 9.7. Volunteers with that kind of score can be indulged a little," Miranda said.

"We have another piece of business to discuss with you. Its military related, but also concerns the Governor," Colonel Walker said, changing the topic. "There has been an accusation made that the two of you are having an affair in direct violation of the rules regarding fraternization between officers and enlisted personnel."

"Sir, I..." Sophia began.

"Please Lieutenant, let me finish," Walker said. "I have consulted with the AI and I know that you and Sergeant Yamato had sexual relations last night and that it was the only time. As far as I'm concerned there is no conflict here. Lieutenant, as soon as you graduated you was no longer officially under the tutelage of Sergeant Yamato and he is not under your command. I have explained this to your accuser. However, he has questioned Lieutenant Santini's martial arts rank of godan. By the rules of the dojo, as I understand them, he has the right to challenge you in single combat for your rank."

"Sir, I believe that it is I who should be challenged, not Lieutenant Santini. As her Master, I awarded her rank," Yamato exclaimed.

"That is true, but this individual is convinced that you are biased and cannot judge her fairly. I know that is not true, but in the interest of fairness and to squelch any suspicion of impropriety, I have authorized a contest. It will be held tomorrow at noon at the repair hanger on base. I have asked Governor Brown to serve as the judge and she has taken the sleep learning classes necessary to determine the winner," the Colonel told them.

"I'm also going to start coming to your dojo after this is finished," Miranda said to Sophia. "Now that I've got the knowledge, I really want to learn the martial arts.

"It's not my dojo yet," Sophia replied. "I still have to compete for it. Colonel, I believe I should know who my challenger is."

Colonel Walker replied, "Captain Manuel Esteves."

Sophia glanced at Ken Yamato who could only give her back a look that said, "I told you he would be trouble."