Chapter 16

They are stealing your children. The very children you have made sacrifices for all these years. Because you had to toil, day in and day out, to send them to good schools and keep them in soccer, and band and the boy scouts, your children became better than you. And isn’t that what we always wanted for our children? For them to have a better life? Now, the Confederacy is stealing them away from us, just as our jobs as parents are finished. And they steal them for what purpose? They send the best of our children out into the galaxy to fight an enemy that threatens not just us, but all of the races in the Confederacy. And the rest of our children they steal to be slaves and brood-mares. This must STOP!

Ken Yamato was not enjoying pick-up duty. Because he had not taken the standard marine augmentation, he got tapped to do site recon before pickups. Ken’s small stature allowed him to blend in with the crowd. Unlike the first round of Swift pick-ups, this time Earth First and other extremist groups were causing all kinds of problems at SAAP tournaments. Eventually, the tournaments were restricted to internet-only affairs, and potential volunteers were contacted discreetly and instructed to appear at a certain location and time for pickup. Sometimes word leaked out and the pick-ups could get messy. It was Ken’s job to try and scan the crowds for anything out of the ordinary.

Ken was currently sitting in a large restaurant near San Francisco airport’s industrial park. Reconnaissance had indicated that a large number of electrical and aeronautical engineers and technicians ate lunch there every day. Twenty-four potential pilots and gunners had been instructed to come there for lunch today between twelve o’clock and twelve fifteen. The employees from the aircraft companies in the neighborhood should provide plenty of good technicians for the new volunteers. So far, Ken had not seen anything out of the ordinary, although he had identified three people carrying concealed weapons. However, they didn’t appear to be paying any undue attention to happenings in the restaurant.

Ken was just about to give the all-clear call to the pick-up team when a voice behind him said, “Is that you Ken?”

Ken turned around to find the mother of his high school girlfriend, Sora, standing there.

“It’s me, Mrs. Tanaka,” he replied, motioning for the older woman to take a seat.

“You used to call me Haruko. Once upon a time,” she said, looking him in the eyes. She and Ken had once been lovers.

“That was a long time ago.”

“Yes, it was. Things have never been the same since you went to school. You left a lot of needy women behind when you moved,” she said.

“I know, but I couldn’t stay forever.”

“I heard from your mother that you’re a volunteer and went into space.”

“That’s true, I was picked up two years ago,” he replied.

“Then why are you here?” she asked.

Ken leaned over and whispered, “There is going to be a Confederacy pick-up here in about 5 minutes.”

Haruko’s eyes got very wide and then she began to cry.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“It’s Sora,” she sobbed, “I want her to get away.”

“Can she get here quickly?” Ken asked her.

Haruko shook her head. “The man that she married won’t let her out of the house. Ever since the pick-ups started and he didn’t score well he has kept her under lock and key, my grandchildren too. He says that if he can’t leave, neither can she.”

Ken quickly made a decision.

“Haruko, are you going to stay and try to be selected as a concubine today?”

“No. I can’t. I had to have a hysterectomy years ago.”

“I’m sorry,” Ken said. “Give me your phone number. I’ll call you tonight. Don’t say anything to Sora or anyone else about our meeting today.”

Haruko quickly wrote her number on a napkin.

“Hurry up and go before the interdiction field goes up. I’ll figure something out. If I can, I’ll get Sora and her children off of Earth.”

Haruko gave him a quick hug and kiss before hustling out of the restaurant.

Ken tucked the napkin in his pocket before calling the AI and giving the all clear.

Haruko Tanaka hurried home, not even stopping to get lunch. She wanted so badly to call Sora, but she could never be sure if Sora’s husband was listening in on her conversation. While Haruko waited for the telephone to ring, she thought back to that fateful day when she had caught young Ken Yamato about to deflower her child. Oh how she wished that things had turned out differently.

Before her husband had died, he had arranged a marriage between his daughter Sora and Shoichi Nakamura, the oldest son of a friend. Haruko and her husband both thought that it would be for the best. Mr. Nakamura had a very successful import business and his son stood to inherit it. Only after Sora was married did the truth about Shoichi surface. He was an abusive and demanding man, forcing Sora to do disgusting things and beating her for the slightest offence. He was nearly as bad to his children, both of them girls. He desperately wanted a boy and blamed Sora for not giving him one.

When CAP testing started, Shoichi and Sora were both tested. She got a 6.0 but he only got a 5.4. His score enraged him, especially because his wife had scored better. Sora nearly died from the beating she received that night. Once the pickups started, he never let Sora or the children leave the house. He was not about to have his wife snatched away by another man, causing him embarrassment.

Shoichi, however, had been present at three Confederacy pick-ups and had yet to be selected. In fact, in his last attempt he had been stung by a marine for yelling obscenities at a female volunteer who didn’t select him. Every disappointment added to his anger.

Haruko was startled when the phone rang. “Hello?” she said.

“Haruko, its Ken. Are you alone?”

“Yes.”

“Have you told anyone about our conversation?” Ken asked.

“No”

“Good. Listen carefully. I have pulled a huge favor to get this chance. Meet me in one hour at the McDonald’s near your home. Do you have a large purse?”

“Yes.”

“Bring it. I assume you are still allowed to see Sora and the children?” Ken asked.

“Yes, as long as I go to their house.” Haruko replied.

“Good. I’ll see you in an hour.” Ken hung up.

Haruko, breathing a sigh of relief, went to her closet to find a large purse.

Haruko knocked on the door to her daughter’s house. She had already passed through the gate and been cleared by the private guards that Shoichi employed. Shoichi answered the door.

“Hello Mother Tanaka. Were we expecting you?” he asked.

“No Shoichi, I was just nearby and thought I’d stop by to see Sora and the girls,” she said. Shoichi flinched slightly when she mentioned the girls.

“They are upstairs. You know the way,” he said, waving his hand in a dismissive gesture.

Haruko went upstairs and found Sora in her room reading a book.

“Hello Momma! What are you doing here so late?” Sora asked in her bird-like voice.

“I just stopped to see you and the children. Where are they?”

“They are playing in Kim’s room.”

“That’s nice. Come here and give your mother a hug.” Haruko said.

Sora got up from her chair and gave her mother a hug. As she hugged her, Haruko whispered in her ear, “Sora, if I could get you and the children away from here, tonight, would you go?”

Sora looked at her mother for a moment before softly saying, “You’re not joking, are you?”

“No, I ran into Ken Yamato today. He’s a marine now and he can get you out of here. Will you go?” Haruko asked.

“Yes, I will. What do I need to do?” Sora asked

“Go and get the children,” she replied. Sora left the room and went down the hall.

Haruko removed a metal disk from her purse and placed it on the floor. Sora returned with the children.

“Close the door Sora,” Haruko commanded. Sora closed the door while Kim and Lina hugged their grandmother. Then Haruko called a number on her cell phone.

“We’re ready,” she said into the phone, then hung up. A green button began to blink on the metal disk.

“What is this?” Sora asked, pointing at the disk.

“It’s a transporter. As soon as I press the green button, it will activate and take you to a ship.” Haruko replied. She pressed the button and a shimmering curtain of light appeared above the disk.

“Go quickly my loves,” Haruko said, giving them all hugs and kisses.

Sora took the girls hands and led them to the transporter. She told them that this was a new game and they needed to jump through the light to win. Little Kim didn’t hesitate; she loved games. She jumped into the light and disappeared. Lina seemed frightened but Sora assured her it was all right and soon she was gone too. Just as Sora turned to give her mother one last hug, the bedroom door opened.

“What the fuck is going on here?” Shoichi shouted as he entered the room and saw the transporter. He dashed forward and grabbed Sora by the arm.

“You bitch, where do you think you’re going?” he yelled at her, dragging her away from the transporter. Suddenly, he doubled over in pain. Haruko had kicked him in the balls.

“Go!” she screamed at Sora. When Sora just stood there, Haruko pushed her into the transporter.

The last thing that Sora saw before falling into the arms of Ken Yamato was Shoichi striking her mother. Sora was disoriented for a moment, but soon realized where she was.

“He’s going to kill my mother!” she screamed and began to cry.

“Who is?” Ken asked.

“My husband, he caught us as I was leaving. He’s hurting her!”

Ken turned to the ensign manning the transporter terminal. “Reverse this thing and send me back there,” Ken commanded.

“Sir, I’m not authorized…”

“Do it now or I’ll kill you and do it myself. Are we clear about this?” Ken asked, pulling about 6 inches of his vibroblade katana out of its sheath.

The ensign flipped a switch. “The transporter is ready.”

Ken stepped through into a large bedroom. In front of him was a man beating Haruko senseless with his fists.

“Let her be!” Ken commanded.

“Fuck you!” he replied.

Ken stepped forward and landed a punch to the side of the man’s head that sent him reeling. Ken grabbed Haruko to keep her from falling. She was conscious but groggy. Ken’s attention was on Haruko, so he didn’t see Shoichi pull a gun out of the drawer of the nightstand. The sound of the gunshot was deafening in the room. Ken felt the bullet hit his body armor hard, even after passing through Haruko’s body.

Ken dropped Haruko and drew his sword. Shoichi fired again, the bullet hitting Ken’s body armor squarely in the chest. Ken didn’t even flinch. Shoichi never got another shot off.

Ken wiped the bloody blade of his sword on Shoichi’s clothing and sheathed it. He checked on Haruko and found that she was still breathing, although very shallowly. Ken picked her up and called the AI through his implant.

“I need the transporter reversed now and I need a med pod ready for a critically wounded patient,” Ken said.

“Acknowledged,” the AI said. “What about the transporter?”

“Set it for self-destruct after I transport.”

“Acknowledged. You may transport now.”

Ken stepped into the transporter field and was instantly onboard the Red Baron. Sora and her children were standing nearby. Ken began to hurry toward medical carrying the unconscious Haruko.”

“Wait here, I’ll be right back!” Ken yelled to Sora as he passed her, not stopping for even a second to explain what happened. He rushed into medical and was directed to an open medical pod. He laid Haruko down and the medical technicians took over. It was only after he had set her down that he realized that he was hurting.

Ken peeled off his clothes and body armor to find two very large bruises, one on his chest and one on his upper abdomen. One of the technicians saw him and herded him into an available med pod. He was lucky; he only had a cracked rib. The tech gave him some nanobots to speed the healing process and released him in a few minutes.

Ken pulled his bloody clothes back on, picked up his body armor, and returned to the transporter area. As soon as Sora saw him she ran to him and threw her arms around him.

“How’s my mother?” Sora asked, tears flowing from her eyes.

“She alive and the medical people are working on her. The bullet passed through her abdomen. The AI will tell us something soon,” Ken said.

“I never thought I’d see you again!” she cried. “Thank you for coming to get me and my children.”

Ken didn’t know what to say. He just held her tight.

“Excuse me, Sergeant Yamato,” the AI said to him through his implant. “Mrs. Tanaka is stable and the medical center reports that she will be fine. The bullet did not rupture any major organs and the internal damages have been repaired. She will be out of the medical pod in twelve hours.”

“Thank you,” he replied sub-vocally.

“Also, I must know what your intentions are for these concubines. Should Mrs. Nakamura and Mrs. Tanaka be sent to the civil service?” the AI asked, again through Ken’s implant.

“No. I’ll sponsor Sora Nakamura as my concubine and I accept her children. Mrs. Tanaka is infertile and cannot be accepted,” Ken replied.

“Noted. Sora Nakamura is now your concubine,” the AI whispered in his head. “Also, given the fact that you went to the trouble to save Mrs. Tanaka I feel I should tell you that it may be possible for her to become fertile again. The procedure doesn’t always work, but if a donor can be found to provide samples of uterine and ovarian tissues, new reproductive organs can be grown. Family members make the best donor candidates.”

Ken was stunned by the news. After a few seconds thought he asked, “Would the donation of tissue affect Sora’s ability to have children in the future?”

“Not at all.”

“When do you need to know if I want this done?”

“As soon as possible. If Mrs. Tanaka is not able to be sponsored then protocol dictates that she should be recycled before she uses any more Confederacy resources.”

“Can she be returned to Earth?” he asked.

“Perhaps, but that is entirely up to the Confederacy. It has happened, but rarely,” the AI replied.

Ken released his embrace of Sora and held her at arm’s length.

“Sora, I’ve accept you as my concubine. You will be my wife as far as I’m concerned. You and your girls are coming with me. Your mother is going to be all right, but her fate is still uncertain. Because she’s had a hysterectomy she is ineligible to be a concubine. There is a slim chance that she might be allowed to return home,” Ken said.

“If she doesn’t go home what will happen,” Sora asked.

“She’ll be killed and her body recycled,” Ken said. Sora began to cry again.

“There is another possibility,” he said.

“What is it?” Sora asked.

“The medical people may be able to create a new reproductive system for her but they need some tissue from you to do it. It’s not a guarantee, but it’s a chance,” he told her.

“I’ll do whatever it takes!” she said.

Ken addressed the AI, “We’ll try the organ re-growth.”

“Bring your concubine and her children to medical,” the AI replied.

Ken was standing in medical looking at the medical pods that held Sora, her mother and two children. Sora and the kids would be out of the pods in a couple of hours; Haruko would be here for several more days to allow time for the transplant organs to be created.

“Sergeant,” one of the medical technicians said to get his attention. “I need to ask you a few questions.”

Ken turned toward the voice which had come from a young woman in a while lab coat. “Go ahead,” Ken replied.

“First, are you planning on sponsoring Mrs. Tanaka if the transplant is successful?”

“Yes,” Ken said. He didn’t even have to think about the choice.

“OK, because the med pods will be relatively free for the next week, we can make cosmetic adjustments to your concubines now, rather than waiting for the Swift augmentations to be completed. Do you have any changes you would like to make at this time?” she asked.

Ken thought for a minute then said, “For Haruko, I want her age to be 32. I don’t want to make any changes now to her breast size, but I would like her to be slim again and everything firmed up. I would like the width of her throat increased and her gag reflex suppressed. I also want to increase her libido and make sure that she is deep enough to accept Kyle’s penis.”

“Not a problem,” the technician replied after consulting with the AI on Kyle’s measurements.

“For Sora, her age should be 24. Give her the same enhancements as her mother but also make sure that she’ll be able to accept the width of my penis. I already know that her mother can take me,” Ken said.

The technician consulted with the AI again and made a note on her chart. Ken couldn’t help but notice the mischievous smile on her face as she wrote.

“Is something funny?” Ken asked the woman.

The tech seemed startled, but then laughed. “No, I’m sorry. I was just thinking that I wouldn’t mind trying out your ‘width’ after the AI gave me the dimensions. That was unprofessional of me and I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize. I admit that I’ve given you the once over myself,” Ken replied with a grin. “I guess that makes us even.”

“Even, yes, satisfied, no!” she said with a smoldering look on her face.

“We can’t have that now, can we?” Ken said.

“Absolutely not,” the technician said, taking Ken’s hand and leading him back to her office.

Miranda Brown was vomiting up her meager breakfast for the third time that morning. She was bent over throwing up into a garbage can at one of Hunter Wallace’s construction sites. To make things worse, she could hear him chuckling about it from his seat in the golf cart. Mirada finished and wiped her mouth on a napkin before fixing her lipstick. Hunter was still laughing when she climbed into the passenger seat of the cart.

“That’s what you get for getting yourself knocked-up!” Hunter said with a grin. “When are you going to tell me who the lucky father is?”

“Never,” she replied. “And do you have to make my pregnancy seem so… tawdry?”

“Politicians with a bun-in-the-oven are tawdry by default. Don’t blame me!” He said with a laugh.

“Just drop it. I’m not in the mood for this right now,” she said, her tone telling him that she meant business. “Where are we going next?”

“Down to the lake. I want to show you what we’ve done on the lodge so far and then we’ll ride up to the dojo. It’s finished,” he replied.

Hunter piloted the cart down the road to a large construction site sitting adjacent to Lake Prentiss. A massive, two-story structure was under construction by a large team of laborers. Trucks were bringing in loads of rounded river rocks from a location outside of town and workers were using loaders and grav sleds to haul the stones up to the building. Along the walls, masons were laying the large stones into walls, held together with thick mortar.

“Why are we doing this the hard way?” Miranda asked. “Wouldn’t it be easier to let the nanobots build all of this from scratch?”

“Easier yes. Faster no,” Hunter said. For a structure this size it would take a long, long time to have the nanobots build it molecule by molecule. It’s faster to do it this way, and we are using nanobots. The mortar that you see them using is a mixture of sand, clay, water and ‘bots. By tomorrow, the nanobots will have cemented those stones together into a single piece of rock.”

“How long until it’s ready to open?” she asked.

“Three months from now we’ll be cutting the ribbon,” Hunter said with pride.

Miranda looked at him in surprise. “You’re going to have this place ready in three months?”

“Yeah! Maybe sooner.”

“How is that possible?” she asked.

“I’m using old fashioned labor only for the shell of the building. The inside will be completely composed of residential pods. All I need is one for each room. I stack them up in there and give the AI the architectural plans and a couple of weeks later, presto, it’s all finished. Electrical, plumbing, paint…everything,” he said. “I’d use it for the exteriors too except the damn AI can’t seem to get stonework right. The replicator keeps making the same shapes and colors over-and-over.”

“This is incredible!” Mirada said. “How many guests will this place accommodate?”

“It’s going to have 250 guest rooms, plus amenities. We’re going to have an indoor pool, full-service spa, exercise facilities, banquet hall, and of course the grand hall in the center. My masons will be laying up a huge fireplace in the great hall as soon as the walls are finished. Outside we’ll have another pool, tennis courts, golf course and lake facilities. We’ve already got a portion of the dock finished.”

“Can we go down there?” she asked.

“Sure.”

Hunter drove the cart around and headed down to the lake. A twenty-foot wide stone dock extended about 40 feet into the water.

“I expected it to be longer,” she said.

“An ex-girlfriend of mine once told me that!” Hunter said with a laugh.

Miranda elbowed him in the ribs.

“Actually, the dock will eventually be about 300 feet long and there will be berths for boats on both sides. However, the water gets so deep, so fast that we couldn’t easily build the entire dock out of stone. The rest of the dock will float,” he replied.

“What about the underwater emergency shelter, in case the Swarm gets here?” Miranda asked.

“We are building the underwater habitats on the other side of the lake and only you, I, Colonel Walker and a handful of technicians know about it for now. The escape tunnel will be in the basement of the lodge. Once the pods are in place, nanobots will dig the tunnel to the lake and build the waterproof underwater connection. The tunnel entrance inside the lodge will be concealed. When the habitats are done, they will be towed here by a submarine and connected to the tunnel. I hope that we never have to use them,” Hunter told her.

“Amen to that,” she replied. “Let’s go see the dojo.”

Hunter maneuvered his cart back to the road and started up a two-lane road that climbed into the hills next to the lake. The road was made out of what looked to be tan and light brown brick pavers. Every so often, alongside the road, appeared small prayer shrines and rest areas. They reached the top of the road, which ended on the flat of an ancient terrace above the lake. Perched near the edge of the terrace and hidden from view down in Prentiss was the dojo.

Hunter had really outdone himself in the design of the dojo. Traditional Japanese architectural lines and shapes had been blended with Mediterranean building materials to create a unique, but beautiful structure. As they approached the front of the building they passed a large Japanese rock garden being tended to by an Asian man. He was carefully raking the stones into precise rows and shapes. Another man was carefully trimming what looked to be bonsai trees, but on closer look Miranda could see that they were being created using the natural vegetation of the planet.

Hunter parked the cart and got out. Miranda followed him into the building. The main room was easily the size of a basketball court, but square. A slightly raised, thinly padded platform dominated the center of the room. A space of about 15 feet had been left around the edges of the platform. Against two of the walls were racks of practice weapons in all shapes and sizes. Most of the other two walls were mirrored. There were two doors in the wall opposite the main entrance. Hunter headed toward the door in the middle of the room. A katana and a broken short staff were mounted on a plaque over the door. Miranda recognized the staff as the one that Sophia had broken over Manuel Esteves’ head.

“Do you think she’ll like it?” Hunter asked, seeing the direction of her gaze.

“I don’t know. Where did the katana come from?” she asked.

“That belonged to the man she had to kill. Traditionally, you take the sword of your vanquished foes.”

“Are you sure it’s not in bad taste?” Miranda said. “Should people be reminded that Sophia had to kill someone?”

“I think it’s a reminder to those who train here that what they do isn’t a game. This training can mean life or death and you never know where the threat to your life is going to come from,” Hunter replied. “At least, that’s what Ken Yamato told me when he brought these to me.”

Hunter quickly showed her Sophia’s office and then led her through the other door. This door led to a self-service kitchen with replicator, then to locker rooms, a spa and an exercise facility. Beyond all of that was another door to the outside. He led her outside and when he did, she stopped short. Before her was a breathtaking view of Lake Prentiss and the hills beyond it. Also in front of her was a large patio with another raised platform. The area around the patio had been landscaped with native plants and decorative walls and arbors.

“This is meant to be the tai chi and yoga area, although it can also be used for martial arts training,” Hunter said. “Come over here.”

Hunter led her through an archway into a secluded grotto. A large hot tub was bubbling in the center on another stone patio. Beyond the patio Miranda could see a small swimming pool and a bath-house.

“The bath-house has a sauna in it and beyond that is a trail that leads several hundred feet down the hill to a small hollow in which I’ve built a contemplation area. I’d take you down there but I’m too fat to walk it. It has benches and a koi pond. By the way, can you get me some koi?” Hunter asked.

“I’ll see what I can do,” she replied, “and don’t give me that bullshit about too fat to walk it. I know you’re strong as an ox.”

“You’ve caught me,” he laughed. “Would you like something to drink? I’m going to get tea from the replicator in the dojo.”

“No thanks. I think I’ll walk down to the koi pond. When do you need to leave?” she asked.

“I’m in no hurry, take your time,” he said as he turned toward the dojo.

Miranda walked past the pool and down the footpath to the contemplation area. The koi pond bubbled and gurgled and she was sad that there were no fish in the pond. She made a mental note to send a message to the Captain of the Red Baron and add some koi to her list of things to bring. He would demand more of her in payment, but that wasn’t an unpleasant thing. The Captain did have talent.

Miranda sat on a bench and looked out over the lake. She suddenly realized that she could hear birds, even though no birds yet lived on the planet. It took her a few moments to find the small speakers cleverly hidden around the area. Miranda closed her eyes and listened to the gurgling water and the chirping of the birds. As she listened, she rubbed her hands over her slightly bulging stomach and thought about Aaron.

Aaron was thinking about Miranda too, but not for quite the same reason. Wanda’s red hair, as it moved in his lap in time to her sucking, brought back a memory of Miranda’s red hair doing the same thing. Aaron’s mind drifted off to his last, sex-filled encounter with the statuesque, auburn-haired beauty. In no time, he was filling Wanda’s mouth and throat with his pearly seed. Wanda came up and cuddled next to him. The feel of her naked body pressed against him sent more of the stress and tension flowing out of his body. He sighed as his body relaxed into hers.

“It was bad today, wasn’t it?” Wanda asked.

“Yeah. The worst day we’ve had so far. We lost two planes today. One was completely destroyed and in the other one, only Tex survived. It took the marines eight hours to extract him. He had to hide under his cloak for over six hours while a dickhead patrol searched for him. One of them even stepped on his leg but didn’t find him. He’s pretty shook up about Ruby too. We all are,” Aaron said.

“What happened baby?” Wanda asked. “We heard that she was killed, but none of us techs got any information.”

“She ejected, just like Tex did. But her ejection pod brought her down right on top of a Sa’arm patrol. They got to her before she could even open the hatch. We could hear her screaming as they started to cut the pod open. She was finally forced to set off the self-destruct charges. She was a brave girl, she took twenty of them with her when she went,” Aaron said, tears streaming down his cheek.

“Fuck,” she replied. “That’s a tough way to go.”

Aaron didn’t reply. He and Wanda huddled together and watched Sophia ride Kyle and Jessica get fucked by Reggie. Sex after tough missions had quickly become the ritual for most of the teams. Aaron knew that with the tension they had been under today, the six of them would be up for quite a while. It was also the first day that the women, even Sophia, were having sex without their pregnancy blocks in place. They were two weeks away from finishing their current mission and only five weeks from getting home. The AI had determined that high G-force maneuvers would not hurt a fetus in the first few weeks of pregnancy so the option to remove the blocks had been given. All of the women in the 1st had chosen to remove them.

Watching his other family members love each other soon had Aaron ready to go again. Wanda slowly stroked him.

“Are you ready to make a baby?” Wanda asked.

“Absolutely!” he replied.