Chapter 7

Somebody with a flair for small cynicism once said: "We live and do not learn."

Beryl Markham, 'West With The Night,' 1942

The assembly area was packed. Aaron, Sophia and Reggie had arrived early, picking out a spot against the far wall. When Tiffany, Tim and Corey's group arrived they motioned them over also. As the other groups began to filter in they noticed that they were quite a racially diverse crowd with large numbers of Asian and what appeared to be Hispanic volunteers. Reggie, Tim and Corey were all watching one of the Hispanic groups walking towards them.

"Damn, where do you find a group of super-models for concubines?" Tim asked.

Tiffany, who was sitting near him said, "Brazil."

"How do you know that?" Tim retorted.

"Because I pay attention, dumb ass. There were simultaneous tournaments in Tokyo, Rio, Australia, Europe and Orlando. I'm guessing that we've all been brought together for training," she answered.

"I think you're right," Reggie said. "I took Spanish in school and they are definitely not speaking Spanish."

"If they're from Brazil they're speaking Portuguese," Tiffany said.

"OK, but how do you find that many HOT women in one place?" Corey asked.

"Their culture is very body conscious," Aaron said, "and their culture is also very driven by machismo. Men are often judged by their girlfriends, wives or mistresses. I suspect that when given the opportunity our fellow volunteers from Rio chose the best-looking women. The better looking your concubines the higher your male 'status'."

"They weren't the only ones." Tiffany muttered while looking at Tim and Corey seated amongst their much better than average looking concubines. Tim and Corey, of course, were completely oblivious to Tiffany's remark, being completely focused on ogling the naked concubines around them.

As the last of the people filed in and took seats on the floor, Lt. Colonel Walker and several other people, both military and civilian, appeared on the stage at the front of the room. The drone of voices slowly came to a halt as everyone realized that the assembly was about to begin. Colonel Walker stepped to the front of the stage.

"Ladies and Gentleman, I am Lt. Colonel Ray Walker and I want to welcome you to the ship Manfred von Richthofen, but we all call it the "Red Baron". Not only is this vessel a colony transport, it has also been outfitted as a training facility for Swift pilots and technicians. By the time we reach our ground based training facilities, our pilots and gunners will be ready for live flight and weapons training and the technicians will be ready to begin maintenance of the aircraft," Walker began.

"Our transit time to Trenat, our colony world, will take 3 months. Trenat, as far as colony worlds go, is pretty nice. The climate, as well as the vegetation, ranges from desert to Mediterranean in nature. It has no native sentient species, just some rudimentary insect-like creatures and desert-like vegetation. Approximately 20 percent of its surface is water with most of the Mediterranean climates being located adjacent to open water. Our primary training facilities and colony will be located adjacent to a body of water named Lake Prentiss. Initially the facilities will be bare-bones, but we plan to have recreational facilities associated with the lake and other areas soon."

"The next 3 months will be trying for us all. Pilots and gunners will be especially hard pressed with their training and augmentation. Augmentation for you will be very difficult because of the magnitude of the changes necessary to fly and fight in the Swift. Your augmentation will require three, two week cycles to complete. You will spend one week asleep in medical as the nannites make changes to your bodies, followed by a week to adjust to the changes. By the way, any cosmetic changes that you wish to make need to be decided on before we begin. You have about three days to make up your mind. The AI can help you and will let you know if the changes you want are possible." Colonel Walker paused to let that sink in before he continued.

"Cosmetic changes to concubines will not be possible until after the pilots and gunners finish their augmentation. There will be plenty of time for everyone to make changes before we get to Trenat. Beginning tomorrow, a schedule has been created so that all of the concubines and children can get the basic health screening over the next two days. Consult with the AI for your schedules," Walker continued.

"OK, now for what I consider to be the most important things for you to know. I know that everyone has heard rumors of how some sponsors have treated their concubines horribly, even killing them, with no repercussions. I'm here to tell you that those stories are absolutely true."

A frantic murmer rose from the assembled colonists. Colonel Walker raised his hands and yelled, "Quiet!" A hush returned to the room.

"Confederacy law gives a sponsor absolute control over his concubines, who are considered to be his or her possessions. But that doesn't mean that it has to be that way. I've seen the results of that type of system with my own eyes and I won't stand for it in my unit. Sponsors, understand this. Killing or torturing concubines is unacceptable. If a sponsor has a problem with a concubine that can't be resolved, release them to the Civil Service and pick up another one. Also, sponsors may not harass, discipline or command another sponsor's concubines without permission unless it is within the realm of military duty. Sponsors, consider these policies an order."

"Concubines. Don't think that my previous statement is a carte blanche to do whatever you want. You're still the property of your sponsor and they still have the right to discipline you and control every aspect of your life. I can't guarantee that you will like your sponsor, you may hate him, but I will try to make it so that he won't hurt you or kill you for no reason. Also, I have instructed the AI that any concubine has the right to contact the Civil Service if they are being hurt, tortured or abused and lodge a complaint against their sponsor. If necessary, cases against sponsors initiated by concubines will be adjudicated by a panel consisting of myself, the ranking civil service member of the colony and the Colonial Governor."

Ray Walker paused again before continuing.

"What it boils down to is this. If it was against the law on Earth then it's probably against the law here." Walker said. "I'm done preaching now. We have provided drinks and snacks and I would encourage everyone to mingle. We also have something back here that I think a lot of you would like to see."

Walker turned and waved his arm toward a curtain that covered the back wall of the room. The curtain parted to reveal tables of snacks and drinks surrounding a real Swift fighter gleaming in the artificial lights of the room.

Tiffany stood next to the Swift and stared in awe. The aircraft was approximately the same size as a jet fighter but it sure didn't look like one. Where jets were often angular the Swift was smooth all over, almost organic in design. The front of the Swift was wedge-shaped and wider than any other fighter jet she had ever seen. The recessed ports for the BLiPP's and the gunner's view ports were visible on each side of the front of the Swift. Tiffany walked toward the back of the plane, running her hands along the edge of the wing. When she got behind the wing she was shocked to see that it had no flaps.

"Do you have any questions?" A voice asked her from behind.

Tiffany turned to see a Marine Major standing near her.

"Where are the flaps?"

"The Swift has no separate flaps. Technology provided by the Confederacy has allowed us to manufacture the Swift using flexible metal-polymer technology." The Marine told her. "In fact, even though these wings seem rigid, they can fold back for storage almost like a bird's wings. And the whole wing can flex and curve during flight allowing the swift to perform much better than a fixed-wing aircraft."

Tiffany walked around to the back of the Swift to look at the bifurcated tail structure.

"Does the tail section perform the same way?" She asked him.

"Yes, the tail operates in the same way. The two halves of the tail section move independently for maneuvering and they can close together for speed runs, reentry or space flight. In fact, the entire fuselage behind the front wings is flexible for increased maneuverability. It's because of this technology that we have to have specially trained and augmented pilots and gunners." The Marine said with a hint of sadness in his voice.

Tiffany turned to look at him and asked, "You were one of the original pilots, weren't you?"

"Yes, one of those that survived."

"What happened?" she prodded.

"It just turned out that we were too big to fly this thing the way it needs to be flown. Most of us didn't have the control and reflexes necessary to get the best out of it. That's why we lost so many. This plane can pull more than 15 G's, way more than 15. Even with our augmented muscles we just couldn't take it. And our gunner's didn't have the reflexes to target and shoot while we were using evasive maneuvers. The whole program came this close to being scrapped," he said, holding his thumb and forefinger about a millimeter apart. "I don't know what Colonel Walker did, but he managed to salvage this program somehow."

"What's going to happen to you now?" Tiffany asked.

"I get to help train your group and the next one too. Then I'll be reassigned to fly shuttles or landing craft. It won't be the same though. Once you fly one of these nothing else will ever compare."

"I can't wait to learn everything you can teach me," Tiffany said. "By the way, my name is Tiffany Carter."

"Mike Jones," he replied, shaking her hand.

Aaron, Sophia and Reggie were relaxing the quiet of their pod. After a solid night's sleep, the entire group had opted to go the cafeteria for breakfast that morning. After eating, they had dropped their concubines off at the med unit for basic health screening. Marty would be bringing them all back when it was finished, a process that the med tech said would take about three hours.

"Well, we have three hours. What should we do?" Reggie asked.

"How about we decide on our personal augmentations?" Sophia said.

"Fine with me," Aaron replied. "AI, how do we begin to choose our augmentations?"

"Who is going to go first?" the AI asked.

Sophia said, "I will."

A rotating hologram of a naked Sophia appeared above the coffee table.

"Damn. Is my ass that big?" Sophia asked.

"Yes." The AI replied. "The holographic representation is an exact scale replica of your current physical form.

"It was a rhetorical question," Sophia said with a frown as Aaron and Reggie laughed.

"Did I say something offensive?" The AI inquired.

"No woman wants to be told she has a big ass," Aaron replied.

"My apologies," the AI replied.

"Where do we start?" Sophia asked.

"You must decide on your height. You must be between four foot three inches and four foot 6 inches in height." The AI responded.

"Make me four foot four inches," she replied.

The hologram shrunk Sophia's body down to the requested height. It also shrunk her breast size and buttocks. The augmentation also removed all excess body fat and added a considerable amount of muscle.

"I look like a midget body builder." Sophia said.

"This is the basic gunner augmentation package and cannot be changed," the AI told her. "Without the small size and enhanced musculature you will not be able to function in the Swift."

"I understand. What about my breast size? What are you showing right now?"

"In your measurement system the hologram representation would be considered a B-cup."

"Can I go bigger?" Sophia asked.

"You can go up to a C-cup, but no bigger due to flight suit constraints." The AI warned. "Even C-cups are not recommended because they will cause increased discomfort in high G-force maneuvers."

"Can I have my breasts reduced later if they bother me?"

"Yes."

"Then give me C-cups. I like my tits big!" Sophia said.

The breasts on the hologram expanded.

"What other changes are possible?" asked Aaron.

"Just about anything is possible," the AI replied.

"What changes are popular with other sponsors and their concubines?" Reggie asked.

"Other popular changes include an apparent age change, hair color and length changes, eye color changes, removal of unwanted body hair, an increase in penis size or breast size and the removal of skin blemishes. Some include changes to a person's appearance, an increase in the size of the back of the throat, the suppression of the gag reflex, a tightening of the kegel muscles, and an increase in the flexibility of the cervix. Others opt for an increase or decrease in the volume of the buttocks area, enhancement of nerve receptors involved in sexual intercourse, enhancement of the libido and an increase in the tendencies toward bisexualism, especially in women," the AI responded.

"Whoa. That's a lot to think about," Aaron replied.

"I know what I want," Sophia said. "AI, I want to have no hair from the neck down. I want to have the size of my throat increased and my gag reflex suppressed. Is it possible to have my pussy muscles be tight no matter how much I use it?"

"Yes, the nannites can be programmed to maintain the strength of the kegel muscles."

"Then do it. I also want to be able to take Kyle's big penis all the way in my pussy. Clean up any skin blemishes and make me look nineteen again," she said.

The hologram changed to show a bit younger looking Sophia. Reggie gave the image a wolf whistle.

"One more thing. Can I have cat eyes?" Sophia asked.

"What color?" The AI asked.

"Ice blue, like a Siamese cat," she replied.

The hologram zoomed into Sophia's head. The three of them could see that Sophia now had eyes shaped like a cat's. The ice blue color created a striking contrast with her black hair.

"That's freaky looking, but cool!" Reggie said.

"OK, that's what I want," Sophia said.

"Affirmative. Your changes are recorded and will be implemented during your augmentation," the AI told her.

"I'm next!" said Reggie.

The hologram of Sophia was replaced by one of Reggie.

"AI, can you show the hologram with an erection?" Sophia asked

The holographic Reggie immediately sported a hard-on. Sophia returned the wolf whistle.

"This is Lt. Carson after the basic augmentation assuming a four foot six inch height," the AI said.

The hologram of Reggie shrank and his muscle became much more prominent.

"I look like a jockey on steroids," Reggie laughed. "Now the real question. How big is my dick?"

"It has been scaled to your body size. At this scale it would be 6.1 inches long," the AI replied.

"That ain't gonna work for me," Reggie said. "I want one as big as Kyle's."

"That is not recommended due to the constraints of the flight suit," the AI replied.

"How big can it be?"

"No more than 8 inches is recommended."

"OK, give me that," Reggie said.

"And a bit thicker than he is now too," Sophia said with a wink.

"Noted," the AI said.

"What about pubic hair?" Reggie asked Sophia.

"Ditch it," she replied. "It tickles my nose."

"Ok, no hair for me below my neck. I don't think I need to change my libido but I would like to be able to recover quickly after an orgasm," Reggie said. "I also want to look like I'm twenty. That'll do it for me."

"Affirmative. Your changes are recorded," the AI said.

"Your turn, Aaron," Sophia said.

"I want to be four foot six inches, with blonde hair and an apparent age of twenty-five. I want an 8 inch penis with a 6 inch circumference around the shaft and a seven inch circumference around the head, lengthen my tongue by a half inch, no hair below my neck and remove my beard and mustache, increase my libido and my recovery time after orgasm," Aaron said.

"Changes noted," the AI said as the hologram of Aaron changed to reflect his choices.

"Very nice," Sophia said. "You two are going to be hot."

"Meaning we aren't now?" Reggie said with a hurt look on his face.

"Baby, you're hot just as you are!" Sophia said.

"Prove it."

Sophia crossed the room and plopped down in Reggie lap. She kissed him long and hard while grinding her crotch against his leg.

"I think I'd better leave you two alone," Aaron said, rising from the sofa.

"Oh no, you don't," Sophia said, grabbing his hand and pulling him down next to her and Reggie. "You've both made me wet."

Sophia leaned over to kiss Aaron as Reggie unzipped the front of her overalls to free her breasts. As they cleared the material, Reggie began to kiss and lick her erect nipples. Sophia quickly began to moan into Aaron's mouth.

"I need you now," she said to Aaron.

Sophia arranged Reggie on the sofa with his cock out then stripped. Standing in front of Reggie with her legs spread wide she bent over taking Reggie's hard cock in her mouth and inviting Aaron to take her from behind. Aaron stepped up behind her and entered her slowly, lubricating his cock with her wetness. They soon developed a rhythm with Sophia rocking back and forth between them. Reggie youth and inexperience soon had him sending a load of cum down Sophia's throat.

Reggie slid out from underneath Sophia and sat back on the sofa to watch. With Reggie out of the way, Aaron and Sophia picked up the pace. Before long Aaron's balls were slapping back and forth, hitting Sophia's clit and sending her into a series of orgasms. Aaron maintained his inhuman control and eventually Sophia pulled away from him and turned around to sit on the sofa next to Reggie.

"Damn, Wanda was right. You're a machine. A fucking machine," she moaned.

"Thanks," Aaron replied.

Sophia turned toward Reggie and propped a leg up on the back of the sofa, exposing her pussy to him.

"You know what to do," she purred to Reggie. Reggie knew and wasted no time in going down on her.

"You, come here and give me your juice," Sophia said to Aaron. "Don't hold back, I want to taste it."

Aaron brought his cock to her mouth and she devoured him. Aaron could feel her tongue working on him and knew that she was a world-class cock-sucker, just like Wanda. Aaron let himself drop into the feeling Sophia was creating for him. Before long he felt his release approaching.

"I'm ready," he told her. She nodded and increased the speed with which she was sucking and stroking him. It wasn't long before he emptied his cum into her mouth. Sophia swallowed every bit, then cleaned him up before releasing him.

Sophia gently pushed Aaron back, then grabbed Reggie by the shoulders and pulled him up to her.

"Fuck me hard, Reggie, fuck me hard!" she told him.

Reggie obliged her, ramming his cock into her and beginning to jackhammer his crotch into hers. Sophia pulled her legs up to her head to give him the best possible access. Reggie fucked her like a madman for several minutes before he cried out, filling her with his cream. As he pulled out, Sophia flopped over on the couch, a very contented look on her face.

"I love you guys," Sophia said, looking up at the two men.

"We love you too," Aaron replied. Reggie nodded his agreement.