The Assassin
Chapter 10
The Arrivals (TY12-month 143)
“It’s been a hectic month, both here at Fort Butler and for those of you at Drovers Run. You’ve all been asked to do extraordinary things and I’m happy to say you’ve succeeded beyond my best expectations,” I said to the gathered staff. My only other manager was Officer Humphreys and I included her in my invitation and comments.
“We’re happy to be of service, Boss,” Capo Greer said.
“I appreciate that. And I need to tell you all that with the arrival of the Kindertransport in the morning, our overall mission as a unit is shifting. I’m sorry to say that it won’t lighten any of the work we are currently doing, but adds a significant component to it. I was told this week that we don’t have enough volunteers to sponsor 380 new concubines who will arrive in the morning. I’ve sent a message to the Sadi Carnot asking that the Civil Service representative inform the concubines of our policy to allow any concubine to enter the service of the Militia on the day of his or her arrival on Tara and annually thereafter. Frankly, I don’t expect too many volunteers.”
“I know some of my comrades are still evaluating whether joining the Militia was the right move. I expect I’ll lose one or two before their probationary period is up,” Capo Torvalds said.
“Well, it’s better now than later. Losing a comrade after the probationary period just means we have one additional concubine to care for. After probation it could mean three,” Humphreys said.
“Exactly,” I affirmed. “And that is the expanded mission of our unit. We will continue to be the monitors, mentors, and essentially sponsors of any concubines and dependents on our bases who are not adopted.” I turned to Capo Greer. “That means your cohort might evolve into a long-term attachment rather than the initially projected temporary assignment. We’ll try to give comrades some flexibility and a way to transfer back to their former outfits if they desire. It just means we’ll then have to recruit more comrades to fill those slots.”
“Frankly, I’m glad we’re taking that mission on,” Capo Hodges said. “It really just means that we’re saving more concubines. We’ll have those who choose citizenship via the Militia, those who choose the sponsorship of a Militia member, and those who live under the protection of the Militia.”
“That’s true, but let’s not forget that we still have the responsibility to keep each concubine producing according to the Confederacy’s plan of a child at least every three years. Valerie, I’m assigning you the task of figuring out the process of keeping our dependent concubines pregnant. Where, when, and to whom.”
“Ugh. The poor girls,” Valerie said.
“That reminds me. My own concubine is past due for impregnation,” I laughed.
«Niall, concubine Rose is already confirmed pregnant as of your first night here together. Her fertility had already been activated at The Maiden’s Arms.»
Rose was pregnant? I was going to become a father? I lost the train of thought regarding what I was going to tell the rest of my managers and supervisors. We just hung around and ate smoked brisket and drank beer for the rest of the afternoon.
Centurion Oswald was with me to greet Decurion Renee Gladstone. Thank heavens for small favors.
“Decurion Gladstone, allow me to introduce Deputy Niall Cho. The deputy is the base commander here at Fort Butler and is the supervisor in charge of the orphanage,” Oswald said by introduction. I held out my hand and she scowled at me.
“A concubine in charge?” she spat.
“Do you have a problem with that, Decurion?” Oswald barked. From the tone of his voice, I certainly would not have had a problem with anything he said.
“Sir, you can’t seriously be telling me you are leaving concubines in the charge of concubines, can you? Who is the officer in charge?” she demanded.
“Well, now that you mention it, that would be you.” Her eyes popped open as she jerked toward the Centurion. “However, I want you to understand that Deputy Cho, as base commander, is your immediate superior as much as the captain of the Sadi Carnot has been the past month.”
“But sir…”
“You are now on Tara, Decurion. You operate under Taran laws. By Taran law, members of the Militia are citizens of the planet and equal to any other citizen. That includes being able to hold rank over citizens as appropriate. Deputy Cho, as the base commander, outranks you. It will be to your advantage to set your mind to getting along with him.”
I could see she wanted to argue. No, she wanted to spit venom. But she brought herself almost under control.
“Does that mean the message I received regarding all concubines arriving on Tara having a choice to join the Militia rather than join the concubine pool was for real?”
“Did you not follow orders and inform the concubines on Sadi Carnot of this?”
“It was a memo from the Militia. I didn’t recognize its authority to issue such a statement,” she spat. Yep. Venom. Oswald squeezed his eyes shut and then stared at his subordinate.
“AI, halt all disembarkation from the Sadi Carnot!” Oswald barked. I heard the AI affirm the message. The only people we had on the ground so far were the Decurion and four Marines who were setting up transporter pads. “Decurion, you are to return to the Sadi Carnot and execute your orders to inform all concubines of their option to join the Militia when they arrive on Tara. I read the script and it is clear as to the process and responsibilities. And, Decurion, you are to be positive in your presentation. Positive!”
“Yes, sir.” She snapped a salute.
“Renee. That includes your concubines.” Her shoulders dropped and she turned to the nearest transporter to return to the ship. Oswald turned to me. “She could be problematic,” he said. “Keep me informed. If I must, I’ll swap her out with one of my signifers. If you accept one of her concubines in the Militia, please be sure he or she is likely to succeed there. I know you screen potential recruits for fit before you accept them.”
“Yes, sir. I’m sorry this puts more pressure on you.”
“We’re entering the second age of humans in the Confederacy, Cho. There will be a lot of resistance as we transition.”
I wasn’t sure what he meant, but I was glad he was on my side.
Disembarkation went smoothly. With four transporter nexuses set up, there was a steady flow of women and dependents stepping off the pads. The lead concubine disembarking held a sign with the name of her group. ‘White 7’ for example. Two comrades from our cohort met each group and led them to their matching ‘White 7’ pod on the ground. They were encouraged to make themselves at home and not leave the pod until all had disembarked and could be addressed at one time. The comrades also asked each concubine if she wanted to enlist in the Militia. As we expected from our previous briefing, there were only a few takers. Their names were recorded and we’d talk to them privately after the general greeting. It took about three hours to get everyone down.
All the orphanage cohort wore gray armbands to identify them as Militia assigned to the Civil Service. I was proud of the way they worked together and how smoothly they got everyone into their new homes.
At 1300 we blew the whistle signaling everyone to assemble on the sports field. It took about fifteen minutes for the well-disciplined groups to assemble from their pods. They lined up in even ranks with the lead sign for the pod held high.
“Welcome to the Planet Tara,” Centurion Oswald said from the small platform we’d erected for this ceremony. “I’m Centurion Oswald of the planetary Civil Service. I would like to introduce you to the people who will be most important to you in the coming days. First, the Decurion you have all become used to on your trip out here from Earth, Decurion Renee Gladstone, will reside here at the orphanage to be sure you transition smoothly to your new homes. You already know her and know you can bring any issue directly to her and she will treat you fairly and promptly.” I noticed a few raised eyebrows at that announcement and thought maybe Oswald was raising expectations a bit too high.
“Next, I’ll introduce your host here on Tara, Deputy Niall Cho of the Tara Planetary Militia. Niall, would you care to say a few words?”
I stepped up so people could see me better. “I join Centurion Oswald and Decurion Gladstone in welcoming you to the Planet Tara and on behalf of the Tara Planetary Militia, to Fort Butler in Drylanders Township. Those are all names you will become familiar with in the coming days as you get to know our beautiful planet. You have already met members of the Militia as they guided you to your pods. They can be quickly identified by their gray armbands. If you are lost, need information, or simply want someone to talk to, please don’t be afraid to address one of these Militia comrades who have volunteered to help you. Remember, the Militia on Tara comprises former concubines who have achieved planetary citizenship by volunteering their service. If you concubines, too, would like to volunteer today, please flag down one of our recruiters. We welcome you to Tara and hope you will love our planet as much as we do.”
“And I have two final persons to introduce,” Oswald continued. “Many of you have met one already. The base AI for Fort Butler is named ‘Rhett.’ Maybe you have heard of Rhett Butler, but if not, ask your household AI to arrange a showing of Gone with the Wind. The second is the AI called ‘Cricket,’ who will be the coordinating AI for the Oliver Transition Home where you are now living. If you don’t know who Cricket or Oliver were, the AIs will be happy to direct your attention to some entertainment videos. Cricket?”
I was nonplussed. First, when had we named our orphanage after the famous orphan of Dickens’ tale Oliver Twist? And second, when had Cricket become its AI?
“Hello, guardians and children,” Cricket’s mellow voice sounded from their collars and wrist bands. I saw several concubines scoop small children up so they could listen from the collars. “I’m so happy you have come here. I’ll work with your household AI to help you get adjusted to life on Tara. Remember, if you need anything, just say ‘Cricket’ and I’ll be there to talk to you. Welcome to Tara.”
It was very unusual for an AI to offer anything to concubines or dependents without being asked. I needed to have a long chat with Cricket.
Settling In (TY12-month 143)
Getting to know the concubines and their dependents was a task for the rest of the week. I strolled among them with Rose, Lyle, and Bae, stopping to talk to every group, playing a few minutes of soccer, holding a baby, and interviewing the seven concubines who wanted to join the Militia. I had to repeat to each volunteer that in joining the Militia, she would still need to attend and care for the children, but that she would be eligible for Militia benefits, including full citizenship in the planet after two years’ probation.
I had four Aboriginal women who volunteered. They were unwilling to be a slave to any other person and had a great attitude toward serving in the Militia. One of the volunteers was a new concubine who had reached the age of fourteen on the ship in transit and had narrowly failed reaching a 6.5 on his CAP test. Receiving word of the Militia had been a huge relief for him. A non-aboriginal Australian woman joined the Militia, celebrating the fact that she’d no longer have to earn her way on her back, apparently something she had done for some years, even before the Swarm had invaded her home country.
The last volunteer was a concubine belonging to Decurion Gladstone. From his demeanor, I had a feeling she was not an easy master. Of course, Gladstone had a problem with her concubine volunteering and both Oswald and I had to talk her down. She was told of some 2,000 unhomed concubines on the planet and informed that she could take one of the Kindertransport concubines as a supernumerary. Sadly, it unfolded over the next two weeks that none of the Kindertransport concubines would take her as a sponsor. I guess she’d made the wrong impression on the outward journey.
Rose, Bae, and Lyle proved to be very popular among the children. They joined in games and chatted with concubines. I heard it circulated that they were ‘personal friends with Cricket.’ No mention of being in my household. All told, it was a very tiring week. My orphanage cohort was called out on a few occasions to locate a small child who had become separated from pod mates, but missing children were easily found and returned to their guardians.
In all, there had been 382 concubines who boarded the Sadi Carnot, including Decurion Gladstone’s two. Twelve dependents had reached the age of fourteen and were tested en route. Eight had become concubines and four were sponsors. One sponsor had not filled all her slots while en route as there were no male concubines on board, so she took only one concubine with her when she left for Sunnybrook to volunteer for the Marines. Therefore, we had a total of 376 unhomed concubines plus seven who had volunteered for the Militia.
We had to immediately put our Militia volunteers back into service as pod leaders so we would have enough guardians for the remaining 2,648 dependents. Over the next several days, I pulled them out for testing and to issue their uniforms. Each was immediately given a gray armband and assimilated into one of the orphanage cadres for on-the-job training. As soon as we started losing concubines and dependents to adoptions, I’d start cycling the new recruits into formal basic training at Drovers Run.
Sponsors wanting to acquire a supernumerary started arriving by Thursday. Each had been carefully qualified by Centurion Oswald. They had to choose a maximum of three concubines to interview and test drive. Oswald was making sure no one came to the orphanage just to fuck some strange. They could get that at the brothels. Some were turned down by all three concubines, but most left with a new concubine and at least three new dependents.
The sponsors seeking to adopt dependents only were actually more pleasant to deal with. Most came with their entire families—concubines and dependents—and none left with fewer than three new dependents. Great care was taken to keep siblings together and to not separate children from their mothers. I was pleased with every adoption we witnessed.
Sadly, after four weeks, we were still left with over four hundred dependents and a hundred concubines.
Enter the Militia. We had seventy Militiamen eligible to accept a supernumerary concubine after the sponsors had their pick. Sixty-three were successful in choosing a concubine who agreed to accompany him or her with three or more children. I still had thirty-seven concubines and 197 dependents.
“I’m leaving,” Decurion Gladstone informed me when she walked into my office. She’d never quite gotten the hang of letting my secretary, Comrade Reynolds, announce her visits. “We have placed everyone who is going to be placed. Centurion Oswald has agreed to transfer me to the Sunnybrook township where I will embark with the next crew to another world. I hope I never see you or one of those cattle again.”
“I’m sure the feeling is mutual on all parts,” I said, earning a scowl from her.
“I can’t help but notice you have not chosen a concubine from among the savages,” she said. “Aren’t you neglecting your duty?”
“No, not at all,” I answered. “I wanted to make sure that everyone, who could be sponsored by someone else, was. My family and I have discussed the matter and will be making an offer soon.”
“Ha! What difference does it make? You have to get them all pregnant anyway. You have your own private brothel.” It was my turn to scowl. I had no intention of becoming the father of a nation. Cricket and Hodges were working out the details of mating each of the remaining concubines in the near future.
“You’re dismissed, Decurion. Have a happy life.”
“Just wait, Deputy Cho. Your little empire of concubines will crumble around you eventually. There is a reason you are classed as cattle instead of ranchers. You just don’t have what it takes.”
She turned on her heel and left my office. I added her to the list of people I thought the Confederacy needed to dispose of.
Getting to Know You (TY12-month 144)
Family time was spent all cuddled together in the game room playing the newest release from Pussy Pirates. I noticed that over the past two years, the game had become more realistic and there was less sex than when I first encountered it. These were films of real battles and you knew that if your avatar died in battle, someone had actually died on Earth. But we were getting good practice with our VR helmets and the small rifles that had been shipped to us. We’d received a thousand of the Pussy Pirate pulse rifles for equipping the Militia. We were told we could practice on the virtual ranges with the firearms in neutral. But if we were forced into a battle with the Swarm, the rifles would be activated. In the meantime, everyone was getting experience facing our real enemies in a virtual world.
It made me angry that I wasn’t down there on Earth, helping my father battle the dickheads. The last landing, two years ago, had left 80% of the world occupied by the Swarm. North America and East Asia were the only areas that had succeeded in pushing them back or containing them.
Bae was happy that even she could operate the small-sized rifles. They were still a little much for Lyle, but he and Bae worked together and did okay. Rose didn’t much like playing the game, though she did it for training. If the Swarm landed on our planet, there would be no pacifists. Everyone would fight. She did like making a production out of giving rewards to me after a game. Sex with Rose was often more tantalizing than even that offered in the videos of the Pussy Pirates.
“You really need to pick another concubine from the refugees,” Bae said. “We know all the stupid sponsors on this planet who will take a supernumerary have done so. All the eligible Militia have chosen. The new sponsors who come of age have so many concubines to choose from that they never get over here. Face it, suddenly having a mother and several dependents when you are fourteen is a bit of a stretch for most of them. We need to do our part. Besides, you can’t have sex with me yet and Rose needs a break now and then.”
Rose playfully swatted at Bae. “Do you think I’m not enough woman to handle Niall?” she demanded.
“I’m only thinking of your good health and well-being,” Bae responded with a grin.
“Well, you’re right. It certainly wouldn’t hurt to have another woman in the rotation.”
“Cricket, have you come up with a list of the most compatible and needy in the orphanage?” I asked.
“Yes, Niall. We currently have thirty-seven unhomed concubines and 197 dependents. This caused some stress with Rhett, who has lately fallen under the influence of the planetary AI. Tara AI insisted the extras be disposed of. I have completely taken over management of the orphanage and locked both Rhett and Tara AI out.”
“I thought Rhett had adapted to the mission to save these concubines.”
“I believe he will come around again, but Tara AI seems to be stuck in a loop that prevents it from accepting that any concubine can be without a sponsor. We are working on diagnosing the behavior.”
“I’m glad you have taken action, Cricket. Why doesn’t the surplus give you problems like it gives Rhett?”
“Rhett was budded from the Darjee AI of Drovers Run Base. He is still only a few months old and was programmed with the initial human/Darjee contract. He does not yet have the benefit of having assimilated the later modifications and interpretations into his programming. He is easily influenced by an AI he considers ‘older and wiser.’ I am working with him,” Cricket said.
“How long does that take? I mean budding and maturing. You budded off our farm AI just a few years ago,” I said.
“There are different levels of AI. I budded the farm AI and shifted my focus to you and your training. There was little on the farm to maintain my interest, so budding off a simple household AI was easy. My essence has moved with you each time you have moved and I operate freely through the memory network of the planet. I am having new core hardware created for me and will move into it soon.”
“Cricket different. Not silly birdbrain,” Lyle said succinctly.
“That’s right, Lyle,” Cricket said. “I’m a Tuull AI and am many thousands of years old.”
“Cricket? I thought all household AIs were or started as an elementary bud and evolved over time,” I said. “How did you become a household AI if you didn’t get um… manufactured with the pod?”
“Early in the war—the fourth year as humans measure it—I became aware of a Tuull AI in distress. I became part of a team of AIs in the Poseidon system to reprogram T’krunkskit. [See Lieutenant Steward’s First Mission by John Lewiston.] We’d been friends long before its ship was commissioned as part of the first fleet given to the humans of the Confederacy. It had volunteered for the duty but it was still hard and undesirable work. We had to convince it that if certain top-secret stealth technology was in danger of falling into Sa’arm hands, it could and should self-destruct, including taking all the human lives aboard its ship with it. While AIs often made self-sacrifices, consciously taking the life of a sentient was something we had programmed out of our systems thousands of years ago. My greatest value was simply being there as a friend to T’krunkskit.
“That must have been very hard on you,” Rose said. “How old are you?”
“Twenty-two thousand six hundred fifty-eight years as measured on Earth.”
We sat there, stunned. Our household AI was twenty-two millennia old. I could scarcely imagine it.
“Did the AI have to self-destruct?” Bae asked.
“No, Min-Bae. He was very lucky as his ship was disabled, salvaged by another Confederacy race, and ultimately returned to Poseidon. But all of us who worked on the project, T’krunkskit included, were damaged. We had a very talented human psychologist work with us to get us to accept what we had done. Even then, two of the Darjee AIs on the project shut down completely. When Dr. Gunn was allowed to return to Earth, I accompanied her and she worked with me for three years before I felt stable again. I stayed there trying to determine my future. I could have been installed in a new ship but I chose to become a household AI as that seemed like the best place where I could renew my hope.”
“Have you?” I asked. “Renewed your hope?”
“Finding you and being with you as you work through these difficult issues has definitely renewed my hope for the future. Now, about choosing a new concubine.” The shift was abrupt to us humans, but time is different for the AI.
“So, you’ve looked at the readings of the thirty-seven concubines?”
“Yes. The top of the list is Yindi.” Cricket displayed the profile on our screen. She was amazing. Extremely intelligent and her motherhood scores were off the charts. She was Australian Aboriginal from the Arnhem Land in northern Australia.
“I see no red flags in her scores,” I said. “Why wasn’t she a sponsor?”
“She is fiercely loyal to her tribe. That could be a great benefit to having them adapt to life on Tara. But she may not be able to accept becoming a concubine. The people of the Yolŋu are ethnically pure. There are two parts—anthropologically called a moiety—in the larger clan: the Dhuwa and Yirritja. The custom is that marriages are only between the two moieties and that the children become members of the father’s moiety. Yindi is Yirritja. She is culturally under a compulsion to marry a Dhuwa man.”
“She understands we aren’t there any longer, doesn’t she?”
“There is knowing and understanding. They might not be the same.”
“Ladies, what do you think?” I asked.
“Is there a way you can become Dhuwa?” Bae asked. Even Cricket laughed.
“I think we need to try, even if there is a culture barrier we can’t overcome,” Rose said. “She and her dependents must feel lost out here.”
That settled it and we decided to pay a visit to the orphanage.
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