Chapter 16

Kathy stood on the doorstep with her sister, whom Jake had known about but not met before today, and her father, Gary, whom he had met previously. Jake invited them in; telling them supper was almost ready. Mr. Mangold objected, saying they hadn't come over for a meal, but Judy came in and put an end to his arguments.

It soon became obvious to the visitors that the house had more occupants than just Jake's family. Jake tried to downplay it when Kathy asked, and she quickly dropped the subject, although her look said the conversation wasn't over. After the meal was complete, she asked if Jake and his immediate family could talk privately.

Mark led the way into the den, closing the door after everyone was inside. He took a seat after getting Gary, Jake and himself a beer, and waited for Kathy to start.

"Jake, I know you told me about you and your sisters, could you elaborate on it a little for my Dad and Lydia? I know it's kind of private, but everyone at school has it figured out and well, I have my reasons."

"Well, I'm fine with it," Jake said, shooting a reassuring look at his parents. "It's like this; I scored well enough on my CAP test to volunteer. After talking it over with my parents and sisters, and doing some soul searching on the matter, I decided to offer them spots as my concubines." Jake saw the look on Gary's face and shrugged.

"I could let someone else take them, I mean, they are both beautiful and they wouldn't have any problem getting picked up, granted that they were to get caught in one of the Confederacy pickups. But, how do I know that some guy they've known for about five minutes is going to treat them right. I mean, he could loan them out to his buddies, or even kill them, just because he felt like it. I figured the only way to make sure they were treated right would be to take them as my own."

"Yeah, but doesn't that mean you have to have sex with them," Gary asked.

"Yes it does," Jake said, meeting the man's eye. "Look, the Darjee have the medical technology to make sure that any children we have are ok, and really, isn't that the main reason for the incest laws and taboos." The man still didn't look convinced, but shrugged.

"Yeah, but from what Kathy has said, you guys are sexually active now. I mean, isn't that against the law or something?"

"No, it's not," Mark said, leaning forward. "Current law states that if a volunteer and a potential concubine enter into an agreement, pre-pickup, that the normal laws no longer apply to them, and they fall under the standards set by the Confederacy. As the Confederacy has no rule against incest, they are perfectly legal."

"You mean they have agreed to be his concubines now? But how can anyone guarantee that they will take someone, I mean, what if they aren't together when a pickup takes place?"

"Well, we've got a plan," Judy said, stepping into the conversation. "Do you know what a pre-pack is?"

"Isn't that where the Marines pick up someone who has already made their choices and are all together somewhere?" Lydia said.

"Exactly," Jake responded, smiling at the younger girl. "Once we have all our ducks in a row, we can contact someone and let them know we are ready. They let us know a certain time and place, and if we show up, we all go together."

Gary nodded, looking at his two daughters, his face unreadable.

"So, since you have a plan, and you want your sisters treated right, you think it's ok to have sex with them?"

Jake nodded and the man went silent, thinking it over.

"Gary, look at it this way," Judy said. "What if you had a score good enough to take your daughters and you were all caught in a pickup. Now granted, they could try to attract sponsors, and as pretty as they are, would have a pretty good chance of doing so. However, could you guarantee that they would be treated ok, I mean, not be abused, or hurt?"

Gary met her gaze, and then glanced at his daughters. "No, I see what your saying, but that's not quite the situation here," he said softly. "Look, you've given me a lot to think about, and I thank you for talking with us, but..." He left the rest unsaid and started to rise.

"Wait Dad," Kathy said, coming over to sit on his lap. "What Dad is trying hard not to say is I'm the sponsor in the family, and I want to take him and Lydia, but he's refusing. Oh, he's ok with me taking Lydia, but he doesn't think he can have sex with us and I was hoping you guys could convince him otherwise."

"Honey, maybe it's not a good idea," Judy said, causing Kathy to turn to her in surprise. "Look, if your dad isn't comfortable with the idea, it would probably cause problems, driving a wedge between you all in the long run."

"Gary, this isn't for everyone, and I won't pressure you to accept something that goes against your beliefs. Our family isn't unique, we know of at least one other with a similar arrangement, but it isn't the norm either." Judy met Gary's eye, wanting to make sure he understood her next point.