"Maggie, I'm leaving for my appointment in a minute. Can you have the car ready?" The familiar voice on the intercom stopped Maggie's keyboarding.

"Yes, Sir. I called for it five minutes ago, General. Do you know how long you will be there, sir?" Maggie tended to mother the General even though he was a bit older. She knew he was taking the afternoon off. That was good. He had been working late so much lately. He needed to relax more.

"No, last time they took about an hour, but I have a feeling this one will take longer. In fact, if things go the way I am hoping, I will be busy all afternoon. That's why I blocked all appointments for the rest of the day. You can head home anytime you get caught up. I will see you Monday, but as I said Wednesday, there is a possibility that I'll be getting in touch with you at home, tonight. Sarah and I might be taking you and Mei Ling to a long lunch. Nothing too fancy dress. It's not a done deal, but there may be, umm, an employment opportunity for you. Can you get your sitter to cover Saturday from, say, eleven thirty until three thirty? We will pick you up."

"Sure, Boss. Always glad to have my meals bought for me and you know I get along well with your wife. You should get going now or traffic near the testing center will make you late even with an Agency car and driver."

"Yes, Mom." The General had popped out into the outer office as she was still on the intercom. He swiped his card at the door lock and then used the manual key to deadbolt it. Security was always a little bit paranoid in the Puzzle Palace. Maggie took the opportunity to watch her boss's butt. The General met his car at home every morning at 6 AM. Then he ran three miles while the car followed him. After that the car brought him the rest of the way in to his office, where he showered and got to work. Occasionally he ran with some of the troops on base as well. It made for a very fit man in the suit or the occasional army uniform. Maggie had found him starring in her personal fantasy sex dreams on more than one occasion. She really liked the one where there was a security lock down, they were stuck in the elevator and the air conditioning went on the fritz. She just HAD to take her blouse and skirt off to keep from collapsing from the heat. And of course, he had the heavy suit, so it wasn't fair to make him wear that and sweat.

"Yo! Earth to Maggie?" Whoops. Got carried away there. "You ok, Maggie?"

"Uhh, yeah. I was just distracted and thinking about picking up Michael."

"Ok, Well. Don't stay too late. Nothing is that important right now." The General was smiling down at her. She though he had a bit of a twinkle in his eyes.

"See you Monday, Sir."

Maggie watched thoughtfully as her boss headed down the hall. She could be done in thirty minutes or so, pick up Mike at Little Tykes Day Care and get home early enough to meet the bus bringing Carol home from school. Mrs. Jones had already said she was available to watch on this Saturday if needed and the time she didn't have to pay for a full day today, would make up for a few hours tomorrow. The only worry she had was confusion as to a new 'job opportunity.' Major General Fred Winthrop was the Assistant Director of the NSA, the National Security Agency. She was pretty certain that her boss was not about to be booted or replaced and she had not heard that the Director was planning on leaving the agency. Although, actually, he HAD been doing a lot of what he had termed "Contingency Training" with his direct Assistants. And, he had been distancing himself from some of the more complicated and long term projects to work on that special one for the Director. The same project that had him working with Mei Ling and looking over ALL of the personnel and security files, mainly for the analysts, the electronics engineers and the programmers. Hmm... Oh, My! That was why the boss was smiling like that. She had managed to undo two buttons on her blouse during that daydream. He could probably see to her belly button down between her ample cleavage. And she was wearing a very low cut lacy bra today. How would she ever live that one down?

"Jason, I am sorry, but I don't know how long I am going to be here, maybe all afternoon. Just keep your phone on and I'll call when I find out." Gen Winthrop had been putting a packet of information together until the car pulled up at the CAP Testing Center.

"Yes, Sir. No problem, Sir. I'll just park here in the shade. There is at least two squads of Space Marines on guard out here now, so the car should be safe and ANYTHING is better than Beltway traffic."

"Very true. Hey, how did your daughter do in her last high school tennis tournament?"

" She blew them away, Sir. Took first place City Wide, then she and her partner took second in the mixed doubles. Karen and I are so proud of her we could bust. And she retook her CAP test last week and bumped it up to a 7.0."

"Outstanding. Does she have a wish list of people to take in the event of a pick up?"

"Yeah, but she really does not want to even consider going without Karen and I. She doesn't like to go out without us. We both signed a document that she carries that gives her custody of the kids if she gets picked up and we aren't there. And she has a short list of school friends and such if there was anything at the school. But now she is worried about being at college and not knowing anyone."

"She sounds like a good person trying to deal with a difficult situation. I'll look into it. Maybe I can help. I'll see you in a while."

Jason's bearing and self-confidence suggested ex-military to the casual observer as he exited the car. The professional observer noticed the watchful eyes, the open hands and thought "armed and dangerous". He made another check of the area before letting the General out of the back seat. The General went inside, Jason closed his door, got back behind the wheel and drove over to the tree that he had picked out to park under.

"Good afternoon, sir. Are you here for your yearly update test?" The cute blonde receptionist liked the look of the confident, forty something man who carried himself like a soldier and wore his suit like a uniform. Lot's of military types were in the area. This one had obviously been an officer.

"Yes, I have an appointment." He said as he handed over his CAP card. He was slightly amused as he saw the double take on her face.

"Excuse me, sir, but... You do know that this score cannot actually be improved? I mean, I thought a perfect 10 was only hypothetical, but the scanner says it's a real card and... Oh. I am sorry, sir. This is none of my business. Please take the elevator to the third floor and go right in to room 316, Mr. Winthrop." She could not repress a little giggle. "I usually wish people good luck, but in your case..." As the General walked towards the elevator, she was thinking to herself. "Hmm, he has lots of slots. A perfect 10 gets 10 choices after all. He can take me with him if he wants. Heck, he could just test me right here and I wouldn't mind a bit. Maybe he could take me home with him to try me out for the long haul."

{"Good afternoon, General Winthrop. You obviously are not here to improve your CAP score, so what can the Confederacy do for you? Would you like an immediate Extraction?"} Fred thought it was a bit ironic that the AI was using its virtual reality testing system to make it seem as if he was talking to... a computer.

"No, but, as agreed, I would like one very soon, with some conditions. I know you want to use me in a high level capacity, as that was confirmed years ago, but you also want me cooperative so I will work at maximum effectiveness. Agreed?"

{"Agreed, but what type of conditions? We have little leeway. More in your case than in most, but we still have limited ability to bypass the normal limits. We assume from your previous CAP testing that you want your family extracted along with you."}

"Yes, but that is pretty easy and not in any way a relaxation in the rules since I have the slots available for all of them, even if they didn't qualify for extraction on their own, as you well know. First, I would like to recap our previous agreement. Over six years ago I was initially contacted by people in our government, who, I later realized, were working for you. For 'The Confederacy', that is. They brought me into the NSA to help with the clean up of that agency and the rest of the intelligence services. Shortly after that, I was made aware of your existence and was given to believe that my reward for my efforts would be an eventual extraction and a new job out in the colonies. As the Agency has been receiving copies of most, if not all of the Colony reports and after-action reports, both about the Sa'arm and other incidents, I have a pretty good idea of the way things are going out there and of the increasing difficulties attendant with pickups and with testing center security. I have a proposal for a series of pickups, starting with my own, that should be less chaotic and will result in a large number of qualified, previously trained personnel. Also, I have suggestions that should, in this case at least, speed up the total evacuation and colonization process.

"In exchange for that and for my previous service, I want the following. Firstly, I want a new colony, with myself as the Military Governor. I would be in charge of all personnel, equipment and bases on the planet and any of its satellites. The issue of control of other bases in the same system can be negotiated. This concept of one township is a separate colony is a bit ridiculous in a period of modern day communications and travel times.

"Second. I want authorization to raise and train up to a Division. If naval assets are available we could go to an MEF Uhh, that is, a Marine Expeditionary Force. That will take some time to get that many people in place and trained. But I want a sizeable unit based there.

"Third, I want to set up manufacturing facilities to make ourselves self sufficient with the ability to make up to Bengal attack shuttles, A20 close support craft, F50 fighters and other non hyper craft that can be made planet side, as well as the ability to make our own Pods. A lot of the pods are being made by the Confederacy, which is a drain on their resources. Some are currently being made here on Earth, but we can't count on that production for much longer, between the zealots and the Sa'arm ... Also, I found that not all, but some of the evacuation liners are making three leg trips, not two legs. Start in the Confederacy, pick up a load of Pods, take twenty days to get to Earth, Take a week to three weeks to load the volunteers. Take a month to get to the colony, mostly to let the people adjust their thinking and get used to each other, two to five days to unload the Pods two or more at a time depending on the ship and its tenders. Add another week or so to get back to Confederacy space. Two months per trip and some of these ships only carry ninety-six Pods. That's ninety-six volunteers and about three concubines each, plus a couple of kids. The biggest ships carry over a thousand Pods, but still, that's only five hundred volunteers per month per big ship. If we can make our own pods, we can have them in place when the ship arrives. Unload the whole group in a few hours and send it on its way for another trip.

"I want two of the big ships for at least ten trips each and one of the smaller ninety-six or similar sized ships for at least one trip immediately and preferably permanently.

"I want an experienced company of Marines, both Sa'arm wise and with extraction experience. We will use them for the extractions, then assistance in setting up the training battalion as well as cadre. Some unit coming back from combat ops, so they'll be looking for down time, anyway. Also, I have seen reports that there were several Independent Companies that were actually committed to combat well before the general public was even aware of the Sa'arm threat. Some of them should have been in combat for four years now. I want one of those to merge in as cadre as well

"I want to talk to the Darjee. Specifically, I would like to negotiate with the Darjee, through an appropriate AI interpreter. I realize that they are staying at arms length as much as possible, but they are apparently bearing the brunt of the financial expense of our colonization and I believe that I may be of some small assistance to them.

"The last request is this. I want more people. Not for myself, but for the colony. I will take them in three ways. Firstly, mother figures. An exemption was granted for the new colony of Albion for one additional choice to each volunteer as long as at least one of them was a mother. I realized that this was due to the large number of un-parented children that were extracted, but I feel that each volunteer SHOULD have one experienced mother to assist with all of the pregnant women, some as young as fourteen and the best way to get volunteers to pick older women is to make them free. Also, according to reports from Demeter and other colonies, the AI in several cases has allowed additional concubines per volunteer to take care of overages, combat losses, etc. All volunteers will be allowed ONE extra Mother figure who has a minimum of five child years of experience. Which means, one five year old, or a four year old and a one, etc. They also have to actually have carried a baby to term, have a minimum CAP of 3, a parenting sub score of 5 and the volunteer has to take all of their available children to qualify. The second method of getting additional personnel is that I will be extracting trained, prior service military people and other needed personnel that meet certain minimum CAP sub-scores and offering them a Sub-citizen status that is still above the Concubine status. They will be need a minimum CAP of 5.5, will be required to be members of the planetary garrison and they will be trained in a manner similar to but more intensively than our American National Guard troops. Full Marine initial training to start with, then weekends and full weeks several times a year. They will also be working at regular colony jobs such at agriculture, research and manufacturing. Demeter is freeing some of their concubines on the condition that they join the garrison, complete their training and serve a certain minimum period. Five years I think. This will accomplish some of the same things, but not be such a radical departure.

"Lastly I want the ability to award Bonus Concubines. These will be the only real reward system other than recognition and rank. I will have to clear each one with the local AI on a case by case basis, so I expect to use them sparingly. None for myself.

"Well? There are obviously a few details to work out with those items, but what objections do you have so far?"

{"There is a new system available that is somewhat marginal..."}

"Home, Sir?"

"Ay-firmative! I'm beat."

"Three and a half hours, General. They must have put you through the wringer. Rescuing the neighbor's cat from a tree in a lightning storm?"

"No, Jason. It looks like they are just fine-tuning my score now. I spent the whole afternoon in a simulation of a negotiating session, against a computer. Jason, Wait. Don't start yet. Here, take this note but don't read it aloud. Memorize that phrase, then hand it back to me. Someone will contact you with it. Got it?"

"Yes, Sir." Jason handed the scrap of thin paper into the back seat.

Fred placed the glowing face of the car's cigarette lighter against the treated paper and it was gone in a flash. "This weekend, I want you and your wife to have a talk with your daughter. Tell her to make her list. Her Dream Team. It is to comprise five people, not four. Adults fourteen or over that is, she can have twenty or more kids if they are with parents or guardians. She is NOT to include you or Karen, but don't worry. You will be making your own list. Two people. I assume you will have your wife and one other. Don't worry that you don't quite make the cut-off. At least one of your daughter's choices has to be a mother, defined as someone with a five year old, or a four and a one, etc, with a decent total Cap score. Let's say a 3.0 minimum and with decent parenting skills and aptitudes. Monday morning, you give me her list and yours, along with a few alternates on each one. If I am unavailable, you can give the list to Maggie at work, or to my wife, brother, or sister in law at my place. If you have any problems with any of this, security wise, please talk to the Director himself. I will get the list vetted and give you reasons for any disallowed. Your wife is already cleared. Remind your daughter that there are three duties for the people on her list. Those are Work Force, Procreation and R & R. i.e. Sex. Everybody on the list had better be doing all three of those things. If she collects her boy friend, his little sister and their mother, then she better have another guy OR they had better be willing to be a VERY close family. In a situation like that I would say that she has to put the question to them, all of them, together and then make them prove they can live with their answer. Right then and there in living color. There will be no legal or medical problems with the incest situation; however, there will probably be some emotional issues. She also needs to decide if she is umm, strictly hetero, or bi-sexual. If she wants guys only in her bed, then there might need to be at least two guys to handle her and the other three girls. Can you handle this? Can you be blunt enough?"

"Yes General, I can have that talk. It will be tough being that blunt about it, but it's doable. Umm, Can I give her a clue what's going on?"

"She will probably figure it out, especially when you rent a van for a week from this Sunday for two days. Get one big enough for your family and her entire dream team, with all the kids, everyone but you. Tell her and your wife. But NO one else knows the date and time. The others just need to know that they have a decent chance of being picked up if they do what she says. No extras or we have a problem. If John Doe calls his sister Jane Doe and says 'come along, Sis, maybe you'll get lucky', John and Jane both miss the boat. You and your family might also. You will go to work the next Monday morning and be assigned a special escort mission. Just a coincidence if your family shows up at the same place. That contact I mentioned will give you the info over the weekend. Invite the Dream Team to spend the night, or have the wife pick them all up Monday morning, but if they are late, well....you snooze, you lose. OK, lets get going again. I need to drop this package off at a Fed Ex, and make a phone call"

"Yes, Sir. And, thank you, Sir."

"Hey, I am just being selfish here. Where am I going to find a trained combination security man, combat veteran and driver who knows what music I like on some blasted alien planet?"

A somewhat scarred hand pulled the ringing cell phone out and flipped it open.

"Rodriguez."

"Sar' Major. Is that any way for you to answer the phone?"

"Screw you, General Sir. I'm retired now. If you're that nostalgic, call up some training unit someplace and they can do the whole spiel. 'A Company, 2nd battalion. This line is not secure, Pvt Zitface speaking, may I help you Sir or Ma'am.' Feel better now? What can I do for you, Sir?"

"For starters, you can call me Fred like I tell you every time I call, at least for another week. After that, well... Anyway, I was calling to see if you still have that book I loaned you. It's the cold war science fiction one by Pat Frank that has that 'after the nukes fall' story. You remember the one, 'Alas, Babylon'?"

Sergeant Major (ret) Tony Rodriguez felt a cold chill walk up his back. The story started with a man in the military calling his little brother in Florida. "Alas, Babylon" was the code phrase to let him know that the nukes were on the way, that he needed to get the family to shelter and to say goodbye. The General and he had speculated that that would make a great personal code between the two of them. Since he knew that he owned his own copy and the General had a much loved, signed hardbound edition, which he did NOT lend out, well... "Yes, Sir. I remember that one quite well, but I don't think I have your copy here."

"Tony, it's Fred, remember? OK, It must be here someplace. Anyway I also wanted to tell you that I just mailed to you another little story that I wrote. It should be at your place tomorrow or Monday. It's a follow up to that piece of fantasy I sent you a few months ago. It also makes a couple of changes in the way things work. This should be an even better read. What did you think of the first draft?"

The 'piece of fantasy' was a complete plan for a pick up for him, twenty four specific other people and their families. All retired military, with significant training, combat and/or special ops experience. It only lacked a place and time. It also had plans for later pickups and special recruitment lists. "That was pretty good, Sir. I mean, Fred. A couple of key bits of info seemed to be missing though, so maybe this will fill in the blanks. I hope you don't mind, but I showed it to my wife and a couple of dozen friends. You know most of them. They had some ideas for sequels that we have been kicking around and we will get them to you. "

"Great! That is just what I need, a full objective critique. I actually found someone willing to take this project on and my family and I are going to a prepublication party next Friday. I hope to see you on Saturday. Do you think you can get all of those friends together to discuss it?"

"Yes, Sir. That won't be a problem."

"Ok, give them all a copy to read. I will see you all then. Goodbye, Tony."

"Adios, Fred." Dang. They were going to pull it off. A week from Saturday! "Alicia! Get in here, woman!"

"Sarah? We got it! Call the clan meeting, extended version. I need to call and confirm for tomorrow with Maggie and Mei Ling."

To Be Continued