This truly was the high life. Jerry basks in the pooled affection of most of his brides, a group cuddle having broken out in the massive bed that dominated the master suite of their chambers. The chambers themselves were palatial, each wife had her own suite of rooms, with a few more left empty by Syl's careful planning... for when more wives join. Jerry had questions about that of course, but Syl knew her business and on a ship the size of the Tear... well. Why the hell not?

It wasn't uncommon for several hundred woman strong clans and their husbands to run mass conveyors like these. There were also a couple barracks like rooms and nurseries already set up. The former for children once they grew past the need of a crib. Personal cubicles were a part of those designs. For the normal crew such personal space was needed for the lowest rank or rate of wives or spacers as the case might be, and that was just as important for children.

Syl and some of her sisters delighted in arranging things in the nurseries and the children's quarters to make them warm and homey, appropriate to their likely ever growing brood. Jaruna, Wichen, and Evie weren't quite as maternal, but with most of the family pregnant, such matters were an all hands on deck affair, especially with Jerry working to increase bonding and affection with and between his wives.

They were a family as he saw it, and he intended that they act like it. The clan concept wasn't unfamiliar to him, nor indeed entirely objectionable in some senses. But it simply wouldn't do for him personally. Not his family. Not his wives. Not his children.

Jaruna had been the only one "upset" by that concept, and that was more that she saw that kind of affection as an incredible luxury that was almost certainly going to make her soft. Coming from a Cannidor mercenary clan, she'd only seen her father a few dozen times, birthdays, first combat drop, that sort of thing, and they'd never been close.

The same went for her mother, who loved her... but had high expectations, and demanded only the best from her favorite daughter. Jaruna had confided in Jerry that her mother still wasn't speaking to her after she'd left the clan to do things her own way. Clan by laws demanded it, but now she was part of a new clan, and would hopefully have a grandchild on the way.

"That'll bring the old bitch around, just you watch. Nothing mends fences and crosses lava fields quite like grand babies to spoil. Might even get you some new Undaunted. I'm sure a new military power's caught Mom's eye. Even if I hadn't quietly forwarded her the security footage of our first date."

"Does that shoot out really count as our first date?"

"Bet your delicately sculpted ass it does baby."

Jerry stifles a chuckle as he shifts in bed. The giant wall of muscle that was Jaruna was holding down the far end by the door. Wichen was curled up by his feet, looking for all the world like a very large pet cat. The rest of the girls were scattered through the bed, with Evie and Syl having claimed his back and his arms respectively.

A quick scan of the room reveals Mikasa taking a nap herself in the corner, the Alsatian pup was growing quickly, and was shaping up to be a massive beastie. Jerry quietly extracts himself from the loving embrace of two of his wives, and quietly manages to evade others before making his way to the bathroom, practicing stealth movement as he goes.

When he exits the room after relieving himself, Firi is waiting for him. The shyest of the Volpir sisters he was wed to, Firi had suffered greatly at the hands of her mother and clan for her lack of... well. Everything a Volpir should pride herself on per the worst depictions of their culture. Save for her exceptionally fluffy tail even by Volpir standards. She was sweet, kind, and wore her heart on her sleeve. Her maternal instincts were the strongest of all Jerry's wives, and despite her usually timid nature, she had gracefully come into her own and taken the lead on those projects, and considering she was carrying eight little blessings, that was probably a good thing.

It was a hell of a number by almost all galactic standards. A near miracle by Volpir standards, with six being considered a ‘very large’ litter for the vulpine aliens. It was almost frightening... and hinted at what an animal Firi could be in bed. Then again, it was always the quiet ones wasn't it? Jerry mused to himself, smiling down at Firi.

The petite vixen quickly snuggles up against her husband. Firi had also adapted to the human way of doing things like she was born to it, seemingly feeding on the positive emotional feedback she was being provided with instead of a lifetime of neglect and near abuse.

She wasn't cunning. She wasn't bold. She wasn't aggressive. The only things she felt strongly about had been the idea of being a slave to her biology and throwing herself at some random man without love... a near fantasy for many Volpir in a pre human contact galaxy, and that she wanted so very badly to be a mother.

She'd even gone into education as her field so she could work with children even without having any of her own. Firi had decided to set up the daycare and educational facilities for the tear... and if Jerry's little slice of paradise was anything to go by, they'd need to be hiring specialist staff for that particular job sooner rather than later. No one aboard was showing just yet... but it was clearly just a matter of time as more and more marriage documentation crossed over his desk for his review.

Jerry banishes thoughts of work from his mind and kisses the crown of Firi's head gently as she holds him. Sometimes Firi had nightmares. Calling her birth mother unkind was a significant understatement. She'd been the least liked of his Volpir spouses' mothers, an irritable old cunt with a cruel streak a mile wide. She'd been the smuggler of the family, though she liked to play pretend that she was far more of a criminal and a threat than she actually was.

Most of her daughters had followed in their mother's footsteps, becoming bullies and thugs, mostly working for their mother's small little smuggling fiefdom, but others finding their way into more serious trouble. Fighting for food, fighting for toys, fighting for even a hint of love or affection from their birth mother... all to make a "stronger" daughter in a way that made even Jaruna gnash her teeth.

Her own mother had been strict as hell, but Jaruna had never questioned that the Cannidor matriarch loved her, nor had she gone without food... except when she'd earned it by being a sassy little shit.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

"Sorry..." Firi whispers, finally breaking the silence. "I uhm... needed to recharge my cuddle battery. Evie and Syl might be senior, and they deserve their love, they're both pregnant too after all, but I..."

"You deserve my love too, Firi. You all do. Pregnant or not. You're my wives. You're all precious to me. Even if one of you says she doesn't want to have kids for a few years. If you want attention, or even just want some alone time, just us..." Jerry's hand traces down to her still trim stomach... would she even be able to walk in a few months? "And our babies of course. All you have to do is ask."

Firi trills happily, almost more like a songbird than the fox she resembled. Jerry couldn't imagine being cruel to such a beautiful creature, couldn't imagine raising a hand to the shining beacon of light that was Firi. She was the biblical ideal of love personified into a petite beauty from beyond the stars.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

"Well... in that case, I hear the park is done being refurbished. They added all sorts of Earth plants and trees. Even some birds and something called a squirrel."

"They're big fluffy rodents that live in trees. They grow quickly for one, which is why we thought to add them. Especially with the light axiom force fields keeping them safely inside the park. We have some songbirds growing in the tanks too."

"Mhmm. I was thinking... could we maybe have a picnic? I want to try more safe earth foods with you. Egg salad sounded really nice..."

"Alright, let's have a date then. Just the ten of us."

Firi beams up at him, a little ray of sunshine as they head back towards bed together. She gets up on her tiptoes to steal a kiss before passing him off to Evie at the door, affection sought, affection received, and a date penned in for the next day. Even in her quiet way Firi managed to seek out and get what she desired.

Those who wanted, and asked, received, was the basic rule of the clans in this galaxy it seemed. Be it asking for physical affection or asking to be impregnated. Jerry had been surprised at how his taking the initiative had almost confused his loves. Save Jaruna.

Apparently Cannidor men were made of slightly sterner stuff in smaller clan settings... but once a marriage hit triple digits, it was almost impossible to truly see to your spouses as a human would want to. Which made him all the more determined to limit the membership in their growing family.

He'd have to put his foot down eventually, but growth seemed to be inevitable. Hell he'd started with two, then practically ballooned to fourteen over a few short weeks! All of them are beyond beautiful. All of them are wonderful in their own unique ways. An embarrassment of riches for any man to his mind... and such wealth was almost casually ignored!

Jerry snorts with indignation for a moment, drawing a low chuckle from Evie.

"I woke up to find you gone and worried after you, forgive an old soldier for her instincts. Penny for you thoughts oh captain, my captain?"

"Don't call me that. Not here. My rank stops at our front door."

"Beloved then."

"Beloved's better. Hubby, darling, "my stud", and whatever other silly pet names you girls can think up also work. Anything more personal than my rank. You can even use my name for a change if you like."

It's Evie's turn to snort this time, stifling laughter.

"Penny for your thoughts my love? Your face was stormy as Firi returned to bed."

"Mhmm... just thinking about her mother... and then about how wrong the galaxy is."

"Wrong how?"

"Each one of you girls is a treasure, and with almost anyone but me, it seems you'd be an afterthought almost, not appreciated for the gems of womanhood that you are."

Evie considers that for a moment. She was older than her sisters by a few decades, and was more thoughtful than all save Syl. Her hand almost automatically comes to rest on her own stomach, his words seemingly making her conscious of the far more manageable pair of kits she was carrying.

"I worry about this all being a dream you know."

Evie almost whispers, her tone encouraging Jerry to shut up and listen.

"You humans don't understand just how special you are. Your best are all something out of story books and fairy tales. The worst of you will be no worse than the worst of our galaxy's menfolk... and even they will still be appreciated and valued, for so rare are men that they must be. Women are commonplace. Run of the mill."

"I'm going to stop you right there... we're all commonplace on the galactic scale, even men. And for all that, each of you girls is a unique, individual gem of the cosmos, and I pray nightly to the gods of my ancestors to thank them for the great bounty I have received, for even were I penniless with all of you, I would be rich beyond the ken of mortal men."

"That's exactly what I mean though... you don't understand completely just the effect you have on us you know. To be married. To have the chance to have children? That's wonderful. Many billions of women will not be so fortuitous as we. To be loved like you want to love us? To be valued as you value us? To be seen as you see us? My love, as we make you wealthy beyond the ken of the men of your world, so too do you make us rich beyond the wildest dreams of all the women of the galaxy. And while I have never been spiritual..."

Evie takes a breath, steadying herself as silver teardrops brim in her eyes. "When it became clear who you were, how you wanted to be to us... once I returned to my hotel room... I wept. With joy. To have such a boon. Wept with sorrow for all those girls who will not get the chance to truly be loved by any save their mothers and daughters. Wept for the growing seed of love for the man who looked deep into my eyes and his every word and deed made me feel like a princess in a fairy tale, and that every thing I'd sacrificed and worked for was worth it. I still have the rose you gave me. Perfectly preserved. We all do. I want to be buried with it when I finally become one with the universe. An eternal testament that I was once Evelyn Bridger... and I was loved with all of someone's heart... and to whatever gods will listen I thank them for that gift beyond gifts. So let us remain humble for the gifts we have received beloved... if we can do that, then our love will truly endure."

"Heh, and you call yourself crude Evie, that was beautiful."

"Poet in a... what did you call it? Fox hole?"

Jerry suppresses a giggle at the unintentional double entendre.

"Yes fox hole poetry's a classic of soldiers... all over the universe it seems."

"Mhmm." Evie snuggles into Jerry's arms. "If we pray, my husband, I think we should pray that you humans, for all your martial strength, make this galaxy a kinder, more loving place."

"By your wish, so shall it be."