Repopulation Corps
By Doctorpluto.
* * *The ceasefire had gone on for a few months. It seemed like this bloody war was at last coming to a close. Lieutenant Rita Buress was called to General Hawthorne’s tent for a briefing. The general, a tall and graceful blonde, paced around her desk for a second before finally giving the bad news.
“We’ve received confirmation this morning at 0700 that the negotiations are over…” Her voice was somber, her blue eyes icy and clear. “Cascadia has officially agreed to all of Ruhevania’s .”
Rita felt dazed at the news. Ever since Point Pleasance, surrender felt inevitable, but total capitulation? She looked down at the service pistol in her holster, recalling how she’d told herself she’d save a bullet for if she was captured. “What are the final of this peace, Alexis?” She said, looking up at the general.
Alexis sighed.
“Well, they get all the contested border territory, and they’ll leave our country alone save for… the reparations. Tonight there’s going to be a goodwill ceremony. A ballroom dance with the very men we’ve been shooting at. Please get yourself and your girls dressed up nice. Be on your very best behavior.”
Rita ran her hand through her chestnut-colored hair as she stared out the window. In her faint reflection, she could see the dark circles under her eyes.
“I’ll have my girls dress up, but I just... I need to know what they’ll be going home to. There are things worse than defeat, you know.” She glanced over at the mirror and straightened her olive green uniform coat and red tie. “Whatever happens, it wasn’t your fault Alexis. It’s the cowards in the Senate.”
“Well… about that.” The general handed over a box of pamphlets with titles like ‘Peace: Your Place in the Mutual Reconstruction Pact’ . She sat her peaked cap on the desk and walked to the window, looking back over her shoulder at her loyal lieutenant.
“Don’t skip over the part about... repopulation efforts.” Rita opened her mouth to speak, and Alexis turned to face her again, “Yeah, there’ll be a Repop Corps by the end of it. Those bastards think they can do anything to us. Still, I doubt the men will enlist former soldiers into the Corps, so you and your girls have little to worry about. It’ll probably just be unemployed civilians and criminals.”
“The bastards.” Rita grit her teeth as she looked through the pamphlets. “Let’s hope not.” With a scowl, she sat down and picked the one titled Peace and thumbed through it. “Alright, let’s see what you got for us.”
Some time later, Major Kurt Dietrich was getting ready with his men for this momentous occasion. He stood in front of the bathroom mirror, straightening his black tie in the mirror. While his colleagues sprang for more colorful and ornate attire, he was partial to the classic black suit. He checked his hair in the mirror: raven black and long enough to style on top, with the back and sides buzzed short. After tastefully sweeping his bangs to the right, he stepped out to re the party. Diplomats, generals, and regional leaders were in attendance; sipping champagne and chattering amongst themselves in the enormous marble ballroom. In the center, a Ruhevanian Colonel in her black dress uniform was finishing her speech.
“I believe I can speak for all of us when I say I’m happy to put these six years behind us. It’s time everyone, both Ruhevanian and Cascadian, put aside their differences and commit to rebuilding. I propose a dance to celebrate our peace and our glorious feature! Please welcome General Alexis Hawthorne, Lieutenant Rita Burress, and the rest of Company 7!”
The red curtain at the far end of the ballroom lifted to reveal a crowd of young women. Rita stood in her red ballroom dress as she gave the crowd a little bow. It was a simple, elegant design: Strapless, with the swishy skirt coming down to just below the knee with a black ribbon tied around her waist in a neat bow. She’d paired it with a pair of black stockings and matching red high-heels. Her fake smell grew tense and uncomfortable as she looked back at her comrades. Dolls. They were dressed up and going to be treated like dolls by the men.
“One dance, and I’m going home to a stiff drink.” She thought to herself.
Alexis had on a slinky bottle green evening gown that came down to her ankles, with a matching pair of opera gloves that came up over the elbow.
“You’re looking fancy,” Rita remarked, watching Alexis adjust the hairpin keeping her wavy blonde locks up in a neat bun.
“It’s a party. Might as well dress up and have what fun you can. Besides, we weren’t allowed to have our dress uniforms on for some reason.”
The two groups converged in the center of the room as the diplomats clapped. Rita watched as the men and women chatted and ordered food. It was so terribly awkward to see her comrades socialize in public with the enemy, and even more so to see them pairing up. Alexis leaned over and whispered into Rita’s ear:
“I said this to the other ladies,try not to outright reject a man if he makes a move on you. Let’s keep this evening moving smoothly and we’ll get it over with faster, okay?”
Before she could argue, Alexis had wandered off and Kurt was approaching her. He’d been eyeing the brunette the whole time.
“Madame Buress, I’ve heard so much about your bravery in the field.You’re even more gorgeous than your photos suggest.”
He extended his hand to Rita, and she blushed.
“I’m charmed, honestly.” Hesitatingly, she reached out to take it. “To whom do I owe the pleasure?”
“Major Kurt Dietrich, Army Group 6. I was hoping you’d dance with me.”
Rita couldn’t help but let her gaze linger on those steely blue-green eyes of his.
“Sure. Lead the way, Major…”
She took his hand and followed him onto the dance floor as the lights dimmed. The band played a slow, jazzy number; it was a song Rita ed hearing before but she wasn’t sure where. Considering how rarely she danced, she figured she wasn’t doing too bad of a job: Kurt took the lead and she followed. She stepped where he did, she moved the way he moved, and when he spun her around his hand, she couldn’t help but put some extra effort into that. Every so often, Rita would catch a glimpse of Alexis looking uneasy, but they never stayed closed enough for her to ask what was up.
The song changed and Kurt leaned in, sniffing Rita’s hair.
“You know, this reminds me of my younger days in the service.”
When the band was winding down their set, a projector screen lowered from the ceiling at the head of the room as a team of workmen hauled the podium away. When the dancing was over, the men guided their chosen woman to a folding chair set up in front of it. Was this part of the show?
“Why don’t you have a seat, dear?” Kurt whispered, gently pushing Rita down into one of the chairs. Crossing her legs, she looked around and saw Alexis seated, her eyes darting around the room. The screen lit up with stock footage of Ruhevania’s flag flying proudly in the blue sky: A crimson banner with a black oval in the center, and inside that a crossed hammer and pick in white. hen, white text crawled across the screen, narrated by a too-chipper sounding female voice.
“Today we meet not as enemies, but as partners in rebuilding our homeland. This peace has been hard won, and many men and women have lost their lives. Therefore, we proudly welcome you to the ranks of the Repopulation Battalion! Welcome to the Repop Corps, girls!”
There was a swell of fanfare and Rita just about had a heart attack. This couldn’t be happening.
“No... No, there must be some mistake...”
She muttered under her breath as she looked around at the other of her squad. General Hawthorne buried her head in her hands, unwilling or unable to face her comrades.
“Now, you may be wondering why you’ve been selected for this deployment. If you are watching this presentation, chances are your unit fought exceptionally well in the war. Your cunning, strength, and bravery has not gone unnoticed. The People’s Republic of Ruhevania wants YOU! Since you are the best of the best, it is your duty to breed the next generation of heroes and workers.”
As the narrator spoke, the screen showed images of women in varying stages of pregnancy. Short snippets of parents holding their children. Rita expected a riot. She wanted a riot. But aside from a few shouts of protest, no riot came. Had they all given up so easily?
Kurt reached out and squeezed her hand. “It’s for the best.” He whispered.
“The best for who?” She thought.
“Do not despair, ladies!” The voice on the screen prattled on, condescending as ever. “This is not slavery, or even forced labor. Your hip in the Repopulation Battalion entitles you to a weekly salary, starting tomorrow. And once you’re married, you will be granted full Ruhevanian citizenship, complete with all the rights and privileges Ruhevanians enjoy!”
“Married, huh.” Rita glared over at Kurt. “So this is what this whole shindig was about? Bring us all in and take us as your trophy brides?”
“It’s part of the peace , dear.” He spoke with a kindly patience, reaching his hand out to her as she recoiled away from it. “It’s an extreme measure, but it’s necessary. Cascadia has agreed to turn the contested territory into a Reconstruction Zone. It’s been so bombed out that it’ll have to be resettled from the ground up, and part of that is restoring the population.”
“Some of us already have spouses, you know.” Rita couldn’t look away from Kurt. She could hate the other men in the room, but there was something about him that made it hard for her to feel the same kind of disgust she freely showed the rest of the Ruhevanian scum.
“Then they’ll be repopulating with those spouses.” Kurt shrugged, looking at her the same way a teacher looked at a student that was being difficult, a sort of quiet and patient irritation.
“We’re not monsters, my dear. For a matter of fact…” He put on that smile again, that damned smile…
“...I’d like to get to know my wife-to-be. “ A waitress in an old-fashioned maid’s dress was making her way through the audience, handing out cups to each man and woman.
“...Tell me about yourself, if you’d be so kind?”
Rita took her cup and looked down at the dark-colored liquid inside. It smelled of brandy; the good stuff, in fact. She looked back out at the other women in attendance, some of them drank right away while others hesitated, but all gave in. With a grudging sigh, the lieutenant gave in. It had a dry and floral taste, with a hint of oak. Once she’d finished, a warmth settled in Rita’s belly that made sitting in that cheap folding chair and listening to the video explain her duties as a Repop woman a little bit more bearable.
Then it happened. As the presentation wrapped up, the video flipped to psychedelic art flowing and shifting colors while thrumming, repetitive music played over the speakers. Rita wanted to get up and run, but that warmth in her belly had rushed up into her head, smothering her thoughts in a dense pink fog. Everything around her was in slow motion, her legs felt like jelly.
“Can’t… think… what did you do?!”
“It’s just something to make it easier.”A voice came from the speakers. “Remain calm, and rest. You are going to be okay, you are going to be happy.”
“Kuuuuurt…. Stop iiiiit!” Rita clapped her hands over her ears in a desperate bid to shut the mantras out. The crowd’s initial panic was already fading into a stupor.
“I’m sorry, it’s for the best.” the Major said, patting her hand. “It’ll wear off in time for the afterparty.”
Afterparty?
Rita watched Alexis swoon into the arms of her assigned mate. He barely looked older than 18. Her blue eyes wandered back to the screen, staring into an abyss of color as the voices kept going and going.
“Remain calm. You are going to be okay. You are going to be happy.”
Everything from even a couple hours ago was turning into a blur, and farther back her memories of places, dates, and people were blending together into a formless soup. It was getting so hard...so tiring to .
“Service is freedom. Service to your husband is service to your nation. Service to your nation will set you free.”
“I’m so sorry, girls…” Rita whispered, her tired hand reaching towards the others before dropping limp at her side.
“Motherhood is power. You hold the future in your womb. You will create a worker’s paradise.”
She was falling. The screen had become a vast chasm of light that Rita was cast into. Everything that was solid, everything that was true had gone away. She repeated what the voices said, and its instructions became her thoughts. An infection burning through her neurons.
“The future begins at home. You have an important job to do. It’s going to be okay. Your husband will take good care of you.”
“Take good… good care of us…” Rita moaned. She was drifting to sleep. Beneath the shame and the mind-melting colors and the drugs in her system, she could feel relief. “I... We don’t have to fight anymore...”
Rita woke up in a new room. The spiked drink had mostly worn off but she was still feeling woozy. She found herself with the other girls in a rustic cabin. The floor was sleek hardwood, and the walls were gray, unpainted stone. On the walls hung a number of floral decorations, giving the room a sweet smell that helped bring her out of her funk. ing the women of Company 7 were a number of maids, flitting to and fro as they got them ready for some big event.
“What did you do…” She muttered, glancing around the room to see if that traitor Alexis was among them. She wanted answers. Now.
Alexis was there, having her hair touched up by a matronly older woman. She looked down solemnly, unable to face her former lieutenant.
“Sacrifices had to be made... for peace.” She then looked up, looking at Rita with a weak smile
“But... maybe it won’t be so bad. We might find happiness in the new way of things” She ran her hand over her flat belly, and Rita wondered if Alexis was trying to convince her or herself.
“I guess we better.” Rita stood and paced around the room, checking if the others were alright. Tricia was staring at the wall in shock, muttering something about her rank and serial number as Maria tried to comfort her. Poor, poor girls.
“Just be on your best behavior for the main event.” An older maid said to Rita. “You need to make a good first impression for your husband.”
Rita could tell this mousey-faced old lady was the head maid. A true believer in the system, her black dress had some red lace embellishing it, a sign of her rank.
The speakers mounted high up on the walls crackled to life, drawing the gaze of everyone in the room.
“ATTENTION LADIES, PLEASE PROCEED TO THE DINING HALL. YOUR WEDDING IS ABOUT TO BEGIN.”
“Wedding?!” Rita squeaked, nervously following the crowd into the next room. The hall was big and open, with gray brick walls and open windows letting the sunlight glow through. The table spread before them was laden with food, and maids in their black dresses were fluttering about getting everything clean and ready. And at the end of the hall was a table decorated with a white sheet, with little black boxes laid out in neat rows. Each of them sat open to display a simple golden ring apiece.
Rita and her battalion were being herded into a single-file line by the maids. They were made to stand at attention as the head maid came to the front of the table to speak.
“I would like to start this procession by saying; girls, I know how you feel right now.” She clasped her hands together in front of her chest.
“I when I was young and wild, I swore I’d never settle down. But believe me when I say you will come to love your men, as you will come to love your new purpose in life. This is just the beginning of something better. Without any further ado, I’d like for you to give a warm welcome to your husbands!”
A door opened and a line of smartly-dressed men walked in, among them was Kurt. Rita watched as one at a time, one of them stood with their chosen mate to recite their vows with a minister officiating. And to seal the ritual, a gold ring was placed on the woman’s finger. And so she waited for her turn to come up.
It came sooner than she’d wanted. Kurt slipped the ring on her finger as he gave his vows, caressing her cheek with his other hand as they looked into each other’s eyes. Rita couldn’t help but blush at his touch still. Either he was on his best behavior for the ceremony or… she forced that thought out of her head. It was psychological warfare, meant to domesticate them.
“Do you take Major Kurt Dietrich to be your legally wedded husband?” The minister was looking at Rita, so was everyone else. She felt short of breath, lightheaded. But eventually something tumbled out:
“I do.”
That was it. No take-backs. Kurt picked her up in a sudden gesture, eliciting a cute little yip of surprise from the former lieutenant. It was more than a little shameful to Rita that she felt so safe in his big, strong arms.
“Now that we’re wed, you’re going to let me spoil you. That’s an order.” He smiled down at her, taking her over to the dining hall.
“Heh… Do your worst.”
Rita gave him a weak smile back. If this was a real, official wedding in the eyes of the Ruhevanian state… then that implied consummation. She wasn’t going to have to fuck this guy, was she? Maybe it was the lingering effect of the drugs, or shock. But the gravity of their situation was only at that moment beginning to really sink in. She was married to an enemy officer, sold out by her own country into a breeding program. Her body no longer belonged to her, it belonged to Major Kurt and the country he fought for.
She lingered on this as he sat her down at the table. The dining room was decorated in white and gold. Crystal chandeliers dazzling with electric light hung over them as the maids set out the food and drink. Rita gazed out over her comrades, noticing that poor Tricia’s husband was getting handsy with her. She had been such a headstrong, free-spirited woman and now she was helpless to resist the young man’s constant touch and kissing. After all, they had to keep up appearances, right?
Mercifully, one of the maids swatted at him with a rolled up handkerchief.
“Hey, you two! Not at the table, you’ll get a bed for that soon enough!”
She pointed to the set of double doors at the end of the room. A brass placard announced its purpose in ominous block letters: “HONEYMOON SUITES”
Rita looked out over the food spread out for them. An absolute feast: Freshly baked bread, grilled fish, pans of pasta in different sauces... There were even bottles of champagne. And it was a nice vintage, if Kurt’s expression upon picking one of the bottles was any indication; that raised eyebrow and lift of the corners of his mouth into something approaching a smile. He popped the cork and poured the both of them a glass.
“Have yourself a drink, dear. They won’t want you having alcohol when you’re working for the Corps.”
Rita glanced back at Alexis, who was having the same idea.
“Hear that? We better make this special. How about a toast, to peace?” She smiled bitterly at the lieutenant, and they clinked their glasses together.
“To peace.” Rita returned her former general’s smile as they toasted their new lives. The celebration put a bitter taste in her mouth, and the good food and drink could only do so much. Rita silently watched Alexis as she ate. Was the general trying to keep their spirits high, or was she just enjoying this a bit too much? For just an instant, she caught her blinking back tears.Every so often, a woman would be pulled away from the table by her date and taken to the honeymoon suite. One by one, they all vanished, and Rita could hear faint voices: moans and cries of pleasure both male and female, coming from within. Time slowed down, the long minutes crawled by until Kurt squeezed her hand, urging her up from her seat.
“Let’s go.”
Rita stared down at the checkered floor as he led her to their private suite. She had imagined taking a walk like this when she had nightmares about being captured and interrogated, but she never told anyone. A good lieutenant had to keep a strong face for her comrades, and all that. At least this way, she wasn’t going to be shot. A small comfort, but she’d take it.
She looked back up, counting the doors as they ed them.
102, 103,104…
Kurt unlocked room 106 and ushered her in, wrapping his arm around her waist. Inside, there was a plain double bed adorned with white sheets; the only other decorations were a little wardrobe and a nightstand, both painted a clean medical white.
He nudged the small of her back with his hand, and Rita stepped out of her shoes, feeling the carpet through her stocking toes for a moment before undoing the ribbon around her waist, then the zipper in the back of her dress. After pulling it down to the floor and stepping out of it, she reached back and unhooked her bra, letting it fall to the floor, where her panties soon ed it. She moved to tug down her stockings when Kurt gripped her wrist in his hand.
“Leave them on. Your legs look delicious in them.”
Rita nodded as she removed the cheap elastic band holding her brown hair in a ponytail, letting it fall over her shoulders. Now naked except for her black stockings, she laid on the bed and rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling as she listened to him undress.
“I know you don’t want to hear this,” Kurt said, throwing his belt aside, the brass buckle clinking as it hit the floor. “But I promise this won’t be miserable for you. I know how to treat a woman.”
She turned her head to look at him, he was naked from the waist down and unbuttoning his shirt.
“And how is that?”
Now fully nude, he climbed on top of her and grabbed her wrists, pulling her arms away from her body. He stared deep into her eyes and she couldn’t look away. She could smell him, musky and dry. His scent spread her legs apart, made her This was what her man smelled like.
“A bit like this.” He pushed into a rough kiss, his hands moving to Rita’s chest. His thumbs pressed on her soft pink nipples, feeling them stiffen under his touch. She moaned into his mouth, shutting her eyes until he broke away from her.
“That was…” Rita fought to keep herself from finishing. She was slipping, she could feel it. Deeper and deeper into his eyes, she was being pulled in. An old phrase she heard in the academy came to mind: Event horizon. A point where nothing escapes. That was where Rita was at.
With a grunt, Kurt slammed into her.
“Gaah!” She cried out, toes curled as he lifted her legs up. He’d speared all eight inches into her, the initial pain giving way to a growing need that she could feel down to the bone.
“You ready, woman?” He said.
Rita just nodded.
And so he got to work, squeezing her thighs as he thrust in and out, in and out of her with a steady rhythm. She bucked her hips back against his thrusting, raising her legs up higher in the air.
She had her arms wrapped around him, holding on tight as he pounded into her. Everything Rita knew about herself was coming apart; as a soldier, as a woman, as a person. She couldn’t get the propaganda out of her head, and the more Kurt fucked her the deeper each word drilled in.
“Service is freedom. Motherhood is power.”
He kissed and nipped all over her neck and shoulders, his teeth leaving little red marks all over her skin, branding her as his woman… his conquest.
“The future begins at home. Mother. Wife.”
He was getting close, she could feel it. His rasping breath was hot on her skin, reminding Rita of every man she’d been with up to this point. They’d led her to Kurt, only she didn’t know it. Everything she’d done since enlisting had taken her to this one moment.
It happened before Rita knew it. Kurt threw his head back in a yell,she cried out in shameful ecstasy. His cock pulsed. filling her with his seed. It ran down the insides of her legs in hot, sticky trails. She went limp on the mattress, chest rising and falling with each breath; the scent of sex and semen stung her nostrils. It was over. The major laid there with the fallen lieutenant in his arms. She didn’t want to look up at him, but she couldn’t avert her eyes. He caressed her cheek, tracing little circles on her skin with his fingertips.
“Not bad at all. I wasn’t too rough on you, was I?”
“It’s fine.” Rita sighed, doing nothing to resist him as he rolled over, pulling her body closer to his. Her head rested on his chest, and she could hear the steady drumbeat of his heart. The former lieutenant closed her eyes. She could almost enjoy the moment if she didn’t think about it.
It was a bright, breezy day in the village of Grunbach. Rita had on her favorite mint-green dress as she went about her grocery shopping. It was a tastefully old-fashioned thing, with a white collar and a knee-length skirt. She wore her hair in a neat braid, one of the things she’d learned at the women’s center. As she walked down the street, her eyes kept wandering down to her belly. Every night for the six months she’d been there, they’d been trying for a baby. And only last night did she get the good news.
Rita showed Kurt the pregnancy test, and he hugged her while she cried. Were they tears of joy? She didn’t like to dwell on her feelings, nor on her memories. It made it hard to get along, to do her duty.
“Rita! Over here!”
The former lieutenant snapped back to attention, watching Alexis waddle up to her as fast as she could. Standing some 10 paces back was the man Rita recognized as her husband from the wedding, watching the two of them speak.
“Alexis, you’re…” Rita couldn’t help but stare at her former commanding officer, now dressed in a red swing dress with a cream colored cardigan sweater over it. The sweater only made her pregnant belly all the more pronounced.
“Huge? Yeah, I know.” The blonde said, patting her stomach with both hands. “I’m carrying twins, Alex couldn’t believe it at first!”
She smiled over at the fair-haired young man, then turned back to Rita.
“What about you? Any luck with your… work?”
“I tested positive last night. Kurt said he was proud of me.” There was just the slightest hint of a smile on her face. This was something she had always hoped for, even if it didn’t come how she expected it.
“Oh? That’s great!” Alexis took Rita’s hands in her own and squeezed. “It feels wonderful, doesn’t it? Bringing life into the world instead of taking it out?”
Rita opened her mouth to speak, only to linger on what her friend had said. She hadn’t ever thought about it like that, or at least she didn’t otherwise. It wasn’t that long ago, but it felt so distant. Whenever she reminisced, it felt like another woman was holding her gun and shouting orders.
“You know what, it does.”
Alexis smiled, nodding silent permission as her former lieutenant reached out to touch her plump belly. Rita blushed when she felt the little kick from inside. So full of life… was she getting excited? Maybe she was; excited and nervous and so many other feelings she’d need help working through at her classes at the center.
“Oh, that reminds me!” Alexis said, taking a stick of gum from her handbag. “I’ve been reaching out to the other girls of Company 7. I want all of you to be there for the baby shower. It’ll be so much fun to see the girls again, do some catching up.”
Alexis chewed loudly as she spoke. She offered a piece to Rita, who just shook her head.
“...Have you been keeping in touch? How’s Tricia doing?”
“She’s… having a little trouble.” Rita shrugged. “They’re keeping her at the center until she settles down; that’s what I’ve heard.”
“I had a feeling it’d be like that.” Alexis said, smacking her gum. “Some women just need a little extra help.”
“Yeah,” the former lieutenant started on her way, wanting to be home in time to cook lunch. “I can’t wait to see them again.”