Chapter 4: Family Planning Of Another Sort

Michael lay with his head pillowed on Rachel’s stomach, turned slightly so he could smell the delicious aroma of her recently licked sex. Jimmy and the Nerds were off on the side, quietly playing their seemingly endless sex games. Their appetites and stamina had become legend within his family. Other than those three, Michael was the only one awake. Even Peter and Valerie, who often crept in to sleep with the adults, had long ago drifted off.

<Dora, > he sub-vocalized. <Think with me. I’m worried.>

<Yes, Michael, > she responded promptly. Her image across the room stirred and looked at him, and somehow he was comforted.

<I’m worried about the safety of our family, > he stated bleakly. <As long as one of our sponsor wives is alive, not so much. But should we all die, I’m concerned about protecting our companions and children, > he continued, <I’ve been reading, and as recommended, I’ve used the sleep trainers to review the logs, reports, and files of Civil Service officers. Nowhere have I found a consistent, systematic, overarching policy or contract obligating the Confederacy AIs or Confederacy humans to protect and nurture my ‘concubines’ and dependents in the event of my death.>

Michael paused to gather his thoughts, <To the contrary, I’ve seen instances when AIs have demanded that ‘to conserve resources, ‘ widowed concubines be recycled, or forced from ‘their’ homes into minimal dormitories or brothels. If not for Civil Service intervention, some might even be sealed into their homes without resources and left to die.>

He was on a roll. <In those cases, only the intervention of a CS representative or threatened mutiny prevented or ameliorated some or all of this travesty! So if we aren’t alive, is our contract enforceable? The exact terms of my will? Can you, my spouse and partner, protect my family’s lives AND well being? Can you even protect yourself if we are dead?>

Dora was silent.

<Let’s broaden this thinking to the Confederacy-human gestalt as a whole, > he directed. <As I said, AIs have asserted conservation of resources to demand the abuse or deaths of concubines of deceased sponsors. I want to know how this conserves resources.

<We expend time, and even the lives of sponsors, to acquire these concubines and their children. These concubines and children are resources, they are the future of humanity and humanity’s ability to defend the Confederacy. Then, sponsors are required to expend time and other resources to protect these widowed concubines from the demands of AIs. Again, what calculations do AIs use to justify their assertion that resources are being conserved? I simply don’t see it. Concubines may be property, but so are ships, weapons, mines, and factories. As such, they all should be conserved, protected, and improved.>

Michael paused again before launching into his next point. <AIs and humanity have been in association long enough for AIs to observe the different level of CAP scores attained from one colony to another. Are they too rigid to notice in the colonies that differing cultural environments produce differing rates of successful development of sponsors? They certainly noticed initially when some Earth-based cultures were banned from CAP testing or sponsorships. So how is it they try or tried to require conditions almost certain to lower the CAP scores of affected dependents and concubines -- maybe even sponsors? I don’t understand.>

His frustration growing, Michael’s thoughts poured forth, <Punitive actions against innocent, widowed concubines and their children is almost certain to produce the type of damaged individual that the Confederacy professes to proscribe and fear. Without a policy and practice of protection, that could be my family. YOUR family! Even with a motivated CS representative involved, where is their assured protection?>

<I don’t know. It wasn’t a concern directly influencing me -- until now, > confessed a highly disturbed Dora.

Michael began to outline his final concern. <The Confederacy and AIs have made strong points that neither the sentient beings nor the AIs of the Confederacy can ‘pull the trigger’ or take direct action resulting in harm to any sentient or even simply sapient being. Am I correctly stating the fact?> he asked.