An alien power wishes to advance humanity’s evolution with a little nudge. A young college student is selected to receive the upgrade gift that needs to be passed on to his children. He is charged with having as many children as possible. To pay for the plan, he is given the knowledge of how to build a matter replicator. Riches, women, and power follow. And the gift is immortality, well, almost.
This one's an alternative-future-history SF story and it's more than a little downbeat and way grim, with no sex -- so if you're after a stroke story, this isn't it. For any of you that've read S. M. Stirling's Draka series, that was partly an inspiration for this, as was Jerry Pournelle's "Future History" to some extent. George Robert Elford's "Devil's Guard" was also something of an inspiration, as were a few books on the Spanish Civil War.
A Character Sketches of Sketchy Characters Story "It wasn't ability that killed his career. Jeketakrees Drood was one of the most intelligent and intuitive medical students I've ever taught, completely dedicated to his craft. He could have had any position he wanted upon graduation. No, it wasn't ability that lead to his getting passed over time and again. It was his curiousty." - Dr. Bandrelan Lurric, Dean of Medicine, Durvanding Medical School, Tampris Prime
The ships have come to port, and the crews are out looking for a lot of drinking, a lot of fighting, and more than a little action from the local prostitutes. But this is the future, the crews are female, and the whorehouses are staffed by men...
A Lost Colonies Mission Report
"You've got WOMEN with you?!" the apparent leader of the delegation exploded, "Well I hope to hell you brought dildoes, at least!" "What nincompoop told them to come down here and didn't warn them about the apes?" the grey-haired gentleman grumbled. "Are there any stores in the port that sell dildoes?" With a planetary greeting like that, how could we NOT enjoy our stay on sanctuary? / (Reviews)