Serialized Science Fiction.

Grubber Notes
Tom Haynes

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(overview)

larger and more technologically advanced.

Cloning is outlawed on Earth due to overpopulation and religion.

The Grubbers have used it to jump start their society. Upspin and downspin have clones, but it is a social stigma and really slavery. In Grubber society, your method of birth, vat (use tube)or womb, does not matter. Natural born get more personal attention, but the creches are highly educated and valued.

Both creche and womb born are expected to raise families. The massive cloning effects are being scaled down to allow genetic drift to occur along with natural selection.

A seed ship was hijacked early on to provide diversity. The crew and scientists did not mind, they were highly valued, integrated into society, and got to do their life's work.

So a generational ship is a large ship in which the population reproduces along the way. A seed ship is one in which the crew hibernates and carries genetic material to clone a colony. This would include animal life. I hate to say it, but either they need a lot of nannies or accelerated development and massive programing of life skills. *cough* taping *cough*

Genetic engineering is applied to all fetuses which implies natural born ones as well to improve desired traits. Arranged marriages are the norm as different "strains" are crossbred. But, love is accepted and such randomization is valued.

It isn't well advertised, but external and internal migration occurs. The smaller society is too weak to survive. Besides military taking wives (Ouch, should read spouses!), some retiring on both sides, there is a concentrated effort to place people in the society which fits them.

So this is what happens to the malcontents, at least some of them. The Kanakas have to be some of the others.

One of the reasons Grubber society leads itself to the easy "morals" needed for a pleasure port (i.e., Lahina had 100 brothels) is because ancestry is maternal in both societies.

Since breeding is accepted, a choice was made to either degrade the mother (as a slut) or to raise the image. A spirited exchange occurred over this, it was the closest thing to a civil war, but due to the vast cloning and the cultural diversity, Christianity and the concept of woman as the carrier of original sin was jettisoned.

(Story: Have missionaries??)

Children are raised in the families of the mother. Adultery is not a crime. A man can arrange for the child to be raised or fostered into his line. The choice of how to conduct monogamy (or not) is one for the couple. Either side can dissolve an union, but both are expected to materially contribute to the upbringing of the children.

To keep the children happy, this may entail the support of loved half-siblings.

The genetic parentage of a child is a matter of public record. It is one of their inalienable rights.

A possessive parent (or a spouse/mate of a parent) is viewed as mentally ill.

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(overview)

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