Chapter 6
Homer and Chris were discussing religion. They were in Chris’ cabin, Chris lying on the bed with his head propped up by pillows and Homer folded compactly in a corner. Homer had absorbed a huge amount of information from the ship’s libraries, and his studies had cross-referenced religions. He was going on about the varieties of religions the human race had embraced, and wondering how one race could have so many analogies for reality.
“Homer. You are aware every human has his or her own genetic structure, and even twins, and triplets, aren’t exactly alike, because of experiential differences.”
“Yes. I have read in your literature genetic diversity is considered to be an important part of the survival of your race. Your theories of evolution emphasize mutations and diversity as being integral to your development as a species. Characteristics important to your survival, such as intelligence or superior eye-hand coordination, were passed on to the next generation through survival and breeding of the fittest. As your race evolved, these characteristics became less important because technology and medical advances allowed the survival and breeding of individuals who, in previous generations, would have died or been considered unfit for procreation. As medical advances continued certain genetic diseases were eliminated from your gene pool. Martian laws are more liberal than Terran laws and have resulted in a more generic, but overall healthier population. Though the elimination of certain genetic diseases was allowed on both planets, laws created between the late 1980s and 2055 regarding human genetic experimentation and manipulation which might have replaced natural evolution were banned on Earth. How does the diversity of human genetics relate to the diversity of human religions?”
Chris blinked and paused for a moment. “We’re going to have to do something about your speaking patterns, but we’ll deal with it later. Consider every human being is an individual with his own genetic code, which includes genetic predispositions toward certain behavioral characteristics. Some individuals enjoy very organized living environments, while others prefer a certain amount of chaos. Some individuals have a gift for music, while others have a gift for mechanics. In regards to religion, to some degree, each individual human interprets the information given to him, and creates his own religion based on his life experiences and his genetic predispositions. No two people will agree completely on their religious beliefs, even if they attend the same church. They may agree in general, but there will always be subtle differences in interpretation.”
“Chris, are you suggesting each individual human is a separate culture with his own idiosyncracies and belief structures?”
“Yes, Homer, I am. We have many characteristics in common with each other, but how we interpret experiences and info varies from one individual to another, even if only slightly.”
“Perhaps your race should reconsider the concept of cloning. It would greatly simplify communications and stabilize behavioral patterns within your race.”
Chris paused again, feeling off balance and knowing Homer was completely innocent in his statement.
“Homer. Do you understand the concept of confidentiality?”
“Yes. It is a concept many races use to keep specific information from being shared with other individuals or general public records.”
“That’s correct. Are you able to keep information confidential?”
“When I return to my home world my memories will be shared with the central computer. Within those memories will be the agreement the information you share with me will not be made available to any other individuals or races. Only I and the central computer will have access to that specific information.”
Chris considered this briefly. “Good enough. Homer, I am a clone and I am asking you to keep all information about the fact I am a clone confidential.”
“Agreed. Considering your laws regarding cloning, I am surprised you have been allowed to exist.”
“Back in 2040, it was decided to punish the people who created human clones, but to treat human clones as fully human, with all the rights a normal person would have. Cloning was outlawed primarily because of human rights issues. There may have been a few individuals who wanted to use it as a form of reproduction, which in itself is questionable, but generally people wanted to use the clones for spare parts or for purposes of brain transplants as a way to extend someone’s life.”
“I don’t understand why this procedure would be considered a detrimental action. I was created for the specific purpose of studying your culture. When I am finished and return to Gredoria it is probable I will be dismantled and my parts used in the most efficient manner.”
“What if someone started dismantling your central computer?“
“Immediate action would be taken to defend the central computer.”
“Why?” asked Chris.
“It is the source of our existence. It provides direction and houses our historical information. Without it the Gredorian race would not exist. Within my program, protecting the central computer is equivalent to your survival instinct.”
“Completely understandable. And each human being, cloned or impregnated, is a culture and an individual identity. Our laws are designed to protect individuals and to foster an environment allowing individuals to grow and evolve to their maximum potential. Cloning an individual human, with the intention of using him for spare parts, or removing his brain so it can the donors brain can be transplanted, conflicts with the essence of our laws.”
“I understand,” responded Homer. “But what about for purposes of reproduction?”
“If an individual cloned himself for purposes of reproduction, he would be stagnating the process of evolution. Our evolution, both as individuals and as a race, is based on sharing, merging, and adapting. Taking the genes of two different people and merging them in the hopes of creating something better. Also, there are quality of life issues. Prior to the year 2040, there were two corporations cloning human beings. In both instances, the children were raised in institutional settings, and the results were disastrous. As with most sentient races, humans require a certain amount of love and nurturing, especially during their infant years. One of the children died before the age of four and the other grew up with all kinds of anger and self-destructive behavior patterns. She committed suicide at the age of twenty. There is also a record of a man who had a clone of himself created and raised the child as his son. In that case the child killed his father.”
“The human race is a very complicated culture. This is a valuable conversation. Thank you, Chris. May I ask about the circumstances which allowed you to be created?”
Chris gathered his thoughts as he tried to find the best place to begin. “My parents were kidnapped. They were on their way to Valencia at the time. The ship they were on was attacked by pirates. We don’t know what happened to the other passengers or crew members. It’s assumed they were sold as slaves. The ship reappeared a few years later with a different name and had been gutted into a cargo freighter. My birth mother and father were sold to a scientist on a space station well outside of the charted territories. The scientist was performing illegal cloning experiments. I’m the product of one of those experiments. He removed one of her eggs, removed her DNA from the egg, and replaced it with my DNA. He was able to fertilize it by giving it a mild electric zap, and then implanted the now fertilized egg into her womb, and let nature take its course. He did make some minor modifications to my genetic coding which resulted in making me a little taller and improved my digestive system. But other than that I’m a genetic copy of my donor. With the exception of what he looked like, we don’t have any other info about him.”
“Why do you want this information to be confidential? You are innocent of breaking any laws.”
Chris paused for a moment. Sometimes speaking to Homer was like speaking to a child. He lacked the cultural indoctrination making such questions unnecessary. “Originally, it was my parents idea, and the Martian government went along with it. They wanted my childhood development to be normal and healthy. They definitely did not want me to become someone else’s experiment. They told me about it when I turned twenty-one. It seemed like private info, to be shared only with close friends, or, under unusual circumstances like this.” Chris ended the sentence on a lighter note. He had begun to feel gloomy and wanted to shake it off. “I need a break. What cabin are you staying in?”
After setting Homer up on the computer jack in his cabin so he could continue researching the ship’s library, Chris returned to his room and began reviewing what he would do when they arrived at Corbin III tomorrow morning.
When he arrived, Chris was to proceed directly to the mining camp’s director, Henry Lee. When he met Mr. Lee he would ask for his opinion of possible “mole” suspects and share his thoughts on the three he suspected; Jake Latky, Owen Roberts, and Martha Apela. What Mr. Lee had to say would dictate his next step. He had familiarized himself with the most probable suspects.
Nothing to do now, but wait, he thought. Might as well do some stretching.
Bending at the waist, Chris stretched his hamstrings and lower back, holding the position until it felt time to release. He then dropped to his knees and arched backwards contracting his back muscles slowly, while relaxing and stretching his stomach muscles. Chris continued doing a variety of stretches until it felt like he had done enough. He had developed a heightened awareness of his musculature and internal organs and knew what areas needed to be stretched and massaged.
Lying on his back, in the shavasana (or corpse) position, he relaxed his muscles pair by pair starting with his toes and feet and ending with the muscles in his face and head, he prepared to go into a light meditative trance. His breathing slowed. He imagined lifting out of his body and steadily pulling away, seeing the ship as though it had no hull. He visualized six floors of passenger space and cargo bays. There were antigrav thrusters in the rear and a control room at the front. Pulling away further, he viewed the ship with its hull once more intact, and still with a sense of his body inside, as the ship moved against a background of ultra-space multicolors. Pulling back still further, much further, he located Sol, and then the Tiraneous Twins, the stars Corbin III circled. He watched the ship traveling between the two star systems. From here he returned to his body.
Remaining in a meditative state, Chris considered what had sparked the emotional turmoil he had felt near the end of his conversation with Homer. Obviously, he thought, it had been the issue of cloning.
Most Martians had genetic predispositions to excel at mathematics and technological skills. They tended to be the same average weight and height. Chris had no problem blending in physically because he was of average weight and height, though he was a little leaner and more muscular. But he was terrible at anything more complicated than basic geometry.
Even before his parents had told him about his genetic origins, he had been confused by his inabilities to perform tasks in school his peers had found easy. Counseling had helped and he had found he had strengths other students lacked. Gradually he had become more comfortable and accepting of himself.
After the initial shock of learning his origins, he had thought he was comfortable with the idea of being a clone. Apparently not.
He had never told anyone of his origins, not even his closest friends. He was afraid they would see him differently, no longer as an equal. Although he had nothing to be ashamed of, if he was responsible for creating his own reality, a basic theme in the New Age Friends philosophy, then he was responsible for choosing how to deal with this. He might choose to keep it a secret, or he might choose to share it with certain close friends. He would “not” broadcast it to the universe and take on the role of a victim.
Increasing his breathing slowly, he opened his eyes and rolled to his feet. The meditation had left him feeling more confident and more focused. The emotional turmoil stirred up after his conversation with Homer had calmed. He knew who he was and what his mission was.
Relaxed but not tired, Chris decided to take a walk to the viewing room and stare out the giant port window. He arrived and found the room empty, giving him his choice of seats and views. Selecting a comfortable chair, he stared out the window. The view was hypnotic and his thoughts turned to Homer’s experiences on Terra.
He didn’t know why Bentley had done such a terrible job of assisting Homer’s studies of human culture. Was it laziness and incompetence or devious politics? Politicians and salesmen. Chris could only hope humans would evolve past the need to create illusions for personal gain.
Mars and Terra were very different worlds and he wondered if they would continue to grow further apart. The most obvious difference was population densities. Terra had a little over seven billion people living on it. Mars had less than one hundred thousand concentrated in three major cities and their surrounding areas. Terra had strict birth laws in place, allowing a woman to have only two children, but somehow the populations of India and China continued to grow. Mars had tight immigration laws, but no population control laws. With families on Mars choosing to have one or two children, the population had stayed stable for the last fifty years. There was even talk of developing birth incentives if the population started to shrink.
As a result of their planets smaller population, the people of Mars had a much richer lifestyle than the people of Terra. Education was the primary focus of Mars’ government and tax dollars. It included biofeedback techniques and yoga training, as well as a heavy emphasis on art, physics, and math. In addition, alien languages were beginning to be viewed as a high priority because more and more Martians were seeing interstellar trade as the future of Mars. The corbinite mines would run out in approximately seventy years and Mars would need another source of revenue.
Terra had developed a small list of legally correctable genetic diseases, ranging from Altsheimers to Multiple Sclerosis. Mars had no such list, allowing couples to select the fertilized egg of their choice. Obesity and predispositions toward overeating were considered genetic defects on Mars, while on Terra it was illegal for parents to make choices based on those genes. Poor health was rare on Mars, and on Terra there weren’t enough hospitals and doctors to care for all of the sick. The elimination of genetic disorders and biofeedback/yoga training allowed Martians to live an average of 150 to 200 years, while maintaining good health. Most Terrans lived to an average of 90 years with the help of medications.
After the Martian revolution in 2190, the colonists had instituted a constitution very similar to that of the old Canadian System. They had also seen the damage uncontrolled population growth could have on a planet, and were committed to maintaining a balanced, stable, somewhat minimal population. From the very beginning of colonization, the United Nations had screened colony applicants for physical and psychological health. After the revolution, immigration to Mars became even more difficult. Potential immigrants had to pass the health tests plus an IQ test. There were exceptions, however. Certain gifted artists and scientists had been invited to Mars with fully funded research grants awaiting them, regardless of their IQs or physical health. Mars became known as a wonderful place to live if you could get in, and gradually many of the brightest and most adventurous people on Terra moved to Mars, much as had happened in the United States during its colonization and again during World War Two.
This transfer of creativity and intelligence, combined with its small population, had given Mars an edge over Terra on many different levels. The Martian government operated more quickly and efficiently because it was so small. Elected officials were few because people voted directly on issues using their comm systems. Good ideas were funded quickly and were based on merit rather than political connections. Technical research and interstellar trade were fast becoming the primary sources of income for Mars.
It was more efficient and less confusing for alien races to trade on Mars, rather than on Terra, because Mars used only standard League trade laws. Terra used trade laws based on old ideas that didn’t include interstellar business customs. And those laws seemed to change from year to year depending on the political climate. Very few traders wanted to deal with the chaos of doing business on Terra. Trade goods destined for Terra invariably had to be picked up on Mars by the Terran owners or their representatives.
In spite of its emphasis on technology, Mars still maintained a pioneer culture. Laws were few and the individual was responsible for his own problems and solutions. Individuality and freedom were words inspiring passion, even 137 years after the revolution.