The Game of Life

Family

     The Seed Ship Columbus was the pinnacle of human achievement. Built in the relatively empty space between the Earth and its moon, Columbus was completed in sixty years using materials that had been gathered from asteroids for over two centuries. The construction housing was visible from the planet, constantly blazing with the lights of hundreds of thousands of homes, but those workers would soon be dwarfed by the ship they were producing. Once the first section was complete -- the bridge and the main biosphere -- workers began to dismantle their dormitories and transfer the materials into Columbus. After the completion of the first of a dozen living quarters, each created to be self-sustained in the event of catastrophe, they lived in the vessel they built. Men and women were born, grew old, and died giving birth to the S.S. Columbus, and Maxwell hated them all and everything they stood for. He hated the beauty of the stars seen through the leaves of the Redwoods that blanketed the envirosphere that stretched for miles beyond the windows of the apartment that he shared with his family - something Earth men decided would make him happy because it reminded them of home. More than anything, though, he hated that he was content.

     “Maxwell,” His mother, Sergeant Isabelle Jun, said, “come along, now! Your brothers and sisters are waiting for you!”

     The families were made up of seven children and two adults -- usually a mating pair, though all officers on board Columbus were voluntarily sterilized to avoid the possibility of the contamination of the Seeds. If at all possible, families were made up of two older siblings, a male and a female, three middle children, and two of the final clones, all six years apart, of course. Those Seeds who were least compatible genetically were housed together in order to create emotional bonds to lessen their sexual interest in one another. Maxwell found that it worked quite well, for he could plainly see that his sister Anna was beautiful, but he became almost violently ill when any of his friends inferred that he was lucky to see her immediately after a shower.

     “Coming.” He said as he slid away from his bed and closed the blinds on his window. Until they were twelve, Anna had shared the room with him, but soon enough it would belong to Wonder and Steel, his two middle brothers, who had incidentally chosen their names at the ripe age of eight. In three more months, the first batch of successful Seeds would be nineteen and would move into the second of the dormitories with their selected life partners.

     “Morning,” Anna lifted a hand in greeting, her face buried in a wooden bowl filled with cow milk, chocolate powder, and a calcium-rich bread substitute that all of them called chuck. Columbus was large enough to have its own gravitational pull, but it was insufficient to hold down objects in motion. Instead, they made due with a combination of rotational gravity and magnetic assistance, but they still required constant calcium supplements and daily weight training to avoid joint deformities and bone loss. The stuff really didn’t taste bad when you added sugar.

     “Morning, Princess Annie,” he took his seat opposite his sister and nodded to the two twelve year old boys sitting next to him, “Wonder Twins.”

     They gave him a hearty “Morning, Max!” as his father brought another bowl of chuck to the table. “Ah...” he said, “is it possible that I can get my protein in eggs? I don’t think I can stomach milk today.”

     “What’s wrong, kid? Should I call the bridge for a medic?” Ben Leghorn put a large hand on his son’s head and furrowed his brow. He was one of a hundred Chief Engineers onboard, specializing in every aspect of the mechanical workings of Columbus.

     Max forced a smile, “No, sir. It’s more of a mental block. I’d prefer that my only liquid today be water.”

     “Nina said the same thing!” Steel’s eyes grew wide and he pointed at his big brother, “Max is on his period!”