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〃Tell me about it； dear。 When you came aboard； you were virgin。〃
〃Oh； yes；… certainly。 They always kept me locked in that virgin's basket。 Except when they shut me up and Brother had to sleep in the barracks。 You know。 When I bleed。〃 She？toth a deep breath and smiled。 〃Now is ever so much nicer。 Josie and I tried for the longest time to get around that awful steel basket。 But we couldn't。 Hurt him to try； and some ways we tried hurt me； too。 Finally we gave up and just did fun things we had always done。 Brother said to be patient； it wouldn't be forever。 Because we knew we would be sold together； as a breeding pair。〃
Estrellita looked radiant。 〃And so we were and now we are； and thank you； Captain！〃
（No； it wasn't going to be easy to split them up。）
〃Llita have you ever thought of being bred by some other man thar Joe？〃 （Sound her out； at least。 It won't be hard to find her a husband； she's really quite attractive。 That 〃Earth Mother' feeling。）
She looked puzzled。 〃Why； of course not。 We knew what we were； way back when we were almost babies。 Our mother told us； and so did the priest。 I've always slept with Brother； all my life。 Why would I want anyone else？〃。
〃You seemed ready enough to sleep with me。 You claimed you were eager to。〃
〃Oh！ That's different…that's your right。 But you didn't warn me；〃 she added； almost accusingly。
〃That wasn't quite it； Llita。 There were reasons…that I won't go into now…not to take you no matter if I wanted yoc and you were willing。 Although it was Joe you really wanted； you said so。〃
〃Well 。 。 yes。 But I was disappointed just the same。 I had to tell Brother you wouldn't have me…which hurt all over again。 But he said to be patient。 We waited three more days before he broached me。 In case you changed your mind。〃
（Nagging wife vertically…docile horizontally。 Not too unmon a pattern； Sheffield thought。）
He found that she was looking at him with sober interest。 ~〃Do you want me now； Captain？ Joe told me； the very night he decided to go ahead； that it was still your right and always would be…and it is。〃
（Beelzebub's brass balls！…the only way to avoid a willing female was to go off…pla。）
〃Dear； I'm tired； and you are getting sleepy。〃
She swallowed a yawn。 〃I'm not that tired…I never am。 Captain； the night I first asked you； I was a tiny bit scared。 But I'm not scared now。 I want to。 If you will。〃
〃You're very sweet； but I am very tired。〃 （Why hasn't that dose taken hold？） He changed the subject。 〃Aren't those little bunks almost impossible for two people？〃
She chuckled right through another yawn。 〃Almost。 Once we fell out of Brother's bunk。 So now we use the deck。〃
〃'The deck'？ Why； Llita； that's dreadful。 We must do something about it。〃 （Put the kids in here？ The only full…sized bed in the ship… A brideneeded a proper workbench for her honeymoon 。 。 which this was； she was deeply in love and should make the most of it； no matter what。 Sheffield had decided； centuries back； that the saddest thing about ephemerals was that their little lives rarely held time enough for love。）
〃Oh； the deck isn't bad； Captain； we've slept on the floor all our lives。〃 She yawned again； could not suppress it。
〃Well 。 。 tomorrow we'll make better arrangements。〃 （No； his cabin wouldn't do； his desk was in here； and his papers and files。 The kids would be in his way and he in theirs。 Could he and Joe convert two narrow bunks into one double bed？ Probably…although。it would nearly fill one stateroom。 No matter； that bulkhead between their rooms was not； structural…cut a door and they would have a suite。 A 〃bridal suite。〃 For a sweet bride。 Yes。） He added； 〃Let's get you to bed before you fall out of that chair。 Everything's going to be all right； dear。〃 （I'll damned well see to it！） 〃And tomorrow night and from now on； you and Joe can sleep together in a wide bed。〃
〃Really？ Oh； that would be〃…she yawned again…〃lovely！〃
第24节
He had to steady her into her stateroom； she was asleep as she hit the bunk。 Sheffield looked down at her； said softly；
〃Poor little kitten。〃 He leaned down and kissed her； went back to his cabin。
There he dug out everything the slave factor had offered as proof of the alleged odd geic heritage of Llita and Joe； and gave each item intense study。 He was。 looking for clues to truth or falsity of the allegation that they were 〃mirror twins〃…plementary diploids having the same mother and father。 From such clues he hoped to estimate the probability of unfavorable gene reinforcement in any child Lilta and Joe might have。
The problem seemed to divide into three （simplified） cases：
The two might be no relation to each other。 Chance of a bad reinforcement： slight。
Or they might be the usual sort of brother and sister。 Chance of bad reinforcement： too high to be ignored。
Or they might be （as alleged） zygotes resulting from plementary gametes…all genes conserved at reduction…division but with no duplication。 In this case the chance of unfavorable reinforcement would be…what？
Let that wait。 First assumption； that they were no relation but simply raised together from babyhood…no special hazard； forget it。
Second assumption； that they might be full siblings of the usual sort。 Well； they did not look like it…but； more important； that scoundrel had set up a most elaborate 〃store〃 for such a swindle； and had used publicly the name of a bishop to back him up。 The Bishop might be just as crooked （likely…he knew that priesthood …too well！ ）…but why be so careless when slave babies were so cheap？
No； even if he assumed a swindle； there was no reason to expect an unnecessary risk in a setup so elaborate。 So forget that； too： Llita and Joe were not sister and brother in the ordinary sense…although they might have shared the same host…mother's womb。 The latter； if true； was of no geic significance。
So the remaining worry concerned the chance that the slave factor had told the truth…in which case what were the chances of a bad cross？ How many ways could such artificially produced zygotes rebine unfavorably？
Sheffield tried to set up the problem while cursing the lack of sufficient data； plus the fact that the only real puter in the ship was the piloting puter； which could not be programmed for a geics problem。 He wished Libby were aboard。 Andy would have stared at the bulkhead a few minutes； then e up with answers definite where pomible and expressed in probability percentages where not。
A geics problem； even with all pertinent data （many thousands！）； was too unwieldly to solve without puter assistance。
Well； try some simplified illustrative problems and see what insight could be gained。
Primary assumption： Llita and Joe were 〃mirror twins〃… geically plementary zygotes from the same parent zygotes。
Control assumption： They were unrelated other than being part of the home pla's gene pool。 （An extreme assumption； as slaves from the same area were likely to derive from a much smaller gene pool； which might be still further reduced by inbreeding。 But this 〃most favorable normal breeding pattern〃 was the correct control against which he must measure。）
Simplified example： Test one gene site…call it site 1…87 of the twenty…first chromosome…for reinforcement； masking； or elimination； of an assumed 〃bad〃 gene； under each assumption。
Arbitrary assumption： Since this site might hold an unfavorable gene…or two； or nine…in its gene pair； assume that the chance was exactly the same for both primary and control assumptions； and even…i。e。； 25 percent no bad gene in the pair at the site； 50 percent one bad gene； 25 percent two bad genes…an extreme condition since； over the generations； reinforcement （two bad genes at one site） tended toward nonsurvival； either lethal or reducing a zygote's ability to pete。 Never mind； make it even for both of them…there were no data on which to base any bett；er assumption。
Wups！ If a bad reinforcement was visibly demonstrated； or could be shown by tests； such zygotes would not be used。 A scientist petent to attempt this experiment would use specimens as 〃clean〃 in a geic sense as possible…free of all the hundreds （thousands now？） of identifiable hereditary defects； the primary assumption should include this subsidiary assumption。 …
These young people were free of any defect Sheffield could detect in a shipboard？examination…which enhanced the probability that this horsethief had told the truth and these exhibits were sober records of an exotic and successful experiment in gene manipulation。
Sheffield now tended to believe that the experiment had taken place…and wished that he had the resources of a major Howard Clinic； say the one on Secundus； to give these kids a geic going…over that he was not equipped to do aboard ship and not qualified to do in any case。
One nagging doubt lay in how he had acquired these kids。 Why had that gonif been so anxious to sell？ If they were what the exhibits claimed？ Why sell them when breeding the two created plements back together was the next step of the
experiment？
Well； perhaps the kids knew but he had not asked the right questions。 Certain it was that they had been brought up to believe that such was their proper destiny； whoever planned this had induced in the kids from earliest childhood a pairbond stronger than most marriages； in Sheffield's long experience。 More than any of his own（Except one； except one！）
Sheffield put it out of his mind and concentrated on the theoretical consequences。
At the selected site； each parent zygote had been assumed to have three possible states or gene…pairs in probability 25…Under the control assumption； parents （diploid zygotes） both male and female would show this distribution at the selected site：
〃 25％ good…good（〃clean〃 at that site）
〃 good…bad（bad gene masked but could be transmitted）
〃 good…bad（bad gene masked but could be transmitted）
〃 bad…bad（bad reinforcement…lethal or disabling）
But under his modified primary assumption Sheffield assumed that the priest…scientist' would discard bad stock as displayed in zygotes…which would eliminate the fourth group （〃bad…bad〃） and leave a parent…zygote distribution for this site of：
〃 33…1/3％
good…good
〃good…bad
〃good…bad
Such culling gave marked improvement over the original random…chance situation and meiotic division would produce gametes （both sperm and ova） in this incidence：
Good； four out of six； and
Bad； two out of six…
…but with no way to detect the bad genes without destroying the gametes carrying them。 Or so Sheffield assumed； while stipulating that the assumption might not be true forever。 But to protect Llita （and Joe） it was necessary that his assumptions be pessimistic within the limits of available data and know1edge…i。e。； that a bad gene