Read Online The Cage of Zeus by Sayuri Ueda, Takami Nieda - Free Book Online Page B

boundaries for what types of body alterations were allowed and not allowed to avoid any reckless behavior.”
    “How so?”
    “First, the special district was officially designated as a sovereign state. The people of the special district are residents of a new country who acquired a family register upon moving to or being born in the special district. In other words, they were not to be treated like lab animals we can have our way with. The Rounds have the individual right to refuse to take part in any experiment. The medical experiments can only proceed with the consent of the Rounds and the station staff; we can’t force them to take part in any experiment they don’t agree to.”
    “But you can try to convince them.”
    “Of course,” Kline said. “The operating cost of the special district comes out of the International Space Probe Agency’s budget. The grant element is set at zero percent, but since the agency profits from the data collected from the experiments, the Rounds aren’t in the position to refuse every experiment. The district will stand to lose its operating budget. Rounds who simply can’t participate in the experiments have no choice but to leave the district and live among Monaurals.”
    “Is that even possible?”
    “It’s rare, but some Rounds who are unable to adapt to the district’s policies do leave. Since the Rounds aren’t allowed to travel outside the Jovian system, however, they have no way of earning a living other than to become part of the station staff.”
    “I mean, are the Rounds capable of living in the space station among Monaurals outside of the special district?” Shirosaki asked.
    “It requires considerable physical and psychological effort on their part, but it’s not entirely impossible.”
    Kline went on to explain that the medical experiments adhered to specific guidelines. “The biggest rule is that the Rounds’ appearance cannot deviate from the way Monaurals look. Their familiar appearance will reduce the psychological resistance others might feel toward the genetically different.”
    “On the other hand, prejudicial feelings may arise because they do look like us.”
    “But people may also find it easier to empathize with the Rounds. We can also avoid giving the false impression that we’re conducting unnatural experiments. In addition, we clearly defined two purposes for creating bigenders,” Kline said. “Officially, the Rounds are staff working on the frontier of space exploration. Only a small staff is dispatched to the frontier at first, limiting the choices of sexual partners. Under those circumstances, it simply isn’t efficient to halve the gene pool by restricting the partnerships to between a man and a woman. The best method is to expand the choices by making everyone a possible sexual partner.”
    “The expectation to bear children seems to be an anachronism, wouldn’t you say?”
    “For the record, of course—it’s a pretext to create bigenders.”
    “What if you take frozen eggs and sperm to the frontier? With a diverse supply, the staff can have as many children as they like from outside their gene pool,” Shirosaki said.
    “Of course, we’re pursuing that avenue as we speak. Unfortunately, the success rate has been disappointing. Some technologies that prove effective on Earth oftentimes fail in the Jovian system. As the research continues, I do believe that method will eventually take root. But the human ability to propagate the species can’t be undervalued. Our ability to bear and raise children in places without the aid of an artificial womb or incubation system is a tremendous advantage.”
    “And the second purpose?”
    “To resolve the issues raised by gender differences. Our society has not been able to overcome gender discrimination with our laws and ethics alone. We’re incapable of eliminating the conflicts stemming from the differences in sexes. And that’s only natural. Our physiology is different. So are our