“Whaddaya mean?”
Jocko turned to him with a dour look. “In staged war games, once they went into battle, they could not be controlled. Once they started killing, it was almost impossible to stop them. They would kill until there was nothing left to kill. The enemy. Friendly troops … even each other in some cases.”
“Granny’s Jesus!” Tiger put a hand to his forehead. He was starting to get a headache. “This GenetX obviously has the technology and know-how to create something like Amber. But why? She’s not a soldier. What use would anyone have for her?”
Jocko gave him a sideways look. “Dude c’mon … I know I’m a thousand times smarter than you, but I never thought you naïve.”
“What the hell you talking about?”
“Have you looked at your own holovid? I mean … you saw my reaction. All you have to do is look at that furry little piece of ass and you know exactly what she was designed for?”
Tiger crossed his arms over his chest and furled his brow. “So, you think this GenetX … or some company like them, created her simply to be a living sex toy?”
“You act sooooo surprised.” Jock couldn’t believe his friend’s short memory. “You … of all people. And what were those “Companion Droids” for back in the day? Remember? When there weren’t no poontang for you lonely spacers stuck out there in the Black for months on end?”
Yes, the Andis. You got me there. During that period in the early years of space pioneering, when humankind pushed the frontier to Mars and into the Asteroid Belt, men outnumbered women almost six-to-one in space. Deep space runs sometimes lasted six weeks to two months … one way. This created major problems, many of which were outright dangerous for both sexes. For men, it was a constant morale issue. Some men, depending on where they were stationed, might go six months to a year without laying eyes on a member of the opposite sex. Most coped the best they knew how. Online porn and hand lotion could sometimes get the strongest-willed by. More than a few ended up “going brokeback.” But unless you were truly gay, nothing replaced the feel of a woman.
For the few women in space, it was a constant dilemma. Many times, it became an issue of personal safety. They faced endless, unwanted attention, in various forms of harassment, lewd behavior and/or unwelcome advances. There were a number of sexual assault cases, although it was widely suspected the vast majority went unreported for fear of retaliation, loss of employment or even worse, ostracizing. It would take years before the Space Trades unions would be successful in curbing this behavior, both among employers and employees. Still, space could be a lonely place, even under the best circumstances.
To alleviate this problem, the now-famous stop-gap measure was instituted in the form of the female android, the legendary Andrea DLX Personal A.I. Companions. Not surprisingly, they were an instant hit. They could be purchased at a fairly reasonable price, with extremely generous payment and credit terms through the Space Merchandising Exchange. They came in all shapes and sizes, all races and ethnicities. You could buy a standard model, or pay a little extra and have one custom built to your personal specifications. By far, the bustier models were always the biggest sellers, with the Double Dee models outselling all other models combined.
Tiger reminisced fondly. The hell with a dog! Talk about man’s best friend! The Andi, as they became affectionately known, were by far the best thing that had been invented in that era. They were loyal, low-maintenance and adept at what they’d been made for. Like most spacers during that time, he’d bought one. He’d been extremely homesick on the day she’d arrived, so he’d named her Madison. She became a faithful companion to him on long missions, and he’d come to enjoy her company immensely. No, not just the intimate times, but just talking to her, to keep himself from going crazy on those endless supply runs to Mars or the Belt. With a five-terabyte hard drive, net-based expandable memory and a CoreTex Z7 processor with personality capabilities, she could carry on a conversation about any subject … and not be obnoxious about it. She became more than just a surrogate lover. She became a friend and confidant.
Of course, all that had changed when he got serious with Lulah. Even though she’d told him she would understand if he wanted to keep Madison for those long trips, he just didn’t feel it would be right. Still, he didn’t have the heart to sell or recycle her. Who knew what kind of man might end up with her and what he might do to her. He’d always treated her like a lady, not some cheap little inflatable sex doll. Moreover, the thought of her memory being wiped completely void of him was too much for him to bear. She deserved better than that. Aw, hell, who was he kidding? He was the one who couldn’t stand the thought of her going on without remembering their times together. Did that make him sentimental? Yes. A romantic? Probably. So, on a supply run to an old friend’s mining camp on Asteroid 2B-838-C, he had her put on her favorite sundress. Afterwards, he deactivated her, removed her hard drive and placed her back into her shipping crate. Sealing it up and locking it with an encrypted code, he left her there for his buddy to dispose of. The man promised to give her a decent burial. He gave his word. That was good enough for Tiger. Of course, a decent burial probably meant dropping
