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‘Over time,’ Abbas went on, ‘my large family gradually diminished. Wars took their toll on us. In more ways than one. And I... ignored it all, for the most part. I grieved, sure. Endured the misery. As we all do. But I never changed my thinking. I focused only on my work. On myself. Whenever I thought of the future, it was in terms of technological development and nothing else.

‘It is to my shame that I did not truly begin to change until there were only four of us left. Four brothers. And finally, I started to view Abolish for what they truly are.’

Hector didn’t follow. ‘What do you mean by that?’

The Sunsmith met his gaze. ‘They are an ideologically-possessed opponent. Exceptions within their ranks can certainly found, but at their core, they are a cult of death. An enemy of all human life, seeking its destruction wherever and however they can. When I was younger, I viewed them as nothing more than... a physical threat. An enemy to be fought solely on the battlefield. With power. With technology. But then I began to see that fighting them--truly fighting them--can involve more than killing their warriors and protecting innocent life. It can also involve creating new life.’

Hector’s eyes shifted to the illusory floor as he absorbed those words. Huh...

‘When I viewed the world in that context,’ said Abbas, ‘I rather abruptly began to feel that having children was not merely a duty to my own family and bloodline. It was also a moral imperative in this neverending battle against human extinction.’

Damn. Hector had no idea how to respond to that.

‘And so, from there, I became highly motivated to find a wife and have as many children as I possibly could. But in the pursuit of our dreams, life often provides us with more difficulty than we anticipate. While I did manage to meet a lovely woman and get married, we struggled terribly trying to have children. She had four miscarriages within the span of two years. Then she vanished, and I have not seen her since. I have no idea what became of her, though I... I suspect...’ He closed his eyes and shook his head before continuing. ‘I don’t know.’

Hector was at even more of a loss than before.

‘And so we have the scene before you now,’ said Abbas. ‘Raheem’s mother was my second wife. And when he was born, I was indeed... beside myself with relief and joy. In fact, it might well stand as the happiest moment in my life. Embarrassing though it may be, I am also... pleased that I can relive it again like this.’