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She showed him his own place. "The plus mark means that while you are in the direct sept, you were not born there. Here are a couple more, transferred from collateral branches to sept . . . to put them into line of command I suspect. You people call yourselves a 'family' but the grouping is a phratry."
"A what?"
"A related group without a common ancestor which practices exogamy -- that means marrying outside the group. "The exogamy taboo holds, modified by rule of moiety. You know how the two moieties work?"
"They take turns having the day's duty."
"Yes, but do you know why the starboard watch has more bachelors and the port watch more single women?"
"Uh, I don't think so."
"Females adopted from other ships are in port moiety; native bachelors are starboard. Every girl in your side must be exchanged . . . unless she can find a husband among a very few eligible men. You should have been adopted on this side, but that would have required a different foster father. See the names with a blue circle-and-cross? One of those girls is your future wife . . . unless you find a bride on another ship."
Thorby felt dismayed at the thought. "Do I have to?"
"If you gain ship's rank to match your family rank, you'll have to carry a club to beat them off."
It fretted him. Swamped with family, he felt more need for a third leg than he did for a wife
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