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His words gave you pause. You feel a bit taken aback. How could he respond to this story... so casually? You're talking about child-killing, the shameful truth of your society- your species too feckless and fruitful to be able to expand at its natural rate. It's monstrous, not some great feat of social-engineering to gawk at!
“...There's no food or water in the warrens. Any Sotten who tries to run or dig or do anything to survive will be invariably starved and consumed. There's only one way to survive- find a dark, hidden place and stay still. Parents are supposed to not tell their children the secret; but even knowing it going in doesn't help their chances much. It's hard to overcome ones instinct.”
<span class="mu-g">”So, what happens during this “change”?”</span>
“Nothing much. The young one is forced to suppress all of their hunger and desire for action- their boredom and lack of interest in sleep- and overcome it and force themselves to become calm. And then they slip into a deep sleep- slowly over the next few days their core body temperature lowers and the metamorphosis takes place. When they awake next, they are begin dragged out by their parents- and they are welcomed as an adult of the community. It is also, by far, the most common time when Sotten have their first dream.”
<span class="mu-g">”So? What's the significance of a dream?”</span>
“What do you mean? That's when their real life begins.”
He seems confused. You think back upon what you know of the Jaxtians, no, the other races in the galaxy. They are materialists, believing only in concrete things. It would be a waste of breath.
<span class="mu-g">”...You mentioned that your species had consumed basically all of their resources, yet you are a spacefairing race. I find that hard to believe.”</span>
“No no, it's true. The Seekers discovered us. They found the self-imposed transformation very agreeable to their philosophy and believed we had potential; granting us technology and the ability to spread beyond our own homeworld. Though we were never able to transfer the dream-life to the other races among their members, as they wanted, our culture of self control and introspection fell right in line with their philosophy. We were a core member of the Seekers.”
<span class="mu-g">”And what happened to them? Why aren't you a part of them now?”</span>
“What do you mean? It's all in the ship's historical logs. The Seeker worlds and ships stopped responding one by one after a generic memetic quarantine went out- they only communicated with laser-light signals; no hyperspace or FTL. The Seekers have gone dark and only exist in the spaces between stars now. I'm part of the galactic underground now. No nation or homeworld but, hey, it's nice enough. My true life I carry with me.”
<span class="mu-g">”Even cramped aboard a ship? Alone on long voyages?”</span>
