As everyone else has already made clear, this was another great chapter. I love Lois helping Kal with the Disputes and him realizing that he got infinitely more work done with her there to discuss things with. And I like that by making him explain Kryptonian law to Lois, the author also has him explain it to us, the reader. Nicely done.
And, of course, the fact that Lois is introducing compassion and emotion into his life (and from there, into the New Kryptonian culture) means she's already making a real impact on their society. I also like that she's been able to tamp down "Mad Dog Lane" now that she's begun this new life and has figured out that as foreign as their culture is, she really needs to focus on understanding it now that she's stuck there.
Incidentally, am I the only one who is really curious to meet C1, 2, and 3? What are their stories? Were they taken to protect them as well? Do they interact with each other or the outside world? Are they grateful for what they have or do they consider it odd that their 'owner' makes no sexual demands of them? Though the fact that they are banned from discussing it with anyone could mean that no one really knows what is "typical" for a concubine anyway; maybe they each think they are the only one who isn't approached for sex? I wonder if we'll get to find out.
Carol wrote:
One must not actually see the other person nekkid to procreate with them...
True, but for one to engage in intercourse intended for procreation, there needs to be some awareness that women at least have different reproductive organs than men, otherwise you wouldn't get the necessary body parts in the proper places for fertilization to occur. So what fascinates me about Kal's "illegal knowledge" (glimpsing the drawing) is that apparently they don't teach even basic anatomy to young nobles, or at least not to future Supreme Leaders.
It's possible (maybe even likely) that his education was different from the rest of the population, given his position, but how do they expect their Ruler to contribute intelligently to discussions of farming and raising livestock if they have deliberately kept him in the dark about the basic principles of animal breeding or plant propagation? Perhaps this is another area where Lois's knowledge will come in handy ...
(And if so, I like the irony of city-girl Lois teaching "Clark" about farming.
)
And finally, regarding the comment discussion about Kal's lack of an heir -- my feelings were that he could easily justify this by saying that 1) his first and only duty needs to be to his people and he can't be distracted by other pursuits, and 2) given the current conditions on the planet, it would be irresponsible to bring forth any additional children, since they can't even feed the people they have now.
Needless to say, FH, any story that generate this level of discussing is hitting a home run. Can't wait for more.
