Shell People

This is not in SF, but it is a sci-fi idea worth consideration: (I've only read a couple of these books but they present an interesting idea and society).<div><br /></div><div>In some novels by Anne McCaffrey she presents an interesting yet disturbing idea. Children who are handicap become wards of the state or a corporation (parents are encouraged at birth to hand them over... the parents who are told the can never give the child a good life, an education, a career, a purpose in society, or pay for the medical bills). These children are then put into a sort of cyborg program, they are totally encased into a machine designed for them which is modified as they grow, they are educated and trained to the highest degree, they are sheltered, guarded and socialized for one goal to be the loyal brains that operate Space Ship fleets.  </div><div><br /></div><div>They are very human these Shell People, and so the Captain of the ship is always the opposite sex as the folks in charge thinks that helps with bonding. The Shell Person must pay off their debt to society/corporation, and should they ever succeed the contract they are under gives them their &quot;freedom&quot;, but understand this also means paying off for the ship they inhabit, all medical care, any modifications they have made to the ship and so on... basically most Shell People are indentured slaves till they can no longer function and go into retirement. Most have no idea about how to make extra money outside of what they are paid to do, which of course goes towards their debt, maintenance of their ship and retirement package. The Shell People themselves have sort of their own society however that most normal people are ignorant of (much what you see with the deaf or blind community).</div><div><br /></div><div>There is an advocate group that is concerned about the well being of these humans but it is sort of like the Humane Society for Shell People.</div><div><br /></div><div>If a Shell Person is disconnected from their ship for too long insanity or coma can occur because of a complete lack of stimuli.  </div><div><br /></div><div>One Shell Person in the books however was put into the program not at birth and had a high IQ and knowledge of her family (it was her choice rather then live her life in a hospital) so that child had other socialization and training outside of the program.</div><div><br /></div><div>So as an idea this might be a top secret program as the next step in ship design, or even the PCs might make contact with a new race or old colony that is doing this... </div>