 At the age of eleven, Martin recognizes
No one, least of all Martin, could dispute that a man's life should be guarded by his kin—but by those who hadn't been born yet? Nobody in the neighborhood was surprised when Martin's mother disappeared and Ninian came to take care of him. He'd been a war baby, born of one of the tides of soldiers—enemies and allies, both—that had engulfed the country in successive waves and bought or taken the women. One day the truant officer came to ask why Martin hadn't been coming to school. Martin was told to call him Uncle Raymond. When Martin was sixteen, Raymond took him aside for the talk Ninian had promised five years before.
 the descendants are immature and ill-equipped to deal in matters of practicality and common sense.
 Conrad is the enemy, and the only way to keep the future generation safe is to fight him to the death if it comes to it.  the descendants are on to something with the way they live in the future.  the descendants are really the instrument of Conrad, and they are there to do his bidding.  the descendants are immature and ill-equipped to deal in matters of practicality and common sense.