“So this god of yours, you simply refer to him as ‘God’?” Thantis asked from where he was seated in an armless rolling chair in one of the Event Horizon’s many laboratories. With him were Monsieur and Madame Dupuis, the both of whom considered spending time with the elderly Cauthan much more of a treat than a chore. Of course, Natori Kaczynski was thankful for the favor.
“Oui, mon ami,” Gerard confirmed, knowing the translator in Thantis’ ear would be fine with rudimentary French. The conversation was a welcome distraction as he reviewed the ongoing analysis of the various Cauthan blood samples generously provided by the villagers. “He is God, a single entity, though many cultures call him by another name such as Allah or Yahweh. They all refer to the same, omnipotent deity.”
Thantis took some time to consider the concept while Gerard reviewed a rudimentary rendering of the Cauthan blood protein responsible for oxygen transport. Yvonne smiled warmly at him as he tapped his cane on the metal floor. "If I may, Yvonne."
"You don't need to be so formal, Thantis. We've already broken bread together, so to speak," she said.
"Of course. But this God of yours, do you pray to him as we do our gods?"
"We do," Yvonne affirmed.
"So a farmer in his field would pray to this God for rain?"
"If he were so inclined," Yvonne answered. "Or clear skies, or a fine harvest."
Thantis nodded. "And a smith at his forge?"
"Same God," Gerard confirmed over his shoulder.
"And warriors about to do battle?" the Cauthan asked with ever increasing disbelief.
"Oh you have no idea," Yvonne chuckled. "It would take an eon to number all the humans who have been killed in religious wars between nations who all profess to believe in the same God. The question was always who was right."
"And who won?" Thantis asked eagerly.
"The conflict is still ongoing, though our weaponry has reached the point that open, organized conflict would lead to the destruction of all sides. The three major monotheistic religions of Earth all remain intact," Gerard explained.
"Is that so? I should very much like to meet this God and understand his reasons for pitting his people against one another," Thantis mused. “If they are all still standing that would imply they all have his favor… or that their god does not exist. I mean no offense, of course, I am simply mulling over this curious situation.”
"We don’t know the truth any more than you do, Thantis. But there is a saying in the Bible, the holy text of one of these religions, that God gave man free will. Who is to say who the responsible party is in the end?" Yvonne posited. "But there are many religions of Earth beyond those three. Some people still worship multiple gods, others worship spirits or ancestors. No one knows who is 'correct' though, as you might imagine, most who do worship insist they have the right of it."
"I see. It would be so strange to only worship Seil but I am not human. Perhaps it would make more sense to me then. May I ask which people worship Io? Are there other spirits like her?" the Cauthan wondered eagerly. Yvonne and Gerard looked at one another, at a bit of a loss.
“Thantis, Io is not-” Gerard began before sitting straight up in his chair and stroking his well-groomed moustache thoughtfully. “No, it would be unwise of me to make claims as to exactly what she is, but she not… oh merde, this is distinction without meaning!”
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you so flustered, mon loup. Please don’t assault your moustache quite so vigorously though, I’ve taken a fancy to it after all these years,” Yvonne chuckled politely at her husband’s bewilderment. “I think all we can say is that Io is not a spirit, given that she was born from our technology, but we don’t know what she is. As my husband is exemplifying quite nicely for us, that’s hardly a satisfying conclusion.”
‘And do believe I intend to keep it that way,’ a confident voice in a thick, Germanic accent filled the room. ‘I know I’m supposed to announce myself but you set me up too well, Yvonne! Oh and who doesn’t love the idea of being a fly on the wall when you’re the topic of conversation? Welcome back to Maran orbit everyone. Thantis, so good to see you are well.’ Io concluded by co-opting a monitor hanging from the ceiling on an arm next to Gerard’s workstation.
“Ah, spirit Io, a pleasure indeed! How is everyone back on Mara?” Thantis wondered.
‘I am with Russell and Veera at the Forge, but as of your departure two days ago all was well. Alice and Lachlan have been radio silent, which means no troubles I’m sure,’ she assured him.
“Very good, thank you. It has been such an experience here aboard this vessel but I yearn for home,” the Cauthan said.
‘And you shall be delivered soon. As long as I have you here, may I make a request?’ Io’s question garnered the attention of all three in the room rather easily. ‘Tomorrow marks the anniversary, in humanity’s calendar, of the day Russell lost his ship and his crewmates… and the day he met Veera. Our dear Admiral has planned a small ceremony but I was hoping you might say a few words or honor them in your own way. Russell is very fond of your culture and I believe it would help ease his pain.’
Gerard and Yvonne glanced at one another with somber expressions while Thantis bowed his head. “It would be an honor, spirit Io. It’s been a long while since I visited the shrine he built for them. Such a peaceful scene it is, yes? An offering to Kel in exchange for their peace will be in order. Fret not, it shall be done. My apprentice will assist me.”
‘Thank you, both of you,’ Io replied earnestly. “But now let us move on to happier topics, if you don’t mind! Gerard, Yvonne, my friends, what have you been up to these last couple of days? Hmm, quite a bit it seems.” Io displayed herself leafing through files and folders, papers and databases, processing what data had been put together on Cauthan bloodwork. ‘Hmm, slightly less efficient than hemoglobin. Perhaps expected given the higher oxygen concentration in the atmosphere and a lower proclivity towards pursuit hunting.’
“Do go on, dear. Steal all my thunder while you’re at it,” Gerard ribbed her. Io looked Yvonne’s way.
“Sarcasm, my dear.”
‘Yes right, of course… I knew that,’ Io replied in a mutter before clearing her throat. ‘Gerard, how about thundering with some information about this study here, hmm?’
“Ah, that one’s still a work in progress,” Gerard confirmed as he saw the project Io was speaking about pop up on his monitor. “It was Yvonne’s idea actually, a splendid one at that. The idea was to see if we could isolate an equivalent to human chorionic gonadotropin in Cauthan.”
“Excuse me, Yvonne, but your mate appears to have suddenly begun speaking another language,” Thantis interjected with mild concern. Yvonne laughed delightedly and explained.
“Not to worry, Thantis, that was simply the technical name for a chemical that pregnant human women produce. It’s part of a complicated system that prepares our bodies to support and carry a new life inside of us.”
“Ah, thank you very much. Did you find one?” Thantis wondered.
‘Yes, did you?!’ Io piled on, her lab coat and clipboard making an appearance. Gerard sighed and pushed his own chair away from his desk.
“We thought we had. Sequencing and examining a protein in detail takes some effort, but simply confirming a yes or no in terms of presence is quite effortless. It was easy to identify one such compound, which we tentatively labeled Cauhan gonadotropin analog, or CGA.”
‘So what was the problem?’ Io asked, settling herself down in her own chair.
“We found the protein in Veera’s blood samples as well,” Yvonne explained. “And before you ask, we checked Gentia’s sample as well as the other samples from females who presented as not pregnant. Veera was the only anomaly, but it is one that we cannot ignore especially given what little we know of her background. We were hoping to obtain some more samples, get a broader picture of the Cauthan blood protein system. Do you think we could arrange for… Io? Are you still there, little light?”
Thantis, Gerard, and Yvonne found themselves quite suddenly without their AI guest, who had, upon reviewing Gerard’s data, immediately beamed herself back down to Mara. She appeared on Winters’ visor with strands of hair hanging over her forehead and sweat dripping down the curve of her neck. ‘Permission to speak with you in private, sir.’
Russell, who was in the middle of the science camp, nodded and politely excused himself. Veera followed behind him and the two of them took Io’s ‘call’ together from the top of a nearby hill. “What’s going on, Io? Something wrong with the ship?”
‘No, but something strange is going on with your wife,’ Io cut straight to the chase. ‘And Veera, please do not be alarmed before we know more. If you feel in good health I am more than certain you are. It’s just that… something curious happened aboard the Event Horizon while we were gone.’
“You’re pretty damn good at saying a lot and nothing at the same time Io, spill it!” Russell demanded, suddenly agitated and angry.
‘I don’t appreciate that tone from you!’ she back talked him, cutting Veera out of the conversation. ‘If I tell you both what I think might have happened and I’m wrong… it would crush her. Just get her to the civilian medical center on the Event Horizon as quickly as you can. I will make all the necessary arrangements.’
“Russell?” Veera called his name nervously as a gust of wind billowed through the grasses around them and scattered the steam rising from far off pools of heated water. He shook his head and embraced her.
“I’m sorry for getting angry. You’re fine, I promise. It’s just another one of Io’s crazy ideas, ok? She wants you to go up to the Event Horizon to speak with one of our healers. They found something interesting in your blood sample. And I emphasize interesting, not dangerous.”
“That doesn’t make me feel much better, but alright. I trust you two,” Veera said quietly, holding him tightly. She was happy he didn’t have his armor on that day; his body heat was comforting.
“Alright. Are you ready to go?” he asked, looking her over. She was wearing one of the dresses he’d made for her a year prior as well as a light cloak to ward off the wind that seemed to be picking up as the seasons changed on Mara.
“Wait, right now?”
“Yep, watch,” Russell requested, taking her by the hand and walking her back to the science camp.
“Lieutenant Winters, something wrong?” Rodrigo Mendes queried, seeing the drawn look on the man’s face.
“I hope not, Lance Corporal. I’m going to need to borrow Private Orlova and your shuttle, and I’m going to have to request that you dog sit for a few hours,” Russell explained, managing a tic of his lips in what passed for a smile at that moment. “The Event Horizon just got back in range for Io to touch base. She found something in the data logs about Veera, something about her bloodwork. I can’t say anymore.”
“And I wouldn’t ask,” Mendes replied, touching a finger to his helmet and selecting Orlova’s channel with his eyes. “Private, we need a rapid ascent to the Event Horizon immediately.”
“Yes sir,” Natalya acknowledged the orders, stashing one of her books in her footlocker, securing the container, and joining them outside a few moments later. “What’s the situation, Rodrigo?”
“I need you to get Ms. Winters to one of the shuttle bays close to the bow of the ship, near as you can to the civilian hospital. Go now,” he commanded.
Natalya looked from her commanding officer to her superior officer to Veera. Not a smile or soft expression could be found anywhere. She nodded, saluted, and began a remote activation of the shuttle’s engines. “Ms. Winters, if you could follow me please?”
“Veera is fine,” the Cauthan replied, adjusting her cloak and heading towards the vehicle which was parked a few dozen yards from the encampment itself. Russell remained behind for a moment.
“There’s a good chance he doesn’t even come back before we’re planetside again, but if he does, you can find his leash, muzzle, and various food for him at our camp, just over that hill there,” he pointed. Rodrigo nodded.
“Requesting you go take care of your wife, sir. I’ll handle this,” the Brazilian assured him before activating his radio again. “Rex, Lipper, the Horizon is back in orbit. I want you two inside the facility to scout out our next point of study.”
Russell nodded silently, appreciative of Mendes’ decision to engage his other two charges with something other than hanging around and wondering what the sudden burst of activity was about. “Thank you, Lance Corporal.” The two men saluted quickly and Russell jogged off to catch up with Natayla and Veera. The shuttle was off the ground mere moments after the main hatch and cockpit doors closed, rocketing off into the sky as Russell wrapped an arm around Veera’s shoulders and took her paw in the other, stroking her fur along the grain. “It’ll be alright, sweetie.”
-----
“Not that there’s a problem, but do you think I could get ‘into the loop’, as they say?” Natori asked via intercom, speaking to Io, Gerard, Yvonne, and Thantis who had all relocated to one of the examination rooms in the civilian medical wing. Io had already arranged the equipment for Yvonne’s specialty by the time they’d arrived.
“I believe we are all feeling the same way,” Gerard said. “Though we have not been acquainted for very long you don’t seem the type to overreact or lead others through deception, Io.”
‘Thank you, Gerard. For the moment the one person I least wish to deceive is Veera, but I will tell you all what I can as soon as- sorry, just give me a moment,’ Io requested, holding her heart in her hands and a book in another. ‘Let’s see, acetylcholine to reduce heart rate, parasympathetic nervous system, lower epinephrine and norepinephrine levels… ok, ok. Is this what people mean when they say things like the blood thundering if your ears or your heart drowning out everything else?’
“Are you well, Io?” Yvonne asked with more than a bit of concern in her voice. The AI turned around to ‘face them’ from her screen.
‘I have been given a small shred of hope that despite everything we know to be true, the deepest and dearest wish of my best friend has come true,’ Io explained both simply and cryptically.
“And what wish is that, Io?” Natori inquired, tapping his fingers nervously on his chair and wishing that he had whatever it was that Io used to consciously lower her vitals. Out of the corner of his eye he watched as Natalya practically skidded into the nearest hangar to the civilian medical wing. Were it not for the breaches in protocol, he would have been impressed.
‘The wish of every woman in her tribe, sir, to bring life into this world.’
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Thantis’ can clattered to the floor, and the priest looked ready to follow from his chair. “Spirit Io, are you sure?!”
‘No Thantis, I am not… hence the obtuse language and secrecy,’ she explained with a look of regret, pacing back and forth through her monitor. ‘Madame Dupuis, I daresay we will be in need of your services today.’
“And you will have them, Io, but I must point out the more likely explanation if Veera is, in fact, with child.” Yvonne put forward her proposition cautiously. “It would not be the first time a husband has received very unwelcome news in my clinic, and I doubt it will be the last.”
“Impossible,” Thantis insisted, standing with the help of his now retrieved cane. “I understand we are all individuals of learning, medicine, and reason but Veera is a woman of strong, nay unshakable faith. She would not break her promise to Russell, or to the Mother.”
“Admiral Kaczynski, are you well?” Qul’Roth asked with a puzzled expression on his face. Natori cut his private connection to the medical wing and ran a hand over his brow.
“I am, emissary. Thank you for your concern. I am simply extracting myself from a situation that very rapidly descended into a private matter that is of no import to the operation of this vessel.”
“Very well. As agreed, do you have time to review the mining logs and the current state of the ship’s inventory of raw materials?” Qul’Roth proposed.
“An excellent suggestion, emissary. Let us decamp to my office.”
-----
While Qul’Roth might have been an alien distracted by numbers and figures, Veera was not. The memory of Asha’s ultrasound fresh in her mind, she turned to Russell immediately upon entering the examination room and coming face to face with the Dupuis couple and Thantis. “What did Io see? What’s wrong with my womb?” she demanded fearfully. Winters’ brow was furrowed as he looked around at the small group.
“I’d like to know that too. Io?” he shouted far too loudly for a medical setting. “Now.”
‘Your anger is not doing anyone any good,’ Io warned him.
“And yet here we are,” he shot back, cracking his neck and straightening his shoulders. The fact that Veera’s hand remained in his throughout took a bit of the intimidating edge off. “You’ve kept me and Veera in the dark long enough. Talk.”
Io hung her head and took a deep breath, but brushed some stray hair out of her eyes and complied. ‘I was reviewing Gerard’s work on the various Cauthan blood samples taken over the last couple of weeks, sir. Given the relatively large number of pregnant females from which we have samples, Yvonne and Gerard decided to run a comparative protein screen to see if any sort of pregnancy marker could be identified. They thought they found one until the protein in question also appeared in Veera’s sample… and not those from any other non-pregnant female.’
“Russell!” Veera whispered urgently, wondering if she’d understood Io correctly. He squeezed her hand lightly.
“Are you alright with this?” he asked her. She turned toward him and waved her feathers questioningly.
“What do you mean?”
“You didn’t notice anything odd lately right? You haven’t experienced any of the issues Asha had during her pregnancy, right?” he asked. Yvonne shrugged approvingly and opened up her personal device, adjusted her glasses, and began taking notes. Thantis cleared his throat and walked over to the two of them.
“I will find us some tea and return, should you wish for me to remain. I am not sure how long it would take for Gentia to arrive here. My trip was rather long,” he explained.
“Of course we want you here,” Veera replied, tapping a talon against the metal floor. “And I really need to get some shoes, this floor is cold on my pads.”
Thantis grinned and poked his glasses up his muzzle so they rested comfortably there. “Then I shall return shortly. Spirit Io, might I request your assistance?”
‘Always happy to help with a tea run,’ the AI affirmed. ‘Out the door and to your right, please. We will use the staff break room.’
When the door slid shut quietly behind Thantis, Yvonne spoke up. “Veera, might I ask you a few more questions? Your husband makes a good point, so correct me if I’m wrong, Russell.”
“Go ahead,” he offered, reminding himself that Alice trusted Yvonne, as did Asha and Gentia.
“Thank you. Veera, can I offer you a seat?” Yvonne began, offering one of the normal chairs instead of the examination seat. Russell pressed ever so lightly on her back between her shoulder blades, encouraging her. He followed right behind as she complied and Gerard stepped back to observe. “I’d just like to ask a few more questions so that I do not confuse your body with a human’s. We know so little about your people and hopefully we will be able to find the reason for this anomaly today. You seem to be right as rain.”
“I do feel perfectly healthy, yes,” Veera agreed. Yvonne hummed approvingly and made a note.
“Very good. Have you experienced any shortness of breath lately?”
“Does running count?” she wondered.
“No, my dear. Outside of exercise or normal physical activity,” Yvonne clarified patiently, pleased to be speaking directly in English with a Cauthan patient. Russell clasped his hands behind his back and waited, a stiffness present in his body normally reserved for superior officers.
“No, none of that,” Veera confirmed.
“Great. Any dizziness, nausea, soreness or pain?”
“No.”
‘Tell them about your heats,’ Io cut in, her comment causing Winters to run his hands through his head with frustration.
“Are you fucking serious right now?”
‘Yes.’
“Ma chatounette, I shall be in the labs and do my best to confirm the result. Call if you need me. Best of luck and health to you both,” the frenchman offered, excusing himself politely. Yvonne blew him a kiss as he departed before returning to her examination.
“Little light, please, we all want answers as much as you do. Veera, can you tell me a little bit about what it’s like to be a Cauthan woman? How frequently can you get pregnant? I know from Asha that gestation is about a year. And what are these ‘heats’ that Io mentioned?”
Veera looked up at her husband. He closed his eyes and nodded his head. “This is all your private medical information. You’re a civilian, unlike me. No one can see this unless you want them to.”
“Alright. Well Yvonne, we go into heat once a season when mature. It’s not something I’ve discussed with other females but I presume everyone deals with their own in their own way. All I know about being pregnant is what Asha has gone through. It doesn’t sound very comfortable,” Veera explained.
“No, no it is not for human women either, though the experience varies radically from individual to individual,” Yvonne acknowledged. “Before Thantis returns, can you tell me about your recent bouts of estrus please? That’s the medical term for ovulation and your heat. Perhaps we should stick to it for now?”
“I’d like that,” Veera affirmed, having never felt more self-conscious in her life. “How far back should I go?”
“It would be best to be thorough, my dear,” Yvonne explained. Veera examined one of her claws nervously.
“Alright. Well, I started having them normally when I was about fifteen or so. A couple years later they stopped.”
Yvonne scribbled another note before looking up at her. “Do you know why? Did you become pregnant?”
“No, I was starving,” Veera clarified. Winters placed a hand on her shoulder as Yvonne made another note.
“I assume they have returned, given Io’s comments?”
“Yes. I’m not sure about last fall and winter. It may have happened but I wasn’t uh… I was still a maiden,” Veera tried to explain the concept of virginity without outright saying it.
“I understand, dear,” Yvonne assured her warmly. “And since then?”
“I definitely had one in the spring which was rather extreme.”
‘I’d say so,’ Io agreed. ‘And don’t look at me like that, sir. You’d say so too given the state of your back.’
“Now’s not the time, Io,” he told her shortly. She sighed and shook her head.
‘Just trying to lighten the mood.’
“Thank you, Io. Now Veera, what about summer?” Yvonne requested.
“It was only a few days ago and very mild,” Veera confirmed, causing Winters to cock his brow.
“I guess we’ll talk about that later,” he decided, causing Yvonne to titter with laughter as Thantis picked an opportune moment to arrive with tea, carried in a small cup tray. The Jumper moved to help him immediately, taking a couple of disposable cups with thanks.
“This may be a bad time, but could we discuss these teabags at some point?” Thantis insisted. Russell laughed, hearing and feeling how tight his chest was. The light beige walls were agitating him.
“Sure thing Thantis, no problem,” he agreed. Behind them, Yvonne had decided that it was time to move onto a basic physical. Over several minutes she took Veera’s blood pressure, heart rate, blood oxygen content, and other vitals that were readily observable.
“I don’t have much in the way of a baseline,” Yvonne admitted, having only examined Asha in such detail before. “But if I were to use human standards, you are in excellent health Veera. So why don’t we take another blood sample so we can check on our little mystery and then we’ll have a look inside just to be sure.”
“O-Ok,” the Cauthan agreed, not knowing what else she could do given the circumstances. Russell gave her tea as Yvonne prepared her other arm for a blood draw. The taste was strange, but the warm liquid was most welcome, soothing her stomach and driving away some of the chill in the room. “Ow!”
“Forgive me, my dear, but that was all the pain for today,” Yvonne assured her. “Io, if you would?”
‘Of course, Dr. Dupuis,’ the AI replied, using one of the mechanical arms hanging from the ceiling to retrieve and label the blood sample before spiriting it away to the labs for Gerard’s attention.
“Thank you. Thantis, Russell, I would ask you to move to the head of the examination chair, please,” Yvonne requested, seeing that Veera’s outfit would require her to lift her dress in order to have a proper ultrasound. The men did as requested, with Winters placing a kiss at the point on Veera’s head where her feathers met her fur. The doctor washed her hands well before returning, placing the bottle of ultrasound gel under her armpit to get it warmer. “Veera, we will be doing exactly what you watched the other day with Asha. Is that alright with you?”
“Yes, it is. Thank you, Yvonne.”
“Oh my dear, it is a pleasure,” the doctor assured her. “You have been very brave and we will get to the bottom of this one way or another. Your body will almost always tell you if something is wrong. If it does not, you have us now. Now then, let’s take a look, shall we?”
Winters found himself holding his breath as Yvonne turned on the machine and the display crackled to life. Thantis could not help himself.
“By Kel, what is that over there?” he asked.
‘This machine uses sound to safely peer inside someone’s body. The image will not be crystal clear, but it’s a tool humans have been using for more than a century,’ Io elucidated.
“First light and now sound?” Thantis remarked in disbelief. “Is there any force of nature you humans have not conquered?”
“Many, Thantis, but another time, please,” Russell requested. The elderly Cauthan composed himself and cleared his throat, well aware that outside of Veera’s health it was not the time for detailed scientific inquiry. “Yvonne, what are we looking at?”
“Not a whole lot yet,” the doctor replied. “There isn’t much empty space in a normal human body and it seems Cauthan are not much different. Shall we just check in on your heart while we are here? That’s what’s pumping your blood after all.”
Veera couldn’t help but shiver as a new dollop of gel was placed higher on her body and Yvonne angled the wand upward. All four of them studied the beating organ as Io resolved the grainy image as best as possible. Yvonne began her analysis. “Thank you, Io. Everything appears to be functioning normally. The tissue appears smooth and I’m not seeing any lumps or bumps that would indicate cancer or abnormal growth. I acknowledge we don’t even know if Cauthan can get cancer yet, but since they do experience aging I think the answer to that is likely yes,” she reasoned before moving on. Over the next several minutes she checked Veera’s lungs as well as a couple other points of interest that she happened upon purely by accident as they worked their way down Veera’s diaphragm. While a dissection subject or tissue biopsies would be necessary to determine the function of the organs, Yvonne was able to note that, at a minimum, nothing appeared to be wrong at first glance. “Now, your stomach is quite flat but let’s take a look anyway, shall we?” she continued, as though that were not the focal point of the entire ordeal. Her efforts at maintaining a calm environment were appreciated, but Winters could feel his palms sweating and his heart racing. Veera was not faring much better, her feathers shaking about as violently as he’d ever seen. A small, black void appeared on the monitor.
“There it is,” Yvonne informed them, slowing the speed of her movement over Veera’s fur and skin to take a closer look. “Now I have seen several cases of uterine cancer and other abnormal growths in my day and I am pleased to report that I’m not seeing anything like… mon dieu. Mon dieu! Io…”
‘I KNEW IT!’ the AI shrieked. ‘Ich wusste es!’
Russell brought a hand to his mouth, tugging at his cheeks as his untrained eye took in the ultrasound. Yvonne composed herself quickly as Veera’s claws began digging into his arm. At that moment he didn’t care a lick if she drew blood. “Veera, my dear, I would stake my medical degree on the assertion that that little formation you see there is not a tumor, growth, or anything dangerous. I think that’s your… oh there’s another!”
Thantis’ cane clattered to the ground for the second time in less than an hour, sounding like an automatic rifle for how quiet the examination room was. Io was mimicking Russell to an extent, both hands over her mouth as tears flowed freely from her eyes and she shook her head back and forth.
“I’m sorry!” Veera cried suddenly, forcing Yvonne to sit back as the Cauthan leapt to her feet and took her partner’s hands. “I’m sorry, Russell! I didn’t- I promise I didn’t! It’s only ever been you. I promise, I promise,” she whispered. Russell’s body accepted her hands into his, but his mind was somewhere else entirely, his eyes staring somewhere well beyond the examination room and even the hull of the Event Horizon. He didn’t know if he was dreaming or if someone had simply switched his life with someone else’s, but according to the French doctor staring at them both, his wife was going to give birth to not one but two cubs in a year that could not possibly be his. The roof of his mouth was dry. He couldn’t feel his legs. He couldn’t hear anything. What he did feel, however, was Io clocking him in the forehead with a mechanical arm.
‘Where the hell do you think you’re going?!’ she screeched. He blinked and looked around. Somehow he was facing the door of the room instead of Veera. Turning around he found her, supported by Yvonne and Thantis, looking at him with a pitiful and pleading look on her usually proud face that he never wanted to see again. It was so unlike the woman he knew and loved. ‘First Lieutenant Russell Winters you turn around this instant! And if you dare say you’re thinking what I think you’re thinking so help me I will turn this entire ship around just so I can slap you harder with this arm!’
Veera choked back a sob and shook her head vigorously. He walked to her slowly and opened his arms to her, accepting her into a difficult embrace as he spoke to the ceiling. “What am… what am I supposed to think? We don’t even have the same genetic material.”
“I didn’t,” Veera whispered again. Her words tore at his heart and mind alike. For a year they had both adjusted to the idea that children were a thing meant for other couples, for people who had not fallen for someone so far away from their own existence. There was now bloodwork and an ultrasound that seemed to confirm Veera was with cub. An eventuality that affected military men with depressing frequency, one he thought he’d thought impossible, was suddenly rearing its head to dominate the darker parts of his imagination. He couldn’t stop running through names. All seemed unlikely, even impossible, but each one made his blood boil. “I didn’t.”
‘She didn’t, and I have the logs to prove it,’ Io insisted strongly. ‘So if we could all take a seat and a sip of tea, I am going to put forth my thesis and you all will listen. That goes double for you, sir. I know that look on your face and none of the males in the village are going to get a visit from you tonight. Haben wir uns verstanden?’ she demanded, pointing her weapon of choice directly in Winters’ face. ‘I am so sorry, Veera. This should be the happiest day of your life and I intend to prove that it is.’
“T-Thank you, Io,” the Cauthan sniffled, resting a hand on her belly while Yvonne supplied her with a few disposable towels to remove the majority of the gel. “Do you really think I’m-”
‘I believe the evidence is clear and staring us in the face,’ Io replied, abandoning her harsh voice she’d reserved for her operator and switching to a far more comforting tone. ‘Thantis?’
“Yes?!” the elder replied, clearly startled at having been brought into the conversation at all.
‘Thantis, can you tell us how common twins are in your village?’ Io requested. The scholar did not hesitate.
“Exceedingly rare, spirit Io. I believe the last incidence was before I was born. Why do you ask?” he wondered.
‘Because I am trying to determine just how unique Veera’s pregnancy-’ Io broke off mid-sentence to squeal with delight, eliciting a strained but honest laugh from Veera. ‘Oh how wonderful! As I was saying, I am trying to determine just how unique this occurrence is. Respectfully, Thantis, I consider Gentia’s circumstances as well.’
“If it helps, I do not mind explaining further,” he agreed, but Io help up a hand.
‘No need, my friend. But I thank you. Now that we’ve all stopped crying and attempting to do things we would absolutely regret later on, let’s review what we know and have some tea. Tea!’ Io insisted when no one drank. ‘Very good. Now then, we know that Veera has experienced resource dearth and surplus in her life. Unlike many villagers she has experienced famine and then feast. She has been mating and coming into contact with human ejaculate regularly. She possesses hormones in her blood that as of this time have only been found in other pregnant females, and she is pregnant with twins. What does this tell us?’
“I think let’s just skip to the answer, little light,” Yvonne suggested, having done nothing but take notes since Veera had leapt from the examination chair.
‘Facultative parthenogenesis!’ Io declared with no small amount of pride in her voice. ‘Think about it. What’s more likely, Veera running around behind Russell’s back, or her species being capable of self-reproduction when resources are plentiful but the male just isn’t getting the job done? No offense, sir. I’m sure you’re quite fertile.’
“Lord knows that’s probably in the HEL’s records too,” he acknowledged.
‘Sod the records! What do you think of my hypothesis? Veera is an alien, Russell. We have no idea what her body is capable of. You really think she cheated on you?!’
Winters looked at Veera, searching her amber eyes for whatever passed for truth in such a situation. He didn’t know how much was rational evaluation and how much was hope beyond hope that he hadn’t been betrayed. “No, I don’t.”
In response, Veera promptly stood and seated herself in his lap, hugging him and crying that ‘Meylith had answered their prayers’. For all he knew about whatever parthenogenesis was, it was every bit as compelling of an explanation. Thantis was clasping his hands together and simply appreciating the scene, though he joined Yvonne when the doctor stood and declared she would be departing to give them some time and to organize her notes. The death priest promised that he would see them back at the village, and that it was currently his duty to report to Gentia with all possible haste. Veera simply waved an affirmative through her feathers, far too occupied with holding on to Russell for dear life. To say her life had been upended was a colossal understatement.
‘If you don’t believe me, sir, we can always go for a genetic test,’ Io proposed, willing to accept that his acceptance of the situation was likely far more difficult than hers.
“Don’t,” he commanded, shaking his head. “We can… we’ll know the truth when they’re born. I don’t want anyone touching Veera’s cubs.”
“Russell…” Veera whispered sadly into his shoulder, unable to miss his description of her cubs as hers and perhaps hers alone.
“You promise… you promise you didn’t…” he couldn’t quite bring himself to say it, but Veera understood.
“On every god, darling. On my mother’s and father’s spirit as well,” Veera proclaimed, shifting in his lap so she could look him in the eyes. He nodded and kissed her on the nose.
“I guess- I guess that little cabin in the mountains is going to need another room or two,” Russell murmured. Further words proved unnecessary as Veera dissolved into tears along with Io. He contented himself with the fact that they sounded joyful.