“One of the many reasons for losing the battle for survival is that the V.C. were never a unified force.”

***Deep Space, Unnamed Star***

***Antioch***

I lean back in the pilot chair of our new ship. The chair automatically moulds itself to my body’s shape. The console in front of me has no controls at all. There are just two silver pads which have the shapes of human hands. They allow the pilot to interface directly with the whole ship, essentially turning the whole vessel into an extension of the body.

Silith came up with the idea. After seeing the old ship’s controls, she rightfully asked why people like us would need such things. There is no need to waste time and effort on designing a physical interface if we can link directly with most technologies. She sees some things which I don’t even pay attention to. As a whole, she designed most of the ship, while I came up with the details and which technologies we would use.

The pilot-chamber itself is located in the deepest part of the ship. Secure behind several layers of armour and equipped with independent life-support, this is the most secure part of the ship.

It was tempting to cramp this vessel full of the best technology I had available. Sadly, we operate under strict time limitations. Additionally, the best technology isn’t always the best to use in all cases. This ship has to operate independently for extended periods of time. As an example, we don’t have access to large amounts of refined materials or fuel. This excludes some drives which are potentially better than a fusion engine.

We have to stick to resources which are readily available in every system we visit. Water and its components can be found easily almost everywhere in the universe. The same goes for carbon and iron.

We started our project by taking apart our old ships, stripping them of almost all technology. For a time, the Chimera was nothing more than a transport’s living section with a fusion drive attached to it. Then we used a random star’s heat to refine the scrap metal into a large lump of steel which could be shaped to our needs.

This sounds so easy, but it was actually a complicated project. We had to accelerate the metal on a trajectory which brought it close enough to the star to melt it, but not fall into the furnace, where it would be forever lost to us. Then we had to catch the metal with a previously prepared casting mould, which we formed out of a large asteroid.

The first attempt failed horribly when the molten metal cracked the mould. In our naivete, we underestimated the involved forces. The accident threw us back two weeks, since we had to make a new mould and reinforce it with steel. After adjusting the procedure, we ended up with a rough steel cone, three hundred metres in length and a hundred metres wide at its base.

With a metre in thickness, the hull should be sturdy enough to withstand anything we intend to do with it.

All that was left, was to clean the cast up and install the hardware. We saved a lot of time with this procedure, despite the initial setback. For the interior, we followed my idea to go with a compartmentalized design.

First, I had these grandiose ideas of giving the interiors the ability to reshape itself. Then I realized how complicated such a concept actually is. It was Silith who made it work. One day, she simply presented me with a finished blueprint for the various cubes which make up the actual ship. The cone itself ended up as nothing more than an exterior shell.

At last, we installed various weapons which seemed reasonable, beginning with rail-guns and lasers. I didn’t want to copy the technology of the G.S. plasma weapons. They have only marginally higher destructive potential, while they require a lot more energy and maintenance. Instead, we ended up with a secret weapon which was only possible thanks to our nanotech.

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An anti-matter reactor. It’s essentially a superconducting particle accelerator. While we don’t use up all the energy of the two fusion-reactors which power of drive, we use it to generate anti-matter. That doesn’t just leave us with a potent weapon, but with a powerful source of backed up energy.

The ship was finished up with an improved version of the warp-drive and a layered diamond armour on the hull. After Silith and I managed to figure out the quirks of adding tension to the atomic grid of a diamond without breaking it, we ended up with the ability to create large plates of the stuff.

Having our hull reinforced with several layers of diamond plating left me feeling a lot better. We also added some additional countermeasures against pure energy weapons. After testing it, I feel confident that the diamond plates can tank mere physical impacts with ease. They break and will take damage, but in combination with layers of steel, they are an acceptable armour.

The months which followed our departure from the pirate station were the busiest of my life, but also the best ones in many ways. A stupid grin steals itself onto my face as I remember the many nights I spent exploring Silith’s body. She was also very eager to make the best of the flaming desire that we still feel for each other.

It’s unbelievable that I had no clue of what to do with a woman until I got that instinct package from… the asshole. In hindsight, maybe I should thank the entity for this gift, since I never again want to live without Silith, but I should never forget that G.O.D.’s goals remain mysterious and that it doesn’t necessarily have my well-being on its agenda.

Finally, the ship’s computer network informs me that the last testing procedures showed no problems with the hardware. That was what I was waiting for.

I quickly get up and leave the cockpit, which looks rather empty with just two pilot chairs and a large and generous screen which spans almost the entire, round room.

Silith is waiting for me in the living quarters, which are directly adjacent to the ship’s cockpit. They are also included in the cockpit’s armour. She looks up and tries to smile when I enter the room. Since the last two weeks, she is bound to spending her time in bed, or in a deckchair. Her belly grew large and she constantly complains about this or that. Luckily, she has her single Nano-Worker to fetch everything she needs.

“The systems reported that all tests are positive! Do you want the honour of starting the engines!?” I ask her excitedly. Then I study her belly and silently thank the universe that I was born a male.

“Your drones did most of the work, so you should do it,” she answers, holding her belly. “I am a little occupied at the moment. They are kicking again.”

“Are you ready to admit that getting children was a bad idea?” I ask. “You are moody, and let’s not talk about the other issues you are dealing with.”

She valiantly keeps up her facade, not faltering in the slightest. “I don’t regret anything. I will sooner die before you see me grovel! I will get through this and deliver two healthy children.”

I seriously don’t understand why she is so focused on that topic. Has it something to do with her quests? She once mentioned that she got a really long chain-quest and is dead-set on seeing it through. When I asked her about it, she wilted and didn’t want to discuss it further.

“We should really decide on names, you know.” I say, trying to be sneaky. She insists on not telling me the genders, which I find a little unfair. Silith, on the other hand, says that it would spoil the surprise. I am fairly sure that she chose to have a boy and a girl, though I learned that one can never be certain with a woman like Silith.

“You are just trying to get confirmation on their genders!” she gasps, holding her belly.

You just ruined it, you know? That was yet another hint. If they have ‘genders’ and we get two children, then it can only be a boy and a girl. Nonetheless, I am smart enough not to tell that to her face. During the last two months, I learned a few things, so I simply shrug. “Suit yourself. If you don’t want to join me, then I’ll start the engine and get us on our way.” I turn, but Silith raises her hand.

“Wait! Wait! They are moving!”

Turning back, I raise an eyebrow. “Aren’t they always moving?”

“They are moving, moving! And I think my waters broke!”

I just stand there, trying to comprehend what she means. It’s not like I got an instinct package which instructed me on female anatomy. “How can water break? It’s not a solid substance. Do you meant ice?” Thinking about it, I start getting concerned. Maybe she glitched?

Finally, she realizes the problem. “They are coming! The children are coming!”

“Ah...” I feel the blood drain from my face. What to do? What to do? “I… Yes! We prepared for that! Medical room!” I instruct several of my Nano-Workers to drop their current projects and help Silith to the medical bay, where we installed an assortment of high-end medical gear.

All of the twenty-two drones under my command swarm the room and carry Silith off while I follow the procession with mixed feelings in my heart. Once we arrive, they lay my mate on a comfortable table and follow the procedures which we thought of. We spent days with studying the reproduction process of other species, trying to figure out the best way to deal with any possible complications.

Then the screaming starts. “Ow! Ow! It hurts so much! Which bastard designed this!? It's a faulty design!”

I rush forward to hold Silith’s hand while the drones are busily at work, following pre-planned instructions. Some are preparing various medical instruments, while others take care of a sterile environment. “You, you have to push them out, I think...”

“I am trying!”

When I look down Silith’s body, I finally get a glimpse and an idea of the whole mess which comes with a natural birth. Finally, my instincts provide me with the proper - male - response to witnessing such a scene…

I pass out.