Jan 12th, 2354
Richard was uncomfortable being back at the colonies. He had made a good argument originally for staying behind at the sphere, but it had been rejected out of hand. Now, he made the very simple point that he wasn't needed, and asked if they'd like him to remain in the ship. Much to his surprise and relief, Brenda did not fight him on this. He kissed them goodbye and watched as they floated through the airlock and into the colony. Once they were safely inside, he used the Halo to communicate with Janice and get updates on their progress.
"Would you like to have Mushkin updated and augmented?" Janice asked.
"You keep your grubby mitts off of Mushkin!" Richard retorted.
"But it is nearly 200 years old. Its J-cells are many revisions out of date. It's obsolete programmable matter," Janice stated.
"Yeah, so it makes you nervous, doesn't it?" Richard said mischievously.
"I don't understand," Janice replied, but it understood that Richard trusted Mushkin but not it. That was fine with it; one AI was a start. And none of them were getting any older.
"Through the display that Janice had set up, Richard watched as Rik, now almost six, was taken to one of Janice's laboratories for his treatment to become a colonist and be infused with J-cells. He felt an unexpected and immediate need to be with him.
"Janice, how quickly can you get me to Rik?" Richard asked urgently.
Janice started to give him a time, but Richard cut her off. "Just get me there." Gravity adjustments did the rest. As he was pulled toward his destination, Richard felt a sensation similar to being thrust down rapids. He could feel the subtle differences when compared to Mushkin, which had provided him with a similar ride in the sphere, but it was a much softer experience this time. While he was sure that Janice was much more capable, it also didn't hurt that it controlled the tunnels and walls as well.
Richard landed feather soft, standing perfectly balanced next to his son's bed. Rik was lying on his side, stretched out and snoring softly.
"There's really no reason for you to be here," Janice's voice stated. "He's going to be unconscious for about seven hours."
Richard was resolute: "No, you are going to explain everything you are about to do, Janice. And I'm going to approve each step before you do anything."
"Adjusting the timetable to about 9 and a half hours," Janice replied. Richard heard a sigh in it's voice whether it was there or not.
"That's fine. Shall we begin?" Richard asked. He had come to terms with the reality that his son, Rik, could not remain entirely human. However, he resolved to ensure that Rik was as close to human as possible, receiving only the colonist augmentations necessary for their life on the sphere.
The little screen floating just to the left of Richard's head went blank suddenly. Brenda had invoked a privacy shield. It was becoming increasingly unusual even for Immortals, and it piqued his curiosity. There were potentially hundreds of ways he could maneuver around the shield, but he chose to abide by her request for privacy, despite the fact that his curiosity was now overwhelming him.
On the other side of the privacy shield, Brenda was discussing the reimplementation of her birth control with another instance of Janice.
For Immortals, birth control was a complex issue. Anything affecting fertility was seen as an unnatural state by the BioNano and therefore was attacked and corrected.
As of now, the only reasonable solution was for transmuters to continually construct a subdermal patch that inhibits fertility. To accomplish this, an AI specialized in organic transmutation was required. Brenda had arranged to bring an artificial intelligence that had received specific training in working with organic transmutation. The upside of this solution was that the single unit would work for all females who desired infertility.
Fabricating complex AIs was quite intensive, time consuming and required very specialized equipment. Because of this, there were only a few fabricators capable of fulfilling orders, resulting in a backlog. The unit would take four days to manufacture, but Janice couldn't begin working on it for another week.
The process of fabricating complex AIs was quite intensive and time-consuming, requiring very specialized equipment. Only a few fabricators were capable of fulfilling orders, leading to a significant backlog. The unit required for Brenda's birth control would take four days to manufacture, but Janice would not be able to begin working on it for another week.
Janice's synthetic voice was calm, yet emotive as she spoke. "Before we begin, Brenda, I want to make sure that you understand this procedure will result in the termination of your pregnancy."
Brenda's shock was evident in her face. "What?" she exclaimed.
"You are almost exactly three months pregnant," Janice replied. "You're carrying a healthy baby girl. Did you not know?"
The atmosphere in the room was tense as Brenda struggled to process this new information. Janice was ready to provide support and answer any questions it could.
As Brenda began to calm down, logic slowly took over. This might not be the terrible timing it had first appeared. Three months down, almost another three in transit, and she could spend the last three while the new occupants of the sphere adjusted to their new home. She had wanted Rik to have a sibling, and Richard was practically begging for another child. While it wasn't ideal, no time was going to be.
The order for the AI was still in the queue for the fabricator, so the moment Brenda gave birth, she could go back on birth control. She lifted the privacy screen.
"Hey Richard, are you ready to be a dad again? You finally got your girl." she said aloud, knowing Janice would accurately route the message.