SWNOVELS Chapter Generation Anew
Chrystoya has declared to all of the crew her demands regarding their mission priorities. Regnoh and Velmana will enter suspension as scheduled. She, the Commander and Zaque, and only because he pulled rank on her, will continue mission activity until the time of birth. Samantha approved.
They will evaluate the situation after the birth and decide who will enter suspension. Two crew members will function as guardians for seven cycles. Then two of the others will be awakened to relieve the first two. They will continue this schedule until the child has reached puberty. At which time, Chrystoya believes it can be placed into suspension without harm. The physician may be reactivated at any time, if an emergency so requires.
Chrystoya is impressed with Zaque’s interest in learning about the birthing process, and of his tending to Samantha. She is aware of their past romantic relationship, but that is not what she senses from them now. Zaque almost has a parent’s approach to the Commander.
Samantha places her little boy in his sleeping compartment. She moves away quietly to check on Zaque. He has been trying to get Zoeyana to fall asleep for over an hour now. Samantha thinks the child stays awake simply because she wants to see what’s going on, as if she might miss something important.
Zaque is lying on his cot with the twin baby girl resting on his chest. He is asleep. She is not. The Commander reaches to lift her daughter. The baby sounds a protest. Samantha backs away smiling.
“Okay little sister, I’ll leave you with him for just a few more minutes.” Samantha kneels down to look into the face of her little girl.
Zoeyana’s eyes roam around trying to locate the place of her mother’s voice. Her small head lifts and bobs, she stretches her neck. The child focuses on her mother’s face. Eye to eye, the two behold each other. Such a serious stare for just a moment and then the child closes her eyes.
Zaque’s personal log:
The twins seem to change so quickly. One moment they were tiny and helpless, and now we chase them around the ship. They both seem so curious. They were born with eyes of gray color. Sami doesn’t agree but I think that their eyes are slowly changing to green.
Samantha’s personal log:
Zaque’s love for the twins has been evident since the moment they were born. They call him Zacky. I am pleased to see how much the children love him back. He has never referred to himself as their father, but he cares for them as any parent would. I am glad that the children have him in their lives.
Zaque’s personal log:
I am becoming even more aware of their advanced intelligence. Treque and Zoeyana have now developed their own language. They are not yet three cycles old. At first they used hand signals to communicate between themselves.
They are beginning to develop a verbal language, other than the Shi’ann tongue, which they speak impressively. This new language is performed entirely with human apparatus. Their throat constructions do not contain any Colony features, and yet the twins' language sounds like clicks and purrs. It's a faint echo of the Colony’s voice.
Samantha’s personal log:
At four cycles of age the twins have abandoned toddler-hood. Treque has developed an interest in math and engineering. He spends much time asking Zaque to explain the ships systems to him. Zaque is delighted to do so and marvels at the little boy’s understanding.
Zoeyana has expressed an interest in biology, Shi’ann as well as the Colony’s.
Zaque’s personal log:
Treque today has proposed engine enhancements, he is five cycles in age. I am happy to hear of his interest in reducing the time of our return journey. I checked his work. This child genius may have just reduced the time of our travel by decades.
I have finally convinced Sami, Treque looks like her side of the family. He favors Sam Smith. Even she sees it now.
Samantha’s personal log:
Zoeyana is now almost six cycles of age. She has performed an analysis for each crew member. She discovered some issues with Regnoh’s heart. I will present her findings to our physician upon Chrystoya’s next reactivation.
She has proposed nutrient changes for all Shi’ann, due to her study of Colony biology. These changes, she is confident, will add years to one’s life span.
The four active crew members are planning the twin’s seventh cycle celebration. The birthday party will take place in just a few rotations. The children requested a playing of Sam Smith’s ancient message to the Colony. The twins often wish to hear the recording. They have both already memorized each word and usually recite them as Sam Smith’s voice plays.
Zoeyana ask many questions when she first learned that this famous historical personality is her great grandfather. She questioned her mother about him. “What was Gransam like?”
Samantha looks into her daughter’s stunning green eyes and says, “He was very much like Zacky! Loving, kind, and often funny. He was a deep thinker always wondering what he could do to make his world better. You would have loved him, and he would have been so proud that you are a part of his family!”
The children have become very capable crew members. Sometimes it's easy to forget that they are still children. Their intellectual maturity is remarkable. Samantha jokes the twins are more mature than Zaque. Laughter is heard often among this crew of four.
The twins will reactivate Chrystoya in time for the celebration and for their seven cycle physicals. Zaque taught them how to operate the suspension chambers. They have now learned many of the ship’s systems. The First Officer reports that either twin can pilot the ship quite efficiently.
Samantha and Zaque have become a great parenting team for their small twin savants. The adults have not become romantically involved as is the case for most Shi’ann couples who parent offspring. They love each other, just as they love all of their crew members. Their love for the twins is now what binds their efforts and hearts together.
Sometimes the parents watch the children sleeping. Often this leads to late night, quiet discussions about the twins’ future. How will the world react when the Garguth returns home with two alien hybrid children? What place in society shall these two remarkable beings hold? This mission will forever progress the path of the people. This crew will return home and bring with them a new age of discovery for all of the world.
The evening meal tonight was prepared by the twins, at their request. They are able crew members indeed. Zacky and Mother have already retired to their sleeping cots. The twins sleep in the suspension chambers. With a few modifications the chambers were converted to sleeping apartments for each twin.
Zoeyana walks from cot to cot and inspects her parents. “They are now asleep.” She announces and moves toward a sleeping chamber to remove the bedding linens. This area will be converted back to its original function.
“Are you certain that they sleep? Did you check their color?” Treque says and moves towards the cots.
“You know I cannot see all of the spectrum as well as you.” She answers.
Treque sees the soft yellow haze emitting from his unconscious parents. He has denoted this color to be sleep mode. Each twin possess different Colony like characteristics. The boy’s vision is similar to his biological father’s optical abilities.
He joins his sister in the preparations they have been planning for months. He tells her, “I commend you on preparing the meal. You managed not to get any of the sedative on our plates.”
They pause and face each other. The twins join hands and begin to recite the Sacred Words in their own invented language. They observe the moment of silence and Zoeyana proclaims, “Let us begin.”