Chapter 21:Birth

The robots came to their home and started on the pool. Two weeks after her conception Terra's belly began to swell and she knew it was time. She stripped and then sat down in the birthing pool. She settled into the specially molded backrest that supported her torso and yet left her butt dangling freely in the water. Ulric lay on his stomach behind her as she settled into the sunken pool and pressed his cheek to hers. As he watched, Terra placed her feet in the molded rests that had been designed for them and caused her legs to be spread wide. Her arms were snug in the molded supports that had been made for them and allowed her further to support her torso. Ulric placed his hands in hers and kissed her on the cheek.

"Are you ready to see your children?" She asked.

In answer he just kissed her cheek again.

Terra closed her eyes and Ulric felt her body go limp. He watched in fascination as tiny tadpole like creatures began to make their way from her vagina into the pool. When her eyes open once more there were twelve of them swimming in the pool.

She laughed softly as she picked up his confused thought. "They will not remain ... tadpoles, as you think of them. They will continue to transition and grow until they are air breathing mammals that look like us," She said and then pointed at one of them, "see that one has your eyes."

Terra and her aunt Saskia had a long discussion because Saskia wanted to take the children to her lab to watch them and record they're every action. Terra on the other hand was a protective mother, these were her children, not some experiment, and she was insistent they remained home with her. They finally compromised, the children remained at home but with the constant assistance of two robots who recorded everything.

The transition took place quickly both in size and physical appearance. The tails became legs, the fins became arms, the gills began to grow smaller, and finally the tadpole/children could breathe in the water no longer. One by one they flopped out of the pool to be captured by the robots and placed in cribs. Terra was now happy to have the robot help, since taking care of twelve infants at once was much more of a challenge than she thought even with Ulric and Nalani to help.

The infants continued to grow over the following weeks. Their growth slowed when they were about the size and maturity of a five year old. Now that they were small children and had outgrown the small apartment that Terra and her other lovers inhabited Saskia convinced her that the nursery that had been prepared special for them was the best place. Terra grumbled but when Saskia promised that she would be able to spend as much time with them as she desired she gave in. Saskia also explained to her, it was the Serome way. All children were raised together by the entire community and not by individuals. Besides she reminded Terra it was getting close to time to have Ulric impregnate Nalani.

"You do still plan on him getting her pregnant don't you Terra?" Saskia asked.

'

"Yes," Terra mumbled.

That night Terra, Nalani and Ulric had a meeting. The three of them had a very difficult conversation. At first Nalani said she would move out and leave the two of them to be together, which both Ulric and Terra nixed immediately. Then she offered to stay and share sex with them but not conceive, Terra flatly refused that option.

"Face it Terra, I know that Ulric wanted to be with you, and that is why he resigned from the crew of the Seeker. He did not do it for me but for you and when he moved in here it was to be with you, and not us," Nalani stated.

"I did move in here to be with Terra, you're right," Ulric started and then he went on, "but once we got to know each other I fell in love with you also. I will admit that I may not be as deeply in love with you as I am with Terra. I am sorry if that hurts you to hear it spoken but I am very deeply in love with you just the same and can't imagine our life without you being a part of it."

"Oh Nalani you know how much I love you so don't you even think about leaving and that my dear is final," Terra said and stamped her foot for emphasis.

"I want you both to listen to what I'm about to say. Nalani you love me and I love you, Ulric you love me and I love you. You two love each other I know you do. We are a family you have just as much right to conceive as I do Nalani. In fact for the sake of our race you have an obligation, a duty to conceive," Terra said, and then on a lighter note, she continued with a laugh, "Nalani you know Ulric is a good lover. Ulric, I want you to get this girl knocked up."

Nalani and Ulric made love and, having learned from Terra just what to do, she became one with Ulric, and conceived. Though they were unable to communicate quite as well as Terra and Ulric they could communicate. They could definitely share their emotions and therefore learned that indeed they loved each other very much and they both loved Terra a lot. Nalani gave birth to twelve infants also so their family expanded to twenty-four children.

Saskia was almost dancing with joy as she broke the news to Taleah and the rest of the council that they had solved the problem of reproduction. The continuation of their race was almost assured. Jan, Sky, and Orion returned to the Seeker, and told the officers the good news.

"So what do you think we should do Stan?" asked Remi. She was referring to Taleah's request that the male crewmembers be allowed to inseminate as many of the Serome women as possible.

"I don't really have a solution Remi. On one hand I want to oblige our new friends and Taleah's request. Ulric has already resigned and so has Taran, I just okayed his request the other day. On the other hand we are faced with losing most if not all of the male members of our crew because the Serome women can, to put it lightly be very persuasive. They don't just want a sperm donation either. They want to form families." He chuckled at the last statements. The Serome women with their ability to shape shift their bodies could assume any type of look that the Zaflan men desired. They used this ability boldly and skillfully to lure the men to them. They were also almost slave like in their dedication and devotion to their targeted male.

"We can't function very well if we lose half of our crew. That being said we couldn't force them to stay either. I don't want our crew to be made up of people who are here because they have been forced to be here. The moral would go into the crapper."

"I think maybe we should contact Taleah and get her views on this," Stan said.

Remi contacted Taleah and asked her to join them in a meeting. Several hours later she joined them along with the other officers. They relaxed in the living quarters of the officers making themselves comfortable on the couches and chairs of the sitting area.