Chapter 19: A New Idea

"I think it's going to work," Janessa said in an excited voice looking through her microscope.

"Put it on screen," Saskia said with enthusiasm.

Jan pressed a button on the side of her microscope and instantly an image flashed into existence on a wall screen nearby. The research team, which consisted of Janessa, Skyla, Orion, and Saskia looked at the screen display.

It showed a microscopic Serome egg and an equally small male Zaflan, for that was what the race of visitors called themselves, sperm cell magnified thousands of times its actual size. They watched excitedly as the sperm struggled its way into the egg's nucleus. Jan kept her fingers crossed and as they watched, the fertilized egg began to divide, and multiply into more cells. It got larger and kept dividing, and soon Jan had to transfer the growing specimen from the slide to a Petri dish.

Saskia studied Jan's notes and calculations carefully as she and the rest of the researchers watched the cells divide and expand. The embryo grew larger as the cells continued to multiply. After several days of growth, but before the embryo became a fetus the growth stopped. Jan's shoulders slumped and she sighed in disappointment as another test ended up in failure, and the rest of the team shared her disappointment.

Ulric moved his belongings into Terra's apartment and introduced to Nalani. Twice he rotated back down to Verona over the next two months and each time he and Terra were almost inseparable. He slowly developed a relationship with Nalani also with Terra's blessings. He grew to love Nalani also but not as much as he did Terra. He almost worshiped Terra. They spent almost every waking moment together and then when they went to bed they slept together. Finally, Ulric requested a meeting with Remi and Stan. He requested permission to resign from the crew and go live on Verona permanently with Terra. Stan and Remi considered his request and then gave their permission.

Word had gotten around about Terra and Nalani's body modifications and a number of the Serome women made similar changes. The Serome and Zaflan relationship was growing ever stronger. The seeker had been in stationary orbit above Verona for nearly a year, a fourth dome had constructed, and most of the population lived on the surface now. The land appeared, slowly reemerging from its icy covering. The cloud cover, reduced drastically, greatly increasing the heat that penetrated to the surface, and more and more the icy blanket that covered the land masses receded. The temperature was increasing dramatically and in fact it had reached a point where evergreens would grow once more without being under a dome.

Ulric, Terra, and Nalani formed a family unit. One day, Terra was visiting with her aunt Saskia, and Saskia told Terra about the dead end they kept coming to in the development of embryos.

"When Serome men and women used to mate they remained joined together for two weeks could that have anything to do with it?" Terra asked.

Saskia became thoughtful. "I don't know ... What could that have to do with it," she thought aloud not really expecting an answer from Terra. Saskia then became silent as she reflected on the question.

Terra went on to tell her aunt that she, Nalani, and Ulric had formed a family. They were the first family among the Serome that had included a male in many years. She told Saskia about how deeply she cared for Ulric. She chuckled softly as she told her aunt that she was beginning to think that she, and to a lesser extent Nalani, were insatiable. One of them had sex with him almost every night and often times both of them did before they curled up together and slept.

"Is he complaining?" Saskia asked.

"No," Terra answered blushing slightly.

"Well then don't worry about it. I have little doubt that he enjoys obliging the desires of ... shall I say two healthy needy women who have never experienced a males touch," Saskia grinned and her eyes twinkled.

Terra laughed, and then changing the subject, told Saskia about their new home on the surface, how it was so nice to look up, and see the sun shining down on you. She told of the new crops that she was tending top side. They would provide much more food and textiles than their dwindling population could ever use. She told how they had supplied the Zaflan with all the foodstuffs and raw materials they could fit on board the Seeker.

At last, Terra concluded her visit with her aunt and left. She walked to the lift that would return her to the surface. There were four lifts now so she did not have long to wait before the door to one of them opened. She stepped inside, the doors closed and the lift quickly whisked her upwards. Terra was lost in thoughts of her lovers and the plans she was forming for them tonight. Talking to her aunt about them had made her horny.