Chapter 82

Décor had remembered that Shirley Wood's ancestor has been the Laboratory Manager who had kept her logs in Décor's storage.

Derrin confirmed that the entries were the day to day records of the laboratory; what research was being undertaken and by whom; staff injuries and accident reports; purchases and replacement of equipment and the abrupt cessation of entries. Dry as dust.

Except for a small summary of a seminar held at the Geatland Campus on genetically engineered mutants' propagation.

The consensus then had been that the method of raising GEMs finally adopted had been the best compromise regardless of what was being produced — at the time of the conference it was the low intelligence powerful killing human. The method used was the artificial insemination of brood females with the embryos subsequently tubed and the progeny raised in crèches, and later barracks, without the moral guidance usually provided by family.

One speaker had given an amusing account of the earliest thoughts and results. The original thoughts had been to produce very intelligent leaders capable of multitasking to control the defence forces and to breed the results in the natural manner to further increase the output.

The first GEMs had been developed in Enklan and were the Albertsons (Betty Higgins aka Berryl Strathlawn nee Hobson was a linear descendent). The Albertson GEM had been imbued with high intelligence and an intense reproductive drive. The line was abandoned after two decades as the results were too intelligent to accept the hogwash politicians sprouted as policy, tended to carefully consider all sides of the argument and were more interested in sexual quality than quantity in the presence of a heightened sexual capacity. The progeny were allowed to become part of society as the numbers produced were not great and were not considered likely to lead revolutions.

The Strathlawn line (Thomas Jefferson Strathlawn was a linear descendent) was a modified version of the Albertson developed by a competing corporation in mid Eurocon. The Strathlawn GEM was developed as hyperintelligent imbued with decisiveness but the result grew into teenagers who were intelligently contemptuous and dismissive of politicians. To increase the production, the Strathlawn male was engineered with highly effective pheromones, markedly increased sexual drive and capacity with a metabolism to support the activities. The line was discontinued within several years of the first models attaining sexual maturity. With the GEM's increasing maturity, political leaders realised they, the politicians, were very much endangered and the younger GEM's were hurriedly bundled onto any and every colony ship departing Old Earth for the stars. The politicians hoped that the vicissitudes of those early colonies would reduce the numbers — they did; but there was still a core of Strathlawn descendents on Old Earth who maintained contact with their kin spread across the galaxy (TJ had become part of that network although his interest was more for the welfare of all GEMs.).

The Comminantes line was a later development in nor'west Eurocon (Julie Windsor was a linear descendent and her first five progeny were somehow fathered by her grandfather). The line was engineered with high intelligence and a logical bent; the sexual drive and capacity was tempered (compared to the Strathlawn's) and the metabolism was enhanced (but was marginally less efficient than the Strathlawn line - that was an unintended consequence of the engineering). Knowing of the problems arising in the previous attempts at propagating engineered intelligent humans by natural means, the Comminantes' developers hit upon a novel solution. The solution was to "turn" every sexual partner of a Comminantes into a Comminantes GEM. This was done by having the GEMs produce a programmed nannite which attacked / infected the partner's genes and rearranged them into the Comminantes' genome; this did require time to occur and was age and infection load related — but it was sure. (The scientific proof of this was not found for some five or so centuries later as a result of research driven by statistical studies.) An unintended consequence of this experimentation was a preponderance of female progeny — a point that did not come to light until the statistical evidence was collated — which would have acted as a control on the propagation of the genome (To those who do not appreciate the point, it is the male who spreads the pollen; GD).

The fate of this experiment was not known to the speaker at the conference but Décor was able to provide the ending. The pilot programme was just coming to fruition at the outbreak of the Supersoldiers' War in the twenty fourth century and the scientists, worried about their charges, bundled the whole kit and kaboodle onto the first star bound freighter. She was spacing for and unloaded at Bhute. With the Southern Galaxy seeded with Old Earth colonies, many still loyal to the home nations, it made the region a dangerous place and the freighter finished its days in Bhute local trade.

"Be seated, ladies" Clare ordered. "You kids, in front of my desk. Now, why haven't you wrecked my ship? What's wrong with you?"

The voyage, in hard space at warp2, was the same inbound as outbound — just less than two days. "Sundowner" re-entered Old Earth n space into Uncontrolled N-Space. Having been absent for just six days meant any observer would assume "Sundowner" had absented herself on a training exercise in the hyper as there was not enough time to actually go anywhere.

During the voyage, the female Tulips, who were more familiar with them, had noted the kids were very quiet — even their reaction to the attention lavished upon the quins was almost an after thought. The mere males, even their fathers, were not aware of the change — TJ did have some(?) excuse. It was Allie who raised the matter with Clare (who had had an inkling); Allie as PS to the Captain was the eyes and ears of the Boss.

"Sundowner" tied up at a buoy in the Ramsgate orbitals — "Golden Falcon" was still in the Lightoller dock. The Family lived aboard while TJ consulted widely for guidance resolving the dilemma.

The Mothers had obtained the school curriculum and fed it into Derrin and the kids were tutored by the 'puter. The off duty Gennies also attended as their education had been deficient in the traditional areas. (Clare only maintained a harbour watch, allowing the Gennies to so arrange their rosters that classes were attended.) The kids attended, participated and exhibited no interest at all. They didn't even grouse about homework. The only time they showed any reaction was Unarmed Combat and throwing with their practice stars and that was determination.

The arrangements for the birth celebrations were finalised and the Chapel at Cottesmore Priory was booked for a service in two weeks.

Clare had kept a more intense watching brief on the kids after the heads-up from Allie. Clare decided that another week and a half of moping children was not to her taste and had them into her office, a step down from "before the mast".

Clare watched the conflicting emotions traverse the children's faces and heard the void in her Companion's link.

<Their Companions are prohibited.>

"Time to forget I'm captain and make like your aunt."

Clare pushed her lift chair alongside the Mothers, nodded at it

"Simmo, set yourself down. You others, on you mother's laps, and no, you are not too big. Sit."

Clare pulled a foot rest in front of the desk, sat and leaned back.

"There is something troubling you. Normally you are into all sorts of mischief — annoying Hades out of my crew and driving me to distraction; in other words being kids, Since you've come aboard, I've not seen you even smile let alone laugh. You are not quite wind up clockwork but you come close. Its affecting my people and that concerns me — not just as Captain of this ship but also remember I'm high up in the Family. I might also point out, you appointed yourselves midshipmen of this ship and while you are not signed on you have put yourselves under my command and I cannot have petty officers adversely affecting the morale of my ship. Its part of my job description to keep my ship happy and to help in solving any problems my officers have and the Bosun does the same for the lower deck. To do my job I have to have the willing obedience of my people and trust which works both ways. You need to tell me what it is that troubles you; you aren't solving it yourselves and I want, no! I need to help. It is important for my ship, not just me and you have chosen to undertake responsibilities on our ship."

The silence lengthened. After a long minute, Simmo tremulously spoke

"I killed seven people. Blew them apart with no warning. Just cu..."

Hazel was off of Julie's lap and in Simmo's face before he could finish; her voice was harsh and brittle with tight emotion

"WE! We killed them! We designed those lasers. We built and fitted those lasers. Anyone of us; anyone of us could have pulled that trigger. You were the closest, that's all. If WE hadn't defended ourselves, we wouldn't be here arguing about it; Aunt Pat and Aunt Ivy would be dead. We are all in this Simmo, not just you; it's US. Please, Simmo?"

"Hazel; sit, please. Thank you. It's no longer just a game, is it, kids? Its for real with all the shock and horror. Usually, our children are older before they face the reality of close combat and most of the universe never have to face it. Those of us who chose this way of life in the service of defending something of value to us have to accept that there probably will come a time when we have to take actions which will result in the death and maiming of friend and foe.

We make adjustments, always easier to do when you are older, as you will have to adjust. The adjustment must never turn you into mindless automatons without consciences; you must never lose sight that your enemies are humans just as you are but the crunch is that they are trying to kill you. It is sometimes easier to handle when you are acting directly in defence of loved ones and yourself.

You will find in life, unpleasant decisions cannot be avoided and if you can't make them then don't become a leader because as a leader you have responsibilities for those who have put their trust in you. Simmo, your siblings put their trust in you to defend them; you children took action to defend yourselves and as a result saved not only yourselves but also your aunts.

I sometimes have had to do things I do not like but I have never done anything I have been ashamed of doing. I sometimes have had no time to deliberately make such a decision, but my training and experience stand me in good stead.

You considered the possibilities; you planned; you implemented that plan and when the time came to act, you did.

That your conscience troubles you makes you human.

Your actions and reactions make you good leadership material and I will be pleased to have you in my ship"

Clare stood and returned to the other side of her desk

"You are excused duties for the rest of the day. I suggest you talk it out among yourselves and listen to what is said. Thank you for coming to see me. Carry on, please."

"Cedric? What's a Baronetess?" Mary Fogg enquired.

The dinner had been cleared away and some of the Sundowners were in the mess lounge relaxing, restoring caffeine level, catching up on the newsfaxes or whatever.

"A sort of hereditary peerage, a female version. Why?"

"That's what I am; it says so on that thingy Harold gave me the other day. You got one too. What does yours say?"

"Haven't bothered to read the thing. All that cramped cursive printing and that "Know ye", "presents" and all that put me off. When did you read yours, I didn't see you?"

"Last night while you were busy."

"I didn't notice you took time off" Cedric leered at her.

"No, not then; it was while you were away helping Dorothy with that glitch in the EW console. You'd knackered Jane and I had nothing to do so I read it while I was waiting for you."

"So that was why you were still awake. I'm shattered. Here was me thinking it was you lusting after my beautiful body. I am heart broken."

Morg was on the lounge behind Cedric and chimed in

"That presupposes you have a heart, my lad"

"Morg, that was a nasty thing to say" Mary leapt to her man's defence "and anyway this is a private conversation."

"In the lounge, Mary? Pull the other one. Changing the subject, do your Letters Patent mention a place?"

Mary thought for a bit and then mentioned a place name. Morg extracted his PDA, made an entry and muttered out loud