Chapter 10

Aboard the Kedah Katie was in grandma heaven, just as her mother, Val, had been many years ago. Ellie had her twin babies just 3 minutes apart. There was no pain or discomfort, just a good deal of effort. The babies, a boy and a girl were healthy and normal except that there were fine feather-like markings all over their skin. These babies had developed with the assistance of fully activated organic linking nanites and as Doctor Scout had promised Val early in her pregnancy, there would be no defects and the children would be special. No feathers were present and none were expected, since the nanites had grown Ellie's feathers for show for the Darjee and those had been molted a few months ago. However, the skin on both the boy and the girl had the appearance as if very small and fine feathers might have left a permanent imprint. Perhaps, Ellie thought, the impressions are an indicator of future feathers.

Tonto noted a slight oddity in the DNA of both babies but he was unable to cross-reference the minor differences to any match. The hair on both babies head was like fine down. Katie knew that acquired changes, such as scars or amputated fingers did not change the DNA and could not be inherited. However, this was different; the nanites HAD modified Ellie's DNA to produce her feathers and she was already pregnant at the time. Perhaps the babies' DNA had also been modified to some degree.

Ellie lay back and cradled her newborn infants one in each arm and both feasted hungrily at her breasts. She said, "Mom, is that how it was for you when Jason and I were born, a piece of cake?

"NO!" Katie responded. You were both great big wiggling, kicking beasts who fought being born every inch of the way. Remember, while I had a half set of nanites they hadn't yet been activated. Watching you with these beautiful sweethearts makes me eager to see what my own are going to look like."

"Grandma Val said she and Grandpa Dan were considering having several more too," Ellie said. "The last time I talked to Grandpa Dan while we were at KTT he said that he and Grandma have been rejuvenated back to Jason's and my ages. The way he described their bedroom antics grossed me out but he did mention their responsibility to an ever-expanding family. Wouldn't it be something if you, Grandma Val and I all had babies about the same time once again? Grandma Val should be delivering her twins any day now and you are as big as a barn with your four.

Katie looked shocked, "You've just delivered twins and are now feeding them their first meal and you're already talking about having more? Was it really that easy?"

"Yes, Mom. It was that easy," Ellie said. "It was a lot of work but my body is young and healthy and I am stronger than I've ever been. The work was easy when I consider the rewards of having these two little gluttons feeding from my body. Your delivery will be twice as much work since you're having twice as many babies, but I don't think you'll have any more problems than I did."

Ellie continued, "Do you see the faint feather imprints on their skin. Look here, it shows most clearly on the back of their arms and on their little necks. Tonto is trying to do some research on their DNA but says he hasn't found anything to compare the patterns to. Do you think when the nanites transformed me into a Darjee princess they did something lasting to my DNA as well as their DNA?"

"Are you concerned?" Katie asked. "I just had those very same thoughts.

"No, not concerned, just intrigued. They are just too precious to have anything wrong with them.

Rob's thoughts wandered. It's just been 90 days since Darcy took over the relationship building on the planet below and both worlds have changed completely. The Kedah is crawling with babies, well not literally since none of them are old enough to crawl yet but Ellie's twins are on hands and knees and rocking back and forth at three months so the crawling will begin soon. Who knew they would be so precocious, most babies can't even hold their heads up and steady at three months.

Even without mobility there are babies everywhere. Ellie has two, Katie has four, Sandra has triplets, Carla Pemberton Tufts has Jason's twins and aboard ship there are three more sets of twins and four singles. That's twentyone babies all at the same time. Clearly that which was the prime directive of the Confederation was not the wisest move for the Tufts family. With all those babies the women were taken out of the picture for planning and working toward the family future." He mentally vowed not to encourage so many births in such a short period ever again. He also wanted to get the entire family together to determine the best way to raise the children and still keep the women active in planning and working toward the future."

Tonto called out to Rob, "Rob, I have the report you requested. Red Rover's first batch of pups is now almost four weeks old and he has been one very busy dog. He has 56 litters on the ground and has several hundred more Canis ladies pregnant. They are all so eager to mate with the revered Red Rover and to have his pups. He has had time to do little else. Darcy understands the need for so many puppies in a hurry and between us we are looking out for his health. The puppies show remarkable talents. It is clear that his time in the med-tubes made substantial changes in his DNA and he is passing on those characteristics. He seems to be propagating the best of human and canine characteristics. Their lore foretold this event and if he survives breeding four to five times every day there will be over fifteen hundred of his offspring working within the population within a year. The most outstanding characteristic noted so far is that the pups have a vocal-cord system capable of full human speech. Like the human babies aboard Kedah, the pups are also precocious. At four weeks they have the growth and talents expected of a pup of more than twice that age and they are making human-like sounds. It is good.

"The Canis have dedicated a very large island just south of the main continent that is not now occupied to serve as a preliminary human settlement. We will build several bridges across the narrow strait that separates the two bodies as soon as we get the Naval Air Station situated. Full integration between the species in both locations will start as soon as we are settled.

"Finally, it is time to consider getting Ellie back into her feathers if she is going to accompany the crew to meet the Behemoth Bounty. I don't think it is necessary or wise as she is not expected by the Darjee but I agree that a family meeting should be called to discuss the matter."