Transformation Space - Marianne de Pierres [49]
To Mira’s astonishment, the baby’s lips parted in compliance. She tilted Nova towards her to hide the extraordinary behaviour, and slipped the applicator in her mouth, sweeping the nanite-infused paste across her gums.
Nova screwed up her face and dribbled, poking her tongue out at the taste.
Almost immediately, the walls came alive with a flood of data, and the observers spread out, examining it.
‘This section analyses cell integrity. This one examines organ function. Endocrine. Vascular. Musculo-skeletal. Neurological.’ Dolin pointed to different displays.
Mira watched the interplay of information and felt more comfortable. It was similar to being in the Autonomy function on Insignia. She rocked Nova. The baby settled in her arms, eyes closing, and she relaxed with it, tiredness creeping up.
But an increase in the level of murmuring brought her sharply alert.
‘There!’ said Dolin with excitement, pointing. ‘I was right.’
Mira concentrated on a single screen that showed a complex diagram she recognised as genome markers. Even from her most basic understanding, they seemed wrong.
‘That is not possible. Not for a humanesque,’ said one of the clinicians.
‘There have been instances of humanesques being born with dual sex organs, but your baby has neither.’
‘It is a neuter?’
‘Not a neuter exactly,’ he said. ‘Something else …’
‘Dolin!’ one of his colleagues cried. ‘Look at the EM scan!’
Dolin’s eyes slid to another screen, and Mira followed his gaze.
Mira?
Si, Insignia?
There is important news that impacts our safety.
But Mira was distracted. My baby … they say that sh-she is n-neither male nor female.
Arbitrary and unimportant. Nova is healthy; that is all that matters.
But you’re not humanesque. You don’t understand what that means.
I do.
How could you? Your own species is different.
I know because Nova has explained it to me.
Mira stiffened. You’ve spoken to Nova.
Of course. Our communication began while she was still in your womb, but Nova’s thoughts were quite unformed then. They become clearer by the moment. And she is in agreement with me that we should leave this planet.
She? But they say she has no gender.
‘She’ is a pronoun you seem comfortable with, and I’m happy to accommodate your need.
Need! Mira didn’t know whether that angered or amused her. Why must we leave? She glanced down at Nova’s face. The baby’s eyes were open again, and staring steadily at her as if trying to convey a thought.
‘… The baby has a pronounced electromagnetic field around it,’ said Dolin finally.
Mira took a moment to react to his statement. Electromagnetic field? She stared at the baby’s translucent skin, so thin that she almost seemed blue from the glow of her myriad tiny veins. ‘I’m not—’
But the wall screens suddenly blanked, causing her to pause. Then a loud chiming claimed everyone’s attention.
The wall reactivated, showing the head and shoulders of a middle-aged humanesque in some type of ceremonial robe. He spoke without preamble.
‘You will all know me as Sophos Kantos. For some time there has been rumour about a Post-Species threat to OLOSS territories. We have been sceptical of such stories, believing them to be the propaganda of extremist groups who are opposed to our philosophies and ideals.’ Sophos Kantos cleared his throat and blinked several times, as if trying to clear his vision. ‘This morning, however, we have farcast evidence that the threats are neither terrorists nor a hoax. In a moment I will broadcast shocking – unbelievable – images from the Mintaka system, captured by a biozoon. I urge you not to panic but to absorb this information. Mintaka is far, far from Scolar, and the Sophos has already dispatched our full politic guard to protect our shift station.’
Cries of surprise broke out in the lab, only to silence again as new images flickered across the screen. At first they were difficult to understand: exterior views of space interspersed with streaming light signatures, and blurred holo-diagrammatics of the Mintaka system. A commentary