Worlds Apart Pt. 02

"I've been meaning to ask," Jamie continued, turning to the Marine. "Where's the Krell from last night? You guys seemed to be joined at the hip, but I haven't seen him around. Does he live in the settlement?"

"Nah, he comes and goes as he pleases," Harry replied with a shrug. "He's kind of like a giant cat. Whenever he gets any time off, he usually wanders off into the woods to find a nice muddy riverbed to bask in. That's his idea of a relaxin' afternoon."

"Isn't he worried about what might be lurking out there?" Jamie wondered, sparing a glance at the edge of the forest beyond the garden.

"He's a Krell," Harry chuckled, "he's practically indestructible. Save for a tree fallin' on him, I doubt anythin' on the planet could even scratch him."

"So, Hollyhock," Liz began. "What did you want to know about Earth?"

***

Jamie and Liz made their way back to the settlement, the rays of the setting sun shining through the leaves of the towering trees. Harry had offered to drive them back, but they knew the road well at this point, and the hike would give them time to talk about Holly's proposal.

"She makes a good case," Jamie said, his boots squelching in the mud. He could see the tire tracks that the truck had left on the way there.

"Of course she makes a good case, she was genetically engineered to be persuasive," Liz replied as she strode along beside him. "Her offer was generous, I'll give her that, but concern for the welfare of our future family isn't her only motivation. I get the feeling she wants us on Jarilo so that she can have easier access to us for photoshoots, so that she can monitor the development of our kids without having to go through the UAS as a middleman."

"What about raising the kids on a planet where aliens are the norm?" Jamie asked. "Liz, you used to get picked on so much when we were younger. Every other day you were coming to me in tears because someone was making fun of you for the way you looked."

"You used to be my little protector," she chuckled, reaching down to ruffle his blonde hair affectionately. "You were the bane of bullies everywhere."

"Surely those were bad experiences?" he continued, straightening his hair. "If we can spare the kids that same level of bullying, should we not do it?"

"You talk as though bullying doesn't happen between humans," she chuckled, leaping over a root. "I was targeted because I was different, yeah, but bullying is something that can happen to anyone. If it wasn't my tail or my ears, it might have been braces or acne. Children are cruel, they'll single each other out for the most minor things. My bullying isn't something that I dwell on."

"You don't think they'd have a better chance here than on Earth?" Jamie asked. "They'd be growing up in a multi-species society, possibly the first of its kind, as far as I know."

"I like Jarilo," Liz replied. "I like the people here, but I like Earth more. I fought hard to make it back there. People on Earth will never become more accepting of aliens if we just leave. People like us have to be a part of that process. You and I, we're living proof that humans and aliens can coexist, and I want other people to see that. I want our kids to embody that message, I want them to go out and befriend humans, maybe fall in love with them if that's what they want. And if they want to go to Borealis and meet other Borealans, they can do that too."

"Even if it's harder on them?"

"I don't think there's a sure way to protect them from the realities of the world, Jamie," she replied. "I think our job is to prepare them, not to shield them. Besides, I grew up on Earth, and I like the person I became."

"I do, too," he replied with a smile. "What about the space?" he continued, traipsing through a knee-high patch of ferns that were spilling out into the road. "Having unlimited room to grow is a lot more attractive than trying to raise five kids in our pokey apartment."

"Yeah," she conceded, "we were only planning for one..."

"We could have a house like the one you grew up in, we could have a garden, we could have a full-blown playground if we ask the Bugs to build one for us."

"It sounds like you're arguing pretty strongly in favor of staying," Liz said, glancing down at him. "Do you think we should take them up on their offer?"

"I didn't say that," he replied hastily, "I just want to consider all of our options. Let's break it down into pros and cons. As much real estate as we need is a pro, living in a society that's already comfortable with aliens, the big grant we'd get from the UN for settling. Then we have the cons. Leaving behind everything we know, our friends and families, our jobs."

"Potentially being political pawns for the Jarilans," Liz added.

"I don't think their motives are quite that sinister," Jamie protested. "Everyone has been so kind to us."

"They don't need to have bad intentions to take advantage of us," Liz replied. "I want to help them, of course. I meant what I said when I told Hollyhock that we'd cooperate with her project. I just worry that she'll place the reputation of the Jarilans above the welfare of our kids, and from her perspective, why shouldn't she? Weighing the importance of one family against the lives of thousands, what other conclusion could she come to?"

"I see what you mean," Jamie conceded. "On the other hand, if journalists get wind of us, they'll have a much harder time pestering us out in the middle of the Jarilan woods."

"I think we'll be alright," she replied, baring her sharp teeth in a grin. The implication wasn't lost on him. The sight of an angry Borealan would be enough to send most Paparazzi packing. "We can talk more about it, if you think we should stay," she added. "I don't want to railroad you."

"No, I think you're right," he continued. "We were perfectly happy going back to Earth before Holly made her offer. Besides, it's home. I'm not exactly close with my parents, but that doesn't mean I want to be sixty light-years away from any blood relatives."

"I don't have much of a choice when it comes to mine," Liz chuckled. "Visiting isn't exactly easy when a round trip takes a year."

"You said you wanted to take the kids there one day, though? To learn what it means to be a Borealan, like you did when you were younger?"

"One day," she replied with a nod. "And don't think I'm gonna let you stay behind."

"Hey, I'm a genuine space explorer now."

"Of course, how could I forget," she giggled.

"We've got time to think about it, anyway," Jamie added. "Speaking of which, what are we going to do while we wait for the eggs to start maturing in the lab? Sousa said it would take four or five days, right?"

"Guess we have some vacation time," she replied with a shrug.

***

The next few days passed quickly. There wasn't a whole lot to do on Jarilo besides hike and drink, which is what Liz and Jamie spent a lot of their time doing. It tuned out that Harry and Blackjack were frequent visitors to the bar, so it became somewhat of a routine for Jamie to play them at poker, every game of which he lost to the perpetually-grinning reptile.

They visited Holly's homestead a couple more times, too, both to socialize and to discuss her ideas in greater detail. She seemed disappointed when they told her that they were declining her offer to stay on Jarilo, but she didn't press the issue.

As they had suspected, the Marine and the Ambassador were bunking together. The pair were rarely apart. They let slip shows of affection when they thought they weren't being observed, as though they could scarcely stand to keep their hands off each other for the duration of the visit. Why they found it necessary to conceal their relationship in the presence of another inter-species couple, Jamie wasn't quite sure. Maybe it was something to do with Harry's official position as Holly's bodyguard. Still, there was something oddly endearing about the way that they would sneak off to whisper and paw at one another like schoolkids behind the bike sheds.

The big day finally came, and Sousa called them back to the lab, where he showed them blown-up images of the microscopic eggs that Liz had donated.

"As you can see," he began, gesturing to the monitor as Jamie and Liz looked on. "The eggs were successfully fertilized under lab conditions, and cell division has begun. At this stage, everything looks perfectly healthy, and we have no reason to postpone the procedure."

"So, the next step is to transplant the eggs into me?" Liz asked.

"That's correct," Sousa replied, turning back to face them as the flickering light from the screen silhouetted him. "We'll be taking the fertilized eggs and implanting them into your uterine wall. The procedure is very simple, and it's non-invasive. We give you a mild sedative, then take a long catheter, inserting it into the uterus by way of the vaginal canal. Once that's done, we take a syringe containing the embryos and some suspension fluid and inject them through the tube. It's fast and painless, and the chance of complications is statistically insignificant. Once that's done, our job will be over. There won't be any more poking and prodding, aside from the occasional checkup to monitor the development of the embryos. You'll be responsible for carrying them to term under your own power."

"There's one thing I wanted to ask," Liz said. "What's the timetable for returning to Earth? Borealan pregnancy lasts about eight months, and it will take at least four to get back home."

"We'll want to observe you here, at least for the first few weeks," Sousa explained. "It's important to make sure that the embryos take. Truth be told, that first month is crucial. That's the period when your body is most likely to reject the implanted eggs. It's a possibility that you should prepare yourselves for, as unlikely as we believe it to be. Know that if something goes wrong, we can simply start over. It's not the end of the world."

"We should stay for another month, then?" Jamie asked.

"The ideal window for travel is between your second and sixth month of pregnancy," Sousa replied. "You don't want to leave it too late, either. You're going to get heavy, and you'll find that your mobility will be greatly decreased. James is going to have his work cut out for him."

"And, if something goes wrong once we've left?" Liz asked.

"You'll be on a UAS ship for four months, and once you get back to Earth, we'll have people monitoring you as per the agreement."

Jamie had almost forgotten that this entire venture was basically an experiment funded by the United Academy of Sciences. The organization's involvement wasn't going to end once they stepped off the Magellan at the American Terminus station.

"When can we start?" Liz asked, her prior eagerness returning.

"I see no reason we can't schedule the procedure for tomorrow," Sousa replied.

***

Liz waited until they had left the lab, then caught Jamie in her arms, spinning him around as she let slip a cry of glee.

"This is it!" she exclaimed, practically vibrating with excitement as she set him back down. "No more tests, no more waiting. I'm finally going to have babies growing in my belly!"

"I can't believe we're finally here," Jamie said, dusting himself off as she grinned down at him. "It feels like it's taken us forever. To think that a regular couple could do this by accident if they got drunk and forgot to use protection one night."

"I think that makes it all the more meaningful," she replied, a spring in her step as they made their way back to their prefab. "Some children are accidents, some are planned, but we had to fight tooth and claw to conceive. They couldn't be more wanted."

"I guess it's kind of romantic when you put it like that," he said, Liz smiling at him.

"Come on," she added, taking him by the hand. "We should celebrate the occasion."

"Are we going to the bar?" he asked, having to jog to keep up with her long strides.

"I was thinking we could do a little roleplay," she chuckled, giving him a sly glance. "If I'm gonna be a mommy tomorrow, I want to feel like I've earned it..."

***

The procedure went by without a hitch, and Liz left the lab a short time later, no worse for wear.

"Sousa says that I should take it easy for a few days," she said, Jamie taking her hand as she descended the metal steps. "He told me that my estrogen levels are going to spike, so my boobs might get sore."

"Why do you sound so excited about having sore boobs?" Jamie chuckled.

"Because it means it's really happening!" she replied. "Hot flashes, weird cravings, morning sickness. My body will be switching gears into baby mode, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Did Sousa say when you'd start to show?" he added, glancing at her belly. He couldn't see anything beneath her jacket, but the idea of that flat, muscular midriff inflating like a balloon was at once odd and fascinating.

"Probably not until after we leave Jarilo," she replied. "He said about twelve weeks. I guess I have to start thinking about time in terms of trimesters now," she continued with a nervous giggle. "The clock is ticking."

***

The next day, Liz and Jamie were surprised by an unexpected visit from Holly and her entourage. The truck pulled up near the prefab, Harry holding the door open for her as she stepped out, Blackjack dropping down out of the flatbed with a splash of mud. They made their way to the door, Jamie opening it to greet them.

"I'm told that Lizka underwent her final procedure yesterday," Holly began, standing at the foot of the metal steps with her lower pair of hands clasped nearly in front of her. "I thought I might drop by to give her my well-wishes."

"Oh, of course," Jamie replied as he moved aside. "Please, come in."

Holly stepped into their prefab on her long legs, taking a moment to wipe her dainty feet on the doormat. Her antennae bobbed in the air as she turned her head, examining the interior. Harry came in after her, taking off his muddy boots, while Blackjack poked his massive head through the doorway.

"Probably better if you stay outside, buddy," Harry advised. The Krell rumbled in what might be agreement, then withdrew, standing guard outside the building. He didn't even need a weapon, the mere presence of such a creature would probably be enough to deter any would-be troublemakers.

Liz rose from her seat on the couch to greet the visitors, Holly's feathery antennae waving as she neared, almost as if she was scenting the feline.

"The medical staff at the hive informed me that the embryos have been successfully implanted," Holly began, smiling up at Liz. At about five feet, Holly was a good three feet shorter than the Borealan, her tiara-like horn barely at chest-height.

"Yep," Liz replied, patting her belly. "I'm officially pregnant now."

"How are you feeling?" Holly asked.

"Fine," Liz said with a shrug. "My chest is getting a little sore, but Doctor Sousa told me to expect that."

"May I?" Holly asked, gesturing to her antennae. Liz looked confused, not really knowing what she wanted, but replied with a curt nod. The insect raised her antennae, brushing the appendages against Liz's face.

"What are you doing?" Jamie wondered, watching Liz resist the urge to pull away as the fine hairs tickled her skin.

"We Jarilans are very sensitive to pheromones," she explained. "You're glowing, Lizka," she added as her face plates arranged into a warm smile. "I can sense the hormonal changes in your body. Your scent is different now, somehow motherly..."

Liz didn't really know how to respond, but she treated it as a compliment, returning the insect's smile.

"It's only been a day," she chuckled. "Is it already so obvious?"

"Your body is adapting itself to the new life that's growing inside you," Holly added, glancing down at her belly. "So many of its functions are shifting, changing, reshaping themselves. As a creature born from an egg, I find the process of mammalian reproduction...fascinating."

"What about you?" Jamie asked, Holly turning her pink eyes to him.

"Whatever do you mean?" she asked, reaching up to clean one of her furry antennae with her fleshy fingers.

"I mean, can you reproduce? You're part human, right?"

Harry's face reddened, while Holly seemed flustered. It was the first time that he had seen her struggle to formulate a reply since they had met.

"The Queen usually deals with matters of reproduction," she said, straightening her gossamer skirt as she regained her usual composure. "The castes are capable of reproduction in an emergency, when the Queen cannot replenish the hive's numbers alone. That was before, however," she added. "I confess that...I have not broached the subject with her. I would assume that those same contingencies still exist in the Jarilans."

"I just wish we'd get to see the kittens when they're born," Harry said, changing the subject. "Never seen a baby Borealan before. Can't even look up pictures out here, there's no intranet set up yet."

"Yes, it's unfortunate that you decided to return to Earth," Holly added. "I would have loved to see them."

"Don't worry," Liz replied. "We'll be sending you plenty of pictures and videos for your project."

"Do you guys want something to drink?" Jamie asked.

"Sure," Harry said. "We shouldn't stay for too long, though. BJ's gonna get bored."

***

The next few weeks were uneventful. Jamie and Liz had settled into their routine, and just like living on the Magellan during their journey to Jarilo, they quickly adapted to this new lifestyle. Neither of them had had this much free time since high school, and they spent a lot of it socializing.

The bar was the community center of the settlement. Everyone seemed to pass through there, and there was plenty of opportunity for conversation. Jamie was interested in learning where the people had come from and what their motivations were for making the move. Some said that the allure of a pristine, Earth-like planet was too much to turn down, especially when combined with the UN grant program. Others were escaping problems back home, debt being something that was often brought up. More than a few people had used their grants to pay off loans before relocating. Jamie was surprised by how willing people were to share the details of their lives, even without the tongue-loosening effects of the alcohol. The settlers here had been reborn, in a sense. They had left their problems light-years behind them, so it was almost like they were talking about a completely different person.

One settler in particular had an interesting story. He had once been a high-flying investment banker back on Earth, but a messy divorce had drained him of his assets, and he had gone from living in an executive suite in a high-rise to a dilapidated apartment in a bad part of town. After declaring bankruptcy and fearing that he might not be able to afford rent, he had seen an ad for the UN's settlement program. With the money, he had been able to move to Jarilo and start a completely new life, enrolling in a program to learn how to manage a farm. It was almost impossible to believe that a man who had once sipped champagne from crystal flutes at the top of the world could find contentment in working the land, yet here he was. He had remarried and now had a kid on the way to boot.

Another was a woman from Io who had grown up in the colony's labyrinthine tunnels, where poverty was still a very real problem. Jamie knew little of the Jovian system save for what he had learned in school. It had been colonized by The People's Republic of China shortly before the nation's collapse and subsequent breakup following the Sino-American war. The colonies had been quick to declare their independence, laying claim to the rich natural resources in the gas giant's influence.