Shepherd Moon, Book 2: Homeworld   by Roberta J. Cabot

Chapter Three To the public, the upcoming event that the Elyran Royal Family will be hosting on Earth was just another of those events that they had from time to time, but even these events were of great interest, simply because of Mia, the famous "warrior queen of Earth." And having one of these events on Earth was just just a normal byproduct of Mia being from Earth. For the Earthers, though, this was a pretty big deal. It was doubly exciting because it was Mia's birthday a few days after this event, and the preparations being done at the Sciolian Isles had been the subject of continuous coverage by the Earth media, and it just ramped up the excitement factor day-by-day. What everyone knew about the event was it was one of Queen Tasha's, Princess Mia's and Duchess Sahsha's pet science projects - some sort of exploration thing. But what Marjorie discovered showed that it wasn't really any ordinary project, and was something more mysterious than what the royals were telling. In any case, Mia was racing from Colossus, whereas Marjorie and her fellow grad students were onboard a special flight from Triton, and Tasha and Sahsha, onboard Talon, were already near Earth.

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Chapter Three: An Appointment With The Doctor

 
"At your peril..."

Sahsha made her way to Talon's main deck, and, as usual, she was surrounded by a bunch of males, and they were all gabbing at her a mile a minute.

For whatever reason, a female submissive bridge royal was such a novelty that many of the Elyran males onboard Talon, who were all submissives, wanted to be close to her and be her friend. But it wasn't necessarily an attraction that they felt, per se, but, because they were all submissives, it was like they wanted her to be part of their clique (or to be part of Sahsha's clique - it didn't really matter), or what an Earther would say, her gang.

It was sort of like on Earth, where all the girls in school wanted to be friends with the prettiest and most popular girl. Sahsha has turned out to become the popular girl onboard with the males. But, being so physically attractive as well, the Elyran men were also physically attracted, too. But they would never make a move on her - she was one of the wives of the queen herself, after all, and to do so would be treason. On Earth it would have been called "lèse-majesté," a French Earther term first used in the 15th century that meant "to do wrong to majesty." Of course, they wouldn't have minded if it were Sahsha that made the first move.

As for the female Elyrans onboard, since most were dominants, most had less respect for Sahsha than they would have had for her otherwise. It was roughly similar to what an Earther male from the middle ages would have felt for a fellow male that acted... less than masculine. But not in any majorly negative way - she was one of the queen's wives after all, and was the one known as "she who saves," besides.

And she was just as impressive and capable in her own way as the other two royals, but she was routinely underestimated, which Elyran women tended to do. And it was only after working with her for a time that they would realize, to their detriment, that they were wrong. There was a saying inside Seraphim, the home of the Northern Kingdom's royal family, which was now Princess Mia's and Lady Sahsha's official home as well. The saying that the staff used often went, "trivialize our lady at your peril" - "our lady" being Sahsha (the Northerners felt very propriatary towards Mia as well as Sahsha). In fact, the same saying was now becoming a common mantra for the staff of the Royal Castle in the Great Plains Kingdom as well - working with Sahsha was an education in itself, and one would walk away from their first encounter with the duchess with a new perspective and new knowledge.

What's more, she was an incredibly powerful bridge - a powerful submissive bridge, which, for any dominant bridge, was powerfully attractive, so, despite her being female, and despite same-sex relationships being fairly uncommon in Elyran society, Sahsha nevertheless had her share of female admirers. But, because she was one of the queen's spouses, no one dared act on their feelings.

 
Sex Kitten

Once Sahsha got on the command deck, she left her... admirers outside.

"Good morning, Swordmistress Reena," Sahsha greeted Talon's commanding officer.

"Good morning, Duchess," Reena said with genuine pleasure. It was always nice for her bridge crew when Sahsha comes and visits.

"Pardon the commotion outside," she said. "You know how men can be." Reena chuckled.

Sahsha didn't like this type of deprecating, sexist kind of humor Elyrans consistently made about males, but she had to assimilate so she tended to echo it sometimes. She was constantly trying not to, of course, but sometimes she forgot. In any case, she knew she couldn't be an advocate for Elyra's men because she wasn't an Elyran native, plus she also had to labor under a different, though similar kind of prejudice herself. Yes, she was a woman, and that should have made it easier, but she was a human in a world of Elyrans. Nevertheless, she was still a woman, so that should have given her a leg up in Elyran society, but she was also a submissive, and she found her opinions were taken less seriously, despite being a woman.

But, by virtue of her being physically attractive, and of her being a very powerful submissive bridge, everyone, even fellow submissives, were ready to jump to do her bidding. But she found it becoming tiresome after the first eight months of her stay on Elyra, and frustrating, too, because she never needed to explain, or show her competence - she just needed to be there and be beautiful. She would say something or express an opinion, and everyone around her will agree automatically and scurry to do what she said, and whether or not she was correct, or had an intelligent idea or position was immaterial.

And everyone wanted to be around her and to shower her with gifts. All the time.

It was frustrating. And she couldn't really confide in Mia or Tasha - though they were the only two that knew her true abilities, she didn't want to burden them with her seemingly-paltry problems, especially when they had such enormous burdens. She closed off that part of her from them, and even though they were each others' bridges, Mia and Tasha didn't have an inkling of her problems.

So, instead, she'd spend time unburdening herself to Ben, her closest friend on Elyra, but, though Ben would commisserate with her, he wasn't really listening, since he was smitten himself, and he would just agree with her and offer a shoulder to cry on, but really not listening to the substance of what she was trying to say, and not really understand. And she would cry all the more because of that.

So Sahsha found herself spending hours every night on long, Phase-Wave calls to her other close friend, Nick Andros, and unload the frustrations of a bird trapped in a gilded royal cage.

Nick, trying to be a good friend to Sahsha, would try to reserve time during his busy day just for Sahsha's almost-nightly calls, regardless of his busy schedule as Earth's ambassador to the Galactic Federation.

"My dear," he said, during one of their long-distance night-calls, "you are a victim of what they used to call the Marilyn Monroe Syndrome."

"Who?" she asked.

Nick didn't bother to explain who Marilyn Monroe was. After all, he was probably the only 20th Century movie buff in a thousand parsecs, and no one else would know about Marilyn Monroe.

"I mean, the Sex Kitten Syndrome," he said instead, using yet another archaic 20th Century reference. He hoped she'd get what he was saying. He was sure she would, from context at least.

"You mean..."

"Yep. What can I say, kid - you're a stone-cold babe, and everyone has the hots for you. So, of course, everyone around you would lose their minds! They can't help it." Curiously, Nick, in his way, appreciated these calls. Because, when can he be more like himself? The rest of the time, he had to be the proper gentleman from Earth - Ambassador Nick Andros. Most of his associates in Colossus would probably be scandalized if they heard him talking this way.

"Nick..."

"Sahsha," Nick sighed. "I've always said you're one of the smartest people I know. It's time for you to use some of those brains."

"Nick, I don't know what you mean!"

"Sahsha, you can't can't get rid of that sex kitten thing of yours, so, since you can't get rid of it, you might as well accept it, and use of it to your advantage!"

Sahsha sort of understood what Nick was saying, and from then on, she used what Nick called her "super-feminine superpowers" to get her way, and make people stop and listen, even if she had to order them to stand there and pay attention, and make them realize that there was actually a brain in her head, and over the years, she won over her people, and made them realize that she wasn't the designated bimbo in the royal family. And pretty soon, she'd regularly hear a phrase spoken behind her back - "trivialize our lady at your peril," visitors to the castle would be told. And Shahsha did her best to uphold her people's belief in her.

 
A Doctor's Appointment

"I was wondering, Lady Reena, how far we are from planetfall." Sahsha asked.

"We are actually at the last stages of our deceleration, well within ship maneuverable speeds. We are perhaps twenty-one Earth hours from planetfall."

Sahsha took a peek at the plot computer. "I see. For the rest of our escort, approximately thirty hours?"

Reena's eyebrows rose. "I will need to stop underestimating her," she thought. "You are correct, my lady," she replied to Sahsha.

"Would we have any shuttles prepped?"

"Unfortunately not. One of the Shepherd Moon's mud turtles may be made ready in short order, however. We have two of them aboard. What are you intending, my lady?"

"Her royal highness and I intend to make our way to Earth ahead of the fleet. We need to pay a short visit to the hospital before the beginning of the royal itinerary."

"Is there something the matter, my lady? Are you or her highness feeling poorly?"

Sahsha laughed, and her laughter made Reena feel good, as it always did.

"Oh, no. Not at all. But we have a... secret appointment." Sahsha made that Earther gesture of a finger over both her lips, signifying that it was a secret.

Of course, the entire bridge crew heard her, but they were the crew of the queen's flagship, and they would never betray the royal family.

"You can trust your crew's discretion, my lady."

"I know. You ladies know of our trust in all of you. Also, can you slack off deceleration by..." Sahsha paused and had a look of intense concentration... "by five percent? That way, you and the rest of the ships will arrive in Kennedy at the same time?"

Reena gave the pilot a look, and after a few seconds of calculations using the plot computer, the pilot looked surprised. "My lady is correct!"

Reena sighed. "Of course, she's correct," she said. How Sahsha was able to compute that in mere moments without a computer was totally beyond Reena, but she rationalized it by just saying to herself it was Sahsha.

"Execute Lady Sahsha's instructions, pilot." She then gestured to her communications officer. "Contact the other ships and inform them that we shall be reducing deceleration in order to synchronize with them for planetfall. Also contact the landing deck and to prepare one of the Earther mud turtle shuttles. Have her crew on standby. Also muster the queen's ready squad. The queen and the duchess will be conducting a clandestine mission down on Earth. The guard will be escorting their highnesses and provide security."

"Destination on Earth, mistress?"

"Tell the pilot and the ready squad that it will revealed after departure."

"Yes, mistress."

"Thank you, mistress," Sahsha said. "Now I have to go and wake up the queen. I am afraid she is still asleep," she sighed theatrically.

Everyone within earshot laughed. The queen was known to be very cross if she was woken up. They could only assume that she was tired from another bout of... late night calisthenics.

Tasha nodded to everybody and proceeded to their cabin.

 
Taking a walk

Several hours later, Sahsha was with Tasha, as well as a dozen (or fourteen in Elyran) of the best of the Queen's Royal Guard, and all of them in casual Earther civilian attire walking in the streets of Bethesda Maryland, in the Federated United States, one of the major nations on Earth.

All the queen's guards, as well as the queen herself, wore their swords in plain sight, in scabbards hanging from their belts, but it wasn't that strange anymore to see Elyrans walking the streets with swords. In fact, it had become a kind of fashion accessory among Earthers now, to wear swords and other similar accoutrements. But, like with any weapon, they had to be registered, so many wore realistic-looking rubber "costume weapons" instead, as you would wear costume jewelry in place of real jewelry. Sahsha herself wore one of these rubber swords (and Tasha was merciless when she made fun of her for this), but she did wear a jeweled foot-long dagger that she had hidden under her somewhat long blouse - a gift from Tasha.

As for sidearms, everyone in their party wore one, but kept them concealed.

Everyone in their party wore dark glasses. Tasha and Sahsha had to wear them in order to maintain anonymity, so their guards wore dark glasses as well.

So, although they were anonymous, they still attracted attention simply because they were a group of nine Elyrans and one beautiful brunette walking down the sidewalk as they made the short walk from the private military airport near the outskirts of town to the Bethesda Military Medical Center.

Before landing, Sahsha and Tasha called Dr. Isabella Puerrot. They were actually expected, so the doctor told them to go directly to the hospital and look for the base commander.

So, at the security gate, Sahsha brought out her expired and long-unused UN staff ID card. The MP commented on the fact that it was expired, but she said to just tell him that they had an appointment with the base commander. (Apparently, there were still a few people that didn't know her by name.)

The MP was a bit dubious, but the fact that the girl had nine Elyrans with her, he gave her the benefit of the doubt, and called the main office.

Wonder of wonders, security told him to ask them to wait there, and in less than five minutes, a large van was dispatched and Sahsha, Tasha and their companions were whisked to the base commander's office.

Tasha whispered to Sahsha that she was unused to all this.

"What do you mean, my love?"

"I am not used to this kind of treatment... no ceremony, no pomp, no unending line of dignitaries."

I'm sorry, Tasha. I..."

Tasha leaned over and gave her a kiss. "It's not that, dear," she said. "I kind of like it. It's refreshing, actually. It makes me feel like I'm a regular person."

Sahsha laughed and looked at her in civilian attire. Tasha made a very attractive "regular person," actually, and it confirmed something for Sahsha: even without the royal trappings, Tasha was still Tasha, and that Sahsha loved her wives regardless.

The base commander came over with his adjutant and Dr. Puerrot by his side, and saluted.

"Good morning, your royal highnesses," he said, and saluted them again in the traditional Elyran greeting - a slight bow with his fist over his heart. "I'm General Sam Fieldstien. I am the hospital commander. I'm sorry. I was only told about your impending visit just this morning, and wasn't able to properly prepare for your arrival. Is this connected with your event at the UN later tonight?"

"Good morning, General," Tasha said in perfect, if slightly accented Earther English, and shook his hand Earther style. "No need to worry. This was sort of an unscheduled visit. Thank you for accommodating us on such short notice. We would appreciate it if our visit is kept confidential. The admiralty has been informed of our visit, and they have acceded to our request. No doubt you would get the same request though channels shortly."

"Of course, your highness. Is it a medical emergency? How may I help, you?"

"Well, I suppose it is an emergency of sorts. Would it be possible for Sahsha and I to talk with Dr. Puerrot privately?"

"Of course." The two of them were escorted to a conference room while they and Dr. Puerrot started getting to know each other.

 
A doctor's appointment

After getting them settled in, the general left them after making sure to leave some snacks and drinks. The queen had a couple of special requests, though - she asked for genuine Maryland crab cakes and perhaps some champagne. Sahsha and Dr. Puerrot asked for fresh, unfermented Krahhng (the zero-alcohol citrus-type drink has become a popular breakfast drink among Earthers, plus it had the benefit of, if you leave a bottle out in the sun for a few days, becoming the best-tasting substitute for orange-flavored vodka).

The general's staff was aghast to see their commander actually fetching snacks for their unseen visitors, but were afraid to ask or to actually offer to help. If they did, the answer would have been that it was a top secret matter - something that people in the hospital rarely encountered nowadays.

In any case, the three got down to brass tacks pretty quickly.

"First of all, Doctor," Sahsha began, "I would like to thank you for letting us know about..."

Isabella Puerrot smiled depracatingly, and waved Sahsha's thanks away. "In all honesty, Lady Sahsha," Isabella said, "I was actually trying to contact Princess Mia. But, in any case, all's well that ends well."

"Well, I for one, am glad that for the mistake. Since the queen and I were able to... discuss things beforehand, before Mia found out."

Tasha nodded. "Indeed."

"So, I take it you haven't told the princess about it yet?"

The two looked at each other. "Well, no... not yet." Sahsha replied, and looked down in embarrasment.

The matter at hand was about Isabella's discovery.

During the intervening period, from Mia's GRS and FFS procedures (the surgical and chemical procedures that allowed Mia to be medically altered into the closest version of a female that current Earth science was able to) up til the present, Dr. Isabella Puerrot was assigned as the hospital's official medical case manager of Admiral Dr. Amelia Catherine Kerr-Steele, aka Princess Mia of Elyra and Earth.

As such, any medical matter relating to the princess was to be referred to her. And several months ago, she was informed that some genetic material from Mia's operation, which was kept in medical storage, per the hopital's GRS policies and quarantine procedures, were about to be disposed of. And, as a matter of procedure, Isabella tried to contact Mia prior to their disposal, to ask if the princess would not object to that.

However, as it happened, Sahsha mistakenly answered the call. After which, Mia and Tasha became part of the conference call. The subsequent discussion resulted in Mia granting permission for the disposal of the "material," which were basically miscellaneous tissue samples, some organ components, half a kilo of skeletal material, half a liter of blood, liposuctioned material and blood vessels, and several hundred ounces worth of dermal tissue.

But this also included Mia's... male reproductive... parts.

After they had finished the conversation and hung up, and Mia left on some errand for the Northern Kingdom, Sahsha called the doctor back, with Tasha listening.

Sahsha asked if it was possible for the doctor to have the organs harvested for Mia's sperm.

One couldn't say that Isabella was shocked. After all she had seen the worst of the human condition, as well as the best. This, to her, was almost inconsequential.

Naturally, the only conclusion was that Sahsha wanted to be impregnated with Mia's sperm. Isabella said there were probably some preserved sperm but not much. In any case, she would start the harvesting procedure, but actual impregnation will require Mia's full knowledge and consent.

Sahsha promised to get it, and Isabella said she will wait for Mia's answer. Meanwhile she would proceed with the harvesting.

However, Tasha, who was listening silently the whole time, suddenly spoke up, and said she wanted to be impregnated, too.

Firstly, Isabella was very surprised to hear this. Not so much because of the request, but because the queen was so naive and so... uninformed that she assumed that this was even possible.

"Your highness..." Isabella began.

"Oh, stop giving me that look, doctor!" Tasha said. "You, too, Sahsha! I am not completely ignorant! But it was my dream, to be able to bring a child of mine and our beloved Mia into the world. But it was a forlorn hope. She is human, after all, and no longer male..."

"Not being male is less of a factor nowadays," the doctor interjected. "It's rarely done, but egg-cell fertilization was now possible without the need for actual sperm, with the proper medical intervention." She shrugged. "At least with humans, that is..."

Sahsha hugged her beloved wife. "Tasha..."

Tasha hugged her back. "I want you, my dearest," Tasha said, "and you, too, doctor, to look at this." She brought out her Phase-Wave phone/CC, and sent them a small electronic folder.

Isabella perused the material inside the folder from her CC, and Sahsha did likewise. In that folder were several dozen articles that Tasha had collected over the years.

The first article was an Earther scientific article on panspermia, and on the unmistakable similarities of most of the species in the Federation, such as the fact that almost all of them were carbon-based, most were oxygen breathers, most had two arms, two legs and a head, that they perceived the world through senses of sight, touch and sound, had stereoscopic vision and stereo hearing that perceived EM radiation and vibrations in the atmosphere, and at similar ranges, too, and so many others similarities.

This article was followed by several other similar articles from people of many different species, all of them speculating about some sort of common biological source of life in this part of the galaxy.

And as Isabella and Sahsha read one article after another, by checking the sources, they found that they weren't written by crackpots but by legitimate scientific authorities.

The last few documents were excerpts from news articles, which talked about the many cultural similarities between Earthers and Elyrans/Detterex, especially in things like language (there were literally thousands of individual phrases and words which had the same meanings and connotations to all three) and common aesthetical preferences (ideas of beauty and so forth), that, for totally different species separated by thousands of light years, such inexplicable parallelisms could not be explained away so easily. There was one Elyran article where the writer openly speculated that Earthers might actually be related, biologically speaking, to Elyrans/Detterex.

After over half an hour of reading, Isabella cleared her throat.

"This is all very interesting, your highness, but..."

"Yes, yes," Tasha said. "There is no incontrovertible proof. With the current state of the art in medical sciences, this is easily acquired, but no one has tried to do so. The idea of cross-species fertilization is a preposterous idea, after all, right? Much more that that, are there ethical or moral considerations to trying to find out? Isolationist elements and racial purists in both societies would surely decry the... mongrelization of our races, and the danger to our racial purity. So would Elyran society allow it? Would Earth?"

Isabella nodded sadly. "You are right, your highness. It's sad to admit it, but you are right."

"I have, at my beck and call, the resources and technology of the entire Elyran race, and it would be easy or me to command them to do so, but then I cannot since, to some elements in Elyran society, it would put into question my sanity or my morality, and this may jeopardize myself and my family, and, by extension, the entire Elyran race..."

"So, what is your highness asking of me?"

"I am asking, Doctor, if you can do it for me."

Isabella looked at Tasha.

"Queen Tasha," she said, using Tasha's title deliberately, "I do not..."

"Please, doctor. You can do so in secret, whereas I cannot risk it. Find the answer for me. Please."

Isabella looked at Sahsha. Sahsha looked back inscrutably.

"I suggest you look at the last document in the folder," Tasha said, and they complied.

"What is that, Tasha?" Sahsha asked. The last document only contained one photograph.

"That is a picture of a sculpture carved from the hard granite wall of the subterranian catacombs underneath the Royal Castle. Historians have said it depicts a day in the life of an Elyran family from ancient times."

The sculpture depicted what presumably was the figure of a mother holding hands with a shorter male, presumably the father. The features were dulled by rough, corroded details the result of the passage of time, but one can tell which was the mother because of the sword and the armor - though the sword blade was missing, the sword hilt was still there, and though the detail was very rough, the woman was clearly wearing armor. Standing in front of the couple were a small girl and boy. Though interesting, Isabella and Sahsha were wondering why they were looking at this.

"Tasha, why are we looking at this?" Sahsha asked.

"Look at their hands."

Sahsha and Isabella zoomed in on the hands, and they saw that the hands of the little girl and the hands of the father had five fingers, while the mother and the little boy had the expected four.

"Oh, my god..." Isabella murmured. She sighed. "All right. I will do it."

The following day, a sample of Queen Tasha's blood was put inside an Earth-made cryogenic mini-freezer unit the size of Sahsha's purse, and disguised as a royal Elyran diplomatic pouch. It was then loaded onto an Elyran courier ship, and it traveled the interstellar void on its way to Earth.

 
All about DNA

At the present time:

"So," Dr. Puerrot said, "first things first." She brought out a cryogenic mini-freezer similar to the one that held Tasha's blood samples.

She slid it across the conference table to the two, and Sahsha eagerly grabbed at it.

"Inside are sixteen individual injectors in deep freeze, for use in impregnation. A small instruction pamphlet is also included. Given the scarcity of the harvested samples, each injector only has one tenth of the genetic material in a normal fertility injector, so you have to follow the instructions to the letter to maximize the chances for fertilization. Wait the maximum six weeks before trying again. Remember, this is all that we have. Be careful with it. Don't waste it."

"If it doesn't work?"

"Well, if it doesn't work, we can always resort to EECF. It'll be hit-or-miss, but at least you will have a chance."

"EECF?"

"EECF-SCPI, actually. It stands for 'electro-chemical egg cell fertilization via somatic cell polar body injection.'"

The two looked at her with incomprehension. "It's the procedure of fertilizing an egg cell without using sperm," she explained.

"Ahhh..."

"Thank you, Doctor," Tasha said. "Now, what about me?"

Isabella nodded. She brought out a little thumb-drive. "This contains the documentation of all that we have found when we analyzed your blood and other samples." She slid it to Tasha this time.

"It runs to several thousand pages of technical material," Isabella said, "but it does have a... layman-friendly short version at the end. But, for now, let me summarize our findings. Your highness, I suggest you turn on your translator in case I use terms you might not be familiar with.

"Based on the material that Earth was given during our first encounter with your people, we knew that almost all the organs and organ structures of an Elyran were mostly the same as in an, ummm, Earther. But that was the extent of our knowledge.

"But, having analyzed your samples, it seems that Earther and Elyran cell structures are also the same, unlike the cells from all the other species in the Federation. Also, the basic genetic material are the same stuff. So, both of our species have the same type of cell structures and, more than that, they work off the same components and the same mechanisms of DNA and RNA, and made up of the same chemical elements.

"In fact, they were so similar, the lab people assumed it was blood coming from some Earth mammal instead of an alien, pardon the term. They were so similar that they were able to perform DNA analysis straight away. If you think about it, that's mind-boggling, right? Two completely separate species that are from different planets...

"But let's leave that for the moment, and let's go to the details, which I'm sure is what you want to know about.

"First off, all Earther creatures are based out of a mechanism that centers around DNA, and form what we call genes. These genes are contained in what are called chromosomes, and these chromosomes, which come in pairs, are within the cell nucleus. The chromosomes are what provides the blueprint for the Earther. And it seems Elyrans have the same thing.

"For us humans, we have twenty-three base pairs of chromosomes, which differ to our most closely related cousins, the gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans. They have twenty-four pairs. But that's because, sometime in our genetic past, two pairs fused together, and became twenty-three.

"Anyway, you also have chromosomes, but you have twenty-five base pairs."

Tasha's face fell. "That does mean we are incompatible with Earther..."

Isabella shook her head. "Non. It does not follow that you may be incompatible because of that. What may be is the percentage of shared DNA.

"Way back in the early part of the 21st Century, we found that humans shared 99.9% of their DNA with each other, and the zero-point-one percent difference is what accounts for the differences of each individual with each other, as it is for other Earth species, whether they be cats or cows. That zero-point-one percent difference is no barrier to compatibility nor procreation for a species.

"However, the species which is closest to us, which are the chimpanzees and the bonobos - we share an amazingly high percentage of our DNA - about 98.7%. But it's not just the percentage of similarity: they're about which genes are shared - the bonobos share 1.6% of their genes with humans and not with the chimpanpanzees, while chimpanzees have a different 1.6% that they share with us and not the bonobos. And the actual location of genes in the DNA chain also affects things. Humans, bonobos and chimpanzees do share most of their genes but a significant number are in different locations. All of this makes the three species genetically unable to interbreed."

Tasha and Sahsha's foreheads were wrinkled in concentration as they listened.

"Here is the thing," Isabella said, "the percent of similar genes between humans and Elyrans is a little over ninety-six percent. That figure shook me, actually. Sure, that figure essentially means humans have more in common with a chimp than with an Elyran. But that also meant we have more in common with an Elyran than with a cat or a cow. Which should have been impossible. And that is incredible. The fact that we are made of the same stuff, and have the same genetic mechanisms is mind-blowing already. But the fact that we are over ninety percent the same - it sends chills up my spine."

"But, Doctor," Sahsha said with some impatience, "what does that mean!"

"Are you familiar with dogs, your highness?"

Tasha looked confused a bit but answered gamely. "Yes, I am," she said. "Sahsha and Mia have shown me pictures, and I am actually hoping to get one as a pet. A golden retriever, in fact, because they looked the closest to Elyrans. But I fear that I might not find one that will take to me, or that I might not know how to care for one properly."

Isabella noted that in her mind, and would call someone who can help the queen with that, but later.

"The reason I mention dogs," Isabella said, "is that, most people think of the different kinds of dogs as different species, but, speaking from a genetic point of view, given their difference is minor, dogs and wolves are actually the same species, and are more appropriately defined as different breeds only, and can therefore procreate with each other without problems."

"Wait! Are you saying Elyrans and Earthers are the same species? That we're breeds of the same species?"

"Oh! No, no, no! We are clearly different species. But, if I may continue?"

Tasha blushed in embarrassment. "Of course, Doctor." She turned to Sahsha who was giggling at her little snafu. "Quiet, my dear," Tasha said in queenly tones, and gave her a kiss on the cheek for good measure.

"As I was saying," Isabella continued, "dogs and wolves are the same species, so they can breed true. Have you heard of horses and donkeys?"

Tasha sighed again. "Yes, I have seen horses. They're like our own Ro'an but larger and more powerful. I do not know of donkeys, though."

"Here, my love," Sahsha said, and offered her cellphone/CC. She had a picture of a typical donkey displayed on its screen.

"That looks like a horse," Tasha said, "with minor differences - the ears are longer, and the snout is shorter... Are you saying horses and donkeys are the same species?"

"Not at all. They are different. But horses and donkeys can actually interbreed. Their offspring are called mules and hinnies. A mule is the offspring of a donkey father and a horse mother, while a hinny is the opposite. And this is despite the fact that they have substantial differences in their DNA. Roughly speaking, the difference between a donkey and a horse is almost like the difference between a human, a chimpanzee and a bonobo."

Tasha looked at Isabella with wide eyes. To help, Sahsha showed her pictures of mules and hinnies.

"These... mules and hinnies, doctor..."

"Oh, there are several thousand of them, and most of them are fine. Each take characteristics from both species and make wonderful beasts of burden, if beasts of burden were still in use. Nowadays, breeding mules and hinnies is more like a hobby, and are bred for their novelty.

"There is one problem, though - mules and hinnies are sterile, as you would expect, because they are unable to produce sperm or egg cells. They have trouble making sperm or eggs because their chromosomes don't match up well."

"But other than that..."

"They're fine. But I'm sure you have your equivalents of mules so you would know..."

Tasha shook her head. "No. None."

"Oh..."

"So you're saying, Doctor..."

"I'm saying that, perhaps humans, I mean Earthers, can breed together with Elyrans. But we need to see, and if there is indeed a child but everything doesn't go well, the offspring could be developmentally damaged or autistic or... well, the range of genetic problems is limitless. Being sterile is the least of it."

"Oh no..."

But Sahsha was looking at the doctor. "But you don't think that will happen," she said to the doctor.

"Well..." Isabella hesitated.

"Please be frank with us, Doctor."

"I mentioned bonobos and chimpanzees, that, despite the high percentage of the same genes, their locations in the genetic map make them incompatible. But looking at the human 'blueprint' and the Elyran 'blueprint,' those genes that are the same seem to match up in the blueprint. It's like god took the human DNA, and randomly took out a few pieces and replaced them with other pieces to make an Elyran. Or vice versa."

"So, what does that mean?"

"I am not sure, of course, but I think the chromosomes will mostly match up, and the resulting offspring will be viable."

"But you're not sure..."

Isabella shrugged. "No, I'm not sure. But to have a one-is-to-one match, except for that pesky three-plus percent, is too much to believe!"

Isabella was quite excited, but she took a deep breath to calm down.

"All right," she said. "Naturally, of course, we wanted to find out what that three percent difference was all about. The state of the art in DNA and genetics is woefully not current, since a lot of information and technology was lost during the war, and it was never as important at the time as reclamation, nuclear decontamination, food production and power production. But we do have some 21st century data.

"So we used data from the old Human Genome Project, as well as the old genome-wide association studies, or GWAS studies, which was aimed to assess whether certain genetic locations are related to specific traits. GWAS studies screen the genome of people in a group of volunteers that carry a certain trait of interest. This was then compared with the genomes of people without that trait.

"Anyway, we used this data to identify the areas with the three-plus percent variance, and they seem to be related to three general traits - muscular development, cognition and eyesight. We'll probably identify more as we continue analysis. So...

"Sixteen locations on the human genome which are supposedly related to muscle strength and muscle density are part of that three-plus percent variance. Some of these locations, or 'loci,' are situated within or near genes known to be important to the biology of muscles. These genes include ACTG1, which is related to skeletal muscle fibre structure and function, and three genes called PEX14, TGFA, and SYT1, which are all important for muscle cell communication with the nervous system. Three other genes - namely, PEX14, LRPPRC, and KANSL1 - are also known to be involved in severe muscle conditions. What that implies, I don't know.

"Also, part of the three-plus areas with variation included seventy genomic loci significantly associated with cognition, which affected three hundred-fifty genes underlying cognitive ability. Also, the GRM3 gene, which relates to conditions of schizophrenia. The implications of that, again I don't know.

"Genetic ophthalmologic researchers have evidence that the most common vision problems among human children and adults are genetically determined. This includes strabismus or 'cross-eyes,' amblyopia or 'lazy eye' and refraction errors such as myopia or 'nearsightedness,' hyperopia or 'farsightedness,'  and  astigmatism. And the three-plus percent areas where we found of variances includes areas that are associated with these conditions, as well as, amusingly, eye color.

"It's all very intriguing, actually."

Sahsha and Tasha looked at her.

"Wow," Sahsha said.

"What does that all mean, Doctor?" Tasha interjected.

She shrugged. "Like I said, I don't know. But since most of the areas of variance we have currently identified are not in locis related to basic life functions, cross-species offspring may be viable."

"Damn it! You haven't told me what I wanted to know! Can I have a baby or not!"

"I am devastated not to be able to give you a definitive answer, your highness... I do not know for sure... but I think you can. Do you remember that picture you showed us before? The one in the catacombs? I did some research. The piece is called 'Stronger Together,' I believe."

"Yes?"

"It seems that it was supposed to have been created before the time of the Prophet, and scientists have confirmed that it dates earlier than even the earliest beginnings of Elyran civilization hundreds of thousands of millennia ago."

"Yes. There are dozens of such carvings in the catacombs. There are even carvings of proto-Elyran glyphs, which is believed to be the beginnings of the Elyran language..."

Isabella's eyes popped at that. "I need to visit the catacombs!"

"Doctor..."

"Sorry! My point is, the five-fingered man and little girl in that sculpture strongly suggests that sometime in Elyra's distant past, five-fingered humanoids and Elyrans coexisted and procreated. The implications of that is so far-ranging! I can hardly stop my imagination from running wild! But... to keep our discussion pertinent to your question... although I have no definitive science-based data, I believe that it is possible."

Tasha looked at Sahsha with hope.

"But, your highness," Isabella continued, "even if your offspring survives its birth, there may be many genetic problems... reduced fertility or even outright infertility, genetic disorders, asymmetry in limbs and facial features, high infant or child mortality, stunted growth, absence of immune system functions, cardiovascular diseases, mental disorders..."

Tasha started to cry. Isabella rushed to her side and gave her a hug. It wasn't her place, and she was the queen, but Isabeella felt responsible for the queen's sorrow. She may be breaking dozens or protocols, but all she knew was that the queen was hurting, and she was the cause.

"Your highness, what can I do?" she asked.

Tasha sniffed. She was a bit ashamed that she was crying. "I apologize, Doctor. It's hard when you find a dream will never be..."

"Ma'am, that's not necessarily so."

"But all that you said..."

"Yes, but I am not sure, remember? So it is by no means impossible. Unfortunately, it's a gamble. Perhaps the family should discuss it."

"She's right, my love," Sahsha said. "Let's talk it over with Mia."

"All right..."

- - - - -

Isabella and the general watched them leave.

"They're just walking?" the general asked.

Isabella nodded. "Yes," she said. "They're trying to stay under the radar. If they asked for transportation, then it would be all over the news."

The general nodded. "Perhaps I should have sent some MPs with them, at least..."

"No need, general," Isabella said. "See the Elyrans with them. They're part of the queen's fabled Honor Guard. Instead, feel sorry for anyone who'd bother the queen. They'd be cut to ribbons before their bodies touched the ground."

"Oh..."

Tasha, Sahsha and her party got back to the private military spaceport where their pilot was patiently waiting, and in a while, they were on their way back to the Talon. And to the rest of the world, it was like they never left the Talon, much more visiteed Earth ahead of everyone.

to be continued...

 

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