| Chapter 11 | Chapter 13 |
Alternity 2 - Chapter 12
Date: CY 10091 - AD Mar5168 Day SixLocation: Andromeda Ascendant Medical Deck
"Are you sure Andromeda?" asked Trance as she sat down one one of the examining room's chairs and put her face in her hands.
"Positive," answered the image in the view screen. I'm sorry Trance, the tests I ran on you were definitive. They just confirmed what we've suspected all along."
"I suppose I shouldn't really be surprised," said Trance her voice was distant as if she was retreating from her own words. "All my medical training told me that humans and my species are too different to interbreed but when Aurora came along I was so happy I just accepted it and refused to look any further. How long have you known? And why didn't you tell me sooner?
"Almost from the moment you arrived aboard me. When we first did our initial examinations of you and your family. There really wasn't any other possibility though it wasn't until now that we knew for certain. As to why we didn't tell you earlier, we discussed it among ourselves and decided not let you know what we suspected until we knew you better. Later after we realized that you yourself were unaware of the true situation we thought that maybe it would be be best if we didn't tell you. But now we think it's time you know."
"Yes," said Trance tonelessly. "I needed to know. Andromeda," there was a pleading tone in the girl's voice, "please don't tell ever Harper what you just told me."
"You're going to have to discuss this with him sooner or later you know," said Andormeda's holographic self as she flickered into view.
"It's going to have to be later then. Harper and I have enough problems between us at the moment without adding another one to the list."
"There was no way you could have known Trance." The holographic image placed her hand on Trance's shoulder in a gesture of comfort to empathize her words. "You couldn't have been more than an infant when they did this to you. It's possible it was done to you while you were still in your mothers womb. But you need to decide soon if you're going to bring the child to term. Knowing what you do will you be able to be a proper mother for it and Aurora?"
Trance lifted her head and her voice became more determined. "Yes
Andromeda, I'm going to have the baby. Harper wants a big family and I want
to give him one. And I think I owe it to the girl whose reproductive organs
my people," she spat out the word 'people', "harvested and replaced
my own with, to have children. At least one of us will be able to have babies,
even if they have been genetically altered to look like someone else."
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