With spurning your sexual advances and Jo’s impregnation a concern has begun to weigh on you heavily. With children from only one coupling the future of your colony looks bleak, and with this problem on mind you return to Status Bed 551. After staring at it blankly for a while you address the ships computer.
“Computer how does this Cloning Bed work?”
The drone of the ships electronic voice fills the room.
“Status Bed 551 has been altered to accept a sample of DNA to produce and nurture human fetus to maturity at an accelerated rate.”
“Who altered it?” you ask, then add “…and why?”
“Dr. Henry Brown & Dr. Valory Romanov, at the bequest of Former Captain Griffith Midland altered Status Bed 551 after receiving news of earths decline in barbarism after 174 years of world war. The intent of this project was to aid the efforts of the colonists to build and populate the ‘New World’ they were traveling to. Lancaster was chosen as the trial specimen for her genetic advantages.”
This last line peaks your interest.
“What genetic advantages?”
“ Lancaster’s gene map reveals an absence of markers indicating hereditary diseases or conditions, as well as positive markers that accommodate physical strength, co-ordination and the capacity for mental development. Dr. Valory Romanov believed that Lancaster’s genes presented one of the best material bases for reproduction on this ship.”
You muse this over for a while. Knowing that your sister (and her clone) is squeaky clean on the genetic level alleviates a lot of your concern for knocking up her clone as well as giving you hopes for the child’s future. Now you decide it’s time for the hard questions;
“Computer, why did Status Bed 551 get the power that was meant for the other Status beds?”
“Status Bed 551 was set as a priority for power consumption, when the ships power supplies were depleted 136 years ago when S74-8 encountered a cloud of dark matter lower priority systems and status beds were systematically shut down to maintain the required amount of power for Status Bed 551 to maintain its gestational timetable.”
This was all becoming too much to take in but a picture of what had happened was beginning to form in your mind.
“A gestational timetable? Does that mean the clone can be matured at different rates of speed?”
“Affirmative, the more energy made available to Status Bed 551 will increase the growth of the human clone within. Former Captain Griffith Midland set the end of the gestation to coincide with the awakening of the colonists, he did not foresee the event which would cause the power drain.”
“…and how much power remains in the ships reserves now?” you ask with a sinking feeling. It had to be next to nothing since only three beds had awakened when you arrived a few months ago.
“Since landing the ships microfusion reactor and solar collectors have replenished the capacitors to 78%”
You can feel your jaw drop upon hearing this, but then you begin to do the math. Without engines and navigation systems to run, nor the mass of status beds and only minimal life support, of course the computer would begin to store the surplus power in its colossal batteries. Surely this would be enough to power Status Bed 551, even if it wasn’t your everyday model.
“Computer, how much of that capacity would running Status Bed 551 use?”
“Please state the desired gestational period.”
“Ummmm, the shortest?”
“Dr Henry Brown recorded that a clone could be safely grown in a period of 3 weeks. This level of activity would require 17% of the ships current power reserves.”
That was nothing! Especially at the rate the ship was replenishing itself, a bubble of excitement began to rise inside of you.
“…and all its needs is a sample of DNA.” you say to yourself looking down the lines of Status Beds filled with the remains of the crew and passengers.
“All I have to do is choose…”
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