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(A/N: This is as far as I have written in this story so far, so it might be a while before the next chapter goes up. I don't really have too many ideas right now, so feel free to offer some or mention scenes you might like to see between Miyuki, Spork, and their children. I'll probably be able to fit them in somewhere for sure.)
Smeeting
Some Months Later
Miyuki lay in Spork's arms as they lay sprawled out in the garden gazing up at the sky. Her fingers were entwined with his. Distant colours from an aurora shone brightly above them. "You've seemed off lately. Are you okay?" he asked as they watched.
"Fine, my love. My squeedlysplooch has just felt particularly sick lately is all. An illness of some sort I would guess."
"You should probably get that checked out," he said.
"It will clear up."
"Just in case it doesn't." he said.
"Hmm… very well. Tomorrow then. For now, I would rather enjoy this night with you," she said. He drew her nearer and she grinned, nuzzling into him more. "Mmm I love you," she murmured.
"You're being weirdly affectionate right now," he said.
"And why not? The night is so romantic."
"Something is definitely up with you," he said.
"Don't ruin this," she warned with a frown.
"I didn't say it was something bad."
She smiled a little. "An excellent save," she said. She rolled over, sprawling on top of him and resting her head in the crook of his neck. "Are you alright?"
"Fine. Why?" he asked.
"Don't play coy. I heard the things some were saying about you at tonight's convention. I can't imagine you were deaf to them." He was quiet. "I chose you, my love. None of the others. Not even the finest of them. That they can't seem to wrap their heads around it is their own fault."
"Do you regret it sometimes?"
"No. Not even when we argue or fight."
"Do you ever wish I was more like them?"
"Less cynical and self-disparaging perhaps, but other than that, no."
"If I was it would get you praise instead of scoffing."
"I care for neither," she said. "Ah!" she suddenly cried, curling in on herself a bit.
"Miyuki?" he immediately and worriedly asked, sitting up carefully and lifting her with him.
"It's nothing," she gasped. "Just the pains again."
"You definitely need to see the doctor tomorrow," he said. "I know just the one!"
"The one married to your friend?" she asked. He started, seeming surprised. "Yes, I know all about it."
"Yeah. That one," he confirmed.
"Very well. Then I will. This can't keep on like this."
"Should I go with you?"
"If you wish to."
"I'm morbidly curious at this point, so yeah."
"Curious or concerned?" she asked with a smile.
He blinked then flushed ever so slightly. "Concerned," he begrudgingly mumbled.
"Don't be. I'll be alright," she replied, smiling at him. Gently she kissed him then settled at his side. Lightly he drew his finger up and down her shoulder wishing he could be convinced of that.
IZ
Miyuki and Spork stared at the doctor with eyes wide. The doctor held her clipboard up in front of her mouth nervously as she waited for the reaction. "I-I'm what?" Miyuki asked, stunned.
"Pregnant," the doctor squeaked.
"She's what?!" Spork said.
"Pregnant," the doctor repeated.
"What does that mean?!" Miyuki demanded.
The doctor blinked, glanced at her clipboard, glanced at the imaging, then turned back in confusion. "That you're with irken child," she said. Blank stares. "You have a smeet growing inside you." She looked at the imaging once more, then turned back. "Two actually."
"What?!" Miyuki and Spork exclaimed together.
"Two smeets. Inside a pouch in your squeedlysplooch. That need to come out."
"I'm sorry, explain this process to me again," Miyuki said.
The poor doctor suddenly looked immensely uncomfortable. "In days of yore, when a mommy and daddy irken…"
"Not that part! How precisely did this happen? How were they formed?" Miyuki asked.
"When a mommy and daddy…"
"Just. The process. Not the deed," Miyuki said in exasperation.
"Um… His DNA mixed with your DNA, which is found in the liquid inside your squeedlysplooch's pouch. When his DNA mixed with the liquid and DNA inside your pouch—which interestingly enough is of a similar composition to the liquids used in the Voot Cruisers as well as the birthing pods in the smeetery—the liquid began to bubble and swirl, and in it a little Smeet was formed. Two in your case. Which means the little larva formed by the mixing of the DNAs probably split into two little larva. They're now floating inside you. Irkens can't birth children naturally anymore due to our lack of exterior reproductive organs. The smeeteries and the cloning that went on with them, coupled with time, sort of took that ability away. Which means when they're mature, you'll have to have an operation to take them out. Or there can be a smaller operation earlier and the larva can be placed into a birthing tube to mature. I'd suggest that route because I'm not so sure the Control Brains will like it if they learn the Tallest is pregnant by the Second Tallest. Who is as far as they're concerned her inferior in every way. They accepted you two pairing up for pragmatic reasons, but you being pregnant doesn't lend to pragmatism anymore, so they'll realize the truth then and it won't go over well. That means that even if you go the birthing tube route, you'll still have to do it on the sly to keep it secret from them. As the larva mature, they'll start developing into little smeets that will grow bigger until they're viable, and when they're matured, they'll either be cut out of you or broken out of the birthing pods in the smeetery."
"How dangerous is this operation?" Spork demanded.
"If you wait until they're mature, it'll be harder. I don't think it'll be safe for you to wait until they're mature though. Your body-slimming armor doesn't lend to carrying them very long without complications. You'd have to take the rings off or reset them or something, but then the Control Brains would be more likely to notice. I mean, you could pull it off I suppose, but I would suggest doing the operation earlier just to make sure you stay undetected."
"Early as in now?" Miyuki nervously asked, uncertain about how she felt about being parted from them just yet.
"My theory is that the longer they're inside you the better—even more so since there's two, and that's almost unheard of—but I wouldn't advise waiting too long. Wait until either just before they start forming proper bodies, or shortly after they do."
"How hard is it to smuggle them into a smeetery and into a pod?" Spork demanded.
"After dark would be the best time to do it. There are many empty pods waiting to be filled. Pull one out, inject them into it the same way the cloned DNAs are injected, and it'll be marked as filled. The cold unfeeling robot arm—I think the one that breaks them out is controlled by the second male brain—will take it from there," the doctor said.
"They can be transferred outside the body?" Miyuki asked.
"If they've split from their larval stage and developed bodies by then. Otherwise, there'll be a whole hookup procedure. There are risks to either option."
"What risks?!" Spork immediately demanded.
"Well, hooking her up to the pod and having them injected will take longer, so you're more likely to be discovered, and it'll also be more dangerous for her since the injection could take too much out of her squeedlysplooch to be recovered from. Waiting until they've matured from larva and formed bigger bodies is more dangerous to them though, since getting them into the pods would be really difficult for smeets so big. Since the injection tube into the pods is so small, they could get stuck or squished by the pressure or the narrow walls. There might be a higher chance of the trick being discovered too. However, since they'll be inside you that much longer, they'll be more viable because of it so it might balance out? Maybe? My Tallest, my Second Tallest, you don't have to make a decision now. Take time to think about it and when you're ready to decide, I'll help you do what needs to be done," the doctor said.
"Y-yes. Of course," Miyuki, visibly shaken, said. Spork put an arm around her and led her worriedly out.
IZ
Miyuki sat on her bed still stunned, eyes locked on the floor and lips parted. Spork sat at her side fidgeting nervously. Neither of them had spoken since the diagnosis. Miyuki at last let out a stunned breath and covered her squeedlysplooch with a hand. Spork saw her beginning to tremble and quickly moved closer, drawing her near. "What are we going to do?" she numbly asked. He was quiet. He had no clue how to answer that.
"I guess the first question would be who you want to put at more risk," he said. "Them or you."
"Me!" she replied.
"Then the choice is obvious," he said.
"But the longer they're inside me, the stronger and more viable they'll be," she said.
"Honestly, I think they can be passed into the tube via a hookup process whether or not they're in larva form, and that'll ultimately be safer for them. They'll still have some of your fluid mixed with the birthing pod's fluid then. It could help them maybe. We probably should have asked. Just the later they transfer, the bigger they are and the higher the risk of them getting stuck, like she said," he replied.
"There must be a sweet spot," she said, standing up and starting to pace. "Shortly after they've metamorphosized from larva form to smeet form, perhaps! They would still be very small then, wouldn't they? But also still stronger and more viable."
"Probably a question to ask her," Spork said. "She put a lot of the decision making on us, but I think she was nervous to say what she figured we should do. Guess maybe she thought it would be overstepping."
Miyuki covered her mouth, closing her eyes. Oh what was she supposed to do? "I need to speak to her again," she said in a whisper. "The both of us were too shocked, I think, to ask the proper questions."
"Call her here," Spork said.
"I'm capable of moving still," Miyuki said, smirking a bit.
"This is where we'll feel most comfortable talking though," Spork replied.
"What of her? She needs to be at ease if we're going to get answers from her. The garden again maybe?"
"That's really becoming your safe place, isn't it?" he dryly said.
"Do you despise it so much?"
"No. Garden it is."
Miyuki floated to the communications and activated them. The doctor soon popped on screen looking nervous. "Can you meet us in the garden for a further chat?" Miyuki asked. "I think we've collected ourselves enough that we can ask further and better questions."
"Of course, My Tallest," the doctor replied. Miyuki nodded and cut communications.
IZ
"What would you recommend we do?" Miyuki asked point blank. "Is there a sweet spot for transfer? Can the smeets be infused into the birthing pod through a hookup even after morphing from a larval state to a smeet one, if they're still small enough to? How long can we risk keeping them inside me before the scales tip one way or the other on who is at greater risk?"
"My Tallest, this is such a rare phenomenon I can't give you certain answers," the doctor said. She had arrived with the comms officer, clearly nervous about facing them alone.
"What would you do if you were in this situation?" Miyuki asked.
The doctor hesitated briefly. She hadn't really thought of that. She frowned a little, thinking hard about the matter, but soon looked defeated. "I don't know. Ideally, I would wait until they matured inside of me all the way, but that isn't an option for you and it's a risky one even for me because I don't think such things are matters the Control Brains look kindly on. "Maybe… there might be merit to waiting until they're out of larval form before inserting them into the birthing pod via tube. It would have to be very shortly after though. Within a couple of weeks. It won't be as much risk to them then, and also it might be safer for you than transferring them in larval form. Less fluid would be needed to move them."
"Then we'll do it that way," Miyuki said breathlessly. "What other options do we have?"
The doctor shifted uncomfortably. "N-not carrying them at all? In any form?"
Miyuki looked puzzled, then briefly devastated as she realized what that meant before quickly recovering. "I would hardly call that an option. At least not for me. For others maybe, but not me."
"It would be the best option for you, My Tallest," Carlos boldly said. "Especially if the Control Brains start monitoring and getting suspicious."
"They're not going to do anything to her!" Spork immediately said.
"As far as we know," Carlos replied. "A Tallest has never been in this predicament before, though. Not since the smeeteries became a thing at least, and that was before any of us were ever born. Probably long before."
"They're mine! I will carry them without question," Miyuki replied immediately.
"Try not to put their sire in the spotlight then," Carlos dryly said. Spork started and grimaced, a hand going uncomfortably to his throat.
Miyuki looked stunned, then concerned. Worriedly she looked back at him. "Spork?" she asked. He stiffened a bit, eyes widening. "You've said nothing regarding any of this. Your life may well be at greater risk than even mine. You should have some say I think."
"Carry the smeets until they're ready to be transferred," he answered immediately. He blinked as if shocked he's actually said that. "C-carry the smeets," he stammered out in disbelief. He 'oomphed' as suddenly she threw herself at him and held him tightly. He returned the embrace gently.
"We'll do it that way, then," Miyuki said.
"I wish you both all the best, My Tallest. When the time comes, I'll let you know and help you. Checkups every month until I say otherwise. Just to make sure everything is alright," the doctor said.
"Of course," Miyuki replied.
"Come on, Din, let's go before we draw too much unwanted attention," Carlos said. The doctor, Din, nodded, and quickly she and the comms officer left, leaving Miyuki and Spork alone in the garden clinging to each other.
"I wasn't sure you'd even want them," Miyuki said after a moment, voice wavering.
"I didn't, but I'm not complaining either. We figured mixing our DNAs would be a good thing for us ultimately anyway. It just wasn't supposed to happen like this."
"You're right. This wasn't supposed to happen," she numbly said.
"But it did, so now we deal with it," Spork replied.
"Are you upset?"
"Just stunned. Overwhelmed. Maybe… maybe even a bit scared… Nowhere near as scared as you probably are though."
"I'm not as scared as you might think. You and I are probably similar in that regard." He was quiet. "They won't take you from me," she suddenly said.
"The Control Brains are the least of our worries right now. These are the biggest," he said, poking her middle. She smiled a little and nodded. "You'll be okay?" he asked.
"I certainly intend to be," she replied. He nodded and drew her near again, closing his eyes. He hoped that would be the case…
Some Time Later
Miyuki clung to Spork's hand as they stared at the imaging. "They're almost ready for the transfer, My Tallest," the doctor said. Neither of them really heard her, eyes fixed on the little larva as they were finishing morphing into smeet-like forms.
"I could watch them forever," Miyuki said.
"There is some potentially worrying news," the doctor replied.
Immediately Spork and Miyuki looked at her. "One of them is a little weaker than the other. They're developing at the same rate, and they don't look any different, but one is definitely moving around less than its sibling. Sometimes it takes off and does something erratic, but it quickly exhausts itself."
"What does that mean?" Miyuki worriedly asked.
"Nothing right now, but it's something to keep an eye on."
"Will it be strong enough to transfer?" Spork asked.
"It should be, but we'll need to monitor it closely like I said."
"When will the transfer happen?" Miyuki asked.
"In two weeks," the doctor said. Miyuki let out a shaking breath. "You're beginning to show. You've already reset the rings. Soon others will begin to notice something's off even more than they notice it now. You won't be able to hide them much longer," the doctor continued.
"I know," Miyuki replied. She turned to the doctor. "Will you know by then what they'll be?"
"Potentially. The antennae may have formed just enough by then to tell," Doctor Din replied. Miyuki nodded. "Are you hoping for something in particular?"
"No. I'm only curious," Miyuki replied, looking at them again.
"You'll know soon enough, My Tallest," the doctor promised. Miyuki nodded and for a moment watched the moving images. "I don't want to give them up to the pods," she almost vulnerably said. "I don't want to lose them in the collective. That's what usually happens, isn't it?"
"Most irken parents who decide to combine their DNAs do so without any real expectation of raising the smeets or seeing them grow, yes. It's more a vanity thing for them," the doctor replied. "Not all of them are like that, but most are. Mark the pod if you want to keep track of the little ones. The Brains and the robot arm won't be able to discern a purely cosmetic change to the pods. I can get my husband to set a camera on it too if you'd like."
"Do it," Spork immediately said.
"Well, I'll do the camera with my husband, but you'll have to mark it," the doctor said.
"So be it," Miyuki replied.
"What will you do from there, though?" the doctor asked.
"Watch over them for the rest of their lives," Miyuki answered. "Perhaps even bring them under our wings. No one needs to know we were their parents. They only need to see they were favoured by us, and no questions will be asked." She sucked in a sharp breath.
"Miyuki?" Spork immediately and worriedly asked.
"I feel them moving… What will it be like to have them sucked away?" Miyuki inquired.
"You'll feel empty, I'd imagine. Like you lost something, some part of you, but that's okay because you won't have, My Tallest. They'll be right there," the doctor said. "In the past a feeling like that would mean they were lost, lost, but not anymore."
"Alright," Miyuki said, sitting up. Spork helped her. "We will meet you again in two weeks then."
"In the night," the doctor said.
"In the night," Miyuki quietly replied.
IZ
She left the room with Spork and was eerily quiet. Spork watched her in concern. "You're not ready for this, are you?" he said.
She shook her head. "Irkens aren't supposed to feel this way."
"It's already established why we do," he said. She didn't answer. "We can still risk the Control Brains and have you carry them all the way through."
"That only makes it potentially more dangerous for all of us," she replied.
"But it would make you happy," he quietly said.
She looked to him, surprised by his words, and her gaze softened. She reached out, taking his hand and linking her arm through his. "I am happy," she said.
"You'd be happier if you could carry them all the way though."
"Some things weren't meant to be," she replied smiling a little.
"You and me were one of them, and look where that got us."
"I'm ready for this, I promise." He still didn't look convinced, but let it go. For that she was glad.
Two Weeks Later
She stared numbly at the birthing pod and the table. For all her assurances to Spork, she wasn't ready for this. Neither was he, she sensed. He clung to her hand so tightly… They set up the pod and the table and Miyuki squeezed his hand tightly in turn, leaning into him for a moment before going to it. He almost didn't let her go. She lay down on the table in preparation for the operation and drew a deep, calming breath, closing her eyes. The area around her belly was numbed with some sort of numbing agent. Doctor Din looked nervous but ready. "Think pleasant thoughts, My Tallest," she directed. Miyuki had no pleasant thoughts to think right now, but appreciated the suggestion. She felt the insertion point being cut but didn't feel the pain. Spork looked near panic, but Carlos at his side patted his arm reassuringly to keep him calm. Miyuki smiled at her mate and blew a kiss. He shifted uncomfortably and looked about ready to go to her.
"What were they?" Miyuki asked the doctor. "I never asked."
"Males, my Tallest. Two males," the doctor calmly replied. Miyuki let out a breath. "Carlos and I mixed our DNA not long ago too you know. Twice. First one, then another a month after. We implanted the first already. We'll be implanting the second into a pod not long after you implant your own smeets, but we won't have to do it in such secrecy. I don't know what my little ones will be, but I wish the best for them."
"Will you not mark the pods?" Miyuki asked worriedly.
"No. As much as we would have liked to, we have no time for raising smeets. Neither of us. Maybe one day, though, we'll find them again. I'm worried for my second larva. It seems very small."
"It will be alright I'm sure," Miyuki said.
"I hope so," the doctor said. Miyuki gasped at the foreign sensation inside her abdomen as the doctor inserted a tube into the incision and checked that it was hooked up properly to the pod. "It's going to hurt a bit, maybe even a lot, so at the count of three, My Tallest. One, two, three." Miyuki cried out a little at the feeling of her insides stirring. Spork tensed up. The doctor brought imaging up so she could see what was happening. Miyuki cried out again, feeling her squeedlysplooch cramping, and began to gasp a bit.
"Miyuki?" Spork fearfully asked.
"I'm fine," she breathlessly said. The two little smeets, currently clinging to each other, were slowly being drawn towards the tube. The doctor prodded them gently and the stronger one slapped at the instrument but of course did nothing to it. Miyuki cried out again in yet more pain. Spork was wringing his hands nervously, then quickly floated over to her and grasped her hand. She clung tightly to it, turning her head to him and burying it against his armor. Her insides lurched and she gasped back a sharp sob. Spork's grip on her hand tightened. Soon the two little ones disappeared into the tube and Miyuki gasped again, looking quickly over at the pod. About a minute later, the little smeets spilled out into it and floated there. The doctor stopped the suction, removed the tube from the pod and closed it, then removed the tube from Miyuki and stitched up the incision quickly but carefully.
Spork moved towards the tube, activated a ring he was wearing that had been given to him by the Control Brains—both he and Miyuki had gotten one shortly after their union—and pressed it against the tube, heating it up. A brand of his face appeared there. Miyuki joined him, an arm wrapped around her middle, and did the same. They then floated over to the side of the pod and peered at the smeets through the tube's glass. The little ones, still wrapped around each other, looked over at them. A soft smile spread across Miyuki's lips. Spork watched in pure curiosity. "Red and Purple," he said flat out. Miyuki frowned curiously, glancing at him. "Red and Purple," he repeated, pointing them out.
"Such straightforward names," Miyuki said.
"I got Spork, so they're getting saddled with the same curse," Spork said.
"I wouldn't call it a curse, necessarily. They aren't horrid names, after all. In fact, they're quite unique," Miyuki said, looking back at the smeets. Smiling, she placed a hand on the glass. They drifted towards it. Spork placed his next to hers. The little ones reached the glass and curled against where their sire and dam's hands were. Soon after doing so, though, they closed their eyes and seemingly began shutting down.
"What's wrong with them?" Spork immediately and anxiously asked as the pair drifted away from the glass towards the center of the tube once more.
"They're sleeping now so they can further develop. They'll sleep until they've matured, then awaken again," the doctor said. Reluctantly the Tallest and Second Tallest withdrew their hands.
"Goodbye, little darlings. Until we meet again," Miyuki gently said to them.
"Survive," Spork said flat out. The pod was loaded back into the combs and the two let out a breath. "What will the Brains do when they discover twins?" Spork anxiously asked. "Siblings aren't a thing that exist in Irken society, much less twins! Those were selectively weeded out of the gene pool!"
"The brains won't know at first, but once the little ones have been broken out, they'll see the error, so make sure you're not far when it happens. Just in case," the doctor said. "I don't know what the brains will do when they discover twins."
"We'll monitor them closely. How long before they mature?" Miyuki asked.
"You carried them about halfway. The other half is up to the smeetery. A few more months and they'll be ready for hatching," the doctor said.
"Thank you," Miyuki gratefully said.
"Of course, My Tallest," the doctor replied. "I wish you all the luck in the world. I hope the little ones make it."
Miyuki glanced over at Spork, whose eyes were locked on the birthing pod. She drifted over to her husband and wrapped her arms around one of his, leaning against him. "There's nothing more we can do for them now, my love," she said.
"I know," he said.
"Soon we'll see them again," she said.
"Yeah. Soon," Spork said, still distracted. Gently Miyuki drew him away from the pods, and the four irkens left the smeetery.
Months Later
A mistake had been made in the smeeting process. It must have been. Now instead of a single, perfect Irken smeet, the birthing pod spilled out two whose perfection was divided. They flopped and wriggled around on the floor, wrapping around each other. The red-eyed one almost seemed to be enveloping and protecting his weaker, purple-eyed brother. It was an anomaly. The Control Brains could not process it. Commands started firing wildly.
Male Brain 1: Dispose of the weakened foetus.
Female Brain: Exterminate both tainted spawn.
Male Brain 2: Prepare them for duty.
The signals bounced back and forth almost frying the brains before at last the one in charge of the pods – the brain to whom the cold unfeeling robot arm belonged – made a final decision.
Male Brain 2: Prepare the smeets for duty.
Female Brain: They will be each other's weakness. They cannot continue.
Male Brain 2: I propose an experiment.
Male Brain 1: Outline to us your experiment.
Male Brain 2: They are one another's weakness, but they may be one another's strength as well. I hypothesize that possessing something you deeply desire to protect can make one powerful more than it can weaken them.
Male Brain 1: An interesting proposal. Monitor them as they grow. Judge if they are weak or strong together. Perhaps one day they will prove themselves not a flaw, but instead the next step in our evolution.
The lights went out and the power died.
IZ
Spork and Miyuki raced towards the Smeetery desperately. When the alert had come that the birthing pod had been opened, they'd been caught completely off guard. They'd known they were on a time limit and had begun flying as fast as they could. Now they were almost there.
"Whoa," Spork suddenly said, pausing.
"What?" Miyuki asked, quickly looking back.
"I feel like a smeet's just been born that's gonna bring down the whole of the Irken Empire," Spork said. "It's a really weird feeling."
"Now sense something useful like whether the Brains have decided to exterminate our smeets or not!" she replied, continuing to float. He followed her swiftly. They reached the smeetey as the lights died. They gasped in alarm, looking up. "What was that?" Miyuki asked quickly.
"Trouble," Spork said, wary.
"The smeets!" Miyuki exclaimed.
"The smeeteries don't run on the same kind of power. Don't worry. They'll be okay."
Miyuki took off flying anyway. He hurried after her. They reached the chamber where their smeets had been kept in record time. The Control Brains were still and dim. They caught their breath and heard fearful and urgent chirping, clicking, and squeaking.
"What?" Spork said, eyes widening. "Smeets aren't supposed to be conscious when they get broken out of the pods!"
"Ours weren't exactly formed like others were now, were they?" Miyuki replied, hurrying towards the sounds. They rounded a corner and gasped. There, flopping on the ground, were two perfect little smeets clinging to one another. "Oh Brains…" Miyuki breathed, covering her mouth with both hands.
"Th-they should have PAKs installed and the whole of Irken knowledge in their heads by now," Spork whispered.
"The Brains must have argued about what to do with them. It would have delayed the process. Perhaps long enough that the power died before they could be prepared for duty," Miyuki said. "Wait! Can they survive without their PAKs?" she fearfully asked.
"Given how they were conceived, probably they'll be fine for now," Spork replied, shrugging. "We're gonna have to get those PAKs installed eventually, though. That means they'll have to be brought back here when the power is on again to get that done and get the whole of Irken knowledge uploaded into them."
"And until then?" Miyuki demanded.
"The old-fashioned way?" Spork lamely offered, shrugging.
"Oh dear," Miyuki said, looking towards the little ones again. She drew a calming breath and carefully began to approach them. Spork trailed behind her. The whines were starting now, then the tears and crying as the two smeets, sitting up now, held tight to each other. "Hush, little darlings," Miyuki said, putting on a smile as she looked down on them. Spork stood behind her mouth agape. "Mommy and daddy are here." The smeets stared up at them, mouths quivering. Gently Miyuki scooped them up in her arms. "Oh. Oh Spork, look at them. Look," she said, sounding thrilled.
Spork floated up next to her nervously and stared at the two. "Red, Purple," he said, pointing to each as he said their names. The two exchanged puzzled looks before staring back at him, eyes wide. Spork looked nervously up at the Brains and took Red from Miyuki, pulling him away from Purple. The little smeet chirped and clicked in protest, reaching out for his brother. Purple squeaked in distress, reaching back.
"Don't worry, my darling. You're safe," Miyuki cooed. "Red isn't going anywhere."
"They Brains are bound to reboot before everything else. Maybe at least the PAKs can be installed, if not the knowledge?" Spork suggested.
"They're flickering, look!" Miyuki said, pointing. Spork did so. Sure enough, the brains were doing just as she said. In seconds they returned to life.
Male Brain 1: Error. Error. Power decimated. Planet-wide blackout in effect.
Female Brain: Errors in smeeting process. Dual smeets, error. Live-born, error. Error in electrical awakening. Error in PAK installation. Protocols unable to be completed. Such should not be. Variables unaccounted for.
Male Brain 2: Error. Smeeteries offline. Placing pods in suspended animation. Readying Control Brain repair states. Estimated time of correction of blackout scenario: Five years.
"Excuse me?! What am I supposed to do then?!" Miyuki immediately demanded. The Brains all turned to them and immediately she regretted speaking. She could hear Spork face-palm from behind.
Male Brain 1: Lead your people through the darkness. Keep Irk alive and thriving.
Female Brain: Preserve newborn smeets. Remaining power diverted to hatched smeets awaiting the knowledge of the Irken Empire.
"These two need PAKs still, like the others have!" Spork exclaimed.
Male Brain 2: Live-born smeets. Electric awakening not needed. PAK installation delayed. As live-borns, they will survive.
Female Brain: PAKS on reserve. They were enroute. We may install them with the reserve power as well.
Male Brain 1: Basic functionality. Speech and movement protocols in place.
Male Brain 2: Argument. Corruption potential. It will be safer to wait the five years required to repair.
Female Brain: Argument. No data will be transferred say for speech and movement.
Male Brain 2: Argument. Life support systems unreliable.
Female Brain: Argument. Live-born smeets will have no need for such until proper integration is completed in five years' time.
Male Brain 2: Conceded.
Male Brain 1: PAK installation proceeding.
Male Brain 2: They are live-born. There will be immense pain.
Male Brain 1: Course has been decided.
"I-immense pain? What do you mean im…" Miyuki began. She and Spork gasped as hot spikes were suddenly driven into their little one's backs. Both squealed in agony and started throwing a fit, bursting into tears and thrashing. Miyuki cried out, pulling Purple away from the arm. Spork did the same for Red, eyes wide. The robot arm chased them quickly and inserted the PAKs, first into Red then into Purple.
"Mama!" Purple screeched.
"Darling, hush now. Hush my sweet one. The pain will stop, I promise! It will stop! You'll be alright!" Miyuki urgently said.
"It hurts!" Red wailed.
"I know, honey. I know," Spork quickly tried to soothe. "The pain will pass soon, just breathe with daddy, okay? Breathe." Shakily the little one began taking breaths with Spork, tears welling in his eyes.
"Pur!" he said, pointing at his brother, who was still wailing.
"Here. Purple's right here," Spork said, going closer to Miyuki and holding Red close enough that he could wrap around his brother again.
"Male Brain 1: Repair states beginning in five, four, three, two, one…
The voice robotically petered out and the Control Brains shut down all functionality except for what was needed to repair the blackout and finish installing the whole of Irken Knowledge into waiting smeets. Red and Purple wouldn't be among them. They hadn't been added to the lineup, given the debate that had taken place over them. Miyuki let out a stunned breath. "I get the feeling we're in a lot of trouble," Spork said.
"Red!" Purple said, voice watery as he clung to his brother.
"Take him," Spork said, giving Red to Miyuki as well so the two smeets could be close together.
"We must hurry back to the Citadel. The sooner we reach it the better. This matter of the blackout needs to be addressed," Miyuki said.
"Lead the way," Spork said. Miyuki nodded and did so.
IZ
They set the two smeets up in a crib in their room and watched them anxiously for a moment. The newborns chirped at each other and clicked and squeaked, even though they had language capabilities, then paused to look up at Miyuki and Spork. "Dada," Red said, pointing at Spork.
"I don't know how to raise these," Spork said flatly.
"No one knows how to raise smeets anymore," Miyuki said. "I suppose we do our best to teach them things? And keep them alive? And spend time with them?"
"Teach them what?" he asked.
"How to survive maybe? How to read and write? How to do the things we can, I assume."
"They're gonna be the next Tallest with both of our DNA combined," Spork said, staring at the foreign creatures.
"Da!" Purple insisted, reaching for Spork.
"Do you want up? We've only just put you down!" Spork said, reaching down and picking him up.
"Ma!" Red insisted, reaching up.
Miyuki scooped him into her arms as well and looked nervously at Spork. "We haven't a clue what we're doing," she said.
"I hungry," Purple said.
"I'm, dearest. I'm hungry," Miyuki corrected. Purple's lekku twitched curiously.
"Do we have anything to feed them?" Spork asked.
"Sugar water, perhaps. They only have a tooth each so can't chew," she said. "Hold this for me. I'll go and get some." She handed Red over to him then left. Spork blinked down at the two smeets in his arms and suddenly felt immensely uncomfortable.
"Um, hi," he lamely said. "My name is Spork. Her name is Miyuki." The two blinked innocently up at him. "Mama and dada work too," he helplessly threw in.
"I want food," Red said.
"Mommy's getting food for you now," Spork said. "We'll also have to get clothes for you I guess." Red and Purple exchanged looks, then looked back up at him with their big, wide, curious eyes. Spork's discomfort grew and suddenly he felt very nervous. Like he was holding something incredibly fragile and absolutely couldn't afford to break it. He'd never been great with delicate things. What if he hurt them? What if something went wrong he couldn't fix? What if…?
"I have the water," Miyuki said. Spork immediately held them out to her, desperate to get them out of his arms. She blinked at him in surprised, then seemed to understand and relaxed. A rueful smile spread across her lips. "You're doing fine, my love. You're more capable than you think you are you know," she said. She set the bottles down nonetheless and took the two smeets from him. He picked the bottles up stiffly and popped one in each of their mouths. They sucked contentedly on them. "You know, I think we can do this."
"Do you?" Spork asked.
"It'll take practice, but we'll get into the swing of it," she said. "It's only for five years, after all.
"I feel like we're not gonna want to send them back to the Brains after five years," Spork said, eyes fixed on the little ones.
"I feel it too," Miyuki said, smile sadly falling. "Still, we'll have little choice, so let's enjoy them while we still can. They'll be out of our hands sooner than we're ready for, I'm afraid."
"I don't want them out of my hands," Spork said.
"We'll never stop watching over them," Miyuki said. Spork nodded. He supposed that was the best they could hope to get.