Green and Blue

It was a good day. The baby's breech position had corrected overnight. The patient, Cait, was calm throughout labor. Cait's partner was delayed coming back from Ceres, so her mother was the sole attendant. The mother fetched supplies, encouraged her daughter, and otherwise occupied herself with knitting a blanket. There were nine slow hours and one filled with activity and emotion.
The baby was quiet during the postnatal exam. They gazed around with unfocused eyes while Nolee checked them over. In Nolee's experience, newborns were angry, amazed, or jaded. This one was jaded, a wrinkled imp with thick black hair. Nolee preferred the jaded ones. She feared less for their hearts.
Nolee settled the baby on Cait's bare chest. The baby started to mewl.
"Don't cry, my love."
"Babies cry for their mamas," said Cait's mother.
Cait repositioned her left breast for the rooting baby. "How is she so small?"
"They're exactly the size they need to be," said Nolee.
The baby nursed. The placenta was delivered easily and without rupture. Nolee consulted the on-call physician, who approved leaving. Nolee gave instructions for care and complications and packed her bag. Cait's mother saw her out.
"Thank you for taking care of her."
"My pleasure."
"When are you having one?"
"When it's my time, I guess."

At seven in the evening, the sun was in the western sky, far from the horizon. There would be daylight for several more hours. Nolee latched her bag to her sled and got on. It flew eastward, projecting a video of a dog team running in the air. She rode along the Yukon River for ten minutes until turning southeast toward home.
There were two vehicles outside her house: Bernadine's sled and a long-distance personal carrier belonging to the Fairbanks transport hub. Somebody was visiting from far away.
Nolee entered the house. She stepped onto the sanitizing mat and hung up her bag. She entered the living room to find her aunt Bernadine serving blueberry tea to a giant and a demon.
No. It was a Vulcan and an Andorian. They rose up and faced Nolee.
"Nolee Stanton?" the Andorian asked.
"Yes?"
"I am Tehr Th'thothrak, and this is Nevu. We would like to discuss an important matter with you."
"Are you pregnant?" Nolee asked. Bernadine, Nolee's aunt, snorted, then poured a fourth mug of tea. She handed it to Nolee, saying in Koyukon, "I don't know why they're here. Do you?"
"No."
"They seem to come in peace."
"Our translators know all human language," the Andorian said. Nolee noticed the delay and disconnect between the movements and the sounds when they spoke.
"No offense meant," said Bernadine.
"It is impossible for you to offend us. Now we will sit and talk."
They sat and were silent. The Vulcan blinked slowly, revealing their nictitating membranes. The Andorian lifted a mug of tea to their antennae, which rippled.
"Not poison."
"Thank you," said Bernadine.
The Andorian cocked their head toward Nolee. "Do you know who we are?"
"I don't."
"Do you know what you are?"
"Human?"
A device at the Andorian's waist beeped. "I have a duty to fulfill outside." They swiftly stood and exited the house through the kitchen door.
"I didn't catch your names," said Nolee.
"Tehr Th'thothrak," said the Vulcan, indicating the empty seat. "You may call them Tehr. I am Nevu." There was no translation delay. "I am a geneticist. I have come to speak to you about a serious matter, but we must first discuss your condition."
"What condition?" Nolee looked at Bernadine, who shrugged an I don't know.
Nevu put down their tea and tapped their wrist panel. A headshot of a young Dene woman appeared in the space between the Vulcan and the humans.
"This was your mother?"
"Yes."
"What did she tell you of your paternity?"
What had her mother said about her absent father? He's long gone, and that's that.
"Nothing. I think he was a fisherman."
"That is inaccurate. He did not exist. Your mother was your only biological parent."
Bernadine laughed. "Not a chance. Marlie was no virgin."
"Your second statement is correct," said Nevu. She changed the image to an animation of a human ovum. "You are the product of a rare form of asexual reproduction. Your mother's conception partner had a sterilization procedure to rid his gametes of genetic material. Due to either medical error or his unique physiology, for eight Terran years he produced spermatozoa that, while void, could instigate self-fertilization in ova."
There was more, with diagrams and words such as chemotaxis and acrosomal, terms that Nolee hadn't encountered since the beginning of her midwife training. Bernadine pulled up a stool and sat next to Nolee, holding her hand.
When the presentation was over, the Vulcan closed the images and looked at Nolee squarely. "You did not know?"
Nolee shook her head.
"When the phenomenon was discovered, Marlie was informed. You were a child. She was advised to tell you by the time you reached maturity, when you received an addendum to your medical file."
"I didn't get it," said Nolee.
"Maybe you did," said Bernadine. "Remember?" She addressed Nevu. "Marlie died around that time."
"I see. Your ignorance is understandable," said Nevu.
"Who was he, anyway?" asked Bernadine.
"Who was who?"
"The father."
"He is not biologically the father. He contributed no genetic material. The reproductive act was merely a catalyst for parthenogenesis."
"Okay, who's the catalyst?"
Nevu named a man well known in the area—an Alaska boy who had done well for himself, a hero of Starfleet.
"Does he know?" asked Nolee.
"He has known since the phenomenon was discovered."
"How did you find out?"
"The process of discovery is a longer story than we have time for. In sum, you are not the only product of this…catalyst."
"There are more?"
"Me. Tehr. And there are others."

Bernadine removed a covered casserole from the oven. Nolee sat at the kitchen table with malamute Uki dozing at her feet. Through the window, Nolee saw someone on top of the shed. She craned her neck to see better. It was Nevu. They were using a phaser to weld a thin metal plate onto the roof.
"What are they doing?"
"What?" Bernadine looked outside. "Fixing the shed roof."
"Why?"
"They showed up about an hour before you did. The Andorian walked around taking soil samples and the Vulcan made dinner. It's their culture. I told them that truly good guests perform home repairs." She uncovered the casserole. "Looks like it's done."
"Smells good," Nolee said. "What is it?"
"Something with potatoes." Bernadine placed the casserole on the table and sat down. "You know girl, I remember something."
"What?"
"Marlie had a test done early in the pregnancy. Genetic, right? The usual screening, plus ancestry."
"Really?"
"She and her boyfriend had been trying for a while. They'd also been fighting for a while. She went to Fairbanks to see her friends and came back pregnant. So she got the test. You were one hundred percent Dene, and she figured you were her boyfriend's. He wasn't convinced and run off to Nome. Marlie didn't miss him. So that was that." Bernadine drummed her fingers. "What I don't understand is, you don't look like her. Not exactly."
"I'm not a clone."
"You aren't?"
"It's like—genes are like a grab bag. Ma gave me the same bag that was used to make her. I reached in and pulled out a different combination. What I don't understand is why she didn't tell me."
"I don't know, girl. Maybe she didn't want you to feel strange. Maybe she didn't want to think about Mr. Starfleet."
Bernadine opened the window. "Fetch your friend," she called. "Dinner's ready."

The Vulcan wouldn't speak during dinner. The conversation resumed with more tea and some cookies, which the Vulcan ignored and the Andorian devoured, their antennae quivering.
"Have you internalized the information I presented?" Nevu asked.
"I think so."
"Did you check your medical records?"
"Not yet."
"The addendum included a profile of each person produced by the same means. There are seven total."
"At last count," said Tehr.
"Two have opted out of communication. One is a member of a prewarp civilization. This is the remaining one."
Nevu projected a three-dimensional portrait of a female nonhuman. Nolee didn't recognize the species.
"This is Etanja. She is Ktarian."
Bernadine barked out a laugh. "How many species did he bag?"
"At last count, twenty-three," Tehr said.
"Star Fleet sure takes exploration seriously," Bernadine muttered.
"This officer did," Tehr said, picking up another cookie.
Nevu shut off the projection. "Etanja participated in criminal activities and must submit to the authorities in charge of her case. She agreed to do so on the condition that she be allowed to spend time with us. She requested the human in particular."
"You come here to collect my niece?"
"We have been granted permission to escort Etanja from Tavela Minor to Deep Space Nine," said Nevu. "We leave Earth tonight. We hope you'll accompany us."
"What crime?" Nolee asked.
"Murder," said Tehr.
"Is your translator malfunctioning?" asked Nevu.
Tehr grunted, then said, "I misspoke. Pardon."
Nevu continued. "Etanja unwittingly abetted a Bajoran terrorist cell with a plan to kill a diplomat. The diplomat survived, but there were damages. Tensions between the Cardassians and the Bajorans have increased."
Bernadine called up a map of the alpha quadrant on the table. She tapped on the Federation territory that abutted the Cardassian Union. "You come here from way out there? Seems like maybe you should have called first." She chuckled. "This meeting could have been a subspace communication, you know?"
"We were close to Andor when the deal was made," said Nevu. "Nolee. Are you able to come with us?"
"Just to meet her?"
"Essentially, yes. You'll travel with us to Tavela Minor," said Nevu. "After we retrieve Etanja, we'll spend a few days in transit together." They tapped their wrist panel. "I have sent you more information about the case, plus a formal request for assistance from the Federation. Please make a decision as soon as possible."

Nolee's bag was open on her bed. She was achingly tired. Her eyes and her brain couldn't focus.
Bernadine came to the doorway. "Do you need anything?"
"I don't know what to bring."
"Change of clothes?"
"I guess I should leave my equipment."
"Bring it. You never know." Bernadine held out a packet. "Blueberry tea."
"Thanks." Nolee tucked the tea next to the fetal monitors.
"Two months, hunh."
"Maybe less, depending on who gives me a ride back."
"Did Solveig take your cases?"
"Yeah. She told me to stay away from Betazoids."
"That's who she's scared of?"
"She doesn't trust empaths." Nolee zipped up her bag and swung it onto her shoulder. "Time to go."
"I'll take you."
They went in Bernadine's sled, which had wider seats and projected a muskox team. The sled navigated to the Fairbanks Interplanetary Transport Junction. Nolee had never been there before.
They left the sled near the west entrance and walked on the stone path inside. "I should have asked where to go exactly," said Nolee.
"I see the greenblood over there," said Bernadine, and stopped walking. "Hold up."
"What?"
"You don't have to go just because the Federation is asking."
"I know."
Nevu raised a hand. Bernadine waved and turned back to Nolee. "I read the report. There's a lot of information missing."
"They can't tell me everything. It's an ongoing investigation." Nevu walked toward them.
"Do you really want to go? If you don't, it's okay."
"I want to help. And I've always wanted a sister."
"You sure got your wish. Greenblood, snailhead, terrorist." Bernadine hugged Nolee. "Love you, girl. Promise to come back."
"I will."


Sources: .com, .com, fantasynamegenerators,