24
The first reports indicated that they were getting closer, now entering the outskirts of their sector, which placed the entire team into overdrive.
Ianto and Jack were not in charge; they had made sure of that. Instead, a War Council consisting of ten top-ranking SS members took the helm. Although Ianto and Jack were part of it, each unit's representative had equal standing and voiced their concerns and strategies. The other SS members had now joined the discussion, and today the final numbers were clear.
There were over two hundred SS warriors walking this dirt, ready to defend. Additionally, it had become apparent that not only thirty-five SS boys were born with abilities, but to everyone's surprise, there was also a little girl among them.
"Well, looking at her bloods, she was supposed to be a boy, but something happened during gestation. It seems... I really need to get more information on this," Owen said, glancing at Toshiko. "Toshiko might have to access some secure servers back home, but I think there is a reason we had so few sisters and how it might be possible to have more."
"I already looked into it because I knew you would want to know. I wanted to understand why, in a standard mini cell of twelve, only four would be female. Reading between the lines of the redacted secure files back at the facility, I think they manipulated the in vitro environment. This little girl's mother did a deep spacewalk during their flight here. A meteor storm caused a hull breach, and she didn't know she was with child, so she ventured out and did the job. The suit's heaters weren't working properly, but the others were already damaged, so she had no choice but to work in extreme cold. Fortunately, her suit had enough functionality to allow her to get hypothermia instead of worse," Toshiko explained, tapping a screen that showed the suit bay riddled with meteor damage.
"But that's not all," Toshiko continued, "The files suggest that when the embryo is exposed to extreme cold, certain genetic pathways are activated, which can lead to the development of female characteristics. This process is somewhat similar to what happens in other species, like reptiles and birds, where the incubation temperature can determine the sex of the offspring."
Ianto raised an eyebrow, intrigued by the revelation. "So, the extreme cold in early gestation could actually change the embryo from male to female?" he asked, leaning back in his chair. "Like… chicken eggs. Right. So, it was deliberate to give us sisters, so we would have a certain empathy for females?"
"More likely so we had females to speak with female victims when doing interrogations so it was not so scary. After all, they fight as well as us and have heart of warriors. Would mean they might get closer to an enemy before being detected too, we've done that before. The only difference is the plumbing," one of the others at the table grunted.
"Well, I don't know about anyone else but if there is a need for female ones, then they proved it with our family connections. I think had we been all male there would not be the feeling of connection. I know the feeling of love for my sisters made me see my brothers differently," another agreed.
"Well, if any want female offspring we need a cold chamber or something to be requisitioned" one of the younger ones said "I want daughters and… I didn't know I could have SS ones. I want that. I am a Dam, I would love that. If I knew sooner… I might have ensured longevity for my daughter I already have who is Norm."
"Look… I think it is all a good idea, I am scared of the thought of too many kids mind, my own is bad enough. Let's focus on the job at hand or all of this is mote" Martha cut into the conversation and they all nodded as one of their most loves sisters spoke.
It was agreed that they would send unmanned drones out to create a line of defense, not only mined to create a buffer or annoyance but also some EMPs to see if they could incapacitate those the hull mines could not get.
Like the old-fashioned sea mines once used on Sol3…. These floated around in the transfixed area waiting for a hull to drag across them, attach to and then… boom.
Not very pretty but effective.
And these things were not welcome here.
.
.
"Do you think the outer shell will do the work?" Jack asked as he and Ianto walked towards home, John following a few steps behind with a large loaf of bread he was systematically devouring.
Ianto glanced back at him with an incredulous look as Jack kept walking like nothing was happening. Clearly, John had always been a bit of a pig.
"They come on a swarm to it will only get the first wave, those behind them re insane enough to simply fly though their dead and dying comrades." Ianto sighed softly "oh they are coming alright."
"Then we have ot get ready, fuck. We don't even have a proper evac in place for the outer burbs" John choked out with breadcrumbs flying everywhere.
"It's not the outer suburbs I am worried about" Ianto looked back at him "They don't land in the outer suburbs."
"No" Jack agreed with dread. "They land in the most populated looking areas."
"Where would that be?" John stopped walking as it came to him, even as Ianto glanced back at him and answered.
"Here."