Imperial Orbital Research Black Site Ovaettr

“Aren't you concerned about the ethics of this John? Implanting a newborn with a full-array memory module pre-loaded with all of humanity's knowledge?”

“It's already sectioned up and locked down via the standard Experiential Learning method Aubrey. I'm not dumping all of that into an unprepared mind. He may remember these events in time, he may not. I certainly won't be alive to find out.”

“You mean the rumors are...?”

“They're underestimating things. And just this once, I'm gonna say 'fuck it' to regulations and orders. System, prepare a medical transport capsule. Contents: one times patient and one times doctor. Start : Surgery Bay Five. Destination: Cryo Null.”

“System, amend previous. Contents: one times patient and two times doctor.”

“System Acknowledges. MTC arriving in three minutes from mark. Mark.”

“Aubrey, you can't be serious.”

“John, you know as well as I do that you'll need my help with the cryosleep procedures. You ethics may be dubious and your methodology abhorrent but your objective is correct. At least one of us needs to survive this. An unauthorized newborn...”

“No records, no evidence, no trail in this time. Neither our government nor any other can track him. And, if the cyrosleep works, no connection to what happened when he is rediscovered.”

“Except what we keep in our own heads John.”

“Why do you think I didn't want you to come Aubrey?”

Some Time Later...

Hylli Star System, Planet R02-CCF-D

Colloquial Name: Steinhull

Are'Akre'Sen pinched the end of her long nose in frustration. This was just the latest system in an endless string of empty systems, though the presence of a life-bearing world was a welcome interruption. Scout/Survey work was tedious in the extreme, especially as a 'second wave' Scout, destined to eternally follow up on worlds mapped in passing by the pioneers.

“Computer, add entry to Exploration log. Entry begins : Arrival at Hylli system. System entry scans indicate no significant changes from records. Proceeding with automated survey of System, followed by automated detailed survey of planet arr oh two dash cee cee eff dash dee, henceforth refereed to in this log as Steinhull. Entry ends. Computer, confirm entry into Exploration log.”

“Exploration log entry added and available for review.”

Are'Akre'Sen glanced down at the display and read the transcribed text. “Commuter, Exploration Log review complete. Begin automated system survey.”

“Automated system survey processes started. Estimated time to completion: eleven days and fourteen hours from mark. Mark.”

“Computer, add task to queue. Task : Automated detailed planetary body survey of current system.”

“Task queued. Time until completion of all tasks is now fifteen days and nine hours.”

Are'Akre'Sen stood up, stretched her rams to the bulkhead, and headed for her quarters. The advantage to being the only being on the ship, she mused, was that you could do pretty much whatever you liked. Hyperpulse comms provided enough of a link to civilization to stay sane, but it was nice to be able to leave the unflattering and restrictive uniform on its rack and head to the bath without worrying about offending anyone.

Methodical and uncaring, her ship's computer worked at it's assigned task. In fifteen days and nine hours it would alert Are'Akre'Sen to an anomaly on the surface of Steinhull. What she would discover there would change her life forever.

The surface of Steinhull

He listens to the endless thump-thump as he slept. It wasn't a heartbeat, the same as he felt in his own chest, but it was close. It was all he had heard since the warmth and the shaking. He heard a click and knew something had changed. The thump-thump stopped. He felt cold and wet as liquid left with gurgling noises and not-liquid hissed over his head. He did not like this new sensation and wriggles in protest. There was a click and a crack and more not-liquid hissed into his place. He opens his mouth and wails in discomfort.

Are'Akre'Sen's head jerks up at the plaintive wail of a newborn child. When her ship's computer had alerted her to the surface anomaly, Are'Akre'Sen had lamented the required in-person surface visit to investigate. When she had discovered the wreckage of yet another pre-Republic orbital station crashed into the surface of an uninhabited world, Are'Akre'Sen had cursed the drudge work of attempting to identify who it had once belonged to. She knew the answer was 'unknown at this time, filed for further investigation by Archaeologist teams' nine hundred and ninety nine time out of a thousand.

Now Are'Akre'Sen stands under a battered sigil of an unknown avian superimposed over a cog and listened to the impossible noise of a baby wailing. The ruins were old enough that there weren't even bones left in the tattered remnants of spacesuits. Her ship had detected no life-signs more complex then basic surface plants, so there shouldn't even be animals here to have offspring, much less sentient beings! But both Are'Akre'Sen's mission directives and her curiosity pulled her onwards towards the sound.

“Computer, verify and confirm good data feeds from my suit to the Exploration Log.”

“Lifesign feed: confirmed. Audio feed: confirmed. Video feed: Confirmed. Environmental sensor feeds: confirmed. Link to Exploration Log: confirmed.”

“Computer, inform user if quality of previously specified data feeds degrades.”

“Confirmed, will inform user Are'Akre'Sen if data feeds from suit to ship degrades.”

Are'Akre'Sen exhales in relief and began to follow the sound of the wailing baby. Even if something went sideways now her logs would survive to warn any rescue party. Are'Akre'Sen moves deeper into the ruins, ducking under and stepping over plants, diverting around semi-intact pieces of station hull that had survived reentry and time. She notices that everything was sloping downwards, descending below ground level.

“Alert. Suit radar mapping sensor is picking up additional subterranean anomalies.”

Are'Akre'Sen rolls her eyes in frustration at the simple-mindedness of her ship's computer.

“Computer, are the subterranean anomalies consistent with the surface anomaly with regards to structure?”

“Calculating... Subsurface and surface anomalies are structurally similar.”

“So they are part of the same crashed orbital station then.”

“Unknown at this time. Additional sensor data required.”

Are'Akre'Sen rolled her eyes and proceeded deeper into the ruins.

The feeling of not-liquid is no longer strange to him, but the press of light against his eyes is still unfamiliar and uncomfortable. Hunger gnaws at his stomach and lends a needy edge to his cries. The cold sank deeper into his body even as his skin became not-wet. There was no comforting hum or thump-thump to sooth his distress. All he could do was cry louder and hope that something or someone would come to help him.

Are'Akre'Sen could only wonder at the sight of what had to be a pre-Republic cryosleep bay. The wailing came from this chamber, but the tubes caused it to echo strangely, making pinpointing the source difficult. She glanced at the various displays and light fixtures, searching for evidence of electrical power or a backup power source, but none was evident: displays were black and bulbs broken or burnt out. The cryotubes that she sees are cracked and empty, surrounded by faded stains from leaking chemicals. Are'Akre'Sen turned her head, using her ears as a crude directional noise finder until she got a bearing on the wailing sound. Intrigued, she followed it to a cryotube in the back of the chamber, one that was partially opened and surrounded by viscous suspension fluids.

“Computer, prepare and dispatch a live organic sample capsule and alert Republic Scout Command that I have a priority sample for them. Begin calculations for Warpjump to nearest Republic Scout Command facility. Confirm all instructions.”

“Live organic sample capsule prepared and en route to your location. Republic Scout Command alerted to incoming priority sample. Calculating specified warpjump. Alert – Automated priority message from Republic Scout Command. Message begins : 'Scout Are'Aken'Sen, please specify sample type.' Message Ends.”

“Response to message from RSC. Message begins. Scout Are'Aken'Sen returning to base with one times sentient recovered from compromised pre-Republic cryosleep facility. Said facility is a crashed orbital station. Message ends.”