Chapter 19: Birth Preparations
Almost a month had gone by when Doc Jules received the call from Brother Simon. "Have you made any progress on developing a protocol for the use of a surrogate mother?"
Doc Jules was forced to admit, "To be honest, I have been so busy I forgot completely about the Captain's request. Besides, I have trouble taking the concept of a surrogate mother seriously." When Brother Simon did not respond immediately, Doc Jules asked, "Why are you asking?"
Brother Simon's only response was, "Maybe you should stop by the lab."
"Let me close this report and I will be there in a few minutes."
Doc Jules walked over to Brother Simon's lab with a slight sense of apprehension. As he entered Brother Simon's, lab he found the normally cheery monk to have a worried expression on his face. He tried to lighten the mood by opening their conversation with "What's up, Doc?"
Brother Simon face softened significantly as he replied, "I do believe it would be more appropriate for me to be using that particular cartoon character's line in addressing you." He continued, "I began setting up the Fetal Development Chamber this morning for the sheep-like creature that I have been working on. As I was going through the manual, I realized there was no mention of our new beings in the protocols."
Doc Jules responded, "Are you sure?"
"Would I have called you if I were not sure?"
Doc Jules asked, "Can we just program in the parameters we need?"
Brother Simon shook his head no and said, "It appears the protocols are sealed and we are denied access, but I will have Eric-Peter see what he can do." They were both silent, deep in thought for several minutes. Finely Brother Simon said, "It would appear that The Visitor agrees with Ann-- our new beings need a mother."
Doc Jules spent the next few days determining the physiological parameters the surrogate mother would have to adapt to in order to allow for normal fetal development. His original guess was pretty close to his final analysis. An Earth altitude of 14,500 feet was needed to approximate the oxygen concentration of the new beings' home world. The blood chemistry was otherwise fairly similar, but the cellular antigens were significantly different. The leakage of cells and proteins across the placenta would produce significant immune stimulation. This immune stimulation could result in the death of the unborn baby, and potentially catastrophic illness in the surrogate mother. Medications such as cortisone could temper the reactions, but the adverse effects of the medication were also unacceptable. Doc Jules was not looking forward to presenting this report to the Captain.
The monthly report was progressing in a satisfactory way until Doc Jules gave his report. He presented the factual information and concluded by saying, "Placental leakage and the resultant immune stimulation makes the use of a surrogate mother unacceptably risky and modification of the ‘fetal development chamber' is required."
Captain Brezinski accepted his report and asked Eric-Peter what progress he had made in modifying the computer programming of the fetal development chamber, Eric-Peter replied,"I have been denied access to all levels of protocol programming of the unit and doubt that modification will be possible."
Captain Brezinski nodded acceptance of his report and said, "It would seem we have come to an impasse, but to paraphrase Brother Simon, 'The Visitor has already foreseen our needs and has provided a solution that we have not yet recognized'."
The lively discussion of possible solutions ensued. None of the suggestions seemed plausible until Ann asked Eric-Peter, "Can your microscopic ‘checker machines' be made to work inside the body?"
Before allowing Eric-Peter to respond, Captain Brezinski asked him, "What are these checker machines?"
Eric-Peter explained how he had, as a hobby, developed a series of nano machines that responded to specific protocols. Now they were capable of playing a pretty good game of checkers. He went on to explain how the computer had a whole section of information on the development of these machines and the autosupplier was capable of manufacturing them.
Captain Brezinski asked him, "And what are these machines used for?"
Eric-Peter shrugged his shoulders and said, "I can think of no practical use for them, but Ann's suggestion might be possible."
Doc Jules sat quietly thinking while Mike bombarded Eric-Peter with questions about energy sources, composition, and functionality. Other crew members had multiple futuristic uses for these machines and Eric-Peter struggled to answer their questions. Captain Brezinski allowed the conversation to continue for several minutes but then interrupted the discussion by saying, "Doc Jules, you appear to be very contemplative. Are you ready to share your thoughts with us?"
Doc Jules looked up and said, "If these machines of Eric-Peter's can be designed to identify specific antigens, and if they are bio-compatible, we might be able to use them to assist the body's immune system in removing the foreign antigens before they cause any trouble."
Captain Brezinski asked, "Does this mean the use of a surrogate mother may be possible?"
Doc Jules just nodded his head affirmatively.
Captain Brezinski said, "It would appear that we have another project to work on. For now I would like to complete the monthly conference so that we do not delay the Chief's lunch."
The remainder of the conference consisted of pretty routine work and would have been completed in time for lunch, but when Captain Brezinski asked if there was any new business to be brought forward, Martha said "Yes, Captain." Captain Brezinski asked her to proceed and Martha said, "We need a name for our new beings so we can think of them as our equals and not some abstract scientific subject."
Captain Brezinski nodded her acceptance of Martha's statement and asked, "Do you have a specific name in mind?"
Martha replied, "Captain, I do not, but I do think that the name we choose should become part of the language that we help them develop."
Captain Brezinski turned to Kate and asked "In your lingual studies of our new beings, have you identified a term they use to describe themselves?"
Kate's response was, "Captain, the existing beings have a very primitive and limited vocabulary that is primarily based on sounds without the complexity of words or significant structure. I have not identified anything that could be assumed to be a name."
Eric-Peter suggested they utilize the name The Visitor had used to identify the beings. Captain Brezinski again turned to Kate and asked how The Visitor's name translated. Kate smiling said, "The closest translation would be ‘short blue beings' and I doubt that this would suffice."
Captain Brezinski allowed the crew several minutes of unorganized bantering and exchange of ideas before she called the meeting back to order. She restored order by asking Brother Simon, "Is there a scientific name or classification that we could adapt in naming our new beings?"
Brother Simon replied, "It would seem that because our new beings will be sharing some of our present genetic code and apparently share in our historical genetic development, I would suggest they be considered part of the Homo lineage." He continued "their distinctive blue color reminds me of the indigo-colored flowers of my childhood. I would suggest the name Homo sapiens indigo."
Captain Brezinski asked if anyone objected to the name chosen by Brother Simon, and when nobody objected she announced, "The official scientific name will be Homo sapiens indigo." She then asked for suggestions of a common name based on the chosen scientific name. Kate suggested "Indigans". Captain Brezinski accepted her recommendation and asked if anyone else had any suggestions. Hearing none she announced the acceptable common name for the new beings would be "Indigans". She closed the meeting by announcing, "It is now past the time for the Chief's lunch and this meeting is adjourned."
Doc Jules now spent a major portion of his time developing the protocols for selection of the surrogate mother and the procedures for adapting her to the required environmental conditions. He defined the requirements for the habitat structure that the
surrogate mother would need during her period of adaptation and throughout the pregnancy. When he presented these to Mike, he was surprised that Mike accepted the task without complaint. Mike even suggested enlarging the habitat to allow room for visitor quarters with a dual system of atmospheric controls. Doc Jules asked him why he thought this was important.
Mike responded, "We will be asking one of our fellow crew members to risk her health and possibly her life for the sake of the mission. I will do whatever I can to ease this burden. Your protocol will require relative isolation for a period of a year and we need to do whatever we can to promote interaction amongst the crew to support her."
Doc Jules was pleasantly surprised and wondered why Mike had developed such a humane attitude. He suspected that Kate had significant input, but was hesitant to specifically ask Mike for fear of embarrassing him.
The weeks seem to speed by. The crew was challenged by their work and used their free time to transform their "spaceship" into a home of their liking. Ann had her small cottage with a white picket fence and a flower garden along the front of the fence. She was especially proud of her rose bushes which she had brought as cell cultures and had cultivated in her cramped living quarters. She had transformed the cells growing in a test tube into lush bushes covered with deep crimson flowers. While Ann had spent her time developing a home-like setting, Doc Jules found it much simpler to have his quarters attached to the clinic. His quarters were very spartan, the only decorations being the picture of his family and the large wall computer monitor which displayed different fishing scenes from the rivers he used to fish. One corner was utilized as his fly-tying work bench. The materials the auto supplier provided made a fair approximation of the feather patterns he had traditionally used. The clutter of a fishing pole which was under construction added to his mild state of disarray. Mike and about half of the crew found it much more convenient to simply "rent" rooms at the Hotel. They left the decorating up to Kate and her crew. Captain Brezinski had transferred the jail into a front office space with her quarters in back. Her quarters were also relatively spartan, but in a very feminine mode. She created small work spaces for her hobbies of sewing and the construction of model submarines. The curtains with the handmade lace borders contrasted with the work bench where a replica of her last boat was taking shape on her work bench. This created an environment that was feminine, but with a sense of command.
This was where Captain Brezinski was working when Doc Jules knocked on her door asking if he could bother her for a few minutes. Captain Brezinski invited him in and nodded towards the only other chair. She apologized, "Let me finish fitting this rudder attachment to my boat and I will be right with you." Doc Jules watched her meticulously shave the aft end of her miniature submarine until the rudder fit perfectly. As Captain Brezinski turned from her work, she explained, "the glue I had mixed up was starting to set and I needed to finish fitting the rudder attachment quickly." Doc Jules was admiring her detailed work and remarked on the unusual shape of the boat. Captain Brezinski smiled and said, "I made a vow to never disclose the engineering specifications of this boat. I figured that since the submarine resulted in my command of this ship, I needed to remember it. I think my model is safe from the prying eyes of the American spies."
Doc Jules laughed and replied, "I would expect that your secret design is safe and that your vow of secrecy remains intact."
Captain Brezinski asked Doc Jules, "What is bothering you tonight?"
Doc Jules replied, "I have a small ethical dilemma that I would like to discuss with you in private." Captain Brezinski nodded for him to go on and Doc Jules continued, "I am almost finished with the protocol for choosing our surrogate mother, but before I present it at the monthly conference I wanted your approval of a minor inconsistency." Captain Brezinski looked at him with a questioning tilt of her head and rising of her left eyebrow. "Brother Simon and I designed the immunologic patterns to purposely exclude Kate from consideration."
Captain Brezinski said, "I assume this has something to do with her breast cancer?"
Doc Jules nodded in the affirmative and continued, "I do not feel it would be safe for Kate to undergo the stress of the hormonal manipulations, but I did not want to insult her femininity. I would expect that most, if not all, of the female crew members will volunteer to fill the role of surrogate mother. I wanted Kate's non-selection to be the luck of the genetic draw."
Captain Brezinski was thoughtful for a minute before she asked, "Do you intend to intentionally exclude any other crew members?"
Doc Jules was almost squirming in his chair with an obvious embarrassed look on his face when he replied, "I think that it would be proper to exclude you, as the Captain, from the selection process."
Captain Brezinski was smiling at Doc Jules' embarrassment. She said, "And would this situation be analogous to your previous decision to test your vaccine on yourself prior to allowing any other crew members to be subjected to the risk of experimentation?" Doc Jules began a lengthy discourse which he had obviously rehearsed, trying to explain his logic. Captain Brezinski cut him short with a wave of her hand. She then said "I agree with your decision regarding Kate, but I will not allow any other crew member to take a risk, I am not willing to accept myself". "If I am the best match in your genetic lottery, then I am willing and obligated to assume the position of the surrogate mother."
Doc Jules replied, "That is almost exactly how Brother Simon said you would respond to my suggestion, but I felt that I had to try."
Captain Brezinski was pleased to hear that Brother Simon had anticipated her reaction and could not help the smile that crossed her face.
Doc Jules explained the selection protocol for the surrogate mother and again reviewed the risk involved at the monthly conference. Volunteers were then allowed to sign up for the testing regimen. Doc Jules was not surprised when the entire female crew volunteered, but he was surprised when Tom volunteered. When Doc Jules refused his application, Tom objected saying, "I have read where they are able to have male dogs act as mothers by manipulating their hormones and implanting the embryo."
Doc Jules just shook his head and said "Tom, I appreciate your willingness to volunteer. This is complicated enough without adding the variability of an ectopic pregnancy to the equation."
Tom seemed to accept this explanation and said, "Well, I am willing to take the risk if you need me."
Doc Jules thanked him and went back to work organizing the proposed testing schedule. Even though he knew each crew member far better than he had ever known his patients on Earth, he felt specific psychological testing was necessary. The chosen volunteer would not only be risking her health, but would need to live in relative isolation before and during the pregnancy. In addition, each volunteer had to undergo hypobaric testing to see how they responded to the low oxygen levels. The final hurdle was immunologic testing to see how compatible the prospective surrogate mother was with the preliminary immunologic profile of their first Indigan.
When it was Martha's turn to undergo the hypobaric testing, Doc Jules was amazed at her tolerance to the low oxygen levels of the testing chamber. When he asked Martha about this she explained, "I have been practicing." He asked her how she could practice and Martha explained, "The Sherpa people are able to hold their breath for long periods of time because of their adaptation to high altitude. I figured if I practiced holding my breath I would be acclimatizing myself." She looked a little embarrassed and asked "You don’t think that I was cheating do you?"
Doc Jules shook his head no and said, "I imagine most of the other women have been practicing in their own ways also." When all of the testing was completed it was obvious that Martha was the best choice. After informing Captain Brezinski of the results he announced the selection at dinner and multiple toasts were raised in her honor.
Captain Brezinski and Brother Simon watched the celebration from the observation port. They had both learned to appre
ciate the opportunities to share their "rest period" in each other's company. Their conversations ranged over a wide variety of subject matter and they shared each other's concern over the health and well-being of the crew. Tom at one point had even accused them of being the crew's mother and father figures. This had embarrassed both of them. Captain Brezinski returned to the discussion of Eric-Peter's nano machines. She asked, "Do you think the information regarding the nano machines has been in the computer this whole time?
Brother Simon responded in his normal thoughtful conservative manner. "I would assume that such a large database would have been detected by Eric-Peter much sooner if it had been present during their whole journey."
Captain Brezinski agreed with him, but asked, "How does The Visitor know when we need certain information to continue our task?" Brother Simon shrugged his shoulders and said the mystery of superior intelligence and technology was beyond his understanding. Captain Brezinski pressed the issue further by asking, "Do you think The Visitor is the God of your Bible?"
Brother Simon smiled and said, "God Is and I expect The Visitor is an emissary sent on the mission much like we have been."
The next question was, "Is The Visitor an emissary of God?"
Brother Simon responded, "I would think not directly, but rather an emissary of an advanced civilization which had been assigned the task." Brother Simon surprised Captain Brezinski by directly addressing the computer and asking, "Is The Visitor the same entity as the one we refer to as God?"
There was a surprisingly long hesitation before the computer responded, "I am unable to provide information on the specific identity of the one you call The Visitor, but the entity you referred to as God precedes all others." Captain Brezinski asked for more information, but the computer replied, "No other information is available to you." Their discussion then revolved around the mystical concept of God and eternity versus the rational explanations that Brother Simon had previously discussed. Brother Simon explained, "I first accepted the possibility of a God using rational arguments much like I explained to you. The mystical explanations became more acceptable and logical the more I studied." The conversation gradually turned to the discussion of miraculous apparitions. Brother Simon said, "Why do you have such a strong interest in miraculous apparitions?"
Captain Brezinski was quiet for several minutes before relating the event that had occurred when she attempted to scuttle her boat. She described, "This shimmering white figure of a young woman appeared to me while I was opening the valves to destroy my boat and crew. The mere presence of the figure produced an intense feeling of calm. The figure did not speak to me, but simply smiled and shook her head from side to side slowly. A feeling of understanding came over me. When I looked down at the valve I was opening, I realized it was not my purpose to die with my crew on that day. When I looked up from the valve the figure was gone, but the feeling of calm persisted. I canceled the order to flood the hull. Instead I ordered the maintenance officer to close all valves and blow our ballast gradually. This brought the boat to the surface." She concluded by saying she had kept this secret to herself, but she was happy to share it with him in confidence. It was now Brother Simon's turn for silent contemplation.
Finally he said, "I am sure that Doc Jules would have a rational explanation for your experience based on direct stimulation of the visual cortex with a very specifically tuned energy beam. I believe that the mystical interpretation is more logical." They sat together in silence watching the stars rotate by, sharing a quiet intimacy, each allowing their conversation the quiet time needed for it to mature into part of their being.
When Doc Jules returned to work, his first task was to have one final review with Martha regarding the obligations and risk involved in the task that she had volunteered for. He explained in detail the need for her to perform daily weight bearing exercises in order to stimulate the retention of calcium and prevent osteoporosis. After he had reviewed the protocol for developing adaptation to her required hypoxic conditions and had started to explain the hormonal manipulations that would be required, Martha interrupted him. She said, "My Sherpa ancestry will provide me the physical toughness that I need. My German ancestry will provide the stubbornness that I will need to accomplish this task." Doc Jules had to smile at Martha's forthrightness and quickly completed his review.
He began the hormonal manipulations by injecting the hormonal supplements under the skin of her upper left arm. Doc Jules apologized, "I wish that I could simply use tablets and spare you the discomfort of the injections."
Martha smiled at him and responded, "If it were Tom you would have reason to be concerned, but personally I will not be bothered by your small injections." Doc Jules asked her if she needed any help moving into her new quarters but Martha declined saying, "Tom has already volunteered and I would enjoy his help."
The crew adapted quickly to the sight of Martha always wearing her nasal mask. Martha continued her work despite at times feeling sluggish from the low oxygen levels. Her appointments with Doc Jules increased in frequency from weekly to every other day until Doc Jules decided that her ovaries were ready to donate the eggs they needed. He explained the laparoscopic procedure that he would use to harvest the eggs. Martha asked "Would it be possible for me to watch the procedure?"
Doc Jules thought for moment and replied, "If you are willing to have the spinal anesthetic, I could position the monitor so that you can watch the procedure. It would be simpler to record the procedure and watch it later."
Martha responded, "I would like to participate as much as possible so I would prefer being awake and watching." Doc Jules accepted this and they agreed on a time for the procedure.
When Martha presented the next morning, Doc Jules asked her, "Well, are you ready?"
Martha responded, "I am ready, hungry, but ready." Doc Jules asked her to change into the ubiquitous hospital gown. When she was ready he started the IV and placed the cardiac monitors on her. He then had her sit on the operating table, bending forward as he carefully palpated her spine, identifying the level that he needed to obtain complete anesthesia for the area. He then carefully washed her back, telling Martha, "This will be a little cold." He covered her back with a sterile drape. Doc Jules filled the syringe with the anesthetic agent and checked to make sure all of the air was expressed from the syringe. He slowly advanced the needle between her spinal processes until he felt it "pop" into the spinal fluid space. He attached the syringe to the needle and slowly injected the local anesthetic into the space around her spinal cord. He removed the needle and had her sit quietly while the anesthetic began to take effect. After 10 minutes Doc Jules had Martha lie back on the table and he proceeded to scrub her belly with the antiseptic solution. He carefully covered her with sterile drapes. He positioned the monitor so Martha could watch while he performed the surgery. He then scrubbed and gowned himself.
He positioned the table so that Martha was turned slightly to the left and he inserted a small needle into her right side. Doc Jules concentrated as the needle advanced slowly into her abdomen and when he felt the "pop" as the needle entered the peritoneum he attached the pressure device which gradually filled Martha's abdominal cavity with gas. After her abdomen was stretched from the gas, Doc Jules placed the larger needle through her umbilicus (belly button). This larger needle penetrated the stretched peritoneum with a much more obvious pop, he then removed the inner trochar. Doc Jules placed the endoscope through the sheath and the miniature camera revealed the inner world of Martha's abdomen. Doc Jules replaced the original needle with a slightly larger needle which allowed for the insertion of surgical instruments. With careful positioning of Martha on the table and the use of a small probe, he was able to easily visualize both ovaries. The hormones had produced the desired effect and both ovaries looked like small clusters of grapes with multiple ripe follicles, each containing a mature egg (oocyte). Doc Jules used the probe to enter each follicle
, separately aspirating the contents. He used great care to place the carefully cultivated eggs into sterile tubes. When he was finished he allowed the air to escape and then removed his endoscope and probe. He treated the small wounds with an antibiotic ointment and covered them with small dressings.
Martha had watched the entire surgical procedure in silence. When Doc Jules was finished she said, "I'm glad you allowed me to watch because I had no idea how fascinating my insides were and how delicate surgery was."
Doc Jules laughed and said, "Martha, you are a remarkable young woman whom I feel privileged to work with." Martha blushed with the compliment and said nothing. Doc Jules helped Martha move onto a more comfortable bed and told her that as the anesthetic wore off she would have some pain. He explained how she should use the button next to her as often as needed to control the pain.
While Brother Simon began the tedious work of preparing and preserving the valuable eggs that Martha had donated, Doc Jules sat with Martha. He encouraged her to rest and when she did nod off to sleep, quietly began cleaning up his small operating room. When Martha began to stir Doc Jules was again by her side and asked her how she was feeling. Martha replied, "My legs still have a little tingling sensation but otherwise I feel pretty good. Doc Jules asked her if she was having much pain and Martha simply said, "No". Martha dozed off again and when she woke this time she was fully alert. Doc Jules checked her vital signs and advised her that they were normal. Martha asked if that meant that she could return to her own place and Doc Jules simply nodded yes. Doc Jules excused himself while Martha dressed and offered to walk her back to her new shelter. As they walked slowly back across the town Martha asked Doc Jules, "If we're using my eggs does that mean that the Indigans will be partially me?"
Doc Jules responded "Brother Simon will be removing all of your genetic information and inserting the new genetic code of the Indigans but the mitochondria in the cells will be yours." Martha then wanted to know what these mitochondria were and Doc Jules explained, "The mitochondria are the energy factories for all of the cells in the body and they are inherited only from the mother."
Martha asked, "Do you mean that all of these mitochondria that I have are the same as the mitochondria that my mother had?"
Doc Jules nodded and said, "The mitochondria do change slowly over the generations but essentially your mitochondria are the same as your grandmother's." Doc Jules helped Martha get settled and advised her to get plenty of rest over the next few days. As he was leaving Martha said, "My grandmother would have been happy to know that the Sherpa people will be directly linked to the Indigans." Doc Jules waived in response and thought that Martha actually would be the "Mother" of the new race.