by Bob Blanton
Everyone turned to look at Dr. Metra. She removed her headscarf and wiggled her ears.
“What!” Liz gasped. “An alien.”
“That depends on whose perspective you’re talking about,” Dr. Metra said.
“But not human,” Liz added.
“Correct,” Dr. Metra said. “But we are very similar in biology.”
“How similar?”
“Later!” Catie said, retaking control of the meeting.
Liz sat back a bit stunned that Catie grabbed control, “Sure.”
“Everyone has seen the work with the Alzheimer’s patients,” Catie continued. “That was Dr. Metra’s work. While we were raising the Chagas, I did some research with ADI on their medical capabilities. I was hoping that they might have better technology for prosthetics than we do.”
“Thanks,” Kal said.
“Anyway, we can give you new legs,” Catie said as she looked at Kal.
“I don’t know,” Kal said. “It was a lot of work getting used to these. I’m not sure I’m ready to go through that again.”
Catie giggled, “I don’t mean new prosthetic legs, I mean new legs.”
Kal shook his head, totally stunned. “You mean like a leg transplant?”
Catie looked at Dr. Metra and gave her a nod.
“That’s partially correct,” Dr. Metra said. “What we do is scan your DNA, and in your case, gather as much medical data about your legs from before they were amputated. Then we print new ones.”
“Print them?” Kal asked, looking a bit unsettled.
“We use organic material that we create using your DNA and tissue samples we take from you, such as nerves, muscle cells, skin cells, bone, bone marrow. Then we print your new legs on a three-D printer that handles that material.”
“You can do that?”
“Yes. Then once your legs are printed, we’ll infuse them with blood and stem cells we generate from samples taken from you,” Dr. Metra continued. “We do that to reduce the time you’re incapacitated. It takes about one week before the printed legs essentially become detached legs. Fully alive and waiting to be reconnected.”
“Wow!” Kal said.
“Then we do the surgery. We attach all the main arteries and nerves and bones to your existing legs,” Dr. Metra said. Then she gave a very human grimace, “We do have to cut your legs off a bit more to get back to viable tissue that is unaffected by the amputation. We take that into account when we print your legs. After the surgery, it takes one week before your body reintegrates the legs.”
“Then, what?”
“Then you do physical therapy for a few days and go home,” Dr. Metra said. “You’ll need to come in for a few weeks to get a stem cell booster shot, but you should be walking as well as you do now after the initial therapy.”
“But what about the bones knitting?”
“We fix broken bones in a few hours. Yours will be completely knitted long before you’re walking.”
“So, a week and a half, and I’m walking?” Kal asked incredulously.
“Yes!” Catie said. “Really cool, isn’t it?”
“Will my brain be able to adapt to the legs again?”
“Usually that happens during the integration phase,” Dr. Metra said. “In rare cases, we have to do some brain stimulation to encourage your brain to re-associate the old muscle memory with your new legs. But we’re using all the same nerve trunks, so it’s seldom an issue.”
“When can we start?” Kal asked.
“As soon as Captain McCormack gives the word.”
“Whenever you’re ready,” Marc said. “I do have a few conditions, though.”
Kal had to bite back an angry retort, “What conditions?”
“We are trying to keep this alien spaceship thing under wraps. I would simply ask that you try to avoid flaunting your new legs around. Swim and surf off of Manuae, wear long pants when you’re in Rarotonga, things like that.”
“I can do that,” Kal said. “For how long?”
“Let’s say eighteen months,” Marc said.
“Good by me,” Kal answered. “But wait. We’re trying to build up our security force here, right?”
“Of course,” Marc said, wondering why Kal was stating the obvious.
“Especially with this worry about all those governments interfering,” Kal added.
“Right.”
“Well, I know some guys with wicked skills who would give their left nut to get back into the game. They just need new parts.”
Marc frowned at Kal.
“Sorry about the language,” Kal said as he looked at Catie, who was giggling. “It’s just a saying.”
“Okay, you say you know some guys,” Marc said. “How many?”
“What about women?” Catie asked.
“We’ll attract both. How many do you need?” Kal asked. “It’s a tight-knit community; word gets out that there’s a job for them, they’re going to come calling.”
“We can’t advertise that we can replace limbs,” Marc said.
“We won’t have to,” Kal said. “I’ll just tell them there’s some new tech that will let them get back in the game. That they will hardly remember they don’t have their leg or whatever.”
“Okay, how many?” Marc asked while looking at Blake and Liz.
“I’d say another twenty to start,” Blake said. “We can always add more later. What about pilots?”
“That’s tougher,” Marc said. “Supposedly, we don’t have fighters. Let’s hold off until we’re ready to bring a few in to fly the Lynx.”
“Oh!” Catie said quickly. “Uncle Blake, we can fix you up too.”
“You can?”
“Yes,” Catie said. She turned to Dr. Metra and motioned her to continue.
“Cer Blake,” Dr. Metra said. “Catie has already had me print a new eye for you. We can take care of that in about three hours. You should reintegrate it right away; if not, a few days of brain stimulation will do the trick. Your burns are another story.”
“They always are,” Blake said with a frown.
“It would be easiest to simply replace the arm,” Dr. Metra continued. “That’s up to you.”
“Replace my arm?”
“Hey bro, I’m replacing my legs, what’s an arm?” Kal said, needling him.
“Go on,” Blake said to Dr. Metra.
“Burns are especially difficult because we have to repair them from the base up,” Dr. Metra continued. “I would prefer to surgically remove your cheek and your left pectoral muscle and replace them with printed ones. It would be less discomforting to you. For the rest of your burns, we would need to inject you with, I’ll use the term from your science fiction, nanites similar to the ones we use in the Alzheimer’s treatment. They would remove the damaged tissue and replace it with new material. We would have to do it in several steps.”
“How do these nanites work?” Blake asked.
“They’re not as sophisticated as depicted in many of your science-fiction stories. They simply are tiny machines. We inject them into your body, then we can direct them to a particular location. The first ones will extract the problem tissue, dissolving it with acid so your body will flush it. Then those nanites are directed to your GI tract. Your body will process them and ...”
“I get it,” Blake said. “Then?”
“Then we inject more nanites that have the new material in them. It’s similar to the three-D printing, but we have to do it under your existing tissue. The first nanites create a void, the second set fills it.”
“How long?”
“Each procedure takes a few hours, but they need to be separated by at least a week. It can be longer, so you’ll be able to set the pace. The first treatment should dramatically reduce the nerve pain you experience now. I expect it will take ten treatments.”
“How can you be so sure this will work?” Liz asked.
“As I said earlier,” Dr. Metra said, “our biological makeup is very similar. I ha
ve done some experiments to prove that I can print your genetic material. I also have done the procedure on several human cadavers and a few live human patients.”
“Alien abductions,” Kal joked.
“I don’t think so,” Dr. Metra said. “I dealt with people who were isolated and had tragic accidents. We were able to almost completely erase the memories. None of the patients I worked on even remembered that they had had an accident.”
“So, how similar are our biologies?” Liz asked.
“Except for the ears, you would have to do a genetic analysis to determine we were not the same species,” Dr. Metra said.
“So, you get pregnant and have babies just like us?” Liz asked.
“Yes, we’re not compatible enough to procreate, but other than that.”
“You even have menstrual cycles?” Liz asked.
“Biologically speaking, we do,” Dr. Metra said.
“Hey, can we move on to another subject?” Blake asked, looking a little embarrassed.
“Everyone who doesn’t have to worry about a menstrual cycle shut up,” Liz said sternly. “What do you mean by biologically speaking?”
“We would have what you call menstrual cycles,” Dr. Metra said. “But we stop them. It is a form of birth control as well as providing other benefits.”
“What do you mean, you stop them?” Liz asked.
“We make a more sophisticated nanite and put one on each ovary,” Dr. Metra said. “They regulate the secretion of estrogen and other hormones based on the body’s chemistry. That keeps everything balanced, eliminating the need for menstruation.”
“What if you want to get pregnant?” Liz asked.
“You can instruct your comm unit to send instructions to the nanites. They then cause you to ovulate. Once you’re pregnant, the nanites regulate your hormones to manage your pregnancy.”
“When do you start this process?” Marc asked.
“Oh, so now you’re interested,” Liz snapped.
“We typically start it before puberty,” Dr. Metra said. “The nanites are programmed to extend the transition through puberty. That is healthier for the child and delays sexual interest, which is healthier for all.”
“What about the guys?” Kal asked.
“There are nanites for them as well. Most parents have them injected before puberty, but most males turn them off once they reach majority.”
“No surprise, there,” Liz laughed. “Do you have the process perfected for humans, and can you do it after puberty?”
“Yes,” Dr. Metra said. “It’s a simple injection. I could do it in the clinic anytime.”
“I think we have a couple of patients for you,” Marc said.
“Oh, Catie already has hers,” Dr. Metra said.
“What?” Marc asked.
“I asked her if she wanted them when I did her physical,” Dr. Metra said. “She told me she did.”
“You did this without consulting me,” Marc demanded.
“On Paraxea as well as in the US, a girl is allowed to make her own decisions about such things,” Dr. Metra said.
“I’m worried about the risk,” Marc said.
“I can assure you there was no risk,” Dr. Metra said. “I did tests on this when we first arrived here.”
“And you didn’t think you should tell me?” Liz asked Catie.
“I wasn’t allowed to tell you,” Catie said. “I wanted to, but Daddy had to make the call about bringing you guys in on the Sakira thing first.”
“Okay, I forgive you,” Liz said as she gave Marc a smile and a nod.
“Now can we get back to Uncle Blake and Kal,” Catie said. “When do you guys want to start?”
“I think we should do a little recruiting first,” Blake said. “But I’d like my eye fixed today if possible.”
“The Lynx is following us now,” Catie said. “You just have to go aboard with Dr. Metra.”
“Hey, can we all go see this spaceship?” Liz asked.
Marc gave a big sigh, “I don’t see why not. I’ll stay with Fred, Catie can be your tour guide.”
“Speaking of Fred,” Blake said, “won’t he notice?”
“Yes, but we can keep feeding him the new tech line,” Marc said.
“Why?” Blake asked. “If we need pilots, he was a hell of a pilot in the Air Force before he got out.”
“He’ll be training on the Lynx,” Marc said. “Let’s keep the weapons capability quiet. I need to think about how we handle that. Things are starting to roll over the top of me right now.”
“You need more people to delegate to,” Blake said.
Marc gave Blake a hard look.
“Don’t look at me,” Blake said as he gave Marc an innocent look. “I’m all about flying, shooting, and that kind of stuff. I hate paperwork.”
“And I don’t?” Marc asked sarcastically.
“No, but you love to plan, so you’re stuck with it,” Blake said. “I just go with the flow.”
“Get out of here before I kick you over the side so you can go with the flow,” Marc said. He knew he was his own worst enemy when it came to delegating.
Blake rushed out with mock fear, laughing the whole way.
Chapter 15
The Tour
“The Sakira is two hundred fifty meters long by one hundred meters wide,” Catie said while they approached the Sakira. “She’s elliptical in both axes, much more so in the longitudinal axis. She’s eighty-two meters tall.”
“Why, ellipsoid? It’s not all that aerodynamic,” Kal asked.
“Aerodynamics doesn’t matter in space,” Catie said. “Uncle Blake can explain it better, but it’s about structural strength.”
“Oh, for structural strength, that makes sense,” Liz said.
“It’s also about manufacturing; her hull is monolithic.”
“Wow, that is something,” Liz said.
“What’s different about this hull compared to the polysteel?” Kal asked.
“You’ll have to ask ADI or Uncle Blake,” Catie said. “But the Sakira hull absorbs energy, same as the Lynx’s. That’s why they’re hard to see, they absorb the light.”
“What do they do with all that energy? Where does it go?” Kal added.
“The inside of the hull is coated with superconductor strips,” Catie said. “ADI controls how much of the energy they absorb from the hull gets redirected to the system capacitors.”
“What happens when the capacitors are full?”
“ADI either lets the hull heat up, or she bleeds the energy off,” Catie said. “Right now, she has to bleed the excess energy from the fusion reactor. She’s bleeding it off into the water stream that moves down the canyon the Sakira is sitting in. In space, she can bleed it off by radiating it with the lasers or a plasma cannon.”
“Why radiate it like that?”
Catie shrugged.
“Stealth,” Blake said. “The laser or plasma cannon controls which direction you’re detectable in. A laser is a pretty narrow beam. You’d have to be directly in its path to detect it.”
“Back to the tour, right now we’re in Flight Bay Two,” Catie said. “It will take a few minutes to pump all the water out.”
“Big waste of air in space,” Kal said.
“If they’re running ops, the flight bay is depressurized. Everyone has a suit on. This bay can be segmented with a film so that only the area the Lynx comes into has to be depressurized,” Catie said. “If they’re in a hurry, they just lose the air. When you dock, they just equalize the pressure in the whole bay so you can get out and bring it all back up from seventy-five percent.”
“Why don’t they do that with the water?”
“Too much pressure down here,” Catie said. “The film can only handle two atmospheres.”
“Boy, you really studied this stuff,” Liz said.
Catie beamed a little at the praise, “I had lots of time while we were dealing with the Chagas.”
“When did you find out about
the Sakira?” Liz asked.
“Two weeks,” Blake said. “We found it in June. Catie showed up the next week, and two weeks later, she’s onto us.”
“Women have always been smarter than men,” Liz said. Catie gave a big head nod agreeing with her.
“Okay, water’s gone,” Catie said. “Let’s go out. The bay is one hundred twenty by thirty meters, seventy-five meters wide if you measure up at the top. It’s designed to handle fifteen Foxes.”
“Foxes?”
“The Foxes are the fighters; I told you better toys,” Catie said. “They’re thirteen meters shorter than the Lynx, but they can go faster.”
“How much faster?”
“Wait until we get to them, you’re making me forget what I want to tell you.”
“Okay.”
“Anyway, this flight bay is designed to handle fifteen Foxes, or thirteen Foxes and a Lynx.”
“Why only thirteen when you add the Lynx?”
“The Lynx is longer, not enough room to turn it around if you have a Fox next to it. As you can see, the bay is a little narrower at the bottom because we’re on the bottom half of the ellipse. Flight Bay One can handle twenty-one Foxes,” Catie added. “More if you don’t leave room for them to turn around.”
“Not good if you’re fighting,” Blake said.
“Right!” Catie said. “Anyway, the Foxes are in the flight bay above us. We only have four, so they’re all up there. The Sakira can handle thirty-four Foxes and one Lynx, with maneuverability, or it can transport lots more. It just has the two flight bays.”
“Not much for an aircraft carrier,” Liz said.
“The Sakira isn’t an aircraft carrier, it’s a research vessel,” Catie said. “It’s really not designed for atmospheric operations, or underwater, but it can do it. To land a Fox in atmosphere, you have to sync up speeds and be going fast enough that the Fox has lift, then ease it in. In the water or space, you don’t have to worry about lift.”
“Nice.”
“Airlock is over here. We’ll go up to the bridge next.” Catie led them through the airlock and to an elevator. “There are two elevators, this one and one just aft of the bridge. There are six decks above us, a cargo hold below us; it’s as big as the flight bay. Then there are three engineering levels below that.”
