To Touch the Stars (Founding of the Federation Book 2)

by Chris Hechtl

  “I'm not sure,” Hannah said slowly as she frowned. “I think … CJ, but he's got two dozen animals already. She may have fallen through the cracks.”

  “She needs more socialization and experience in vet handling,” Aurelia said with authority.

  “She's an injured indignant lady. Give her, her due, she's just reacting as an animal should,” Doctor Timeki said softly. Hannah glanced at the old man. He was in his seventh decade; she wasn't sure of his exact age. He'd been in the genetic engineering department long before Aurelia had come along.

  “Just the same, make a note of that and to check on her,” Aurelia said as she finished wrapping his hand up. He snorted at the attention. “Yes, you need to keep the hand clean. Don't fuss, Myron,” Aurelia scolded. He smiled gently to her but didn't protest as she finished and then put the medical gear away.

  “I thought you were using the artificial uteruses for prototyping, ma'am?” Hannah asked as she made the required notes in the cat's chart.

  Aurelia glanced at her then away. “I am, but we've got all the uteruses booked for Neo prototyping for the next two quarters. So, I have to go the old fashioned route if we want to see progress on this front.”

  “All the feline uteruses?” Doctor Timeki asked as he got to his feet.

  “The Neocats want more progress,” Aurelia said in a semi-disgusted tone of voice. “And since the budget is stretched to the limit for the next fiscal year, we can't afford to buy more. And since we don't have the room or the power … it's moot anyway,” she said.

  “I see,” the vet said in a reserved tone.

  “Ursilla knew what she was doing when she started this program. I'm happy to see it so popular on the ground,” Aurelia said as she went back to her work station. Hannah moved the cat carrier out the door and handed it off to a tech who took her to her habitat.

  “Like mother like daughter? Or in this case daughter-in-law?” The vet teased. “I do wish Ursilla could have stuck around a little longer. Or to now. She would have been thrilled,” he said.

  Aurelia nodded, quiet and sober. Her mother-in-law’s health had failed due to her age, stress, and working in space. When Ursilla had started the pet side projects, she'd gotten a lot of initial public backlash, however, so they had learned from the experience. They had become extremely secretive as they moved the entire project to orbit to avoid the lawsuits and ecoterrorists. Jack had told her that his mother had had a minor heart attack when she'd taken the shuttle; the stress over worrying about the animals’ survival had been too much. That had been the start of the slow slide of her health.

  “Any other customers?” Doctor Timeki asked.

  Hannah checked the board and then shook her head. “Doesn't look like it.”

  “Good, good,” the old man said with a heavy sigh. “Lunch, ladies?”

  “In a minute. You go on ahead,” Aurelia said, waving a hand. He nodded and left.

  Hannah hovered, unsure what to do. “Do you need me for anything, Doctor?”

  “Can you beat some sense into some species of animals?”

  “Politics aren't my specialty, Doctor,” Hannah said with as much dignity as she could muster. She still smiled whimsically though. “I wouldn't mind bashing some heads that are Homo sapiens though,” she said.

  Aurelia snorted. “You and me both,” she mock growled as she saved her work and then logged out of the station. She carefully secured her culture dishes and then put them in the bioreactor. The third sample she covered, labeled, and then put in the fridge.

  “I'm guessing they are still agitating to take their turn in the spotlight?”

  “Not all,” Aurelia admitted. “But a few.”

  Hannah nodded. Neo dogs, cats, wolves, bears, otters and a few other species were still under wraps. The bruins were not happy about it; several wanted to join the military or major sporting clubs. Their community leaders had claimed they had understood, trotting out a major omnivore would have terrified a lot of people. Some were still having fits over the first five species. Some of the crap people were spouting … like that Neos would take jobs or be genetic slaves were horrible. Then there was all the hysterical speculation on the web. Some had come about with rumors that Lagroose or other companies were working on super sharks. All sorts of crazy myths were floating about, and the public department couldn't stamp them out. That was rather terrible and stupid in Hannah's opinion. Also, unfortunately typical of human nature and stupidity.

  “I still have trouble with the idea of them coming forward. I mean, on the one hand yes, but … I understand they are new? Only what, three generations old?” Hannah asked carefully.

  “Yes. But we learned a lot from the others so they are advancing faster,” Doctor Lagroose replied.

  “I see. And why did you do bears? Or … well, any of the others for that matter?”

  “The dogs and cats were out of my hands; Ursilla started them. The same for the primates and cetaceans to a small degree. I just continued the programs but at a much slower pace. The wolves and otters …” she shrugged as she took off her smock and hung it up on a peg by the door. “The bears are one of my favorites.”

  “I thought the otters were. They are so clever!” Hannah said as she took off her own white smock and hung it up. She shook her hair out and checked to make sure her clothing was okay. “I mean …”

  “You'd think that, but no. There are way too many kleptos among them,” Aurelia said in a dark disgusted tone. “And no matter what I do, I can't find that gene. If there is one. It might be a learned behavior.”

  “Or they like shiny things … or just want to get your goat,” Hannah replied with a half smile.

  “Yes, that's a distinct possibility,” Aurelia said with her own answering smile. “I like the bears … because they were already getting there. More than apes. But they want to grow up so fast!” she shook her head in dismay. She glanced at the board. Doctor Glass and Montenegro, two of her interns, were Neochimps. They were good, but she still had the feeling they weren't quite perfect. It was hard to shake. She'd caught herself looking down at them with a condescending attitude. She'd thought it was a teacher relationship but had come to realize Jack wasn't quite off the mark. She had to watch herself when it came to things like that. Or at least try to do so, when she remembered, she thought.

  “That's normal with any child development. We chafe at restrictions as a child and want to emulate our parents. Mimicking helps with social development, you know,” Hannah said blushing a bit at the accidental lecture and its audience.

  “Yes, yes I do,” Aurelia said, smoothing out her blouse as they walked through the door and out of the clinic. They nodded to the pair of techs and the intern at the front counter in passing. “Going to lunch,” she said. Alice gave her a thumbs-up. Doctor Glass gave them a jaunty salute but then returned to whatever he was reading.

  “Where was I … oh, the bears. They've had a lot of the things some of the other Neos lacked. They could walk upright, had some basic hands, intelligence … but they've always been gung ho. And don't let the grizzly's fake Russian accent fool you. Or Olaf's either. They are from here; they grew up as brothers.”

  “And the panda?” Hannah asked, trying hard not to let her mind boggle at a neobear soldier … or one in a football uniform. Then again, the NFL was pretty big … and they'd used animals as mascots for many years … She snorted softly. The panda she was talking about was Po. His mother had named him. He'd hated the name growing up as a cub; the other cubs teased him relentlessly, calling him Poo or Poop or Poop head. Children could be cruel, Hannah mused, even Neo cubs apparently. Po's sow had finally taken the cubs in hand and explained the origin of his name, which had sparked all the cubs getting horse playing as martial artists. Four had come through yesterday with an assortment of injuries, fortunately minor. Two had come through earlier in the morning, both had been sprains.

  “Well, he made some lame joke about wanting to learn martial arts properly and train with the oth
er neo species who want to join security. I'm still wondering about his sense of humor. I thought he'd be quiet and reserved,” Aurelia said. She realized she'd fallen for the trap of expecting the Neos to act like their namesakes or from the cultures their species had originated from on Earth.

  “Not everyone fits an expected pigeon hole, Doctor,” Hannah reminded her with a smile. “Or can fit through it in Po's case,” she said, her smile turning into a grin. Aurelia snorted in amusement. Po was definitely putting on the pounds. If she didn't know any better she'd think he was storing food up for hibernation. Not that he should be, but … she made a note to take another look at his metabolism and diet. They were quiet for a minute as they entered the elevator.

  Hannah fought the urge to squirm. She was uncomfortable with the process she realized, more so every day she was exposed to it. Genetic manipulation really wasn't her field; hands-on was her preference. She realized Doctor Lagroose was looking to take her on as an understudy. She wasn't sure what to make of that.

  “How are things going? Settling in okay?” Aurelia asked as a pair of people came on board. Hannah wondered about the change of subject until she saw the ID badges on the newcomers. None had the clearances to know about the neo projects. She nodded mentally. “Good. I'm considering taking up Doctor Timeki's offer of expanding my horizons a bit, but not in the direction he was hoping I'm afraid,” Hannah said with a smile.

  “Oh?”

  “I've got a break coming up. I'm considering exploring more stasis tech again,” Hannah explained. “I took a course in graduate college but it was an intro class, and I've heard that the field has really advanced lately. I want to keep abreast of it. It might come in handy someday,” she said.

  “Good for you,” Aurelia said quietly. Hannah glanced at her and replayed that answer in her mind. She wasn't sure if there was a hint of approval or disapproval in it.

  “I wish we had what we have now back when my mom was alive. We might have been able to save her you see,” Hannah said softly.

  “Oh,” Aurelia replied in a different tone. One of the techs turned to look at them but the elevator binged indicating imminent floor destination. He turned back just as the doors opened. He and his partner stepped off, talking quietly amongst themselves.

  She had been tempted to tell Hannah the truth about her parents and her brother. She'd read Ursilla's encrypted records; the notes were fascinating. She'd applied a lot of the lessons learned there with the past three generations of Neos. She wondered if any of the other kids knew the truth about their origins. She wasn't sure if she wanted to find out or not. She frowned thoughtfully. From the sound of it, Hannah was still stuck on starships. What a pity, she thought. She'd still keep her under her wing, but she would have to continue looking for an eventual replacement.

  Hannah was lost in her memory for the moment. She remembered her mother, how she had died when Hannah had been barely a year old. She had talked with her dad about it when she'd gone to graduate school. He had admitted he'd tried to get her mother to go into a prototype stasis test but she'd been terrified and refused. She'd insisted on letting nature take its course, even if it meant losing out on seeing the kids growing up. She'd been right; the prototype had been a bust.

  “Sometimes I wonder if we're advancing or not,” Aurelia murmured softly. The doors opened once more to the galley.

  Hannah took in the sounds, sights, and smells and smiled. “Somehow, Doc, I think we are doing just fine,” she said, nodding her chin to the group. She waved a hand to the apes of all species among the human apes. There were even a couple robots with dolphin drivers showing their smiling faces on LCDs as they chatted with their two-legged friends.

  “I think you are right,” Aurelia said, drinking it all in. She noted Doctor Timeki chatting with an orangutan. He waved to them then went right on talking with the pongo. She turned to see a couple patients in wheelchairs nearby. “But I still think we've got a long ways to go.”

  Hannah nodded as they entered the big bay.

  -*-*-^-*-*-

  Jack found out peripherally through the company's intelligence department that Trey's family had been lured away to hurt the space program through his security and intelligence people. “Now they are resorting to that?”

  “At least they didn't kill him,” his wife said as she came up and wrapped her arms around him. She rested her head on his shoulder as they read the report on the wall screen.

  “No, but threaten a man's family … how low will they go? Why are they doing this?” Jack demanded. “I can see luring our people away with better pay. But he took a lower paying job, started at the bottom, lost his seniority …” he shook his head.

  “It's what people do to keep their families together. Both spouses working together. If one is unhappy or gets a better job or opportunity to follow their dreams …” his wife left that hanging.

  “But …” Jack shook his head and left that thought alone. “How much of a reach do these people have? To what lengths will they go to achieve them? They have to know we're not going to quit. You can't put the genie back in the bottle! We're not all going back to Earth, not in a million years! Onward and outward damn it! Why can't they see that?”

  “Fanatics Dad. They have their own warped reality. Their own justifications,” Zack said.

  Jack looked at him for a long fulminated minute as he turned that thought around and around in his head. Zack may have seemed precocious, but he was right. He was also getting more and more into what was happening around them and the company. He'd already proven he had a first class mind. The kid was getting set to blow his old man's educational records away. Finally he nodded curtly. “Right.”

  “And we're not giving in to them either. We'll do what we're setting out to do. Whether they like it or not,” his wife said, rubbing his shoulders.

  “Damn straight,” Jack growled as his son nodded. “But we're going to have to take steps to protect our people better. To protect our interests. I've kept our people passive to keep the peace … to not seem like the bad guy in the press. But we need to draw attention to this crap and other things.”

  “What? A man quits because his wife threatened him with divorce if he didn't? There is no link honey,” his wife said sympathetically.

  “No, but there are others. I noticed Charlie's death got buried by both the press and the authorities. We need to bring that up. And get our own people involved in protecting our people and assets more,” Jack said firmly. “We haven't warned them they might be in danger. That's an oversight I intend to rectify.”

  “Which will mean more investments in security. There is only so much of the budget pie, dear,” his wife murmured. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “And you and I both know, they aren't perfect. They may stop all sorts of plots, but they can't stop them all.”

  “They can try,” their son said. “I know I will,” he vowed.

  Jack looked at him and then nodded slowly. Zack at eight years old was turning into Roman's understudy. His father had a bit of influence in that; he'd fed stories of the Lagroose family and how they had been in the military or police forces for generations. His mother had inadvertently helped when she'd taken him on his first tour of the Neo habitats. Zack had been fascinated with the idea of being a canine partner but modified that to a true partnership when he understood how intelligent the Neos were.

  That had led to some heated bedroom discussions with Aurelia. She hadn't liked Zack's track and wanted to steer it into more acceptable lanes. Ones that were not filled with risk. Jack had backed his son, pointing out that it was a long way away and kids tended to change their minds often before they settled on a career. He knew the argument wasn't over, just banked for now.

  He'd taken a shine to Elliot, a Neo chimp cybercrimes investigator. Elliot had interested the boy briefly into becoming a cop when he showed him his Sherlock Holmes collection.

  The kid was fascinated by investigations and security work; he seemed to devour mystery
novels, sometimes sealing away who he thought a perpetrator was in a file or on a note before the end of the story. He took a few science classes; his mother had been happy about that until she'd realized he was gearing up for a better understanding of forensics.

  He was a willful young man. She'd tried to steer his interests deeper into the hard sciences, but he'd picked her manipulation apart, much to his mother's consternation and his father's amusement. Zack had made it clear he would follow his own path; Jack had to admire and respect that even if Aurelia resented it slightly.

  One thing that Jack did like, Zack's interest in Roman's fields meant it was easy to assign him a security detail. He'd had gone through a few human guards; however, they had grown too close to him, losing sight of their duty.

  Charlie Caesar was a good fit for Zack. He was a Neochimp; one of the first to be so publicly assigned an important task. He'd gotten into sports and wrestling with Zack in his off-duty time.

  Zack was a bit rough when he horseplayed with others; Aurelia had shot the neochimp dark glances a few times over that. Now that Zack's body had worked out the kinks and he was no longer stumbling about, he had insisted on taking martial arts classes. Jack had already planned on such things for all his kids; he'd wanted them to know some self-defense. But Zack sucked the lessons up like a sponge. He was rising rapidly through the ranks much to everyone's surprise. It was eerie the way the kid moved, so smooth and quick. He seemed to devour and perfect everything he set his mind to. Sometimes it bothered Jack that the kid was skipping his own childhood in a rush to grow up.

  He'd love to take the kids, all of them camping. But groundside was out; it was far too dangerous. Lagroose 12 A or B might work … or C when it came online. Teaching the kids fishing would be a hoot, he thought. That window of time was slipping, he thought with a pang. But to do it he'd have to take an entourage with him, he reminded himself. Roman would resign if he tried to slip his leash. He put the thought aside to explore later.