Two and a half months earlier
"So does this mean that you two are like.... Together?" Adam said leaning over the small glass case, closely and excitedly examining its contents.
Krill's antenna twitched , "Vrul don't do together."
"Vrul also don't threaten to eat people's toes or go galivanting across the galaxy with alien military vessels, or get themselves involved in dangerous situations or....."
Krill held up a hand, "You have made your point, but no, unfortunately or perhaps fortunately, I still am incapable of feeling those particular human feelings."
Adam raised a hand as if to tap the glass but pulled back, "So like, if this goes off one degree..... they're dead?"
"No, just profoundly mentally disabled."
Adam dropped his hand slowly, content with staring through the glass at the small next of three Vrul eggs which sat there nestled in a bed of towels.
They were probably one of the most fascinating things the Admiral had ever seen. They were about half the size of his fist, and were a sort of light amber in color. They weren't completely opaque either, and through the glass, he thought he could detect hints of movement just beyond the delicate amber skin.
"So, you're trying to create more alphas?"
"Essentially, yes." Dr, krill turned to look at Riss, who was busy examining the temperature readouts on the nearby monitor. All around them, the room was bathed in a deep purple glow giving an eerie cast to skin and bodies normally seen under yellow or white light.
Riss looked up from his work, "Yes, the process if very technical and time intensive."
The human waited.
The Vrul looked at him.
"So, where is the big nerdy explanation of how everything works."
Krill's antenna quivered again, "I thought you didn't like all that bleep bloop science stuff."
The human looked almost insulted, "Do you even know me. Just because I don't always understand the 'science stuff' doesn't mean I don't like it. If I hadn't become a pilot to go to space, I probably would have gone into a science field."
The two Vrul looked between each other.
"Oh come on, I know you want to. Besides, I DO have a degree in orbital mechanics. I'm sure that I can at least follow along with a development schedule."
It actually didn't take much prodding to urge the Vrul to speak. Riss was openly excited, and while Krill tried not to show it, he was feeling the same way.
"Riss/"
The other Vrul seemed pleased that Krill was bowing to his expertise on the matter, Krill was a doctor and did understand much about the physical development of young vrul, but it was not his specialty. Neither was it Riss's specialty, but he had taken more time intensive courses on Vrul development.
"Yes, essentially what is important to know is that Vrul Eggs are very difficult to bring to full term. We believe that this was a part of our evolution, and was made up for by our ability to produce large quantities of eggs. There is evidence in our past that our ancestors would lay eggs in large holes in the ground and seal them up. Most of the eggs would die off and be unusable, but the temperatures below the ground amidst decaying matter and other eggs was sufficient enough to allow a surprisingly high portion of the eggs to reach maturity. Now, over time we moved on to practices that were more.... Scientific."
He moved forward and motioned to the eggs.
"This is why I believe that the council is purposefully interrupting the growth stage of Vrul hatchlings. I never noticed it before, but in my classes we were told that 98.7 percent of all eggs reach maturity under their system. That remaining percentage can be accounted for due to natural defects, and Vrul mistakes in handling the eggs. If what the council said was true, and they have no idea how the eggs reach maturity, than we would be more likely to see higher death rates in eggs."
Adam walked back over to the eggs, continuing to examine them, "So you are trying to prove that the council is openly controlling the intelligence of its population through..... eugenics?"
"Sort of. It's a bit more than eugenics, but the point still stands."
Adam watched as something inside one of the eggs twitched.
"So how do you plan on getting this to work."
"Well first of all, Vrul eggs are extremely climate sensitive and prefer an enviornment that is around 75 degrees with consistent heavy humidity. What we have done is rested them on top of wet towels, which we can add water to using this pump in the side of the container. This keeps the eggs in a continually humid enviornment with just the correct amount of heat. Now these variations are going to change throughout the cycle of their growth, though the temperature and humidity become less important than the light itself." Riss motioned overhead, and Adam tilted his head back to where the purple light emanated from above.
"Red light stimulates the early stages of growth or the original formation of cells within the eggs. Afterwards it helps promote the correct cellular growth. The blue light helps growth and the formation of limbs. As time moves on we have been slowly adjusting the wavelength of light from more red to more blue. We have to be careful with the amount of blue early on because it CAN stunt growth and cause the eggs to quit maturing, giving us a delta rather than an alpha."
Adam took another turn around the side of the container, "So pretty much what you are trying to do is grow a very finicky plant ."
Riss and krill looked between each other.
Adam motioned to the eggs, "I mean that is essentially a grow light, we've been using them on spaceships forever, especially in this purple color right here. They use it for commercial growth on farming stations. He turned his head to look at them, "Which probably means you could mass reproduce if you wanted. I am sure one of the growing station would know exactly how to keep the eggs happy while they sprouted, they have growing plants down to a science, and this is essentially just that, but on steroids."
Krill and Riss looked at each other again, surprised, "I often forget how much we have In common with your earth plants." Krill said turning back to his work.
"So what are you going to name them?"
The two Vrul stared at him.
"Seriously, you haven't thought about this? That's like the first thing humans do when they know they're going to have a kid."
"Vrul are not like humans."
"I mean yeah, but they are going to have to have names." Adam turned in a tight circle, "Well if you aren't going to name them, than I will."
"And here we go."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Last time you named your kids you named them after famous science fiction Ais."
Adam crossed his arms, "I see nothing wrong with that. Besides, I don't always name thing after science fiction references. I named my dog after my favorite breakfast food, and I named Eris after the goddess of discord. And Jeffery..... well he just looked like a Jeffrey."
If Krill was capable of rolling his eyes he would have, but instead he just sighed and let the human go on bending down in front of the container, "Well, you see there are three of them, so clearly we have to name them around a famous pair of three..... its only too bad there aren't four of them."
Riss looked at Krill, "Why?"
"If there were three of them, than I could name them after the ninja turtles."
Krill just sighed.
"If it makes you feel better the ninja turtles are named after famous artists."
"No, that does not make me feel better."
Adam paused turning in a tight circle. Well You could always name them after the big three in Greek mythology, might sound cooler if you used the roman names. Jupiter Pluto and Neptune."
"You're going to name them after a couple of space rocks."
Adam frowned, "No, if you must know those space rocks are actually named after gods." When Krill gave him a look he sighed, "Ok fine, but if you keep doing this I will have no choice to but to name them after the powderpuff girls."
"The who?"
Adam shook his head and sighed. "You guys are the worst, "
He paced in a circle, "well, if you are going to be prudish about this," he paused and then snapped his fingers in delight, "I got it!"
"What?" Krill sounded skeptical, even nervous.
Adam turned to look at him, beaming, "The fates."
"The who?"
"The fates, from Greek mythology. Based on the name they controlled the fate of men. One to spin the thread of life, one to measure it and one to cut it. Clotho Lachesis, and Atropos."
Inside the container, the eggs shifted slightly.
Krill looked beautiful, "You don't strike me as the mythology type."
He shrugged, "I'm not."
"And you knew their names off the top of your head?"
Adam tapped the side of his head on which his eyepatch sat, "No, I did a quick internet search, but I think its growing on me. " he grinned, "Besides, if you don't pick this one, than I am definitely going to have to name them after the powderpuff girls, Blossom, bubbles and buttercup." He grinned the, "up to you guys, there's no rush, "I'll let you think on it."
He stepped out of the room and into the hallway.
Behind him the eggs continued to rock and sway gently inside their enclosure.
Krill and Riss exchanged a look.
Leave it to them to have to pick between mythology or popular culture.
Though Krill supposed it wasn't all that bad, he had heard worse suggestions from Adam in the past.
The two of them walked over to stare at the eggs, maturing quietly inside their enclosure.
"Do you think, maybe this wasn't the best time for all this?" Riss wondered.
"What do you mean ?" Krill asked examining the temperature gage
"I mean with everything going on. With the Eden project and, and the leviathan and."
Krill remained quiet for a long moment staring into the glass. Riss was, again, struck by how Unvrul he seemed leaning against the tabletop, pressing his weight through his hands and into the table in a posture of thoughtfulness that didn't belong to his species.
Krill was nothing like any Vrul he had ever known.
He was probably one of the bravest Vrul Riss had ever met, probably one of the strongest, and undeniably one of the smartest, and yet even he seemed unsure. Eventually he looked up and when he did Riss could feel a sense of exhaustion bleeding of of him, "It's complicated to say, we have recently learned that the universe if far bigger than us, so does that mean we stop thinking about our petty squabbles."
He rested his hand gently against the glass, "But despite bigger things going on, there are still members of our species suffering under the hand of unchecked dictators, with too much power and influence to be questioned. Is the existence of an afterlife proof that what happens here means nothing?"
There was a pause.
Riss shook his head.
"Yes, I had the same thought, "We still need to do what can be done for those of us who are not involved in the wider scheme at large. We still have to go forward with this."