The S31 Stork [Archangel/Jiseth/Zero]

Jiseth nodded and took another sip before setting down her glass. The case she left open, but gingerly lifted it from the table and cradled in in her arms. The most precious cargo she had so far ever transported. It was only into the next room, originally a second bed area for guests, now converted as part laboratory with the remaining space crammed full of medical equipment.

Warbirds were slow while cloaked, but here the Romulan had to be careful not to jostle her passenger. Nearing the chamber, she looked to Zero. The pilot herself had little to no idea of what to do next. It was not so simple as dumping a pet fish into a new home. Or was it? She could not risk it either way.

"Would you do the honors, e'lev?"

Seeing Jiseth cradling the stasis tube created a strange sensation in Zero's chest, a slight tightening, but warm. She enjoyed seeing the Romulan taking such care over the tiny being that was their daughter.

In the time since Jiseth had told her that Archangel would be bringing the fragile being back to them, Zero had thrown herself into creating the lab that now occupied the spare bedroom in their quarters. Every piece of equipment that she could possibly need was there, and even elements that she didn't need but thought might come in useful. She had more medical scanning equipment in there than most star ships.

Taking the case from Jiseth's hand with the same reverence that the Romulan had used to carry it, Zero lifted the tube from the black foam and laid it in the incubation chamber, the same type that Zero herself had been grown in. She felt a twinge of regret at that thought. She had wanted her daughter to know the normality that she had never been allowed, and it had already been torn away from her.

Using a dermal regenerator to connect the umbilical cord to the artificial placenta that she had put together, Zero took a deep breath and deactivated the stasis unit. The monitoring sensors picked up immediately on the new life form, starting to record data.

A fluttering heartbeat was amplified through the monitors for the two new mothers to hear.

The Romulan's smiled widened as she let out a tearful laugh. Finally they were a family. She took Zero in her arms and buried her face into her pale shoulder. Her sobs were joyful though seemed unending. Her arms tightened a bit and voice muffled, but what she let out was clear enough.

"I love you, Zero."

Hearing her daughter's heartbeat caused another surge of warmth to rush through Zero's chest. When Jiseth hugged her again, Zero only hesitated for a moment before returning the gesture. Not all that long ago, she would have shied away violently, but she was starting to undo the discipline Starfleet Medical had installed in her, thanks to a few very patient friends.

"I love you too, Jiseth," the Augment murmured in return. Giving her lover a last squeeze, she pulled away to check the readings on a console, ensuring that everything was working properly to deliver the necessary elements to the now growing baby. "By my calculations, we will be able to disconnect the chamber in six months, two weeks, three days and five hours, although I would recommend an additional five to seven days for optimal growth."

While Zero made her checks, Jiseth went back out and refilled their glasses before returning. She took a sip while she watched her partner, offering the other cup. Assuming the ship would hold together for that long, they would soon have to endure all the joys of parenthood.

Only a few fleeting months of quiet left...

"We should hold a celebration for when she's ready to come out of there. We do have friends still don't we..? I mean, outside of the crew?"

Zero turned around as Jiseth handed her the glass, taking it but not taking a sip. Alcohol was still something she wasn't supposed to have, just in case Starfleet Medical found out. In any case, she was going to have to give regular blood donations to the foetus to ensure that the all the important elements from her immune system were passed on.

"Is it customary to hold a celebration for the birth of offspring?" she asked in slight confusion before brushed it off. "As for friends outside of the crew, I do not believe I have ever had such acquaintances."

Jiseth wondered if anyone knew how to enjoy themselves. T'Koris had just completed her mission and Zero... She was not sure. Perhaps a hydration issue. It was starting to look like she'd have to find a way to make Ghost her drinking buddy. She suddenly found herself missing Henriks and Raynor. Chira too.

Her mind flipped through the crew roster. They were not too familiar with Sheridan. Jiseth would rather take a boot to the mouth than bring Julia in. Pardek, the other Romulan-did she even... Is Pardek an android?

"It's called a baby shower, e'lev. What about your medical staff? They're alright aren't they?"

"A baby shower." Zero repeated. It wasn't a concept that she was familiar with. Was it normal for one to celebrate the child in such a manner? It didn't seem normal, but then again, she wasn't a very good judge of normal. "There are one or two of the medics that may consider attending."

Setting aside her glass, Zero picked up an empty hypospray, using it to draw her blood into three cartridges, which were then plugged in to the chamber. It was only after that that she took a sip from her glass, offering Jiseth a shy smile.

"I should not drink before I draw blood for Callion. We would not wish her to suffer because of my lack of care."

The Romulan nodded and slipped close, her arm around Zero's back. She had absolutely no idea how any of these processes worked for keeping their daughter growing. A living being far more complex than a shuttle on the assemble line, but Jiseth was confident Zero was up to the task.

"Have you reached any conclusions about... Umm... My proposal?"

Zero found herself looking down and away from the Romulan. Jiseth had asked her shortly after her last return from Romulus and the Augment's return from Starfleet Medical to marry her and, as much as Zero very much wanted to say yes, she still fought with the disciplining and programming that Starfleet Medical had enforced on her. Physical contact, especially of the sexual kind, continued to make her uncomfortable. She had discussed it at length with Gavin before his departure, but it had not allowed her to find the answers to her conundrum.

She wanted to pull away from the contact at that point, her mind in turmoil, but she managed to stop herself from doing so. She knew that it would only hurt Jiseth and she had no desire to do that.

"I have not been able to dedicate much time to its study, e'lev," she replied carefully.

Stand by to stand by was the usual order Jiseth gave when she did not know something. Hearing it could be frustrating for her crews, but here and now it was almost fitting. Perhaps the Augment was in over her head. Maybe it was Jiseth. Maybe both.

Slowly she parted from Zero and stared intently into the chamber. She could see the tiny chest pulse with each heartbeat. A strong little one. It made her mother proud already.

"Regardless of whatever you decide, I would like to help raise her."

Quietly she wondered how much claim she had since it was her DNA, but there was no consent prior to conception. Even so, she was undeniably happy to see their child. She could already see a few Romulan features.

"Will I have to provide blood samples as well?"

Once again, Zero could see that she had crossed a line somewhere with her dealings with the Romulan. As much as they had settled down into living with each other again, there were still so many things that they needed to tiptoe around or avoid all together if they wanted to keep that same sense of calm in their quarters.

"I would not wish to raise her without you," Zero said quietly, suddenly unsure of herself. Thankfully, the next question was further into her comfort zone. "No, you will not need to provide blood samples. In fact, it would most likely be best if you did not. Callion's body is not capable of receiving blood from different sources. I must give her mine as it is what she began her development on."

I'm poison to her, how fitting...

Leaning in, Jiseth kissed the glass. It was warmer than she was expecting against her lips. With a sigh she sat down on the floor. An occasional sip from her glass was the only thing that would break her gaze toward the chamber and embryo inside. Day one of being home with hopeful innumeral to come. The starship she piloted would hopefully be a respectable nursery. All the places to travel and species to encounter, Jiseth was somewhat envious of her own daughter.

Chewing her lip as she watched the Romulan, Zero tried to calculate what her next move should be. As ever with the Romulan, she seemed to be constantly stepping wrong and unable to correct herself. It was like ballet dancing on a floor covered in sharp shards of glass.

She took a step closer to Jiseth, holding out her hand. "I have yet to dine this evening. Will you join me?"

Reaching up, Jiseth took Zero's hand and stood with a bit of help. The effects of the drink were somewhat present, but not debilitating. It was the emotional upheaval that seemed to put her mind in a graveyard peacefulness. With a deep breath she squeezed her partner's hand.

"What are you in the mood for?"

Offering the Romulan a slight smile, Zero lead Jiseth out of the makeshift lab and back into the lounge area of their quarters.

"I will have my habitual supplement. What may I fetch you from the replicator for you?"

Jiseth looked at the table as they crossed into the next room and then out the large viewport. Sometimes the ship felt as suffocating as the vacuum of space. All the same faces cramped together in a flying tin can. If it were not for the holodeck she would have perhaps gone mad ages ago. Such luxury could not be afforded on a warbird, but they did have an arboretum and garden on board. Her skill at growing the Romulan equivalent to hibiscuses had grown significantly then.

"...Filet mignon sushi. Should be the second one on my preferred menu list."

Her gaze trailed back to the interior of their quarters as she looked around at what would be their first family home.

"Would you mind if I grew some flowers in here?"

Giving a brief nod, Zero made her way over to the replicator and murmured a few quiet words. With an equally quiet hum, a plate of the requested sushi appeared alongside the Augment's tall glass of greyish, grainy fluid.

Picking up both dishes, she walked back over to Jiseth, handing her the plate with a slight frown. "Why would such a thing disturb me? It would no doubt add to our somewhat sparse dwellings."

Sitting at the table, the Romulan poured herself another glass and smiled to her partner.

"I'm still adjusting a bit to the idea of this being our space versus me living in your quarters. My infrequent stays the past several months haven't helped. No other place feels as much a home as this, even before my exile. Your patience I'm beyond grateful for."

Her lips went neutral as she looked at her food and took the first bite of it. The meat was tender, pleasantly hot. The rice warm and comforting. It was one of the few human dishes she had come to really enjoy.

"How is your hand at plant genetics?"

Jiseth wrote:

Sitting at the table, the Romulan poured herself another glass and smiled to her partner.

"I'm still adjusting a bit to the idea of this being our space versus me living in your quarters. My infrequent stays the past several months haven't helped. No other place feels as much a home as this, even before my exile. Your patience I'm beyond grateful for."

Her lips went neutral as she looked at her food and took the first bite of it. The meat was tender, pleasantly hot. The rice warm and comforting. It was one of the few human dishes she had come to really enjoy.

"How is your hand at plant genetics?"

Taking a seat opposite the Romulan, Zero took the first sip of her nutritional supplement, pulling a slight face as she generally did. The smell coming from Jiseth's plate was certainly tempting, but she didn't dare move off the diet that she had been raised on and that Starfleet Medical had approved for her. It was easier all round not to make waves, especially now that they had just dropped a boulder into the pond by stealing their Callion back. No sense in giving them any more reason to come after her.

A faint smile curved her pale lips and a light blush crept across her cheeks as she listened to Jiseth, feeling a warm sensation of pleasure at knowing that the Romulan thought of her quarters as home.

"Your patience with my shortcomings is also to be commended, e'lev," she pointed out gently, remembering that although their beginning had been a whirlwind romance, learning to live with each other had been quite a difficult transition, not helped by her frequent disciplinings at the hand of Admiral Corinth.

The question about plant genetics seemed to have come out of nowhere, but the Augment paused, thinking it over for a short moment. "A little out of practise, I believe, but I made my beginnings in genetics with plants. It would not take me long to refamiliarise myself with their structures and intricacies."

"If you create the seeds, I'll grow them. Not looking for anything particularly enhanced about them. I suppose I'd like to see it as an outlet for your artistic sense. Colors, petal size, the usual aesthetics. How does that sound?"

Hopefully better than Zero's dining habits. Jiseth some days wanted to delete the gruel from the replicator and purge the computer of it having ever existed. Maybe it was healthier than what was consumed by genetic common folk, but the remnants of Starfleet Medical's grip on the Augment had to be swept away.

Zero nodded in agreement before taking another mouthful of her supplement. She was already going through her impressive memory, picking out various kinds of flowers that she could modify to improve on or make more compatible with life on a starship.

"That sounds like an interesting project. We will have to ensure that they are all compatible with young children, however. I have read that they will eat anything."

As if on cue, a cold wet nose snuffled its way onto Jiseth's lap as Ghost sniffed out the food and decided to try to beg a morsel or two off the Romulan.

A smirk came over the Romulan's face as she glanced down and stroked her nails along the top of Ghost's head. Coming around, her fingers went behind his jaw and under his ear to scratch there while she devised a plan.

"Where do you think would be the most efficient use of space to set them? Along the wall there?"

Jiseth pointed over Zero's shoulder, hoping she'd turn around to give her the opportunity to slip a piece of steak to the pup.

Having seen the white canine make his move on the all-too-permissive Romulan, Zero shook her head slightly. Ghost was their baby in a sense. She wondered briefly how he would take to Callion being introduced, but brushed those thoughts aside. Ghost had been very friendly with all of the children on the ship.

She could tell that Jiseth was trying to divert her attention. After all, she had very little in the way of aesthetic sense, so there was no point in asking her opinion about organising the decoration of their shared quarters. However, given the white tail she could see waving hopefully next to her chair, she decided to humour the Romulan and turned away for a few moments.

"I believe you are better qualified to arrange such elements."

"Maybe."

Jiseth flicked her wrist and a small strip of meat flew from the top of a rice mound to the hungry canine.

"...But with it being our quarters I thought maybe a joint decision about it would be best. I don't want it to disrupt your routine with where things are positioned."

Standing from her seat, she scooted around the table to be closer to Zero, making sure to take her plate along so that a certain opportunity was not taken advantage of. Leaning in, she kissed Zero's shoulder before resting her head on it.

"I can't wait to be honest."