Carry On

            “Seven moons, Admiral. Come now, you remember arithmetic, yes? Of course you do. Riaan and I figured it out once we came to a constant. Akal has a small and a large moon. The small is eight days, the large is thirty one, much like earth weeks and months.”

            “Two hundred seventeen days,” Jonathan answered quickly.

            “Give or take a small moon. Sometime by mid-April.”

            Jonathan and Riaan sat in Phlox’s office looking at an assortment of scans and images of molecules. Riaan may have known what most of it meant, but Jonathan was limited to Exo Biology 101 and a couple crash courses in Xindi and Romulan anatomy.

            “What about Clarke’s Syndrome,” Archer asked solemnly. Phlox looked at him without a smile or hint of amusement.

            “That’s carried on the Y chromosome, and your Y is not affected, so even if you gave a Y you’d not have any worries. But your contribution was an X.”

            “Phlox!” He smacked his head with the palm of his hand in frustration.

            “You didn’t tell him?” he asked Riaan.

            “Tell me what?” Archer insisted, leaning forward towards Phlox.

            “The embryo has female chromosomes. It can’t have Clarke’s Syndrome.” Archer sighed, then faintly smiled at Riaan.

            “We’re going to have a daughter?” Riaan nodded.

            “Congratulations, Admiral. I think fatherhood will agree with you. It’s a perfect time in your life to start a family.”

            “Still surprised this even happened.”

            “As I’ve always said, embrace the surprises in life. But why a surprise? I would think you were both aware how this kind of thing occurs,” Phlox said matter-of-factly. Archer sighed, staring Phlox in his odd blue eyes. “Not that I didn’t think you had it in you, Admiral, I just thought you were more of a blueprint sort pf …” Phlox trailed off, thinking perhaps he should stop talking.

            “I am,” he replied. Riaan leaned back in her chair watched the volley between them. They obviously respected each other, were open and quite informal in their banter and understanding. She enjoyed listening to their exchange.

            “From your reaction I have to disagree with you.”

            “Phlox, I thought there had to be all kinds of intervention to mix two species into one. I didn’t think it could happen naturally, especially after this transporter problem.”

            “You’re thinking of, say, humans and Vulcans. Humans and Akallis are much more similar, much more compatible, than that. Your genes are more blended, not so much dominant and recessive. For instance both your hemoglobin is iron based--”

            “Do you understand all this?” Jonathan asked Riaan. She nodded. “Do I need to understand all this?” he asked Phlox.

            “Of course not! Let me worry about genes. You just carry on as before.”

            “Carry on?”

            “I highly recommend you refrain from extraordinary gymnastics but I think you two can continue on as before without triggering a loss of the pregnancy.”

            “Anything else?” Archer asked turning away from him momentarily.

            “Well, I want to see you, Riaan, weekly, daily when we get into March. I know you’ll be here but we should have a formal exam planned.” Archer and Riaan rose from their seat to leave. “Admiral, I’d like to see you a moment.”