Shoshone Station: The Galactic Consortium season 2

Episode Three: The Egg #18

The next morning Sophia was alone, holding the egg. They had named the little girl inside Tara. Jack said the name originally meant Earth and Tara was some sort of pagan Earth Goddess in Asia or somewhere. But Tara's real full name was Tara-kain which meant a streak of light in Consortium. She was already a celebrity even though she hadn't been born. She was, would be, the first baby born on the station natural or not.

Mom was taking a nap. Grandma had gone to the market with Charles and a couple of the others. Grandpa had returned to the surface a couple days ago. It was mid-morning and Sophia didn't have anything else to do. So she sat, watched a video and cradled the egg containing Tara.

The door to the wing swung open and Zeta entered. Sophia waved to her. Bankim was in the kitchen area. He gave them a shaded look.

She came to Sophia. "I just wanted to check in," she said. "We have a couple more on the surface wanting to come up and be seen medically. I was going to escort them up this afternoon, when diplomacy is through checking them over. Will that be okay?"

Sophia shrugged. "I'm fine with it. I've got several more rooms ready, Bankim?"

"Yeah." Bankim shrugged, his face tight. "Why don't you take Tara-kain to her mom?"

Sophia caught something in his voice and hurried to comply. When she returned she found the two glaring at each other.

"I wouldn't," Zeta growled. "Ever."

"Wouldn't what?" Sophia asked. Zeta took her eyes off Bankim for a second and Sophia saw tears close to the surface, just under the anger.

"I'm just saying, given the history of your kind," Bankim said.

"My kind!" She spat.

"Yeah, your kind."

"I would not steal any of your precious eggs! I am not a thief. Not once have I given you one indication that I had any desire and yet you would all but accuse me, because..."

"Because you are clearly the result of such an act," Bankim replied, his anger nearly matching hers. "You can hardly deny that. Because there is no other way for more of your kind to come into being."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" she shot back. "For me and all my kind to cease existing."

"No," he protested. "But there can't be more. There has to be regulation. You know this yourself. You have problems. Things aren't right. Mixing genetics. Creating new races. It's not right. I'm not saying you shouldn't be allowed to live out your life. But there can't be more."

"When did I say I wanted to make another like me?" Zeta replied.

"Others of your kind..."

"I am not them! And I have not given you one reason to believe any such thing about me!" She raged. "You judge me by the others. You judge me by whatever you were taught in medical school."

"Guys, guys," Sophia said. She stopped, unsure what to say next. She had no clue what the fight was even about.

"I'm just saying," Bankim insisted and he looked away. "I'm just saying as long as we have sensitive instruments like that on the unit, it would be best if you didn't come by." He turned and strode off.

Zeta gave Sophia one more stricken look and she fled across the lounge and was gone.