Welcome to the Journal of Now and Forever. This Journal is a collection of my Star Control and Star Control 2 fiction. Note: Some of this material is, by necessity, extrapolation from the slim information provided by canon sources.

New fiction is posted first at My Livejournal before it appears here. This story is in response to 15 Minute Ficlets' Challenge #46.

This was important. It meant the future of their race. The future of the Androsynth as a species.

She was one of the few female Androsynth. Even the name was wrong – andro meaning male – and very few females had been created. Fewer still survived the Exodus. It drove JHJG-768 "Dina" crazy. It was hard enough to do her work without being conscious of her unusual status.

She tried to concentrate on her work. Perhaps because she was female, it was assumed she would, of course, be happiest in the reproductive research labs. And she did enjoy her work, because all Androsynth enjoyed their work. They couldn't help it. It was bred into them. She wondered what would happen if – not if! when! – reproductive ability would be part of daily Androsynth life.

But today she couldn't concentrate. Today two of her co-workers had decided to see who could splice-and-dice most efficiently, and had turned it into a game.

Our future is not a game! she hissed to herself. We are limited numbers and there will be no more Androsynth unless we figure this out!

Androsynth bodies did not make gametes, reproductive cells, proto-embryos, sperm or ova. The Creator, Hsien Ho, had thought it best that his Created not easily make more of themselves. And now –

"You can beat them," she heard herself whispering. "We will beat them. The Creator be damned. Earthlings be damned."

It was a challenge. Who would win? The Creator's genetic programming? Or Androsynth intellect?

I hope it's me, she mused, bending over her equipment once more. Hsien Ho Created and doomed us at the same time. If I could save us – I would be called Mother of our people – second Creator, perhaps.

The Creator had known what he was doing. Androsynth came from Earthling stock, were genetically nearly identical to Earthlings. With differences, of course: stronger, healthier, longer lived, smarter, and engineered to be the perfect scientists. Androsynth lived for their work, and because of their good health, lived for it for quite some time. But clones of any type were stigma on Earth, so Hsien Ho had built in a defense mechanism for the Earthlings: Androsynth could not reproduce. And after the third "batch" were created, no more female Androsynth were made.

A race of supermen (and a few superwomen) with no chance to pass on any of their superior genes. Of course, most of them channeled their energies into their work, both on Earth and here on Eta Vulpeculae 2. But once the Exodus happened, and they'd left Earth, the Androsynth had had to face their reality: they were a doomed race, not even a species, unless more Androsynth could be made – either in cloning tanks or the "natural" way. At least the Earthlings hadn't followed – not that they could, of course, as they hadn't yet discovered hyperspace; that was an Androsynth discovery, Dina thought proudly. If the Earthlings had followed, there would've been fighting, and there were simply too few Androsynth to spare in protracted battles.

I will free them, Dina thought. It will take decades, maybe longer than we ourselves will live. But we will do it. We will become a species. We will truly be immortal.

And, in quieter thoughts, in the back of her mind: And I will be the one to do it. I will defeat the Creator. He will not doom us forever. I will win, and future generations of Androsynth will recognize my battle.

Comments? Email me: laridian at aol dot com