"You're insane, Harlan."

"Am not," Harlan retaliated angrily at Suzee.

She placed her hands on her hips. "Are too. How can you tell what TJ's baby will be?"

Harlan shrugged. "When my mom was pregnant with my sister, Tara, she told me that when a baby is carried low it's a boy, and when it's carried high it's a girl."

"And Tara was…?"

The human studied his shoes for a moment. "Low… but most of the time it's right!"

"Yeah, sure," Suzee sneered. "Why don't you just admit you don't know anything about-"

"Do you two mind?" TJ snapped from the cot. "We're sort of in the middle of something."

Harlan and Suzee regarded her strangely, and turned to Seth at her side. "What's wrong with her?"

Seth rolled his eyes. "She's pregnant," he told them plaintively. "Duh."

Rosie smiled as she set up her equipment for TJ's ultrasound. "Have you two decided if you want to know what the sex is yet?"

"Yes," Seth said as TJ said, "No." They exchanged a glance as Seth said, "No," and TJ said, "Yes." Another glance.

Bova snickered, receiving a sharper glance from each of them.

Lokaia cocked her head. "You can tell the sex of the child so early in the pregnancy?"

"Well, she's 2 months along," Rosie told her, still setting up her equipment. "Even earthers had the technology to do this not much farther along, more than 200 years ago. They don't do this on Miseth?"

The young heiress shrugged. "I wouldn't know. No one ever discussed these things with me."

"You were never educated on the physical functions of your people?" TJ asked in disbelief.

Lokaia flushed, excrutiatingly embarrassed. "W-well, I figured most of them out by myself," she mumbled, with a quick glance at Radu. "That's how things are mostly done on Miseth-figuring them out for yourself."

Radu turned a brilliant shade of red as well, and turned to TJ and Seth. "W-what do you two think? Do you want to know if it's a boy or girl?"

Seth made a face, thinking. "I don't know. It would take some of the excitement out of the birth, if we knew," he told TJ.

She sat up with difficulty to come face to face with him. "Well, if you want excitement, Seth, you can have this one!" she said, irritated, as the rest of the crew laughed.

Radu cocked his head suddenly. "Commander?" he began uncertainly.

"It's Seth, Radu," the older man reminded him kindly.

Radu blushed again. "Uh, yeah, right. Um, Seth, I think the Christa just changed course."

"What?" he demanded, standing from TJ's side. "Thelma!"

"Yes, Commander?"

Clutching his chest to stop his sudden heart attack, Seth said, "Thelma, has the ship changed course?"

"Yes, Commander."

"Where's she going?" Cat demanded.

Thelma turned to her and cocked her head. "She is heading towards the UPP distress signal."

Before anyone could even utter the word 'what', the entire crew was running for the jumptubes toward the command post.

"Commander, we're receiving an audio-message from the ship," Rosie reported cheerfully.

"Go ahead and open it, Rosie," he told her.

There was static for a few moments as the message was screened. "Greetings, Starship," a female voice called. "I am in need of assistance. My ship has been damaged. Request permission to come aboard to make repairs and be on my way."

"Is it safe to let them aboard, Thelma?" Cat asked.

Thelma nodded. "Yes."

"Safe to us, Thelma," Bova clarified darkly.

"Oh!" Thelma piped, and then closed her eyes considering. They popped open and she smiled happily. "Yes, I would think so. Most likely."

"Most likely," Suzee repeated. "Yeah, now I'm reassured."

"Rosie, set up an outgoing message," Seth ordered, excited by the thought of a UPP ship. "UPP Starship," he began, "I am Commander Goddard of the Starship Christa. Permission granted. We'll be opening the hatch for you momentarily." He made a motion for Rosie to cut the connection.

"A UPP ship," Harlan said wistfully. "Maybe they'll know how to get home faster!"

Bova shrugged. "Probably not. They're probably just as lost as we are."

"Oh, Bova!" Rosie laughed. "I'm sure they'll be able to help us!"

"There's only one way to find out," Cat reminded them, heading for the jumptubes. She was followed closely by the rest of the crew.

The docking bay depressurized after the ship inside had landed. Thelma stood by the door, communicating with the Christa to know when it would be safe to open the door. The depressurization done, Thelma opened her eyes and smiled. "The door can be opened now," she reported happily.

"Go ahead and open it, then, Thelma," Seth told her.

The doors slid open to reveal an extremely handsome woman of middle age. Her brown hair was in a small braid down the center of her back, and she faced them all with intelligent green eyes. She faced Seth calmly. "Commander Goddard, I presume?"

"Uh, yes," Seth said, startled by her forwardness and appearance.

Before he could ask her name, she answered his own unspoken question. "I am Bianca Stratford of the Starship Verona, Commander. My ship was damaged in a recent battle with the Spung. I have been using an old UPP distress code for days and you were the first ship to respond. The repairs should take no more than a day."

Seth nodded, unconcerned. "Of course. My crew and I will be happy to help if you ask. We have quite a talented pair of engineers aboard." Cat and Suzee beamed at him.

Bianca looked past them all. "And where is your crew, Commander?"

"Right here," he told her, gesturing to the cases.

The older woman focused on the young adults before her. "This is it? They're children."

Unsurprised by her reaction, Seth merely said, "They are well-trained and have had quite a bit of experience. They're not anywhere near as young as they seem."

Bianca was still unsure. "I suppose so. But still, the oldest of them look to be just shy of thirty," she said, gesturing to Radu and Lokaia.

Harlan laughed. "Thirty?" he exclaimed. "Radu's 16 and Kaia's 15! They don't even look…" He trailed off, glancing at his friends and really noticing their looks for the first time. Lokaia, though still very small, had aged and now looked about 26. Radu had grown only an inch or so, making him 5'4", tall for an Andromedan. He was also beginning to grow a beard, which had gone unnoticed because of its light blonde color. He now resembled a healthy 28 year-old human man. "Oh," Harlan finished blankly.

"You two are the engineers?" Bianca questioned them.

"Oh, no," Lokaia said.

"I'm the navigator," Radu told her. He gestured to Cat and Suzee. "These are Catalina and Suzee, our engineers."

Bianca stared. Cat, who was barely over 20, smiled and held out her hand. "Pleased to meet you," she said formally. "Suzee and I would be glad to help you if you need it."

Bianca nodded a bit uncertainly. "I'm sure that you two will be fine. I'll call if I need help." She turned to return to the docking bay without waiting for a reply.

Seth considered. "Thelma, why don't you stay with her?" he offered.

Thelma nodded. "Yes, Commander. I could do that."

Everyone began to head back to the Command Post when Seth turned back. "Thelma?" he said calmly.

"Yes, Commander?" she said, who was directly on his heel.

"Stay with her."

"Yes, Commander."

"Thelma, is it? Could you hand me the instrument to your left?"

"Yes."

There was a pause. "Well?" the older woman sighed. "Thelma, hand me the instrument to your left. Thank you."

Radu focused back onto the conversation in the team room. TJ was trying to predict the baby's sex and Seth looked a bit apprehensive.

"Well, what do you want it to be?" Cat questioned her.

TJ shrugged. "Oh, anything would be fine as long as it's healthy," she told them happily. She paused. "Or a girl."

Rosie clapped her hands together. "Oh, it will be so much fun having a baby around!"

"We'll probably traumatize it for life with all that goes on around here," Bova pointed out darkly. "If it even lives through half the stuff we have."

TJ's face fell. Seth noticed and smacked Bova upside the head.

"What about you, Seth?" Harlan asked. "Boy or girl?"

The commander's face went slack. "Huh? Oh, uh… either, I guess. As long as it's healthy."

"And doesn't look strange," Cat commented, staring at Harlan. "Are you growing a beard?" she asked him, picking at it.

"Ow!" he protested, pushing her hands away. "Yeah, I'm growing a goatee."

"Why?"

"Why not?" he countered.

Cat rolled her eyes and muttered, "Touche."

"Have you two decided when you want to get married?" Lokaia asked Cat and Harlan.

They exchanged a glance and shrug. "No," Harlan answered.

"We're working on it," Cat told her. "We want our families there, and three years isn't a real long time I guess." She and Harlan shared a glance that really said three years was close to an eternity. Cat sighed and turned to Rosie. "How about you guys?"

"Oh, Bova left it up to me," Rosie said brightly.

"Why?" Radu wondered.

Bova shrugged. "It's her call--personally, I think we'll probably all die before the actual wedding so if she thinks we won't, she can pick the date."

"Oh, Bova!" Rosie cried, throwing her arms around his neck happily. "But I haven't decided yet," she told the others once she let Bova breathe again.

"Speaking of relationships," Cat began evilly, leaning towards Suzee. "How's Cheiron?"

Suzee hardly flinched. "Perfect," she responded calmly.

"When did you talk to him last?" Lokaia asked.

Suzee tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Last night, about an hour after I got here."

"Did he talk to his father about the negotiations yet?" the Elvian inquired curiously.

"Hmm? Oh, I didn't ask. Sorry."

Lokaia masked a sigh of irritation at Suzee's disregard for one of the most important agreements her people could make. But she smiled instead. "That's all right," she told Suzee with a shrug. "Next time you call Che, though, let me speak with him for a few minutes."

Suzee eyed her for a moment with an undistinguishable look. Then she smiled, "Sure."

"I'm hungry," Bova announced.

Seth nodded. "I'll go down and ask Ms. Stratford if she wants to come up for dinner," he offered. He stood, straightening his uniform, and kissed TJ before he left.

Cat turned back to TJ. "So, a girl, huh?"

"Ms. Stratford?" Seth said from the doorway.

The woman slid out from under her ship and smiled fetchingly at him. "Commander. Is there something the matter?"

"Uh, no-no," he said quickly. "I came down to tell you that the rest of the crew will be eating dinner soon if you'd like to join us."

"I'd love to, Commander," Bianca told him, wiping a spot of oil from her cheek with a rag. "I'm sure that Thelma can show me the way so you don't have to trouble yourself."

"Well, it's not exactly trouble," Seth began.

Bianca cut him off. "I need to do a few more things on the Verona before I come up, but you can expect me in about 5 minutes." She turned to Thelma. "You can show me the way, right?"

"Yes."

Bianca smiled and turned back to Seth. Her smile faltered and she looked back at Thelma. "Will you show me?"

Thelma cocked her head. "Yes, of course."

"Good." Bianca glanced at Seth. "I'll be there in five minutes."

"Okay," Bova began, leading Bianca towards the foodwheel. "Now I've spent a lot of time with the foodwheel, here, these past four years and I still don't understand it. It's pretty rare that it actually gives you what you want, but we'll try it anyway. You're an earther, right?"

Bianca nodded. "Yes."

"Okay, then all you have to do is pull this, push this, line this up with this and this and that thing over there and push this button but only when in synch with pulling this lever, then spin the wheel and…" The food wheel whirred and dumped a pile of powder onto the plate below it. Bova added a drop of water and it hydrated into a cheeseburger and French fries. Bova handed it to Bianca and set about to hydrating his own several piles of powder.

Harlan groaned when he saw Bianca's tray. "Four years on the Christa and I've never gotten a cheeseburger."

Bianca glanced at her tray and then at Harlan's, which held a turkey sandwich. "I will trade you if you want," she said with a shrug.

The young man jumped at the chance and bit into the bit of greasy, fried cow with a vengeance. Bianca sat next to Radu and seemed to enjoy her sandwich. Lokaia sat down across from them with a large smile. "The foodwheel gave me zoranos!" she said happily. To their blank faces, she explained, "It's a kind of vegetable soup. It's wonderful."

Bova and Rosie sat down next to Lokaia. "I got Merucurian peppers!" Rosie exclaimed. Her bowl was steaming violently with the red hot peppers inside.

"Uh-oh," Bova muttered.

Harlan glanced up from his burger. "Hmph?" he mumbled with his mouth full.

"I got Uranusian pasta, salad, fruit, vegetables, and soda," he said sullenly.

Radu cocked his head. "So?"

"So, what did you get?" Bova demanded.

The Andromedan smiled blissfully. "Narf intestines," he reported, licking his lips.

Suzee wrinkled her nose. "Ew, gross." She shot a look at Lokaia. "How can you kiss someone who's just eaten that?"

Lokaia blushed. "I've actually never seen narf intestines," she explained. She stood and leaned over Radu's bowl to see. Sitting back down she wrinkled her nose and said, "Ew, gross."

"Something tells me you're not getting any tonight," Harlan whispered to Radu with a smile. Radu kept glancing between his dinner bowl and Lokaia, looking severely disappointed.

"Was there a point to that question, Bova?" Cat asked with a smile.

He shrugged. "Probably not. Seth, TJ, what'd you guys get?"

"A chicken club," TJ said with a smile. She paused. "And spaghetti." Another pause. "And a salad."

Harlan whistled. "Jeez, TJ, you've got almost as much food as Bova."

TJ blushed and Seth put an arm around her. "She's eating for two, Harlan," he told him.

"What'd you get, Seth?" Bova persisted.

Seth glanced at his bowl. "Stir fry," he said. "And rice." He glanced at his shoes and mumbled, "And orange chicken."

Harlan cocked an eyebrow at him. "So, are you eating for two, too?" he asked innocently.

"Is anyone else seeing a pattern here?" Bova asked plaintively.

Glances went across the table. "Um… no?" Radu guessed.

"The foodwheel does not ordinarily give you the foods you order," Thelma announced happily. "Bova has noticed that today you have all received what you ordered!"

Bova shrugged. "Yeah, but it's probably just a coincidence."

The others exchanged a glance around the table. "That is weird," Cat commented. "The foodwheel hardly ever gives us what just one of us wants and today it gave it to everyone? No way is that a coincidence."

Bianca looked up from her sandwich. "This is strange?"

"Definitely," Radu told her. "The foodwheel is prone to do the exact opposite of what we want. And Thelma. And the Christa when she wants to."

The older woman blinked. "The Christa?" she repeated skeptically. "The ship, you mean?"

Lokaia smiled. "Ms. Stratford, that is an incredibly long story that you most likely would never believe."

An hour or so later, the crew and Bianca had finished their dinner. Thelma showed Bianca to a spare room, close to Radu and Lokaia's so that they could still monitor her. The foodwheel was working… something must be wrong.

"How's Ms. Stratford doing on her ship?" Harlan asked Radu.

Radu shrugged after focusing back on the conversation he and Harlan were carrying along in the Command Post. "She started out okay," Radu said. "But she's been getting distracted, though, and making mistakes. I'll send Suzee and Cat down to help." He pressed the comlink on the side of his uniform and made his request to them.

Harlan sighed, leaned against the chair set by the helm and crossed his arms behind his head. "Hey, Thelma?" he said after a moment.

Thelma came to stand in front of him, hands clasped behind her before she said, "Yes, Harlan?"

"How're we doing?"

Radu sighed at his friend's naivete. "Harlan, you know you can't ask her such a vague question. She'll just-"

"We're doing fine," Thelma reported officially. "There are no obstacles or ships ahead, simply clear space. There should be no difficulties for quite a while." Satisfied with her report, Thelma retreated out the Command Post.

Radu sat, stunned. Harlan noticed and smiled. "What's with you?"

"Tell me you noticed something weird," Radu begged. He sighed at Harlan's blank look. "Harlan, Thelma didn't pop out like she usually does-she came up to us quietly, but calm and… well… like a normal person. And when you asked her a question, she didn't take it literally. She understood and answered you like anyone else would."

Harlan, realizing what Radu was talking about, nearly fell out of his chair. "Oh, my God, you're right!" he exclaimed. Then he paused and turned back to his friend. "Why is this bad?"

Radu paused. "Well, it's not exactly bad it's just not normal."

The human eyed his friend. "And this is bad because…?"

"Well, it's not," Radu said, losing his confidence. "I mean, I know normal isn't exactly ideal around here but… well, I think we should tell the commander anyway, don't you?"

Harlan considered. "Well, let me check something first. Hey, Thelma," he called again.

The doors slid open and Thelma came to stand before him. "Yes, Harlan?"

"Thelma, this is a hypothetical question. Do you understand?"

Thelma nodded. "The situation is not actually happening, you just wish me to tell you what would happen if the situation did occur."

"Right. So, if you lose your memory at some point today and I was to introduce myself and I said something like, 'Hello, my name is Harlan. Harlan Band.' What would you say?"

The android smiled. "I would be polite back to you and respond, 'Hello, Harlan Band. It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Thelma which stands for Techno Human Emu-"

"That's it?" Harlan interrupted. "Just 'Harlan Band?' Not 'Harlan Harlan Band?'"

Giving him a funny look, Thelma replied, "No, Harlan. That would be unintelligent."

Harlan smiled. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Thanks." Taking the hint, Thelma left the room.

Harlan dropped his cool act and turned to Radu with a worried expression on his face. "Okay," he said. "Now we have problems."

Seth shrugged. "I'm sorry, guys, but I'm having problems figuring out why this is a bad thing. Thelma's never worked spectacularly before, shouldn't it be a good thing that she is?"

"Well, yeah," Harlan said. "But why would she change so quickly?"

Radu nodded. "Right. There wasn't a transitional period. She just went from malfunctioning to perfect all in one swell foop!"

"Fell swoop," Harlan whispered, correcting him on the human term.

Radu rolled his eyes. "Right, that."

"Thelma?" Seth called over his shoulder. Thelma approached from the door at the end of the team room, smiling. "Yes, Commander?"

Seth's eyes widened and he glanced between Harlan and Radu. "Uh, Thelma, Harlan and Radu here have noticed some, um… strange behavior on your part. Do you know why?"

The android cocked her head. "I am acting strange?"

"Definitely," Harlan told her, nodding with emphasis.

Thelma frowned. "I apologize. I will surely try to not act strangely anymore." She turned back to the commander. "Is that all?"

"Uh…" Seth began, lost for words. "Sure, I guess."

Thelma smiled. "Good! Oh, and Commander, there is a ship closing in that wishes to speak with you."

Seth's eyes widened, worried. "It's not Spung, is it?"

The android shook her head. "No. It is Vursalian."

"Vursalian?" Harlan repeated, confused. "I've never heard of them."

"They're on the outer rim," Seth told him. "They don't have a lot to do with the UPP, just usually keep to themselves. That's all anyone really knows about them: just that they exist. I'm surprised you recognized their ship, Thelma."

Thelma nodded. "Yes, because Ms. Stratford's ship is in the same design and has the same alphabet on it."

"Ms. Stratford's Vursalian?" Radu asked her incredulously.

Shaking her head, Thelma answered, "No."

"Then why--"

"Commander, perhaps you should answer the Vursalian's," Thelma suggested.

Giving her a strange look, Seth set off towards the Command Post, followed by Harlan and Radu. Thelma cocked her head as they left. "What strange beings," she remarked to herself.

"I am Captain Soren Calpur of the starship Mydeval," the tall, green man with light blue hair stated softly. "We have tracked a very important piece of property to your ship, and we would like it back. If you give it to us now, we shall leave immediately."

"I'm sorry Captain Calpur," Seth said. "But we haven't set foot on Vursal in the past 5 years. The only thing we have picked up recently was a ship in distress. But she was in possession of a Vursalian ship."

If the Captain had possessed any eyebrows they would have shot up. "A ship had recently gone missing from our docks," he remarked. "Who was aboard this ship?"

"Her name was Bianca--"

Suddenly, the viewscreen went dark. Sighing, Seth turned to Thelma. "Thelma, could you try and get the connection back up again?"

"No, Commander, I can't do that," she answered.

"What? Why not?" Seth demanded.

"Because I no longer control the Christa," Thelma said with a smile.

The crew, who were now all in the Command Post, turned to her. "Then who does?" Rosie asked in a small voice.

"I do."

Everyone turned towards the doors to see Bianca standing, perfectly at ease. "What are you talking about?" Harlan demanded.

"I now control the Christa," she repeated, walking down towards the helm.

Lokaia glanced at Thelma. "How is that possible?"

"Oh, it was very possible once she switched our memory chips," Thelma replied happily.

"You're memory chips?" TJ demanded of Bianca. "That's impossible."

"Oh, is it?" Bianca inquired, with a raised eyebrow. She sobered, her face serious. "I am 200 years old."

"Well, you've aged pretty well," Bova told her.

Bianca stared at him. "I am an android," she informed him.

The Uranusian rolled his eyes. "Oh, good, 'cause I didn't get it before."

"Now," Bianca snapped, "I want all of you to proceed towards the launching pad, get into one of the Starlings and leave."

"What about the Vursalian's?" Radu demanded.

Bianca fixed him with an uncaring gaze. "What about them? As soon as your escape pod leaves, I'm out of here." She turned to the console. "All I have to do is access this immensely useful memory crystal of your android's and get the commands straight and…" she paused. "Yes, the commands… the commands are…." Bianca slammed her fist onto the console in frustration. "Damn!" she cried. "Why can't I remember the commands? This crystal was in semi-perfect condition! I should be operating at p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-peak efficiency." She stopped, eyes wide. "I have not stuttered in 200 years," she whispered. Whirling upon Thelma, she cried, "What is wrong with your crystal?!"

"Well, it was damaged quite some time ago when one of the crew members--"

"I'm sure there's nothing wrong with the crystal!" Harlan shouted, drowning Thelma out.

Bianca, meanwhile, was still enraged. "Fix this c-c-c-c-c-c-c-c-c-crystal!" she screamed at Thelma.

"Oh, I cannot do that," Thelma told her. "It was severely damaged and I have not been able to repair it myself."

Bianca stared. "Then what I am supposed to do with a useless crystal in one of the most powerful ships in the galaxy?!"

"Commander Goddard?" a voice asked behind them. Captain Soren had reconnected them and was watching the event. "Ah, Shakespearia," he remarked, noticing Bianca. He looked back at Seth. "Thank you for deciding to return our android, Commander. We shall dock with you shortly to retrieve her." The screen went black.

Bianca stared. "Damn," she whispered. Turning to Thelma, she held out her hand. "Give it back," she commanded her.

"What?"

"My crystal. Give me my crystal back. If I can't control this ship, I'm not going to lie around and wait for those damned Vursalians to take me back."

TJ turned toward "Shakespearia" sympathetically. "What do they do to you?"

"It's horrible!" Shakespearia cried. "They force me to clean and work the helm and do repairs on a tight schedule!"

"All the time?" Rosie asked, aghast.

"No," the android replied. "They give me hours of free time to do what I wish, but I still have to work." She pouted. "I am an advanced life form! The first A.I. whose intelligence chips actually let her think for herself! And they tried to force me to do their menial work tasks for them?!"

The crew stared at her for a moment. "Thelma, give her her crystal back," Seth told her disgustedly. "Radu, why don't you escort Ms. Stratford-uh, Shakespearia to Captain Calpur when they're finished."

Sighing, Shakespearia grabbed her memory crystal from Thelma's forehead and placed it in a hatch that opened in her throat. She took another crystal out of the same hatch and jammed it into Thelma's head. Thelma's eyes closed and 'whirs' and 'blips' emmitted from her. Her eyes popped open and she smiled vapidly. "That's much better!"

Shakespearia sighed again. She turned toward Radu. "All right, fine, I'll be a menial working android just like the rest of those useless scraps of metal such as Thelma. Let's go." She stalked out of the Command Post, with Radu following behind.

"Ready?" Rosie asked Seth and TJ.

"Yes," TJ answered and Seth nodded.

"Okay." Rosie turned on her ultrasound equipment. The monitor lit up, showing the form of the baby. Out of the small speakers came the pounding sound of a strong pulse.

TJ gasped and gripped Seth's hand. "Oh, God, do you hear that?"

Seth's mouth had dropped into an open 'o'. "It's so strong," he whispered.

The rest of the crew was standing around, staring in wonder at the tiny life that showed up on the monitor. "Harlan," Cat whispered. "We are so not waiting until we get home to get married."

Harlan, still enthralled by the pounding heartbeat, could only nod. "'Kay."

"So," Rosie said after a moment. "Have you decided yet?"

Seth and TJ exchanged a glance. "Yeah," Seth said. "We want to know."

Rosie smiled and examined the monitor. "I think it's a girl."