The crew moved with a sense of urgency, each one scurrying around the spaceship to check instruments and make final preparations for their descent to the little aquamarine pnet designated KX-456-E. Exhausted but exhirated, they finally gathered in the galley for some food, and to go over the day’s work and update report in on their current status. The smell of freeze-dried meals fills the air and the sound of water being added to pouches can be heard. They sit down at the metal table, exchanging knowing gnces as they rehydrate their meals - a simple yet satisfying meal after a long day’s work.

  You walked towards the bulkhead window, gazing out at the vast expanse of space and the slowly growing little gem that was their destination. With only a bit more than two months left until this first leg of the journey would come to an end. It was like counting down the days until Christmas morning, filled with anticipation and excitement for what y ahead on this uncharted pnet. Maybe you are a little more somber because while the three women each set about pnning for the future, you set yourself the task or respectfully cleaning the remains of the eleven crewmembers who unknowingly died of suffocation while you peacefully returned to your cryochamber shortly after the impact.

  “What do you think you will call your new home?” You ask the dies. The three women gathered about you at the observation window in the galley, their reflections mirrored in the pnet's slowly cerulean circle. They each look at one another, unsure of what to say, but then Dr. Patel speaks up, her brow furrowed in thought.

  “I think we should name it Aqua Terra,” she said, her voice soft and wistful. The words carried a weight of emotion, as if the name held a special significance for her. “A new Earth, born from these vast oceans. A symbol of both sacrifice and hope for a better future.” She gazed out at the small blue dot and sighed. "Yes," she repeated with determination, “Aqua Terra is the perfect name.”

  Lena's head bobs up and down in a firm, unwavering agreement. Her crystal blue eyes are alight with an unspoken determination, gleaming like gems in the sunlight. “Aqua Terra is a perfectly acceptable name,” she decres confidently, her voice carrying the weight of conviction. “It represents our resilience and the unwavering strength of the human spirit.”

  Maya, leaning against the window, shrugs. “It’s not very poetic, but I kind of like it. It has a sense of renewal, of possibility. And it's a reminder that even in the darkest of times, there's always a chance for rebirth.”

  Aphrodite's hologram floats nearby, her form shimmering with a soft, ethereal light. "I'll make sure to input the new designation into the ship's database, Captain. Aqua Terra, a water world born of courage and the indomitable will for the legacy of Earth to survive only survive, but to thrive."

  “So, to other business,” you say, breaking the moment of reflection and turning to Lena. “What's the status of our repairs?”

  Lena gives a small smile and gestures for you to follow her towards the engine schematics she brings up. As you look, seeing the familiar yout of the very lifelines within your ship, she begins to expin everything she has done so far.

  “Well, first things first. I've managed to patch up some of the easy to reach damaged wiring and circuitry. There are weeks more to do, and it will be a tedious process, but I have the time. Though, I think I've got all the critical systems working smoothly now with no threats, such as us all accidentally getting asphyxiated at a moment's notice.” She looks around at three shocked faces.

  “Too soon?” she asks, her Russian stoicism on full dispy. “Whatever...” She shrugs, then adjusts the dispy and changes it over to some different readings and diagnostics. “As for the primary reactor, it’s in much better shape than I thought, but will still definitely need serious repairs done once we reach Aqua Terra and shut power down fully.”

  You nod, taking in all the information. “Will it dey our journey by much?”

  Lena shakes her head. “I don't believe so. Hopefully just a few days, maybe a week in orbit. Most of the work will be isoting it from the power grid to safely work on its guts. And we have all the required parts and raw materials avaible in our stores. Those weren’t affected at all by the meteor strike.”

  “That's excellent to hear,” you say with genuine relief, then turn to Maya next and she takes over the holographic dispy, changing it over to the glowing globe of Aqua Terra hovering in the air.

  “Observations of Aqua Terra’s massive pnet-wide ocean shows only a few clusters of ndmass scattered around, with this one being the rgest. It’s roughly the size of Africa, and luckily it’s near the equator so the majority of the climate seems to be mild and tropical, with some temperate zones and only a few mountainous areas in this region. Initial examinations of its weather patterns also look promising.”

  “That's good to hear,” you comment, and Maya nods then continues.

  “Indeed, and it appears to be quite green in many areas, and spectroscopic analysis shows the oxygen levels in the atmosphere are a little low, at only about 19%, and the pressure is also low, given the lower gravity than Earth, but within acceptable ranges, meaning it should easily sustain human life. With a little luck, implementing more csses of phytopnkton should boost the oxygen and pressure levels in time.”

  “That's fantastic news,” you say with a smile, getting the general gist of her report.

  Maya grins back at you and then turns serious again. “In terms of creating our settlement, here,” a rge light green area near a rge ke is marked out. “It’s retively ft, likely to have several rivers for clean fresh water, and should be excellent for potential farming. It’s also close to these rocky areas, which should be good for basic mining operations." She marks out spaces on the map of the holographic dispy.

  “I’m sure we’ll check it out as we get closer,” you assure her, then turn to Dr. Patel for her final evaluation of the human viability on Aqua Terra. But, given her reaction in your st meeting, you can still see a mixture of concern on her face, but it also seems to be tinged with something else. Excitement?

  “I have some interesting news,” she begins, “and it may sound a bit strange at first, but please hear me out.” You nod, intrigued by her tone.

  “In my professional opinion, our best chance for the continuation of the human race, ensuring the success of our mission to colonize Aqua Terra, we will need to slightly alter our genetics.”

  You furrow your brow in confusion. “Alter our genetics?”

  Dr. Patel nods. “Yes, well, not permanently. This would be safer than doing a massive load of hormones to trick our bodies into doing what I propose. With a little bit of temporary gene editing we can ramp up our reproductive organs to allow for a few tiny alterations. I’m afraid there really is no other option given our limited access to male DNA. Unless the Captain pns to stay with us on Aqua Terra for several decades?” Sophia smiles, knowing that isn’t an option.

  “What exactly does this entail?” Lena asks cautiously.

  “It's a retively simple procedure,” Dr. Patel expins. “We will need to undergo a small series of shots that will alter the uterus and ovaries slightly, and only temporarily. This will essentially trick our bodies into releasing around a dozen eggs at once instead of just one a month. If I had access to our surgical suite I could just extract them artificially, but all that equipment is gone. Luckily our stocks of genetic modification supplies were not stored near the medbay.”

  Your eyes widen in shock at the thought of doing something so possibly dangerous as she continues. “However, there is one potential side effect that I must warn you about. It may cause some intense mood swings, as it will still release quite a bit of hormones in the initial process.”

  “So we would all potentially be carrying, what? A dozen children at once?” Maya crifies in disbelief. “How could we even carry that many to term safely? We aren’t cats or dogs!”

  Dr. Patel nods again, taking her objection seriously. "Yes, but that’s where part of the genetic alterations come in. Thanks to the lower gravity, we should be able to sustain such an… expanded pregnancy without much issues with a bit of extra stretch in our uterine lining.”

  “It is necessary for the survival of our species on this new pnet, ya?” Lena surprises us, cutting in. Sophia nods.

  “Also, all of our neonatal equipment is still intact in colonization storage. For this procedure we’d likely have to have a premature C-section birth, but since this will be our only pregnancy of our entire lives, we need to make the most out of it as quickly as possible.”

  “Is there no other way?” you ask, hoping there might be a less invasive option.

  Dr. Patel shakes her head. “Unfortunately, we don't have the equipment for artificial egg harvesting or birthing at this time. We will have to rely on some slightly augmented natural means.”

  You understand her reasoning but can't help feeling a bit anxious about undergoing genetic modifications. “Are there any long term effects of such… modifications?”

  Maya notices your concern and pces a comforting hand on your shoulder. “Actually, Sophia is right. I’ve used some of these basic genetic modifications on endangered whales for years now and have tested them extensively. They were never tested on humans, but were included in our colonization supplies, intended to help in breeding animals, but given our current predicament, this is likely the only way we will ensure the survival of our species on Aqua Terra or any other world, for that matter.”

  Taking a deep breath, you nod in understanding and trust the combined expertise of the two scientists. There is silence as each of you processes this dramatic information, until finally, you speak up. “So… What are our chances of success with this pn?”

  Dr. Patel smiles confidently. “With my calcutions and simutions, I'm confident that there is a high chance of success for all of us to fully carry at least eight to ten children, making our initial native Aqua Terra popution around twelve to eighteen couples, assuming an optimal 50/50 distribution of male and female births…”

  Dr. Patel rambles on about the numbers of future generations, the dangers of inbreeding and her medical tricks for mitigating it in the next few generations. You take a deep breath to look over at Lena and Maya again who seem lost in their own thoughts, but after a while it’s clear she’s right. This is mathematically our only chance to succeed.

  “Before anyone takes any shots, I want each of you to think this over carefully. I’m not going to make this an order for any of you, but as I see it, there are not very many other options,” you say firmly. “Without a rge enough seed popution, your survival on Aqua Terra is dangerously low.”

  I let that fact sink in for a long moment before continuing, “Should any of you not wish to get this shot, you will be allowed to return to cryosleep and another woman will be selected.” I sit back in my seat, and look at the three lovely strong and intelligent women surrounding me, already seeing their answer on each of their faces.

  “So… When do we begin?” Maya asks, reaching over to caress my hand with a teasing look in her eyes.