Gabatrix: Minerva

Chapter 12: October 3rd, 2349

Seven months would pass on like it was nothing at all. The UHN Tyson would continue with little to no problems at all. It had been quiet as it always was on the ship. The incident with the shuttle would be remembered for some time. However, even that would fade into memory and record. The UWA, on the other hand, abounded with activity. Jupiter was not precisely the place where a war was happening, but it was happening in other places. The Itreans were making their moves. Systems left and right all throughout human-controlled space were facing squadrons of raid fleets. Seemingly, the invading ships were little more than small packs of warships. The warships would close in and try to attack the defending UHN fleets in orbit or simply sit there and wait for the human warships to come to them.

It was felt that these fleets were nothing more than scouting fleets determined to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the United Human Navy. Humanity would still have no idea what their attackers were. Most Itrean ships would flee before properly engaging instead coming far from the planet before UHN warships could close in onto firing range. A few Itrean ships that would get destroyed revealed little to nothing on their attackers. With each attack, though, humanity would get a little piece of information. The Itrean vessels were designed to scuttle themselves after they received catastrophic damage to help prevent any technology from being salvaged. Ships would also vent drive plasma through the decks to incinerate their own bodies. The wreckage would always remain, but the humans were growing frustrated with what their attackers were doing and why they were violent.

However......some of the attacks were getting more and more persistent. With each raid fleet came the possibility of casualties. Shipyards were working as fast as they could to build new warships, but it never seemed enough. The Itreans simply appeared to be a mysterious void of warships that came from nowhere. Wormholes would open up, and they would come pouring in to attack. UHN warships would face outright attacks from empty systems that they would explore. Ships were getting lost here and there. It had become a regular and expected event for the UHN. The Itreans were seemingly everywhere and determined to make a point. Humanity lacked the resources to win against this continuous threat. Colonies were getting scared, and even the shipyards couldn't keep up with the damages to UHN ships and future building queues. The worst was yet to come.......

All of that seemed mute on the Tyson. It still remained in orbit over Europa. Its scientific mission was seemingly on hold even though expeditions were still being launched to the surface of the moon. The planet Jupiter remained as the giant overseer for the fledgling ship.

Even though seven months had passed, there was activity in the Tyson. The crew was used to the new robotic android that walked around the ship along with the man that created her. Ericson and Minerva were trapped together on a vessel with nowhere to go. A seemingly almost forgotten project had warranted results even though it was successful. An advanced AI was controlling that body. The crew was beginning to notice certain changes with this robot. Her stomach had distended to show her pregnancy had taken place. Ericson decided to inform the crew that he had not only created an advanced android but also had an experimental womb being used. It would be a matter of time before someone would ask, but he tried to keep it low key. Again, the knowledge that one of the most advanced AIs was right under their noses was kept mute. He simply didn't trust anyone but the absolute few.

It was a new day on the Tyson. Ericson and Minerva were walking down the passageway. She seemed not only different because of her pregnancy but also the way she behaved. She reacted and displayed more emotion when she engaged with other people. She would always hold hands with Ericson as they toured the ship together. While Ericson didn't tell everyone that he was the father, he knew that some probably figured it out. Companion bots were commonplace. If an experimental womb had been developed, even the non-wisest of individuals could put two and two together.