The Scapegoat: a Capricorn Adventure

Space Part 6

Image by Casey Horner on UNSPLASH

Ariana appeared surprised when Peyton did not immediately move to obey her. 

"Did you hear me Peyton? Register the birth."

"There is no hurry."

The bunk-mate remained in the room, playing with Khufu's tiny hands and cooing over his small feet. Ariana repeated her request anxiously.

"Peyton, please go to a terminal and register Khofu's birth for me!" she insisted. 

"I'm going," Peyton looked amused, but she did not move. "In a minute..." 

"And then notify Todd that he is a father."

"All in good time. The terminal won't run away!"

It was actually another ten minutes before Peyton rose to her feet.

The pilot made her way to the bridge, dialled into one of the administrative computers and logged a registration of the birth of a baby boy. 

"Born to Ariana Aristos and Todd Lee, as at 0:05 am, January 21, UTC."

Then she sent a radio-telegram to Todd back on Mars. "Congratulations - you have a son. He is an Aquarius."

Finally Peyton returned to the hospital wing.

"All done," she announced. 

"Great!"

"Khufu is legally registered as an Aquarius."

"Thank you," Ariana said. She bent over her baby and cooed. "Now you are officially my baby."

"He sure is!"

"And Todd has been told?"

"He will be thrilled when he gets the message!"

"I can just see him now, toasting the birth with a glass of space distillery..."

"I'm sure he will have a lot of help celebrating." Special social events were somewhat rare on Mars. Their rate would likely increase when the population became more established.

Ariana hesitated slightly  before asking. "Why didn't you move when I first asked?"

"Did I?"

"It's no big deal - but you know you did."

"It was a matter of timing." Peyton looked at her with sympathetic eyes. 

"Oh?"

"With the variable time lag between the cruiser transmitting and Earth Prime receiving, if I had sent the registration immediately.... the registry might have calculated backwards to get the birth time."

"I hadn't thought of that."

"Then Khufu could have been registered as a Capricorn."

"no way!" Ariana looked worried.

"I realise that capricornism is primarily restricted to Mars - but I also know you were worried about Khufu."

"You did the right thing."

"I wanted to give him the best horoscope possible."

"Thank you!" Ariana said. "Khufu being an Aquarius could be a lifesaver if we want to join Todd back on Mars."

"It would be nice to have that option," Peyton said. 

"For sure."

"I personally can never go back to Mars." 

The heartfelt sentence was the closest Peyton came to ever telling Ariana that she had been born a despised Capricorn. 

"I'm sorry."

The pilot did not need to say anything more, because Ariana understood with the empathy of a woman who had recently given birth and had just become responsible for the well-being of another human being.

That is the story of the way Ariana Aristos, the unremarkable Aries, became the first woman to give birth in a cruiser en-route from Mars to Earth Prime Moon Terminus. Her son Khufu was the very first baby to be registered from within the vastness of space, just entering the Near Earth Zone, possibly in view of one of the Aten objects. 

THIS IS THE END OF PART II OF THE STORY. KEEP CHECKING BACK FOR THE NEXT INSTALLMENT, WHICH WILL BE SET ON THE MOON.