"What do you mean, Doctor?" Christiana asked with a frown.

"Look kid, on the one hand, you have a one hundred percent survival chance." Ito-san began. "On the other hand, you have a mere twenty-five percent chance. Not only that, but even if she does survive, she will have to use prosthetics for the rest of her life."

"From what I understand, she is a very athletic girl. Would you sentence her to a wheelchair barely able to move from one room to another and trying to control the chair with her single remaining hand? Because that is what will happen if she doesn't take well to the prosthetics. And some patients don't," Ito-san explained.

"But I am not sure that Haruhi-nee would want to become a vampire," Christiana stammered.

"Then ask her if she would mind," Ito-san pressed.

Christiana looked around the room at her companions. Both Miss Harrison and Mr. Jones would not meet her eyes.

"So it is true then," Christiana asked Miss Harrison.

"Yes, it is true," Miss Harrison admitted, finally meeting Christiana's eyes with her own. "Remember that you are not only the next of kin, but you also hold her power of attorney. It is all up to you as to how to proceed."

"I will ask Haruhi-nee the next time she wakes up," Christiana stated. "When is her next treatment?"

"We can do it right now," Miss Harrison replied.

---

"So, Haruhi-nee, those are the facts about the blood drinking strangers. What do you think about becoming one?" Christiana asked.

"I think it would be interesting," Haruhi-nee answered. "However, you have my power of attorney, so this is a decision that you have to make."

"I was hoping to get some guidance from you since it involves your survival," Christiana retorted.

"Do what you want. I can hardly say that I am of sound mind right now, so I can't make that decision for you."

"You are as stubborn as a mule," came Christiana's response.

"You know it." Haruhi-nee said, "I'm tired and just want to sleep awhile."

At this point, Ito-san gave Haruhi-nee her injection.

---

"Well, that was a waste of time," Christiana commented as she sat down in the waiting room.

"No, it wasn't," Miss Harrison said. "Now we know she isn't against becoming a vampire."

"That is true."

"Does that mean that you will seriously consider that option now?" Miss Harrison inquired.

"Yes."

"Then what is your decision?"

"Give me a while to think about it. We have ten days before we have to decide."

"I will give you a little time to decide, then."

"Thank you."

---

A few days later, just after one of Haruhi-nee's "treatments", Christiana and Miss Harrison were sitting in the waiting room yet again.

"Look, Christiana, you have to decide one way or another," Miss Harrison said.

"I know."

"Why are you so resistant to the idea of Haruhi becoming a vampire?"

"It's because I don't want to be all alone during the day. If Haruhi-nee becomes a vampire, then she will be asleep all Mainday."

"I know how close the two of you are, and I can understand your concerns. However, the two of you can always meet up during Night and Alterday," Miss Harrison pointed out.

"I know. It's just that I will miss her so much during the day. Plus, I will be asleep half the Night, so I won't get to spend much time with her even then."

"Here is something to consider. If you both stay on Hope, then she won't have the issue of going into torpor every day."

"I hadn't thought of that," Christiana admitted. "But if we do that, then who will become John-nii's Keeper?"

"I am sure that arrangements can be made to keep him safe."

"Also, what would we do about graduating from high school?" Christiana asked. "We are in our senior year after all."

"There is such a thing as distance learning," Miss Harrison pointed out. "Hell, you can get your college degrees that way if you wish."

"So even that wouldn't be a problem?"

"Exactly."

After a brief pause, Miss Harrison continued. "Are there any other reservations?"

"If you changed her into a vampire would Haruhi-nee's personality change?"

"No, not at all," Miss Harrison responded. "My personality didn't change when I was turned."

"I thought she might become more aggressive. I guess that's not the case."

"Why do you think vampires would be more aggressive than a normal person?" Miss Harrison asked.

"Well, I know that the blood drinking strangers attack people and drink their blood, and since you ARE the strangers I thought you might go around attacking people for their blood," Christiana said

"While a vampire is behind those urban legends, all the other vampires on Cooper's World are content with donated blood from the hospitals and blood banks."

"So you are all harmless?" Christiana asked.

"Not totally harmless, but we don't go around attacking people for no reason."

"So who all on Hope are vampires?" Christiana asked, curious about the answer.

"The crew of the ship is all vampires except for Ito-san. However, she is a nonhuman."

"Everyone?"

"Absolutely everyone."

---

"So it sounds like Christiana is coming around to the most logical solution," Cooper said over the 'com.

"Slowly, but surely," Miss Harrison said. "The question is, will she come around before Haruhi has to be operated on in the hope of saving her life?"

"I am coming down to talk with her," Cooper insisted.

"I think that will be helpful at this point."

---

Christiana was sitting on her bunk thinking about the decision that she had to make.

'I don't want Haruhi-nee to perish, but I am afraid of what she might become if they turn her,' she pondered repeatedly.

Just then, the chime showing that she had a visitor at her door rang.

"Open," she called out to the door, and it opened upon hearing her instructions.

She had expected to see Miss Harrison standing there. Instead, Miss Coop stood in front of her.

"Hi Christiana," Miss Coop said. "Are you going to invite me in?"

"Hello, please come in and take a seat. Would you like a soft drink?" she asked, trying to be an excellent hostess.

"No, thank you." Miss Coop said as she sat down on one chair. Instead of being bolted to the floor, the chair was embedded into the wall. Miss Coop pulled it open like a murphy bed. The designers set it up this way in order to save precious space on the starship.

Then, after strapping herself into the chair, she said, "You should also strap yourself in. You may only have seconds to do so if the ship has to make an unscheduled burn of its main engines."

"What are the chances that Hope needs to change its orbit right now?"

"Extremely low," Miss Coop admitted. "However, it isn't a zero chance."

"Then I'm not worried about it," Christiana admitted. "I have other things to fret about right now."

"I understand you are upset about your womb mate, but that isn't a reason to stop taking care of yourself."

"I'm trying to figure out something, but it isn't a simple task," Christiana admitted.

"I know about the issue you are facing and I do not envy you the decision."

"How do you know?" Christiana asked.

"Well, you have to remember that I am very close to Christy, but that isn't the reason that I know what's going on." Miss Coop admitted.

"Then how did you find out?"

"Let me show you something. It should help you understand how and why I know." Miss Coop explained. "Vid'"she called out to the monitor embedded in the wall. "Show 'The Discovery of Cooper's World.'"

"What does this have to do with how you know everything?"

"Just watch and see my young friend, just watch and see," Cooper commented while the computer found a copy of the picture that she requested.

Suddenly, the picture came up on the screen. It only took Christiana a moment to see the resemblance.

"Are you a clone of the original Commander Cooper?"

"No, I am the original Cooper. They made me into a vampire before Hope even launched. While I wasn't too happy about becoming a vampire that was the only way to go to Alpha Centauri, a task that I had trained for over many a year."

"So, you are also a vampire like Miss Harrison?" Christiana asked.

"Actually Christy is my scion. I turned her when she was around your age now." Miss Coop... no Commander Cooper admitted. "In the eyes of the vampires, I am her mother."

"So if Haruhi-nee becomes a vampire, and Miss Harrison turns her..."

"Then she would become my granddaughter," Cooper said. "She will also be Christy's scion or daughter in the eyes of the clan."

"So she will have a new family if she is turned?"

"Yes, she will," Cooper said. "Yes, she will."