Capri 16, 2513, Modern Era (MA) Zhukovsky City, Moon

Roystan6 led his fathers into the Galaxy Auditorium on Mare Serenitatis where an usherbot scanned Alde2's Personal Bot, confirmed their tickets, and showed them to their seats. They sat down and hooked up the virtual reality equipment that would provide them with the sensory experience of travel through Sol System.

Roys wriggled with excitement. "Father," he said to Alde, "this is the best birthday ever." Roys had turned 12 three weeks ago and his fathers had taken him on this long-promised trip to the Moon. The Moon colonies had only recently opened up to tourists. Despite his parents' wealth, there was a long, long, long waiting list for reservations. However, Alde and Marvo20 owned and operated AlMar, one of the three best genetic modifications labs on Earth, and so had gotten a special permit at the request of the Extraterrestrials from Yanos.

Marvo said, "Roys, enjoy this program. I've wanted to see the Solar Tour myself, for years." He laughed. "Two birds with one stone."

"Dad, why would anyone kill a bird? There's only 3,284 left on Earth as of the last birdcount. Not counting chickens, of which there are 5317."

Marvo laughed again, "It's an old idiom, meaning two results with one effort. Like, like, umm..."

"Two birds with one stone, Dad," said Roys.

They both laughed. The room dimmed. The cover retracted over the roof, revealing the night sky. "This side of the Moon is facing away from Earth. It's day back home in New Orleans," said Roys, wriggling with excitement. Marvo shushed him.

The room darkened, the stars appeared, and a hologram of Marina Toscanina appeared. Roys gasped, for Toscanina was his heroine. She had traveled to every planet in the Solar System, many of the moons, and some of the asteroids. Eleven other holograms joined her, all wearing the star and rocket emblem of TSS, the Terran Space Scheme. The hologram Marina smiled and began to speak. "I have been selected to lead the first interstellar trip to Proxima Centauri. My companions and I will travel there on the TSS Nachtleid, stay for a month and return. We will be gone 33 days. Soon, fellow Terrans, the galaxy will be within our reach."

The hologram faded, and Roys felt tears run down his cheeks. Marvo passed him a handkerchief, and he wiped his eyes. The Nachtlied had returned with Toscanina and her fellow star travelers dead.

The virtual trip through the solar system began, and the audience watched holograms move through the room. Roys' favorite part was the rings of Saturn. When the tour was over, the group left through the exits and Roys and his fathers returned to their guest quarters.

That night, Roys laid in bed, waiting for sleep, watching the sky overhead. He thought about the doomed trip of the Nachtlied. The Song, as she was nicknamed, was piloted by computer which, without human instruction, followed its programming protocols and returned in 33 days. Examination showed the astronauts had died on the first day, en route to Proxima Centauri. Earth mourned. The astronauts had been cremated and their remains shot into space, where they would travel amongst the stars forever.

One result of the voyage to Proxima Centauri was that Extraterrestrials from the planet Yanos orbiting their star, named Emba, had observed the Nachtlied. Thrilled to learn of another spacefaring race, they traced the Song to Earth. The first ETs, as they were called, after some 20th century movie—imagine, a movie, instead of a hologram realfake, not even cheap virtual reality, had contacted Earth Station Primo on Titan.

They had visited Earth briefly, but would not stay. Earth's atmosphere was unpleasant to them, although their hardiness allowed them to survive it. Even without the pollution, the wastelands, the hot, nearly dead seas, they preferred the high oxygen atmosphere of their home planet. They often blinked in Earth's air, and would close their eyes, turning their eyelids clear, additional protection for their eyes. The ETs could also see infrared and ultraviolet, and their eyes and eyelids were adapted to prevent damage to their retinas.

They visited the few livable climate zones, the domed cities and towns, and the food factories politely. They asked many questions about the vast array of genetic modification allowed to adults and analyzed the results.

Most animals were extinct, so animals were one of the most popular modifications. Many people liked cat eyes, with better sight in the dark. Some chose fur, or feathers or wings. Some got taller, or shorter, or changed their coloring. Cosmetic modifications were all that was necessary, as genetic defects were edited out by the mod labs when the child was conceived from the parent's genes. Alde and Marvo had been pioneers in this and made their first fortune.

At last, the ETs told the Terrans the results of their examination: Terrans could not travel beyond their solar system. Human bodies could not survive the hardships of space travel, even of Interstar, the Yanan method, or, really, any space travel. Survival on most planets would be unlikely even if they could live to get there. Suspended animation for humans and most Earth life required too much support to be practical and would not be successful.

Genetic modification that would adapt Terrans to space travel was not possible, according to the ETs. The ETs said Earth people's unprecendented adaptability to genetic modification would not enhance their chances of colonizing other planets. Mixing Terran and ET DNA would not create a viable, fertile hybrid. The ETs commiserated with Earth, for they accepted new peoples to join their colonization of the galaxy, and truly wanted Earth to join them.

The ETs requested and received Mars to adapt and form a colony. In return they offered to try to restore Earth's ecosystems. They would also share their methods of solar system travel, more efficient than Earth's. Earth's government agreed, for Terrans would be able to migrate to planets and satellites in Sol System. The hundred million people that Earth could support was even now too much for the exhausted planet, and policies were in effect to reduce the total to 75 million in 30 years.

The ETs said their colony should be self-supporting in five years. They would permit limited contact with Earth during that time, as transformation was delicate. They collected a few samples here and there, and most important to Roys, a few samples of their genes were collected. His fathers got one sample for their genemod lab.

At last they returned to New Orleans and Roys started college. He studied gene modification enhancement and ET DNA, developing new methods of modifying DNA and new modifications. In four years, he received his Ph.D. and joined his fathers' company. Here he finished researching  the ET DNA they received on the Moon, for no one had successfully adapted it. By the day he turned 18 he had genemods based on ETs.

Capri 4, 2519, MA, New Orleans City Dome, Earth

The morning of his 18th birthday he woke up early. "Time, personal bot!" he screamed, sitting up and shaking with excitement.

"Good morning, young master," said Xenon. "It is 6:30 AM, Capri 4, 2519. Your eighteenth birthday. Happy birthday. Your fathers will see you at breakfast in half an hour. Do you wish to shower now?"

"Yes," said Roys, jumping out of bed and running into the spa. "Very hot, with sandalwood soap." Xenon flew after Roys, signaling the spa to turn on the shower, very hot. The scent of sandalwood filled the spa.

Twenty-nine minutes later, Roys walked into the dining room where his fathers waited for him. Marvo, cat ears' twitching, turned to smile at him. Alde didn't look fifteen years older than Marvo, thanks to careful genetic modification that preserved his youthful look.

"Happy birthday, our son," said Alde. "Today you are an adult."

"We celebrate your natal day," said Marvo, "and the new you that is in your future."

"Thank you, my fathers," said Roys. "But I think my first genetic modification was when your male chromosomes were coded and selected to make me."

Marvo laughed. "Yes, that's one way of looking at you. Breakfast is ready. Your favorites. Hen eggs, three of them, realpork sausage, toast and nubutter." His eyes gleamed with joy. "Coffee. A cup for each of us."

Roys grew dizzy, for even with his parents' wealth, genuine hen eggs, pork and coffee—real coffee from greenhouse bushes, the only place coffee grew in the 26th century, were expensive. Bread and nubutter were grown in vats, and tasty, since he had never tasted real bread and butter and could not compare them, although Alde said he had eaten them a few times in his youth.

"Thank you, my fathers," he said, humbly. "Please share the eggs with me."

"You are generous, Roys," said Alde. "We are proud, so very proud of the man you have become. Breakfast, PB." Alde's personal bot signaled the house bots to serve the meal.

An hour later, lingering over the last drops of coffee, Roystan6's birthday breakfast was finished. Today he had the right to choose his own genetic modifications. His first was scheduled for that afternoon.

"PB," said Alde, "clear the table and open the file with Roy's order for genemod."

In no time, the dishes were cleared and a hologram of Roys' requested modification was floating over the table. Roys examined it greedily. He had waited nine years for this. Ever since the Extraterrestrials contacted Titan.

Roys had prepared his first modification based on the alien DNA his parents had received. He would undergo enhancement in four hours.

At 12:30 Roys was prepped for modification. He was given drugs that would enable his genes to accept the new, alien genes. He received medications that would strengthen him to endure the discomfort of adaptation. When the prep was finished, Aldo said, "Are you ready, son? Do you really want this modification? Yanan DNA? It's never been done successfully."

Roys nodded. "Yes, Father, I've been ready for years.

Aldo smiled wistfully. "PB, begin modification ET1."

Modification as extensive as Roys received was exhausting. In a few days, though, he'd be up and about while his body healed. The next transformation, in three months, would be even more extensive and require him to stay in the hospital for days, in a coma while submerged in a tank of fluids, while his body adapted.

That evening Roys stayed in bed, dozing with his cat, Socks2, beside him.

At a double knock on the door, Roys said, "Come in, Dad," for Marvo was the parent who always knocked twice. Alde would rat-a-tat-tat. Marvo's PB carried a dinner tray. Marvo helped Roys sit up and set a lap table over his legs. The PB put the tray on it. It held a bowl of chikkeny soup, crackers, and tea.

Roys began to eat. "Thanks, Dad," he said. "I'm hungry."

"Good sign," said Marvo. "An appetite shows the modification is accepted by your body." He patted Roys' hand, straightened the sheet, then sat beside him. "We have another present for you."

Roys was interested. He was his fathers' only child, for early in their marriage they enrolled in the Population Reduction Scheme, which would give Roys more benefits and privileges. They gave great care and consideration to his natal gifts.

"Yes, Dad?" he asked. "You have given me so much." He scratched his arm, which itched from the injection of genemod protocol.

"PB, Marvo said to his personal bot, "Darken the room and open the NightSky."

Instantly, the ceiling disappeared and a Galaxy Virtual Reality hologram of the night sky filled the room. Roys gasped. His homestar, Sol, floated by the bed. He oriented himself and touched Proxima Centauri, the star nearest Earth. The rotation stopped. He pulled the beautiful star closer and enlarged it till he could see the corona and the planet that orbited it. He sighed with delight.

"Dad, this is lovely. You know how much I love the stars. I longed to travel to the stars when I was young. Not that Earth isn't good, but to be free. The ETs say space travel isn't possible for Terrans."

"I know, I know," said Marvo. "One day you might go to the Titan station. I hear they're going to establish a farming colony on Mercury, in the twilight zone. They think coffee will grow there." The twilight zone was the dividing line between the half of Mercury that always faced the sun and the half that knew only darkness.

"That might be 20 years from now. Still, it might be a possibility." Roys slurped the last spoonful of soup. "That was good. Today has been the best day. Thank you, Dad, and thank my Father for me." He yawned.

"He'll be home later, son," said Marvo. "He's double-checking on your modification. You need sleep, so I'll leave you." He got up. "The galaxy VR is connected to Xenon. Don't stay up all night looking at it. It'll be here in the morning." He left, his PB following with the empty dishes.

When the room was quiet, Roys reduced the galaxy VR to fit in his room. The room was bright with swirling arms of stars with darkness between them. He looked at the blaze of colors, sizes, and shapes. Socks watched the lights swirl by, clawed at one, and went back to sleep. Roys relaxed. "Xenon, show me Phaeton."

The VR moved and the constellation Phaeton stopped before Roys. He selected the star Helios. The rest of the VR faded until Helios was left. Roys expanded the view until the Helios system was visible: four planets, including two in the habitable zone, for Helios was a G-type main-sequence star about 1% larger than Sol.

Helios had four planets and an asteroid belt. The belt was between the first two planets. The outer two planets were in the habitable zone. The third planet had three moons. The fourth planet, named Eunomia, had one large moon and a tiny, tiny moon. Most wonderfully, it had one Saturn-type ring. The ETs said both planets were capable of supporting Terran life. If only Terrans could survive the trip.

Roys had wept for days when he learned he could never travel to the stars. That was when he resolved to work with genetic modification developing mods that would allow Terrans to travel to the stars in his lifetime. He was the first test subject. He was Homo sapiens who might give birth to Homo galaxia. He touched the ring of the fourth planet. Yawning again, he laid down and slept.

Roys studied his naked body in the spa's mirrors. ET1 made Roys stronger, slighter—three inches shorter, more agile. His lungs were much more efficient—He could breathe easily in a thin, high oxygen atmosphere such as the one the ETs built on Mars. He could hold his breath for 15 minutes. His hair was thicker and slightly sparser and most of his body hair was gone. This afternoon, he would receive ET2. He dressed quickly and left.

Roys sat in Alde's office at AlMar Genemod Laboratories. "ET1 mod is a success in all ways, Roys," said Alde. "I must admit, my son, that I am relieved. We all believed human/ET modifications were not possible."

Roys smiled. He waited.

"ET2 is ready," said Alde. He swallowed hard. "Are you sure you're ready to start the modifications? Be able to see ultra-violet and infra-red? If your brain will not accept the mod we must reverse it. You will be in a coma for nine days in a gene bath while your body adapts to the protocol."

"I am as ready as I can be, Father," said Roys. "I have studied human/ET combination for years. I am willing to risk the modification." He looked steadily at his father. "The Government approves the trial. The ETs are very interested and have sent two of their doctors to observe and help."

Alde watched Roys, and understood how committed his son was to this experiment. "You know, son, that these modifications will not permit you to travel to the stars, as you have always longed to do."

"I know that, Father, and I have accepted it. My place in this world is to find ways for Terrans to adapt to space through the use of ET DNA. Homo sapiens to Homo galaxia. I am a stop on this road to the stars." Roys said softly. "My gift to Homo sapiens will be the possibility of becoming Homo galaxia."

Alde blinked away tears. "Very well, Roys. We'll make the final preparations. In 15 minutes, you'll receive ET2.

Sagitta 20, 2621, MA, Yanos City, Mars

"Xenon," said Roys, "open the window view."

"Yes, sir," said Xenon, the 79th of that name. The darkened window cleared until Roys could see across the Martian landscape to the horizon. A small bright sun was halfway to noon. The sunlight was bright enough to lighten the red planet. Trees, grasses, and other flora, especially those adapted to low light, brightened the ruddy soil. The successful eco transformation of Mars was the result of the joint effort of ETs and Terrans. ETs, several thousand Terrans who had undergone ET genemod, and their descendants lived in cities without domes. Some ETs had chosen human genetic modification, another success of Roys work.

Roys watched a V of ducks fly north, probably to Lake Korolev. Mars had been surprisingly adaptable to birds. Chickens were common. He could have eggs every day, and did. At 122, he limited himself to one. He had moved to Yanos City 55 years earlier, after the death of his first wife, an astronaut who had been an early recipient of ET genemod. She  died in a meteor storm on a voyage to Uranus.

His second wife, Sarant, was the daughter of a hybrid human and a hybrid ET. They had one son, who headed the Terran Space Scheme, still known as TSS. I've had a good life, and a long one. I couldn't go to the stars, but I've helped make it possible for Homo galaxia to go. My own grandchild will command the Nachtlied II with the first explorers of Earth descent.

"Xenon, breakfast," he said. He pushed the button that would raise his bed so he was sitting up.

"Yes, sir," said Xenon. The bot brought a breakfast tray and set it before Roys. It lifted the cover. The tray held one egg, boiled, a slice of real wheat bread with goat butter, and a carafe with two cups of coffee, which grew abundantly on the Mercury farms.

Roys began to eat, but his appetite faded halfway through. He ordered Xenon to remove the tray. He lingered over the coffee, remembering a birthday breakfast years ago with Marvo and Alde, when he received his first genemod. The beginning of a new world.

He got in his wheelchair and went to the library. He moved Socks14 off his e-reader. He finished the coffee and was reviewing his notes on a hearing modification when Xenon beeped the visitors' tone. He turned off the e-reader. "Yes?"

"Marina12 Roystana and her family are here, sir," said Xenon.

"Let them in and tell them I'm in my library," said Roys.

A minute later, his granddaughter Marina came in carrying her toddler, Roystan7. Her daughter, Pokie, actually Marva1, nicknamed Pokie because she had been notoriously stubborn during her second year, followed her. Pokie ran to Roystan and climbed in his lap. "Grampy!"

Roys patted her hair. "Pokie, would you like to take Xenon with you when you go to Eunomia?"

"Xenon? For me? Yes, Grampy, yes." She hugged him. "Can Xenon speak in your voice?"

"Yes, if you like." He eyed Roystan cautiously as Marina set him down, for the boy was insatiably curious and extremely fast. The boy scooted for Socks, who leaped the 12-feet to the ceiling and clung there upside down, snarling. Roystan gathered his legs to jump after him, possible with hybrid strength even without the lighter gravity of Mars. He shot into the air just as his father, Baluk, entered and lunged for him.

Too late. Roystan grabbed the cat, which twisted and scratched as it tried to escape. The boy giggled, for his hybrid skin was too strong for the cat's claws. "Kitty," he said, hugging the cat.

Baluk rescued Socks from his son and handed the cat to Marina. It kept a baleful eye on Roystan from the security of her arms. Roystan reached up to pet Socks. Marina warned him, "Two fingers." The boy obediently stroked the cat gently with two fingers, which the cat tolerated. "At least he can't hurt the cat, any more than the cat can hurt him. He loves Socks."

"Unrequited," said Roys. "Still, I suppose he'll learn to love gently. Socks is one of the things I wanted to talk about today." He turned pale, gasping for breath. Baluk came over to him.

"Roys, shall I call the Meds?"

"No, it's just a spasm. No more youth mods for me. They don't work well at my age anyway. I have a few weeks left, according to the Meds." He sat back in his chair. "You leave in a month for the fourth planet of Helios. The one we call Eunomia. With the ring like Saturn." He sighed. "Would you be willing to take Socks with you? He has been adapted and his species is on the emigration list."

"Yes, of course. Doesn't Sarant want to keep him. Or my brother?" asked Marina.

"No, your stepmother and our son have signed up for the second group to emigrate to Helios. You take him."

Marina nodded. "We leave in a month, Grampy." She smiled wistfully. "I wish you could go with us. You made this possible. I understand your longing to travel to the stars."

"I'll travel with everyone who goes to space. That's another thing I wanted to talk to you about," Roys said. "The Meds give me 11 days to live, and you know how accurate they are." Marina listened attentively. "Sarant is in favor of this, and I'll ask you what I'd like you to do."

Verde 17, Eunomia Colony, Year 1 (Pisc 2, 2621 Earth MA)

Marina12 opened the door of her home and walked into the front yard. She looked around happily. This land would be developed by her, Baluk, and their descendants. Sixty years of eco transformation before the colonists arrival had turned Eunomia into a lush, green, fruitful planet, ideal for human/ET mods. A dim ring curved across the sky. Soon more colonists would arrive, including Sarant and her son with his family. She watched as Pokie threw a ball for the new puppy to catch. Baluk was playing pattycake with Roystan. Socks lounged on the roof, safe from small clutching hands.

Baluk looked up when Marina approached. "Are you taking the ashes now?" Marina nodded. "Would you like us to come with you? Or do you want to go alone."

"I'd like to go alone. I kind of want to do this myself. You all can come if you want."

Baluk smiled. "You go. I'll stay with the kids."

"I'm going to the dunes. Grampy would have loved that spot." Marina kissed him, and walked down the path to the sea, carrying the small cannister of ashes.

She walked up the dunes overlooking the water and stood on the edge. Waves rose and broke against the shore. Clouds floated in the sky. Gulls walked the sand or flew and drifted overhead, on their endless search for something to eat.

"You'd have loved it here, Grampy," she whispered. "Among the stars. Eunomia was made to be your home." She opened the cannister, turned her back to the breeze, and shook Roystan6's ashes free.