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Baronessa. We’re not a neonatal facility as such, though our cellular accelerator may be just what you need.
     If you agree to its use, then we should be able to mature your infant’s development enough for it to survive. You should know,
     however, that to date we have only used it on test clones.’
    ‘What could happen to my baby?’
    ‘The accelerator has been seen to trigger Werner syndrome in a small percentage of recipients.’
    ‘What is that?’
    ‘Werner syndrome causes accelerated aging. The process goes … too far, if you like to look at it that way.’
    Mira closed her eyes as he continued to speak.
    ‘The good news is that despite its short gestation the baby in your womb appears unusually well-formed for its biological
     age. It should only need a short exposure time. More worryingly, our scans show that the baby has some unusual physical characteristics.
     You say the father was humanesque?’
    Mira had been over this so many times in the past few hours that her tongue refused to cooperate again. She stared at the
     clinician in frustration. They’d all wanted endless details from her but were prepared to give only generalisations in return.
    Dolin saw her expression and relented. ‘Do you consent?’
    ‘What will happen without it?’
    ‘We predict the baby will only survive a few minutes. Its lungs are too immature, as are some of its other organs.’
    Mira levered herself up onto one elbow to stare at the scientist. He was tall, with a narrow face and a furrowed expression.
     Not an unkind fellow, but one with deep preoccupations.
    ‘Use the accelerator to save my child,’ she said, cupping her stomach. ‘She’s all I’ve got.’
    ‘She?’ The clinician looked interested. ‘You believe the child is a girl? Our scans were inconclusive.’
    ‘Si. At least, I’m n-not sure. My biozoon symbiote couldn’t tell me. Biozoons have different sexual references to humanesques.’
    ‘I know,’ said the clinician. ‘I studied among the Pod for a time.’
    Mira stared harder at him. ‘You were permitted into the Pod?’
    He nodded. ‘I met Designate Ley-al at a conference on Mintaka, many years ago. Ley-al showed much interest in my research
     and was able to convince the Pod to allow me a short sabbatical among them.’
    ‘Where did you live?’
    ‘Aboard Ley-al. It was a remarkable experience, and somewhat frightening.’
    Mira relaxed a little, knowing Dolin had been with Ley-al. The leader of the biozoon’s first diplomatic family would not let
     an unethical ’esque near the Pod.
    ‘We should proceed with preparation,’ said Dolin gently. ‘Your consent, please.’ He held out a disclaimer.
    She pressed her finger against the film and waited for it to copy her DNA.
    As she felt the tingle of identification being completed, Dolin’s technicians moved in around her, pressing adhesives on her
     skin, spreading absorbent sheets around her body. Mira listened as Dolin described living among the Pod. He was still talking,
     distracting her, as a transparent crib was wheeled in, and lights shone directly at her face so that she couldn’t see past
     the end of the bed. She felt a cold sensation against her thigh.
    ‘Dolin!’
    He leaned past the bank of brightness until his face was close to hers. ‘The accelerant has been administered.’
    ‘How long will it take?’ She felt short of breath, as though the infusion had robbed her of oxygen.
    ‘The biozoon slowed down the fluid loss with a synthesised hormone that will now be nullified by the accelerant. Soon you
     will feel contraction pains. The baby is small, so we do not anticipate difficulty with the birth. However, we think the accelerant
     will have more time to work if the baby is born through the birth canal – not by the normal procedure.’
    Mira tried to sit up. ‘You mean an uncontrolled birth?’
    ‘The accepted term is natural birth. Afterwards, though, we may have to take the baby away quickly. Try not to be