“As long as they don't start coughing up furballs, everything is okay.”

– Antioch

***Deep Space***

***Antioch***

“There you go, little fellow.” I hand yet another miniature notepad to one of my many offspring. The little demon takes the device and runs for the hills, intent on finding a quiet spot to play catch-up with the current situation.

The next in the line steps forward to receive her own gift. The other little devils are waiting patiently for their turn, standing there in rows of three. Doing so, they look almost like a little army.

I smile, sitting on the ground cross-legged. After the initial shock of being the father of so many I have to admit that it isn't as bad as I imagined. Oh, it would've been bad, hadn't Silith changed our reproductive cycle almost completely. After just three days, the little demons are up and about, perfectly capable of taking care of themselves... to a certain degree.

The increased mobility comes with a whole lot of other problems.

Looking up, I notice how Minerva is frantically trying to get two of the kids out of a ventilation shaft. With their small bodies, they are predestined to explore every nook and cranny of the ship. Pursing my lips, I decide to stay silent on the matter.

“Come out! No! You can't take the ventilator apart!” Minerva screams as she tries to crawl after them. “Listen to me! I am your big sister!”

I smirk and the little demon who is sitting on my right shoulder titters in amusement, while the one on my left huffs in suppressed annoyance. According to Min and Sam, the right one is Jill's reincarnation, while the one on my left calls herself Veronica.

Handing another notepad to the next in line, I pat her head in an attempt to hide the fact that I forgot her name. Was it Erika? Or is it Elise? They all look so similar.

After it became clear that the new demons would hatch with their personalities intact, but without the ability to connect to the ship's network, I used my drones to build several little notepads which allow them access to the essential things.

Stuff like education, facts about our general situation and such things. Even simple entertainment. Or should I say, most importantly simple entertainment?

Jenny's and her gang's brood hatched just a few days ago and we learned the hard way that nineteen little versions of us can cause a lot of destruction if they aren't given a task and decide to explore the ship on their own.

First, they did serious damage to the plant life of their habitat, then they broke out of the biosphere which we prepared especially for them. Luckily Sam and Min managed to catch all of them with a little help from some of my drones. It seems like the reincarnation process came with an amplification of child-like curiosity.

The little monsters can't help themselves, they simply have to explore. It's probably thanks to the nomadic-trait which we earned as a race.

Hence, the notepads. I just hope that it will distract them for a while. At least until they are able to speak properly. Their little bodies make it almost impossible to hold a normal conversation, as forming words is a little hard on their lungs. If we want to talk, I have to establish a physical connection and hold a conversation via mind-link, like the one I share with Silith.

Sam enters the biosphere through the large gate which serves as an entrance. He spots me and approaches, carrying a few more notepads for the children. “You know, normally it should be a demon and an angel.”

“Pardon?” I look up, stopping in my task of handing out notepads and making sure that everyone has one.

“The ones on your shoulders. There should be a demon and an angel? You know? The famous meme about the guy who has a little demon and an angel on his shoulders. The demon always tells him to do bad stuff, while the angel begs him to be good. I am sure I introduced you to it while we were in the V.C.”

I grimace. “Oh, yeah... that. I totally forgot about it.” I quickly glance to my left and my right, making sure that Jill and Veronica are still there. Jill is looking pleased with her spot, while the ever annoyed Veronica looks crestfallen. At some point, I have to find out what her problem is. Unlike the other hatchlings, she seems to be permanently depressed.

“Doesn't Jill count as an angel?” I ask hopefully. But then again, that would make Veronica the demon. I shouldn't have said that.

Veronica lets out another sigh, seemingly giving up on the world.

Sam looks at me with an expression of doubt on his face. “If anything of that kind can be said, then Jill is the demon for sure.”

Nodding, I continue handing out notepads. If this occupational therapy doesn't work, we have to think of something else. Maybe I should pre-emptively start an employment program which sets my offspring to work in various fields on the ship? I mean, they can't do much with their current physique, but there is always some sort of electronics which needs repair. Their little hands are perfect for such a task.

We could turn the nursery into the ship's maintenance crew.

Currently, my drones are sufficient for the task, but I could always need them for other projects where lives would be at risk. The recent months during which the ship travelled to the 'Outer Rim', a desolate and neglected area at the edge of the galaxy, were quite boring and I had to put many projects on ice.

My plans for the immediate future are to find a preferably empty solar system with lots of resources. The idea is to test one of my nano-tech variations to strip the place clean and to set up a shipyard. Once that's done, we can leave some of our numbers behind while we travel on. They can build their own ships and start off in different directions.

I have no illusions about defeating the G.S. immediately. This task will take generations of single-minded effort and a will of steel. Once my race isn't at risk of being wiped out, we can focus our attention on things like military power.

The racial ability to communicate with our offspring will play an essential role in this strategy. I just hope that my theory holds true and that interstellar distances don't matter to this form of communication. I have no idea how it's possible, but the skill was provided by G.O.D.

Somehow, I have a feeling that it isn't restricted to a single starship or even a whole planet. After all, wouldn't it be pretty measly of G.O.D. to grant us such a racial boon and then it turns out that it isn't something awesome?

After all, pretty much every species can make almost instantaneous announcements to a whole planet. And then there is the chalice. If used properly, it could turn out to be the game-changer which we need to cheat the system.

Veronica pulls at my ear and points at the next in line. The little demon looks up at me with big, round eyes and she seems to be a little twitchy.

I realize that I zoned out and that my waiting children are suffering from a serious case of nervous anticipation to get it over with. Feeling guilty, I quicken the process, hurrying to give everyone a notepad.