Biosynth 17

The next time Dark Shadow dropped by the Destiny for a visit with her friends and numerous family members there, Schroeder told her all about the dilemma of the Balespawn and the need he felt to do something about it--to introduce a balancing force against them into the world. When he showed her the reports, she immediately recognized the balefire element that was part of what made them so dangerous. After some thought, she told him she thought she might have a few ideas, but would need some time to look into them. When she left the ship, she was an Incarna on a mission. Schroeder could only hope she would succeed.

It was not long after that that Lerlande and her mate arrived at the ship. Schroeder's pleasure to have one of his Venator children return to him was tempered by his preoccupations with the Balespawn. Nevertheless, a Bay had recently been cleared, so he approved their request and took genetic samples from each of them.

Schroeder then was visited by a wicked-looking creature, all fire and bloody hues, who introduced himself as Ashsmor. He lived on the planet below Star City and his sister, Dark Shadow, had pleaded Schroeder's case with him. While Dark ventured off in search of someone who could heal the corruption wrought by a godling's balefire, Ashsmor was willing to donate his own essences to a Synth. He could not be corrupted by balefire, nor could any spirit of his and Dark's type, and as a creature of Balance was similarly perturbed by the new Balespawn species.

It seemed that Schroeder had only just set his labs to processing Ashsmor's essence when Chevonde and Nairne put in their appearance and Biosynthesis request, and that was when Schroeder decided his next Synth would be Genesis Two. Alongside Lerlande's and Chevonde's clutches, he would hatch a new strain of yautjadragons who could counterbalance the Balespawn--not just the two on the station, but all the others that had been scattered through the universe and might even be well on the way towards propagating their foul species. Considering the odd way time worked in the Nexus, it was a very real possibility.

When the two other yautjadragons learned what their Grandfather was up to, they surprised the old man by offering up their own clutches--with the consent of their partners--to also be enhanced with Ashsmor's essence. In fact, they practically insisted upon it. So it was done.

But before the genetic mixes were too set to be changed, Dark Shadow returned, carrying another vial of essence. She had sought out and successfully negotiated with another Incarna, called Unicorn. Where Ashsmor's essence was that of Fire, Unicorn's was that of Healing.

Anything the Balespawn warped, these new yautjadragons, both pure and half-breeds, would be able to heal.

Now all they had to do was get the word out to the right would-be bonders.