Now that she had been invited, Marae stepped up alongside Freyr near the parapet, looking out over the city. There was a grin in her expression as Freyr was talking about her own family, though she showed some brief discomfort when Freyr asked her about children. “Oh, I…no, I’ve never been approved for reproductive privileges. I’ve applied, but if I’m being honest with myself, I’m not likely to ever be approved. My genetics fail to meet a lot of standards. Lung function, cardiovascular health, immune responses…it’s all things that have been medically corrected, but you can’t fool your genes, and genetic therapy can only go so far. It’s the same for a lot of Rothians my age, though. We come from a time before the Rothian genome had been so drastically improved.” 

After a moment, Marae did start to smile again as her mind drifted back to some more pleasant memories. “Of course, my genetics didn’t stop me from creating life. The first true Rothian AI…I would say she was like my child in every way that mattered. I brought her into the world, though it required a lot more mathematics than the usual method.” She chuckled. “I raised her too. Back then, most Rothian hatchlings were raised by their own parents, and I suppose I got to experience the same thing. It might have been a bit easier, though. You can’t exactly tweak the algorithms in an organic child’s brain if they are learning the wrong lessons.”