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Cloning

Human cloning technology was once a taboo subject. Concern over our ability and our right to adjust the very building blocks of life persists even now in certain circles despite the undeniable necessity for clones. The following is a breakdown of the basics of the technology, its growth and implementation, and public opinions on cloning throughout the years.

Human Cloning

The process of reproductive cloning has been utilized by mankind for thousands of years, from the use of cultivars in ancient horticulture to the development of somatic cell nuclear transfer during the Machine Age to the widespread utiliztion of GMO's in supply export during the Expansion Age. The primary driving force behind the long progression of the technology is the survival of our ever-growing population, and survival will always take precedence. No one brings up a cloning debate when off-world supplies relieve a colonial region in the midst of a famine, plague, or other disaster.

 

The discussion heats up when the cloning process branches over to sentient life. When the rigors of space travel took their toll on a species desperate for new worlds to branch to, an unpopular branch of the scientific community sought to improve upon humanity and took the first steps toward modern cloning and the Alpha Human Genome Project began. Through gene manipulation, researchers found that they could adjust the human form and increase our resilience to many of the maladies of interstellar travel. The problem was that the average human surrogate was incapable of carrying an advanced human subject to term. If sexual reproduction wouldn't work, asexual reproduction was the answer. While Alpha Project proponents lobbied for support, funding, and legal (if not public) approval, their progress in perfecting the human form continued. In time they had created a work of organic art, the template for a being far superior to man, but one still genetically human. However one might feel about the concept of cloning, human survival has always been the reason for its development and use.

A Use for Clones

With the development of beam transport, the potential reach of humanity expanded exponentially. The limits now were an individual's ability to survive the physical stresses for the duration of the trip. For a time explorers were content to take baby steps, jumping in short, survivable increments, but as the desire to leap grew, the dangers of extended jumps became clear. Premanent damage or even death from g-forces, stasis malfunction, and especially mid-jump collision, a unanimously fatal event, all served to dampen the newfound elation of potential pioneers. The need for suitable trailblazers was high. 

 

Then the Alpha Project stepped in with a solution. Their proposed clones were physically superior to humans and could easily survive extended jumps. Additionally, in the event of stasis failure, the genetically immortal clones could still complete jumps so long as ample provisions were on board. Ultimately the selling factor was expendability. A large crew of eager humans being vaporized as they boldly launched into the unknown was a tragedy. A skeleton crew of artificial super-humans lost on their way to establish the next jump point was an inconvenience. The project was approved and the first generation of 10,000 Alpha Clones was created.

 

The Alphas proved their worth almost immediately. Brought to maturity in a single jump, it seemed that the call for an elite group of pathfinders was instantly answered and within months the Jump Grid was expanding in every direction providing safe passage to the stars. Not only did the Alphas take over the dangerous task of exploration, but with their advanced skills and rapidly growing experience they improved upon it, bringing their own casualties while scouting to a minimum.

 

Within a year the Alpha Project had produced a full one million clones. In a decade they had churned out ten times that number. With a massive expansion of production facilities the clones were being put into service 50 million at a time and before they knew it, researchers discovered evidence of deterioration in the base Alpha Genome and production was abruptly stopped. Despite the setback, over a billion clones already produced were more than enough to lead humanity's charge through the heavens and from the golden years of the Expansion Age emerged the foundations of the colonies.

 

As the Alpha Clones were spread thin along an ever expanding frontier, mankind's march through the stars slowed. Soon the primary function of Alphas shifted from exploration of new territory to colonial support. While the Jump Grid provided an efficient highway for humans, there were still many tasks for which the Alphas were better suited. Every task, in fact. Concern over the abilities of Alpha Clones began to emerge once again and although no indication of threat to humanity from the Alpha's has ever been recorded, the unfounded fear served to keep the potential might of the Alpha population from being utilized. Alphas were well provided for and acknowledged for their service to humanity with a general aura of respect, but spread thin through the colonies. They became a staple of interstellar human interaction and what was once a miraculous race of super-humans was soon just another aspect of everyday life amidst the stars.

A need for Clones

Alpha Clones were an under appreciated workhorse for decades, but the legend of the perfect human that had begun with their creation was about to be brilliantly reborn. When the first fleet of The Core charged across the Dillamanse, the heroic efforts of the Alphas there were a testament to their strength, both in body and in character. Most of the survivors of The Purge reached Earth Space with at least one story of Alpha Clones standing in the face of the enemy advance as human colonists frantically retreated. Though casualties of the early war were high, without the efforts of the Alphas who knows how many more would have been lost in the slaughter.

 

By the time The Dillamanse was lost, the superior abilities of the Alpha Clones as opposed to the average human in combat with The Core was undeniable. With few or no Alphas present, conflicts tended to end with no survivors, while heavy concentrations of Alphas, though still in retreat, were able to cover civilian evacuation and survive, even launching an occasional effective counterattack. When The Core reached the next colonial borders they faced a more unified defense as Alpha Clones were given increasing command of combat operations. A decade later the human command structure in the field had fallen in battle to the last man and the entire remaining force was under the command of the veteran Alpha Legion.

 

As the Alpha Legion gathered to hold the line at Alpha Nova, the panicked people of Home Space were growing desperate. The Mag-Wall was barely erected in time and as a defensive measure it would not win the war for humanity. We needed a weapon to fight back and we turned to our most effective weapon thus far for a solution: clones. It was clear that an Alpha Genome would be unable to produce an effective force given that even the billion clones produced to date had already been hunted close to extinction. Development of a secondary genome was discussed, but as the same limitations would apply, it would serve only to delay the enemy as the Alphas had and the process would be time consuming with a high probability of failure. We needed the strength of the Alphas with the ability to replicate as abundantly as the human race.

 

And so, it was the merger of human and clone that saved the species. By using the Alpha Genome as a template, foregoing a full replication process, scientists could transfer a portion of Alpha traits to any human genetic sample, then replicate the new genome. The resultant Beta Clones had an assortment of only partial Alpha abilities, but what they lacked in individual strength they made up for in numerical potential. Though each Beta sample was limited to a production of around 100 million clones, any of the trillions of humans living could provide a base genome to clone, effectively providing a limitless army. 

 

Beta Clones, like their Alpha cousins, quickly proved themselves in the war. The varied abilities of different Beta groups gave rise to highly specialized units whose combat experience honed them into close knit teams, instinctively maximizing their impact in the field by playing to each others' strengths. After rescuing the remaining Alphas, Earth had a massive and well equiped army of specialized troops being commanded by elite veteran officers with extensive experience with the enemy. Clones led the way for the founding of the colonies and they led again to reclaim them.

Artificial Life

Once colonial population had rebounded from the war, the need for more Betas became questionable and the role of the new, far more human clones in society needed to be defined. One fundamental aspect that separates Alphas and Betas is reproduction. While Alphas are universally unable to reproduce naturally, nearly half of all Beta generations are fully able to do so. When Betas began having children the lines between human and clone were suddenly not so clear. Clone rights in human dominated regions became a hot topic and the issue was quickly dealt with by the Artificial Human Equality Act, which officially recognized Beta Clones as human beings. Another milestone in the unity of mankind had been reached.

 

Today, Beta Clone production is a strictly monitored field, limited to smaller scale adoptive generations for those Betas or even humans unable to reproduce on their own and the occasional government or private comission for a Beta line. The latter arose when the Beta process was improved, allowing for a more specific selection of abilities in a new clone population. Discovery of important resource potential in an undeveloped system is one possiblity for a specialized Beta unit to be comissioned with relevant attributes to aid in the operation.

 

There are still many issues pertaining to clones being debated today. These range from the ethics of contractual obligations of comissioned Betas from birth to the controversial subject of clone-human relationships to the roles, authority, and responsibilities of the few remaining Alphas. No matter what your personal opinion of clones may be, one thing is certain; the development, implementation, and impact of clones has always ensured our survival. Every human owes their life to clones.

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