“We humans are a pragmatic people, Administrator Cainen,” Sagan said. “You have knowledge we can use, and if you were willing to be cooperative, there’s no reason you couldn’t continue your study of human genetics and brains. Just for us instead of for the Rraey.”
“All I would have to do is betray my people,” Cainen said.
“There is that,” Sagan allowed.
“I think I would rather die first,” Cainen said.
“With all due respect, Administrator, if you truly believed that, you probably wouldn’t have shot that Eneshan who was trying to kill you earlier today,” Sagan said. “I think you want to live.”
“You may be right,” Cainen said. “But whether you are right or not, child, I am done talking to you now. I’ve told you everything I’m going to tell you of my own free will.”
Sagan smiled at Cainen. “Administrator, do you know what humans and Rraey have in common?”
“We have a number of things in common,” Cainen said. “Pick one.”
“Genetics,” Sagan said. “I don’t need to tell you that human genetic sequencing and Rraey genetic sequencing are substantially different in the details. But on the macro level we share certain similarities, including the fact that we receive one set of genes from one parent and the other from the other. Two-parent sexual reproduction.”
“Standard sexual reproduction among sexually reproducing species,” Cainen said. “Some species need three or even four parents, but not many. It’s too inefficient.”
“No doubt,” Sagan said. “Administrator, have you heard of Fronig’s Syndrome?”
“It’s a rare genetic disease among the Rraey,” Cainen said. “Very rare.”
“From what I understand of it, the disease is caused because of deficiencies in two unrelated gene sets,” Sagan said. “One gene set regulates the development of nerve cells, and specifically of an electrically-insulating sheath around them. The second gene set regulates the organ that produces the Rraey analog for what humans call lymph. It does some of the same things, and does other things differently. In humans lymph is somewhat electrically conductive, but in the Rraey this liquid is electrically insulating. From what we know of Rraey physiology this electrically insulating quality of your lymph usually serves no particular benefit or detriment, just as the electrically conductive nature of human lymph is neither a plus or minus—it’s just there.”
“Yes,” Cainen said.
“But for Rraey who are unlucky enough to have two broken nerve development genes, this electrical insulation is beneficial,” Sagan said. “This fluid bathes the interstitial area surrounding Rraey cells, including nerve cells. This keeps the nerve’s electrical signals from going astray. What’s interesting about Rraey lymph is that its composition is controlled hormonally, and that a slight change in the hormonal signal will change it from electrically insulating to electrically conductive. Again, for most Rraey, this is neither here nor there. But for those who code for exposed nerve cells—”
“—it causes seizures and convulsions and then death as their nerve signals leak out into their bodies,” Cainen said. “Its fatality is why it’s so rare. Individuals who code for electrically-conductive lymph and exposed nerves die during gestation, usually after the cells first begin to differentiate and the syndrome manifests.”
“But there’s also adult onset Fronig’s,” Sagan said. “The genes code to change the hormonal signal later, in early adulthood. Which is late enough for reproduction to happen and the gene to be passed on. But it also takes two faulty genes to be expressed.”
“Yes, of course,” Cainen said. “That’s another reason why Fronig’s is so rare; it’s not often that an individual will receive two sets of faulty nerve genes and two sets of genes that cause later-life hormonal changes in their lymph organ. Tell me where this is going.”
“Administrator, the genetic sample from you when you came on board shows that you code for faulty nerves,” Sagan said.
“But I don’t code for hormonal changes,” Cainen said. “Otherwise I’d be dead already. Fronig’s expresses in early adulthood.”
“This is true,” Sagan said. “But one can also induce hormonal changes by killing off certain cell bundles within the Rraey lymph organ. Kill off enough of the bundles that generate the correct hormone, and you can still produce lymph. It will simply have different properties. Fatal properties, in your case. One can do it chemically.”
Cainen’s attention was drawn to the syringe that had been lying on the table through the entire conversation. “And that’s the chemical that can do it, I suppose,” Cainen said.
“That’s the antidote,” Sagan said.