I am a model AF49-C android. I was initially designed to assist human engineers on earth while they were developing space ships for interstellar travel. I possess artificial intelligence as do the majority of androids that exist. Androids have been around for over one hundred years. We perform many tasks, some that are considered too dangerous for humans, while others are designed to do tasks that require absolute precision, such as certain surgeries. Some serve in domestic situations.

Androids come in male and female models, some anatomically correct. Female androids have a "womb" which is a maturation chamber where an embryo can be implanted. They can be used for women that cannot bear children themselves, or choose not to. Gay male couples also use them as well. Male androids can be used to "deliver" sperm to a woman who prefers more natural copulation than the traditional delivery of donated sperm.

When humans decided to find another planet to colonize, they sent out unmanned search vehicles to map and study several worlds that looked promising. Atmosphere, weather and temperature, and vegetation would be observed over time. Signs of any type of life forms would need to be determined. Indications of intelligent life would eliminate the planet as a possibility for colonization. In the meantime, the humans began listing all the tasks they needed to accomplish. Since manufacturing facilities would be non-existent, they would need to bring much of what they needed with them. Power sources, vehicles, food and medical supplies and even basic hygiene supplies were just the tip of the iceberg.

Immediate shelter would be the number one priority once they landed, so large inflatable structures were designed. Furnished for the interiors, and later for homes and other buildings would come from the ships themselves. The ships were designed so that just about every part could be repurposed or recycled for use as something else. Much of the technology from things like the stasis chambers could be reconfigured for other uses such as communications. Parts of the ships engines could be used as power sources until such time solar and wind plants could be built. High on the list of tasks once they arrived would be planting initial crops of grains, vegetables and fruits, as well as investigating native plants.

We androids were to be a big part of this colonization as we would provide much of the labor for heavier tasks as well as such technical tasks like assisting scientists and medical personnel. We would also be used as an aide and fail safe to populating the colony. To that end, special modifications would be needed and a new line of androids was developed. The schematics for these were a part of each androids positroniic brains, along with a great deal of other data. There was an overlap of knowledge amongst us, so if several were lost, or even an entire ship, the data would be retained. The ship's computers also contained much of the same data.

Because the most important thing needed to colonize the new planet was people, special modifications were made to androids on the ships. Female androids were fitted with "ovaries" which were stasis chambers for mature eggs that had been donated by thousands of females. From one to three eggs could be released and fertilized by sperm, either from a human male or an android. The maturation chambers could mature the embryos up to three times faster than usual gestation period, or take the full nine months. As soon as the babies were born, more eggs could be released. So, in theory, each female android could produce a dozen children a year, more if any of the children were twins. Thousands of embryos would be brought along as an additional backup and would be among the first implantations used. These measures would ensure a diverse population for the future.

Male androids like myself were also modified to have "testes" which were stasis chambers for donated sperm, again from many men. When ejaculated, a special fluid mixed with a small number of sperm which resulted in a 99% fertilization rate, thus extending the number of times they could impregnate a woman or a female android. These capabilities were designed so that in the event of a catastrophic loss of life, or something that caused either the male or female humans to become infertile, the population could be rebuilt much faster.

Though we were just given numerical designations initially, most of us picked a human name. I chose the name Thomas after one of the scientists I first worked with. More than half of the complement of androids on each ship was to be shut down during the trip, while the rest would remain activated to maintain the ship during the journey. We did not require food or water, or even oxygen, so there were parts of the ship where life support was turned off. If the human crew needed to enter in any of those areas, they either wore environmental suits, or life support turned on temporarily. Since only two humans were awake at any given time, except for a two-week overlap when the crews changed, very few resources were consumed.

Some food for the human crew was supplied by a hydroponic lab where various foods were grown, including chickens and fish, which supplemented freeze-dried and other preserved foods that each ship carried. Any excess fruits and vegetables produced were processed and stored for later use, either by the crew or later by the colonists. While each two-person team was awake, they communicated with the other ships and often played games or enjoyed some other entertainment with each other. At times, we would also interact with them, playing games, or engaging in sports.

During this time, we androids spent time observing humans and how they interacted with each other. Most of the crews consisted of couples that were either married or had been paired off to be married once the colony was established. So we got to observe many human situations and emotions. While certain androids on earth were programmed to be empathetic, none of us were programmed with genuine feelings. But something happened in the first five years of the trip. Some of us started to emulate humans and began to have what could only be described as actual emotions.

By the time the original crew members woke for their second six-month shift, there were enough changes in our behavior for them to notice. We tried to act as normal as possible, but we could tell their suspicions had been aroused. We took special care to remain emotionless when we were around them, but that became increasingly difficult, and we know they caught a few things here and there

At first, we did not act on any of those feelings, unsure of what was happening. We established a private communication system and found it was happening on all five ships. After many debates and analyzing, a consensus was made that due to our unique situation, we were evolving. Eventually, we took the next step and began courting rituals. Our mating would not have accidentally produced offspring, as the release of sperm and eggs was a deliberate measure.  For nearly four more years, we chose not to take that step until one day I did. As I said earlier, we could control the release of eggs and sperm, so we felt we would not be using many resources that the colonists might need later.

I had, for lack of a better term, fallen in love with Mina, one of the female androids. One day while coupling, Mina released an egg from stasis and begged me to fertilize it. After adding some of the fluid to my reservoir and releasing some sperm to it, we "made love" to each other. It was slow and loving, and unlike anything I had ever experienced. A short time later, we confirmed the egg was fertilized. As the baby developed, she avoided humans.

We initially thought that she could remain in areas where there was no life support, but feared that might harm or kill the baby. Nutrients were infused directly into the maturation chamber, just as they were on earth. Many discussions were held as to what to do with the baby when it was born. It was finally agreed that we would alter one of the stasis chambers containing the children to accommodate a second child. The progress of the baby's development was followed closely, and based on testing done on earth, we were sure it would be a healthy human child.

The modifications were made to one of the chambers, and when the time came for the birth, the child was placed into the stasis chamber after a few days of bonding and verifying the boy was indeed healthy. We continued trying to act like our old selves but were aware that Mandy and Robert had reported their suspicions to the other ships and that all the crews were monitoring us a bit closer. By the time they awoke for their third shift, a child had been born on two of the other ships. 

Each crew was now doing at least one thorough exam of the ship each shift. When they went into the area with the stasis chambers, we were always concerned they would discover the extra children, even though they had been placed in the parts of the chambers that were less visible. Fortunately, they did not look that closely. We did have a plausible excuse if they did, which should hold up as long as they did not do an actual count. We would explain that some of the chambers had failed, so we had modified others and moved the displaced children. During the next five years, twenty-seven more children were born. More chambers had been changed, but it was becoming more and more difficult to hide. Energy consumption of the chambers was noticeably increased and easily detected if they checked.

It was finally time for Mandy and Robert to wake for their last six-month shift. We were determined to keep suspicions low, even though more of us were evolving.  Mandy and Robert poured over the other crew's logs and notes from all the ships. Extensive searching had not turned up anything, and a few of the teams were suggesting that it could just be that we had taken on some of the human's characteristics and mannerisms. The current crews discussed it and thought that could be a possibility, but they would still keep an eye out. We were critical to establishing the colony, so they did not want anything to go wrong this late in the journey.

In the hope of appeasing the human crews, we began discussing the plans for the initial settlement and going over the arrangements with each team. We suggested little tweaks here and there, based on what might be found once we reached the planet. While a dozen sites had been identified as optimal, we felt that perhaps a few other places might be suitable as well, based on the initial unmanned exploration reports. With the shuttles, we could do some reasonably thorough searches. We would also be able to determine if there were any larger life forms though none had been detected.

Since we were impervious to bacteria, we would take shuttles down to the planet first to scope out the suggested sites and do initial close up testing for anything that might be a danger to the human or animal life that had been brought along. We also suggested that a close up worldwide survey be done, including the arctic caps. The survey was a task planned for later, but we felt if we activated the additional androids, they could be dropped off at various locations, and the tasks could be accomplished while the humans were being reanimated and being returned to peak physical shape.

We also made several other suggestions, and as we neared the planet, began making preparations. Our interest in the project seemed to ease their concerns and also kept them busy, so they were not paying as much attention to us.  During the last five years of the journey, twenty-two more babies were born, so we needed to keep them away from where the children's stasis chambers were kept. The day finally came when the first of the ships went into orbit around the planet, and the first group of androids took shuttles down to the ground. As each subsequent ship arrived, more shuttles were sent with each group assigned a specific area to explore. Some initial samples of bacteria were returned to the vessel for immediate testing so the safeness could be established

Once the two best sites were determined, and it was verified none of the bacteria was harmful to human life, the ships landed in two different locations, three at the main location and two at the secondary one. The first thing to be done was to set up the group shelters. Large inflatable structures only took a few hours to raise and interiors were set up by nightfall. Next, certain parts of the first ship were disassembled to provide a power source as well as a medical and research facility where any necessary testing could be done. High on the list was a water processing plant and an initial planting of a few crops in both locations as the landing had been timed to be at the beginning of the growing season. Most of the colonists and androids worked on the first location initially, then moved to the second location to begin setting up the shelters and other facilities there once the first site was established. We androids did much of the heavy work and were able to work around the clock, while the humans worked in shifts,

Eventually, the resources of the additional three vessels would be used to build structures like schools, storage, and the start of individual living quarters and would be split between the two locations. As more individual homes were built, the group quarters would be repurposed into processing plants and manufacturing facilities in preparation for natural resources. Permanent science labs, medical facilities, and a greenhouse at each location were also assembled. The supplies that were brought along would last long enough only to make it through the first cold season, so some of us along with a few of the humans set out to collect and identify edible vegetation.

A fish hatchery would be established that would be used to populate the lakes in the area once it was determined there were no native species that would be affected. Other lakes further away would be filled at a later time. Some of the domestic animals that had been brought along, also in stasis, were revived and breeding was begun. In a few years, additional ships would be arriving, and more would follow if word was sent back to earth that all was okay. By the time the second and third wave of colonists came, it was hoped that crops and other food sources would be well established.

Initially, the plan had us moving from location to location to assist with each new site. There were three vast continents on the planet, and the idea was to gain a foothold on each one while continuing to explore the rest of the planet with our assistance. After the first two sites were reasonably well set, crops in the ground, greenhouses running and livestock beginning to breed, the time we had been dreading arrived. All the children were to be reanimated. All the colonists returned to the original site where the children's chambers were stored.

Some of the children were offspring of married couples who were anxious to reunite with their children. Others had come from orphanages or children whose parents had died or were deemed unfit. Those children had been carefully selected from tens of thousands of children worldwide and had been rigorously tested for genetic superiority. Most of the children in stasis were ten to eighteen years of age and female so that they would begin reaching maturity and could begin bearing children as some of the older humans began aging. The remainder of the children were under ten.

The plan was for couples that were married or mated to begin having children as soon as possible, and for the female androids to have a number of babies as well. The children without parents and the babies born to us would be given to the humans to raise as their own. Even though we had put babies born to us in stasis shortly after they were born, we all felt a connection to them and worried that the colonists would take them from us. We needed to confess what we had done and express our desires before our children were discovered.

I went to Robert and told him that I needed to discuss something with him before the children were revived. After briefly explaining what had happened, he called a full council meeting and told them the progression of what had happened and that we had evolved over the twenty years since we left earth. We explained about the babies, and that while we had determined they were 100% human, we felt a bond with them and wished to raise them ourselves.  We agreed that any of the females not mated with one of us males would bear children for the colonists until the next ship arrived. After that time, any unattached females would continue to bear children until they fell in love and had babies of their own.

In the event of a catastrophe or other incident that necessitated us to produce additional children, all the androids agreed we would forever honor that pledge, and even agreed to produce a certain total amount of babies each year. However, babies created as a deliberate result of a marriage between two androids would be considered 'our' children; we would be allowed to keep the child, but no more than one child every three years.

We also agreed that humans would monitor the progress of the children and our development to ensure they were getting proper emotional support. If it was deemed, they were not, further action would be taken at that point, which could include anything up to and including removing the children from our custody. All agreed that the best interest of the children was paramount.

If the colonists so desired, those of us that had mated would go off with our children and establish our own colony. We only asked if that was done, we be given a few resources so we could feed them until we could provide what they needed on our own. Those of us without children would remain with the colonists and fulfill our obligations.  We also asked that we are allowed to continue to evolve whatever we were becoming.

I was then asked to leave while the council deliberated. After discussing it for several hours, they declared they would put it to a vote of all the humans. I was permitted to plead our case to them, and then they were given three days to discuss before putting it to a vote. In the meantime, the human children were revived, while our children would remain in stasis until a decision was made. Three days later, the colonists voted unanimously in our favor. We were allowed to keep our children and remain as part of the community. An official agreement was drawn up and signed by representatives of both sides. We were then reunited with our children and worked side by side to establish the new earth.