Regarding the idea that Coordinators were like seedlings forcibly pulled upward to make them grow faster, some researchers on P.L.A.N.T. had already reached a similar conclusion.
There was also someone else who had provided supporting evidence: Kain.
The last time he left the C.E. world, he had taken samples of Coordinator genetic technology and blood back with him, then handed them over to Great Sage for research.
When he returned this time, he brought the latest research findings with him.
If Coordinators continued down their present path and somehow managed to produce descendants, those descendants would likely be classified as abhumans rather than humans if they lived within the Imperium.
It was not because Coordinator genes had been mixed with something nonhuman. Rather, specific segments of their genetic code had been reorganized.
Humans and animals shared a great deal of genetic information as well, with some sections possessing an extremely high degree of similarity.
If the trend continued, humanity could gradually transform into some entirely different form.
Great Sage had isolated those genetic segments and cultivated them over several generations using special growth chambers to accelerate the process. The resulting alien species, which could best be described as merfolk, gave Kain a fairly clear idea of what Coordinator genetic modification had originally been modeled after.
In the C.E. world, the emergence of Coordinators could be traced back to the discovery of extraterrestrial life.
Scientists had apparently found some form of inspiration in the genes of a creature resembling a winged whale, then used the information obtained from it to modify the human genome.
There were two possible ways to correct the resulting genetic mutation.
The first involved performing extensive reconstructive procedures on existing Coordinators and modifying their genes all over again.
However, the cost of such treatment would be extraordinarily high. With the resources available in the C.E. world, it would be impossible to sustain.
No, that was not entirely accurate. They could afford it.
If the sole objective was to ensure that future offspring developed normally, then the parents serving as the foundation for the next generation could undergo a cheaper form of modification.
The problem was that their appearance afterward would become somewhat disturbing.
Put simply, the procedure would resemble the surgical augmentation used to create an Astartes. The subject would develop additional organs, and their physical build would change.
They would not become larger overall like an Astartes, but their bodies would develop certain deformities.
Very few people would likely accept a procedure that made them look less human and more like monsters.
The second solution was for Naturals and Coordinators to have children together. Their offspring would gradually return to a more stable, normal state.
Furthermore, modern Coordinators possessed another hidden problem that was both a blessing and a curse: entering SEED Mode, the explosive awakening of the Superior Evolutionary Element Destined-factor.
The SEED factor was a highly evolved artificial genetic element that gave individuals the potential to display extraordinary power when facing mortal danger.
That was why the title of this world's story included the word "SEED."
When a Coordinator was driven into a desperate situation, particularly one involving life or death, the SEED factor could activate and unleash extraordinary power.
However, that power was difficult to control. There was a significant chance that the user would go berserk, making it extremely dangerous.
Under ordinary circumstances, however, it was not easy to awaken the SEED factor.
Great Sage had also discovered a way to stabilize it.
Ultimately, Coordinators were the product of impatience. They were like a tall tower built before its foundations had been properly laid, leaving the entire structure vulnerable to distortion or collapse.
By obtaining a particular hereditary factor from Naturals, Coordinators could gradually reinforce and stabilize their SEED factor.
"Obtain a hereditary factor from Naturals?"
Cagalli's expression shifted slightly.
As Kain explained the Coordinators' flaws and the possible methods for correcting them, his words reminded her of something: Aura's actions.
Aura had extracted something from children to preserve the youth of her own body. That inhumane practice made Cagalli fear that if Coordinators learned they could stabilize their genes by extracting a hereditary factor from Naturals, they might resort to the same kind of deranged methods.
"How would they obtain it?"
Murrue asked in a slightly somber voice.
Everyone else also turned inquisitive eyes toward Kain.
He did not answer immediately because the method was somewhat awkward to explain.
As for why he was only now telling Lacus and the others about the Coordinators' genetic flaws rather than informing them immediately upon his arrival, it was because all the relevant information had been stored on his STC universal data drive.
The drive contained the agricultural technology he had obtained from Great Sage, along with the latest research data concerning Coordinator genetics.
Lacus had decided against downloading the information immediately. To prevent accidents, she preferred to wait until the situation had stabilized and there were no immediate crises. Otherwise, the data might be leaked and misused.
For example, an enemy might reverse-engineer the agricultural technology and develop methods specifically designed to destroy the crops it produced.
The genetic research concerning Coordinators could be abused in much the same way.
Now that they were finally downloading the data, they had asked Kain directly how the Coordinators' defects could be corrected.
"For a female, the process requires the twenty-three chromosomes provided by a male. The stabilizing hereditary factor can be extracted from them and used to repair her genetic instability. For a male, the process requires the twenty-three chromosomes provided by a female, which are then matched with his genes so the stabilizing factor can be extracted and used for the same repair."
By the time Kain finished speaking, dark lines seemed to cover his face.
"From blood? Or something else?"
Meyrin could not help asking.
"No. The genetic material in blood already consists of matched chromosome pairs. What we need is a set of twenty-three chromosomes in an independent state."
Kain's correction did not seem to help. No one present had yet realized the awkward implication hidden within his explanation.
"What? When would anyone ever have only twenty-three independent chromosomes?"
Cagalli muttered in confusion.
An ordinary human inherited twenty-three chromosomes from each parent, and those two sets paired together as the person developed.
How could any person possess only twenty-three?
"Twenty-three chromosomes in an independent state? Uh..."
Lunamaria murmured to herself before suddenly realizing something. Her expression immediately became unnatural.
He could not possibly mean that, could he?
"Sis, did you figure it out?"
"Luna, do you know what it is?"
Lacus asked as well.
Then she noticed that Murrue's expression had also become somewhat unnatural. Apparently, she had already understood.
Was there any way for the human body to preserve a set of twenty-three chromosomes independently?
If Lunamaria and Murrue could figure it out, there was no reason Lacus could not.
A possibility suddenly occurred to her.
Yes, those really did contain twenty-three independent chromosomes.
Now she understood why Lunamaria and Murrue looked so uncomfortable.
"Mr. Kain, are you referring to sperm and ova?"
Lacus spoke the words with a perfectly calm expression, showing little sign of embarrassment.
Her blunt question naturally caused the expressions of the other women present to become rather awkward.
"W-Wait, that's what he meant?"
Cagalli looked utterly bewildered.
It sounded absurd, but those were indeed the only things she could think of that preserved twenty-three chromosomes in an independent state.
She turned toward Kain.
"Yes, but simply ingesting them wouldn't accomplish anything. They must be combined with the Panacea Pill. Only someone who has taken the pill can provide the hereditary factor needed for genetic stabilization and repair."
Once Kain revealed the final truth, silence descended once more.
This time, it was an exceptionally awkward silence.
The method was, to put it mildly, rather difficult to comment on.
(End of Chapter)
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