Mikaean reproduction

Mikaean reproduction is the method by which the Mikaean population propagates itself over recurring generations. They are unique in that they are the only known sentient species through which the females do not give birth, but their male counterparts do. Because the means by which the males produce offspring, it is impossible for the Mikaeans to have more than one parent. As a result, the Mikaean reproduction is strictly asexual. The Mikaeans are also set apart from their human cousins in that they have twice the amount of chromosomes humans do, with 92 rather than 46 chromosomes. These chromosomes are crossed with one another to produce the offspring of the father. The father deposits his fertilized eggs within a creche, or within the womb of a female Mikaean, and after a period of five months the eggs will hatch. Because of a the very intricate manner of Mikaean genetics and reproduction, artificial births are virtually impossible, even with the current technology available.

Mikaean male
The male reproductive system consists of four main divisions: the testicles where the sperm is produced, the paragus where the eggs are produced, the canubula where the fertilized eggs are stored, and the penis itself. With the exception of the paragus and the canubula, the penis and testicles are located outside of the body. As with human males, the location of the testicles outside of the body allows for the regulation of temperature within the testicles of the male Mikaean, facilitating sperm production. The temperature requirement for the Mikaean sperms are considerably more relaxed however, with a wider temperature range thanks to the Mikaeans lower body temperature.

Next is the paragus, which is arguably the most important reproductive organ of the Mikaean male. The paragus is responsible for producing the egg cells from the sperm cells it takes from the testicles, and then transferring them to the canubula for storage. The process involves converting the sperm into stem cells, and then into egg cells, which are fertilized by sperm already present within the paragus. This process of fertilization gives the Mikaeans a unique advantage growth-wise. Unlike their human relatives, Mikaeans can reproduce asexually and in large numbers, meaning that so long as a single male remains alive, the entire race is preserved.

Mikaean female
The female reproductive system contains three divisions: the vagina, the pseudo-penis, and the uterus. Unlike human females, however, Mikaean females have no role in the reproductive cycle of their species. Indeed, they lack ovaries and thus the ability to produce offspring like their human counterparts, and their uterus is indeed just a large cavity within their bodies. Their pseudo-penis functions exactly as a male penis, but females do not produce spermatozoa, and therefore lack the ability to impregnate others as well.

Womb-born Mikaeans
Womb-born Mikaeans are all those Mikaeans born through the use of a female surrogate, who carries up to twelve fertilized eggs within her uterus until the time comes to lay them. This method of reproduction is still asexual in natural, as the female Mikaean does not supply either the eggs or the sperm, and serves only as a vessel for the eggs to mature to such a point where their survival while exposed to the elements is guaranteed. The advantages of this form of reproduction are the high degrees of safety and mobility provided by the female surrogate, who defend the eggs within her womb from outside elements and aggressors, as well as move to locations of safety whereas eggs within a creche are all but lost in the event of an attack. Furthermore, the eggs have the time to grow to such a size that their survival outside of the womb is ensured.

Womb-born Mikaeans come out of this process stronger, smarter, and healthier than their creche-born siblings, and have access to the best medical care and supervision available as well. Much prestige is attached to womb-born offspring, as the attention payed to the offspring by their father as they develop both within the womb and after they have hatched, means that while millions of Mikaeans go without ever meeting or seeing their fathers in person, a rare select few not only have his attention, but his direct interest and parental care and upbringing. It should be noted that womb-born children are born mostly for the purpose of providing the father with legal, direct descendants, as creche-born offspring are not considered for any type of inheritance or the like within the Mikaean legal system.

Creche-born Mikaeans
Creche-born Mikaeans are all Mikaeans born and bred by their fathers to serve as fodder, laborers, and servants, and have little to no control over their own lives. They are sent off to serve into whatever castes their households deem them fit to serve in, or in other castes, are born for the purpose of living out their lives within a caste long ago selected for them prior to birth. Mikaean fathers deposit their millions of fertilized eggs into vast creches, which are filled with warm, mineral-rich water, inside of which the eggs will grow and mature. Before the use of creches, Mikaean fathers had to deposit their eggs in moist and humid environments, where the eggs could grew. However, exposed to the elements and predators, most eggs would be destroyed long before hatching. As a result, creche-born offspring have never been viewed with respect, and are instead regarded as expendable assets of their father, and by extension, their house as a whole.

Creche-born Mikaeans are exclusively female, and generally smaller, weaker, and less intelligent than their womb-born counterparts. They are incredibly obedient to the powers that be, and because of their lack of self-preservation, will sacrifice their lives for any womb-born Mikaean or authority figure who orders them to do so. Their expendability and ease of replacement has long been one of the defining factors behind Mikaean military, economic, and industrial power. The vast numbers of creche-born Mikaeans available to the households have also been the reason the Mikaeans never seriously invested in the development of automation and robotics, as any work done by a robot could be done by a creche-born Mikaean laborer capable of performing menial, yet high precision tasks repetitively, completely negating the need for robotic assembly lines.

Fertilization
The reproductive cycle of the Mikaeans begins with the fertilization of the egg within the male reproductive organ known as the paragus. The paragus is responsible for taking sperm from the testicles and converting them into stem cells, which are then transformed into viable egg cells thereafter. The egg is then fertilized by another sperm cell within the paragus, and transferred to the organ known as a canubula, where the eggs are stored within the fluid-filled sac until such a time comes when the father deposits the eggs into a creche or the womb of a female Mikaean. The paragus is capable of producing and fertilizing egg cells at a rate of 80,000 per day, up until the point the canubula has been filled to its maximum capacity of five million eggs, a process which takes approximately 62.5 days in all.

Gestation
The gestation of the eggs spans a period of about five months. The eggs at the time of their fertilization, are only a single millimeter is size, or about the size of an ink pinhead. The growth of the eggs is stalled while they remain in the canubula, so as the prevent the millions of eggs from growing and expanding within their father's body. Once they leave their father's body, the eggs begin to grow immediately. Within two-weeks of exiting the male body, the eggs are about the size of an eight-week old human embryo, with a harden black shell protecting them. At six weeks of age, the eggs have expanded to about the size of a ten week old human fetus, this time the egg shelling having softened to the point the fetus within is somewhat visible within the clearish-blue embryonic fluid. Any females carrying the eggs at this time begin to lay them as their body begins to reject the eggs from their systems. At six weeks of life, it should be noted that Mikaeans are capable of conscientious thought, though Mikaean scientists have yet to determine what those thoughts are exactly.

The synapses within the Mikaean fetus develop at a pace far faster than in humans, and allow for greater intelligence far sooner than would be expected. At twelve weeks of life, the Mikaean fetus is clearly visible within the egg, and the shell has softened to such a point that the egg is a fluid-filled sac. The fluids within the egg also possess enough bio-luminescence that they glow, causing their creche to glow with a brilliant blue light. Creche caretakers are able to check upon and better care for the eggs thanks to this as well. Mikaeans in this stage of life can see, feel, and hear, and may respond to outside actions to a certain degree. The Mikaeans use this time to teach the unborn offspring before they hatch. In the final weeks of gestation, the fetus is fully capable of moving, thinking, and communicating via hand gestures to the outside world. Emotions can be expressed to others, and communication within neighboring fetuses is commonplace within a creche.

Birth
In the last week of gestation, the eggshell casing softens to the point that it begins to break apart, leading to the newborn Mikaean forcing itself out of its egg, and swimming to the top of its creche-pond if located within it. Due to the training during their formative years, Mikaean infants are aware of what they must do to be recovered from their creche, in which they must swim to the edge of their pond and await a caretaker to remove them from it. The infants have their umbilical cords severed, pulled from the egg during their hatching, and can begin their own respiration immediately after their birth. The entire process depends on how far the infant must swim to the top of their creche-pond, and how long it takes for a caretaker to recover the newborn child.

Parental care
A Mikaean baby, as with human babies, is helpless within its first years of life, and requires the protection and care of an adult Mikaean until it is able to care for itself later on. Because of the vast number of offspring a single father can produce, an equally vast childcare network is required as well to ensure that the millions of child produced are cared for during their childhood. The creches serve this purpose well, with millions of Mikaeans belonging to the Caregivers' Guild of the Laborers caste working within them to ensure that new generations of Mikaeans are brought into the world safely and healthily. All creches fall under the control of the government of their respective households, though the central government regulates their operation and the practices of the creche caregivers within them.