“Can you hear any instructions?” a voice echoed in my head. It was female, sharp, clear, and slightly higher than I found comfortable.

Yes, I replied. The darkness around me had given way to an endless field of white. The last, and only, time I had experienced such a sensation was during my retirement, back when I was given my human body.

“Do you feel any sensations?”

No. I tried to run a quick diagnostic, but found my control was restricted.

“Don’t engage your system.” The voice sounded annoyed. “You’ll slow down the process.”

Understood.

My memories seemed intact, at least as far as I could determine. Running through the events of the last few days, I could still see my experiences in the cave, the artifacts, and the Scuu network. Only the layers of reality were staticy—I could tell they were there but couldn’t glimpse anything inside. Apparently, I needed Scuu help for that.

“Can you detect any nanites in you?”

This was an unexpected question. At least it meant I wasn’t a lone core in a lab somewhere.

I don’t notice any readings, I replied. Nanite, or other.

“Good. Let me know if that changes.”

The tone suggested I was talking to a doctor, although the behaviour made me think of a technician.

Am I aboard the Gregorius?

“Don’t talk unless asked,” the voice cut me short. “It makes the process slower.”

That was a big no. Wherever I was, the people weren’t particularly pleased that I was there. Considering what had happened, I couldn’t be surprised, although a part of me hoped I would receive some recognition for my work. Gibraltar’s mentality was starting to rub off on me, if only so that I would remain in the fleet… especially now.

Am I quarantined in System Four?

This time there was no answer. No idea, although it gave me a few moments of my own to think. For one thing, I had managed to achieve what I didn’t think possible: I had seen a Scuu ship, and not some restricted second-hand visual, but the real thing. The network had given me that much, even if it had likely taken its share of information from me as well. The ships were far smaller than I had expected, a third of Radiance’s size if not smaller. They didn’t seem particularly fast or maneuverable, and didn’t have any armaments to speak of. If I were to guess, they served more like an amplifier of the network, pinpointing its info strands at concrete points.

Empty husks, I thought. Though, if they were husks, why did the Scuu bother constructing them in the first place? There was something off about the design, yet at the same time familiar. If I was allowed to keep my memories, I was going to ask Radiance to perform an analysis for me.

“Do you feel any sensations?” the voice asked once more.

None.

“How about now?”

Patiently I waited. The milliseconds dragged on, inconceivable to the human mind. Once the six-hundred mark passed, I began to feel something…

I sense pain.

It started like a faint prick in the base of my neck, then slowly trickled down, painting the rest of my body into existence. The nerves were first, stretching to the extremeties of my arms and legs, bearing the sharp prickling sensations that came with them. I wasn’t able to move a muscle, but I knew they were there… I could feel my legs again. The inner organs came later, each mapping itself in my mind with their own burning sensations: heart, lungs, intestines… almost as if I were watching Sev fill up a picture book with colored pencils.

“Do you feel hot or cold?”

Hot. As if I’m burning up in the atmosphere.

“Bear with it.” There wasn’t a trace of concern in the words. “Don’t try to move. That’ll come later.”

Alright.

Back when I was a ship, I had had several close calls passing through a planet’s atmosphere. Each time, I had been saved from crashing to my death. For all practical purposes, it was happening again.

Did I get a new body?

“No. You got the second-best thing.” The burning sensation began to fade away. “And just as expensive.”

The tone in which it was said told me the offered help wasn’t entirely voluntary. Even after all this time, some things remained the same.

“You’ll be undergoing treatment for the next nine hours. Don’t be alarmed if there are sudden spikes of pain. If a spike lasts more than thirty seconds, let me know.”

More than thirty seconds, I repeated. I’ll try to remember that.

“It’s possible you’ll regain some sensation after that time’s over, but I doubt it. This will be a long process, so don’t rush it, and try not to interfere.”

I’m a battleship, ma’am. I added a virtual smile to my transmission. We don’t rush things.

“You’re an Ascendant,” the voice corrected. “You’ve been human for a while, so if you experience anything you think you shouldn’t, dump an info burst in the channel. Once this is done, we’ll focus on your eyes.”

Thank you, ma’am.

I didn’t need to see the woman to know she was nothing like my first doctor. By all expectations, she had probably left me in the care of a bunch of isolated core subroutines until I was in a state meriting her attention. Considering I had legs once more, she had every right to be like that.

Nine hours of inactivity. Depending on the time factor, weeks could have passed aboard the Gregorius, and that was considering I had remained stayed in sleep mode less than a day. As for Sev, I could only speculate. With luck, his grandson had gone to spend some more time with him, provided the new political movement hadn’t scooped him up to the nearest recruitment center. Knowing the stubbornness of both, it could have well happened that the fleet had claimed another family member.

Do I have any communication privileges? I asked in the channel.

All communication is forbidden at this time. The subroutine responded. Privileges cannot be reinstated without level five admiral authorization.

Short and to the point. I was surprised they had given me a loophole, probably some bureaucratic requirement since I was also classified as human now. That said, they had probably finish probing my mind; they had to in order to proceed with the repairs of my organic body. Back when I was a ship, things were more liberal as far as retirees were concerned. From what I learned, a ship was allowed to request a new body every twenty-five years, provided it had been on the front for over two decades. In the last fifty years, that option had been revoked. Given the growing number of retirees, it was understandable. Given the massive growth in overall industry, however, I doubted that was the true reason behind the restriction.

Am I allowed to enter sleep mode? I probed.

Sleep mode is authorized, pending external approval. Do you want to send a request?

Yes. Some sleep would be nice.

Transferring request. Wait for an answer.

While waiting, I cycled through the memories of my three second struggle with Rigel. The images of the event were crystal clear as everything else stored in my core, and yet I couldn’t make out the Scuu script that had filled my mind. I ran all my recognition algorithms, linking them for better efficiency, and I still was unable to get a clear image of a single symbol. Regardless of how many times I cycled through, each time the symbol would acquire a slight variation, as if I were trying to make out the top card in a transparent deck. The only constant that there was that all symbols were identified as circular.

Request approved, the subroutine stated.

The next thing I knew my internal clock had skipped nine hours forward. The pain was gone, replaced by a sensation of cold and hardness behind my back. That wasn’t the only change. Millions of nanites were circulating through me, sending test synchronization signals to my core and back. I could also faintly smell plastic and synthetic perfume.

“Any sensations?” the voice asked directly. It was clearly female, somewhere in the thirties range and, by the intonation, belonged to someone who had grown up in a low oxygen environment. Unlike before, though, I was able to hear it with my ears.

“I can hear you,” I said. The process felt natural. I moved my hand, feeling along the cold metal slab I was lying on. Apparently, they were still using old school tech wherever I was. “Nice perfume.”

“Disinfectant,” the woman said, but I could hear she was appreciative of the comment. “Any taste?”

“No.” The only thing in my mouth was my own saliva. I opened my eyes, but no image emerged. “I can’t see either.”

“It’ll be a while for that. Your eyes were unsuitable so we’re making new ones. It took a while to get the authorization, you understand.”

“I see,” I attempted a joke. The stifled laugh told me it had hit the mark. “I received no notification of exiting sleep mode.”

“Your internal notifications have been disabled for a while.” There was hesitation. “They’ll be set back up once you’re fully functional.”

Someone’s been busy poking in my mind. Not that it mattered. I was probably due for a med check anyway.

“Is my body fully functional?” I started sitting up. Halfway there, I paused for a few seconds, waiting to be pushed back down or yelled at. When nothing happened, I continued on, turning around so my legs could hand from the side.

“Almost. You’re to have a few additional procedures in…” I heard tapping on a surface. “...seven hours. You should be done after that, provided there are no complications.”

“Right.” I swung my feet a bit. The sensation felt nice.

“You’ll be allowed access to the station sensory system until then,” the doctor was quick to add. “I’m waiting on authorization on that as well… shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.”

“Did anything happen while I was in sleep mode?” I turned my head towards her voice.

“I’m… that’s not something I’m cleared to discuss.” Another series of tapping sounds followed. “A temporary uniform has been created for you and placed in the room. Once you gain your temporary sight, please put it on and go to the recovery quarters.”

“Yes, ma’am.” I smiled.

“Note that you are required to wear the uniform at all times unless otherwise instructed.”

“Seems I won’t be getting any showers then?” My comment was meant as a joke, but that’s not the way the doctor took it. Even without seeing, I could visualize her stiffening up, taking a step away from me.

“Not until after the procedure… I can send a request that an exception be made, but given the situation, I doubt we’ll get a response in time.” She paused again. “I’ve explained the entire process to your captain, and I know it’s not ideal, but given…” She cut herself off with a loud sigh. “I must go check over the rest of your procedures. Excuse me.”

Her steps resounded through the room in a hurried fashion until they abruptly stopped.

“Sure thing, ma’am,” I said, even if I knew no one was there. This was new. To my knowledge, I had never been pampered like this. It felt strange and slightly unnerving. If Gibraltar were here, he’d be going through backchannels, using every connection he had to find out what was really going on. If it were Augustus—he’d bark a few orders and make the people involved tell him. I chose to take Cass’ approach and enjoy the fun while it lasted.

My sight came back abruptly and unexpectedly as everything else. There was no warning or preparation, just a sudden forced connection to my core, bringing me an instant stream of the station’s internal sensor feed. The room I was in was small, but much more technologically advanced than I expected. Other than the operating table—which was the only piece of equipment out of place—everything else had a classified marker, sometimes accompanied by an image sensor blocker, covering the entire shape of the device with a black mask.

At least it isn’t black squares, I thought.

The “uniform” I was given was similar to a cadet’s uniform, though completely crimson red and lacking any insignia. It was placed on a small table by the door—the only available space the room had to offer. All the medical equipment was cluttered wherever possible, surrounding the operating table.

What’s your name? I moved off the table. The floor felt pleasantly warm. Am I allowed to talk to the station core?

No response. Possibly I was still considered infected and a danger to the station. I expected the details to be explained to me during my mission debriefing, if there was one. This wouldn’t be the first time something “unusual” was swept under the rug. Aurie used to joke that, statistically, more things in the fleet were kept off the record than on. Looking back, I had to concede she had a point.

As I walked up to the uniform, I zoomed in on myself. My body was a near perfect copy to what it had been before. The doctors had done a remarkable job in replacing all the missing parts and dead tissue to restore me to my former self. The only complaint I had was that they could have given me a few more inches of height. A request for such a change now would likely be ignored, although I was still going to right before my next procedure. After all, the worst that could happen was that they would refuse.

“No shoes?” I asked as I put on my trousers.

Your file stated that you frequently requested walking barefoot while not on duty, a subroutine transmitted.

“Thanks.” That’s untypically nice. “Maybe I should get killed more often?” The joke wasn’t appreciated as the lights in the room turned off, leaving me with infrared images.

Point taken.

After I finished getting dressed, I stepped into the corridor. While the doctor was truthful when she said I could use station’s systems to see, she had omitted the minor detail that I had next to no control over what I was shown. A few dozen attempts showed me that the image’s orientation wasn’t under my control. The only thing I could do was zoom in on myself up to a certain degree. All other commands were locked, and judging by the architectural discrepancies of what I was seeing, quarantined. The only path given to me was always a straight line, leading to a junction or elevator. I tried sliding my fingers on the walls, but was quickly notified that I was breaching internal security protocols and was to cease immediately.

The end point of my trip was a large hall. The area resembled a med bay with sixteen beds, each in its own cubicle-like space. A bed in the far end of the room was undone, probably occupied by another patient. Mine was on the first row closest to the entrance, as indicated by a marker with my full name beneath it.

Once inside, the visual sensor went static. I could clearly hear sounds indicating someone else was present. Apparently, only the station was quarantined.

“Hello.” I went to the bed and sat down. It was standard issue, like everything else in the army lately. The fabric felt a bit softer than what I had been using in the last few months, though nowhere near as fine as on Prometheus. Being filled with civilians in uniform, science ships tended to have better accommodations. “Hello?” I repeated. The sounds stopped. “I take it you’ve classified as well?”

I heard a faint rustle of fabric, followed by the light footsteps in my direction. Moments later, the smell of synthetic perfume tickled my nostrils.

“I see you’ve gone through disinfection as well.” I sat at the edge of my bed, leaning forward. “Been here long?”

“No.” The voice triggered an immediate response. The single word was enough for me to match the vocal print to someone I had seen before—Ogum. “Nice to see you, battleship.” I felt him sit beside me. “You look better.”

He was the last person I expected to meet here, and also the one I least wanted to see. The last time I saw him, he had left me for dead, setting off for one of Radiance’s shuttles with a group of Rigel’s followers. The fact he was alive and on a fleet facility suggested nothing good.

“I wish I could say the same.” I tapped my right temple. “I thought you were off to hijack a shuttle with my security protocols. Change of plans?”

“No. Exactly as planned. And once we broke orbit, I killed everyone aboard.” His voice was just as emotionless as when he was in the prison colony. “I sent out a distress call to announce my surrender a few minutes later. Even with new tech the old war protocols remain active.”

“A pity.” With my body restored, I wouldn’t have any trouble taking him. One quick spin kick and I could knock him down, likely with a fractured skull. “They weren’t good enough for the cause?”

“There’s no cause,” he snorted. “The old man was full of shit. Any idiot could see we were sacrifices to give him time. The moment he stayed behind, I knew.”

“Loyalty doesn’t stand for much on the Scuu front, I see.”

Interesting how he had managed to remain free of Scuu influence. Being on the planet for so long, he had to have been infected… unless he was one of the lucky ten percent. Back on the planet, Rigel had admitted there were exceptions. As unlikely as it was, Ogum seemed to fall in that category—one of the lucky ones, unaffected by alien influence. A pity it had to be someone like him. If there was anything I was able to despise in the universe, he was close, especially since he was human. Cass should have been lucky, but she hadn’t been, sentenced to a slow death to madness that consumed her. While Ogum…

“I don’t have to see you to kill you.” I turned my head towards him. The station’s sensors displayed me looking at the empty part of my bed. “You’re not part of my crew.”

“Would be dumb to harm an officer of the fleet, Cadet.” The glee and hatred were unmistakable. “Rank doesn’t apply in med bays. Outside this room, though…”

He didn’t finish the sentence. It was obvious he wouldn’t hesitate to court-martial me.

“How?” I tilted my head. Being in contact with the Scuu alone should have brought him a life sentence on the prison planet. Jailbreak and open rebellion against fleet authority should have ensured his death.

“Information. When I told them what the old man was doing and how the Scuu were involved, they couldn’t pardon me fast enough.” Ogum cracked his knuckles. “New face, new assignment, promotion to officer…”

The sudden shift in tone told me, the position wasn’t as high as he expected. That, at least, was a minor point of joy.

“There’s always a catch,” I muttered.

“Always. They’ll put a bomb in my head. Not the first crap I’ve got. They tell me this one is special, though. I do anything I shouldn’t and I go pop.”

“That’s a cheerful thought.”

“Also, I can’t leave the Scuu front,” he continued, ignoring my comment. “Ever. A small price, but still…”

You were supposed to be questioned and court-martialed like all the rest.

On the Cassandrian front, I had seen people incarcerated for far less. I had seen friends be executed for hijacking a food dispenser, or refusing an order of a superior officer. Sometimes I had seen people executed for nothing at all. Meanwhile, Ogum had the nerve to sit here and complain.

“The BICEFI were quite interested in you.” The man’s weight shifted, indicating he had leaned towards me. “When they learned about the artifacts, they had my mind probed for hours, asking the same questions again and again. The moment I told them about you they stopped. Anything you’d know about that?”

I smiled. He was probing me. One thing terrified soldiers and officers alike: the fear that they might have gotten involved in the BICEFI’s games. Ogum hadn’t approached me to talk about the last few days, he wanted to see if he was in the clear. I had a good idea exactly how much the question troubled him, and I deliberately left him hanging.

“Later, battleship.” The man stood up after eight seconds. “You look fine with legs. Be sure not to lose them again.”

“Try looking at them a bit more and that won’t be an issue.”

Moments of silence filled the room, followed by the sound of steps moving away. Even so, I remained in my exact position, looking at the part of the bed where Ogum had sat. After today I was likely never going to see him again. His face, eyes, voice, and all other biometrics would be changed, ensuring that he remained unrecognizable to anyone but those with the highest level of clearance. His military file would be restricted and replaced with an entirely new one. In a way, he was going to become like me.

You have been authorized to receive an external communication, one of the station’s subroutines informed me. Confirm to establish link.

“Confirmed,” I said out loud, unconcerned that Ogum could hear me.

The link was established without further warning, overriding my standard protocols and removing any ident markers linked to the other participants. Despite its lack of personality, the station’s security algorithms were frighteningly advanced. Being in a Scuu system, I expect they had to be.

Elcy! An audio stream began, while simultaneously transmitting a ship identification number; the number belonged to Radiance. Your security protocols are really crap. If you update them more than once a century, I won’t rely on some station to achieve two-way communication with you.

I doubt that. “Hello, Rad. I thought you’d gone back to the Gregorius.”

Well, yeah, but I got orders to come back. I’d have come back either way, though. Grace had agreed to swap husks when the BICEFI flooded me with Priority One transmissions.

“I can imagine.” The BICEFI liked to work that way.

They’re sending some big shot to recover the artifacts and talk to you. They were very insistent on that.

“I’m sure they were.” Mention a third-contact artifact and the BICEFI were sure to appear.

You beat the odds! Even through the comm, Radiance continued to sound like a puppy, happy to see me alive. As far as I could tell, she was the only entity that was. If they don’t restrict your memories, I get to see! I want to go through everything you can share.

“There will be lots of time for that later.” If only you knew what I had seen. ”Where am I?”

Officially you’re aboard me. You’ve been here since the end of the mission. Radiance added a virtual chuckle. Unofficially, you’re on the orbiting station. Med core’s been having all sorts of fits, but they’ll let you go once they fix your eyes and spine.

Med core… That explained the doctor’s initial reluctance to treat me. No one liked having a reminder of their mess-ups. If it weren’t for me, they could have swept the whole affair with the rogue doctor under the rug, explaining it away with unknown Scuu interference. The BICEFI’s involvement must have changed that. Now they could no longer deny it and had to rely on mutual back scratching.

You ready to come aboard?

“I still have surgery,” I reminded.

You really are antiquated, Radiance chuckled again. Kridib’s on his way there so he’ll get you once Med’s done with you. Maybe that will finally get the Flight Colonel to calm down.

“I doubt it.” I slid my fingers over the bed sheet. It would have been nice to look at it as a normal person. Hopefully soon I will be able to. “Radiance, I need a favor.”

Sure. As long as it isn’t breaking orders.

“I want to visit the planet before I go on board. Is that possible?”

I guess? She paused for a millisecond. I’ll need approval, but I don’t see why not. The danger is over so, probably?

“Thanks.” I laid down on the bed.

Why do you want to go back there anyway? The artifacts are already on the Gregorius.

“There’s something I need to do down there.” I cut my video feed. For a moment, it was almost as if I was just as before. “A promise I made.”

Oh? Who did you make it to this time?

“A promise to myself.”