thing did not exactly come with instructions. How will I know that it's working, or how to control it?
He shook his head, feeling very foolish for having spent the money.
Hundreds of years old. For all I know the thing is dead for good and I'll be carrying around a several grams of dead weight the rest of my life.
A chilled sweat struck him, followed by the sensation of thousands of needle pricks across his body. The pain was more excruciating than the beating he was still recovering from. He screamed.
A few moments later, Ramford rushed in. “Are you all right? Your vitals are spiking.”
“I'm in agony,” he said between needle stabs. “What is happening to me?”
Ramford pulled his scanner out of his coat. He held it up to Bophendze's head to investigate. He adjusted the scanner a few times. “If I had my guess, it looks like the implant is integrating.”
The pain subsided almost as quickly as it started. Bophendze started to feel like he was boiling inside, his skin turned red as it flushed. “What do you mean guess?”
“I'm not an implant surgeon, so I have to guess what's happening based on what the scanner's picking up. It's not exactly something I can research. Understand? There's a lot of activity around your medulla. Based on how you're reacting, I would conclude that the implant is tying into your primal central nervous functions. That's probably how the implant conveys its military advantages, by tying into your medulla. I did not expect these side effects. It really is interesting.”
“It might be interesting to you, but it's really painful to me.”Bophendze was gripped by a sudden deep fear, followed by a flash of ecstasy.
What is it doing to me?
“How long until this subsides?”
“How do I know? I've never dealt with an implant before. There aren't exactly any medical journals discussing the finer points of implant surgery. I specialize in plastic surgery and some trauma surgery, which is good for you as you were rather traumatically beaten and required my skills as a plastic surgeon. Once the swelling subsides, nobody will even know you were beaten. I wish I could add this surgery to my CV, but that would definitely get me arrested whether I'm within the Imperium or down there.” He concluded by pointing down to the planet below.
With Ramford as his doctor, he was able to remain on the orbital for another month. After the first few days, Bophendze's cascading feelings and emotions subsided. The implant seemed to have finished integrating. A month later, the only emotion he had left was frustration. The implant did nothing for him beyond the first few wild days. He felt cheated at having spent all of his inheritance to have a useless implant installed in his brain.
When he arrived in the hangar, Angel was there.
“Let's go, Marine. I just received word that Spaka is now underway to a jump point. We'll be able to intercept if we get going now.”
Do we have to?
----
Litovio - Spaka
Litovio was tired after weeks of travel with Khaooldro . He would ask her questions. She would evade him by answering in a way that would wrap him up in confusion. He concluded that she had some innate ability to confound anybody she spoke with. The marine stick that helped her ‘escort’ him followed them through four separate ship changes. That was another irregularity—marines were highly territorial, more provincially based than trans-system. They traveled through two postal regions, based on his recollection of where the various systems were located. Commanders of the ships they traveled on were a mix of agitated and submissive. Khaooldro seemed to manage them as well as she did Litovio's father.
Finally, they boarded another ship, the Spaka , in Temasek . Khaooldro ‘managed’ another ship's commander and soon he learned they were jumping to yet-another-system.
“Captain Litovio, mind if I join you?” Khaooldro said.
Litovio suppressed a double-take. The ship's intercom reported the jump a
He shook his head, feeling very foolish for having spent the money.
Hundreds of years old. For all I know the thing is dead for good and I'll be carrying around a several grams of dead weight the rest of my life.
A chilled sweat struck him, followed by the sensation of thousands of needle pricks across his body. The pain was more excruciating than the beating he was still recovering from. He screamed.
A few moments later, Ramford rushed in. “Are you all right? Your vitals are spiking.”
“I'm in agony,” he said between needle stabs. “What is happening to me?”
Ramford pulled his scanner out of his coat. He held it up to Bophendze's head to investigate. He adjusted the scanner a few times. “If I had my guess, it looks like the implant is integrating.”
The pain subsided almost as quickly as it started. Bophendze started to feel like he was boiling inside, his skin turned red as it flushed. “What do you mean guess?”
“I'm not an implant surgeon, so I have to guess what's happening based on what the scanner's picking up. It's not exactly something I can research. Understand? There's a lot of activity around your medulla. Based on how you're reacting, I would conclude that the implant is tying into your primal central nervous functions. That's probably how the implant conveys its military advantages, by tying into your medulla. I did not expect these side effects. It really is interesting.”
“It might be interesting to you, but it's really painful to me.”Bophendze was gripped by a sudden deep fear, followed by a flash of ecstasy.
What is it doing to me?
“How long until this subsides?”
“How do I know? I've never dealt with an implant before. There aren't exactly any medical journals discussing the finer points of implant surgery. I specialize in plastic surgery and some trauma surgery, which is good for you as you were rather traumatically beaten and required my skills as a plastic surgeon. Once the swelling subsides, nobody will even know you were beaten. I wish I could add this surgery to my CV, but that would definitely get me arrested whether I'm within the Imperium or down there.” He concluded by pointing down to the planet below.
With Ramford as his doctor, he was able to remain on the orbital for another month. After the first few days, Bophendze's cascading feelings and emotions subsided. The implant seemed to have finished integrating. A month later, the only emotion he had left was frustration. The implant did nothing for him beyond the first few wild days. He felt cheated at having spent all of his inheritance to have a useless implant installed in his brain.
When he arrived in the hangar, Angel was there.
“Let's go, Marine. I just received word that Spaka is now underway to a jump point. We'll be able to intercept if we get going now.”
Do we have to?
----
Litovio - Spaka
Litovio was tired after weeks of travel with Khaooldro . He would ask her questions. She would evade him by answering in a way that would wrap him up in confusion. He concluded that she had some innate ability to confound anybody she spoke with. The marine stick that helped her ‘escort’ him followed them through four separate ship changes. That was another irregularity—marines were highly territorial, more provincially based than trans-system. They traveled through two postal regions, based on his recollection of where the various systems were located. Commanders of the ships they traveled on were a mix of agitated and submissive. Khaooldro seemed to manage them as well as she did Litovio's father.
Finally, they boarded another ship, the Spaka , in Temasek . Khaooldro ‘managed’ another ship's commander and soon he learned they were jumping to yet-another-system.
“Captain Litovio, mind if I join you?” Khaooldro said.
Litovio suppressed a double-take. The ship's intercom reported the jump a
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