hanging on to a grip in the wall.
A smile tugged Tapperhaven's face, a change for the taciturn Jagernaut. "You look as if you're lit inside by a thousand lights."
Soz tilted her head toward the view screen. "It's hard to believe humans created all that."
"The first time I boarded a Firestorm, I felt that way, too." Regret flickered in Tapperhaven's eyes. "I forgot why it exists. We've fashioned incredible wonders, but we've created them for combat. It is a terrible beauty, and if you forget, the truth will break your heart."
Soz had never heard Tapperhaven speak with such feeling. "I'll remember."
"Well, so." Tapperhaven grinned. "Let's board."
"Aye, aye, ma'am!" Technically, that wasn't the response for a J-Force cadet, but since they were boarding a naval vessel, she figured she would get used to the naval protocols.
They exited the transport into a spherical decon chamber with Luminex walls. As they floated, a message came from her node. Intruding meds detected.
Those are deoon meds, Soz thought. It probably already knew but they were still learning each other, she and her node, becoming two parts of one mind.
Their picoweb is linking to the picoweb for your health meds, it thought.
Good. The decon species would verify she carried only meds to maintain her health and repair cells. Although her meds attacked unwanted molecules, they should recognize and accept the decon species.
Soz had studied decon chambers as she studied every aspect of the ISC ships. Her advisors wanted her to major in military strategy, which she apparendy had talent for, but she preferred ship design, what cadets called star-rigging. Decon meds had one goal: search and destroy. Like nano-thugs cruising the body, they sought out molecules that could endanger the ship. When they found invaders, they attacked until they disposed of the intruder or disintegrated. When the decontamination process finished, any decon meds left intact would fall into pieces the body could use or flush out of its system.
Are my health meds getting along with the decon meds? she asked.
They seem to like each other, her node answered. Its ability to converse was improving. At first, it hadn't even understood slang, let alone known how to respond. Decon had detected intruders, however. Then it thought, That's odd.
What?
You carry a peculiar med species that doesn't appear in their databases.
That was indeed odd. Surely ISC would have noticed anomalous meds drifting around in her body. What does It do?
Apparently it neutralizes blue food coloring.
Soz laughed, evoking a puzzled look from Tapperhaven, who was floating at her side. Soz reddened. Nothing like acting strange in front of her CO.
"My node said something funny," Soz said.
Tapperhaven smiled. "They can do that at inconvenient times."
"I guess so." To her node, Soz thought, Those meds come from my father. They were engineered five thousand years ago when colonists settled Lyshriol. They deal with impurities that make water blueon Lyshriol.
Ah. That would explain their nonstandard structure.
"What was funny?" Tapperhaven asked.
"Decon doesn't recognize my Lyshriol meds." She tensed as a thought came to her. "It better not get rid of them."
"It won't. We forwarded the specifications here. It will just take longer for it to verify their status."
You may keep them, her node informed her. Without them, your urine will turn green on Lyshriol.
Thank you, Soz thought dryly. I needed to know that.
Decon meds are now friendly with your Lyshriol meds.
Good.
"Decon complete," a voice said. "Permission to board."
"Acknowledged," Tapperhaven said.
A portal opened across the sphere, and they squeezed into a tube with glowing white walls. Blue Luminex rails ran along its sides, "above" Soz's head and "below" her feet, though without gravity she had no real sense of up and down. A mag-car waited on the side of the tunnel, its entrance at right angles to her body. She reoriented and followed Tapperhaven
A smile tugged Tapperhaven's face, a change for the taciturn Jagernaut. "You look as if you're lit inside by a thousand lights."
Soz tilted her head toward the view screen. "It's hard to believe humans created all that."
"The first time I boarded a Firestorm, I felt that way, too." Regret flickered in Tapperhaven's eyes. "I forgot why it exists. We've fashioned incredible wonders, but we've created them for combat. It is a terrible beauty, and if you forget, the truth will break your heart."
Soz had never heard Tapperhaven speak with such feeling. "I'll remember."
"Well, so." Tapperhaven grinned. "Let's board."
"Aye, aye, ma'am!" Technically, that wasn't the response for a J-Force cadet, but since they were boarding a naval vessel, she figured she would get used to the naval protocols.
They exited the transport into a spherical decon chamber with Luminex walls. As they floated, a message came from her node. Intruding meds detected.
Those are deoon meds, Soz thought. It probably already knew but they were still learning each other, she and her node, becoming two parts of one mind.
Their picoweb is linking to the picoweb for your health meds, it thought.
Good. The decon species would verify she carried only meds to maintain her health and repair cells. Although her meds attacked unwanted molecules, they should recognize and accept the decon species.
Soz had studied decon chambers as she studied every aspect of the ISC ships. Her advisors wanted her to major in military strategy, which she apparendy had talent for, but she preferred ship design, what cadets called star-rigging. Decon meds had one goal: search and destroy. Like nano-thugs cruising the body, they sought out molecules that could endanger the ship. When they found invaders, they attacked until they disposed of the intruder or disintegrated. When the decontamination process finished, any decon meds left intact would fall into pieces the body could use or flush out of its system.
Are my health meds getting along with the decon meds? she asked.
They seem to like each other, her node answered. Its ability to converse was improving. At first, it hadn't even understood slang, let alone known how to respond. Decon had detected intruders, however. Then it thought, That's odd.
What?
You carry a peculiar med species that doesn't appear in their databases.
That was indeed odd. Surely ISC would have noticed anomalous meds drifting around in her body. What does It do?
Apparently it neutralizes blue food coloring.
Soz laughed, evoking a puzzled look from Tapperhaven, who was floating at her side. Soz reddened. Nothing like acting strange in front of her CO.
"My node said something funny," Soz said.
Tapperhaven smiled. "They can do that at inconvenient times."
"I guess so." To her node, Soz thought, Those meds come from my father. They were engineered five thousand years ago when colonists settled Lyshriol. They deal with impurities that make water blueon Lyshriol.
Ah. That would explain their nonstandard structure.
"What was funny?" Tapperhaven asked.
"Decon doesn't recognize my Lyshriol meds." She tensed as a thought came to her. "It better not get rid of them."
"It won't. We forwarded the specifications here. It will just take longer for it to verify their status."
You may keep them, her node informed her. Without them, your urine will turn green on Lyshriol.
Thank you, Soz thought dryly. I needed to know that.
Decon meds are now friendly with your Lyshriol meds.
Good.
"Decon complete," a voice said. "Permission to board."
"Acknowledged," Tapperhaven said.
A portal opened across the sphere, and they squeezed into a tube with glowing white walls. Blue Luminex rails ran along its sides, "above" Soz's head and "below" her feet, though without gravity she had no real sense of up and down. A mag-car waited on the side of the tunnel, its entrance at right angles to her body. She reoriented and followed Tapperhaven
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