Chapter 15
A New You
HIMS Ultor Sanguinis, Orbit of Erdi
After the meeting with Admiral Lavrov, Lowen took Yasuko to lunch in what was called the wardroom, the officers' mess. Then in the afternoon the two of them were given an abbreviated tour of the ship. It seemed pretty clear from the detours along the way that their guide wasn't showing her places they didn't want her to know about. They didn't trust her implicitly, but that just meant they weren't stupid.
The next morning, she was taken to Sickbay after breakfast for a checkup. She'd received medical attention once they were rescued and was treated for her injuries en route to the Ultor Sanguinis, enough for her to be on her feet to go through decon. Between the beating she took from those Celestial troops and her lingering injuries from Heigangcheng, it wasn't surprising the docs wanted a followup.
Once that was done, she was taken to a different part of the medical wing to an office with a small waiting room. After Lowen checked in with the receptionist, they had to wait a while. There were these thin tablets on the low table in front of the chairs. Curiously, Yasuko picked up one. It was some sort of electronic periodical. It was in a language she didn't understand, so she put it back down after flipping through a few pages.
"The Doctor will see you now," the receptionist said just as Yasuko was putting down the tablet.
They entered the office and we met by a somewhat portly doctor. He looked fairly young in spite of his thinning hair. Actually, he reminded Yasuko of Dr. Narvaez from Rivera, just more fair-skinned. He started to offer his hand to Yasuko when he realized that wasn't going to get him far. He stumbled in his greeting as he was trying to play off the failed gesture.
"Hello, Miss... Rodrigues, was it? Leutnant Meyer. How are you feeling today? I'm Dr. Willowbrook, the ship's chief cybernetician. Do you know why you're here today, Miss Rodrigues?"
"Not really," Yasuko said, "but if you're a cybernetician, I guess you're supposed to do something about this."
She looked to her stump and wiggled it a bit.
"Exactly so," Dr. Willowbrook said. "I've received orders from the Admiral himself to provide for you the very best our facilities have to offer. Let's get right down to business, shall we? First, I'd like to explain your options to you. If you have any questions along the way, feel free to ask."
He went back to his desk and fiddled around at his terminal for a moment. In a large open space on one of the walls was a vidscreen that turned on and displayed the model of a man who was missing an arm in about the same place as Yasuko.
"The most basic choice will be a prosthetic strapped to the stump of your arm. It will give you basic functionality, sufficient for everyday tasks."
The screen showed a prosthetic arm fastened to the stump of the model's arm. The model then moved around the prosthetic. A wooden arm like what you might see on the surface couldn't do much, but if the image was accurate, this prosthetic was able to move almost indistinguishably from the real thing. It probably shouldn't have been a surprise, though.
Dr. Willowbrook continued, "If you want strength enhancements, we need to anchor the arm in the socket, which would require the amputation of the remainder of your natural arm."
The image showed the stump being removed from the model and the anchor being set over the shoulder socket. A full-length artificial arm was then attached.
"If we tried fusing a cybernetic arm to the stump, it would simply break off under too much strain. Even anchoring the arm at the shoulder, we can only safely do two times strength enhancement.
Now there were two models, one with an anchored arm and the other one with an arm fused to the stump. The two models then picked up the corner of this large block with increasing numbers representing more and more weight. It didn't take long for the one with a fused stump to break off and eventually the anchored arm was torn loose as well. Judging from the numbers, though, it could take well more than a 2X load, but Dr. Willowbrook just playing it safe.
"You have been authorized for a full-body 4X conversion if you so choose, but most people are too attached to their organics to undergo such an extensive operation."
The screen now showed an X-ray view of the model given a complete cybernetic skeleton and then a layer of artificial musculature. At what point were you still considered human?
"We could scale it back just the upper torso, though," Dr. Willowbrook suggested, "reinforce the chest and augment the other arm to match. As you are a volunteer, the choice is yours."
Yasuko looked at this half-body conversion and then four models appeared: one with the attachment, one with an anchored arm, one with the half-body conversion, and one with the full-body conversion. They began doing different tasks while various figures detailed their performance. It was a lot to take in.
"How long until I can get back in the fight?" she asked.
"With the first option, immediately," the Doctor said, "though I would recommend a few days to acclimate yourself to the new arm. For the second option, you will need a couple days' recovery and at least three days of rehabilitation. For the full-body conversion, you will need a week to recover and no less than three weeks for rehabilitation. The half-body conversion would be about the same. You have to realize that such extensive augmentation takes a significant toll on the body even with the latest advancements."
"I think option two is the best choice," Yasuko said. "I need the enhancement, but I can't be out of it a month. I'm sure you people aren't gonna wait that long to make your move."
"You don't need to decide right away, Miss Rodrigues," Dr. Willowbrook said. "In fact, I would strongly advise against it. What if we started with the attachment and went from there?"
"I don't have time to waste, Doc. I need to get back in the fight."
"Yasuko..."
Yasuko gave Lowen an annoyed look.
"Don't try an' talk me outta this, Lowen."
"It will take a few days to clear the time for surgery anyway, Miss Rodrigues," Dr. Willowbrook said. "In the meantime, let's fit you with a provisional attachment. The fundamentals of the man-machine interface are not so different, so even if you decide to go ahead with the surgery, consider it an opportunity to acclimate yourself to the technology."
That sounded like a fair enough compromise.
"Alright, Doc," Yasuko said. "We'll do it your way, but I want that surgery."
"Of course, Miss Rodrigues. If you come with me, we can get you fitted and do the basic calibration tests."
Yasuko got up from her seat.
"Lead the way, Doc."
* * *
Yasuko had to be out of her mind. It was a little late to be noticing it, but why else would she be voluntarily handing over her body to people she barely knew and trusted even less? "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." That was what Lowen told her and that seemed to be the logic she was using. Sure, they would probably do just about anything they wanted anyway, but sometimes she had to wonder how she got herself into situations like this.
She knew the answer, of course. There wasn't much she wouldn't do for the sake of her revenge. She couldn't even fight at half her potential with just one arm. She needed this surgery. Yes, these Imperials were just using her, but if it got her what she wanted, she was more than happy to be used.
A doctor she didn't recognize approached her bedside and said, "Hello there, Miss Rodrigues. I'm Dr. Britani, the anesthesiologist. It would seem your body chemistry has been modified to break down most of our standard anesthetics, so we're going to have to do something a little different. We'll be using a disruptor pulse to put you out. You may come back around during the surgery, but I'll be on hand to put you out again. Try not to be alarmed if that happens."
So there was a drawback to Mithridates' Gift. That would explain why the drugs they gave her at the hospital in Rivera didn't seem to work that well. She hadn't even thought about it.
"Are you ready?" Dr. Britani asked.
Yasuko nodded.
"Alright then. Just relax, Miss Rodrigues. This'll be over before you know it."
Dr. Britani took some little handheld device and pressed it to her temple. It made a sound and she was out like a light.