Razors Edge: Sci Fi Progression

By the time we reached another shuttle and were taken off planet to the spindles Lia was too weak to move. I tried to pick her up, she wasn't exactly light, but the last few weeks, months had me all out of shape. "Lev," I said. "Would you mind?"

"Of course not," he then scooped her up like he would a child. "I got you," he whispered.

Lia wrapped herself around his neck and held on while we walked.

It was another few hours before we reached our destination and were deep into the facility to meet Dr. Drinn.

"Section 23a," Senna announced as we docked. "Level 9-plus security. There's no official classification for what Dr. Drinn does there." She glanced at Lia, with a soft expression. One of caring. I supposed all doctors did, right? Well… maybe not Francine. "If anyone can help, it's her."

This place was a maze, security checkpoints were extreme, but I guessed very needed. Even Lev was impressed. All I felt was like I'd been turned inside out and examined by 100 different people.

Then the security doors opened to reveal a floating cylindrical column of water came into view. I froze. This was a Vost. One of the oceanic species from the Known Space maps, but I'd never actually seen one in person. Never imagined I would.

"Doctor Drinn," Senna announced.

Sorrel leaned over and closed my mouth for me. "Sorry," I said. "I don't mean to be rude.

Senna grinned. "Not many people have seen the Vost," she said. "You are lucky, this deep into our system. Dr. Drinn is one of the best."

Dr. Drinn was perhaps two meters long from what I guessed was her head to the trailing edge of her body, with eight thick appendages that moved with amazing grace. It was some kind of water, or where she came from that kept her alive.

Her skin shifted in amazing patterns. Deep blues flowed into pale greens, punctuated by many different flashes of bioluminescent.

<<She doesn't speak verbally,>> Lia said. <<Give me a moment. She's interfacing through the facility systems.>>

Text appeared on the wall screens, each word accompanied by a ripple of color across Drinn's skin: Welcome, Captain Tachim. Lia. I've reviewed the preliminary data Admiral Kuba provided. The situation is... complex.

"Can you help them?" I asked.

I can try. But the risks are great. I need you to understand. More text scrolled across the screens, while Drinn's colors shifted to deeper, more somber tones. Lia is housing three minds in systems never designed for it. The longer they remain, the more danger she is in. Removing them also has its own risks.

We knew there would be, it was inevitable, and any surgery came with risks. "She could die?"

Yes. Separating them could damage Lia permanently. Or damage the fragments themselves. Drinn's appendages moved in slow, deliberate patterns. I've lost many patients before, Captain. Those without the complexity of Lia's condition. I need you to know that.

<<Tell her we understand,>> Lia said. <<But we're out of time anyway.>>

"Do it," I said. "Whatever it takes."

Then please follow me.

Drinn's floating tank moved easily, gliding ahead of us through the corridor after corridor. The water inside remained perfectly stable despite her motion—some kind of inertial dampening technology I couldn't begin to understand.

We moved deeper into Section 23a, through several laboratories where other researchers, some Vost like her, others from species I recognized and some I didn't—I did notice they were already working with Ashley's research, some talking animatedly to each other as we passed.

Finally, we reached a spherical chamber, its walls lined with quantum processors and neural interface matrices. In the center floated a small version of a consciousness transfer platform.

"You constructed this already from our notes?" Sorrel asked.

The print facilities here are like no other you've encountered before.

A web of light surrounding the platform. There also floated a second water column. This was static, and much larger than Drinn's mobile unit.

I can see I fascinate you. We will talk, after the procedure.

"I don't mean—"

No offence taken at all. I was once just as fascinated by humans.

Drinn waved to the wall behind her large floating chamber. This is where we'll house Commander Torres and her marines temporarily.

Drinn continued to explain as she moved the smaller chamber toward the larger one. Then vanished inside. This is a memory matrix similar to what Lia experienced at the Academy. Not ideal for long-term storage, but we can keep it stable enough while we work out some permanent solutions.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

"How long will this take?" Mac asked.

Hours. Maybe longer. Days. Her color shifted, much darker, and dread filled me. Lia will need to disconnect from everything. That includes you, Captain.

My stomach dropped. Since we'd bonded, I'd never been truly separate from Lia. Even if I'd blocked her, I knew she was there. The thought of that emptiness—

<<I'll be okay,>> Lia said. <<And so will you. For a little while.>>

Sorrel tucked an arm in mind. "We'll all be here waiting."

Drinn gestured toward the transfer platform with two of her appendages, their movement graceful and deliberate. Lia, when you're ready.

Lev lowered her to the floor and I helped her step forward, my hand in hers. "See you on the other side," I whispered.

<<See you on the other side.>>

She stepped onto the platform, and her physical form dissolved.

Then I felt nothing.

Like a candle snuffed out, our bond went silent. I staggered, and Lev caught my arm.

"Easy," he said.

Mac placed a hand on my shoulder.

Please wait in the observation room, Augusta's text appeared. I will report as soon as I can.

Leaving that room, leaving Lia… was the hardest thing I'd ever done.

***

The observation room had seating for a lot of people. Though I couldn't fathom why.

"Teaching," Sorrel said. "They spend a lot of time here teaching others. This is the only place that will explore the brain and associated pathways in ways that others wouldn't dare."

"Is that because of Drinn?"

"Mostly," she replied. "Vost don't see us the same as we see ourselves, that gives them the opportunity to be completely neutral, and well they're genius when it comes to IQ or as we are used to it, our CAR stats.

"She must be really smart," Lev said. "Her heads bigger than two of ours."

Sorrel laughed at him, and Senna chocked. "Sorry," Lev added. "Just stating it how it is."

I stood before the large window and could do nothing but watch.

Sorrel attempted to explain things, about how delicate teasing our people out of Lia was, but I didn't understand any of it. Conciousness patterns, data streams all of it had to be super carefully separated or they'd risk all of their lives.

Before Drinn, was a multidimensional view of Lia's core, and in 4 colours the patterns she was extracting. It looked worse than a giant jigsaw, and one that I realised I couldn't watch any longer.

I moved away from the window and sat with my head in my hands.

"She's strong," Sorrel said and sat beside me. "Stronger than any AI I've ever worked with."

"Torres too," Lev added. "If anyone can survive being a fragment of themselves, it's her."

The hours crawled by, I moved little, dozed off at one point and paced the room others. Mac brought coffee from god knows where and we drank in worried silence.

Senna made numerous updating calls, keeping the Admiral and an unknown entity updated on Drinn's progress.

"Something's wrong," Sorrel said.

I was bolt upright in seconds. "What is it?"

"I'm not sure, but she suddenly started moving erratically."

"You can't interpret it?" Lev asked beside her.

"No, its too complex for me, I can only presume that someone's at risk."

My stomach churned, and I rushed to the nearest bathroom to throw up the remnants of my coffee and stomach acid.

Sorrel was right with me, hand on my back. I looked up at her, my emotions on my sleeve. "I can't lose her," I said. "I can't."

"I know," she replied and handed me some tissue to wipe my mouth.

It reminded me of my first experience in Zero-G and vomiting afterwards. She'd looked after me then too.

The hiss of the containment chamber opening had us both scramble out of the bathroom.

Drinn emerged in her mobile column. Her colors were muted, her movements slower, likely her way of showing exhaustion.

It's done, the text appeared. Commander Torres is stable in the memory matrix. Sergeant Thompson as well.

"And Stevens?" I asked, though I already knew from the way Drinn's colours had gone dark…

I'm sorry. His fragment was too degraded, the trauma of extraction, the time spent in unsuitable storage, the integration with Lia's systems... by the time we began separation, too much damage had already occurred.

The words hit hard. Sergeant Stevens. Who'd given me his nanites. Who'd protected me with his own body. Who'd died twice—once when his body was consigned to flame, and now again when even his consciousness couldn't be saved.

"Did he..." Lev's voice cracked. "Did he know?"

No. He was never conscious during storage. Lia kept all three fragments in a sleep state to preserve them. He felt no pain.

It was a small comfort, but comfort nonetheless.

"And Lia?" I asked.

Drinn's colors brightened slightly, a pale green washing over her skin like hope. Critical but stable. The extraction damaged her core architecture significantly. She'll need time to rebuild, to reorganize her systems. But she's alive, Captain. She survived.

I stood. "Can I see her?"

Not yet. She's in deep recovery mode, consciousness minimal, all resources devoted to self-repair. But... Drinn's colors rippled through a complex pattern I couldn't interpret. Try reaching through your bond.

I did. Carefully, like pressing on a bruise.

There deep inside me Lia's presence touched mine.

<<Peyton?>>

<<I'm here. We're all here.>>

<<Stevens?>>

I couldn't lie to her. <<Didn't make it. I'm sorry.>>

The grief that pulsed through our bond was wordless. After everything we'd done, and we'd lost one anyway.

<<Torres?>> Lia asked after a moment.

<<Safe. Thompson too. They're in the memory matrix.>>

<<Good.>> Her presence flickered, growing fainter. <<I…sleep…now.>>

<<Yes, you sleep. We'll all be here when you wake.>>

Our bond went quiet again, but this time it felt different. Not the emptiness of disconnection, but the stillness of rest, of healing.

I turned to Drinn. "Thank you."

I wish I could have saved all three. But warfare like this leaves scars. Her colors echoed sadness or regret. Torres and Thompson have a chance now. When they're ready, we'll discuss permanent solution with them.

"How long?" Mac asked.

For Lia? Days, possibly weeks. For Torres and Thompson…That depends on many things. Drinn's mobile column glided toward the door. For now, they need rest. And so do you, Captain. You're exhausted in ways most humans never experience.

She wasn't wrong. The adrenaline rush of the last few weeks had carried me, but now--all of it was crushing me.

"There's quarters nearby," Senna said. "Medical-grade rest facilities. You'll want to stay close while Lia recovers."

I nodded and gave the observation window one last look, I could see her energy pulsing steadily. Lia was healing and Torres and Thompson were safe.

Stevens... I swallowed.

Stevens was gone.

"Captain?" Lev touched my shoulder. "We should go."

"Yeah." I looked at him."Yeah, let's go."

As we filed out, I felt Lia again, reaching out even in deep recovery. There were no words this time only her soft and steady presence.

For now, I was grateful, and I promised myself I would sleep for as long as I needed to also feel better.