The Black

"On your lead?"

Dr Nicole Broussard stepped up to a second set of controls, watching Atticus intently. The two had traded professional communications off and on since the Grarzia's trip to Sol. This was her first time meeting the digital Corth in person. The artificial construct bore only a passing resemblance to the singular other Corth from her previous interactions. His physical construct appeared to split the three-way difference between a Corth, a human, and a Vorath. His mottled skin textures and proportional appendages worked to provide a much healthier appearance than a traditional Corth, but she still noted its slightly enlarged "head" remaining.

A slight hum from the bed returned Nicole's attention to their patient and her readouts. "The patient is fully secured, beginning initial incision" Nicole slipped her hands in between a set of sensors, picking up a set of tools. In response, a set of floating arms descended from the ceiling. She moved her hands several times, cycling through settings. She watched the robotic arms respond, but more importantly, she FELT them respond.

This would be the first time that Alpha-Synce would be paired with medical robotics to this depth. Humanity had used a version of this during their "Great Sol War", but the advancements made by fusion of Johansson's R&D division, and the Brothers Gremm had brought on a whole new depth to her control and interface with the systems. Her calibration done, Nicole set down the implements, removed her hands from the sensor array, and closed her eyes. Her brain flooded with the vision from a dozen cameras, and her fingertips began to work in unison with the arms overhead.

One of the metallic arms slipped down to the Elerian woman's rounded abdomen, piercing the paralyzing force field holding her in place before coming to rest on her skin. A small sensor on the tip of the arm gave The human doctor high resolution detail of her incision site. With a thought, Dr Broussard slipped the tiniest portion of a razor-sharp blade from the tip of the robotic arm, and smoothly ran it across the delicate blue skin in a pre-planned curve that would minimize the number of cuts necessarily while creating appropriate space for resection. When done, she withdrew her blade, and Atticus activated his own controls. A complicated swirling of energy, invisible to all but the two of them gently drew away the turquoise flow of blood from the incised skin while slipping several internal organs from their resting place atop the Elerian internal sack that held the Egg.

Atticus paused humming softly to himself, "Problem?" Nicole asked, pausing just before her neural-linked robotic arm touched the distended tissue. The artificial body of Atticus froze perfectly still, even to the point of ceasing his fake breathing and the "normality" simulation he had programmed into his background mannerisms. It was a disconcerting thing to see, but it quickly became obvious to see what triggered this response as a portion of the patient's vital spiked dangerously.

"The, baby. It is reacting…. This is not good, we must h…" Atticus was interrupted by an audible crack, and a perfect foot-shaped protrusion pressed up against the uterine tissue. Large quantities of turquoise began filling the Elerian's abdominal cavity, and the accompanying alarms spurred both Atticus and Nicole to action, "we must get it out, NOW!" Nicole dove back into her alpha-synce quickly reaching for the tools at her disposal. The robotic arm moved swiftly, swinging toward the membrane before it froze completely, as Nicole felt a sledgehammer of data impact. Nicole's mind seared as it was assaulted by a new wave of mass information through the a foreign intrusion into her alpha sync link, *Dr Broussard, I apologize, but I do not have the time to teach you of the Elerian anatomy* Atticus voice rang inside her head… just before the tsunami of stimulus redoubled itself.

The pain was tremendous, almost causing Dr Broussard to emergency disconnect her link to the bio bed, but she stopped herself, focusing on the swirling images. 'All of it… it is his life's work… everything…' she stopped thinking, opened her mind, and drank…. The firehose of information washed over her for what seemed like an eternity, but when she opened her eyes, only a fraction of a second had passed, *still here?* she asked to herself..

*I am,*

__________________________

Vincent stepped out of his last lecture for the day. The Saurian, Aminaria, ended up departing before he could ask to continue their conversation. Vincent decided to skip the mess hall tonight, choosing instead to walk down to a small cafe with out-door seating. In truth, he almost didn't care what he ordered, instead choosing the location because of the view. He sat down facing the shoreline, choosing one of the seafood dishes almost at random, then turned to gaze over the water. Signus had long slipped below the tree line, but its yellow glow still shone on the gleaming metal floating on the massive dry-dock anchored in the bay.

The waitress arrived with his dish, some kind of local fish on a bed of what he decided was sweet rice and local vegetables. He ate slowly, watching the welding lights flash and spark in the amber evening glow. Delmar and Sol had blended their technology, but some things still persisted. Whereas Humanity tended to launch modules to orbit for final assembly, Delmar, faced with their first construct of this size, did not have the facilities to work from orbit. Instead, they chose to build a shell that was then launched to be furnished in orbit.

"I guess I should have expected to see you here." Aminaria rumbled, thumping up to sit in the grass next to a surprised Vincent reclining at his table, "May I?"

Vincent eyes up to giant being before shrugging a nod, "I suppose, I was hoping to continue our conversation, after all, Ms Aminaria ."

"Ami, it is just Ami outside of the lecture halls." The Saurian corrected gently, "I called your father, family; and I would do the same with you, Vincent"

"Just Vin, and I would be honored. Father's messages spoke of you at length. He told me of your first meeting." Vincent responded before leaning back in his chair, "I… I miss him, I spent most of my childhood praying he would survive… only to lose him, out here." Vincent stated, staring at the drydock in the bay for several moments before a heavy-clawed hand rested on his shoulder.

Ami stared down at him with a sad smile, "I miss him a great deal as well. You resemble him, you know. Would that you could see what he saw in this place."

"It is a beautiful world, but I came here with one purpose. Now I must return to 'schooling' just to accomplish it" Vincent grumbled, "Those bastards took him, and… I.."

Ami just nodded sadly, "I see. I fear you will get your taste soon enough, but if I may?"

Vincent took a long pull from his glass and then turned to her, so she continued, "Your father knew when to pick and how to pick his battles. I see much of him in you, surrounded by anger, but it is there. Lean on it in the coming weeks, even with your roommate."

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

Vincent raised an eyebrow, "So Kerise was correct. Our roommates are a lesson?"

"Of sorts, but they are also opportunities." Ami confirmed, "Sol and Signus are quickly blending, one need only look out to see the canvas to recognize that. Delmar has not seen a wind-powered sailboat in millennia. That's not to say anything of your slip drives. I'm sure you have seen things yourself in Sol."

"I have," Vincent confirmed. "Humanity adores Delmar literature, and I began seeing more auburns and silvers in common clothing before my departure. Our power-generation has become much more compact and efficient since our alliance."

Ami hummed, "Your father helped make that happen. Be proud of him, but do not fear his shadow," the Saurian paused, "Is that why you introduce yourself as just 'Vin'?"

Vincent winced, "He is a hero, here… I made the mistake once, and I had to slip out of the back of the building. I don't want that right now."

"Fair enough, young Vin it shall be." Ami stood, "I must go, the other of my two jobs rests for no Saurian. Good evening, Vin." With that, the Saurian lumbered over toward a large shuttle that had just landed on the beach. Soon, she was gone, and Vincent stayed to finish his food and drink, with the last trickles of light flickering over the partially complete hull of the DNS Gregory Burgoyne.

"She's magnificent, isn't she," Vincent turned to the sound of his waitress stepping up next to him. She didn't jump at his gaze, only partially registering it.

Vincent nodded, "She is. How long until she is finished?"

" I dunno, I've never seen a vessel this large under construction. Maybe another year before she launches? Who knows how long before she is finished." The waitress mused, "Oh, sorry. Here is the tab."

Vincent paid for his food quickly, "Ah, thank you," he flashed a quick smile before he could catch himself. To his surprise, the waitress merely smiled back, "You don't scare like most of your people."

"Huh?" She looked at him a moment blankly, "Oh! The teeth. We get many human customers. Your people seem to love our seafood. I even got to meet Admiral Burgoyne once."

Vincent shot her a surprised stare, "You met… The Admiral?"

Her head bobbed before she leaned in, a conspiratorial glint in her eyes, "Oh yes, he was here with his flag captain. Rumor was, they were lovers." She whispered, "And she was a widow..."

Vincent raised an eyebrow, "I was, unaware. Thank you for the meal. You are correct. Humans do enjoy seafood."

"Miran," she extended a hand,

Vincent snorted as he shook her hand, "You really have dealt with many humans, Vin… a pleasure."

"Same," with that, she turned to leave, and Vincent departed for home, bemused by the entire interaction. Outside of Kirese from the Program, this was the first Delmar that seemed unfazed by his blatant lack of "a mask" as Ami called it, and he was not at all sure how he felt about it.

————————————————————

Dr Nicole Broussard sat in her office, a bottle of Southern Comfort sitting on her desk, and a glass in her hand. She knew most considered the elixir to be firmly in the "rot gut" category of liquor, but in times like this, the New Orleans-created concoction provided a comforting taste of home. She did not see the glass at the moment. Memory flickered through her eyes as she took another shaking sip.

-several hours earlier-

Nicole's brow would have been drenched with sweat, had the sophisticated array of systems not maintained perfect sterility inside the operating room, and her gloved hands and arms were stained turquoise. It was the first time she had blood on her during an operation since the implementation of biobeds.

It could not be helped. Once the human-Elerian hybrid child shattered the calcium encasement, the work became frantic. The Egg was as much to protect the mother from the child as it was to protect the child itself. During the Voyage from Sol, Atticus had chosen to actively manipulated the mother's hormones in an attempt to create a human-proof encasement. His hope was to be able to avoid removal altogether, despite his fears of its inevitability. The strategy had worked, to a point, but the double edge of his plan bore its teeth when the little one finally broke through. The shattering of the strengthened egg instantly lacerated multiple organs that began quickly pouring out Jezzaria's lifeblood. Nicole quickly opened the Elerian version of a Uterus and they had been forced to take several minutes to carefully extract razor-edged shards of eggshell to clear a path for the child. In the end, Dr Broussard had separated partially from alpha-synce, reaching in with her own hands to gently fold up tiny winglets and scoop the premature infant out of his mother, and into the waiting incubation chamber.

*now the hard part* Atticus voice echoed on Nicole's head, but she knew what he meant. The Elerian species was not designed to survive this. In truth, no species of being was; but young Jezz was now hanging by a razor's edge. DR Nicole Broussard dove back fully into her Alpha Synce, wielding her tools with frantic precision. Easy Cher, slow is smooth, smooth is fas' she reminded herself, just as another metabolic alarm howled its protestations.

-Now-

Nicole took another sip, setting the empty glass down and reaching for the bottle. A single chime rang moments later, "…Enter…"

The door slid open to reveal Atticus standing in the corridor, eyeing her warily before stepping inside, "Doctor Broussard." The Automaton housed Atticus took a few steps to a chair, sitting slowly while holding Nicole's gaze. "I came to…see if you are well."

Nicole raised an eyebrow at the very Corth statement, "To see if your mental invasion has had any lasting affects?" she asked with a cool, less-than-pleased expression.

Atticus had the decency to wince at her tone at least, "Well, yes. But I guess an apology is also in order. If you were Corth, the… understanding… of necessity would be enough, but… I have come to learn that my people are fairly singular in our, behaviors."

Nicole snorted at the explanation but could not truly fault the being in front of her for it, "I suspect that I can accept that apology. In truth, I understand your actions. It was our only prayer for a shot. I needed that… information, but that is not all you came for. I noticed the… unfiltered nature of your connection, as well as the lack of my ability to recall a large portion of it afterward." She leaned in towards the Corth, "You want to know what I remember?"

The Corth nodded slowly, "Well, Yes.." He hummed for a moment, "There was no time for a true transfer of information, what I did was more akin to… giving your mind access to my database through the connection. A bit like connecting an external hard drive."

"Oh, I highly doubt that. I would have had to know what to search for." Nicole mentioned, taking a pointed sip from her glass. "I wouldn't have known what I needed, in that moment."

"Ah, I was wondering if you would notice," Atticus admitted, "I maintained the connection, following your mental processes, and drawing up what you needed, as you needed it. Yes, I was monitoring your brain's processes, but I do promise you that I dove only as far as your conscious mind. By contrast, you gained far more in the way of…. Information… in this exchange."

"I wish I didn't, but… Yes." Nicole confirmed, "Some stuff did filter through in the initial connection, much of it I wish I did not know." Nicole slammed the rest of her drink before pouring another glass. Atticus winced a second time, but raised an eyebrow as she drew a second glass from her desk, "I'm sure you cannot get drunk, but I find it hard to believe you have not created a body for yourself devoid of all sensations."

"You are correct," Atticus answered, "I cannot use the food I consume, but I can taste and enjoy if I choose." He took the offered glass and took a long sip before his eyes widened in shock, "This is… uh…. Fascinating… I had not realized the" the animatronic Corth actually coughed softly, "…potency of unfettered human alcohol."

Nicole snorted a laugh, "This is only the moderately hard stuff; it gets worse." She answered, "Now. Tell me, why are you asking me about what I may or may not have seen inside your head."

Atticus looked down at his drink, taking a second pull from it after obviously adjusting the sensitivity of his taste receptors. "A very… long… time ago, I helped a little girl into a pod, knowing that I would likely watch her, her brother, and her mother die in them.. Then… I killed myself" he locked eyes with the brown-haired doctor, "I forcibly uploaded my entire consciousness into the computer systems maintaining the royal family. I would awaken every decade… then I moved it to every century.. then Millenia… then I put myself to sleep indefinitely. There I waited for death, the coward. I would never feel it. I would simply cease to exist as the computers failed. Then, I woke up, roused from my digital slumber by Excelsior's arrival into the system." He placed the glass down on the side table next to his chair, "But that still does not change the facts… I have still killed myself." Nicole said nothing, so he continued, "My… upload… was less than stable, and never tested. Accounting for the errors accrued by cycling my consciousness to monitor Jezzaria, and the instability created from the upload itself…" he let his voice trail off, even now finding it difficult to confront his own mortality.

Nicole did not need him to finish, "How much time until you… decompile."

Atticus slumped slightly, "I do not know for certain, but I fear I will cease functioning within the next 2 years." he answered. "I've simply been online for too long, and the people whom I could rely on to fix me… They do not exist anymore." Atticus straightened his shoulders and leveled a serious gaze at Nicole, "You saw everything, know everything. You did not shy away from it, even though you do not wish for this knowledge, but…" he paused as a heaviness fell upon the room, "The work is not finished," He said softly, looking down at his artificial hands before clenching them and returning his gaze to Nicoles shocked expression, "The Work," He repeated again, watching the weight of what he was asking fully settle upon the Human across from him.

Nicole watched Atticus for several long seconds before reaching into her desk and withdrawing a small wire headset that she put on her head. She then activated a control on her desk, and a second interface opened up facing Atticus, "Show me." She ordered and closed her eyes to sit back in the chair.