As I hurtle through space, I have a sudden thought.

What should I call you?

"I do not need a name. I am simply an artificial intelligence model designed to assist you."

Okay, but not calling you by a name feels weird.

"Very well. I will run through a list of random names and select one."

"...If it makes you more comfortable, you may call me Franklin."

Okay, Franklin. How far away is this Ross-128b from Earth?

"Approximately 11 lightyears."

What the fuck? How long is it going to take us to get there!?

"Approximately 1 hour. I understand your confusion. The station is equipped with a massive Alcubierre drive. It enables faster-than-light travel by bending space around it."

Okay... what do you recommend I do in the meantime?

"You can confirm the design of the surrogate automaton I constructed for you." The view of the cameras the station is equipped with disappears and out of the darkness appears a model of a highly sophisticated humanoid robot.

"It comes equipped with various self-defense systems and a quantum communications relay in order to communicate with your brain without delay, no matter the distance."

Okay, sounds good. Assemble it.

I hear the sound of steam (the cameras must come equipped with microphones) and a multitude of robotic arms appear. They quickly construct and assemble the robot within a matter of minutes. Its broad shoulders are set with red pauldrons. Its body is a grayish silver, and the single large eye-camera thing set in its head glows a soft yellow. Its feet are more like metal struts than anything I've seen in nature, with serrated soles whose purpose I assume is to get better traction. The arms open the metallic torso and place a bunch of electronics inside.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

[RECALLING METHOD.DWRCD...]

A long cable extends from the smooth white wall and connects to the back of the robot's neck. My vision flashes with green geometry and suddenly my vantage point switches from the camera to the center of the room. At first, I find that I cannot move or communicate with Franklin. However, over the course of a few minutes, I realize I can feel.

The second I get control over myself, I begin to convulse on the floor, feelings and senses foreign to me being pushed into my psyche. Over time, though, I finally gain enough sense of my situation and control over myself to stand up. I look down at my body. This can't be real...

"Glad you finally got the hang of it. My assessment was that enabling safe mode for the transfer would hinder your ability to intuitively control new bodies in the future, so I allowed you to figure it out yourself."

Okay... thanks?

"Of course. I will install the quantum entangled communications relay into the surrogate's nape as we wait to arrive at Ross-128b."

[RECALLING METHOD.DWRCD/QCRTF...]

So, what can this body do?

"As you may have noticed, the surrogate comes with subsurface pressure sensors to simulate your human sense of touch, as well as an optical component to simulate sight. However, the lens also comes equipped to view wavelengths not on the visible spectrum. It comes equipped with an antimatter reactor battery at its heart, stabilized to prevent potential catastrophic explosions." That's reassuring. "On the defense side of things, it comes equipped, similarly to the station, with an electromagnetic barrier generator to protect against energy attacks and small metallic kinetic weapons, as well as a strong reaction barrier. The strong reaction barrier in the surrogate, however, consumes more power than the antimatter battery can efficiently hold, and should only be used in the direst of circumstances."

Look, that's great and all, but I'm hoping to avoid any conflict. Can you tell me about some more practical features?

"Of course. There is a sonic vibration module located in the throat of the surrogate made to produce any sound in a range that my calculations say nearly every possible living creature can hear. I will also, of course, translate any foreign language for you in real time, but that's less of a part of the surrogate than it is a function of the station. Finally, your unique perspective on the surface of the planet will allow me to more accurately collect and analyze data for you."

Okay, cool! Anything else?

"Not of note. We are approaching the edge of the sphere of influence of Ross-128b."

It's been an hour already?

"I dilated your perception of time while we spoke as to not bore you."

[RECALLING METHOD.ORBT...]