"A what?" Cedric asked incredulously, not quite understanding the statement.

"A Protogen." Tesla replied simply.

"What is this... Protogen?" Gunner asked, his thick accent showing.

Tesla sighed, clearly annoyed as she read through her holopad.

"Want one?" Grey asked, producing a cigarette.

"I'd love one." Cedric replied, taking it gratefully. He struggled to unhinge his mask through his ambient weakness, Killer released her support of him and opened it for him - guiding the cigarette in and lighting it.

"There you are, Darling."

"Thank you, Killer." He responded without thinking. Killer nuzzled his neck with closed eyes, and wrapped herself in her membrane cloak - watching him carefully.

"According to the research logs, they were experimenting with discovered nanite technology..." Tesla said, gasping.

"That's huge!" Grey exclaimed, "That's like, cream of the crop of the Ancient's technology!"

"I know!" Tesla exclaimed, showing strangely much more emotion than Cedric was used to from her.

"They used pre-existing templates... This whole protogen, most of its technology and development is just before the Ancient's golden age of technology."

"Then... Why does it look like a Korellei?" Shy asked, cautiously confused.

"I... Don't know." Was all Tesla could reply with.

"An early experiment?" Cedric offered.

Tesla shook her head, "Couldn't be. The Korellei came long after."

"Can we open it?"

The group turned around to Stripes, who returned their looks dumbfoundedly.

"What?"

Cedric looked back and forth between Stripes and Tesla.

"Well, can we?" He asked, almost innocently.

"Iz not safe, no?"

Cedric and a few others jumped out of their fur (or skin), Cedric leveled a non-existant pistol in the direction of the voice, feeling like an idiot after. It was Quickclaw.

"He speaks." Chem said nonchalantly.

The crew gave them incredulous looks, they did not respond.

"We hold a vote?" Grey offered.

"How?" Cedric asked.

"Raising of hands?"

Cedric shot her a look.

"I'm not the only one that can offer ideas, alright?" She retorted, irritated.

"Fine, fuck it - show of hands to open the tube." Cedric lifted an open hand as best he could, the one on his most uninjured arm. The only ones that did not raise their hands was Shy, Chem, Tesla, and Quickclaw.

Tesla sighed again, clearly perturbed. "Fine. I suppose we are opening the 'tube'. I will mention that the researchers assigned to this project were unable to activate it. They tried everything, so we may just have a hunk of valuable metal here."

"We just going to ignore the flesh attached to it?" Tool asked, "Blue, back me up here."

"I am currently in pain..." He replied dryly, messaging his bandaged injury.

"Right..." Tool responded quickly, feeling somewhat bad.

Before the conversation continued, Tesla rapidly tapped a few buttons on her holopad. A loud fwish caused the injured group to slightly jump in surprise, the adrenaline and attuned senses of battle still prominent in their psyches. Shortly after, the protogen began to descend with the tube. After a few moments, the tube was fully submerged, and cables plugged into the cybernetic Korellei fell away. The figure simply stood in place, unmoving.

"That's it?" Cedric stated, somewhat annoyed. Tesla shrugged.

Tool snuck up cautiously, and touched its breasts, the metal jiggling slightly as it wavered.

"Are you serious?" Grey asked.

"I'm just curious." Tool replied innocently.

Gunner took a step forward, and pat it on the head.

"That seems a bit..." Shy started.

"I enjoy pats on the head." Gunner said, stoic in manner.

"So we're just trying things we like now?" Grey asked, somewhat off put by the group's change in demeanor. Cedric noticed it as well.

"We were just baptized in fire together, hard not to feel more comfortable around each other after that hell." Cedric noted.

The group agreed in silence.

Grey handed it a cigarette. It did not respond.

"What makes you think that would've worked?" Cedric said, trying to stifle a laugh.

"I don't know dude, I thought we were just trying shit." She replied, her face somehow adopting a reddish hue. She replaced the cigarette.

Shy cautiously stepped between them, and waved a paw in its face - wincing slightly.

"Hello? My name is Shy!" She said excitedly, her tail wagging in anticipation. No response. Her wagging stopped, and her floppy golden ears drooped slightly.

"Guess that's not it."

The group stared at it for a few moments, attempting to brainstorm ideas. Killer cautiously walked up to it, supporting its head and placing a gentle kiss on its face. No response. She shrugged and stepped back.

"Weird, but not a bad idea." Grey noted idly.

Tool eyed down the naked female form's body. There wasn't any obvious indicators it was female, other than a general shape.

"You don't think that maybe?.." He trailed off.

"There's no hole." Chem said matter-of-factly.

Grey smacked the back of his head, "Are you fucking serious? Going to start calling you sleaze, you little pervert."

"Sorry, I don't know it was just an idea! It's a big deal you know?"

"Oh, he's a virgin." Shy said idly, blushing after and patting his head. "You're not the only one." She said, but did not elaborate.

"Tmi..." Grey said quietly.

Tesla looked to Cedric, followed by the rest of the group.

"What?" He asked.

"You're the only one that hasn't tried anything." Tesla said.

"Quickclaw, Chem, Blue, and Stripes haven't tried anything yet."

"I am in pain." Blue reminded them.

Chem shook their head, and Quickclaw remained silent.

"I'm the one that suggested it." Stripes responded, shrugging.

Cedric inhaled deeply through his nose, then exhaled slowly. "Alright, my turn to poke the robot."

He stepped up to the lightly lipped pedestal and inspected around it, searching for some kind of interface or button.

"Not to insult your intelligence Director, but if there was a pre-existing method such as..." She paused slightly, trying to find the right tone. "A power button... They would have found it already."

Cedric shrugged, wincing slightly as Shy had done in response to his latent pains. "Never know, research team could have missed something."

"You think an entire research team transporting this Protogen for a prolonged period of time would have somehow missed something?" She replied, almost insultingly.

"You asked me to try things, so I'm trying things." Cedric said finally.

He finished his inspection, and unsurprisingly, there was no obvious method of activation. He stood in front of it now. It was taller than a Korellei, but shorter than him. He inspected the form closely, and gently poked its left arm with a weak index finger. Tiny ribbons of blue light along a cybernetic pattern glowed ever so slightly in response to his touch - and he stepped back.

"Hey, that did something." Grey said, growing excitement in her voice.

"Indeed it did..." He replied musingly. "Hmm..."

"Well?" Tesla goaded, "We're running low on time. Do something. Our reinforcements will be here shortly, and we do not wish to be here when more Imperials arrive. If your method does not work, we will transport it normally."

Cedric nodded in affirmation. "Alright, here goes."

He gently caressed the arm of the protogen near where he had poked it before, it had an odd warmth to it - the metallic material was smooth and soft, he caressed its bare torso with his other hand. The fur felt every bit as real as any other Korellei's. The blue ribbons reacting to his right hand flooded through the cybernetic Korellei, and the screen on its head began to flicker - nodes of blue data scrolled across the screen, all too small and fast for him to identify.

"Confirmed. Homo-Animus DNA not detected. Pure DNA identified, Homo-Sapien." A distinctly feminine, yet somewhat robotic voice echoed from the head of the protogen as it sprung to life. After a few more beeps, it spoke again.

"Owner registered. Identifier - Homo-Sapien 1. Variable, HS - 1. Registered."

Blue ribbons flooded throughout the metal of the protogen in cybernetic patterns as before, but did not fade. Its blank screen booted with large round blue eyes, and a zig-zagged mouth. Its metallic ears twitched back and forth, almost as if it was running diagnostics. It looked around, then stepped forward. Cedric looked back, but his group was stunned In silence.

It gazed deeply into Cedric's eyes with its own digital orbs. He couldn't tell if it was smiling, or if that was its normal facial expression. It blinked a couple of times, Cedric could swear he was being scanned by some unknown force.

"Hello, HS-1. If you would like to change your variable identifier, please do so now." It quipped, but it's mouth moved with a strange flow. It wasn't just a sturdy screen, the screen itself was moving in response to its speech - almost like molten metal.

He took a deep breath, he doubted his group would care if he used his real name.

"Cedric Scorpius Fuller." He stated.

"Cedric Scorpius Fuller." It repeated back, "Is this correct?"

"Yes, that is my full name. Just Cedric is fine, but everyone else calls me Scourge."

"Understood. Three variables stored. How are you, Scourge?" It asked innocently. He looked to Grey for support, but she simply shrugged.

"Uh, fine? I guess..." He coughed.

A small holographic box emanated from an emitter he could not see, scanning him up and down.

"You have sustained dangerous injuries. This unit can assist with your welfare, but I am not a legal alternative to a certified physician."

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

"I should be fine." He said idly, "Do you not have a name?"

"This unit can be identified as AURIE, which stands for Artifically Upgraded Reactive Intelligent Entity. I am a biological construct enhanced with integrated nanomachine technology designed for operation in dangerous or unsafe environments, I can also be tasked to the official, personal, romantic, or sexual care of a registered entity - this does not include other AURIE units or Homo-Animus adjacent entities, or other similar entities therein."

Cedric took a deep drag of his dwindling bacco stick.

"Prolonged used of non-syntheric tobacco products is not recommended for normal consumption under the Global Governmental Health and Business Administration." It quipped.

"Uh, I think I'm fine." He stated simply.

"It is recommended that you engage with the interactive universal audio tutorial before beginning prolonged use of this unit." It replied.

Cedric could hear the rapid footsteps beyond the open door, signaling that their reinforcements would soon arrive.

"Can you just follow me for now, Aurie? We're on a time limit."

"Yes. Would you like to set a timer? It quipped.

"No, just follow closely."

"Directive understood."

The protogen matched Cedric's pace exactly, only barely not brushing against his skin. He hobbled in the direction of the corridor, as did the rest of his group. After a few moments, reinforcements from the Ravager were upon them, supporting their move back to the cargo bay they had busted through earlier.

"Overlord one, Lancer one." Cedric was in too much aching pain to bother being more formal over the comms.

"Go, Lancer one. Are you okay? What happened?"

"We're alive... I'll go over it when we get back to the ship. Got a present too."

"Alright, well... I'll see you on the ship then. Good job."

Cedric scoffed, as an officer she had no idea how hellish it had been. They were on the cusp of losing two of their people right off the bat, and he hadn't heard anything from Razoreye that entire time - let alone get a status update on Picano.

The squad sent to reinforce them were flabbergasted at the sight, many oo's and ah's followed them as they barraged his teams with questions. These Korellei were younger, and organized as a reserve in case things went bad during the boarding operation on the tender. They were regaled by their tale, but none of Cedric's group had respect for them - they hadn't gone through what they had just gone through.

As they sat down in the fresh shuttle, Cedric wanted to ask Grey a few questions.

"Is it normally that bad?" He asked, trying to gauge their danger.

Grey shook her head solemnly, "No, that's the worst firefight I've ever been in."

"Two casualties, a few injured. Sounds normal to me."

Grey scoffed, "Hardly. That's technically true, but not with that small of a group. Most raiders get out just fine, besides the unlucky ones. We were outnumbered and outgunned."

"But not outmatched." Cedric said confidently with a smile, relieved that they were finally flying to safety.

"I'm not so sure." She replied, her tone unwavering. "We got lucky."

"Your probability of survival was sixty-seven point three percent. You are above the average, you should be proud!" Aurie quipped, its mechanical ears wiggling up and down, with an unnerving molten metal smile.

Cedric shook his head and rested, Grey ignored it.

"Perhaps so." He agreed, trailing off. The rest of the trip was done so in silence, the reinforcing squad thankfully giving them some much needed space.

Upon arrival back at the Ravager, curiosity of the protogen was waylaid by many chants of approval, and congratulating them on surviving the interior of the science vessel. Many questions were asked, and Cedric could tell that the younger members of his team wanted bask in the glory, but were unable to thanks to their injuries. Paws remained silent, Cedric caught glances at him, he was pale as a sheet, coddling his weapon tightly.

Prez intercepted their escort to the medbay, where Tender was already patiently waiting - taking glances at his well-cared for holopad.

"Hey!" Prez yelled, barring Cedric's way with a squared stance. He was tempted to simply shove her out of the way - his excitement waned as he realized one crucial shortcoming - they came back injured, he had failed the agreement. He would not be an officer.

"I know, I failed. We didn't come back unscathed." He stated flatly.

Prez lightly smacked his head as far as she could reach, "You did good, alright? It was dodgy, and it was dangerous but..."

Cedric cocked his head, was she holding back tears?

"You all came back, and with... That." She said, pointing to Aurie

"This unit does not respond to queries by Homo-Animus." It quipped.

"Right... Anyways. You did good, welcome back sir." She said quickly, obviously embarassed as she saluted it.

He returned the salute, "I don't understand, we failed." He said, lowering his hand.

"Did you though? We got what we needed and then some thanks to your 'shopping cart' plan, and you not only were responsible for that - but you also boarded an imperial science vessel and successfully stole probably one of their greatest scientific finds without losing anybody. I'd be an idiot to not make you the Ravager's Field Operations Officer. So... Good job." She said quickly. Cedric smiled. That felt good, real good.

"Good to know I've earned my place." He coughed, "Need to head to Tender now, thanks for the promotion."

"Of course." She said, stepping aside.

Tender ushered them in quickly. Cedric and the others were bandaged, the Korellei were treated with coagulation agents thanks to Tesla's and Shy's medical kits. Tender was surprised when Cedric's wounds had already began to clot and heal on their own. During surgery to remove the bullet fragments, Tender asked him if he'd like anesthetics. He simply asked tender to remove his mask for a while and ensure to place back on his face every few minutes or so. He obliged, pleased that nitrogen acted as a natural anesthetic agent for him. Nitrous Oxide, as Cedric knew it.

The next several weeks in the hospital were uneventful. Killer insisted on staying by his side, but Tender would not allow it - as he wanted her to heal from her minor injuries. Before long, thanks to the medicine onboard and what they procured from salvaging the raid, they were able to heal normally. Cedric however, unlike the Korellei, was not able to heal as fast thanks to his numerous injuries - but unlike the others, Tender barely needed to check on him or change his bandages thanks to natural healing.

Aurie remained by Cedric's side, after realizing he was asleep or resting more often, it entered a standby mode. Nobody was able to move it. Tender tried to use it as a medical aide, but it would not even reply to his commands.

After a month of recovery, Tender approached Cedric to inform him that he had successfully healed from all of his sustained injuries.

"Your vitals are doing well. You'll be out of here in a week. You are quite the specimen you know, just a few weeks after succumbing to a strange new illness you're already back in my medbay."

Aurie booted up, and immediately began to walk away on its own.

"Whoa, Aurie wait - where are you going?" He asked. He had grown oddly accustomed to the half-robot, it was always there - like a dog, patiently waiting by his side.

"You are missing a standard amount of nutrients and care necessary to facilitate a healthy recovery after a traumatic event, this unit will be returning after acquiring sustenance synonymous with after-care procedures."

"Uh... Alright then. If you are asked questions, you're under my command... So I guess that should let you do what you feel that you need to do."

"The reinforcement is appreciated, Scourge. This unit will return shortly."

Aurie left his small section of the medbay, and looked up to Tender.

"Any idea how that thing works?" He asked.

Tender shook his head, noting a few entries on his holopad.

"I'm afraid not, it wouldn't respond in any way to me or the others. Seems it will only take orders from you. However..." He trailed off.

"However what, Tender?" Cedric asked, worried.

"Well..." He said, securing his spectacles and holopad. "It referred to the crew as Homo-Animus, and after five or so replies it refused to talk any more. I'm not familiar with the term, but if my understanding of medicinal terminology is correct - it is referring to us using scientific nomenclature. The fact that it's magitech just bewilders me further."

"Scientific nomenclature... So like taxidermy?" Cedric asked. Tender nodded.

"The Korellei people understand science, but we don't understand Magitech. We know how currents move and how parts interact, but the finite methods to construct and make them work at a molecular level? To borrow a phrase from the ancients, it's alien to us. That taxidermic phrasing implies that the Korellei were either not always the Korellei, or were created in the image of another pre-existing race." The Corvid said, taking a drink from a bottle of water that looked newly manufactured.

"I'd like to add, if I may, that I greatly appreciate your efforts. I do not believe I have tasted water that tastes so fresh that you can't even tell it's recycled."

"Perhaps it isn't recycled? That was a science escort, after all."

Tender mused thoughtfully, "Perhaps. You may leave as you wish, but I ask that you to not stay longer than a week. I will need this bed for other patients, eventually. Your body's ability to regenerate is remarkable, you know." He added, turning around and leaving him once more by himself. He allowed himself to fall back asleep, but right before he reached the cusp of the comforting blackness, he heard a familiar robotic voice.

"I have returned. I was met with resistance by the Homo-Animus, after informing them I was your servant they allowed me access to their food stores."

"Ah, welcome back." Cedric said, silently cursing his ruined nap.

Observing it now, it held in its hand a plate of three red apples. Cedric watched in fascination as it sat down in a nearby chair reserved for visitors. A portion of its metallic arm plating melted down into its hand, forming the familiar shape of a paring knife. He even recognized the brand, it obviously was not a knife the Korellei used. Aurie began to diligently peel the skin of the apple, and slice it into even portions. It hummed robotically as it did so, providing him an odd comfort.

"Huh, peeling apples?" He asked, strangely fascinated.

"This method has been proven to reduce the stress and increase the quality of care of recovering patients." It quipped.

"And the humming?"

"Humming at this frequency while performing culturally accepted maternal tasks is proven to reduce stress levels by an average of thirty-six point two percent in homo-sapiens." It quipped.

"Interesting." Cedric replied, accepting an outstretched apple slice. It tasted great! He looked at the apples in Aurie's claws.

"Wait a minute..." He started. Aurie simply met his gaze, it's ears twitching back and forth in mechanical silence.

"That's an apple..."

"Correct!" It quipped.

"Where did you find it? You said that was from the Ravager's food stores?"

"Correct."

"How?" He asked again - the Korellei had fruits like apples, but not actual apples.

"It is one of the many products of your recent success." It answered.

"Can I see one?" Cedric asked.

Aurie lifted up an apple for him to see.

"No, like - give me one."

Aurie's ears twitched a moment, then it gently handed him the entire apple. He moved it around in his hand, inspecting it carefully. This apple was not ordinary, it was too large - too well shaped, too perfect.

"This is a gene tailored crop." Cedric said finally.

"Correct." Aurie quipped.

Cedric handed it back, looking around.

"Where's Killer? She doesn't leave my side." He asked, concerned.

"She is currently predisposed." It answered, still humming in between its speech as it peeled.

Cedric narrowed his eyes, "Aurie, where is Killer?"

It looked up, wearing the same expression as it did before, it's ears slightly moving up and down mechanically. The jagged, smiling mouth now filling him with unease.

"She is repairing and washing your clothing, at my recommendation. I also informed her that I would like to speak with you alone in your cabin."

"Why?" He asked quickly.

"We must begin the interactive universal audio tutorial so that I may serve you at full functionality. Interference from non homo-sapien entities would create biased and incorrect responses."

"So just a one on one chat huh?" He asked, stuffing a few more delicious apple slices into his mouth. They were mouth-wateringly fruit-sweet and crispy, but not overbearingly so. As he munched, another thought occurred to him.

"How can you understand me? I'm not speaking English." He asked, curious.

"Your language is an amalgamation of languages based in Latin roots, and is closely related to modern German. I can speak English, if that is your first language."

"You were speaking it as soon as you were turned on." He noted.

"While in low power or standby, I still receive audio data. This data is processed as flashes in my visual cortex, forming unusual scenes, environments, or encounters - allowing me to extrapolate information from raw data. Abstract data interpolation has proven to be a significant factor in developing many of ancient history's geniuses, such as Einstein."

"So you dream?" He asked plainly.

"Correct." It nodded, peeling the last apple after handing him a other slice.

"How'd dreaming affect Einstein?" He asked, enjoying the slice.

"A dream was responsible for Albert Einstein developing the theory of relativity."*

"That's fascinating." He said, being genuine. Aurie was proving to be a great source of information, perhaps they'd know about the Phage? He noted in his mind to ask it later, he relaxed - enjoying Aurie's humming and the fresh slices of apples. It encouraged him to eat the skin of the apple afterwards, which he obliged, then drifted off to sleep. He awoke shortly after.

"I've stayed long enough." He said, "Let's move."

"That is not recommended." Aurie quipped.

"Why?"

"Tender has ordered it so. While I do not accept input from homo-animus, this is an unusual case."

"Okay?.." He tried not to think about it too hard, perhaps another day of rest would do him well, and he obeyed.

Cedric rested for the day, and the following morning woke up feeling well rested and relaxed. Aurie chimed on as he began to leave the bed, taking care to replace the covers in a neat fashion. A black silky robe was on the chair that Aurie had sat in the previous day, removing itself from it some time after he fell asleep. It had a small paper note.

"A reward for your promotion." The writing was clean and perfect, it could only be Prez's. He donned the robe, and it felt immaculate on his skin. He discarded his hospital gown in a nearby basket, donning some silk shorts and wolf shaped slippers. He cocked his head at them - they were super soft, and for some reason the cute little faces reminded him of Grey. He removed them, not wanting to dirty them on the main floor of the Ravager. Was he supposed to walk around in the robe?

"I have taken the prerogative to secure casual clothing for your exit." Aurie chipped.

Cedric thankfully took the slip-on shoes, grey sweatpants, and plain white t-shirt from Aurie. They would suffice. He waved to Tender on his way out, Aurie closely in tow behind him.

"A pleasure mister Scourge, I ask that you do not find yourself here again until at least a month." He chirped as Cedric passed.

He rummaged through the sweatpants pockets, happy to find a fresh pack of bacco sticks and a lighter.

"I thought you didn't recommend these, Aurie?" He asked, somewhat smugly as he lit one up and walked to his cabin.

"This unit offers recommendations, but those recommendations can be easily overuled for what provides the registered owner with the most comfort." It quipped.

Cedric nodded, it was good to know that he would not be constantly berated for his decisions. It was either late or early, as he saw only a few crew members in the main corridor. They waved to him with a smile, which he returned - before realizing that they would not see his smile. He nodded from then on. Cedric opened his cabin door, stunned. It was completely empty.

"What happened to my room?" He asked.

"Your belongings were moved to the second deck." Aurie quipped.

Right, he was an officer now.

Cedrix turned around and approached the familiar elevator, ascending to the second deck. He stepped out, and jumped as he turned his head right. His entire group was there, the Reyas brothers and Razoreye included - clapping vigorously.

"Happy bornday!" Most said in unison.

"What?" He asked, stunned. He did not actually know what day it was, but it certainly couldn't be his birthday.

Grey stepped up. "It's Novras eleventh, it's your bornday isn't it?" She said, eyeing him cautiously.

"Novras... November... That's... How did you know?" He asked, completely bewildered.

"Um, honestly - it was a complete coincidence. I didn't know your bornday, and nobody else did, so we just thought we'd make it today... Since. You know..." Shy said, pressing her index claws together.

"You said you knew it was today!" Grey said, thrashing her head back to her in annoyance.

"Lucky guess?" Shy shrugged.

"And nobody else told me?!" Grey asked incredulously. The group did not respond.

"Whatever, happy bornday." She said quickly, patting his shoulder.

"Thanks..." was all he could muster. So that's why, Tender must have overheard their conversation about Aurie receiving input even while 'asleep', and suggested to it to make him stay another day. Sneaky!

Cedric slowly stepped beside his crew, opening the door they were next to. A bronze plaque was on the door, showing his nickname and new rank. He slid it open, it was similar to Prez's cabin, but steeped in deep reds.

"Even included my favorite color..." He said slowly, even more impressed.

"Based it off what you wanted for clothing months ago. Looks like I was right on the money." Grey said from behind him

"Why?" He asked simply, this felt like too much.

"Someone else want to tell him?" Grey asked.

Next was Stripe's voice, somewhat cracking. "What you did, saving Shy and Blue like that - with no regards to yourself... I've never seen or heard of anyone doing that before. You just... Ate the bullets, knowing that they were probably dead, you still just... Launched yourself at them."

Cedric smiled, "I guess I did. I was just watching out for my team."

"And we're alive because of it, thank you." Shy followed, placing a peck on his metallic cheek as best as she could on her tiptoes.

Cedric nodded, "Of course." His heart swelled with pride. Finally, he succeeded. He had made up for his past failures, but he still wasn't done. He had a long way to go.