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She lifted up a bag of glowing blue liquid that looked suspiciously like the goo that the Osiris had tossed him into to evolve him in the first place.

It has the same components, only it is more potent, the Osiris told him. You could know exactly what it is if you wished--

Sometimes I want to be surprised, Jace interrupted, but gently. There’s too much information in my head already. I assume you and the doctor know what you’re doing.

Yes. The Osiris sounded almost mollified.

“Do you wish me to explain,” Dr. Isa began.

But Jace shook his head. “No, as I was just telling the Osiris, there are some things I simply don’t need to know. I’m happy to delegate them.”

She nodded, understanding. He did look away when she inserted a line into the back of his right hand.

“There will be just a pinch,” she told him.

It was always more than a pinch. Always.

“The one question I have for you, doctor, is will it get me back on my feet quickly?” Jace asked. “There’s lots to do.”

“Yes, but if you push yourself too quickly you will be set back,” she warned him gently.

He watched as the blue goo slowly traveled down the plastic tubing and into his hand. The moment the goo entered his body he thought he felt a little cooler in temperature. Dr. Isa again checked the rate at the infusion and cast his vitals as a hologram next to his head so she could easily keep an eye on them.

“Are you okay, Dr. Isa?” Jace asked.

She focused on him again, her expression serene. “I am most well, Pilot.”

“But the battle in space and--”

“Your father took good care of us,” she assured him.

He smiled. The Osiris had hinted that his father had performed “adequately” which was high praise for the AI for someone not the Pilot. He’d already analyzed the battle and there was plenty he wanted to change before they met with the Khul again.

He’d also spoken to his father and his mother on their respective ships. Both were fine. Or claimed they were. No, they were. They were soldiers. Warriors. People ready to meet adversity and overcome it without allowing it to deter them. His mother would be arriving soon with General Intoshkin, but his father would remain aboard the Osiris until he returned. It was clear to him that an “adequate” replacement for Jace needed to remain aboard to guide things and his father had easily slid into that role.

Yet while his parents had weathered the storm, had everyone else? He studied Dr. Isa’s profile. She moved with a graceful efficiency that he’d noticed in her from the first. There were no wasted movements. There was also no downtime either. He could tell that she was purposeful about everything she did, never losing concentration on what was before her. He admired how “in the moment” she was. Ready for anything yet not dwelling on what would come next.

“How do you feel, Dr. Isa?” Jace asked. “I know that you’ve been through fire fights before, but…”

“You hoped that things wouldn’t be so exciting on our first day in space?” she guessed with a grin.

He nodded.

“I will not lie to you. It was frightening and I worried that we were not prepared,” she told him, her eyes going distant as she remembered what had happened. “But it solidified for me--and I think for all of the crew--the reason we are fighting the Khul. They are not monsters because they are different from us with different goals. No, they are monsters because--”

“They’re monsters,” Jace finished.

It was her turn to nod. “Lieutenant-Commander Davies and Flight-Commander Pyrrus explained in small part what it was like here. So I should really be the one asking how you are?”

Jace opened his mouth to say he was “fine”. Of course, he was fine! He was the Pilot. But there was something about Dr. Isa that made him feel he could tell her the truth without losing her confidence in him.

“To be honest, I’m not sure,” he said softly.

His eyes were on Khoth and the knot of people petting Chili who Dr. Kerr was trying to eat some local vegetables. Khoth seemed fine too. Better than fine. As if in this moment what had happened before with the Khul hadn’t happened at all.

“What are you not sure about?” Dr. Isa settled herself on the bed beside him.

“Where to start.” He gave her a lopsided grin. “There’s so many places we can start.”