"Enlisting was running away. Now I'm correcting that.&q

(Continued from here)

Allstar?" the figure retorted, refusing to even give Elisa the benefit of eye-contact as she watched the waves of space rolling before the shuttle.

"No, A-li-star. It's Miles' middle name. You should know that." Elisa kept a close eye on the various instruments that adorned the control panel.

"I do not understand the context. You should put away childish things Elisa and concentrate on your goal. Our goal." it said to her.

Elisa completely ignored the voice's comment. "You sound so much like Miles it's uncanny. And I'm not reusing 'Milly' again. So, 'Alistar'."

Alistar wasn't at all pleased by her host's choice. "This is inappropriate, Elisa. Something you call an animal."

Elisa smirked. It made her angry, and she knew it - and desired it. "Well, isn't that what you are? You seem like one to me, anyway."

Allstar cleared her throat, rising her bosom with her crossed arms in a slow huffed sigh. "This is inappropriate and I will not stand for it. What is our flight-path ETA, Elisa?"

"Assuming the gunship hasn't moved...3 days. And then we have to pass by Hanako's Star..." Elisa then got a thought. "...but we may be able to acquire better transportation on Nepleslia, which would take us far less time even if we changed course now."

"Seems feasible. I assume you have a working knowledge of the equipment you took with you.."

"All of it but Miles' inventions...and his memory module. I'll be damned if I can figure that out." It was strange, speaking to Alistar...she was a new face, but to Elisa, it was like she was someone she had always known.

"I see. So his memories and thus consciousness live on. Excellent." Alistar said, one leg now propped over her knee.
"Should we return him to his parents? Or take him to Lor with us?"

"With us. It would be best if we respected his last wishes and gave him a perfect copy of his own Nepelsian body which I'm confident we can make."

"...I don't suppose you can tell me more about yourself. Specifically, the part of you that's from a long-dead alien race."

"I am not sure I am able to accommodate but I will answer what I can. What do you wish to know?"

"What you call yourselves, for one." Every race had a name, after all.

"We.. Well. Considering I am a part of you, it is inappropriate to use that moniker. They have no name under our vocal language. I am confident that a name will be found."

"I'm becoming one of them...or us. Your presence there proves that..." Elisa closed her eyes as she calculated the ETA to Nepleslia.

Allistar sat back and watched the stars, patiently waiting. "Indeed. You had questions?"

"We should be there in 8 hours. ...what was it like, when the species was alive?"

"Immense. During the peak, it was difficult to tell the boundaries between individuals. Afterwards, there were many conflicts which forced them to adapt for war."

"War does that. Am I right in assuming that you...or we, when dealing with bipeds, took the form you're taking right now?"

"Not necessarily. A common form is a quadraped but because of your social sigmas against such things, it was better as a psychological weapon to have two legs, two arms and a concern-able head."

"If Rebeka and you are any indication...they were eerily attractive." Elisa sat back and shed her Star Army uniform - where she was going, they didn't need <s>roads</s> ranks.

Allistar insisted on keeping her black-gray uniform which indicated the rank of taisa. Her eyes however, noted Elisa's form for a moment. "Hm.."

Elisa noted the stare and grinned wickedly. "That, and you don't seem to be immune to the proportions of the humanoid anatomy...'phi', huh? Interesting concept you have here."

"I'm afraid I do not understand the context. I exist here as an assist construct within your psyche and while I have a deep insight into your thoughts, many of your terms escape me at this time because the integration isn't complete."

"It's the golden ratio...often found in forms in nature. Psychologically, most humanoid species find it attractive. Any rectangle constructed of Phi, when a square section is removes, leaves a similar figure."

Elisa blinked. "...since when do I know anything about abstract mathematics?"

"I meant my 'immunity' or lack thereof, Elisa."

"...you're rubbing off on me already." Opening one of her bags, Elisa rooted for something more appropriate. "I meant that you seemed to be staring at me with eyes that were less than platonic."

"I'm examining the body I will be using, should you be unable to continue." Allistar stated bluntly. "I need to be aware of every facet of your body so I am able to estimate the psychological responses of others."

"By judging your own responses, I would think." Elisa found her leather airbike suit and cocked her head to the side. "Will this do?"

"Indeed but I would suggest light armor of some manner otherwise you provide an eyeful to too many and risk damage."

"This is pretty tough itself...have you ever fallen off an airbike before?" Elisa kept rooting through her bag. "I think I may have to change my hair while I'm there...until I'm complete enough to change my shape."

"I see."

"Any specific reason?"

"A lot of people are going to be looking for me that I don't want to be fou-" A spectre ran through Elisa's memory as she spoke, as though calling her. "There's...something on Nepleslia. Wreckage, of some sort."

"I don't know where it is either. Are you really that interested in finding it?"

"If it's anything like the gunship, I think it'll be more than useful for my purposes."

"I see..."

"So what shall we do to pass the time?" Elisa's double entendre was clear.

"I know where this is going. I suggest sleep."

Elisa sighed and shook her head. "Well...it would really only be masturbation, wouldn't it?"

"I'm not interested in such things."

"A pity. You seem like a worthy companion."

(10:56:14 PM) FM: ON: Funky City, Nepleslia

It had been a very long time since she set foot on this place. Years, even.

Elisa came with a friend or two for a 'business deal' - essentially illegal trafficking of substances that were somewhat rare on the Nepleslian surface. Her experience there was memorable, if not exactly pleasant - the kind of thing you did once and forgot about.

With this in mind, Elisa attempted to come up with some kind of map for the city from her memory...useless, considering how much the city changed. She may have been rather enticing in her airbike suit to the sex-starved populace, but she was also armed with enough weapons to draw away most casual onlookers.

"That smell, those sounds... this heaven or hell?" A distinctive voice sounded in Elisa's head from the moment she stepped foot on Nepleslia. The voice carried a tone of nostalgia, and a touch of sorrow, it was the good Doctor Gunn. "This may be home... but this is not your home, pilot. What brings you here?"

I'm here to bring you back to life, among other things, Elisa said with a smile, relishing in the familiar voice. But first, I need a new look.

Define. came the crisp voice of 'Alistar'.

"Just grow an Adam's apple and they won't pay much attention to you." Miles' voice soon followed behind the confused Sourcian response.

First, I change my appearance slightly...enough to throw off Yamataian pursuers until I'm more complete and can do it myself. Then, I find the Gunn family and enlist their help in finding the wreckage. The sights and sounds of the city were quite chaotic; however, Elisa welcomed it, with its stark contrast to Kyoto. She could do without the smells, though.

"Elisa, I suggest you dress in something a bit less form fitting, and look less clean cut, less Yamataian. Fit the part of looking like a Nepleslian." Miles' voice was as matter-of-fact as ever. "Also, my folks are going to want to know why you're poking around, they're weary of strange people showing up out of nowhere saying they know me."

Perhaps due to the law lore, stealing attire for the moment may be feasible. came the other voice in tandem with Miles'.

"Hide the guns too. Remember Kennewes, the reason they were fighting was because the Greens were cracking down on that shit... this time it won't be your arm that gets blown off." Miles' voice chimed in soon after, like some sort of psychological duet.

No stealing...Is there anywhere I can get my hair done, perchance? The guns, for the most part, were within the bag that Elisa had upon her side. I have an ace in the hole for your parents, Miles...don't worry.

"Elisa, you're a Yamataian and now a Sourcian... just grow your hair." Miles sounded somewhat condescending.

I can't control hemosynth like that and I'm not Sourcian enough for that yet. Besides...I'm looking for a bit more than simple growth. In her head, she was sorting through images of women that she had seen on the networks and elsewhere...finally settling on one, and making a few minor modifications. This will do.

Actions must be taken in place of deliberation. Allistar stated flatly.

Elisa ignored Alistar; she was getting quite good at it when she found the woman was getting too dominant for her own good. Miles, look at this picture and tell me where I should go to start looking like that. Ignore the physical changes for now and just focus on what I can control.

The lingering presence of Miles evaluated the mental picture within Elisa. "I knew some people back in medschool who could do a good slice and dice job and get it done pretty quick... just follow your 'gut', I'll guide you to his... or her... place and you can get a nice make-over, inside and out."

Just 'out' will do for now, Elisa said, as she closely followed the image in her head.

Miles' guidance quieted down a bit, but Elisa could get a feel for why, a sense of sadness.

Speak, Elisa instructed Miles in an unnerving way.

"Don't push it... I'll tell you where to go..." The feel from the voice inside her head indicated that the echo of Miles was becoming a bit shaken. "I haven't been here for years... and now, I see it all again... and I can't even live it... left, then take another left at the next intersection..."

FM: Elisa took both lefts. She frowned somewhat that Alistar was silent, but she had things to do with her time, with the body she resided within. You will live again, you know. When I say something's going to happen, it happens, right?"

He will. Allistar said. She had become conservative with her words to avoid Elisa's retorts as a form of punishment.

"True enough. Right." Miles' voice directed, Elisa could almost feel his presence pushing against her own as he watched through her eyes. "Keep your eyes ahead, the building in the left side of your vision is a chemical den. Look too hard, you'll get shot. They'll think you're a narc."
"Chemical Den"?

Drug factory, Elisa informed Alistar, keeping her gaze ahead.

"To be exact, it's a manufacturing location for chemicals that alter the function of the organic systems of a Nepleslian or in some cases, Yamataian body, and mind." Miles' voice explained as they passed the building. As they walked by, a momentary flash within one of the windows indicated the usage of a plasma weapon. A scream inside could be heard from the guy who was on the bad end of the shot, soon followed by laughter from at least three different people.

Mind you, not every drug is illegal...but it's more profitable to manufacture both in one facility. The pilot didn't even bother looking at the unfortunate man who was shot. Tell me about your parents so I won't be completely uninformed when I get there.

"My father, Brenden, is in his mid fifties. He has put on a little weight, but he still looks as strong as an ox. His wit is more like a fox's though. Don't let him get under your skin... he likes to tease a bit." The voice of Miles within Elisa's head sighed as a feeling of recollection washed through her head. "My mother, Jessica, she is in her early fifties, but she does not look a day past thirty five. She'll welcome you with open arms if you're not rude. But if you bite, she'll bite back twice as hard."

Why does that sound familiar? Soon, Elisa stopped in front of the place Miles pointed out. If this doesn't work...I'll kill you.

"Just say this, 'Brenden Gunn, I am here as a friend of the family, and I have shed blood with your son, as a comrade, and a friend'... or some such, he has a respect for such classic ideals." The voice explained distantly, he seemed to be off in another world as a series of images passed through Elisa's mind of another time all together. A vivid overlay of a time long ago was pressed over the view before her, a young boy, with much less grey hair, was sat upon the steps before the home.

* * *

KA-THUMP! Back at the landing site, the shuttle Elisa had stolen vaporized itself in a bright white flash.

* * *

Luckily, due to the Law of Equal Plot Contrivance, Elisa had placed her things in a secure location beforehand, leaving the objects she brought with her intact, but the shuttle relegated to oblivion.

Elisa walked toward the home that Miles once resided in, looking down at the young boy on the steps.

The memory subsided, and Elisa stood in front of the door, knocking.

"Duck" Came the voice of Miles', in his ever so casual and matter of fact tone.

Elisa scowled, but did as asked. This is ridiculous...

The door opened inwards quickly, a man standing at around 5'9 stood in the doorway, his well toned but old arms held a rather imposing double barrel semi-automatic shotgun within his grasp. It was pointed at where Elisa's head would have been. "Who the hell are ya and what are you doing here?" The voice was heavy with an accent that none on Yamatai had, and one that only came from Miles' mouth when he was drunken to hell.

...this is a warm welcome, wouldn't you say? Elisa stood up and scowled. "My name is Elisa Metea. I knew your son, and served with him on Yamatai...and, well, I need your help."

"Knowing him and serving with him are one thing. Does he like you and what do you think of him?" The elder Gunn aimed his shotgun at Elisa still, his grassy green eyes were cold and focused as he watched her, apparently, strangers were not welcomed easily on Nepleslia.

"Well, I like him, but not in the way you'd want me too, unfortunately. As for what I think of him, well...he makes a poor soldier, but he's a fine man." It was honesty, but skewed to appeal to Brendan Gunn's sensibilities. "...unfortunately, Brendan...he's dead."

Brenden's eyes softened as he still held the shotgun in Elisa's direction. "Prove it." He said, his voice wavering as his solid worker's hands shook slighty. His pale cheeks became flushed as he looked upon the stranger bearing such news.

Elisa's hands searched her bag and pulled out a cybernetic memory module - the very same one that was, until recently, connected to Miles' brain. "...I can't discuss my reasons, but I recently left Yamatai. I need transportation, fast and undetectable...and I need to find something in the mountain range."

"I... I told him not to go there..." Brenden frowned visibly as he lowered the weapon and waved to Elisa to enter. "Jessica... come down, it's safe, and there is bad news."

The creaking of the artifical hardwood floors could be heard as Jessica Gunn strode down the stairs at the other end of the enterance area of the home. Her clothes consisted of a rather plain brown blouse and skirt. Her body shown her age, light wrinkles adorned her cheeks beside her lips, and spread from the corners of her eyes. Her hair was as silvery as her son's. Even though her face shown age, her body still looked strong for a Nepleslian, she had the build of a well-fed but well worked mother and wife.

Elisa stepped inside the home, brushing hair from her face as she sighed. "They...he was dying. They transferred him into a Yamataian body...from what I understand, he went quite insane. I was unconscious at the time, though." Suddenly, Elisa felt a wave of nausea, and she knew that her body's changes were coming far more quickly than she imagined.

Jessica frowned as she looked at Elisa. "Dear, you don't look too well..." She trailed off as she observed Elisa, not wanting to be overbearing or pushy.

Brenden on the other hand held his hand out. "Give me the module." He demanded as he put his shotgun in the umbrella rack beside the door.

"I'm afraid I can't let you keep it." Elisa's no-nonsense attitude surprised her...but then again, it really didn't, in the end. "I'm going to Lor...with their technology, I believe they can bring him back to life." However, Elisa did graciously offer the module for examination. "In a body identical to his original, I might add...I have most of his cybernetics.

"He'd want it just as he was when he was born..." Jessica said as she realised what had happened, her face was in a frown as she looked upon the data module. "How did it happen." She looked at Elisa with the same eyes as her son's and as her husband's, cold eyes which demanded the truth. "I want to know everything."

Brenden meanwhile strode into the livingroom/study, he seemed to have a slight limp in his stride as he crossed through the plainly decorated room, he strode to a desk which was piled with papers upon papers, but had a clearing within the spires of papers, where a rather plain looking computer was situated.

"I was unconscious. I don't know what happened exactly. ...I think his memories might, though." Elisa closed her eyes, knowing that what she brought here was nothing but pain...but it had to be done. Everything that had happened here...it was all a matter of circumstance, of tradition, of state of mind. And even now, she knew that all those things were changing for her. She truly had sold her soul...

"... Would you like something to eat? Something to drink?" Jessica offered, she did not know how to handle the situation, but at least the news was given in honesty.

Brenden meanwhile had wired Miles' memory module into the computer which was on his desk. The connection was made rather easily, considering the Nepleslian components. "Bastards..." He could be heard muttering as he observed the last minutes of his own son's life.

"No, not right now." Elisa refrained from looking at the viewscreen - she didn't need a reason to hate those she left behind. Though she held a newfound hatred for the Empire, she held no ill will for its pawns.

"They fucking killed him..." Brenden had since staggered into his desk chair, the father of a murdered son looked upon the memories, and the digital read-outs. "He would have been fine... the components were unharmed..." He looked upon the screen in disbelief as he watched Blueberry carry out the operation. Then the picture switched to a whole different resolution and OS HUD.

"...standing orders for Yamataian soldiers are body transfers to the NH-22 model," Elisa said bluntly. "If they thought he was in danger, that's what they had to do."

Soon, he was disgusted beyond what he could tolerate as he shut off the playback. "They did it prematurely, and they knew it... my son knew it too. Tell me, do you think my son would have helped you do what you're about to do if he were alive today, and would you have been thankful for his help, enough to reconsider any dislike which you have for him?"

There wasn't any deliberation needed for the pilot's answer. "Without a second thought."

"If he is to have a second shot at the life which he loved, and a second chance... I think he would appreciate it if you were to forgive him for his mistakes... He would help you just for that." Brenden drew a ragged steadying breath. "I would like to think over this matter for a short while... would you mind a dinner? We were going to eat soon, and I don't think we should be doing much at night... the Greens tend to pay more attention then."

"I...I think that'd be...all right..." ...it's starting. Elisa began to sway back and forth...she looked quite sick, at the moment. You two had better not let me die.

Jessica placed her tender but strong hands upon Elisa's shoulders and held her upright. "Dear, what is wrong with you? I thought you Yamataians didn't get sick!" She gently guided Elisa onto the rug upon the floor, knowing full well she could drag the Yamataian about upon the length of cloth if need be.

"I...I'm not...quite..." Things were getting hazy. It felt to Elisa like her mind was failing, and struggling to resist what it couldn't. She wanted it, but life's first role is self-preservation - and even the strongest will couldn't get rid of that instinct. "...uugh..." I really hope you get your medical expertise from your parents, Miles.

"Not a damn bit of it." Came Miles' voice from within Elisa's head. "But they do know enough to keep you from dying from the basics such as overheating, dehydration, and other basics... just don't go and start dying from neurological issues."

That...might be hard... Error messages suddenly popped up, and for the first time since she received the Yamataian body, she was reminded of its true nature. I'm bluescreening.

"From what I know, what you need to do is consciously force your hemosynth systems to shut down for the duration of the alteration." Miles' voice instructed.

Jessica meanwhile dragged Elisa upon the rug and into the guest room which was located near the stairs.

...well, since you aren't really Miles, I guess you would know something about it... But it didn't work. The safeties had overridden and the hemosynth system wouldn't shut down. Quite literally, her body was fighting a war with itself. "Uurgh...so...warm..." She was sweating like crazy; the leather airbike suit probably didn't help.

Meanwhile, Jessica had begun to bark orders at Brenden. "Brenden! Go to the fridge and get me the cold water! Bring a cloth and a cup! And don't you dare look around in here when you come back!" Jessica's motherly hands went to work as she went about removing the biker outfit from Elisa's overheating body.

Her body appeared quite strange; in some places, it seemed pristine, but in an artificial way, much like a Yamataian would be expected to have. Yet in other parts...there was a strange growth, that seemed like it was made of a literally higher quality of being. It was slightly waxy, but also silky smooth. Not even the simplest of people would be blind to Elisa's transformation now.

Jessica's eyes looked over the growth, and the Yamataian flesh, she began to look confused. "Dear... which one is the true you?" She asked as Brenden came into the room and blindly handed her what she had requested. Jessica then began to place towels soaked in cool water upon Elisa's skin.

"He...h...the one...that looks better..." It was all that Elisa could hope to say. Even now her mind was beginning to shut down. It was lucky that this didn't happen in the street, where she might have been subjected to all sorts of experiments, or simply left to die.

Brenden's voice sounded from outside of the room. "Jessica, what is wrong with her?" He sounded concerned.

Miles' mother frowned as she looked upon Elisa. "She is suffering from some sort of... infection, but it's a good kind of infection...its hard to explain."

"A mutation you mean?" Brenden asked, sounding somewhat sceptical.

"I suppose it would be best to call it that." Jessica responded.

"Them Yamataians don't do well with infections..." Brenden muttered audibly.

"S...something like that...yeah..." Her words were slurred. The pilot was finding it hard to focus...the error messages now completely obscured her vision.

Brenden muttered slightly as he thought about the situation. "We need to keep that damned blood of hers from doing that thing it does... the boys back at the factory were working on something to mess with that, that is until the Greens fucked things up..."

Elisa's eyes closed...still, it seemed the growth was winning. Whatever it was, it was simply being slowed down, not stopped.

"Dear... just let it take its course... if it is meant to be you, it shall grow." Jessica's tender hand passed over Elisa's forehead as she spoke her calming words.

ON - Elisa's Mind

Elisa woke up in a black room, sitting in a chair in the centre. Somehow, she thought she was in a pretentious art film of some sort, and she was the subject. Reality, of course, told her that she was unconscious and this was a dream, but if it was a dream, how would she know that?

There was a crisp military click to every step that paced in circles around Elisa, a voice pronouncing to her clearly. "Now now, Elisa. Can I assume you are completely familiar with the context of my existence and the objectives declared upon you?" it asked.

"Or must we go over this again in such a way that you won't forget? Crystal clear... As it were."

"You are an assist construct meant to guide me, and take over my body when my actions become undesirable or my will becomes weak...my objectives, though, I'm not really sure about. I'm becoming like you, aren't I?" It was an interrogation, plain and simple, and Elisa was about as cooperative as she would be during any interrogation.

"Well, it looks like someone is performing a miracle." Came the rather familiar voice of Miles, not part of Elisa, unless memories are truly what makes up a person. "Able to control the great and mighty Elisa? Astounding."

The response was not angered nor was it pleased on the construct's behalf. "While this is true, it is also not entirely true. My role is to remove specific information from your subconscious. Specifically, information you gathered during your time with the crew of the Sakura about many of her key technologies and methods. I am also to make sure you are suitable for the process which your body is currently undertaking. As for your assumption into my own nature, it isn't entirely accurate."

"Maybe not. This is new to me...this body wants nothing more than to stay what it is, and my will isn't quite enough...it will lose, but it might kill my mind if it takes too long." Elisa laughed slightly. "As for information removal...I would be willing to give you it willingly. What's with all this showmanship, anyway?"

"Your brain's neural wiring is undergoing a complete recomposition. You lack properly formatted memories to display what you would even call a wall or a room. You are aware that you are comatose, are you not?" the voice queried Elisa.

"I had a fairly good inkling." Elisa had always been perceptive, and what had already been done to her only helped her better understand.

"In short, dear pilot, your mind is more cracked up than even your dear Sana's head." Miles' voice chimed in shortly after.

"However." the voice retorted in competition with Miles. "You will have an intellect capable of challenging the most capable of your species when this is complete."

"If I don't become a brain-dead mush in the process," Elisa pointed out. "The hemosynthetic systems in my body would rather kill my mind than see me become anything but a Yamataian."

"They have already been undone" came monolithic words. Such a thing should have been impossible.

"...how?" Elisa's question was not one of incredulity, but one of curiosity.

"Neurological recomposition is one thing, I wish you luck with the hemosynthetic garbage." Miles chimed in, in synch with Elisa's curiosity.

"Thank you but as I said. I have already solved this issue. You are currently in day 5 of your coma and the doctor is under the impression that you have been through brain-death and miraculously returned. He is also unable to recognize your species but from what I am able to tell, he likes you too much to surrender you to the government." the voice pronounced.

"...Brendan Gunn isn't a doctor, and I get the sense that you're hiding something." Elisa shook her head, smirking. "You're not as omniscient as you want me to believe, are you? And it bothers you that I can see right through it."

"Very well. I was attempting to make your life easier. Your location has not changed and they will ask questions about you and our guest here." the voice said.

"In mind, in body, in life, stubborn to the last." The doctor chimed in. "This is why I argued so much with you... so stubborn, so rude... it was irritating."

"Myself or my host?" Allistar asked.

"Both," Elisa said with a smirk.

"The fact of the matter is, because this body is so stubborn. We're here having our little chit-chat." The voice of Miles sounded irritated. "So, since we can't do anything, we're doomed to banter until she wakes up, or her brain collapses?"

"I see. I believe I have the location of the target but it is deep in the territory of a hostile nation if I recall. Little short of a gunship could move in quickly enough without being destroyed." Allistar noted. "We should go about planning ahead as so we can acquire the target to return to Lor."

"Get this woman into a shuttle, and there would not have to be a plan. Before then though, this situation is going to be tricky." Apparently, Elisa's ego seeped into her mental recollection of Miles.

"We are here first as so we can acquire the precise location of the target. I would also like to designate the target with a name and stress it's importance but it will be another minute before your formal recollection of nouns is solidified for use."

"Meaning, your brain is too mushy for names right now."

Elisa grinned widely as her ego was stroked. "We need something a little more robust than a shuttle, though....I've been using nouns all this time,
Alistar." Evidently the construct had overestimated the timeframe - or Elisa was just being a smartass, as usual.

"This is not a good thing... one half is not seeing the work of the other half... looks like the doll's brain got split in two. I wonder how well it will go together again..." The doctor's voice mused, much like the same tone which was used while he treated Sana in the Sakura's medbay at a time which seemed so long ago.

"I'm the dominant ego, doctor...you're just the chorus to my leading man." And indeed, Elisa was always in control, except when the actions required the specific guidance of the other constructs in her head.

"And I am the conductor, whether you like it or not." Allistar noted.

"And where does the pesky body of hemosynthetic material fit in?" The doctor's voice mused.

"We're mixing references here, but never mind that." Elisa sighed slightly. "Can I wake up already?"

"Always rushing to the point." Miles' voice sounded in a mutter.

"The homeostatic material would have ruined her if this wasn't performed properly. Nobody outside of Yamatai is supposed to know what 'properly' is." Allistar noted.

"'Hemosynthetic'. Sourcians have trouble with languages, don't they?" Elisa shook her head. "So...what, exactly, am I now?"

"And with the obvious questions..." Miles' voice sounded slightly irritated now, it was so obvious.

"I'm not completely Sourcian yet. I want to know what's done, and what's left," Elisa said, elaborating.

"About the only thing that hasn't changed I suppose are your bones and some components of your central nervous system." Allistar said.

"Sounds too easy." The ever pessimistic doctor's voice seemed to linger like a psychological cloud of gloom.

"Can't you ever be happy?" Elisa, meanwhile, was smiling widely. "...I suppose, now, I won't need to visit that hairdresser."

"Nope, you never remembered me as happy." The voice chimed in, this time with a heavy sense of mockery.

"I never remembered you talking about your parents, either," Elisa smugly pointed out. "How does this sound...'New, Improved Elisa Diana Metea! Complete with body transmutation action! Guaranteed to be 100% safe from Yamataian detection!'"

"Needs bigger bust... anyway, I suspect that Allistar here has something to do with your knowledge of me. Were you too busy thinking about Sana to notice her hand touch my skin while we were on Lor? Tactile neurological data retrieval, or some other fancy name for it. In other words, she tapped my mind by making a copy of all the proteins and neuron configurations. Raw data is all." Miles' voice once again picked up its matter-of-fact tone.

"...for a doctor, you aren't very bright. Sana is as humanoid as you are. She just had the memory module inside." Elisa shook her head. "Nah, probably something Rebeka did while feeling you up...or was that Sana and I?"

"As I said, you were not paying attention... I suppose it was after you and Sana had your fun. It was in the isolation room, under the close scrutiny of the Lorath scientists. I bet, if I were one of them, they would have put a bullet through Rebeka's head during that touch." Miles' voice recalled. "I suppose, when Rebeka shoved her tongue down your throat, she must have packed me along for the ride."

"Your insight astounds me" came a sarcastic tone. For once, the doctor was right though in death.

"Or... I could be haunting you." Miles' voice said in a rather amused tone.

Elisa just shook her head. "...much as I love hearing the banter of my own insanity, I have things to do. Can I wake up now?"

"Again with the impatience."

"I'm still me, aren't I?"

"Depends on what you define as you... I defined me as a Nepleslian doctor, in service to the Empire of Yamatai for the sake of knowledge... now, I'm a pile of metal and a disembodied collection of thoughts and memories. But I am still me, despite the physical details." Miles explained in a rather speculative tone.

"Your awareness is here. You are here and what you define as a soul has not left you."

"What she said. Not really a very snappy philosophical epiphany, but since it's all I'm getting...well, while I'm here, I might as well realize that Alphonse and my mother are abusive, manipulative bastards." The latter Elisa said almost as an afterthought, as though it were mocking her own life.

"Alphonse? The senator?" Apparently, the doctor tended to pry in death as he did in life. "I recall how you were speaking of the senate that one day... like you had a personal interest."

"Maximillian Mara Alphonse. I had a crush on him 15 years ago. He took advantage of me...then stopped, for some reason. He said, 'you're worth more than me.' I think, perhaps, in the back of his mind, he realized his own evil." Elisa shook her head. "Unfortunately, he's the kind of man who doesn't allow things like that to get in the way of the life he's built for himself."

"Mara?" the voice queried very curiously.

"Maximillian? How cheesy of a name..." Miles' voice chuckled.

"It's my mother's middle name as well...Miriaria Mara Alphonse. I'm not sure what it refers to." Punching Miles lightly, she continued. "My mother...she treated my father like shit. A good man, used as nothing more than a toy. She played these perverse sex games...and slept around like nobody's business. I guess deep down she does love him, since she hasn't left yet...but she's a bitch, and I'm a fool for not realizing it sooner."

"Much like how I failed to see that Hanako was such... as my people put it 'a tool'." Miles stated with a sigh. "She did not love me for who I was, but who she wanted me to be. It was disgusting."

"Hanako...she's like me, in a way. Yui used her...and is still using her. You can't see the leash, but the owner never lets it out of her reach.

"The leash is plain to see, its PANTHEON." Miles explained as his disembodied voice took on a glum tone. "From the power armor, all the way up to the Iori fortresses, Yui sees all... why do you think your only hope of escape was Nepleslia?"

Elisa shook her head. "Yui's leash on Hanako is quite different...in a way, by letting me go, Hanako got loose. She's a smart girl, she knows perfectly well what she did. But the only way she can possibly violate Yui is by proxy...like

"Be glad you're not on a leash. There are vast rewards and I'm sure you're doing this out of your own desires. And with luck, we should be able to construct a complete Nepleslian body for your friend here."
by letting me go free, to possibly undermine the very empire she serves."

"Too complex. Go for the simple solution, she loved you." Miles' voice sounded irritated once again.

"In so far as she could understand love." It had been said time and time again - Hanako didn't know the difference between love and lust. Yui's fault, again. "Someday, she'll cut her leash, and realize her mistakes. But for now....well, I don't really want to die at the hands of a tentacle monster any more than the Empire does."

"The Mishhu... and the Black Spiral... I suppose I could let you in on the secret now, since you are marked for death most likely." From irritated, to somber, a mind without a body tended to be quite fickle without the proper neural transmitters.

"I would be interested in hearing, also." Allistar announced.

Elisa nodded...she could just retrieve the information herself, now, but she'd rather hear it from Miles' own lips.

"Which do you want me to start with?" Miles' voice asked.

"The Misshu. I already know part of the Black Spiral story." Elisa cocked her head to the side - the scenery was getting boring.

"Well, not too long ago, the Sakura managed to disable and board a Mishhu vessel. I was part of the boarding party... while we were there, I collected as many samples as possible, and one large sample, a hybrid of some sort that was dubbed by Rufus as 'Pumpkin'." With the mention of Pumpkin, Miles' tone became agitated.

"Well, with what little time I had for research, I was able to discover something quite troublesome... the samples which I collected, carried many of the same tell-tale genetic markers that Nekovalkryja units carried. In short, they were cooked from the same test-tubes."

"Test tube?" Allistar queried.

"Generic term, scientific container used for mixing chemicals in." Miles explained quickly.

"Meaning that the Misshu were created by PNUgen." Elisa wasn't surprised in the least. "I suppose it stands to reason that the Empire's greatest enemy is one of its own creation..."

"Bingo. Prior to your transfer to the Sakura, the ship was involved on that assault which closed down the Yamatai branch of PNUgen. It made the news, but not for the right reasons... I'll get into that bit later... but as for the other sample." Miles' disembodied voice sounded like it took in a breath.

"From what I am able to ascertain, the neko have a specific set of circumstances under which they decompose and die. Surely, these properties could be emulated to act as a weapon against this enemy?"

"Older models, yes, newer models, no." Miles' voice sounded slightly grumpy at the interruption which cut his breath short.

"Either way... as you well know Elisa, work on the Sakura is often interrupted by things, ranging from enemy assaults, to crew orgies. Unfortunately, these distractions prevented me from analyzing the Pumpkin sample entirely, there were two events which Pumpkin was involved in which nearly cost us the ship, and our lives."

"So I suppose your Kaserine incident wasn't a case of incompetence after all," Elisa said. Unlike her usual jabs, it was clearly a joke.

"Amusing... but honest. I would have had the cure completed if it were not for the distractions. If you were to check the data module from my body, you could check the data logs which indicate the time delays for processes to complete, due to interruptions... speaking of interruptions... I am not quite done yet."

"While Pumpkin was in our care, we ventured into the Southern Nebula, where we encountered the Lorath. During this encounter with their scout ship, Pumpkin decided to attempt an escape. During the process, Hanako was forced to enter the armor bay while it was decompressed, where a Lorath warrior spooked her, and she exhaled."

"Why did she exhale?" Allistar queried.

"Such a lame way to go too... she wanted to scream from surprise... either way. That same warrior also managed to neutralize Pumpkin outside of the ship, she was taken back into custody. The Sakura then continued onward to Lor, where it added the planet to it's lovely collection of conquests."

"And we all know how that turned out." Frowning, Elisa remembered all the drama that had surrounded Lor...even someone who ignored the news, like her, would never stop hearing about it. "Alistar, would you change the scenery? This infinite void is getting boring."

"Oh... I forgot to mention... the reason why Pumpkin broke out..."

"One of the Lorath warriors, right?" Miles' memories were beginning to bleed with Elisa's.

"Nope... the Lorath did no wrong during the incident."

"But...Rufus shot one of them...I think...argh..." Elisa clutched her head. "All these memories are confusing..."

"It was a ship, a Black Sakura. It must have triggered something in Pumpkin that made her want to make a break for it... the ship attacked during the first contact with the Lorath."

"Black Sakura...the Black Spiral. What's their goal?"

"Oh, that is the far more interesting subject... we'll talk about that now." Miles' voice took on a rather unusual tone, it was nearly manic.

"First time I saw one, was on the medbay of the Sakura... it was one hell of a cluster-fuck. They came aboard while we were docked with a ship of Ketsururi Samurai."

"Yes... the Samurai came to take Jo into custody... they wanted to take her in due to Hanako's death." Miles' mind recollected the scene with some difficulty, apparently adrenaline got in the way. "The Black Sakura came, took out the Samurai's Sakura, a firefight took place inside of the Sakura's corridors... Samurai Vs. Black Spiral."

"After a bit of a fight, and a near death experience, we managed to fight off the Black Spiral intruders... but they did manage to escape with Pumpkin. The only reason they managed, was because they had some sort of high level access to PANTHEON, and our MEGAMI."

"I could go on and on... I'm babbling..." Miles' voice took on a far more stern tone. "The key point is, they're tied with Yamatai as deep as it gets. They even had legit documents from that one royal woman who supposedly offed herself. High level PANTHEON access, solid documents from royalty, and Star Army ships, apparently formerly from SAINT... The Black Spiral, is an extension of Yamatai. We're knee deep in a civil war."

"...enough." Elisa sat down on the chair once more. "I think it's time I woke up...

"One more thing... whatever we do, we're not going to die to Yamatai, or the Mishhu. Letting either of them have this body and information is too big of a risk." Miles' voice took on a tone which Elisa may have never heard, it was the tone of command.

"And the winner of the day's obvious award is...fuck, I feel better than I have in years!" Elisa's mental image even looked and sounded younger. "But yeah. I knew that already."

"Still needs more bust, now hurry up and get me a body so you can hit me for that..." The doctor's voice then seemed to fade back into Elisa's head.

"Might not be such a bad idea..." Elisa's chest filled out slightly...not much, but enough. "At least it'll throw people off my trail..." Her facial features shifted, just barely...athletic muscles hiding under smooth, silky flesh. Hair also changed...though not grown much, it was definitely more stylish, less unkempt. As though a symbol saying 'I'm a sourcian now', her ears grew longer and to a point, lips went violet, and her eye area was given a slight violet tinge as well. "Will this do?"

"It will suffice" Allistar noted.

"Well, I guess this is the mark of your new life, eh? A little more brain, a little more bounce, just right... now when you wake up, don't go freak my folks out... If you need me, I'll be rattling around in here as usual." Miles' disembodied voice seemed to be amused.

"Just clean up after yourself," Elisa said with a smirk...as she returned to reality.

END
ON: Gunn Residence

When Elisa's eyes opened, she was greeted with the ceiling of the guest room of the Gunn household. "You awake?" Brenden's voice asked as he leaned over Elisa. "You gave us a scare when your body shifted like that."

If Elisa were to look around, she would see a number of improvised medical tools, a tray of discarded chunks of flesh, and some rather suspicious black boxes.

"I'm...I'm fine. Better than fine, in fact." Elisa's body...it felt better than it ever had. Like she had been reborn anew. Her eyes peered at the boxes suspiciously.

Brenden's gaze followed Elisa's. "Oh... those... I had to contact some of Miles' old friends. They managed to supply me with sizable quantities of tissue samples. Which I uh... used to replace the Yamataian chunks of your body. That shiny flesh on you sure ate it up quick and easy."

"How long?" Elisa's response was quick and to the point.

"Five of your Yamataian days." Brenden stated as he handed Elisa a mirror. "Incase you want to see what changed..."

Elisa didn't even need the mirror to know, but she did smile when the mirror was brought up to her. "...I need a ship," Elisa said while admiring herself.

"Miles sure did acquaint himself with some needy people..." Brenden looked a bit troubled by the request. "You know, ships don't grow on trees, what kind of ship anyway?"

"A fighter craft. Like the Hoplite..." What her father tested, back in the day. "Something fast enough to get me to Lor in less than a day."

"Excuse me... are you insane?" Brenden looked a bit troubled by the request. "Sure as hell can't go through legit means of getting such a thing, and the Reds are not just going to give up one of their few ships to a random Yamataian who is asking for it."

"I'm not Yamataian," Elisa said with a cruel grin. "But...I need to get there as soon as possible. So I need your fastest personal spacecraft. It doesn't have to be big."

"Perhaps you could follow a ship to Lor" a figure behind Elisa suggested. By now, she had gotten used to the fact that this voice did not exist and its owner was not real.

Not that Elisa ever really had any doubt. Doubtful. There's no proper trade routes between here and Lor. Besides, I still need to retrieve that wreck.

"Well, I do have access to a ship, but it isn't really meant much for speed... " Brenden looked rather uncertain. "If you just need to get to Lor, why not hire a transport ship of some sort?"

"Plausible deniability...besides, I'm a pilot." Elisa sighed in exasperation. "Look. Surely there must be something you can do."

"Hey, its not that simple to get your hands on ships meant for traveling 60 LY in a day... Best I can manage with what I have at my disposal is a Egress Transport. And that ain't going to get you there anytime soon." Brenden frowned visibly. "But I'll put some thought into it..."

"I could use something for atmospheric use in the meantime," Elisa said helpfully. If she found the wreckage, then maybe she could barter with one of the corporations on the planet in exchange.

In the other room, Jessica Gunn could not help but to shriek slightly, she then barged into the room with a data pad in her hands, her hands were shaking like leaves. "Brenden, we just had Miles' funds transferred into our accounts... we're rich!" She thrown her arms around her husband's neck.

Brenden could not help but to laugh senselessly, but then weep. "Even in death... he loves us." Brenden held his wife close as he held back the onset of tears. "Elisa, we'll loan you a ship, remember, loan."

Elisa nodded in thanks. "That's all right. I won't need it by the time I get to Lor."

PAUSE