1st of Aprimay, 5502
Morning
Shigeko and Celia bid us farewell at dawn. Jessie chose to stay.
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I can’t say she was my first choice of the bunch, but all hands are welcomed.
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Afternoon
In the kitchen, Jessie's presence is unmistakable.
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Her meals make our previous fare look like slop.
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During meal times, her commentary is a constant undercurrent. "This stew could use more seasoning, and some of you could use less complaining," she says, her voice firm.​​​
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Wolfgang has taken to calling his prototype auto-turret 'Old Jess'.
She won't hear that from me.
6th of Aprimay, 5502
Morning
Coleman and Jessie arguing again. The two of them keep talking about running for mayor. Fine by me, if it keeps them from bickering.
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Afternoon
McMillion was convinced to join. Her construction skills will be a great boon.
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Night
A small raid, nothing we can’t handle now.
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The others had the situation under control in the killbox, so I took a final opportunity to recruit my mother.
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Hearing the sounds of her family in combat outside seemed to have done the trick.
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Sam has agreed to join permanently.
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I assigned her a room in the main barracks.​​
3rd of Jugust, 5502
Morning
"You know, Kevin, maybe it's your doing that Tommo left."
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What a stupid thing to say, you old hag.
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Jessie was trying to get a reaction, and she got one. I lunged at her, my hands shaking with fury.
Jessie didn't retaliate. She just stood there, taking the brunt of my outburst. It wasn't until I saw the fear in her eyes that I snapped back to reality..
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I retreated, trying to piece together my fractured composure.
Coleman was kidnapped. Surely Jessie knew this, and simply sought a reaction from me.
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She got one.
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The whole episode was absurd.
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Evening
Alone now, I am staring at the neurocalculator, still unopened, gathering dust on a shelf.
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Madeline had sent it as a gift, a nod to my transhumanist aspirations. Yet, it lay there, useless, a mocking reminder of my limitations – a neurosurgeon with no one to operate on him but himself.
6th of Jugust, 5502
Morning
Duncan and Lottie arrived to stay for a while. Nobles from The Broken Empire.
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Lottie's arrival is fortuitous. I had a conversation with her about installing the long-awaited neurocalculator, a task she confidently agreed to.
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As I lay in the hospital bed, prepared for the procedure, Lottie rummaged through our medical supplies. That's when she stumbled upon a set of implantable mandibles, tucked away and forgotten on the back of a shelf. It was a piece of equipment I wasn't even aware we had, apparently purchased during a time I was unconscious and never mentioned by Marjot.
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Seizing the opportunity, I decided to have the mandibles installed alongside the neurocalculator.
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Lottie handled the surgery with a calm expertise, her movements precise and sure.
I drifted into unconsciousness, trusting in her skills. When I awoke, the feeling of the new implants was strange but empowering. The neurocalculator's presence was almost imperceptible, save from the incision marks. The mandibles, on the other hand...
Chapter_14...|...Chapter_16