A few hours later, Sarah removed the VR gear in her cabin, once again marvelling at the technology that allowed such things to exist.  Her temples ached from a mild headache, and she rubbed her head a bit for relief.  That was fun, she thought.  No long gazes into each other’s eyes, no uncomfortable silences, and no reminders of looking like Bear’s dead girlfriend.  It was refreshing.  Sarah had enjoyed the 12 subjective hours they had played in the sim – she had learned more sword fighting techniques, learned how to pilot a magical airship, and met most of the crew of the Wraith.   I can’t believe the writers of the sim were able to make each member of the crew so different, too.  They seemed almost like real people!  I wonder if they have Artificial Intelligence yet?

 

                By shipboard time, it was past 11pm and Sarah was rather tired.  She grabbed a drink from the small refrigerator under her desk, and had a drink – she thought it was a sort of carbonated fruit juice she couldn’t identify – it tasted really citrusy and refreshing.  While she drank, she mused a bit to herself about the next day…  Going to get biosculpt, and finally have the body of her inner dreams after all this time.  It was scary, but the sense of anticipation she had earlier was building to a crescendo – and she knew if she didn’t take the edge off, she wouldn’t sleep a wink that night.

 

                Sarah grabbed some headache meds and sedatives she’d found earlier in the ships locker, and washed them down with some more carbonated fruit juice.  The meds didn’t kick in immediately, but she knew they would start working soon, so she started getting ready for bed.

 

                Bear had asked her an odd question earlier in the evening too, and she pondered it a bit as she got ready for bed.  He had asked if she had tried a sim that would let her make love in her avatar’s body, with any of a number of sim partners.  She had honestly answered him no – but for the life of her she wondered why she hadn’t.  She’d had the time, during the week – she just had held off from trying it.  Maybe I wanted my first time to be with a real person, she wondered.  Or maybe I was scared of meeting Bear in the sims again.  I don’t know.  She could tell that the sims were so immersive it would probably feel like the real thing, but something she couldn’t identify in herself made her hold back.  She had decided to go with her gut, and was happy with the decision for now, but she couldn’t help but wonder what it would have felt like.

 

                As she settled into bed, and turned out the light, she smiled to herself.  By this time next week, her body would be the one she always dreamed of having – and not the one she was born with.  It made her feel good, scared, and excited at the same time.  She set an alarm for her to wake the next morning, and lay down to sleep.  “Goodbye John.”  She muttered, as she drifted off. 

 

               

*              *              *

 

                Sarah woke to her alarm the next morning, virtually jumping out of bed in a rush to get ready!  Showering and drying off was a quick distraction, as was getting ready for the day.  I’ll probably never have to wear my boy clothes again, unless I want to.  She thought, smiling.  Fucking sweet!  She was whistling with happiness as she dressed and left her cabin for breakfast.

 

                “Hey, neighbour!”  Hortencia called.  “You’re getting fixed today, aren’t you?”

 

                “Haha, Hortencia.  I’m not a pet.”  Sarah laughed.

 

                “I didn’t mean it like that, goofball – I mean you’re getting fixed, right?”

 

                “In that case, then yeah.”  Sarah replied smiling.  “No more John body.”

 

                “Cool.  Drago and I are going to come to the clinic with you and Bear to wish you well.  I hope that’s okay?”  Hortencia asked.

 

                “Yeah, Hortencia – it’s fine!  Thank you!”

 

                “I’m glad.”  Hortencia muttered.  “Now Bear can get you to be the distraction when we do jobs.  I’d have rather dipped that moron in scorpions.”

 

                Sarah laughed, and imagined Hortencia probably would prefer that.  “I guess I could try that role,” she said.  “I might need to practice.”

 

                “True.”

 

                “So how was your date with Drago last night?”  Sarah asked.

 

                Hortencia got a silly smile on her face and beamed.  “It was great.  We went to dinner at a lovely party for Orphans and Widows.  It’s so nice to see people supporting more of them.”  Hortencia replied.  “And afterwards we went dancing and stayed out late.  It was  a blast!  Next time we’re going to a dance to help more Amputees!”

               

                “Umm… I’m really glad, Hortencia.”  Sarah didn’t have the heart to tell her the dinner was probably to support Widows and Orphans, not make more of them, but as long as she was happy…

 

                “What about you, girl?”  Hortencia asked.

 

                “I did a sim with Bear for most of the night and then went to bed.”  Sarah replied.  “Why?”

 

                “No reason.  I was just curious.  Have you noticed Bear is smiling more often?”  She asked.

 

                “Yeah, now that you mention it.”  Sarah replied.  “It looks good on him.”

 

                “Yeah, it does.”  Hortencia smiled.  “When do you leave for the clinic?”

 

                “About 11AM local time – a couple of hours from now.”  Sarah said.  “I’m going to pack a small bag in case I’m there a few days.  I’m really excited.”

 

                “Great!”  Hortencia looked just as excited as Sarah was.  “Me too – I can’t wait to have more women on the crew.”

 

                Bear walked in with a grumpy “Good morning.” 

 

                “What’s wrong, Grumpy pants?”  Hortencia asked.

 

                “I did not sleep well, Baba Roga.”  Bear replied.  “I had bad dreams.  It is okay – they go away.”

 

                “Everything all right?”  Sarah asked.

 

                “Da.  I will be fine.  Are you excited?”  Bear replied

 

                “Oh my god, yes!”  Sarah said.  “I can’t wait!”

 

                “Then we should eat so you can get ready and pack.”  Bear went over to the kitchen, and prepared four meals.  “Drago will be joining us soon.”  Bear mentioned.  “He is taking care of something first.”

 

                Sarah could barely contain herself during breakfast – and for once, she didn’t even pay attention to what she ate.

 

 

*              *              *

 

                A few hours later, Sarah grabbed her small suitcase and met the others in the Air Car garage – a car-sized room just off of Engineering.  She loaded her stuff up, and got in the front seat next to Bear.  Drago and Hortencia took the back seat, and as soon as everyone buckled up, they were off.  The trip through the starport was hectic, because Edenelt was an extremely busy port, and they passed at least a dozen holographic billboards on their pathway out into the city of Landing.   Edenelt was a nice pretty planet without being excessively lush, nor excessively rich with minerals or other valuables.  It was very average – except for its population and its level of technology, which were the highest around for at least 18-20 light years – which was a respectable distance. 

 

                The first thing Sarah noticed was that there were no roads in the city at all.  There were bike trails and walking trails – but no roads.  Instead, the buildings in Landing were tall skyscrapers with parking facilities for aircars every ten floors or so, and landing zones on top of the buildings.  It made her realize just how much of Terran infrastructure was built around the use of ground cars.  Traffic flowed in various lanes – many at different altitudes – with grav powered lights to indicate right of way and so forth…  It seemed little like a sci-fi film from back home – especially with the holographic billboards and the air cars.  Sarah was nerding out big time.

 

                The trip to the clinic took about twenty minutes – with traffic.  The GPS in the air car helped a great deal, and they arrived outside the NuYu Clinic on the outskirts of the city.  The place looked ultra-modern with large glass windows, electronic holograms in the windows advertising their capabilities, and it looked very appealing.  Sarah fidgeted with excitement as Bear parked the car.

 

                The four friends went inside, and proceeded to the front desk, where Sarah approached a young woman at the desk.  Bear and the others grabbed seats in the waiting room for the moment.

 

                “Excuse me, miss.”  Sarah began.  “I have an appointment for noon.  John Kerrigan, but please, call me Sarah.”

 

                The receptionist smiled.  “Hello, Ms. Kerrigan.  I have you right here.  The doctor will be sending someone down for you shortly.  Could you please wait in our guest room? Oh – and could you please fill out this form for any pre-existing conditions or allergies?”

 

                “Thank you, yes.”  Sarah wondered if “excess masculinity” was a pre-existing condition, and laughed to herself.  She took the data slate the receptionist offered her, and began tapping on the tablet to fill out the forms required.  In a few minutes, she returned the completed form, and then sat next to her friends.

 

                “Nervous?”  Hortencia asked.

 

                “Horribly.”  Sarah replied.  “But excited!”

 

                Bear smiled.  “I hope it is everything you hope it will be, Sarah.” 

 

                “Thanks Bear.”  She replied.  “Me too.”

 

                A young man in blue scrubs arrived from an elevator, and walked over to the receptionist.  Sarah stood up and grabbed her bag.  “I think he’s there for me, guys.”

 

                Hortencia stood up, and gave Sarah a hug.  “Just remember – Be you, Sarah.  Good luck.”

 

                Sarah hugged her back, and then hugged Drago and Bear goodbye too.  “When you see me next, I guess I’ll be different.”

 

                “The part that makes you, you won’t be.”  Said Bear.  “You will just look the way you were supposed to.”

 

                “Thanks Bear!”  For some reason the insight in Bear’s comment brought a tear to her eye.  She would still be her – all the pieces of her life that made her, her would still be present.  He was right…  But hopefully the new body would make all the difference in the world, at least for her.

 

                “Ms. Kerrigan?”  The person in the scrubs called.  “I’m here to take you to Doctor Mellann.”  He was about 170cm tall and 65kg, and had short brown hair and blue eyes.  His nametag said “Jason P.”

 

                “Of course.  How long will I be expected to be here for?”  Sarah asked.

 

                “If everything goes well, approximately five days.  Three to four days in treatment, and one to two days for recovery.  If there are complications, it may take longer – but we rarely see those sort of things anymore.”  Jason looked patient, like he’d seen this scene a thousand times.

 

                “Okay – thanks.”  Sarah turned to her friends, and waved.  “I’ll see you soon!”

 

                “Da.  In three days or four days. We will visit.”  Bear replied.

 

                Sarah turned and headed deeper into the building with Jason, the young man sent to gather her.  The young man led her down a hallway, to what looked like a doctor’s office with a strange machine – a holovid screen with a large pad on the floor in front of it. 

 

                “Could you please stand on the pad, Miss Kerrigan?”  Jason asked.

 

                “Sure.”  Sarah replied.  “What does this device do?”

 

                “It scans you internally and detects if you have any genetic resistances to the biosculpt procedures.”

 

                “Oh!  I definitely want to know if I’m okay.”  She stepped onto the pad nervously, and waited.

 

                The holovid screen showed an image of her body in green lights.  Jason seemed pleased with what he saw, and simply said “You’re all good, miss.  We need to go upstairs now.”

 

                “So I can get the procedure?”  Sarah asked.

 

                “Yep.  It doesn’t look like any conflicts are present.”

 

                “Thank god!”  Sarah smiled, and followed Jason upstairs.

 

 

*              *              *

 

 

                Sarah was taken to a private room, and got dressed in what she thought of as ‘hospital robes’.  It doesn’t matter which century or even millennia, she thought.  These stupid hospital gowns are either too small or too ill fitting to work without several of them.  They’re all designed for tiny people! 

 

                Doctor Mellann came to see her shortly after she was properly dressed.  “Miss Kerrigan, I understand this is your first experience with Biosculpt.  I have been told you have an avatar you would like us to try and shape you into – may I see the chip?”

 

                “Sure.”  Sarah handed a data chip with the avatar’s information on it to him. 

 

                Doctor Mellann plugged the chip into his data slate, and studied it for a moment.  “I think this body type is well within the possibilities of Biosculpt, Miss Kerrigan.  Many people bring us images that would be ill advised at best, and I’ve taken it upon myself to advice against poorly conceived changes.  I must say yours are quite reasonable and well done.”

 

                “Thanks, Doctor.”  Sarah replied.  “What happens now?”

 

                “What happens now is that a nurse is going to give you a rather nasty milkshake to drink, which should clear your bowels out within the next few hours or so – a nasty but necessary process – after which we’ll hook you up in the biosculpt gene tank – with a breathing mask as well as an IV or two, and begin the process.  You’ll be semi conscious for most of it – half awake – to limit the pain you undergo.  Changing a person’s bone structure after they reach adulthood can be traumatic and painful, so we sedate adult patients for that part of the process.   The process uses human Stem cells to stimulate growth in an accelerated medium to change the human body into a different human body.  It takes three to four days, after which you’ll be very tired and need to rest and recover.”

 

                “Thanks, Doctor.  I won’t really notice or recall much, will I?”  Sarah asked.

 

                “Not really.  Edenelt uses some of the standard forms of biosculpt.  Planets like Trin or Glisten who have really advanced tech have a faster process you don’t need to be sedated for.  For them, it takes about four hours, and you can even watch what’s happening to you as it happens, but we don’t have that capability yet here on Edenelt.”

 

                “Well, as long as I end up the way I want, I suppose it doesn’t matter if I can see it happen or not.”  Sarah quipped.  “Does the shake have any flavors I can pick from?”

 

                “Yes.”  Doctor Mellann replied.  “Chocolate and Strawberry.  I understand the Strawberry is easier to swallow.”

 

                “Strawberry it is, then.”

 

                Doctor Mellann smiled.  “A few days from now you’ll feel like a new woman, Miss Kerrigan.”

 

                It was Sarah’s turn to smile.  “That’s the general idea, doctor.”

 

                Sarah took the strawberry shake and drank it down, and even though she dreaded what the next few hours were going to do to her innards and her bowels, she knew it was for the best.  In less than four days she would have the body she always dreamed about.

She couldn’t help but smile as a single tear of joy slid down her cheek. 

 

                Later, after hours of gut wrenching pain and endless trips to the bathroom to void her bowels, she was led into the procedure room and hooked up to the wires and IVs and breathing tubes needed for the biosculpt process.  As she was lowered into the stem cell growth medium, she muttered one last thing to herself as the sedatives took effect.  “Goodbye, John.”