Ryan watched Mayu check a small tube nearly identical to the one his brain floated in. Inside grew a new heart for Anton. Next to it was another with the beginnings of a lung.

Mayu’s face was dark as she studied the growing heart tissue, “It will not be fast enough.”

Even Ryan could tell, “The poison did too much damage, huh. And the damage to her brain…”

Mayu shook her head and sighed, “I think we have done enough. It’s time to let her go.”

Ryan closed the holograms with Anton’s data on them, “Do you want to or should I?”

Mayu shook her head again, “I will do it, but we should call the others first.”

Ryan opened a channel to the others, “Hey guys, can you come to med bay? It’s… Well… To say goodbye to Anton.”

Becky and Chie had nearly finished repairs on the FTL.

Becky lowered a welding tool and looked up, “I… yes. I’ll be there.”

Chie didn’t stop working, “I will come after I complete this task and we are somewhere safe.”

Ryan got a little irritated but tried to hold it back, “I can finish with Repairy McRepair Face.”

Chie shook her head, “Time is of the utmost importance. We do not know when the alien probe will attack again, and completing these repairs even a minute faster will improve our chances of survival.”

Mayu looked up, her eyes closed and tears streaming down her face, “It is fine. We can be waiting until things finish.”

Chie paused her work, “Thank you.”

Becky nodded to herself, sniffled, then started working on the FTL again, “We better hurry, then.”

Mayu turned back to Anton, “She is not hurting. Waiting is okay.”

Ryan turned off his camera to med bay and focused on the alien probe.

It was still spinning and moving away from them and was now barely visible unless he zoomed in. 

He couldn’t tell if the fleshy bits were doing anything either, though… he thought he’d seen them shrink a little while ago which made him worry it had launched more meatballs at them, so he was keeping an eye out for their telltale shimmer on Luna’s sensor and internal cameras.

The FTL came on a few minutes later, and Ryan jumped them in a random direction, then got to working on the turret just in case.

With that finished, it was now time to see Anton off.

Becky and Mayu both stood to Anton’s right and were both crying.

Becky hit Anton’s bed with her fist, “You dummy. Why’d you go and die on us?”

Chie stood somberly on the other side of the bed, “We did all we could.”

Becky turned away, “I know...”

Mayu put her hand on Becky’s shoulder, then turned to the device above Anton’s heart, “It is time.”

Becky turned back to Anton and nodded, “Yeah. Goodbye Anton. You were annoying and we argued a lot, but you made things fun. I’m not sure I could have made it this far without you.”

Chie smiled at Becky’s words, “Yes. She certainly kept things lively. I won’t say I was friends with her, but her presence will be missed.”

Ryan made a hologram of himself for the first time in weeks, “You were pretty cool, buddy. The way you went after that thing with just a plasma cutter. If you’re listening, I want to say I’m proud of you and it won’t be the same without you.”

Mayu put her hand lightly on the device on Anton’s chest, “Please watch us from after. I wanted more time together, but is now time to go. Thank you.”

Becky started crying again, and even Chie had started too.

Mayu closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then turned off the device. She then covered Anton’s face with a piece of cloth.

Only Ryan saw Anton’s brainwaves stop a few minutes later.

He heard a voice, “Ugh… where am I? I can’t see anything. Oh… am I dead? I died, didn’t I?”

It was Anton’s voice.

Ryan checked to see where the voice was coming from. It wasn’t coming from a microphone or comms.

Anton spoke again, “I died a second time, huh?”

Ryan found it. The voice was coming from Pod One in the growth chamber. The same pod Anton came from when Ryan made the others.

Ryan powered up the pod, “Anton?”

Anton’s avatar appeared, and looked around, “Ryan. Glad to see ya finally turned on the lights for me. Where am I, anyway?”

Ryan took a moment to assess the situation, “Well… I guess it’s better not to sugarcoat it. You friggin’ died, bro. The meatball messed up your insides and poisoned you.”

Anton looked around again, “Uh, yeah, that hurt. I could feel its tentacles wigglin’ around inside of me.” She scratched her chin, “So I died, huh? Weird, I can still talk to you.”

Ryan had a thought, “As soon as your body went through brain death you appeared here. In Growth Pod One.”

Anton’s eyes went wide, “I’m respawning! Awesome!”

Ryan agreed, “Only thing that makes sense.”

Anton nodded vigorously, “Sweet! So if we die we get a new body!”

Ryan brought up a hologram of the others grieving over her dead body, “Better let them know.”

Anton’s face became solemn and her body slumped a little, “Yeah. Looks like they took my death pretty hard.” She smiled, “Makes me a little happy, though. I kinda thought they didn’t like me.”

Ryan huffed, “You do go overboard from time to time, but no one hates you and it keeps everyone distracted from the more… hopelessness of our situation.”

Anton nodded, “Let me talk first. I want to see the surprised looks on their faces.”

Ryan opened a channel, “‘k.”

Anton cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, “Stop cryin’! You’re not through with me yet!”

Becky and Mayu jumped.

Chie’s head jerked up.

Becky scowled, “This isn’t funny, Ryan.”

Chie crossed her arms and nodded.

Mayu stared at the body.

Anton laughed, “Don’t get mad at Ryan, ya shrew. Apparently I’m gettin’ a new body in my growth pod.”

Becky still looked sceptical, “Oh, really…”

Chie seemed to consider it seriously, “The pods revived us once already. It isn’t entirely implausible that they could do it again.”

Becky’s face went neutral, and she nodded slowly, “That… well… it still doesn’t make sense to me, but here we are.”

Anton sighed, “I hope I’m not stuck in this white room until my new body finishes. I’m gonna get bored out of my mind.”

Ryan laughed, “Good thing I can mute you so I don’t have to listen to you say how bored you are for two weeks straight.”

Anton scowled and pointed around her in random directions, “You better not! That’s cruel and unusual punishment!”

Ryan laughed again, “Nah, just teasing you.”

Anton chuckled nervously, “Yeah, you wouldn’t. Right?” She patted her body down, “Hmm, I guess I’m getting the same body. Lame.”

Ryan wondered, “Well, once it started making your body the first time it locked the image, but it hasn’t started making your new one yet. Maybe you can?”

Ryan tried bringing up the image thing he’d used to design their bodies the first time and got the feeling that he was already looking at it. He also couldn’t change it, “Looks like I can’t do anything.”

Anton rubbed her chin, “Hmm, maybe it’s letting me do it this time.” She nodded to herself, “If I’m getting a new body I want it to be something cool. But what…”

Becky groaned and seemed drained of all her energy, “I think I’m going to lie down. I have a feeling I’ll go crazy if I have to listen to Anton’s ideas after thinking she died.”

Anton ignored Becky, “First, I’m gonna go back to bein’ a man. Periods suck. All that blood and the cramps… That and my boobs kept gettin’ in my way. It also never felt right, bein’ a woman.”

Chie nodded, “Indeed.”

Becky paused at the door, “I’ll give those points to you.”

Mayu nodded, “Yes.”

Ryan finished inspecting the damaged turret and started printing parts for it, “You guys mind if I take a quick look at the alien probe once I get the turret repaired?”

Becky scowled, “No. Not after what happened the first time.”

Chie nodded, “Indeed. We have no way of knowing how dangerous it still is or how many of the ‘meatballs’ are still there. We fought three off the first time, but next time we might be less fortunate.”

Mayu glanced at the plasma cannon she kept on a shelf on the far wall, “I am thinking I can be dealing with them.”

Becky turned around, closed her eyes, took a breath, then opened them again, “Mayu. You were great. In fact, you probably saved us, but I don’t want to make you take that risk again if we don’t have to.”

Mayu nodded once and turned back to Anton’s body, “I am understanding.”

Becky gave Mayu a weak smile, “Thanks for understanding.” She turned partway to the door, “Have fun Anton.”

Becky left med bay and headed to her room.

Mayu nodded again.

Ryan got an error from the wormhole device, but it went away almost immediately. 

He almost dismissed it, but thought he should check on it later, just in case it had gotten damaged during the fight.

Anton’s avatar changed into a handsome man with huge muscles, bronze skin, and looked of northern European descent, “Hey! I just had to think, and it changed!” A mirror appeared in front of Anton’s avatar, “Awesome!” She… no... he grimaced, “Yeah. No.” She clutched her throat, “And I still sound like…” her voice changed to a low tenor, “chick. Ah, that’s better!”

Chie chuckled.

Mayu smiled, “It is good Anton is still here.”

Anton’s avatar changed to a tall lanky man with short cut black hair and pointed ears. Ryan felt it was familiar somehow.

Anton shook her head, “Nah, don’t wanna steal Chie’s schtick.”

Chie looked curious but didn’t say anything.

Ryan brough up a hologram of Anton’s avatar, “Right, you guys might want to watch too.”

Mayu cocked her head to the side and looked at it curiously, “Elf?”

Chie shook her head, and a smile flashed on her lips, “It’s a Vulcan from a series called Star Trek.”

Mayu shook her head, “I am not knowing that.”

Chie smiled and nodded to herself, “I imagined that was the case. And yes. A vulcan is not suitable for one such as Anton. I would suggest a Ferengi.”

Anton grimaced, “Yuck. No way. Never. Ever.”

Chie chuckled, “I thought as much.”

Mayu seemed confused.

Anton’s grin returned, “I got it!”

Anton’s avatar changed into a tall alien with dark skin and large ridges on its forehead that reminded Ryan somewhat of those old fashioned boards they used to wash clothes. Its clothes looked like a heavy metal band had gotten mobbed by a medieval convention and had sharp edges everywhere.

Anton nodded, “Yeah. TNG Klingon is the way to go. Not those hideous STD ones.”

Chie grimaced, “I still think a Ferengi is more your schtick.”

Mayu looked at Anton’s avatar again and it seemed like she liked this more than the other choices, “That is looking very dangerous and cool.”

Chie raised an eyebrow and seemed somewhat surprised, “Interesting. I never imagined Mayu would find Klingons interesting.”

Mayu blushed, “Eto… When I was younger I…”

Chie seemed interested with Mayu’s comment, “Now that I think about it, I have never heard you say anything about your childhood.”

Mayu looked away from Chie, “I am liking to keep it like this.”

Chie nodded, “If that is what you wish.”

The eyes on Anton’s avatar widened, making it look like it was staring into your soul, “Gotta have eyes like Gowron’s.”

Her voice now sounded deeper and had a little growl to it.

Ryan felt he should step in, “Try not to go too crazy with it, okay? And who’s Gowron?”

Anton’s lower lip pushed out in a pout which looked bizarrely hilarious on the Klingon’s face, “Maybe the voice is a little much.” The growl went away from his voice and it wasn’t quite as deep, “Oh, Gowron is an awesome Klingon leader with these crazy eyes. Always thought he was the best.”

Ryan got another error from the wormhole FTL, but it went away just as quickly as the first.

Ryan wondered if he should check on it sooner rather than later, and they still hadn’t repaired the camera in the room so he did not know what it looked like in there unless someone went in, “Chie. I’m getting errors from the wormhole device. Can you go take a look?”

Chie looked away from the hologram and nodded, “Certainly.”

Chie picked up her helmet from a hook near the door and left.

Anton changed her… his hairstyle from shaggy to bald, then back to shaggy, “I think this is good.” He looked down at his lower body, “Gotta make the insides authentic too.” He looked at the hologram showing med bay and his face grew grim, “Ya know… I was wonderin’ what ya were goin’ to do with my body.”

Mayu turned to the body, “I am thinking making it burned.”

Anton considered it, “Cremated? I was thinking more about a space burial. Still, it’s kinda weird thinkin’ about buryin’ my own body.”

Mayu nodded, “I am thinking that is okay.”

Ryan thought it was fine, “I’ll print you a coffin after I’m done with parts for the turret.”

Anton looked down, “Thanks.” She looked back at the mirror, “I think this is fine. Got my twelve inch dick and what I could remember about Klingon organs.”

Ryan felt he should tease Anton for that comment, “You sure you don’t want to stay a chick? Don’t like the idea of my harem getting smaller.”

Anton started laughing hard enough that he started snorting, “Maybe if ya had a dick, I’d feel bad.” She stopped for a moment then started laughing again, “A brain in a jar with a dick hangin’ offa it!”

Mayu snorted at the last comment and started laughing too.

Anton’s eyes began to lose focus, “Ah, I’m gettin’ sleepy. Looks like…”

Anton’s avatar disappeared and Growth Pod One fully activated.

Mayu stopped laughing when she saw Anton’s avatar disappear and looked confused.

Ryan turned off the hologram Anton had been in, “Looks like her new body is growing now. Must not be able to stay awake while it’s doing its thing.”

Mayu smiled and nodded, “This is good Anton is returning.”

Ryan noticed Chie reached the door to the wormhole drive and enter so he would focus there after he finished talking to Mayu, “You should take a break, Mayu.”

Mayu studied Anton’s old body, then nodded to herself, “Yes, rest would be good.”

Chie started inspecting the wormhole device.

Nothing looked out of the ordinary until Chie stopped next to the crystal device in the center of the room.

Chie inspected it in more detail, “It looks like a panel came loose. I cannot see any damage inside.”

Chie pushed it back in place.

Ryan felt relieved it wasn’t anything serious, “Maybe it came loose during the fight?”

Chie nodded, “Perhaps.”

Chie looked around some more before leaving.

Ryan figured he would send in Repairy McRepair Face to do a more thorough look through once he finished with the turret.

Ryan then printed a steel casket using a wormhole cable fabricator.

Once that finished, they prepared to eject Anton’s old body into space at the usual breach.

Ryan couldn’t see their faces through their visors. Becky’s posture made him think she was uncomfortable. Mayu’s made her seem uncertain. While Chie was as hard to read as usual.

Ryan got another error from the wormhole FTL, but this time it lasted a little longer. What was up with it?

Mayu and Chie moved Anton’s casket to the edge of the breach.

Becky cleared her throat, “It seems so strange having a funeral for Anton while she… uh, he is growing another body.”

Chie placed her hand on the coffin, “Indeed. It has me contemplating what our bodies mean. Are they disposable? If they do not satisfy us, can we cast it aside?”

Becky looked at her feet, “Yeah.” She looked at her hand, “I’ve already gotten used to this body, but… how many more will I have? Will I take care of this one now that I know I can get a new one?”

Mayu turned and looked at the other two in turn, “I am keeping this one best I can. This is Ryan’s gift to me. I am doing my best with it.”

Becky clenched her fist, then nodded, “Yeah. This body will always be special to me. I’ll never forget waking up in it on Luna and finding out the ridiculous situation we are in.”

Chie stared off into the void, but nodded along as the others spoke.

Mayu turned back to the coffin, “I will be missing this Anton.”

Becky sighed, “I don’t want to know what he chose. Well, maybe a little.”

Ryan laughed, “I don’t know… that body he designed is pretty weird looking.”

Ryan’s connection to the wormhole FTL drive went away.

Before he could speak, he felt a large draw in power as it activated.

Ryan didn’t like this, “Hey guys! The wormhole FTL just activated!”

Everyone looked up, nearly simultaneously.

Chie turned and started moving towards the wormhole device, “Did we miss something?”

Mayu glanced in the direction of the wormhole device then turned to the way towards med bay, “I will be getting purasuma.”

Becky watched the two go, then turned to follow Chie, “I’ll help you look.”

Ryan tried shutting down the reactor, but got a warning, “I can’t shut it down myself. Someone will have to go to the reactor or disconnect the power to the device.”

Chie entered the wormhole device room, “How long do we have?”

Ryan couldn’t restore the connection to the device, “I don’t know. I don’t have a connection to the wormhole device right now.”

Chie turned her head to the panel she had found loose earlier.

It was open, and several wires floated from it.

Chie moved to the panel, “This is most odd. We were all attending Anton’s funeral. It is not possible one of us could have done this.”

Becky pointed down, “I see something down there.”

Ryan noticed it right away, “It’s a meatball! Everyone needs to get a plasma cannon. Mayu?”

Mayu had just left med bay with her plasma cannon, “I am coming!”

The meatball’s shimmer passed through the hull, and out into space, “It left!”

Chie started removing a panel covering the power cable, “I do not know if I can remove the cable without injuring myself or damaging the drive.”

Becky kept looking around the room, “It’s opening a wormhole to let more of its friends here, isn’t it?”

Chie stopped, “I was thinking the same. The shimmers the meatballs leave when invisible are the same as those departing the wormhole.”

Becky shook her head, “Maybe? But why haven’t they attacked us until now?”

Ryan recalled all the times he’d seen the telltale shimmers leaving the wormhole, “Yeah, they’ve had plenty of chances to kill us or take over Luna.”

Chie shrugged, “Perhaps they had no need to. Perhaps they couldn’t. Perhaps something has changed.”

Becky turned to the large crystal that dominated the center of the device, “Perhaps they needed us? To fix this? To fix Luna? If they don’t have a way to open their own wormholes…”

Ryan understood, “They let us do it for them. But why do this now?”

Chie looked up from the panel, “Perhaps they feel we will stop using the wormhole device?”

Becky shrugged, “Maybe? I know I don’t want to use it anymore now that I know those things come through it every time we use it.”

Chie grabbed the power cable, “Indeed.”

Ryan felt uncomfortable having Chie pull the power cable, “Chie. Maybe you should restore my link instead.”

Chie seemed to have been holding her breath and Ryan heard her exhale, “Of course.”

Chie stood up and began reconnecting the wires the meatball had pulled out.

The wormhole device fired.

Ryan immediately backed Luna away from the wormhole, “It fired! I’m getting us out of here!”

Just before Luna jumped away, Ryan saw the space roiling inside the wormhole. Tens, no, hundreds of meatballs were flooding out and to wherever the wormhole led to. 

Ryan didn’t know what to think, “I… it looked like hundreds of meatballs came out.”

Becky crossed her arms and took a moment to think before she spoke, “Do you think they were coming for us?”

Ryan still had the scene stuck in his mind, “No. They were all going to wherever the wormhole led to.”

Chie looked up, “I am curious where they desire to go enough to hijack our wormhole FTL.”

Becky shook her head, “I don’t like this. We need to disconnect the power from this as soon as possible.”

Ryan saw Chie was almost finished attaching the data cables to the device, “I agree, but I want to see where they went first.”

Becky nodded, “Yes, but we need to hurry.”

Chie attached the last wire, “Finished.”

Ryan’s connection to the wormhole device came back, “Everything seems normal. Let’s see… Got it! Powering down the wormhole device. Okay… you can unhook the power now.”

Chie did so.

Ryan checked the system, “Hmm, it’s a system fifty-six thousand, two hundred and fifty-four light years from here.”

Becky nodded, “That’s on the other side of the galaxy.”

It was a star Ryan hadn’t mapped yet, “What do you think is there?”

Becky shook her head.

Mayu entered the room, but stopped and watched.

Chie looked at Becky, “The alien probe. We need to return.”

Becky turned to Chie, “We can’t, it’s too dangerous.”

Chie shook her head, “It will be safe. There is a good chance there are no longer any meatballs there.”

Ryan wanted to go back anyway, “If it’s still dangerous I can get us out of there before they even have time to react.”

Becky’s shoulders slumped, “I…” She straightened up, “Let’s do it!”

Ryan was nearly done with the repairs on the turret, “Give me fifteen minutes and the turret will be ready to go.”

Becky nodded, “Let’s bury Anton in the wreck of the probe. Seems like a fitting place to bury it.”

Chie paused, “I see…”

Mayu nodded, “Anton would be liking that. I am thinking.”

Ryan imagined it, “It’s like sending a message. We lost someone, but we won.”

Chie chuckled, “We have to disable it first.”

Everyone returned to the mess hall and grabbed a quick snack.

Approximately seventeen and a half minutes later, Luna appeared near the probe.

It still tumbled slowly through space and showed no sign of activity.

Ryan zoomed in, “Hmm, looks like the fleshy stuff might be gone.”

Becky had a mix of concern and anticipation on her face as she paced back and forth in front of her hologram, “Let’s move in a little closer.”

Ryan did.

The flesh was nowhere to be seen.

Ryan moved Repairy McRepair Face from the usual breach. He’d used one of its manipulator arms to hold a plasma cannon, and another for Anton’s coffin, “Going in.”

Ryan jumped Luna farther back as he maneuvered Repairy McRepair Face towards the alien probe.

The probe’s rotation made things difficult, but it wasn’t something Repairy McRepair Face couldn’t handle and stopped the rotation after a minute of thruster use.

Repairy McRepair Face approached the hole where his first plasma shot had hit the fleshy weapon growing on the probe. It wasn’t big enough to fit through, but after a few cuts with a cutting tool, it was inside.

Everything near the hole was melted. The plasma had done a number on this part of the probe.

Chie smiled and nodded and pointed to a device resembling their reactor, “I believe this is the probe’s reactor.”

Ryan hadn’t noticed at first, but he could tell Chie was right, “So I took out the probe’s reactor at the same time as the weapon?”

Chie nodded, “The meatballs must have grown their weapon just above the reactor.”

Becky nodded in understanding, “That was lucky.”

Ryan looked around some more, and noticed a sphere nearby that had dozens of cables of various sizes running to it, “That looks promising.”

Chie studied it.

Becky did too.

Mayu tilted her head from side to side, “It is the brain?”

Chie still didn’t seem certain, “Perhaps, it seems like the most promising lead.”

Ryan stopped the probe next to what appeared to be a service hatch leading inside, “Alright, let’s see what this sucker is!”

I wonder if anyone has figured out the clue I left for Luna's age. Hint: You'll need to know chemistry and some math. Although I suck at math myself so I could have done it wrong.

Whoops. Looks like I thought I put in the data for the clue, but only had the characters discuss it and say they'll look into it later, which was when I would have put the clue in. I remember doing the math and such, but decided to wait until the science lab was up and running to get the exact numbers but forgot.