So, someone pointed out that no one will probably vote for the sci fi option in the poll from last chapter because the story hasn't covered Sashae's homeworld. Well, that's what this arc covers so I'm going to extend the poll another week to give time for more background in case anyone decides to change their vote. Honestly should have gone right to this arc and skipped the half world arc as it will go a long way to fleshing out Sashae and she wouldn't have spent most of her time in the background.

So far it's looking like the secret option is winning.

Ryan was inspecting the deployment of the telescope constellation when Sashae called for his attention.

Sashae sat on the edge of her bed and swung her legs back and forth, speaking in her language, “Ryan, can I speak with you?”

Ryan switched his primary attention from the deployment of the telescopes to Sashae, “Sure.”

Sashae looked at her feet, then looked at his camera, “Can you save my people?”

Ryan recalled the space station overrun with Meatballs, “You think some are still alive? The Meatballs looked like they were eating everyone.”

Sashae shook her head, “Those were not my people.”

Ryan had wondered why Sashae had been in a normal room instead of inside the capsules the others on the station seemed to all be in, “They’re not?”

Sashae shook her head, “A computer controlled ship captured me and brought me there from my real home.”

Ryan imagined a pill shaped ship scooping her up in a beam of light as she stood in a field, “Why? Do those pill ships kidnap people if they’re not in a ship?”

Sashae shook her head again, “This wasn’t a Dregasi ship. It was a sentient ship from… well, it never told me, just that it followed a being higher than us.”

Ryan thought about the Great Ones, “The Great Ones?”

Sashae thought for a moment, then shook her head, “No. Maybe like the Builder. Maybe something else.”

Ryan recalled the note the builder had sent them, “Oh! The note! We got a note from the Builder asking us to rescue you for a friend of his.”

Sashae didn’t look confident in Ryan’s response, “Maybe.”

Ryan wondered something, “Why’d the ship abduct you?”

Sashae looked to her feet again, “Before it took me from my planet, my people had just discovered radio. The ship landed in my city, saying it had heard our transmission and wanted to get to know us better and a few of us did.” She sighed, “Until our military attacked it. They lost, of course.” She clenched her fists, “After the military ran away, despite my wife’s concerns, I went to talk to the ship. It didn’t hurt anyone unless they attacked first. Most people had ran away with the military, but a few of us weren’t scared of it and stayed.”

Ryan looked over Sashae, she didn’t look much older than thirteen, “Wait… you had a wife? How old are you?”

Sashae smiled bitterly, “Three hundred and sixty-one of your years.” She paused, “I also used to be a man…” She looked to the side, “like you.”

Ryan wished he could say this surprised him but… “So it killed you and gave you a new body?”

Sashae looked at her feet and clenched her fists, “No.” She looked up, “I’m like you. I didn’t want to talk about this, but then… well… It happened to you too. Just… in a much more cruel way.” She looked back to Ryan’s camera, “You see, the ship took a liking to me and another.” She gestured to her body, “The original owner of this body. The ship thought the girl was the most beautiful of us that stayed, but complained about her bratty personality. It loved to talk to me, but… well… I wasn’t the most attractive man… So, for the first time, it opened up its doors and invited me and the girl inside.” She clenched her fists again, “It forced us inside some pods like your resurrection pods and told us it would put us in bodies that matched our personalities.” 

Ryan felt disgusted, “It swapped your bodies just for that?”

Sashae nodded, “Yes.”

Ryan immediately went from curious about this ship, to hateful, “Where is it now?”

Sashae leaned back and looked at the ceiling, “By the time I woke up, I was already in this body, and the ship had left my planet after leaving my body there. It said it was going to show me lots of amazing places. That it had been lonely and wanted to take me with it. When I told it to change me back and take me home, it said I’d be thankful for my life with it and would make my life back home seem boring.”

Ryan hated this ship even more, “It didn’t even care you had a wife? Maybe kids?”

Sashae’s eyes had teared up, “It said my wife wasn’t worthy of me because of her fear towards it and that my time with it would be more enjoyable than being with her and my children.” She paused, “I still miss them. I had two boys and a girl.” She paused again and smiled sadly, “We weren’t rich, or respected, but we were happy.”

Ryan thought about Sashae’s age, “How long do your people live?”

Sashae wiped a tear off her face using her shoulder, “The same as yours.” She sat back up, “The ship made me immortal and stopped this body’s aging.” She looked down at her body, “Can you imagine being stuck in the body of a girl that hasn’t even had her first bleeding?”

Ryan now saw why it had taken this long for Sashae to open up to him, “So… Your wife and children are already…”

Sashae nodded, “My wife and I were in our late twenties, so… she died about two hundred and eighty years ago.”

“How long were you with the ship?”

Sashae shrugged, “Not sure, but it wasn’t long. The Dregasi homeworld is only a few thousand light years away from mine, and I think the ship that abducted me is faster than Luna, but it didn’t go there right away.”

“Why did it leave you with the Dregasi?”

Sashae smiled, “Because they destroyed it. The Dregasi were curious at first and let us dock, but once they found out it was computer controlled, the Dregasi master computer attacked it. They lost many ships, but with their… warp stopping…” She looked like she wasn’t sure of the right word to use.

Ryan got the gist of it, “So they stopped it from warping away and destroyed it?”

Sashae nodded, “Yes. It could have destroyed the space station and escaped, but I was on it and it… tried to rescue me.”

Ryan wondered why the A.I. had done so much to and for Sashae, “Can’t say I feel sorry for it.”

Sashae smiled sadly, “Yes, but without it, I was stuck in this body and with the Dregasi.”

“How did the Dregasi treat you?”

Sashae shrugged, “They gave me a place to stay, but banned me from using a linking of the mind to their computers.” She didn’t look too disappointed, “I didn’t want to become like them, so I was happy enough.” She looked at her stored instruments next to her bed, “And I found other ways to enjoy my days.”

Ryan thought about the pods, “What do they do in those pods?”

Sashae shrugged, “Many things. They do not die of age and use the pods to experience many other lives.”

It didn’t surprise Ryan that an advanced society like that had discovered a cure for ageing, “So they just stay in those pods all the time?”

Sashae nodded, “Some even give up their bodies.”

Ryan could see both the appeal and horror of living like that, “So everything is automated?”

Sashae nodded again, “Yes. There is no reason for anyone to work anymore. The master computer does everything.”

Ryan recalled the probes and how they had immediately attacked them, “Is there any way to talk to it so it doesn’t attack us?”

Sashae thought for a moment, then shrugged, “I don’t know.”

Ryan thought about Sashae’s home planet, “Then what about your people. The probes might have attacked them.”

Sashae shook her head, “There were no probes there when I lived there. Maybe they left us alone?”

“Or weren’t there yet? And even if they ignored your home, the Meatballs will go there.”

Sashae stood up, “Please save my people.”

Ryan had no reason to hesitate, “Of course! Let’s go fill in the others and head over.”

Sashae turned to the door and left her room, “I’ll show you where to go then.”

Ryan informed the crew and a few minutes later, everyone was in the mess hall. All the cat girls but Charlotte had returned to the Aos Si embassy with Niamh, so it was the usual crowd.

Anton walked up to Sashae as soon as he saw her, “You’re ready ta talk? ‘Bout time.”

Becky gave Anton an angry look before approaching Sashae, “Take your time, and don’t worry about bringing up anything you’re not comfortable with.”

Sashae gave a quick nod to Becky, “Okay.” She turned to Ryan’s camera, “Can you make map of galaxy?”

Ryan brought one up, and even placed a labeled marker showing where the Dregasi homeworld was, “Here ya go.”

Sashae looked at the map and studied it.

Anton crossed his arms and started tapping his foot, “Ryan, do ya know what’s goin’ on?”

Ryan wasn’t sure if he should wait for Sashae to fill them in or start by going off what she’d just told him, “Yeah, but I think I’ll let Sashae say what she wants first.”

Sashae looked at Anton, then the others, “My English still not so good. Please speak to them.”

Ryan gave them the gist of the conversation he’d just had with Sashae.

Becky looked at Sashae with sympathy, “So you were kidnapped and stranded somewhere for three hundred years?”

Sashae glanced at Becky and nodded, “Yes.”

Anton looked less annoyed, “So what, you want us to take ya home?”

Sashae nodded, “If they are still living.”

Evan leaned forward in the chair he was sitting in, “Ah, you worry about the probes attacking your people?”

Sashae glanced at Ryan's camera and nodded in the way she did when she needed a translation. Once Ryan gave her the translation she replied, “I asked Dregasi computer leave them, but doesn’t listen except food or clothes.”

Charlotte fidgeted in her seat, and spoke in her usual demure voice, “I want to help.”

Becky smiled and nodded enthusiastically, “Yep! Perhaps Sashae has some ancestors she can get to know.”

Sashae glanced at Ryan’s camera and replied after receiving the translation, “No. Saving them from probes and Meatballs. Family already gone. Stay with you after.”

Anton hit his palm with his fist, “Right! What are we gonna do about the Meatballs that took over that station?”

Evan turned to the map, “That is an excellent question. There are thousands of Meatballs invading this galaxy. It is our fault they have come, so we should correct this mistake before we leave.”

Becky didn’t look happy about it, but she nodded, “Yeah, but there’s no way Luna can track them all down, let alone attack that space station.”

Anton grinned and put his hands on his hips, “The answer is drones! As long as Ryan stays in this universe he can handle them from anywhere.”

Becky smirked, and shook her head, “You just love designing drones, but it’ll work.”

Anton nodded vigorously, “You betcha!”

Evan stood up and walked over to the map, “So, where is it exactly we are going?”

Sashae pointed to a star, “Here. My homeworld is here.”

Becky looked at the star, “How far is it from the Dregasi homeworld?”

Ryan calculated the distance, “Over two and a half thousand light years.”

Anton lifted his hand in front of him, “Alright! Let’s check it out, then I’ll get to work on the new drone!”

Evan turned to Anton, “I have a few ideas that could help.”

Anton grinned, “Alright!”

Ryan checked the satellite constellation one last time, then put in coordinates for the gas giant orbiting the halo star near them, “Gonna go get some fuel then make the jump.”

Becky moved next to Sashae, “Can you model your solar system? It’ll help make plans.”

Sashae nodded, “Mmhmm.”

Charlotte looked unsure of what to do, “Umm… What can I do?”

Ryan wasn’t actually sure, “Are you sure you want to stay? Your sisters probably need help finding the evil spirits.”

Charlotte shook her head vigorously and shivered, “No evil spirits, please.”

Mayu put a hand on Charlotte’s shoulder, “I am teaching Aoi medicine. I can teach you too.”

Charlotte smiled and nodded, “Thank you.”

Ryan recalled Charlotte already had some experience with medicine, so it made sense.

Aoi flitted around Charlotte, “Yay! Learning with Charlotte!”

Ryan almost forgot Aoi was there. She was usually energetic, but always quieted down whenever there was a serious conversation.

Ryan jumped Luna towards the gas giant, and a few minutes later they were at the edge of Sashae’s home system.

The system was much like what Sashae had told them about. There were four inner rocky planets, Sashae’s home being the second from the star, with the third, a large one Becky called a ‘Super Earth,’ the only other one worth looking into. Next out was a single gas giant, followed by three of what Becky called ‘Ice Giants.’ The last planet out was the largest, and one Sashae hadn’t known about, most likely due to how dim and far away it was from the star. 

Ryan focused on Sashae’s homeworld, ‘Ullia’ which meant ‘home’ in her language. It looked slightly smaller than Earth, and less water covered it. There were also ice sheets covering large portions of both the northern and southern hemispheres. A small moon orbited the planet just outside a diffuse cloud of debris that Ryan almost missed thanks to their current position at the edge of the solar system and the planet being at the eleven o’clock position relative to the star whose glare almost blocked it from view.

Ryan did a quick check of the rest of the system before moving in, and found a space station of identical design to the ones used by the Dregasi probes, though larger, orbiting the super earth’s large moon.

Ryan brought up a snapshot of Ullia and the drone station, “Looks like the drones have been here a while. There’s some debris around Ullia, but I can’t make out what it is from here.”

Sashae frowned, “There is too much ice.”

A flash of light went across Ryan’s vision and he checked his diagnostics just in case, but saw nothing wrong.

Becky rubbed her chin as she looked at Ullia, “How much more?”

Sashae thought for a moment, “Three times?”

Charlotte circled around the hologram to get a good view from every angle, “Is that bad?”

Evan leaned towards the hologram and tapped his chin, “A nuclear winter perhaps? It would be unsurprising for the probes to resort to nuclear weapons if it was their intent on wiping out a civilization.”

Becky frowned, “Let’s get a closer look. It could be something else.”

Anton sat at a table, “Ryan, let’s get to workin’ on a new probe. We’re gonna need some extra pew pew if we wanna take out that station.”

Ryan brought up a blank hologram for Anton then set a course for the closest ice giant, “Alright, let’s refuel, then snoop around some.”

Becky put a hand on Sashae’s shoulder, “They still might be fine. Maybe the probes only attack things in space.”

Sashae pursed her lips and didn’t look convinced, “Mmm...”

Charlotte’s ears lay flat against her head, and she raised her hands as if to pray, “Please be safe.”

Luna appeared near the first ice giant, the planet blocking the view of the station from them, but still leaving Ullia in view.

From here, Ryan saw the debris around Ullia was that of the pill ships, “Looks like your people took out quite a few pill ships.”

Anton turned away from his hologram and looked at the image, “Nice.”

Becky squinted and pointed to an object in the debris field, “That one looks fine.”

Ryan focused on the object in question, “Yeah.”

Luna entered the ice giant’s atmosphere, and they lost the feed showing Ullia.

Evan stopped tapping on his chin, “Have you checked for radio broadcasts?”

Ryan hadn’t looked at the data in the radio spectrum, “No, but… hmm… it’s hard to tell from this distance, but there’s some spikes here and there that stick out. Maybe I’ll send in the Mk. II to get a closer look.”

Anton looked away from his hologram again, “You better not get my baby killed.”

Becky groaned, “You can always build another one.”

Anton turned back to the hologram and shrugged.

Charlotte looked between the two, “You two fight a lot.”

Becky sighed, “I wouldn’t call it fighting…”

Charlotte wiggled her ears around as she studied them some more, “You like each other?”

Becky’s face contorted in disgust, “No!”

Anton’s reaction was much the same, “No way! She’s too borin’ and nosey.”

Becky touched her forehead, and mumbled to herself, “I’d kill myself first.”

Another flash of light crossed Ryan’s vision and then blurred for a moment. He checked his systems again and still saw nothing out of the ordinary.

Ryan had a thought, “Mayu, can you check on my brain vat?”

Mayu had been watching quietly, and jumped at the sudden attention, “Yes!? Oh, yes.”

Anton looked up, “Somethin’ wrong with your girlfriend?”

Becky gave Anton a sharp look, and he rolled his eyes and turned back to the hologram.

Charlotte followed Mayu, “I will come too.”

Aoi turned away from a hologram she was using to practice her writing and flitted into the air, “Me too!”

Ryan opened the window to the brain vat, and Mayu and Charlotte looked inside.

Charlotte’s ears perked up and her tail swished back and forth, “She’s moving a lot now!”

Mayu nodded, “I am thinking it is time for Étién… you to wake up.”

Ryan immediately felt uncomfortable. Until now, it’d been the same as always, but when he… she woke up… Well, things were going to change in a way different from when he’d connected to Mikan. Mikan was just an extension, just a little more intimate than Luna and the drones. His Intelligence was now in not only a different body, but soul as well. 

Charlotte leaned forward, “Is Ryan really in... there?” She looked at his camera, “Do… do we still call you Ryan?”

Ryan had another flash in his vision and this time he heard Charlotte’s muffled voice separate from what he’d heard through the camera, “I… think so. I just heard you from inside the brain vat. I think.”

Charlotte’s ears flattened and her tail drooped, “I… I’m sorry. You must miss her. I… I liked her too. She was very kind.”

Ryan did, “Yeah, I already miss her. I only spent about a month with her, but it was one of the best months of my life. As for my name… For now, keep calling me Ryan. It feels like if I change my name, I’m admitting this is permanent.”

Ryan heard Charlotte and his voice through Étién’s body.

Mayu put her face next to the window, “Try opening your eyes.”

Ryan focused on the new sensations, “Alright.”

Étién’s eyes opened and turned to look at Mayu and Charlotte.

The cables attached to the back of Étién’s head detached, as did the other tubes.

Once the fluid drained, Ryan opened the brain vat.

Étién’s body felt weak, but light, and she easily stood, “Whoa, this body feels different from Mikan.”

Charlotte reached out, “Let me help you.”

Ryan took it and pulled her through the window, “Thanks.”

Ryan noticed something different now. Unlike Mikan, who felt like another extension of himself and somewhat detached, every sensation, from the damp dress clinging to her skin, to the smell of the metallic air inside Luna, felt more real, more important than everything else. This body was his core now. It felt… normal. It felt… like it was where he belonged, in a way he hadn’t felt since he’d had his original body. 

Ryan shivered and immediately queued up a new dress, “I’m going to get changed. I’ll let you know if I need anything.”

Ryan blushed. Changing clothes, showering, and using the toilet was going to be awkward.

Charlotte smiled sadly, her tail hanging limply, “Can I come with you in case you need help?”

Ryan nodded, “Yeah.”

Mayu hesitantly put her hand on Ryan’s shoulder, “That is good, but… please come scan after.”

Ryan nodded again, “Sounds good.”

It tore at Ryan’s heart, hearing herself speak with Étién’s voice.

Had she just referred to herself… Ryan realized she’d already switched to using female pronouns. Somehow, male pronouns just felt wrong now.

Ryan focused on the clothes and launching the Mk. II. She couldn’t lose her focus on her body completely, but at least she could still multitask as a distraction.

Maybe she’d have to go visit Saki too. See how she’d react to seeing…

Ryan collapsed next to the fabricator as she leaned over to pick up her new dress and started bawling. Why did he end up like this? Why couldn’t it have been him that had his Intelligence torn out and Étién had taken his brain? Could they fix this mess?

Charlotte watched from the door as Ryan cried.

Alright! Poll this week is simple. Will the MC stay a man or go the male to female route? Not really in the mood to write a female MC and probably wouldn't do a great job of it anyway so I'll pass this time.