Sana looked over the latest scans in Sickbay. Like any doctor, she had had some classes in exobiology, but it wasn't her specialty. When the fuak!a took over the ship, she decided it was only prudent to put in the time needed for acquiring expertise in fuak!a and human physiology.

Fuak!a were not far from their roots as an amphibious species. They had vestigial gills that were still functional in some individuals, and apparently they preferred but did not require pools of water for breeding purposes. The ears were an adaptation of both fins and something akin to an eyelid, but Sana wished that she had more species native to Ooafa for comparison.

Treatment for basic problems like cuts and broken bones would be straightforward. Likewise, chemical toxins and vitamin deficiencies were easy enough for the most part. She had managed to come up with microorganisms to help fuak!a eat Goldaskian foods safely, as well. Other problems with their digestive systems or glandular systems would be a lot harder to solve, and she hoped that she wouldn't have too many cases to deal with.

Human biology was a lot more interesting, because it was so close to Goldaskian. She hadn't done a full analysis, but she suspected interbreeding might even be possible. That was far from common. She wished that she had a human female for comparison. Nick's body only told half the story, and the humans she had gotten to examine on Earth were male as well.

She didn't intend to mention to Nick that she had performed dissections of two humans who had died while attacking the Goldaskian shuttle. It had given her something to do while the technicians analyzed the portal traces from the Nagathi, and the information ended up proving useful. Different species had different customs when it came to dealing with bodily remains. Nick was from a primitive planet, so he might get upset that she hadn't followed the correct rituals of his tribe or whatever.

At any rate, she didn't have as much information as she would have liked. Nick was generous with his time and samples, though, and she was confident now that she could produce a blood substitute in case of serious injury. She also had to keep a careful watch for any signs of diseases jumping species, particularly between Nick and the Goldaskians aboard.

The medical sensors produced by the UMP were fascinating. There were several designs, apparently, and Nick had put production of a small amount into the printer queue. She had the Goldaskian version, of course, but it was different and not quite as good. Beyond that, the healing swarm bots were amazing, and she couldn't wait to get her hands on a supply of those. That's the kind of thing that inspires people to go to war trying to get a UMP.

Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

Sana was not in any hurry to return to the Empire. Her life on the ship was not all that different from before, and it was what she was used to. She would be happy to download the latest music the next time they were in a real port, of course, but there was no one waiting for her back on her home world.

She liked exploring, wandering. Over 99% of people in the galaxy never left their home system. Sana decided early on that she would not be among them, and serving on a warship was just the easiest and cheapest way to do that. If helping the Goldaskian Empire expand boosted the standard of living for people back home, so much the better.

Now, of course, she would probably be considered a deserter, even though she never left the ship she was assigned to! Maybe I could pretend that I am trying and failing to retake the ship, like a good little Goldaskian. Eh, that's only believable if they want to believe it. Do I want to be on the run for the rest of my life?

It beats trying to survive down on the surface of Ooafa.

An odd thought struck her. Am I a pirate, now? Is this a pirate ship? She snorted. Maybe we should rename it, then.

Hm, if I'm a pirate, what kind of treasure do I want? Sana asked herself. My pick of the Goldaskian males on the first night in a new port, was the first thought that occurred to her. She decided that she should put some more thought into what else she might want. After all, there was a chance that Nick was going to stay on board with Petra, in which case she had a timeshare on a UMP, which would make her fairly rich. At the very least, she had a lot of options.

She started writing up a wish list:

Money

Wine

Men

Song

predictive evolution processor

vaccine generator

healing bot swarm

scanner bots

rejuvenation

body reshaping module

full sensorium module

advanced medical training module

She leaned back and looked at her list. Everything I need for a life of luxury. Half of these are to make me a better doctor. After a couple of minutes of fantasizing about having all that, she added

friends

intellectual company

good work to accomplish

continue to travel

admiration of others

love?

Sana considered those, then crossed the last one out. Tried love, it wasn't any fun. Don't need it. I can love my work, and that will never backstab me.

Maybe I could get a little vokni? One of the quiet breeds, developed for life in space? Cute and cuddly. Yes, that's about as close to having kids as I ever want to get. That's plenty of love right there.

She lost herself in thought for a while, then nodded to herself in contentment.

Yes. My life is good. A little patience, and I'll be living like a queen. I'd better keep making myself useful, then. Don't want to fall off this dessert cart.

Life is good.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.