"You really don't care about anything else, do you?" Amir leaned against the door, watching Kahraman prepare to operate on 032.
"Oh, my assistant just told me everything is fine," Kahraman said innocently. "And, thank you, Amir. I was supposed to help you, but you ended up saving us first."
At this moment, Kahraman's hand, holding the laser scalpel, paused, as if he was struggling with something.
Finally, he broke free from the internal conflict.
"Listen, Amir, I'm very sorry. Hak already decrypted your data and sent it to me. I was supposed to prioritize you, but... this patient is just too tempting." As he spoke, Kahraman couldn't help but glance at 032 again with scientific lust.
"It doesn't matter. 032's condition is critical; he needs you more. That said, how do you plan to operate on him?" Amir asked, pointing at the boy.
"Thank you for not holding it against me. As for him, there's no other way. I've basically understood the situation. It's a genetic defect causing continuous necrosis of his cells. Without a bacta tank, his organs would fail rapidly in a few days. Luckily, the gene-editing didn't affect his brain, or he'd already be dead."
"What's more incredible is that many fragments in his DNA were forcibly replaced! Any single implanted sequence should have killed him, but so many combined actually achieved a fragile balance, letting him survive this long!"
"Have you seen... I forgot her name... that female guard? I can make him just like her. Only keeping the undamaged brain and spine, replacing all other parts with machinery."
Amir hesitated. After all, completely modifying a person into a machine wasn't a small matter. What if 032 really liked his broken shell...
"Good! I agree to the modification!" Who the hell would like this body? Amir had long sensed the agony in 032's mind. He was his guardian now, so he'd make the decision for him.
"Modification! Can I watch?" Milisen shouted excitedly from the doorway.
"Ohoho! A little girl shouldn't watch. It will be very bloody. You don't want to see a scene of flying flesh and blood, do you?" Kahraman laughed in a way that sounded slightly unhinged, but it successfully scared Milisen.
"Did you modify Euphemia?" Amir confirmed.
"Euphemia? Oh, yes! That's the name. Of course, I did it. Who else in the galaxy could create such a perfect work!" Kahraman said proudly.
"It is truly perfect! A work of art. I've also worked on cybernetics, and I really like your style. Can I watch the upcoming process?" Amir said, slightly excited.
"Of course! You can be my assistant. I'm glad you appreciate it. These foolish people nowadays don't understand the beauty of mechanics at all!" Kahraman also got excited.
"Exactly!"
"Wait! Why can Amir watch, but I can't? I want to watch too!" Milisen jumped and shouted.
"No kids!" the two said in unison.
Milisen: ╭(╯^╰)╮!
Milisen sat alone in the waiting hall, holding the platinum "All-You-Can-Eat Card" Euphemia had given her, staring blankly at BD-4. She suddenly remembered her stomach wasn't full. She had been too embarrassed to eat much in front of those strangers and hadn't eaten her fill!
Now that she had a card to eat whatever she wanted, didn't that mean she could eat anything?
Thinking of this, Milisen ran right out.
Euphemia was at the door. Seeing Milisen run out, she greeted her.
"I'm going to eat! Are you coming?" Milisen invited the kind person who gave her the card.
Euphemia looked around, saw there were no immediate threats, and agreed.
"They're going to turn that 032 into someone like you! And they won't even let me watch. I'm so curious!" Milisen complained as they walked.
"Although I also like my current body, Milisen, that process is not pretty," Euphemia stroked her own cybernetic arm. "No one is willing to abandon their flesh for no reason, unless they have no choice. 032 must also be suffering. So this surgery is very serious. It's a rescue. We shouldn't watch it for fun."
"Sorry... Euphemia." Milisen retracted her complaint and said quietly.
"Right, let's go get Kula-kula ice cream first!" The emotion didn't last long. Milisen felt the card in her hand and cheered up again.
. . .
"Oh, heavens! He actually has a gelatinous membrane under his skin! What kind of star-faring creature's genes did they splice in?!" Kahraman discovered something new during the incision.
"What is that?"
"Creatures that survive in extreme environments might grow this. The membrane allows them to withstand near-vacuum environments and resist abnormal pressure changes. But the membrane itself is fragile to piercing damage. Many space-dwelling creatures rely on it to survive in the void," Kahraman narrated while separating 032's muscle tissue.
"His condition is much worse than the scans showed. I don't know what's keeping him alive. If I wasn't so experienced, I'd start believing in miracles."
Amir smiled. He didn't know about gods, but the Force always existed. 032's subconscious was constantly using the dark side to sustain himself, slowing the deterioration of his injuries. Even though his organs were nearly necrotic, they were still struggling to function. But it wouldn't last much longer.
Amir was also ready to use the Force to stabilize 032 should any accidents occur during the surgery.
"Very good. Neural activity is high. Rejection potential... the lowest I've ever seen. You can stuff almost anything in him... Alright, let's begin. Get the required power supply system ready. First, ensure the brain stays oxygenated. We'll install the chassis later."
Amir pulled over a hover-table. On it were the core components for the cyborg body.
Kahraman submerged 032 in a nutrient-rich suspension fluid. This liquid was a miracle tool for surgery; separate organs could survive for a while in it. With it, 032's brain could maintain stable activity during the total body replacement.
"Alright, let's give this young man a new heart first." After saying this, Kahraman's entire demeanor became sharp and professional. Seeing his state, Amir also began to focus, concentrating his Force senses on every detail of 032's biology.
Before starting, Kahraman had explained the surgical procedure and key technical details to Amir. The parts involving neural interface integration were things Amir had never heard of, so he observed with extra diligence this time.
The entire surgery lasted nearly five hours. Kahraman maintained precise operation throughout. His skill and extra limbs greatly sped up the process. Amir felt that if it were any other top surgeon, the surgery time might have doubled.
After completing the final connection and turning on the power, both let out a long breath. A five-hour surgery placed a huge burden on both body and mind, but both had satisfied smiles.
"Very smooth," Amir said.
"Phew... very lucky. His vital signs weakened rapidly so many times, I thought it was going to fail."
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