The end of my convalescence was punctuated with a surgery, as I was finally healthy enough to have an Intra-Lingua implanted. It was explained to me that this procedure wouldn’t require any extra bedrest, just a bandage after the fact that would require checking once a day, which was more than okay with me. What felt slightly less okay was getting the implant itself. After my recent experience with cybernetics, it made sense to have a few reservations, but the reasons why I needed it were hard to ignore. First, I needed to be able to understand people. The number of people on the station that spoke Ulthean was incredibly low, amounting to Helga, Dr. Skisk (sort of), and a handful of senior staff that I didn’t have much reason to interact with.

Second, everyone in the Frontier, barring a few religious exceptions and strange holdouts, had some version of the Intra-Lingua implant installed. Apparently, they weren’t even really called that any more. The original design was called the Intra-Lingua, but when the inventor decided it was too important an invention to hold private, the instructions on how to manufacture them were released to every known space faring civilization. Every one, except for Ulthea. The story went that they refused it, but the reason why was never made clear, and I certainly didn’t have any insight myself.

Installing the implant was as simple for me as going to sleep. Upon waking back up in the medbay, nothing felt different, except for the bandage around my head. I noticed Dr. Skisk was working at a terminal in the room. They turned as I sat up. “Ah! Good good! You’re awake!” 

But they didn’t say that. Or, it didn’t sound like it. But that’s what I heard, I think. It sounded like Vezek, but I heard it in Ulthean. My face clearly reflected my severe confusion, because they made a sound like laughter and said, “Don’t worry, it’s going to feel weird for a bit, but you get used to it.”

“I hope so,” I said. “This is how people have been hearing me this whole time?”

“Yes! And no,” Dr. Skisk said, crossing the room to double check my bandages. “We gave you the one that we usually give Ultheans, since your people seem to respond to it well. Since so many different cultures created their own Intra-Lingua, the way they work varies. Some superimpose text on your vision, some completely translate speech, and I’ve even heard of some that turn speech into color! Isn’t that fascinating? Oh, I’ve been waiting so long to finally talk to you!”

I laughed, for what I realized was the first time in over a month. They were so much more animated than before, and their excitement was infectious. “It’s a relief to finally be able to understand you. I just wish it didn’t come at the end of my stay here.”

Dr. Skisk nodded. “It is a shame, it is. The last two weeks would have been much easier for you. But! Helga told me the news. I would like you to come in at least once a week for the next month so I can see how your side is healing, and if you’re getting proper nutrition. After that, once every three months for standard checkups, like the rest of the staff. I’m sure we’ll have plenty to chat about, plenty!”

My eyebrows raised. “Every three months? I only got checkups once a year in Ulthea.”

“Well, yes,” Dr. Skisk said, disapprovingly. “That does sound like something they would do. I consider that incredibly inadequate, and even dangerous. There are far too many conditions that can cause invisible and serious damage to a body in less than a year. If I had my way it would be once a month, but then I wouldn’t have time for anything else!”

I frowned, but I didn’t argue. It wasn’t something I had considered before. Why so far apart? “Well, sure. I think I’ll be here for a while. I’ll try to remember to come in.”

“Good, good!” Returning to the terminal, Dr. Skisk tapped at a few things on the screen. “Ah, I’ve just received confirmation that the Assistant Head will be here soon to get you back on your feet, very soon. He’ll be the one to take you to Helga once you feel comfortable moving around.”

It was the best news I had heard in my entire life.

A half hour later, I was dressed in a new jumpsuit, and the Assistant Head Mechanic had arrived with a heavy crate on a cart. He was another bipedal species I had never seen before, tall and rotund. He had six eyes, a short, blunt beak that clacked when he talked, and his body — at least what wasn’t covered by a mechanic’s jumpsuit — was covered in small dark feathers. After introducing himself as Listher, he began to set up the robotic braces. They seemed fairly simple, made of two adjustable segments on each side broken up by joints where they would be on a plantigrade leg, then connected with a horizontal bar. With some effort, Listher and Dr. Skisk lifted me from the bed, and attached the braces to my legs with simple straps. A belt connected to the braces was secured around my waist, which would monitor the signals coming from my spine to my legs.

The first steps were incredibly weird. When my legs were first replaced, I didn’t really have to think about walking; even without the sense of touch, moving around still felt natural. With the braces, I felt stiff, like a robotic manufacturing arm. Turning around was doable, if slow, and they allowed for some leg rotation, but they were very clearly made to assist with heavy lifting. As a result, moving forwards, backwards, and squatting were the easiest. Listher cautioned me to be careful of the gyroscope casing that rested against the small of my back. It was pretty sturdy, but if it was damaged, the braces would immediately shut off to avoid serious injury. I was told that I didn’t want to know what ‘serious injury’ meant, though I’d seen enough workplace accidents to make a pretty solid guess.

After a half hour of practice in the medbay, I felt as though I was starting to get the hang of things. There was just one last problem: depth perception. Not moving around much for nearly a month made me forget to watch out for my left side, and I promptly smacked into the doorway while trying to exit the medbay. Only the incredibly strong stabilization on the braces kept me upright. Listher and Dr. Skisk rushed to make sure I was okay, but I assured them I had a pretty tough skull, and was fine. 

Finally, I took my first real steps outside of the medbay, waving goodbye to Dr. Skisk. It turned out, walking down the crowded corridors was a little stressful, even with Listher to guide me. He was on my left, so I couldn’t see him. I felt myself drifting closer to the right hand walls, so that I had a better sense of where I was, and as much as I wanted to look around, my eye was glued to the ground a few feet in front of me. All that, on top of the regular stares I was getting from passers by made me very self conscious, so I tried to make conversation to take my mind off things. Apparently, Listher had the same idea.

“So, you—” 

“What made you—” 

“Oh, sorry!”

“Oops.”

We stopped in the middle of the hallway and stared at each other for a moment.  I broke the silence first. “Um. You guys don’t get many Ulthean runaways, huh? I feel like I’m some new weird species or something.”

“Oh,” Listher said. He thought for a moment, then started down the hallway again. “You’re the first Ulthean I’ve met, but mostly people are interested in how you escaped. It’s kind of hard to believe.”

“That’s what I was worried about,” I said, following behind. Left, right, left, right… “The last thing I wanted was to be the center of attention like this.”

“Some folk think you’re a liability,” Listher said, shrugging. “Most are just gossips. It’s natural, rumors spread. They’ll get used to you after a month or two. Right now it’s just because of the wanted notices. It’s pretty easy to find the unedited version. You’ve got a hell of a bounty, but you really aren’t worth it.”

I wrinkled my nose, glaring at the back of his head. My tone couldn’t be more sarcastic if I tried. “Thanks. That makes me feel much better.”

“Hey, relax.” Listher looked over his shoulder at me, but I couldn’t read his expression. “I just meant the risk of getting you off-station is too high for the money.”

“Seriously?” I asked. “I don’t think I’d put up much of a fight if someone tried to grab me.”

“Seriously,” Listher parroted. “Once you’ve been here a while, you’ll get what I mean. Bounty hunters and pirates treat this place like sacred ground for some reason. Besides, you’ll probably get more people trying to buy you a drink than trying to knock you out and drag you back there.”

I grimaced. “I hope not. I didn’t do anything worth celebrating.”

A strange warbling sound came from Listher’s throat. “If you say so. Ulthea isn’t very well liked in the Frontier. You might have earned yourself a bit more credit than you think.” 

We stopped at a door with a stylized logo that looked like Helga’s head, and a sign over the top of it that said ‘Boss’ in big block letters. I looked at Listher incredulously.

“Boss?” I asked.

“What? Helga’s the boss,” Listher said simply. “What else would it say?”

“Station Manager?” I hazarded. “That’s what we called them in Ulthea.”

Listher cocked his head. “Managers don’t own things. They just manage. Bosses—”

An intercom next to the door crackled, and Helga’s voice filtered through, interrupting Listher. “I can hear you two. Casey, come in. Listher, back to work.”

“Ah, better do what she says,” Listher said. “I’ll see you around, Casey. Good luck.” With a wave, he set off back down the corridor. 

After waving goodbye, I took a closer look at the logo on the door. It was her head, alright, viewed from above. Criss-crossed claw marks were depicted behind it, on a forest green shield. Before I could study it further, the door slid open, and Helga called again from deeper in the room.

“I said come in already, the door’s not that interesting.”

Entering the office, I was floored. Helga was working at a computer, which sat on a huge wooden desk. Seemingly random oddities and expensive looking decorations covered the walls and shelves all around the room. There was more wood in this office than I had ever seen in my life. How much money did Helga have?

Overwhelmed by all the interesting knick knacks on display, I didn’t notice Helga look up from her computer screen. On her face was a pair of square lenses, held by a wire frame, which she took off in order to raise an eyebrow at me. “Are you going to stop and stare at every new thing you see? It’s good to see you on your feet, but I’ve been waiting all day for you. Even saved you a seat.”

She gestured at one of the two empty chairs in front of the desk. I looked around the room, then back at the door, then back to her. “There’s no one else here,” I said.

“I didn’t say there was,” Helga replied, looking pleased at her little joke.

With a polite chuckle, I struggled into a seat. Thankfully, the chair didn’t have arms. That would be something I’d need to keep in mind; the mechanical braces weren’t especially thick, but they made me effectively six inches wider. I made a mental note that stools would be my friends for the next half a year.

“So,” Helga began, once I was settled, “did Listher behave himself?”

“I think so,” I said. “Does he usually mess new people around?”

Helga leaned back in her large executive’s chair. “Sometimes he tries to scare new employees by telling old rumors about me. Just curious if he told you any.”

“Oh, no, not really,” I said.

“That’s a shame,” Helga said. She pulled open a drawer and started rummaging around. “If you hear any, just keep in mind I started most of those myself. It pays to have a reputation out here.” 

I scratched at one of my horns idly. “I’m a little worried about mine. Is there any way to have less of a reputation?”

Helga found what she was looking for, and straightened up. It was a tablet, which she wiped off with her forearm and began to tap at. “Nope, sorry. Only way to make it suck less is to own up to it. The Frontier runs on rumor and hearsay, and if you made a name for yourself, by accident or on purpose, you better start spinning that story the way you want it to be known. Take it from me.”

That was what I was afraid of. Not only did I accidentally blow up an orbital station, now it would be the only thing people thought of when they saw me. “Great. So, what, I have to own the terrorist angle now? What happened at our meeting last week wasn’t a front. I’m really not handling this well.”

“I didn’t say that,” Helga said. “I said spin it the way you want. How would you want it to be told?”

“Not told! At all!” I had a serious urge to headbutt the first thing in front of me, but since that was Helga’s expensive looking desk, I settled with putting my face in my hands. “I’ll just leave if anyone asks. I’m not putting up with it.”

“Oh yeah? So you’ll just walk away in the middle of work?” Helga asked. I looked up to see a quizzical expression on her face. “If a hauler comes in and asks how you got away from that recovery squad while you’re refitting his ship’s coolant hoses, you would just get up and leave?”

I let out a loud groan. “Okay, no, I wouldn’t. But no matter what I tell them, they’re just going to twist it, aren’t they? Ulthea wasn’t immune to rumors either, I know how they work.”

Helga thought about that for a second, then nodded. “You’re probably right. But you know, if you say nothing, they’ll make something up anyways. Just think about it. Image is important to keeping yourself safe.”

I didn’t respond. My escape had felt easier to think about since I talked about it with Helga, but I hated the idea that the entire event would be tied around my neck forever. Problem was, I was about to enter Frontier society for real. There was no more hiding in the Medbay. If I didn’t figure out how to answer the million questions I would be getting, I would—

“Casey!” A tablet was waved in front of my face. “Wake up, spacer!”

I blinked and looked up at Helga. She looked annoyed. “Sorry, what did you say?” I asked.

That appeared to be the wrong question, because she somehow managed to look even more frustrated with me. “Are you going to be doing this on the job, too?” she asked. “In the medbay I understood. Here, sure, we’re getting a little conceptual, but I’m noticing a trend.”

Embarrassed, I looked down at my feet. “No, I promise, it doesn’t happen at work.”

Once again, I was studied. Once again, some unknown determination was made about me. “Fine,” Helga said. “Let’s get you back in the workforce. How about we start with your work history?”