air in her lungs.
"Miss, be still. You have endured quite a bit of trauma. You can breathe. We installed some temporary organs that will help you survive in our fair city." The man was middle-aged as Safi's eyes measured it.
"Where am I? How can I hear you?" She blinked when she realized that he hadn't spoken out loud.
"That is one of the organs we installed, a psi lobe for your brain. It gives you instant understanding." He looked as if he wanted to say something else, but his attention was demanded from the doorway. "Please excuse me."
Safi sat up and examined her hands for signs of surgery.
They had put her in a filmy green bodysuit, its pattern was marked with swirls of blue but it hugged her faithfully. A second skin. She couldn't find any obvious damage to her flesh but if he was a competent physician, he would have sealed the wounds he made.
Her body moved easily through the water, her arms felt slight resistance but not what she had been expecting. She moved slowly off the medical table she was lying on and stabilized herself before taking a few steps.
Her body floated up slightly and she ended up rotating in place.
A low chuckle got her attention. "You need to push with your arms and kick with your feet."
She turned her head and her body kept going, pressing her up against the new arrival. He was younger than the other man, but had the same greenish skin and dark hair. His smile was also a pleasant greeting to this peculiar world.
"Where am I?" Her mouth moved but her thoughts propelled her question.
"The underwater city of Nasfron. Has the doctor explained your situation?"
She shook her head, her hair frothing in a cloud around her. "No. I am a little fuzzy on anything beyond the surgery."
He wrapped an arm around her waist and floated her gently toward the opening, speaking to her all the while. "You are a guest of our people and implants are present in your body that allow you withstand the pressure as well as breathe in our environment. The psychic speech gland is one of those additions."
"The doctor said as much."
He frowned at her with a touch of pity in his eyes. "What he didn't mention is that while the changes would normally allow you to remain here for a few months until a rescue vessel was authorized to retrieve you, the damage to your body was too extreme and it is having a rejection reaction to our implants."
They floated through a city of people either wearing bodysuits similar to hers or completely naked. They swam or rode a peculiar beast with four fins, a long tail and an elegant neck. No one gave them more than a first glance.
She focussed on what he had said. "That sounds bad."
"It is. As you will soon find out, it has repercussions that will affect you quite deeply."
"You can't tell me that and then tell me I have to wait." She wanted to stomp her foot, but as there were no solid surfaces near her she simply settled for scowling.
He made a sound in her mind that created the effect of a deep sigh. "Your body is rejecting the implants. You can't survive here as a normal human. You will be given another option, but it will be difficult for you."
Safi didn't have a chance to ask another question. They floated into a huge coral structure and a elder, more sombre, version of her companion was waiting for them in a private garden.
The man looked up from his study of a waxy tablet and smiled a welcome. "Captain Saffron Morgan, I presume."
Her companion released her so she tried to float closer under her own power and managed an awkward bow. "You have me at a disadvantage, sir."
"I am Charon, lord of this underwater world. Or at least of this altered-genetic settlement. Next to you is my son, Ajax. You are here because your ship crashed."
She rubbed her forehead. "I remember that part."
"What you don't remember is that you were so near death due to the crushing of your pod, that when our surgeries to help you survive were enacted, your immune system was so compromised that your
"Miss, be still. You have endured quite a bit of trauma. You can breathe. We installed some temporary organs that will help you survive in our fair city." The man was middle-aged as Safi's eyes measured it.
"Where am I? How can I hear you?" She blinked when she realized that he hadn't spoken out loud.
"That is one of the organs we installed, a psi lobe for your brain. It gives you instant understanding." He looked as if he wanted to say something else, but his attention was demanded from the doorway. "Please excuse me."
Safi sat up and examined her hands for signs of surgery.
They had put her in a filmy green bodysuit, its pattern was marked with swirls of blue but it hugged her faithfully. A second skin. She couldn't find any obvious damage to her flesh but if he was a competent physician, he would have sealed the wounds he made.
Her body moved easily through the water, her arms felt slight resistance but not what she had been expecting. She moved slowly off the medical table she was lying on and stabilized herself before taking a few steps.
Her body floated up slightly and she ended up rotating in place.
A low chuckle got her attention. "You need to push with your arms and kick with your feet."
She turned her head and her body kept going, pressing her up against the new arrival. He was younger than the other man, but had the same greenish skin and dark hair. His smile was also a pleasant greeting to this peculiar world.
"Where am I?" Her mouth moved but her thoughts propelled her question.
"The underwater city of Nasfron. Has the doctor explained your situation?"
She shook her head, her hair frothing in a cloud around her. "No. I am a little fuzzy on anything beyond the surgery."
He wrapped an arm around her waist and floated her gently toward the opening, speaking to her all the while. "You are a guest of our people and implants are present in your body that allow you withstand the pressure as well as breathe in our environment. The psychic speech gland is one of those additions."
"The doctor said as much."
He frowned at her with a touch of pity in his eyes. "What he didn't mention is that while the changes would normally allow you to remain here for a few months until a rescue vessel was authorized to retrieve you, the damage to your body was too extreme and it is having a rejection reaction to our implants."
They floated through a city of people either wearing bodysuits similar to hers or completely naked. They swam or rode a peculiar beast with four fins, a long tail and an elegant neck. No one gave them more than a first glance.
She focussed on what he had said. "That sounds bad."
"It is. As you will soon find out, it has repercussions that will affect you quite deeply."
"You can't tell me that and then tell me I have to wait." She wanted to stomp her foot, but as there were no solid surfaces near her she simply settled for scowling.
He made a sound in her mind that created the effect of a deep sigh. "Your body is rejecting the implants. You can't survive here as a normal human. You will be given another option, but it will be difficult for you."
Safi didn't have a chance to ask another question. They floated into a huge coral structure and a elder, more sombre, version of her companion was waiting for them in a private garden.
The man looked up from his study of a waxy tablet and smiled a welcome. "Captain Saffron Morgan, I presume."
Her companion released her so she tried to float closer under her own power and managed an awkward bow. "You have me at a disadvantage, sir."
"I am Charon, lord of this underwater world. Or at least of this altered-genetic settlement. Next to you is my son, Ajax. You are here because your ship crashed."
She rubbed her forehead. "I remember that part."
"What you don't remember is that you were so near death due to the crushing of your pod, that when our surgeries to help you survive were enacted, your immune system was so compromised that your
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