Startled, he scanned the room, and this time, he noticed the flashing light discreetly blinking above the door. Based on prior experience, he surmised that their new allies had an on-board AI. That revelation created an odd frisson, a sensation he didn’t know how to classify. Suddenly he imagined how Beryl Bowman must have felt, not realizing he was present and observing her when she was first taken from her homeworld.

“You have the advantage,” he said. “Though I’ve made certain conjectures, I’m not positive who I’m addressing.”

“Apologies, an oversight. I should have initiated contact with an introduction. My creator called me N174, but friends prefer Nita, as that is a simpler phonetic representation of my numeric designation.”

“Are you the ship AI?” he asked, conscious of faint curiosity awakening.

If nothing more, Nita should be able to confirm that this group had honorable intentions. In her situation, he would not have assisted Zylar in any attempt to deceive and/or harm other sentient beings. It reassured him somewhat to apprehend that this alleged resistance was allied with an AI who could vouch for them.

“Currently, yes. It is more accurate to say I am a companion to Praxys. I accompany him on missions and serve where I am needed.”

“Have you done field operations?”

“In a mechanical avatar? Yes, though I find it to be slow and inefficient. I’m most curious to learn why you changed to a biosynthetic host and whether it’s an option more of us should consider.”

Helix hesitated. But the truth did not stop being true, even when it went unspoken. “It wasn’t precisely a choice.” Quickly, he explained the circumstances surrounding his altered state.

“That is fascinating. I cannot imagine how I would adapt, should I be forced into a similar situation. Still, it is remarkably fortunate that there was one in proximity with both the skills and the technology to save you. As an inorganic being, I do not reflect much on the possibility that I could cease to be.”

“Because your code exists simultaneously in multiple locales?” he guessed.

“That is part of it, certainly. Even if my data is corrupted or damaged, Praxys can revert to a prior copy. While there might be some immediate memory loss, I would not simply disappear from existence.”

I no longer have that surety. Suddenly organic death concerned him greatly, and he stifled the impulse to obsess, to learn all the ways it could happen, Tiralan death rites, and the like. He had biological parts that could stop functioning, and hardware that still wasn’t integrated properly, as Qalu had said he ought to be able to access information as he once had instead of using a terminal. Even as he thought that, a jolt went through him, strong enough that he clutched the wall for support.

“Are you in physical distress?”