“You’re anthropomorphizing, Yirella. That’s a mistake. The muncs are just biologics, that’s all. They’re alien machines.”

“That’s bollocks. They’re alive. Their neurology is modeled on a human brain. They have memory and emotional responses. Just because their cellular biochemistry is slightly different, that doesn’t make them a machine. They’re sentient. That’s why they willingly undergo…this.” Her arm jabbed out, taking in the combat cores. “They want it because the boys want it.”

“Of course they do. It’s why we’re all here. This is our purpose.”

“To wage war isn’t a purpose, it’s a threat reflex. We should be trying to think our way out of this mess.”

“We’ve tried. We cannot flee out of their reach, for the enemy is more widespread than us. The Saints themselves know there is no Sanctuary star to be had, so the legend that a generation ship in our past vowed to look for one is nothing more than that: legend. We cannot call out to the Neána for help, even if they still exist, because to do so would betray our position to the enemy. We are alone, and their hunt is inexorable. Our only hope is to spread our generation ships wide and one day to turn and fight. Look it up; the files are open to you now. All the files. Principal Jenner authorized it. We don’t even know how many humans have died or been taken trying to achieve that noble goal. All we have left now is our crusade to defend the human race. To destroy an enemy so relentless that this whole galaxy is unsafe.”

“You can’t be certain we’ll win.”

“Of course we can’t. But we are striving to create the greatest army our science and technology can produce. This is my project. We’ve worked hard to achieve this level of success. If we fail, it will not be from weakness.”

“Congratulations. And when does my boost begin?”

“Whenever you’re ready.”

“You’re very confident about our empathy with the muncs, aren’t you?”

“Yes. However, your muncs’ neurology is slightly different from those in the boys’ cohorts. They’ll be your filters.”

“Yes, but only when you’ve ripped their brains out and wired them up to gentens as peripherals.”

“I don’t have to.”

“What?”