"Is this truly the only way?"

I turn from my patient, who Rose is currently sedating, and turn to Reverend Shipping. His eyes are wide with so many human emotions, that even if I had been ordered to use my lying update, I could not have. "I would not be doing this procedure, if it weren't."

Rose looks up briefly from her preparations to inject penicillin into our patient next. "It is all right, Reverend. I have had to do procedures like this before."

He nods, but there is something broken in his expression.

"I'll take care of your son." Rose looks into his eyes. "But it'll be best if you aren't here."

Reverend Shipping startles. "What? But he needs me-"

"He needs medical professionals," I answer coolly. "We can be calm for him."

"I can too-"

"I need you to man the cockpit," I say. "If I'm going to perform this surgery, I will need to put seventy-five percent of my focus algorithm on it-"

"One hundred percent!" Reverend Shipping cries.

I give him a comforting, but commanding look. "I need you to make sure both the rooms that Killa and Nicholas are in, as well as the medic bay have proper oxygen flow. But most importantly, I need you to monitor outside the ship and be prepared to offer Captain Orion any assistance he might need with the prisoner and the repairs."

Reverend Shipping sighs, but nods firmly. "I'll do whatever it takes to keep this ship operational. Just, you do whatever it takes to bring my son through the operation."

My physical body nods for his benefit.

The elder Shipping brushes a hand through his son's hair. "I'll be praying for you. Praying for us all."

With that, he walks away.

My hologram blinks, as I search my memory banks for any episode where someone has offered to intercede with their Creator for an AI before.

Rose must sense what I'm analyzing, because she says, "He's just that kind of man. He'd preach to the asteroids if it didn't take precious time when he could be reaching the lost."

"I understand," I answer, even though I don't. Orion needs to update my understanding of human emotions again.

Then my physical body steps closer to Silas Shipping's bed. "Has he been prepped?"

"Yes." Rose checks her watch. "Just give his blood-stream another minute to soak in the penicillin and pain-killers."

I do. And turn on the camera view of the brig.

-Banner by cannibalisticnecro

-Signature by -krystallite