Not that Nodoka Saotome had ever asked for it.
But she'd never been one to complain, and she knew enough about their situation to understand that there were more important things to worry about. She had a lot of work to take care of, and that was the sort of thing that had to be seen to sooner than later. Just how she was going to take care of all that stuff remained to be seen, as she didn't think that most ships' engineers went around in traditional Japanese women's clothing.
Her first obligation though was to go and report to her captain. Her loyalty was to him and her ship, not that one had to worry about her in that regard. Considering the fact that her commander was her son, he was someone that she truly wanted to see succeed and survive.
As such, the new chief engineer came over to meet her captain... only to find him looking anywhere save at her. "Hello, my dear captain. It is good to see you."
"Yeah. It's nice ta see ya too," he muttered, grinning a bit oddly in her general direction.
"I can see that. Is there a problem?"
"'Problem'? Why would ya think that there is a 'problem'?"
"I can think of many reasons," Nodoka told him, clasping her hands in front of herself. "But one immediately leaps to mind."
"What's that?"
"You won't look at me."
"Oh. Right."
"May I ask why that is? Is something the matter with me?"
Ranma scratched the back of his head as an embarrassed expression played across his face. "Nah, it ain't ya. It's me... kinda. Well, it is ya.... But nothin' that ya did...."
"And that means...."
"Well, ya know.... I... uh.... Ya were in that tank...."
"Yes?"
"I kinda... went ta see ya," he murmured, this time turning a bright red as he flicked a fingernail over the tip of his nose. "'Xcept.... Ya were in there. Like everyone else. I mean... ya know how ya came out. Ya weren't... dressed."
"Ah, I understand now."
"Ya do?"
Nodoka nodded, without having to pretend about her understanding. She was perfectly aware of the fact that a number of people considered her 'attractive', and the ship had even classified her as being such, but, as a mother, the idea of her son seeing her nude like that wasn't appealing at all. "You didn't stare, did you?"
"No! Of course not! I turned around and hurried back the way I came as soon as I realized what was goin' on."
"Then that's okay. It's not like you tried to be perverted. And it is what I expected."
"It is?"
"It is," she confirmed, and gently laid the fingertips of one hand under his chin to guide him into looking at her. "I'm your mother, and I wouldn't want to hurt, or trouble you, in any way. Besides, this was merely an accident."
"Are ya really? My mother, I mean?"
"Why would you doubt that?"
"I... don't wanna. But the thing is that the machine said that ya guys had your bodies taken away. Sent off ta some 'sales facility'," the teenager admitted. "But I don't know if the real you was sent off with it...."
"Don't worry about that. My body may have been stolen, but I am still here."
"Really?"
Watching the glimmer of hope touch his face, the Saotome Matriarch realized that she'd have to explain her physical situation, so that he could settle into an understanding that he could deal with. "Truly. You see, while my body has been taken without my knowledge or permission, my brain and the upper part of my spine is part of this body."
"It is?!"
"Yes. You see, I am now what might be called a cyborg. This body is a combination of artificial parts, some of which mimic, or copy, regular human functions. But what is controlling it is my brain. Think of it as a shell that was waiting for a brain to be put into it."
"That's kinda creepy. And it's kinda strange. I mean, I read 'bout cyborgs in comics, and saw them on tv shows, but...." the pigtailed boy trailed off.
"Yes?"
"Ya look good for havin' become a cyborg."
"Why thank you, my son," she told her child, and gave him a quick hug.
"It's no problem. Really."
"I'm still glad to hear that."
"Good," Ranma replied, and pulled back so he could do an easy pace around their immediate area, leisurely holding his hands behind his head. "What I don't get is why they'd wanna take away your body anyway. Or anyone else's."
"Well... I do know something of that."
"Ya do?!" he asked, twisting about to stare wide eyed at her.
"Only the basics, my son. And some of the technical parts. My specialty... my new specialty, is in ship sciences, not in 'product uses and supplies'."
"Guess that's understandable. This thing said that ya were supposed ta be the 'chief engineer'. But what would they want with people's bodies?"
"Raw materials."
"Eh?"
"Think of it this way. They can have a dozen different ways to use a body. Just like what they did with me and this body, they could put another brain into my body. My original one," his mother told him, not attempting to hide her disgust at the idea.
"What? Only like that. Switch brains 'round?"
"Pretty much. A man who would want to become a woman, a hospital patient whose own body is failing, an old rich person who wants to be 'young' again.... They all can possibly use my body to get what they want. Disturbing and a perversion, perhaps, but not something that they worry about. And many, like someone who has savaged their own body, might not care even if they knew how it was taken."
"That's... not right," he whispered.
"I know. But that's not all. They could put a machine in the head, and control my body with a computer."
"Huh? What would that do?"
"It would let them put into it whatever they want. Say, if they want a certain personality in it, then they can program in what they desire. Or if they merely want to... use it without having anything in the way, the computer control would let them tell it what to do, and have it act as they like."
"Damn."
"That's not all," Nodoka told him, her face apologetic as she revealed things that even she found... distasteful at best. "Parts of the bodies could be used for transplants, parts of strange machines, and... twisted desires. And that's not the worst."
"There's stuff that's even.... badder?"
"Unfortunately, yes. Imagine creatures that would use hosts, like humans, as... nests for its eggs, or something like the Spluggorth...."
"What would they do? Sound funny?"
"They'd take the bodies... and use them for food. They'd eat them."
For several long moments, Ranma looked like he was going to be violently ill, but then he turned a weakly held together control towards his mother. "Ya mean, everyone.... Akane and the rest.... They could be someone's dinner?"
"I'm sorry to say, but... yes."
"Gah.... Pheh. At least I can say one thing."
"And what is that?"
"If nothin' else, like me stoppin' that from happenin'," the martial artist grunted, and then gave a wry, if disgusted, grin, "at least I know that Akane'll make a good meal for once."
"Ranma...." Nodoka admonished.
"I know, I know.... Can I just ask one question, though."
"Of course. What is it?"
"How d'ya know all this stuff? It doesn't seem like ship stuff ta me...."
"True, but there are machines on the ship that help in those sorts of... activities, and I have to know about their existence, and reason for being there. And I have to know about why this ship does what it does, so that I can 'help' it in doing that job," the redheaded matron answered.
"Gotcha. If ya know your stuff, ya'll help everythin' run smoother."
"Pretty much."
"Then there's only one thing ta do. We gotta get ta work."
"By your command."
"Oh great. This is gonna take some gettin' used ta," Ranma sighed, and rubbed at his temple, while:
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