(Devika holds onto something.)

"We're fine, thank you, Ma'am. You don't need to worry about inertial forces, Deskyl's magic will keep us safe."

The transport lurches out into space.

"Not much of a view, I'm afraid."

After a few seconds of acceleration, the thrusters cut out and the vessel just coasts for a bit.

    "That's all right, Ma'am."

    "Deskyl is curious whether you're piloting the ship conventionally or jacking into it remotely, if you don't mind us asking."

"I'm about four hundred kilometers away right now? Don't worry, though! The signal clarity is really good out here away from all the EM-active dysofrags in the main debris ring. No chance at all of my control of the ship shorting out at a critical juncture, or anything like that!"

"She's curious about the technology, actually, Ma'am. We're not concerned for our safety."

"It's pretty simple, actually! All our drone vessels and biomechs use the same control scheme as standard SLAYERs, we just have them wired up to receive input from radio relays rather than an onboard pilot. Some of our Dragoons actually use the exact same TFI interface that regular SLAYER pilots do, though a lot of us--myself included--opt for more intimate arrangements."

    "Oh?"

"Right, so, how much do you know about Thoracic Fork Implants?"

"Not very much, Ma'am."

Devika gives a 'Look At This' hand gesture, then turns her back to DZ and Deskyl so that the metal port there--the one she uses to plug into her SLAYER--is visible.

"Well, it's a cybernetic device that creates a direct bridge between a person's nervous system and the nervous system of another organism: typically, a SLAYER. The modern TFI is very well designed for its own optimization criterion: it's a compromise between control fidelity and durability."

"You get thrown all over your cockpit during maneuvers--especially once flash plates get involved--so you can't afford to have anything too delicate poking out of you."

"So what I've got is a lot more involved and a lot less sturdy. There isn't really a name for it, we tend to innovate on tech faster than we innovate on nomenclature here, but the gist is that my nervous system has dozens of points of contact with external systems rather than being bottle-necked by a single port. There are also some minor reaction enhancements in the bundle, but once you factor in lightspeed lag for longer range operations it pretty much works out to a wash."

With her new knowledge of their sign language, Devika can catch Deskyl asking DZ if she wants to try that; she says she doesn't.

    "That's very interesting, Ma'am. Deskyl isn't interested in an implant herself, but she might like to come work on them anyway, eventually, she enjoys engineering."

"Always room for more engineers! Only about a tenth of us pilot, but pretty much all of us tinker."

The transport begins decelerating.

    "She'll have to see, then. Thank you for the ride, Ma'am."

"Of course! I could give you a tour of the macrofab too if you like--simple operation to reallocate my remote focus from the ship to the factory interior--or I could Not That if you'd prefer to explore alone?"

    "We'll take the tour, thank you."

"Sure thing. Just give me a second to dock."

"Wait. You're piloting this thing through a neural bridge? You're synchronized with a cargo vessel?"

"Yup! I am one with the ship right now!"

A walkway on the far side of the hull pressurizes and the vessel's side hatch slides open.

"Yeah it's way easier sync with humanoid vehicles but, with time and a bit of creativity, you can get used to mental interface with pretty much anything."

Deskyl chuckles.

    "You must not have met many engineers, she says."

"I... suppose I haven't met very many kinds of people at all."

Aww, hug.

    "Engineers are usually a little ridiculous, she says."