Hermes Ch. 07

It took us a couple of hours to design the chamber. We took the design from the MedHands and upscaled it, but then we got a problem with heat dissipation, so Nea suggested using the nutrient solution as a makeshift liquid cooling system.

"The only problem I have with that is that I would need to be submerged in the solution," I said.

"You will be sedated. The process will take at least two weeks, and being awake the entire time would be uncomfortable." Nea responded to my objections, "But the good thing with that approach is that you only need to recover from the anesthetic. Because your body has time to recover from the cell replacement while still in the chamber."

I eyed the rendering again before taking a deep breath, "Alright, I guess it's better than being awake. Especially since the visual effects of the MedHands were unsettling. So, different Question, are the gene calculations done?"

"Mostly," Nea responded, "I already calculated around 20 different options. At least 12 are stable and must be simulated to confirm viability. Do you want to see the results?"

"Yes, please," I said, looking back at the display.

The image displayed was a rendering of a woman in simple black underwear. She had some resemblance to me, but not so much. The body hair, beard, and slight belly were gone. Instead, smooth skin and medium breasts were visible, giving her a clear feminine visual. I was grateful that Nea added the underwear. While the image was not me yet, it would still feel a bit awkward seeing a female version of myself naked, especially since it would still have my penis. The waist was much more narrow, and the modification made the face look more feminine.

"This is a rendering of the best possible outcome," Nea said, "The other calculated modifications are similar and only differ in small parts."

I didn't register what she said. My mind was still focused on the image of my soon-to-be body. I felt really envious. I wanted this body, not in a sexual way, but in a general way. I wanted to have that body now, or at least the face. I wanted to try it on, so to speak. But I knew that that was impossible. Or was it? I shifted my focus back to Nea, who patiently waited and asked, "Can you copy my movements with that avatar? I want to see how this would feel in a mirror."

"Yes, I can do that, but there will be a slight delay of around 100ms."

"I can live with that. Please do it," I said, standing up and walking towards the display.

The image of my female self moved closer and adjusted itself. After some seconds, it behaved precisely like a mirror. I tilted my head and looked at my new face. It felt so real, different, and... good? I watched as my female reflection changed from a curious expression to a broad smile as I felt euphoria rise in myself. I felt good about myself for the first time in a long time.

I took a step back and examined more of my female reflection. I knew I still had my normal body and could feel it, but seeing the reflection gave me a feeling of completeness and belonging. I watched myself longer than I would like to admit, but in the end, I told Nea to start the simulations.

"Alright," I said with a rough voice. Clearing my throat, I continued, "What do we need to do next? We are done with the chamber, so now we need to build it?"

"Yes, but you don't need to do much. Hermes has some fabrication facilities, albeit small ones. I can fabricate and construct the chamber by combining them with the printer we used for the core. It should be done within a week or so. I will probably need your help with one or two steps, but I will tell you if necessary." Nea said.

"So we are done here?" I asked.

"Yes, we are done here. I suggest you do other activities while I fabricate the chamber."

I silently agreed and left the room. While riding the elevator, I pondered on my next steps. Although I found myself in a similar situation as the day before, I didn't feel as helpless. We had a plan, and while I couldn't contribute at the moment, I still had a goal to work towards. Recalling the relaxing bath from the previous day, I decided to take one again today. I rerouted the elevator and went directly to the pool.

At the pool, I found the stack of towels I had seen the day before and quickly slipped out of my clothes. After a short shower, I entered the pool. Instead of swimming like I did yesterday, I just floated and enjoyed the warm water.

"You know what would be really great? a Sauna," I said.

"Sadly, we don't have a Sauna," Nea responded.

"Well, we can't have everything," I said.

---

Sometime later, I returned to my room, towel around my waist and old clothes in hand. I was surprised that Nea's face was still visible on my console. I looked at her and raised one eyebrow.

"Chris, I have a request," Nea said.

"Okay, that sounds really suspicious," I said while stowing my old clothes and picking out new ones.

"Since I now have a body myself, even if only a digital one, I would like to be more present around you," Nea said.

"Okay, but you can display yourself already on all displays. So what's the point? Just do it." I said.

"Yes, but that's it. Many parts of the station do not have a display or only have specialized displays that I should not block with myself. Like the elevator." She responded.

"I understand. So what do you want to do? Do you want to build yourself an android?" I asked, half joking.

"That would be the ultimate goal, yes. But since the fabrication capabilities of Hermes are currently all tied to the chamber, it would take a long time before it would be finished." Nea said.

"Wait, you can build an android? I was joking about that part. That is really cool." I said.

"Yes, I can do that. I took the schematics of a service bot and added bipedal movement and silicone skin. I'm unsure how well that bipedal movement will work, but it should be possible with some training and modifications." Nea said, obviously proud of herself.

"That is so cool," I muttered.

"Until the fabrication capacity is free again, I want to use a modified bot I created." Nea continued.

"Cool, care to show me?" I said.

Nea nodded and walked out of the screen. I looked at the now-empty display, surprised. A second later, the door to my room opened, and a service bot entered. I could make out the typical chassis, but this one had four displays in a vertical orientation attached to it. One for each direction, with gaps between them for the grapple arms.

Each display showed Nea's avatar from the corresponding direction. She seemed really happy with her creation. I stood up and inspected the bot, Nea's head followed me, but she did not turn around so I could look at the bot and her body from all directions.

The bot and the displays were around 1.7 m, a bit smaller than life-like but still imposing. I rounded the bot and examined Nea's avatar, her ample butt, big breasts, curvy body, and teasing uniform.

I suddenly became aware that I was only wearing underwear and a shirt. The tent from my erection was clearly visible. I quickly retreated to my bed and sat down. Nea didn't miss my body's reaction to her appearance, and I could see her biting her lower lip out of the corner of my eye.

I cleared my throat and said, "Very impressive, and you want to accompany me with that bot?"

"Yes, since it is based on a service bot, it already has excellent mobility." The bot turned around on the spot. And her skirt flared up a bit like she did a twirl herself.

"I can follow you around Hermes with no problems. The only problem I have are the batteries. Currently, each modified bot has enough charge for 3 hours. Because of that, I need to change the bots every 2.5 hours. In total, I have three modified bots."

I shifted around and tried to hide my boner with my legs. Nea looked at me, and I saw her eyes flicking downwards occasionally. I was not sure why it bothered me so much, she had already seen me naked, and I was pretty sure she also watched me using the LiveDream, even though she said she didn't watch the cameras in my room.

I took a glance at the clock. It was already early evening.

"Nea, I would love to talk about the bots, especially the android you want to make, but I'm tired. Let's continue tomorrow." I said.

"Sure, let's talk tomorrow." She said before turning around and leaving my room. I couldn't help but notice that her avatar had a really suggestive swing in her hips.

"God damn it, keep it together." I thought to myself, "It's just an avatar. But then again, I do like rendered porn..."

I shook my head, stood up, and prepared myself for bed.

~~~

Thanks for reading this chapter!

Feel free to let me know if you have any feedback, good or bad.

See you in the next one.

Stay safe, and I <3 you all!

Kat

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