Max watched as the data tethers detached from Nico's new body and she sat up in bed.
"Dammit Nico, have you no shame?" Ari laughed as the Major stood up beside her bed to admire her new form. As it is a Cyborg body and was being updated, the doctors didn't dress it at all.
It wasn't really a big deal, the body didn't have any flesh, as it was covered in human-shaped armor plates, but the overall effect of the new liquid alloy made it look nearly identical to an actual body, only a little taller and in a nearly white metallic golden color. The smallest size that they had was 150 cm tall, a full 5cm taller than her original body.
The doctors would have likely given her the standard 175cm androgynous form if they had known from the start that it would be a full conversion. But since they started with the smaller size, thinking they would be keeping most of the body, they had to custom make the rest as they went.
"I like it. I might actually stand a chance in physical challenges against a Cyborg. Flesh Nico whooped me too many times." Paul laughed, admiring the craftsmanship that went into the conversion.
This particular line of cyborg bodies was intended to be used for stealth since the non-Newtonian highly malleable metal outer shell could be manipulated to change appearances to some degree, but they were also among the strongest and most adaptable of technology available, which is why it was selected for the first major conversion on the planet.
Or, so went the official story. General Tennant had actually ordered them in no uncertain terms to give her the most realistic body that they could.
"I wouldn't bet on that. I'm pretty sure I'm still stronger, faster, and smarter than you are. Plus, with this new adjustability, I might even have a bigger dick." Nico teased her fellow officer in a gentle and sultry voice, nothing at all like her original.
"Party foul. If you're going to use that voice you can't say things like that." Vincente interrupted her, looking over the flowing white gold outer shell of her body. Nico was currently adjusting her outer appearance to being slightly more feminine and returning a facsimile of her original face to the generic androgynous cyborg head.
Then the outer shell's 'skin' tone changed and faded to the same alabaster pale that Nico was used to. The only problem was the hair or lack thereof. The mission here didn't call for any political infiltration duties, so the cybernetic conversion team didn't have any morphable hair samples to use. The Military didn't care if a trooper or a pilot was bald or not, hair was not a combat asset.
Nico unhappily ran her hand over her perfectly smooth, bald skull and then walked to the locker intended for her use in the operating room and pulled out her cover, placing the blood-red beret on her head.
"There, that's better." She decided and Max pinched the bridge of his nose to prevent the incoming headache.
"Either change your outer shell back to a battle armor design or put some clothes on. A hat alone isn't a suitable outfit." He reprimanded her and Nico shrugged.
"It's just a cyborg Commander. A sexy robot and we all know that only Paul has a particular taste for them." Nico said over her shoulder as she put her uniform on, then adjusted her body shape a little to make the uniform fit better.
Her height couldn't change more than a few centimeters, and she would be immediately identified as a Cyborg if someone weighed her, but in her uniform, she made a very convincing mimic of a natural human.
"More importantly, do you still have access to your System Functions? The doctors said that full conversions often lose them, and I need to know before we go into combat tomorrow. I know it isn't much time to adjust to your new body, but that's all you get." General Mons called, entering the operating room followed by a pair of senior medical officers and his copilot.
"Most of them. My [Rapid Healing] Function says updating, but the rest seem to be fully functional. Even my Innate Talent survived." Nico confirmed and the General sighed.
"My life would be easier if we could move you to a desk position, but procedures say we still need to test your Piloting Standards and if you pass I must allow you to take Tarith's Rage into combat unless you apply for an indefinite medical transfer." General Mons' revelation isn't a surprise to anyone, but the doctors do look pretty eager for her to fail so that they can have a full conversion experimental subject with all the newest technology at their disposal.
"Let's do the test then. As long as my System Functions are active, I don't actually need a fast body to Pilot, only one that is durable enough to survive the abuse I'm going to put it through." Nico confirms since she knows the General has already seen how she was Piloting Tarith's Rage before her rebuild.
"I was afraid you would say that. Off to the testing station we go."
General Mons leads them to a smaller back room in the medical complex, where a number of physiotherapy devices have been set up along with a Piloting Simulator.
"First you need to pass the basic physical fitness exams. That should be easy enough with this body since the tests are set to the standards for Line Mecha Pilots. Then we will test your Crusader Class Piloting skills in the simulator." The lead doctor that arrived with the General says, taking out a clipboard with a blank exam sheet on it.
"So, what do I need to do?" Nico asks, looking around the room for some sort of course or another indicator that would let her know what the test is.
"The easiest way is to have a sparring match with another pilot. We don't have a Line Mecha Pilot here with us, but if one of your comrades goes easy, we should be able to test your strength and response times in under a minute." The doctor informs her and Paul smiles.
"I volunteer. Thank you for this opportunity, Major." The Captain smiles at her, not at all concerned about the capabilities of her new cyborg body.
He should be, her System's [Mecha Modification] Function works perfectly well on the robotics of a Cyborg Body, and Max is certain that she's already started tweaking it for better performance. Plus, she's a much better fighter than he is.
"Who has the camera? We need to record this. For educational purposes of course." Max asks and the doctors both pull out high-definition digital video recorders.
"Go get him, Nico." Max calls to start the fight and the two pilots drop into combat stances.
Paul thinks he has the advantage, so he lunges forward, only for his fist to meet the palm of a very hard metallic hand. Pulling back his hand before Nico can grab and crush it, he goes for the follow-up to the chest, but Nico has already sidestepped and treated him to a kidney punch that he never even saw coming.
Paul rotates away from her punch, limiting the damage, and grabs her in a chokehold, making Nico laugh.
"Did you just try to choke out a robot?" Vincente laughs as Paul realizes his mistake and backs away.
"Oxygen is filtered through the external shell. No breathing through the nasal passage or mouth is necessary and there are no easily damaged mechanisms in the throat." The doctor confirms.
Nico moves forward with a flurry of punches, startling Paul with her speed. She's still slower than he is, but he's a Crusader Class Pilot with years of experience bolstering his System bonuses, not many things should be as fast as him.
Paul grabs her wrist and attempts to twist it over to force Nico into an arm lock. With a whine, the arm slowly rotates a quarter turn before twisting back. Then Nico flexes her bicep and tosses Paul up in the air, catching him in a Princess carry.
"That's all the data we needed. Now, if you can pass the Piloting exam, you can be cleared for duty." The doctor calls an end to the fight before the red-faced Paul can vent his rage at the position he is in. The best he can do is glare at Nico as she sets him back on his feet.
The piloting exam is passed with flying colors as expected. Nico's Innate Talent is [Technology Manipulation], so she doesn't even need to rely on her physical skills to pass, but the Cyborg conversion proves to be completely capable of meeting the standard for a Crusader Class Pilot anyhow.
"With that, you are cleared to return to duty. As per regulation CRB007, you have the right to request a transfer to a non-combat role at any point in the future, in recognition of the sacrifice you have made for Kepler." The doctor gave her the official notice and signed off on her medical paperwork, bringing Max's unit back up to its full strength of five Crusaders.
