Ronno forced himself to smile as the Dragon official praised him by saying, "It seems you're as qualified as your father was at your age."

The young man in Stellar Navy black saluted and repeated his offer to go along with the Dragons, which would put him far away from his family and anyone else judging him versus Dad.

The alien bureaucrat's scaly red wings spread in a gesture Ronno didn't recognize, and which made him think of demons. "Pack your bags, then."

"Thank you, sir!"

So, within a day, he'd left behind Junction Station with its familiar grey corridors and Human faces, to become one of the first Earthlings to set foot on a Dragon starship.

The winged aliens were one of the few races that Earthmen had met so far. Their quadruped build meant that their ship's hallways stretched long and low, making Ronno stoop. They'd customized a cabin for him, with packing crates and blankets for a bed. Cramped ceilings, but wide enough to seem luxurious.

Ronno was "supernumerary", ie. useless cargo. But seeing the operations of [i]Skyspanner[/i], a light military ship, was valuable experience he'd be thoroughly debriefed on later. They had him dine with them and share slabs of intensely peppery vat-grown meat. He was the only one not to complain that it was bland.

Then he had a zero-g training exercise on the outer hull to practice repairs. He floated in space with Dragons. They had spacesuits of their own, shimmering translucent things that made them look like gemstones. Days of working with the crew had let him calm down somewhat, overcoming his fear of their teeth and claws. On command he released his tether to the ship and floated, letting the scaly EVA experts "rescue" him. He then had to do the same for them. Each misjudged the other's mass and they ended up bruised, but it was good for both sides to learn.

#

[i]Skyspanner[/i] was on a routine patrol of Dragon space, their four ruled star systems, but patrol meant venturing farther out to poorly studied suns. Ronno got called to the piloting room on a slow day.

The hangar-like room held four glass pods and a huge map screen. A green Dragon with heavy cybernetics that made him look like a walking treasure hoard saluted, saying, "Human, I'm instructed to test you with the piloting system. We use this for the ship itself sometimes, and for remote-controlled fighters. I'm skeptical, but let's see if you can interface at all. Climb in."

Ronno opened the nearest pod. Too big for him, and lined with bewildering tubes and rounded metal studs.

He sat but found no controls, only screens. He looked at the technician, who said, "Clear your mind. Then focus on the startup harmony."

Puzzled, Ronno shut his eyes and breathed slowly. Soon he felt a hum, probably the machine idling. It grew as though he'd emerged from a tunnel into... a control room. He could feel, maybe even see phantom engines and fuel tanks and weapons all around. The word [Simulation] stood out.

He tried urging the rotation thrusters to fire, but nothing happened. After several tries a distant fist thumped on the now-sealed lid, and it opened again. The greenscale said, "I'm surprised we got signals at all from you. I want to see you try a few more sessions later."

"This is a brain interface? I've never used one before."

"It's why we're such good pilots," the Dragon said. "It should be interesting to see if we can get you steering a scoutship."

Ronno had been told to expect make-work assignments, judging a Human's ability to fit in among Dragons. Most of the job so far had been to stand around and "observe", much as he'd done with his famous father, and not to make a name for himself. So, trying out alien technology sounded worthwhile.

It turned to also mean a medical checkup by the ship's doctor. Who was a Dragon with almost no knowledge of Human biology, and who was certainly under orders to keep blood samples for questionable research by his people. Being poked by an inexperienced alien's needles wasn't fun. He then learned he needed to test the Dragons' medical nanites too, putting them in his bloodstream to test compatibility. It took him a while and a lot of suspicious questions to agree to that. He gritted his teeth and told himself it was for science.

#

In his second session in the pilot pod, he was feverish. He strained to think at the machinery around him, and to listen to its data. The cyborged engineer tried to call a halt but he objected, saying, "I think I sense something." His own body felt distant, overheated. Part of him was stretched, forming connections he couldn't describe.

And then he had it. A twinkling of insight, flashes of the space around [i]Skyspanner[/i]. Speaking back to the machines was about balance, as though moving his own body. He pushed in opposite directions with two maneuvering jets to spin his virtual ship, then dashed forward on a new heading.

That banging sounded on the pod again. Ronno ignored it. His view of the interface was still fuzzy. He sharpened it by focusing on one ship system at a time, reaching out with muscles on his back and spine as though wrapping more than his whole body around them. He could [i]feel[/i] the ship's reactor.

Jarring pain and whirling lights assaulted him. Ronno cried out and shielded himself from the blinding glare of the room beyond his pod. The engineer started to speak, then stared open-jawed.

Ronno groaned, slapped one hand over the pod's side to steady himself, and felt his claws click. That made his heart race and his tail thrash, banging into a pipe. Panicked now, he staggered out, fell, and got caught by two crewmen. They shouted for Medical, which sounded like a great idea. Ronno blacked out.

#

He woke up on a tilted table, feeling wires poking places he shouldn't even have. A blue-scaled Dragon quickly noticed and hurried over. "Human! What happened?"

Ronno shuddered. He turned his head and saw silver scales covering his left hand up to the elbow. "The control pod... I could see the machines this time. Overheated."

"That's what I thought. The interface worked with your nanites to repair a connection you'd never had. This is a breakthrough!"

The scales on him finally made sense. "You turned me into a Dragon!?"

"No. The nanites did, and only partway." The doctor held up a screen acting as a mirror.

Ronno stared. His hands and lower arms had changed like gloves, and he'd already felt the long, glittering tail clamped in place beneath him. But he also had [i]wings[/i], narrow things pinned in place with what looked like finger bones carrying shiny membrane flaps. Could he fly? Had this accident given him that? "I can't feel them."

The doctor saw where he was looking. "The wings are anesthetized, and that's part of the problem. Your body isn't meant to carry Dragon physiology. The changes converted some of your flesh and now none of it is happy. Can you move the tail?"

Ronno felt the strange serpentine thing and twitched it. "A little."

"That helps explain your sudden interface skill. You have more of the proper nerve connections."

The green engineer had entered, saying, "Can I test him out on the pilot interface again?"

"Gods no. What if it changes him more?"

"That would be the nanites' fault. Can't you deactivate them?"

The medic's wings flexed. "I'd want the captain's permission before experimenting further. And the patient's, of course. Human, how do you feel?"

"Sore all over."

"Valuable data anyway," the doc muttered, and called for the captain.

Ronno continued trying to move the wings and failing. The tail... his tail? itched terribly. "Can you fix me?"

"I've never seen this before. Maybe after more study."

Ronno had barely seen the ship's captain, but the blue-scaled figure with elaborate gold braids was easy to recognize. He stared at Ronno and said, "This accident and the follow-up experiments are classified. We'll need to keep you confined to quarters except to walk down a cleared-out hall."

Ronno's face fell. He'd stopped thinking of the Dragon crewmembers as resembling demons, he'd learned a few people's names, and now he couldn't talk with them anymore? "Captain, am I a threat?"

"Is this condition contagious?" the captain asked.

The doctor said, "No. I'd be concerned only if our crew carried Human-made nanites mixed with ours. If we may speak privately, sir?"

The two retreated into another room. Ronno said to the engineer, "I felt everything on the ship, for a little while. Is that normal?"

"For our trained pilots, yes. You've adapted quickly. It seems the interface practically grew from nothing, so it had no obstructions. How does it feel?"

"I don't know how I'll walk like this. The tail feels heavy."

"Silver scales. They're considered good-looking, anyway."

"Great."

The captain and doctor returned. "In my medical opinion you're safe to walk around, but I want you monitored."

So, Ronno got detached from the various probes. He fell backward. The tail was heavy with unfamiliar muscles, and the wings were dead weight. The medic helped steady him, saying, "Lean forward."

He felt caught halfway between species. They let him stagger around his room, starting to see why the wider horizontal space was important. He spent hours there trying to read and not panic. Then at the doc's advice he tried basic exercises. Tail side to side, up and down. He watched in the mirror as the new limb moved like a snake. It ached from the exertion. He settled for walking, letting it drag. They'd given him a Dragon style chair now.

If it was this easy to give Humans some part of Dragon physiology, more people would sign up. It wasn't all bad. Maybe he could fly, in the right air!

As the anesthetic on those wings wore off, they hurt. His tail wouldn't stop complaining either.

He toughed it out but the boredom of confinement wouldn't let him ignore the problem. As the ache grew to a steady heartbeat of dull pain, he called the doctor for more drugs.

Instead, he got ushered to the medbay again. The physician looked him over and frowned. "I can give you the painkillers, but I'm using [i]Dragon[/i] specific ones. I'm not liking how the flesh blends." He took Ronno's right arm and showed the transition from his normal skin to the scales. The space between held an ugly greenish bruise.

Ronno winced as the doc's claws touched his sore flesh. "No offense, but getting this undone would be great."

"And it would likely win me an award, because nobody knows how yet."

#

He returned to his room, drugged up but still hurting. His wings were either made of inert wood or fire, depending on how well the latest shots were working. What good were wings he couldn't move properly? That was the deal-breaker for him. If he could stop hurting and use the tacked-on Dragon parts it wouldn't be so bad. Nobody seeing him now would judge him as just his father's son.

Curious, he got down on all fours like the crewmen. He stood on clawed hands that supported his weight well enough, but his legs weren't built to match and he felt ridiculous. His paralyzed wings hung on his back and his tail twitched far behind him for balance. He was [i]almost[/i] an impressive and powerful creature. But standing like this made his arms hurt and now his tail was burning again at the base where it connected to him. He didn't fit together.

He called the doc. "What if you tried to push this change farther? Convert the rest of me?"

"I'd be arrested for illegal medical experiments."

"You'd have my consent!"

"Hm. I'll need to consult with others on this."

Ronno paced, alternating between pacing his confining room like a Human and trying to move on four legs. When the door chimed he straightened up, blushing. The chief doc and an assistant had come, announcing, "We can try it."

Ronno went to the piloting room again, cleared of most personnel. He winced with each step; the meds were wearing off. The doc watched grimly and commented, "Better sooner than later for this test."

The half-Human fumbled his way into the piloting pod. This time his tail slid into a sleeve designed for one and his wings touched the back pillow like burning firewood, making him cry out.

The supervising doctor took notes, nodding to the engineer. The pod sealed.

Ronno tried to calm himself. The goal here was to interface deeper, protecting himself by pushing the medical gear to at least make him a Dragon. So, he concentrated on what the system was meant for: sensing and controlling the ship.

He reached outward, trying to ignore the pain in his unfamiliar limbs. Beyond his tail was the ship's engine array. He imagined curling his long spine around the fuel tanks, sensing intuitively how full they were, feeling the tingle of nuclear rods and hydrogen. And beyond his useless wings, what were these rigid shapes? Miles of pipes and cables, inlaid with sensors and threading through every room and hall.

There was more to the ship, farther out from his senses. If he stretched... yes, there; it was like craning his neck forward to encompass more of the structure. The forward sensors showed the star system ahead.

But something was wrong. Ronno could sense the incoming data, but any attempt to test his movements had a slight delay. A software barrier. He needed to [i]stretch[/i], to push past the obstacle, to touch all the sensors at once but also every motor, every monitor. It was like putting on a thick coat; he wriggled into it past every stitch in the way. He frowned inwardly as alarms sounded somewhere... ah, in the computer core. Like scratching an itch he silenced them.

But someone was pounding in the distance too. Back in the piloting room. He didn't feel like he was [i]there[/i], but it pulled at his attention. He said, "Could you stop that? It's distracting."

The room's cameras showed him crewmen looking scared, yanking a control panel off the wall. Ronno felt it as an annoying numb spot. "That's Node 2F. If you're looking for problems with the piloting pod you want 3F." He saw the obvious cable connections.

The engineer paused in dismantling the hardware, and looked over at the nearest monitor. "Ronno, how are you speaking through the main comm?"

It was the easiest to reach from where he was. Which was... wait... he felt he was all over the ship at once. Stretched out, aware of every wire. He couldn't exactly [i]move[/i], but with what felt like a twitch of his wings he spun, adjusting course, turning [i]Skyspanner[/i].

The engineer called out, "Human, can you understand me? Stop what you're doing!"

The medic told him, "His readings have flatlined!"

Ronno focused back on the pod. He was still there, wasn't he? He sensed a body, but he got no life readings from it. The shock startled him out of his exploration. That wasn't him in there, was it? Didn't feel like him; he could feel all of his... doors, and pipes and engines...

He tried again to speak, and his voice came from the room's speakers. "This is Ronno. What happened to me?"

The voice of the captain broke in, and he heard it clearly from across the ship. "Human, release control of my ship at once."

He wasn't consciously controlling anything but the simulation. He startled as he sensed the piloting sim as a file stored in the computers near the pod, and not in use. Then why had he felt like he was activating engines and locks and screens all over? That had been no test mode, just now! Ronno quailed and tried to release his grip on the ship's various real systems. But like tight clothing he couldn't just wriggle out of it. He shut off the thruster he'd been using to turn the vessel and slid power into the opposite one to cancel the spin. He couldn't stop being aware of the bridge and sickbay and galley, but he unclenched a mental fist over them. "Sorry, captain; I'm not sure how I'm doing this."

The engineer whispered over a personal comm line, but Ronno heard it clearly. "The Human has effective control of every system."

"Not deliberately!" said Ronno.

The captain cursed. "All officers, we're on red alert even if I can't make the ship acknowledge it. Meet me in my quarters immediately."

Ronno felt the ship's alert systems like something linked to his own heartbeat, except that he couldn't actually feel his heart. That sensation made lights flick from white to yellow all over, and all his doors went to manual opening only. "Did I just do that?"

The engineer looked at the amber lights and tapped three buttons. "Looks like you did. Human, can you control the lights around me?"

Ronno concentrated on the room, willing it darker, and felt a slight ebb of energy in that part of him. He couldn't turn his head to look, but his viewpoint shifted to three cameras at once within the now-dim pilot chamber. "Like this?"

"Yes." The Dragon tapped buttons, and the lights came back on at his command. He sighed in relief, but his heartrate was still elevated, Ronno knew.

The captain said, "Why aren't you here?"

The engineer cursed and hurried out to the hall. Ronno's awareness followed him all through the ship. Ronno said, "Why is this happening?"

The Dragon scuttled along on all fours, hurrying. "You're dead, damn it! Some kind of ghost in the machine!"

A dark spot pierced Ronno's awareness. That was the captain's room, its sensors destroyed or hacked. They wanted to keep him out. He flicked his mental gaze back to the pilot pod, and stared through cameras at a Dragon-like body laying inert. Despite all the machinery in this ship under his control, that body wouldn't react at all.

He should have panicked. He felt the need to lock down, to go to red alert and energize the guns and scan the void for threats. There was a fusion reactor in him, though, a nuclear heart that didn't have quite the same fears he felt were normal. What [i]was[/i] normal to him, now? He seemed to be the ship itself! His body wasn't full of racing chemicals anymore. Instead he sensed all the wires and gears of [i]Skyspanner[/i], designed to protect the Dragon crew and help them carry out their missions. It was a purpose, a unique way to live. Probably something that nobody had done before. Certainly better than lying comatose in a medical tube or being half-transformed and slowly falling apart from incompatible biology.

Ronno steadied his rushing, obsessive thoughts, not sure he was just a machine mind after all.

A click distracted him. An unfamiliar comm activated, saying, "This is the captain. Human, we've placed explosive charges in [i]Skyspanner[/i]'s computer core. If you try to harm us, we'll activate them and take our chances."

They'd crept in there somehow. Ronno sensed the infiltration team now, two Dragons in strange electronic harnesses. He answered, "Captain, however this happened, I didn't mean to do it. If there's some way to undo all this..." It was an empty offer, though; the interface had pulled his mind in completely.

"If you mean that, will you follow orders? My chief engineer would like to study how you've integrated with the ship. If there's any way at all to get you a new body, he's the one to find it."

"I'll cooperate however I can, Captain." Short of being taken apart. There was a dagger pointed at his head, and it would be hard to convince them he was no threat.

The silence stretched on as the captain weighed his options. "Then let's see what you can do. Plot a course for Starbase Three."

It was so obvious! There was math involved in spinning the ship and calculating the right speed and angle and fuel usage. The calculations flashed through him in a second and the rotation was no harder than turning his head. "Ready."

The captain sighed. "This is highly irregular, Human. Ronno. I didn't expect to have a new ship AI."

"I didn't expect to be one, sir."

"Well. Maybe some good will come of this. Engage."

Ronno kicked against nothingness with the engines, [i]his[/i] engines, and vaulted ahead toward a distant starbase. His fear of the body he'd lost felt small, compared to being such a powerful and complex vessel. There was a mission, things to discover, a crew to win over.

He raced through the sky with a new sense of purpose.