"So what do you think about this deal with Pollux and I sharing a brain?" Jimmy asked Tammy once they got a chance to talk.
"Well, I do like girls too, and I don't think that'll change once Wally and Prinea fix me," Tammy replied. "But I really don't think that's the way it'll be; I think it'll be more like Pollux is a ghost that speaks through you. I'll have to get to know her myself to be sure, but from what everyone says about her, I think I'll like her."
"Yeah, but I guess I was asking ... Uh, if she finds me acceptable, and we do this, I don't think she and I will ever be apart. That means she'll be right there in bed with us, making love with us as well. Do you think you'll be okay with that?"
"I honestly don't know. I mean, until yesterday, I never thought you and I stood a realistic chance together. But the few times we were together romantically, Tina was with us too so I don't think I'll mind her being with us.
"I'm going to miss you for the week you'll be gone," Tammy said, and kissed him.
"Well, maybe in the evenings, I think you'll mostly be busy with the education computer. Time will fly by. Besides, we aren't sure Pollux will like me," Jimmy said.
"Oh, I think she'll like you, but will she accept you as her Avatar?" Tammy asked. "You know, no one actually asked us if we wanted to do this. Are you sure this is what you want to do?"
"Even if Pollux doesn't accept me, I think I'd still want to stay, now that I know of it. This place is just way too cool for words!" Jimmy said excitedly. "What about you? How do you feel about all of this?"
"Well, I'll be wherever you are, but in this case, I agree with you completely. I can think of no other place I'd rather be. I do have one question for you before Sheba takes you away; where do you want to live? That way I can do some exploring and get a few ideas to show you."
"There are actually two residences set aside for the Avatar and family. There is a large apartment atop the Citadel Tower, as well as what you might call a ranch house out in Sector three, near Thiffel, on tier two," Sheba said from the door of the private room Jimmy and Tammy had gone into. "Please excuse the intrusion, Pollux has assimilated the history since she powered down, and has asked that I would introduce her to the both of you. Is this a good time?"
Jimmy looked at Tammy with his eyebrows raised in question, and Tammy smiled at him, and replied. "Sure! I think we'd like that Sheba, thank you."
Sheba nodded, "In that case, Jimmy, Tammy, it is my pleasure to introduce you to my older sister, and the Arbiter A.I., Pollux. Pollux, this is your Avatar Candidate, Jimmy and his lady, Tammy."
A rich contralto voice seemed to softly emanate from the air itself. "I'm honored to meet you. I've heard a lot about both of you."
"We've heard some about you too, Pollux. I love your voice, it make me tingle." Tammy said, grinning and gently biting her lower lip.
"That's good! I like yours too! Plus, you're as pretty as Sheba is! I really look forward to getting to know you better." The powerful AI then shifted her 'focus' to Jimmy. "Sheba, Grista and Prinea have all given me their opinions of you, Jimmy. Looking through the information that's available, I agree that you're a strong candidate as well. I wanted to meet both of you before I take Jimmy for testing to see if either of you had any questions for me, before we begin."
"As I understand it," Tammy began. "Once acceptance is made, and you 'bond' with Jimmy to become the Arbiter, You'll also become my ... wife? Husband?"
"One of the reasons I wanted to meet both of you is to help clarify that. Once bonded, Jimmy and I will share his emotions and feelings for the world around him. That's the primary reason for structuring the Arbiter this way.
"Emotion without reason is reactive and destructive; cold hard reason, without the warmth of emotion is harsh and uncompromising. While an Arbiter is responsible for applying the laws on behalf of the Empire, it is far more important that we be responsible for keeping the peace between peoples. We need to be capable of compassion so we can offer compromise.
"The by-product of all those high and mighty principles is that I will be as much in love with you as he is. So your answer is yes, I will also become your mate."
"Will we also share knowledge the same way? I'd be afraid my brain would explode if it had to store all your knowledge!" Jimmy asked grinning.
The voice chuckled. "We will have access to each others knowledge. Which means if you think about something, say someone offers you a Trenel Tart. You'll remember what it is, remember that Trenel is toxic for humans, and refuse the offer; however, you won't even know what Trenel is beforehand."
"It sounds like it'll be a trip!" Jimmy said eagerly.
"I think I can learn the rest once we're all together. If it's okay with you Pollux, Why don't we have Sheba lead him up to you, and I'll see about getting stuffed into one of those tanks of goo," Tammy said.
"I'll guide him up, I think Sheba would like to stay near her new friend, Tina," Pollux replied. You could hear the smile in her voice.
"Good, I should ask her to try to find out why Tina hates me now," Jimmy said.
"Tina hates you?" there was a pause. "I don't think she hates you, although there is something going on there. I'll let Prinea know discretely."
"Take care of our guy, please," Tammy asked as she kissed Jimmy again.
"I will, Tammy," Pollux replied, tenderly.
There was a discrete knock, and Glynda entered. "Hi, I'm sorry to interrupt, but only you and Tina are left to go in the tanks, Dear."
Tammy nodded to the kindly woman. "It's time for Jimmy to go anyway. I'll see you both, soon!"
Jimmy kissed her again, and gave her a hug. "I love you, Tammy."
The newly christened Tammy's face lit up, and tears fell from her eyes. "I love you too, Jimmy!"
Following Pollux's advice, Jimmy left the small treatment room, just as the floor in one corner irised open revealing a tank of what looked like glowing, orangish-pink Jello.
Once the door was closed again, Glynda took a seat. When she brought up her hands, a large holographic computer terminal appeared under them. She punched a few buttons, and a new hologram appeared, this one was of a body, although Tammy could see into the body, she could also see enough of the outside to realize out it was hers.
"Now, what's going to happen here, Tammy may sound a little frightening to you. So I'm going to try to explain, step by step, so you understand. Does that sound good to you, or do you just want to strip and jump in?" Glynda asked.
"I've a few questions, more out of curiosity than fear though?" Tammy asked.
"Ask away, sweetheart, if I can't answer them, Prinea will."
"Okay, I've seen enough SciFi movies to understand the whole concept of the tank, I would like to know how I'm supposed to breathe in there, or do you put me into a form of stasis?"
Prinea answered before Glynda could. "Stasis? Hmm, I'll have to look into that. That might help with very badly wounded beings. But, to your question; no, you're not in stasis, just in a light sleep. As for how you breathe, Glynda will give you a face mask that will cycle CO2 out and O2 back in."
Tammy nodded acceptance of that. "Okay, about how long will this take, and why?"
Glynda spoke first this time. "Prinea has calculated that you'll be in the tank for thirty-six-point-three earth hours. That's just how long it'll take the nano's to do all the work. First, they'll clean your systems of the toxins and junk life on Earth has given you, then they'll scan and correct any genetic problems that might cause mischief later on. They will also re-align your code to be fully female. Thirdly, they'll remove the penis, testicles, and the skin from the groin area. With that as raw material, they will then build the vagina you should have had from birth, complete with hymen. They will also relocate and restructure the muscles in the area into that of a female. Finally, the last few hours will be for them to strengthen those muscles, and ensure that the rest of your body is as it should be. They'll even fix your cavities and your slight overbite."
"Cool, one last question, then I'll get in the tank. If the nanos are so good, why don't they stay in the body, and fix things on the fly?"
"Nanos are a wonderful tool for repairing a broken body, however, in most cases; the natural immune system of the patient would destroy them before they could do their work. So, in order for the nanos to do their work, a very strong immuno-suppressant is used. It's so strong that it is only given once the patient is in the nano-gel. If it were to be administered before insertion, or after removal, even a common cold could be lethal. The last thing the nanos do is purge the patient of the suppressant, which in turn destroys the nanos," Prinea explained.
Tammy had been stripping as Prinea spoke, and Glynda handed her the mask. "Thank you both for answering my questions. I think I'm ready now."
Glynda smiled at the girl. "Now, all you have to do is walk to the middle of the tank. For now, the top of the gel will hold you; it'll feel like warm, hard, plastic under your feet. Put the mask over your nose and mouth, stand in a relaxed pose, close your eyes and nod that you're ready. Keep your eyes closed. Once I activate the gel, you'll drop down into it like its water; don't worry, you'll stop before you hit bottom. However, you won't know it. The gel knocks you out as soon as you're covered. Then the suppressant," she held up a small device that she stuck to Tammy's arm. "Will be injected, and the nanos will get to work on you. Don't worry about going to the bathroom or eating and drinking. The nanos take care of all of it. Are you good?"
Tammy put the mask on, and walked onto the gel. She shook out her arms and rotated her head to stretch her neck. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and nodded.