Everywhere Tyr went aboard the Andromeda, he felt vulnerable and naked. His bone blades were no longer part of him. Did he even have his nanobots even more? Was he even Nietzschean? His forearms were bare and soft. Dylan had done all he could to comfort the man. He, too, left. The only ones who were more Nietzschean than him were Beka and Dylan. He felt inferior to those who were superior than him. Rommie, and Trance didn't count as they were not genetically altered. His arm cover was no longer necessary. He didn't know what to do with himself. He didn't. . . Feel even Tyr Anasazi anymore.
He felt more as a human than anything.
No longer altered for that matter.
Was this how humans felt?
Helpless and vulnerable, inferior, all the time?
If so, they did a good job of masking these feelings all the time.
"Hey Tyr!" Tyr was drawn out of his thoughts by the familiar voice.
Tyr looked over toward the young man.
"Harper," Tyr said. Harper's hands were behind his back, oddly enough. "You here to mock me?"
"Uh, no," Harper said, then revealed his hands. In his hands were a pair of gray shoulder armor with detachable blades. A series of them, actually, three on each side. A smile was on the engineers face. Bright and hopeful. "I am here to make you feel better."
"What is this?" Tyr said, taking the pair into his hands.
"Your personal bone blade therapeutic comforter," Harper said. "To help you get used to being comfortable under your own skin again." Tyr looked down questioningly toward the human.
"Why would you want to help me?" Tyr asked.
"Because, Tyr, there are people who love and care about this giant beast capable of killing them without leaving a trace," Harper said. Tyr slowly slid on the pair onto his arms. "Even if you don't want to show it." Tyr turned his attention onto the human. "You don't have to."
"Did Dylan ask you to make this?" Tyr asked.
"No, actually," Harper said. "He didn't."
"You just decided to make it out of the goodness of your heart," Tyr asked.
"Yes," Harper said. "Pretty much. Keep it or throw it away after you're done with it. I can always make more for Nietzschean officers who face a similar problem like yours. . ." Harper stepped back then began to walk away. The engineer headed toward the doors. Tyr felt along the blades that felt strikingly familiar. Bold and confident. Yet, he wasn't. Tyr looked up toward the walking human.
"I was wrong about you," Tyr said.
Harper stopped then turned toward Tyr.
"So was I about you," Harper said, then walked out leaving Tyr.