My body felt heavier than I ever remember and I wanted nothing more than to fall back asleep, the deep dreamless sleep that I just had that somehow made me feel extremely well-rested and utterly exhausted at the same time. I felt the light hitting my face and knew my mother would be in soon to wake me up but I would savor every bit of this calm that I could get until then. My body felt like I couldn’t move it even if I wanted to.

  “Procedure complete, subject fully recovered.”

  My mind took a long moment to process the words as if they were coming to my mind through thick pudding. I tried to think about who had said that but my mind couldn’t come up with anything beyond it sounding extremely technological. I slowly tried opening my eyes but it was a difficult movement from how heavy they were and the brightness that was seemingly around me. It took me a few moments for my eyes to adjust to the unfamiliar ceiling above me and even longer for my brain to catch up with what I was seeing.

  After what felt like an eternity, my mind finally began to process that I wasn’t in my room anymore and searching for answers. I tried to recall the last thing I was doing. I had a fight with my parents, David tried defending me, and I stormed out. I went to my usual escape spot and then…The shooting star!

  I tried to bolt up but my body decided that it had not caught up with my brain’s level of energy and barely budged an inch. I knew I must be in a hospital but judging from what I could see it was much too advanced for anything that was near my house. Maybe my injuries were just that bad, that I needed one of the advanced facilities in the capital city.

  The unfamiliar voice of a woman called out from my left, surprising me out of my thoughts. “Oh, thank fucking hell you’re alright!”

  Well, that was a strange phrase to be used, maybe the rumors of people in the capital being less connected to God were true and that was common here. I had never heard anyone curse like that before. Nonetheless, I rotated my head to face where the voice was coming from and I slowly turned my head just enough for the woman to come into view as she approached. She was far beyond anything I expected to see. She had short hair (unheard of for women on New Eden) that didn’t even reach her chin, as well as a lab coat and strong features. Even more shocking, her hair was a vibrant shade of green that I had never seen before. Her skirt only came down to mid-thigh which was utterly taboo everywhere in New Eden just like her top that exposed her chest to the air.

  “Okay, I know this is probably a bit of a shock to you,” she says, seemingly trying to put on as much of a comforting voice as possible, “but as you can likely tell, you’re no longer on New Eden.”

  My mind raced with shock, fear, and excitement upon hearing her words, though my expression likely only displayed the first two from how this woman reacted. I wasn’t on New Eden. I wasn’t on New Eden!

  “Everything is going to be alright,” she said, stepping forward to place a hand on my shoulder, “you’re onboard the star ship Stellar Reach right now and I have been giving you the best treatment I could possibly provide.”

  “What happened?”

  My mouth struggled to move and the voice that escaped me was completely unfamiliar to me. It sounded soft and girly, though my brain quickly rationalized that it was likely a temporary after effect from whatever treatment they gave me. I pushed aside a strange feeling of elation from hearing my voice and attributed it to the excitement of being in space, at last. I was on a starship!

  “Well, that’s kind of our fault,” she stated, her voice turning solem, “one of our crew members was chasing down a fugitive and that criminal’s ship crashed straight into you.”

  I stared at her in bewilderment as my brain struggled to process what she had just said. A ship crashed straight into me so it was a miracle I was still alive. I should’ve been vaporized by a crash like that.

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  “We’re still in orbit and can return you to your home as soon as you’re strong enough to do so.” Her hand gently squeezed my shoulder to try and comfort me from the sadness that ran through me.

  I had no idea what she thought about my reaction but it certainly wasn’t sadness at what happened, it was a sadness of knowing that I had reached space but immediately had to return. Maybe I could act like I was still hurt and could stay longer. I knew it was a long shot but I had to hope.

  “I’m…okay though?” The voice I heard threw me off once more, hopefully it would return to normal soon.

  “Of course! I had to use the medical AI to run the procedure but we’ve fully reconstructed and restored your body to its former state, maybe even healthier.” She gives me a reassuring smile. “You’re a perfectly healthy woman.”

  My brain processes crawled to a stop as I replayed what she had just said about a billion and one times. I was healthy now, sure, but that last part must have been a slip of the tongue, I was sure I didn’t mishear her so that must be it.

  “Oh,” I smiled nervously at her, worried by the new voice I was hearing now, “you mean ‘a perfectly healthy man?’”

  It was her turn to stare in bewilderment this time as I could almost hear the gears turning in her head.

  “I’m sorry, what?”

  “You accidentally said I’m a perfectly healthy woman, not a man.” My nervousness was now creeping into my voice as I watched her piece the puzzle together.

  “I…give me a moment to call the Captain in and we’ll work this out,” without waiting for my response, she walks over to her interface screen and taps away.

  “Wait, what’s going on?”

  It only takes a moment for her to send her message as she turns back around quickly.

  “I’ll be honest, I’m not entirely sure,” she states as her eyes are filled with concern, “We didn’t recover much of you and I simply set the AI to construct you a new body. It should have built you one identical to your last.”

  My mind reels in shock at her words. I was a six-foot-tall man with plenty of body hair and a masculine face. There was no way that anyone could’ve mistaken me for a woman before all this. This woman had to be referring to something else, maybe this was all a misunderstanding or a prank, possibly even a dream. A dream seemed most likely, I would wake up soon to my mother opening my curtains and everything would be normal.

  Having a bit more energy than when I first woke up, I turned and lifted my head downwards towards my body, and everything ground to a halt. On my chest, right before my eyes, were two mounds of flesh attached firmly to my chest, and below them was the lack of maleness in my groin. I slowly lifted my arms into view only to see that they now reflected the newfound femininity that I seemingly had. My hands were much smaller and though I didn’t have much muscle before, it had entirely disappeared in favor of soft and thin arms.

  I only had a moment to look at myself before the woman covered me with a hospital gown, but that didn’t stop my chest from poking through the fabric.

  “Look, I’m so sorry, the captain will be here in a minute and we’ll sort all of this out.” Her eyes were filled with concern but her voice was a mile away. My mind was still catching up to the situation I found myself in.

  Her look of worry only deepened as I didn’t reply, continuing to stare at myself until the door of the medical room slid open. Stepping through the door frame was a tall, muscular, and dark-skinned man. He was dressed in a muscle shirt and cargo pants, giving him a soldier-like look. His hair was white from age but he seemed as fit as one would be in their twenties.

  “Ah, I’m glad you’re awake,” he said with a broad smile, “my name is Captain Reed Halloway, it’s a pleasure to meet you, miss…?”

  The medical woman shoots him a look that I’m unable to see but he immediately reacts with a confused face. She turned back to face me without whatever look she had given him, instead giving me a soft, comforting smile.

  “I never introduced myself either, my name is Dr. Bennett, but everyone just calls me Zara. What’s your name, sweetheart?”

  I hesitate for a long while before answering. “S-Samuel.”

  Zara gives me a nod though I can’t help but notice Captain Halloway’s face deepening his confused look, he obviously wasn’t expecting that answer but was slowly putting the pieces together.

  “That’s a lovely name, Samuel, can you give me your last name as well?”

  “I-...Viera.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Viera, or may I call you Samuel?” After she receives a nod in confirmation from me, she continues, “Would you mind waiting just a moment while I speak to Reed?”

  I nod again, not sure what to make of the situation. I was a girl. It was likely the shock but I was taking it fairly well, I thought.

  “Thank you, Samuel. We’ll be just a moment.”

  She quickly turned towards Captain Halloway and started shooing him out the door, making their exit swiftly. Not even two seconds after she said that she’d be only a moment was she out the door. It slid closed, leaving me alone in the room.