"Yeah, Cepheus was a border planet, but we didn't spend much time there," Israfil said. "What's your family like?" Israfil asked, thinking it as the next natural question to ask when getting to know someone.

---

"I suppose you're right about that," Tera said. But something about the cogs made her uneasy. Being a Quantum, she was comprised of man-made hardware and software, whereas a cog, if it had the ability to enter her mind, where was the separation? Maybe Blythe felt secure in the fact that the cog could never truly bypass her biological 'hardware' to threaten her sense of self. On the one hand, some humans held on to the notion that no matter what, human sentience was a miracle, while Quantum sentience was not. On the other hand, there were some who felt threatened by Quantums, claiming that Quantum sentience 'cheapened' the miracle of sentience altogether. "Aren't you afraid of something entering your mind? of losing your sense of self?" Tera blurted out, seeking empathy.

---

"I have no real issue with your sister. For one, Sion's always managed to take the brunt of it; he's always looking out for me in his own way. Secondly, your sister follows orders and is quite capable. She also doesn't appear to have any intention of harming those around her for personal gain..." Maya trailed off, realizing she had said too much. She knew Solomon was too ambitious for his own good, her main fear right now was letting success get to Solomon's head. On the other hand, if he felt threatened by being overshadowed by his teammates, he might also resort to doing something awful. Maya didn't want him on the team, but the higher-ups were already furious that there would only be two Ascendeds.

"They're nice and they always claimed to be very open minded, which I guess is true about some things." Mike answered. Sure, his parents didn't look at Wildtypes and Quantums the same way most Ascendeds did, so in a way, they were at least more accepting than most Ascendeds.

"Not exactly. Perhaps I should be, but in all honesty, I don't see why. I mean, it's not like anyone would miss me if I won't be myself anymore, except for Claire." Blythe answered. She knew that what she said probably sounded odd to a lot of people, but she didn't care much about that.

"I don't think Blythe would do such a thing, but she has a bad habit of getting into fights. To be honest, I was surprised that she didn't punch Solomon or anything after he forced her to kneel back at the shuttle." Claire said to Maya. Blythe had kicked and punched people for smaller things than what Solomon had done to her.

"My parents taught me that in the past, Ascendeds were hunted down by Wildtypes as monsters and oppressed, and that I should be sympathetic to their history. Supposedly, back before the Race Wars, my family followed the Ascendeds to help them start their own life out here, where the Unified Earth Dominion couldn't reach them. Well, I guess, the UED's reach was longer than expected so the war started, but now The Ascendancy is established, so every turned out alright in the end, right? Ascendeds have a place they can call home," Israfil said with a sort of lost look in his eyes.

---

Tera didn't say anything for a bit. She had heard some Quantums speak like that too. They were either obsessed with 'upgrading' themselves to the point that they no longer had human traits, or they felt that they were so far below the 'miracle' that was biological sentience that they stopped valuing their own minds and gave themselves up to despair. "Is that how you define yourself?" Tera asked, a bit more sternly than she intended, "Is your worth dependent on what value others assign you?" If a human sentient mind cannot define its own worth internally, what hope did an artificial mind have?

---

"I know," Maya said, "we have files on all of you. Your sister's got quite the history. To be frank, her position on the team was always tenuous. While Lear gets a free pass, the committees say your sister is 'too difficult' to control, and won't 'contribute' to the team. There was one gambit keeping her in, and you demonstrated that in the last mission. The combination. Engineers saw something similar in both your cogs, but they didn't know what. Now, she's practically indispensable, both of you are, and I'm glad for it." Maya sighed a bit, smiling at Claire, "Maybe I've been keeping Lear on too tight a leash; maybe if i just give him some freedom and trust, things won't turn out as badly as I think. Maybe...I just can't forgive him for what he did to your sister. As a fellow Ascended, I feel shame when one of my kind abuses their gift." may chuckled dryly, "As it turns out, the whole point of his cog is to abuse his gift."

Mike nodded. "I'm sure it hasn't been easy, but yeah, everything turned out alright in the end. I don't see any reason to hold a grudge towards Wildtypes despite what happened in the past." He said.

"No, my worth is not determined by how others think of me. But if you don't have anyone or almost nobody who cares for you and loves you, than what's life still worth living for, or what difference does it make if who you are changes? I'm fine with taking that risk, and that's what matters most, and there's nobody who would miss the way I used to be. At best, it could even end up being an improvement." Blythe said, looking at Tera.

Claire looked at Maya for a moment, not saying anything. "So if I understand what you said correctly, the reason that my sister is on this team is not because of any useful skills, but because it just so happens to be the case that her cog is able to combine with mine?" She finally asked, wanting to make sure she understood what Maya had said.

"Yeah, that's what the Ascendancy was founded on, right? It's not about which race is above the other, it's about ability. In the Ascendancy, people are awarded according to their contribution, so people who don't succeed, sort of...deserve not to...right?" Israfil simply repeated the mantra that he was raised with, that his own failures were due to his incompetence, and not because there was any inherent oppression of Wildtypes. He consoled himself with the fact that he was here as a test pilot for revolutionary technology; he had succeeded in his own way, despite his incompetencies.

---

"Is there no one besides Claire who cares about you...?" Tera asked, almost painfully, "What about the person who gave you that necklace?"

---

Maya bit her lip, she had not intended to mean it that way, but Claire was right. "You're not...wrong," Maya conceded, "...Not all is well in the Ascendancy military, or the government for that matter, that much should be obvious. We can either ignore the problem, or change it from the inside." Maya shook her head, "But if anything drastic occurs internally, FAS, maybe even Horizon, will sense weakness and might attack. How do we fix ourselves on the inside when there are so many threats on the outside?"

Mike nodded. "Yeah, that way everybody gets what they deserve. Maybe it makes things a bit hard for some people, but those who do their part are rewarded for that." Mike said.

Upon hearing Tera's question, Blythe got a sad expression on her face. "The person who gave me that necklace died some months ago." She answered. It wasn't something she liked to talk about, but it wasn't like they were having a very uplifting conversation anyway.

"And how does that make up for what you're doing? My sister trained harder everyone I know for all of this and she spent more time on the cog training system more than me or any of the others, and you're only using her as some advantage? She's more than just that goddamn combination, you can't treat her like that!" Claire said in return. She tried to keep her voice down, but it seemed to be no use. It was awful that they used Blythe like that.

Israfil turned his face with downcast eyes. People who struggled didn't deserve special treatment, didn't deserve help. Israfil pumped himself up by slapping his face a few times; he wasn't struggling at the bottom anymore, he was rising to the top! He turned back to Mike, putting on a cheerier face and attempted more small talk, "Do you have a significant other?"

---

Tera clutched her chest and looked away. Death. A concept all sentient life had to grapple with, to not only have to deal with the inevitability of one's own death, but to also have to deal with the persistent memory and loss of those who had once lived. She thought of the picture she had found and felt deep shame and guilt, realizing how deeply she had violated Blythe's personal space. "I'm s-sorry for your loss," Tera said weakly, unsure what else to say.

---

"I know," Maya said apologetically, "I've gone over the reviews, and I get notified when you guys train. I know how much your sister puts in. The way they evaluate her isn't right, none of this is right. I can't change what they think of her, but as for myself, regardless of your cogs, I value both of you as people, and as pilots. The two of you aren't 'just useful' to me. In the end, we're all just part of this big 'science experiment', but I want to get all of us through this without us all becoming...cogs in a machine..." She chuckled wryly, realizing the irony.

Mike shook his head. "No, I don't. I have been seeing someone a while ago, but we broke up. For some reason, he found it hard to deal with the fact that I have prosthetic." Mike answered, being very aware of the fact that he said 'he'. It wasn't exactly a secret that he liked both men and women to anyone he knew, and he really wouldn't mind if Israfil also know.

Blythe shrugged. "Thanks, but it's not like that will change anything." She answered, knowing that she sounded quite unfriendly. Everyone always said the same thing, as if that would make things easier or soften the pain. It was nice, but also useless.

"If you really value Blythe as a person, than why haven't you told her this? She deserves to know and I'm sure that even though she won't take it lightly, she'd appreciate it if it was told to her, rather than letting her find it out on her own." Claire said, looking at Maya. It made no sense to keep it a secret from Blythe if Maya didn't agree with what they thought about Blythe.

"Th-that's terrible!" Israfil said, getting a bit angry on Mike's behalf, "How could he be so insensitive?" Israfil suddenly stopped for two reasons, the first being that he was surprised that he had gotten so worked up, and the second being even if Mike was no longer in a relationship with the man, Mike may not want to hear unkind things said about him. "So, you're homosexual? That's pretty rare for an Ascended," Israfil said. He had no issues with it himself, but due to their low population, Ascendeds generally had a policy to push for 'breeding'.

---

Tera realized the futile sentiment in what she had said. How could she console someone else when she didn't have her own philosophy on mortality? "I didn't mean to dredge up any bad memories," Tera said, "and I appreciate your willingness to share this with me."

---

"Y-you're right," Maya agreed, "I thought by not telling her, I was protecting her. But how can you guys trust me if I keep secrets from you? Thanks, Claire," Maya said, dropping formality and calling Claire by her first name, "If she's not busy, I might go let her know right now, it might even help to have RHS be present."

"Bisexual actually, but I do like men a bit more than women." Mike answered, not really minding to tell Israfil. It was nice talking to him, and it wasn't something he was ashamed of.

Blythe let out a soft sigh. "Look, can we just talk about something else already? Dead loved ones aren't exactly my favourite subject to talk about." She asked looking at Tera.

"I believe she's at the pilot's quarters." Claire told Maya. If she was still there, than that would save Maya some time searching for Blythe.

"I-I see," Israfil said. he was getting a little embarrassed, but he didn't know why. As someone who always succumbed easily to pressure, he had always just assumed he himself was straight and never questioned his sexuality or considered being gay as an option. He realized he was looking at Mike and turned his face away, confused. "S-sorry for asking uncomfortable questions."

---

"Y-yes, let's" Tera agreed, but before she could think of what to talk about, Maya came in.

"Glad to see you two getting along," Maya said, "Ensign Rivers, please come to my office, I want to talk to you about something. Don't worry, you're not in trouble."

Mike showed Israfil a reassuring a smile. "It's okay, really. I don't mind telling you. You're just being curious, there's nothing wrong with that." He said to him.

Blythe sighed and got up, not saying anything to Maya. If the woman wanted to talk than she wouldn't protest.

"Thanks for your understanding," Israfil said, glad that Mike wasn't feeling too awkward. He decided that to be fair, he should reciprocate. "Anything you want to know about me?"

---

Maya entered her office. Sion was at his desk, looking up he saw Maya, Blythe and Claire and asked, "Do you want me to leave?"

"No, actually, it would be best if you stayed," Maya said. Sion raised an eyebrow and turned his attention away from his computer. After everyone had entered, Maya closed the door and locked it. "None of what we're about to discuss leaves this room," Maya said, looking for confirmation from the twins before sitting down at her desk. "Please, sit down," she motioned to other chairs that stood around the room.

"Blythe," Maya began, "I was talking with your sister andshe's convinced me to be completely honest with you. Our unit is being studied very closely by the scientists on board this ship. Obviously, the cogs are new technology and we're test pilots, but there are some uncomfortable biases floating around that I want you to be aware of. While both Lieutenant RHS and myself..." Maya looked over at Sion, who gave a noncommittal shrug, "...while both of us are aware of and appreciate the effort you've put in to be selected for this team, as well as the effort you have put into your training, many of the scientists think otherwise. The truth is, your position on this team has always been precarious, part of the reason, I'm sure I don't need to tell you, is your tendency to be belligerent." Maya continued quicklylest Blythe retort, "However, that alone isn't enough of a reason. After all, the scientists wanted someone with a more aggressive personality to see what kind of cog would come of it. Unfortunately...the scientists don't like you because you're a Wildtype. Your sister has less of a problem because she's compliant, and because they knew very early on that Asteria's ability was healing, a completely new technology that we simply cannot do without. The scientists completely overlooked your actual piloting skill, and graded you based on your race and ability to take orders. Honestly, they would have gotten rid of you, but there was a hidden system in both Nyx and Asteria that they were curious about. It was the only thing that made them let you stay. In the previous mission, you've demonstrated what that system is, the combination. With this revelation, the scientists have deemed you 'worthy to keep' around. I realize how utterly insulting this must all sound, but what this means is that you're no longer on the chopping block, and for me, that comes as a relief. I never wanted them to get rid of you, you're a great pilot, and a capable soldier. I'm telling you all this simply to be honest, as Claire put it, better that you hear it from me than find out about it later."

"Well, if you don't mind me asking, why do you seem so nervous a lot?" Mike asked Israfil, looking at him.

Blythe remained quiet while Maya talked, although it was clear to see that Blythe wasn't exactly happy with what she was being told. Though could they really expect something different? "Well, it's good to know that one's worth in this team is apperently defined by their race and the additional systems of their cog. Even moreso, it sure is a relief that I'm considered valuable to the team because it just so happens to be the case that my cog can combine with my sister's, and not because of me as an individual." She said. Her voice was surprisingly calm at first, but soon a certain tone in her voice became more audible. It wasn't exactly anger, sadness or disappointment, but more like a combination of those.

Claire listened to both, but chose to keep her mouth shut for the moment.

"I...I've always been...not very confident," Israfil replied, "Instead of going through a Wildtype-only curriculum, I went to a mixed academy. I was pretty easily overshadowed by my peers." Israfil rubbed the back of his head, 'incompetent' was a word he had heard all too often.

---

Maya let Blythe vent, it was better that she did so than keep the frustration to herself. "The scientists are blinded by their 'project', but on top of that, by their racial biases." Maya looked over at Sion who also took a quick glance at the door to make sure it was closed. "There are so many things wrong with the Ascendancy," Maya said finally. "Not just the military, not just the government, the whole thing. I...intend to change it." Sion sat up a little straighter than normal, it was clear that he was becoming agitated, despite his best efforts to hide it. Maya continued, "I know this may not mean much coming from an Ascended, much less one considered 'of noble blood', but I see the way the system is skewed against Wildtypes and Quantums. We laud ourselves as the the only 'fair' nation, yet it's all hypocrisy. I'm not going to start a rebellion, but I do want to initiate change. Right now, that means becoming Fleet Admiral of the Ascendancy Defense Fleet. The military has a lot of power in the government; that combined with my status as nobility means that I might even be able to aim for even higher offices. Sion is the only one I've told these ambitions to. I'm putting a lot of faith in the both of you by telling you all this, but when the time comes, will you support me?" Maya realized it was a lot to drop on the twins, but the very nature of cogs was that they revealed something about the pilot. It was not only a weapon, but a tool of self-expression, in essence, it could be a symbol, a symbol that people could rally behind.

"But it makes no sense for you to be so insecure. You're obviously good enough to be one of the first cog pilots ever and a really nice guy in general." Mike said. He would've added that he found the boy was quite good looking, but wasn't sure if saying such a thing would be a good decision for the moment.

Claire nodded, still not saying anything. However, Blythe didn't seem too quick to say yes. "I can't promise you that. Or at least not now." Was the only answer she gave Maya for the moment. She had simply joined the Ascendancy army with the intention of fighting to keep others safe, not to join some nobility in her quest to make a difference. "I'd rather have some time to think about it before making any decisions."

"Th-thanks," Israfil said, getting a little embarrassed. "I feel this is my opportunity to show what I'm worth."

---

"Of course," Maya said, "but I hope you understand that I don't want either of you speaking about this to anyone outside, whether you agree to help or not. But for now, you're free to go back to what you were doing."

"Well, you've already proven to be pretty capable cog pilot during the last two missions so if it comes to that, you've already proven your work if you ask me." Mike said to Israfil. In fact, be found it already impressive that anyone was capable of controling such a thing.

Blythe got up and left without saying another word, not feeling the need to do so. They had already discussed what Maya had wanted to tell and that was the only reason she had visited the woman, so why should she say anything more?

Claire also left, but unlike Blythe, she headed to her cog, looking at it for a brief moment. She soon climbed into it and started up the training simulation, hoping to get some practice done. If anything, she didn't want to fail as miserably again as she had done earlier today.

"Well, I don't know where I stand with respect to the other pilots," Israfil began, "I'm pretty sure most of the other ensigns are better than me. At any rate, our cogs wouldn't even function if it weren't for you and the other engineers."

---

As the OS booted up in Asteria, the screen was assaulted with a myriad of graphical glitches. It seemed as if the program were fighting against itself until everything went black, and big white words appeared on the screen, "Are you my pilot, Claire Rivers?"

"Why should you care about what the other pilots think? It's your life to live, your opinion is the only that should matter to you." Mike said to Israfil. Of course he understood the way Israfil thought, but to him, the opinion of others just didn't matter that much.

Claire wasn't sure how to react right away when the cog didn't start up as usual, instead turning off the lights and asking if she was it's pilot. She was certain that this wasn't supposed to happen. "Uhh, yes, I'm Claire, your pilot."