Kaede woke up face down on a suspended medical bay table with her back exposed and her cheek pressed against soft padding. For a moment, she thought she was fine, but then she tried to turn onto her side.
Her back erupted in burning pain.
She cried out and immediately stopped moving, trying to relax her back muscles, which had tensed at the sudden agony flooding her system. She breathed in deeply through her nose and waited for the flaring pain to calm. Before it had entirely faded, a source technician rushed in.
“You’re awake,” she said in surprise. “You weren’t supposed to gain consciousness for two hours. There, now give me a moment and we’ll give you some pain medication.”
Blessed relief came, and Kaede asked, “What happened to me?”
“We’re not sure, but we think that reforging the
