The Sic Semper Tyrannis exited hyperspace and engaged its torch drives, leaving a red streak across the night sky as it matched orbit with the Hyperborea Orbital.

The ring-shaped orbital colony, really a scaled down version of the three ringworlds that made up the new homeworlds of humanity, spun around the yellow star Anemoi. The spin was precisely calibrated to give the people inside the ring both a sense of up and down, thanks to the centrifugal force, as well as an Earth-like day/night cycle.

Hyperborea was a deliberately cultivated wild place. A planned ecology made up of genetic material from dozens of worlds. An artificial nightmare jungle.

Several other centuries old battleships were gathered here too, all sisters of the Tyrannis. It was a tiny family reunion.

* * *

Decker woke up.

His eyes hurt. New eyes always hurt the first time you used them. He rubbed them and blinked a few times. Things slowly came into focus through the pain. Already he could tell his vision was far sharper. He could see all the individual fibers of his sheets without losing any of the fullness of the picture.

His other senses were affected too. The softness of his sheets against his skin was sublime. He could smell a whirl of medicinal residue in the air and separate out all the individual scents. He could even hear the AG module of the nearby nurse drone, something he always considered completely silent.

He stretched. The rest of his body felt fantastic. He was so energized and bouncy. He was also hungry. Positively famished.

Thinking about it triggered his stomach to growl.

He sat up in his bed.

He was definitely in the ship's Sick Bay, with an active privacy field blocking out everything outside a small radius around his bed. He could hear the nurse drone whirring over with her antigrav. That could actually get annoying.

"Oh good, you're up," said the drone. "I'll page the Lodge Mistress."

"Thanks," said Decker, guessing this was the old woman. "Is there any way I could get something to eat?"

"Right away!" announced the drone, and disappeared through the privacy field, which dissolved away just enough to permit the drone to pass through before restoring itself.

The nurse drone returned minutes later holding a tray with unseasoned brown rice, twelve identical carrot sticks, a mathematically perfect cube of hard cheese and a glass of water in it's force field. It was always best to be specific when asking for food from a drone, Decker remembered too late.

"Thanks," said Decker as the drone positioned the tray on his lap.

"My absolute pleasure," said the drone, beaming.

The privacy field rippled and the old woman, who Decker was now certain was the Lodge Mistress the drone spoke of, stepped through it and into Decker's accommodations.

"Mr. Decker," she said, "I'm glad to see you up."

"Lodge Mistress," said Decker, giving her a nod.

"Hm, perceptive," said the old woman, who was indeed the Lodge Mistress. "What else have you figured out?"

"That's it," Decker admitted.

"Well Mr. Decker you must know by now we don't reveal our secrets to just anyone. But you've come far enough along now that I can tell you that I am indeed Lodge Mistress of the Neutronium Dragons. I'm happy to tell you we've decided to nominate you to become a ranger. Congratulation. You are going to be permitted to take the trial."

"I guess I'm supposed to ask what the trial is?"

Decker picked at the food while the Lodge Mistress spoke to him.

"There are things about being a ranger you cannot learn on a starship. You need to go to the wild places. For this reason the Corps maintains an orbital colony with a very unique ecosystem. Hyperborea Orbital has everything necessary for any number of humans to live completely self-sufficiently for an indefinite period of time. It is also a custom made planned ecology designed to be dangerous and unpredictable as possible. To be blunt it is a world of monsters. To pass the trial you must go there alone and survive for two months."

"That doesn't sound so bad," said Decker, popping the cheese in his mouth. He couldn't believe how good it tasted. This was the new standard by which he would judge all future cheeses.

"That is the precise attitude the trial is meant to cure you of," said the Lodge Mistress.

Decker noisily chewed on a carrot stick.

"So if I'm being sponsored that means I'm like a squire now?"

"Close," said the Lodge Mistress, "You can now consider yourself an aspirant. That's one rank below squire."

"Hey I'll take it," said Decker. He started to just wolf down the rice. Much to his surprise it actually had a taste. Many subtle flavors in fact.

"You will learn all about the inner workings of the Corps if and only if you pass your trial. Once you're finished your food go to the gym. I'll tell Aranarth to meet you there. You need to warm up before we send you down to Hyperborea."

"Wonderful," said Decker, mouth full of rice.

He was afraid that the rice muffled his sarcasm.

"By the way be careful with your new body until you get used to all the enhancements. You'll notice you have an array of new senses that are switched off by default. I suggest turning them on and getting used to them one at a time. You won't be able to make heads or tails of anything if you activate them all at once."

"Thanks for the tip," said Decker.

"Also be extra gentle until you get a sense of your own strength again. New recruits always break everything."

"I'll watch it," said Decker.

"Congratulations again," said the Lodge Mistress, and she left Decker to the rest of his rice.

"Could I get some more?" asked Decker, when he had finished. "Preferably something from a menu designed by humans?"

"Oh certainly!" said the drone, bursting with enthusiasm. "As luck would have it I know of a menu that fits exactly those parameters."

* * *

"That new body of yours comes preloaded with the equivalent of decades of muscle memory for the fighting style I've been teaching you," said Aranarth. "Let's see if we can't wake it up."

Teaching, thought Decker, with an internal scoff, whatever lets you sleep at night.

Decker found his body easily flowing into a defensive stance. He waited for Aranarth's inevitable first move.

Aranarth led by feinting a kick. Yesterday Decker would have fallen for it completely but now it was different. He could see the subtle shifts in the movements of his opponent's muscles. He saw the hesitation there. He read the feint.

Decker ignored the false kick and blocked Aranarth's follow-up left hook. The punch hit with the same force as always but this time Decker was able to meet it with equal force. The attack was stopped dead.

His hand didn't even hurt.

Aranarth launched a real kick and Decker ducked under it, then came back up with a fast combination of punches that forced Aranarth backwards to avoid them.

"I see your new body is operating properly," said Aranarth. "Now I don't have to hold back anymore."

Good, thought Decker. It was long past time that he and this sprell-gargling scobberlotcher had a fair fight.

"I've been waiting a long time for this," said Decker.

"I'm sure you have," replied Aranarth. "Try not to be too disappointed."

Decker charged Aranarth and the ranger made to trip him. Decker sensed the move not through his eyes but through the shift in air pressure. He leapt over it and went in for a flying punch. He landed it clean to the face. Aranarth's head snapped backwards. The smallest drop of blood trickled down his nose.

Decker tried to follow the punch up with a flurry of additional blows, but Aranarth blocked each one with powerful hands before suddenly delivering a kick to Decker's gut. Decker felt the familiar sensation of falling to the ground in a heap from the kick.

"The more things change," said Aranarth, "the more they stay the same."

Decker rolled backwards and leapt to his feet. He put his fists back up. Decker couldn't believe how good he still felt. He wasn't even out of breath yet.

Aranarth beckoned him over with a gesture of his hand.

Decker used both hands to feint a combination punch. He watched his opponent's eyes and the second Aranarth committed to the counter attack he seized the opening and elbowed him in the kidney. Aranarth noticed the feint but too late to change course. The elbow hit him hard enough he was forced to turn off the pain.

Aranarth retaliated with a powerful haymaker but Decker anticipated this and grabbed his arm. Decker used Aranarth's own momentum against him to perform a shoulder throw and send his teacher slamming into the ground for once.

Decker tried to press his advantage against his downed opponent, but Aranarth rolled to the side and popped back up.

Decker launched another punch at the ranger, but he side-stepped it and countered with an uppercut that caught Decker by surprise. It connected hard and dazed him. Taking advantage of this Aranarth sent Decker tumbling to the ground with a spinning kick.

Decker tried to stand back up but Aranarth kicked him to the ground again before he could.

"That's enough," said Aranarth. "You're plenty warmed up. Those bodies take a long time to grow I don't want to break you before your trial."

Decker smiled. He doesn't want to risk losing, he thought.