UNSC neural implants are not, superficially, similar to cyberbrains. They're true implants, plugs, connectors, arrays and holo-crystal chips embedded in living nerve tissue. The normal medium is more or less the opposite, at least as Conan knows it.

But the result is much the same.

Conan likes CT's brain. It's ordered and bright and her thoughts have that vicious, perfectionist tang to them that's like coming home after a long time away. And the interface with the armor is nice, too. It's so good to be at work again.

"So, what are we gonna do today, huh?" a cheerful little hologram creeping spider-style across CT's shoulderblade in a playful expressed of Conan's duty in the field. I'll watch your back!

"We could go get some more books! There was a big fight in one of the garden zones half an hour ago, so they're probably really distracted."

That was the third such raid this month. Things were ramping up.