[He doesn't mind the calculating approach: it stokes confidence in Noh-Varr's capabilities, and Marco isn't seeking pity anyway. The explanation is an avalanche of new terms and information, but he listens carefully to try to piece it all together in his brain.]
I think I get it... [The big picture, anyway.] It sounds a little bit like what the nanite shots can do, right? Just more advanced.
[He holds his arm out straight in compliance with Noh-Varr's request]
[ He does, too, pushing Marco's sleeve up until his shoulder is exposed. Luckily the fabric stays put, giving Noh-Varr time to pull out his measuring tape. ]
Nanites are very small robots that integrate the body's cells. Genetic repair might involve nanites as part of the process, or radiation.
[All he can do is nod to show that he's listening, although it's all a bit over his head. He's grounded in matters of more immediate concern. After a moment, while Noh-Varr sets to work, he speaks up.]
Hey, um... I don't know a lot about prosthetics, or what's even possible, but...I'll be able to use the maneuver gear again, right? It's just that the controls are finicky-- It requires a high level of precision.
[ Noh-Varr doesn't really expect Marco to understand; to be honest, it's not something he'd given much thought to before, much like a human might use a toaster every day, and not be able to explain how it works. Noh-Varr is an engineer of spaceships. He understands the intricacies of epiphany engines and concept-fuel and how to harness the raw radiation that flows uninterrupted in the vacuum of space. His understanding of the body is limited to those things he can destroy, the placement of easily-snapped bones, how to twist nerves and take advantage of soft tissue.
Watching Marco, his hesitation, the uncertainty in his question, hammers some strange truth home. This will be the first time he'll be using his skills to heal. He's not building a weapon, a trap, a barrier, a vehicle; he's building a part of Marco's life back. Looking up from where he has his tape measure around the other man's bicep, he nods, confident. ]
Like you never lost it.
[ He feels like it's a promise he can make because to do any less would be failure, in his eyes--and he refuses to suffer failure. ]
[His faith in the other man might be blind - the whole area of prosthetics is a shot in the dark to him, and he's never seen what Noh-Varr is capable of creating. But he wants to believe that there is room for him to move forward.
There's little else to it but stubbornness.
He might never have pulled through the gushing torrent of his own blood exiting him had he lost his arm to a Titan back home. (And it was so rare to sustain injuries any less grave than death, when it came down to the imbalanced equation of fragile bones versus guillotine-like teeth. He's already tested the hypothesis.) If he could defeat the odds there, then the injury he'd be left with would stump him. It would be the end of the road. The military has little use for a rookie stripped of the ability to fight.
Here and now, though, he takes Noh-Varr's words for a promise that he can be more than his missing parts.]
...Thank you. [The relief that breaks across his voice come through clearly.] I can't even begin to say how much this means to me. It's like getting a second chance, you know?
[ He wasn't expecting to feel real pressure at this, to be honest. He's never balked at a project before, and he's build more complex things. But there's something about Marco's keen confidence that fills him with the fear of failure. ]
You can thank me when this is over, and you have an arm again.
[ He smiles casually, full of confidence, though how much of that is real and how much is for Marco's benefit is unclear. He fakes it well enough that it doesn't matter. ]
How much can you feel, in the stump?
[ He absolutely won't touch Marco's bandage, because that's a surefire way to get kicked out of medical. ]
presenting: the most thoughtfully constructed meta
It isn't his intention to place any pressure on Noh-Varr. Even if the first draft doesn't quite click, that doesn't mean it can't be tweaked until everything falls into place.]
I think it feels like normal, for the most part... It's still really sore, I can definitely feel that.
[He's a simple farm boy turned soldier, not a neuroscientist. At Noh-Varr's request, he nods obediently.]
Yes, of course.
[Then his expression clouds over with concern.]
They'll have to cut my arm open again to attach the prosthetic? [Which makes sense, when he considers it, but it hadn't occurred to him how exactly the process would go.]
[ And Noh-Varr is an engineer hailing from a vast, hyper-advanced alien civilization. He's not used to having to explain to a grown adult what he learned in infancy, much less in such simple terms. Still, he's mindful of Marco's needs. ]
Yes. In order for your brain to command your new arm the way it did your old one, it needs to be able to communicate with it. For that reason, we'll need to connect your nervous system to the new arm.
[ He motions to the stub. ]
It will be opened, and wiring threaded into your body. A metal casing, possibly lined with silicon, will be installed flush to your skin and grafted there.
[ His mouth thins. ] At least, that's the most likely scenario. Is that something you're ready for?
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no subject
I think I get it... [The big picture, anyway.] It sounds a little bit like what the nanite shots can do, right? Just more advanced.
[He holds his arm out straight in compliance with Noh-Varr's request]
Should I take my shirt off too?
no subject
[ He does, too, pushing Marco's sleeve up until his shoulder is exposed. Luckily the fabric stays put, giving Noh-Varr time to pull out his measuring tape. ]
Nanites are very small robots that integrate the body's cells. Genetic repair might involve nanites as part of the process, or radiation.
no subject
Hey, um... I don't know a lot about prosthetics, or what's even possible, but...I'll be able to use the maneuver gear again, right? It's just that the controls are finicky-- It requires a high level of precision.
no subject
Watching Marco, his hesitation, the uncertainty in his question, hammers some strange truth home. This will be the first time he'll be using his skills to heal. He's not building a weapon, a trap, a barrier, a vehicle; he's building a part of Marco's life back. Looking up from where he has his tape measure around the other man's bicep, he nods, confident. ]
Like you never lost it.
[ He feels like it's a promise he can make because to do any less would be failure, in his eyes--and he refuses to suffer failure. ]
no subject
There's little else to it but stubbornness.
He might never have pulled through the gushing torrent of his own blood exiting him had he lost his arm to a Titan back home. (And it was so rare to sustain injuries any less grave than death, when it came down to the imbalanced equation of fragile bones versus guillotine-like teeth. He's already tested the hypothesis.) If he could defeat the odds there, then the injury he'd be left with would stump him. It would be the end of the road. The military has little use for a rookie stripped of the ability to fight.
Here and now, though, he takes Noh-Varr's words for a promise that he can be more than his missing parts.]
...Thank you. [The relief that breaks across his voice come through clearly.] I can't even begin to say how much this means to me. It's like getting a second chance, you know?
no subject
You can thank me when this is over, and you have an arm again.
[ He smiles casually, full of confidence, though how much of that is real and how much is for Marco's benefit is unclear. He fakes it well enough that it doesn't matter. ]
How much can you feel, in the stump?
[ He absolutely won't touch Marco's bandage, because that's a surefire way to get kicked out of medical. ]
presenting: the most thoughtfully constructed meta
I mean, um...he believes in you...
It isn't his intention to place any pressure on Noh-Varr. Even if the first draft doesn't quite click, that doesn't mean it can't be tweaked until everything falls into place.]
I think it feels like normal, for the most part... It's still really sore, I can definitely feel that.
no subject
I want you to keep me updated as it heals; how much sensation you lose will be critical in knowing how far back we'll have to reach for usable nerves.
[ He's trying to make invasive surgery sound benign, but he was never known for bedside manner. He's no surgeon. ]
no subject
Yes, of course.
[Then his expression clouds over with concern.]
They'll have to cut my arm open again to attach the prosthetic? [Which makes sense, when he considers it, but it hadn't occurred to him how exactly the process would go.]
no subject
Yes. In order for your brain to command your new arm the way it did your old one, it needs to be able to communicate with it. For that reason, we'll need to connect your nervous system to the new arm.
[ He motions to the stub. ]
It will be opened, and wiring threaded into your body. A metal casing, possibly lined with silicon, will be installed flush to your skin and grafted there.
[ His mouth thins. ] At least, that's the most likely scenario. Is that something you're ready for?