Private Numbers and Signals

[Ana Rix]

The narrow storefront sat wedged between a parts recycler and a shuttered café, its sign half-lit in soft blue and white: Axiom Systems & Repairs. The lettering was old but meticulously maintained, the kind of place that didn't advertise loudly because it didn't need to. On Echelon, reputation traveled faster than holos.

Inside, the shop was a controlled blend of order and lived-in chaos.

One wall was lined with transparent cabinets filled with precision tools, micro-soldering rigs, calibrators, and modular cybernetic components arranged by size and function. Another held racks of datapads and portable terminals, each tagged and labeled in neat, consistent handwriting. Workbenches ran along the back and side walls, layered with half-disassembled droids, exposed prosthetic limbs, neural interface ports, and open casing plates revealing delicate lattices of wiring and light.

Soft white task lighting hung over each station, adjustable and carefully positioned. Between them, warmer ambient lamps cast a muted glow, keeping the space from feeling sterile. The air carried the faint scent of coolant, warm circuitry, and recycled ozone, clean but unmistakably technological.

A low hum threaded through everything, the sound of processors running diagnostics, charging cradles cycling power, and a small wall-mounted server rack quietly doing its work.

Behind the main counter, Ana was seated on a high-backed stool, one leg hooked casually around the rung as she worked.

She wore a fitted charcoal-gray tunic beneath a light slate-colored jacket with a high collar and reinforced seams, the sleeves rolled neatly to her forearms. The fabric was practical yet well-kept, designed for long periods of movement without sacrificing its shape. Dark straight-cut trousers and well-worn low boots completed the look, grounded and functional enough to let her disappear into almost any crowd when she needed to.

A pair of thin magnification lenses rested over her eyes, linked to a small holo-display hovering near her left temple. Her dark hair was pulled back into a low, efficient tie, keeping it clear of circuitry and tools.

On the counter in front of her lay an open cybernetic forearm, its casing removed to reveal a lattice of fiber-optic channels and micro-actuators. She worked with steady precision, guiding a calibration probe along the interface ports while a diagnostic readout floated beside her.

Numbers. Signals. Response curves.

Everything had to be perfect.

She adjusted one connection, paused, checked the readout, then made a tiny correction with the tip of her stylus. Satisfied, she exhaled quietly and began sealing the housing.

That was when the door slid open.

A soft chime sounded, subtle but clear, announcing a new arrival.

Ana's eyes lifted instinctively from her work, magnification lenses dimming as her focus shifted toward the entrance, her posture straightening just slightly as she registered the presence at the threshold.

Kaylee Xendos

 

[Kaylee Xendos]

Kaylee had long sense placed this order to a local shop she had heard about through word of mouth. She trusted that more than holo's personal experience had taught her that many times over having gotten faulty parts from holo ads and reports claiming quality over quantity but that always seemed to be a trend that failed her. She started to trust only what she could prove and word of mouth was proof enough for her as this was a person having done business with a place before. This was something she could trust. She had requested a prosthetic for an ackdog that she had been saving as she had found it hurt and it became her new project.

Kaylee moved towards the shop wearing her black suite and blue cape she wasn't sure why she wore the cape it just made her feel right. the skin tight suit held her but did not restrict her movements in any way it was almost like a second skin for her with soft blues across the front. her long blue hair cascaded and was highlighted by the darkness of the blue cape. her boots clicked with a measured walk someone who meant business but also was lost at the same time.

As the door opened she stepped inside and glanced around it felt like another workshop to her reminded her of home she could of built the prosthetic on her own but she was busy with other adjustments to the ackdog that now had half its face being made of durasteal and its eye had been replaced with an ocular implant. its fur also seemed softer but somehow it also appeared to be like an armor for the dog. It's front right leg was missing as she carried it in her arms it was still a pup but she had been nursing and upgrading the poor thing for almost a year now.

"Good afternoon, I hope I'm at the right place I put in an order for an ackdog prosthetic with specific specs to be crafter I was told you where the best for high end prosthetics tuned to the peak."

She continued in and looked about running her fingers over the exposed prosthetics and even stopping to pick one up and inspect it popping the casing with a practiced ease she sealed it up once done inspecting the inner workings and put it back then turned her attention back to Ana Rix .

 

[Ana Rix]

Ana was in the middle of an adjustment when the door opened.

A soft-blue holo-interface shimmered in the air beside her workbench, projected from a low-profile emitter built into the table. Schematics sat in neat layers of transparency, tolerances, and material readouts scrolling at a calm pace while her fingers worked with practiced precision. She paused as the bell chimed, the sound threading through the steady hum of servos and power cells.

She looked up.

The shop was never quiet, not really. It breathed. Power conduits ran exposed along the walls in deliberate order, bundled and labeled rather than hidden. Racks of prosthetic limbs and cybernetic components lined one side of the room, each tagged with handwritten notes alongside clean digital readouts. Tools were arranged with careful intent, not for show, but for use. The air carried the faint scent of machine oil, sterilizing agents, and warm circuitry.

Ana straightened, setting the tool down and dismissing part of the holo-display with a small motion against the bench controls. Her eyes moved to the newcomer first, taking in the dark suit and blue cape, the measured steps, the way she held herself as if she were used to solving problems alone.

Then her focus sharpened. The ackdog.

Ana's gaze immediately tracked the missing foreleg, the existing work along the animal's face, the ocular implant, the way the pup's weight shifted in Kaylee's arms as if it had already learned to compensate. Not judgment. Just assessment, quiet and exact.

She stepped out from behind the workbench, slate-gray tunic sleeves rolled and faintly smudged with grease, a light jacket worn open for practicality. Her boots made little sound on the floor as she closed the distance, stopping at a respectful angle rather than crowding.

When Kaylee spoke, Ana listened without interrupting. The order. The specs. The expectation that this shop could build what had been requested.

Ana's eyes flicked once toward the holo-interface. The name and order details sat there, confirmed and waiting. Her mouth curved into a small, genuine smile.

"You're in the right place," she said evenly. "And yes, I have your order."

Her gaze returned to the ackdog, softer without losing focus, and she crouched slightly so she wasn't looming over the animal.

"You've done a lot already," Ana added, voice calm, not flattery so much as recognition. "The integration on the face is clean, and the ocular mount looks stable. That matters, because whatever I build has to match what you've already taught it to accept."

She straightened and gestured toward the workbench, inviting rather than directing.

"I'm Ana Rix," she said. "I do adaptive prosthetics and cybernetics. Not just replacing what's missing, but tuning it to how the body actually moves."

Her eyes returned to Kaylee's face, attentive and controlled.

"Before I finalize anything," Ana continued, "I want to confirm your specs with you in person. Ackdogs compensate by instinct, and if the fit is even slightly wrong, it won't fail loudly. It'll fail over time."

She stepped aside a fraction, leaving Kaylee space to set the pup down if she chose.

"Take your time," Ana finished. "Nothing in here is rushed."

Kaylee Xendos

 

[Kaylee Xendos]

Kaylee walked over to the interface and looked over the specs and noticed they where to her specifications and had even been adjusted for time but where within her acceptable changes this was truly worth the wait. She then set the pup down on the table and ran her fingers through it's scales and smiled. "Momma's here and you are in good hands they have done a good job." She said soothing the pup.

The pup looked back at her with its eyes blinking at her fear evident granted it seemed to relax a bit at her touch and soon laid down resting its head on the table. "He's a fighter and strong I have faith in him do you think you can do the work? and just let me know what I owe you I will pay whatever the cost is. I would like to see you work. I'm putting my trust in you. You made it you should install it."

She wasn't adverse to doing it herself and knew she could do it but she always knew there was room to learn and even though she was good at what she did and even at times felt she was the best she knew she wouldn't always be and was always willing to learn. She had a worry in her eye that the pup might fight against the surgery but she knew it would help him in the long run. This prosthetic was meant to grow with him which is why she had such specific specs to be done so she wouldn't have to replace it every time he out grew it. She trusted in the specs and what she had put together but she wanted to make sure it could be installed properly by the one who made it and she continued to stroke the pup.
Ana Rix

 

[Ana Rix]

Ana approached the table without hurry, her attention moving first to the pup rather than the client. She watched the way it breathed, the tension still held in its body, the way it responded to Kaylee's touch. Fear mattered. Comfort mattered. Mechanics alone rarely solved anything cleanly.

Only after that did she set a hard case onto the work surface and release the latches.

"I don't normally work with companions such as this," she said, her voice low and even so as not to agitate the animal further. "So I made sure to follow your requests explicitly."

The case opened to reveal padded compartments, precision tools, and two carefully secured prosthetic assemblies. Ana lifted them one at a time and laid them beside the pup with deliberate care, positioning them where Kaylee could compare scale, articulation, and fit against the animal's frame.

The first was sleeker, built with lighter composite segments and a more fluid range of motion, designed for speed, agility, and reduced fatigue over long movement. The second carried stronger reinforcement through the joints and load points, a sturdier option built for impact, rough terrain, and an animal likely to grow into strength before grace.

"Let me show you the changes I suggested, and you can decide if you want to go with them or your original specifications."

She indicated the slimmer model first.

"This version prioritizes mobility. Better stride efficiency, less drag, smoother balance correction. If he runs often or relies on quick directional shifts, this will feel more natural sooner."

Then her fingers moved to the heavier frame.

"This one sacrifices some elegance for durability. Stronger under stress, better for climbing, jumping, collision, or an animal that intends to ignore caution entirely."

There was no judgment in the statement, though the faintest trace of dry humor touched the edge of it.

Ana then crouched slightly, bringing herself closer to the pup's level. She let the animal see her hands before she reached forward, fingers brushing gently along its scales near the shoulder and the remaining limb, gauging posture and compensation patterns.

"Either model is expandable through the growth rails built into the joint housing," she continued. "Barring catastrophic damage, this should be the last full replacement he ever needs."

Her gaze lifted to Kaylee then.

"As for price…"

She considered it for a moment, practical rather than theatrical.

"Custom fabrication, adaptive growth architecture, install, future calibrations, and one annual maintenance adjustment included."

A brief pause.

"Eight thousand credits if you choose one as-is. Ten thousand if you want final tailoring after observing his gait for a week and bringing him back for refinement."

Then, more quietly:

"If he bonds well to the first fit, I'd recommend the refinement package. Animals compensate faster than people, and sometimes incorrectly."

She rested a hand lightly on the table beside the pup.

"Now. Which one looks more like him to you?"

Kaylee Xendos

 

[Kaylee Xendos]

Kaylee Listened to Ana and watched as she placed the case down and opened it then ran her fingers over the scales of the pup and smiled. "Hey Xandu which one do you want you get to pick since we have options."

The pup got up and limped over and sniffed each one and touched its damaged leg on each one tilting its head then looked back and Kaylee then looked back to the prosthetics before looking at Ana its large eyes blinked then looked back down it licked the heavy prosthetic and yipped then bounced around the table and laid down near Kaylee and stared at Ana its tongue hanging out as it pants and watches her.

"Well Guess he made his choice we will take the heavy one apparently he feels its the better option for him." She soon pulled out a credit chip and handed it over to Ana.

"I will be staying in town for the next month so I will take the full package and will see you in a week." She stroked Xandu and smiled at him with a gentleness and leaned down and kissed the top of the pups head.

"Dont worry little guy I will be right here while she installs it if need be I will take over so dont worry you are safe." She stroked the pup softly and looked at Ana as she held out the credit chip.

Ana Rix

 

[Ana Rix]

Ana didn't interrupt while the pup made its choice. She watched instead, quiet and attentive, letting the animal move at its own pace as it sniffed, tested, and considered each option in a way that was far more honest than anything a person might say. The hesitation, the curiosity, the way it touched each prosthetic with its damaged limb before settling on the heavier one all told her what she needed to know. When it licked the reinforced frame and returned to Kaylee with that clear, uncomplicated decision, Ana gave a small nod, acknowledging it without making a production of it.

"That's a good choice," she said, her voice low and even so as not to disrupt the calm Kaylee had built. "He's favoring stability over speed. It usually means he intends to rely on it fully, not just adapt around it."

She accepted the credit chip and set it aside within her kit without pausing to verify it immediately, keeping the focus on the pup rather than the transaction. The prosthetic itself she brought closer again, lowering it onto the table so he could continue to smell and familiarize himself with it, giving him time to associate it with something that belonged near him rather than something imposed.

"We'll go with this one," she continued, already adjusting a few of the micro-calibration points with practiced precision, small movements that aligned the joint resistance and articulation with what she had observed in his gait. "It's reinforced, but the internal rails will expand with him as he grows. You won't need to replace it unless something breaks."

Ana crouched slightly as she worked, keeping her movements visible and deliberate, letting the pup track her hands so that nothing would come as a surprise. Her attention shifted briefly to Kaylee when she mentioned staying close, and Ana gave a faint, approving inclination of her head.

"Stay with him," she said, not unkindly, just certain. "He'll take his cues from you more than from me. If he's calm, the process goes clean."

Her hands moved to check alignment along the existing limb again, fingers light, careful not to trigger a defensive reaction while still gathering what she needed.

"I'll stop if he resists too hard," she added, her tone steady and practical. "This works best if he accepts it, not if we force it."

There was a brief pause as she finalized her adjustments, then she glanced up once more, meeting Kaylee's gaze just long enough to acknowledge the trust being placed in her before returning fully to the work.

"I'll walk you through each step as I go," she said, and then her focus narrowed completely, her movements precise and patient as she prepared to begin the installation.

Kaylee Xendos