“Oh, there’s a hundred of them, woman. A hundred men. A hundred men with names… and stories, and families, and lives, Carrie! You see, to you, he was just a ‘stupid computer image’ meant to die for his participation in such a brutal war. But to me, he was Crazy Legs O’Hooley. Father of two. Husband, and part-time substitute teacher for Parkview Jr. High in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Volunteer at a local homeless shelter. And most recently… war hero. He gave his life so that others may live, How can you look at that act of violence and not feel anger and grief down to your very core?”

In the middle of my grieving, I had somehow been podded, scattering wreckage all over the galaxy. With a stuttered sigh, I woke up and started refitting.

“I dedicate this clone… to O’Hooley.”