Once, long before the era of "Utopia" — which would eventually level the entire universe and bring infinite joy and tranquility to the existence of quadrillions of beings — there existed a planet.

  Teegarden Beta.

  Grand and stable, much like an elder sister to the imperial Lexium-Prime.

  Possessing slightly weaker gravity, she would have gladly helped your joints relax.

  After all, who enjoys lugging around 140 kilograms of dead weight?

  She sought serenity. Rootedness.

  This solitary majesty desired but one thing: children.

  To have those who could feel her maternal warmth — the guardianship concealed within it.

  It was with her that everything began.

  Teegarden Beta was incredibly predisposed to the genesis of life. A stable temperature, low radiation from her patron star, a gentle mass, and a high proportion of liquid waters.

  Everything about her cried out: "Life must emerge upon me!"

  Yet, in the universe, nothing is quite so simple.

  It is governed.

  Nevertheless, life did indeed appear there.

  The race that commenced its long, thorny path through this corner of paradise enjoyed incredible grace from its creator.

  In a sense, it was reparations for such a sluggish start.

  They were granted the greatest happiness (and simultaneously the greatest sorrow) of the universe: intellect. And not just any intellect, but the finest among all developed races that ever existed.

  A towering baseline intelligence index played into everyone's hands: there was no vast multitude of wars; society rapidly progressed to the stage of an ideal "hive communism."

  There were no "monarchs," only groups performing what they did best.

  The planet was named Kolos.

  Whether in honor of a plant or the epithet "colossal"... it remains unknown to this day.

  But what was known for certain was that the beings called themselves "Kolosians" with a sense of honor and pride known only during the era of Earth's chivalry.

  In one of Kolos's largest nations, Twaylas, lives and works a doctor of quantum sciences, a quantum surgeon, a physician, and simply a brilliant woman — Siana Sha’Tyes.

  For weeks on end, she has remained on the basement level of her private hospital, forsaking rest.

  Grand as a monument, this floor has served as Siana's home for the second decade now, a place where she spends more time than before the laboratory screens.

  Behind the closed doors of this scientific monastery, a multitude of theories and hypotheses have already been born, forever altering the medicine of the entire planet.

  Like any Colossian, Siana was of short stature and known for her slight physical strength. Were it not for her automated assistants, the ACSR Her-10s, her research would have perished long before active work on it could begin.

  After all, when it comes to transporting several tons of equipment from one place to another, Colossians are not the most ideal helpers.

  Furthermore, given the complex personal history and trust issues that Dr. Sha’Tyes harbored long before founding her hospital, automated systems were the most promising choice for all possible situations.

  ** It is worth noting that these specific robots Siana has in her "arsenal" are not mass-produced. They were manufactured specifically for her. **

  Forty-four years ago, a highly distinguished patient visited Siana's hospital.

  ** Well, "visited" is an understatement — an entire motorcade arrived: military personnel, medics, servants, reporters, and more. **

  The patient lay in the medical bay of a flyer. On the hulls of each aircraft, a laser engraving boasted: 'Zilotus-Vey Tech,' inlaid with jewels.

  While the entire hospital staff stood paralyzed in shock, our Sha’Tyes emerged with such indignant shouts that even the "roar" of the engines could not prevent her from being heard by each and every soul present.

  Sha’Tyes reprimanded the military personnel stationed in the courtyard by the hospital fountain with such vehemence that they nearly opened fire on her.

  However, the patient’s wife intervened just in time. Apologizing to Dr. Sha’Tyes, she explained the cause of all this "commotion."

  ** It is worth noting that Madame Siana was a complete novice regarding "important personages." As it happened, her entire life revolved around medicine and quantum sciences. She paid no heed to the lives of the "powerful." Who was "who," which companies were currently "at the top," and other such "bustle" did not interest her. **

  At that pivotal moment, Xerxes Zilotus-Vey himself, the founder of the technocratic mega-giant "Zilotus-Vey Tech," visited Siana’s hospital.

  It was Mr. Xerxes’ company that manufactured the robotic nurses, smart pharmacy terminals, automated scanning systems, surgical suites, and more.

  These were technologies without which the modern Kolosian art of "healing" could not effectively fulfill its duties.

  But to Siana, he was merely a "simple patient."

  The doctor did not even realize that the vast majority of everything "digital" in her own hospital were products of "Zilotus-Vey Tech."

  However, the greatest complexity lay in Mr. Xerxes’ condition.

  The wife escorted Madame Sha’Tyes to the medical flyer where Mr. Xerxes lay.

  Completely bedridden, he looked like a work of contemporary art. His body was riddled with various gadgets and tubes. All the surrounding screens were connected to a massive computing terminal behind the bed.

  A cacophony of extraneous sounds. The shouts of the crowd outside. Enraged military guards. The flashes of cameras. The wife’s lamentation.

  "You're making too much noise," Siana uttered under her breath. "Tell everyone to shut the hell up, immediately."

  A sharp fingernail was wedged between her front teeth, her eyes narrowing to slits. Her brow furrowed into a mess of wrinkles; something inside the doctor's mind was beginning to reach a boiling point.

  Yet, the clamor persisted unabated.

  She tried with all her might to concentrate... but what was the point?

  Finally, the nail snapped — she had bitten through it.

  Siana's patience evaporated. Snarling like a rabid dog, she bolted from the medical suite toward the nearest security officer.

  "Weapon!" she commanded. But her words were swallowed by the vortex of Kolosian shouting. "Goddamn it, motherfucker, GIVE ME THE GUN!"

  The armed guard looked down at the petite woman, who bore little resemblance to a doctor (as Ms. Sha’Tyes harbored a distaste for lab coats), and with a string of profanities, motioned for her to "get lost."

  "You cowardly piece of shit!" Without a second thought, Siana plunged her fingers into her ponytail with startling grace and pulled out... a scalpel. The very one she would use to expertly sever the "control" strap of the magnetic rifle. "And now..." snatching the weapon from the shocked officer's hands, our doctor fired a volley into the air.

  The terrified crowd fell silent instantly, and a smile finally crept across Siana’s face. She handed the rifle back to the guard and added, "If they start yapping again — shoot, you got it?"

  Stepping back into the medical flyer, she didn't spare a glance for her "frozen" wife, instead beginning to power down all the apparatuses that had been distracting her.

  It took less than a minute.

  - Sclera's yellow, capillaries have burst, and where they haven't, they're extraordinarily dilated... Tremor in the extremities, - she continued her examination of the patient, - abdomen's distended, epistaxis... What a peculiar clubbing of the fingertips, I see... Hepatic failure. Likely cirrhosis. But what... stage three? Bilirubin must be north of 200 μmol/L, - finishing her assessment, Siana turned her head toward Mr. Xerxes' wife, - So, honestly... Why are you even here? He needs a transplant; I don't reckon you've got time for these little "excursions."

  - How did you figure it out so fast... Ah, never mind. We'd have done it by now if it weren't for our laws... especially those passed last year... Those goddamn politicians! - the patient's wife replied, her voice laced with fury.

  - Yeah... I heard something about that. Some "unified queue for all organs." You having issues with that?

  - Yes and no…

  - Well, get to the point already, I've got work to do.

  - My husband, Xerxes, gave up his "spot" to our son right after that law was enacted... and now he's been officially denied the right to an emergency transplant...

  - Right, so now your husband has to get back in line at the very "end"... Tough luck for you, but what exactly does that have to do with me?

  - Our son is a huge devotee of your work... And he’s the one who suggested we reach out to you, because only you have attempted to synthetically engineer an organ for transplantation…

  - Ha... That’s mere theory; we lack even a fraction of the processing power required for quantum computation. So... I’m sorry, but I can’t— - Ms. Zilotus-Vey abruptly interjected.

  - We have it.

  - Ha! From where? You’d need to be "Zilotus-Vey Tech" just to possess a 3D bioprinter, let alone—

  - A quantum neural network for calculating the optimal structure?

  - Yes... But that technology is patented by "Zilotus-Vey Tech." How would you know that?

  - We *are* "Zilotus-Vey Tech."

  - Holy mother of God, now that’s a hell of a curveball.

  - So, will you assist us, Ms. Sha’Tyes?

  - Absolutely! This will be the goddamn breakthrough of the millennium!

  - And what about the law?

  - To hell with it... Have you seen many laws that actually create organs for transplantation?

  And that's pretty much how Siana Sha’Tyes got mixed up with the Zilotus-Vey family, landing herself the most heavyweight patron a doctor could ever dream of.

  The thing is, brilliance always stirs up envy and resentment in those who weren't blessed with quite as much.

  For the very act that saved the life of the wealthiest Kolosian on the planet — and blazed a totally new trail in transplantation — Siana was blacklisted from every medical association.

  Scientific ones too, for that matter. After all, she did flout the law.

  It seems that was the real turning point in Ms. Siana Sha’Tyes’s life.

  Stripped of her colleagues' backing, she started hunting for it elsewhere.

  Her life after that was a hell of a ride.

  Plenty of wins, more than enough crashes. There was joy, rage, heartbreak, loss, and hope.

  But two things were missing: the sense that she’d actually achieved something, and... family.

  Maybe that sounds weird, but not to her.

  See, Siana grew up in the lap of luxury. She had everything from day one.

  Thanks to a lucky roll of the dice, even her genes were "old money."

  For Siana, life simply wasn't worth the candle if she wasn't "living it to the fullest."

  Perhaps everything finally clicked into place when, in a mere 47 hours, she engineered an entirely novel artificial liver for Mr. Xerxes, effectively vanquishing "one of the horsemen of the medical apocalypse."

  She had finally unearthed a definitive purpose for her existence.

  "Panacea."

  That was it.

  "Panacea" was a cause worthy of Siana’s very life.

  Because even then, at seventy-four, Siana vividly recollected the moment she first failed to save someone—that sanguineous, suffocating sensation of absolute impotence.

  "I am no God... I cannot save everyone..."

  Scant few knew Sha’Tyes intimately enough to brand her a "friend"... Which is likely why no one ever discovered just how tender a Colossian she truly was.

  For over forty consecutive years, Siana was haunted by the exact same dream. The same recurring vision that served as a testament to her goal... a goal worth achieving.

  And that goddamn dream was invariably the same. For forty years straight.

  “A child. Seven years old. A rare, nebulous affliction. I’ve been on the clock for forty-eight hours now, no sleep, no respite.

  —

  The cardiac monitor let out a single, unrelenting drone. Like a wolf howling in the dead of night, that godforsaken device wailed, the sound piercing my very soul. Asystole, I kept telling myself. I’m starting CPR. I need to clear the chest compressions. Initiate ventilation. Adjuvant therapy. Anything.

  —

  Nothing.

  —

  Nurse, pupils are dilated, non-reactive.

  Time of death: 03:47

  —

  She died right there in my arms.”

  Every morning, haunted by these memories that had become her only kin, Siana would tell herself: “I must engineer a panacea—a cure for everything.”

  She’d liquidated nearly all her capital to construct a new “level” for her infirmary.

  Fortunately, she’d managed to find a steadfast assistant during that time. A young lad from Imperium Astarte. Siana knew that when her time inevitably came, Nalis would be a worthy successor.

  Zilotus-Vey Tech furnished her with the most sophisticated equipment at their disposal.

  They even engineered an entirely novel, bespoke, and "tailored-to-her" series of "automated, controlled, supporting (and)roids" — ACSR.

  Siana chose the moniker for the series herself: Her-10. "Her" stood for Hermes, while the "10" was a complete fluke; she’d drifted off while sending a dispatch and her forehead slammed into the console.

  And thus, the ACSR Her-10 was born.

  Since then, not a day had transpired without Siana sequestered in the laboratory over calculations or in her study buried in texts.

  Sha'Tyes had managed to define her objective with clinical precision: the creation of an absolute panacea.

  But such a remedy necessitated an absolute theory.

  Everything Siana understood regarding health, the corporeal form, medicine, and pathology was essentially futile.

  Under established parameters and conventions, it was impossible to synthesize a cure capable of eradicating any ailment.

  Our physician had to forge her own path, one both pioneering and idiosyncratic.

  She had to conceive a new science.

  She turned to an erstwhile hobby — quantum physics. That very discipline which had consistently eluded her grasp in her youth.

  It was precisely that which became the master key.

  ** Let’s not delve into the particulars (of which there are simply far too many) and merely observe that this spurred Ms. Sha’Tyes into a staggering revelation. **

  Quantum medicine.

  Something that seemed utterly inconceivable… before.

  Yet Sha’Tyes managed to synthesize cutting-edge technologies and several distinct scientific disciplines in a single location, at precisely the opportune moment.

  Thus, her proprietary principle emerged: “the manipulation of cellular states at the subatomic level.”

  Naturally, this necessitated extraordinary technology, which was provided to Siana by the titan “Zilotus-Vey Tech.”

  But additional intellect was required as well.

  That’s where Nelis came in — a junior postgraduate student interning at the Siana hospital, whom she encountered by chance while getting lost within her own facility.

  As Nelis guided his superior out of the labyrinth of rooms and corridors, they struck up a conversation.

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  And just like that, their friendship was born into the world.

  Siana was well aware that instead of resorting to scalpel-based surgery or chemotherapy, it was feasible to manipulate the quantum state of particles within cells, essentially inducing them to "toggle" between pathological and healthy states.

  Yet, she lacked the requisite engineering prowess to discern precisely which technological know-how could actualize such an outcome.

  Nelis, conversely, was a total blockhead regarding medicine, but proved to be an indomitable force in the realms of design and engineering.

  Siana would frequently wonder how on earth he had even ended up in a hospital setting.

  While the doctor analyzed and assigned tasks, our young technician brought them to fruition on a technical level.

  Sha’Tyes succeeded in demonstrating that a cancer cell is merely an anomalous quantum state.

  To remedy such an invincible malady, her hypothesis posited that one required only a "quantum resonator," a quantum neural network, and nanobots tailored for operation at the quantum scale.

  Thus, alongside Nelis, they engineered the inaugural prototype capable of deploying this suite of technologies, dubbed "Panacea Version 0."

  Predictably, the physician was met with a barrage of vitriolic criticism, skepticism, and run-of-the-mill envy.

  The Kolosian scientific community still hadn't forgiven her for her previous breakthroughs; they certainly didn't need another one—especially one this influential.

  Nevertheless, bolstered by Nelis, "Zilotus-Vey Tech," and a multitude of grateful patients, she ultimately fought for the right to present her defense before the High Scientific Council of Kolos.

  She had no interest in minor assemblies or city-scale conferences.

  The sole chance to launch new pharmaceuticals into mass production or implement technology nationwide—to say nothing of the entire planet—rested with the High Scientific Council.

  ** Is it worth noting that Siana hadn't exactly spent much time preparing for these monumental defenses?

  Why?

  Because... for her, it was just fun. **

  There, before faces gathered from across all of Kolos, she stood with her novel, authentic science: Quantum Medicine.

  The research was truly pioneering.

  She was the first to demonstrate that the Kolosian consciousness could interface directly with the quantum states of its own cells through a congruence of meditation and technology.

  In other words, the patient becomes an integral participant in the cure, rather than a mere object of medical manipulation.

  The essence of her breakthrough was elementary: “Consciousness is a quantum phenomenon; therefore, it can alter the body’s quantum states.”

  The cardinal theses of her presentation also included:

  — The cancer cell as an anomalous quantum state;

  — The quantum resonator as a “reset mechanism” for returning cellular states to health;

  — Cells also possess “memory,” thus we are capable of compelling them to “forget” their malignancy.

  Furthermore, the technologies substantiating these claims had already been furnished by Nelis and “Zilotus-Vey Tech,” encompassing, but not limited to, the following:

  — Quantum neural networks as diagnostic instruments at the molecular level;

  — Quantum resonators and cellular “reprogramming”;

  — Nanobots capable of delivering targeted therapy at the quantum level.

  Yet, in truth, even this would have been insufficient had Siana not possessed an ace so deftly concealed up her sleeve.

  Given that the forum convened for the High Scientific Council spanned five days, Siana commenced her address on the first day and concluded it on the fourth.

  And while most of the HSC ridiculed her or regarded her with skepticism after the opening session, by her final presentation, the jaw of every Kolosian physician, medical student... and likely every inhabitant of Kolos — dropped and remained there.

  For it was then, before all those doctors and sages who had spent the better part of Siana’s life mocking her, that she achieved her first grand breakthrough — a practical tour de force.

  Inviting an anonymous Kolosian to join her on the podium, Siana spoke into the microphone:

  “— Quantum resonance has attained a critical frequency of 10 to the 15th power Gigahertz, thereby dealing a 'decisive blow' to the carcinogenic cells. Subsequently, these anomalous cells began exhibiting hallmarks of apoptosis—programmed cell death... Tumor markers plummeted from 980 to 12 units per ml within a mere seventy-two hours... It... It was deemed impossible... But today, it has come to fruition! It works! We have conquered cancer!”

  That very same anonymous Kolosian with terminal-stage cancer, whom she had mentioned on the opening day, had achieved a state of complete remission in just 72 hours.

  This wasn't merely a successful experiment.

  It was the dawn of a new era in history.

  But with great power comes great responsibility.

  Ms. Sha’Tyes yearned for more. “Panacea” was destined to eradicate all maladies without exception.

  Consequently, she dedicated the following twenty years to the refinement of “Panacea.”

  An incredible multitude of events transpired during this interval.

  ** but more on that some other time **

  02:34 AM, Saturday, Sha’Tyes National Hospital in Twaylas, Ground Floor

  – Ms. Sha'Tyes! - Nelis nudged her shoulder. - Quit crashing at the terminal. "Panacea" is good to go. Let's head home.

  Siana lifted her head, her glasses sliding down to the tip of her nose.

  – Who are you, young man?

  Nelis chuckled: – Pulled another three-day bender without sleep? It’s me, Nelis. Your assistant. For twenty years running.

  – My... You’ve aged.

  – Better check the mirror, Ma'am. You’re 74.

  Siana cracked a smile. She let the ACSR Her-37 bot hoist her up.

  Nelis had already hailed a ride.

  – Sent the data over to the National Bank, - she muttered. – Mass production kicks off in a month. Can you even believe it?

  – Of course. It’s us, Ms. Sha'Tyes. We’ve conquered every damn disease out there.

  Nelis didn't bother with a goodbye — she was out cold in the car before they even cleared the driveway.

  He gave the vehicle's AI its marching orders and headed into his own place, where his family — his husband and two kids — were waiting.

  The smart car, with one hell of a smart woman inside, rolled on.

  In her dreams, Siana ended up back in that same operating room with the girl, just like she had her whole life.

  Except this time, everything was different. She had "Panacea" now.

  The girl made it. The disease was beat.

  Universal quantum nanobiots are no joke!

  Autonomous, self-replicating. Just one shot and you’re set for life.

  But for some reason, the dream didn't end... The girl who was supposed to die was now alive. She stood up from the operating table and turned toward Siana.

  “Probably wants to say thanks,” she figured.

  Yet the girl’s face remained somber and crestfallen as she lifted her tiny palm as close as possible to Siana’s face.

  “You’ve been at it for nearly 54 hours without a wink of sleep,” the girl began, her tone steeped in melancholy.

  “Your job is incredibly sedentary… and you’re doing a shit job of staying hydrated.”

  Her voice grew increasingly bitter, as if she were on the verge of breaking into a sob.

  The girl rushed toward Siana, embracing her with every ounce of her childhood strength.

  “I don't want this to go on anymore… You shouldn't have to… You shouldn't…”

  “Hey, little one,” Siana said, taking the child’s head in both hands and tilting it up slightly to catch her gaze.

  “The only thing that matters is that I managed to save you, you hear me?”

  “And not just me… all of us…”

  “Yeah, everyone. I pulled it off… and I don't give a damn about anything else.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Heh… I’ve never really had any ambitions for close relationships. You’re probably the closest person I’ve got. Beauty or wealth never really did much for me either. So, it is what it is…”

  “Why is it like that?”

  “I don't even know… Maybe I was just too buried in my work?”

  “Why?”

  “I don't know.”

  “Are you happy with your life?”

  “How could I not be happy with it?”

  The girl kept talking, but then Siana woke up.

  The car was in the garage — the AI had handled everything perfectly.

  She wiped her face. The dream had left behind a strange, gnawing sense of anxiety.

  A warning?

  - A solid five, - Siana remarked with a smirk, appraising the car's performance before exiting the frigid automotive lair.

  Her silver hair became ensnared in her clumsily donned coat. Her muscles grew numb, a prickling sensation tickling her insides.

  A chilled breeze nipped at the woman’s cheeks, as if imploring her to halt. If only for a fleeting moment.

  Siana tilted her heavy head back... searching for stars in a sky she felt she was beholding for the first time.

  So... magnificent.

  She quietly "shuffled" toward the front door.

  Suddenly, the "guest" lights flared to life. The fountains began to murmur.

  - Dammit! - she huffed in a fright, - A haunted house, I swear to God…

  The moment her withered fingers brushed the handle, Siana felt a searing, sharp pain in her chest.

  As if someone had swung a sledgehammer from the inside.

  Her body scorched, ached... it blazed like a forest consumed by fire.

  Sha’Tyes didn't even have time to process the moment before she was doubled over.

  She collapsed onto her own porch.

  Her forehead struck the stone door — blood began to flow, yet no tears fell. The agony in her chest eclipsed everything else.

  "A clot," flashed through her mind, "Pulmonary artery... from the legs? Eighty percent? Or a full ninety?" A final smirk forced its way across her rigid features.

  "The heart won't hold out... Bitch, what a goddamn pointless way to die."

  Her hands refused to obey, yet she strained with every ounce of her being to command her fingers.

  "To the pocket!" — her mini-injector was always kept there.

  But her hand trembled more violently than the Colosian’s will.

  "Huh?!"— the injector slipped and fell —"Seriously?"

  She attempted to crawl.

  "A meter... just one more meter," but her body remained immobile. "Mother... damn it, this can’t be—"

  And there she was again, that girl from her dreams.

  "You’d be better off looking at the sky, Siana," the girl remarked. "You’ve got nowhere left to rush."

  Ah, the eyes of Sha’Tyes — those panoramic windows of starships.

  The galaxy's most formidable star cast a temperate, soft yellow glow.

  Bare, childish feet flickered to the left... and now, there they were to the right.

  "You’re quite alike, you and her," the dead girl said. "Old, wise... and lonely."

  "Is this hallucination really the 'near-death vision'?" Sha’Tyes wondered.

  "A star gave birth to a planet," the girl repeated softly, bouncing on Siana’s chest as if on a trampoline.

  "The planet gave birth to a race," she leaped.

  "The race gave birth to Siana. And she birthed 'Panacea'," another leap.

  "And now, she herself shall perish."

  Over and over.

  "The chain of creation... huh?" Siana lamented. "And here I am, having authored that goddamn thrombosis prevention protocol... You stupid bitch, how could you be so reckless—"

  "You did everything within your power, Siana," a spectral little hand caressed the perspiring face of her old friend. "Sometime, somewhere... perhaps we'll cross paths again."

  Bestowing a final kiss upon the dying woman—as tender as a mother’s—the girl vanished.

  Just as abruptly as she had appeared.

  "I did everything I could, right?"

  Sha’Tyes closed her eyes.

  She drifted into her final slumber.

  Siana’s thoughts flickered out for a stretch of time.

  Only images remained.

  Not even coherent ones, but rather the sheer sensation of “images.”

  As if she were deaf, mute, and blind all at once.

  Darkness.

  Immeasurable.

  Within this infinite gloom — Siana’s soul.

  A feeling as if you’re finally “home”... Here, in this void?

  Precisely — “Home.”

  She needs to get home… just one more time.

  Such a senseless demise.

  So much untapped potential.

  And the girl wanted to “see” each other once more.

  Siana has so much to show her… to tell her!

  Oh, the wealth of stories!

  “I’m falling” — the image manifested.

  And there was something else there…

  Something harrowing, potent… Predatory?

  Like a ravenous wolf lurking just around the corner.

  “I’m falling” — the image grew sharper.

  So vivid that the sensation of velocity took hold.

  Any second now, and her soul will shatter into a tiny, meager scrap of flesh.

  Then the sensation of plummeting receded… replaced by warmth.

  Enveloping her from every side.

  Familiar, yet simultaneously so alien.

  Along with it, sounds began to filter through.

  Indistinct at first, but then she recognized it… a baby’s cry.

  Her own.

  She was born anew.

  ** Siana won't realize for a long time that the sensation of that “wolfish gaze” was far from accidental **