Because he was a soul, by nature he was all things good: compassionate, patient, honest, virtuous, and full of love.
So we start off being told what the character is like rather than being shown. That's always a good sign. (Any bets on how long it takes him to violate one of these informed traits?)
We're told that it's unusual for him to be anxious or irritated. But being in a human body sometimes makes being irritated "inescapable." So ... is he a body snatcher?
A group of Healing students are observing the procedure that Fords is about to perform. They're standing in the corner of the operating room.
Okay, there is a reason that medical students tend to observe from a window above the room or via cameras. Having them in the room is a good way to violate sterility, which can result in dead patients if infection sets in. Seems to me that Fords has every right to be irritated.
Fords's assistant, Darren, says that they're just curious.
O.O
Oh, crap! I knew there would be aliens! Run before he gets his probe out!
And it's almost like Fords is being impatient with these students. Can't even last one page before your character traits are cast into doubt, can you? Maybe Fords is the one writing this.
Darren says that the students are curious because they've never seen a grown human before.
Wait, Fords has been probing kids? Sicko.
"You know what I mean - a wild human. Still soulless. One of the insurgents."
So human don't have souls in this world? Or do Fords's people just say they don't have souls because humans and "souls" are enemies? (Calling Fords's "people" souls is going to be incredibly confusing. Couldn't Meyer have at least capitalized it?)
We learn the grown human is a girl.
Of course she was perfect now - completely healed. Fords had seen to that.
So Fords somehow perfectly healed her. With technomagic, no doubt. Fords says that the students gawking at the soul is disrespectful. He is also annoyed because The Seekers want information from the soul.
Who are the Seekers and why does Fords dislike them? We aren't told. I smell antagonists.
The soul is currently in a cryotank. She was chosen for this assignment because she's exceptional and brave.
"Who among us would not volunteer if asked to do something for the greater good."
Anyone else get nervous when people start bringing up "the greater good?" It never seems to end well.
The students gossip about the hibernating soul. They talk about how many planets she's been to and which host species she's had.
"A See Weed (sic), a Bat —"
"Even a Dragon."
Why are all the species listed except human and souls capitalized? Even "Flower" and "See Weed" (sic) are capitalized! And what's the point of one of the souls being put in a plant, anyway? Wouldn't that mean they're just stuck in one place until they're removed or the plant dies?
There's also a rumor that she started on Origin, whatever that is.
Fords tells them to be quiet or he'll ask them to leave. They shut up and Fords gets ready to operate on the girl. He uses a scalpel on the base of her neck, exposing the top of her spinal column. The soul is then removed from the cryotank and Darren prepares to put her in the incision.
And I am immediately reminded of Goa'uld. (And to a lesser extent, Yeerks.) At least we know where the novel's name came from.
We then get a description of the soul.
Strange. I would have expected them to be grey.
Darren puts the soul in the hole, and the "attachments" move to go around the nerve centers of the body, the brain, ear canals, etc.
Why are they called attachments? Can they be detached from their bodies? Are they like Swiss army Medusas?
Fords cleans the wound and heals it with his technomagic. He doesn't like what he's done.
Huh? Is he referring to the incision? Because surgery normally requires some cutting.
Darren doesn't understand why Fords is upset, saying that Fords fulfilled his Calling.
So the soul will be able to access her memories? Doesn't that imply that the girl had a soul beforehand? Or - at the very least - a sense of self? Especially since we're also told that Darren kept the name of his human host. Maybe souls like to dehumanize humans?
The chapter closes with Fords talking to the soul (who can't hear him, since her host is unconscious).
This chapter raises a lot of questions about the nature of souls in this novel's universe. Unfortunately, referring to beings like Fords as "souls" is going to make asking those questions incredibly confusing. From now on, I'm going to call Fords species/race "Blues" to help minimize the confusion. (Yes, I know they're actually silver, but "the Silvers" sounds weird.)
These are rhetorical questions. Please do not answer them.
If humans don't have souls before a Blue infests them, what are they like beforehand? Are they lifeless shells or are they able to live without souls?
Do humans have souls which are different in nature to the Blues? If so, what happens to these souls? Do they coexist with the Blues? Are they destroyed? Sent on to an afterlife?
What exactly are the Blues? They seem to have some substance (a surgery is required for them to enter someone, they can be cryogenically frozen). Are they parasites who jump from host to host? Symbiotes?
Is implanting a sci-fi equivalent to reincarnation?
Is the description of Blues being "all things good" supposed to be an accurate observation, or is it a biased viewpoint held by the Blues (and Fords in particular)? Why do they have no moral issues with making humans their hosts? Are the Blues racist/speciesist against humans, and that's why they consider them soulless?
You know what? I actually like this prologue. The prose is a bit clunky, but the ideas and world that are introduced are interesting. I've got a lot of questions, and I'm curious about what kind of answers will be given.
I am pleasantly surprised. The premise so far has potential. Let's see if it lives up to it.
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