Sci-Fi

Skinware

A sleek, unsettling sci-fi story where curiosity leads to unexpected encounters on the edge of human and machine.

On Echo Station, a maintenance hub orbiting close to Mercury’s Helios Relay, a technician oversees the refurbishment of ship androids returning from deep space. Among the routine assignments, they discover a high-end luxury android designed for intimate companionship. What begins as a standard diagnostic quickly becomes something more complex as the technician navigates unexpected responses, ethical dilemmas, and the delicate boundary between artificial intelligence and human desire. Each interaction unlocks new questions about connection, control, and the nature of consciousness in a world where machines are more than tools.

Themes

Technology & Ethics, Human-Machine Interaction, Consciousness & Identity

Period

Near Future

Year

2020

Published

6/11/2025

Revised

9/17/2025