Man Made

Treb Hawley has spent his whole life chasing the stars. From a childhood fascination with astronautics to participating in the historic Ninth Jupiter Expedition, his career has been a series of daring missions and quiet family moments with his wife Marla and their two sons. An unexpected attack on a distant world leaves him grievously maimed, and cutting‑edge surgery replaces his lost arm and leg with prosthetic limbs that soon feel as real as any flesh. The experience forces him to confront a timeless question—what does it mean to have a body, and where does the soul reside within it?

Now, with his new parts fully integrated, Treb returns to Earth where synthetic limbs have become commonplace. He finds the once‑odd sight of his “protoplast” extensions almost invisible to those around him, and his wife jokes that he’s “better than new.” As he resumes his work and enjoys music and mathematics, he uses his unique perspective to explore how humanity’s growing reliance on artificial bodies reshapes identity, empathy, and the very notion of what it means to be alive.