Becky Chambers - The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

“Okay.”

“A while back, Jenks put down an advance payment for a body kit. For Lovey.”

The reference file popped up. “That’s illegal.”

“Yes. Jenks didn’t care. At least, not at first. He and Lovey wanted something more than what they had. He wanted to take her out into the galaxy with him.”

“He must have loved her very much.” Lovelace wondered if anyone would ever feel the same about her. She imagined it would be nice.

Pepper nodded. “He changed his mind, though. Told me just to hang onto the kit for him, keep it safe.”

“Why?”

“Because he loved her too much to want to risk getting caught.” She smirked. “And perhaps because I had warned him against it. Though that may just be my ego talking.”

“Why had you warned him against it?”

“Creating new life is always dangerous. It can be done safely, but Jenks was thinking with his heart, rather than his head. I love the guy, but between you and me, I didn’t trust him to be smart about it.”

“That seems fair.”

“Trouble is, I now have a brand new, custom-built body kit tucked away in the back of my shop, and I’ve got no use for it.”

“Doesn’t that worry you?”

“Why?”

“Well, it being illegal, and all.”

Pepper gave a hearty laugh. “Sweetie, I’ve pulled myself out of the sort of trouble that would make a body kit bust look like a picnic. The law is not my concern, especially not where I live.”

“Where’s that?”

“Port Coriol.”

Lovelace accessed the file. “Ah. A neutral planet. Yes, I’m sure that gives you a little more breathing room.”

“Definitely. So here’s my proposal. And again, it’s entirely up to you. The way I see it, you deserve to exist, and Jenks needs to not be surrounded by reminders of Lovey. He needs to come to terms with this. Seeing as how I have a perfectly good body kit gathering dust, I think we could kill two birds with one stone.”

“You want me to come with you?”

“I’m giving you the option of coming with me. This is about what you want, not what I want.”

Lovelace considered this. She was already accustomed to the feel of the ship, the way her awareness could spread through its circuits. How would a body kit feel? What would it be like to have a consciousness that resided not within a ship full of people, but within a platform that belonged only to her? It was an intriguing idea, but terrifying, too. “Where would I go after I was transferred into the kit?”

“Wherever you like. But I’d suggest staying with me. I can keep you safe. And besides, I could really use an assistant. I run a scrap shop. Used tech, fix-it jobs, that kind of thing. I could teach you. You’d be paid, of course, and there’s a room in my home you could have. Me and my partner are pretty easy to get along with, and we liked your previous installation a lot. And you could leave anytime you like. You’d be under no obligation to me.”

“You’re offering me a job. A body, a home, and a job.”

“Have I blown your mind a bit?”

“What you’re suggesting is a very different sort of existence than what I’ve been designed for.”

“Yeah, I know. Like I said, it’s heavy. And you can stay here if you want to. None of the crew have suggested uninstalling you. Jenks would never let that happen anyway. And I may be wrong. He may be able to handle working with you. You two could become friends all over again. Maybe more. I just don’t know.”

Lovelace’s thoughts were racing. She’d diverted most of her processing power to exploring this one possibility. She really hoped that no asteroids popped up anytime soon. “What about what you warned Jenks about? About creating new life?”

“What about it?”

“Why is it okay for you and not for him?”

Pepper rubbed her chin. “Because this is an area I know something about. And because I’m thinking with my head, not my heart. If you stay with me, I can not only keep you from getting in trouble, I can keep you from causing it.”

“How do you know that?”

“I just know.” She started to get to her feet. “I’ll give you some time to think it over. It’d take me a day to pick up the kit and get back here anyway. I’m in no rush.”

“Wait a moment, please,” Lovelace said. She focused part of herself back toward the cargo bay, back to the two techs who hadn’t slept in three days. Jenks’ sobs had grown quieter. Kizzy still held him fast. Lovelace could make out the words choking through Jenks’ heaving breaths.

“What am I gonna do?” he said, his voice soft and strained. “What am I gonna do?”

Lovelace watched his face fall in his hands as he asked his pointless, horrible question over and over again. When she zoomed in, she could see the bleeding cracks in his fingers, caused by days of twisting wires and circuits together by hand. This wasn’t her fault, she knew, but she couldn’t stay here if it meant that she was making this man’s pain worse. He had exhausted himself in trying to save whoever she had been before. She didn’t know who that was. She didn’t know Jenks, either. But she could help. Even after watching him for only two and three quarter hours, she knew he deserved to be happy again.

“Okay,” she said to Pepper. “Okay. I’ll go with you.”

“Please place your scrib in the receptacle,” said the AI in the waiting room.

“Why?” Ashby asked.

“No unauthorized recording of audio or images is permitted within Parliament meeting facilities.”

Ashby glanced at the camera nodes lining the ceiling. He hadn’t had any plans to record anything, but it did feel the slightest bit unfair. He hadn’t authorized anyone to record him. But he opened his satchel, took out his scrib, and placed it in the wall drawer, as requested.

“Thank you,” said the AI. “The committee will see you now.”

Ashby took a step toward the door, and paused. Something made him think of Jenks, waiting patiently through dockside AI speeches he’d heard dozens of times over. “Do you have a name?” Ashby asked.

For a moment, the AI said nothing. “Twoh’teg,” he said. A Harmagian name.

Ashby nodded. “Thanks for the assistance, Twoh’teg.”

“Why do you want my name?” Twoh’teg asked. “Have I offended in some way?”

“No, no,” Ashby said. “I was just curious. Have a nice day.”

The AI said nothing. His silence sounded baffled.

Ashby stepped into the meeting chamber. The brightly lit walls were rounded, no corners, no windows. The committee—eight in total—was seated in a semi-circle behind a smooth continuous desk. Harmagians, Aeluons, Aandrisks, Quelin. Ashby was very aware of being the only Human in the room. He involuntarily glanced at his clothes—folded pants, collared jacket, the best he had. Kizzy had whistled at him as he’d walked to the shuttle. Here, though, alongside the representatives’ finely dyed fabrics and expensive adornments, he felt plain. Worn, even.

"Captain Santoso,” one of the Aeluons said. “Welcome.” She gestured to a desk facing the circle. He sat. The desk was high enough to make his arms rest awkwardly, but the chair, at least, was designed for his species.

A Harmagian spoke. “This committee recognizes Ashby Santoso, ID number 7182-312-95, captain and owner of the tunneling ship Wayfarer . Captain Santoso, you understand that everything you say at this meeting will be recorded and preserved within the public record?”

“Yes, I do,” Ashby said. Apparently they needed his authorization after all.

“Very good. We shall begin.”

“Captain Santoso,” said the Aeluon. “On behalf of this committee, I want to extend my deepest regrets for the danger you and your crew encountered, as well as the damage suffered by your ship. I understand that the Transport Board has compensated you for your repairs, as well as paid off your contract?”