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

Ashby nodded and left the room. He sat on one of the overly soft couches, his hands folded, his eyes on the floor. Minutes passed by silently.

A nearby vox switched on. “Captain Santoso?” Twoh’teg said.

“Yes?”

“Thank you for waiting. The committee has decided that no further questions will be necessary. They greatly appreciate you taking the time to join us today. You’re free to leave the planet.”

“Right,” Ashby said. “I pissed them off, huh?”

Twoh’teg paused. “No, actually. But please don’t ask me more, I’m not allowed to talk about what goes on in there.” The wall drawer containing Ashby’s scrib slid open. “Have a safe trip home, Captain.”

Feed source: The Thread—The Official News Source of the Exodan Fleet (Public/Klip)

Item name/date: Breaking News Summary—Toremi Alliance Talks—222/306

Encryption: 0

Translation path: 0

Transcription: 0

Node identifier: 7182-312-95, Ashby Santoso

After tendays of deliberation, the GC Parliament has voted to dissolve the alliance with the Toremi Ka. The vote was divisive, passing with only a nine-point margin. While most representatives stayed within species alignments, the Harmagian representatives showed the largest disparity, with a nearly even split between those for and against.

The opposition was lead by Aeluon representative Tasa Lima Nemar and Aandrisk representative Reskish Ishkarethet. Representative Lima, who had been opposed to the alliance before its initial signing, spoke in the Parliament Halls earlier today. “The wellbeing of our citizens must be the number one priority in all Parliamentary activities. To bring violence into our space in the name of material gain, and at the expense of civilian lives, would be grossly negligent. Until we can assure our people that their safety is not at risk, we cannot, in good conscience, continue with this alliance.” Representative Ishkarethet echoed those sentiments, stating: “After speaking with those lucky enough to return from Hedra Ka, there is no doubt in my mind that this is a door that must remain shut.”

Harmagian representative Brehem Mos Tosh’mal’thon, one of the key voices in securing the alliance, delivered a swift rebuttal. “Representative Lima is more concerned with spreading Aeluon troops too thin than she is with protecting civilians. She conveniently forgets that military skirmishes between our respective species led to the founding of the GC itself. New alliances always pose risks, and are rarely implemented smoothly. While the lives lost at Hedra Ka are a tragedy, we should not be so hasty as to break contact entirely over this incident. The potential benefits for both our species outweigh the risks.” Following the vote, Representative Tosh’mal’thon further stated that he would push for continued contact with Toremi clans sympathetic to “the values of the Galactic Commons.”

Though there are currently no GC vessels within Toremi space, reports from the borders indicate that armed conflict between the clans has not slowed.

For more in-depth coverage on this story and more, connect to the Thread feed via scrib or neural patch.

Ashby waved the job feeds aside as Rosemary entered his office, carrying a small, thin package. “Whatcha got?”

“Something from the mail drone,” she said. “I would’ve called you down, but I thought it was just stuff for Corbin.” Her eyes twinkled as she handed the package over. He knew why. It was thin, and so light as to be empty. That meant paper.

“Thanks,” he said, smiling at the package.

“Anything good?” she asked, nodding to the feeds above his desk.

“A few things,” he said. “I see a few proposal letters in your future.”

“Just say when.”

“Actually, I do have something you can work on in the meantime.” He picked up his scrib, gesturing as he spoke. “I’m sending you the locations of the closest market stops. Can you do a little research, see what our retrofit supply options are in those systems?”

“Sure. What kind of tech are you looking for?”

“Well,” he said, leaning back in his chair. “I think it’s time we got a new bore, don’t you?”

Rosemary’s face lit up. “I take it you’re looking at level 2 jobs?”

Ashby met her eyes and smirked.

She grinned. “I’ll get on it right away.”

He scoffed congenially. “I didn’t mean right now . Don’t you and Sissix have stuff to do? I heard you’ve got an outing planned.”

“Well, yeah, but I’ve got some archiving to finish first.“

“You’ve always got archiving to finish.”

She gave him a look. “You’ve got a lot of messy archives.”

He laughed. “All right, fair enough. But the research can wait. Finish your thing, then go have fun.” He shooed her toward the door. “Captain’s orders.”

“Thanks, Ashby,” she said, turning to leave with a spring in her step.

Once the door spun shut, Ashby picked up the package. He swiped his wrist over the locking seal, and carefully extracted the envelope. He checked his hands to make sure they were clean. He moved his mug of tea to the far side of the desk. Slowly, slowly, he tore open the top edge, as Jenks had taught him how to do. He pulled out a single page.

This run ends in three tendays. I have six tendays off between then and my next job. I’m spending that time with you on the Wayfarer . Don’t argue. Forward me your latest flight plan. I’ll meet you wherever is best. I won’t say anything to my crew one way or the other, but they might piece it together. If they do, I’ll deal with it. I don’t care anymore. Not after a few days spent contemplating what my world was going to be like without you in it. I’m tired of wondering which one of us will get killed out here first. We both deserve better than that.

Stay safe until I get there.

“Kizzy?” Jenks walked down the corridor toward Kizzy’s workspace, holding a small package behind his back. “You down here?” He rounded the corner and stopped in his tracks. Kizzy was perched in one of the easy chairs beside the mek brewer, her legs tucked up like a monkey. A crate of colored yarn was thrown open alongside, fuzzy colored bundles strewn all over the floor. Her tongue was between her teeth as she focused on the knitting needles twisting between her fingers. On the floor, amid the yarn, all twelve fixbots stood watching her. Jenks knew they were awaiting commands, but their attentiveness and their chubby bodies made him think of ducklings, huddled around their mother.

He blinked at the object taking shape below the needles. “Are… are you making them hats?”

“Yeah,” she said, and pointed absently. “Alfonzo’s already got his.”

Jenks looked to the bot wearing a blue beanie with a yellow pom-pom. “Alfonzo?”

She sighed. “I know they’re not sentient models, but I never could’ve kept this ship up before Pepper got here without them. I feel bad for keeping them in a box for so long. So I’m making it up to them.”

“With names. And hats.”

“Some of those air ducts get really cold, okay.”

Jenks looked at his friend—his crazy, brilliant, one-in-a-million friend. “Can you put the hat down for a sec?”

She finished a loop and set down the half-finished hat. “What’s up?”

He brought the package forward. “Brought you a present.”

“A present!” The knitting flew out of her hands. “But… but why? It’s not my birthday.” She paused, considering. “It’s not my birthday, right?”