{No…}
She sat up, and held him in her cupped hands. They sat there comfortably for a minute, and
then she released him into the air. He flew in a wide arc and then landed softly in front of the
ramp. Then she stood, and looked at me, with a strange kind of expression, and stepped lightly
back to the ship, carefully not stepping on Norl, who was laying on the ground curled up. I
walked over to him
What was all that?
{I don’t know}
Are you all right?
{I’m fine. But I understand why you want to help her now.}
Why’s that?
{You kind of… have to…}
Why?
{You just do…}
I didn’t ask what he meant, just picked him up off the ground and put him on my shoulder,
where he nuzzled under my collar and soon was fast asleep. Occasionally I hear his dreams -
usually about food - but this time his mind was quiet, at ease. This could either be hopeful or
insidious. I decided to prepare for any outcome, and keep going.
I wandered up to the bridge of the Jones and found Vin there, conversing in his usual way
with the main nav computer of the Jones. Their relationship was not without its hiccups. Vin has
been known to issue despairing laments about the inability of computers to understand anything,
which I never cease to find hilarious because Vin is a droid, and only understands what he’s been
programmed to understand. I could spin that reality to a universal principle, and I probably have
when drunk enough.
“How’s it going, Vin?”
“The likelihood of our completing another mission without a nav-computer refit is
diminishing.”
“So, normal then?”
“The word ‘normal’ is too elastic to be useful.”
“That depends on the intended use.”
“This sounds like you didn’t really want to know how things are going and are just waiting
for me to be silent so you can tell me something.”
“Ask you something, actually.”
“Why didn’t you just ask me then?”
“Do you really think I have a reason?’
“You have a point. What is it?”
“Could we fly the Jones to the Polar Zone of this planet?”
“Do you mean within the atmosphere?”
“Yes.”
“Not well. A starship, even a small one like this, isn’t designed to glide through weather. One