Time to Orbit: Unknown

First -- Prev -- Archive -- Next “And they just won’t grow solid!” Ella exclaimed over lunch. “But it’s better to find out now, I suppose. The problem with plants is that, like all other biological matter I could be working with, the stock didn’t evolve in space. Not so far, anyway.” I had no … Continue reading 71: Evolution

After mastering sight, I put all my effort into figuring out the language systems in my nervous system. This, as it turned out, was a fantastic move. The crew used sound to share information constantly. “Okay, rocks and stars,” said Ricky Danger to everyone one morning in the mess, “we’re about thirty days out from … Continue reading Inner Life 4: Language

First -- Prev -- Archive -- Next This was a test. The capuchins being in charge was big news, but that wasn’t as urgent as the way that all three of them were watching me. Like a plant in the lab with a changed gene, that might grow better or worse vines because of it. … Continue reading 69: Mutually Assured Survival

First -- Prev -- Archive -- Next “This is Kapu,” Tikka told me in my room the next morning. “Kapu, this is Taya.” Kapu was a bit bigger than Tikka, but seemed smaller in the way she folded in on herself and sort of tried to hide behind her friend. Was she afraid of me? … Continue reading 68: Kapu

First -- Prev -- Archive -- Next “What would you do, then?” I asked. “Nothing. I wouldn’t get involved.” “Well, what should I do, hypothetically?” “Your goal is to make sure that the capuchins have options, right? So they don’t have to stay on the Stalwart and all become engineers if they don’t want to. … Continue reading 67: Bruising

First -- Prev -- Archive -- Next “Why,” I asked Plia and Tima, “are the Stalwart even working with Hexacorallia?” We were meeting in a vast field of flowers. Well, actually, we were meeting in a relaxation room, but so long as I only paced back and forth a small distance and didn’t run into … Continue reading 66: Incongruity

First -- Prev -- Archive -- Next The trip to the Stalwart was uneventful. We had to put the braces back on and everything for the docking procedure, since we hit the Stalwart and nearly the same velocity that we left the Dish with, and after Miya gave us a quick inspection we tottered out … Continue reading 65: Charm

First -- Prev -- Archive -- Next It was difficult to stay gloomy when boarding HEX-107, because as we were buckling in for the journey back to the Stalwart, all I could think about were the capuchins. We’d be spending a few weeks on the Stalwart before taking the Ironstock back to the Courageous, and … Continue reading 64: Transport Economy

First -- Prev -- Archive -- Next The historians stayed in a pretty good mood for the rest of our time on the Dish, and I couldn’t blame them. But a few days before leaving, as the historians and I ate in the mess, Hali stared wistfully at the walls, barely picking at his food. … Continue reading 63: Keep Going