7. Introductions

  Aster said her farewells and returned two days later with several boxes of belongings, including a lot of books. Actual books. Not tablets, but books.

  I asked her why, and she said that tablets don’t capture the intent behind the words the same way that pressed books do. She frowned when I asked for more detail, but she admitted that she was just repeating what had been told to her.

  “The best way to understand what a master teaches is to hear them speak,” she said. “The second best is to read their writing. The third best is to read the writing of someone who has learned from them. The forth best is to read duplications of those writings. The further the teachings get from the true source of understanding, the more dilute those understandings are until instead of drinking tea you are drinking only hot water.”

  “Okay, but the words are the same aren’t they?” I asked.

  “Perhaps. I don’t know. Anyway these books were given to me as soon as you selected me. My old master marked when I should read them, so I don’t get ahead of myself. Even if I had a tablet, my masters don’t believe in them, so I’m stuck with books.”

  Aside from stashing the books, putting the ones she was supposed to read immediately on her bed and the rest of them in the closet, she also put away her clothes, changed the sheets on the bed with ones that she’d brought with her, and put up a number of decorations, including three posters for boy-bands that were popular in regular space.

  I was surprised by that last addition, and she blushed when I asked her about it.

  “They’re cute,” she admitted. “And even Atlians like good music.”

  “Yeah, but if you like good music then why are you listening to that? ” I asked.

  “Are you being cheeky with me?” she asked.

  “What if I am?”

  She giggled and took a shower.

  When she finished, she went out into the common area, where she met Tess. Tess blinked to see the girl in a robe with wet hair looking through the refrigerator, then offered a polite greeting of “Hi, you’re Aster, right? I’m Tess.”

  Aster looked over her shoulder and smiled. “Hi. I’m sorry, is there rules to what food to eat? I am very hungry.”

  “Anything in a package without a name written on it is fair game,” Tess answered. “That comes straight from the deep freeze in big boxes. Lukas stocks the fridge daily. There’s two heating times, the one for frozen and the one for thawed, so make sure you check how warm it is and cook it for the right amount of time.”

  “Okay,” Aster said, and she returned her attention to the fridge.

  “Isn’t Aster great?” I asked Tess.

  “I’m sure she is, Arty.”

  After Aster had selected a meal and was waiting for it to heat up, she sat on one of the tables and kicked her heels, watching as Tess mixed some coffee. “So,” Aster said. “What do you do aboard Arty?”

  “Well, I was in charge of managing the business. Payroll, contracts, scheduling, that kind of thing,” Tess explained. “It was all very complicated, but now things are completely different. With everyone taking the money and running, it’s down to just a few of us from the original crew, and those who are staying behind are a little worried about covering their debts.”

  “I wouldn’t worry about that,” Aster said. The microwave beeped and she pulled out the rice and bean combination, opening it and smelling the food for a few moments before digging in with chopsticks. “If you had taken the money then they wouldn’t have allowed you to remain behind, you know.”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  “Yeah, I figured that out,” Tess said. “It wasn’t their only criteria, but while everyone who came back said that they were offered money for their shares in Arty, none of them took the offer. I’m pretty sure there was also some mindreading or something going on. It was a little spooky.”

  “They wished to ensure that you had the proper mindset for caring for someone young and impressionable. And me too, since although I’m a few years older than Arty I too am still a child,” Aster explained.

  “Yeah, and they never mentioned that part either,” Tess said. “It wasn’t until just a few hours ago we’d realized that we would have a human cultivator with us in addition to Arty being a cultivating SoulShip.”

  “Oh? I thought that SoulShips having a Dao partner was widely known,” Aster said.

  “It might be among Atlians,” Tess said. “I only know what the propaganda tells us about ships that generate Qi.”

  “A ship with the spark does far more than generate Qi. They are capable of walking a path of high onus and great respect. The battle for the future of the multiverse might have been lost were it not for the mighty XOL. He was but a Scoutship when he awoke to the mysteries of the universe, but in the end he stood toe to toe with forces beyond our comprehension and said ‘screw you!’”

  “Yes, well, I’m hoping for a life with a little less excitement than that,” Tess said. “I’ve already had my fill of battle for my lifetime after the incident with Samonosuke and the bandits, thank you.”

  “You say that, but you must be ready to defend yourself if you wish to walk this path,” Aster said seriously. “Do not worry though. Soon Arty and I will be ready to defend everyone from anything that the universe can throw at us.”

  It took me a while to realize something.

  “Hey, Aster, how are you speaking English now?” I asked.

  “Oh?” her eyebrows rose in surprise. “Would you prefer that I not?”

  “I’m just wondering. Aside from your accent it’s hard to tell that you couldn’t speak it hours ago,” I said.

  “When I was selected, I was brought to a master who spoke English and he gifted me with his understanding of the language,” she explained. “It was a necessary sacrifice on her part so that I could fulfill my duty to you and the rest of the crew, but she will recover quickly. I was greatly humbled when I realized what she was giving me, and I shall always be grateful to her.”

  “So there’s a sacrifice when someone shares a language that way?” I asked.

  “Yes and no. It becomes less of a part of them. Depending on how much of a part of their identity it is, it might recover quickly or slowly. It’s a bit like taking blood. The more blood you have, the less you notice a small cut,” she explained. Then she shrugged. “Or so she explained to me. She was used to dealing with offworlders so she will recover quickly. But she might stumble on common words for a while because of the sacrifice she made.”

  I made a note to thank Senshi the next time I spoke with him. I hadn’t realized that what he gave me was more than just copying a file from his brain into my … consciousness? I don’t know.

  Rebekah and Lukas came in, and the crew ate with their newest member, asking awkward questions to the eleven year old about things like “What do you hope to be when you grow up?” “What I am now. The dao partner to a SoulShip.” “Are there any boys you like?” “If there were, I will likely never see them again.” “What does it feel like to cultivate?” “I do not have enough grasp of the English to explain. But right now I get stinky after cultivating, so I have to bathe often.”

  After a few days of getting to know everyone, Aster decided that she was ready to leave the planet that she’d been born on and asked to speak with Senshi, who had left. But I contacted their air traffic control, and Senshi quickly answered.

  “You are committed to this path, young Aster?” he asked seriously.

  “Yes. I have spent enough time getting to know these people. Arty is a good partner, even if he is a little young, and the crew all seems to be accepting of me,” she answered.

  “If it came between his partner and the crew, we would replace the crew,” Senshi said seriously. “But we thought that it would be best to keep some continuity. Everyone except for you who is currently aboard Arty was there when he was born.”

  “And I would like for them to remain part of his life for as long as they wish to be,” Aster said seriously. “That is why I am pleased that they seem to be good people.”

  Senshi nodded. “If you are ready to leave, then you must simply leave. But before you depart, Arty, we have several upgrades to install on you in orbit, and once that is complete you must decide upon your name.”

  “Oh, right, I was supposed to be thinking about that,” I muttered. “Okay then. I’m going to take off and go say hi to Samonosuke.”

  Before anyone could really object, I started the pre-launch sequence. The crew rushed to get strapped in, and soon I was shooting through the atmosphere and into space once more.

  ?