“I have always been jealous of that,” Jenks said. For Lovey, checking a reference or reading a feed was as simple as activating the part of her cognitive processor that had Linking access. He’d always imagined it to be like having a download library inside your head, full of books you could read through in a matter of seconds.
“Honestly, I think most of my cons stem from concerns about perception and spatial awareness. That’s why I think the pros carry more weight. They’re more varied. I could get used to having only one set of eyes, I think. It could be restful. Or boring, I’m not sure.”
“Maybe a little of both. Let’s have your pros.”
“Leaving the ship. That’s a big one. I don’t feel like I’m missing out as I am now, but you all seem to have so much fun when you hop over to orbiters or down planetside.”
“What else?”
“Having dinner with the crew. Face-to-face conversations. Seeing the sky from the ground.” She paused. “Having the ability to be a real companion for you. You know, with all the trimmings.”
Even sitting down, Jenks felt his knees go weak.
Lovey sighed. “It’s a frivolous line of thinking, with things as they are. But even so, you haven’t answered my question.”
“What question?”
“What kind of body would you want me to have? Or perhaps a better question is, what do you find pretty?”
“That’s… I’m not sure I can sum that up easily. It really depends on the person.”
“Hmm. Okay, what did the women you’ve coupled with before look like?”
Jenks let out a hearty laugh. “Are you making a database?”
She paused. “Maybe.”
Jenks gave a fond smirk. “Lovey, if you were able to have a body, it should look how you want it to look.” He relaxed back into the wall and trailed his fingers down a bundle of cables. “I’d find you pretty in any package.”
“Stars, you’re so full of it,” Lovey laughed. “But that’s why I love you.”
Feed source: The Thread—The Official News Source of the Exodan Fleet (Public/Klip)
Item name/date: Evening News Summary—Galactic—130/306
Encryption: 0
Translation path: 0
Transcription: [vid:text]
Node identifier: 7182-312-95, Ashby Santoso
Hello, and welcome to our evening update. I’m Quinn Stephens. We begin tonight’s headline summary with news from the Fleet.
Yesterday marked the fourth anniversary of the Oxomoco disaster. Memorial events were held throughout the fleet in commemoration the deaths of the 43,756 Exodans who lost their lives after a transport crash, compounded by fatigued bulkheads on the Oxomoco, lead to rapid decompression of several lodging decks. Yesterday, all major Fleet vessels turned off their lights for two minutes at fourteen-sixteen, the time of the accident. The disaster was also commemorated on Mars this year, with the unveiling of a memorial statue in the Samurakami Botanical Gardens. Martian President Kevin Liu was present at the ceremony, and dedicated the memorial to “the families aboard the Oxomoco, and to all our courageous brothers and sisters in the Fleet.” Fleet Admiral Ranya May thanked the Martian government for the gesture, stating, “Our two societies no longer turn a blind eye to the tragedies that befall the other. This is a testament to how far we have come in our efforts to close the gap between us.”
In other Fleet news, the Marabunta scare aboard the Newet is finally over. The last remaining patient has been released from quarantine and granted a clean bill of health. The Fleet health office is confident that no traces of the virus remain aboard Fleet vessels. A statement released this morning reminds all Fleet denizens and boarders to schedule regular imubot upgrades with their health care providers, and to not take chances with unlicensed tech implant clinics. It is believed that the Marabunta virus was brought aboard the Newet by an individual who recently patronized a fringe colony implant clinic. In response to the outbreak, the health office is working to upgrade docking bay scanners throughout the fleet, in order to better detect individuals carrying hijacked bots.
Next tenday is the thirty-first annual Bug Fry Festival aboard the Dou Mu. The transportation office anticipates high amounts of shuttle traffic and docking bay delays throughout the duration of the festival. All persons traveling between ships are advised to plan accordingly, even if you do not intend on attending the festival.
In the news from the Solar Republic, former Phobos Fuel CEO Quentin Harris the third was officially indicted on charges of weapons smuggling, conspiracy, and crimes against sapient kind. Harris is alleged to have been instrumental in a smuggling ring that delivered illegal weapons, including gene-targeters, to several Toremi clans, who are currently engaged in a civil war. Harris was arrested earlier this standard after a data cache of evidence documenting his involvement with the smuggling ring was uploaded to several Linking feeds. Harris claims that the evidence has been falsified by business rivals, and has plead not guilty.
In the news from the independent Human colonies, the construction of a new water reclamation plant on Seed was halted last tenday after the discovery of ancient Arkanic artifacts. A satellite scan has confirmed the presence of expansive Arkanic ruins throughout the Refuge Foothills region. Though the GC academic community is hailing the find for its historical significance, the discovery has caused problems for the Seed municipality, who have been suffering chronic water shortages. Alexandria University and the Hashkath Institute of Interstellar Migration have assembled a joint archaelogical survey team to study the site. The Seed municipal government has filed an official aid request to the Diaspora, in hopes of receiving funding to purchase portable water reclamators as a stopgap measure.
In galactic news, the Hok Pres border war continues to intensify as Aeluon troops enter their third standard year of armed conflict with the Rosk Synergy. The deaths of twenty-six GC civilians on Kaelo were reported this morning, following a Rosk bombing run. Though the Aeluon government has released few details concerning their military efforts, reports from the area indicate that there has been an increase in Aeluon troop deployment throughout the Kaelo region.
This concludes the evening update. Our morning update will be ready to access at tenth hour tomorrow. For more in-depth coverage on these stories and more, provided in both vid and text, connect to the Thread feed via scrib or neural patch. Thank you, and fly safely.
Day 131, GC Standard 306
BLIND PUNCH
Breakfast was laid out on the kitchen counter when Rosemary returned to the Fishbowl in the morning. Two big bowls of fruit (stored in the stasie, by the look of the pale skin), a basket of unfamiliar pastries, and a large hotpot full of some sort of dark brown porridge. Dr. Chef stood behind the counter, chopping vegetables with two handfeet, drying cutlery with another pair. His cheeks puffed out as she approached.
“Good morning!” he said. “How’d you sleep?”
“Not bad,” she said, climbing onto a stool. “Woke up a little confused a few times.”
Dr. Chef nodded. “It’s never easy sleeping in a new place. You’re lucky we had a Human-style bed already installed in that cabin. When I first joined the crew, I had to wait a few days before we got furniture I could fit myself into.” He gestured to the food on the counter. “Breakfast here is a help-yourself affair, as is lunch. Snacks are available throughout the day, so stop by whenever you’re peckish. Oh, and there’s always tea. You can get yourself a cup anytime you like.” He pointed toward two large decanters, perched on the far end of the counter. A rack of mugs rested alongside. There were two hand-drawn labels affixed to the decanters. “Happy Tea!” read one, above a drawing of a wide-eyed, grinning Human with frizzy hair standing on end. “Boring Tea,” read the other. The Human drawn there looked content, but indifferent. The handwriting was the same as the sign on the Fishbowl door. Kizzy’s.