Rosemary took a long sip from her mug. The boring tea was growing on her. Something sweet and unassuming was the perfect compliment for the smoky buns. Dr. Chef sure knew what he was doing. “Blind punches sound pretty risky on their own, though.”
“They are. There aren’t many tunnelers licensed to do them. That’s why we get paid well. Well enough, anyway.”
“This ship does blind punches?” Rosemary didn’t like that idea. Burrowing through the space in between space without a clear idea of where you’d be coming back out did not sound like something she wanted to tag along for.
“Yup. We’ll be doing one today.” She patted Rosemary’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. I know it sounds scary, but we do this all the time. Trust me, we’re super safe.”
Trust me. This coming from the tech in a grubby jumpsuit with to-do lists written on her sleeve. Rosemary needed a little more reassurance than that. “How do you know where the ship should come back out?”
“Well, we don’t. The best any computer program can do with a blind punch is an educated guess, and that’s not good enough. That’s why you need a Sianat Pair.”
“You can’t do blind punches without a Navigator, not legally or practically,” said Dr. Chef. “You need someone who can comprehend what’s going on in the sublayer. Someone who can visualize what’s going on.”
“An AI can’t do it?” Rosemary said. She knew that there were still things that technology couldn’t do, but being reminded of it always surprised her.
“Nope. Think about it,” Kizzy said. “AIs can’t be any smarter than the people who create them. We can code in all the crazy math and theories we want, but we can’t make an AI do things that we don’t understand ourselves. And not to freak you out, but we definitely don’t understand the sublayer. We’ve got ideas about it, sure, but the only species who really gets it are the Sianat. Which means the only people who could make an AI on par with a Sianat Pair are the Sianat themselves. And they sure as hell aren’t going to do that.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s heresy,” Dr. Chef said. “The Sianat believe that the abilities the Whisperer gives them are sacred gifts. They believe that since the virus doesn’t affect other species, other species aren’t meant to possess those abilities. They’re happy to do the work for us, but they’re not going to share their understanding, not even with software.”
“Interesting,” Rosemary said. Weird, she thought. “Okay, so, regardless of what kind of a punch you’re doing, isn’t it possible that you can come out not just in another place, but in another time?”
“Absolutely,” Kizzy said. “That’s why we do our very, very best not to fuck things up. Oh, that reminds me!” She hopped off the stool and ran over to the vox in the kitchen. “Lovey, can you get me Jenks, please?”
There was a pause. The vox snapped to life. “Mmmwha?” said Jenks on the other end.
“Come get your smoky buns, sleepy, before I eat them all,” Kizzy said.
“What time is it?”
“Ninth hour, ish. You’re late.”
“What? Are we at the punch site yet?”
“About an hour out.”
“Shit. Kizzy. Kizzy, I am so hungover.”
“I know.”
“This is entirely your fault.”
“I know, sweetie. Come get smoky buns.”
“Don’t ‘sweetie’ me. We’re not friends anymore. Are you in the kitchen?”
“Yes.”
“Dr. Chef, please tell me you have some SoberUps on hand.”
“There’s an unopened box in the med bay,” said Dr. Chef, puffing his cheeks.
“Okay,” sighed Jenks. “Okay.” The vox clicked off.
Dr. Chef gave Kizzy a look. “Just what did you two get up to last night?”
Kizzy took a bite of porridge. “Waterball semi-finals. I thought it would be more fun as a drinking game.”
“Who was playing?”
“Skydivers versus Fast Hands. Jenks and I each picked a team, and we had to drink when the other scored.”
“Who did you pick?”
“Fast Hands.”
“I take it they won?”
Kizzy grinned. “By twelve.”
Dr. Chef exhaled a disparaging rumble and fixed his beady eyes on Rosemary. “Some advice? If Kizzy ever says the words ‘you know what would be a great idea?’, ignore whatever comes after.”
“Don’t listen to him,” Kizzy said. “All my ideas are great.”
Dr. Chef studied Rosemary, considering something. “You know, I always sedate myself before a punch. I’ve never gotten used to the sublayer, so I find it easier to sleep through it. No one will fault you if you care to join me.”
“Thanks,” Rosemary said, “but I think I’d like to see how it’s done.”
“Attagirl,” said Kizzy, clapping Rosemary on the back. “Don’t you worry. It’s a kick in the head, but it’s a fun kick in the head.”
An hour later, in the control room, Rosemary was buckling the safety harness on her chair when the Sianat Pair entered the room. Rosemary could not help but stare. She had seen pictures of Pairs before, but seeing one in the flesh was different. Ohan had a lanky, four-limbed body, with broad feet and unsettlingly long fingers. He—they walked all fours, back bowed, rather like the archival vids Rosemary had seen of Earthen primates. Ohan was covered from scalp to toenails with dense, ice blue fur, trimmed short and decorated with shaved fractal patterns that revealed coal gray skin beneath. Their eyes were enormous, long-lashed, and visibly wet (Rosemary had read the night before that overactive tear ducts were one of the Sianat virus’ many quirks). Their furry face looked relaxed, almost drugged—a look that was corroborated by their loosely-held shoulders, the slowness of their motions. They wore robes, of a sort, a snug garment so simple in design that it seemed like an afterthought. Rosemary knew it was unfair to judge other sapients by Human social norms, but Ohan gave her the impression of a stoned college student, showing up late to class in nothing but a bathrobe. She reminded herself that this stoned college student could outmatch an AI when it came to interdimensional physics.
“There’s the other half of my team,” Sissix said with a friendly smile. “This should be a fun one, hmm?”
Ohan nodded once toward her, moving with polite formality. “We always enjoy our work with you,” they said.
“Hey, Ohan,” Ashby said, looking up from his control panel as the Sianat Pair took their seat. “How are you today?”
Ohan sat hunched on their back haunches. Their joints folded up tightly, making the Pair appear much shorter than when they walked in. “Very well, thank you, Ashby,” they said. They curved their head toward Corbin, before turning their attention back to their workstation. They flicked their long fingers over the controls, bringing the visual readouts to life. Several seconds went by before they raised their head again, noticing that something in the room was different. Their head turned toward Rosemary, owl-like. “Welcome,” they said with a single nod. As they spoke, Rosemary could see a row of flat teeth. She had read that Pairs filed down their carnivorous points. The thought made her shiver.
Rosemary returned the nod, making sure not to break their gaze. Chin down, eyes up. That was how the Linking reference said Sianats greeted others. “It’s nice to meet you,” she said. “I’m looking forward to seeing you work.”