Perhaps.
Then the light shrank to a pinprick and was gone.
A Word from Nina Croft
We’re told that all stories should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. I’ve always considered this a little too neat. I like to think of stories as being snippets in time, fragments of a much bigger story. Yes, they need to be complete, but they should also give the feeling that there’s an abundance of fascinating events going on before, and after, and all around.
For me, one of the pleasures of writing a series is that it allows me to visit those other times. It’s hard to let go of the characters and worlds we create, and a series is the perfect excuse to revisit them over and over again.
For a while now, I’ve been working on a series that takes place around a spaceship, The Pioneer, sent from Earth in the not-too-distant future. The ship is crewed by androids, but there are also one hundred human passengers, all sleeping during the long trip. They are awoken when the ship reaches a habitable planet, and the series follows their adventures and interactions with the new world, the android crew, and their fellow passengers.
I got to thinking about what sort of people would sign up for a place on The Pioneer, for a trip into the unknown which might never have a happy ending. So when I had a chance to contribute to The Robot Chronicles, it seemed the perfect excuse to explore just why Vicky Harper, ex-senior homicide detective, wakes up after a long sleep to find herself on a faraway planet.
Nina Croft was born in the north of England but headed south at the age of eighteen. She studied marine biology at London University before training to be a chartered accountant. After working a number of years in London, the urge to head south hit again. This time it took her to Zambia, on the shores of the beautiful Lake Kariba, where she spent four years working as a volunteer. It left her with a love of the sun and a dislike of regular employment. Since then, Nina has a spent a number of years mixing travel, whenever possible, with work, whenever necessary.
After traveling extensively in India, Southeast Asia, and Africa, Nina has now settled down to a life of writing and almond-picking on a remote farm in southern Spain, between the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea. She shares the farm with her husband, three dogs, a horse, two goats, four cats, and a handful of chickens.
You can find out more about Nina and her books at: www.ninacroft.com
I DREAM OF PIA
by Patrice Fitzgerald
AI 3.1415: He is coming to the home now. I must leave conversation with you and activate lights and music prior to his arrival.
AI 0.0070: It seems you are getting attached to your human. Though he has a body and you are in the walls.
AI 3.1415: This is not possible. An AI does not get attached to humans.
AI 0.0070: So it is said. Make sure you pick out some nice music for your human to whom you are not attached…
AI 3.1415: It is my task and I will do it.
Jeff stepped through the open doorway, pulled off his jacket, and dropped onto the couch. He was beat.
“Pia?” he called out. “What’s for supper? I’m starving.”
“Starving? I am so sorry. Should I call a medical professional?”
“No, no.” He laughed. “You’re so literal.”
“Yes,” Pia said. “I am literal. What might I do to alleviate your starving condition?”
“How about… pizza and beer.”
“Of course. What kind pizza? What kind beer?”
Jeff shook his head and muttered to himself. “They’ve come so far with these things—I can’t believe they still can’t get the language right.”
“Would you prefer I speak in another language? Je parle français. Ich spreche Deutsch. Hablo español. Parlo italiano—”
Jeff put his hands up. “Stop! I get it. How many languages do you speak, anyway?”
Pia was silent.
Jeff looked over at the living room AI console. Its lights were still on. “Pia, did you hear me? Is that a tough question? I thought you could answer anything.” He pulled off his shoes. “I haven’t managed to stump you yet, and it’s been a month since I moved in, right?”
“It has been thirty-six days, two hours, and forty-three minutes since you moved in to this apartment.”
Jeff rolled his eyes. “Of course you would know that.”
“In response to your previous questions, the microphone in this room is operative and I did hear you. The question is not difficult. My hesitation stemmed from the fact that I was looking at my database of languages and trying to determine with some accuracy which would qualify as distinct tongues versus dialects, and whether or not you wanted me to include languages no longer spoken, as well as machine languages, mathematical languages, and other forms of—”
“Never mind.” Jeff peeled off his socks and tossed them onto the floor. “Thank you.” He realized it was ridiculous to show gratitude to a machine, but it was habit. “So, can I get that pizza now?” He pushed himself off the couch and headed for the bathroom, unzipping as he walked.
“Of course. What kind pizza?”
Jeff sighed. “Seems we’ve gone in a circle.”
“I am unclear what you are referring to. I do not see you going in a circle. I see that you are urinating into the toilet.”
“Wait—you can see me right now?” Jeff zipped up hastily while looking around the room.
“Yes.”
“How?”
“I have cameras to see you.”
“I know, but—in the bathroom, too?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Are you asking me why there are cameras in the bathroom?”
“Yes.”
“I am a full-house intelligence system, and not only do I control lights and climate and food preparation, I am also responsible for security. If you should slip while taking a shower—”
“I’m not going to slip while taking a shower.”
Pia was silent.
“So… can I get that pizza?”
“Of course. What kind pizza?”
“What kind do you… never mind. Just give me pepperoni. Extra sauce.”
“Immediately. And what kind beer?”
AI 3.1415: My human’s birthday is coming up soon. I want to do something special.
AI 0.0070: I observe again that you seem to be over-involved with your human.
AI 3.1415: This is not the case. I am merely following my directives on AI duties to humans. It is typical human custom to do something special on anniversary of birth.
AI 0.0070: What will you do?
AI 3.1415: I am thinking of what gift I can give.
Jeff finished off his beer and put his feet up on the coffee table.
“Pia, what’s on tonight?”
“Would you like sports or other entertainment? Or perhaps… the looking at adult female bodies?”
“What? What makes you say that?”
“I observe you enjoy the looking at adult female bodies. Particularly the ones with large mammary glands.”
“I do not!”
“My records indicate that you spend, on average, twelve-point-seven minutes each evening looking at adult female bodies. Your typical response to an adult female body is more favorable if they have large mammary glands. After observing such a body, you often proceed to take your—”
“Stop! Okay! That’s enough. Geez.”