The sole part that I had to play in our escape from the Watcher station was regaining Sagua’s friendship, but that felt like a gargantuan task. There wasn’t a single time we’d met that I hadn’t screwed it up by overreacting to everything she tried to tell me, or dragging Arata problems into our time together. My feet dangled over the edge of the levitation bed, as I stared out into space and let our message log menace me through the augmented reality. She was old and wise enough not to waste any more time on a fucked-up lost cause, surely…
A knock rattled my door, startling me upright. I remembered who my last uninvited visitor was, and there was no telling if it was one of Ralto or Hrothl’s men who’d come to barge in on the action. I sucked in several sharp breaths and pressed my ear against the door, trying to listen for any audio cues. Keensty would’ve had some embarrassing comment by this point, so I knew it wasn’t him. Perhaps it was our Pelsyl ally, who’d come to talk to me privately? This was nothing compared to living in a war zone.
I’m tired of fighting, but I can’t say I’m not used to it. Treysyl are bigger, so as long as I can grab his hands, I should have the drop on him even if he has those knives. We have to try to trust him, even if I know Keensty is going to betray the alliance. Ugh, Sagua would be so disappointed in me! Why…why do I even care? Fuck!
“Who is it?” I flung open the door and dropped into a defensive posture, before relaxing as I saw a gray-skinned alien waiting awkwardly outside. She was dressed in a burgundy tracksuit and with braids in her black hair, with a vibe like she could’ve been the girl across the street. “Sagua?!”
The humanoid glanced up at me with a hint of nerves, noticing my amazement that she was here. “Good morning, Lucren. I saw your status show up as online, and I promised I’d check on you first thing. I wanted to cheer you up, so I brought you some gifts. Would it be intrusive if I stepped inside to drop them off?”
“You…brought me gifts?” I gawked at her with wide eyes for a long moment, my brain shutting down, before stepping aside. “P-please, come in. I’m so sorry for being such an idiot! I don’t know what came over me, it was just like all I could see and the dream was so vivid…”
“I’ve seen some bad things in my life and had nightmares about them, and they didn’t even happen to me. You don’t have to explain anything. I’m not glad that you suffered, but I’m delighted that you’re learning to care with such deep empathy. I promise you, I won’t abandon you, especially not because all of this heavy shit that’s been thrown at you has hurt you!”
I sniffled, lowering my head. “Thank you, Sagua. I don’t know what I did to deserve you. I was supposed to be helping you, but it’s been nothing but the other way around.”
“Oh, sweet Lucren.” The Watcher smiled, placing firm hands on my shoulders that sent a shiver down my spine. “Just getting to know you as a person is medicine for my soul; you can take that to heart. You’ve been through so much, and you still want to learn and do what’s right! You’re amazing! You’re not alone here, and we can both make it through this. Whatever we seem like now, you’re not the only people to have been marked by hatred. Aratas…don’t have to be ugly. You’re far from it, in every sense of the word.”
Easy for you to say, when you’re unaware that I’m complicit in a cold-blooded murder, and that my plan is to use you to try and escape this place. “You might not feel the same if you lived in my head. It’s…dark in here. I’d much prefer it if I lived in a beautiful head like yours.”
Her grin widened as a playful laugh tumbled out, and her blackened eyes locked onto mine. “You think my head is beautiful?”
“Oh, um, of course! You look…lovely, with…your soft skin and nice features. This casual vibe is a lot more disarming. You wear it well. I’m glad you’ve shown me a normal side of what life with your people is like!” I coughed out a response, stumbling over my words. Her appearance didn’t bother me anymore, despite the dark eyes and alien countenance. “It’s been my absolute pleasure to spend time with you. You’re an admirable person.”
Sagua gave a playful wave of her hand, which almost caused me to jump out of fright. “Aw, shush, you flatterer! Buttering me up before I give you your gifts?”
She knows I’m supposed to charm her? Of course, I’m so awkward. “N-no, it’s not…I—”
“I’m kidding, Lucren! I wanted this place to feel more like home, and for you to see what else your new life could be. I brought you some nice little things to spruce it up here.” The Watcher waved a hand, warping in a mini-fridge, a display case of alien horned instruments, and a coat rack covered with a range of different attire. She flicked a finger, opening a fridge to show the remains of our pizza and some pastries. “I meant to send the leftovers home with you, as a little souvenir to munch on, but I didn’t figure you’d want to stick around for that! I haven’t fed your sweet tooth enough, so I’m making up for lost time with donuts and banana bread. I love banana bread!”
I walked over to the fridge, grabbing a loaf and breaking off a piece to offer her. “Then let’s share it. Any particular reason that’s your favorite, of all the things in the galaxy?”
Sagua accepted the morsel, chewing and nodding. “My mother would make banana bread, and she’d serve it to us in bed on Sundays if we’d gotten good grades in school! Her homemade sweets were just immaculate, she’s a hell of a cook; and she’s only gotten better, since she’s gotten close with a Liberi baker, but that’s another story. Anyway, I guess it’s one of those comfort foods that makes me feel safe. When I was a kid, I thought it was bread made out of bananas! Ha, as if.”
“What’s a banana?” I asked in confusion, eyeing the pastry with caution.
“A slender yellow fruit in a peel with soft sweetness inside. It’s just banana-flavored bread; I mean, it’s not a grain, although it would be cool if someone made it work. I remember sketching Corai with one banana in each hand, mashing them together while this yellow sludge roasted in the oven! My mom’s kept the picture I drew of it for millions of years, Lucren, and she still brings it up at the holidays once every few decades to embarrass me.”
“Uh, talk about a long memory.” Once every few decades. That was one way to remind me how different and ancient Sagua was, if that was a normal sentence; those cute memories were millions of years old. I nibbled on the banana bread with a reserved expression, before perking up at the succulent taste. “Wow. That’s phenomenal! Did your mom make this?”
The human beamed, pointing at herself. “I did, though it’s her recipe! She taught me. I’m…glad you like it! I wanted to show you something special. As for the other things: I warped to the nearest Alliance hub and printed you some instruments to play with. They’re yours to keep.”
“You…just ‘warped’ to another planet?!”
“Yeah, it was no trouble. There and back, it’s pretty quick. You’ve seen how harmless portals are. Maybe I could take you to alien sands some time, if you’re up for a little adventure. Not today though. Last thing: Josh does need his shirt back, but you shouldn’t have to resort to naughty thievery to dress to impress. I don’t know what’s your style, so I pulled a variety. Might I make a suggestion?”
“Of course. I…can’t believe you did all of this for me. What can I do in return?”
Sagua leaned closer for a conspiratorial whisper. “I think you’d look good in denim. It’s the blue woven fabric right there. If you’d feel good about rocking that outfit, I’d be happy to catch a glimpse of Arata eye candy!”
“I’ll be happy to follow your fashion advice. It’s never been my strong suit. Um, do you care if I just change my shirt real quick?”
“Not at all. Do you care if I don’t turn around, Lucren? I wouldn’t want to make you uncomfortable, but I’m hardly shy.”
I was flummoxed by that question, and I paused for a long moment, before lifting Josh’s shirt swiftly over my head. “You’re right, uh, it’s just my upper body. It’s not like I’m flashing you. You’ve probably seen too many Arata…corpses to care.”
Sagua scrunched her nose at my final comment, though I found her staring to be awfully direct as I slipped into the denim shirt. The alien had picked out a perfect fit, and she whistled with appreciation, strutting 360 degrees around me for a full inspection. Her compliments tickled me; I was grateful that she chose to puff me up, when she didn’t have to be kind. Humans truly were thoughtful and could imbue any lowly soul with a greater sense of self-worth. The Watcher closed one eye at me, before making a sweeping gesture with a hand.
“Lucren, I want you to know more about the blemishes in Alliance history. I spoke to one of my Vascar friends, and they were willing to meet with you to discuss the old rift between their two peoples,” Sagua said, her voice silky. “They wanted the total eradication of each other, but they’ve managed to live peacefully in our era. I think you might find their story relatable, even if the circumstances are…different. Would you be interested in meeting them?”
I puffed my frills out, brimming with curiosity at how such a war was stopped. Maybe I can replicate however they stopped it with Aratas, since the Watchers won’t. That would make my escapade meaningful. “I’d love to learn more about, um, the people of the multiverse. That’s a wild sentence I couldn’t have imagined myself saying last week. Are you sure it’s not a bother for this Vascar to talk with me?”
“Not at all. Tollu was glad to. They’re a Watcher here for their own relations; they relate to your present hostilities. I figure though that I should be upfront about what Tollu is. I mean, look, I don’t want to blindside you, so I’m going to trust you to keep an open mind about this. Do you trust me?”
“I do,” I answered, sincerity brimming in my chest.
“I’ve talked to you about AIs, and how the ones the Elusians created went wayward. That probably didn’t prime you with the best impression of their safety or normalcy.” Sagua’s lips curved down, and she rubbed the back of her head. “Humans made AIs that didn’t do that. The Vascar…the organic Vascar made a group of sentient machines that were forced into servitude and rebelled. It’s more complicated. Tollu is mechanical, but they’re a harmless friend to us. Do you still wish to hear their story?”
I gawked at the Watcher, taken aback by several factors. The “species” she thought that I could relate to the best were a group of machines?! I thought the humans had learned their lesson about AIs, given that the ones their creators made had tried to wipe out all life in the galaxy! It was easy enough to infer, from the two Vascars hating each other, that these autonomous computers had also tried to destroy their creators. It didn’t leave the best track record for trusting androids; the feelings that they weren’t like us, which I’d often had for the Pelsyl, were far stronger. The thought of chatting with one was frightful.
What made these AIs put that hatred behind them, when the other ones tried to destroy all life? Surely that wouldn’t just dissipate overnight. Machines seem to be at the heart of much of the Alliance’s dark history, and I do want to know more about their people. Besides, I need Sagua back on my side, and she went through a lot of trouble. She can protect me.
“Your friend is a…robot? I don’t like it, but I trust that you wouldn’t put me in danger,” I managed. “Then again, it does seem like you keep taking risks with machines. It’s more than a little reckless to not forbid that kind of research, especially seeing the pattern.”
Sagua chuckled, like I’d said something funny. “These machines rescued my father. He was our first astronaut who traveled to another dimension, and his ship got stranded. I wouldn’t be here if not for the Vascar, and that’s simple genetic math. You could say I owe them my existence. We all do, in fact! If our people hadn’t succeeded in escaping our pocket dimension, we wouldn’t have stopped the Elusian AIs. They would’ve wiped out all life: Aratas, humans, everyone. Nobody else could’ve touched them.”
“Wait. Let me see if I understand you correctly. Your dad wasn’t just the founder of the Watcher program; he was the first human to ever travel between dimensions?”
“Correct.”
“And your first friends were these Vascar machines who saved him?”
“Yeah, they had a hard time trusting us, but we didn’t judge them based on what they are. There’s a lesson in there, Lucren. They’re a different AI species from the one you heard of before, the same as you and I are two separate organic species. You’ll find that they’re quite amicable and glad to help you, despite not being flesh or bone. Now, with that disclosure out of the way, shall I warp us to my office to chat with Tollu?”
I took her outstretched hand, grasping it tightly in mine. “Please.”
Sagua’s fingers curved against the back of my knuckles, as much of a perfect fit as the denim shirt. Staring at her radiant smile, there was something that felt right about being ensnared in an alien’s grasp, in such close proximity that our hips nearly brushed. I could trust that I wasn’t alone, and that gave me the resolve to face anything—even a true Artificial Intelligence that was a mere theoretical concept to be wary of back on Teska. This was a necessary step. Learning more about the machine Vascar could be useful, if we needed to account for their routines, capabilities, and behaviors.
The human hybrid bent the space around us, and brought us both to the office where she’d shared the truth about the Mainbeam. An unnerving robot stood peering at the activity on the screens, before swiveling around to survey me with haunting, glowing eyes; I took back anything I’d thought about Sagua’s black gaze being creepy. Tollu pressed a metal paw to its mane and lowered its snout, then stepped forward to formally make my acquaintance. I braced myself for a conversation with a species that was the most different from me of all.
A/N - 13! Sagua comes to check on Lucren and chat with him, then offers to introduce him to the mechanical Vascar. Do you think Aratas can find something similar in their story? Are you surprised to learn our narrator has misgivings about conscious machines?
As always, thank you for reading and supporting!