Page 12 of Experimental Voyage
“I feel like I could rather rapidly develop whiplash observing him. One moment, he is sullen or angry, and the next, he is rather energetic.”
“He quite loves this ship, and he enjoys showing her off to those who live planetside. His favorite moment is when he lures someone else into venturing among the stars. You will get used to it. Expect his tendencies to show up sooner than later.”
“Tendencies? What tendencies?”
“The ones where he is compelled to do his best to convince you that you adore space travel. His determination to have you customize your quarters on the ship is the first symptom of these tendencies. He is an amusing human. I find your whole species is prone to episodes of charming ridiculousness. I do not expect any problems with your adaptation to space travel. Some mental stimuli and opportunities for socialization should be sufficient. You’ll get exercise as part of your physical therapy, which is often an issue. We have gravity set close to your planetary norm, so you won’t suffer any consequences from that. Gravity on Veloci Minor is a little lighter, so you’ll feel strange when you first land. Your steps will feel bouncier than you expect, you’ll jump higher, and so on.”
“We have done gravitational exercises,” I said, grinning at the Veloc. “It was a treat we had earned because everyone scored sufficiently high on a test. They had a gravitational manipulation system in from another world, so we got to test it and learn the basics of gravity adaptations. It was interesting.”
“Those are excellent training tools. We have the ability to adjust gravity throughout the entirety of the ship, although we only have three sectors. The storage bays have their own gravitational controls, and the rest of the ship is separated from the storage bays. If you would like to train for planetary exploration in different gravity conditions, I’m sure an arrangement can be made. We have hunting games we play in various gravity conditions, although setting up the course takes several hours.”
I would need some quiet time to decompress from the various sources of excitement the Veloc insisted on flinging my way. “Do you have data libraries?”
“If you would like to read, we have plenty of books available. We also have a variety of link based libraries for your enjoyment. Reading books through your link is an excellent way to adapt to the system. You’ll also be able to do audio imprints, but we will not be activating that function on your link until you have been given more time to readapt to having your hearing. It could potentially create trauma or overwhelm you. We will take small steps to keep you comfortable.” The Veloc showed me his long, pointy teeth in a wide grin. “It would be a pity for you to be driven mad on your first voyage into space. But don’t worry, should you descend into madness from boredom and lack of training for space travel, we are equipped to handle treatments.”
“Well, that’s something at least,” I replied, marveling over the Veloc’s general attitude. “Are all Veloc relentlessly optimistic?”
“As a matter of fact, yes.”
What had I gotten myself into?
Waldren handed me a small screen,and to my delight, it offered a clear view of my parents, who sat at their table together. While we had similar tech on our world, most tended to use voice only comms to save on costs. They hadn’t owned a video comm unit, and while I wondered where they’d gotten it, I refused to question our good fortune. “Hey!”
My parents laughed at me, and my mother went as far as to point at the screen. “Your face!”
It took me a moment to realize I’d probably exposed myself as excited over the new technology I got to play with. “Look, I’m not responsible for the things my face says. You know this, Mom. I am sorry I didn’t talk to you before abandoning the planet for a spaceship, though.”
It was my father’s turn to laugh. “We’re not upset, and you have no reason to be sorry. You’re an adult, you worked hard to get a chance to venture into space, and we respect that. You gave the medical team good instructions, and after the crash, you’d told us you wanted your hearing back. You have always had our blessings to do everything necessary to get what you needed.”
Needed, not wanted. I appreciated that. Any other time, I might have cried over the situation. Not this time. I would escape the call with my pride somewhat intact. My expression probably spoke on my behalf, but I’d ignore my inability to maintain neutrality with them. “Still, I probably should have talked with you about it first.”
“And hold up the nice people who flew across the universe to offer you aid? Nonsense. You should tell whoever oversees your physical therapy that you deserve more rigorous exercise for even thinking about overly inconveniencing them.”
Waldren smirked, and Herserael hooted a laugh. “I will make sure she is motivated to run faster and longer than she will appreciate.”
“I’m not sure what crime I’ve committed, but I’d like to bargain for a reduced sentence,” I announced. I regarded the Veloc with interest. “How can I make them see you?”
“They already can. We have it set up so they are able to witness our entire tour,” he replied, and he gestured towards the ceiling. It took me a few moments to realize there was a ball rolling along the ceiling. “They have several screens so they can get a full view of the tour.”
“Magnetic?” I guessed.
“Yes, it’s magnetic, and it’s designed to track me, as I have the controller. Waldren can teach you how to use it, as it’s one of his precious toys.”
“According to the Veloc, I travel the stars in search of toys,” Waldren stated in a wry tone.
“Just tell them toys don’t talk back, cost a great deal less to feed, and don’t require hours of grooming daily,” I suggested. “Also, they can’t talk, as it seems they’re so much trouble that they have to venture to the far reaches of the universe to romance unsuspecting women because I suspect Veloc women are wise to their ways and make them demonstrate they are not just murder machines masquerading as peacocks.” I waited long enough to enjoy Waldren’s amused reaction to my commentary before saying, “Mother, Father, this is Waldren, and he’s the companion of the DNA donor for my new ears and tail. I’m not allowed to see my ears yet, but I am going to end up looking at my tail without permission the instant the painkillers wear off.”
“We have the growth sites numbed due to her tendency to suffer through unbearable levels of itching. We would prefer if she did not scratch off her new ears and tail, as she would regret their loss. Limiting her visual awareness of them will help with preventing some of the psychological sources of itching as well.” Herserael gestured towards my head, and I stood still, aware he likely touched one of the ears I hadn’t seen yet. “I am expecting two or three more weeks of keeping the sites numb before testing if there is remnant itching. These treatments do not at all impair her hearing, and her nervous system has accepted them.”
The Veloc snapped his fingers, loud enough I fought the urge to swat the feathered murder machine. “Could you please refrain from doing that? That’s really not comfortable.”
With a soft coo, the Veloc patted my shoulder. “I suspect your hearing is quite improved from standardhomo sapienslevels, although those tests will wait for later. We’ll begin our tourwith meeting Palta, the DNA donor. She is likely napping, so we will need to keep quiet, as she is a rather surly feline when awoken from her nap without good reason. As her keeper, young Waldren here is rather tyrannical with her feeding and treat schedule, a small morsel might spare us from her wrath should we disturb her.”
Waldren reached into his pocket and pulled out a small jar filled with brown pieces of some treat. “I am armed with her favorites, so we should survive. And I’ll even let her sucker me out of a few extra for her good behavior. She’ll be so confused over why she’s receiving an unscheduled treat that she will forget she’s angry at us for the disruption to her nap.”
My mother giggled. “I see you’ve found the feline version of yourself, Camellia.”
“I haven’t actually smacked anyone for waking me up since I was like eight, Mom,” I replied, shaking my head over her attempt to embarrass me. “I won’t deny I was inclined to scratch and bite anyone who inappropriately woke me, though.”
