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What does it mean to meet a ‘human’, after all?
Our ships are faster than yours, and most are powered by Tanzer drives – they’re basically magnetoplasmadynamic thrusters, but they use a ridiculously efficient propellant the Liars developed… and I see your eyes glazing over.”
Horses, not zebras – and certainly not centaurs.
I’m a little curious to find out what’s in this box myself.” “Spiders or gold, spiders or gold,” Ashok said. “Oh, Ashok. It’s like you never even consider the possibility of golden spiders.”
“Everything we feel is chemicals anyway. Isn’t that miracle enough?”
It was always nice when people you found hot found you hot back,
She’d known people who were transgender, non-binary, genderqueer, agender, and more in her time, but the accepted range of human variation had clearly continued expanding.
“She hasn’t had so much as a sad solo orgasm in five hundred years? She’ll worship you like a god.”
“Why not go full machine-man, right?”
Never turn your back on innovation, wherever it may be found, that’s what I always say.”
“So we might be stuck here?” Callie said. “I am not helping to repopulate the human race,” Janice said. “Fuck y’all.”
Turn away from the past, turn toward the future.
“When I stormed out of my father’s house thirty-five years ago, I told him my ambition was to travel so far the sun would be invisible, not even a speck among the stars.” Stephen paused. “The young are very stupid, aren’t they?” “They are. I’m not sure the old are any better, though.
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“You know I am, at heart, a pragmatist. That’s why I seek chemical assistance to have less pragmatic experiences.
when one is presenting an insane conspiracy theory, it is better for one to be calm about it.”
Like an old-timey sea captain, married to the sea. Married to the stars.”
“Cap, could you come down here? I think I figured out a thing.” “Is it a good thing, or a bad thing?” “Definitely one of the two,” he said.
“You just gotta push through the weird terror and then the euphoria sets in.”
Come have a drink with me?” “Isn’t it early for that?” Callie shrugged. “We have a saying: ‘It’s always five o’clock in space.’”
“You think my kaiju friend down there is a robotic vacuum cleaner?” Ashok said. “My sense of wonder just took a pretty big hit.”
“OK, we’re secure.” “What does that mean?” “It means nobody can hear what we say in here, not even the ship’s computer. The comms are blocked, the doors are locked down and can’t be overridden from outside, and there’s even a white noise generator if someone tries to listen through the door.” “When did you put those measures in place? And why?” “Ages ago, and because I watch really unconventional pornography in here sometimes while I’m working.”
“Gah. OK. I’ll ask her out for a drink when all this is over.” “I wouldn’t wait that long. Because of the likelihood of death, I mean.”
But we are lost, and soon to embark on a time of terrors, and so I cannot. And the despair looms up.”
He sighed. “I could really use a congregation though.” “Maybe I should join your faith.” “You’re too uptight. The naked cuddle communion would be a hard limit for you, I think.” “Ha. I am a little selective about my naked cuddle partners.” “That’s why I have so much more fun than you do, Callie.”
I don’t personally get the appeal of touching other people or having them touch you or being all squishy-faced at each other, but whatever.
Oh well. When you were weightless, you always had right-after-sex messy hair,
