the sensory-suited low-gravity raves up on Olympus Mons, immaturecoalfishrascals mind-wandering to the music in their helmets, nearly untethered from the red and drybarrenstony ground.

Now she’s learning to move her feet faster, with ease and vigourwhirr, and now she’s smellcatching the stinkpuffsnortnonsense of Astrid’s sweat and her own. Turn, she thinks, one-and-two-and-clap. “That’s it. Not bad.”

Astrid taks Darling haem fer dinner

“This is me new freend” – an the layers in “freend”

isno ferly clear an’ll no be explaened.

Darling is winsome noo; sheu’s somtheen ither

as the skarr thing o a toorist Astrid met.

A smile in her fernteckled face, rorie claes.

I’the mids o this faimly hid’s like her body is lowan.

Mibbe the thowt o parents luntit performance.

Wi Darling’s silence aboot her awn faithers,

Astrid’s ower thankful fer Inga an Øyvind’s

maet an kindness – until fair intae the meal

sheu hears thir vooels roondan, thir consonants clippan,

thir wirds sweetchan tae marry Darling’s awn,

an gits unspaekable barman. An whan her awn

“een” is “one” sheu sits quiet, waantan

a body tae notiece, her mither tae smile an say “Buddo”

an tak her back tae the aald faimly taeble,

but the hairt o Astrid’s silence haes aafil gravity,

an so the conversaetion is faggan, faan,

is hearan hidsel, is less an less real gittan,

til hid’s jeust Darling at’s smilan an spaekan yet.

Astrid takes Darling home for dinner

“This is my new friend” – and the layers in “friend” really aren’t clear and won’t be explained.

Darling is charmingattractive now: she’s something other than the frightenednervous tourist Astrid met.

A smile in her freckled face, brightloud clothes. Among this family it’s like her personbody is flameglowflickerflaring.

Maybe the thought of parents flamelightsparked performance. With Darling’s silence about her own fathers,

Astrid’s very grateful for Inga and Øyvind’s foodmeat and kindness – until well into the meal

she hears their vowels rounding, their consonants clipping, their words switching to matchequalmate Darling’s own,

and becomes unspeakably ragefrothseething. And when her own “een” is “one” she goes quiet, wantneeding

someone to notice, her mother to smile and say “FriendChildLove” and with it bring her back to the old family table,

but the heart of Astrid’s silence has awful gravity, and so the conversation driftfailflags, falls,

hears itself, grows less and less real, till it’s only Darling who’s still smiling and speaking.

Young Brenna at the Ting

Brenna’s speechifyan. Sheu chants aboot the inherent

inequalities o the interstellar economy,

whit wey the extractive industrial laebor relaetions

in Light production noo require a radiecal

reimagienation o Orcadia’s pouer,

whit wey the FtL drive wisno a thraet, but

a opportunity tae shaa the galaxy

whit wey tae wirk a better wey. Sheu spaeks gey weel.

Sheu wis been practiesan her argiements fer weeks.

“Lass, thanks fer that,” says Unn, the aaldest thir,