Qalu increased her volume, speaking over him. “See? Everything is as it should be; he’s perfectly handsome, and it’s very late. You should return to your own residence before the dark grows even colder.”

“Who are you trying to fool?” Inatol snapped. “There are no Tiralan colonies, so it’s impossible that you—”

“You’re forgetting the ancient diaspora,” Qalu cut in, frost practically forming on her words. “The Titan V outpost exists. And you will offend Helix with your intolerance.”

She held her breath, hoping this gambit would solve two problems in one stroke.

Inatol paused as if she might argue, but finally said, “I have no wish to offend. Since it’s rude for me to linger uninvited while you are hosting a guest, I’ll notify you beforehand and return at a more convenient time.” That was a straightforward statement indicating this wasn’t over.

Qalu tried to conceal her relief over the reprieve. “Thank you. I’ll contact you soon and you can get to know Helix better then.”

Grateful to Helix for remaining silent, she escorted her foremother out.

[  2  ]

Prior to this moment, Helix had not believed it possible for an AI to hallucinate, but that was the logical explanation. Perhaps his hardware had been damaged; therefore, he had created this elaborate illusion, possibly as a manifestation of his regret over past wrongs. Otherwise, why else would a Tiralan be claiming he was a prospective mate she had met—on the galactic matching service—the same one he had used to deceive Zylar?

On some level, he was intrigued by this ability to create such a vivid dream, but also unsettled by it. He had no experience with what organic life forms referred to as “dreams.” Helix never slept and he certainly never created complicated fantasies.

He needed to wake up in truth and evaluate how badly his chassis was damaged. But no matter how hard he tried to exit this delusion, he remained locked into this flesh form that refused to do his bidding. Qalu was quite graceful as she returned, her movements light and fluid.

She’d shocked him with the deceptive statements she made to her progenitor; he recalled that there were other titles used on Tiralan. Odd that he could retrieve random, trivial data regarding Tiralan culture—such as the fact that pair-bonds were rare, as most Tiralan favored larger amorous and/or platonic love groups—while the past half cycle was blank in his memory. If he could have gotten up, he might have fled; not that he suspected it would help.

When Qalu returned, he said, “Explain.”

“I didn’t want to vex you while you’re recovering, but…” She took several nano-spans to convey a bizarre scenario, in which he would play a leading role while pretending to be her potential mate.