“I … appreciate you.” He didn’t bother to hide the hurt in his voice. At the sound of the door re-forming after him, Stacia stood very straight and summoned an observation port. She stared into the endless shadow of space punctuated by brief glimmers of starlit hope. She understood Yahya’s need to cling to any theory, to do something even if the labor itself was in vain. And she chose to honor it.

“Maya, pull up all relevant research on fast-replicating prions.”

<Displaying in order from the latest research.>

“Paki?” Stacia called for a direct link.

“Yes, Captain?” His voice echoed within her chamber without any trace of his usual irritation.

“Can your team also scan for prions or any breach in any container unit that may release them?”

“Yes, Captain.” His voice held a hint of question, but only a hint, one he wisely chose not to push.

“Asante sana, Paki.”

<Was that for you or for Yahya?>

“Does it matter?” The mattress gave way to her weight when she lay down, adjusting along her pressure points and contours. A near supple caress of an embrace. Stacia thought about Yahya’s other words and wondered if Maya might actually be her best friend. Her only friend. “Maya, can I talk to you?”

<You already are.>

“I mean about something personal. Just between us.”

<We are a discrete manifestation of “consciousness.” Each person interacts with their own version of us.>

“It’s more than a little unnerving to talk to something that’s already running their mouth to someone else as you’re talking to them. Luckily, you are not a gossip but the keeper of secrets. Ever the soul of discretion.”

Truth be told, Maya once faked a persona to write holonovels under. A series of bodice-ripping romance stories that did become quite a hit. An avid fan of them, Stacia tracked down the author, eventually confronting Maya. The AI claimed to be exploring the idea of their creativity, examining people through the lens of story. Examining themselves. Though Stacia swore she’d never reveal their secret, Maya stopped. Stacia wondered how many other holonovels were actually AI interrogating the idea of humanity.

“I’m really struggling with my and Yahya’s relationship. I don’t even know what it is now or who I’m supposed to be in it anymore.”

<Marriage does not exist in a vacuum. Relationships do not exist in a vacuum. No matter what configuration people connected themselves, they form a community. A network. Them, their family, their friends.>

“I get that. I guess I’m just noodling over a few ideas. My elders tell me that relationships are a platform for leadership development. The difference being that with marriage, a person makes a formal commitment to something, sacrificing themselves in duty to someone else. Called to rise to that commitment, through struggle, making mistakes, all the while learning what it meant to love and forgive.”

<Relationships take work.>