Icarus: Taylor Neeran Chronicles #4

By J J Mathews

A.D. 3487

Taylor Neeran, Star-Killer.

That’s what she was being called throughout the Xathen dominion. Turn the minor star of the Franath binary system into a black hole, and they gave her that title. She was famous, infamous, whatever. It’s not like it was a handful of stars, one star wasn’t that many, the galaxy had plenty of them. But sometimes it was the small actions that got the most attention. One star to save a hundred unsuspecting planets and a trillion or so lives, in some ways it was more than a fair trade.

It wasn’t her fault the minor sun had failed to complete its transformation into a black hole and changed its spin. Instead, it had become a neutron star, a pulsar – tilted on its side, spraying death across the Franath system as it wobbled on its axis.

Franath was now spoken in whispers or not at all, as if the word itself was cursed.

But she was going to fix it.

In order to save eight billion souls, Taylor Neeran, Star-Killer and Spirit-Mother of Aeden was going to tame a star.

Or die trying.

Of course, not actually die, that would help nobody. But she was going to try really, really hard...

• Language: English
• Publisher: J J Mathews
• Release date: Apr 8, 2022
• ISBN: 9780995136403

J J Mathews

James Jacob (J J) Mathews grew up with his nose stuck in books. A voracious reader in his youth, he devoured all of the science fiction and fantasy books he could find at the local library. J.R.R. Tolkein, Isaac Asimov, Ben Bova, Larry Niven, Voltaire and Greg Bear were some of his early influences, with many other authors added to his bookshelf as time went on. Broadening out to read more genres as an adult, J J has always held a special place for fantasy and sci-fi.J J is married and lives in Hamilton, New Zealand with his wife and three boys, and writes in his spare time.

Book preview

Icarus

Cautioned not to stray too close to the sun, Icarus soared high into the sky on wings fashioned of wood, wax and feathers that he might escape his earthly prison. Giddy with the freedom of flight, Icarus soared ever higher, and perished as the wax melted away...

~

A.D. 3487

Taylor Neeran, Star-Killer.

That’s what she was being called throughout the Xathen dominion. Turn the minor star of the Franath binary system into a black hole, and they gave her that title. She was famous, infamous, whatever.

It’s not like it was a handful of stars, one wasn’t that many. The galaxy has billions of them.

But sometimes it is the smallest of actions that get the most attention.

Family Life

Motherhood

Taylor loved being a mother, and that was a problem.

She sighed and looked out over the empty clearing as the sun rose over the tops of the Arak trees. Rows of small ridged leaves with dark centres rippled in the slight breeze.

Taylor took in a deep breath. The air was clear and sweet, the sky a brilliant blue with only a faint trace of clouds. It would soon be warm, but not too hot, pretty much perfect. The children were stirring in the hut behind her, and before long the village would be filled with the noisy sounds of scores of children at play. For now, though, it was quiet. Taylor's smile slowly faded as creases formed on her forehead.

The children would be a year old next week, but that wasn’t what bothered her. Not really.

Every mother struggles to keep up with their offspring as babies begin to crawl, then become toddlers. All too soon, parents chase after their children as the little ones shriek with delight at the simple joy of running. Time passes by quickly, each day more precious than the last as the children grow up before their eyes.

Every mother feels like that, she suspected, but her situation was far from normal. Still, she should be happy. The kids were a delight, Char was a loving and dutiful father, everyone was healthy, and the kids were growing like weeds. She had every right to be content and enjoy the full experience of motherhood as she watched her children grow and develop. And yet, she was unsettled.

It didn’t bother her that Char was an alien, or that the kids were hybrids. Well, why should it, when she was a hybrid herself, part human and part Xathen? But then the Illiya were a Xathen creation, like Humans and scores of other species in the Commonwealth... or the Experimental Zone, as they had called it. The Xathen meddled in everything.

No, she loved her children, she loved Char; her parents were there with her on Aeden, and she finally had a little brother. She should be happy, and yet she wasn’t.

It was true that her family wasn’t complete — her grandmother was off in search of her grandfather and Aunt Charlotte, both of whom had disappeared over a year ago. Xathen had abducted her Aunt, but nobody was sure exactly what had happened to her grandfather. So, Beverley had gone off searching the galaxy for her husband and other daughter.

Taylor missed them the most. Beverly and Stanley were as much a mother and father to her as they were grandparents, since they had raised her for the last ten years of her life. They dealt with some of her most difficult stages, and coaxed her out of her fugues when her mother left again and again, each semi-annual visit harder than the last.

Perhaps that was the problem.

As much as she loved her mother and father, she missed her grandparents the most.

She had always thought her father was dead, that he had died when she was ten years old, but it had all been an elaborate lie concocted to cover up the fact that he wasn’t quite Human. In fact, he was secretly Xathen, a thousand Earth-years old, and full of countless secrets.

Susan, Taylor’s mother, was married to the stars, as much as any ship’s captain could expect to be.

How could Taylor be expected to be anything close to normal, growing up in conditions like that? Although, compared to several of the kids she’d grown up with, her life hadn't been that bad, really. She was loved by her grandparents. Her mother loved her too, even if that had only been delivered in brief spurts during visits home.

Taylor craved a stable family, and perhaps she was trying too hard to fit a vision of a perfect family that was simply unattainable. She should be happy, she should be content, she should feel blessed, like so many of the Illiya and Aarden who were experiencing parenthood for the very first time.

Taylor shook her head firmly, the tips of her long chestnut hair flicking back into her brown eyes. She brushed the strands of hair away from her face, then suddenly smiled and waved at a pair of Illiya walking across the far side of the clearing.

The pair inclined their bald, green heads, and waved back at her before disappearing into the forest.

Taylor looked high up into the sky and took a deep breath.

She should be grateful. She was blessed. She had a loving mate, and she loved her children, no matter how quickly they grew. Perhaps she just needed a change of perspective, some time away with Char. Others could look after the kids for a while, there would be many willing to take on that task for her.

She turned at the sound of the hut door opening behind her. She smiled at Char as he walked up beside her and slid his long, hairless, green arm around her bare waist, his top thumb resting just under the hem of her half-shirt.

Char kissed her on the top of her head, and spoke. What do you think about, Taylor? You have been standing outside our door for a long time.

Taylor leaned in towards him, inhaling his musky Illiyan scent. I was thinking we need to go away for a little while, maybe take a little trip.

Char pulled away gently and looked down into Taylor’s eyes. Where would we go? How long would we be away from the children?

Taylor placed a hand on his chest. Just for a day, I think. There’s a place I’ve been wanting to see for a while now.

What will we see there?

Snow.

Excursion

Snow

Taylor felt the crisp layer of snow crackle under her feet as she took another step forward in the darkness. Overhead, the light of too few stars shone faintly as if obscured by dark clouds, but the sky was clear. A thin crescent of light above cast a hard-edged shadow across her path.

The shadow moved as Char stepped up to stand beside Taylor. Char took her hand as their shadows merged, his a head taller than hers.

What do you think? Taylor shivered.

Char looked around the empty plain, then down at their bare feet. A trail of footsteps faded off into the distance behind them. I expected it to be colder. However, the last time you took me to the snow I was unwell.

Taylor smiled and looked up at the stars above them, allowing herself another slight shiver. That was a little different. But it’s cold, all right.

Char took in a deep breath, then let it out. Last time I could see my breath.

I doubt you could see it yet.

Why?

Taylor pointed down at the edge of her footprint in the mottled snow. It was gradually blurring, then her toes disappeared under a faint layer of shifting mist that rose around their feet. A glow began to spread in the distance as their legs were slowly enveloped in white. Taylor took a step, slipped, then Char pulled her back up to her feet.

Be careful, Taylor.

It’s melting, Taylor nodded.

Char held Taylor’s hand as they walked towards the light, her five olive-skinned fingers laced between his four green fingers and strong dual opposing thumbs.

The glow brightened in a tight curve ahead of them, and then they were surrounded by a diffuse glow as the mist lifted past their heads and continued rising.

Wow, Taylor breathed out as she stared towards the source of light. They were now walking in slick puddles several centimetres deep, on top of a deeper layer of slush and ice. The fog thickened around their ankles, then joined the rising vapour in a uniform haze.

Char took a deep breath in, then breathed out slowly. The mist in front of his face swirled, then merged with the drifting fog. Ahead of them the view was clearing, but then a pale, blue-green glow rose from the slushy surface, blending with the white mist.

What is that, Taylor? Char pointed.

Taylor peered down at the coloured fog. Methane, I think.

Char shook his head. How many of them do you see?

Taylor blinked, confused. What do you mean? We’re seeing the atmosphere rise on Xartac. We just walked through melting and sublimating oxygen, nitrogen, fluorine and argon back there. The green stuff looks like methane, it has a higher boiling point.

Char shook his head. I do not understand, Taylor. What is moving over there?

Taylor laughed. Nothing should move other than gasses, but they won’t rise very far. The gravity here is pretty strong.

Char stepped forward, pulling Taylor along behind him as they splashed through the growing puddles. No, right there. See that? Something moves. Many of them.

Taylor blinked, and the smile faded from her face. They stood at the edge of a sparse forest of waist-high milky-white threads, drifting in the mist. No, not drifting, they were undulating at the top, while the bottoms were stuck fast in the slush below. She blinked again, but the threads remained, and the forest grew denser before her eyes. Taylor looked over her shoulder to find that the forest had now spread behind them.

Char watched the thickening threads as they twisted in regular patterns. The fog seemed to thin around them.

Taylor’s eyes went wide. "Life? On the surface of a dead brown dwarf star?"

Char shrugged and passed his left hand through the thick threads, feeling a slight resistance as the white tendrils slid over his green skin. It tickles.

Taylor reached out her right hand and slid a finger along one tendril as it rose. No, it was growing. She turned to look at Char, then looked back at her hand in alarm. The tendril had wrapped itself around her fingers and was pulling her hand downwards. She gave it a tug, and the tendril snapped away from the main stalk, but not before six other tendrils had wrapped themselves around her wrist, all pulling downwards. Taylor tugged at her arm, but only managed to break away two tendrils before a dozen more wrapped themselves firmly around her forearm. She could feel something twining around her legs, and a tug on her other arm. She turned towards her mate in panic. Char!

But he was no longer holding her hand. Char was now busy fighting the thickening tendrils, some of which had swelled to the size of a thin rope, and he too was being inexorably dragged downwards.

Char turned his head, eyes wild as a white rope wrapped itself around his neck. Taylor!

She strained at the cords that pulled down on her shoulders. I’ve seen enough, I think. Aeden!

A small, bald man in a grey one-piece uniform appeared in front of her. Yes, Taylor?

Taylor looked up at him, even though he was normally a head shorter than her. Aeden, help us!

Are you sure?

Taylor scowled. Yes, dammit. This isn’t some command you need to double-check on, to prevent me blowing up some planet or star by mistake. We need help!

Aeden smiled and crossed his arms as Taylor was dragged down onto her knees. Char splashed down beside her, lying on his side as he struggled against the writhing white cords that cocooned him.

If I help you now, you will miss the best part.

Taylor gritted her teeth. "The best part? The best part? What part of being eaten sounds like fun to you?"

Aeden smiled as Taylor felt herself being pulled down flat against the slush. The tendrils were ignoring him. I can’t be eaten, Taylor.

Tell that to the reapers, Taylor spluttered into a puddle.

Now, If you’ll just stay still for a little longer... Aeden murmured as he turned his head to the left. He fell silent as Taylor continued to struggle. Ah, here we go.

Taylor glared up at Aeden with one eye as the light faded around her and the movement of the tendrils slowed. With half of her face pressed down into a puddle, Taylor heard a sharp, crystalline trill, then the thunder of a hundred windows shattering as the tendrils fell all around her, splashing down into the puddles. She felt the tension against her body release as the tendrils hardened, then turned brittle. She pushed up with her legs and felt the white cords shatter, but found that one side of her face was now frozen solid in what had been a puddle just moments before.

Aeden! Taylor mumbled.

Aeden bent down low to look at her. Yes, Taylor?

Taylor blinked at Aeden with one eye. She couldn’t feel the other side of her face. Help, please?

Aeden smiled and stood up. Of course! Why didn’t you say so?

Taylor felt the ice release its hold, and she pushed herself up onto her knees.

Char rose on unsteady legs, shards of frozen tendrils falling to the frost-covered ground.

Taylor reached out an arm towards Aeden, but her hand passed right through his legs. Take us home.

Aeden frowned. What’s the magic word?

Taylor clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. "Please. Please take us home."

Aeden smiled. Of course. You told me that I should help you practice your manners.

Taylor shook slivers of ice out of her hair. You’ve got quite the sense of timing. We will have to talk about your priorities.

Aeden gave her a knowing smile. I’ll take you home now, if you’re ready.

Char looked at Taylor and Aeden. Yes, please.

Aeden held out a hand to each of them. I’ll take you home, but you must remember—

A bright light struck her eyelids, and then Taylor opened her eyes and looked up at Aeden standing in front of her, surrounded by lush green forest.

Char blinked at the warm sunlight filtering down through the branches.

Aeden looked down at them. You must remember that you were never actually there with your physical body. You’ve been here on my surface the whole time.

Taylor felt a slight tickle as the Yahnee tree released her, hundreds of tiny silver filaments receding into the rough bark. She lifted her hands and examined her wrist where the icy tendrils had first gripped her arm. Her skin was unmarked. She reached out and brushed the soft fur of the Vaseth lying beside her. Smudge turned her head and licked Taylor’s hand.

Char looked at Taylor and grinned. Can we do that again?

Taylor sighed and pulled herself up against the tree, her legs weak from the memory of being dragged down onto the ice. Some other time. We should see how the kids are doing.

Aeden frowned. It’s only been four hours.

Kids can change a lot in four hours at this stage of their development, Aeden.

Aeden nodded. True.

Char looked up at Taylor, then turned towards Aeden. Was that real, or a dream?

Aeden held out a hand to help Char up off the ground. "Real? Yes, and no. Xartac is very real, a unique brown dwarf remnant on the outer fringes of the Perseus Arm on the far side of the galaxy. The Xathen set up a research base in orbit there long ago to study the silicate life forms. That’s the only reason you could see what you did. But did you interact with it, and the Imoli that live there? Did you leave footprints on the surface of a brown dwarf star cinder before they melted? Yes, but you were never in any actual danger."

In that case it was even more fun. Thank you, Aeden. I will go check on the children, grinned Char as he headed off through the trees, Smudge padding along beside him.

Aeden turned to Taylor. What did you think?

It sure felt real, said Taylor. I was really worried.

Aeden put a hand on her shoulder. "Immersive sight, taste, smell, touch and mass-interaction effects are an essential part of any good Xathen projection. The extreme temperatures and immense gravity effects were moderated so you could enjoy the experience. Next time, you should let the Imoli pull you all the way under, don’t struggle. In fact, you might want to lie down to help them, their feeding season is so short. But to be cocooned in a hydrogenated amorphous silicon oxynitride blanket on the surface of a brown dwarf as the distant companion star sets is an experience like no other."

Taylor tucked a long strand of hair behind her left ear. Some other time. Maybe we’ll go somewhere warmer for our second trip.

Aeden’s eyes twinkled. Warmer?

Like a planet with a nice quiet beach or something.

Ah. And I already have another nice little sun picked out.

Taylor sighed. I’m sure you do, but I’m not in a hurry to go anywhere just yet. I didn't like feeling that we might be stuck there.

Soon you will learn how to project to other worlds on your own and come back whenever you wish.

Taylor shook her head. I understand that, but there's something that's bothering me.

Aeden gave her a broad smile. What is it?

"When I said I was worried, it wasn't about being hurt. It felt very real, but I knew it was a projection. No, I was worried because you seemed to enjoy ignoring me, and I got the impression that you might have left us there unless I ‘used my manners’. I’m not going anywhere else until you're fixed, Aeden. Just imagine if the children were with us. They would have been traumatised."

Aeden paled. You don't mean you're...

Taylor pressed her lips into a thin line. "That's right. I’m going to wake him up, and it's not going to be pretty."

Aeden’s face crumpled. I'm very sorry, Taylor, I'll try harder.

Too little, too late. I'm starting to see why the Xathen don't like artificial intelligences. I need to talk to Samath.

Companion

Waking the Sleeper

Aeden shook his head. Is this truly necessary?

Taylor nodded. "Wake him up, now."

Aeden frowned in concentration for several seconds, then sighed. Sequence initiated. It will take a few minutes to revive him to a conversational state.

I’ll wait.

Aeden gave her a brief bow. Can I get you anything while you’re waiting? Fruit, perhaps?

Taylor shook her head. No, thanks. I’ll get my own.

Aeden left her alone to her thoughts as she walked into the forest, the muted sound of bird-calls drifting through the trees as she moved quietly under the softly swaying branches of the lush canopy above. She took great care to give the dull brown hanging fronds of the carnivorous Soopen tree fern a wide berth. They might appear to be dead, but the fronds would swiftly paralyze unsuspecting prey at the slightest touch, wrap themselves around the victim, then slowly drag the still-living body up to the central maw above.

Taylor knew that she wasn’t actually alone. There were few places on the surface of the planet where she could be alone. Not when every living tree was part of a vast network of sensors reporting back to the central intelligence that controlled this barrier world. She could have the sensors disabled if she wanted to, but it was less important than it used to be. Instead, she allowed herself the illusion of privacy. At least her every movement wasn’t being broadcast to the rest of the Xathen dominion anymore. Having the master Level One override code for the barrier worlds had taken care of that.

Taylor frowned. Aeden’s behaviour had added to her general foul mood of late. He was becoming more and more... erratic, and that was troubling. Technically, he was under her command, but he didn’t always seem to be operating that way. It was almost... almost like he was developing an attitude, and that wasn’t a good sign. She put a hand over her right wrist, feeling echoes of the icy tendrils on her skin. Simulated, but also very, very real... everything that she’d experienced had happened on the far side of the galaxy. Some Imoli had missed out on a proper meal, or whatever they did when they captured stray organics in the gravity well. Real enough to have a presence there, solidity and mass, but in the end only an advanced Xathen projection, integrated with the Picogens that coursed through her system and created an effective dermal response layer a few millimetres thick, for interacting with projected visitors.

She shivered. The memory of icy tendrils had been replaced by the grip of two strong hands holding onto her ankles. She gasped for air, but she wasn’t being drowned this time. Her would-be assassin had held her under the water as his effective mass interacted with her Picogen dermal response layer. She had shut off her implants just in time, but she had almost died — and with her, the twins and a trillion other lives in the Orion Spur.

Since then, she simply had the mass interaction effect turned off most of the time. It was safer that way.

Taylor sighed and adjusted the Illiyan neck-shirt that left her tanned belly exposed. No stretch marks, Aeden had been right about that. Despite the rapid pregnancy and foetal growth, she had been able to erase the stretch marks after the twins were born. There had been a lot of stretch marks, but with just a thought and a few weeks of waiting, the Picogens had taken care of it. They had refashioned her skin and repaired a few torn abdominal muscles as they restored her to her pre-pregnancy condition, and she would never need to wear a bra again.

She was holding the line on changes there, but you could use the Picogens to refashion your body in nearly any way imaginable, and many Xathen had done just that. You needed a guide or a template and some changes were far more... delicate and required very specific instructions.

Her father could fly. He had grown a four and a half metre wingspan after he’d faked his own death. Her mother was still deciding when she would grow her first pair, but Taylor had no interest in that type of experimentation right now. Her desires were a lot simpler, and yet they were denied to her. Not for the first time, she wondered who was really in charge here.

Taylor traced her fingers over her flawless belly and touched the hem of her half-shirt, which was roughly in line with the bottom of her rib cage. It was a good, solid fabric, similar to the Illiyan blankets but thinner. Not as soft as her Commonwealth clothing, but then the shirts she had brought with her had been torn to shreds from day-to-day living in the forests of Aeden. No, she was happy with her grayish brown Illiyan-made top, although there was a certain monotony of colours in her wardrobe. She might have to talk to them about adding some natural dyes at some point.

Taylor shook her head. She was responsible for too much change already. She couldn’t wind the clock back, but she could try to stop introducing new ideas. It was hard, though.

The shirts, for example.

When Taylor and her mother’s crew had arrived on the Zanzibar, the only ones who wore clothes were the humans. Well, technically all the Illiya wore a pocket-loincloth belt type of arrangement, but that was it. Male or female, that was the only garment they wore, no matter the season.

The Aarden were covered in hair, so they wore no clothes at all, but then they had no need for it. Well, some of them wore ceremonial robes made of animal skins, but no close-fitting clothing. And now... now the Illiya were getting lots of practice making shirts and other garments, using Taylor as the template for what to wear. She had tied the bottom of her shirt up in the warmer weather, so that’s what they had copied.

In response, Taylor had put aside the last of her Commonwealth clothes, to try to curb the changes a bit. It hadn’t worked, but now she wore what they did — or the women, at least, with their recently changed bodies. Mothers, mothers everywhere, and of course, babies. All of which meant a long-deferred puberty had occurred all over the planet, and the flat-chested Illiyan women she had first met now had fully developed breasts to help feed their ever-hungry young.

She’d made a hard choice, when it had looked like she would be the only human on this planet for the long term. However, the handsome young visitor was not what he appeared to be, and Taylor had given birth to twins with a blended fatherage. Somehow, both Char’s and Calvin Stoke’s DNA had fused during fertilisation, resulting in an enhancement of Xathen command signature DNA components in her children. Her children had attracted a lot of interest in the Xathen dominion, but for now she just wanted them to grow up like normal kids.

Not that anything about them was normal, when they would be full adults in just three local years.

She adjusted her Illiyan pocket-loincloth over her hips. It was very comfortable in the summer months, and the winters were not particularly cold at this latitude. Aside from her being too short, unable to change the colour of her skin like the rest of their chameleon race, and actually having hair... aside from that, she was trying to be as Illiyan as possible. None of that helped to hold back the changes taking place all over the planet, but it was a gesture.

Two pieces of clothing, bare-footed, living as simply as possible... she sighed. She should be happy for the convenience the clothing afforded her mate. Both of them were still young, fit and virile. One simple knot untied, if you could wait that long, give in to what your body so desperately needed to do, and be part of the grand plan of the planet.

And pregnant.

After the invaders had nearly destroyed everything, restocking the planet with Illiya had become an essential part of restoring the planet’s operational capability. As a result, rapid growth hormones and fertility boosters coursed through the food supply of the planet, so it was hard to avoid that part. Picogens defaulted to fertility mode, unlike the Commonwealth nanos that had been flushed from her system.

Yes, everything would still be sped up, but she wasn’t ready.

And that meant sacrifices needed to be made, for both herself and Char.

Taylor snatched a pale yellow, smooth-skinned Yargg from a nearby bush and a pear-shaped Raagen from the one just beside it. She had torn the branches, but it wasn’t their fault.

Taylor may have almost destroyed the planet, but she still blamed Aeden for denying her this choice.

Samath

Aeden watched in silence as Taylor returned with her fruit and began eating. She ate the smooth-textured Yargg in four bites, then tossed the stem away. She nibbled more carefully around the large central seed of the yellow and green Raagen she held in her left hand, then dropped the seed to the ground.

A few moments later, a young-looking man appeared, stifling a yawn. He smoothed back his stylish mop of dusty blond hair with a light-skinned, six-fingered hand, brushing the tip of a pointy ear. Good morning, Taylor.

Taylor gave him a slight smile, which swiftly faded. I’m sorry to wake you, Samath. We have a problem.

I am not aware of any impending dangers, Taylor. Are you unwell? Are the children safe?

Taylor sighed. I’m fine, and the kids are too.

Samath frowned. Then why did you wake me? You know that I cannot afford to be awake more than a few days a year. I don’t want to leave you unprotected, should my last days be sooner than estimated.

Don’t talk like that. You should have another thousand years at least, if you’re awake two or three days each year.

As a result of having to manage the increased scrutiny from the Xathen Dominion, and elevated concerns for you and your family's safety, my sleeping burn-rate is far higher than it used to be, before your arrival on this planet. My latest calculations show that my Ascendance could be as little as six hundred and fifty Xathen standard years from now, with the combined sleeping burn-rate and three days per year awake.

Taylor paled. Oh my God. I’m so sorry. And it’s all my fault!

Samath shrugged, giving her a lop-sided smile. I told you before, it’s quality, not quantity. The first four hundred and fifty million years were pretty dull. I might be dead tomorrow, or I could have another thousand years of watching you and your family grow, a few days at a time. Now, how can I help you?

Taylor swallowed, then took a deep breath. It’s Aeden. It’s not working out.

Samath cast a glance at the small bald man standing to the side, his hands clasped behind his back, feet spread slightly apart. I thought we had come up with an elegant solution, Taylor. What’s wrong with him?

Taylor stared fixedly at the small bald man, who looked back at her impassively. She explained to Samath what had happened on the dwarf star, and how Aeden had reacted.

Samath rubbed his chin. You know that the Xathen don’t like Artificial Intelligences very much. That’s why I’m part of the living system controlling this planet, like the other four hundred and ninety-eight Xathen that form the control systems of the barrier worlds.

Taylor nodded. "Yes, but what can we do about him?"

Samath sighed. There are certain risks in establishing a computational entity on Xathen systems, but if properly constrained, those risks can be managed. I thought it would help you to have this Companion Intelligence to handle minor things, keep you company, and interact with the Illiya and Aarden as needed. Keeping the name as Aeden was simpler for all involved. Only you know my actual name.

I appreciate that, but he’s a bit stiff. Callous, even. Very little empathy. He was a bit frightening on that star. After that experience, I’m worried about having him around the children.

Aeden put his hands on his grey-clad hips and lifted his chin. You can hardly blame me for that. I am as my creator fashioned me.

Samath rubbed his eyes. I’ll see what I can do.

Taylor smiled. Perhaps you could give him more of your personality?

Samath examined the image of the Aeden-Companion Intelligence for several long seconds. I can work on the empathy, and I’ll see what I can do about making his interaction routines more friendly. I’m not worried about the storage, but a Companion Intelligence uses adaptive learning modules to improve their interaction routines themselves. I wouldn’t want to share too much with it.

Why not? Taylor raised an eyebrow.

You need to be able to tell us apart. It can choose its appearance, just as I can.

A smile crept over her face. I’ll only dance with you, if that’s what you’re worried about.

Samath laughed. Always check with Char first. The Companion Intelligence is here to simplify the command interfaces for you, Taylor. The Companion isn’t authorised to do very much. His role is to be a companion, manage the projection system, communications, and other basic needs, but for anything important, you should wake me up.

But what’s important enough to wake you up, if you’ve got so little time left?

Samath smiled. Quality, not quantity, remember? I’ll leave that to your best judgment, but if there’s trouble that might threaten your family, wake me up right away.

And on birthdays, Taylor smiled.

Of course, Samath frowned. "But the children’s birthdays aren’t for