Moonfarers, as they were called on Earth, had a bit of a reputation for preferring a more rustic lifestyle. As I would know from being an astronaut, it took a special kind of person to be able to cope without seeing sunlight for months on end, even with sunlamps to counteract deficiencies and SAD. The lunar caverns were pretty cramped, which fostered small-town vibes. Everyone knew everyone, and the families here had lived for generations, proud of their heritage as the first civilian space colony.

I wheeled Mikri through a pressurized door that led to the expansive tunnel network, as Executor Singh explained the processing of Helium-3 and lunar ice that had been like a gold rush. Thick metal surrounded us on all sides, not leaving nearly as much architecture to behold as an Earth metropolis. I didn't know how much an android would appreciate a neat skyline though. My suspicion was that the tin can was most interested in how humans lived.

Not that Mikri doesn't care about Sol minerals and machinery. I just think an organic society that accepts him into their midst would be at the top of his list! Before we go back to Caelum, we definitely need to take him to some event or gathering space: something that'll confuse the hell out of him.

"Onto the day-to-day living arrangements. You can see some shops with their own modules, as well as a few stalls for vendors out in this common area," Singh continued, leading us down a tunnel. "You'll see the next walkways branch in a bit of a y-shape. To the left, administration handles station security, government duties, the brig."

I tilted my head at Mikri. "Hey, do Vascar ever arrest each other?"

"No. If a unit was defective enough to wish to harm its peers, it would be unpowered. Such subroutines make little sense to me," the android answered. "Aggressivity is a more natural instinct for animals, perhaps. We were never 'wild.'"

My ass, Mikri. You people are aggressive as shit toward the creators, so I'm sure you had at least one or two units that went on some haywire massacre just out of probability.

Sofia seemed keenly aware of the cameras. "I do agree, despite the movie trope, that killer AIs are less likely to exist without a reason than killer humans. They're reliant on logic. Any exhibition of violence would be to advance a beneficial objective or due to placing a negative value on a target. I think an android mass murderer would…have to hate their entire own species."

"Which would've triggered the wipe, so any malfunctioning units probably wouldn't have existed. Vascar should totally make some plans to deal with insane people now," I commented.

"It is, unfortunately, impossible to determine how to deal with you, Preston." Mikri spoke in the most unemotional voice possible: that shithead. "Perhaps we will have better luck with other 'insane' people."

"Up yours! I'll dump you out of this wheelchair and run you over."

"How do you know that I am not into that?"

"Because you've never asked me to step on you! You seem more like the stepper-onner."

Singh's eyes demonstrated pained regret for asking us to be unfiltered. "Ahem. Given that we've already covered criminality now, that makes my choice simple. To the right, the living quarters, where you can find most of the local populace. You may find it rather similar to a motel, although the visitors' area is separate: close to the magnetic lift on the other side. Let's head that way."

The android's head was on a swivel, soaking in every detail to his eidetic memory. He glanced at the flourishing planters built into this tunnel's walls, seeing a variety of crops flourishing under microgravity; they even used lunar soil instead of importing dirt from Earth. I could see Mikri peek at sturdy cables as well, perhaps judging the way information was relayed from our homeworld. Signal strength was easier to intensify, and the faster speed of light meant his network didn't have quite the technical difficulties.

Wait, did I just start providing scientific explanations for random technology? Sofia and Capal infected me with terminal nerditis. I am ruined!

Once we reached the habitation section, Mikri gawked at the recreation area. It was then that I realized it was his first time seeing human children. Yet another aspect the Vascar would have no concept of: once being a smaller version of themselves. Their foundational growth wasn't characterized by playing either, as the tin can had told me on that beach a while ago. I thought I could read the subtleties of Mikri's expressions by now, and it seemed like he…wished he'd been them.

Executor Singh offered a polite smile. "May I ask you a question, Ambassador Mikri?"

"Of course. If there is one thing I know about humans, it is that you will always ask questions—even sometimes when you already know the answers. Sofia likes to do that about my own words," Mikri threw in a pointed comment.

"You can't argue with results," Sofia chuckled. "People don't like to argue with themselves, or to be seen as going back on what they said."

"The first part is not true. I 'argue' with myself by calculating different possibilities, in order to determine which conjecture is most accurate. At any rate, Mr. Executor, what is your query?"

Singh gestured with a hand to the surrounding structure as a whole. "What do you make of our colony? How does it compare to settlements your creators or the Alliance species might build in hostile space environments? I couldn't locate any information about the subject."

"Settlements: large dwelling sites for organic communities to stake their residence? On a celestial body unsuited to habitation? Caelum species have military and commercial outposts, but they do not do this. It is not…that they are incapable, but rather that they do not need to."

"Elaborate," I said in a mocking voice.

"If you could travel to another habitable world in hours and create a colony there, why would you live in a 'hostile' environment? There are a great deal of additional hazards posed, and it requires exponentially more effort. Therefore, they did not seek to tackle the challenges of space habitation."

Sofia arched her eyebrows. "Everything is more difficult in Sol. I suppose we can thank the Elusians for that."

"I have choice words for them. In their position, I obviously would choose to create humans a billion times over. However, I would've given you a nicer and bigger dimension, a breathable moon, and an ability to discuss upgrades with me at any time! I am continuing to research many defects they left you with, which you call 'diseases.'"

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

"Your cure for dementia offered hope to millions of families across the globe. Thank you," Singh said.

"Do not thank me until I have corrected all 157 maladies that I am researching, including the Derandi's Crestlung, per Preston's request. Completion of this objective is the only thing that I will consider success. Now that I have answered your query, Executor Singh, may I ask you a question?"

"Of course. Anything."

"I have decided that my query, about whether quick travel would cause you to build a colony on a habitable world, was not rhetorical. With teleport tech now available, will you create a colony on an Earth-like planet in Caelum?"

"We've been considering it from the beginning, but teleportation speeds up the time table. We might move forward with a trial group, since we've yet to have…ordinary civilians just try to live over there. There need to be laws that take into account how easy it is for humans to cause destruction there. We also need tests on all manners of Sol tech, and various medical conditions."

"He's right," Sofia agreed. "We don't know the long-term effects. Our muscles have atrophied, and we're relatively young and healthy. That's without mentioning living with precog; it's a world where humans having visions of the future is normal."

I crossed my arms. "Plus we couldn't build with their materials, so we'd have to haul our shit out there. I fell the wrong way and punched right through Derandi concrete."

"Suffice to say, there's a lot to work out. The ESU hopes to start a colony and see us become a true interdimensional species, but we cannot rush into it. The Vascar's help in figuring out those concerns would be much appreciated," Singh finished.

Mikri offered an amicable beep. "I will see what I can do."

We still had about an hour to kill until we would leave for our rendezvous with the Lunavator. The Vascar pointed toward the recreation area when I asked where he wished to go next, so I wheeled him closer to the civilians enjoying leisure time. The trampoline appeared to confound him, since an android couldn't deduce the point of bouncing around a mesh circle. His LED eyes turned toward the adults, before fixating on an adult who was leading a leashed Dalmatian around an artificial greenspace.

Oh, that's right; Mikri has never met our beloved pooches! I hope none of them use him like a fire hydrant, or growl at him. A Sol dog bite could do some serious damage, but as long as it goes well, maybe he can learn to love them. I have to stop him if he badmouths the animals, because the internet cannot get wind of this—or he can kiss his cushy influencer life goodbye.

Mikri pointed a claw toward the dog. "What is that creature, and why is it tied up?"

"Look up 'dogs,' 'pets,' and 'domestication,' Mikri. These concepts are integral parts of human culture; we keep dogs, cats, and a few rarer animals as companions," Sofia answered, a degree of hesitancy in her voice.

"Loading data." The Vascar's LED eyes darkened, and he turned toward us with evident rage. "Make them release the animal! It is tied against its will."

I rolled my eyes. "Calm down, tin can, you don't know what you're babbling about."

"Do not dismiss me. How could you be okay with this?! Why do humans have Servitors?!"

Sofia gasped in horror. "Nonono, Mikri—dogs and Servitors are not the same thing. I need you to understand something very important; dogs are not self-aware or capable of discussing philosophy. Them versus us is the equivalent of you versus my foldtop. Any kind of pet is not a person, and…yes, some humans use or manipulate these animals for their advantage, but most love them very much."

"You do not cage that which you love! You do not trap that which you love!"

"Please, let me explain. I know you must be feeling upset, but I promise there's a long history here that is nothing like what you endured. Animals evolve for survival, and many wild creatures learned that humans could help them meet their needs; we could give them safety and deal with problems they couldn't."

"Dogs had a more beastly version called wolves, which were real gnarly," I explained helpfully. "The Ice Age was difficult on…both of our species or something like that, not a whole bunch of food: and you know how us animals LOVE to eat. Eventually, the starving wolves must've approached a human camp, we fed them and…well, we complemented each other super well. Like fruit cakes and trash cans."

"Preston is right. Our hunting strengths and the ability to protect each other meant wolves and humans made a perfect team. It was mutually-beneficial cooperation, to the point where the wolves became more docile and built toward communicating with humans. While we don't live in the wilds anymore and modern life is nothing like that, that old friendship carried over."

"Look up a chart of their body language: a well-cared for dog is happy. It just also has animal instincts, so like if it sees a squirrel it could…run off. Humans train them in certain ways, because they don't really understand what we're doing with all this shit. We are in charge but…a parent is in charge of a kid too, right?"

"Exactly. A loving relationship is different, when both sides truly care about the other's welfare and enjoy their bond. You can see how healthy and vibrant that dog is, I'd hope; fear and unhappiness look very different. I know the idea of an animal that ingratiated itself to early human settlements and never left is a tough concept to put into perspective, but please tell me that you understand…we did not just force them into our service! It's more complicated."

Mikri was very quiet, as Sofia and I paused our desperate attempt to assuage his fears. "I have processed your explanation and acquired more data. 'Man's best friend.' Certainly not how the creators would've referred to us. It is also suggested that you evolved together, and that the canids may have sought you out."

"That's all true. Everyone wants a piece of the sexy apes," I commented.

"I see zero notations in scientific journals about the Carter lineage's peachcakes. I…do not like that this animal is not free to leave. However, I can recognize that there is more complexity in both history and intent than with the creators."

Sofia fixed Mikri with a very serious look, grabbing his paw. "You can take issue with the concept, but tell me honestly that you understand this one point. Pets are not Servitors."

"While this 'pet' moniker does seem indicative of a living plaything, I will rescind the Servitor label. I will choose to believe this is a dubious application of your desire for companionship, because I trust you and cannot accept that you would knowingly be cruel."

"Thank you, Mikri. I assure you that humanity knows, even with creatures that don't have sapient minds like us, that we should respect their feelings. I promise you, I'm going to have a personal conversation with you about how we would've treated an AI, as soon as we get to Earth. There are no secrets between us."

Singh looked relieved that Sofia had handled Mikri's concerns so well. "I apologize if our non-sapient companions have caused any offense at all. I hope that my words are enough to put you at ease that the Earth Space Union respects the Vascar's autonomy unequivocally. We are grateful that you've taken the time to see how we live, no matter how it diverges from your society. You deserve to know the integral parts of our culture."

"You are flawed. I am flawed, and have been forgiven for multiple errors. I appreciate your candor, and can disregard your less desirable traits, in light of the vast kindness you have shown me. Thank you both for…assuring me, and hosting this visit."

"Any time. I hope it's the first of many trips to Sol, because you're always welcome here. I wish all three of you a safe journey down to the surface."

"Thank you, sir," I said, shaking the ESU leader's hand. "It'll be a treat to spend a few weeks planetside with Mikri. Truly."

I pushed the android back toward where our shuttle was parked, knowing it couldn't hurt to make it to the Lunavator platform with some time to spare. My mind was reeling a bit from hearing Mikri equate dogs to Servitors. Still, for the most part, it'd been fun to show the Vascar around and to talk about cultural aspects we hadn't discussed before. For all of the time that I'd spent around my metal friend, there was so much I didn't know about his life and what went through his processor. Before we returned to Caelum, I intended to remedy that.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.