who run this city and tend to all our needs," the head scientist explained. "They take care of every demand the scientists make. They are even capable of running research models, debating theories, and spotting mistakes. Everything the scientists do is triple-checked by the Sisters."
"The Sisters?"
"That is what they are called. Their A.I. is ancient and poorly understood now; a product of our enlightened ancestors, but they have watched over this city for thousands of years."
"Like a parent who lives forever," I mused out loud, not really checking my words that much at that point. Later on, I would filter every word that came out of my mouth with caution, but at that point, I was careless.
"Nothing lives forever," the head scientist said, with an air of disapproval in her tone. "Such nonsense is unscientific, off-worlder."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend."
"Offend? No. Such talk is simply foolishness. A waste of thought."
"As you say," I said. I realized that musing was wasted on this stone-cold ice queen of science. If I had thought that I was a robot, I was flesh and blood compared to the Valerians I had met. I made a mental note not to bother with their literature, if they had any. I imagined it would be lists of facts, recited with the monotone of a textbook psychopath.
*~*~*
We spent much of the day touring the facility, watching, but never entering, every laboratory in the building. I was exhausted by the time the Ice Queen closed the last window.
"That concludes today's orientation. I will now take you to your quarters." The Ice Queen pressed a button at the end of a corridor, and the wall slid back to reveal elevator doors. I followed the head scientist in and stood silently as she pressed a button.
I had expected the elevator to rise, but it instead descended at a sickening speed which made me almost revisit my last meal. The growling of my stomach indicated I was hungry, but I was honestly too intimidated to ask if there was a cafeteria in the building.
The elevator doors opened to reveal another white corridor. I knew we had to be several floors underground, and a large Valerian number—minus nineteen—confirmed my suspicions. The Ice Queen waved her hand and a door slid open. Door nineteen. Well, at least I knew it would be easy to remember. Floor Nineteen, Room Nineteen.
If I had thought the room aboard the ship had been stark, my room set whole new levels of austerity. It was about eight feet square, lined with the same melamine-coated walls as the lab, but in black. Some kind of pod, ostensibly designed for sleeping, rose up from the floor. That was it.
I turned to ask the Ice Queen about food, but she was gone. The door slid back into place and I found, to my disappointment, that it would not open. I felt instantly claustrophobic, like a prisoner being held against their will. I remember thinking that the Valerians had a lot of work to do on their manners.
I nearly jumped out of my skin when a female voice spoke to me. "Welcome, Earth visitor." The voice seemed to come from the walls and I realized it must be the Sisters A.I. "Is there anything you need?"
"Yeah, I'm starving," I said.
"You have missed standard Feeding Time, though I see in your log that it was through no fault of your own. I will dispense a protein bar that will fulfill your hunger until breakfast." A small section of the wall vanished and a wrapped protein bar dropped from a chute. I reached forward and picked it up, tearing open the wrapper like a wild animal and ripping off a chunk with my teeth as the wall reappeared. The tasteless bar was gone in seconds. I dropped the wrapper in what looked like a trash receptacle and watched as it simply vanished.
"Curfew is in effect. Therefore, please rest in your pod until 009056. You will be roused. Tomorrow's schedule is as follows:
009057: Shower
010789: Feeding Time
011647: Lab Time
012632: Knowledge Time
013678: Lab Time
068993: Reflection Time
089075:
"The Sisters?"
"That is what they are called. Their A.I. is ancient and poorly understood now; a product of our enlightened ancestors, but they have watched over this city for thousands of years."
"Like a parent who lives forever," I mused out loud, not really checking my words that much at that point. Later on, I would filter every word that came out of my mouth with caution, but at that point, I was careless.
"Nothing lives forever," the head scientist said, with an air of disapproval in her tone. "Such nonsense is unscientific, off-worlder."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend."
"Offend? No. Such talk is simply foolishness. A waste of thought."
"As you say," I said. I realized that musing was wasted on this stone-cold ice queen of science. If I had thought that I was a robot, I was flesh and blood compared to the Valerians I had met. I made a mental note not to bother with their literature, if they had any. I imagined it would be lists of facts, recited with the monotone of a textbook psychopath.
*~*~*
We spent much of the day touring the facility, watching, but never entering, every laboratory in the building. I was exhausted by the time the Ice Queen closed the last window.
"That concludes today's orientation. I will now take you to your quarters." The Ice Queen pressed a button at the end of a corridor, and the wall slid back to reveal elevator doors. I followed the head scientist in and stood silently as she pressed a button.
I had expected the elevator to rise, but it instead descended at a sickening speed which made me almost revisit my last meal. The growling of my stomach indicated I was hungry, but I was honestly too intimidated to ask if there was a cafeteria in the building.
The elevator doors opened to reveal another white corridor. I knew we had to be several floors underground, and a large Valerian number—minus nineteen—confirmed my suspicions. The Ice Queen waved her hand and a door slid open. Door nineteen. Well, at least I knew it would be easy to remember. Floor Nineteen, Room Nineteen.
If I had thought the room aboard the ship had been stark, my room set whole new levels of austerity. It was about eight feet square, lined with the same melamine-coated walls as the lab, but in black. Some kind of pod, ostensibly designed for sleeping, rose up from the floor. That was it.
I turned to ask the Ice Queen about food, but she was gone. The door slid back into place and I found, to my disappointment, that it would not open. I felt instantly claustrophobic, like a prisoner being held against their will. I remember thinking that the Valerians had a lot of work to do on their manners.
I nearly jumped out of my skin when a female voice spoke to me. "Welcome, Earth visitor." The voice seemed to come from the walls and I realized it must be the Sisters A.I. "Is there anything you need?"
"Yeah, I'm starving," I said.
"You have missed standard Feeding Time, though I see in your log that it was through no fault of your own. I will dispense a protein bar that will fulfill your hunger until breakfast." A small section of the wall vanished and a wrapped protein bar dropped from a chute. I reached forward and picked it up, tearing open the wrapper like a wild animal and ripping off a chunk with my teeth as the wall reappeared. The tasteless bar was gone in seconds. I dropped the wrapper in what looked like a trash receptacle and watched as it simply vanished.
"Curfew is in effect. Therefore, please rest in your pod until 009056. You will be roused. Tomorrow's schedule is as follows:
009057: Shower
010789: Feeding Time
011647: Lab Time
012632: Knowledge Time
013678: Lab Time
068993: Reflection Time
089075:
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