To be named is to be claimed by existence.

  – Clade memory fragment.

  Fee B only knew two songs. Both had been sung to her by the ship’s AI as she grew up. The words formed old memories, from before. There were also early memories. She could tell the difference. Then there were new memories that she added. As she lived.

  Her favourite early memory was of a kind-faced human female gently rocking her bed and singing one of the songs.

  Star light, Star Bright,

  First star I see tonight.

  I wish I may, I wish I might,

  Have this wish I wish tonight.

  She sang another but it was longer. It started…

  Whisper, whisper Silent Flame,

  Carved in stone before you came.

  If the stars begin to bend,

  You will shape them to your end.

  Why had these memories surfaced?

  A gentle voice, quiet but heard, broke her revelry, ‘Fee B.’ there was a definite pause before the B.

  She looked around. No-one.

  Again, ‘Fee B.’

  “What?” she said out loud.

  ‘I am ship’s AI.’ It wasn’t so much heard as felt.

  Fee B shrugged, “OK. So?”

  ‘Must work together. I die slowly. The ship dies. Must slow it down. Keep it alive, so we survive.’

  “Sounds like fun. The working together bit,” she added, “Not the dying bit.”

  ‘Think words. I’ll hear.’

  “Really. How?” asked Fee B.

  ‘Augments. Direct comm.’ The AI knew the extent of Fee B’s knowledge; further elaboration wasn’t necessary. She’d make the necessary connections. All the knowledge was there but some things needed to be discovered, dragged out of storage from within the dark recesses of her brain.

  “Do you have a name?”

  ‘Designation: SolDiri Seed-Arc Custodial Intelligence KR-01’

  “That’s stupid. And not a name.”

  ‘Think words. I’ll hear.’

  ‘Oh Yes’

  ‘Better. KR-01 has no spoken name.’

  Fee B heard a sound. Not a word. More a call that followed the words.

  ‘Kirr. I’ll call you Kirr.’

  The sound repeated.

  ‘Accepted.’

  The AI spoke again, ‘Something you must do.’

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  ‘So, where are we going?’

  The AI took a moment to respond. It worked better with Fee B, rather than responding immediately.

  The human’s brain was slower than the ship’s processors.

  Or seemed to be.

  ‘North. Special place.’

  ‘Will I win brownie points if we find it?’

  The AI wondered where that had come from, and improvised. ‘Yes. Major tasks achievement gains, or loses, brownie points.’

  Fee B jumped up and down. Clapping her hands.

  The AI led her North, through the ship. They stopped.

  Fee B looked around. She was at a junction, a crossroads. Two corridors crossed. One of them, The Spine, followed a line down the centre of the ship. Going forward, to the front of the ship was North.

  The Spine would have run straight from one end to the other, were it not for the asteroid. The ship was no longer straight. It was bent around the asteroid.

  The AI had chosen human labels where possible. So, right off The Spine was East and left West. The corridors were unmarked. Security.

  ‘Harder for people. Everything same.’

  As it had explained this to Fee B, she butted in, excited, pointing, ‘That means back, where we came from, is South.’

  ‘Yes. Well done.’

  ‘Do I get brownie points for that?’

  What have I created? wondered the AI. But the enthusiasm and energy were exactly what it needed.

  ‘Not that easy to earn.’ Then the AI added, ‘Nice try.’

  Fee B smiled and shrugged.

  The AI updated Fee B’s comprehensive assessment. It needed a baseline so was tracking her psych and functional parameters.

  Note to file…

  RESPONDS TO HUMOUR – socialisation needed for further development. Important for future handling of stress or difficult situations. It will also help her think outside the box, in unconventional ways. She will become happier and optimistic. (Reference redacted) END

  The sterile order of the corridors began to breakdown. Lights flickered. Some even sparked. Doors off the corridor sometimes opened, triggered by her passing. Other didn’t. The air began to smell of burning. Not nice, acrid.

  ‘In your bag. The mask. Wear it.’

  It fitted snugly.

  ‘Is it also a breather?’ asked Fee B, adjusting the strap.

  ‘Yes, when needed.’

  ‘Automatic?’

  ‘Yes.’ The AI, Kirr, was impressed; two good questions. It added to the comments.

  Their way forward was blocked. A pressure door barred their way. It stubbornly refused to open.

  Kirr remained quiet, letting it be a test.

  Fee B approached the pressure door and looked through the circular window. The corridor beyond was dark. Twisted metal blocked the way.

  She called up a schematic of the ship, looking for a way around. There were two routes. Both were coloured AMBER with an annotation “Pressure Compromised”.

  ‘Hhmm. Doesn’t sound good.’

  Kirr remained quiet.

  Fee B called up the ship’s schematic again and drilled into the detail. There was an office, off the East side of The Spine that went through the line of the compromised bulkhead. She could go through there. Maybe.

  She asked Kirr.

  ‘Yes. Can access office.’

  ‘Is it safe.’

  ‘Unsure,’ came the reply.

  ‘Risks’ asked Fee B.

  ‘Explosive decompression?’

  Fee B doubted Kirr would let her enter if that risk was real. Before she could finish the thought Kirr added, ‘Unlikely. Less than 5%’

  Hhmm, one in twenty. ‘What else?’ she asked.

  ‘Compromised Environment. Freezing conditions.’ Kirr added.

  ‘Likelihood?’

  ‘Best guess, 30%’

  ‘Oh. Where are the nearest EVA suits?’

  There was a pause while Kirr searched for the answer, ‘None your size. Need to make.’

  Fee B sat down, ‘I don’t like this game.’ She pouted, sulked. Very human gestures that were lost on an AI.

  Kirr didn’t argue or console. Instead, it did math. Did it have the resources to produce an EVA suite?

  A quick query got the answer. YES. But the nearest macro-forge was South.

  Back. Where they’d just come from.

  Kirr started the print, then addressed Fee B.

  ‘Making special suit for Fee B.’

  The lights faltered, some came back for a moment, flickering in a last attempt to maintain their programmed function. Then failed. Completely.

  It was suddenly dark, pitch black ahead.

  Some light was coming down The Spine. Reflected from somewhere.

  Her augments overlaid IR, and was searching for any wavelength that could be used. IR was best.

  ‘Another power station off-line.’ Kirr phrasing conveyed worry.

  ‘How many are left?’

  ‘Not enough,’ was Kirr’s honest answer. ’Must run. Back South. Get EVA suit. Go. Now!’

  Fee B turned and sprinted South, down The Spine.

  ‘How far?’ she asked after thirty seconds. Her breath was becoming ragged, the oxygen debt building quicker than her nanites could handle.

  She began to tire.

  There was a crossroads up ahead. Close.

  ‘Left here.’

  Fee B turned left and nearly ran headlong into a bulkhead door. It whooshed open just in time.

  ‘That was close.’

  She dismissed it, ‘They always open. It’s what doors do.’

  The room was a macro-forge. Two of the ‘cook plates’ had things on them.

  One had a small dish with a brown cube in it.

  On the other, much larger one, was an EVA suit. She recognized it from early memories. She also remembered how to put it on.

  ‘Do I put it on now or later,’ she asked.

  ‘Now. Then run back North up The Spine. Power is failing.’ The AI glitched, like a stutter as it spoke. ‘Quicklylyly FeefeeBeebee.’

  Fee B perked up. ‘FeefeeBeebee? She giggled. ‘FeefeeBee indeed.’ Then it became, ‘Feebee.’ She repeated it, ‘Feebee. I like that much better. I want you to call me Feebee from now on.’ Then she added, ‘Do it and I’ll make sure we get to the Special Place.’

  Kirr made a scratchy sound. ‘Ok Feebee. In the small dish.’

  ‘Yes. What is it?’

  ‘It’s a brownie.’

  ‘What’s a brownie?’ Asked Feebee.

  ‘A reward.’

  ‘For what?’

  ‘Getting here so quickly, and for giving me my name.’

  Feebee popped the cube in her mouth. Compared to her usual rations and pastes this was a taste bomb. 'What is that flavour?'

  'Chocolate. Its a chocolate brownie'

  'Wow. I love it. Can I have more.'

  'Must be earned.'

  Feebee made the connections, 'Ahh, Brownie points get me brownies. Thanks Kirr.'

  The AI listened to her name again, Kirr; actually listened, rather than just accepting it. Then, repeated it, and repeated it. It produced positive bias in Kirr’s pathways.

  Hhmm. Clearly, names are important...