“She can be a bit grouchy and territorial,” Qalu noted.
“So I observe. Is it discourteous to inquire as to her species? I am unable to connect to any additional databases at present.”
“Is that so?” She came closer, though she stopped short of physical contact. “The processor is a prototype, but I never intended to cut you off from all your normal resources. That must be very frustrating.”
“And limiting.”
“I’ll run diagnostics and restore that function as soon as possible. And regarding your question, Aevi is a Pherzul, highly intelligent and native to Tiralan. They normally stay within their own colonies, but when I found Aevi, I couldn’t let her perish.”
“That was…kind,” he said, though he had no true notion whether that word applied in this instance.
“Sometimes I wonder, because she’s deprived of all the normal relationships she would’ve known. Perhaps her progenitors would have returned for her.”
“There is little probability of that. If she was in a precarious state, it seems more logical to conclude that you did, in fact, save her. And that life with you is preferable to none at all, even if it deviates from Pherzul norms.”
Qalu’s head tendrils fluttered. “That is…peculiarly comforting, if a bit grim.”
“I’m pleased I can offer value.”
“Perhaps those were your original parameters, but you aren’t required to be productive or useful here. Interacting with you is enough for me.”
Another emotional response, this one softer and more pleasant. But before he could respond, a terrible wave hit him, a fire centered in his being, and his limbs crumpled, unable to bear weight. He immediately wanted whatever she had given him the day before to make this stop, but he couldn’t get the words out.
“Helix? Where does it hurt?” He tried to indicate, but his flesh wouldn’t cooperate. She bent beside him without touching him, using a device to investigate his physical state. “This may seem like an odd question, but have you…emitted waste since we ate last night?”
“No!” The horrified answer came out sharper than he intended.
“I believe that’s the problem. To help you to the facilities, I need to touch you. Do I have your permission?”
“Yes.”
This time, he barely noticed her touch because there was so much interference screaming inside him. Their progress was a stumbling blur, and Helix wished he could block out what followed with her hovering outside, calling concerned questions. “Are you all right? Do you have any questions? Did you manage to—?”
“It is done,” he said, emerging from the hygiene room with a sense of violation.
I ate things. Processed them. And they passed through me. How egregious. If only his data storage would dump this memory as well as everything else that had happened in the last half cycle. A secondary failure in synapses, particularly one so specific, seemed highly improbable, but then, this entire situation defied all logic. Part of him still believed this was a dream, but he’d slept and woken and shouldn’t that have returned him to reality?
“There should have been smaller physiological signs,” Qalu said. “I suspect you didn’t recognize the cues and ignored them when they were subtle, until they manifested as pain. That’s not the typical experience. Most beings begin learning about their bodies from birth.”
“I don’t understand.” How Helix loathed saying that, over and over. Her words made sense separately, but what were these cues that he was supposed to identify?
She paused as if to consider her response. “I’ve never had to describe it before. This is familiar, like when I was trying to explain sleep. So many things, I’ve never taken the time to break them down. I take the process for granted. How curious.”
“I would be grateful for any information you could provide. It would be preferable to avoid repeating this trial.”
This was the last discussion Qalu had expected to have on her first day with Helix.
She had expected to teach him many things but among them, she hadn’t envisioned so much focus on…biology. On a certain level, that made sense since everything about possessing a body was new to him. Hopefully, he would master this aspect swiftly because this topic was simultaneously amusing and awkward.
After some reflection, she said, “Tightness. A sense of being full? Minor pains and pressure. When you detect those sensations, you need to repeat this process. It will become more comfortable with practice.”
“I doubt I would ever describe it thus, but thank you for the information.”
“The hollowness you noticed before, that’s hunger. It’ll occur periodically as you get accustomed to your new life.”
“An endless cycle of consumption,” Helix said in a despondent tone.
“You may come to enjoy it, especially as you develop palate preferences. Speaking of which, we should eat before I assess your functionality.”
“Is there no other way to sustain organic life?” he muttered. “There must be meatlings who have transcended these tedious processes.”
“There are nutritive packets tailored to reduce waste, but they’re not very enjoyable. But if you find eating objectionable, I can procure them to reduce your discomfort.”
She glanced back to make sure he was following her into the common space. He replied as she set out food left from their meal the night before. “I am bewildered, but also willing to withstand a reasonable adjustment period. If certain matters don’t grow less disagreeable over time, we can discuss other options.”
“Understood. Have you thought at all what you’d like to do while we’re together?”
“Do?” he repeated, seeming puzzled. “Are you referring to your statement that I must perform labor to recompense you for installing me in this form?”
“Not at all! Perhaps I’m presuming too much, but it seemed like you had work you enjoyed before. I was only asking what you might wish to learn or study, something that interests you.”
“Not work then but…a hobby?”
“Along those lines, yes.”
“I’ve never considered that.”
“You weren’t given free time before?” It was hard not to sound disapproving, but she focused her critical stare on her food. If there were no regulations in place on Barath governing how much work could be required of an AI, there ought to be. All sentient beings deserved the freedom to pursue happiness.
“My work did not keep me constantly occupied, but it did not occur to me to…”
“Expend effort on your own behalf?” she suggested.
“Yes. I was designed to serve one user, but ultimately, my operating parameters changed. I’m not even sure when or how it happened.”
“A gradual procession? That’s intriguing! I had no idea that was even possible.”
“Nor was I,” said Helix.
Qalu would dearly love to ask when he’d first become…oh. Sentient felt like the wrong word and self-aware didn’t seem right either. That question should wait until they got to know each other better, establishing trust. Perhaps he would also discuss matters he had elected to keep private, such as why he had left Barath.