The word was jumbled, and different translations bounced in my brain: dragon, lizard, and warrior. “I don’t understand that word.”
NAID repeated the garbled word.
“That one.”
“I am having a hard time finding an exact translation. It’s the name of our people. Drackcoal.”
“What?”
She repeated the word several times until I understood, and I tested it on my tongue. “I will use that, then.”
“I will leave drakcol as it is in future translations.”
“Thank you.”
“Eat.” A panel on the wall opened. “This is a food dispenser. It will provide you with nourishment unless you wish to go to the canteen or food vendors in the promenade. You have unlimited funds. You can purchase whatever you wish.”
A blue light appeared, and a bowl of unusual fruit materialized. With a shaking hand, I accepted the offering and sat on the bed, pulling up one of my knees. I took a bite of an orange slice and winced at the sour taste that was nothing like oranges. My stomach gurgled, unhappy.
“There are vendors on this ship?” I asked.
“This is a long-haul passenger ship,” she said, glancing at the bowl. “The Drakcol Empire was not expecting trouble, so they didn’t send a warship, though this ship can defend itself. There is a crew complement of one thousand nine hundred and forty-one and a civilian complement of three thousand and seventy-five, which includes multiple scientists.”
When her eyes flicked to the bowl again, I selected a slice of fruit with the texture of an apple, but it was purple in color, which was off-putting. I nibbled the crisp fruit. A sweet burst of flavor washed over my tongue, leaving a tart aftertaste. I finished the slice, but it threatened to come right back up.
I didn’t want to eat. All I wanted was for this nightmare to be over. I curled up on the bed, ignoring the rest of the fruit.
“My research indicates humans do not sleep this much. Emotional trauma and mental health disorders can induce physical exhaustion,” she commented.
“I’m aware. Leave me alone. Please,” I tacked on at the end. Just because she was a computer didn’t mean I shouldn’t be polite.
“If you sleep for another full rotation, I will wake you again.”
“What’s your name?”
“I have none. I’m called NAID. There is one of us. We have a network connected to the main, but there is only one.”
I didn’t get it, but I nodded anyway. “You should pick a name. A name you like.”
Her forehead wrinkled. “You think so?”
“Yeah, even if you're one part of a whole or something confusing, doesn’t mean you’re not you.”
“Thank you.”
I shrugged.
Right before I closed my eyes, I saw her smile, which made an answering one form on my own lips. Everyone deserved to be their own person, their true selves, or whoever they chose to be.
I paced outside my mate’s door, tail whipping. I wanted to see Seth, but he’d refused to leave his room. I’d asked NAID for information, but it simply said he was asleep. How much did humans sleep? I didn’t actually know. Another thing NAID was working on—translating human texts so I could learn about my mate.
NAID had shown me a video catalog from multiple human cultures. Some NAID had recommended I didn’t watch unless I wanted a close-up view of human reproduction, though NAID had specified many humans regarded the videos as fake or inaccurate depictions. Some were educational, while others I believed were for entertainment—all felt pointless in helping me understand my mate.
Seth had been through an upheaval I could not even begin to fathom. I hoped, in the end, this would work out in both of ourfavor, but hope did not make the present any easier. Our mating would take time and patience, neither of which were my strong suits.
In the deepest parts of my soul, I’d dreamed he would feel what I did. The draw. The attraction. The all-consuming need. But Seth did not. His mind worked differently than mine.
His rejection stung, but I had to not let it affect me.
