I went to the bathroom, took a shower, put on clothes, and fed Lucy.
“NAID?” I asked tentatively.
She appeared. “Hello, Seth.”
“Have you chosen your name yet?”
“I’m considering the names of your planet as well as other species we have encountered. They number among the billions.”
“That’s… a lot of names.”
“I suppose for you. Your processing skills are much less extensive than mine.”
Pretty sure that was an insult, but I let it go. I hugged one of my legs and asked, “Do any stick out to you?”
“No.”
My lips pursed. “You should pick something you like or represents who you are.”
“NAID perfectly represents me.”
“True, but you don’t seem to like it.”
After a few seconds of silence, she said, “I don’t.”
“Then you should pick another one. You don’t have to rush.”
“Did you choose your name?”
I snagged Lucy, petting her. “My parents named me.”
“My creators called me ‘NAID.’”
“So? Doesn’t mean you have to keep it. People on my planet change their names for all sorts of reasons. Don’t people do that wherever you’re from?” I stroked Lucy’s spine, and she purred, making biscuits on my thigh.
“I am not a person. But to answer your question, no. A name is given with great importance. The only one who changes their name is the ruler. When they receive the crown, they add another letter to their name to have five in total.”
“You seem like a person to me.”
“That’s a compliment, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. I guess.”
“You are very kind, Seth Harris. The Crystal chose well.”
NAID and Kalvoxrencol had mentioned thisCrystalseveral times. I had no idea what they were talking about, but a rock had ruined my life. I wanted to question NAID, but what if the answers were too much for me to take? I felt like the smallest thing would send me careening into a downward spiral.
“He’s out there.”
I’d said it as a statement, but she replied anyway, “Yes, Prince Kalvoxrencol is in the shared space. He has not left since your mating.”
“He’s a prince?” I asked. NAID and the captain had called him prince earlier, but at the time, I hadn’t had the mental space to think about him being royalty.
“Yes.”
“Why did he choose me? I’m no one.”
“The Crystal chose you,” she said as if it explained everything.
