Alred laughed, but it was tinged with sadness. “Your optimism is enjoyable, though I think a bit misplaced. Those are notjustfour things.”
“But we already know thereistechnology to build a body, right? Just not a mind. So, it’s actually like three and a half things.”
“Actually…” he hedged a bit before admitting. “I did come across a sample of xenom blood that I’ve been studying. They are a parasitic species that are capable of integrating themselves with the nervous system of their host bodies. Ithought, if I could figure out how, I might be able to utilize it myself.”
“There you go!” Haven went to smack his arm, her hand sinking right through his light form even as he fell back with a dramatic gasp of feigned pain, making her laugh.
As he was chuckling with her, the sound of heavy footsteps approaching made them both turn. Her heart jumped in excitement at the sight of her mate appearing. He didn’t smile, but she liked the burning of his gaze better.
“What are you two plotting about?” Vytln asked.
Haven looked to Alred before answering. She didn’t want to hide anything from Vytln – in fact, she’d rather get his input on the problem – but she also recognized this wasn’t her secret to tell. Alred clearly hadn’t told anyone else in the crew, and he had downloaded and installed French specifically so he could keep it from the other girls as well.
Alred caught her eye and must have read the look on her face because he turned back to Vytln and said, “A project we’re working on. I’ll tell you about it. Soon.”
Vytln grunted but didn’t appear taken aback that he was being left out.
“Actually,” Haven smiled. “Maybe you are knowing something. I was asking Alred about how his people were transferring into their techno bodies. Or maybe knowing something about his species before they were transferring.”
“The undroitt?” Vytln looked surprised at the question, his blocky, hairless brow raising on one side. “I can’t say I know anything about them really. Besides the fact that they’re recalls.The only physical body they have is their core where their memories are stored.”
“It’s more than just my memories, actually,” Alred corrected with a smile. “The very code for my being resides within. It also houses the various programs the core itself runs to keep me stabilized, as well as maintaining the integrity of the storage compartment.”
Vytln blinked, as though surprised. “Your core has a storage compartment?”
“Naturally.”
“For what?”
“Storage, of course,” Alred said, like it was a silly question, making Vytln grumble as Haven smothered a giggle. “Believe it or not, even I have things that I consider precious. We undroitt may be only recalls who interact just through sight and sound with the world, but that doesn’t mean we don’t still feel a connection to it.”
Vytln made a sound like he was acknowledging what he was saying without actually caring what was said. He was already focused on Haven.
“Why are you so interested in the undroitt all of a sudden?”
“What’s not to be interesting?” She countered, popping her hip. “They are having immortality. They made themselves being computers! I was wanting to knowing how.”
Vytln frowned. “And Alred wasn’t telling you?”
“I was telling her I don’t know,” he corrected happily, tail flicking. “I was naught but a common male back then. Innocent and wholesome and-”
“Are you actually listening to this fool?” Vytln asked her pointedly.
Haven could only laugh. “Maybe hewasbeing innocent. Back then.”
“Three thousand years can really change a person,” Alred said sagely. “Actually, it’s more like fifty years. I remained a normal male up until I left Riut. That’s my home planet.”
“Oh,” Haven said curiously. “You are needing permission to be leaving though, correct? Did you sneaking out or were you having it?”
“I had permission. I was contracted to act as the AI on a starship recycling facility. It was quite a large task, so they needed something advanced to do it. Believe it or not, it was easier to hire one of my kind than to build a new program that can do all I can.”
“Wow,” Haven beamed, excited. “What is a starship recycling facility? What were you doing?”
“Nothing interesting, I assure you. It was a large, sandy planet full of nothing living, and had an atmosphere that was only partially livable. But it did have a lot of metal. There were plans for mining it, but it was first set up for the breaking down of decommissioned starships so that their parts could all be reused. The mines were supposed to be set up after that, but things never got that far.”
Haven cocked her head. “What did happening to you there?”
Alred shrugged. “Oh, this and that.”
