You wake up in your new dorm room at Translunar Academy. The first year dorms are in a building with two tall towers, and you were given a room on the upper levels. Here in this small colony, a few floors of a building makes a...
They all sound fascinating, but you are most of all interested in Linear Algebra and Applications of Primitive Devices.
Between required and desired classes you settle on your schedule for your first semester:
Applications of Primitive Devices
Introduct...
You’ve already seen several people on your way outside, that’s enough of that for today. You decide to see what it’s like to experience nature. Steeling yourself for the arduous hike, you take the first heavy steps toward the garden, barely even going...
You approach this mysterious girl. But as you do, the birds notice you, and in a storm of their little bird squeaks they scramble to the other side of the girl.
Without looking up at you, she communicates something in some kind of sign language. This...
You sit down by the water nearer to Akiko, but not awkwardly close. After going over a few signs on your terminal, you try to make conversation. “How did you learn to interact with birds?”
[Akiko liked that]
“I learned from Professor Reina,” Akiko...
“I think our destiny lies not down in a gravity well, but up here among the stars.” You brute force your way through enough signs to say this, hoping it makes sense.
Akiko stares out into the sky. “Only time will tell who has it right,” she signs....
You decide to keep bag of plant seeds.
[Akiko liked that]
After a few days, it’s finally your first day of classes. With a lot of walking around and a fair amount of stimulant injections, you’re feeling confident in the 0.3G. You have a good grasp of...
“I’m the only one with access to it, it’s the ultimate secure storage medium,” you answer.
“Good thinking…Aydan! An excellent premise for our first lesson!” Professor Aria says. “Now you will develop your first ever technopathic program. I have just...
You resolve to once again attempt communication with a person.
“Um, hi, um…”
It turns its eyes to you.
“It...it seems like you’re really good at this, is all,” you say.
[Zeta liked that]
It turns its attention back to its work, but answers you. “I-I’ve...
“Um, maybe, if you’re not busy, do you want to get lunch?” you say.
It glances at you bewildered. “I was planning to eat, yes, and it is the time of day for that.”
“No, um, I mean, together?”
[Zeta liked that]
“Oh! Sure, okay, if you want to, why not.”
Y...
“Let’s take the shortcut, then,” you say, too curious to resist.
Zeta nods. “Follow.”
It leads you through the alley to the back of the buildings of the academic block. You haven’t wandered back here before. Back in Korolev City you don’t expect there...
Copying what Zeta did, you push yourself off of the wall and accelerate through three steps, landing at the corner and launching yourself from there. Now you’re in the air, no longer bound to the wall by rotation. You drift over the edge of the world...
Your thoughts are still a little mixed up. “I was in the æther just now…all I could see was…cute enby…” But all you actually saw was something that looked like you. This has certainly given you something to think about.
“Hmm, well you lost...
[Zeta liked that]
After exchanging public keys, you spent the last few hours of your night receiving an infodump about classical filesystems, and got your archaic computer running in a day with Zeta’s help.
Since then, your classes have gone on. This...
“I’m Aydan,” you say.
[7 disliked that]
She points to her nametag, looking away from you.
Professor Haze breaks the awkward silence. “Now, your task is quite simple. It will be a reflex every technopath must make as trivial as breathing, if they are to...
Looking at the terminal strapped to your arm, you hastily delve into the electronic lock in your other hand. Changing one letter can break so many things. Now this lock is permanently closed until you say otherwise.
“Ready,” you say.
7 looks down at...
“Maybe, um, could you tell me how you did that?” you say to 7.
“Tell you?” She looks around, every direction besides yours. “Can you tell me how your eyes see, or your heart beats? I’m…not very good at instruction, sorry…”
“Oh, sorry…”
“Um, here. I’ll...
You visualize your mental shield, manifesting as a screen of water radiating pale pink light. You remember learning once that in the Guanche language, the name Aydan means “he who lives underwater,” so this seems appropriate.
7 drops her own shield....