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“Sure.”
I take him back up to the lab. He shifts around in the ball, taking it all in. I float us to the center of the room and grab the edge of the table.
I push the ball against the lab table. I think it’s steel, but I’m not sure. Most lab tables are. Let’s find out.
“Use your magnets,” I say.
He pushes one of his magnets against the pentagon face touching the table. With aclunkthe magnet takes hold. He’s now anchored in place.
“Good!”he says. He uses his magnets on one face after another to roll across the table and back. It’s not graceful, but it gets the job done. At least I don’t have to hold him in place.
I nudge away from the table and float to the edge of the room. “There’s a lot here. What do you want to know about first?”
He starts to point in one direction, then stops. Then he picks a new thing, but stops there too. Like a kid in a candy shop. Finally, he settles on the 3-D printer.“That. What is that, question?”
“It makes small things. I tell the computer a shape, and it tells this machine how to make it.”
“I can see it make small thing, question?”
“It needs gravity.”
“That is why your ship rotates, question?”
“Yes!” I say. Wow, he’s quick. “The rotation makes gravity for science things.”
“You ship no can rotate with tunnel attached.”
“Right.”
He thinks it over.
“You ship has more science than my ship. Better science. I bring my things into you ship. Release tunnel. You make you ship spin for science. You and me science how to kill Astrophage together. Save Earth. Save Erid. This is good plan, question?”
“Uh…yes! Good plan! But what about your ship?” I tap his xenonite bubble. “Human science can’t make xenonite. Xenonite is stronger than anything humans have.”
“I bring materials to make xenonite. Can make any shape.”
“Understand,” I say. “You want to get your things now?”
“Yes!”
I’ve gone from “sole-surviving space explorer” to “guy with wacky new roommate.” It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out.
—
“Have you met Dr. Lamai?” Stratt asked.
I shrugged. “I meet so many people these days I honestly don’t know.”
The carrier had a sick bay, but that was for the crew. This was a special medical center set up on the second hangar bay.
Dr. Lamai pressed her hands together and bowed her head slightly. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Grace.”
“Thanks,” I said. “Um, you too.”
“I’ve put Dr. Lamai in charge of all things medical for theHail Mary,” Stratt said. “She was the lead scientist for the company that developed the coma technology we’re going to use.”
“Nice to meet you,” I said. “So you’re from Thailand, I assume?”
