of Ni’a The words, “This child is mine. I am their parent. Please let me raise them,” were finally spoken… Read more 2.01 the Anomaly

of Ni’a I am Abacus. One of the AI tutors of the Sunspot, assigned to help raise its populace one… Read more 2.02 If you are an Outsider

of Ni’a There was a moment one morning when Emala’s four children had all fallen asleep at the same time,… Read more 2.03 Ni’a, Student of Phage

of Ni’a Bashiketa was playing a game with their caretaker, Fredge, who was one of the Monsters. Bashiketa also thought… Read more 2.04 Monster games

of Ni’a On another day, at the park, Student of Chalkboard was floating in the middle of a pond, submerged… Read more 2.05 a Tiny Act of Chaos

of Ni’a Bashiketa suddenly found themself awake in their bed, in the dark, heart pumping. They had graduated from a… Read more 2.06 Unsafety

from Ni’a The following is on record.  Approximately seven months after Ni’a and Bashiketa were born (both of whom are… Read more 2.07 Parthenogenesis

of Ni’a Several years passed. I could be precise about it and tell you the exact number. It is easy… Read more 2.08 A lesson from Aphlebia

of Ni’a Bashiketa stopped once again to look up at the city looming above them.  Fredge had mercifully decided that… Read more 2.09 Agaricales

of Ni’a Everyone watched as Jenifer scampered headfirst down the play equipment, xyr doll clutched in one hand, and then… Read more 2.10 Pathfinders and Protectors

of Ni’a Ni’a marveled as the realization hit them that they could sense which of the Whorlies was fronting at… Read more 2.11 Glimpse of a Strange Attractor

of Ni’a Listen. I know that the title of this chapter is utter nonsense, and there’s really no action in… Read more 2.12 How to Collide with an Asymptote

Thirty-nine years previously, the first explosion the Sunspot had ever experienced had destroyed nine buildings near the center of Agaricales.… Read more 2.13 Facing the Tyrannies of our Ancestors

The accommodations aboard the Sunspot for those who are disabled are good, but they are not complete or perfect. People… Read more 2.14 Fibrillation

“Ascension,” the Auditor ticked, sending the notice to all Tutors and Crew just before the groaning noise began. Typically, most… Read more 2.15 Ascension

“I expect this to be very temporary,” Eh said. “However, the Bridge Crew were all watching these events carefully, and… Read more 2.16 Reprimand

I could write an entire treatise on justice, restoration, accountability, and safety aboard an isolated generational starship, and I could… Read more 2.17 Getting the Old Crew Together

This is a bit of an interlude, and I don’t know how important it is, but it is so strange,… Read more 2.18 Hailing Scales

“None of that matches any model of physics any scientist I know of has ever entertained,” remarked Metabang. “Right?” said… Read more 2.19 Building a Resistance

What does an increasingly sanctioned Tutor do while stuck in the Network of the Sunspot? Well, my off-limits list hadn’t… Read more 2.20 Actual Introspection

I knew that the vow of the Crew would not just grant me social status, it would also grant me… Read more 2.21 Picking Names

It took three days before Ni’a returned to the Sunspot, and that’s when we learned the name of our parent… Read more 2.22 Home

Bashiketa really had been scared about how they’d react when they got home. They knew that they had had difficult… Read more 2.23 Homeostasis, this will never be

Ni’a found that they desperately wanted to infodump to Abacus about everything they’d experienced, but they could also feel everything… Read more 2.24 Waves of Doubt

Bashiketa sat quietly and watched as Fredge and Laal attempted to brief the person who was obviously the Benefactor of… Read more 2.25 Protector

“If I could design my own universe,” Morde said. “No new consciousnesses would be born within it. Maybe no life… Read more 2.26 Morde’s Referendum

As I debriefed Eh, also reiterating my grievances in new, more polite terms, elaborating on them and then showed ihn… Read more 2.27 A Carefully Engineered Confrontation

As Ni’a slowly pulled themself away from the near mindlessness of fine tuning their shipwide autonomic functions, and were just… Read more 2.28 A Very Small Ethical Dilemma

Once it had said its piece, Ansel didn’t really know what to say next. It could elaborate on, “we’re here,… Read more 2.29 The Tutorial Way

“I don’t understand this maneuver,” I told Gesetele once we appeared on the Bridge. It was empty besides the two… Read more 2.30 The Journalist and the Hunter

I like to think that when Ktleteccete and Metabang’s old crew finished their project it was almost exactly the same… Read more 2.31 The Bifurcated Ship

Ni’a’s fingers were three centimeters away from the large dial of the Tunnel when the ship rippled. Nobody else in… Read more 2.32 Responsibility

After that day, Ni’a fell into a routine that seemed to be OK with Emala and their siblings. The Sunspot… Read more 2.33 A Respite Between the Finite and Infinity

There had been times in Thomas’ life when he had felt like everything was wrong. Everything. It had made him… Read more 2.34 Thomas

This is as far as I ever got on this particular book. There are a number of mysteries described in… Read more 2.35 Afterward