Ventus by Karl Schroeder

Karl Schroeder / Ventus / Page 631
Ventus’ designers’ decision to embed information in the
physical objects that the information represented. That way it
could not become a thing in itself, living dissociated from the
physical in the Net.
Axel used his boot jets to fly down the long corridor.
Outside the glass, in vacuum, several humanoid figures hung
motionless: newborn AIs like the Desert Voice. They seemed
despondent. In the middle distance rotated several starships,
which were doubtless also newborn to consciousness.
He found her curled up next to the corridor. The Voice
seemed asleep, but she looked up as he approached. She
smiled at Axel when he tapped the glass and pointed at a
nearby airlock. Gracefully, she spun and pulled herself along a
guide wire to it.
She was dressed in a formfitting green jumpsuit, and
looked every inch like Calandria May as she exited the airlock
and embraced him. But her skin was so cold that frost formed
on it as she pulled back from him. "How are you?" she asked.
"I’m well. We’re going back to Ventus," he said. "I
thought you should know."
"You’re going to look for Calandria May?" She let go of
his hands; he was grateful, for her touch was numbing. He
nodded.
"We are. We--that is, Marya and I--we wanted to know
if you would come with us."
The Voice looked away quickly. It seemed he’d upset
her by asking, as Marya had said would happen. "No, that
would not be a good idea," she said. "My obligations have been
fulfilled; the insurance AIs have Calandria’s claim now, and
the Government promised me that Calandria would be rescued.
It’s no longer my concern."
"Not true," said Axel. "The navy thinks it's too risky to