The Galaxy, and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers (best novels in english .txt) 📕

share my species’ aversion to suddet root, I do not recoil from socialising with other sapients. On the contrary, I highly value any opportunity to do so.’ He lowered his torso with gracious slowness. ‘In fact, I’d be very glad to chat more with you, Speaker, on subjects less dire. It seems we have the time!’

The Akarak seemed to relax a bit. ‘I appreciate that,’ she said. Her tone was sincere. ‘Actually, that brings me to the other thing I’m here to tell you: Ouloo is inviting everyone to the garden for “food and chat”, as she put it.’

‘Ooh,’ Roveg said. ‘Well, that’s kind of her.’

‘I think she’s trying to keep us all happy while we’re stuck here. She’s pretty upset about the whole thing.’

‘It’s hardly her fault.’

‘Yes, but it’s her home,’ Speaker said. ‘I understand that.’

Roveg’s reluctance to leave his shuttle had fully ebbed. The promise of snacks didn’t hurt, but mostly, he’d developed a new-found curiosity about the company he’d fallen into – particularly the tiny person he spoke with now. ‘Well, if you’re done with your … rounds,’ he said, ‘shall we go together?’

Now it was the Akarak’s turn to be surprised. He couldn’t smell it, of course, but basic bipedal body language was such an easy thing to glean. If you learned one, you learned them all. ‘Oh. Um, sure,’ Speaker said. ‘I … I don’t see why not.’

Day 236, GC Standard 307

PLEASE REMAIN CALM

EVERYONE

Stars, the Laru was trying.

It was the same garden that Pei had been in hours before, but Ouloo had repurposed the grassy circle at its centre. The tables were laden with what looked like every cup and bowl from the host’s own kitchen, each filled with snacks both sugary and savoury. Pei peeked into one of the cups and discovered twisting salt licks. The other containers were filled with similar snack-pack fare: algae puffs, snapfruit tarts, jelly straws – all everyday nibbles you could find at your average mixed marketplace. The offerings were almost fancy in the respect that they weren’t the cheapest algae puffs you could buy, and had maybe flirted with actual herbs or fruit or some other ingredient grown in real dirt before being sealed up. It looked as though Ouloo had grabbed armloads of her stock – or legloads, in the Laru’s case – and done her best to make it look as nice as she could, arranging tidbits in hurried arrangements within mismatched tableware.

‘Hello, Captain Tem!’ Ouloo called. The ground host was busy at the edges of the circle, attempting to assemble a makeshift canopy out of blankets brought from home and poles that looked leftover from a construction project. ‘Please, help yourself!’

Pei puzzled at the canopy. What was the point of such a thing in a habitat dome, where there was no weather? No rain, no snow, nothing that could fall out of the—

Oh, she realised. Ouloo was trying to block her guests’ view of the sky.

‘Can I help?’ Pei asked. The Laru seemed to be struggling with the assembly.

‘No, no, I’ve—’ Both blanket and poles tumbled to the ground with tragicomic slowness. ‘Oh, shit.’

‘Mom,’ Tupo scolded laughingly from somewhere unseen. ‘Language.’

Pei crouched down and cocked her head in the direction of her implant’s buzzing. The kid was curled up under a table, stuffing xyr face with algae puffs straight from the bag. Pei had no way of knowing, but she had a suspicion that the bag in question had been intended for guests. ‘Hey, Tupo,’ Pei said. ‘You doing okay?’

‘Yeah,’ Tupo said quietly. Xyr tone suggested otherwise. Xe shoved a pawful of puffs messily into xyr mouth. ‘You should try the algae puffs,’ xe said, holding up the front of the bag so Pei could see the picture printed on it. ‘They’re good.’

Pei was not a stranger to algae puffs, and she wasn’t hungry, but between Ouloo’s frantic efforts and Tupo’s apparent misunderstanding that Pei needed all food explained to her, she could hardly refuse. She picked up a plate and began to peruse the makeshift buffet, but before she could determine her choices, her implant began buzzing again in Ouloo’s direction. The Laru was muttering in her cooing language, and though Pei didn’t understand the words, the frustration within was clear as day.

Without a word, Pei set down her plate and walked over to Ouloo. ‘Here,’ she said, holding one of the precarious poles. She eyed the materials Ouloo was using: blanket, pole, twine. ‘I don’t mean to butt in, but I think I could …’

Ouloo relinquished control with a huff. ‘If you have better ideas than me, then by all means.’

Pei thought for a moment, then got straight to work, arranging poles and tying sturdy knots. A structure began to coalesce.

‘Oh, you definitely have better ideas than me.’ Ouloo laughed. ‘Well done.’ She stretched out her long neck toward Pei’s handiwork. ‘I hope you don’t mind me watching. Your feet – sorry, hands are very fun to see in action.’

Pei flushed chuckling green. She didn’t mind at all. ‘Just tying knots,’ she said, as she did said-same. ‘Nothing special.’

‘Yes, but you do it so quickly,’ Ouloo said. She held up a stubby paw, wiggling her broad toepads. ‘I can’t do that.’

‘And I can’t look straight back over my shoulder,’ Pei said. ‘I’ve always thought that must be neat.’

Ouloo continued to watch Pei work, somewhat hypnotised. ‘Where’d you learn to do that?’

‘Military school,’ Pei said. ‘Throwing up a quick shelter is one of the things you have to be able to do in your sleep.’

Tupo’s neck extended out from under the table. ‘You said you’re not a soldier.’

‘I’m not,’ Pei said. She wrapped the twine over, under, and through. ‘But I thought about it. On Sohep Frie, we have these schools – I have no idea what to call them in Klip. They’re an alternative to the standard school you go to once you reach adolescence. If you’re considering a