Synopsis

by Brenda Krekeler

PART 1

DRIFT

Lovelace - The new body (KIT) felt awful. Pepper and Lovelace left the Wayfarer ship. Pepper helps Lovelace get linking access. Lovelace will learn to be without the link in time. Pepper is taking Lovelace to her new home on a moon named Coriol.

Pepper's name was Jane. Modders are KIT suits. Pepper told her that she has a user manual. Lovelace cannot lie due to her protocol. Pepper and Lovelace left the Wayfarer ship. Lovelace is an AI and Pepper was raised by an AI.

Jane 23, Age 10 - Jane's first memory was cleaning scrap. Now Jane is called 23 and she sorts scrap. Jane 23 is a human and is a social species. The Mother's, who monitor the Janes, are metal robots and they are not social. Jane 23 had a bunkmate, Jane 64. 23 did not like being alone. When she was close to 64, 23 was comforted. Batches of girls; older ones were Sarahs, Jennys and Clairs are all gone now. Jane 23 and Jane 64 woke up each morning, made their bed, hampered their bed clothes and showered. The Mothers gave them work clothes. The Mothers were metal with hands but their faces were round, smooth metal. Jane 23 had a meal cup at her work bench each morning and started working and sorting old computer pieces, fuel tanks, pieces of machines and anything scrap. Jane 23 was very good at sorting and fixing things.

Lovelace - the body KIT gets kinetic energy and it is waterproof. Kits don't sweat or get diseases like organic sapients. The KIT can ingest food and water but must eliminate it. A KIT should not be around large magnets. The KIT can be repaired if damaged, at least they will try to repair it. Lovelace explains her objectives: "I'm a monitoring system for big, complicated long-hull vessels. My purpose is to keep people safe. I can't ignore direct requests for action, and I can't give false answers." Pepper tried to learn how to fix the honesty code for Lovelace.

Lovelace - found herself at a massive shuttle dock with sapients everywhere at Port Coriol. There were Aandrisk species as well as Harmagian species. Lovelace met Pepper's friend Blue. He was a human, brown with brown eyes and black hair. Lovelace changed her name to Sidra.

Sidra - calls herself KIT. Pepper, Blue and Sidra went to the Undersea Transit Line at Port Coriol on Midway Isle. It takes them one hour to travel home undersea. The transport is multilingual including: Aeluon. Aandrisk. Laru. Harmagian. Quelin. They went in a human car. Each car has seats appropriate to fit specific species. Aandrisks have tails. Harmagians have carts. This planet has a Biodiversity Preservation Agreement.

Sidra - enjoyed the trip and was engaged in the ocean's waters around the them as they traveled.

Jane 23, Age 10 - Jane 23 and 64 exercised after work and 64 helped Jane not to run too fast. One time Jane 23 ran too fast and a Mother stopped her treadmill and Jane 23 smashed her face into the wall and she did not get her meal cup. After exercise, they would shower for 5-minutes, have a meal cup and watch educational vids.

Sidra - The moon is locked with the sun. Housing was on the dark side. Businesses were on the daylight side of the moon. Sidra's new home was at Sixtop.

Jane 23, Age 10 - There was an explosion and many Janes were killed. Both 23 and 64 survived.

Sidra - The Rust Bucket was a swap and fix-it-shop owned by Pepper. Sidra began working here for Pepper.

Jane 23, Age 10 - 23 took 64 to see the hole in the wall after the explosion. A Mother found 64 and killed her. Jane 23 ran. 64's last words to Jane 23 was, ". . . run, run, run."

Sidra - Blue gave Sidra a petbot.

Jane 23, Age 10 - (Jane 23 is Pepper) Jane ran and hungry dogs chased her. Owl found Jane and had her come into a building. Owl saved Jane from the dogs.

Sidra - Shimmerquick Party. Sidra saw different people, foods, drinks and music. Sidra was told about Aeleon Shimmer and their sex. The individual's change there sex from male to female every so often.

Jane 23, Age 10 - Owl is an AI that lives in an old shuttle/ship. Owl helped 23 move through the ship and had 23 locate medicine to clean her cut hands. Owl gave 23 her name. Jane. Just "Jane" and Jane like it.

Sidra - Learned about tattoos and met Tak an Aeluon.

Jane, Age 10 - Jane learned to make equipment work with the aid of the AI, Owl.

Sidra - went out for the evenings with Pepper and Blue. She became overwhelmed by the noise and music and she vented her frustration to Pepper then walked away.

Jane, Age 10 - Went out to find water with an energized tool Owl called a weapon to protect her from the dogs. She found some water which had oil and chemicals in it but filled the canteen as Owl had told her to do. She also found some orange birds drinking water and eating some purple stuff oozing from the ground. Jane got a piece of the purple stuff to show Owl. Two dogs went after Jane and she used her weapon. She had killed the dog. That made her feel bad and glad.

Sidra - went into Blues Artist Shop. Blue painted Sidra and had her tell him about a poem she had read and didn't want to delete from her memory. Sidra sat for Blue's portrait of her. Sidra asked Blue who chose this KIT for her. It was Lovey (Lovelace) choose it, Pepper had told Blue. Sidra told Blue that it was her fault that she killed Lovey when she wiped the memory files. Sidra feels like she is a mistake. Blue said he is a mistake too. He was built as a politician. "The Enhance" call Blue, Pepper and Sidra "misfits."

Jane, Age 10 - Jane brought the mushroom to Owl and Owl helped her get the microscope running. Jane can fix anything. Owl asked Jane to help repair the ship. Jane didn't understand where they would go. Owl told her she should explain planets to her.

Sidra - went to see Tak at the tattoo parlor. Between Tak's questions and Sidra's responses they determined moving ink in an ocean environment would work for her.

Jane, Age 10 - Jane learned about humans from pictures Owl showed her. Jane asked if she was weird because she had no hair. But Jane knew she was human. Humans were all different shapes and colors. Owl told Jane ". . . she would do as much as she could to get Jane ready before she met other species. She would teach her how to live in a ship, how to act around others, how to say the same words other species did. Their words were called Klip, and Jane's words were called Sko-Ensk, which were kind of like another set of words called Ensk, and some Humans know that one, but usually not the one Jane spoke. Words were weird." Jane went outside at night and saw the stars and planets. She the told Owl, " . . .lets go to space."

Sidra - Is excited about getting her tattoo.

Jane - Discovered rain and Owl suggests "a day off" for Jane.

Sidra - got the outline of her tattoo but when Tak tried to start the shimmering of the tattoo with the bots , KIT/Sidra convulsed and tried to ask for Pepper.

Jane, Age 10 - Jane had a day off. She played with virtual reality video games with two kids. She saw her name "JANE."

Sidra - Blue and Pepper found Sidara at the tattoo parlor. Tak removed all the ink bots. And Sidra was OK. She was sad that she had caused such trouble.

Jane - is learning new languages and has incorporated dog meat in her food. Now she eats mushrooms and dog.

PART 2

PULL

Sidra - Tak stopped at the shop and talked to Sidra. They discussed their relationship and decided they can be friends.

Jane, Age 14 - Regarding Janes gene pool, "The Enhanced, what a bunch of fuckers." Jane had a TO-DO list that included: ". . . water filtration system, rebuild aft propulsion strip, replace fuel lines, figure out what's wrong with navigation antigrav system - does it work? How to test? repair cargo bay hull (rusty), repair power conduits (hallway), repair bedroom air filter (totally broken), repair back left stove burner (not important) repair fucking everything always, always, always get off this stupid planet, make new pants." Jane fell in a large hole and broke her leg and dogs were at the rim of the pit waiting.

Sidra - met with Tak and they talked and became friends. Tak wants to help Sidra enjoy parties.

Jane, Age 14 - climbed out of the hole. The dogs were asleep after they had eaten the dog Jane had killed the previous day. Jane wants to go home but with a broken leg, it seemed impossible.

Sidra - and Tak went dancing and Sidra had an Alert sounding in her. Tak took her to the side and calmed her. Sidra knew she always had to be watched by someone and she was not happy about that.

Jane - Owl became a person in the SIM to help Jane.

Sidra - wants to be in Pepper's house, not in the KIT.

Jane, Age 15 - Jane found two children's bones and buried them in mud and water to help fossilize them. Jane decided she did not want her bones to be buried in this planet.

Sidra - went into a store to look at AI's. She discovered one that was identical to her unit, the Lovelace unit.

Jane, Age 18 - Jane found a factory that processed fuel. She found a young man watching the factory.

Sidra - is trying to tak AI protocol classes.

Jane, Age 18 - Jane befriended Laurian and he will help her get fuel and then he will leave with Jane to leave this planet and go to space.

Sidra - Tak is going to fix Sidra's protocol as she tells him exactly what to do. Then she can do her own work and live how she wants.

Jane, Age 19 - Jane and Laurian are camped in an old ship. Laurian hasn't seen the sunset for years. His family sold him.

Sidra - had the protocol changed. Tak helped her. She is delighted.

Jane - fed Laurian dog food. They slept in the skiff.

Sidra - found Pepper sitting on a floor with a note.

Jane - started the ship and her and Owl are scared and excited.

Sidra - Pepper and Tak try to find Blue.

Jane - Jane, Owl and Laurian lifted off and saw their planet disappear. They are all three together.

Sidra - and Pepper located Blue and told him ". . .someone found my ship."

PART 3

CIRCLE

Jane, Age 19 - woke up after 40 days of illness. She was being cared for and feeling better. The doctor at the space station that found Jane and Laurian told Jane what had happened to her, "Jane, you've been suffering from a bacterial disease previously unknown to science - congratulations - on top of a severe case of long-term malnutrition and a broad assortment of other maladies. We figured out pretty fast that your immune system is . . . . atypical. But as deficient as you were in just about everything you need to stay healthy, there's no way your natural defences could keep up. You had superficial wounds that hadn't healed properly, fungal growths under your nails, different fungal growths in your esophagus, and an amazing variety of precancerous polyps on and around your liver and kidneys, which I'm assuming were the result of the high levels of heavy metals and industrial waste products we found floating around your bloodstream." All polyps have been eradicated and she was healing well. They told Jane her ship had been confiscated.

Sidra - It has been 10 years since Jane aka Pepper, had lost her ship and "Owl." Pepper and Blue need Tak to help them go into Pepper's ship. None of them wanted Sidra to help but she wants to help. Everyone helps Sidra, and now she wants to help.

Jane, Age 19 - Jane had healed but could not find her ship. Jane and Laurian got a ship to Port Coriol. As passage they would turn over barrels of whisky during the trip.

Sidra - On their way to KAATHET for Pepper to find her ship and Owl, Pepper discovered a limp, lifeless body with a cable at the base of its skull. Sidra said she was "not in the body. She was now in the shuttle." Sidra is on the way to help Pepper, Blue and Tak find Pepper's ship.

Jane, Age 19 - Jane missed Owl and her ship terribly.

Oouch taught Jane how to smoke a pipe and she told him some about her life so far. She tasted spices and she was overjoyed. Then she became very sad because she realized how much she had missed in her life so far.

Sidra - Pepper and Tak were inside the shuttle to get Jane's old ship. Sidra realized what it was like to be back in a ship. Sidra then decided she wanted to be back in her KIT body.

Pepper - Pepper wanted to get to the ship with Owl so much, she is really not doing it the best way she should so as not to get herself and her friends in trouble. Sidra decided that her and Tak are going to help Pepper by getting Owl. Sidra and Tak went into the museum after hours and they were accepted by the other curator.

Pepper - and Blue walked everywhere trying to find Sidra and Tak. Pepper knew they were at the museum but Pepper was not allowed to enter the museum at night. Only the lead researcher, Tak, was allowed to enter.

Sidra - wants "to help Owl." That is her "Purpose." Sidra locked onto the ships data but it was not sure where it was?

Pepper - came to the shuttle and met Sidra connected to the core. Then there was Owl. Owl is with Jane.

OWL, ONE STANDARD LATER

All are living in the house with Pepper and Blue, several petbots, Sidra & Owl who are best friends. Owl never new she was going to wake up again, but she hoped. She hoped for Jane to find her.

Characters:

Jane 23 - child of 10 years old sorting scrap in factory

Mother's - robots managing the children who worked and lived in the factory

Jane 64 - Jane 23's bunkmate

Owl - AI of an old rusted shuttle/ship discarded in the land of scrap

Jane - known only as Jane with out the number 23 attached, Owl gave her the name and Jane liked it

Laurian - young boy who watched the factory, friend of Jane's who obtained fuel for their ship

Both'pol - ship doctor who helped Jane heal after their space flight from the scrap yard at a space station

Blue - Laurian's new name

Pepper - Jane's new name

Sidra - AI with a body and friends of Pepper and Blue

KIT - is the body Sidra called herself

Taklen-Bre Salae - Sidra's friend Tak, an Aeluon. "Aeluons are a bipedal species with silver scaled skin and cheeks that change color. They don't have a natural ability to speak or hear, so they talk through an implant stuck in their throat."

Thiris - curator of the museum of antiquated ships

Thekrek - Aandrisk - head tech on Yo'ton, planet that housed Pepper's ship

Oouoh - algaeist, Laru man

Harmagians - "are squishy, soft, and have tentacles. They use carts to get around because the rest of us walk faster than them. Don't touch a Harmagian without permission, because they have sensitive skin."