The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

“Harmagians had money. Aeluons had firepower. Aandrisks had diplomacy. Humans had arguments.” 

Rosemary is reminiscing with Kizzy about The All Stories Festival, the 200th Remembrance Day celebration held on Mars. The Festival is meant to mark the beginning of a new era for humans, one in which the Exodan diaspora and Martians would work together, but nothing has come of it. Humanity is still too fractured to be a major presence within the GC. 

“The point of a family, he’d always thought, was to enjoy the experience of bringing something new into the universe, passing on your knowledge and seeing part of yourself live on. He had come to realize that his life in the sky filled that need.” 

Ashby uses his share from the Wayfarer’s profits to support his extended family. He has considered returning to the Exodan fleet to raise a family of his own. He has come to realize, however, that everything he could want from biological family is satisfied by the crew, his chosen family. 

“In Jenks’s eyes, the only real difference in cognitive development between Humans and AIs was that of speed.” 

Jenks has an unwavering belief that the sentience of AIs is equal to that of organic lifeforms and that they therefore deserve all the same rights as sentients. He sees the programming of an AI as equivalent to a sentient’s genetics and early life, i.e., a base level from which an individual grows.

“Acting all sanctimonious while spouting bad info was a terrible way to win a debate, but a great way to piss people off.” 

Jenks is referring to the FDS, the Friends of Digital Sapients. Jenks agrees with most of their principles regarding the sapience of AIs but disagrees strongly with their framing. In his view, their arguments that AIs are organic souls trapped in metal constructions is nonsense. 

“They act like all AIs want a body. Granted, I think I do, but that doesn’t mean that all of us do. That’s such an incredibly organic bias, the idea that your squishy physical existence is some sort of pinnacle that all programs aspire to.”

Lovey is agreeing with some of Jenks’ points regarding the FDS. She doesn’t believe that the FDS represents the views and desires of actual AIs. Her point about some but not all AIs wanting bodies is analogous to cisgender people who assume that all transgender people wish to medically transition.

“That Humans make everything needlessly difficult.” 

Sissix is commenting on the complexity of chess, which she and Ashby are playing. This banter between her and Ashby shows how, in close interspecies friendships, it is possible to talk about one another’s respective species in lighthearted terms.

“Luck, and discovering humility. That’s really all that makes Humans different from Grum.” 

The near extinction of the Grum parallels the near extinction of Humans. The only difference is that Humans launched the Exodan Fleet that had the extreme luck of being discovered by the Aeluons before running out of supplies. Without the extra chance given to them by the Aeluons and the GC, Humans would have suffered the same fate as the Grum.

“No good can come from a species at war with itself. Never has, never will.” 

the Toremi Ka. Having witnessed the destruction of his own planet and race due to internecine fighting, he doesn’t consider races in that stage of development stable enough to partake in galactic society. 

“So however innocent your intentions, think about what you’re doing first. Ask yourself if you’re ready for that kind of responsibility.”

Pepper tries to remind Jenks of the danger of unintended consequences if he gets a body kit and transfers Lovey into it. Lovey is the result of a society that was controlled by genetic engineering and is sensitive to issues of bioethics. The GC may not be ready for a new, synthetic form of life.

“Yet somehow, there had been a time when this squishy species had controlled a significant portion of the galaxy (and they still did, if you watched where the credits flowed, but they weren’t in the habit of subjugating indigenous sapients anymore).” 

Rosemary considers the dichotomy between Harmagians’ physical form and their political clout. Although they no longer conquer other races, they have never been dislodged from their position at the top of the GC’s hierarchy. The GC ensures that the Harmagians continue to amass wealth without the need to maintain a military empire.

“Being alone and untouched…there’s no punishment worse than that. And she’s done nothing wrong. She’s just different.” 

Sissix has just finished a period of physical intimacy with another Aandrisk in the middle of Port Coriol’s market while Kizzy and Rosemary watch and wait. Sissix explains that the other Aandrisk has social difficulties—described in terms similar to what someone on the autism spectrum might experience—and is shunned by other Aandrisks. Given the high level of physical contact that Aandrisks prefer, this is a terrible fate.

“Humans can’t handle war. Everything I know about our history shows that it brings out the worst in us.” 

Ashby explains to Pei why he doesn’t want to bring weapons on the Wayfarer to Toremi space. Ashby’s worry isn’t that he cannot kill in self-defense but that he will enjoy it. He believes that once that cycle has begun, then it is almost impossible for Humans to dislodge themselves from it.

“In a way, Dr. Chef could see into the hearts of others as well as Ohan themself could see the universe. Ohan often wondered if Dr. Chef knew what a gift that was.” 

Ohan stares out their window, witnessing the deeper structures of the universe thanks to the Whisperer and pondering their approaching death. Dr. Chef has brought them tinctures and teas for pain control, but Ohan cannot adequately express their gratitude. Many mysteries of the universe are open to Ohan, but for a moment they appear to wonder if understanding the mysteries of others’ hearts would be a better gift.

“But imagining the addition of a weapon in that scenario made him feel safer. He no longer felt helpless. He felt powerful. And that was what scared him.” 

Reflecting on the attack by the Akaraks, Ashby is disturbed to find himself fantasizing about having had a weapon in his hand. He isn’t sure he would have used it, but he is disconcerted to feel the tug towards violence he believes Humans have.

“Modding isn’t just about getting sewn up with cool tech, it’s about orchestrating a balance between the synthetic and the organic.” 

Bear, one of the modders on Cricket, is explaining the nature of modding to his little sister Ember. He is warning her about the dangers of modding without proper forethought and precautions. Their community embraces total bodily autonomy, but he is reminding her of the responsibility that comes with it.

“Sometimes that name became so much a part of who they were that even their friends out in the real world started using it. For some folks, those names became their whole identity. Their true identity, even.” 

After Rosemary reveals her true identity to Jenks, he tries to console her. By drawing a parallel with ancient online personas, Jenks shows her that it is the identity we create, the person we become, that defines us rather than the name or background we’re born with.

“Tweaking your body, it’s all about trying to make your physical self fit with who you are inside. Not that you have to tweak to get that feeling.” 

“If you have a fractured bone, and I’ve broken every bone in my body, does that make your fracture go away? Does it hurt you any less, knowing that I am in more pain?” 

When Rosemary insists that Dr. Chef’s situation is far worse than hers, Dr. Chef tells Rosemary that comparing one person’s pain to another’s makes no sense. They both feel a degree of revulsion towards their origins: Rosemary towards her father, and Dr. Chef towards his entire species. However, it is the same kind of pain, and Rosemary’s is just as valid. 

“I never thought of fear as something that can go away. It just is. It reminds me that I want to stay alive. That doesn’t strike me as a bad thing.” 

As Kizzy works to disarm the mines on the Aeluon’s ship, Pei counsels her about how to make use of her negative emotions. Pei doesn’t seek to avoid bad feelings but, rather, to understand them. After acting on Pei’s advice, Kizzy sleeps soundly for the first time since the Akarak attack.

“I understand that our notions of family are different, and that they probably won’t fit together down the road. But I’d like to be a part of your notion for a while, all the same.” 

Neither Rosemary nor Sissix have had an intimate relationship with a member of their respective species before. Rosemary lets Sissix know that she understands the differences between their species, so they can both be clear on each other’s expectations. In conversation with Ashby later, Sissix finds that Rosemary’s words have reassured her that she will not hurt Rosemary by accident.

“It was funny how the potential for profit always seemed to trump antipathy.” 

As the Wayfarer is boarded by the Quelin, Rosemary considers how odd it is that the Quelin are a GC member species. The Quelin are famously xenophobic and keep to their own space; their induction into the GC is supposedly because of the natural resources found in Quelin space. This pattern of bringing in new species whose ethos does not fit the GC’s is repeated with the Toremi to disastrous results. 

“If you choose this freely, then I don’t need a body, Jenks. We’ve always been together without one. I don’t know how to love you any other way.” 

Lovey, despite her earlier claim that she wants a body for her own sake, now admits that she only wants one so that she and Jenks can share a closer intimacy. Their relationship is based on their emotional connection, and Lovey and Jenks realize that jeopardizing what they have for a relationship that looks more like other people’s would be a mistake.

“She instinctively reached out, but stopped as she remembered who she was dealing with. No physical contact without permission. ‘Can I help you up?’”

As the Wane progresses, Ohan continue to lose control of their body and collapses in front of Rosemary. In a perfect example of how to offer assistance to a person with disabilities, Rosemary asks them if they need help rather than assume they cannot help themselves. Despite someone’s good intentions, moving a person with disabilities without their permission denies them agency.