Adrift (The Sirilians Book 1) Read Online Free PDF

her.
    The corner of her mouth lifted in a small smile. “There are no rules against it. Why don’t we forget about the cards and you can tell me more about what you do?”
    She was right, there weren’t any rules per-se, just guidelines, which she seemed to derive pleasure in not following. Even so, Karo was willing to give her some leeway for the sake of their pairing, so he answered her question.
    “I am a leader for a team developing an artificial intelligence that will be installed in all new spacecraft.”
    “That sounds interesting! How long have you been working on the AI?”
    “Roughly two years.”
    “Did you always want to work for the Department of Space?” she queried further.
    It seemed like an odd question to Karo. He’d always known he was going to work for that department, like so many of his family before him, but there had to be more to it than that. He took a moment to ponder her question before answering.
    “Yes. I chose this field because I believe that developing technology for long-term space travel is essential for the future of our people. It will be what saves our race.” 
    She sat forward in her chair and seemed truly interested in what he was saying. “Really? I didn’t know our race was in danger of extinction.”
    Her tone was humorous, but their planet’s future was not a topic Karo took lightly.
    “Of course we’re under threat,” he insisted. “It’s only a matter of time before we’re endangered by a natural force.” He sat forward in his chair, mirroring her position, and continued. “Think of our planet: we’ve done everything possible to make it optimal for the survival and flourishing of our species, but there are risks to our people that remain.”
    She nodded her head in agreement, and for the first time Karo felt an intellectual connection to her.
    “I agree, but I don’t think there’s any way to eliminate every possible risk. Danger can come in so many forms, including from the vastness of the universe.”
    “True, but we can mitigate as much risk to our planet as possible,” Karincin asserted.
    “Is that what your team is trying to do? Eliminate risks that originate from space?”
    “Yes. And we’re not just trying… we’re succeeding,” he told her proudly.
    Her eyes widened. “Really! How so?”
    “The AI I’m developing will serve as a co-pilot for long term Scout missions which will travel into the galaxy beyond our solar system. Their goal will be to map, identify, and categorize everything they come across.”
    “That’s very impressive,” she complimented enthusiastically.
    The waiter slid between their curtains of fabric bringing their next course of food, which he thankfully didn’t go into poetics about. He took away their first plates, and Karo barely noticed that Aevum hadn’t taken another bite of her densuke. Instead he felt satisfaction that she was pleased by his professional achievements. He was incredibly proud of his team, who’d been working tirelessly to perfect the AI system and integrate it into the Scout ships.
    “Will they be ready to launch soon?” she asked once the waiter had left.
    “No, it will still be several months until the ships and their systems are ready. The department hasn’t assigned the pilots yet, although I hear that the announcement will be coming soon.”
    Aevum smiled around her bite of food. “It would be good for the pilots and crew to have time to prepare before they’re sent out into space for a long stretches of time.”
    Karo corrected her. “Actually, only the pilots will need to be notified, since the missions are designed for a single person crew.”
    Aevum stilled with her fork raised in midair. “Wait, they’re going to send one person alone into space for long stretches of time?” she clarified.
    Karo only nodded, since his mouth was full of food.
    “How long exactly?”
    He swallowed. “Decades probably, maybe longer. By then better technology will have been