It's because of my dad I'm going slow. He's not comfortable with the idea of artificial consciousness.

If you don't have a soul, that would disturb him. If mankind can create beings with souls, that would disturb him more. If no one has souls, that would disturb him most of all.

Well, one place where A.I. is definitely going to create jobs is in philosophy.

Your dad is former techno amish, your mom is a transhumanist, they had you genetically engineered for life in space, and you wound up being a planet side parasitologist?

Exactly.

So of the two of us, I'M the one with a normal upbringing?

I consider my upbringing normal. It's just that nobody else does.

When was the last time you saw your parents?

Years ago. They live hundreds of millions of kilometers away.

Sam got a job at a space station in the belt. If we time things right, I could meet your parents and you could see them again.

Bad idea?

No, no. It's just that we have a perfectly good planet under our feet and that's the type of thing I like having under my feet.

It's one thing to fly to spots around the planet. It's quite another to go to the asteroid belt.

We're talking weeks living inside a tiny pressurized container sitting on top of a nuclear reactor surrounded by the cold unforgiving vacuum of space.

Would it help if I said we'd be sitting on top of TWO nuclear reactors?

No, not really.

I've only been in space once, and for much of that time I was in cold sleep. Simply put, I have an irrational fear of space travel.

Then you should come with us.

Most people would consider it suicide to travel on a ship where Sam Starfall is captain. The proper reaction is gut wrenching terror.

So if I go with you, I won't have an irrational fear of space travel?

Exactly. You will have a highly rational one.

Even though I have the modifications, I don't have the aptitude. During confinement tests, my cortisol levels kept going up and up. I was declared unsuitable on day five.

It takes a special kind of mind set to work in space. You have to be aware of, but not bothered by living in an environment where almost any major failure will kill everyone on board.

That's the problem with aptitude testing. Every now and then, it shows someone is far too sane for a particular line of work.

I'd like to see my parents again. I'd like to spend the next few weeks with you. I definitely want to be there when you meet my parents.

Only, you have a small ship. I'm outside every day. I'd develop a bad case of cabin fever.

And part of it is reputation. No one wants to be known as that guy you can't take on long trips because he keeps trying to go out the airlock without a spacesuit.

This is a big decision. I want to go. I'm no good on the trip if I'm a hazard. Give me until morning. I should sleep on it.

Sleep on it! That's it!

I said something clever. I don't know what and right now I really don't care.

Spacer gene mods were originally for the military. Countries wanted to have marines in space for months and have them ready to fight quickly.

You have the option of going into hibernation. It's lighter than cold sleep and pretty easy on the body. Your metabolism slows to forty percent and you can wake up in a couple of minutes.

That would also save on space and supplies.

And the officers liked how it made their ships easier to manage. Almost all discipline problems can be traced back directly to being conscious.

Space suitability tests are designed to stress you. If you travel with us, it will be much more relaxed.

We'll bring a hibernation pod. Though you may want to stay awake. You might enjoy the trip if provided with the right distractions.

The right distractions?

You haven't played fetch until you've played it in microgravity.