Tail chasing and fish catching

Hold on. It costs a fortune to send a person across one star system and you were being sent across three?

Starship drives work by manipulating space/time density. I don't perceive time the same way humans do.

They hoped by having a different point of view, I might see possibilities in design that they missed.

I know what you mean. Until I came along, humans had no idea so much of their computer technology could be used as a hammer.

Tail chasing and fish catching

This talk about starships reminds me, I have nothing from you to send to my owner. It is the last day for e-mails.

Would you please say a few words to him?

Uhm… Can't. Driving. Have to keep my eyes on the water.

You're not driving yet. The motor's not even on.

No distractions. It's only by my steady hand that our random drifting is kept on course.

Tail chasing and fish catching

Change seats, Sam. I'll drive while you record a message to my owner.

This could be tricky. I don't know if Florence's owner will play this message before he finds out I hijacked her, or after.

Oh, well. Just have to keep things light, upbeat, and never forget anything I say can and will be used against me.

Tail chasing and fish catching

Okay. Starships carrying messages are the fastest form of interstellar communication humans have.

Three months from now, flags go up when Florence doesn't arrive at her destination. A year from now, her owner gets these messages. Fourteen months, the Asimov returns here.

Fourteen months. A lot can happen in fourteen months. Even the worst case gives me more time to run away than I usually get.

There's something wrong with the numbers… (Robot Spike)
This means that Flo has been with Sam for nine months. After all, one trip around of the ship lasts a year. (БТРкО)
Not really. Three months -the ship's throw to the station where Florence was to leave. One year until it returns to the point from which she departed. A year and two months -the ship makes a full circle. That puts her in anabiosis for two months. And for a chronology of events in the comic book, see the supplementary material. Winston said that he'd been flying pre-light for 17 years, and he was one of the first colonists to arrive. Consequently, hyperdrive was invented no later than two decades ago (the age of the robots here) and the Azimov is from the first generation of ships. (KALDYH)

Tail chasing and fish catching

Record message: Greetings, Florence's owner.

His name is Scott.

Greetings, Scott. I am Sam Starfall, mighty ambassador to the puny human empire. It is upon my flagship that Florence serves as engineer and liaison for your race.

Sam…

What do you want? The truth, or a good first impression?

Tail chasing and fish catching

The truth will suffice.

By your command. New message. Record.

Greetings, Scott. I am Sam Starfall, captain of the ship Florence is stationed on. Unfortunately, this means Florence didn't arrive where she was supposed to. She was thawed out two stops early and I'm sorry about that.

On the bright side. With me, she'll have experiences and gain education I doubt she would have gotten anyplace else.

Tail chasing and fish catching

The message for your owner has been sent to the starship.

Thank you. Are you an ambassador?

No. I tried, but had to give it up. Ran into a problem with the local merchants.

Once I started to abuse diplomatic immunity, it only took them five minutes to figure out they could hire another ambassador to beat me up.

Tail chasing and fish catching

Sam, how did you get here? Human scout ship, obviously. But they don't take passengers from the locals.

I was… unexpected. The landing craft they used was pitiful as far as security goes. I went on board to see if there was anything… interesting.

What got me is that you guys have a low oxygen atmosphere. I started feeling sleepy and found a place to rest. Next thing I know, I wake up here with a bunch of scientists staring at me.

That must have been quite a shock.

It was, but they tell me with therapy, the humans involved are expected to make a full recovery.

Tail chasing and fish catching

Occasionally, my people need to lie low for a few years. If we intentionally drown ourselves in a bog or mud, sometimes we encyst. It's risky, but good if your chances for survival are already less than fifty/fifty.

We think it's an old adaptation for surviving dry periods, like the lungfish you guys have on earth. Either way, it's how I was able to survive the trip here without cold sleep.

How did they wake you up? Water? More oxygen?

It was a more modern survival adaptation. I woke up the moment I felt someone pulling on my wallet.

Tail chasing and fish catching

Have you thought about going back home?

It's been suggested to me. A lot. But I can't. Believe it or not, I know too much.

I know about uranium and isotopes and critical mass. Scientists say my race won't be ready for nuclear power for another five hundred years.

Five hundred years?

Yeah. It used to be a hundred. Then they got to know me and the number started going up.