Page 90 of Ava Stargazer

“Oh.” Ava startled and took the auction house picture from Vox, then held it out to Joy. “Oh. I thought you would like to see. Here. This is how we found you.” She handed the picture over to Joy, wrinkled and faded from the many, many years she held it tight and carried it.

In a weird way, Ava wanted to take the photo back and still hold on to it, but tamped down the feeling as she looked at Joy instead, her brows furrowed as she looked at the photo.I have the real one now to get to know.

Joy looked down at the picture, and then held it up to her face. The images matched. A big smile came over her face. Ava was overcome with emotion, seeing it. “Yes, it’s you.”The real one to talk with.

She squared her shoulders and glanced around the room, seeing that the preparation for the meeting they were going to was spread out on the table in front of them. The images the Tuxa had of her on their planet were also there, on the screen next to scans he was running on the data from Cipra.

Ava looked at his scans wistfully.I bet Ebel could go through all this data so much faster.Ebel, who still wouldn’t answer any of her messages, even though she kept sending them. She rubbed her arms to distract herself and looked around the room. Her eyes snagged on a video that was playing from Torga, andshe grimaced at the picture of herself with wounds all over her body.

Iryl noticed and moved toward it. “Oh. My apologies.” He moved to turn it off.

Ava gestured to the monitor. “No. It’s okay. With us getting listed as a part of Xai, then the Tuxa can’t take advantage of us as easily either. Or it might deter anyone else who comes across more files of Humans.”

Iryl still snapped off the picture, keeping only the data from Cipra on the screen. “That is true, yes.”

Joy turned to Ava, eyes sparkling. Joy reached for her hand again. “And after this we can go home.”

****

After building it up in her head, the registration was relatively straightforward. The Spry were the co-sponsoring species attesting to both Ava and Joy’s intelligence. That allowed the formalities to be done more discreetly, with just a simple meeting instead of a large hearing. It also allowed the meeting to happen in Iryl’s quarters, where Ava felt comfortable being seen.

Ava held the gaze of the Vali before her, the official requested to conduct the meeting. The Vali was every bit as elegant as Nuor, only taller. Ava’s hands itched to touch the fabric of her ceremonial robe, so similar to the one Ava once borrowed from Nuor, but instead her fingers balled up in her lap as she answered every question as thoroughly as she could.

After the questions Ava played a game, similar to ones she did with Ebel, where she had to think of a strategy against a computer program. But it still put her at ease, to be able to look the Vali in the eyes and pretend as if it were her old friend she was talking with.Just pretend it's Nuor.

Joy also took a turn in the meeting as well, confirming that Ava was not just an anomaly and that their answers varied enough to not be a simulated program either. They were not aClass 2 AI program. Humans were their own conscious beings individually and met the criteria for a Class 1 species. And then it was done. Without fanfare or raising any large issues. Ava sat back, worn out, as it was recorded.Humans finally have a place. Other than Earth.

With the Vorbax and Spry backing it, they became a part of Xai’s planetary records, with Pyra signing off as Xai’s representative. Earth was listed as well, but only as a historical note with no further data.

“But,” the Vali said, her voice melodic as it trilled in sad undertones, “this can still be contested. It only says that Humans are welcome on Xai, and that some have chosen to stay, not that they are only found on Xai. If other Humans choose to settle elsewhere, that is their choice now with sentience established and limited records of the original Earth. You are technically still not native to Xai. You are colonizers.”

Ava frowned at that. “What if they are being held against their will?”

Feathers shook as the Vali looked down. “I’m afraid I don’t have an answer to that. But you’re in here now. Humans have a note now for whoever inquires about where a population of your species can be found.” The Vali hesitated, twisting her feathered head and fixing Ava with her aqua eyes. She then said, “This is beyond my role here, but your story ... I am intrigued. I could not find much about Earth and the Humans, or anything, really, when I was preparing for this meeting. What happened there? Why were you not in the system correctly?”

Ava bit her lip, not knowing how much to say.We don’t want to start any conflicts before we know more.“I was...”

Vox heard her thoughts and stepped up to answer. “We don’t exactly know what happened to the others, but we are trying to find out.”

The Vali nodded and said kindly in her melodic trill, “Well. It is enough that going forward you have something official to start your history again.”

Ava itched to return to Xai, but they were not due to leave until later in the day. Their launch time was several hours away. So instead, she now sat across from Iryl and Joy, impatient for another reason. They were still in Iryl’s living area, around his table, with the lights turned a bit low. Iryl was at Joy’s side and Vox at hers.

“Are you ready to do this?” Ava asked. She looked at Joy sitting in front of her, seeing the tiredness in Joy’s face, reflecting back Ava’s own exhaustion from all the tests and questions today.

There were jitters in her stomach, along with a nervousness she couldn’t quite place. Despite the fatigue from the day, Ava sat on the edge of her seat in anticipation. Ready to see what Joy remembered.

The irony was not lost on her that Ava had shied away from her own memories in the past, and the Cipra logs to an extent, but was eager to see those from another. Not the painful onesthat she knew Joy shied away from herself, but of the Earth that Joy remembered as a very small child.

Joy was sitting, relaxed, seeming at ease now. “Yes, these are fine. Not the last memory, but the others. I want you to see.”

Iryl sat close to Joy, mumbling as he shone, “Truthfully, Rhutg could do this better but ... I am more familiar with Joy’s mind now.”

Vox said to Iryl, leaning forward, “You take from Joy, and I’ll then give to Ava from you. Let’s see if it works. It’s too much to both take and give at once when their minds work so differently from ours.”

Rhutg stood to the side, just observing. “I can help if you need it. But probably only from Ava’s side. If you need help, Vox, if the tremors start, I’ll step in.”

Vox just fixed him with a look, and Rhutg snorted. At Ava’s concerned glance, Vox explained, “I’m not forcing anything, just being a conduit. This should be fine.” He leaned over and held her hand. “Close your eyes.”

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