The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

Kizzy walks into Ashby’s office to tell him that they need to replace the thermal regulator. Without it, their food will spoil in a few days. However, there is a small colony only half a day away where they might find a replacement. Ashby is skeptical that such a remote colony will have anything useful, but Kizzy points out that it’s a rogue planet generating its own artificial sunlight from a satellite network. Clearly, someone with advanced technology lives there.

Ashby has Lovey send a hail and is shocked when a Sianat responds. This Sianat brings a second who can speak Klip. This Sianat identifies herself as Mas and uses singular pronouns to refer to herself. When Ashby asks, Mas confirms that she is not a Pair; this is a colony of Solitary Sianats considered heretics by the rest of their species. Ashby tells Mas about the broken thermal regulator, and Mas invites him down to see if they have a part that will work. Mas asks if the ship’s Pair are waning, and Ashby confirms that they are. Mas says that Ohan will not live much longer and that Ashby should not tell them about the colony.

Ohan burst into Rosemary’s office and angrily ask her where the rest of the crew has gone. They recognize this area of space and know that the Heretics live nearby. Ohan are almost mollified when Rosemary tells them that they are only looking for a part, but Ohan are still upset that the crew will be contaminated by the Heretics’ erroneous beliefs. Ohan are terrified that the Heretics or the crew will hurt them, and Rosemary cannot convince them otherwise.

Ashby and Kizzy take a shuttle to the rogue planet’s space elevator and ride one of its cars to the surface. The surface is covered in snow and ice. Ashby surmises that the Heretics do not live on such an inhospitable world by choice. Mas greets them. She is excited to meet humans for the first time since she became Solitary before they were admitted to the GC. Kizzy realizes Mas must be quite old. She tells them that she is one hundred and thirty-three.

As they walk with Mas, she tells them that Arun, the rogue planet, is where Sianat come if they escape before infection or wish to break free of it afterwards. Many who try to reach it do not. Ashby and Kizzy are confused. They did not know the Whisperer could be cured. Mas tells them that the Whisperer makes the host resist breaking it but that some Sianat are resistant to the infection.

Resistant Sianat, like Mas, do not lose their “high mind” to the infection, only their “low mind.” They pretend to be like other Sianat and mimic their habits and behaviors. Mas tells them that the Sianat rulers know that there some are resistant but that it is too dangerous to acknowledge this. The open existence of resistant Sianat would undermine the foundation of Sianat religion and culture.

Mas’ captain brought her to Arun when she was waning and was cured. She tells them that she can still navigate despite being cured of the Whisperer. Kizzy realizes that the Solitary Sianat, with their lengthened lives and still augmented intellectual abilities, have learned to collect ambi directly and make the space elevator. Ashby warns Kizzy not to ask more about the cure, but Mas tells them that, although a Sianat is different after being cured, it is a better life for them.

Ohan cower in front of Ashby and Dr. Chef. They adamantly refuse to accept the cure that lies on a table in front of them. Ashby assures them that they will not be forced to take the cure. He tells Ohan again what the benefits to being cured are, but they still refuse. Dr. Chef is miserable that he cannot cure his patient and crewmate. He also cannot convince Ohan to take the cure. Ohan insists that he does not want to be someone else.

Sissix confronts Ashby in his quarters later that evening. She is furious that he is not forcing Ohan to accept the cure. Ashby refuses to interfere in Ohan’s religious beliefs. Sissix accuses him of being too scared to act because humans nearly drove themselves to extinction. Ashby points out that Aandrisk childrearing seems barbarous to mammals such as humans but that, since it’s not a matter of his species, he doesn’t judge it. He also points out that Sissix has mimicked human social conventions by not being open about coupling with Rosemary.

Sissix tells Ashby that she doesn’t know if she even knows Ohan. She wonders whether Ohan is speaking or the virus. Ashby says that it’s probably both and that he isn’t happy with the situation either.

Sissix then asks Ashby how he knows about her and Rosemary. Sissix tells him how it started. She has no experience coupling with humans and is worried she is being selfish. He reassures her but also reminds her that humans can get jealous and that she should move slowly in pursuing any other partners. Ashby is glad that Sissix’s feather family is more complete now that it includes someone she can be intimate with.

Rosemary receives a message from Nib. He’s happy that she’s agreed to become a reference file archivist and has forwarded more information on the Toremi. The attached document says that Toremi have unusually sharp hearing and can pick up new languages in an incredibly short amount of time. There is also a note that heating generators emit a sound that causes the Toremi pain and must be operated at lower levels when there are Toremi on board.