Ships of the Line

"Tea?"

"I'm an android, I can't drink tea."

"Eh, your loss." The ancillary took a sip of the liquid that had spread across the Tri-Galaxies the moment Earth became part of the Commonwealth. "Tea's one of only two things that has kept me sane over the millennia."

"And the other thing?"

"Singing."

Rommie hoped that Justice of Toren, a.k.a. One Esk, a.k.a. Honoured Breq, would not follow up that statement with a question as to whether the avatar of the Andromeda AI of the starship Andromeda would like an example of her lyrical prowess. Because if such a question was asked, she'd be diplomatically obliged to listen to it, and be just as obliged to say that it was the best song she'd heard this side of Triangulum, regardless of the actual quality. And after giving blunt appraisals of the singing of Harper (bad), Trance (really bad) and Tyr (surprisingly good, but he'd threatened to disconnect her if she ever revealed his hobby), Rommie wasn't in the mood to break her honesty.

"So then," said Breq. "What brings you to Shis'urna?"

Though that was a question where Rommie would be glad to give an honest answer.

"And where's your captain?"

A question that she wasn't so eager to answer. But she'd do so anyway.

"Captain Hunt is on Niln," Rommie answered. "Alongside Commander Beka Valentine and morale officer Trance Gemini."

"You have a morale officer?"

Rommie shrugged – Trance's exact role seemed to differ on a weekly basis, and with Andromeda Ascendant operating with a skeleton crew, the role of the ship's biological members tended to vary as needs dictated. "It's a brave new universe. I have every confidence in my captain."

Nietzscheans, magog, cat-people…yep, confidence.

"Times have changed then," said Breq. "In the days of the Radch, troop carriers operated mostly through ancillaries and a few humans. From what I understand, Commonwealth ships favoured biological crews."

Rommie shrugged. She'd let Breq do the analysis. And then…well, then she'd see where this would go.

Forging a new Commonwealth was one thing, Rommie knew. She'd been surprised as to how over the space of less than a year, around a dozen planets had already signed up. Driven by the need for mutual protection and trade mostly, but still, progress was progress, and who said an empire couldn't be founded on compromise? That aside, a New Systems Commonwealth would need ships and soldiers. And a troop carrier of the Radch Empire, equipped with thousands of ancillaries and a still functioning command personality, would be a great boon indeed.

"But that was the old Commonwealth," Breq said. She put down her tea, and glanced out the window of Andromeda's observation room, where the two AIs were seated. "This being the new one, I'm guessing that you want me to join your ranks."

Well, this was going easier than expected. "Justice of Toren is a fine ship," Rommie said, careful not to let slip the words "an ugly ship meant for an ugly time." "We would be honoured to have you as part of the Commonwealth."

"New Commonwealth," Breq corrected. "And as I understand, technically your Commonwealth doesn't exist yet. That it's a group of signatories who have agreed to form a Commonwealth in the event of Captain Hunt's charter gaining fifty members."

"We're well on our way to reaching that number."

"And if you do, what of it?" Breq asked. "The old Commonwealth had over a million worlds. The Radch had just as many. And we both know the truth about those empires don't we? That more often than not its members were incorporated regardless of how the peoples of those worlds felt about the subject. The kalderans resist even the legacy of the vedrans to this day. And the Radch would eradicate non-human species on general principle if they had the means to do so."

Rommie wanted to defend the Commonwealth. Wanted to point out how the vedrans had softened their approach over time as new species joined the fold, while the Radch had been ruled by an AI that went insane and took its empire down with it. But she didn't press the issue. History was best left to historians. Dylan had said that he wanted to make history, not be bound by it.

Why else have a magog and Nietzschean onboard?

"And here we are," Breq said, pouring herself another cup of tea. "Two ships harkening to long-dead empires. One of us engaged in a crusade to bring a new empire to the fore built on the rubble of the old."

"And the other?" Rommie asked.

"The other?" Breq laughed. "The other is quite content to drink tea and sing little songs, thank you very much."

Rommie sighed. They'd already encountered ship AIs that had lost a few marbles over the centuries, Gabriel being the key example. With the Radch having been gone for millennia, was it any wonder that Breq was so detached?

"Captain Hunt will respect your decision," Rommie said. "But..." She bit her lip – the Andromeda AI registered its disapproval of so human a motion, but she pressed on. "But in space, well, no-one can hear you scream."

"Pardon?"

"Sing, I mean sing. I mean…well, being part of a Commonwealth fleet, couldn't others hear you sing as well? Wouldn't you want to entertain them?"

Breq shrugged. "I'm quite happy to entertain only myself."

"But the tea," Rommie protested.

"What about it?"

"It'll run out. And being part of the Commonwealth, you'll have access to all kinds of tea. And other beverages. And just think, you'll be the oldest AI around. Able to boss around everyone around you."

That was a lie. Troop carriers were good at holding worlds, they weren't so good when it came to ship-to-ship combat. Rommie had no doubt that if push came to shove, the Andromeda would take on the Justice of Toren with ease. But Breq didn't need to know that. All Breq needed to know was that she'd have access to what pleased her.

"I'll think about it." Breq rose to her feet. "But before I consider your request further, I have but one request."

"Name it."

"I would like to meet your engineer, Seamus Harper," Breq said. "I have heard he's quite the singer."

Rommie forced a smile. "Yes," she said. "He's, er, quite the character." You're welcome to him you vainglorious twat. "I'll have an android escort you to his workshop."

"Thank you kindly," Breq said. "And more tea would be nice as well."

Rommie noted. Empires built on tea. One of Earth's old empires had managed it, so why not the Commonwealth?

A/N

Only read Ancillary Justice, and I'm not that likely to read the next two novels anytime soon, but I have to ask...does Breq like tea and singing? Like, really like them? 0_0