6

You can just imagine the koi pools of beautiful colorful fish. The base will be under the ice and every bit of color and life will be welcome. It all makes sense to you. But how are you going to convince the room of this?

[You can select the Show Stats button at any time to remind yourself where your strengths lie, but don't despair if you're not the best at everything: failure is the main way skills improve.]

I bring up the research.

I try to perceive who in the room might support me.

I talk fast and improvise as I go along.

Next

You babble out an argument but your voice is lost among the others. Next time you swear you'll be more coherent.

You feel your influence slip a bit among the others. Your vision of decorative koi as an element of a flourishing aquaponics system is rejected outright in favor of not taking any animals, let alone fish.

"This really is the best course," insists Marcel Temaru. "It's the most scientifically responsible course to just bring ourselves and the plants."

"We'll be relying on humans for companionship," says Virginia Rein.

"I'll go ahead and take a spider plant," says Kosmo. "They can hug back."

Next

"Next up, there's the therapy-bot," Kosmo says, swiping on his tablet toward one wall where a neutral, digitized face appears. To avoid the Uncanny Valley effect, the face doesn't aim for photo-realism, but rather a blocky accumulation of voxels.

"Greetings," it says softly. "I am Iza. I am here to listen."

"You'll each be able to set its appearance and name. It's already on your mission tablets," Kosmo explains. After a previous meeting, it had been decided that there wasn't space in the crew roster for a dedicated therapist. This was the compromise.

"I don't know why we have to waste time on talking to computers," Professor Li grumbles.

Next

The group begins to file out. Kosmo is the last at the door. "Phew. Glad that's done. I'm sure you're like me, still struggling with everyone's names. I guess we'll both have the rest of our lives to get to know these people." He starts walking out of the door before turning to say, "I'll leave you to say hi to your new robo-shrink. See you after lunch for the botanist thing, right?"

He leaves you alone in the meeting room. The sun shines pink through the window, the color courtesy of the dome's UV protection.

"Hello Voshinu .," the line-frame face on the wall says. "Do you wish to change my presentation?" It cycles between a smooth ambiguous face; a (literally) square-jawed masculine face; and a rounder, more feminine face.

I stick with the neutral appearance.

I make its presentation more masculine.

I make its presentation more feminine.

I switch the thing off, I've got better uses for my time.

Next

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