"Hello, world!

"We're in freefall, at the rotational axis of Insulo Tri's port cylinder, and with me today are the two people I'm going to be spending the next year with. Or, at least, near.

"By my left wing is the swarm of robotic beetles, whose distributed processors house the intellect of Gerard, a postgraduate student all the way from Athena University, housed in one of the aerostats on Venus. And in the jetpack by my right wing is an individual who tells me to use a different name for them roughly every five minutes, so I've just tagged them as 'that guy' in my augmented-reality's IFF, and who, by whatever name they're going by, has come up from Nigeria, on Earth.

"Gerard, why don't you tell our viewers your goals for this trip?"

"I study materials-science applications in industrial processes. I came up with an AI that uses some novel statistical methods to identify unused corners of design-space, and it found a way to make a horizon drive about two percent faster for the same costs - or the same thrust, but two percent cheaper. That could work out to millions of dollars in savings, for the right company. But before anyone wants to use the improvements in a drive going to another star, they want more than just simulations about its long-term reliability. So I'm going to oversee it for a full year's testing."

"Thank you for that. And do you have anything to share, Pilot-Formerly-Known-As-Lots-Of-Names?"

"I'm here for the bragging rights. Almost nobody's gone out that far and come back to Earth, especially no ultramarathoners. I want to have something I can hold over everyone who tries to put people down for not being 'real', 'hard' runners. Some of them can be real dicks about stuff like that."

"I... see. Well, you said it, not me. For any new viewers, I'm taking this trip because it's now my job to, and I have bills to pay off. I have contracts to carry some mail out there, to try to fix some broken equipment, and to carry some things back. It may not be much, but it's a living.

"I invited the two of you up here not just because it's a lovely backdrop, but also to start getting to know the two of you better, before we head out and can't change our minds or come back for anything we've forgotten. So, either of you interested in aerial paintball, or a straight-line race, or an obstacle course? Or maybe hit up something more organized, or find a hill with a nice view to relax on and chat, or what?"

"Do you have any idea what a paintball would do to one of my bodybots?"

"Nope! And that's just the sort of thing I want to find out before we go. For example, if there's an emergency, how many of your bodies do I need to scoop up to rescue you?"

"A third of my current swarm. I run extremely redundantly, to make up for the relatively narrow bandwidths between bodybots compared to within a single one's computer."

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"And they let you get away with that? I mean, if your swarm got split in half, wouldn't you be breaking the anti-forking laws?"

"I'm a sapient AI, not an upload. I have a different mental architecture; my subselves are continually forking and remerging."

"Ah. Well, er, good for you, then? How about you, Guy? Any allergies we should know about, pet peeves that might send you into a murderous rampage after nine months of isolation and build-up, or favourite ice cream flavours?"

"Nope, nope, and vanilla. My medical profile is simple - I'm pure human. No implants, not even a dental filling; I'm using glasses to interface with augmented reality, instead of anything more invasive. And you, Dee? Any bad habits you haven't told anyone about?

"Hm. Well, I don't keep it a secret, and it's arguable whether it's 'bad', but my previous roomies have felt it's important I let them know that I usually spend about two and a half hours a night in fast-time, at ten-to-one. That is, I experience two subjective days for every objective day that passes, which gives me time to study and otherwise try to up-skill without losing my social connections and other real-world attachments. Just because I'm competent enough to run my business doesn't mean I'm fully informed about modern culture, after all; I've still got decades' worth of catching up to do."

"If you will be spending a full year away from your existing social connections, will you be spending more time in fast-time? If your hardware allows you ten-to-one, you could acquire a decade of education by the time you return."

"I'll admit the thought occurred to me. And I might end up trying it. But Cee, my psychotherapist, isn't in favour of me spending that long in that much isolation. She actually suggested that I put my mindstate into hibernation for the trip, and let a nonsapient AI run my body to keep it exercised and healthy, but I've got a pile of reasons not to go down that route. So we compromised on the obvious Schelling point: continuing my long-standing two-to-one ratio."

"Do you have a particular reason for informing us of this habit?"

"Mostly to explain why I may not remember the previous day as well as you might expect. Even pop-up AR reminders from a secretary AI watching through my eyes can only help so much."

"Okay, so you're going to be a socially-clueless nerd. Got it. I'm curious about those legs of yours - does being digitigrade help you run faster? Can you use your wings to give you a push?"

"I had to choose all sorts of trade-offs when I went through the design process, but I'm guessing you're less interested in hearing about bone strength-versus-weight profiles and joint leverages and checking against human average performances, than you are in the obvious test. So, short-line sprint or something longer over rougher terrain?"

"Why not both?"

"Fair enough. I'm blipping a map to you of the current recommended footpaths. Gerard, you want to join in?"

"Given our disparate physical configurations, I doubt any athletic competitions would lead to improved social bonds. There are several individuals at the local university I would like to consult with before the trip; I will go visit them."

"And off he goes. Alright, Guy, do you have any experience in landing inside a rotating cylinder? If not, I can guide you down without any buildings or trees coming up and unexpectedly kicking you into their inertial frame."

"I wouldn't have come up here if I hadn't read the manual for how to get down. Do you need a lift?"

"Well, viewers, it looks like the athletic posturing has already started. Stay tuned if you enjoy watching pumping and-or flailing limbs, otherwise, I'll see you all next time."