Chapter Twenty - Ancillia Traditions

People don't do things like they used to.

And this wasn't just the complaints of the older generation, because even they were touched by the changes.

Marriage was a strange thing in an age where space travel was more common. So was friendship and community. It was hard to build a sense of closeness with a group when that group might be literal worlds apart.

Some managed it well enough. Religions with soft, easily sellable tenets and a constant sense that you'd find like minds wherever you go. Others failed and flopped, or became insular little societies, with all of the petty infighting, arguing, fucking, and drama that one might expect.

Dating in the current century was complicated.

Ivil was aware of this, aware of the challenge, and generally didn't care. She'd done the impossible a few times throughout her career, usually at the behest of others. This wasn't impossible, merely improbable, and so she figured it would be significantly easier.

Or so she was telling herself while pacing the interior of her cabin.

The door slid open, and Sonic re-entered.

"So?" Ivil asked.

The Tech Maid adjusted her outfit slightly, then nodded to Ivil. "I have spoken to Miss Sterlingworth and secured a time and place for a meeting."

"Oh?" Ivil asked. She was impressed. After the initial planning phase (which really just boiled down to the two of them determining that Ivil would need time above all else to arrange things) they had gone on to try and think of ways in which Ivil could interact with the others.

Twenty-Six and Missy were the simplest. The first because she was always working on the ship, and the latter because her duties as first-mate would ensure that there were opportunities to talk. Daily meetings would no doubt occur during meal time as well.

That left the final, and trickiest, potential. Aurora Sterlingworth. The Phobian was well within her rights to lock herself up in her cabin and remain there for the entire trip, which would, of course, make conversation with her entirely impossible.

So Ivil had sent Sonic out to rectify that.

"What did you come up with?" Ivil asked.

"Tea, ma'am."

"Tea?" Ivil repeated.

Sonic nodded seriously. "A small course, to be served in approximately two hours. Including some small finger food from the kitchen. Sterlingworth claims to have a few things from Phobos to serve, and I have Martian tea."

"You brought tea?" Ivil asked.

Sonic shrugged. "I enjoy it? Tea making is an important part of the rites and rituals of a Tech Maid."

"I suppose so," Ivil said. "Just the three of us then?"

"Yes ma'am," Sonic said. "Seeing as how your cover story is that of a Martian professor, it will be entirely acceptable for you not to be aware of all of the customs that come with this kind of minor event."

"Customs?" Ivil asked.

Sonic paused, then nodded. "Yes? The rituals?"

"Ah."

Ivil didn't care much for that kind of thing. She barely acknowledged even the military's customs and formalities, and she spent most of her time onboard navy vessels and on military bases. Things like saluting and addressing people in the correct way, filling out the appropriate forms and so on. Those were for others to worry about.

And now that was coming around to bite her. She didn't want to look incompetent. "Can you teach me the basics?" Ivil asked.

"Certainly," Sonic said. Her flanging electronic voice was pitched up, faster.

"You sound genuinely excited about teaching me."

Sonic simply nodded. "I did mention that I put a lot of weight on my faith. My disguise might suggest that I'm pretending to be a Tech Maid, but I have studied this, and I do care about my religion's traditions. It'll be a pleasure to teach you about them. Especially since... well, no offence, ma'am, but you are something of a religious icon. While I... respect you more as a person, it'll still be nice to have you be more aware of the Adeptus Ancillia's traditions."

Ivil kept her expression neutral. She didn't need Sonic seeing her cringe. She was aware that the Tech Maids of Mars held her in a certain regard. She'd always found it somewhat disturbing to be idolised by the order. "Very well, we don't have much time, so let's just cover the basics?"

Sonic moved deeper into the room, then gestured to the wall where a fold-down set of chairs and a small table were still pressed up and out of the way. "May I?" she asked, and at Ivil's nod, she lowered the seats and table, then sat. "Our rituals may seem somewhat arcane and bizarre from an outsider's perspective."

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"Yes," Ivil agreed.

"But there are reasons for every one. Some are shrouded in a small amount of mystery, and some are traditions which have evolved over time and whose true utility is questionable at best, but for the most part, all of the traditions of the Ancillia have a reason to exist."

Ivil sat across from Sonic, gesturing for her to go on.

"There are many tenets and traditions which I won't explain now, owing to how little time we have."

"Do I need this background?" Ivil asked.

"That is a fair question. I think that given the option between teaching you the mechanical part of the tea making ritual, and teaching you the why behind it, I'd rather have you know and understand the underlying reasons for the ritual."

"Ah, I see. I might not carry them out correctly, but at least I'll be acting in good faith. And it won't imply that I'm entirely aware of the Adeptus Ancillia's entire... thing."

"Exactly. It's better to have to act as someone unfamiliar but respectable, than someone who knows the ins and outs of a tradition. If quizzed, then you can honestly say that you're only acting out of respect, rather than admitting that your entire knowledge is limited on how to act during a single, peculiar ritual."

"I understand. Go on," Ivil said.

Sonic nodded. "The Ancillia exists to support people with Cores, such as ourselves, and Miss Sterlingworth, and... maybe Missy?"

Ivil nodded. "She has a couple," she confirmed. "I don't know what they are, but they're smaller, subtle."

"Good to know. In any case, the Ancillia supports core users in several ways. Originally by cleaning and picking up after the users, taking care of their technical needs, and providing information and technological resources. Hence, Tech Maids. As the order grew into something closer to what it is now, those areas of support grew as well. Every ordained member of the order is taught the basics of psychology, especially with regards to the issues that a core-user might have."

"Ah," Ivil said. "So things like body dysphoria and the like?"

"Dysphoria is common, especially as someone grows in power." Sonic gestured to herself, to her doll mask. Ivil doubted there was anything approaching a real face under that mask, and the way Sonic moved something hinted at how she might not even have a human form anymore. "There are other issues. Narcissism is common, mood swings, difficulty connecting with peers and normal people. The tea making ritual is designed to notice these issues before they fully form."

"So it's a psychological test?" Ivil asked.

"Without the long chair and sterile environment of a psychologist's office," Sonic confirmed. "It's also just a way to keep in touch and probe at difficult questions without seeming crass or rude about it. And it helps form connections between the members. The ritual itself gives everyone something to do, even if it's just observing the ritual itself and partaking, which keeps you busy and prevents some of the awkwardness that might be present otherwise. Within the order it's actually considered one of the best ways to meet someone."

"Romantically?"

"Yes," Sonic confirmed. "Or just casually, or professionally. The goal is to assess another's mental state, which as you can imagine, is important throughout most facets of life."

Ivil nodded along. She was still uncertain of what this ritual looked like, but she supposed that Sonic wasn't entirely wrong when she said that knowing the purpose of it would help more than knowing the motions. Anything designed to help her learn more about one of her potentials, while interacting with them face-to-face, would be quite valuable.

"Dress code?" Ivil asked.

"Business casual," Sonic replied. "There's a certain standard of dress expected of a Tech Maid, but that requirement isn't extended to guests and others. Though I imagine that you wouldn't want to appear sloppy."

"No, of course not," Ivil said. She stood, then walked over to her luggage. "Right. In that case, I think I have some business attire in here."

"That should do," Sonic said. "I should head out and prepare the venue. We'll be having tea in the upper observatory room. I think it's technically the ship's server bank as well, but this is hardly a luxury ship with dedicated rooms for this sort of thing."

"We'll make do," Ivil replied. She was actually looking forward to this.

***