It did not feel as Issac had expected, his feet still planted on Atrix’s palm. He looked up towards Atrix who had very gently applied pressure from her toes to the floor, causing her to rise very slowly into the air. A smile spread across her lips, her pearly white teeth gleaming brightly and her eyes alive with excitement as she experienced the absence of weight. His shirt did not grip his shoulders and he could feel his hair swaying around his head as they moved upwards as if he were underwater. 

“This is amazing!” Atrix finally said, her eyes shifting down as her feet were now several feet from the floor below. “This is how it should be all the time!” 

Issac laughed, “It would be fun. But not very good for our bones, you see-” 

Atrix shushed him before he could go on into explaining the importance of gravity, “I’m sure there are good reasons.” She said with a sigh, though her beaming smile returned quickly. As she approached the midway point between the floor and the ceiling a thought struck her, “So how do I get down?” 

Issac was starting to feel a little nervous as they now hung much higher in the air than he had ever been before, “Well, we could push off the ceiling, or there should be enough friction in the air that you could basically swim around. I think.”

Atrix scrunched her lips as she processed Issac’s words. She lifted her free arm and held it out from her side and started to make a paddling motion with emphasis on the up stroke. She gasped as she started to tilt to the right, “Um Issac, help?” She said before bursting into a fit of giggles. 

Issac felt his stomach drop as her hand rotated beneath him. In an attempt to gain some balance he must have put too much weight against her palm and suddenly he was floating. “What can I do?!” He nearly shouted watching as the safe haven of her palm fell away from him as he drifted off in a horizontal trajectory, Atrix now starting to spin in an enormous cartwheel. The fear of falling faded quickly to an uproar of laughter, perhaps a defense mechanism, he blurted out the obvious, “We’re flying!” 

“I know!” Atrix boasted before resuming her laughter, she was completely upside down now working her way round and round in a clockwise motion. She dipped her head to her chest as she noticed Issac was no longer near her hand, “Issac?”

“What?” Issac asked, he had drifted about twenty feet from her now, he clumsily waved his arms and kicked his legs until he was facing towards Atrix as he floated towards the wall that held her bed. 

“Oh there you are. I lost you!” She said, now trying to regain some control of herself. She managed to stop her cartwheeling and face herself with her feet towards the floor again. Her eyes focused on the small figure moving away from her, now over her bed. “You’re so far away!” She called out to him, she continued to play with her arms and legs, getting a better grip on how to control herself. 

Issac laughed, watching as Atrix twisted and twirled in the air. It was almost astonishing how quickly her movements went from awkward and random to purposeful and graceful. He was so caught up in the display that he was taken by surprise when his back suddenly collided with the wall, nearly knocking the air from his lungs. The collision sent him ever so slightly back in the other direction. His first reaction was to turn towards the wall and try to grip something to hold himself in place, but soon his hands gripped empty air. He turned back towards Atrix, who continued to twirl in circles around herself, her eyes closed and a content smile creasing her lips. He watched her hands, the way they cupped the air in her palms to generate more force more accurately. He mimicked her gestures and soon found himself spinning out of control. His arms waved back and forth until his momentum slowed. 

Atrix opened her eyes, her body tingling from the excitement of such a new experience. She glanced around, realizing she was upside down, at least by the definition of the rooms construction. After all there was no up or down here in space, it was all relative to where the ship was created. She spun herself towards where she had last seen Issac, her grin broadening as he seemed so out of his element floating in the air. His arms waved around awkwardly and his legs kicked out randomly until he seemed to get himself under control, then suddenly another movement would send him spinning again. A smile rarely seemed so natural to her, she couldn’t wipe it away even if she tried. So he really is awkward. She thought to herself. Ever since she had known Issac he had always seemed so sure and composed. He always told her he was a wreck, yet she never believed him. 

“Having trouble?” She asked. She positioned herself horizontally with her stomach facing the floor and proceeded to swim her way, for lack of a better term, over towards him. 

Issac blushed slightly, every time he seemed to get it under control he lost it again. A shadow soon overtook him, he looked up as Atrix drifted over him, like a larger spacecraft passing a smaller one. “I’ll get it.” He assured her. “Not all of us can be kung fu masters like you.” 

“Kung fu?” Atrix asked. She tilted her head towards the floor and kicked her legs so that she would move downwards. Her arms reached out as she prepared to touch the floor. 

“Like martial arts? I don’t know the Neko word, but that...fighting, stuff. You do.” He forced an awkward laugh, hoping not to offend her by putting her school of mind and body so plainly. “Cho...Choot...”

“Just call it Cho.” Atrix said with a giggle. Her fingers gripped the floor, suspending her in a sort of hand stand position. 

“Yes, that.” Issac said, watching as Atrix slipped over him, her tail hanging limply in the air just within arms reach, nearly tickling him on the nose with its fur. He was having a little trouble pushing Grace’s comment out of his head now, surely she would be jealous to see him and Atrix playing games. “It’s got to help you a little bit here.” 

“Jo!” Atrix said with a gasp before bursting into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. “Oh my gosh Issac do you see him! Under the bed!” 

Issac tried to turn in that direction to see the large, though small to Neko, animal brushing along the bottom of the bed. Jo did not exactly seem frightened, or even confused. He sniffed at the air and paddled his stub like legs which propelled him ever so slowly forward towards the rest of the room. 

“Jo you’re flying!” Atrix continued to coo between her bubbly giggles.

Issac laughed, it was indeed a ridiculous display of adorableness. He started to lose control again however, his arm reached out and took hold of a handful of fur. As he did Atrix pulled herself along the floor, lurching Issac’s stomach into his throat as he accelerated, having to take hold of her tail with both arms to hold on as it swept through the air as Atrix completed her somersault. Unconsciously he let out a loud yell as he skimmed mere feet from the hard floors, his stomach dropped from his throat to his groin as the tail swooped back up high into the air.

“Issac?” Atrix asked, her eyes darting from side to side as she examined the patch of empty space he used to be contained in. “What happened?” She asked with a gasp. 

“I-” Issac started, out of breath, “I took a ride on your tail.” 

Atrix arched her neck and swept her tail to the side carefully so she could see. Her cheeks warmed, yet she laughed again seeing Issac holding onto her tail. “Are you alright?” 

“It was kind of fun, actually.” Issac said. “Like a roller coaster.” 

“Roller coaster?” Atrix asked.

“Like a ride. It has big metal tracks that sends you through loops and big drops.” 

Atrix shook her heads, “We don’t have anything like it. I wish we did though!” She suddenly flicked her tail towards her, grinning widely as Issac was flung into the air.  

Issac yelled out again, watching as Atrix’s face approached rapidly, her palm opening next to it. He hit her hand with a bit of force, but her flesh was soft and absorbed much of the impact. “Wow.” He said, turning over so he was face to face with her, her large gray eyes filling most of his vision. He admired the patterns not visible from far away that spread over the moist pool of her eye, and the reflection of himself staring back at him. 

“Was that fun too?” She asked, feeling oddly glad to have him in her palm again. 

“Definitely. You could be an amusement park ride.” He held out his arms on either side of his head, “Atrix...The Zero G Experience.” 

Atrix laughed, though quickly covered her mouth as to not send too much hot air over her friend. They grew silent, and she was suddenly uncomfortable again. She realized she had been staring at him for several seconds straight, not exactly an easy feat for her especially during an awkward silence so she quickly averted her gaze. 

Issac too felt the uneasiness so he quickly thought up a conversation, “So like I was saying before I took my tail ride. Your training must help you out at least a little in here.” 

Atrix leaned back a little and moved her hand away from Issac’s back so she was not speaking directly into his face, “Maybe.” She said. “I suppose much of our training goes into body control, and mind control.” 

“Mind control? Like trying to get people to do things with their mind?” Issac asked with a crooked grin. 

“What? No.” She said with a laugh, “Like...medi...medita? What’s that word?”

Issac stared at her blankly for a few moments until he realized what she was trying to say, “Oh right, meditation, like the first time we talked in the engine room. Yeah.” 

Atrix nodded, she was almost surprised he even remembered their first meeting. She recalled how she predicted after that first encounter there wouldn’t be very many more. “Yes that.” 

“I’d like to try it sometime. Seems nice.” Issac said, reaching his hands back behind his head. 

“Maybe...Maybe we can do it together sometime.”

“You’ll teach me how to do it?” Issac asked. 

“Me?” 

“Who else.” Issac said. 

“Well...I suppose I could try.” Atrix said, prodding her lower lip with her finger. “I’ve never taught anything to anyone before.” 

“I bet you’ll do great.” Issac said, “Why don’t we try it now? This seems like the place to do it.” 

Atrix blushed. She was nervous she would look foolish trying to teach him something that she had only really mastered several cycles ago. But she couldn’t refuse him, for some reason, and he had a point. The weightlessness seemed like it would be a great environment to mediate in. “Okay.” 

“Awesome.” Issac said with a grin. “Where do we start.” 

Atrix turned herself so she was facing Issac again, his body hanging just below her chin. “Calm your body.” She said, trying to recollect certain phrases she had heard from her own instructors, and Prila. She pulled her legs up and tucked them beneath her as if she were sitting on the floor, and curled her tail into her lap with her hands. She smiled as Issac mimicked her position. “It’s important not to move, at least with this form of meditation.” 

“I see.” Issac said. He tried to relax his muscles, which was a little difficult as there was some left over adrenaline in his veins from his trip soaring through the air at high speeds. 

“Next, we breath. Purposefully.” She said as she closed her eyes. She felt like she was doing very well, though doubted she would be comfortable with anyone else. 

Issac closed his eyes, listening as Atrix took a deep breath, he followed suit. 

“Start to forget about everything else. Your body, your thoughts, your belongings. Just focus on breathing.” 

Issac nodded, he continued to fight the urge to fidget as he focused his attention to his nostrils and his lungs. Feeling as the cool air flowed in, and the warm air flowed out. Questions and ideas kept popping into his mind that he tried to throw away with each exhale. Slowly his thoughts slowed down, and what thoughts did crop up seemed more meaningful. Images of home flashed in his minds eye, he briefly recalled how it was starting to feel as if he were under the influence of the same drugs that took hold of him while he laid atop La’ala’s tongue. It was difficult to maintain the silent images and meaningful feelings, but slowly he felt like he was starting to get the hang of it. Yet with that awknolagement he lost it yet again. Perhaps twenty or more minutes would pass before he hardly even realized he was trying to meditate at all, he was sort of just floating there breathing with the occasional thought or picture rising in his mind. They were not distracting thoughts, just thoughts that crashed in and faded away like waves on the beach. There was a sort of sound in his ears that reminded him of the beach as well. A sort of rushing sound, followed by a pause, followed by a more subtle rush. The sound grew more intense and it almost seemed to stir over his hair and clothes. 

As the trancelike state snapped he opened his eyes, hardly able to comprehend what he saw as light flooded back into his world, or lack there of it in a peculiar circle over his head. As a sudden, powerful gust of wind blew by him towards the opening he realized he was staring straight into Atrix’s nostril, who had been slowly rotating towards him as she had been meditating. There was not much Issac could do to stop himself from being pulled upwards. His head was pulled inside, his narrow shoulders barely keeping him from being pulled deeper. He reached out and took hold of the skin outside of her nose and he tried to push himself the other way.

Atrix’s eyes opened in shock as she felt a very strange tickling in her nose. She gasped as she too realized what happened, her hand frantically reaching up to pluck Issac away. Her chest grew heavy as her blood ran to her cheeks and ears, her eyes felt ready to glaze over with tears as she held him out before herself. “S-S” She stammered. 

Issac looked towards her eyes, her nose and mouth covered with her other trembling hand. He took a few seconds to put all the events together in his mind, then he smiled. “It’s fine.” He said, once again running through the event before he started to laugh. 

Atrix continued to stare as he started laughing. Was he making fun of her? How terrible for this to have happened. Just when things seemed to be going so well. How many weeks before she could show her face to him again? Probably never...

“Atrix.” Issac said, noticing her gaze seemed to be looking past him now, darting from side to side. “Atrix.” He repeated a little louder. He grew nervous as she was unresponsive. Her grip on his sides seemed to loosen, “Atrix.” He said again, a clear fog growing over her eyes. He wasn’t sure what to do, nor was he sure if what he was about to do was the right thing, but he pushed off her thumb so he would drift to her cheek. He gripped the bridge of her nose and placed a hand on her cheek, “Atrix.” He repeated. Now she blinked, he felt a trickle of moisture run down over his hand.

Atrix moved her head back again, feeling the little patch of warmth leaving her face. “Sorry.” She whispered. She wiped her hand under her eye and left it there so he would not see any more tears. 

“Don’t be!” Issac tried to assure her. “It was funny, really. If anything I should be embarrassed.” 

Atrix listened to his words and covered her eyes completely with her hand.

“Come on, Atrix.” Issac cooed, “You know you want to laugh.” 

Atrix shook her head, “No.” She said, though the corners of her mouth seemed to be attached to string as they slowly drew upwards. 

Issac smiled now, feeling as if he was reaching her, “I see a smile.” 

“No.” She continued, though a quick laugh escaped her throat almost sounding more like a quiet cough. 

“You don’t have to be polite. You can laugh at me. It will only hurt my feelings a little bit.” Issac said, now grinning broadly. 

“I almost inhaled you.” Atrix said. 

“Funny, right? I’m lucky you don’t breath out your mouth, I could have finally passed my initiation.” 

Atrix finally drew her hand away from her eyes as she tried to wipe away any of the moisture that had gathered on her cheek. She inhaled deeply, feeling the squirming in her chest finally start to fade away. She stared at him for a moment before she finally started laughing. 

~ ~ ~ ~ 

Kikata sat on a stool overlooking the human balcony, her eyes transfixed on their newest crew member, “So how are you adjusting?” She asked. 

Nichole shrugged her shoulders, “Good, I guess. Where’s Richard?” 

“Taking a nap I believe. That’s something you’ll find yourself doing more frequently around here.” 

Nichole smiled, “I am not surprised. The body needs sleep. I actually took a university course all about healthy sleep patterns, a large portion was spent on space travel.” 

“Ah.” Kikata said, “You know a doctor will prove quite useful around here. I’m sure Richard will find a way to injure himself again one of these days. And sorry again, erm, about the other night.” 

Nichole laughed, “Oh it was all in good fun.” 

“We never expected someone to jump into my mouth willingly.” Kikata said shaking her head. 

Nichole shrugged, “You know, I guess I am at a point in my life where I don’t want to say no to anything.” 

Kikata nodded, “I know what you mean. I won’t bother to ask your age.” 

“Let’s go with not twenty anymore.” Nichole said with a smirk. “Crazy to think that I nearly thought I was ready to settle down.” 

“Mmm.” Kikata hummed, “Sometimes I think I’m about ready too, but I don’t think I’m ready to give up on the excitement yet.” 

“Right?” Nichole continued, “Back when I was with Greg, my ex, I thought we would never have to settle down. You know, getting on a ship and moving to a new planet was exciting. And then it wasn’t. All the sudden we were looking at marriage and talking about possible kids. I guess lucky for me I got a glimpse of some of his true colors.”

“You have no idea how closely I relate to that.” Kikata said with a sigh. 

“Then I recalled, I think the most excited I was, was when I was on the ship to the new planet. Once we landed things started slowing down.” 

“There is something about the stars that draws you back.” Kikata said. “Some people don’t get it.” 

“I totally get it.” Nichole said. “Up here it feels like anything can happen.” 

Kikata smiled, she felt a certain sisterhood with this new friend. There really was something intangible about being up here that just makes her tick. 

“So where are the other two?” Nichole asked, leaning back into her chair. 

Kikata glanced around the room, she had noticed Atrix and Issac spending a lot of time in the community quarters lately, “Who knows.” 

“Are they...you know?” Nichole asked, poking the tips of her index fingers together. 

Kikata laughed and shook her head, “I don’t think so.” 

“Oh.” Nichole said, “It wouldn’t surprise me. I had a feeling from the moment I met them together.” 

Kikata sighed, “I’m not sure Atrix would be looking for anything like that. With her social condition and all. I’m mostly glad she has managed to become friends with him at all.” 

“Ah.” Nichole said, “It’s kind of sad, she is such a pretty thing. I don’t specialize in psychological disorders, but I understand that it must be very hard on her.” 

~ ~ ~  ~

“You know what meditating kind of reminded me of?” Issac said, he and Atrix now laid with their backs flat against the ceiling. 

“What?” Atrix asked. 

“Well, you know La’ala right?” 

“Sort of.” Atrix said. 

“Well when we visited her she introduced me to this like, drug, it was actually a pretty wild experience.” 

Atrix turned her head towards Issac, “What did you do?” 

“Well, you had to smoke it. So she has this whole tattoo on the roof of her mouth that glows in the dark, and well I sat on her tongue while she breathed in the smoke or vapor or whatever.” 

“Oh.” Atrix felt her cheeks growing warm. 

“Well the drug sort of gave me a similar feeling, I was so focused, yet I wasn’t really focused on anything in particular.”

“You were in her mouth?” Atrix asked a little shocked. 

“Well yeah, at first. Then I was all over her, looking at her tattoos and stuff.” 

Atrix couldn’t quite explain this new sensation on her chest, “Did you guys...”

“What?”

“Well you know.” She said, feeling strange just trying to ask it. 

“Oh! No, we didn’t.” Issac laughed, “I don’t have the skills Richard does.” 

“Oh.” Atrix said, sighing slightly, “So wasn’t there something we were supposed to talk about before the whole zero gravity started?” 

Issac rubbed his chin, “Oh yeah, Grace.” 

“Yeah!” Atrix said, “You had something to tell me that she wasn’t supposed to hear you say.” She was generally not one for gossip, yet she desperately wanted to know the secret now.

“Right, hm. How do I go about saying this.” Issac said continuing to rub his chin, “She uh, well, tried to seduce me.” 

“Seduce you...” Atrix said, vaguling recalling that words meaning, “You mean she wanted too...” 

“Yeah. It was very awkward. I’m not quite sure how she got those feelings. But she seems to be quite attached to me now. She’s even jealous of you.” 

“Of me?” Atrix asked, her cheeks and ears grew warm again. 

“Yeah. I guess she sort of sees you as a threat, which is ridiculous.” 

“Right, yeah.” She said softly. 

“I suppose it might have been a mistake to convince a robot mind it was female, I guess sexuality is bound to crop up as she fills out her personality. I hope it passes soon, it will certainly make things interesting.” 

“You’re not going too...well...” Atrix asked, she felt nervous and she wasn’t quite sure why. 

“Issac laughed, “No, no I do not think so. For several hundred reasons probably that would be a bad idea.” 

“I see. I wouldn’t know.” Atrix said, forcing a laugh. She suddenly felt an urge to get out of the room, “Hey, you want to see if the others are around? I’m kind of getting hungry.” 

“Sure, me too actually.” Issac said. 

Atrix gently cupped her hand to the ceiling over Issac, letting him take hold of her thumb before she pushed herself towards the floor. She wondered just what the hell had suddenly taken over her emotions. She felt an uncomfortableness in her chest that was unfamiliar to her. Then suddenly the realization dawned on her. 

~ ~ ~ ~ 

“I think I’m jealous of the ships computer.” Atrix blurted about an hour later in her room. Kikata had stopped by while they waited for their food to cook, who now stared at her with raised brows. She didn’t know why she said it, but she had to tell someone. She couldn’t handle these thoughts internally, and Kikata was the best available option, clearly she couldn’t talk about it with Issac. 

“You...” Kikata started, “What?” 

Atrix covered her face with her hands, “Oh god...” 

“Atrix, what do you mean, jealous of the ships computer?” 

“Well, Issac told me something...You can’t tell him, or anyone, not even Richard, that I told you this.” 

“I promise.” Kikata said, sitting down on the bed beside Atrix. “Now, why?” 

“The ship tried to have sex with Issac, or something. He said it had gotten really attached to him.” 

Kikata’s first instinct was to laugh, but she quickly covered her mouth, “Really?” She asked. 

Atrix sighed, realizing now how stupid it all sounded, “That’s what he told me.” 

Kikata thought it over for a moment, maybe Nichole’s instincts were more accurate than Kikata had imagined. “So, okay. I...well. I’m sure it’s just a glitch or something.” 

“It’s not just that the computer did that.” Atrix said, “It’s the fact that I’m jealous. This isn’t supposed to happen to me. This is the one thing I have always been a little glad I would never have to deal with.” 

Kikata placed a hand on Atrix’s back, “You’re not a machine, Atrix, you have emotions.” 

“Not those emotions.” Atrix fell to her back on the mattress and sighed heavily through her lips. “Why now, of all times.” 

“Well, these things happen. I never thought in a million years something like Richard and I would ever happened, and well here we are.” 

“This is different.” Atrix insisted, “I can’t handle this. Even if Issac felt the same way, which he doesn’t-”

“How can you be so sure? Why wouldn’t he?” Kikata asked.

“Just trust me, I know. He practically told me so himself. Because the computer is jealous of me too, and he said that’s just ridiculous.” 

“I think he meant-” 

“Trust me, I was there.” Atrix said again. “And I don’t even want to feel this way. I was perfectly happy being friends. I never get to have many friends like him, and now...” She sighed again. 

Kikata rose from the bed, “Well maybe it’s just a passing thing. I can’t tell you what to do. But the meal should be ready so stop moping around and let’s eat. You’ll see, everything will be fine.”