Children of Time, #3
Children of Memory
by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Contents
7.2
Overview
Miranda, Portia, Fabian and Kern board the derelict Enkidu, expecting to find evidence of the ark’s hard-won success. Instead, the team discovers vast ranks of cold-sleep pods that appear still occupied, turning Miranda’s hopeful narrative of survival into a possible mass tragedy.
The discovery destabilizes Miranda, whose longing to honor and meet the ark-born humans collides with evidence that they may never have awakened. Portia’s intervention keeps Miranda functional, while Kern’s search deepens the mystery by finding no empty capsules.
Summary
Miranda, Portia, Fabian and a Kern drone approach the damaged ark Enkidu while the ship blocks them from the settlement below. Miranda compares the ruin to the Gilgamesh and feels pride that the ark’s crew apparently survived catastrophe, repaired the vessel, and brought a human colony across interstellar distance.
Portia identifies a cargo hatch, and Fabian uses Gilgamesh deck plans to guide the boarding attempt. Before suiting up, Miranda suffers a brief fugue of old memories from another derelict-ship encounter, but Miranda forces those memories back because Miranda does not want the expedition stopped.
The team finds the hatch systems dead and cuts into the ark. Inside, the hangar is airless and strewn with cannibalized shuttles, tools and debris, suggesting the ark’s survivors stripped equipment for parts. Fabian leads the group deeper, but the Enkidu does not match his reference plans as well as expected.
They emerge into a huge cargo region filled with cold-sleep capsules. Miranda interprets the place as a historic triumph: people who slept on Earth and woke under another star. Miranda’s excitement is tied to a desire to meet the colonists, hear their stories, and perhaps incorporate one of their minds into Miranda’s own layered identity.
Portia discovers that one capsule is still occupied, and Fabian suggests it may be a system failure like those suffered by the Gilgamesh. That explanation collapses when Portia finds another occupied pod and Kern reports from farther ahead that the next compartment is the same. Miranda resists the implication because the settlement below seemed to prove success, but the endless ranks of sealed pods suggest the sleepers may all still be inside.
The revelation overwhelms Miranda’s human body and persona, triggering a panic attack that Miranda can observe but cannot stop. Portia lands on Miranda, accesses Miranda’s suit, and administers medication, allowing Miranda to calm and reintegrate. Kern reports that no empty pods have been found and advises the team to continue toward the far end of the ship.
Who Appears
- MirandaInterlocutor who boards the Enkidu, hopes for human survival, then panics at the occupied pods.
- PortiaPortiid explorer who identifies the hatch, detects occupied pods, and medicates Miranda during panic.
- FabianPortiid crewmate using Gilgamesh plans to navigate the Enkidu and interpret possible system failure.
- KernAI present through a Portiid-shaped drone, scouts ahead and reports no empty sleep capsules.