Set in the same universe as The Tea Master and the Detective. It is intriguing but sad, and I wonder if I’d appreciate it more if I read more of de Bodard’s stories and understood the context better.

A few comments on this story and the wider Xuya universe can be found here. ( )

In an alternate future world ruled by China, a space ship designer, having problems with her lover, gets a bigger problem when a pregnant woman arrives. She is ahead of schedule to give birth to a new ship's 'soul'. ( )