On a Red Station, Drifting by Aliette de Bodard

Linh finds the missing mem-implants and returns them to Quyen. The Emperor’s Embroidered Guard arrives at Prosper Station in search of Linh. Quyen is able to repair the Honoured Ancestress, restoring her functionality at the expense of erasing many of her memories. Hieu attempts suicide out of shame, but Linh rescues him. In doing so, she reveals that Hieu is trying to leave Prosper. In an effort to hurt Quyen, Linh writes an unflattering poem at a banquet honoring Oanh. A visiting cousin, Lady Oahn, provides schematics for the repair of the Honoured Ancestress. Linh is upset knowing that she will never be able to leave.

Hieu plans use the money from the sale of the implants to leave Prosper and marry his lover on a different station.

Meanwhile, the Honoured Ancestress experiences increasingly severe technical problems. Quyen’s brother-in-law Huu Hieu sells his mem-implants, which are copies of their ancestors’ consciousnesses. Quyen and Linh immediately fall into conflict. Lê Thi Quyen, Linh’s cousin by marriage, manages the day-to-day operations of Prosper while her husband is away at war. Prosper is controlled by an artificial intelligence called the Honoured Ancestress. Linh seeks refuge with her distant relatives on Prosper Station. At the same time, rebel groups seize control of her planet and kill most of her subordinates. Lê Thi Linh is a magistrate of the Dai Viet Empire who is forced to flee her planet after criticizing the Emperor’s wartime policies. It received critical acclaim, becoming a finalist for the 2012 Nebula Award for Best Novella, the 2013 Hugo Award for Best Novella, and the 2013 Locus Award for Best Novella. Set in her Xuya Universe, it focuses on two women aboard a space station with a failing artificial intelligence. On a Red Station, Drifting is a 2012 science fiction novella by Aliette de Bodard.

On a Red Station, Drifting by Aliette de Bodard