White Lily

A tense spaceship captain and co-pilot set out to investigate a comet, when a technical fault cuts to the core of their relationship problem… Leon and Isobel are nearing the critical point of a long space journey. Leon relaxes, watching a hologram of blue skies and recalling a holiday he and Isobel had – but doesn’t remember one of the features she draws attention to, a vase with a white lily. The purpose of their expedition is to investigate a comet. Perhaps because of his fractiousness, Leon sets a flight path that Isobel considers dangerous, and the ship is damaged in the process of its exploration. Buoyed by the success of their trip, Leon and Isobel discuss what they’ll do when they return to Earth. Isobel gets a word wrong, and it becomes apparent there’s something is amiss – she is a holographic companion for Leon, based on the persona of a former lover, and is suffering from the same fault as the ship’s other systems. Isobel insists that Leon reboot her, but he is reluctant to do so since it will wipe her out.