This is a podcast extra from Nature.

Every week, nature publishes a science fiction story in its futures slot.

At the end of every month, we redo our favourite.

This month's story is Cold Comforts, written by Graham Robert Scott,

published on the 5th of April and read by Charmoney Bundell.

In the recording, the audio kicks in before the video does.

Here her hears her son's voice in the background.

Start a proxy, he says.

She detects a slight tremble, hints of resignation and sorrow.

His face appears on the screen then, haggard, bristly, rings under brown eyes.

Who would you like to proxy? The ship intelligence replies.

Mum, his voice says with a crack. Dad.

Oh, Leo, she says to the screen in her booth. He can't hear her. He is, or was, almost three billion miles away,

which means he hasn't yet heard about his father. Doesn't know his father will never view this

message. At current distances, each message takes more than a week to reach its destination.

In the recording, however, it's only a second before the pseudo-intelligent proxies

engage. Leo, her own voice says on the recording, incongruously upbeat. What a pleasant surprise.

Hey, champ, says her husband's proxy.

Hey, mum, dad, Leo replies. With the proxies, her son has always been awkward,

"'an ironically poor imitation of himself.

"'He pauses, unable to make eye contact with the camera.

"'Son, her husband's proxy says,

...