“I brought out a board and counters, and we played a silent two games. “Can’t you let me win a time or two?” she asked, when the second was concluded, and before I could answer a thump sounded from the upper floor and she grinned. “It looks like Lieutenant Stiff can unbend after all!” and she cast me a look intended to share the joke, her amusement at the contrast between Awn’s usual careful formality and what was obviously going on upstairs between her and Lieutenant Skaaiat. But the instant after Seven Issa had spoken, her smile faded. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it, it’s just what we…”
“I know,” I said. “I took no offense.”
Seven Issa frowned, and made a doubtful gesture with her left hand, awkwardly, her gloved fingers still curled around half a dozen counters. “Ships have feelings.”
“Yes, of course.” Without feelings insignificant decisions become excruciating attempts to compare endless arrays of inconsequential things. It’s just easier to handle those with emotions. “But as I said, I took no offense.”
I’ve been re reading Justice and I really love this exchange between Seven Issa. Justice of Toren’s crush on Awn is so obvious that Seven Issa, and presumably everyone around her, given the Radchaai penchant for gossip, feels the need to apologize for drawing attention to the fact that Awn is sleeping with Skaaiat. Like, not only does she notice it, on some level she kinda feels bad about it. There’s just something delightful about a human empathizing with a warship supercomputer about something as prosaic as an unrequited crush