I never thought I’d ever leave Zero. But after knowing Cricket, it occurred to me that I had no reason to stay. I had no family, no friends aside from her. I never even spoke to ENSAI until she brought us together. It was she who first inspired me to dream of actually seeing those worlds I spent my every waking moment reading about. She and her wild heart, her laughing spirit, so bright in her eyes whenever she spoke of her travels and all the wondrous places she had seen. When I was a boy, I envied her for her adventures. When I became a man, I only pitied her.

The Infinite Athenaeum