Iona realized this was a memorial. The body had been preserved and left on display, as if watching over the figures. “What happened to . . . it?”

“It died from an illness during the journey. We reported back to homeworld expecting a replacement to be sent.”

“But they didn’t send one? They just left you to run the whole operation?”

“Their presence is only necessary for policy decisions. We are capable of performing all functions. Mineral deposits are delivered via the haulage chain.”

Iona blinked. “You’re stripping this planet.”

“And we will return it, as far as possible, to its natural state when we are finished.”

“I thought you were here to research it.”

“Research is a subsidiary activity. The focus is mineral extraction.”

“And you reported our presence to these deciders.”

“Yes.”

“And they told you to keep us locked up?”

“They did not respond. In the absence of guidance we treated you as native life. The protocols were clear.”

“Have you reported to them that we’re outside the dome now?”

“We report all unusual activity.”

“Did you report Alyssa’s arrival?”

“Yes.”

“And did they reply?”

“No.”

“Have they ever replied?”

“No.”

“In all the centuries since you came here and set up this . . . operation, you’ve had no contact from them at all?”

“No. In the absence of further instructions, we continue until the planet is exhausted. The protocols are clear.”

* * *

That evening Iona stood in the observation room of the dome that had previously housed the city and looked through the window into the off-white interior. So many times she’d stood on the other side of this window looking at figures, believing the world beyond the window was so much smaller than the world she lived in. But her world had always been tiny, and now it didn’t exist at all.

The dome had been shut down but Iona could tell the figures were still considering whether to reactivate it and put the humans back in once they were fully recovered from their injuries. She was preparing her argument that the figures’ protocols didn’t say they had to do this because the humans were not native life, and if their protocols said they didn’t have to do something then they shouldn’t do it. Iona rehearsed this argument repeatedly: it dominated her thoughts. But she was aware that if one followed this to its logical conclusion, the only reason the figures were keeping the humans alive was the protocols told them to preserve the native life. The humans would be left to fend for themselves and Iona was not at all confident they could. The figures would be reluctant to share any of this planet’s resources. Their protocols told them their primary function was to strip the place, and if the humans took even a small portion of what was here this could easily lead to conflict. Her ideal scenario—in which she convinced the figures to adapt one of the craft in their supply chain into a vehicle capable of making the trip to Earth—seemed remote indeed.