Tarrant squatted before her, so his face was level with her own. Right after the Kelvin got within hailing distance of the Wanderer, he said, they found one of their pilots lying unconscious in his quarters. He never regained full consciousness and, less than a day later, the other pilot suffered what initially appeared to be a seizure. Unlike the other guy, he did regain consciousness, and it rapidly became clear the Wanderer had found a way to speak to the Kelvins crew through them.

She realized that in a strange way she had been expecting something like this. Even after Tarrants dreadful act of betrayal less than a week before, there had been some part of her that still believed his actions were caused by a misguided belief that the ends justified the means. Now she understood he was in fact a monster more terrible than she could have ever imagined.

In some way, Tarrant continued, the Wanderer was able to communicate with the pilots directly, via their implants, but something about that experience blew half their synapses. The first pilot died after a couple of days, without ever waking up; the other suffered such bad epileptic attacks that they had to sedate him. He shrugged. And that was the moment it chose to attack.

So how did they get away, with their pilots compromised?

They managed to revive the surviving pilot long enough for him to jump them to safety. He wound up dead of a brain embolism just days after they arrived back at Kjregrnnested. And that, Tarrant concluded, is why we shot you with an inhibitor. It should keep the Wanderer from taking control of your higher-level machine-head functions, the way it did with the Kelvins pilots. Were going to need you well enough to get us back home, once were done here, after all.

You didnt shoot one into Bash. Why not?

Tarrant returned her look without saying anything.

No, she said, struggling to pull her wrists free. No.

Now, listen, he said, standing up once more, theres too much at stake not to have to make some sacrifices. We need to talk to the Wanderer; we need to get it to share data with us, like it did with the Meridians, if were to have any hope of salvaging the Alliance. And since youre the better pilot, that means Bash has to be our sacrificial goat.

He walked back over to the open aluminium case, and pulled out a tangle of black rubbery-looking cords all connected at one end. They looked to Megan like poisonous snakes joined at the tail.

Use me, she whispered, not him. Let me talk to the Wanderer.

He shook his head. If things dont work out as well as were hoping they will, we might find ourselves in need of those exceptional piloting skills of yours.

Please, Gregor, she begged, dont do this!