“Not ‘worthy’ of me?” Reed scowled at the older man. “What do you know of what’s worthy of me? For that matter, what do you really know of me? You ever been shot at, Jakob?” When the scientist failed to reply, Reed nodded knowingly. “I thought not. I have been, multiple times. I could show you some scars, but this isn’t school and we’re way past show-and-tell. Ever had someone try to run you off a road in Cyprus? India? That’s happened to me. Then there was the time this rat-faced little guy tried to poison me in Yekaterinburg. But I’m still here. I’ve paid my dues. More than paid them. As a dutiful government employee and as a human being. So, excuse my presumption if I do think this opportunity is worthy of me. And speaking frankly, even though none of you have had the kinds of experiences that I have, confrontations that nearly resulted in my death on multiple occasions, whether you believe it or not, as a consequence of this journey, the three of you are worthy as well.”

Katou-Zimmer’s response was softly voiced. “What will you do, Gavin, if we continue to decline to participate in your proposal?”

“What will I …?” He stopped, discerning her implication. “Yeah, I could do something, I suppose. None of you could stop me. I’ve killed before. It’s part of my job description.” A slight shudder ran through Dev even though the big man was not looking in his direction. “But I wouldn’t do anything, Chiasa.” The grin that creased his face was twisted. “Because despite what you may think, I have a soul. Bluffing to gain an advantage is one thing. Killing to do so is entirely something else.” He paused for a moment to eye each of them in turn.

“You’re not just my colleagues: you’re my friends. I do have boundaries. I do know when and where to draw the line. You’re safe from me. I hope you’re as safe with your final decisions.” Looking back as he spoke, he headed toward the wall that provided an on-demand egress. “I don’t know when we’ll reach Earth. None of the pods in my cabin will tell me. Best I can get out of the AI is ‘soon.’ I don’t know if that’s referencing alien chronology or ours. So hopefully, you all have some time to ponder my proposal. The choice seems pretty clear-cut to me. We go back to our regular jobs and lives, or we take a chance on enjoying a life of luxury. And respect. Especially respect. And nobody gets hurt.” His final glance settled on Katou-Zimmer.