A still bemused but increasingly relaxed Jakob looked over at him. “Not at all. Some things do not change much, even over very long stretches of time. One never knows what will and what will not.” His gaze returned to the bulky war machine looming over them. “It’s speaking ancient Hebrew. A revived speaking language but never an extinct one. It says it’s a golem, and that we have nothing to fear from it.”

“A what?” Still on edge, Reed was unconvinced they had nothing to fear from the hulking device.

“It’s an ancient, very ancient, bit of Jewish folklore.” His initial apprehension continuing to fade, Zimmer was now eyeing the machine with admiration. “A golem is a figure fashioned from inorganic matter, typically clay, mud, or some other kind of earth, that is brought to life through magic. It would appear that this one is made of sturdier material, though the technology involved in animating it might very well seem like magic to us.” He paused a moment, added, “In Hebrew, ‘golem’ means ‘shapeless mass.’” Deliberately, he took a step toward the colossus.

“Mr. Zimmer, I don’t think—” Dev moved to intercept him, only to find Katou-Zimmer blocking his path.

“Leave Jakob be. Let’s see what he can do. As you know, his knowledge of languages is exceptional. This is one he is familiar with since childhood.”

As Dev, Reed, and the gathering of aliens looked on, Jakob Zimmer proceeded to embark on an increasingly fluent dialogue with the automaton. It was some while before he finally turned back to his wife and companions.

“It’s quite a story. I was only able to sample a small portion of it. There are many new words and the machine had to speak simply in order for me to understand. But the gist of it is that we are safe now.” He glanced toward Syrenii, who was deep in anxious conversation with Tilenyii and several of her other assistants. “If our original hosts were planning some treachery, they will not now be able to instigate it. We are under the protection of the legitimate owners of this vessel.”

Having finally released his grip on the haft of his concealed blade, Reed looked up at the machine and nodded once. “That is one of the owners of this ship?”

Zimmer smiled. “No. Like the other automatons we have encountered, who have now been placed firmly back under the control of their owners, this one is merely another device. Another tool.”

“I see.” Advancing cautiously, Dev put out a hand and tentatively ran it over the polished, curving lower portion of the machine. It did not react to the contact. “So our safety is now ensured thanks to the intervention of a bunch of Jewish robots.”

“Something like that.” Zimmer put a hand on the younger man’s shoulder. “We can all relax now.”