Where were the builders? a frustrated Dev wondered as he lay pondering. What were the builders? Or was the ship now in the possession and under the control of a civilization composed entirely of intelligent machines? He had read plenty of stories that delved into just such a possibility. None of them had provided a roadmap for coping with the reality. Especially when one had to figure into the situation the fact that he and his friends were confronting a bevy of intelligent machines that had acquired a functional knowledge of an ancient human language.

The answers to some of his questions were provided by Jakob Zimmer when the four of them gathered in the Zimmers’ quarters for the second of the day’s meals. They could, and did, sometimes eat alone, but the time for that had passed. In order to share means of survival, they now had to share knowledge. Unfortunately, it was only Jakob and to a lesser extent Chiasa who had any to share. Reed made clear right away that he had nothing other than his own irritation to contribute.

“They’re turning my quarters upside down.” Seated in the single chair in the Zimmers’ cabin, the big man looked unhappy despite the size of the synthesized sandwich he was masticating. “Going through everything I’ve managed to accumulate. Stuff I planned to take home with me. A synthetic alien drinking cup will be worth a fortune on Earth no matter what material it’s made out of.”

Katou-Zimmer eyed him appraisingly. “So, does that mean, Gavin, you’ve given up any thoughts of bluffing your way into a position of power and endless free lunch?”

He sighed resignedly and took another massive bite of his food. “Honestly? I haven’t decided. The A'jeii were going to put us back on the ground near Houston and then disappear into the firmament. Could be that these machines are going to do likewise. If that’s the case, then the opportunity for me—for us—to solidify our standing among our fellow simians is still there. But everything’s in abeyance, including what I might try to do, until we see what our new Tinkertoy overlords have in mind for us.”

“There is one thing we need not worry about,” Jakob said. Dev perked up as the older man delicately nibbled on a fake wheat cracker. “I have spoken to several of the devices.”

“So, you can still talk to them.” Reed sought confirmation. “And they still understand you? You can have a two-way conversation?”