Jakob nodded. “Somewhat, although it is difficult. As I noted earlier, there are many new words whose meaning I do not know but which I try to infer, and others whose meaning has changed over the centuries. In this, mutual understanding is no different from trying to speak old English. There are words I can recognize that now mean something very different from the original. But despite the barriers, I am managing. And, I would hope, becoming more fluent. Or at least more facile.”

“What is it we don’t need to worry about?” Dev slipped a rolled-up section of faux cheese naan into his mouth.

Zimmer looked over at him. “The devices understand that we are captives on this stolen vessel. Or rather that we were captives. That is no longer the case. We are free to move about the ship as we see fit.”

Reed glared over his sandwich. “We’ve always been pretty free to move around the ship. I’m sick of moving around the ship. I want to move around a mall, and a supermarket, and the Baltimore waterfront. What I want to know is: are they going to take us home?”

“Oh yes,” Jakob informed him cheerfully. “As soon as they have fully reintegrated the necessary commands and components into this craft’s systems, they will be returning us to Earth. In fact, they are very much looking forward to it, since they trace their origin to Earth as well.”

Dev nearly swallowed his naan. “That would explain their knowledge of old Hebrew, but not how and why they choose to utilize it as a means of interspecies communication.”

Chiasa was toying with a salad, every leaf of which had been synthesized from an extensive menu of organic components. “That’s because, according to Jakob, their originators came from Earth. Those originators are not here themselves because the devices sent out to look for and recover this ship are wholly mechanical. But if the golems—excuse me, if the robots—are being truthful, then those who built the vessel we are on, the ship the mechanicals arrived in, and the mechanicals themselves, all owe their existence to a people who dwell far from here.” She glanced over at her husband. “Very far indeed.”

“I’m still confused.” Reed turned to her spouse. “I don’t suppose you got any further clarification from the machines?”

“As a matter of fact, I did. The mechanicals were very forthcoming, although it took several attempts to ensure that I was understanding them correctly.” Jakob nibbled down the last of his cracker, plucked another from the bowl resting in his lap. “It turns out that we—our species—has known a number of the details from the beginning. We just haven’t had the proper perspective with which to interpret something already recorded.”

Dev frowned. “Recorded where?”

“In the Bible.” Jakob set aside the bowl of synthetic crackers. “Have you ever heard of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel?”