“Let him go, Chiasa. He is determined to see his crazy through to its end. He will speak to the mechanicals, if they will even listen to what he has to say. They will tell him the same thing that the A'jeii told us: that there are no large weapons on this ship. He will realize that one cannot make such a grandiose threat as he proposes without the means to back it up, as he has already admitted that bluffing will not work.” He stepped back from her. “Then he will rejoin us, we will maybe have something to eat, and afterwards each of us can prepare for our repatriation home in our own way.” He smiled reassuringly. “You worry overmuch.”

She sniffled slightly. It might be, Dev reflected, the first sign of real vulnerability the redoubtable Katou-Zimmer had exhibited since they had been taken from Earth.

“He’s my husband. This isn’t like him. He’s a gentle, compassionate man.”

Reed crossed his arms. “I’ve known some gentle, compassionate men who, when the circumstances warranted, and the situation was right, fell straight into cold-blooded killer mode.”

Dev glared back at him. “You are not helping, Gavin.” He looked back at Katou-Zimmer. “There is nothing to worry about, Chiasa. He will get this nonsense out of his system and that will be the end of it.”

Looking up, she put a hand on his arm and squeezed gently. “Thank you, Dev. Yet again I see why you were given this assignment. You are wise beyond your years.”

No, he thought. Just flexible as the circumstances require.

She wasn’t finished. “Maybe you can do something about it besides console me.” She pointed toward the wall that abutted the corridor. “Go after him. Tell him you’ve joined him only to keep him company, that you’re curious to see what will happen when he talks to the golems.”

“I am curious to see what will happen when he talks to the golems—the robots. But like I already said: if he will not listen to you, why would he listen to …?”

She interrupted before he could finish. “You’re not married, Dev. It’s one reason why you were selected for this mission. If you were married, you would understand.” She sighed. “Sometimes the closer you are to a person, the less likely you are to listen to what they have to say. I know it sounds contradictory, but often that’s how life is.” She nodded toward the wall. “Go on, go after him. I imagine he’s headed toward the bridge, though I suppose he can speak to any of the machines he encounters no matter where he might find them. I suspect they are all in constant communication with one another.”

Uncomfortable with the prospect, he turned toward Reed. “Gavin, why don’t you go?”