Her husband turned contemplative. “The aliens quickly learned our language. They knew what kind and variety of organics to demand from us. We do not know what else about us they studied and learned.” Reaching out, he plucked a small tomato from the slope of her salad and popped it into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. “A bit tasteless, but otherwise indisputably tomato. All synthesized and delivered on demand via a request couched in plain English.”

“You say tomato,” Reed grumbled, “I say I want to go home.”

“You heard Vantolos.” Like a bad odor, depression was spreading from Reed to Pavesi. “No way. No chance. And no explanation.”

It was a conundrum Dev had pondered as intensely as the rest of them. Unlike them, his pondering had generated an idea. “That’s what Vantolos told us, yes. Maybe another member of the crew would respond differently.” His gaze met each of theirs in turn. “No harm in asking.”

“Vantolos might not like us questioning his responses,” Katou-Zimmer pointed out.

Reed rose from the edge of his pod chair. “Who gives a damn what the squid thinks?”

Her husband gestured forcefully in Reed’s direction. “We might do well to avoid giving voice to casual insults. For all we know we may be under constant surveillance. It’s possible that …”

Reed’s voice overwhelmed that of the older man. “I don’t give a damn if they hear me! What’re they going to do—chuck us overboard? Or outboard? We’re going to die anyway. Until then or until they otherwise somehow shut us down, we might as well explore everything resembling an option that we’ve got.” Eyeing Dev, he nodded once. “What did you have in mind? Asking the captain, that little Syrenii creature?”

“Not exactly, no.” Moving to the west wall, Dev traced a circle on its surface. Immediately, an image of the void outside appeared. “Since the ship itself has proven so responsive to our needs and requests, I was thinking of asking it. Or at least querying a pod.” He smiled hopefully. “One pod responds to requests for food, another to requests for fluids. Maybe one will respond to queries for information.”

Zimmer’s cheeks bunched up as he smiled. “That, my young friend, is a brilliant idea! The pods provide sleeping facilities, hygienic services, and nourishment. Why not answers to questions?”

Suddenly hopeful, Pavesi was nodding agreement. “All it can do is ignore us.” She straightened. “And if our inquiries are reported to the control center, to Syrenii or Vantolos or even the Kaijank, I’m with Gavin.” She nodded in Reed’s direction. “We’re already doomed, sooner or later. Let’s see what we can find out about options Vantolos may not have mentioned.”

“Or deliberately chose not to mention,” Reed added.