With nothing to lose, Dev pressed on. “Try us. Tell me, and I will lay your problem before my companions.”

“As you wish.” Vantolos put a tentacle tip on the A'jeii’s left shoulder. Irritated, she eased away from the physical contact. “This ship …”

“A fine ship,” Dev essayed. “Vast and impressive.”

“Indeed it is,” the supervisor readily agreed. “Unfortunately, it is not ours. Or rather, it is ours, but not long ago was not.”

That wasn’t the response Dev was expecting. Not that he’d had anything specific in mind, but even so …

“I don’t understand.”

“In the matter of proprietorship,” Vantolos began, “there are some ongoing questions as to …”

Tilenyii cut him off. “No need to equivocate, Olone. It wastes time.” She returned her big-eyed gaze to the bemused human. “This vessel. We stole it.”

Dev blinked. “I’m sorry—what?”

“We seized it. From its prior owners.” The human’s continuing silence appeared to puzzle her. “Appropriated it without permission. We, everyone on board—the A'jeii, the Olone, and the Kaijank—are vested in the acquisition of well-regarded property by means demanding the least effort on our part. Am I not making myself comprehended?”

Dev stammered a reply. “Yes—no—I think yes.”

His thoughts were awhirl. So then, humankind’s first, shining, significant contact with intelligent alien sentients had been with—if he was indeed understanding the A'jeii supervisor correctly—a multispecies pack of thieves. He wondered how that revelation would go down at the United Nations.

Would have gone down, he corrected himself. Now, with Tilenyii’s unabashed admission, he saw more clearly than ever why he and his companions were not going to go home again. Earth’s first alien visitation had been for purposes of acquiring property without compensation. Just as the aliens had acquired this ship. There was no reason for Tilenyii and Syrenii and Vantolos and their companions to revisit the site of their deceitfulness.

“Let me take a guess,” he murmured. “If I understand everything correctly, there’s really only one obvious reason why you had to leave my world on such short notice. It is because the rightful owners of this ship are after you.”

“I do not believe a mastery of prescience is required to draw that conclusion.” The A'jeii had a sense of humor, Dev realized, and it was as dry as desert sand.

“You’re running,” was all he could think of to say.