“As fast and as far as this most excellent ship’s drive will take us,” the supervisor admitted readily. “The owners are noted for their persistence. They will not rest until they have reclaimed their property.” Another succinct yet elaborate hand gesture described arcs in the air between A'jeii and human. “Which means that we cannot rest, either. Not until we have succeeded in removing ourselves from their attention. Doing so will require much fretful traveling, some of it to regions little known and scarcely explored.” Unexpectedly, a small hand reached toward Dev. Two fingers drew a line down the front of his torso, halting at his waistline.

“We are not evil, those of us who are presently crewing this craft. At worst, we might be regarded as less than sociable.” She glanced sideways. “Certainly that applies to the Olone. But you see now why we could not linger in the vicinity of your world, your system. Not even to return you to your surface.”

Dev nodded understandingly, assuming that if the aliens could so easily master human speech, they must also have acquired at least some minimal understanding of human gestures.

“Would you—would you really have destroyed some of our cities if we had not complied with your demands?”

“Destroyed your …?” Tilenyii hesitated only briefly. “Oh, that. Certainly not. Do you think us uncivilized?” She looked over again at the plainly irritated Vantolos. “Words make powerful weapons, especially when utilized by an overbearing Olone. But they cause no real damage, end no actual lives. Besides,” and her attention returned to Dev, “we don’t know if this ship mounts any serious armaments. It is possible, but perhaps unlikely. Insofar as we have been able to determine, it is a large and valuable but essentially straightforward transport vessel. The only weapons we ourselves possess are similar to those few you saw carried by the Kaijank who accompanied Vantolos on his visits to your surface.”

Dev was reeling. Not only were their captors thieves but …

“You were bluffing. All your demands, all your threats, were nothing but—bluff.”

Tilenyii’s mouth twisted slightly, though whether the impetus behind it was a smile, a frown, or something else, Dev could not tell. Confirming what Dev had already decided, the dry A'jeii sense of humor came to the fore.

“The meaning of the term you utilize is understood.”

Dev had come fearing hostility while hoping to secure answers to some questions. In that, he had been more successful than he could have imagined. The result, however, left him baffled and confused. One thing was certain, however. Tilenyii was right. The humans could not help their captors with their “problem.”