“All of whom might very well be observing and listening to us this very moment,” a terse Pavesi pointed out. Reed started to reply, absorbed what she had said, and went quiet. Earlier, he had been on the verge of violence. Now he was simply worn out and tending to the fatalistic.

“It doesn’t matter.” Katou-Zimmer gave a shrug, corroborating Reed’s reaction without partaking of it emotionally. “There’s nothing we can do except rely on the benevolent nature of our hosts.”

“The benevolence of a bunch of starship thieves.” A seated Reed had his head inclined forward and was rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. “Why does that continue to mitigate my optimism?”

“You never know.” Dev tried to cheer them all. “We may be able to make ourselves useful, somehow. Ensure that we are continued to be treated well. Earn our keep.”

“Sure.” Looking up, Reed ventured a wan smile. “We could offer ourselves up as slaves.”

Jakob Zimmer let out a mildly derisive snort. “I seriously doubt that advanced interstellar civilizations practice something as archaic as slavery.”

“Why not?” Reed shot him a look. “They apparently have no problem practicing larceny.”

“In such a marketplace,” Dev said, “we would likely have some novelty value.”

Reed swung his gaze from the older man to the younger. “That’s not funny.”

Dev found himself nodding slowly. “You are right. It is not.”

“It would appear, then,” Zimmer continued, “that our approaching options come down to captivity or abandonment. I would wish for a healthier choice.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Reed reiterated. “It’s up to the A'jeii and their collaborators what happens to us. We have nothing to do with it.”

Dev rose suddenly from where he had been sitting. “I’m going to talk to the captain.”

“To Syrenii?” Pavesi gaped at him. “What good will that do? They’ve probably already decided what they’re going to do with us once we reach this Mozehn.”

“If that is the case, then it won’t matter what I say.” Dev headed for the portal portion of the far wall.

“What if you say something offensive?” Katou-Zimmer warned him.

Dev looked back at her. “Then maybe I will get pitched out the nearest airlock. In that event, the rest of you will learn something from my encounter.”

Pavesi walked over to put a hand on his arm. “This is very brave of you, Dev.”

He shook his head irritably. “Bravery has nothing to do with it. I just cannot stand not knowing things. Such as what our captors’ intentions are toward us.”

She smiled and stepped back. “In that you’re not alone. It’s why we’ve all ended up here.”