Namir: My proposal was that we record a kind of “baseline” report on what we expect to happen when we arrive at Wolf 25. Our ideas will change over the next six years, naturally.

Paul: One possibility is that there will be nothing there. The one on Triton said that’s where they live, and took off in that direction. But we lost track of him after a few minutes. He could have gone anywhere.

Snowbird: Why would they do that?

Paul: They may have misrepresented their strength, or rather their vulnerability. If we were to attack swiftly, they might not be able to react in time.

Namir: Possibly. Doesn’t seem likely. We have ample evidence of their strength.

Me: They had hundreds of centuries to plan ahead.

Paul: That’s what I mean. They don’t want to confront us in real time.

Fly-in-Amber: They have planned ahead for this. We will not surprise them.

Elza: We have to try.

Dustin: I’m not convinced that that is true. As you know, Elza.

Elza: Pacifist swine. (Note: said smiling.) Explain, for the record.

Dustin: This mission is predicated on two things: one, that they know they did not destroy us; and two, that they care. But we know almost nothing about their psychology. Maybe they are so confident they won’t bother to check, in which case, showing up on their doorstep may be a disaster. Or they might know they didn’t destroy us but feel the spectacular demonstration was enough to keep us out of their hair. So again, don’t go bother them.

Namir: Dustin, even if the mission is a mistake, we can’t turn around and go home. The die is cast.

Me: It’s still a good viewpoint to put in the mix, trying to predict what they’re going to do.

Paul: Let’s get a sense of the timing. From the Earth’s point of view, the Other left Triton in July of 2079. At its rate of acceleration, it will take only about twenty- four and a half years to get there, assuming it decelerates at the same rate. Say it gets there in January 2104.

In the worst-case scenario, they find out the Earth hasn’t been destroyed and turn around to finish the job. Which they do in the middle of 2128.

Namir: That’s not the worst case.

Paul: What is?

Namir: You assume that the Others have to obey the same speed limit as we do. Suppose they can go a lot faster than the speed of light and are due here tomorrow?

Paul: Relativity won’t let them. They’d be traveling into the past.

Namir: (Laughs.) And show up tomorrow. They’ve done other impossible things.

(Namir and Paul argue fruitlessly for a few minutes. Never argue science with a lawyer, I told Paul.)