Kemp heaved a sigh of relief. “Are you still Ivan? I mean, inside?”

“Yeah, Doc. Although I think I mentioned once before that this might be a temporary situation. For the moment, though, I’m still mostly in charge.”

“Getting any more information?”

“Ah, we’re still having trouble with abstract concepts. But I have gotten some stuff.” Ivan hesitated for a moment. “There’s a war going on in the galaxy. Possibly in all galaxies, wherever intelligent life evolves. The beings who made the booby trap want to recruit us. I don’t get the impression that that’s entirely a good thing. But, apparently, the other guys are worse, at least according to the computer. I don’t know if it can lie to me or not. But I’m going along with it, for now.”

Kemp felt a chill. “Will we have a choice?”

“That’s complicated, so of course it’s not coming through very well. I think we have a choice in the same way that you have a choice to swim or not swim if you find yourself in deep water. Not a lot of options.”

“Great.”

Kemp thought about what he’d been told, not speaking for several seconds. Ivan seemed to be content with the silence, or was giving Kemp time to process. Finally, Kemp asked him, “So what’s next?”

“Again, Doc, I think the less I say the better. If they ever come to talk to you, you want plausible deniability. Right now, you’re just talking to a friend you thought was dead.”

Kemp smiled. Fair enough.

“Doc, did you talk to my wife?”

“Yes, Ivan. We were told you were dead, the ICDC and the Navy were going to do the paperwork with that official conclusion. There was no reason to fight it unless we found out new information.”

“I think it’s better that way, Doc. However you juggle the situation, there’s no way for me to go back to my life. It makes sense for me to be dead, and for my family to get on with their lives. At least it’ll be a life with opportunities and a future. That’s the most important thing.”

“I told your wife that’s how you would feel.”

Again, several seconds of silence. “I wish I could still cry. It’s funny, how much of a release that is. But the computer doesn’t seem to approve of strong emotions. I feel almost like I’m on some kind of prescription medication. No real highs, no real lows.”

“Some people would wish for that state, Ivan.”

“They can have it, Doc. It’s overrated.”