“The story was internally consistent,” Stephen said. “Liar stories aren’t, usually. They never bother to be all that rigorous or convincing. Even the first Liars, the ones who tricked our ancestors, told stories full of contradictions and bizarre digressions, but they were dismissed in the excitement as unimportant or translation errors.”

“The story Lantern told does seem to fit the available evidence,” Elena said. “That doesn’t mean it’s true, but, it could be.”

Callie fiddled with the device on her wrist. The surface was greasy-looking but smooth and dry, just like the bridge generator. “Believing a Liar just seems ridiculous, though.”

“Lantern says she never lies,” the computer said. “I will monitor her carefully. If we catch her in a lie, even a trivial one, then we know she isn’t telling the truth. Though even when she tried to deceive you about being able to teleport before you could shoot her, she was careful not to speak any untruths.”

“Whether her story is true or not, it doesn’t really change our short-term plans,” Callie said. “We still need to save the crew of the Anjou. Whether we’re saving them from a secret cabal of Liars or an automated space station created by a race of uplifted super-monsters doesn’t affect our operation all that much.” She yawned. “Ridiculous as it sounds, I’m going to get some sleep, or try. You two should as well. Once the generator is recharged, we’re going straight to that alien station to get Elena’s crew back. Drake, maybe park us back around on the night side of the planet? Just in case Lantern is telling the truth, let’s try to be a little less noticeable.”

“Initiating ‘run and hide’ protocols,” Drake said.

But Callie couldn’t sleep. “Can you hear what’s happening in the machine shop?” she asked the ship.

“I can. Ashok has not activated his privacy protocols.”

“Let me listen in. Secretly.”

“Opening a line.”

There was silence for a moment, then Ashok said, “OK, that’s bizarre. Who has a base-seventeen mathematical system?”

“It seems very natural to me, but I was raised with it. As you can see, the coordinate system takes into account not just space, but also time–”

“You aren’t telling me the Axiom could time travel?”

“No – or, not that I know of, and I hope not – but you see, such calculations are the only way to account for the relativistic effects. There must be an absolute referent, for this to–”

“Aw right, I get it, wow, that’s so needlessly complex it almost wraps all the way back around to elegance, doesn’t it?”

“It seems that way, yes, but there are special conditions here, and here.”