Veera said, “Cells from the suit might take root in the user’s body and grow where they shouldn’t. It would be worse than any natural form of cancer.”

“And likewise,” said Jorrus, “cells from the user might end up disrupting the function of the suit. In order to avoid that outcome, and to avoid the user’s immune system attacking the suit wherever the integration points were placed—”

“—the suit would need to be engineered from the DNA of the user. That would limit each suit to just one user. Another impracticality.”

Kira said, “So then the Jellies—”

“Are not using bio-suits as we understand them,” Veera replied. “Not unless their science is far more advanced than it seems.”

“I see,” said Kira. “And you don’t know anything about the Jellies’ language, aside from what’s already published?”

Veera answered: “Unfortunately—”

“—not,” said Jorrus. “Our apologies; much remains a mystery about the aliens.”

Kira frowned. Again the drone of numbers filled her ears, loud and distracting. She made a face. “What are they doing? Do you know?”

Jorrus snorted. “Annoying the rest of us, that’s what. We—”

“—asked them to turn down the volume, but this is as soft as they will make it. If they don’t prove to be—”

“—cooperative in the future, we may have to speak with them more sternly.”

“Yes,” said Kira, “but who are they?”

“They are Numenists,” Veera and Jorrus said together.

“Numenists?”

“It is a religious order that started on Mars during the early decades of settlement. They worship numbers.”

“Numbers.”

The Entropists nodded, a quick, mirrored jerk of their heads. “Numbers.”

“Why?”

Veera smiled. “Why worship anything? Because they believe it contains deep truths about life, the universe, and everything. More specifically—”

Jorrus smiled. “—they believe in counting. They believe that if they count long enough, they can count every whole number and, perhaps, at the very end of time itself, speak the ultimate number itself.”

“That’s impossible.”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s an item of faith. The man you hear speaking is the Arch Arithmetist, also known as the Pontifex Digitalis, which is—”

“—shockingly bad Latin. The Foxglove Pope as—”

“—many call him. He—”

“—along with assistants from the College of Enumerators—they’re fond of their titles—recites each new number, without break or interruption.” Veera pointed with one crooked finger toward the Numenists. “They consider listening to the enumeration an—”

“—important part of their religious practice. Plus—plus!—”

“—they believe some numbers are more significant than others. Ones that contain certain sequences of digits, primes, and so forth.”

Kira frowned. “That seems pretty strange.”

Veera shrugged. “Maybe. But it gives them comfort, which is more than can be said about most things.”

Then Jorrus leaned toward Kira. “Do you know how they define god?”

Kira shook her head.

“As the greater part of two equal halves.” The Entropists rocked back on their heels, chuckling. “Isn’t that delightful?”

“But … That doesn’t make any sense.”

Veera and Jorrus shrugged. “Faith often doesn’t. Now—”

“—were there any other questions we might help you with?”