“That’s how all the Wheatons felt,” said the expendable. “But then they all decided that both species need to be studied, so half the Wheatons have to take the second choice.”

Wheaton sighed. “I suppose for every Professor Wheaton who lost, there’s a Professor Wheaton that won.”

“Depending on how you define ‘won’ and ‘lost,’” said the expendable. “You could say that they all win, with an entirely new sentient species to study.”

“I feel much happier already,” said Wheaton.

“Ironic or sincere?” asked the expendable.

“Pissed off but compliant,” answered Wheaton.

Noxon sliced them through the time it took for the ship to fly into stationary orbit around the near planet. At Noxon’s insistence, the mice stayed on the ship with him and Ram, as Wheaton and the expendable flew down to the surface. “The scientist and the robot can do the job perfectly,” said Noxon. “The time traveler and the pilot have to stay here, in case we have to undo something horrible the mice have done.”

“So untrusting,” said the alpha mouse.

Noxon regarded this comment as not worth answering.

Wheaton and the expendable made frequent reports during their days of data collection. Ancestors of the scuttling aliens were easy enough to spot—they were already as close to sentience as, say, Homo habilis. Using tools, but not yet making fire. “It is difficult for Professor Wheaton to stay focused on the project at hand,” said the voice of the ship. “He keeps wanting to go backward and forward and the expendable has to keep reminding him that only Noxon can do that.”

During one of the lulls between reports, while Ram was exercising, Noxon said, more to himself than to Ram, “I miss Deborah.”

Ram didn’t answer, but the alpha mouse did. “Why didn’t you simply copy her and bring her along? There’d be twenty of her now. Plenty to go around.”

“She wanted eyes,” said Noxon. “The twenty who came with us would be disappointed for the rest of their lives.”

“What?” asked Ram. Now he heard.

“Just talking with the mice,” said Noxon.

“Whatever you say to them, they’re going to use against you later,” said Ram.

“Unless we use it for you,” said the alpha mouse.

“He can’t hear you,” murmured Noxon.

“I wasn’t talking to him,” said the alpha.

“I’ll eventually find someone among the colonists,” said Noxon. “I’m not worried.”

“You’re really strange-looking,” said the alpha. “Most of the colonists will be completely repulsed by you.”

“Is that why all the females were pregnant five times over before they came on this voyage?” asked Noxon. “So they wouldn’t have to do something as repulsive as mate with a small-testicled male like you? Or was I right that you were castrated?”

“I don’t have body-image issues the way humans do,” said the alpha.

“No, you don’t have any kind of shame at all,” said Noxon.