They also became unusually accommodating when it came to authority, and being given orders. Scientists and security were typically a combustible mix: the researchers of the expedition were academics, heads of their own departments back home, and used to drawing their own conclusions. They did not respond well to being told what to do, and there was often tension between them and the likes of Sagara, Hunter, Boone, and even Wick. But today, contrarily—vexingly—they were all as docile and compliant as cows in a meadow. Park was not needed to tame the mob.

Not that she could have, anyway, she thought gratefully as she gulped down her orange juice. No one usually listened to her, even—or especially—while under duress.

She decided to join the search for Holt herself. Keller was still busy somewhere with her “project,” and with Fulbreech and the others sent out onto the ice, she thought that Sagara and Boone needed all the help they could get.

And she took Jimex with her. She was still nervous about leaving him alone; about Boone running into him while armed with that deadly electrolaser gun. Besides, the androids of the ship would be better at ferreting out Holt than the humans would; they were more intimately familiar with the Deucalion and its inner workings. They would not be frightened away by moving shadows or strange sounds.

Then Jimex informed her that it was actually an android who had lost Holt.

“He was being monitored,” the custodian told her bluntly. “By Ellenex. Dr. Chanur sedated Dr. Holt and then told Ellenex to keep watch.”

“Then how did he escape?” Park asked. Briefly she felt a flicker of guilty awareness: she really did use Jimex as a source of information. As a spy.

Jimex hesitated. “I am not sure,” he admitted. “Ellenex did not explain well. Dr. Chanur wants to have her decommissioned, since Officer Kisaragi is not available to diagnose her.”

“Is Ellenex damaged?”

“She is now.” He said it, as always, without emotion. “Dr. Chanur was very angry when she discovered Dr. Holt’s absence. She . . .” He seemed to know to cut himself off. “The other synthetics are trying to think of ways to repair her without breaching our protocols. And again, Officer Kisaragi is not available to help.”

Park sighed. It was typical. The crewmembers were discouraged from purposefully damaging the robots—obviously—but only on the grounds that they were the property of ISF. There was no punishment for taking out your frustration on an android. To some it was like aiming a kick at a trash can, shaking an uncooperative vending machine. Of course Ellenex had been blamed for Holt’s disappearance. It would surprise no one if Chanur had “decommissioned” her right then and there.