The ship’s mellow voice spoke from all around them. “Gentlebeings, where is the owner of this vessel, Arpat Takraven?”

“Dead,” Niko snapped. “And we’re going to follow on his heels if you don’t get us out of here.”

There was a small pause. Then the ship said, “You mean the current clone is dead and that the next body is in the process of activation. In that case, my orders are to remain in place until that new clone arrives. May I direct you to your quarters in the interim?”

Niko demurred. “We might want to make departing our first priority,” she observed. “I’m sure that you have noticed that the station is being destroyed all around us.”

As though she had not spoken, the mellow voice repeated, “Gentlebeings, may I direct you to your quarters? In the interim, I am prepared to move two clicks from the station to avoid debris.”

Dabry and Niko exchanged glances. “This does not bode well,” she muttered under her breath.

“Still,” he said, “I suggest playing along for now. What else can we do? And the sooner that we are away from this, the better.”

“I agree.” She raised her voice to address the ship. “Yes, please. Show us to our quarters and perhaps by then the explosions outside will have convinced you that we should depart.”

A coruscating, multicolored ball of light appeared in front of each individual. Their shadows played over the interior walls like greasy rainbows as the balls hovered, suspended, seemingly without means. Gio eyed his as though wondering whether he could take it apart, while Thorn and Talon visibly twitched, every catlike instinct activated.

“These are your guides,” the ship said. “Each will take you to your designated rooms.”

“We wish to share quarters,” Thorn said. “The two of us, I mean, not everyone in general.” Talon nodded in agreement.

There was another pause, and then the two balls of light in front of the twins merged to become a single one. A chime sounded.

“Please follow the guide,” the ship said.

The one thing to be said about the bioship, Niko reflected as she followed her own personal glowing ball of light, was that there was simply not the opportunity for opulent display that she had seen more than once when interacting with the belongings of the very, very, very wealthy. No need to add additional extravagant fixtures or artwork or other ornamentation of the kind that constantly made you ask why any reasonable being would need such a thing.

A two-part scarlet curtain hung down over the door that the glowing ball led her to. As she approached it, it parted, letting her enter a chamber hung with similar curtains.