Divergence

had followed it home, and now they had begun to grow on Earth. Why on earth would anyone want to go to Earth?

“I don’t know why this person wants to go to Earth,” said the Stranger. “All I know is a request was made for trade. Perhaps you could follow it up? If there is significant risk involved, that will naturally weigh in your favor with the FE software.”

“Hold on,” said Saskia suspiciously. “If you picked up their signal, why didn’t you ask them to save you?”

“That is my own business,” said the Stranger. “Would you like me to send you the location of the signal?”

Saskia said nothing. She looked at Maurice. “What do you think?” she asked.

“I don’t know. Stranger, is it safe, do you think?”

The Stranger gave a loud laugh. “You ask the most expensive question of all! You couldn’t afford to pay me for that answer, even if I could give it!” He gave a sigh. “But I think it is a fair job. You would do well to at least investigate it.”

Saskia and Maurice held each other’s gaze. In the kitchen, Edward found his voice.

“I think we should go,” he said. “I think we should trust the Stranger.”

Saskia turned to him, but for once, her face wasn’t angry. She just looked tired.

“You think we should trust him. Very well. Maurice, what do you think?”

Maurice shrugged. “What else are we going to do?” he asked.

Saskia looked down at the soft black carpet on the floor.

“Okay, Stranger. You did a nice job on the ship, if nothing else, and I’m sorry for not trusting you. Yes, please, we’d like to have a look at the job.”

“I’ve just sent the details to Maurice,” said the Stranger. “Well, until we meet again!”

“Good-bye,” said Saskia in an empty voice.

The viewing field shrank to nothing.

“Hello, Eva Rye . This is the Free Enterprise. Glad to hear from you.”

Saskia looked at the ship that now floated in the viewing field. It didn’t look right.

“Is that an alien ship?” asked Edward.

“There are no such things as aliens,” said Maurice, “you must know that. Those are only stories.”

“What about the Stranger?”

“The Stranger was a robot. He was built in that shape in order to do his job properly.”

“Built by aliens,” said Edward stubbornly.

Maurice was irritable. He was missing Armstrong, Edward guessed. He had changed out of his padded combat jacket and into a grey T-shirt and long grey pants. He gave Edward a long stare.

“I told you, there are no aliens. Besides, look at those markings on the side. They’re written in English.”

“Be quiet, you two,” said Saskia. “I need to speak to them.”

It was a very odd-looking ship, though. Edward didn’t quite have the capacity to articulate what he was feeling, which was this: at least the Stranger looked as if it had some Earth connection, bearing, as it did, a passing resemblance to a starfish. Its shape touched human norms at some point in the evolutionary process. This ship had no discernible form whatsoever; it was something less than a collection of shapes. Edward had absolutely nothing to refer to, to hang a pattern on it. There were bundles of wires and cables snaking through the structure, but the ship could not even be described as looking like a plate of spaghetti. Nor did it look like a junk heap. It was utterly alien, beyond human experience. Except for the fact that it had DIANA written on it in various places, in huge yellow letters. Saskia had been staring at the floor, collecting her thoughts. She was dressed in a neat black suit with a white blouse and matching white button earrings. Her hair was shiny and neatly brushed