Divergence

larger. The Eva Rye slid into view, looking like a Harlequin’s teardrop, its opening hangar door masquerading as one of the dark checks, not immediately apparent. The Free Enterprise continued.

“Yes, a fair summary. However, it is not true to speak of DIANA in the past tense. I myself still work for DIANA, as do many others.”

“How can that be?” asked Saskia. “The Watcher made it its business to infiltrate all those large organizations—and then to destroy them. The age of large-scale capitalism is past.”

“Some of us managed to escape the Watcher’s gaze. The first Warp Ships were built by the commercial organizations before the Watcher had completely infiltrated them. No one was surprised when some of those experimental ships failed to return home. Some of them, no doubt, malfunctioned. Others, such as my own manufacturers, chose to stay hidden in space.”

Comprehension dawned on Maurice’s face.

“That explains your unusual appearance,” he said. “The first Warp Ships were robots, they had no direct connection with human beings. Your development was completely independent of human needs or intervention.”

“Very astute,” said the Free Enterprise . “As to the rest of your payment: now that the Watcher’s control is waning, the need for us to remain in hiding is lessening. I have relayed the coordinates of the Warp Ship Bailero to your console. It is the experimental ship that gave rise to me and my kind. FE

suggests it is of great value to you, and our contract permits you to first collect the ship before taking the passenger to Earth.”

Saskia and Maurice were smiling. For the first time, it seemed they had made a satisfactory trade. Even Edward understood that: an old ship, that had to be worth something?

“May I say, it has been a pleasure doing business with you!” said Saskia, unable to keep the delight from her voice.

“And I with you,” replied the Free Enterprise . “And now, I note the shuttle is entering your ship. Perhaps we will meet again. Until then, good-bye!”

And at that there was a complex unfolding in the viewing field, and the Free Enterprise changed shape into something else equally indescribable, before shimmering out of view. Maurice stood up, beaming.

“We’d better get to the large hold to meet our passenger. She might be disturbed by the venumbs in there.”

“I’ll come, too,” said Edward.

Saskia was clearly in a good mood. “Yes, that would be nice, Edward.” She was smiling. “I know what you mean about the venumbs, Maurice. She might think she’s being attacked by dinosaurs!”

They left the living area in good spirits and marched past the conference room. Edward looked inside as they walked by. Gone was the mismatched, eclectic jumble. Everything in there now matched: big comfortable white leather chairs set out around a shiny black oval table. They came to the twisted knot of the junction where five corridors met. Even after the upgrade to the smart new Eva Rye, this junction still looked odd to Edward. It was from here that you accessed the big and little holds, and the geometry of the ship had been twisted about to accommodate their shapes. You had to step around a protruding corner of the large hold to take the path that led to the cargo areas, and you felt the gravity change direction as you did so, felt an odd tug in the stomach. Edward didn’t like that. Still, he bravely stepped forward, felt the open mouths of the five corridors looking at him as he hung for a moment in space, and then set off with the others down the black-carpeted path to the large hold’s entrance. It was still a long walk.

They met their new passenger on the way; she was following the map patterns set on the walls, heading back to the living space.

Edward guessed that she was older than Saskia. The woman looked similar, with shoulder-length black hair and a very pale face, but there was a difference in her stance, an air of quiet confidence. As they drew closer, Edward realized she was wearing white makeup on her hands as well as her face. Her lips and fingernails were colored in black, to match her simple black passive suit. Beaming, Saskia stepped forward and held out a hand.

“Welcome aboard the Eva Rye, ” she said. “My name is Saskia. This is Maurice, my systems man. This is Edward.”

The woman shook their hands absently. “The Eva Rye ?” she said, smiling faintly. “I suppose it would be. I’m sorry about this. I am very sorry about this.”

The expression drained from Saskia’s face. “Sorry for what?”

“Sorry for involving you in all this.”