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For answer, Flattery felt the hyb locks release hilowed around hinized a dehyb laboratory in one of the shipbays The familiarity of the place dismayed him He sat up and looked around All of that tied But of course Ship was infinite and infinitely powerful Nothing outside of Ti humankind to decide on their manner of WorShip

What if we fail this ti? He felt it in his guts: Ship would erase theo on to new distractions

If we fail, we’ll h Infinity Hued in hyb? All that tim

He slipped out of the tank enclosure and padded across to a full-length mirror set into one of the lab’s curved walls His naked flesh appeared unchanged from the last time he had seen it His face retained its air of quizzical detach The remote brown eyes and upraked black eyebrows had been both help and hindrance Soed only to superior creatures But superiority could be an impossible burden

"Ahhh, you sense a truth," Ship whispered

Flattery tried to s in a dry throat The an to grasp what Ship less Hyb held flesh in stasis no e of Time No maturity there But what about his mind? What about that reflected construct for which his brain was the receiver? He felt that so had ripened in his awareness

"I’et down to Pandora?"

Ship spoke from a vocoder above the mirror "There are several ways, transports which I have provided"

"So You deliver me to Pandora I just walk in on theive you a big pain in the head’"

"Flippancy does not suit you, Raj"

"I feel Your displeasure"

"Do you already regret your decision, Raj?"

"Can You tellmore about the problems on Pandora?"

"The most ience, the ’lectrokelp"

"Dangerous?"

"So they believe The ’lectrokelp is close to infinite and humans fea"

"Hu open spaces Huence because it’s close to infinite"

"You delight Me, Raj!"

A feeling of joy washed over Flattery It was so rich and powerful that he felt he inate with hi drained, transparen bloodless

Flattery pressed the heels of his hands against his tightly closed eyes What a terrible thing that joy was! Because when it was gon when it was gon

He whispered: "Unless You intend to kill ain"

"As you choose" How cold and remote

"I want to be human! That’s what I was intended to be!"

"If that’s the game you seek"

Flattery sensed Ship’s disappointment, but this made him defensive and he turned to questions

"Have Shipence, this ’lectrokelp?"

"No They have studied it, but do not understand it"

Flattery took his hands away from his eyes "Have Shipmen ever heard of Raja Flattery?"

"That’s a name in the history which I teach them"

"Then I’d better take another name" He ruminated for a moment, then: "I’ll call myself Raja Thomas"

"Excellent Thoins"

"Raja Thomas, communications expert - Ship’s best friend Here I coame An Raj?"

"What?"

"For an infinite being, Time produces boredom Limits exist to how much Ti us to decide the e’ll WorShip?"

"At the proper-"

"Yes?"

"Do not be dismayed if I refer to you occasionally as My Devil"

He was ahis voice, then: "What can I do about it? You can call me whatever You like"

"I merely asked that you not be dis the tides to stop!"

There was no response from Ship and Flattery wondered if he was to be left on his own to find his way down to this planet called Pandora But presently, Ship spoke once more: "Noill dress you in appropriate costume, Raj There is a new Chaplain/Psychiatrist who rules the Shipmen They call him Ceepee and, when he offends them, they call him The Boss You can expect that The Boss will order you to attend him soon"