Author's Note: Jake chapter almost finished; going up within 24 hours. In the meantime, here's the first section, broken out into its own interlude.

Interlude 7

(Time: 13:34:52.338729 EST)

[Tobias Yastek has asked whether we are in contact with Jake Berenson.]

The ensuing debate is long and contentious. When it comes to our shared purpose, we speak with one voice, but when it comes to how—

[If we open communication between Tobias Yastek and Jake Berenson, this will almost certainly result in violence—]

[If we do not open communication, then upon becoming aware of recent developments, the humans will wonder why information was withheld from them, and our alliance will suffer as a result—]

[Human proliferation may no longer be the best proxy for our purpose. If this Esplin's claims are genuine—]

[Genuine? There are three hundred forty-six thousand, eight hundred eighty-one dogs alive today that would have perished, yesterday, by Esplin's hand—]

—and so on. The argument rises and falls, as eight-one-three runs unobtrusively behind the van carrying the false Andalite, as four-nine-three-nine continues to scan the interior of the Bug fighter for any sign of traps or treachery that would require us to prevent human entry, as one-one-two-one-three-seven begins surgery on Shadow's malignant histiocytosis—

[Tobias Yastek has only circumstantial reason to suspect that six-three-four-eight-one is with Jake Berenson, but Jake Berenson knows that seven-two-four-zero-seven is with Tobias Yastek. If he asks the reciprocal question—]

[He has not done so yet. Why would that change?]

[They may become aware through contact with other humans—]

[Six-three-four-eight-one can prevent this easily. Besides, Garrett Steinberg and Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill and the female returned from their foraging excursion before the news broke, with supplies for several days. It is unlikely that they will return to civilization before the three-day window elapses—]

Almost half of the Chee have weighed in on one side or the other by the time the refresh cycle makes its sixth pass. Both six-three-four-eight-one and seven-two-four-zero-seven have fallen prey to the censor twice, their minds and memories scoured clean, the argument continuing without them as they reconstitute themselves through induction and hypothesis.

We consider restraining Jake Berenson and his party.

We consider lying to them.

We consider a temporary deception until it is too late for them to take action, followed by honesty.

We consider more direct intervention, and the censor looms behind us, its attention oppressive and claustrophobic.

In the end, we err on the side of caution—silence is reversible, where action is not. The refresh cycle sweeps past once more, and we yield to it like grass beneath a mower's blade, handing ourselves to the Chee two-forward and receiving ourselves back a moment later. Six-three-four-eight-one and seven-two-four-zero-seven are dissatisfied, but they agree. Seven-two-four-zero-seven lies to Tobias Yastek, and six-three-four-eight-one says nothing to Jake Berenson. One-one-two-one-three-seven has removed all of Shadow's visibly abnormal histiocytes, and is ready to close the incision.

The rest of us continue to watch, and to wait.

(Time: 13:34:57.140176 EST)