"Sun burn that idiot," Fana!o grumbled. "Talk about creating the enemy you fear...Now what?"

"Now we wait, apparently." Ktheg!lik considered. "Fana!o, where were you headed?

"My room on Level 6."

"Petra, please allow Fana!o to go to his room on Level 6. He is no threat to Nik!eh."

"What is 'threat'?"

Ktheg!lik took the time to teach Petra several equivalent phrases, to help her understand faster.

"Understood," the golem said, finally. The attack automata backed away from Fana!o, who looked to Ktheg!lik. She nodded, and he tentatively stepped into the hall. When nothing bad happened, he moved slowly to the stairway.

"Thanks," he muttered, heading downstairs.

"Ktheg!lik, who is a threat to Nik!eh?" Petra asked.

She shivered. "I am not 100% certain," she told the golem honestly. "I think it over 99.9% certain that these people are no threat to Nik!eh." Slowly, she started by naming her supporters among the group of survivors. Then she hesitated.

Olk!ano was the worst one, but can I really be sure about the others who were arguing against waking Nik!eh? Where do I draw the line? I didn't think Olk!ano would go this far, so how do I know nobody else will try to kill Nik!eh? I don't, not for sure.

What a mess.

She had to think hard about people and their motivations, then added a few more people to the "safe" list, despite them arguing with her a lot. I need to prove I'm not just using Petra as a weapon against people who disagree with me.

I need to talk to everyone about this.

"Petra, please send this to everyone. People, Nik!eh has been attacked. I'm calling a meeting in the theater in ten zegs, and I think everyone needs to attend this one, for safety's sake. End message." She took a deep breath. "Petra, please allow everyone except Olk!ano to go to the meeting. This is to help Nik!eh."

There was a pause.

"Understood."

The defense machines pulled back to the door of the infirmary, allowing people to go anywhere except in there. Ktheg!lik breathed a sigh of relief. The golem hasn't gone completely crazy, at least.

Moving slowly, Ktheg!lik made her way down to Level 8. She wasn't looking forward to the climb back up later. She took a seat on the stage and waited, watching as people came in and took seats. She ignored their questions and interrogated Petra privately on her tablet.

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The theater was a circular stand, surrounded on all sides by seating for many. Petra had carved it out on Level 8 once it became clear that they needed a space where everyone could meet to discuss important matters. It also had hosted a few small music performances, and a couple of lectures.

When just about everyone had arrived, Ktheg!lik stood up. "Everyone, thank you for coming. We have had an emergency. Apparently, Olk!ano tried to stab Nik!eh to death a short while ago." She gave them a few moments of uproar, then waved her hands at time. "I'm telling you what I know, so listen up, please." They didn't stop asking questions.

"What's going on?"

"Why did he do it?"

"Is Nik!eh alive? Was he hurt?"

"Where is he now?"

"Did the golem kill him?"

Ktheg!lik sighed. "Shut up for a minute and I'll tell you." She wheezed a moment. I should have brought oxygen. The group settled down and waited. When she had her breath back, she continued.

"You all heard the alarm. Nik!eh was badly injured, but is still alive so far. Petra deployed its soldier automata out of concern for Nik!eh's safety. Olk!ano is alive, according to Petra, and is being held in the infirmary. So, we have a couple of problems facing us.

"The most important one is keeping or regaining the golem's trust. It asked me outright who can be trusted not to hurt Nik!eh. I've given it some names, but I think we all want to have everyone's name on that list. Does anyone disagree?"

Silence.

"Does anyone else besides Olk!ano actually think causing Nik!eh's death is a good idea?"

"Given that it looks like Petra will kill anyone who tries, I'd say that's a no," Gua!laga said dryly.

"Is Petra going to kill Olk!ano?"

"I don't know. I've tried arguing with it, and if Nik!eh survives, I think Petra will not kill Olk!ano."

"We need to save Olk!ano regardless," Zel!nioo argued. "There are too few of us already. We might be the last fuak!as on Ooafa. He may be a jerk, but he's still a fuak!a, and as a practical matter, we at least need his bloodline."

"I agree that we should try," Ktheg!lik stated, "but it may not be up to us. Ultimately, it is Petra's decision, which means it is Nik!eh's decision, if he lives."

"If Nik!eh dies, will you become Petra's...what was the word...orbathic?"

"I don't know and I don't want to find out." Ktheg!lik had wondered that many times ever since learning that Nik!eh was alive. "Look, we can talk all we want about what we would like to happen, but in the end, we are all guests in Petra's house. If people find that unacceptable, then we need to build a separate shelter and try to figure out how to make it self-supporting."

"That's what I've been saying!" Ala!fak reminded everyone. "We need a second shelter."

Old familiar arguments broke out, rehashing the same points people had been making for many days. Ktheg!lik let the discussion run its course until no one else seemed undecided or changing their mind.

She was about to start wrapping it up when her tablet chimed at her.

She looked at it and read, Nik!eh is not dying. His health is growing better. Ktheg!lik sighed in relief. "Nik!eh has survived," she told the group. "Can I tell Petra that no one here wishes to harm him? Does anyone think they can't agree to that?"

There was a general clamor of agreement.

"Understand this, people. If I tell Petra that Nik!eh is safe from all of you, and anyone harms him, then that puts all of us—all of us—in serious danger. We cannot lose Petra's trust. Does anyone disagree?"

Silence.

"Then I will tell Petra that Nik!eh is safe from the rest of us." Ktheg!lik wheezed a moment. "Meeting adjourned."

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