The doctor seemed to bite back a curse, and Josiah briefly wondered what the captain was alluding to. He wasn’t surprised by the captain’s reaction, however. Interstel had worked carefully to ensure that every captain and his crew had a vested interest in growing the boundaries of the settled worlds, but they were also not hesitant to keep building ships as quickly as they could, despite the limits of Endurium that could be found. There were always tragedies, and several of the original ships had not made it back to port, causing new opportunities to spring up for the wiliest and most ambitious of captains.

  "Well, I don't like it," the doctor continued. "We have a good thing going here, and the last thing I want is some damn bureaucrat screwing it up for us."

  Any further comments were cut off by the approach of the communications officer, whose lumbering footsteps were audible from down the corridor.

  "Ready to take over, Salynn?" the captain asked, his false bonhomie once again firmly in place. Josiah could not make out the rumbling reply as they moved on, and he took a moment to straighten, adjusting the angle of his neck to make it less painful.

  Which, of course, triggered the main lights.

  The galley instantly flooded with brightness, and he closed his eyes tightly, waiting for his pupils to react. When he opened them, Josiah was neither surprised nor pleased to see the frowning face of the doctor in front of him.

  "Is everything alright, Examiner?" The doctor asked, her voice carefully neutral. Josiah attempted to make it look like he had just woken up, a not-impossible situation.

  "Fine, Doctor, thank you. I just fell asleep for a little while. I think it was all the prep for the launch. It was an exciting time for me."

  The doctor nodded, and her eyes flickered to the tablet on the table, before glancing back up at the examiner, as if wondering just how much of the excuse she had chosen to believe. "Well, let me know if you need any medications, Examiner." She smiled, and for the briefest of moments Josiah missed her habitual frown of dismay. "I am sure that I can give you something that will take care of you."

  The doctor immediately turned and headed out, leaving the examiner fully awake.

  Despite the uncomfortable conversation from the night before, Josiah did manage to get a little rest, waking up shortly before the shift change. Heading to the bridge, he found Salynn in the central chair, with MOTO motionless at the rear of the command deck, watchfully waiting as they approached a nearby planetoid. From the coloration, it was clearly not their destination, but probably the last planet before they delved into the habitation ring.

  "How are we doing, Salynn?"

  Despite the fact that his arrival on the deck must have been noticed, Salynn seemed momentarily startled, and then gave his species’ version of a grin. "Good day, Examiner. I trust that you rested well?"

  "I certainly tried, Salynn. Is this the last planet?"

  "Yes," the Thrynn replied, glancing back at the main screen. “We have been doing automated readings, but there is not too much of a change since the last set that we had taken."

  "Will we be sending down a probe?" Josiah asked. The Thrynn merely shook his head, a discomforting gesture that must have been picked up from his studies with Humans, as the response could not possibly have been pleasant for such a long neck. Josiah was getting moderately queasy just watching him.

  "Probably not, Examiner. We are hoping to get close enough to read the data from the original probe, but the cost of a new probe is probably not worth it."

  Josiah nodded, understanding the dilemma immediately. Once again, the almighty MU took precedence over everything. Sending down a probe was a natural act, and one that was usually followed up on by the examination teams, but sending a second would only be putting good money after bad, especially for a planet that clearly could not host sentient life. While there might be some mineral deposits to take advantage of, (in fact it was a near certainty for such a planetoid,) he had no doubt that there were little of the rarer elements, or they would have immediately moved to secure as much of them as they could fit into their cargo holds before moving on. It was what they had done on the first planet, where they had sent MOTO down alone in the lander to load up with as many valuable elements as they could, so they would be returning with full holds no matter what. If they found something more valuable on the next planet, they would merely leave the less valuable elements there, available for pickup in a secret cache if they had found something more interesting. It was a well-known tactic, and it had served many captains well in the past. It was something he had expected, and it made sense for the captain to maximize his profits, even if he was going to take care of all of his expenses and more.

  "Do we have an estimated time of arrival?" Josiah asked, and the Thrynn gave its angled version of a nod again.

  "We should be in orbit in roughly two hours, sir."

  The examiner nodded, doing some brief calculations in his head. It was not much time, and he was still no closer to figuring out just what had happened to the previous expedition.

  Still, he refused to give in until he knew for sure. "Thank you, Salynn. Please let me know when we are ready to depart."

  The long-necked crewman promised to do so, and Josiah headed back towards his quarters.

  As Josiah had suspected, he did not have long to wait. The captain gathered up the crew once they were prepared to land. The majority of the them piled into the terrain vehicle to investigate the last known location reported by the expedition team. Xixptrixx remained with the ship, ready to take off at a moment’s notice. The examiner watched the preparations with a mixture of elation and dread, one eye on the journey while the other attempted to watch his suspects.

  The drive to the site went very quickly, and Josiah had to once again appreciate the speed and effectiveness shown by the crew. They found a small clearing to park just north of where the transmission was coming from and would have to go on foot from there. Originally, they had planned to land closer, but it appeared that the clearing had been overrun with vegetation since the expedition ship had landed. Such a thing was not unheard of, but it certainly did not bode well for the condition of the site.

  Upon reaching the treeline, they broke into three two-person teams to seek out any sign of the original crew. The doctor went with the chief engineer, while Salynn and MOTO went together. The captain, who Josiah gathered usually went off by himself, decided to go with Josiah, and the three pairs moved out into the vegetation.

  Josiah moved slowly through the foliage, careful not to get too far from the captain. The other man looked grim, clearly growing concerned with every step. While the planet did not show any obvious signs of threat, the captain had ensured that everyone wore their expedition suits, including a borrowed spare for Josiah. The reflective material and included air supply ensured that they were protected from any known biohazards, and the weapon on the captain’s hip hopefully allowed him to keep any other threat at bay.

  Thinking of the captain, he turned back, but to his surprise, the other man was out of his sight. For a terrifying instant he wondered if the captain had planned this, bringing him along to his destination and then abandoning him. He tried to listen for any sign that the terrain vehicle was departing.

  Heavy footsteps behind him informed Josiah that he was no longer alone. He slowly turned to find the captain, his laser pistol drawn.

  It took Josiah just a moment to steel himself from what was to come, and then the captain fired a blast from his hand cannon, the light emitted from the weapon shockingly bright. Josiah’s eyes took a moment to adjust, but he came to the startling realization that the weapon had not been pointed at him. Whirling to his right, Josiah saw the charred outline of a piece of vegetation, which surprisingly was still moving in its death throes, seemingly crawling back into the undergrowth.

  If Captain Russell noted his hesitation, he was diplomatic enough not to mention it. "Carnivorous creeper vines. They can be deadly if one is not aware... a pretty common threat out here, but nothing one would want to face alone. If your survey crew was not expecting them..." His voice trailed off.

  "Is this something that the sensors would not have picked up?"

  "Not if they were as damaged as we suspect.” He looked angry for a moment. "Especially if they were going off of a buoy that said it was safe."

  Josiah straightened, sensing something in the other man’s voice. "You found them, didn't you?"

  The captain nodded, his expression devoid of any of the humor it had held earlier. "Just over the ridgeline. The creeper vines must have taken over the entire camp while they slept.” The captain straightened his posture, clearly steeling himself to give additional bad news. "We also found an automated buoy marker, confirming that this planet was claimed for colonization. Our buoy marker."

  Josiah closed his eyes tightly, feeling the other man's pain. Each buoy marker was planted by a ship to ensure that any follow up vessels knew that the planet was already under investigation. Each one was unique, and it certainly could not have been left by accident. Someone must have placed it before the Redoubtable departed, an intentional act that had cost multiple lives. "They must have followed the signal down, assuming that it would be safe.”

  "I checked the logs again, like I am sure you did, and there was no sign of a buoy being left on the planet during our first visit. Even if we discounted the fuel cost, we would have seen the life support equipment showing less than..."

  The thought struck them both at the same time, and they turned to see a pair of glowing red photoreceptors shining ominously through the greenery. MOTO’s traditionally stoic expression seemed sinister in the dying embers of the sunset.

  "I wish you had not thought of that, Captain."

  "Why, MOTO?" The captain’s voice held a note of true pain. “How could you do something like this?”

  “I can’t be sure, but I think it had something to do with your former science officer.” Josiah interjected, and the captain turned to him, confused.

  “You are correct, Examiner,” MOTO replied. “For Science Officer Tyler, and all of our crewmates.”

  "I don’t understand,” Russell replied, his gaze shifting from the examiner to the android and back again.

  MOTO helped his captain with his understandable confusion. “When we were exposed to the superheated fungus on VOI-3904, Science Officer Tyler, Doctor Iyeni, and I were all damaged. Science Officer Tyler returned to the ship, while I sought to bring back the body of Doctor Iveni. Having returned to the ship, Science Officer Tyler refused to take off without me. It was a selfless act as I had never observed before."

  The captain looked like he wanted to say something, but a glare from the examiner stopped him cold, and a quick flicker of recognition in his eyes informed him of just what he had nearly said. MOTO had apparently grown attached to the science officer when the Human had waited for the android to return with the dead medic, the android clearly not making the connection that Tyler had probably not realized the doctor was dead. To Josiah, it seemed only natural that the science officer had not waited for android, but for his fellow organic crewmate.

  "It sounds like Tyler was an extraordinary man. It is only natural that you would want to assist him when he was wounded."

  While it was impossible for the android to show emotion, the examiner believed he might have hit a nerve. The creation seemed to straighten a bit, and it looked like his photoreceptors narrowed slightly. "Tyler had proven himself to be selfless in his defense of the rest of the crew, myself included. It was vital that we provided him with the best of care, especially when we..." The mechanical voice trailed off, unable to continue.

  In an instant, it struck Josiah, and he nearly cursed himself for not thinking of it sooner. "When you were unable to protect them."

  The android nodded, clearly all he could do under his programming. Like most Human-created androids, the automated construct was constrained by a strict set of behavioral programming parameters, making it important that it prioritize the safety of Human life. The reality of interstellar exploration had weakened some of those programming bonds out of necessity if nothing else. "I attempted to provide him with the safety that he had provided to others, but our attackers were too strong. I was able to get him to the medical bay in time for him to be stabilized, but it will be some time before he will be able to return to us."

  A quick glance at the captain confirmed the reports that he himself had read: The injuries to the science officer, while healing, were far more significant than the automaton was considering. While he would be able to live a good and comfortable life, the competitive nature of the Interstel system would never allow him back on board a starship again. The android surely knew that, but it seemed like something he could not recognize.

  The captain took up the thread of conversation from there, his tone soothing. "So you helped to ensure that he was taken care of. You knew that I was sending him a portion of our profits, so you made sure that we remained profitable by maximizing our output."

  "It was the only way to ensure a higher level of support for the entire crew." The android replied. "We are a successful vessel, but the vagaries of the exploration process provided for too little for us to sustain everyone. It was incumbent upon me to ensure that we were as successful as possible."

  "And the follow up expeditions that went forward?" the examiner asked, his curiosity overwhelming his good sense for the briefest of moments. "What of them?"

  "Interstel procedure ensures that no planets are settled without extensive android follow-up before colonization. No sentient creatures were to be harmed in the process. The follow up team would have caught any data errors before Human colonists were sent out.”

  Josiah closed his eyes tightly for a moment, immediately understanding the depth of the automaton’s plan. Since it knew that only fellow androids would follow up on any inspections, there would be no risk to sentient creatures. The rest of his plan also made a sick sort of sense, merely extrapolating on the same odds that Interstel counted on for all of its projects: if he registered every potentially habitable planet as one that was a benefit, he would surely be right more than he was wrong, which would lead to higher profits. Not to mention, the sheer overwhelming backlog that was being created by the twelve exploration ships would also mean that some of these planets would not be seen as worthless until long after they had probably aged out of their current profession. It was an explanation that might only make sense in the ruthless pragmatism of an automated mind, but he could follow the theory.

  Unfortunately, such pragmatism did have its downside.

  MOTO slowly slid over, moving to place himself before them and the entrance to the lander. "Unfortunately, I cannot allow this agreement to be uncovered. The loss to the ship would be too great.”

  "You would kill us both, MOTO?" Russell asked, and for the briefest of moments it looked like the android was surprised.

  "Of course not, Captain!" was the automatic reply. "You are too valuable to the ship to lose, and will be brought back aboard with all speed and comfort. Our guest, however, has fulfilled no practical purpose on the voyage, and has no effect on the ship as a whole, except to put it at risk. I calculate that the best option for us is to leave him here, on the planet, with all of the supplies he will require to survive happily."

  A neat little sidestep there. Josiah thought. MOTO was rationalizing to himself that he would be allowing him to live, despite the fact that he had to realize that leaving him alone would clearly kill the examiner before anyone could send out a rescue mission. While the automaton would not be specifically behind his death, he was walking a very fine line.

  The major factor would be Captain Russell. Josiah glanced over at him, attempting to gauge his expression.

  To his dismay, the captain was clearly thinking about it, and he supposed that he could not blame him. Josiah had forced his way onto this mission, and his continued success was no longer assured. Now that the truth was out, when the ship returned to the Starport all of the reports sent in by MOTO would be put under a microscope, and he had to know that all payments would be halted until they could verify the suitability of the worlds independently, if at all. There was also an argument that the fraud created by the android would cause the funds to be forfeited by the ship, which would result in a shattering blow to their bottom line.

  However, if Josiah did not return with them...

  Something seemed to flash in the captain’s eyes, and he straightened, giving the android a small nod. "Alright, MOTO, what are you thinking?"

  The automaton almost seemed relieved by the quick acquiescence by his captain, focused completely on the other man. "I have made arrangements to ensure that all of the supplies that the examiner would need have been prepared and can be offloaded with ease. If you will ensure that he does not become... invasive, I can unload the ship before we are missed for too long.”

  Josiah looked between the two of them, clearly trying to come up with a way to delay the thought process. "What about the rest of the crew? Surely they will have some questions as to why I have not returned."

  The captain looked at him, arching an eyebrow. "I think you grossly overestimate the impression you have made on the rest of the crew, Examiner. Those who do not believe you are an irritant are probably more focused on having you depart than any of the rest of us. No, MOTO is correct there: If you do not return to the ship, your absence will not be keenly missed."

  For a moment, Josiah felt a pang of discomfort that he could not quite explain. While he hoped that the captain was only saying that to distract the android from his murderous mission, there was a small kernel of truth in the statement.

  “Excellent. Keep the examiner here, while I prepare us for liftoff,” he replied, his expression morphing into an ominous grin as he ascended the short ramp into the terrain vehicle. “There is nothing more for us here.”