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I lengthened the strap on my knitting bag so I could put it over my shoulder and made my way to Luna’s. Robinson, our usual server, saw me when I came in.

He waved and came over. He took my hand. “Mrs. McFadden, how good to see you.” He glanced down at Harry. “Mr. Kitson doesn’t look quite himself.”

I laughed. “That’s my compdroid, Harry.”

“What a fine gentleman he is.” Robinson smiled at him. “Hello, Harry.”

Harry meowed back.

Robinson looked at me. “Are you and Mr. Kitson dining with us this evening? Or is it just you and Harry?”

“No, I wish, but it’s neither of those.” It smelled great in the restaurant. “Frank and I have some work to do, so he called in an order for two pizzas.”

Robinson moved to the tablet at the host stand. He tapped the screen. “Let me see. Ah, yes, there they are. It’ll just be a moment while I check with the kitchen.”

“Thank you.” There was a small, padded bench across from the host stand, so I took a seat. Harry hopped up next to me. I glanced at my wristband, surprised I hadn’t heard from Hazel yet, but I also knew how busy she was.

Robinson returned with two reusable totes, one large, one small. “Your pizzas are ready.” He lifted the smaller bag. “There are plates, utensils, napkins, and a complimentary piece of tiramisu in here for you to share. I made sure it was large enough.”

I got up to take them. “You take such good care of us. Thank you.”

With a pleased smile, he waved it off. “Nothing is too good for my favorite customers. Enjoy your meal. We look forward to seeing you again.”

“Thank you, Robinson.” I hoped Frank had included a tip. Knowing Frank, he probably had. With the bags in my hands and Harry ready to leave, I hesitated. “Listen, I’m sure you’ve heard about the guests the Athos took on board.”

He nodded, his smile diminishing. “I have.”

I worried about saying too much, but I liked the man and knew I’d feel worse if anything happened to him. “If you come into contact with them, be careful.”

He leaned in, eyes narrowing. “They’re trouble, aren’t they?”

I chose my words carefully. “All I know is that they seem to be influencing people to do things they wouldn’t ordinarily do.”

He frowned. “All that meditation and fortune-telling.” He shook his head sternly. “Perhaps I’m old-fashioned, but it’s not for me. Nothing against those who enjoy it, but…”

“No, I get it. And I’m glad.” I gave him a quick smile, happy to hear his response. “Thanks again and take care of yourself. We’ll see you soon.”

“Have a good evening.”

Harry and I got back to Deck 8 as quickly as I could. Frank saw me coming and got the door for me. “Thanks.”

Harry zipped in ahead of me and went straight back to the office.

Frank took the large tote with the pizzas in it. “What’s in the other bag?”

“Plates and that kind of stuff,” I answered as I came in. “And a piece of tiramisu for us to share.”

“Robinson?”

“Yep.”

Frank smiled. “Good man.”

“He is. I couldn’t help but give him a delicate warning about the Ohuli. Probably not the smartest but I couldn’t help myself.”

“I think it was kind and brave. Well done.”

“Thanks.”

We went through the decontamination chamber. I set the smaller bag down on an empty worktable.

Frank’s brows rose. “What was his response to your delicate warning?”

“I think so far he’s unaffected. He said meditation and fortune-telling wasn’t anything he was into.”

“Old-school. Makes sense.”

I took my knitting bag off my shoulder and leaned on the table. “I ran into Benni in my corridor. I believe she’s unaffected, too. She was on her way to see me. She knows Vashti’s under the Ohuli’s influence.”

“Did you warn her, too?”

“I did, but it probably wasn’t necessary. She and Will aren’t into that kind of stuff either.”

“Good.”

Two pieces of equipment were now humming with activity. I glanced at them. “You figure anything out while I was gone?”

He let out a slow breath. “No, but I’ve got several new tests running. Let’s eat, then I’m going to have a close look at that pila.”

“Okay.” I glanced into the office. Gracie and Harry were sitting on the desk next to each other, but when I followed their sightlines, I saw Frank had turned the screen on in there. “Did you find something for Gracie to watch?”

He snorted. “I had to. It was a little like babysitting. She got cross because Harry left, so while I was trying to work, she opened a drawer that had a bunch of pipettes in it and started tossing them out. Then, because that didn’t get my attention, she started pecking at the desktop, which made a racket.

I found a video about ants that seemed to make her happy. They must both be watching it now.”

I rolled my lips in. It was that or laugh hysterically. “Sorry. I could have taken Gracie with me, too. I guess I should have.”

“It’s pretty amusing how much they like hanging out together.”

“They’re both such stinkers. But ants? Why not, I suppose.”

Frank shrugged, his gaze going to the office. “Hey, it’s keeping them occupied.”

“Right, no complaints.” I unpacked the plates and napkins, then went into the office where the Instachef was and ordered two sparkling waters.

Gracie and Harry paid no attention to me. They were both fixated on the screen, where ants were marching through tunnels, carrying eggs, and doing other ant things. I let them be and took the drinks back out.

Frank had the pizza boxes open, filling the lab with the most delicious aromas. He put a slice of each pizza on both our plates, the strings of cheese making my stomach rumble. We pulled chairs over and sat to enjoy our dinner.

“This is not how I thought I’d be spending the evening,” I said, winding a dangling bit of cheese around my finger.

“Me either. But the company is fantastic.”

I smiled. “Yeah, it is. The pizza’s not bad either.”

We ate a few more slices, then I cleaned up so he could get back to work. I put the tiramisu in the fridge in the office since neither of us were ready for it yet. Harry and Gracie hadn’t moved.

I came back out into the lab and heard soft beeping. “What’s that?”

“I’m doing a second analysis on a sample I took of the Ohuli craft.

I had already determined it was organic material, but I wanted to see the breakdown more specifically.

This equipment far exceeds what I can do in my quarters.

” He walked over to the beeping machine and tapped a button that turned off the sound.

He tapped a few more buttons. “I just sent the report to myself. Let me read through this, then I’ll start on the pila. ”

“Do whatever you need to do.” I dug into my knitting bag and took out the needles and yarn I needed to make Harry’s new sweater. Following the same simple pattern I’d used to make the first one, I began casting on with the teal wool.

I had two rows of ribbing done when Frank looked up, his gaze filled with uncertainty as he stared blankly ahead. I could tell wheels were turning.

When he didn’t say anything, I finally asked, “What is it?”

He shook his head. “It can’t be right. The samples either degraded or were compromised in some way.”

“Why’s that? What’s not right?”

He looked at his screen again, like he needed to double-check what he’d read. “These results.”

“Explain?”

He gestured at his screen, which I couldn’t see. “This readout shows the presence of glycoproteins. It’s not really my area of expertise, so maybe I’m reading this wrong, but I don’t think I am.”

“It’s not my area of expertise at all, so can you explain it like I’m five?”

He looked at me. “According to the report on this sample, the Ohuli ship is not only made of organic materials, it’s pregnant.”