Jem paced nervously back and forth in the ship's meeting room, while Nico sat in a chair at the table and watched him. The master had called them shortly after waking, and asked them to appear for a ship's conference after breakfast. The boys had hurriedly showered and dressed, and eaten their meals, and then been the first to arrive at the meeting room. And now all Jem could do was pace, and wonder what sort of strange fate had left him in the position of being the one person that an alien blob