"[Untranslated] is the opposite of filth," explains the spokesalien. After a bit of digital hemming and hawing, the computer renders its next sentence as: "The purity-keepers maintain purity so that no one is contaminated by filth. This is the most frightening colony planet, because of the filth contagion, but until today there had not been an incident in many thousands of years!"

"An incident?"

"A contamination. An incident where someone [verb phrase] from the filth contagion and needed to be killed."

"[Verb phrase?]"

"[Untranslated sound]..." says the spokesalien, gesturing vaguely at Cam. It tries a few more phrasings, and the computer finally pieces together: "Grew wings. They had no wings, and then they grew them. Wings are a limb only filth creatures have. People have four limbs, but the filth creatures of this planet sometimes have six..."

Cam resists the temptation to wave his wings at them. "Why is it filthy to have wings?"

"Because only filth creatures and those with the filth contagion have them!" says the spokesalien.

Cam does not have the word for 'circular argument'. He makes a butterfly. "Is this a filth creature, too?"

"I don't know what that is!"

"It lived here when filth creatures did. It has wings." The butterfly bats them.

"I don't know what you mean," says the spokesalien.

Did they just kill all the butterflies? He didn't get a really close look at the vegetation, maybe it's all alien stuff, maybe they killed the whole biosphere. He flicks the butterfly away. It flies.

The spokesalien tries again: "It's filthy to have wings because wings are a sign of the contagion. People never had wings until they went near the filth creatures of this planet. People only grow wings because of the filth contagion."

Cam says into his comm, "Any input on that assertion?"

"I've never seen an Enemy get their wings. I didn't know it was possible," says Azair.

"Well, apparently they avoid it literally like the plague. Is there any known wing-related contagion effect among you lot, though?"

"It is more likely to get your wings if you know someone who already has... I've never heard anyone speculate that it was literally contagious. Anyone can get their wings."

The voice of a triplet puts in, "If I heard them right earlier, they said they can get the contagion from entering the Spheres. Suranse is a Sphere. If there is a contagion, we all have it."

"Hmm." Cam translates this as best he can for the spokesalien.

"I don't understand," says the spokesalien. "Of course the filth contagion comes from the filth creatures. If it didn't, it would not be filth."

"But not all filth creatures have wings," Cam says.

"That is known! Wings are not what make filth creatures filthy! Being filth creatures is!"

"Could a filth creature stop being a filth creature?" Cam wonders.

"No!"

"Why?"