"- gosh," he says, smiling. "That does seem really tricky. Hmm - we could fork me, and put one fork in a hologram machine talking to a projection of you, somewhere far away from here, and then one of me can stay here talking to you, and then if their behavior diverges we'd have some information."

" - you're really very good."

"Oh, I didn't make the holograph machines, some other people figured that out while I was working on lightleapers."

"Not that. Although I suppose it's good that someone did. Just - wanting to help."

"Everyone's going to help. There's a lot to do."

"Yeah. That makes sense. I guess I meant - not minding interacting with me. Even though the whole thing is kind of creepy right now." 

Unless she made him not mind. Aaaaa.

"I'm really curious whether there's a range or a - granularity - limit or if you can just want all the Alteri to stop having a war, and all the Carthons too."

"Yeah. I guess I am also curious about this."

"But probably you should sleep first. And eat. - and talk to your friends from the ship, I think there was something important they were waiting to tell you until after you'd spoken to Eru."

Nodnod. "Yeah. That makes sense. I - really am tired."

"Nine minutes. I don't want you to bite your hand again but I want to do the test the way I thought of it originally."

She laughs a very little bit. "One minute won't hurt me."

"We're all very proud of you."

"Thank you. I guess - at least he really liked it."

"Yes. I think he's - well, I think he wants you to succeed. He's just kind of horrible even when he's on your side."

"Well. If we succeed then I think it'll probably be worth it."

Nod. 

"I just - I don't want to hurt anyone. Or - overwrite anyone to be more convenient to me. And - maybe I also want things that conflict with that, but - I don't want to be - unsafe."

"I think probably if you can't control it you'll have to live on a very specialty planet which people are warned about before visiting but lots and lots of people will choose to have a version there, really they will, you won't be alone."

"Well, if I really can't control it, then I definitely won't be."