"Would it be faster just to swing by the shell on our way there, do you think."

"Not by much, especially not if we're counting in terms of my time and not total shuttle airtime since I can send for resurrection batches automatically."

"Ah, I wasn't sure of the speed comparison between driven and unmanned shuttles.  - Oh, or the fact that we could mix that one in with a regular batch instead of having to give them one to themself, assuming - probably safely? - that at least fourteen other people won't want help sleeping."

One of the starches raises his hand.

"Yes you?"

"Are any cats citizens of Atriama?"

"Uh, I have a cat but he hasn't wanted to come so far. I haven't asked any others, I should maybe do that."

"If we work out some practicalities I could go clear out relevant shelters once there's daylight on the surface."

"Yeah, that sounds good, I couldn't take all the talking cats out of the shelter where I got Cricket but the situation has changed. Not all the cats in there talked though, how will you tell?"

"That is a practicality which we would have to work out!"

"I guess I could make you a recording or ask Cricket to go with you. - or possibly Princess, since Cricket is kind of an asshole. You'd need a way to wake up the sleeping ones."

"If Cricket wouldn't want to help with this be it far from me to ask that of him, and I'd be excited to meet Princess from what Jordan said about her.  Plausibly the paperwork on all of them will take long enough long enough that each cat will be awake for some of it?  . . . If they'll even let me walk out with however many cats; I'm not sure that they will."

"Oh, Cricket might well volunteer to help, he'd just be an asshole throughout. - you know what, I think I got the shelter person's number -" He conjures that up.

Here is a number the same length as Nicholas's, scrawled on the shelter's business card (which has one two digits longer).  "I'd hope to be resilient enough to remain unaffected but if you think it would cause the other cats a problem then I'll take you at your word."

"I think the other cats might not be primed for ideal levels of cooperativeness by Cricket being like 'hey you worthless fleafood' or whatever."

"Is there any chance of us meeting this fellow?  I so desperately would like to."

"I will have him with me at future points."

"I want to know what our distinguishing nicknames are going to be!  Even if they aren't assigned to us by excitingly rude cats!"

"He'd probably be happy to assign you nicknames, honestly, but they would be excitingly rude."

"Noooo, I mean the ones because you can't tell the five of us apart!  Or also the Cricketous ones at some later point, but - later."

"Can't tell the five of our names apart, rather, surely."

"Fair."  Nod nod nod nod nod.

"Do you all have distinct academic specialties?"

"Not as such.  Current projects, maybe."

"Syd and I are both on possession.  - Were."