The three of them descend to Sinai together.

Alleluia is a bit nervous to see them. When Isabella approaches they speak very quickly, very softly.

Alleluia is probably an insufficient amount of nervous, Lucien thinks to himself.

"She thinks it will be safe to bring you up to the ship with me. She's checking. Will you promise not to do anything but look, without my say-so?"

Lucien thinks briefly - he doesn't promise lightly.

"Yes, I promise."

It's a transporter, but one that's designed not to look like it; a design carved into a stone floor. "If you stand here with me then when we're ready it will just - put us on the ship, without having to fly to it."

"Oh, I don't know if it will work on me - our transporters don't work on amaliens."

"- oh. Will it fail dangerously if it doesn't?"

"Not particularly, it could be really painful for me but it's worth the information."

"...well, I guess it's your prerogative if you want to try it. Say when."

"When."

It fails excruciatingly! But, he's fine. Just needs to catch his breath and maybe write some tears away.

Isabella is gone for hours.

Alleluia will awkwardly offer Lucien some sandwiches and tea.

Sure! That's nice. Though he's fine, really.

"First Officer Graft can go in my place?"

"She didn't ask about him, only about you. If she wanted him along I'm sure she would have said."

"Makes sense."

He can have sandwiches and tea and awkward conversation for the hours Isabella is gone if that's what there is to do.

Eventually, Isabella returns.

This is good, it turns out sandwiches and tea and awkward conversation is a terrible way to pass several hours.

"The ship has confirmed that if it is boarded or interfered with from without, it will retaliate lethally - it was built by a violent people, even if they wanted to stop being so. It also won't give out the weapons technology. It says it's programmed not to. I did have it print out some other information that might be useful." She has nearly a ream of paper. "And I can go back for more if there is more you think of that it might know."

Anything on genetics in the ream?

Yup. Whole entire explanation of how angels were originally created.

Yay!

"Was it just giving us this information to be friendly?"

"I don't think it can really be friendly."

"Mmm. Why'd it give us this information then?"

"I asked it to and it didn't have a rule against it."