It's never too late to hear from your mentors, so Captain Beran sent out a message to the Architect's Temple, hoping Umani hadn't left yet. Saviers were known to trust their judgment as well as seek confirmation whenever clarity came scarce, and the ship's current situation certainly qualified for the latter.

Signal fluctuations caused multiple interruptions. Something was consuming vast amounts of energy on Umbar, and he had an idea what it might be. At last, the connection was stable. Umani appeared on the other side of his chamber desk in holographic form.

"I hear you seek wisdom to borrow," said the elderly man.

Captain Beran bowed his head. "I have none of my own, Master."

A slight change in Umani's expression. "Tell me how I may assist you."

"Planet B-17 is presenting me with the unknown."

"Explain."

"Our ground teams have begun their missions and report a high degree of organism interconnectedness across the surface, to the extent of joint responses: pluck a flower, and the surrounding ones might whither or fall, untouched; unjustified temperature differences are reported by teams working in adjacent streaks of land; one team's transmissions arrive with a 2-hour lag, but their responses are sent before, not after we make our inquiries; one crew member, an Amsirion, has passed away due to an unexplainable cardiac arrest; the ship has experienced system difficulties that, again, are unexplainable; the life form we have retrieved for examination purposes is non-responsive."

The Captain remained quiet. So was Umani for a while.

"Intriguing," said the elder, fixing the Captain with gentle eyes. "When all is unknown, don't look at the all, Soo. Look at the unknown that's in it. Expect a connection, but do not expect to find it before you've attained clarity over its components."

The Captain was listening.

"Perhaps it'd be easier to start with the life form," said Umani. "Return to the basics. Why is it aboard, and has it fulfilled the purpose for being collected?"

"Doctor Erani Qwe is still studying it."

"While being blind to everything else."

Captain Beran pondered briefly. "I have analyzed the risk of limiting her activity and concluded that the chance of studying an unknown life form might provide us with inestimable understanding of Planet B-17."

"You cannot understand what is alien until it is no longer alien," retorted his mentor. "What has she reported? Has her investigation granted her any further knowledge of Planet B-17?"

"Not yet," admitted the Captain.

"Then you'd do well to diversify her assignments again. Tell me, has the Amsirion mind-transfer ceremony been concluded?"

"No, Master, it has not. It has merely begun."

"The Amsirions need time to adjust to the new mind that is now a component of their own, yet they might illuminate you on the cause of your crew member's death. People do not die as if someone unplugged them."

"I have taken an inquiry into consideration, but shall give them the time you advise."

"Very well. That leaves the ground anomalies. Reflect on these: Harmony lies in acceptance. What you cannot accept, you cannot see. What you deny obscures your judgment."

"I will, Master. I appreciate your counsel."

"Farewell, Captain."

Beran bowed again. "Farewell."

The transmission was terminated from the Architect's Temple. The Captain remained behind his desk in profound meditation, then went to the forcefield window.

Much is unknown at the edge of life, and even the known is barely filtered from the grasp of mystery. Planet B-17, as they'd called it in Star Bay, was a meeting place of the two, which this recognition mission was bound to explore and hopefully understand.