Darya stared at Sentinel, and struggled to admit the truth.

To be bored.

Incredible, but that was the only word for it. The life of a successful archeo-scientist, once so rich and satisfying, was no longer enough.

It was easy to see why. The disappearance of the Builders from the spiral arm five million years ago had provided for Darya the most fascinating mystery imaginable. She could think of nothing more interesting than exploring the artifacts left behind by the long-vanished race, seeking to understand them and perhaps to learn where the Builders had gone, and why.

Nothing more interesting, that is, so long as the Builders remained vanished. But once one had met constructs who explained that they were the Builders’ own representatives, who still served the Builders’ interests… why, then the past became irrelevant. What mattered was the present and the future, with the possibility of encountering and studying the Builders themselves. Even the most interesting parts of her old life, including her cherished catalog of artifacts, could not compete.

Darya’s communication terminal was sending a soft piping sound in her direction. She walked back to it in no particular hurry. It was going to be Professor Merada — these days it was always Professor Merada, at any hour of the day or night.

His serious, heavy-browed face had already appeared on the screen, overwriting her catalog inputs.

“Professor Lang.” He began to speak as soon as she came into his field of view. “Concerning the proposed entry on the Phages.”

“Yes?” Darya had an idea what was coming.

“It states here — I quote — ‘although Phages are generally considered to be slow-moving free-space forms, shunning all forms of gravity field, there are exceptions. In certain circumstances Phages may be induced to move into a gravity field, and move with considerable speed.’ Professor Lang, I assume that you wrote those words.”