CHAPTER 14

Jefri Olsndot grows close to an eight-pup pack he calls Amdi, realizing the puppies share one mind and can mimic and learn Samnorsk. He teaches and plays while adults remain distant. Amdi attends lessons, translating between Jefri and Steel’s side, and the pair begin communicating fluently.

Steel orders Amdiranifani to tell Jefri that his parents and sister are dead, seeking control. The tactic backfires emotionally, and Amdi reports Jefri’s grief. In discussion, Amdi reveals Jefri might wake the other human children and that the ship has been automatically signaling since landing, a revelation Steel recognizes as an existential threat.

To maintain leverage yet advance his aims, Steel allows Amdi and Jefri into an inner courtyard and later outside in winter, building trust. They play and explore; Jefri expresses desire to use the ultrawave to call for help, while Amdi urges earning Steel’s trust. Experimenting with a commset, they discover Steel’s matching unit and prank-call him with a mock “Pack of Packs” greeting, provoking Steel’s fury and resolve to tighten control.

Despite anger, Steel decides to exploit their ability, planning to let them aboard to send his crafted message in place of the distress beacon. Concurrent Net messages report the spread of the Straumli Perversion: remote High Beyond sites vanish; Arbitration Arts advertises a relay service, is then reported subverted by Net attack, and warnings urge routing via safer layers.

Steel escorts Amdi and Jefri across the straits to Starship Hill. Inside the ship, Amdi notes Steel’s sound-deadening quilts and strange mold on the walls, while Jefri revisits the caskets and bridge, confronting memories of his parents’ actions. Buoyed by the familiar environment, Jefri steels himself to help. Subsequently, a Relay log records Jefri’s first clumsy plea for assistance, confirming he has begun transmitting.