[Armin rubs his forehead briefly, looking like he's getting a headache.]

That's really not encouraging. [He sighs.] A very close eye, then.

Do you know, is his sister one of us?

Oh, good. [He looks relieved, though still worried.] Well, she's de-infiltrating herself when we go back, so we don't have to worry about that one too much, then.

I may just leave it to them, then, unless they ask for help. The nation eaters are enough for us to worry about, I think.

...I don't think I have the energy to focus on that until at least this nation eater is dealt with.

...What do you think of this dance thing?

That's about where I'm at too. And even after it starts, the fact that it's something we need to do or this universe is fucked is going to be an oppressive air over the entire thing.

Yeah, it's not like hiding it will make us forget.

I'll do the dances they need to unfreeze everyone. But really, I'm not a very good dancer even when I'm in the mood for it...

I'm okay at a couple dances - the waltz, mostly - but pretty much just the ones we learned the first time at Nibiru. But then, that was for a mission too - and we practiced for most of a month.

Have you heard of the Starmovers?

The inhabitants of Nibiru live on a planet ravaged by their own sun, and they revere both night and winter. They believe that unless they empower the Orrery through ritualistic dance once each year at the winter solstice, the world will stop turning and the summer will consume them.

The Orrery is a massive structure built with technology far beyond their capabilities - built by the Starmovers, who they worship as gods. We were there the first winter solstice after Moebius.