Briefly — at least, in the middle of what Cosima’s saying — Petrana looks, if anything, puzzled by the fact this is being said to her. By the end of it, though, even if it isn’t something that she would have thought on her own, she looks more thoughtful, understanding,

“A reasonable concern,” she allows, meaning broadly, in Cosima’s position. If she held the ambassador’s role, still, perhaps she would be handling her own choice with especial care. That it is a rifter in charge of research, specifically, has a heft to it that she can acknowledge.

“For my own part, I don’t consider my choice, yours, or anyone else’s to necessarily reflect on one another. As you know, the de Fonce theory remains that— a promising likelihood, but not a true guarantee. To know more, we must see more, and though I will not claim a selfless dedication to science,”

with a small, self-deprecating smile,

“it is worth acknowledging that my position is uniquely suited to further that end. The anchor-shard in my hand has no use bar its control over my movements; I have never utilized it in the field and do not intend, ever, to do so in the future. It is a lesser loss to the greater cause in that way, a means to add to the little that we know of our circumstances and our options that does not risk a loss to the work that cannot be done by others.”