[She wants to correct him, but doesn't. There are two sides to any locus of power - the idea of control, and the fear of it. He has identified one aspect, but not the other. If a source of power cannot be fully controlled and exploited, there will always be someone trying to annihilate it. he never plays all her cards.]

[She was also beginning to have nagging concerns about the 'advanced' nature of their universe. The hand-held cellular phones being developed here were already as capable as the best comlink, and they hadn't even mastered spaceflight yet. This planet has potential.]

[But the way he speaks...that is telling. And not in ways she likes.]

It figures, of course. Escape from one universe of plots, land in another. I begin to believe existence has a highly developed sense of humor.