Ve'len was, at the best of times, taciturn, and this was not his most talkative mood. Nevertheless, he did have some thoughts, on the situation. He could tell that Barid was not using Beyonder indoctrination methods; it would have been painfully obvious, even for one as blind as Draiss. He most definitely did not approve of Barid's use of Beyonders as<em>batteries,</em>and some of the comparisons were rather unflattering. As for the hosts, Ve'len simply posed a question:<em>Where did the spent shells go?</em><br/><br/>Jashah returned, from her pleasant conversation with his copy, looking full of curiosity. "I've never seen anything like him. He looked almost exactly like you, and his aura seemed so similar to yours, when you were separated from Ve'len, if I didn't know what I was looking for, I'd think it was you. Of course, he didn't recognize me, and as soon as he started talking, I could tell the difference, though he seems to have inherited your substantial ego.<em>Were</em>you running any experiments like that, that might have gotten... loose, in the last few centuries?"