CHAPTER VII

Robots don't sweat.

This is just an inarguable fact.

Sweating is a response by some warm-blooded species to regulate internal body temperature.

Sweat is released from a series of tiny specialized glands

throughout the epidermis,

and the evaporation of that liquid causes an exothermic exchange

that results in a small amount of body heat being lost to the environment.

Useful for primitive species and animals,

but otherwise it is outmoted, unnecessary, and socially awkward.

But many species also sweat when they are nervous.

And if it were even remotely possible for him to do so,

Echo would have been sweating buckets.

He felt it should probably be the captain doing this.

It was not actually a breach of procedure for the ship's robot to do it,

but the captain would normally interface with the lead officer of a security force prior to a prisoner transfer unless there was some

pressing problem. But Captain Bandersen had no idea how anything was supposed to work, and would

certainly get them all killed if he were entrusted with any interpersonal relations. He would

high-five the lead guard of the prisoner detail or something, "'and their paper-thin cover story would be blown.

"'Not that they really had a cover story of any kind.

"'That was part of what was winding echo up so tight.

"'They were obviously the wrong ship in the wrong place at the wrong time

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