"That's what I believe, yes. Anyone who really wants to leave the train will do so, eventually. Sometimes it takes a little while."

He listens to what the Ministry official is saying. "All right, then the train's understanding of the passengers' emotions probably is through the tethers. What conditions would cause the train to understand those emotions differently than how they should be understood? I don't think that has ever happened on the Voidtrecker Express, so far as I know."

One other thing. "The train did communicate with us just recently. It posted on the network to apologize for its lack of communication and for the events of the Void storm. It gave us a chance to ask whatever questions we had, and it really did answer them. I was pleased."