Transcription

[[At an intersection of corridors on the Grey ship, Planck approaches from one direction and brightens to see Pi coming from another with Fred perched on his shoulder.]]
Planck: There you are! How goes the MUTEX training?
Fred: Fairly well, Planck. The Inexplicable Speck! and Alpha-Duck are picking it up pretty quickly.

Pi: [Scowling as usual] The flea professes not to be very computer literate, but from a physics level, he's nearly on par with Nick. The fowl, on the other hand...
Fred: In his own words, "butter-feathers".

Planck: [Confused] I... don't get it...
Fred: Neither did Pi. It's an avian variation of a human phrase that... [Seeing the blank look on the Greys' faces, he gives up.] Never mind. He knows his chemistry, but he's not allowed to touch the MUTEX controls again.

Planck: [Even more confused] I still don't understand...
Fred: Let's just say it's a good thing time is frozen over there, or Mr. Glowerhausen wouldn't have survived "landing" a mile up in the air...