"It's the past," Wing says. "There's no point ruining the future with what was simply your truth in the past." The thing that mattered, after all, was that Drift had been free, he had been changed. That was...worth everything.

And why not have the box and the prize now?

Okay, Wing will leave the metaphors to you, Drift. Maybe better that way.

"Earth! Yes, that's it." Urf? Arf? It sounded strange, like a grunt. "Were you? So you know about these humans!" You are quite the traveler, Drift: Wing is impressed!