The Baron wasn't used to having anyone say 'maybe' to him, so Me's reply struck him as particularly audacious. He was used to a command, even a cordially-issued one, being obeyed very quickly, and without question. But, although he wanted to hear about Earth, he also was interested in thinking machines- thus, he let it go, merely remarking, "It is said that my own House derives from Earth, originally, in some region known as Western Russia. You can tell me of it at another time."
"So, you have known a thinking machine, eh? I've long wondered if the Imperium made a mistake in banning them. It's not my religion, just the official religion of the Imperium- and the Jihad's a matter of state, enforced by death. It's ten-thousand year-old decree, which we've developed beyond. We can do whatever those machines could have done, without them. Or so the mentats insist. But mentats are men- and even the most brilliant is capable of a rare miscalculation. As men are capable of miscalculation, any engineered device can contain miscalculations, so it follows that all thinking machines contained potential flaws. But perhaps they held less potential to become a liability, compared to men." Men were prone to so many potential habits, potential distractions- and held the potential become a habit or a distraction in themselves.
He finished off his brandy, and poured another glass as he listed to Me talk about the train engine, and its lack of accessibility. He'd tried this door along with the rest, when experimenting with his odd key- but every door between cars seemed to lead to the same place when it was used. He had not really intended to speak of his efforts towards this end with other passengers, but, Me seemed worth delving into the subject with. She was interested, and he was used to using conversation as a tool to help sort his own thoughts. "I have also attempted the engine door, despite the damnable hallways, but during other, hrm, experiments. I was able to unlock it, but do not believe that it opened into the engine- unless the engine is a strangely empty place. In these experiments, I found that there is something unusual about the behavior of space upon the train. It is not arranged in a purely three-dimensional format. It, ahhh . .bends, somehow."