Pretty sure the Null are just covering their bases.

[It's valid theorizing, at any rate. Nate voted in favor of fucking the Null over because he doesn't trust them to honor their proposal.]

Using the old hosts they worked on as scouts is easy for them, like having sleeper agents they didn't know they'd use until we showed up again. I'm in agreement about the trade, I didn't like it from the start but it's the most dangerous scenario for us - and the most advantageous to them - they could be running.