“Thank you, Marae’Ano. It’s good to meet you all as well. We’ve received a warm welcome on Rothia, for which we’re very grateful. As a token of our appreciation, please accept this humble gift, delivered on behalf of the Outremer administration.” Andersen turned in her seat and motioned with one hand. The silent soldier in the blue armour marched over to a side table between the two parties and carefully placed the wooden box they’d been carrying on it. 

“The box was crafted by hand from a bough of the Threnody Root, a unique, protected tree system that grows in the caves of Outremer’s south pole. Inside, is the Phoenician Staff. Part of a collection, this staff was originally part of the engine casing for the first colonist ship to touch down on Outremer, three hundred and fifty years ago.” Freyr had heard of the Staffs. The colonial administration ordered their creation after the first contact ships were retired. They used parts, each with a unique documented story to tell from the journey across. She realised she really wanted to see it in person.

“Now, shall we get to the part of the meeting everyone is here for?” Captain Andersen grinned, drumming her fingers on the table in front of her. “Can you please bring up your latest scans of Rothia’s surface?” She asked the Rothian delegation in front of her. When a 3d model of the planet appeared in the middle of the table, slowly spinning, Andersen pulled a small hard drive from her chest pocket. She stood up and carefully slid it across the table. “Plug this in.”

Once the coordinates had been inserted, the double-sided hologram moved to one end of the table, so everyone could see. The viewpoint zoomed in on a one hundred mile square of the planet. A pulsing red dot appeared on the surface of the ocean, about fifty miles from the nearest landmass. “That...is where we should look first, ladies and gentlemen. We believe whatever our Cradle was trying to talk to must be at the bottom of the ocean, or inside the planetary crust. Any questions?”