The abundance of armed individuals, especially the Human soldiers, was a source of discomfort for some of the Rothian scientists. They were accustomed to Rothian authorities, but foreign soldiers could put them on edge, at least subconsciously. Though, Rareth, of course, was perfectly calm. She had been the one to approve the presence of Human supersoldiers, and as a Datius, her own capabilities were legendary. Even a Rahn’Masser agent like Vreta did not truly know how much of their reputation was true, and how much was propaganda. 

Now that it was time to get to work, Marae cleared the space around the conference table for Freyr, Rareth, and the others to join her. Rareth stepped up to stand at one end of the table, while Nirann’s hologram appeared in the seat next to Marae. Vreta knew that his presence was not entirely necessary at the moment, but if there was space at the table, he intended to take a seat as well. 

Marae was the one to start, once Freyr posed her question. “Yes. Now that the containment shield is in place, we are free to interact directly with the object. While we do not yet know the purpose of this object, I do agree with the approach of treating it as we would the Cradle. Given its location and properties, testing whether or not there is a simulation within is a fair starting point. Nirann has prepared a simplified scouting program. It is designed to carry out its one task, then shut itself down. It is not adaptable in the slightest, but it should be reliable. It is my understanding that your team has a program to try as well, Dr. Lang? I see no reason that we cannot attempt both, and once we have the results, we can decide on our next move.”