Marae followed Freyr to Dr. Diamini’s side, though her mind was focused on the problem at hand. Nirann had some unique circumstances to contend with, but it was still possible that they might be able to send him in. Diamini was slow to awaken, as it did seem that she had to take some time to recover and get her bearings, so Marae did have a chance to reply. “Nirann can’t move here himself. His AI core is locked pretty firmly in place.”

Nirann’s hologram appeared on the other side of the harness. “Do I [i]really[/i] need to be there in person, though? Maybe I can puppet an artificial mind, like one we uploaded? Just one more…directly connected to me.”

[hr]

Seeing that the transit station was up and working was encouraging to Rareth, though that did not take her focus from the crowd of villagers spreading out at the bottom of the ridge beneath them. “We have the transit station working. It shouldn’t be long before our experts join us. Still…I should acknowledge them. At least give them some indication of our intent." 

Rareth moved over to the edge of the ridge, though unlike Athena, she stood clearly silhouetted at the top. She had retracted her helmet so that her head and face were clearly visible and identifiably Rothian.She hoped that their eyesight was strong enough to see her at their current distance, as she wanted to show them she was something familiar, even if she was a giant of a Rothian. She placed her fusion cannon on its magnetic holster on her back, held out her hands open-palmed for a moment, then bowed her head and crossed her arms tightly over her chest. Among Rothians, it was a distinctly non-threatening position, as it was not a position from which one could use their claws quickly. Even if these villagers were not truly Rothian, she hoped they would still recognize the more instinctual Rothian body language.