The academic in Freyr relished the idea of getting a better view on her brain. For the purposes of our expeditions into this unknown object, but also for her own interest. She suspected a few members of our team would also be similarly interested. They’d heard about the advances of Rothian instruments the same as her; some had begun grumbling about the lack of access they had to those tools now. 

“Thanks. Yes, it would be good to have that scan. Can you get the equipment up here quickly? I want to begin the exercise as soon as possible.” Freyr was standing in a yawning hollow near the Barbarossa’s cargo bays. Harsh white lights shone down on a grid of insertion harnesses, metal shelves of equipment and a hulking mobile lab on six hydraulic legs. Bots floated around, carrying items and making changes to connections; they’d built the entire array to spec from the main lab in a matter of hours.

Most of her team were already down here, either manning stations or huddled around a holo-collab table with the Rothian scientists. Military personnel had stayed away purposefully until the all clear from their Captain. But that must have been given now, because Freyr spotted the Sacred Band filing in. They clanked over to her, visors up. “Good morning, ma’am. Where would you like us?” Thebes asked.