Rareth was at the FOB, and while not in the same room as Vreta, she was close enough to send him, and his new partner, a message privately. “I have been speaking with the Humans. They’ve denied my request to move everyone to the surface, as planned. You two should prepare to head into the simulation. You will be the only ones to know the truth, but it should not be necessary to inform the scientists. Your efforts will be more than enough. If the Agent, in particular, is there, you may be able to learn from her. I need to continue to make a show of negotiations, but you should make sure the science team is ready.”

After the Humans had finished speaking among themselves, Rareth spoke up once more with her focus firmly on Freyr. “Dr. Lang, before I can agree, I simply have one question to ask. In your opinion, how many people, total do you believe would be safe to bring into the simulation, considering the state of the being as we observed it during out last expedition?”