“It’s a strong possibility.” Freyr nodded. “I’m not certain my superiors fully understand, yet. I hope to educate them and us, in the small time we may have left in charge. What of our contingency plans for administration?” She asked.

Freyr was confident she’d be able to find all this out once she was fully plumbed back into the network anyway. She was mainly keeping the conversation going so that she didn’t dwell too much on what may happen in a worryingly short amount of time from right in that moment. This man in front of them seemed to know things and was prepared to talk, unlike many others. So let him speak. She stared out of the rain-soaked windows as Babylon’s cityscape rolled with the movements of the cutter.

The official glanced at 595 before answering. “My understanding is that we’ve expedited the transition as far as possible. With a few more months, we could’ve had a relatively smooth handover. There were significant calls for delaying this consolidation until we were more ready; it seems new evidence has tipped us in favour of urgency.” Freyr blew air out of her nose in amusement. You can say that again.

The Babel tower grew and grew until it blocked out the meagre sunlight on one side of the craft. Human buildings and terraces now completely covered the ancient organic spire underneath, clinging together like limpets on a rock. 

In Outremer’s early days, Babel had housed the seat of Outremer’s colonial administration, as they sought to get as close to the Cradle as possible. Once the technology for accessing the simulation matured and the range expanded to anywhere within the biosphere, the government apparatus moved to flat ground. 

Nowadays, most of the facilities attached to the spire were involved in researching and utilising the Cradle’s power. A giant complex of vanes and dishes sat atop the tower, transmitting trillions of commands every second to infrastructure throughout Babylon. Some of that was then carefully distributed throughout Outremer and beyond.

Vast research complexes, Cradle staff accommodation, CraSec barracks and funicular manufactories took up a large part of the surface area. Some of the rest was taken up by massive villas owned by private individuals who wanted the best view in Babylon.

The cutter came to a sudden stop on a large landing pad about halfway up, jerking Freyr against her seatbelt. “Here we are. Sergeant Thrace here will take you inside; stay close to him at all times.” The official instructed them as they left their seats, motioning to one of the CraSec operators who was organising his men by the airlock. 

“Why all this security?” Freyr asked, looking around to make sure she had everything. “Just a precaution, ma’am. Skinner’s Guild have stepped up insurgent activity since you left. Stick with Thrace and you will be just fine.” The official smiled encouragingly, collecting the holo-pads back off them. “Good luck.”

Sergeant Thrace came forward. “All of you will come with me, quickly now. Can't leave the ship on the landing pad for long.”