“Two thousand years?” Vreta remarked, tilting his head. Obviously, such a claim challenged any assumptions Vreta might have been making about the Institute. “We would not have expected that. Either the Cradle has been communicating with Humanity long before they even left their homeworld, or the Institute is not led by Humans. Something else within the Cradle, perhaps?”

Much of what Vreta was learning felt hard to believe. He still could not be sure whether or not he should trust this entity. Finding proof of the Hegemon’s existence would be sufficient, if the entity gave him a location to search. Until then, though, he still wanted to learn as much as it would tell. “What is it that leads them? If their goal is truly to reunite you, then I do not see how our goals are in conflict. You are clearly important to them, so I imagine your word would carry weight among them. Could you to instruct them to cooperate with us?”