“I will speak to Datius Jharn, but I wanted to get your opinion first. You are the experts my source has requested, after all, and will be able to assess whether this lead is worth investigating.” Wallace purred, clicking her fingers. “Foremost, have you ever…

Hardlight generators clicked on, hidden within the ceiling. A three dimensional hologram appeared in the space between them. Gradually, the outline of something began to appear.

“...seen this before?”

Freyr shuffled forward on her giant pillow, pulling her overlay glasses out of a pocket and popping them on her head in one clean motion. “Wowee.” She murmured, as the object gained form.

It looked like an armoured insect, with two sets of steel wings extending above its bulky carapace. Six manipulators sprouted underneath like legs, waggling in every direction. Ten light blue emitters blinked out from its flat face.

“I haven’t. Have you?” Freyr looked at the two Rothians perched next to her. After half a second she looked back at Wallace. “Where did you find this?”

“I didn’t find it. But my source sent me the imprint after these things took over fifteen orbiting factories and began making more. Bigger ones."