The muttering spread out through the group. Freyr scanned some of their faces and saw an array of different emotions on display. Some looked afraid, a few looked angry. She pressed on.

“This other entity is called the Hegemon. Another synthetic - the Navigator illustrated how it enslaved biologicals for some purpose. It said the Cradle, and its four…occupants-” She glanced at Marae. “-tried to stop it. That is why we keep witnessing these signs of damage. The Cradle seems to be some kind of transport, and barely escaped. The Navigator appears to be fixing some of that damage now. We’ve all seen the data - even though we’re down to a skeleton crew, productivity is through the roof in there.”

Freyr realised she was gabbling. She didn’t fully know how much her team had come to these conclusions themselves, but she decided on the spot that they deserved to know everything. They’d been operating on an Institute-mandated ‘need to know’ basis for too long.

“When did you learn about this…Hegemon?” one of the Human scientists asked.

“On our second visit to the Navigator’s temple.” Freyr admitted. This elicited a few, more angry mutters.

“Did it tell you the Cradle was going to start killing my friends?” Another junior scientist asked, stepping forward.

“What? No, of course not! It said it was going to stabilise the Cradle, stop it from malfunctioning.” Freyr protested.