“We do have a lead!” Freyr answered, raising an index finger matter-of-factly. “Plenipotentiary Wallace told us that a nanobot swarm has been eliciting behaviour very much like that of the Cradle when it was searching for the Navigator. Hijacking some factory system to ping other planets. They-...what is it?” 

Freyr stopped mid flow as loud muttering was rising from the crowd. Another junior member of her team spoke up. “Plenipotentiary Wallace? Who is that? Just another shadowy asshole who doesn’t care if we live or die?”

“No, um, she’s an ambassador to the Rothians!” Freyr protested, shaken.

“And why is she the one leading this team? What have they got on you, Dr Lang?” The woman talking to her stepped forward slightly. Dr Kwelix, physicist, one of the new intakes.

“They don’t have anything on me! I’m just trying to…” Freyr tailed off as a blue, semi-transparent avatar approached their group from up the hill towards the tent. They blinked in and out of existence as they flashed through the field, moving forward ten metres at a time. The avatar stopped at the edge of the group, and looked expectantly at Freyr with hands clasped behind their back. They were in formal dress with no markings.

Dr Kwelix and the others followed Freyr’s gaze. “Of course. Here comes your latest handler, come to tell you what extraordinarily dangerous and frankly opaque project we’ll be working on next. You know what? I’m done. I have a family - I can't work like this.”

“Please don't go! I have a family too - I know how you feel.” Freyr reached out a hand, but Dr Kwelix was already walking away. Several others followed her.