“There is no stopping this thing!” Dr Kwelix called , shaking her head as the group of rebels strode off up the field. Freyr wanted to call again after them, but didn’t know what to say. The esteemed particle physicist may have been right.

“All is not lost; I’ll talk to them.” Dr Wetherall whispered in her ear from where he’d sidled over to support his boss. Dr Lang nodded, returning the gaze of this blue-tinged avatar in a grey suit as the scientists gathered around whispered among themselves.

Immediately, they sent a private message to both her and Marae: “You are required to attend an emergency session of the Committee for Friendly Relations with Cradle Intelligences, scheduled for tomorrow morning. Beforehand, you must present a full report of your team’s findings and undertake a psychiatric evaluation. Dr Lang, you must make your team ready for immediate transfer to the OSC Barbarossa.”