“My apologies. It is not your responsibility to inform the Outreman elements - we assumed you were busy.” The hologram responded sniffily. “Rareth’Jharn.” Another disembodied voice prompted the Datius. Her physical body was present in another virtual meeting with some of Outremer’s naval high command. One of the faces on the screen was Group Admiral Zihdren, a shrewd hawk of a man and close associate of Group Admiral Hale, current leader of the interim administration. “Next item - our scanners in the Gulgar system on the Levantine Rim are picking up similar signatures to the machines which attacked you last week. We’re sending a carrier strike group to meet them and would give you the opportunity to present a united front. That system supports approach vectors for both Rothian & Human worlds.” Both Rothian & Outreman officials had been preoccupied over the last couple of weeks with a matter of dire importance and utmost secrecy to most of society. Huge automated ‘combine’ ships had been showing up from the dark void between galaxies and making their way quickly towards various Rothian worlds and Outremer. Powerful yet unco-ordinated, these craft looked cobbled together and totally unfit for biological life forms of any description.