Joao Sequiera, Benoit Souza and their retinues had been co-ordinating the Outreman side of the preparations from cars. While heading to LHA Hale’s chosen residence, the supercarrier OSC Latinkon, they’d been desperately calling round their Tindrel & QV contacts. The Rothians had pressed ahead with a meeting of five civilisations to discuss Psi-Helios, and all their skeletons were poised to leap out of the closet.

Eventually, the two senior officials had to brief Hale on Outremer’s activity in the system, or risk him finding out from someone else. A Naval Intelligence blacksite [i]may[/i] have been training indigenous proxies to fight prospectors from the other three treaty participants. Other operators [i]may[/i] have been intentionally provoking the Tindrel & Qalian-Vosh, to stimulate the supply of advanced weapons to both sides.

“Oh you fucking cretins. Why didn’t you tell me before?” Hale shouted at them from behind his desk, deep within the supercarrier’s hull.

“We didn’t want you to get mixed up in all this. Outreman’s are already angry at the establishment for all the unpleasantness in the Cradle. We were trying to manage this covertly.” Souza shot back. Both of them were stood at the other end of the desk, hands clasped behind their backs.

Hale sighed, steepling his long bony fingers on the desk.

"Tell me everything then. We don't have much time." 

[hr]

"We have options when it comes to Psi-Helios, Datius Jharn. When it comes to our Cradle, things become a lot more tricky." LHA Hale replied, waggling one finger.

"These aliens have been trying to get their grubby appendages on our crown jewel for a hundred years or more! They won't be so tolerant of its eccentricities and flashes of insanity. They will enslave the Cradle-proper to work for them, crippled and braindead. My men tell me the Navigator is still not fully bonded with the Cradle - it can be separated off and destroyed." Hale was a great orator, with a clear and distinguished voice.

"We can't afford to let that happen."

Benoit Souza jumped in.

"By contrast, the Psi-Helios situation is much more fluid. Our sources close by have said both sides have been massing troops on either side of the system for months. If we tell them something like the Navigator or the Cradle is hidden beneath their feet, there is no predicting what they'll do."