[IC] The Cradle

[Cath]

Freyr smiled sympathetically at the soldiers that towered over her. They looked well rested, considering they’d stayed up all night with Memnon. Their eyes looked aged though, like they’d seen a millennia of sorrow. It made her wonder how many times they’d had to attend the vigil before.

“Sorry, one sec.” Freyr paused the audio on her video call with the Datius before answering them. “Are you sure you’re up to this? You’re allowed a day off.” Thebes grimaced. “Not a chance, ma’am. This is far too important.” Freyr nodded appreciatively. “It certainly is...Tech 52 will get you strapped in.” She pointed a slender finger at a bright yellow drone, hovering above some of the harnesses.

Dr Lang turned back to Rareth’s holo. She briefly considered just telling her the main reason why, but didn’t know who might be listening. Hopefully she could read between the lines. “Owing to the urgency of our investigation, I've gained clearance to modify a trillion-credit mobile research command centre. One of only three in the galaxy, it’s now ready for the new language we found inside the sim. It’s also been violated with certain military modifications, on the insistence of our Captain. The camera doesn’t do it justice, but It’s much too large to deploy from FOB - we have to coordinate from a cargo bay right now.”

Movement on the corner of her vision distracted Freyr momentarily. The large doors to the bay had rolled back, and two military transports were now rolling into the space. Leading them was an open top buggy, crewed by Captain Andersen and a few senior crew members. Freyr turned back to Rareth hurriedly. “As for the scanner, i don’t think i can swing a trip to the surface right now. Things are a bit...tense. You’ll be able to ask the Captain yourself if you like.”

The buggy stopped nearby and Andersen marched stiffly over with her aides. She noticed the Datius’ holo and addressed her first. “Datius. Have you briefed Dr Lang already?” She looked at Dr Lang. “Two dozen marines have volunteered for this mission. Can I ask you to use them?”

[EliteCommander]

Rareth, of course, had been briefed by Roth’Orsa, though Freyr could not have known that. Granted, even if Rareth had not been informed beforehand, she likely would have seen Freyr’s sudden shift in position to be strange. Before, she had been eager to get to work with the Rothian science team and had expressed no reservations about working in their hybrid lab. Now, right after negotiating full cooperation the Human science team was being pulled from shared spaces, forcing them to work almost exclusively remotely. It was quite easy for Rareth to latch on to the issue, and indeed, it would be strange if she did not.

When the Captain came into view, Rareth was stern in her tone. Not angry, specifically, but she wanted there to be no question that she was taking the matter seriously. “Before we can even begin to discuss personnel assignments, we have a problem to deal with. I have no intention to allow my people to be pushed aside. I have questions from my science team wondering why your team has seemingly abandoned the lab. Our peoples have agreed upon full cooperation in this project, yet the first thing that the Human team has done after that negotiation is to refuse to work from anywhere except the one place you fully control. Interestingly, prior to this negotiation, Dr. Lang and her team were quite eager to work together with us on the object, so I would find it rather strange and out-of-character for her to have made this decision on her own. I will say it now that driving a wedge between our respective teams is unacceptable, and is not in-line with our agreements. Now, I do not know that you, specifically, are responsible for this, Captain Andersen, so I would ask if you know who aboard your ship would be responsible for this resistance to our cooperation?”

[Cath]

At that moment, Freyr saw 595 jump from the cab of the leading troop carrier. The Agent flexed her shoulders and slowly cracked her knuckles as a dozen bulky troopers filed past her. When she saw Freyr looking, 595 blew a theatrical kiss before grabbing a small container of dark red clay from her suit. She watched distastefully, transfixed, as the Agent gathered some of the mixture on her fingers and then smeared it carefully down her face in a disturbing warpaint pattern. Why did this woman, supposedly a government employee, engage in such an archaic practice?

Freyr thought quickly how she could alert the Rothians of her plan without being detected.

“I don’t see the problem, Datius. We have the technology to collaborate remotely-” Andersen motioned to the massive holo-table the Rothian was standing on, in miniature. “And you’ll be meeting up in person once the expedition starts. It’s only temporary, you understand.” Her tone was cordial, diplomatic, and made it clear the matter was closed for her. “I’m looking forward to seeing this thing in action!” Andersen motioned to the mobile lab next. “I hope it justifies the effort of getting it from storage at such short notice.”

“Thank you Captain, we all appreciate your dedication. But I must recommend we keep the number of bodies that enter the sim down to a minimum.” Freyr answered hastily, eyeing up the panoply of military personnel taking positions by the harnesses. “Each of them will require extra energy for the entity to generate, and from what we know so far, will likely attract more attention to us.”

The Captain watched her levelly. “Outremer is now giving this mission the gravity we know it deserves. I’m putting Lieutenant Kwanele in command of my marines and the Sacred Band. They will be responsible for the protection of your team and Agent 595.” Freyr felt her cheeks flush. “Captain, if we run into trouble, we can all extract before people get hurt. Adding this protection may have the opposite effect!"

[EliteCommander]

“What your ‘remote collaboration’ will accomplish is to slow us down unnecessarily.” Rareth replied, still staring firmly at the Captain. “I don’t think you appreciate how efficient Marae’s team can become if allowed to reach an optimal workflow. Many members of both science teams will still be working outside the simulation, and there is no reason for them to remain separate. Those entering the simulation you can leave on your ship if you must, but I am going to have to insist that the rest work as a part of our collective team.”

Neither Rareth nor Freyr could communicate their true intentions to one another, but regardless of what Freyr was trying to do, Rareth felt she could get what she wanted out of this exchange. She had to be firm, but not too firm. Compromise would be the key here. As for the matter of their protection in the simulation, that was a matter that Rareth could speak on without ulterior motives. It was in the best interest of all groups involved that they could ensure their safety within the simulation. “And if we need to remain conscious of the number of people we send inside, then we should send one of my teams in for protection. We can achieve sufficient protection with fewer soldiers.”

[Cath]

Freyr couldn’t think of a plausible answer. Her mouth hung slightly open as she tried to come up with an excuse. Of course it would’ve been preferable to work with Marae and her team in person; Freyr had read of the Rothian lead scientist’s exploits in university. They hadn’t had loads of time to chat yet, but this expedition would hopefully change things.

But she didn’t need to answer right away. Freyr grimaced when the Datius made some point about Rothian military might. Andersen was obviously a prideful person deep down, because she bristled at the mere thought of her soldiers being excluded. Freyr supposed Andersen's explicit remit may have been to spread awe and admiration for Outremer’s state of the art war machine.

“With all due respect, that’s not part of our deal. We’ve agreed to equal policing of these objects. It’s my job to ensure everyone gets out safely, and I can’t do that without boots on the ground.” The Captain turned to Freyr. “It’s non-negotiable.” She then turned back to Rareth.

“And i don’t think you realise Datius, how much our government has invested in this mission already. If Dr Lang wants to conduct this mission from aboard the Barbarossa, she has every right. Hell, she could say we’re conducting it from the Rings of Saturn and I’d plot a course right now. But I can’t allow anyone to delay this venture any longer when we have a perfectly viable config right now. It’s just too important that we proceed quickly.”

Andersen paused, her stentorian voice echoing around the cavernous space. Freyr glanced around and noticed 595 fixing her with an unblinking stare. ”Do the right thing. Prove yourself to me. Maybe I'll let you all play together again soon.” The Agent sent the message directly to her implant.

Freyr moistened her lips before rejoining the exchange. “It’s worth noting too, that the majority of our team will actually be entering the simulation. Our mobile command centre will allow us to monitor harness connections, sensory data and signals from the host with minimal latency.” She daren’t provide any more emphasis, but hoped that they’d get the idea.

[EliteCommander]

Particularly through the hologram, it was hard to read Rareth’s response. Though, when she did finally speak up, it was with just the same calm as she had maintained throughout the conversation. “I feel it is worth mentioning that no one will be entering the simulation until I give the order to modulate the containment shield to permit signal transfer. Indeed, Outremer receiving the object at all is contingent upon you actually fulfilling your agreements. The negotiations between our governments ended with an agreement of full cooperation, and this is not an encouraging start. I would advise against acting in opposition to the treaty negotiated by your superiors. I expect that we will be working together, fully and completely. It’s non-negotiable.”

“For now…” Rareth continued, finally shifting her gaze away from the captain to some of the others that had joined Freyr in the room. “I have seen your Sacred Band fight on multiple occasions. They fought alongside me, with every bit of skill and professionalism I would expect from my own soldiers. They are…perhaps limited by the technology they wield, but as soldiers, I would find them sufficient.” She explained. Certainly, it was high praise from a Datius, considering their usual standards. “If we need to keep the number of beings we send into the simulation to a minimum, while maintaining an equitable presence between our species, then you can send the Sacred Band, and I can send one of my teams. No more will be necessary. Even that may exceed what is needed.”

[Cath]

”Let me send a few people down there. They’ll keep this thing for themselves otherwise. You heard her yourself!” Freyr privately pleaded with the Agent, who was hovering out of sight for the holo. 595 looked conflicted, and for a moment Freyr thought she might walk off altogether, but she replied after a moment or two. “Very well. How many are going into the sim?”

”Twelve, six are monitoring from outside. It’s all in the mission spec.”.

595 nodded slowly, giving her the green light. Freyr turned her attention back to the exchange just when her name was mentioned.

“Would a single squad instead of two decrease the risk of any adverse effects, Dr Lang?”

“Well, yes, but there are sti-”

“Excellent, that’s settled then. Now, it's my understanding that the treaty-”

Freyr gritted her teeth, irritated at the erosion of her perfectly tuned plan. She counter-interrupted Andersen, resolving to let nothing else delay the launch.

“It’s alright, Captain. We can change some things around and send five of my team down to the FOB. Does that work for you, Datius?” Freyr then pointed at one of Andersen’s junior staff. “You - can you find a shuttle for my people please? Now.” It seemed everyone responded to the change of tone in her voice, as the holo-table exploded into activity around her.

[EliteCommander]

Rareth was at the FOB, and while not in the same room as Vreta, she was close enough to send him, and his new partner, a message privately. “I have been speaking with the Humans. They’ve denied my request to move everyone to the surface, as planned. You two should prepare to head into the simulation. You will be the only ones to know the truth, but it should not be necessary to inform the scientists. Your efforts will be more than enough. If the Agent, in particular, is there, you may be able to learn from her. I need to continue to make a show of negotiations, but you should make sure the science team is ready.”

After the Humans had finished speaking among themselves, Rareth spoke up once more with her focus firmly on Freyr. “Dr. Lang, before I can agree, I simply have one question to ask. In your opinion, how many people, total do you believe would be safe to bring into the simulation, considering the state of the being as we observed it during out last expedition?”

[Cath]

“It’s impossible to say for sure we’ll be safe with any number of people” Freyr replied, combing a hand through her silver-streaked hair. “We’ll need to run some tests on our environment as soon as we’re inside...From the last encounter, it looks like we have a minute or so to get out while it shuts down; that’s unlikely to change much. But the overall runtime the creature can support may be reduced with more people. We only had ten people last time - it’s probably quadruple that amount now. Then there are the collateral programs this entity keeps; the ‘payload’... The best answer i can give you right now is that we’re about to find out how safe it is - that's one of the mission objectives.”

[EliteCommander]

Now that they were speaking directly about the task ahead, rather than arguing about the conditions of their cooperation, Rareth no longer gave off as much of a threatening aura. As long as they had an understanding, they could focus on the task rather than politics. “If that is the case, we should approach it with caution. Rather than send everyone at once, we can send a smaller team. Perhaps no more than ten, like last time? Five from your team, five from mine. We send them only with what they need to collect data on whether or not it is safe to send more. Everyone else can wait on standby until we can give the all-clear to send in everyone. Or at least more of us.”

[Cath]

“I considered this, and it’s certainly an option. But, we don’t know how many chances we’ll get to collect the data we need. We might only have one more opportunity, lasting just a few minutes. Even if we can insert safely this time, without enough people to man the rig, we'll be running virtually blind again, unable to make a proper judgement.” Freyr glanced at the Captain, who was listening intently. She was glad people were beginning to take the risks seriously. She had only just gotten started explaining those.

Freyr tapped her nail on the holo-screen’s base. “My preference is to go in with a full team of scientists and a minimal complement of military personnel, to collect as much information as we can as fast as possible. Marae expressed her concerns about terraforming the ground we use, which increases the risk of this strategy even higher, but I believe it's our best shot at gaining useful intel if the entity is unable to respond. The payload may not take too kindly to this, but the rig is defensible. I think we can manage.”

"It's my head if we lose our best scientists because of a lack of security. I have to insist we send my marines in to guard the rig. That leaves the Rothians and the Sacred Band free to neutralize any threats before they get close. Right?" Captain Andersen directed the last syllable at Rareth, still unsure what role Rothia was going to be playing.

[EliteCommander]

The hologram of Rareth before them tilted her head and crossed her arms. “Terraforming? I did not approve that measure. Marae has briefed me on the your prior conversation. I was under the impression that your goal to start was to attempt to make contact with the entity and determine if there is a way to help stabilize it between now and its arrival on Outremer. Attempting such destructive measures, with no evidence that they are safe for the entity or its environment, would be foolish. What would be the point of any of this if we injure or anger the entity before it even arrives at the Cradle? I can approve an investigation, but nothing that may risk our core objective. Do you have any compelling evidence that we will only get one chance?” She asked.

For a moment, Rareth looked away at something out of sight of the Humans. She seemed to be reading something for a few seconds before continuing. “Instead of rushing in headstrong into uncertainty, why don’t we make use of the tools we have? Now that we’ve solved the language issue, we should be able to remotely influence droids in the simulation. They may not be as versatile as going in ourselves, but we have a week to work with, and if we are only going to get once chance regardless, we should use that time. We will not even need a military presence if we use droids. You say this rig you have will only work on terraformed ground? Let Marae’s team see the designs. They may be able to apply their knowledge to remove that restriction. We can try less risky methods in the meantime.”

[Cath]

“No, sorry, I think you misunderstand.” Freyr sighed, massaging her eyelids and trying to maintain an even tone. “The rig doesn’t need terraformed ground to work, and we agreed not to terraform at Marae’s request. All I’m saying is it makes comprehensive analysis of the simulation like conducting open heart surgery without clamps and forceps. We’re also at risk of becoming collateral damage if things become more liquid in the sim, as our Builders can’t construct a secure foundation or defences around the rig.”

Freyr shook her head, trying to focus her thoughts. “Anyway, droids are technically an option, but like i said...we could only have a few minutes to try and make contact, and then potentially manipulate a rig designed for twelve crew into running a diagnostic...”

Freyr paused, glancing round to watch her team hard at work preparing more harnesses behind her. Dr Wetherall straightened up to hand one of the yellow Tech drones its laser cutter back with a grin and an affectionate pat on the casing. “The only solid evidence we have that there may only be one shot is the way it closed down the sim so abruptly last time. The entity could barely speak by the end, and may well run out of energy completely before this week is out. We have to assume we’re in there to get everything we need in one hit. The consequences of not doing so could be catastrophic.”

Freyr varied her gaze between the Captain and the Datius. “My team is the best in the galaxy at what they do. They understand the stakes, and the risks, better than anyone.” She studied Agent 595, who was still watching from a distance, before staring back at the Datius. “We won’t leave our chance at understanding what this thing is before we reunite it with the Cradle to droids.”

[EliteCommander]

Rareth narrowed her eyes, staring ahead for a few moments in thought. “I’m not sure how well I can believe that. This object has lasted for eons. If we believe what we learned in our first expedition, then it has been active since long before either of our species even evolved. Millions of years. The probability that we just happen to stumble upon it during its final week is astronomically low. Though, if it were true, why would we be risking this at all? If we were to follow through with this plan, would we not be cutting its time even shorter? What if we ended up destroying this entity? By the way you make it sound, it may not even last the week as it is. Using more of its power seems like it would just make that risk a guarantee. We do need the entity to be able to last long enough for it to reunite with the Cradle, unless…”

At first, Rareth’s thoughts had gone towards ways of potentially giving power to the object to help stabilize it for longer. However, she was no scientist like Marae, and she did not understand enough about the intricacies of the object to make any educated guesses. However, there were other aspects of physics about which she was knowledgeable, and there was one that came to mind which suddenly made her eyes widen. If they could not make the object last longer, then they could make the time required shorter.

“Wait…I think we have an option. The answer may just lie outside your window. Gravitational fields inherently slow the passage of time. On a planet, the effect is near imperceptible, but Rothia orbits the strongest of gravitational fields. We can perform your tests, then move the object into a close orbit around our void star. Depending on the orbit we put it into, what will be a week for us will be mere hours or minutes for the object. It will not need to have the power to last the full week.” Rareth suggested.

[Cath]

“There is evidence from our research of the Cradle to suggest these things can practice a dormant state, with no power usage over long periods. That could be how it escaped detection for so long...” Freyr explained, biting her lip. “We don’t exactly know what would happen if it ran out of power completely, but there is undeniably significant risk of permanent damage."

“So we are torturing it for information!” 595 snarled from off camera.

Freyr snapped her head up to look at the Agent. “So you think we should just take the thing’s word for all this paradigm-shifting new information? That the Cradle is actually home to a quartet of life-giving machines, and that some new threat approaches our door? There are questions that need answering before we reunite it with the Cradle, not after!”

595 nearly said more, but held her tongue. She was wary of giving away any more information. They were clearly arrayed against her, so she’d need to be much more subtle.

Freyr looked back at Rareth when she began explaining her idea. “That could certainly improve the odds! Do we have a firm grasp of the object and the capabilities to move it into orbit?”

[EliteCommander]

“At the very least, we can use the same method we intended to try to bring it to Outremer. A gateway could bring it into orbit, and we could send it on a path for a flyby of the void star. We only need to move it a week ahead in time, so it should be easy to calculate a path that will send it to the correct time with a single flyby.” Rareth explained. “We should not begin the test until we are ready to move it, so we should have a bit more patience and take advantage of the time we have. I suggest you allow Marae’s team to examine this lab of yours. With their expertise, they may be able to make improvements, reduce its energy needs, allow it to operate with fewer crew. If this entity truly is one that is allied with us, we do not wish to cause it any harm.”

---

Given that they needed to be ready to move the object quickly, the teams did not enter the simulation right away. They allowed time for automated construction teams to burrow into the ground and build the needed Class A gateway around the outside of the object’s containment shield. It would be able to transport the object instantly into orbit around the black hole. If they chose, they could even give it the initial velocity it needed to send it on its flyby. Although, it would be preferable to first modify its containment structure with its own propulsion, in case they wanted to modify its trajectory.

Eventually, the teams were close once more to being ready to act. While the rest of the Rothian science team stayed on the ground, Rareth herself decided to pay a personal visit to the Barbarossa, for the stated reason of wanting to better facilitate cooperation between the teams in orbit, and on the surface. For a while after their initial greetings, Rareth simply wandered the lab and observed the work, but as the time came nearer to enter the simulation, she approached Freyr directly. “The time is growing near, but my concerns do remain, Dr. Lang. I have already spoken with Marae about it, but I want to hear your explanation directly as well. This lab we are sending in, what exactly are we hoping to gain with it? What data is it capable of collecting that would tell us the entity’s intentions?”

[Cath]

Freyr had hoped Rareth would come aboard. She’d stayed by her station in the centre of the action while the Datius did the rounds. When the giant Rothian approached her and began speaking, she looked over as if she’d been engrossed in work and hadn’t noticed. She smiled, said hello, and reached out her hand. As expected, after studying Rareth gently grasped her hand and they shook.

Freyr began answering the question out loud with one track of her mind. Regular metrics that didn’t mean much to the uninitiated - deliberately quite technical. With the other track of her mind, Freyr opened a physical data connection with Rareth, and gave her the real answer.

That night in the club with Plenipotentiary Wallace and Kalax Verengonig had inspired this idea. Freyr had watched them grasping each other's arms and communicating in complete secrecy by sending chemical & pheromone signals through their bodies. She’d studied body chemistry alignment, but had never practiced it before now.

Freyr knew it’d be much harder to communicate with a Rothian in this way than with another Human, but this was the best way she could think of to talk without drawing attention. While their regular implant comms would be quite secure, it was another matter to obscure the connection completely.

Fortunately, she had an innate grasp of her implanted firmware, and manually programmed some additions to make the translation of her body chemistry into something a Rothian implant could understand.

The sensation of making that connection was strange, like interlocking fingers, toes, tongues and hair with something completely alien to her. Every nerve ending in her body jangled and sang. But she kept her expression plain and initiated the chemical signal she’d worked on. If everything went to plan, it should feel to Rareth like her own subconscious was saying these things to her.

><^ Don't be alarmed, just listen.><^

><^I've configured the rig to search for information connecting this entity to the Cradle, and for proof of the ‘Hegemon’.><^

><^It said all meaningful records were stored in the Cradle, but there might be usable imprints hidden somewhere in it’s memory.><^

><^The Cradle has obscured origin logs for centuries, but this entity is vulnerable, and not as vast in scope. We might have a better chance now than we’ll ever get again.><^

><^We might learn where these things came from, and perhaps secrets about intelligent life itself.><^

><^Please trust me when I say it’s important we try. I can feel something isn’t right. Do not make this information public. My life is in danger. Do NOT offer me asylum or try to intervene, I have to save my family.><^

The last segment was rushed and crammed together, as Freyr felt rising nausea threatening to disrupt the flow of actual words coming from her mouth.

[EliteCommander]

From Freyr’s perspective, it would be hard to tell how well her message got through. Rareth did not act or react in any way that would indicate acknowledgement nor a response, but it would be hard to say whether that was because the message did not get through successfully, or due to her expertise in matters of subtlety.

Rareth did respond directly to the words Freyr had spoken aloud. “I will trust Marae’s judgment on whether or not this data is worth the risk. Above all, we cannot risk harming this entity. We seek peaceful cooperation with it. Ideally, we want to be able to find a way to inform the entity of our plan to advance it in time. And if we can find a way to help stabilize it, or ask permission to perform our tests, we will.”

In the time they had taken to prepare the object for transport, the Rothian team had also made some improvements to the mobile lab they intended to use for this plan. Antimatter powered micro-reactors could improve the overall energy efficiency of the device, and Nirann had been given the instructions necessary to perform the tasks of several crew members to reduce the number of people they would need to send in to the simulation. Altogether, it would hopefully reduce the impact on the entity. At least in terms of that motivation, Rareth was not lying. If the entity truly was their ally, she did not want to harm it.

“We do, of course, need to take precautions for your safety. We will send in one droid ahead of the team to ensure that the environment in the simulation is still livable. We do not know if the storm we encountered just before our exit has persisted, or how much of an area it covered. If it has, we may need to call this off. Our mobile transit stations have passed all simulated trials, so you should be able to extract quickly if there is trouble. Have you discussed my prior suggestions with your Captain? I would prefer to send in no more than is necessary. Ten or so, would be my recommendation.” Rareth suggested.

[Cath]

“Yes of course. If there are any signs of terminal strain on the simulation we’ll pull out immediately. We want to keep this thing alive.” Freyr assured Datius. The thrill of discovering an entirely new species was not lost on her. If it weren’t for all the other extenuating circumstances, she’d have already laid the foundations for formally introducing this entity to the galactic community once the mission was declassified. It might have been her crowning achievement - uncovering a lifeform that was potentially millions of years old and one of the final puzzle pieces to her life’s work - uncovering the secrets of the Cradle.

“The drone is already prepped. I’m not injecting it until we’re in a ready position, so we can quickly follow it and minimise runtime waste.” Freyr frowned at Rareth’s next question. “Yeah, I discussed them. Andersen came down from thirteen to ten marines, plus the Sacred Band. That was after I explained that the modifications to our lab mean only eight are required to control it. She won’t budge any further.”

“Boss!” Dr Apalkov called from the other side of the holo-table. Freyr moved all the floating items with a ‘through the bushes’ motion of both hands. “What do you have for me?” She asked.

“I’ve locked onto the mountain, using the extraction file. Want me to lock that in again now?”

“Good work, yes please. That’s where we last saw the creature.”

Freyr looked back at Rareth, hands resting on the table. “There’s no easy way down the mountain for the rig if our friend isn’t there. I hope the anti-gravity generators you installed work as described. Do you have any more questions for me or can we get this show on the road?”

[EliteCommander]

Rareth let out a long sigh when Freyr relayed the Captain’s answer to her. “With respect, Dr. Lang, your Captain is not the one who makes that decision. I took the time to familiarize myself with your command structure. You are the lead science official on this mission for your people, and you are the one ultimately in charge of decision making for the expedition itself…for your people. If you set a limit for the number of people that can be safely involved in this mission, one that my people agree to, then your Captain must respect that. Come…let us deal with this.”

---

By this point, Rareth had grown just as frustrated with the frequent delays as Freyr and the others had, and she was intent on making sure there were no more of them. The discussion with the Captain was not entirely pleasant, but it was at least productive. Among other things, Rareth pointed out the Captain’s lack of scientific expertise to be able to make the judgement that it was safe to nearly double the number of people on the mission. She requested that Freyr describe every single risk that came with drawing too much of the entity’s energy to make sure that the Captain heard and understood them, then gave her own opinion that obstructing her Cradle expert’s decisions would be tantamount to sabotage for their mission.

Ultimately, they did reach an accord that everyone could at least agree to, albeit reluctantly. There would be eight scientists, drawn from both teams, on the mission, as the lab required eight people to operate. Marae and her team had already been working on the lab to make their upgrades, so it did not take much more for them to become familiar enough to operate it. The Sacred Band, as well as Agent 595 would be joining for security. The Rothians had space for a fireteam of three of their own soldiers, as well as Vreta. The role that Rareth was, officially, giving to Vreta was one of diplomacy. He was the one being tasked with trying to make contact with the entity to inform it of their plans, as well as speaking with any other intelligent beings they might encounter. Recordings from their encounter with the near-Rothians in the simulation had been analyzed to the point that they had been able to produce a translation program for their language. Or at least…a prototype version of one.

It was early the next morning when both teams were finally ready to enter the simulation. Among the Rothians, scientist and soldier alike were being armed and equipped with combat armor for their own protection. Nirann was again going to be inserting in the frame of a combat droid with as much processing power as they could fit inside. Though, regardless of what they had for defense, Rareth made it clear in her briefing beforehand that their primary response to any threat would be retreat. They were being given multiple of the mobile transit stations, as well the Human-made transit station for the sake of redundancy. Their first priority upon entry would be to establish their transit station, and if any threat were to emerge, their first response would be to use it.