“Yeah, sounds good!” Freyr replied, glancing at Masgard who was mouthing ‘what’s he saying?’. She paused the call connection. “He wants to meet.” She relayed; Masgard nodded. Freyr looked next at the petty officer in the front passenger seat. “Is there some kind of lab set up for us?” Just then the buggy entered a wide cargo elevator which began moving upwards. “Yes ma’am, compartment A12 is being refitted as we speak. It’s near the bridge.” Freyr thanked him and resumed the call. “Can we meet at the labs? Apparently they’re in compartment A12. I shouldn’t be too long, is that alright?”

The buggy traversed the innards of the Barb at a steady pace. Everywhere they looked, sailors were getting the massive ship ready to go. “How many people are on this ship?” Masgard asked, his head swivelling as he tried to take in every detail. “Approximately seventeen thousand five hundred all told, sir.” The buggy parked in a garage with dozens of other vehicles and the soldiers dismounted. “Rest of the way is on foot. My men will take your luggage to your quarters. Come with me.” They both followed the petty officer through a maze of rooms and passageways until a big set of bulkhead doors greeted them. The doors hissed opened after a camera scanned all their faces.

The bridge was relatively dark, but floor lights marked a path for them to take. Freyr had never seen so many holo-screens in one place before. The walls were covered with them in place of windows; she supposed they must still be deep in the bowels of the ship. Officers walked between stations set into the walls, taking readings and instructing operators who sat at complex looking consoles. The centre of the room displayed a massive projection of Outremer, with military assets and other important things marked with a variety of shapes and colours. Consoles surrounded it, and hovering by one of these consoles they found the captain.

She was tall and well built, like an athlete. Freyr placed her as about fifty years old, with silky, shoulder length grey hair tucked neatly behind her ears. She was talking to someone Freyr recognised after a couple of seconds. The petty officer stood at attention to introduce them both on the bridge; both the captain and the black-uniformed woman she was talking to turned to face them. “Dr Lang, it’s good to meet you. I’m Captain Andersen; please allow me to welcome you aboard the Barbarossa. I believe you’re already acquainted with Agent 595 from Cradle Security?” Five Nine Five grabbed Freyr’s hand after the captain and shook it. “Very pleased to see you alive and well, Dr Lang. We have a lot to talk about!”