Freyr nodded, mulling things over while taking another long sip of water.

It scared her to death, not knowing who was pulling the strings. Her work on the Cradle over the past decade had given her a glimpse of how labyrinthine the corridors of power on Outremer. But it felt like ever since the jewel in her adopted home planet’s crown had woken up, some kind of long-arranged plan had begun to unfold. People were saying one thing to her face, and then doing completely the opposite.

Looking at Vreta, Dr Lang realised that she did trust him. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that every Rothian she’d met was reading from a script - at least at certain times. The Rahn’Saki had looked like they were wearing a mask at their first formal conference. The lack of discord among their lizard friends troubled her.

Freyr watched Vreta continue talking while she mulled things over, only half listening. Then, an encrypted message popped up on her neural net through the cruiser's distribution network. It was from Masgard Xandrus - her eyes clouded over while she accessed it.



Freyr closed down her neural interface and sighed. “It seems I am in high demand.” She contemplated the prospect of getting back to work, and immediately got the imprint of a voice whispering in her ear, and her face submerged in water. Her heart began pounding in her chest, and Freyr’s next few breaths were fast and juddery. Then all of a sudden it was gone.

“I don’t know…if I can face working today. How is my team? How is, erm, Wallace? She was there before I passed out. With those two masked people.”

“If you are not feeling up to work, then you don’t have to work. End of story. We’ll take care of anyone who complains about it until you are feeling well enough again. Marae is perfectly capable of handling the team in the meantime.” Vreta assured her. “Your team is fine. At least, we got everyone who was with us in the arcology out safely. No untreatable injuries, and we are giving them any treatment or comfort they request. I’m sure they’ll be glad to hear you’re alright, too. As for Wallace, I can’t really say for sure. As far as I know, your government detained her when you returned, but I don’t know much else beyond that. Like I said, things have been a bit chaotic. I do know that Marae and Nirann testified to your government that you all left consensually with her, and since you were not legally prisoners, I believe you had the right to leave of your own volition. Technically speaking.”

Looking around for a moment, Vreta took in a breath, then stood slowly up to his feet. “But you shouldn’t have to worry about that right now. If you like, I could show you around the relevant parts of the ship you’ll want to see. It’s comparable in size to the Barbarossa, so there is quite a lot to familiarize yourself with. It is a warship, but, well…I’m sure you know how much we like our luxuries. You’ll have plenty of ways to rest and recover.” He said, extending out his hand to offer to help her up.

Freyr coughed on some water as she listened to Vreta’s story. “Detained? What is it with these people?” She sent a quick response to Masgard:



Dr Lang took the Rothian’s hand and carefully levered herself out of the large bed. “Did anything arrive for me from Outremer?”

“I’m not sure.” Vreta answered. “If you have any packages, there will be a message for you about it on the ship’s network. Here, let me help you get set up on it…”

The pair spent a few minutes getting ready before leaving the infirmary. Vreta made sure that Freyr was able to connect to the ship’s internal network, which allowed her access to many of the ship’s automated services. With as many options as were available, it could almost feel like the service list of a luxury cruise. If Freyr really wanted to, she would not likely have to leave her room at any point during her stay. With the press of a virtual button, servant droids could deliver her meals, or anything else she might request. She could even request a droid as a personal servant, capable of carrying out nearly any custom instructions she wanted. The only real restrictions were, of course, any instructions that might compromise the safety and security of the ship or its crew.

For now, Freyr did have a chance to change into the…unique outfit Marae had gifted to her, if she so chose, but regardless, the pair did finally set out from the infirmary. From the network, Freyr did have access to a simplified map of the ship to see where they were going. Crew areas, as well as emergency escape routes, were highlighted, though any section not intended for crew habitation were not included. Even just the halls themselves felt different from a Human vessel. For its size, a Rothian cruiser had a relatively small organic crew, which was made up for by an expansive complement of droids that carried out the lion’s share of duties aboard the vessel. They tended to be smaller drones that often moved through their own designated passages in the ship, so the vessel altogether felt less crowded than the Barbarossa. Even just the taller ceilings and wider hallways made the ship feel quite open by the standards of starships, though that feeling was dwarfed by the feeling of walking into the ship’s main atrium. It was a massive chamber, tall enough in fact that, with holographic assistance, the ceiling could give the illusion of being the sky itself. The atrium was a hub area that extended across almost two kilometers of the ship’s length, which connected to most of its crew areas.

There were a few designated pathways through the atrium that would guide them to the chamber’s exits, but most of its space was dedicated to natural features. Grass, trees, and other foliage, or sandy beaches alongside water features. It was easy to miss at first, but the sounds of birds in the background was not simply piped in for effect. If one looked carefully, they could spot Anskarian birds flying overhead, interacting quite physically with the trees. It was no illusion. It was an entire artificial ecosystem, with genuine flora and fauna taken from the Rothian colony of Anskaria, all contained within a starship. The vessel did have tram systems for quicker transportation, but when not in a rush, it was easy to see why one might want to take the scenic route. If a person could forget about the ship for a moment, it could feel just like walking outside in the tropics.

“The atrium connects to pretty much anywhere else you might want to go.” Vreta explained. “You’ll probably find more of the crew here at any given time than anywhere else. It’s a great place to meet, or just relax. This chamber perfectly mimics the lighting profile of Anskaria, so it’s nice for sunbathing.”

Once Freyr was connected to the network, she quickly figured out how to summon her gift. A servile bot floated over as they were exiting the infirmary, carrying a large hamper. It was laden with flowers and fruits native to Outremer, an ever-hot flask of fragrant jasmine tea and a holo-card that just read ‘M’.

Freyr examined the eclectic gift with a hint of bewilderment, before taking the flask and a small bunch of yellow grapes. “Take that to wherever my team is.” She instructed the robot, who chirruped in agreement before gliding off ahead of them. Freyr sipped the tea and wandered after Vreta.

She wasn’t that interested in starships as a general rule, but Freyr couldn’t help but be impressed by the park which greeted them. “Wow. Gorgeous!” She breathed, craning her neck to watch as a flight of birds whooshed overhead.

“I’d be surprised if they haven’t brought their workstations out here to work.” Freyr laughed, stopping only when the lights started to flicker. Dark particles filled the air, and blood red hue bathed every surface of the atrium. Thick green tentacles rose from the earth and wrapped around the trees, and the sound of birdsong was replaced by a thick gurgling from all around.

Freyr stared all around at this overlay in her head, rooted in place. She felt her breathing restricted to gasps, as if the atmosphere was being rendered uninhabitable.

Vreta gave a mildly curious look at the delivery for Freyr. He was not sure who had sent it, but such gifts were a custom he could understand perfectly well. Granted, a Rothian gift basket would not be quite so heavy on the fruit, but he understood the sentiment all the same. No doubt, there had been more than a few people who had been worried for Freyr’s recovery.

Freyr’s sudden panic came with an elevated heart rate, along with a myriad of other stress-related symptoms. The sensor nodes on her body recorded and reported on every aspect of her vitals, from heartbeats, to the endocrine response, and even the electrical signals in her brain. Vreta, though, did not need that data to be able to see that at least that something was wrong.

Vreta stopped alongside Freyr as she did, noting her breathing. He could not see what she was seeing around her in the moment. “Are you alright, Freyr?” He asked, placing his hands on her shoulders with a firm enough grip that he could be sure he had a hold of her. With the way she was acting at the moment, he was not sure if he was going to need to catch her from collapsing. He gave a quick look around and tried to guide her towards a clear space with soft grass nearby, just off the path. “Let’s sit down for a minute. Catch your breath.”

The distant walls of the atrium contracted and expanded, like Freyr imagined the inside of a heart might look. A rhythmic pounding lanced the space between her temples, forcing her to squeeze her eyes shut. When she opened them a moment later, Vreta was in front of her, blocking her view.

She let herself be guided to the foot of a nearby grassy knoll and sat down heavily. She grasped the foliage beneath her and it felt reassuring somehow. She stared at her feet And when she looked around again after a minute or so, the atrium had regained its regular lighting. The tentacles had gone.

“I’m…ok.” Dr Lang sighed. She looked over at the large lizard that was examining her.

“I’ve been having these…dreams.” She finally admitted. “Like I'm back inside the Cradle - they feel so real…”

She looked around again. “It's bizarre, am I still in that hospital bed? I feel like maybe I am dreaming right now.”

Vreta tilted his head with a frown. “No, the atrium is quite real. I don’t know if I would call these experiences ‘dreams’ if you are awake when you receive them, though. The way you stood there, you looked like you were petrified. Given the nature of the Cradle and what it takes for a person to enter it, I don’t think this is something we should just ignore.”

After a moment, Vreta sat down in the grass alongside Freyr. It was more than common enough for people to relax in the “natural” environment of the atrium that they were not going to be drawing any particular attention to themselves, unless someone had witnessed Freyr’s episode to begin with. “You said you’ve had these experiences before? You might be in a position to get some answers about them now, though. Those sensor nodes you have on you, they are recording everything that happens with your body. That includes recording neural activity. If these hallucinations have a neurological origin, that data might help to pinpoint it.”

Vreta leaned in somewhat, seemingly staring rather intently into Freyr’s eyes. Though, it started to seem more like he was staring past her eyes. “It could be that it’s not neurological, though. May I ask, what kinds of implants do you have? Neural? Ocular? Both could be vectors for malicious code from the Cradle.”

Freyr leaned back away from Vreta’Sori. She didn’t like talking about her body. “Both - my implants are mostly geared towards helping me inside the Cradle. I don’t go on about it, but I see it differently to you. Having all these data overlays lets me understand it in real time. It's a gift and a curse really…”

She drifted off, then continued after a moment. “If I properly look inside my own head, I'm scared of what I’ll find. That is why I've avoided it for so long.”

“Doctor Lang!” A voice called. Freyr looked around, but couldn’t see the source of the sound. There was just the path they had departed from to sit on the side of the grassy knoll.

“Freyr!” The sound was closer this time. Freyr looked behind her and smiled with recognition when she found Dr Kim striding down towards them. She got up and the young scientist embraced her heartily, careful not to drop his stim-stick.

“I’m glad to see you up and moving. We were all so worried!”

“Thanks to our Rothian friends, I'm fine now.” Freyr replied. Dr Kim glanced warily at Vreta’Sori.

“We’re in a tent on the other side of this thing.” He motioned to the long, low hill they were standing on. “A bot just showed up with a big basket of fruit.” Kim laughed. “I knew you wouldn’t be far behind. Come, I'll show you.”

Together, they scaled the hill. From the summit they looked out over a small field with trees for shade on the edge of a river. An octagonal grey tent stood in the field, with a few people Freyr instantly recognised conversing outside.

“It's good to be out of the safe house, even if this place is just an illusion of space.” Dr Kim sighed contentedly as they strolled towards the tent.

“Some of the team want to leave for good though - they’ve had enough.” He warned, shooting his superior and mentor a glance.

“I can hardly blame them. It is my fault we’re in this mess to begin with - i’ll talk to them.” Freyr responded.

Given the scale of the atrium, it was not surprising that the team had been able to set up where they pleased. There was enough space for every living person on the ship to live in the atrium full-time, if they needed to. Indeed, some emergency plans involved moving the crew to the atrium to allow them to power down other parts of the ship. Regardless, the Human team had seemed to have settled in well enough. The tent they were using was of Rothian make, and was designed for rapid, but effective shelter in any environment. It was made from a smart polymer that could be flexible like cloth to be arranged into any needed shape, then, when activated, could harden into a tough, rigid plastic. The polymer could be shifted manually, or automatically with programmable presets. Currently, it seemed like their tent was simply arranged into an open area with plenty of space for whatever equipment they wanted to have with them.

The location they had chosen had what Vreta would consider a certain, idyllic charm. It was open, on a gentle hill near a river. Somewhat closeby, Vreta could see one of the waterfalls from one of the atrium walls. Like much of the rest of the chamber, the walls were intended to blend seamlessly with the environment it presented, so they had the appearance of natural barriers, rather than artificial ones. This waterfall had the appearance of flowing down from a short, but steep rock cliff face. Personally, Vreta felt like he might end up getting distracted if he were to try to work “outside” like this, but he could see how it could help the team to cope with all the stress they had been through.

Vreta did not want to interrupt Freyr or her team, but he did shoot her a message to respond to what she had said to him. ”I understand how you feel, and I know the pressure you’re under, being the leader of all these people. Especially now, with all they’ve been through. Not a lot of Rothians are comfortable with danger, and I can’t imagine it’s ‘that’ much easier for Humans. Still, though, you do need to remember to look out for yourself, too. Your well-being is just as important as theirs. If you decide to accept it, whenever you are feeling ready, we can get you the help you need. Whatever we might find, we’ll be ready to face it.”

Vreta gave a look around the area, taking in a deep breath and speaking out loud this time. “After all this chaos, I do think it would be good for your team to hear from you. Maybe we should get everyone together, your team and Marae’s. This is a perfect place, just rest by the river, sit in the sand. Talk. Air out concerns, grievances, and figure out our path going forward.”

“That sounds like a plan.” Freyr agreed.

The large tent was bereft of much heavy equipment. Instead, a dozen holos projected mountains of data visualisations onto whiteboards, the walls and even the ceiling. Academics of both species stood around talking, sitting quietly and running through simulations in their head or writing out structures to make sense of it all. The groups were more mixed than before, but there was still quite a clear separation between the Rothian & Human cadres.

Most of the Human team greeted their leader returning with relief. They’d been to her bedside earlier, but the doctors had ushered them away to let Freyr rest. She did notice though that some people didn’t come and say hello. They clumped together in pockets throughout the space and watched her with interest.

Eventually, quiet fell in the tent when it became clear Dr Lang wanted to address them.

“Hi everyone.” She began, searching for the words. “I think we all need to talk.”

After Freyr’s answer, Vreta silently messaged Marae to get the rest of the team together. Most of the science team was in and around the atrium, but there were some who were elsewhere in the ship, including Marae herself. They did have to wait a few minutes for the stragglers to trickle in and join them. It did not take long for Nirann to join them. Rather than repair the damage to his body, he had moved to an entirely new frame. He seemed to have moved to a different model of military droid. It was still a Rothian-like droid, though this one was noticeably taller with plating that seemed thicker. Whatever else might have been different from the previous droid was not visible from the outside.

Marae had been in a different part of the ship when Freyr awoke, so she was one of the last to join them in the tent. Pretty much right away as she saw Freyr, she rushed up to her arms outstretched. She seemed to be all smiles and excitement as she pulled her into a tight hug. Whatever the rest of the team might have been feeling, she was certainly in a good mood in the moment. “Ah, I was so glad when I heard you had woke up. I trust our doctors of course, but it’s nice to see in person that their diagnosis was correct. I see you got the outfit I gave you; do you like it? Did I do a good job on it?”

Freyr returned Marae’s hug in kind. It was good to see her - their bond had been forged mainly through a mutual love of science. But the main thing that drew Freyr to the pre-eminent AI specialist was that she wore her heart on her sleeve.

“Thank you. Yes, very good job.” Freyr beamed, eliciting smirks from a few on her team.

“Let's go and stretch our legs.”

As a loose group of incongruously dressed individuals, the scientists exited their big tent and meandered through the shaded field, talking quietly among themselves.

After a minute or two, Freyr found herself on the edge of the river. Well, it was quite thin for a river at this point. More of a babbling brook that washed over a bed of smooth stones. Some of them shone in the artificial light…

“Boss?”

Freyr woke from her reverie. She realised she must have been staring into the water. She turned and found everyone gathered around. Some were looking round at the scenery but most were focused solely on her.

For a few moments, she didn’t know what to say. So she just started and hoped it would come to her.

“Some of us have worked together for a long time. The Rothians here won’t know him, but before he was killed in the Cradle, Dr Childermass and I had known each other for some eleven years. Some of you have been experts in the field since before I was born.”

A little girl laughed, somewhere far behind her. A man called that girl’s name. Freyr looked round, but couldn’t hear anything out of the ordinary. Just the water. Nothing moved on the other side of the river. She looked back around to face the scientists again.

“Together, we’ve applied learnings from the Cradle to problems that exist in our reality. How do we…communicate, across the vastness of space? How do we provide long-term energy sufficiency to new and remote colonies? How do we shield space-faring vessels against harm? All of these advances in technology were catalysed in this…thing, we found underground.”

All faces were watching her now. She studied them.

“But now, the problem is the Cradle itself. It has killed thousands of innocents. The entity buried on Rothia - the Navigator - It says it was running. Running from something it says is even more powerful, and unfriendly. It wants our help, but I swore to protect you when I took this job. And I can't guarantee safety anymore. I don’t know if anyone can.”

Not all on the team had yet been told of the particulars of what the Navigator had told them, so for some, this would be a potentially uncomfortable revelation. For Marae, it was bringing up fears that had been gnawing at her. It had been many centuries since she felt like she had been in anywhere close to the kind of danger she was in now. For many Rothians, that kind of danger would be something entirely new. The risk of death was something they tended to keep at a healthy distance away from their daily lives. Marae had been hatched at a time when they did not have the luxury of guaranteed safety, but that did not mean this feeling was anything but an unwelcome one.

For a moment, Marae lost focus. Her gaze wandered, to the slowly flowing water, to the sky, to the pleasant heat on her scales. It was tempting to get lost in the much more pleasant memories of her and Nirann’s last vacation to Anskaria. The future was no more certain then than it was now, but there was no reason to be frightened about it. The mysteries she studied at that time were only about expanding knowledge, not staving off disaster.

Marae soon felt a hand move across her back and rest on her shoulder as Nirann pulled her in close. The new frame he had chosen was substantially taller than her, so he had to lean down somewhat to nestle his head against hers. Out of everyone present, Nirann was likely the hardest to read. Not only did he lack an organic body, but his friendliness, humor, and apparent confidence was something he could always keep up no matter how he really felt. He was not any more immune to fear than any other Rothian, he could just leverage custom programming to hide it…but not from her. She knew him too well, and she knew he needed her. Nirann’s frame was nothing more than thick metal and polymer, and Marae was cold-blooded, but that did not stop both of them from feeling the warmth of the other’s support.

Marae took in a long, slow breath. This was a conversation she knew had been coming, and one that had been on her mind for a while. She could not count how many times she had gone through in her head what she might say, when the time came. Fortunately, she was not alone. Freyr, it seemed, was ready to talk about what lay ahead, and Marae knew she needed to help. For this, all of them needed to be working as a single team, and they needed to feel like they were one team. But, Marae still knew how to talk to her own people in a way they would respond to, and she expected Freyr would as well for the Humans. As Freyr paused, Marae stepped up alongside her to join her. “She is right. This is something new and…frightening for all of us. We are not unaccustomed to mysteries. Indeed, I think I can speak for most of us here when I say that mystery is something we can all embrace. The challenges of the unknown, the thrill of discovery, I don’t think any of us would be here if that was not something we had a passion to pursue. But this…is different. It isn’t just discovery now, it’s…duty. What we have learned of, potentially, is an entity, exceptionally advanced, and without peaceful intention. Something we have feared for a long time may have now been found: a threat to our future. Maybe even to our Eternity.”

Among the Rothians in particular, her final words brought about a clear and visible reaction. For some fear, some anxiety, some anger. The Rothian idea of Eternity was something that clearly held strong meaning to them, and Marae did not speak about it lightly.

The muttering spread out through the group. Freyr scanned some of their faces and saw an array of different emotions on display. Some looked afraid, a few looked angry. She pressed on.

“This other entity is called the Hegemon. Another synthetic - the Navigator illustrated how it enslaved biologicals for some purpose. It said the Cradle, and its four…occupants-” She glanced at Marae. “-tried to stop it. That is why we keep witnessing these signs of damage. The Cradle seems to be some kind of transport, and barely escaped. The Navigator appears to be fixing some of that damage now. We’ve all seen the data - even though we’re down to a skeleton crew, productivity is through the roof in there.”

Freyr realised she was gabbling. She didn’t fully know how much her team had come to these conclusions themselves, but she decided on the spot that they deserved to know everything. They’d been operating on an Institute-mandated ‘need to know’ basis for too long.

“When did you learn about this…Hegemon?” one of the Human scientists asked.

“On our second visit to the Navigator’s temple.” Freyr admitted. This elicited a few, more angry mutters.

“Did it tell you the Cradle was going to start killing my friends?” Another junior scientist asked, stepping forward.

“What? No, of course not! It said it was going to stabilise the Cradle, stop it from malfunctioning.” Freyr protested.

“Whatever corruption is within the Cradle, it has been there long before the Navigator.” Vreta spoke up, from off to the side. “But if the Navigator is right, then it will not be enough just to avoid the Cradle. The threat may come for us in the real world, and if we are caught unprepared, we may not have a way to stop it.”

Marae nodded along with Vreta, then picked up quickly after him. “It isn’t just about curiosity, or even discovery anymore. It’s about protecting our people…both of our people. Our duty is to discover the truth about the Cradle, and this Navigator. Find out if it is telling the truth, and if so, find some way to help it stop the Hegemon. This isn’t a responsibility we can pass on to anyone else. There isn’t anyone more qualified than we are, because only understanding, only our research, is going to give us the answers we need.”

For the Rothian scientists, they were not terribly likely to refuse their mission, though there was selection bias in who was present. Each one was hand-picked by the Rahn’Saki, and under direct orders from them. Rothians did not have a tendency to disobey orders from the Rahn’Saki. Still, even if she was not expecting them to abandon the project, she had different problems she would have to deal with. Anxiety was going to become a persistent problem for her team. Rothians who were not trained for it did not tend to deal well with danger. After the attack on the surface, even Marae herself was medicated to deal with the stress, and she imagined others on her team would have it worse.

“We can’t possibly do this alone.” Dr Kim spoke up from the crowd. “You said the Navigator’s colleagues, family, whatever - they could be anywhere in the galaxy right? We’ll need a scientific expedition on a scale never seen before. Not just the Diaspora and the Rothians, but other species too, surely?”

“My dear boy - most of the rest of the Diaspora is not exactly well disposed to Outremer.” Dr Wetherall chortled from the sidelines by Vreta. “Somehow I don't see them helping us.”

“Outremer may have traditionally preferred to keep to themselves, but our people have spent centuries forming connections with every species we meet, as much as possible.” Vreta interjected. “Even if we can’t rely exclusively on goodwill, we just have to be willing to give good enough deals to encourage cooperation. Still, with certain factions, I will admit it would be best if Outremer’s delegation did not…lead the way in negotiation.”

Marae felt somewhat hopeful. At least, the reaction so far had not been as negative as she feared it might be. As frightened or anxious as they might have been, there still seemed to be a will to accomplish their mission. “It is fair to worry about what other groups will do, I think. But, we have to make sure we are ready first. Each of us needs to be prepared and committed to see the project through.”

Artek’Qin, the xenoarcheologist, chimed in after a moment. “Do we have a solid lead on where we can find another one of these beings?”

“We do have a lead!” Freyr answered, raising an index finger matter-of-factly. “Plenipotentiary Wallace told us that a nanobot swarm has been eliciting behaviour very much like that of the Cradle when it was searching for the Navigator. Hijacking some factory system to ping other planets. They-...what is it?”

Freyr stopped mid flow as loud muttering was rising from the crowd. Another junior member of her team spoke up. “Plenipotentiary Wallace? Who is that? Just another shadowy asshole who doesn’t care if we live or die?”

“No, um, she’s an ambassador to the Rothians!” Freyr protested, shaken.

“And why is she the one leading this team? What have they got on you, Dr Lang?” The woman talking to her stepped forward slightly. Dr Kwelix, physicist, one of the new intakes.

“They don’t have anything on me! I’m just trying to…” Freyr tailed off as a blue, semi-transparent avatar approached their group from up the hill towards the tent. They blinked in and out of existence as they flashed through the field, moving forward ten metres at a time. The avatar stopped at the edge of the group, and looked expectantly at Freyr with hands clasped behind their back. They were in formal dress with no markings.

Dr Kwelix and the others followed Freyr’s gaze. “Of course. Here comes your latest handler, come to tell you what extraordinarily dangerous and frankly opaque project we’ll be working on next. You know what? I’m done. I have a family - I can't work like this.”

“Please don't go! I have a family too - I know how you feel.” Freyr reached out a hand, but Dr Kwelix was already walking away. Several others followed her.

“If you care for your families, then you will want to do what you can to protect them. Leave now, and you will be leaving their fates up to us alone, without your input.” Marae argued, though her gaze went to this new person approaching just like the rest. Whoever this avatar represented, she did not recognize them.

Vreta stepped up alongside Freyr, glancing down briefly at her. She did not seem to be acting like she recognized this avatar either, but if it was here, then it had to be with approval. Perhaps someone from Outremer’s new government? In any case, he acknowledged their new guest and waited to hear what they had to say.