A teshnik at the rear of the group of servants, a team leader identified by the bright red hand patches on his shoulders, hurried into speech. ‘My lady, we cannot find an active one in the whole of the Acrocomplexa. We have sent personnel to search the wider policosmos. There have been no transmissions from any pillar or screen since the disturbance. Once the scale of damage is assessed, we will provide an estimate of restoration time.’
‘I see,’ said the Regent. Jaxon watched sidelong as she once more tapped her ruby fingernails on her jewel-encrusted forearm. ‘What of the data store? Is the Navel unharmed?’
A black-clad officer of the Wereguard stepped forward. ‘My lady, I am here to assure you of this. Every item has been checked and is safe and in working order. Every master data set
