"If you insist on hearing my reasons..." Hesta fell silent for a moment. "At tonight's emergency meeting, Kendall repeatedly mentioned sending more Quicksilver Needles to the Mother City. Given her background, she couldn't possibly be unaware of the risks involved."
Victoria sank into thought.
"It was indeed suspicious, but... it also made sense," Victoria said. "You know, when I saw those special Chelated Beings tonight, I nearly called the Mother City for reinforcements. When it feels like things are about to spiral out of control, bringing in more people is instinctive. You can hardly say that refusing all outside help because of this would be throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Perhaps Kendall had her own considerations for avoiding risk."
"What considerations?"
"There must be some Quicksilver Needles who won't be assimilated by the Deep Anchor, people who will always see things from an ordinary person's perspective," Victoria said. "Like you, like me... and Ligo tonight. Did I tell you? She's back. She's currently locked up in the underground prison of the Kexi Workstation."
"I know."
"You know?"
"I'm going to pick her up in a bit."
"When I saw her fleeing while carrying Sahame, I really was worried... but she actually came back, under these circumstances." Victoria said, "That truly made me see her in a new light. I thought she wouldn't care that much about what happened in the Habitable Zone. She seemed exactly like the sort of person most easily absorbed by the Deep Anchor."
Hesta lowered her gaze and said nothing.
"What is it?" Victoria noticed Hesta's faint dejection.
"...I'm tired." Hesta covered her eyes with her palm. "A lot happened tonight. I want to go back and sleep."
"Get some proper rest." Victoria said, "See you tomorrow."
Hesta went down to the underground