It is midday in the Cult. At a local restaurant, High Priest Howard Phillips is reading a thick novel while waiting for his order to arrive when lead Archivist Dr. Normandy steps through the front door. She scans the room for a moment, then notices the High Priest and strides toward him with a cunning smile."Hello, Howard,” greets the Archivist, causing the leader to look up in surprise.
"Myra! Welcome, sit down,” responds Howard, motioning towards the opposite seat and closing his book. She quickly obliges.
"I'll make this quick. There is something I want in the Unistan desert.” She slides some sketches across the table towards Howard. He examines the pictures, then looks up incredulously.
"You want... bugs?"
She shakes her head, but the excitement doesn't leave her voice. "THESE bugs, Howard, are the size of a tank. And probably deadlier than one! The brood is known as The fortiscarab swarm. If the Archivists could acquire some specimens, we could do great things."
Howard seems alarmed. "Where did these things come from? How didn't we know about them before now?"
Myra is getting impatient. "I can answer those questions once I get my hands on..." She trails off and fidgets with her gloved hands uncomfortably for a moment. "...one. But that comes after. Can you get me them or not?"
"I don't like this. These things sound like a real threat."
"A threat we can neutralize if we have some of their DNA on our side."
"Fine. I'll get you some samples. But the rest are too dangerous to be kept alive. We need to wipe them out."
She smiles. "As long as I have a specimen to study, you can do whatever you want to the rest of them."
He pauses for a moment. "What about Brethren? Won't they get in the way of this? They’re very outspoken on the ‘rights’ of these sorts of things.”
"Are you telling me you can't handle those brine drinkers? If they get in the way, shoot them."
"And how do you propose I get soldiers through the desert? Our forces are hardly equipped for such a journey.”
The Archivist ponders the question for a moment. "You could talk to Blackwood."
"I don't know if you've forgotten, but we aren't on great terms right now," growls Howard with a scowl.
"Do what you need to do. I want those bugs,” says Myra dismissively, standing up to leave.
A server brings a plate of bright colored fish to Howard. He thanks the server while Myra looks at the dish skeptically.
"You're eating that?"
"It's new on the menu, a new species they found in the south. Thought I would try it out."
"I wouldn't, if I were you," says the geneticist before turning and pushing through the door. Howard looks at the plate suspiciously, then pushes it away while shaking his head. He picks up the sketches of the creatures again and continues analyzing them.
"Damn Archivists," he mutters.