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That was not the response Hector had been expecting, and he exhaled half a laugh. "If that's what you're worried about, then don't be. I'm... fairly skeptical of the Vanguard."

Hanton blinked a few times, and his posture shifted, as did that of the invisible bird. Then, after a moment, Hanton's human form disappeared again, the Sparrow's true body became visible once more. 'You... you are?'

"Yeah," said Hector.

'I must say... I am quite relieved to hear that, Lord Goffe.'

Hector cocked an eyebrow beneath his helm, not sure what to make of Hanton's sudden change in tone. "I take it that Sparrows aren't on very good terms with the Vanguard, then."

'Oh, on the contrary, many of my kind work with them.'

It was Hector's turn to blink. "Really?"

'Indeed. It is quite the symbiotic relationship. We are very capable assistants in a variety of fields, especially regarding propaganda and intelligence work.'

Hector could certainly believe that. "And what do you get out of it?"

'Ah. I do not get anything. To be clear, I do not work for the Vanguard and never have. My brethren, however, get the Vanguard's brand of "protection" for their efforts.'

"And what brand is that, exactly?"

'Our abilities are deemed too volatile to go unmonitored. My kin, therefore, rarely enjoy the same level of privacy and freedom that my family does. Unlike us, they are "caged birds," one might say. Little better than pets.'

Hmm. Hector sympathized, but he could also understand where the Vanguard was coming from on this one. The ability to manipulate people's minds was no fucking joke. The potential for abuse there was just ridiculous. "I can see why you wouldn't want the Vanguard sniffing around Atreya, then."

'Yes. However, if "sniffing" was all that they had been doing, we could have dealt with that easily enough--as we had been, for generations.'

"You're saying they escalated their work here?"