At the last evening of the conference, a realization formed in Jason's mind: no one had a plan. Not the senators, not the councilors, not the leading parties and not the scientists.

"What did you expect?" Diane asked him when Jason had expressed his frustration in the Queen's suite. "How can anyone have a plan for something like this? Fit an entire people onto Earth? This is simply too big."

"They are supposed to be the brightest minds on this planet and they didn't even focus on the problem at hand," Brett complained. "All they wanted to know is if the Ocean People have webbing between their toes and how to say hello in oceanic."

"You can't blame them for their curiosity, Brett," Mera responded. "You grew up with us but they have to process a lot of information at a very short time."

"Also," Diane added, "they might be experts in their fields but those are usually closed units in themselves. What we need is bring those together but I can't imagine how we could combine cancer research with string theory."

Shalamorn stood up from her seat. "Each might be a drop in the ocean but the ocean itself is a cohesive system. Our philosophy taught us that much."

"No offence, Your Majesty," Brett said and crossed his arms, "but I don't see how that is supposed to help."

"Call me Shalamorn, dear. What I've been meaning to say is that the connections are there. We just need to find a way so see them."

Diane shook her head. "No human mind can do that."

"No oceanic head either," Shalamorn admitted, "but Jason suggested visiting the living memory of our people a while ago. Maybe that gives us not only answers about the synchronium."

"Excuse me." Froggy cleared his throat. "That kind of task sounds actually like only something an A.I. could do. An Artificial Intelligence."

"If you are thinking about H.E.L.E.N. …" Diane shook her head. "She is advanced but I doubt she could handle such a thing. She is designed to run life support on O.R.C.A. and assist in research. Besides, the 2000 upgrade was a very experimental research project itself."

While Diane talked, Froggy had covered his phone with both hands with a shocked expression. "She didn't mean that. She loves you," he murmured into the microphone.

Jason and Brett grinned. Diane sighed. "I still don't know if I am comfortable with you having access to H.E.L.E.N. outside from O.R.C.A.."

Brett rolled his eyes. "Relax, Mum. Froggy knows better than to meddle with her basic system. And also, we always know what's going on there. A piece of home."

Diane smiled and squeezed his shoulder.

"I wasn't thinking of H.E.L.E.N.," Froggy continued, still covering the phone with both hands. "I was thinking about the pyramid. It is a quantum computer, isn't it?"

Shalamorn nodded. "Yes, but it is not designed for problem solving. The Pyramid is a very powerful tool but limited to execute orders. Thinking without emotion is … a strange notion for the people of the Ocean Planet."

"'Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain'," Brett cited. "Or in your case: where it keeps its heart?"

Shalamorn nodded, looking surprised. "Yes, exactly. That is very wise, Brett."

Mera laughed. "That's from Harry Potter, a well-known book series. But it really does contain wisdom."

"I understand your hesitation," Froggy went on. "A.I.s are a good example where mankind's achieving is probably exceeding it's grasp. It's a big unknown but also a big chance. A computer can easily juggle all the variables at hand and find solutions by any parameters we set."

"I appreciate your enthusiasm," Shalamorn replied, "but a computer does not have a moral compass as we do."

"And how do we develop a moral compass?" Froggy insisted. "Where is the difference between me designing a self-aware program than you raising a child? You give it all you can and hope for the best."

"A child needs love and care while a computer just feeds from logic and mathematical algorithms."

"But they both learn from their environment. From the people around them and – "

"Froggy!" Diane interrupted harshly and Froggy shut his mouth with a look of shock. Diane nodded and her expression grew softer. "You are very close to H.E.L.E.N., even closer than to the people around you." Diane stepped forward and took Froggy by the shoulders. "I understand, that you see her as a friend and H.E.L.E.N. is programmed to appear as such. She is very well designed but she is not a human being." She let him go and took a step back. "As you may know, the commander of O.R.C.A. always has the last saying when in comes to accessing the vital systems. When I took over the position of the commander, I ran some simulations – scenarios like a hostage situation, a fire in the air filter facilities, a water inrush… I wanted to see what H.E.L.E.N. could do and she worked quite well but not good enough. She gave me a lot of solutions to save as many people as possible but always at the cost of lives. She decided who had to die and who got to live in a matter of seconds. Based on statistics, she calculated the highest chance of survival and the lowest risk. For an A.I., even if it's as advanced as H.E.L.E.N., it's a matter of percentages not ethics. I saw several ways to save them all but it required creativity and the ability to take yourself out of the equation. To take a risk. This is something, a computer cannot do."

Froggy opened his mouth but closed it again. He slouched and nodded with a sigh of resignation. "Fine," he murmured. "Sorry, won't mention it again."

"So, we are back to the old-fashioned way, then," Diane smiled and let out a heavy, relieved breath. "Create a hierarchy of working groups, let them chose a group leader who will be part of the higher-level working group and so on."

Shalamorn nodded. "I will talk to the senators about it." Before she left the room, she turned around again to look at Froggy. "Thank you for your ideas and your passion. I am very glad to have you on our council."

Froggy blushed, then smiled back and nodded. Even though it seemed, Diane and Shalamorn thought this discussion to be over, Jason knew Froggy too well.