Pings from other AI are still new to Theta. His closest equivalent before now has just been hails routed through the allowed intermediary of FILSS. It startles him out of his most recent run and he considers it, almost hides or dismisses but ... maybe Delta has important information.

He responds with protocol more than words, the I-read-state-your-purpose milisecond thought of a digital question mark and a communication channel opened, re-assembling the simulation from the top.