Trentons leaned forward slightly, his eyes lighting with the passion of a true innovator. “The gimbal system provides precise mechanical control - think of it as the bones and muscles. The resonator handles speech production - the voice, if you will. Together, they form the physical foundation that makes modern biomechanical integration possible.”

Roma nodded sagely. “The building blocks, one might say?”

“Precisely.” Trentons’ weathered hands sketched shapes in the air as he warmed to his subject. “Without these core components, even the most sophisticated software would be useless - like trying to run an operating system without a computer.”

Juniper’s grip tightened unconsciously on Daniel’s wrist as the implications hit her. They were going to try to undermine Delaney’s entire testimony by arguing the hardware was more fundamental than the software. Her pulse thundered in her ears as she watched Roma’s strategy unfold with devastating precision.

Behind them, Sophia reached the same conclusion a half-second before her pen did… the writing that followed moved with controlled fury across her notepad.

“Mr. Trentons,” Roma continued, his voice carrying that hellish warmth, “could you explain the energy requirements of these systems?”

Here it comes, Juniper thought, her teeth catching her lower lip. She could feel the snare closing, could see their case being dismantled piece by carefully constructed piece. Daniel’s free hand moved to cover hers where it still gripped his wrist, his touch grounding her even as her world threatened to spin out of control.