[h2][b]Dr. Fiona O'Connell and Narak 'Chorna - The [i]Immaculate Aegis[/i][/b][/h2]

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"It did not take her long." O'Connell answered to Dr. McKay. "And her upgrades were effective. Not only did she improve the accuracy of the ship's slipspace capabilities, but the upgrades she made to its weapons allowed it to destroy half a dozen other Covenant warships. Granted, Cortana was one of the most advanced AIs Humanity has created. She came from the mind of Dr. Halsey, who is probably the most brilliant scientist of my universe. She was the one who created the Spartan-IIs, and I can't even begin to list all the ways that my work is based off of her research."

Narak knew Dr. O'Connell well enough to know when she was losing her focus on to a tangent, so he soon interjected. "Even without the [i]most[/i] advanced artificial intelligence, this should not be something that should prove too difficult for us. The projects that Dr. O'Connell and I work on regularly deal with far more advanced technology than this ship, and this AI...Isaac, now has access to all of the information that Cortana used to make her changes. We should be able to complete this in a few days. Perhaps sooner, depending on your own competency. I believe the key lies in understanding the technology's origins. Much of it was derived from the technology of the Forerunners. We may not have a Forerunner slipspace drive aboard, but the Huragok may be of assistance, and of course the data from the Halo array."

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[h3][b]Vael 'Virisusai - Aboard the [i]Taris[/i][/b][/h3]
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"Hmm, I know many among my own kind who would disagree. Not all of my people have yet earned the wisdom to look beyond the points of their blades. It is fortunate, then, that my shipmaster is wise." Vael remarked towards Teyla. "The task that my shipmaster has given me is to judge the honor of these potential allies. To see that they are free from hints of corruption or betrayal that would put our fleet at risk. Our enemy, as I understand it, is both insidious and cunning. Any allies that we choose to trust must be committed to opposing the Empire, and resilient against infiltration."

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[h3][b]Eri 'Moram - Dxun[/b][/h3]
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Eri's reply to Jerius was both short and simple. "Then we shall [i]both[/i] have the chance to prove our words."

Eri was the one who led the way, quietly for the moment. Although she had disconnected her active camouflage in order to power the thruster pack, that did not mean she could not use a more conventional method to get the drop on their prey. With her helmet linked to the scope of her beam rifle, she scanned the passage ahead as they moved through it. Once she had sight of the Tarentatek, she would look for a shot straight to its head. With enough luck, she might be able to end it right then and there, though she was not relying upon it. Even if she could get a clean shot through its head, she did not know how large its brain was in relation to its skull, nor exactly where to aim to hit it. She had other ideas in mind for how to approach the kill, should the first shot fail.