EliteCommander

Star Wars - Galaxies at War[MULTIVERSE SPACESHIP RP]

Dr. Fiona O'Connell and Narak 'Chorna - The Immaculate Aegis

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Before McKay could get too carried away with assumptions, Dr. O'Connell did step in to clarify a few points."Dr. McKay, with respect, that may not be the answer. I am not denying the possibility, do not mistake me, but there are other considerations. The Huragok can be...difficult to work with."

Breifly interrupting O'Connell, the Huragok made a high-pitched vocalization, vaguely reminiscent of a whale or dolphin. O'Connell smiled towards it, and gave it a gentle pat behind its head. "It's okay, Floats, you're very helpful." She remarked towards it, though quickly turned her attention back to McKay and the others. "The Forerunners, near as we can tell, did not design the Huragoks for science. They are engineers, meant to maintain and repair. Teaching and coming up with new solutions for technological problems was never their purpose. Even though they do understand far more advance technologies completely, they don't really know how to explain it in ways we understand. You have to know how to ask the right questions to get the right answers from them. They are very helpful, don't get me wrong, and very willing to help. But, it's likely that the Prophets ran into the very same limitations we have when using them to assist with reverse-engineering. It will all make sense, the more you work with them."

Dr. O'Connell gave a quick look towards Kham. "I can have someone show you to one of the slipspace borers. From my understanding, the Shipmaster does not want anyone interfacing directly with the ship's borer yet, but the Aegis' AI will give you full technical readouts, and will even help run simulations on any proposed changes you might want to make. In fact, Narak, could you go ahead and get a copy of the borer's operating logic for Dr. Mckay?"

As Narak went over to one of the Aegis' consoles in the corner, O'Connell grabbed a small, somewhat cylindrical object from one of the other tables and placed it down on the table in the center of the room. "Now, as for communicating with Floats, the Huragok primarily use a form of sign language to speak. The Covenant long used translators like these to interpret it into written Sangheili. I've set this one to translate it into English."

Star Wars - Galaxies at War[MULTIVERSE SPACESHIP RP]

Eri 'Moram - Dxun

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Eri gave a huff towards Jerius as the group followed behind the Mandalorian guiding them to this tomb. "Perhaps you might struggle with it, but I am perfectly capable of kicking through a wall of mere brick. I am not a Jedi, and this Tarentatek was not designed to hunt me. It was not designed to be able to deal with any of our weapons, specifically. Now, are you going to keep doomsaying our efforts, Jerius, or are you actually going to give me the information I asked for? It is resistant, but not immune to heat. What about piercing attacks? Explosives? Radiation? Does it rely on sight to hunt, or does it use scent, hearing, or heat?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei hummed to herself a moment, turning her eyes towards the people moving about the rest of the camp around them. "Many people may be better or worse at hiding their feelings, but I can say with confidence that almost everyone else here feels the same way. Invading Oblivion, well...there is a reason that Vile will not be expecting it. I am proud of all of our warriors for being brave enough to go through with this plan, despite their fear. You do have every justification to be afraid, Sabine, especially considering our role as the spearhead of our assault. But, you are also far more capable than almost anyone else in any of the armies here. You wield a kind of power that would make you the equal of the archmagisters of most magical guilds and societies. All these years, all of your effort, your dedication...it has certainly not been wasted."

Interrupting herself briefly, Meesei put her arm around Sabine and moved closer to her. "I wish I did not have to add to your worries, and I am sorry that I have. I stayed up half the night last night wondering if I was making the right decision, but...this is not a secret I could keep from you. It would not have been right to do so. And I know that, when it comes time for it, you will be able to focus. You are very experienced, Sabine, and we have fought together for so long that it will seem easy when the Daedra are right there in front of you. For now, it is okay to be worried; it is only natural."

Star Wars - Galaxies at War[MULTIVERSE SPACESHIP RP]

Dr. Fiona O'Connell and Narak 'Chorna

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Narak looked briefly away from his datapad and down at McKay. "The Huragok bear the knowledge of the Forerunners' technology, and were the reason for the San'Shyuum's ability to create vessels such as this. They are who maintain this ship, and the Shipmaster is right to be protective of them."

The conversation was briefly interrupted by the arrival of the Chief Engineer from the Resurgence. They exchanged their greetings, and O'Connell gave him his copy of the schematics as well. She knew that the Shipmaster had extended an open invitation for scientists and engineers from other universes to assist them, so she supposed she was not sure how many times she was going to have to repeat herself today. At the very least, she would not be wanting for assistance.

"Okay, so, as we were saying, and as Narak alluded to, the Huragok is very precious to this ship." O'Connell explained. "They are not normal lifeforms. They are artificial beings, basically organic supercomputers originally created by the Forerunners to maintain their technology. Oh, um, the Forerunners were an immensely advanced species that controlled most of our galaxy long before any of our species' recorded history. And yes, Dr. Mckay, most of the Covenant's technology, including the slipspace borer, was reverse-engineered from Forerunner technology, largely due to the Huragok."

Dr. O'Connell wanted to get to work as quickly as they could. When she had met with Falul, he had made the importance of these upgrades very clear to her, so she felt like she was under a fair amount of pressure. However, if she wanted these others to actually be of any help, she would have to be patient enough to get them up to speed. "So for this project...I think there is some important context to understand. The Covenant, as it was during the war in our universe, was a sort of religious, caste-based society. The San'Shyuum that Narak mentioned, what we call the Prophets, were the leaders, the 'holy Hierarchs'. The Sangheili were part of the warrior caste. They did not have scientists, and only few engineers like Narak, as that was the role of the Prophets. Or so they claimed. The reality is that the Prophets relied heavily on the Huragok to create and maintain their technology, so the Covenant, as a whole, did not greatly understand their own technology. It is highly advanced, yes, but also not entirely efficient."

Dr. O'Connell turned briefly to her laptop and brought up a specific file for reference. "Luckily, I have some relevant files from the war that my position gave me access to. This is all highly classified, but you all are not from my universe, so...I am choosing to disclose this on the basis that word of it will never get back to my boss. During the war, one of our AI onboard a Covenant ship was able to make improvements to its slipspace borer to allow it to make a slipspace jump within the gravity well of a planet, without any changes to the hardware, without any physical upgrades. Just by modifying the logic the borer was using to operate. Indeed, that AI was able to upgrade Covenant technology on several occasions, basically with just software updates. I believe it may be possible for us to do the same here. I know that slipspace travel can be much quicker. The Forerunners were able to create portals to cross distances greater than our entire galaxy almost instantly, and some of our own ships have been given slipspace upgrades to make them even faster than the Aegis. Slipspace travel isn't...specifically my field of expertise, though, so I will definitely appreciate all of your assistance."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Very well." Meesei nodded. "Thinking about it, I suppose we probably should do most of our work in the Silent City, regardless. We will have more privacy, that way. We can go back to Mundus and find a room for you for the next few days. Although...perhaps we should wait for Neesa to return, first. She will be expecting us to be here, and seeing as she is being so refreshingly agreeable, I would rather not upset her. We can wait outside the tent, though, instead of crowding ourselves in here."

Once outside the tent, much of the pack rested by the nearest fire. Certainly, they would all have something on their minds to think about. Meesei, though she would have much to do ahead of her, had already had the luxury of time to mentally prepare herself for it. Even before she had gathered everyone together, she had known who she would want most to speak to after she had given everyone the news.

Meesei sat down beside Sabine. Ariel was, naturally, on the other side of her, but Meesei did not mind her listening as well. If anything, her presence might have been helpful. "Sabine, are you...alright?" Meesei asked softly. "This is not the kind of news I wanted to have to give you. Especially now, of all times."

Star Wars - Galaxies at War[MULTIVERSE SPACESHIP RP]

Thaz - Nal Hutta

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Thaz stood alongside Samus, standing upright somewhat to see more clearly into the hologram. This job did sound more complicated than she might have first assumed, but it was far from the most complex mission she had been on, and certainly not more than she could handle. It might just require some actual effort on her part.

"Hmm, so the client says the targets have to die within seconds of each other. Done that before, but usually not on entirely different planets. Doesn't matter; still doable." Thaz remarked. "But it sounds like Jerus' target will take longer to kill than the big green one, so I can't just shoot as soon as I have the target in my scope. I have to wait, keep my sights on him, and shoot when Jerus says it's time."

Thaz looked up, her eyes scanning acros all of the rooftops and high points around them. "Where is the target going to be, exactly? Can you get me somewhere high up? I don't have to be close. If I can see him, I can take off his head."

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Eri 'Moram - Dxun

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Eri personally preferred hunting with spears, but if the prey was truly as dangerous as the Mandalorians seemed to be implying, she supposed she could allow herself other weapons and equipment. A beast that could kill someone with abilities like Jerus had to demand respect, she supposed. In fact, she guessed that these Mandalorians expected the Tarentatek to simply get rid of them.

Eri gave a glance towards two of the Sangheili in her team. "Sel, Arta, go retrieve the extra equipment from the shuttle." She ordered before returning her attention to Jerius. "I may not know what this creature is, but these Mandalorians also do not know who I am. I...am the Special Operations Commander of the Immaculate Aegis. I have hunted the most dangerous predators on Sanghelios, and felled even more dangerous foes in the fight against the Covenant. I have killed Mgalekgolo in single combat, with only my blade. But...I do know not to underestimate any foe. She said that this Tarentatek would be resistant to energy-based weapons. If not heat, then what form of attack would be effective against it?"

Star Wars - Galaxies at War[MULTIVERSE SPACESHIP RP]

Thaz - Nal Hutta

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Most Kig-Yar on the Aegis made use of some variant or another of the storm harness, but for Thaz, to say that she was grateful for the armor she had earned was putting it lightly. She was Special Operations, so her armor was environmentally sealed. Which, of course, meant that she would not have to put up with the rather disgusting environment they were now landing in. It was a polluted mess of a planet, without a doubt.

Thaz secured her beam rifle on her back and stepped up alongside Samus. "Hope the pay is worth it. Going to have to spend hours cleaning my armor after this. Maybe you can get Jerus to scrub down your ship too? I'm sure he just 'forgot' to tell us that the half of the job he picked wasn't on a disgusting planet of sewage."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"I think your suggestion is believable, Fendros." Meesei remarked. "You can tell anyone who asks that I am experimenting with some enchantments that might be useful in the confrontation against Vile. I know this will put more of a burden onto you for the next few days, but I would not ask if I did not need to."

Stepping around behind Meesei, Lorag gave her a quick pat on the back. "We'll take care of it, no question."

Meesei chuckled for a few seconds. "Thank you, Lorag. I suppose we will all have more to do, starting tomorrow."

Kaleeth, meanwhile, appeared nervous. The others were talking about trying to find ways to solve this terrible problem of Meesei's, but she still found herself worrying about what might happen if they failed. "Meesei, what if...you can't figure it out in just a few days? What if you have to go through the invasion like this? Is there something we might do to be able to keep you safer during..."

"No, please." Meesei interrupted, holding up one hand. "That is not an option, and one of the reasons I was so hesitant to tell you all. In battle, you cannot treat me any differently than you would have before. We all take a certain amount of risk in any fight we take, and we all fight most effectively together as we are now. If we try to change things, to protect me, it can only make things worse for all of us. We need to continue fighting just as we have been. But...hopefully that will not be a problem. For now, let us just try to relax for the evening, and get enough rest to make tomorrow productive. Ariel, were you able to have your own dinner back home, before we visited you? If not, I am sure you will be able to find something most exotic to try here."

Star Wars - Galaxies at War[MULTIVERSE SPACESHIP RP]

Eri 'Moram - Dxun

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Despite the alien world and an entirely alien people, Eri could not help but to feel a sense of familiarity from entering the camp of Clan Ordo. Their training grounds were set up very much in the style of a military camp, and was not entirely dissimilar from camps Eri had trained in after joining the military. Warriors pitted themselves against one another, driving themselves to become ever-stronger; it was a concept that Eri was intimately familiar with.

Jerius' negotiations with the Mandalorians were...surprisingly efficient. She had expected to have to go through a great deal more talking and explanations before being asked to prove anything. Falul had been much more cautious to join a war against the Empire, though Eri supposed that these Mandalorians already knew the Empire to be their enemy. They knew what they wanted, knew what they were willing to do to get it, and seemed like they just wanted to test that Eri's people would be willing to do the same. She guessed that it was likely helpful that she was in the company of a fellow Mandalorian, but Eri still found the simplicity of it all to be refreshing.

The word "Tarentatek" meant nothing to Eri. However, she had already taken the time to look into what the Rancor creature that Jerius had mentioned was, and she had not been deterred by that. Even if a Tarentatek was more dangerous, as Jerius' reaction seemed to imply, Eri did not fear fighting a beast. Sanghelios and its colonies had their own share of dangerous predators, and Eri had hunted many of them. Before she was finally allowed to join the military, it was one of the few ways she had available to test her skills in true, deadly combat.

Although Eri's helmet obscured her face, her quick, unwavering response demonstrated no hesitation. "Very well, I shall kill whatever beast you desire. What are your terms for how I may pursue this kill?"

Star Wars - Galaxies at War[MULTIVERSE SPACESHIP RP]

Dr. Fiona O'Connell and Narak 'Chorna - The Immaculate Aegis

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"Oh, right, where are my manners?" The Human woman remarked before reaching out and shaking McKay's hand. "Doctor Fiona O'Connell. Sorry, the Sangheili have very...different manners, I've gotten out of the habit. I've been working for the last few years on join Human-Sangheili projects to reverse-engineer Covenant and Forerunner technologies. As you can probably guess, neither me nor Narak here are permanent crew of the Aegis. We were basically just hitching a ride to Sanghelios from one of the outer colonies when the ship was taken from our universe."

As Dr. O'Connell had been speaking, Narak grabbed two of the Human datapads and approached McKay, though before saying anything, he extended his hand as well to shake McKay's. Even if Sangheili had a different form of manners, he was evidently familiar with Human customs. "Narak 'Chorna. I am an Artisan-Engineer. Here are the schematics for this vessel's slipspace borer." He explained simply and directly as he handed one of the datapads to McKay, then Strevrols in turn.

"Feel free to download any of the information on there to your own devices." O'Connell remarked. "We converted it all to the file formats of this universe, so if you have interpreted those, then your devices should be able to make sense of it. You'll also find a short primer on slipspace theory in there that you might want to look over." She said, referring to the fifty-three page document attached to the schematics.

At that point, the door to the science lab opened once again, prompting O'Connell to stand once again and peer out to see who it was. "Ah, great timing." She commented as another being entered the room: one far different from any other being they had yet seen aboard the ship. It was a bulbous, floating organism with many tentacles and a long head with six eyes. It arrived under armed guard, which did not seem to bother O'Connell as she stood up to approach it.

"Let's see, which one are you..." She began, her voice trailing off as she seemed to stare intently at the creature's elongated head. "Ah, this is Floats Easily. It is an Engineer, or...Huragok, as the Shipmaster probably described them to you."