EliteCommander

The Cradle

“A date?” Vreta remarked, slightly tilting his head. “Hmm, no, such outings are not uncommon among Rothian friends and acquaintances.” He explained. Although, her suggestion to go back to the Barbarossa did cause some notable hesitation for Vreta.

“Going back to the Barb is an option, but I will say that going back to the ship would require us to go through customs again, going to the ship and coming back. We could reach a restaurant here in the city in just a few minutes. If you are opposed to visiting an establishment here on Rothia, we could just go to a meeting room down the hall and talk. I simply thought it would be a nice treat, after so long on the ship. The restaurant I had in mind is simply phenomenal; among the best on Rothia.” Vreta smiled. “And I suppose I can admit some…alternative motivation in wanting to show off what my planet has to offer.”

The Cradle

From what Vreta could see, there were a few among the Rothian science team that were showing subtle signs of discontent, or at the very least, impatience. But, Marae was still the one speaking for them, and she just took a moment in thought before replying. “Yes, true, we will need to see your lab. If you have any specialized equipment for studying the Cradle, we will need to replicate it with our technology for us all to use. Rest assured, I doubt it will take much time for you and your team to become orientated to our equipment and procedures, and we will work much more efficiently together using them.”

---

After their first few topics of discussion, most of what was left were the more mundane details of how they intended to organize their respective teams during the expedition. It was an important, if dull, conversation that did drag on for a few hours, but if all went well, it was one they would only need to have once.

Vreta himself did not have all too much to contribute to the discussions, as he had done much of his work to prepare Freyr and her team on the voyage over. He simply gave the occasional recommendation or clarification when needed. Vreta did not expect that their problems were over, as more would certainly crop up once the two teams started actually working together, but once the meeting was finally adjourned, he was finally able to relax for the moment. There were no other points of business left on the agenda for the rest of the day.

While some of those in attendance left as soon as the meeting was over, others lingered around in the room for a short while afterwards, many of them taking advantage of the table with refreshments over by the window. There was one matter that had been stirring in Vreta’s mind for months, by this point, and he finally felt that it was a good time to speak to Freyr about it, as he finally had a good opportunity to separate her from the handlers the Outremer government had surrounded her with.

“A wonderful view, isn’t it?” Vreta remarked as he stepped up alongside Freyr. It was getting to be later in the day, so the void star above them was creeping lower in the horizon. Though, Vreta did not intend to dwell much on small talk. He wanted to ask his question before someone else had a chance to pull her away. “There is something I would like to speak to you about. It could be good news for you, but it is also rather…personal to you. Not something I think you would want to talk about in a crowd. If you would like, I know of a very nice restaurant where we could get a private table and talk in peace. My treat.” He suggested.

The Cradle

Marae herself did not react as strongly as some of the other Rothian scientists. Or at least, she did not join in their whispers and murmuring. Though, she was silent for a few moments, presumably as she conferred with another in her own private channel. “Yes, we certainly want to repeat those experiments. I have an AI well-suited to analyzing language patterns, or patterns in general.”

Despite Freyr’s confidence in her team’s results, Marae did not seem to share it without the chance to analyze the evidence for herself. In fact, there did seem to be a distinct air of skepticism among many of the Rothian scientists gathered, based on their reactions. Still, it was not as if Marae was rejecting the idea outright, and skepticism could be a healthy trait in science.

“We want to give you access to our lab and equipment.” Marae soon continued. “It is my opinion that it would be best for us all to work as one team, with the best tools available. We can begin orientation on our processes and equipment first thing in the morning. Hopefully, by the time we are able to find whatever Cradle technology might exist on Rothia, you will have had time to become adjusted. Oh, and before I forget, Vreta’Sori mentioned in his messages that he suggested you try the same tests on Human DNA as you did on ours. Did you try those tests? What were the results, if you did?”

Halo: Aegis Team

Heya Elite, its mme agaib. Been browsing for a new RP to join and I came across this. Mind if I join?

@DirtyDingo

I can certainly accept new players. The only thing to keep in mind is that we'll have to wait until it makes sense in the story to bring the new character in.

The Cradle

“Any information you give us will bring us that much closer to a solution to the problems plaguing your planet.” Rareth replied to the agent, though she kept a cordial tone. “And yes, Dr. Lang, if you have a method that could help us locate this Cradle tech, we would be appreciative of you sharing it. My people are quite patient, of course, but the stability of your planet relies on us returning your Cradle to working order as quickly as we can.”

Marae’Ano cleared her throat and queued up a new set of data to project on the table’s central hologram, though she did not yet display it. “Yes, well, the actual search for this object or objects is not something I think the majority of our respective teams will be able to assist with, Dr. Lang. I will have my best geologist and archeologist analyzing the results, of course, but I think most of us will have to be content with waiting here in the city until something is actually found. In the meantime, it is my understanding that you allegedly found something rather unbelievable in tests on Rothian DNA, yes? Patterns that match coordinates in the Cradle’s language. I would quite like to see the data on those tests, and whatever information you have on the language in question.”

Halo: Aegis Team

Vael 'Virisusai and Shih

---

The Spartan Aviza was still able to move and speak, so Vael gave no argument to her ability to fight. Speed was of the essence now, so there was no time to question leadership. Regardless, as a warrior who fought best within the reach of his blade, Vael was one of those at the front of the team. He had not burned through as much of his ammunition as some of the others, but he still moved his carbine to his back and drew his plasma rifle in its stead. He held his plasma rifle in his left hand, and an energy sword in his right. He did not activate the blade right away, but he did hold the hilt tightly in-hand. Another of the Spartans, Rex, also moved close alongside him. As evidenced by the shotgun he wielded, he too preferred to fight close to the enemy.

The team had moved down quickly through the entry hallway of the Forerunner structure, down the ramps to lower floors. In the first, small chamber they entered, they did encounter rebels trying frantically to set up barricades, though they had already started retreating just on the footsteps of Aegis’ approach alone. They fled out the door on the far side off the room without so much as returning fire. Evidently, Aegis had move too quickly for them to fortify themselves, and the rebels had no intention of fighting an even fight.

Before they started to move once more, Shih spoke up to the team as a whole. ”These readings I’m getting, now that we’re here, show these tunnels going even deeper than I thought. They connect to deeper tunnels in the installation at about a dozen different points. Unless we want to rely on a lot of luck, we need to figure out which way the leader is fleeing. I’ve already been working on decrypting and analyzing the comms I’m intercepting. I know their leader is fleeing, so we should be clear to shoot any resistance for now. If we can get to one of their computers, we might be able to figure out what route to take. These rebels’ security is better than I would have thought, but…either myself or Petty Officer Younan should be able to break in. ”

On each of the team members’ HUDs, nav points appeared for two separate rooms farther down beneath them. “The path ahead branches off two ways, to two large chambers farther down. From the comms I’ve intercepted, one of them is their armory, and the other they’re using for food storage. I don’t know which is which. Their command center is adjacent to the armory. That would be the best place to go to find the information we need.”

”If their coward of a leader already flees, then we do not have much time. I doubt we will be able to check both paths if we move as one.” Vael remarked.

The Cradle

The Rothians were quick to discuss privately through messages between their implants, deciding that Marae’Ano would be the one to accept their gift. She responded without much delay. “We thank you for your gift. I would like to apologize if there is a custom of yours we do not end up observing, but rest assured that we are appreciative of your gesture. If it is appropriate to do so, I shall have the staff displayed in our lab as a symbol of our cooperation.”

Once the meeting began in earnest and the coordinates were given, several of the Rothian scientists immediately started to double-check not only the most recent scans, but also earlier scans of the area to see if there was anything that stood out at the identified location. Rareth, meanwhile, paced around a part of the table, carefully observing the projection in front of them from a few angles. The chairs at the table were adjustable to a wide variety of body sizes, but Rareth was still a bit too large to use them comfortably, so she had remained standing from the start.

“Provided that our previous scans have revealed nothing at these coordinates, I can have another ship sent to the area for a more in-depth scan. It is my understanding that your Cradle has an active system to block attempts at scanning, correct? If you can provide us with copies of your previous attempts, both the process and results, it is possible we may be able to learn how to bypass this interference.” Rareth suggested.

Halo: Aegis Team

Vael 'Virisusai

---

Vael took only a few moments to survey the situation. Aviza was injured, but alive. As deadly as the Spartans were, he did find himself curious if she would have the resolve to continue fighting through pain and injury. Vael had seen at least one example of such resilience in the past, and he wondered if it was a trait they all shared.

”Are you capable of continuing to lead, Spartan Aviza? If we do not move quickly into the structure., our prey may elude us.” Vael asked, already with one eye looking at the ramp leading down inside. Although, it was not long before his gaze shifted towards another unknown: the pilot who had survived the crash. He had seen her eagerly enter the fray as he had rounded the central tower, and she had put up more of a fight than he would have expected from the average pilot. It simply remained to be seen whether it was her skill in combat that drove her, or merely a blind blood rage.

In any case, Vael motioned towards the pilot. “And you, can you fight? We cannot afford to leave a protector for you, so you must either join the battle with us, or find your own way out.”

The Cradle

To an extent, Vreta felt fortunate that he was not likely to be a primary participant in this meeting. He had been in the presence of Datius before, and especially since he had joined the Rahn’Masser, it always felt like a nervewracking experience. It was not so much that he felt threatened by them as it was that they were practically legendary figures. Something any agent would aspire to one day become. He simply did not want to embarrass himself in front of one of them.

In any case, all that Rareth did for the moment was to simply lead the sizable Human delegation through the building and down one floor into their reserved conference room. Even with the tall ceilings that tended to be built into Rothian architecture, Rareth’s head still came close to touching it, and she had to duck slightly through some doorways. The Humans had sent word ahead of the large group that would be in attendance, so they had arranged for a room of ample size to comfortably accommodate everyone. In fact, it looked as if it could accommodate an entire department for a meeting, or double as an auditorium. Even with the combined size of both delegations, there was plenty enough space to move around easily, and even extra tables with refreshments. Vreta expected that there would be time afterwards for the members of both science teams to meet each other individually and mingle. Given that one wall was a massive, floor-to-ceiling window with a wonderful view over the city, they would have quite a backdrop for it.

The science team comprised the majority of the Rothian delegation: about a dozen individuals. There were a few others as well, including Vreta’s direct superior in the Rahn’Masser, though he suspected that particular relationship would be kept secret for the purposes of this meeting. One detail that the Humans would likely notice right away was the differences in appearance for Rothians here, compared to those who worked on Outremer. Human conventions for “professionalism” did not apply on Rothia, so there was no need for them to choose natural designs or coloration for their scales. Among modern Rothian society, creativity and artistic expression for one’s own body was essentially the core of Rothian fashion. Similar to tattoos in Human society, the scales of most of the Rothian scientists bore striking colors and intricate designs of widely different styles, including the team leader who introduced herself as soon as they were all seated.

“Welcome, it is good to finally be meeting you all. I am Marae’Ano, project leader for our expedition. I am sure I am not the first to say so, but I would like to welcome you warmly to Rothia.” The woman remarked. Her scales were an eye-catching contrast of solid while scales as the backdrop, with deep black scales forming a detailed design. It was a design that seemed to consist of one long, continuous line that flowed and swirled across her body like a current through the ocean, creating patterns that seemed distinct, yet without ever breaking the line itself.

The Cradle

Vreta allowed the others to shuffle out of the shuttle ahead of him, being in no particular hurry himself. He could see a second shuttle landing beside them out the window, likely the captain. The Humans were not allowed weapons, but they were permitted to bring anyone they chose to these initial meetings. Vreta doubted that the captain would have too much to do now that they were on Rothia, but he understood why she would want to stay involved and keep tabs on the members of her crew.

When Vreta stepped out onto the landing pad, however, even he was visibly surprised by the welcoming party they had received. It was just a single individual that had come to collect them, but that person’s identity was known to him even before she introduced herself, and her mere presence was telling in a number of ways.

The Rothian in front of them towered over everyone else present, Vreta included. In fact, she was likely the largest Rothian any of them had seen in person. She was clearly a soldier, as she was armed and wearing full combat armor, though she did not carry a weapon in-hand. She did not wear a helmet, so they could see that she had jet black scales, with a striking pair of red eyes. “Greetings, I am Rareth’Jharn, Datius of the Rahn’Masser. If you’ll all come with me, we already have a meeting room arranged.”

Freyr or the other civilians might not have been aware, but to be greeted by a Datius supersoldier could be nothing less than a shock to those like Agent 595, or perhaps Masgard, who were more aware of the intricacies of the Rothian government. It was a shock to Vreta, and he had been warned ahead of time that his leaders were taking the situation more seriously. Though they were a part of the Rahn’Masser on paper, in practice, the Datius served directly at the behest of the Rahn’Saki themselves. The Datius were their eyes, ears, and their finest weapons. If a Datius was here, then that meant the Rahn’Saki had deemed this matter a priority, and they were taking a direct, personal interest in it. As well, it was clear that they wanted the Humans to know that they considered this a priority.