EliteCommander

The Cradle

Vreta could have predicted Freyr’s response when their meal arrived, but he still smiled in response. He had a feeling that the conversation had been close to taking on an uncomfortable tone once again, so he did welcome the change of topic when it came. He took a moment to politely thank their waiter, then started to tear into one of his steaks. Differences between Rothian and Human biology did made for some notable differences between their respective acceptable table manners. Rothians did not possess teeth suitable for chewing, so rather than cut it up into small pieces and take his time with it, it was far more natural to simply pick up a steak and rip off a fair chunk, which he swallowed all at once.

“That is correct.” Vreta answered. “Our population is grown and restricted in a planned and organized manner. It only took a little genetic modification for me to be deemed genetically suitable for reproduction, but I’ve been on the waiting list for reproduction ever since. Though, it is not something I have been in a particular rush for. If I was, I wouldn’t have residence on Rothia. If I was really eager, I would move to one of the newer colonies; I could probably be at the front of the list within a few decades, there. Maybe I will do that during my next retirement? I suppose I’ll see how this career goes. I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect I would ever be back to Outremer, or especially the Cradle, when I left those months ago. But then my government requested me, specifically, for this position, and that’s just not an offer I could refuse.”

Vreta took a few sips of wine, then took on a more curious expression. “Once this is all over, and you hopefully have your family back, do you think you will retire?”

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Despite how long they had been fighting, their charge into the Daedric lines was the most aggressive yet. Meesei’s pack formed a spearhead that started to threaten to split the enemy lines in two, while their Senche cavalry moved around the outside to harass them from the flanks. These Daedra were all that stood between them and the tower where they would end this battle once and for all.

While some might have been uncomfortable with it, the aggression suited Lorag. Empowered by Yerig’s shout, it felt like his claws were guided by the wind itself as they cut quick and deep into anything in front of him. Although the magic of the Thu’um was something new to him, the speed it offered was something he could intuitively take advantage of. His roars and savage attacks were almost a mask for the skill and experience that lay underneath. Even with the blood lust of his beast, he still approached each opponent with an intentional plan. Smaller opponents, like the Skaafin, received the most straightforward and aggressive swipes of his claws, but even then, he was strategic about the timing and angle of his strikes to make sure his armor could effectively protect him. For larger opponents, he tried to either isolate them as much as possible, or to position himself so that smaller Daedra blocked the path between them so that Lorag could not get easily overwhelmed.

Meesei, too, was holding nothing back. She swiped her claws across Skaafin in front of her in a flurry, mixed in with bolts of lightning and streams of fire. Her physical power mixed with magic made for an especially deadly combination, and one that many of her opponents were still not expecting. Skaafin mages scrambled to try and stop her, but against their wards, she did not even need to spend the magicka to break them. Charging in and skewering them with her claws worked just fine. She fought close together with Lorag on her left, and Janius on her right, matching her aggression to theirs and remaining alert to prevent any of them from getting surrounded. Meesei’s pack were pushing into the Daedra’s ranks faster than the rest of their frontline, so there was the danger of them getting encircled before they could break through completely.

Ahnasha’s titan passed above once again, raining down cold flame in a horizontal line deep into the Daedra’s ranks in front of them. Arrows and spellfire tried to meet the titan this time, but it was a difficult target merely to hit at its speed, and a few stray shots would not be enough to bring it down. However, among the Daedra was one spirit near the rear of their formation, glaring up in anger. It was the Breton spirit, holding the broken halves of her staff in both hands. Even with her fury, she still remained resolute and reasonably focused. She discarded the bottom half of the staff, then forcefully pulled the red crystal from the top half. Gritting her teeth, she charged her magicka through the crystal, which seemed to retaliate immediately with a surge of power through her own body. Its magic had the appearance of lightning with a crimson glow as it surrounded and pierced her body. Even she could not help but to scream out in agony as the crystal seemed to melt her flesh and fuse to her hand.

The Cradle

Vreta did find it surprising that Freyr would want to order a dish as meat-heavy as his. He had been under the impression that Humans tended to enjoy more balanced meals, while he had a collection of finely-cut steaks sampled from exotic creatures on three different worlds. The wine, though, was a local vintage, and one he thought she would enjoy. Although, something meant for a Rothian could be strong for her, if she was not careful.

In any case, Vreta smiled at Freyr’s description of her husband. While it likely simplified his personality, it did paint a clear picture of the person they were trying to save. Even just imagining such a man being a victim of the Cradle was heartbreaking to Vreta; he could only imagine what it must have felt like to her. These medical trials Vreta was suggesting would further build Rothian knowledge of the Cradle, and that would certainly be why his government would approve them, but Vreta did genuinely hope that Freyr’s family could be healed. After all she had been through, she deserved that.

Despite his somber thoughts, Vreta tried to keep a more upbeat, conversational tone. “I…don’t quite understand your expression, but I think I understand your meaning, regardless. When we heal him, I will look forward to hearing what he has to say about you. As for my relationships…there are quite a few to talk about. My people do not mate for life as you do, and we are not entirely monogamous, but we do occasionally have long-term mates. We also do not marry as you do, but “husband” or “wife” would probably be the closest words to describe such mates. If I am just talking about those, my first wife that I mentioned earlier was actually one of my longest relationships. It was eighty or ninety years that I was with her, and we experienced a lot of firsts together. She was an adventurous sort. We met when I was trying to become an artist, and even after I moved on from that, we still liked to vacation among the stars, taking in new sights and experiences. We eventually grew apart some time after I took on a more stable career.”

Vreta leaned back somewhat in his chair, looking across at the void star lowering on the horizon as his mind was now caught up in reminiscing. “My absolute longest relationship I think was my second husband. Just over a century by the time we parted ways. The way you describe your husband does actually remind me of him. He too was very kind, and quite a generous person. He was also what you might call a ‘hopeless romantic’. He just loved all the little romantic gestures I liked to do for him. I remember it was not too long after we established trade relations with Humanity, and there were these little sweet Human candies that he just could not get enough of. So, I bought up a hoard of the things and started carefully hiding them in places where I thought he might find them throughout the day, so he would get a little treat and a reminder of me at random times during the day. A few times, I even managed to sneak them into hiding places at his workplace.”

The Cradle

“That is what I was going to suggest, yes.” Vreta replied, nodding in agreement. “I too don’t have complete authority to authorize the trials myself, but I have spoken with my superiors about the possibility and they are open to it. I am hoping that, between the two of us, we will have enough pull to get talks going.”

There was a brief distraction from the nearby table of Humans. Vreta still had no doubt that their celebration was just theater to justify their presence at the restaurant, but it was no matter. No matter how much the agent listened in from afar, she was not going to find anything incriminating or useful. Vreta had actually been entirely honest and straightforward about his motivations, for a change.

Vreta looked down at the holographic display and gave a brief look over the menu. He already had a fair idea of what he wanted to order when he arrived, so he went ahead and signaled for the waiter to return. “Yes, and feel free to order anything you like. You can find the very best of…anything here.” He remarked. Though, after a few seconds of silence, he turned his head towards Freyr once more. “Just out of my own curiosity, what is he like? Your husband, I mean?”

The Cradle

Vreta was unsurprised to see the agent and ambassador had followed them to the restaurant. If anything, he had expected to see them sooner, but they had evidently taken the time to dress themselves in the kind of formal clothing Humans seemed to believe was required for locations such as this. Given Freyr’s state on their arrival, the agent in particular had words for him, but he did not reply, nor do much else but acknowledge them with a glance. He was here to talk to Freyr, not to let the two of them distract them and derail their conversation. Fortunately, Freyr did not seem keen on their company either, so she ended up sending them away before Vreta needed to.

Vreta waited until they were alone once more to continue. “I know. That is why I wanted to get straight to it, rather than beating around the bush. I know this is not a comfortable topic for you, but I do hope to bring solutions, not problems. You are right that my people would need to see some benefit in order for my government to approve the research. But, those benefits do exist, in this case. At least from what I have been told, Cradle death can cause kinds of neurological issues that my people have not had much of a chance to study. Despite all the differences between our bodies, your brains and ours are not too dissimilar, at their core. To carry out this study allows us to learn more about the mind and improve our own medicine. Knowledge itself is a more than sufficient reward to justify the cost of the study. And even beyond that, if we are going to be working closer together to study the Cradle, there is more of a chance than ever that something could happen to a Rothian in the Cradle. I personally have nearly died twice in that damned place.”

The tone in which Vreta had been speaking had been somewhat emotionless while he had been simply giving a list of facts of why his people would benefit from the study. However, his tone became more sympathetic as he continued on beyond the pragmatic reasons. “For me, personally, I do want my people to gain those benefits I just mentioned, of course, but...I do want to help you. That is why the idea came to my mind in the first place. What you have been through is heartbreaking, and I see the possibility that your family might be made whole again. And even more families beyond yours, if the study is successful.”

The Cradle

Vreta too looked out over the horizon to admire the view before them. It was true that he had seen many, many such views in his life, but he could still found that he could clear his mind and enjoy the beauty within them. Although, in this case, he did not lose his focus for long. “Oh, no, even I only come to this place on special occasions. I think it is a fair way to celebrate a return to home after these weeks away.” Vreta answered, pausing briefly to thank the insectoid waiter serving their drinks. There was a small, holographic display near each seat that could be activated to show a menu, which provided a quick answer as to why even Vreta visited only on occasion. As long as Freyr had a quick way of making the conversion for exchange rates, the prices could be best described as “extravagantly expensive.”

On Rothia, there was, of course, the ever-present knowledge that every word and action was recorded, even if it was not done obviously. Most cameras and other sensors were hidden well out of sight. However, aside from when the waiter was nearby, there were currently no other people within normal earshot of them. Once the waiter had moved on for the moment to give them time to order, Vreta spoke up again, this time in a bit softer of a voice. “I would normally wait a bit longer to get straight to business, but…I don’t think it would be fair of me to keep you waiting on this particular topic. Like I mentioned before, it is rather personal to you. It’s about your family; your husband and daughter. I know it is a sensitive topic, but I want to help. I will just give my intentions plain: I want to try to work towards a deal to start medical trials for using Rothian technology to treat people who have ‘died’ in the Cradle, or had their minds otherwise incapacitated.”

The Cradle

“Yes, I think I am ready to leave as soon as you are. I shall go out to the landing pad and arrange transport.” Vreta replied. He gave Freyr the chance to get herself ready while he went outside to wait. Before he had even left the building, their transport was already on the way to the landing pad outside. In Rothian cities, transportation tended to be government-provided in the form of automated flying vehicles that could simply be called via the city’s public network at no charge, for locals and tourists alike. The vehicles themselves were comfortable, and built to most Rothians’ standards of luxury, so they were commonly used by all economic classes.

As soon as Freyr rejoined Vreta, the pair of them departed for the restaurant. Technically, the establishment he had in mind was across the city, but since it was on the upper level as well, it would only take a few minutes to reach. In general, traversing the city did not take too long, but the highest travel times were often associated with traveling through the more congested passways between layers of the city. Of course, even with the short trip, Vreta did notice that the two of them were not alone in leaving early. The agent and the Human ambassador left just after them, heading in the same direction. The Human pair might have wanted to pass off the fact that they were following them as a simple coincidence, but the restaurant to which Vreta was taking Freyr was not exactly a place one would visit casually. As would be obvious once they landed, the restaurant was a particularly high-class establishment, even by Rothian standards.

The name of the restaurant was Etisxa’Maan, meaning “Galaxy’s Jewel”. Assuming one had not already heard of it beforehand, any quick search would reveal that it was a luxury restaurant that specialized in expensive, rare, and exotic foods not only from Rothia, but all corners of the galaxy. They claimed to have in their employ at least one chef of interstellar renown from every spacefaring species in the galaxy, and most reviewers agreed that the quality of their cuisine did match their claims. The restaurant itself took up several floors at the very top of the skyscraper, so it had a viewpoint even higher than the mountains surrounding the city, and the walls were mostly windows to obstruct that view as little as possible. Similarly to their galactic cuisine, the restaurant was decorated with art, such as paintings, sculptures, and holographic designs, purchased from each of the species represented. Freyr might even have recognized some more famous Human art pieces. Despite coming from wildly different cultures, every decoration was still selected carefully to cultivate the refined atmosphere they were seeking.

Generally, Etisxa’Maan was an establishment that would require reservations to even think about getting a seat, but Vreta paid a premium fee for preferred seating on a balcony overlooking the city…something that either the ambassador or Agent 595 would have to do as well if they wanted to even have a chance of being seated.

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?”