EliteCommander

The Cradle

“To prevent this being from reaching the Cradle would certainly not be our intention. Quite the opposite, in fact.” Roth’Orsa replied. The apparent disrespect and accusatory words of the Humans towards he Rahn’Saki drew the ire of more than a few Rothians present. The Grand Admiral, in particular, snarled at the Director-General. Again, though, it took only a gesture from Roth’Orsa to calm them.

“Our history of diplomacy speaks for itself, President. In this crisis, the civilizations of our galaxy may well need to cooperate on a level hitherto unprecedented since any of our species have known one another. If the threat is real, and if it is as powerful as the being implied, we may all need the help of one another. To that end, the Rahn’Saki shall be calling upon a summit of all governments of spacefaring nations known to us. There, we will explain everything that has happened, what it could mean for our future, and we will be offering an agreement. As stated before, this agreement will not demand you relinquish your secrets, only that all signatory entities be granted equal access and inclusion into the process of resolving this crisis until its conclusion. At that point, if the Cradle’s creators have not reclaimed control of it, you will retain control of the Cradle. And this agreement, we should say, comes with the full support of the Rahn’Saki. If the Hegemon threatens your world, you will have the protection of the one fleet more powerful than your own. If your people suffer, if they have to evacuate, we will house and support your refugees. If the threat of the Hegemon is severe enough, we will arm you and your ships with modern Rothian weapons with which to fight them. That is the kind of support we are offering.”

Most of the Rothians had already been silent to allow Roth’Orsa to speak, but now they were stunned to hear the offer she had put on the table. To provide aid, or outdated Rothian technology, was one thing, but to offer to arm another species with advanced Rothian weaponry seemed like such an absurdity that even the highest-ranking Rothian officials never would have imagined it. The Humans especially, after centuries of diplomacy with the Rothians, would likely be even more shocked. “With the kind of cooperation we are offering, you know as well as us, President DeWinter, that anything less than a full partnership is frankly an insult. It is the most generous offer we have ever made your people. Take some time to discuss if you like, but everyone necessary to make this decision is present in this meeting. It is a…diplomatic priority for our peoples to become partners in this crisis.”

The Cradle

“But you are mistaken, President.” Roth’Orsa replied, unshaken by the Humans’ resistance, and unmoving in her demeanor. “The Cradle is not yours. You did not create it, and as we have learned, its creators are not dead, nor did they willingly abandon it. If what we have learned is accurate, the Cradle is the home of these beings. It belongs to them, and they have the right to it. The Cradle now fits the definition of the native homeworld of an independent, intelligent species within your borders. You do have the right to control first contact, but you do not have the right to deny us access to it for our own…anthropological study and diplomatic activities.”

Roth’Orsa leaned forward, maintaining her stare towards President DeWinter. “Even aside from such legal definitions, what happens with the Cradle no longer just concerns Humanity. Every Rothian, every Tindrel, Ulsix, or Paran. Every single thinking being in our galaxy could be preserved or destroyed based on what happens to the Cradle. Consider, President DeWinter, that we are no longer discussing a piece of technology. We are no longer merely arguing about allowing Rothian scientists to satisfy their curiosity studying an interesting computer. We are discussing an existential threat to the continued existence of the Rothian people. This is no longer a matter of intellectual curiosity for us, President, it is a matter of survival. Consider your answer within that context, before you reply. We will not demand Cradle data you have already gathered through the centuries, none of your technologies nor secrets you have extracted, but we will require full and equal access to study the Cradle as it is now. We will require equal involvement in reuniting the device on Rothia with the Cradle, and an equal voice in the events to come involving it. There is nothing less that is acceptable.”

The Cradle

For the first time, Roth’Orsa actually paused for an appreciable moment to formulate her response. Vreta imagined the Rahn’Saki were discussing among themselves, perhaps with some disagreements among them to account for the short delay. “If we are in agreement, then we should begin preparations to move the device to Outremer. One of our scientists, Nirann, has already submitted a proposal.” She said, turning her head towards his holographic avatar and gesturing to him. “If you please.”

Nirann was initially surprised to be called upon to speak. The Rahn’Saki doubtless already knew everything he knew, and much more. There was a good reason the rest of them had stayed quiet while the Rahn’Saki were handling diplomacy. Still, he did not hesitate to follow his leaders’ request. “Of course. I am aware that the Cradle has, in the past, been adverse to moving from its position within Outremer’s crust. We do not know if this new device would be similarly stubborn, but in any case, my proposal would bypass such resistance.” Nirann began as he pushed a digital copy of his written proposal to each of the meeting’s attendees still present. “Rather than try to excavate the object, we can simply build a Class 1 gateway around it, underground. At the same time, we bring another gateway to Outremer, then simply send it through the wormhole. Even if the object will allow us to move it with no resistance by other means, this process would still be quicker than the time it would take to excavate it from Rothia safely.”

“In addition, we also need to discuss our cooperation.” Roth’Orsa quickly continued. “This matter has moved far beyond just the concern of Humanity on Outremer. Based on the information available, the list of potential outcomes may impact every living species in our galaxy. We will require full cooperation in the study of these devices, and equal decision-making power for any matter with a potential influence beyond Humanity’s concerns on Outremer.”

The Cradle

By this point, there was likely little surprise to the fact that Roth’Orsa had a calm, direct response to what the Director-General had showed them. This time, she continued to stare ahead at the screen after the video ended, without actually looking at any of the Human representatives. “Even if you were to give us all information you possess on the Cradle, and give us full access to every aspect of it, we could not guarantee that we would be able to take control of it in time to save your world.” Roth’Orsa said flatly. “There are no guaranteed outcomes in any choice we could make. Our best outcomes require trusting in the word of the being we discovered. There is no way to be sure of its honesty, but all evidence we have access to does…suggest truth in some of its claims. It made the claim that it influenced the development of life on our planet, which is…consistent with the accepted hypothesis of the Rahn’Saki prior to these events.”

Roth’Orsa’s last statement turned the heads of multiple Rothians across the room, including some of the ranking leadership. Vreta was both confused and surprised by what she seemed to be implying. The idea that Rothian life could have been intelligently designed had been a shock to him when the first evidence came to light weeks ago, but Roth seemed to be suggesting that the Rahn’Saki had been considering that possibility even beforehand. Not only did they consider it, but the idea was their favored explanation. He had no idea what had caused them take on such ideas, but it was certainly not a commonly held belief among Rothians as a whole.

Regardless, Roth’Orsa did not pause for so much as a moment to address her own people’s surprise. “We believe, with all data considered, that allowing the being to heal the Cradle is the most likely path to ending the crisis on your world. Were the situation less dire, we would recommend greater caution, but to delay risks losing the option of the being’s assistance. Is Outremer in agreement, overall?”

The Cradle

This time, it was Freyr who received Roth’Orsa’s stare. Even though she had not yet given off any signs of malice, Vreta still felt unnerved sitting near the subject of her focus. Though, the great regard in which he held the Rahn’Saki did influence his anxiety. “You are…afraid Dr. Lang, yes? You lost your family within the Cradle, and evidence suggests their minds were taken by the intelligence that has emerged within the Cradle. Since you have been on our world, we have heard you speak of such great pain that would fill any Rothian with grief for years. The being we encountered offered to attempt to return your dead to you, but to do so would require releasing control. As you are now, you have some control over the Cradle. Even if it is fighting back, you still have some tools to influence it. Your family’s fate is currently in your hands, and you are afraid to place it in the hands of any other. You do not know if you want to trust this being with their lives.”

Roth’Orsa required no time to think, and did not hesitate to continue. Any question asked or counterpoint raised, it seemed she could reply to in an instant. We may not have had the opportunity to study the Cradle, but the Rahn’Saki has…knowledge of digitized personalities. Even without having entered it, the Cradle is a place that feels familiar to us. It is not identical to technology we know of, but it…rhymes, so to speak. The only way that it would be possible for your dead and lost to be returned to you would be if there is record of their personality matrices somewhere within the Cradle’s memory. If that is the case, then it would be a trivial task for this being to return those personalities to you, so as long as it has control over the Cradle. It is no different from moving a file on your computer. If there has been too much deviation from the patterns in their organic minds, then it may not be possible to return them to their original bodies, we will admit. However, you would still have their minds. If your people cannot create a digital environment capable of hosting a complete Human mind, then in the interest of preserving their lives, we would be willing to provide them.”

The Cradle

It was hard to say if Roth’Orsa knew anything about Director-General Smith, as she gave little in the way of a discernible reaction to his presence. For the most part, she just continued to stare ahead, still unblinking. At the very least, Vreta figured that she would know everything about him that he did, which was not a great deal, if he was being honest. Still, Vreta would not have been surprised if the Rahn’Saki had ways of gathering information that he was not privy to.

“In the most probable outcomes, the war will come to you whether you prepare for it or not.” Roth’Orsa commented, once the others were finished speaking. Whether or not you agree to return the device to Outremer, it is most likely that the Hegemon will attack you still for harbouring the Cradle itself. Attempting to maintain the status quo would not assist you.”

Roth’Orsa paused for just a moment as her gaze shifted onto the Director-General. “We also believe the Director-General is correct. We could provide the device with immeasurable power, but it may be no more than a waste of time. Our determination on the source of the being’s weakness is inconclusive. It may not be lacking power. Its instability could be the result of other effects caused by separation from the Cradle. We note that this device’s base code had deviated enough from the Cradle to interfere with your equipment upon arrival in the simulation. If that is the source of the problem, additional electricity would not be a solution.”

The Cradle

By this point, Roth’Orsa’s unending stare towards President DeWinter had gone on long enough that even other Rothians started to notice it. Vreta found her to be…odd, but there was no malice behind her gaze. No anger or irritation. She just seemed to behave strangely, for reasons he could not guess. In any case, she did not delay in the slightest once the Humans were finished speaking. “We gave you the options we calculated to avoid war for your people. If your choice is to keep the Cradle in place, then you choose war.”

Finally, Roth’Orsa broke eye contact for a few moments as she looked around towards the other Human representatives present. “We know our people do make our position on warfare known to the other species of the galaxy. The destruction of life is abhorrent to us. We seek preservation, and pursue peaceful resolution wherever possible. Despite our recommendations, other species do engage in warfare, among themselves and one another. Our position is not to interfere, except by diplomacy, with the wars of other nations. However, our calculations, in this case, lead us to…uncomfortable conclusions. In the most probable futures we have seen…we too choose war. There are few kinds of wars we will fight, but among them is a war of preservation, against extinction. This intelligence we have discovered, though artificial, is life. If it is honest, if it is peaceful with us, then it is our duty to preserve it from extinction. If the enemy known as the Hegemon will not bow to reason, and if they can be defeated, then our choice is war.”

The Cradle

Roth’Orsa showed little emotion or reaction while she waited for the President’s reply. Though, the constant, unblinking stare she was giving towards DeWinter might have been somewhat unnerving. “We do not think that is a choice for any of us. That is…to say, we think that is a choice that will be forced onto all of us. We have spent weeks discussing this over the last few hours. We have run innumerable calculations…projections of our possible futures. This is a situation with frustratingly many unknown variables; we can make no guarantees. But…the words of the being imply that war may be difficult to avoid without substantial sacrifices.”

No doubt, everyone present had seen the recordings many times, but Roth still took a moment to play the relevant portions aloud for reference: Our…home. It’s begun…waking, hasn’t it?/ I’m so sorry. I fear that means our foe draws nearer, and that puts you in grave danger. You must help us return home, so we may escape. Otherwise, they will destroy us all./ They will crush you if they discover you harboured us. They oppose our desire to spread life throughout the universe. They seek to control it all./ But if you return us to our home, we can start to heal. And then we can lead them away from your civilization. You’ve hidden our home well, behind our shields and underneath your city. But it won’t take long for them to join the dots once they arrive.

Roth continued immediately once she had played back the words. “If the intelligence speaks true, their enemy will attack us when they arrive, because we are on the worlds that harbour them. The being’s plan seems to be to leave with the Cradle to guide the Hegemon away from you. We lack knowledge of the variables to know if the plan will work, but it may. If your choice is to avoid a war, the options we have calculated are for you to allow the Cradle to leave your world, or to evacuate your people from Outremer.”

The Cradle

While Vreta knew that the Humans were being fairly polite, anything short of reverance towards the Rahn’Saki was considered offensive to at least some of the Rothians present. There were some glances exchanged between a few scientists, and an audible snarl from the Grand Admiral. He was a large, powerful, angry-looking Rothian with dark green scales, patterned with black lines in sharp, geometric arrangements. Fortunately for the Humans, though, the feelings of those being offended on the Speaker’s behalf did not seem to be shared by Roth’Orsa herself. With but a wave of her hand, a simple gesture to the Admiral, he silenced himself and erased any hint of anger from his being, as if it had never existed. She signaled for her people to stand and return to their seats, then took a seat at the head of the table herself opposite of the display of the President.

Although many of those present likely had much to say, there were none who would dare to speak over Roth’Orsa. She stared ahead with a friendly, yet somewhat strange expression. It was hard to place or describe in detail, but there was something about the way the Speaker looked and acted that was not perfectly normal. “I believe politeness would demand I…introduce myself. It would be…rude for me to not inform you of who you speak to. I, this form before you, am Roth’Orsa. I speak for the Rahn’Saki, but we all listen to you. You speak to all of us. We do not want that to be a surprise to you. We have come to a time where we cannot afford our usual patience. For us to preserve life, we must act with decisive purpose. We must think with haste; we must make our judgement. How do your people judge this being we discovered within the device?”

The Cradle

After the meetings he attended with the Rothian leadership, there were some hours of waiting before he knew what would be happening next. His own role had not changed, in the sense that he would remain as the Rothian liaison to the Human science team, but his objectives had…evolved, thanks to what had been brought to light. One thing that was sure was that this was becoming far more complicated, and serious, than he had ever expected.

Eventually, Vreta did get word that Outremer’s representatives had agreed to a prompt meeting. In attendance would be…everyone, pretty much. Vreta, the Rothian science team, and every major Rothian leader that Vreta had met with over the last few hours would be involved in discussing the next steps. Likewise, they recommended to the Human delegation to send anyone who might be involved with Outremer’s response to these developments.

Given the size of the planned meeting, they were once again back to the Rahn’Masser’s building in Threria. Even for the number of attendees, the conference hall they had been assigned was large and spacious. For those attending remotely, they had the option of controlling a holographic avatar of themselves to attend more “naturally”, as they had made sure the Rothian hologram projectors were synced properly with the respective devices on Outremer.

Naturally, there was some delay in getting everyone into such a meeting on short notice. The science teams, and those who had gone into the simulation, were the most readily available, and the first to arrive. The other, higher-ranking Rothian officials took a bit longer to deal with delegating their other responsibilities, but Vreta knew they were all making this their top priority. One by one, the conference hall filled up with a collection of some of the most powerful individuals from both of their nations. Vreta, on his part, took his seat near to Freyr and the Human science team, as fitting his role of liaison. He spent most of his time before the meeting looking up and familiarizing himself with the identities of the Human attendees he did not recognize. He felt that was the most productive he could be at this point, though there was one other detail he could not help but to notice. It was something that unsettled him, not about any of the Humans, but about the two Datius. Both Rareth’Jharn and Director Valic’Ans almost seemed…nervous. To a Rothian, at least, they seemed visibly anxious, which was something Vreta thought was impossible for the likes of a Datius. Even in the face of certain death, a Datius could remain the very picture of focus and composure, so if there was something that had them worried, Vreta certainly could not bring himself to relax.

Eventually, it got to the point that everyone who was necessary, from both species, seemed to be present and ready to begin. Yet, Valic insisted they were not. The Director, High Commissioner, and Grand Admiral were all physically present in the room, along with nearly everyone who had been involved in the expedition, so Vreta could scarcely think of what Rothian they could possibly be waiting on. However, that question did not take long to answer, and the answer he received was one that left him nothing short of speechless.

When the doors to the conference hall opened, the first thing to step through were two Rothian guards in full, top-of-the-line combat armor at least on-par with Rareth’s combat gear. Though, they only walked a few steps in before stopping on either side of the doors. Vreta was initially confused as to why there would be armed guards in such a meeting, but the person who stepped in afterwards immediately erased any thoughts of such concerns. She was a person who every Rothian would recognize immediately: the Speaker of the Rahn’Saki, Roth’Orsa.

In an instant, every single Rothian who was standing, apart from her guards, dropped to their knees and bowed their heads in reverence. Then every single Rothian who was sitting got up from their chairs so they could do the same. The Rahn’Saki themselves did not have any specific hierarchy among themselves, at least not that the public knew of, but Roth’Orsa was their oldest member, and the most public face of the Rahn’Saki. She had immaculate white scales, with red stripes across much of her body, apart from her stomach. The Rothians were not generally ones for elaborate regalia, but as was traditional for the Rahn’Saki, she wore her own, unique headdress. Each one was chosen to represent the individual members of the Rahn’Saki, and though they did change them through the years, they still retained the same core design. Roth’Orsa’s most recent headdress consisted of a simple headband, which projected a holographic display of a plume of multicolored feathers that formed a crest behind her head and neck.

The Rahn’Saki, in general, were not a public-facing group. Their internal discussions and decision-making were all made behind closed doors. They did not often interact with the public, and there was no official way to directly contact them. To other nations, they always worked through representatives and other intermediaries. There were some occasions for the Rahn’Saki to appear in public and address their people, but those were rare, often tightly-controlled instances. From a Human perspective, they would generally be considered propaganda events. For the Speaker to appear in person came as a surprise for everyone in the room, except perhaps the Datius. To Vreta’s knowledge, the Rahn’Saki had never directly engaged in conversation with representatives of another nation, so this was unprecedented in every way he could think of.