EliteCommander

The Cradle

Vreta hummed to himself as he watched the enemy approach. He did have to keep close to cover for the stray shots generally flying in his direction, but there was still not too much direct focus on him. He was far in the back, and the enemy did not seem to see him as a primary threat. He supposed he was a bureaucrat to them, after all, but he guessed that would change soon enough. Aside from his rifle, his equipment for this sim included a lethal anti-personnel grenade and a “scrambler” smoke grenade. He felt one of those could be useful here.

Vreta had a plan in mind to halt their advance. His neural implant ran all the calculations, and could help him execute. Really, it was just physics; calculating arcs, timing, wind, travel speeds. Though, without the implants, he probably would not have had the dexterity to carry it out. He quickly double-checked that his implants were synced properly with his weapon sights, then took his lethal grenade in his off-hand. Once the flier was close enough, he threw the grenade along the projected arc on his HUD and quickly got both hands on his rifle. Just as the grenade was passing over the heads of the soldiers behind the car, Vreta fired a shot that struck his own grenade mid-air to detonate it early and airburst it right over them.

The Cradle

Right from the start, it was apparent that the enemy was planning around the dangers of long sightlines. They kept low and moved between cover as much as possible. Vreta had a feeling that it was not himself that they were worried about, though even with their precautions, Athena did show why they gave such respect to her. With just a slight opening, she managed to take out two of the soldiers supporting Carthage. Vreta too was tracking Carthage, and as she was rushing into the apartments, he did manage to tag her shields with a shot from his rifle. Unfortunately, his weapon did not have the same power of Athena’s, so one shot wasn’t enough to breach the shield.

Careful movement was not the only way that their opponents were planning to deal with the sniper. Before Vreta had even taken his position, they had tossed a grenade over. Though, the explosive was closer to Athena than himself. It kicked up dust and struck Vreta’s shield with some distant shrapnel, but not enough to force him to reposition right away. The dust did obscure his vision, though in all honesty, that was more to his advantage at the moment, as it also obscured him from the enemy. The arena was not too large, and especially with the ”buildings” on either side of the street to reflect sound waves, his echolocating ability could see where his eyes could not. Even through the dust, his implant could overlay terrain an enemy positions onto his HUD. Thanks to the acoustic effects of the buildings, he could even see around many obstacles in the street.

Vreta had not been able to take out Carthage, but eliminating her support in the first engagement was the next best thing. Kjartan had a whole team with him, so even Carthage would not likely be able to deal with him without sufficient support herself. Athena had already taken out two, and Vreta could keep his position long enough to challenge those trying to make it into the building behind her. Vreta tracked one about to make his move and marked him on his HUD. Even with only small openings to take a shot, the fact that Vreta could track positions through obstacles meant that he could time his shots just right to hit between even small gaps. The first hit did not slow the soldier down, as it easily could have been a stray. The second hit came as he was making the run for the door, and by that point, it was too late to turn back. Vreta hit his third shot just as the Human was a few steps from the door to send him back to his spawn.

The Cradle

It seemed like there was little that Vreta, or anyone, could do to control Kjartan. In truth, he was starting to understand why the Sacred Band was less-than-enthused to have him assigned to them, but these were the tools he had been given. He could still try to come out of the scenario with a victory.

Vreta still intended to play to his own strengths. He was not a soldier, and certainly no Datius, but he still had his advantages. While Athena set up in her position, Vreta moved up along the corner of the building off to his right. The simulation had formed wrecked vehicles, rubble, and other obstructions to serve as cover in the streets. Vreta climbed up on one of these obstacles just high enough to get sights on anyone who poked their head up above cover down the street. He could fall back down into cover quickly if his shields started taking hits, but he was confident in his ability to take such duels at range.

At first, Vreta would naturally be aiming down the street along with Athena. In particular, he wanted to see if he could pick off Carthage before she could cross into the apartments. That, more than anything, would give Kjartan a decisive edge inside the building. But, he also tasked his neural implant with keeping up awareness beyond his own point of focus. Vreta’s natural mind could only truly focus on what was in the center of his vision, but his implant could scan his peripheral vision in much greater detail. It could identify Carthage quickly, as well as pointing out anyone aiming at him from the street, or the windows once the enemy reached the apartments.

The Cradle

Though Vreta did have military training, his expertise did diverge from the kind of fighting that soldiers were responsible for. Espionage required planning, but of a different sort. Still, the concepts of how to read a battlefield and judge the strengths and weaknesses of his own team were not unknown to him. More than anything, if there was one skill his experience had prepared him with, it was to think and act quickly.

“I know how skilled Carthage is reputed to be, and I cannot know if we would be able to overcome her without an overallocation of resources. I do not think it would be wise to make a plan that depends upon holding the apartments. Controlling the apartments does provide access to the windows and a flanking route, but it does not give direct access to our flag. They still have to cross open ground for that. Let us still push mostly for controlling the streets. As long as we can prevent them from getting too much value from the windows, we can diminish the value that the building gives them. Kjartan, if you feel like you may get overwhelmed inside, try to retreat back and draw them out into the open. As soon as Carthage leaves that building, she loses her advantage.”

The Cradle

At the very least, Vreta had tried to contribute to the battle plan. Still, it was not as if they were doomed. If Kjartan could at least keep Carthage sufficiently occupied in the apartments, then the rest of them could gain an advantage out in the street. Vreta’s best position would still be the one with the best ranged sightlines.

The countdown was nearing its end, so with a sigh, Vreta drew his marksman rifle and got ready to move. “Well, any squad who isn’t going with Kjartan, push to hold the center position. Athena, let’s set up overlapping fields of fire down the street. I see a few spots we can climb onto to get some elevation. Let’s make it suicide for them to poke their heads out. I’ll keep an eye on the windows, you focus your scope down the street.”

“Knossos.” Vreta continued. “I suppose you’ll be the one leading the squad taking point in the street. I think I can trust your instincts. Thebes decided to make me a team leader, for some reason, but I know better than to try and micromanage you. I’ll just say that, If you end up getting pressured too much, try to take cover that would force them into our sightlines if they wanted to push you.”

The Cradle

Vreta crossed his arm and looked at the map. The simulation area was building around them, so it would not be long before they would start. Kjartan had taken his suggestion…as expected, based on Vreta’s impression on him. But, he still wanted to try to contribute his tactical wisdom to the team. “The apartments are a complication, but I do have an idea to deal with them.”

On the map, Vreta zoomed in onto the three usable floors of the apartment building. “The windows do give strong sightlines onto the street, and while that would certainly be an advantage for snipers, we cannot guarantee that we can keep them out of the building. It would be safer for us to position back down the street where they can’t reach us, but we can still reach out and touch them. Do we have any explosives? If so, I say you take them into the apartments and just collapse its hallways on top of one another. Just remove the apartments as a viable path. Both teams have close-quarters specialists, but I am confident that we have a firm advantage at range. If we can just remove the apartments from the equation, then our team will win a straight up fight.”

The Cradle

Vreta was honestly not sure how this was going to go, but he figured he could give it a try. He was surprised to see the Agent wander in at the last minute, and he wondered if it was coincidence, but he still planned to participate. As he moved to his team’s side, he reviewed the layout of the arena they would be fighting in. It mimicked an urban environment, with two main lanes of approach between two, mostly symmetric objectives. Given the terrain and his team composition, he was satisfied with his weapon choice. Since he could not use a Rothian weapon, he had chosen a Human-designed, high-powered marksman rifle. Vreta did not have the same degree of physical augmentations as a Rothian soldier, but the one enhancement he did have that exceeded the specifications of a Rothian soldier was his neural implant. Quick thinking, reactions, and exceptional accuracy were the best of what he could bring to the table in a firefight.

Before the round began, Vreta felt it prudent to try and devise some kind of strategy with his teammates, particularly the members of the Sacred Band. He approached Kjartan and brought up a projection of the arena between them. “Given the layout of the arena, I think it is important for us to make sure we win the opening engagement. There is a position here, in the middle of the right lane, that would be very strong to hold. It gives good sight lines with strong cover. If we can claim and hold it, we’ll have a firm advantage in that lane. Just based off of my…impressions of you, Kjartan, I think our opponents are going to expect you to go in aggressively. I think we can use that to bait them into a trap. You can take a small force and push out into their territory straight away on the right lane. Make them think that you’ve overextended that your positioning can be punished. But, let’s stay myself and Athena take up positions here and…here. If you push to this spot initially, then do a fighting retreat back to the middle when they push you, then we will have clear sightlines on your pursuers. If we hold our fire for just a little bit to let them chase, then we can catch them out in the open and deal a heavy blow in the first fight. They won’t be expecting us to have two oppressive snipers. And if for some reason they don’t chase, that will still give us a chance to claim the center position.”

The Cradle

Thebes did not outright deny Vreta, though he did keep his pistol holstered instead of scanning it in. “I…think I will just use a Human weapon. I’m not actually allowed to scan Rothian technology on Human equipment, you understand.”

Before any other simulation could begin, however, there was another, apparently less-welcome Human that intruded in on the simulation. He was loud, boisterous,and he seemed to have some kind of history with the Sacred Band. And not a pleasant one, by the looks of things. Vreta doubted it was going to put them in any better of a mood, so he hoped this new development did not end up impeding him from doing what he sought to accomplish.

“I will admit, I am not entirely familiar with how your team fits into the Human military’s rank structure. But, if you are assigned to the science team’s protection, I suppose I should introduce myself to your newest member as well.” Vreta remarked, casting his gaze over to the strange, bearded man. “I am Vreta’Sori, Rothian liaison to the Human science team.”

The Cradle

Once he had returned to the Barbarossa, it had not taken Vreta too long to track down the Sacred Band. It was not as if they were trying to hide themselves, after all. Vreta was still assigned to Freyr’s team, and so he was still an official guest of the Barbarossa with access to some of the facilities. As he had no intention of interrupting, he simply observed the combat simulations along with the crowd of other Humans that had taken up positions as spectators.

Vreta had drawn a few eyes when he arrived, but his weeks spent on the ship on the way to Rothia did mean that much of the crew he commonly encountered were used to his presence by now. Most of them quickly returned to watching the much more interesting display skills unfolding in the simulator below. Vreta had already seen in the recordings how these Humans fought in truly dangerous situations, something that simulations could not ultimately replicate. The danger would never be the same.

Vreta hummed to himself for a moment in thought when Thebes opened up the simulator to the other soldiers in waiting. It had not been his intention when he came here to join in a combat simulation, but a part of him felt that there might be opportunity in it. There would probably be few other ways to establish the kind of connection he wanted. As such, he too joined the soldiers in making his way down to the simulator. “Is that an open invitation?” Vreta asked once he was in a position to speak to Thebes.

The Cradle

As much as Vreta was glad to be able to stretch his legs after the end of the meeting, he still wished Roth’Orsa would have stuck around longer. The reality still had not fully set in for him that he had just met a member of the Rahn’Saki themselves. Even though he had not spoken to her directly, he still felt honored just to be in the room. And Freyr…he could not help but to admit to himself some jealousy towards her. He doubted that she truly understood how much of an honor she had received. It was not the same as meeting one of the Human leaders in person. To a Human, he doubted there truly was a good analogy to describe what such a meeting would mean to a Rothian.

Vreta did miss Freyr before she departed the building, but he needed only ask Nirann to find out where she went. A Human shuttle heading up into orbit could only be heading to one place. He supposed he should not be surprised. Whatever it was that Freyr and Roth’Orsa had discussed, she had been the first Human in history to get a private audience with the Rahn’Saki. They would likely have hundreds of questions for her. He had his own questions he wanted to ask, though certainly for quite different reasons. He did not have any secrets he was trying to learn, but rather his own personal curiosity to fulfill.

Since he was not sure when exactly she would be done with her meetings, Vreta simply sent a message to Freyr asking her to contact him when she was able. In the meantime, he supposed he did have a few things he could accomplish that were relevant to his job. The expedition into the simulation had not come without cost, and now that the meetings and other “professional” obligations were finished at the moment, Vreta could do his part to show that the Rothians were not cold to the Humans’ loss. He set out to find where the rest of the Sacred Band had gone. Again, with Nirann’s help, it would not be difficult to track them down.