EliteCommander

The Cradle

Vreta supposed the bald man was partially correct. Vreta himself did not have much in the way of integrated weapons, but Rareth was another matter entirely. It was essentially impossible for a Datius to make themselves “safe.” At least, not a Datius of Rareth’s specialties.

Regardless, now that the teams were in the lab, they could actually start getting to work. Personally, Vreta wished he could be more involved in this part of the project. He remembered his own days working R&D on new, experimental technologies. So many experts of different disciplines coming together to push the boundaries of what they would consider possible. If his life had gone differently, he might have been working right alongside Marae and Freyr, but at this point, he just had to trust their expertise.

Freyr was not the only one to find themselves taken in by the otherworldly object just outside their window. Even Rareth paused behind them to look out into the veritable void before them. Vreta had read the descriptions of it, but they did not quite compare to seeing it in person. It’s design was just as much of a mystery as its purpose, and if he was being honest, it did unsettle him. He hoped for the best for this project, but he could not pretend he would not be doing things differently were he in charge. If this were a Rothian project, they would have taken both the Object and the Cradle itself to some faraway planet outside settled space if they wanted to carry out a plan with such unknown results. They would not do it underneath the most populated city on the planet, especially without an evacuation ahead of time. He wondered if it was pride or fear that drove the Human leadership to take these measures.

“It is an unknown variable.” Vreta commented after the others.

The Cradle

Vreta nodded, his memory briefly returning to the start of this crisis. The first encounter with those creatures in the Cradle had been a slaughter. The weapons they used were ineffective against the toughest creatures, and none of them had been prepared for that kind of a fight. Himself least of all. This time, though, they would be going in equipped for war, and any other circumstance they could reasonably, or unreasonably, think of. He had to assume the Humans were doing the same. The Cradle was inherently unpredictable, but they were expecting to have to be adaptable this time. “Let’s just hope that the people we have already lost will be the last to die to this crisis. If all goes well, this will be over soon. If not…let’s just be prepared for anything.”

Once they had came to a stop, Rareth was the first to climb out without a word, which made it considerably easier to maneuver out of the back of the truck. She was a comforting presence for Vreta, but the quality of life issues he faced on Outremer were magnified for her tenfold. Regardless, they were at the vault now and would soon be able to get to work. Looking up at the chromed surface of the cube, Vreta did find the vault to be impressive for a Human construct. They put their best into anything related to the Cradle, which certainly underscored its importance to them. “Yes, let’s hurry. I still think we should avoid any delays we can.”

The Cradle

Vreta did not seem nearly as amused as the bald man. Given his likely associations, his confidence was more unsettling than reassuring. He did not immediately understand his gesture, so he ignored it for now. “This is your planet I am concerned for. I am just trying my best to help keep it and its inhabitants safe. It is wise to search for flaws in one’s own plans.”

As much as he wanted to learn about the man, Vreta doubted he was going to be able to gain any meaningful information. Continuing down that line of conversation would likely just be a waste of effort. He soon turned his attention to Osman instead. “I will make sure to keep that in mind. I’m guessing you know that my people like to be particularly thorough in our preparations. Some of what we have encountered in this project…our preparations have paid off before. Have you been able to read the reports of events on Rothia, Osman?” Vreta asked.

The Cradle

“Hmm, I suppose you are more of an expert on this particular subject than I. My instinct would be to start this process as soon as possible, I simply hope the Object does not do anything…unexpected. There is much we do not know about it.” Vreta remarked, though he reasoned that his feelings on the Object were well-known among the team by this point.

Rareth did not give her opinion, whatever it might have been. Her expression was quite impenetrable, even to Vreta. He did notice the worry in one of the Humans’ expression when looking at her, though that may have just been because she wanted to avoid smashing into her once their ride became more bumpy. On Rareth’s part, her mass gave her substantial inertia, so she just had to keep one hand pressed to the roof to keep herself in place.

In any case, Vreta quickly compared the image of Major Osman’s face to examples from his memory once he heard her name. He had thought it sounded familiar. “Osman, it is good to see you fully recovered. Though, I suppose the Cradle does not leave any permanent marks, as long as you survive the initial injury. I would say that I’m surprised you’re willing to go back into the Cradle after what we went through, but…here I am about to do the exact same thing. I suppose we’re both just a little crazy.” Vreta chuckled.

The Cradle

Vreta gave a sideways glance towards the bald man. Rhia had no file on him, so he was likely an Institute member. He did note that the man was quick to dismiss any notion of wanting to second-guess their plan. It did seem to be the Institute’s position that this reunion between the two objects should happen as soon as possible. That they knew more than what they were letting on seemed to be a given; all that remained to be seen would be if that was a good thing for Outremer and its population.

In any case, there were no objections to getting the group moving again. There were trucks ready to get them to their destination, so under the guidance of their protectors, the science team started to board the trucks. The only condition which Rareth had was that she insisted upon riding in the same truck as Freyr and Vreta. Even out of her armor, she took up no small amount of space, but Vreta would always feel safer with a Datius as a guardian.

Once they were seated, Vreta looked down a Freyr beside him. “Once we get there, how long do you think it will be before we send the object in?”

Halo: Aegis Team

Vael 'Virisusai

---

Vael halted in place with his carbine’s sights set firmly on the rebel commander. However, this time, to kill was not his goal, which was enough to give him pause. He was a warrior with immense battlefield experience against some of the most deadly foes the galaxy had to offer. He had seen more in battle than even most Sangheili would experience in their lives, yet he could not deny that this was something new to him. He had a foe in front of him that he could not kill, and in fact, that he needed to save from the weapon in his own hand. For all his battlefield experience, Vael could not deny to himself that this fell outside his array of skills. He would need his team to succeed.

Already, some of Vael’s team took the initiative to act, demonstrating options that Vael himself had not thought of in the moment. The pilot, Tar, matched hostage with hostage. She found one of the rebel’s allies to threaten and did so in clear view of the commander. It seemed dishonorable, but could Vael truly criticize unorthodox tactics in an equally unorthodox situation? The rebel commander had demonstrated considerable concern for his underlings, so it was a clever way to exploit that weakness.

At the same time, out of all his team, Grikgar was the one who seemed able to potentially move himself into position. Even Vael may not have noticed, were it not for his HUD highlighting his ally’s position, but the Unggoy was moving around wide under active camouflage to get behind the Human. The rebel commander was highly aware of his surroundings, looking around constantly to his front and sides. Being alert, he would likely notice an approach even through active camouflage from those angles, but Grik was hanging from the side of the platform to move around behind him. A perilous position, as it was quite a long drop off the side, but it was an approach that could actually work. Many Sangheili would find it foolish to trust such a vital task to an Unggoy, but Vael was aware that Grikgar was not the average Unggoy. Perhaps they did not need to succeed at negotiating with this Human? Perhaps they needed to merely buy time?

For the rebel commander, he only hesitated briefly upon seeing Tar’s hostage. “I know I can’t save everyone, but if you want me, then you’re going to let me save who I can. No arguments. You will let the rest of these dropships launch. Doesn’t matter if you pursue, because you’ll never find them once they’re gone. Then, you radio your people up top and…tell them to focus on the Brutes. They’ll follow that order, and I trust my people to get away on their own. You do that, and let your hostage there go, then I’m yours. Without a hole in my head. I give you my word.”

The Cradle

Though not one of the scientists himself, Vreta, at this point, was closely-involved enough with the project to have an informed opinion. Indeed, he and 595 had been personally closer to the entity than most of the others in the project. “Are you sure that is worth the risk, Freyr? We don’t know how much energy this object has left. If it thinks it has accessed the Cradle, it might expend more energy than it can afford to lose. If we are choosing to trust this entity, then we don’t want to hurt it.”

Based on their current course, Vreta felt his concerns were justified. Although, he would be lying if he said he was certain about the course they had chosen. Especially knowing more of the history of the Cradle, it seemed like a risky object to work with in any capacity. Rhia had started searches on public networks to identify each and every person they saw who was there to greet them on the platform, so he was fairly certain he could tell which ones were Institute personnel based on which ones had redacted files. He had no more trust now for the Institute than he had at the start of the project, so he was curious about how they would react to what he had to say next.

“And that is a key word: if.” Vreta continued. “I don’t think there are any guarantees, here. I feel it should be known that we do not know what will happen when the object interfaces with the Cradle. We know the object is technologically similar to the Cradle, certainly related, but we only have the entity’s word for what it will do. This could conceivably harm your world as much as it could help it. Just…be sure you are okay with that risk. If you feel we can trust it, then I think we should start quickly and keep it from having to wait any longer.”

Rareth nodded in wordless agreement to Vreta. In this case, they were agreed about the risks, but it was ultimately the Humans’ risk to take. “Marae and her team are already set up in the lab. We can send them the codex you mentioned, or you can simply get in there and get started right away.”

The Cradle

Even before their transport had come to a complete stop, Rhia had sent an addendum to her last report privately to Rareth’Jharn. Confirmation that the Humans had not invented their harness technology on their own was important information, though Rhia agreed with Vreta that it would not likely change anything at this point. By itself, it did not prove that there was any extra danger to what they were about to do.

Rareth’s gaze went to each and every individual who stepped out of the transport in turn. In the second or two she gave to each, she checked for physical injury or other signs of distress. By appearances, there was no one who had been physically harmed among the attacks, though there was plenty of stress to go around. She, of course, did not react outwardly in any way to Rhia’s report, but it did add on to all she had to think about going forward.

“It is good to see that you are all unharmed.” Rareth remarked. “Marae’s team has been working with your people here to get us set up and ready. Unless you have any last-minute changes to make, we should be prepared to begin whenever you are. Marae’s prototype emergency protocols are installed and active on all of the Rothian harnesses, and they are available for use on the Human harnesses as well, should you choose to use them. From what she has told me, they could possibly prevent Cradle death, in the event.” She explained, somewhat directly to Agent 595, but addressing the whole group.

Regardless of what official authority she may or may not have had, Rareth was not a woman to sit on the sidelines and follow the direction of others. When faced with a problem, her initiative was to solve it, and she did not suffer anyone who would make themselves an obstacle without cause. With or without official authority, she spoke with a complete and utter confidence that could project authority and coerce obedience out of any pliable mind. Of course, that was an approach that was mostly effective with underlings, rather than those who were closer to being her peer.

Shifting her focus to the attacks themselves, Rareth turned her attention more directly to the Agent. “I’ve taken the liberty of personally assisting in bolstering our security. I have only the initial reports on these attacks, but if they could bring explosives in proximity to both your Parliament building and your prized flagship, then we should not discount the possibility of infiltration, even here. While you get to work, I will stay in the real wold and focus my efforts on keeping our teams protected.”

The Cradle

Vreta shifted uncomfortably in his seat upon hearing the answers the others gave. The origin of the harness technology was already worrying enough, but to hear how little else these ancient aliens left behind made suspicion seem like the only prudent response. “So, are you saying that your people found this planet with the ruins of an ancient civilization advanced enough to interface their minds with a machine, yet with not a single trace of their technology left behind? There was a species that dedicated its civilization to the Cradle, which went extinct mind you, and the only thing they leave behind is the one thing you would need to use the Cradle yourself?”

For a moment, Vreta buried his face in his hands and let out a long sigh. “By the rings, this whole project may be a mistake.”

Ultimately, regardless of Vreta’s feelings on the matter, it was likely too late for him to change their course. Especially on what amounted to a hunch. Whatever was going to happen, they would not likely have to wait long to find out. As they headed past the checkpoint, Vreta did naturally turn his gaze towards the object at the center of the vault chamber. Unless he was mistaken, it was the vault itself. It was a Human-made device, a cube that contained the single most important object to all Humans of Outremer. Whether they wanted to use it for their own ends, or divorce themselves from its influence, everyone on Outremer had some goal in mind for it. On Vreta’s part, he just wanted answers. To him, there was an uncomfortable uncertainty surrounding every stage of this project. He would much prefer to know for certain whether he needed to use the Cradle, befriend it, or throw it into a void star. Nothing short of actual answers would rid him of that uncertainty, but at the very least, he could still appreciate the sight before him. When they were motivated, the Humans really did have respectable engineering capabilities.

The Cradle

Vreta tilted his head towards Freyr, showing equal measures of surprise and curiosity. Not all of the discoveries the Humans had made about these beings were discussed openly, it seemed. “You are saying that it was not Humanity that originally developed the Cradle harnesses? I have heard some of our scientists theorize that might be the case, but that was just speculation. The technology that would allow for interfacing a mind with software so completely is a relatively recent development for our own species. Within the last few centuries. Some thought that you were at a rather early stage as a society upon finding Outremer to make such an advancement unassisted.”

For a moment, Vreta’s gaze followed Freyr’s out into the ruins. Their transport was moving quickly through the depths of the spire, but Vreta could still make out enough detail to see how expansive this alien civilization had once been. “Perhaps a hive-like mentality could explain it, or…perhaps some biological advantage towards digging and carving, but…no.” Vreta murmered, mostly to himself, though he soon turned his attention back to Freyr. “Were you aware of the difficulty of creating harness-like technology ‘from scratch’? If they truly created this technology themselves, I would expect them to be closer in advancement to my own people. When Humans discovered this planet, did they find any other examples of this civilization’s technology? Any electronics, or anything else not carved from stone? Satellites, perhaps? Low orbit satellites or space junk would face orbital decay, but anything higher up, like geostationary satellites, would remain in orbit indefinitely.”