EliteCommander

The Cradle

Rhia stayed up top, firing on any infected in sight to cover the civilians while they jumped down into the underground level beneath them. It was a fair drop down, but not enough that it should be dangerous for an unassisted Human, barring an unlucky landing. In any case, Rhia waited until the others had made it below before dropping down herself.

Hopefully, the subterranean route would at least let them make the rest of the way to their destination uninterrupted, though there was no way to ensure their safety. At the very least, Rhia’s echolocation would work exceptionally well in an underground tunnel, so she would receive ample warning on any approaching threats. She checked the route 595 had given them and tried to estimate how likely it was they would arrive in time.

“We cannot afford any more delays. What are our transportation options?” Rhia asked.

Halo: Aegis Team

Major Alice Robinson, Ethat 'Lacalu, and UNSC AI SHI 1203-8

---

Ethat hummed, exchanging a glance with Major Robinson. ”Possibly. Our informant did identify a Covenant zealot Uztel contacted. He is now overseeing the mining operations on the planet personally. He is not in the keep, so he was not vital for the mission, but I would rather ensure he does not return to the Covenant. He has shown himself as being devious and resourceful, so it would be a victory to deny Jul ‘Mdama his service.”

”You and I can discuss that idea in detail on the ship.” Robinson said to Ethat before returning her attention to Aegis. ”As I have said, Aegis team’s mission is straightforward. You will deploy the communications jammer, disable the anti-air cannon, then return to the ship to join the assault. However, timing is crucial.” Robinson turned the group’s attention to the point of interest in geosynchronous orbit on the hologram. ”We have learned that the Covenant has installed a small listening station here to cover gaps in sensory coverage from their fleet’s position on the other side of the planet. They believe it is hidden, which we will use to our advantage. Our fleet will approach the planet in stealth, but we will allow it to be detected by this listening station. The Covenant will likely believe they have discovered our plan and send their ships to intercept. Or at least, they will have to send enough that our Blockade Runner will be able to make it to the surface undetected. It will set down some distance from the keep, outside sensor range. It is vital that neither the ship, nor your team, be detected before the communications jammer is deployed.”

Once again, Shih’s avatar appeared in the middle of the table. ”I will be operating the jamming program personally. At first, I will only keep its range limited to the anti-air cannon, but while your team is working on the first objective, I’ll be listening in on transmissions between the keep and the Covenant fleet. Once we begin the attack on the keep, I’ll extend the jammer’s range, as well as mimicking normal transmissions up to the fleet above. Essentially, I’ll be pretending to be the keep, as far as the fleet is concerned. That should buy you time to carry out the attack, but I won’t be able to keep up the deception forever, so try not to take too long to finish the coup.”

Halo: Aegis Team

Major Alice Robinson and Ethat 'Lacalu

---

Major Robinson brought up an intelligence report on Uztel ‘Mdalak and quickly distributed it to Aegis team. [color=violet]”Unfortunately, we have good reason to believe that trying to take advantage of Uztel’s honor or pride will not work in this case.”[/violet]

”He has neither…” Ethat briefly interjected.

”Our psychological profile of Uztel suggests that he will prioritize his own safety. Whether by the Covenant’s instructions, or his own choice, he has not followed usual patterns of Sangheili behavior. There are means by which he could have challenged his brother legally. Either by challenging him in combat, or even by sending an assassin for the Kaidon to fight. In either case, failure would have meant his own death, so there would have been risk for him. The kind of trick he used to depose his brother would be seen as cowardly among the population. We do believe his rule is untenable in the long-term, but the Covenant will have what they want from the planet by then. The Major explained.

Ethat nodded, letting out a slight, low growl. ”Yes, his cowardice will destroy him in time, but we need him removed now. Uztel is a young, inexperienced warrior, and he knows he is no match for his sister. He will use any excuse he can to avoid fighting her. The only way he fights is if we break down the doors of his keep and force him to pick up a blade.”

The Major zoomed out the projection to once more show the planet as a whole, as well as highlighting the fleet in orbit, and another point of interest in geosynchronous orbit on the opposite side of the planet. ”Spartan Ryker is correct that your team alone will not be able to carry out a frontal assault. This is why the Swords of Sanghelios are dedicating a small fleet to this operation. Though, our aim is not to destroy the enemy fleet. Now that the Covenant have established themselves here, Uztel has joined his planet’s military with the Covenant’s forces, and they are…honor-bound, as they might say, to follow those orders. Many of the ships, and the mining platforms, are being operated by Uztel’s forces. If Commando Tar becomes Scion, they will then be bound to follow her orders. There will still be fighting afterwards from ‘Mdama loyalists, but we believe there is enough support for the Arbiter on Brissekh for the Swords to retain most of the fleet and mining infrastructure. Your mission, Aegis, will be twofold. The Covenant have installed heavy anti-air cannons in the mountains near to the keep, but only the largest needs to be disabled, as it is the only one capable of destroying our Blockade Runner in time. Your team will insert nearby, deploy a communications jammer, then move to disable the largest cannon. Once that is done, you will be able to return to the ship to be dropped, along with reinforcements and armored support, right at the keep’s front gate. That will bypass most of the outer defenses and give you a straight shot at Uztel.”

Halo: Aegis Team

Ethat 'Lacalu

---

”Save your fury!” Ethat snapped back at Tar, though he quickly returned to a calm demeanor. ”You will need it. We have a spy among Jul ‘Mdama’s ranks who learned of a deal on Brissekh before it happened, though he was in no position to stop it. The Covenant were preparing their mining platforms before the coup even took place. There are many on Brissekh who suspect Uztel’s treachery, but it cannot be proven, and our spy cannot reveal himself. Immediately after seizing power, Uztel used Covenant forces to seize control over the smaller states on Brissekh, bringing the planet under his rule.”

Ethat zoomed the display in to Mdalak keep itself, along with the surrounding area. ”Our goal is straightforward, but does rely heavily upon you, Commando Tar ‘Mdalak. If Uztel is killed, or otherwise dishonored and removed, then you will be your father’s sole remaining heir. You will gain the rank of Scion, and you will have the right to administer Mdalak keep. The Arbiter has more support on Brissekh than Jul ‘Mdama. It is not enough for them to be willing to act against their rightful Kaidon, but you have a legitimate claim to the keep as well. If you declare your allegiance to the Arbiter, we believe there will be enough willing to follow you…once Uztel is deposed. You are female, so he will likely use that as an excuse to refuse a direct challenge of combat from you, so we will have to force him into battle.”

Halo: Aegis Team

Vael 'Virisusai, Major Alice Robinson, UNSC AI SHI 1203-8, Ethat 'Lacalu

---

For the members of Aegis team, there were several more hours of waiting in which they were free to do as they pleased, but once they were called to duty, they all quickly returned to HIGHCOM Facility Bravo-6. Many of the members of Aegis team from the previous mission were here, though Vael did note that the team was smaller than before. Some, it seemed, had not been recalled after being reassigned.

The team was led to a secure room on one of the upper floors for their briefing. Last time, due to his rank, Vael had been the one to coordinate administrative concerns with the Humans, but as Vael had been fighting in the field for months, that task had fallen to another. For Vael, it suited him fine to be able to focus more on his missions than dealing with ONI.

Vael had, at least, been briefed on the changes to his duties and the command structure of Aegis team. When they entered the briefing room, they were met with both a familiar face, Major Alice Robinson, as well as her Swords counterpart Commander Ethat ‘Lacalu. From what Vael knew, he was a veteran of multiple wars much like Vael, though he was a younger warrior than himself. However, he had more of a mind for political matters than Vael, so it suited him just fine to relinquish some of those responsibilities to him. Ethat had previously been an officer in the Anvil Initiative, a cross-species training and evaluation program between the UNSC and Swords of Sangheilios. It and Aegis team both existed under the umbrella of Project: CRUCIBLE.

Ethat did draw Vael’s eye as he entered the room. His armor was unusual, like nothing Vael had seen before. It appeared to be Human-made, but crafted specifically for a Sangheili. Nevertheless, Vael cared more for focusing on the task at hand. As soon as the team was gathered, Major Robinson wasted no time in starting the briefing.

”Aegis team, I hope you’ve already handled the reunions, because we need to move fast on this one.” The Major began right away. ”Jul ‘Mdama’s Covenant is expanding and pushing more aggressively, and we have a mission to slow them down. However, it’s more complicated than just hitting a target, which is why we need Aegis. Shih…” She said, gesturing to the holo-projector on the table between them all.

The AI that had been attached to the team had made a return as well, it seemed. Her avatar appeared at the end of the table before she brought up a projection of a lush, mostly undeveloped colony world. “With their increased expansion, the Covenant has been pushing to secure resources to fuel that aggression. Most of the established manufacturing and mining centers are either well-defended, or already contested. This is Brissekh, a relatively young Sangheili colony world. Until recently, the Kaidon of the predominant state, Falx ‘Mdalak, was a firm ally of the Arbiter. However, a recent coup has shifted the planet’s allegiance to Jul ‘Mdama’s Covenant. Now, there is a Covenant fleet in orbit that has flown in a large number of Scarab-class excavators to to strip mine more remote sections of the planet. Normally, our goal would be to neutralize the mining platforms, but discussions with the Swords have opened up other options.”

The Swords representative, Ethat, brought up the dossier of the planet’s new Kaidon. “On most Sangheili worlds, a keep’s Kaidon is elected by a council of elders, but for smaller colonies, like Brissekh, the position can be passed through bloodlines. The new Kaidon is Uztel ‘Mdalak, the youngest son of Tarkr ‘Mdalakai. We believe he formed an alliance in secret with the Covenant, then led his elder brother into an ambush where he was either captured or killed. Now, Uztel is Tarkr’s sole remaining heir…save for one.” He explained, casting his gaze across the table straight at Tar ‘Mdalak.

The Cradle

The team had stabilized their situation, but only for the moment. The hostiles who had ambushed them had been neutralized in their immediate area, but the convoy itself was still under fire, and these infected seemed to be an indiscriminate threat to everyone. They had a window to get to safety right now, so they had to make sure to act on it.

“Whether or not we’re in the sim ourselves, it would be a poor idea to try and fight what the Object wants to do. It may well be far more capable than either of us know, and it may be fighting for its survival.” Rhia remarked. She had her own views on these Cradle objects, but she did not expect that their behavior when facing destruction would be remarkably different from any other lifeform. If they were an obstacle to its survival, she did not expect it to simply accept death.

Rhia moved her rifle to her off-hand and held it underarm with one hand, continuing to fill the air with bursts of plasma to hold back the infected. At the same time, she drew her pistol and started to fire on those that were moving to flank them. “Yes, the builder retreated underground, without their suit. I spotted a garage and a rail line while I was down there. Does anyone have city schematics to know where it leads?”

Halo: Aegis Team

Vael 'Virisusai

---

Again, Vael could not help but to feel irritation at the amount of attention he suddenly found on himself. Were all of these people looking for him, or each other? He had no grievances with working alongside them, but they were not on a mission at this moment. Still, he did not voice most of his thoughts. This was not his world, and it did provide an opportunity for him to learn more about how he could expect his allies to behave. When their missions brought them to Sangheili worlds, he would need to instruct them on what would be expected of them.

”Is it customary to crowd a guest in his quarters?” Vael remarked as he once again locked up his storage container. Now properly armored, he moved himself past the others towards the open door. ”If so many of us are here, I do not expect it will be long before we are called for the briefing. If you have somewhere you want to bring me, Spartan Ryker, then I will follow you for now. Otherwise, I will wait in your military’s headquarters.”

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei hardly had time to acknowledge Fendros directly, as the process of creating this portal required her complete focus in every instant. Still, she was grateful for any amount of relief she could be given. Her progress was slower than she would have liked, as she had to prioritize keeping the magical backlash to a minimum. Fendros’ help gave her more leeway, but letting out even a fraction of the power she had absorbed in an uncontrolled manner would reduce their flesh to dust in an instant.

Meesei concentrated on that point above them, the destination for her portal. The power within her Staff was immense, though the energy concentrated at the top of the tower was even greater still. This interference she was working to break through she did not even believe was an intentional defense measure. Merely the aura of whatever was above them was interfering with the finely precise spellcasting that a portal required. Meesei’s hope was to use the sheer, brute force of power within the Staff to stabilize a small area above them. To block out the interference from a small area above them for long enough that she could establish a portal.

As she tried to coax out more power from the Staff, a surge of magicka struck both herself and Fendros. For just a moment, it felt as if her blood was on fire. She maintained her concentration, but even so, it was not enough to try to stabilize the area one small bit at a time. In terms of its magical aura, the space at the top of the tower was a maelstrom of pure chaos. It was like a hurricane, but one in which she had to try to create the eye herself. To try and grow that area of calm slowly and steadily only led to it collapsing immediately. She had to do it in one effort with the power she had collected. There was enough there for her to accomplish what she needed to do, she just needed to be able to wield it.

Closing her eyes, Meesei focused on the magicka itself, both in the staff and far above. As she had tried before, she attempted to form a perfect, orderly sphere out of the chaos above. She arranged the edges of the bubble easily enough, but then it came time to try and bring order to the raw magicka in the staff. The spell itself was something she understood, but this was power on a scale even Meesei had never experienced. Taming this power she had stolen from Vile, the power she needed to break through, was like trying to tame a raging waterfall. When she started to release that energy to order it into a spell, the backlash through her body, despite their best efforts, knocked Fendros off his feet and collapsed her to the ground. She had only scarcely managed to stop the magicka’s release before it killed them both. As she pushed back the pain out of her mind, grabbed the Staff once more, and forced herself back to her knees, the one truth she had been fighting became undeniable to her:

She couldn’t do it.

No matter Meesei’s magical skill and decades of experience. No matter her willpower and determination. No matter the time her pack, Ri’vashi, and even Molag Bal’s Daedra bought her. No matter the well of energy Fendros could contain. This power was greater still. The inescapable reality was that Meesei was a mortal trying to command the power of a god. She had achieved miraculous magical feats in the past, but she still had limitations on what her magic could do.

At this point, she felt they had to try something else. Her allies were holding the enemy back, particularly with Molag Bal’s Daedra disrupting them, but that could only ever be temporary. All that was left was the lift Lorag had activated before. It had just reached the bottom of the tower a short time ago, but it would take just as long to reach the top, and its mechanisms would need to be kept safe the whole time.

Meesei lifted her head up towards Fendros. “We need to get the pack into the lift…hurry.” She said. Hopefully, between their Daedric reinforcements and the rest of their warriors, Ri’vashi would be able to keep the enemy back for at least that long. They had only a single lift to work with, but it did look large enough to hold both her pack and Sabine’s, if only barely.

Halo: Aegis Team

Vael 'Virisusai

---

Vael let out a low hum. ”You may expect what you like of your customs from your own soldiers, but I warn you against expecting the same of me. I am here to fight for our alliance, not for cultural study.”

As much as he might have preferred solitude, however, there was some reason for Vael to want to leave. From what he had heard, it did seem more likely now that Aegis team might become a permanent unit, but Humans still confused him in many ways. Some of their behavior reminded him of Unggoy in how pointless they seemed, yet he could not deny their effectiveness overall. He worried that it would be unwise to simply deny that which he did not understand.

”Although, if my leaving would be to the irritation of my ‘handlers’…”” Vael grunted. ”I suppose that would be an acceptable reason to go.”

Approaching the large crate on the other side of the room, Vael unlocked it to retrieve his armor. Inside the container were essentially all of the personal effects that Vael cared to bring with him, though it was packed quite tightly. The largest objects were armor pieces, but it was not just his usual armor that was contained within. Alongside the normal armor he was retrieving, the others would be able to glimpse an older set. Pragmatically speaking, it was of higher quality than his Swords armor, but it was not what he chose to wear. Aside from armor, there were also other objects from his past, but most of those were not visible from the angle at which the Humans were looking.

Halo: Aegis Team

Vael 'Virisusai

---

”My superior instructed me not to mention the parasite while on your worlds, since your leaders hide the reality of it from your people. I do not know why they feel that ignorance of the threat will protect them from it. Vael remarked.

Vael was not sure whether to be irritated or relieved by the arrival of Spartan Ryker. He had been content with the silence of his meditation, but it seemed the time for that had passed. He had permitted the Spartan to assist with many of his missions during the time since the battle on Sarcophagus. In truth, he had not expected the idea of Aegis team to survive, but he did agree with it in principle, for he believed in the Arbiter’s principles. He would not be here if he felt otherwise.

In the time that they were working together, Vael had treated Ryker exactly as Tar, Yalu, or any other warrior, giving him no trouble, nor special treatment. That said, he had not made a habit of socializing with anyone under his command, and he wondered what Ryker hoped to gain by making this suggestion. ”Is this a custom of yours I am unfamiliar with, or is there something else you wish to accomplish? The staff of this building already provide me with food.”