EliteCommander

The Cradle

“How hard, exactly?” Vreta asked again. “Such details are important. If nothing else, it can be distracted more effectively if we know our attacks at least threaten it. Otherwise, we would need to adopt other strategies to keep it busy. We don’t need to stay here discussing it at length; if you have this information, you can upload it to my implants so that my people can analyze it. Shield strength, weapon output, maneuverability, tracking capabilities, anything you know could let us adapt our forces to better resist it. If we are going to fight back, that would save many lives.”

The pair of them still remained in this void, which was a fairly disorienting experience for Vreta. It was growing less featureless as nebula-like clouds started to become visible around them. Eventually, he just blocked out the distraction and focused on the information he needed to gather. There was much he wanted to learn about this being, but he did not know if time would be a limiting factor. “Aside from that, it may be possible for us to collect allies. My people have grown considerable influence among the species we have discovered through the centuries. Though, the species we perhaps have the least influence over is, ironically, the one we need the most right now. The Humans of Outremer have long been fiercely independent, largely due to the presence of the Cradle. It makes them bold, confident, and quite defensive. If you are in my mind, then I gather you are surely in my companions’ minds as well. Particularly the Agent, and the two Humans who joined us recently. They are members of an Institute which I suspect holds more power than they let on. They may also know more about Human factions that have been hostile to us in the past, like those who attacked us on the way here. I believe the Institute will be the true key to securing Outremer’s cooperation. Can you help me understand what the Institute is, and what their goals are?”

The Cradle

Vreta’s mind immediately went to work analyzing the situation as the entity shared each new detail. He still felt skeptical, but if the being could share compelling evidence, then he would not deny it. Ari’Etis? My people have a small presence of research teams in our neighboring galaxy. It is too far to establish a gateway, and given that it takes over twelve years to cross the void, the only ones there are researchers who volunteered for the task. Still, FTL communications can travel there in under an hour. Depending on where the researchers are, they may be able to investigate the R’tk’tk in reasonable time. Freyr said we didn’t recover any sort of data like that, and my people did have access to everything she did. Still…maybe we can reconstruct the location through other means? I recall in that memory looking up to the sky in the end. It was all recorded in my implants; if I could see the stars in that memory…maybe we could use star positions to reconstruct its location? Especially now that we know which galaxy it is in. We would need to account for stellar drift since it happened, but as long as you know how long ago it was, that should not be too difficult.”

Already, Vreta was thinking about the practicality of actually facing down the being that had been showed to him. It was massive, and clearly powerful by this entity’s estimates. Not minutes ago, the entity had called it “indestructible”, yet now was adamant that they work together to destroy it. “If we are going to do this, we need to know as much about it as possible. The power output of its weapons, its maneuvering capabilities, and especially shield strength. Have you ever hurt it before? What is the hardest it has been hit?”

The Cradle

“If I go back without some way to prove this, then things may just go the same way they did before. The Humans who control this planet are extremely reluctant to trust me or my people, and it has been a challenge every step of the way to get them to cooperate with us. Now that the object that contained you is no longer on Rothia, there will be nothing but their own honor forcing them to respect their agreements with us. And even for my own people, it will be difficult to convince them to take drastic action on just my word. I want to help you; I want to keep our people safe, and that is why I ask if there is any proof, anywhere, we can find.” Vreta explained.

It seemed that finding evidence of the truth here could be a struggle, and that was even before considering the actual plan to deal with this threat. Based on what this being had shown him, Vreta did not understand how even the Cradle would be able to help. “And even assuming they are convinced, I don’t understand how you can fight them. You said yourself that you never stood a chance against the Hegemon. Why do you believe this time will be any different?”

The Cradle

Vreta had taken the destruction of everything he saw around him surprisingly well, perhaps because he was already conscious of the fact that none of what he was seeing was real. Regardless, there was no one who could see what Vreta was shown and feel anything but dread. If it were true, the power of this enemy would be immense. The thought of it elicited enough of a raw, emotional response from Vreta that he felt the need to fall back on his training to calm his mind. Push back the fear, the instinct-driven reactions, and return to a rational mindset. He cleared his thoughts and focused on the mission. Weapon output, shield strength, the details were important. Above all, he needed evidence.

“Nothing can be truly indestructible. That would defy the laws that govern our reality. Whether we face it now, or in a trillion years time, we cannot pursue Eternity with that thing in existence.” Vreta finally spoke up. He was still in the void with the entity, looking upon this representation of the Hegemon. He did not doubt that such a thing could exist. Even just thinking about how far his own people had ascended in his lifetime, he did not believe there was a limit to the heights technology could reach. But, there was no law of the universe that prevented his people from reaching the very same heights as what he was being shown. “We are a patient people. If fleeing is the only course of action, it is what we will do, but if I understand the Rahn’Saki as well as I believe I do, we will not give up on the notion of victory. And I am sure you know that it is not me that needs to be convinced. The Rahn’Saki are our guides. I need to be able to prove it to them. Everything that happened after our first meeting was to try and gain that proof. We were not willing to risk hurting you to find it, but we needed evidence. What you are suggesting involves uprooting our entire civilization.”

Vreta let out a sigh, though despite being in this void, he felt no urge to breathe. “Is there any evidence you can give? Can we find that world, perhaps? Or the R’tk’tk’s generation ships, if they escaped? Is there any way I can show to my leaders that this threat is reality?”

The Cradle

There was plenty that Vreta could infer from the situation. This being had seen deeply into his memories, in order to be able to create everything he saw and heard around him. Many might not welcome such a thing, and Vreta could not say he was happy about it, but he had to admit that if he had such an ability, he would gladly do the very same thing. By seeing their memories directly, this entity could avoid the uncertainty and mistrust that had been plaguing them since the beginning of this project. It knew exactly what they intended.

“If that is the case, then we need to prepare. You’ve seen into my memories; you know at least what I know about my people’s capabilities. We are not warmongerers, but we are capable of terrible violence when given no other choice. I remember what you showed me back on our homeworld of a civilization being destroyed by your enemy, but they were rather primitive by comparison. It was hard to get a true sense of the threat. Last time we spoke, you were unable to share much with us, but now that we are here, if you can help us understand exactly what they can do, then we can prepare our defense. We can know when to fight, when to buy time, and when to retreat.” Vreta asked. Given what happened last time, he wanted to get straight to the most important information right away, just in case there was something that might interrupt them.

The Cradle

Vreta’s gaze went quickly over towards the “Rothian” over near the edge of the cliff, though he was well-aware of the fact that this was not truly one of his own people, regardless of appearances. He still had his memory of everything that had just transpired in the headquarters, so he understood what was happening. This was not what they had planned on, but their goal had been to establish contact with the entity. If this was the only way it was going to happen, then he could at least work with it.

Approaching alongside the entity, Vreta took a seat on the rock without argument. The scale patterns of this “Rothian” were not natural, though that was hardly strange among his people. He wondered if the entity was actually aware of that fact, or if it was simply a coincidence? Regardless, Vreta took a moment to take in a deep breath. “It is exactly as I remember. I wonder how far that is from reality?”

Vreta finally looked over at the entity. “I can guess who you are. I suppose you want to speak to me, or perhaps all of us, separately? Our reason for coming to the headquarters was to make contact with you. To…understand what is happening. I cannot speak for most of the Humans’ intentions, I suppose, but understanding is all that I want.”

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

For a moment, Meesei tightened her grip on Sabine’s hand, then finally reached in her other hand to pull Sabine into a hug. It was somewhat awkward through the bars of the lift, but Meesei still held on for what felt like an eternity. Many of the others were, at least for a moment, speechless. Kaleeth’s eyes held a sadness one would not have thought possible on her crocodilian visage. Lorag shed what might have been tears for perhaps the first time in his life, at least that others had been able to see, though his rage towards their enemy also grew even stronger. He looked like he wanted to tear apart anything he could get his hands on that was even remotely associated with Vile.

Meesei did, however reluctantly, eventually release her grip on Sabine. She took a step back and finally allowed herself to look at each member of her pack in turn. “I…will not try to lie and pretend this will be easy for you. At the top of this tower is Clavicus Vile, the source of everything we have fought against. He is a god, and it is difficult to even comprehend the power he holds. But you are not alone. Our lord Hircine stands with you, and in your hands, Fendros, you hold the power to bring a god to his knees. I can feel…content to leave you now, because I know that you can do this. You can do what no others can. You are the sharpened teeth of Mundus itself, and you will prove Vile’s arrogance when you tear through his throat. Our war against Vile has been a struggle fit for the greatest legends in history, but this last battle is your story. I am simply proud to have been a part of it.”

The Cradle

Vreta seemed to be struggling almost as much as the rest of them. He saw memories around him more and more clearly, even as Rhia was trying to run interference. Though, she was having to try to interfere for both him, and herself. The memory he did see as he was starting to stagger around disturbed him in more ways than one. He could not trust Connie or Gene, that much was clear, though their minds seemed to be affected just as much as everyone else. There was far more to worry about than their Human companions.

Rhia had to struggle to keep mental control for just a bit longer. She gave up on controlling motor functions, causing Vreta to stumble. While she still had influence, she did the best she could to hedge against what could possibly happen, scattering specific neural markers throughout Vreta’s hippocampus, as well as rapidly writing specific programs for his nanites. Ultimately, though, Rhia could only delay in the short term. He was the last to start to fall, but he knew it was inevitable. Staring straight ahead, he could feel that…something, that presence, permeating everything. “What…do you want?” He asked, though it was the last he said before losing consciousness.

---

Vreta was lying on his back when he opened his eyes. Immediately, he took in a long, deep breath. The air, though thin, was crisp and clean. His body felt light, and all of it was familiar, especially once he cast his gaze up to the sky and saw the swirling, colorful clouds of Throssai. He was on Syr’Jakra, up on the mountain overlooking the vast valley that contained his hometown.

Halo: Aegis Team

Vael 'Virisusai, Mdalak State, Brissekh

---

For Aegis team, they simply needed to board the phantoms to be ready for the mission, though for them to even make it to the ground to begin with relied upon the skill and planning of the ship’s crew, and the rest of the fleet. After about another half hour, the rest of the fleet made their advance under the cover of stealth. They approached the planet from the opposite side of the planet from where most of the Covenant ships were positioned, which made it easier to avoid detection on approach. However, as planned, the fleet intentionally strayed close to the “hidden” listening post to allow the Covenant to detect their presence. Immediately, the Covenant fleet went into alert and deployed to intercept the Swords fleet.

This was the signal for the Magnificent Defiance. Once the defending fleet was out of position, it advanced at its best speed under the cover of its stealth systems to make it into the atmosphere while there was a gap in the Covenant’s sensor coverage. From inside their phantom in the ship’s hanger, Aegis team could not see what was happening outside, but Vael was given constant updates on the progress of the mission. Their Blockade Runner made a bee line straight for the planet’s surface while walking a very fine line with the speed they maintained. While the ship’s shields could certainly handle the heat of re-entry on any habitable world, the ship’s crew had to be careful not to generate atmospheric disturbances strong enough to be detected, while still getting to the surface as quickly as they possibly could. The skirmish in orbit would not last too long before the Swords fleet made their retreat.

Ultimately, the ship did make it to ground safely, though only time would tell if they had truly remained undetected. It had landed on the same continent as ‘Mdalak keep, at least, but to ensure they were not spotted, their landing zone was extremely far from civilization, in an unsettled region. Considering the difficult terrain, it would have taken days to reach their objective by land. Fortunately, the phantoms could bring them close enough to cut that down to a few hours.

The particular phantoms the team was using were equipped with active camouflage, so they kept up a good pace once they left the ship. Still, it was a cautious pace just to ensure they did not show up on any sensors. Overall, Aegis team spent about an hour in the back of their phantom before they finally arrived at their drop zone.

The pair of phantoms maneuvered into a valley between multiple, towering mountains with peaks obscured almost entirely by fog. They located a grassy area in the forest just large enough to drop their specters, then did the same for the team itself through the grav lift.

Vael’s feet sank partially into the mud as soon as they hit the ground. It was raining rather heavily, which, along with the fog, made visibility quite poor. Even with how deep in the wilderness they were, Vael still had his carbine at the ready as he left the phantom, and still went through the trouble of clearing the area before holstering it.

After offloading the team, both phantoms immediately set off back towards the Magnificent Defiance. Given that they could not afford detection, they would not be risking staying on station for rapid support. If they were detected, Aegis team would be on their own until their ship could deploy a full rescue team. If they could realistically reach them at all, of course. As long as the keep still had its air defenses available, their Blockade Runner could not come too close.

The phantoms engaged their active camouflage as they lifted off, and while it still provided protection against sensors, the rainfall meant that Vael could clearly see their silhouettes from a much farther distance than usual. He hoped the storm would not persist at their destination, but if it did, they would need to be ready to adapt.

”Mount up. The mission relies on us now.” Vael ordered.

The Cradle

Sharing a mind as they did, Vreta and Rhia also shared the discomfort of whatever was happening around them. It was not quite what he would describe as a headache, though it was no more comfortable than that. His mind was “busy”, like he was constantly in intense thought, but was not experiencing any of the thoughts himself. What Rhia felt was even more bizarre, without even considering what the group as a whole was witnessing.

The Human staffers were alive, but quite clearly incapacitated. None of them even acknowledged the team as they moved through the building. Freyr was the one who stopped to try and help one of them, but they were no more responsive even with interacted with directly. The scene that played out on the monitors looked and felt like some of the memories that had been forced into their own mind. It perhaps could have been one of the staffer’s own memories, displayed for all to see, for reasons Vreta did not understand. The distinguishing features of one of the Humans in the memory looked an awful lot like one of the Humans who had joined them, Gene. Was the woman just projecting what she saw around her onto the memory, or had he actually been present for it? Regardless, Connie’s attempt to move the staffer did not seem to help. As for the memory itself, Vreta did not have the context to truly understand its meaning, but this woman had clearly gone through something taxing to her mental health, and perhaps something relating to the Human homeworld.

“We…need to keep moving.” Vreta finally remarked. “We can’t afford the delay. Maybe once we get to our objective, we’ll be able to help all these people at once?”

Unfortunately, no matter which direction they went, they would not be able to avoid the bizarre occurrences around them. As they started to pass one nearby room, Vreta’s eye caught something even he could not ignore through the glass. It was a memory, like the staffer’s, though not one that was as “clear.” It was also not one of the Humans’. The scene played out with just a few people and objects projected from the memory itself, while all of the office’s furniture was still visible, but ignored.

There was a Rothian, medical gantry in the middle of the room, slightly phased into an office table on the far end. Strangely, it was not a Rothian on the gantry, but rather a Rothian security droid. Quite an old model, by appearances. Slowly, the droid sat up, while a male Rothian looked on taking notes. He looked like he was speaking, but strangely, the words they heard were muffled and mostly indistinct. With some direction from the Rothian, the droid held out one hand towards a device next to the gantry, though its focus seemed elsewhere. When its hand drew close enough, the device delivered a small electric shock to one of its fingers, and unlike a normal droid, its hand actually recoiled on reflex. There were more muffled words from the Rothian observing that grew louder and louder until, finally, they came in clearly.

“Agent! Are you listening? I understand this is a lot at once, but it’s important that I know how it feels.” He said firmly.

The droid looked down at its hand, clenching and opening it a few times. “Like it’s mine.”