EliteCommander

The Cradle

Vreta stood next to the window of his apartment, looking out over the mesa. The section of the apartment building that the Outremer military had allocated to them was near the apex of the city itself. Some clouds he could see passing beneath him, though it was a mostly clear day, overall. In the day that he had been here, he could not say that he had accomplished much except for resting, though that was certainly important in and of itself. He still felt a mild hint of a headache in the back of his mind, but he at least was not nearly so exhausted as he was before. He had spoken to a few members of the team, like Dr. Whetherall and Marae, for a short time, but not many had been too keen for conversation right away. Nirann was an exception, but he had seemed distracted in different ways.

Vreta had only been awake for a few hours himself, and as of yet had not left his room. There seemed to be enough space in the building for all of the members of the team to have their own apartments, which, for the moment, suited Vreta just fine, as he was free to keep the air temperature higher than most Humans would be comfortable with.

Eventually, Rhia passed on a notification that Freyr’s implants were marking her as available, which meant she was finally awake. Now that the Human science team was fully awake, they could gather to figure out their next move. Vreta currently had no updates or directives from Rareth, and the military certainly was not giving them any information as of yet, so it seemed to be up to them to figure out their next steps for now.

Letting out a sigh, Vreta reached out one hand and placed it on the window, his claws just barely touching the glass. It felt like every step they took caused as many problems as it did solutions. It seemed like they had more answers now than ever before, but they were still nowhere close to this being over. Regardless, all he could do was to keep pressing forward. After a few more moments, he directed his implants to make a call to Freyr.

The Cradle

Vreta gazed out the back of the transport at the landscape beneath them, even as they drew nearer to their destination. From what he could see from the sky, there were thick, tropical rainforests all beneath him, dispersed between clusters of rolling mountains. It actually reminded him of parts of Rothia where the mountains were older and more weathered. It was a pleasant kind of environment, in his opinion. The heat of the tropics was always welcome for Rothians, and forests were always teeming with exotic alien life. There was certainly a part of him that wished he could be here under different circumstances, as he was not sure if there would be any chance to rest.

Despite the distance between the cities, the flight to Réunion was measured in minutes, especially with the priority given to them as passengers on a government dropship. It did not take long for the pilot to notify them that they would be coming in for a landing shortly. Observing forward through the external cameras gave Vreta a new sight to admire in the form of the city itself. It was a layered city arranged across three mesas, on the edge of a large lake. A river flowing down from the mountains created multiple waterfalls to tie together the idyllic scenery. The city itself, again, gave Vreta some reminders of home. It was a massive city in every respect, well-maintained, with a skyline that showed an appreciation for aesthetics just as much as function. In some ways, it seemed like it stood as a part of the natural landscape, rather than being in opposition to it.

When the transport came in, it landed on a pad on the smallest and highest of the mesas. They were high up, even above some of the clouds, so the air was cooler than Vreta might have preferred. Still, that was hardly a priority at the moment. After all they had been through, Vreta just wanted to get some rest, though it seemed that Freyr was certainly way ahead of him in that regard. She had fallen fast asleep on the way.

Once on the ground, Vreta finally stood from his seat and approached Freyr and Dr. Whetherall. There had been such a short time aboard the transport that he did not particularly want to wake her so soon, so he glanced down at Dr. Whetherall. “I can carry her, if we don’t want to disturb her.” He remarked.

After unbuckling her harness, Vreta slowly hoisted Freyr up into his arms so as not to wake her. He had the strength to handle her weight with ease, so it was no meaningful burden to him to carry her around.

Halo: Aegis Team

Vael 'Virisusai

---

The sound of another blade igniting briefly filled the cave as Vael drew his from his hip. He had been close to the wall of the cave and felt the pressure of something wrapping around one of his feet. With a flick of his wrist, the tips of the plasma blade burned through the thick vines, and some of the stone underneath.

”Away from the walls!” Vael shouted, backing up as far as he could, barely managing to stop himself from trampling over Flint. Though, there were few places for him to go. It was already crowded in the cave as it was, and they could not simply go out into the storm for long. ”Would there be any hazard to simply cutting the vines to pieces?” Vael asked Tar.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

For a short time, there was a silence among the group, though Lorag eventually let out an enraged roar. For him, it looked like he wanted to rip to pieces anything he could get his hands on. Fortunately, there was still enough of his rational mind remaining to hold off on taking his anger out on the bars of the lift around them.

The energy from the release of magic had come perhaps worryingly close to touching the bottom of the lift, but it seemed that they were among the few in sight of it to come out unscathed. From above, they could see what looked like some Daedra remaining in the distance, likely from near the rear of the Daedric horde, but they were far too distant to be able to reach the base of the tower in time to stop the pack. All they had left to face was what was at the top of the tower.

“You’re right. We need to focus.” Ahnasha said after Frendros. There is still Vile left. Still our mission to accomplish. If we don’t do that…then none of this will have mattered. “ She looked towards Sabine. In addition to the sigil stone Hal-Neesa had given them, she was also the one with the sigil stone meant to bring Hircine to their aid. “If we see Vile, I wouldn’t hesitate to use the stone immediately. To have a chance of hurting Vile, we will need lord Hircine.”

Ahnasha moved closer to Fendros, placing a hand on his shoulder as she spoke more softly. “When we do face Vile, when it finally comes time to attack…all that matters is getting to him with that axe. I don’t know what Vile will do, or what will be in our way, but we will do everything to get you to him, and there can be no looking back.” She said, letting out a long breath. “No matter what.”

The Cradle

Vreta could not exactly bring himself to sleep, especially with the headache he had. Though, he did take some time to at least let himself relax while Rhia got to work medicating him. She was able to do a reasonably good job of soothing his headache, as well as calming his nerves to some extent. Although, there was no medication that could help with stress for Rhia herself. Software-based solutions did exist that could assist AI with mental stress, but Rhia wanted to make sure her mind was clear and focused for whatever might be ahead.

Outwardly, Vreta found a place to sit down and rest for a few hours, though he, Rhia, and Rareth communicated privately about everything that had transpired. With the exception of some events at the very end, they all had Vreta’s recording to review. Of particular concern to them was the attack by Human assailants that ambushed their convoy. They were well-armed, and clearly had their own harnesses, under their own control, with which to enter the Cradle. They also had access to technology which could manipulate the simulation itself, which supposedly should have been out of reach to those the Outremer government did not trust. This was not a terrorist attack by Skinner radicals. For the attack to have happened implied a great deal more division or corruption among the Outremer government than even the Rothians had suspected.

Rareth joined the Facilitator as soon as he grabbed her attention. “Understood.” She replied simply. Without hesitation, she sent a quick message to Nirann to give Void Company their orders to evacuate. Though, she certainly still had more to say to the Facilitator. ”Very well. I do approve of moving the science team somewhere more secure.” She said, speaking to him quietly. “But I will just say it plain, I want Rothian security on-site as well. Forget protocol, forget pride, forget ‘optics’, we need to keep our people safe. There have been two terrorist attacks, and an ambush by Human assailants within the last few hours. They had builder tech, for Eternity’s sake; the factions that oppose us have infiltrated to the very core of your government. Maybe you trust your own people, but unless you’re planning on depriving your Vault of a substantial number of security personnel, you and I both know you are going to need more manpower, and Rothian forces are the only ones we know have not been compromised.”

Halo: Aegis Team

Vael 'Virisusai and UNSC AI SHI 1203-8

---

Vael opened the canopy of the spectre and climbed out once the last of the vehicles had reached the entrance of the cave. They were able to at least mostly fit the spectres in the mouth of the cave, though it did narrow to the point that they could not move them in any deeper. Water flowed downward under their feet, forming a small stream that moved down into the darkness of the cave. The walls were entirely overgrown by a dense layer of long vines that released something of a sweet scent into the air.

”As long as we are not detected, our mission is not over.” Vael remarked. Pausing for a moment in thought, he soon ended up looking at Aviza, though it was not for the attention of the Human in the suit. ”Construct…Shih. Is it possible to send a message to the Magnificent Defiance?”

Shih immediately replied through the team’s comms. ”Spartan Aviza’s suit can make a connection, most likely. Although, this close to the Keep, I can’t guarantee that it won’t be intercepted, even in this storm. They wouldn’t be able to decrypt it, of course, but just knowing that we’re here could be enough to compromise the mission.”

Vael grunted. ”Then we keep radio silence. If our ship is monitoring this storm, then a delay will not be a surprise to them. We need only wait until the storm lets up enough for us to travel. With luck, we will still be able to use it to mask our approach.”

With the spectres taking up most of the space in the mouth of the cave, the space they currently had was cramped with standing room only, unless they wanted to try moving deeper in.

Halo: Aegis Team

Vael 'Virisusai

---

Vael followed behind Tar as best as he could, given the circumstances. He had to stay close enough to keep the glow of the spectre’s engines in view, regardless of how the winds wanted to push them. They were moving into the wind at this point, so Vael had to periodically use the vehicle’s boost to regulate his speed, which was a challenge in variable winds.

As they headed up the basin, Vael was just able to keep up long enough to come within sight of the cave entrances. Approaching the mountain did reduce the headwind, though ironically, that caused just as many problems on approach. Vael had been boosting into the wind, so as that wind weakened, his approach ended up faster than he intended. He reacted quickly, pulling back and to the side to slow his speed, though the side of his canopy still ended up scraping against the cave wall through some of the vines. His passengers might have been shaken up somewhat, but it was at least not a dangerous collision.

Vael pulled back away from the wall and brought his spectre to a stop. They were finally out of the rain, though he was not going anywhere at that very moment. ”Stay on the spectres until all of us have come to a stop.” He ordered. If any of the others came in as quickly as he had, then it would be easy for anyone standing around to be crushed.

The Cradle

Vreta rubbed his hand over his temples. “Tired. And I feel like I have a headache. I’m also worried about 595 and Osman. They haven’t come out yet. I suppose Osman is probably moving to assist at the Bridge with the rest of her forces, but what about the Agent? She was with us when the Navigator contacted us, and presumably she would have been incapacitated just the same. Why hasn’t she come back like the rest of us?”

Eventually, Vreta let out a sigh. “Honestly, I don’t think there is much else we can do right now. All there is left is to wait and see if the Navigator can stabilize the Cradle. We really should get some rest so we’ll be ready when we are needed. Between Nirann, Marae, and your team, I think they can handle the passive observation.”

Rareth, meanwhile, grunted as she looked up at the screen. She was still making her calls via her implants, though it was hard to tell from the outside how she was multitasking. Certainly, the news on the screen did change some of the calls she needed to make. “Perhaps your military can keep control of these people. All of this chaos was…avoidable. So as long as your leadership honors your agreements, it does not matter to my people who we are working with.”

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth’s expression could not fully convey the sadness and dread within her, with the exception of the look in her eyes. Even with their armored beast forms, she put her arm around Janius and sought comfort in embracing him. Ahnasha and Lorag had similarly grown quiet, but resolute. It was not easy to accept what was happening, but they were already looking ahead to what was to come. Though, Lorag did finally speak a few words through bared teeth. “Make these Daedra regret standing against you…then we’ll carry that same message to Vile.”

For a brief moment, Meesei brought her hand up to Sabine’s cheek. “You are so much stronger than you know.” She said before finally taking a step back and looking upon her pack as a whole. “Goodbye.”

As Meesei turned around, the color seemed to return to the world as time resumed its normal pace. The gears started turning and the lift began to ascend. Meesei finally turned back to face the battle that was drawing in ever closer. Ri’vashi’s warriors were fighting for their lives against an enemy that gave no quarter, backed into a corner with no more option for retreat. The presence of Molag Bal’s Daedra had been disruptive to Vile’s horde and, critically, had bought the time needed to get Meesei’s pack onto the lift. However, even a Dark Anchor could not bring in Daedra fast enough to halt Vile’s forces. By this point, Daedra were swarming in on their flanks in enough numbers to make it inevitable that they would be overwhelmed. Ri’vashi’s warriors had fought harder and longer than one could ever have expected of them, but everyone had their limits.

As the lift was rising behind them, Ri’vashi herself fell back to Meesei’s position. She did not seem exhausted to the same extent as some of the others, but her armor was stained from head to toe with blood and dirt. Meesei could not tell through her armor what injuries she might have sustained, though the blood covering her katana did hint at how many she had killed.

Ri’vashi could see the lift rising above them, with Meesei staying behind. “We cannot hold back the Daedra long enough for them to reach the top. Do you have a way to stop them?”

“I do.” Meesei answered simply, though her tone did not carry the kind of hope that those words would imply. Her voice was cold, severe, and unmistakably determined.

Ri’vashi did not require explanation. Regardless of the details, she knew what fate was at hand for both Meesei and their enemies, but her end was still hers to choose. She closed her eyes for a moment, tightened both hands around the hilt of her blade, and let out a long breath. “It has been an honor, Champion.” She brought her blade up into a high guard, pointing its tip directly forward. “Forward!” She shouted to what remained of her warriors. Without a hint of fear, she rushed straight forward down the very center of the Daedric lines. She avoided almost without effort the spears of the pair of Skaafin who tried to meet her, while one deft motion of her blade found the neck of the first, and pierced its tip through the heart of the second. Still, she did not stop, and did not hesitate to continue to cut forward deep into the Daedra’s lines as they enveloped her on all sides.

Meesei glanced up at the lift making its way up the side of the tower. “Just a little longer…” She muttered to herself. The others just needed to be a little higher before it would be safe. Ri’vashi’s final shout had the last remnant of her forces fighting to their very last breaths with every bit of strength that remained in their bodies. From the start of the battle to its end, Ri’vashi and her warriors had fought hard enough that the Daedra had to climb over a field of their own fallen just to reach them, but their advance was inevitable. Like Ri’vashi before them, the brave souls that remained fought, struggled, and were enveloped by the horde.

The Daedra first started to come in on the flanks. Smaller, fast-moving creatures like clannfear started to make it close to her first. She pushed one hand out towards them, and with it, a blast of telekintetic force that sent them flying back over the heads of the Daedra behind them. On her other side, she let loose a barrage of magical lightning that stuck to the ground as if it were flame. She spread it out in an arc all around her, charging the ground with lightning to slow or halt any Daedra who dared approach her. Then, came the spellfire. With her allies defeated, any mage in sight could focus on her. Skaafin, xivilai, dremora concentrated destruction spells onto her from any angle they could find.

With another brief glance up to the lift, Meesei jabbed the end of the Staff of Magnus into the dirt to free up her other hand to defend herself. It was not quite time to tap into the Staff’s power. Her ward was a powerful bulwark against any individual spell that came her way, but one after another was wearing it down. Behind the lights of the spells lashing against her ward, however, was the glow of lightning charged through her other hand. Most Daedra had some form of weakness against shock, and such spells were a certain specialty for Meesei.

In this situation, chain lightning could tear its way through multiple ranks of Daedra. Each bolt of lightning cracked and echoed through the valley, and struck with an intensity that few creatures could withstand. Rarely did it take more than one bolt to drop the mages they struck, though just killing mages would not be enough for long. Her wall of lightning had stalled them for a moment, but soon enough, the Daedric frontline started to push through regardless. Lightning struck from the ground up, burning flesh and killing some of the weaker ones, but the rest could push through the pain.

Taking in a deep breath, Meesei knew it was time for one, final effort. All of her focus, every bit of strength and magicka she had left in her body was concentrated in between her hands. Her mind synchronized with the chaos of the destructive force she sought to command: the element of lightning. She gave no further regard to endurance or technique, only to pure, raw power, enhanced by Sabine’s potions, and by sheer force of will. When the closest of the Daedra were but mere steps away, she finally unleashed a storm of lightning to rival the fury of nature itself. Nothing close to her stood even the slightest chance as they were practically vaporized, and it only continued to chain from Daedra to Daedra behind them. Everything from lowly scamps to mighty harvesters fell to the power that pierced through their bodies. Whether their hearts stopped or they simply burned to death from the heat, all that was left over half a dozen ranks deep into the horde were bodies, and injuries spread even beyond that.

Immediately as the storm ended, Meesei collapsed onto her hands and knees. She felt like nearly every shred of strength had been drained from her body. Every last ounce of power she had was put into her spell, and what she had gained in exchange were…seconds. For every Daedra she had destroyed, there were a hundred more in the horde behind them to take their place. Already, Daedra beyond the range of her spell were climbing over the smoking bodies of the fallen to reach her. All of her effort had pushed them back by just a few seconds, but with a glance up at the rising lift far above her, Meesei could not help but to smile. Seconds were all that she had needed.

Grabbing a hold of the Staff of Magnus once more, Meesei pulled herself up to her feet. There was hardly any strength left in her body, but her own strength was no longer needed. The stolen power in the Staff was all she needed now. Even at her best, Meesei could not hope to control such immense power. All she could manage would be to release it, and to tune it to a particular target. From all sides, the Daedra closed in, roaring their battlecries, but Meesei simply closed her eyes and ignored the noise. Taking in one more, deep breath, she raised up the Staff once more, focused her mind, then jabbed it back into the ground.

From above, what one would see below was a white light brighter than the sun itself, followed by an indescribably intense wave of power with a deep red hue. It was almost raw magicka, just barely given the most rudimentary form into the destructive property of damage. Despite its strength, the energy could pass through most objects without so much as interacting with it, except for the one thing Meesei had managed to tune it to touch: life. The wave of energy spread over the Daedric horde like a flood, reaching nearly to the rear of their ranks. As well, it spread up into the air, enveloping the winged twilights that had started to swarm above until it fizzled out just barely short of the pack’s lift. Every being it touched, Daedra or mortal, became but ash in the wind.

The Cradle

“So you avoid my question, then? I think that is as clear of an answer as any.” Rareth remarked. It was clear that she would not be getting anywhere by speaking to the Facilitator, though that did not mean she was done. It merely meant that she would have to direct her efforts elsewhere.

This time, after the Facilitator stepped away, Rareth did not seem to have a problem wearing some of her frustration openly. She stepped up and took a moment to speak to Vreta and Freyr. “Why does it seem like I care more about Human lives than most of the Humans here?” She commented with a low growl. “We are going to need your reports on what happened in the Cradle. I have your recording, Vreta, but I think we will need your assessments all the same. Still, just don’t push yourselves too much and try to focus on recovering. I am going to see about getting both of you proper medical attention. We really do not know what might have happened to you in there. Now, I have some calls of my own to make.”

Vreta could certainly sympathize with the desire to get to work right away, but he had to admit that he felt mentally exhausted, with his body not being far behind. Everything he went through in the Cradle took quite a toll. “How are you holding up?” Vreta asked quietly to Freyr.