EliteCommander

The Cradle

Nirann tilted his head, looking slightly to the side For a moment, it seemed like his gaze could have been going up to the transparent ceiling to observe the aquatic life above them, but it was hard to tell exactly where he was looking. Strictly speaking, his optics did not have a singular point of focus, so he could simultaneously focus on everything within his field of view. “Hmm, I guess that’s one way of looking at it. A nice sentiment, could make for a good introduction in a book, but I doubt the Cradle is going to read it. It’s not going to wait on the bureaucracy. If we don’t take action and get to work, then these beings we don’t yet understand are going to be making all the decisions for us. At that point, we’ll just have to hope we agree with them.”

Marae turned towards Nirann, placing a hand on his metal shoulder. “I know you’re right, dear, but the issue with tribalism is that we don’t have one Human who can make all the decisions.” She turned her attention back to Wallace, taking just a short break for her tea. “I know you can’t just force your government to act, but I would suspect you do have your influence. So, how would you recommend getting our team to work again, peacefully?”

The Cradle

Nirann looked closely at Wallace as well for a few moments, or at least he appeared to be looking at her. Eventually, he gave a shrug as he answered. “If I could figure that out, I would be a hero. Well…even more of a hero.” He only tilted his head slightly, but it would be easy to imagine him grinning with his tone.

Marae’s sigh seemed expected at this point, but regardless of his approach, she did agree with the point Nirann had been making. “I think we all wish we could say more about them, but there are just too many unknowns. And, well, wild speculation is more dangerous than useful. My husband does have a point, though. The Rothian people could help accelerate every part of our efforts far more than we are right now. We could bring in more resources, more specialists, better computers. And we could help with all this other trouble too. Evacuations could go much faster with our help. We may not yet be sure what is or is not true about the Cradle, but the possibility of a major threat to us has made this project a priority for the Rahn’Saki. That much I do know. We could make a lot more progress with those kinds of resources, but we need to get through all of this…what is the phrase? Red tape.”

Halo: Aegis Team

UNSC AI SHI 1203-8 and Vael 'Virisusai

---

Aviza would hear Shih’s response in her head right away. ”I’m not getting any major alerts on anyone’s vitals. Nothing worth mentioning. As for the storm, though, the mountain we’re under is blocking most of the useful data from our sensors. Best I can tell you is probably the same thing you can hear from that opening up there: it is still going strong.”

Even after the bulb made its apparent retreat, Vael stood on guard for a few moments. He continued pointing his plasma rifle down the pit, watching for any signs of movement. It was only once Tar called their attention to the way out that Vael moved his gaze elsewhere. ”And it will be a dangerous climb. It is steep to start, and the rain from the storm will only make it more difficult.”

Vael walked up towards the wall, looking up at the exit above. ”But this approach shall allow us to reach our objective undetected. Tar, Ryker, and I will climb first. Grik and the Humans will go next.” He said, referring to the unaugmented Humans among them. ”The rest of you will watch for any more attacks from this beast, then climb up behind us.”

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Following the flash of light, Barbas touched a paw curiously to the cage’s door. The magical seal had been what was containing him, so the cage had no physical lock. When he pressed his nose against it, the door opened right away. Clavicus Vile was still occupied with Hircine and did not notice right away, but as soon as Barbas stepped outside the cage, Vile made eye contact with him. In that moment, many brightly glowing streams of energy flowed through the air from Vile to Barbas. Some passed harmlessly around Fendros’ pack, but any who could feel them would glimpse the near incomprehensible power of a god.

“You…ungrateful, insufferable mutt! I’ll…” Vile began, but Barbas did not say a word. He looked past Fendros’ pack up at his master for just a moment before a blinding flash of light filled the area. It lasted just a brief second, and when it faded, Barbas had seemingly vanished.

While Vile was distracted, Hircine was finally given an opening. The Great Huntsman moved with unbelievable speed and managed to land a thrust with his spear to the right side of Vile’s chest. The weapon of a god, of course, could pierce the body of another, though it was not blood that flowed forth. The wound actually appeared to glow with a bright white light from Vile’s very essence, further fueling the Daedra’s rage. Still, even with all that had just happened, Vile still answered back with a pulse of magicka that radiated out in all directions around him, slamming Hircine once again to the ground. The barrier that Vile had created to keep back Fendros’ pack had fallen, but luckily, he did not yet direct most of his rage towards the pack. Hircine was still the one with his focus.

“So these insects actually found some small way to help you after all? How pathetic…and pointless. Even at half my strength, I am still far more powerful than you!” Clavicus Vile shouted. Just as Hircine pushed off the ground to dash forward towards him, he was stopped in his tracks as tendrils of Daedric magic extended forth from Vile’s hand to envelop the Huntman’s body to start corroding his very being. Despite all of the power Barbas had taken from him, he did not seem to be bluffing. “It is such a shame. I was going to enjoy forcing your ‘hounds’ to watch you fail before their eyes, but now I suppose I am just going to have to have them put down.”

Clavicus Vile slowly waved one hand in the direction of Fendros’ pack, and in its wake, dozens upon dozens of conjuration portals appeared between them and Vile, each one bringing forth another Daedra. Fortunately, Meesei’s sacrifice had destroyed many of Vile’s most powerful servants in the battle below for the moment, but there were still a few powerful Daedra among them, and the pack was heavily outnumbered.

The Cradle

“Hmm, it sounds like you may also want to speak to Rareth about some of this after we are done. She is technically the one who is ultimately in charge of the Rothian expedition, after all. Just be aware that she may not be as, um, sympathetic about the effects of all the chaos on Outremer as we are. She expects Outremer to honor its agreements with us promptly, regardless of who is in charge, and I don’t feel that she has as much patience for diplomacy. Most of us do understand, though, that with all this upheaval on Outremer, you need time.” Marae explained.

Nirann gave a glance towards the tea. It was hard to tell through the expressionless face of a droid, but his body language did make him seem somewhat annoyed that he could not join in. Regardless, it did not take long before he actually started to get down to business as well. “That’s all true, yeah, but no matter how blunt she might be, Rareth might actually have a point here. We can sit around this resort playing political games until the heat death of the universe, but the Navigator, the Cradle, every other being involved in this, they’re not going to wait on us. Whatever their ends are, they’re going to be pushing straight towards them regardless of what we do. I say it’s best that we get properly back to work sooner, rather than later.”

Halo: Aegis Team

Vael 'Virisusai

---

The damage that the fuel rod gun caused was immediate and pronounced. The sheer intensity of the heat was enough to penetrate deep into the bulb. The vines again reacted, but this time it did not seem to be a coordinated defensive response. Rather, they moved and spasmed seemingly at random for a few seconds. As the bulb served as the being’s “mind”, damaging it was like damaging an animal’s brain. Those who had been constricted by them would find it as an opening to act.

Vael and Ryker had only just managed to pull Tar from beyond the blast radius. Even still, Vael’s shields flared from the heat. However, this was an opening on which they had to act. Grik had created an opening to the creature’s core, so as soon as Vael could get up off the ground, he took aim with his plasma rifle and fired straight into the wound at the top of the bulb. The plasma could now hit straight to the core of the bulb where it was vulnerable, causing yet more random thrashing among its vines.

The Cradle

Nirann could not grin, but his posture did become noticeably more relaxed. He crossed one leg over his knee and leaned back into the chair, which further adjusted to him. “I am expecting business. But…I saw how your last business outing in Threria went. It ended up with a fair amount of drugs, a fist fight, and Vreta in bed with that Human agent. So, I know those two aren’t mutually exclusive.”

“Nirann…” Marae groaned, nudging him with her elbow before speaking up herself. “Naturally, you would not come all the way here and seek us out if it were not important.” She took a moment to grab her cup of tea in her hands, though for the moment, she simply waited for it to cool down. Despite the treats, refreshments, and all the other formalities, Wallace still had not given any hint as to why she was here. Although Marae had been eager to relax with Freyr before Wallace arrived, she was now wanting to get to business. “We have been stuck here for a while, after the attacks, though we have been continuing our work as best as we can in the meantime.”

The Cradle

The Rothians did not truly expect any danger from Wallace herself, and the ship was more than able to keep itself hidden from any danger that might be out in the city. Still, Rothians always took their safety seriously, even with mild threats of danger. Mar’Ghel was content to wait wherever the Plenipotentiary desired her to be, as she had been chosen to be their protector for a reason. Being the recon specialist of Void company, her suit was equipped with the most capable sensor suite available. As well, both her suit and Nirann’s current frame were equipped for Gravitational Wave Signaling, allowing them to communicate via principles not even detectable to Human technology. Nirann himself walked at Marae’s side, wanting as much to keep her safe as he did to keep her company.

Wallace’s office was a large space, capable of spanning three entire decks worth of space. It was spherical in shape, with the floor and some of the wall being transparent. Evidently, they had decided to ensure their privacy by taking the vessel underwater, based on what they could see outside. Nirann took a few moments to observe a curious fish beneath him as he took his seat. Initially, the office had been quite featureless, but it was a space that seemed to be meant to be adaptable to whatever purposes the Plenipotentiary required. Near the center of the room, tables, chairs, and other needed furniture formed up from the floor itself. They were comprised of small, interlocking panels no, more than a square centimeter in area, which could form to nearly any shape. The panels were even chromodynamic, allowing them to change color to give the furniture a more natural appearance.

At first, the furniture was more generalized, but as everyone sat down, their chairs quickly adapted and re-shaped themselves to conform exactly to their specific forms. The ship did seem to allow for exceptional convenience and luxury, though neither Nirann nor Marae showed too strong of a reaction. Rothians were accustomed to such forms of luxury, though given Wallace’s extensive experience with them, she was not likely surprised.

“I’ve seen your ship docked at Rothia before.” Nirann remarked towards Wallace. “I’m curious, do you tend to have as much fun in here as you do in Threria? Because you know, that’s a pretty high bar, considering the last outing of yours that I saw.” He laughed.

The Cradle

Marae nodded her head. “Of course. Although, if I know my husband, he is going to want to come along once I tell him I am going somewhere. No matter where it is. I am sure you know Nirann, though. If you’ve ever been to Threria, you have met him, considering that he pretty much is the city. Besides which, I am guessing this is something he should hear too.”

Ultimately, the group did not delay much longer. One of Void company, the sniper and recon specialist Mar’Ghel was called aboard to help bolster their protection. As well, Marae was, as usual, correct with her assumptions about her husband. Nirann was eager to join once Marae told him she was leaving the tower. It would not have even mattered if it were an important matter or not, he was simply always eager to find something new to do. Being trapped in a single body tended to be quite an irritating experience for him, much less being trapped in a single building. Back home, he had every camera and sensor in Threria to be his eyes and ears. There was always something interesting for him to observe somewhere in the city, so his current situation felt exceptionally limiting for him.

The vessel that the group boarded was as peculiar as Wallace herself. By Human standards, it possessed sophisticated technology that allowed it to hide many parts of its nature from observers. Its shape was difficult to discern from the outside, and even its interior had sections that were blurry to some observers, and not others. For being a diplomat’s personal vessel, it was quite sizable, being about seventy meters in length with three separate decks. Most certainly, it allowed for ample privacy in whatever ways were needed. Mar would be waiting in the anterior section of the ship, but Marae stayed close with the rest of the group. Ultimately, she did not yet know what matter, specifically, Wallace came here to discuss, so Marae would have to wait and see.

Inside the vessel, it was as if the storm outside disappeared entirely. It could not be seen, nor felt. “I must say, I am surprised to see you here, Plenipotentiary Wallace. I would have expected your services would be needed on Rothia.” Marae remarked.

Halo: Aegis Team

Vael 'Virisusai

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Yalu was most certainly correct about this plant. Destroying the source was the only way to stop this swarm of vines, and they needed to do it quickly or be overwhelmed. Grik had the firepower, but Tar was still too close to the bulb as it pulled her ever closer to the basin. She had to be pulled away. Quickly.

As he reached the edge of the basin, Vael reached down and grabbed a hold of Tar’s arm, his fingers wrapping around it in a vice grip. The number of vines wrapped around her provided a great deal of resistance, but the power behind a Sangheili warrior was just as substantial. Some of the vines stretched and snapped as he started to slowly pull her upwards, but Vael soon felt his own body being pulled down as well. More vines twisted around his legs and back. A wide swing of his blade severed many, but not all were easily within reach.

”I need…help!” Vael shouted, his progress stalled.