EliteCommander

The Cradle

“We’ll have that united front. I will approve a strike group from the Rothian navy to assist.” Rareth answered. “If these machines continue to refuse dialogue, then we will stop them there, or else determine their capabilities. Speaking of, we should get our scans from the last battle to the science team to see if there are any recognizable features from known Cradle-objects.”

Rareth turned her attention back towards the others on the Faultless Spear. She paused, briefly referring to some information on a holographic screen off to her side. “You are to follow your orders to deploy to the Barbarossa. Though I am reading that there are medical items of concern. Continue to follow the instructions of medical personnel on the Faultless Spear, then move to the Barbarossa once the relevant patients have been cleared for duty.”

Rareth’s gaze fell onto the other hologram present. “Ensure that both ships keep to our timetable for the next assignment, but see that you heed the instructions of our medical personnel.”

The Cradle

Vreta gave a light sigh. He might not have been able to hear what this Human’s avatar was saying, but Freyr was not hiding what she was saying. He could already tell this was going to require a bit of extra help. Clearly this person, whoever they represented, was intending to order the team away, based on Freyr’s side of the conversation. Vreta sent along a priority message to Rareth’Jharn informing her of the situation and requesting her immediate attention.

As long as Rareth was in range of the ship, it was easy for her to make her presence quickly known wherever she might be needed. Much like the Human’s avatar, Rareth’s avatar was soon projected in front of Vreta. Even in holographic form, it was hard for Rareth to be anything but imposing. Not just for her towering size, but her avatar carried every bit of the intensity of her gaze down towards the new Outreman representative. “Could you have bothered to involve me with informing the team?” She said as she turned her gaze to the rest of the science team. “Allow me to get you all caught up with what has been happening. In short, a mobile version of the Vault underneath Babylon has been installed on the Barbarossa. Given its specialized capabilities, we have come to an agreement to use the Barbarossa for the project. However, given previous security failures, a Rothian security detachment under my command is also being stationed aboard the Barbarossa for as long as it is being used for the project. Needless to say, the Faultless Spear will also be staying close at hand in case it is required.”

The Cradle

“If we want to keep the team safe, I wouldn’t suggest moving us anywhere else.” Marae suggested to Freyr. “I mean this with as little offense as possible to your military, but they have repeatedly failed to keep us safe on or around Outremer. There were bombings in orbit, a terrorist’s avatar walked right up to you on a landing pad, and then of course the attack on the arcology. Being on the Faultless Spear is the first time we’ve actually been safe since we got here. Not to mention, the facilities here are much more advanced; we’ll be able to get more work done.”

Even if he hadn’t been messaged himself, listening to Marae gave Vreta enough context to understand what was happening. He too sent Freyr a message privately. “It’s ultimately your choice if you want to follow that order, but you don’t have to let them bully you into anything. If you want some help ‘negotiating’, I can shoot a message to Rareth, and you can have her at your side.”

The Cradle

“If you care for your families, then you will want to do what you can to protect them. Leave now, and you will be leaving their fates up to us alone, without your input.” Marae argued, though her gaze went to this new person approaching just like the rest. Whoever this avatar represented, she did not recognize them.

Vreta stepped up alongside Freyr, glancing down briefly at her. She did not seem to be acting like she recognized this avatar either, but if it was here, then it had to be with approval. Perhaps someone from Outremer’s new government? In any case, he acknowledged their new guest and waited to hear what they had to say.

The Cradle

“Outremer may have traditionally preferred to keep to themselves, but our people have spent centuries forming connections with every species we meet, as much as possible.” Vreta interjected. “Even if we can’t rely exclusively on goodwill, we just have to be willing to give good enough deals to encourage cooperation. Still, with certain factions, I will admit it would be best if Outremer’s delegation did not…lead the way in negotiation.”

Marae felt somewhat hopeful. At least, the reaction so far had not been as negative as she feared it might be. As frightened or anxious as they might have been, there still seemed to be a will to accomplish their mission. “It is fair to worry about what other groups will do, I think. But, we have to make sure we are ready first. Each of us needs to be prepared and committed to see the project through.”

Artek’Qin, the xenoarcheologist, chimed in after a moment. “Do we have a solid lead on where we can find another one of these beings?”

The Cradle

“Whatever corruption is within the Cradle, it has been there long before the Navigator.” Vreta spoke up, from off to the side. “But if the Navigator is right, then it will not be enough just to avoid the Cradle. The threat may come for us in the real world, and if we are caught unprepared, we may not have a way to stop it.”

Marae nodded along with Vreta, then picked up quickly after him. “It isn’t just about curiosity, or even discovery anymore. It’s about protecting our people…both of our people. Our duty is to discover the truth about the Cradle, and this Navigator. Find out if it is telling the truth, and if so, find some way to help it stop the Hegemon. This isn’t a responsibility we can pass on to anyone else. There isn’t anyone more qualified than we are, because only understanding, only our research, is going to give us the answers we need.”

For the Rothian scientists, they were not terribly likely to refuse their mission, though there was selection bias in who was present. Each one was hand-picked by the Rahn’Saki, and under direct orders from them. Rothians did not have a tendency to disobey orders from the Rahn’Saki. Still, even if she was not expecting them to abandon the project, she had different problems she would have to deal with. Anxiety was going to become a persistent problem for her team. Rothians who were not trained for it did not tend to deal well with danger. After the attack on the surface, even Marae herself was medicated to deal with the stress, and she imagined others on her team would have it worse.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

“I already know the answers to these questions. When his life ended, he wished his remains buried according to his people’s custom in the sands near to his hometown. Quietly. The friends and family of his former life believed him dead long ago, and he had no wish to change that.” Yerig answered. Once again, he moved to bring himself up to his feet, though it looked like it was a struggle just for him to stand. His hands shook and he was visibly straining, but he did eventually manage to stand up straight under his own power.

There were a few, heavy breaths before Yerig continued. “I have fulfilled my promise to him. If you could, please, take me back to Tamriel. This unnatural place is no world for me. I wish to look up and see Kyne’s domain above, not these false stars.”

Halo: Aegis Team

Vael 'Virisusai

---

There was no immediate response from Grikgar, so with the platform cleared, Vael rushed to the edge to try to get a line of sight on the ground below. He had heard the sound of plasma fire echoing up from below, so he took aim down beneath him as soon as he reached the edge. However, by the time he arrived, he found no target to shoot. He spotted Grik climbing up the side of the ridge, leaving behind a dead Sangheili beneath him.

Vael joined soon in storming the barracks, though there ended up being no one left inside for them to fight. Once they had started their attack, all of the warriors garrisoned inside had joined the fight. After they confirmed that the barracks were clear, that marked the last objective they needed to complete while they were here. The cannon was too damaged to be used, and there was no one left alive to report back to the keep. As long as the Human AI’s communication jamming had been successful, then they now had a window to begin their attack on the keep.

”The area has been cleared. Have we sustained injuries?” Vael asked succinctly.

The Cradle

Not all on the team had yet been told of the particulars of what the Navigator had told them, so for some, this would be a potentially uncomfortable revelation. For Marae, it was bringing up fears that had been gnawing at her. It had been many centuries since she felt like she had been in anywhere close to the kind of danger she was in now. For many Rothians, that kind of danger would be something entirely new. The risk of death was something they tended to keep at a healthy distance away from their daily lives. Marae had been hatched at a time when they did not have the luxury of guaranteed safety, but that did not mean this feeling was anything but an unwelcome one.

For a moment, Marae lost focus. Her gaze wandered, to the slowly flowing water, to the sky, to the pleasant heat on her scales. It was tempting to get lost in the much more pleasant memories of her and Nirann’s last vacation to Anskaria. The future was no more certain then than it was now, but there was no reason to be frightened about it. The mysteries she studied at that time were only about expanding knowledge, not staving off disaster.

Marae soon felt a hand move across her back and rest on her shoulder as Nirann pulled her in close. The new frame he had chosen was substantially taller than her, so he had to lean down somewhat to nestle his head against hers. Out of everyone present, Nirann was likely the hardest to read. Not only did he lack an organic body, but his friendliness, humor, and apparent confidence was something he could always keep up no matter how he really felt. He was not any more immune to fear than any other Rothian, he could just leverage custom programming to hide it…but not from her. She knew him too well, and she knew he needed her. Nirann’s frame was nothing more than thick metal and polymer, and Marae was cold-blooded, but that did not stop both of them from feeling the warmth of the other’s support.

Marae took in a long, slow breath. This was a conversation she knew had been coming, and one that had been on her mind for a while. She could not count how many times she had gone through in her head what she might say, when the time came. Fortunately, she was not alone. Freyr, it seemed, was ready to talk about what lay ahead, and Marae knew she needed to help. For this, all of them needed to be working as a single team, and they needed to feel like they were one team. But, Marae still knew how to talk to her own people in a way they would respond to, and she expected Freyr would as well for the Humans. As Freyr paused, Marae stepped up alongside her to join her. “She is right. This is something new and…frightening for all of us. We are not unaccustomed to mysteries. Indeed, I think I can speak for most of us here when I say that mystery is something we can all embrace. The challenges of the unknown, the thrill of discovery, I don’t think any of us would be here if that was not something we had a passion to pursue. But this…is different. It isn’t just discovery now, it’s…duty. What we have learned of, potentially, is an entity, exceptionally advanced, and without peaceful intention. Something we have feared for a long time may have now been found: a threat to our future. Maybe even to our Eternity.”

Among the Rothians in particular, her final words brought about a clear and visible reaction. For some fear, some anxiety, some anger. The Rothian idea of Eternity was something that clearly held strong meaning to them, and Marae did not speak about it lightly.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Yerig did not move from his position, and there was still a tiredness to his voice as he responded to Sabine. “You had a noble goal, but peace was never yours to give him, young one. All that you, I, or anyone else could do was to support him on his journey to claim it for himself. You wanted to give him the peace of a life outside this war, but for Do’rhajul, there was no longer any peace in life. For him, peace in life would have been a return to the life he had before he was infected, but even a cure would not have given him that now. When he came to me all those many years ago, he had not accepted that. When I told him I could not give him what he desired, he turned to someone who convinced him he could, and he found the snake Clavicus Vile.”

The old Nord gave a long sigh. He started to seem like he wanted to stand up, but he stopped after just a brief, strained effort. “Vile and Hircine both had claim over his soul. He did not know where his eternity would lie when his life ended, but with his sacrifice, he claimed that answer by his own hand. Clavicus Vile, weakened as he is now, will have no ability to enforce his claim on Do’rhajul.”