Cath

The Cradle

The distant walls of the atrium contracted and expanded, like Freyr imagined the inside of a heart might look. A rhythmic pounding lanced the space between her temples, forcing her to squeeze her eyes shut. When she opened them a moment later, Vreta was in front of her, blocking her view.

She let herself be guided to the foot of a nearby grassy knoll and sat down heavily. She grasped the foliage beneath her and it felt reassuring somehow. She stared at her feet And when she looked around again after a minute or so, the atrium had regained its regular lighting. The tentacles had gone.

“I’m…ok.” Dr Lang sighed. She looked over at the large lizard that was examining her.

“I’ve been having these…dreams.” She finally admitted. “Like I'm back inside the Cradle - they feel so real…”

She looked around again. “It's bizarre, am I still in that hospital bed? I feel like maybe I am dreaming right now.”

Song Reference time

Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find

Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions

Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins

The rest is still unwritten
The rest is still unwritten
The rest is still unwritten

The Cradle

Once Freyr was connected to the network, she quickly figured out how to summon her gift. A servile bot floated over as they were exiting the infirmary, carrying a large hamper. It was laden with flowers and fruits native to Outremer, an ever-hot flask of fragrant jasmine tea and a holo-card that just read ‘M’.

Freyr examined the eclectic gift with a hint of bewilderment, before taking the flask and a small bunch of yellow grapes. “Take that to wherever my team is.” She instructed the robot, who chirruped in agreement before gliding off ahead of them. Freyr sipped the tea and wandered after Vreta.

She wasn’t that interested in starships as a general rule, but Freyr couldn’t help but be impressed by the park which greeted them. “Wow. Gorgeous!” She breathed, craning her neck to watch as a flight of birds whooshed overhead.

“I’d be surprised if they haven’t brought their workstations out here to work.” Freyr laughed, stopping only when the lights started to flicker. Dark particles filled the air, and blood red hue bathed every surface of the atrium. Thick green tentacles rose from the earth and wrapped around the trees, and the sound of birdsong was replaced by a thick gurgling from all around.

Freyr stared all around at this overlay in her head, rooted in place. She felt her breathing restricted to gasps, as if the atmosphere was being rendered uninhabitable.

The Cradle

Freyr coughed on some water as she listened to Vreta’s story. “Detained? What is it with these people?” She sent a quick response to Masgard:

My Hider

Thanks. Give me 12 hours.

Dr Lang took the Rothian’s hand and carefully levered herself out of the large bed. “Did anything arrive for me from Outremer?”

The Cradle

Freyr nodded, mulling things over while taking another long sip of water.

It scared her to death, not knowing who was pulling the strings. Her work on the Cradle over the past decade had given her a glimpse of how labyrinthine the corridors of power on Outremer. But it felt like ever since the jewel in her adopted home planet’s crown had woken up, some kind of long-arranged plan had begun to unfold. People were saying one thing to her face, and then doing completely the opposite.

Looking at Vreta, Dr Lang realised that she did trust him. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that every Rothian she’d met was reading from a script - at least at certain times. The Rahn’Saki had looked like they were wearing a mask at their first formal conference. The lack of discord among their lizard friends troubled her.

Freyr watched Vreta continue talking while she mulled things over, only half listening. Then, an encrypted message popped up on her neural net through the cruiser's distribution network. It was from Masgard Xandrus - her eyes clouded over while she accessed it.

Message

Hey.

Glad to hear you’re awake. Did you get my get-well-soon gift? Pretty much the entire government wants to talk to you. I’ve told them you need time, but i don't know if i can stall them for long. Let me know when you’re ready to face them.

M

Freyr closed down her neural interface and sighed. “It seems I am in high demand.” She contemplated the prospect of getting back to work, and immediately got the imprint of a voice whispering in her ear, and her face submerged in water. Her heart began pounding in her chest, and Freyr’s next few breaths were fast and juddery. Then all of a sudden it was gone.

“I don’t know…if I can face working today. How is my team? How is, erm, Wallace? She was there before I passed out. With those two masked people.”

Song Reference time

I said, he doesn't look a thing like Jesus! But he, talks like a gentleman

Halo: Aegis Team

Tar heard Vael’s callout in her ear, then a moment later the solid impact of his sword pommel against her side. The Hunter Killer was so intent on forcing his sword into his opponent’s chest that he didn’t notice. He growled again and redoubled his efforts. White hot pain exploded at two points across her chest, and Tar screamed out.

She grasped at Vael's sword pommel, turning it round so her fingers fit snugly around it. She pushed it up towards the Hunter Killer’s side and activated it. A bright blue blade burst through his armour on both sides of his body. A look of surprise flashed into his eyes; his body tautened and his growl turned into a wet gurgle.

Tar kept her embattled left arm straight, and pushed with her sword arm. The Sangheili on top of her flopped to the side, still holding his own blade. She rolled with him to avoid accidentally slicing the flesh of her arm on his sword.

Once the Hunter Killer was on the floor, she pushed herself away and teased the sword tip out of her chest. The pain was excruciating - a wave of blindness rolled across Tar's vision and she nearly collapsed. Desperately holding her senses together, she awkwardly manoeuvred the blade away from her, then scrambled up and on top of her assailant. He struggled weakly against Tar’s weapon which was still in his side.

The Commando leaned in close. “WHERE is Falx?” She hissed. “Does he still live?” The dying Elite under her tried to laugh, but ended up coughing bright purple blood.

“TELL ME!” Tar yelled, letting go of her sword pommel to grab his armour at both shoulders and shake violently.

The Cradle

Freyr looked down at her hands briefly when the Doctor mentioned a sensory uplink, but couldn’t spot anything attached to her. She looked back up at them. “Thank you. I will get up soon and see how I feel.” She looked back to Vreta, trying to process what he was saying.

“Terrorists? But…who-” Her fuzzy brain suddenly etched a portrait of the man who’d apprehended them on the bridge, on their way to the Cradle those weeks ago. His lips moved: “You have the power to stop this, before it's too late.” The tattoo of a scythe under his eye wiggled as he smiled, revealing a set of sharpened synthetic teeth. “If you don’t, well…the Guild doesn’t look kindly on traitors.”

“Skinners? Why do they want to kill us? We’re just trying to understand what we’ve gotten ourselves into…” Dr Lang searched Vreta’Sori’s reptilian eyes, as if to find the answer to her question.

The Cradle

Freyr struggled to comprehend what Vreta was telling her. Were those noises in the back of her head memories of deafening in-atmosphere engines and explosions?

She received the bottle sippy cup and greedily drank from it, peering blankly over at the assortment of clothing. The water trickled down her dry pipes, invigorating her slightly, but her mind still span.

“Was there an attack? My memory is a little hazy…”

The Cradle

Freyr stared blankly into space, searching her memory while the doctors spoke to her. Her mind tried to piece together what had happened and how she’d arrived in this strange place - but the last couple of days were an uncomfortable blur. She distractedly hummed out an earworm; the beginning of a song she didn’t know.

She looked over when another Rothian entered, and it took a few seconds for her to recognise Vreta’Sori. He asked her how she was, and Freyr looked down at her hands as if to see if she’d contracted leprosy. “Groggy. Where am i?” She replied eventually. She smacked her lips, finding them dry. “Water.” She murmured. The Human doctor made a note and then signalled at the attendant droid.