Vreta’s investigation was a slow process. The marks on the office building were on multiple sides, so it was difficult to say at a glance exactly where those who made them had come from or gone too. He had to move slowly and carefully enough not to be spotted by the guards, while also keeping an eye on his surroundings for anything notably out of place. Fortunately, whatever damaged the office building did not seem to have the word “subtlety in their vocabulary. As he was circling the perimeter of the building, he noticed a high fence with plenty of marks, scratches, and a bit of damage of its own. Something had scaled it, and likely quickly. Now that he knew where to look, he could see traces of the intruders’ path towards the building, though since he could not follow in that direction, he instead looked to track where they had come from.
Following the path into the neighboring lot, Vreta soon realized there was a lot to track. He could not be sure of the exact size of the group that had scaled the office, but they had been moving in a rather loose group. Quite spread-out. It would take a while to investigate the area around the warehouse, and that was if he did not need to go inside. If he did, he would probably have to just be content with an incomplete search. Still, the soldiers guarding the office had not extended their perimeter to the neighboring lots, so it was possible he could find something before they decided to sweep the area.
While Vreta had limited information on the event going into the Cradle, it did not take long wandering to find the location of the disturbance. All he had to do was tail one person walking along the sidewalk and he was led right to it. He stuck to the shadows in an alley, but even from a distance, he could see the flurry of activity surrounding a specific building. It looked to be an office, rather than a warehouse like many of the other structures, and was about five or six stories tall. There were people, especially soldiers, all around it. There were guards, barricades blocking off sections of the street, and plenty of other compelling reasons as to why Vreta was definitely not going to get inside. He did see other civilians in jumpsuits much like his heading in and out of the front door, and usually, bluffing his way into restricted areas was a fairly reliable option for him. However, in this case, he felt that he was a bit too tall, and a bit too scaly to blend in among the exclusively-Human civilians moving around in the area.
Lacking the option to blend in plain sight, Vreta instead looked around for other options. There was too much activity for him to see much on ground level from his angle, but looking a bit higher, there was some obvious damage to the building itself. On the top floor, there were many broken windows that drew his eye, though his attention was soon drawn to some even more curious observations. While less obvious than busted windows, there was also some noticeable damage to the outside of the building. His first thought was that someone might have tried to shoot up the place from the outside, but if that was the case, there would probably be damage to the windows on more than just the top floor. Not to mention, the marks on the exterior did not look quite like they came from weapon fire. Not projectiles, and especially nothing heat-based. He wished he still had his bionic eyes to zoom in on the marks, but from where he was standing, it looked like there were many small, piercing marks. By the way they were arranged, it was almost like something, or many “somethings”, had climbed up the side of the building. This was getting interesting…and stranger by the minute. Whatever was going on, he needed to be cautious.
Approaching the building was not an option, but if something had climbed up, or down, the side of the building, then it would have had to have come from, or gone to, somewhere. That meant there could be evidence of it somewhere outside the perimeter the soldiers had set up: something he could potentially find. Vreta ducked back into the alley and decided to try and move around towards the side and back of the building, steering clear of the perimeter, to see what he could find without being noticed.
Fortunately for Vreta, his entry location was not currently occupied. He was prepared to try and lie his way through any encounter if needed, but until he knew what precisely was going on in this place, he would prefer to remain hidden. He cracked open the door and peered out into the hall, cautiously. A few sniffs of the air and he caught a scent: a Human. His olfactory implants might not have been functional, but the natural sense of smell for a Rothian was still sharp. The scent was coming from the right, so Vreta moved left down the hall until he could find a door to slip outside.
Vreta had not been to this particular district before, but at least on first impressions, there was nothing remarkably different from any other section of the Cradle. Though, Vreta did admit to finding the Cradle, as a whole, to be an unsettling place. The violet lights in the otherwise dark skies bore little resemblance to any natural environment, and the complete blackness beyond any of the creations of the Humans was even more alien. It was an “unnatural” place by any definition. Although, it was not the idea of a virtual environment itself that unsettled Vreta. His feelings stemmed from the fact that the Humans did not completely understand this technology they now commanded. It was not their creation, and based on its sophistication, the species that had created the Cradle was peer even to the Rothians, at least. They were “terraforming” a world they did not understand to their own ends, even though they did not truly know why it was originally created. Vreta absolutely supported the idea of studying and learning from the Cradle, but he would never have entertained the idea of using it so recklessly before it was fully understood.
In any case, Vreta did have more present and immediate concerns right in front of him. Looking around outside the building, it seemed this district was something like an industrial park: plenty of similar-looking buildings and warehouses arranged in an organized grid pattern. Based on what he knew of the corporation that owned it, he expected it might have been a testing ground for new products and technologies, though he could not be sure. He quickly dipped into one of the nearby alleys to try and stick to the shadows, out of sight. He intended to move cautiously and see if he could spot any people and watch what they were doing.
Vreta received little notice from the other residents or staff of the hotel on his way to the entry gear. At least, no more than usual. Non-humans were not an entirely strange sight on Outremer, but it was still a very Human world, overall. The presence of the Cradle and its meaning for their civilization meant that they were considerably more cautious about outsiders than other Human colonies. From what Vreta knew, even other Human factions were not guaranteed to be entirely welcome. Still, Vreta’s cover story represented trade, money, and where there was money to be made, there would always be exceptions.
Upon reaching the room, Vreta was immediately greeted by a staff member: a young Human woman in a white, formal uniform with black trim. For hotel guests, many of whom were visitors to the planet, Cradle access was naturally a supervised affair. Though, to her credit, Vreta did not notice any difference in how she looked at and spoke to a giant reptilian compared to any of the other guests he had seen the employees with.
“Hello, sir. If you are looking for Cradle access, just give me your access pass and I will get you set right up.” She said right away with a smile.
For approved offworlders, Cradle access was given by a pass keyed to their identity. “Of course. Here you are.” Vreta said as he handed her a small card from one of the pouches on his belt, which she slotted into a datapad. She used the device to scan him and confirm his identity, which only took a few seconds.
The woman led Vreta over to an empty Cradle access point, which was built into a chair that he assumed would be rather comfortable…for a Human. For him, it was too small for his height, and he had nowhere convenient to put his tail. Regardless, none of that would matter once he was in the Cradle. It would just make him mildly sore afterwards.
Once the woman put the access pass in the machine, Vreta was given a list of destinations in the Cradle he was approved to access. For him, it was a rather short list, but the one that mattered was among them. It was a recent expansion by a corporation that he had been doing business with, though Vreta was not sure what he would find once he was there. He just needed to be ready for anything.
The transition took only moments. It was like falling, briefly. Vreta felt like he wanted to gasp for air, but his body no longer obeyed him. Within seconds, though, he had a new…and admittedly far inferior version of his body to command. He looked virtually the same on the outside, but the software the Humans used to access the Cradle could not properly account for his many enhancements. It meant he had to be even more cautious than usual, but he was not one who felt that he relied upon them.
The entry point Vreta had appeared in was a small room, currently devoid of other guests. He tugged briefly on the neckline of the jumpsuit the program manifested for him. It did at least fit him, but he found it to be more of an irritant than anything, especially when it rubbed his scales the wrong way.
Ahnasha quickly downed her magicka potion, then took a few moments to catch her breath. As she started to answer Fendros, she turned her gaze towards the frontline to watch the handiwork of her new thrall. “It’s more Conjuration than Illusion, though I see the comparison. In simple terms, it’s…sort of like I summoned it, except I didn’t even need to make a portal to bring it to me, since it was already here. A large part of the school of Conjuration is commanding the wills of Daedra, and while it is a titan, it is still a Daedra. Its will can be commanded like any other. It just takes power, and skill.”
It did not take long for the titan to show its worth. As the beast flew over the the Daedric frontline, it let loose a wall of cold flame that cut through the Daedra’s ranks. Some mages and archers tried to return fire, but as the mortal armies had been experiencing up to this point, the titan was quite a durable beast. Within just a few passes, the Daedric attack had stalled, and despite the heavy losses they had taken on this flank, there was a good opportunity to counterattack.
“I used a trick Neesa taught me to make sure I had the power I needed, and you know I have the skill.” Ahnasha grinned. “But I think I’m going to…hang back a bit. Where’s Leaps? I’ll ride up on the saddle with you. I would rather not lose my focus too much right now.”
Back at the portal, reinforcements had been coming in as quickly as they could bring them through. There was a great deal to organize aside from just their strategy. Their siege weapons had initially started out being assembled on the mountain near the portal, but as the frontline had pushed forward, so too had they needed to move the weapons forward. Supplies, as well as soldiers, were constantly moving out the portal and down into the valley. Though, at this point, they did not have many soldiers remaining in reserve.
Ri’vashi had been coordinating with the other two commanders for the entire duration of the battle, but the more scouts’ reports they had received, particularly from the battle in the pass, the more obviously concerned she had grown. The most recent group through was a company of lycan warriors, and as they were starting to organize themselves, Ri’vashi grabbed her helmet and placed it on her head before returning to the map to rejoin the other two commanders.
“We have not heard a direct report from the Champion since they started their push against the Daedra’s defenses, but from the scout reports, this one thinks they are going to need reinforcements. Ri’vashi intends to lead them herself. She would like to request a contingent of cavalry from one of you.” Ri’vashi asked.
For Vreta’Sori, there was frustratingly little to do at the moment. He was laid back on the couch his his hotel room, his feet hanging off the armrest, while he occasionally reached over and grabbed a handful of…mostly passable chips from a bowl on the table beside him. He had made something of a mess by this point with the crumbs he dropped, which might have been considered uncouth behavior for what was meant to be a high-class hotel. However, even an expensive hotel on this planet felt lacking compared to what he was accustomed to back on Rothia. It lacked as many luxuries, and the computer that managed his room was much less sophisticated. It felt like he had to give every single instruction himself, whereas back home, a Rothian computer would learn the majority of his preferences in a matter of hours. It felt like it had taken that long for this room’s computer just to learn the correct room temperature. Being cold-blooded, he preferred the air to be at a temperature that a Human would consider a bit toasty.
In any case, Vreta had integrated himself well into life on Outremer. He had been able to tell just by speaking with them that the executives at Zuraxi’Synkuur were nervous about cooperating with the Rahn’Masser on this operation, but so far, he had frankly been quite a boon to their company. Even though being their representative was his cover, he had still managed to secure them a lucrative deal with a local, Human corporation to sell them “export approved” Rothian processors for use in their consumer electronics. It had taken a few days of negotiation, but it was nothing unfamiliar to Vreta. Other species always tried to negotiate for higher end technology that the Rothian government would not approve for export, but he just had to be patient and not give in to their bluffs.
Vreta might have done well for the company he was representing, but his own mission still had a long ways to go. By his association with the Human corporation, he did at least have limited access to the Cradle, but he was not likely to learn anything substantial from that alone. If he could, the local government would hardly grant the privilege to anyone. He had at least managed to plant sniffer programs in a few different networks, searching for anything particularly interesting relevant to the Cradle. He had already received five different false positives this week, but there was at least some potential for a breakthrough.
Vreta awoke suddenly, having been jolted into consciousness by a priority alert through his neural implant. He had not intended to fall asleep, so he was not sure how long his nap had lasted, but as soon as he came to, he noticed a notification in the periphery of his vision. He sat up, rubbed his eyes, and let out a yawn before directing the alert to open with a simple thought. He was being notified of discoveries by his sniffer programs, but unlike the false positives earlier this week, there were dozens of them.
The lethargy that had overtaken Vreta for most of the day was quick to disappear. Half of the programs he had uploaded were now sending him alerts; he could not imagine this being a false positive. He practically ran across his apartment into his bedroom and grabbed a fairly large, robust metal case from underneath his bed and held the scanner up to his eye to unlock it. For important representatives of major corporations, there was nothing unusual about locking away sensitive materials in a protective case, though it was perhaps uncommon for that case to deliver a massive electric current that would destroy its contents should it be opened improperly. Biometrics were not always terribly secure, but a lock that used an artificial eye as a key could be made exceptionally safe. Namely, it would only open if Vreta was alive, awake, alert, and willing.
Among other, more mundane materials relating to his cover, there was a small data pad which Vreta grabbed as he took a seat on the edge of his bed. The alerts that Vreta had received through his implants were non-descriptive and masked as personal messages. The actual data from his sniffer programs was sent to this device, which was made specifically to be exceptionally difficult to trace. The program on the device highlighted what it identified as the most important information, but Vreta still spent twenty minutes going through it all.
Overall, there was no doubt in Vreta’s mind that this was the opportunity that he had been waiting for. Something had happened in the Cradle, though nothing his programs had intercepted quit told the full story. There was some sort of disruption in a recent expansion in the Cradle, and it was major. Enough that the Outremer government was getting involved. Communications had been secretly cut off between that section of the Cradle and the outside world and a cover story was already being formulated. Evidently, even the Humans did not know what was happening, as experts were being called in for the purpose of investigation. But, what was most important for Vreta was the fact that the section was not currently being locked down from access. Clearly, they were trying to keep this under wraps, and an outright lockdown would be guaranteed to bring the public’s attention straight to it. This was an area he did have access to, so for now, he had an opening to investigate this himself without breaking any of the Humans’ laws. Though, this was still something he would have to approach carefully.
From the data pad, Vreta sent the command for his sniffer programs to erase themselves. It would be irritating to have to plant them again if this turned out to be nothing, but he needed to be cautious. His programs were exceptionally sophisticated by Human standards and were highly unlikely to be discovered, but even so, he did not want anything out there which could serve as evidence of his…misbehavior if something did go wrong. To that end, he also wiped the data pad before locking it back up.
Reaching over to the other side of his bed, Vreta grabbed his belt and searched through one of the pouches until he found a small container holding a clear liquid, which he promptly drank. It would help ensure he had plenty of energy for whatever might be ahead. He put on the belt as well, though as he would be entering the Cradle, he did not expect he would need it. Still, it never hurt to be prepared. His hotel had complementary Cradle entry gear available on nearly every floor, so he would not need to go far.
Description: Rothians are tall, bipedal, oviparous reptilians. They are cold-blooded and do not suffer from the effects of aging. They are physically strong, obligate carnivores, possessing claws on both their hands and feet, and a raptor-like head. Their hands possess three fingers and a single thumb, while their feet have three large toes. Compared to humans, they have less defined shoulders with thicker and longer necks. Scale colors and patterns vary between individuals, but tend to consists of shades of green, brown, and other colors that would have offered camouflage in their natural environment. Like all life on Rothia, they are resistant to the harmful effects of high energy wavelengths of light, such as x-rays, due to the heightened presence of such energy in their home system. There is minimal sexual dimorphism between males and females of the species, and no noticeable external differences between the two genders, to the point that non-Rothians are usually unable to distinguish between them.
Architecture and Technology Design: Rothian architecture, for buildings and ships alike, tend to be clean and efficient, preferring rounded surfaces to flat edges in order to limit structural weak points. Robots, which are ubiquitous in nearly every facet of Rothian society, follow the same aesthetic as the rest of their structures. Most machines are programmed with some form of “dumb” AI, though smart AI are used for highly complex or important tasks. Rothian society does make use of a highly efficient form of cold fusion for powering even small devices, especially for civilian purposes; however, Rothian have also, in recent decades, mastered the efficient production and containment of antimatter, representing the cutting edge of power generation. Antimatter technology powers entire planets, starships, and more powerful forms of weaponry. Rothian antimatter technology is a closely-guarded military secret, and significant measures are taken to limit the possibility of reverse engineering.
Government: The Rothian government which controls the homeworld and its colonies, the Vu'sho'to'Ka (Will of the People) is, at its core, authoritarian. The highest office of power is known to be a council of seven individuals the Rahn’Saki, who serve for life unless removed from power by the other members of the council, though such an event has never taken place in Rothian history. With Rothian immortality, lifespans among the population have grown exponentially as medicinal technology has improved, so some members of the Rahn’Saki are known to be thousands of years old. New members are only brought onto the council when a current council member dies, so it is an understandably rare event. The inner workings of the council are completely opaque to anyone on the outside, and in fact, council members have always disappeared from public life shortly after being accepted. It is exceptionally rare for any member of the Rahn’Saki to be seen in public, and some have not been seen in quite literally hundreds of years. However, their influence is seen across all of Rothian space. Rothian power structures are generally organized from the top-down, with higher offices appointing individuals to lower offices. The only elected positions within Rothian society are generally smaller, local offices.
Military: The Rothian military doctrine generally prefers quality over quantity. Although military training is required for all citizen, there is no requirement for any citizen to join the armed forces outside of some fledgling colonies, or a hypothetical large-scale crisis. The general ranks for most ground forces are filled out by robotic units, while Rothians themselves generally take on more leadership-oriented or specialist positions. Although their fleet is smaller in numbers than some other species, the Rothian military leverages its advanced technology to create higher quality, more powerful ships to project force across Rothian space. As a general rule, the Rothians are not aggressive in the galaxy and have never actually started a war with another species, though they are more than prepared to fight defensively.
The technology which the Rothians use is highly advanced, boasting strong energy shields and armor plating which is both impact and heat resistant. Their soldiers wear different armor based on their role, but in general, they use lightweight plated armor made from synthetic materials that is designed to hinder mobility as little as possible. Personal energy shielding is standard among all Rothian soldiers. Most small arms are fusion-powered, energy-based weapons that fire superheated plasma, while larger weapons sometimes make use of antimatter charges. Soldiers tend to receive extensive cybernetic enhancements that greatly improve their capabilities and survivability.
Society: Rothian society, in general, strives to provide the highest standard of living possible to the people, which they have accomplished, albeit through means other species may find questionable. Their standard of living on most of their worlds it at such a height that most citizens still live what many would consider a wealthy life. Cybernetic enhancements are commonplace among Rothian citizens and can considerably improve the average quality of life. Although there is an "upper" and "lower" class, the lower class is far from what most races would consider poor. Crime and corruption do exist, though the lack of poverty does significantly reduce crime. The Rahn’Saki directly oversees a secretive organization known as the Rahn’Masser, which serves a role as both special forces and secret police. They operate above normal Rothian law, and are only accountable to the Rahn’Saki themselves. They are primarily tasked with identifying and neutralizing any threat to the efficient operation of Rothian society, from outside or within their own government, as well as pursuing the priorities of the Rahn’Saki.
In order to achieve such a high standard of living, the Rothians had to make what some might consider sacrifices in civil rights. For example, the government places heavy controls on the population level. Most citizens will never have children due to both strict genetic requirements for the privilege, and due to the species' low death rate. All decisions regarding reproduction are given to the government, who decide when and who will have a child based upon genetic strength and societal need. Additionally, all children are raised directly by a government agency from hatching to adulthood, regardless of parentage. Family units, as other species tend to see them, do not exist among Rothians. While the information is not hidden from them, most Rothians do not even know the names of their parents.
Since male and female Rothians are almost identical in average height, weight, strength, and so on, societal differentiation between genders is completely non-existent. Men and women fill the same roles and follow the same styles of living.
Important worlds: The Rothians have settled a number of worlds across their section of the galaxy, including the following examples:
Rothia: The Rothian homeworld is a lush world which roughly 8,000 miles in diameter at the equator. The planet has a single moon, as well as an impressive ring system for a terrestrial world. Most of the planet is a temperate forest with large mountain ranges scattered across its four continents. It is a highly geologically active planet, giving it a greater number of volcanoes than most planets, though relatively common eruptions means that more devastating volcanic cataclysms are rare. Due to the wind currents generated by the planet's ubiquitous mountain ranges, it has a higher than average number of flying creatures, to the point that there exist entire food chains that hardly ever touch the ground. All life on Rothia is heavily resistant to high energy waves such as x-rays and gamma rays, since Rothia is bathed in such rays far more heavily than most habitable planets. Despite the fact that Rothia has the highest Rothian population of any planet, around three billion, much of the world is still undeveloped and in its natural state. The system which contains Rothia has other three other planets. None are naturally habitable, but all are exploited without restriction for resources.
Throssai and Syr'Jakra: Throssai is a gas giant, also with a spectacular ring system, located in a binary star system within Rothian space. Though the reason for it is quite a mystery, the planet is notable for having an unusually high concentration of deuterium, an isotope of hydrogen that is used in fusion technology. The Rothians constructed massive floating cities in the planet's upper atmosphere in order to collect the gas, which has made it a rather wealthy colony. While these settlements were originally simple mining platforms, they have evolved into true cities. Each platform is a self-contained metropolis that is completely sealed from the storms outside, and each one uses some of the most advanced technology the Rothians have to offer. The platforms are expensive to maintain as they have to import almost every resource, but tourism and deuterium mining make them highly profitable regardless.
In addition to its ring system, Throssai has a total of thirty-four moons, and while many of them have minor settlements, only one contains true cities, Syr'Jakra (Small Sanctuary). The moon is about 3,700 miles in diameter at its equator and is completely habitable. After only minor terraforming, the Rothians were able to establish settlements that evolved into sprawling cities in only a few hundred years. The world has complicated ecology with many different types of biomes, ranging from swamps, to forests, to deserts. The moon has only one mountain range, but it extends across the equator of the entire moon. Due to its low gravity and the unique ancient cataclysm that formed the mountains, they are some of the tallest in Rothian space. In fact, the highest of the mountains is just over twelve miles tall. Because of the moon's unique and interesting geology and stunning view of Throssai's rings from its surface, it has become a popular tourist destination, although anyone who wishes to stay on the world for an extended period must be prepared to mitigate the harmful effects of low gravity.
Anskaria: With almost 90% of its surface covered by oceans, Anskaria would not have been considered as a major settlement were it not for its location in the galaxy. Settled shortly after the establishment of trade relations with humanity, this planet, which is only slightly smaller than Rothia, is at a prime location to make it a hub of galactic trade. As a result, Anskaria has the highest percentage of non-Rothians of any of their worlds, with Rothians making up a mere 40% of the total population. Some of the Rothian government's more strict laws have been relaxed on this planet, though any non-Rothian who wishes to gain the benefits of full citizenship must abide by their full set of laws. Although the total population is higher than any Rothian world, at around 6.25 billion, there are only around 2.5 billion Rothians. Due to the planet's low amount of land, most of the population is contained within cities. The planet has more business incorporated on it than any other Rothian world due to both its location and favorable tax laws. The system also contains a gas giant that is mined for deuterium, but it is not as significant as Throssai.
Rith'Kara: This planet is a large and slightly arid planet located in the solar system closest to Rothia, and as such was one of the first planets colonized by the Rothians. It has nearly twice the mass as Rothia, so it is a high gravity world with expansive plains and few mountains. Originally a full desert, Rith'Kara was terraformed over time to become more easily habitable, so most of the planet now resembles a savanna and contains small seas. The planet's high gravity hinders the construction of skyscrapers, so cities tend to expand outward instead of upward. As the Rothians expanded to other planets, this world would likely have been all but abandoned were it not for the sheer mineral wealth of not only the planet, but the rest of the solar system. Many other bodies throughout the system, while not habitable, contain high concentrations of useful materials. It is for this reason that Rith'Kara is the Rothians' largest manufacturing center of both civilian and military goods. The shipyards above the planet produce even more military spaceships than Rothia, which is why the planet is the most well-guarded Rothian world other than Rothia itself.
Height: 6’7” (2 meters)
Age: 612
Gender: Male
Appearance:
Nationality: Rothian (Syr'Jakran by birth)
Occupation: Spy
Skills: As a spy working directly for the Rahn’Masser, Vreta is an individual with a variety of skills tailored to operating independently, and for an extended time. He is well-researched on the societies and laws of every known, spacefaring civilization, and he is skilled in the art of deception. He is not a soldier, though he does have combat training for self-defense. Though, the largest reason that he, in particular, was selected as the agent to investigate the Cradle was due to his background as an expert in technology. He has, at different points in his life, been involved in programming, research and development for computer hardware and other high-tech devices, and most importantly, the study of alien technology.
Cybernetics:
Skeletal reinforcement and muscular enhancement. Grants improved strength, stamina, and resistance to injury.
Multiple artificial organs, including the heart and lungs. Allows him to hold his breath for an extended duration, grants further improved stamina and cardiac function, and can filter most toxins. His heart possesses a fabricator for nanomachines, which assist many bodily functions and accelerate healing.
Enhanced neural implant. While many Rothians possess neural implants, Vreta’s is specialized to serve his role in espionage. It can allow his brain to interface directly with not only Rothian computers, but other known alien computer architectures as well. It also possesses a limited artificial intelligence program to assist in potentially adapting to novel machine architectures. The implant can also collect data from sensors throughout the body to provide information on Vreta’s vitality, as well as analyze information from other sensory implants.
Sensory implants. Vreta possesses ocular, aural, and olfactory implants with data collection nodes linking to his neural implant. His eyes in particular have been replaced with artificial prosthetics, which, in addition to generally improved vision, grant low light vision, and can apply visual filters to allow sight in infrared, or the ability to visualize magnetic fields. The artificial eye can also overlay information processed by his neural implant as a form of augmented reality.
Claws. For purposes of self-defense, Vreta’s natural, keratin claws have been replaced by prosthetics made from an advanced, highly-durable composite polymer with increased sharpness and strength. To reduce the chance of detection, they are coated in a hardened layer of keratin, with the exception of the very tips of each claw.
Background: Vreta’s upbringing was nothing unusual for a Rothian. He was hatched on the world of Syr’Jakra, and like any other child, was raised by the state. He performed well in school and was noted for his cleverness by his instructors, both in terms of completing his assignments, and for his tendency to be a troublemaker. He was occasionally guilty of mostly harmless pranks, though they were more often directed towards his fellow students than anyone else. Regardless, by the standards of his instructors, he shaped up by his graduation.
As with many Rothians, Vreta has walked many different paths through life, through multiple careers. Early in his adulthood, he made attempts at multiple jobs over about forty years. He had a few decades of an artistic streak, making attempts at writing, then painting and a few other visual arts, but could not compete with the most skilled at their crafts. When that failed, he made a short lived, and unsuccessful, attempt at becoming a professional athlete. He was in his eighties when he finally started to delve into technology for a potential career.
Vreta started with programming and was educated on designing software. His first career he found in designing games and other entertainment software, which lasted for a hundred years before he decided to go into his first retirement for about fifty years. When he came out of retirement, he tried, and failed, again at becoming a professional athlete, then spent a few years moving around between smaller jobs before returning to his work in technology. This time, his focus was more on hardware than software, as he had managed to earn a job working in research and development at a tech company on Anskaria. He spent the next century developing consumer devices for both Rothians, and lesser devices approved for export to other species, then another fifty years working directly for the government developing weapons and equipment for both soldiers and vehicles.
Vreta went into another retirement for about twenty years, but exited early upon being given the opportunity to accept an administrative role at a major tech company. He became the manager of the company’s R&D department, and over the next eighty years worked his way high up the corporate ladder. Business, he found, was his most successful career in his four hundred years of life. He was certainly knowledgeable an experienced in research, but he had a certain talent for talking to others. Not only did others find him likable, but he could read people well and could figure out just what to say to bring them over to his line of thinking. He oversaw several major deals for the company, and though shorter than some of his other careers, he earned enough money by the time he was done with it to fund several comfortable retirements. Although, he only had a short, ten year retirement before another opportunity came to him.
With the recommendation of a friend he made during his time working with the government, Vreta took on a far more…exciting career path in the form of a Rahn’Masser agent. Training alone took decades, but he had the innate skills to find his place within the agency. His cleverness and ability to understand and manipulate others were skills that served him well in espionage. With enough preparation, he found that he could even work well among non-Rothian species. He has taken on dozens of assignments through the years, and has most recently been assigned to learn more about the mysterious alien supercomputer known as “The Cradle” on the Human world of Outremer. Given how important the Cradle has been for Human technological advancement, they have thusfar refused any meaningful access to Rothian researchers, regardless of what they are offered in exchange. Vreta has been inserted as the representative of a Rothian tech company named Zuraxi’Synkuur to a Human corporation on Outremer, with which they are doing business. He is currently under orders to maintain caution and avoid causing incidents, though his cover has already allowed him limited access to certain “public” portions of the Cradle. For now, he continues to work for the company he represents, but is biding his time and waiting for just the right opportunity to act.
Vael did not take his eyes off of the compound below, though he did respond to Spartan Ryker. ”I will join you. We will need to move quickly and avoid discovery, but we may also have to ensure there is no one to discover the charges before they detonate. We should make sure that our reinforcements are ready to join the battle the very moment the rebels are put on alert. The construct…Shih, can it send a message informing the battle group of this plan so they can be ready for our signal?”
”She can, yes.” Shih replied with some noticeable offense in her tone. ”There is always some small risk, but if I send the message as a short, encrypted data burst, then the rebels shouldn’t be able to intercept it. Or at least, they won’t understand what they intercepted until it is too late.
Vael nodded towards Aviza, as it was her suit the AI was inhabiting. ”Then you should do so. Our reinforcements need to be ready to act.”
”Already working on it. As for Petty Officer Younan’s concerns, he does have a point. We still don’t know who we are supposed to be capturing here, but I think the rebels themselves can help us figure that out. Once all Hell breaks loose, they are going to be scrambling to get their leader out of there. Spartan Aviza’s armor is equipped to easily intercept their communications, so if we decrypt them, we might be able to learn what we need.” The AI suggested.
While the others were speaking, Vael slowly crawled back from the edge of the Mesa, making sure he was far enough away that he did not silhouette against the sky when he stood back to his feet. ”Someone who is equipped to observe from distance should remain here to assist in guiding us through the compound.”
Fendros was able to act more quickly than the Breton might have expected. His battle cry certainly grabbed her attention right away, and he forced her to act. She unleashed a stream of lightning early, though amplified as it was, it still held substantial power. Lightning cracked against his ward as he sprinted forward, bathing them both in a bright blue glow. His birthsign allowed him to absorb magicka with even greater efficiency than Meesei, so he was not in danger of being drained of his magical strength. However, the structure of the ward itself still needed to hold against the power assaulting it.
A scream from the Breton accompanied a final burst of electricity that did crack Fendros’ ward, but by that point, he had already closed the gap. She had the power to deliver a quick, lethal shock, but not through the protective enchantments of Fendros’ armor. As Fendros made his swing, he would finally see some fear in her eyes.
As a last, desperate defense, the Breton blocked Fendros’ strike with the haft of her staff. However, she was clearly more of a mage than a fighter, as she did nothing to parry or redirect the force of the blow. Between the dragonbone sword and a lycan’s strength, her staff was split clean in two. Breaking the staff did take enough force from the strike that her ebonyflesh spell protected her body. She survived, but the source of much of her power did not.
In a panic, the mage tried again to blast Fendros back with another telekinetic burst, though under her own power, it could not do more than stagger him. Raising up her hand, she once again commanded the thorny roots from the ground to try and entangle Fendros, as it was the last advantage she had left.
Before either could act, a massive gust of wind threatened to knock both off of their feet. The Daedric titan had returned to the battle and landed right next to them. For just a moment, its gaze went to Fendros and the Breton shouted up at it. “Kill him! Quickly!” She ordered. However, it was not her command that the beast obeyed. It looked straight past Fendros and directly to her. As its maw filled with the glow of cold flames, she looked down at broken half of the staff in her hand, then, with an enraged scream, teleported herself away before the flames could envelop her.
Ahnasha stepped around from behind the Daedric titan, running her fingertips gently along the scales on its side. There was a familiar sort of satisfaction in her expression that Fendros would have seen on her before after her various magical accomplishment, though the pride she felt now eclipsed even her mastery of life extension. By most measures, Ahnasha had been a master of conjuration for years, but this…to command the will of among the most powerful Daedra in existence short of a Prince, was a feat worthy of a true master in Ahnasha’s mind. Even master conjurers in many Tamrielic mage guilds would not think it possible to command something like a titan. It had taken all of her focus, magicka, and a black soul gem, but if she had the power to conquer a titan, then there was nothing that was beyond her. As long as she had the will to work and do what was necessary, she felt she could grasp any power.
After a moment, Ahnasha took notice of Rossarm. Fendros might have received a shock from the Breton, but he had the protection of his armor. Rossarm was quite clearly injured. As she approached, the titan followed in tow with steps that seemed to shake the very stone beneath them. Its massive stature towered over her, yet it kept its head bowed low at her feet.
“That arm doesn’t look so good.” Ahnasha remarked on her approach. She paused and glanced back at the titan behind her. With a nod of her head and a mental command, she gave it her order to take off and deal with the Daedra’s frontline. From there, she reached into her satchel and took two potions in hand, one red and one blue. The magicka potion she kept for herself, while the other she offered to Rossarm. “Here. Sabine made this one, so it’s probably better than whatever you have.”
Cath
Muttonhawk
RevekaRed
Noctis
Cleveraptor
Aristocles
Eviledd1984
Quest Abandoner