EliteCommander

The Cradle

Rareth shrugged her shoulders with a glance towards 595. “I think if these villagers really wanted to stab each other, they would do it with or without our knives.”

What proceeded was abrupt chaos. Between the thundering sound that echoed across the landscape and the shaking of the ground underneath them, Rareth had already drawn her fusion cannon from her back. She deployed her helmet quickly, then scanned her surroundings, both visually, and with every sensor her body possessed. Rareth started making her way up the hill back towards the others, but she did take note of how the locals behaved. “I’m beginning to think these villagers are not the biggest fish in this pond, to borrow one of your expressions. Look at how they submit themselves; they know what is coming.”

Meanwhile, inside the shield, Nirann raised up one hand and took a hold of the communications mast. Even among a veritable earthquake, his chosen body did not struggle to hold up its weight. While its main purpose was just to be a vessel for his mind, the droid was still a military model. “I got it!” Nirann shouted. “Would it really have hurt you people to make this thing more stable? Wider base? Maybe just make the whole thing a box? What if I just lay the thing down gently on its side? Does it really need to be standing straight up right now?”

The Cradle

The light was noticeably bright even to Rareth, but the locals seemed to particularly hate it. Given how dark and dreary this place was, it did not take much thought to figure out why. If they had been here long enough, they would have evolved for low-light conditions, and unlike Rareth’s ocular implants, their eyes could not block out sudden bursts of light.

In place of words, Rareth did her best to wear her emotions as openly as possible in her expression and body language. Many of those were instinctual among Rothians, so if she could not communicate ideas, she could at least communicate a feeling. She showed confusion and concern, then looked back towards the transit station and shouted back to her companions. “The locals really don’t like that light. Maybe try…modulating the shield generator to block energy in the visible spectrum? It will be a small uptick in power usage, but it shouldn’t amount to anything major.”

Rareth’s suggestion would cause the shield to become noticeably opaque, so hopefully that would indicate to the villagers that they had done something about the problem. Until then, Rareth had the knife that Memnon threw to her, and a gift like that could go a long way to convincing them their new guests’ intentions. For primitives like them, knives were common tools used in everyday life, so such a gift would likely be seen more along those lines than as a weapon. Rareth still was not completely sure who was the leader among the villagers, or if there even was one, but she recognized the one that had been most willing to approach her. She laid the knife, still in its sheath, across her palms and bowed her head and she extended her hands slowly forward to present her offering to them.

Nirann raised up his head slightly to try and peer over the ridge down towards the source of Rareth’s voice for a quick moment. “Locals? So you found intelligent life here? Exciting; let’s hope we can get this fixed quickly.” He commented to Dr. Wetherall as he started to assist with moving the equipment. “I brought diagnostic equipment, and also a mountain of data and technical manuals in my memory banks. I know I’m not your usual engineer, but I think we can handle this. I have a lot of reference data from your Cradle, as well as all the readings we’ve been taking from the outside. If we compare our readings, your readings, and the Cradle data as a reference point, we should be able to make the right adjustments to the transit station’s software.”

The Cradle

Rareth tried to enunciate her name more clearly, but she was not going to dwell on that detail for too long. It was more important that she establish her intentions than that they get her name right. Her translator was still not returning results, but at least things were not going too badly. They had staved off violence so far. It certainly helped that they seemed to be closely related enough that they could look like they were of the same species. Rareth was a giant compared to them and wearing strange armor, but her face was at least familiar to them. To the villager who reached out to touch her, she offered her hand, palm down and with her fingers curled inward so as not to present the claws on her armored hand.

After a moment, Rareth glanced back towards her Human allies, mostly to signal to the villagers that she was speaking to her own companions, rather than them. “I don’t suppose we have anything that could be given as a gift, do we? Something that isn’t a gun? I think that might help signal our intentions.”

Nirann’s appearance was met with a few seconds of signal errors on half of his sensors, along with what felt an awful lot like a headache. Fortunately, a quick reboot of his body’s systems seemed to do the trick. Seeing as he was still not terribly familiar with the Human harnesses, they decided it was best to scan a body in, rather than try to program a new one. Less could go wrong that way. He had uploaded a copy of his neural network into the processor of one of the ship’s security droids. It was essentially a more militarized version of a police bot, so it was built in the form of a Rothian, though it lacked synthetic flesh. Rather, he had an armored outer shell consisting mostly of matte white metallic plates. To give him a bit of extra processing power, he had taken the processing unit on the computer he had appropriated and essentially shoved it into the droid’s storage compartment then quickly rigged it to be accessible to the unit’s internal network. It might not have been a conventional solution, but it would work. It came with enough extra storage space as well to give him a library of knowledge on ancient Rothian civilizations and customs, as well as the technical data the Humans elected to share.

Nirann’s eyes lit up with a soft blue glow once his optics came online. Although, he found himself far from impressed when he started to look around. Even after he switched to low-light vision, the whole area still seemed dark and bleak. Regardless, he did not stay distracted long. He spoke up as soon as he noticed the Human scientists near the transit station. “Okay, I’m here and…this place is weird. By the way, don’t send anyone else back through. The one you did send back…she didn’t look so good last I saw her. Something is going wrong with the transit station, or how it's interacting with this particular simulation, and we need to fix it.”

It did not take long for Nirann to scan the area around them, and with thermal sensors, his scan immediately revealed the crowd of villagers that had descended upon Rareth. “Also, wow, that’s a lot of heat sigs nearby. Is that, uh, something I need to be worrying about?”

The Cradle

While Nirann seemed willing to try his hand at entering the simulation, Marae did not seem nearly so enthused at the idea. She reached out and grabbed at Nirann’s wrist. Her hand passed partially through his, but he did still seem to be able to “feel” the touch. “Now hold on. You know I don’t approve when you do this.”

Turning to face her, Nirann gently took both of her hands in his and stepped in closer to her. “I know, my dear. We’ve had this discussion-”

“-argument…” Marae snapped.

“Argument…many times before. I know you made my mind to be as Rothian as it possibly could be, but you also gave me far more capabilities beyond that, even ones you didn’t intend. Nothing dies when I reunite with a fragment. We just…become one.” He said softly.

Marae’s eyes narrowed. “That is very debatable, Nir. And what if a copy of you dies every time you do this? I can’t handle the thought of that.”

Nirann was silent for a moment as he leaned in closer to her. He lifted a hand up to her cheek and encouraged her to lower her head, then pressed his forehead against hers. “You know I would never do anything that I believed would hurt you. I’m only doing this because I genuinely believe it.”

A slight smile crept across Marae’s expression. “I never said you didn’t believe it…I just think you’re the smartest idiot I’ve ever met.”

Nirann laughed along with her. “I know, but I have a plan.” He said, finally pulling away from Marae and giving a quick look over to Freyr. “Here’s what we’ll do. Right about now, I’m having one of the ship’s security droids cart in the strongest Rothian computer I can get a hold of on the ship. Now, it’s no Core, but a Rothian computer still has far more processing power than the average organic brain. I’ll download a copy of my central neural network onto the computer. You can have your technician stay here in the real world; until we get that transit station set up, it’s just not safe to send any of you organic people in. Just download all of the schematics, technical manuals, any data you can think of even tangentially related to the transit stations into that computer. I’ll organize it all into an abstract service layer; think of it as a…brain outside my brain, but still in my head. It allows my to gain access to functions a normal Rothian mind would not have, without making any changes to my core mind. Long story short, if you give me all the information you have on the transit station, and anything that might possibly be affecting it, I should be able to fix it myself. Before I go in, I’ll perform a detailed scan of the copy’s mind. The only changes that should occur are in the mind’s memory center, so when my copy does come back, we’ll separate out and quarantine the memories, then I’ll meld back with my copy only if the rest of the neural network is identical to when we sent it in.”

Nirann glanced back and forth between Freyr and Marae. “Does that make everyone happy?”

---

Rareth’s eyes glanced around at the villagers surrounding her. As expected, her translator could not identify any of the words being spoken around her, which likely meant they could not understand her either. She went ahead and had her neural implant start examining their words and try to begin the translation process, though that was not a task that could be done in a short time. For the moment, she spoke back to the Humans watching over her. “Plenty of weapons, yes, but they are crossbows, spears, and farming tools. They’re primitives. If I harden my shields, they wouldn’t be able to scratch them, much less my armor. If I am attacked, I will just return back to the transit station, and we can leave without bloodshed.”

Seeing as none of the villagers had tried anything violent so far, Rareth opted to try and start establishing some degree of a rapport with them. The first, and simplest step towards that was exchanging names. Even without speaking the same language, that was something she felt they could accomplish. She kept in a passive position and did not make any sudden moves, but looking specifically at one of the envoys, she pointed to herself and said “Rareth’Jharn.” She repeated the same words, and the same motion several times to try and get the point across.

The Cradle

Nirann shrugged his shoulders as he eyed one of the harnesses. “I mean, that may be true for your AIs, but I think I’m a cut or two…hundred above them.”

Marae once again rolled her eyes, but picked up in a more serious tone. “My husband does have a point. I mentioned that our AIs could be indistinguishable from a Rothian mind, and that is Nirann, quite literally. I designed his series of AI to perfectly replicate the neural network of a Rothian brain. If you were to scan his neural pathways, you would not be able to tell them apart from a natural mind.”

“The way she build up service layers outside my core mind to expand my capabilities was a real stroke of genius, but…I can’t get into that. The point is, I think my mind should work with the harness.” Nirann remarked. “It’s not like the simulation is interacting directly with the brain. Your brain interacts with the harness, which interacts with the simulation. There’s a layer in between the object and your squishy, fleshy bits. The simulation should see my mind just the same as any Rothian.”

While she did agree with NIrann on the point he was making, she spoke more softly, and less optimistically when she interjected again. “I’m more concerned about the safety of anyone entering at all. Is she alright? I am going to assume that is not normal for exiting your Cradle.” She said, pointing to Dr. Diamini.

---

“Just stay back near the transit station and watch the other approaches. I’ll meet with them and try to see if we can communicate at all.” Rareth instructed to the Humans. The numbers that these villagers had might have seemed daunting, but at the same time, they were riding animal mounts and did not show signs of technology even close to that of modern Rothians. Or even Humans, for that matter. Though, in any case, she did not intend to let down her guard. Surprises could come from anyone.

Rareth stepped forward partially down the hill, presenting herself as the envoy for their group to meet them halfway. She supposed such customs might not have been entirely universal among early Rothian groups, but these villagers might still do the same. She kept herself in a non-threatening posture and spoke out to them once they were close enough to hear. “Greetings, my name is Rareth’Jharn. I come to you peacefully.” She said aloud. She did not actually expect any of them to be able to understand a word she said, but she figured she might as well try.

The Cradle

Marae followed Freyr to Dr. Diamini’s side, though her mind was focused on the problem at hand. Nirann had some unique circumstances to contend with, but it was still possible that they might be able to send him in. Diamini was slow to awaken, as it did seem that she had to take some time to recover and get her bearings, so Marae did have a chance to reply. “Nirann can’t move here himself. His AI core is locked pretty firmly in place.”

Nirann’s hologram appeared on the other side of the harness. “Do I really need to be there in person, though? Maybe I can puppet an artificial mind, like one we uploaded? Just one more…directly connected to me.”

---

Seeing that the transit station was up and working was encouraging to Rareth, though that did not take her focus from the crowd of villagers spreading out at the bottom of the ridge beneath them. “We have the transit station working. It shouldn’t be long before our experts join us. Still…I should acknowledge them. At least give them some indication of our intent."

Rareth moved over to the edge of the ridge, though unlike Athena, she stood clearly silhouetted at the top. She had retracted her helmet so that her head and face were clearly visible and identifiably Rothian.She hoped that their eyesight was strong enough to see her at their current distance, as she wanted to show them she was something familiar, even if she was a giant of a Rothian. She placed her fusion cannon on its magnetic holster on her back, held out her hands open-palmed for a moment, then bowed her head and crossed her arms tightly over her chest. Among Rothians, it was a distinctly non-threatening position, as it was not a position from which one could use their claws quickly. Even if these villagers were not truly Rothian, she hoped they would still recognize the more instinctual Rothian body language.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The crack of lightning against Spellbreaker’s ward was near-deafening. It cut through a line of Daedra between the Breton and Do’rhajul, felling every single one in an instant. The ward flared more brightly than it ever had, and arcing lightning struck any being to either the left or right of Do’rhajul. Spellbreaker still held, even against this mage’s power, though Lorag had not been able to retreat far enough back in time to avoid some of the collateral damage. Some of the lightning struck him, which even through the enchantments of his armor, was enough to send him to the ground as he tried to run back behind the protective ward. He only took a portion of the spell’s power, but he felt like he had taken a direct hit.

Even Meesei had moved back behind the protection of Do’rhajul’s shield. She was not confident that even her ward could hold up to that sort of power for long enough to protect her. “I…do not know!” She shouted back at Fendros over the roar of the battle. Meesei’s knowledge of magic generally did extend even to more esoteric spells and relics, but that knowledge still was not perfect. She did not know what kind of power this mage had at her fingertips, other than that it almost certainly came from Vile himself. The Daedric Prince may have even created it specifically for her. Whatever the case, Meesei did not have the answer this time. They would have to adapt without knowing its secrets. “I have never seen such a thing.”

One detail that any of the pack would notice was the consequences the crystal had for its user. The power of the crystal’s magic lashed back on the Breton, burning her flesh even farther across her body. The arm that was melded to the crystal had been partially blackened, and it looked like it was withering, though she still seemed to be able to move it. She kept the crystal raised towards Sabine, though with the path between them cleared her gaze was soon cast upon Do’rhajul. “And you…traitor!” She shouted. By this point, even hidden behind her mangled face as it was, her identity was fairly certain. It did present some questions, as Arinette was not actually meant to be dead. She was supposed to be held prisoner in the Daggerfall clan, but regardless, they would have to deal wither again, here and now.

If Arinette was not enough, the Daedra too were a growing threat. The pack’s allies were still pushing forward and fighting fiercely, but they were still quite outnumbered. Without the titan to help clear the way, even the magic they had empowering them may not have be enough for them to break through before enough Daedric reinforcements arrived from down in the valley. Meesei’s pack had pushed through as the spearhead, but now, the Daedra threatened to encircle and cut them off from the rest of their allies.

The Cradle

Rareth started watching other angles, now that their presence was known. Peaceful contact was her preference, but that did not mean she wanted to open herself up to a surprise attack. Her vision was getting clearer and clearer as time went on. Basic low-light vision helped to start, but it could still be better. Her neural implant worked on taking in any wavelength of light her occular implants were taking in and filtering them in to the image that was sent to her brain. With some adjustment and fine-tuning, she would be able to see more clearly.

In any case, Rareth continued to pace around the perimeter of their position. “They’re riding animals? That does paint a picture of the kind of society we may be encountering here. Anyone here who is not equipped for combat, stay inside the shield if they approach. I will talk to them, but watch out for your own safety in case talks break down.”

---

“I’m sending an archeologist and anthropologist, both with expertise on ancient Rothian history. I do not want to send any more people into danger than absolutely necessary, but if the issues we are experiencing are the result of differences in this object’s language or programming, then Nirann would likely be the most helpful person. But, I don’t know that we can send him in.” Marae replied to Freyr.

The Cradle

“I don’t want anyone else coming into the simulation until we have the transit station up, and we know it’s working. Tell them to wait until we give them the word.” Rareth answered. Athena’s feed of the growing crowd of locals was overlayed over her vision. Rothians did not stand out as much in thermal imaging compared to warm-blooded creatures like Human, but their bodies still did not perfectly match the temperature of their background. “Just keep watching, and let’s keep eyes on any other approaches as well, in case they send anyone to flank us. Just don’t shoot anything unless we’re attacked first. If they get to us before we get the anthropologist in, I’ll be the one to try and communicate with them. Don’t point any weapons at them, and try not to seem threatening.”

---

Marae, naturally, was the one to start organizing her team. She had already expected beforehand that they would need experts on ancient Rothian civilizations at some point, so her picks for that role were already essentially ready. Nevertheless, she double-checked that their equipment was already scanned. “Artek, Enha, between the two of you, I would say you have the best chance of getting through to whoever might be living in that simulation. Get ready by the harnesses.”

“Nir...” Marae began after she turned back to her workspace, prompting him to appear beside her. “Make sure you scan in the best translator they can carry.”

“Already done, but computing power will be more limited in there. They won’t have access to the Core like I do. Even the best translation algorithms could take up to a week to decipher an entirely alien language, without a supercomputer running the algorithms.” He answered.

Marae’s eyes stayed on the collection of holographic screens in front of her as she answered. “That is true, but if we’re lucky, this won’t be an entirely new language. If they’re ancient Rothians, maybe their language has some common threads with ours that could speed up translation?”

Although Marae was confident in her selection of experts so far, she was not too proud to admit that she would still benefit from some advice. After all, she and her team were still catching up with their knowledge on the Cradle. It did not take her long to approach alongside Freyr. “I have made sure we will be as prepared as possible to meet with any Rothians we might find in there, but I am not yet familiar enough with this kind of environment to know all we might face. From your knowledge of the Cradle, what sort of expertise would be valuable?”

The Cradle

“If they’ve seen us, they’ve seen us.” Rareth remarked towards Athena with a shrug of her shoulders. “We’re not here to fight them. Just keep watching, and keep us updated. Make sure we don’t end up getting caught by surprise ourselves.”

The locals were something to keep tabs on, but Rareth’s priority was still the beachhead. After ten minutes without any progress on communications, Rareth joined Dr. Wetherall by the mask, her massive form towering over the relatively unaugmented Human. Fortunately for him, she was far more understanding than demanding. “I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised to have comms issues. The program we uploaded, we couldn’t get a good signal back from it either. As I recall, it was mostly static. But we were getting something from it…” She said, resting her fusion cannon on the ground as she took a moment to think. “Even static can be useful. We can use a code language; something that only requires simple signals. I believe your people have such encoding methods as well. You call it…Morse code, according to my files. Even if they are only getting static, you can send pulses in that code to get across a message.” She suggested.