EliteCommander

The Cradle

“Our recommendation is to evacuate. Decisions regarding your people are certainly yours; we can only give our suggestions. Just know that, should you decide to evacuate, you will have our full support and assistance in that task.” Roth’Orsa commented before, as requested, moving on to her next point without delay. “The Rahn’Saki have only one other point to address. The terms of our deal stipulate that we do not demand your secrets regarding the Cradle. We do honor our agreement, but we do still ask for any data you might share. Any information you are willing to give may improve our response, and may save Human lives. We recommend that you take the time to discuss among yourselves what you are willing to share before the device arrives at Outremer.”

With just a thought, Roth’Orsa pushed holographic copies of a surprisingly detailed estimated timeline of the excavation ahead of them to everyone in attendance. “You should expect our gateway to arrive at Outremer in just over a week. By the time our gateway reaches you, the gateway around the device should be assembled and ready. We will be able to transport the device as soon as you are ready, at that point.”

The Cradle

Vreta simply sighed and let out a huff through his nostrils. He had not been expecting her to be forthcoming. Though, he did pay attention to what she did not say. Not only did she not reveal what the being said, she also did not give her opinion on their present plan of action. She made no argument either against, or in agreement with what they were doing. It was little for him to go on, granted, but it did make him suspicious.

Regardless, the Human representatives returned suddenly to the meeting shortly afterwards. Most of those in attendance had to quickly get back to their seats, but of course, Roth’Orsa was still waiting exactly where she had been sitting in patient silence. When they revealed that they were essentially accepting the terms, she simply moved on to answering their question without skipping a beat. “Yes, while we should not delay in pushing forward with out plan, we should also establish contingencies. In the event that the being does not do as it claimed, for any reason, we should be ready to react. We should prepare observation equipment to monitor every step of the process, in and out of the simulation. We would also recommend moving civilians a safe distance away from the Cradle itself.”

The Cradle

Pretty much as expected, Vreta maintained his calm. He shrugged off the Agent’s irritation, and similarly shrugged off the answers she gave to Freyr’s questions. By Vreta’s reckoning, 595’s career was not likely to be too dissimilar to his own, so he knew well that no answer she gave about herself would be trustworthy. It whatever she said was not a fabrication outright, it was probably active disinformation. He felt he gained more insight in the recording of how she behaved in the simulation. Still, it could not hurt to see what answers she would give to certain questions, even if her honesty could not be trusted.

“I don’t think any part of me was expecting a straight answer to that one.” Vreta chuckled, looking down on the Agent. “Maybe there is something you can share, though? Despite my worries, I do actually think we will still be working together after this. It’s the only sensible choice for your people to make, so I would like to keep up that spirit of cooperation. That being in the simulation, what do you make of it? Freyr does have a point; we don’t really know if we can trust it. I saw on the recording that it leaned in close and spoke to you. What did it say? Do you think we’re doing the right thing here by bringing it to your world?”

The Cradle

Vreta crossed his arms and stared ahead blankly for a few moments in thought, before soon turning his head back to Freyr and nodding briefly. “I think you might be right. We really don’t have any guarantees. I’ve seen Rareth’s recording of what happened, most of it, from start to finish. I skipped a lot of the walking, but I’ve viewed the major events. In most circumstances, I would want to do a lot more investigating before committing to a decision.”

For a moment, Vreta looked back and observed Roth’Orsa. He still could not get over how…strange she was. Even now, while most of the others were stretching their legs and talking among themselves, Roth’Orsa was still just sitting in her seat, staring blankly ahead in waiting of the meeting to reconvene. Regardless, her eccentricity did nothing to lessen his opinion of her. “I don’t think we are the only ones who think this way, though. I’ve noticed how Roth’Orsa speaks about the being; always qualifying her statements. ‘If what is says is true. If it is being honest.’ I don’t think the Rahn’Saki just trust it outright. But, we’re not in a position to be waiting around. We may lose out on the option of its help if we delay too long. Choosing to trust it is probably just the most likely path towards the best outcome, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Rahn’Saki do try to take some precautions, just in case. There will be some time before we can get the device to Outremer that they can spend preparing.”

Eventually, Vreta did turn his attention to Agent 595. He paced around briefly until he was behind her, then gave Freyr a look of concern. Granted, her behavior was consistent with the personality they had always seen from her, but after what he had seen in the recordings, he could not help but to think that it might be worse than she was letting on. Walking up alongside her, he placed his hand gently upon her shoulder. “I would not be so cavalier with your health, Agent. Anything could have happened to you when you disappeared. If you want, I could talk to some people and get you set up with a full brain scan on our best equipment. If something left behind any damage, we might be able to help you.”

The Cradle

Vreta breathed a short laugh through his nostrils for just a moment, looking down towards the floor. “I know I…usually have the answers to these sorts of question. It is my job, after all. Clearing up misunderstandings, explaining Rothian customs, expectations. But, uh, well…I haven’t the faintest idea this time. This is all so wildly unprecedented. I don’t think I can understate that fact. The Rahn’Saki have never taken care of diplomacy themselves, and that offer they made…I never would have thought I would see one like it.”

For a moment, Vreta stopped and took in a breath. He had finally been able to voice his surprise, so he tried to think of what he could say that would be helpful. “One thing, I suppose, I can say about the Rahn’Saki is that they are not liars. Every deal, every agreement they have committed the Rothian people to, they have honored. This offer is real, and I think your leaders would be insane to deny it. But, your leaders have to know that no species in their right minds would take a backseat to a matter of their own survival. It is a generous offer just for an equal partnership, and I hope your leaders see the wisdom in accepting it. I truly hope they accept it, because if they don’t…well, there is no outcome here where the Rahn’Saki surrender our fate to Outremer’s government.”

The Cradle

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The Cradle

Despite the fact that the only one among the Rothians aside from Roth’Orsa to speak had been Nirann, most of the Rothian leadership already looked to be exhausted of the meeting. The revelations that she had brought forward and the offers the Rahn’Saki had made had certainly left them with a lot to process. There was, perhaps, some lingering awkwardness between certain Rothians and the Humans in the room. All of those who had been considered disrespectful towards the Rahn’Saki had been speaking remotely from Outremer, but not all of the offended made a distinction between them, and those in the room with them. For Vreta, he could not say he was terribly thrilled about that fact. His job was to smooth over relations between the two teams, and he felt like he was going to end up having a lot more work after all of this. Provided this meeting ended up securing their overall cooperation, of course.

Vreta was near enough to Freyr that it took just a short few steps once he stood to join alongside her and 595. He kept a respectful distance, especially from the Agent, and mostly focused his attention on Freyr. “And how are you holding up, Freyr? I feel like they just threw quite a lot at all of us. I’m sorry the negotiations got so…personal to you. I, well…I wish you didn’t have to go through that in front of everyone.”

The Cradle

“To prevent this being from reaching the Cradle would certainly not be our intention. Quite the opposite, in fact.” Roth’Orsa replied. The apparent disrespect and accusatory words of the Humans towards he Rahn’Saki drew the ire of more than a few Rothians present. The Grand Admiral, in particular, snarled at the Director-General. Again, though, it took only a gesture from Roth’Orsa to calm them.

“Our history of diplomacy speaks for itself, President. In this crisis, the civilizations of our galaxy may well need to cooperate on a level hitherto unprecedented since any of our species have known one another. If the threat is real, and if it is as powerful as the being implied, we may all need the help of one another. To that end, the Rahn’Saki shall be calling upon a summit of all governments of spacefaring nations known to us. There, we will explain everything that has happened, what it could mean for our future, and we will be offering an agreement. As stated before, this agreement will not demand you relinquish your secrets, only that all signatory entities be granted equal access and inclusion into the process of resolving this crisis until its conclusion. At that point, if the Cradle’s creators have not reclaimed control of it, you will retain control of the Cradle. And this agreement, we should say, comes with the full support of the Rahn’Saki. If the Hegemon threatens your world, you will have the protection of the one fleet more powerful than your own. If your people suffer, if they have to evacuate, we will house and support your refugees. If the threat of the Hegemon is severe enough, we will arm you and your ships with modern Rothian weapons with which to fight them. That is the kind of support we are offering.”

Most of the Rothians had already been silent to allow Roth’Orsa to speak, but now they were stunned to hear the offer she had put on the table. To provide aid, or outdated Rothian technology, was one thing, but to offer to arm another species with advanced Rothian weaponry seemed like such an absurdity that even the highest-ranking Rothian officials never would have imagined it. The Humans especially, after centuries of diplomacy with the Rothians, would likely be even more shocked. “With the kind of cooperation we are offering, you know as well as us, President DeWinter, that anything less than a full partnership is frankly an insult. It is the most generous offer we have ever made your people. Take some time to discuss if you like, but everyone necessary to make this decision is present in this meeting. It is a…diplomatic priority for our peoples to become partners in this crisis.”

The Cradle

“But you are mistaken, President.” Roth’Orsa replied, unshaken by the Humans’ resistance, and unmoving in her demeanor. “The Cradle is not yours. You did not create it, and as we have learned, its creators are not dead, nor did they willingly abandon it. If what we have learned is accurate, the Cradle is the home of these beings. It belongs to them, and they have the right to it. The Cradle now fits the definition of the native homeworld of an independent, intelligent species within your borders. You do have the right to control first contact, but you do not have the right to deny us access to it for our own…anthropological study and diplomatic activities.”

Roth’Orsa leaned forward, maintaining her stare towards President DeWinter. “Even aside from such legal definitions, what happens with the Cradle no longer just concerns Humanity. Every Rothian, every Tindrel, Ulsix, or Paran. Every single thinking being in our galaxy could be preserved or destroyed based on what happens to the Cradle. Consider, President DeWinter, that we are no longer discussing a piece of technology. We are no longer merely arguing about allowing Rothian scientists to satisfy their curiosity studying an interesting computer. We are discussing an existential threat to the continued existence of the Rothian people. This is no longer a matter of intellectual curiosity for us, President, it is a matter of survival. Consider your answer within that context, before you reply. We will not demand Cradle data you have already gathered through the centuries, none of your technologies nor secrets you have extracted, but we will require full and equal access to study the Cradle as it is now. We will require equal involvement in reuniting the device on Rothia with the Cradle, and an equal voice in the events to come involving it. There is nothing less that is acceptable.”

The Cradle

For the first time, Roth’Orsa actually paused for an appreciable moment to formulate her response. Vreta imagined the Rahn’Saki were discussing among themselves, perhaps with some disagreements among them to account for the short delay. “If we are in agreement, then we should begin preparations to move the device to Outremer. One of our scientists, Nirann, has already submitted a proposal.” She said, turning her head towards his holographic avatar and gesturing to him. “If you please.”

Nirann was initially surprised to be called upon to speak. The Rahn’Saki doubtless already knew everything he knew, and much more. There was a good reason the rest of them had stayed quiet while the Rahn’Saki were handling diplomacy. Still, he did not hesitate to follow his leaders’ request. “Of course. I am aware that the Cradle has, in the past, been adverse to moving from its position within Outremer’s crust. We do not know if this new device would be similarly stubborn, but in any case, my proposal would bypass such resistance.” Nirann began as he pushed a digital copy of his written proposal to each of the meeting’s attendees still present. “Rather than try to excavate the object, we can simply build a Class 1 gateway around it, underground. At the same time, we bring another gateway to Outremer, then simply send it through the wormhole. Even if the object will allow us to move it with no resistance by other means, this process would still be quicker than the time it would take to excavate it from Rothia safely.”

“In addition, we also need to discuss our cooperation.” Roth’Orsa quickly continued. “This matter has moved far beyond just the concern of Humanity on Outremer. Based on the information available, the list of potential outcomes may impact every living species in our galaxy. We will require full cooperation in the study of these devices, and equal decision-making power for any matter with a potential influence beyond Humanity’s concerns on Outremer.”