EliteCommander

The Cradle

Even before their transport had come to a complete stop, Rhia had sent an addendum to her last report privately to Rareth’Jharn. Confirmation that the Humans had not invented their harness technology on their own was important information, though Rhia agreed with Vreta that it would not likely change anything at this point. By itself, it did not prove that there was any extra danger to what they were about to do.

Rareth’s gaze went to each and every individual who stepped out of the transport in turn. In the second or two she gave to each, she checked for physical injury or other signs of distress. By appearances, there was no one who had been physically harmed among the attacks, though there was plenty of stress to go around. She, of course, did not react outwardly in any way to Rhia’s report, but it did add on to all she had to think about going forward.

“It is good to see that you are all unharmed.” Rareth remarked. “Marae’s team has been working with your people here to get us set up and ready. Unless you have any last-minute changes to make, we should be prepared to begin whenever you are. Marae’s prototype emergency protocols are installed and active on all of the Rothian harnesses, and they are available for use on the Human harnesses as well, should you choose to use them. From what she has told me, they could possibly prevent Cradle death, in the event.” She explained, somewhat directly to Agent 595, but addressing the whole group.

Regardless of what official authority she may or may not have had, Rareth was not a woman to sit on the sidelines and follow the direction of others. When faced with a problem, her initiative was to solve it, and she did not suffer anyone who would make themselves an obstacle without cause. With or without official authority, she spoke with a complete and utter confidence that could project authority and coerce obedience out of any pliable mind. Of course, that was an approach that was mostly effective with underlings, rather than those who were closer to being her peer.

Shifting her focus to the attacks themselves, Rareth turned her attention more directly to the Agent. “I’ve taken the liberty of personally assisting in bolstering our security. I have only the initial reports on these attacks, but if they could bring explosives in proximity to both your Parliament building and your prized flagship, then we should not discount the possibility of infiltration, even here. While you get to work, I will stay in the real wold and focus my efforts on keeping our teams protected.”

The Cradle

Vreta shifted uncomfortably in his seat upon hearing the answers the others gave. The origin of the harness technology was already worrying enough, but to hear how little else these ancient aliens left behind made suspicion seem like the only prudent response. “So, are you saying that your people found this planet with the ruins of an ancient civilization advanced enough to interface their minds with a machine, yet with not a single trace of their technology left behind? There was a species that dedicated its civilization to the Cradle, which went extinct mind you, and the only thing they leave behind is the one thing you would need to use the Cradle yourself?”

For a moment, Vreta buried his face in his hands and let out a long sigh. “By the rings, this whole project may be a mistake.”

Ultimately, regardless of Vreta’s feelings on the matter, it was likely too late for him to change their course. Especially on what amounted to a hunch. Whatever was going to happen, they would not likely have to wait long to find out. As they headed past the checkpoint, Vreta did naturally turn his gaze towards the object at the center of the vault chamber. Unless he was mistaken, it was the vault itself. It was a Human-made device, a cube that contained the single most important object to all Humans of Outremer. Whether they wanted to use it for their own ends, or divorce themselves from its influence, everyone on Outremer had some goal in mind for it. On Vreta’s part, he just wanted answers. To him, there was an uncomfortable uncertainty surrounding every stage of this project. He would much prefer to know for certain whether he needed to use the Cradle, befriend it, or throw it into a void star. Nothing short of actual answers would rid him of that uncertainty, but at the very least, he could still appreciate the sight before him. When they were motivated, the Humans really did have respectable engineering capabilities.

The Cradle

Vreta tilted his head towards Freyr, showing equal measures of surprise and curiosity. Not all of the discoveries the Humans had made about these beings were discussed openly, it seemed. “You are saying that it was not Humanity that originally developed the Cradle harnesses? I have heard some of our scientists theorize that might be the case, but that was just speculation. The technology that would allow for interfacing a mind with software so completely is a relatively recent development for our own species. Within the last few centuries. Some thought that you were at a rather early stage as a society upon finding Outremer to make such an advancement unassisted.”

For a moment, Vreta’s gaze followed Freyr’s out into the ruins. Their transport was moving quickly through the depths of the spire, but Vreta could still make out enough detail to see how expansive this alien civilization had once been. “Perhaps a hive-like mentality could explain it, or…perhaps some biological advantage towards digging and carving, but…no.” Vreta murmered, mostly to himself, though he soon turned his attention back to Freyr. “Were you aware of the difficulty of creating harness-like technology ‘from scratch’? If they truly created this technology themselves, I would expect them to be closer in advancement to my own people. When Humans discovered this planet, did they find any other examples of this civilization’s technology? Any electronics, or anything else not carved from stone? Satellites, perhaps? Low orbit satellites or space junk would face orbital decay, but anything higher up, like geostationary satellites, would remain in orbit indefinitely.”

The Cradle

Once again, Vreta had to contend with squeezing into a seat too small for him. Agent 595 and the rest of their security detail were not prioritizing comfort when they filled the vessels, and rightly so. Protecting them from any potential threats around them certainly took precedence. Vreta had to lean back in his seat and pull his tail up between his legs just to avoid crowding the people to his left and right too much. It felt as awkward as it looked, but he did want to be considerate to them. To his understanding, Humans had a concept of “personal space” and could become agitated if it was infringed upon.

Vreta turned his head down briefly towards Freyr beside him, though his gaze soon moved outwards towards the ruins as their vessel moved down deeper into the spire. He could not say he was an expert on the history of this place, but he had at least looked into publicly-available information during his study of Outremer. The vast chamber and the designs of the dwellings carved into its sides were fitting for the type of species theorized to have lived here. Though, there were details that Vreta did find curious. Construction based primarily around carving and stonework suggested a more primitive culture, yet why would a primitive civilization base themselves so completely around the Cradle? For any society without the technology to access the simulation itself, the Cradle would be little more than a strange metal sphere. He supposed he could imagine it becoming an object of religious significance, in that case, but he was not sure if even that would be enough to explain how focused those ancients had been on the Cradle. Only very small settlements had been discovered elsewhere on the planet; the majority of their populated seemed to have been here.

“I wonder if they were more advanced than their dwellings would suggest? I cannot imagine the Cradle being terribly useful to primitives…unless the Cradle could reach out to them in some way?” Vreta speculated. “Has there ever been any compelling evidence to point towards the reason for their disappearance?”

The Cradle

Vreta kept quiet while Freyr spoke to the Agent. It was not his place to advise on security. That would not normally stop him, granted, but in this case, he did not know nearly enough about the facility to have a helpful opinion. For now, he would just have to keep sharp and aware of his surroundings. As he followed the group through the checkpoint, Rhia held off on trying to access any of the security systems in the area. Heading into the more secure areas of the spire, unsurprisingly, was accompanied by more secure systems. Rhia had little doubt that she could break through, but it was not something she wanted to do lightly. She would just have to settle for Vreta’s sensory implants.

As strange as the Cradle itself was, the inside of the Spire almost felt stranger to Vreta, in a way. At its core, it was a massive stone structure, but with the Humans’ own technology integrated seamlessly into its architecture. He had to admit that they had done well with adapting their own creations into the original structure. Part of him wondered why they had not preserved it as an archeological site of an alien civilization. It was not as if they had not done so for other ruins on other worlds, but he supposed he already knew the answer to that. The Cradle buried underneath made this place quite exceptional.

The cavernous expanse past the checkpoint was in closer to its original state than the levels above, though that was likely just because they did not need to use the space when others were easier to build in. Still, it was an impressive sight that gave sense to the scale of the spire, even from within. Vreta felt a chill against his scales as he stepped into the monorail, which he noted had two rails, for some reason. He might have normally made some comment about it, but recent events made lighthearted conversation seem like something in poor taste at the moment. The air was fine for now, though if the temperature dropped too much, he would need to rely on his thermal implant to maintain his internal temperature. He took a seat without complaint inside the sphere-shaped transport. He had done a great deal these last few weeks, but at this point, all there really was left for him was to wait and see what happened with the object.

The Cradle

Vreta was about to make an argument in favor of avoiding delays, but it ended up being unnecessary. They were going to be making their way underground right away, so any further delay would not likely be long. The Human Sergeant was taking the initiative to take the lead, so Vreta fell in line with the science team. They would have an escort of soldiers, though Vreta was still not expecting another attack. He felt that, if they were the targets of the Skinners tonight, they would have been attacked on the landing pad.

In any case, Vreta still at least acted as he would if he were in danger. Normally, he would want to blend in to the crowd, but he could not help but to stand out as the only Rothian among the scientists. He also had his sidearm that could make him a target, but he supposed that would be better than an attacker prioritizing one of the civilians. At least he could take a few hits.

Thrace had claimed that the way was clear, and the amount of officers that Vreta saw did certainly suggest they were taking the threat seriously. They were almost as well-equipped as the soldiers themselves, and they did seem to be effective at clearing the way ahead of them. He saw some simply standing guard at the junctions of hallways, while others looked to be searching rooms, or perhaps patrolling. Either way, they could give the impression that there was an army securing the way ahead of them. Perhaps it could be comforting to some of the scientists, but Vreta was acutely aware of the fact that their numbers might mean little if their enemy could walk freely among those who were meant to protect them. And of course, once they boarded the monorail, they would just be back to the soldiers protecting them.

The group was escorted a floor down to board the monorail. Thrace had soldiers guarding them on all sides, making sure both that no one got close, and that none of the scientists fell behind. They were not running, but they were keeping a brisk pace forward, so they did not make too bad of time in reaching the monorail. As they approached, Vreta had Rhia keep an eye out for sabotage as best as she could, though he was aware that the sensors she could access had limits.

The Cradle

Vreta was aware of this codex, though he did not have the time to dedicate to studying and understanding it himself. Marae’s team had studied it just as much as Freyr’s, so that was enough. Perhaps with the exception of some of what the Institute may or may not have known, his people were no longer being kept out of the loop. Marae’s fame was well-earned, as she had led her team admirably in catching up to the Human experts over the course of the project. The subject of the Cradle was legitimately complex, even moreso than they had been expecting going into the project, but the Rothians did have the advantage of a longer history of scientific knowledge to draw from. It was enough for them to keep up, at least.

Vreta stepped up behind the group of scientists, watching the screen over their heads. “If it is searching, then we probably should not delay much longer. Can we let it into the vault now? We don’t know what it might do if we take too long. It may well have the capability to break through.” He suggested.

The Cradle

”In that case, we may need to seek help. We just have to make sure that anyone we bring this to is someone we can trust. Or trust not to be allies with the Skinners, at least.” Vreta replied. They would need to see what medical records they could dig up before they could do much more, so for now, Vreta could only keep on his guard. Rhia turned more of her focus to observing Freyr’s colleagues for suspicious behavior. She doubted that a traitor would give themselves away overtly, especially so soon after an attack, but even small details could help build a pattern. Their observed emotional state in different situations, non-genuine actions or reactions, minor statements or lies, they could all be useful later on and would be worth saving now.

Rhia also captured Freyr’s physical responses to the situation, though for different reasons. She ran her observations of Freyr through a social assistance program to translate her body language into something Vreta could understand. Fear, anxiety, sadness, Vreta could easily understand why she felt all of it. He had specialized training to help him deal with high-stress situations, and even he was having trouble processing some of this. Freyr was just a civilian, and she was being expected to, in-part, lead them through all of it.

Soon enough, Freyr would feel a massive Rothian hand resting gently upon her shoulder. Vreta’s expression looking down at her was soft with enough of a measure of compassion to equal her fear. “You’re doing well, Freyr.” He whispered, though now speaking aloud. “I don’t think even I would be holding it together as well as you are, in your shoes. It’s alright to worry, or to grieve. You don't have to be afraid to let it out.”

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei gripped the Staff tightly in one of her oversized hands, and for just a moment, stared up at the massive pillar of raw energy before her. This was the last obstacle before Vile, and she knew she would have to put everything she was into overcoming it. Ri’vashi moved her people into position, forming a thin defensive line, though somewhat thicker now that they had Sabine’s walls of ice covering their flanks. Any advantage they could get would be needed.

Raising the Staff of Magnus towards the nearest pillar of magicka, Meesei started her work. Even just to start, the amount of power that was flowing into the Staff was immense. It took only moments to start collecting more power than any one mage could hope to produce on their own, and that power would only multiply the longer the Staff drained from the source. Meesei did not know if the resevoir of magicka the Staff could contain was truly limitless, but she supposed it would not take long to start testing that theory.

Draining thier master’s power prompted no shorted of enraged roars and shouts from the fast-encroaching Daedric horde. Sabine’s spell would restrict their approach somewhat, but the Daedra were still a force that was beyond overwhelming. Harvesters, ogrims, high-ranking Dremoras, and storm atronachs were only some of what comprised the spearhead of their attack, and their strength went countless ranks deep. It was not impossible to hold against them, for a short time, but there would be no room for error. If any part of their defensive line was breached, this was the kind of enemy that could overrun them in moments. If Meesei was interrupted at any point once she started casting her portal spell, she would have to start over, and there would be no chance of success. The dark anchor that Sabine’s sigil stone could summon was something that would take a short time to form. That time was less than a minute, but at this point, the pack’s efforts could be doomed in a matter of seconds. If she wanted to use it, she needed to make that decision now.

The Cradle

Vreta’s gaze also went towards the screen, if only because many of the others had as well. It seemed the instincts of one of the Humans outside had been correct. Their Parliment had been attacked. Such an attack would seem almost inconceivable on Rothia, and if he was being honest, he was not sure what his proper reaction should be in this case. Fear? Sympathy? What would the Humans expect of him? Diplomacy may have been his job, but he still did not know everything about them.

For now, Vreta did not let the news report keep him from staying on-topic with Freyr. ”I don’t think it’s necessary to make inquiries. Modifications show up on medical scans. Given all that everyone had been through, it wouldn’t be suspicious for me to get Rareth to insist on a full psychological and physical checkup for everyone on the project. We just have to make sure those results become available to us, then we can use them to start narrowing down suspects. That, or I go requisition a Rothian scanner capable of making those scans unnoticed. Though, there is one question. Do we know how strictly these Skinners stick to their beliefs? Has a person with implants ever been caught working for them? Or are they too uncompromising for that?”