EliteCommander

The Cradle

“Hmm, I suppose you are more of an expert on this particular subject than I. My instinct would be to start this process as soon as possible, I simply hope the Object does not do anything…unexpected. There is much we do not know about it.” Vreta remarked, though he reasoned that his feelings on the Object were well-known among the team by this point.

Rareth did not give her opinion, whatever it might have been. Her expression was quite impenetrable, even to Vreta. He did notice the worry in one of the Humans’ expression when looking at her, though that may have just been because she wanted to avoid smashing into her once their ride became more bumpy. On Rareth’s part, her mass gave her substantial inertia, so she just had to keep one hand pressed to the roof to keep herself in place.

In any case, Vreta quickly compared the image of Major Osman’s face to examples from his memory once he heard her name. He had thought it sounded familiar. “Osman, it is good to see you fully recovered. Though, I suppose the Cradle does not leave any permanent marks, as long as you survive the initial injury. I would say that I’m surprised you’re willing to go back into the Cradle after what we went through, but…here I am about to do the exact same thing. I suppose we’re both just a little crazy.” Vreta chuckled.

The Cradle

Vreta gave a sideways glance towards the bald man. Rhia had no file on him, so he was likely an Institute member. He did note that the man was quick to dismiss any notion of wanting to second-guess their plan. It did seem to be the Institute’s position that this reunion between the two objects should happen as soon as possible. That they knew more than what they were letting on seemed to be a given; all that remained to be seen would be if that was a good thing for Outremer and its population.

In any case, there were no objections to getting the group moving again. There were trucks ready to get them to their destination, so under the guidance of their protectors, the science team started to board the trucks. The only condition which Rareth had was that she insisted upon riding in the same truck as Freyr and Vreta. Even out of her armor, she took up no small amount of space, but Vreta would always feel safer with a Datius as a guardian.

Once they were seated, Vreta looked down a Freyr beside him. “Once we get there, how long do you think it will be before we send the object in?”

Halo: Aegis Team

Vael 'Virisusai

---

Vael halted in place with his carbine’s sights set firmly on the rebel commander. However, this time, to kill was not his goal, which was enough to give him pause. He was a warrior with immense battlefield experience against some of the most deadly foes the galaxy had to offer. He had seen more in battle than even most Sangheili would experience in their lives, yet he could not deny that this was something new to him. He had a foe in front of him that he could not kill, and in fact, that he needed to save from the weapon in his own hand. For all his battlefield experience, Vael could not deny to himself that this fell outside his array of skills. He would need his team to succeed.

Already, some of Vael’s team took the initiative to act, demonstrating options that Vael himself had not thought of in the moment. The pilot, Tar, matched hostage with hostage. She found one of the rebel’s allies to threaten and did so in clear view of the commander. It seemed dishonorable, but could Vael truly criticize unorthodox tactics in an equally unorthodox situation? The rebel commander had demonstrated considerable concern for his underlings, so it was a clever way to exploit that weakness.

At the same time, out of all his team, Grikgar was the one who seemed able to potentially move himself into position. Even Vael may not have noticed, were it not for his HUD highlighting his ally’s position, but the Unggoy was moving around wide under active camouflage to get behind the Human. The rebel commander was highly aware of his surroundings, looking around constantly to his front and sides. Being alert, he would likely notice an approach even through active camouflage from those angles, but Grik was hanging from the side of the platform to move around behind him. A perilous position, as it was quite a long drop off the side, but it was an approach that could actually work. Many Sangheili would find it foolish to trust such a vital task to an Unggoy, but Vael was aware that Grikgar was not the average Unggoy. Perhaps they did not need to succeed at negotiating with this Human? Perhaps they needed to merely buy time?

For the rebel commander, he only hesitated briefly upon seeing Tar’s hostage. “I know I can’t save everyone, but if you want me, then you’re going to let me save who I can. No arguments. You will let the rest of these dropships launch. Doesn’t matter if you pursue, because you’ll never find them once they’re gone. Then, you radio your people up top and…tell them to focus on the Brutes. They’ll follow that order, and I trust my people to get away on their own. You do that, and let your hostage there go, then I’m yours. Without a hole in my head. I give you my word.”

The Cradle

Though not one of the scientists himself, Vreta, at this point, was closely-involved enough with the project to have an informed opinion. Indeed, he and 595 had been personally closer to the entity than most of the others in the project. “Are you sure that is worth the risk, Freyr? We don’t know how much energy this object has left. If it thinks it has accessed the Cradle, it might expend more energy than it can afford to lose. If we are choosing to trust this entity, then we don’t want to hurt it.”

Based on their current course, Vreta felt his concerns were justified. Although, he would be lying if he said he was certain about the course they had chosen. Especially knowing more of the history of the Cradle, it seemed like a risky object to work with in any capacity. Rhia had started searches on public networks to identify each and every person they saw who was there to greet them on the platform, so he was fairly certain he could tell which ones were Institute personnel based on which ones had redacted files. He had no more trust now for the Institute than he had at the start of the project, so he was curious about how they would react to what he had to say next.

“And that is a key word: if.” Vreta continued. “I don’t think there are any guarantees, here. I feel it should be known that we do not know what will happen when the object interfaces with the Cradle. We know the object is technologically similar to the Cradle, certainly related, but we only have the entity’s word for what it will do. This could conceivably harm your world as much as it could help it. Just…be sure you are okay with that risk. If you feel we can trust it, then I think we should start quickly and keep it from having to wait any longer.”

Rareth nodded in wordless agreement to Vreta. In this case, they were agreed about the risks, but it was ultimately the Humans’ risk to take. “Marae and her team are already set up in the lab. We can send them the codex you mentioned, or you can simply get in there and get started right away.”

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.