EliteCommander

The Cradle

Vreta was not able to help as much as he wished he could. Not only did the convoy have no intention of stopping, but he had to be careful to identify his targets. They had the same silhouettes as the people he was meant to be protecting, and he did not know if there were genuine civilians dispersed among them. The CraSec guards were easy enough to identify, so Rhia quickly filtered targets based on aggressive behavior towards confirmed allies, which at least gave Vreta something to shoot as they drove past. He was accurate and took out at least a few targets, but Vreta did not know if some brief covering fire would be enough for them to regroup. He felt as if they were leaving them to die, though if their team did not complete their mission, that was a fate that could be shared by far more innocents.

Aside from what was in front of him, Rhia also helped Vreta to manage communications with Void Company. There was still interference, but by stitching together variants of the signal across multiple wavelengths, they could clean it up enough to be usable. “On our way to…Bridge. Some creatures…not significant. Mar eliminates…before we see them.” Eti informed Vreta.

“Understood.” Vreta answered. “We’re still on course to our target. We’ve encountered creatures, but no setbacks yet. I’ll keep you updated.”

Vreta shifted his focus more on any creature that threatened to get close to the convoy, though there were some that had moved out of his view. As they moved into a narrower path, Vreta shouted down to the others in the passenger hold below, electing not to rely on comms for the moment. “I got in contact with Void Company. They’re still on course; no major setbacks yet.”

The Cradle

Vreta straightened up somewhat and nodded to Girard. “I won’t say it didn’t affect me, but I’ve recovered. Diagnostics says I’m fine.” There were a few moments where Vreta was able to consider the problem of communication, as Freyr mentioned. Rothian suit transmitters were both powerful, and could operate across a wide range of the EM spectrum, so he would try to see if he could get a better signal. Though, they were not immune to disruption. There were other options for communication, though Vreta was not sure if they would be able to set it up on short notice. “We have transmitters that use gravitational manipulation to create readable signals. Methods for jamming EM signals do not work on them, though it’s pretty short range. Gravity is something like ten to the thirty-sixth times weaker than electromagnetism, so even our best gravitation communicators only work over about the range of a city. Still, it might be useful for us, especially if we can make use of it to communicate with the Vault. ‘Distance’ isn’t really a factor there.”

In any case, Vreta started to try to raise Void Company through his suit communicator by sending out his signal across a range of frequencies, hoping that at least one would get through clearly. However, the sudden swerving, shouting, and gunfire quickly interrupted him. Vreta himself ended up letting out a low growl after slamming his head against the roof. “We can’t stay here. We have our own mission.”

Vreta, regardless, was still quick to take action. Their transport was armed with a roof mounted turret, though it was unmanned at the moment. The turret could be accessed through the center of the passenger hold, and with some effort, he could open the hatch and fit through the gap to man it himself. Even if they could not spend the time to stop and help everyone along their path, he could at least give them some covering fire. The turret may not have been particularly comfortable for a Rothian to use, but it was possible for him, and he would only risk striking other passengers with his tail if he traversed the turret too quickly.

The Cradle

Vreta’s helmet did make it easier for him to hide his general discomfort. It felt hard to concentrate, though Rhia could certainly help mitigate the physical issues he was feeling. Yet again, they were facing consequences of the unknowns they were being forced to work with. There was far more recklessness in many of the plans they had gone through with than he would ever normally be comfortable with, were he the one making the decisions.

At the very least, Vreta could still focus enough to pay attention to what was being said around him. Could the Object be responsible for this, or was it something within the Cradle? Dr. Girard suggested the Object might be able to communicate with the Cradle in some way using their own minds. It was a possibility, through Vreta could imagine other scenarios where such advanced objects could bypass conventional barriers. It was a less worrying possibility, though unfortunately, not one that Vreta found especially likely.

“Hmm, I don’t know the specifications of your vault, but I have to assume it is able to be…sealed against any type of signal known to you. I wouldn’t expect you to put any…less than your best into it.” Vreta remarked, still catching his breath somewhat. “I suppose there may be possibilities that our minds may not be the vector. What might work over short distances…quantum tunneling, perhaps? Though, manipulating probability fields to force tunneling across more than a few nanometers is quite a difficult task. A wormhole, perhaps on a microscopic scale, could also accomplish the same thing. The risk of causing damage with one of that scale would be minimal, even if opening it blind. Still, your proposal does seem the most likely. I just wonder what message has been sent?”

The Cradle

Rhia did everything she could to help get Vreta ready and alert as quickly as she could. Her understanding and control of his brain allowed her to dull his headache, as well as manipulating his adrenal response and nanites to get him moving quickly. Of course, fighting nature usually came at a cost, but it was up to her to make sure he never felt it. They had the mission ahead of them, and at this point, no choice but to complete it.

Following Osman’s direction, Vreta approached Agent 595 at the map table. While Dr. Girard did seem ready and willing to help, Vreta found it far easier to simply reach down, grab her carefully under her shoulders and legs, and lift her up into his arms himself. Her armor added weight, but not so much that it would be difficult for him to carry her. Weight efficiency was as much of a design consideration for Humans as it was for Rothians, after all.

Vreta quickly carried the Agent with him into the back of one of the convoy’s armored vehicles. It was an even more cramped space than the monorail for him as he had to keep hunched over at all times just to fit his head under the roof, and no matter how he angled his knees they still dug into the seat in front of him. This time, though, his mind barely registered such inconveniences.

Void Company, meanwhile, had even more urgency to their mission now. The Bridge was the most likely means by which they could regain their full connection to the outside world, so reclaiming control over it was vital. None of the five even bothered to attempt to use one of the smaller armored vehicle, instead moving straight to ride on the outside of one of the tanks.

“Mar, keep your head on a swivel.” Eti remarked as they climbed up onto the vehicle. For an infantry-portable system, her sensory suite was second-to-none, though based on the reports they had read, danger could come in unexpected forms within these simulations. They could not ignore anything that might become a threat.

The Cradle

Vreta was not given too much time to worry about the quake before the pain struck him. He braced himself against the table, a growl escaping through his helmet. Inside his head, it was like a war took place across his mind. Rhia reacted to the intrusion within nanoseconds, but her initial attempts to block out the signal were futile, as it did not have a specific source she could target. It was, in essence, reality that created the disruption. It was as if the weave of spacetime itself was probing his neural patterns. Still, that did not prevent Rhia from trying to run interference as best she could. Even if she could not stop the scan, that did not mean she could not disrupt its purpose.

The nature of Rhia’s connection to Vreta was as close as one could be. The implants in Vreta’s brain expanded the capacity of his mind to make room for Rhia to exist comfortably, but she was not confined merely to synthetic computer chips, nor was Vreta strictly shackled to organic neurons. His implants bridged that gap in a multitude of locations, allowing signals to be quickly and freely translated between the two. At its theoretical peak, the system would allow not only Rhia to use Vreta’s brain just as she would her own processors, but for Vreta’s consciousness to be able to use Rhia’s hardware in the same way. Of course, unlike Rhia’s hardware, Vreta’s brain was not built specifically for this purpose. It would take time for an organic mind to learn to “think” with artificial hardware. For now, Rhia had to direct which parts of their hybrid mind were used by which consciousness. To at least try and confuse the scan, she started moving some of his thoughts, memories, and autonomic processes into scattered corners of her hardware, and vice versa from herself into his mind. She mixed up parts of him with parts of herself to hopefully scramble the scan’s results and make its data unreliable. She could not know how successful she had been, but she at least made the attempt to preserve some of their secrets.

Eventually, after enough microseconds had passed, Rhia started to feel the pain herself, or at least her equivalent of it. That part of this simulation’s reality that had been invading Vreta’s mind set its sights firmly on her. Though, for Rhia, it was less of a scan and more of a direct attack on her being. It was as if quantum fluctuations were trying to scramble her data, like wiping a drive by corrupting its files. Fortunately, this entity’s attack was not specifically suited to dealing with her. It may not have known of her true nature, as she did not store data in the same way as the average computer. Corrupted data could be healed, and pathways between the nodes restored or rerouted. Not only that, her connection into Vreta’s mind allowed her to pass fluidly between synthetic and organic mediums. It was an ability she could use to shield herself, and hopefully keep the both of them protected.

Altogether, the chaos within Vreta’s mind left him beyond disoriented. It was only by Rhia’s direct control of a few of his muscle groups that he avoided collapsing to the ground entirely. Fortunately, Rhia knew how to avoid causing him lasting harm. ”Rhia, by the blackest depths of the Void, what was that?” He asked within his mind, though even just thinking still caused him a headache.

”Don’t know, still working on that.” She answered quickly. ”It was like reality was performing a scan on you, and trying to kill me. I’ll go over all the data I saved, see what I can figure out.”

After a few seconds, and once he was sure he had full control of his motor functions, Vreta pushed himself back up fully to his feet. ”Any damage?”

”Nothing permanent. I can get us back to a hundred percent. I get the feeling we’re different from what this…thing was expecting. Still, I don’t know what it’s capable of, and I’d really rather get out of this sim. We’re in its territory.”

Vreta was far from the only one to be affected. Freyr, the Agent, even members of Eti’s team showed signs of pain. Eti, Mar, and Kelest were all recovering. The only members of Void Company that did not seem meaningfully affected were the two members who had not taken part in the previous mission: something that seemed to establish a clear pattern.

“I don’t…think we should stay in this sim.” Vreta replied to Freyr.

The Cradle

As Freyr gave her rundown of the situation, Vreta was the first to receive his answers to the question he had been about to ask. “If that is where we are most likely to come in contact with the entity, then I need to come with you, Freyr. My task here is to assist negotiation with the entity, should that become relevant.”

Eti took just a moment longer to look over the map and consider her options, based on the new information. She had read the reports of the dangers found within Cradle-like objects in the past, as well as seeing them herself during her last mission. She did not want to separate her team, if she could help it, so she needed to place them where they would be most effective. After a few, long seconds of silence, she looked back up towards Freyr and Osman. “If your headquarters is already heavily fortified, you may not need our presence as greatly there. At the same time, if the Bridge district is required to maintain our contact with the outside, then it is critical we maintain it. I recommend keeping a constant channel open with the Vault to allow Nirann access to all tactical information. A Rothian AI of his class can provide exceptional tactical analysis and alert us of any changes within the Cradle. Void Company can ensure that link remains open.”

The Cradle

Even though they were in a secure area, Eti’s whole team still seemed on alert from the moment they became conscious in the simulation. Eti focused on confirming the status of their allies, while the gaze of the sniper, Mar, went as far as she could see into the distance. Her armor was equipped with an array of additional sensors, including a cluster of separate cameras on her helmet that could take in and differentiate even slight quantities of light across most of the EM spectrum. Altogether, they gave her helmet a rather insectoid appearance. Kelest still carried the same heavy weapon as on their last mission, though he recognized where they were quickly enough not to accidentally threaten anyone with it. Neither Vreta, nor any of the others, had yet been introduced to the remaining two members of Eti’s team. They both wore standard armor, with standard rifles, so Vreta could not tell just by appearance what their specializations might be. Every member of a Rothian fireteam was generally encouraged to refine their specializations to the point of perfection, so they would certainly have their own expertise as well.

Naturally, as their arrival point was safe, the Rothian team relaxed quickly. The rest of her team stayed back so as not to crowd the map table, while Eti herself approached. As was common for their more augmented soldiers, Eti could feel like a commanding presence merely by standing next to them. She observed the map briefly, but she was unfamiliar with Cradle Security’s conventions for their symbols and map markings. “The chaos above threw everything into disarray. We have not yet received a detailed briefing of the plan, but we cannot delay too long. Which objective is the most vital, Dr. Lang? Assign us to a position to defend and we shall make it unassailable.”

Halo: Aegis Team

Vael 'Virisusai

---

The moment she was given the order, Shih did just as Aviza said. She passed on Aviza's instructions to the battle group above, as well as a brief report on their current situation. She also took the liberty of encoding and encrypting the message, in the unlikely event that the rebels still had some ability to intercept their transmissions.

Across the platform they were on, the engines of one of the other pelicans came to life. It had filled up with evacuees and started to lift off in short order. Vael gave just a brief glance in its direction as it accelerated clear of the platform, then took of down the tunnel and turned out of sight. He kept his carbine aimed at their target and gave no visible reaction, but he did speak carefully through the team's comms. "Our ships can track and pursue the rebels above, but we do not know these tunnels, and they have certainly mapped them. Any dropships that flee down here will likely be lost to us."

Meanwhile, the rebel commander activated his own comm unit, though he spoke openly for all of them to hear. "You should be able to get an opening. Follow the contingencies. Get out of there while the enemy focuses on the Brutes. Report back confirmation once you're away." Once he gave his orders, he looked back at Aviza, still with his magnum pressed firmly to his skull. "Okay, glad to see you can be reasonable. Now, once I get word that my people have escaped, and once your split-lip friend there releases my soldier, then you can have me. No tricks. Until then, you can stay back, and we can all just wait right here."

The Cradle

Vreta was as ready as he was ever going to be. Eti as well gathered up the other four members of her team. Now that they did not have power to be concerned about, she could bring in her fireteam at its full strength. Whatever might happen, Vreta did feel more comfortable having them present to help. From his understanding, the Humans already had their own security present in the simulation, but they could act as a force multiplier if the Cradle creatures they encountered before showed themselves again.

The Green Room had already been prepared with the Rothians’ harnesses, so there were no more delays. It was at least more comfortable than trying to use a setup sized for a Human; he doubted soldiers like Eti would even be able to fit on the table of a Human’s harness. Comfort aside, using their own designs was also the only way they could be sure they could keep the designs of their technology secure.

---

From Vreta’s perspective, leaving reality came suddenly as soon as the harnesses were initiated. The transition was smoother into the Cradle than it had been for the Object on Rothia, though they had the benefit of centuries of Human refinement on that process. Even once they resolved the language issue, there were some minor differences in the Object’s processes that could make such transitions a bit jarring. Still, even if he had been feeling worse, Vreta would have pushed himself through regardless.

Now that they were in the simulation, only Vreta’s size set him apart from the Rothian soldiers around him. They had all been given full suits of powered armor and military-grade infantry weapons. It wasn’t the first time Vreta had worn this armor even in recent memory, but it still felt strange to him to have cause to use it. One thing he was sure of was that it felt amazing just to move around in the suit, particularly with how it could assist movement. For proper soldiers, its shield emitters could link with energy shield implants in the soldier’s own body to further enhance its defensive properties. Vreta lacked such implants, though the suit’s defenses were still more than formidable on their own. Once Rhia linked in with the suit’s systems, its silver-colored plating could become like a second skin to him to eliminate any potential detriments to agility or dexterity.

The location to which the team had transited was the city of New Antioch, though it hardly felt like a city any longer. The buildings still stood, mostly as they had been left, but without its former inhabitants, it was more like a town of ghosts. Vreta still vividly remembered the attack he had suffered during his last visit to the city, and how suddenly it had all happened. It was like a switch was flipped, and the creatures were all around them. For now, though, the only beings around them on their arrival were the Human soldiers. The transit station at which they had arrived was now more of a military checkpoint, with fortifications in all directions and more than enough soldiers to guard them.

The Cradle

Nirann was about to argue with Freyr. In terms of the structure of his mind, there was not much to separate him from the average Rothian. If the Cradle could corrupt his mind, then it could corrupt any organic mind as well. If he was being honest with himself, he worried that might have been true. In any case, the alerts that their sensors were receiving from the object put an end to his argument before he could start it. The Object was not going to wait on them to make their decision. He understood as well as any of them that they needed to act quickly, and whether he was right or not, they could not afford to waste time with the discussion. He could still have plenty of impact directing their systems externally. If he could breathe, he would have sighed, but did give a slight nod towards Marae.

“We’ll be able to handle things here. We’ll stay in communications as much as we can, and we’ll be sending you in with all the portable equipment we’ve developed during this project. And again, I do hope you consider enabling my protocols. Ideally none of you will need them, but…well, it can’t hurt, right?” Marae replied.

Vreta actually found himself feeling proud of Freyr for how she was taking charge, despite all the uncertainty surrounding the situation. Even with his own misgivings about the plan, he was ready to follow through with it. He stood by Freyr, ready to move to the Green Room as soon as someone told him where that was.

Freyr’s orders were all Eti and her team needed to spring into action as well. Given the chaos ever since their landing, the Human and Rothian teams had not been given much of a chance to coordinate, so they may have been unaware that Rareth was assigning the Rothian soldiers to the mission as well. Her armored footsteps echoed even more loudly through the room than Nirann’s had. “My team stands ready. Just point us where to go.”