EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei hardly had time to acknowledge Fendros directly, as the process of creating this portal required her complete focus in every instant. Still, she was grateful for any amount of relief she could be given. Her progress was slower than she would have liked, as she had to prioritize keeping the magical backlash to a minimum. Fendros’ help gave her more leeway, but letting out even a fraction of the power she had absorbed in an uncontrolled manner would reduce their flesh to dust in an instant.

Meesei concentrated on that point above them, the destination for her portal. The power within her Staff was immense, though the energy concentrated at the top of the tower was even greater still. This interference she was working to break through she did not even believe was an intentional defense measure. Merely the aura of whatever was above them was interfering with the finely precise spellcasting that a portal required. Meesei’s hope was to use the sheer, brute force of power within the Staff to stabilize a small area above them. To block out the interference from a small area above them for long enough that she could establish a portal.

As she tried to coax out more power from the Staff, a surge of magicka struck both herself and Fendros. For just a moment, it felt as if her blood was on fire. She maintained her concentration, but even so, it was not enough to try to stabilize the area one small bit at a time. In terms of its magical aura, the space at the top of the tower was a maelstrom of pure chaos. It was like a hurricane, but one in which she had to try to create the eye herself. To try and grow that area of calm slowly and steadily only led to it collapsing immediately. She had to do it in one effort with the power she had collected. There was enough there for her to accomplish what she needed to do, she just needed to be able to wield it.

Closing her eyes, Meesei focused on the magicka itself, both in the staff and far above. As she had tried before, she attempted to form a perfect, orderly sphere out of the chaos above. She arranged the edges of the bubble easily enough, but then it came time to try and bring order to the raw magicka in the staff. The spell itself was something she understood, but this was power on a scale even Meesei had never experienced. Taming this power she had stolen from Vile, the power she needed to break through, was like trying to tame a raging waterfall. When she started to release that energy to order it into a spell, the backlash through her body, despite their best efforts, knocked Fendros off his feet and collapsed her to the ground. She had only scarcely managed to stop the magicka’s release before it killed them both. As she pushed back the pain out of her mind, grabbed the Staff once more, and forced herself back to her knees, the one truth she had been fighting became undeniable to her:

She couldn’t do it.

No matter Meesei’s magical skill and decades of experience. No matter her willpower and determination. No matter the time her pack, Ri’vashi, and even Molag Bal’s Daedra bought her. No matter the well of energy Fendros could contain. This power was greater still. The inescapable reality was that Meesei was a mortal trying to command the power of a god. She had achieved miraculous magical feats in the past, but she still had limitations on what her magic could do.

At this point, she felt they had to try something else. Her allies were holding the enemy back, particularly with Molag Bal’s Daedra disrupting them, but that could only ever be temporary. All that was left was the lift Lorag had activated before. It had just reached the bottom of the tower a short time ago, but it would take just as long to reach the top, and its mechanisms would need to be kept safe the whole time.

Meesei lifted her head up towards Fendros. “We need to get the pack into the lift…hurry.” She said. Hopefully, between their Daedric reinforcements and the rest of their warriors, Ri’vashi would be able to keep the enemy back for at least that long. They had only a single lift to work with, but it did look large enough to hold both her pack and Sabine’s, if only barely.

Halo: Aegis Team

Vael 'Virisusai

---

Vael let out a low hum. ”You may expect what you like of your customs from your own soldiers, but I warn you against expecting the same of me. I am here to fight for our alliance, not for cultural study.”

As much as he might have preferred solitude, however, there was some reason for Vael to want to leave. From what he had heard, it did seem more likely now that Aegis team might become a permanent unit, but Humans still confused him in many ways. Some of their behavior reminded him of Unggoy in how pointless they seemed, yet he could not deny their effectiveness overall. He worried that it would be unwise to simply deny that which he did not understand.

”Although, if my leaving would be to the irritation of my ‘handlers’…”” Vael grunted. ”I suppose that would be an acceptable reason to go.”

Approaching the large crate on the other side of the room, Vael unlocked it to retrieve his armor. Inside the container were essentially all of the personal effects that Vael cared to bring with him, though it was packed quite tightly. The largest objects were armor pieces, but it was not just his usual armor that was contained within. Alongside the normal armor he was retrieving, the others would be able to glimpse an older set. Pragmatically speaking, it was of higher quality than his Swords armor, but it was not what he chose to wear. Aside from armor, there were also other objects from his past, but most of those were not visible from the angle at which the Humans were looking.

Halo: Aegis Team

Vael 'Virisusai

---

”My superior instructed me not to mention the parasite while on your worlds, since your leaders hide the reality of it from your people. I do not know why they feel that ignorance of the threat will protect them from it. Vael remarked.

Vael was not sure whether to be irritated or relieved by the arrival of Spartan Ryker. He had been content with the silence of his meditation, but it seemed the time for that had passed. He had permitted the Spartan to assist with many of his missions during the time since the battle on Sarcophagus. In truth, he had not expected the idea of Aegis team to survive, but he did agree with it in principle, for he believed in the Arbiter’s principles. He would not be here if he felt otherwise.

In the time that they were working together, Vael had treated Ryker exactly as Tar, Yalu, or any other warrior, giving him no trouble, nor special treatment. That said, he had not made a habit of socializing with anyone under his command, and he wondered what Ryker hoped to gain by making this suggestion. ”Is this a custom of yours I am unfamiliar with, or is there something else you wish to accomplish? The staff of this building already provide me with food.”

Halo: Aegis Team

Vael 'Virisusai

---

Vael’s meditation was interrupted by a visitor at his door. Naturally, he had received few since he had been staying on his planet. Some of the younger members of his team had chosen to indulge some of their curiosity on this world, but Vael himself had been content to keep to himself. He suspected that ONI had anticipated he and his team would behave just as Vael had been when they offered them the freedom of movement befitting a guest. It was for that reason that Vael did not mind allowing his team to defy their expectations and do as they willed. It would certainly cause some irritation for their handlers.

In any case, Vael allowed his guest to enter his quarters. The room was entirely unchanged from its state when the Humans had assigned it to him, apart from the large covenant storage crate near the back of the room that contained his personal belongings. He listened in silence to everything the Spartan Ben had to say to him, then stood himself to his feet once he was finished. Even out of armor, Vael still towered over the Spartan. Across his body were many marks of his long military service. Scars from gashes both deep and shallow, plasma burns, and the remnants of more than a few gunshots. Even were Vael a mute, his body alone could weave a compelling tale.

At first, Vael simply stared down at Ben with a stare that was hard to read. Even after he spoke, it was hard to say if he was being judgmental, or merely contemplative. ”You say your job is to punish insubordination and cowardice? You require this…deception and secret orders merely to punish the unworthy within your ranks? I still find myself confused on how your people have become so competent with the limitations you cast upon yourselves. But it is no matter to me what you do to your own people. Share whatever information your superiors have deemed necessary. You need only make sure to stay your hand against my warriors. If any should prove themselves unworthy of our ranks, then they will be mine to punish, not yours.”

The Cradle

The moment she emerged from underground, Rhia had to take in her surroundings quickly. Just because the builder was gone, that did not mean the threat had ended. Her scans of the room quickly identified each of the remaining sources of potential threats. Three hostiles were engaged in melee with Major Osman and other allies near to the crash, who could potentially use assistance. She also detected the presence of Humans inflicted by this strange Cradle infection. She had clearly observed that they were maddened to the point of mindless hostility before, so a nonviolent solution to deal with them was not likely possible. She also observed that some of them were dissolving parts of the building on touch, so allowing physical contact with them would not be advisable.

At present, the infected might have been the greatest threat overall, but it would be easiest to fight them off if her allies could all work together. She needed to assist them. Rhia sprinted towards 595 and the scientists, while taking aim at the ambushers Osman and the other soldiers were fighting. She swapped her weapon to single fire to make carefully-aimed, precise shots, then analyzed the fight carefully to predict the movements of both her enemies and allies. She had subroutines constantly making small adjustments in her muscles to keep her aim stable on the move, and others looking to identify the right opportunity to take her shots. As soon as the momentum of Osman and her opponent put them on predictable trajectories, Rhia squeezed off a pair of shots at her opponent. As she came to a stop near the crash, Rhia found another shot on a different ambusher, which, altogether, she hoped would be enough to swing that fight in their favor quickly.

Above all, Rhia could not allow them to be overwhelmed by infected. Once in position to protect the civilians, she swapped her weapon’s firing mode to its plasma thrower. It was ideal for crowd control against large numbers of unarmored targets, as without substantial thermal protection, the clouds of superheated plasma could incinerate flesh almost immediately upon contact. Whether they were curable or not, these infected were a threat, so as they neared, Rhia would not hesitate to burn them alive. Already, she was unleashing clouds of plasma to keep them at bay.

Halo: Aegis Team

Vael 'Virisusai

---

Vael had to hold himself back from responding to Spartan Aviza’s…decision with anything more than a low growl. Not only did this choice prevent them from delivering the remaining rebels their deserved punishment, but it was risky. Once they held no leverage over him, there would be nothing stopping him from taking his own life except his sense of honor, and perhaps fear.

Even so, Vael did not voice any dissent. He simply kept his carbine leveled on the rebel, trying to keep his aim right on the Human’s wrist. Even he could not guarantee he would be able to make such a shot, but that was the only option Vael would have to stop him from killing himself, should it come to that. Even if he did not agree with the plan, it was still better for a unit to have united support for a single plan, rather than divided support for a better plan.

In any case, the impasse continued for as long as it took for the remainder of the rebels to make their escape. One after another, the pelicans lifted off and accelerated down the tunnel, with their former hostage boarding the last to make her escape. Soon enough, the complex was devoid of insurrectionists, save for the commander himself.

The rebel had remained alert to any movement for the entire wait, but once his soldiers were gone, he stared down Aviza. “You have kept your word, Spartan…” He began, letting out a long sigh. In an instant, he squeezed the trigger…which was followed by nothing but a click. His weapon was out of ammunition; he must have held down the slide release lever after firing his final shot before. ”I hope you remember that integrity when they betray you too. Do as you will.” He remarked, tossing his empty pistol aside.

In leaving the Forerunner structure, there was no more resistance. Every rebel that had not been killed had evacuated, while the Brutes above ground had fought to the last. If there was one measure of respect Vael could give to the Jiralhanae, despite their savagery, it was that they would fight to a warrior’s death no matter the odds. Of course, even with the Brutes defeated, they still had to extract quickly once on the surface. The fighting had drawn the ire of the Forerunner defense systems in the area, so they had to evacuate under fire to return to the Chorus of Thunder. Once all ground forces were aboard, the fleet as a whole jumped to slipspace to put some distance between themselves and Sarcophagus.

---

The debriefing for Aegis team came after the appropriate medical attention for those who were injured. For Spartans, medical checkups were standard after every mission, though Sangheili team members were at least offered treatment as well. It was up to them whether or not they would accept it.

Overall, the mission was successful as per the objectives outlined to them from the start. Most of the rebel cell was destroyed, and their commander captured. The escape of so many insurrectionists was not ideal, but the damage dealt to the organization was considered sufficient, especially with the capture of their leader. It was a strong first showing for Aegis team, and it made a solid case for their usefulness of this experiment in cooperation.

As was true from the beginning, however, Aegis team was never fully about military effectiveness. It was a political experiment as much as it was a military one, so having good results was not an immediate guarantee of their future. The wait aboard the Chorus turned from days to weeks as their superiors discussed the mission’s execution, its results, and its implications as they interrogated their captive. Ultimately, priorities began to shift among both governments as a result of events in the rest of the galaxy. The rebel cell they encountered was considered to have been removed as a threat, while other concerns moved closer to the forefront.

For the Swords of Sanghelios, the war against Jul ‘Mdama’s Covenant continued to draw more and more of their resources, while the UNSC was reluctant to draw themselves any further into the conflict than absolutely necessary. Meanwhile, the UNSC Infinity’s mission to facilitate the study and decommission of the remaining Halo rings was among the UNSC’s highest priorities, and Spartan deployments to the Infinity, and other locations in service of that goal, were considered more important. Ultimately, members of Aegis team on both sides were soon given “temporary” reassignments back among their own people while they awaited the results of discussions between their superiors.

The months that passed saw events that threatened to reshape the balance of power in the galaxy. The discovery of the shield world Requiem, followed by the Didact’s attack on Earth and the destruction of New Phoenix shook the peace that Earth had enjoyed since the end of the war. Despite his losses, and even without the Didact to lead them, the Requiem Campaign brought more power and influence to ‘Mdama’s faction. After the destruction of Requiem, Promethean warriors continued to serve as allies to the Covenant, which, to some, seemed to legitimize Jul ‘Mdama’s claim to leadership.

It was only near the end of the Requiem campaign that the talks over the future of Aegis team, which had been shelved months before, were put back on the table. Though still reluctant to join the war in earnest, the UNSC now had much more direct cause to act against ‘Mdama. Particularly for missions in or near Swords of Sanghelios territory, the need once again arose for a team like Aegis.

---

March 1st, 2558. Sydney, Australia

Vael was sat on the floor, resting on his knees and meditating in the quarters he had been given. He was out of his armor, which was no small show of trust for him on an alien world, even if the Humans likely did not understand it. Of course, his armor was close by and sealed in its storage container, and he rarely left these quarters without it.

Opening his eyes, Vael simply took a moment to look out across the bustling city outside his window. It was the place this idea of Aegis team first started, the city of Sydney on Earth. Vael and his team had been here over a week while they awaited other members of the team to be recalled to Earth. Their superiors had already been discussing, planning, and making agreements; it would simply be up to them to carry out the decisions that had been made for them.

In a way, Vael found his treatment here amusing. Unlike his previous visit to Earth, he had been given quarters as a guest near to, though not within the UNSC headquarters. Since he and his team had been required to stay for more than a short time, their hosts had at least made an appearance of not treating their allies like prisoners. He had been free to move of his own accord in the city, though of course, he was under no illusions that he was not being watched by ONI. No matter what appearances they wanted to give, they would not allow him to go anywhere they did not wish him to be.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

So bright was the raw magicka being focused into the Staff of Magnus’ crystal that Meesei could hardly even see beyond what was right in front of her. Even with the staff, it was no easy task to try to pull in and contain the immense power in front of her. Vile had truly grown powerful during this war, as this was only a part of the energy that was spiraling up towards the top of this tower. In any case, it did not take too long for her to pull in everything she felt she needed to make her portal. All that remained was to use that power to tear that portal open.

The hours upon hours of fighting had taken their toll on Lorag’s body, perhaps more than most due to his age. Of course, one would not be able to tell just by watching him. Whatever pain he felt fueled his rage, and fed the fury of his beast spirit. In times like this, he had no problem allowing its savagery complement his own. Janius soon found not only spearmen coming to his aid, but Lorag pouncing from off to his right side. The series of spearheads that had pieced the xivilai’s body were punctuated by Lorag’s jaws clasping down on his throat. Just a moment of thrashing tore apart the Daedra’s flesh to the point that it perished even before Lorag ripped his head from his body. Lorag did take a few hits to his armor for his aggression, though the mace from the side was the one that actually seemed to affect him. He lashed out quickly against the Skaafin officer that made the swing and managed to get a hold of her arm. As quickly as Lorag had pounced, he retreated back behind their spearmen, dragging the Skaafin along with him to maul at his leisure.

From the Dark Anchor, the fireballs raining down from the sky continued to land among Vile’s Daedra. Although it was somewhat difficult to see in the chaos, the Daedra that it was bringing to the field were starting to make their mark. Explosions of cold-flame erupted from among the horde, and the amount of Daedra reaching the frontline started to lessen. Particularly from a distance, it could be difficult to differentiate Molag Bal’s Daedra from Vile’s, but there were a surprising number that rose out above the rest. Dread Daedroth and harvesters towered over many of the Daedra around them, along with creations of Molag Bal like grievous twilights and Xivkyn. These were not simple churls; they were powerful Daedra that Molag Bal was dedicating to this fight. It was doubtful that the Daedric Prince’s motivations were selfless, but he actually seemed to be honoring his alliance. While Vile’s horde was still bearing down upon them, they were becoming more disjointed and their numbers more manageable. The Dark Anchor would still only be a delaying tactic, but it was working effectively to buy them time.

For Meesei, the act of actually creating the portal from the power the Staff now contained was far more difficult than merely collecting it. She could see to the top of the tower to place her portal in a useful location, but there were two more pillars of magicka flowing to the top, just like the first she had drained from. She needed a great deal of power to break through that interference, but controlling the power in the Staff proved even more difficult than charging it in the first place. With the Staff, she held more power in her hands than any mortal body was meant to withstand. She had to try to coax it out in smaller amounts, but even her cautious, measured attempts sent surges of raw magicka through her body that felt as if they burned her skin from the inside out. After a large surge, she let out a growl and collapsed to her knees, only to force herself back to her feet moments later.

Closing her eyes, Meesei calmed her mind and, perhaps to the surprise of those around her, started to shift her form. Her armor loosened and fell to the ground in pieces as she returned to her Argonian form. Evidently, every bit of mental clarity she could achieve was valuable enough to her in this moment to be worth sacrificing the protection and enchantments of her dragonbone armor. She certainly would not be able to put it back on now that she had abandoned it.

The Cradle

Though Rhia could not see what was happening, she could adjust her echolocation for other mediums. Usually, it would not be a solid medium one would be surrounded with, but sound could move through it just fine. She felt when part of the material underneath her liquified so the builder could drop down out of their suit, though it still left her firmly trapped.

With or without the builder present, Rhia had to get herself free of this stone-like prison. Trapped as she was, she had few options, but there was one she felt would work. She jabbed her claws through the part of the suit she was holding on to, but instead of crushing it, she used it as an entry point for a direct physical connection. Rhia directed nanites from Vreta’s arm out through the skin and suit and into the builder’s now-empty armor. They connected from Vreta’s suit and through each other in sequence until they could form a bridge directly to the builder suit’s circuitry. It allowed Rhia to form her own access point to bypass normal security. These nanites were not built for communication over distance, but as long as they maintained direct physical contact, it would work.

Unfortunately, gaining access to the suit alerted Rhia to a new problem. The last command the builder gave seemed to be liquifying the suit just as it had to the ground around them. Immediately, Rhia started running interference every way she could. She did not have time to hack into its control systems, but she used everything she could control to at least disrupt the execution of the command. Given that the medical nanites were not programmed for this task, she was having to puppet each and every one individually. That, in combination with everything else she was having to do, was starting to stress even her processors. Still, she needed only to buy time.

This self-destruction was being performed by the gauntlet, which meant it would have to be the last thing to deconstruct. The gauntlet was already powered, and she could observe enough from its current state to see how to execute a command. She just needed to be able to input the specific command she needed. Fortunately, she had seen the builder do exactly what she needed multiple times. With those records for reference, she short circuited a few power conduits in the suit to force a specific signal to the servos in the hand. Each finger moved as she instructed, replicating the command she had witnessed before.

Suddenly, all of the base material around Rhia liquified, dropping her down into the garage on the floor below. The thud of her feet hitting the ground echoed throughout the cavernous space. Her eyes darted around and, for a brief moment, she did spot the builder in the distance, sprinting away. She could have gave chase, tried to get an angle to shoot. She wanted to, certainly, but ultimately, that was not the mission. Getting the scientist to the objective was the mission, and that mission was up above. Begrudgingly, Rhia made a running leap with a thruster assist to jump back up through the hole and help the others above.

The Cradle

If nothing else, Rhia had to commend the builder’s response. With Vreta’s physical power, there were few favorable outcomes of a grapple for the builder. That they had trapped themselves as well was a sign of desperation, but it was an intelligent decision. Unfortunately for the builder, Rhia had already grabbed a hold of their spear arm before being trapped, and she had held on tight the whole time.

For the moment, at least, Rhia was almost completely immobile. Almost. While the material around her prevented her from opening her hand, there was nothing stopping her from closing it even tighter. As she had done before with Vreta’s leg, Rhia temporarily disabled some of the safeties holding back his arm muscles, and considering that there was not much else her suit could be doing at the moment, she also transferred more power into the suit’s muscle-assist systems to give her an extra crushing grip.

From where Rhia had grabbed the builder near their elbow, her hand clamped down like a hydraulic press, crushing the suit under the pressure. Though, of course, she certainly did not stop there. Flesh, bone, tendons, and ligaments; everything underneath would be crushed or shredded by the crumpling metal until the forearm had been torn from the body. Their spear would be useless if they could not control the arm wielding it.

At the same time, Rhia had isolated access points to the builder’s suit and internal network, and they would soon find every one inundated with a swarm of complex Rothian viral programs aiming to find any vulnerable hook she could latch on to in order to breach their security.

The Cradle

While it was durable, the forces Vreta could apply did allow Rhia to break away enough of the material around her to free her legs, and just in time. There were new contacts: infected Humans, as they had seen during the drive. Rhia was the closest to the door they were breaking through, so she already had their attention, but she did not have time to fight them immediately. The priority threat needed to be neutralized.

Deploying her thrusters once more, Rhia kicked off the ground and resumed her attack, sharply accelerating straight at the builder’s position. She saw Osman launched across the room, but she could not help at the moment. To have the speed and surprise needed, she had to attack now. The cover the builder had created was between them, but Rhia hoped for that to be an advantage, as it obscured the line of sight between them to hide that she had freed herself.

The instant after Osman had been launched, Rhia lunged at full speed over the barrier. Her attack was both fluid, and precise. She had her pistol drawn, and the moment they came into view, she fired a three-round burst into the remaining soldier. While the builder’s durability was unknown, she could be confident from observations of their foe so far that their standard soldier would not survive the shots. At the speed Rhia was moving, the burst hardly even had time to finish before she was upon the builder, using her full weight to tackle them. Her priority was to control the spear arm, then pin down the one with the gauntlet. All of the data collected so far suggested that the builder needed to perform specific motions in order to manipulate the simulation for attacks. So, if Rhia could leverage overwhelming strength in a grapple to bend back and break both of her target’s arms, she judged that they would be much less of a threat.