EliteCommander

Halo: Aegis Team

Ethat' Lacalu and Vael Virisusai

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Ethat let out a quick huff as he turned his head towards Tar. ”Once the assault begins, there is likely no escape without either destroying most of the keep, or deposing Uztel. The Covenant’s operations on Brissekh will be stopped, one way or another. The plan we have devised is our best way of doing so with the least damage to your homeworld. Do remember that.”

Ultimately, Vael saw little reason to argue against the plan at the moment. Strategically, it was sound. If the plan proceeded successfully, then Brissekh would have new leadership loyal to the Arbiter. There would certainly be resistance from Covenant loyalists after the coup, but they would not be conquering Brissekh. Tar had the legal claim to become Scion, so if Uztel was removed in battle, honor would demand most of the citizens’ loyalty. It would be unconventional, with Tar being female, but the position of Scions had changed under the Arbiter’s rule. If they were correct about the level of support for the Arbiter on the world, then Vael did not expect that the resistance would be insurmountable.

Ryker joined Tar as the meeting was dismissed, though Vael did not. He doubted the Human would understand half of what a situation like this would mean for someone in Tar’s position, but if he made the mistake of offending her, then the Spartan could deal with the consequences himself. As long as his team could perform their duties to his standards, they were free to deal with personal issues between them however they saw fit. Should they ever fail in their duties because of such issues, then they would have Vael to deal with. Vael himself wasted no time in making his way to the pelican outside. They would be using a Sangheili Blockade Runner for this mission, so it would be the Humans who were out-of-place this time.

The Cradle

Though it did not appear so from the outside, Vreta had a great deal to focus on in the moment. Rhia was quickly catching him up on everything he missed, while he still had to pay attention to what was happening around him. Rhia helped with that as well by highlighting and recording points of interest, particularly outside the windows of the train. She recommended responses to 595, but Vreta still heard her well enough to have his own answer.

“I think you know Rothians well enough by now to know that we never plan on dying. Or plan on never dying, rather.” Vreta replied.

The train was quick, so as Freyr had said, it did not take long for it to arrive at their destination. They were not quite in the GCHQ yet, but rather a nearby station. Even still, Vreta was already feeling chills when he stepped out onto the platform. The place was a mess, with debris, refuse, and personal items scattered all around the station. No bodies, so it could have been a sign of a hasty evacuation…hopefully. In any case, Vreta checked his weapon’s charge and kept his head on a swivel, while Rhia kept up scanning everything he could not see.

The Cradle

“Agreed.” Rhia replied. “We should make sure we have our fallback plans in place before we arrive. Do you have the schematics for the headquarters? Or at least the surrounding area. We should make sure we have the nearest transit stations marked and know how to reach them in case we need to retreat quickly.”

Ultimately, Rhia would not have a better opportunity to make the transition than in the train. Once there was a long enough lull in conversation, Rhia tightly held on to the handhold above her and began to shift her consciousness back into its proper place while doing the same for Vreta’s.

To Vreta, the time that Rhia had been in control was like sleep without dreams. After he had given her authority to take control, there had been a brief moment of…confusion where his senses became blurred, but he only remembered that lasting an instant. The very next moment, to him, was standing in this train with Rhia flashing alerts on his HUD to stay calm and not react. She kept control of his motor functions for the first few seconds to give him time to come to his senses, but slowly started to return those to him as he regained consciousness.

”We’re on a train heading to the GCHQ. I’ve prepped a package to help catch you up on everything you missed. If others ask you questions before then, just repeat everything I say.” Rhia instructed, though Vreta was more concerned about the fact that he had been unconscious at all.

There was a tinge of confusion and anger in Vreta’s thoughts, which Rhia would feel quite clearly. ”What is…what did you do? I gave you permission to take control for the fight, not to knock me out! Why didn’t you tell me about this?”

”I did not have time in the middle of the firefight. I had to act, not debate, and I completed every objective successfully. Our team faced no casualties since you lost consciousness. Dr. Girard returned to the vault, and Osman is coordinating her soldiers. We are going to the headquarters to complete our mission.” She explained. Vreta could not help but to be angry, even still, but he had to avoid showing signs that anything was out of the ordinary to the others.

Halo: Aegis Team

Ethat 'Lacalu, Major Alice Robinson, and Vael 'Virisusai

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Ethat took only a moment of thought to reply to Yalu. ”It’s best to deal with him quickly, but…it is more important to claim the keep and ensure the planet knows of Tar ‘Mdalak’s victory. To flee his keep instead of fighting to the death to defend it would mark Uztel as a coward. Only the most fanatical of Covenant supporters would be willing to overlook such dishonor. If you have to make that choice, focus on securing the keep.” He answered.

After a few moments of silence passed, Major Robinson deactivated the display and pulled Shih’s data chip from the holotank. ”If there are no more questions, then Commander Vael ‘Virisusai has operational authority for Aegis team on this mission. That means he will be your commanding officer. There is a pelican waiting outside to take the team to our Blockade Runner in orbit. All of your equipment is being brought to the ship as we speak, along with UNSC reinforcements and supplies that have been approved for the mission. Dismissed.”

Vael had an eye on Tar. After her initial outburst, she had kept quiet. However, he knew her well enough to know that this was not a mission she could just detach herself from. Much of her motivation for fighting was to restore her father’s honor; family did have clear meaning to her.

The Cradle

It was particularly easy for Rhia to avoid reacting to 595, given that she was wearing a full helmet. She did realize that she was not acting quite as Vreta would, but the mission came first. Currently, she had no intention of stopping the coupling between the Object and the Cradle, but gaining information and establishing contact with the Entity was a priority. In truth, she disagreed with keeping them apart for as long as they had, but at least once they were at the headquarters, they would be able to get started.

“If you can, try to help re-establish communications once you’re back at the Vault.” Rhia recommended, speaking to Girard. “If we can transit back, that must mean the other team has succeeded in re-capturing the Bridge. Perhaps try re-routing comms through there? Whatever is happening, it seems that we’re no longer in control of comms through GCHQ.”

In any case, Rhia boarded the train after Freyr. She supposed there might be a good chance soon for her to give control back to Vreta. It would be jarring for him to be brought back into consciousness, so she would have to make sure the others would not pick up on it.

The Cradle

It was difficult for Rhia to evaluate the situation, given how much information was obscured from her. Given the dangers that had presented themselves, standard procedure would be to evacuate and attempt to evaluate the situation from a safe distance. However, she was doubtful that her mission could be completed with that approach. Not to mention, there was something not adding up about what information they were receiving. Vreta would probably want to err on the side of caution…but Vreta was not here right now.

An attack on the headquarters back in the real world, while not impossible, would be difficult to pull off. If it had been entirely overrun, then their bodies would not be safe. There would be no reason to allow them to remain in the simulation when they could simply disconnect them physically. That would imply that their bodies were still being protected, but in that case, why had they suddenly stopped receiving communications? Even if she was in the middle of a firefight, Rareth’s implants should be able to handle simple communications. Evacuation orders had gotten through, but then apparently nothing else? It felt too convenient. If there was something controlling their communications, then they could not trust what they had been told.

“You said it yourself, something in the Cradle could be controlling our comms. We do not know if there has even been an attack. My task is to make contact with the entity, and there seems to be something trying to prevent that. It is too convenient that evacuation orders would reach us, but then literally nothing else.” Rhia responded.

The Cradle

Rhia could not help but to feel that something that was strange about the situation. There was supposedly an attack at the headquarters outside the simulation, at what was certainly the most secure facility on Outremer. There were many layers of security that would need to be breached, so the implications of pretty much any of the possibilities she was thinking of were unsettling.

“Rareth’Jharn is still out there. She would be able to defend us against anything short of full-scale military action. You have many layers of security, so it would take a truly overwhelming force to break through your security in such a short time, unless it was sent by your own government. I find it strange that we’re not getting more details on this apparent attack.” Rhia remarked. She could patch in to the comm channel as well, so she made her own attempt at contact with the outside. Specifically, Rareth. “Datius, do you read? What is the status of the headquarters?”

Additionally, Rhia also continued performing a threat analysis of the area. Now that they had escaped the battle above, she needed to determine when it would be safe to return control to Vreta.

The Cradle

Rhia stayed up top, firing on any infected in sight to cover the civilians while they jumped down into the underground level beneath them. It was a fair drop down, but not enough that it should be dangerous for an unassisted Human, barring an unlucky landing. In any case, Rhia waited until the others had made it below before dropping down herself.

Hopefully, the subterranean route would at least let them make the rest of the way to their destination uninterrupted, though there was no way to ensure their safety. At the very least, Rhia’s echolocation would work exceptionally well in an underground tunnel, so she would receive ample warning on any approaching threats. She checked the route 595 had given them and tried to estimate how likely it was they would arrive in time.

“We cannot afford any more delays. What are our transportation options?” Rhia asked.

Halo: Aegis Team

Major Alice Robinson, Ethat 'Lacalu, and UNSC AI SHI 1203-8

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Ethat hummed, exchanging a glance with Major Robinson. ”Possibly. Our informant did identify a Covenant zealot Uztel contacted. He is now overseeing the mining operations on the planet personally. He is not in the keep, so he was not vital for the mission, but I would rather ensure he does not return to the Covenant. He has shown himself as being devious and resourceful, so it would be a victory to deny Jul ‘Mdama his service.”

”You and I can discuss that idea in detail on the ship.” Robinson said to Ethat before returning her attention to Aegis. ”As I have said, Aegis team’s mission is straightforward. You will deploy the communications jammer, disable the anti-air cannon, then return to the ship to join the assault. However, timing is crucial.” Robinson turned the group’s attention to the point of interest in geosynchronous orbit on the hologram. ”We have learned that the Covenant has installed a small listening station here to cover gaps in sensory coverage from their fleet’s position on the other side of the planet. They believe it is hidden, which we will use to our advantage. Our fleet will approach the planet in stealth, but we will allow it to be detected by this listening station. The Covenant will likely believe they have discovered our plan and send their ships to intercept. Or at least, they will have to send enough that our Blockade Runner will be able to make it to the surface undetected. It will set down some distance from the keep, outside sensor range. It is vital that neither the ship, nor your team, be detected before the communications jammer is deployed.”

Once again, Shih’s avatar appeared in the middle of the table. ”I will be operating the jamming program personally. At first, I will only keep its range limited to the anti-air cannon, but while your team is working on the first objective, I’ll be listening in on transmissions between the keep and the Covenant fleet. Once we begin the attack on the keep, I’ll extend the jammer’s range, as well as mimicking normal transmissions up to the fleet above. Essentially, I’ll be pretending to be the keep, as far as the fleet is concerned. That should buy you time to carry out the attack, but I won’t be able to keep up the deception forever, so try not to take too long to finish the coup.”

Halo: Aegis Team

Major Alice Robinson and Ethat 'Lacalu

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Major Robinson brought up an intelligence report on Uztel ‘Mdalak and quickly distributed it to Aegis team. [color=violet]”Unfortunately, we have good reason to believe that trying to take advantage of Uztel’s honor or pride will not work in this case.”[/violet]

”He has neither…” Ethat briefly interjected.

”Our psychological profile of Uztel suggests that he will prioritize his own safety. Whether by the Covenant’s instructions, or his own choice, he has not followed usual patterns of Sangheili behavior. There are means by which he could have challenged his brother legally. Either by challenging him in combat, or even by sending an assassin for the Kaidon to fight. In either case, failure would have meant his own death, so there would have been risk for him. The kind of trick he used to depose his brother would be seen as cowardly among the population. We do believe his rule is untenable in the long-term, but the Covenant will have what they want from the planet by then. The Major explained.

Ethat nodded, letting out a slight, low growl. ”Yes, his cowardice will destroy him in time, but we need him removed now. Uztel is a young, inexperienced warrior, and he knows he is no match for his sister. He will use any excuse he can to avoid fighting her. The only way he fights is if we break down the doors of his keep and force him to pick up a blade.”

The Major zoomed out the projection to once more show the planet as a whole, as well as highlighting the fleet in orbit, and another point of interest in geosynchronous orbit on the opposite side of the planet. ”Spartan Ryker is correct that your team alone will not be able to carry out a frontal assault. This is why the Swords of Sanghelios are dedicating a small fleet to this operation. Though, our aim is not to destroy the enemy fleet. Now that the Covenant have established themselves here, Uztel has joined his planet’s military with the Covenant’s forces, and they are…honor-bound, as they might say, to follow those orders. Many of the ships, and the mining platforms, are being operated by Uztel’s forces. If Commando Tar becomes Scion, they will then be bound to follow her orders. There will still be fighting afterwards from ‘Mdama loyalists, but we believe there is enough support for the Arbiter on Brissekh for the Swords to retain most of the fleet and mining infrastructure. Your mission, Aegis, will be twofold. The Covenant have installed heavy anti-air cannons in the mountains near to the keep, but only the largest needs to be disabled, as it is the only one capable of destroying our Blockade Runner in time. Your team will insert nearby, deploy a communications jammer, then move to disable the largest cannon. Once that is done, you will be able to return to the ship to be dropped, along with reinforcements and armored support, right at the keep’s front gate. That will bypass most of the outer defenses and give you a straight shot at Uztel.”