EliteCommander

The Cradle

Vreta gave a mildly curious look at the delivery for Freyr. He was not sure who had sent it, but such gifts were a custom he could understand perfectly well. Granted, a Rothian gift basket would not be quite so heavy on the fruit, but he understood the sentiment all the same. No doubt, there had been more than a few people who had been worried for Freyr’s recovery.

Freyr’s sudden panic came with an elevated heart rate, along with a myriad of other stress-related symptoms. The sensor nodes on her body recorded and reported on every aspect of her vitals, from heartbeats, to the endocrine response, and even the electrical signals in her brain. Vreta, though, did not need that data to be able to see that at least that something was wrong.

Vreta stopped alongside Freyr as she did, noting her breathing. He could not see what she was seeing around her in the moment. “Are you alright, Freyr?” He asked, placing his hands on her shoulders with a firm enough grip that he could be sure he had a hold of her. With the way she was acting at the moment, he was not sure if he was going to need to catch her from collapsing. He gave a quick look around and tried to guide her towards a clear space with soft grass nearby, just off the path. “Let’s sit down for a minute. Catch your breath.”

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The silence did not break for some time, until Yerig ceased his silent prayer to look up to the stars above. The constellations one could usually observe were nowhere to be seen in this realm. “It is not Kyne’s sky that looks down upon us here. My prayers to her cannot fall upon her ears…but it was never her realm his spirit was meant to pass through. Sovngarde was not his home. His spirit-home was chosen by violence, by a twist of fate he spent his life trying to fight. His spirit…my friend’s spirit, was split. Bound by pact to the Prince of Wishes, and bound by blood to the Prince of Beasts. He fought with heart and will to break his bindings, but through desperation and fear, was driven to commit great sins to reclaim a life he was never fated to live.”

Yerig paused and seemed to catch his breath. His breaths were long and heavy, and even just speaking seemed like it took effort for him. The battle had been absolutely exhausting for all of them, but Yerig looked like he had aged another ten years in just a few hours. “But it was not sin that overtook him. It was not fear…not regret…it was purpose. He fought so long to avoid this realm, but in the end, he made his peace. His choice. He did not go to his grave fearing his death and what lay beyond. I do not know what fate lies ahead for him in this realm of Beasts, but I do know his mind was settled and content upon it. In the end, he claimed the fate of his choosing.”

The Cradle

“I’m not sure.” Vreta answered. “If you have any packages, there will be a message for you about it on the ship’s network. Here, let me help you get set up on it…”

The pair spent a few minutes getting ready before leaving the infirmary. Vreta made sure that Freyr was able to connect to the ship’s internal network, which allowed her access to many of the ship’s automated services. With as many options as were available, it could almost feel like the service list of a luxury cruise. If Freyr really wanted to, she would not likely have to leave her room at any point during her stay. With the press of a virtual button, servant droids could deliver her meals, or anything else she might request. She could even request a droid as a personal servant, capable of carrying out nearly any custom instructions she wanted. The only real restrictions were, of course, any instructions that might compromise the safety and security of the ship or its crew.

For now, Freyr did have a chance to change into the…unique outfit Marae had gifted to her, if she so chose, but regardless, the pair did finally set out from the infirmary. From the network, Freyr did have access to a simplified map of the ship to see where they were going. Crew areas, as well as emergency escape routes, were highlighted, though any section not intended for crew habitation were not included. Even just the halls themselves felt different from a Human vessel. For its size, a Rothian cruiser had a relatively small organic crew, which was made up for by an expansive complement of droids that carried out the lion’s share of duties aboard the vessel. They tended to be smaller drones that often moved through their own designated passages in the ship, so the vessel altogether felt less crowded than the Barbarossa. Even just the taller ceilings and wider hallways made the ship feel quite open by the standards of starships, though that feeling was dwarfed by the feeling of walking into the ship’s main atrium. It was a massive chamber, tall enough in fact that, with holographic assistance, the ceiling could give the illusion of being the sky itself. The atrium was a hub area that extended across almost two kilometers of the ship’s length, which connected to most of its crew areas.

There were a few designated pathways through the atrium that would guide them to the chamber’s exits, but most of its space was dedicated to natural features. Grass, trees, and other foliage, or sandy beaches alongside water features. It was easy to miss at first, but the sounds of birds in the background was not simply piped in for effect. If one looked carefully, they could spot Anskarian birds flying overhead, interacting quite physically with the trees. It was no illusion. It was an entire artificial ecosystem, with genuine flora and fauna taken from the Rothian colony of Anskaria, all contained within a starship. The vessel did have tram systems for quicker transportation, but when not in a rush, it was easy to see why one might want to take the scenic route. If a person could forget about the ship for a moment, it could feel just like walking outside in the tropics.

“The atrium connects to pretty much anywhere else you might want to go.” Vreta explained. “You’ll probably find more of the crew here at any given time than anywhere else. It’s a great place to meet, or just relax. This chamber perfectly mimics the lighting profile of Anskaria, so it’s nice for sunbathing.”

The Cradle

“If you are not feeling up to work, then you don’t have to work. End of story. We’ll take care of anyone who complains about it until you are feeling well enough again. Marae is perfectly capable of handling the team in the meantime.” Vreta assured her. “Your team is fine. At least, we got everyone who was with us in the arcology out safely. No untreatable injuries, and we are giving them any treatment or comfort they request. I’m sure they’ll be glad to hear you’re alright, too. As for Wallace, I can’t really say for sure. As far as I know, your government detained her when you returned, but I don’t know much else beyond that. Like I said, things have been a bit chaotic. I do know that Marae and Nirann testified to your government that you all left consensually with her, and since you were not legally prisoners, I believe you had the right to leave of your own volition. Technically speaking.”

Looking around for a moment, Vreta took in a breath, then stood slowly up to his feet. “But you shouldn’t have to worry about that right now. If you like, I could show you around the relevant parts of the ship you’ll want to see. It’s comparable in size to the Barbarossa, so there is quite a lot to familiarize yourself with. It is a warship, but, well…I’m sure you know how much we like our luxuries. You’ll have plenty of ways to rest and recover.” He said, extending out his hand to offer to help her up.

The Cradle

Vreta shrugged lightly, leaning back in his chair. “It could be the Skinners. That is who our enemy have presented themselves as being. But, we’ve only encountered holograms and hacked robots so far. They could just be a scapegoat being used by some other group. Our people are going to need to do their own investigation to confirm who these terrorists really are, one way or another.”

Vreta leaned forward and clasped his hands together, looking down on Freyr with a soft expression. “Like I said before, though, we’re safe here. Whoever our enemy might be, they have clearly infiltrated parts of your government in some capacity, but they certainly haven’t infiltrated a Rothian crew. Every other Human brought on board right now has to be thoroughly vetted.. Right now, it’s really just the science team, and your doctors. And in case you were worried about anything having happened to you while unconscious, don’t be. You’ve been hooked into a Rothian medical drone from the moment we evacuated the arcology up to now, and those things can keep track of every molecule that enters or leaves your body. You haven’t been poisoned, or anything of the like. As for outside threats, I don’t care what weapons they acquire, they are not going to be able to get through a Rothian cruiser’s shields before we can jump out of the system. You can rest for as long and as deeply as you need.”

For the moment, the doctors seemed to have little else they needed to do. The data flowing from the sensor link provided a continuously updated picture of her physical of her current physical health that they could access anytime, from anywhere. If anything went wrong with her, they would know about it right away, regardless of where they were. Vreta felt he had said enough to address any worries she might have had about their immediate safety, so he started to look ahead. “Aside from that, I do know that Marae has been anxious for you to wake up. She was…shaken by the attack, but she seems to be focusing on getting to work now. According to her, the lab has all the equipment you need to analyze the data we already have, even faster and more thoroughly than before. My advice would still be for you to get some rest and recover, but I know you’ve been anxious to get back to work yourself these last few weeks.”

The Cradle

Vreta nodded, pausing a few moments as he looked around for a chair to pull up alongside her bed. He let out a long, slow breath as he took his seat. “Yes. The story I have heard is that terrorists hijacked two large ships and sent them hurdling towards the arcology. Between ground-based defenses and a Rothian drone squadron, they were able to stop them from crashing into the buildings completely, but they still dealt some damage. Like I said, a lot of fires. They also managed to get some hacked industrial droids in the building after us, but we fought them off and managed to evacuate. I…took a hard hit or two on the way out myself, but it was nothing serious. You were already hooked up to the medical droids being treated at the time, after you passed out.”

Vreta looked up to the Rothian doctor. “Does she need to stay here, or is she free to leave?”

The doctor turned her focus to Freyr directly. “You are not considered to be at risk anymore. While I do highly recommend a psychological evaluation, your body appears to be perfectly fine. Still, I do want to keep you monitored for at least the next day, just to be safe. The sensor links on you will keep a constant check on your vitals and let us record the data. You don’t need to stay in this bed for that, though. As long as you’re on the ship, the sensors can connect to the network.”

Across Freyr’s body were a handful of small, translucent disks attached to her skin at various points. Each were no larger than a centimeter in diameter, and were non-intrusive to the point that she had likely not even noticed them until the doctor pointed them out. They caused no irritation or other discomfort, at least.

The Cradle

“We’re on the Faultless Spear, our cruiser in orbit. We’re safe here.” Vreta answered softly. “We managed to get out of the arcology amid the attack, if only just. The fires consumed many of the upper floors, before they got them under control. The dropship that evacuated us brought us straight up here, and we’ve been here since. Everyone on both science teams received the best medical treatment we could give them, and there have been no deaths. At least no one who came up here with us. I haven’t heard any details yet about casualties on the ground.”

Vreta was interrupted for a few seconds as the medical drone floated over to fulfill Freyr’s request. It produced a bottle of water, made from polymer with a straw built-in. Vreta waited for the drone to return to its dormant position before continuing. “I know what happened down there was stressful for…many reasons. I’ve already been debriefed on my experience, and I’m sure they’re going to want to do the same for you, but you don’t have to worry about that right this second. You can rest and recover. Catch your breath. We weren’t really able to bring our belongings with us when we evacuated. I don’t know yet exactly how far the fires spread. They’ll send word if there is anything we can recover. In the meantime, Marae did stop by earlier to bring you some clothes she got for you. I told her you would probably want some while you are here, but, umm…”

Vreta rubbed his hand over the back of his neck as he awkwardly gestured to the table beside her bed. Laid out on it were a few garments that seemed to have been picked out by someone with absolutely no concept of Human fashion. There was a fine, expensive green suit jacket, a pair of baggy, tie-dye cargo shorts, dark blue dress shoes, some nearly knee-length rainbow-patterned socks, and to top it all off an exceptionally wide-brimmed sun hat with a fake feather.

“I, um, think she just liked the colors.” Vreta remarked, clearing his throat. “We can get you some more, in a little while. Things are still a bit chaotic.”

Halo: Aegis Team

Vael 'Virisusai

---

Vael had rushed in alongside the others to capitalize on the discord they had sewn among their enemy. Though, he was not concerned with anything except the efficient destruction of their foe. With his carbine in-hand, he targeted the most vulnerable among them first to thin their numbers the most quickly. Unggoy or Sangheili with damaged shields would fall within just a few shots. The fewer the number of their enemy, the less they would be capable of returning fire.

The moment he heard Yalu’s callout, Vael trained his aim towards the fleeing Kig-Yar. They had clear parameters for success in this ambush: none of their enemy could escape. The Human AI was jamming their communications and could prevent the keep from learning from this attack in that manner, but if any of them escaped, that could open the possibility of a warning reaching the Keep. Vael quickly took a plasma grenade in hand and threw it towards the edge of the platform, ahead of the jackals. They both had ample time to react, but Vael did not expect it to kill them. He just needed it to stall them.

The jackal closest to the grenade tried to leap to the side, though wet metal platform did not give him the best grip. He slipped, lost his footing, and ended up sliding a short distance across the platform. He did manage to slide out of the range of the grenade’s detonation, but without his shield in the way, he was completely exposed. Two carbine shots cut through his torso, and he did not get up from there.

The second jackal had managed to stop short and stay on his feet. With his shield directed towards Vael, he unleashed a full magazine of his needler towards him. Even Vael’s shields could not withstand a supercombine, but he did not panic. He knew just how needlers behaved. Rather than run away, Vael dashed towards the jackal and rolled diagonally to the side. Some of the needles still struck Vael’s shield, but most could not turn sharply enough to keep up. By the time Vael was on his feet again, the jackal had emptied the needler’s magazine. Vael had the time to line up a careful shot through the shield’s cutout to strike his hand. The jackal staggered back, shifting the shield just enough to allow Vael to put a second shot through his head.

Tar’s call for assistance, however, was more difficult to handle than a few Kig-Yar. At a glance, he could see that the shields of the Sangheili pinning her were still up, and it would take too many shots from his carbine to break them in time. He was too distant from her for his blade to be of any use…at least, not in his own hands. Vael took one of his energy swords in hand, but did not activate it. For the briefest moment, he judged the distance between them and eyed the rain so he could see the wind. This would need to be a good throw.

”Tar, on your right!” Vael replied as he threw his sword to her. He threw it on a flat arc close to the ground to try to reduce the impact of the wind, letting it slide across the floor until it came to a sudden stop striking Tar in the side.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

When it finally came time for the pack to leave the camp and seek out Do’rhajul, Saras sent a scout to guide them to the place he had been spotted. When Vile had been defeated, every person and object that had invaded Vile’s realm had been brought back in a wide area around where the great gate had once stood, but knowing where they were going, it was only a half hour’s walk at most to reach them.

Though no blood had been spilled in Hircine’s domain, the forest they walked through still looked like a battlefield. Their priority had been on helping those that still lived, so most of the bodies that had been brought back still lay on the forest floor. Without the bodies of the Daedra to accompany them, it was hard not to focus on their losses. Every lifeless face they saw was one of an ally. All that could be done was to remind themselves of the victory this sacrifice had brought, and to keep moving ahead.

Yerig and Do’rhajul were not in the exact place the scouts had left them, but they were found not far beyond. In a clearing just beyond the forest, near the edge of a cliff overlooking a wide valley below, they spotted Yerig knelt down at Do’rhajul’s side. The Cathay-raht had been moved so that he lay on his back, neatly and orderly. The body’s arms were crossed with his hands resting on his chest, and his eyes had been closed. Yerig was on his knees beside him in deep meditation, or perhaps prayer.

The Cradle

Freyr would find herself waking up in a bed much too large for her, in an unfamiliar place. The hot air would likely be the first thing she noticed, and once she opened her eyes, it would not take long to recognize that she was in a med bay on a Rothian ship. The tall ceilings and smooth, contoured architecture was somewhat distinctive. She was in a hospital gown, which had likely been brought aboard specifically for the ship’s new Human guests. There were many beds such as hers in view in the large room around her, though none were in use aside from her own. The walls were a bright, polished white in color, and for the moment, there was only a single droid floating dormant nearby. It was a drone similar to the ones that had treated her back on Outremer, just prior to their escape.

There were just a short few moments where Freyr was alone in the med-bay until the door off to her left opened. A Rothian woman stepped inside and came straight to Freyr. She was somewhat short for one of her kind, and she appeared rather distracted at first. She brought up a holographic screen in front of her and glanced through a few of the charts before she finally actually seemed to take notice of Freyr herself. “It is good to see that you are finally awake. I think you’ll be pleased to hear that your vitals are all perfectly fine. Physically, there are no signs that anything is amiss, exhaustion aside. Hopefully the rest you have gotten over this last day has done something to mitigate that particular issue. I would recommend trying to avoid letting that sleep debt accrue quite so much in the future.” The doctor advised. Indeed, whatever treatment she had received over the past day had done wonders for her, physically. Her body would feel like it was in perfect health, for now, though nothing in that treatment had touched her mind.

Soon after, there was a Human doctor who joined the pair and started following through many of the same steps, complete with checking the same charts and giving her similar assurances about her health. Without being able to see more closely, it was hard to tell if he was doing anything different, or just repeating everything the Rothian had done. Eventually, though, there was finally a familiar face that joined them. Vreta joined them in the med-bay, though he kept back enough to avoid getting in the way of the doctors.

“Freyr, I’m glad to see that you’re up. I was…worried, for a while. You’ve been out for over an entire day. The doctors said you were fine, but…it’s just good to see you’ve recovered. I got an alert when you woke up, so I thought I’d come check on you. How are you feeling right now?” Vreta asked.