EliteCommander

The Cradle

“A ‘courtesy’ this may be, but I would advise taking our warning more seriously than some…others are.” Rareth remarked. “It is much better to over-prepare for a minor threat than to under-prepare for a major one.”

Taranik spoke up quickly to steer the conversation towards their most pressing issue. The Outremans were hesitant about giving too much information away. Rareth was going to be negotiating in favor of further disclosure to their allies, but for now, Rareth was being patient enough to wait instead of proceeding without the Outremans' agreement. At the moment, Taranik would only give away some of what they knew. “Indeed, and part of that preparation is why we are contacting you first. We are attempting to get to the heart of this threat before it has a chance to cause any major damage. That investigation, from my understanding, is leading us to a system in which the Tindrel have a presence. Are you familiar with the Psi-Helios system? We require access to that system for the investigation to proceed.”

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

There was a wave of somber reflection that passed over the others. In general terms, their leadership already knew what happened, but to hear it in detail still carried a certain weight. This day had marked many endings, to the point that it would be hard to imagine what this next era for the clans would be like. Since the clans had been united, Meesei had been their Champion, so succession was just another of the challenges they would have to face ahead. But, right now, there was no challenge to Fendros’ claim. Even among the leaders of the other clans that could be present, there was only silent reverence for the accomplishments and sacrifices of those they had lost. Or not-so-silent.

“I can’t think of a more worthy end for the skalds to sing.” Hjergir spoke up. He had fresh scars and a few barely closed wounds. He definitely should have been resting, but was far too stubborn to obey his healers. “A Lizard and a Cat might be strange heroes for Nords to sing, but by Hircine did they have souls worthy for Sovngarde!” He shouted. At the very least, he certainly intended it as praise, and high praise at that.

Saras, of course, had a much more calm and collected response, though he still showed a measure of emotion that was uncommon for him. “Everyone in the valley saw the brilliant flash from the tower. That release of energy nearly reached us at the pass, but fortunately stopped short. Some of us thought it might have been a sign that we had won at first, though as the battle continued, some started to think it might have been the opposite. We only knew for sure once we were brought back to the Hunting Grounds. No one is going to forget what they did for us.”

Eventually, they did have to move on from their reflections. Darahil was the next to speak up. “There has also been another development, since you have been away. It seems some spirits have returned to us. Those that died in the battle still have not manifested in the Hunting Grounds, but others that were lost to us have. The souls that Vile stole in the war, with the soul-tearing gas and any other means, Hircine was able to reclaim them in Vile’s defeat. Some have made their way to our camp. No doubt, there are more than a few reunions happening as we speak.”

The Cradle

“Greetings, Ambassador.” Taranik’Nhet began. She paused a moment, taking in a long breath as she gave one more glance to her notes in front of her. “Unfortunately, as you can probably imagine, it is not good news that is bringing us together right now. Forgive me if we skip some pleasantries, but to avoid keeping you in suspense, I am going to get straight to the business at hand. We have recently become aware of a potential, military threat, not only to our nation, but possibly every nation in our galactic community. Datius Rareth, would you…” Her voice trailed off to become inaudible over the call as she gestured to Rareth.

The Datius stepped forward, serving as more of a “military” presence to state the facts about this threat they were describing. “Last week, Rothian space was attacked by a foe of unknown origin, with unknown capabilities. These ships were operated entirely by artificial lifeforms. They attacked, then self-destructed once disabled. There have been no friendly casualties thusfar, though we believe it likely that these were merely scouts, so the true capabilities of this foe are, as I said, still unknown. As of this moment, they have only been found in Rothian, or unclaimed space, but approach vectors for ships we have detected have placed them as moving towards the territory of other species as well. We have no reason to believe they will restrict their attentions to us.”

Taranik continued right away from where Rareth left off. “We are contacting you now to inform you of this threat, and to invite your people to join in our response to it.”

The Cradle

“You may want to let my people take the lead with negotiations. We have closer ties with both species.” Rareth remarked. In any case, she would be satisfied for them to actually be able to get to work. She already knew that the Rahn’Saki wanted to bring in as many allies as they could. Even she did not know why they had come to that decision, but she did have her guesses. Militarily speaking, the advantage of having more ships and soldiers at their disposal was obvious, even if it did not end up being strictly necessary. Aside from that, making the threat visible to other species would also put them in a position to show that they are willing and able to step up as protectors in the galaxy, if it is necessary.

There was a recess in the meeting as they took the time to reach out to the required participants. Rareth, too, made her own calls. She was comfortable dealing with the Committee herself, but she knew when to take advantage of the expertise of subordinates. She contacted the Rothian ambassador to Outremer, Taranik’Nhet. She had already been kept in the loop to a degree to allow her to assist in negotiations, and Rareth had time to fill her in on what else she needed to know while they were waiting on the other two ambassadors. The ambassadors moved in the same social circles here on Outremer, so Rareth had no issue taking advantage of that familiarity to help make the ambassadors more comfortable.

Taranik’Nhet appeared seated once she logged in to the meeting. She had dark green scales with black stripes, and an altogether much less intimidating demeanor than Rareth. She was a familiar presence, so she would take the lead over Rareth when speaking with the ambassadors. The Datius, of course, would not hesitate to intercede when necessary, and Taranik would ultimately advocate for whatever position Rareth instructed her to take.

The Cradle

“The potential danger posed by these machines far exceeds the economic benefit of a plant. I frankly am not interested in playing these pointless political games.” Rareth responded. Her gaze moved around the room across the meeting’s various participants. The kinds of debates this Committee invited were tedious and frustrating, but if there was one advantage here, it was that not all of them were in agreement. Certainly, some favored action, and if Rareth could deliver a reasonable path to taking that action, she could gain support.

Rareth took in a short, deep breath, followed by a light sigh. “These machines could threaten the Tindrel and Qualian-Vosh just as much as they could for us. If they are threatened as well, then the Rahn’Saki will want to inform them of the risk. They have a right to be able to defend themselves, and we certainly would not mind having the support of as many species as possible in a united defense against this threat. I believe you may be…overthinking your approach to this political situation. We can simply explain our involvement with the truth. We are being guided to Psi-Helios in pursuit of a potential threat to our galaxy’s safety. Our intrusion into this interspecies spat over a plant is pure coincidence. We will be taking no sides, and they need not know in what ways you may or may not have already been watching them. If you are still so concerned about political fallout, then let us take the lead. You can present yourselves as merely being dragged along our warpath in the interest of mutual defense, and my people can deal with the politics later.”

The Cradle

Rareth gave little in her reaction for the others to observe. After Marae and agent Vreta had alerted her to Wallace’s tip, she had received her own report on the situation from the Rahn’Masser. Unfortunately, even they lacked recent information on how the system’s situation had developed. Its location was far from Rothian territory and overall sphere of influence. The only reason they had justification to be involved at all was the presence of the primitives in the system. Pre-FTL civilizations were protected by international treaties from outside interference, even within sovereign territory. Of course, the amount of exceptions and conditions written into those treaties could fill out the space of entire novels. For the Tindrel and Qualian-Vosh, having any presence within the system skirted the edge of the law, but as of yet they had not provably violated it in any meaningful way. On occasion, the Rothian military could send stealth corvettes to carefully observe the situation from far outside any other species’ effective sensor range. They could determine if there were any signs of uncharacteristically advanced technology in too close of proximity to the planet, but their last observation was months ago.

“Bear in mind, we are the ones who would be substantiating the Plenipotentiary’s claim. If we had other, more likely leads, then I would suggest following them. But, as it stands, waiting around here debating on what to do next, as we have been for weeks, will end only with us doing nothing. The forces that may be arrayed against us will keep marching their plans forward regardless of whether or not we do anything to challenge them. I do not know many of you, nor what you value, but I prefer to have some say in my own fate.” She said, pausing a moment as her gaze moved slowly around the virtual room. “Again, I intend to authorize a division of corvettes to scout the system from outside sensor range ahead of our arrival to identify any potential points of danger. They will not be detected by the Tindrel, Qualian-Vosh, nor the natives.”

Halo: Aegis Team

Vael 'Virisusai

---

In the aftermath of the battle, the cannon was left sufficiently destroyed for their purposes. Certainly, it could not fire in its present condition, and while it could be sabotaged further, there was always the possibility that it could be repaired when the Keep was retaken. Shih was confident that she had been able to jam any attempt at communications during the attack, so the way had been cleared for the assault on the Keep. Following Tar’s guidance, they took an alternative path back down the mountain to their vehicles. While it would have been unusable during the storm, the worst of it had already passed. All that remained was comparatively light rain. Even on spectres, it took hours to get to a safe distance, but they were eventually able to extract back to the ship.

---

Vael spoke little to the others in the time before the assault was set to begin, apart from what was necessary. He did spend some time going over the plan for the assault itself. In short, their one and only goal for their attack was to reach the Kaidon himself. There was enough support for the Swords of Sanghelios among the Keep’s population, but they were honor-bound to follow their Kaidon. If he could be deposed and Tar claim the position of Scion, that would grant the citizens an excuse to stand down that would still satisfy their honor. Perhaps there might still be some Covenant zealots that would oppose them, but the battle would essentially be over as soon as the Kaidon fell, so as long as Tar survived. For that reason, their plan was to make a powerful, direct push straight to the Keep itself. They would cut through anything in their way, but they aimed not to fight any more than necessary. The less damage they did and the fewer casualties they inflicted, the stronger the city would be as an ally. Certainly, the plan was risky. If they did not properly secure and defend the territory they captured, then they opened themselves up to be surrounded once they were in the Keep. Should their plan fail and they were unable to depose the Kaidon, they could end up being trapped.

Standing before a wraith in the hangar, Vael observed as a pair of technicians gave it a last check before the battle, as others were with the rest of their vehicles. It would be more than Aegis team participating in this assault, but as Aegis was the spearhead, they had the full choice of how they wanted to proceed in the attack. They would have the choice of Human vehicles that had been brought aboard the Blockade Runner, or of its own stock of vehicles. Any class, from light to heavy armor, was available if they chose.

The Cradle

Rareth’Jharn was aboard the Barbarossa, though she had not yet interacted with the science team. She trusted they would be able to re-establish themselves in the new facilities, and she had much of her own to do in the meantime. Her purpose in negotiating for a Rothian security detail on the Barbarossa was mostly to maintain a strong Rothian presence in the project at all levels, but that did not mean she would not take her new role seriously. She intended to fully-integrate her team with the Barbarossa’s own security forces. Void Company was mostly autonomous in how they chose to operate, but the rest she directed to maintain, as close as possible, a standard of security that would be acceptable on a Rothian ship. Patrols were easy enough to keep constant with robotic security, so it was in surveillance and screening that she placed most of her personal attention. Her first day on the ship, and she had already spent hours speaking with the captain about her requests, which she expected she would need to do many more times during this mission.

Early the next morning, Rareth had taken for herself one of the officers’ briefing rooms. She had just sent a request to the captain for background checks on all of the ship’s crew, and was going straight into a meeting with the Committee. Naturally, its other members were not all aboard the Barbarossa, but the briefing room had access to a full holographic communications interface. Ignoring the chairs that were entirely too small for her, she stood as the sensors scanned her body and projected a holographic version of herself in their digital meeting room.

There was a short wait for all of the relevant members of the committee to join the meeting, but once they had, Rareth wasted no time. “Apologies for cutting short the formalities, but there is much to do today. The science team is in the process of setting up on the Barbarossa. No meaningful difficulties at the moment, so I expect we will keep to our minimum timetable. We need to be ready to depart as soon as possible. To that end, I can approve the deployment of a corvette division from Rothia to reconnoiter the system ahead of our arrival.”

The Cradle

Vreta nodded. “If Rareth agreed to this, then it must be important. The Faultless Spear will still be close at hand, but be sure we have everything we need regardless.”

“Is a vault really worth giving up the facilities we have here? We’re not going to be able to be as productive as we are here.” One of the Rothian scientists commented.

“It is specialized equipment.” Vreta answered. “Regardless of the technological limitations, these Cradle objects are unique, and the Outremans do have experience with the unique ways of dealing with them.”

There was a brief huff from the scientist. “Give us a week and we could fabricate a vault of our own.”

“Well we may not have a week to wait around. We know the potential threat we face, and we have our orders. Just remember, there is no one more qualified to meet this challenge than all of us, and we will see it through to the end.” Vreta replied; a firm answer to remind them of the stakes. Ultimately, the Rothians would follow their orders. A Datius was an extension of the Rahn’Saki’s will, and Rareth was clear on what she wanted them to do. Right away, the Rothian team members started packing whatever equipment they could think of that they would need. Or, more accurately, ordering some of the ship’s automated labor force to move what they needed to the hangar while they supervised.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Yerig gave a soft chuckle, which was interrupted by a cough. “I’m an old man who probably should have quit a few years ago as it is. There isn’t always another chapter to write. Sometimes, a story has to find its end. It’s the natural way of things, and I believe that nature is a beautiful thing. What I will do today is…rest. Tomorrow, I will start my way back to the place Do’rhajul found me those years ago, and let my Voice turn to the heavens once again.”

---

Upon their return, the camp felt strangely more “lively” than it had been before they left. The wounded, by this point, had largely been brought to the healers, and if they had not perished, were in the process of being treated. For the rest, many had the pain of loss fresh on their minds, but also the relief and joy that came with a long-fought victory. What would be easy to notice was that not all of those wandering the camp were among the living. The dead from the battle behind them had still not yet reformed themselves in the Hunting Grounds; these were spirits who had been dead for some time.

It was not long after the pack’s return that Fendros was finally called to a meeting among their clan’s ranking members. Those who were able to attend, at least. In many of their meetings, it had usually been Meesei or Ri’vashi who would take the initiative to get them started, so their absence was particularly pronounced. This time, it was a tired-looking Saras who spoke up first. “I think it would be best for all of us to…keep this brief. I am told that the healers have a handle on the wounded for now. They are working hard, but they have enough resources to handle what they have. We are going to be focusing our efforts on moving those who have been treated and are stable back through the portal to Tamriel. I believe, Champion, that now may be the time to…deliver the news to our clans. The mood around camp has improved, somewhat, now that it has calmed down, but word still hasn’t gotten around about what happened at the tower. Obviously we are victorious, but I believe the clans need to hear from their Champion…if you think you know what you intend to say to them.”