EliteCommander

The Cradle

There was some degree of agreement between the parties, at least. Of course, they still needed to bring their proposition to the Tindrel and Qalian-Vosh. The negotiations with Earth could come at a later time. Ironically, given the history between them, it would likely be more difficult for Outremer’s government to negotiate with their fellow Humans than anyone else. For now, though, they could at least bring the other two species to the negotiating table.

All parties to the meeting had been alerted ahead of time of, in general terms, what the meeting would be about and who would be present. There were few surprises when the representatives gathered, except, perhaps, that the “Rothian representative” was Brasikha himself. Outremer had twice now met with a member of the Rahn’Saki, but being that they had been closed meetings, the fact that the Rahn’Saki were now willing to deal directly with outsiders would come as a surprise. As opposed to the group of representatives from different departments and organizations that Outremer brought, the Rothians had only Brasikha and Rareth. Though, Rareth was taking a backseat in this meeting. Certainly, it was rare for a Datius to fade into the background, but if there was anything that could overshadow them, it would be the Rahn’Saki.

As the Humans were the hosts of this meeting, Brasikha gave them the courtesy of taking the lead to start them off. In the interim, Rareth had taken some time to review some relevant documents on the situation at hand, though Brasikha had not seemed to do…anything. At all. Granted, they were in a virtual space, but their avatars simply showed what they were doing in realspace. Brasikha, when he was not engaging with anyone else, could be…remarkably still.

The Cradle

“And so we reach the core of the problem.” Brasikha responded. “Outremer is always…alone. You may not cut yourself off completely from the outside, but you still place more barriers than bridges to other nations. When Rothia reached the stars, we found ourselves alone. Of all the civilizations we know of in our little corner of the universe, we were the first to start settling the galaxy. But as we explored, made contact, found others, we sought to connect with them, to understand them, to integrate our civilizations. Your fears do not come from nothing. It is natural for any species to covet power for themselves. Power gives them greater ability to determine their own fate; it is why you are protective of it. But, in our centuries of diplomacy and observation, we have come to understand their desires, their capabilities, their limits. They covet power, like anyone else, but they will not destroy themselves for it.”

With a thought, Brasikha brought forward another hologram, one rather dense with information. It was a representation of the galaxy, marked with both political and unofficial boundaries showing territories, concentrations of ships and other military assets, settled planets, sources of resources, and trade routes. “It is debatable whether any of these factions could even defeat Outremer’s substantial defenses alone. Not without great losses. To challenge both of us together would be impossible for them. In order to make war upon two militaries they cannot defeat would also require taking on ruinous economic sanctions for their actions. And for every nation that agrees to our terms to join our alliance, the consequences of aggression against us becomes even more dire. Beyond that, we may offer incentives for accepting. The Rahn’Saki have never entered into any promise of military aid before, but for this crisis, we have judged the measure to be acceptable.”

For a moment, there was a pause, and what might have even been a shred of satisfaction in the Rothian’s expression. “But the most impactful incentive could come from you. I believe you have an expression for this…’you catch more flies with honey than vinegar’. If you wish to satisfy outside jealousy over the Cradle, we would recommend integrating their scientists into our team as you have for us. Give them a way to learn of the Cradle peacefully and violence will be unnecessary. Laughable, even, for all the risk it would carry for them. Their skills and perspectives may even be useful in this project. They will make technological gains from the concession of partial access, certainly, but not as much as you with full access. You will retain your advantage with the Cradle, while providing a powerful incentive for these other nations to accept our alliance, lest they fall behind their peers.”

The Cradle

“A dramatic, but vague answer.” Brasikha replied. He was not intent on letting them change the subject before they had come to some agreement, one way or another. “How, precisely, do you anticipate that you will lose your independence? Do you fear invasion? Economic isolation? Alone, these concerns perhaps could be valid. But I do not think you realize what it is the Rahn’Saki are proposing. These concerns, petty divisions, will only serve to weaken us at a time when we must be united. It is time, we believe, for the Rahn’Saki to pursue closer ties between all of our species. What we are proposing is to sign a defensive pact between all nations of this accord. If you want security for your people’s future, then there is no better path.”

What the Rahn’Saki were proposing was no symbolic gesture nor minor appeasement to their concerns. To agree to a defensive pact would be a greater commitment of military force than the galaxy had ever seen from the Rothians. They had been famously reluctant to commit to any military promises in the past, but for a defensive pact, all signatories would be required to defend any member nation should they be attacked. To declare war on Outremer would be to declare war on Rothia, and of course, every other nation would also receive the same benefit. Having the most advanced fleet in the galaxy willing to come to their defense would be a tempting reason to sign. If two major military superpowers, Rothia and Outremer, were already agreeing to forming this alliance, then any nation that did not join would be placing themselves at a severe political disadvantage.

The Cradle

Once again, Brasikha’s response came almost startlingly quickly. “You speak of my ancient title. It was a title of a man who saw in his mind a clear future. A title that speaks of military conquest. Of domination. It was the title of a man who would bring order to chaos, and it was the title of a man who lacked perspective.”

Though he still acted aware of the others, there was still a somewhat unnerving stare from him towards Hale. “The perspective of time is one of my perspectives, yes. The one often associated with Rothians. For me, it has felt like nations rise and fall as if with the tides. I have seen the cycle play out repeatedly among Rothians, Humans, and most other intelligent species. They do not all share the same cause, of course, but self-interest even in the face of disaster is one that repeats. It has never been the way of the Rahn’Saki to intercede in the waxing and waning of alien civilizations. You have the right to determine your own course as much as we do. But, this crisis threatens more than you.”

Finally, there was just a slight pause, and for the briefest of moments, it seemed like he might have actually been thinking. Though, the delay was still short-lived. “Before I continue, I would ask you this: what exactly is it that you fear to lose should the other species learn of the potential threat we have identified in the form of the Hegemon?”

Halo: Aegis Team

Vael 'Virisusai

---

Now that they were back on the Blockade Runner, there was not much time left to wait. The ship was invisible to sensors, but unlike some other capital ships, it did not possess active camouflage. While mostly irrelevant in space, once they came near enough to the Keep, they would be spotted by anyone who looked up. They had just disabled the only weapon in range that could destroy the ship quickly, but the city still had other anti-air defenses. The Blockade Runner would only have time to get in, blast open the outer walls, then deploy their strike force before it would have to fall back out of range. Aside from some light close air support, this would have to be a quick, decisive armored assault.

Finally, a ship-wide alert sounded and the crew started rushing to battle stations. They were closing in on the Keep. Vael had re-equipped himself for the battle ahead. He changed his armor equipment, swapping active camouflage for a jetpack. With the verticality of urban combat, the mobility could be life-saving. He kept his plasma rifle and swords, as usual, but exchanged his carbine for a plasma caster. Similar to a concussion rifle, its explosive firepower would be useful against both vehicles and entrenched infantry positions.

Human and Sangheili both were taking part in this assault. Swords of Sanghelios warriors were quicker to react to the alert, but once they had their orders from their officers, the Human marines were quick to rush to their vehicles. Scorpions and wraiths would comprise the core of their armored column, supported by warthogs, ghosts, spectres, and banshees above.

”To your vehicles!” Vael ordered as he jumped up onto a wraith and climbed into its turret.

The Cradle

Brasikha did not hesitate for even a moment, not even requiring time to think, seemingly, before he could give his answer. “Your fortress stands alone, as it always has. Sequestered, strong, but solitary. You have shown yourself adept at protecting yourselves, but will you protect others? For our allies, that shall be a vital question.”

With a wave of his hand, Brasikha brought up a screens with relevant notes about the Hegemon in front of each of the committee members. “We know precious little about our foe, but what we do know is revealing. It seeks not destruction, but domination. The reverence and service of life to itself to ends unknown. Life does not always fight to the death. In fact, it tends towards survival more often than not. To fight that instinct, to take risks in spite of death beyond the resolve of mere animals requires conviction. It requires belief in a cause worth risking a life. The time may come when our enemy forces a choice between servitude and extinction upon our allies. If we lie to our allies, manipulate them, treat them as servants instead of partners, then what makes us any better masters than the machines? What makes our cause, our fight for self-determination, worth dying for to them?”

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

For most of the clan’s survivors, they would have the time they needed to rest and recover in the Hunting Grounds, while the rest worked on moving everything essential back through the portal to Mundus. The Dominion and Imperial troops were the first back through. They moved to the orders of their superiors with discipline and precision, but even among them, one could see the exhilaration of victory. They had fought a battle against a Daedric Prince, and were walking away as survivors. The lycans had been fighting this war for much longer than either of the other factions, so for them, it was almost hard to believe that it could be over. Though, there were few other forms of closure more complete than being able to see the spirits they had saved, to speak to them, and to know that all of their effort, everything they had sacrificed, had meant something in the end.

When the time finally came, Fendros’ pack went back through the portal together. Back to their home. It had only been a few days since they had last seen it, but for many, it felt like it had been much longer. The Silent City itself likely felt rather barren at the moment, as most of the non-combatants who had stayed behind were now outside the walls to greet their returning friends and family. It was a bittersweet sight, in truth. There was little that could match the relief and joy from seeing loved ones return safely. They did not yet have a full accounting of their casualties, though. There were many waiting here who would not find the reunion they were looking for.

Kaleeth was with the pack now. The ability for a werecrocodile to recover from injury was something spectacular, though this time, it was never going to be quite the same for her again. She was with Janius, leaning on him to help her walk when they heard a familiar shout amid the roar of the crowd around them. As soon as he had spotted his parents, Julan pushed through anything in his way to rush to meet them. It was hard to tell if he even noticed Kaleeth’s injury for the moment, because his shouts and joyous tears at seeing them both alive overshadowed anything else he might have been feeling. He rushed to them and nearly knocked them over when he grabbed them both to pull into a hug. He said something as he reached them, but it was incomprehensible through his tears.

The Cradle

Rareth pulled up a screen in front of her and quickly navigated through to her translator’s software. “I doubt your translators have the proper linguistic libraries to be able to interpret a dead Rothian language. One moment, I can pass you a software package to update them.”

There was a short delay while they addressed their communication issues. Even with updated language packages, the translation would not be seamless enough to make the conversation seem as natural as usual, but the software did at least stop throwing most of its translation warnings. They could still hear Brasikha’s natural voice somewhat muffled in the background after Rareth signaled him that they were ready. “If you can now understand our communication, I say that I understand why you wish to keep our secret from our possible allies. In the struggles of nations, truth and lies are valuable currencies both. So often, our diplomacy lives somewhere betwixt the two. It is…expected. Every nation keeps their own secrets and covets those of others, even their own allies. They do not…take offense at this reality.”

Brasikha’s voice was firm, though not quite aggressive. The voice that the Humans’ translators gave him was more even-toned, with less emotion and emphasis than what they could hear in the background from him. Perhaps it was more fitting to his body language, or lack thereof. There was no pacing, fidgeting, or even the smallest of movements, as he stood almost like a statue while he spoke. “But this lie holds far more weight than the usual games of politics and posturing. The truth we hold in our possession is a reason to fear not just for our lives, but for their lives as well. For our potential allies. It is true we do not have certainties; it could be that there is no true threat to us. But, there lies the possibility that all life in our galaxy will find its existence in jeopardy. That is not the common lie. The stakes are not political standing and economic advantage; the stakes are the continuity of civilization. To lie to them here would give them the right to take offense. We seek to build an alliance, scientifically, militarily, but to found that alliance on falsehoods here would be as to build a fortress on a foundation of sand.”

The Cradle

Naturally, Rareth was listening to every word the Humans said, but when they finally looked to her for a response, she was uncharacteristically slow to answer. The whole time they spoke, she had appeared somewhat distracted and frequently glanced off to a holographic screen at her side. “I understand. As I said, the Rahn’Saki wish to speak with you about this. Just give me…one moment…”

Rareth looked off to the side. “Is he ready?” She asked softly, not towards the Humans. An answer seemed to come through, then she finally looked back to the others. “I am going to patch through a secure line to Rothia.”

Rareth stepped back. Unlike almost every other time she had met with the Council, she would not be the one taking the lead in this meeting. Using the Faultless Spear as a relay for the signal, Rareth brought in to the meeting another participant from somewhere on Rothia. Within the virtual space, another Rothian appeared. He was tall, with scales that seemed rather unremarkable by appearance. As opposed to the modern trends of scale patterns portraying complex patterns, and even artwork at times, his scales were simple greens and browns in a natural, camouflaged pattern. Rothians did not age and he was no exception, but between scars and rough scales, he still seemed to wear the marks of many long years on his body. Even for those who could not recognize him by sight, his headdress marked who he was. It resembled a crown of silver bearing an insignia of an arrowhead. It would not take more than a quick search to identify him as Brasikha, one of the most prominent members of the Rahn’Saki. For most Rothians, when one mentioned the Rahn’Saki, it would usually be either he or Roth’Orsa who came to mind. He had earned many titles in his life: the Unifier, the All-Conqueror, the Eternal Guardian, and to any Rothian, meeting him would be like meeting a myth.

From the moment he spoke, Brasikha stood out from any other Rothian they had met. Most prominently, he spoke in a dead, pre-Unification Rothian language that their translators would struggle with. Right away, most of their translators would throw warnings about potential inaccuracies and approximations in their interpretations of his speech. The usual tricks translators used to create more natural conversations would not work with him, so they would still be able to hear his untranslated words faintly in the background, in addition to what the software gave them. “I give apology for any despair wrought by my ubiety, but the determination of the Rahn’Saki is to require our intervention to avoid a dark fate. It is the determination of the Rahn’Saki that a foundation of deceit to alliance in our most vital of circumstance would infect its roots and bring it to crumble, moreso than the banal and expected lie.”

The Cradle

“Nothing more or less than to guarantee the security of ourselves and our allies.” Rareth answered without hesitation. “Our efforts to investigate and address this new threat leads us to Psi-Helios.”

Taranik did her best to complement Rareth’s arguments, while keeping more of a diplomatic attitude. “Naturally, we are not expecting you to give us a final answer here and now. We know you do not even have the authority to unilaterally grant this request on the Tindrel’s behalf. We just want you to be informed, so you can convey the…importance of this request to your superiors.”

“The Rahn’Saki considers this a priority request.” Rareth emphasized. They were words which held weight, considering how rarely they were invoked. A priority request from the Rahn’Saki was not something most diplomats would ever hear, and not something one would ignore.

---

Through the day, the council gave similar requests to all the relevant parties to this decision. It was a demand on short notice for some, but Rareth was sure to thoroughly convey the importance of the meeting to each and every one of them. For the Rahn’Saki to take such direct interest in any matter meant that, whatever the subject was, it would have ramifications across an entire civilization. For them to call upon so many nations at once, simply put, was almost unprecedented. The last time this had happened had been long before the lifetimes of any of the other representatives.

The hour was getting late, but there would be no stopping until this matter was resolved. In the time they had been waiting, Rareth had been on her own calls back to Rothia, though even the other Rothians were not privy to the details of those meetings. It was an hour or so before the meeting was scheduled to begin that she sent a request (or polite demand, more accurately), to the other Outreman representatives to join her in a call. Taranik was the one who sent the request and, in as diplomatic of a way as possible, made sure to be clear that this meeting was not optional.

Rareth had stated before that Taranik would be joining her for negotiations, so her absence in the call was conspicuous. Given that this summit with the other nations was drawing ever closer, Rareth wasted no time in getting to business. “Before we bring this to the other species, the Rahn’Saki want to make sure we are all in clear agreement on how this is going to go.”