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Gazes Fondly had not directly answered Vreta’s question, though this sort of greeting would be as strange as he might have expected from the Qalian-Vosh. Rahn’Masser agents were sometimes trained to be able to integrate into alien cultures, as he had been for Outremer. From his knowledge, integrating with the QV had one of the longest training programs. Gazes was not being hostile or disrespectful towards him; quite the opposite. Still, it was easy to see how they might have trouble with diplomatic incidents. Fortunately for the QV, Rothians did not tend to shy from physical contact. He was worried more about how they would interact with the others. “I need to move on my own now. Please allow me out of the suit.” Vreta requested politely.
Once he was out of the suit, Vreta did not seem too perturbed by the experience. He was still wet for the moment, but he felt no discomfort from it. The liquid slid easily from his scales, and he simply went straight back to Freyr and took back his mug of coffee. His focus soon went straight for the Tindrel that had been a part of the altercation. One of the QV had identified them as Chitnarit, though Vreta was not yet going to assume. If he was going to help diffuse this tension, he had to avoid upsetting either side, and no doubt, it was going to take a while to make any progress. “I agree. We have done as much as we can to make both our workspace, and your living spaces as comfortable as we can for you. I understand that you are going to need to do some ‘catching up’, as it were, but make no mistake that you are both a part of this project.”
Once he was out of the suit, Vreta did not seem too perturbed by the experience. He was still wet for the moment, but he felt no discomfort from it. The liquid slid easily from his scales, and he simply went straight back to Freyr and took back his mug of coffee. His focus soon went straight for the Tindrel that had been a part of the altercation. One of the QV had identified them as Chitnarit, though Vreta was not yet going to assume. If he was going to help diffuse this tension, he had to avoid upsetting either side, and no doubt, it was going to take a while to make any progress. “I agree. We have done as much as we can to make both our workspace, and your living spaces as comfortable as we can for you. I understand that you are going to need to do some ‘catching up’, as it were, but make no mistake that you are both a part of this project.”
Vreta managed to avoid being too obviously startled. It had been quite a long time since he had dealt too directly with the Qalian-Vosh. Well over a century, in fact. Entire cultures could shift over those sorts of timescales, so even Vreta had to admit to being somewhat out of his…depth, in this. Regardless, he was a professional and he knew how to deal with such situations. He did not recoil from the QV, nor lash out. The sludge filling the suit invaded his nostrils, making for a bizarre and briefly uncomfortable sensation, though that did not last too long. It was far from the first time Vreta had been submerged in a breathable liquid. QV, at least away from their home territory, tended to make use of an adaptable liquid that could provide respiration to most oxygen-breathing species. The majority of spacefaring species were not aquatic, so such measures helped them to interact more closely with alien life.
It took a few moments for Vreta to let his body adjust. By the time he opened his eyes, the QV, Gazes Fondly, was close enough to nearly be touching him. Despite that, Vreta showed no signs of obvious discomfort. Rothians themselves generally did not mind being close to one another. At that distance, even through the sludge, Vreta could see clearly plenty of features about the alien’s form. Their translucent skin allowed most of their anatomy to be visible, from organ systems and skeletal structure, even to the web of veins and nerves that spread out across their body. Even while staying still, they always looked to be in motion. It seemed fitting that the QV were known so widely for their openness.
Vreta was going to need to deal with these two one at a time, so he may as well start with the one in front of him. “I will have to apologize for being a poor host to you both. I’m sure you know how quickly everything has had to be put together for this. I just haven’t had the time to familiarize myself with your customs as much as I would like. What would be the proper way for me to greet you, Gazes Fondly?”
It took a few moments for Vreta to let his body adjust. By the time he opened his eyes, the QV, Gazes Fondly, was close enough to nearly be touching him. Despite that, Vreta showed no signs of obvious discomfort. Rothians themselves generally did not mind being close to one another. At that distance, even through the sludge, Vreta could see clearly plenty of features about the alien’s form. Their translucent skin allowed most of their anatomy to be visible, from organ systems and skeletal structure, even to the web of veins and nerves that spread out across their body. Even while staying still, they always looked to be in motion. It seemed fitting that the QV were known so widely for their openness.
Vreta was going to need to deal with these two one at a time, so he may as well start with the one in front of him. “I will have to apologize for being a poor host to you both. I’m sure you know how quickly everything has had to be put together for this. I just haven’t had the time to familiarize myself with your customs as much as I would like. What would be the proper way for me to greet you, Gazes Fondly?”
Vreta took a slow sip of his coffee. For a moment, he cradled the mug gently in both hands and let out a soft, but long sigh. After a moment, he reached down and held it out towards Freyr. “Could you hold this for me for a minute, please?”
As early as it was, Vreta was far from being in the mood for any of this, but it was not as if he could just avoid it. Maintaining positive relations did constitute most of his job here, after all. He may not have known what sparked this particular confrontation, but by the looks of things, this was not something that was going to be diffused by simple bargaining or shouting. It would require a more personal touch.
Vreta walked straight up to the pair and reached out as if to place a hand firmly upon both of their shoulders. Of course, neither had a shoulder he could easily access, but a hand on their exoskeleton and suit respectively sufficed to demand their attention. He made sure to give them no option to simply ignore him. Regardless of how they felt about each other, they might have more hesitation about raising a talon towards their Rothian hosts. “My friends, please allow me to be the first to give you a warm welcome to this team. I’m Vreta, please, tell me your names.”
As early as it was, Vreta was far from being in the mood for any of this, but it was not as if he could just avoid it. Maintaining positive relations did constitute most of his job here, after all. He may not have known what sparked this particular confrontation, but by the looks of things, this was not something that was going to be diffused by simple bargaining or shouting. It would require a more personal touch.
Vreta walked straight up to the pair and reached out as if to place a hand firmly upon both of their shoulders. Of course, neither had a shoulder he could easily access, but a hand on their exoskeleton and suit respectively sufficed to demand their attention. He made sure to give them no option to simply ignore him. Regardless of how they felt about each other, they might have more hesitation about raising a talon towards their Rothian hosts. “My friends, please allow me to be the first to give you a warm welcome to this team. I’m Vreta, please, tell me your names.”
Vreta shrugged, taking a sip from his mug as he walked alongside Freyr. “Well, our superiors don’t want to show ‘favoritism’, so they want to bring them onboard and give them the tour at the same time. The Qalian-Vosh wanted to send someone ahead of their team to double check that the aquatic accommodations we’ve made for their people will meet all their needs. Makes sense, we’re not aquatic ourselves, so we might miss something important for them that we wouldn’t normally think about. Of course, we tell the Tindrel and they want to send someone too, but they don’t have any reason to send anyone other than the team themselves, so they decide just to go ahead and send their science team. And, of course, since their team is coming, now the QV have to send their team too. One thing leads to another, and…now they’re both here and we have to scramble to try to keep them from being alone together for too long.”
After a moment, Vreta let out a sigh, which soon turned into a light chuckle. “All this drama has been from the bureaucrats, though. Who knows, though? As scientists, maybe their teams will have more rational views towards each other than their leadership?”
After a moment, Vreta let out a sigh, which soon turned into a light chuckle. “All this drama has been from the bureaucrats, though. Who knows, though? As scientists, maybe their teams will have more rational views towards each other than their leadership?”
It took some time for the clan to be gathered. Fendros’ pack were far from the only ones to experience a few reunions. For many, the fact that the war was finally over had not yet truly set in. With over a decade of having that threat looming over them, it was still natural to have that feeling that the threat was still out there somewhere, waiting. Strictly speaking, Vile was still out there. Nothing could kill a Daedric Prince, no matter what other gods helped achieved it, but it would be centuries before his strength could recover to a point where he would be able to threaten anyone. By then, his plans certainly would have moved on from harvesting lycan souls.
All of the clans that had been brought together for the battle were gathered in a clearing just outside the Silent City. With everything and everyone that had gone into the Hunting Grounds having been brought back, the Oblivion Gate they had constructed now stood empty nearby. It’s portal gone, their connection to the Hunting Grounds had been severed for good. At least, for as long as they lived. It was far from the first time they had gathered this crowd in this place, drawn from all of Tamriel’s clans, though one could not help but to notice how the crowd now was half the size as it had been before the battle. Not all of those had been killed; there were still plenty of wounded, and neither them nor the people treating them were going to be present for this assembly. Regardless, the casualties were still not minor. There had been a price for this peace.
Before they began, Saras came to Fendros with another report. Overall, the clan’s council had been handling most of the smaller issues to be dealt with in the wake of the battle, but this one was of more of a personal nature to the Champion’s pack. Saras himself, despite his usual stoicism, was at the point of showing the wear quite openly. Even he could not hide his exhaustion. “Champion, I have the report from the recovery teams we sent after the battle. Before the portal closed, we had them scour the area around where you emerged in the Hunting Grounds after slaying Vile. We had to be quick, before anyone else could get to it. They were able to recover Meesei’s belongings. The armor she had been wearing, everything she had been carrying…except for the Staff of Magnus. We know that neither the Imperials nor Dominion got to the area before we could, and we searched it thoroughly. We thought it possible that the Staff might have been destroyed in that great release of energy, but there was not even a trace of it.”
“I doubt the Staff can even be destroyed.” Ahnasha chimed in. “Legends do say that the Staff of Magnus has a will of its own, though. It’s said the Staff is bound to eventually abandon any mage that claims it. Maybe it just decided that it was its time to move on?”
All of the clans that had been brought together for the battle were gathered in a clearing just outside the Silent City. With everything and everyone that had gone into the Hunting Grounds having been brought back, the Oblivion Gate they had constructed now stood empty nearby. It’s portal gone, their connection to the Hunting Grounds had been severed for good. At least, for as long as they lived. It was far from the first time they had gathered this crowd in this place, drawn from all of Tamriel’s clans, though one could not help but to notice how the crowd now was half the size as it had been before the battle. Not all of those had been killed; there were still plenty of wounded, and neither them nor the people treating them were going to be present for this assembly. Regardless, the casualties were still not minor. There had been a price for this peace.
Before they began, Saras came to Fendros with another report. Overall, the clan’s council had been handling most of the smaller issues to be dealt with in the wake of the battle, but this one was of more of a personal nature to the Champion’s pack. Saras himself, despite his usual stoicism, was at the point of showing the wear quite openly. Even he could not hide his exhaustion. “Champion, I have the report from the recovery teams we sent after the battle. Before the portal closed, we had them scour the area around where you emerged in the Hunting Grounds after slaying Vile. We had to be quick, before anyone else could get to it. They were able to recover Meesei’s belongings. The armor she had been wearing, everything she had been carrying…except for the Staff of Magnus. We know that neither the Imperials nor Dominion got to the area before we could, and we searched it thoroughly. We thought it possible that the Staff might have been destroyed in that great release of energy, but there was not even a trace of it.”
“I doubt the Staff can even be destroyed.” Ahnasha chimed in. “Legends do say that the Staff of Magnus has a will of its own, though. It’s said the Staff is bound to eventually abandon any mage that claims it. Maybe it just decided that it was its time to move on?”
Through the glowing, translucent energy shield separating the hangar from the outside, the strike force could see the chaos start to unfold. Their Blockade Runner came in quick and low over the mountains, much to the surprise of the Keep’s defenders who saw the warship suddenly approaching over the horizon. At the speed their ship could move, they hardly had time to raise the alarm before the vessel was upon them. With a well-defined plan to follow, the ship’s crew carried it out quickly and efficiently. Immediately, the Blockade Runner fired a pair of plasma torpedoes at the city’s outer walls, blasting a sizable hole in the city’s defenses near to the planned drop zone. Anti-aircraft emplacements within the city opened fire to start pounding the ship’s shields. It was at that point when the defenders were likely marking the ship for the nearest heavy cannon to eliminate, only to find it in no condition to fire, and its garrison unresponsive. There were other, similar cannons situated in other positions around the city, but at the ship’s current altitude and position, only the one they had sabotaged would have had a shot. Even still, their shields could only handle ground fire from the city for so long, so this insertion would need to be quick.
Being that the Blockade Runner was not specialized for ground assault, it had no grav lift for quick deployment, so they would have to settle for phantom drops. Aegis team’s respective vehicles were already locked in place to the phantoms above them via their grav lifts, so once the hangar’s shield dropped, they were among the first out the door. The first wave of phantoms exited on the side of the ship opposite to the keep so the Blockade Runner’s shields could help protect them from the anti-aircraft fire. They were positioned directly above the drop zone, so it hardly took more than a few seconds for them to get to ground. Heavy armor, like scorpions, were dropped in the front, with wraiths behind. Lighter vehicles, like ghosts and warthogs, were initially dropped behind the heavy armor, though they were agile vehicles that could easily reposition as needed to support the main armor column. Shadow troop transports carried the majority of their infantry support and would move behind the armor at least until they were inside the walls. Banshees from both sides were being deployed for close air support. For now, the Blockade Runner’s point defense could help fight off opposing aircraft, but it would not be staying for too long.
The city had been caught off guard, as evidenced by the lack of defenses outside the walls. No doubt, the garrison was already deploying to meet them, but right now they had a chance to get to a better position before they faced resistance. Right now, the only incoming fire on the ground was coming from four rapid-fire plasma turrets positioned on the top of the walls. They were still at long range, so the incoming fire was mostly inaccurate, though they would become more dangerous the closer they came. They were completely in the open at the moment, so priority was to get to the breach before the enemy could respond, but it may have been wise to put some attention on the turrets along the way.
Being that the Blockade Runner was not specialized for ground assault, it had no grav lift for quick deployment, so they would have to settle for phantom drops. Aegis team’s respective vehicles were already locked in place to the phantoms above them via their grav lifts, so once the hangar’s shield dropped, they were among the first out the door. The first wave of phantoms exited on the side of the ship opposite to the keep so the Blockade Runner’s shields could help protect them from the anti-aircraft fire. They were positioned directly above the drop zone, so it hardly took more than a few seconds for them to get to ground. Heavy armor, like scorpions, were dropped in the front, with wraiths behind. Lighter vehicles, like ghosts and warthogs, were initially dropped behind the heavy armor, though they were agile vehicles that could easily reposition as needed to support the main armor column. Shadow troop transports carried the majority of their infantry support and would move behind the armor at least until they were inside the walls. Banshees from both sides were being deployed for close air support. For now, the Blockade Runner’s point defense could help fight off opposing aircraft, but it would not be staying for too long.
The city had been caught off guard, as evidenced by the lack of defenses outside the walls. No doubt, the garrison was already deploying to meet them, but right now they had a chance to get to a better position before they faced resistance. Right now, the only incoming fire on the ground was coming from four rapid-fire plasma turrets positioned on the top of the walls. They were still at long range, so the incoming fire was mostly inaccurate, though they would become more dangerous the closer they came. They were completely in the open at the moment, so priority was to get to the breach before the enemy could respond, but it may have been wise to put some attention on the turrets along the way.
The last few weeks had been rather calm, from Vreta’s perspective. Behind the scenes, he knew that it was all a mess of meetings and negotiations between diplomats and committees, but fortunately, not one that he had to personally be involved with. He was aware of this complex web of alliances and agreements but he was assigned to the science team, and the science team only had to worry about doing their job. Others would deal with those headaches on their behalf. Once they had a suitable agreement, the team was finally able to make the journey to Psi-Helios.
A condition of the agreement stipulated that their expedition into the system would be demilitarized, so the Barbarossa was only able to bring them near to Psi-Helios, with the rest of the fleet. For their foray into the system proper, the Rothians provided an exploration cruiser. As a civilian vessel, it was not actually comparable in size to a military cruiser, but rather was closer to a corvette or destroyer in scale. In any case, it had ample space for the personnel and equipment they would need for their investigation. Even without being a warship, it still had plenty of tools to keep its crew safe. It was fast, maneuverable, and had strong enough shields to let it escape from threats. Most importantly, there was no way that the primitives in the system would be able to detect it.
It was rather early in the morning, or rather, what was scheduled as “morning” aboard the ship. It felt like it was always a nightmare trying to navigate the waking and sleeping cycles of people of different species, with different rest requirements, from planets with entirely different rotational periods. One aspect of working with Humans that Vreta did not mind was that their sleep cycles were within acceptable tolerances of one another. They were both diurnal, so that did not require substantial adjustment from either party. Rothians did require two to three hours more sleep optimally, but it was manageable for them to put together a schedule they could both work with. Now that they were adding more species to their team, though, that might change. With how long Vreta had been assigned to Outremer, he had been relying on chemical assistance to help him make due with less rest so he could adjust to a more Human-friendly schedule, which was why he was the one who was up and about at the moment. Granted, he was still up even earlier than usual, so he was rather groggy at the moment. The transport bearing their new Tindrel and Qalian-Vosh team members had just docked earlier than scheduled, so he needed to get someone from the team to meet them. He knew Marae had a late night, and since Freyr needed less sleep, he was going to get her. She would only be losing about an hour of rest, at least.
On the way, Vreta pinged Freyr’s alarm to get her awake, along with sending her a message. “Tindrel and QV are here. Hopefully they don’t kill each other before we can talk to them. Bringing coffee.” Once he reached Freyr’s quarters, Vreta gave the door a few knocks, then leaned back against the wall with a cup of coffee in each hand.
A condition of the agreement stipulated that their expedition into the system would be demilitarized, so the Barbarossa was only able to bring them near to Psi-Helios, with the rest of the fleet. For their foray into the system proper, the Rothians provided an exploration cruiser. As a civilian vessel, it was not actually comparable in size to a military cruiser, but rather was closer to a corvette or destroyer in scale. In any case, it had ample space for the personnel and equipment they would need for their investigation. Even without being a warship, it still had plenty of tools to keep its crew safe. It was fast, maneuverable, and had strong enough shields to let it escape from threats. Most importantly, there was no way that the primitives in the system would be able to detect it.
It was rather early in the morning, or rather, what was scheduled as “morning” aboard the ship. It felt like it was always a nightmare trying to navigate the waking and sleeping cycles of people of different species, with different rest requirements, from planets with entirely different rotational periods. One aspect of working with Humans that Vreta did not mind was that their sleep cycles were within acceptable tolerances of one another. They were both diurnal, so that did not require substantial adjustment from either party. Rothians did require two to three hours more sleep optimally, but it was manageable for them to put together a schedule they could both work with. Now that they were adding more species to their team, though, that might change. With how long Vreta had been assigned to Outremer, he had been relying on chemical assistance to help him make due with less rest so he could adjust to a more Human-friendly schedule, which was why he was the one who was up and about at the moment. Granted, he was still up even earlier than usual, so he was rather groggy at the moment. The transport bearing their new Tindrel and Qalian-Vosh team members had just docked earlier than scheduled, so he needed to get someone from the team to meet them. He knew Marae had a late night, and since Freyr needed less sleep, he was going to get her. She would only be losing about an hour of rest, at least.
On the way, Vreta pinged Freyr’s alarm to get her awake, along with sending her a message. “Tindrel and QV are here. Hopefully they don’t kill each other before we can talk to them. Bringing coffee.” Once he reached Freyr’s quarters, Vreta gave the door a few knocks, then leaned back against the wall with a cup of coffee in each hand.
“I do not lie.” Brasikha interrupted quite firmly. “Should you face any undue economic impact as a direct result of our actions, then we can compensate you. The value of this material is not greater than our collective security.”
Brasikha stepped forward, slightly closer to coming between them. “By its location, both of you have an obvious interest in Psi-Helios. I will not comment on who has more or less of a claim, but right now, I am requesting that you put this issue aside. If you are truly worried about your position in this system, or any other, then you should be concerned with this new threat. There is no reason to believe that they will respect your borders any more than ours. More than that, though, have you considered that these machines may interrupt your plans for Psi-Helios far more than our investigation ever could? There may be something related to these machines in Psi-Helios, and if they find the system, they will not sit down in a meeting to negotiate with you about it. They will invade, primitives or no, they will take what they want, and they will ruin any chance you have of your plans for the system coming to fruition.”
He likely had more of their attention now, so he was quick to continue and retain control of the conversation. “I will say, it is not just that we are requesting your cooperation. We also wish to extend to both of you the offer to join our investigation. These machines represent a threat that crosses our borders, so we all have a right to have a hand in our own defense. Outremer has cooperated in the formation of a joint science team to study and understand this threat and our potential solutions…with partial access to the Cradle.”
Brasikha stepped forward, slightly closer to coming between them. “By its location, both of you have an obvious interest in Psi-Helios. I will not comment on who has more or less of a claim, but right now, I am requesting that you put this issue aside. If you are truly worried about your position in this system, or any other, then you should be concerned with this new threat. There is no reason to believe that they will respect your borders any more than ours. More than that, though, have you considered that these machines may interrupt your plans for Psi-Helios far more than our investigation ever could? There may be something related to these machines in Psi-Helios, and if they find the system, they will not sit down in a meeting to negotiate with you about it. They will invade, primitives or no, they will take what they want, and they will ruin any chance you have of your plans for the system coming to fruition.”
He likely had more of their attention now, so he was quick to continue and retain control of the conversation. “I will say, it is not just that we are requesting your cooperation. We also wish to extend to both of you the offer to join our investigation. These machines represent a threat that crosses our borders, so we all have a right to have a hand in our own defense. Outremer has cooperated in the formation of a joint science team to study and understand this threat and our potential solutions…with partial access to the Cradle.”
“That is not the purpose of this meeting.” Brasikha’s voice sounded out, loudly and firmly. He did not shout, nor did he show any apparent frustration as his avatar stepped forward into the middle of the digital space. This time, they had made sure all delegates received the proper language updates before they joined, so everyone would be able to understand him clearly. He had not drawn attention to himself at first, but now he would not be waiting on introductions before taking his place in the meeting. It would not take long for him to be recognized, whether naturally or with computer assistance. The Rahn’Saki had always used intermediaries, like diplomats or Datius before, but the face of Brasikha the Eternal Guardian was still a public one.
Brasikha did not place himself directly between the Qalian-Vosh and the Tindrel, but the way he stood in the middle of the virtual chamber did draw the eye and seemed to interspace himself between them. His stance was firm, and his voice unflinching. Others could use the flexibility of a virtual space to take liberties with their own physical features, like size, but Brasikha felt no need to exaggerate his stature. He knew exactly where he stood.
“The complexities of your conflicts with one another are not going to be solved in one conversation, nor shall we attempt to. We are here because a crisis has presented itself that extends to all of us, and that crisis is drawing us to the Psi-Helios system. The presence of both of you is required.” With a thought from Brasikha, a set of holographic documents appeared in front of both the Tindrel and Qalian-Vosh. “This documentation details our encounters with hostile machines of unknown origins that have been encountered near the edges of our territory. Please take a moment to familiarize yourselves with them. We cannot give any certain answers on their purpose or true capabilities, but our investigation is leading us to Psi-Helios. For our security and yours, we need to be able to continue this investigation.”
Brasikha did not place himself directly between the Qalian-Vosh and the Tindrel, but the way he stood in the middle of the virtual chamber did draw the eye and seemed to interspace himself between them. His stance was firm, and his voice unflinching. Others could use the flexibility of a virtual space to take liberties with their own physical features, like size, but Brasikha felt no need to exaggerate his stature. He knew exactly where he stood.
“The complexities of your conflicts with one another are not going to be solved in one conversation, nor shall we attempt to. We are here because a crisis has presented itself that extends to all of us, and that crisis is drawing us to the Psi-Helios system. The presence of both of you is required.” With a thought from Brasikha, a set of holographic documents appeared in front of both the Tindrel and Qalian-Vosh. “This documentation details our encounters with hostile machines of unknown origins that have been encountered near the edges of our territory. Please take a moment to familiarize yourselves with them. We cannot give any certain answers on their purpose or true capabilities, but our investigation is leading us to Psi-Helios. For our security and yours, we need to be able to continue this investigation.”
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