EliteCommander

The Depths of Deception

Rareth gave a slight chuckle. "Maybe you aren't." She commented, thinking about the wide variety of missions she had received in the past. "Direct military operations are actually rare for me. Infiltration, sabotage, and investigation are my specialty. Of course, as you can see, I can fight, but my specialty really does put me in a different role. If we do stick together after this, our missions will probably be ones that require all our skills at the same time. So, complicated missions, essentially." After finishing off her glass, Rareth quickly stood up and walked back over to the counter where she left the wine to refill her glass. This time, she brought the bottle back with her and set it on the table between them, along with another unopened bottle, since the original was closer to empty. She sat down on the couch beside Telmeck and leaned back, propping her feet up on the table and abandoning any sense of formality that might have existed. "So, Sovereignty military. You fight, you train, fight some more, but what do you actually do on the average day when you're not doing any of that? I take it sneaking in drinks isn't common leisure activity. Or maybe it is, and you're more exciting than I thought. Whatever it is, I don't want to sit around here just talking about missions."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

When Meesei saw Sabine's reaction to her presence, she was fairly certain something was wrong. Sabine was quite obviously distraught over difficulties with her tests. Even without words to confim it, Meesei guessed that she had not been able to determine the information she sought. Once Sabine started to sob, Meesei approached wordlessly and gave her a hug, something to try and calm her anxiety. After a few seconds, she pulled away, keeping both hands on her shoulders and looking her in the eye. "It is alright, Sabine. You said before that the poison is slow-acting, right? All I need is to know how long it would take to kill. Nothing else matters." Lorag returned a glare to Oswall. He expected the lieutenants wouldn't be complacent forever, though it did not make him any less annoyed by the outburst. "She'll take however long it takes." He retorted in his usual, undiplomatic manner. "Your alpha has just been murdered, Oswall." Ahnasha added, her tone carrying a bit more tact. Lorag had many skills, but speaking to others was not one of them, so she decided to at least try to calm him down. Of course, with Oswall, she doubted he would respect calm or reassuring words, so she might need to be more forceful. "This is an...extreme situation, for everyone. One of the worst things that could happen has happened, and the fate of the clan itself is in danger. We haven't had much sleep either, but we'll bear through it because it is what is required of us. We are going to do everything possible to preserve the clan, and right now, that means waiting on Meesei to gather what she needs for the investigation. You want justice for Jerrick's death, do you not?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei nodded to Najirra. "My pack mates are capable, but I will warn them to be cautious and to stay in the company of others as often as possible. At the very least, with all of them sleeping in the same room, they should not be taken off guard." Since she had no more orders to give for the moment, Meesei again nodded to Caldris' question. "Yes, I have no more orders to give for now. As for keeping the situation quiet, my best advice would be not to call too much attention to Jerrick's absence. Spread the rumor, and as Najirra said, spread it soon, but do not make his absence seem too important, or peculiar. Hopefully, the clan will not think it strange for him to be away on important business. It is for the safety of the clan that we need to keep it secret, but if suspicion does arise and people start asking about Jerrick, I cannot lie. I have to keep the clan's trust, and people will look much more harshly upon a direct lie than simply not mentioning it. If that happens, I will take the next best course of action. I will give an announcement to the clan telling of Jerrick's murder, but I will not disclose the suspects. Jerrick warned that the division in loyalties between lieutenants would create chaos; however, if the clan believes that the lieutenants are all working together to help find some other assassin, then there will be nothing to divide them. Since most of the lieutenants are still loyal, they would likely cooperate with such a plan, so the traitor would have to as well if they do not want to reveal themselves. If it becomes too difficult to gather information in secret, I may need to take that option anyway." Once Meesei was finished with her explanation, she thanked Jerrick's trusted for their assistance, then left to return to her own pack's quarters. Between confronting the lieutenants, questioning them, and speaking to Najirra and the others, much more time had passed than Sabine said she would need to identify the poison. She walked through the halls as quickly as she could, though attempted not to rush so fast as to seem suspicious to anyone that happened to see or hear her. It did not take long for her to reach their room, where Sabine and Kaleeth were waiting. From the expression on her face, it was easy to see that she was anxious to know what Sabine had learned.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

It did not seem as if the three had seen anything of importance regarding the lieutenants, or at least nothing new. However, they could still be quite helpful in the investigation if Meesei needed someone not affiliated with her for any task. As for Najirra's question, she did actually have a solid answer. "For the moment, each of the lieutenants are being watched by one of my pack, and I intend to keep it that way. It would be far too suspicious if all of the lieutenants suddenly retreated from the public eye, so they need to go about their duties as normal. However, with my pack assigned to them, we can be assured that the traitor is being watched at all times. If the traitor wanted to reveal what happened, my pack will make it much more difficult. For the safety of my packmates, I will also advise to them that the lieutenants share a room, so someone can keep watch at all times in the night. It is fortunate that I have already publicly declared that I am here to help strengthen the clan against Vile's followers, as I can reasonably justify these actions with that. I do not wish to panic the clan, so I will not say I have found evidence of infiltration, but I can say that I am assigning my packmates as bodyguards as a precaution until I have investigated further. If I can get the lieutenants to cooperate, I may also have them teach my pack about the specific aspects of the clan that they oversee to give my assignment of them to the lieutenants more of an apparent purpose. Hopefully, these measures will prevent the traitor from causing any further damage." Meesei explained. After pausing a moment, Meesei had another thought which prompted her to shift her attention back to Caleb, Caldris, and Grolak. "Also, if anyone happens to ask you about Jerrick, subtly suggest that you believe he has gone to Bruma, or another surrounding village, on important business for the clan. Intentionally express uncertainty as to his exact destination. Say that you heard it from someone else, or perhaps overheard it. If word gets around that he is on a mission, it will offer an explanation for where he is without me, or one of the lieutenants, having to say anything."

The Depths of Deception

Somehow, it seemed appropriate to Rareth that an example of fine Masulu cuisine would be terribly bitter. Their society was strict, rough, and militaristic, so it was fitting that they would like something that would require them to go through pain to get to the pleasure. It was things like that which the Sovereignty seemed to take pride in, even if she did not understand it. Rareth gave a chuckle at Telmeck's comment. "In our line of work? doubtful." She commented, pausing to take another drink of her wine. "Anyway, I'm afraid I have no idea what's going to happen next. At least not after we get back to Pax. My knowledge of our plans ended at this mission. However, since this mission was a sort of test for our fledgeling joint organization, I suppose the Assembly officials are going to look at how we did, and decide how much they want to dedicate to this experiment. We did well, so they might end up being liberal with funding. No matter what happens, we'll probably face some restructuring. Our team might stick together, but there is still a chance that we will be separated. If not, though, we'll be sent on a mission as soon as they have one. Hopefully we get some time off first."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

It was good to hear that Najirra was willing to serve as judge, though Meesei was not expecting any less. As for Caleb's question, however, she had to pause and think. She had an idea of what she would do next, but she still felt she needed to learn more before she could come up with specific tasks for the others. "That is...difficult to say right now. As I said, I have only just begun my investigation. My knowledge of the day so far is limited to only what I have seen, and their testimonies. Granted, only one of them has a motive to lie, which is why I believe anything that at least two of them says can be trusted. From what they have said, I have identified two points where he could have been poisoned: during Jerrick's morning lesson, and when he stepped away from the meeting. After we are done here, I am going to speak to one of my pack who is examining the poison. Once she identifies it, she will likely be able to tell us how long it would have taken for the poison to kill him, which will narrow our search. Until then, I suppose one thing you could do would be to see if you can learn more about Jerrick and the lieutenants' movements during the day. They gave me their perspectives, but I am sure there were others who saw them. You just have to be sure not to reveal what has happened in your investigations. You have to keep your conversations natural, or come up with a good reason for direct questions. An advantage I have is that it is widely known that I am here to bolster our defenses against attack or infiltration, so I can get away with questions that would be otherwise suspicious. You may need to be creative. Your advantage is that the lieutenants do not know who you are, so the traitor will not be as highly guarded with you as myself or one of my pack. I may have more specific tasks for you once I learn more information, but until then, learn what you can. And of course, if any of you have saw Jerrick or the lieutenants today, I would like to hear your perspectives." Meesei explained.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Listening to the others discuss who should serve as judge, Meesei's mind started to side with Grolak and Caldris. Najirra was, by everything she had heard, very well respected among the clan. And, unlike the others, he was not in a good enough condition to do any investigating himself. He would make for a good choice. After all, Jerrick did select him as the one who was trustworthy and influential enough to prove Meesei's own innocence. "I believe they are right, Najirra." Meesei answered. "Think of what a judge is supposed to be. It is a person who is largely uninvolved, and unbiased up to the point when it is time to hear the evidence. You know of the situation, but you have not actually done any investigating; you did not hear me question them. For most, when they think of an ideal judge, it is someone fair, someone old and wise with the experience to back their decisions. It is someone they respect. You fit all of those criteria. If you were to serve as judge, I believe that would have the best chance of convincing everyone of the fairness of the trial, and help them accept its outcome. From my understanding, you do tend to stay out of clan politics, but that is why I believe you are ideal for the position. If people see you stepping out of your room for the first time in their memory, they will know the trial is serious. They know you have no motive for power or influence, so they will trust your word."

The Depths of Deception

It's alright, I've been having a lot of assignments to be occupied with anyway. Also, congratulations.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei remained patient as she allowed Caleb the time to collect himself. Najirra's words helped, but the news of his father's death was not easy to hear. Meesei had already seen Vera's reaction, and Caleb's carried no less pain. If it were possible, Meesei would have given both of them as much time as they needed to come to terms with what happened, but sadly, the situation was forcing that they make haste in their investigation. Upon, Caldris' question, Meesei pulled out her book of notes once more and started to review them. "Unfortunately, that is not an easy question to answer right now. This has all happened in only the last few hours, and my investigation has just begun. As I said, we do know how Jerrick was killed. His waterskin was poisoned, which means the traitor had to be able to get a hold of it while he was separated from it, as the source could not have been poisoned without killing anyone else who drank from it. I have questioned the lieutenants and have identified two possible times it could have been poisoned: during Jerrick's morning lesson in the main chamber when he transformed for a demonstration, and later in the meeting room, when he stepped out and forgot the waterskin inside. Since you all are unknown to the lieutenants, you could potentially gain evidence secretly. As well, I will also need a judge or judges for the traitor's trial, someone who would be known to be impartial between the lieutenants."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Both Fendros and Lorag stuck with the two lieutenants, though they were the ones who had to lead the way based on Janius' directions. Luckily, they were lead straight to the room in an unused portion of the city. The chamber door was unlocked, though it looked as if it could be locked if they could get a way to unlock it. Stepping inside, Lorag immediately noticed the cold, which, while it was perfect for preserving the body, was not something he was exactly dressed for. As such, he preferred they keep it brief. Lorag walked up to what he assumed to be Jerrick's corpse, a guess that was confirmed when he lifted back part of the fur blanket over his head. Looking at the body, he shook his head lightly and sighed. "You believe it now, Harriet?" Meesei lowered her head as she glanced through the letters, particularly Caleb's. She had not been aware that Jerrick and Vera had a child, and he was certainly not going to take the news well. "You are...his son." She commented, closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath before continuing. "As your letters indicated, Jerrick received a warning about this night, that he would be murdered by one of his lieutenants. He told me of this, and we prepared an ambush to attempt to save his life, but...the attack never came. Jerrick was poisoned through the waterskin he had been carrying all day. He...did not make it. I have confronted the lieutenants and assigned one of my pack to watch each of them. Outside of the people in this room, only my pack and the lieutenants are aware of Jerrick's death. He named all of you as trustworthy, and in finding and sentencing the traitor, I will need your help." Meesei explained, her tone solemn.