EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei was patient as Sabine worked on her wound, simply observing how she went about overcoming the problems she was running into. From where she was, she could feel the magic Sabine was using, so she could make observations on her technique. As usual, however, she did not make any comment unless Sabine asked a question specifically, as she felt it was best to allow Sabine to experiment on her own as much as possible. She would learn more about her body through experience than she ever could by Meesei describing it.

Eventually, Sabine did pose a question, to which Meesei had no issue responding. "If you attempt to calm each nerve independently, it will indeed be difficult, but there is an easier way. The problem you are facing is that it is difficult to stabilize one area without interfering with another. It is like trying to create a smooth, flat layer of mud by pressing down on each imperfection in the hopes of flattening it. If you do not use the exact right amount of force, you will only create a larger problem." Meesei explained, though her analogy might not be as strong for someone who had never had to build a home out of mud. "However, if you use the right tool, you can simply scrape over the mud to smooth it all at once. Just the same, you can stabilize all of the nerves at once, you just need to shape your magic into the right tool. Feel what the energies across the rest of your body are like in places where you feel no pain. They are all stable. To numb the pain, you just need to shape your spell to make the energies around the wound match those in the rest of your body. Once you learn to do this, you can numb the pain in only a few moments. Just be aware that the patterns of magicka are different in every person, so you have to shape each spell to the one receiving it. Fortunately, this only takes a few moments once you learn how."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Yeah, I wouldn't really expect a murder mystery to have many, except maybe near the end, depending on how it goes. Speaking of, we should probably skip ahead soon enough.

The Depths of Deception

Shortly after Telmeck finished speaking, Rareth reached up and lightly smacked the end of his muzzle. She gave him a moderately annoyed expression, though the issue she was agitated about did not involve Shiva.

"Telmeck I've told you not to keep that thing on after a fight. Pain's a really important sense and...stuff. You'll just end up hurting yourself more. Promise me you'll go to the med bay when you wake up, or I'll have to put you in more pain later tonight." Rareth warned with a chuckle before turning her head and glancing to Shiva.

"Oh, and her? Yeah, she is, but it's not that bad. She was just charged with betraying the Sovereignty or something." Rareth said somewhat dismissively. Her criminal past was not much of an issue for Rareth, but her brief answer did not do much to actually clarify what happened. While she was not nearly as drunk as Shuo, her current state meant she was not thinking about what Shiva's background actually meant to her. Although, depending on how much she had been drinking, Shiva might not even be worried about what it usually meant to her.

"Personally, I don't know why anyone would want to cut anything off themselves. It's all there for a reason, you know. Tails are great for balance, and other stuff." Rareth added as she reached over to grab her own tail, though she ended up grabbing Telmeck's. Nevertheless, she pulled it close to her chest as she closed her eyes to relax.

Star Wars - Scum and Villainy

Sirka'ith stepped into Bay 5 just as a human male was finishing up yelling at another man being guarded by a Weequay. She did not catch the beginning of the conversation, but by the way he was saying he could not be persuaded to accept the job, Sirka assumed there was some kind of catch. The man's scent was agitated and offended, and the credits did seem too good to be true, so it wouldn't surprise her.

Just as Sirka was about to give her own input, however, another human gave a bit more clarification about his friend's issue; apparently, he just didn't want to work with anyone else. Seeing that he made such an issue out of something so simple made Sirka chuckle, as she never really cared whether or not she worked alone. Having a team usually made a job easier, even if the others were just laser bait.

As Sirka stepped up to the group, she gave a slight grunt. "Hmph, personally, I'm here to get paid. I don't care if I'm working with a team, an army, or a defective protocol droid, with how much you're apparently paying I'll do whatever." She commented before turning her head to the less reasonable of the pair of humans. "If you're afraid of being outclassed by your team, then that's more credits for me."

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

Tarentek noticed Onyx leave, but for the moment, he listened closely to Raldel's explanation of his people's origins. He did not know much of the world beyond their region, or at least, not the world in its current state, so this was the first he heard about these groups of people. Reaching out to them for help did seem like a solid option, but there were concerns in his mind.

"It is good that you already have a relationship with those groups. Certainly, it will make it easier to get their help, but...I do have some concern about leaving the cities of our region to fend for themselves. Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and especially Tel Nof are large settlements with many people, much like Amman. Even if we have not always had good relations, I do not wish to see them fall to our enemy. Not to mention that those cities will be great assets to this Empire. Tel Nof used to be a Human military base. I want to warn them, but...I do agree that it would be beyond difficult to convince them to work together. These groups in the continent to the southwest, Africa, as the Humans called it, how much do you know about them. I fear that, to resist the advance of our enemy, we will need the support of large cities with organized militaries capable of using human weapons. I fear anything less will not be enough. And, even if we can find the support we need, Africa is far from here, and it may not even be possible to bring their forces here in time. Your people may need to retreat to the southwest regardless." Tarentek reasoned. He still did not like the thought of leaving such large cities to be conquered, but if Raldel had faith that the groups in Africa would be open to joining in the defense, then they might be a better option.

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

"Thank you." Tarentek said sincerely, though he was in a position to which he was not accustomed. He had been a warrior all of his life, as well as a student of knowledge in respect to technology, but he had never held any influence over his people's policies. He had never advised their leaders. His experience might qualify him, but it was nevertheless a foreign situation to him.

"I have had some time to think about this enemy, about what I would say to those who I intended to warn. One option that I can see is to simply flee, to evacuate your people out of their path. You could certainly outrun their expansion. If the old Human maps hold true, there is an entire continent to the southwest that is much, much larger than our region of the Earth. The same holds true to the northwest. There is even a continent on the other side of the oceans, as far from this place as is possible to travel. Your people could flee their expansion and wait until their Empire collapses under its own weight...if they collapse at all. In all honest, this is the option that I believe is most likely to save your people's lives, and I do not believe anyone could fault you if you chose to take it. The other option I see is more dangerous, but it could just work. Our region, for as long as our history records, has never been united. Our cities rule under their own names, making and breaking alliances, but always staying independent. I would be willing to bet our enemy knows this, and is counting on it. They know they can attack us all one by one until there are none of us left, for we will all be focusing so much on ourselves to be able to help the others. If we can convince the cities of our desert, of this region, to stand together against our enemy, we might just have a force larger than this Empire is expecting. We might be able to find a way to stop them together...or, we might all fail together. The latter might be more likely than the former, but it is the only option I see that could truly stop our enemy's advance. Those are the ideas I have had, or, well, there is a third option, but I doubt you would want to take it. I certainly would not. I do not believe that the attack was entirely unforeseen. If the rumors I heard in the days before the attack are true, then the Empire sent a diplomatic envoy to our leaders to demand they willingly surrender the city and join them. If that option were presented to you, then it could save all of your lives, but you would lose the ability to govern yourselves. As I said, it is not the option I would choose." Tarentek explained. He hoped that Raldel would have some other, better idea for fighting their enemy, as gaining the cooperation of all of the cities in the area would be a monumentally difficult task, but Tarentek had not yet been able to find any alternatives.

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

Tarentek had hoped that Raldel would not remain so confident in his people's ability to defend against their foe after what he had seen, and while he was not dismissive of the threat, it did seem like he would need at least some more persuading. Tarentek leaned forward and placed his hands on the table, taking on an almost somber expression. "I am reminded of a story, and old fable from my people about our earliest, tribal days. It tells of a warlord of great power who wanted the land of our people for his own. He was so confident in his military might that he would not even listen to the negotiations our tribes offered. He decided he could just take it all for himself, and by all evidence, he was right. He sent all of the warriors not protecting his city to eradicate our people, destroying every village he attacked. He seemed all but invincible. His warriors also ate the bodies of our fallen allies, not for survival, but rather intimidation. They would feast on the bodies in their camps before battle, then launch the bones into our villages from a distance before their attacks. It was a gruesome display of power, but it all ended with the sacrifice of the hero Nunkaliare and her people. She was the leader of a village that had tried to retreat from the warlord, but were trapped and cornered. There were other tribes coming to help, but they would not arrive in time. Knowing their fate, she, and all of her people, corrupted their own bodies with a slow, but deadly poison. They were all killed in battle, but when the warlord's warriors feasted on them on the eve of their next battle, they all found themselves deathly ill by the next morning. Many died, and those remaining were not in any condition to fight. When our tribes united together and retaliated, the warlord's city was conquered with relative ease. It is said that this warlord's city was Amman itself, and after the war, most of the tribes stayed united in the city, learning from the technology they left behind and setting our people on their course."

Tarentek let out a sigh and looked back up at Raldel. "I am not trying to say that this Empire will try that tactic. That story may not even be true; it could be just a simple fable, but...the lesson of it is that no defense is impenetrable, no strategy absolute. No matter the problem, no matter what challenge must be overcome, an inventive and clever soul can find the solution. With enough time, and with the numbers they have, one of them could very well discover a weakness you never considered. All it would take is one single flaw, and they could bring an end to your people. They, on the other hand, can take as many attempts as they need. I will not say it is impossible that you can protect yourselves alone, but I will say that I believe you should do anything and everything you can to push the odds as far in your favor as possible. If you accept it, I will offer any help I can."

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

"Well, that is good, I suppose. I would hate to see another harmed in such a horrible way." Tarentek responded, doing his best to regain his composure. Seeing the weapon again had brought up memories he would rather have not relived, but at least he could distract himself with present issues. There was still the matter of how to respond to this looming threat, which was inevitably going to make its way west. Despite Tarentek's experiences and Raldel's scouting, there were still many questions remaining about their enemy. At the moment, they did not even have a name for this Empire. They did not know from exactly where they came, just the general direction of east. They did not know their true numbers, just that they outnumbered the defensive forces of any city in the region. Tarentek had the feeling that they were going to have to make decisions based on only a fraction of the information they needed.

"As for our enemies, there is still much we do not know about them. For instance, we cannot really know if they do not have flying races among them, at least not yet. It would not seem like they do, since they did not use them at Amman, but there could be another reason of which we are not aware. If they do have flying soldiers, then your advantage in these mountains would be diminished. And even if they do not, their strength is still considerable regardless. You may hold better than other cities, but I do not believe you can do so forever. If all other cities in this region fall to them, then they will be free to concentrate on you. They could attack your water supply, or kill off the creatures you hunt. There are plenty of ways they could attack the city indirectly. I...admit, there may be nothing that can be done to stop them, but I still believe there is a way to survive their advance." Tarentek explained.

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

Tarentek listened quietly as the others discussed the implications of what the scouting mission had uncovered. He did not know of the other tribes of their people to the east, but then again, he had only been vaguely aware of the existence of their people. It did make sense that their enemy was using the conquered populations to bolster their forces, though he wondered at how they maintained loyalty. It was possible that they kept the soldiers in line through fear. After all, the families of the soldiers were likely back in their home cities, and to betray their Empire might doom them to death. Even if they had to fight against former allies, that would be a compelling way to keep their soldiers loyal, but without knowing for sure, Tarentek was hesitant to make assumptions.

The others said that there did not seem to be any flying races among them, and indeed, Tarentek had not seen any during the battle, but he did not know for sure if that was the case. If this Empire was as large as the rumors implied, then they would have to have quite a few races under their dominion. It was possible that there were simply no flying species among the attackers at Amman, though again, Tarentek could not say for certain. He was about to put forward the idea when Raldel suddenly placed one of the explosive devices which had wounded him down onto the table. Immediately, his eyes widened and he reflexively took a step back with his mouth slightly agape. After stumbling over his words for a few moments, he finally managed to respond. "That...yes, just...don't touch it! This close to us it could kill us all! Or...at least be careful how you touch it." He said once he calmed enough after his initial reaction. "That is the weapon, the one that wounded and scarred my body. That is the thing that tore apart my allies around it. If you have more of these, make sure everyone knows what they can do; tell them to put them somewhere safe. When they activate they...I'm not even sure if I know how to describe it. It is an explosion of light, sound, and destructive force. A fireball that rips to shreds anything nearby. I do think I recall seeing some of these one time in a cache of old human weapons we found, but we could not figure out what they did or how they worked. They may have been broken. I...still do not know how they work, or how to use them. I don't know if I would want to; it is a terrible weapon."

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

Tarentek was relieved to hear that he could simply walk to their destination. He had worried that Onyx's people might not have built walkways to every location, since they could just fly everywhere. However, the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. If any of their people had their wings permanently injured, perhaps in battle, they would need to be able to function in the village. As well, it would be quite inconvenient if the village had to shut down completely on the rare occasions that it rained.

Eventually, the pair reached Raldel's den, where they were met by Opal, and Raldel himself. It appeared that the scouting mission had been successful, as Raldel got down to business almost immediately, describing, in detail, everything they saw. Much of what he had learned Tarentek had already witnessed for himself, but some of what he saw was news even to Tarentek. As expected, most of the fortifications on one side of the city had been demolished, but the city itself was intact, only now, it was the soldiers of this Empire in control of Amman. The citizenry still appeared to be made up mostly by Karisskan. All of the armed warriors guarding this city, however, wore the same uniform, but consisted of many different races, most of which none of them had neither seen nor heard of before. Almost all of them carried old Human weapons, or "relics," as Raldel described them, that were in notably good condition. The scouting mission also confirmed that the enemy had returned to functionality the ruined vehicles that could be found in most Human cities, and on the roads between them. In fact, Raldel and his team had witnessed more of this Empire's soldiers riding in on these vehicles from the east. The number of soldiers they saw at Amman was massive, and certainly far more than would be needed to defend the city, which did suggest that they intended to continue this expansion. Internally, Tarentek was relieved to hear that his home had not been entirely destroyed and his people were still alive, but he doubted many of the warriors, his brothers and sisters in arms, had survived the battle.

After Raldel finished his recollection of all he witnessed, Tarentek was not sure what to say, or if he should even speak up at all. The decision of what to do with his people ultimately rested with Raldel, but Tarentek still felt he could be helpful. He did, after all, have experience with their weapons and tactics. "So...now that you have seen the enemy yourself, what do you intend to do? I could give you all of the details about them that I can remember if you would like." Tarentek offered.