EliteCommander

Star Wars - Scum and Villainy

Sirka hurried back to her room to retrieve her case of credits, and fortunately, had a memory good enough not to get lost on the way. As she picked up the case. she paused and stared at it a moment. It still seemed unbelievable to her that she was holding such an amount in her hands. The upfront payment from this job was far greater than the overall payment from any job she had ever taken before. It wasn't as if she was some well-known bounty hunter or mercenary in the galaxy. Granted, she was unique, but she was not quite sure how or why her current employers heard about her to even offer this job. Perhaps she had simply impressed the right person who passed on her information? She had taken some jobs recently that culminated in some pretty intense firefights.

Shrugging off the thought for the moment, Sirka rushed back to the cockpit, as she assumed they did not have too much time before they would be heading down to the surface. "Alright, got the case. Who wants to take me to this vault?" She asked as soon as she entered the cockpit.

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

"I will follow your judgment, but...I believe Onyx may be right." Tarentek began. There seemed to be no easy solution to this problem, and he completely understood why Raldel would want to get his children out of the village before taking such a risk. It was possible he could justify it to them, but Onyx's argument also seemed reasonable. If Raldel seemed confident in his decision, then others could be more willing to accept it.

"If we can gain evidence of the strength that our enemy commands, it might demonstrate the severity of the situation. Desperation could convince them to take what they perceive to be a risk in seeking alliances with outsiders." Tarentek added after Onyx finished her explanation of the previous night's events.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

There was no way that such an announcement could ever be considered a pleasant affair, but altogether, it was not going as badly as it could be. The initial reaction, as expected, was one of surprise and confusion. The shock had still not worn off from the crowd, and many were likely going to be afraid for the future, but none had turned particularly aggressive just yet, even among Harriet’s packs. Although, anything could still happen.

The speeches that the lieutenants gave presented the kind of message that Meesei had been hoping for, but only time would tell how much it helped. Likely, they would have to keep reinforcing the idea that they should stand united to their respective packs for the idea to truly set in. For the moment, however, it was time to address the clan’s questions and concerns, which would likely be more difficult than Meesei would like. She needed to answer as much as she could, but there were some details that still had to be withheld until the trial. For instance, the first question, as understandable as it was that the Nord would ask it, was not something Meesei could divulge at the moment.

Meesei stepped forward to the railing of the mezzanine to give her answer. “As Darahil explained, the judge or judges will be trusted individuals who can be entirely independent in this matter. Unfortunately, I am afraid I cannot yet disclose who specifically these judges will be until we are closer to the trial in three days. We want to ensure that our judges cannot be influenced, or even intimidated, before the trial begins, as we wish for it to be as fair as possible. What I can say, however, is that, since we were involved in the investigation, neither myself nor anyone in my pack will be judging Harriet in her trial. Understand that secrecy is not what we want, but unfortunately, it is necessary in this case.”

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

Tarentek felt more comfortable around Raldel than any of the other villagers, apart from Onyx. He both appeared and felt more relaxed as they entered his home. The smell of food in the air that permeated the home served as a good reminder to Tarentek of how many hours it had been since he had eaten, but he could wait until they made it back to Onyx's home.

It seemed that Onyx wanted Tarentek to go first, so he gave a slight, respectful bow to Raldel before beginning. "Oh, I just wanted to update you on my condition. Under Onyx's care, my health has improved greatly. I no longer feel the same soreness and fatigue, and my scars are close to healing. I was even well enough to spar a few minutes ago. It should only be a few more days before I am ready to set out for Tel Nof. I...well, we did also have a few worries about how to go about informing your people about potential alliances with other races. From my understanding, your people may not take that news well, but I do not have any solid ideas on how to make delivering it any easier. My only thought has been to prove the severity of the danger we face."

Star Wars - Scum and Villainy

Sirka crossed her arms and looked at Tor with a hint of skepticism. What he described for their vault seemed rather excessive in her mind. "So...let me get this straight. You spent all the effort and money to get this room turned into a small fortress for your valuables, complete with a complicated and high tech security system that can only be opened by you two? You went through all of that to protect your money instead of, like, a bank account with an insurance policy? I'm sure there are plenty of ways to get illegal funds into the system without much issue; politicians do it all the time."

Sirka gave a chuckle as she shook her head slightly and shrugged her shoulders. "Ah, whatever, at least you have it here and now. I'll trust you not to try anything. After all, you're the ones that'll have to deal with an armed and enraged Ssi-ruu in the middle of your ship if you double-cross me. I'll be right back with the case." She said before turning to exit the cockpit.

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

Tarentek nodded. "Alright, I'll trust your judgment. The more we learn, the more options might present themselves. Hopefully, one of those options will help stop this potential civil war before it starts. Just...whatever ends up happening, I'll give you my support. I won't let you be captured by any violent rebels."

As the pair reached Raldel's home, Tarentek stopped in front of the door, then turned to Onyx. "Well, after you."

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

"Hmm..." Tarentek began as he tried to wrap his mind around what options they might have. Waging a war against their enemy would be difficult enough, but dealing with internal fighting as well? He did not know if they could survive it. Without a united force to face down the enemy, there would not be hope of defeating them.

"Do you...do you think we could find a way to prove how much danger your people are in? If they understood the severity of the threat, they might become desperate enough to try something new. It's possible there could be a way to show that your father has no choice." Tarentek reasoned. He looked up from the ground for a moment to check where they were; it seemed they were getting close to her father's home.

Star Wars - Scum and Villainy

Sirka shrugged her shoulders. She didn't like the fact that there was essentially nothing she could do at the moment if things went wrong and someone tried to shoot them out of the sky. On the ground, she could be in control, but in ship-to-ship combat, her skills meant nothing in anything except boarding actions. Although she didn't know if she could trust Tony to get them to ground safely, she definitely knew that she wouldn't trust herself to do it, so there wasn't anything she could do but follow his lead. "Most of my ideas are terrible, so it won't be anything different from what I'm used to. Seems like this Zeltron knows what we're up to, so it's your call from there. Just make sure we don't get blown up in orbit, alright? If I die, I want to be able to look my killer in the eyes...then gouge them out. Oh, but before we do whatever you're doing, do you have any smuggling compartments or somewhere to hide things on this ship? I'd like somewhere to stash my credits if someone ends up searching this ship while we're away." Sirka asked.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Although she was mostly uninvolved, Meesei was entirely truthful whenever Harriet had questions for her. She was honest when she said that she just wanted to discern the truth, though she still believed that Harriet was most likely the traitor. So far, it seemed like Harriet’s main strategy was to call into question the legitimacy of the current evidence, which did make sense, but she did not indicate how or if she was going to search for new evidence. Although, to be fair, she had only had a few hours so far.

The hours Harriet spent with her alphas also had the effect of inspiring Meesei with ways to build her case, or even prove it flawed. Before the trial, she intended to speak to both the alchemist and Sabine to question them about the test, and to perform another to verify the first’s results. If it gave the same result, then it would strengthen her case. If it did not, then Meesei would have to re-evaluate the accusation. She would not want anyone to be charged with this crime if she could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that they were the traitor.

Meesei had to politely ward off quite a few of the clan as it came time for the announcement. She took her place on the mezzanine with all of the other lieutenants, apart from Harriet, who was still under guard. This would not be easy, but it was necessary.

Meese looked to Oswall, responding just as quietly. “Nothing more than we already discussed. I trust you will do all you can to keep the clan united during this. Just make sure to emphasize that Harriet will receive a fair trial from a neutral party.”

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

Tarentek found his gaze turning towards the ground as well. "I hope that particular...warrior aspect of your people can change. It will have to if you are to survive this with your independence intact. We're going to need allies, there is no escaping that. Thank Jhala that your father is as open-minded as he is about this, but...what about everyone else? How do you think the rest of your people are going to take the news that your father is seeking out alliances with other races? Do you think their minds will ever be changed?" He asked with very real concern.