EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha certainly did not get any closer to Fendros, but she could not just leave. Others in the clan could react violently to an uncontrolled lycan, and would be justified in doing so. It was dangerous, but Ahnasha could see no way that Fendros, even when overtaken by his beast spirit, could harm his own son. This was the first time in quite a while he had been through an unintentional transformation, but nevertheless, they had been through them. She just needed to get his mind away from the emotions that caused it in the first place.

Rhazii was of course used to seeing them in their werewolf forms, as he had been around them since birth, but Fendros' aggression frightened him. He went from slightly whining, to outright crying as he turned his head away from his father and tightly held onto his mother for comfort. "You're not going to hurt me, Fendros. I know you, and I know that beast inside you."

---

Meesei's search of the belongings on Galsek's person did not produce much of note. Sabine did identify a poison he was carrying as a sedative, but Meesei could not think of a point in which he had used it. Nevertheless, she kept anything remotely interesting before taking her leave, allowing Lorag to remain guarding him for the moment with specific instructions to keep anyone from harming him. She did intend to rotate in other guards later. For the moment, she went to seek out the lieutenants, starting with Vera. Despite what Galsek said regarding Caleb's birth mother, she wanted to be certain that Vera was in no danger. As such, after informing her about Galsek, she examined her for any trace for poison, fortunately finding nothing. Darahil did not give Meesei any trouble when she informed him, but Oswall, as she might have expected, responded with anger. He tried to get up, intent on killing the snake, only to be held back by the healers. Luckily, he still was not in a condition to move around, so he did calm eventually, albeit begrudgingly. Meesei did make sure to tell him that she had plans for Galsek, and that she would explain in greater detail when she had more time.

Meesei had to give the healers assigned to Harriet some time to make sure she was stable, as well as give the guards the chance to set her up in a cell with appropriately strong shackles. With her guilt now virtually certain, there would be no more courteous treatment for Harriet. In the brief break her time allowed her, Meesei went down to the canal to wash away the blood that was starting to dry on her scales, as well as repair her clothing. There was much she still needed to do, so she would likely be busy for a few more days, or weeks depending on how difficult Jerrick's succession proved to be, but it was a relief to get at least a moment to herself. Given all that had transpired only an hour or so prior, the canal was notably empty.

Eventually, the healers sent a messenger to inform Meesei that Harriet had awakened, and was secure in her cell. With all she had learned from Galsek, she was far more confident going into the interrogation than she would have been otherwise. Harriet was defeated, completely and utterly. Her plan had been uncovered and dismantled with no hope of repair, and in their fight, she had lost even with the odds supposedly stacked in her favor. However, unlike with Galsek, she did not expect to have a reason to intimidate or threaten Harriet. If she was not currently aware that it was over, it would not take long for her to find out.

Stepping into the cell, Meesei acknowledged the guards on either side of Harriet, then motioned for them to wait outside of the cell. Harriet was shackled to the wall with irons on her wrists and ankles, along with multiple chains tied around her limbs with varying degrees of tightness or slack. Even if she transformed, there would always be something holding her in place. She wore nothing, apart from a bandage over the eye Meesei had destroyed. Her wounds had been closed, but the scars and dried blood remained, staining her green skin.

"I know everything, Harriet. Galsek, his offer, everything. It did not take much to get the snake to talk, once he knew he could not fool me. I think it is time for you to fill in the details." Meesei said calmly.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Regardless of what the others did, Meesei gave Galsek no reaction. "The death would have come by burning. The sheer heat would make any other factor immaterial. In fact, she would have died fairly quickly, at least compared to other forms of torture. It is a visually horrendous torture, but in choosing spectacle, they gave her an unintentional mercy."

Meesei finally dispelled her blade, then pulled Galsek back up to his knees by his throat. As she was doing so, she leaned in close to his ear and whispered such that only he could hear. "It is not a mistake I would make." Overall, Meesei's present behavior was entirely different from her normal self. Of course, that was to be expected from an interrogation with the enemy. She needed to appear intimidating, especially if he was to be released after this was over. However, what Meesei would not admit to her pack was that she was not entirely bluffing. If it was necessary to protect her family, Meesei was willing to do anything.

"I could ask how you came to know that story, but right now, I am more concerned with the task at hand. I am going to search you, then speak to the lieutenants and allow them to interrogate you as well. I am also going to have your room searched thoroughly, which could take some time. I would expect to be released sometime tomorrow. If you wish to be released sooner, I would suggest pointing me to any material evidence or items of interest you may have hidden." Meesei requested. Though, before he could give any answer, she pushed him face-first to the ground, much more gently than before, then started the process of searching him. Instead of bothering to go through his clothing properly, she simply ripped it from his body, along with any pouches or satchels he had on him. Each item she handed off to one of her pack around her to search, as well as searching through a few herself.

Ahnasha followed Fendros out of the room. She might have been a lycan for longer and had greater control, but it wasn't her beast spirit she was necessarily worried about. She was livid, and if Meesei had not been there, she would have shown that lizard how much of an idiot he was to taunt them in such a way. But, Meesei's presence always made her more...cautious. Though, she could not understand how Meesei could possibly consider letting him go. It wasn't as if Vile's servants would ever learn about it if she executed him. Vile wasn't omniscient, so he could not see what they were doing. She hoped that Meesei was just lying to get him to talk.

Instead of giving Galsek what he most definitely deserved, Ahnasha followed Fendros to the empty room he had eventually stopped in. Though, she did little more than stand in the doorway, clutching a whining Rhazii tightly in her arms.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"I suggest you tell it before I cut it out. Remember that you are not the one with the power here, Galsek. You do not like me, and I sure as Oblivion do not like you. What we have right now is an exchange; your answers, for your freedom. You should be accustomed to such deals, I would imagine. The fact that I am agreeing to release an admitted enemy of my people is a blessing for you, and one you should not continue to test. I expect your full cooperation; I demand your full cooperation. Now answer this question, fully and honestly, and every other after it, or you may consider my very generous deal to be void." Meesei threatened, though she did move the blade back somewhat and released the pressure on his throat.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei shook her head. "Even if our enemies would not, I am not going to break my word. You deserve an execution, Galsek. You deserve to have a blade run through that neck, and your soul put to the mercy of the Huntsman. You are a snake, and a fool besides. No matter what Vile has told you, your lycanthropy is not going to be so easily cured. Vampires, werewolves, many have asked for cures from Vile, but it always ends the same way. Or have you not heard the tales? Regardless, I am still going to release you. Of course, I am obviously not going to let you go without searching you and your belongings, but after all of that is done, you will have your supplies, and you will leave this place. I would recommend that you find somewhere quiet to live out the rest of your days, because if I find you again, you will not receive the same mercy a second time. Of course, our deal did rely on you answering all of my questions, and there is one more question I have for you..."

Suddenly, Meesei kicked Galsek square in the chest, knocking him onto his back. She then stepped forward and pressed her foot against his throat, just hard enough so he could still speak, and conjured a bound blade, placing the point barely a hair's width from his eye. "What do you mean by both parents?"

Mass Effect: The Face of Injustice

The Turian cried out in pain as she hit the ground, so much so that it was uncertain if she had even heard Donny's demands. She did let go of the weapon after a few moments, but it seemed only so she could press her hands up against the side of her head. The floor underneath her head was starting to turn blue with her blood, and she was screaming loud enough to be easily heard down the hall. "No, please no! Please don't kill me!" She cried out, her eyes glossed over with tears.

Avatar noticed the woman's bleeding, and given the nature of the injury, acknowledged that she could potentially have a concussion. However, it had to prioritize the safety of allied forces, so it instead moved directly to the security terminal to attempt to gain access to the system. As well, they were finally able to move the rest of the non-combatants into the room and lock down the door behind them.

The security terminal itself had not been locked or disabled, so accessing it was simple, but when Avatar attempted to access its functions, it found that they had been locked by the primary control center for the station. This was an expected scenario, so it had already been prepared to attempt to bypass the security measure. It had manufactured the base of a virus intended to cut off the local console from the primary control center. From there, it could reboot the console with itself mimicking the master controller, thereby gaining access to the console's functions. All it had to do first was to modify the virus to be compatible with this specific system.

Within thirty seconds, however, the sounds of footsteps could be heard in the hallway outside, followed by an attempt to unlock the doors. Avatar had placed the doors into an emergency lockdown state, but they would not remain shut indefinitely. It was highly probable that the hostiles could open them, if not by hacking, by a breaching charge. It drew the rifle from its back, then looked to Creator Raa'Kina. She appeared to be experiencing emotional stress due to the incident with the Turian civilian, but it estimated that RK could perform the task within an acceptable timeframe. "Hostile forces have arrived. My platform will improve the probability of a successful defense, so I recommend Raa and RK attempt to hack the console." Avatar advised as it sent a request for direct digital communication to RK so it could upload the virus for RK's use. Even in the middle of combat, Avatar could also dedicate processing power to aiding RK, which could prove necessary since RK was likely unfamiliar with the architecture of Geth programming.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

This was the answer for which Meesei had been searching. This was what tied together the evidence. With Galsek's confession, Meesei expected it to be much easier to get information from Harriet, not to mention what Galsek himself might provide. Once his secret was revealed, he of course started to taunt the others. Meesei largely ignored it, but a few of the others, namely Fendros and Ahnasha, did not. Ahnasha bared her teeth at the Argonian, joining in Fendros' anger.

Meesei looked at the pair calmly. "Vile's servants are manipulators, but his words carry only the power you give them." She commented before looking back down to Galsek. She stopped charging her restoration magic through his skull, then dragged her claws across the side of his face not hard enough to break his scales, but enough that he could feel it. "My words, on the other hand, bear considerably more weight. You are going to tell me everything you know, about your mission here, about Harriet and the deal you struck. I want all of the physical evidence you have, then...you may go. You serve my enemy, but I gave my word, and I shall not break it. Of course, we both know what it going to happen when you return to Vile a failure. He is a fickle master even to his successful followers. Do you expect me to believe he will spare a worm like you? In all likelihood, he will kill you and take your powerful lycan soul...or perhaps not. Perhaps his servants will just kill you as an example and allow your soul to go to its intended destination. Have you ever thought about what that would be like? To have your soul bound for eternity to the Hunting Grounds of the Daedra against which you have waged war? I assure you, your beast spirit is not going to be so easily separated from you. Some lycans have spent their entire lives searching for a cure, fruitlessly. Even if Vile does not kill you, or if you just avoid his followers for the rest of your life, your soul will find its way back to Hircine eventually. So, you can leave here with some supplies after I have what I need, or you can accept an alternative. Serve me. Use the knowledge you have of Vile and his followers in the service of Hircine, and you will find yourself protected by us, instead of hunted by us."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei still believed that Galsek was trying to hide something. In fact, since he admitted he knew and believed that she was in fact the Champion before the fight, she had a very good reason to think he was being deceptive. Already, his story was forming holes. He was already quite obviously afraid, and after she really started to press him, she hoped that fear would force him to come clean.

"My magic may not be able to tell exactly what your lie is, but I know you are attempting to deceive me. Your story's foundation is built upon mud. You just said that you thought I would win because I was the Champion, and you knew of my capabilities. You believed I was the Champion before the trial started, and yet, Harriet's 'defense,' if you can call it that, which she discussed with all of her alphas, including you, was that I was an imposter. They proposed that I, for whatever reason, sought to bring chaos to this clan. And yet, as you just admitted, you believed I was truly the Champion. Not only that, but during my investigation, you decided to convince Caleb that Oswall was the traitor, and prompted him to make an attempt on his life. It was an action intended to cause chaos in the clan, and could have sabotaged my investigation. You are saying you did that, despite knowing I was the Champion. You did nothing to convince Harriet or her alphas that I was the Champion, despite knowing it was true. You managed to get Harriet a ring of reflection in an attempt to kill me, despite knowing I was the Champion. None of those actions suggest you were as innocent as you tried to make yourself appear. I offered, in good faith, to let you go if you answered my questions. No matter who you are, or who you are allied to, I will keep my word, but only if you keep yours. So you need to start explaining. Right. Now. Your motivations, Harriet's motivations. Everything. No more lies, no half-thruths, and I will let you leave this place with all the supplies you need once I have your answers, and am able to search your belongings. You do not want to experience the alternative."

By this point, Meesei was capitalizing on Galsek's fear. She did not shout, and hardly raised her voice at all, but her tone still seemed somehow more menacing. Certainly, she had a talent for conveying emotion without the need for volume.

Mass Effect: The Face of Injustice

In your last post, you mentioned him having hammerhead rounds loaded. Which are, like, super-lethal.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei's expression was entirely emotionless, giving no visible reaction on whether or not she believed him. Of course, her next questions would give that away. Even if her magic could not reliably discern a lie, her perceptions and reasoning gave her the hint that he was trying to deceive her in at least some form.

"I think there is more to it than that, Galsek. Harriet was known to be perhaps the best fighter in this very large clan. Our battle was not easily fought, and she did nearly kill me. But me, you knew nothing about me. You did not know how strong of a mage I was, or how capable a fighter. You could have learned that I was a mage, but with that ring of hers, it would be very reasonable to believe she could kill me. So, how could you know that she would lose? If anything, my victory should have been just as much of a surprise to you. I was heavily on the defensive until I transformed, and I believe I remember Janius running off before that. Perhaps if you actually believed I was the Champion, then you might think I would win, but in that case, why would you actively try to sabotage the Champion's investigation? Answer me, Galsek, and answer honestly." She demanded.

Mass Effect: The Face of Injustice

So @Andromedai, I think that might be a bit of a cop-out. I'm sure non-lethal rounds are something that exists, but you've not mentioned them before, and it seems rather convenient to suddenly have them. Not to mention, it would be difficult to change ammo types without being noticed.