EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei understood the lieutenants' reservations, but to each she had a response, as she had taken time to think through her plan. "I have thought of each of these issues, and have adapted my plan accordingly. I cannot say there will not be risks, but I believe the potential gains are worthwhile. For Galsek, I believe I can take advantage of his pride. It is not difficult to gather that he believes himself superior to us. He knows me to be clever, but in my interrogation, I was aggressive, almost brutish. Hopefully, it reinforced his view of our kind. I can craft enchantments which could help to track him. Using a derivation of certain summoning techniques involving telepathy, I can link two enchanted items together. I used such enchantments before to create items that guide the wearer to the matching enchantment, but I can also create one that will only work in one direction. It will allow us to safely track him from much farther away to limit the risk of being detected and allowing Vile's servants to escape. I intend to hide the enchanted item inside the thick, fur coat we will give him, as it is not something he would discard in this area. To make sure he does not notice it when he puts it on, I will need to render him unconscious before bringing him to the exit. That, of course, would make him suspicious. I reason that, once out of our sight, he will search anything we give him for anything out of the ordinary. As I said, he expects me to be clever. I fully anticipate he will find this enchanted item, even if it is well hidden, but what he will not expect is that the item is a decoy. He will believe that he foiled my plan, likely congratulate himself for outsmarting the barbaric lycans and myself, then make his way back to his allies. I admit that it is possible that Vile always intended to take the souls of the agents ordered to become lycans, but they would be expecting at least one of their agents to return after destabilizing the clan. They would at least want to hear his report on the situation before betraying him."

Meesei also acknowledged that her plan for Harriet's execution was not conventional, but for that aspect of her plan, she could offer more guarantees. "As for Harriet, I can be certain that she will be unable to cause more harm. Related to the tracking enchantment is one that I can use to ensure her compliance. I can affix an enchanted collar to her neck that, upon my activation, will kill her immediately. Like the other enchantment, it will not work over an unlimited range, but it has sufficient range for my purposes. I offered her that choice for her execution in exchange for her giving her confession publicly to the clan. She has already agreed to confess to her alphas, which is...acceptable, but a public confession would help to put this tragedy behind us, and ensure it does not surface to harm the clan again. She was reluctant to give a public confession to avoid damaging her legacy any further, but a death in battle is of great importance in Orcish culture. So, she may find it to be a worthwhile trade." Meesei explained.

Mass Effect: The Face of Injustice

The reaction of Avatar’s allies to the situation was not ideal. Donny’s misjudgment as to the yield of his explosive, coupled with the emotions brought about by witnessing the execution on the screens around them, caused him to behave irrationally. He quickly began to leave without ensuring that his allies were following. Voira had elected to use her medi-gel to treat the injured hostiles, and while Avatar recognized it to be a humane action, there was a strong possibility that they could require those medical supplies to treat their own wounded. As well, Raa seemed to be enduring acute mental stress, though it did not know exactly which event had provoked it.

As Avatar was quickly attempting to determine the best course of action, it heard Voira attempting to calm Raa. The Asari was the individual best-suited for that task, but her plan was potentially dangerous. Avatar understood the desire to keep non-combatants out of the firefights, but the safety of the security room could not be guaranteed. Avatar had locked down most of the security doors in the area, but the schematics did not indicate that any of them were more durable than the doors the enemy had breached minutes ago. The enemy could break through by force if hacking was unsuccessful.

While Solares seemed to be comforting Raa, Avatar quickly approached Voira. “Warning; this course of action is not recommended. Hostile forces are capable of breaching the security doors, so they will not be stopped entirely. We will likely reach the airlocks before they can follow, but that assumes we move quickly. Additionally, I do not have control over the Human shuttle itself. It is currently free to leave at any point, but the Human forces on the station are yet to reach it. If we clear hostile forces near the airlocks and reach the shuttle, the pilot is likely to follow the orders of the Human ambassador and may leave before non-combat personnel have time to reach the shuttle from this room. Human forces aboard the station have demonstrated a willingness to abandon allied forces in stressful situations.” It warned.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei did what she could to help in planning, though the others seemed to have the situation under control. They already had a per-existing plan, which they needed only to modify. Likely, Meesei would end up giving control over the hunt for her pack to Lorag and remain in the ruin for the night working on the enchantments she would need to make if her plan came to fruition.

Once they made it to the meeting room, Meesei took an empty seat, unaware of exactly who it once belonged to. The matters she needed to discuss were important, but she needed to be careful not to take up too much of their time. Ensuring that the hunt went smoothly was a much more pressing matter. Regardless, and hour would likely be sufficient to get through each topic. "There are several matters we need to discuss, succession being the most obvious, both of Jerrick and Harriet. But first, there is the matter of Harriet's execution, and Galsek. I trust that you were able to question the both of them yesterday? It took some convincing, but Galsek confessed to being an agent of Clavicus Vile, just as Harriet confessed to having been influenced by Galsek to murder Jerrick. Currently, Galsek expects me to release him in return for cooperating...and that is what I intend to do. Of course, I also fully expect him to return to the service of Vile, and I fully intend to track him straight to them."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei had awoken early, but it seemed most of the clan had done the same. Sensible, considering for how many people they needed to prepare. With so many lycans all hunting at once, they would need to stay far from the cities and towns to avoid undue attention, which meant they would need the time to cover sufficient distance before nightfall. As Meesei approached, she noticed the discomfort of the two individuals who had joined them, but she did nothing to acknowledge it.

Once Vera explained what they were doing, Meesei nodded in response and started to look over the map. "I will go wherever I would be most helpful. I have never arranged a hunt of this size, but I will do what I can. My ring grants me control such that I do not need to transform with the moons, so I could remain here to oversee the children and...prisoners." Meesei suggested.

Although Meesei was more than willing to help with whatever she could, there were still the other matters which she needed to deal with. "But, speaking of clan leadership, that is something I need to speak with you all about. These preparations are a more immediate concern and do take precedence, of course, but if at all possible, I would like to speak to you all about several...other issues. As soon as possible."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Almost as could be expected, while the others were just tarting to get up, Meesei was already wide-awake, dressed, and finishing a quick breakfast from their supply of food. Fortunately, she had gone to sleep earlier than everyone except Sabine, so she was at least not exhausting herself any further. Meesei was finishing off her meal quickly, obviously in a rush. Even with the greatest threat to the clan neutralized, she was not letting up on her responsibilities. The pack had been much more separated from one another than usual since they arrived in the clan, and while the others could be together again, nothing had yet changed for Meesei. For some in the pack, they might start questioning whether her situation would ever return to "normal". She was the Champion, so as long as she was with the clan, she would always have responsibilities. It was possible that, once a successor had been selected for Jerrick, some of the burdens of leadership could be delegated to others, but there was no escaping the fact that she had the task before her of coordinating every lycan she could in Tamriel to the best of her ability.

Ahnasha stirred as soon as she heard Rhazii begin to whine, and of course, went directly to comforting him. Meesei, seeing that Sabine was still fast asleep, spoke quietly, so as not to disturb her. "Good morning. I am afraid I will not be able to join you all for breakfast. The full moons are tonight, so I may have to put off my plans for Galsek until at least tomorrow. Although, it is possible I might be able to go through with those plans today. I also need to meet with the lieutenants as soon as possible. Coordinating a hunt for a clan this size is not easy, I would imagine, so they will likely be busy for most of the day. Anyway, I should get to work; I have quite a few preparations of my own to make as well. I will see you all as soon as I can." Meesei commented, and without so much as allowing for a response, she was already making her way our of the door. First, she intended to gather all of the lieutenants for a meeting to finally address the issue of succession, as well as her plans for Galsek and Harriet.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

We could go ahead and go to the next day, if you have nothing else for Harriet to say at the moment. Meesei probably needs to hold a meeting with the lieutenants that morning.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei crossed her arms as she waited, though it soon became clear that Harriet had no answer, at least not yet. She did not seem to be wanting her to leave, but she did not need Harriet's answer quite yet, so she supposed she could give her time to think regardless. "No response? Very well, I can give you some time to think. I will allow you to confess only to your alphas, but if you choose that option, I cannot allow you a warrior's death. Keep in mind that most of the clan already believes in your guilt. During the trial, I gave considerable evidence to your guilt, but you gave no defense in return. Your only rebuttal was to question my motives and position as Champion. But, after our duel, I doubt there are many who doubt my position. You are arguably the greatest warrior among this clan, and I defeated you. To most of the clan, you will already be remembered as a traitor, a poisoner. In truth, there are few things which could remove that legacy, but I can offer you a chance to at least give them something else to remember as well. They will know that, in your final moments, you dedicated everything you had to fighting our enemy. Think on this, but be ready with your answer by tomorrow. I intend to release Galsek tomorrow afternoon, once my preparations are complete."

With that, Meesei turned to leave. There was much she still needed to do: gather materials, make enchantments, gather forces to attack Vile's followers, and so on. All of those things would take some time, but at that moment, what Meesei needed most was rest. She had been working nonstop for days, and she knew she could not keep pushing herself without consequence.

Mass Effect: The Face of Injustice

As the injured were being treated, the Turian male diplomat slowly started to step forward towards his wounded fellow diplomat. He had been disoriented by the explosion and was just now beginning to get over the ringing in his ears. When he finally started to recognize the severity of her injuries, he started to grow visibly more panicked, moreso than one would expect for an injured stranger. He started to breathe more quickly, and shake his head slightly. “Oh no. No…no..no.” He started to mutter, mostly to himself.

While he was gaining his bearings, he heard several of the others shouting at Donny, blaming him for the explosion. Suddenly, his expression became intensely furious. He clenched his hands into fists and stomped up to the Human. “Wait, it was you? YOU did this? You…” He shouted.

The Turian looked as if he was going to strike Donny, but was distracted when a transmission started to be broadcast through the station. The audio played over the station’s intercom, while video was being played on some of the undamaged holographic screens on the walls of the room. As well, the message was also being broadcast openly on a signal that any omni-tool could pick up. It appeared to be a live-feed from the meeting room from which they had escaped minutes ago. The diplomats and guards who had not escaped were now lined up on their knees, with several of the black-armored soldiers standing behind them with their weapons at the ready. Just over half of the thirteen prisoners were Human soldiers, while the rest were diplomats, primarily Turian and Quarian, with a single Salarian at the end of the line. In front of them, facing the camera, was the Asari who had appeared to have been leading them during the ambush. With a look of determined confidence in her eyes, she began to speak.

”People of Ancora, your saviors are here, and we have arrived to resounding success. Even now, my fleet is ravaging the ships of your invaders, and will soon smash their encampment on your world. The Citadel Council has saw fit to assimilate your world, the home which you built from nothing, into their bloated and dying empire. They left your ancestors to their fates, but now expect you to hand over all you have to them. They would call it progress, they would call it justice, but I would call it war. I would call it oppression; I would call it tyranny. The Council prides itself on having the force that defeated the Reapers, but here and now, we have shown they can be resisted. They can be defeated. Join our fight; join our struggle… The Asari said, pausing for a brief moment as she signaled to the soldiers behind her. Without hesitation, all of them fired on the prisoners, executing all thirteen and painting the ground with various colors of blood. ”And all who stand against you will meet the same fate.”

It was a short message, but the room was silent for a few moments after it had concluded, apart from the moaning of the wounded. The Turian diplomat still appeared angry, but was now too overcome with fear to act, at least for the moment. Avatar understood that the message seemed to be designed at least partially to intimidate the remaining Council forces aboard the station, but it was unmoved from its task. While the message had been playing, Avatar had gained access to the local functions of the station. Immediately, it locked down most of the security doors and simultaneously examined all of the camera feeds it could access at once. It reset every security password to randomized strings of numbers and letters 25,600 characters in length, each, after modifying the code to allow for longer passwords. It would not be able to access the functions of the console remotely, but it could delay the station’s VI from being able to revert its changes.

“This console does not possess camera access for that section of the station, and I do not see any other Cabal soldiers in the camera feeds I can access. However, I have locked down all security doors in this section of the station except for those leading to the airlocks. I have also detached and sabotaged the docking clamps which were holding the Human shuttle in place. It is now free to leave. Currently, allied Human forces are alive, but are close to engaging an enemy force guarding the airlocks which outnumber them. I recommend warning them to hold position until we can reach them.” Avatar explained.

For the entire time since the end of the fighting, the Turian civilian had not grown silent. If anything, she had become more panicked. She was still clasping her head in her hands and sobbing, now more loudly than before. As well, one of the Turians Avatar had shot, and a few in the hallway outside the room, had not been killed immediately by their wounds. They were all in serious condition, and while they were no longer a threat, they were still very much alive. They were bleeding profusely and groaning from the intense pain of their injuries. The one inside the room was begging for help as his armor, and the skin underneath, had been split open quite visibly. None of the wounded hostiles were likely to survive without medical attention, and based on the severity of their wounds, they would die slowly.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Harriet's question was fair, but it was not as if she had not planned for that possibility. Harriet's actions had made her a traitor, and Meesei could certainly believe the possibility that she was lying about her motives in an attempt to gain sympathy. "I have considered that possibility. I can make an enchantment, something that behaves like a scroll, but etched into something more sturdy than parchment, like a collar. Something you cannot remove without activating it. The enchantment will be designed to use all of the power stored within at once to kill you immediately on your command...or mine. You can use it in the event that the enemy disables you without killing you, and I can use it as insurance. Confess to the crime publicly, and you can have a death by combat against the enemy. I would say that is better for your legacy than your current situation."

Meesei still had questions to ask, mostly about Galsek, but convincing Harriet to confess was the most important goal of this interrogation. By leaving the clan with no question as to what happened to Jerrick, it would be much easier to move on from this tragedy. Not to mention, Harriet could likely kill more than a few of the enemy before succumbing to their numbers.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"I am under no obligation to grant you mercy. Do not mistake my attitude, your actions were inexcusable and, to put it bluntly, stupid. Obviously, I agree with your plan, and with the future you wanted for the clan, but your murder did nothing but throw it into chaos. It could have easily torn it apart, and it did destroy a family. You were there when Vera learned of her husband's death, you saw the pain you caused her, the pain which will never go away. If you wanted to challenge Jerrick's leadership, you should have done so in the traditional way. You should have faced him in single combat, just as you did to me. The fate of the clan is more important than your image, and there will be less chance of division among us if everyone knows the truth. But, there is one form of mercy I can offer you." Meesei began. She of course could not force Harriet to deliver a confession to the entire clan, but she might be persuaded to do so if given something even more important to her legacy.

"As I said before, my interrogation of Galsek yielded answers. He certainly did not tell me everything he knows, and I doubt I could get him to do so in any way that would guarantee his honesty. Before I began, I told him I would allow him to leave if he answered my questions, and that is precisely what I intend to do. I told him it was because I refuse to break my word, and he likely thinks me a fool. But, I have plans for him. He is rather loyal to Vile, and I have no doubt he will return to his service. Vile knows our clan is here, so his servants no doubt have their own hideout somewhere in the area. I intend to track him back to those he serves. Doubtless, he will be on alert and watching for anyone to follow him, but I know how to follow him undetected, no matter how well he covers his tracks. My offer to you is an...alternative form of execution. Instead of meeting your end helplessly against a headsman's axe, I will let you meet your end in combat against Vile's servants. We will send you in alone, ahead of our main force, and allow you to fight until you are killed. You will have your death in combat, and we will have an easier time clearing the camp. And of course, the clan will be told of the manner in which you died." Meesei offered. It was a plan that did rely on Galsek leading them to the enemy, but Meesei had a plan for how to take advantage of his overconfidence.