EliteCommander

Coruscant Sacked: Aftermath

~|Day 3, 20:47- 20:48 GST|~

~|Location: Mos Eisley, Docking Area (District 5), Fa-Val-Kuul|~

Given the types of people that could commonly be found on these kinds of near-lawless, backwater planets, Fa had an idea of how she could blend in. Trying to be kind would either paint her as an off-worlder they might take advantage of, or just make the street urchins suspicious of her actual motives. In a place like Tatooine, everyone was working for their own benefit, so she just had to make it believable that the children could do something useful for her which would make it worthwhile for her to actually speak to them. She had to turn this encounter into a business transaction. Whether someone was in the badlands of Tatooine, or the heart of Coruscant, business was a force that anyone could recognize.

“My name is not important; nor is your attempted theft. Do not attempt to lie to me, because I do not care. If I did, you would already be missing a hand. No, you have something that I want: information. I know, because I can smell it on you.” Fa answered. She reached up to her hood and pulled it back slightly, so that her face was still mostly obscured, but her sizable snout was visible to them.

Reaching into her cloak, Fa grabbed one of her credit chips, though she did not yet reveal it to the urchins. “You carry a scent, and a fresh one at that. Her name is Jeik, a Twi’lek, green-skinned. She is known to frequent this place, along with a bar named Fel’kaw, and a certain pawn shop. You encountered her recently. Take me to her, and I will pay you. Twenty credits, no questions, no tricks. Once it is done, then we never saw each other. Is that a deal?”

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Peiter nodded in agreement. "I've never known Tzirret to disobey a direct order from Gallus, or anyone, really. But, he's been doing a lot of things that I've never known him for recently. Not to mention, he might end up panicking if he sees someone he knows in danger. Honestly, it still might be best to keep him away from the fight, even as a messenger, if we can't be sure that he will listen. If getting Ma'tanza to talk to him doesn't work, that is."

The pair started to walk along, but Peiter was quickly at a loss for where to actually go. "I, uh, don't really know where to begin to look for her, though. I haven't seen her in my daily routine since we got here, except for once or twice at breakfast or dinner. She's not a warrior, so I suppose she has different responsibilities. I think I'll let you lead the way, being that you two know each other a bit better."

---

La'khay's confusion subsided, and instead was replaced by concern. His clarification was much more believable than the idea that his friends would call him a coward. Though, she could not admit to knowing what kind of advice she should give him. "Well...no one can say you are a coward. La'khay would be terrified to be anywhere close to that battlefield during this attack. Hundreds of people on both sides, arrows and spells flying everywhere. It would be easy to get killed by pure bad luck. Even La'khay's bravest of friends, Do'ajee, is nervous about it. La'khay...she loves everything about warriors, except the wars they fight. Our soldiers are brave in mind, noble in purpose, and beautiful in their physical forms. Seeing them all together with their shining metal weapons and imposing sets of armor is almost majestic. But, when they go to actually fight, they tear each other to pieces. Beautiful faces are ruined by scars, strong and healthy bodies are mangled by crippling injuries. It is such a waste. This one can see why you would want to protect your friends from that, but then again, they probably feel the same way. This one...does not know what to tell you."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Peiter raised his brow briefly upon the mention of a mission, but did not correct Gallus. He supposed a mission was also a reasonable explanation for why Gallus would be so exhausted, though he had little idea what kind of mission he could have been on for a single day, in the middle of the desert. But, he supposed he did not need to know.

"Any time." Peiter answered to Gallus as they all stepped out of the room. He guessed Gallus would be heading to the dining chamber, so he and Sabine were free to find Ma'tanza, or just go about their day. Reaching over to her, Peiter grabbed Sabine's hand and actually started to smile. "I think that went as well as it could have. I didn't think about Tzirret being a messenger. It wouldn't exactly be safe, but he would be safer than almost anyone else in a battle."

---

La'khay appeared to have some honest confusion at Tzirret's comments. Her eyes narrowed, her ears perked up attentively, and she gave him a questioning look. "Really? That does not seem right. Which friends are you talking about? Sabine, Ma'tanza, or someone La'khay has not met? That doesn't sound like something they would say. This one has heard others say you have been getting braver, and she has seen it herself. What do you want to do to help them? This one can think of plenty of things you might do to help the warriors."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

While he did not envy anyone who had to live in a "militarized" clan, Peiter supposed that he was glad they had the extra warriors available. Thinking about it, he reasoned that more clans across Tamriel might be forced to adopt such a philosophy, even if it would not be popular.

Peiter brought a hand up to his chin, pausing to think for a moment. "Well, I haven't been looking at the sun today, but I think it was noon a few hours ago. It's still daylight, at least. Um...have you been sleeping all day? That's, uh, not like you, honestly. Did something keep you up...oh, nevermind." He said quickly. Knowledge of Meesei and Gallus' plan with the prisoner had only been shared among the bare minimum number of people, so Peiter was unaware that Gallus had been away the previous night at all. Even for Peiter, Gallus' reputation was one of the first thoughts to come to mind for what might keep him up through the night, so he assumed that Gallus' exhaustion came from less "professional" acts.

---

La'khay chuckled. "Well, you haven't changed that much, this one sees. La'khay has been learning about this clan, meeting its people, and trying to find ways to be helpful. This one does not know how much she can offer beyond her company, though. All of the important jobs that La'khay knows how to do are overflowing with volunteers from this one's clan. And everyone seems so...serious. Like soldiers. La'khay has even tried offering to decorate people's rooms, or make a painting for them, without anything in return, but no one seems to want to take the time."

"Yes, La'tahne knows what you mean." She interjected. "There has been so much of a focus on efficiency here in the last few years. For preparation, and survival. Well, there are still people who would accept those offers, but less than La'tahne would like. This one is just glad she still has her garden. But, it is certainly nice to meet a beautiful person who appreciates beautiful things."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Oh, well, everything has been fine for me." Peiter answered. He was caught off-guard briefly by the conversation being directed towards himself, but he now found himself in a much better mood now that he knew for certain that Gallus agreed with him. "I just finished training for the day not long ago. I've been sparring with some of the Orcrest clan's warriors. They're...tough. You can tell they've been preparing for war. I think the clan leader herself may be involving herself in their training; some of their techniques seemed a bit familiar. Really, this whole place just has that...military feel. Part of it is the style of the stonework I think, but everything is organized, apart from the places the Senchal clan has crowded into. And there seem to be more fighters compared to the Senchal clan, even accounting for their numbers."

Now with a bit of curiosity, Peiter turned his head to Sabine. "Have you noticed anything like that with the mages, or alchemists?"

---

La'tahne was quick to smile at Tzirret's praise. "Thank you. This one puts a lot of work into making this place look just right. Even with all the troubles people have to worry about, La'tahne thinks people like to have a peaceful place to relax. Working here is more enjoyable than the time she has to spend helping grow food. All that matters there is efficiency."

"You do seem to have an eye for beauty." La'khay commented before looking back to Tzirret. "Anyway, it is good to hear you are happy with her. La'khay was hoping her advice would help you. This one did not expect that everything you did would be perfect; no one ever is. But, she knew you would try hard enough to be successful. Ma'tanza is kind, and lively girl with a warm heart and voluptuous figure. Is she enjoyable to talk to? How skilled is she in bed?" La'khay asked. Predictably, her line of questioning did not take long to move to the physical aspects of a relationship, of which La'tahne quickly took notice.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Wow, it's good to see this RP is still going on. This is quite the blast from the past.

@Leon5431

Hmm, so you still exist. Good to know.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Peiter nodded. "We talked to him, and after he said you had instructed him to join the fight, I offered to help him convince you to keep him out of it. I never would have expected that he would want to join the battle willingly, let alone actually against your orders. I tried to explain to him the danger, and why he should reconsider, but he got pretty upset. If the worst came to pass and he was forced to fight for whatever reason, I don't think his state of mind would let him keep his composure. I definitely think he needs to be talked to."

Although he did not have as much fear about Tzirret being a messenger, the fact that he might still make a bad decision during the fight still worried him. It would perhaps be a good idea for he and Sabine to speak to Ma'tanza about the issue. If there was one person who might have even more sway than Gallus over his opinions, it was her.

---

"Oh, so you're the gardener here?" La'khay said to La'tahne as Tzirret was approaching. "It is beautiful, simply beautiful. It is like the model of what an oasis should be. La'khay thinks the desert is majestic in its own way, but there is little that is more vibrant than nature."

La'tahne smiled widely. "Thank you. It is rare that this one gets to hear new opinions about her work. New recruits are never in a mood to appreciate her work. La'tahne loves using plants as a canvas to create something beautiful. Though, she does admit that she finds the body to be an even more interesting medium."

La'khay started to grin as she leaned forward towards La'tahne. "Really? This one thinks we might have something in common. La'khay...oh, good afternoon Tzirret." She said, interrupting herself once Tzirret spoke up. "No, we are just talking. Have you been well? This one heard you were able to earn the affection of a beautiful girl."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"I believe he was talking about us, and some of his new friends." Peiter explained. "The girl he has been with, Ma'tanza, I don't think she's going to be in the fight, but we are going to be in it, along with Bheja and S'nishi. But, both of them are older than him. S'nishi is a Senche-raht, and an actual warrior, so she is going to be on the frontlines. Bheja is younger, and is apparently going to be near the back of our lines, but in an attack like this...I don't think anyone is going to be spared from the fighting."

Peiter was speaking more confidently now, since he was now aware that Gallus had not actually intended for Tzirret to join the fighting. It seemed like it was a misunderstanding of some kind. That, or Tzirret did not intend to follow his orders to the letter. "I...think Tzirret might not have understood you properly. Certainly, I don't think he found a way to reassign himself in any official capacity. Being a message runner...it would still be dangerous of course, but not like actually being a warrior. He's small, and can be fast, so I guess it really does make sense as a role for him. It seems like he just needs some clarification on what he is supposed to do. Unless...well, what if he ends up trying to join the fight anyway? What if he sees one of us in a fight and brings it upon himself to try and help? He might not be able to keep his composure in the chaos of the battle. Do you think he might do something like that?"

---

In the main chamber, among the garden, La'khay had been admiring the beauty of the area, as she tended to do for exceptional sights along any journey. After such a long period walking through a bland, seemingly endless wasteland, it was almost expected that she would want to spend time in a place that was much more like her home. Naturally, since she had been spending so much time in the garden, she of course finally met the gardener. She and La'tahne had just finished their introductions when Tzirret found his way into the main chamber. Being that she was engaged in their conversation, however, La'khay did not notice him at first.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

As Peiter stepped into the room, he looked down nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh, um, sorry. I didn't expect to be waking you up like this at this time of day. Anyway, there was something we wanted to talk to you about, relating to the upcoming attack. It's Tzirret; I'm...worried about him. He's young, and doesn't have a whole lot of training. He has improved since we left Bruma, especially with his confidence, but I think he might be getting overconfident about this attack. He wants to join the fight to help protect his friends, which is definitely noble, and I like that he is the kind of person that is willing to take that risk, but I don't think he should be in the battle. With his level of training, he could still easily make mistakes, and if something goes wrong...he might not get a chance to improve ever again."

Now that he was actually speaking to him, Peiter was having a more difficult time than he imagined voicing his concerns to Gallus in the way that he had planned. He normally was not nervous around Gallus, even if he was his alpha, but this matter had been weighing heavily enough on his mind that he was having difficulty concentrating. Thoughts continued to find their way into his mind on what might happen if he could not convince Gallus, or anyone else, to prevent Tzirret from joining the fight.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Peiter gave a nod. "I've thought on how I want to word some of my points, yes. I just want to make sure to come off as concerned about Tzirret, instead of critical about Gallus' decisions. I want to tell him that Tzirret has definitely improved, but he still isn't ready for this. If we're attacking their main fortress in Elsweyr, then everyone in the attack will need to be well-trained. He's still too young, and doesn't have much in the way of technique. I'll recommend letting him into battles in a few years, once he's had enough training. If Gallus is trying to use this as a way to teach Tzirret a lesson, or help build his confidence, I'll try to convince him that this attack is too dangerous to be used as a lesson. He'll never learn any kind of less on if he is dead. If none of that works, then I might try convincing him that Tzirret is too likely to panic and break ranks. That is something that can get not just Tzirret killed, but others around him as well. Gallus might not be willing to risk the lives of multiple people just for Tzirret's emotional well-being."

After a few minutes of walking, somewhat slowly, the pair reached the door to Gallus' room. For a few moments, Pieter stood silently, and nervously. Depending on what happened during the attack, he was arguing potentially for the life of his friend, so he could not make too many mistakes. After a few, deep breaths, he released Sabine's hand and knocked on the door. "Um...Gallus, it's me, Peiter. Are you...awake?" He asked.