EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei lightly shook her head. "No, she never did. Granted, our situation has changed quite a lot since she first started her research. I doubt she would have expected me to agree back then. Now, we already send out mages with those that go hunting to fill our abundance of soul gems. Our clan has plenty to spare, and there would be little harm in diverting some to you. And I would say you deserve some good treatment, in any case."

After a few moments, Lorag joined them in the chamber, right on time as usual. He gave a slight wave in greeting before taking his own seat to wait for the others. Meesei acknowledged him briefly, then returned her attention to Sabine. "I am not compelling you to accept Marcaille's offer, by any means, but it is a possible idea."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei's attitude was somewhat more tempered than Sabine's, though she could certainly understand the conflict it caused for her. It was unlikely that Sabine had been mentally prepared for the realization that one of her close friends, a member of her family, was capable of such cruelty. "Hmm, that is not strictly true. There is no magic that is inherently good nor evil. Magic is a tool, without thought or emotions of its own. The only thing that can give it purpose is the mind of the one using it. That said, some magic can make it easier for one to justify cruel thoughts, since cruelty can be the easiest, quickest path to power. But..."

Her voice trailed off briefly as a thought came to Meesei's mind. She did not know if it would be an answer to their problem, but it was a possibility. "I have learned something of this life extension process. I do not know the details, and it would take me years to learn the proper magical skills, but I know some of what is required. And I know that there are multiple approaches. About a year ago, Fendros and Ahnasha killed a mammoth for its soul. A mammoth carries a grand soul, the most powerful kind of soul short of a black soul. I know that black souls are not necessarily required to extend one's life. Regular white souls can be used to accomplish the same task, but it takes more of them, and is more difficult. Perhaps it could be advantageous for you to try to learn this life extension magic, but to do it the patient, proper way. And you can ask Ahnasha to help you. If it was her research that brought her down her current path, then this kind of research might, over time, show her that there is a better way. You already have intricate knowledge of the body and soul, so it may not take you as long as it did for Ahnasha. I can dedicate some of the clan's resources to helping you gather souls. If I had done so with Ahnasha from the beginning..." Meesei said, some regret showing in her expression. "...it could be that we would not be in this situation."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei hummed briefly as she considered the wording of her answer. "I would not say precisely that her torture those years ago is the cause of her current behavior. I believe it is a fair bit more complicated than that. That torture was the start. It was horrific, and it made it easier for her to justify cruelty against her enemies. After all, if those we fight are willing to do such things, then why would they deserve any mercy? In her mind, at least. The one who tortured her was not one of Vile's minions, but they are not always any better than he was. At any rate, when she began her research into necromancy, it was not difficult for her to view taking the souls of our enemy for her purpose. I do not know that I can fault her for it, honestly. Every soul that Vile claims gives him strength, so soul trapping his followers does weaken him in a small way. And, I completely understand her desire to live a long life with Fendros."

Lowering her gaze slightly, Meesei sighed. "But, the necromancy likely also plays a hand in this. Necromancers are often thought of as being evil, but that is not strictly true. A necromancer can practice their magic without crossing any real moral boundaries, but crossing those boundaries can be beneficial to them. As well, I think it has changed the way she thinks, in a way. In learning her craft, she has needed to learn a great deal about the body, much like a healer. I would wager that she knows just as much about the body as either of us, but instead of focusing on life, her studies have concentrated on death. I fear it may have shifted her views on pain and suffering, which are not as consequential to necromancers. I do not believe she would ever fall to a state where she would be willing to murder a child, but she may not see pain like we do. It also does not help that her methods have been quite effective. Ahnasha is one of the most self-reliant and efficient people under my command. Of our pack, I would say she is the most effective at working alone. She is quiet, cunning, and has all of the necessary skills to deal with unfavorable odds. Ever since she learned to reanimate multiple bodies at once, every kill she makes turns into an asset for her. If she views the ends as justifying the means, it could be difficult."

Meesei reached over and placed a hand on Sabine's shoulder. "I cannot say I have an answer for how to help her right now, but I am sure we can figure it out together. We can be there for her to help make sure she does not do anything she may regret. But Fendros...I am not sure what to make of him. It is unexpected to me that he would be so accepting. What do you make of him?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei was silent for a few moments. In all honesty, she was not surprised at such news about Ahnasha. She had seen how she had been slowly changing over the years. She had been the one handling Ahnasha's reports whenever she was given an individual mission, so she knew that her methods had grown gradually more cruel. The very fact that she was willing to use black souls in her research was telling. And Meesei had done nothing to stop such progression. Meesei could not say that she had any right to denounce Ahnasha's actions when she had made similar ones at times. She had killed those that most would deem innocent, in the name of protecting her pack, or the clans. If someone learned too much about them, she sometimes felt that she had no choice but to make sure they could not be a threat. There were, of course, other times that Meesei had shown mercy, but the fact remained that she was not entirely innocent. Still, if Sabine was right, then Ahnasha might have gone too far, even for Meesei.

What truly surprised Meesei, however, was the fact that Fendros was seemingly accepting of what Ahnasha had done. Meesei would not at all have predicted that he would be complicit in something of that nature. Granted, Meesei did not have all of the information. Sabine herself did not seem to be completely confident in her version of the events. It was possible that Fendros disapproved, but was willing to ignore it since Ahnasha was his wife, or perhaps they had already dealt with the issue in private and did not want to trouble Sabine about it. In any case, it was a development that Meesei would need to keep a close eye on.

Meesei gave a deep sigh before responding to Sabine. "This was something that I have feared for a while. War...can be a frightening thing for many reasons. We have all been through so much pain and suffering ourselves, that it can make it hard for us to see the suffering in others. I cannot say what happened, as I was not there. Not for certain, at any rate. If the wound was relatively minor, Ahnasha might not have seen the pain she inflicted as being significant. As we both know, she had been through a torture more horrible than anything any person should have to bear. That might have been the start of something that caused her views to become...warped. For her, and perhaps Fendros, it may be that we need to be ready to help them down a gentler path."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei seemed relaxed as she sat on the floor, cross-legged while leaning back against the wall of the cave. Her mission had brought her into some combat, though she had received no injuries. Indeed, most of her current soreness came from the excessive walking her task had required. She currently wore simple hides and a loincloth, though oddly enough, her thick, fur coat was tied on the top of her bag, where she would be able to grab it quickly.

Nevertheless, Meesei smiled warmly at Sabine. "Good morning, Sabine." She responded. Though, it certainly did not take long for her to pick up on Sabine's discomfort. Meesei rarely had trouble noticing Sabine's emotions, even when she was not making it as obvious as she was now. "Come, have a seat. Relax a moment; tell me what is wrong."

Coruscant Sacked: Aftermath

~|Nar Shaddaa, Veenra|~

~|Day 3, 6th Hour|~

---

Fa and her team staggered their approach to the bar, the place named Veenra. Both fortunately and unfortunately for them, Nar Shaddaa was an easy place for one to fade away. The positive aspect was that they did not have much trouble on approach. Crowds tended to be thick, and people tended to keep to themselves. There was little challenge for Vebra’s squad to surround the establishment to cut off their target’s escape, and to avoid standing out while doing so, even though the crowds were thinner near the entrance. They just had to get inside, and find the woman they were looking for.

As for herself, Fa coordinated her appearance and behavior to make her seem as little like a Jedi as possible. Her walk was overall aloof, but her expression was firm, almost harsh. Being Tiss’shar, she was alien to almost every stranger she met. Her kind was a little-known species in the galaxy, which often could be made to serve to her advantage. They could only judge her based on the impressions she gave them, which she controlled entirely. She was a muscular individual, and since her species did not tend to wear clothing, that fact was readily apparent to anyone looking at her. She had sharp claws and teeth, and was even wearing a blaster pistol on her hip. She had no actual intention of using it, but it helped to sell the appearance she was going for. She could be seen as a bounty hunter, or perhaps just a simple thug, but she certainly had the appearance of someone who would be dangerous to cross. Unless one was familiar with her species, it was unlikely that they would even be able to determine if she was male or female.

Fa saw the Trandoshan and gave a brief nod to Vebra, but she decided for now to ignore the drunken reptile. He was large and dangerous, but so far he did not seem to be causing trouble. They could not afford to cause a scene and risk exposing themselves. She avoided staring at him as she walked past him into the bar, though she still remained alert. If he did anything potentially aggressive, she was ready to act in an instant.

Stepping just inside the front door of the bar, Fa had to deal with the unfortunate aspect of Nar Shaddaa’s crowds. The entire moon was teeming with life, and the bar was no different. The patrons were numerous, varied, and lively from their drinks. Upbeat, repetitive music was playing, though it was being drowned out by the dozens of indistinct conversations all around the bar. It was like looking into a small sea of people, in which any one person could hardly be noticed. But, Fa needed to notice her. Even in close proximity, it would take some conversation to tune out the “noise” of all the life around her, but she reached out with her senses to attempt to locate one strong in the force.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Eventually, the group made the journey back to the Evermore clan. In order to ensure that the family of the wagon driver did not learn the identities of Malithus' pack, they had to be taken back with bags over their heads, and they were not taken into the clan itself. However, the Evermore clan would honor the agreement Fendros had made with them. The interrogations of the other prisoners did not reveal much more meaningful information than the first, so they were all taken back to the clan so they could be interrogated in depth, over time. It would be the responsibility of the Evermore clan to deal with them, but once being brought into the clanhome, they could not be allowed to leave alive.

It took a few days for all of the missions to end, with Meesei's being the last. Fendros' mission had returned the most results. The letter they had recovered hinted at possible locations where the Talos hunters' local stronghold could be found, as well as further confirming that they were not working with the Thalmor. They had leads for further investigation, but it would not be Meesei's pack that would carry it out. When they had set out for the Evermore clan, they had intended only to deliver Meesei's cargo, so they could not remain for too much longer. However, they had given the Evermore clan more than enough information to work with.

It was early in the morning, and Meesei had ordered the rest of her pack to gather their belongings and meet near the entrance to depart. During their missions, Meesei had instructed some of the clan's mages on how to set up the cargo they had brought, which they had done at a location outside of the clan itself. According to Meesei, they were going to ensure that the scholars had properly prepared what they had brought before they left. Sabine was the first to arrive in the chamber with Meesei. Since Meesei had only returned the previous night, they had not yet had a chance to speak privately.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha had already dealt with Fendros shouting at her over the interrogation, so she doubted it would be much more difficult to talk to Sabine. It was easy to tell her reason for questioning them for the anxiety she was showing. As such, Ahnasha decided to answer directly and honestly.

"I did it." Ahnasha said abruptly. "The blade, it went through her third and fourth finger bones, correct? It avoided all of the tendons; a flesh wound. And she isn't in any pain anymore, right? I certainly don't want her to be in pain anymore. Her father is a murderer, but she deserves peace. They'll all be fleeing to the Summerset Isles, so hopefully it all ends well for them. Maybe the father will even find some redemption? It would be awful if his family was hurt for his mistakes."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Alright. We can skip ahead whenever you feel like. The last major thing I had in mind for this event would happen back at the Evermore clan, after each group finished their investigations. This sequence lasted longer than I expected, but I did roll a lot of things into one for the sake of time. So, much was accomplished. I think we're actually getting near the end of this sort of middle act that we're in, before the final one.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth nodded her head. There was hardly even a mark on her left over from the fight, and she had not received any magical healing. She was a large target that tended to be hit easily in fights, but she also had exemplary regenerative capabilities. As long as she was not critically wounded, or hurt by silver, she could recover quickly. Even silver weapons took more to hurt her, due to her armor-like scales.

"The cold hurt, but it didn't really injure me. I don't remember it all too clearly; I was letting my beast spirit have some freedom in the fight. The pain strengthened it. It was probably my fault for charging away so quickly. It would have been better for me to stay near the eye with you, where there was less ice. Though, I don't remember completely if there was enough space in the eye for me. I know I take up a lot of it." Kaleeth answered. She nudged her snout against Sabine's shoulder to attempt to give the sense that she was trying not to be serious, since she could not smile. In the back of her mind, there were thoughts wondering about the possibility of Fendros or Ahnasha really intentionally hurting a little girl as Sabine described, but she did not want to think about those at the moment.