EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"You may not have the magicka to complete a portal on your own, but with a magicka potion for assistance, I would wager that you could accomplish it." Meesei pointed out.

As the conversation shifted back towards her, Meesei paused, leaning back somewhat. She, of course, could not mention Lunise, as she had given her word that she would not. She knew her pack was entirely trustworthy, but she did not want to betray her word to Lunise. However, that did not mean she could not approach the subject of having a mate. Even if Meesei directly told them that she secretly had a mate, the notion that her mate could be Justicar Lunise would be entirely unthinkable. They would place their guesses on every single man and woman they had met in every single clan in Tamriel before their thoughts would even come close to approaching Lunise. To them, she was still a cold, threatening, Elven-supremacist. That secret would be completely safe until Meesei decided to reveal it herself.

"There was a time when I considered it unwise to become romantically involved with anyone. I feared accusations of bias or favoritism, compromising the integrity of my position, those sorts of issues. However, I feel I have already made enough mistakes that taking on a mate likely will not cause any real issue." Meesei slowly started to grin. "Though, who is to say what I do on my own time?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei gave an understanding nod. "Indeed, our responsibilities can make it difficult to maintain relationships outside of the pack. Although, that is not quite as bad now as it once was. Between my portals and the propylons, we are home much more now. Still, I expect the search for the axe is going to take quite some time. I would understand if you did not want to attempt to start a relationship if you did not think you would be able to maintain it. Although..."

Holding up her hand for a few seconds, a few wisps of magic swirled around her fingers. "I could teach you how to teleport. How to open portals as I do. With direct instruction, it would not take you nearly as long to learn the power as it did for me to discover it. These portals are...freeing in many ways. It allows you to be anywhere you like, anytime you like. It makes it particularly easy for two mates to remain together under almost any circumstance. And I certainly think that you deserve the loving attention of another."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei gave a lighthearted laugh. "Surely it is not still that embarrassing, Sabine? It has been, what, over a decade by this point? I did not physically see her in the room with Peiter, but, well, let us just say I was naught but a few seconds off. That was something of a wake-up call for me. That my little girl was grown up. In all honesty, I believe I may have been more distressed about that realization than you were embarrassed by it. Besides, I can promise you that I went through far more embarrassing situations when I was young. "

With another chuckle, Meesei gave Sabine a quick pat on the back. "And you certainly should not be ashamed of it. I have not seen him in some time, but I recall him being a handsome man. Situations change over time, of course, but he was a good mate for you back then. Although, it does make me curious, have you had any...attractions of your own as of late, Sabine?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei grinned at Fendros' explanation of the events, particularly Rhazii's encounter with Jatinha. "Hmm, so he at least did not rush into things quite as much as your first day or two together?" She remarked towards Fendros and Ahnasha.

As she had been cooking for a while before they arrived, the mammoth steaks were nearly finished, as the scent in the air readily indicated. "Though, I think this may have had something to do with that." She added as she reached over, grabbed a bottle of wine, and offered it to them. Ahnasha laughed, then took the bottle and placed it between herself and Fendros.

"I suppose he was a bit more reserved, yes. That thought did cross my mind when we were talking to him about it. I'm glad he never heard that story, else he definitely would have had a better argument to avoid stable duty." Ahnasha responded.

"Well, I am sure you have things well in-hand. You two have always been great parents to him. Even when he misbehaves, he misbehaves responsibly. And he has now given you plenty of warning that you should be talking to him about such things. I would wager that it will not be too long before he is walking around the clan with his arm around a pretty Khajiit girl. It is just your job to make sure that you do not end up with more cubs too soon." Meesei said. "I do envy you, somewhat. It sounds like you were able to learn through a calm, casual conversation. My experience learning about my daughter's growing maturity was much more...startling." She chuckled, looking at Sabine.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei smiled at Fendros and Ahnasha. "I felt we could use some time to relax. There has been much to worry about these last few days for all of us, and you in particular. Being my second is no small responsibility, but it is not one that should consume your thoughts at all times. Besides, chaurus has been growing old."

Ahnasha sat down cross-legged across the campfire from Meesei, taking in a deep breath of the meat that was cooking. "Agreed. The food at the Bravil castle was a nice change of pace, but I don't think the guards had the best chefs."

"Hopefully, I am at least somewhat better." Meesei chuckled. "We do need to practice, but this need not be all work. How are Leaps and Rhazii? I heard Rhazii got into some trouble while I was dealing with my business in Bravil."

Coruscant Sacked: Aftermath

~|Interstellar Space, near the Y’Toub System|~

~|Day 3, 7^th Hour|~
Fa-Val-Kuul

---

"One of the very few things that Jedi and Sith agree upon is that there is no such thing as luck." Fa answered back, crossing her arms as she looked down upon the Twi'lek. "Either it was the will of the force, you made a mistake, or my friend here is better than you think. Perhaps all of the above. In any case, you should not deny your shortcomings; it is quite a terrible habit to develop."

Fa let out a rather long, soft sigh, then leaned down, her face mere inches from Zora's. Her expression was suddenly much more intense as she stared into her eyes. "Do you know how many times I have been through this song and dance? How many Sith I have interrogated. All of you think you are special, exceptional even. You think you can last through anything that anyone can do to you. You all have that pride that you are the strongest or are going to be the strongest, that nothing can get to you. But ultimately, you are just another Sith. You are not the strongest, nor the fastest, nor the smartest. You have skills that place you above the average citizen, but you ultimately not that important. You do have information I want, and I would like to have it, but you are far from the only lead that exists. I have already captured and interrogated other Sith who did not have the information I needed, and you may end up being just another one of those. I may end up talking or yelling at you for a while, you say nothing useful, and I send you off for the rest of your life to a Republic prison. I keep on hunting Nyiss and never think about you again, much like the rest of the galaxy. Or, you accept my offer and perhaps get a chance to make yourself as important as you think you are. I can offer you nothing that proves I am being honest. But, you truly have no better choice. We...may or may not let the information leak to the Sith that you shared some valuable information, even if you do not. That, of course, would mark you for death by the Sith. Your only chance at having any life at all after this is that I am not lying."

Fa leaned back somewhat from Zora. "Now, I reason that it is probably about the time that you are preparing to carry out your daring escape attempt, so go ahead. I would like to get that out of the way sooner rather than later."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei nodded briefly. "Certainly. I think I shall head to the kitchens and grab something for all of us. We can have a meal before starting. After...that meeting, I could use some time to relax as well."

The trio went their separate ways for a time, with Meesei going to get their meal. She was sure that the stress of what they had recently learned was weighing on her pack just as much as it was on her, or perhaps even moreso. As such, she decided that she would give them a nicer meal than they were perhaps expecting. A good portion of their diet in Blackreach consisted of chaurus meat, mushrooms, and anything else that was relatively easy to obtain. But, as Champion, Meesei had full access to all of their stocks. She grabbed an assortment of foods like mammoth steaks that were hunted from the surface, pumpkin bread, assorted vegetables, bottles of wine and ale, and even some preserved ash yams that had been traded from Morrowind.

When it was time for everyone to meet up again, Meesei had already set up everything in the clearing that Sabine had speken of. She had set up a fire and, this time, had decided to cook up their meal with a set of spices she had taken. Ahnasha, having heard their earlier conversation outside the meeting chamber, had decided to come along with Fendros as a spectator, and was rather glad to have done so.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"I understand your concerns, and you have my word that I will not agree to anything that will bring harm to the clans." Meesei answered.

Saras had been writing notes throughout Meesei's explanation of events. Like Darahil, he normally had an impenetrable expression, but even he was showing some concern about the plan's reliance on Molag Bal. Had Darahil not spoken up, he likely would have. Regardless, he had no better plan to offer, at least at the moment, so they had other matters to tend to aside from worrying about the Daedra.

"If I may, I believe we are getting ahead of ourselves." Saras interjected. "We still need to find the axe before we can empower it, and it will be no simple task to locate a unique Daedric artifact. If you would give me Areldril's notes, Champion, I will have them copied and brief my best agents on the situation to assist you in your search. We should take the time now to clarify and discuss all of the details of this plan."

Given the multitude of issues they would need to deal with moving forward, the meeting lasted another several hours. They dealt with how to go about the search for the axe, the sigil stones, how to inform the clans and support their soldiers, and much more. By the end of it, even Meesei was feeling tired of having to deal with logistics.

After the meeting was finally adjourned and as everyone was leaving the chamber, Meesei kept alongside Fendros. Regardless of how long the meeting had lasted, she still intended to keep her word to Fendros. In fact, she felt that some training would be a nice change of pace from planning. "Will you be ready for your next training session soon, Fendros?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei certainly understood Oswall's fears, but she did have a good answer for him. "Fortunately, there will be nothing to fear if we are successful against Vile. The Oblivion Crisis, for all the turmoil it gave to the world, also gave scholars ample time to research the nature of Oblivion. Sigil stones give a connection between two planes of existence, and if one is destabilized, or the stone is destroyed or removed, then everything that came through the portal will be returned to where it came from. During the Oblivion Crisis, when soldiers managed to remove the sigil stones from their towers, all of them were immediately returned to Tamriel in an apparent flash of light. According to Areldril, if we successfully destroy Vile's form, the ripples it will send through his realm will disrupt the connection of the sigil stones and send us all back to the Hunting Grounds. It will also give Hircine the chance to reclaim the lycan souls that are rightfully his for his own realm."

"As for Molag Bal.." Meesei continued. It was clear that she was not quite as certain on the topic as on the sigil stones, but neither was she making uninformed guesses. Their relationship with Molag Bal over the years was best described as distant. They mostly coordinated only enough to make sure they did not accidentally harm each other, but Meesei was still well-informed enough about the actions of Molag Bal's followers to get a sense of the Daedra's disposition. "His followers have been fighting this war as well. They are not as close to it as us, of course, but Molag Bal has been offended by Vile, and he is a far more...emotional Daedra than Hircine. He has been offended, angered, and will want revenge. The cost may not be as great as you fear."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"There is no way of knowing for sure." Meesei answered. "We have leads, but I cannot say if they will pan out. We know the axe made its way to Hammerfell, and it is has some distinctive properties, so we may be able to use that to narrow our search. I and my pack will see to the axe personally. There are other resources we will need to gather, so we will need to have other teams working on them. Most notably, we are going to need a fair collection of sigil stones. The barriers between Tamriel and Oblivion prevent even sigil stones from creating portals directly between the two realms. However, there is one exception of which we can take advantage. A portal can be created from Tamriel to Oblivion if the Daedric Prince invites and allows the portal. Obviously, we cannot ask Vile to invite us into his realm, but Hircine can allow a portal to his Hunting Grounds. The barriers between two realms of Oblivion are not nearly as strong as those between Mundus and Oblivion, so from the Hunting Grounds, we can use the sigil stones to stage our invasion."

The scale of what Meesei was proposing was certainly greater than anything they had done before, and would involve making a journey to what would essentially be their afterlife while they were still alive. However, Meesei had a feeling that the next part of the plan would be somewhat more worrisome for them. "The Rueful Axe is going to need to be empowered by a Daedric Prince, but if Hircine empowers it, he will be weakened for his fight against Vile. We will need another Daedra to empower it, so after we acquire the axe, I am going to request our...ally, Molag Bal, infuse some of his power into the axe."