EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Do not worry, I do not intend to put anything inside you." Meesei replied, though after a moment, she nudged Lunise's shoulder with a sly grin. "Well...at least not a child, at any rate."

Meesei kept her suggestive grin for only a moment before returning her attention to Sabine and Karl. "I do not know your family well enough to comment on them, but I do think you could be a part of my pack. You would not be the first non-lycan to be accepted as one of us. Sabine's sister does not share our blood, but we consider her nothing less than family. Not to mention, the number of non-lycans who live in our clan is not insignificant. It does help if they would enjoy a good mammoth hunt from time to time, but it is not a strict requirement."

---

Ahnasha slowly shook her head, her eyes still closed from Fendros' massage. "It's not about him interfering. I just don't want him worrying when there's nothing he can do. No matter what happens, it won't make anything better for him to spend the entire night lying awake worrying about if I'm going to be coming back."

After another drink, Ahnasha reached up and offered the bottle to Fendros, though her mind was still obviously occupied. "What Darahil said does have me worried, though. People are all sorts of irrational about the undead. What if bringing them along ends up just sabotaging the whole plan? What if I go through all this for nothing? I wish there was some way we could use them without making it obvious that they were reanimated. I mean, chaurus are weird enough on their own that they might not notice them being undead in the heat of the fight, but they would definitely figure it out looking at the bodies afterwards."

Star Wars - Lawless Galaxy

Name: Sirka Rhiko

Species: Ssi-ruu

Age: 30

Appearance:

Ssi-ruu

Stands at 2.15 meters, and at a weight of 355 kg.

Faction: Unaffiliated

Equipment: Like most Ssi-ruu, Sirka wears only bandoliers across her chest to carry her belongings, along with whatever holsters she needs. Her primary weapon is a heavy repeating blaster rifle, attached to a power pack on her back. As a sidearm, she carries an E-11 blaster rifle, and a one-handed variant of a vibro-ax as a backup weapon. She carries a bandolier with a small number of stun grenades, and usually a single thermal detonator.
Skills (and abilities)

• Close to medium range combat specialist
• Strength equivalent to an adult wookiee
• Thick, blaster resistant hide
• Very keen sense of smell (able to detect changes in the emotional state of species with which she is familiar)
• Triple eyelids resist sudden bursts of light
• Growing knowledge of grenades and explosive devices
• Surprising speed and grace for a creature of her size, when not encumbered by equipment

Weaknesses:

• Long-range combat
• Eyesight poorer than that of a human
• Skill set not terribly varied beyond combat
• Stands out in a crowd, or any other situation
• While Ssi-ruu do possess natural agility, that agility is diminished when wielding her primary blaster
• Little to no stealth capabilities

History: Destiny is not a concept in which Sirka believes, but it can certainly be said that fortune has both blessed and cursed Sirka to great degrees throughout her life, starting even before she could form memories. It started with a group of Trandoshan hunters exploring unknown areas of the outer rim for new and challenging game to hunt. Though their expedition was not terribly successful and ended with quite a few casualties on their side, Sirka’s egg was one of the trophies taken. She might have been raised as an oddity or slave among them, but her fortune turned when the Trandoshans ran afoul of a Jedi investigating pirates in the area. Being a member of an unknown species, it was only due to the Jedi’s acute observations and senses that she was identified as a sentient creature at all.

Devoid of any connection to the force, the young reptilian was, unfortunately, unable to remain at the temple. Once the Jedi made that determination, they did at least assist in finding her a home. After some consideration and searching, she ended up in the care of a trusted Togruta couple on Coruscant, as they were merchants who did regular business with the Jedi Order. They were a reasonably wealthy couple who wanted to give a good life to their new daughter, whom they named Sirka, but once more, fortune’s pendulum swung in the other direction for her. The rise of the Empire destroyed the life that her parents had established. They avoided being caught in the initial transition, but their former association with the Jedi Order caused them to flee Imperial space out of fear for their lives.

While they were able to flee with some of their assets, Sirka’s family ultimately lost most of the wealth they had. They, like many others, ended up as poor refugees on Nar Shaddaa. What was more, Sirka’s mother had already been pregnant with another child before they fled, so they had two daughters to support.

After some time, Sirka ended up growing much larger, and much more quickly than her parents could have expected. And that, of course, came with more expensive requirements for her care. Sirka grew up in cramped, often unsanitary conditions, with nothing in the form of luxuries simply because her parents wanted to make sure that their children did not go hungry. Even then, they had to sacrifice their own meals from time to time. In as lawless and unforgiving of a place as the Smugglers’ Moon was, it would have been simple for them to abandon Sirka, but they pressed on through her formative years, even when that meant resorting to more unsavory methods of supporting their family. Fortunately, their dedication was rewarded once Sirka was grown.

Given Sirka's species, she matured more quickly than a Togruta, and that growth had shaped her into an over-2-meter-tall, 350 kilogram beast of a reptilian. There was no form of formal school system in their part of Nar Shaddaa, so her parents had attempted to teach her whatever skills and knowledge they could to the best of their ability, but ultimately, her physical attributes were more suited to more dangerous work. She started off as a bodyguard that, through mere intimidation factor, rarely had to fight anyone, but she was drawn into other kinds of better paying mercenary work over time. She acquired her first blaster on the same day that she learned her scales were, in fact, resistant to blaster fire, and taught herself to shoot from there. Physical limitations with her eyesight prevented her from becoming too great of a marksman, but her circumstances and abilities forged her into a talented mercenary. At her sister’s insistence, Sirka has attempted to avoid falling into the trap of relying on her unique natural traits and has tried to keep improving herself, at least as far as it will help her work. In particular, she worked on how to use and understand grenades and other explosive devices. All the while, she used her growing income not only to support, but start improving the lives of her family.

Pleasantly for Sirka, she was able to help move her parents to a better part of Nar Shaddaa: a place that was reasonably safe, by the moon’s standards. After all of the sacrifices they made for her, she found herself dedicated to repaying them. She has become fairly successful as a freelance mercenary and has gone into business with her sister, Delni Rhiko. While Delni does not join in fighting, she does have a knack for business and helps her sister to find opportunities, and to make the best use of the funds they have. Although, Sirka still hopes to move even farther up the galaxy’s economic ladder to provide an even better lifestyle for herself and her family.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei remained close enough to Lunise that she could speak quietly in her ear. "It is an experience I wish I could give you. As a pack, our lives are bound together. We work for each other, and rely upon one another, so it was easier for me to raise a daughter than it perhaps could have been. I would have hated to have been forced apart from her for months on end. Unfortunately, I cannot impregnate you, so I cannot give you a child by blood."

A warm grin formed on Meesei's face as she continued to observe Sabine and Karl. "Although...if their love is as true as they feel it is, then perhaps one day, we could share the experience of being grandparents?"

---

"Can I pull it off? Of course. Do'rhajul and his ilk aren't all-knowing, and they can be outwitted. But, I can't guarantee it. Anything could go wrong, at any point. I'll feel a bit better with something close by to back me up, but still...no guarantees. If I'm spotted at the wrong time, or at the wrong spot, then they might just cut me down right then and there, no matter how many reinforcements there are. All we can do is reduce the risk as much as possible."

Ahnasha took another, even larger swig. She definitely was not looking to pace herself. "Never tell Rhazii about this. He'd worry himself to death if he knew I was willing to try something like this. But, it has to be done; no getting around it. We deal with Do'rhajul, kill that dragon, then we invade Oblivion. After that, I'm done. No more suicidal missions, no more impossible odds, I'm going to retire from all of this. Besides, once you've killed a god, there isn't really anything left to hunt, is there?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei required hardly any time to think of how to respond. "It was the most rewarding experience of my life, without a doubt." She answered, smiling in the direction of Sabine with her head resting upon Lunise's shoulder. "She was lost, alone when she found us. She had been through such horrible suffering while just a girl. I can still hardly bear to think about it. I did not step in to the role of being her mother immediately; it took a while for me to start seeing her as more than just a quiet girl who had some usefulness to the pack. Perhaps it was just my relative inexperience with Humans at the time, but I could not see the pain behind her eyes right away. But, well, like you said, people change. I am a different person now than I was then."

With her ruminations on the past, Meesei's emotions were quickly getting the better of her. "Once I started to know her, to understand her, I felt such pain for her. I wanted to help her, and did everything within my power to do so. So many years it has been, to experience her grow and develop into the woman she is now. Every birthday, every accomplishment. Every new friend, every new spell, every potion. All of the failures and successes, all the pain and joy. She has shaped my life just as much as I have shaped hers. I would not be near the woman I am now were it not for Sabine, of that I am certain. She has been my motivation, my drive to be better. I have long wanted to give her the world I want her to be able to live in. But all of my power and discoveries are nothing compared to the pride I have in her. She has become a powerful mage who will one day surpass me, and is already a brilliant alchemist. And above that, she is such a kind and compassionate person. Sabine makes me feel...fulfilled. No accomplishment I ever attain will surpass her, and because of her, I could die happy right now without a single regret."

As she spoke, Meesei's eyes started to well with tears.

---

"It's hard to disagree, unfortunately. And worst of all, the whole thing is hinging on the chance that one of them might turn disloyal based on what's in that book. Sure, I guess I could sneak in there with a dagger instead of a book, try to finish one off, but that would be even riskier. Our only other option is to attack, but I have no idea how to keep them from running away again. We could attack, but bringing in more warriors just guarantees that people will die. This is the least risky plan we have, even if it is still as dangerous as the lakes of Oblivion." Ahnasha answered with a sharp sense of frustration in her tone.

True to her word, Ahnasha led the way straight to the kitchens and grabbed herself a strong bottle of alto wine. She was quite understandably stressed, and did not hesitate to take a swig as soon as she had a seat.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"And yet, you still deserve even more than I can give." Meesei replied. Shifting her body, Meesei put both of her arms around Lunise and holding her tightly enough that their bodies were pressed together. For a while, she simply stared into her eyes, her snout just barely brushing against the tip of Lunise's nose. Eventually, she closed her eyes and allowed herself the pleasure of kissing her properly, and did not give much thought to keeping it brief.

Eventually, Meesei stopped for long enough to give herself the chance to look around the area. Specifically, she looked to see where Sabine and Karl were, and what they were doing. In the moment, she had almost forgotten about them.

---

Ahnasha's ear twitched towards Fendros when she heard her name. She let out a long breath, and dropped the composed posture she had kept for the meeting. "Like you wouldn't believe. Not like I can do much to prepare until Meesei or Sabine get back."

Ahnasha slowed down to walk alongside Fendros and grabbed his hand. "Something strong. How about we go find something that will knock me on my tail, then have ourselves a night we won't remember?" She suggested with a chuckle.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei smiled. "I think that you will find that us ephemeral races weather change well. We do not have centuries for patience, so we have to act quickly, and embrace whatever chaos might follow. The unknown does not frighten me. I know what I can do, I know what you can do, and I believe we are strong enough to face the future together."

Meesei pulled Lunise into a tight hug, rubbing her back at the same time. "Does that help?"

---

"Agreed." Saras replied, gathering up his notes into a neat pile. He stood up and moved his gaze across everyone at the table. "I am sure we all have much to do, whether it relate to this mission, or the clan as a whole. We should get to work, but if anyone should think of any ideas that could at all improve our chances of succeeding here, please bring it to our attention. No advantage is too insignificant to consider."

The meeting adjourned with a far more divisive mood than usual. It was hard to find someone that did not look upset or worried for one reason or another. Regardless, there was at least no one refusing to comply with the agreement they had come to. For better or worse, they had a plan. Ahnasha was trying to keep a confident attitude as she left the chamber, but Fendros would be able to see the hints of fear in her expression.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei showed no signs of budging in her answer. She stared into her eyes with a familiar, unshaking resolve. "Lunise, the very fact that you are having those fears is a sign enough that we should remain together for as long as life allow. People do change over time, but tell me then how Elven couples manage to forge marriages that last centuries? I know very well such couples exist. Why, I once met a vampire that, from all I have been able to gather, has been with her husband since the late Second Era."

Shifting herself over next to Lunise, Meesei put her arm around her and held her close. "You have never had a mate, or a marriage as you might consider it. I can tell by the way you act. Sure, you may have loved before, may have entered into relationships, but I can see that you have never found a true, long-term mate until now. The world changes, and all people change with it, but two souls bound closely together will change along with one another. It is always possible that we are mistaken, but I think that we are meant for one another. If that is true, then we will shape each other, whether it be for another year, a hundred years, or a thousand."

---

There was silence among the council for a short time, with each of its members looking patiently at once another as they awaited any further comments. Eventually, Ri'vashi spoke reluctantly. "Okay, so we have a plan. Ri'vashi will still have some warriors prepare themselves, on the off-chance they are needed."

Ahnasha nodded. "Yes, we can, of course, have more forces waiting outside the range of the life-detection enchantments. Whether it be undead or automatons, they need only make time for further reinforcements. Just...Darahil, be careful not to overdo it, yes? Not only for your own health, but because overworked people make more mistakes."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei looked down at Lunise's hand, obviously having difficulty with her response. There was a long breath filling the pause before she finally spoke. "That is no easy question to answer. I can say to start that I can give no guarantees to my safety in the more immediate future. Facing down Vile shall be no easy task, and I have to be honest to say that I may not survive. As much as it pains me to say it, there may be a day when I do not return. But, your work is dangerous as well, and the same is true for you. That is something we both knew going into this, and is just a fact of our type of work."

"But, beyond the danger..." Meesei continued, "...I am a forty-four year old Argonian woman, and am in quite good shape for my age. Argonians have what I would say are decent lifespans. Much less than an Elf, but our bodies are resilient. And being a lycan would further enhance my lifespan, keeping me free of disease well into old age. In all our time together, I have not seen one reason to make me want to part with you. I, well, I love you Lunise. And I wish to be with you for as long as you would have me. And...that could be longer than just one Argonian lifespan. Life extension is not trivial magic, but I am no trivial mage. If I have the time to hunt for them, grand souls are not much of a barrier for me."

---

"Just a dozen?" Marcaille responded. "Well, if I can get as much help as I think I can get, then that would take no more than a day. If that long. More powerful, more well-made thralls would take longer, but that is not what we need in this case. It does not matter if they fall apart in a month, we need them only for one battle. So...I'm willing to wager the thralls can be done much sooner than the machines."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei showed a light smile as she looked down at Lunise's hand. "You see...the problem I have with riddles is that I tend to end up cheating. I know there is supposed to be a particular answer, but I always tend to keep searching for another. I know that a flower, on its own, is supposed to wither. But, maybe I do not accept it. Perhaps I use all of my knowledge and magic to keep it alive and flourishing."

Meesei moved her other hand on top of Lunise's and looked her in the eyes. "Because that beautiful little thing is worth all of the effort in the world."

---

Ahnasha rested her head against her hand, releasing a sigh. "I can only hope that we have time to carry out your plan. We never know when they might slip away."

"I would advise against dedicating our focus too much upon this moment." Saras recommended. "This is a good opportunity, but we do have the luxury of at least some patience. This attack is not do-or-die for our clan, or our cause. If we have to delay the attack a month, then we have the freedom to do so. We have not seen any indication that Vile is imminently close to completing his plans."

Ri'vashi appeared uncertain. "That may be, but we have the advantage here. If we let it slip, we may not gain this advantage the next time." She said, though aside from that warning, no one else seemed to have anything constructive to add at the moment.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Ssarak Dyreackthanose

---

If the gas was still dangerous, then Ssarak did not yet have the ability to approach, though he did not feel that he needed to. With some fortune on Ssarak’s side, his opponent attacked one of his doppelgangers first. In keeping with its purpose of buying as much time as possible, the doppelganger went to parry the incoming attack to the side with its shield, as opposed to dodging or blocking outright. The primary purpose was to introduce as much uncertainty as possible into Ssarak’s opponent. The fact that his weapon was on a chain would reduce the feedback he could feel from the hit, and make it that much more difficult for him to notice any subtle errors in the doppelganger magic. There was no guarantee that the Esyire would not figure it out regardless, but Ssarak wanted to put as much doubt in his mind as he could.

However, anything done with Ssarak’s doppelgangers was just to buy time. His true attack would come through another source. Ssarak had gathered so far that his opponent had some protections from illusions. As such, Ssarak decided to take the approach of using another aspect of psychomancy to assault his mind more directly. Instead of attacking his perceptions, Ssarak focused his mind on attacking his very emotions.

If he wanted to cripple his opponent, then trying to force him to feel pain might have seemed like a reasonable approach. However, this Esyire was obviously a trained fighter, and warriors tended to become accustomed to pain. That was not to say they were immune to it, but a warrior was better able to ignore pain than most others. As such, Ssarak decided to try to enhance one feeling that no warrior would expect to feel in combat: pleasure. To begin his mental assault, Ssarak tried to make his opponent feel as much pleasure as he possibly could, to overwhelm his mind and body with pure ecstasy. If he succeeded to the extent he hoped, it would be immensely distracting, and entirely contrary to any feeling one would expect to feel in a fight.

The next step of his attack, if Ssarak was able to follow through, was to have his doppelganger stare into the eyes of the Esyire, then delve aggressively into his thoughts. In the Esyire’s compromised state of mind, Ssarak hoped to ferret out memories associated with the sight of Ssarak. He wanted to find memories that could clue Ssarak in on the Esyire’s motivation for this theft against the College. Was he a mercenary just looking for payment? Was it out of faith in a religion, or some other organization that supported Kudd, or perhaps was is personal against the College? If Ssarak could get a sense of his motivation, then further psychological attacks could be easier.