EliteCommander

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Ssarak Dyreackthanose

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In many ways, a mental fight could mirror a physical one. The strength of an attack, the timing, giving proper preparations for defense: they were all vital to success. Ssarak and his doppelgangers all stood at a safe distance, not advancing nor retreating. So far, he had not yet even raised his weapon against the attacking Esyire, and yet, he had already attacked full-force. The Esyire’s mind was distracted, and an opportunity had been created. Ssarak just had to avoid letting it slip away. This man was a mercenary, which meant that his conviction could possibly be shaken.

“You see? I do not wish to harm you. There is no need for any of us to be hurt. You have been deceived.” Ssarak began, each sentence originating either from himself, or one of his doppelgangers. All the while, he was tugging at the strings of the Esyire’s mind. He was careful not to do so as overtly as he had to distract his mind in the first place. Instead, he manipulated emotions tugging at the thoughts in the back of his mind. Whenever the Esyire locked eyes with Ssarak or a doppelganger, he suppressed emotions of anger, and instead encouraged those associated with authority and trust. Ssarak wanted to push his mind in the direction to believe the words that followed. “The package is certainly important, but the gold is not worth your lives. Think about it: if your employer is willing to pay so greatly for this thing, would we not also have our best protecting it? They were counting on you escaping your pursuers. The College is a force of equal strength to entire kingdoms, due to our mastery of magic. This is not a fight you can win, but it is one you can survive, and even profit from still. Your allies will fall to mine if they continue to fight, and while I do not relish the idea of killing my kin, I shall do so if you force me to.”

Right on the mention of their race, Ssarak, encouraged just a few hints of pride within the Esyire; just enough to bring up the thoughts of kinship that one could feel towards another of their own kind. Particularly for Esyire outside the homeland, members of their race were few and far between, and they were more often outsiders within any given group. Ssarak was an Esyire, and therefore one who could understand whatever position this Esyire was likely in. Those were the ideas that Ssarak’s magic was attempting to strengthen. “You can be forgiven for attacking us, and rewarded for helping us. For a fellow mage, the college can offer money, but also so much more. Do not throw your lives away; you can all survive this.”

As soon as he made mention of the Esyire’s companions, Ssarak once again delved into the memories that it brought up. He wanted to know if these other mercenaries were friends that the Esyire cared about, or just people he happened to be working with.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The group had no issue getting through the portal safely to their staging area. They were not being tracked yet, at least. Ri'vashi was present, and personally leading her warriors. She immediately mustered them into formations to defend the area if necessary, with their automatons spaced evenly to meet the front of any incoming attack. She started to inspect her warriors to make sure they were as ready as possible, but it was mostly to keep herself busy until it was time for her to act. Assuming that time came at all. If their plan worked correctly, there would not be a fight.

Sabine and Ahnasha both had already been given maps that the scouts had drawn up of the area, including the rough placements of the enemy camp's tents. Although, it came with the warning that any information they had about the camp was not guaranteed to be reliable, since the scouts could not come too close. Ahnasha and Sabine had already planned on exactly what bushes and trees to use in order to hide the automatons, and what approach to take for Ahnasha's infiltration. However, they also had to be prepared to drop that plan completely if needed and think on their feet.

Ahnasha was walking around the collected group of enchanted automatons as if to inspect them, though she would not recognize a defect if she saw one. Meanwhile, Meesei went straight to Sabine once everyone was through the portal. Her expression could scarcely hide her worry, as her usual capacity for forced stoicism did not seem to be as strong today. Before saying a word, Meesei hugged Sabine tightly, then pulled back while keeping her hands on her shoulders. "I know you can do this, Sabine. The contents of that book will tear apart Do'rhajul's team, of that I am certain. No one with a modicum of good inside of them could believe that they were serving the right master after reading it. Just stay focused, and stay safe."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Once both Ahnasha and Sabine had arrived, Meesei started the process of creating the portal to High Rock. Everyone was gathered in a clearing outside of the Silent City, and she would be taking them to a location a safe distance from Do'rhajul's camp. The warriors Ri'vashi had selected were a fairly overwhelming force. They were some of the best she had, and they were all well-equipped with armor and weapons made from Dwemer steel, or better. She had a full complement of mages and archers, along with groups of unenchanted Dwemer spiders and spheres for support to ensure they would have the greatest advantage possible if it came to an outright fight. Ultimately, though, their mission would succeed or fail based on the actions of Sabine and Ahnasha.

Meesei worked with some of the other mages to create their portal, but even so, it was taking longer than her usual, smaller portals. As she worked, she turned her head to address Sabine and Ahnasha. "Scouts have made sure our staging area is clear. They cannot get too close to the enemy, but it does not seem like they have moved from their camp. Some of the scouts have reported that they were able to catch glimpses of the camp from long range, and they believe that the Nord's tent may be on the west side of the camp. But, they cannot be sure, so you have to be ready to figure it out as you go. Now, I know this is important, and I know you want to make this chance count, but..."

Meesei released a long breath, and had to pause to concentrate for a moment to start the next stage of her spell. "...do not hesitate to retreat if you do not believe you can succeed. Even with all of our preparation, failure here is a better option than you two being caught. Promise that you will not attempt to be heroes, okay?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I think we can move on to the infiltration itself, now.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha shook her head. "No, it would be difficult even if you were a conjurer. Telepathy, at least between mortals, is not simple. It might not really be practical for us to talk to each other with words, but surely there is some other way we can have some form of communication. Some sort of signals, perhaps? It just has to be something I would notice, but that they would not."

Pondering for a moment, Meesei glanced down to one of the two rings on her hand. It was the one bound to Lunise's ring. "I may be able to help. I can provide an enchantment to bind two objects together. If you apply the right sort of magic to it, then acting upon one of the objects would immediately influence the other, regardless of distance. I could have it send a slight glow, or even a sensation. I am sure you two could work out a system of signals with that." She suggested.

"Hmm, like that ring you have?" Ahnasha commented. "That could work, but we should probably start right away to establish our signals."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei was in agreement with Darahil. So as long as she had the additional magical power from other mages, she was confident that she could maintain her portal as long as would be necessary. "Very well. Once we are done here, I would like for you to take me to the mages who can assist me. I need to demonstrate exactly how they should contribute their magicka to the portal."

Ahnasha at least partially understood Sabine's explanation. Certainly, it did seem like there was a reason that shapeshifting was not terribly widespread. It was something of an esoteric form of magic. It was unfortunate that she could not utilize it for this mission, but she would be able to obscure herself perfectly well with invisibility, or even simple foliage. As for the matter of communicating, she had an answer, but was not completely certain if it would help. "Communicating at a distance? Well, yes, technically. Have you read The Doors of Oblivion? Its accounting of the concepts of conjuration are correct. One of the foundations of conjuration is to connect your mind to your thrall so that you can exert your will on it. For most conjurers, that connection is nothing too strong or complicated. It doesn't need to be. A master, though, can use telepathy much more directly. I just don't know if we can use that here, in this case. It might depend on how much conjuration knowledge you have gained over the years. I could probably send you my thoughts, but you would need more than just basic conjuration knowledge for me to get anything from you."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha gave a single nod to Sabine. "Then I agree. I guess you should have as many of these enchanted as you can, Darahil. We are probably going to want to carry out this plan as soon as we are able."

As much as she was dreading this mission, Meesei was in agreement. After a long breath, she also gave her approval. "We will need to make sure to make our move before our enemy re-locates. The rest of us will wait with Ri'vashi's warriors as close as we safely can without triggering their detection enchantments. With luck, there will not be any trouble, but if there is, the automatons will hopefully buy us enough time to reinforce you. My role shall be to create a portal for our escape. Darahil, I will require some assistance, either more mages or welkynd stones, for my portal. It will need to be larger, and sustained for longer than usual."

While Meesei was discussing the details with Darahil, Ahnasha did the same with Sabine. "Okay, so we have our plan. Your most important job will obviously be to call in the machines if there is trouble. But, we will need to make the best use of the resources we have. I know you have your shapeshifting magic, which will definitely be helpful. I also noticed that, unlike our transformations, you don't turn back naked. How does that...work exactly? Would you be able to carry that control rod with you freely, or would have to stay in your Human form the whole time? It would be very helpful for you to be able to watch over the camp from above and help guide me. Of course, that would also hinge on us finding some way to communicate discretely."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Unfortunately, it seemed that at least some of the indecision among the pack had not gone away, though it was quite understandable. But, now was the time for them to definitively make that decision. Ahnasha put her eyes on Sabine, looking quite serious, and perhaps somewhat worried. "My biggest thought is that, if we're doing this, I want it to work. I don't want to go through all of this risk for nothing. I am comfortable going in with the automatons, but only if you are too, Sabine. The automatons won't be quite as quick to react as the undead, so it will be on you to call them in at the right time. If you do it too early, or when I am in the wrong position, it could end badly. But, if you are confident in your judgment, they are the best option. Can you do it?"

Meesei was not going to make the decision for Ahnasha and Sabine, but she was going to make sure to try to ask the right questions to make sure they had all of the necessary information. "Darahil, aside from the enchantment's limitations, can you say with confidence that the enchantment is reliable at its function. Has it ever stopped working prematurely, or do you think it has been tested sufficiently to say that it is reliable within the limitations you have described?"

Star Wars - Lawless Galaxy

Sirka and Boqo collab

Circumtore

Orbit

Boqo looked back at his bodyguard. "Don't worry about it, as long as you keep me alive on the ground, I keep us alive when we aren't." He said, confidence shining through. He knew how to handle himself in space, he just needed Sirka for the times he wasn't.

He pressed a button on his dashboard, opening a channel with the planetoid. "This is the Rapier from the Golden Exchange. We have a gift for the great Timana." He learned from Koren that Hutts like to get stuff, especially when the people giving them are praising the slugs. There was some alien-languaged muttering on the other side before a very bad basic-speaking person on the other end told them they were cleared for landing.

Circumtore

Surface

The Rapier landed in the apprioprate bay, slow and steady. They didn't want to come over too hasty. It did land with it's face towards the exit, which was a small but useful thing about the Scout Courier: Their entrances were at the back of the ship, meaning they would faster be ready to fly out again. Boqo pressed a few buttons on his dashboard before a hatch opened and revealed his DH-17, which he picked up and put in his holster on his belt. He stood up from his pilot seat and looked back at Sirka. "Let's just forget what just happened and focus on the mission, okay?" He said, referring to the awkward moments from earlier.

Sirka gave a brief nod. "Don't worry, I'm a professional. Besides, I'm not keen on dying either." She replied as she stepped back on to the lift just behind the cockpit. Again, they had to go back down separately, unless Boqo wanted to be crushed into the wall.

Although she had not seen the package being loaded, Sirka did not have trouble following its scent to the cargo hold, nor was it a challenge for her to pick out exactly which of the containers in the hold contained the body. Now that she was closer, she could discern a bit more information about the package. It was a fairly fresh kill. At least, the obvious signs of rot had not yet set in. That meant that either their package's death had been planned well a head of time, or this delivery job itself had been planned this very day. That would, perhaps, explain why she had been hired to begin with, as Koren may not have had any of his usual security hires on hand for the job.

Regardless, Sirka went ahead and picked up the container holding their package as Boqo was coming down the lift. Unlike the droids, Sirka was able to hoist it up onto one shoulder seemingly without effort, using one arm to keep it stable and balanced. With her other arm, she grabbed her repeater off of her back and held it from the top, which she felt struck a balance between being ready for a fight, and not being overtly threatening towards any of the security staff. Ultimately, the best outcome would be if she could keep a fight from breaking out at all, even if it meant less hazard pay. "Okay, you lead the way, and I'll keep close next to you."

When Boqo came down and saw Sirka already carrying the package, he was pleasantly surprised Koren gave him such a physicly strong bodyguard. As they unloaded, the two of them made their ways through the slums to the establishment of Timana, which wasn't far from the landing pad. Security first wanted to stop the saurian, but after explaining they were needed to carry the gift to Timana, they let them both through. They did seem a bit on guard with the big bodyguard next to him, but most of them were thinking they were just for the heavy lifting anyway. Boqo actually felt a bit safer now. Once they passed all the security, which didn't dare to come close to the gift for the Hutt or the person carrying it, they finally reached Timana's room, where the big slug himself was sitting facing the doorway.

Although she did not make it outwardly obvious, Sirka was constantly on-guard for every step they took through the city. Every few seconds, she would flick out her nose-tongues and try to concentrate on the guards, or anyone else that looked armed and dangerous. They were walking through the slums, so most of what she smelled was not terribly pleasant, but being that she was raised in the slums of Nar Shaddaa, she could ignore it.

For the Hutt's guards themselves, Sirka could sense a bit of tension within them as she passed them by, but nothing too unusual. She did not imagine that it was a common occurence for someone to start a fight in the middle of a Hutt's territory, so most of them who had been on the job for a while would probably have settled into a routine of standing around and looking tough.

The large chamber in which they had been directed to present their "gift" to Timana seemed rather standard for a Hutt crimelord. Plenty of space for guards, decorations that most average people woudl find tasteless, and a place right in the middle where the Hutt could lay down his or her fat rolls and make themselves feel important. In any case, once they were face-to-face with the Hutt, Sirka carefully lowered the package down off of her shoulder and onto the ground for the Hutt's employees to take over. Sirka herself kept silent, since she assumed it was Boqo's job to do the talking.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha nodded. "Yes, but the automatons are expendable. More...expensive than undead, I suppose, but it's not like our clan will miss a few machines. I'm assuming that anything we bring to help us will not be returning. Once we've escaped, it won't matter if they find and destroy them. Perhaps we could make it seem like a failed ambush to distract from our actual goal?" She suggested.

"Perhaps. I would suspect that the chances of the reinforcements, machine or undead, being detected are fairly high, but if we have escaped by that point, it will not matter. But, it seems we have our answer. Performing this plan using automatons is possible, but comes with its own disadvantages. With automatons, you shall either have to plant the book quickly, or Sabine will have to make sure to command the automatons quickly. But, they are not as controversial of a choice, to either our enemy, or our own clan. Undead are a safer choice, but their use could reflect poorly upon us to the very people we are trying to persuade. Ahnasha, Sabine, you are going to be the ones in danger. What are your opinions? Now is the time for us to make this decision." Meesei asked.