EliteCommander

Star Wars - Lawless Galaxy

Sirka and Elias were able to meet up with his other Mandalorian friend at the docking bay, and to Sirka, it quickly became clear that whatever these people were trying to claim was valuable. Seeing the E-Web, Sirka stayed in cover behind the wall next to one of the entrances leading into the docking bay. That was a kind of firepower that Sirka did not exactly want to be jumping into.

Since a surprise attack seemed to be out of the picture, Sirka quickly glanced into the docking bay to try and figure out their options. Though, she could not leave her head exposed for more than a second. Elias exchanged some fire with them, but it was clear that it was going to take much more than some ranged pot shots to deal with these pirates.

Sirka grunted at Elias through their comms. "Take out that gun, and I might be able to keep them pinned, but it won't be easy. There are a lot of them, though, and they're spread out in defensive positions, not clustered." She said, giving another glance towards the E-Web. "Hmm, disable that gun, though...maybe take out its tripod without breaking the gun, help me push in and take over that position, and I'll do more than just 'suppress'."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Yerig was starting to climb into his tent, but he stopped and turned when Sabine questioned him. "Hmm? Oh, well, I do keep myself in the best shape I can. Most probably would have retired long before me, but I still have purpose. In the middle of a fight, with your blood pumping and your mind focused, it's not too hard to ignore how sore it will all make me in a few hours. When I'm not fighting anyone, I'm free to take it easy, and to complain as much as I feel like."

Slowly, Yerig sat himself down in front of his tent. "Also helped that Arinette gave me some potions in preparation for the ambush. Stamina, agility, things to help be get around a bit better. If you have anything like that, or could make anything like that, for me before we potentially fight a dragon, I'd appreciate it." He added.

Star Wars - Lawless Galaxy

Ques

In the midst of Lez’s arrival, Ken Neumann’s communications officer received a message from the Believers’ leadership: one that took priority over just about anything else that could have been happening short of a direct attack on their own camp. It was a heavily encrypted audio message, which, even with the proper encryption key, took a short while to decode due to the complexity of the algorithm.

High-level communications were meant to be secure, but as Ken was the commander of his cell, it was entirely up to his judgment who would and would not be present to hear the message. Upon beginning the playback, it would become immediately apparent that this was no ordinary status update or request, as the electronically-modified voice which played was that of none other than Cinder himself.

”Freeman. Commander, I have a mission for you and your cell, should you choose to accept it. Our agents have recently intercepted communications suggesting that a terrible tragedy has taken place on the planet Vodran. A large number of Vodrans were recently captured, and we believe they are currently being taken to be sold into slavery. We do not wish to let this injustice stand. I would like for you to find a way to free as many of these people as possible. Included in this message is all of the information we have on the capture, and the upcoming deal. Times, coordinates, and all other results of my agents’ investigations. We believe the captives are being taken to, or at least near, the neutral zone on the station known as Paradise, where the deal will take place. I have heard much good about you, agent Freeman, and I trust that you know well the capabilities of yourself and your men. I leave it to you and your judgment to decide on the approach you shall take using this information. Your primary objective will be to free as many of these poor souls as possible; however, should you have the opportunity, I would also like for you to make a statement. Show these slavers, these villains, that they are not to be feared so as long as there are True Believers to stand against them. Show them that the wrath of the Believers is every bit as strong as our mercy for the innocent.” Even through the distorted voice, the passion that Cinder carried with his public statements was just as strong in this message.

The message continued in a softer, but more severe tone. ”But, be sure to remain cautious. These slavers belong to an organization known as GORT company. They are numerous, well-armed, and are completely ruthless. And of course, open violence on Paradise would be met with overwhelming force. However, I have faith in your abilities, agent Freeman. Free those people.”

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Yerig shook his head. "I don't think that would have the effect you would want it to have. You need to be the leader and the hero for this; the last thing you want your clan to start seeing us as is 'dangerous'. If we do kill a dragon, I don't think you should be afraid of the accomplishment. If anything, it might make your word hold more weight with your clan."

After a few moments, Yerig slowly pushed himself up to his feet with a groan, and a few popping bones. He stepped over to his tent and found a safe place to put his greatsword that would be within his reach in the middle of the night. "Unfortunately, I don't think I can stay up too much longer. I don't quite have your energy. Don't worry about disturbing me, though. I sleep like a rock. You might have to shake me a bit when it's my turn to go on watch." He chuckled. "Just try not to let your thoughts harass you too much, okay? Forcing that much stress on yourself just is not healthy."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Yerig gave Sabine a single pat on the back. "Okay, but remember what I said. Don't let yourself suffer alone."

The Nord moved a few feet away, though he still remained close to Sabine. He took a moment to glance towards the beach, but Do'rhajul was still nowhere within sight, and Yerig was not precisely sure where he had gone. With the current state of his two companions, Yerig had a hard time determining if every little action had some kind of terrible cause to it, or if it was nothing to be concerned about.

Once more, there was an extended, awkward silence between them. The fact that he did not know if Sabine was normally sociable or not did not help Yerig. At least with Do'rhajul, he knew for sure that he was acting unusually. "So...if we have to kill a dragon, what do you think your clan will think about that. I mean, you're hunters, right? I can't think of more impressive prey than that. Not to mention that, if we're successful, you'll also be coming back with that axe you've been looking for. They would have to admire those kinds of accomplishments."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Yerig hummed and gave a light, understanding nod. "That kind of pain, it's a story I've heard and seen many times. It's why I'm out here wandering Tamriel instead of sitting on a mountain shouting at the sky. I wanted to try to keep people from having to live through it. People's minds, they deal with pain differently. Sometimes people press through their trauma and move on with their lives, sometimes it haunts them. I know what you went through was horrible, but your mind might not dwell on it. It might not be the same for you as it was for your friends. You've got to have hope that you'll be able to get through it."

The Nord groaned briefly as he stood to his feet, then walked around the fire to sit back down beside Sabine, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Look, if it does end up haunting you and you end up suffering because of what happened, don't be afraid to go to your friends. Lean on them for support, because I promise it can help. But, if you can get past it; if your nightmares aren't haunted by it, then you don't have to re-live the experience talking to anyone about it. I'm sure your friends will understand. You have to do what is best for you; don't worry about anyone else. You can make your own judgments on it, but only as long as you know that you're being honest with yourself. More than anything else, don't try to suffer through it on your own if it turns out that you do need help."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I thought that Sabine explained their plan to them and what they had intended to do with the book?

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Yerig listened on attentively through Sabine's explanation, allowing her to get everything off of her chest that she felt she needed to say. The situation was making more and more sense to him. Sabine had not been acting exceptionally confident, but he could not be sure how much of her behavior was a direct result of the torture she had been through, or if there was something even deeper to it.

"You know, I don't see how you could think that about yourself, after everything you did. You were able to do what your whole team, or uh, pack, couldn't do together. Sure, you had me and Rhajul to help, but it's not like we did anything. Maybe you'd just say it was the staff, but even before that, back when we ambushed you the first time, you nearly killed Rhajul all by yourself. So I'd still say my description of you is fair. If you weren't as merciful as you are, I'd be outright terrified of you." Yerig said encouragingly. "You, of all people, shouldn't be beating yourself up over what happened. Your friend could have slit my throat in my sleep. She was right there at my tent. But after hearing what your plan really was, I just see that you took huge risk to try and do something good. I know I'd be dead if you hadn't, one way or another. I don't think anyone could blame you that it didn't go exactly to plan."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Yerig nodded along with Sabine. "Yeah, I understand. I imagine they might warm up to me a bit easier, but even the optimist in me doesn't think that they could ever trust Rhajul. Not after everything that happened between you all. I think 'tolerate' is probably the best we could possibly hope for when it comes to him."

While he was sure that what Sabine had said was part of the truth, Yerig was perceptive enough to see the signs in her expression that she had something else on her mind. He doubted that he had the full story. "I know I gave you a hard time, but I trust that you're at least confident we can do this. I doubt you would want to send yourself to certain death for no reason. But, uh, you sure there's nothing more? Don't worry about me judging you or anything, whatever it is. You've already proven yourself a brave, powerful, and merciful woman to me. I just want to help at this point."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The camp was quite silent for the entire time that Do'rhajul was cooking up their dinner, which consisted of some dried fish and vegetables. It was not the most flavorful of meals, but hey hardly had the time to hunt for anything fresh.

Yerig was the only one who actually appeared to be bothered by the uncomfortable silence, and the downtrodden attitudes of his companions. Both Do'rhajul and Sabine looked like their minds were off somewhere else, and nowhere pleasant. It was a mood that rubbed off on him for a while as they ate, but he was not one to let the silence last forever. He was not entirely sure of what to say, but anything seemed to be better than nothing at the moment.

Yerig inched himself somewhat closer to Sabine. "So, um, Sabine, I was wondering something. We never really talked about it in much detail, but why did you want to do it this way? To go after the axe on our own, I mean, without help from your friends."

Meanwhile, Do'rhajul was the first to finish his dinner, and without a word or explanation, he stood up and walked off towards the beach, out of sight.