EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

“Your superiors already know the threat, among themselves. They know that the Towers are not some mere myth, and they know what will happen if they all fall. It is quite fortunate for us that they do not want Vile to destroy them on his terms, else they would likely let it happen. But you are right; I hope to keep the Imperial and Dominion soldiers very…very separate. It would be best if they not even see each other unless absolutely necessary. We can plan our assault to keep them attacking flanks far apart from one another. The challenge I see will be determining who shall carry the Rueful Axe. Considering that the axe is absolutely vital to the plan, I imagine both sides will want to have it. But I need to be the one to carry it.” Meesei began. As Lunise finished changing, Meesei moved around behind her and started to tie the cords, taking care not to make it uncomfortably tight. Though, before releasing her, she wrapped her hands around Lunise’s waist and kissed her neck.

“Aside from all of this business, though, it is wonderful to be able to see you again. If there is any silver lining to all of the work we are going to have to do over the coming months, it will be that we will likely be able to see each other much more often.” She commented, though she did not let her words linger long before releasing her grip on Lunise and beginning to create the portal.

After a minute, Meesei stepped through her portal with Lunise into a completely pitch black room, though it was only a few seconds before Meesei illuminated it with a candlelight spell. It was a basement storage room of a distinctly Imperial style. It was filled with crates and barrels arranged in no particular order. Wordlessly, Meesei took the lead up the stairs, though curiously, she paused for a few moments to cast a spell of detect life before proceeding through the door upstairs.

The home they were in was that of someone with reasonable wealth. Not of a noble, but a merchant, or some other equivalent trade. The Imperial woman sitting in her parlor in her nightclothes looked briefly surprised upon hearing the footsteps, but visibly calmed once she laid her eyes on Meesei. At least, she no longer seemed outright afraid. “Oh, Champion, it’s you. You usually don’t come here in person. I’m guessing there must be something important going on; probably something you can’t talk about?”

Meesei answered with a nod. “I am afraid so. I shall do my best to avoid waking you when we come back through, though I apologize in advance if I do.”

The Imperial raised a hand dismissively. “It is no trouble, Champion.”

With no further delay, the pair left the home and stepped out into the Imperial City’s Elven Gardens District. It was firmly after dark by this point, so the streets were illuminated only by magically-lit torches, and the moons and stars above them. Likewise, they were currently the only ones they could see on the streets, aside from the night watch. Anyone who was out at such an hour would naturally gain some measure of suspicion from the guards, but it was not illegal to simply be out after dark. “We need to make our way to the White Gold Tower.” Meesei commented, casting her gaze upwards at the structure towering above the whole of the city. “Such a beautiful place this is.”

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"I understand, and I will not blame you if we fail, of course, but no effort is too much for what we face. I do not think we will get open cooperation so easily, but I think we can be creative in our strategy. Some cleverness on our part may make it easier than you expect. Ironically, I believe the Dominion will be easier to persuade, but we can get into that later with Marod." Meesei replied.

Meesei cleared her throat briefly. "And speaking of Marod, we should probably go collect him. I have a safe place to teleport to in the Imperial City, and he gave me procedures to contact him at the Penitus Oculatus headquarters. You should probably dress discretely, particularly since we will be returning to my clan. I just..." She began, running a hand down Lunise's side, gently. "...I promise that I will do everything I can to make sure this does not disrupt your standing in the Dominion, for both professional and personal reasons. We can control how we present this to your superiors."

Meesei stood up. "Now, shall I start on the portal?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei did not appear to be shaken at all by Lunise's objections. Indeed, she had expected them almost verbatim. As such, there was little hesitation for her response. "I know well how insane it sounds, but you know just as well as I how important it is that this invasion succeed. It is not just about winning wars, or political gain, it is the protection of our very world from existential danger. That is a cause that transcends any political boundaries. Even your superiors have no desire for Vile to end the world on his terms. As confident as I am in my people's capabilities, I know this is no time to take chances. I know how impossible it sounds, but we have done the impossible before, and there is no one I would trust more than you to help make it happen."

Meesei started to squeeze Lunise's hand slightly. "I know there are going to be challenges, but I think if we all put our heads together, we can start thinking of solutions. At the very least, we have to try. At this stage, with what we have ahead of us, we cannot be too afraid to try."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"That will not be required." Meesei replied. "I will take you and Marod back to the clan myself. We are no longer going to be able to afford the cautious approach. My clan is going to have to become more willing to confide some of its secrets into our allies in the final months of preparation, out of necessity. I know that your leaders do still give you other tasks, since matters concerning our clans rarely take up most of your time, but I do remember you saying that your role as the agent in charge of relations between the lycans and the Thalmor was still your primary assignment. You may have to start delegating your other tasks, because I believe your primary assignment is going to start demanding your attention full-time soon. And the same for Marod, hopefully. We are going to have a great deal of work to do if we are going to stand a chance attacking Vile."

Despite the fact that she was affectionately holding Lunise's hand with a soft grip, Meesei's tone was serious, and carried some anxiety along with it. Meesei did not doubt that Lunise and Marod would be willing to do what was necessary to stop Vile from threatening Tamriel, but that did not mean that the path ahead would be easy. "What we plan on discussing is how to convince the Empire and Dominion to support us in our attack with as many soldiers and resources as possible."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei took Lunise's hand, squeezing it tightly. At this point, there were a few tears visible in her eyes. "It was one of the most horrible experiences of my life. It only took a few days for her to come back to us, but I was terrified for all of it. I did not sleep, I could hardly think. And it makes me just...sick to my stomach to know that, no matter how much pain I was going through, it was worse for Sabine."

Taking in a deep breath, Meesei did the best she could to calm herself. "But, I am trying to do the best I can to move past it all, and focus on what is ahead. I would prefer not to...dwell on it, if that is alright. I am grateful to have you for support, but unfortunately, I am not just here for personal reasons. We now have the Rueful Axe, and Vile's opposition to us in Tamriel has been diminished. But that means it is time for us to move to the final part of our plan. We now have to be serious about planning an invasion of Oblivion. I conferred with my council, and we all agreed that it was time to bring you and Marod in to meet with my council and discuss how we are going to move forward. The end is coming soon, and we are going to have to throw everything we have, everything we are, at it. I have tried to remain inspiring to my people, but speaking in confidence with you, the thought of what we are going to have to do terrifies me."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"His role in saving her from her torture may have played a role in her decision." Meesei reasoned. "Even though she freed herself, it was his willingness to defy Arinette that allowed her the opportunity. Still, I do believe there is more to it. She mentioned that she did not want to become someone violent and ruthless like Arinette. She said that she had the power to tear the zealot apart, layer by layer, and for a few moments, the desire to do so. But, she did not give into it. She did not want to become like her. That may be why she is willing to forgive him. Do'rhajul was deceived by Vile into fighting for him, so she wants him to pay for his crimes by helping us against Vile, instead of through violent retribution."

Meesei paused, allowing herself a moment to rest her feet and sit down on Lunise's bed nearby. She kept one hand on Lunise's and gently encouraged her to join her before she continued. "I...well frankly it amazes me, the strength of her convictions. After everything she had been through in life, all of the pain and suffering, she is still such a wonderful soul. How many do you know that could be so cruelly abused, and yet not be drawn in by spite and rage? She is someone who, at her heart, wants nothing but peace, and who has, against all odds, remained uncorrupted by war. In her position, I would not have made the same choices. I would have killed Arinette and her allies without hesitation, or a hint of mercy. I still likely would have captured Do'rhajul, but only for his knowledge, not to offer him any sort of path to redemption. She is such a remarkable person. I believe that Sabine is just as capable as any of my pack to form her own. Perhaps the most capable, in fact. Had she been willing, she would have been my choice to become my second after Lorag decided to retire from the position. To answer your question, forming her own pack would make her more independent from me, though it is not as if it would put any real distance between us. We would still be in the same clan, and would still be just as close. It would just give her more responsibilities."

Coruscant Sacked: Aftermath

Feena, Strike Team Encampment, 14th Hour

Fa-Val-Kuul

Fa stared off in the direction that Astera had indicated for a few moments. Since the danger seemed to have passed for the moment, she flicked off her lightsabers and returned them to her belt. With all the precautions and scouting they had been doing since even before their landing, it did not seem terribly likely that they would have been discovered, though Fa was not one to simply assume the best. Astera did say she was uncertain, but it was enough for Fa to want to look into.

“It would be quite a coincidence for us to be discovered so soon. We are quite far from the Sith’s base, and if they had detected our shuttle, there would be far more than just a set of tracks.” She reasoned, though she kept the remainder of her train of thought within her mind. There was much to worry about when establishing an operation such as this, and now it seemed there would be even more than usual. If they somehow had been discovered, they would have to shift their strategy completely, with moving camp being the first step.

After a moment, Fa straightened up her posture. “Well, we cannot lose ourselves in thought. I would like these creatures cleaned up and their bodies examined with whatever tools we have available. I want to know exactly what we will be dealing with. Vebra, while your men get the motion sensors in place, I would like for you to help Master Halcorr and his Jedi get settled in here. Brief them on the relevant intelligence they will need to have, and our procedures that they will need to know. Astera, I would like to look into the matter of these tracks myself. I would appreciate it if you could take me to them.”

Between her rather direct commands and intense expression, it would be clear to their new guests that she approached serious matters with strict professionalism, even if it meant ignoring normal pleasantries. Even though they seemed to be in safety, it was as if she was always looking for threats out of the corners of her eyes. Although, her solid black eyes made it difficult to tell exactly what she might have been looking at in particular.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

@Ryonara Yeah, whenever you're available.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei was slow to answer. She ran her fingers through Lunise's hair, and just took a few moments in silence to collect herself. "Honestly, I am not completely certain how it will affect her long-term. Right now, she is obviously shaken. She was able to use the Staff of Magnus to overcome seemingly insurmountable opposition after her capture, but now she almost seems to rely on the Staff for comfort. Without it she does not feel safe. But, we do have people in our clan who are experienced with helping others recover from such troubles. There is a Khajiit named Saraya in our clan who Sabine agreed to speak to before I left. Traumatic experiences are all too common among a lycan clan, so she is quite experienced in helping people. I am hopeful for Sabine; she has already recovered from worse pain than this before. And she is still showing signs of the strength that I know is within her."

The demeanor that Meesei held may have seemed oddly opposed to her actual words. She hesitated, and looked to be uncertain and uncomfortable as she continued. "There was...the matter of how to deal with Do'rhajul. Many in the clan want him dead, and with good reason. He is responsible for the deaths of countless innocents, and is the reason for much of the success of our enemy. But, Sabine does not. She has shown nothing but a desire to protect him. Not only did he betray Vile, but he swore his life in service to Sabine, specifically, after their ordeal. Upon the recommendation of my council, Sabine now plans to form a pack of her own, with Do'rhajul, and I presume others."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

There were a few, brief moments after Meesei stepped into Lunise's chamber that her mind was almost willing to forget her reason for being there. Those few seconds of a kiss pushed away much of the stress that had been buildings within her, though that was, sadly, only temporary. There were a few moments of silence from Meesei as she slowly opened back up her eyes and took in a long breath.

"Quite a lot has happened...quite a lot. Some good, and bad. I think I can confidently say that the war, as we knew it, is over. If only that meant we were done." Meesei sighed. "I believe I should start by saying that myself and all of my pack are fine. We are all alive and in good health. But...something went wrong. I told you that we were being pursued by Do'rhajul. He found us, and we had to deal with him. We discovered that one of the members of his team had only questionable loyalty to Vile, and we were going to try and turn him to our side. We formed a plan to plant evidence of Vile's deception in their camp, and it did work, but...it came at a cost."

Meesei swallowed as it became harder for her to speak. One of her hands shook subtly, and there were a few tears forming in the corner of her eyes as she recalled the experiences that Sabine had described. "Sabine was captured. They took her. Tortured her. Not all of them, but, several of them did, especially the zealot. For hours they did, but...the plan did work. The Nord, Yerig, spoke out in protest, showed Do'rhajul the evidence. Sabine used the distraction to escape, steal the Staff of Magnus from Arinette, and neutralized all of them. Yerig and Do'rhajul turned against Vile, and Sabine captured the rest of them. Not only that, but she took those two with her and recovered the Rueful Axe. They even killed a dragon in the process. In the span of just a few days, Vile's general was defeated, and we now possess the weapon we require to defeat Vile himself. All of that together is a great...success for us, but..." Her voice trailed off. Despite the clear gains they had made, the last few days had felt like nothing close to a success for her.