EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I'm not sure if you were going to have Marod or Lunise attend, but if so, Meesei would have brought them earlier, so they would already be there.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei gave a brief look over Sabine's clothes. "Ultimately you should wear what you like, but I would recommend something aside from an old dress. I would say something that would make you feel like you could be a hero. Something that could make you feel like an accomplished hunter or powerful mage. Perhaps something that goes well with your necklace? In any case, I think we can find something that can help you look the part of a hero."

After taking some time for Sabine to prepare, the pair stopped by the vault to retrieve the staff, then headed out to the location of the day's feast. They had selected a clearing outside the city, though not far from the walls. The fact that they had to accommodate the majority of the clan meant that they had gathered enough tables, chairs, and other furniture outside to fill a ballroom. They had a mix of the wooden furniture the clan had built themselves, and some of the original Dwemer stone tables and chairs that were not physically built into the floor in the city. The table for Meesei, her pack, and the council was at the most elevated point in the clearing to make it easier for the rest of the clan to see them when it was time to make their announcements.

The majority of the clan was still in the city, as it was not quite time for the feast. The only ones who were present at the moment were the higher-ranking members of the clan, important guests, and those who were actually setting up the feast. As such, the clearing was far from crowded, and it was easy for those who were there to see Meesei and Sabine approaching from the city.

For the Champion's pack, many faces from the ranking members of Tamriel's clans were familiar. They had traveled Tamriel and met most of the leaders at least once through the years, through there was one face they had not seen for quite some time. Just as they were reaching the clearing, Meesei and Sabine were greeted by a black-furred Khajiit carrying a warm smile on his face. His clothing was colorful and distinctly Khajiit in style, though perhaps with more trophies made from bone, and some feathers. Ra'kalesh, or rather, Ri'kalesh as he was known now, had taken over the former Senchal clan after Ri'nakhad stepped down due to his ailing health. He was the leader of what was now the Torval clan, and with the destruction of the Orcrest clan, his clan was now their only presence within Elsweyr.

"Champion, Sabine, it has been too long, hasn't it? This one is glad that our reunion seems to be under good circumstances." He greeted, offering his hand for a handshake.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Then you should not add any more to your worries." Meesei commented. "Today is a celebration, and with all that will be revealed, you will not need to say much to impress the clan. I think the most important advice I can give is to ensure that you speak with confidence, that you maintain a strong presence. The way you speak is as important as the content of what you say. If you can keep confident in your words, then I do not believe you will have a difficult time."

Meesei placed her hand on top of Sabine's, gave her a smile, then offered to help her to her feet. "I think it is time that we get out to the clearing. After a stop or two. We should stop by the vault and get the Staff; you should carry it for this. For how you dress...I would say to present yourself as the kind of huntress they would expect to be a dragonslayer. In fact, I made you something."

Reaching into her satchel, Meesei produced a necklace of bone and tightly woven string. It was quite simple, with its defining features being the three, rather large teeth hanging down near the bottom. They had been cleaned to the point where they shined in the light, and still looked to be quite sharp. "I thought you deserved some trophy for your kill, and I am sure the crowd will like it."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"It is not necessary to burden yourself so much with this, Sabine." Meesei replied to Sabine once she had brought herself sufficiently to consciousness. "I for one just hope you were able to get some rest. I still have some hope that you might be able to enjoy today. It is a feast, after all, sort of in your honor. You do not have to give any sort of complex speech if you do not wish; just a few words would be all that is necessary. I believe that, to most of the clan, your actions will be enough to speak for you."

Meesei's smile faded just slightly as she started to show a bit of remorse. "I am just..I am sorry if this is not exactly what you wanted to happen. You have always been humble with your accomplishments, and after this, well, you may be made into a hero for many. I just want you to know that I truly appreciate that you are willing to do this. I think it will do a great deal of good for our people's morale."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei raised up a hand briefly. "It is quite alright. I do not have anything confidential to say, I merely want to check up on her. Strictly speaking, she does not have to give a speech, but I certainly respect her dedication. I think I shall be counting on you to help calm her nerves today; Sabine is not one who normally likes this kind of attention. I believe that your support means as much to her as mine." She said before giving a slight grin. "Almost."

Meesei stepped up behind Sabine at her desk and placed her hand lightly upon her shoulder. She spoke in a soft voice and slowly shook her just enough to make her presence known. "Sabine, I think it is time to wake up. The feast will be starting soon enough."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei had stepped through the portal to make sure that Marod arrived safely, though she kept it open so that she could return just as quickly. She did end up responding to Marod, though it was with a wide grin. "We do lead such interesting lives, do we not?" She laughed before stepping back through the portal, closing it behind her.

---

It was just a few days before the clan was ready for their feast. To ensure they had ample space, they had set up for the event in one of the clearings just outside the walls of the city. There had been a time in the past where there might have been some danger in gathering everyone outside the protection of the walls, but all of the dangers of the cavern had been driven back far from the city years ago. Now, few would think twice about allowing even their children to go outside the walls unsupervised. They had chefs experimenting with small quantities of the dragon's meat for a few days to make sure they would have something worth presenting to the clan, so everything seemed to be ready.

After a knock on her door, Meesei stepped halfway into Sabine's room and leaned up against the door frame. Sabine did not have any defined responsibilities for the day, and she was not going to have to give any sort of public speech if she did not choose to, but it was true that she was going to be receiving a great deal of public praise for her actions. Meesei knew that she was not the kind of person to seek that kind of attention, so she wanted to be supportive all the same. "Do you think you are ready for today?" Meesei asked.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei nodded. "Indeed, we all have much to prepare for. Marod, Lunise, we can simply stay here and I can create the portals to bring you back."

With the meeting at its end, the council, and the members of Meesei's pack in attendance, started to file out of the room as Meesei began to open a portal straight to the same room from which they had left in the White-Gold Tower the day before. She decided that she would allow Marod to walk through first, in the event that the room was occupied.

As Meesei was forming the portal, she did make a few comments towards the pair. "Even if we do not all have the same...ideas for what needs to be done, I can say that I do appreciate that you are willing to work towards a compromise. I know that you two are ultimately not the ones making all of the decisions, and I doubt your superiors will appreciate everything you have to say. Hopefully, the compromise we found will be enough that they will accept it. And if Saras is correct in his predictions, you both may be spending some time among us. Should that be the case, I shall do what I can to help make the transition easier. We are actually having a feast in a few days, something to help raise morale among our people in preparation for the information we will eventually need to reveal to them. Such a gathering might be beneficial for you to attend, should you finish your deliberations with your superiors in time. It could give you some insight into what we are like that is not easy to convey in words. Besides which, I doubt you will have another opportunity to dine on a dragon." She remarked just as she finished opening up her portal.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

There is still that feast to do.

Star Wars - Lawless Galaxy

The timing of events were going to be as exact as they could make it. Communication across the galaxy, even within the same sector, was not instant, so there was going to be some variance. Perhaps a few minutes, maybe half an hour, but that would be acceptable. As long as it all happened quickly enough that the word could not spread between systems, it would serve its intended purpose.

A Twi’lek sat behind his desk, staring into the screen in front of him at the button that would send his message to start it all. His slicers had already infected every vulnerable system they could find with the virus that would allow his message to be heard. It would not be perfect, as there were some places with good enough security to have stopped his slicers, but it would be good enough. So many businesses in Hutt space were not well enough off to worry about such things, after all. In truth, he was not worried about the plan actually succeeding, but rather the effects of that success. This was a major step, and one from which there was no turning back.

Across several major systems in Hutt Space, the message was sent. In the streets, cantinas, any place that the public gathered, about half of the holographic screens in view suddenly turned black. After a few moments, the advertisements, sports games, or whatever else they might have been showing were replaced with the image of a blue Twi’lek. It was a face that many in the public would have become at least somewhat familiar with, the face that had become known as Cinder.

“My people, today is a day of destiny. On this day, I come with a message. It is a message that has already been spread among the oppressed and the suffering, among the people who have needed our help the most. Now, it is a message that I intend to bring to light among all of this sector’s people. My message today is that the faith that has been given to us by the people has not been misplaced. For as long as any alive today can remember, this sector has been under the tyranny of corruption. The rest of the galaxy thinks of Hutt space as being lawless, but as any born here would know, the law here is simply what they would call ‘crime.’ The iron grip that they have held with their power has squeezed the life, and the hope, out of the good men and women who just want to live their lives in peace. The rest of the galaxy, whether at the height of the Republic, or the Empire, was content to ignore them. But we are not. We are the Believers, and we are the ones who dare to fight. Where we see the decadence and decay the Hutts have wrought upon their worlds, we are not content merely to survive. We do not intend to accept their rule just because they have convinced us that it is the only option. We believe in another choice. We believe that no one should be forced to serve them, and we believe that it is within our power to fix that. I have spent many years fighting them, have poured my sweat and blood into resistance. And in that, I learned something…”

On the screens, the Twi’lek leaned in, his face becoming more clear in the darkened room. “They bleed too.”

Although the transmissions were not perfectly in sync across the sector, the attacks themselves were coordinated with the local broadcasts. Each attack was different, but they were all sudden, violent, and certainly could not be ignored. Not all of the targets were exceptionally valuable, since it was, naturally, quite difficult to infiltrate the important targets, but where they could not find a strategically important target, they found something else to destroy that represented the Hutts’ power.

On Nar Shaddaa, there were multiple attacks across the moon simultaneously, one of which was particularly impactful. The Believers had infiltrated a mercenary group that had come to work exclusively for the Hutt Queen Boonatta, and had set explosives among their store of munitions. The explosion was massive, lighting up the streets around with a fiery glow. It shook surrounding buildings and sent out a deafening sound for kilometers around, reaching even the skirmish between the mercenaries, former Imperials, and the Sith. The building itself did not collapse, but it was certainly set ablaze.

Meanwhile, above the planet Vontor, a ship dropped out of hyperspace, with a significant fighter complement dropping out of hyperspace alongside it. This was where the majority of the fleet that had been sent to Kintan had originated from, which was precisely why the Believers had chosen it as their target. It was still, of course, well-protected even without the ships at Kintan, but it was just vulnerable enough to attempt their plan.

The ship was a cruiser class vessel, specifically a captured Ton-Falk-class carrier: something a fair amount larger than the Hutts might have expected from a group like the Believers. The ship wasted little time in making its intentions clear as it began to launch long-range missiles from outside the range of the shipyards’ own weapons. Although, neither the carrier nor its fighters had yet begun to advance on the shipyards.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"I was not making an assignment, merely a prediction." Saras clarified, though their concerns quickly shifted after Marod's comments. In several ways, Meesei did agree with Lunise, but she avoided being so direct with Marod regarding her thoughts on it. Her expression was cold, and mostly emotionless towards Lunise.

"Regardless of what opinions Marod himself may or may not have, I am sure it is not him who would get to make that decision anyway. I am sure we all know how irrational politicians when there is some 'advantage' to be gained." She said, casting her gaze onto Marod. "Even if it means endangering their entire nation. But, I hold this position because I have never lost such a challenge, so ideally, it shall not be an issue. Although, if you can convince your superiors to send a champion or two of their own to participate in the duels, then it might pressure them to accept the results, regardless of what they may be. It is unwise for any nation to renege on their diplomatic agreements. Now, unless there are any other points to be made, I do not believe there is much more we can meaningfully discuss right now. Not without having spoke to your respective superiors. I can take you both back to them as soon as possible, if you wish." Meesei offered.