EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth was clearly hesitant, as even thinking of her mother's final "words" to her was almost enough to make her break down again. Regardless, she repeated their meaning as best as she could. "I...she said she loved me. She understands now, she isn't angry, doesn't blame me. Either of us. She's proud of what we're doing and..." She became briefly choked up, unable to speak at all for a few seconds "...everything I ever wanted her to tell me. But then...then she said...goodbye."

Kaleeth pulled back slightly, gripping her hands tightly around Janius' arms. "Don't you see? Don't you understand, Janius? There isn't supposed to be a goodbye. Argonians aren't supposed to get those kinds of goodbyes; we shouldn't need them. Her soul isn't going anywhere, except to another body where it can live another life. Argonians don't go away. We've been a part of the Hist, and will be a part of the Hist forever. Every Argonian lives, dies, and is reborn again and again and again."

This time, Kaleeth let go of Janius entirely, her gaze dropping to the ground. "Except me. I'm a...sacrifice, Janius."

---

Ahnasha answered right away. "A Prince with far more subtlety and patience than Dagon: Clavicus Vile. The 'Prince of Wishes'. A title that makes him sound far more benign than he actually is. His approach hasn't been to open up gates and march armies across Tamriel, but he is still just as much of a threat. Hircine opposes him and, well, we would naturally oppose him regardless. It would be ab insult to your intelligence to try and convince you that it is not a dangerous task we have undertaken, but it is something that must be done. And something that we cannot just...trust someone else to accomplish for us. Tamriel survived the Oblivion Crisis because good people stood up, drew a line in the sand, and fought to protect the world they called home. This war isn't a problem we can solve by just throwing armies of soldiers at it, but we still need good people."

Although she was obviously nervous, Ahnasha continued to press through with her explanation. "There is...something happening soon. It is really best if I do not go into detail, but it is something that will stop Vile for good, if we succeed. Regardless of what I think of your husband as a man, I can respect him as a mage. He could be valuable to stopping Vile, and I want to know if you think he could be persuaded to help us? This is something that could go on to affect all of Tamriel, this city included, if it is not stopped, and we would be giving Rossarm a chance to protect himself and his family with his own hands.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The tears had returned in full, though Kaleeth avoided breaking down as she had before. She wrapped her arms around him, buried her head in his chest, and closed her eyes, allowing herself to focus on actually giving an answer. "Her soul had not yet been reborn. I did get to...feel her presence again. To feel her thoughts, her words...her love, her compassion. But...she normally would have been. In all this time that had passed, she would have been reborn. But the Hist, they kept her with them so..." She began to cry and struggled to keep her words coherent. "...she could say goodbye."

---

"I know she's your mother." Ahnasha remarked, glancing to the side towards Fendros. "But we have to be formal about this sort of thing now. It used to be that we could just tell anyone we trusted about this, but since the Imperials got involved, well...you know how they can be."

Ahnasha returned her gave back to Calia. "I do think that you can really help us, Calia. The two of us did talk about this beforehand, and we aren't taking this lightly. I know you said yes, but if at any point you want me to just stop talking and we pretend we never had this conversation, then I will respect that decision. We are not working for the throne, precisely. As in, we do not have titles, rank, station, or authority in the Empire, but we are working in cooperation with them. And there is a very good reason for us to be working together towards a common goal."

Ahnasha let out a long breath, tapping her finger against the bed as she thought about how to phrase her explanation. "You lived through the Oblivion Crisis at the end of the last Era. In essence, that is what we are seeking to stop before it can happen. Different Prince, different tactics, but the same outcome. So like Fendros said, bigger than all of us. What we need is exceptional people to be able to do what just numbers cannot. We already have a plan, and the means to carry it out, but I want to give us the best chances we possibly can have. Your husband...it is a rather extreme understatement to say that we have our differences, but what I saw out there on that trail was that he is an exceptional person. Even in that short glimpse I was offered, I could feel the power he had at his command. He is the kind of person who could really help us, all of us, if he could be convinced to do so."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth gave a few nervous looks around the village. They were out of the Treeminder's hut, but still directly in the middle of the village, with plenty of others around. Knowledge of Cyrodilic was not common among them, but there were some who could speak it to varying degrees. After a few seconds of hesitation, she wordlessly took Janius' hand in hers and started to lead him away to the edge of, then completely out of the village. Some of her tears had returned by the time they had gotten far enough from the village for her to feel safe enough to stop.

Once more, Kaleeth paused, this time looking out among the trees: particularly the Hist trees dispersed around the area. Finally, she responded to him, though not with an answer to his question. "It was all meant to be."

---

The trio headed right back up to Ahnasha and Fendros' room to talk privately. Ahnasha was slower to speak this time, allowing Calia the chance to sit down in the room's single chair and settle in before herself sitting down on the bed across from her. For this, Ahnasha was still somewhat dubious on how to approach the subject. Usually, it was Meesei who took care of giving these sorts of explanations to outsiders, even though all of the pack were trusted to be able to make that judgment. The fact that it was Fendros' mother only further complicated matters, but at the very least, she already knew about their lycanthropy. The only revelation that they would need to make was the true importance and scale of what they were doing.

"This is...well, this is difficult to talk about, but what I saw up on that mountain trail in Rossarm has changed things. It's given me questions and ideas that go far beyond mere family squabbles in importance. I think, Calia, that your husband could be very important in keeping us, you, and...many others safe in the months to come, if we can secure his help. But, we are...restricted in what we can say to you without some promises from you first. Essentially, we have to swear you to secrecy. Officially. Oh, what was that full speech Marod gave us?" Ahnasha began, rubbing the back of her neck in thought. "I may be paraphrasing it, but...'do you swear, Calia Avarul, to complete secrecy in all matters forthcoming? Do you swear to refrain from repeating any detail of this matter, in part or whole, to any persons or organizations without the permission of the appropriate Imperial authority? Do you swear these things in the name of his Imperial Majesty Flavius Mede, under the pain of treason and all associated punishments?'"

Ahnasha's sudden shift in tone and formality could have been taken as some sort of jest, but her gaze was dead serious, followed by some degree of regret. Much like Fendros, involving his parents at all was not Ahnasha's first choice. Even just the request for secrecy by itself, invoking the name of the Emperor himself, would clue Calia in that her and Fendros were involved in events of substantially greater importance than anything they had openly alluded to before. Though, Calia might have already picked up on some details that hinted at it. "I understand if you want to say no to that kind of an oath. I wouldn't blame you." Ahnasha added.

Last of the Jedi (EliteCommander and Sep)

Kresst gave a nod towards Mevenn. "We can worry about finding a long-term place to stay once we're out of this. Right now, we just need a place where we can calm down and take stock of the situation." He replied before moving to strap himself in as best as he could.

"If you have the experience to sense incoming impacts, then sure." Eeruna answered. The Nightfury was rapidly closing in on the debris field, with the fighters and Venator closing in behind them. "That Venator is capable of about a thousand Gs more acceleration than this cruiser, so we can't outrun it. Our only way out is hyperspace, and we'll last longer against the fighters than that capital ship."

Moments later, Eeruna brought the ship through the middle of the fractured remains of a Lucrehulk control ship, then took a tight turn into the debris field. It momentarily brought them out of the line of sight of the pursuing fighters, but they would be quick to follow. What was more important was that the Star Destroyer could not follow them, and the debris would provide cover from its turbolasers and tractor beam.

Already, Eeruna was having to put the ship through some tight maneuvers to avoid the more dangerously large obstacles in their path. "I'll avoid what I can, but this ship is a brick compared to those fighters, and there are some gaps it just won't fit through. You're going to have to divert power to the right spots on the deflector shields only when it's needed, else those fighters will overwhelm us too quickly."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth's reaction was delayed by a few more moments of sobbing, and did not acknowledge Tunxeek at first. She uncovered her face, then pushed herself up to her feet. Staring straight ahead, she closed her eyes, then took in a long breath. "I'm sorry. You've helped me, Tunxeek, you really have, but I can't talk about this. I...thank you, but I just can't."

Not waiting a moment longer, Kaleeth suddenly rushed away, back towards Thorantilth's hut. She wanted nothing more than to talk about her experience with anyone, even Tunxeek, but it was true that she could not talk about it with him, given the nature of what had been revealed to her. However, she could talk with Janius, and it was the first thing on her mind.

Kaleeth did the best she could to regain her composure before she headed back into Thorantilth's hut. As he was currently receiving his marks, Kaleeth did not want to worry Julan at the moment. Although, he hardly even reacted to her return at all. Janius, however, would be able to see that she had been sobbing when she moved close enough to him. She wanted to ask him if they could go somewhere else, but failed to speak at all. Her discomfort and uncertainty, at the least, would be obvious to Janius.

---

Ahnasha did not let Fendros get out the door before she stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "Listen, all that you feel about your father, just keep in mind that I feel it too. He enrages me in all the same ways as he does for you, but I still want to try. I want to do everything I can to make sure both of us get out of this invasion alive, and I genuinely think that having him, and more people with his strength, will make that more likely. That's why I can bite my tongue and fight alongside Thalmor, Molag Bal's daedra, or that monster Neesa. If it starts to get to you...just start thinking about wanting to get out of this with our family intact."

Ahnasha was quick to follow Fendros out afterwards. Calia and the rest of Fendros' family were still downstairs with Ahnasha's family at adjacent tables. Ahnasha did notice that the time they had been away was enough that her family no longer looked quite as shaken up, but that did not stop her mother from greeting her with another worry-filled hug. Ahnasha and Fendros could not escape having to talk with her family for at least a short time, as Ahnasha did not want to brush them aside after going through something so stressful. She had a feeling that the event had put some questions in their minds about her, given her usage of magic, and the confidence she had shown when facing down Rossarm. However, at least for the moment, they were not addressing it.

The two of them were eventually about to politely get away from Ahnasha's family for long enough to join Calia at her table. Although, Ahnasha did not plan to remain there for long. "Calia, would you mind if we went somewhere private to speak? There is something important we would like to ask you about." Ahnasha asked.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth did take some time to consider Tunxeek's suggestion, but she evidently decided against the patient approach. His words had been just enough to push past the barrier of fear, and coax her into drinking. She downed it all at once, as there was not too much in the bowl, and it did not require a great deal of the sap to have the desired result.

What went on within Kaleeth's mind lasted several minutes, and was completely hidden from the outside world. The words which the Hist had for her came in the form of thoughts and feelings, though her outward expression did not paint a consistent picture of how they were affecting her. There was confusion, and even a light smile at some points, but after her experience was over, what she eventually settled on was to sit with her legs pulled up to her chest, sobbing into her hands.

---

"Well, being dangerous is why I want him with us." Ahnasha replied, lightly shrugging. "As long as he is dangerous towards the enemy. Perhaps if we just frame it as an offer, he won't feel as threatened. Marod is a diplomat, he knows how to talk to people. We could even offer to pay him, so it doesn't seem like we're just trying to demand favors from him. Of course, before we can tell him anything specific, he'll need to agree to be sworn to secrecy, but again, Marod might be able to help with that."

Ahnasha paced around for a few seconds in thought, then eventually lowered her arms and gestured towards the door. "Look, we can go back and forth arguing and speculating about it all day, or we could just go out there, get your mother, and have a private talk with her. We can see if she'll agree to be sworn to secrecy, and get her take on it. She knows your father better than you do, and she'll know what might work on him, or if he'll even be useful at all. I don't think I am, but I suppose I could be overestimating him."

Last of the Jedi (EliteCommander and Sep)

As soon as the danger was made clear, Eeruna leapt into action without a hint of hesitation or uncertainty. She took the pilot's seat and took over the controls, showing fierce determination in every centimeter of her large eyes. "C2, divert all nonessential power to engines and rear deflector shields, and get that hyperdrive powered up. Destination, give me a destination." She said in an almost demanding tone towards Mevenn and Kresst.

"Are we...sure we want to go to Separatist space? If the war is over, then surely the, um, Empire will want to re-occupy the formerly dissenting worlds quickly." Kresst pointed out, bringing up a galaxy map on the display. "Muunilinst is the closest Separatist world along this hyperspace route, but the Empire may want to occupy it soon. Perhaps just somewhere remote? Let's see...this planet, Dantooine, may be an option. Remote, agrarian, far from anything important."

"Then we're going there. C2, get those coordinates into the hyperdrive." Eeruna abruptly interrupted, not giving any time for debate. Up to this point, she had not shown anywhere near this sort of abrasiveness, or apparent disregard for the authority the Jedi were supposed to hold. In this moment, with a Venator Star Destroyer on their tail and fighters gaining on them, she was making quick and decisive judgements.

What might have seemed strange to anyone paying close enough attention was the fact that Eeruna was not taking the ship directly away from the Venator. Rather, she was moving the ship down somewhat lower into the planet's orbit. The world at which they had stopped was the site of a space battle between the Republic and Separatists earlier in the war, and Eeruna was pointing them straight at a debris field still orbiting the planet. It would be difficult to navigate, and seemingly advantageous to the fighters pursuing them.

Last of the Jedi (EliteCommander and Sep)

Kresst's emotions were somewhat harder to judge from the outside than Mevenn's, but he was certainly not happy to have his fears manifest into reality, and in even worse ways than he had imagined. He had feared there would be turmoil if the clones had turned against the Jedi on a galactic scale, but for the Republic to have fallen...

"Eeruna, please take us out of Republic, or...Imperial territory." Kresst said, not bringing his eyes up to meet hers. In their current situation, he was not expecting any objections to taking that step right away. "We do what Master Kenobi told us to do. We trust in the Force. In each other. The war is over, and now we have to survive the galaxy it has created. The Republic defeated the Separatists, but it seems it was the enemy who was truly victorious."

As Kresst finished, the droid chimed in with slow, sad, and hesitant beeps. It informed them of other information it had been gathering from the holonet as they had watched Master Kenobi's message. The Galactic Republic had been officially restructured into the first Galactic Empire by now-Emperor Palpatine. The Jedi had been declared traitors after a supposed coup attempt, and after an impassioned speech by Palpatine, there appeared to be public support for the measure.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

It was not precisely accurate to describe Julan as confused, though an observer could easily make that mistake. He was aware of his surroundings, and aware of everything that Janius had been doing and saying. He knew that Thorantilth was working on his marks, though he could not feel anything in his numbed body. The Hist sap had simply given him another focus within his own mind that had his full attention. After several minutes of not answering, he finally spoke, though not as a direct response to Janius. "It was all meant to be."

Kaleeth took the bowl, though did not yet drink from it. The sap was familiar, and not at all frightening in itself. There was no reason that any Argonian raised in the swamps would be afraid of the Hist, or anything relating to it. Even the thought of drinking it felt warm and inviting to her, but the worries that had been plaguing her were still quite present in her mind. "I'm not sure I'll be able to get what I was wanting. It was...three seasons ago, I think my father said. Well over a year, probably closer to two. How long do the souls stay with the Hist, Tunxeek? Has she not already been reborn?"

---

Ahnasha shrugged, seeming at least somewhat more relaxed than Fendros at the moment. "I don't know, but the Penitus Oculatus is a name that means something in the Empire. And Marod does have ways of proving his identity. If we bring in that kind of help, I'm sure we'll be able to present to him pretty convincingly what is going on. It's not like it's an unbelievable story. Your father lived through the Oblivion Crisis, and with his kind of magic, I'm willing to bet he fought in it too. I'm sure he knows how some Daedra love to set their ambitions for Tamriel. That Vile is taking a more patient, subtle approach will make perfect sense to him. And who knows? Maybe demonstrating that you have the ear of one of the Emperor's elite guard will show to your father that you've been doing more for the past decade than hiding in the woods and sleeping with a cat. It would give us undeniable credibility, without a doubt. If you don't think just knowing the truth would be enough for him, then we could probably tell your mother and ask her advice."

Fendros would be able to see a slight swirl of magicka around Ahnasha's hand. She stared at the glowing strands of magic with what was perhaps some regret, though with some uncertainty as to the reason. "I suppose with Meesei there, we will have to worry less about the threat of violence..." She began, her voice steadily showing more hints of frustration. She turned her head away from Fendros and crossed her arms. "...I mean, of course I could best your father too, but I have to admit that Meesei could do it with less...collateral damage. And I would probably want to be safe and use some more powerful spells that I would have to sacrifice some valuable soul gems to use, so...her help would be for the best. Yeah, it would just be more convenient."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

In contrast to what either Julan or Janius might have expected beforehand, Julan was quite slow to respond. He did not react much to his surroundings, except to move in whatever way Thorantilth directed him to. He seemed to still be in a sort of trance from the Hist sap, but at the very least, Janius could still see that there were yet no problems with the tattoo itself. Instead of Kaleeth's red vines, the ink the Treeminder was using at the moment was a dark blue in color. He appeared to be forming and outline first, though it was still far to early to see any definite shapes.

After a few more moments, Julan started to look around more, and eventually settled his eyes on Janius. Now, he certainly seemed to be paying attention and looking right at him, instead of staring off past him.

Kaleeth sat as Tunxeek suggested, but even his first question was more than she knew how to answer right away. Her pause lasted only a few seconds, but it was more than enough to hint at her current frame of mind. "I think...I probably wouldn't even need the ritual if I knew how to answer that. I guess I just want to get...whatever it is I might deserve."

---

"Well we won't be doing it by ourselves." Ahnasha remarked, crossing her arms to match Fendros. "No matter what we decide, Meesei will still have to approve of it. But, we can talk to her about it when she comes to check up on us tomorrow. As for convincing him, though...this is important beyond some family squabbles. I mean, Marod even gave our pack the authority to swear anyone we involve to secrecy legally, under pain of treason to the Empire. I know it's not like we represent the Empire or anything, but the fact that a pack of lycans has official Imperial cooperation at all speaks volumes by itself. We're not just fighting a war of Hircine against Vile. It's a war of Tamriel against Vile, just one that the 'powers that be' have decided should remain secret."

Ahnasha paused only long enough to give a frustrated sigh. "The point is, our war is a very real, and on Elven timespans, imminent threat to Rossarm and his own personal well-being. I don't know if he even loves his own wife and children anymore, but he has to care about something. His legacy, his property, even just himself. I don't know what he's done in his life to become as powerful as he is, but he certainly hasn't always been a simple vineyard owner and hobbyist mage. That kind of power, battle magic, comes from experience. It comes from necessity, risk, and danger. Your father may be many things, but he doesn't strike me as the kind of man who is happy to leave his own fate in the hands of someone else. I think we just have to convince him that the danger is real."