EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth gave a shrug that appeared somewhat defeated. She paced around for a few seconds before allowing herself to lean back against the nearest tree, then slowly slide down to sit on the ground beside it. "I don't know. I'm not even sure it does mean anything anymore. Nothing changed. We still have to go fight Vile, and I still can't return to the Hist. I've known that for a long while. I guess I can say that I know now that my mother isn't upset, at least. That's...good, I suppose." She replied, though that revelation did not seem terribly encouraging for her. "I guess it was probably too much for me to expect that any of this would really change anything for me. I do have my answers, at least. I know why it all happened, how it all happened. I don't have to keep guessing or worrying."

---

"I will make sure to remember that. But..." Ahnasha began, shifting uncomfortably. "...how much do you feel comfortable saying about who he used to be? As I was saying to Fendros earlier, the power I felt was not something I would associate with a hobbyist mage. I understand that you likely would feel it best to allow Rossarm to be the one to divulge his own history, but the Imperials or Thalmor will likely at least want to know of his qualifications. What do you think we should tell them?"

Last of the Jedi (EliteCommander and Sep)

"If we can get just a little farther in this debris field, we can get close enough to the hyperlane to make the jump quickly. Just put some pressure on those fighters." Eeruna answered. The debris gave them cover from the heavy lasers of the Venator, but the fighters were just about to turn into the line-of-sight of their ship. She had a feeling that they were not going to be holding their fire.

Their retrofitted Consular-class ship, while armed, was hardly specialized for war like the starfighters. It was highly unlikely they would simply be able to destroy all of their pursuers, so they would have to be creative to at least put more damage onto them than expected. "Like I said, this ship is like a brick..." Eeruna began, quickly searching for the path ahead with the least density in debris, at which point she tilted the ship while briefly cutting the engines, allowing the vessel to drift straight ahead at an angle under its own inertia. "...luckily for us, I know how to fly a brick."

Just as the fighters entered the debris field behind them, Eeruna had maneuvered the ship to enough of an angle to optimally overlap the firing arcs of nearly every laser cannon straight towards their angle of approach for a surprise attack.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth's thoughts were scattered, and even when she was able to focus on Janius' question, she found herself unable to reason out an answer. She eventually let go of her embrace with Janius, only to end up burying her face in her hands, which muffled the words she finally did speak. "I don't know, I don't know. This has all just been so much at once. I know I want to be with you, and I know the Hist does need to be protected. To protect them is to protect every Argonian. But...was there some other way to have both? To be with you, and to fight Vile? Was it really the only way? I hope my soul did volunteer. I...I can't imagine the Hist could ever be so cruel if I hadn't."

---

"Perhaps you are right and this experience will help him." Ahnasha remarked. "I wish we could help more directly, but I trust your judgement on this, Calia. I think you stand the best chance out of anyone to persuade him. We can come back tomorrow with the writ, and wait nearby in case you need us."

Ahnasha let out a sigh, leaning forward with her arms crossed over her stomach. "I do trust what you say about him, but I can't help but to worry about the possibilities. I do think that he could be a great help, I just want to try to plan ahead as much as possible to make conflicts less likely. I don't want you to think that I'm having second thoughts about it or anything; I'm just trying to be cautious. Though, I suppose Rossarm isn't too much different from some of the others. We have gathered to gathered together quite a collection of exceptionally powerful and prideful people, and are expecting them all to work together. Really, he will fit right in."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth looked perhaps surprisingly uncertain for a question it seemed like she would know the answer to. "I'm...not sure. I don't have all of the memories of my soul. Of my past lives. I might have been willing to be sacrificed before I was even hatched. I think the only way I could ever really know is by dying."

---

Ahnasha nodded in agreement. "We can still have the Penitus Oculatus agent come in person if you think it would help, but if not, I'm sure we could get a writ to you by...probably later tomorrow evening. I doubt it would take Marod long to write something up."

Despite Calia's offer of help, Ahnasha could not help but to still show some discomfort. She shuffled in place where she was sitting and let out a long breath. "I can't help but to worry that conflict will only be delayed, though. It is inescapable that Meesei is our leader, and...he will have to acknowledge that authority eventually. Meesei is taking a central, leading role in our upcoming plans; even the Empire and Dominion both agreed to it, after Meesei won the right through a trial by combat with the Thalmor's chosen champion. Hopefully being there in Skyrim, fully informed on what is happening, will make him committed enough not to cause trouble. But...you know him best Calia. By our own customs, anyone would be allowed to challenge Meesei if they feel their own will is superior. It's ingrained into the identity of Hircine's followers. If he knew it was an option, do you think Rossarm would do it?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth initially shook her head, but she realized that the explanation she had did not precisely contradict herself. "I, um...somewhat. The word is different in Jel. That is...the best one I can think to use. I was sacrificed for the good of the Hist. They see far, through time and through...possibilities. They knew this was coming, and what Vile was doing. Like with the Oblivion Crisis, when they called back Argonians from all over to defend our homeland before it happened. It's why we were so much more ready for it than other places. Only this time, it's not armies they needed, just...the right people. The right people, in the right places, doing the right things at the right time. They chose me to...sacrifice to Hircine. It's the same with Meesei, and I'm sure other Argonians we don't even know. I think they knew I would be strong as a lycan, and that I would be able to help. Even if it meant giving my soul away to a Daedra."

The brief silence that followed was punctuated by Kaleeth's eyes growing wider as her final revelation came over her. "I went out looking for Hircine that day, but...it wasn't him I found. I remember it now, so clear...I never communed with Hircine. The Hist guided that werecrocodile to me."

---

"I wish we did not have to ask this of you." Ahnasha began. "I know how you feel. I felt much the same way back when we first learned the true stakes, though I think I've become numb to it by now. We've been fighting Vile for over a decade now. Resisting his plans, waging a slow, methodical war against him. A war we have been winning, I can add, but there is one final effort. One...critical last step. Without it, he will just recover in time."

Regardless of her justification for it, Ahnasha showed her regret openly in her expression, whether she wanted to or not. Her eye's flicked away from Calia's, and there was some strain for her to speak. "I never wanted to cause you this kind of pain or...distress. I know you will worry about your son being in danger, and you will worry about your husband. And...I can't promise that either of them will be safe if we all step up and fight this threat. I can only promise that none of us will be safe if we do not. Perhaps that alone will be enough to convince him, but I would be thankful for any advice you can give to help persuade him. Meesei will be coming to check up on us tomorrow, and we will need to talk to her and tell her of this idea. I have no doubt she will approve of it, and she can bring along a Penitus Oculatus agent if you think it would help give us more credibility."

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.