EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Upon Calia's request, Meesei immediately started work on creating another portal. "Very well, this portal will take you to the same place from which we left, not too far from your vineyard. Again, if you ever change your mind, you would be a welcome visitor here."

"I think I will go with her." Ahnasha interjected. "I still need to talk to my parents, and I'm not sure when they are going to get back from their meeting with the Count." She stopped a moment and placed a hand on Fendros' shoulder. "You should probably stay for the big meeting with the other military leaders. You can have Meesei send you back later too, if you want."

It was not long before Meesei's portal was ready, and she opened the magic gateway in the middle of the hallway.

---

"Yes. I will deliver you the list of what I need once I've had enough time to examine the mechanism. Perhaps by tomorrow. And I will re-iterate, no one is to bother me here, unless I specifically request their presence." Neesa replied with a brief, mildly threatening glare towards Sabine.

"Oh, and since I am going to be busy, do be a gracious host and bring me some fresh blood. I would rather not have to interrupt myself by transporting back to Black Marsh." Neesa added.

Last of the Jedi (EliteCommander and Sep)

Kresst continued to look out over the grasslands, though his eyes opened as Mevenn spoke. He did not feel called upon as Mevenn was describing, but his feelings could not deny the power of the Force in the world around them. It was hard to place, and not the strongest he had ever felt, but there was something different compared to the average agrarian colony world. There was a pause after Mevenn finished speaking, and Kresst took in another long breath. "There is something...special about this place, isn't there? It is placid, remote, mostly uncorrupted by civilization, of course, but also...something beyond all of that. Something more than just hills and grasslands. Perhaps it is no accident that I just happened to point to this world on the star map."

Eventually, Kresst finally brought himself to stand up and turn back to Mevenn. Despite how distraught Mevenn was, Kresst kept his steps, and demeanor, calm. "Trust in the Force and trust in each other. Those were our instructions, yes? I do not know what it is you are feeling, but I do trust you, Mevenn. We are going to make good and bad decisions in the coming days, but indecision...that is what is going to end up killing us. If something does. Trust your feelings..." Kresst began as he reached out and placed a hand on her leg, since he could not possibly reach her shoulder. "...but realize that you do not have to face any of this alone. Whether it is destiny or deceit calling you, I can accompany you. It will be some time before the Empire will be able to track us here, even with our ship's ID codes."

Once again, Kresst momentarily broke the situation's rather serious tone with a light chuckle. "Though, if we don't happen to have a speeder stored away somewhere in the ship, you may want to carry me there...else the Empire might have already risen and fallen in the time it takes these legs to actually walk any real distance."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha shrugged, moving herself in close to Fendros and glancing to the door. This was all not going quite as she had expected, but she supposed that was not a bad thing. She had expected much worse. "Well, if your mother convinced him that the threat we're fighting is real, then he might just genuinely see the need. I mean, regardless of the kind of man your father might be, I doubt he wants to die and have his soul stolen by Vile. And if he does care about his family, then he doesn't want the same to happen to them. I mean, by Hircine, that monster Neesa is going to be fighting with us, and she is essentially the definition of heartless. It might be simple self-preservation."

"Perhaps." Meesei remarked, though she was not entirely certain herself. "It could be that he never showed his true colors in the time you knew him, Fendros. Or at least, not the full extent of his character. I doubt your family ever endured this sort of a crisis while you were with them."

---

Hal-Neesa did not even bother to look away from the mechanism in her reply. "Obviously. I took it as a given that you would provide me with whatever I ask. You're the one that cares about your people's casualties, not me. I shall give you a list of all of the items I will need. Though...I should probably give you a list of descriptions of the items; I doubt you a have the understanding to recognize them properly by name. And of course, keep those 'scholars' away from here, and away from me. I showed them all mercy before, but if any of those fools find their way up here again after I already warned them away, then I will not guarantee that no one will be...injured."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Well, if that is your choice, then that is perfectly fine. I'm sure your children will be keeping in touch, if you ever change your mind." Meesei replied, glancing to Fendros and Ahnasha.

As requested, Meesei started inside to show Rossarm to his quarters. All of the rooms on the hall that her pack used were taken, but they had been able to re-purpose another room on the ground floor of the same tower to be private quarters for him. There had not been a stone bed built into the room, but it had been easy enough to have a comfortable bed made for him, as well as all of the furniture needed for a functional living space. It was situated close to one of the dining chambers, so it was actually reasonably conveniently located.

---

Hal-Neesa gestured to one of the blue-green crystal-like objects at the center of the mechanism, which appeared like a container of sorts. "This particular mechanism, what you ignoramuses have come to call an Oculory, looks like it was built to hold an Elder Scroll. Though, that is long gone. I never saw one being used in such a way, so I can only make some educated guesses as to why. Tonal manipulation is about the only thing that is as fundamental as an Elder Scroll, so it might have influenced the light tones...maybe to track the echoes of power in the temporal plane as well.."

The vampire's voice trailed off as she stared at the mechanism for a few seconds, then focused back on Sabine. "Well that's not important, regardless. I don't need an Elder Scroll for this. It's just a matter of making a few repairs, changing out a few parts, and I can convert the...Oculory, back to its more common function. You see, the device collects starlight. That much, your people were probably able to figure out, unless even I give them too much credit. The Dwemer could use it to track the constellations, the moons, draw from sources of power, and observe anything out there floating in the Void. Including, most importantly, planes of Oblivion. If it works, and with the right...tuning, it could be used to create a projection of Vile's realm, in it's current state. And without Vile knowing about it. Then, you people can have your 'advanced scouting', and stop pestering me about it."

Last of the Jedi (EliteCommander and Sep)

"We just need some parts; nothing too rare." Eeruna added. "I can do the repairs myself, and we do have the credits to pay for them, so we're not asking for charity."

The Human nodded to both Eeruna and Mevenn. "I'm sure we can help you, then. I know Daris would just love to have your business. Things aren't too busy here, so I can show you to his shop. It's not far. As for the holonet, I think we've actually been having some problems with that today. I was going to make a call earlier, but I couldn't get through. Not sure if our technicians have fixed our equipment yet, or if it was even a problem with our equipment. If you're not getting a connection right here, you can try the cantina. Just through the door behind me, all the way down the road on the left at the first intersection."

Eeruna turned her head towards the others. "I can go deal with the parts and repairs myself, so you two can do whatever you need here." She offered.

"Yes, thank you." Kresst replied, remaining as non-specific as possible in the presence of the other Human. It was highly unlikely that he was any threat to them, but the less information they revealed to anyone, the better.

However, as the Human led Eeruna away to the parts dealer, Kresst did not immediately follow into the city. Instead, he wandered over to the edge of the landing pad, looking out over the expanse of hills and grasslands before him, beyond the town. After a few seconds of silence, he sat himself down with his legs hanging off the edge of the landing pad, with his feet reaching down just low enough to have the tall grass brush against them in the wind. Dantoo Town was not entirely silent. Even from here, there was the low sounds of speeders and machinery, but it was magnitudes less busy than the bustling city of Coruscant. For the most part, right now, it was just the sounds of birds in the distance, chirping insects, and the feel of the breeze through Kresst's feathers. It was the kind of calm that, right now, Kresst could lose himself in.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"I would say you were right to have your initial assumptions, Calia." Meesei remarked after Marod went on his way. "I would not really say this is our natural state. Lycans have always led more simple lives, out in the wilderness. Larger clans mostly just helped smaller packs to find safe territory. Our organization has grown from necessity. Your son was infected before all of this, and has helped us grow into what you see before you."

Once they reached the base of one of the towers, Meesei stopped, now looking and speaking directly to Rossarm, instead of the group in general. "I made sure to have quarters prepared for you. I can take you to them now, if you would rather not carry your belongings with you everywhere. I could also give you a tour of our city, answer any questions, or let you have time alone to say goodbye to your wife, if you wish. Granted, it would not be an unreasonable burden for me to allow Calia to visit somewhat frequently. We should meet with the other armies' leadership soon to determine how best you can help us, but we are not in any immediate rush."

---

Hal-Neesa grunted, perhaps seeming moderately annoyed. "The legate, that Thalmor, your Khajiit, they are always...pestering me with their questions. What to expect from rare Daedra, what Vile's realm will be like, how to provide any forward scouting for the invasion. They want 'useful military information' out of me. So, I'm doing exactly what was asked." She said, gesturing to the Oculory. "Here is their 'useful military information'. Provided your people haven't damaged it beyond repair. They are like children playing around with fire salts."

Glancing over to a table on the far side of the room, Neesa telekinetically pulled over a glowing chunk of rock to her hand and marched up in front of Sabine, holding it in front of her. "Did you know they actually brought raw Aetherium in here? Lorkhan knows what they were even trying to accomplish with it. Aetherium is harmonically volatile, do you have any idea what can happen if it's exposed to the wrong kind of resonance? Don't answer, of course you don't. Point is, you and your people are stupid children breaking the adults' things, so I'm going to take my valuable time to get it working so we can use it. Assuming the parts exist."

Hal-Neesa looked down on Sabine, literally and figuratively. She did not seem too angry, but at no point had she even been pleasant to be around. "You should thank me, by the way. I do not normally put so much personal attention into projects for anyone else's benefit, so you should feel beyond honored that I am gifting you even some of my knowledge."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Despite Fendros' obvious discomfort, Meesei upheld her friendly attitude towards Calia. Rossarm, even if he chose not to acknowledge it, would still at least be hearing everything she said. "It used to be that way, at one time. Back before all of this. But, our struggle against Vile has challenged us, made us stronger. More organized by necessity. We've had to adapt in order to stay alive. Lycans may be half-beasts, but the half of us that is man or woman is still just as capable as before."

It was quite the long climb up the stairs to the Silent City itself, so Meesei kept the pace slow enough that everyone could comfortably keep up. Heading through the second gate into the main courtyard brought them into a bustling crowd, as it was currently the busiest time of day in the city. While the courtyard was used for many purposes in their clan, it was currently like an outdoor market. Nearly every day, traders from other clans would come through the propylon chambers to sell or barter with residents of the Silent City, or even other clans entirely. The city had developed naturally as a hub for the other clans as Meesei had expanded their network of propylon chambers to more and more of them. Although, few chambers actually led directly to Blackreach, so it could require transit through several chambers to actually reach it from any given clan.

"Marod, I thank you for your help, even if we did not end up needing it. You can get back to your work now if you like; I am sure we will be fine from here on out." Meesei remarked to him, stopping briefly in place after they stepped through the gate. Among the other sights around them, a Dwemer sphere rolled past them in its patrol of the courtyard, paying no mind to anyone or anything around it.

---

All of the scholars present obeyed Sabine's command without question, perhaps due to her authority, or simply because the prospect of not having to deal with Hal-Neesa themselves was an appealing one. Either way, all that was left was for her pack to head inside and confront the vampire. Do'rhajul slowly returned his sword to its scabbard, and instead kept his hand tight on his shield. He stepped up close beside Sabine, enough that they were almost touching. "If something should happen, I will be right by your side to guard you."

Just inside the large Dwemer doors was a lift that took the group up to the level of the Oculory. It was difficult to tell exactly how far up it was, but the mechanism did seem to reside close to the surface. They passed a few spiders carrying the scholars' assorted belongings back to the lift, but they did not disturb them as they made their way through to the Oculory chamber, and up the spiral ramp to the top of the device. There were two Dwemer spheres that rolled up to them as they reached the top, but they did not raise weapons towards them. Not by default, at least.

In the middle of the Oculory, Sabine would finally see Hal-Neesa at last. She was leaned over one of the metal arms hanging down from the mechanism hanging above them, inspecting one of the joints and muttering to herself in a language Sabine could not understand. Though, it was certainly not Jel. She wore a long, flowing, and colorful dress with silk wrappings around her waist, curiously in a Redguard style. The vampire had a seemingly endless supply of elegant, expensive outfits, given that Sabine would never have seen her wearing the same one twice, despite all of the time for which she had been their guest. Neesa noticed the arrival of Sabine and her pack right away, but only glanced at her for a brief moment before returning to her task. "Hmph, the apprentice. Not the Champion, but I suppose you'll do. I'm guessing those fools you call scholars complained about me? Well, you should be sure to tell them to be thankful for my abundance of mercy. Normally, I'd kill someone for what they've apparently been doing to this machine in the name of 'research.' Indeed, despite my frustration, I made a specific effort not to cause any bodily harm to them, so they should be safe and sound, yes? Or did one of them find some way to hurt themselves on the way out? Which, given their middling intelligence, would absolutely not surprise me."

Last of the Jedi (EliteCommander and Sep)

They had quickly received permission to land, so Eeruna wasted no time in bringing them down to the surface. From the quite limited information their docking instructions gave them, they would be landing in a place called Dantoo Town. Based on the view from above as they approached, it was, all things considered, a fairly large town, but the fact that it was also one of the larger settlements on the planet also painted a clear picture of how sparsely populated the planet was. The landing pads were simply out in the open around the edge of the town, and slightly elevated above the grass. Most of them were not in use, so there was no delay before they could land the ship.

Kresst, Mevenn, and Eeruna all walked down the loading ramp together. C2 rolled down just behind them as well, though the droid got to work immediately on inspecting the exterior of the ship for any additional damage their sensors might have missed. As for the rest of them, it was not terribly clear where they needed to go to actually speak with the port authority, but fortunately, they did not have to wait long to find out. It was only moments after they left the ship that a Human man came walking out onto the landing pad. He looked older, with a thick, greying beard, and a simple drab green uniform with few identifiable markings. His eyes naturally went to the ship immediately, and the visible damage on its hull.

"Looks like you all have been into some trouble. You weren't scheduled to be here, so I'm taking the guess that the trouble brought you here?" The man remarked.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Of course..." Meesei began, closing her eyes to focus on piecing together the last parts of the spell. Finally, and with a substantial expenditure of magicka, the glowing red portal opened in front of her. "...then we may leave right away." She said, gesturing to the portal.

Meesei had to be the last one through, as it made it far easier to hold the portal open, but her pack led the way to show that her magic could be trusted. As usual, she brought them straight to the base of the tall stairway leading up to the Silent City, their home and fortress within Blackreach. And indeed, it did have the appearance of both. From what Meesei had seen of Rossarm so far, she was not expecting any signs of awe, or even any outward appreciation for their home from him, but she could at least still give a proper welcome to Calia. Indeed, there was, right away, much to see around them that almost certainly defied her expectation of what a lycan clan would be. There were properly constructed battlements around the perimeter of the city and professionally equipped warriors serving as guards for it. As imposing as the city was above them, the natural beauty of the glowing cavern around them could also be a worthy competitor for her attention.

"Welcome to our home; our...secret sanctuary in Tamriel." Meesei began, directing her words more towards Calia. "Granted, it is not as much of a secret now as I might like, but we've all had to make sacrifices in our struggle against Vile. Still, we only bring people in through teleportation, so the location of any physical entrance is still our secret to keep, at least. Indeed, the majority of my own people would not know how to get here otherwise."

---

Do'rhajul remained cautious, but kept his distance a fair few steps back from the scholars. They would have to know who he was since he was with Sabine, but he found that he tended to make members of the clan nervous just by being around them. He had kept his shield wrapped in cloth while in the city, but here, he kept Spellbreaker held in his off-hand. If the worst did indeed come to pass, an unbreakable ward would be a valuable asset in dealing with Neesa. The Breton scholar they had with them, who had introduced himself as Francois, only recognized the Khajiit after seeing the shield, and was now standing considerably closer to the Argonian.

Of the group that Sabine approached, the Altmer man was the one to stand to meet her, either as the leader, or simply as the most calm among them. Although, calm was a relative term, as his hands still shook slightly. It only took a brief moment for the Altmer to recognize the pack that approached him, especially given that they had arrived through teleportation. "Oh, thank Hircine! Yes, ma'am, of course. I'm so glad you're here. If anyone is capable of dealing with this, it would have to be the Dragonslayer." He smiled at Sabine. "It was that vampire woman, that...unholy reptile. She just appeared here; I didn't even hear her come through the door. We were all up in the Oculory, and suddenly she was there demanding we show her what we were doing. I was going to tell her to leave, but then she just...looked at me." The man explained, showing a familiar shiver.

"I did what she asked, but even just showing her around and explaining our experiments for a minute or two was enough to make her furious." The Altmer scholar continued. "I don't know why, or what specifically brought it on, but she demanded we gather up everything we have here and leave immediately."

Crossing his arms, the man soon glared over at the Altmer woman sitting on an overturned crate nearby. "Then my idiot sister just had to get the bright idea in her head to try to use the automatons: the spheres and spiders we have here to protect us, to try and threaten her into leaving us alone. What she did after that...I still don't understand. She just laughed, the vampire, that is. She laughed and spoke a few words I didn't understand. They might have even been Dwemer, but I'm not sure. She just said those few words, and suddenly, the automatons just wouldn't listen to us anymore. Then she turned them against us."

Do'rhajul gripped his sword tighter. "She attacked you with the automatons?"

The Altmer man scratched his head for a second, only giving a quick, cautious glance to Do'rhajul before returning his gaze to Sabine. "Um, no, they didn't attack us really. They just sort of ushered us out of the tower."

Soon after, Sabine would see some movement from the large, open door leading into the tower, just behind the scholars. A single Dwemer spider was carrying a rough cloth bag in its pincers, clattering with the sounds of whatever objects were inside. It released the bag next to the pile of items collected outside of the tower, then turned back around without interruption.

"She's also been having them drag out our belongings for some reason. Clumsy machines broke my alembic, too." The man added.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei gave a nod in response to Calia. "Yes, quite far, in fact. But, that matters little when I can bring us there immediately." She answered, and it did not take long for them to move safely beyond the sight of the city for her to elaborate through action. They stopped just off of the road, in an appropriately secluded spot in the woods, at which point Meesei began to charge her spell to open the portal. Brilliant red energies swelled around her hands as her entire being was charged with the substantial amount of magicka required to complete the spell. Even with as practiced as Meesei had become, it still took some time for her to complete a portal. It was derived from the same sort of magic that had been used in the propylon chambers of ancient Dunmer ruins, so depending upon Rossarm and Calia's life experiences, the energy might even feel familiar.

"Forgive me if I am being too presumptuous, but I am assuming you are going to want to return to your home, Calia. Even so, both Fendros and Ahnasha trust you, and you have been sworn to secrecy, so I can still allow you to join us and see where your husband will be for the duration of his stay with us, if you would like. I do think that it is only right that you be able to see the company he will be keeping in the coming weeks. I can bring you back here at any time, just as easily and quickly." Meesei explained.

---

Based on his demeanor, Sabine's reply appeared to satisfy Saras. "Very well, then I will await your report once you return." He replied, evidently trusting that Sabine and her pack would be able to handle the situation.

The Breton scholar, meanwhile, still looked around nervously. "So, um, do you still need me to make a 'connection' to the tower for your teleporting? Or can I go now? Or, um...can I return to my duties, that is?"

Regardless of whether or not Sabine took the fastest possible option to reach the tower, she would still be unable to reach it ahead of Hal-Neesa. The vampire, too, evidently had rather quick means of travel. All of the scholars that had been studying the oculory were now outside, gathered around haphazard piles of their belongings and research materials. There were only a small handful of them: an Imperial, Redguard, and two Altmer siblings. Most looked confused, angry, or even frightened, but none of them would appear to be hurt in any way, at least.