EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

If you think the reunion of Gallus and Tzirret would be worth doing, we can. Or if you'd like to bring up any other old characters before the point of no return. Otherwise, we can go to the evening before the invasion.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

From Ko'tanza's perspective, she was glad to be able to help comfort Sabine in whatever ways she could, though she, of course, could not know the true source of Sabine's worry. She was now having to give more attention to Miruza to keep her at least reasonably calm, but despite the distraction, she was not quite ready to part from her old friend. Especially since they might not have much more free time before the invasion.

"Well...Ko'tanza does need to give her a bath, and she will probably be hungry soon...but this one can still spare a few minutes, at least. And she is sure Gallus would love to be able to see her too." Ko'tanza answered, slowly and carefully standing to her feet so as not to unreasonably disturb Miruza.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"You don't need to explain; Ko'tanza already understands perfectly well." She remarked, carefully taking Miruza in her hands. The Khajiit infant did seem briefly agitated by all of the movement, but Ko'tanza was able to slowly rock her back into a state of relative calm. "Meesei is basically your mother. Of course you are going to be worried about her. This one always gives every bit of effort she has to everyone she treats, but you probably do not have to worry too much about the Champion. Ko'tanza is confident that her power is no myth, and even besides that, if she were to get hurt...well, this one can say that Argonians are more resilient than most. They heal more quickly, and can survive wounds that would kill many others. If there is anyone who will survive, it will be her."

After a moment, Ko'tanza reached out and rested her own hand on Sabine's shoulder like Tzirret. "You just make sure you take care of yourself, okay? Don't go worrying about everyone else so much that you neglect your own safety. There are plenty of people here who will want to see you come back in one piece."

Star Wars - Galaxies at War[MULTIVERSE SPACESHIP RP]

Dr. Fiona O'Connell and Narak 'Chorna - The Immaculate Aegis

---

"It did not take her long." O'Connell answered to Dr. McKay. "And her upgrades were effective. Not only did she improve the accuracy of the ship's slipspace capabilities, but the upgrades she made to its weapons allowed it to destroy half a dozen other Covenant warships. Granted, Cortana was one of the most advanced AIs Humanity has created. She came from the mind of Dr. Halsey, who is probably the most brilliant scientist of my universe. She was the one who created the Spartan-IIs, and I can't even begin to list all the ways that my work is based off of her research."

Narak knew Dr. O'Connell well enough to know when she was losing her focus on to a tangent, so he soon interjected. "Even without the most advanced artificial intelligence, this should not be something that should prove too difficult for us. The projects that Dr. O'Connell and I work on regularly deal with far more advanced technology than this ship, and this AI...Isaac, now has access to all of the information that Cortana used to make her changes. We should be able to complete this in a few days. Perhaps sooner, depending on your own competency. I believe the key lies in understanding the technology's origins. Much of it was derived from the technology of the Forerunners. We may not have a Forerunner slipspace drive aboard, but the Huragok may be of assistance, and of course the data from the Halo array."

---

Vael 'Virisusai - Aboard the Taris

---

"Hmm, I know many among my own kind who would disagree. Not all of my people have yet earned the wisdom to look beyond the points of their blades. It is fortunate, then, that my shipmaster is wise." Vael remarked towards Teyla. "The task that my shipmaster has given me is to judge the honor of these potential allies. To see that they are free from hints of corruption or betrayal that would put our fleet at risk. Our enemy, as I understand it, is both insidious and cunning. Any allies that we choose to trust must be committed to opposing the Empire, and resilient against infiltration."

---

Eri 'Moram - Dxun

---

Eri's reply to Jerius was both short and simple. "Then we shall both have the chance to prove our words."

Eri was the one who led the way, quietly for the moment. Although she had disconnected her active camouflage in order to power the thruster pack, that did not mean she could not use a more conventional method to get the drop on their prey. With her helmet linked to the scope of her beam rifle, she scanned the passage ahead as they moved through it. Once she had sight of the Tarentatek, she would look for a shot straight to its head. With enough luck, she might be able to end it right then and there, though she was not relying upon it. Even if she could get a clean shot through its head, she did not know how large its brain was in relation to its skull, nor exactly where to aim to hit it. She had other ideas in mind for how to approach the kill, should the first shot fail.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

While perhaps mildly disappointed, Ko'tanza returned a nod. "This one understands. She cannot imagine how many important things you must have to do. You are the Sabine Montgrave, after all. The great Dragonslayer from the songs." She laughed, laying on a thick, teasing tone.

"But yes..." Ko'tanza continued, taking on a more even, serious tone. "...Khajiit will be glad for all of this to be over as well. The uncertainty is the worst. Both of us are...somewhat used to it by this point. We are healers, so we see people in their most dire of situations. We never really know who will need us next, and how badly they will be hurt. Sometimes there isn't anything we can do. But for this invasion, everyone is going to be at risk. Ko'tanza does have faith in you, though, Sabine. Everyone does. Out of anyone that Ko'tonza is worried about having to save, she does not think she will have to see you, or any of your pack in her tent."

Star Wars - Galaxies at War[MULTIVERSE SPACESHIP RP]

Thaz - Nal Hutta

---

For Thaz, this first shot would mean everything. She was still hidden, far from the firefight, but that would change the moment she took her shot. The discharge of energy would disrupt her active camouflage and reveal her, and that Rodian sniper was still somewhere, invisible. No doubt the sniper was currently looking for some way to help his boss, but as soon as Thaz revealed herself, she would be a target. Fortunately, she had a plan in mind to deal with that.

Thaz laid herself down on her stomach at the edge of the spaceport roof so that she could rest her beam rifle on it. Given that he was embroiled in a shootout, the Gamorrean was now a moving target, but Samus' disruption was certainly playing its role. The bounty hunter was doing an admirable job keeping Gorm out in the open, and actually giving Thaz a clear shot.

Jerus had already said that he was ready to make his kill, so for the sake of the job, Thaz hoped he was not lying. Taking no chances, Thaz fired two shots in rapid succession, the first piercing through the Gamorrean's thick skull, and the second hitting him center mass. Thaz quickly contacted Jerus. "I've taken the shot, make your kill!"

At the same time, Thaz pulled back her rifle while it was overheated and held her left arm out just over the edge to activate her point defense gauntlet. Her active camouflage had been disabled, but with her low profile laying on the roof, the shield could protect her fully from the direction of the hidden Rodian sniper.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Not particularly." Ko'tanza answered, albeit with some hesitation. "Well...perhaps some trouble. In a way. He grew out of wanting to be a warrior or a mage, but he didn't really grow into anything either. It seems like he does a new job every year. He trained as a scout, and Ko'tanza taught him some magic and alchemy, but then he also learned about building, and being an armorer, and even farming for a while. He seems happy enough, he just doesn't seem to like settling down. He is thinking about leaving the clans and becoming an explorer after the war is over, which...honestly seems like it might suit him. Perhaps we do end up trying too much and crowding him, but as long as he finds something he is happy with, this one would be satisfied."

For a few moments, Miruza's squirming turned into outright crying, until Ko'tanza leaned in close enough to Sabine that Miruza could see her mother's face above her. "This one known you will probably be very busy these next few days, Sabine, but maybe we could still find the time to just relax together? Things are so different now, this one knows, but this one does still think back on our journey through Elsweyr, from time to time. Even with everything that was going on back then, we still did find the time to be friends."

Star Wars - Galaxies at War[MULTIVERSE SPACESHIP RP]

Dr. Fiona O'Connell - The Immaculate Aegis

---

While the AI was taking time to initially catalogue the data, O'Connell moved to her laptop to get her notes ready for them to finally start coordinating in earnest. Meanwhile, Floats was already signaling to the translator, giving all the minute details it could of every aspect of the Slipspace borer. Again, it was not terribly good at explaining the complicated technology, and much of what it did explain relied upon the reader having a pre-existing understanding of concepts known only to the Forerunners, but it was at least answering on-topic.

Dr. O'Connell interjected into Dr. Mckay's question, as she had a better understanding of the technical specifications of a UNSC smart AI than the Spartans. Presumably. "Oh, an AI like Isaac isn't programmed like normal computer software. In-depth scans are taken of a recently-deceased Human brain, which are then converted into a digital framework based on the neural structure. It creates an initial seed for the AI to write its neural map. The end result is an intelligence fully capable of learning, and much more creativity than any conventionally-programmed software.

Eventually, Isaac collected his thoughts enough that he seemed ready to continue, so O'Connell addressed his question. "The Aegis actually makes use of a Human-created AI. Not a 'smart' AI like you, of course, but reasonably advanced for what it is. It might not have your kind of creativity, Isaac, but it is specialized towards the operation of this vessel, so it should be more helpful than harmful. I think we should hear what Dr. Mckay has to say and...get started.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ko'tanza did hesitate for somewhat longer than Sabine might have expected as she weighed the rist of waking Miruza in the process. It was rather likely that moving her around would wake her, but then again, she would almost certainly wake on the way back through the portal, regardless. She slowly moved her hand and motioned for Sabine to take a seat beside her.

"Sure, just be careful. If you look into her eyes for too long, you might find her too cute to want to let go." Ko'tanza grinned. Gently and carefully, she handed Miruza to Sabine, still wrapped up tightly in her blanket. "Ko'tanza can still remember when her little brother was just this size. It's almost hard to believe that this one now has her own little cub. Hmph, even her brother is old enough to have his own cubs, if he can ever find the right partner."

Star Wars - Galaxies at War[MULTIVERSE SPACESHIP RP]

Eri 'Moram - Freedan Nadd's Tomb

---

"Very well, Sel, Arta, Rhanic, and Jerius, you are with me. Everyone else, double back to the last chamber and set up for an ambush. Jarraj, prepare explosives in the passageway leading to the ambush, but only where safe. The passage can collapse, but ensure the chamber does not." Eri instructed, with particular emphasis on her last warning towards the Unggoy.

Eri took her beam rifle in her hands and was ready to lead the way forward, though gave one last comment towards Jerius. "If you are skilled enough with your thruster pack, then we should all be able to outmaneuver the beast. These halls are large enough to make use of them, laterally, at least. If you do not possess that skill, then you may keep your distance." She said before promptly taking the lead forward, with a particular eye on her motion tracker.

---

Vael 'Virisusai - Aboard the Taris

---

Vael gave a single nod. "We seek allies for this war. In your history, the inhabitants of this planet showed themselves willing to resist the Empire, before being destroyed for their efforts. You hope that the people of this universe are not dissimilar from your own."

"Although, if I may make an observation..." Vael continued, stepping up alongside Erthos. "...I reviewed your history, as you provided it to us. This Empire is new to this galaxy: a galaxy already fatigued from years of war. Alderaan has not yet felt the years of oppression you described from the Empire. Even if they already distrust this new Empire, the pain it will cause them has not yet been felt. You describe these Alderaanians as preferring peace, and only regarding war as their last resort. They may yet see the possibility of a peaceful solution to their problems with the Empire, so our goals may be more difficult to attain than expected."