EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei nodded in agreement with Fendros. "That is a fair point as well, and I would say it applies to more than just your pack selection." She said, leaning forward towards Sabine and placing her palm on her chest. "You may take it from me: it is a mistake for any leader to try to take on all responsibility for all decisions. It is good to surround yourself with people you trust, because if you trust them, then you can lean on their support to help you make your decisions. Be confident in your skills and experience, and always acknowledge that you are the final decision-maker in your pack, but do not be afraid to ask for their advice."

As Meesei was giving Sabine a pat on her shoulder, she soon turned her gaze towards Janius in the river. She did take a few moments to think, but eventually left the circle everyone was sitting in around the bones and approached the riverbank. Meesei touched her toes just slightly into the water, then shifted herself back into her Argonian form. "Well, if you insist, I think I could be persuaded into a nice swim."

Meanwhile, the crocodilian eyes breaking just slightly above the surface moved ever-so subtly in Janius' direction, as if they were just floating lazily with the current.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

It's all fine. I understand.

Star Wars - Galaxies at War[MULTIVERSE SPACESHIP RP]

Vael ‘Virisusai - Alderaan

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Vael had his intentions for how to approach these Alderaaneans, and he knew what his role would be in these talks. He did not intend to overcomplicate or overplan every word he intended to say. Though, he was still paying attention to those around him. One of the small, furred beings spoke of emeralds that, evidently, held great power in her world.

“It would be wise to rid yourself of your own reality’s preconceptions.” Vael spoke up to K’Tari. “We are, each of us, in a new place, and we have no choice but to adapt to it. These gems you speak of do not exist in my universe, and yet, there exist tools of destruction that can reshape a galaxy. The Forerunners, whom my people once revered as gods, did not require relics of power in order to create or destroy stars, build planets, or create a weapon that could kill all sentient life in the galaxy, all at once. The weapon that destroyed them. They required only their own knowledge, their own technology. Anubis, our foe, may not have some relic granting him his power, and there may not be one that we can use against him. It may be that we have to rely on our own strength.”

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei moved herself next to Sabine to sit. "I think you have had a more difficult task than I did building my pack. Indeed, I think Hircine did much of the work for me. He guided me to those with potential, or guided them to me. He does not do that for every pack alpha. Nevertheless, I do trust your judgment, and all of the time and patience you wish to put into it."

"At least after this, you won't need to build a pack for war." Ahnasha commented, still gently rubbing Fendros' stomach. "And if you don't have to worry about that, then you can feel free to pick people that you feel you could see yourself calling family one day. Maybe Karl? It's obvious how much you care about him." She suggested.

Especially in the low-light of the evening, it was hard to see down underneath the surface of the river in the slower, murkier sections. Kaleeth, in contrast to her cumbersome nature on land, could move almost entirely undetected to someone swimming on the surface. For Janius, the only hint he had as to any presence around him were the subtle appearance of two eyes and a hint of a crocodilian snout just barely above the water near the far shore.

Star Wars - Galaxies at War[MULTIVERSE SPACESHIP RP]

Falul ‘Taham - The Immaculate Aegis

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With the Immaculate Aegis sitting between two opposing fleets of warships, and without immediate access to its slipspace drive, there was no time for subtlety or careful diplomacy. What was needed was quick and decisive action, and for that, Falul gave no hesitation.

The Aegis did eventually receive a response from the local Separatist fleet, which was just finishing arranging its fighters and capital ships into combat formations. They received video as well as audio, so Falul was able to see the green-skinned being that answered him. The ship’s AI quickly identified him as a “Neimoidian”. “You arrive here not moments before an Imperial fleet follows at your back? Do you take us for fools? What reason could I possibly have to believe that you-”

Falul had no intention of making arguments to the Neimoidian, and given their delayed response, the thirty-six seconds required for the ventral lance to charge to full power had passed. No doubt, the Separatists had not been comforted by massive concentration of energy building around the weapon, but fortunately, the Aegis had not been in range to be fired upon. For Falul to make his point, he had only to give a single, simple order to one of his officers. “Fire.”

The fully-powered energy projector cut across the void in an instant, and hit straight through the center of one of the Imperial Venators in the distance. The intense, sustained beam pierced through the weaker ship’s shields, then bisected the hull from bow to stern before it could launch its fighters. Secondary explosions detonated from the center outwards, tearing the Imperial ship to pieces from within.

Falul broadcast back to the Separatist fleet on the same channel on which they had responded, so they could now see the Sangheili as well. “Is that sufficient?” He asked, though he left no room for a response. “I am moving my ship in formation with your fleet. Should we hold for long enough against our enemy, we may receive reinforcements.”

As the Aegis accelerated towards the Separatist fleet, it unleashed a volley of long-range plasma torpedoes back towards another of the Imperial Venators, as well as beginning the charging sequence once again on its energy projector.

The Tower: Bright Dawn

What Taylor heard from its “rescuer” pretty much confirmed what it already suspected. This was not a rescue meant for it, as it doubted there was anyone on the outside with the knowledge of its existence, much less the intent to free it. Still, that did not mean that Taylor could not benefit from the coincidence. The man with the blades clearly did not want to take Taylor with them, so it had no more reason to remain.

With its decision made, Taylor took off at a brisk pace towards the edge of the highway. A bullet opened up a wide hole straight through its torso as it ran, but after mere moments, the dark, writhing matter that made up its form regenerated without slowing it down. Taylor quickly moved off of the highway and into an alleyway, though it had little direction as to where to go next. If it wanted to life outside of its former prison, it would need a place to hide. Though, what it also had was the desire to consume, and now, the freedom to do so as much as it pleased.

Star Wars - Galaxies at War[MULTIVERSE SPACESHIP RP]

Eri ‘Moram -Dxun

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Had he been thrown against the wall, Jarraj might have been killed outright, but landing on someone else did somewhat break his fall. The Sangheili was thrown to the ground by the impact, but was mostly unharmed. He pushed Jarraj aside and pushed himself back up to his feet to resume fire with his storm rifle, but Jarraj himself had more difficulty. He had a few cracks in his exoskeleton, particularly on one of his legs, which was covered in his light, glowing blue blood. After re-adjusting his mask to be able to breathe again, he tried to stand, but could not put much weight on his injured leg. Nevertheless, the determined Unggoy felt a blood rage almost like a wounded Jiralhanae and started to crawl towards the fuel rod gun he had dropped, muttering in his language to himself.

Eri did not understand why she felt so disoriented by the creature’s roar, but she recovered her composure as quickly as she could. The rest of Eri’s team that had been affected quickly resumed firing, but Eri herself recognized the beast’s next target as it began its charge, and recognized that he was not ready to evade. Whether it had been Jerius or one of her own team, the Tarentatek needed to be quickly stopped, or at least distracted. Now that they were in an open chamber, the tall ceiling opened up much more vertical space for them to use, and Eri intended to take advantage of it.

While Eri could not outrun the beast at a full sprint, her powerful legs could get her up to speed far more quickly, so she started to close the gap as she sprinted up behind it at the beginning of its charge. She fired two quick shots into its back as she ran, then dropped the overheated weapon aside to lose the weight.

Activating her thruster pack, Eri reached the Tarentatek before it reached Jerius, flying up onto its back. In one short, fluid motion, she drew her energy sword, activated it, and thrust it down towards the top of the beast’s head. She aimed her blade for some of the damaged scales she had previously pierced with her beam rifle to maximize the chance of the blade actually penetrating into its head. Though, once her thrust was in motion, her eyes were focused on the Tarentatek’s arms as she readied herself to fly back up out of its reach on a moment’s notice.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei examined the horn she was holding for a few moments longer, but even with access to her own magic, she could not feel anything particularly exceptional about it. She tossed it aside, among the pile of Indrik bones, then laid herself down on her side in the grass as well. "I do not think I will be overruling anything. I would not mind some more...peaceful time together. I think tomorrow will have plenty of excitement for all of us."

Kaleeth, though slower to decide, did follow Janius' lead once he went for the water. Rather than dive in as he had, she slinked in under its surface quietly, for a creature of her size. She stayed under far longer than it took for Janius to surface, perhaps just enjoying the water while she waited for the soreness of her tongue to fully subside. Since they were staying put, Lorag decided to linger around the bones of the Indrik, occasionally taking one to clean off the remaining scraps of meat while they spoke. Ahnasha, meanwhile, laughed subtly to herself, leaning herself over Fendros and holding him tight, while using one hand to rub his stomach as one would pet a dog.

"So, Sabine..." Meesei began. "...have you had any thoughts on the final members to induct into your pack, or have you been saving those thoughts for after the battle?"

Star Wars - Galaxies at War[MULTIVERSE SPACESHIP RP]

Eri ‘Moram - Dxun

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While she had not delayed it as much as she had perhaps hoped, Eri was able to roll out of the way of the Tarentatek, and into the chamber. The beast was fast on her heels, and when she recovered from her roll and was back to her feet, she turned back and was face to face with the creature before her. However, she was far from alone.

In addition to the blaster fire from Jerius, all ten of Eri’s team finally had their sights on their quarry. Eri was still too close for high explosives, but everything else was quickly thrown at the beast. In such an open chamber, everyone had an angle to be able to fire at once. A volley of carbine fire, needles, and automatic plasma weapons barraged the beast from all sides. It was met with the explosive bursts of the rest of the concussion rifle ammunition they had remaining, and an overcharged plasma pistol shot from one of the Unggoy. The veritable light show of all of the weapons fire at once was enough to be blinding by itself, much less with all of the high-energy plasma, piercing needles, and sheer kinetic force assaulting it. Eri added in her own shots as well, aiming at its head and firing her beam rifle to the point of overheating.

---

Vael ‘Virisusai - Aboard the Taris

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“Without truly knowing our enemy, it is difficult to say.” Vael answered to Erthos. “We know Anubis is a liar and a false god, but a clever enemy can take many approaches. Infiltration, corruption of those who are already present, or simple surveillance could lead them to betray our secrets. Accidentally or otherwise. Taking on any ally is a risk, but…one that may be necessary. To start, we may simply speak with them, learn of them, and determine how much they cherish their own values. That will tell us how resistant they will be to adopt the values Anubis seeks to spread through this galaxy.”

Regardless of his own concerns, Vael was ready to proceed with the negotiations. For now, he was ready to follow Erthos, being that he was the most familiar with this planet and its people, as well as the general etiquette expected in this galaxy.

---

Thaz - Nal Hutta

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In spite of being on an overwhelmingly crowded planet in a different universe, Thaz did not feel too out of place on Nar Shaddaa. Even in the short walk to the cantina, she saw people of more species than she even knew of in her home universe, but the general feel of the city was almost familiar. Even among the advanced technology that made the city function, Thaz could see that hardly anything was cleaned or maintained with any real degree of care. There was refuse in the streets, and every being they passed acted like anyone else might jump them at any moment. It was a kind of anarchy that Thaz was perfectly familiar with in the places that Kig-Yar tended to frequent back home.

As Thaz and Samus approached Jerus’ table, the Kig-Yar was looking with quick, keen eyes around the establishment. “Hmm, ‘honest’. Sounds boring. Still, reminds me of this place back on Venezia.” She remarked as she took the seat next to Jerus. “I remember this drunk Human bet me I couldn’t down a whole bowl of this…curry stuff at once. He acted like it was burning his mouth from the inside out, but it didn’t do a thing to me. I didn’t get it. Still don’t. Anyways, he wouldn’t pay up, so I bit off his finger.”

Star Wars - Galaxies at War[MULTIVERSE SPACESHIP RP]

Falul ‘Taham and Dr. Fiona O’Connell - The Immaculate Aegis

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Falul gave a long glare and a soft growl towards the view screen as the situation rapidly developed. Though, any frustrations he had were directed more towards potential…external factors. To have the Aegis accidentally arrive here, in just this place at just this time, seemed far too convenient. He wondered if Elizabeth had a hand in this as well, but that would be a concern for later. The Aegis’ AI soon returned the comparisons of the sensor scans to their archived schematics of local ships. Providence-class carriers, Munificent-class frigates, Lucrehulk-class battleships, this was clearly a fleet belonging to the faction known as the “Separatists.” Falul recognized the name. From what he had been reading, they had been waging a war against the Empire’s predecessor.

In any case, the arrival of the Imperials complicated some matters, and simplified others. “Acquire new targets and have strikecraft prepared for launch. Target two of the weaker ships, here and here, with the torpedoes and ventral lance.” Falul ordered, pointing out two of the Venator-class star destroyers on the holographic display in the center of the bridge. He was aware that the larger class of Imperial ship was more dangerous, but targeting the weaker ships first served several purposes. Destroying the Venators quickly would be the most efficient way of reducing the amount of incoming hostile firepower, especially if they could be destroyed before they launched their own strikecraft. From the technical specifications of the local universe’s ships that Falul had studied so far, their turbolasers had a more limited range than the Aegis’ primary weapons, so they could fire upon the Imperials before they could return fire. Secondly, if the Aegis could potentially cripple or destroy a Venator in a single shot, that would make both their allegiance and value in combat crystal clear to the Separatists.

“Once we have fired upon the Imperials, attempt to fall into formation with the local fleet.” Falul ordered before soon turning his attention back to McKay. “I want this ship ready for, at minimum, a combat jump.” Compared to normal slipspace usage, a combat jump would be easier to keep stable, as the borer would only need to be active for a small fraction of a second, once the portal was established.

With as frantic as she was being, Dr. O’Connell clearly was not accustomed to the stresses of battle. Still, there was at least one useful thought that came to her mind that she had the courage to bring up. When it came to ship-to-ship combat, there was always one single advantage that the UNSC had that could actually, legitimately be considered an advantage. “Shipmaster, I…I think Isaa-, um, the UNSC AI is still aboard. If you let it plug into the ship, it could run cyberwarfare far more effectively than this ship’s AI.”

Out of all the information that had been presented to him, Falul took the most time to consider Fiona’s proposal, even if it was only a few seconds. “Very well, but it may only work through the ship’s spirit, and must be contained from core systems.”

In the hangar, the Spartan team would easily notice the rapid bustle of activity as the pilots scrambled to their Seraphs and Banshees, though it took less than a minute for Dr. O’Connell to contact them on their comm channel. Or, more specifically, Isaac. “Are you still on-board, Isaac? An Imperial fleet just dropped into the system, and it’s looking like there’s going to be a fight. The Shipmaster just gave permission for you to take over cyberwarfare for the Aegis. You'll have to go through the ship's AI as an interface, but you still should have access to everything you need.”