EliteCommander

Star Wars - Galaxies at War[MULTIVERSE SPACESHIP RP]

Eri 'Moram - Dxun

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It was fortunate for Eri that she had the experience of sparring with Jerus. She recognized immediately the invisible influence of the Force, though that would not simplify the problem of having to deal with its user. She had been under the impression that Jedi were rare, so she was not sure why there was one here, but he was obviously hostile, and a deadly threat. Although, Jerius was also correct that the Tarentatek needed to be dealt with. Swiftly.

The beast and Eri stared one another down for a moment. Her attempt at finishing off the creature had been thwarted by the Jedi, but fortunately for her, she did not need to make another herself. This was a moment in which she could rely upon her team; all she needed to be able to do was step aside.

Quickly, Eri dove out of the line of fire, giving her team a clear chance to open fire once more. Once again, needles, carbine fire, concussion blasts, and superheated plasma barraged the Tarentatek from the front. But, the greatest amount of firepower came from Jarraj. The Unggoy, though with a broken leg and bleeding his luminescent blood, did not allow himself to be overcome by pain or fear. Emboldened by his allies around him, he managed to crawl to his fuel rod gun and shoulder the weapon once more.

“Die you big…dumb lizard!” Jarraj shouted as he fired five consecutive fuel rods. What he lacked in eloquence, he made up for in anti-tank ordinance.

After removing herself from the line of fire, Eri sprinted to the aid of Jerius. From her sparring matches with Jerus, she knew to temper her aggression. This opponent would likely be able to act and react in ways no other Human opponent could. She had to apply her skill with a blade, not mere brutality. As she sprinted forward, she took a plasma grenade in her off hand, though for now, she simply held onto it tightly without activating it.

Eri’s opening strike was precise, calculated, and drew from Vael’s teachings. As the Jedi’s blade clashed with Jerius, Eri approached him from behind. Rather than attack his center mass, she swung low, towards his legs, using her longer blade to attack from a range that he could not immediately retaliate. By swinging at a point so far from Jerius, she intended to constrain his possible responses into something predictable, and forced him to choose between defending against her or Jerius since his lightsaber was simply not long enough to guard against both simultaneously.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha grinned, giving a few more kisses down the side of his snout to bring her closer to his ear. "Hmm, I suppose that is true. You know, I would have thought, at my age, that the idea of raising more cubs wouldn't be too tempting. But, I guess the near-eternal youth might have changed some things. After this is all over, I might just take you up on that."

"The girl's stubborn, headstrong, and won't admit she still can't best the boys in a fight. So, pretty good overall. Don't matter what me and her traitor mother do or don't agree on, she'll never give up 'till her delusions about what she can do actually become true. Even if I die tomorrow, I know she'll stick with it. Now that she's had a taste of what she could be, she won't settle for bein' anything less than the best." Lorag answered.

Kaleeth quickly dragged Janius to the riverbed, kicking up a cloud of mud and dirt that obscured the waters around them. Though, he could still certainly feel the crushing strength of her arms wrapped around his body. She did stop short of actually hurting him, but even if he had been genuinely trying to escape, he would not have been able to resist her. Even for a being as powerful as a werewolf, the strength of her muscles was simply immovable. When they sparred on land, Janius had many times maneuvered circles around her with ease, but if her prey allowed itself to be caught in her grasp, under the water, then its death was a foregone conclusion. Janius could certainly count himself fortunate that she was merely being playful.

Eventually, Kaleeth did allow Janius to surface for air. Or forced him to, more accurately. She swam closer to the riverbank and rose up out of the water, holding Janius in her arms as one would hold a small child. Yet, this "child" was a fully grown, transformed werewolf. He was the kind of beast that would send most mortal men fleeing in terror, a kind of lycan that would be an alpha in any other pack, and he was being held like a playful puppy in Kaleeth's arms. It was a kind of absurd imagery that made even Meesei start to laugh just by watching.

Star Wars - Galaxies at War[MULTIVERSE SPACESHIP RP]

Falul ‘Taham - The Immaculate Aegis

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Given the Aegis’ role as a capital ship, Falul had moved his ship deep within the formation of the Separatist fleet. Its weapons outranged the turbolasers of the other ships around it, so Falul’s only concern for positioning was to ensure it had a clear line of sight onto its target. The weaker Venator-class vessels simply could not stand up against the concentrated intensity of the Aegis’ weapons, but even so, destroying them was only a delaying tactic at best. It was the Assimilators that carried the real threat of Anubis’ Empire, and it was for their presence alone that Falul reasoned they had not retreated. Based on what limited information Falul had about the vessels, they were powerful warships that would not break so easily as their lesser supporting ships. Without being able to know the precise capabilities of the Separatists, Falul’s focus had been on buying time for his own reinforcements to arrive.

By the time the Daedalus had contacted Falul, he already had ample time to consider his options. In front of him was a constantly-updated holographic display of the ongoing battle, as best as it could be interpreted by the ship’s sensors. He already had positions in mind of each of the ships in their fleet when they arrived, with the Daedalus being the first. Its projectile weapons too outranged turbolasers, but they would be largely ineffective against the powerful shields of an Assimilator. In this battle, the quick, nimble Human vessel could serve the role of a defensive screening ship much more effectively. Its weapons could both target and destroy strikecraft and other small ships. While the Separatist ships seemed to be able to unleash veritable swarms of fighters that far outnumbered opposing strikecraft, Falul had, thusfar, found their individual quality to be lacking, in addition to their uninspired strategic maneuvering. The Aegis had launched its own Seraphs in defense, but enemy bombers were still placing undue pressure onto their shields. The Daedalus could close up at least one of the larger gaps in the Separatists’ lines.

“The local fleet’s anti-fighter capabilities are insufficient. Move to these coordinates and target enemy strikecraft. “ Falul ordered, though he agreed with Caldwell that his ship’s greatest potential contribution would lie outside its primary weapons. “The Venator-class ships are destroyed easily enough; we need not board them. You have the schematics of the Resurgence, yes? Then target their reactors. You should only need to transport a modest amount of explosives to disable each of them. But it is the Assimilator ships that should be our focus.”

Falul brought up what information they had on the Assimilators, as well as a specific part of the previous battle they had engaged in just after arriving in this universe. “These are the ships that Anubis has created. That he has designed to outstrip any opposing ship of this universe. These are the ships that have been destroying his enemies, and the ships that the locals fear. We need to prove that they are not invincible. They were not designed to face us. When we first arrived here we were attacked by a group of ten small ships utilizing Anubis’ technology, and most likely the same enhanced shielding. By this report, your transporter technology was able to pierce those shields once they were sufficiently weakened. If we can substantially weaken even a portion of an Assimilator’s shields, you should be able to use your nuclear weapons to destroy it.”

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha took a few moments to squeeze out from underneath the weight of Fendros' lycan form, mostly so she could pull herself up closer to his head. She continued to scratch behind his ears with one hand, his stomach with the other, and planted a kiss on the end of his snout. "Hmm, well I would take that challenge, but...I don't think Rhazii needs any more siblings right now." She started to laugh.

It was tempting for Ahnasha to occupy herself entirely with her attention to Fendros, but she did still pay attention to what Sabine was speaking about. Though, it was Lorag that first had a response for her concerns. He sighed, thinking back to his old mentor from a lifetime ago. His history with Do'rhajul did give him some understanding for why he had gone down the path he did, but Lorag was also one who was skeptical that most of the members of the clans would ever truly become accepting of that. "Well, not everyone can move on from the past so easy. Might be that he can never really become family with any of us. If he still has his own family...might be best just to cure his lycanthropy after all this is over. Give him the choice to go back to that family of his. That's why he took Vile's deal in the first place. I figure he'll have earned it at that point, if he helps stop Vile."

"As long as word does not spread that we were responsible for curing him, that would be a viable option." Meesei weighed in.

Kaleeth was fairly silent towards Janius' affection, though in fairness, most of the sounds her crocodilian form was capable of making felt immediately threatening. For her, she felt she could communicate her feelings better by rubbing her head gently up against his chest. Though, when she went to put her arm around him as well, she ended up pulling him underneath the surface.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei waded out into the water, though to make sure she could still hear the others, she did not dive under. For now, she simply washed her face in the river. "Well, with you leading them, Sabine, I am sure you will bring out the best in whoever you choose." Meesei remarked. "If I had to make one request, though...make sure you find someone to pass on your knowledge to. Pass on my teachings to. A member of your pack, a bright young apprentice, maybe a child of your own...I am sure you will have plenty of options."

Lorag chuckled for a brief moment. "Mages and their legacies..."

Ahnasha tilted her head towards Lorag. "You're one to talk. Your teachings have been drilled into every single warrior that's ever been trained by our clan. Your legacy might never end, at that rate."

"Hmph, well, that was Imperial training, through and through...Do'rhajul's training." He answered before he started to laugh more outwardly. "Ain't that ironic? The training that gets passed on through all those lycan warriors comes from Vile's general."

Since they had already sated their beast spirits, Ahnasha decided to allow her beast to rest for the moment, in case she needed it the next day. If they went on another hunt, she could easily do so in her Khajiit form. She shifted herself back into her normal form, though with Fendros laying across her lap, his weight did end up pinning her down afterwards. Regardless, she grinned over at him, reached out her arm, and started to scratch behind his ears.

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.