I haven't encountered any problems myself, at least for now. It's still probably going to be a long road ahead before this is all over, but thusfar, I don't know anyone personally who has been infected IRL. Online, I am a bit surprised that I only know a single person who has been infected, and he already recovered.
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That's fine. Things been going alright for you?
Teroiah’s strike was a palpable hit against the massive Daedra. The lightning struck at the base of its neck and seemed to send a shock straight through the center of it’s body. It ceased its plume of cold-fire and let out a roar as it tilted its wings to turn off to the side, only barely managing to avoid crashing into the ground. It was a heavy, damaging hit, but Daedric titans lived up to their names. They were notoriously difficult to kill, and it would take many more heavy hits to finally fell the beast.
There were some wards that collapsed from the assault of cold-flames, but due to the experience of the mages present, many were able to hold up against the wide-area attack. Sabine’s ward did not seem to falter at all, and at least some of the magic from the attack could be absorbed back into the Staff. The titan might not have been able to eradicate their well-trained formations of soldiers, but the same protection had not been afforded to the barricades and siege weapons they had been setting up. Although the titan’s magic chilled instead of burned, the cold-flames still spread like fire over their fortifications. The freezing flames caused anything they consumed to crack and crumble, or otherwise become terribly brittle.
While the titan was gaining altitude for another pass, the swarm of winged twilights descended upon the plateau as well. They preferred lightning magic, or simply eviscerating their targets with their sharp, hooked tails. There were probably two dozen of them swarming above them, making themselves difficult to hit. They cast lightning bolts onto soldiers and structures alike, sparking several, more conventional fires in addition to the cold-flames spreading around.
Ahnasha drew her bow, but before trying her hand at landing shots against such fast-moving targets, she put her focus into a spell to call forth some extra assistance for her. A dark portal opened up before her, from which appeared a vaguely humanoid being of lightning, wind, and rock. Winged twilights were more resistant to magic than many Daedra, but lightning would certainly still harm them, and a storm atronach was the most likely to be able to hit them while they were flying around.
The winged twilights were certainly a threat that could not be ignored, but the titan itself threatened to end this invasion before it began. They had to be able to establish their foothold to give themselves enough time to get enough forces through to keep themselves from being overwhelmed. Meesei took in a deep breath, then started to draw up from her vast well of magicka and focus it into her hands. Meesei had become known for her rediscovery of lost or esoteric forms of magic, so some might have forgotten her original mastery of the simple and destructive force that is lightning. It surged through her, arcing out into the air and onto the ground around her, to the point that it would be dangerous even to approach her. When she poured all of her strength and focus into a single spell, the amount of power a mage like Meesei could achieve was incredible, but the mere act of charging the spell was a signal to her pack. If she was putting all of her effort into an attack, then she could not defend herself.
There were some wards that collapsed from the assault of cold-flames, but due to the experience of the mages present, many were able to hold up against the wide-area attack. Sabine’s ward did not seem to falter at all, and at least some of the magic from the attack could be absorbed back into the Staff. The titan might not have been able to eradicate their well-trained formations of soldiers, but the same protection had not been afforded to the barricades and siege weapons they had been setting up. Although the titan’s magic chilled instead of burned, the cold-flames still spread like fire over their fortifications. The freezing flames caused anything they consumed to crack and crumble, or otherwise become terribly brittle.
While the titan was gaining altitude for another pass, the swarm of winged twilights descended upon the plateau as well. They preferred lightning magic, or simply eviscerating their targets with their sharp, hooked tails. There were probably two dozen of them swarming above them, making themselves difficult to hit. They cast lightning bolts onto soldiers and structures alike, sparking several, more conventional fires in addition to the cold-flames spreading around.
Ahnasha drew her bow, but before trying her hand at landing shots against such fast-moving targets, she put her focus into a spell to call forth some extra assistance for her. A dark portal opened up before her, from which appeared a vaguely humanoid being of lightning, wind, and rock. Winged twilights were more resistant to magic than many Daedra, but lightning would certainly still harm them, and a storm atronach was the most likely to be able to hit them while they were flying around.
The winged twilights were certainly a threat that could not be ignored, but the titan itself threatened to end this invasion before it began. They had to be able to establish their foothold to give themselves enough time to get enough forces through to keep themselves from being overwhelmed. Meesei took in a deep breath, then started to draw up from her vast well of magicka and focus it into her hands. Meesei had become known for her rediscovery of lost or esoteric forms of magic, so some might have forgotten her original mastery of the simple and destructive force that is lightning. It surged through her, arcing out into the air and onto the ground around her, to the point that it would be dangerous even to approach her. When she poured all of her strength and focus into a single spell, the amount of power a mage like Meesei could achieve was incredible, but the mere act of charging the spell was a signal to her pack. If she was putting all of her effort into an attack, then she could not defend herself.
Falul 'Taham - The Immaculate Aegis
“Knowledge of this weapon comes from his time.” Falul replied to Eggman while gesturing to Erthos. Falul still had difficulty understanding how Eggman could be as much of a threat to anyone as he claimed to be. Yet, Falul had read his own crew’s reports on his mechanical creations. He knew they were real, and he knew they were dangerous. Eggman could bring forces to bear that would substantially contribute to the fleet, but every conversation with the man seem to just leave Falul…irritated. “This Death Star is a creation of Palpatine’s Empire, not Anubis. Though, he does now control it. But, regardless of its origin, I agree with the Human from the Glasgow. If Anubis decides to use the technology in more practical weapons, it could be a threat to us. We should end that threat quickly and decisively.”
Surprisingly to Falul, the first objection to Sarah’s suggested course of action came not from any of the others, but from Falul’s own advisor. “I don’t know about that, Shipmaster.” The Kig-Yar said as she leaned in to the table. Between her lack of armor and over-abundance of jewelry, she did not seem to fit in at all with any other member of Falul’s crew that the others had seen, but he allowed her to speak all the same. “I read everything you gave me on the big Death laser weapon. They just started building it recently, right? And it took them twenty years to build it. How much progress do you think they’ve really made? If we go blow it up now, then what do we accomplish? Blow up a big metal shell? They’ll just start it again somewhere else. No, what we do is wait. We send in some cloaked ships sometimes to keep an eye on their progress. Let them keep pouring money into it for a while, then we go blow it up once they’ve made something worth destroying. Let them spend some money on it first, and they’ll actually feel that loss. That’s how we should do this whole war. They have a lot more ships than us, but that also means more expenses. Make the Empire spend itself to death. The citizens won’t be worshiping Anubis if they blame him for their troubled bank accounts.”
Meesei looked out over the valley below, then tilted her head towards Fendros. “Patience. The lycan spirits may hunt ahead of us, but we still need to wait for our assault forces to come through. We cannot take on the forces guarding those towers ourselves. Or…at least not the reinforcements they will receive, once we start felling them. Once the defenses are established here, it should not be…”
Meesei’s words were suddenly cut off by a deafening roar far above them. By land, the plateau on which their portal was located was difficult to approach, and the lycan spirits rushing out into the surroundings would slow down any forces trying to converge on them. However, none of that would stop an attack from the air. Flying over the mountain behind them was the menacing form of a Daedric Titan, as well as a small swarm of winged twilights accompanying it. The Daedric Titans were originally creations of Molag Bal, though there was evidently one or more in service to Vile.
“Look to the sky! Ward quickly!” Meesei shouted, hoping the warning came quickly enough as the titan dove down breathing a pillar of cold-fire. Vile had certainly noticed their intrusion, and was retaliating with as much power as he could bring to bear quickly.
Upon Meesei’s warning, there were only seconds to react. Meesei herself raised a ward above her as widely as she could to protect those around her. Ahnasha protected herself, demonstrating one of the spells taught to her by Hal-Neesa. It was a conjured ward, formed from the energies of Oblivion instead of Restoration magic, which formed a glowing violet bubble around her. Do’rhajul, as well, raised Spellbreaker above him and tried to stay close to the rest of Sabine’s pack.
Meesei’s words were suddenly cut off by a deafening roar far above them. By land, the plateau on which their portal was located was difficult to approach, and the lycan spirits rushing out into the surroundings would slow down any forces trying to converge on them. However, none of that would stop an attack from the air. Flying over the mountain behind them was the menacing form of a Daedric Titan, as well as a small swarm of winged twilights accompanying it. The Daedric Titans were originally creations of Molag Bal, though there was evidently one or more in service to Vile.
“Look to the sky! Ward quickly!” Meesei shouted, hoping the warning came quickly enough as the titan dove down breathing a pillar of cold-fire. Vile had certainly noticed their intrusion, and was retaliating with as much power as he could bring to bear quickly.
Upon Meesei’s warning, there were only seconds to react. Meesei herself raised a ward above her as widely as she could to protect those around her. Ahnasha protected herself, demonstrating one of the spells taught to her by Hal-Neesa. It was a conjured ward, formed from the energies of Oblivion instead of Restoration magic, which formed a glowing violet bubble around her. Do’rhajul, as well, raised Spellbreaker above him and tried to stay close to the rest of Sabine’s pack.
“Then we have taken our enemy by surprise.” Meesei remarked as she stepped forward towards the edge of the plateau. “But they know we are here now. Vile will have felt the breach into his world.”
Reaching her hand out, Meesei pointed a claw towards the mountains off to the right side of the valley. Even from this distance, they could see the shapes of the towers on the mountains. “There are the watchtowers. Once the battle begins, we will need to move quickly to capture or destroy them. The Daedra will have view of all of our troop movements until we do.” She said, though her attention soon went to the largest tower at the far end of the valley. The spiraling pillars of magical energy surrounding it must have contained immense power.
“And that tower must be our goal. All of the power he has been stealing over the years, that must be where it is. Even if Vile himself is not there, we should be able to force him to come to us if we can take that tower. If we capture the tower and use our sigil stone to call Hircine down onto it, then he can simply absorb all of that power for his own unless Vile steps in to stop him. And if Vile steps in, then we can do what we are meant to do.” Meesei reasoned.
Following Meesei’s pack through the portal were contingents of Imperial and Dominion soldiers, who all immediately set to work securing the perimeter around the portal. Aside from one lone scamp, who was promptly slain by a lightning bolt from an Altmer, there were no Daedra in the immediate area around the portal. The others that Sabine had detected were keeping their distance.
With the first wave through and the area temporarily secure, they all cleared away from the area in front of the portal to make room for the second wave. This time, it was lycan spirits making their way through, and compared to the organized movements of the soldiers, this was more of a stampede. Quick and ferocious werewolves and werelions were the first through, most of which were running, howling, and roaring. At the same time, werevultures flew through above them and started spreading out in all directions to search for prey beneath them. If their arrival had somehow gone unnoticed before, they had certainly been detected now. Still, the advantage of their help would hopefully be enough to make up for their lack of subtlety. Right away, the lycan spirits started spreading out into the forest, and running down the hill into the valley below.
Lorag was the first one whose impatience started to show. The sounds of lycan feet sprinting past them were like a drumbeat, and their howls like a horn to signal the start of the hunt. On an instinctual level, his beast spirit had him practically salivating in anticipation of joining in. “How much longer are we goin’ to be waiting here? I want to kill something.”
Once the wave of lycan spirits were through, the next wave of more organized soldiers would join them, including Ri’vashi, gro-Tagnud, Teroiah, and in addition, Vera. She, in conjunction with a few Imperial and Dominion officers, would be commanding the critical task of fortifying their position and solidifying their foothold in Vile’s realm. Vile’s Daedra could not be allowed to make their way into the Hunting grounds. If the sigil stone keeping their portal open was removed, then they would all be transported out of Vile’s realm in an instant.
Reaching her hand out, Meesei pointed a claw towards the mountains off to the right side of the valley. Even from this distance, they could see the shapes of the towers on the mountains. “There are the watchtowers. Once the battle begins, we will need to move quickly to capture or destroy them. The Daedra will have view of all of our troop movements until we do.” She said, though her attention soon went to the largest tower at the far end of the valley. The spiraling pillars of magical energy surrounding it must have contained immense power.
“And that tower must be our goal. All of the power he has been stealing over the years, that must be where it is. Even if Vile himself is not there, we should be able to force him to come to us if we can take that tower. If we capture the tower and use our sigil stone to call Hircine down onto it, then he can simply absorb all of that power for his own unless Vile steps in to stop him. And if Vile steps in, then we can do what we are meant to do.” Meesei reasoned.
Following Meesei’s pack through the portal were contingents of Imperial and Dominion soldiers, who all immediately set to work securing the perimeter around the portal. Aside from one lone scamp, who was promptly slain by a lightning bolt from an Altmer, there were no Daedra in the immediate area around the portal. The others that Sabine had detected were keeping their distance.
With the first wave through and the area temporarily secure, they all cleared away from the area in front of the portal to make room for the second wave. This time, it was lycan spirits making their way through, and compared to the organized movements of the soldiers, this was more of a stampede. Quick and ferocious werewolves and werelions were the first through, most of which were running, howling, and roaring. At the same time, werevultures flew through above them and started spreading out in all directions to search for prey beneath them. If their arrival had somehow gone unnoticed before, they had certainly been detected now. Still, the advantage of their help would hopefully be enough to make up for their lack of subtlety. Right away, the lycan spirits started spreading out into the forest, and running down the hill into the valley below.
Lorag was the first one whose impatience started to show. The sounds of lycan feet sprinting past them were like a drumbeat, and their howls like a horn to signal the start of the hunt. On an instinctual level, his beast spirit had him practically salivating in anticipation of joining in. “How much longer are we goin’ to be waiting here? I want to kill something.”
Once the wave of lycan spirits were through, the next wave of more organized soldiers would join them, including Ri’vashi, gro-Tagnud, Teroiah, and in addition, Vera. She, in conjunction with a few Imperial and Dominion officers, would be commanding the critical task of fortifying their position and solidifying their foothold in Vile’s realm. Vile’s Daedra could not be allowed to make their way into the Hunting grounds. If the sigil stone keeping their portal open was removed, then they would all be transported out of Vile’s realm in an instant.
Falul 'Taham - The Immaculate Aegis
“I took the time to examine the data you sent us on this ‘Death Star’ weapon…” Falul began, pausing a few moments to bring up a holographic display of the battle station on the central display. It showed the Death Star as a whole, as well as sections labeled in as much detail as Erthos had shared with them.
Falul gestured to the display. “With the information we have, I, and my officers, believe this weapon is a horribly inefficient waste of resources, by the measure of this universe. The only exceptional part of this battle station is the superlaser, which is unnecessarily powerful. To entirely destroy a planet has value in intimidation, but is militarily pointless. A weapon with a fraction of the power could still render a planet uninhabitable, as Anubis did with Alderaan. And it would require only a fraction of the resources to create. This very ship we are in right now can destroy a world in any practical, useful sense, albeit over a longer time. The Emperor of your time reminds me of the San’Shyuum. Charismatic liars with venomous tongues, but not military leaders. This Death Star required, what does it convert to in your timekeeping…twenty years to complete. It would be a boon to us if Anubis’ Empire decides to waste such an immense amount of resources on a singular weapon.”
Despite Falul’s obviously-low opinion of the Death Star, he did not completely lack concern about the weapon. “I would not consider the Death Star, as it is presented here, a threat to us. But, I am concerned for what may happen if Anubis re-purposes this project to more practical ends. Weaker, but still devastating superlasers could be completed more quickly, and distributed to a larger number of smaller battle stations, or even warships. Instead of a single concentration of power that could be defeated by a few antimatter charges, we could be facing a fleet that could spread across the galaxy. That is a military threat we should not ignore.”
Although nearly everyone’s attention was sole fixated upon the god standing over them, Sabine would find that her fearful show of reverence towards Hircine was not entirely ignored. She would feel a large hand upon her back, then Meesei beside her knelt down, but looking at her instead of Hircine. Even as a dragon-armored werewolf, she could still show a softness to her gaze. “Do not be intimidated. Their power is not dictated by how they choose to appear.” She said calmly. Indeed, it was easy to forget with such an impossibly dominating sight before them, but a Daedric Prince could appear in whatever form they chose. Hircine could just as well approach them as a frail-looking rabbit, while still holding all the same power within.
After a moment, Hircine spoke, though it did not feel like his voice was actually coming from the massive being looming over them. It seemed more like he was speaking inside each and every one of their heads, even the non-lycans. “Go, my hounds. Claim glory in my name. The Great Hunt of an era begins, and my Champion shall slay the most deadly of prey.”
His words were short, simple, and puctuated by the activation of the great gate. Finally, they had broken through into Clavicus Vile’s realm. The war had been long and hard-fought, and now began the one battle that would decide it all. Meesei stood to her feet and stepped forward, up to the portal, which cast her in a fiery orange glow. Elite contingents of both Legionnaires and Dominion soldiers would be following them through, but it was her and her pack that would lead the way. Meesei took in a breath, reached back to check that the Rueful Axe was firmly secured to her back, then stepped through the portal.
As planned, the other side of the portal rose up from the ground on a rocky plateau in the Fields of Regret. It was an elevated position, just over the valley they would need to cross to reach the source of power on their map. There was a large, steep cliff leading up the mountain just behind it that created a natural wall in that direction, so they only needed to worry about setting up defenses in the direction of the valley.
It seemed that Meesei’s expectations of Vile’s realm were not inaccurate. It was not entirely dissimilar from parts of Tamriel, or even the Hunting Grounds, as the valley before her seemed to be mostly forested countryside. There were, of course, mountains on both sides of the valley, though the left side, from her perspective, of what would become their battlefield was also bounded by a wide, slow-moving river. The trees and other plant life felt familiar, but the landscape did have features that made it seem more bizarre, such as spirals of stone archways floating up into the air, and levitating chunks of what looked like metal ore dispersed among the trees, seemingly at random.
However, it was their goal that stood out most prominently. On the far end of the valley, exactly in the place of the source of power Neesa’s machine had detected, was a massive tower reaching up nearly to the clouds. It had three pillars of brightly glowing, violet light spiraling upwards and meeting at the top. Meesei had wondered if they would need to scout ahead as they went to find Vile, but it seemed to her that their destination was fairly…obvious.
After a moment, Hircine spoke, though it did not feel like his voice was actually coming from the massive being looming over them. It seemed more like he was speaking inside each and every one of their heads, even the non-lycans. “Go, my hounds. Claim glory in my name. The Great Hunt of an era begins, and my Champion shall slay the most deadly of prey.”
His words were short, simple, and puctuated by the activation of the great gate. Finally, they had broken through into Clavicus Vile’s realm. The war had been long and hard-fought, and now began the one battle that would decide it all. Meesei stood to her feet and stepped forward, up to the portal, which cast her in a fiery orange glow. Elite contingents of both Legionnaires and Dominion soldiers would be following them through, but it was her and her pack that would lead the way. Meesei took in a breath, reached back to check that the Rueful Axe was firmly secured to her back, then stepped through the portal.
As planned, the other side of the portal rose up from the ground on a rocky plateau in the Fields of Regret. It was an elevated position, just over the valley they would need to cross to reach the source of power on their map. There was a large, steep cliff leading up the mountain just behind it that created a natural wall in that direction, so they only needed to worry about setting up defenses in the direction of the valley.
It seemed that Meesei’s expectations of Vile’s realm were not inaccurate. It was not entirely dissimilar from parts of Tamriel, or even the Hunting Grounds, as the valley before her seemed to be mostly forested countryside. There were, of course, mountains on both sides of the valley, though the left side, from her perspective, of what would become their battlefield was also bounded by a wide, slow-moving river. The trees and other plant life felt familiar, but the landscape did have features that made it seem more bizarre, such as spirals of stone archways floating up into the air, and levitating chunks of what looked like metal ore dispersed among the trees, seemingly at random.
However, it was their goal that stood out most prominently. On the far end of the valley, exactly in the place of the source of power Neesa’s machine had detected, was a massive tower reaching up nearly to the clouds. It had three pillars of brightly glowing, violet light spiraling upwards and meeting at the top. Meesei had wondered if they would need to scout ahead as they went to find Vile, but it seemed to her that their destination was fairly…obvious.
“Agreed.” Ri’vashi replied, pointing a claw to some of the marks they had made on their map denoting planned troop positions. “This one thinks she knows how we can adjust our formations to accommodate them. We will have to give them space once we are through to fan out into the surroundings, but they can give us more time to establish a foothold…”
As disruptive as the sudden arrival of an army of disorganized beasts might have been, their military leaders were up to the task of adapting. Meesei still never got to see the full extent of the spirit army with her own eyes, but all types of lycans came pouring in from the forest, and the skies above. Meesei was glad that most of their warriors had already been in formation before the spirits started arriving, else it would have been far more difficult for them to simply move into their positions.
Finally, Meesei’s pack gathered directly in front of the portal. The sigil stone was being kept a safe distance away, but the message was already being sent to activate it. It would just be a short wait now. Naturally, they were also joined by the warriors of Sabine’s fledgling pack, and though he was not a lycan, Do’rhajul’s loyal friend Yerig still stood by his side, still with his ancient sword and tattered robes.
In addition to the equipment and supplies they would normally bring with them, Meesei also entrusted a few other items to some of her packmates. Fendros had been given a Dwemer control rod that could direct the actions of any of their automatons. Although her pack would not have any of the machines with them immediately as they went through, they would be bringing nearly every automaton they had built into this battle. The control rod could not give complex instructions, but it could direct them to follow, guard a position, or attack specific targets. Sabine, meanwhile, had been entrusted with two sigil stones. One was a “gift” from Molag Bal, and one among many that Hal-Neesa had distributed to Imperial, Dominion, and lycan forces alike. When used, it would create a location where Molag Bal could call down a dark anchor and send forth Daedra from Coldharbour to assist them. Understandably, few of their commanders were particularly enthused about the idea of actually using them, but they had agreed to take them as an option “if needed.” The other sigil stone was unique, and critical to their plans. It was specially enchanted to allow Hircine himself to break through and join in battle with Clavicus Vile once they were in a position to confront the Daedric Prince.
Leading up to this day, Meesei imagined what she might say to their collected armies, if she could. Although, it did not seem like there was going to be much of an opportunity for speeches. The vast majority of their forces would not even be able to hear her voice if she tried, but she did not feel too worried. Indeed, now that they were standing before the portal, moments from activation, the atmosphere just felt…strangely calm. For all of the tension and worry that had led up to this day, Meesei was focused, and she felt the same from many of the faces she looked upon around her. They had prepared all they could, down to every last detail they could think of. Now was the time to act; to do what her pack had become such experts at over the course of the past decade of warfare.
Even still, Meesei had some words of encouragement that, if no one else, her own pack could hear. “The Daedra do not fear death, and they think it is their strength. They will fight ferociously, without thought nor care to what damage or pain it might cause them, since they know they cannot truly be destroyed. But their careless aggression will no be enough for them. They are not fighting for the same stakes we are. They are not fighting for anything other than their own glory, or the words of a contract with Vile. They may not know death…” She began, a notable grin forming in her expression. “…but I think we will show them exactly how ferociously we can fight, how indomitable we can be, when we have something to live for.”
Meesei could feel the power begin to swell up in the portal before them. The message must have reached the caretakers of the sigil stone, and the activation was beginning. However, the process was quickly overshadowed by another, immensely powerful presence. The torrent of power around them completely flooded Meesei’s senses in a way that made the greatest displays of magical power she had witnessed in the past feel like a light drizzle in comparison. Above the horizon, Hircine appeared. Towering above even the mountains, his mere presence commanded nearly every lycan to fall to their knees.
As disruptive as the sudden arrival of an army of disorganized beasts might have been, their military leaders were up to the task of adapting. Meesei still never got to see the full extent of the spirit army with her own eyes, but all types of lycans came pouring in from the forest, and the skies above. Meesei was glad that most of their warriors had already been in formation before the spirits started arriving, else it would have been far more difficult for them to simply move into their positions.
Finally, Meesei’s pack gathered directly in front of the portal. The sigil stone was being kept a safe distance away, but the message was already being sent to activate it. It would just be a short wait now. Naturally, they were also joined by the warriors of Sabine’s fledgling pack, and though he was not a lycan, Do’rhajul’s loyal friend Yerig still stood by his side, still with his ancient sword and tattered robes.
In addition to the equipment and supplies they would normally bring with them, Meesei also entrusted a few other items to some of her packmates. Fendros had been given a Dwemer control rod that could direct the actions of any of their automatons. Although her pack would not have any of the machines with them immediately as they went through, they would be bringing nearly every automaton they had built into this battle. The control rod could not give complex instructions, but it could direct them to follow, guard a position, or attack specific targets. Sabine, meanwhile, had been entrusted with two sigil stones. One was a “gift” from Molag Bal, and one among many that Hal-Neesa had distributed to Imperial, Dominion, and lycan forces alike. When used, it would create a location where Molag Bal could call down a dark anchor and send forth Daedra from Coldharbour to assist them. Understandably, few of their commanders were particularly enthused about the idea of actually using them, but they had agreed to take them as an option “if needed.” The other sigil stone was unique, and critical to their plans. It was specially enchanted to allow Hircine himself to break through and join in battle with Clavicus Vile once they were in a position to confront the Daedric Prince.
Leading up to this day, Meesei imagined what she might say to their collected armies, if she could. Although, it did not seem like there was going to be much of an opportunity for speeches. The vast majority of their forces would not even be able to hear her voice if she tried, but she did not feel too worried. Indeed, now that they were standing before the portal, moments from activation, the atmosphere just felt…strangely calm. For all of the tension and worry that had led up to this day, Meesei was focused, and she felt the same from many of the faces she looked upon around her. They had prepared all they could, down to every last detail they could think of. Now was the time to act; to do what her pack had become such experts at over the course of the past decade of warfare.
Even still, Meesei had some words of encouragement that, if no one else, her own pack could hear. “The Daedra do not fear death, and they think it is their strength. They will fight ferociously, without thought nor care to what damage or pain it might cause them, since they know they cannot truly be destroyed. But their careless aggression will no be enough for them. They are not fighting for the same stakes we are. They are not fighting for anything other than their own glory, or the words of a contract with Vile. They may not know death…” She began, a notable grin forming in her expression. “…but I think we will show them exactly how ferociously we can fight, how indomitable we can be, when we have something to live for.”
Meesei could feel the power begin to swell up in the portal before them. The message must have reached the caretakers of the sigil stone, and the activation was beginning. However, the process was quickly overshadowed by another, immensely powerful presence. The torrent of power around them completely flooded Meesei’s senses in a way that made the greatest displays of magical power she had witnessed in the past feel like a light drizzle in comparison. Above the horizon, Hircine appeared. Towering above even the mountains, his mere presence commanded nearly every lycan to fall to their knees.
Falul ' Taham - Aboard the Tantive IV
Falul nodded towards Erthos. “Then I suggest you gather any specific information you might have on this potential weapon. We can discuss it in detail the next time we meet together to form our war plans. If it is a near enough threat, we may need to seek it out and destroy it.”
Across the far reaches of the newly-created Empire, and even some places beyond, the attitudes of the people had been dominated by tension and uncertainty. Regardless of whatever feelings they may or may not have had towards Alderaan or its people, Anubis’ show of power was the topic on the tips of everyone’s tongues, or analogous appendage. Palpatine, their former Chancellor turned Emperor by popular support, had been slain and replaced by a usurper claiming to be a god. It was a claim that would perhaps normally be ridiculous, only, as the days went on, it seemed more and more like he was proving it. Just as Anubis had said, Alderaan became an unlivable wasteland before the eyes of the galaxy. Some took it as evidence enough to accept Anubis’ claim to godhood, though many across the Empire were not religious to start with and would not be so quickly swayed to faith. Still, even if it did not immediately convert them all, it was a very real display of power that could potentially paralyze any resistance before it had a chance to begin.
Accompanying the fear came disorder as well. Anubis had proved himself both murderous and vengeful, so there were few figures of authority willing to openly denounce his actions, at least so soon after the event. With silence from their leaders, the majority of the galaxy’s people were left to make their own judgments with only the information they had before them. With the only remaining symbol of authority being Anubis himself.
This was until the live feed broadcasting Alderaan’s slow destruction was suddenly interrupted. The feed cut to black for a few seconds, then was replaced by what was, for many, a familiar face. Thanks to Palpatine’s machinations, the reputation of the Jedi had been severely tarnished, with Anakin Skywalker as the exception. For citizens of the Republic, he had been a popular figure, a war hero, and a “good” Jedi. Bail had assisted him in preparing his speech, though for the sake of his people, he did not yet appear directly on the broadcast. They needed time to recover before risking Anubis’ ire being directed specifically towards them again.
“People of the Galaxy, both members of the Republic and those of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Today we watched a crown jewel of our galaxy be turned into a lifeless husk. And by who other than a being claiming to be a god and demanding that we bend the knee to him? Sheev Palpatine sought to manipulate us all into fighting a bloody war that would leave both sides weakened and susceptible to total take over by his Empire while he swept the remnants of Seperatist and Republic aside with ease. The Jedi discovered this and tried to arrest him, but were already too late to do so, and so our Order was decimated.
We cannot let this stand, just as the Confederacy fought for their beliefs the Republic was corrupt and we of the Republic fought to protect a union of systems that, while it had its issues, was a united front against tyranny and oppression from all sources. And we should now all turn to face this Anubis and show him that he cannot simply walk in and claim dominion over any being! Set aside your grievances and fight to protect our freedoms as a one Galaxy! Not as a Republic or a Confederacy, but as one united peoples to defend what is ours! Stand with me, stand with Master Yoda and help us send this tyrant to join the Force!”
Anakin stepped to the side enough to show to the galaxy the view from the bridge of the stolen Assimilator-class Star Destroyer from which he was broadcasting. "His Empire isn't as unbeatable as he wants you to think."
Falul 'Taham - The Immaculate Aegis
For the fleet, the ships they had brought to Alderaan did not immediately return to their hidden shipyard, but instead joined their new allies over Mantor VII. They had not yet come to a consensus on whether they should reveal the location of their base of operations to any of their allies, and if so, who they should trust. Of course, they still had access to near-instant superluminal communication to their base, so they could still communicate with their shipyard.
It had been only a day since the destruction of Alderaan came to completion, so its impact on the galaxy as a whole was still uncertain. Still, the fleet could not just wait and see what was going to happen. They were at a pivotal moment, where an effective resistance could either be forged, or crushed, so they needed to act quickly and decisively.
While the majority of their ships’ crew members would have some time to catch their breath, their leadership was under more pressure than they had ever been. They could not delay any longer; they needed to make decisions about the structure and direction of their fleet and its goals that could shape their approach to the war. The Aegis would be hosting their meeting to make use of a secure slipspace communications node, so they could still communicate back to the shipyard.
On Falul’s part, he had spent every waking hour since they left Alderaan preparing himself as best as he could. For the situation they were in, he recognized his own shortcomings in personal experience, but he took the time to seek the counsel of trusted members of his crew, as well as to review historical data from the Human-Covenant war. In many ways, the challenges that Humanity faced against the Covenant during the war would be similar to what their fleet would bear similarities to what they would have to face against the Empire, at least in a broad sense. If he could learn from his former enemy, then he might be better prepared for such a different sort of war.
The room they would be using was fairly isolated deep within the Aegis so they would not be disturbed during their deliberations. It was a simple, mostly featureless chamber, apart from a holographic display table at the center of the room. For this meeting, the leaders of their ships could, of course, include anyone else they deemed necessary from their respective crews. Falul himself had not come alone, as he was accompanied by, curiously enough, a Kig-Yar. A T’vaoan, specifically. She was not dressed in armor, like almost everyone else on the Aegis but instead wore a garment consisting of separate pieces of fine, colorful, silk-like cloth, in stark contrast to the solid black feathers on her head and forearms. She also wore a fairly excessive amount of jewelry: rings, bracelets, necklaces, and even a few jewels embroidered into her clothes. There was no unifying “style” among her jewelry, suggesting it all might have been collected from many cultures. Not all of the metals were even particularly valuable; the only thing they all seemed to have in common were that they were shiny.
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