Cearbhail: In this chapter, I am introducing a new charater that was actually given to me by a fellow author. This character was thought up by Cougartooth. And because of this new charater, I have been able to expand this storyline, introducing a new segment to this already lengthy tale. In a sense, I have thought up a way to make this story better. Following the example of this chapter, I have new ideas of how I can explore the whole conflict, not just the story of Vatu and the Shadow Squad. I should include all the parts of the story, and this was one of them. I just wasn't going to share it originally. But, now I will. Enjoy.

[Ja'Daan]

Dear journal,

Today has been a rather long day for us. Upon hearing that Councilor Ri'Saddo's daughter's squad was killed in the field, my scouting troop was sent out to find the lost ruin that supposedly holds some mythical device that can kill all the Aedra around the world. We've left the safety of the tropics in the south to the sands of the north. We journey to Rimmen, where the fabled Ya'Tirrje had taken control of the city. According to reports from our scouts, the Ya'Tirrje is planning on overthrowing the Councilor of the town and taking control of our moon sugar fields on the outskirts of the town. We need that moon sugar so that our economy does not falter. More than that, most of our soldiers and scouts come through here to resupply before heading into Cyrodiil. If I have to find and kill the Ya'Tirrje, then I must. We are the Mane's personal advanced scouts; we will see that this Gold-Cat pays the price for trying to take our country from us.

From what we do know, the Ya'Tirrje is the leader of the underworld in Elsweyr. He has been running illegal skooma operations around Elsweyr, running the reputation of our race. It's his fault the other races look down at us as flea-ridden drug addicts. I have a personal hatred for the image this thief has placed on us. Most of us Khajiits are honest folk that farm and raise cattle, just like everyone else in the world. But that's not what the humans and elves think us of. They think we're all addicted to skooma and steal for a living. If I can beat this Gold-Cat, perhaps we can redeem ourselves in the eyes of the other species.

Ja'Daan.

…

Closing my journal, I looked around the carriage. My fellow scouts all sat quietly in their seats, the hoods on their cloaks pulled over their heads. I had my hood pulled up as well. My face mask was burning me up, my tunic as well. I hated dressing up this much for the burning heat of the desert. The sun stood overhead, beaming down on us. Damn, I wished we had a mage or something that could take this heat away. With the high winds blowing sand all around us, we had no choice but to cloak up and throw on as much layers as possible to keep our fur clean. It helped that the cloaks were the same color as the sand. It would mask us from the Aedra that came by every so often. Ever since the new world order, we've all been on alert for massive amounts of Aedra kill squads.

I pulled out my right hand, looking at the ring that glowed with a light blue sheen. This ring had been given to me by a Firedrake sorcerer. According to her, this ring would keep me invisible from overhead Aedra. I sure hoped she was right. All of us had one, but I still felt out in the open with the possibility that Aedra could find us. Even though I'm Cathay, I'm only slightly taller than the Suthay-raht. The Suthay-raht are the normal Khajiits that everyone sees, but I'm Cathay. Cathay are taller, more built. I'm built more for strength than speed. That being said, I stand around fix foot, while the other Khajiit are about 5'10". I know it's not a great difference, but it's just a genetic thing decided by the moon's position. Well, that and I'm a dark-fur. That's from being raised in the tropics, though. Most dark-furs live in the tropics, while the yellow-furs live in the desert settlements.

"Cosmos, I can see the city." Do'Risan said to me as he called from the front of the carriage. He was the one directing our Senche. He was also our leader. He was one of the best warriors that has ever served our Mane. He was a master of Whispering Fang and the weapon forms of Rawlith Khaj. We were his team. "Luna, Twilight. Remember, keep your eyes open. We're coming up to a port town known for illegal trading and pirating. Those blasted dark humans and elves both have eyes in this city. Our females are known to be kidnapped and sold into slavery. Stick close and scream if one of those bastards grabs you."

J'Rinma, aka Twilight, scoffed under her face mask, leaning on her legs. "Can't we just let them kidnap us and see where we end up? I could help release some prisoners in Morrowind or Hammerfell."

Do'Risan laughed and turned to look back at us. "Twilight, that's not our assignment. However, when this war is over…perhaps we'll run a few operations in Morrowind."

Twilight smiled through her mask. "Thanks, Jode."

Ma'Trinjje, aka Luna, fidgeted in her seat. "Jode? Are we going to use our codenames in the city walls? Won't it seem weird that we're calling ourselves by the names of stars and lunar conditions?"

Do'Risan seemed to consider this. "Would you rather we call each other by our names while in the city owned by a powerful drug lord who has agents in every town in Elsweyr? Would you care if your family was put in danger because your name was whispered in the corners of a pub?"

Ma'Trinjje paused as she started her rebuttal. "Well…what about fake names? Completely normal, fake names."

Do'Risan nodded. "Ok, that sounds fair. I shall be named Dro'Indra. It was the name of my old man."

"Dro?" J'Rinma echoed. "We're calling you 'old man'? Why not your Do' honorific?"

Do'Risan pulled on the reigns, the Senche coming to a stop. He turned to face us. "No one must know that I'm a Do'. They'll suspect me of either mastering a martial art, or being an agent of the Mane. No…but if they believe I'm an old man…perhaps the father of you three…it will be easier to work undercover. So, for this to work, Cosmos is my nephew who is traveling with us. You two are my daughters, since we're all Suthay-raht and orange-furred, while Cosmos is gray-furred and Cathay."

Ma'Trinjje nodded to that. "He is kinda…hunky. I mean, uh…of a different subspecies. I guess it would make since that he's not related directly to us." She looked over at Do'Risan, saying, "What should I be called? I'm guessing something beginning with M', right?"

Do'Risan shook his head as he signaled for the Senche to begin pulling the carriage forward. "No, of course not. J'Ariana; that will be your name. If the slavers know you're a virgin…we'd draw unwanted attention to ourselves." He looked back at J'Rinma. "You will be Ja'Pran."

"That's an unattractive name." J'Rinma replied, sourly.

"Good." Do'Risan replied back. He looked over at me. "A big boy like you will need the palest of names. Something so bland that no one would think you were a threat. How about a slave name? Whiskers."

"Whiskers?" I said back. "A pet name?"

He nodded. "Yup. But…you're also my nephew…so…no, that won't do. J'Erian. That's a common name for the southern tribes."

J'Erian? That wasn't such a bad name. There were a hundred J'Erians in the south. It was such a common name that if anyone heard it, no one would think a second thought about it. Not to mention, no one would know where to begin looking. Unless they could see into my past, there was no way of knowing where to begin.

"Look unimposing, everyone. We're coming up the city gates now." Do'Risan said. "There may be readers in this town, so no even thinking of our proper names from here on out."

I guess Dro'Indra had a point. Readers were everywhere in this town. They were a once spiritual group of Khajiit monks that spent time reading into people's past so that the history may be written down in some archives around Elsweyr. These spiritual monks have been taken over by the skooma trade and forced to read the minds of others for business purposes. If a reader knew we were hiding our names, it would be enough suspicion for the sugar-tooths to come find us.

The carriage came to a stop outside the city gate. Two imposing Cathay-raht, much taller and bulkier than me but orange-furred, stood at the gate with two large pole-arm glaives. Both of the guards walked up to our carriage, keeping their glaives aimed at our Senche. The one on the right looked up at my uncle, saying, "What is your business in Rimmen?"

Dro'Indra, cleared his throat, looking frail and exhausted by the heat. "My family is seeking shelter from the sandstorm. Our farm was destroyed by a swarm of flying orange-robed monsters. We're all that survived. Please…we're very thirsty and tired from our trip."

The guard nodded his head. "Refugees, huh? Well, you've come to the right town. We have many refugees in Rimmen. Just stay clear of the dark alleys and you won't find yourself in the hands of the Crushers."

"The Crushers?" Ja'Pran asked. "Who are the Crushers?"

The other guard looked over at her, scanning her over-clothed body. "Bad people that would do bad things to you. They work for the Ya'Tirrje."

The other guard scoffed at that. "Please, he's just a myth. He doesn't exist." He looked over at us, nodding. "But, all the same, keep your eyes open. Things aren't right…something just feels off these days. It's like a tension that's building, a silence before a storm. I've warned Councilor Ri'Pruta about my suspicions, but I've been demoted from Detective to gate guard."

Dro'Indra nodded to the gate guard. "You're loyal to the Councilor, then?" When the gate guard nodded, Dro'Indra reached out and patted the guy on the shoulder. "Rest easily. I'm sure things around here will work out for the better."

The gate guards started searching through our possessions and our bodies. I had to strip off my face mask and my cloak while one of the gate guards patted me down, no doubt looking for my Akaviri katana and my ebony bow. All our weapons and armor were placed in our astral bag, which was a tiny purse hanging on J'Ariana's belt.

I brought my attention back to the gate guard that was once a detective. He was looking at the ring on my finger. "I've seen these around. It's a ring imbued with Illusion magic. I think it's Soul Separation." He looked up at me. "Where did you get this ring? They're usually given to scouts and soldiers of the Mane." He looked around at us all. His eyes darted from me, over to Dro'Indra, then to J'Ariana and Ja'Pran. When it finally clicked, he cleared his throat, smiling at me with knowing eyes. "Welcome to Rimmen. I'll open the gates, now."

Dro'Indra walked over to the gate guard, pulling him aside. "Let's talk for a second."

"Of course, sir." The guard replied.

I watched as the two of them walked off into the desert. They talked for a few seconds before they returned, the guard smiling from ear-to-ear. "No, I disagree. I think the Orcrest Silent Ones have a better chance at winning this year's gladiatorial games. They'll beat Dune's Blades in a heartbeat."

Dro'Indra laughed as they walked back. "I've been alive a long time, young one. The Blades have tricks up their sleeves that we haven't seen in this season yet." He nodded to the gate. "Ok, sir. Please let us through now." He waited as the guard walked away. Once he was out of earshot, Dro'Indra walked up to me, smiling. "The guard might be on our side. He was happy to know that we represent the Mane in an operation of finding and killing the Ya'Tirrje. He knows that if he betrays us it will lead to war with all of Elsweyr. Hopefully, our operation will be swift and we can get onto our other assignments."

We loaded into our carriage and rode into the city. The attitude of the city hit us fast. It was amazing how quickly the day went from gloomy and filled with sand to gloomy and filled with trash. The only Khajiits I could see were sugar-tooths. Sugar-tooths lied outside of allies, eyes wide and dilated. They sickened me. I could see elves walking past the dilated Khajiits with interested eyes. No wonder elves thought we were all drug-takers. I wanted nothing more than to jump off this carriage and beat the shit out of the dilated sugar-tooth. The image it represented put us lower on the evolutionary chain.

J'Ariana noticed my claw clench up into a fist. I was drawing blood from my claws. She shifted from her seat over to next to me. "Hey, J'Erian…stay calm. No need to make a scene."

I released a building breath, and with it the tension as well. "Yeah. Thanks, J'Ariana." I didn't take my eyes off the sugar-tooth, who smiled up at the sun with glazed-over eyes. My tail started flicking and I couldn't get it to stop. "I just hate all that stereotypical crap. Everyone looks down on us because they think we're all skooma-lickers. Sure, I like moon sugar, but I don't take it until I'm moon-staring. And because we're looked down on, I hate people that lord their position over everyone else."

"So, you hate the Mane?" Dro'Indra said.

I shook my head. I didn't mean it like that. "No, he's a reasonable leader. He doesn't run around demanding unfavorable actions from his citizens. If he did use his position to make other people's lives unreasonably unfair, then I'd hate him too."

"It's completely normal to feel how you feel, J'Erian. Stereotypical behavior only serves to divide the borders of the other races. To say that one race behaves exclusively one way sends the wrong message that however you are born is how you will act. Unfortunately, for us Khajiits, the moons dictate who we will become. We live very stereotypical lives that can be predicted by the position of the moon. It's unfair, but that's our life. The moon sugar we grow has become part of our culture. For us, it is holy. The Argonians took it and made it into the substance known as skooma. They made us what we have become. Slavery has done a lot to further our cause of being seen as equal citizens of Tamriel. The elves see us as labor work, an animal to pull weeds from the ground." He shook his head. "Trust me, I understand your views, J'Erian. But, we must stay on mission. I think I know where we need to start."

He parked the carriage out by a skooma den. Sugar-tooths littered the entrance way. Some Khajiits were snorting moon sugar; others were ingesting it through sweet-tasting cupcakes. I could see some lean Suthay standing near the entrance to the den. I could smell the skooma; it was heavy in the air. It made my eyes water. It also made me feel very hungry.

Dro'Indra turned around from his seat, glancing at us. "Ok, J'Ariana and Ja'Pran. I want you two to go down and see about making some friends. Dress accordingly." He looked over at me. "J'Erian, you and I are going to meet the good Councilor. See if we can get more information."

We all hopped out of the carriage. I jumped off first and helped J'Ariana and Ja'Pran as they carefully climbed down. I was strong so I could easily help them both as they hopped into the muddy road. It wasn't even six seconds before a Bosmer walked up to us. He had bags under his eyes, and his eyes twitched rapidly as they scanned the area for any hostiles. "Hey…" He said, leaning over to us. "You look like you could use a relaxer. How about some Hist sap or some skooma?"

"Why? Because I'm a Khajiit? You think I enjoy getting high because I'm a Khajiit?" I whispered to him, grabbing him by the front of his tunic.

He pushed me off, bringing his hands above his head. "Whoa, whoa. Calm down, buddy. Ok, ok. I can see that you're not interested." He looked at Ja'Pran, looking her over. "Hey, welcome to Rimmen, beauty. Mind if I buy you a mead?"

She looked over at him, her eyes wide. "Why I'll…" She paused and looked over at Dro'Indra. He nodded in response. She sighed in contempt, shrugging. "Sure, why not." She walked up to him, throwing her arms around his torso, pulling him close to her. "Someone as handsome as you must know a lot about this city. It's just too big and intimidating for someone like me. Mind showing me around, like a tour or something?"

The Bosmer nodded. "Why of course."

"Do you mind if my sister comes with us? We get so lonely when we're not together." Ja'Pran said if a fake pout to it. She was really selling her weak helpless Khajiit teen perfectly.

The Bosmer looked over at J'Ariana, looking her over. He beamed at the opportunity of having two Khajiit teens to escort around the town. "Of course, of course! I'd be more than happy to show you lovely ladies around town."

J'Ariana looked over at me, a little uncertain of this. But she stepped up to the Bosmer, taking his other hand. "Ok, first up, I'll show you to one of the best pubs in Rimmen." He said as he started walking away.

Dro'Indra waved at me to follow him. When I caught up to the already leaving old man, I said, "Uncle, why did you let your two daughters leave with that shady person on a double-date?"

He sighed, looking at me. "I guess I don't pull off the whole protective father figure, do I?" When I shook my head, he shrugged. "We can't pull off this mission quickly if I'm acting like a perfect father. We'll fit in easier if I let them go off and get intelligence their way. They're great assassins, J'Erian, don't forget. And being led around by a local drug seller. I'm sure they'll find out where the skooma trade leader is hiding. I sure hope we find him soon. This town doesn't seem like it did ten years ago. It seems so much more chaotic and infected. I assume our mission has only just begun here."

Cearbhail: This part of the tale will be short-ish. But if you know the history of Rimmen and its fate, I'm sure you know how this part of the story will end. However, this is just the beginning of the story for Ja'Daan and his fellow squadmates.