Mordenna had to guess that he'd done something wrong, that mission. Why else would he be getting called up to the Commander's Quarters?
As he paced down the halls of the Avenger, subconsciously ducking through doorways, his brain had already been thinking on why from the moment he was asked to come up. Maybe it was staying to kill guards while he had Sammy on his shoulders. Maybe it was being intimidating to Edgar? Truthfully, Mordenna knew the most likely reason... he just didn't want to think about what it'd mean if Eliza brought it up.
After all, he was pretty much sure that the conversation he had with his sister had more of an audience than just the rest of Menace One-Five. The Hunter was now acutely aware of the things he had said to Fal-Mai, and just how angry he had started to get. Not the aloofness he usually put forward, or even the smug satisfaction that she was in that situation and he wasn't. He was driven almost entirely out of spite, after all. To see the Assassin still floundering in the Elders' "guidance" should've left him laughing in her face.
But she had to reveal that she and Jax had been punished after he'd been kidnapped.
He'd initially kept himself distanced from the idea of them still suffering at the Elders' hands with the thought that they'd never flay the other two alive like they did him. But if Fal-Mai was to be believed, they did just that, and based on her reaction, it must've hurt in more ways than one. If Fal-Mai was like that, god knows how Jax felt, such a punishment coming down on him.
Mordenna scowled. More and more unwanted emotions had been coming to assault him with his short stint at XCOM so far. Why was there a knot in his stomach as he thought over all of it? Well... he said it himself. The Elders really had no justified cause to punish them. Even if his siblings had come to his aid, Mordenna wouldn't have let them. Pride, for one, and still just hating them, for another. They were just puppets for Cronus and Helena, after all. Not so much "children" as they were ways to prove superiority. So why was he still hung up on this? Was he starting to consider them...?
"God," he said to no one in particular, "I'm starting to re-think this whole 'joining XCOM' business. If I didn't know any better, I'd say it was making me grow a conscience." The Hunter, with a conscience? Hardly a Hunter at all, in his eyes. "I'm not the Hunter anymore. I've been changed. Morphed, against my will! Curse the Commander and her wiles."
Oh, god, no thinking on the Commander's charms. Mordenna swiftly clamped his mouth shut and resumed his silence just in time for him to end up at the door to her quarters. He tapped the access panel and stepped inside when the door opened.
The Commander's Quarters were a pretty cushy operation, considering everything. A bed, a desk with a huge screen, an upright dresser, and a door to what Mordenna could only guess was a personal bathroom. There were even displays in the walls near the door—mostly pictures and models, but in one of this displays, there was a coat. It looked like it hadn't been worn in a while, but kept in good shape regardless. Mordenna wracked his brain for what military outfit it belonged to, but came up with nothing in his database. Maybe it was for her time during the First Contact.
In the center of the room was a table surrounded by two loveseats and two chairs, and on one of the former sat Eliza. She nodded to Mordenna as he entered, gesturing to sit down. "Mordenna. Glad to see you, and nice work on the last mission. Things went a lot smoother thanks to you."
Huh. Recognition for his skill? The Hunter was almost surprised. So almost-surprised that he didn't notice he'd complied with sitting down until he was reclined in the chair across from her. "Well, well, trying to butter me up, Eliza? I'm flattered, but I'm pretty sure you didn't come up here to compliment me and give me a congratulatory snog."
Eliza chuckled, leaning back in her seat. "Catch me when I've had a few and we'll see about that." Now that made some of the emotions Mordenna wished he could shoot take note and he internally sighed. Thankfully, Eliza moved on quickly and she cleared her throat, straightening. "I must also commend you for your efforts against your sister, and for fighting her off at a close-range disadvantage. But, you're right, I'm not here to compliment you all day."
Mordenna immediately clued into what she wanted to discuss and he held up a hand, shaking his head. "Y'know that was just to distract her," he excused himself with, hoping to get Eliza off this topic. He knew that one of the things Eliza wanted to do was help him out in this area, sure, but actually letting her help was a different shooting range. "Meant nothing to me, really."
The Commander fixed him with a look that screamed she wasn't buying it. Still, when she spoke, her voice was gentle. "Mordenna, based on previous observations, you aren't one to get agitated like you did within visible range of anyone. You obviously meant what you said to her." Her face softened further. "Do you want to talk?"
Honestly, Mordenna couldn't look at her. Not when she looked so concerned. Yeah, she had shown this level of concern and care at the start, but for her to actually follow up on it? To not just use it to sucker him in and then treat him like any other soldier in her command? It threw Mordenna's brain for a loop. He was already trying to justify it to himself. Of course, the Commander was smarter than that. She'd just continue to pretend to care for a bit before she actually dropped the act, to convince him it was real before finding reasons to wean him off of it.
But even so... there was a part of him that wanted to believe she was being truthful. He hadn't talked to anyone about what the Elders had done to him for fifteen years. Maybe a barbed, vague remark at Jax or Fal-Mai, but that was it. There was a lot inside of him that was screaming to be let out, and if Eliza could help...?
His silence must've spoke volumes, because Eliza leaned forward. "It's alright if you don't want to talk about it right now, but it's something I want to cover eventually. I care for you, and I want you to know that."
Eliza offering that he didn't have to talk about it right now could go one of two ways in his mind. He could take the offer and kick this particular can down the road, or he could talk about it now and... his mind didn't really want to approach that possibility. Actually talking about what happened with him and the Elders? Unheard of. But the same part of him that seemed to look upon Eliza a lot more fonder than what he was comfortable with nudged him to take this time with her.
Of course, just to be contrarian, he managed to think of something that would neither take nor deny her offer. "Well, Eliza, I can't help but be hesitant knowing that you're going to do this spiel with my other two siblings. After all, I can only imagine looking after me is gonna put a few more gray hairs on that head of yours. What do you think looking after Fal-Mai and, god forbid, Jax as well is going to do to you?"
Eliza raised an eyebrow at that, which immediately made Mordenna suspicious. "It sounds to me that you're concerned about my health, Hunter, which I nevertheless appreciate."
"Hey," he said, pointing at her, "don't you get me marked as the caring type. I'll leave that to you if that's your angle. I'm just saying you're gonna do a piss-poor job if you're trying to divide your attention between no less than three Chosen."
The Commander smiled kindly. "And you think I haven't been dividing my attention since day one? Factions, my own soldiers, resources, and keeping tabs on that Avatar Project... I've had my hands full for as long as I've known, and I'd like to think I've proven I can handle it. If you not getting enough care is your concern, please don't worry. I fully intend on giving you the attention you deserve."
Something seemed lacking about that whole plan, and it seemed like it was Eliza's plan for herself. Mordenna couldn't help but think that it all left so little room for herself at the end of the day. Then again, she was XCOM's Commander. Perhaps she made it work. So the Hunter sighed, conceding the point. "Alright, alright. Let's say I believe you for now. At the very least, I guess I'll be having fun hunting down my sister for the last time."
At that, Eliza's mouth settled into a worried line, an expression that practically read "about that." "Mordenna, I would highly value your expertise on the upcoming Stronghold Assault... but I don't think you should be going, in the interest of your sister's life. I know you won't hesitate to pull the trigger while her sarcophagus is in one piece, and I appreciate that. What I worry about is you not hesitating to pull the trigger when it's not."
Well, Mordenna couldn't accuse Eliza of being unable to predict him... as much as her saying that hit right home. Yeah, he probably would at least give a lot of thought to killing off Fal-Mai for good. More attention for him, didn't have to deal with her on the Avenger, and it would be the best revenge. If Eliza had sent him out there without taking that into consideration... then again, she is the Commander. Her taking it into account just further reinforced that.
Still, he couldn't let it slide so easily. He didn't have the pride of his brother, but he had some. "Eliza! One of the few reasons I join up with you and your kindergarten class and you take it away from me? Again with these trust issues... what've you got against me, Lizzie?"
"After last mission, where you opted to stay and fire on security personnel with the VIP on your shoulders? I'm sorry to say that in regards to being bloodthirsty, I trust you in that department."
Ooh. Damn, Eliza was good. "Alright, damn, Commander. Hit me right on the mark. Got another question for you, though." He gestured at her. "Why didn't you stop me?"
Eliza responded smoothly. "Would you have listened?"
The Commander had him down two to zero, and the Hunter never liked being down in score. Granted, it was all fair points she was making, but that didn't make them sting any less. His mouth settled into a line. "... what if I said 'yes' to that, Eliza?"
At that look, Eliza clasped her hands, straightening up again. "Then I would apologize for misreading your character as such, and work with you to be more proactive about giving you orders in the future. But if your answer is no, I'll explain that instead of potentially losing time trying to order you from your spot, I moved to the communication channels of the others to guide them out and into position."
As always, Eliza's way of approaching things was intriguing, and a bit impressive. Instead of wasting her breath on him, she opted to communicate with the people who would listen, and arguably who needed it a bit more. That first part got his attention, too... Actual apology on the part of a authority figure? The Hunter could hardly believe his ears. Then again, it could just be hot air. It was one thing to say something, another thing entirely to actually do it.
But before the Hunter could press anything about it, he watched as Eliza ever so slightly looked to her right, brows knitting. "From who?" She asked, and the Hunter supposed she was communicating through an earpiece or the like. After a moment, the Hunter spotted Eliza go through all five stages of grief, before sighing and standing up. "I'll be heading down shortly."
Mordenna quirked an eyebrow, moving to stand. Curious. "What's got your attention, Liz?"
"That was Bradford. I've got a call in Resistance Communications—from Volk." She looks at him pointedly. "Assuredly about you, considering the Reapers have eyes everywhere."
At that, Mordenna couldn't help but grin. "Oh, what, Lizzie? Didn't clear me hanging with your crew with everyone?"
"Just not Volk," she said, walking past him, "or Geist..." That was definitely resigned dread in her voice, which was morbidly amusing. The Hunter supposed he'd be seeing more stuff like Eliza trying to juggle everything at once, if he was staying. He didn't want to think too much on it, though—because his next line of thought was how much it must be wearing her down and that would imply he cared. Couldn't cop to that.
Discarding his thoughts, he walked along behind her. He hadn't been dismissed, so he figured Eliza either was fine with him following or wanted him to. "Oh, this'll be fun," he joked to fill the silence, "Can't wait to see the look on that old bastard's face when he sees me looming behind you."
"Assuredly it'll be hilarious," she quipped right back, pleasing the Hunter, "for all of three seconds. I'm sure you'll get at least six out of it, but sadly I have to deal with him being angry about all of this, and Volk kicked up enough of a fuss about me working with the Skirmishers."
"I'd like to see him look Sammy in the eye and tell him he ain't no good. He'd probably manage it, but still. Would justify the resulting asskicking."
"Oh, get in line, Mordenna. Both the line for kicking Volk's ass and the line for appreciating Samhien."
Eliza rounded a corner and Mordenna followed. "And what about Geist, Liz? I can only imagine you're going to immediately lose those Templars over this, especially when you reveal that you're going to do this spiel with the Warlock."
She waved it off, but his eyes could pick out how tense her neck was. "Implying I'm not always wrestling with him regarding his support? If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was wanting us to fail." Eliza nodded to some passing soldiers, waiting until they were gone to resume speaking. "If he wasn't such a pretty face..."
Hmmmmm. Her saying that... didn't sit the best with him. The Hunter knew exactly why and hated that it did. Eliza was human. Visually, at least—the Elders had gotten some work done on her. Point being, he shouldn't be thinking about what he was at all. Mordenna let out a short "hmph." "Letting your worldly attractions influence your choices of allies, Eliza?"
She laughed, shaking her head. "If that's your angle, you're going to have to catch me out on all three of them, and plenty of others. I'm a sucker for a pretty face."
Assuredly, his wasn't in the mix. He crossed his arms, and was he getting a bit testy? God, you're a child. "Good to know the commander of XCOM can let her lust influence her decisions."
The Commander shrugged, stopping in front of a door. "I wouldn't put it that way. I can appreciate a nice person while also separating their actions from them, and judging how I want to proceed. Lust almost never comes into it."
Still, Mordenna found himself fixating on it, and he didn't particularly like that. It wasn't like Eliza would like him like that anyway, right? He was a Chosen, after all, and he was the Hunter. Then again, Betos was apparently on her list of attractions, which gave him hope he didn't want. He let the topic go as Eliza opened the door, stepping inside.
Ducking under the doorframe, the Hunter could pick this room out as the Resistance room. The banners of all three factions hung on the walls, and in the middle of the room was a planning table. On the far wall was a giant screen, which was currently tuned to Volk's very tense face.
"Eliza." He began, and the Hunter got the firm impression that he was staring at him. "Why is he free? I thought you told me you had him under wraps. And what the hell was he doing in the field?"
Eliza walked up to the table, taking a place that the Hunter could see was ever so minorly worn down. "Volk, if one of your scouts in the field saw him, then assuredly they also saw how he didn't hesitate to kill his sister and rescued our second Skirmisher operative himself, yes? Or did your scouts decide that not important enough to share?"
Volk rubbed at his face, still eyeing the Hunter. Tellingly, he said nothing on that. "You're still letting an alien run around your ship. I can deal with Skirmishers, Commander. They've proven themselves."
Oh, the Hunter couldn't help himself. An old memory was calling to him, one he couldn't quite grasp—but it leaned him into quipping. "My, my, Konstantine Volikov? Accepting Skirmishers? Who are you and what have you done with Volk since I've been gone?"
The familiarity of his tone no doubt was what set Volk's face further into distaste. "Unlike you, who's been barking as the Elders' dog, the Commander's been busy fighting a war and showing who her worthy allies are."
Volk never lost his ability to bite. Though why Mordenna was familiar with that, he couldn't say. But hey, if it annoyed Volk? Good enough for him. Still, being accused as a dog of the Elders didn't exactly make him happy. "And so, by recruiting me, Eliza has declared me as an ally, hasn't she? Sounds like someone has me mistaken for my brother—if anybody, you should be calling him the dog." A wicked grin grew. "Oh, but something tells me you won't be happy to hear what Eliza wants to do with the Warlock and the Assassin, either..."
Volk looked back to Eliza. "Eliza."
Eliza was currently facing the screen, but Mordenna could tell by the way she set back her shoulders that what he said wasn't exactly welcome. "He's right, Volk, and while I would've like to explain that myself," no doubt aimed at Mordenna, "It's true, and something I wanted to bring up sooner rather than later."
Volk gestured to them. "I would've thought 'sooner' would be before you're letting that maniac run amok."
Eliza sighed, but kept her posture straight. "I realize that, and I apologize. I was hoping to do this on better terms, but Samhien was kidnapped, and we got the tip fairly early, and Mordenna was one of the best men for the job. I would've sent Wukong, but... he's still recovering. And you are still in possession of Outrider for right now."
Volk didn't look like he was happy with that still, but some tension left his face. Eliza certainly was good at this whole "apologizing" bit. "Well... better than me thinking you weren't thinking, which I wouldn't put you up to." Then, a bit of worry slipped into his expression. "Are you really going to do this with all the Chosen? Him, sure. But the other two seem less likely to play nice."
Eliza swept her hand out, leaning over the table with the other. "Yes, and I understand that. But there is room to negotiate, and talking is one of the things I do best, Volk. Mordenna stands behind me, doesn't he?"
Volk simply regarded her and the Hunter for a minute. "What was the deal you two came to, exactly? I can't imagine you can offer him much that he can't just take."
Hm. The hand that was supporting Eliza on the table tensed up. Mordenna joined her in the mild abrasion, but shrugged it off, as he was wont to do. "As much as I would absolutely love to," he began, "I can't take on the Elders alone, y'know. And I've got a lot of pent-up hate for those bastards. It'd be more satisfying to one-man army them, and sure, maybe I could pull it off! But working with XCOM makes it easier, and maybe a touch more fun. I'm allowed to design my own toys here, of course, and I get to shoot game the Elders didn't want me to. For now, it's paradise."
"And when the war's over?"
Mordenna grinned. "'We'll burn that bridge when we get to it.'"
Volk looked at him for a moment longer before sighing, rubbing his forehead. "Fine. Alright. If anybody has it handled, I guess it's you, Eliza. God knows it would've been easier to just off him, but..."
"Konstantine Volikov, I don't know if you know," Eliza said, and her smile could be heard through her words, "but I am Eliza O'Leary, Commander of XCOM. My portfolio includes surviving for twenty years in the Elders' drunk tank, converting a Chosen to my side, and never taking the easiest option."
Now that was enough to earn a smirk out of Volk, but it settled into something more neutral quickly. Eliza pressed on. "But, to sum it up: yes. I am prepared to face the consequences if things don't go well and I am fully ready to issue kill orders if things get hairy—but not without having tried everything within reason, first. I ask for your patience for a bit, and if I miss my mark critically? I invite you to lead XCOM in my stead."
He leaned back in his chair, a fair bit more relaxed than he was before. A smile worked its way back to his face. "Leading XCOM? Me? I think I'll pass, Liz. I'll be willing to go along with all of this... provided you give me a definite date on that romantic dinner."
Mockingly, Mordenna gagged behind Eliza. The Commander herself laughed, straightening back up. "Oh, alright. I need to drop by your headquarters for some business, anyhow. We're planning to assault the Assassin's Stronghold within the week, so... I would estimate about a week out, depending on where you guys have set up shop."
Volk nodded, grabbing a pen and paper and jotting something down. "I'll have one of the gammas send you our latest coordinates." Ah, the paperwork jockeys of the Reapers. Every faction needed them. No, the Hunter didn't know exactly why he knew that. Perhaps it was a tidbit he had picked up on a hunt, once. "I'm holding you to this, Eliza."
"So long as you'll give what I'm doing a shot."
Volk stopped writing, seemingly fixing them both with a serious stare. "So long as you remember the death on his hands, Commander."
There was a moment of silence. Eliza had gone still. Then, she spoke. "Is the death on my hands any different?"
He shook his head sternly. "Aliens don't count, Eliza."
"I wasn't talking about the aliens."
Now that... that stopped Volk up, and the Hunter too. Right. Eliza, despite everything, had been a battery for the Network for twenty years. Not just that—the Elders' main computational lead. The one guiding their soldiers through every raid, every pull of the trigger—and this wasn't even counting her previous military experience, which led her to this point. No doubt, the Commander had seen even more death than the Hunter had. It was a pretty serious subject... which, naturally, meant that Mordenna didn't like thinking over it.
Eliza, apparently, didn't like lingering on it either. She cleared her throat. "So long as you know that, I think we can reach a mutual agreement. Is that all?"
Volk shifted in his seat, nodding shallowly. "That'd be it. Volk out."
With that, the connection closed, and the feed cut. That left Mordenna and Eliza standing in the room, silence growing. Mordenna didn't like silence he didn't have to keep up. When he was hunting? Count him at a hush. Otherwise? "So, Eliza, by my recounting? You still have a 'Prophet' to call, and what fun that will be."
Looks like Eliza was wanting the change of subject—she turned to face him and smoothly responded. "Implying I don't have to face the music every day of my life? It'll be no different than what Volk just lambasted me with."
Snickering, Mordenna started to pace, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Oh, Commander. You're an awful riot to hang around, you know that? Makes playing for the good side fun."
"And worth it?"
"Hey now," he said, pointing at her, "baby steps. We'll see if it's 'worth it' if I survive my siblings living here. Still not thrilled about that, by the way. You get on me for my willingness to kill them, but what's to say the two of them won't jump me the first chance they get? Hell, what's to stop just Fal-Mai from murdering the fuck out of me?"
"Negotiations, naturally," Eliza began. "The fact that I've successfully talked with you will help in the end, and things will go a lot better if you at least don't attempt to kill them first. The first thing is showing them that things are safe here." Her gaze softened, and she clasped her hands in front of her. "None of that punishment to be had."
At that, the Hunter's jovial mood soured, and he looked to the side. "Yeah. Sure. Don't forget you're going up against the Elders here, Eliza. They can offer a lot more."
"The very same Elders flaying them alive in the first place, and cultivating such neglect that one of their children was easily willing to join the fight to kill them?"
Mordenna scowled. "You're missing something, Eliza. Those two are indoctrinated. I missed the mark because I was Ascended while I wasn't so impressionable, unlike Jax. Definitely not vat-grown, either. I was easy because I actively hated those bastards. The other two? Probably thinking they deserve that punishment. Probably thinking it's just their faults the Elders are hypocrites and don't know what they want out of kids." His voice dropped. "Probably happy that their 'miscreant brother' is out of the picture."
He could hear Eliza stepping closer to him and he tensed, waiting for some sort of reprimand. After all, it was pretty non-conducive to what she was trying to do by listing off everything against her. That was just fostering resentment. Eliza should be getting angry at him that he's being unhelpful, right?
Something touched his shoulder and he whipped his head back, eyes wide. Eliza was withdrawing her hand, looking at him with that soft expression from earlier. Was she... trying to comfort him? What...? "Well, I'm happy you're in my picture. Hopefully, I can get others to see that, too."
He... didn't have anything to say to that, for a moment. He really, really wasn't expecting that. Yeah, maybe Eliza had said she cared, maybe she said she wanted to show him what actual love is about, but he still wasn't thinking she'd follow up on it. His brain scrambled for something, anything to say. "You'll be fighting an uphill battle there, Lizzie." That'd do. More being difficult!
But, Eliza nodded sadly. "I know. Nothing's ever really easy. But I'm willing to work for it, like I'm willing to work with you."
Goddamnit, Eliza. You're supposed to give up. You're supposed to decide it's not worth it. Ain't nothing good can come out of me. After all, if she didn't care, it'd be easier to leave. Or, "leave," whatever happened first. He looked away again, mood decidedly somber. But... as always, the prospect of actually talking out his problems? Almost frightening, but under that fright was a certain willingness. The hope that maybe, just maybe, things could get better.
But this was a place too open. The communications channel could open. Somebody could walk in from outside. There were so many things that could go wrong and the Hunter's brain was happy to supply him with all of them. He shrugged, mostly to himself. There was always "later." "Guess we can trash that bridge when we get to it," he muttered.
"Later," Eliza said firmly. "Somewhere more quiet, more private. I really would like to talk seriously, Mordenna."
Shrugging again, he looked back to her. Thankfully, instead of setting a definite date for that, he remembered what she was supposed to be doing. "So. Calling Geist?"
Eliza looked back towards the monitor, and there was definitely a lot of hesitation on her face. Eliza, Commander of XCOM, unwilling to "face the music." She sighed. "Geist can know later. I've only got so many hours in the day and I can always call him up tomorrow, when we're gathering things together for the mission. Need a few days for Shen to finish fixing up SYN, anyhow."
A thought occurred to him and Mordenna was right back to grinning. "Oh, yeah, Commander. I'd say I did well on that mission. Where's my all-access pass to the Workshop?"
Now that brought a smile to Eliza's face and Mordenna found himself relaxing. "I'll let Shen know of your upgraded status, and one of your first orders of business can be helping her fix up SYN. You were the one who shot out his leg, after all."
"Yep! Shot him right on the mark, too. If you ask me, I've got about ten different ideas on how to piece those robots together better."
"Then by all means, share them with the Chief Engineer." Eliza gestured vaguely. "She's always looking for ways to improve our arsenal. I think she'll like your suggestions."
Honestly, Mordenna was pretty jazzed about getting an opportunity to do some personal projects that the Elders wouldn't let him do—as well as making changes to guns that would be mass-produced. They wouldn't let him change up any of the weaponry, supposedly because it's mean he was a better creator than they were, and they wouldn't have that within their increasingly short lifetimes. So hey, even if it meant fixing what he'd broken in the first place, he was a happy camper.
Eliza turned back to the table, accessing a panel on it and starting to navigate menus. "I've got a thing or two to handle before the day's out. Calling Betos, for one. I'm sure she'll want to hear of our success in getting one of her best Skirmishers back."
Mordenna looked towards the screen as it displayed "Connecting..." in the center. "Sure she's gonna be happy I'm in here with you? You've already gone and worried one faction today."
"Betos caught on quickly what my intentions for you and your siblings were, though maybe she was a bit inaccurate in coming to her conclusion. Nevertheless, I think she'd like to see you here and hear about how you played an integral part in rescuing Samhien."
"Somebody liking seeing me? Eliza, what notions do you have in your head?"
"Good ones, namely," she said, casting a smile his way. "After all, I'm pretty happy to see you here."
Goddamnit Eliza. He sighed. "This 'love and support' thing is giving me second thoughts," he shot back, decidedly joking.
Before Eliza could continue the banter, the screen came to life, showing Betos sitting at a table, the feed crackling for a bit before stabilizing. Her eyes came upon the Hunter and she looked rather surprised for a second, but the expression died quickly. "Commander. Hunter."
"Betos." Eliza nodded at her. "I'm here to report that the mission to rescue Samhien was an overwhelming success. Did more than rescue him—we got a new operative out of it and Mordenna here was the one who sprung Samhien from his jail."
That got a look of pleasant surprise out of Betos, and she smiled. "I see your efforts, as always, show their worth, Commander. To see one of the Chosen acting against the Elders will no doubt shake the faith in the False Gods."
"One of many benefits, I assure you. Now," Eliza said, "We're soon going to have a full squad ready for the mission of capturing the Assassin. Samhien is too injured to participate, but rest assured, Mox will be on the mission."
Betos chuckled. "I find that well! He will no doubt revel in the chance to prove his skills against the Assassin."
The Hunter couldn't handle being silent any longer. Quipping it was. "I'm pretty sure he'll also appreciate the chance to turn the tables on her and show her what being captured is like. Maybe it'll fly over his head, maybe it won't, but I'll laugh at it."
"All very good reasons," Betos grinned, "and I have confidence that Eliza will be able to guide her soldiers to victory."
"Vote of confidence accepted and appreciated," Eliza said.
Betos clasped her hands together on the table. "As always, Commander. I must take a moment to thank you—and the Hunter—for rescuing Samhien from the Assassin. For a Skirmisher to endure the Assassin's captivity and live to tell the tale will be a great boon to morale. The fact that he was rescued by the Chosen Hunter will also do wonders for Hunter Mordenna's image amongst the Skirmishers. Actions speak the loudest, after all."
"Hardly need to tell me twice." Eliza stood up straight. "Thank you in turn, Betos. I appreciate your assistance at every turn. I always count getting to discuss things with you as a good thing—you tend to understand."
Now, the feed wasn't so good on color definition, but Mordenna could swear he spotted a hue of orange coming to Betos's face. Well, if it did, it was gone as soon as it came. She nodded. "Your appreciation is noted, Commander. Will that be all?"
"That'd be it."
"Understood. Good luck, Commander." With that, the feed cut once more. Eliza gathered a paper or two on the table.
Mordenna couldn't help but still feel disappointed that he wasn't going on the action to perturb his sister. But, then again, there was always to option of poking at her when she was in her cell aboard here. If the Commander allowed that, mind, but he felt like if he could eke in a talk with her, he might be trusted enough to go annoy his sister unsupervised. Then again, that meant having a talk with the Commander, and wouldn't that be fun?
Eliza finished gathering a few documents, turning to leave. Mordenna watched her go for a bit before the silence got to him. "Now, where ya jetting off to, Lizzie?"
She looked back, smiling at him. "With luck, to your sister's doorstep."
