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Ra'Jirra was unceremoniously dumped into what appeared to be little better than a broom closet, and the door locked behind her. It was nearly pitch black within, but her eyes soon adjusted to the gloom.

"A khajiit? What are you doing here?" whispered a voice from the gloom, obviously argonian.

"Getting imprisoned it appears. You?" Ra'Jirra answered quietly.

The argonian's head lowered to to her chest. "Failing."

"Well, if you don't mind, I need to do a little clothing alteration. I got my bikini top ripped." Ra'Jirra said and proceeded to tie it back together sufficient for modesty if not fashion. The rest of it was barely hanging together by threads anyway.

"Well, welcome to the Dominion prison. I don't think they really thought they'd ever have to put anyone in here before, or they wouldn't be storing all this stuff in here. And that door isn't reinforced. We could probably pry it open with some of these tools."

"If there weren't a big hulking argonian on the other side. I suspect that will just get you some bruises at best," Ra'Jirra said.

"Oh. It's guarded? I wouldn't know. I was unconscious when they threw me in here. We might as well introduce ourselves. My name is Wears-Only-Ropes. What's your name?"

Ra'Jirra turned to look at the argonian closer. "You are Wears-Only-Ropes? Really?! I was looking for you! My name is Ra'Jirra. I'm an agent of the HMSS from Elsweyr."

"Me? Why?"

"You survived the wreck of the Imperial ship right? At least, that's what the rumor was. Reached us all the way in Elsweyr that there was a survivor. Mostly I wanted to learn what happened, but from what I've since found out, I think I know already."

"Did you come in through the cove? You must have seen that underwater ship."

"Oh yes. Hell, I was in it. Tried to destroy it, but apparently the water-bullets are stronger than I'd hoped."

"You tried to destroy it? When? I did too!"

"Just a few minutes ago I guess. I tried to destroy their powered bombs."

"I went for the engine room in the back. Weapons would have been smarter."

"Yeah, well I accomplished nothing but getting myself thrown in here for all my smarts. Frankly, I'm surprised I'm still alive."

"Me too. They certainly don't need me. But they don't know who I am."

"No? Oh. That could be helpful," Ra'Jirra said and her brain went into action.

"Wears-Only-Ropes, we've got to get you out of here. You are an eyewitness to what happened, and you've seen the underwater ship out there. The Imperials and Hammerfell will listen to you. If we can't destroy that ship, your testimony can still prevent a war and get the two human nations to know who their real enemy is."

Wears-Only-Ropes considered it. "But, I've got to destroy that ship! They killed every friend I had!"

"Let me handle the ship. If you see a chance to get out of here, take it. There's an argonian named Geeus in Archon. Try to find him. He'll get you back to Cyrodiil or wherever you want to go, but they must know what happened. If you did destroy the ship no one will know, and eventually the altmer will just build another. Do you think you could swim all the way to Argonia from here?"

"Ra'Jirra, I'm a sailor. I live at sea. Swimming from here to Argonia would be nothing."

"Then do it."

"If I can get out of here, I will. But how do we do that?"

"I don't know. I have a friend out there that may be able to figure something out, but don't count on it. He has... limited physical ability."

*****************

Hours later, nature reared its ugly head. There were no provisions for them in the room either.

Ra'Jirra knocked on the door. "Excuse me, Mr. Guard sir. We... have needs. Can you at least get us a pot or something?"

She heard no sound from the other side.

"SIR?" she called.

The door opened and a large pot was shoved through the door. Ra'Jirra got a look at the burly argonian's arm. It was as big as her thigh.

"Well, judging by what I saw, we're not getting past him easily," she told Wears-Only-Ropes. "And I don't think we're going to be able to pry that lock free without him noticing."

"Damn. It's not like this is a proper cell anyway. Just a glorified broom closet really."

That started Ra'Jirra thinking. She looked at the ceiling but it was solid rock. One wall was also solid, but the other was just wooden. She looked at Wears-Only-Ropes. "What do you think?"

"Going to take a while, but apparently we have time."

They scrounged around for tools for a little bit, as quietly as they could. Wears-Only-Ropes came up with a stout wire from a bucket handle that she bent back and forth until it broke in two, then they both rubbed one end against the solid floor until they'd fashioned a couple of serviceable gouges. Then they moved a shelf to the other wall and began scratching at one of the wooden planks.

Some time later the door opened and they quickly hid their tools, trusting in the darkness of the room to give them a split second. The argonian said nothing but took the pot out and they heard the lock turn.

"Whew!" Ra'Jirra said, finally breathing again.

"This is going to take an awfully long time," Wears-Only-Ropes said.

"Going anywhere?"

The argonian chuckled and got back to work.

Some hours and two pots later, the door opened again.

"Cat." said their guard.

She looked at Wears-Only-Ropes whose fear was evident, but she slid the wire gouge under a shelf and stood up.

"Come," came the raspy argonian voice.

"Man of few words," Ra'Jirra said, but he grabbed her arm with a vice-like grip and led her out.

"And no sense of humor," she added.

An altmer was in the hallway where she saw a chair had been set up beside the door. She noted the room beside where her 'prison' was. It appeared to be some sort of classroom, large and with windows that looked out on darkness now. If they could get out through the wall, that would afford them a good chance of escape.

The altmer led the way up two flights of stairs and down another hallway to a large room at the end. The altmer opened the door and her guard forced her into the room. She noticed he stayed inside, guarding the door with his body.

Within, another altmer rose from behind a large desk. He wore a uniform that bespoke a high leadership role in the Dominion.

"Well! So it is you. Welcome Ra'Jirra. Won't you sit here? Yes, I know who you are. You've cost us quite a bit recently. And now it looks like you'll cost us one more agent in Rihad. You're not quite as dead as reports say."

Ra'Jirra stepped forward and sat at the seat offered, though she couldn't suppress a smile.

"Let me introduce myself, Ra'Jirra. Sorry, but we don't use our real names. I am Number 4. I've been assigned this little task for the Dominion as you may have guessed."

"Wasn't hard to figure out," Ra'Jirra said with a snarl. "If only you look."

"And yet, your Imperial friends and Hammerfell never look beyond each other's borders. I have a proposal for you, Ra'Jirra. One that might allow you to keep your head on your shoulders."

"A proposal for me? Please, no one here is stupid enough to believe I'm going to help you! Except maybe that guy," she said, thumbing the guard at the door behind her. The argonian could have been made of stone for all the reaction he showed.

"That is unfortunate, but may be true. Did you know, Ra'Jirra, that Hammerfell isn't the only foreign power in talks with your government to switch alliances? What will you do if we should become allies? Will you still remain our adversary?"

Ra'Jirra thought about that. The thought disgusted her, but she knew better than to dismiss the possibility.

"I work for Elsweyr and the Mane. If that should happen..."

The altmer finished for her, "you might find yourself helping us instead of hindering us at every turn! I want to talk to you for a little bit, Ra'Jirra. The khajiit and the altmer may have more in common than you think. I am not one of those racist altmer who believes that no other races are worthy of our respect, you see. In fact, it is my belief that - if your Mane would only think about it - our goals are surprisingly similar."

Ra'Jirra eyed Number 4 warily. "I think not, altmer. We of Elsweyr have honor! We don't murder innocent sailors on the open ocean without so much as a warning or a chance to surrender!"

The altmer's eyes squinted in anger, but soon recovered. "I understand why you would see it that way. If given another alternative, I would agree with you. But perhaps you will see that our choices are limited. Let me show you something."

The altmer cast a spell at a blank wall, which suddenly came to life. It formed a window of sorts, but what she was looking at, she couldn't quite comprehend.

"This, my fine adversary, is the future. What do you see?"

Ra'Jirra looked at the window that was not a window. "You can see into the future? How?!"

"Oh, not I. But we do have scryers who have delivered these images to us. Ra'Jirra, they are absolutely terrifying. I want you to see why. Look closely and tell me what you see, please."

She rose from her chair and stepped towards the wall, putting her hand up against it to verify it was still there behind the moving pictures. The images showed people. Thousands and thousands of people, and vehicles of a type she couldn't comprehend. The buildings around which they walked were tremendous, colossal things that seemed to be built of purest silver or glass.

"What am I supposed to see, altmer? Other that someone's badly imagined nightmare."

"Oh, it's a nightmare all right. And even the scryers admit it's just one of a number of possible futures, depending on actions we take now. But look closer, khajiit. Look at the people."

She looked back towards the wall and squinted. Number 4 did something with his hands and the image zoomed in to a small patch where hundreds of people were walking in different directions. She saw young, old, male and female. Then she noticed it and she took a step back.

"You see it then?" Number 4 said.

"There are no tails."

"No. No tails at all. And no mer ears either if you notice. No green skinned orsimer either. No, Ra'Jirra. There are only humans. Fantastic variety, but still all human."

Ra'Jirra looked at Number 4. He was looking at her intensely as he waved the spell away and the wall returned to normal. She sat back down in the chair, heavily.

"What happened to us?" she asked.

"Wiped out of existence. Completely eradicated. Every argonian, altmer, bosmer, orsimer, dunmer... everyone but humans."

"But... this is only one possibility. Right?" Ra'Jirra said, but her voice trembled with sincerity. If what this altmer was saying was true...

"Yes, Ra'Jirra. But our best estimates say this is a possibility that is getting closer to reality by the day. Ra'Jirra, the humans are good at technology. Damned good. And magic is fading. We altmer are the masters of magic, but we cannot stop it's dissolution. The cause eludes us, though we are certain it has something to do with the gods."

"You're afraid of technology," Ra'Jirra said.

"Of course we are! You should be too. You know Hammerfell is ahead of everyone. This underwater ship we've created wouldn't last two seconds without magic to keep it together. Some of our most powerful mages are here to keep it running. Ra'Jirra, we've got to stop the humans, or at least slow them down till we can approach their abilities. And not just the altmer. Your kind are not great magic users, but you are, more than any other race on Nirn, the most dependent on it."

"Us? We don't use magic!"

"Khajiit, you are magic! How on earth do you think a race can vary from a nearly-human form all the way to the Alfiq - just by moon phases on the birth date? Come on, you are smarter than that. Your very existence depends on magic. Yet you are helping the humans. I know you think we are your enemy, but for once try and think beyond politics and collateral damage."

Ra'Jirra looked at Number 4. She felt her world had been shaken. Could the Dominion be right? She couldn't refute what he'd said.

"I... You give me pause," she said honestly.

"Good. You probably know there's another Hammerfell ship coming tomorrow. It's the only explanation for your hasty and ill-conceived attack on the ship today. We will hold you and your argonian compatriot for just another day until we have completed what needs to be done. Then you will be released. Return to your Mane. Tell your superiors what I have told you. Perhaps cooler heads will prevail...

I know you, Ra'Jirra. I followed your exploits in Rihad with the khajiit cryptologist. The plan to eliminate you was badly planned, poorly executed and frankly a mistake. Those who conceived the plot are no longer with the Dominion. They were misguided and antagonistic towards you personally. That is not the way of the altmer. I cannot deny that we do believe we are superior. It's inherent in our society. But I think we are wrong in that. Each race has superior traits, it is true, but all can share the world. We can share it with the humans too. But if they continue on the path they are on without intervention, the future you saw is inevitable."

Ra'Jirra stood up. "You have given me much to consider, Number 4. My duty to Elsweyr is constant, but it may be that I have misjudged you and your motives. I can promise only that I will think about what you've said. And relay it to my superiors. But the attack on the Hammerfell ship, I cannot condone."

"I understand. It is a thing that should not be necessary. But we believe it is."

"Then I remain your enemy," Ra'Jirra said defiantly. "Until such time as it is pointless."

"It is already pointless. Go on then. Take her back to her cell, Pak-sha."