54

You'd never have known Tayla's disappearance was discovered unless you knew where to look. Sonoma never announces her disappearance, and you're surprised when even Maker never misses a beat. You stop by to talk to Kotori a day after waiting for things to blow over.

"Sonoma's power base is slipping," he says. "She can't afford to look weak. If the pack at large knew she'd lost an HSM prisoner there would be hell to pay so she's keeping a tight lid on things. She was pissed at me, but I think she has other more important things on her mind at the moment. I heard her mumble about General Rivera more than once."

"I guess we lucked out."

"It was a good call, getting her out of here. I would never have felt right knowing she was…you know…that Maker was doing that to her behind my back. Thank you for talking sense into me, Holstein."

Next

Your business with Tayla now attended to, you have enough free time to join the pack in other preparations.

Kotori and I led an effort to plant more cameras and motion detectors throughout the surrounding forest to monitor for intruders.

We reached out through Sonoma's private contacts to secure several high-powered rifles to take out our enemies before they can get into claw-range.

Pressuring Sonoma's contacts led to them hooking us up with a single rocket launcher, with limited ammunition.

We reinforced the stockade walls and added guard towers at regular intervals.

We reached out to the werewolf rights activists and leveraged social media to win over the public's trust.

Next

"Are you crazy?" Ahote stares at you as if you've grown a second head. "A rocket launcher?"

"The boy's idea isn't without merit, Ahote," Sonoma says as she clasps her hands behind her back and stares at the ceiling beams of her council chambers. "You shouldn't be so quick to dismiss the voices of the young."

Ahote sputters. "That wasn't my intention and you know it! We aren't trained how to use those things! We could blow ourselves up!"

Sonoma nods thoughtfully. "I'd thought of that, but I think the potential benefits outweigh the risks involved. Besides, we can ask for basic instruction from the supplier delivering it."

"What possible benefits are you talking about?" Ahote growls. "This level of escalation is absurd!"

"If we have to go on the offensive sometime in the future, the launcher could breach walls and fences, allowing us to rush in."

"I can't think of a better way to protect us from armored vehicles. Back in Haven many of us barely managed to survive against a single tank."

"We're not the ones escalating, Ahote. If this is what we need to protect ourselves, isn't it worth any cost?"

Next

"Look, Holstein," Ahote says, a pained look on his face. "I never wanted this. You know that. But back in Haven I chose you for a reason—I saw something in you." He turns to leave you alone with Sonoma. "Hopefully you'll prove my trust was well-placed."

When the door closes behind him, Sonoma smirks. "You could have waited until he was out of the room to ask about the launchers. I could almost feel the waves of smug, sanctimonious arrogance radiating off the old geezer. He really likes to hit you with the passive-aggression." You start to reply but immediately think better of it. Sonoma grins. "Yeah, sometimes you just gotta learn to keep your mouth shut. Can't say I ever learned that lesson though. So, let's say I'm able to get this thing. Who would you recommend we train to use it?"

"I'll learn to use the rocket launcher. Since it was my idea it should be my responsibility."

"Maybe you should make the choice, Sonoma. You know your warriors better than I do."

"Bly is one of the best warriors I know. I'd trust her to pick the best targets."

"A weapon like that will require a strong wolf to handle it. I think Inferi would be a logical choice."

Next

"Somehow I thought you'd say that," Sonoma says, nudging you. "You just want to blow shit up."

"I mean, who wouldn't?"

"That's not what this is about at all. I just want our pack to be safe."

"We didn't ask for this, but if I have to blow them up, I'm more than willing to do it."

Next

"You might have to give me a turn," Sonoma says with a vicious grin. "It might take me a while to get the order in—I won't be able to go through our regular supplier—but I'll make sure when they deliver it that training is included. Is that all for now, Holstein?"

You nod, not wanting to push too hard while you have Sonoma in agreement with you. Dealing with her requires a certain finesse, and you want to quit while you're ahead.

Next

After pestering Sonoma to procure the necessary hardware through her outside contacts, you join Kotori and a squad of five other wolves placing over two dozen high-resolution cameras and motion detectors throughout the forest outside the camp. During the process Kotori mentors you on the proper setup necessary to get a good range of view as well as encryption of the wireless signal being transported back to his IT department. By the time the task is finished and you've returned to camp, you know more about security hardware than you'd ever have expected to be necessary.

"So now we log in with the secure password here," Kotori says, pressing the "Enter" button, "and"—A large rectangle pops up on the monitor, showcasing a swathe of forest in dazzling detail—"Voila! This is surprisingly good equipment! I don't know who Sonoma's vendor is, but that's one hell of a hookup!" He repeats the process several times until twelve different views populate two different monitors each.

"That's pretty impressive work, Kotori! We'll see anyone coming from miles away now!"

"I wish we'd had this set up before. We could have saved a lot of lives."

"It's a good setup, but will we always be able to spare a wolf to sit here and watch it 24/7?"

Next