The Banner of Whiterun, with the Banner of the Brotherhood just below it, flew on multiple poles in the dry drought winds.

Felicity was still in awe at the military base's command center. The large, square system had multiple business meeting rooms, barracks, mess halls, and more. In the center, of course, was the outside training grounds. Felicity walked under the massive stone pillars, still looking up at the crests of her home like a bewildered, lost child. Eventually, she slipped through the shadows of the massive entrances into the training grounds. The ground obviously used to be filled with life, but all the plants and grasses had wilted. Only one or two straggling trees remained. Felicity found it hard to not be overwhelmed by current events. Since the Lornius volcano erupted, it was chaos. The only thing that saved Whiterun at all was the limited trade with other countries not so affected by the eruption. From there, rations of food were provided for people. Oh... real food... that sounded incredible.

Felicity shook her head, stalking through the bare dirt grounds to a huddled corner under the shade of the building. There, there was her regiment. Her commanders, captains, and lieutenants all stood ready for her to come. By an early seven o'clock in the morning, many of these men and women were up for a while now. However, it probably was not near the time Felicity woke up as of late.

Felicity cleared her throat, placing her hands behind her back in a formal manner. She lifted her head, trying to create a stature of dignity.

They all saluted her, driving the feelings of being overwhelmed in further. A middle aged human male nodded curtly, "General."

Felicity nodded back, "At ease, everyone."

As they slipped into an at ease form, Felicity turned to a blue skinned dark elf near the edge of the group. "Commander Morloth, are there any threats to report?"

He shook his head, "No, General. All has been quiet since the wizard Arius has been defeated."

Felicity smiled, relieved that no further trouble came from the outside. "Very good, then here are my next orders."

Everyone stared a little closer, tension filling the small corner of the base. Felicity had to gulp the lump in her throat down, clearing her throat to prevent her voice from shaking. Sh spoke. "I order a decrease in patrols. From seven a day to four."

A high elf female and younger human male glanced at each other, a bit worried. Some others were obviously relieved at the lax of patrols. Shinsou and Storm Veritas had pushed the entire Brotherhood to its limit searching for Arius. Now that he was gone, Felicity was free to usher in a sense of calm. This was her plan.

The high elf raised her hand, "All due respect, General, but is lowering our guard risky?"

"I am not lowering any guard." Felicity spoke back. She had planned this conversation all morning and knew exactly how to respond to these questions. "The average patrol, prior to the war on Radansanth, was three a day. We know very well that with peace established and Arius finally gone, we can start to calm down a bit. Especially since the public is doubtful." Felicity leaned in, narrowing her eyes, "There are enough rumors going around to make hell freeze over from the ridiculous claims. If we keep our military presence in everything this high, they will think we are still in danger."

The human next to the elf raised his hand, Felicity held her hand out to silence him. In desperate need to relieve her heart's pounding, Felicity let out a single sigh. "Of course, we have no enemies right now. However, if an enemy were to attack, this would be the time." Felicity closed her eyes, forcing herself not to cry. "Lord Osiris is MIA. With our leader missing, anyone with a bone to pick could seize their chance."

Felicity opened her eyes again, determination hot like fire burning through."I will not let that happen. This is why I still did not reduce our patrols to the base level. Understood?"

Felicity turned to face each and every person here, "I want you all to take your best, and most well rested, men out with you. Chose carefully, because we need the watchful eyes of a few good men more than a million overwhelmed, exhausted ones."

With determination to match her's the vast majority of commanding officers nodded. Although some were still suspicious, Felicity was happy that they saw where she was coming from. With a sharp breath, Felicity looked to Morloth again. "Now, concerning the potential of migrating predators entering our borders..."