Galaxy's Edge Space Bar

[Chad32]

"I understand. It's never an easy thing to completely trust someone. Especially when you're vulnerable." Ike said. "It's possible one of those ships in the junkyard is a Yeerk ship with a spare supply. It couldn't hurt to look." He started walking over to the wrecks near the bar, keeping an eye on Elriss to make sure she was coming. He couldn't say he knew exactly what he was looking for, so he'd need her help to narrow any search down.

[Shenmue654]

Mar watches Elriss and Ike talk, looking to see if there is any way he can assist his friend. It, looks, however, as if Elriss is too ill to woo over to any form of conversion. He glances idly at the hundreds of derelict ships parked in the Bar's parking lot, some of them rotting. Elriss glances over at them with a disturbed look on her face. Mar does not know what the worry is about--- It was clear to him that the Highest ate half of everyone who entered as part of their tab.

"I suppose I'll head back inside," states Mar with a slight smile, giving Ike a bit of a wink. "I presume you can find this young maiden what she desires. Good tidings, brother."

Mar wanders back across the parking lot with a smirk to himself. That will give the young casanova time with his prize. I wouldn't want to get in the way. Mar cheerfully pushes open the doors to the Bar, noting the thinning crowd. But there are still a few interesting patrons, one of them being...the Highest. The Highest that felt far too much like him......Mar rubs his forehead irritably. There was definitely something wrong with that idea--- A contradiction.

Mar wanders toward the Highest, giving him a wary glance, and states just to be certain, "<From whence have you come, strange one? You're of a powerful brood.>" He hopes that will be both very clear to a Highest and less-than-disturbing to the other patrons. He remembered with some amusement his attempt to say his name in front of Salem the last time he was here.

[Luke Skywalker (Ossanlin)]

The stranger continues watching the bar patrons as they leave.  He takes some ease in the fact that the Sworn and Avatar leave as well, finally able to enjoy his drink somewhat.  As much as he could enjoy it while under the thumb of a much more-Massive Highest.  But after only a few minutes, the Avatar returns, and not only that, but approaches him straight out.

He tenses a bit, but the proximity allows him to feel the other much more-clearly than before.  He's definitely a Primal Avatar, but he bears the mark of another Highest as well, just as a Sworn would...how odd.

"<My origins are my own to keep.>"  He considers leaving it at that, but a quick glance at the BT reassures him of his safety from others as well as his peril from the BT.  Perhaps a friend in here wouldn't be the worst idea.  "<I am sorry, but my past is painful.  I am Nyr.>"  All technically true, of course, though it sounds completely different from the actual truth.

[Shenmue654]

"Nyr" tastes very odd to the Highest's mind. He has heard some variant of these concepts before...once. A burning fire in the hearth, a longing, the deep and forbidding waters of emotion. Not long after he came from the Father. But the memory is distant, and strangely hidden from his sight--- Something important happened there, something he is trying to forget. Mar nods, getting the gist of Nyr's statements. <You are not the only one in this Bar who can lay claim to such memories.> Mar lingers on the last statement, images of his own past shimmering into view. Or was it the present?

<All of those who stop in this "place" are running from something. My name is...>

Mar frowns, finding himself strangely unable to say his own name. What? Why would that be? He was very proud of who he was! He was the great Bard upon the throne of Heaven, the Singer, He who praises the Majesty and Light of his God. Proclaiming his name was proclaiming his function, and thus glorifying his Master. He...

"I am known as Mar by the patrons," he manages to stumble out in a human language. "You have picked a particularly dangerous hole in which to drink yourself to death."

[Luke Skywalker (Ossanlin)]

"Part choice, part circumstance.  The entire multiverse is dangerous, particularly when one is hunted."  Nyr shrugs.  "If the serpent's den offers haven, one dances with the snake."  Nyr's eyes flash at the BT for a moment before returning to Mar.  "Mar...it sounds familiar...one of the keepers of Mortality perhaps?"  His eyes flash to the soulstone in the Avatar's gauntlet.  So...this particular Avatar is important to the Highest...perhaps even its primary, just as Nyr is his own.  Perhaps imbued with enough Mass to be...but that would be irresponsible.

"What will you imbibe?"  Nyr captions his question by gesturing at Mar with his glass before taking another swallow of the jet-black liquid within.  Not exactly a warm invitation for Mar to join him, but an invitation nonetheless.

[Shenmue654]

Mar closes his eyes and thinks on this, before smiling and stating, "The usual fine wine, as before," to the Bartender. The Bartender nods and wanders towards the back of the Bar without another word. When he does come back, he isn't carrying the frothy red drink that Mar expects him to be carrying. He is instead carrying back a glittering drink that seems to be a shade somewhere between peach and bright gold. Mar's eyes widen in surprise, but he nonetheless accepts the offer. You don't pass up ambrosia.

Mar takes a slow sip of the drink, breathing out in pleasure after he swallows it. It's either that the Bartender respects fine noble company, or he's going to have to pay in blood later for the favor. "Mortality, no," he states. "Persuasion, yes--- And I recall being once associated with illusions and deceit. Manipulation. Before my Father forgave me, at least. Be wary of the Primal holding court here--- This place tends to..."

Mar frowns. "...distort the truth and bend one's sense of Time."

[Luke Skywalker (Ossanlin)]

Nyr raises his eyebrows at the glass that the BT hands to Mar.  Even if he's never had it personally, he can recognize what the glass contains.  Mother had had it before he'd been created.  He twitches a bit as a flash of pain racks through his body.  His eyes lighten to a deep golden color for a moment before fading back down to their usual dark reddish purple.  He grits his teeth for a moment, but otherwise displays few other signs that anything is wrong.  He willfully avoids touching the weapon on his back, take the burden with the boon.

"Being physically inside another Mass does afford that Mass a great deal of power upon one's personal reality.  But the effects can be resisted with some effort, and enough of one's own Mass."  He ignores the BT's almost-cruel grin.  "He has not yet destroyed me, not that He would be completely successful if He tried, but I believe He finds me...entertaining."

"Ah...a trickster then.  Bargains with, let me guess, Mortals for their soul-Mass?"  He chuckles a bit.  Mother would be older than this one...truth be told, Mother is older than a lot of Primals.  Technically Nyr is much younger, yet he has memories much older than himself.  "I believe He finds you interesting as well.  I can't say that I blame Him...a Primal's Avatar, perhaps even a primary representative of His Mass, bearing the mark and influence of another Primal entirely?  Very interesting indeed."

[Chad32]

When Nyr mentioned that Mar was an avatar with the mark of another primal entirely, the being that currently inhabited mar took notice. The creatures that inhabited mortals belonging to The One were usually passive, unless something drew their interest. If Nyr could detect its presence, and convinced Mar to attempt to exorcise it, it would have to take action. This thing called Nyr could be a threat, and if so must either be brought under The One's control or destroyed. A servant of The One could usually take over a host and alter its memories so that it didn't remember that happening, but Mar was not a normal host. It wasn't sure what it could truly do with its host, but it must use everything in its power to keep Mar.

[Aluminator (Kit)]

With a frown, Elriss trudges off after Ike, towards the wrecks, sighing in relief when Mar decides not to join them. "Couldn't hurt," she says.

After considering a few ships in the yard, she walks purposefully towards one of them-- a late-model Bug fighter, its landing feet half-covered in dirt and dust, the ****pit dented in, scorch marks along the side, and just a hint of what might be moss growing on the underbelly...

Groaning in disgust, she reaches out to press the panel that will open the hatch. Nothing happens. Sighing, she keys in her priority emergency start code, expecting the same result, but to her surprise, the Bug shudders, dies, shudders again, and finally rumbles to life, the low hum of the power generators interspersed with periodic high-pitched squeaks.

"Open sesame," she says, pressing the command to open the hatch. It slides open, letting out a musty... almost rotting... stench. The inside lights, however, appear to be off, for whatever reason.

Elriss glances at Ike. "Ladies first?" she offers with a smirk, gesturing for him to step inside.

[Chad32]

Ike's nose crinkles as the stale air, mixed with who knows what, wafted out of the old Yeerk ship. He gave a sarcastic ha ha at Elsriss' remark. "Age before beauty." He said, stepping inside. It was dark in the ship, but some light filtered through the door and they could at least see somewhat in the main room. He started opening cabinets, and taking things out to put on the console to use it as a shelf. Spare parts, medical supplies, a spare dracon, and some other random stuff. He coughed a bit at the disturbed dust. "See anything good?"

[Aluminator (Kit)]

Elriss's eyes twinkle at Ike's 'age before beauty' remark. Definitely cute, for being a... missionary, or cultist, or whatever he is. She sneezes at the dust Ike's kicked up and steps into the ship, pausing for a moment as her eyes adjust.

A quick look around reveals that this is a little better stocked than a Bug fighter would be for an average day trip, but not by much, and there's nothing resembling a Kandrona generator immediately obvious. She snatches the Dracon that Ike's disturbed, examines it for a moment, and then pops the power cell out of the one in her holster and into the new one. She lets the sticky Dracon she'd found inside clatter to the deck and hoists the new one-- she appreciates the heft, the extra settings, the ergonomic grip. It's an earlier model Gen 3, from right before the Taxxon Rebellion forced them to go back to producing cheaper, less durable models. Not perfect, but it would do in a pinch.

She opens a few more drawers, making mental notes of some of the supplies that are in here that might come in handy. She checks drawer after drawer, and with each, her disgust grows, until finally she slams shut the larger medical storage locker near the rear of the cabin so hard it sends medical instruments feet away tumbling to the ground.

"Nothing," she spits. A wave of dizziness washes over her, and she has to catch herself against a console. "Kandrona generators are hardly standard equipment on a ship like this," she says bitterly.

[Chad32]

"I'm sorry." Ike said, not really knowing what else to say. Elriss was dying, and there wasn't a quick fix. Not without calling on The One, which she was opposed to. Even if they found some kandrona, she would want her host restrained, and he couldn't allow that. They'd likely get into a confrontation. Probably the best way would be to find what they needed, and stun her with his own weapon tucked inside his coat.

I guess bugfighters don't usually go too far from a larger ship with its own kandrona supply? We might as well continue checking around. Unless you want to cut some sort of deal with N-Renlath. I may be able to trade something for a small supply."

[Shenmue654]

Mar watches Nyr's peculiar reaction and frowns, twirling a finger around the rim of his glass of ambrosia. His posture is relaxed, as if he feels more at home around another Highest avatar than not. Perhaps a dangerous mentality, given the threats the Highest tend to pose to one another. "Are you...contaminated by something?" Mar states, rubbing his head as he suddenly remembers a fairly similar phenomenon that once happened to him. It was painful, wasn't it? Exhausting. "I recall something vaguely similar happening to me in this Bar. But..."

"...what do you mean, another Primal's influence?" states Mar. He felt something move within his Mass, something strange. Something important. "I work on behalf of my Father, but reckoning descent from Him is akin to saying that fish live in the sea. No influence of His would be apparent."

[Luke Skywalker (Ossanlin)]

Nyr chuckles though his eyes flash dangerously.  "Contaminated...some thing like that.  I have been forced to take...measures...i n order to protect myself.  There are some unfortunate side-effects, though the primary purpose of my burden has thus-far held true and proved to be a valuable asset in my difficulties."  He isn't sure what he'd do if Mar figured out even a half of what the weapon on his back truly is...perhaps nothing.  Different Highest reacted differently to it.  Some merely didn't care, or at least pretended not to care.

Nyr ****s an eyebrow at Mar.  "Interesting...truly .  Do you not know your own origins?  Or has your mind been tampered with?  It is plain to see that that which makes up your primary Mass belongs to one Primal, whilst the mark of another lies upon you.  It is the same mark which enthralls the human you were associating with earlier."  He sips from his glass, using the pause to consider.  It might be worth it...potentially a Highest's primary Avatar indebted to him...perhaps it would be worth the risk...

Nyr sets his glass on the bar and slowly runs his finger around the lip.  "You know, I have methods which should be able to sever that link with the foreign Primal, should you desire...I have a feeling that you are...not yourself at the moment."

[Chad32]

The creature in Mar doubted that this Nyr could remove him, but he made it uneasy. Back at the ship, Ike started feeling uncomfortable. Like maybe he should check on Mar. He didn't want to just leave Elriss, though.