Galaxy's Edge Space Bar

[Myitt]

"He's right, you know," Myitt admits, nodding at Dalik. She shivers a little, and covers it by sipping water. "It's almost impossible for Yeerks to share their feelings about taking hosts, so from outside the numbers are awfully skewed, with propaganda on all sides promoting Yeerk domination and ruthlessness."

She sighs, sitting back against the bar counter so she can survey the bar at large. "I'm not sure if you remember this about me, Ossanlin, but I was just a grub when the uprising on the homeworld overthrew Seerow." She holds her cup with both hands, expression distant. "Opposite side of the planet from the whole mess at Sulp Niar, but that's what led to our exodus."

[Shenmue654]

"Oh come on, it might be fun in here! I've never even seen what the heck would happen if someone else was mind controlling a mind controller," says Jeffrey, holding his lemonade like it's a wine glass and he's drunk. Which he probably is, but he didn't mind. "But eh well, party tricks aside..." Jeffrey fell silent and listened to Ossanlin and Myitt talk about the Yeerk situation. There was something about it that interested him. As soon as Dalik brought up "memory dumps," he thought of the Memory Manipulators in his own society, mind-tailoring people and wiping out memories that were...inconvenient for any given organization. There was a certain simultaneous familiarity and foreignness to the Empire and world they described.

"An Imperial government, controlling the opinions of a majority, silencing all dissenters no matter how many there are, forcing people to conform in body if not in spirit. Hmm. ...Where I'm from, all of the members of our government--- the Guardian Council--- are elected by the weighted vote of the Peacekeepers and the twenty strongest organizations in the Dome. The Guardian Council and the Administration set all the rules for the competitions, but only your Organization has a look at your head. I guess power is too spread out and well...tribal, in a sense, to ever create a situation like yours. Or even the blue guy's."

[Terenia]

"Be thankful for that," Dalik says. "Our culture was tribal before the war. It's amazing how quickly things can change. In the course of a few human years we went from the technological equivalent of caveman to more advanced than humans by several hundred years." She shoots a glance at Myitt. "Of course, I wasn't there for it. I was born into this war. Are you really from the Homeworld?"

[guitarhero01234]

"You know," Merc starts, smiling nervously at Rathien. "I think I've sobered up a bit. If you're still interested, which I think it's safe to assume you are, It micht be a good idea to get a room or something." He takes his hand off Rathien's thigh and rubs his forehead. "Preferably sooner than later, 'cause I'm liable to actually start thinking this through," he says with a chuckle.

[Myitt]

Myitt shrugs. "Yeah," she tells Dalik, eyeing him squarely. "I really am."

She sighs. "Though I was taken from it when I was very young. I went through my training on a stolen ship."

[Luke Skywalker (Ossanlin)]

Ossanlin watches on and listens impassively as Jeffry and the Yeerks converse.  He continues to sip his water, finding the substance pure and refreshing after all of that liquor.



*                        *                         *



"Mmm..."  Rathien savors Merc's hand before the human removes it.  He smiles over at Merc and starts rubbing the human's back, scratching gently with his claws.  He runs his tongue over his teeth and smiles again.  "You want to, buddy?  Scratch each others' backs, yeah?"  He grins.  "I promise you won't forget it.  But you have to want it.  The more you want it, the better it'll be...for both of us."  He can feel the excitement beginning to build...this could be good, but the human had to be a willing participant.  "I know he has some rooms in the back here, though what we'll find back there.....well they seem to change sometimes."  He shrugs.  "Usually the room you find fits your needs perfectly.  Quite the hospitable one, he is."  He nods at the BT.

[Shenmue654]

"Well, it's not so much tribal in the tech as the organization of the thing," says Jeffrey. "We've got multiple competing organizations with a couple thousand to a couple of hundred members in each of 'em, who all have different territories and roles in the Dome. But we've still got cell phones and holoscreens and stuff. I think when society falls apart, humans look to what they know!" Jeffrey shrugs and smiles a bit.

Jeffrey glances at Dalik. "Born a soldier, huh? Marching in lockstep from the time you were freaking born. And you..." He looks at Myitt. "...pretty much taken straight up with no warning. Sounds like hell for both of ya. I don't know how you did it. I think I'd have rather bit it than be summoned to the Forward Scouts."

[Myitt]

Myitt blinks at Jeffrey.

"Forward Scouts? Is that like your version of...of the Nazi SS, or something?" She watches him curiously.

[Shenmue654]

Jeffrey barks out a laugh. "Pfft, nah! But I guess they're kind of like the military. People with really dangerous powers get conscripted into the Forward Scouts when they're young and sent Outside, to kill diseased Refugees and other dangerous people who would attack the Master Dome. Cannibals, freaky mutants, that sort of thing. A lot of them die early--- Strict discipline out there, and all of the Outside is an irradiated mess. I escaped it pretty narrowly, myself--- I got powerful before they worked out I was an Esper, and stayed sane for like twenty years."

[Myitt]

Myitt shakes her head slowly. "And you're from Earth?" she questions. "If you are, it's a far different Earth than I know."

[guitarhero01234]

Merc nods in a shaky movement. "I wouldn't have accepted the offer if I didn't want to do this, right?" Not quite sure who I'm trying to convince. . . . He moves to stand up, using the bar's counter top for balance until he's sure he's sober enough to stand. "Just so you know, I've never done anything like this with anyone before. Not even Dani. So it's gonna be totally alien for me." He cracks a grin, still feeling some effects of the alcohol. "But **** it. I got a feeling this is gonna be fun."

[Luke Skywalker (Ossanlin)]

Rathien arches an eyebrow and stands, clapping Merc on the shoulder.  "Oh it'll be fun."  He grins and starts heading toward the hallway next to the bar.  He doesn't look back to see if Merc follows him...if the human wanted it, he would.  If he didn't, then that was that and better left that way.  "But if you wanna be top-dog, you're gonna have to earn it."  He calls out over his shoulder as he disappears back into the hallway.

He chooses the first door on his left and opens it into a strangely accommodating bedroom with a wide space on the floor in front of the bed.  Somehow, the windows were frosted over and it looked to be snowing outside even though it most-certainly wasn't.  At least it wasn't snowing outside the bar...but maybe this place wasn't exactly the bar.  The hardwood floor has a thick throw rug over it, and there's a decent-sized fireplace with a warm fire already lit, flames licking up a chimney that also didn't exist on the bar.  The wood-paneled room seems strangely cozy.  It was certainly cliche, but a beggar couldn't be a chooser.

[Shenmue654]

"And my Earth didn't have brain-stealing tapeworms on it, so I'd think we're even," says Jeffrey, chuckling. "Nah, don't think it's the same place. You and everyone else here that's human...well sort of human...has been dressing...a little bit old-fashioned, I guess? Granted I dress like a member of the graduating class of 1910, so maybe I shouldn't be talking, but the odds are against all of you being history buffs. Merc's already said he's from 2016, so I'd be from eight hundred years in his future!"

[Terenia]

Dalik's eyebrows lift. "Two-thousand-and-four," she says. "I think." Her lifted brows draw back together thoughtfully. "It's been awhile since I was on Earth, and your calendars don't do me much good in space."

[Shenmue654]

"That's from even farther back than Merc," says Jeffrey, raising an eyebrow. "But at least there was good TV in 2004, although I guess from space you wouldn't have seen it!"