Galaxy's Edge Space Bar (archive)

[Luke Skywalker (Ossanlin)]

Ossanlin nods a moment before looking at Claxter.  <The direct approach may work, but if there's one person whom Zorish would suspect subterfuge from, it's Terenia.  How many times has she tried to free Tamara?  He may not pass up the possibility of an opportunity, but he'd have his defenses up the entire time.>

Ossanlin looks over to Terenia again.  <You said Zorish deals in intelligence...info rmation.  Would it be possible to somehow feed the information to him through one of his trusted people on Earth?  If he has a rumor of an Escafil device hidden on Earth, he might actually go so far as to invite you along for the ride to find it, Terenia...too much risk of discovery, best to acquire the ability and then hide the device in a new secure location.  He certainly wouldn't want to bring it onboard the Blade Ship, not if he's both intelligent and greedy.  He might even go so far as to tell you to depart from the Blade Ship after he does so as not to arouse suspicion.  If we can get him in an isolated location that would be at least partially likely to hold an Escafil device...perhaps some sort of old human science facility...the rest would be easy.  Two Dracons and two Shredders on stun would have no problem bringing him down...only one of us would have to hit, and I know at least two of us are decent shots.  Then we abscond with Tamara, show her your memories, and hope for the best.>

Ossanlin looks thoughtful as if considering more possibilities.  <He may bring a couple of guards, if he has any Yeerks completely under his will.  He may even intend simply to kill the guards that he brings to keep the secret safe...but an ambush would give us a rather decided advantage.  Of course I could always morph a sagarat fly and sting Tamara to knock her out.  And the guards for that matter.  There are any number of possibilities.>  He looks back at Terenia.  <Would an Escafil device actually be enough to bring him to Earth?>

He looks back at Myitt.  <It would be very difficult to actually replicate the look and feel of an Escafil device.  If you supply a raw shape, a steel box perhaps with the proper dimensions...and fill it with enough weight to replicate the mass of the Escafil...I could most likely imbue it with certain properties to make it appear genuine.>  Ossanlin deliberately ripples his fur silver for a moment before it returns to it's regular royal blue hue.  <Frankly I do not believe we even need a facsimile...as long as the intelligence is planted correctly, it wouldn't be necessary.  Of course if we're using the direct method, Terenia simply telling Zorish that she has obtained an Escafil device, then a copy would be necessary.>  Ossanlin taps a hoof lightly in thought.

[Chad32]

<Whatever it is we decide, I will gladly go. I would like to go to make up for last time's little...mistake and prove that I am indeed a Warrior in more than name.>

[Myitt]

"I could easily make a rough replica, without the details," says Myitt thoughtfully.  "The only thing suspicious about hiding a fake device on Earth might be just how likely it would be for Terenia to be on Earth, and to have Earth-based connections that would have found an Escafil device.  If she has just returned from the Bar filled with Andalites, and asks to meet Zorish in transit, there would be a credible backstory for coming across one.  We would have to show up in Terenia's ship, though, and hope that he doesn't arrive in something that could outmaneuver us and shoot out our engines."

[Luke Skywalker (Ossanlin)]

<Yes I understand, that's why I thought it might be better to plant the intelligence with one of Zorish's trusted intel agents on Earth.  Then the rumor would have nothing to do with Terenia at all, but Zorish would still need to bring Terenia along in order to have the morphing capabilities passed on.  It's quite a neat little solution if it can be accomplished.  Zorish would be calling all the shots, summoning Terenia, telling her what to do and where to go...he'd have no reason to be suspicious, after all it would be one of his trusted contacts whom had told him about the device.  The question that remains, however, is how do we feed him the intelligence without one of his agents running off to find it first.>

Ossanlin continues to watch Terenia, waiting to see what her response would be.

[Chad32]

<You don't happen to have allies on earth, do you Myitt? Or perhaps we could go to Earth, acquire one of Zorish's people, and then imperonate them? Or would that be too risky?> Claxter asked.

[Myitt]

Myitt nods.  "I do have a number of sources who could help us on Earth, but I'm not sure if any of them happen to know Zorish and are within his trusted circle.  It's quite a large Empire, you know."

She glances at Ossanlin.  "That's just it--any of Zorish's trusted agents would have to really like him to give up the huge promotional opportunities of an Escafil device.  I wouldn't count on any of them not attempting to take a prop morphing cube first.  Let me put out a link message to my contacts on Visser Three's ship, perhaps one of them knows Zorish well enough to make this work.  I must warn you all, however, there are only one or two rebels stationed on any Visser's ship at any given time.  There may not even be any there at all, right now, I don't know their schedules.  I don't want to unnecessarily place my people in danger."

Myitt turns to the panel in the wall and deposits the used memory probes into a sanitization unit, closing up the wall.  She taps at the holoscreen and types a brief message to the few people she considers most likely to be involved with Visser Three.

[Shenmue654]

Keshin snickers at Sukohn's comment, drinking deeply of his fizzy beverage afterwards. "That sounds like how a lot of people get here for the first time. There's no directions that anyone here understands how to follow. You merely are heading somewhere else, thinking about having a break from the world, and then you are here. As far as I can see, the only people who can get here because they're trying to get here are not like you and me on a very basic level."

Keshin lowers his voice slightly. "So...about business. You're thinking about having me doing something for you. What exactly is it?"
*******************************************************************************************************************
Mar stares down as soon as he hears Elayne's statement, a saddened expression crossing his face. "I...have lost friends in the pursuit of this insane war with my adversary. Some of them noble, many others not. I never take it very well at all, though because of my high position I cannot show such weakness. Because I often incarnate with my inner circle following me behind, I often experience it unaware that their identities will remain when my body passes. "

"But...although those specific people you were fighting for have been lost, your fervor seems to remain. Yet you do not fight. Do you fear it happening again, or do you feel that you can do nothing? And incidentally..." Mar smiles a bit. "....I do not mind the close contact. The usual reaction people have to me is to cringe away, not to touch endearingly."

[Chad32]

"We can talk outside." Sukohn said, and got up to head out the door. He wasn't sure if he really wanted to let Keshin in on his plan, as he wasn't sure he would go for it. However, it seemed if he was going to get any help then Keshin would be most likely to do it. He headed out the door, and a little away from the bar.

[KitsuneMarie]

EDIT:

Elayne watched Mar as he spoke of his own losses and grief. She wondered what it would be like to incarnate the form of a friend, and she also wondered who the first individual to inhabit the body she saw before her had been. When he turned the conversation back to herself, she looked down, not entirely sure of the answers to his questions.

She was spared the obligation of answering them immediately, however, by his last comment. "Touch endearingly, huh?" she asked with a derisive laugh, although her brightly flushed cheeks betrayed her. "Well I'm not afraid," she winked with what she hoped appeared to be confidence.

Then she sighed and leaned back a little, her small smile fading as she watched the condensation from her drink pool on the bar's surface. "I don't really know what I feel, Mar. It's true, my convictions are as strong as they were before. Perhaps even more so. Maybe I just," she shrugged and gave a second, longer sigh, "needed some time away. You know, to grieve." She lifted her gaze to watch his eyes. "Have you ever felt that way before?"

[Shenmue654]

((Hehe, sorry if there was any confusion with what Mar said, Kitsune. It's not my fault that he talks like he's from from a pompous novel written in 1871! Oh wait, yes it is. ))

Keshin shrugs and sits up from his seat, following Sukohn closer to the door. "Might as well see what you're after."

<Kess, are we sure this is a good idea? This guy's a whack job.>

<I'd prefer to take the only job offer we've gotten all day. Let's see where it leads us. Besides, I want to know what's up this guy's ass.>
*******************************************************************************************************************
"It's not always fear that causes people to back away from me, though that's part of it more often than not," mutters Mar. "It's hatred. Highest doing what I do tend to gather more enemies around them than friends. And...yes, I have. But..." Mar sighs deeply. "The circumstances of my life tend to make it impossible for me to just leave. There are too many people relying on me, whether they want to or not."

Mar gestures about him. "This...trip I've taken here...was actually an accident. I took on a mortal shape because I wanted to do a favor for my Precious. It seems that the trip has become far more complicated than that."

[Terenia]

Terenia stops pacing momentarily, rocking back and forth on her bare heels. She is still nervous, and it shows in the way that her eyes track around the room.

"I know some of the Yeerks in Zorish's inner circle," Terenia says, "I do not know whether or not they would take the bait without attempting to use it for their own personal gain, though. That much seems to be...against the nature of most Yeerks."

Her tracking eyes pause, hesitating on Myitt, sending the message.

"Although..." she says slowly, "if someone who was not loyal to the Empire offered the bait, we would be assured that the message got through."

[KitsuneMarie]

((I'll just blame all my confusion on Elayne. Really. She's the dumb one

Which part did I confuse? I'm guessing the "incarnate" part, because it was the part I felt most uncertain about while writing.))

Elayne gave a sigh of her own when Mar spoke of others relying on him, and she turned her eyes away from him again. Despite the fact that the movement she had started rested on her shoulders, she had run away. When Mar finished speaking, she called to the bartender, wondering if alcohol could erase the feeling of guilt his words had dredged up.

She looked back to him and said, "Life tends to get complicated quickly, doesn't it. No matter your species, your position, your purpose. We will always meet new people, obtain new obligations."

When her drink arrived, she immediately began nursing it. She could not imagine someone hating this man. Being irritated by him, most certainly. But hating? Then she gave a mental shrug, reminding herself she did not understand what he did and knew nothing about any atrocities he might have committed in the past. And of the fact that she was not always a good judge of character.

[Shenmue654]

((Ehehehe. Nah, it was probably the way I phrased it. Sorry about that. :3 Higher or god-like beings, when becoming mortal, usually refer to the mortal form as an "incarnation" of said god in comic books and stuff. Which means roughly that though the being is mortal, it contains a watered-down version of the god's personality and mind. Mar right now isn't mentally godlike at all. He just has a very weird set of memories that confuse him. XD So basically what Mar said is that when he goes mortal (and he does it a lot), his buddies tend to follow him in mortal forms of their own. But mortal Mar (normally) has no memory of being Really Huge Mar, so when their mortal bodies die he acts the same way anyone does when a friend of theirs dies. ..........wow, I didn't realize how complicated that actually was. Sorry about that. At least it contributes to his overall weirdness in the Bar anyway. Yay for pointless backstory! X3 )

Mar nods quietly, sitting slightly closer to her. "No matter where you go, your past and your ambition follows you. I have been in many places...and yet I always draw trouble to me. This..." Mar glances about him. "...is really the only place I've been where I have been able to relax. You seem to consider what happened to be your fault, but this is foolish. You fought your hardest for them, and it did not work out. No reason to drink yourself away."

Mar laughs. "But really, who am I kidding? The real reason I'm probably delaying my leave of this Bar is because I don't want to go back to being me. Back in the world where I must always be competant, always on guard, where people see me and dart out of my way. Even my own soldiers. It is impossible for me to hide back at home, to even relax. This dimension is a welcome change, for a while. Eventually I will be no doubt dragged away to fix another problem that for some reason they cannot do without my help."

[KitsuneMarie]

((Aaaaah, ok thanks, Kelly! I'll go back and edit my previous post when I'm not about to run out the door.))

Her eyes lowered, and she focused on not letting herself even think about tearing up. She was so used to thinking about her own reputation she had to uphold as a strong leader, although she knew that reputation had been made fodder for those who would mock her the moment she had stepped off-world. Having a place to relax, to decompress, seemed to be exactly what she needed, too. Then, perhaps, she could return home and reestablish herself and her cause.

She pushed her liquor away and turned her gaze on him, pleased to note that her eyes were a little glassy but otherwise dry. "Yes, you should enjoy the change while you can." She put on a smile. "And I should, too."

She pictured soldiers darting out of his way, giving smart salutes, puffing out their chests as he passed. The thought abruptly made her smile, pleased that she was lucky enough to have a rare view into an aspect of him that some never saw. "Can I get you anything to drink? Or eat?" she asked.

[Shenmue654]

Mar smiles and a bit. "I would love to be serviced by a delightful young lady. I have few such pleasures that I have not taken with power." Mar lays back in his seat and pats her shoulder. "And do not cry. You must have suffered for what you felt was right. I cannot say the same. At least among our motley group you may take a load off your spirit. And if you would like, spirits may suffice for just that purpose."