Galaxy's Edge Space Bar

[Chad32]

A young man named Ike entered the bar, ordered a drink, and took a stool. He wore a t shirt and jeans, looking like someone from the southern part of USA. He wore a medallion around his neck with a healthy tree among a wasteland of rocks and dead plants.

He had been here before, but left. He didn't remember why he had left, but he was back and hopefully for a longer period of time. He remembered meeting Mar, and hoping he was around, and wondering if the imperial Yeerks were too. In any case, this was an interesting place and he wanted to see what else it had to offer.

[Terenia]

The glimmering stars go out, blotted out by the hulking, black mass of an Imperial ship clearly built for war. Its hull seems to absorb whatever light comes near it, and the engines glow a deep crimson as it descends, finally coming to a hover a good mile or so above the surface.

It is a smaller ship, a simple Bug Fighter, that detaches from the Blade Ship, finishing the trek down to the makeshift parking lot that houses so many lost and broken ships from previous visitors. It settles into the grass and gravel comfortably, landing struts giving the ship an even more Bug-like impression than when it is in flight.

The hatch opens, allowing the single pilot passage to the ground. He is not dressed in an Imperial uniform, despite the obviously Imperial origins of his ships. Instead, he is wearing a dark suit, contrasted by a flamboyantly bright purple tie. His dark hair is gelled neatly, and he smells distinctly of Italian perfume. The only indications Yeerkish influence are in the small insignia on his lapel -- a Visser's insignia -- and the holster that he has strapped around his waist, bearing a Dracon weapon and several small compartments.

There is a jaunty strut to his step as he makes his way to the bar, careful not to scuff his designer shoes on any of the rocks. Pausing at the entrance, he straightens his cuffs, then throws open the door, stepping in with a flourish and a ****y smile.

[Chad32]

Ike turned to see who had entered. He didn't recognize the man, but he looked like he had some energy, and was probably hoping for a good time. Ike hoped this meant he wouldn't be looking to cause trouble. He turned back to his drink without saying anything, figureing he'd give the stranger the initiative if he wanted to talk.

[Aluminator (Kit)]

Elriss starts as the doors bang open, a sound like a firecracker going off inside her head. She presses her hands to her head and groans. Where is she?

With a groan, she awkwardly struggles to sit up-- she seems to be lying in the booth in some kind of bar, her curly blonde hair, if possible, even more disheveled than it had been, the small cuts and scratches showing through the tears in her soiled Imperial uniform beginning to heal... and not all of them cleanly...

That's right. The memories come flooding back, like a dream, or a heavily-drunken night before. The multitude handsome men... the imperial... the... reindeer?

"What time is it?" she asks blearily, pressing her eyes shut again. "And where's a girl get some aspirin around here?"

She hears a small thunk on the table next to her, but by the time she's worked up the energy to look and see what's happened, the bartender is already back behind the bar. There, next to her on the table, is a pair of aspirin and a glass of water that's only slightly brown.

"Does this place ever close?" she wonders to herself, surveying the bar. There are still patrons here... patrons who, from the look of it, haven't gotten stiff necks from sleeping in a booth for... for... for however long she's been sleeping.

[Shenmue654]

James Woodley's descent through the wormhole grows more precarious with every inch he falls. He is not sure if it will drop him gently onto the ground or if it will open thirty feet in the air. It is clear that of the many poor decisions the man has made in his life, attacking a Void Beryllian with little more than a pulse pistol was pretty far up on that list. The Oligarch had certainly deserved it, but he nonetheless decides that it will be better to form a plan next time. This is what he is thinking about when the portal erupts onto the Galaxy's Edge Space Bar sideways and sends him rolling sideways across the dirt.

He doesn't even have time to catch his breath before he hits the ground, and so he cries out as he is sent hurling across the grass. James slowly and awkwardly stands up on his dust and grass covered pants, at first unable to catch his footing. He looks around blearily, trying to get his bearings straight, but very little about his current location makes any sense. There are millions of stars directly over his head, suggesting he's not on Earth or even a planet anymore, but he still seems to be able to breathe perfectly. He taps the ground, noting the dust-covered path and the well-trimmed grass on all sides of him. Farther off to the east, there appears to be an evergreen forest and some kind of makeshift spaceship parking lot. It was surreal---- Like being out at one of the campgrounds he was forced to go to as part of his education.

He sees a very large black ship flying overhead. James frowns--- He doesn't recognize the construction at all. It looks close to human, but there are Beryllian and Thyllian elements mixed in inexplicably. A pirate ship? he wondered. Just in case, James checks the side of his waist to see if the pulse pistol is still there. He smiles, noting that the weapon is right where he expected it to be. At least something was going right.

The ship sends out a smaller scout vehicle shortly afterward, which lands in the "parking lot" and discharges an occupant. The occupant looks confident and possibly flamboyantly gay--- James isn't really sure just at a glance. Whoever he was, he probably knows what is going on. He seems to be headed in the direction of the ancient old shack to the west. It looked, even more inexplicably, like an old western saloon from some ancient time long before James was born.

This is crazy, James ponders internally as he walks up to the ancient saloon himself and pushes open the doors. Completely and utterly crazy. He gets a good look at the other occupants and shudders at their pirate-like appearances. I am going to be dead within twenty minutes.

[Myitt]

Myitt One-Nine-Five is not quite sure how long she has been sleeping in her ship.

But she wakes with a start, nearly toppling out of the navigational seat in her Bug Fighter.

She catches herself and sits up, breathing heavily, her face marked with lines from the corrugated metal against which her face had been pressed.

"****," she whispers. "How long have we been here?" Cautiously, she inspects her body, pressing a hand against her head.

<I'm not hungover,> Tara remarks dryly.

Myitt shakes her head, staring absently at the fighter's main viewscreens.

She licks her lips. "Water would be good," she murmurs to the empty cabin, pushing herself to her feet. With a yawn, she checks the power cells on her Dracon. Then she lowers the ramp to the gravel and descends, making her way to the bar.

Tiredly, back aching, she pushes the door open and staggers inside, yawning again.

[Terenia]

The man does not stay in the doorway for long, taking quick mental stock of the occupants -- not many, and none of them anywhere close to as put together as he is -- before striding up to the bar. "Dobar dan," he offers the bartender cheerfully, not looking even remotely surprised at the sullen look he is given. "Stolichnaya, molim." The words are foreign, though not Yeerkish or Galard.

While he waits for his drink, he slips onto one of the barstools, straightening his tie and surveying the room. Idly, without looking at him, the man addresses Ike. "You know," he says, in accented Galard this time, "I have never actually had the pleasure of spending much time here. I do hope it lives up to the stories I have heard."

[Chad32]

"It does. Believe me, it does." Ike said in Galard. The Bartender brought him what he asked for, and wrote on a paper how much it would be. "Let me get that, for the friendly newcomer." He reached into his pocket, and without even looking put some money on the table. Exact change. The bartender counted it, put it away, then went back to wiping dirty glasses with a dirty rag.

"My name is Ike. I'm a religious man, spreading the word of God." He held up his medallion, with the picture of a healthy tree amidst a wasteland of rock and dead plants. "Not forcefully, mind you. All will come to Him eventually. He has the patience of an eternal being.

[Terenia]

The man quirks an eyebrow, smirking a little as Ike pays for his rather expensive drink. The pungent smell of alcohol fumes comes from his tumbler, the liquid within clear. "A man of God, da?" he asks, turning to Ike and giving him a once-over. The man's eyes are a blue so dark they almost look black, except when the light catches them. His features are attractive, with high cheekbones and the naturally deep skin tones that are distinctly Mediterranean in origin.

"Nareth Five-Seven-Seven," he finally says by way of introduction. Then his smirk widens and he touches his lapel,where the Yeerkish emblem rests. "Or Visser Forty-Eight, should you prefer."

[Chad32]

Ike's eyes widened briefly in surprise when the man claimed to be a Visser. He had seen imperials here before, but Vissers were supposed to be really important. At least that's what he heard. "Oh, you're an important person, right? Vissers are high ranked generals in the Yeerk Empire, from what I've heard. Everything I know comes from second hand knowledge, and much of that comes from the Empire's enemies. Where I come from, Humans are not at war with Yeerks, and Yeerks are not secretly capturing Humans from what I know. I have seen other Human controllers here, though."

"As for being a man of God, I speak as a person who really has met God. Not just in a spiritual sense, but witnessed a physical being. Being a follower allows me to perform some small miracles. It is a glorious experience."

[Terenia]

Nareth takes Ike's words in stride, swirling the vodka in his glass. "Da, it is an important rank," he begins, sounding pleased with that fact. He gives the liquid a contemplative look and then sips it delicately. "I am afraid you will find evangelism a bit of a lost cause in crossroads such as these. Perhaps you would be best to try your luck on one of the planets that has not yet established interstellar trade routes, mm?"

He smiles, showing off perfect white teeth. "As for Bog, my host is not particularly spiritual himself, though he comes from a deeply Catholic country. His understanding is that the entire point of religion is that Bog is not a physical being, but immaterial." He ****s an eyebrow. "Perhaps you have been swindled, moj prijatelj?"

[Chad32]

"The Old Testament God was not an immaterial being." Ike said, ignoring the fact that the Yeerk was calling him Bog. "Obviously the reason he stopped showing up is because he left our planet to spread the Word to other planets. I do not think that I have been swindled, for the power of what I found is real. It is absolute. I call The One God, and He does not correct me. Though even if someone proved to me without a doubt that The One is not the God of the Bible, it probably wouldn't change the fact that there is a real being out there that unifies all creatures, and blesses those who come to Him."

"Your host, who can hear me if I am not mistaken, knows that meaning of life that a Creator can give him. we know that Humans and other mortals are faulty, and we need external guidance from an eternal being of boundless majesty. I offer the both of you an opportunity to see the peace of mind, and meaning that The One True God can give. I know that scientifically advanced species can be less attuned to the supernatural, but I do not control where I go to spread the Word. I am taken where He wishes."

"Besides, given how this place works it's as possible to meet someone who doesn't know about space travel as one who does. In fact there was one man I managed to convert here the last time I came. We separated, but perhaps we'll see each other again. Followers of The One are always connected."

[Terenia]

Nareth laughs outright at this, waving a hand dismissively. "Save your breath, human," he says, still smiling. "Neither Dom nor I have any interest in deities, supernatural or otherwise. If your god gives you comfort, that is none of my concern."

He takes another sip of vodka, sighing as the liquid burns his throat. He settles back, rolling his shoulders, relaxing. "It is good to get away, da? Or is evangelizing your sole occupation?"

[Chad32]

Ike ordered more drink, and reclined on the bar. "No, sometimes it is really good to get away. Sorry, maybe I shouldn't have gone into the heavy talk right away. I'm not all about spreading the Word 24/7. In fact I have a money making job building and repairing ships. It's a profitable business, being able to repair something that could be lightyears away from the nearest planet. Jesus was all about helping the downtrodden, and I do my part making sure people can get where they need to be."

[Myitt]

Speaking of downtrodden, Myitt materializes at the bar counter.

"I'll have redin, on my new tab. Leave the bottle." She clears her hoarse throat, settling in near Dom and Nareth and Ike.

"Nice suit, Dom," she says with a coy grin, taking the glass of deep amber liquid and lifting it in a toast. "Surprised to see you here. Who's your friend?"