Galaxy's Edge Space Bar

[Terenia]

Nareth, who had been unable to help overhearing their conversation, laughs abruptly at this. "Ike, my dear prijatelj" he says with a small grin. "Are you certain that you do not work for an organisation called The Sharing? Because that is exactly the same sranje we feed poor, ignorant humans. It is amazing what they will do, just to be a part of something larger than themselves." His expression is deeply amused, but he is not so entertained that he cannot spare a glance at James, giving the man the same once-over he gave Ike, eyes trailing up and down his body, making a silent assessment.

[Chad32]

"I can't say that I've heard of The Sharing. Humans have always been attuned to the supernatural, and as social creatures we love being part of something greater. Sometimes it can be taken to far, like everything else. I'll admit that. Is that how the empire finds voluntary hosts on the Earth of your universe?"

[Terenia]

"It is precisely how we find voluntary hosts," Nareth says, brushing at his shirt with the back of his knuckles and sipping his vodka. "Involuntary hosts as well, if I must be honest. Sometimes the voluntary ones change their minds when they realise what they are getting themselves into." His smile is a little sharper this time.

[Chad32]

"I suppose I can understand taking them involuntary, even if I disapprove of it. You wouldn't want your cover blown, and you need all the hosts you can get to fight the Andalites. It's too bad there's a war going on, and your government isn't nicer about it. You'd probably find plenty of Humans willing to take Yeerks for whatever benefits there may be. Although if things go south, and the Humans get their hands on advanced technology, there won't be much to stop them from wiping your race off the galaxy. We Humans can be a violent and vindictive bunch. Probably why my people haven't had Yeerk problems in our universe."

"I do wonder, what happens if someone needs an MRI or something? You have to infest the doctor, and have them ignore the presence of a radioactive slug in the patient's head?"

[Terenia]

Nareth's dark eyebrows shoot up. "Humans are capable of many evils, da, but do not underestimate what the Empire is capable of. When it comes down to it, the only advantage humans have are their limbs, which my people are quite apt at abducting."

He taps his fingers on the shellac countertop at Ike's question, looking a little disgruntled. "We are not radioactive," he says indignantly. "Nor are we slugs. Honestly, what do people tell you about Yeerks?" With a little sniff, he returns to his drink. "Of course our friends with human hosts know to visit our own medical staff."

[Chad32]

"Maybe radioactive slug was a bit rude. I apologize. Still, to underestimate our Human minds is unwise. The only reason your people are even a threat is because of swiped technology. If Humans knew about kandrona radiation, it would be simple to find out who a controller is, and who isn't. If the Skrit Na or someone else sold us enough ships, we'd probably end the war ourselves. Unfortunately this is all hypothetical, but I'm sure that your advantage is tenuous at best."

[Myitt]

Myitt sneers at Nareth. "Yes, of course, Nareth," she says with a sharp smile. "Dom is much more fun, incidentally."

She turns her attention to Ike. "I am in the military, so to speak. And I have no religion. I lost it. Like that R.E.M. song." She grins again.

With a sidelong glance, she gives James a cursory observation, but says nothing. Instead, she sips her drink once more.

[Terenia]

"My dear," Nareth says, shaking his head a little. "How could I possibly underestimate something in which I reside? I know this human's every intimate thought and intention. I know his wishes and dreams, his fears and his guilt. And I am just one Yeerk, this is just one human. Collectively, we know and understand a great deal of what the human race is capable of."

His tumbler emptied, he sets it on the counter with an audible thunk, pushing it back so that the bartender can refill it. "As for our 'swiped technology', humans have been stealing from one another for years. The fact that we can take technology far beyond what we had ever produced and not just understand it, but utilize it, manipulate it, and create new, better versions of it, speaks highly of our own people."

[Chad32]

"So you can actually see the thoughts and memories of your host? And you've improved on the technology you took? I'm legitimately creeped out and impressed." Ike said. Maybe these Yeerks were a worse problem than he thought. Maybe he was exaggerating on the technological improvements, or maybe their idea of improving something wasn't really objectively better. Still, hoping for the best but preparing for the worst was generally a good idea against an unknown threat.


Myitt didn't say she was in the Empire, exactly, and she insisted on referring to the Human Dom, so Ike thought maybe she was part of a different group. "Are there different rival factions within the Yeerk Empire?" He asked her.

[Shenmue654]

James glances at Nareth with a disturbed look. "Your people....they're...parasites?" he says with a mild shudder. "Parasites that can get inside people's heads and somehow control them?" He momentarily looks like he's about to lose his lunch. He's never even heard of a creature that screwed up before. "Look, the freakiest thing I know about is a race so promiscuous they can mate with virtually anyone and produce a viable kid."

James, after hearing Ike's comment, shrugs a bit. "No, no. If he's attached to the book he can probably read it, if you know what I mean. I just don't get how that works..."

[Chad32]

"It's hard to have a point of comparison, since there aren't many things that can be in in multiple places at the same time. Maybe like a computer simulation? You're in the machine, and the machine is everywhere around you, as well as right in front of you."

[Terenia]

Nareth snorts a little. "Da," he confirms. "We are parasites. And from my perspective it is hardly 'freaky'. It is just what we are. It is no stranger than your own anatomy."

He nods at the bartender as his drink is refilled, then cuts in before Myitt can respond to Ike. "What do you think? The Yeerk Empire is a government first and foremost. How many governments are there in this galaxy that are truly unified?"

[Chad32]

"I see. Good to know." Ike said, being intentionally ambiguous. Nareth didn't seem to be bothered with the idea of involuntary hosts, but that didn't mean Myitt was super good either. Like Humans, Yeerks were most likely just people. People with varying ideas of right and wrong, and with different priorities and needs than other species. Some Yeerks may be genuinely trying to only have voluntary hosts, while others wouldn't care. People tended to run a wide spectrum, regardless of what planet they came from.

"Human anatomy can be weird. We eat and breathe through the same tube in our throat. Who thought that was a good idea?"

[Myitt]

"Actually," Myitt chimes in with a broad and slightly buzzed smile. "Humans eat and breathe through different tubes in their throats. It's the oropharyngeal cavity that conjoins the two near the back of the mouth."

She finishes her glass and sets to pouring herself another. Then she turns to James and looks him up and down again, pointedly, waving an index finger at him. "What'd you say your name was again?"

[Shenmue654]

"James," James states, glancing over towards the brunette. Her appearance was so shabby that she seemed almost inconsequential--- Just another stranger like him, blending into the Bar's crowd. But her wiry expression piqued his interest. He'd seen that look in other people before--- The tired, cynical edge of someone who'd been around the galaxy a few times.

"What about you?" he says. "Are you a Yeerk, too? Or a human like me?"