Galaxy's Edge Space Bar

[Darth Revan]

Parker replies, still in Japanese, "The bartender doesn't speak. More plausible that he could not answer the question you asked. Order what you want. He accepts any payment. He starts tabs for later payment also.

"If you are comfortable with Jack, I will not object calling you Jack."

[Luke Skywalker (Ossanlin)]

~Rathien~

Rathien nods, listening to Esreth closely before responding.  "It's a shame she doesn't like compliments...one should take pleasure in life wherever available.  The Dream is short, make the most of it.  And speaking of your...relationship ...couldn't you experience such things without the exclusivity of physical pleasure?  Could one not carry on facets of a strong relationship and branch out a little?  Why is the reception of physical pleasure from a being other than one's partner so frowned-upon?  What reason, logical or otherwise, is there for ignoring such a powerful part of yourself when it comes to others?  Why is, say, talking with others or eating with others or taking part in social gatherings with others allowed whilst the physical interaction is not?  Shouldn't those things be seen as some sort of betrayal as well?  I don't see the difference...or the point in any of it for that matter."  Rathien shrugs, his facial expression altering enough to convey his confusion before returning to his easy-going smile as he takes another sip, still making full eye-contact with Terenia and Esreth.

[Terenia]

Esreth shrugs, not allowing Terenia's internal squirm of discomfort to show. "I suppose for Yeerks it is fairly simple. When we reproduce, we die. Such physical contact is not natural for us unless we wish to commit suicide. Unless, of course, we express it through our hosts, in which case it is probably best not to allow for over-stimulation. I would equate it to a Yeerk who gets too caught up in their human host's sense of taste. Before long, you have a rather obses host."

She grins a little at the image, then sobers, looking away from Rathien, his constant gaze slowly beginning to make her uncomfortable as well. "As for Terenia...it took her a long time to warm up to the affections of Corliss and Mike. She has had a hard life, and she does not particularly enjoy associating with others. Those social gatherings you speak of? She avoids those as well. Not because she thinks of it as a betrayal, but because she prefers solitude."

[Aluminator (Kit)]

Salem smiled at Jocun, "Let me know. Either way, it's been a pleasure doing business." He stood, "I'm sorry to run so soon, but I have a couple of other things I need to take care of." With a nod, he picked up his cloak, moved towards an empty booth, and sat down.

Al, seeing Salem moving away from the general crowd, rose and half-walked, half-skipped over to Salem's booth, sliding into the seat beside him. Salem rolled his eyes as he slid aside to make room.

"So, what's the deal with you and McScarypants over there," Al asked, with a slight nod towards Rathien. "I've managed to piece together that you're not dead, but I can't see how. Did you kiss and make up?"

Salem laughed, "Not exactly, though we did come closer than you'd think." He trailed off, rummaging through his wadded cloak, trying to avoid getting too much blood on his hands.

My blood, he reminded himself. He hadn't even seen the injury, but for there to be this much blood inside the cloak, it must have been severe.

"To both death and kisses," he muttered, pulling his hand from another cloak pocket and wiping his blood-covered knuckles on a napkin.

Al raised an eyebrow and laughed in surprise. He then leaned in, lowering his voice, and switched to the Atazin galactic language, "Seriously, what happened?"

Salem also lowered his voice and switched languages. There didn't seem to be anyone in listening range, but old habits die hard, and one could never be too careful. "I injected him with nanites. They'll melt his brains if my vitals stop."

Al blinked in surprise, then smirked at Salem, "You told him that? Was that your plan all along?"

Salem shrugged sheepishly, then finally gave up on looking for whatever he was trying to find in his cloak and pulled his archaic communicator from the cloak pocket- a cylindrical device just long enough to not be fully covered by his closed fist, resembling an old earth microphone. "I think it may be time to make a phone call," he said, grinning at Al.

[Darth Revan]

Thor gave Parker a quick update, <<Sir, Tobias and his counter part have resumed using the unknown language detected previously.>>

Parker shut off his speakers to talk to Thor, "What unknown language? You mean the weird anomaly you had last year?"

Thor replied, <<For you it was last year, sir.>>

Parker shut his eyes frustratedly, "Right." He opened them blinking. He thought a moment, "You still haven't translated it?"

Thor retorted, <<They have not used a proper amount of words to properly decode and translate. Most communications they have in said language is short term at best. Finding speech and grammar structures takes lengthy analysis with plenty of source materials. I've only had a few paragraphs.>>

Parker gave a slight sigh, "Okay, well, just keep doing your best. For now, as far as the transcript is concerned, just type what they're saying phonetically."

Thor responded, <<Yes sir.>>

Parker returned his attention to the two men he was conversing with and continued to read the transcript of Esreth and Rathien's conversation on the side. He wouldn't trust that bounty hunter for anything.

[Hunter]

'That's understandable, and I have no objections to being called Jack. I rather like the name, myself.' Jack said to Parker. Turning to face the bartender, he said in broken English 'I would like to order a Bento with some soy sauce dip, please' Opening up his money pouch that he kept hidden inside his clothes, he places a few coins on the counter that the bartender gladly takes.

After a few moments, the bartender returns with his order, complete with chop sticks and a small bowl of soy sauce for dipping. 'Many thanks, good sir' Jack replies, again in broken English to the bartender as he starts eating his meal.

[Chad32]

Simon's translator chip eventually translated what Jack was saying as Japanese, though he and Jocun didn't speak it. Luckily the guy was able to speak some English. With Salem gone, he turned his attention to Rathien who had been talking about sex. Simon actually found him attractive, but was unlikely to be willing to have sex with the guy. The current discussion may actually work in Jocun's favor when he started talking to Terenia again, since she'd likely prefer almost any discussion to the one Esreth was having.

[Luke Skywalker (Ossanlin)]

~Rathien~

Rathien spares a glance for Salem and his lackey before moving his own eyes back to his drink.  Esreth had broken the eye-contact herself...he smiles to himself.  "Yes, I suppose reproduction has a much more macabre twist when it comes to you Yeerks.  But I'm not speaking of reproduction.  It is the reward for accomplishing the acts required for reproduction that I speak of."

He glances up at Esreth and Terenia before taking another drink and continuing.  "The two are not the same, and most humanoid species have found ways of separating them...and by that I mean ways of achieving the reward without the reproduction.  For example, I can achieve the same amount of enjoyment with another male as I can with a female, and unless his species is very unique indeed, it will never result in a child."  He grins again.  Of course a Yeerk would not possess the same senseless preconceptions about same-gender mating as most bi-gendered races.  Of course there were exceptions to the rule, usually races that had moved to a higher level of functionality with minimal religious interference with logical thought.  But Esreth's host should possess the general human preconceptions...un less of course she had moved beyond them herself.

"Overeating and obesity have obvious repercussions with health...but unless you have scientific evidence that supports a theory that they cause a Yeerk harm, I can tell you that it is nigh impossible to overdose a humanoid race with naturally self-produced endorphins.  In fact, many races benefit from repeated exposure.  The relief of stress by itself is proven to have very therapeutic effects."  He directs a questioning glance in Esreth's direction in case she should look up again. 

[Darth Revan]

Parker leaned slightly toward Jack and commented in Japanese, "There is no need to have to speak English to him. He understands anyone who talks to him."

Parker then turns back to Ossanlin and says in English, "Though, to be frank, running that distance to me is nothing special. I can understand your similie; but I can cover that with no problem. Granted I am much more than your usual Human."

[Terenia]

"Maybe I'm just not stressed out enough to warrant it," Esreth says with a pert smile. If the idea of same-gender mating bothers her, she doesn't seem to show it. She finishes her beer and stands. "Or maybe, as enjoyable as it is, it is not quite galaxy-shattering enough to warrant wasting my time hunting down other possible conquests. There are more important things than intercourse going on. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I should give Terenia some distance before she tries to rip your throat out."

She steps away from the counter, glancing over to ensure that Gene is still nearby.

[Luke Skywalker (Ossanlin)]

~Ossanlin~

<I see.>  He shrugs in the human fashion and scans the bar with his stalk eyes, taking in everyone's positions.  <It is a balancing act, I believe it may be possible for me to destroy myself if I...over-do it.  The more I exert myself, or the longer I remain ascended, the worse the energy loss.  In simpler terms, extra-mortal abilities take an extra-mortal toll.>



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~Rathien~

Rathien raises an eyebrow as Esreth stands to leave, chuckling to himself.  "I thought we were having a completely innocent intellectual discussion."  He grins, taking another drink from his tumbler.  The session had eventually had to come to an end, and at least she hadn't pulled a Dracon on him.  To Esreth's back, he says, "I apologize for upsetting your host, it was not my intent.  Exactly the opposite in fact."

He holds his hands out palms up, shaking his head and still smiling before turning back to the bar, taking another swig out of his glass before glancing around, still chuckling to himself.  He stands and walks over to the booth that Salem and Al are sitting in, the liquor having a pleasant, warming effect on his body.  He slides himself easily into the booth across from Salem, lifting a booted leg up on the table as he leans back into the booth, his cape flaring underneath him and out the side of the booth before settling limp.  "How's life, pseudovite?"  He spares a glance at Al as he speaks before moving his gaze to Salem and taking another swig from his tumbler.  "What'cha guys talkin' about?"  He grins and quirks an eyebrow.



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~Raile~

Raile shrugs.  "There's no diplomacy with droids, most are programmed not to care whether they continue to exist or not.  The only option is to destroy or be destroyed."

[Chad32]

Jocun moved to Esreth to continue hanging out with her. He certainly had little reason to continue sitting near Parker. "Eh, he's not the first person in the galaxy to bring up sex in this sort of environment. If you'd like, you can still chat with me about more casual things. I don't really know what neutral areas there are in your time, but I remember a very nice planet called Bereeth where the people Weren't volatile to Yeerks but weren't wild about Andalites either. Lots of festivals there."

[Darth Revan]

Parker tilts his head upward and asks, "So what happens if you stay acsended? What if you just left your body? Complete the ascension." Parker left the question there. He didn't want to lead it anywhere else.


Garreth nodded replying, "That would certainly be a nice break from fighting sapient beings. Less worry about moral repercussions. Dismantling droids would be lighter on the conscience."

[Terenia]

Esreth sighs a little, reluctantly settling down near Gene, glancing at Jocun. "I have never heard of Bereeth," she says, "I have only ever been on Earth, a smattering of Yeerk vessels and the rebel bases." Her eyes follow Rathien as he crosses the room, brows drawn. "It is not his topic of conversation that irks me, it is his manner of delivery. There is something about him that I do not trust."

[Chad32]

"I don't doubt he's untrustworthy. I know I've said I don't despise all bounty hunters and such, but I'm pretty sure that's the kind of guy I wouldn't like. Earth is quite nice in many places. If you were going to go there, what would you like to see?"