Galaxy's Edge Space Bar

[Myitt]

Tara glances back at Dalik with a frown.

"She's, uh, pretty jumpy, isn't she?" she intones, sighing and climbing the ramp.

"Cameron?" Tara calls as she steps into the cabin. "Hey, it's okay, it's just me. I'm a friend."

[guitarhero01234]

Nepek says nothing for a moment. His face betrays not even the slightest emotion. "Do you know what it's like to be a Controller, Andalite?" he finally asks. "Do you have any idea what it's like to be trapped inside your own head, a slave to a creature that constantly berates you for existing?" He shifts his weight forward and points a finger at Ossanlin, a very human-like gesture. "'You're worthless,' it told me. 'You're nothing but a tool. A walking weapon.' Need I go on? I was told these things day in, day out, from the day I was born until the end of the Yeerk war on Earth."

He lowers his hand, feeling he made his point. "I hold no ill will toward the Yeerks. They did what they had to in order to survive. The constant berating . . . I may not like that they broke their hosts' willpower, but it was necessary for their survival. And when an alternative to enslaving other creatures was presented, they took it."

Nepek finally sits back and lays his hand on the chair's armrest. "When you consider it, the Yeerks were slaves in their own way, to their own anatomy. That may not be a justification, but it goes a long way in explaining their actions. What excuse do the Andalites have for their warmongering? If the Quantum Virus was such a terrible thing, then why would the Andalites plan the mass genocide of humans in the last leg of the war on Earth!? Seems like Alloran was only shamed so the military could save face." Nepek pauses for a moment, out of breath from his outburst.

"You're certainly right about one thing, though. Not all people of a species are the same. Maybe you're not the general archetype of arrogance and pompousness. As an old colleague of mine would have said, 'a regular ****ing saint.' But I've found that it's often best to air on the side of caution, lest my carelessness come back to haunt me. So I say again - if you do, as you've said, fight for the good of all species, then you'll have to forgive me for holding a grudge."

Nepek takes another moment before his eyes scroll back over toward Jeffrey. Judging from his frequent pauses, it was fairly clear by this point that he was either weak or old. Possibly both. "I won't hold your subservience to the Empire against you, Myitt. As I understand, it was follow-or-die. To answer your question, I honestly don't know. After the war, I chose not to stay with my people. Self-centered as it may be, I didn't need them, nor did they need me, and I went to forge my own path in life. But that's another story entirely." His tail slumps down beside him, now hanging over the back of the armrest. "The last I heard, the Hork-Bajir populace on Earth was slowly recovering. But that was long ago."

[Terenia]

The main cabin of the Bug Fighter is impeccable, and obviously lived in. There are wall to wall cabinets, each one labeled in Yeerkish, many seeming to contain electronics, while others have typical living necessities. A small, narrow bed has been pushed against one wall, neatly covered in a blue quilt.

Cameron is nowhere to be seen, but from the engine room comes a small whimpering sound.

[Hunter]

'That was my boss, just wording me up on some idiot that I've had a couple run-ins with in the past. If we cross paths again, I'll make good on my promise to him this time.'

Hunter quickly orders another rum from the BT with a slight raise of his hand.

'Decided to stop in at the bar after tracking a bounty for a couple of months over three different systems. Some well needed "R and R".' He says to Merc with a chuckle.

[Luke Skywalker (Ossanlin)]

<The last leg....?  Oh, I see.  You're from my future, or a future.  I promise you the war rages on where I'm from.  Earth is being secretly infiltrated by the Empire.  I have no knowledge of these events you speak of.  Human genocide has never been discussed as far as I'm aware.  Earth isn't even a focus of my People at this time...I believe that to be a grave mistake, but the fleet has been all but devastated.  We don't have enough ships to cover everything.  Even now the Tyrennian is on patrol.>

He falls silent for a moment, closing his eyes as he remembers Seren.  <Do not presume to know me, Nepek.  You seem to assume a great deal without knowing even an inkling of my past.>  He pauses, his voice still calm, as he crosses his arms, locking eyes with the Hork-Bajir.  <I know EXACTLY what it's like to be a controller.  Host to a sadistic Sub-Visser who used the classified intelligence he pried out of my brain to become a high-rank Visser.  He laughed as he took what he wanted...derided my futile attempts to control even the smallest part of my body.  He delighted in my frustration, and in my failure to protect that information.>  A calm blue fire seems to smolder in his eyes, but he resists ascension.  <I would likely still be a controller if it wasn't for her.>  He ****s his head toward Jeffrey's body, indicating Myitt.  <So before you step up to your podium of righteous indignation again, perhaps do some research on the target of your ridicule first.>

[Shenmue654]

There was a creepy immediacy to the type of control Ossanlin and Nepek described. An immediacy that was completely foreign to Jeffrey. The type of control that he can exert on a person's mind is very different. He can convince them to believe certain things, but he can't really predict how what he does will affect them, or how they will interpret his command. Rosie was stuck going to visit the doctor every day and repeating the same speech word-for-word to that doctor every day, all because he had initially delivered the speech in that way to try and convince Rosie to get a check-up at all.  <<...the mind is a weird instrument, yeah? I can make neurons fire that wouldn't have, but I can't tell them where to go. I feel like I have a hammer and I'm trying to thread a needle with it. To have a Yeerk's control......I can't even imagine that.>>

Before Jeffrey can think on it further he is shunted back, rather reluctantly, to the warehouse. Experiencing that lack of control over his own head is interesting. <<...yes...I've killed, actually...directly or indirectly...a lot of people. For my plan to work, at one point Draconis had to kill every last Field Isolator in the Dome. Field Isolators cancel all superpowers in a certain radius around them, so they were naturally immune to my powers. That was probably what made up everyone's mind to kill me, in the end.>>

Jeffrey tries to push out the invasive hum of the distorted thoughts that are proud of the extent of his reach as a supervillain, giddy with the rush of snuffing out someone's life, longing for the dance of death he so often played with the people of the Dome. That's not me. You're not me! You're a disease, an infection. When his mind clears, he has other ideas. <<Haven't you killed people, Yeerk? You might not have ever been in my shoes, really, no--- But you had to make choices like that, too, once. Still have to, probably, in this rebellion of yours. Choices that end with a dozen people dead, and no way to run from that.>>

[Myitt]

<<Yes,>> says Myitt simply, and although she can hide her thoughts and memories from Jeffrey, she can't hide the wave of guilt and grief that washes over their shared mind. <<You weren't a murderer, once. You actually...weren't all that bad. This disease...it made them kill you.>>

She stands, frozen, eyes tracking, in front of Nepek and Ossanlin. Jeffrey's brow furrows, and she glares down at the floor.

<<You don't want this kind of control. I don't want this kind of control. I never wanted it.>>


--

Tara veers in the direction of the engine room on Dalik's ship. "Cameron?" she tries. "My name is Tara. I promise I won't hurt you. I'm a friend of Dalik's." She winces, itching her arm. It was a lie, but the girl was clearly attached to Dalik.

Weird ass Florence Nightingale kind of ****, she thinks, and feels a momentary pang of emptiness.

[Shenmue654]

<<Tch. Does it matter that I didn't start as an ****, if the end result is an ****? Nobody starts crazy, Yeerk--- They get crazy over time. And it's true--- Every time I use my powers, I get crazier. >> Heehee, crazytown bananapants, Bonkers McFuzzbit, eighteen marbles short of a twenty marble pack! HaHA!  <<But, ehehe, doesn't really matter does it? Nobody wants to know that kind of thing about people like me, it makes 'em uncomfortable! It's like the Wizard of Oz! If you know the trick, you can't be scared of him anymore. >>

Jeffrey seems to smile internally. <<But I guess that's your curse, isn't it? You're stuck with that information about everyone you possess. And you...>> Surprise washes over Jeffrey. <...saved White Knight over here, and didn't hate your frizzy-haired friend, and tried to make it better for the Yeerks despite knowing all that. Despite knowing what jerks most people really are. You even felt bad...for me. >>

Jeffrey is quiet for possibly the first time since Myitt arrived. He doesn't know how to process that. He couldn't ever think the same way, not even when he was whole. He couldn't be optimistic enough to assume that without the oppressive government around the people would do the right thing.
 

[Myitt]

A slow grin spreads across Jeffrey's face, and to anyone outside of their shared mind it would look altogether strange - a well-dressed man, staring blankly at the ground, grinning sharply at nothing in particular, while people around him had an involved conversation.

Reading Jeffrey's thoughts, Myitt replies, <<Sometimes people are scared out of their minds. Frightened out of doing the right thing. Sometimes what they're told is the right thing...just plain isn't. But it's hard to escape that sort of group-think, isn't it? It's hard to go against the grain. And when doing that actually threatens your life and your livelihood, what's more insane? The status quo, or the rebellious act?>>

Her slightly unhinged smile fades, and she snaps her head up, blinking.

"Sorry," she mutters in Jeffrey's voice, scratchy from disuse. "What'd I miss?" She looks between Nepek and Ossanlin.

[Shenmue654]

<<...I think I know what you mean. In my world, people like your Tara--- People without superpowers--- Are treated really badly compared to the people who have 'em. Part of that's just because they're weak, you know? They're not charismatic enough to compete with an Esper, not resilient enough to match a Regenerator, not as fast as my Dere--...as Static. The twits can't compete! But part of that is just because people are told that about Mundanes, and not because it's true.>>

He'd never had time before to really think about it. He wondered if the Yeerks had the same problem, about the species they infested. They just accepted as a matter of course that infestable species were lesser beings and ignored all the evidence showing they weren't.

Jeffrey then watches, and waits to see how the conversation between the two old war veterans progresses.

[Myitt]

Jeffrey's teeth grind together.

<<I was like that, too,>> she says, quietly smoldering. <<I was like that once. Maybe I still am. That makes me the weak one.>>

[Terenia]

The engine room is dark, the engines silent. Residual heat hangs in the air, making the room humid.

Cameron is sitting on the floor near one of the panels, her knees drawn up to her chest, arms hugging them close. She looks up at Tara when the woman enters, brown eyes wide. Her expression is otherwise blank. Not scared, not suspicious. Just blank. As if she's forgotten how to manipulate her features to reflect what she is feeling.

She doesn't say anything, but the muscles of her shoulders tense up as the stranger comes closer.

[guitarhero01234]

Nepek takes a sip of his almost-forgotten water. "Well," he says, "you must be from a different timeline from my own, because as far as I'm aware, there as only been one Andalite-Controller." He looks away from Ossanlin and his eyes scan around the bar. "Seems like this is the right place, then. I've heard of a location where entities from different timelines can coalesce. Never thought I'd actually come across it. . . ."

His eyes snap back to Ossanlin, as he seems to be focused again on the topic at hand. "Regardless, you expect me to know about your life? My dear Andalite friend, we have only just met, and if I'm correct, we may not even exist in the same universe." The sarcasm and venom contained in the words, "dear Andalite friend" were almost palpable.

"But I can empathize. I know what it's like to have been a slave to the Yeerk Empire, and it sounds like our experiences were one in the same." He takes another sip of his water. "I can empathize," he repeats, "but that doesn't mean I agree with your stances."

* * *

"Damn," Merc says quietly. He looks over at Rathien, whom he had been unintentionally ignoring for some time. "You weren't kidding when you said these Hork-Bajir have beef with Andalites." Was Merc wasn't privy to the knowledge of a Hork-Bajir's superior hearing, he likely would have lowered his voice even more. "These guys are at each others' ****in' throats."

[Luke Skywalker (Ossanlin)]

<Indeed, times and realities converge here according to a superior will.>  He directs a stalk-eye at the BT momentarily.  <My time as a controller was blessedly short-lived.  There have been others...one known as Terenia inhabited an Andalite known as Efaen.  And they are not the only example.  Why the Empire kept Efaen a secret I can only presume.  As for me, no officials knew I'd ever been infested.  Upon inhabiting me, Seren came to this place immediately with grandiose ideas of spreading his Empire across other realities.  It was here that he was promptly removed from my head in less than a feeding cycle.>

He shakes his head minutely.  <What I expect, Nepek, is for you to avoid making specist generalizations and assumptions about me and my character without knowing anything about me.  I had not even spoken to you, nor you I, before you spat venom and hatred at me.  You say I expect you to know me when we've only just met?  Of course not.  It was you, Nepek, who spoke as if you knew every detail of my life and every working of my mind, condemning me for those things which you assumed about me of your own volition with no corroborating information whatsoever.>

He shakes his head again.  <My stances?  You don't even know my stances.  You merely assume that because I'm an andalite, that my stances are somehow predetermined, as if I am not an individual with my own free will.  I came over here merely to chat...to be cordial, perhaps start up a conversation.  And in so doing, diffuse any situations perceived or otherwise.  I came over here because I am interested in you and I was interested in getting to know you.  But if you can only see along stereotyped species lines, something you are likely assuming I do despite the fact that I've just told you that one of my most trusted friends is a Yeerk, and that I've been friends with other Hork-Bajir in my past...then my efforts are nothing but futile.>  He pauses, shrugging his shoulders.  <It's almost absurd enough to be comical...a member of one species accusing another species of being specist without realizing that they themselves are the true bigot.>



*                               *                                 *


"Hmmm...yeah...some bad blood.  But fun to watch."  Rathien chuckles a bit.  "I'm amazed, quite frankly, at how calm they're both remaining."  He takes another sip of his drink.  "'Course from what I know of the andalite, that's his style.  He's pretty well-known to people who have the info.  One of their prize War-Princes...the poster-child of the military.  That level of control comes with being an effective officer.  The conscience though...quite odd for an andalite.  He'd be a tough hit to pull off...the Empire's tried."  He shrugs.  "The seer apparently also knows the value of keeping up outward appearances.  Flying off the handle just ends up with you waist-deep in the mud."

[guitarhero01234]

Nepek contorts his face into a twisted grin. "That cuts deep, friend. If I had tear ducts, I would cry." Slowly, he stands up - not in a confrontational manner, rather as if to strech his back. Still, his height may be fairly intimidating, if not for his visibly weak muscles. "That's not the first time I've been told off like that. And if circumstances were not how they currently are, I would guarantee it would not be the last."

With a barely noticable limp, the Hork-Bajir walks over to the bar and places his empty glass on the counter. "The fact of the matter is, Andalite, I'm very old. In my years as a free Hork-Bajir, which at this point greatly outnumber those I spent as a Controller, I have had very few friends. One, to be precise. And that was a long, long time ago."

"I know I'm abrasive," he continues, the grin replaced by a bitter, empty stare into nothingness. "I know I'm what you would call a speciest. And yes, I know that's why I'm alone. Why I wander the universe without any direction." As Nepek rambles, it becomes clear that he's no longer talking to Ossanilin, but rather to himself. "If I were not any of these things, perhaps I would be better-liked. But I've grown tired of building a facade of friendliness, only for the other party to realize just what I am. 'An unrepentant ****,' as my old friend would have so eloquently put it."

He locks eyes with Ossanlin once more. "I don't tell you this to garner pity. I'm well past the point of deserving an ounce of sympathy. Hard as it may be to believe, I hold no real ill will toward you, despite what I said. In fact, believe it or not, I quite like you. You've kept a level head this whole time, which I must reapect. My outward personality, more than anything, is a means of protecting others from potentially being harmed by my true nature. And congratulations, by the way; I've never admitted that to anyone before."

Nepek takes a deep breath before issuing his closing words. "I know I'm an argumentative, judgemental fool. That is something that I can't change. And in my mind, it's best to make it obvious that I am an argumentative, judgemental fool than to feign affability."