station72 | MENTAL LINK.

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MENTAL LINK.

[Though it may be the first time that Bruce has reached out to everyone mentally, there’s no hesitation in how quickly his voice permeates in other hosts’ heads. As with most things, the man gets right to it — besides, this isn’t exactly being done for the sake of pleasantries.

Straight to business then:]

(If you’ve been paying attention, you’d know that Public Security Commissioner Seong-Hye Ngozi has been hiding something. I plan on visiting her office to find out exactly what that is.)

[Images of the office building itself filters through the link, the fruit of prior research and reconnaissance. And the implication is more than clear that this isn’t exactly going to be a scheduled office visit.]

(I’ll need distractions outside of the Public Security offices. Only volunteer if you’re confident that you know what you’re doing.)

[He’s sure questions are on their way, but he’s not willing to entertain them preemptively. Thus, his words end there.]

((ooc; this is the post for your character to ICly offer themselves to help with the break-in plot. (As detailed here.) Note that while Bruce might not find everyone’s credentials compelling, that won’t stop your character from coordinating with others if they want. He's not your supervisor!!!

Therefore, threadjacking is highly encouraged so all characters can sort out their plotting together!)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

( No! ) [ the response is immediate and furious before she assembles her thoughts further. ] ( That's not what I'm suggesting, at all. Don't be ridiculous.

I'm suggesting that you do your part, whatever you're qualified to contribute to this mission, and I will do mine. )

[Rey, sweet summer child....]

(You realize that is exactly the definition of cooperation.

That you and I, if we agreed to pursue that course of action, would be allies as much as any other member of the Nest.)

[Guess who's barreling into this conversation.]

(Is there going to be a problem here?)

[If someone can aid them in their mission, he's not one to turn away the help -- unless this is going to cause a conflict, a distraction that might put them all in danger. That needs to be nipped in the bud.]

(Not if she's willing to cooperate - I won't jeopardize our mission with infighting.

Otherwise, evaluate our skills. Take whichever one of us is best suited to your needs.)

[I.e. him. According to him, anyway.]

[He's almost quick to point out that there certainly seems to be a fair amount of infighting right here -- but he also won't deny that Rey seems to be the more... heated of the two.

He'll call her out on it, in their own link. But for now:]

(Both of you can contribute to the mission, assuming you're willing and able to cooperate. But whatever animosity there is between you two needs to be swept aside completely; otherwise, there's no point in even entertaining this conversation.)

[Are you able to do that, he wonders? From what he's seeing so far, he can't be sure.]

(Consider it done.) [He's worked at Hux's side for years, and while their bickering might have bled in private, more often than not it was stowed away and kept close, particularly while on a mission.]

(Anything else you need from me, ask. I won't be far.)

[Well, that was easy enough. (Un)forunately, Bruce doesn't always believe in "easy", but if he has reservations, they can be sorted out with teammates later. For now, a potential ally is a priceless connection, and one he can't turn away.]

(I still have questions. You mentioned a proficiency in the "Force"; I need more details than just that.)

[What a term that's been floating about so frequently in the Nest, as of late.]

(You don't know.) [A note of surprise; he'd expected Bruce to understand it by now, given the tangible thread drawn between his thoughts and the scavenger's own. Perhaps she's kept it entirely to herself.

Selfishness was always her fortress.]

(It's difficult to explain, easier to feel. All you need to know is that I'm capable of physical manipulation and the mental equivalent of it from a great distance, without exposing myself. Lifting objects, bending them, breaking them, reading minds as easily as a broadcast readout— wiping them clean, if necessary. I was valued for my proficiency.

And that remains true now.)

[He had sensed it, in a second-hand sort of way. His link with Rey gave him the barest threads of information, but the fact that he did not pry further was no one's fault other than his own. He had made it a point to keep up his walls, to reinforce them so strongly that nothing could get in or out.

It's only recently that he's learning to peek through the cracks, and even then the process is painfully slow. Complete trust does not come easily to this man.]

(And you've implied that Rey's skills are not as honed.) ["Implied" is perhaps a nice way of putting it.]

(Because they aren't.)

[There's nothing untrue about that: she's untrained, untutored and without a teacher to keep her in check. However powerful she might be, it's all raw talent - the sort that saw him overtaking her effortlessly on Takodana, at the beginning of their fight.]

( She needs training. She needs a -teacher-.

Until then, her powers will be wild, unpredictable at best. They'll come to her in desperation, not control. )

[Raw talent, then. A good thing to have, though wielded clumsily without tutelage. Without focus and control, like Ren is telling him.

But Rey is also a broodmate. This sparks motivation for Bruce to find ways for her to improve, rather than to deny her help in future missions.]

(And there's no one here to teach her? No way for her to improve herself?)

[ she's not as much chagrined that he's listening in, as she is determined not to let Ren take the potential opportunity away from her. ]

( There won't be a problem. I can do this despite his influence. He won't be a distraction. )

[Sorry, Rey, broodmate or not, he has to point out the obvious.]

(He seems to be plenty distraction right now.)

( Only because I'm letting him, in the interest of finding out whether he's going to be a problem for me, or not. ) [ her words are varnished steel in his head. ]

( He won't. I promise you. )

[The ring of confidence, of stubbornness, is loud and clear. Bruce can appreciate it, being traits he shares as well. They're convincing, and most of all, they're sincere. He can affirm that much by closeness of connection alone.]

(I'm trusting you on this, Rey. I don't need to tell you how important it is that this mission goes smoothly.)

[ how dare!! ]

( We would not be allies — our roles don't need to overlap, or even interact. We would simply be tolerant of one another.

It certainly doesn't excuse anything that you've done. Don't mistake my desire to participate as a desire to wipe the slate clean. )

(Whether you like it or not, scavenger, we're both part of the Nest now.

Coexistence is a necessity.)

[A fortunate one, if you ask him. For her...he imagines less so.]

( Coexistence. Not allegiance. )

[ there's a difference!! ]

(And where does your allegience lie?

Do you think the creatures that hunt you aren't my enemy as well? That they don't threaten what I value as much as what little you hold left?)

[ she has no answer for that first question, because she doesn't know where her allegiance truly lies here or anywhere, but.. ]

( What are you suggesting, Ren — that you'd -protect- me from our enemies, in battle? ) [ a slight shift, and then she shares the pain of the pulled scar, an ever-present reminder of what he's done to her (and something she'd felt tugging at her more, recently). ]

( I don't think I have to tell you why I find that so hard to believe. )

(Hard to believe or not, it's the truth.

You can't lie to the Nest: secrets, as you've already proved, die quickly.)

( Was that the truth before, or after you sliced up my spine? )

(If I wanted you dead, you would be dead.

You refused to listen, you tried to -kill me-.) [In the name of his betrayers, his enemies— her downfall.]

(I did what was necessary.)

( Your definition of 'necessary' is a warped one. ) [ It's the mental equivalent of grumbling; she knows as well as he does that her fury, her anger when she'd unleashed it on him in the corridor, wouldn't have been abated by anything else.

Short of this, nearly killing her, he wouldn't have been able to stop her. ]

( In the interest of this mission, we will work together. Not as partners, not as allies, but as members of the Nest. That's it. )

(I'm glad you decided to be reasonable.)

[ :) ]

MENTAL LINK.

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