mental link, v important questions;

[narcissithstic]

(Tell me, have any of you spoken to Cathaway within the last two months.)

[The newer Hosts are the most likely suspects, but perhaps through the link—

Perhaps he feels nothing not because of distance, but because she's chosen to keep him locked out. The possibility is a nagging itch at the base of his skull; he'd rather know for certain.]

Comments

[spideys]

[ s...quints??? ]

( No, I mean she seemed kinda weird but we also just met and maybe that's the way she is all the time, I don't know.

Was she supposed to ask me to relay something? )

[ What is happening did he miss some important information ohgod.

This mental link thing is only allowing all those extraneous thoughts to flow right through his head without a filter. Sorry, Kylo. ]

[narcissithstic]

( No. ) [Tangibly disappointing as it is, that, at least, he can admit.]

(It's been a long time since I left the Nest to complete this mission. Communicating across distances this great, even with the Force, is impossible.)

[In normal human language: that means he misses her. Or more accurately, her validation.]

(Depending on how long it takes us to see this through, you won't speak to her again for months. Possibly more.)

[spideys]

[ The Force.

This guy totally just mentioned the Force, didn't he? Like, The Force the Force. No. No, way.

Please, God, don't let him see Peter's nerdy freak-out in his head. ]

( Whoa, really? I guess I should've chatted her up more. Asked her a little more about those plants. Talked about hobbies. Hopes and dreams. That stuff. )

[ Okay, yeah, some of that is sarcastic humour. ]

( Is she mad at you or something? )

[narcissithstic]

[Guess who isn't particularly thrilled by your sense of humor, buddy. Then again, judging by the waves of mild irritation rolling off of Kylo Ren across the line, that isn't a massive surprise to anyone.]

(We...) [He'd rather not admit it: going from her chosen favorite to the only host barred from her contact isn't exactly a story to be proud of, but he can't exactly lie when his thoughts are so cleanly transmitted.] (never had the opportunity to resolve our disagreement.)

[spideys]

[ It's fine. No one here seems to appreciate his humour. It's a tough crowd out there in space. :c ]

( What'd you fight about? )

[narcissithstic]

(I damaged the Station.) [Intentionally, despite what he might think in his own defense (though he's long since moved past pettier excuses). Time has a way of dragging more earnest confessions to the surface.]

(It was a senseless fit of rage; If I'd known the destruction it would cause, I would have chosen a better target.)

[Oh well. Can't change the past, amirite.]

[spideys]

( You - what? Seriously? )

[ Peter suddenly wonders if this guy used the Force to do it. Because that is pretty badass, even if it's really wrong and destroying things should never be done. But the Force --! ]

( What kinda destruction are we talking here?

And really, what would be a good target for senseless fits of rage? Besides a punching bag, maybe. )

[narcissithstic]

(Where I came from, the star destroyer I inhabited was exactly that.)

[Much to Hux's feverish dismay - those systems were expensive.]

(I doubt the damage was permanent. If the Station is alive— a part of her— it should have healed by now.)

[He hopes it's healed by now, otherwise by the time he returns (successful or not) he might still find himself barred from his former place at her side. Still...] (Lightsaber wounds have a habit of cauterizing quickly.)

[spideys]

[ Star destroyer.

Lightsaber.

Holy crap. This guy, this guy is an actual Jedi??? Or maybe Sith. Hopefully not a Sith, but possibly a Jedi.

Ohmygodohmygodohmygod.

If this thought slips out, it's really not his intention, but his excitement is great. ]

( Yeah, I - uh. I heard about that. About the lightsaber wounds thing.

Do you think the Station is alive? Like flesh and blood? )

[narcissithstic]

( I think it is connected to it. ) [Beyond that, even gifted with Cathaway's brutal clarity, he can't be sure. Perhaps it is flesh and bone— and perhaps not, only something else entirely, undefined by the limits of their comprehension.

It's all fairly obnoxiously philosophical.

Still, he feels that beating heart across the line. An eager rush of excitement, even if the cap is slapped down to stopper it.]

( —What. )

[Ren, that's not how you handle a fan.]

[spideys]

( What what? )

[ Ye...s. Because that clears everything up!

Moving on, moving on. ]

( Uh - anyway, okay. So you hurt the Station? And you think maybe Cathaway's still pissed? )

[narcissithstic]

[For a moment there's no response: on a good day (or a bad one, admittedly) Ren might be prone to distraction, but where mental connections are concerned his focus isn't easily dislodged. Call it a byproduct of years of keen, hateful interrogation.

This time his thoughts are a steady pressure across Peter's own - not painful or cruel, but insistent all the same.]

(Who are you.)

[spideys]

[ Oh, joy. Of all the times for his thoughts to get a little erratic, for someone to zero in on them, and then ask him who he is --? ]

( Who, me? I'm just a normal guy, just a regular dude. )

[ ... who happens to love Star Wars, but that's really not something he should be mentioning here, right? Right. ]

( The name's Peter. )

[narcissithstic]

['Peter'. Odd name, but whatever, it takes all kinds to make a galaxy— or clusters of them with their own individual timelines within the multiverse.]

( Do you know me, Peter? )

[spideys]

( Uh, I guess that depends on who you are. )

[ He knows about the Force, and the Rebellion, and the Jedi and the Sith. But he's not sure he's got any bells ringing for this guy in particular.

Anakin, maybe?

No. No, not Anakin. ]

[narcissithstic]

[ —No, then. Not with that answer, he's sure. Still, it's hard to shake the idea that they're from the same galaxy, or that his responses might be prompted from one of the other hosts somehow.

Perhaps Nathaniel's been saying too much, too freely (again).]

( My name is Kylo Ren. Master of the Knights of Ren, and apprentice to Supreme Leader Snoke.

At least, until I was brought here. )

[spideys]

[ Well. Okay.

Peter has officially never heard of this guy, or the 'Knights of Ren' or this 'Snoke' guy. So. Wrong franchise, maybe.

Or maybe there are more movies in the future??? ]

( And now?

You're just a regular schmuck like the rest of us, huh? )

[ Weirdly enough? Peter can kinda relate. ]

[narcissithstic]

( No. ) [It comes with a bitter pang of distaste (offended doesn't even begin to cover the bristling expanse of Ren's bruised ego) narrowing their connection to a sharp, overly fine point.]

( If anything, I've taken a step forward. ) [ -they all have.] ( Cathaway will forgive my transgressions once we've succeeded in bringing this chaos to heel.

I'm certain of it. )

[spideys]

[ Ow. Yeah, there's that rejection of his attempt to find some common ground, making Peter rethink the whole 'relating to this guy' thing.

Clearly he doesn't want to be like anybody else. Which? Is fine, probably. ]

( Yeah? That's uh - that's pretty confident of you. I mean, Cathaway seems pretty cool from the one time we met.

I'm sure she wouldn't hold a grudge, right? She seems like she's got way more important things to do than hold grudges. )