[Consignment] IC Inbox

[needlebearer]

stark.arya@cdc.org
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[needlebearer]

If I do get into trouble, I'd much rather you knew than Gliese.

[screwattack]

I'd like to know so that I might be able to assist.

[It's a good bit before she sends a second message, as she contemplates whether or not it's a good idea to ask on a network that probably was not so private to the people who ran it.

Well, if the conversation turned sour and drew attention, she would find a way to turn it around, or shift the blame onto herself.]

Does Gliese scare you?

[needlebearer]

I'm not scared of anyone.

[It's partly bravado, because even if she's not scared she's wary. And she's frightened of the things that the people in charge here could do, at least.]

I don't like her.

[screwattack]

That's good to hear. Neither am I.

[Scared of abstracts, like events and situations beyond her control, perhaps. But she thought of herself as someone to be feared, not someone who could fear others.]

I should caution you to be careful with what you say via your communicator, but I find myself inclined to agree with you. Whatever the reasons for her cruelty, it's still unjustified.

[needlebearer]

At least we get a few days away from her now. Maybe she'll have gone when we get back.

[Wishful thinking.]

[screwattack]

Something tells me she's here to stay. Please don't try to get into any fights with her or any of the other officers though, Arya.

For the time being, it's in our best interest to stay on their good side. They've shown as much with those kills orders they only recently retracted.

[needlebearer]

I won't. I know I can't beat them head on.

[She'd always had to rely on those bigger and stronger than her to stay safe against those sort of direct threats, whether it was Syrio or Jaqen or now even the Hound. She knows that she needs to grow stronger here, and that means biding her time, no matter how painful it is.]

[screwattack]

The situation is bad right now. But hopefully we can take control of it in the future. There hasn't been a single situation I haven't been able to bring under my control yet.

Also, as soon as we get a breather from these missions, I can start training sessions with you. Though I think you're more than capable for the time being.

[needlebearer]

Maybe when I get back from scouting I'll have picked up a few tricks of my own, too.

[Unlikely, but she can hope.]

I'm really glad they put me in the same rover as you.

[screwattack]

I don't doubt it.

[Samus is taken somewhat off guard by the flattering comment, though it's not necessarily like she hasn't heard it before. But usually it was tied to her fame.]

I appreciate that, but can I ask why?

[needlebearer]

Because you're a lot of the things I want to be.

[screwattack]

I see.

[There's a long pause between texts. She had no doubts in her mind that some people back home saw her as some kind of role model, particularly the lives of the children she had saved firsthand. Still, it was an odd position to be in... she didn't view herself as anything special. Even though she calls herself a good guy and has a strong set of morals she upholds, her actions have not always been innocent.

Hell, if Arya knew half of the horrible things Samus had done in the name of justice and revenge, she wasn't so sure she'd have the girl's favor. She's still a bounty hunter, at the end of the day.]

I'll be honest, I'm probably some things you don't want to be, too.

[needlebearer]

It doesn't matter if don't want to be them. I have to be anyway.

[screwattack]

I'm only warning you that I may also be some things you don't like. I don't want to put on an illusion of perfection and end up disappointing you.

Contrary to popular belief, I am still human at my core.

[needlebearer]

I know. Humans are the worst monsters of them all.

[screwattack]

That isn't what I meant.

I also don't find that to be true. There are countless sentient races out there, and I've met several who were more monstrous than a human being could ever hope to be.

[needlebearer]

You wouldn't say that if you met some of the people I know.

[screwattack]

Maybe not. Trust me, I'm sure some human beings are capable of extraordinarily monstrous things.

But at least human beings have a conscience. Some races are born without one.

[needlebearer]

How many other races have you met?

[screwattack]

Countless. The galaxy is enormous, and there are more civilizations out there than you could possibly imagine.

[needlebearer]

You must have heard of Ajna before you got here, then.

[screwattack]

No, I've never heard of Ajna. There are so many worlds out there, I don't think I know even a tiny fraction of them, not to mention I think Ajna exists in a galaxy outside of my own.

[needlebearer]

I never even though there were any other planets before I got here.

[screwattack]

[... Arya didn't know anything about the vastness of space... She knew nothing outside of her own planet. This all must have been incredibly confusing for her.]

Your planet must orbit a star- a sun. It may even have a moon, or several moons.

Your sun is the center of a solar system, likely containing other planets with their own moons. And your solar system is only one of billions of others in your galaxy.

[needlebearer]

We have a moon. And there are the Seven Wanderers in the sky. They might be planets.

[The idea is still too surreal for Arya to really grasp and apply to her own world all that well.]