Mental Link;

[miscreant]

DEVOUR beg for mercy and i will deny you	ASSIMILATE the scourge will wash over this world
LEAD we do what the living cannot	WANDER your kind has no place in this realm

( CODE BY WHAMBAM )

Comments

[miscreant]

( My plan does not change between operations. Land. Blend in. Wait for an opportunity. Quite simple. )

[Her mental presence slides along Shepard's perhaps a touch too close for comfort, like a snake sliding along grass.]

( It is my believe that we have a tendency to...overplan. Perhaps not an entirely poor strategy, given what we typically work with. Our fellow 'Commander' seems to have a tendency to hyperfocus, wouldn't you agree? )

[Not like them, as if Seviilia and Shepard were more alike. She likes to think so.]

[earthborn]

( I like to keep it simple. 'No plan ever survives contact with the enemy intact,' isn't that right? )

[Shepard likes Lexa, honestly. And even if she didn't she certainly dislikes Lexa less than a lot of other people she's been asked to work with here. But Lexa isn't the problem, and neither is Seviilia.

The problem here, is Cathaway.]

( We still need a better contingency. I'm told there's less than no plan for extraction. This goes bad enough, we might find ourselves in bigger trouble than just not winning. )

[miscreant]

[Oh. Well that is a problem, isn't it?]

( Well, we must arrive in one fashion, and we have been given weapons. If we leave in the same fashion, is fighting our way out not an option? )

[She smirks, obviously relishing the idea of killing a few of the Enemy on the way out.]

[earthborn]

( I'm pretty sure that compared to losing a couple-dozen Hosts, letting the Enemy get a bead on the Station is more of a concern. If it were my job, I'd do it differently, but I'd definitely keep all my options on the table. )

[Would Cathaway maroon them? Yes, if it meant the difference between saving the station and risking it's loss. Would Cathaway sit there, cloaked and shielded, and let them all die, if she had to? Of course she would. It's what Shepard would do.]

( Everyone wants to be the good guys. Everybody wants to play hero. I'd love it if this whole thing worked out according to plan. But let's be honest with ourselves, here. )

[miscreant]

[There's a long pause, like Seviilia needs time to process what Shepard has just suggested. In truth, it had never occurred to her that they wouldn't be provided with a way out. The Station had been different than the Scourge, in that every life seemed precious, even her own.

The Knights of the Ebon Blade, the Scourge -- they were not like that.

How complacent she had grown.]

( You think they intend on leaving us behind? )

[Its almost ludicrous, the idea of it. But is that Seviilia talking, or the Nest? She isn't sure herself.]

[earthborn]

( I think that if we ask them to choose between their mission and their men, then we won't like the answer. )

[If Shepard has learned only one thing in her life, then it is this: you cannot trust the system. You can trust individuals, you can trust people, but organizations have lives of their own, and like any other organism they want to live more than they want to act with honor. The Nest is not some kind of exception to this rule, just because it would certainly be sad to see them all die.

Cathaway is a pragmatist. Shepard respects that about her. But it does her no favors, this time around.]

( There's Plan A, and then there's Plan B, and everybody seems to think we're all on the same page, here. You think they have any faith in us? With this plan? Hell, I don't have faith in us, and I'm one of the poor bastards with my ass on the line. We need to make this work. We need results. You read me? )

[miscreant]

[Again, she falls into silence, torn between her typical thought process, some shock, and the low roll of anger -- the last comes easiest to her. Surely they needed them to survive anyway. There was no guarantee more hosts would wake--]

( You're...right. )

[Another long pause, the anger becomes a little more pronounced.]

( But I am not certain how we prepare to be stranded on a planet, given our...resources. )

[earthborn]

[Shepard softens, pushing back against Seviilia's snakegrass mind with her own seawater pressure, like a friendly nudge, shoulder-to-shoulder.]

( I'm not saying that they want to leave us. I'm just saying... )

[She's just saying that there's a difference between high priority and highest priority. You don't save a shuttle just to lose the whole frigate.]

( So, let's think about this. Can we smuggle better weaponry in? Can we figure out who's gonna compromise us first, and sit on them? Can we get the failsafe plans in place in advance, or is this going to come down to pure luck and good timing? Do we get to keep the shuttle on the ground, or are we well and truly dependant? Because no matter what we need to do, we have to be able to trust each other, at least. Especially if we can't much trust anyone else. )

[miscreant]

( I trust you. And I trust Murphy. )

[It is a very short list. She knows that is not exactly what Shepard is getting at, but she feels it needs to be said, especially given the anchor of pressure she suddenly finds at her back. Especially given the now-absence of Ilde and of The Darkling.

She swallows down the thought of them both, and refocuses.]

( Asking about the shuttle should certainly be a priority. If nothing else, Murphy has been gifted foresight -- perhaps that will come in handy, should our doom begin its descent. But it is not a good failsafe. As I understand, it cannot be controlled. It simply is. )

[One last thoughtful pause, and a metaphorical inhale.]

( We can stockpile near our initial drop. That will at least provide us a rendenvouz point. )

[earthborn]

( You trying to make me blush, Sev? )

[Actually, it might be working.]

( Murphy's an ass. ) [This is said without apparent malice. It's something of a compliment, coming from Shepard.] ( It's not much. But better than nothing. Just gotta keep on our toes, I guess-- no plans, is that what you said? )

[miscreant]

( If that were my aim, Commander, I assure you that I have far more effective methods. It is easy for me to respect a proven warrior, especially one who has returned to life to ravage the stars a second time. )

[There is a light smile that is passed between them. She could talk for hours on her broodmate. It felt natural, as if she were talking about herself. But she is certain that is not what Shepard is after.]

( I gave you some plans. Unless we are no longer talking about the mission? )

[Her smile turns coy.]