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Yes. I can safely say that I do.

What convinced you?

I may or may not have snatched a body in my time. For survival, of course. Undead flesh doesn't replenish itself now, does it?

You a ghost or some shit? *He peers at the other man.* Well this one is mine and has been this whole life, so I'm keeping it.

Ghost? How quaint. No. I am a Forsaken. Champion of the Dark Lady.

[He's kind of a big deal, if he does say so himself. Nathanos sighs, realizing this information is probably meaningless.]

A Forsaken is an undead that is no longer a mindless zombie, no longer a slave to the will of the Lich King. To be one is to at once know freedom and despair. Magic and necromancy can slow decomposition, but not stop it.

[Nathanos looks Palmer up and down.]

Not to worry. You can keep it. Besides, we aren't related, so it would not work anyway.

We are probably less related than you can imagine. And yet in some ways very close. *He can barely bring himself to reveal even that minor hint, even to something not too different from him.*

[Well, now, that is certainly an interesting thing for a human to say. Nathanos raises an eyebrow inquisitively.]

Oh? Is that so?

[He smiles cooly.]

Where are my manners? I am Nathanos Blightcaller. And who might you be?

*It would be a strange thing for a human to say, yes.* It's not a very pleasant story.

Palmer. Nice to meet you.

Ah, that is unfortunate. Have a brush a little close for comfort? It always puts one a little on edge. It is to be expected.

[Nathanos paused and gave a soft smile.]

It is nice to meet you, too, Palmer. I hope we continue to have no quarrel with each other.

[Because he would like that very much. His duties keep him busy and the last thing he wants is some OTHER problem poking its head around. Sylvanas Windrunner had plans he had to see to, after all.]

(OOC: Nathanos Mun here, realizing I also had a muse with an alien infestation.)

Yes. Grave robbers, for one. The Zerg as a whole in a way, for two....and the scientists at Moebius who illegally contain...curiosities for science. I've had personal experience with all three and I must say...I think I look pretty good for an escaped, Zerg infested human who is supposed to be dead, if I might compliment myself a little.

[A pause.]

Who am I kidding? I look like shit.

[A wave of yellow orange rippled over his glowing left side.]

But you asked so now I ask in turn, do you believe in body snatchers?

Honestly I'm more on edge around normal humans. I've seen what paranoia can make people do.

*Palmer smiles just slightly too widely.* Man, you look fucking cool. As for me? Yeah, I believe. Be a fucking bit hard not to. I mean, my life is a mess of existential crises for a reason.

Too right.

They're pathetic, really. Scurrying like rats and turning on each other at the tip of a hat.

You think so?

[Stukov gave himself a quick look over and shrugged.]

To each their own, I guess. It is a lot to get used to.

[He nodded at that.]

I know that feeling, comrade.

It's sad, really. But I can't feel too bad for them, all things considered.

No, I suppose not. That would be unproductive.

They're the ones who made themselves enemies.

So if I may ask . . . is the part of you that looks like human flesh actually human flesh, or just better-disguised?

You may ask. I don't have any secrets about what I am when it is so obvious.

It is actually human flesh. It grows back that way, too, should it be damaged.

*He thinks for a moment, then shrugs. This guy knows what it's like, after all.* Fuck it, man . . . my human shape is completely fake. I was totally turned into an alien, or replaced with an alien, or some fucking shit I can't describe.

[Stukov blinked a pair of glowing eyes and there was a rustle in his extra limbs. He was very surprised by this information. He reached out with his psionic abilities, not to pry or intrude, just enough to look. It would feel like a light buzzing, should Palmer or the Thing be sensitive to such abilities, they would feel it. Stukov could detect nothing unusual about the man before him based on psionic output. He stopped as soon as he made the distinction. No creature liked being pressed by psionic prying.]

Fascinating. I would not have had any idea without that information.

[He was not lying. That much was clear.

Stukov took a step closer and moved his glowing eyes over the man's form.]

An amazing likeness. Even with enhanced senses, I can't find any indication it is anything but authentic. And yet you remain yourself at the same time? How curious.

[It is true. He's impressed and curious at the same time. The Zerg were never so clean...so perfect...they were brute force and might and power with their infestations and he could count the number of individuals on one hand who retained any sense of self at all other than to pray for death on one hand.]

The Zerg are not so perfectionist. I know of one other besides myself who retained their full sense of self after being infested...and all of us wear marks of our infestation on our bodies.

[The large claws on his shoulder's flexed involuntarily.]

But you, comrade? No such indication.

[It is truly an evolutionary marvel and he would have thought so as much as a human as a Zerg.]

My cells were replaced one by one. Or my previous self's. There's no way to actually know if I am the original mind or if it was replaced too, so . . . *He sighs.* Existential crisis is my watchword, man. Well, that and paranoia.

Sounds like different strategies. I mean, I find myself thinking like a mimic a lot. Or an ambush predator. Something that pretends to be its prey until it has the opportunity to attack without being noticed by others. *A shudder.* It can be hard not to attack people when I'm alone with them. Shed human form for a little while and have some fucking fun watching them freak out.

Yes, I suppose that is one way to look at it, as well. They did make themselves enemies. It often did not have to be that way.

[Stukov wished he could say he had no idea what that was like, that he'd never felt the pull and buzz of the swarm in his head urging him to maim and rip and destroy and do all manner of things that good men didn't do. But that would be a lie]

Hmmmm. I...I know what you mean. Zerg are not ambush predators. They are territorial and violent. They don't have any pretenses.

Forgive me. I don't think I have introduced myself. I am Vice Admiral Alexei Stukov.

No one ever even tried talking. Just skipped right to the violence.