Third Foray Into the Mind

Absorbing an aspect may be possible, but you don't know how to go about doing that. The other ideas, no.

Artemis will go off to find the healer and see if he has any ideas on the technical aspects of absorbing an aspect. In the meantime, the player behind Artemis will continue to try and fail to be clever.

You find the healer making rounds in the main part of the hospital.

He smiles as you approach.

"Ah the good doctor has yet to give up. Good man! How goes the quest for the restoration of your mind?"

"It doesn't go well," Artemis admits. "But I refuse to give up. Thing is, I can't beat him physically. Every trick I try winds up with him just killing me and rebooting this mindscape. The only idea I have is to absorb his aspect into me. Since he technically is me, I should be able to do that. I haven't the foggiest idea how, though. I was hoping perhaps the logic part of me would have some suggestions."

"You flatter me dear doctor, though not nearly enough. If you truly willed it you could absorb some of the *ahem* weaker aspects of yourself I'm afraid he and I are a bit beyond your grasp. The reason he and I are not up in the Sanitarium with the others is we are idealized versions of what you could have been. We are sadly, lost potential. I'm the doctor you could have been had you focused your life and energy where it should have been, in medical science. Where as that brute is what you could have become if you were boorish enough to dedicate yourself to the Force and physical perfection. In order to absorb an aspect you would need to be stronger that it, dominate it. So he and I are off limits I'm afraid, though if you are interested in dominating me perhaps we could talk about that in my private quarters later, hmmmm?"

Artemis stares at the healer. "You," he states, "did not just flirt with me. You're me. That's just weird." Then he pauses. "Well, okay, what you just said means that you aren't actually me, but still." Another pause. "You're gorgeous, but I'm asexual. Sorry, sweetheart."

Focus.

Artemis shakes his head. "If I could use the doctor part of me to trick or outmaneuver the Jedi, that would be perfect. I'm a bit of both of you. That should be my strength." He pauses again, and asks the healer another question. "If I turned my lightsaber on myself in this place, would I simply wake up? Or could I reflect that onto the Jedi aspect? Based on what you told me, that doesn't seem likely, but I might as well ask."

The healer gives you a very sly smile you're glad you're not actually capable of.

"Well of course, hon, you keep a balance between fighter and healer, where else would your balance between male and female reside? All fun asides, you know you could always test that theory, no need to cut too deep."

He has a point, Artemis thinks. He'd contemplate that more later. Ignoring the sly smile as much as he can manage, Artemis thanks his healer version.

"Well said. I'll try it. Hopefully I won't die from it, but it's worth a shot!" Artemis waves cheerfully at the healer. "I'll come back and visit sometime. You're far more fun to chat with than the Jedi."

With that, he'll walk back to the morgue and face the Jedi from the opposite side of the room. He doesn't say anything.

You are me. You are what I could have been. Focus on that.

He tests his theory by cutting into his withered hand with a scalpel.

As much as I'm dying to know if my plan will actually work, I'm going to save it for until after this coming session. That way we have plenty of time.

So instead of going on with his plan, the next time Artemis pops back in (after killing himself and waking up), he'll just find the healer, relate his results, mention that he needs to wake up soon because of STARS blah blah, but that he's not giving up and he'll be back.

He'll spend the rest of the time chatting with the healer, if the healer is amicable to that.

If you have anything specific to speak with the healer about feel free to post it, otherwise he will babble endlessly on about medical theory and pepper his conversation with the occasional innuendo towards you.

Artemis finds this endlessly amusing, even though he has zero interest in the healer. He does have one question for him, though.

"Flirtations aside, I have this brilliant lab installed on the Turtle," Artemis says. "And since I've finished with making the cure of Galatea, it's just been...sitting there." He lifts his hands in a gesture of futility. "It's a waste to just sit there! I really would like to get cracking on some other cures while I'm at it. Two days in hyperspace here and there...so much could get done."

He looks at the healer. "I'd like to get some samples of viruses to start making cures for, but I'm not sure of the best way to do that. The last time I contacted Caduceus, I would up in Aretak. Which was good, don't get me wrong. But I'd like one of my plans to go the way I want for once. Any suggestions on that? Or any suggestions of projects I could work on in that lab with what I have right now?"

Okay, on a side note, because I've kept thinking about it. You said Artemis wouldn't have to wake up if the plan worked and he managed to get past the Jedi, but not through the door before the session started? If that's the case, and I don't know what you're planning, I might as well try the plan after Artemis asks the healer his question. It's probably not going to work anyway.

The plan is to use Artemis's medical knowledge. He knows that the Jedi will receive any damage he inflicts upon himself. Artemis will test one more thing, on the healer if possible, with the healer's permission. There are clusters of nerves which, if pinched, will send a person unconscious. If Artemis does that to himself, he shouldn't go unconscious, as he's already technically asleep. Ideally the doc hopes that pinching those on himself will knock out the other person (healer in the test case), but leave him 'conscious'. Artemis doesn't have the force power to regain consciousness at whim, so the Jedi shouldn't either.

Now, if that doesn't work, there's a second, less ideal, idea. If the healer agrees, Artemis will test that on him as well. Other clusters of nerves will simply paralyze a person. The problem with this is that very likely both Artemis and the Jedi (healer in the test case if the healer is willing) will be paralyzed in the same place, leading to a stalemate. From there, he'll try to will himself over to the door without using the Force, will his hands to work, and open it.

Hoping that the first case works and doesn't wind up just resetting the dream. It stands to some reason that he won't be knocked out because he's already sleeping, but that the aspects might because they're just figments.

Okay, since the last two didn't work, here's my next convoluted plan.

Artemis will find some drugs that will prevent himself from falling unconscious when he triggers the nerves that would normally knock him out. He'll do this away from both the Jedi and the Healer, so that neither of them gain the same effect.

He'll test this next part on the Healer, if he's willing. He'll go back to the Healer and trigger the nerves on himself. The drugs should keep him from falling unconscious, but since the Healer wasn't exposed to them, the Healer should fall unconscious as technically the nerves are still being triggered.

Far be it from me to argue bullshit science in a fantasy/sci-fi universe, but aren't nerve points/pressure points bullshit science? So I'm gonna say you end up buzzed and bruised for your efforts.

The medical term for it is syncope.

http://heartdisease.about.com/cs/arrhythmias/a/Syncope2.htm
http://heartdisease.about.com/cs/arrhythmias/a/Syncope2_2.htm
http://www.mercksource.com/pp/us/cns/cns_hl_dorlands_split.jsp?pg=/ppdocs/us/common/dorlands/dorland/nine/000958086.htm#000958086
http://www.scribd.com/doc/7212/Krav-Maga-Pressure-Points-Military-Hand-to-Hand-Combat-Guide
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasovagal_syncope#Pathophysiology
http://www.escardio.org/guidelines-surveys/esc-guidelines/Pages/syncope.aspx --> in the full text pdf there's a section on "neurally mediated" syncope

Okay, if it's this simple, I may very well scream.

Are the aspects linked to one another? As in, does what I do to the Healer also happen to the Jedi? Can I drug the Healer's tea and knock him out, thereby also knocking the Jedi out?

No, they are only linked to you.

Damn. Well, how about this. Would the Healer agree to open the door himself were I to incapacitate both myself and the Jedi? Or would one of the other figments in my mind agree?

They are under strict orders not to interfere in this.

This probably won't work either, but I can at least try. Since Artemis has history of working as a doctor and a virologist, he will have had vaccinations and obtained natural immunities that his Jedi version would not have.

Would Artemis be able to infect himself with some of those diseases that he himself is immune to, and that way be able to disable the Jedi? Preferably some disease that strikes without warning, so that the Jedi won't think to/have time to combat it with control disease.

Um, no, now you're overcomplicating this.

Following the talk with the Jedi, since attempts to get past him have been traditionally posted here, I'd like to try something else. Is it possible to force the aspects to mimic small movements of Artemis's own hands. Say, for instance, turning the hand that would be holding an aspect's lightsaber and clicking the thumb switch to turn it on while it's pointed at the aspect himself?

No. Their movements are completely independent of you.