sekkritaus | Akobi in MoM AU

[ Without his legion, his command, or any infrastructure of power behind him, Akobi had taken the route of caution when settling into this new planet. He was grateful that they had healed his body for him-- a task he would have thought impossible, given the extent of the damage caused by the Viper probe droid-- and he was incredibly intrigued by the contents of the file the local government's representatives had given him. Loyalty Empowerment? Sounded vague, too vague to really put to the test. But in any case, he was in no position to be testing potential new powers. He was keeping his head down, being inconspicuous, observing the world around him before making a decision of how to find his place in it.

Although that task seemed insurmountable at times. Like now, when he'd inadvertently flashed a glimpse of his imPort tattoo to a waitress in a café. "Oh, you're an imPort?" she gasped. "No charge, then!" ]

No, ma'am, I insist on paying. It's only right.

[ The woman refused to take his money, and he refused to leave without paying. It would seem they were at an impasse. ]

[Every so often, he would hear a voice that made him start searching for the source. Or he'd see a face that would make his heart stop. But it was never really his commander. He knew it couldn't be. But it didn't stop his instincts from running wild.

He'd taken a seat in a café, in a far corner where he could see all the doors. But he wasn't at his best, still. He was in recovery, and his main focus now was making sure he ate enough. The food here was too rich for him to stomach, but they sold tea that helped him keep things down. Tea, his medication, and a third of a ration bar.

And a voice. He stood, bumping his legs on the table and nearly spilling his cup. It was him. It had to be, this time. It looked like him, it sounded like him--]

Sir?

[ Akobi had been too wrapped up in reading his file, and then arguing with this waitress, to notice any clones walk in. But even if he had, he wouldn't have expected it to be his clone soldier. However there's no mistaking the familiarity in that voice. ]

TK-622? [ The momentary distraction is all he needs to just force a five dollar bill into the woman's hands and walk away, coming to stand by 622's table. He smiles at the clone, clapping a hand on his shoulder. ] I'm glad you're here. Makes this place almost make sense somehow.

[ Given that his last memory before waking up in the government facility was talking to 622 in the medbay. ]

[It was. After more than half a year of trying not to hope. He was finally here.]

Thank you, sir. [He was trying to keep the depth of his relief from showing. It wouldn't--it wouldn't be right. Akobi wouldn't know how long it had been. And the Porter might not have taken him from the end of everything. He didn't know. He wasn't sure he'd be able to talk about it, if the commander hadn't been there yet.

And he was failing to hide how he felt. He knew that.] It's good to see you.

[ Akobi senses the unease radiating off his soldier, and it's so familiar that he can't help but smile. That's TK-622 for you, always worried about something or other. Always seeing the dangers of a scenario more quickly than the bright side. ]

At ease, Sergeant. What's bothering you? Let's sit. You can tell me all about it.

[His last memories of Akobi were of his pain, and the things it had made him say. Seeing him smile now was more than he could have hoped for.] Yes, sir. [Once Akobi sat, he did too, searching for the words to explain it.]

The briefing documents the natives provide are telling the truth about the Porter. It doesn't follow any rules of time and space as we know it. People can show up from anywhere, or any time.

It's been six and a half months for me, sir.

Edited 2018-10-21 18:40 (UTC)

[ To be fair, those are Akobi's last memories as well. Coming clean with TK-622. Trying to wipe the glean of the Empire's spin machine out of his loyal sergeant's eyes, to let him see the bloody truth underneath.

He hadn't been sure how much 622 had actually been able to parse of the conversation. His clone conditioning was strong. ]

I... see. [ His brow furrows. Now it's his turn to hear something unbelievable. ] I have to admit, that's an odd thing for me to hear, considering you were with me just before I found myself on this planet.

[That didn't tell him when Akobi had been taken. Almost every day of their lives for two years could've matched that description. And he hadn't believed what the Porter could do when he'd turned up either. Not until he'd been told by--well. That had been one thing that hadn't turned out to be a lie. But now, he had one thing he could think of to use as proof.]

There's two clones on-planet with CT designations. The older one's the same age as I am. [His perception might not be reliable on everything. And people could lie to him and get away with it. But clones wouldn't lie.]

[ 622 wouldn't lie. Especially not about other clones. Especially not to him. So that means all of this-- the CT clones, the six months... it's all true.

He leans back in his seat, fingers drumming against the table as he thinks. ]

Alright... Since you've been here for that long, what's your read on the place? Obviously it's outside of Empire-controlled space. [ He's been able to suss out that much. ]

[He nodded, launching into a report.] Hundred percent human local population. Low-tech, no hyperdrive, impulse engines are slow. The furthest you can go at the moment is Earth's moon.

Locals have a cold war that's mostly kept quiet while I've been here. Most off-worlders have registered with the local government and keep to the four Porter cities. The vast majority are civilians with no military training, but the powers they get issued can make them dangerous. Combined with some high-profile crimes and Porter-related mass casualty incidents, local sentiment is mixed. The greatest threat is a radical nativist organization known as OTO. They've committed acts of sabotage and attempted a nuclear strike in the name of permanently removing all imPorts from the planet.

[That was nearly every threat he could think of, save for one.] While most imPorts aren't familiar with the Empire, there are Rebels here, and at least one Imperial impostor. With the nanites keeping everyone alive, there's no way to be rid of them unless the Porter sends them back. [Which meant they'd always be a threat.] There's a ceasefire declared, but it predates my arrival. I'm not sure if any actual Imperials were signatories.

[ TK-622 was always good at giving him mission briefs, laying out all the facts succinctly and in order of importance. It's good to know the feelings of the native inhabitants on the imPorts in their midst, and Akobi supposes he isn't surprised that the reaction is mixed. People were varied, and hard to predict.

But 622 isn't. So Akobi knows that the threats mentioned in his brief are the ones most worth worrying about. ]

Tell me what you know about the ceasefire? Are the Rebels present staying separate from Imperial imPorts? To avoid confrontation?

I think we're the only Imperials on-planet, sir. [Even when others had been there, they seemed to have abandoned the chain of command. Just another reason to keep watch for his commander. Nanites or not, he wasn't going to let anything happen to him again.]

Rebel numbers aren't high, but the total imPort population can't be more than a few hundred in total. And they have at least two members claiming to be a Jedi. [Whether it was true or not, they had lightsabers. That almost made the question of authenticity immaterial.

As for separation... a muscle in his jaw twitched.] I've done what I could to stay clear, but there have been incidents. A recent operation against OTO included rebel volunteers. [After he'd lost his temper at Skywalker during training, he'd kept to himself on the flight out. On the way back, it hadn't mattered.]

Then who are they entering ceasefire with? The clone troopers?

[ He can't imagine any group that purportedly includes Jedi members would have any problem with clone troops, but then the climate of the imPort community isn't one he's familiar with. Maybe things here exacerbate tension. Those high-profile crimes and mass casualty incidents 622 mentioned.

A waitress-- not the same one he'd argued with earlier-- approaches the table and offers to bring 622 another cup of tea, then turning to Akobi to ask if he'd like anything. ]

Caf, please, miss. Black, if possible.

Possibly the impostor. There were other Imperials here previously, but--[He doesn't want to doubt anyone's committment, but,] There wasn't ever a proper chain of command. [He'd tried to report in, but the only people who'd answered had taken advantage of him. And he couldn't let that happen again, when there was someone else to let down in the process.

He's still thinking about it when the waitress asks him about the tea.] Yes please, ma'am. [His throat is starting to go hoarse again, and he expects to be doing more talking today. He'll need a little help to keep going.

When it comes to Akobi's request, though, the waitress hesitates, evidently confused.] Caf means 'coffee', ma'am. The local dialect's slightly different from ours.

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Akobi in MoM AU

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