maskormenacelogs | Who is this? What's your operating number?

Entry tags:

Who is this? What's your operating number?

WHO: TK-622 and Ash Starmer
WHERE: De Chima #004
WHEN: Before 622 meets Poe, after he's met Hux
WHAT: More clones?????
WARNINGS: None yet!

[Too much. Too much talking, too many new facts, he couldn't keep up anymore. Rebels everywhere. With a ceasefire in place, but who knew how long that was going to hold. Some of the Imperials here sounded worried about that, but he didn't know any details yet, just that he was supposed to stay in civilian clothes until further notice. He wasn't going to get a debriefing on that for a few hours yet.

He should sleep. There were some beds here that were definitely claimed, but the list of names he'd been handed indicated there were a couple of spares. He could stow his armor near one of them, change into the flimsy local outfit he'd been issued.

No sign of the others assigned to the hab. Probably on a different shift than he was right now. That was fine. He could lie down for a couple of hours. Start trying to catch up from the past four or five days.

Being in these civilian clothes was a nightmare. Too thin, too much exposed skin, too aware that the outside could get to his insides easier like this. Made him feel vulnerable. Should have kept him awake.

Didn't. He was out as soon as he lay down.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ While incoming flatmates receive a list of the occupants already living in the house, those who have been there a while are not informed of new arrivals. So when Ash arrives home from hanging out in town, he doesn't know that anyone is there, and more specifically, doesn't know that they are trying to sleep so Ash should keep quiet.

He's currently humming something quite loudly as he makes his way through the house. His voice isn't bad, but isn't exactly musical either. ]

[He hears the door open, and he's awake by the time it closes, heart pounding. It's not just the past few days that have him jumpy, Ralltiir made you a light sleeper. More than once a rebel snuck into an outpost and rolled a grenade under a trooepr's bunk.

He grabs his rifle from where he left it next to the bed, pressing himself up against the door frame to the sleeping quarters. Footsteps at 315, heading away. Humming.

An infiltrator wouldn't kriffing hum. Probably wouldn't walk so loudly either. Still, he wasn't taking chances.

He stepped out into the doorway, rifle up, but finger off the trigger.]

Hold it right there. Identify yourself.

[ Ash stops in his tracks when someone steps out into the hall, turning around with his arms hanging limp at his sides. In the moment when he sees the futuristic-looking rifle drawn on him, there's a small 'POP!' and suddenly in the place of the rifle is a plastic water rifle instead. ]

Um. Hello? I'm Ash. I live here.

[What in the Emperor's name--

His rifle is gone, and whatever he's holding now feels like a flimsy piece of shit. He's still got that last thing on his profile that he could try, but--

Kark.]

Sergeant TK-622. Been assigned to #004 today.

[ Ash gives a sheepish grin and nods towards the water gun. ] Sorry about that. The porter gave me something to do with weapons. It should be back to normal tomorrow.

[ Except he hears TK-622's designation and automatically thinks, that doesn't sound like a person's name. He must be an android as well, then! His expression brightens at the thought of meeting someone else like him. ]

It's nice to meet you! I haven't met the other lad who lives here yet.

[He takes in a deep breath, doing his best to reset. No threat here. Just a civvie. Who can disarm you any time he feels like it.]

It's my mistake. I read the situation wrong. [Although, usually civvies are more scared about blasters pointed at them, even if they're not going to get shot.

He might as well see if he can really do what the profile said he can. Might not work with a toy gun, but...

A moment of concentration, and his hands are suddenly empty. Okay.]

I'm only just acclimating to this place.

[ Oh, and then the water gun is gone. ] That's neat.

[ Ash nods his understanding, still smiling. ]

It can take some getting used to. But it's nice. I've probably made more friends here than I ever would have back home.

[He finally notices it. It's probably the smile that threw him off. The stance too. They don't look like the same person, but Ash looks too much like...]

Where were you made? And when were you made?

[Is the new Emperor a clone?]

[ The smile disappears in the face of a direct line of questioning. ]

Oh, em. About ten years ago? In England.

[He's never heard of that cloning facility.]

Is the Emperor part of the same line? [It seems impossible that he isn't, but he needs to confirm.]

[ Now Ash just looks confused. ]

I'm sorry, I don't know who you mean.

There's another man here who looks near identical to you. [They look a bit old for ten, but their aging might be even faster than his.]

[ Oh, so that's what he means. The smile returns. ]

Oh yes, Hux. He's not a copy like me. He just happens to look like me.

[ Which... still implies that Ash is a copy of someone. ]

[...It's a good thing he confirmed, but now he's even more confused.]

Then he's not a clone or the template?

Not as far as I know, no.

[ He shrugs. ]

Don't ask me how that works. It's a little creepy.

[He has no idea what to think about that. But Ash is definitely a clone, he seems to have some of the awkwardness that newly deployed units always have.]

I'd guess that would be especially disorienting for you. How long have you been shipped out?

[ The phrasing throws Ash off a bit. He doesn't quite understand the term "shipped out." ]

If you mean how long I've been here, then two months.

[Oh. It would make sense that Ash wouldn't know that. He doesn't seam to be military.]

Sorry. I meant, how long since you left the production facility?

[Come to think of it,] What's your function?

Oh. Like I said, about ten years.

[ Was TK-622 not listening? When asked his function, Ash frowns a bit. He's really just repeating himself here. ]

I'm meant to be a copy of someone. Someone who died.

[Why was everything refusing to make sense today?]

Oh. I thought you were just out of training. Sorry.

[Something's still wrong, though. That sentence in itself just doesn't--]

You're the only copy?

Edited 2018-03-08 01:12 (UTC)

Yes?

[ Why would Martha ever need more than one copy? ~~She didn't even want the one she had~~. ]

Sorry, what do you mean, "training?"

I'm one of a production line. We train for nine years to get up to standard and then get deployed.

It's illegal to clone people for other purposes where I come from, so I've never seen a single copy of someone made.

Oh.

[ One thing still doesn't make sense to Ash. ]

Why does it take you nine years to get ready? Are you each programmed from scratch?

[His brow furrows in confusion.]

We have to grow first, so we're trained and conditioned while that's happening.

[How would it be possible for Ash not to know that? His line tended to get taken out of the growth tubes a little later than civvies got born, maybe Ash's line just... comes out as adults? How could that possibly work?]

[ There's a moment of confusion before Ash finally understands. ]

Oh, you're an organic clone! Like Josh.

[...And comprehension slowly dawns.]

So... you're a droid?

[How?]

Yes. [ He laughs quietly for a moment. ] I'd thought you were, as well.

[ But then that begs the question... ]

Why don't you have a name?

I've never seen droids that could look like humans.

[So that was why he seemed awkward. He wasn't sure what to feel about that anymore.]

A unique designation is simpler for everyone. If we were all named after the template, it would be impossible for us to function.

[ He raises his hands a bit, as if showing himself off. ]

Before I came here, I'd never heard of clones that weren't androids like me.

Oh, I suppose that does make sense. Are there many of you, then? In your production line.

I would have thought it would be harder to make droids that look human than to grow another one. You look very convincing.

Yes. I don't know precise numbers, and I wouldn't be allowed to share them. Military data tends to be classified. [He's not sure how much a droid copy of a civilian would know about that. He's not sure why he's explaining it either, but...]

Many people compare us to droids.

Thanks, I think.

[ Not convincing enough for Martha to love him, but he presses on. ]

Really? Because you're made, for a purpose? I think I understand that.

[ He smiles a little, glad to have another new friend who's like him, in a way. ]

Your template must have been someone very special, for them to make so many copies of him. Was he a general like Hux?

I did mean it as a compliment.

[He nods.] And we're... programmed. Just differently. Genetics and training in a way non-clones don't do.

I heard he was a mercenary selected for how well he fought. He died years before I was produced, so I don't know very much about him. [He'd mostly heard things from officers who'd served under the Republic and the early transition period. Most of them liked their line more than the newer ones, or the non-clone recruits.]

Our line is reliable. That's probably why they still make us.

I see. I don't think my version of Earth has quite made it that far in cloning people just yet. Making AI is probably just easier, or less costly.

[622 shrugs.]

Maybe if they're making copies of specific people. I'm not sure. I don't know anything about money, or mechanics.

[He knew a little more about droids than he had last week, but he had a suspicion it wouldn't help him here.]

There was a war before I was made, clones versus battle droids. The side with the clones won, and battle droids are illegal now. [Security droids they still had some problems with, even without sabotage getting thrown into the mix.]

[ Ash nods at that, accepting the subject change, since he doesn't really know anything about money or mechanics either. ]

Yes, I heard about that in the history Hux gave me. It all sounded like a right mess.

The Empire is still rebuilding the galaxy nineteen years later. Or was, depending on the... that whole time issue here. [He was still reeling form some of the things he'd heard today.]

I was created to help that effort, but... [He gestures helplessly] I'm here.

[Maybe a droid would be the right being to ask about this.]

Is it... How do you deal with being separated from your purpose?

[ That gives Ash a sense of when TK-622 comes from, also judging by the history Hux had given him. He must be from about thirty years before Hux's time. ]

Well... [ He frowns slightly, shrugging his shoulders a bit. ] It's a bit difficult to say, for me. I hadn't been doing much of anything before I came here. I suppose I've just... tried to find a new purpose, and hope that that's alright.

I was afraid of that. [He sighs.] I'm not very good with making decisions. Not that sort, at least. [He could lead a squad just fine, or see to security detail. That was easy. Anything further than that was a nightmare.]

What have you been doing for your new purpose, then?

Exploring, mostly. I like to go visit the other Porter cities, see the shops and whatnot. I wasn't able to do that, before.

[ Because he'd been shut away in an attic. ]

I've made some friends. Like Hux, and Kylo.

That's sensible. [A really sensible idea, actually. He couldn't do that today himself, there were too many meetings planneed. And being alone in a strange city was daunting enough as it was.]

Do you think I could come with you, sometime? I don't know very much about this planet, and learning more about some of its safe zones would be a good place to start.

Oh. [There wasn't a chance he could ever count them as friends, he was certain of that. Not with the distance in rank.] I used to have one. It's... nice.

Yes! Sure, yeah. It's more fun with someone else, anyway, I think.

[ He smiles, warm and friendly. ] Oh, I can introduce you to some of mine. Like Josh. He's a clone, too.

[He manages a small, tired smile in return.] Thank you. That's going to be a great help.

He may have already sent me a message. Very excited. [Bizarrely so, almost. But then again, he did read as a civilian rather than a clone like he knew them to be.]

He's nice. He's like me, he didn't know very many people before he came here.

[ Ash pauses for a moment, then asks, curious, ] Do you have a nickname I should call you, or would you prefer TK-622?

I've been around non-clones, if that helps. [So had everyone else here, but... well. Maybe it would help.]

[He shakes his head.] I don't have a name. I've been ordered to think of one, but I haven't figured it out yet. 622 is less formal, if you'd like to use it. [ How did people choose names anyway?]

Alright, 622 then.

[ He holds his hand out for a shake. ]

It's nice to meet you.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Who is this? What's your operating number?

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject