revivalproject | What's Behind Door Number One?

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What's Behind Door Number One?

WHO: Echo & ~~YOU-SA~~ OTA
WHERE: The Agrii Ship
WHAT: Lost
WHEN: ~~Yes~~ Now-ish
WARNINGS: TBD but I'm pretty sure it's N/A. Will update as needed.

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His initial disorientation quickly subsided the moment he realized nothing was familiar.

It was huge, yes. But oh, it was different – very different from the Venator-class Republic Cruiser Echo was used to living on between missions. Through the dark visor of his helmet, he looked up, scrutinizing the lines running along the corridors, the shape of the bulkheads, the lights. However, it soon dawned on him that he would have to learn where everything was before any further venturing was done.

"Which means we're back to square one," he muttered under a breath, shouldering his blaster while he stood there to figure out his next move. And after staring down the way at the nearest door, he sighed. "Well. Looks like I got the time. A little exploring won't kill me..."

* * *

His first point of inspection:

"Large an' empty. I wonder what could've been held in here."

* * *

Second point of inspection:

"Inventory," he almost snorted through his vocabulator. The thrill in his tone (or lack thereof) was evident. "Always loads of fun."

* * *

A third point of inspection:

"...What is this, a refresher?"

* * *

Hits and misses were plenty the more he looked around, but for some reason, it wasn't boring him. Wherever he ended up next, he was sure to find something interesting.

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There's an intangible heaviness in this truth – a small yet integral piece of history, now that the ARC Trooper is paying careful attention to how the Archivist tells what he knows.

His blaster is lifted slightly, if only just to look at it in a new light. And although his chest and throat feel tight, he keeps his tone as even as possible. "That doesn't make any sense," he almost whispers. "None of us would suddenly change our minds like that. Not after all we've gone through..."

More importantly, someone told Jon. Someone who may know more about what happened. "There's no chance you're gonna drop any names, are you." It's set up to be a question, but it lacks in energy. No enforcement.

“I’d rather leave it to them whether or not they wish to make their identity known.” Jon answers the non-question with a shrug.

“Also, for all that it’s worth... From what I heard it seemed more like... A compulsive action.” And he would know a thing or two about compulsion. “And yet it remains one no one has an explanation for.”

Jon inclines his head up at the armored man. “If you aren’t looking to kill any of us at the moment... Maybe we can figure it out. Make sure it stays that way.”

Echo concedes, lifting a hand away from the blaster. "Fair enough." The more he thinks about it, the more finding this person and asking them personally about the unfolding of such tragic events may not be the best course of action.

Not that confrontation always worked for him, anyway – some of those ended in fist fights with one of his clone brothers.

But he listens, head tilting slightly at that notion. Compulsive action. It's a fragment that sits somewhere in the middle of the blocks that fill in the timeline, an untethered unknown. But really now. Jon. Everything the man says just makes him question his whole approach to their conversation so far.

"...Lucky for you, I haven't felt any urge to kill," Echo says after a stretch, the dryness audible in his inflections, "but it may be in our best interests to look into it. It wouldn't benefit any of us if it suddenly happened again."

And Jon simply nods, lightly tapping the phone still between his fingers in thought. "Right. Lucky for us..." He feels no need to argue that assessment. Even though the Clone may find himself faced with a selection of actual super heroes should anything of that sort happen. A confrontation he all but wishes to avoid for himself as well.

He turns to look down the hallway for a moment, considering. "Right now- We're still o the ship the Agrii left their planet with. Which means we still have full access to their medical facilities." Bringing his head back around, Jon looks back up at Echo with a quizzical look on his face. "They might be able to figure something out there. We might lose that option again once we reach Agra 10..."

Though that's something Jon is still wondering about as well. Will the Agrii simply dump them back on their home planet and leave...?

Echo looks down the same way, thoughtful now that their focus is on a related tangent. "I heard the Agrii made everything complicated to use if you're not one of them," he says. "But if we're taking advantage of the time we have now, lead the way."

Nodding, Jon gestures for Echo to follow along, keeping his phone in one hand to send a text message to Cal.

“Correction: The Agrii are complicated. In many ways they act and express themselves as children. This ship isn’t even their own.” The Archivist clarifies with a frown. “And I am not sure if they are even the ones that are still bringing people here. We just had to rescue them from an unknown third party a few weeks ago.”

And he turns his attention fully in the Clone as he walks. “But that is an ongoing issue. Right now we have a different focus. What can you tell me about you and your... ah- People.”

He follows, easily falling into step with the man. "The ones who staged the conflict between all of you and the Graq? Their involvement just brings up more questions than answers..."

A topic shift, and Echo switches over without hesitation. "You can say clones," he almost chuckles. It is what it is, and he returns to informational mode. "Clones are 'born' and raised on Kamino, where the Kaminoans have been using their clone expertise for longer than I've been around. And we're all human, but our genetic makeup is modified – because of the war going on, accelerated aging and learning was necessary to fill the numbers to go up against the Separatist droid armies.

"The Kaminoans observe our progress and General Shaak-Ti oversees our testing before any of us become full-fledged clone troopers. From there, we serve and fight for the Republic." Which sounds great on flimsi, but now? He sighs, trying not to think too hard about the actual result of all they've been working for. "We're all still out there, fighting battles spread across the galaxy."

There are always more questions than answers with Jon anyway. But whatever is going on with the Agrii and those Atroma and however the Graq got involved... That's not something they can hope to solve any time soon, apparently.

So Jon listens to the information he is given and mentally compares them to what he has learned from Cal already. Kamino, Separatists, droid armies, battles spread across an entire galaxy. Yes, he recalls some of that. But there is some further insight on these clones themselves. Modified genetics, that is one thing. Also there is obviously some highly advanced technology available in that galaxy along with their own very unique type of magic.

"...so you only exist to fight in that war." Jon muses aloud, frowning. "And you are okay with it..."

"Yes." That the ARC Trooper sounds sure of. That is what he's used to saying. "The war is what we were trained for. Our purpose is to serve and uphold the Republic."

And it was all very ideal, when Echo was still a cadet. Even with his experience, he's seen what the war does to clones. After another lingering pause, he adds quietly, "If there was no war, then why would we even be here? I can't picture myself doing anything else."

It's the distinct lack of choice that hits Jon instantly and he simply watches the clone while they walk side by side.

Created rather than born for a specific purpose and trimmed accordingly. Raised and conditioned to accept their purpose as given. The thought alone is daunting enough, and yet this man is walking right next to him.

Jon manages not to wince, then tries for a plain shrug. "You could... Try being human? The vast majority of us is born without a purpose - Many never even find theirs, either. What's more important, I suppose, is... What you want. Do you want to be a soldier?"

Try being human. The concept sounds simple. Yet it bears so much weight in its complexity. To be born without a purpose in mind is perplexing. To never find one...is frightening. And, in a way, Echo is now stuck without a purpose other than the one he's already been programmed to do for a good chunk of his life.

What does he want? He's never been asked this before. Not like this.

"I want to be a soldier." His head shakes slightly, glancing Jon's way. "I'm not saying it because I already am. I worked hard to become an ARC trooper. All of us did at one point." He then looks straight ahead. "Some of us didn't get a chance to join the fight. So I guess in a way I'm fighting for them."

At this point Jon isn’t certain if he has accidentally compelled the clone or not, but the answer sure feels genuine and he prompts further, this time trying to avoid asking further Potentially compelling questions.

“I.... I’m a little curious about what other paths you were able to choose from. If there were any presented to you.” And then he offers: “Becoming a soldier was never an option for myself - And I don’t think I could even do it.”

Research. Science. That has always been his field of interest.

Whether he was compelled to say or not, Echo would have answered in a similar manner. Not that he even knew Jon had the ability to do so, but truth be told, the clone had very little to hide from anyone. For him, it was just talk.

"We have many specialized fields," the ARC Trooper explains with a gesture of a hand, "and for those we receive extra training. For example, I trained to become an ARC trooper – an Advanced Recon Commando. But there's different terrains, different atmospheres, training for stealth or for reconnaissance. Some clones become pilots, others become officers and work aboard the Republic naval ships..."

He also lists off medics and weapons specialists, describing as much as he can without trying to bore the Archivist. But the clone agrees with Jon's sentiment, which also makes him wonder about the man himself. "So what do you do, Jon? What do you specialize in?"

Jon isn't surprised to hear that everything Echo lists is in some way or another related to the army the clones serve in. They don't get the choice for a regular life away from the battlefield. This engineered loyalty... Jon can't help but wonder how much it can be steered in a certain direction if necessary. And how.

His musings get interrupted by Echo's questions and Jon blinks twice as he looks over and up at the other man. "Me? Oh- Ah... Research, I suppose. I'm the Archivist- At the Institute I work for. We research paranormal encounters and... Archive them. In most cases that merely consists of disproving them, to be honest." Nothing flashy or glamorous. Just lots of old files in a cold, dusty basement.

He points ahead when they round the next corner "We're almost there."

Echo hums. "Research can be exciting." And he genuinely means it, not being sarcastic in the least. "Quieter, sure, but it's still interesting." Can paranormal encounters be quiet? It's an area of study the clones never covered (?). His helmet tilts a few degrees to the right. "How many cases have been disproven so far?"

Fortunately, the number of questions has been put on hold upon the approach of said corner. The clone nods, almost brightening now that their destination is close. "–We made good time."

They have, indeed, made good time. Though Jon is still looking rather amused at that last question Echo has provided him with. "The Institute has been collecting statements for two hundred years by now. We have thousands of them in the Archive. And to be fair? Most of them are disproved easily. The real ones... Those are rare." Which used to put him at ease - Back before he knew more about the details.

Jon pushes open the door to the medbay and gestures for Echo to step inside. It's just about as empty as it has been when Jon woke up there after their little Graq encounter. Which means that it is empty save for the still unconscious Cloud occupying one of the beds at the far end. Though after Bucky woke up Jon is a lot less worried about Cloud.

"I would like to know a few more details before trying something if that is okay with you."

Thousands of cases created through years of research makes sense to him. Despite how simple it all sounds, he can respect the effort put behind the collecting.

"You're older than you look," Echo casually intones, the shift from his earlier seriousness brief now that they're heading into the medbay. Once he enters, he scans the area; it's oddly reminiscent of any of the medbays he's seen before, save for the fact there's only one non-clone patient in bed.

"How long has he been in here?" he asks, turning to look at Jon again. So many questions, and sometimes they're about him. "Whatever you need, I'll try to answer."

"I- I'm 31..." Jon says in return, stopping in his tracks and looking positively befuddled. This is just the exact opposite of what he's used to hearing. The greying hair has made him look older even before he got the scars.

But he shakes the temporary confusion and follows inside, having his attention directed towards Cloud. "That- Cloud. His name is Cloud. He has been in this coma for a few weeks now. He wasn't the only one so- We're hoping he wakes up soon. A-anyway..." Jon trails off for a moment, casting a futile look around for something to write with, only to be reminded that the Agrii aren't big on taking physical notes. So he pulls out his recorder instead while gesturing for the clone to sit on one of the empty beds and walking to sit on the one next to it himself.

The clone almost winces when Jon responds the way he does. "Eh. Bad joke." Maybe it's easier just to stick with what they've been doing.

Like talking about Cloud, for instance. Learning that he's been in a coma for weeks is sobering enough to reel the awkward back in. "I see. Here's hoping he will." Considering the reality of the situation, it doesn't hurt to have a small boost of optimism as a silver lining.

Taking the cue from the Archivist, Echo sits down, back straight as he sets the blaster beside him. As an extra measure, he makes sure not to have it pointing at anyone. He's also taken several glances at the recorder, but appears to have no problem with it. "Should I take off my helmet?"

“Oh, whatever feels more comfortable for you, I suppose.” Jon says in regards of the helmet. “Don’t think you will need it here, though.”

He fiddled with the recorder a moment before clicking it on and setting it on the nearby table and turning to Echo. He isn’t sure what he hopes to record, but he likes to have something he can review later. “You’re a soldier, you said. Which means you follow orders, correct?”

That works for him. Echo breaks the seal of his helmet, pulling it off with little flair so that he can look at the Archivist with his own eyes. "Guess it would be silly to keep it on the whole time," he says with a wry smirk.

Jon is quick to move on, however, and the clone sits ready, sandwiching the helm between one gloved hand and his armored thigh. "Of course. Good soldiers follow orders," he answers. "If I didn't, then I wouldn't be in the position I'm currently in."

Jon nods when Echo takes off his helmet and offers the man a little, yet genuine smile at finally seeing the person within the heavy armor.

Good soldiers follow orders. Now that? That's sentence that just might send a chill down Jon's spine. "But you also can disobey an order if you don't agree with it. If it's... Inadequate." He hopes so, at least.

Outside the doorway of medbay, Cal has stopped, closing his eyes as he steels himself, listening to the voices that come from within. Both are familiar to him, Jon's of course for all they've been through in the span of months they've been caught up in the Agrii's predicament. The other...the tone, he knows it too well. The last he'd heard it had been from an old recording, back on the ruined remains of the Venator back on Zeffo.

Even hearing this speaker now, he can tell the subtle differences. He knows that the clone troopers had their individual personalities, their ways of speaking. There's a pang at the reminder of those he'd once considered comrades, friends of a sort for a young padawan eager to test his mettle in battle alongside his master and their assigned troops.

Behind him, he hears BD-1's soft beep in inquiry, and he opens his eyes, glancing over his shoulder at the little droid. "...yeah. I think," he replies, letting out a breath before inhaling a fresh one. Now or never.

He steps into the room, letting his eyes linger briefly upon Cloud's still quiet form before he lets his attention drift towards the Archivist and ARC Trooper. With a nod at them, he starts on over, the single glove he wears on his left creaking just slightly as his fingers curl in towards his fist at his side, the only external sign of whatever remnants of anxiety he hasn't completely managed to banish before this encounter.

Jon's question makes the clone think, his brow furrowing slightly when he's presented with that option. "If it goes against protocol and if it doesn't feel right, then...yes, it's an option I can take."

Although he sounds mildly uncertain since this is a scenario that hasn't come up at any point in his career. All of his experiences have been more or less positive in terms of heeding orders and cooperating with others on the battlefield.

Out of the corner of Echo's eye, he sees another figure. And for a second, he appears to frown at Cal upon his approach, his stare hardening the longer he studies the young man. Perhaps it's a trick of the lighting if the lighting works that way; any trace of intensity is gone from his expression, replaced with friendly acknowledgement.

The words against protocol raise the question what said protocol entails. And that, in turn, might be tricky to fully determine.

Jon is still contemplating where to go with this when Cal enters the medbay, the subtle, yet deep fear the Padawan radiates putting a silent frown on the Archivist’s face. He greets Cal with a nod, pushing his frown aside.

“Hello, Cal. This is ARC-1409, Echo.” Jon introduces the clone with a gesture of his hand before turning towards Echo. “And this is Cal. You two share the same galaxy, and.... He has witnessed- Some of what happened at the end of that war you are still fighting. I’m hoping that together we can find some answers.”

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Oh, and Cal will join them in the medbay once they get there~

Okay! Yayyyy more friends 8D;;

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