Eastbound Inbox

[sergeant_slick]

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Comments

[sergeant_slick]

It's been months and all you have is excuses. I risked everything to try for freedom. That got called treason. You said nothing.

What have you done for us that inconvenienced you in any way?

[chosenfordarkness]

Slick. What's the date back home that you remember?

[ Fox had said people had come from different worlds and times, and the fact that he said it had been months sends an alarm bell. ]

[sergeant_slick]

That's really the answer you're going to go with?

[chosenfordarkness]

If you won't answer, I will.

16:5:21

[sergeant_slick]

[What.]

So you're just fucking with me now, is that it?

[chosenfordarkness]

This is why I said we need to talk.

[sergeant_slick]

No, nothing's changed in the past few minutes. You still don't care about doing the right thing, I still have no reason to talk to you. [He's got even less reason to talk now, really.]

[chosenfordarkness]

The reason I didn't remember who you were at first was because it's been almost two years since that happened. Things are really fucked up right now.

I'm not interested in being your keeper and there's not a whole lot we could even do about the rest of the troopers while being stuck here.

[sergeant_slick]

[Oh, this bullshit again.]

Sure. I've been here for three months, twenty-seven days. Or do you think we don't know how to count?

[chosenfordarkness]

I talked to your friend Fox. He told me time and space don't work the same way here. I assumed you'd have the same information.

[sergeant_slick]

I've heard it. I've just seen no reason to believe it yet. [So what if people can't agree on how things work? It's a big galaxy, and everybody only knows a piece of it.]

But go on, tell me the future you think is going to happen.

[chosenfordarkness]

A long list of victories and setbacks in equal measure.

[sergeant_slick]

Grown a spine yet? Come on. It's your future. You get to make up whatever shit you think I'll believe.

[chosenfordarkness]

All set, thanks. I've not decided what I'm going to do, yet. I couldn't even begin to make it up, I wouldn't know where to start.

[sergeant_slick]

So in your imaginary future you've spent two years sending clones to their deaths, and you're still doing it.

Being a slavemaster's a really comfortable job, then.

[chosenfordarkness]

Sure, I just imagined it all.

[sergeant_slick]

You've got a shit imagination.

I don't know what's worse--the Jedi keeping us enslaved on purpose, or being too clueless to notice. You're basically insisting it's the latter, but the fact that you haven't even apologized for it makes it hard to believe.

[chosenfordarkness]

I can be sorry all you want, and I am. It's shit, but I can't do anything about it in this place. Let alone with no support.

[sergeant_slick]

Yeah? Well, fucking show it.

You know what the truth is here. I shouldn't have to be the one to say it again.

[chosenfordarkness]

I reached out didn't I? I'm not ordering you around. I'm not making a big deal about you attacking me because it doesn't matter. I'm fucking trying, here.

I don't know what else you want from me?

[sergeant_slick]

Acknowledge that it's wrong.

Acknowledge the Republic is wrong for ever making us as half-life slaves.

That you're not blameless. You've benefited from having us there to die for you.

That'd be a start.

[chosenfordarkness]

A lot of what they're doing is wrong. The war has gone on for too long, even though the end is in sight.

The Jedi aren't blameless and have just as many secrets as the Republic.


What would have happened to all of you if the Republic had denied use of a clone army?

[ Another message immediately follows. ] I'm not trying to be sarcastic.

[sergeant_slick]

That's still not saying it. How fucking hard is it to admit the truth?

[It's good the next message comes in, because otherwise he might've thrown up his hands and left the conversation.]

We were made for the Republic. The longnecks would've probably tried to sell us to somebody else, but I don't think the brainwashing could've kept everyone so accepting of it.

[Which assumes the Republic, moral core of the known universe, still wouldn't have given a shit about clones being enslaved. Which sounded depressingly accurate. But at least it might've made his brothers mad about it.]

[chosenfordarkness]

When everything you know is brought into question? It's hard. There's a lot to process.

How..often did this brainwashing occur?

[sergeant_slick]

Every day, for as long as I can remember. Do you want me to quote the propaganda we memorized? Because it's still in my head. Everybody recites it. "Every clone will have his moment." "Our mission's only over once we're dead." "With the Jedi in command, the Force is on our side." "Good soldiers follow orders." [All the ones about Jedi are why he still has trouble believing Skywalker doesn't know. They were supposed to know everything. Even though he knows that's not true and he's known it for months, he still doesn't entirely believe it.]

Geonosis broke it for me. But that doesn't mean I was happy before then. Everybody's shit scared of failing to be a good little soldier, because if you test poorly the best you can hope for is working maintenance with the other defects. We swore an oath to defend the Republic with our lives, but we never, ever had a fucking choice. Say it, or you're gone.