thefinaljedi | Appointments

So I telegraphed that badly, huh? [Lupin smiles, chagrinned at this, and briskly follows after Luke.] I must be losing my touch.

No, I'm just that good.

[Luke grins and heads down the stairs, without so much as the sound of shoes clicking on the floor. Remember, he's a General, and he's preparing for a battle]

That you are, Luke.

[There was no denying it. Lupin chuckles and reaches for his pack of Pall Malls, but refrains at the last second. Smoking wouldn't help with the stress now or later. He needed his body to be in proper condition...

and coffee. He needed that too.

He picks up his pace so that they're shoulder to shoulder, for ease of conversation.] Where are we headed? Or is that supposed to be a surprise?

Out, that's all, nowhere special. I've spent too much time in the village of late, and I could use some air. I knew you'd come.

[He leads the way out towards one of the trails into the forest]

Whats on your mind?

[Lupin wasn't surprised. He was dealing with Luke Skywalker. The smile he had carefully kept in place falters, but that's all the hint he gives to the rest of the village about his questions and lingering uncertainties.]

Everything. [But that was too broad. Lupin sighs and tries again.] ...I don't do jobs with risks as high as these often, Luke.

[He considers it for a moment, then finally seems to relax.]

"I shall think on what you said, Luke. Thank you."

I'm aware, Lupin. I can feel your nervousness. You're not alone, my friend. I feel it too. This time, its different. This is no ordinary shift. It's too perfect, coinciding with the draft. Mercury and her allies, Daisy, even Robert and Leonardo.

They're playing for keeps now.

Edited 2012-06-19 09:21 (UTC)

They are. [It was what had him so rattled. He had no strategy that didn't end in failure.]

They have children and more non-combatants than just Robbie, like Elicia-chan and Billy. It's not right--its like they meant to divide us, even if CJ denies even knowing about what's happening here.

[Which was their one weakness. There was a noticeable lack of communication within their structure that could be taken advantage of with the right person and the right mind at the forefront...

But they also held every shred of power over them.

Lupin shakes his head, clearing his thoughts.]

Fear leads to the Dark Side, but it can also be a tool. Without it, you're guaranteed to die.

...I don't play games that are unwinnable.

I am in complete agreement with you, Adele. The Malnosso are not our friends. I agree with Ami's assessment, that they are our enemies.

But, if I may ask, what honestly is going on at your home? Why do you choose to work with criminals? With your skill and intelligence you seem like you could work anywhere on Earth.

Wait, you're joking, aren't you? Elicia is being drafted?

[He sounds surprised now, he really didn't expect that]

Fear is never a wise man's tool, Lupin. Caution is the order of the day, fear clouds your mind.

I wish I was.

[She was such a sweet, charming girl that the thought of her being sent to a warzone quietly infuriated him, but his hands were as tied in that matter as they were in the one he currently needed to face. The cigarettes that sat in his pocket were a lingering temptation--just light up and pretend to forget it all--but it wasn't going to help any.]

...Its a matter of controlling it and channeling it, really. Especially now. Luke...I'm a nice man, but I'm not a good man. There's no clear prize here...

[He's out of his depth.]

By the Force, isn't she...seven?! And she's going into a space battle?

[He can barely contain his...confusion...here]

No, I should know better than to expect anything less than madness from our hosts. Absolute madness.

[After a long moment]

There is a prize, Lupin. Its something more important than jewels and money. Its...pride. Proving a point.

It's all madness--of the terrible kind!

[He knew a thing or two about the other kind, and banked his life on it more than once...like he was then. Lupin runs a hand through his hair needlessly, the act loosening a few strands to fly away, and focuses on Luke's words. 'Pride'. 'Proving a point'.

Wasn't that what he always did?]

...the point won't be proven if they raze us to the ground like we all know they can.

Then what will they have accomplished? They know that we know they're more powerful. Its not too different from the Tarkin Doctrine if they choose that route, but they haven't before. Even still, I'd prefer to die on my feet than roll over.

That's true...

[But what else was there to say? Lupin felt the same way, in truth, but it was the maximum risk with little reward that was getting to him. A part of him wondered if it was worth it; another wanted nothing more than to have the entire situation explode in the Malnosso's faces.

It was pride, in the end. That was the only thing that couldn't ever be taken away.]

...I'm going to go through with this regardless, I just don't want people declaring me a hero or anything. I'm just not used to these rules is all.

Information could also be gleaned, if you get into their compound. You never know what will happen. But, either way I will appreciate your work.

[He shrugs. Its a gamble, but they haven't got many options. Like Han always said, sometimes you just have to ignore the odds]

"Never tell me the odds," he'd say if he were here, Lupin.

[That earned a smile from the thief.]

Good old Han. He always knew what he was doing...heh. Maybe I have become a good man if I'm wavering on this.

[He chuckles to himself. Of all times to falter over morals, this had to be it.]

Hey, Luke? I have a favor to ask of you.

...It is a very long, very drawn out string of events that I, honestly, do not want to go into at the moment in great detail. But. I will give you the short version, yes?

[For that? She'll need another glass of wine. This one was empty. She reaches over and pours herself another, stares out at the shore. Sorts her thoughts, pares everything down to the barest skeleton before speaking.]

My ex-husband was a gambler. I wasn't aware until he'd already put the both of us into very steep debt with men that have...particular reputations. Without means to pay it off with what I earned as a legitimate surgeon, a mentor and trusted associate of mine offered me an opportunity for extra money on the side.

Not everyone that needs a surgeon is able to go to a hospital for whatever reason. Usually because they are...criminals.

Whats that, Lupin?

[He's prepared for just about any request, really]

Watch out for everyone for me if I don't make it back.

[He hated asking such a thing of his friend, not when there was Nomi Sunrider lingering in the back of his mind and this chaos weighing on his shoulders. It was grim, morbid, but he wanted to be sure that everything would be taken care of.

He didn't want the distraction. Perhaps it was selfish, but it was what he needed the most right then.]

Of course, Lupin. That shouldn't ever have been a question.

[But in the back of his mind, he's got a bit of a grim smile going on. Even if Lupin died, he'd be back inside a week. That was how this worked, but he didn't want to say it]

I know. I just needed to hear it.

[Because he knew that, if he did fall, he would be back in a week. It was the other capabilities of the Malnosso that had him concerned.]

Sometimes cognitive reinforcement is necessary, I know. Do you really think you're going to die? Why?

I dunno. A job with this kind of risk just gives me a bad feeling, you know? [Of course he did--it was conversation.] I don't fear death--never have. I worry about what else they can do to us.

That sounds most...unfortunate, Adele.

[He pours another glass himself, staring out at the sea as he does so.]

The underworld on Earth sounds every bit as seedy as on Nar Shaddaa. Why is it that wounded men can't visit a hospital though? It seems strange to think of men being unable to go to a house of healing for...healing.

Appointments

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