deathsdoctor | Appointments 2.0

Yes, I was indisposed with the aftermath of Anakin's outbursts that evening with Mercury. I understand what happened well enough though, make no mistake.

[He shrugs]

Still, I feel that I have been kept in the dark about a great many things. If I may ask, where is he being kept? And where would we move him?

If they really want to find him? They will find him eventually. I guarantee that. They found him underneath the Dome, after all.

He will still have to be moved. Not to protect him from the Malnosso so much, but some of the other villagers. Some of them will be very willing to turn in or kill the man to avoid the threatened consequences. Right now, Mister Skywalker, he's being kept in a back room under guard from the Blue Rogues. I asked Mister Adell to increase it... but, that will not do for long. There are some exceptionally powerful people in the village.

Where to move him is the question. Whoever takes him in also puts themselves at great, great risk. And it has to be an environment where he can be properly cared for. Even though we got him off the ventilator, he is still very fragile.

Why not take him then? Why ask for him now? All I can think is hat he knows something that might be of use to us, or detrimental to them.

[It doesn't make sense. Three months, and no indication whatsoever that they wanted Bil back. The notice was abrupt. No lead up to it. No mention from anyone that worked with them during the missions that Bil was missed or needed in any way, shape, or form.]

There isn't anywhere that is truly safe for him in the enclosure, only safer where he is now. The tunnels or Dome are the only places that would prevent anything supernatural from harming him. They are also the more obvious places where he might be hidden. He'll need somewhere stable, secret, and well guarded.

I honestly cannot think of anywhere at the moment.

It's the same for me--the Battle Dome is our most high-tech facility here. If he's really that fragile? We don't have very many options available to us.

[Barring finding a person with the magical know-how to rig up a mass illusion that would render Bil invisible? Lupin didn't know what the best solution was.]

Adele is right, their timing is rather strange. But in all honesty, I don't feel their motivations for wanting him are as important as keeping him from them. To us, he's an advantage, small though it may be. We have something they want, and that is a rare commodity for captives.

[Luke squeezes the bridge of his nose, clearly not sure]

The Dome is too obvious though, as are the tunnels. And its harder to defend someone in the tunnels. No, our best bet would be to sequester him somewhere a bit less obvious.

I will tell you, from my time here, that if the Malnosso pull something like this? There's much more going on than they say.

There's no way to know if the is from the Main faction or the Rogues. This could turn out to be something else entirely. A sign of leadership changeover, perhaps. It's difficult to tell.

[He sighs.]

I know of at least one place where he might be able to be safe, tended to, and protected. But. It is extremely unlikely they will agree to it.

Isn't there always?

[She sighs, rubs the bridge of her nose. Massages her face with a palm. None of this was simple, or easy.]

...Who might that be? And could they be persuaded?

Bil wasn't the only one we had nearby, was he?

[He remembered rumors, hints, but never delved too far into them. His concerns were largely in gathering allies, not looking at the history within the journals.

Only in hindsight does he notice that grave error.]

Where do you propose we hide him then, Doctor?

[Luke turns to Lupin with a bit of an odd look]

I...wouldn't trust any of the other Malnosso, we don't know who's involved.

... you mean Mister John. [Glance to the side.] There's no telling if he wants to be involved. He's always been an enigma.

[And he doesn't like this suggestion of his.]

The Strawhat Pirates may have the resources to care for him. They have a live in doctor, and the crew is strong enough to fend off nearly anyone in Luceti.

But. They have been more deeply hurt than most by the Malnosso, and they're pirates. Like I. We take care of our own above all.

And if the request comes from me, they are even more likely to refuse. Though we are on good terms, this does put them in the crosshairs and doesn't benefit them as far as they're concerned. I am not nakama to them. I am a rival back in our world.

I am honestly trying to think of somewhere else. But they may be the only option

[Luke listens, and decides to offer another suggestion.]

Doctor, what about Community House Five? There are a significant number of empty rooms, and its my home. I live with two other Jedi Masters, each of whom are formidable combatants even where we to be subjected to an anti-power shift. My father, Anakin Skywalker, and I have spent a significant amount of time creating droids, and other technological devices. Not to mention having both Chief Petty Officer Daisy, and Lupin nearby. It wouldn't even seem out of place for Doctor LeBlanc to visit us, as she and Master Kenobi are extremely close.

Not to mention R2D2. Were any resident to get close enough without authorization, we'd know thanks to his sensors, in addition to other defenses we could subtly put into place.

[Lupin raises a hand.]

I can vouch for that personally, Mister Law. The three of them are highly trained fighters even without their powers. My girlfriend is also in the building, and she's a highly skilled fighter herself--and knows how to lay some mean traps.

...you don't have to ask the Strawhats. There's something special about having a friendly rival. Sometimes? It's better not to wreck that balance.

[With as few options as they have? It seems like the best one available. The problem now would be how to discreetly move him there so no one was aware, and to keep up the farce of guarding him elsewhere. Perhaps a staged move to one other location, then the actual move once the guard rotation is arranged?]

Ami is also a friend of Luke's, so it would not be only I who keeps up with Bil. Her visiting the apartment would not be considered odd at all. But.

How do we move him, when to we move him, and do we make arrangements for it to appear that we are moving him elsewhere less subtly as a...a... What is the term? [She snaps.] A red herring.

[Bowing his head relieved] Thank you. [On so many levels.]

We should do two moves. The actual one with teleportation as not to leave a trail, and a staged one at night... carrying him out, as if we were trying not to arouse much suspicion. And perhaps we'll leave a decoy at the Battle Dome as well. When... tomorrow night at earliest. I will have to contact Mister Adell beforehand. I've had the guard increased around him, and they'll have to keep up the act as well.

[Luke nods, sensing Law's relief]

That would be wise. However, are you able to move Bil without entering the building yourself, or do you need to be present? I ask because of your barcode. If not there is no way around it I suppose, but it means before the move you and I should be seen together, publicly talking about something unrelated so as not to have it seem odd.

I will confer with the the others immediately as well, and Daisy as soon as I am able.

What of the rest in the building? I know community house five is quite sparsely populated- most if not all can easily be trusted with this. But the rest. I do not know them well enough to say. It would be prudent to look into their...

[Allegiances wasn't the right word. And yet it was exactly the right word. Considering what it was they were standing upon the brink of it leaves Adele terribly uncomfortable.]

...loyalties. Opinions. Where it is that they stand, on this, and the village in general.

Hence the decoy, Adele.

[He was all ready having several ideas about that; none of them were good, a few of them made him uncomfortable. Regardless, he continued speaking.]

The decoy should be more than just to stage a move. It should be an actual set somewhere, a physical location that people can monitor on their own if they wished...

[He didn't want to say more. Anyone could see the obvious thread.]

For my abilities, I need to be at a location at least once before. Don't need to come along in transit, but I need to know what I'm shooting for and if it's in range.

[Clearly range is not going to an issue here.]

... yeah. [To all points actually] And the person playing Mister Bil has to be convincing. [He is... looking at you, Lupin.] It won't fool the Malnosso themselves for long. Barcodes after all. Even if you use one of those stickers, they still have his medical records for instance. There is a lot of danger being bait. But the Malnosso aren't the only issue. If we can fool the villagers, it increases our chances quite a bit.

Just a warning. If the reason why they haven't found Mister Bil themselves and taken him is because of a Shift placed on him, they will send in Shift Hunters. They did it before during the Luceti Valley experiment when Mister Bil and Miss Molly came here seeking refuge. They won't sniff you out right away, but it's something to be on the look out for once time runs out.

[Luke nods at Lupin, knowing what the thief had in mind. It sounded crazy, but any time was better than none. Han had taught him that, with much more insane stunts than this one. Vector Prime came to mind...]

Then Doctor, I think its time I invited you over for a drink, and maybe to have you check out my collection of droids. I've got quite a few, I think you'll be fascinated. We can do that at the meeting tomorrow.

[A smile follows]

As far as Community House 5 goes, I'm sure of where Daisy stands on it already, and if Lupin can vouch for Fujiko and the Inspector, thats also a bonus. The remainder of the residents there are either never around, are New Feathers, or would be fairly simple to misdirect. Moreover, immediately following the announcement, I spoke with Ami, and she assured me that she and her housemates share our opinion. Other than that, I would probably approach the Turtles, and perhaps Jay.

[And now to address the other point]

The decoy is an excellent idea. If you are volunteering, Lupin, I would gladly help however I can. If you like I can use mnemotheraphy to make you more convincing. As far as shift hunters are concerned, I'm fairly certain that they won't be much of an issue. [Luke holds up his lightsaber] Its been my experience in missions that they aren't a match for this.

[There's not much else for her to say here. Lupin would be the perfect decoy; he has the talent for it, the skill to remain convincing-

She can't help but think it's also a lot like using him as bait. For what, she can't say. Not yet. It doesn't sit well with her, but it's not her call to make.

For the first time in months, she feels a familiar, distant fear. That she's in far over her head and has no way to balance things out. The last time this happened things ended very...poorly.

Best do what she can to make certain it won't go sour.]

Lupin will also need trusted medical personnel watching him, if he chooses to volunteer, and perhaps more constant supervision than Ami and I would be able to provide the actual Bil. The steps taken to make it wholly convincing would require delicate work that would require monitoring to make certain nothing goes wrong.

...Which is where Luke's suggestion comes into play, but I'm well aware of the risks here.

[He speaks evenly, almost too calm and too comfortable with the topic at hand. Yes, it was a huge risk...yes, he was 'bait'...but what other options were there?]

Remember our conversation with Ace and Marco, Law? My confusion was from the use of costuming--I'm one of the greatest thieves in my world, and have convincingly masqueraded as everything and everyone from a government official to an attractive young lady, and have had no one be any wiser.

[His gaze flickers to Law, lingers there briefly.] That includes everything you can imagine a young lady would get up to with a wealthy gentleman, although I usually knocked the other guy out before it could get far.

...If you guys have another suggestion, speak up. I can almost guarantee you that the other people who can do this either use powers that can be nullified by a Shift or are little more than children who don't have the same level of experience. I don't like it, because I don't like being so vulnerable, but I'll work with whatever needs to be done to complete the illusion.

A drink would be very much appreciated. I will be needing it after that.

[Law nods slowly. He can't contest all that. They all have good points. But he can also see where the Shogi pieces are going to fall here.

And knows the fallout. There was likely going to be a sacrifice here. Not just Lupin. The people with him likely.

But he can't be just the Doctor. He has to be the Captain.

And he has to be The Surgeon of Death.]

Everyone working the decoy will have to be fully aware of the stakes. And... fully aware of what it might mean for them.

[Luke listens to each of them in turn, slowly and sternly regarding each and every one of them. He'd been here for some time now, and every single day he'd been here he had known that something like this would happen.

Conflict. It was inevitable. There was no other way things could be. When a group captured and imprisoned another group, without fail there would be strife. And with strife came sacrifice.

Back home, the Rebellion had succeeded. He'd gone from the last Jedi to the first of many. He'd gone from a farmboy, to something powerful, then moved beyond even that. He was fully prepared for any consequences that the enemy may have leveled upon him, and as he turned he could feel Lupin and Law's conviction burning as bright as Tatooine's twin suns. Even Adele, despite her lurking anxiety, was completely behind the idea.]

I am prepared to do what is necessary. To fight, to die if need be, and to place myself at the forefront. I am a Jedi Knight, and I am ready for any consequences.

[Far. Far over her head.

This won't end well. There isn't enough in their favor, too many unknown variables to consider. They've no safety net other than the one they build, and even then they are limited. Too few resources. Nothing about this is balanced and above all else there is no time.

Luke's managed. Lupin's managed. Law has most likely endured equally impossible odds with little planning and come out more or less alive.

She hasn't.

Lupin does the impossible. Law destroyed the Kraken. Luke? An empire.

She's a woman with a gun on her best day. And here? She doesn't even have the gun.

What am I doing here?

This is more than asking the wrong questions. Than irritating a criminal. She's an ant amongst giants and every inch of her is aware of it the moment Luke lays down his willingness to die. And for half a second, there's a scrambling moment of mad panic.

At least it's familiar. That curdling in her gut before the first note, the first step, the first cut. That first, fatal shot.

It passes. She looks from Law, to Lupin, to Luke.]

This is insane. [A beat.] And I'm as mad as the rest of you. Some things need to be done, no matter the consequences. And if I die? So be it.

[He was mad--it was the reason why he was able to pull off most of his stunts with the degree of flourish that was his signature and style. Even so, there is a hint of fear lurking just unspoken, tugging at his heart and making it pound in his chest. He was just a theif in the end, one who worked in small groups...one who was more selfish than altruistic.

Maybe Zenigata was right; maybe he was going straight.

It was a moral quandary. He had no stake in it himself, but it was clear that there were few other options.

Lupin smiles, back to his usual humor. There were appeareances to maintain. He couldn't allow himself to be seen wavering.]

There's nothing wrong with being a little mad in this. Sometimes? You have to.

...We know what's at stake with this, but I can't speak for the others. Personally? I won't be mad at you if this doesn't go as planned.

Appointments 2.0

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