simulamortem

[simulamortem]

The light of the holoprojector attracted the glow of his gaze, observing the temple created in blue light on the table. He sat up to regard the Jedi's explanation of checkpoints, tech, and other security features, and finally the security hub.

The place he would likely hit first. Give them all a little PRIVACY, put any alarms on a leash, and make it more difficult for the guards to call for backup.

"Is it a skinbag or a droid in there?" Revenant asked, so he would be prepared in his approach. "Do you know where your stuff is gonna be?" Wanting to see the ROUTE they would be taking through the building, if possible.

he wasn't kicked out, he wanted to say, but snow figured that he KNEW that and was trying to get under his skin. ❝ knew a couple brothers in the coruscant guard, even worked there for a while before i was assigned under general arryne, ❞ he answers without looking up from his woodwork, wood shavings pooling around his boots as he spoke. ❝ from what i've gathered nothing much has changed. just the armor and the enemy. ❞ damn ugly armor too, if he had to say.

at that, dillian leaned closer to turn on one of the holoprojector, the space between them filling with a small blue hologram of the jedi temple. he then points to various security checkpoints that surrounded the temple but pointing to one of the larger ones, explaining that this is where they monitor all the cameras and coordinate shift changes.

[simulamortem]

A glance for Snow's carving work - and a longer, lingering look at the suggestion of a DISGUISE for him. "Easy," Revenant responded, turning his gaze away again. "You familiar with the security system, or has something new been installed since you were kicked out?" It would save him some time tomorrow if he knew what kind of system it was, where and how to target it.

But not difficult for him to figure out on the fly if need be, either. Maybe he'd even do some snooping around tonight, if he felt like it - without touching anything yet, of course. Just to get the LAY OF THE LAND.

just a yeah didn't seem to cut it. there had to be more to it than yeah. they were practically looking to him for more information when he suddenly switched topics. snow shook his head and continued on with his carving with a faster, even attention, as if finally checking out of the conversation now that it didn't interest him. he had been told the plan a thousand times over already, he'll let general arryne do the explaining.

❝ right, well, ❞ dillian clears his throat before leaning closer to the caf table they have set up in between all the seats, with a few holoprojectors sat atop it. ❝ we'll need someone to handle security. that's where you and the captain will come in. we'll need the two of you on the inside before we can make it in, but before that, we need a disguise for snow. he'll need help finding him a fully intact armor from one of their troopers. ❞

[simulamortem]

The delicate little device roving between his fingers was caught in his hand and crushed - dissolving with a whisper into a puff of SMOKE and wisps of ASH rather than any tangible metal pieces.

"Yeah." A half-truth. Still functionally immortal... with death within reach whenever he chose it. But Revenant OMITTED his source code for more than one reason. He slumped further down onto the sofa, rested his head back against the arm rest. He hadn't indulged in the warmth of a fire in awhile. "So," he started, "tell me about what I'll be doing tomorrow."

only upon his further elaboration did he start to put some pieces together. not enough for him to even begin to see the whole picture, but enough for now. tech giant. did this to me. whatever this was, was done without his consent or full knowledge it seems. this, he assumed, was his existence.

revenant wasn't a droid. droid's didn't carry the dark energy that revenant did. but he wasn't entirely organic either, making sure to check for himself whether or not he had no brain and no heart after dillian was tasked with slicing his lightsaber through him to end his life. he is something that has never been previously been done before.

it also now made sense to him why he never participated in the war. because why would he when he had likely seen such atrocities a thousand times over?

❝ so you're immortal, is that what you're saying? ❞ snow dares to ask.

[simulamortem]

A stretch of silence while those centuries no doubt weighed on the group.

Revenant continued to toy with the Silence between his fingers, until eventually Arryne concluded that his shells weren't just stockpiled but actively being PRODUCED. "It's all automated," the sim answered. "A tech giant where I'm from set it all up when they did this to me. Production facilities, all over the galaxy." He stretched his legs some across the length of the couch, over the opposite armrest seeing as it was just a loveseat and couldn't fit all of him.

In most cases where his facilities had been planted beyond the Outlands, it was just one per planet. But because Coruscant was so densely populated and he'd had so much WORK out here, TWO facilities had been constructed in its depths, each on a different level of the planet.

the jedi's brow furrowed in thought. revenant was a technological mystery, it almost seemed like no matter how many questions dillian had for him, he only produced answers that opened up even more questions.

CENTERIES.

something twisted in his gut. the jedi were told stories of those that had the power to live for as long as they wanted; he couldn't think of one that wasn't a SITH off the top of his head. as if the negative energy that surrounded him wasn't already an obvious tell, this seemed to confirm to dillian that he was a DANGEROUS, BAD person. no matter what the queen says, no matter how many times her handmaidens vouched for him, revenant wasn't a good person.

it still didn't make him their enemy however, but their only safety net was whatever feelings and obligations he felt he had towards the queen. without that, there's no telling what something like him was capable of doing to the younglings under his watch.

the fact that he had lived for centuries seemed to imply that he had PLENTY of these models somewhere in stock, but the implication that he could live for ETERNITY meant that these bodies were still in production. ❝ so your bodies are being manufactured somewhere, ❞ he says. there was a brief pause in snow's carving at the word before he silently continued. ❝ who's producing these bodies for you? ❞ with how casually he had asked dillian kill him and the fact that he... was built the way he was built, he could only assumed he burned through these bodies FAST.

[simulamortem]

made a gif of rev’s hand with the new healing animation because uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh…

[simulamortem]

A glance for the padawan, finding him very much still asleep. Gazed again for the Silence and how its golden edges gleamed in the firelight. Studying its design called TOTEM to mind, but he hadn't been able to summon that consistently again yet. Seemed it would take some more practice.

"... Enough," Revenant answered, quieter. Wearier. "Enough to have lasted me the past few centuries, and enough to last me the rest of eternity, if I wanted." But his tone made it clear that WASN'T what he wanted.

the two humans recognized the small object revenant had produced in his hand, what looked like a small black dice. something in snow freezes like he almost expected him to use it on them or suspected he was toying with it as some sort of vague THREAT. dillian didn't appear bothered, just intrigued, so that gave him some comfort. and even if it WAS a threat, snow would be willing to bet that his general was an even bigger threat than this bucket of bolts, even with all working limbs.

❝ and how many bodies is that? ❞ arryne presses as snow looked back down at his work pretending not to listen.

❝ i'd say about four of them? ❞ jace mumbled in his sleep, responded with what was obviously nonsense. his silence and even breathing that followed was sign enough that he wasn't actually present for their conversation despite how bad his subconscious wanted to take part in it.

[simulamortem]

He observed the marks in the wood made by the knife, COMPARING IT to similar pieces he had seen before by one of the Legends. He hadn't quite finished before it flew out of his grasp like an industrial strength VACUUM had sucked it up, only to find it had shot right to the clone's hand. A brief, unamused glance for Arryne.

Golden glow fell then to Snow's knife as he resumed work with it. A Silence was produced and rolled down the sim's arm for the sake of something else to toy with, shimmering in the warm glow of the fire, idly rolled between his fingers with a light clinking of the metal. "Dunno... Maybe a dozen? Something like that." He'd never counted. MOST of them, he didn't use often.

A pause - "But that's just models," Revenant added, gaze following the movements of his Silence. "Not bodies."

snow stepped away as soon as revenant stepped closer, however he does quickly put down his blaster as soon as he realized it wasn't needed. he was about to sit back down again, albeit in a spot further away from the simulacrum, when he realized what he had in his hands.

the carving still had a vague shape to it but it could be guessed that it had to be the figure of a woman due to what appeared to be a thin waist and long legs, however it still had aspects to it that didn't seem complete as a large chunk of wood jutted out from the figure's back while the head looked to but larger and further up the figure than what would be anatomically correct. snow lingered on his feet, standing atop his wood shavings as if unsure what to do.

dillian, however, studied revenant's new face. although he sensed his approach, this was still the first time he was seeing this... model, as he put it. ❝ how many of these models do you have? ❞ the jedi asks, setting his datapad aside and leaning closer with interest.

after realizing that snow was still on his feet and WHY, the jedi lazily lifted a few fingers, needed less than a second of concentration before the wooden figure was ripped from revenant's finger and slapped onto snow's hand. only then did the clone finally sit down and reach for his knife again.

[simulamortem]

It didn't surprise him that Arryne seemed to be the first to notice him. Came as no surprise, either, when Snow startled and stood with his blaster at the ready. "Different model," Revenant answered. "Better get used to it." MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM. And this was the one he was likely to use on these operations, so Snow would be seeing more of it.

Without regard for the blaster trained on him, the simulacrum roved closer in a patient arc around the group - helping himself to one of the bare sofas closest to the fire. Sprawled there comfortably, bending for a moment to take up the dropped wooden figure from the floor before sitting back with it. Examining it in the firelight.

coruscant's underbelly always felt unnaturally cold during the night, it was a wonder how millions of civilians even survived inside in this hell that was comprised of a thousand layers of cold steel. a steel fireplace connected to the wall kept them warm as they rested.

jace was splayed out underneath a blanket, resting atop what looked like cushions ripped from one of the couches. snow sat hunched over, eyes focusing carefully on a figure he was carving out from a piece of wood with a combat knife while dillian appeared to be reading something from a datapad he had in hand. none of them reacted to revenant's silent appearance, perhaps a sign that they didn't know of his presence yet.

❝ i was beginning to worry you wouldn't show, ❞ dillian says, not lifting his eyes from the blue screen in his hand. snow looked up from his carving to give his general a confused look before his eyes look further up.

the figurine was dropped without a care as soon as the clone stood from his seat, the blaster immediately trained on revenant. the recognition didn't dawn on his face until after the safety was clicked off. ❝ what the fuck is this shit? ❞ he stared at revenant's GRIN.

[simulamortem]

@naboocrowned

THIS was much more his scene than Theed or Coruscant's upper level. Crowded architecture plagued by the mess of industry overgrown like a creeping plant in all its pipes and wiring. UNPOLISHED and cast in a contrast of dark shadows and disorienting neon.

Buried in it all was the shelter he'd been instructed to find. Though locked down, its greatest security was mostly that it was tucked away, difficult to reach, and that no one would think to pry into the place to begin with. None of that was a factor for him, of course. Revenant found his own way in - and emerged not too dissimilar to how he had at the safehouse, though much quieter and not cast in SHADOW this time.

Machine frame dropped down with what seemed preternatural silence, optics aglow in the warm lighting of the space. The group was seated on the floor around a low table on the other side of the room, looked to be winding down the tail end of their dinner.

[simulamortem]

Peter McFarlane: ‘Circuit Board Fossil Series’ (2012)

[simulamortem]

The sim watched them, at first. Watching for whatever response might be gleaned from their initial look through the diagnostics. But they appeared focused, and he couldn't see their face from here, so eventually his gaze wandered.

He rested back in his seat in SILENCE. Clicking keys intermittently carried through the quiet. Revenant lay patient, the glow of his gaze slightly dimmed but awake all the while until the engineer eventually spoke up again. Optics followed their standing then, and their filling up with water at the sink.

So, they were THAT TYPE.

His regular modder was meticulous and scheduled. She took breaks at intervals on the dot. He knew not everyone worked that way. A number of the Legends worked like Sverre, sinking into a project without surfacing until their body or mind wouldn't cooperate anymore.

Revenant took his cable once unplugged, let it slip through his hand as it withdrew neatly back into whatever slot under his chest it had been drawn from. With his free hand, he produced a simple burner phone out of one of the pouches lining his chest and handed it over. "Use this." The phone only had ONE CONTACT on it. And if any number other than this phone messaged that contact, it would be bounced back.

Sverre glances briefly at the papers as they are mentioned. Quirks a sympathetic, tired smile at his comment. “Yeah, I can imagine,” they muse for a quiet moment, before decidedly sitting up. They stretch, take a deep breath, feel their joints crackle and pop.

“Alright,” they declare, mostly to themselves, and swivel back towards their screen. Time to get started.

Zoning in on his code comes easily to them; naturally. And even without his earlier suggestion, their notepad would have immediately been pulled close- they had never in their life seen something like this.

The errors would have confused them, without the information they had come to put together; now they were just fascinating. They scroll along, clicking their way around, absorbing whatever knowledge they could glean, all the while their pencil scratches away incessantly at their side.

Very often, they take pictures. Resolve to study it in more depth later, compare it to the notes they were given, alongside the ones they were taking themselves.

Security and other uniquenesses of working on him would be something to consider in the time until they next saw him again, alongside the wealth of knowledge they were sure to find in his modder’s comments. For now, they were trying to form a picture of their own. Get a feeling for him, for his internal workings.

There had been an update, the engineer notes, and they were sure they could find specifics in the papers given to them. They flip through them briefly, compare the writing to what they’d observed themselves. There were distinct changes in coding - some incompatible configurations overlapping in errors, quite a bit of corruption - but most of it seemed to have settled adequately in replacement of the old. Either way, such clear hammond formatting, and it was almost a familiar comfort, the way they recognised the structures cradling Revenant’s mind and body.

It was also very clear however, how old the sim was. Newer models the engineer had worked with had way more optimised integration of systems, and while his code surely once gleamed with functionality, there were countless signs of editing, many quite simply sloppy.

His code was a worn down patchwork of creation, and they were distinctly impressed by his sheer functionality in spite of this. Felt a certain respect quite simply for the fact that he was still alive.

…And wanted to get hammered, apparently. Yeah, no wonder.

They couldn’t have said how long they’re under, but by the time their brain stops forming proper thoughts and disrupts them from their fervour, the little clock hand had made its way past 11pm.

“Al’ight, I’m done for today,” they declare, laying down their pencil; and certainly sound the part, as a yawn rips out of them. They rub their face, feeling distinctly groggy now that they’ve snapped out of his code, and their throat was practically screaming for water. How they always managed to lose their own bodily senses when doing work would forever be a mystery to them.

They stand swiftly, balance at the corner for a moment as their circulation sways, then grab a cup of water from the sink. Drink it down, fill another. And another. Put it down after with a sigh of pure relief. Gods, had they needed that.

They stride back towards their desk, “I’m gonna unplug you now, yea? I’ve gotten a decent feel for your systems, but I’ll want to review all the notes n’ such. How do I contact your for a follow up?” They speak as they move, and he is unplugged by now- with them having stood in front of where he’d been sitting, holding out his cable back to him with a quirk of their head.

[simulamortem]

"You're ALL kids as far as I'm concerned," the sim responded, gaze bored again. He would have expected a little less attitude and a little more discipline from ex-military - but he supposed the meatbag was EX military.

The clone and padawan were both dismissed. Revenant watched them go before gazing for Arryne again, and the humming beam of energy produced by his weapon. "I always thought Jedi were supposed to be a bunch of hippies," he answered, uncertain exactly how much Arryne may have been JOKING.

He watched the twist of the saber's beam through the misty air, curiosity scratching at the back of his metal skull, wondering about its weight. "I need a time and place," he reminded. "And kick all the scrap into the water when you're done," Revenant added with a nod toward the water. "I don't want any of it left out." Seemed to be his only confirmation, as he didn't move from where he was leaned against the tree.

despite the look of disappointment towards the little general, snow couldn't help but SNORT beneath his helmet. ❝ what are you going to do, snitch on us? maybe we really should have left you with the kids, ❞ the clone scoffs and shakes his head. he was next to receive a harsh look from dillian. the jedi didn't care who killed him either way, but he had an inkling that revenant might take his kill a little personally despite being the one to offer it himself. and it seems his suspicions were correct if his reaction to his padawan's volunteering was anything to go by.

❝ snow, help jace ready the ship. i want it out of the water as soon as i'm done here, ❞ he commands before looking at his padawan. ❝ think you can do it without my help? just like i taught you. ❞

jace sighed, a little bit disappointed that he at least didn't get to WATCH, but he gives his master a nod before turning for the direction of where they hid their ship.

once they were out of sight, dillian's lightsaber is produced from his belt, it's harsh green light searing through the air as he gave it an idle spin in his hand before turning back to revenant. ❝ i'll be gentle, ❞ he promises as his lightsaber hummed at his side. a tease. ❝ and i'll try to have the least amount of fun as possible. ❞

his stance changes, feet spread as his his lightsaber gave a couple wubs as he gave it a couple more spins in order to warm up his wrist. ❝ tell me when. ❞

[simulamortem]

Revenant, too, felt aware of the slowly dawning daylight through the gloom. He knew they had probably expected to have reached their ship by now and didn't have much more time to spare. "Yes," answered in regard to what the queen knew of him.

Fixed the smaller Jedi with a briefly SHARPER glow at his eagerness to volunteer. Spoke of him like a trophy kill. UNEARNED. But addressing Arryne again perhaps with a slightly wearier look, "You might if I tell her you asked that," he answered dryly. Half teasing. "And you will if you do it for fun, so don't get too excited." But right now, it was the practical choice, and he knew that Symphony must know that.

again, an answer that only brought on more questions. all three of the men blinked at him for a moment. dillian wished this information was shared sooner, most especially when they had been sitting out, twiddling their thumbs for the past few days.

even without looking at them, it was OBVIOUS that they had more questions to ask. however some marsh birds crying mournfully filled their brief silence and it became an urgent reminder that the sun would be rising soon. a glance skyward, through the thick trees that perfectly disguised their location, the perfect spot for a secret entrance, revealed the soft grey lighting of the sky above. streaks of godrays would rain down on them soon if they didn't move and they NEEDED the cover of the swamp's morning fog if they were going to sneak off undetected.

❝ the queen knew about this? ❞ he asks already knowing the answer. she had done her best in trying to explain their history and relations in terms on where revenant's piece seemed to fit in the bigger picture that was naboo's governing body, though admittedly they had little chance to truly get into the reeds of who he truly was. perhaps the queen was purposely holding back even, for reasons unknown.

❝ so if i strike you down, i won't have to face the queen's wrath? ❞ he then asks, before his padawan speaks up behind him. ❝ can i do it? ❞ he volunteers, however his offer was quickly rescinded when the adults gave him a pointed look.

[simulamortem]

Every face in front of him looked some variety of troubled by this information. Nevermind how invaluable it was to have an immortal killing machine along on their operations - the likes of him being immortal at all didn't appear to sit right with them. No surprise there.

Revenant watched them all patiently - boredly - as they studied him with newfound SCRUTINY. "Not broadcast, no. Uploaded remotely. One and done, every time I'm killed." It wasn't a continuous stream between his shell and his source code - just the initial transfer, and then whatever signal told his source code when it was time for a new shell.

Golden glow fell to the padawan. "Yes."

the jedi's frown only deepened as revenant elaborated, only his words brought up more questions than answers. of course, this wasn't the most outlandish thing he has ever heard; separatists and the sith alike went to the most alarming lengths to secure power and to guarantee they remain in power long past the way. but what was a... DROID for a lack of a better term, during with technology like this? and why was the queen of naboo somehow in the mix?

❝ and how does that work? ❞ dillian eyed him up and down, as if seeing something now that he didn't previously. ❝ so... you don't carry your subconscious with you? are you being broadcasted from somewhere in the galaxy? ❞

jace, who often preferred to keep to himself and remain as quiet as possible around revenant, looked like something had dawned on him. even his reserved nature couldn't hold back his curiosity. ❝ we almost killed you, ❞ he points out, looking at revenant. ❝ does that mean you would have just come back? ❞

[simulamortem]

Fireworks

[simulamortem]

Optics flicked for the clone, who asked a more articulated question than the Jedi. The IRONY of that question wasn't lost on him either. "There's only one of me at a time," Revenant answered. "But these—" a loose couple of knocks against his metal chest, "are a dime a dozen. Every time I'm killed, I'm uploaded into another one."

"It's faster than traveling on a ship, and usually faster than repairs, too." It would save them all a lot of TROUBLE right now, for example.

all three of their heads turned to follow the surprisingly graceful spin his torn leg fell into in the air as if flew past their heads, almost like a boomerang. dillian was the first to look back at revenant at his sudden revelation and his strange request. he silent again, his head shook and his shoulder gave him a confused shrug. ❝ what? ❞ he almost scoffs. ❝ what does that even mean? ❞

it also seemed to pique snow's interest as he stepped closer as well. ❝ you mean to tell me there's more of you? ❞ came his modulated voice. the irony of his question coming from... well, him, wasn't lost on him.

[simulamortem]

Unsurprisingly, it was Arryne who braved reaching for him to pull him to his feet. Revenant had to lean on him to stay standing, and especially to walk, but bore the bulk of his weight on his remaining foot, knowing his metal wasn't EASY to support.

Leaned on the tree he was provided as soon as it was within reach, he bent with the trunk's support to reach down and grab his dangling leg, ripping it free without any ceremony, pitching it away where it made a THICK SPLASH into the water. "She didn't tell you, did she?" The sim drawled, standing back up against the tree.

He met the Jedi's gaze before a brief glance over the others. "This isn't my only bucket of bolts," Revenant explained. "If you can do me a favor and kill this one, I'll meet you on Coruscant in another. Just gimme a time and place."

the last time dillian had looked back, revenant had been standing perfectly still, waiting for his turn on the ladder as all four of them began their climb. he had heard some struggling beneath him and he could HEAR it when he began to favor one hand or foot over the other based on how long he lingered on each. however he didn't realize the SEVERITY of his injuries until after they had finally reached the sulfuric smell of the swamp air.

snow scoped their surroundings through the visor of his helmet, blaster in hand while dillian's young padawan stretched his arms high up in the air before looking down at his boots, wrinkling his nose at the mud and moss that clung to them.

dillian stared down the darkness of the trapdoor, waiting for revenant's head to appear and growing increasingly concerned when he didn't emerge as quickly as he could. however he eventually clawed himself out, but not in a way that suggested that he was in any condition to be traversing a dangerous swamp. jace's first instinct was to want to spring into action, however he hesitated and his eyes immediately seek dillian's gaze as if unsure what to do. he was either asking for permission or was still WARY of their new companion.

however the jedi knight gestured for him to step back before he stepped up, grabbing a hold of one of revenant's arm to help him to his feet. ❝ you're a lot heavier than you look, ❞ he seethes, the only sign of struggle on his part, but was otherwise able to haul him to his feet without issue. he helped him to a nearby tree that he could lean against before letting him go.

he breathed somewhat heavily and rested his hands on his waist, another sign that helping him was no easy feat. he eyes his damaged arm and his leg, silent as he processed on what to do.

❝ this isn't going to work, ❞ he sighs. ❝ we need to send you back. ❞