07-22-2016, 06:51 AM
Ditto rolled another sip of coffee around his mouth. A throng of humans scampered past on the sidewalk, daylight barely breaking between them, stern-faced and in a hurry. Beyond the veil of people, he could hear the sound of hovering cars zip over the road. He tipped his head back and watched the ant-like progression of other flying cars following an invisible road high above, an unblemished blue sky behind them. And every now and then, enforcing the peace and order that Tier 1 was famous for, Ditto spotted the white plate armour of the stormtroopers, black rifles in hand, expressionless helmets surveying.
He managed to find the same coffee shop he supported on his first visit to Coruscant, though he sat in a different seat. A half dozen of empty mugs littered his table. The view matched his expectations; clean, sterile, uneasy quiet. It may have been true that Tier 1's surveillance reduced freedom to a mock ideal, but no one would knife Ditto in the back for his wallet here. On Team Rocket's home floor, a knifing might be preferable to the other methods the muggers employed down there. Still, building a criminal enterprise there offered a greater chance of success.
Bringing the coffee mug to his lips, Ditto slurped another mouthful of his latte macchiato and ran his thumb over his Pokedex. How far he had come in such a short time. He established Team Rocket, tracked down a powerful virtual teleporting device, infiltrated his enemy's headquarters ... and found out the leader was his mentor.
He couldn't keep ignoring it. Eventually he would have to stop drinking coffee.
Sighing, he plunked the mug onto its saucer and shoved it into the drained congregation he had already accumulated. This wasn't an easy choice. His eyes, inch by inch, crawled back to the Pokedex screen.
WANTED: DATAVERSE UPLINK DEVICE
The device's location is currently unknown. It is speculated to be in the possession of an unidentified Pokemon trainer, responsible for property damage and assault on Tier 5. There is a bounty for the safe return of the device. The thief may be dealt with by any means deemed necessary.
His eyes lifted back into the undulating crowd. Coruscant was after him. They knew, for a fleeting moment, where the stolen device was. They even knew somehow what a Pokemon was, when Ditto thought his kind were relatively obscure here.
That complicated things. Team Rocket had already taken a heavy blow, being reduced to three breathing members. Spook Eye, who turned out to be Giovanni, had raided their headquarters, so he wasn't safe from his rival gang either. After all the effort he expended to procure that blasted device ...
Yet every moment he clutched it, he risked discovery by an unsympathetic dictatorship or an unscrupulous gang. And now that Ditto had read the wanted notice, his concerns grew heavy enough to prick his attention.
Of course, surrendering the dataverse uplink device to the proper authorities would be simple. The notice had clearly stated that the thief had not been identified. Ditto could turn up as his regular Giovanni self and hand it in, make up some cock-and-bull story about how he rescued it, and retrieve the reward. Probably some good standing with Coruscant, too.
And if he wanted to smooth things over with Giovanni, delivering the device while wearing his skin meant that Spook Eye benefited from the arrangement too. The Empire would no longer be hunting for the device that one of his operatives was using, and to some degree he would be recognised as its saviour. Maybe then, Ditto could really talk to Giovanni. He'd see his creation for what he really was. A selfless hero, the greatest Pokemon that ever lived, devoted to the great Giovanni. Ditto smiled at the thought, his father welcoming him with open arms.
That settled it. Ditto snapped his Pokedex shut and pocketed it, while patting his breast pocket. The dataverse uplink device was still there. Humming to himself and telling himself that this was the best course of action, he dived into the current of people and headed to the first administration building he could find.
He had only been walking five minutes when he found what he was looking for. Climbing the stairs, Ditto reached the counter, put on his charming smile, and waited for the receptionist to greet him.
"Good morning sir, how may I help you today?"
He managed to find the same coffee shop he supported on his first visit to Coruscant, though he sat in a different seat. A half dozen of empty mugs littered his table. The view matched his expectations; clean, sterile, uneasy quiet. It may have been true that Tier 1's surveillance reduced freedom to a mock ideal, but no one would knife Ditto in the back for his wallet here. On Team Rocket's home floor, a knifing might be preferable to the other methods the muggers employed down there. Still, building a criminal enterprise there offered a greater chance of success.
Bringing the coffee mug to his lips, Ditto slurped another mouthful of his latte macchiato and ran his thumb over his Pokedex. How far he had come in such a short time. He established Team Rocket, tracked down a powerful virtual teleporting device, infiltrated his enemy's headquarters ... and found out the leader was his mentor.
He couldn't keep ignoring it. Eventually he would have to stop drinking coffee.
Sighing, he plunked the mug onto its saucer and shoved it into the drained congregation he had already accumulated. This wasn't an easy choice. His eyes, inch by inch, crawled back to the Pokedex screen.
WANTED: DATAVERSE UPLINK DEVICE
The device's location is currently unknown. It is speculated to be in the possession of an unidentified Pokemon trainer, responsible for property damage and assault on Tier 5. There is a bounty for the safe return of the device. The thief may be dealt with by any means deemed necessary.
His eyes lifted back into the undulating crowd. Coruscant was after him. They knew, for a fleeting moment, where the stolen device was. They even knew somehow what a Pokemon was, when Ditto thought his kind were relatively obscure here.
That complicated things. Team Rocket had already taken a heavy blow, being reduced to three breathing members. Spook Eye, who turned out to be Giovanni, had raided their headquarters, so he wasn't safe from his rival gang either. After all the effort he expended to procure that blasted device ...
Yet every moment he clutched it, he risked discovery by an unsympathetic dictatorship or an unscrupulous gang. And now that Ditto had read the wanted notice, his concerns grew heavy enough to prick his attention.
Of course, surrendering the dataverse uplink device to the proper authorities would be simple. The notice had clearly stated that the thief had not been identified. Ditto could turn up as his regular Giovanni self and hand it in, make up some cock-and-bull story about how he rescued it, and retrieve the reward. Probably some good standing with Coruscant, too.
And if he wanted to smooth things over with Giovanni, delivering the device while wearing his skin meant that Spook Eye benefited from the arrangement too. The Empire would no longer be hunting for the device that one of his operatives was using, and to some degree he would be recognised as its saviour. Maybe then, Ditto could really talk to Giovanni. He'd see his creation for what he really was. A selfless hero, the greatest Pokemon that ever lived, devoted to the great Giovanni. Ditto smiled at the thought, his father welcoming him with open arms.
That settled it. Ditto snapped his Pokedex shut and pocketed it, while patting his breast pocket. The dataverse uplink device was still there. Humming to himself and telling himself that this was the best course of action, he dived into the current of people and headed to the first administration building he could find.
He had only been walking five minutes when he found what he was looking for. Climbing the stairs, Ditto reached the counter, put on his charming smile, and waited for the receptionist to greet him.
"Good morning sir, how may I help you today?"
![[Image: jimsig.jpg]](http://www.cytokineindustries.com/chevereto/images/2017/07/07/jimsig.jpg)