11-07-2016, 06:17 PM
The white void of the Nexus was warm and familiar, if only because it was a place that Abner knew so well. Still, he’d wandered off from the pack. Even in a place that he was so comfortable, he now felt more lost than he ever had before. He didn’t have a clue what to do with his life, anymore. The sad reality was that the Empire would just send him on another fool’s errand that he’d be lucky to survive as soon as they could. And if he didn’t? Well, that was great, too. He’d just turn up here to start the whole process over again.
Eyeing the void before him, he saw a Stormtrooper approaching. Through the mask he could identify an old friend by posture and body language alone. At least one consistent thing in his life was that he could count on Stormtrooper Captain Avin Searle to be working the Nexus. But damn, did he seem upset over something.
“Nice to see a smiling face,” Abner sarcastically remarked as the masked Stormtrooper marched right up to him.
Abner offered no resistance, only a look of confused amusement, as Avin grabbed the rifle that was slung across his chest and ripped the energy cartridge from it. He continued to watch as Avin inserted it in his own gun and punched it in. They both heard it lock in with a click.
“…Did you lose yours?” Abner finally chuckled. Seriously, what the hell? “They’re jet black and this place is all white. How’d you do that?”
“You girlfriend stole it,” Avin answered as he pulled his helmet off to speak a little easier.
“Christa? You saw Christa?” Abner immediately asked, the humor leaving his voice momentarily as his eyes went wide. “She was here, she was alive? When? You’re sure it was her?”
“It had to be her,” Avin said, still looking quite disgruntled. “She’s that type of crazy you always end up with.”
“Oh, she’s something different. Trust me,” Abner wistfully commented as a surge of relief washed over him.
“Adorable,” Avin bluntly and sarcastically dismissed Abner’s thoughts. “She wanted to make sure you knew she was alive.”
“I’m glad. Seriously, that’s the best news you could have told me,” Abner said, a rare moment of total and complete seriousness coming through before he reverted to his typical self. “Shit got real in the Danteverse.”
“Yea, I’m sure,” Avin didn’t seem as concerned as Abner would have expected. “She also said she’s going to find her.”
“Who?” Abner asked.
“Her,” Avin repeated. He was very clearly annoyed.
Abner nodded in silent understanding. Katia, of course. Once again, Christa's journey was just beginning while his ended.
“Oh, and she loves you,” Avin finished. “But don’t tell her I told you that because the rest of what she said was basically threats.”
“Definitely Christa,” Abner nodded, doing his best not to show too much in the way of emotion. The words were amazing to hear, though, even coming from grumpy old Avin. “And that’s how she took your rifle’s energy pack.”
“Don’t quite know how it escalated to that,” Avin confirmed. “But yea.”
“Well, it’s had a long run. Made it through the Oververse and the Danteverse,” Abner jokingly reminisced. “It could use a good retirement gun, where it won’t see a lot of use.”
“Hilarious,” Avin shot back with dripping sarcasm and anger. “Really, you two are just a great match.”
“Where did she go?” Abner ignored Avin’s frustration at the injustice that had fallen on him for more pressing issues.
“I don’t know,” Avin shrugged.
Abner scoffed. “Really? You didn’t think to pay attention to where she went?”
Avin’s eyes flared with anger for just a moment. “Yea, I was a little busy being concerned about being a Stormtrooper without a working gun in the middle of the fucking Nexus.”
Abner nodded again, this time in understanding. Fair point. “Alright. Great. Thanks, man.”
With that, Abner turned and began to walk off. Avin turned and looked after him incredulously, not paying a drop of attention to the slowly gathering crowd of mostly Stormtroopers. After all, it was interesting enough when the captain on duty for the Nexus got loud with a Prime one-on-one. It was an entirely new level when that Prime was the preceding captain from this detail.
“Coruscant’s not that way,” Avin loudly reminded his friend.
Abner turned and returned his own exasperated expression, this time. “Yea, no shit.”
“Same as last time, buddy,” Avin stated as he took two steps after his friend. “Those super serious types are coming through the gate to find you, again.”
“Well, I ain’t going back,” Abner sternly said. “They’ve sent me after Omni, and now after Karl Jak? What’s next, when I get back to Coruscant? Tate tells me the Underverse is nice this time of year?”
“Then where are you going, Abner?” Avin challenged his friend. Abner studied him for a moment, deciding he actually didn’t like his friend’s tone very much. Avin pressed on. “The Omniverse isn’t that big. You piss these folks off…”
“I’m just going to have to wing it, chief,” Abner interrupted him, quite loudly, as he looked at the gathering crowd. “Because I’m out. I’m not doing this another second. I can’t bring myself to.”
Avin didn’t respond. He just looked on in silence. Maybe even a little envy. He couldn’t afford to throw it all away like Abner intended to, and he honestly wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing at this point. He’d never seen this level of conviction and determination in all their travels together. This wasn’t the same Abner that always looked for the path of least resistance. Who was he to stop him?
“Alright. Sorry,” Avin apologized. “Good luck.”
“I’ll see you around,” Abner’s farewell to an old friend wasn’t very heartfelt or emotional, but it wouldn’t have been the same if he started acting that way now.
The Stormtrooper captain watched as Abner turned and disappeared into the white void, free of Imperial entanglements. They would want him back. There would be questions and interrogations. There would be a search. But for now, he was finally making his own destiny.
Avin grunted, while looking at the other Stormtroopers. If only they were all so lucky.
“Alright, show’s over. Back to work.”
Eyeing the void before him, he saw a Stormtrooper approaching. Through the mask he could identify an old friend by posture and body language alone. At least one consistent thing in his life was that he could count on Stormtrooper Captain Avin Searle to be working the Nexus. But damn, did he seem upset over something.
“Nice to see a smiling face,” Abner sarcastically remarked as the masked Stormtrooper marched right up to him.
Abner offered no resistance, only a look of confused amusement, as Avin grabbed the rifle that was slung across his chest and ripped the energy cartridge from it. He continued to watch as Avin inserted it in his own gun and punched it in. They both heard it lock in with a click.
“…Did you lose yours?” Abner finally chuckled. Seriously, what the hell? “They’re jet black and this place is all white. How’d you do that?”
“You girlfriend stole it,” Avin answered as he pulled his helmet off to speak a little easier.
“Christa? You saw Christa?” Abner immediately asked, the humor leaving his voice momentarily as his eyes went wide. “She was here, she was alive? When? You’re sure it was her?”
“It had to be her,” Avin said, still looking quite disgruntled. “She’s that type of crazy you always end up with.”
“Oh, she’s something different. Trust me,” Abner wistfully commented as a surge of relief washed over him.
“Adorable,” Avin bluntly and sarcastically dismissed Abner’s thoughts. “She wanted to make sure you knew she was alive.”
“I’m glad. Seriously, that’s the best news you could have told me,” Abner said, a rare moment of total and complete seriousness coming through before he reverted to his typical self. “Shit got real in the Danteverse.”
“Yea, I’m sure,” Avin didn’t seem as concerned as Abner would have expected. “She also said she’s going to find her.”
“Who?” Abner asked.
“Her,” Avin repeated. He was very clearly annoyed.
Abner nodded in silent understanding. Katia, of course. Once again, Christa's journey was just beginning while his ended.
“Oh, and she loves you,” Avin finished. “But don’t tell her I told you that because the rest of what she said was basically threats.”
“Definitely Christa,” Abner nodded, doing his best not to show too much in the way of emotion. The words were amazing to hear, though, even coming from grumpy old Avin. “And that’s how she took your rifle’s energy pack.”
“Don’t quite know how it escalated to that,” Avin confirmed. “But yea.”
“Well, it’s had a long run. Made it through the Oververse and the Danteverse,” Abner jokingly reminisced. “It could use a good retirement gun, where it won’t see a lot of use.”
“Hilarious,” Avin shot back with dripping sarcasm and anger. “Really, you two are just a great match.”
“Where did she go?” Abner ignored Avin’s frustration at the injustice that had fallen on him for more pressing issues.
“I don’t know,” Avin shrugged.
Abner scoffed. “Really? You didn’t think to pay attention to where she went?”
Avin’s eyes flared with anger for just a moment. “Yea, I was a little busy being concerned about being a Stormtrooper without a working gun in the middle of the fucking Nexus.”
Abner nodded again, this time in understanding. Fair point. “Alright. Great. Thanks, man.”
With that, Abner turned and began to walk off. Avin turned and looked after him incredulously, not paying a drop of attention to the slowly gathering crowd of mostly Stormtroopers. After all, it was interesting enough when the captain on duty for the Nexus got loud with a Prime one-on-one. It was an entirely new level when that Prime was the preceding captain from this detail.
“Coruscant’s not that way,” Avin loudly reminded his friend.
Abner turned and returned his own exasperated expression, this time. “Yea, no shit.”
“Same as last time, buddy,” Avin stated as he took two steps after his friend. “Those super serious types are coming through the gate to find you, again.”
“Well, I ain’t going back,” Abner sternly said. “They’ve sent me after Omni, and now after Karl Jak? What’s next, when I get back to Coruscant? Tate tells me the Underverse is nice this time of year?”
“Then where are you going, Abner?” Avin challenged his friend. Abner studied him for a moment, deciding he actually didn’t like his friend’s tone very much. Avin pressed on. “The Omniverse isn’t that big. You piss these folks off…”
“I’m just going to have to wing it, chief,” Abner interrupted him, quite loudly, as he looked at the gathering crowd. “Because I’m out. I’m not doing this another second. I can’t bring myself to.”
Avin didn’t respond. He just looked on in silence. Maybe even a little envy. He couldn’t afford to throw it all away like Abner intended to, and he honestly wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing at this point. He’d never seen this level of conviction and determination in all their travels together. This wasn’t the same Abner that always looked for the path of least resistance. Who was he to stop him?
“Alright. Sorry,” Avin apologized. “Good luck.”
“I’ll see you around,” Abner’s farewell to an old friend wasn’t very heartfelt or emotional, but it wouldn’t have been the same if he started acting that way now.
The Stormtrooper captain watched as Abner turned and disappeared into the white void, free of Imperial entanglements. They would want him back. There would be questions and interrogations. There would be a search. But for now, he was finally making his own destiny.
Avin grunted, while looking at the other Stormtroopers. If only they were all so lucky.
“Alright, show’s over. Back to work.”