Consequences

[Android 17]

When the hood slipped off his head, the cyborg had to take a few moments to blink away the fresh onslaught of light and noise. As the initial overload faded, he took note that he was in a small barracks, and that a handful of half-armored Stormtroopers were milling about in the long common area. Looking over his shoulder, Seventeen saw his transporters exchanging some words with a trooper who wore a small cape. After the others left, that caped soldier walked over to the machine-hybrid and glanced him over a few times.

“You’re skinny,” he muttered. “Have you ever been to a gym?”

The cyborg couldn’t help himself—he snorted before plopping a hand over his mouth. When he regained control, he fought the urge to make some derogatory remark about the use of gyms in a world where rainbow magic could imbue a tiny pixie with the power of the gods.

“Did they talk to you?” Seventeen asked, hoping to divert the conversation to the important part.

With a nod, the trooper turned and pointed out a window. “I don’t care for this whole bullshit about forced conscription and punishment brigades.” Seventeen followed the man’s gauntleted finger and saw that he was pointing down a very normal-looking street. “But since you got no choice, you’re going to go that way. About a click down that street—Jacob’s Street—you’ll find a nest of scum. People peddling illegal tech to the poor. We’ve been intending to raid them for a while, but we have had other issues to deal with lately.”

“When you say scum, do you mean unsavory types?” Seventeen asked as he turned back to look at the Stormtrooper. “Or like… literal mounds of filth, because I’m never really sure what’s literal and metaphorical in this place.”

The cyborg caught the subtle movement of the soldier’s chest that signified a half-suppressed laugh. “Gangbangers.” He remarked. “One of them is a prime who goes by the name of El Lago.”

So the guy’s a fucking lake? Seventeen, who came from a world with golden space monkeys ruled by frat boy demigods, furrowed his brow as he took yet another moment to appreciate the lunacy of the Omniverse.

“What should I do?” The machine-hybrid inquired as the trooper reached into a small bag attached to his belt. The armored soldier held up a little key-shaped object, let Seventeen get a look at it, and then pressed it against the raven-haired fighter’s chest. “Is this to his house?” The confused man mumbled.

“Beat down El Lago and use that to make sure he doesn’t threaten anyone in Coruscant. Kill any of his cronies who get in your way and destroy any contraband you find at his base of operations. If you can take care of all this, I’ll wipe your crimes from your record.”

Ah yes, those ‘crimes’ I committed by walking through a gate. “Got it,” Seventeen responded as the Stormtrooper stepped back and pushed open the door of the barracks.

“As I said, it’s a straight shot down Jacob’s Street.”

“Roger doger,” the cyborg replied with feigned enthusiasm as he jogged out the door. After the heavy metal slammed shut behind him, he glanced in the opposite direction for a few brief moments. Should he just head out of this place? Would the Empire really bother coming after him if he just left to another verse?

What else are you going to do? The turtles are probably having fun, so why don’t you just do the little task for the evil empire. Maybe they’ll give you a shiny badge and call you a deputy?

“Deal!” Seventeen chuckled as he turned toward the east end of Jacob’s Street and broke into a casual jog toward the den of wolves and vipers that awaited him.