#until someone can deactivate the code/remove his chip

[princema-k]

"Dr. ████ had him programmed with a 'kill-code' that was supposed to activate should he deviate. It didn't work as he'd hoped."

"Roo-D said we should be able to revert him to normal if we remove the controller chip module planted in him..."

"..."

"...Easier said than done..."

"None of us can even get close to him..."

[phoenixyfriend]

Re: the AU where Anakin, Ahsoka, and Rex are stuck on Tattooine pre-TPM, how much of the truth does Shmi know? Is she aware that Local Weird Mechanic is her baby boy all grown up?

I addressed this in a previous ask but Shmi is the first person to know they’re time-travelers and, for three years, the only person to know.

Base Post

Anakin didn’t actually think to give a fake name at first, because he wasn’t aware that he was in the past, and assumed that between his Very Famous face and Rex’s Very Recognizable armor, people would just know who he was on sight, even on Tatooine. I imagine that Tatooine, despite mostly ignoring the war, had a lot of the lower classes being very eager for information on the Jedi General with a slave name. Like all else aside, That’s One Of Ours.

So Anakin doesn’t bother with a fake name, and by the time he realizes what’s up with time-travel, it’s too late. He’s already cemented himself in the memories of at least a handful of people that, for whatever reason, he needs or wants to stay on good terms with.

[more under the cut]

The next issue is that Anakin doesn’t want his mom to have her choices taken away. She has friends on Tatooine, despite everything. A husband, in the future, that he understands she genuinely loved. Anakin doesn’t know for sure that his mom would want to leave the planet. He wants to give her the choice, but if she wants to stay on Tatooine, then he needs to free her the “legal” way, by buying her (and little Ani’s) freedom, because otherwise she’ll have to be on the lookout for Hutt Law Enforcement who are looking to get Watto’s property back for him.

If she wants to leave the planet, then it’s easy enough to steal in, deactivate/remove the slave chip, and smuggle her out. They’ve done that before. It’s fine.

But it has to be Shmi’s choice, and Anakin is very adamant about that.

This means that he needs to, you know, talk to her. And ask her what she wants. And the thing is, if he just asks “Hey, can I talk to your slave for a bit,” Watto will have very specific assumptions about what Anakin wants, gross ones. Shmi is also likely to have those assumptions until Anakin clarifies what’s going on. If he just asks her the questions about slavery without a specification as to why he cares, then there’s a solid chance she might assume that he’s there to trap her in questions she can’t answer because he’s been hired to find runaway slaves, and that’s just a mess of its own.

What it really comes down to, for Anakin, is that he has to go to his and his mom’s hovel, where Watto can’t interfere OR make assumptions out loud that have Bad Connotations, and talk to Shmi one-on-one (probably he brings Ahsoka to distract little Ani). His options at that point are two versions of the truth: 1. Former slave who is looking to free her and other slaves, and is contacting her at this point because he wants to prioritize those with children 2. Just telling her that he’s her son from the future

But this is Anakin, who often puts his emotions before his logic, and also really misses his mom. He is a dramatic mess who shows up at her door with a hood to hide his face, says something dramatic but with like... whatever code makes it clear that he used to be a slave and is there for that business, and tells her “here, my teenage apprentice can distract your son while we talk.”

And they sit down, Anakin feeling very awkward, and then he just... takes her hands and lets her feel him in the Force because I imagine Shmi was at least a little Force-Sensitive, if only because it’s more convenient for me if she is. Anakin proves that he is the future version of her adorable six-year-old, and he explains the choices and his plans, and Shmi firmly tells him that if he’s a Jedi now, and doesn’t have an official obligation back on Coruscant, then he can help a LOT more people by staying on Tatooine and joining a freedom trail of some sort. People need help, there’s no war to fight, and Anakin can do as much good freelancing at home as he could going back to Official Jedi Work. She’ll stay to help since she’s got more contacts than he does.

Anakin’s like “yes, absolutely, I will do whatever you say” because he can’t say no to Mom.

They have to come up with a cover story for Anakin and Anakin having the same exact name, especially once Little Ani grows up enough to look like his older self, so Shmi and Anakin work out a plan to claim that she once had a younger brother named Anakin, whom she was separated from years ago, when the brother was a child and she was a teenager. She heard through the grapevine that he’d died, and a few years later had a child that she named after the little brother, as one does. Turns out the little brother isn’t dead, he was freed and joined an army of some sort, got married and picked up an apprentice, and is now back on Tatooine to Free His Sister (and also everyone else).

The “I am my own uncle” cover story will not hold up without Shmi’s full involvement, which is fine because Shmi is willing to play hardball in this situation. Big Anakin is a trained Jedi and war general, and Rex is very good at logistics, and Ahsoka’s a sneaky little shit. They are a great addition to the network of freedom trails on Tatooine, especially since the mix of skills they have is pretty much guaranteed to provide a solid cover for a lot of what they do. Anakin is an expert mechanic, Ahsoka is good enough to proudly claim to be his apprentice, and Rex’s logistic management of the paperwork is good enough to hide a lot of the more secret money that flows through once Hutt Tax People show up.

Running a space mechanic shop means it’s really easy to excuse basically any large ship that stops by. That freighter is just here to get a tune-up, sir! It’s definitely spice they’re hiding in the secret cargo holds, not three dozen escaped sentients.

We have all this medical equipment because of the number of burns we get welding things into place, or the incidents where someone slips and gets cut on a saw. Definitely not there for removing slave chips.

Those shipping manifests are definitely just here so we can project our possible income in the next few seasons by guessing who’s going to be coming through the city, and not us trying to figure out how many of Jabba’s goons we can sabotage without getting caught.

[arielsojourner]

Part 8 of Luke and Vader go back in time to save the galaxy! Previous parts can be found by searching through the tags on my page. 

-99 isn't sure what is going on when the 501st arrives at Kamino. Is there another invasion or attack? If there is, he will fight with his brothers to defend them and their home, even if he is injured like last time. He is a soldier! But then one of the older cadets runs into the barracks and says that the Jedi is arresting Master Ti and the Kaminoans! Brothers rush past 99 as he staggers along behind them as fast as he can go. He rounds a corner to try and catch up when he is nearly bowled over by a trooper. 99 looks up and he sees Fives and Echo and there behind them, is that Flare? Didn't he just ship out to the 317th Battalion?

99 knows all of his brothers on sight but he has never seen a brother dressed like Fives. He is wearing his ARC Trooper armor, but not all of it. He is wearing a blue sleeveless hooded cloak and at his waist is not just a blaster but a lightsaber!

"F-Fives!" 99 stammers, out of breath, "What is going on?"

"99, we were looking for you," Fives tells him with a smile.

"You were?" he answers incredulously.

"Yes, come and meet Luke. We told him all about you and he wants to be sure you were there to hear the news."

And so 99 follows them and when he meets Luke surrounded by a sea of troopers and cadets young and grown, he doesn't know what to say. He has never met a Jedi quite like him. Luke offers him a seat, (a seat!) up in front so he can hear and see clearly, then everyone quiets to listen as Luke talks. Luke explains that he is a Jedi and he is here to help the brothers, that the brothers only have aged fast because the Kaminoans have deliberately caused a genetic defect when creating them. Luke tells them that each clone has a chip implanted in them that is coded to force them to follow certain orders. Luke then explains the orders they know about, how  they can override a clone's free will like a droid and force them to kill. He says that the Jedi Order didn't know about the defect or the chip, but now they do. Luke is here to heal them and free them and that there are safe systems, worlds that are under reconstruction where all of the cadets can go, where the new clones can be born and decide for themselves what life they want.

99 looks around anxiously at his brothers all, who looked shocked and angry and amazed in turns. Then he realizes: they are all looking to him, to him to speak to the Jedi because the Jedi asked for him to be there personally. "W-what about the Kaminoans and the Republic and the war?"

"The Kaminoans have been arrested for breaking Republic law. The war is over and those troopers that want to help with reconstruction, mopping up, and work with Jedi tracking down slavers and criminals as part of the GAR can do so if they choose to. Those that want to do other things, to have other jobs can do so. Cadets and troopers that want to learn different skills will have the opportunities to learn what they want to learn just like any other citizen of the Republic. Those clones that are Force sensitive can choose to learn to use their gifts."

"Force sensitive?!" the shocked exclamation comes from the back, starting a round of noisy chatter from the cadets.

"Will you let me help you?" Luke asks 99, ignoring the rising clamor of voices.

99 rubs his hands against his maintenance uniform and nods. Luke reaches out and places a gentle hand against his chest, the other by his right temple. 99 stiffens. "It doesn't hurt," Echo is quick to tell him. He tries to relax as he feels an unfamiliar tingle go through him. The brothers go quiet around him as Luke uses the Force. When he takes his hands away, 99 looks down at his short legs. He looks the same, he hasn't been magically given a body to match his brothers but inside he feels . . . something. Something that had felt twisted and knotted inside him has been smoothed away. He doesn’t hurt. His body no longer aches. He feels strong.  He presses his hands against his chest and looks up at the Jedi. "What is it?" he asks, tapping his hands against his heart. "It feels  . . . different, warm."

Luke smiles. "It is the Force. You are Force sensitive just like Fives, and Hardcase, Chatterbox, Flare, and Kickback. Just like me and all the other Jedi."

"I told you so," Fives said elbowing Echo in the ribs. “Jesse, pay up!” he yells over his shoulder. Jesse groans in the background.

"You mean, you mean, I can -- like a real Jedi!?" he asks in wonder.

Luke laughs now. "Not like a real Jedi, as a real Jedi. Come," he says, reaching out to take 99's hand. "The chip is deactivated and the medics will remove it soon, but  to help all the clones on the planet and on the ships in orbit we need every Force sensitive we have working to fix the genetic defect. Time to start your training."

-The six youngest brothers who prove to be Force sensitive, 99 gathers to him like chicks under a birds’ wing. The ones mature enough to understand quiver with excitement. Loops pipes up suddenly asking when they can train with lightsabers. Mouse says he wants a cape, a purple one. Rather than calming them down Hardcase pulls out his two sabers and lets them carefully hold them. They eagerly ask where he got them and Hardcase proceeds to act out for them in gory detail the death and dismemberment of General Grievous complete with sound effects. When the little ones start asking Hardcase if they can ignite the lightsabers or if there is time for some practice, Hardcase raises one brow and gestures to 99. “Ask your team leader, not me.” Six pairs of eyes look up at him pleadingly. 99 looks bewildered at Hardcase who just winks back at him.  99 thinks and then leans forward and whispers, “I think the training hall on the 4th level is free.”

-Luke offers to take 99 with the 501st, to continue his training. 99 shakes his head no. His place is with the cadets, helping them like always. They are going to new worlds to be free and someone has to look out for them, make sure that squads stay together, that young cadets and older cadets have support and can find their Names and their Way.  And then there are the clones still growing in their tubes. Their chips have been deactivated, to be removed once they are born, but someone has to fix their genetic defect. Someone who can feel the Force has to be there when they are born to make sure they know who and what they are and all they can be. 99 can do that. 99 can do that better than anyone. Luke clasps his shoulders and calls out to the brothers in earshot.

"What do you think? Someone needs to speak for the clones, the cadets and the troopers young and old, when you settle on your new home worlds. Someone needs to speak for the young cadets and the troopers on the front line and make sure the newly born clones are taken care of and healed. I think 99 is perfect for the job, but the decision is yours."

There is a roar of approval from the brothers, there is clapping and hollering. Luke smiles at him. "The job is going to be tough, but it is yours if you want it, 99."

99 cannot stop the grin stretching across his face. He feels a wild and crazy joy fill him like never before. "I'm a clone solider. We don't run from tough jobs. If-if my brothers want me to fight for them, I am ready."

-Anakin and Obi-Wan along with the 212th arrange to rendezvous with Master Plo and Ahsoka as soon as they can.  They don’t dare communicate about the substance of Ahsoka’s message over any regular channels. The only word from the Council on the matter by way of Master Windu is that the report is top secret until the Council can meet in person. Despite this, Anakin shares the message with Padme and tells her “don’t tell Obi-Wan.” Padme promises. Obi-Wan makes sure to pull Padme aside before she takes her cruiser to Alderaan to meet with Senator Organa regarding how his planet’s humanitarian efforts can work with the GAR’s growing reconstruction force. Obi-Wan lets her read a copy of Ahsoka’s message and tells her “don’t tell anyone I showed you this.” Padme nods seriously, trying not to smile. Obi-Wan must sense something though because he sighs and covers his face with his hands. “Anakin already showed you, didn’t he?” he groans.

-When Anakin meets up with his Padawan, he insists that he speak with her privately first while Obi-Wan is busy. Obi-Want very much looks like he wants to be involved in the conversation, but Plo claims they speak councilor to councilor and Anakin uses the time to pull Ahsoka aside. Ahsoka tries to summarize the last few weeks to her Master and finds that when she says everything aloud it sounds beyond belief. She is almost glad that Obi-Wan and Plo are not there so she can speak freely. Her Master is many thing, but Code bound is not one of them. He may teach her the Code, but she is not so blind that she doesn’t realize that for Anakin it is very much “Do as I say, Not as I do” when it comes to Order doctrine. She has realized after only several months together that it is not because he is hypocritical, but because he is trying to ensure she does not struggle with her place in the Order as Anakin clearly struggles and to avoid Council censure against himself and her. He is trying to protect her like always, she thinks. Instead of feeling frustrated that her Master does not trust her, after her recent time with the new 501st she views the situation in a new light. He protects her not because he thinks she cannot do for herself but because he loves her and is trying to show it as best he can.  

Anakin listens carefully to her story and then asks what are for Anakin the most important questions: Is she all right? Are Rex and the men all right?  Is the war really ending?  Ahsoka’s answer is yes to all three questions and then she asks the question that Rex needed her to ask:

“Will you help them, Master?”

Her heart fills when he responds without hesitation.

“Yes, Padawan. You just need to show me how.”

-Ahsoka takes Anakin’s hands in hers and leads him to place them over Commander Cody’s heart and to his right temple. She reaches out through the Force and twines her Force sense first with her Master and the guides him to the snarl, the tangled knot of Cody’s genetics and the connections between the implanted chip and the organic tissue. She shows Anakin how to ever so gently tug at the tangle and smooth it down with careful strokes. The mechanic in Anakin quickly grasps how to gently disconnect the chip from the surrounding tissue. Anakin opens his eyes and inhales sharply. “See?” Ahsoka asks. Anakin nods. Obi-Wan watches intently, had coming up to stroke his beard.  

Anakin looks to Cody. “How does it feel, Commander? Any pain?”

Cody shakes his head. “No sir. All good.”  

“Want to try again?” she asks Anakin. “It takes a few times to get a feel for it.” Plo agrees they should try it again. Ahsoka had worked through nearly a quarter of the 104th before Plo had grasped the technique. She helps Anakin through the process again with Boil, Wooley and then with Waxer, (he is finally recovered from his injuries sustained on Umbara). Anakin stops after healing Waxer. That had felt different.

“You feel it, huh?” Ahsoka is grinning. “He’s Force sensitive.”

“What?!” Anakin, Waxer, Boil and Obi-Wan and the a good section of the rest of the 212th present and listening in all exclaim at the same time.

“You’re Force sensitive. If you want, we can start training you to use the Force just like Boost and Vir of the 104th,” Ahsoka says carelessly, like she is not just suggesting a total departure from Order doctrine. “The more Jedi we have trained the faster we can help heal and free the troopers.”

Anakin starts to grin as his mind filled with the possibilities.

“Now wait just a minute!” Obi-Wan says, looking a bit panicky between her and Plo. “They are too old. We don’t have the authority to make such a decision.”

“Too old?” Anakin scoffs. “Waxer, how old are you?”

Waxer blinks and manages “Almost four years, sir.”

“That’s the perfect age to start training. I started when I was much older,” Anakin confides to Waxer, “And I turned out just fine.”

“Anakin!” Obi-Wan scolds. “You–“

“I did! I did turn out just fine,” Anakin shoots back.

“I would say better than fine, Skyguy,” Ahsoka chimes in.

Anakin points to Ahsoka “There! See? Better than fine. More like awesome. Waxer will be too.”

“Anakin, enough! Master Plo,” Obi-Wan turns to his fellow councilor. “We cannot simply make this decision on our own.”

“We cannot risk discussing this over normal channels with the Council,” Plo counters. “Besides, Anakin has a point. They are the perfect age to begin training and the more trained clones we have the faster we can heal the troopers and save their lives and prevent them from being used for evil. I am not gifted in foresight as some Jedi Masters are but I believe that this is the right path.”

“General Kenobi?” Waxer interrupts carefully. “I would like the chance. I won’t let you down, sir.”

“Waxer, that is not the point . . .” Obi-Wan begins, but trails off when he sees the look of profound disappointment and hurt on Waxer’s face and the anger growing in Boil’s eyes.

“A Jedi must have the deepest commitment,” Anakin says quietly, no longer teasing. “It is a hard life. I think . . . I think out of all the beings in the galaxy, no one is more prepared to make that commitment and serve with honor than a clone trooper of the GAR. Do you doubt Waxer? Do you doubt any of our men?”

“No!” Obi-Wan says quickly and Waxer and the other troopers listening in brighten visibly. He sighs. “I see I am out numbered and out argued,” he finished ruefully. “Commander Cody?”

“Yes, sir?”

“Make arrangements to the training schedule so that all Force sensitive members of the 212th and the 104th  have sufficient time to train with one of us.”

“Yes sir!”

-When Vader and Luke spend some time stargazing late into the night, they don’t talk about their former present (now lost future). But on one night when the sky was particularly clear, Luke could make out Tatoo I and II in the sky and felt a twinge of depression and disgust. Vader, his Force sense wrapped tightly around his son more often than not, felt the change in Luke feelings and asked what was the matter. Luke sighed and flopped back onto the grass.

“I was thinking about how before we came back to this time, we had just rescued Han from Jabba and how in this time he is still alive!” Luke complained.

“Jabba is dead?”

“We blew up his sail barge with him and his cronies onboard and fed the rest of his men to the Sarlacc. I made sure that the slaves left back at his palace were in touch with the underground, rebelled and got free just as it was happening.  But I realized that I am going to have to do it all over again.”

Vader’s vocorder didn’t translate laughter very well but Luke got the idea. “What’s so funny?” he asked his father.

“I don’t see any problem with having a chance to kill Jabba twice. We should make plans to do it soon. I am sure some of the troopers would be happy to help us.”

“I didn’t think of that,” Luke said propping himself up on his elbows. “Leia strangled him to death last time with a chain. I didn’t get to see it though.”

Vader found himself in the strange position of envying the Princess from Alderran. He almost wished she was here so he could congratulate her personally even if she tried to kill him. “A fitting end, but I am sure we can plan something just as fitting for the Hutt. How did you manage it last time?”

Luke told the tale of  how his rebel friends and his droids snuck in as best they could. “Then I showed up, forced Jabba to grant me an audience by choking his guards with the Force and mind tricking his major domo. I demanded he free my friends. When that didn’t work, I used the Force to pull a blasted from a nearby holster to shoot him.”

“Why not use your lightsaber?” Vader asked, thoroughly engrossed in the story.

“I didn’t have it with me.”

“You entered his palace unarmed?!” Vader yelled, standing up suddenly.

“The place was full of weapons. I had the Force,” Luke argued.

“That was insanely risky, son! We are not doing that again when we go to Tatooine. What happened next? You obviously did not manage to shoot him.”

“No, he dropped me into his death pit and tried to feed me to his pet rancor and when that didn’t work he threw me into the Sarlacc pit.”

If it wasn’t for his respiration being managed by cybernetics, Vader was certain that his heart and lungs would have seized. As it was, he wheezed and coughed. “You– He–“ Luke sat up and reached out a hand to Vader, worried. “Father, we won,” he reminded him quickly. “He’s dead.” Luke scowled. “He was dead. He’s alive now but he will be dead very soon. Let’s go back and we can work on a plan.”

“I will work on a plan, young one!” Vader managed at last. “You are not allowed to plan anything.”

“It worked though,” Luke muttered getting to his feet and following after his father. “The six of us managed just fine to rescue Han and take him down. I don’t see why I can’t help plan.”

“No son. Just . . . no.”

[silkhuikj]

silk

Silk

by Hui Kj 

****************************

Bailey, 

Not the twins or fish rot find faces, and I did not know exactly until after your submarine redirected their mirror lipstick, which is hardly possible to get the subjects more gleeful until your Atlantis: where identity is scanned by [redacted] and your group will be occupying in the sea training, all your ladies from your power shedding but please, for not much longer for such a way is different here now; you can come back to our home planet and your ladies will remember you as I have over such awhile.

For me, motel to motel: lights and backflip, scanning stress, heart rate normal but tried - and what I fear now is your capture and to see locked portals when you teleport into some planet’s virus that shows how you just refuse to be predictable and become hologram trickery, and friendly your way thru in disguise and that is my meaning to advise against your risk taking, besides the mere admiration I have: to avoid but of course promptly applaud on how you adapt across intimidating lines, and what I fear is that you have been brought here and there in your own way of time, yet by my traces shaping, and /Silk/’s gambling habits and you remain invisible one day at a time. Forget old-key monuments; not in this phase of life. 

/Silk/ with their gene, file pile separation operation for animal evolution, brain swapping and to sense-evolve: being able to see the scent in the lab: see thru fog - or hear their sigh as crickets choir to a song of freedom outside the bases on acre-vastness maybe noticed. See undo modern garden and me as fuck up then with the modern tree with extraction for our potions that remain classified, and I fuck up edit-copy-send and refuse to supply 100% of my own intel piles - there is a kingdom getting more difficult to fight for. 

Sometimes there are branches French kissing or cloud faces turning to see: all too addicting but they remain when I break eye contact and that is why we seek out identity because identity is everywhere if you hunt metaphysics or any bloom or trail. My curtains are closed now - and the powers are wearing off since I removed myself out of fear. 

A joke would be fireworks if we do not see each other but the cosmos specks are stories: the static riot and all the Rains, and all the Noahs, and all the Summers; shame for the tongue at the edge of worlds to wait on but deniable recruitment statuses, or a wise one does not have the knack or interest for our history and maybe even any history neither. You bite your tongue. If subject is at truth then it is ice cold when they are older yet you help them from the sea. Game but will title. So, when crazy B? 

/Silk/ is very serious about when green is black there is orange. If God knew of what you said that day then…..this is why I am alone and gave my office to our good pal Garcia who you teamed then but you were sent elsewhere because of the so many blueprints. He might of stole information like I did so, but he is an artist - I have not been back for almost a year, and I will not get current-tied; not again because you are already there and anywhere often but away. They remain a vision tilt opus all in all frequently, and that is /Silk/ while we can write these letters but somehow are separated by design tally planets away, mild difference with submarines, airplanes, or again classified means…(teleport), but you do not think that is true and your letters tell me that each person planted should envy each other and collectively better the world - /Silk/ is good but it all separates us. Jolie amour, I need to see you. /Silk/ is sending me someone - Godspeed. . .

- K.Well

***********************************

Bailey, 

Did /Silk/ call for a virtual huddle when the scan came thru? I do not know if heaven cheers or if the sky is the first to go dark - I am not in the system anymore. My den is poison-lights straining me with puzzle strings if void is nothing or everything lately. I meant something else about teacher-twins. [Filter]: sonder not bombers; they are not reporting on recruits from planet: Sneurnka: make sure /Silk/ knows different hums are different revivers and then learn it.. all subjects will be tested about planet flexibility and I will send spies on my own if I must. 

I love you Bailey. When you turn on Church Street out-under, do you crack from the suicide I have caused? The admirers… I am trying to preserve this for you from me, or just my depictions made some crazy when they were fine and it was misguided when the risk was absolute zero but was taken as contradiction. Garcia told you; so you can know my pain: weary agent uncurling. Me for earth - you at Atlantis - /Silk/ unknown: we want to save Sneurnka. Although, there is a raptured fever held and kept to a butterfly and your data fraction was saved and I have it here with me. (Reference: Garcia: code: Wolfman.) He sent me a letter about green suicide: not too far away from me now. It is someone - possibly an old subject, and I found him and invited him to coffee…. Ah, we need a double against old friends, find my chip; last buffered 492582 and even what did I Mrs. then? - in hiding for this. The subject will collapse in will offer up himself for the Sneurnka attack; the issue is all he knows is snow just pressed diction and fear for coming back - he is 30 minutes away. 

I will try spelling it out for him ad submerge lightning in honor of your sector with options for placement. My cup of tea is psychosis even though I remember how brave you were in training, even outlining the teacher’s alien drawings and it was impossible for you to not get promoted and promoted on. You helped me, and /Silk/ gave you that noble internship and when God showed your eyes were shut because one of the Noah’s turtles went blue; /Silk/ was zapped by God, and extraction is what I am trying to get to you but it is tangible unlike our computer army that I refuse to reopen those blueprints and be discovered  )))))))))))))))

((((((((((((((( Subject 1 brought his cousin to the cafe. She (2) told me to be sick six times. It made it seem that things were reserved for the last: they had cuts on their arms and around their body and even mentioned they would sometimes slice each other to feel - /Silk/ is interested because of their undeniably unique aesthetic with the moodiness, enigma spy, and they told me the uncommon fight is how glow is glow and I am guessing /Silk/ will offer these two help and if it is incest then many things could be of disturbance to the code and DNA of any of our bases. They just do many drugs; mostly meth for telepathy access. Denial they would throw pennies at me but you would be the cousin’s Queen. It is just their mayday. ))

— 

The subjects told me how their vibration is grey but remain investigating. My jaw dropped when they spoke of death wishes, and without hesitation I offered up a planet Sneurnka visitation. Their grey rain in a season and meeting destiny accidentally: subject 2 spoke up, I need /Silk/ to stay away from this kind of plotting: her filter exposes and forfeits progression 00000 doom but they will be away at Sneurnka to learn about spite, and you are the one I trust B - if you go there you could have your position changed: I know asking for more of your help is painful both ways, but new subjects contact me swiftly but urgently throughout my months data scanning. You could help these subjects, and you have dearly planted productivity at Atlantis. Your tracking will be up again once you arise. Thanks for all you do.  

K.Well

*******************************

Bailey,

Wolfman dimension Q swayed your findings and concerns for you to report to Sneurnka, even though your 7th sent me a direct postcard from London - thank you for writing my dear: I am jazzed even if everyone else just knows your badge. In your letter, I must say, you misplaced something: ‘cat9’ which the code has changed and now only means, ‘Virginia, Vegas fathers’ - which Wolfman has drafted your report so all in all to /Silk/; you have your clones pretty and handsome: bravery; as you are always and everyone fears you for ethics. 

Your dyed your hair black and your profile ‘Xxxx-00000’ is equivalent to the April trinity: tho all scanning winter, summer, spring, and still in progress. You always told me you just wanted to be normal, and I do not know if I can fix that: you bring peace and if you are tired of retire daydream then I will contact /Silk/ and see if they can give you a vacation in Z and electrify a twin to achieve points Sneurnka or not, and if you never see me again: it is because Wolfman said I was crazy and rebellious and evil for deactivating my will to get out - this matrix is a doorbell: but I am afraid the only nerves is that nobody will show. I have merged my clones for a greater cause  and /Silk/ is not only guarding you but slowly casting virus walls in my chips thru our line. Yet, you are the invisible one, and maybe you will frenzy to freedom without my help. 

Wolfman is dialing…)))))))))))))))))) 

((((((((((((((((((((( So,…. /Silk/ has found a C in America, Earth. so your 9 was correct: well done! Wolfman wanted me to tell you about this important art: XXXXXXX by XXXXXXX, and that was all. B, my eyes on you will stay to protect but I am no host. Turn around if you feel anxious, but I know that is wave oriented and you are so bold and infinitely inspiring. You said in your letter that Atlantis is in order. I will be scanning in Sneurnka for awhile while you train C - remember, Earth’s eye is violent but Sneurnka is worse - Wolfman will assist with……))))))))))))))))

(((((((((((((((( 

(

I cannot scan any finds; undetectable information walls - your parents are dialing my phone but my phone is under. Reading about the suicides - oh no B. I can not send anymore blueprints and there is no clearance for you to know about the Wvm-virus that slipped out from my lab…. - unplugging, updates thru my brother only, he is on Mars. 

Bailey, if we had matching shoes…. You will be hearing from /Silk/ soon I predict. I am weak and they know about me but not you. I am sorry. I love you. Goodbye for now! ~~~~~~~~~~ <3

- A.Well

*************************************

1 year later —————

It was to attempt to think in front of me and it was awkward now without subjects coming to see me - I never left the motel room and have not seen daylight. There are dreams of crows and the roar of trees of winds that I called peace but the crows from my bad dreams. I kept busy sifting thru war crime data and I have not heard from /Silk/ - would refuse jobs anyway. The thought of getting a bicycle was like heroin, and nobody could make out my face - even tho Sneurnka acutely invaded parts of here maybe two hours out.

My doppelgängers expired - Wolfman in the news but Bailey hail for peace never seen but remarkable invisibility. It is difficult to see forward; never had a track on her, my brother on Mars never alerts me, /Silk/ sends shocks to my chip twice a day but everyone uninvolved from past status and now I am an utter waste…. 

C might rival with Bailey, and Wolfman may end up like me: depressed and heartbroken without a seeming purpose but to tune into war and unable. He never made a death wish, and neither did I, but my eyes were red then. There is always the surrendering of brain in a /Silk/ lab, but seclusion has made me mad and any action at all seems like suicide - ah, trapped but was a villain. Earth has spun, and Sneurnka the action needed - /Silk/ will conquer the galaxy and imprison me as something official, differing from now in motels. 

***************** (mental hospital)

Daniel! I know you! I know you Daniel! Hey! I know you!

**************************

Doctor Frances floated him to sleep thru his veins……

[nedsvallesny]

T-Mobile Employee Made Unauthorized ‘SIM Swap’ to Steal Instagram Account

T-Mobile is investigating a retail store employee who allegedly made unauthorized changes to a subscriber’s account in an elaborate scheme to steal the customer’s three-letter Instagram username. The modifications, which could have let the rogue employee empty bank accounts associated with the targeted T-Mobile subscriber, were made even though the victim customer already had taken steps recommended by the mobile carrier to help minimize the risks of account takeover. Here’s what happened, and some tips on how you can protect yourself from a similar fate.

Earlier this month, KrebsOnSecurity heard from Paul Rosenzweig, a 27-year-old T-Mobile customer from Boston who had his wireless account briefly hijacked. Rosenzweig had previously adopted T-Mobile’s advice to customers about blocking mobile number port-out scams, an increasingly common scheme in which identity thieves armed with a fake ID in the name of a targeted customer show up at a retail store run by a different wireless provider and ask that the number to be transferred to the competing mobile company’s network.

So-called “port out” scams allow crooks to intercept your calls and messages while your phone goes dark. Porting a number to a new provider shuts off the phone of the original user, and forwards all calls to the new device. Once in control of the mobile number, thieves who have already stolen a target’s password(s) can request any second factor that is sent to the newly activated device, such as a one-time code sent via text message or or an automated call that reads the one-time code aloud.

In this case, however, the perpetrator didn’t try to port Rosenzweig’s phone number: Instead, the attacker called multiple T-Mobile retail stores within an hour’s drive of Rosenzweig’s home address until he succeeded in convincing a store employee to conduct what’s known as a “SIM swap.”

A SIM swap is a legitimate process by which a customer can request that a new SIM card (the tiny, removable chip in a mobile device that allows it to connect to the provider’s network) be added to the account. Customers can request a SIM swap when their existing SIM card has been damaged, or when they are switching to a different phone that requires a SIM card of another size.

However, thieves and other ne’er-do-wells can abuse this process by posing as a targeted mobile customer or technician and tricking employees at the mobile provider into swapping in a new SIM card for that customer on a device that they control. If successful, the SIM swap accomplishes more or less the same result as a number port out (at least in the short term) — effectively giving the attackers access to any text messages or phone calls that are sent to the target’s mobile account.

Rosenzweig said the first inkling he had that something wasn’t right with his phone was on the evening of May 2, 2018, when he spotted an automated email from Instagram. The message said the email address tied to the three-letter account he’d had on the social media platform for seven years — instagram.com/par — had been changed. He quickly logged in to his Instagram account, changed his password and then reverted the email on the account back to his original address.

By this time, the SIM swap conducted by the attacker had already been carried out, although Rosenzweig said he didn’t notice his phone displaying zero bars and no connection to T-Mobile at the time because he was at home and happily surfing the Web on his device using his own wireless network.

The following morning, Rosenzweig received another notice — this one from Snapchat — stating that the password for his account there (“p9r”) had been changed. He subsequently reset the Instagram password and then enabled two factor authentication on his Snapchat account.

“That was when I realized my phone had no bars,” he recalled. “My phone was dead. I couldn’t even call 611,” [the mobile short number that all major wireless providers make available to reach their customer service departments].”

It appears that the perpetrator of the SIM swap abused not only internal knowledge of T-Mobile’s systems, but also a lax password reset process at Instagram. The social network allows users to enable notifications on their mobile phone when password resets or other changes are requested on the account.

But this isn’t exactly two-factor authentication because it also lets users reset their passwords via their mobile account by requesting a password reset link to be sent to their mobile device. Thus, if someone is in control of your mobile phone account, they can reset your Instagram password (and probably a bunch of other types of accounts).

Rosenzweig said even though he was able to reset his Instagram password and restore his old email address tied to the account, the damage was already done: All of his images and other content he’d shared on Instagram over the years was still tied to his account, but the attacker had succeeded in stealing his “par” username, leaving him with a slightly less sexy “par54384321,” (apparently chosen for him at random by either Instagram or the attacker).

As I wrote in November 2015, short usernames are something of a prestige or status symbol for many youngsters, and some are willing to pay surprising sums of money for them. Known as “OG” (short for “original” and also “original gangster”) in certain circles online, these can be usernames for virtually any service, from email accounts at Webmail providers to social media services like Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and Youtube.

People who traffic in OG accounts prize them because they can make the account holder appear to have been a savvy, early adopter of the service before it became popular and before all of the short usernames were taken.

Rosenzweig said a friend helped him work with T-Mobile to regain control over his account and deactivate the rogue SIM card. He said he’s grateful the attackers who hijacked his phone for a few hours didn’t try to drain bank accounts that also rely on his mobile device for authentication.

“It definitely could have been a lot worse given the access they had,” he said.

But throughout all of this ordeal, it struck Rosenzweig as odd that he never once received an email from T-Mobile stating that his SIM card had been swapped.

“I’m a software engineer and I thought I had pretty good security habits to begin with,” he said. “I never re-use passwords, and it’s hard to see what I could have done differently here. The flaw here was with T-Mobile mostly, but also with Instagram. It seems like by having the ability to change one’s [Instagram] password by email or by mobile alone negates the second factor and it becomes either/or from the attackers point of view.”

Sources close to the investigation say T-Mobile is investigating a current or former employee as the likely culprit. The mobile company also acknowledged that it does not currently send customers an email to the email address on file when SIM swaps take place. A T-Mobile spokesperson said the company was considering changing the current policy, which sends the customer a text message to alert them about the SIM swap.

“We take our customers privacy and security very seriously and we regret that this happened,” the company said in a written statement. “We notify our customers immediately when SIM changes occur, but currently we do not send those notifications via email. We are actively looking at ways to improve our processes in this area.”

In summary, when a SIM swap happens on a T-Mobile account, T-Mobile will send a text message to the phone equipped with the new SIM card. But obviously that does not help someone who is the target of a SIM swap scam.

As we can see, just taking T-Mobile’s advice to place a personal identification number (PIN) on your account to block number port out scams does nothing to flag one’s account to make it harder to conduct SIM swap scams.

Rather, T-Mobile says customers need to call in to the company’s customer support line and place a separate “SIM lock” on their account, which can only be removed if the customer shows up at a retail store with ID (or, presumably, anyone with a fake ID who also knows the target’s Social Security Number and date of birth).

I checked with the other carriers to see if they support locking the customer’s current SIM to the account on file. I suspect they do, and will update this piece when/if I hear back from them. In the meantime, it might be best just to phone up your carrier and ask.

Please note that a SIM lock on your mobile account is separate from a SIM PIN that you can set via your mobile phone’s operating system. A SIM PIN is essentially an additional layer of physical security that locks the current SIM to your device, requiring you to input a special PIN when the device is powered on in order to call, text or access your data plan on your phone. This feature can help block thieves from using your phone or accessing your data if you lose your phone, but it won’t stop thieves from physically swapping in their own SIM card.

iPhone users can follow these instructions to set or change a device’s SIM PIN. Android users can see this page. You may need to enter a carrier-specific default PIN before being able to change it. By default, the SIM PIN for all Verizon and AT&T phones is “1111;” for T-Mobile and Sprint it should default to “1234.”

Be advised, however, that if you forget your SIM PIN and enter the wrong PIN too many times, you may end up having to contact your wireless carrier to obtain a special “personal unlocking key” (PUK).

At the very least, if you haven’t already done so please take a moment to place a port block PIN on your account. This story explains exactly how to do that.

Also, consider reviewing twofactorauth.org to see whether you are taking full advantage of any multi-factor authentication offerings so that your various accounts can’t be trivially hijacked if an attacker happens to guess, steal, phish or otherwise know your password.

One-time login codes produced by mobile apps such as Authy, Duo or Google Authenticator are more secure than one-time codes sent via automated phone call or text — mainly because crooks can’t steal these codes if they succeed in porting your mobile number to another service or by executing a SIM swap on your mobile account [full disclosure: Duo is an advertiser on this blog].

from Technology News https://krebsonsecurity.com/2018/05/t-mobile-employee-made-unauthorized-sim-swap-to-steal-instagram-account/

[arielsojourner]

Part 6 of Luke and Vader save the Galaxy by going back in time to the Clone Wars. 

-Luke has made sure that their cruiser has more than just an “egg” for Vader to sit in without his mask. He retrofits an entire suite for his father and makes sure his adjoining rooms are safe too. Luke wants to have meals with his father but Vader hasn’t had solid food in decades, nutrients are pumped directly into his stomach. Luke knows that medical tech is 20 years behind the timeline they just came from but Luke has his right hand and he can clearly see his father’s prosthetics are torturous. Luke knows that if they work together they can do better.

-Ahsoka suggests that they split up. They can cover so much more ground that way. Vader can go infiltrate Separatist planets. Luke can lead the clones in battle. She can take a squad and do some recon. Chatterbox, Hardcase and Fives can go lead their own squads. When Ventress comes back she can work with Master Aayala or Master Fisto to undermine the Separatist. They can divide and conquer. Vader points out that that is the Sith strategy at its heart. Divide them up so they are easier to conquer. Luke also refuses to just let his students go off and fight in a war without support and Ventress is highly unlikely to work with just any Jedi. Then there is Vader. It will be a cold day on Mustafar before Vader campaigns across the galaxy far from his son. Vader makes this terrifyingly clear. Ahsoka does not suggest it again.

-They stop by two medical stations on their way to Kamino. In both cases they find the Kaminoans unwilling to let them treat the clones and fix their genetic defect or remove the chips. Rex and his squad are hesitant to just attack the Kaminoan doctors, their training to follow orders is strong but Fives has no such qualms. He pulls a lightsaber on one of them and Hardcase is right beside him. Luke, having given this some thought and having broached the subject as a hypothetical when he met with his mother some weeks ago, just arrests the Kaminoans on charges of slavery, kidnapping, murder for “deactivating” non conforming clones,  violation of sentient rights and battery, all crimes in the Republic. The Kaminoans say that no court will convict them, they are too important to the war. Luke replies “What war? We have peace now, haven’t you heard?”

Captain Rex whispers that “He may have a point, sir.”

“There is always the court of public opinion,” Luke reminds him.

“Because of intergalactic security a trial should be delayed at least until all normal galactic relations resume which will be at least two years,” Vader suggests. “Until then, I know of several places where such prisoners can be kept . . . undisturbed.”

“Problem solved!” Luke says with a smile as he slaps binders on the Kaminoans.

-The clone medics are stunned by what news the 501st brings with them but they are quick to adapt. Kix takes over the entire operation, processing brothers as fast as he can. When Luke presents freedom and choices to the injured but recovering troopers, he is met with stunned silence. They don’t believe him. Rex and all the brothers of the 501st go and talk one on one with them and try and convince them this is real. It takes Hardcase drawing his lightsabers for an impromptu demonstration against Chatterbox and Fives levitating a med droid for the truth to sink in.

-A shiny named Flare and a blue squadron pilot named Kickback both prove to be Force sensitive once their genetics have been repaired. Since they are not headed for open combat and they are both on the mend, Luke invites them both to go with them and learn more about the Force. It isn’t an order, Luke is very clear on that. He is not ordering them. They get to choose and they can change their minds. Flare is overwhelmed. He isn’t sure what to do or say. He has only been in one fire fight and nearly died. But he looks at the Jedi dressed all in black with the kindest eyes he has ever seen and over the Jedi’s shoulder, he sees three brothers wearing lightsabers, armor, and cloaks. One is nodding and gesturing silently that he has to come with them. Flare takes a deep breath and agrees. Kickback has flown with Jedi before. If training with the Force gives him the ability to fly like that, he is ready to start training yesterday. He jumps out of bed, ready to go.

-When they reach Kamino, Shaak Ti initially greets them in a welcoming manner until she senses the Force presence of Vader. She draws her lightsaber but Luke steps between them both, urging calm. It is Ahsoka’s presence that causes her to initially lower her weapon and it is Luke’s explanation of why they were there and the danger the clones and everyone was in that convinces her to put away her saber and listen. Shaak Ti wants to take the matter immediately to the Council and Coruscant. Vader flatly refuses to let her. Things nearly dissolve into violence again until Luke implores her to acknowledge what he senses within her, the conflict between her obedience to the Order and the Republic and her feelings and attachment to the clones she trains.

“There is no conflict,” Shaak Ti says firmly. “Whatever claims you may have, they must wait or be brought before the Council to be resolved.”

“There is nothing to resolve. Sentient rights are guaranteed by Republic law. If you refuse to honor the law you have violated every oath your Order claims to abide by and are in violation of the law.”

“Your attachment to the clones is clouding your judgment and we take our direction from the Senate and the Council and that mission involves leading the clones into battle. It is wartime and the for the greater good--”  

And Vader uses the Force to pull her lightsaber into his hands and Luke slaps binders around her wrists.

Shaak Ti is shocked. She turns to Ahsoka. “They cannot do this!” But it is a moot point. They can and they do. They proceed to arrest their way through the rest of the clone facility. No new clones will be created and the ones that are there, their chips are removed. With so many clones to treat, anyone with Force sensitive training not in binders is pressed into service to free the clones. Luke shepherds the others through the delicate technique. It is Flare and Kickback’s first use of the Force. Chatterbox grasps the technique first. Even Vader who’s Force touch feels like a desert storm helps.

-They find 14 Force sensitive clones. Six of them are children or infants. “Are we going to take them to the temple?” Ahsoka asks. “Why?” Luke queries. “They have family and should stay with them. We are going to let them grow up and age normally and their own brothers can train them and with them if they want.” Hardcase is thrilled. “I can have apprentices! I am going to teach them everything!” Fives suggests they need to finish their own training first. Hardcase knows that it may be a few years but that doesn’t mean they can’t start early!

-Captain Rex isn’t quite sure what do with all the half trained troopers and teenagers and children and toddlers and babies. There are babies! Baby brothers! With another 1,000 or so still ready to be decanted over the next several months. He knows nothing about taking care of babies. What are they going to do with all of them if they are going to grow up slow? Who will teach them? What will they teach them? They can’t stay here, can they? Where will they go? Who will take care of them? What about the Kaminoans? What if they invade the facility? They need to get off planet! They need to secure the base and–

“Captain Rex,” Vader says stopping him in the midst of pacing he didn’t realize he had started.

“Yes sir?”

“We will find a way to protect your brothers. You will have help. They will be kept safe,” he assures him. Vader places a careful hand on his shoulder. “We have the time and the means to see this through.”

Vader is not what Rex would naturally call comforting but he speaks with such certainty, Rex believes him. Rex nods, fear calming. “Yes sir, thank you sir.”

-And they do have the means. Between Luke, Vader, Ventress and Slice and his squad they have amassed a fortune of resources from the Seperatists as well as over 2,000 star systems working towards their peace. Resettlement and security for the clones with free lives will be challenging but they can make it reality. If worlds want “reconstruction funds” the only thing Luke requests in return  is peace and freedom, specifically freedom for the clones.  Vader takes command of every Republic ship present at Kamino and they double up on the cruisers and ships they have, and they being their exodus, destroying all records that would allow the Kaminoans they have not arrested to begin again.

-When Plo Koon arrives on Kamino, having traced the 501st and Ahsoka there, the first ships are pulling away. His signals to Shaak Ti have gone unanswered and then the comm line opens and Ahsoka is there to greet him. While attachment is forbidden by the Code, Plo cannot deny a feeling of relief to see her well but there are other, more important things. It is true? he asks. The chips, the deliberate genetic tampering? And if it is, can it be fixed? Ahsoka insists that it is and then turns to address someone outside of the holocam’s view. She tells him that she will join him on his ship and come back with him to the 104th Battalion. She has mastered the technique of genetic Force manipulation for this one tiny fix and has the medical protocols for the most efficient and least damaging way to go about chip removal. She will show him how to do it.

“I would be most pleased to learn, little Soka, but what about the Jedi Luke and the Sith, Vader? And Ventress? Are they there? And what are you doing on Kamino? Where are all the ships going?”

And Ahsoka smiles at him. “The ships are taking the clones to their new homes, Master Plo. They are free. The war is over.”

-When the time comes to face Palpatine, Fives, Hardcase and Chatterbox insist they wanted to come (Well Chatterbox isn’t really insisting, he just packs his gear and gets on board with them). Flare and Kickback and even the little ones like Loops and Mouse want to come but Vader refuses. Only the three of them are the most trained and when they demand that they be there in the name of all their brothers, Luke agrees. Palpatine doesn’t realizes the clones are there as Force sensitives. His overconfidence is his weakness. He screams at them to execute Order 66 and kill and it fills Fives with fierce joy to say “no” and punch him in the face. His fist hits Palpatine’s jaw with a satisfying crack. The fight is long from over and there will be blood shed before the end but when Fives is old and what is left of his hair is white, it will still be the story that all of the children want him to tell over and over again, he tells the story of the time he punched Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, Grand Sith Master Sidious in the face.

-Luke feels it in the Force. Something is wrong with Master Yoda. The clones are on their way to new homes and they have access to Republic intelligence to know where Master Yoda is on the Outer Rim. Luke plans to take a shuttle and go to him. Vader does not want to go see the green troll nor does he want Luke anywhere near him. He doesn’t even know how Luke knows Yoda unless . . . he’s alive? He’s alive in the future and taught Luke? Luke trained under that goblin and his fatalistic anti-attachment drivel? Vader boils with rage. Obviously Yoda had perpetuated Obi-Wan’s lies about Vader murdering Anakin Skywalker. Thank the Force Luke left his training early before he could be turned into an unfeeling weapon for the Jedi Order’s revenge.  Luke does not appreciate his father thinking it was a good thing that he tortured his friends until Luke came to Bespin. 

“Son, if you go to him, he will only berate you for feeling attached and sentimental towards him. He will not return your feelings, he is not capable of doing so.”

“I don’t limit who I care about based on whether they return my feelings, Father. I am going. You do not have to see him.” There was no question in Luke’s mind that his father was coming with him but he didn’t have to meet with Yoda as well. It would probably be safer if Vader stayed on the ship nearby.

“I am not letting you meet with him without me,” Vader says waving his finger at Luke, reading his son’s intent loud and clear.

“He won’t hurt me.”

“He will,” Vader insists. “He will consider you a heretic, a child born of a Jedi that should never exist. A student trained too old, a danger to him and his precious Code. He may even realize who you are and prevent you from existing, from being born. He will look at you and see nothing good at all in you or about you and I won’t have it. I won’t! He has no right, no right to judge you!”

The Force hints there may be some truth to what his father says, but for Luke there is still no choice. “He is my teacher,” Luke says sadly. “I must go to him. I promised to return and finish my training.”

“Not to him!”

Luke shrugs. “There is no other. You said it yourself, I am not a Jedi yet.”

Vader shook his head. “Son, you are more of a Jedi than any other being I have ever met. And if he does not see it when you meet with him, I will make him see it. ”