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When Sith Beat Jedi To The Prize (Of The Chosen One)

Garth'zel had intended never to go to Tatooine again. The entire experience the first time he was there was hot and miserable. The only good point, so far as he was concerned, was meeting Andronikos. But as luck would have it, his ship ended up deciding to need minor repairs. Nothing too bad, but it did require him to land somewhere to get the parts he needed, because of course, the bit that went was something he didn't have spare parts for. The only planet within reasonable range? Tatooine.

It didn't take long for a Force-sensitive boy to catch his attention. One strong enough that he was surprised the Jedi didn't already find him. Well, their loss was his gain. ...Once he pried him loose from Watto, anyway. He suspects he actually had an easier time of it than a Jedi would, although he's not going to hang around and give one the chance to give it a shot. At least, unlike them, he's willing to come to Tatooine from time to time so Anakin could see his mother. Probably not more than a couple times a year or so, due to it being best to go there when they're at least vaguely in that part of the galaxy anyway, but it's far better than 'sorry kid, we're never bringing you back'.

Of course, there is one tiny problem with this whole thing. He's never had to raise children before and doesn't know what he's doing. With the ship safely in hyperspace and not due to come out of it for a good long while, enabling him to do things that didn't involve sitting in the pilot's seat of the ship, he's in the lounge area. Time to figure out what he's doing. "Have you managed to get any kind of schooling? Like from someone you know, sitting down with you for an hour here and there as time permitted to teach you things like how to write?"

May as well figure out what he needs to teach besides how to use the Force consciously instead of unconsciously drawing on it.

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Defiance and stubbornness aside, Anakin is a little boy who is far from home, inside a ship he doesn't know how to pilot with a man who is a lot older, stronger, and much more dangerous. He's aware of this, and there's no small amount of fear thrumming through his body. But he's felt fear before, every time Watto smelled of drink, every time he heard the word 'Wermo' hollered through the junk shop or yard, every time Watto raised a hand in a mood or when money became tight due to Watto's actions. He knew how to swallow it down into a tight little ball in the pit of his stomach, still his hands from shaking, not allow his eyes to water or lip to tremble. He didn't look afraid.

So he waits. Point him at something.

He may not be showing his fear, but that doesn't mean Garth'zel can't sense it.

"Child, I'm not him. I'm not going to hit you," Garth'zel says gently. "Yell at you sometimes, yes. Punish you by sending you to your room and things of that nature, yes. But not physically hurt you."

Something it'll take Anakin time to be able to believe, he knows.

He shakes his head slightly. "Aside from a couple of things I'll want to check before I go to bed, that sort of thing is done for today. I can point you at things tomorrow when they need doing. Some of it won't need anything more than just making sure the indicator lights and so on are where they should be, others will actually need some work done, even if usually no more than about five minutes' worth."

Garth'zel has said earlier he could sense Anakin's feelings. He really wasn't sure how he felt about that - his feelings were a large part of the very few things he actually owned that people couldn't take from him. But it was just too large a topic for him to really understand how he felt about it.

And Garth'zel has been fairly open about how he'd grown up and how similar they were in those respects. It doesn't surprise him that he can figure out a good part of where Anakin's fear comes from. Anakin at least can feel that tight little ball in his stomach start to loosen, just a little, so it's not so sour and hard.

But that doesn't mean completely trusts what he's being told to be truth. Part is just experience - his mother's kind, gentle, firm steadiness was different, but no one he's ever been otherwise bound to has had it. And the fast switch from firm to gentle is jarring, and doesn't lend 'trust' to the equation.

"Ok." He's still tense, still watching, wary and stubborn, not sure what to do from here, but not willing to just fold back into himself and back away.

Oh, child. Garth'zel going from perfectly calm to enraged in about five seconds flat is far more jarring. Or rather, terrifying.

Meanwhile, Garth'zel's willing enough to drop the current topic. "How about we get back to you learning to play the game, hmm?" Keep the kid busy with something fun and let him chew things over later.

The day that happens is the day Garth'zel gets to find out several important things. Like how much Anakin can pull on the Force to make him fast. How tiny a space he can stuff himself into. And how damned difficult it can be to find him if he's sufficiently motivated to not be found.

"Ok." He's grateful for the direction, needing it really. Anakin's very much in over his head. So he'll go settle himself on his side of the board.

Given there's likely to be bloodshed in that event, it's best for Anakin to be far away from the line of fire, yes. Even if things are likely to be over with quickly.

"How about we start with seeing how much you remember from before you had to give up and get some sleep..." Garth'zel begins.

At least until he's of an age to be useful and less traumatized. Not that makes him less like to vanish.

Anakin nods and begins to set up the game, remembering most of what he was already taught and proving himself not only a quick study but there's promise of him becoming good at it. Without being distracted by being overly full and uncomfortable, he's better able to focus and use what he's come to think of as instinct to figure out the game.

It's after the game, after he's finished his meal - slower this time, some lesson learned, that he asks if he can see the cockpit again. Just to study it.

Hopefully, the kid won't get better at dejarik than him too fast, or he may run into problems with using it to teach strategy.

He gives Anakin a careful look as he finally puts away Anakin's bowl and spoon, setting things to be watched. "All right. Try to remember to look with your eyes, not your hands, hmm?"

Anakin hesitates just a moment before answering, "Yes Sir, I'll try."

Trying means there's room for failure right?

Garth'zel eyes him. "Let me rephrase. Don't touch anything aside from the floor and the chairs."

Yeah, he sees you trying to get some wriggle room in there. He'll leave you space to get your butt planted in a seat to look at things for awhile, but no messing with the controls to anything.

Damn. Anakin's disappointment - both on being firmly told not to touch anything and on loosing his wriggle room - are palpable. "Yes Sir."

That takes just a little of the excitement out.

But only a little.

Garth'zel would prefer they not end up in a black hole or something because Anakin's touched something he shouldn't, thank you.

"Come on." Time for him to head to the cockpit.

Excuse you, he's a good pilot!

Anakin follows, disappointed yes, but still excited to get into the cockpit, look around, and sit in a real pilot's chair. Or co-pilot at least.

One not in a junk yard, on a functioning ship.

A racing pod and a ship are two different things, kid. One has a lot more controls and directions to keep track of. ...Not to mention that with the ship, you'd need something to sit on to make you tall enough to see where you're going.

Once in, Garth'zel takes the pilot's seat, leaving the co-pilot and passenger seats available. "Let me know what's unfamiliar to you."

He can sit on his knees!

Anakin walks around the cockpit, remarkably slowly given he's practically vibrating in excitement and wants to run around looking at everything. Instead he's making himself move slowly, looking at everything for a loop or two, noting what he recognizes from his pod racer, what he recognizes from the parts he's taken apart or repaired to be sold, what he doesn't recognize but thinks he can guess at, given it's position or similarity to another panel he's worked on, and what he doesn't recognize at all. It's on his third loop when he starts asking questions, from the list he doesn't recognize at all.

That probably won't work so well if the ship needs flipped upside-down, given what that would do to Anakin's ability to wear the seat restraints.

Garth'zel patiently answers the questions when Anakin does start asking them. ...Even if there's a part of him that wishes he could just hand over the manual at some point.

He'd rig something up.

The list of total unfamiliar is blessedly short, even if Anakin makes it longer by going over the answers a few times to stick the answers in his mind before moving onto the next section of it.

Then he starts another loop, slower this time, tying in what he knew already and what he now knows, to make sure his previous guesses still make sense. If they don't, he asks before moving onto the next section until he's completed a fourth loop. Only then does he climb into the copilot's seat and buckle himself in. Most of what he had to guess about was here to begin with, and he's studying what's in easy visual lines of his seat, mouthing and occasionally muttering names of things, all correctly. There's only a little more than an third he doesn't name, and he chews on his lip as he studies the console.

Garth'zel's grateful for the break in answering questions when Anakin reaches the point where he's trying to figure things out himself, even if it probably means he's just working out what the next round of questions is. It's still a few minutes of question on his own end, along with keeping half an eye on the controls to make sure this isn't when something decides to happen.

Anakin continues to work over it for a few minutes, then starts naming things, with a "this is this, so is that 'this'?" phrasing, as he's working over it.

Eventually, Garth'zel reaches the point where his patience for endless is more than a little strained. "Aren't you getting tired yet?"

After all, supper was some time ago. Go to bed, child.

"No?" He'd slept a little already and he was excited. And he STILL hadn't gotten to things on Garth'zel's side of the console!

But the question - or more Garth'zel posture - causes him to pull back a little. He's quiet for a couple minutes, studying Garth'zel. "Is this like when Mom asks me if I want to play before it gets dark when a neighbor is visiting and she wants me to stop trying to figure out what they are talking about?"

"Probably," Garth'zel says dryly. "I'd like to get in some reading and go to bed."

Hint hint. You're not the only one he wants to have sleeping. He'd like to get some sleep, too.

"Oh. Ok." At least he's guessed right? "I'll go to my bunk. Goodnight. I'll see you in the morning."

Anakin unhooks his restraints and climbs out of the chair, and starts making his way back to the crew bunks.

Thank you. Now he can wind down and go to bed. "Night. I'll get you up if I need to, given that, being on a ship, you don't have your usual indicators to tell you it's time to get up."

Like the sun coming up.

Oh right. There wasn't a morning on a ship, was there?

"Ok but I usually get up before the suns come up anyway." Most of the time he was up before his mother. And he's just going to scoot off to bed.

And true to form - awake six hours later, although he won't get up until he hears Garth'zel.

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