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

[neverwantedtobesith]

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.

Comments

[neverwantedtobesith]

"Mmm, not really. Most mammalian species only have a couple sets of teeth. First the baby ones, then the adult versions that replace the original set later. At which point, it's best for the owner of said teeth to not lose them, because they won't grow new ones.

"New feathers, on the other hand, grow in to replace damaged ones all the time. With said molting also featuring at times, like when the babies lose their original feathers to grow in the adult ones that will help them fly in the first place."

[imaperson]

"Oh. Like when banatha shed?" He could understand that, he could work "feathers" until "like fur". "If they don't have teeth how do they chew?" He says, with his mouth half full.

[neverwantedtobesith]

"Essentially, yes. And they don't chew. Avians and other creatures with beaks tend to have an internal organ full of stones or suchlike of a suitable size that they've swallowed that do the job of crushing their food." The things he has to explain over food while he's trying to eat.

Speaking of, let him have a few minutes to focus on eating.

[imaperson]

"Huh." All right that is going to buy Garth'zel some piece because Anakin has to think that over. Because it really didn't seem like "rovks in stomach" and "flight" went together, amoung other things he knows better than to mention while eating.

Mostly because his mother would have scolded him. Like most children, few things grossed him out enough to not eat. Even if it did, he'd still eat.

[neverwantedtobesith]

Sith can't really afford to be grossed out by anything, given how much time in combat they tend to spend, but still, this one appreciates the chance to eat in peace instead of talking about potentially gross things, thank you.

[imaperson]

He's got at least another three to four years before that will be a routine thing. But Anakin lets him eat at least, still thinking about the holovid.

[neverwantedtobesith]

Garth'zel primarily focuses on his share of the roast at first, finally going after his vegetables after he's more or less had his fill of meat for the moment.

[imaperson]

Anakin has his food, save the fruit, when he picks it up, sniffs it a little and turns it over in his hands. Is it something he needs to peel? Just bite it? Are their parts he can't eat? The skin? feels like he could bite into it.

"What is this?"

[neverwantedtobesith]

"Food," Garth'zel deadpans. Not very helpful, he knows.

"You don't need to do anything special, just bite it. And don't eat the middle part where the seeds are, they're mildly toxic and will make you feel sick. The rest of the fruit is fine for eating, though."

[imaperson]

Why did he have to say 'mildly toxic'? Food shouldn't make you feel sick. Anakin gives a skeptical look for a moment, before biting into the fruit cautiously. It's not a large bite, and he's clearly mulling it over - texture, taste, smell now he's bitten it. Until Garth'zel, he'd never had fresh fruit so he can probably be forgiven for being skeptical.

[neverwantedtobesith]

So long as Anakin doesn't try to eat the bit that isn't supposed to be eaten, it will be fine.

Garth'zel gives Anakin an amused look. "You know it's not going to eat you or start screaming, right?"

Eat it, kid, not treat it like some sort of homework assignment.

[imaperson]

"I 'aven't had this 'fore." He manages most of the words, despite having his mouth still full.

And he's trying to decide if he liked it or not - not that he wouldn't eat it, even if he didn't.

[neverwantedtobesith]

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Garth'zel admonishes him. Honestly, child. He's fairly certain this is something you've heard from your mother, so there's no excuse.

[imaperson]

Oh it is very much something he's heard from his mother. Multiple times. It hasn't stuck. But at least him eating buys Garth'zel more time to eat in piece.

[neverwantedtobesith]

For which Garth'zel is grateful. He eventually finishes eating and rises to start dealing with the things that were finished with. "You done yet?"

[imaperson]

"Mhmm." There wasn't much left of the fruit, but he did leave a good margin around the core. "Isn't it expensive to carry fresh fruit in ships?"

[neverwantedtobesith]

"Given that I could buy a planet if I wanted to, the expense of fresh fruit isn't worth considering," Garth'zel says dryly.

[imaperson]

"Ch-" 'Choy' he meant to say but his brain just shut down a little at the idea. Buy a planet. That. The Hutts couldn't even do that individually.

[neverwantedtobesith]

The Hutts also spend their money on whatever luxuries they could think of, keeping themselves from amassing the wealth needed to do said planet buying, so no surprise there.

Garth'zel raises an eyebrow at what he was fairly certain was the start of a swearword but doesn't comment. He just takes care of cleaning up.

[imaperson]

The Hutts are all he has to compare massive wealth to.

The 'choy' was not - but what he meant to follow it with was, just for the moment he'd forgotten Basic, starting to belt out 'what the karking hell?' But he'd only partly caught himself mostly the shock of the statement shut him up.

"How?"

[neverwantedtobesith]

"Slightly over three and a half millennia of accumulated interest is how," Garth'zel says dryly. "The account--which for in case of emergency and thus not actually under my name--started off with a generous amount, but over time, it got more and more money. The more money there was, the more interest accrued."

[imaperson]

"I um. Don't know some of those words. Or how they work." Banking was quite a bit above him, and all he knew about 'interest' in terms of money was that it was something that meant you were in a world of hurt with the Hutts.

[neverwantedtobesith]

"Basically, it made more money for just existing and sitting there. The more money there was, the more was earned. Given enough time, it results in a massive amount of money." As Anakin may have noticed from Garth'zel's comment about being able to afford a planet.

[imaperson]

"But. But how? Money sitting there makes money? I don't understand..." He'd noticed, he just doesn't understand at all.

It's certainly a topic too advanced for him really, but since when would he let that stop him?

[neverwantedtobesith]

"It's because of the interest rate. After a set amount of time, the money there 'earns' more money, depending on how much is there. Hence the amount growing. Slowly at first, but as there became more and more of it..." Garth'zel says with a shrug.