spncentral | 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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"On the note of the 'fresher, don't worry about how much water gets used. The ship has systems that will clean it and make it usable again." Then he grins slightly. "I would rather you not take so long I wonder if you managed to drown in the shower, though."

He hadn't actually thought the ship's refresher would have water instead of just sonics, and he almost wants to just run off and play in the shower. And he glances in the direction of the 'fresher, before snapping back to Garth'zel.

"Can you drown in the shower Sir?" He wouldn't have thought about that.

"Only if you make a deliberate effort to do so," he says dryly. Seriously, he was kidding about the drowning in the shower thing.

"Ok. Good." Anakin's shoulders relaxed, and he exhaled slowly, quietly.

"Did I miss anything important?" Places he needed to see, places he needed to stay away from.

Garth'zel needs a moment to mentally backtrack in the conversation to try to find the context for the latest. "It sounds like you've found most of the important places. Seems the only place you've missed is the medbay."

Really the only actual medical care he'd ever received was from the midwife who assisted his mother in his birth. So the medbay as a thing that existed and would be for use by him. Well it just didn't factor.

"Could-could you show me where it is?"

Garth'zel nods, starting to move off in the direction of it. "I can do that. Also, while I'm thinking about it, since I've got the captain's quarters, what bunk you take in the one for the crew doesn't matter."

Although it'll probably be a good idea for Anakin to take a lower bunk. Less distance to fall if he rolls out of bed in his sleep or something. (Or in case of unexpected maneuvers the ship is having to make.)

Once at the medbay, he points out where the various important things are so Anakin would know where to look if he needs any of it.

Anakin followed, planning to figure out where he would sleep later, assuming there wasn't something else to do. It would be nice to have some time to puzzle out what he wanted.

But once in the medbay, he pays rapt attention, asking questions when he didn't understand something. The machinery was certainly something which pulled his interest more than anything, and he was attempting to read Garth'zel well enough to know how much he could pester him with questions about them.

Hopefully, his questions don't try to poke too much into how things work, because that is not something Garth'zel knows overly much about.

Eventually, he has enough and shoos Anakin out. "Go figure out what bunk you want. I'll check on things in the cockpit."

Make sure nothing's come up he needs to deal with.

He does head in that direction a time or two, and certainly has a gleam in his eyes that suggests he wants to take a few of them apart. But he knows dismissal of questions and steers himself away.

Dismissed to go find himself a place to sleep however...that he'll take advantage of the time to figure out which bunk he wants and how and where to stow what belongings he'd had to bring with him.

And otherwise...he'll stay out of the way. Or try to.

It doesn't take Garth'zel too long to check on things; nothing's come up as it turns out. After stretching out with the Force to check on Anakin's location, he decides to leave the boy alone to get himself settled and just sits in the pilot's seat with his arms folded across his chest to watch the streaks the stars make as they travel through hyperspace and to think about what to do with the rest of the day.

He eventually has to shake himself out of the half-trance watching the starlines left him in to go look for Anakin. Time to see what he's up to and maybe work on something.

Given there was no other crew, and enough bunks, Anakin had taken a risk - calculated to him, and seemed reasonable - taking a middle bunk, but using some of his few tools to carefully work a couple screws loose on either side, and had sat down with a small knife, some wire, cutters, and pliers, making small loops to attach to a spare sheet. Just in case, it would at least keep him from pitching to the floor. He'd seen some foot lockers, and planned to ask for one to keep the rest of his belongings in.

It was actually simple work, if repetitive, and Anakin was being careful to bend each end of the wire back into its own twists so it was smooth and didn't leave sharp points to catch on him or his clothing. He'd gotten a small pile of them made and was continuing to work, making enough to string along the bottom edge as well, almost in a trance-like state himself as he worked. As his hands worked, his mind worked ahead, the next steps of the project shaping in his mind, seeing it spilling out ahead of him. Metal loops to attach to the screws, clasps to attach to the sheets, links to connect them.

Garth'zel watches with raised eyebrows for a few minutes before clearing his throat. "Should I even ask?"

He can decide on his reaction once he knows what Anakin is actually doing.

"Making chain link. These are the attachment ends. I still need to make the links and the clasp ends, but it won't take me long." His hands didn't stop working as he answered, nor did he look up, eyes mostly unfocused - he could do this by feel in all honesty.

"Let me rephrase. Why are you doing this?" He sees you decided to partly take apart one of the bunks, child.

He only took it apart a little. "Some of the pilots put netting up on bunks, so they don't get tossed out. I decided to make something like that with a sheet." Anakin picked up the loops, counting them out in his palm and replacing them in a small neat pile before adding the one he had finished.

"Ah." Thank you for the more useful answer, kid.

He shrugs after a moment. "Seems reasonable enough. Come find me when you're done."

He'll just... go read or something. Something interrupted easily enough. This probably isn't a good time to interrupt the kid, lest he later finds a pointy bit of metal by sitting on it or something.

"Do you care if I take one of the foot lockers?" There was some faint hesitation to Anakin's voice, a tension in the set of his shoulders, even if he didn't stop working.

Garth'zel was tempted to make a smartass comment but restrains himself and simply nods instead. "Yes. You do need somewhere to keep your things, after all."

The tension eases from his shoulders as he hears the answer. "Thank you Sir." Anakin picks up the spool of wire and cuts off a longer length wire and starts on the links. "Do you want me to come find you?"

"I believe that's what I said," Garth'zel says in an amused tone. It probably didn't register, given Anakin's focus on his work. "I'll most likely be in the lounge reading something."

Making it easier for Anakin to find him. Maybe after what he plans to work on first, he can teach Anakin how to sense the presence of others to make locating him easier. (Along with helping with an awareness of his surroundings.)

He hadn't fully heard and he lifts his chin just a little to watch Garth'zel as he works. It's a brilliant little link - a smooth hinge type coil so there's some give on impact. These are clearly going to take him some time. "Ok. I'll find you then."

"Alright," Garth'zel says with a nod as he turns to leave. Time to go find his latest bit of reading to catch himself up with the important events he's missed since his time.

Hopefully, the kid will put in an appearance in an hour or so.

Anakin continues to work, the links taking much longer than the loops. They took more wire, more time, more attention. Not that Anakin noticed the time it took, just quietly sitting still other than his hands as he worked. An hours passed, two, three. He was finally finished with the links, and starting to cut the wire to make the clasps that would connect to the sheets.

By then, Garth'zel's made a reappearance. He was expecting you well before now, child.

"Do you realize it's been three hours?" he asks mildly. The rest of Anakin's personal project can be saved for when Garth'zel isn't waiting on him.