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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"Some of 'em. Some of no, cause he's not real good at 'em. He likes ones with chance cubes, I'm pretty sure he has weighted ones." He didn't see a problem with gambling for small things, and a lot of the children he'd been friends with had played - after all occasionally one could win their freedom that way.

"Of course he does," Garth'zel says sardonically. "The times he does win are probably times when he cheats using those dice."

Time for him to get things to the galley. "I'll be right back. If you need the 'fresher, now's a good time to use it."

"You said that. I didn't say that." It's not loyalty to Watto, not really - but lingering fear of the Hutt and what happened if you accused someone of cheating without proof. "But he does always pick the same color."

"Ok!" He hops to his feet and scampers passed Garth'zel towards the 'fresher, stopping in the galley on his way back, filling up a glass with water and brings it back with him.

Meanwhile, Garth'zel has approximately zero fear of Hutts. He knows how to deal with them; letting them metaphorically smell fear on you isn't very helpful in either the short or the long run.

By the time Anakin's back, Garth'zel's got the dejarik table turned on and is just waiting for him. "Let's get started, shall we? Your move."

He didn't spend a few years being afraid of being squashed or eaten by one.

Anakin climbs back up in his seat before making his move, balancing his glass on his knee.

They play for about an hour before Garth'zel calls a halt to the proceedings. "Time for me to get started on making food. Time for you to keep yourself entertained while I'm busy. Somewhere in there, I want you to practice that method to get yourself calmed down."

The only problem with being told this is Garth'zel didn't give Anakin a time frame, so he doesn't know how long he actually has to do anything.

Which means practice first, not that he minds it, and anything else if he has time. Which it turns out he does, even if he's not sure what to do. So he just takes time to wander and get to know the ship better, trusting Garth'zel will be able to let him know when he's supposed to show up.

Once the food's almost ready, Garth'zel sends Anakin a general 'come here' feeling. Which should give the kid time to clean up if he somehow found dirt or something again.

In the grand tradition of little boys, if course he's found dirt again, or at least grease. Luckily it's not bad, though he still goes to wash before making an appearance.

"What did you make?"

"Food," Garth'zel deadpans. "A lot of meat again; I'll figure out how to get things balanced properly for the both of us. Zabraks need more than humans, so..."

Garth'zel will take most of the meat part and give Anakin more of the vegetables.

Anakin nods, passingly aware of Zabraks at least, although he didn't know about the meat bit, just that they had different diets.

"It smells good." He's not just being polite, it does. Even if he's eating more because he's being told it's time to eat than because he's hungry - he doesn't really feel hunger anymore.

"Good to know my cooking skills didn't atrophy back when I had too much to do to have time to cook for myself," Garth'zel says wryly.

The kid will eventually learn to tell when he's hungry. Not that Garth'zel knows how long that will take beyond a while.

The food's soon served and Garth'zel settles in to work on his own share of it. "I changed our destination in the navicom," he says after he's eaten some of his food. "We'll come out of hyperspace tomorrow so I can get some things before we actually reach Bothawui."

Anakin smiles a little, thinking Garth'zel is teasing him about their earlier conversation.

"Ok." He would have liked to have been able to watch that, but he'll ask later. It seems like it's going to be a while before he's trusted to pilot. "Where are we going?"

"Rishi, as it turns out. I've been there before, although, it's, um, been awhile." Due to his previous trip being before his extended nap.

"This'll serve as a chance to see if Raider's Cove still exists, I suppose. Back in my time, it was a pirate town. Given it's along a hyperspace route these days, the planet probably doesn't have much of a pirate population left. I'll probably take you places I've been to."

"I hope Raider's Cove has an actual spaceport or at least landing field if it still exists," Garth'zel grumbles. "Andronikos and I had to be dropped off on a wooden dock that had enough space for a shuttle but was not big enough for the ship I had at the time. This one wouldn't fit either. Not that there's any way that same one would still be there after over three thousand years."

"Rishi." Anakin repeats, so he will remember it.

He's had experiences with pirates, good, bad, neutral, so he's not immediately wary, but he's aware he needs to be careful. "Lotsa pirates deal in slaves." He didn't know if they did that long ago, and if he didn't, it wasn't far to not warn him.

"I know. Andronikos was a pirate, hence me bringing him along on that trip. I'd actually met him on Tatooine. I also made sure not to ask if slaves had ever been part of his cargo." Since otherwise, they would have been likely to have... problems.

"As you can imagine, he was not a nice man. But he was loyal to those who were loyal to him in return." Needless to say, Garth'zel has no idea what happened to the man after he disappeared. He probably went back to piracy.

Anakin nods. "Kitster's dad is a pirate, or was. Kitster hasn't heard from him in a long time, he doesn't think he's coming back anymore." The boy had dreamed once, of his father coming back and rescuing him from the life of a slave. It had been hard to watch. "Some are ok, I guess." But he was cautious about them as a group.

And of course, Watto has done business with some, so Anakin could be recognized.

"Mmm, probably not. Piracy is, needless to say, dangerous work." So chances are good the kid's father is either dead or in prison.

Right, probably time to let Anakin focus on his food before a potential mood drop ruins his interest in it.

"Seems like most work is." From what he knew anyway. Even farmers were missing fingers or parts sometimes.

Anakin eats quietly for a bit. "Is there something I could do to earn some money? So I can share it with him?" He was his best friend, after all. And money would help him.

"There are jobs out there that should be perfectly safe. It's outside factors that make them potentially not safe. Like, say, a thief deciding to rob wherever that person works." So theoretically, whatever job shouldn't have anything dangerous happening.

Now an eyebrow goes up. "I can't say I was planning to put you to work on anything besides various kinds of lessons."

"Huh." Well, that is well beyond his experience and he is taking Garth'zel at his word.

"But what if I wanted to?" He doesn't have a concept of 'allowance' or of a guardian providing spending money, and even if he did, he isn't that bold. But he can ask to earn it.

Garth'zel makes a face. "I suppose that telling you that you don't have to do that sort of work anymore won't help?"

He's pretty sure that's a 'no'.

"If you're paying me, it's not the same, right?" That would be a 'no'. "I'm not trying to be greedy. I just want to help my friend." And he wouldn't be there to physically do so anymore.

Garth'zel pinches the bridge of his nose. "Why are children like this?" he asks no one in particular.

"You do know that it's going to be a few months before we go back, yes?" Meaning it's not like Anakin would be able to give Kitster the money anytime soon.

"What?" Anakin's voice is soft as Garth'zel questions the air.

"A few months?" He actually hadn't thought they would be going back that soon. "But that's ok. He's really capable too." He's sure Kitster will be ok for a few months.