A.N. Thank you everyone for your reviews! They really mean a lot—I rushed my review process to make sure that I got a chapter up today just for you guys :D
Also, for all of the guest reviewers that I couldn't PM personally: THANK YOU!
And now, since the world didn't end on 12/21, a special present: Chapter 4.
"The board is set, the pieces are moving." -Gandalf
Chapter 3 Tatooine
Shmi paused in her sleeping son's doorway, gazing at the small figure sprawled on the bed. He rarely ever slept so late—Anakin was an energetic boy who was usually up with the suns. But, after last night, Shmi understood his exhaustion and had let him sleep as late as she could.
After all, it wasn't every night that Anakin came home actually convinced that they were going to escape.
A wan smile crossed Shmi's features. As much as she wanted to believe her son's conviction, she had seen his hopes dashed too many times to believe that a mysterious Jedi had really appeared in Watto's shop and was willing to provide them passage off planet.
She was no longer as hopeful and trusting as her son and had long since learned not to take things at face value. After all, what would a Jedi be doing so far outside Republican space? The cylinder that Anakin claimed was a lightsabre could be anything; the Jedi weren't the only ones who carried such a weapon. She was terrified that her son had made a deal with a devil and had merely trapped himself into a worse life.
And even if the stranger was a Jedi and was telling the truth, Anakin still had to finish the scanner before they finished the generator and the Jedi left the planet.
But still, that fervent hope that lit him up the night before, that utter confidence her son had that this was their chance to get away from Tatooine, had her brushing her rough hand softly across her son's forehead, ruffling his hair, and waking him up. Shmi Skywalker was willing to risk a great deal for her son's happiness and future, even if it meant taking the chance that these people were not what they seemed.
All she could do was hope.
On the Nubian cruiser, Obi-Wan's second day on Tatooine began by slicing into the nearest HoloNet broadcaster. Of course, he couldn't do it by himself. He was good at slicing, but he was nowhere near that good—Temple programing classes tended to shy away from the obviously illegal. It took the combined efforts of Obi-Wan and the Queen's handmaiden/slicer, Ninté, just to crack the firewall and get into the system. Fortunately, the network was weaker and less complicated so far away from the Core—which was the only reason the slicing took hours rather than days.
Ninté slipped out of the cockpit once they were in the system, leaving Obi-Wan to his research. It was slow going, especially because there was lots of information on hyperdrives in the vast reaches of the HoloNet. The first search engine alone brought up several billion hits, just on their model. But most of it was about how hyperdrives were made, their history, or how Nubian hyperdrives compared to other models. There were no plans for building Nubian hyperdrives in the public domain.
Not that Obi-Wan was surprised. But it did leave Obi-Wan searching in places that weren't public domain.
A few of those blueprints had required a fair bit of slicing that he most certainly was NOT going to mention to his master. Still, after hours of riffling through the companies' secret files and plans, the Padawan had what he was looking for—a basic how-to outline for building a hyperspace generator.
Obi-Wan grinned as he saved his collection of data. Apparently he and Anakin were even better than they thought; their own plans for building a hyperspace generator had not only improved on the older system in Anakin's shop, but had even improved on the fancy, new-released model he'd just pulled from the HoloNet.
Satisfied that everything was saved, Obi-Wan pulled his attention away from the records. He carefully backtracked out of the system and erased as many of his cyber-footprints as possible. Hopefully they wouldn't notice his intrusion at all, but if they traced the slice, they were unlikely to look much further once they found it was from Tatooine.
It was already late in the afternoon. The suns were setting behind the ship, casting a long shadow deep into the desert towards the settlement. Obi-Wan gazed out the viewport, half-meditating, and mentally reviewing everything he had learned. He wanted to impress what he had learned, not only for the next few days, but so that he would remember it after that. Who knew when jerry-rigging hyperdrive generators could be useful?
"Padawan?"
"Hm? Yes, Master?" Obi-Wan inquired, spinning in his chair to face the doorway. Qui-Gon had appeared while he was lost in thought and was now leaning against the door jamb.
"Did you find what you were searching for?"
"I think so," Obi-Wan noddedthoughtfully. "Did you know that the hyperdrive as we know it today didn't exist until about two hundred years ago? Before that, even with lightspeed, it took over a week to do a journey that now takes us a day and a half!"
"That's the information you were searching for?" Qui-Gon inquired, with a skeptical eyebrow.
Obi-Wan's response was haughty, "It was a necessary part of gaining a proper understanding of Nubian hyperdrive systems."
Qui-Gon hid a grin that Obi-Wan could feel. "Of course it was, Padawan." He shook his head. "I am glad you are finished, though, since I came to tell you that dinner is ready."
Right on cue, Obi-Wan's previously reasonable stomach rumbled in agreement, loud enough for Qui-Gon to raise an eyebrow. "Have you eaten at all today? You would forget to eat if I wasn't here to remind you! What will you do when you are Knighted and expected to care for yourself?" he scolded.
"As if I've never had to remind you to eat, Master?" he replied, standing up and following Qui-Gon out of the cockpit.
"Of course not! I am a paragon of common sense!"
"Mmm," Obi-Wan replied, noncommittally.
"Hey! What do you mean, mmm?"
"Hmm? I didn't say anything, Master!"
Smiling, Qui-Gon shook his head, "Of course, not, Padawan. Of course not."
Anakin was halfway down the street when his Mom's voice floated towards him.
"And, Ani, make sure you invite them over for dinner!"
Anakin flashed his hand over his shoulder in acknowledgement. He didn't turn around. Yesterday, Mom had told him to invite his new friends over and had kept reminding him over and over and over again. Like I would forget, Anakin thought with an eye roll. Anakin would've been annoyed by the constant reminders if he hadn't been so excited about everything.
He was also far too tired to be properly annoyed. Although he had gotten to sleep in that morning (work always started closer to six than eight), he had stayed up late the last two nights, doggedly attempting to finish the implant scanner. He had a deadline now—the device had to be done before Padme and Obi-Wan's ship left. If it wasn't done, Anakin was scared he'd get left behind.
Getting left behind was something that had always terrified him, a threat that had loomed large since he was old enough to realize how easily he and his mother could be separated. But this new threat twisted his stomach in a different way. His mom didn't want to leave him, he knew that. But what about these people? What if they did want to leave him? He had liked them all a lot the other day. He didn't want them to leave without him! He wouldn't let them leave without him and his mother.
But what would happen if he didn't finish the scanner fast enough?
Obi-Wan and Padme and Artoo weren't at the shop when he arrived. Anakin refused to let himself feel nervous about that. After all, he could just be kind of early. And they could just be kind of late.
It didn't mean that they had forgotten him or anything.
Anakin unlocked the door and let himself in with a scowl. The room was cool but stuffy. Anakin opened the door to the yard. The breeze from the back and the shade from the building would keep the store mostly cool during the heat of the day, hopefully negating a need for the air conditioning.
Anakin scraped a hand across his forehead, wiping at the sweat that had appeared now that he was out of the suns. He thought about digging out the boxes that they needed, but he was too tired. He collapsed onto a stool by the counter and waited. He buried his face into his arms and yawned loudly.
The door slid open. A voice called out, "Anakin?" It was Obi-Wan.
They came! rang through Anakin's head.
Not that he had been worried or anything.
"Hey, Obi-Wan! Guess what? I—" Anakin began, only to be cut off when Artoo burst in behind Obi-Wan. The little droid almost knocked Obi-Wan off his feet. Obi-Wan regained his balance, hands up in mock surrender, while Artoo beeped angrily at him before twirling to face Anakin in greeting.
Anakin burst out laughing. "Good morning to you too, Artoo." But then, his laughter dried up and he frowned. "Where's…Where's Padme?"
'Cause really, Padme was the one he'd really been looking forward to seeing. After all, Anakin had spent all day yesterday looking forward to seeing her. But now she wasn't here. Feeling cheated, he crossed his arms and stared hard at Obi-Wan
Obi-Wan walked all of the way into the shop and the door hissed shut behind him.
"She wasn't much use two days ago—"
"So you just left her behind?" Anakin was indignant. His eyes narrowed. He hoped he looked just as scary as his mom did when she was mad. "Just because she didn't help us figure out the generator doesn't mean—"
"She chose to remain behind on the cruiser." Obi-Wan interrupted, surprising Anakin into silence. "She has duties to take care of and felt she would be of better use there than sitting around here," Anakin flinched at the man's cutting tone. Obi-Wan must have noticed because his voice softened with a sigh. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound harsh. It's just that, if you'd let me finish, you'd know that she had asked me tell you that she says hello, wishes both of us luck, and that she will see you in the next couple of days."
"Oh." Anakin ducked his head, hair flopping into his face.
"Yes, oh," Obi-Wan said with a not-quite-smile. The eyebrow went up again, but it was nicer this time. "Now, are you ready to get started?"
Anakin nodded until Obi-Wan turned around. Then he rolled his eyes. I've been ready for ages. You're the ones who're late. But he didn't say it out loud.
"Artoo, can you pull up those plans we downloaded yesterday?" Obi-Wan asked the Artoo.
With agreeable bleep, a hologram flickered to life on the table: a three dimensional breakdown of a Nubian hyperdrive generator. Anakin shifted until he was sitting on his knees and could lean over the image.
"This is so wizard!" He grinned up at Obi-Wan, who was almost as excited.
"Isn't it? And look at this!" Obi-Wan said, pointing out the various differences between their plans and the blueprint.
Anakin chimed in, interrupting Obi-Wan's lecture with questions.
Without a break in their rapid fire Q and A, they pulled out the heavy storage boxes from their hiding places and put them on the floor next to the counter, then settled in to begin construction.
There had barely been a lull in the conversation when Anakin broke the quiet with a question.
"You're a Jedi."
Well, technically it was a question, even if it didn't sound like one. Obi-Wan could tell that Anakin was fishing. Still, it took his diplomatic training to keep his face calm. The kid was smart.
Options and responses sped through Obi-Wan's mind. He could deny the whole thing, tell Anakin he was mistaken and just hope that a) he could sell the lie now and b) he could recover from it when Anakin was aboard the ship in a few days and knew the truth for sure. He could deflect the statement and hope that the Force had been wrong and Anakin wasn't the doggedly determined person he seemed to be. Or, he could go for broke and tell the truth.
Not liking any of those options, Obi-Wan took a different route. Step one, take control of the situation. "Am I?" he queried, eyebrows raised, turning around.
Not quite deflection, not quite telling the truth, and certainly not lying. Rule one of negotiation—always see what the other side knows already before giving anything away.
Anakin gave him a look. "Yes, you are."
"Hm. And what makes you say that?" He carefully kept his voice mild, inquisitive. "I can't imagine that the Jedi reach the Outer Rim often." Despite his worry over how the conversation would go, he couldn't help but feel somewhat gleeful at getting to turn his Master's tactics onto someone else. No wonder they always ask questions like this! It was fun.
"Everyone knows that Jedi carry laser swords. And you have one on your belt." He pointed to the half hidden cylinder at Obi-Wan's waist.
Obi-Wan resisted the urge to cover it up. "Other people carry laser swords too, not just Jedi."
Anakin flashed him an exasperated look. "Mom says that only Jedi carry laser swords."
Well, if your Mom said, Obi-Wan thought with amusement. But he didn't argue, recognizing the stubbornness that set Anakin's shoulders. It reminded him of Qui-Gon.
"I dare not argue with your mother, Anakin," he replied, half teasing.
Anakin's stubbornness melted away like snow on Coruscant, leaving behind an awed grin.
"I knew it!" Anakin cried, taking Obi-Wan's ambiguous statement as proof of his suspicions. "I was right!" He grinned widely and began to shoot off questions, far too fast to expect any real answers.
Obi-Wan raised his hands up, like he was using them to push against the physical weight of Anakin's excitement. "Anakin." The questions kept coming, even faster now. Obi-Wan felt his frustration building rapidly and perilously close to anger. "Anakin!"
The child's mouth snapped shut and he looked at Obi-Wan with wide eyes.
"Anakin," the young man continued forcefully. "You must calm down. The mission I am on, the fact that we are on this planet, all of this MUST remain a secret. It is of the highest importance." Obi-Wan tried to keep his voice calm and stern. "We warned you two days ago that our mission was dangerous. It is imperative that we keep a low profile. My Ma—teacher was injured recently and so we are doubly vulnerable right now. No one can know we are on planet."
"What happened? Is your teacher ok? Where you guys in a fight? That's so wizard! What happened? Did you —"
"Anakin!" his voice was sharp again. Anakin shrank back, pulling into himself. Obi-Wan closed his eyes, searching for patience and trying to release his frustration. It was scary how much Anakin got under his skin—he wasn't supposed to lose his temper like this anymore!
"Anakin. This is not a game. There are very dangerous people after us. They will hurt you and your mother if they think it will help them get what they want. If they attack, you and your mother will be in grave danger along with us. We are happy to give you passage, but you MUST be careful, for your sake as well as ours."
Finally Anakin looked serious, even subdued. Obi-Wan quashed the sense of guilt he felt at making Anakin feel bad, but it was the only way he could think of to make Anakin settle down and listen.
"They…they aren't going to come after Mom, are they?"
Obi-Wan shook his head, but it felt more like a shrug. I don't know. "We will do everything in our power to keep both of you safe. I will do everything in my power to keep both of you safe."
Anakin pursed his lips. "But you don't know."
Even Artoo was quiet, waiting for Obi-Wan's answer. After a painful pause, Obi-Wan shook his head, No.
"I'll be careful," Anakin's voice was unusually quiet.
Obi-Wan smiled softly. "That's all I ask."
It seemed to be enough for Anakin, who, after a short silence, turned the conversation back to its previous topic: the Jedi. His incessant questions kept the conversation going, asking about Obi-Wan's life in the Temple and why he had his hair cut and…and everything. Obi-Wan let the questions wash over him. Sometimes he answered them, though they only led to more questions from Anakin. Occasionally, the two would lapse into silent concentration, though Anakin never let it last long.
During one such silence, Obi-Wan set down his screwdriver and leaned away from the counter to get a better look at everything they had done. He tugged on his braid as he surveyed the mess sprawling across the table. His lips pursed as he took in the chaos.
Anakin, who had begun working on the frame of the device, was almost finished. He was currently standing on the counter, soldering something to the top of the structure. Obi-Wan opened his mouth to chide Anakin for climbing on furniture, only to snap it shut again. Anakin wasn't an Initiate, and Obi-Wan certainly wasn't the child's Master, and really, standing on the counter was the only way Anakin could reach what he was working on.
Obi-Wan's space was much tidier, consisting of a corner of the counter, covered in his project. He was fixing up a junk computer that had just enough memory to run the hyperdrive generator. Or so he and Anakin hoped. He had hoped to get this part of the device done earlier that morning, but it had been slow going.
But really, Obi-Wan reminded himself, even though it seemed like it was taking forever, it wasn't really. After all, what they were doing was impossible. Using junk parts and blueprints, he was building one of the most complicated ships parts with the help of a nine year old. It didn't matter that Anakin was a prodigy, what they were doing was impossible.
But the impossible was working.
Obi-Wan's thoughts were interrupted by a petulant voice. Abruptly jerked out of his thoughts, the Jedi missed what was said. "What?"
"I said, I'm hungry. Can I eat my lunch?"
Obi-Wan frowned. "You don't have to ask me. If you're hungry, eat."
Anakin stared at him in a long moment. "Watto always makes me ask before I eat lunch. Mom too, most times," he said, as he climbed down from the counter.
"But I'm not them," Obi-Wan pointed it. "But lunch does sound like a good idea." The young man suddenly noticed the ache in his mid-section. He dug out his own lunch from under the counter. "Artoo, would you mind running diagnostics on the computer while we eat?"
The droid beeped his acquiescence. Obi-Wan and Anakin cleared out a section of the counter and settled in to eat their lunches.
The giant, pre-packed lunch that had been waiting for Obi-Wan in the cooling unit that morning (labeled in Padme's clear handwriting and filled with lots and lots of food) had seemed overly large when to Obi-Wan when he'd grabbed it. He mentally thanked her now though, when he saw the meager sandwich that Anakin had for his lunch. Because of her foresight, he had more than enough food to share, even a growing boy like Anakin.
"Want some?" Obi-Wan asked, nudging a sandwich in Anakin's direction.
"Naw, I'm alright." The hungry gleam in his eyes said otherwise though.
Obi-Wan just shrugged and munched on his own sandwich. He left the rest of the food spread across the workspace in front of Anakin.
It didn't take long for Anakin to cave and grab an apple lying on the counter.
"What's this?" The desert child held it with one hand and poked it curiously with the other.
Sheer surprise had Obi-Wan pausing. "It's an apple."
Anakin's face lit up. "Really?" He was excited. "I've always wanted to try one of these!" Anakin rolled it around in his hands.
Obi-Wan grabbed the other one and silently demonstrated how to eat it. Anakin followed the motions with wide eyes before mimicking them.
"My mom talks ab—I remember!" Apple-laced spit came flying out Anakin's mouth in his excitement over his own interruption.
Startled by the sudden outburst, Obi-Wan almost choked on his own apple bite. He coughed. Anakin kept talking.
"I forgot! I knew that I'd forgotten something and I spent all morning wondering what it was and I couldn't remember—"
"What is it, Anakin?" the Jedi asked impatiently, still regaining his breath.
"Sorry!" (Though Anakin wasn't really all that sorry.) "It's just that I knew I had forgotten something and now I've remembered!" Anakin paused for dramatic effect. "Mom wanted me to invite you over for dinner tonight!" he said grandly. Obi-Wan opened his mouth to say something, but Anakin carried on, "I think it's because she doesn't really believe that you exist—she says that I tell too many stories. I said that you were real and that you were a Jedi and that if I could get my scanner done in time, then we could go with you, but…yeah. She wants you to come over for dinner tonight. We're having meatballs."
Obi-Wan winced. He hadn't thought of Anakin's mother and her response to everything. He'd been too caught up with finding a generator and then with helping Anakin. But, now that he thought on it, he realized why someone would—and, indeed, should—have reservations about the kind of deal he had struck with Anakin. No wonder she wanted to meet with him!
"I would love to come and have dinner with you and your mother," Obi-Wan replied with a tight smile. Hopefully I can reassure her. The poor woman must be frantic, wondering what we have in store for her and her son.
The apartment was clean, dinner was ready. All that she had left to do was wait.
Her son had certainly come by his impatience naturally—Shmi hated waiting.
She set down her mending and checked the window by the door. Again. It wasn't because she was worried about Anakin, of course. It was much too early to start worrying about him yet. But what if Anakin got hurt coming home? What if his new 'friends' thought it was easier to just kidnap him now? What if-
Really, Shmi reminded herself firmly, it isn't actually late yet. He'll be home soon.
It was full dark outside. Shmi paced into the kitchen. She futzed with the dishes and most adamantly didn't keep an eye on the wall chrono. The mother was so focused on focusing that she completely missed the front door swish open and the footsteps that crossed the small apartment. It took a loud "Mom! Mom!" echoing through the small confines of the apartment to finally arrest her attention.
"Ani!" she cried, turning around and embracing her son.
"Mom! Look! I brought Obi-Wan just like you told me too! Padme and Jar Jar didn't come in today, but that's okay because Jar Jar kept making a huge mess and Padme said that she'd see me in a couple of days, so it's just Obi-Wan. And Artoo. Can you believe that—"
Her son kept blathering on excitedly, but after assuring herself that Anakin was in one piece, her attention turned to the guest her son had brought. Resisting the urge to put her hands on her hips like she did when her Ani had done something wrong, Shmi looked the stranger over, sizing up his intentions.
His appearance did nothing to answer any of her questions: this Obi-Wan character was a young man with auburn hair and non-descript, brown clothing. He had a cylinder hanging, half-hidden, from his belt—whether it was Anakin's lightsabre or not, Shmi couldn't tell. His hairstyle was odd though his face was handsome. He carried himself well, like someone who knew what he was doing, but he had subtle hesitancy about him, despite that. Whether it was simple shyness or something more sinister, Shmi was would find out.
"Ms. Skywalker," he said, speaking over Anakin's chattering. Shmi mentally gave him points for that—her son wasn't going to stop talking for a few more minutes and there was no need to delay introductions just for that. He had a guarded, though pleasantly polite smile on this face as he held out his hand for her to shake.
"Obi-Wan, I take it?" He gave a small smile, flicking his eyes over towards the still talking Anakin (she was really going to have to work on Anakin's social awareness soon), before meeting hers once more.
"Yes ma'am," he replied with a courteous smile. She took his hand. It was a firm, reliable handshake. More mental points.
"-anyways, Mom, I think Padme will be very excited to meet you." Anakin paused to take a breath. "Is dinner ready?"
Shmi noticed that the word 'dinner' lit up Obi-Wan's face in much the same way it did her Ani's. She shook her head. Boys.
But it did make the mysterious young man seem a great deal less mysterious.
Obi-Wan's internal alarm blared, waking him with a sharp jolt. He found himself staring up at a low daub-colored ceiling with a few poorly placed aches in his back, both of which quickly told him where he was. He hadn't intended to fall asleep at the Skywalkers', but Anakin had brought out his scanner after dinner to show it off and the two had ended up working on it. They had stayed up far later than either had planned, though Obi-Wan hadn't realized quite how late it was until Anakin had fallen asleep at the table. Only then had he realized that Ms. Skywalker was already in bed and that they were almost done with the scanner. He carried Anakin to bed and got another hour of work in before he had had to turn in as well. He'd collapsed on the apartment's tiny couch, where Ms. Skywalker had kindly left him a blanket and a pillow.
Stretching out the kinks in his back, Obi-Wan stood up—only to collapse back down immediately when his legs wouldn't hold his weight. He grimaced as they tingled, slowly coming to life now that he wasn't curled up on the tiny piece of furniture anymore. When they woke up completely, he climbed stiffly to his feet.
Passing through the small kitchen on his way to the bathroom, he stopped to look at the scanner on the kitchen table.
"You boys did a lot last night." Turning around, he found himself facing Shmi Skywalker.
"Yes, ma'am, we did," he responded. "The programming is done. Anakin should be able to get the last bit finished tonight."
The woman stared at Obi-Wan searchingly. "You really believe that you can help my son build that part you need in time?" She wasn't talking about the scanner anymore.
"We should finish it by tonight."
Ms. Skywalker stepped back, gripping the top of the scrubbed table. Her knuckles turned white. "So soon?"
Obi-Wan frowned. "I think it has to be. I told Anakin, dangerous people are after us. We need to get to Corsucant as soon as possible. And your son is good."
Through the Force, Obi-Wan could feel the bizarre combination of fear-panic-hope that clutched at the woman in front of him. She was so scared, yet so brave, all for the sake of her son. A son who was just as devoted to her as she was to him. Shmi Skywalker closed her eyes, and in an effective imitation of Jedi meditation, she breathed out her worry until she was just left with joyous hope.
"We leave tomorrow," she repeated, a smile creeping across her worn face. She sank down at the table. "I can't believe it's really happening!"
But she wasn't talking to Obi-Wan anymore. Taking his cue, he slipped out of the kitchen and into the bathroom. He cleaned himself up as well as he could in the waterless bathroom and emerged to see that Anakin was up now too and had been set to cleaning up the mess of parts on the table. A small loaf of rough bread was waiting by the toaster for toast next to a small jar of meat drippings for flavor. Ms. Skywalker was pouring juice into three glasses, two of which she set on the table for Anakin and Obi-Wan.
They ate their small breakfasts while Ms. Skywalker kindly packed them a lunch. Both said good-bye to Anakin's mother, Obi-Wan with a firm handshake and Anakin with a tight hug, before setting out through the dusk for the closed shop, Artoo beeping along behind them. Fortunately, the streets were silent, everyone sleeping off their hangovers from the night before.
The boys were tired. They were slow reaching the shop, slow digging out the equipment, and slow getting more work done. Both had stayed up far later than was healthy for the last few nights and were feeling the effects. It's a good thing we are still in the listless part of sleep deprivation, and not the crabby part, Obi-Wan reminded himself. With tempers like ours, we'd be at each other's throats.
But even a listless-tired Anakin was a snappy Anakin, less patient with the machine and shorter with Obi-Wan. A few times, Obi-Wan just stopped himself from snapping back, but Jedi self-discipline kicked in, despite—or perhaps, because of—the stress and sleep deprivation of the last week.
And slowly, the hyperdrive generator took its final shape. They attached the computer to the frame and began connecting the unending series of wires to the internal power source. There was a tense hour after they discovered that the battery was drained, frantic until Artoo figured out how to recharge it with their limited resources.
Exhausted, they broke for a late lunch. Obi-Wan kept his short, getting back to work after only a few mouthfuls of food. Anakin, stretching his independence, took a bit more time eating, until he accidentally fell asleep over his food.
Knowing how badly Anakin needed the nap, Obi-Wan let him be, even going so far as to fold his cloak under Anakin's head for a pillow. The child slept hard while Obi-Wan made a sizable dent in their workload. The room was peaceful (even Artoo was being quiet) until Obi-Wan dropped the spanner he was using to tighten the computer to the device's exoskeleton. Anakin woke with a loud jolt, scaring Obi-Wan in turn, which upset the generator. The only thing that stopped its inglorious descent to the floor was Obi-Wan's Force reflexes.
For a long moment the room was silent again while Anakin stared in wide-eyed awe at the hovering device.
"Do it again!" But it wasn't said with the child's default arrogance. Instead, it had a tinge of the same reverence Obi-Wan usually heard when Anakin talked about his mom. "Was that the Force you were talking about yesterday? How you put the generator back on the counter? It's so wizard! Why wouldn't you show me that yesterday? And you never did tell me what 'frivolous' means. What's—"
It took awhile to make sure that the components were all wired in properly and that the casing enclosed the proper gases. At one point, they even started to argue over who got to finish welding the exoskeleton closed. It was long after dark when they finally sealed the contraption shut. With one last scan from Artoo, they were able to pronounce the Nubian hyperdrive generator finished.
Obi-Wan ran his hand along the grubby side, fingers catching on the dips and nicks in the recycled metal casing. He smiled at Anakin, pleased with their work. "We did it!"
Anakin frowned back, "Of course we did. I told you we could."
The Padawan raised an eyebrow, unsure if Anakin's comment was born out of humility or arrogance. Probably both, he decided.
"Well, you weren't right about the wiring from the power cells to the computer," Obi-Wan paused to give Anakin a chance to glare at him. "But yes, you were right that we could build the generator." Just as suddenly, Anakin's face morphed into a pleased smile. Obi-Wan waved Anakin over, "Come on. Let's get it on the hovercart."
Once it was safely settled, they covered it with a tarp. Anakin poked it head out the front door, called back the all clear, and the two exited the shop, trailing the cart behind them. Staying out of sight as much as possible, they reached the slave quarters and deposited the generator in Anakin's living room, under Shmi Skywalker's watchful eye. Saying a goodnight to the Skywalker family, and promising to return at dawn the next morning, Obi-Wan slipped out and made his way back to the yacht to report everything in person to his Master and the Queen.
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