maskormenacelogs | [closed] you must do unto the others

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[closed] you must do unto the others

WHO: Boba Fett, Ezra Bridger, and Poe Dameron
WHERE: De Chima and Nonah
WHEN: Early March
WHAT: Boba and Ezra talk Jedi-murder. Boba and Poe talk starfighters.
WARNINGS: Discussion of murder and Kylo Ren.

(for ezra)
[When Boba finds himself in Ezra’s place-of-work, it’s not by intention. He doesn’t even know Ezra works there—all he knows is that this is where his client had requested a package dropped off and if Boba doesn’t understand the venue, he isn’t paid to. He just shows up, gives the place an unimpressed once-over and hands off the package to the right person, before making to vanish out of the door.

When he first catches sight of Ezra talking to someone off to the side, his first instinct is to hasten his exit. He doesn’t want the would-be Jedi asking him questions about what he’s doing there—even if he might be more friendly about it than most real Jedi. But then Boba sees who the other teen is talking to and stops in his tracks. The self-proclaimed Jedi is talking to Kylo Ren. Kylo Ren, who had introduced himself to Boba as the “Jedi Killer.”

Is that what’s going on? Is Kylo trying to trick Ezra somehow? If Boba wanted to kill someone discreetly, he might play nice at first, too. Maybe get them to follow him somewhere away from prying eyes?

It shouldn’t matter. Hadn’t Boba been happy to hear of how Kylo had slaughtered almost all the Jedi in his time? And people don't stay dead here anyway. He makes himself keep walking, even as the unease grows in his stomach. It’s not like Ezra is a real Jedi. Killing him—or letting him be killed—it wouldn’t count. Would it?

Boba shakes his head as he walks out of the building. He’s not in the business of protecting Jedi. He’s not going to interfere... He’s just going to watch and see what happens.

He summons his jetpack to get a good vantage point on a nearby roof and waits.

When Ezra does emerge, Boba is surprised to see that he’s alone. He waits as Ezra passes, expecting perhaps for Kylo Ren to pursue him. But when Kylo does exit the building, he heads in a different direction entirely. Boba looks in the direction Kylo is going and then down the road Ezra had taken—and follows Ezra.

A few blocks later, Ezra will here the rumble of jetpack ignition and then the thud of boots hitting the ground a few meters behind him. If he turns around, he’ll see Boba staring at him with a frown, jetpack already dematerializing on his back.]

Why were you talking to him?

(for poe)
]It’s a while before Boba takes Poe up on his offer to make a model of Slave I. There had been the slight inconvenience of the coma Poe had found himself in not too long after the New Year’s party and even after he’d heard that Poe had recovered, Boba hadn’t been sure how long he should wait before contacting him again. It’s not like it’s urgent, anyway. At 13, Boba should be too old for making model ships.

But it would be nice to see Slave I again. Even in model form.

Early March, Poe will receive a message in his inbox from one Boba Fett.]

You’re still making ship models, right?

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[ Life had kind of gotten nuts, in the last little while, between a coma and then being ported home. But when he caught sight of the message in his inbox, he couldn't help the pleased smile that sprang to his lips. ]

of course

you still interested?

Maybe. How much do they cost?

[Because nothing is free, of course.]

materials cost usually comes out around a hundred, but you don’t need to worry about it

i’m not exactly hurting for cash

[Boba makes note of the number and ignores everything else. Whether or not Poe needs the money is irrelevant. A price is a price—and he hates owing people.]

When do you have time?

weekends, usually, but i can do evenings too after about 7.

so whenever is best for you, bud, and we'll make time

[“Bud.” That’s weird, but Boba ignores it in favor of considering his own schedule.]

8 tonight work?

[ Sorry, Boba, he does this to everyone. ]

yup

where you stationed? i’ll come to you

Not my place.

[No explanation given, mostly because it’s assumed not necessary. Boba’s not careless enough to let potential threats know where he lives, much less ones from his galaxy’s future.]

Yours?

not mine either, this isn't just my place

there's a library in nonah near the porter that has quiet rooms for this kind of thing

that work?

[A library? That makes this easier. Having libraries that were more than just a slit in the wall that slid out books was enough of a novelty that he’d visited quite a few in his first weeks here.]

The one on [street name], right?

that's the one

i'll call ahead and book us a room, meet you in the lobby at 8?

Works for me.

[And, just as promised, there he’ll be at 8PM, looking perfectly innocuous in plain street clothes. Certainly, nobody else there pays him much mind, mistaking him for any other middle-school-aged boy there for reading or after school tutoring. Without his armor, it's near impossible to recognize him as the galaxy's most prolific bounty-hunter-to-be.

And given that he’s not here for work, that suits Boba just fine for the moment.]

Edited 2019-03-23 15:03 (UTC)

[ Poe had shown up a little early, got the room booking worked out, and was waiting in the lobby with a backpack thrown over one shoulder and a plastic bag hanging from his other hand. He looked - well, like he usually did, with a leather jacket, cream shirt and black skinny jeans because if you're on Earth you may as well wear skinny jeans. He doesn't immediately recognize Boba - in fact, barely registers him at all.

He just hums and waits as he leans against a wall. ]

[Boba watches as Poe walks in—and then passes right by him. He gives a small huff of annoyance, even if it’s to be expected. The first time they’d met, Boba had been in full armor, helmet and all.

He walks up to Poe, waiting a few seconds to see if he’ll realize who he is. When he doesn’t, Boba raises an unimpressed eyebrow.]

Waiting for someone? [he asks. His voice sounds different without the modulation of static from his helmet, but the Concord Dawn accent should be familiar enough for Poe to recognize.]

[ Poe blinks out of his reverie when he's spoken to, but it doesn't take long for him to figure out who this must be. Natives that come up to bother him are almost always blushing and reaching for things for him to sign, and there's only one imPort he's expecting today. ]

Oh, hey! Sorry, you cut a very different figure out of your armour. [ He gave an amused look at he hefted the bag a little more onto his shoulder. ]

So, you re-- [ But he stopped, and frowned, because god damn if that face wasn't familiar. Younger, sure, but-- ]

Uh--

[ It would be really rude to ask someone if they happened to be a clone, though, right? ]

-- you ready? [ He finishes lamely instead. ]

[Yeah, yeah, he’s smaller out of his armor. Boba takes some comfort in knowing that most Mandalorians have heard something like it before. His eyes drift to the bag slung over Poe’s shoulder, a hint of genuine curiosity sneaking into his expression. When he had made a ship model with Martin, it had been with a cheap kit from the store. He wonders how Poe’s own materials will stack up to be worth $100.

His gaze shifts back to Poe’s face at the man’s awkward pause. Poe is looking at him strangely, as if he’s just realized something. Boba makes a note of it—but decides to wait a bit before suspecting trouble. He has that luxury, with his powers.]

Yeah? [Boba says, tilting his head quizzically.] Are you?

[ Poe hefts the bag over his shoulder as if to say 'yeup' and starts heading toward the elevator. ]

So, we definitely won't be able to finish Slave 1 today. I did bring the aluminum in case we get that far - they have a laser cutter here that you can use - and a 3d printer, libraries are awesome - but i figured we'd start with a mock up out of balsa wood.

It's kind of insane that wood is so cheap here that we can do that, but it's definitely easier to play around with.

[ The elevator doors opened and he looked at Boba again as they stepped inside. The curiosity was killing him. He managed to last a few more seconds before his TMI field did the hard work for him and made him blurt out: ]

You look a lot like Rex and 622.

[Boba follows and listens, quietly pleased with how much more involved this sounds than the snapping and gluing that had gone into the makeshift starship model he’d made with Martin. Maybe they’ll actually be able to make something decent. He’s about to offer what measurements he can of Slave I, when they step into the elevator and Boba feels a slight, familiar pressure pushing against his mind.

His gaze immediately snaps towards Poe, expression a glare.]

I know I do, [he says coldly.] If you have a question, you can ask it. Mind tricks don’t work on me.

What?

[ Poe looks genuinely confused by the statement. Boba might be able to feel the TMI field in effect, but Poe can't even feel it, let alone control it. So he has no idea what Boba is talking about. It isn't a phrase he'd even consider using for his curse of a power. ]

I'm not trying to trick you - I didn't even mean to say it out loud. Sorry. It's a rude thing to mention, you just - you just really look like them.

[ The elevator dings as they reach the floor and he steps out. ]

[Boba's glowering grows a bit more uncertain at the obvious confusion on Poe's face. It's very possible that the man is just putting on a show. Boba can feel without a doubt that something is attempting to push him into providing information—and he knows for a fact that Poe has a power that fits the bill. But if he'd been able to use it while unconscious when he was in a coma, it could be that he's using it without even knowing.]

622 told me about your power—the one that makes people talk. You're using it now.

[It's grumbled as they exit the elevator. Having someone try to get inside his head, even accidentally, would be enough to send Boba for the exit normally. Poe is lucky he can offer something that holds Boba's interest.]

They're clones of my dad—like me.

[It's not a secret, not in Boba's mind. Being ashamed of being a clone would be like being ashamed of his father. And that's not a sentiment he'd ever stoop to.]

Edited 2019-03-24 14:45 (UTC)

Oh.

Oh. Damn, no, trust me, I'm not using it. Or if I am, it is not intentional. I have literally zero control over it, it's the bane of my existence. If you've got immunity to it, that's awesome. Means a lot less potential awkwardness, trust me.

... It still effects me, though, so if I just blurt out stuff for apparently no reason, just try to take it in stride, okay?

[ He pauses at that revelation, looking down at Boba.

So he is a clone. Though he's never heard of Rex or 622 calling their originator their 'Dad', so maybe he's? One of the first clones? But that doesn't make sense, given their aging process. The kid looks - maybe twelve, by normal human growth standards - but if he's a clone, that'd put him at about 6 years old.

This is breaking his brain.

But it also causes the slightest trace of a fond smile to flicker over his lips as they step up to the room and he opens the door. ]

Huh. I had no idea. That's got to be nice, though, like having two brothers here with you?

You're affected by your own power?

[That actually gets an amused glance from Boba. And he'd thought his first powerset had been bad. Actually, Poe's power might be a boon. If Poe is compelled to share more than he usually would while Boba is immune, well, that gives Boba the advantage, doesn't it? Maybe this won't be so bad after all.

He walks into the room before Poe, shoving his hands into his pockets at the question.]

It's... um... They're alright. [Said in a tone somewhere between grudging and embarrassed. In all honesty, the clones have been a lot more tolerant of him than he expected. Part of him knows he should be grateful, but it's hard knowing who they work for. And seeing who they look like.]

I didn't really know them back home. Not sure you'd call us brothers.

Yeah. It's honestly terrible.

[ He is cursed.

He follows in behind Boba, letting the door close and then setting his bags down on the table as he starts taking out the gear. Indeed, there is balsa wood and aluminum sheets (in the bag he was carrying at his side). In his backpack, he pulls out paper, tracing paper, rulers, pencils, a laser level, tweezers, scalpels, and a handfull of other useful things, and starts laying them out on the table. ]

Well - I mean, they didn't know each other back home either, right? There's a good at least twenty years between their last memories. But they still consider themselves brothers, so that means you're one too, right?

Mind you, what would I know, I was an only child.

[Boba is momentarily distracted from the subject at hand by Poe unpacking their materials, watching with interest as more and more supplies are spread across the table. He's never worked with most of this stuff before and he doesn't know how they're going to make any of it look like a ship, but Poe seems to know what he's doing—at least a far as ship models go.

Without being asked, Boba picks up a pencil and sheet of paper and starts sketching out the rough shape of Slave I. He's relieved to find that after nearly a year here, he still hasn't forgotten what his ship looks like. He's not even sure he could if he tried.]

I was an only child, too, [he says, attention still focused on the sketch in front of him.] I grew up with my dad. Not them.

Oh.

[ Huh.

He takes a seat and watches Boba sketching. He has a basic idea for the ship - he’s seen others of its class - but a refresher is good. ]

So you’re a clone, but, not like one of them. You actually lived with - your dad. [ Only the slightest hesitation. ]

Honestly I don’t really know anything about him, even if I have ki— [ He immediately clamped a hard hand over his mouth, and even though his power meant he kept talking, at least it was unintelligible. Because fuck, Poe, do not talk about making out with a kid’s dad’s clone? He cleared his throat. ] Anyway, I know Rex and 622 pretty well but the clone program was ended well before my time. I didn’t know he had a son. That’s actually kind of... nice. To know, I mean.

[Boba nods along to Poe’s summary as he draws. It’s a pretty crude sketch—mostly basic shapes, marked here and there with measurements and labels. Absorbed as he is in his work, Boba does look up when Poe suddenly cuts himself off. Blissfully unaware of what the pilot was about to say, Boba just watches, amused, as Poe talks unintelligibly into his hand. As much as he intends to stay on guard around Poe as much as he would anybody from his galaxy, he has to admit: it’s pretty hard to take him seriously as a threat.]

Yeah. Slave I used to be his. She’s older than me. [He actually sounds rather proud of that fact, as if there’s some prestige to be found in flying a ship that once belonged to Jango Fett, even if he was his dad.

After a few more seconds, he pushes the sketch towards Poe.] These are the hull dimensions, [he points,] engines, and exterior weapons. I guess now we just have to scale everything down.

[It shouldn’t be too difficult with their current starting point. As vague as the sketch looks at first glance, there’s nothing approximate about the measurements labelling each component of the ship. The figures are precise, sometimes down to the decimal point.

Boba may have never set foot in a school. But this is one subject he’d made sure to educate himself about as thoroughly as possible.]

Well she’s a pretty famous ship, so she definitely made her mark.

[ He wants to ask more about his relationship with the clones, but he refrains, pulling over the measurements instead, before letting out a low whistle. ]

Damn. Did he have you on a repair rotation? These seem pretty dead on.

How do you feel about a 1:48 scale? Let’s us get in a lot of the detail without going too nuts.

[Boba ducks his head to hide a grin.] Slave I is the last of her kind. Someone has to know how to fix her.

[And upgrade her. He feels a sudden rush of homesickness, remembering the long hours he’s spent working on Slave I or even just sitting in the cockpit, listening to the dull hum of the engines. He can live with not seeing his galaxy for another few months; he just wants his ship.]

That’ll work, [he says, his gaze on the sketch growing wistful.] It’ll be good to see her again. Even if it is just a copy.

[He frowns and gives a slight shake of his head. There’s no point getting sentimental, especially not in front of a near-stranger.] So. How do we start?

[ He caught the wistful look. How could he not?

But he didn't say anything.

He missed his ship too. He missed home.

Better to just get both their minds off it. ]

Alright, well, we start with the biggest pieces first - try to build up the hull up using cross section beams and get the general shape. We'll probably have to make a few mock-ups to start, but that's what the balsa wood is for.

[Boba nods as Poe speaks, walking to the side of the table with what Poe calls “balsa wood.” He grabs a piece and lifts it experimentally, finding it lighter than he expected. He puts it back down and traces a finger over it in the rough shape of Slave I’s silhouette. He doesn’t actually have any experience working with materials like this, but he’s doing his best not to let it show.]

Okay, [he says, walking back to his sketch and picking up the pencil.] We should start with the back. [He starts drawing again, this time sketching each piece separately: an oval, an oblong front section, and the two flat wings. When he’s done, he points at the oval with his pencil.] It’ll be the widest part of the ship and the sturdiest to build off of—if we can get it to curve right.

[Hearing the seriousness of his tone, one would almost think he’s discussing the construction of a real ship rather than a model.]

You remember what Slave I looks like, right?

We probably won't be able to get the exact curve with the wood, not with the tools we have anyway, but we can fake it by making curved cross sections and then laying strips down across the beams. Like building a boat.

When we get into the metal, that'll be easier to do the hull as just a couple pieces.

[ He leans over to get a better look at the oval. ]

I never saw her in person, but I remember the holos, yeah. Alright. Let's start with that back piece, then.

[Boba’s never made a boat before, but he can understand some of what Poe's plan regardless. He’s a little disappointed they have to start with wood first instead of getting straight into the final model, but Poe’s the one with experience here.]

Okay. You said they had tools in the library we could use?

[And then:] They made holos of Slave I?

Yeah. Not wood working, so much. But we can use some of those 3d printers to make the more finicky metal pieces. If we do the wood first, we can scan that in and get it done twice as fast.

[ He pushes over some of the balsa wood, and a pencil. ]

Yeah. Well I mean, they made holos of you, technically. There was a whole series about your exploits, when I was a kid.

Though I'm pretty sure the one they wrote where you fought a krayt dragon on an iceberg was made up...

[Is it bad that his first thought is "why didn't I get cool jetpack powers"? Maybe, especially considering his power is the Force which is strong enough on its own, but also... jetpacks are very cool. Jetpack dreams aside, this is a little weird, and Ezra raises an eyebrow at Boba.

While he isn't hiding that he's meeting with Kylo, he also hasn't publicly announced it to anyone, even if his shift towards the dark could be felt by another Force user. If it was Kanan or Rex or someone else like that, he'd probably lie. But that's not what's bothering him. Why does Boba care? Specifically why does he care enough to follow Ezra with his jetpack and then ask him?]

He writes poetry, so sometimes he recites it there. He was signing up for the poetry slam next week. [which is true!] Is that all you wanted to know or? I know we're not friends, but I think a "hey Ezra, how are you" would still be fine.

[Boba has no idea what a “poetry slam” is an his blank expression at Ezra’s explanation says as much. It doesn’t matter anyway. What matters is that Ezra is talking about Kylo Ren as if he’s just any other person and not—

Boba stops himself. Why does this matter? Even if Kylo does bear ill will towards Ezra, that’s not Boba’s problem. Whether or not Ezra actually is a Jedi aside, he wants to be one. And being a Jedi means shouldering the vengeance the rest of the galaxy deservedly holds towards them.]

Yes, [Boba makes himself say, fists curling at his sides until he can feel his nails biting into his skin. ’Just leave, this isn’t any of your business.’] That’s—

[All, he should say. If he were sure Ezra was a Jedi, that’s all he would say, but their conversation last month still has him in doubt. Instead, Boba scowls and crosses his arms, not sure who in this conversation he’s more annoyed with.] Do you even know anything about him?

Yeah. He first started coming here shortly after I arrived. I mean, he does do poetry and stuff, but obviously... you know... there's the Force. And he uses the dark side, but he's not Jedi or Sith. What else? Uh, he's my friend's son? Which is weird so I don't think about that a lot because obviously he's way older than me except I guess that's weird for you too since I'm older than you but you're probably-

[Ezra might be doing the rambling on purpose this time, but even he can tell he's gone a little too far. Buuut Boba's being weird? Technically these are all valid questions, but super weird coming from him.]

Why do you care anyways?

[Boba endures Ezra’s babble, expression growing increasingly impatient as the older boy continues. So Ezra knows Kylo uses the dark side but still associates with him, which is odd enough for a self-proclaimed Jedi. But if he knows the kind of people Kylo targets with those abilities, he doesn’t show it. Boba is tempted to just tell him, to warn him that he’s in danger—but then Ezra asks him the question he’s been asking himself this entire conversation and he stops short.]

I don’t care! [Boba snaps, reddening.] I just wanted to know what a Jedi was doing talking to someone like that. Aren’t Jedi supposed to be afraid of the dark side?

Fear leads to the dark side. And I'm not afraid anyways. It's not like he's a Sith Lord either.

[Ezra shifts his weight to his other leg, giving Boba another look over.]

Are you sure you don't care? Because [waving hands to indicate everything] that kinda makes it sound like you do.

[Boba rolls his eyes at the line about fear leading to the dark side. It’s amazing the Jedi have lasted as long as they have while shunning an emotion meant to keep them alive.]

I don’t care, [he says again, scowling. And he doesn’t. The only reason he’s warning Ezra is that Ezra isn’t really a Jedi, which means Boba has no reason to want him dead. And not wanting someone dead definitely isn’t the same as caring.

He still looks away when he continues, words at a mutter.]

Kylo Ren told me he kills Jedi, [he says. He glances briefly back at Ezra, eyes narrowing.] And it’d be stupid if he killed you because you pretend to be something you're not.

[When Boba says he's pretending, Ezra feels a rush of anger flair up, though he does his best to ignore it. It's not even directed at Boba, or anyone. He can't tell quite what he's angry about either, the fact Boba doesn't think of him as a real Jedi or the fact he's also not so sure if he really is one.]

He's not going to kill me. [Maybe he had never outright said he killed Jedi, but it wasn't like he was keeping who he was from Ezra. Kylo probably just thought it was implied? Also there aren't that many Jedi in the future to kill, and definitely no "real" Jedi according to Boba.] He's- We're training together. So you don't have to worry.

[Ezra’s lack of reaction gets a moment of surprised silence from Boba. He’d expected shock, anger, betrayal—not the calm, almost blasé response that Ezra gives him. His own surprised look quickly changes into a glare.]

I’m not making this up, you know. He told me he nearly wiped out the Jedi—all except one.

[It doesn’t make sense. Even Jedi—and would-be Jedi—should feel something hearing that their acquaintance wants to kill everyone like them. Why is Ezra acting like it’s a non-concern?

Boba glares for a few more seconds. And then... his brow furrows and he regards Ezra with sudden suspicion.]

You know you’re not a Jedi, don’t you?

I am a Jedi!

[He glares back, clenching his fists. It's easier to be sure of that when it's for the sake of an argument somehow.]

Why do you care if the Jedi are gone? That's what you want, right? And they're not even real Jedi by your standards. Poe told me the temple was destroyed. Kylo told me everyone was dead. I can put the pieces together myself.

But he's had plenty of opportunities to kill me here and he hasn't. And I don't think he will any time soon either. Like I said, we're training together.

I told you, I don’t care—but you should! [Boba shouldn’t be getting angry about this. Ezra isn’t his friend and he shouldn’t care whether he lives or dies. But that’s not really what this is about anymore, is it?

Boba knows what it’s like to be a sole survivor. So had his father. It should hurt. Even for a Jedi, it should hurt.]

Even if he doesn’t want to kill you, he killed everyone like you, [Boba continues, glowering.] Doesn’t that bother you at all? How can you just act like it doesn’t mean anything?

Because! I'm not going to let it happen!

[Ezra sighs, trying to calm himself down before he speaks again. He's already lectured enough as is, he doesn't need this from a kid who hates the Jedi.]

Kylo's from my future, you know. Like I'm from yours. I guess you could call it a future, though. But that's why I'm training with him. I need to become stronger, strong enough that I can save everyone.

[Boba stills at Ezra’s angry response. it’s not the would-be Jedi’s temper that gives him pause, though. It’s that Ezra has finally said something that makes sense.

Forgiving one’s enemies is not something Boba can comprehend. Nor is shrugging off the murder of those close to you. But wanting to be stronger, strong enough to make the people who wronged you pay—that is something he understands.]

Does Kylo know that’s why you’re training with him? [he asks, lowering his voice as if wary of someone else hearing.] To try and stop him back home?

He knows. Or he knows enough to figure out what my plan is.

[Funnily enough, his response was mostly the same as Kanan's. That Ezra should focus on the here and now, rather than what he can't change in the past or future. But he didn't outright discourage him the way everyone else did, and he still agreed to teach him.]

Maybe he's okay with it. He trained as a Jedi, maybe part of him wants the future I'm fighting for too.

[A Jedi training with a Sith and a Sith helping a Jedi. It’s strange but Boba supposes the two sides have always had a strange relationship. If anything, he feels more resentful of Kylo Ren. The man had boasted about being the a Jedi-Killer; had he been telling the truth at all, or was he simply taking credit for the work the clones had fought and died for? And now he might actually want to bring them back.]

The Jedi don’t deserve a second chance, [Boba says, eyes hard.] And you won’t be able to save them, anyway.

[He knows how this place works. Lucien will return home and die. Rex had already returned home and been betrayed. And Boba knows from his adult self’s memories that one day, he’ll return home and do something bad enough to regret for decades afterwards. None of them get to change their futures.

In this case, maybe that’s for the best.]

If you want to waste your time, [he says, stepping back.] Be my guest.

[He’ll put a bit more distance between himself and Ezra and then turn and walk away.]

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[closed] you must do unto the others

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making shit up, lemme know if i should not lol but i figure...

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wrap?