I look to you

[Kaili Talith]

Things had seemed to quiet down on their little private island. Perhaps it was Kaili’s new hobby or perhaps it was the fact that both she and her siblings were all growing up and taking their first few steps into their teens and all the hormones that came with it. There was less of the prodding around at funny looking toads on Kaili’s behalf and more of the prodding at droids to see how they worked or even reacted to having their internal ‘organs’ toyed with.

She had been doing that since before her little meeting with Aela, but after having spent some time with her sister there was just something that kind of clicked when it came to books and reading them. Living other lives, being able to learn things beyond how to plant your face across a long-winded wall of text. In short she had discovered the marvel of reading and thanks to the book that the one and only [member="Aela Talith"] had shared with her Kaili now knew about the many different parts of droids. Not off-hand, but it was starting to stick a little here and there.

Her interest had certainly not gone unnoticed either. Sneaking out at night to check on the family droid, to look at the astromechs on the ship, Kaili did a lot of things that wasn’t exactly smiled upon, but at the very least there was comfort in knowing she didn’t break anything.

Most of the time.

However, today was different. Not because she had broken anything, but because Kaili had finally decided to involve the one person who knew the most about droids in the house than the rest of them did. Father. [member="Soliael Devin Talith"]. The man around the house. If anyone knew droids, it was this man. Bold steps placed her in front of The Man.

“Good morning, dad.” Less formal than usual. She must be up to something. “I was, like, thinking that maybe today we could, uhhh... You know, droids...”

Nah, skirting around the subject was easier for now.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kaili Talith"]

Soliael simply raised an eyebrow at his youngest daughter.

Nohei had never been very direct when she wanted something, generally she tended to beat around the bush and drop hints until Soliael and Kira caught wind of what exactly it was that she wanted. A few times it had taken one of her siblings telling Kira and Soliael what exactly it was that Nohei was after, though that had only been once or twice when she had been really vague.

This time however it didn't take a genius to figure out what she wanted, and Soliael found himself inwardly jumping for joy. He had known her gift for droids, for the mechanical aspect of the force, but he had never pushed or prodded her regarding it.

Mechu-Deru was his skill.

Soliael had been one of the first technomancers in the new age, he had visited Durza's fortress, torn it apart, and had studied Mechu-Deru for half a century. He had converted an entire species with the technovirus, created new life, taken command of droid armies, and had sundered entire fortresses with their own defenses. He was an undisputed master when it came to controlling machines with the force, and he was eager to pass that on to his children.

“Droids?” That of course didn't mean he couldn't mess with them first. “What about them? Did Felix break again? I swear its about time we replace him.”

 

[Kaili Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

“Uhh... No. No, he’s fine.” Her father tricked her good. “But uh, about that...”

What was a good way to ask for help in ‘controlling’ Felix and his kind? It felt so weird to just ask for a way to ‘control’ near-humans such as droids yet it was what she wanted, wasn’t it? Well, control and creation. It was a two-way deal sorta. All she wanted to do was create a droid and also how to control them.

Though the latter was a lot more interesting. Now, to voice her interest.

“You know how to control him and that’s cool and, uh...” She grabbed her father’s hand. “Canyoupleaseshowmehowtodothatbecauseitsoundsocool?”

“Aelagavemethisbookondroidsanditmademewanttoworkwithdroidsevenmore than before because droids are really cool.” She took a deep breath. Long-winded and unclear ramblings were here specialty. “Cooler than animals and bugs and toads and frogs and rats. It’s like mechanical life and that’s cooler because that’s something man-made and something we control ourselves even without the force butyoucandothatwiththeforceandthatis-” She took a second deep breath. “Amazing.”

“So could you pleeease show me how to do that?”

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

He smiled.

It was a subtle, small, smile, but it was a smile. He had been waiting for this. Of course he would teach her, but that would come in time. There were other things he had to teach her first. Mechu-deru was more than just controlling droids, more than just simply taking command.

It was a sense of things.

Like Aela, Micah, and Maleah were closer to nature, Kaili would be closer to technology. The ebb and flow of the ethos of electronics and machinery. Whereas Kashyyyk would light up to Nohei's siblings, Coruscant would be a burning sun to her.

He smiled at that. “Of course.”

“It won't be easy though.” Soliael said with that same smile. It had taken him years to do what he could do now. Years to even be able to do half the things he could now. It would be the same for her even with her natural talent. “And it won't be simple.”

 

[Kaili Talith]

“Of course not.” Kaili shook her head. “I would know better than to expect that.”

Nothing was ever simple with the lessons father seemed to teach them. They were at first, but the older they got the harder the lessons became. Saber combat was one of them and Kaili had without doubt picked enough bruises to finally understand that the hot plasma part was far more dangerous than one would expect both as a training equipment and ‘the real thing.’

Which was still probably just her underselling what she understood of it.

“Is there anything I need to do?” Kaili would chime up. “Because, I mean, we probably need a droid.”

Of course they did.

“Or do we need to have one of those long theory lessons first?”

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kaili Talith"]

“We won't be getting to droids for quite some time, Nohei.” Soliael said with a smirk.

Droids were vastly complex, difficult to figure out, and nearly impossible to properly control at first. No, if she was going to learn Mechu-Deru, then she would learn the proper way, not some bastardized version of teachings that some Sith went through now.

She would learn the ins and outs of dozens of machines, hundreds of simple and complex feats of mechanical engineering, and she would do it all under the watchful eyes of her father.

“First of all. The Skill that you want to learn is called Mechu-Deru.” Soliael began to teach, first by talking, then by leading Nohei to the garage of the house. There they would work for the next six hours. Soliael building simple switches, both mechanical and electronic, then having Nohei trigger them and take them apart. It was routine, boring, and Soliael smiled the entire time.

(I'd timeskip)

 

[Kaili Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

“Oh,” Kaili slowed down, disappointedly. “Okay.”

The lesson fired off. First with words as her father went over the various theoretical and practical know-hows of the skill. It didn’t take long for it to end though and for Soliael to lead his daughter out into the garage where she took a seat by the workbench as he got to work on the switches. She had no idea what she was in for, but as switch after switch was placed around the room she would find out about it all soon enough.

Following her father’s instructions Kaili managed to flip switches. For each click she heard the greater the excitement grew for every time she looked up to see her father’s smile. The support he provided helped her, the advice he gave guided her.

His helping hand lead her through her repeat dance of failure and success, but in the end it all seemed to get just a little bit clearer.

The final clicking sound of the switches echoed in the small enclosed space.

“I got it!” Kaili happily turned to Soliael. “I think... It’s starting to sort of click now.”

Giggling at self ensued. “Is that all or can we switch it up now?”

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kaili Talith"]

He smiled at his daughters joke, though he didn't laugh. Puns ran in the family it seemed, Soliael often made them at Kira, though his wife hardly appreciated them for some reason. He shook his head and then ruffled his daughters hair.

“Yes.” Slowly Soliael moved over towards the corner of the garage. His steps were quick and took him to a small chest.

He removed the lock from the chest in one quick instance, pulling out a small cube.

The cube was a simple electronic machine. It could have been likened to a small shape changing statue. Composed of about fifteen hundred separate mini-cubes, the cube could change shape and rearrange itself based on electrical impulses that surged through it. These impulses were normally transferred by wires applied to individual cubes, but Kaili would be using the force.

It was a child's toy turned into training equipment.

 

[Kaili Talith]

The old cube was placed atop of a surface and Kaili just couldn’t help raising her eyebrow. Sure, she knew of this thing. She had seen it and been meaning to play with it as a kid, but never really gotten to it with all the other things that got in the way. Things like climbing trees and poking around at animals for Micah or Maleah to save her. She wanted to say it was pretty average for Talith kids.

“It’s... A toy.” She remained skeptical. “I mean, obviously.”

She wasn’t blind, she could sense the occasional tendril reach out in the force speaking of the functionality within the electronic cube. She knew it could shape things, but shaping things felt like a whole other step up from the flicking of switches.

“What should I do?” Came the not entirely clueless query. “I mean, just shape it?”

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kaili Talith"]

“Yes.” Soliael said simply.

Of course, it wasn't the act of shaping it that was difficult. Anyone with control of electrical impulses could do such things, anyone with a battery could do that. It was the act of shaping it into more and more complex structures, shifting the blocks to something more than simple cube shapes. That was what the point of this was.

“You're trying to create something complex, Nohei.” Soliael said with a smile. “That is what Mechu-Deru is all about. Understanding the complex, deconstructing it, and using it for yourself. Part of understanding that, part of striving for it is to build your own complex structures.”

The cube was just the start for that.

Eventually they would build things far more complex than simple shapes of cubes.

 

[Kaili Talith]

Shaping little cubes into something. She could do that, no problem. With a deep breath she closed her eyes again. A hand reached out towards the toy and she closed her mind to focus. It was just like before, she had to find those small tendrils and pull at them to make the cube turn into another shape. The only real hard part was figuring out what kind of shape she wanted.

The kid let out a slight groan. It was taxing, even for the tiny future force-god-like beings such as Kaili. She was by no means exhausted, it was merely providing a lot more resistance and demanded a lot more focus than the girl would have expected at first.

One part of the cube began to shake and shiver. A second more quieter groan called out before the form slowly began to reshape from a mere cube into a majestic rectangle instead standing tall atop the wooden workbench surface.

“A rectangle.” Kai opened her eyes. “It’s a lot more complicated than I expected.”

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kaili Talith"]

“Well...” Soliael trailed off for a second as he observed his daughters work. “Thats why were starting here.”

The cube was simple, easy once you got the hang of it, but for a beginner, for someone that was just starting out. Electronic manipulation was difficult, it required a certain knowhow that didn't come as naturally as many others might expect it to.

Of course this was also just the beginning.

Controlling droids, doing what you wanted with electronics, that was an entirely different game that needed its own subsect of training. It was difficult to perceive, but in the end Nohei would be able to control entire armies of droids. That was a long way from now, but it would happen eventually. “Try again, this time...think of something more unique.”

He smiled.

 

[Kaili Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

“Uh, right.” Kaili nodded. “Here goes.”

Raising the palm of her hand towards the cube again the young Talith went to work. The technique wasn’t too different from something her mother had shown her long ago, but that was mostly something that helped her turn off the bedlight from afar, nothing that would serve a real purpose or use. Unless she had to spend another week in bed with sickness, then it was considerably more handier.

Slowly the cube-turn-rectangle began to change its shape again. The bottom began to recede and bend inwards as the toy steadily took the shape the kid wanted it to take. It was just a matter of getting the pillars right after which the top third of the rectangle would begin to bend as well until the two Taliths were left with a toy in the shape of a small watchtower.

Kaili’s arm was slowly lowered as she held back a grunt.

“It’s a watchtower.” She opened her eyes. “Yes! It is a watchtower!”

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kaili Talith"]

His lips pulled back into a smirk.

It was progress, quick progress. Soliael wouldn't have expected anything less from his children. Aela, Micah, and Maleah were all making quick progress. Aela was deathly fast when she wanted to be, Micah could hunt down almost anything, and Maleah had accidentally tamed a flock of birds that had flown over the island.

There was no shock in him at seeing his daughter learn so quickly, and so well. He smirked slightly, looking forward to when he would get to brag to his wife about this moment. Finally one of his children would take after his own strengths.

“Good.” Soliael said. “Now make it move.”

Difficult, but animating the blocks should not be too difficult.

 

[Kaili Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

“What?” Kaili blinked at her father. “You mean like walk-move? Not telekinesis-move? Alright.”

She turned around to face the watchhouse again. Hand extending itself again she focused on the cornerstones of her own creation. She knew this watchtower, the weak spots and where the balance laid. Through the force she could feel it and now all that remained was to make it move.

She took a deep breath. In through the nose, out through the mouth. The girl was closed her eyes and went to work once more. Moving her own body she could do, but move to move another body and a body that wasn’t truly hers to begin with, was a whole other spectrum. She needed to keep that balance up yet she couldn’t keep it immobile or stiff. She had to keep it’s ‘legs’ in motion.

There is a way. The girl thought. Let’s try this.

In a matter of seconds the newly acquired front legs of the watchhouse rose for the sky. The structure fell over but the front leg curled to catch the fall. As it came to an angled landing the hind legs began pushing the building ahead in what looked like a small hut that had acquired legs and was slowly crawling across the workbench surface.

Everything was coming up Kaili!

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kaili Talith"]

He smiled again.

Small steps.

Small steps forward. It wasn't how he had learned. No his learning in this field had been far more...cruel. Of course he would never share that fact with Kaili. He would never tell her how he had acquired the technovirus, how he had tamed it and poured it through his veins, how he had unleashed it upon Zeltros.

Those were things he would never tell his daughter, not until she was much older. Instead he smiled at her and ruffled her hair. It was progress, and eventually those little cubes would be little less than a thought to her. She would be able to create automatons at a very thought, a simple wave of her hand. Soliael reached out towards the tower.

“Now, watch.” His palm hovered over the odd structure, and then a pulse ran through his hand.

The tower exploded. Each piece broke apart and fell into a large pile, except the pile never fell. It floated within the air, suspended. Each block was held half an inch apart, each block sparked, small bolts of electricity jumping from one to another. They held within the air for half a second, then suddenly slammed into a single piece.

Within an instant the blocks came together, crackling and forming a small holo-image above them.

 

[Kaili Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

Kaili’s hair was ruffled again and the pride of doing something right beamed off of the smile she put up on a wide display. It was great to spend time just alone with her father and the fact that she learned about droids and mechanical stuff while doing it was like an added bonus unlike any other. Was father the cool one? Possibly, though mother certainly did have her way with baking and other abilities.

It was the ancient dilemma of droids against food. A tough one to be sure.

Then her father had exploded her creation. While the sting of disappointment was evident for a mere second she quickly found herself amazed to the point where her jaw nearly dropped. She blinked her eyes wide open for a second. It was a holo-image of... Something.

“Show off.” Kaili chuckled as she shook her head to snap out of it. “I can do that too!”

“... Somehow.”

“... Show me?”