Chapter 3

"Do not lower your arm, stay in position and slowly transition to the third stance," Anakin ordered, gently using the Force to correct Dinah's stance.

Together, the two of them moved their feet, contracting their muscles in the same way for a few seconds before relaxing again and returning to the beginning stance.

Dinah was soaked with sweat, her shirt clinging to her body and her limbs were trembling. Anakin was doing much better; the beginning levels of the training really weren't strenuous to him, especially as he could feel the Force already filling his body.

Suddenly, Dinah collapsed on her back, her limbs no longer able to support her as she desperately tried to catch a breath. Kneeling by her side; he laid a hand on her and channeled the Force, using Force healing to accelerate the recovery of her muscles.

It was not very effective, Anakin had only attempted to learn the skill later in life and, while consumed by the dark side, he had never been able to execute it. Now, with a calm mind, he could do it, but he was far from mastery.

"Ugh, will this really let me be as powerful as you?" She asked when she was finally able to draw enough air to speak.

"No," Anakin immediately denied, with such weak connection and having started even later than him, it was unlikely she'd ever reach even the level of a Jedi Knight, not unless he took drastic measures and he didn't have the right materials at hand.

"What! Awww, cramp, cramp!" Suddenly pushing herself up before she was ready, Dinah cradled her leg as the muscles visibly twitched under her pants.

Anakin quickly focused his attention there and dispelled the pain, only earning himself a new glare from his youngling. "You're evil you know that?"

"Many have called me that, yes," he nodded again. Sitting down beside her, he continued to heal her body from micro-tears, accelerating her development and recovery.

"Fine, why are we doing this, then?" She pouted at him, but Anakin just messed her hair like Obi-Wan used to do before he outgrew him.

"Matukai training is a form of meditative martial arts," Anakin explained, finally taking his hand away from her, he hadn't healed her completely, but they were done training for the morning and she'd be able to finish it by herself until next day. "It uses the physical body to channel the Force and can increase all of your attributes; the routine will give you several advantages and, unlike the Jedi training, can increase one's Force sensitivity, especially in those not inherently gifted… eventually."

In truth, only a small part of being strong in the Force consisted of being Force sensitive. Training, skill, experience, it all affected one's powers, but, perhaps the most important part was belief, faith, a fundamental trust that the Force could achieve what you were attempting.

To the Force, doubt was more crippling than lack of talent or sensitivity. As grandmaster Yoda liked to say, 'do or do not, there is no try.' If one doubted they could achieve something, they had already failed.

There were several ways to build trust, and physical training was a good way of doing that, a youngling believed, and it was easily proved, that one grew strong with physical training; it wasn't as big of a stretch to extend that belief to the Force.

"Can't you just… wave your hand at me like you did that guy in the shop and make me stronger?" The little girl begged, attempting to sway him with watery eyes.

"The Force is not just some Parahuman power, it can't just be handed out," Anakin shook his head, flicking her forehead and pushed himself up. "You require training, understanding… faith."

"But, you said The Force can do anything?" Dinah accused, her voice as if she had caught him lying.

Anakin stared at the girl and sighed heavily. "It can, but I cannot… I knew of a Sith who probably could do just that, but he died before I ever became a Jedi Knight and my Master never managed to replicate his feat."

"Alright, just how long will it take?" Dinah let herself fall back on the ground.

"That will depend on a lot of factors, but the training will be beneficial even if you never learn to use the Force," Anakin said and put his shirt back on. "My best guess is that, in about half a year, you'll be reaching what your PRT calls a 1 in brute, mover and combat thinker. With meditation, you may continue to grow from there."

"I guess I won't be juggling tons of metal anytime soon, huh?" Dinah sighed and turned towards the back of the building watching as Anakin finished shaping the last parts of the geological compressor.

Turning with her, he focused back on his work. Anakin had enough concentration to go through the earlier stages of Matukai training while using Force Telekinesis to build most of the components, but some things required a little more attention.

Geological compressors were not, in general, bantha sized devices, but he had to use VERY subpar materials and adapt things to get the device to work. It had been a very frustrating project.

It was not like Anakin hadn't had to build things with scrap before, but it had been a very long time, and he had never had to do it with such primitive tools and materials.

Really, he had to actually use the Force for nearly half of the procedure because this planet just didn't have the tools to build the tools.

Lifting his arm, he concentrated into the floating pieces and closed his fist, causing all parts of the device to snap into place, the wires connecting with a hiss as it was powered on.

Gently lowering the equipment to the floor, he opened the central chamber and deposited the last necessary piece, a block of raw mineral with a high carbon concentration, now he'd have to wait four days for the synthetic to bake.

Usually, it wouldn't take more than a single day but, again, the entire device was far from perfect.

Stepping back, Anakin considered his new charge, they had acquired everything that she needed earlier this morning and, while he did sense danger in the Force, it was an ever present thing in the city.

"I will need to meditate on the crystal formation; do you require help before I start?"

"Nope, I'm used to being alone," Dinah answered, dragging herself to her new, makeshift bed and pulling out a simile of a data pad to start tipping away. "Hey, can I make you a mask?"

"Will it be necessary?" he asked, sitting down with his legs crossed in front of the large device. It wasn't an absolute requirement, but meditating and helping in the crystal formation made for a far stronger lightsaber. "I have no desire to play with your heroes and villains and I… would prefer not to wear a mask."

"Awww… I mean, it's great that you don't act like everyone else!" Dinah said, smiling widely at him while pulling her knees closer to her body, her back resting against the wall. "But everyone wears masks; it would be strange if you didn't."

He supposed she was right, Anakin had yet to truly study his new planet, preferring to prioritize the youngling's well being and building his tools first, but fitting in could be useful until he was better established.

He didn't want to wear a mask, but he could bear with it. Looking down at her eager face, he sighed. "Very well, find a design you like and I'll help you craft it later."

"Thanks!" taping furiously on the device.

Closing his eyes, Anakin focused his attention inside the machine, guiding his crystal formation, attuning it for his own use. He briefly considered what color to give the crystal.

Left by itself, it would become red, but that was far too close to his time as a Sith and the color was easily influenced if he so desired. Creating a blue or Green blade would remind him too much of his time in the Jedi Order and, while he no longer considered that a terrible thing, he wasn't a Jedi.

Really, the tradition was to choose a crystal that most fitted his temperament, but Anakin already knew that would be red. Perhaps it was best to manipulate the crystal into a color that represented what he was aiming for, not what he wanted to surpass. If only he knew what that was.

Hmm, something to consider later, now it was time to focus on consolidating the crystal and giving it stability.

Focused as he was in the Force, Anakin felt better than he had in decades, for a moment, he released all his anger, his hate, and reached for the Force simply with the peace of mind, receiving only acceptance back, as if the Force was welcoming him after a long time away.

Suddenly, a scream in the Force snapped him out of meditation and he fell to the floor on his feet. Looking out towards the city, he concentrated for a second, feeling a new wave of fear filling the city and spreading. Something new was coming.

The deaths, when they came, barely fazed him, he had felt far too many die to be affected by a couple dozen, but they were violent, terrified and desperate.

The windows on the top of the building exploded, raining down shards of glass that were stopped by a Force push and swept aside even as Dinah screamed in fear and fell to the floor. It seems like some kind of exotic bomb exploded far too close for comfort, sending a wave of energy that shook the ground around them.

A smaller explosion in the distance caused the girl to release another cry and run towards him. Putting a hand over her shoulder, Anakin gathered the girl to himself and focused on the Force again, but he didn't sense any danger towards them.

"Do not fear, we are safe here," he reassured the girl, but he still felt her fear, she thought it was another attack on her. "Chances that you're going to be attacked here?"

"Seven point one, two, three, seven percent. Ugh, don't do that!" Dinah punched his leg, but he could already see her calming down. "It always feels odd to see the numbers when I'm not expecting it."

"Hmmm, have you ever tried to sense the past?" he asked, channeling Force healing towards her head again. "Those capable of Force visions sometimes focus too hard in the wrong direction."

"It doesn't work," she breathed out, finally stepping away from him when there were no further explosions. "It doesn't hurt, but I can't see anything too."

Glancing at the Geological compressor, Anakin briefly considered going back into meditation. With a sigh, he turned away and led her back towards the bed, sitting down with her.

It wasn't like he couldn't make a new synthetic kyber crystal later; he didn't need the first one to be perfect. In fact, the makeshift device wouldn't be able to make a satisfactory crystal no matter how much he used the Force to guide its formation and he'd have to build another when he had better materials.

He had been tempted to leave and see what exactly was going on, but he had very little information about the city and he didn't want to leave the girl alone. While he was safe here, he sensed that it wouldn't remain like that if he was away for more than an hour or two.

Looking around, he found his own data pad --no, it was cell phone here—he found his phone sitting on top of the car and, with a flick of his hand, drew it towards the bed. It was about time he learned more about this city.

"I am so jealous right now," Dinah commented, staring at his phone with narrowed eyes.

Sensing her reason, Anakin snorted. "Laziness will not make using the Force easier."

"Hmph!"

Dinah flinched as another bomb went off into the city, but she didn't yell again and, soon, they both grew quiet as they continued to use the phones.

Anakin did a more in-depth search of the planet's political situation and powers, but he mostly focused on the city. Brockton Bay was divided into 5 main Forces, but there were dozens of smaller powers around.

The first power was the local government, most importantly, the PRT department ENE, consisting of several 'heroes' and 'wards' that worked as law enforcement, not entirely unlike the Jedi Knights and Padawans. Anakin had no interest in joining them, but he didn't have anything against them either.

The second was the 'New Wave', a family group that, while having enough 'parahumans' to be significant, did not seem to achieve anything in the city, not even holding on to too much territory.

Anakin was much better disposed towards them than the PRT for the simple reason that one of their members was the one to heal him. In actual fact, he had no doubt that, if the Force saw fit to send him here, it would have found a way to keep him alive, but Panacea's healing probably made that far more comfortable than otherwise.

The third was the Empire 88. Anakin wanted to laugh just by saying that, to think that such a small organization dared to call itself an 'Empire', he actually had the urge to get up and destroy them right now, but he managed to stop himself.

A supremacist organization that preached the supposed superiority of a specific ethnicity of the human race above all others, a concept both ridiculous and so very small in Anakin's view. The most numerous, they attempted to seem more civilized than the other sides and so, were restricted to less overt actions.

The forth, the 'merchants', a group of addicts, smugglers and the proverbial nest of scum and villainy that existed in every city he had ever been through. They were numerous for the simple reason that they were beneath notice most of the time.

Last, but certainly not least, the 'ABB'. Anakin didn't really understand the significance of the name, but it sounded incredibly stupid to him, and the internet seemed to agree.

Held together by a powerful figure, it was not much different from this 'Empire', the only real divergence was that they did not need the pretence of civility and so, they indulged in the worst: violence, slavery, rape, forced prostitution.

There were several other smaller powers here, a so-called 'Coil' being the biggest of them, but they didn't seem too important.

Anakin adjusted his position, letting Dinah's head rest on top of his thigh as she nearly drifted off to sleep. The sun had fully gone down, so he just made sure she was comfortable and started meditating again.

Should he get involved in the city? He wouldn't be working for any government, especially one that seemed so close to the Republic before the war. But did that mean he should stay away from everything?

No, the Jedi's mistake was that they had distanced themselves fully, lost touch with what was right; Anakin didn't want to fall into the same trap.

In truth, he still had the urge to just… kill them all, to take the city and use its resources to build himself a ship, it would be so much easier and, considering Nilbog and other such examples, it would probably work long enough.

It wasn't like they didn't deserve it, scum, slavers, criminals; Anakin could even see the corruption in the government and the so called PRT and protectorate.

He had been there for the end of the Republic, he had missed the signs then because Sidious was too great a master and he was too distracted by his own troubles, but he had learned.

Really, the similarities were glaring even with just a cursory glance. A corrupt government, a placid Protectorate content to obey orders and not act even when they clearly saw what the correct path was… He'd have to look deeper, but the Force warned him of someone's claw's working from the shadows.

Or maybe he was just projecting; Force Visions were notoriously known to be affected by the person's own views… to some of the most disastrous mistakes in the Galaxy's history.

Closing his eyes, he dropped the subject from his mind; he didn't want to walk that path himself, even if it was incredibly tempting to fall back on old habits.

Seeing that his charge had truly fallen asleep, he lifted her phone to distract himself and saw the masks she had been looking at. She had even used some programs to make some modifications and annotations.

Taking it all in, Anakin decided that they weren't terrible, unlike his previous helmet. The masks didn't cover the entire head and had enough space for a breathing mask and a visor to protect his eyes.

The design reminded him of a holocron of Darth Revan he had once seen, even if it wasn't an exact analog.

With a move of his hand, he ignited the forge on the other side of the building and put a piece of metal inside, causing it to become malleable. Pausing in consideration, he divided the metal in two and started shaping it.

He crafted both masks carefully, doing his best to keep the details, as he used Force telekinesis to shape the metal into a working version of the masks in Dinah's phone.

He spent another hour finishing the reinforced visor and breathing apparatus, before floating both masks closer, releasing them on top of their breakfast table. One of them was bigger, clearly made for him, but a second one was slightly smaller and far more detailed.

Finished with that, he attempted to lie down to sleep, but he couldn't close his eyes. The softness that seemed to swallow him, the vulnerable position, with his chest up and only a small blanket covering him. He couldn't stand it.

Getting up again, he sat in a meditative position and pulled his mask closer, holding it in his hand. Staring at the lens for quite a few minutes, he just didn't know what to feel and the Force didn't offer any insights.

Releasing the mask, he put it back in place and closed his eyes, loosing himself in the Force while gently guiding the kyber crystal formation inside the device.

The next day started with another explosion, Dinah falling off the bed and hitting her head on the ground. Slowly, she gathered herself and dragged her blanket through the floor to pick a cup of milk and cereal.

On her way back to bed, she walked by both masks once again. Milk flew out of her mouth as she nearly dropped the cereal and gasped for air. "Is that a helmet, oh my God you made it! Is that mine?"

Opening his eyes, Anakin stretched his muscles. "Finish your breakfast, we're gonna start training again."

"But… helmet?"

For a second, he just stared at her pouting face. eyes huge as she attempted to manipulate him. It wasn't working. "We're going out after training, you can wear it then," he breathed out, starting to adjust his positioning.

"Yes!"

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