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characters: Kylo Ren, Armitage Hux
location: Chapel Rock #2
date/time: Mid-February, after Kylo's conversation with Pluto
content: Kylo promised Pluto a droid, she gave him supplies, he may or may not need help
warnings: None

[ After his conversation with Pluto, the two agreed on Kylo building her a droid in exchange for his helmet that was left behind on Starkiller Base. It was the best thing he could settle on as he wasn't willing to build her a lightsaber (it had to be earned, it was something passed down through families or made for oneself), and she wasn't interested in a speeder or some sort of craft. He figured he'd be able to do it; after all, building droids is in his family. His grandfather built that godawful protocol droid that acted as if it was part of the family. Luke was well versed in servicing the droids, too, having put C-3PO back together as well as tending to the astromech droid, R2-D2, something his grandfather did too.

This knowledge was passed down, Uncle Luke having shown Ben (now Kylo) how to care for their droids during his childhood. Luke also showed him how to work on speeders and spacecraft alongside his father. And, when he was old enough, Kylo built his own lightsaber.

Building a droid couldn't be that hard, right? His good-for-nothing uncle built them, his grandfather built them... He could build them, too. He had everything they had at his disposal.

Of course, Kylo deeply regrets this decision when he finds himself sitting in a sea of parts, the living area well lit by two torches and his lantern. He's stuck, not really sure what step he needs to take next, and he refuses to ask for assistance. ]

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[It wasn't difficult to figure out what Kylo was trying to do. Hux didn't offer his help at first since he preferred to see Kylo struggle at first. He knew Kylo wouldn't ask for help so it was amusing to see him flounder a bit.

When he came into the house, he held up his lantern to see Kylo sitting in the middle of a vast array of parts. He couldn't help but smirk as he took off his boots, taking a moment to hang his coat as well.]

It looks like you have quite the project on your hands.

[If he was going to offer Kylo his help, he was going to enjoy it first, while he could.]

What kind of droid are you building?

[It was an innocent question with a tone of amusement as he leaned over Kylo's shoulder to see his progress. Or well, lack of.]

Doesn't look like you've gotten very far.

[ Kylo looks back over his shoulder at Hux, eyes narrowed, clearly irritated with the other man's presence. He doesn't need this and, if Hux is going to do nothing but criticize or be nothing but a nuisance, he can leave. ]

A service droid. [ A pause ] Not as complicated as the protocol droid my grandfather built and we maintained.

[ He holds out his hand, a pair of pliers floating from across the room into it, and turns his attention from Hux back to the droid. He's got several of the basic parts that will become its body assembled, but the wiring is giving him a little more trouble than he initially figured it would. ]

Either take a seat and provide some assistance, or leave. I don't need your haughty commentary.

[Hux was smug that it seemed that his words seemed to hit a nerve. That was satisfaction enough for now.

He approached the table, setting his lantern next to Kylo's so there could be more light to work by. He sat next to Kylo, leaning forward to see what progress he had made.]

Let me see what you've done so far.

[He took one of the tools to inspect what Kylo was working on.]

You crossed some of the wires, that's why you're not getting steady input.

[ Droid maintenance was something Kylo didn't have as much experience in as he'd have liked. He usually let his uncle tend to the droids, instead favoring working on the Falcon and other ships with his father and, later, tending to his own lightsaber. He gives Hux a look before floating another tool over and setting it down in front of him. He hates this, hates this so much, but he knows Hux knows a great deal about this sort of thing. He'd always prided himself on the development of technology within the First Order, so Kylo is right to assume he'd know about the inner workings of a droid.

After a slight hesitation, he puts the piece he's working with down on the table and slides it over. ]

Here.

[Hux was surprised that Kylo was actually willing to accept help. He moved his lantern a bit so he could see the part better, narrowing his eyes in thought.

It wasn't about helping Kylo now, he liked having the challenge to solve. He knew technology, he liked to make things and having them work. It was a source of pride for him.]

See, here you needed- look, see this connector? You want to do this instead.

[He pointed as he moved tiny bits around, eyes narrowed in concentration. He was half talking to Kylo, half talking to himself at this point as he pointed out other bits that needed to be done.]

[ Kylo looks at what Hux is doing for a few seconds before reaching over and taking the piece back from his hands. It was working, moving as it should, and he hated it. He hated it because he couldn't figure it out on his own. He studies it closely, turning it over several times before setting it back on the table with a huff. ]

What did you do?

[ He doesn't like asking for help, didn't want to ask for help, yet here he sits asking for help from somebody he barely gets along with. They've been working alongside each other for over five years, and never once has he had to ask for help for anything.

When he speaks again, his voice is softer, almost as if he doesn't want his request heard. ]

Show me.

[Hux turned to Kylo with surprise, not sure if he heard what Kylo said for a moment. He had never heard Kylo ask for help in all the years he had spent with him.

But he didn't roll his eyes or taunt him for it right now. He was more focused on the parts in front of them. He turned back to the panel Kylo was holding, pointing with the tool, his attention entirely focused.]

See this? You were approaching the problem the wrong way. You see what I did there? This will provide a stable power flow that won't overload or overheat.

You were making it more complicated than it had to be. And see this connector? You were using the wrong kind of wire- this one is better.

But that doesn't make any sense, Hux. What you're doing with the servomotor should have worked the way I was doing it without overheating and with the wire I was using.

[ He stopped himself from saying What I was doing is exactly what Luke did when did some repairs to R2-D2, deciding it was best to keep thoughts like that to himself. Sure, he'd known Hux for years, but they didn't exactly have the best relationship and weren't really at the level of talking about their families and pasts with one another. ]

If you take that piece [ He reaches across the table and gets a set of small green wires ] and connect it with the integrator using these, it should work.

Edited 2020-03-09 01:58 (UTC)

If it would have worked it would have worked at first but it would have been unstable. It would have overheated quickly.

[He leaned in, almost forgetting Kylo was there as he continued to explain, pointing with the tool he was holding. He almost seemed a little excited as he worked, carefully manipulating parts and wires.

He rarely had the chance to actually build something since he never had free time back in their galaxy but he liked having projects here.]

No, it won't work with the photoreceptor parts that you have. At least, not as efficiently. I know we're working with limited materials but there are ways to make the most of them.

We should have everything we need for a third class droid.

[ He turns the piece over in his hand, looking at the specific part Hux was referring to, watching as Hux leans in and fusses with the wires. He finally hands Hux the piece, frustrated. ]

It's not like we're building a battle droid or an astromech.

[ Folding his arms across his chest, Kylo leans back in his chair and looks at what Hux currently has in his hand. This didn't come naturally to Kylo, not like it did Hux, and that alone irritates him. ]

You can do a lot with these parts if you're creative.

[The lack of advanced technology and specialized parts bothered him, certainly, but he liked a challenge. He was quiet for a few moments as he concentrated on his work, once in awhile reaching out to adjust the position of the lanterns for better light, reaching for other tools and parts. He didn't seem to notice Kylo was there, not even when Kylo spoke.

When he was done with what he was working on, he sat back with a bit of pride as he showed Kylo.]

This will work best for a good service droid.

[ Kylo snatches the finished piece Hux held out, turning it around in his own hand to get a better look at it. Everything Hux did makes sense and it truly bothers Kylo that he didn't think of it himself.

After a few moments of studying the piece, he turns his attention to the parts spread across the table, opening his hand and moving his fingers so one at the far end of the table floats over to him. ]

Would this function as a start to the locomotor if we connect it to the piece you just completed?

[Hux barely resisted the urge to smile when Kylo snatched the part from his hands. He was confident in his abilities, he had spent countless hours learning to put things together and making them work since he was a child.]

Hm? No, I wouldn't use that. There, that over there.

[He leaned over Kylo a little to point at another part further down the table.]

And pass me that wrench. I have an idea.

[ Kylo leans back to let Hux reach past him, the look on his face a mixture of anger and confusion. Hux has essentially taken over this operation entirely, leaving Kylo sitting there as little more than an assistant. It angers him, mostly because he's loath to admit that this will end far better than had he done it all himself.

He slams the piece he'd picked up down on to the table and crosses his arms over his chest again. ]

Here.

[ With a flick of his wrist he floats the wrench over to Hux, saying nothing else. ]

[Hux ignored Kylo for a moment, grabbing the wrench from mid-air. He was engrossed his work for a few moments before finally sitting back with a satisfied smile.]

Alright, this will work better. See what I did there?

[He pointed with the wrench, almost excited with what he had accomplished. He handed the section he had finished to let Kylo examine it.]

This will be more stable and prevent overheating.

[ Taking the piece from his hand, Kylo turns it over in his own, giving it a once over. He sees exactly what Hux did and... he's right. It does work better. ]

Are you just going to build the entire droid, then?

It's supposed to be your project, I was just helping on this part.

[He's not going to do all the work unless Kylo asked him to do it. But he's also not going to put up a fuss. He likes having something to work on to fill his free time.]

I think I at least gave you a good head start.

[ He takes a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment before looking back over at Hux. Kylo knows he has the ability to build a droid; he's not an idiot. Sure, he can get it done, but it would likely be a lot easier with the help of somebody with more engineering experience. ]

You're welcome to keep working on it. I haven't done anything with a droid since I was a child. [ He pauses, reaching for something else on the table to begin tinkering with it. ] I'm just doing this because it was either a droid or a lightsaber and I wasn't going to build a lightsaber for Pluto.

You're doing this for Pluto? In exchange for what?

[He paused as he looked at Kylo with furrowed brows.]

If I'm going to be doing the work then I will be asking Pluto for something of my own.

I asked her for my helmet.

[ He closes his eyes, running a hand through his hair to brush it out of his face. ]

She wanted a lightsaber, but I wasn't willing to do that. I had to earn mine, I'm not going to give her one just for my helmet... So, I offered a droid.

[ Kylo hands another piece he'd been working on earlier in the day to Hux, this one something to aid in the droid's balance and movement. ]

Here, look at this piece I put together before you came back.

Edited 2020-03-13 04:08 (UTC)

[Hux barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes when Kylo said that he was making an actual service droid just for his stupid helmet. Instead, he just stared at him for a moment with disbelief. This was a lot of work for a ridiculous helmet.]

I can't believe you sometimes.

[Was all he said before taking the piece from Kylo to inspect it. He turned it over in his hands, adjusting a wire here and there.]

Yes, it will work well.

[ The helmet is part of the aesthetic. Hux wouldn't understand. ]

You're assisting me so let her know that we worked together to build this. Maybe she'll give you something, too.

[ He reaches in front of Hux and picks up a handful of metal bits that looked like they could work for the body of the droid, clearing a space in front of him and arranging them so he could look at them all together. It wouldn't be a large droid, but it would certainly function as needed... About the size of the average service droid back home. ]

It's not as if I told her she'd get something as advanced as an astromech or a protocol droid. This is a service droid, just something to assist with basic household tasks or whatever she needs help with. Bring her some juice when she needs it.

Building a small service droid shouldn't be too complicated. [Hux doesn't even want to understand.]

Good. I deserve some of the credit.

[He watched Kylo thoughtfully before reaching out to adjust the layout to something he thought would work better.]

You can help me, it will go faster.

[He picked up another tool and reaching out to grab other parts without being asked.]

[ Kylo wants more than anything to punch Hux, choke him with the Force, slam him into the wall with a flick of his wrist... Something to get the anger and frustration he currently has in regards to his co-commander turned roommate after death. He had been made to co-exist with Hux during the last 5+ years with both men on board the Finalizer or the Supremacy, and Kylo knows how frustrating he can be, so this whole working together on something? A foreign concept.

He wonders what the Supreme Leader would think of the two sitting side-by-side, building a droid together. ]

Help you with what?

With the droid. I know you can build it but you know I have the expertise to make it better. And the better it is, the more information and favors Pluto will be willing to part with.

[And he had a feeling that Kylo would get frustrated at some point and break things which would just be a waste of parts. He decided that he wasn't going to give Kylo a chance to argue as he held out his hand.

It was strange to think about them actually working on a project without murdering each other. It remained to be seen if they could actually pull this off.]

Come on, there is a lot of work to be done. Pass me that smaller wrench.

With the droid. [ He says, mockingly ] I know that, you asshole.

[ This time, he snatches the wrist and shoves it at Hux, deciding against using the Force for this. He sucks in a deep breath, slowly exhaling in an attempt to control his anger because he can't get mad at Hux. He doesn't need to destroy this house - there are no low ranking officers or troopers to repair his damage - and he certainly doesn't need any words from Hux on the matter. ]

I meant what, specifically, do you want me to help with? I'm not going to just sit here and pass you tools and parts.

[This time Hux did roll his eyes when Kylo decided to be immature. It was to be expected after all. He looked at him for a moment, waiting for him to lash out and smirked just a little when he didn't.

Maybe Kylo was starting to understand that his actions had consequences and that there was no one to clean up after him here.]

If you're going to make yourself useful you can start on the outer casing.

[He assumes Kylo can do that much easily enough. It will give him some peace and quiet while Kylo is occupied.]

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