(no subject)

[clan_techie]

The Madrigal crime syndicate had been disbanded, and luckily someone involved with that disbanding knew where to send her tech -and favorite pet- since releasing him into the local waterways wasn't something he'd survive, not with the augmentations he had and not when no one knew for sure if he was even native to the planet. Cybernetic eyes that hadn't actually been made for him and had just been implanted because they were available and a collar that was fitted closely enough that they couldn't be sure whether it was just tight or whether it was grafted on, and the small box set against his throat was apparently just there to deliver a stinging electrical charge if he made any of the sounds a Mer would naturally make, apparently an encouragement to speak basic.

He definitely wouldn't have survived just being released into the waterway in the state he was in even just a couple days on his own. No one had known he was in her manor or they would have cleared it out sooner, and it was the brand at his temple marking him as property instead of a member of the syndicate that likely saved him from arrest or worse.

When he arrived at the facility on Naboo he was in what amounted to a shipping container, too small by half and short enough that his tail was folded back on itself, fins starting to curl, though it was likely that was more from malnutrition and being kept in a too small tank at the Madrigal Manor more than it was the travel container. He was definitely underweight, skin practically pale enough to see through, and what had once been brilliantly orange-copper scales on his tail and scattered in patches up his torso were dull, almost dusty. He'd hissed and snapped half-heartedly at his rescuers, but didn't have the energy for much more than that, and definitely didn't have it now after a few hours in hyperspace. Mostly he was just regarding his new surroundings with suspicion, breathing and the movements of the gills along his ribs irregular and shallow.

Comments

[clan_techie]

"Thank you." His head tilted back, just a little, eyes going unfocused. Or, rather, focused on some middle-distance, apparently some kind of internal HUD, both eyes focusing and re-focusing at different rates as they had before, though it was only a few moments before he sagged forward a little, nodding once in something like relief, some of the wary tension just bleeding out of him.

It wasn't the same as being wired in -essentially- to the whole manor, but he could access public camera feeds and entertainment and news media, plus whatever informational libraries were public-access. Given time he could get his way into more secure areas, but he wasn't going to, not without good reason, and just being able to look up the names of the plants he was surrounded with and what they did, or could be used for was enough.

There was another quiet: "Thank you." And because he figured she should know, as it might help, he explained: "I was Madrigal Manor, security feeds and communications and everything." Another fingertip tap to his temple, "I saw all." He was reasonably sure it had been meant to disorient him, and it had, at first, but he'd persevered and had then just gotten used to that level of connectivity as a baseline.

[defendstruth]

While Naboo valued personal privacy above most other things - almost all things - they were still open about things involving education and legalities. He wouldn't find personal record of Naboo citizens, but the libraries? All those were there. Museums. Art. Election information on how to vote and each candidate's public views. Her own. Including how her people had tried to talk her into turning Naboo into a hereditary monarchy so she could stay, and how she's refused and instead created stricter term limits.

Padmè had looked away whine he settled, giving him privacy to work and settle himself.

"You're welcome. You can also interface with this building's settings via the holonet but that would take setting you up to do so. We did move the controls to many things so you could use them from the water, if you'd like to see the panel?" That may make him feel safer, given this information.

[clan_techie]

Chances were good that he'd do some deep-dive educational reading, once he realized that he wouldn't actually suffer repercussions for it, and at the offer he nodded, "Yes, thank you, I'd like that."

Because he would, if they were going to go and let him have some kind of control over his environment then the sooner he learned that the better. Not that he was actively expecting the offer to be rescinded, but there was definitely an edge of that in the back of his mind, simply because that was what he was used to happening.

[defendstruth]

"Of course." As if the most reasonable thing - which to her it was. Padmè stood, not noticing (or more correctly - not minding) the few inches of her inner robe which got wet in the water. She didn't head deeper however but out and then parallel to the shore towards the left side of the pool, carefully but gracefully and with full confidence over the low moss slicked rocks to one if the walls. There was, at one of the a shape suggesting steps but liked naturally formed. Padmè stepped down those and sat on the level spot that wasn't covered in moss. Her legs to mid-calf were submerged and the water was deep enough for Techie to fully submerge himself by almost 40 centimeters, or too take advantage of a rock formation that would leave him sitting parallel to the well, his tail able to move freely but his back and hips cradled by the ricks softened with lush vegetation. Within both their hands reach was a cleared rock, bare of moss and stained purple. She pressed it and a holoscreen appeared.

[clan_techie]

If he hadn't already known she'd grown up in the lake-lands, that ease and grace even ankle-deep would have been enough to cement the idea. He was once again startled by the scatter of fish when he moved, as he hadn't noticed them in his fin until he did so, but there was some sort of amusement that followed the startle, now that he knew they were, essentially, friends.

He followed easily enough, tail still stiff, but not so much as to leave him immobile, it would probably be a few days of work before it was back to full range of motion again, but he wasn't too worried about it. He settled himself easily into that perch, practically wiggling into it as he did so, finding it more comfortable than he'd expected, "Oh, that's clever."

[defendstruth]

Padmè still lived, officially, in Lake Country, her residence on Naboo the lake house she's so loved as Queen. While government property, it was offered to her as an honor for her service.

And she could see he was moving stiffly but ablely. If not, she'd had reached out to one of the Gungans to stay with him for a while. "Clo-Clo Wurs designed a good deal of the underwater architecture and Lo Slown the 'interior' design. The controls can be handled by a wet hand or turned on with your fluke as they are waterproofed and the screen can br reangled here," she touched the lower right corner and pulled it with her, lower and turn turned it so it was at his eye level, "to make it more accessible to you. You can also holonet message any of us, from myself to design to janitorial, or maintenance staff if you need. The chef and nutritional team are a complete submenu under 'dietary', EmDee and other medical team members can be messaged the same way. There is emergency maintenance on call as well." Working from behind the screen she touched different panels highlighting them. Padmè expected he'd go through them at length later.

[clan_techie]

He watched closely as she manipulated the screen, his own hands lifting to flip through menus with ease, apparently memorizing the information in them as he did so, though he only rearranged a few of the items, he'd probably do more later, it seemed as if it was more just to see how easily he could do so than anything else.

Realizing the amount of personnel apparently just readily at his disposal, he started to get wary again, shaking his head as he closed all the listings back to main screen level, "This is so much."

[defendstruth]

Padmè knew the look. It's how she'd felt, at her first civic posting. "You do share most if them with others. But I understand it's a lot to have it you at once." It's gently said. "Today the chef who prepares your food will be by with an attendant to introduce themselves and make sure the good is to your liking. A therapy team will be in this week - you'll get a notice of the appointment on the screen a day in advance - to evaluate your needs and how they can help you. The pinky other person who will be in this week is your legal adviser."

[clan_techie]

Knowing that they weren't solely for him did help ease some of the growing anxiety, being just one more person for them to check in on was easier for him to accept.

Though that last item had his brow furrowing, reaching up to knuckle at the mark on his brow, something absent and reflexive, "Legal adviser?" It was a question as to just what that person did and why he'd need one at once, but he didn't have that many words in him with the anxiety coming back.

[defendstruth]

"Yes. Your legal rights as a person under the Republic have not respected, the advisor works with formerly enslaved people to help them understand their rights, obtain travel paperwork for then as needed, search for family members, so on." Padmè's smile was genuine but polite, and her hand went to the necklace under her robes unbidden. A moment to touch the amulet given to her years ago. 'I'm a person!' stated with such firmness and defiance. Something she wanted all freed people to be able to do.

[clan_techie]

His brow furrowed more deeply at that, shaking his head just once, "I don't have family left." That one he knew, or thought he knew, but there were a lot of things he thought he knew that this whole situation was bringing into question.

He probably had people, somewhere, he doubted he was the last of his kind in the entire galaxy, that would be absurd, but the fact remained that he didn't know where he was from himself, which he could only imagine would complicate things.

[defendstruth]

"Dear." The sharpness of her tribe suggests 'dear' was a quickly subbed word for something much stronger and possibly obscene. "My deepest sympathies, I can't imagine." Even if there were children in Naboo who could, who had lost everything and everyone during the occupation. Who had been raised by strangers - dozens by two of her dear friends. Padmè refreshed her hand out, an offer of a squeezed hand. "Still. Well do everything we can to make sure you are taken care of, and safe from those who would even consider attempting to force you back to your previous circumstances."

[clan_techie]

He gave a little shake of his head, but did clasp her hand for a moment all the same, "It was a long time ago, before MaMa took me in." She hadn't rescued him, no matter what she tried to tell him, and he knew that much, but he also knew better than to argue the point.

Not that he had to worry about that now that she was dead, he just had to worry about someone else in the clan sweeping in to take over, despite the rescue team and the crew of the ship that had brought him here reassuring him that anyone sufficiently ranking was no longer a problem.

[defendstruth]

"Being long ago doesn't mean it hurts any less." The clasp came with a small squeeze, her hand wrapping protectively around his as best she could.

And that was what legal was for. Techie was hardly the first and would not be the last sheltered by the Naberrie Clan and their money, their connections to politics, and Padmè's drive to protect others. "It'll be ok. All hurts fade, in time. No matter how badly they scar."

[clan_techie]

"Yes." He agreed with a nod, though it was difficult to say for sure which statement he was replying to, likely the latter, though he shrugged a moment later, apparently finished with that line of conversation as his next question was: "Are there a lot of others here besides the tarteas?"

He wasn't concerned about sharing the space, there was plenty of it, he just didn't want to be a problem for anything else living there.

[defendstruth]

"There are small crustaceans, which shouldn't bother you. They do feed on other fish. There are snails, another species of tarteas which are orange, pink, and pearlish in color but they aren't as social. What's needed to keep the plants healthy really." Nothing his presence will offend, nothing which posed a threat to him. Just a small healthy ecosystem.

[clan_techie]

He nodded, filing that information away for later research, and now that he had access, he could look up anything he was looking at, and he wouldn't have to ask what were probably objectionably simple questions, though she didn't seem annoyed by them yet and he certainly appreciated her patience.

"Thank you for answering my questions." He added, even as he flipped through the last of the menus he hadn't looked at before deactivating the screen and returning the datapad to its hidden place.

[defendstruth]

"You're welcome. So you have any other questions?" Despite not needing to sit on her perch with the screen deactivated, she stayed put, enjoying the way it put them on more equal seating with one another.

[clan_techie]

He shook his head, "No. Nothing immediate." Nothing that wouldn't become a fully-formed question until he'd been there for a while, had a chance to interact with some of the others.

He also popped the datapad free, reactivating it, checking the menus again and shutting it down once more, as if he had to make sure he could do it again without direction first.

[defendstruth]

"All right. You can message me any time via the holonet, and I or one of my handmaidens will answer as soon as possible. To let you know - I have a longstanding working relationship with the Jedi, two in particular. Jedi General Anakin Skywalker, who I'm going to contact about your collar. He's an engineering genius honestly, and I haven't the slightest doubt he'll be able to safely and quickly remove it. The other is Jedi High General Obi-Wan Kenobi. I would like to tell him about you so he may use the Jedi Archives to see if they have any information which may be of use to you. With your permission, of course." Giving their names would allow Techie to look them up without her looking over his shoulder and while she understood, she thought it best he felt safe to investigate the Jedi.

"You can also review the planned menu each day - because of the nature of markets, you won't be able to see it before four hundred hours, and only until the next market but if there is something you dislike or enjoy, you'll be able to request that." She decided to nudge him towards the idea of food, he looked so thin.

[clan_techie]

He did file the names away for later research, reasonably sure that if she trusted them where MaMa hadn't, that meant they were good people, or reasonably law-abiding people at any rate, and sometimes that was the same thing.

He'd been about to mention that telling people about him was fine whether it was for some kind of historical research or not, though even that was because he wasn't used to being able to decline that kind of thing, which meant it was probably a good thing that the statement that he could pick his own food derailed that initial response, brow creasing, "I can say what I want to eat?"

[defendstruth]

Anakin was only somewhat law-abiding but she adored him because of it.

"Of course?" Derailing both of them really. "I mean if you eat a great deal of food that is more junk food than healthy for you, EmDee will fuss but otherwise, no one will say anything." She knew that of he wouldn't have had much choice - but Shmi and Anakin had been able to come up with food and something things.

[clan_techie]

His brow was still creased, biting briefly at the inside of his cheek before he replied, just a little quieter: "I don't think I know which is which."

Certainly he knew if something was spoiled or he otherwise shouldn't be eating it because it would make him sick, but he wouldn't know the difference between junk and good for him even with labels.

[defendstruth]

"That's something we'll need to work on together." Because they didn't know, but also she wanted to stress: You are not alone. We aren't going to abandon you. "For now, getting food into you is more important, I think."

[clan_techie]

He nodded then, expression smoothing a little, though there was still some concern around his eyes, "Yes. I think you're right." Mostly because he knew it had been too long since he'd eaten, likely part of why he'd been apparently fine with just dozing off in a strange place without some kind of protective cover.