revivalproject | But This is Not Black and White

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But This is Not Black and White

WHO: Cal Kestis, BD-1 and you
WHERE: Sh'Ka
WHAT: Totally avoiding Certain People while trying to recenter himself
WHEN: Mid-July
WARNINGS: N/A
NOTE: Will match tag format/preference!

"I will find you, Cal Kestis."

While the sentiment in those words is nothing new, the real concern that haunts the young Jedi is the fact that the threat is new and most importantly, here on this planet. Worse yet, within a confined area of a planet that they really had no great means to travel to, much less any knowledge of any possible places beyond the two cities they currently have access to.

Cal had thought that being on the run would have been over for him. He'd finally come out of hiding, fearlessly faced the Empire and the Inquisitors it sent relentlessly after him and his friends. He'd infiltrated the Fortress Inquisitorious and somehow made it back out alive. Being able to stay alive after everything is always a positive outcome. Being brought back to Agra 10 was considerably a vacation in comparison.

Once again, he finds himself in a defensive mode. At least he has the Force to rely on, and the one who might seek him out does not, but Cal had learned early on to be wary of Albert Wesker. Those concerns had only been further underlined once he'd found himself in the man's dreamspace.

If nothing else, Sh'Ka proves to be at least much more bearable for the weather. Cal had had BD-1 shoot off a few messages to Tony, Jon and Echo to tell them where he'd be if they needed him, an abrupt enough message to leave without seeing them, but the last thing he wanted was to draw attention to them if Wesker was on the prowl. He decides to revisit the power plant where he'd last set up camp, back when he'd led a small team on the repair work for the power grid. If he's going to be here, he may as well make himself useful and see if he can pick up on what was being done about the water.

It's been easier to find focus here too, for some reason. Calmer. Quieter. When he's not working on the water treatment equipment or tracing water lines, he's up on the roof of the hotel, meditating. It's not an easy spot to get to but it's peaceful, and the view's pretty nice.

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Cal was probably aware that he wasn't the only person to make his way to Sh'Ka after the Calibration activities. But the Soldier believed in giving others space — not that many stayed in this city long term anyway. Thus a few days passed before he decided that Cal must have plans for a longer term, and decided to see what shape those plans might take.

He approached the camp in the middle of the day, after his own morning workout, and did not attempt to conceal his presence. He had no reason to hide from the other man; Cal was one of a few he'd consider a friend, not that he was often willing to use the word. But vocabulary and his own mental struggles with it aside, he didn't mind working at the other man's side.

The Soldier's presence was by now a familiar one by sense, and definitely one Cal didn't mind. He was aware that the other preferred his space but he was also grateful that he'd been given his own. But as much as Cal had gotten used to being on his own, he still liked having people around. If he didn't at least have BD-1, he wasn't sure how well he would have fared.

Cal was in the process of cooking something of a late lunch. It was by no means anything fancy, he wasn't Greez. BD-1 was settled nearby, recharging off of the portable unit Cal had brought along. One of the benefits of staying at the power plant meant he could charge the energy rods if needed, even if they did take slightly longer, but at least BD-1 didn't need to charge that often.

He raised his head as he sensed the other man, smiling faintly as the other was finally opting to approach them. He raised a hand in a wave once the Soldier came within sight.

After the confinement of Calibrations everyone needed some space, regardless of how much he might like people. Intruding on Cal would have been rude, especially since the Soldier didn't know if they'd shared any Calibration dreams and the invasion of privacy that came along with it. It was possible they hadn't intruded upon each other, but it was also possible that he just didn't remember so doing.

He hated Calibrations.

But that aside, he took Cal's wave as invitation, returning it and continuing his approach. In deference to the weather he'd pared down to a tee and jeans instead of the full leather-and-kevlar kit, but he was still as armed as ever; some things never changed.

"I don't mean to interrupt your meal. Should I come back later?" Practical as always.

If anyone actually liked Calibrations, Cal would have to wonder about them.

The Jedi shook his head, even as BD-1 hopped over and beeped a greeting of his own at the Soldier.

"Not interrupting at all. Probably enough to share if you want," he offered. "Doing all right?"

Likely some had an easier time of it than others, depending on the background trauma fueling the dreams. But it wasn't about measuring who had suffered more; the Soldier had no patience for that.

"I ate earlier." And pity anyone who tried to keep up with his metabolic needs. He nodded a simple greeting to the droid as he settled opposite Cal, taking the invitation to settle instead. "But thank you."

As for the question, he could easily turn it around; Cal had been the injured party in their last encounter. But why bring it up? "Within reason. There's always the need to recalibrate oneself after Calibrations. That hasn't changed."

With a shrug and a nod, Cal left the matter at that when it came to food. It wasn't like it was a gourmet meal anyway, but he was still willing to share if the other man hadn't eaten.

He went back to checking on the food before using the Force to lift the container from the heat, setting it on a storage crate he'd taken to using as a table.

The Soldier's response got a breath of a laugh out of him. "Unfortunately," he nodded. "After two previous times, you'd think we'd know better," he said with a sigh, shaking his head.

Another meal at another time, maybe. Especially if they were both hanging around.

"Handy trick," he commented on the Force-manipulation of the hot cookware. Not that he could talk; his own version of it was to reach in the fire with the metal hand; for quick tasks there was little risk of damage. "You might find your presence requested in the cook space if you're not careful."

Had it really been so few times for Cal? The Soldier shook his head as if to clear it; the thought weighed in heavily. "The thing I've learned is that it doesn't matter what you expect, something is going to go over all strange and it's impossible to predict what or how. Best to move on and not dwell on it." A beat. "Which is easier said than done of course."

Cal laughed. "That'd probably be the only thing I'd be good for. Greez is too possessive about his kitchen space and barely started letting me assist with landing procedures for his ship." He poked at his food with a fork, stirring it around to disperse some of the heat.

What the Soldier said was true enough though, and he had to nod. "Yeah... Especially when people caught up in the experience make it a point to hold it against you even once it's over," he said, rolling his eyes slightly.

Link didn't have any particular goal, when he ventured out into Sh'Ka. Just to explore. See what had changed, while Link had been stuck in Calibrations. Maybe catch some more lizards.

But then he spot someone at the power plant - doing some kind of repairs? And curiosity had Link wondering over.

"What are you doing?" he asks.

"Water connections still hasn't been taken care of," Cal says, elbow deep in wiring. "Not sure if the lines have fared any better here than Temba but there's probably a lot to replace."

He sighs. "Gotta fix this first to get it running- we started a while back but then never came back to it. Back then I'd rigged it to work for this area because we were camping here to fix the power grid. Now I have to see about getting it to flow elsewhere. But before we let it loose, we should probably block off the flow in sectors and do it little by little so we don't have leaks everywhere."

That's...a lot of work and not something to look forward to in this summer warmth, but Cal has no aspirations to fix the whole city himself. If he can get this much fixed, it'll make it easier for others to hop in as things are needed.

"One might be just slightly easier than the other," but he wasn't going to guess which was which. It might depend on the day. Or the meal. He stretched out his legs, leaning back on hands as Cal settled his meal; it felt comfortable enough in his presence for the Soldier to relax some.

He groaned in sympathy. "There's always at least one who thinks he's special and acts like the whole thing was meant to inconvenience him specifically." It happened before, it'll happen again. "Needs to just get over himself, but he'll probably make it a problem for others before he swallows his ego."

He and Cere could complain about Greez's over-seasoning all they wanted but there was no doubt that he was a pretty good cook. There was simply no comparison between that and what Cal had to nibble on now. He hadn't been with the Stinger Mantis crew for long but it had spoiled him for...a lot of things, really. Not that he minded.

The Jedi sighed, nodding. It seemed that the Soldier understood, and he had to wonder if he'd had his own problems with such an incident.

"Unfortunately I don't think getting over it is going to be possible, and ego-swallowing does not seem like a thing for them." So. Problem for others, it likely was.

It was amazing, the things to which one became accustomed. Small things like meals or the sound of someone tinkering; take those elements away and their absence loomed heavily.

"Problem for others, then. Figures." Likely explained Cal's sudden presence in Sh'Ka, but he wasn't going to pry. He'd dealt with similar, and there was no easy solution, especially when the person causing the problem refused to get over himself. Besides, Cal didn't seem the type to stay idle. The Soldier guessed that he probably had a project in mind, perhaps one that might need an extra pair of hands.

"You're welcome in my space, if you want." Welcome to the space itself, and welcome to the idea of not standing alone should trouble follow Cal to the city.

Cal knew he'd come a long way since his initial arrival on Agra 10. So much had happened, both here and back where he belonged. Even that phrase hadn't been something he would have ever thought he'd be able to apply to himself, but he'd finally found a place to belong. Here, well, he had friends, and in a way he found space to belong to as well.

Given how long he'd known the Soldier, and even for how much he really didn't know about the man, Cal knew at the very least that that offer was not one given lightly. He smiled at that, nodding.

"Thanks," he said. Being alone was the worst thing about going into hiding, not knowing or feeling you could trust anyone. It was different now, and Cal knew he had people he could trust, who he'd fight with and for. People who had his back.

"I figured I'd at least make myself useful around here. Quieter anyway, easier to sense if there's a problem coming."

The concept of belonging was a complicated one, regardless of the physical location. Conversation on that topic might run deep, should they ever broach it.

He nodded acknowledgment of the thanks, the least he could do. Cal was a decent person, had never brushed too hard against the Soldier's rough edges. That alone made the Soldier want to stick up for him if something threatened. That and if someone was offended by one of the least offensive people the Soldier had ever met, chances were that trouble was brewing somewhere.

"I'm over in the tower for now," he mentioned, pointing in the general direction of the large building (building 11) in the distance. "Decent sightlines on some of the upper rooms." Not perfect, but good enough and requiring something in physical fitness to navigate quickly.

"I've been clearing buildings." Admittedly slower in the heat, but he'd made steady progress in parts of the city, and it didn't require any specialized knowledge to shift debris. "Don't mind doing something else if you're looking for an extra pair of hands."

"I'll keep that in mind," Cal noted as he glanced over where the man pointed. He didn't mind a challenge in getting up to high places, and he knew a lot of the buildings here weren't in the best of shape. Thankfully he was used to climbing and jumping around, but it also meant that he had access to places that he wouldn't be immediately bothered, like the roof of the hotel.

"Figured the waterlines would be good to get working. I think I'll use the same approach as with the power and work section by section. Wouldn't hurt to have an extra eye checking things out for any potential trouble spots that'll need repairs, aside from shutting any valves off to keep the water flow to a certain area so we don't have to worry about too many leaks all at once."

Link doesn't really know much about how wiring can help with pipes - it's the sort of thing Zelda would understand, but Link doesn't know that much. But Cal seems to know what he's talking about, so Link just nods along, as he listens.

"You need help?" Surely there's something Link could do. Even if it's just fetching things.

Cal smiles a little at that. "Sure wouldn't say no to it. This definitely isn't a one-person job."

He carefully extracts his hands from the panel, getting to his feet.

"See these pipes?" he asks, stepping over to where the most prominent connections to the mechanism he'd been working on are. "They run throughout the city to bring water to places, like the fountain in the square. But the city's old and not as well-kept as Temba in some places. If you can keep an eye out for these pipes and see any damages that would prevent water from flowing properly, that'd be a big help."

Link follows Cal, crouching down to get a look at the pipes he points out.

So he needs to find damaged pipes? "Like rust?" he says. "Holes?"

Cal would be welcomed in the Soldier's space, as he'd welcomed the Soldier into his. Plus, the shelter was dry, and high enough to get a breeze even in the midday heat. All told it made for a pleasant camp.

"Mmm, probably about time that project got picked back up." It wasn't the most interesting, and Sh'Ka not nearly as regularly occupied as Temba. But the Soldier could manage valve shutoff, and assist somewhat with mapping piping routes through the city. "If we could copy a rough sketch of the map, we could try to fill in the routes the lines take as we discover them. There would have to be...I don't know, hubs or something? Pumping stations? Places where the flow could be stopped, and may be beneficial to search out."

That was a big speech for a man of few words; he needed a moment of silence to recover it.

"Holes, cracks... if the rust looks bad enough. Basically, any compromised state that could mean bad things sooner or later," Cal nods.

"It'd be easier if I had a map you could mark up, even better if there was one for the water lines, but I guess we'll just have to go by landmarks and buildings. I don't expect you to do the whole city. Just by sections when and if you can."

Now that he had options, it was something Cal would definitely explore. No sense in being alone if he didn't feel like it, and if the Soldier wasn't going to complain for the company, then why not?

"Yeah. Took a pretty long hiatus from any work here," he admitted. A lot of things had happened in the interim. "Sounds like a good idea though. Should be some things we can use for it around here, left over from when we were tracing power lines."

That was probably the most he'd ever heard from the Soldier all at once. At least Cal knew better than to point it out, although he couldn't help but look a little amused. He turned his head to watch BD as the little droid beeped and bounded off to go looking for said supplies. The little guy just liked jumping into supply crates to see what he found; that behavior hadn't changed from their explorations of the galaxy back home.

"I'm not exactly an expert in plumbing myself, but that sounds...more or less about right. I think we have the general idea anyway."

Link nods, taking mental note: Holes, cracks, rust, any kind of compromise.

And then he just...walks off. Without even another word. However, an hour or so later he comes back...apparently with a report.

"Found some!"

Strange...but Cal doesn't question it. It's not like he's going to force anyone to do anything, much less outline some strict plan on how, and if Link has other things to do, well, that's entirely fair.

He's taking a break when Link finally makes a reappearance, raising a brow at him. "You have?" the Jedi asks after he's gulped down some water from a canteen. He glances at his little droid buddy who hops off of the crate he'd been perching on.

"Can you show us?" Cal asks as he looks back at Link then.

Link nods, before spinning around and leading Cal through the overgrown forest to a collection of decrepit houses. On on the side of one of the streets, there's a space where years of erosion have washed the dirt away - leaving exposed a series of pipes.

The pipes are cracked, and rusting. Clearly something in need of work. Link looks at Cal, expectant. Now what?

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But This is Not Black and White

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