Chapter 41: Disingenuous

                                    

                                          
Placing yet another prototype blaster on the rack, I sat back in my seat and sighed. Fifteen to twenty blaster rifles now sat finished on the shelf, ready to be tested. My fingers ached after just being here a short while but there was no time to rest, nor did I dare. It had been two weeks since I'd been stationed to stay on Mustafar, having gone out on several assignments as well designing new stormtrooper weaponry.
Shoving blaster parts to the side, I brought up panel imagery of weapons that I had been fiddling with for, moving parts around and redoing designs. I was quite good, to my own demise having been recognized for the talent involving such things. Now stuck on weapon-making duty, it was up to me to make it enjoyable and to pass the time until my next assignment. 
The sliding door behind me opened, allowing the sounds of a droid to enter the room.
"How is your weaponry making going, Captain?" N6 set down two handled cases of what only could be filled with blaster parts on the floor.
I didn't glance up from my work. "Oh, you know, the usual way. Nothing exciting."
My partner hovered over to the weapon rack, I could hear her picking up and examining what I'd created. "Nothing exciting... I don't believe that for a second. These are looking incredible, I'm sure there are plenty of people in here that would be impressed."
I raised an eyebrow at my work, a snort escaping me. "I seriously doubt that anyone would be impressed by a few guns. Star Destroyers, and larger guns are what people are looking for." Standing, I went around the single, elongated table in the of the room to go stand next to N6, taking the gun out of her grasp and placing it back on the rack. "Why don't you make yourself useful and start taking apart those old blaster parts you brought, hm?"
She grumbled, but hovered away to do what she was told. I watched her for a moment before sitting on the table with legs casually swinging as I fiddled with one of the finished blasters in my lap. After a quarter of an hour, the door opened again. In my peripheral the figure was recognizable, but I kept my eyes on my work. N6 new better than to stop working in his presence and kept up her disassembling task. 
Vader slowly walked in the room, coming to standstill against the wall from where I was sitting on the table. Only then did I stop my work and look up at him in silence. It wasn't rare for him to come see me. We did our duties on other planets, then spent time here until Vader called for me. I'd found it rather appalling, maybe more or less unnerving at the fact that he had not forced me under any Inquisitorial torture to make me securely loyal again. In his mind, having the threat of my friends die under his hand was cause enough for me to stay beside him and do what he asked. Although there was that thought, I did nothing to anger him and just did what was asked of me. Searching for praise, recognition, or even high status was out of the question, it was blatant common sense to not do anything of the sort. Vader would more thank likely end up just killing anyone like that unless he could see potential. 
"It seems you have been busy."
"Just doing what you have asked of me." I replied, standing and made my way back over to the rack to hang up my finished product. I walked back over to the table and picked up a few pieces of what N6 had been taking apart, taking them back over to the tabletop and sat down, examining them. "Is there another job you have for me?"
"Not quite," from the rack behind me came a gun. It flew past my head into Vader's hands, "these are very unique designs."
"They still need to be tested." I watched him look at the gun, and it was annoying to not be able to read his reaction to my work.  
"It seems you have great talent."
"Life seems so much simpler when you're fixing things. I just like doing it, no matter what it is." I replied, giving him a half smile. He made a noise behind his mask, but it was too quick to discern.