Private A First Test

[Valery Noble]

New Cov

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber | Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Gatz Derrevar

"I think it's time for a break," Valery said after they had gone through more than enough telekinesis drills for one day. She was satisfied with his progress too, and she hoped that he felt the same way about it. Picking up Jedi-like training years after leaving the Order wasn't exactly an easy thing for most people, especially not with the circumstances surrounding his departure. But the skills he was developing now were going to help him achieve a very tangible goal, so she was confident he'd really keep pushing himself.

He wanted to help people, and one step at a time, he was preparing himself for it more and more.

"We could try to move on to something new next time. What do you think?" Valery asked before she grabbed one bottle of water, offered it to him, and picked one up herself to drink. Even when practice wasn't taxing, it was quite hot in the Jungle and the Temple was no exception. "Maybe we'll do some training in the Jungle itself again too. The Temple is nice, but I like the unpredictability of the jungle." Sure, it was riskier too, but Gatz had already trained for a week on his own and been just fine.

Together, it'd be no problem.

"Come on, let's head back to the Temple for now," Valery said as she turned to head back, not realizing that her communications device was bleeping an alarm signal.

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

​

With a gasp, Gatz let his focus go, and the carefully crafted weights clattered to the ground with a few hefty thumps.

Sweat poured down his face. Not just because New Cov was hot and humid, but because the effort to simultaneously lift several different objects of varying size and shape was absolutely exhausting. Running through the trees of the jungle had been easier, and that was an exercise that was actually, well, an exercise.

But then, Gatz supposed that was what happened when you stopped training for fifteen years: things that should have been easy became difficult. If anything, he ought to have been pleased that it was going so well. He wasn't so much learning as he was relearning, and that made his progress far swifter than it should have been. He knew the basics. Valery was simply giving him a refresher course.

Now, once Valery began to teach him things that were entirely new to him... Well, Gatz expected his progress would come to a grinding halt.

Gatz accepted the water bottle offered to him with a grateful nod, pausing to take a swig before he answered Valery's question.

"You're the teacher," he huffed out—not in irritation, he was exhausted—opting to leave the decision in her hands, "I'm the student. Whether you think I'm ready to move on or not, I'll defer to your judgement."

Another swig of water.

"Jungle or Temple, I think they both suck for different reasons. But they're both good places to learn."

Valery being within five feet of him put him at ease, but Gatz was still uncomfortable about being in a Jedi Temple. It didn't matter that it was empty and that they were literally the only people around, simply being in the structure made his skin crawl. Finally telling Valery what had happened to him had been freeing, but it hadn't magically fixed his trauma. He'd never have come here without her. But the fact that she was here, and that he knew he was always safe around her made training in the Temple bearable.

But before he could continue that line of thought, Gatz noticed something.

"Hey. I think you're beeping."

---

Tags: Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

New Cov

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber | Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Gatz Derrevar

"I am the teacher, but you're not a child in school, Gatz," Valery said with a chuckle. "It's far easier to teach someone when I know how they feel about their progress. It also helps to know what interests you." Sure, some of the things he'd have to learn wouldn't be fun by any stretch of the imagination, but learning the things he valued would make that easier. If he saw practical use for what she taught him, she knew he'd be even more motivated to push himself.

So far, that had been going really well.

After taking a sip from her own water, Valery looked at him again. Her lips thinned a little when he mentioned that the Temple sucked, but she understood. His past with the Jedi was one that created a lot of trauma. So it was less about it being her Temple, and more about being in a place connected to the Jedi.

She could accept that.

Valery was about to turn and leave, when Gatz mentioned something that got her to raise her eyebrow, "I'm what now? Oh-" she stopped and looked down at her bleeping comms device.

"Seems serious, so I'll have to take this call. Mind coming along? Maybe it's something you can help with."

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

​

The last time Gatz had gone under any form of training—not counting Briana—he'd been a child. But Valery was right: that was fifteen years ago, and he was halfway through his twenties now. This was a choice he'd made for himself, not one his parents or his non-existent master had made for him. He had every right to have a say in his training, and if it helped Valery gauge his progress then he'd speak up.

He just wasn't all that sure what he had to say would be helpful.

"We're making progress, far more than we would if I'd never had any formal training. I do see that. But am I satisfied with myself? Am I ever?"

He would always find a way to knock himself down a few pegs. Someone had to, especially when Valery often spoke so highly of him—something he thought he didn't deserve. Gatz knew that drove her nuts, and not in the fun way. But he couldn't deny what or who he was, and that person still had a lot of work to do before he could say he was a good man.

Gatz watched Valery purse her lips after he made his comment about the Temple, and he immediately felt a pang of guilt. He still didn't know the full story behind her long stasis, but she had told him that this was the very place that she had trained. By teaching him here, she was giving him something of herself, something very personal to her. And all he could do was deride the place.

Yes, he had his reasons. But that didn't make it right.

But before he could address that, she finally noticed her communicator going off. Already, she seemed to know that it was something serious, not just a casual call. When she asked him to come along, he all but jumped to his feet. Yes, he was physically exhausted after running through the jungle, emotionally exhausted after dropping his trauma on her, and mentally exhausted after telekinesis practice.

But Valery rarely asked anything of him. There was no galaxy in which he said 'no,' and there never would be.

"Whatever you need of me. Always."

---

Tags: Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

New Cov

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber | Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Gatz Derrevar

"It's okay to be critical of yourself, as long as you recognize progress too," Valery said with a smile. She knew what he was like, and that he often focused more on what was wrong or wasn't working out - she just hoped to lift him up andere perhaps change that mindset a little. Maybe it's only possible once Kragan is dealt with, but until then, she was still going to do her best to help build him up.

She was positive about the future, and she hoped that could rub off on him a little bit.

Her mind was drawn away from this topic and the Temple, however, when he pointed out her comms unit bleeped. A quick glance and she noticed it was the emergency channel, so she was already moving when she asked him to join, "It's not a transmission or message to me directly, but a signal being relayed on my emergency channel. It could mean that a emergency beacon somewhere is being relayed, or an alarm has gone off and I'm the closest to it." She shrugged and headed not for their ships, but to a speeder bike she had only recently gotten finished.

"There is another bike you can grab if you're comfortable driving through the jungle. If not, hop on behind me and just hold on tight so you don't fall off." With that said, Valery climbed on her bike, waited for him to be ready, then blasted off.

"We'll head straight for the source."

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

​

Progress.

He'd made genuine leaps since he'd first come to New Cov, literally only a week ago. Yes, that was because he was learning things he already knew, but was that not a step of its own? The ball was rolling now, and he was already more than he was before. He'd struggled with pulling a wine bottle off of a shelf, and making one leap onto a stage not that long ago.

He could do both of those with little effort now. Well, maybe not now, exhausted as he was after today. But the point was: he'd made an astounding amount of progress since he'd first met back up with Valery on Naboo, all those months ago. And he still had a long ways to go, both in the Force and when it came to being a decent person, but wasn't there value in how far he had come?

Shouldn't he allow himself to be proud, if only just this once?

"Maybe you're right." Gatz took a sip of water, "maybe... sometimes, I don't give myself enough credit."

Valery moved on then, to explain just what her alarm was. The answer: she didn't really know, and they'd have to check things out to get a better understanding of what was going on. So be it. It wasn't like he had plans, hiding out on New Cov as he was. Least he could do was pitch in, and be helpful for once in his life.

"You seem to have an idea of where you're going. I'd just get lost. Better I come with you."

Anyone else—literally anyone else—and Gatz would have felt ashamed of letting them take the wheel of any vehicle he was in. He drove. Always. Ship, speeder, bantha... he held the reigns. It was all he was good for, really, and it was why most people bothered to keep him around. But, well... he trusted Valery, and she'd seen him at his lowest. Several times. Which was several times more than he wished she'd seen him like that, but there was no point in being embarrassed of that now.

So when he clambered on the back of her bike, and wrapped his arms around her waist, he didn't allow himself any shame. She didn't value him because of his skill behind a vehicle. She valued him because of... him. He didn't need to prove anything to her.

"I sure hope you're better at flying a speeder than you are a freighter." Gatz smiled, and dared to tease her, "I'd like to arrive in one piece."

---

Tags: Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

New Cov

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber | Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Gatz Derrevar

"It's a fairly natural thing. A lot of people tend to be very critical of themselves. I think we just dislike it more when something doesn't work, than we enjoy ourselves when something does work out." She chuckled softly and walked over to her bike, clearly with a dangerous sparkle in her eye. She didn't always admit it out loud, but being able to take her bike out was exciting, even if the mission was serious.

Now she got to show it off to a dear friend too, so it felt even better.

"Yeah you're probably right, and the other bike can't keep up with me anyway," she said rather smugly while flicking some hair over her shoulder. If there was one thing she felt really proud about it'd be... her kids, but also her speeder driving skills. But Gatz probably didn't know, and decided to even tease a little after he got seated behind her. She'd have said something about it or shot him a glare, if it weren't for the fact that she had damaged the Bastion not long ago.

What if he knew?

"Well, I've participated in podraces and I like it a lot better than freighters. Fast and nimble is my style, Gatz." She shot him a quick grin then fired up the engine. "Ready?" she asked, but she felt that he was already holding on, so she blasted off before he really had a chance to answer the question. The path at first was fairly straight and without obstacles, but it didn't take long before she went off-road and weaved her way around the trees and plants.

The flesh-eating, human-devouring kind of flora.

"What do you think?!" she called out over the rushing winds. "This bike is pretty amazing, huh?" She smirked to herself but kept her gaze turned forward, while her senses plotted several maneuvers ahead. Up in the distance, the two would soon spot smoke rising from within the jungle, and a metallic structure was starting to grow larger as they drew closer.

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

​

"Are you implying that The Red Night isn't fast and nim—WOAH!"

Talk about acceleration. If he hadn't been wrapped around Valery's steel abs, Gatz would have gone tumbling right off of the bike. He'd driven speeders before—hell, he used to race swoops on Nar Shaddaa. But Gatz had never ridden a speederbike quite like this. On the right speeder, the driver's surroundings usually turned into a blur, but this was something else entirely. He couldn't even differentiate the green flora from the brown mud below.

The only reason he knew they weren't about to smash into a tree was because he could feel the flow of the Force around them. Well, that, and because he knew Valery wasn't about to wreck. Probably.

And then she took them off-road.

"Valery, are you crazy?!" Gatz squeezed his eyes shut, and buried his face into her back, waiting for the inevitable crash. He only had so much faith in other drivers.

But when a few seconds passed, and they hadn't turned into a fiery molten ball of death, he risked cracking an eye open. His body was thrown left and right, as Valery dodged trunks, maneuvered them under fallen logs, and over large rocks. It was almost overstimulating, watching everything pass them by so quickly. But it was also exhilarating.

For the first time in weeks, maybe even months, Gatz Derrevar laughed. Something akin to joy—a feeling he'd almost forgotten—bubbled up in his chest.

"Alright, Val, you win! This is one hell of a bike, and you're one hell of a racer!"

He allowed himself to bask in that, for a while, until he finally spotted the smoke in the distance. It was trailing up from... something. A building, or a ship? His money was on the latter, but he couldn't know for sure at this distance, or with then way their speed made everything blur. As unfortunate as it was that their speederbike trip was coming to an end, it looked like it might be a good thing that they were arriving so quickly.

---

Tags: Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

New Cov

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber | Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Gatz Derrevar

"Your ship is plenty fast," Valery said with a smirk after she already blasted off and heard his WOAH. "For a ship of its class, anyway. Fighters and interceptors are different! Speeders are entirely in a league of their own!" She called out with a grin that just kept on growing. It was a good thing he held on because she wasn't going slow and even on the path that was dangerous for most drivers. But then she went off-road, and it was downright suicidal for anybody who wasn't a Force user with the capabilities to predict things ahead of them.

"Valery, are you crazy?!"

"A little bit!" She called out with a dangerous laugh. She wasn't worried at all and clearly enjoying herself on her bike, and luckily, it didn't take long for Gatz to realize that it was perfectly safe. Well, as safe as this could be — with most other drivers this would have been a death sentence, even if they were able to use the Force.

"See? It's not too bad, huh?" she asked with a smile once she heard him laughing behind her. It was good to hear him having some fun, even if what they were approaching was going to force them to be a lot more serious. Smoke was rising from the jungle, and by the time she was slowing down, they could see the facility with a fire burning inside. Either it was contained or just not spreading quickly because most of it wasn't up in flames and smoke yet.

There was just no telling how long it'd last.

"Hmm, either this is some research post, or one of those biomolecule facilities. I'd say let it burn out and make sure it doesn't spread to the jungle but..." she sighed.

"I sense people inside."

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons: Blaster Pistol
Tag: Valery Noble

"That was my father's ship." He said quietly, but he didn't think Valery could hear him over the roar of the speeder, and the wind rushing past them.

There were better things to focus on than what Valery said about his ship. There were better things to do than feel indignant about her jab at his father's ship. That thing could outrun X-Wings in a straight line—that was what the aftermarket engines were for. But... well, it certainly didn't maneuver like a fighter, even if it was far more nimble than most other freighters. It... stung to know that his ship wasn't up to her specs, because his ship and his meager talent in flying it were all he had to offer her.

But you know what? He had sort of insulted her Temple. So Gatz supposed it was fair of her to take a jab at his ship. It wasn't worth getting upset over, not really. Still stung his pride a little, though.

They had other priorities anyways: the structure turned out to be a building after all, and it was on fire. Valery had suggested letting it burn out, and ensuring that it didn't spread to the jungle—he didn't know how they were supposed to stop a spreading fire, all he had was a bottle of water. But, knowing Valery, she probably had some Force technique up her sleeve that he'd never imagined possible.

"Valery, I don't have any skills applicable to putting out a burning building, or stopping the spread of a fire. I pretend to be a good pilot, and get my ass kicked. That's what I do."

He sighed, feeling incompetent again. But perked up when she mentioned that there were people still inside. He could help with that. Gatz was willing to take the very real risk of dying in a fire if it meant getting people out.

"Then let's go find an entrance," Gatz hopped off the speeder, "before we end up roasting marshmallows over burnt corpses."

 

[Valery Noble]

New Cov

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber | Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Gatz Derrevar

"I can put out fires but it's risky when I don't know what the fuel source is exactly. Some fires will just reignite, so if I put one out and head inside thinking it's safe..." she didn't finish those thoughts and began looking for a way inside. People were stuck there, so the priority was simple to her - get the people out and then figure out what to do with the building.

It could burn down for all she cared.

Spotting an entrance, Valery dashed over but, as expected, the heavy steel door was locked by a security system and required a pass with proper clearance levels for entry. Valery sighed, pulled out her lightsaber and cut a hole big enough for them into the metal. It set off an alarm, but she doubted anybody was going to care right now.

"We might encounter smoke. Do you have a rebreather or anything to keep you breathing?" She then asked. If he didn't, she'd have ways to help out, but a rebreather would be a lot easier.

"After you," she then said wirh a smirk as she gestured to the neat, circular hole in the door. She had clearly done jer best.

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons: Blaster Pistol
Tag: Valery Noble

"....Of course you can put out fires," Gatz grumbled.

He was so sick and tired of everyone being more capable than he was. So sick and tired of being useless to everyone, Valery most of all. Just once—just once—Gatz wanted to actually be able to help someone, without having to rely on someone else to do all the heavy lifting. He was so sick of being the weakest link in the chain, but it seemed that was what he was destined to be for the rest of his life.

But even in all of his self-loathing, Gatz knew that he should be grateful Valery was here. If it had been just him, then the people in this building would have burned, and him along with them.

So as Valery cut a hole in the thick durasteel door, and asked him if he had any way to avoid inhaling smoke, Gatz forced his anger and his shame back down. Just like he always did. One day, he would run out of room to shove his feelings down, and they would bubble to the surface and consume him, and twist him into someone he didn't want to be. Just like in his nightmares.

But not today. Today, he was going to be the kind of man he wanted to be. The kind who helped others, not for recognition or reward, but simply because it was right.

"Well you know scum like me: we just carry rebreathers everywhere," Gatz raised an eyebrow, "no, Val. We're in a jungle on an oxygen rich world. I wasn't expecting to need one."

His tone made it clear that he wasn't annoyed, and that this was just banter. Sometimes Gatz had to rib her. He couldn't always worship the ground she walked on.

"After you."

"Beauty before age, I see," but Gatz clambered through the hole, and into the dark entryway of the burning building.

 

[Valery Noble]

New Cov

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber | Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Gatz Derrevar

"Fire has always been a thing of mine. Some say it's because I'm so chaotic." She didn't really pick up on his grumbling and chuckled a little before she moved forward. She didn't linger much on the topic of what she could and couldn't do, mostly because they still had a job to do, but also because she didn't want him to feel like he needed to compare himself to her. They had talked about it before, and he had agreed it wasn't exactly fair to make a comparison to someone who had been a Jedi her whole life.

But she couldn't help but feel like it was still annoying if she talked about herself too much in that way.

Then he poked some fun at her about the rebreather, and she forgot about what she was talking about before it. She squinted, pouted and huffed before approaching the building, "Well sorry, I was just asking to make sure." She wasn't upset and even smirked, but she did give him a bit of a look, if only to see if it'd make him squirm a little.

If he wanted to mess with her, she would-

"Beauty before age, I see,"

"You know, Gatz Derrevar, this burning building could very quickly become the least threatening thing here." She narrowed her eyes and followed him inside after his age joke.

The section of the building they were in wasn't on fire yet, and smoke wasn't reaching them either. It was dark, with emergency lights flickering, and on each side of the hallway were heavily reinforced doors. They could keep fire out for a while, but it surely contained something else as well.

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons: Blaster Pistol
Tag: Valery Noble

After the way Val pouted, huffed, and smirked, Gatz let out a quiet breath he hadn't know he was holding. Some part of him had still been holding onto their failed trip to Hoth—worried that their shared stubbornness, and the argument that had followed had ruined the easy friendship they'd struck. A friendship that was more important to him than anything in the galaxy, even if he did occasionally get annoyed by how talented Valery was.

But that smile on her face, the one she'd always given him—even before he'd changed his ways—told him that that was a useless anxiety to hold onto.

And so Gatz let it go.

"You know, Gatz Derrevar, this burning building could very quickly become the least threatening thing here."

"Don't threaten me with a good time!" Gatz winked at Valery, and then realized it was probably too dark for her to notice. Damn shame.

But then he turned his attention onto what mattered: the burning building they were in. The heavy reinforced doors to either side of them must have been keeping to fire and smoke from spreading throughout the building. Shuttering rooms like that would eventually deprive them of oxygen to burn—a clever design. But... it also muffled whatever sound might have been coming from the other side.

There might be people behind those doors, screaming for help, and yet Gatz could hear nothing.

"It'll take me too long to slice these doors," Gatz admitted, "can your lightsaber cut through metal this thick?"

He didn't know how thick the reinforced doors were: for all he knew, they were thicker than her lightsaber was long. And the thicker the metal, the longer it would take her to cut through it. That's what worried Gatz: that they'd spend so much time trying to get through the door, that by the time they got into the room beyond it, it would be too late to do anything.

If someone was even in there. What if they picked the wrong door? Cut through one, but the people were actually behind the other?

 

[Valery Noble]

New Cov

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber | Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Gatz Derrevar

It was absolutely not too dark for her to notice.

In the darkness of the facility, it seemed as if Valery's eyes had a strange glow to them. They had shifted into a different spectrum, and in this case, she saw Gatz's body heat in Infrared. So, she caught his expression and the wink and rolled her eyes. "I saw that, and It won't be a good time if you push your luck," she said, but her voice wasn't threatening at all. She was smirking, and mostly just poking back at him.

But how far was he willing to try and take his jokes? She left that up in the air for now.

Valery then refocused and listened to his question. She had hoped for him to be able to slice their way inside the rooms, but it was time-consuming and she supposed there was also a risk of electronics being fried and locking the doors in place. They'd have to break their way inside, but could she cut through?

"It can cut through but these doors seem thick. It could take too long, so..." She carefully placed her hand against the first door in their way and sighed in relief when it wasn't hot or protected with other methods. Then, in about an instant, the entire metal door fell apart into tiny fragments. "This will suck if the door is already hot because of the fire, but I'll manage." She smiled weakly, stepped deeper inside, and suddenly stopped.

There were huge claw marks on the walls.

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons: Blaster Pistol
Tag: Valery Noble

"I... alright."

There was a time when Valery would have played along with his joke, instead of trying to gently stifle it. Maybe he had damaged their friendship after all.

That thought plagued him, as Valery did... whatever she was doing to the door. Things were different now, since Hoth. Valery was every bit as kind and compassionate as she'd ever been with him, but it felt like there was a professional distance between them now. Like he'd crossed the line in the sand, and when she redrew it, she drew it closer to him than it had been.

Like they had regressed from close friends to, well, something less than that. Not as far back as associates, but not quite as close as friends.

Hell, he'd sobbed his eyes out on that log, and she just stood there and watched. There was a time she would have hugged him. A time when he wouldn't have had to restrain himself from seeking comfort from her. But, like with all good things in his life, Gatz supposed he'd ruined that. Unfortunately, that was unsurprising.

The door shattered, and Gatz was forced to refocus his mind on the problem at hand, but he couldn't cover up the change in his mood. He felt sullen, even as he stepped in after her.

Of course, Gatz's sour mood changed from accelerating depression to accelerating fear, as he saw the claw marks on the walls.

"Valery, please tell me that's a jungle predator and not what I think it is."

Of all the things Gatz didn't want to deal with today—especially after his discovery of what might have been a failing friendship—Sithspawn were near the top of the list. He'd had enough of them when he'd helped Capris.

 

[Valery Noble]

New Cov

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber | Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Gatz Derrevar

"Relax, I'm just messing with you," she chuckled and briefly placed a hand on his shoulder before moving forward again. "The jokes don't actually bother me." Now if he were to genuinely start telling her that she looked old, she'd be giving him an actual death glare but teasing and jokes didn't bother her as long as it stayed playful.

But having felt Gatz get a little tense over it, she wanted to make sure that he knew it was okay. But as soon as they spotted the huge claw marks on the wall, she did have to focus on that for now. They could always talk more again later.

"New Cov doesn't usually have Sithspawn problems, but it does have very dangerous predators." She frowned and let her fingers trace along the wall, all the way until fingertips reached one of the marks. She froze for a moment, her frown deepened, and she let out a shaky breath before glancing back at Gatz.

"I...don't think it's Sithspawn but this isn't natural either. Whatever caused this was altered some way." She nodded at his pistol - it was time to get serious and she did the same by drawing the hilt of her weapon into her hand.

"Have you heard of Bio-molecules before?"

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons: Blaster Pistol
Tag: Valery Noble

Conflict brewed within him, just as it always did. Fear—always fear—of losing his best friend wrestled with his need to be, well, him. The wisecracking joker who deflected his anxieties and fear with humor, some of which wasn't always appropriate. But he was so tired of being nervous and afraid. And he was tired of being afraid of Valery abandoning him, just like everyone else in his life.

He'd just told himself he was going to let that anxiety go, only for it to rear it's ugly head a moment later.

Valery placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to reassure him as she always did. Before she could let go, Gatz placed his own hand over hers. Squeezed it, needing to feel warmth for but a single moment, touch-deprived as he was. He let out a long breath, let his anxiety over their friendship go with it, even if only for now. Then he let his hand drop, looked Valery in the eye, and nodded silently. He was okay for the moment.

Of course, he was still terrified of the potential Sithspawn threat. That claw mark on the wall looked deep, and anything that could cut through durasteel could cut through him with ease.

"Oh good, I wasn't looking forward to fighting another one," Gatz let out a hefty breath, but it didn't wash away his fear, "I barely survived the last one."

Valery motioned for him to draw his blaster, which he did, and went on to ask him about something he'd never heard of before. Of course, biology wasn't his field of study. Nothing in science was, really. That didn't bother him much. Valery would simply clue him into what they were dealing with.

But when she let out a shaky breath—when Valery Noble let out an emission of fear—Gatz froze solid, and the panic that lay ever-trapped within his heart bloomed, beginning to consume him.

"I haven't," he trembled, and his voice shook, "but if they let creatures grow and leave marks like that, then I don't see what my peashooter of a blaster is going to do here."

 

[Valery Noble]

New Cov

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber | Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Gatz Derrevar

"Well, they can be used in a lot of very different things. They are produced by exotic plants on New Cov and are used to make medicine, they're applied in industrial processes, but they also have use in military applications or experimental research." In other words, there was a lot one could do with these Bio-molecules and that clearly worried her.

What had they been using them for here? Or was this facility something else entirely? A missiom without any real intel was the most dangerous.

"I'm sure your blaster will still be useful, so keep it on you." Valery nodded and continued walking forward, down the hallway that looked like it had been carved up. It didn't, sadly, take long before they found a first victim. A male human in his 40s or so, torn open by the beast and with bloodsplatter all over the walls around him.

It was a messy kill.

"This is worrying. It killed this man but didn't eat him." It sounded weird but that meant it wasn't killing just for food. It made it even more dangerous. Valery was about to keep walking again, when they both suddenly heard banging on one of the doors ahead.

"Gatz? You ready?"

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons: Blaster Pistol
Tag: Valery Noble

Oh great. Super molecules. Those totally didn't have the potential to be horribly misused.

Valery led them further down the hall, which was marred with even more of those same claw marks. Gatz felt like he'd just walked into the plot of a horror film: the kind where only one person made it out in the end. And chances were, it wasn't going to be the guy without a lightsaber.

"Valery... I know you were trained here and all. I know it was your home once. So I'm sorry, but this planet really fucking sucks."

He should have waited a few more moments before he'd said that. He should have waited until after they saw the first victim.

Gatz was no stranger to corpses. He'd seen his first when he was nine. He'd made plenty of them in his time. He'd seen some pretty gruesome deaths at the hands of Hutt thugs. But those had all been deaths at the hands of sentients; deaths by blaster, or knife, or a blunt object. Gatz had never seen a human corpse torn asunder by an animal before.

Bile rose in his throat, and the fear became near overwhelming. Gatz had to brace himself against the wall—the stench was overpowering—and turn away, lest he throw up his breakfast.

The fact that whatever beast had done this didn't eat the corpse only made things worse in his mind. It meant that the creature wasn't killing by necessity, or by instinct. It was killing out of cruelty. What chance did he have against a monster like that? Valery had every Force ability imaginable under her belt, two custommade blasters, and two lightsabers.

He had a fucking peashooter.

"Gatz? You ready?"

"No. Not even remotely." His fear was obvious.

But Gatz still leveled his blaster at the door, waiting for Valery to open it.