First Reply Finest Hour

[Cato Harth]

Nar Shaddaa
Late night

Cato knew that taking on the ugliest Nar Shaddaa has to offer was going to be, putting it mildly, a bit of a mess. He convinced himself of it with monologues about truth and justice, just like all the crimefighter holodramas he liked to watch as a kid. However, most of those holodramas did not end with the protagonist lying half-dead in a back alley dumpster.

Which was precisely where he and The Wonderful Wyyyschokk-Man differed.

Recent events had been a blur, but a few bits and pieces remained clear. One: he had done a pretty great job at pissing off a few local bosses and their seemingly endless supply of lackeys. Two: Those lackeys hit a lot harder than you'd think. And three: He was, yes, laying in a surprisingly comfortable dumpster.

With a groan, the Jedi Knight rolled over, grasping the metal rim to pull himself up where he could gain sight of the alley around him. A few blinks later, his vision cleared, revealing that somebody was standing right in front of him…

Could go a few ways with it. A good samaritan? A criminal or other unsavory type who was taking part in the pursuit of a meddling Jedi? Maybe just some rando who stumbled upon an idiot in a trash can? I’m not picky.

 

[Chanoel Farver]

Cato Harth
​

"Hey, you okay?" Chanoel peeked over the edge, looking at the beat-up guy who'd just started moving. She'd been there for a few minutes, but she wasn't keen on jumping in the dumpster to pull him out. Still, just leaving him was off the table.

"Dumb question, sorry. Let me help you out." She looped her arm under his and started to hoist him out, grunting a little with the exertion. Once he was out, she-

"Holy shit, is that a lightsaber?"

 

[Cato Harth]

“Waitwaitwait-” He initially resisted the effort to help, leading to the awkward end result of Cato more or less flopping over the edge and onto the street like a fish.

"Holy shit, is that a lightsaber?"

Languid movements hastened to scrambling, “Nope, no it's definitely not!” The vain attempt to hide it only caused the hilt to slip from his grasp and clank to the ground. With a defeated sigh, he looked back to the woman that found him and regarded her with a raised brow, “...You working for someone?”

Chanoel Farver​

 

[Chanoel Farver]

Cato Harth
​

"That's dope as hell," she said, leaning down to pick up the saber -- gingerly. She'd never held one before and wasn't keen on an accident. She handed it back to him.

"No, not working for anyone." She looked confused for a moment, then it hit her. "Oh- I was just walking by. Not really affiliated with any, ah, bosses, or whatever.

"I am first aid trained, though, and you look pretty-" she gestured at all of him, "so, ah, do you need, like, a check up? Okay, dumb question, but- you look like you need to go to a hospital."

 

[Cato Harth]

"Well, good to know you don't spend your nights just staring at garbage. But everyone works for someone on Nar Shaddaa." He paused for a moment and shrugged, recognizing that he was a contraction of his own claim, "…'Cept me, I guess."

Still he remained uncertain of her, not that this had prevented any of Cato's usual chatty-ness, "You ah, help any guy you find in the trash? Or just the pretty ones?"

Using the dumpster as leverage he tried sliding up to his feet. After only getting about halfway through he flinched, eliciting a wheeze that sounded like a deflating balloon. Something internal shifted unpleasantly, and in the process caused droplets of blood to trickle out from underneath his jacket. "That sucked…"

Cato forced himself up straight, now clutching the damp fabric of his shirt to staunch the flow. "N-no hospitals. But uh… guess I wouldn't mind a bit of a patch-up, if you're really offering." He conceded to his lack of options with a weary smile.

Chanoel Farver​

 

[Chanoel Farver]

Cato Harth
​

She laughed at his joke, and then started to freak out when the blood started pouring.

"Oo-kay, let's get you to my ship, I got some bacta patches- are you in much pain? Bleeding is not good. Are you good to move? Maybe- er, no, this is a crap place to stay," she said. "Come on, I'll help you."

She stood close, making sure he was stable enough to walk, and supporting him when he wasn't. She started out of the alley.

"Who'd you pick a fight with?" she asked, half-trying to distract him from the pain.

 

[Cato Harth]

He took her offer for support, not wanting to risk any more potential injuries on his own, "I've certainly been better. Ship will do fine, can't stay here anyway." Just when they were about to take a step out of the alley, Cato barred her with his free hand. As if on cue, a rowdy trio of silhouetted figures crossed over the far end of the street. Whether or not they had other affiliations, Cato was uninterested in taking any chances. Thankfully they passed by unaware, and he nodded for the two of them to continue once the coast was clear.

"This time?" He chuckled a moment, before a sharp pain forced him to stifle it, "Uhh, Nikto swoop gang. Weren't too enthusiastic about me getting involved in their little turf dispute with the Trandoshans." Cato shrugged. Such was the nature of his 'job'.

"So ah, does my savior have a name?"

Chanoel Farver​

 

[Chanoel Farver]

Cato Harth
​

"Oh, I'm Chanoel," she said. "Does my, uh," her brow furrowed, searching for a word, "savi-ee? That's not a word. What's your name?"

 

[Cato Harth]

He stifled another laugh, "Cato."

Chanoel Farver​

 

[Chanoel Farver]

Cato Harth
​

"Cool. Nice to meetcha, Cato." She stayed close, and made a mental note to not be funny, since laughing seemed to be killing him.

"Ship's just around the- well, we got some stairs to go up," she admitted. "Anyways, where'd you get a lightsaber? You a Jedi?" She kept her voice low -- obviously Cato didn't have many friends around here, and it was always fifty-fifty if people liked or disliked Jedi around these parts.

 

[Cato Harth]

“Likewise, Chanoel. Most people around here probably woulda passed me by.” Not that he necessarily blamed them, even. Sticking your neck out for a stranger was just one of many possible ways to get on somebody’s bad side on Nar Shaddaa.

“I’ll manage.” He failed to admit he was already getting a bit weak in the legs, but Cato would push on through sheer stubbornness alone if he had to.

“Uhhh, yeah, I guess I am.” It’s not like Jedi licenses expired or something. He clarified, “Trained with the Silvers years ago, but I haven’t exactly been… around recently.” They were still in Concord space, but there was a difference between that and being an active member of the Order.

“What about you? I mean what brings you out to a dump like this? Can't imagine it's for a vacation.”

Chanoel Farver​

 

[Chanoel Farver]

Cato Harth
​

"Pit stop," she said. They reached the end of the street, and turned towards a tight stairway that would lead them up to another level. "Might be a dump, but there are a few reliable people around here. If you've got the credits, of course.

"Picked up this weird guy after a distress call, so mostly for... cleaning... oh, and the paintjob. My ship's second-hand, so just taking the chance to spruce things up a bit." She started up the stairs, before glancing at him. After a moment's hesitation she went to take him under the shoulder to help him up the stairs.

"Gonna be honest, I haven't had the chance to meet a Jedi in person. You're a bit underwhelming," she said jokingly.

 

[Cato Harth]

“True enough. For as much as I deride this place, there’s decent folk here. Just deserve better.” If he didn’t believe that, then there wouldn’t exactly be much reason to stick around. “Seems like picking up weird guys is a trend for you.”

Despite a warning in advance, Cato still cringed at the sight of the stairwell. Chanoel’s offer for help was a welcome relief. The knight tested his footing against the first step, then forced himself to begin the climb. “Ouch. You’re just trying to add to my suffering now, aren’t you?” He smirked at the comment.

Chanoel Farver​

 

[Chanoel Farver]

Cato Harth
​

She snorted.

"Okay, okay. Like- I'm kind of lying. I've seen Jedi before. Just never one in this... state." She cleared her throat, shifting a little under him to be more comfortable. "I served in the Stygian. Mostly smaller objectives, but a few of the big ones, the big battles in the cities, whatever -- I'd just see some grimy-ass dude in a leather jacket step out of some alley, walk to the front, ignite his saber, and we'd gain a mile in an hour, where we'd been holed up for the past day.

"And, uh, you kinda fit that look, so I don't know. I'm surprised you lost the fight."

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato shrugged, "Just the luck of the draw, I guess. I've gone toe-to-toe with Brynadul siege beasts and Sith commandos, but I still got my ass kicked by some swoop bikers. 'Course, I got my ass kicked in those other fights, too," He chuckled at his own admission, "Point being, we aren't invincible, one wrong decision and Jedi go down like everyone else. Guess it doesn't help that I actively try not to lightsaber my way through all of my problems, as easy as that would be. But I'd rather not leave a trail of bodies here, not where I can help it."

He smirked again, "Or shit, maybe the ones you saw were just better Jedi than me, I won't make excuses. But when a few dozen angry gangsters start throwing fists from all different directions, I wager nobody's gonna be able to avoid every single one."

"Didn't realize you were a soldier. Alliance, then?"

Chanoel Farver​

 

[Chanoel Farver]

Cato Harth
​

"Yeah, used to be a Pathfinder, but I left it. I mean... dude, war fucking sucks." She chuckled dryly. "You complain about this place, but they didn't, like, execute you.

"Fair enough, though. I mean, I think I'm kind of a badass, but that sounds pretty tough." She smiled.

As they neared the top of the stairs, she picked up her pace ever so slightly. They soon could see it, a used-looking fighter sitting in a relatively clean landing bay. "Here we are- the Higher Love. Courtesy of Quekko's Choice Ship Emporium, truly- shit, hey!"

She scooted over to let him hold onto the railing, before rushing ahead towards her ship -- where a squad of Jawas was poking around, half bullying the pit droids that were working on the ship, and half who were trying to steal the hull paneling on the engine.

 

[Cato Harth]

"Hey, don't have to tell me. I've been there, too." Most anyone who suffered war would tell you it was, in fact, not fun. "And well, for what it's worth, some people here definitely have tried to execute me here."

He smiled back, then whipped his head away to clear a gravelly cough, "Yanno, I'd probably say the same thing about myself right now, if I wasn't a walking contradiction to that claim."

When they reached the top of the stairs and Chanoel took off without him, Cato hardly even noticed the Jawas at first, only registering their little frames after a few confused blinks. "Oy," He sighed, then made a halfhearted shooing gesture at the Jawas. "Uhhh… <Back off! Not… mine? Er, not yours! Not for sale!>" His Jawaese was clearly a bit rusty, and he wasn't even sure they could hear him from there. Or that they'd even listen if they could.

He pushed himself off the railing, repeating the line until he was more or less mumbling it out of exhaustion as he shuffled forward.

Chanoel Farver​

 

[Chanoel Farver]

Cato Harth
​

Chanoel's Jawaese was actually pretty good, and they certainly heard her, but it was probably the blaster shot that really spoke to them.

The yelling -- and a bit of grabbing of small, burlap-wrapped creatures -- got a few off the pit droids, but the ones on the engine were a bit more stubborn. Normally she might pacify them with a trade, but when she glanced back at the stumbling Cato, she felt the need to speed things up. A flick of her wrist, and her pistol was in her hand. A light press, and a red bolt rang out, slamming against her ship's hull. The Jawas by the engine were quick to scatter.

"Sorry! Sorry," she said, jogging back over to the Jedi to help him back up again. "Let's get you inside."

It took a moment, but she found the ramp release on the outside, then helped him up. "Aah- fuck. Um, can you just- the living room's right there, just get comfortable, I gotta find my medkit."

 

[Cato Harth]

The sudden blaster fire managed to surprise Cato as well, "Heh, no need to get violent on my account." Not that he was really complaining. The jawas scattered unharmed and he could stop slowly dying in the middle of the street.

Cato mustered what little strength he had left up the ramp, breaths turning into hoarse wheezes with every step. His head lolled over to where Chanoel had gestured, "Ya sure? I'd hate to… get blood on… everything." Apparently a genuine concern of his, if not the most immediate problem at hand. With one final burst of stamina he reached temporary relief in the form of a seat. He slid down the backrest into a slightly awkward recline, but at this point he wasn't even sure he had the strength to sit up straight.

"Yep, something definitely reopened in the last fifteen minutes." Cato placed a hand against his side, and when he removed it his palm was slathered in dark red. Evidently why he was getting worse by the second.

Chanoel Farver​

 

[Chanoel Farver]

Cato Harth
​

Chanoel was back after only a moment, having found the medkit. No matter how quick she was, she was overcome by the worry she might now have been far too slow.

"Shit."

Training kicked in -- she opened the kit, tore away his shirt, and started to clean and disinfect the wound with a wipe. If she hadn't literally found him in a dumpster, she might've forgotten that part. The simple scanner beeped, to helpfully inform her that she was fine and in good health, sending her into another round of cursing herself for not having calibrated it for humans.

"Any other wounds?" she asked, wrapping his torso tightly in the thick bandages in the kit.

feel free to move it along however, Chanoel will just dress the wounds