Private Rapture

[Cato Harth]

A Prison on Nar Shadda...

"Deal me in," The Six-Gun Squid muttered as her pylantian form slithered over to the table. The guns that once filled every pseudopod had been replaced with a hand of sabbacc cards. Prison life wasn't so bad on Nar Shaddaa, other than the bruised ego that came with it.

"We playin' for somethin' of actual value this time?" The Ewok half of the Beastly Boys spoke. His partner in crime, a large Wookiee, bellowed in solidarity.

"Uhh… a few credits and… Steve's golden tooth." The Fabricator replied, looking at the measly pot.

"How the hell'd you get that?"

"Came spilling out of his mouth in fight with some other guy. I saw it an snatched it."

"Gross," The oft-silent Dathan Carnage spoke sourly. The party of players had a rare look at him unmasked— Pale skin burned by the wounds he had been given in his first encounter with Moonlighter and Mimic/Copycat/Whatever they were calling her these days.

"Your face is gross!" The Ewok replied, cackling at his own joke. Dathan gave him a death stare that went unnoticed.

This game of sabbacc was a regular occurrence for these incarcerated supervillains. They didn't all like each other per se, but they tolerated one another well enough. And they had one thing in common.

"Word on the outside is Moonlighter's gone missing. Along with his girlie." Six-Gun Squid commented after a few rounds of play.

"Can we not talk about him again?" Jahira scoffed and rolled her eyes, "We should have a timer for how long it takes for Moonlighter to get name-dropped."

"I hear you know his true identity," Dathan commented.

Jahira smirked, "A lady doesn't kiss and tell." There were a few ooh's from around the table. She said nothing more, content to hang that information over their heads.

"Still. If it's true, gotta wonder where he's gone to…"

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

Cato's apartment, Nar Shaddaa

Inanna lay on the couch with Serena resting against her chest, enjoying the rare period of peace and quiet that came when the newborn wasn't fussy while awake. It was difficult for her to keep her eyes open, tired as she was from caring for a new baby, so to stay alert she talked.

“Two weeks after birth is when they recommend giving a baby its first bath,” she said, watching Serena look around and listening to her rapid breathing. “That’s assuming you were brought here right after you were born.”

Serena had been there for two weeks. That took a moment to sink in. It felt like only a couple days had passed since the baby was left in a bassinet on their doorstep. Inanna had walked into the kitchen for a banana only to find a panicked Cato staring at this tiny child he hadn’t known existed. She had bonded with Serena quite rapidly, but not without reservations. She felt like an impostor playing at motherhood at times, and lived in fear that Serena's birth mother might change her mind, show up and ask for her back…

But that would be crazy, wouldn't it? She couldn't do that. Not without facing a fight. Inanna gently stroked a fingertip along Serena’s head, smoothing the dark hair growing there. “What do you think, pink? Are you ready for a bath?”

Serena’s brow furrowed.

“‘What’s a bath?’” Inanna adlibbed the clueless baby’s thoughts. “‘Is that a new brand of formula?’” Snorting, she kissed Serena's head.

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato nearly tumbled down the stairs into their basement loft. A thud, and a weary oof marked his return. In both hands he was carrying some last-minute baby supplies, things they had forgotten to get (or didn't have the time to get) when Serena first arrived. The lifestyle change had hit him hard. He wasn't exactly expecting a baby to appear on his doorstep after all. Cato had dark circles around his eyes that had lingered since then, a clear indicator of how little sleep he was getting compared to normal. His stubble had grown out more than usual, and his hair was just a little more untidy. Of all the challenges he'd faced on Nar Shaddaa thus far, none hit as hard as impromptu fatherhood.

"Alrighty. That should keep us set for a while," He gingerly set the groceries down on the kitchen table, then stepped back out into the main room, plopping down on a chair and deflating, "How's she doing?"

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

Inanna sat up upon hearing thud from the stairwell, holding Serena close as she peered at the door. One of the neighbors had recently been robbed, so she was taking no chances.

Turns out it was just Cato; she recognized him by the sound of his voice and footsteps. “Look Serena, it’s Daddy!” she exclaimed, holding the baby up so she could see him. “And he comes bearing gifts.”

Serena made an excited noise, then coughed. Inanna gently patted her back.

“Yeah, she’s being a sweet baby today. Needs a bath though. Are you okay?” she asked as Cato plopped into a chair across from them. “It sounded like you fell.” Unshaven, wild-haired, and sleep-deprived, he was starting to look like… well, one of the junkies hanging out on the street corner was the closest comparison. Still pretty sexy for a junkie, but y'know. Inanna had more control over her appearance, though she’d undergone changes too. The sleek, hard lines of muscle she’d sported as a vigilante had softened into curves for Serena’s comfort.

“I can put the stuff away,” she offered, standing up with the baby cradled in her arms. “Do you want to watch Serena?”

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato shrugged, "Just a misstep. Those stairs are perilous." He offered a lopsided smile. A lack of sleep had made him a little bit clumsier than usual, and he knew it. Inanna had handled the transition into parenthood much more naturally than him. Hardly a surprise, given her experience, and his total unpreparedness for a surprise baby appearing on his doorstep.

"Oh. Sure," He blinked, and held out his hands. Cato remained a bit tentative these last few weeks. More out of a lack of confidence than anything about Serena herself. Although being asked to hold the baby after being told she needed a bath made him suspicious. "Hey there, Pink," He gingerly took his daughter, who stared at him with a blank, open mouth smile. A bit of drool dripped from her mouth and onto his shirt, "Nice one."

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

Inanna made a sympathetic noise, though her mind immediately went to what might happen with those stairs once Serena became mobile. “We’ll have to buy a baby gate,” she murmured. Of course she only thought of it after he came back from the store...

Inanna caught the suspicious look he cast her way and gave him a little smile. “I just changed her, but no promises.” She carefully laid the baby in his arms, making sure her head was supported. “Awww, look at that smile.” Experts say that babies don’t truly smile for a good six to twelve weeks after they’re born—they might look like they were, but it was just muscle twitches. Inanna didn’t care what they said, it was adorable.

“She’s getting chubby, so we must be doing something right,” she said, stroking Serena’s round pink cheek with her finger before she went to take care of the groceries. The first item she pulled out of the bag was a onesie for Serena with writing across the front. “‘I Drink Until I Pass Out’,” Inanna read out loud with a snort. It brightened her mood a little, for a moment.

“Did I tell you about the neighbor down the hall? Kiki, the single mom with five kids? She’s moving out. Getting robbed was the last straw, I guess.”

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato blankly processed the necessity of a baby gate, then with a simple, "Hm." He nodded, then let his head loll lazily to his shoulder, "Well we've got a little bit before we absolutely need that." Serena fit snugly in his arms, and continued to stare almost expectantly at him with bulging tawny eyes, "Sup." Cato gingerly lifted one of her arms, making it wave in greeting, while Inanna took care of groceries. He didn't look up to see her pull out the onesie, but he had already a smirk on his face before she read it aloud.

“Did I tell you about the neighbor down the hall? Kiki, the single mom with five kids? She’s moving out. Getting robbed was the last straw, I guess.”

Cato looked up suddenly, "Can she afford that?" He pursed his lips and entered deep thought. That made her luckier than most, frankly. Or perhaps it had just gotten so bad that she was willing to take the risk anywhere else, even still on Narsh. It's not like most people lived on this moon because they wanted to. Cato sighed, and began to mumble, "Can't even stop a crime happening in the same building as me these days…" It clearly frustrated him. Not just because of it happening to Kiki, but because it was so close now to his family.

 

[Inanna Harth]

“Not too long,” Inanna muttered. Time flies when you have a kid. Continuing to sift through the groceries, she sighed at the sight of fresh bottle nipples and a new cooking pot. The last time she had tried to disinfect the ones they had by boiling them, she had fallen asleep and awoke to the stench of melted silicone permeating the apartment. Cato had also awoken and arrived in the kitchen just in time to witness the spectacle of Inanna chucking the entire pot out the window—her groggy, kneejerk response to the problem.

While Inanna began preparing a bottle, Serena’s minuscule hand clamped down on Cato’s thumb with surprising strength, then pulled his finger toward her mouth.

"Can she afford that?"

“She said she was moving in with some guy who lives out of a freighter.” Inanna went to hand Cato the bottle of formula. "So probably not. I wouldn't want my kids having to go through an ordeal like that either, so I can't blame her for wanting out."

"Can't even stop a crime happening in the same building as me these days…"

“Maybe you should’ve thought of that before you had unprotected sex with a stranger.”

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

"All I know is I ain't going back to the store today," Cato huffed playfully, though his desire to stay in for the rest of the day was genuine. He let Serena take his thumb, trading it out for the bottle when Inanna handed it over.

“Maybe you should’ve thought of that before you had unprotected sex with a stranger.”

Cato's quiet frustration immediately gave way to quiet deflation. He said nothing, which from the usually verbose Cato made it clear he was a bit hurt. It was true, which was no doubt where part of that dejectedness came from, but also because least of all did he need to hear that from his fiancee. Cato was practically beating himself over the head with it every day. He stared blankly at Serena while he fed her, brooding over the ambivalent emotions that he experienced looking at her.

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

“For feth’s sake, Cato, don’t start feeling sorry for yourself again,” Inanna said irritably, pacing around the kitchen aimlessly. Maybe she was just tired and cranky, but she didn’t feel much sympathy for him right now. “Like you said, she was a Zeltron. ‘Everyone is into Zeltrons’...”

With Serena being taken care of by someone else, she didn’t know what to do with herself. So she picked up a rag and started to viciously attack a spot on the kitchen counter, the result of a long-ago spill which had permanently stained the cheap linoleum. It had always bothered her, but no amount of scrubbing seemed capable of washing it clean.

“You told me the two of you already have a bond. You’re going to make that baby depressed too if you keep this up. She doesn’t need you beating yourself up because she exists.” Abandoning the attempt at removing the accursed mark, she tossed the rag back on the counter. “And I don’t need it either.”

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

"Sorry for myself?" Cato finally blurted out, genuine insult in his tone, "Can I feel sorry for Kiki? Maybe I can feel sorry for that kid who got shot in a driveby last week? Or the guy who had his restaurant burned down? Can I feel sorry for them?" He stood up with Serena still in hand, walking over to Inanna.

"You think I do it just for shits and giggles? I go out there and get my ass kicked by a bunch of wannabe gangsters each night just so I can play dress up?" Cato seemed disgusted by the notion, particularly that Inanna would be so callous about it. "I fucked up. I'm owning up to it. Sorry if I still think about everyone else who got fucked over cause of it every now and then."

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

Inanna was a bit taken aback by his response. Not because he was mad at her, but because he had missed the point. His focus was only on the people of Narsh and how he was doing wrong by not saving them. Not a thought spared for Serena or Inanna, apparently. That only annoyed her even more.

“So it has to be you who saves them?” she retorted, her accent becoming more pronounced. “Would you even have been able to rescue each of them if you weren’t here taking care of a newborn? People are going to suffer and die regardless. It’s impossible for one person to save them all, it always has been!”

"You think I do it just for shits and giggles? I go out there and get my ass kicked by a bunch of wannabe gangsters each night just so I can play dress up?"

“I didn’t say that. But now that you mention it, let’s talk about your superhero fetish.” Morphing into the damned Mimic costume purely to make a point, she laid a hand just above the plunging neckline. “I think you do it because it makes you feel good. You could be fighting a war like the rest of the Jedi, but fighting a war sure as hell isn’t joyful. Beating up thugs and taking down campy villains in a costume, though, you clearly get something out of that. Well, life doesn’t always get to feel good. If you try to outrun the pain, this is where it gets you.”

Serena unlatched from the bottle with a pitiful little cough, formula trickling down her chin. Inanna stepped forward to take her from him, a motion borne out of habit.

"I fucked up. I'm owning up to it. Sorry if I still think about everyone else who got fucked over cause of it every now and then."

“If that’s all you care about, then the only person fucked over here is your daughter.” With the costume melting off of her like lava down the side of a seething volcano, she raised her chin, looking him in the eye. “You want me to take her and go? Leave you here so you can go back to being the savior of Narsh? It will never end, Cato! Serena doesn’t deserve a father who puts the wellbeing of strangers before her.”

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

"So we should just give up on doing anything good? Where is this coming from?!" Cato seemed in disbelief that Inanna was so willing to forsake everyone else at the drop of a hat. She then zeroed in on his crimefighting exploits, hitting on the thrills he gets from it. Even Cato knew that was true, but he was offended by the idea that it was the only reason he did it, "There's a thousand Jedi fighting a war! There's no one helping these people here! No one except me! But sure, I'm running away from the pain."

Instinctively, Cato turned away when Inanna tried to reach for his daughter, and he felt a pit drop in his stomach at her threat of leaving, "I'm sure you'd love that!" He shot back, "Find some other twenty-something boytoy who's just there to make you feel good! That you can play family dress up with!" Serena started crying, "Why does it have to be one or the other for me?! Why should one responsibility just be… thrown away!"

Cato simmered down finally. His anger turning into a more quiet disappointment, "You asked me to marry you after Serena showed up. It was just for her, wasn't it?"

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

"So we should just give up on doing anything good? Where is this coming from?!"

She shook her head. “You have to put Serena first. That’s all there is to it!” How things got so convoluted and complicated, she didn't know. Probably something she said...

"There's a thousand Jedi fighting a war! There's no one helping these people here! No one except me! But sure, I'm running away from the pain."

“There are shelters, relief stations, and nonprofits all over this fething sewage cake of a moon, and Force knows how many vigilantes and volunteers. The idea that you’re the only guy trying to help is… it’s simply not true!” She threw her hands in the air. “Did you ever think of recruiting anyone else to fight crime with you? Why did it take me offering to go on patrol before you even considered getting a partner?”

As soon as the threat left her mouth, Inanna regretted it. She didn’t really want to leave. Not even for the sake of teaching him a lesson, making sure he never took her for granted. But the damage had already been done.

"I'm sure you'd love that! Find some other twenty-something boytoy who's just there to make you feel good! That you can play family dress up with!"

The next few words out of Inanna’s mouth were just a string of Shi'idese expletives, some he had heard before and others that he hadn't. Her explosive anger got the point across well enough before she lapsed back into Basic: "If all I wanted was a boytoy, I'd find someone more suitable! Force, I can't even remember the last time we had sex, it's been so long—but I haven't complained!" The playing family part she didn't touch upon. Mainly because it stung so bitterly.

Serena’s cries tore at Inanna's heart. Cato turned his back on her, keeping the baby out of her reach.

"Why does it have to be one or the other for me?! Why should one responsibility just be… thrown away!"

“Because she shouldn’t have to see you come home in the morning covered in blood and bruises, only to sleep most of the day away and do it all again the next night. She shouldn’t have to live in fear, knowing each time you leave might be the last time she ever sees you.”

Was she talking about Serena, or about herself? If Cato went back to crimefighting, Inanna would have to stay behind and take care of Serena. Fuck daycare, and if they stayed on Narsh fuck school too. She’d have to tend to Moonlighter's wounds, let him sleep all day, watch him go out on patrol over and over again. It sounded like hell.

"You asked me to marry you after Serena showed up. It was just for her, wasn't it?"

“Shut up!" Confusion and hurt had begun to bleed into her voice. "If you think I'm so fucking monstrous for wanting to be the mother of your child and have an actual goddamn family, then... fuck you!"

She stormed up the steep stairs Cato had come down only a few minutes earlier.

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

"Really?!" Cato scoffed, clearly not buying that it was just about 'putting Serena first'. He wasn't won over by Nar Shaddaa's supposed support system either, "Oh please. On Narsh? You don't actually think that's anything other than— than— some laundering scheme for the nearest local crime lord, do you? And last I checked, all the other 'vigilantes' are off on Denon!" He grabbed the roots of his hair in stress, "Who the hell around here would even fit that criteria?! I wasn't even sure you did! You expect me to just kidnap some able-bodied idiot of the street?!"

"If all I wanted was a boytoy, I'd find someone more suitable! Force, I can't even remember the last time we had sex, it's been so long—but I haven't complained!"

Cato groaned loudly, "Oh Force forbid we go more than twenty-four hours without fucking! Figures that would be the source of our problems! You know why we haven't right?!" He gestured to the baby that was in his hands. The baby Inanna was so committed to.

But what stung most bitterly was the picture she painted of their future. One where Cato's crimefighting impeded on his ability to be a father. He didn't want to accept that it had to be that way. But the chance that it could, was enough to make him pause. He didn't want that for her. For either of them. But Cato and Inanna were too caught up in the argument for either to see anything but red.

"If you think I'm so fucking monstrous for wanting to be the mother of your child and have an actual goddamn family, then... fuck you!"

Cato flinched at that, as if it nearly snapped him out of the argument. Nearly. Inanna left, the threat of permanently splitting suddenly real and still lingering. But in his frustration, Cato was too flustered to admit to any wrongdoing. To calm down and try to bring her back. He looked back down towards Serena and held her close, trying to hush her, "I'm sorry, Pink. I'm sorry…"

Meanwhile upstairs, when Inanna reached the exit, she would be met by three figures. Two indeterminate humanoids, and a much more diminutive one in the center. All were largely obscured by thick golden robes. "Moonlighter is here, isn't he." The middle one spoke matter of factly. They were in Inanna's way.

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

About halfway up the stairs the burst of angry adrenaline faded considerably, leaving Inanna cold. The rest of the climb was slow going. She clung to the rusty railing, feeling chips of paint come off in her hands as she practically dragged herself up the steps, listening to the sound of Serena’s wailing growing fainter.

I’ll go and stay in my ship, she thought. But that’s the first place he’ll look. Maybe I could go stay in a motel or something. Narsh motels were among the lowest ranked accommodations in the galaxy. She’d be better off staying on the street tonight…

Who was she kidding? She hadn’t even left the apartment building yet, and already she wanted to go back. Even if it meant another sterile two weeks of listening to Cato bemoan the misfortunes of others while they took care of Serena. Shame over the things she had said kept her from turning around.

Finally she reached the top. The exit was just down the hall. She kept her head down, not wanting to be seen—and nearly ran into the trio of gold-garbed strangers.

Now, visitors to the apartment building weren’t all that strange. The residents came and went, and now that they had a kid Inanna had been having everything from baby stuff to takeout delivered lately. But these weirdos didn’t look like deliverymen. Maybe they were new neighbors?

Alas, for once her danger sense deigned to warn her that this wasn’t going to be a harmless encounter.

"Moonlighter is here, isn't he."

Her golden eyes widened. An instant later, she went into a combat stance. “Touch him and I’ll rip your fucking head off!”

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

The trio seemed unimpeded, "Such anger," The one in the center mused, raising a hand to telekinetically force Inanna aside. He was strong, dangerously so. "This moon is full of it." He and his men walked past, descending down towards the Harth apartment.

Cato was still tending to Serena, who had calmed down at least a little bit. She stilled whined and burbled, but her harsh cries had since subsided. He turned around to see the door slide open, and a few strangers walk in. He was immediately defensive, "You know around here you're supposed to knock before you just walk into someone's house. Who the hell are you?" He held Serena closely, his other hand balled into a fist.

"An admirer, Cato Harth," The center figure again spoke, "Or should I call you Moonlighter?"

"You've got the wrong place. Now I suggest you leave."

"No." The small one chuckled, removing his hood to reveal his Yoda-like features, "No, you are the one. And we've come to help you."

"Where's Inanna?"

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

One moment she was standing her ground, the next she was forced to move. Not thrown or anything so dramatic, but simply pushed aside.

Fear rose in her, feeding that rage. She fought the invisible hand holding her in place, tearing free of its grasp. Power flooded her. It was almost certainly the Dark Side, but she didn’t care. Cato and Serena were in danger.

"Where's Inanna?"

She leaped the distance from the top to the bottom of the stairs and bounded into the basement, igniting her lightsaber as she entered the room. Her sights were set on the nearest intruder—not the little goblin-looking leader, but one of his minions. Then Serena’s whimpering reached her ears over the low growl of her yellow blade. Cato stood on the other side of the room, cradling the baby in one hand, the other clenched in an impotent fist. She had gotten used to relying on him to back her up, but how could he fight like this?

Like it or not, Serena had become a vulnerability for them both. Her fear that the baby would get hurt in the crossfire overwhelmed the anger she felt. Hands shaking, her blade wobbled but didn’t attack.

“What do you want?” she demanded, her voice just a little too subdued to make a credible threat.

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

Inanna appeared right on cue, but it didn't make any of them any less tense. Meanwhile the other three figures remained nonplussed. The two bodyguards did not move, while their diminutive leader slowly turned around, "As we told Knight Harth. To help." He removed his hood, giving a clearer look at his face. He was about middle aged for his species, weathered but not ancient. He had leathery yellow-green skin, which was scarred on the right side of his face from some kind of burn. His right ear curled in slightly, misshapen by the same injury. He had graying russet hair in a braided queue style.

"How do you know me?" Cato replied, trying to keep things under control.

"I've studied Nar Shaddaa for quite some time now. When I heard of you, a masked man fighting a one-man crusade against the sins of this world, I had to learn more." The Yoda turned around again, and began to pace, "My name is Yarrow. I am a Jedi. Like you."

"I'm not a Jedi anymore."

"But you are. You still hold onto your ideals. Your conviction. The Concord is gone, and yet your belief in the Light remains."

"Look, if this is about coming back, I'm done. And uh, breaking into my house wasn't going to convince me otherwise."

"On the contrary. Listen, my boy. I want to join you."

Cato blinked, "Join… me?"

"Nar Shaddaa is the root of many great evils. The galaxy suffers under the weight of its sins. I want to join you. And together, we can fix it once and for all."

Whatever curiosity Cato had was just as quickly replaced by suspicion. "Once and for all, huh?"

"We can purify this world. Put an end to the crime. The death. The anguish. Is this not what you have fought for all this time?" Yarrow turned back to Inanna now, "You must be the changeling. Is this not what you have fought for? Wished for?"

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

The creature gave his name as Yarrow. His explanation was vague enough to spark suspicion in both Cato and Inanna, to say nothing of his referencing a permanent solution to crime on Narsh.

"You must be the changeling. Is this not what you have fought for? Wished for?"

“What I’ve fought for is getting him to a point where he feels ready to leave this rock,” she spat, still too angry and on edge to be anything more than brutally honest. “Most of the people here are scum. They don’t want to change. He shouldn’t waste himself trying to save their sorry asses. You want to give it a go, knock yourself out.”

Cato Harth​