Private Roam If You Want To

[Cato Harth]

Batuu​

---

Without a ship of their own, Cato and Inanna were beholden to the travel route of the Vonnuvi. They'd been lucky enough to procure transport back to the herdship, which they'd already been considering as a new home before their ship woes. It served well enough on its own temporarily, but ultimately they needed a bit of freedom to roam on their own to really sell the lifestyle. Which meant it was time to shop for new ships.

Out in the unknown regions, where the Vonnuvi's course was broadly plotted, reputable shipyards were hard to find. The closest they got what Batuu, which at least had a history as a major trade port. On the edge of this particular outpost, there was a used ship lot, which boasted variety if nothing else. Hand me down vessels from travelers across the galactic expanse.

Cato had finally gotten the skeezy Verpine salesman to leave them alone for a bit of browsing, now it was just a matter of actually deciding on a ship. "Welp— Anything catch your eye?" He asked, kicking a rock across the dirt yard. "I'm sure my mom can keep Serena entertained all day, so, no need to rush it." She was a pretty great grandmother. And since they were all living on the Vonnuvi now, it was quite easy to drop their daughter off while they handled other business.

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

Inanna stood with her arms crossed over her chest, looking out at the shipyards. After the events on Zeltros and Coruscant, her jaw had healed and the Harths had settled into living aboard the Vonnuvi. Inanna initially wasn’t crazy about the space station lifestyle—it reminded her a little too much of Vanessa Vantai’s space station in orbit around Nathema. But the Vonnuvi was a hell of a lot nicer than that durasteel prison had been, and with her family there it soon began to feel more like home.

All the same, owning a starship meant independence, and Inanna had always been fiercely independent. She turned to Cato at his question, smiling in the sun. “Well, Mr. Millionaire, I suppose we have the pick of the lot. Although maybe we should get a ship that’s less irresistible to thieves… or at least has a better security system.”

The cops weren’t able to track down Jeb the Rat or their solar yacht, but they had taken in Bithia Grayson. Ayreon, on the other hand, was still with the Harths. Inanna wasn’t quite sure what to do with him, and wasn’t particularly keen on the idea of just dumping him somewhere. Elfangor was happy to see him again, and Serena seemed to have taken a shine to him. Serena the Elder, that is.

Inanna started walking down the rows of vessels. “Do you have any preferences?” she asked. “I mean, we could get another yacht, or something different. Maybe a freighter? Bigger, or smaller… With this or that feature…”

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

"Reasonable suggestions," Cato concurred with a tinge of irony. After how things went with the last ship, perhaps something more ostentatious was in order. Then again the only reason it got stolen was because Cato had, in his haste, left a criminal stranger unattended inside. A better security system was certainly in order.

He meandered across the middle of the lot, his hands stuffed in his jacket pockets, "Hrmmm," His lips twisted in thought, "Freighter's are usually a nice middle ground. Good size. Not as expensive as a yacht. Not that we really need that much cargo space." His old ship had been a freighter. A very old and very shitty freighter. "Maybe one with less storage? But I also want once that's nice. A good second home for traveling." Less storage space would probably lower the cost. But if they wanted something comfortable for a family, it would probably be more costly. Leaving them more or less at the same price range. Provided there was something fitting on the actual lot.

"Think they actually have a yacht here?" He asked out of curiosity, trying to get a look at some of the other ships further away.

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

“We aren’t planning on doing any smuggling, are we?” Inanna asked jokingly. Still looking around, she stopped and did a double-take. “Wow. My family used to have one of those.”

She pointed in the direction of an odd little starship. Technically classified as a freighter, it was nimble enough to play the role of a starfighter.

“Oh, do we want guns?” she asked. “For Serena to solo the galaxy with, of course.”

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

"Only if money gets tight," Cato smirked back. He cast a glance at the vehicle that caught Inanna's eye, and stepped up to examine it himself, "Yeah? They any good?" He wandered over to the side of it, "Seems a little small from the outside," Can't shrugged before making a judgement. She would know better.

Inanna made a point over the question of guns. If they wanted to be a bit more secure it was probably a wise investment, "Yeah, I figure just in case. A lotta these ships seem modified to already have some, if they didn't before." The bright side of picking a hand-me-down meant not having to install all those add-ons themselves.

"Could go with something like this, too. Feel like a nice middle-ground," He gestured at a nearby Crescent-class. "Or maybe a 3-z? A bit on the older side but they've got good living space."

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

"Considering that my great-grandfather bought her almost nine hundred years ago, I'd say she was pretty good." Not that ships that old were all that uncommon. Starships were built to outlast the heat death of the universe back in the day. "She was named the Shroud."

"Seems a little small from the outside."

"Trust me, she's big enough where it counts." In fact, she was slightly bigger than both the ships Cato went on to suggest.

The Crescent was pretty, whereas the 3-Z was ugly in a too-much-going-on sort of way. Inanna's opinion was clear by the expression on her face as she looked at either, though she wasn't totally opposed to having an ugly ship. Her old Starburst courier had been tacky as hell. Plus, the 3-Z had better guns. The Crescent was faster, though.

"Do we care about speed?" she asked. "I mean, I usually enjoy the journey regardless..."

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

"Fancy," Cato muttered. A lot of the ships here were older models, likely refurbished or updated in some way. But then again the galaxy was full of centuries old technology. Really civilization had been in something of a technological plateau for even longer. Sure a few major inventions come around here or there, but for the most part it was all just fine tuning, incremental alterations to preexisting concepts. Which was all to say, he didn't really bat an eye at some of the dustier models on the lot.

"Trust me, she's big enough where it counts."

Cato couldn't help but let some of his immaturity shine through a smirk, "You're making it too easy." But he left it at that. The Helix was indeed longer than the others, but the others were wider, and committed more of that to living space, rather than a wingspan like the Helix did, "Well, if you say so," He twisted around, moving up the ramp to get a better look at the interior. Worst case scenario, they could probably convert some of the cargo space into something that better suited their needs regardless of what ship they took.

"Do we care about speed? I mean, I usually enjoy the journey regardless..."

Cato smirked again, stepping back out into the lot, "Not necessarily. As long as it's at least average speed for its ship type, I'm not picky." He shrugged, "Has weapons. Has shields. Has a comfortable interior. Doesn't run like shit. Those are pretty much my criteria."

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

"You're making it too easy."

"Huh?" She turned to Cato, finding him smirking, and groaned upon realizing what she'd said. "Oh, come on! The one time I wasn't trying to make a dirty joke, I still wound up making one..."

"Well, if you say so."

"I don't know. I guess I was just a little kid when I saw it. Maybe it just seemed bigger." She spread her hands in a gesture of surrender. "It does have the best guns out of the three. But we just need some guns, not the best."

Was she making this harder than it needed to be? It wasn't like this was just a throwaway decision they could make without worrying about the consequences. Whatever ship they bought would technically be their home.

"I'm leaning toward the Threezee," she said. "Class 2 isn't bad, and while I don't plan on getting into any space battles any time soon, its defenses are better than the Crescent. It's got the most living space, and the most cargo space." Even it's appearance was starting to grow on her, provided she looked at it from the right angle.

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

"Just can't help yourself," Cato clicked his tongue.

Inanna seemed a bit conflicted by the many options they were afforded. It was an important choice no doubt, though Cato was a bit more at ease about it all. If these three were the ones they were settling between, then any of them could theoretically work. It was just a matter of what specifications they were willing to sacrifice in favor of another.

Cato gave the 3-z another look, and nodded. It was a bit odd looking at first glance, but the more he studied it, the more normal it became, "Yeah. It's not a bad pick. Especially for a family." He turned to Inanna again, not wanting to dismiss her previous thoughts, "If you're drawn to the Helix, we can go with that. It makes better use of its space than I thought it would. I like the 3-z too— Just seems like the Helix has some sentimental value for you, is all." He shrugged, leaving it for her to decide. Either way, they had a ship.

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

For a fleeting moment it seemed like they might have reached a decision. But then Cato tried to be nice.

“Nooo, Cato. You can’t just capitulate like that. Now I don’t know what I want.” She sighed. “Ugh, if we’re not a hundred percent sure, we shouldn’t buy it.”

She looked around frantically, then groaned. “That’s it. Whichever one has the strongest couch wins.”

Cato Harth

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato just grinned, and shrugged, "Sorry. Guess I'm just nice like that," He came around and hugged her from behind.

“That’s it. Whichever one has the strongest couch wins.”

That earned a laugh, "Wellll, I doubt they'll let us test that the old-fashioned way. Not without buying it first…" He laid a playful kiss on her jaw, "How exactly do you suggest we test something like that?" And really, either way, it's not like they couldn't just get a newer, sturdier couch installed no matter what. But if the criteria made this decision easier to commit to, then so be it.

Cato walked into the 3-z first, stretching out his arms wide in the lounge space. Then he wandered over to a long, cushioned couch, "After you, ma'am."

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

"It was a joke," she muttered, even as she rested her arms over his and turned her head to kiss him back. "I guess we could jump on the couch to test its strength..."

She followed him inside the 3-Z. The interior was indeed spacious; the lounge was big enough that even Cato's lanky ass could stretch out without touching the walls. "Ooh, this looks nice," she commented... and then ran over, jumped and flopped onto the couch, landing in a sprawl on the cushions. Bit of a gamble, but luckily it bounced.

"Pretty good." She lifted her legs out of the way, making room beside her. "Your turn."

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

"Well, since we can't seem to come up with a serious solution, the joke solution will have to do."

The inside was quite spacious, feeling more like the living room of a terrestrial home than the confines of a spaceship. The yacht had been nicely spaced as well, which is exactly what Cato was hoping to capture again, "It is. I could picture a kid— or two— running around through here," He smirked.

Innana sprang onto the couch with an energy that Cato did not expect, causing him to laugh again, "I think you got some air time off that bounce." He approached next, and went with a bit less impact; Cato simply hopped up, dropping himself butt-first onto the couch. The landing caused him to bounce gently, then settle into the cushioning.

"Alright. Yeah. I could get used to this." He nodded, and slowly slumped down against the rest, splaying out his limbs to inconveniently take up as much of the space as possible, "Shall we see what your Helix has to offer?" He asked, stroking his chin and raising his brow with a posh flair.

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

"It is. I could picture a kid—or two—running around through here."

Inanna snorted faintly, but didn't say anything. She was thinking of the little Chiss baby with the dinosaur outfit. Was he still up for adoption? Maybe, maybe not...

"I think you got some air time off that bounce."

"Air time?" she echoed, having no idea what he meant. Cato simply sat on the couch, prompting her to tut and shake her head in disappointment. "No air time for you."

Then of course he proceeded to stretch out and take up as much space as possible, just to annoy her. "Cato," she growled, pushing his feet out of her face. Her grimace slowly shifted into a smirk, however, as she seized hold of him with the Force, pinning him to the couch. "You're not going anywhere," she said, shifting her form into a variation of the black vigilante suit and mask she had worn on the rare occasion when she had gone crimefighting with him on Narsh. "I have you right where I want you, Moonlighter."

Clearly him putting his feet in her face was her villain origin story. She crawled over his legs until she was straddling him. "Now I—ope." She looked down. "Is that your lightsaber, or are you just happy to see me?"

It was, in fact, his lightsaber poking her. She took it from his belt and gently set it aside. "Ahem. Now I shall have my revenge..." Except she hadn't really thought that far ahead. "Uh, unless you can convince me not to take revenge."

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato's attempts at getting on Inanna's nerves had succeeded. For no other reason than that it was funny. The less expected detail of her reaction, was the sudden freezing of his limbs. She pinned him down, and climb over top, donning herself in the vigilante catsuit she wore in some of their early adventures, "Haven't seen that in a while…" He grinned, clearly enjoying its return.

"You'll never get away with this," Cato played the bit, albeit on the verge of breaking character. He made a guilty face at her lightsaber question, although it was in fact, just his lightsaber. "I dunno, I'm finding this all quite agreeable," He shrugged, and pushed to lean up, resisting her hold.

"Although, do you think your revenge could wait until after we've bought a ship? Surely we're not that trashy," Cato let his hands travel up her legs and onto her waist, "Unless this is your way of saying you've come to a decision already?"

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

The look on his face was priceless. Inanna’s smirk broadened into a grin, but she stayed in character. “Agreeable? You like being pinned down?”

Her hold loosened as soon as she felt him resist, though she narrowed her eyes at him as his hands slid up her thighs. “Trashy?” In an instant, his arms were pinned behind his back as though bound at the wrists. “You don’t want my revenge, hero.” She bent slightly to kiss his brow, then his cheek, hovering just beyond his lips. “You want my redemption arc.”

"Unless this is your way of saying you've come to a decision already?"

Giving up, she let him go and snorted. “Yeah, I’ve already made my decision. The rest is up to you.” She wrapped her arms around Cato, leaning in. “I’m sure that you can rise to the occasion…”

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

"I've been in far worse positions," Cato shrugged. Inanna was not keen on letting him win, and he was pushed right back down after overcoming her initial restraint. He wriggled as she leaned closer, futility pursing his lips to try and reach hers, "I guess I started confusing the two. We could always skip ahead, though, I don't mind." A smirk, "I'm quite charming, you know. I've been known to turn even the most ice cold of femme fatales, such as yourself."

The moment Cato felt the pressure drop, he lurched up, "Can't just leave the damsel without her hero, can I?" He pinned her down now on the opposite end of the couch, and kissed her hungrily. They'd definitely have to buy the ship after this.

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

Somehow Inanna managed to not break down laughing at the sight of Cato puckering up in a desperate attempt to kiss her. This was way too much fun.

“Who are you calling a damsel—” Cut off by his ravenous kiss, she knotted the fingers of one hand in his raven hair while the other grasped the nape of his neck, holding him tightly against her.

“Well, you certainly make a compelling case,” she panted when they finally came up for air. Pushing him slightly away, she rolled over on her hands and knees, looking back over her shoulder at him with a smirk. “But I’m still not totally convinced yet…”

---

Inanna proved very keen to have Cato, er, “redeem” her. She was less enthusiastic about the inevitable walk of shame back to the salesman to actually buy the ship.

At least the Verpine seemed none the wiser. “Fifty thousand credits and she’s yours,” they said.

“Thirty thousand.”

“Forty thousand!”

“Thirty five.”

“Thirty seven?”

Inanna glanced at Cato and shrugged. “Deal.”

The Verpine rubbed their hands together. “Very nice. I’ll throw in a cleaning for free.”

“Uhhh, you don’t have to do that—”

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

Hero that he was, Cato was happy to help Inanna out with her redemption arc. The walk back to the ship dealer was a bit less noble, but such was the lot of Moonlighter.

It certainly made it easier to pick which ship they were going for. After that, picking something other than the 3-z would just be plain rude. Inanna did a bit of haggling with the Verpine, settling on a cool 37k. Honestly probably a bit much for a used model, but with all the pre-installed upgrades added on, it probably evened out. Cato was feeling a bit generous anyway, given what they'd done.

He did his best to hide a reaction at the offer of a cleaning, "That's very kind of you, but we're in a bit of a rush to get back as it is. We don't mind handling the rest."

The salesman chittered his mandibles, studying them in what seemed like a moment of suspicion, or at least curiosity. Then he shrugged, "Suit yourself. It's a deal." Cato handed over the credits, and the Verpine handed over the security key, then turned away with an extra pep in his step. He certainly found the deal suitable, it seemed.

"A bit unconventional as far as shopping trips go, but we got a ship out of it," Cato smirked, heading back to the 3-z.

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

Inanna, her face nearly black with embarrassment, held her hand up over her face as if shielding her eyes from the sun. In fact she was avoiding eye contact with the Verpine. Thankfully he didn’t question it, taking the credits and handing over the keys.

Once he walked away, Inanna let out a sigh of relief. “This is getting ridiculous,” she murmured. “First I almost screwed you in the supply closet when we went to save your mom, now this. I need a hobby or something.” Glancing at Cato, she added, “Not that I didn’t enjoy what we did, but… well, I need to do something other than Cato Harth.”

If she were being honest, they both probably needed to do something other than bang each other and raise their daughter. Since leaving Narsh, they had been wandering aimlessly, getting into one misadventure after another, but it all never amounted to much. The honeymoon was over; all play and no work made Inanna a dull girl. She was restless.

“What would you say if I wanted to try being a Jedi again?” she asked suddenly. “Not with the NJO, cais ned’jin. But the Vonnuvi has a little Jedi enclave…”

Cato Harth​