Private Snow Blind

[Gatz Derrevar]

Vandor

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

The Force worked in the funniest of ways, sometimes.

The Red Night shook as it dropped from hyperspace, leaving Gatz and R4 over the cold, sparsely populated planet known as Vandor. Gatz had, initially, been on his way back to New Cov. After being away for some time, dealing with Kragan Garr and his slaving empire, his intent had been to return to Valery in the hopes that she would have the time to continue his training. It should have been a simple trip, only possibly being interrupted by R4 being a bonehead and accidentally dropping them from hyperspace midjump. Again.

Then came the distress signal, from a planet only two systems away. A message for help, and a name: Noble. Kahlil Noble.

Despite the man clearly being in something of a stressful situation, Gatz could only smile at the coincidence. He'd spent so much time around Valery that he had come to consider her family: like the older sister he'd always wanted. She'd done more for him in the year he'd known her, than his own uncle had done for him in all twenty-four years of his life. She had protected him, comforted him, fed him and taught him. She had believed in him. She had inspired him, and set him on the path to something better.

And finally, Gatz had the chance to start repaying her for all she'd done for him. Plus, he finally got to meet her husband. One of the two members of her family he had yet to meet—the other being her eldest son.

As Gatz guided his vessel through what seemed to be the start of a blizzard, he keyed his comm, on the same frequency that Kahlil's distress signal had come through.

"Master Noble, this is Gatz Derrevar, Captain of The Red Night. I've received your distress signal, and I'm about a minute out from your position. Do you read?"

As the whirling snow storm thickened, Gatz slowed his ship to avoid an unexpected collision, and waited to hear a response.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil groaned.

Pain had long dulled from where he'd smacked his head. Crashlanding, even as he did, wasn't too graceful in the best of circumstances. It was worse after flying blind into the winter storm. The Sith had been ready. The outposts he'd been investigating and marking for demolition hadn't all been empty. It was sad for the shuttle he'd been using, though. It wasn't the Bastion, but it'd lasted him quite some time now. The Force could only guide him so much when half the engines were destroyed.

He stood, reaching to touch the side of his head before glancing around. Something was beeping. Ah.

"Master Noble, this is Gatz Derrevar, Captain of The Red Night. I've received your distress signal, and I'm about a minute out from your position. Do you read?"

"This is.. Master Kahlil. I read. Be careful. There are Sith operatives flying in this air space."

Gatz Derrevar

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

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

Sith? Here? Well... they were beyond Alliance territory, even if they were right at the fringe. It would make sense that the Sith would have observation posts here.

"It's always trouble with you Nobles." Gatz allowed himself a small chuckle, "Sit tight. I'll be down in a minute."

Gatz killed the comm, and turned to R4, who was in the middle of jacking it into the co-pilot's dash.

"Get that scan-jam package up and running buddy."

<If we jam them, they won't even be able to see each other on radar. They'll know something is up.>

"And if we don't, they'll find us before we land. Jamming will buy us enough time to get in and out. And the storm should prevent them from spotting us with their eyes. Trust me, Tin Can, I know how to sneak in and out of a system."

While R4 got to work, Gatz brought the ship low to the ground. With the storm raging around them, it was hard to see anything, but Gatz caught a glimpse of metal from the viewport. That glimpse turned into an entire shuttle, one that had seen much better days. And, honestly, Gatz was impressed it had managed to stay mostly in one piece when it looked like most of the engines were damaged.

He brought The Red Night down for a landing, only a few feet away from Kahlil's ruined vessel. As soon as the gear had touched down, Gatz jumped up from his chair, ran down the hall of the top deck, and slid down the ladder into the cargo bay. R4 already had the cargo hatch lowering, but Gatz didn't wait for it to finish.

He leapt off the end of the ramp before it had touched the ground, and stomped through the frigid snow toward the shuttle's entry hatch, all while the harsh winter wind threatened to freeze him solid.

Gatz pulled his commlink out, and tried to shout over the blizzard, "coming in! Try not to shoot me, otherwise we're both stuck here!"

And with two hands, Gatz pried the unpowered door open.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Always?

Kahlil raised a brow right up before he realized just who it was that was talking. Right. Gatz. Valery had mentioned him on and off, and he'd seen a couple of their missions. He slumped back into his seat, closing his eyes to focus instead on his breathing. The ship around him was shutting down. Which meant it was soon going to be freezing within. Focus, breathe. The throbbing pain in his head did little for it. Not because of the pain, though.

"Concussion?"

He mused aloud, looking around. Ah, right. This wasn't the Bastion. He didn't have his usual helpers. He stood up shortly after, rubbing at the wound on his head. Blood, wet and warm. He frowned as he traced a rune over it. Close. The most it'd do was keep the blood from dripping, not actually heal the wound, but it'd be better than having to deal with freezing blood once he did get outside.

:: I'm not that trigger happy. What has Valery been telling you about me? ::

He laughed as he replied into his own comlink, already wandering his way back to the door. Just as power finally went completely out. He'd at least gotten himself into a state where his body could handle the cold. The sound of metal being pried at caught his attention though. So he raised a hand, moving it. And promptly ripped the door open. The metal sliding door that it was. He blinked, glancing towards Gatz before looking to the door. And frowned deeper.

The head injury really messed with his control.

".. Well. Lets get somewhere warm, you look frigid."

Gatz Derrevar

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

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

Gatz wasn't a particularly muscular man, so when the door ripped open with ease, he knew Kahlil must have at least been in decent enough of a state to lend him a telekinetic hand.

:: I'm not that trigger happy. What has Valery been telling you about me? ::

"I just didn't want you to think I was some Sith trying to bust in." With the door open, Gatz tucked his commlink away, "but now that I think about it, they probably would have cut the door open. Or just ripped it off."

Kahlil was up and walking. That was a good sign. The blood on the man's head concerned him, but despite the open wound, it didn't seem to be actively bleeding. Interesting, but Gatz didn't have time to dwell on it. He could take a better look once he had Kahlil sitting in the medbay of The Red Night and they were safely away from Vandor.

".. Well. Lets get somewhere warm, you look frigid."

"I didn't exactly pack a winter coat." Gatz snorted, teeth beginning to chatter. "Come on, Arfour is jamming their radar right now, but I'd rather not rely on that trick for too long."

Gatz led the way through the heavily packed snow, making sure Kahlil was in step behind him. Not that he thought that the man was some invalid who couldn't walk, but he'd just been in a shuttle crash, and there was a solid chance he was concussed or otherwise impaired. Valery probably wouldn't be too pleased with him if the man fell over and froze to death because Gatz wasn't being vigilant.

Once the two of them were safely up the ramp, and inside the cargo bay, Gatz pressed the button to lower the hatch. Then he looked to the ladder that led up to the top deck, and realized that it might be an obstacle.

"I know you're probably disoriented, considering you nearly bashed your head open," Gatz started, "but do you think you can make it up the ladder?"

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"I've functioned with worse, don't worry."

A head bump wasn't going to stop him from at least climbing a ladder. He did at least follow Gatz all the way to the ship, even started climbing. Though not too quickly. He still needed to find the railings. He shook his head a bit once he did get to the top, but didn't make much more of a fuss with it. The Sith were likely still trying to hunt him down, especially once they got reports of the crash.

And the jamming. That'd probably get their attention.

"Get us in the air. We can worry about other stuff later."

Gatz Derrevar

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

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

Gatz let Kahlil go up the ladder first, if only to make sure he got up there. It was clear to the former scoundrel that the Jedi Master was disoriented, and he moved at a slower pace, but he still made it up just fine. So Gatz followed suit, taking the ladder two rungs at a time, until he was standing next to the larger man.

He moved past the man, to the first passenger cabin on the right. He pressed a button on the console, and the door slid open not to reveal a cabin, but a makeshift medbay: complete with a medical cot bolted to the floor, and several cabinets and a counter pressed up against the wall of the cramped room.

"Here, Master Noble, try to get comfortable. I'll come take a look at that wound on your head, as soon as I get us out of here."

Gatz then sprinted the rest of the way down the hall, to the sliding door to the cockpit. He passed through it, and practically slammed himself down in his seat. Already, he could tell the blizzard was getting worse, just by what he could see out of the viewport. That was both good and bad: good, because the Sith were far less likely to spot them visually, and would probably give up searching in such a storm.

Bad... because now Gatz had to fly through a blizzard to get them out of here.

"Never a boring day, huh Arfour?"

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Part of him wanted to argue just because he knew they were in danger. But, Kahlil plopped down on the cot with a chuckle. There was no real reason for him to argue, not yet. If a Sith came by to make a problem, he'd handle it when the time came. For now, he did need to make sure he stopped having an open wound. A couple bandages would be enough, probably. He wasn't a doctor or a healer. Ish.

Late healer could be a term for what he used to do as a Sith, but that wouldn't be of any use here.

"Everything good?"

Gatz Derrevar

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

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

It had been over a year since Gatz had smuggled anything. But sneaking in and out of planetary systems? He still did that all the time, just for righteous causes now, instead of personal greed. Sneaking past a couple of Sith fighters in the middle of a blizzard? That'd be a breeze. The 'sneaking' part, anyways. The 'flying through a blizzard' part could still pose a challenge, even for the greatest of pilots.

So Gatz made a slow ascent into the whirling white winds. The turbulence hit them immediately, the ship shuddering and shaking ever so slightly. For the most part, The Red Night's inertial dampener—usually meant to compensate for high speed acceleration—kept them from bouncing around like crates in the back of a speeder.

Eventually, they cleared the blizzard with no real incident—at least not yet. But Gatz still waited until the blue skies had started to fade into the black void of space before he let R4 take over the helm.

Gatz got up from his seat, and walked back down the hall to the makeshift medbay.

"We're clear for now. Arfour took over, and as old and dumb as that droid is, he's a pretty solid pilot." Gatz moved over to the side of the cot, "alright, let me get a look at that head wound. I really don't think your wife would appreciate it if I let you keel over while you were in my care."

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Don't be too mean to your droid." Kahlil chuckled none the less as Gatz made his way back. He would've argued, probably, about Gatz trying to take care of the wound. But he didn't. Not this time. Instead he nodded, reliquished over the bandages he'd been applying himself. "She'd likely be a little upset, yes. But this was my fault, so I don't see why she'd get too angry with you."

Gatz Derrevar

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

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

"That droid makes me want to slam my head in a door some days... but you're right. There are some things I simply couldn't do without him."

R4 drove Gatz up the wall. He thought about spacing the stupid droid more often than he'd care to admit. But he knew that Kahlil was right to chide him. Running this ship had gotten a lot easier with the aged astromech around, even if he was irritating. Hell, he wouldn't be able to patch Kahlil up at this particular moment, if not for R4 taking over the helm.

"Think of it this way then: I've wanted to meet you for a while now, and I'd hate for our first meeting to end with you bleeding out on my ship."

Gatz took the bandages from the larger man, and inspected the cut on his head. Kahlil had already managed to staunch the bleeding, and it looked like he'd wiped the blood away. The former smuggler reached for a small cylinder of bacta spray, and applied a small amount to the wound. Then he took the bandages and began to wrap them around the man's head.

When he was done, he stepped away, and leaned up against the doorframe.

"Pretty sure you're concussed, but other than that, you should be fine." Gatz sighed, "we just need to get you somewhere with a proper bed. Where were you headed? I was already on my way to the Jedi Temple on New Cov to meet up with Valery, but I could also take you back to Coruscant, or the Epicanthix colony. Wherever you need to go."

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Ah, well. It'll pass at least."

That likely explained why he wasn't able to keep full control of his intentions. He frowned, glanced down to his hand to open and close his fist with the faintest of a frown. He hadn't finished his mission here. He glanced up to Gatz after a moment, studying the man himself. Judging him in silence. Not on purpose, turned out while Kahlil was used to pain he still had physical reactions to it. Like a glare.

"There's more to be done here. Take me to the Epicanthix, I'll see if I can round up a squad to come back here and destroy the facility."

Gatz Derrevar

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

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

Kahlil leveled a glare in his direction, and Gatz raised an eyebrow. Now, he was usually the kind of person who deserved such a look. Despite the last year he'd spent trying to put some good into the galaxy, Gatz still wasn't what he'd consider "a good man." So it wasn't unusual to see a Jedi turn such an expression on him.

But he had just saved the man from freezing to death, so it was a little odd.

"Are you... good there, Master Noble? You look like you want to strangle me," Gatz asked carefully, knowing full well that this man could kill him without so much as lifting a finger, "I'm more than happy to take you back to Epicanthix. Hell, if you asked me to help you invade the heart of the Sith Order, I'd probably agree. You don't have to glare at me like that. I want to help you."

 

[Kahlil Noble]

".. Huh? Oh. Uh. Sorry."

Kahlil cleared his throat with an embarrassed chuckle. So he was glaring? Whoops, to say the least. Still, it was good to know Gatz was so eager. Maybe a little too eager, but it still was a welcome support. "Not actually glaring. Sorry. Just, anyway. Yeah. That'd be good. Not invading the Sith Order right now with everything else going on, but they have outposts around that need to be dealt with."

Gatz Derrevar

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

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

He supposed Kahlil wouldn't understand. After everything the man's wife had done for Gatz, how could he ever say 'no' to any request made of him? How could he not jump at the chance to help her, her husband, or their family? The mere thought of turning away from the Nobles when they were in need made him feel sick. But to the Jedi Master—who only knew of him by word of mouth—he probably seemed like any other scoundrel. Scum from Nar Shaddaa.

And... he'd be mostly right. One year of trying to do good didn't make up for the six years of bad he'd done. That reminder made something in his chest ache, as it always did, but Gatz was used to living with that pain.

"Oh good, I wasn't particularly excited to face a Sith Lord again," Gatz commented, his humor somewhat dry, "alright. Get some rest, I'll make the jump to Epicanthix. I'll let you know before we drop out of hyperspace."

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Alright."

Kahlil wasn't going to argue. He had quite the splitting headache at the moment, after all. Inwardly he chuckled at the pun, but pretty soon regretted it by the throb of pain that shot through. Ah well. He laid back a little, just to get comfortable, before letting his eyes close. Right now, yeah, getting comfortable and relaxing after getting injured was a good idea. The bacta patch would do it's work, and when they arrived he could get the Epicanthix ready for the assault.

Just a little nap would do.

Gatz Derrevar

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

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

The Red Night shuddered as it exited hyperspace, and Gatz was left staring at Epicanthix out the cockpit's viewport. He let out a heavy sigh. Valery had given him the hyperspace coordinates—as well as the planetary coordinates of the colony—some time ago. But Gatz had never found a reason to visit her home.

Or, rather, he'd found every reason to avoid it.

Gatz Derrevar knew that he was not a good man. It didn't matter how many Sith Knights he faced, how many abducted children he saved, or how many slaves he freed—he was Hutt scum. He'd smuggled spice for the cartels for six years. Gatz would never wash away their filth, not fully. Their depravity would always cling to him, no matter how hard he worked to rip their claws out of him.

He didn't want Valery and Kahlil's children around him. They needed to be around real role models, like Iris and Briana. And that was why, despite Valery having invited him to her home more than once, Gatz had stayed away. Why he'd always found an excuse not to accept her invitations.

Vera, Adam, Aeryn, Aurra, and even Aris who he hadn't met—they deserved better than him.

Another sigh escaped him, and then Gatz keyed the intercom.

"Master Noble, we just dropped from hyperspace. Making planetfall now."

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Right, got it. I'm up."

Kahlil totally hadn't fallen asleep. No, not at all. He yawned as he stood up from the medical bed, stretched. He was a little groggy. Coffee. Yeah, he'd have to get himself some coffee at some point. But priorities first. He wandered his way into the helm, taking a seat close by to watch as the planet closed in around them with a faint smile. There was nothing like going home. Nothing like this world being home to him.

Especially after Panatha.

"What has you so stressed? The Epicanthix aren't going to beat you up or anything. Much, depending."

Gatz Derrevar

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

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

The idea of an entire colony kicking his ass made Gatz chuckle, which did a lot to relieve him of the tension binding him down.

"Well, I hope you'll put in a good word for me. I'd like to avoid an ass kicking today."

Gatz was quiet for a moment after that, as his ship screamed through the atmosphere. Black space turned to blue skies rather quickly, and he could already see the colony as a small dot on the planet's surface. It was a sight he could have spent the rest of the day admiring, but Kahlil deserved to know his reservations about coming here.

They concerned his children after all.

"I haven't always made the best choices," Gatz said quietly, a film of tears watering his eyes, but not falling. "I've spent the last year trying to follow your wife's example, but it doesn't undo the things I've done. And she keeps inviting me over to your home for dinner, or for a picnic at the park with your family but... I'm scared of what they might learn from me. So I've always found an excuse not to accept. I'm no role model, Master Noble, and I don't want my bad influence to... poison your children."

Gatz touched his ship down on an empty landing pad, and stood from his seat with a stretch.

"Coming here... I guess it feels like crossing a line that I drew in the sand." Gatz shook his head, and sighed, "but it doesn't matter. Come on, I left Valery a message while you were resting. She's probably waiting for us."

 

[Valery Noble]

Home

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link

Tag: Kahlil Noble Gatz Derrevar

Valery was very much waiting for them.

She appreciated the message Gatz had sent her, but the Dyad between her and her husband made it impossible for her not to know. She had felt it when he crashed, been worried that he'd end up stuck there, and even readied herself to go after him. Until she felt that someone else had come to help him. It was an almost funny coincidence that it had been Gatz — ever since she helped him change his path, he had wanted to do something in return for her.

Few things compared to helping her family.

With tension still in her body, Valery stood outside and watched Gatz' ship coming down. She had chosen not to bring the kids with her, just because Kahlil had been hurt and she didn't want them to see blood or any injuries if they were too visible. They could be summoned if all was well, or they could greet him back at home and hug him to death.

Right now, she was waiting for the ramp to lower, so she could hug him to death herself.