Duel The Hornet's Nest

[Cato Harth]

Nar Shaddaa
Dusk

---

Backing down from a challenge was not exactly a concept Cato Harth was familiar with. He'd faced down Sith, Bryn'adul, and every kind of lowlife criminal under the sun. So why did this one have his nerves so frayed? It's simple, really.

Reputation.

You don't get this far in the game without the bite to match the bark.

Attacking senators is a pretty good way to get folks talking, and the biggest cesspool this side of the Core was far from an exception. Maybe Koda Fett was laying low till the heat died down. Maybe he just needed a pit stop for some fuel. Whatever the case, the end result was the same: He was here, and Cato had front row tickets to the show.

The knight knew how to blend in on Nar Shaddaa. He had managed to tail the bounty hunter for this long, now it was just a matter of picking the right time. And not giving himself away before then. Too late for second thoughts.

It was time to stir up the hornet's nest.

 

[Koda Fett]

NAR SHADDAA
Cato Harth

If Cato had learned one sliver of information in his tail of the Mandalorian, it was that even those that bristled with cowardice could become the bravest once credits in such a sum were - as far as one understood - one blaster bolt from a transfer into their otherwise worthless accounts. He could count the number of fresh bodies on Nar Shaddaa on two hands as a result.

But that caution Fett had on offer ensured he not be found unawares, and the familiar face from several streets had been more than a coincidence. Or so he decided, much to his indifference once of the mind this was another fool down on his luck. He failed to realise this was a Jedi.

He turned off the main street, from one dim and filth-ridden corner to the next, he traversed these roads with the same wide berth afforded to him. It made it hard to shift about unseen at times and no doubt ruined whatever he had in store for Cato on a few occasions until he had, in fact, vanished around a corner. He was there, in the Force, betrayed by that untameable beast even as he was lost to the naked eye.

 

[Cato Harth]

Right up to the moment Fett slipped out of sight, Cato had been unaware he was already compromised.

"Fine. Be that way," He grumbled to himself. It was never going to be that easy. No longer afraid of being seen, he picked up speed towards the other side of the building Fett had turned past. With the Force to aid him, Cato scaled the condemned fire escape all the way to the roof.

If the bounty hunter was still there, then he must have had a plan of his own. From above would be Cato's best chance at a surprise. He exhaled, then ran from one edge of the roof to the other, leaping down to where Koda Fett had posted up with a downward strike. At the last moment, a beam of white plasma ignited with intent to disarm or disable.

Koda Fett​

 

[Koda Fett]

NAR SHADDAA
Cato Harth

The Mandalorian honed in on his sensors before he turned the corner and vanished from vision, extra attention even fell onto the same sensors once neither had been able to see one another. He encountered a countless amount of Jedi before now, his own substantial collection of their famed sabers was no doubt of considerable size if Fett ever dared to hold onto them - often the mark needed that confirmed a kill to be turned into credits. But for all his tools, it failed him this one time as the sudden sound of those same blades came for his head from above.

His T-visor craned to the descended form in a flash, the flames of his rockets sent him forwards in a dash as he twirled around to face Cato head on. Fett rushed his own hand for the holstered blaster, a full arsenal of more armaments remained in his armour.

"Jedi," he hissed with such bile, "I was never told the Jedi had become assassins."

 

[Cato Harth]

The blade plunged to the ground, boring a hole of melted duracrete where it fell. In an instant, Cato whipped around to meet his target once more, and the two were locked in a face-off. He took no stance, merely gripping the weapon at his side; A conscious decision to keep Fett from getting a read on his combat style.

“Relax, hunter, not everyone’s as bloodthirsty as you.” He nonchalantly dusted himself off, smirking all the while. “Don’t suppose you’d be willing to make this any easier if I said I’m not trying to kill ya?”

Unlikely. But far be it from Cato to start a fight without also trying to start a conversation.

Koda Fett​

 

[Koda Fett]

NAR SHADDAA
Cato Harth

His concealed features flickered back and forth, all around, beneath the T-visor of the Mandalorian helmet as various armaments readied themselves as a result of their most subtle commands. The Jedi had come for him sooner than he first assumed was to be the case, the idea of footsoldiers shuffled in as an awe force was first believed, but the notice of his status had not lied - most wanted, indeed.

"No." He answered, a coldness to his tone.

The Mandalorian rushed his blaster, the Pale Horse, from the holster and sent forth a hail of crimson bolts at a rate most blasters had been unable to sustain for one reason or another - the heat, most of all, however. His other arm raised itself an aimed a fist, almost, towards the Jedi as a sonic wave was fired out towards him. Jedi had been of the most fearsome foes, Fett learned, and the need to overwhelm them was a must.

"I'm not bloodthirsty," Fett commented between shots, "I'm a professional."

 

[Cato Harth]

"Worth a shot." He shrugged.

The blaster was far from unexpected; Getting shot at might as well be a part of Cato's daily routine. With haste he raised his saber, a flurry of white that sent bolts spraying in all different directions.

That combined with the sonic wave, however, was going to be a problem. Cato had to put distance between them, lest he be overwhelmed by the onslaught, ending the fight here and now. With a Force burst, he effectively shoved himself back, a stray bolt nicking his off-shoulder in the process.

"Of course, 'just doing your job', right?" Cato scoffed. He would follow up by attempting to launch Fett through the window and into the abandoned building next to them. With a flick of his wrist, hopefully a gust of the Force would do the rest, "Things don't usually end well for the people who try that excuse."

Koda Fett​

 

[Koda Fett]

NAR SHADDAA
Cato Harth

His arsenal and armour seemed to offer a counter to all forms of attacks, unable to be defeated in a mere arms race alone. Beneath the Mandalorian armour, Fett was near untouchable as bolts, bullets and strikes struck the dense shell and ricocheted off in a less than harmless manner. He need not even muse on the fact as he continued to fire on the Jedi, so much so that he seared a shot into the man's shoulder. But the Force was more than a tool, and without tools of his own to counter it, it was useless to combat it.

Fett had no time to think on it as the invisible shockwave collided into his armoured frame; the force alone able to send him off of his booted feet and into the now shattered window, sent across the duracrete floor as he rolled several times over. "Hnn," he breathed amidst the frustration, the shake of his helmeted head accompanied the rise to his feet.

"You Jedi," he aimed his blaster once more, "It's all the same drivel."

It was another hail of crimson bolts that shot out towards Cato, his carbine shifted off of his shoulder and slid into his idle hand to then fire in tandem, albeit the second blaster at a slower rate than the sidearm.

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato gripped at his shoulder, but there was little time to waste. Fett was already back up and sending another barrage of blaster fire Cato’s way. He slid under the windowsill for cover, “Tsk tsk. That didn't sound like a denial.”

With a balled fist, Cato shattered what remained of the glass pane where it stood. Then, the shards exploded inward at Fett, with a primary intent to distract and impair him. Using that, Cato would spring up and reveal a blaster of his own, firing it at Fett’s weapons in an attempt to disarm him. If he could force the bounty hunter into close range, then it would be a more even fight.

“That’s okay, we could always talk about something else if you like!”

Koda Fett​

 

[Koda Fett]

NAR SHADDAA
Cato Harth

"It doesn't end well for most," his vocoded voice confirmed over the hail of bolts, the continued flash of crimson reflected in his T-visor as the assault never so much as slowed. He motioned forwards with one foot, done so with force, as an arm extended itself outwards to see a wrist-mounted missile shoot across the small distance with a thoom towards the windowsill that Cato had made into his cover as shattered shards had been sent in return; the armour and mesh beneath able to absorb the shards, either shattered more so on the beskar or stuck in the undersuit between the plates. "But I'm not most."

He failed to so much as flinch at all the shards and advanced on his own volition, as if a slow saunter as he continued to fire on Cato. Bolts careened off of his torso, his vambrace, the Pale Horse fortunate to survive the accurate fire from the Jedi.

"I'm better."

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato was forced to retreat immediately as Fett remained unwavering. The bounty hunter returned the favor, one of the bolts hit Cato's own pistol, launching from his hand and taking it fully out of commission. "How true is that, really?" He snipped from behind the wall, gripping his hand, still sore from the force of the shot that disarmed him.

Before Cato could continue, the sound of a missile arming registered clearly even over the shrieking din of blaster fire. With little options available, the knight stepped out again, raising his saber in front of him and sacrificing it to another shot from Fett's powerful blaster. The hilt flew from his hand within a moment, but at the same time, Cato reached out with the Force and compelled the rocket into a sharp turn back in the bounty hunter's direction. In one fluid motion, Cato ended his latest attempt by falling prone, back behind the wall. If he took any other shots, the adrenaline was pumping too hard to even register.

"Take away your armor, your fancy toys; What's left behind?"

Koda Fett​

 

[Koda Fett]

NAR SHADDAA
Cato Harth

There it was. The Force in action, the tool of a Jedi that Fett failed to counter once more. He could outdraw them and decommission their blaster, their saber, but all that was left was the Force. His missile careened towards the Jedi until it turned in the air, faster than should have, and faster than the Mandalorian ever believed it would - shock overcame him at the sudden move, and even in his bid to avoid the blast, had he failed and sent further across the room from the shockwave it crafted.

He crashed and slid across the interior, the sound of his metal armour thudded on the floor and so too had the sound of scratched metal make itself known - emerald flakes seemed to soar off of him as he tumbled. "Hnn," a familiar hiss left his mouth in his motion to rise back onto his feet. Take all that armour from him, he was dead, but he could sustain more than a beatdown in it and come out the victor.

On one knee, with his blaster left further across the room than himself, Fett stared towards Cato; "Sounds personal," his tone thick with indifference, "I don't remember you."

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato stayed down for cover, waiting until the faint ringing in his ears started to fade before he pushed himself back up. With that alone the interior was upturned, splinters of old wood and duracrete debris scattered outward from the center of the rocket blast. He rotated his injured shoulder with a wince, then slid over the windowsill and into the room.

“No. Not personal.” Cato slowly walked towards him, and with the Force, pulled the bounty hunter’s blaster into his grasp, “I just happen to give a damn.”

He fired a single shot square at Fett’s chest piece, then discarded the gun. “Helluva piece you’ve got there.” The knight continued forward, sights set on removing his helmet.

Koda Fett​

 

[Koda Fett]

NAR SHADDAA
Cato Harth

Fett was thrown around, tossed about, even as the final shot collided with his torso; the armour was thick, durable, but the kinetic force of his own blaster had seen him returned to the dust. He missed his Force related tools then more now than ever as he laid there, on his back, his mind in the middle of a race as ideas had seen life breathed into them and withered on the vine within a fraction of a second.

He needed to collect his own breath, the exhaustion of weeks on the run and a thousand encounters that ended in the death of others had reached him. It ensured he remained flat, the base of his helmet reached for in a bid to see his unseen face revealed, even if a voice that was familiar once, the face beneath the armour was left concealed; shielded from all.

The Mandalorian witnessed the hand that reached for him, that reached for his 'face', the one he had chosen for himself. If his blood was ice earlier, now it boiled at the mere notion of it. It was a rush of adrenaline, and his armour descended into an all systems blur of movements - his often calm and collected assault was turned into a furious detonation.

On arm blasted a series of darts coated in toxins, the kind that sent one into a state of paralysis, as well as launched a chord in an effort to ensnare the Jedi; his other sent an arch of flames out, the same that had once seen to the near-demise of a Yuzzen in recent times, and the wrist-mounted blaster fired off too; from his knee, more darts launched out in a wild series of movements. He rushed to his feet, so intent to continue his attacks.

If nothing else, he was touchy about whatever lied beneath that helmet. He was silent now, time to end this.

 

[Cato Harth]

Now he’d really done it. Cato expected resistance, but this was another level. In a moment, the bounty hunter unleashed an arsenal of darts, flames, and blaster fire forcing Cato to propel away from the onslaught and behind one of the load-bearing pillars.

The torch had fully ignited his coat, forcing Cato to discard it “Alright alright, if you play nice, I promise I’ll keep your helmet on when I bring you in!” Further quipping was put on hold as Cato realized he had been struck by one of the darts. “Well, shit.”

He pulled out the needle, then gripped the back of his leg where he had been shot. With the Force, he began to detoxify the laced wound. Time was short, however, and Cato had to continue focusing on the treatment before his whole body became as numb as his leg was already getting.

“Y'know, at this rate you’re gonna bring this whole place down on the both of us!” The knight shouted, then came to a realization from his own words. With his other hand, Cato reached out past the window, straining to pull his lightsaber back to his side.

Koda Fett​

 

[Koda Fett]

CORUSCANT
Cato Harth

In one swift motion, the Mandalorian retracted the chord that failed to encase the Jedi. In another, he rocketed forwards in an effort to close the distance - his form in the air, no more than a few inches, all that he needed to lead with an extended knee he aimed towards the chin of Cato. Fett made his move to secure a blow before the hilt could find Cato, his extended wrist let the cable loose in a bid to force the arms of the Jedi down to his side, to be stuck there and ensure his movement became restricted.

"You won't have the chance." He said, a formiddable blow was in the direction of the shoulder that reached out to the Force. "Jedi Masters and Sith Lords, I've secured bounties on both." Fett furthered, another fist hurled towards Cato, "You're not better than them. Take the Force out of this; what's left behind?"

Nothing.

He finished his flurry of attacks off with one firm kick aimed at the sternum.

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato didn’t even see the hit coming until it was already upon him. Pain reverberated from his jaw across the rest of his skeleton. He let out a low, wheezing groan that was interrupted by another strike. Slowly he began to make sense of his dizzying vision; What Cato thought was the toxin entering his system, was actually the cable now wound across his arms and chest. On the bright side, maybe that detox worked after all. On the bad side…

“Well, better than me ain’t exactly a high bar.” Another strike. He chuckled dryly, spitting out a tooth along with a spattering of blood. “Sounds personal.” He parroted the bounty hunter’s words back at him. Maybe Fett was right. Maybe he wasn’t anything without the Force.

A final kick knocked the wind out of him, and Cato keeled forward. “I’m just an idiot who doesn’t know when to quit.” The knight’s hand continued to twitch, and with one more try, the hilt of his saber flew into the room. Pure white shined brightly in the dim room, followed by two prongs of energy that formed a crossguard, revealing themselves at last. The saber spun viciously towards the bounty hunter, but at the last second changed course, searing through column after column that held up the already crumbling ceiling; It groaned and grated, then began to give way above them.

Koda Fett​

 

[Koda Fett]

NAR SHADDAA
Cato Harth

Two became one as the duo mimicked one another. His often calm and collected sense of self seemed to have fractured, the Jedi made it more than business, more so than whatever this was... business-related, he was to later consider it. His blood boiled even more at the idea of a revealed face, for all to see he was no more than a clone of someone else, someone that lived in easier times and made a name for themselves all the same. Fett devoted himself to his donor, to the would-be father that had no idea of his direct existence, to the name and legacies of all that shared the same face.

But this was not over yet.

His arms near-folded over one another in the centre, his beskar vambraces connected as if to create a shield from the saber should it collide. Fett was, however, mistaken as the column to their side found itself cleaved in two and all that it held soon crumbled over them. It was a rumble, a roar, and then it all fell. He stumbled backwards once his helmeted face inclined to see it, an effort to dive out of the rubble had been effective to some extent, yet less than what the Mandalorian had hoped for.

He reached out from the mess, one hand after another clawed at the wreck, aided by the use of his twin-rockets that forced him to slide across the floor beneath them. The Bounty Hunter came out the other side, a massive divide between the two of them had made it so he could not see his Jedi foe, and all that adrenaline subsided and the exhaustion returned. It took a considerable amount of what was left in the tank to even reach for his once discarded blaster, even.

"Should've cared less," he remarked to no one other than himself in remembrance of Cato's earlier words. His armour, and as a result the systems within, sustained their share of bruises. He tried to scan for lifeforms, to see whether the man was still alive, to no avail. For all Fett had known, the rubble had crushed him, left vulnerable in the absence of his own armour.

 

[Cato Harth]

Everything was dark. First a deafening crash, then an encompassing pain, then nothing.

Then there was a breath. A sharp, desperate breath, wheezing for what little dusty air could be found. Under the rubble, Cato shifted in panic, halted by the weight that pressed down on top of him. Everything was sore. Compressed. His arm had been put through the wringer, and struggling now Cato could tell he wouldn’t be getting any use out of it for a while. The words of an old friend echoed in his mind.

Can you draw breath? Then you are alive.

Are you alive? Then you can fight.

He wasn't sure if the passage of time was mere minutes or hours. Or days, for all it felt like. But rather than let his initial shock get the better of him, Cato stilled his mind and body, reaching out one more time to the Force.

Can you draw breath? Then you are alive.

It surrounded him. Pouring into cracks between the stone and metal like a current of water. It overflowed, and the debris capitulated to the superior power. Seen from above, a pile of rubble shifted, then fell silent as it began to drift aimlessly into the air.

Are you alive? Then you can fight.

Out from the condemned ruins, Cato pulled himself to freedom with one hand. Once he was out, he rolled over onto his back, and with a final sigh the floating rocks were once more subjected to gravity.

Fight.

A gleam of metal followed Cato out of the rubble. He caught the hilt of his saber in his hand, and stared at it for a long while... then let the weapon drop to his side. “You’ll find I’m all kinds of stubborn…” He muttered, having not even checked yet to see if the bounty hunter was still present. Regardless, Cato made no moves to keep their battle going himself. Imparted wisdom be damned.

Koda Fett​

 

[Koda Fett]

NAR SHADDAA
Cato Harth

His helmeted head turned over the armoured shoulder, a cold stare eminated from the T-visor and his blaster held in an idle hand. His booted foot came to a standstill, no more exhausted shuffles across the shattered duracrete, before his full frame twisted to face the downed Jedi; even the saber fell from his hold, and the fire in Fett that demanded he died seemed to lessen.

"I see that," came his bitter retort, "To your own detriment, even."