Duel The Hornet's Nest

[Cato Harth]

“Just one of my many charming qualities,” His smirk was in stark contrast with the bruised and battered condition of his body. “Dropping a building on my own head is a new one, though.” Cato lazily turned to look up at the bounty hunter, staring right into his T-visor for a beat, then shifting his gaze back to the nothing directly overhead.

“We should do this again sometime.” He said, knowing full well the bounty hunter might not be so keen to let him get up from this. Giving up was not a part of Cato's methodology; But there is a difference between giving up, and knowing when you’re out of strength to give.

And knowing that is often what separates the still-living from the dead.

Koda Fett​

 

[Koda Fett]

NAR SHADDAA
Cato Harth

It was odd to admit this was his second time; the career had carved out far more enemies than friends.

"There is no next time," the crunch of the materials beneath each movement the Mandalorian made seemed to come closer, albeit in a slow manner. His blaster remained in his hand, as did all the inner-desire to make use of it; "Is this some solo adventure, or should I expect more Jedi sometime soon?"

Credits made it all turn and filled the hearts and souls of millions, the flash of their universal icon often illuminated the orbs of those all too interested in the chance to collect. So much so that their march into unfavourable odds had been to their own demise. The Jedi, however, were often a different lot; a cult, one that rambled on about their core tenets. Justice, one of them. It was of little shock to see one, more so to see one so far removed from the Core. Nar Shaddaa was a civilised rock, not so much for Jedi however.

If one was to come after him, there could be more.

And so there was.

 

[Cato Harth]

"Aw, don't be like that. I thought we really hit it off." His eyes flicked around, making particular note of the blaster more than a few times. The grip on his lightsaber tigheted ever so slightly in response.

"...Solo act," He answered truthfully, "Though given your rep, I'd figure you're always expecting something more." With a grunt, Cato shifted around, pushing himself up into a sitting position.

"Nar Shaddaa is my turf these days." Not the Silvers. Not even the Hutts for all he cared, or whatever syndicate of the week was claiming the crown. His. "Feel free to tell your friends as much. Or don't, I don't care." It wasn't meant as an attempt to threaten, merely a statement. Not that Cato was currently in a position to make threats at the guy with the gun, anyway.

Koda Fett​

 

[Koda Fett]

NAR SHADDAA
Cato Harth

Friends?

Beneath the armour a sense of entitled elitism ran free. Fett blazed his own trail, had claimed his own fame, and no one was to steal all the effort that had determined his successful career; blood and sweat had seen him rise above the rest, and from there he cast his shadow on their line of work - the armoured silhouette of his worn and weathered frame issued commands of its own. He made enemies more often than allies, but never friends.

Trust no one, ever.

"Hnh," came the stifled amusement that contrasted his ideas of friendlier relations, "Not from here. Your turf is about to become a lot busier soon." The Consortium was on the rise, on the move, and in due time was this moon to fall into their vast territories. Gorba the Hutt owned this turf, no matter the resistance of the Jedi. It was as futile as it was admirable to resist it. But Jedi often held onto all their archaic stubborness.

"There'll be more," he mused, the T-visor averted from Cato as he recalled the recent bouts with other Jedi as a result of his antics before it resumed a stare after several seconds. "But I'm me. Your friends should do well to understand that."

 

[Cato Harth]

"So I've been hearing," He smirked, "Hutts finally found a backbone, eh? Got tired of letting the Jedi lay claim or what?" Not that the Concord could pacify this moon. All it took was a look at their surroundings to confirm that things had changed little under the SJC's supervision.

Not that the rising Consortium was going to make this easier.

"I'll be sure to leave a memo. But even I'd admit, you're pretty lucky if I end up being the toughest thing you face in the coming days." He leaned forward, "And no one's lucky forever. As I'm sure someone of your profession is well aware."

Koda Fett​

 

[Koda Fett]

NAR SHADDAA
Cato Harth

"I've faced worse," he commented in an absent-minded and unintended insult, the visor shifted about as if in search of an exit or to follow the sounds that chittered about outside; curious locals, no more than that, the same that had seen the infamous T-visor and scattered themselves to the near-toxic wind. "I ran out of luck the second that reward settled over me."

It was his fault, for all the credits he made from the Senate threat... the lot of them came back to rest on himself, a wanted man that even his own sort of filth came after. He had no crowd, no kind, and allies ran slimmer and slimmer. Enemies, now, were all he had. But that line was for another time, far from the here and now, as the Mandalorian turned back to ask Cato for more information.

"Master Noble," he stared as if to monitor for a reaction, "You know her, of her?"

 

[Cato Harth]

"Wellll it's not like somebody forced you into taking the contract," He snarked back, "What goes around comes around, and all that." Even as the bounty hunter's gaze seemed to shift, Cato's eyes stayed locked firmly on him. The knight remained unflinching, but mentally kept himself prepared for the first sign of retribution. Just in case Fett decided to try and finish the job.

The name was of no familiarity to Cato. He shook his head and shrugged his one working arm, "'fraid not, Mando. Why, you piss her off, too?"

Koda Fett​

 

[Koda Fett]

NAR SHADDAA
Cato Harth

His head nodded to his side in an answer to the first few comments Cato made. That much was true, it was a lie to say otherwise. The Mandalorian had little else to add there, so much so he chose to add none at all. He was the arbiter of his own fate, it seemed, and his fate was on a downward course to an imminent death or life in a cell. But had much been new, he wondered, ever since he was a child there were threats around each corner and in the shadows. He was fortunate to survive then; the now seasoned killer had the skills and tools to survive, or so he believed.

"Her and the rest of the Jedi." He admitted, "Had a run in on Coruscant. If there's someone to come after me in a more... official manner, then it's her."

 

[Cato Harth]

The simple nod managed to get a grin from Cato. He hadn’t expected the bounty hunter to demonstrate anything resembling agreement with him, but with it came an unexpected modicum of respect.

“I coulda told you that would happen.” A stunt like that smack dab in Alliance HQ was bound to result in a dogpile. “Sounds like you’ve got a busy schedule ahead.” If it was a Jedi Master coming after Fett, Cato was less concerned about their chances. Even still, they wouldn’t try it alone if they were smart. Through his brief encounter alone, Koda Fett struck Cato as many things; Careless was not one of them.

“So, anything else you wanna ask, or do you just wanna keep standing over me like a dick?”

Koda Fett​

 

[Koda Fett]

NAR SHADDAA
Cato Harth

He entered his own mind, wild with a thousand ideas for the future. His future. But that faded, in time, as Cato made a dislike for the situation vocal. He had no further use for the Jedi, he had to admit, unless the credits on their heads was worth all the effort to move to claim. No, not now, it wasn't.

His blaster entered the holster on his side as he made his answer known; "No," Fett shook his helmeted head, "That's all."

The Mandalorian turned, then, without so much as another word or move to aid him from the floor. Beneath his feet, crunched the rubble left in the wake of their duel, the odd route ensured he turned side to side at times within the crumbled interior, sometimes even over an obstacle. "Remember," he said mid-stride, not so much as a turn back to see Cato had been offered, "Don't cross me."

 

[Cato Harth]

There was a beat of anticipation from Cato. At this point he wasn’t sure if he was going to get a blaster to the face or a hand up. Instead, he got neither. The knight scoffed another laugh, and called out to the bounty hunter, “You owe me a jacket!” Somewhere buried under the rubble was the scorched tatters of his last one.

A more rational person would have learned the lesson Fett was trying to warn Cato of. But the only lesson he would be learning is how to prepare, should they encounter one another again. The bounty hunter was a walking arsenal, and now Cato had a sampling for what was in store. He forced himself onto his feet, watching the Mandalorian for a moment, then turned to make his own exit in the other direction, “Next time then…”

If nothing else, Cato was going to have a hell of a story to tell.