Private Abduction on Naboo

[Gatz Derrevar]

It wasn't that he disagreed with Valery. People could change, or at least he hoped so. But his being present for this particular crisis didn't mean a damn thing. Saving a few children wouldn't undo all the damage he'd done, or bring back all the people who had died as an unintended result of his actions. But Gatz supposed that wasn't the point anyways. This wasn't about salvation. He had no ulterior motive for taking on this task; he wasn't here to "redeem" himself.

There were children in danger. Someone had to do something. That was all there was to it.

Valery seemed to approve of his quick thinking. In all honesty, his joking remark to the patrons of the bar had been more instinct than plan. His go to move when things got tense was to fallback on wise cracks. It failed as often as it worked, really. Still... he didn't have to tell the Jedi Master that. He was happy to let her think that it had all been a part of his foolproof plan to catch a Sith Lord.

Man, he really was in over his head.

"A Jedi concerned about missing children?" the bartender scoffed, "isn't taking children what the Jedi do best?"

Well, wasn't that an antiquated take on things? Gatz kept his mouth shut, knowing a snarky remark probably wouldn't do Valery any good here. It was better for her to explain to the man that the Jedi Order did things differently these days, anyhow. Gatz himself had been given to the Order voluntarily. Or, rather, he'd been volunteered by his parents. He had been too young to understand, or have a say in the matter. But it wasn't like Jedi Masters went around robbing cradles.

Gatz couldn't exactly picture Valery, a mother herself, stealing children in the dead of night.

---

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Naboo

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Gatz Derrevar

"No, we don't take children," Valery said flatly. "Nothing happens without consent." She wasn't going to entertain a long argument about the Jedi and their methods with some random bartender on Naboo. They were here to save children, and she had no time to waste on pointless debates or ancient takes. "But I'd appreciate it if you answered my question. Who I am and how I work doesn't matter when the lives of kids are at stake, don't you agree?"

This was Naboo, not Nar Shadda, so she figured that people here would be a little more helpful, especially when children were involved. But if he wasn't going to assist her, she'd always be able to get information with other methods. She just preferred not to, if she had a choice.

"All I need to know is if you saw someone enter this bar that could have been what I described. If I know where he sat, what he did or... anything, I can find those kids and return them to their families."

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Gatz, still turned away from the bartender, smiled when he heard Valery's tone. Clearly, even a Jedi Master could still be annoyed. It shouldn't have surprised him, that Valery was capable of the normal range of emotions. She was just as human as he was. Well, maybe not, he supposed. He couldn't know for sure, but with her eyes, Gatz suspected that Valery wasn't actually human. Not unless she was drunk on the Dark Side, which... well, this was Valery Noble. He was reasonably certain that all the stars in the galaxy would burn out before Valery became a Dark Jedi.

Unfortunately, the bartender seemed to have a less flattering opinion of her.

"Lady, who I serve is none of your-"

Gatz made a simple gesture with his hand, and a bottle of wine on the top shelf fell to the ground behind the bar, shattering and spilling red. The bartender looked between the shattered glass and Valery, assuming she had done it.

"It wasn't her, jackass," Gatz sighed and turned around, "answer the Jedi's question and I won't pull the whole shelf down."

A bold boast, and a lie. Gatz couldn't pull the whole shelf down in one go. Even that one bottle had taken more effort than it should have.

I really should practice more.

"You're asking me to betray my customer's privacy, and when I refuse to answer, you resort to vandalism? You know, I can have the RSF here in five minutes!"

"Good," Gatz leaned in, "when you get them on the line, be sure to mention that you're obstructing an official investigation with your silence. We'll wait."

The man was silent for a moment, keeping a glare leveled on Gatz. Then he sighed and looked back to Valery, "you're looking for a 'her.' She's come in about four times now, usually sits in that booth by the door, and meets with some beefy Nikto. They order a drink each, talk for a few minutes, then she leaves and the Nikto pays for the bill. Iwanted to kick them out the first night I saw them, could tell they were trouble, but the woman had a weapon like yours hanging from her hip. Didn't think it was worth the trouble to try. They were here two nights ago. That's all I know."

"Why didn't you just tell us that from the start?!" Gatz asked, exasperation evident in his tone.

"Because I don't feel like getting cut up by a laser sword!"

Well, Gatz supposed he'd be pretty afraid of snitching on a Sith Lord too.

"I... yeah, that's fair," Gatz sighed then dug in his jacket pocket, and flicked the man a credit chit, "here, for the bottle."

---

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Naboo

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Gatz Derrevar

Valery was about ready to snap back at the bartender when she felt a shift in the Force and watched a bottle fall from the shelf. The bartender was about to blame her, which would have gotten him a death glare, but Gatz spoke up and talked the man into a position where he finally felt compelled to answer her questions. It wasn't the cleanest method of getting information from him, but with the life of children at risk, this meant little to nothing.

She offered Gatz a brief, appreciative smile, and turned to the bartender again.

"I'll make sure that nothing happens to you," she promised, which she never did lightly. Either she'd protect him herself, or she'd make sure that someone kept an eye out on him until this was all settled. Hopefully, though, it wouldn't be necessary at all. The Sith didn't yet know that Valery was here, nor was she aware of this conversation.

Turning to Gatz, Valery sighed with relief a little, "We have two options. Either I can try to tap into the past at that booth, or maybe we can find this Nikto and get to her through him." Perhaps she needed to tap into the Force to find him too, but if he was a regular here, it would be far easier to just approach him.

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

"I... thank you, Master Jedi. I'm sorry for being difficult." With that said, the bartender moved to mop up the mess Gatz had made.

With Valery's questions finally answered, Gatz's frustration at the situation began to ebb, only for guilt to slowly trickle in. Why had he almost immediately resorted to breaking that bottle? The man was innocent in all this, guilty only of being afraid of a sketchy figure with a lightsaber at her belt. And Gatz had decided that vandalism and intimidation was the best way to get information out of a man only trying to preserve his business and his life. That was the way of thugs and scoundrels; the kind of person he was trying not to be anymore.

Old habits died hard, he supposed.

Gatz had expected Valery to chastise him for both the tactic and his blatant abuse of the Force. When she smiled at him instead, he only felt worse. It was just another reminder that he really wasn't worthy of the esteem and faith she seemed to place in him. He may not have been a Jedi, and holding himself to a Jedi's standards might have been foolish, but he still ought to be above such brutish solutions to his problems.

"I shouldn't have done that," Gatz muttered, mostly to himself.

Valery laid out the two options they had: to either trust in the Force, or wait and see if this Nikto man turned up for a drink. Gatz thought the second option seemed more practical, but didn't voice that opinion. Mostly because he was starting to wonder if his gut instinct was really worth trusting.

"How... reliable is this ability of yours to see the past? I mean, I imagine it's probably a whole lot more straightforward than sensing future events, what with the past being set in stone and all. But, is it a practical approach to finding our Sith?"

---

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Naboo

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Gatz Derrevar

"I shouldn't have done that,"

Valery overheard him, and considered focusing the conversation just on that. To talk to him about what happened, and maybe find a way to help him. Ever since she had met Gatz, she could tell that he struggled with his past and who he was, and she couldn't help but feel that her presence only made it worse. Of course, she wanted to help him live a happier life if she could, but change wasn't something that happened overnight.

Maybe she put too much pressure on him to do good, and to not disappoint her or himself.

"Gatz, it's..." she paused, stopping herself from telling him that it was alright. It's not what he wanted to hear, and they both knew that the pressure put on that bartender wasn't really alright, even if it helped them get closer to saving those children. "We can talk about it later if you'd like, alright?" She smiled just faintly again, and shifted her focus back to the mission.

She couldn't forget about that.

"It's quite reliable if we have something or a place connected to the Sith, but it can be a bit overwhelming on the user as well. It's also difficult to tell what it'll show me before I try it," She admitted, but still with confidence. "I can handle it though, so what do you think?"

"I could also try Psychometry while you confront the Nikto, if he's out here somewhere."

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Valery heard him, of course. He hadn't really been trying to keep it only to himself. Mostly he'd been just trying to chide himself, and remind himself that he was trying to be better, not worse, than he'd been before. She seemed to understand his conflict, because she cut herself short from consoling him. He was glad for that, really. The last thing he wanted was for a Jedi to compromise on her own values just to make him feel better about being a jerk.

Valery was uplifting him. That shouldn't come at the cost of him dragging her down.

"Maybe later, yeah," Gatz was glad to move past the subject for now.

He still didn't quite understand this ability of Valery's, but at least he had a name for it now: Psychometry. He wasn't adverse to trying it; wasn't adverse to anything the Jedi Master recommended, really. It might have seemed far-fetched, but Gatz had to remind himself that the Force contained many mysteries. He would never understand them all, but that didn't mean he should dismiss them as possible answers to his problems. Whatever Valery saw, no matter how small of a glimpse she got, it would still be more information than they had now.

"I trust you more than, well, pretty much anyone," Gatz shrugged, "if you think it's worth a shot, let's try it. While you're busy, I'll ask around, see if any of the regulars know more about this Nikto fellow of ours."

He'd be nicer this time, Gatz told himself. No threats, no irresponsible displays of his Force-sensitivity. Just a few simple questions. He hadn't always been a ne'er-do-well. He knew how to hold polite, civil conversation. And if he had forgotten... well, now was a good time to practice those rusty skills.

---

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Naboo

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Gatz Derrevar

"I trust you more than, well, pretty much anyone,"

Valery blinked and her posture straightened a little, as his comment surprised her. She knew that he trusted her, of course, but not to that extent. More than pretty much anyone else? It flattered her quite a bit, and made it impossible for her not to smile and even blush just faintly. "Alright, I'll give it a shot," Valery then told him before her fiery gaze turned to the booth by the door the bartender had mentioned.

She knew she'd be able to feel something.

"If the Nikto worked with a Sith Lord, they could be dangerous. So... be careful, okay?" She trusted that he could handle himself, but she was still trying to tell him that if anything went wrong, she'd be there to help. She just didn't want him to feel like he was helpless, because he wasn't, so she didn't voice it out loud. He knew when to take on a problem head-on, and when it was time to call in his Jedi friend.

With that all covered, Valery retreated into the booth, sat down and closed her eyes. Her hand shifted over the wooden table, then her seat, and she could feel the Force drawing her into its endless currents. Once inside the fragments of the past, Valery could see the cloaked figure, as well as the Nikto the bartender had referred to. Their voices were like whispers, but the Force was allowing her to hear what she needed the most.

A time, a place.

With a gasp of air, Valery soon returned to the present, her face covered in sweat, and her skin a little pale. She rested the back of her head against the backrest of her chair, and focused on her breathing. Psychometry was always overwhelming to her.

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

In his former line of work, you didn't trust people. Everyone was out for themselves, everyone wanted to make a few extra credits at someone else's expense, and some people would even shoot you in the back if they got the chance. But he wasn't on Nar Shaddaa anymore, and he wasn't working with thieves and murderers. This was a Jedi Master. The Jedi Master, if he was feeling dramatic.

Trusting her was easier than breathing.

Just for a moment, Gatz thought that he saw the Jedi Master flush. But then he dismissed it as a flight of fancy. He habitually wished that most women turned red when they looked at him. Or, he supposed, he had in the past. Gatz hadn't taken the chance to actually come onto anyone since... well, since Erakhis he supposed.

He dismissed the thought before he could become lost in it. He had things to do. So Gatz left Valery to her Psychometry, and turned his gaze to the other patrons. He picked one at random, a Twi'lek woman sitting alone at a booth. Figuring she was as good a place to start as any, Gatz approached, and slid himself into the booth opposite of her.

"Mind if I enjoy your company for awhile?"

"Depends," her voice had a deep lilt to it, "do you planning on shattering my bottle too?"

"Uh, no," Gatz winced, "but I would like to ask you about a Nikto fellow, who frequents this bar."

"You're probably talking about Benji."

"His name is Benji?" The galaxy was full of silly names, but that one was just ridiculous.

"Yes," the woman took a sip from her drink, "I see him every now and again. Only spoken to him once or twice, so I can't really tell you anything else. I think he works at the spaceport."

"You've already given me more than the bartender," Gatz stood up, "I appreciate it."

Gatz turned to find Valery again, only to find her looking feverish. Well, she'd told him that this ability of hers could be taxing. And if it drained her, a Jedi who'd honed her connection to the Force her whole life... well, it probably a really good thing that he wasn't capable of Psychometry.

"Well," Gatz plopped across from Valery, "I've got a name and an occupation. What did you, uh, see? Or do you need a moment?"

Maybe he ought to let her catch her breath before he drilled her for answers.

---

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Naboo

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Gatz Derrevar

"I'm fine."

She isn't.

"I just need a second," she then added with an exhausted smile. "Psychometry doesn't just let me look into the past. I also feel the emotions tied to those memories, and it can be... overwhelming." Valery raised a hand up through her hair, keeping it from sticking to her sweaty forehead by tucking it back behind her ear. A deep breath followed, and she seemed to be doing alright enough to talk about what she saw.

"Working at the spaceport seems to check out. Turns out it's hard to just smuggle kids off-world — the Nikto is the one who makes it possible for the Sith to smuggle them out without drawing attention. Not sure how, but at least two kids have been moved off-world already. The others are being kept at a safehouse somewhere."

She paused and let out a soft sigh, her skin still as pale as it was before.

"I think we'll have to catch that Nikto if we want to get the kids back."

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Valery insisted that she was fine, but Gatz had a hard time buying it. She was as pale as a ghost, and covered in a sheen of sweat as if she'd just run a marathon. If that Sith Lord busted in the door right now, lightsaber in hand... Gatz wondered if Valery would stand a chance in her current state. She knew her own limits far better than he did, of course, but it didn't stop him from worrying.

Huh. Worrying about something other than himself. Felt kind of nice, in an odd way.

The bartender approached their table, finally sliding Valery her wine and Gatz his beer. The man turned to the Jedi Master, and paused for a moment. He looked as though he wanted to say something, but Gatz cut him off.

"Could you bring her a water, please?"

"Sure, but it's gonna cost you."

"Do you seriously charge for-" Gatz sucked in a breath, and buried his irritation. This wasn't the time, "...that's fine. Put it on my tab."

Gatz turned back to Valery as the bartender stalked away. He gave her words some thought. It made sense that one of the people involved would work at the spaceport, and it lined up with what the Twi'lek woman had told him. He didn't understand how the Nikto pulled it off, especially on a world as civilized and protected as Naboo. It wasn't like smuggling refugees off of war-torn worlds, where no one would notice or miss them, and where shipments weren't carefully monitored or checked.

This guy either had a lot of experience, or knew how to bend and break every security measure Naboo had without getting caught. Maybe both.

"I agree, we need Benji to lead us to the warehouse," Gatz nodded, taking a sip of his rather bland beer, "the spaceport seems like our only lead. Even if our man isn't on shift tonight, I'm sure there'll be a supervisor who can direct us to his home."

And unlike with the bartender, Gatz wouldn't feel guilty using more extreme methods to make the man talk.

---

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Naboo

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Gatz Derrevar

"Thank you," Valery said weakly, but the fact that he ordered her some water got her to smile again. The wine didn't really look that appealing anymore, and she knew that she couldn't really stand up like this, so she really needed it. Once the bartender left, Valery straightened herself up in her seat, and leaned forward onto her elbows. Slowly, color was returning to her skin, and all that remained was an uncomfortable, cold sweat.

She'd push through, one step at a time.

"Let's hope we can find him on the spaceport. Employers are usually not permitted to share private information of employees. So it could require some... convincing, if we don't find him there." This time, if they ran into an issue, she was going to use a mind trick or something else to quickly get what they needed. She didn't want to waste anymore time for the kid's sakes, but she also didn't want to put Gatz in a difficult position again.

Not after everything he was doing for her.

The bartender finally returned with Valery's water, which she accepted with a polite smile before she took a sip. And another... and then downed the whole glass without caring how that'd look. She then put the glass down on the table with a sigh of relief, and looked up at him with that fiery grin again, "Much better. Thanks for helping and keeping an eye out." Her own eyes shifted to the door briefly, then back to him.

"Let's go once you're ready," she said, eyeing his cold beer with a chuckle.

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

"Well, I can't have you collapsing on me," Gatz smiled back, then joked, "I mean, I'm talented, but fighting a Sith Lord on my own? Might be a bit above my paygrade."

Gatz had been working on the assumption that someone at the spaceport would point them in the right direction, but Valery was correct: employee privacy and protection guidelines did mean that they were unlikely to share that kind of information. They'd have to find a way to get creative again, one that didn't involve breaking things or threatening people this time. Maybe he'd try being patient, and actually let the Jedi Master handle the diplomacy this time.

"Right," Gatz nodded, "I'm so used to the Hutts screwing their employees over, I almost forgot that reputable organizations actually protect their workers."

Perhaps he'd spent too much time in Hutt Space afterall.

Valery practically downed her glass of water like she was dying of thirst. Gatz couldn't blame her. He was just happy she'd drank it. A healthy Valery made for a not-dead Gatz. Which was how he preferred things, really.

"I'm ready," Gatz said, pushing his almost full beer to the middle of the table, "the beer here sucks anyhow. Go get some fresh air. I'll settle the tab and meet you outside in a minute."

With that, Gatz slid out of the booth, and sauntered down to the bar at the back wall.

---

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Naboo

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Gatz Derrevar

"I was just a little out of breath. I wouldn't have collapsed," she said stubbornly, but with a smirk that made it clear she was just messing around. His help had been greatly appreciated, and if it wasn't for him, she'd more than likely end up pushing herself into a difficult situation. Sometimes, she really needed someone to stop her for a moment, so she could take a step back and make sure she was alright before moving forward.

Old habits die hard.

After downing her glass of water, Gatz agreed to get things moving, and pushed his beer away. Valery just chuckled, dipped her head, and got up to her feet as well. "Alright, meet you outside," she told him, before moving out of the door. Just outside the establishment, Valery leaned with her back against the wall, and drew in several deep breaths. But as she started looking around, she noticed some trouble.

A group of people, all of them intoxicated to some extent, were hanging around the parking lot, and most just happened to be around their speeder. One of them, a tall, bald human man was even sitting on the hood of his speeder.

"You think diplomacy will solve that?" Valery asked Gatz once he finally made his way out and joined her again.

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Gatz stepped up to the bar, where the bartender in question was cleaning a few glasses. The man looked up from his work, saw it was him, and sighed. The smuggler couldn't blame the man, not really. As exasperated as he was with the bar owner, he understood why his presence might cause the man distress now. Gatz hadn't exactly given the man a reason to like him.

"Here to break another bottle, or just to criticize my business practices?"

"I'm sorry about that; about both of those things," Gatz sighed, "I won't offer any excuses for myself. I'm just here to settle the tab, and I'll get out of your hair."

They exchanged no more words, something that relieved Gatz. The situation was already too awkward for small talk, and in truth, the shame he felt made him want to go bury his head in the sand. This situation should never have happened, and he had been the one who incited it. Habit and reflex couldn't be an excuse. Being better was a choice, and it was one he had to make all the time, not just some of the time.

Gatz stepped out of the bar with a sigh, and found Valery leaning against a wall. As he had suspected, she seemed to be worse for wear than she was willing to admit. He opened his mouth to say something about that, but she beat him to the punch, and pointed out the shambling men perched by and on his speeder.

Great. Another hassle. And one that, this time, he needed to take care of. Properly.

"Diplomacy might work," Gatz shrugged, "they're just a bunch of half drunk men loitering. See it on Nar Shaddaa all the time. Give me a minute, and I'll see what I can do."

He had half a mind to ask Valery for his gun back, but... well, this was Naboo. Gatz didn't think he would need it here. Or, maybe, he just hoped he wouldn't.

"Evening gentleman," Gatz greeted, as he sauntered over to his speeder, hands on his hips, "looks like the lot of you are enjoying yourselves tonight. Would it be too much trouble to ask you to move away from my speeder, maybe in exchange for buying your next round of drinks? I've got somewhere to be, and I've got to get there soon."

---

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Naboo

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Gatz Derrevar

Valery could tell that he had wanted to say something before she began about the speeder, and even though she could only wonder, she had a feeling as to what it was about. Luckily, the drunks sitting on his vehicle were distracting enough, and he decided to try a diplomatic approach. Valery walked after him, keeping some distance, but being close enough to step in and help if they were to get aggressive.

Drunks were often unpredictable, after all.

At first, the men also seemed rather annoyed with Gatz, who disturbed the fun they were having. However, the moment he offered to pay for their drinks, all of their frustration faded away, and the huge bald man even got off of the hood. "Now that's a great idea," he said with dumb, drunk giggle.

Valery could feel her blood boiling, as they walked towards the bar.

"I know you didn't want it to escalate, but you don't have to reward their behavior, you know," Valery told Gatz with a lowered voice, once she joined a little closer by his side. "But I understand why you did it too. We are on a timer," she sighed, and looked up at him with a slightly pained expression. All she really cared about was that he didn't feel like he'd need to let people get away with shit.

But something told her that he knew that perfectly fine.

"Ready to go?"

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Gatz waited for the men to respond, anticipating that they would turn down his offer, and things would have to get violent. That's how it happened in the criminal underworld, most of the time. But to his pleasant surprise, the loiterers were happy to have another round of drinks on someone else's dime. So when the bald man slipped off of his speeder, happy grin on his face, Gatz was relieved to slip some credits into the man's hand.

Maybe he could solve things peacefully. But then, everyone liked a few extra credits.

Valery didn't seem pleased with the way he handled it, though, which threw him for a loop. He thought giving a few drunks some credits was a lot better than threatening a bartender and breaking his stock with a blatant abuse of the Force. He couldn't deny that he was enabling those men, and giving them the means to become even more intoxicated, but he thought it was better than all the alternatives.

"Bribery works just about everywhere, Valery," Gatz said, as he slid into the speeder, "and I'd rather pay for their drinks than get into a fist fight with them, or Force forbid, shoot them. They weren't bad folk. Just drunk and disorderly. Half of them won't even remember tonight in the morning."

He had a lot of personal experience with that. Being drunk and being a nerf herder was practically a hobby in Hutt Space. Or, hell, anywhere in the galaxy. Alcohol seemed to be a constant in every star system. There was a joke there, about how everyone had more in common than they thought thanks to alcohol, but Gatz didn't think Valery would appreciate it at the moment.

"Besides. compared to me, they're model citizens. And I'm not saying that to be self-deprecating."

Gatz would bet his whole ship that not a single one of those men had killed anyone before. He couldn't say the same.

---

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Naboo

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Gatz Derrevar

"Blasters can have stun settings," Valery joked with a sheepish kind of grin, before she sighed and nodded, "I'm just careful with rewarding bad behavior in any kind of way. If you were a regular here, they'd now know that you'll pay for their drinks if they sit on your speeder." Not that Gatz was the type who would actually let himself be bullied by a few drunks, but it could still force him in more difficult situations.

Either way, that wasn't the most important thing to focus on now.

"Besides. compared to me, they're model citizens. And I'm not saying that to be self-deprecating."

Valery remained quiet this time, deciding against arguing it. She knew what he was trying to say, and even though she wanted to again point at the way he had been willing to change, it wouldn't really change anything. "Well, next time I'm getting them off of your speeder," Valery said with a smirk again, before she turned her gaze forward.

They were getting close to the spaceport.

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

"You're probably right. Have at 'em next time, I certainly won't stop you."

Gatz wasn't exactly an expert at de-escalating situations. He was much better at the opposite, really. Maybe next time he'd let the Jedi take a crack at it. For now, though, he focused on guiding the old speeder to the space port: a building of stone and intricate green metal roofing, just like every other structure in Theed. How visitors didn't get lost in this old city, Gatz would never know.

When the spaceport finally came into view, Gatz pulled them around the building, into one of the lots that charged by the hour. Once upon a time, he might have complained about paying for parking, but what were a few credits compared to a child's life?

"I think you should take the reins from here," Gatz shut the speeder off, "much like the cantina, I think the people here are going to be much more willing to speak with you than with me. Especially any RSF officers. They, uh, know me. For reasons."

He still had a criminal record. Honestly, his Uncle was the only reason The Red Night hadn't been impounded the second he landed on the planet. Any other officers were likely to treat him as just another civilian, if not worse. But the lady with the lightsaber? Even on a neutral world, Gatz thought they might defer to a Jedi's judgement. Or so he hoped. Otherwise they'd probably just be stonewalled again.

---

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Naboo

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Gatz Derrevar

"You're probably right. Have at 'em next time, I certainly won't stop you."

Valery shot him a grin this time, "Careful what you wish for," she joked, but there was something serious to it. If they needed to handle a bunch of drunks or thugs, she'd be more than happy to deal with them with an appropriate response. She'd never look for a fight, but she was more than ready to defend herself if people weren't willing to cooperate, and decided to get aggressive with her.

The two soon reached the parking lot, and once they were getting out of the speeder, Gatz opened up about their next plans. She agreed, and offered a dip of her head to show it. "I don't like throwing my weight around, but I think I can get people who work in official places like this to recognize me, and be willing to cooperate," she said before she smirked. "Besides, I'd rather not have to bust you out of jail if they don't like seeing you here."

A joke, of course.

Valery then walked inside, and in a place as crowded as this, she knew she'd likely not just spot the man they were looking for right off the bat. So, instead, she walked over to the closest guards and offered a polite smile, "Good evening, I'm Jedi Master Noble," she began, hoping they'd recognize her.

"I'm looking for one of your colleagues. Benji was his name, I believe."