Private Nar Shaddaa Nights

[Gatz Derrevar]

​

"I am people like him, Valery," Gatz said calmly, "and I always will be. Doesn't matter how much good I try to do now. I am every bit the monster he is. I learned from him. And most people in this life would have dialed a bounty hunter, not give us information freely. You don't have to like him. You don't have to respect him. You don't have to condone his actions. But he helped us, and he was owed better than that."

He could feel the frustration bubbling in her, an inner turmoil not unlike his own. This place was getting to her, and he had only stirred the pot by confronting her. It needed to be done, and they needed to talk about this, but doing it while she was still stuck here probably wasn't the best move.

"Hold on, I shouldn't have worded it like—"

But she stormed past him to have a moment to herself. He allowed her to have it. If it meant giving her a chance to cool off, even if only a little, he wouldn't bother her until he had to. So, instead, he silently followed her as she got them past the bouncer with her invitation. He stayed quiet even as she scanned their surroundings, getting a feel for the people.

Gatz didn't see Jekerro. He was probably in one of the private rooms.

"Hold on," Gatz finally spoke, as Valery geared up to move, "I don't want to confront him while we're both frustrated, and the last thing I want is to be at odds with you. You're too important to me to just... leave this wedge between us. There are private rooms here. Let's find one and talk."

Okay, Gatz realized how that sounded, especially considering how the "private" rooms were often used here. But he hoped, even while she was mad at him, that Valery would know that that wasn't his intent.

---

Tags: Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Nar Shaddaa

​

Outfit: Dress | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Gatz Derrevar

He stopped her from just carrying on, and she reached a small breaking point.

"Stop that!" she snapped, "You're not like them, and I'm tired of you saying that you are. These people couldn't give less fucks about slaves or children being captured by Sith. Hell, they'd help with it if it earned them a quick few credits. But you aren't like that, not anymore, and it's time you start accepting it." She was angry now. Not the kind of angry when she had snapped on Sovereign station, but more of a disappointed type of anger.

She hated him talking down on himself because of his past, and she was tired of holding back the emotion it sparked. After everything they've gone through to try and help people and stop this man, he still felt like he was evil. Was nothing she was doing to help him having any effect?

Then Gatz urged them to talk before continuing with the mission, and a part of her wanted to reject the offer. It just meant being here even longer, and she was almost feeling too angry to think rationally. But the Jedi Master part of her brain kicked in, and after a deep breath, she sighed and nodded.

"Fine but I don't have much to talk about. I'm just tired of you comparing yourself to people like him, and I'm not going to be kind to them. They haven't earned it. You think they were kind to all the people whose lives they ruined? If he had made any effort to change or improve people's lives, it might have been different."

"But he doesn't care. None of these people do."

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

​

He'd expected Valery to be angry with him. He hadn't expected her to be angry with him because he was incapable of thinking of himself as a good man. He was so stunned by her outburst that he was left standing there with his mouth gaping like a goldfish. By the time he'd shaken himself from that, she had been halfway to the lounge.

No time to address that. But that gave him time to think on what she'd said.

When Valery agreed to find a place to talk, Gatz gently tried to lead her by the arm into one of the private rooms, hidden by a series of curtains that blocked outside views and muffled sounds. Thankfully, the one he picked didn't have a dancer in it. If it had, Valery might have had a conniption.

He sat down on the L-shaped couch pressed against the wall with a sigh.

"I didn't get into this life because I wanted to be some evil douchebag. Few of us do." Gatz started, "I might have grown up on Naboo, but we were lower class. Our house was a shambled building on the outskirts of the city, barely big enough for two people, much less three. But we got by, if only barely. Dad hauling freight, and Mom working at some restaurant as a waitress."

Gatz looked up at Valery.

"Mom got sick when I was fifteen. Neurological condition that runs on her side of the family. She was bedridden. Suddenly could even do anything for herself, much less help Dad put food on the table. We were flat broke, Valery. Do you think we had health insurance? We could barely afford rent and groceries, especially after I came back."

"Dad started taking more dangerous jobs. Here, on the Outer Rim. Nothing like I did... but it caught up to him. He got himself shot over being shorted a few credits on a job, all because every credit counted. Because he had to pay for Mom's treatments and put food on the table somehow. And then he was dead, and all Mom had was me."

Gatz let out a shuddering sigh, blinking as he realized he was crying. Again. In front of Valery. Again. Great. But it didn't matter, he wasn't done telling her his life story yet.

"So here I was, eighteen with a sick mother to care for. Hauling freight just wasn't enough to cover her bills. Spice though? Spice earned credits. So I smuggled it. And I got good at it. Real good. Credits were flowing in faster than I could spend them, and that meant that Mom could finally get the treatment she needed."

Oh, if only that had been how the story ended.

"But it didn't matter. It was too late. Her health had declined too much by then, and all the doctors could do was make her comfortable until she passed. And suddenly I didn't have that burden anymore. Then I met you, and you gave me purpose. But I could only chase after your example because Mom was already dead. Because I didn't have that responsibility anymore. If I did, Valery, I'd still be in this life."

Finally, Gatz let out a long sigh. Getting all that out had been hard, but he felt like a weight had been lifted off of his chest. One that had been weighing him down for half a decade.

"Roche's wife is sick like my mom was. I grew up on Naboo and I was that desperate. How desperate do you think he is, living here on Nar Shaddaa? I'm not— I'm not asking for you to forgive us. I'm not trying to make excuses: our actions are despicable and we're deserving of the consequences. I just... I want you to understand. A lot of us do this because we don't see a way out. Because we don't have a Jedi Temple to go home to, to support us, or to handle our living expenses. Men like Roche... he isn't good, but he isn't evil. He's just trapped. Trying to make the best of a shit situation."

---

Tags: Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Nar Shaddaa

​

Outfit: Dress | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Gatz Derrevar

Even though she had been reluctant to talk privately about what just happened, Valery felt a huge weight lift off of her shoulders the second they stepped inside the room. Sure, she knew what it was really meant for, but after snapping against him the way she had, she knew they'd have to talk about it. So after he sat down, Valery slowly lowered herself onto the couch too and turned to him. Frustration sometimes made you not want to listen to someone, but she had to listen.

She owed him that after what she said.

What followed though... Valery couldn't have really expected to hear anything like this. She knew snippets about his past, and always believed she wasn't meant to really know more. He had his demons in the past, and asking about it just felt wrong. But now that he opened up himself, she felt her body relaxing, and finally, she began to understand him a little better. Loss, desperation, despair - these were themes she recognized in her own life as well, but she had never had to experience them while already being at rock bottom.

"I... understand," she finally said quietly, her eyes focused on him even though she could see tears, and knew he was likely embarrassed about it. But the emotion just made him feel human. It made her feel like he was closer to her than he was to the horrible people who enslaved others or ruined their lives.

They wouldn't cry.

Or would they? Valery listened to what he said about Roche and frowned deeply. To her, there was no excuse for making other people's lives miserable, but in desperate situations...

She sighed heavily and looked him in the eyes again, "I'm sorry, Gatz. I... shouldn't have said what I said. But I do still feel like you're too harsh on yourself. I know it might not change anytime soon, but I'm very proud to have you as a trustworthy friend. To me, you're not who you were all those years ago anymore. Far from it, and I'm too stubborn to change my opinion on that"

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

​

"But Valery, that's the problem," Gatz turned to look her in the eyes, "you only see value in me because I'm doing what you expect of me. Being who you expect me to be. But you're not willing to have empathy for people who are stuck in situations you could never understand. I'm not talking about men like Kragan and Jekerro: they're evil. I'm talking about men like Roche. Men like me."

Gatz shook his head. Could he ever make her understand, or was her Jedi training just too ingrained? She'd been a Shadow once, and Shadows didn't believe in redemption, or in coming to understand the the struggles of another person. They just believed in eradication, never once sparing a thought that maybe their targets needed help, not death.

"I know you've been desperate in ways I could never understand. I'm not trying to invalidate your suffering, I just wish you wouldn't invalidate ours. Because you have the Temple—the entire Order—to fall back on for whatever you could possibly need. We don't. We do what we have to just so that we and our families can survive. Even when we're not proud of it."

Gatz lowered his head with a sigh.

Because what was the use? They were scum, through and through. Even he was. Valery just didn't want to see it, because she wanted to believe that he was some magically changed man. But he wasn't. Deep down, Gatz was worried that if he got desperate again, he'd just go right back to being a smuggler. And then he'd lose her faith.

Hell, with this conversation, maybe he already had.

"And I'm sorry I said that I thought you'd treat me like you treated Roche. I know you wouldn't. You've proven that a thousand times over. I just... I'm not all that different from him, and without him I'd have died long before I met you. I just... overreacted. I didn't like that one person I owe my life to was so critical of another person I owe my life to. That's all."

---

Tags: Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Nar Shaddaa

​

Outfit: Dress | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Gatz Derrevar

"I'm not trying to invalidate your suffering or that of others here, but it won't make me accept the pain they've caused to other people as a result. It's a destructive loop where the suffering of one becomes the suffering of another, or many others. I understand why people do it, for the same reason that someone without credits might steal food or other things they need. But it doesn't justify the crimes, and these people were not stealing basic necessities."

She looked around for a moment and frowned, "Nobody at this party is poor, clearly. They didn't stop when they had enough to end their own suffering. There was always a need for more. Way more, and people died because of that greed. I understand it's the environment that changed them to be like this, and that so many people also get stuck or even get threatened to stay within these criminal circles."

"But the people at this party here went far beyond basic survival or supporting their families. The people who really struggle like that are still down there, in the lower streets and alleyways. That's why I will not respect those around us. We're among the absolute worst of them."

She let out a soft sigh again and rubbed her forehead. Maybe she'd never really understand, or simply refused to. Her own moral compass would never allow her to justify slavery, spice trade or other highly damaging illegal activities just because of people's own suffering. Especially not when there was a way out, even if it wasn't an easy one to find.

Gatz had needed a very uncommon encounter with a Jedi Master for it.

"And it's alright, I know emotions ran high. They did for me too and... I'm sorry."

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

​

"Alright. The people at this party, the upper crust of the criminal aristocracy, they're the worst. I can accept that. Agree with it, even. But Valery," Gatz said very quietly, "we're only at this party because I had enough money to bribe my way to getting you an invitation. You know how I made that money. Does that not make me just as bad as the rest of them? I just—I need to know how you can put them down, while constantly reiterating your absolute faith in me. I don't see how I deserve it, but not them."

Because that was the crux of all this, wasn't it? He couldn't separate himself from them, and Valery hated them. And he'd finally figured out that she would have hated him too, if not for once chance meeting.

"I need to believe that you have faith in me, not in the man you expect me to be. I need to know that I'm not just some vanity project that you'll abandon when I inevitably stumble off the path you've put me on," the uncertainty, the shame, the fear... he could feel them fill the space of this tiny room, "I'm sorry. I know that's unfair of me. I don't believe you would, I just... I need to hear you say it."

That was it. The fear of abandonment. The fear of being truly alone. Gatz finally understood why it was so important for Valery to understand why the common thug did what he did. He couldn't bear the thought of her leaving him, forgetting about him, giving up on him when he eventually made a mistake in his desperation. He had to know that a mistake wouldn't suddenly convince her to leave.

He wanted to be a good man. He wanted to believe he could be. But most of all, he wanted to be able to be human, capable of failure and selfishness, and not lose the one good thing he had in life: a friend with sincere trust and faith in him.

---

Tags: Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Nar Shaddaa

​

Outfit: Dress | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Gatz Derrevar

"I have faith in the man that you want to be," Valery said after he asked her. "I have faith in you." She wasn't lying there, but she felt a need to clarify. "My expectations were never that you'd change from one day to another, never make a mistake again and become the perfect saint. But what makes you different from these people is that you actually are trying, and willing to try and be different. No matter what happened, no matter where you are now and what might happen next."

Which is ultimately why she wouldn't ever respect Roche — he had chosen to use his age as an excuse, and she didn't believe in that. It was never too late to be better when you knew what you did was wrong, but it didn't matter. She didn't want to waste more of her time thinking about the Rodian or other people here. Not until they showed a willingness to do what's right.

But Gatz had, and she cared about him.

"I will not give up on you if you fail, and I don't see you as a project. You're a close friend, and that's why I refuse to look at you the way I look at others here. You'll struggle, you'll mess up and probably piss me off many more times, but you're pursuing a good life, and I will support that." She began to smile a little again, hoping that her words carried over the way she intended them to. She was never going to view him in similar light as the types she had seen here today.

Now she just wished he'd start seeing himself as someone who was different.

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

​

There was always a choice. A choice to do better; to be better. And he'd made that choice himself. Valery may have shown him that it was there, but he chose to pursue it. Gatz had just tried to do the same for Roche, and the old man, for all that Gatz cared for him, had chosen not to walk down it. Had chosen to remain where he was, even when the opportunity was available to him.

And that made all the difference.

Valery's words left him in shambles. His breaths came out ragged and shaken, silent tears pouring down his face as Gatz finally allowed himself to believe that he could be different. That with time, patience, and righteous action, he could be someone worth being proud of. That his past mistakes, though they might define him right now, wouldn't always define who he was. That he could grow beyond them.

I am not a good man, he thought, his mind finally working for him and not against him, but I can be.

Coruscant wasn't built in a day, and all that. The path was long, and it may not always take him where he wants to go, but he would walk down it nonetheless. There was nothing in the galaxy that was worth doing more. Not for him, his soul, or for the sake of others. And if Valery believed he was capable of being more, then he would believe he was capable of being more.

"Thank you," Gatz managed to get out, "thank you for... for everything."

He didn't bother apologizing any more, he knew Valery would insist he didn't need to. Even thanking her, he knew, wasn't what she was looking for. All she wanted, at the end of the day, was for him to have faith in himself. And for her, he would try.

---

Tags: Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Nar Shaddaa

​

Outfit: Dress | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Gatz Derrevar

This was perhaps the first time that his tears made her feel relieved. He wasn't angry or upset with himself anymore, but finally understood her perspective. At the same time, she better understood his as well, especially after what she had learned about his family. But she didn't want to linger on the sadness anymore, and shifted over on the couch to sit closer beside him. Her arm wrapped around his shoulders for a more comforting hug, and she managed a much warmer smile.

Perhaps the first truly normal smile today — it wasn't forced, and it wasn't held back by how terrible this place was. It was genuine, and meant for him alone.

"I'm glad I could help, but also be proud of yourself." She pulled back and distanced herself a little again while she looked him in the eyes, the smile still resting on her lips. "But there's a lot more that we have to do to really make a difference. We got those kids back, but let's make sure even fewer have to go through all of that horror, hm?"

"I think we're both ready to confront Jekerro now."

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

​

She hugged him, and Gatz wasn't ashamed to admit that he held her tightly as he willed his shuddering to stop. When it did, Gatz finally let his guilt and fear out with a long sigh. He stayed in her embrace for a few moments more, allowing himself the small affection that was so often missing from his life. Then, when she went to pull away, he let her without argument.

He drew in another breath, and let out another long sigh, "okay. Jekerro. Then let's get the hell out of here. This day has been enough of a rollercoaster for the both of us."

Feeling lighter than he had in two weeks, Gatz slipped out of the room, and started to scan their surroundings. He still didn't see the Hutt, but again, the slug was probably in a private room. He supposed they could just poke their heads through every curtain until they found him, but some things were better left private at these parties.

"Outside of invading everyone's privacy, how do you think we find our man? If he's actually in one of these rooms, I doubt his people would tell us. Slug probably wants his privacy to—"

Gatz stopped short. They both knew how Jekerro was probably entertaining himself. Valery didn't need him to put it into words, she was probably already seething at the idea. He was starting to understand why she was so harsh on the criminal element, outside a normal moral stance. She'd experienced first hand what unsavory men did to others.

How could he have expected her to understand their plight the way he did? He'd been on the side of the men dealing suffering. She'd been on the side of the one's receiving the suffering. They were, really, in agreement in a way. They just had compassion for the opposite sides of the debate.

And her side was far more deserving of compassion than his.

---

Tags: Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Nar Shaddaa

​

Outfit: Dress | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Gatz Derrevar

Valery didn't mind their embrace lasting a bit longer, knowing he needed the support right now. All that mattered to her was that he'd continue to find his way forward, and she was happy to be apart of it and help him along the way. Only after the hug broke, she looked him in the eyes and smiled, before nodding her head in agreement.

"I agree, let's finish what we started here. I can't wait to head back and just...relax. Maybe take a few days off too," she chuckled at the idea and seemed to brighten up a little bit. At least, until they both realized the problem behind finding the Hutt now that he was in private.

He more than likely had slaves with him.

"We can tell his men to let him know the Sword of the Jedi wants an audience." She hated saying it, but this one time her title's weight might be useful. For what reason it'd matter to the Hutt, she didn't know but there was no way he'd let the chance to meet her escape him, right? He surely knew who she was.

"I'll be okay, especially if you help lead the conversation."

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

​

"A vacation sounds nice," Gatz agreed wistfully, "hard to take one though, when every bounty hunter between here and the Mid Rim wants my head."

Valery's solution was a sound one, he thought. Even if Jekerro hadn't exactly invited her himself, and Gatz had been forced to grease some palms to get her that invite, the simple fact was that Jekerro had the Sword of the Jedi in the building. No way he'd pass up an opportunity to meet with her, not if he thought he could get something out of the Alliance from it.

For all their depravity, Hutt's were business men first. And anyone as wealthy as Jekerro was probably a good one.

"Solid plan. Let's flag someone down," and in a softer voice, he added, "and I'll do my best to handle the talking. As much as I can."

Jekerro probably wouldn't be interested in hearing him speak, especially if they were working the angle of getting him an audience with the Sword. But what Gatz could do, he would. At this rate, he'd probably do anything Valery asked of him. Almost. He still wasn't willing to put her family in danger because of his own problems, but she would have to forgive him for that one.

Gatz waved down the nearest guard, a Trandoshan, and the lizard man approached him with a frown.

"What do you want?"

"Our host's guest, the esteemed Valery Noble, Sword of the Jedi, would like an audience with the mighty Jekerro the Hutt," Gatz tried to sound authoritative, "to discuss a potentially lucrative business opportunity for the cartel."

"Hmm," the alien narrowed his eyes at Gatz, "I'll need to ssssee an invitation, to prove you are who you ssssay you are. Then, maybe, I'll deliver your messsssage."

Gatz really hated how drawn out those sounds were, but this wasn't the time to complain about that.

"Valery, would you show him your invitation, please?"

---

Tags: Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Nar Shaddaa

​

Outfit: Dress | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Gatz Derrevar

Valery seemed a bit relieved that he was willing to handle the talking if he could. She had no issue standing her ground against a Hutt if she had to, but she much preferred to interact with them as little as possible. Of course, it did make her feel a bit bad — now Gatz had to deal with a disgusting Hutt slaver as well. A slaver who might not be interested at all in Gatz, or even be willing to apprehend him for the bounty on his head.

Those credits were nothing for someone as wealthy as Jekerro, but it was still a risk.

Together, Valery and Gatz finally approached the guard — a Trandoshan who had likely been hired as one of his many more personal guards. They were a strong people and extremely fierce, so it wasn't at all surprising that they'd be encountering one here. Still, Valery felt more than confident she could take them all out if she had to. All they needed to do was give her one reason, and this place would be turned upside down.

Despite her hatred for slavers, she hoped it wouldn't have to come to that.

"Of course," Valery then said when her invitation was requested. She removed it from her purse and showed it to the Trandoshan, before her gaze shifted to where she suspected the Hutt to be. "If possible, I'd like to meet him as soon as I can. I don't have much time on my hands, I'm afraid."

Adding just a little pressure would likely help in this case.

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

​

The lizard scanned Valery's invitation with a suspicion reptilian eye. He stared at it a few moments longer than Gatz liked, and he was starting to wonder if the Trandoshan would deny them an audience with Jekerro. Then, with a hiss, he waved for Valery to put the invite away.

"Very well. I will passsss your requessssst along," the hissing made Gatz shudder, and not in a fun way, "wait there."

Gatz followed a claw tipped finger and found that it pointed right back at the private room they'd just stepped out of. Well, at least the couch was comfortable. There was nothing to do but wait for a response at this point, so with a shrug, Gatz stepped back through the curtains. He assumed Valery would join him. Unless she suddenly liked the crowd of criminals she hated so much.

All in all, about thirty minutes passed while they waited. At some point, Gatz got antsy and started tapping his foot. The longer they were here, the less he liked it. Truce or no truce, Roche's warning about how he shouldn't stay long was floating around in his head, weighing him down. Breaking Jekerro's truce was nothing short of suicide, but some bounty hunters were just plain morons.

On the bright side, those also tended to be the ones bad at their jobs.

Finally, after too long of a wait, an all black protocol droid stepped into the room.

"The Majestic Jekerro the Hutt has graciously accepted your request for an audience," the droid started, "he demands that the Sword of the Jedi be brought before him, alone. Your compatriot can wait here until you return."

Anxiety spiked in Gatz at that. It wasn't that he thought Valery couldn't handle herself, she could certainly kill a Hutt with her bare hands. Her mind, actually. But with her history with Hutts and the trauma she'd been through, Gatz didn't like the idea of her meeting with Jekerro alone. Not one bit.

"No," Gatz turned to her, knowing she was going to argue, "we'll find another way to track Kragan."

---

Tags: Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Nar Shaddaa

​

Outfit: Dress | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Gatz Derrevar

Valery didn't show it, but she was relieved when the invitation was accepted, and the Trandoshan disappeared to request an audience with the Hutt. So far, every part of their plan this evening had worked out in their favor. Sure, they had a bit of a fight, and a lot could still go wrong, but she was feeling confident about the progress they were making. Sadly, that progress became a lot slower when the Trandoshan remained within the private room for a very long time.

Long enough to make Gatz impatient.

"You really have to do that?" Valery asked as he began to tap his foot on the ground. "It'll be fine. If they wanted to start trouble, I'd have felt something already." It had been a thought in her mind that they were getting back-up or even warning Kragan about their presence here. But if that had been the case, she'd have already been aware of it.

The Force was a great guide and always warned her of danger.

Soon enough, a droid appeared and finally it seemed that they were allowed the audience they wanted. Or, well, Valery was allowed to appear in front of him, much to Gatz's frustration. She appreciated the protectiveness, considering how she'd almost snapped Sovereign Station in half over slavery, but she felt fine and offered him a reassuring smile.

"It's okay, Gatz. I can handle this one," she said with determination in her eyes. "Trust me on this one."

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

​

"I've had nine bounty hunters try to kill me, Valery," but there was no heat in his voice, "and one almost succeeded. I'm allowed to be a little paranoid, especially in a room where I can't see or hear anything."

But he tapped his foot a little quieter for her. Compromise, and all that.

But Gatz was vehemently against Valery going alone. Dammit, why was it that she always had to shoulder the burden of his problems for him? For once in his life, why couldn't he be strong enough to do something on his own? Save his own skin? Why was it that, as a smuggler, he'd needed no one outside of Roche and his tutoring, and managed to survive for six years? Why was it that now that he'd gone straight, he was doomed to be—

Within the confines of his own mind, he screamed in frustration.

"I trust you with all that I am," Gatz let out a heavy sigh, "I am just so sick of you solving my problems for me. So sick of not being able to do anything, of not being able to handle my own issues! ...But go, I'll wait. And thank you. And I'm sorry."

He was rambling a bit, he knew. Valery would have some choice words to refute what he'd said, he knew. But he just couldn't help the frustration. He felt so useless. Felt like he couldn't do anything at all. Oh boy, he could fly a freighter. What did that matter? That hadn't done anything to help either of them in this situation. He was a phenomenal smuggler? Guess what? That was a useless skill to a law-abiding man.

When this was done—when this bullshit with Jekerro was finished with—Gatz would handle the rest on his own. For the sake of his own pride, he had to. Valery had held his hand long enough, and Kragan Garr was his responsibility.

---

Tags: Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Nar Shaddaa

​

Outfit: Dress | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Gatz Derrevar

"I've got it."

Valery peaked outside the room with Jekerro after she had met with the disgusting Hutt slaver, and held up several datapads. It was a lot more than she had anticipated to gain out of the Hutt, but the former Jedi Shadow and Sword had her ways to make people talk. She wasn't going to discuss that with Gatz though — she had seen his reaction to when she mentioned her past as a Shadow and preferred not to concern him any further.

Jekerro the Hutt was not going to be a problem for them, and they have what they needed to go after Kragan.

"These datapads detail his location, a stronghold on Lok, and when he'll arrive there. The other has authorization codes for us to get access to it, so we have it all." She then paused for a moment and let out a soft sigh. "That said, I don't trust the Hutt entirely, so I might check out the place before we go in there."

"I've learned a lot of tricks to keep people from seeing me." From going invisible to hiding her presence in the Force, and even phasing through walls and objects. She could easily scout ahead and figure out if the information was accurate, and not just a trap set to capture them.

She wasn't going to be outsmarted by a Hutt.

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

​

Fury welled from the private room Valery had shared with Gatz, a cold glowing beacon in the Force amidst the throng of debauchery. The closer she drew to the room, the easier it was to hear the banging and scuffling that occurred within it.

When Valery poked her head back through the curtain, she was confronted with a hell of a sight: Gatz holding Roche in a choke hold, the old Rodian scrambling and slapping at him to be released, a still humming vibroknife embedded in the wall next to Gatz’s head, and a fresh cut in the right arm of Gatz’s blazer, stained crimson with the smuggler’s blood.

"Hold on, Val," he could barely restrain his anger, "I'm a little busy."

He could address her meeting with Jekerro, and whatever she was waving in his face after he'd dealt with Roche. Traitor.

“I trusted you.” Gatz’s voice was as hard and cold as Valery had ever heard it, but low and quiet, “I vouched for you. I introduced you to the woman I respect most in this galaxy, and I defended you from her when she condemned you.”

“Nothing personal, kid. I even tried to warn—” Roche choked, as Gatz tightened his hold on the old man.

“Tried to kill me, you mean.” Gatz interjected, as Roche began to run out of air. “Did you think you’d succeed where nine others have tried and failed? Did you not consider that, Roche? Nine. And I killed every single one of them. And I swear Roche, if your wife had anyone else to look after her, I’d kill you too.”

Rage burned in him, carrying a heat he hadn’t felt before: betrayal. True betrayal, from someone he had trusted with his life. Someone he had, against all logic, chosen to believe in. All because Valery had believed in him, and he had wanted to give one of his few friends that same faith. But she’d been right about Roche.

He was every bit the monster the rest of these partygoers were.

But as angry as Gatz was, he didn’t want to be the kind of man who killed in a rage, unable to control himself. He’d made that mistake once, with Kreth. So he let out a long breath, burying the burn of betrayal down deep.

And Gatz released Roche from the chokehold, before he pushed the man through the curtains and out of the private room.

“Get out of here. Don't even think of coming after me again.”

Gatz was silent for a moment after that, mind whirling, still unable to process the Rodian's betrayal. Roche had saved his life when he'd first gotten into the spice trade. Taught him everything he knew about being a smuggler. Taught him a few tricks behind the yoke of a ship too.

And he'd just tried to kill him.

"Let's go," Gatz said at last, quietly, dejectedly, "you can tell me what you learned on the speeder back."

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Tags: Valery Noble