Private Settle

[Inanna Harth]

Inanna was briefly stunned by the blow to her face. Yet when awareness returned, she found that she was surrounded by dead or dying gangsters, and Cato was on top of Moloch, beating him to a pulp.

The Vandolae gang leader had tried to reclaim his hold over Cato’s mind, but Cato’s anger proved too much to control. Inanna watched him punch Moloch for several seconds. Cato’s expression was blank, yet he somehow looked almost unrecognizable.

“Wait,” she croaked. “Stop.”

Cato didn’t stop. Maybe he couldn't hear her. She reached out to grab him, pulling him off of Moloch. She was stronger than a human, but weakened by her ordeal. Her nerves still felt charred. Still she did the best she could, seeing herself in him, her berserker rage in the Narsh sewers reflected back at her.

He had stopped her then, she would stop him now.

“We need him alive,” she said. “For questioning.” A bit of black blood smeared against Cato’s cheek, trickling from her nose. More blood stained his knuckles like ink. “Just keep him restrained. I’ll call Enkidu. He’ll take care of the rest.”

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato was angry. At himself, and now at Moloch. Spiteful, even, with shimmerings of something worse bubbling underneath his signature in the Force. Each impact brought a bit of catharsis, but none were enough to stop him from chasing the high of revenge. For him, for Inanna, and everyone else the Vandolaes ever tormented. He liked this part of the job. Now more than ever.

Until he felt a sudden pull at his arm. Cato whipped around with a wild look in his eye, only for it to immediately fade at the sight of Inanna's face. His blood-coated fist was still raised up for another strike, but he now found himself confronted with shame. He had never fallen into a state quite so malicious before, even with all the other scum on Nar Shaddaa. Moloch was spared another look, but his beaten and bruised face was practically swollen shut. The man wasn't going to be moving anywhere any time soon. So Cato just dropped his collar, letting him hit the floor with a thud.

He stood up, rubbing his hand across his face and leaving a bit of extra blood stained across both. He pulled back, seeing the inky black over his knuckles, and was struck with another pang of shame. "Inanna, I-" He reached towards her, "Are you okay?"

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

“Yeah, I’m okay,” she replied, though it wasn’t necessarily the truth. She would live, and that was all that was important right now.

Wincing, she reached up and manually popped her nose back into place. Swiping at the fresh stream of blood that gushed from it, she asked, “How about you?” He didn't appear to be injured, for which she was grateful. She would’ve kissed him if both their faces hadn’t been covered in blood.

Instead she called Enkidu and got him to send his people over. All that was left to do was wait for them. Dropping her datapad on the floor, she stared at Moloch, who appeared to be mercifully unconscious. “The idiot was wearing actual clothes. Vanity can get a Shi’ido killed, you know.”

Not that it mattered. Trying to stave off the feelings of awkwardness and a strange sort of helplessness in the wake of it all, she searched Moloch's pockets, not really expecting to find anything of note. He didn’t have much, just his wallet and some cigarras.

“Don’t worry, I quit before you were even born,” she muttered, before putting a cig in her mouth and lighting it. "Just this once."

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato winced himself as Inanna popped her nose back into place, and stared for a few long moments before answering her question, "Sure." Also not entirely true.

With Enkidu called and soon on the way, there was little else to do but wait. Her comment was a prime opportunity for a joke, but he found nothing he felt like saying. Instead, Cato slowly walked over to and slumped against the wall, running a hand through his hair.

Inanna's quick pat down of Moloch's pockets earned a curious stare and a raised brow, though. As did her move to take one of the cigs for herself. Finally he managed a strained smirk, and just shook his head before resting it against his knees, "I won't tell."

It wasn't too much longer before Enkidu's people showed up, already casing the scene. Cato answered a few preliminary questions before positing one of his own, "What's gonna happen to the rest of the Vandolaes, you think?"

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

She didn’t finish the cig. After so many years, the first taste of nicotine was more than enough to produce the intended calming effect.

It wasn’t long before Enkidu and his gang (for lack of a better term) showed up and started asking questions. Inanna answered as many questions as she could, before leaving in search of a washcloth soaked in warm water to wipe the blood from her face and hands.

When she returned Cato had retreated to the wall, curling up in a ball. Inanna sat on the floor beside him and gently cleaned the blood off his hand with the cloth. She didn’t quite know what Moloch had done to him, but if it was anything like what she had experienced, it had to hurt.

“I doubt this is all of them,” Enkidu answered. “But you put a decent dent in their operations. Of course, there are other gangs, old and upstart…”

“I’m sure you can handle it,” Inanna interrupted, casting a slight warning look his way as if to say don’t push it. They hadn’t asked questions about the dead bodies lying around, or the state of Moloch’s face, but there was no way they could’ve failed to notice the carnage. The blood was literally on Cato’s hands. She didn’t want to risk them thinking they could use him like this all the time.

“Of course we can,” Enkidu replied. “Are you injured? We can have you checked out.”

“No. Just tired.”

“I won’t keep you, then. You two have a good rest of your night. Just mind the crime scene on your way out.”

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato looked up sluggishly as the others spoke, a nostril flaring as he sniffled back a bit of his own blood, apparently brought about by the assault on his mind. The knight nearly spoke up to offer extra help if they needed it, but Inanna answered for him, and he quickly decided that was for the best. A shake of his head when they asked about injuries, and that was about the end of it.

“Will do.” He stood up, sliding against the wall with a groan. Cato then turned to Inanna and offered a freshly-cleaned hand, “You wanna get the hell out of here?” After that, he’d take leave of the building. Not really the vacation he was hoping for, but something worthwhile came out of it, even if he got the short end of the stick. Not much different from usual.

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

Cato’s unsteady movements drew Inanna’s concern. But it was clear he just wanted to go home and rest. Well, back to the ship, at least.

“Yes,” she replied with absolute certainty, taking his hand. “Let’s go.”

Cato Harth​