Private The Hunt

[Valery Noble]

Nar Shaddaa

​

Outfit: Dress | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsaber (hidden in purse)

Valery brushed aside a few long strands of dark-brown hair and looked up at the casino balcony. A Hutt was watching people down below, betting away their fortunes on his slot machines and rigged games. It was an awful business model that forced too many into poverty, but this Hutt was arguably involved in so much worse. Much of his earnings did not go straight into his pockets. The credits were instead invested in his empire of trading and supplying weapons to the Empire — a business that was booming because of the war.

If anything, the Casino served as a mask to hide his true intentions.

The click-clack of Valery's heels drew closer to the steps leading up to his VIP area. Her lightsaber was safely secured in her purse, just in case, but she wasn't planning on drawing it at all. Hutts had an eye for more than credits, and she knew she could sweet talk her way closer to him. Close enough to make her move and eventually tear apart his supply of weapons to the enemy.

She was one step away from gaining another advantage in the war.

Rissk ​

 

[Rissk]

CASINO MUSIC​

Nobody ever became the best by playing it safe.

An armed bounty hunter wasn't out-of-place in a shady casino. They were a dime a dozen, as far as anyone was concerned- young, bright-eyed bravos, looking to get in good with the local Hutts. Unlike the others here, though, Rissk wasn't trying to cozy up. He had a job. His first job.

Rissk stepped into the establishment, one clawed hand naturally gravitating towards his sheathed vibroknife. The Trandoshan was reedy, thin, young. His inexperience was all too obvious, as he hesitated at the doorway, suddenly overcome by decision paralysis, before picking a direction, and walking.

Infiltration complete. Nailed it.

He was here for one of the Hutt's subordinates, a Rodian with a piercing in his tube-y lip. He wasn't entirely sure why- the local Bounty Office didn't exactly give out details like that to new hunters. But it was the perfect first job for the future greatest bounty hunter in the galaxy.

His target would be in the VIP area, he reasoned. So he headed that way, pushing past the greedy masses as they won and lost money as effortlessly as breathing. Some gave him a nasty stare, one he returned with a toothy grin, daring them to do something about it. Unless they were bigger than him. Them, he instead gave a tiny, apologetic grin instead.

Eventually, he made it to the door, at the same time as a woman in a dress. The new hunter politely stepped aside for her, needing to collect a bit more courage before entering the space. "Ope. Sssorry." Then, he did a very obvious double take. Scarred face. Intense eyes. Was that... Valery Noble? Leader of the Alliance Jedi Valery Noble? One of the most high-value targets in the galaxy Valery Noble? That Valery Noble?

The young bounty hunter did the mental math of his half-depleted power pack of his blaster shotgun, unslung it as quickly as he could, and shrugged. "I gotta try. Hands up?"

Rissk had four shots and a dream.

- Valery Noble -

 

[Valery Noble]

Nar Shaddaa

​

Outfit: Dress | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsaber (hidden in purse)

"Ope. Sssorry."

Valery paused and looked over her shoulder, her piercing orange eyes just barely able to see through her long locks. The Trandoshan seemed strangely apologetic, knowing the types that visited these Casinos. But as soon as he spun back around and very visibly looked her over, Valery felt a strange tremor in the Force and focused on that instead. It was a familiar feeling — one that spelled danger.

A weapon was drawn an instant later, and her eyes briefly widened.

"Are you sure you want to do this? Here?" She looked from side to side, hoping he'd see the problem in trying to cause a scene in a place like this. But the situation was far worse for her — he was drawing attention to her, and if others recognized her as well, she could have more than one hunter coming after her.

Valery clenched her jaw and readied herself for a fight.

"Why don't we-"

"HE'S GOT A GUN!" a woman screamed like she was the one held at gunpoint. More eyes were drawn to them now, and without any context, people began to panic.

They started to run.

Rissk ​

 

[Rissk]

"Are you sure you want to do this? Here?"

Rissk was nervous. But when he was nervous, he smiled, revealing a row of shining, dagger-sharp teeth. "There's no 'this' if you surrender."

Before the Jedi could offer any alternatives, a woman's voice shrieked out. Rissk rolled his burning sunset eyes, his attention divided as people started to panic. "I got my permits! Don't get your... karkin'... diamond bangles in a twissst." Distracted, the barrel of his sawed-off blaster drifted from Valery's center-mass, ever so slightly. Attention meant other hunters. Other people trying to steal the new target out from under him. A bead of desperate fear lodged itself in his heart. His smile sharpened.

He needed this.

"Last chance. Before this gets messsy."

- Valery Noble -

 

[Valery Noble]

Nar Shaddaa

​

Outfit: Dress | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsaber (hidden in purse)

Valery did not give him a chance to speak. As soon as people began to panic and rushed all around them, she noticed his gun dipping away from its target in a moment of distraction. In what seemed like an instant, she channeled the Force and used the narrow point of contact of her left heel as a pivot point. She spun like a tornado, her right leg coming off the floor despite her dress and heels.

It was no attempt to knock him out, but to kick the weapon from his grasp.

Whether it worked or not, she immediately moved to slip into the crowd. Fighting without weapons was one thing, but a sustained fight in a dress was an experience she hoped not to repeat.

Even if it meant giving up on her mission.

Rissk ​

 

[Rissk]

His shotgun easily flew from his hands, sailing into the quickly panicking crowd.

Rissk made a reptilian chirp in alarm, eyes wide as he turned his head back. "H-hey!" She'd gotten the blaster from his hands like it was nothing. Valery Noble was strong.

Must be worth a lot, he thought, steeling his resolve.

I need this.

The Trandoshan saw her slip into the chaos, and rushed after her, practically swimming through rich people as he pushed them to the side, forcing his way towards her. He reached out with one long, clawed hand, trying to grab her arm.

"Ssstop!," he growled, his other hand pulling his vibroknife from it's sheath at his side.

- Valery Noble -

 

[Valery Noble]

Nar Shaddaa

​

Outfit: Dress | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsaber (hidden in purse)

He was persistent.

After kicking the weapon from his grasp, Valery tried to slip away into the crowd but the hunter followed. With large, powerful steps, he forced himself through the panicked group between them and reached out to grab her. A clawed hand caught her arm, nails digging into soft flesh, and Valery knew she had to do something. She had hoped to avoid a fight, especially in her current attire, but he wasn't going to give up.

The Trandoshan reached for his blade, but Valery wasn't going to wait for that to happen. In an instant, she allowed the Force to explode through her body, augmenting her speed and strength drastically. While he held onto her arm, Valery lowered her body quickly and swept her right leg along the ground, hoping to knock him off his feet and force him to let go.

If he wanted this to end the hard way, she was ready.

Rissk ​

 

[Rissk]

Rissk was persistent, and entirely outclassed.

He knew it, and he doubted his new target could miss it. This was, quite literally, the young Trandoshan's first hunt. There was no way he would be able to outrun, outfight, or outfox, Valery Noble.

But he had to have faith. He had to try.

He felt a rush of elation as his hand closed around the woman's arm. Here was his chan-

"Ach!" The new hunter felt himself fall hard, the wind knocked from his lungs, his head cracking against the floor. Shaking the stars from his eyes, Rissk's hand shot out again, this time attempting to grab the Jedi's ankle, and pull her down with him.

His knife had skittered out of his reach, but a Trandoshan was never unarmed.

- Valery Noble -

 

[Valery Noble]

Nar Shaddaa

​

Outfit: Dress | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsaber (hidden in purse)

She got him!

Valery's lips spread into a smug grin when she kicked the enormous Trandoshan onto the ground whilst wearing a dress. It'd be something to brag about when she got home, just like that time she brawled against Koda Fett in a dress. Her joy, however, was short-lived. While Valery tried to move away, Rissk reached out for her ankle and brought her off-balance with a sudden tug. She went down, crashing into the floor with her chest, only able to keep her face from hitting the marble by using her hands to absorb the impact.

She felt the shock as a shiver through her body.

Frustrated and wanting to get away, Valery angled the heel of her other foot right for his forehead and kicked as hard as she could to leave a little dent in his face, "You should have let go!" she called out, as she hoped to create her chance to get away from the scene.

Rissk ​

 

[Rissk]

He didn't have much time to feel good about pulling Valery Noble down before he received a face-full of high heel.

Rissk hissed out in pain, blood dripping down into his eye where his brow had split. He didn't register the Jedi Master's next words- something deep, instinctual, predatory, broke out from the timid Trandoshan's mind. Skittering across the ground on all fours, the hunter set upon the Jedi Master, claws extended in preparation to maul her.

He swung down... and his arms froze before ever coming close to slashing her, as he hesitated.

"C'mon, c'mon!" The Trandoshan hissed quietly to himself.

Why can't you just do it! Idiot!

- Valery Noble -

 

[Valery Noble]

Nar Shaddaa

​

Outfit: Dress | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsaber (hidden in purse)

The kick connected with his forehead and briefly gave her a chance to crawl away. A short-lived moment, however, as anger boiled within the Trandoshan's blood. In an instant, he was up on all fours and closed the distance rapidly, intent on ripping her apart with sharp claws or a weapon. Valery spun onto her back, a hand raised and ready to send him flying across the entire room with the Force.

A single attack that would reveal her to be a Jedi.

But right before she was about to commit to it, Rissk froze and Valery mirrored him. She stared at him for just a moment, wondering why he had suddenly stopped, then gritted her teeth and aimed a kick at his chest to knock him off of her. It'd likely hurt or be uncomfortable, but it wouldn't be as disastrous as getting flung around.

Immediately, Valery rolled over and onto her feet again. She had lost one of her heels, so she kicked off the other and readied herself to run.

Only for a group of armed thugs to step in the way.

"You two!" one of them called out, as he leveled his rifle, "You're gonna have to answer to the boss."

Rissk ​

 

[Rissk]

The Jedi seemed just as taken aback as he was that he couldn't do it.

But that didn't keep her from kicking him away. Rissk flew backward, rolling once before his claws scraped into the ground, righting himself. He was prepared to give chase again- weapon or not, there was still a chance to salvage this...

But then, weapon's were levied their way. Burning white numbness overtook the Trandoshan, as he realized what was happening. They were getting... captured? If he was captured, he'd lose all the points he'd collected...

If he had any, that was.

"No, no, no..." Rissk clenched his fists. He was bruised, bloody, weaponless, weak... he'd failed. They were right.

He put up his hands, surrendering. Then, he hissed a whisper at Valery. "Thisss is all your fault."

- Valery Noble -

 

[Valery Noble]

Nar Shaddaa

​

Outfit: Dress | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsaber (hidden in purse)

"Why are you raising your hands?!"

Valery snapped her gaze to the armed guards, and their weapons folded in on themselves under some invisible weight. Her hand extended towards her purse, and with another invisible grip, she summoned the hilt of her lightsaber into her hand. She had never ignited a blade before in a dress, but she had never felt quite as sexy before.

"Where were we?"

The guards — and all others around her — now understood she was a Jedi and that meant trouble. But she wasn't going to allow herself to get captured. They'd also find out she was a Jedi, but then she'd be stuck in a cage without a weapon.

It was time to get out the hard way, with or without Rissk .

The guards scrambled, searching for makeshift weapons or sidearms, and within seconds, blaster pistols opened fire while some charged in with clubs and other melee weapons.

It was a brawl now.

Rissk ​

 

[Rissk]

"Why are you raising your hands?!"

"Wha...?" Rissk didn't have time to be confused at the question, as he was very quickly more confused watching the weapons of the casino guards crunch themselves. Then, the Jedi pulled her laser sword, and the hunter understood.

Oh. She could'a just... done that to my bones. Whenever she wanted to.

Huh.

Regardless of his inexperience, the young Trandoshan was quicker to recover than their would-be captors. He charged them with a snarl, his clawed hands instead balling into meaty fists. He may have been new to this, but there was a reckless sort of familiarity in the way his punch connected with the first guy's chin, or how he felt a wild haymaker plant itself in his gut.

Later, he would justify tackling the guard levying his blaster at Valery in the chaos of the fight as entirely pragmatic- he couldn't collect on her bounty if she was dead- but in the moment?

He was terrified. And she was his only chance.

Struggling with the gunman on the ground, Rissk glanced at Valery Noble, looking more like a scared teen than a heartless bounty hunter.

- Valery Noble -

 

[Valery Noble]

Nar Shaddaa

​

Outfit: Dress | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsaber (hidden in purse)

Valery's blade easily cut through the wave of blaster bolts that came her way. These guards weren't as terrible as the local thugs at the corner of each street, but she wasn't impressed by their skill. They stood close together, overlapping so much that friendly fire was a serious risk. They sprayed and prayed that they'd be able to gun her down, but it was futile.

With Rissk causing even more chaos among them, Valery moved forward and cut down several more of their weapons. She wasn't trying to kill or seriously maim, so with each weapon she neutralized, she sent another thug flying into the walls or ceiling. They'd need some time to recover from it, but they'd live.

Then, she turned to Rissk.

Valery noticed the fear in his eyes and clenched her jaw. Not even 10 minutes ago, he had tried to attack her and now he was looking at her for help? She almost wanted to turn away and only get herself to safety. Almost.

"Get up!" She called out to him, "We're not in the clear yet." Their little fight had drawn a lot of unwanted attention. The big crime bosses had seen it happen from their balcony, so they had likely summoned more of their people already.

They were going to have to fight their way out.

Rissk ​

 

[Rissk]

Rissk struggled with his opponent on the ground for a moment more, but he was T'doshok, and his enemy was not.

After a moment of struggle, the Trandoshan youth overpowered the guard, boxing him across the face with a heavy hand, more fueled by panic than any sort of strategy. Frantic fingers checked his unconscious form for a weapon... and he picked up the blaster carbine.

"Get up! We're not in the clear yet."

It was a little humorous how quickly Rissk just... accepted that the Jedi was in charge. He seemed to claw back some courage, pushing to his feet, and hitting someone with the butt of his newly-acquired carbine. No way he could aim it in a melee like this, so he stuck with what he knew.

He'd read the Bounty Hunter's Guide cover to cover, then cover to cover again. He knew the rules like the back of his clawed hand, that it was important to have an exit strategy. He just... hadn't thought of it until now. Scanning the room, he found the nearest exit, a side-door that almost certainly led through to an alleyway.

"There!" Rissk growled as he planted his foot on a guard's chest, and pushed, sending the man tumbling away. That was their way out.

- Valery Noble -

 

[Valery Noble]

Nar Shaddaa

​

Outfit: Dress | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsaber (hidden in purse)

"There!"

Valery followed his gaze to the side door, dipped her head, and started to run. Behind them, more guards were swarming into the casino, already with their weapons drawn. They opened fire, pure intent to kill, and forced Valery to spin around and cover their retreat. Their numbers weren't so great that they overwhelmed her defenses, but she had a feeling that half of Nar Shaddaa was about to be upon them.

Best to leave while they still could.

Luck, however, was not with her today. A deflected bolt struck a huge window of stained glass, causing it to explode. Shards rained down and struck the floor, right between the two and their way out. Glass was likely no trouble for Rissk, who had come prepared for a fight.

But looking down at her bare feet, Valery wasn't so enthusiastic about running for the door.

"Chit. You go!" she called out, "I'll uh, find another way." She wasn't quite sure where or how, but she'd think and fight her way out somehow. She hoped.

Rissk ​

 

[Rissk]

Rissk knew when he first pointed his blaster at Valery Noble, that he was in over his head. But he hadn't quite anticipated being this far in.

Boxing with a guard, the Trandoshan hissed as a fist planted squarely in his jaw, retaliating with an arm across the man's torso. If he focused on one person at a time, he could almost pretend like he was doing well. But then, the window exploded, covering their escape in glass. Rissk was about to report as much, then saw...

Master Valery Noble, holding off literally every other criminal in the building.

"Chit. You go! I'll uh, find another way."

Rissk hesitated at the edge of the broken glass. Here was his chance, to escape his mistake. Sure, the Jedi would be captured, and he would miss his chance at glory, but he'd survive. But, if that was the case... why wasn't he making a break for it?

Why did he rush towards Valery, roll to pick up his blaster shotgun, and come up on a knee to return fire at the clumped enemies?

They'd abandoned cover, noticing the Jedi's lack of ranged weapon, and perhaps hadn't expected the bounty hunter to return. Stun shot peppered them, causing the brave few closing to drop, and others to dive behind tables and chairs.

"Where to now?" The Trandoshan stayed behind the cover provided by Valery's lightsaber, counting his shots. Two left.

He'd tried apprehending a Jedi Master on his first job. Call Rissk many things, but a coward, he was not.

- Valery Noble -

 

[Valery Noble]

Nar Shaddaa

​

Outfit: Dress | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsaber (hidden in purse)

"What are you doing?!"

Valery seemed genuinely shocked when he rushed back, picked up his weapon and helped her. The two of them teaming up had been odd enough already, but now she had given him the perfect chance to escape and avoid her at the same time.

But he hadn't taken it.

As much as it shattered her perspective, she forced herself to focus on the attackers again. He had managed to stun several, but there were still too many and they were behind cover. They weren't trained, sure, but they were clever enough to know that their best shot was trying to slowly overwhelm her.

Eventually, she would get too tired or make a mistake.

"We have two options," Valery said as she swatted away another barrage of blaster bolts. "Either we go right through them..." she paused and didn't dare look his way before saying the other option, "... or you'll have to carry me across the glass." One plan was risky and dangerous, the other was awkward and left them briefly exposed.

They had to make a choice now.

Rissk ​

 

[Rissk]

Rissk crouched low under an overturned table. His pointed teeth were gritted tight as he clenched his jaw. Their options... kinda sucked.

A few guards began to inch around their view, trying to flank the Jedi Master. Thinking quickly, Rissk fired a hasty shot their way, forcing them to retreat, but not taking any more down. "I only got one shot left!" Rissk spat out the sentence, hitting the side of his head in frustration. "C'mon, think, think!"

An idea passed his head. "If I run out into the glasss half-way, can you jump to me?" He looked at her, skeptical. His hissing lisp always got worse in stressful situations. "Then I can throw you the ressst!"

A blast scattered past Rissk's nose, and he ducked back down, squeezing his eyes shut. This was his first firefight. He had the right to be a little scared.

- Valery Noble -