Rising Above

[Gillian Rel]

In Nar Shaddaa there were two main levels of society, the first was those that lived down in the mid to lower levels, it was filled with gangs, criminals, and the poor. This level of society was all Gil had ever known in his life. The second level lived in the impossibly tall ivory towers of the city, where the elite and corporations mingled and vyed for power and control, here there was some semblance of order and while the danger wasn't as in your face as it was down below, it was more present than ever.

Cait had received an invitation to a party in one of those towers. Zaren the Hutt was holding a party and The Exchange had drawn the attention of someone. This would be her chance to mingle with those who held some of the most powerful positions on the planet. It was the first step for The Exchange to step up from being a small time gang and into a whole other world of possibility.

Gil was accompanying her tonight, and he was extremely uncomfortable in his newly purchased black tuxedo in the back of the speeder as they made their way to wealthier districts and their destination. He enjoyed every minute he got to spend with the woman, but he would be so far out of his depths here. He was more comfortable dealing with dangerous criminals he dealt with down below on a daily basis. That is what he had known his entire life, he knew nothing about fancy parties but he had agreed to come.

Maybe it wouldn't be as bad as he thought it would be, maybe it would be fun.

Probably not though.

 

[Lilith (8th TL)]

This was another big step for The Exchange, and, of course, she wanted no one other than Gil to accompany her on this. To be honest, she trusted Gil enough that she'd trade places with him if that was what he desired, though she could sense he felt a little hesitant.

That was fine; she didn't just get to have him as company tonight but she got to see him in a fancy suit. Before they entered the building, Cait turned around to face Gil. Her hand came up and stopped on his chest, as if to hold them there. She went up on her very tippy-toes in front of him—because she was only five foot five—and kissed him softly on the lips.

Smiling, she said softly, "You look handsome in that suit." She laughed lightly. "Just thought you'd want to know."

With that she turned back towards the building and walked inside. She was hit with the sound of music and the rumbling of mostly huttese speaking folk. Cait was a little daunted by the sheer size of the place and the amount of people. Looking around, she was lost as to where to start. Though her head snapped to one side when she heard her name.

"Cait," a man's voice rumbled with a huttese accent. It was a human, one that Cait recognized as a higher up in the criminal world of Nar Shaddaa—though, not at the top, or a actual hutt but he was somewhere to start. "Cait Aislinn, yes, that is you!" He grabbed her hand, kissing the back of it formally.

She smiled. "Kelton Jakz, I'm honored." He smiled back. "Oh, don't be, I'm a simple man that's just here for the drinks."

"Really now," Cait said with a smirk, he smirked back and turned around to Gil. "Ah, and I know you too, a new name making it's rounds in my... friend circle. Gillian Rel, I believe. Now, do consider keeping my face perfectly in tact as I'm rather reliant on it for my livelihood."

Cait tried to laugh at the joke, though in her peripheral vision she caught a group of three thugs staring at them in a way that made her very uncomfortable. Though she pushed it aside in her mind for now since they could just be Kelton's body guards.

 

[Gillian Rel]

Hands went to her waist and he lifted her ever so slightly as she reached up to kiss him. The moment didn't last long but it was enough to ease some of the stress he felt up tonight. "and you absolutely breathtaking." he said warmly, admiring her as she turned back around the head inside. Of course, he had always thought that about her.

He wasn't quite sure what they were at the moment, since that night at the Lusty Lekku, things had been..muddied. She was still his boss, but his feelings toward her went far beyond that, and their behavior towards one another had also spoken to that. People were talking, it would likely be something they would have to address but now was a stupid time to even think about it, he hated his mind sometimes.

They moved inside, taking in the richness of the party, the vastness of it all. They were truly in another domain now, one they would have to be as careful as ever. The stakes were higher, but the reward was so much greater.

A man approached the pair, addressing Cait. Not use to such formalities, he fought the urge to be defensively possessive. He stopped himself, giving off a passive look until the man turned to him. "I'll consider it." he said back, laughter in his voice, but there was a hint of the threat there. Violence was not how things worked up at this level, it was like a chess game of threats and promises that made Gil's head spin.

Cait was cut out of this, he knew should would thrive her, him not so much.

 

[Lilith (8th TL)]

Kelton maintained his smile, despite knowing that Gil's comment could be interpreted as a threat. Threats weren't something he took lightly but he wouldn't allow himself to even blink at it in public, holding out his arm for Cait to take hold instead.

"Come, let's have some fun," he said, more command than suggestion. He clearly held himself above Cait. That wasn't much of a surprise considering where they were; however, one day, she hoped it would change. It was a thought that she didn't linger on too long, accepting the man's arm politely. Currently he was her only real way to getting an audience with the hutt she wanted to see.

Though it was time to make that clear, "I was hoping to meet your boss." The man chuckled, "Oh but I am so looking forward to your company at the pazaak table."

Before Cait knew it they were already at the table. She watched as a one man shouted in joy while the others around the table shriveled. Kelton piped up again, "How about this, let's play. I'll even give you some of my chips so you can join in. But if I win the round, I get a favor. If you win it, we skip the pleasantries and go straight to meet my boss?" Cait didn't notice, but the man's left hand twitched under his sleeve, his fingers tapping against a card attached to a gadget that allowed him to... make things easier on himself.

While Cait had grown up around pazaak all her life, she wasn't actually that confident in her skills. She resisted her nervous habit of biting her bottom lip so she could reply, "I'll take it with one modification." Cait looked at Gil. "Gil plays in my place, and only if he wants to." It was probably better to have Gil do it, plus it was her way of asking him if they should take the deal or not.

 

[Gillian Rel]

He hid it well, but no doubt Cait would sense his agitation bubble into anger. He wouldn't need a gun to kill the man, he could probably do it before his thugs had a chance to intervene. If it was only him that would die, he would have considered it, he wouldn't risk Cait like that. So he forced himself to adopt a blank expression.

Of course, Gil played Pazaak. He played it a fair amount. He didn't like the implications of this game. Was she ready to risk the whole thing on a game of cards, that was half driven by luck? She turned to him, asking him to play.

"What the hell...Deal the cards." he said casually but inside he had never been more serious about a card game. He had gambled with his life since he could remember and he hadn't lost it all yet, he hoped tonight wouldn't change that.

 

[Lilith (8th TL)]

Cait could sense the fiery anger from Gil, but she couldn't exactly place the reasoning. Although, it was likely because he disliked someone trying to get a favor out of The Exchange for free, she was still a little concerned. Her hand came up and she placed it on his shoulder, in attempt to sooth him a little bit if she could. "Are you okay, Gil?" she asked, utilizing her telepathy so no one would pick up on his anger or her concern. She wasn't sure if he had ever experienced telepathy before so she hoped it wouldn't upset him further.

Sitting down, Kelton looked quite pleased with himself. Setting in chips for both him and Gil, the game began. He started off lucky enough, finding himself close to a 20, barely using his own cards. Unfortunately for him, he busted by just over one and did not have any negative cards in his hand. That was when he put his gadget into play, twitching his fingers quick enough to summon a negative card to his current deck, behind another card.

Though Cait noticed the slight gesture and the edge of another card suddenly slipping into his hand. She knew she couldn't put up a huge fuss about it since he could deny it easy enough, and pointing it out might insult him. At the same time, she did not want to lose. That was when she saw a waiter passing by and made a split second decision. With very minimal movement of her own hand, Cait used the Force to pull the waiter towards Kelton, in a way that he'd hit the mans arm.

Kelton let out a "Oof" as he was hit and his arm flung into the table hard, which also caused the device under his sleeve to not only be exposed to anyone on the opposite side of the table but to trigger. One of the cards went flying straight into Gil's forehead. When Kelton realized what happened, his face went pale and he laughed awkwardly. It looked like he was trying to put together some words but unsuccessfully. Cait, on the other hand, did her best to suppress the wicked smile that begged to form on her lips and remained quiet... unlike the crowd around them which gasped. She'd let Gil take care of this part in anyway he saw fit.

 

[Gillian Rel]

It was unnerving to have her voice in his mind. At first, he wasn't sure that it wasn't just him hearing voices. He didn't know the Force even allowed people to do that, not that he even really understood what the Force was, he just knew it gave Cait abilities.

He sat down, looking up at Cait and reassuringly winked before turning the table the cards being dealt. It wasn't a bad hand. He ended up at 18 before his opponent busted. He then played the perfect card to bring him down to 20, an evil grin spreading across the man's face.

The grin was short lived as he was pushed, exposing the contraption on his arm. Gil had seen them before, but nothing as elaborate as this one. It sprayed cards out, one harmless hitting him in the forehead. Gil raised an eyebrow as the crowd around him saw what happened. "I sure hope you haven't been stealing these fine folks credits all night, friend?" he said, some venom spilling into the last word. If this was a street game, it would have surely ended in a fight right there, but they weren't so Gil leaned back in his chair.

Others were gathering, clearly angry over having lost money earlier. "How about I do you that favor anyway." he said leaning forward. "I'll take this." he said claiming the chips that had been given to him. "and these." he said claiming some of the chips on the opposite side of the table "and we will call it even."

Some of the others looked like they would not be so gracious with the man who was now trying to quickly retreat. Gil stood from the table. "We need to get you a drink.." he said, smiling at Cait before placing a hand on her back and leading her away from the tables. Soon they both had glasses of champagne. He held a glass towards Cait. "To already making friends." he said laughing. They almost certainly had not made a new friend, instead, likely gaining an enemy but hopefully, they would change that with their meeting.

 

[Lilith (8th TL)]

It was insanely hard not to burst into laughter. Not just because of the way Kelton reacted, but because of the card bouncing off Gil's head and him totally ignoring it. For some reason, that kicked her right in the giggles. Cait choked it back with all the will she had in her small body though, trying to force a shocked look on her countenance instead. That... was something that didn't last long; she ended up covering her mouth and laughing anyway when Gil decided to take all the chips on the table. He was bad—in a good way.

She tipped her head and smiled softly when he said she needed a drink; and she really did. He guided her over to the bar. Cait leaned on him somewhat as he did, not minding the closeness. She accepted the drink, holding it up and echoing, "To friends" with laughter. Taking a sip she sat down on a stool after.

"Really though, that turned out better than expected," she admitted, looking around for a moment for prying ears. "While it set us back on our audience, cheating here probably gets you killed, or at least puts you on the run. I could take advantage of the power vacuum I'm sure he'll leave behind, so I'll get someone to keep on eye on him."

Cait took a sip, but then added, "But, Gil," a slightly concerned look tugged at her cheeks. "What upset you back there?" She frowned. "The last time I sensed that much anger coming from you was... back on Dromund Kaas." And that wasn't the best memory. Despite being the CEO of a growing criminal enterprise, he knew she cared for he employees... but... more so for him.

 

[Gillian Rel]

The glasses clicked together and Gil sipped, smiling. He never let his guard down, but he began to relax a little. He sat next to Cait, facing her as he took another drink. It was far more rich tasting than he was used to, or even really enjoyed. He would have killed for a beer right then.

A live band playing music chimed away in the background. “That's a good plan.” He said nodding. “He's probably catching an ass kicking right now.” He said taking another drink. He had to admit he was disappointed he was missing out on there.

They had certainly hit the ground running with it showing no sign of letting up. It was really lucky really, though Gil wasn't sure if it was luck or Cait using her abilities to create her own luck. He wasn't even really sure what she was capable of. He felt like only know what was a very surface with her.

The smile faded his face slightly. She always could read him so openly. He had always provided himself on being able to blend in, not give any tells, but it didn't seem to slow her down for a moment.

“I just don't like him talking to you like that.” He said. “Like he owned you.” He said looking away. It was more than that, but he stopped himself there. Since they had been working together, he had considered his job to protect her from slimeballs like that but here he found himself powerless to do so, it ate at him.

He sighed taking another sip of champagne before sitting the glass down on the bar.

 

[Lilith (8th TL)]

Cait's expression slowly changed from concerned to something much softer. "You know," she began, getting a playful but devilish smile. "You're really such a sweet, sweet man." She brought her hand up to push at his chest playfully, "A softy." She knew he might not like the comment that much but he acted, and was, so damn tough but on the inside he was clearly really sweet. Maybe that was why she trusted him so much.

Laughing she pushed herself up and tipped her head towards the crowd. "Let's find Zaren the Hutt?" Cait walked a head, looking back to smile warmly at Gil before moving on. There was so many people to navigate, luckily she caught wind of some people going to give Zaren the Hutt a gift. She followed them, weaving in and out of the crowd, trying not to lose Gil on her way until they came to a doorway leading into a massive gold plated room. In the middle of the room was a throne, and a hutt she assumed was Zaren.

Cait entered without thinking, waiting in line until it was their turn. Zaren the Hutt laughed, "Cait Aislinn, The Exchange CEO." His eyes moved over to Gillian, and he licked his lips. "Did you bring me a gift?" She looked at Gil, trying to think on her feet. She probably should've thought of bringing a gift ahead of time.

"Oh, yes, of course Great Zaren," she said finally remembering something, turning and grabbing some of the chips from Gil's pocket and whispering a "Sorry" before bringing it up to the pile of goods by the hutts throne. The hutt roared a laugh loudly, looking back at Gil and licking his lips again. "Yes, he was too clothed for a gift." Then it suddenly dawned on Cait what he really meant.

She cleared her throat, "I'm afraid I cannot part with him, Great Zaren." Zaren laughed, "Yes, yes, very well. I assume you wish to do business?" She nodded. "I want you to know that The Exchange is interested in a friendship." The Hutt smiled. "And I, a friendship with The Exchange and a job."

This was the part she expected. He wanted them to prove their worth to him, and that was fine. "Of course, anything for you Great Zaren." He nodded, picking up his pipe and taking a drag before speaking. "Red Gang's leader, he needs to be dealt with. A debt, you see." Cait bowed, "Of course." He looked back at Gil. "I assume this one can deal with him all alone," the Hutt added, licking his lips again.

 

[Gillian Rel]

He grabbed her hand when she pushed and kissed it lightly “Don’t tell anyone.” He said pulling her a bit closer as if he was going to tell her a secret “I've got this whole reputation thing I need for my job….if my boss found out….” He said, smile widening.

He finished his drink and followed after Cait as she moved through the crowd. They finally ended up in a line, as people we ushered in for private meetings with Zaren The Hutt. When they entered, he immediately noticed the Hutts giant eyes settling in on him, staring at him with a hunger that made his skin crawl.

He choked out a cough when Zaren thought he was the present. Cait, thinking quickly even though it cost Gil his money, shifted the topic away from Gil but it cost Gil his money. He still felt the Hutt's eyes on him as they continued to negotiate. He might as well lean into this, maybe it would get them something, after all, it worked for the dancers at the Lusty Lekku. The next time Zaren looked in his direction and licked his lips, Gil winked at the Hutt, grinning a little bit. It wasn't much, just enough to appear to be playful.

Cait negotiated the terms of their alliance and it was settled. Gil would kill this target in exchange for an Alliance. Easy. Gil took a step forward “Of course, your greatness. You can consider it already done.” He said bowing, adding a bit of dramatic flair. Zaren ate it up. “Gooood. Gooood.” He said clapping his hands together. “But first you will need to change. He likes them...particularly dressed.” He said with a deep chuckle, motioning for one of his servants. The servant brought out a pair of gold shorts, well it was almost enough material to be considered shorts. “Lure him away from the party, no need for my guest to have their evening ruined,” he said.

Gil had made a mistake, but it was far too late to go back now. The servant pulled him into a side room and he changed. He pulled on the shorts. They were tight and short and extremely shinny. “Oh, this is not good.” He said to himself. The servant laughed “I don't knoww..I think it suits you..” said as he eyed him. Gill tugged on the shorts in an attempt to make them longer, but that was no use at all.

Moments later, Gil reemerged seeing Cait was still in the Hutt's chambers. She would probably never let him live this down. Zaren licked his lips again and Gil smiled uncomfortably. He made eye contact with Cait, briefly before looking away and moving past them. "Are you sure you couldn't be persuaded to sell him?" the Hutt asked Cait. Gil didn't like where that conversation was going but ushered out before he could hear more.

He was shown an image of the man and led to a back entrance to Zaren's chambers and sent back out into the party to find his target and secure their alliance to the Hutt.

“This better be worth it…” he grumbled.

 

[Lilith (8th TL)]

When Gil came out dressed... or rather, very, very not dressed Cait shot her hand up to her face instinctively to cover up the massive smile. Even though she didn't try to stop the giggle that burst out. As Gil looked away, Cait wanted so badly to run up and hug him and kiss him just to tease him even more. Of course, this was business—not a joke. Super serious.

"Unfortunately, he's too important of an asset for me to sell right now Great Zaren," she added the right now so maybe he'd let go of the subject while she was here. In reality, Cait wasn't sure if she'd even agree to let go of Gil for the galaxy. Maybe that was a lot to think, yet it was what her heart told her. And... everything she'd learned told her to follow where her emotions lead. They lead to Gil.

The hutt shoo'd everyone out of the room except Cait and one serving droid who he commanded to turn on a few holopads in front of the throne. They showed streams from camera's throughout the building, that covered pretty much every corner of the place. Cait started to take note of the blind spots, since they might come in helpful later on. Shortly after, she spotted the nearly naked Gil.

Gil wouldn't have to look around long, as a massive wookiee wearing a few cloths of flamboyant clothing spotted the man. The wookiee was Gil's target. The wookiee pushed himself off the bar so he'd stop Gil in his path, and a few of the slaves hanging off the wookiee let out manish giggles when he did. "GGWWWRGHH WWWAHHH GAHHHH GWAAGAHHH," he said, handing Gil a drink before promptly cupping the man's privates to check him out.

 

[Gillian Rel]

He made his way through the party, trying to walk as confidently as he could. Honestly, he was pretty convincing, even if he did it while mentally cringing the whole time. He was just thankful that his crew was basically on the other side of the moon and a hundred levels down. He hoped Cait wouldn't see this either, he couldn't imagine what she would put him through.

He spotted the Wookie standing by the bar, already surrounded by attendants. He let out a breath, preparing for the absolute train wreck this was going to be. He didn't have to do much to get the Wookies attention. He tried his best to look mildly disinterested. The Wookie wasted no time by grabbing him, which triggered a reflect to punch the large, furry creature, but he stopped himself instead, grabbing a handful of fur.

He was quite sure he had never been so uncomfortable on the inside, but he had a hell of a poker face. He sighed lazily, channeling what he had seen from dancers at The Lusty Lekku. "I haven't found anyone who I thought I could keep up." he said looking the Wookie up and down. "Its a shame you're so....crowded." he said looking to the other slaves and attendants with obvious disgust. "Maybe later, you and I could go somewhere...quieter.." he continued slowly wrapping a finger around a strand of fur as he looked up the creature.

With that, the Wookie quickly dismissed the others and Gil gave him a pleased look. "Why don't meet over there." he said nodding to some of the side rooms "...and I will get us something to drink." he said, winking. The Wookie wavered for a moment before letting out a low growling noise and moving off.

Gil ordered the drinks and discreetly placed the tablet he had been given for the job. As he moved to follow the wookie, he slowly rocked the glass causing the tablet to dissolve and mix with the drink.

 

[Lilith (8th TL)]

As soon as the wookiee saw Gil in the closet he growled happily, grabbing both drinks and downing them in a few seconds. He tossed them aside, picking up Gil by the butt while the glasses shattered on the ground.

"WWWRGHH WWWAHHH GAHAHHH GWAAGAHHH", he said, licking Gil slowly across the face after. The wookiee was probably three times Gil's size, so his tongue covered about half of Gil's face and he licked from one cheek to the other.

He was also already pretty drunk, ate about five loafs of garlic bread stuffed with something called "stinky onions" grown on Nal Hutta. He left thick, smelly saliva across Gil's face. It would probably make breathing hard for Gil until he could unclog his nose of all the saliva that filled it. And well, if he had his mouth open he might not live through it. It would be like diving underwater, except the water is the most disgusting thing you ever smelled in your entire life. Most people would probably vomit from the texture, let alone the smell.

But that was when suddenly the wookiee started choking. Grabbing his own throat and gasping for air, he barely lasted a minute before falling to his knees, passing out and dying shortly after. The job was done.

Cait, unfortunately, saw the whole thing in terror. She questioned why the hutt had a camera in his closet, then suddenly decided that she didn't want to know despite having a pretty good idea of why. She felt a little bad for putting Gil through that, but needed to get this job done.

"It is done, Great Zaren," Cait finally said after pulling herself together. "Very good," he grumbled, "Very good indeed. Yes, consider us 'friends'. I will see you again, Miss.Aislinn."

With that Cait went to the room that Gil had been dressed in, grabbing his clothing and a clean cloth. She tried not to rush, though couldn't help how fast she was walking. When she made it in the closet she put his clothing down then reached up to wipe off his face. "I'm sorry I put you through that," she said, frowning, feeling a bit guilty.

 

[Gillian Rel]

He was quite literally being manhandled by the Wookie. Gil prayed that the poison would work quickly, knowing that this Wookie was big even for his species. He hoped he didn't find out more. He did his best to avoid the worst of it, but there wasn't much he could do. Just as the Wookie was trying to get further, the poison began to take effect.

The Wookiee dropped to his knees and then the floor. Gil kneeled down "Zaren The Hutt sends his regards." he said, dropping the flirty tones he held earlier. The Wookie looked up at him, rage filling his eyes. He reached out for Gil's throat but it was already over.

The Wookie thrashed several more times and then lay still. Gil stood silent for a moment, trying to keep the contents of his stomach down. "What the kriff do Wookies eat..." he said to himself. The smell was awful and it lingered on him.

Not wanting to get caught in the room with the dead Wookie, Gil slipped out of the room and made his way alongside the outskirts of the room to Zaren's chamber. By the time he had got back, the Hutt was gone. Cait tried helping him clean off, but he wished she had brought sandpaper. "You're not sorry a bit!" he said eyeing her. "I saw you when I left, you were loving every second of it." he said looking in the mirror. "Ohh this is bad." he said seeing himself fully for the first time.

"I need about a week's long shower." he said as he shed his new "outfit" and started dressing back into his own clothes. "Not. A. Word. to any one." he said to Cait. "I mean it!" he said pulling his unbuttoned shirt back on.

 

[Lilith (8th TL)]

Cait burst out into laughter; she did not expect Gil's response one bit. It both caught her by surprise and tickled her, so much so that she couldn't stop laughing. She bent over, holding her stomach. She got them so bad that her stomach started to hurt.

"Oh. My. Force," she said between gasps and laughter. "I can't breath." Then it hit her. "NEITHER COULD YOU!" She laughed harder. Her eyes started to water and she wiped away the streams they created on her cheeks.

When she was finally able to get ahold of herself she breathed in deeply, still holding her poor laugh-thrashed stomach. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I don't know why that was so funny, but I promise I probably wont use it as blackmail."

Cait breathed in and out again, finally feeling a bit calmer. "We should probably go though, I've decided to do more than make friends here and I'll need a few tools." She'd decided to take the hutts gang, because she saw enough weak spots in the camera's and security. And they'd just taken out the hutt's second in command; though by mistake, it gave them an opening.

 

[Gillian Rel]

He finished dressing quickly, even as Cait was buckled over in laughing fit. "I knew it...You're the worst." he said as he buttoned his shirt.

Leaving was a great idea, the best idea Cait had come up with all night. He needed to get home and take the longest shower of his life. He did wonder what her plans were, but he would ask later. It likely wouldn't be safe to talk about any plans here, who knows who was listening...or watching. He happened to look up at the ceiling and saw the small camera embedded there. "Oh for kriff's sake..." he said following her out.

A few feet out of the dressing room, he reached out gently grabbing her around the waist and pulled her towards him. He leaned in close to her ear, whispering the mock threat "I will get you back someday.". He swatted at her butt playfully "Let's get out of here."